Hello My Name Is: Single

THINGS THAT YOU CAN’T DO IN KOREA WITHOUT GETTING SOME FUNNY LOOKS:

-Break off 3 bananas from the economy size bunch of 20 at the grocery store.

-Go to a restaurant or café by yourself: actually I change this to anywhere where you have to sit down and linger for awhile. If you’re walking alone, you’re safe because people assume that you must be on your way to work or to meet someone. But the second you order a latte and sit down by yourself, you’re a big weirdo.

-Jaywalk: A man pretty much yelled and spat at my friend and I for jaywalking in Seoul the other day. That was a new level of hostility. Usually they just look at you like you have 6 eyes.

-Be Blonde: We’re an oddity here.

-Say that you are single: My first day here one of my Korean coworkers asked me if I had a boyfriend. When the answer was “no,” she looked as if she were about to burst into tears of pity.

-Wear a shirt that shows too much shoulder or cleavage.

THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO HERE THAT NO ONE BATS AN EYE OVER:

-Hold Hands and walk down the street with a member of the same sex in a totally platonic way.

-For Guys: Carry murses (man purses) and wear pants that are tighter than your girlfriend’s.

-Throw Garbage on the street. Whether it’s your bags of trash that you are dumping on the designated corners for pickup or the child who unwraps their icecream cone and throws the wrapper on the street. Complete disregard for our planet.

-Be publicly intoxicated and/or pass out in public places. Seems more common among older Korean men.

-Wear a dress or skirt length that would never fly in North America.

Korean Food: Beyond Barbeque

Here comes another true confession that I am not ashamed to admit: The main thing that I tend to remember about trips or places that I visit is the food.  I couldn’t tell you much about my trip to Myrtle Beach for spring break during 1^st year, but I could tell you all about the potato soup that I had in West Virginia on the way down. My family trip to Nova Scotia in high school was scenic and beautiful, but what stands out in my mind is the warm gingerbread we had at a restaurant near Peggy’s Cove. You get the idea. At home, I have spent many a Saturday or Sunday flipping through cookbooks and recipes and planning out the meal for that evening. I sometimes think about dinner before I even have breakfast. Needless to say, I get a lot of joy out of great meals-both making and eating them.

Before I came here, I had tried Korean food twice in my life. Both times were in K-town in Toronto.  Actually I’d had it three times, I went for barbeque once. I really didn’t understand why people got so excited about Korean barbeque. To me, it was just bad cuts of meat that you have to pay to cook for yourself. The other two times, I just did a point and guess thing when I ordered. I was very confused by all of the little side dishes that came out first. I thought it was what I had ordered because I just didn’t know. When you have Korean food, you are automatically served 8-10 little side dishes. They are usually an array of pickled vegetables (kimchi) and maybe some sardines or little fish and/or some type of soup.

Based on these underwhelming experiences, one of the things that I was worried about most prior to moving here was the food. But I was willing to go in with an open mind and hope for the best. Often when you eat food from different cultures in another city, it is not always authentic or representative. For this reason, I was willing to give it a fair shot.

So far, I can say that I am still waiting for that one dish that’s going to convert me. I really don’t see what the fuss is over kimchi. It’s one of those things that I’ll eat because it’s there in front of me. I have it pretty much every day because it is a staple here. But I can’t get excited about pickled vegetables in fish sauce. The best thing that I can say about it is that it’s healthy for your digestive system. Rice is also a staple here. It is in every meal from breakfast to dessert.

The flavors in the food are just lacking for me. I try really hard to avoid the mystery soups that are served with school lunches. They taste like cold water with bean sprouts mixed in. Most of the food is bland and unimpressive in terms of effort. Even the spiciest thing that I’ve tried here does not compare when I think about some of the Thai, Indian, or Afghan food that I’ve had. The other thing that I really can’t get past is how much sugar is in everything. Don’t get me wrong, I have a huge sweet tooth and I love chocolate and cakes, but I find high sugar content in things that aren’t supposed to be sweet.

I’ve been trying to cook at home for myself but I am limited in what I can do with my one frying pan, one pot and two gas burners.  Life is really much easier here if you a)eat meat and b)can deal with only eating Korean food when you go to restaurants because trying to eat foreign foods here is expensive and generally not very good. Aside from one Indian place that I’ve found that is pretty good. But $16 for vegetable curry makes it a once-in-a-while treat.

