Korean Side Dish

Spicy November

2015-12-01T20:38:00.000+09:00

Nature is ever wondrous and magnificent. If you look closely you can see a herd of "ajummas" or as some may call them, the unmateable. Here you can see the "ajummas" doing their mating ritual, also known as kimchi making, but alas these females are past their prime, as is every woman over 30, and find their hard work has gone to waste leaving them tired, cranky, and with sharp elbows.

In all seriousness.....
Koreans call the eleventh month of the year "Spicy November" because it's kimchi making season. It's when napa cabbage is at its peak and the time has come.

Usually, a family gets together to begin the long process of making kimchi, but let's be realistic, when I say family I mean the females int he family because Korea is still traditionally conservative when it comes to male and female roles. Meaning, they like to keep the women in the kitchen, pregnant, and without a job. (Hey, I don't like it either, but it's starting to slowly change.)

They gather, they pink glove it up, they slather and pack it away. Then, they will have kimchi for every meal of every day for the next year, until it is "Spicy November" once again. That's when the process will repeat itself until they all die. ;)

If you'd like an actual recipe, please go to another entry How to Make Kimchi.

How to Make Kimchi

2015-12-01T19:44:00.000+09:00

Please note: This process is long, tiresome, and pretty crazy! I mean, who needs six pounds of kimchi?! But, I digress. Also note, that during this process even though you have a Korean husband, you will be alone, because he has done his part in seeking you out and winning your attention. Now that he has married you, he is free to laze about not helping in the house, kitchen, and in child rearing. It is also a fact that he will cheat on you if you believe in statistics. However, you are ever the good wife and will prepare your six pounds of kimchi to serve to your family for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until the day they die or leave your household. Fight on into your "ajummahood"!

Ingredients:

3-4 heads of napa cabbage
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 cups water
2 Tbs. glutinous rice flour
2 Tbs. brown sugar
2 cups daikon radish cut into matchsticks
1 cup carrot matchsticks
7 to 8 green onions chopped
1 cup chives chopped
1 cup minari (optional)
1/2 cup garlic cloves (24)
2 tsp. ginger
1 medium onion
1/2 cup fish sauce
2 cups course red pepper powder

Directions:

Cut the cabbage in quarters and soak in cold water.
Sprinkle each cabbage leaves with some kosher salt. Making sure to turn them over after 30 minutes, for about 2 hours.
In a small pot, add 2 cups of water and the glutinous rice flour and mix over heat until it boils. Then, add the brown sugar and mix, and is still thin and soupy. Let it cool down.
In a large bowl, add your radish, carrots, green onions or chives, minari (if available),
Puree your garlic, ginger, and onion.
Mix your contents from the pot, garlic puree, fish sauce, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl and mix.
Wash your cabbage leaves a couple times to make sure to get off all the salt and then let it drain well.
Mix your vegetables into the red pepper paste.
Using your hands, spread the red pepper paste with vegetables on each leaf of your cabbage.

*It's best to wear plastic gloves when putting the paste onto each leaf.

For a video go to Maangchi !

She's great and has all sorts of recipes!

What to Expect in Korean Hospitals

2015-01-18T11:25:00.000+09:00

When you check into the Korean hospital you'll need all of your basic information. You'll need your ID card as well as your insurance card, National Health Insurance is tied to your ID card so you don't need to bring it in. Also, unless you are at a very large international hospital you will probably need someone who can speak Korean and help you translate.

There are three options for hospital rooms in this country. You can book a single, which at a big hospital will run you close to $500/night, a semi-private with two beds, and that was about $200/night even with insurance, and the dorm style that has 6 beds, which cost me about $12/night. You also have options for meals. You can choose the Korean style food, where it is $3/meal and you can choose juk or rice, or you can choose western style food, which costs over $36/meal. I suggest the cheaper Korean food because it's not bad and the western style food wasn't very good.

Now, there are some major differences between hospitals here and the ones back home. Since Korea is such a family oriented place, it is expected that your family will be there to take care of you. The nursing staff is only there to push pills and take vitals. It's your family's job to help with the food trays, adjust the beds, help go to the bathroom, help shower, change your scrubs and sheets, and basically do everything for you. There is always a cot provided for a member of your family to sleep on. In Korea there are no visiting hours, so there will always be a ton of people in your room at all times. The Koreans were very helpful to my mom and offered her a lot of fruit and snacks. But, they were also very curious and loved to come and stare at me. If you are alone in the hospital and had surgery, I would recommend convincing a friend of yours to be there at all times to help you. However, if you're not so ill and can do things for yourself then it's not really necessary.

Now, it's not uncommon to see Koreans wheel in a small suitcase while they're staying in the hospital for a while. I recommend you do the same. What you really need are the following:

NEED:

ID
Insurance card
Slippers
Toiletries
Towel
Something to do (dorms don't have TV)
Water bottle
Tissues

SUGGESTED:

Some mat or blanket to put on your bed because they're hard as rocks.
Pillow and blanket for the person staying with you.
Snacks and drinks
More things to do!
Food from the outside world
A neck pillow

You won't need extra blankets for yourself, since my room was kept at a balmy 90 degrees. I had to roll up my scrub pants and roll up my shirt sleeves just to prevent myself from sweating through the bed. Also, don't be scared to tell the nurse to use hand sanitizer or double check what they're doing. My nurses never washed their hands and made so many mistakes. They even tried to give me an IV they had just taken out of another patient. Be vigilant and aware of what's happening. Also, ask tons of questions.

No one likes to stay in the hospital but in Korea it's fairly normal to stay in. That's because insurance covers more if they're an in-patient and their work will excuse them. So, some of them don't mind spending time there. That means, if you feel that you are well enough to go home then ask your doctor if you can be released. This worked for me. It never hurts to try.

Surgery Away from Home

2015-01-18T03:01:00.000+09:00

WARNING!

Korean Hospital Stays are Horrendous!

I guess my story started out on a hot summer day. I was completely stressed out after teaching my students, who are 5 years old, all day. I just happened to lean back and rub the front of my neck and that's when I felt a weird lump. I thought I was being a hypochondriac since my cousin had just been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) earlier this year and he's the same age as me. So, being the worry-wort that I am, I had my friend feel my neck to see if they could feel the same thing as me......and she did. (sigh) Off to the doctor I went.

Clinic

I went to the doctor that same day, because in Korea you don't need to make an appointment to go to the clinic to see a doctor. Also, in order to go to an actual hospital you need a letter from the clinic recommending you to the larger hospital. But anyways, I walked across the street and basically right into the exam room. He didn't speak much English but he could feel the lump and we decided to get an ultrasound to check it out.

We found that I had a large nodule on the left lobe of my thyroid that should be looked at further. The doctor there wrote a sort of recommendation letter that allowed me to go to a large hospital and be covered by insurance for further testing.

Asan Medical Center

Asan Medical Center

I went to Asan Medical Center, which is located in the Jamsil area of Seoul, South Korea. My doctor's name was Dr. Nam and he could speak fluent English. Since this is one of the biggest hospitals they have a wide variety of English speaking doctors and and International Center that helps people like me, who don't speak Korean.

The first visit he just looked inside my throat at my vocal chords, I guess having one side paralyzed is a sign of cancer, and felt my lump. He decided to give me antacids to help my vocal nodes, which were discovered that day, and some voice therapy, that I declined. He seemed more worried about my voice than my neck and that frustrated the heck out of me. But, he still scheduled me for a fine needle aspiration (FNA), which is a biopsy.

Biopsy

When I went in for the biopsy it was just a normal day and the International Center volunteer helped take me around the hospital, talked to the nurses for me, and translated the instructions. I went in for the biopsy and they did it by ultrasound visualization. They stabbed me with the needle three times from different angles and they all hurt but the third one made the tears run. He had to punch the needle through one of my muscles in my neck and I don't have the smallest muscles. He had to shove that needle really hard and then wiggle it around in the node. I know that some people say that it's not so bad, well it can hurt like all hell too!

It took a long time for me to get my results back and he didn't seem worried at all about it. He thought that I should just keep an eye on it and see what happens in the future. However, I went back later because it was pressing on my larynx and esophagus and was being a big pain in the neck! Hahahaha! Get it?! This is also where I threw a hissy-fit because the doctor still hadn't checked my thyroid hormone levels. So, I forced him to give me a blood test, where everything turned out fairly normal.

Admission & Thyroidectomy

After talking with the doctor, we decided that I should get a hemithyroidectomy. That's where they remove half of your thyroid. We decided on this because the chances of cancer were low and if it wasn't cancer, I would have to be on hormones for the rest of my life if I got a complete thyroidectomy. This whole time he was confident that everything would turn out just fine. That day, even though the surgery was scheduled for months later, I did my EKG, blood work, urine tests, etc. for hospital check-in. Isn't that weird?!

