Wake me up...when the winter ends

Well, it's March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, and a very cold day indeed. Spring is supposed to start in 3 days, and it snowed again last week. They know nothing about St. Patrick's Day in Korea, and the best attempt I made for the holiday was painting my nails green. I entertained the thought of drinking green soju tonight, but I have to go to my dance class at 9:00; though, drinking green soju would make the "Single Ladies" dance by Beyonce a bit less hellish for me....hmmm.

I figured that before winter ends, whenever that is, that I should put up some pictures of my first time living on my own in the snow. I've managed to adapt, but I haven't mastered how to look cute like the Korean women do, when it's freezing out. I bought an over-sized, but very warm, man's coat from HomePlus for 20,000 won, and I wear about 3-5 layers of clothing under the coat, which makes me look pretty frumpy. But at least I'm warm! I can't imagine that the office girls that are walking around in mini-skirts with only one pair of tights underneath and high heels, for crying out loud, are very warm at all.

Without further ado, here are the pictures of the beautiful snow before it got all muddy and melted and unpleasant.

This is at Jung-Ang park in Bucheon. Lee and I went here with the silly intention of playing badminton, and then I convinced him to go to Rhythm and Booze for chicken tacos. He never had a taco before! Much better idea.

Pic. 1) In front of Yeokgok Stn.
Pic. 2) In front of my apartment

The School Parking Lot

sNOw God
The snow in Korea is like salt or sand
Unfit for making angels and men
Where's a Snow God when you need one?

칡 즙: "Good food tastes bitter."

I went to my landlady's apartment last night to pay her mahn won ($10) for my monthly cable bill and in return she loaded me up with bags of Chi(l)k Jeup. It's a drink, or a juice, made from a kind of root and comes in a small, rectangular plastic bag. I smiled, thanked her, and carried the strange substances back down to my apartment. I decided to bring a few to school to share with my co-teachers (*co-teachers, plural, see foot note) and to get some info. about this brown concoction before injesting it.

Here is what I learned:
-old men really love this drink
-it's good for blood circulation
-it makes your skin healthy
-you can use it in a detox diet
-prevents bone problems when older
-boosts the immune system and helps with colds
-it's good for the bodies of growing children
-it tastes really really bitter, but is better with hot water and honey
-it might possibly help with b.m.'s judging from the gurgling in my stomach and the urge to use the 화성실...

Sun Jung thinks I should drink the rest, 1 a day, until they're all gone to see if it helps improve my body. I'm willing to try it, but I kinda want to make other foreigners try it too (ahem, erin, ahem) and see their reaction. My friend Lee always reminds me of the Korean saying, "good food is bitter," meaning that most things that are really good for your body, don't taste good. I'll let you know if I feel a big improvement by the end of next week.

*the footnote*

The new school year started this week. Monday, March 1st, was a holiday (Korean Independence Day?) so there was no school. Tuesday was the first day of school, which means new teachers. In Korea, teachers change schools every few years. I'm not sure of the exact logic behind this, but most teachers don't know where/what (grade) they're teaching until 2 weeks before school starts.

Luckily, Sun Jung is still the Korean English teacher and I get to co-teach with her. However, there are some changes being made by the school board and this school year we have 2 Korean English Language teachers, and 1 native teacher (me ;). I teach 3rd and 6th grade with Sun Jung 3 days out of the week, and I teach 4th and 5th grade with Young Ju 2 days out of the week. This year they want all grades to have English 2 times per week, but they can only work me 22 hours per week by my contractual agreement, so Sun Jung and Young Ju have to teach English with out me a couple times each week, as well as teach the students "Ethics/Morals" class. Young Ju is nice, but a bit nervous as it's her first time teaching English. So I'll help her out as much as I can.

In addition, I interviewed and helped pick the new native English teacher to replace me yesterday. The principle kept changing his mind about what kind of replacement he wanted, but I think we talked him into picking one of two girl I interviewed on the phone. I feel bad for leaving Sun Jung and my students; everyone really likes me here and many teachers have told me they are sad to here that I'm leaving in May. I just want to find a good native teacher to replace me and make the transition smoothe for the kids and easy for Sun Jung--she works so hard and is so stressed out from the principle and all the hard work she does for this school.

That was a long footnote. But I figured inquiring minds would like to know.

