Details of Daegu

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Just a sunday walk around the neighborhood. Although only a four-minute taxi ride from downtown, I can stroll for ten minutes south and find the Children's Hall -- a museum/large play area for families. Behind the museum and the brick paths, I walked up toward a convent-looking building, and then up past a playing field and field house, and up into the woods. When I followed a path it swirled me back toward the city, but eastward...new neighborhoods. Although the same tall apartments lined up, facing the same direction, I felt as though I were in the suburbs of Daegu -- between the tall thin buildings there were trees and bushes, and even small playgrounds, or picnic benches. The quiet - the lack of cars in and out of the area made it feel very calm and nature-ritzy. Also, as I passed the apartment buildings, the coffee shops and seafood restaurants were sightly less beaten-up, and there was less garbage on the street.
After yesterday's consistent rain showers the streets were slightly damp, and the usual heat wasn't pressing up from the streets as it usually is. And, as it was a lazy sunday, there weren't too many people around to catch my tourist act, camera in hand...focusing on a small flower popping out of the sidewalk.

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Photos

Competitive Street Coffee
The ubiquitous presence of soccer, not as a sport, but as a moral pillar.
THIS COFFEE WILL MAKE YOU A SOCCER STAR and therefore model citizen
warning: it will not prevent you from headbutting the chest of other players,

Artsy Attempt
Everyone will wear orange in the future. And everyone will take nose-down shots of themselves next to orange flowers.
Some bloke told me all of this.

Conformity
Thirty..forty stories? Always at least seven stacked next to each other, and by plane, I could see nearly twenty identical apartments. Although it makes perfect sense, considering the amount of flat land in korea (barely 30%)...it adds a heavy feeling to the city streets, as if they are leaning their elbows on the smaller, older houses and restaurants. Waiting for them to collapse so that more white towers can take over.
Am I personifying beyond the legal limit?

Dwarfed
Glancing up. Old two-story house in front, with the oppressive white apartment behind it.

It was THIS big.
Pumpkin leaf I think.
Gigantic. I love it.
I want to hide behind it, or dress in it.
Or paste it in my bathroom.

At least twice a week.
Gimpbap on top (the Korean often-fishless suishi)
Bee-Beem-Bap -- veggies n' rice.
Oh so good, but a bit too safe...satisying but not eye-brow-raising goodness.
Sort of like oatmeal, or pasta and tomato sauce.

Gimbap rolls do a gig.
This is apparently what they look like before you slice them into tenths.
Happy,jumpy, ready to swing dance.
EVERYTHING is cartoon-advertised.
appropriately I think.

orange royalty.
I believe in miracles, since you came along.

Music leads to chaos. CHAOS I tell you.
Do not even ATTEMPT to play the trumpet in this neighborhood. It will land you at least fifteen years. They will ship you to sing-sing.

Tempting Pokadots
MMmmm I want it. Oooo I need it.
It's a good thing it's sunday and therefore, safely behind glass.
And my wallet stays full.
next paycheck, next paycheck, I will snatch that up.
please still be there.

More White Monoliths
Just so you get the idea.
They remind me of the hotes in Atlantic City. So out of place from the squat shore apartments.

The serpent ate an elephant.
It's not a hat. It's not a warning for a bump in the road. It's a serpent that just ate an elephant.
Elephant? Do I remember my Petite Prince correctly?
S

Show good face.
Science Hagwon advertisement? Bit artsy there.

Here's to mud in your eye
These guys look like mud, and both eyes are on one side of their body. Constantly laying on the bottom and peering up, they look like they have attitude, the way they glance from behind their skin.

Art Hagwon
Outside display near the Susung-Gu District Office.
I want to hire everyone who drew these pictures for my first book. Not a children's book, but a stream of consciousness autobiography, of a snail.

They're staring at the stripes.
Not pinstripes, nope. Not the Yankees.

More me and flowers
"Aw Brie, you take photos of yourself?"
Is this a self-absorbed, unforgiveable thing to do? Should I hide these photos in a misnamed filed and glance at them only to remember a moment in time?
I don't know...I was the only one with me, don't flowers and statues become more tangible with a silly human face next to them>? Well, let me know. For now, here's ME AND THE FLOWERS.

I didn't ask for a shower
This looks like the flower from the Petite Prince. "I asked for a drink, not a shower!"
beautiful, and it sort of has a right to be vain, but not snippity.

More for Mum
The flower lover.
She has at least fifteen photos of her garden/flowers/fruits of the Earth for every one awkward Christmas/Birthday pose of her daughters.
And she has thirty cat poses for every one flower photo.
All for posterity folks.

Nice Buns.
It's really a pleasure to walk toward the Grand Daegu Hotel, from the back alley.
This guy is a true inspiration.

Bright colors and old loves.
Here's a classic scene - bright colored 24 -Hour bookshelf restaurants with an Ahjimah (Spelling>?) - old woman walking slowly by.
She gave me a sweet smile and a tiny nod as she wobbled past, and I had to capture her quickly.
The sweet ones aren't rare, but they're about equal to the wrinkly frowns.

I may come back in new form
If I get bored of my current/(12 years and running) image, there's so many possibilities here.
I feel like that's a bit of a threat.
WRITE ME LETTERS or I SWEAR my hair is TOAST...not a persuasive threat, ok.

True Art
I've stumbled upon many places in Korea that look similar/exactly like this painting. Well depicted, mmmm, yes, I do say so.

A bit like this, in fact.
Shady path which leads to a pond, near a high school. A high school with beautiful grounds, paintings done by students on the wall, a large white staircase. I wander in and out of here all the time, raising whispers from students skipping in and out.

Comments

[anonymous]

your camera obsessive tendencies put to good use! lovely entry.