Listening to the TV in my semi-private room.

Then it came time for my surgery. I had to be there a day ahead of time just to sit in the hospital and take up space. I had to check in at 1:00 and hope that there would be room in the 6 person room, because that's the room that insurance pays for. But of course, there was no room in the inn. So, I had to stay in a semi-private room, meaning I had to share with one other patient and her entire family. I just had to stick around all day and wait for the doctor to come to my room to tell me when the surgery would be the next day and to explain the surgery.

It wasn't until I was asleep and it was around midnight that the doctor came to my room to explain the surgery to me. I had to go and talk about the risks, get markings on my neck, and instructions for the morning. I was also taken in a room so he could look at my vocal chords one more time. The worst part was that he didn't have all the equipment necessary for this procedure. So, I went back to bed and was woken up later when he had found all the necessary items. Finally, I got to bed around 1 am.

At 5 am I was woken by the nurse and told I couldn't wear any underwear, bras, or socks for the operation. I also washed all my makeup off and had to take my toenail polish off as well. Then I was given my IV, where they screwed it up and I passed out. At 7 am we were awoken so that my neighbor could have her breakfast while I just sat there starving because I wasn't allowed to eat or drink. I was also messaging my mom, who was back in my apartment, to hurry up and come so that she could see me off before surgery. Then at 8:20 I was wheeled out on the surgical bed to go down to surgery, and my mom still hadn't arrived.

It was very nerve racking as I was being wheeled through the corridors going into surgery. It was just like one of those hospital movies where all you see are the lights passing you by tunnel style. I was brought into a room where I was prepped for surgery. They did the usual, they put a hat on my head, a blanket on my body, and gave me IV antibiotics. Then I was wheeled into the OR.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I was going into the room, the nurses/doctors were all in there just sitting on there phones messaging/kakaoing people. I thought that it was supposed to be clean in there and that they should have had their hands washed and gloves on. That's where I started to feel uncomfortable. I had to change beds in there and my IV was almost ripped out by a nurse who was rushing and didn't give a damn. I was strapped and tied down on the table and asked if I had any last words, like I was being sentenced to death. If I was going to my death, my last words would have been "Don't screw it up!"

When I first came to, just for a moment, I was asked to say the sound ee. I guess that shows if any nerves had been damaged in the surgery. I was expecting to sound raspy and horse but my voice sounded clear and good. I was so surprised that I said, "Oh, my voice sounds GOOD!" and then I quickly passed out again.

When in the recovery room, not one of the nurses came to check on me except the initial check to put the blood pressure cuff on me. After that, they stood around, checked their phones, and attended to the Korean patients. Racist much?!

During my 2 hour mophine high.

After I got wheeled upstairs, I was greeted by my mom, who I could tell had been crying since she missed my send-off. Her and a nurse helped move me onto my new bed, which was in the 6 person dorm style room. They also had to change my shirt because there was iodine everywhere! It was even in my hair! Then I started to cry because the pain became too much to bear. Finally I was given some, what I am assuming to be, morphine and I felt good for a full two hours. I even got up to walk and talk to my mom. However, I soon slipped back into pain and the only other medicine I was given was like a liquid Tylenol. I had to wait 8 hours to get morphine again.

For that whole first day, I was only able to lay in bed in pain and whisper to my mom. At the end of that day, a trainee doctor came around to check on my wound. Instead of gently feeling around the incision, he grabbed a fist full of my neck and squeezed. I though I was going to die! That's when the nurses rushed into my area and gave me some more morphine and I drifted off to sleep for two hours, the last sleep I would have for a while. I had to stay in the hospital for a total of 3 nights and I thought my ass was going to fall off from how hard those beds were! I forced myself out of bed just to walk around so I could feel my fanny!

While I was in the hospital I saw some of the worst practicing nurses of all time. There were no gloves, no religious washing of the hands, and none of them even used the hand sanatizer that was provided at the end of each patient's bed! I was also told that sheets were only changed every 3 days and so were the hospital scrubs. Not exactly the germ free environment that you want after surgery. I was also told I wasn't allowed to shower there either. However, the worst practice was by a nurse who gave my IV pain medicine to the lady directly across from me. When she realized this, she took those pain meds out from her IV, put her pain meds in and then tried to give me the used and contaminated IV meds!!!! OMFG!

Discharge

The real nurse who actually worked.

Eventually, my drain was removed, my wound was redressed, after two days, and I was able to pay and leave. It was about $2700 for everything but we had to pay it all upfront. Then we had to go back upstairs to get my meds and pick up our stuff from my room. They wanted us out so badly that they had thrown some of our stuff away, including the flowers my mom had just bought me. But, I didn't care as long as I was able to get out of that 90 degree hell hole they call a hospital.

I spent the next few days sleeping and doing nothing at home while my mom watched me sleep or cleaned my house. I was on meds and in too much pain to do much. Just walking outside for a short period of time tired me out. But, I had to return to work just 5 days after the surgery.

Going back to work was HELL!! I was so tired and I still didn't have a strong voice. Try controlling 12 5year olds with no voice while you're not able to bend down or move your neck. Luckily, I was able to leave work early that entire week. And then my mom went home.

Follow-up

The next Tuesday, about 13 days after my surgery, I had to go in for my follow-up and to get my pathology results. When I went into the room the doctor wouldn't make eye contact with me and would just try calling on his phone or messaging. This went on for a long time. Eventually, I looked at the computer screen to my left of find out my results by myself. There it was, after all the reassurance I had gotten from the doctor that everything was going to be okay, after I had told my mom not to worry and to go back to the States, and after I had convinced myself that everything was fine, it was staring me in the face. I had cancer.

I couldn't believe my eyes. There I was by myself, just after my 30th birthday, finding out that I had cancer. I felt like I had been hit by a train. That means more surgery and more treatment. The doctor still didn't know what to say. It was that day that I had found out that I had follicular neoplasm going into the surgery and every doctor knows that you can't tell if it's benign or cancerous from a biopsy and that surgery is always recommended. This doctor had told me to wait and that it wasn't cancer. He reassured me countless times that "it was not cancer" not that the odds were low. So, needless to say, I was quite surprised. Then, being as freaked out as I was, I forgot to ask all my questions and just walked out to call my mom and tell her the news.

I cried and cried. What was I supposed to do? I hadn't re-signed my contract with my school because he was waiting for my results to come back. Would he hire me now that I have cancer? I can't go home because it would be too expensive in the States and no new school would hire me because I would fail my physical. My mind was spinning and spinning.

Luckily, my boss has re-signed my contract so that I can be covered by National Health Insurance here in Korea. I also filled out paperwork for cancer patients and I will get additional insurance benefits because of this. But, I'm still waiting to see the doctor to see what my next step in treatment will be.

But, I guess if I had to get cancer, getting thyroid cancer is the best one!

HOLIC

2012-03-31T13:24:00.000+09:00

Over the last 6 months or so a bar called Holic has opened in downtown Gwangju. This is another bar that caters to the foreigner style. It's an actual bar, not those sit down at tables Korean bars. However, there are a few tables located at either end of the bar for those who have a small group or want to buy a bottle and have a place to sit down.

Hana DJing

One of the best parts about the bar is the owner Hana. He's a great guy and loves to become friends with his customers. You can almost always find him behind the bar as the DJ. He plays a wide variety of music and takes all requests, which is rare in Gwangju bars. Just write it down or ask and he'll be sure to play it. He also has a nice size dancing area where you can cut loose and dance like crazy.

Another nice thing is that the staff is fabulous! The Korean staff are all males but they all speak good English so you don't have to worry about things getting lost in translation. They all like to have a good time and will maybe have a drink with you at the end of the night.

They have a wide variety of drinks and shots and everything is reasonably priced. You can also purchase a bottle that comes with tonic, your choice of juice, and a little snack. Personally, I find this a better deal and if you don't finish it you can leave it there for the next time you go back.

They're open 7 days a week. And on not so busy nights he's been known to turn it into karaoke and let people sing a few songs. Those are always the best nights.

So, if you want to have fun, dance, drink, and meet some great people I recommend Holic for all.

LOCATION: From the YMCA you walk past the bus stop and past the North Face store, keep going past Loteria and it will be on the right, right after the intersection.

From the Grand Hotel you will cross the street so you're on the opposite side of the mini stop and on the same side as Bubble Bar. You will walk past Bubble Bar and past S Bar and it will be on your left.

**Update**

Holic is now closed. However, the owner has opened a new bar in the area called Vanilla Sky Lounge. It's not as foreign frequented, but it's another alternative.

Eastern English

2012-02-29T11:46:00.000+09:00

Eastern English Academy, Hwajeong-dong Gwangju, South Korea

I worked at this Eastern English Academy for 2 years. It's a small school with only 3 other Korean teachers and about 150 students, +/- 25 students, and the director and his wife.