October: China Town in Incheon

Way back in October, we (me, Erin and our friend Fernando) checked out China Town. It's off of the last subway stop on line 1...Incheon. It was the beginning of fall and the cooler weather, with a crisp breeze in the air, yet still sunny enough to not have to wear a jacket during the day.

We walked through the entrance gate and looked around at some of the China trinkets being sold on the street and in small shops. I was kinda hungry, and Erin and Fernando were, um, thirsty, so walked up the road to look for some food. We found these stairs and walked half way up them to chill for a few minutes and check out the scenery.






At the top of the stairs, there was an entrace gate that looked like a palace and more stairs leading up into the nature trail/park, if you will. Looking down the other way we just came from was the street lined with shops and restaurants. I decided I wanted to eat a Chinese restaurant before we started hiking around. Down one set of stairs to the left was a Chinese restaurant with outdoor seating on a balcony.

I ordered some kind of rice/vegetable/noodle dish that was pretty tasty and came with a side of spicy seafood soup. Of course, we were all thirsty by that point and Fernando ordered us a round of Tsing Tao beers, which are huge, so we had a good buzz going on the balcony. And our timing was perfect because while we were enjoying our food and drinks a parade started with dancing dragons and small fire crackers and some kind of royal court.

The dragon dancers were actually kids. There were 2 boys per dragon and when the dragon was at it's tallest you could see the one kid was on the other's shoulders. I'm not sure about the royal court bit, I'm assuming this guy is posing as some kind of royal figure and if I remember right there was a woman be carried on a tented platform...I have a video of the whole thing that is uploading for some reason, but I'm working on it.

When in China Town, do as this old Korean man does, and drink in the streets while enjoying a nice, stumbling, stroll.

After lunch, we grabbed a few more beers for the walk and continued looking around. I bought two "artsy" 3-D pictures of naked women, one for me and one for Erin. We walked around and up the other side to the hill that leads to the same park we wanted to go to earlier. There were speakers playing music in some parts of the park. I'm pretty sure I remember hearing a Micheal Jackson song at some point, it wasn't too long after his death, and it affected Korea a little bit. The nature park was nice though, and went well with our tall cans of Cass, or was it Hite? One of those Korean beers. All in all, a nice outing in China Town was had...

School Lunch

Everyday, I eat lunch in the cafeteria with Sun Jung and a few other teacher. The lunch is very cheap (less than 2,000won per meal) and it comes directly out of my paycheck; not to mention that it beats the hastle of figuring out what to eat everyday.

We eat on tin trays that get sterilized everyday and we always grab a metal spoon and chopsticks for utensils. In the tray, there are 2 big, deep bowls (if you will) and 2 small ones along with one shallow, small bowl. One big bowl area is for soup, the other is for rice. The small shallow one is where I always put my kimchi, and the other 2 small areas I use for whatever meat/vegetable side options there are. Sometimes there's fruit or a yogurt drink, etc.

No one ever drinks with there meal. There is a water fountain area near the door where you can drink after you put your un-eaten food in the food trash and separate your chopsticks, spoon and tray in the bins provided.

Usually the food is pretty good. I've grown fond of Korean food and it's not bad for you. They think food should be like medicine and everything they eat, for the most part, they believe is good for our bodies. The soups are always delicious, except there's one spicy and sour cabbage soup that I don't like, but other than that, I can always count on the soup and rice. The kimchi they make at the school is not up to my standards, and that goes for most of the students as well. I've had some really good kimchi at restaurants and Sun Jung's mom makes some pretty spectacular kimchi as well. And the sides are usually pretty good as well. I always eat what ever vegetable or additional type of kimchi side that is made for lunch. This ranges from flavored bean sprouts to radishes or even fruit. The "meat" sides include chicken, duck, pork, beef, seafood, and other things that I'm not so sure of...

Which brings me to today's lunch:

된장찌게 - one of my favorite soups; basically a salty bean soup (almost like Japanese miso soup) with cubed tofu and chopped zucchini and cabbage and, today, potatoes.

밥 - rice, today it was a greenish color; this could be food coloring to make it look pretty or maybe some kind of her or sauce added for a little flavor.

김치 - always kimchi

Bean Sprout side dish - I don't know the Korean name, but I love this salty bean sprout salad dish.