Here are 5 things that I can say that I enjoy eating here (hopefully this list will grow as time goes on):

Bibimbap: Fun to say and fun to eat. You get a bowl that has rice, lettuce, seaweed, carrots and some other chopped up veggies with a fried egg on top and some hot pepper paste on the side. Mix it all together and eat! Careful: sometimes the sauce on the side is actually this fermented soybean thing that smells like sweaty socks. Avoid at all cost.

Pajeon: Korean scallion pancake. Flat fried dough with vegetables and green onions. Not much else to say here. Yum.

Kimbap/Gimbap: Korean sushi basically. Rice, vegetables and tuna or meat rolled up in seaweed.

Songpyeon: Little chewy rice cakes filled with sesame seeds, nuts, honey and cinnamon. I didn’t care for these the first time I tried them but they grew on me. I wasn’t kidding when I said rice is in everything. I think these are specific to Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving).

Hodo Kwaja: Little walnut shaped cakes that have a waffle-like texture and are filled with warm red bean paste. Sold mostly by street vendors.

So readers: am I missing something here? What are some dishes that I should try. Not ready to give up yet.

I'm so happy, I'm so happy, I'm so happy, happy all the time

Depression must be non-existent here:

Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da

I woke up singing Obladi Oblada this morning…maybe because yesterday I decided to make these no bake chocolate peanut butter bars (that taste almost like reese’s) and then ended up eating half of the container… life goes on. Today I embarked on my first hiking trip in Korea. I was really looking forward to it because I haven’t had much exercise since I got here and also because I haven’t seen more than 3 pieces of grass and one leaf since I got here.

The only thing that I wasn’t looking forward to was waking up at 6:30 for a 7:30 bus departure. I have surprisingly gotten very comfortable with sleeping in since I don’t have to be at work until 11. I set my alarm but I couldn’t get to sleep until around 2am last night so waking up wasn’t much fun but I threw back some coffee and put my running shoes on and off I went to meet the group. . I went with three other foreign teachers whose Muay Thai master is in charge of organizing these excursions. We took a chartered bus because the hiking spot was about a 2 hour drive from Pyeongtaek.

It was impossible to miss this tour bus. As I approached the departure site, I could see an array of ajummas and ajusshis in NEON hiking gear, with poles and the whole works. I was literally prepared for an intense day of non-stop hiking up mountains and through treacherous paths and running from bears etc.

As soon as I stepped onto the bus I knew that this was not going to be your typical organized hike. The inside of the bus looked straight out of Snoop Dogg’s video for Sensual Seduction. It had multi-colored neon flashing lights on the ceiling and these Persian looking curtains with tassles.

We had just sat down and the bus had barely started moving when a lady came around and started handing out beer and soju. Have you ever started drinking before the sun has entirely risen in the sky? Key word being: STARTED. Not continued from the night before. Neither had I… until today. In North America, hiking means put on your sweatpants and running shoes and prepare for some strenuous walking where you will break a light sweat at the very least. In Korea, hiking means put on your neon finery and a full face of makeup and walk for 20 minutes until you reach a suitable place to sit and consume copious amounts of soju.

I came prepared for a workout and I was determined to get it so two of the other teachers and I left the group and continued up the river. It wasn’t the epic pilgrimage that I was picturing but I was just happy to be out of the city for a bit and the scenery was beautiful. We passed several other groups on our walk and everyone was incredibly friendly. One kind stranger shared his rice cakes with us and offered drinks.

We hiked for about 80 minutes and then made our way back to the rest of the group. We jumped back on the bus and headed back towards home, stopping on the way back for a buffet lunch. Meals here are always a guessing game. You never know quite what you’re eating until you bite into it, and sometimes not even then.

The highlight of the trip had to be the noraebang (karaoke) on the bus ride back. My previous hiking trips have never involved alcohol, karaoke and old Korean men and women dancing down the aisles of the bus. I have laughed so hard in this past month, I really feel like a kid again. That’s what I mean when I say that it’s been a rollercoaster. Sometimes you have a really bad day with your students and you miss home, and then the next day could be a complete 180 and suddenly, you fall in love with this country. Overall, it’s been a great experience so far and I am really happy that I came.  I will be spending a weekend at a Buddhist temple in the very near future and hanging out with some monks. Stay tuned.