Location: It's located on the 3rd floor of a small building that's about a 20 minute walk from the World Cup Stadium and a 7 minute walk to Milaero21 Hospital. It's also located about 2 minute walk from the apartment building that they rent out for their foreign English teacher. The school has an office with a small kitchen used for the director and the dinner that the teachers eat together every night. There are 4 used classrooms with desks, chairs, and white boards. The foreign teacher's room doesn't have desks. The chairs are arranged in a half cicrcle around the room to make for easier conversation. It also has a projector that you can hook your laptop up to to show visuals. There is also an emty classroom that's used for studying and for the English parties. And there are 2 computer rooms. All the children use the computer programs at least once a day.

Curriculum: The foreign English teacher teaches from books called Say and Say 1,2,3 and Hello Iris 1,2,3,4,5. Those are for only Elementary school students. The middle school students don't really have a curriculum. That's for you to decide. They are also allowed occational English games and when they finish their book they're allowed a snack party, where an English movie is allowed. The children also do some presentations every once in a while where they need to learn some songs and dances as well as a story presentation. It's easy and straightforward.

Pay: They pay 2.2 million won, free plane tickets there and back, an apartment, pension, end of contract bonus and insurance. They were never once late for a paycheck. They also gave an extra week of vacation at the end of the contract along with a roundtrip plane ticket for resigning with them. They were very helpful if you have any problems and they're very reliable.

Apartment: The downer of working in Korea is the apartment size. It's a standard one room apartment big enough for a queen size bed, dressor, book case, desk, tv, and a chair. The kitchen has a double gas range with a broiler in it and a small college sized refridgerator. But there was no oven or microwave. The apatment was furnished with pots and pans, silverware, dishes, rice cooker, washing machine, sheets, blankets, pillows, and tv. The bathrooms are where things get weird. The shower head is hung right over the toilet. So, when you shower you'd have to either sit on the toilet or hold the shower head. However, most bathrooms come with some shelves on the wall so if you take a metal hanger and bend it and hook it around the shelves you can create your own shower holder. The bad thing about the bathroom is that everything gets wet, but the good thing is that everything gets wet so it's easy to clean!!

Garbage: In Korea you don't pay for garbage, you pay for the garbage bags. You need to go to your local mart to buy area-specific garbage bags. You're not supposed to put recyclables or food in your garbage. The food is to be put in a blue lidded bucket and the recyclables can be put in any bag. When you take the garbage out you just put it by the road, usually at a black and yellow striped location. They pick up the trash weekdays but not on the weekends. **Warning: Fruitflies get bad in Korea so be sure to keep up with your dishes and take out your trash often, especially in the summer.

Bills: The landlady comes about once every 2-3 months to check the water meter. When she comes she charges for water, sewer, cable, etc. Then you can pay her in cash or she has a laminated sheet that she writes the water meter for the month that has a bank account number at the top that you can just transfer the money to. The other bills, gas and electric, will be put into your mail box once a month. You then take that to the bank and use a special machine that you can the bills into and just swipe your bankbook that automatically pays them for you. You'll have to have an attendant teach you how the first time, but then it's really easy. By the way, the bank is about a 2 minute walk from the school and the apartment. You'll also have to pay for your cellphone and internet. However, it usually goes through the director so he just takes it out of your paycheck so that you don't need to worry about it. He'll show you the bill for the month and then tell you that he'll deduct it. So, the bills are very easy to take care of.

Local Amenities: So, as you've read earlier that it's about an 7-8 minute walk to a large hospital and a 20 minute walk to the World Cup as well as Lotte Outlet. It's also near a Mart & Mart, which is a grocery store that will have almost everything that you'll need. The bank is about a 2 minute walk and their are 2 bus stops near. There is also a gym located less than a block from the apartment with very friendly staff and cheap prices. The nice thing about this area is that their are a lot of places to eat and drink! The people are also very friendly around there. Kimbap Nara is good in that area and they'll deliver your food to you no problem, just show them your alien card with yhour address once and they'll have it on file to send it to you. It's also about a 5-10 minute taxi/bus ride to the bus terminal that has BK, TGI Fridays, CGV, and many other things. This is also next to E-Mart and Kumho World. It's also about 15-30 minute taxi/bus ride to downtown. A taxi costs about 5000 won to go downtown.

Downside: There aren't many foreigners in this area. So, you will most likely not bump into one in this area. There is one foreign teacher that lives on the 3rd or 4th floor of the Hwajeong Villa, that's about a block away from your apartment. This teacher is the public school teacher at the Juweol Elementary School. So, if you want to find foreigners you'll want to head downtown by bus or taxi.

Busses: Up the hill and to the left from the apartment bus stop: Downtown 59, 61 (59 will drop you off at Milleorae or the YMCA); Bus Terminal 26; World Cup 26; Pungam-dong 26, 59; McDonalds 59;
Straight out from the apartment across the street bus stop: Bus Terminal 30 or 32?

Taxi: Going downtown: Shee-nay Grlanduh Hotael or Shee-nay Y M She A.
Going back home: Hwajeong-dong Ssin-dong-ah apaht (신동아). or Hwajeong-dong Maht tay Mahtuh (Mart & Mart)

Korean Side Dishes

2012-01-29T15:00:00.001+09:00

Spinach (Sigumchi Namul)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. of spinach
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 Tbsp sesame salt*
1/2 Tbsp chopped green onion
1 clove finely chopped garlic
1 tsp sugar

Directions:

Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds. (If you're using baby spinach leaves from the bag, blanch for a shorter time.) Then remove quickly and rinse in cold water. Then gently squeeze the remaining water from the spinach. Mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl then pour over the spinach and mix. **Note: If you don't have sesame salt you can add 1tsp of salt and 2 more tsp of soy sauce.

Chop Chae ("mixed and stirred" "vegetables")

It's name came from the fact that it was made from thinly slices vegetables. However now, the dish is mostly comprised of noodles with added vegetables.

Ingredients:

8 oz. glass noodles
1 sweet onion, sliced into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 pound baby spinach, blanched for 30 seconds
2 carrots, julienned
3 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped Napa cabbage
5 shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated if dried and then sliced
2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
2 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
Sesame seeds (optional)
6 oz. beef or pork (optional)*

Directions:

Boil the noodles according to the package directions. Then, in a large pan heat the vegetable or olive oil and 1Tbsp sesame oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic for about 1 minute. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes until they're about half-cooked. So they're still a little crispy. Turn the heat to low and add the cooked noodles, the cooked meat, soy sauce, sugar, and the remaining sesame oil. Cook it for another 2 minutes and add salt or more soy sauce if needed. Lastly top it with the sesame seeds if you'd like them.

There are many different variations to this delicious side dish.

Gochu japchae (고추잡채), made with shredded fresh green chili pepper and vegetables
Buchu japchae (부추잡채), made with Korean chives
Kongnamul japchae (콩나물잡채), made with kongnamul (soybean sprouts)
Haemul japchae (해물잡채), made with seafood and vegetables
Beoseot japchae (버섯잡채), made with mushrooms

Beansprouts (Kongnamul Muchim)

Ingredients:

1 package of soybean sprouts (500 grams)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tsp salt
1 tsp hot pepper flakes or Korean chili powder
1 Tbsp sesame oil
sesame seeds
2 chopped green onions
2 cloves of minced garlic

Directions:

Boil the bean sprouts with 2 tsp salt and 1 cup water with the lid on for 15 minutes. When they're finished, drain them and rinse them with cold water. In a large bowl mix the bean sprouts with the garlic, green onions, soy sauce, 1 tsp salt, sugar, sesame oil, and hot pepper flakes. Then sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. **Note: For a non spicy recipe just don't add the hot pepper flakes.

Kimchi Jjigae

2012-01-29T13:42:00.001+09:00

Kimchi jjigae is the chili of Korea. It's a kimchi based soup with vegetables and pork. It's a very cheap, delicious and spicy soup.

Ingredients:

kimchi
water
small zucchini
carrot
onion
pepper paste or bean paste
pork
hot peppers

Directions:

Slice the carrot, zucchini, hot peppers and onions. Chop up the pork into small bite sized pieces. Pour the kimchi into a soup pot. Add the vegetables and pork. Also add a small amount of water, depending on how much kimchi juice there was. Remember that when it boils down it gets more watery. You can add the pepper paste to taste. Add more for a fuller flavor and more spice.

Serving:

Traditionally it is served boiling hot in a stone pot with a side of rice. If more than two people are eating it, it's usual to accompany the dinner with various side dishes (banchan).

