Today we went back to Jangjawan to buy a dining room table. Until Korea, we spent our entire life together eating with plates on our laps, but we bummed a table from the Army lending closet when we moved here that now has to go back. I can't imagine going back to our previous tableless state, so we decided to buy one. Being the bargain hunter that I am, I didn't want to settle for the limited selection available at the PX. We were not disappointed. We found a veritable city of tables at Jangjawan. As we scanned the selections, salespeople followed us around nervously. I think they are told to provide extensive customer service, which of course is impossible if you don't speak the same language as the customer.
We settled on a carved wooden table with a glass top. I asked the saleslady in bad Korean if she spoke English, and she knocked 100,000 won off the price. I still haven't gotten the hang of bargaining, so that was definitely a bonus. Eventually she called an English speaking friend, who verified our address so they could deliver the table to us. This was another pleasant surprise. In Korea, delivery is assumed and included in the price.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the blow my former workplace received today (well, yesterday for them). Around 4 in the afternoon on Friday, several of my friends and former coworkers received telephone calls telling them that they were laid off. PLCMC faced a 2 million dollar budget shortfall, and has to close 12 branches and lay off 148 employees. The people laid off were bright, hardworking people and longstanding employees. My heart is with each and every one of them, and I've got my fingers crossed for a last ditch fundraising effort. I threw them some money with my best wishes, and anyone who reads this before March 24 is encouraged to do the same: www.plcmc.org. This is a huge loss not only for my friends, but for the city of Charlotte.
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