This WOULD happen to me...

I feel like I can't escape awkward situations.  They follow me around the globe...

Living alone in Korea has given me the opportunity to reflect on my life.  I also have the freedom to try a lot of new things while I am here.  For one thing, I have become aware of how inflexible I am.  Anytime we go to a traditional Korean BBQ restaurant, we have to sit on the floor.  And everytime I try to sit cross-legged, it ends up really hurting me, and so I have to awkwardly shift my legs around so I am sitting on one side.  It shocked me how stiff I have become...I mean, I'm only 22!  Come on, Erica! This shouldn't be so hard!

So, I decided to try Hot Yoga five days a week at a Yoga Academy near my apartment.  I was so used to being in good shape from running on the track team in college...I thought running was the only thing for me.  But it turns out, yoga is great exercise, too! I have been going in the evenings after school.  It has really helps me relax and get some exercise.  Usually the room is set at 35 degrees Celsius (which is 95 degrees Fahrenheit). The high heat immediately makes it easier to stretch out my muscles and I start sweating like a butcher. It is great! The instructor usually speaks Korean the whole time, and I just copy what they do.  It seems that just about every pose we do, the instructor comes over and corrects my form.  I think she is shocked at how inflexible I am. The instructor will start pushing on my back to try to make me more flexible, or they will yank my leg up higher.  One time, an instructor laughed at my pathetic attempt to do the splits...  Apparently, Koreans have a stereotype of Westerners...they think we are all very stiff.  It looks like I am only reinforcing their views.

So I have been attending yoga for over a week now.  It is a very nice facility.  I take my shoes off at the door, and lock my stuff in the locker room.  A few times, however, the locker room was full and so I found another room where I could lock up my belongings.

I continued to go back to yoga, and I met a nice girl who asked me where I was from, and asked me if I wanted to meet up and she could teach me Korean and I could teach her English.  We kind of hit it off and I suggested we exchange phone numbers.  So I walked into the locker room to grab my phone.  When I came out, my new Korean friend gasped and said, "Oh my God! Why are you using the Men's Locker Room!?!!?!"  I was shocked...that was the Men's?!  I had been using it for days.  It turns out there is a large beautiful sign with golden Korean Calligraphy posted right above the door.  I had been lucky that I managed to miss seeing any men changing in there...  That would have been even more awkward!  But holy honkies! I need to learn Korean now!!!!

I told my boyfriend, Dennis, what happened.  He just laughed as said, "this kind of stuff only happens to you."  haha!