Love <3

Sink or Swim

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. I’ve been busy trying to make my apartment livable and doing end of the month comments and schedules for September at school. One month ago today I was on a plane on my way here. It’s hard to believe it’s already September. I had a pretty quiet weekend which was much needed. Sometimes I need to retreat from everything and just spend time not talking to anyone and recharge, which is why I’ve been decorating my cave and trying to make it comfortable. The city is smelly and noisy and smoggy, so it’s really important for me to have somewhere to hide when I need to.

Last weekend I went out in Songtan on Friday night with a big group of teachers. It was someone’s birthday and someone else’s going away party. Songtan is a curious place…It is right near one of the US military bases and therefore it is mostly military people and wives/girlfriends in that area. Most of the bartenders speak English and there are tons of international restaurants. It’s bizarre to see so many non-Asian people in one place. Sunday I took the train into Seoul with one of my new coworkers. It was his first time there so the responsibility of navigating was left up to me which was a scary thought. We went to Itaewon which is another very Westernized area and had brunch, and then to the Seoul Museum of Art where we saw a Gauguin exhibit. It was a perfect way to spend a Sunday.

Time to get a bit personal here, I wanted to talk a little bit about having the courage to take risks and have new experiences without sounding too preachy. When I was still in school, I fantasized about dropping out and using the rest of my tuition money to travel around. I am truly glad that I stuck it out and finished my degree. Graduating is a scary thing because for the first time in life, you have the freedom to choose what your next step is (or maybe not since the job market sucks right now). For all of these years, all we had to do to prepare for the upcoming year was buy supplies and textbooks. Now what? Well….whatever you want. I used to peruse Facebook and feel envious about everyone who was taking off on these amazing adventures all over the world. So when I happened to stumble across the job post for teaching in Korea, I thought to myself that I could either keep living vicariously through other people’s adventures or I could take that leap and create my own. Maybe your goal or dream doesn’t involve travel. Which is fine, it’s not everyone’s preference. The point of this little pep talk is just that you seize every opportunity and take the first steps towards whatever it is that makes you happy or that you’ve always wanted to try. Stop talking about it and go do it.

It’s so easy to stay where you’re comfortable or to make excuses. One of the main excuses is “I can’t afford to……….”. The reality is that people spend their money how they choose to. Is that another pair of shoes you bought? Another $30 lipstick? Another night out drinking yourself silly? I truly believe the saying that once you decide to do something, the whole universe will conspire to make it happen. You are more capable and resilient than you think you are.

2013 has been a rollercoaster so far, in the best way possible. I just feel like my life is playing out exactly the way that it’s supposed to and that things have come full circle. Leading up to my departure, I had several life changing conversations with a few different people. Maybe you can relate. Have you ever had that moment of clarity where something just clicked with you? A new perspective or opinion was presented to you that brought you great peace? Well that’s what happened for me. And that is part of what amazed me and gave me the tiny push that I needed to go through with this, was seeing the amazing outpouring of support that I got from everyone. Not at all the reaction that I was expecting, which brings me to my next point:  People will constantly surprise you, that’s why keeping an open mind is so important. Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions or seek the answers you’re looking for. You may get them somewhere unexpected or from someone unexpected. I will always always be grateful for the support I’ve received this year and in this journey. You don`t have to try to tackle your goals entirely on your own, find your voice and ask for help. But then find a way to pay it forward and help someone else live their dream.

Often, your fear of a particular outcome or repercussion is much worse than what actually happens. If you go into something with an open mind, positive attitude and a little determination you will always win. Even if it doesn`t turn out exactly as you thought, you still learned something. Weigh the pros and cons of whatever it is you really want to do. If it`s not illegal, if no one could end up hurt or dead, if you won`t wind up swimming in debt if it doesn`t work out, then take a chance and do it. There is nothing more tragic than wasting years of your life doing something you hate or with someone you don`t want to be with because you`re scared of change. I have so much respect and admiration for people who go off the beaten path and follow their passion. Okay I apologize for this totally cliché motivational life speech but I hope it speaks to someone, somewhere. Next post will be lighter, I promise!

Miss you all! Keep Skyping and sending messages!

xoxoxo