Dongdaemun Market (Seoul)

I don't know what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn't expecting what turned out to be reality.  And reality is - the women that live in this country are constantly decked out from head to toe, with shiny beautiful straight hair and never leaving home without their heels.  Whenever I am sitting on the subway I will look at the row of shoes sitting across from me (if I am lucky enough to be sitting.) and what meets my eyes is a beautiful array of sparkling, pretty heels (and normal shoes on the males.)  Like many other countries and situations (prom, weddings, etc.) the men just somewhat blend into the scenary, whereas the women stand out each looking unique and endlessly put together.

But this is not prom, nor is every day reason enough to dress for a wedding - this is real life ...my life.  And as much as I love heels more than chocolate, I can't keep up. From footwear to tights with beautiful sweaters (albiet some have some ridiculous things displayed on them) not only do I stand out because of my skin and my language, but up until this point the only footwear that I have been sporting on my touring adventures is my flip flops (which you cannot even buy here, you have to go online for if you need them) and my Diesel running shoes (cute - yes, but is neither pointy nor shiny.)

So I set out last weekend to do a little shopping.

I was slightly shocked when one of my coworkers suggested that we head out after work on Friday, I work till 9 ...isn't it time for bed?

Not in Korea.

Because of traffic it took us almost 2 hours  to get into Seoul and to our destination - 30 minutes of which was spent waiting on a block to get into the parking place.  And as a sidenote - parking here costs $10 every half hour, but with every purchase that you make, they give you a voucher for half an hour of parking.  It's called working the system.

To say that the shopping experience here is different from home would be the understatement of the world.  It's unreal, life nothing I have ever seen in my life.  Essentially Dongdaemun though called a Market is more like several high rise department stores, lined up over several streets, jammed full of vendors and stores (but not set up like stores because they do not have the same type of walls splitting them apart) and just crawling with people.  It was 11 oclock by the time that we got there and we didn't leave until 3am, and there was never a time when the streets weren't swarming with people and you didn't have to push your way around people in the department stores.

It's like sensory overload.  You can't just leisurely browse through stores at your leisure, not only are there far too many things to look at, but you have to watch out to make sure that you aren't running into one of the 10 people who are invading your personal space.

So after I did some breathing exercises and did my best to relax in these very surreal surroundings - I was ready to shop.  But something stopped me.  It wasn't necessarily the prices because there were reasonable prices all around me ...but it was the unfamiliarity of it all.  I'm unsure of what to compare this to, but imagine being on a plane, knowing the plane was in perfect working order and could get you where you wanted to go - but you have absolutely no idea how to fly that plane.

At home, shopping is almost therapeutic.  You walk into the stores here you have been a thousand times and you feel comfortable.  You touch their new lines and feel safe knowing that you will be fashionable wearing these items.  You take comfort in the brands that you have been wearing for years and you take for granted the background information that comes simply from seeing a specific name (ie. price, quality, sizing, etc.)  Here, I know nothing.  I feel lost and it is almost as overwhelming as the stores themselves.

I look at all of the beautiful clothes that surround me - but I have no idea what size I should be wearing, or what type of quality that stores sells, or how much to expect it to be, or even if that is something that won't make people stop and wonder if I got dressed in the dark.  It sounds simple, and I never thought that shopping could be so complicated - but I didn't even know where to start.

Except that every now and then you will come across a store, or a brand, or a name that you recognize.  You will immediately feel compelled to go over and touch it and feel comforted by it.  Then, just as you are thinking how cute you would look in it - you glance at the price tag.  The price is astronomical and you just know that you could never spend that much on something you could get for a quarter of the price at home.  And it hurts.

You are probably wondering now if I was successful - yes and no. I got 2 very cute tops (one was more of a sweater to wear with tights and Wayne says that it is very Asian, which I am completely fine with because as I mentioned, I love their style.)  And I am sure that this is just another challenge that I need to overcome and soon maybe even I will be wearing footwear that people will notice on the subway ...but until then, I am missing the closet that I left at home.