Typically the kimchi used in kimchi jjigae is the older more fermented kimchi. This gives the kimchi jjigae a stronger, fuller flavor and it also has more of the good bacteria that's found in yogurt. There are many other ingredients that you can add such as tofu, seafood, tuna, chicken, scallions, garlic or mushrooms. Koreans are known for changing their recipes with the seasons. It keeps the same old soup and foods interesting. The recipes are always changing in subtle ways!

Guide to Drinking in Korea

2012-01-21T07:53:00.000+09:00

Drinking in Korea is vastly different than in America. Not only culturally but also physically. Let's start with the cultural aspect of drinking.

BASIC MANNERS

If a Korean asks you out for a drink, it means they want to get to know you better. To them, drinking is a very personal experience. You get to know the real person and would talk about things you normally wouldn't. So, if you coworker, boss, or friend asks you out for drinks it's almost rude to decline without a very good reason.

SOJU ETIQUETTE

If you're going out to dinner, you'll usually be drinking soju. If a person older than you pours the soju you must accept it using two hands. Culturally, you must accept anything an older Korean gives you or you'll be considered extremely rude. You will also take the drink with either two hands, one covering the bottom of the glass, or you take it while looking away so that they can't see the bottom of the glass. However, if someone younger than you pours the drink you can accept it with one hand and not be disrespectful. Also, it's respectful to pour soju for your elders but remember to use two hands for older people but you can use one hand for younger people. It's also considered rude not to hold your glass when people pour for you. I've seen it where a friend leans over and touches the soju glass of someone who's not paying attention and gives them the look of, don't worry I saved you there.

DIFFERENT DRINKS

Soju (rice liquor 20%)

Mekju (beer)

So-mek (beer and soju mixed)

BASIC DRINKING STYLE

In most countries you start to go out drinking maybe around 9pm and finish at 2-3am. So, you tend to drink harder and faster. While here in Korea the bars don't close until 6-9am and even then you still go to breakfast afterwards and drink soju. I've had many late nights continuing until 11:30am. So where a lot of new people fail is in their drinking stamina. They come to Korea with their old drinking habits and just fall to pieces. Throwing up, falling down, and basically making asses of themselves. So, the best recommendations I have for you out there is to get a good, late, solid dinner, start drinking a little later and to pace yourself. I know it's a little hard to adapt to. We all still have our nights where we get out of control but if you follow those basic steps you'll be able to maintain a semi-functional drunk even at 6am.

Remember it's not customary to tip in Korea and can even be considered rude, however in a foreign bar it is usually appreciated. However, there are usually designated tip jars where they should be placed. And, as always, drink safe and be smart. This is a foreign country after all.

Applying for New VISA in Korea

2012-01-21T07:27:00.001+09:00

To apply for an entirely new VISA while back in America you'll need to follow these steps.

First of all you'll want to get your fingerprints taken and sent in for a FBI check. Usually you'll want a few copies sent in for your fingerprints if they're done in ink. This is just in case they're not accepted by the FBI office. This will save you time and money. Generally a FBI background check takes about 8 weeks and you'll also need it apostilled so it's best to get it started quickly. http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks

***** IMPORTANT NOTE *****
If you will only be back in the US for less than 3 months and you've already completed a FBI background check and had it apostilled, then you don't need to get another one done. This will save you A LOT of time.
Reduce the inconvenience of having to return to their home country to receive a new E2 visa. - To avoid the inconvenience of having to return to an applicant’s home country to receive an apostille for a criminal background check, a criminal check issued by the applicant’s embassy/ consulate in Korea may be accepted.
- Instead of receiving an apostille for an applicant’s degree, a document of verification from the Korean University Education Union/ Community may be accepted for applicants already teaching in Korea.
- Effective 01 September 2010, E2 visa holders who are changing jobs will not have to submit a criminal background check if they have already done so and if their stay outside Korea is less than 3 months between the expiry of the old and new visas. See Conversation teacher(E-2) related system improvement notice: The simplification of required documents of re-applying for a certificate of visa issuance approval
- Criminal background check - Those who had stayed overseas under 3months to issue a visa status can omit the document.(If staying over 3month overseas, the document should be submitted when the foreigner applies alien registration.)
- Certificate of obtain degree - Those who submitted a verified document can omit it.
Don't forget that you need to get this authenticated by the Department of State. This is not the same as the apostille for your degree. Just go to this website to get it authenticated. http://www.state.gov/m/a/auth/index.htm
Or if you don't have time to wait for the Department of State to authenticate your document, you can send it to US Legalization. That has a promise of a 1 day turnaround with the Department of State. So, that saves a lot of time, comparatively. You can get the information from this website http://www.uslegalization.com/.

You will also need your degree apostilled. This is the website for Wisconsin. http://www.sos.state.wi.us/apostilles.htm Depending on your time frame you might want to get this service expedited.
The other documents you need are:

A photocopy of your information on your passport.
About 4 color passport photos (2x2).
A signed copy of your resume.
3 copies of the signed contract.
Filled out health statement form. This can be found at http://www.teacheslkorea.com/ under E2 Process as medical statement.

All of these documents need to be mailed to your school where they will issue you a VISA number.
You need to fill out the VISA form also found at http://www.teacheslkorea.com/ under E2 Process as VISA form. You will also need to send in your passport, a passport photo, a money order for $45 payable to The Korean Consulate General, a sealed university transcript, a filled out interview form (also found at http://www.teacheslkorea.com/), and a prepaid return envelope. It is to my understanding that you won't have to go through the actual interview again.

After that, you will just notify your school that you have your VISA and that you're ready to depart. Then they will purchase your ticket and you're off for another Korean adventure.

On a personal note, I highly recommend Teach ESL Korea for a recruiter. It's a Canadian based company where they will find you a job and help you through the VISA process. I went through them and I've actually met them and became friends while living in Korea. It's great personal service and doesn't cost you anything. They're very experienced and have lived and taught in Korea for many years. They are also very respected throughout the Korean schools and other recruiters. So, if you want some extra help finding a reliable job and some peace of mind apply through http://www.teacheslkorea.com/.

Rant About Korean Racism

2011-09-20T14:27:00.002+09:00

So, lately there was a post on youtube about a black man beating up a 61 year old Korean man on a bus. This all happened because the black man (country unknown to me), heard the Korean man say the word "neaga" meaning you. The black man thought that the Korean man said he was "nigger". So, that gave the black man the right to shout profanities in English and in Korean and eventually use violence to beat the man while onlookers didn't do or say anything.

I'm just astonished at the whole situation here. The Korean man was saying that the black man could sit here in Korean and the black man's response was to verbally and physically attack the older man. I understand that maybe the black man didn't know what the Korean man was saying but even if the Korean man did say the word "nigger", it doesn't give him the right to beat the man.

I guess I just don't understand where people think that it's ok to use violence on people. So what if you're called a name?! I don't care. If anything, give them a look that you're upset but then walk away. Especially in a country where you don't know what they're saying!!! I don't know how many times I thought someone was saying something about me but then it turned out totally wrong. I just wonder what kind of parents raised a man that could do that without even thinking. And what puzzles me even more, are the people who think that he was justified in his actions, even after seeing the video!!

I think that this world needs a big kick in the butt, and these little punks need a lesson! First, he's an elder. He is a 61 year old man. Aren't you supposed to respect your elders. Second, he doesn't speak English so I'm sure he doesn't know the word "nigger". And third, you're in someone elses country. You are Korea's guest. You need to play by their rules and laws. You don't go into someone else's house telling them what to do and throw crap around their house do you?

I think that if people come here with a good attitude and a positive outlook you won't face that much racism. As far as Gwangju is concerned, foreigners really started coming here only about 5 years ago, so we are still a very unfamiliar sight to many Koreans. So, I think that the best way to overcome racism even before it starts is to have a good attitude. Many Koreans haven't experienced many foreigners so they don't know what to think. If we are friendly and show that we are trying to learn about Korean culture, then they will think better of us and won't be so racist. Stop it before it starts and try changing the minds of those who are racist by being a positive influence rather than a negative influence spouting about our given rights.

I'm a firm believer that a positive attitude and a happy disposition can do a lot of good for race relations between foreigners and Koreans. I know that it won't change everyone's mind, but you will end up living a happier and more fufilled life here in Korea. You will have more foreigner and Korean friends and you will be more well recieved wherever you go. Where will being angry about everything get you? I know one thing, it will get you out of this country faster and with fewer friends.

