March 18, 2009

Always Bring a Flare Gun When Shopping

This past weekend, I came to the realization that I witness amazing things all the time. Like what, you ask? Well, when I go to any of the huge shopping areas or department stores in Seoul, I'm always amazed by the cleaning ladies who must work amoung the endless droves of customers bustling about. Seriously, that's an impressive feat.

I can't go more than twenty minutes in a busy shopping area before I begin to feel my blood pressure rising and the urge to strike someone creeping up in my brain. People are constantly getting in your way, crashing into you, knocking your shopping bags around; it's hot, stuffy, and unbelievably loud. I can feel my pulse rattling my teeth and if I don't get out of there, I might start shrieking like a lunatic.

And it's my choice to be there! It's my leisure time on the weekend, and I can leave if I wish. But these women have to be there all day! They work there! They're weaving their way through the crowd, hunched over, mopping a floor that is constantly being walked on. It must be so frustrating and claustrophobic. Somehow they can do that day after day without freaking out, stabbing anyone, or even whacking them in the back of the legs with a broom.

So the Turnipism community (me) is proud to honour these cleaning ladies with the award for "Most Impressive Show of Restraint In a Situation That Would Cause an Average Person to Flip Out and Begin Clawing Their Way to the Nearest Exit Whilst Hyperventilating and Crying". Congratulations.

Also, on an unrelated matter, if you heard tell of some dude flipping out in a department store and clawing his way to the nearest exit whilst hyperventilating and crying, ... it wasn't me.

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