I would like to start by emphasizing that Korea has the worst, most disgusting weather I have ever experienced, especially in the summer!  Right now is monsoon season, so while it’s 150% muggy and you’re wet and sticky the second you open the door to walk out of your previously air-conned room, it’s also most likely pouring buckets outside and the mosquitoes are flying around at a rapid pace looking for the next patch of skin to suck blood from. They have decided to make me their #1 victim and I am about ready to claw all of my skin off!!!!!

Last weekend after Mud Fest I counted 30+ bug bites on my legs and arms. Then on Tuesday I went out to the suburbs of Seoul with school and we walked up to a stream then had an over-extended dinner above said stream.  I WAS DYING and got bit probably 30 more times in a 3 hour time span. I wanted to run screaming and get on that damn bus so damn bad. But no. We sat sat sat, they drank drank drank, I was bored bored bored.  Not only was the language barrier very prevalent that evening, I was annoyed and getting bitten, while all the Koreans seemed to remain untouched and just kept getting drunker and drunker. I read online that apparently the mosquitoes think foreign blood is a delicacy.  UGH.

This is my left inner thigh at the moment. I look like I have some skin-eating disease, but I am merely bruising myself because I can’t stop scratching.  These Korean mosquitoes are unlike any others I’ve encountered.  They are a million times worse than they are in SE Asia.  They make the polka-dotted legs that I acquired in Vietnam and Cambodia look like little pricks. While those were huge, these ones are like little over-sized underground pimple demons that ooze the worst itches of life. I can’t stop scratching til they bleed, and hydrocortisone and bug spray are NOT working.  I even tried rubbing dry soap on them, and will try toothpaste tonight.  Nothing has soothed the itch yet.  UGH UGH UGH. Anyways, I just wanted to bitch and moan and show you how disgusting my leg is.  Enjoy because I’m sure as hell NOT.