So, advice to anyone coming to Korea. You will face some racial stigma, especially the darker your skin, but buck-up because the majority of people are very kind. Also, you'll get a lot of pointing by children and adults. But most of the time it's just excitement. They will also run up to you to try to practice their English. Take everything in stride and just enjoy being a celebrity for a while!! ;-)

Here's the link for the video on youtube. Make sure you have the safety mode turned off on the bottom of the page. Just click on "on" and then click "off" and "save".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2wQiPcuZI4

K-Club Sports Day

2011-08-26T22:46:00.000+09:00

In Cheonam at the backgate, every Saturday a group of foreigners and Koreans get together to discuss topics in English while enjoying a nice cup of coffee at Luwak Coffee Shop. We talk about all different types of topics from food to K-pop. We usually read about a page for the topic and discuss it with some questions. Then there is still time to have a casual chat. It's usually followed by dinner, some fun, and then maybe a drink or five. :-)

However, every once in a while we have little trips or events, as you can see from some of my previous blogs. We also have some events in the city like baseball games, movies, or even sports days. Well, this time we had a sport day.

We met at the usual time and place and walked over to the university area to get our sports on. These Koreans are extremely competative. So, we broke into teams and wagered money on each game we played.

We started out the day with a free-throw contest. We each shot 2 free-throws and at the end both teams were tied. So, we decided to all shoot another one and my team lost by one! We each lost 1000W ($1). The next game was dodgeball Korean style. It's slightly different than the one we play back home. Once you're hit you go to the outskirts of the other teams side where you can get the ball and throw it at them. It was fun but my team lost again. That was another 1000W. After that we decided to play soccer. BIG mistake. It was a close and highly competative game. We scored a goal and I was going in for another one when I kicked it a little too hard for how close I was and the ball went and nailed Lee, our goalee, in the face. His glasses broke and flew off his face as he crumpled to the ground. We all stood in shock. Then everyone started laughing and cheering, well everyone but me. I was freaking out. After that, the girls were kicked out of the games. The boys played with some other random Koreans. They played the food volleyball. It's actually fun. The other team of boys, we didn't know, had two too many players. So, us girls picked them up for a game of basketball. We played to five and I made all five shots, 5-0! At least I won one thing!! ㅋㅋㅋ After that Kimber and I had to head out to get ready for her going away party. The others stayed and kept playing until dark.

Well, the point is that it was a really fun time with some great friends. And for mom, this is verification that I don't only drink. I also do other things on the weekends too!! :-)

So, thank you to my K-club for keeping me entertained and keeping me out of a little trouble! And sorry Lee for the ball in the face!

Crossroads

2011-08-17T23:14:00.000+09:00

If you can believe it, I'm coming to the end of my second year here in Gwangju, South Korea. I've had good times and bad times and gradually built a life here, minus a boyfriend. However, I have 3.5 months left in my contract at my current school. I'm at the point where I need to make a decision to either move on or stay. So far I have 4 choices I'm currently considering:

Attend GIST (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology) starting in first term in March.
Stay in Gwangju but switching English academies.
Move to another city in South Korea.
Move back home and look for a job in the states.

As of right now, those are my current rankings of where I want to go from here. However, there is the problem of getting my letters of reccommendation from proffessors who are on summer holiday back home. Other than that, I'm not that worried about getting into grad school. It would be difficult going back to school but I think it's about time that I started moving on with my life. I would be slightly moving on and growing up but not completely, baby steps.

So, for all of you out there wondering what I'm going to do with my life and when I'm coming home next this is my answer, according to the rankings:

I will be back home around December 1st and staying for about 3 months before I move back to Gwangju, South Korea.
I will be back home around December 1st and staying for a maximum of 2 months.
I believe I will back back for December but don't know when I will be going back to Korea.
I'll still be back in December but for no idea how long. I don't intend to live in Cumberland and would move out as soon as I found a job.

So there you have it. Now you can stop asking me because this is all I know.

Slow City Jangheung County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea

2011-08-15T20:57:00.000+09:00

There are 7 slow cities in South Korea and 4 of them are in South Jeolla Province. These cities work hard at staying true to their culture and roots by doing things the hard way. They're small cities resisting globalization.

This weekend I took my second trip to this "slow city" in South Jeolla Province. I made the trip, which was about 70km from Gwangju. We made our way on a Sunday afternoon to this "slow city". We made our way to a local swimming hole. I call it a local swimming hole because it's actually very small and only deep in certain places.

The swimming hole is right near the Slow City tourism office. We arrived at about 4 o'clock and there were still plenty of people there. We found a spot on the rocky beach and jumped right in. The hole is actually part of a small river. The river is surrounded by trees on one side and a rocky beach on the other. It's a very beautiful and refreshing river surrounded by Korean mountains. The best thing is that it's not for tourists. It's just a local beach where you go, have a picnic, a few beers and some soju. There are a lot of families swimming and most people are very kind and interested in the strange foreigner. It's not uncommon to have them float up to you to try their English because they haven't seen many foreigners.

After an afternoon of swimming we drove about 30 minutes to one of my friend's parents house. It's a beautiful rural area full of rice paddies, vegetable fields, and COWS! It was my first time seeing Korean cows. The cows here are the Hanwoo breed. It's my first time seeing this kind of cattle and I'm from a small town where there are more cows than people. I was happy to see that farming here in Korea is very similar to back home. The farmers house is a little more messy than most and dirt isn't really that dirty. It's just like back home. They're also very friendly and very community oriented people.

Anyways, we arrived at the house to find that we would be eating beef for dinner. I was in bliss. In Korea, beef is extremely expensive so we don't eat it very often and we eat it in small amounts. However, we enjoyed copious amounts of grilled beef. We also had side dishes provided by Charles' mom.

After dinner, we went to Charles' home to wash up and relax. They had just built a new home and it was absolutely beautiful. It was a beautiful stone house with a completely wooden interior. It had a chandelier in the living room along with a HD big screen TV with quality I had yet to seen. There were 3 bedrooms and a Korean style sleeping room upstairs. They also have an older traditional Korean style house behind their new house and next to the barns where grandmother lives.

We spent the night playing punishment games and taking a walk along the river and beach. While on the beach, even though it was 12am, there were tons of people. There was a family fishing, friends drinking, couples walking, and even some sleeping in the pagodas. We had a beer and played basketball and some other sporty games. After a while we made our way home and settled down for the night in the big Korean room. There were 10 of us all sleeping on the floor. It was just like those shows on TV.

In the morning we had a traditional Korean breakfast consiting of rice, seawead soup, and a bunch of side dishes. It was fantastic. After lazing about for a while watching TV and chatting with the family we made our way back to Gwangju. On the drive home we saw some of the green tea fields that Boseong is famous for. It looked very pretty. The tea fields are grown on the steep side of a mountain in lines. It's the only break in the forests that cover all the mountains here.

I think that the next trip will have to be to Boseong to visit the green tea fields so I can spend a little more time admiring the sights. Boseong is also near the ocean so it can be a beach trip as well.

Overall, the trip was a success and I highly recommend this trip as a nice escape from the summer heat and a break from the crowded and salty beaches in the south.

What to Pack for Korea

2011-08-11T22:45:00.001+09:00

First off, let's talk about luggage requirements by the airlines. As of mid-2011, you are allowed only 1 50 pound checked bags on most airlines, excluding Korean Air and Asiana Air, which happen to be the most expensive airlines. You'll have to check witht he airlines for actual prices for an extra bag, but when I flew Delta, I had to pay $70 for my second checked bag. Just remember that most airlines don't have a weight requirement for your checked bag and you're also allowed to carry on a purse or a laptop bag. So, choose wisely what you will bring. So, now onto what you'll want to pack.

For the most part, you can buy almost everything here unless you are a larger size in anything. That includes: underwear, bras, pants, shorts, shirts, coats, shoes, etc.

Shoes:
For the ladies who have a shoe size over a size 8/8.5 you need to bring shoes because they won't sell your size. Even around that size is difficult. You'll need tennis shoes and a seperate pair reserved only for the gym if you workout. You'll also need some slippers/slip on flip-flops, public schools and some others you'll need these for indoor shoes. You'll also need some nice shoes and some everyday shoes. Some for summer and winter. (Korea has 4 seasons.)

Underwear:
Panties won't be that difficult to find unless you're a larger size. However, bras are very difficult to find. If you're a C or bigger, you're S.O.L.! So, bring enough for a whole year. And if you wash them in the washing machine, you'll need to bring extra because these machines are harsh.

Pants:
Size 6 and down should be ok for bottoms. 8 and up, you'll need to bring a year supply of bottoms. Don't forget shorts for summer, capris for fall and spring, and also shorts for working out in or sleeping in.

Shirts:
Koreans have a very small bone structure so fitted shirts are difficult to fit into. Also, don't be offended when you go to try on a shirt and they tell you no. A lot of the time it's because we have bigger boobs and they don't want us to stretch them out.

Coats:
As far as coats are concerned, you'll need a heavy winter coat and a lighter coat for the inbetween weather. A few sweatshirts or zip-ups wouldn't hurt either.

Other necessities:
Tampons: You can find some small boxes here now but they're not as readily available as they are in the states. So, I suggest you bring a giant box of your favorite brand. Koreans love pads!