순대볶음 - this side dish is the inspiration of my blog today. Soondae is pig intestines stuffed with clear noodles and this particular kind is mixed with cabbage, peppers, and a red pepper paste.

Usually, I don't ask what anything is. By lunchtime, I'm hungry, and fully prepared to eat whatever is ready and waiting for me. But today, I wasn't starving, and my stomach was a bit upset to begin with. I scooped a few pieces of Soondae onto my tray along with everything else and sat down without thinking as I do everyday. The students all say hi to me everyday at lunch so I'm usually distracted by them. I was excited about the soup and the sprouts that it took me awhile to contemplate the rest of my tray. After noticing, then examining the Soondae, I had a hunch that it was probably some part of an animal I'm not accustomed to eating. I decided to ask the school nurse what it was, thinking she knows body part in English and would tell me if it was that. She only replied with the Korean name and smiled and added that there were noodles in it. I decided to man up and just try it. And I didn't like it one bit. So I scooped the rest of it onto SunJung's tray while she wasn't paying attention and the school nurse saw and nodded approvingly and I excused myself. Don't worry. I didn't puke or anything. But I did call my Korean friend, Lee, and asked him about 순대. He laughed, of course, and told me that I just ate pig intestine and then said he was envious because he loves that dish.

So there you have it, my pig intestine tasting. I'm sure I've eaten other "weird" things, things that we might consider weird, that is, but I never wanted to ask about it before. Now I just figure, what the hell, might as well know what I'm eating so if ever asked, I can say, "yes, I've tried it." And to peak your curiosity, here's a pic I found on the internet of it:

찜질방 JJim Jil Bang: Dragon Hill Spa

Last Sunday, I met up with Erin and 3 other teachers in Bucheon (Mel, Moira, and Jamie). The plan was to check out Dragon Hill Spa(jjim jil bang), which Erin and I have been planning to go to for months but never did...

What's a JJim Jil Bang you say? Well it's basically a Korean bath house. It has saunas, and steam rooms, and usually a common (co-ed) area with a heated floor that you can sleep on or just hang out and watch TV, etc. There are sleeping rooms too, and these places are abundant around Korea and very cheap. We're talking 12,000 Won at the most, and that's for 12 hours.

Erin and I stayed at a JJimJilBang when we first got to Korea and took a trip to Itaewon in Seoul. Which reminds me, I never wrote about our Homo Hill/Hooker Hill experience there. The point is, we slept at a jjimjilbang in Itaewon at 4:00a.m. when we were drunk and didn't want to wait for the subway system to open up. I think we paid 10,000 that time and they gave us an orange t-shirt/shorts outfit and we slept in a warm TV room on a bench because we weren't comfortable sleeping on the floor.

Getting back to Dragon Hill Jjim Jil Bang--it's amazing! I'm willing to wager that it's the best one in Korea.

So, we met on Sunday around 2:30 at Yongsan station and grabbed some lunch at Papa John's. (Yes, there is a papa john's pizza here and it was delicious--we got the spinach, alfredo, meaty, thin crust pizza and devoured it). After stuffing ourselves silly, we made way to Dragon Hill.

For only 12,000won on weekends and you can spend 12 hours there. You get a comfy pair of long shorts (which somehow ended up in my backpack ;) and a t-shirt; you know the really soft, worn and washed 1,000 times kind. There are 10 floors of things to do, including: a fitness center, an outdoor heated pool, a garden theatre, men and women only floors, a couple restaurants, and a common area. Anywho, we payed, and got our locker keys. The locker key is a plastic bracelet with key attached and a number disc that you scan on a turnstile to get in and use it as a charge card for any extra services or food you want while inside the spa. You pay for any charges you accrue before you leave the building. We put our shoes in the shoe locker, then made our way up to the 3rd floor-for women only-and proceeded to strip down to nothing and put everything in our big lockers.
(This is truly the Korean way, every woman of every shape, age, and type, walks around naked on the women's floor...I however, chose to wear my underwear and a top for reasons not worth mentioning. I actually felt more awkward wearing underwear around all the nakedness. Next time, I'll do it the Korean way...like Erin said, it's part of the whole experience.)

First, all the ladies wanted to hit a few hot baths/whirl pool spa type things. There were probably 10-12 different hot pools. Some were really really hot, and some weren't as scalding as the others. We started off in one that was around 40 degrees Celsius (they all have a temp. displayed above). Then I tried to move into the next one beside it that was maybe 45 C, but I couldn't do it. It burned and tingled.

