I think I’ve never drank as much coffee as I do here.  I went to E-mart last night and purchased a sports water bottle so I could drink more water.  Hot/cold water dispensers are everywhere here, but you have to bring your own cup.  Instant coffee is also available for free from a machine in the teacher’s cafeteria, so I’ve been going down there during prep times for a cup.  The teachers, it seems, bring their own instant coffee, so maybe I am only supposed to do that during lunchtime?  Or are the teachers just too lazy to walk down the stairs?  Several teachers have asked me my opinion of the coffee, knowing I am from Seattle, home of Starbucks.  The truth is, it’s not that awful.  The machine is nice because you can choose what you want in it.  The “sticks” or tubes -shaped packages they buy are usually 75% sugar, so I don’t like those that much.  I tell the teachers that no it’s not as good, but I’m also happy to not spend half my income on coffee either, and explain how I have known people who spend $12 a day on coffee drinks.

Starbucks and Coffee Bean and all of their knock-offs are very popular here.  But the price is outrageous:  I really don’t know how people can afford it.  I mean, you can get brand new jeans here for the price of two fancy drinks.  You can buy a SUIT for the price of ten fancy coffee drinks here.  Maybe that’s not fair, because the cost of clothing is so cheap here.  But in relative terms, I think I’ll be drinking instant from now on.

But I’ve seriously got the caffeine crash going on right now.  Thus the water bottle.

Oh yeah, and if you are in a public place and you encounter a water dispenser, (they don’t have water fountains) instead of a cup dispenser, they have a little dispenser where you can get a flattened open enevelope of sorts.  You use that as your cup and throw it away when you’re finished.