Toothpaste: Korean water doesn't have flouride and you really shouldn't drink it. And their toothpaste isn't my favorite. I can tolerate 2080 but that's about it. I would suggest bringing a couple tubes of your favorite brand. I like Crest Extra Whiting Mint flavored.

Makeup: Bring double your makeup. Korean makeup tends to be more expensive and you don't really know the brands. If you don't have a preference then don't waste the space.

DEODERANT: STOCK UP!! They barely sell any here and it's tiny spray bottles and they're very expensive. So, you need almost a year supply of this stuff.

Shaving supplies: If you don't mind using men's razors and shaving cream don't worry about it. But Koreans aren't as hairy and they don't really have a lot for women. So bring extra razors and shaving cream.

Spices / Food: Korea doesn't really have many spices. So, if you cook you'll definately need them. You'll be able to get salt and pepper and maybe some tumeric and some other random things. But you'll need most everything else. Taco seasoning, mac&cheese, hidden valley ranch packets (Korea doesn't have ranch dressing), oatmeal, etc. You're parents, friends, or relatives can send this later for a care package.

Others:
You'll just need a travel size of showering supplies. And for basic needs to last until you go shopping. A towel just in case your apartment doesn't have one yet. Having a shower right away after all the travel is needed, especially to relax. If you have no towel, it makes for a cranky start to Korea. I suggest bringing pictures, not just for you to look at but also to show other people and also to make your home more homey. Some books to read and also some movies.

Laptop:
Laptop = life here in Korea. It's your way to stay connected to home. You can make skype calls to ease the homesickness, watch movies, facebook, etc. You will become sick of watching TV that you can't understand so you'll want to watch stuff on your computer. Just remember when you're watching movies that you can only reset your laptop to different DVD regions a certain amount of times. So, you'll want to download a program that will allow you to watch any region of DVD's. Mine is now stuck on American DVD's (region 1) where my friend's is stuck on Korean (region 3). I also use my laptop in my classroom every day.

If You Have Room:
Bring some fun games for your kids. A deck of playing cars, catch phrase, or some other games depending on the age you teach. Twister for little kids is great.

F.Y.I.
Koreans are always dressed up, it seems. Going out they dress up, going shopping they look nice, and even just walking around they look nice. So, pack more of you nice clothes vs. your crappy jeans and comphy t-shirt.

Just bring some money to buy some of the extra things that you didn't bring. You don't get paid to the end of the month. So, you need money to last the month for food, drinks, and those extra supplies! Just think about what you absolutely can't live without, and pack it!

Boryeong Mud Festival 2011

2011-07-19T00:56:00.001+09:00

Every year, Boryeong, South Korea puts on one of Korea's greatest festivals, known as Mud Festival! This year it was held July 15th - 24th. Even though this is my second year in Korea, it was my first Mud Festival. Our English/Korean study group decided to make a big trip out of it.

We met early Saturday morning just outside U-Square and took three cars up to Boryeong. The drive was only 2 hours and uneventful. We were jittery in anticipation for what was to come. First, we stopped off at our pension, which was just outside the city. Mostly everything is booked up in the city and overpriced during this event. Since we had drivers, it wasn't much of a hassle to stay 15 minutes outside the city.

The pension was decent. It had 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, and the most important thing of all, an airconditioner!!! The fifteen of us dropped off our things, quickly changed and got right back in the car to make the most of Mud Fest 2011!!

It was really nice driving to Boryeong because there are no direct bus routes there but parking was a little difficult. So, we were dropped off and started the afternoon off with a beer and bubbles!! Admission to the mud park was 5,000 won and you could come and go as much as you wanted as long as you had your wristband on. There were two giant mud slides, a few mud wrestling pits, an obstacle course, a mud jail, tug of war, and some other things. The down side to everything was that the lines were extremely long and it was full of rude foreigners. There were beligerent drunks everywhere and they would cut in line, not leave when the time was up, and just be genuine ass-holes. However, after I had a few beers, I didn't care as much anymore.

We spent the day playing in the mud, running the the 7-11 to get beer, because it wasn't allowed in the mud park, and playing in the ocean. There was music and competitions going on all the while on the stage on the beach. There were also a lot of tents set up with food, souvineres, and mud products. There was also a station where you could pay money to get paited with different colored mud.

The park closed at 6pm and then we played a little more in the water and then headed out to the pension. After we were all showered and shiny, we cooked BBQ and played drinking games. We had a blast. Then we head out once again for the beach where there was music and fireworks. We also supplemented the fun with extra drinking games and relay races on the beach. Afterwards, we went back to the pension for more drinking games. At about 2am we decided we needed to dance. So, we went back down to the beach and went to a club. The club wasn't much, the drinks were expensive, and the people weren't cute. So, the boys left and the 3 of us girls stayed behind. We hung out with a group of Koreans and drank at the beach until 7:30. We grabbed a taxi and caught 2 hours of sleep.

The next morning we woke up, ate delicious ramen, got ready and went back to the beach. We decided to just spend it at the beach and not do the mud park. But there were mud sinks scattered all over the beach so you could still get muddy without going into the park. We played with the mud, played games in the water, did mud pictures, and just had an enjoyable afternoon. We took a 3,000 won shower at the beach and went to luch. We had grilled shellfish and BBQ. We polished off a bottle of vodka and a few bottles of soju. Then we went to the theme park and did the Nori-Zone ride. I was wearing a short skirt, not the best idea for this ride, and Jane was wearing a strapless jumper. So, during the ride, I flashed my hot pink underwear to everyone who was in the whole park and Jane flashed her bra because her shirt fell down. We were quite the duo.

At about 9:30 we decided to head back to Gwangju. I caught about 30 minutes of sleep in the car. After arriving in Gwangju, we proceded to drink soju and beer until about 4:30am. But, somehow, I found the willpower to make it to work the next day and teach all of my classes effectively!

The trip was very exciting, fun, and totally worth it. The only downsides were the crowds of drunks, everything was expensive, and I ended up getting 2nd degree sunburns! I spent about 200,000 won for Saturday and Sunday. But, I think it was worth it and will probably go back again next year. Except next year I want to try camping. Then I won't have to worry about driving home and can come and go as I please.

Boryeong Mud Festival = 8/10 and a Korean must do!!

Letter From My Student

2011-06-22T00:42:00.000+09:00

June 20th, 2011
Rose, age 9

Dear 쉐이나 teacher!!
Hello, teacher! How are you diong? I am rose! How tired you may be nowadays!! I think you must be very tired because of the students who are rude and bad in their behaviours. So, I write this letter to make you comfortable. Though I am not enough in everything now, I would like to learn all the subjects hard as possible. And I want to speak English with you longer than now. Till the day, cheer up for you and me!! Fighting!! Be careful for your health and stay healthy all the time, teacher I truly love you!!!

This was a letter from my 9 year old student Rose. She knows the basics of basics in English. Just from hello to when is your birthday. So, this letter is a huge accomplishment and magnificent. She told me she worked for two hours on this letter for me and asked her parents and teachers for help. She said she really wanted to make me happy. When I received this letter I almost cried. I've never felt so appreciated or loved my job more than at that moment. It's so funny how you can hate those little rascals 90% of the time but then they do something amazing that makes it worth it plus more.

So, I hope that all the other teachers or parents out there can have their moment like mine. That spark that validates your career and makes everything worth it.

Surprising Children

2011-06-18T14:44:00.000+09:00

I'd have to say that the Koreans I teach are the most uncreative children in the world. And this has everything to do with how they are raised. Their taught in school to memorize everything and not to think for themselves. They also go to school from morning until late in the evening, which leaves little time to play or enjoy themselves. Then, they also have to do their homework.

I think this is extremely detramental to their development. I don't know how many times I asked a question where they had to give me their opinion and they ask me what they should say. They're not used to thinking for themselves and have a hard time with problem solving if there isn't a specific formula for it.

How will they be able to function in society? Or will they just become mindless office drones?! But, the point I'm trying to make is every once in a while one will suprise you with a little deep thinking. It's extremely suprising that one of my 9 year olds (10 year old Korean) was able to come up with this and actually convey it perfectly in English.

"We lived in time. We meet other people with time. We can be late because of time. Anyway, who made time? When did time start? Twelve o'clock? One o'clock? A.M.? P.M.? I think somebody made it for people. Thank you for making time."

I would be surprised getting this from and English speaking child but from a Korean is even more surprising. I guess I'll keep my eyes open for the next profound event I will witness from my students.

Random Bliss

2011-06-07T15:42:00.000+09:00

This past weekend was Memorial weekend in Korea. It's only a week behind ours in the US. So, I decided to live it up over the weekend. Well, it's not that different than normal besides the extra day. But what made this weekend memorable were the people I spent it with.

