My Zone

Sitting at home alone with very little to do makes Mackenzie a very bored girl.  And so, I've had to find a few venues and new friends to provide me with some entertainment.  In the week that I've been here, I have discovered that Koreans love the night life, soldiers are a pretty decent bunch to hang out with, and that other foreign teachers are not as friendly as one would expect.  Now each previous statement carries a story of its own but today I want to tell you about the place where I've found refuge.  

As far as cafés go, this particular one is nothing special but it is close to my apartment, almost always empty, and has a nice sunny section that I can curl up in to carry out my philosophical reflections or blog writing.   Personally, I think that South Korea heard about Canada and decided to take the best of Tim Hortons and Starbucks and try to combine them to create this place.  In the end, it seems like Starbucks won out in the vibe, menu, and price categories but Tim Hortons squeezed its way into the name.  Tom ‘n Toms may not completely embody the Canadian ideals of crack coffee at a cheap price but the name was enough to catch my attention and draw me inside for a much needed mocha.  

The first time I visited, it was fairly busy (something I’ve discovered is unusual in this location) and I was the star attraction as far as the staff were concerned.  It was my third day in the country but I was able to piece enough Korean together to order a decent mocha in my reusable yet gigantic travel cup (it lives in my purse and I am rarely without it).  After giggling at what I assumed to be my terrible pronunciation, the baristas got to work on my order while everyone else stared at me while I made myself comfortable.  Sidenote, I think I now know how the zoo animals feel while everyone gawks at them day after day.  Anyways, being a blonde “celebrity” around here does have its perks.  That day I managed to score a cookie “on the house” and the best seat in the place.  Hopefully they will begin to recognize me as a regular and become more comfortable around me.  I think that this may be one of my new writing locations.  The only downfall of this place is that they don’t fill my travel mug all the way up to the top like they do in Canada.  This means that I pay the same price for less of a caffeine dose.  Darn it, I miss the good ‘ole, fill ‘er to the top Tim Hortons…