Multi-culti Ansan City

...in other words just cool story.

The plan was to go to Oido just because there supposed to be a seaside over there.
But as I was at Sadang Station in Seoul, subway was heading for Ansan and the plan got naturally amended on the spot. Destination Ansan.

What is interesting in Ansan? People say that birdwatching is possible. Somewhere around the city scholars from SNU had even made a documentary about night birds, like owl. The documentary was shown on BBC a year ago.

Just as I got off at Ansan Station I immediately got involved into my favorite one: peoplewatching. Indeed spectrum of cultures and different faces is enormous. Languages spoken differ among mongolian, vietnamese, indonesian and others.

...so many different faces

All of them starred at me top-down screening with curiosity or some dirty thoughts in case of male. Indeed a European dressed in red hiking set is a rare view over there. These immigrant inhabitants of the city are not the richest obviously. Their skin is not radiant, eyes are tired. Some of them try to rest under thick blankets while trading something.

 ...they are tired

I didn't quit hopes to find that birdwatching site and was wondering among the streets until in some park I heard so common sound:

-Natasha! Natasha! Kuda Ty? Natasha, where are you? - some people looking like Asians were calling someone.

- Izvinite, Wy govorite pa angliyskiy? Do you speak english?
-Niet, ne horosho. Sorry, no.
- Mnie nada posmotriet' ptitsy, Wy znaete gde ya mogu naiti ptitsnyj rezervat? I want to find some birds for birdwatching, do you know where is it possible?
- I am sorry no. Wy gavarite po russkiy otschen' hortosho, Wy otkuda? Kakaya u Was yest kamyera? - a gentleman asked me about my camera, as apparently he was a photo freak as well. Also said that I speak russian well. I don't but nevertheless it was already another time my russian skills where very useful in Korea.

- Sony Alpha 100, eto gavno yest - I critisized my camera in non exactly most classy russian expression.
-Potshemu gavno? Moshna dyelat horosho. It's not that bad after all.- replied my new friend.

Eventually I learned that the gentleman was from Tashkent in Uzbekistan working in Korea. He kept asking where was I from.

- Ya iz Polshy. I come from Poland. - said I.

 ...cyrylic and hangul, happened every 500m

- Ach z Polski, w Uzbekistanie moim szefem był Polak. Back in Uzbekistan my boss was Polish.. We are both Koreans born there during Stalin times. Many Polish were also dragged by Stalin and this is how I learnt your language a little bit.

At this point I quit attempts to find birds and instead enjoyed people. Ended up having Polish-Korean-Uzbekh dinner and after I headed home.I must admit that I did not expect finding a Polish speaking Korean from Uzbekistan somewhere in Ansan which is not the biggest city at all.