Friday night, I did the usual. Hung out with the usual crowd, went to the same places, and basically had a usual night. Saturday started out as ladies night and ended with everyone. This was the begining of the special weekend and confidence boost. Lately I have felt that life was getting too routine for me, boring, and just kinda blah. However, after Saturday, I feelt great. It was just a typical night. Got ready with the girls, went downtown, hung out and then went to Bubble Bar. Laura and I decided to buy a bottle of Absolute vodka for ourselves to celebrate out awesomeness and to save some money. We were just chillin by the bar, drinking, and dancing. Then a guy comes up to me to tell me how great I was. He said that out of everyone there, I stood out. He said that he could see how much fun I was and how great of a personality I had just by watching me. He said that he couldn't stop looking at my smile and listening to my laugh. (semi-gag) But, at that momement that's what I really needed to hear.

It's so weird how some random man, at a random time could flip my mood and give me the emotional boost that I had needed and craved. So, I finished the night happily and satisfied.

Sunday, because of the emotional boost, I decided to be brave and go out on a date alone. This is only my second real date. I only met him once before a long time ago so I really couldn't remember him but I said, "What the heck!" It ended up being a really nice date. We had a lot to talk about and had a lot of fun. Afterwards, I went and met up with my friends and had an epic night. I woke up with lime green window marker all over my body with lots of love messages written from my friends. The marker I bought because it glowed with the lights in the bar. Then we just got carried away writing all over everyone. Even random Korean guys walking down the street wanted it. They even went and bought a black permanant marker so that I could write on them and sign it!! Ha ha ha! I'm so famous!

Now, I'm back at work and I don't feel that usual sluggishness of going back to the usual druggery. I feel happy and refreshed physically and emotionally. And it's all thanks to that random Korean man. So, to him, I'd like to say a big thank you. And even though you made me feel great, no you can't have my number. ;-)

Hot Spots in Gwangju

2011-06-02T02:04:00.000+09:00

So, after living here for 1.5 years I've pretty much mapped out all the hot spots in Gwangju for nightlife. You can usually find 4-5 hoff's (Korean bars) in one block. So, you will never be lacking in the beer department. But, if you have a craving other than a laid-back beer and want some fun and excitement I have the spots for you.

In the Chundae Humoon area (back gate) there is the foreign bar called Tequilas. It serves up some of the best Mexican food, and the only Mexican food in Gwangju. It's a great place to go and you will always find some foreigners there. There is also the new bar called MC Bar that has been having some musical gigs recently. You'll always get a notice on facebook of some of the local Gwangju bands playing there and it's usually a blast.

If you're in the Chumdan area I would suggest Ice Bar, Solute's, and Game Bar. These aren't necissarily foreigner bars but they are the most popular among the foriegners who live in that area. You will usually find a group of foreigners out every Wednesday nights there. They will start out at Ice Bar with a few "ice" beers. You're beer is served in a cup actually made of ice. When you're finished with it you get to throw the ice at a target for a chance to win a prize. I highly recommend this place. Next, is game bar. It's just down the road form Ice Bar. It's just a bar that has a bunch of games you can play, darts, mini pool, black jack, and some other games. The next place is actually a live hoff (aka kareoke) called Salute's. The owner is extremely kind and speaks English fairly well. He also has two good looking sons who work there!!

The best of the best places to go out, however are downtown. There are numerous foreign bars. There is German Bar and Speakeasy. They are like the small hometown bars that we have back home. A little dark and dingy. Soul Train is another bar that's a little dark but it's a small step up from German and Speaks. The bartenders are all Korean but they speak English ok. There is a pool table there and also darts. Then there is Mix Bar, which is run by DJ Smak. It's more of a modern bar with techno music. Another place like Mix is the pink panty bar (T^2). It's a more modern bar that also plays more club music. They also always have the Victoria Secret Fashion Show playing on big projection screens. And they have cute waiters. I recommend going with some friends because you do sit down at a table. My favorite bar in Gwangju is Bubble Bar. It's owned by JC and has the best bartenders ever, Kiwon and May. The bar is always packed on Friday and Saturday nights. There are great drinks, great friends, and a lot of dancing.

There are also 2 dance clubs in the downtown area, Volume and Houze. Volume has more of a techno flavor to it with green laser lights everywhere. It's a lot of fun. Everyone wears sunglasses and blows whistles. There is also a really fun bartender there who's name is B.I.L.Y., Because I Love You. Houze has more hip-hop/techno music. While people dress more sporty at Volume, the boys at Houz are usually seen wearing a blazer jacket or dressed up nicer. Houze also seems to have a younger crowd but they're both very similar.

If you're new to Gwangju, I suggest going out to Speakeasy, German Bar, or Soul Train first. These are the bars you tend to go to earlier to chat and drink. You can meet some friends and find out where everyone will be going. Those are more the places to meet up. Then you will travel on to the next bar and will most likely end up at Bubble Bar somewhere around 1-2am.

Enjoy your party adventures and make sure you know your address so you can tell the taxi where to drop you off!!

P.S. Try not to pass out in the taxi. Because if you do, they will bring you to the police station where you will have to call someone to get you or wait out your intoxication!! Just a little friendly advice!

WANTED: SPRING BREAK!!!

2011-04-11T18:39:00.000+09:00

WANTED: SPRING BREAK
$10,000 REWARD
Please send any tips or ideas to
shayna@e-mail

I'm in desperate need for a spring vacation. The weather is lovely, warm, and sunny. I wake up happy and chipper. However, I go to school and see my students and my mood instantly falls into the gutter! All they have to do is say hello to me and I'm already crabby. This is how I know I'm ready for a vacation from them.

While I was in school, I really looked forward to breaks/vacations from school and were usually needed very much. It was nice to get a mental break even if I didn't do anything special. Then I would come back refreshed and ready to go. I didn't know how much the teachers needed it too. However, at my current job I don't have those vacations. I have a few random days off throughout the year and I have 10 days of vacation I can apply to take, but not all at once.

Since my mental state is disintegrating day by day, I think that I will need to request a vacation soon. Even though I don't have a lot of money to go someplace nice, I think I will take some time off and just play around my apartment, go for walks, go hiking, and just a little R&R! Especially since the cherry blossoms are going to be in full bloom soon, so it will be a nice time to walk around and admire the landscape.

So, hopefully in the next blog I can write about the cherry blossoms that I walked around and saw. Along with pictures.

Geoje Island

2011-03-22T16:05:00.001+09:00

Geoje Island is the second largest island in Korea. It's second to Jeju Island and is on the south-eastern shore of Korea. It's about a 3.5 hour drive from Gwangju to our destination in Geoje.

On our drive to Geoje Island, we stopped in Tongyeong. We went on the largest cable car ride in Korea. It was a 10 minute cable ride up the mountain. Then we hiked around for about an hour. It was a lot of fun seeing some of the Korean signs and just watching the Korean people. It's funny how we're the same but those little quirks amuse you so much. ;-) The place that we hiked around was called Hallyeo National Marine Park. It was beautiful and I highly recommend it. You can see many islands including one of Japan's islands. So, litterally, they can see Japan from their backyards!

Then we entered the city and drove past the famous turtle ship replica in Tongyeong Port. It's a beautiful ship and is in the traditional asian ship style. Across the port is Dongpirang Village. It's an area of the town that a bunch of art students painted. The walls, houses, signs, and some of the sidewalks are all painted with different pictures as you hike up to the top of the hill. It was a lot of fun. Everyone was having fun taking pictures with the pictures on the wall. It was all beautiful artwork and it can't help but lift your spirit. I feel that, living in that neighborhood would make you constantly happy. When you reach the top you're greeted by a beautiful view of the harbor and a fresh sea breeze. We also were lucky, because across the harbor there was a concert going on so it gave an extra festive feel to it. Being the crazy foreigners that we are, we decided to start dancing in the street. We were up on the peak and a buch of passerbys decided to stop and watch the crazy dancing foreigners. It felt like I was putting on a performance. As, dusk approached we decided to head out to our pension and eat dinner because we were all starving at this point.

We stayed in a beautiful, expensive pension. It had two bedrooms with the softest beds, which is very rare for Korea. Korea has the hardest beds I've even slept on! It's equivalent to sleeping on the floor! So, we were very happy with the beds. It also had a kitchen, big flatscreen TV, couch and a private balcony with it's own grill. It was absolutly beautiful.

We busted out the chips and salsa to eat while we grilled our samgyupsal and cooked our rice. We decided to start a squat club. This is because all the ajummas, older women, squat on the side of the street selling their home grown produce. Erin, just recently got engaged to a Korean man and will be staying in Korea. I hope to follow her example. So, we decided that we need to have a squat club to sell our produce together. So, in order to not embarrass ourselves when it comes to squatting time we started our squat training. It's difficult to squat that long!!!

