Old Men on the Subway

Last night I debated if I should take the trip to Costco and my empty refrigerator told me it would be a good idea.  So, I hopped on the train to visit a new part of town.

Costco is a tiny little "almost feels like I'm in America".  Well, only when it comes to the products.  So this is where I stock up on my junk food and other completely unnecessary but really wanted things.

$80 later I had a box full of chips, cheese, bananas, cereal, sour cream, muffins and sandwiches. I didn't have my completely useful Costco bag because I left from work... what to do?  Buy a bag for $2 or tough it out with a 20 lb box? Well, I didn't see any bags easily accessible so I decided to do it the hard way.

I always do it the hard way.  There is some weird thing in my brain that wants to accept the challenge, even though it doesn't make sense... just to see if I CAN.  Its like gambling.  This is how I lost my hairbrush.  I digress...

So, on the subway home, the white girl with the box of groceries got a lot of "looks".  Its always interesting riding the subway.  And here is where the real story comes in.

I plopped my box down in the "handicap/pregnant/ elderly" seats, since they were open.  These seats are clearly marked on the subway and although they are open, usually they will remain empty because its the right thing to do...  Well, I figured the huge box I was carrying made me handicapped...  A few stops later I felt awkward when a bunch of old men stepped onto the train and there weren't enough open seats... so I stood up just in case they wanted to sit.  They saw me and told me to please sit (but in Korean).  I stood for a while just in case, but they were ok... so I sat back down.

One of the gentlemen then wandered over and thus began the familiar conversation.  Though he started with "my friend thinks you are from Denmark"  I said, "no".  He said, "America right?"
"Yes, but my ancestors are from Germany"
"oh, Guten Tag"
"Ha!  But I don't speak German, it was my great-grandmother"

Then of course, how long have you been here, where do you work, etc etc...

The old lady across the isle half entered the conversation making remarks about my purchased items and that it looked heavy.

The man talking to me spoke English very well.  Well enough to tell me that I'm a very beautiful teacher and that next time I should get my boyfriend to carry the box for me.

It was then time to exit the train.  I kindly said good bye and they said, see you next time!

Lol... the ever familiar subway conversation... always with the old guys.  Maybe I really do need to start having my "boyfriend" carry my groceries.

Yeesh!
Life as an expat should never be boring... a new adventure awaits everyday.