Sunday, March 16, 2008

The Blue Garbage Bag Saga

Korea has a very intelligent way of handling trash pickup: you buy special colored trash bags (different colors for different areas) for throwing out garbage and the cost of the bags covers the cost of trash pick-up. Very sensible. The only problem for me has been the difficulty in locating these bags, which for my location are blue.

For the past two weeks, I have been diligently searching for these bags, with no luck. Cate gave me one to tide me over, but after that, I was forced to commit a big no-no: one night I waited until no one was about and then snuck out a grocery bag full of my trash. It was either that or live with the trash, and since the trash contributed nothing to the upkeep of the home, I could not find it in my heart to allow it to stay. I was unable to comprehend why anything so essential as a garbage bag should be hidden away, and my frustration was mounting with each failed attempt to uncover the secret hideaway of the bags.

This afternoon, the saga finally had a happy ending. Cate, my ever-conscientious director, stopped by to see if I had time for a short trip to the store. Then she took me there personally and showed me exactly where to find the elusive blue trash bags. Who knew a day would come when I would look upon being able to take out the trash with such delight?

1 comment:

Matthew Royal said...

It must be that their trash pickup is a government service. In Georgia, and some other places in the U.S., trash pickup is privatized: you have to hire the trash company yourself. This would make it almost impossible to use the color-coded trash bag strategy here.

"Passage—immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins! Away, O soul! hoist instantly the anchor!
Cut the hawsers—haul out—shake out every sail!
Have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough?
Have we not grovell’d here long enough, eating and drinking like mere brutes?
Have we not darken’d and dazed ourselves with books long enough?

Sail forth! steer for the deep waters only!
Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me;
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go, And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

O my brave soul!
O farther, farther sail!
O daring joy, but safe! Are they not all the seas of God?
O farther, farther, farther sail!"

~Walt Whitman, "Passage to India"