So, eventually the meat and rice are ready and we enjoy dinner. We had samgyupsal, rice, salad, and some strawberries for dessert. Of course, with samgyupsal your also have to partake in a little soju. We had our nice Korean meal and headed inside for a few drinking games. We played a little image game, santa-maria, baskin robins 31, 3-6-9, dalgi, and the flick the soju cap game. Once we wore ourselves out on the Korean games we switched to a modified version of the game of spoons. We called it chopsticks because we used chopsticks. There were 5 girls and one boy playing at this point and it was intense! We had bloody cuts on our hands from nails, broken chopsticks, and elbows in the guts. It was so much fun! Then, it was time to pass out!

In the morning, I was woken up at 9am by Wesley and Jane, two of the Koreans. I don't know why they like to wake up so early! Us foreigners weren't too happy about that. But we got free breakfast from the pension. They had hardboiled eggs, sausage, toast, cereal, orange juice, and milk. This was the most western style breakfast I've ever had here. Usually it kimchi and rice!

The only downer of the trip is that it rained the next day. And I'm not talking just a drizzle either. It poured and was unbelievably windy. So, we decided not to take a ferrry and go around Geoje Island. It would have been miserable. Instead, we decided to head back to Gwangju. However, and hour into our trip back, Wesley, our driver, found out that he left his clothes with his credit cards in the pension. So, we had to drive all the way back and get them. It was terrible because Erin and I get very carsick. So, he prolonged our suffering by two hours!

To make matters worse, by the time we got home it was a beautiful day and would have been perfect for an island tour. But, we'll have to make a second trip to make sure we see everything.

Mentally 21

2011-03-14T02:07:00.001+09:00

How old am I? Officially I'm 26 years old this year, 27 in Korean, but I feel as if I'm still 21. I still have the wild crazy streak, unable to make up my mind on what I want to be or where I want to go, and flat-out refusing to grow up and settle down. However, lately I've been experiencing the constant reminders of how old I really am. Friends getting married, their children growing up, and the young boys calling me nuna (older sister). This is forcing me into a state of confusion and uncertainty. I'm forced to once again look toward the future and look within myself and start making decisions. What will I do once this contract is up? Who do I want to be with? Where do I want to live?

For now, I keep trying to put-off the decision making and indulge in the crazy life. Weekends of meeting with friends, dinner, and then late night partying until 6am. I know that I will have to start making the life changing decisions soon but I keep telling myself that I have time. I have 6 months to finish my graduate school application and 5 months to apply for another job in Korea or another country. Maybe I'll just apply to everytyhing forcing my decision to the very last minute. Ha ha ha ha! See, I'm just a young girl at heart procrastinating to the very end!

"Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they just need to run free till they find someone just as wild to run with them."

I'd have to say that the most childish part of me is my choice in men. I don't know when it happened but somewhere along the line, in Korea, I seemed to have gone boy-crazy. No, not man-crazy, boy-crazy! My first Korean boyfriend was 31 and then after that they got younger and younger. I even went on a date with an 18 year old boy! How did that happen? Why would I even want to do that? Where is the future with a little boy like that? Why would I waste my time? I know, because he was cute!! See, what I mean?! Boy-crazy! I currently have 5-6 boys that I casually date. Nothing serious. Just every once in a while we meet up for a little date. Keep things light, simple, and uncomplicated. More evidence of my immaturity. I refuse to get deeply involved with a man that I'm not sure of. Why put my heart out there unprotected if I'm not sure that it won't get crushed? And really, who wants to settle for someone that doesn't make their heart constantly thump and makes you happy that you're alive and with them. I want someone who thinks I'm perfect the way I am and makes me want to strive to be a better person. I won't settle for anything less and I refuse to get serious with anyone I think is unworthy of my devotion.

"Some people are settling down, some people are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies."

I'd have to say that my views on love and relationships is my most immature and complicated thoughts right now. I mean, I have a few choices for my future and I'm sure that I will find the answer soon but when it comes to love I'm completely lost. I don't even know what kind of guy I want! But I keep telling myself that I'll know it when I find it. I just hope that I have one of those earth-shattering revalations like people do in the movies when they meet the person they're supposed to be with. Otherwise I'm totally SOL! But, everyone says not to worry about it. However, I think they're wrong. I think the way that I'm so guarded and fickle is what's stopping me from getting a steady boyfriend. Most of my friends have boyfriends or someone they're in a complicated relationship with. Then, there is me. I really don't have any prospective steady boyfriend candidates and it's all because of my attitude. I'm scared and I think that boys are like dogs. They can sense my fear and aloofnes and decide it's not worth their time to invest in someone who's not totally into it. So, I'm basically screwing myself over. But, how do you change your attitue with something like this? Who wants to get hurt? NOT ME!

So, at this point and time. I'm willing to accept any advice on the matter because I feel like Hansel and Grettle lost in the woods with no bread crumbs to follow out! So, throw me a few crumbs of advice!

Breaking Down

2011-03-03T18:55:00.000+09:00

So, as a teacher, I know it can sometimes be incredibly rewarding to see your students absorbing the knowledge you give them but at the same time it's incredibly frustrating.

I teach kids ranging in age from 8-18. I have the full spectrum of the difficulties each age group has to offer. I have the young kids who are hard to reign in and full of energy, the ones that think that the opposite sex has coodies so that they can't be on the same team, and the ones who hate to lose and start to cry and calling me a "bad teacher" because that's the only thing they can really say.

Then, they get a little older and they're a little more obedient but at the same time they rebel behind your back. They're too afraid to be punished but want to look cool in front of their friends.

Then they get older and are just outright disrespectful. I leave the room for a photocopy and come back to writing on the board that says "play game" and I tell them maybe next time. I'm met with screams, shouts, some start hitting things, and they tell me how "bad" I am. Then, I have to leave again and I come back to "you terrible" written on the board because the lack of game. Then they flat out refuse to do their work and are constantly talking. I try to get them to focus but to no avail. My anger meter is rising.

Feeling I get from teaching these devil children!!

I follow the strict 3 strikes rule in my class. Well, 2 of them got 3 strikes so it was time to fight them out of the classroom. I tell them to leave and go to Mr. Jo's office (the priciple) but they won't get up. They're very afraid now and I told them they should have thought of that earlier. Then I grab them by the arm, now these are 13-14 year old boys so they're difficult to drag, and I try to pull them out. I try and try but it doesn't work. Finally I throw my books on the desk and sit down telling them they need to finish 5 pages in the next 15 minutes or their mothers will all be called.

I needed to get away from the situation so I stepped outside for a bit. I come back in composed and they're throwing their books around. I pick up my books and throw them clear across the room almost hitting one, totally by accident. Then throw my pencils and pens. They all stop and sit down. Clearly the teacher has gone crazy, they're thinking.

So, I start to lecture them saying that I get angry too and that I don't want to study all the time either but they will never ever ever get to play a game when they do things like that. By this time, it's time to leave. So, I give them their homework and send them on their way. On the way out I went to hand some homework to one of my boys but he refused it infront of the principle. Complete disrespect and it was embarrassing for me. He yells at him and the boy tell him in Korean that I physically hurt him and that I was saying "Fuck"! Luckily, I'm smart enough to understand him and yell at him calling him a liar. My priciple doesn't speak English so it's hard to explain. So, basically I look like a big ass because of these little pricks!

Even though I have been here for 1 year and 3 months, this was almost a dealbreaker of a day. It's days like these where I think, "Why the hell should I even care?" These kids don't want to be here and I'm putting in so much time, effort, and emotions. I think that if we don't get a better way to handle these situations I'll have to start looking for a new job. I've been through too much and I'm sick of it!

Spring Is Here

2011-02-23T16:10:00.000+09:00

I love Korea! Spring comes soooooo early here. It's February 23rd and the temperature is 56F! It's practically summer compared to Wisconsin, where it is currently 23F! This is where I throw out my evil laugh at all those people living in torture in the state of Wisconsin! Mwuhahahahaha!

You can tell that it's spring time by the smell, the birds, and the way everyone acts. It's like mating season! You notice that all people think about or want seems to be love or a partner. The girls sit on one side of the classroom and giggle about the boys while the boys watch on and gossip about the girls. The middle schoolers just talk about the new school term that starts March 2nd and how they're going to get a boyfriend or girlfriend soon. That's all they want. Then, you see the young adults rutting around. The dance floor is packed at the bars and people are dancing unusually close. Koreans don't usually dance like us foreigners rubbing their bodies all over each other. But, in the spring it's a whole other story! Everyone is getting "frisky"!

I can tell by me because I'm more cheerful and I just want to play outside. I want to get a grill, lawnchair, and have a cold beer while chillin outside making a burger or steak. AWWWWW!!! I love spring!!