Next, we decided to go to the outdoor section, which had a ginseng bath, a pine wood bath, and heated "walking pool" with jet currents that we swam in. I liked the ginseng bath. Maybe just because I like ginseng and the idea of bathing in it was titillating. It was chilly outside, so the hot spas felt nice.

We went back inside and tried out the 80C dry sauna. I couldn't stay in it more than 10 seconds, it's like sitting in your car in Florida during the summer with your windows up and no air. Why would anyone do it? Beside the dry sauna, however, there was an aroma-therapy steammy sauna and that was nice, but you instantly drip with sweat when you go in it. In front of the saunas there is a (freezing) cold swimming pool and there are 3 lines of sit-down shower stalls were you can scrub yourself with body scrub and whatnot. Additionally, you can pay to have a Korean woman in her bra and underwear, scrub you down from face to foot. Erin and Moira paid for this service and Erin said the amount of dirt and dead skin they get off of you is disgusting, but good. I'm definitely getting the scrub-down next time I go.

Erin and I wandered over to the other side of the floor and found more hot baths. We sat in a sea salt water bath for a bit, which is where we saw the scrub-down services--including a placenta massage...whatever that means ;P

I really wanted to get a facial, so I went back upstairs to the Orchid Spa and decided on getting the 2nd facial on the list. The first one was a basic facial and it seemed like it wouldn't be worth the money, judging only by the English translation. The 2nd was called a "Face Reduction" and I thought maybe it would be like a pore reduction type thing. It lasted for about 1 hour. First, she used this electric scraper thing on my face, which didn't hurt, it just sounded intimidating. Then, she massaged my face (really hard) with multiple gels/lotions. It kinda hurt at times, but I figured it was to really get deep down into my skin or something. She also massaged my neck and shoulders, which was nice. There was a little bit of face scrub, and then something like an ultra-sound, and more massaging and laying for a while with some kind of warm mask applied over a thin layer of tissue on my face, which hardened and was then removed. I felt good about the facial afterwards, like I got my money's worth. Later on though, my face was sore from the rough massaging. I asked my friend Lee about it and told him what it was called. Apparently, it's called a face reduction to help make your face smaller by massaging your facial muscles deeply. Most Korean/Japanese women desire a smaller face, so this is what they do to get it, well, this and plastic surgery. 3 days later, I don't think my face looks much smaller, but I think whatever she did is bringing everything to the surface because my skin has broken out a bit. Maybe I'll just go for the regular facial next time...or just shoot for the body scrub.

I came out of the room to see the girls laying in massage chairs. I put my Dragon Hill outfit on and we all went to the 1st floor/common area. The floor is heated everywhere and people are just hanging out. You can lay on the warm floor and watch Korean TV shows on a big flat screen, or you can go into one of the many warm sauna-type rooms all around the big room. There was a jade sauna, where the floor is made of Jade and I think there was some aroma-therapy happening in there, but we were finished sweating so we decided against it. Instead, we went ino an ice room and took a picture on Jamie's camera ;) There were also rooms that burned with charcoal and smelled like barbeque. We peaked inside a few and people were mostly laying down on the floor and resting, as the rooms were kinda dark. After a few more pictures, everyone was ready for dinner...except me, I just wanted a beer. And that beer hit the spot.

All in all, the Dragon Hill spa is the best place to go and relax. We want to make it a bi-monthly activity. Once I get the pics from Jamie, I'll post them ;)

July 19, 2009: From the Muddy Banks of Boryeong

Over the summer, Erin and I went to the Boryeong Mud Festival with Sun Jung, her neice and nephew, Hyun June. I didn't get many pictures of the actual muddiness because I didn't want to ruin my camera, but here's what happened and what I did catch:

I woke up at 5:15 a.m. this Sunday morning to get ready to leave for Boryeong. Waking up that early sucks, but once I got ready and left my apartment, I began to enjoy the dawn. The walk to Yeokgok station was pleasant; there weren't many people up yet. I like cities, but sometimes I hate crowds...unless I'm drunk.

Anywho, I met up with Erin, Sun Jung and co. at City Hall in time to catch our bus to the South East coast of S.Korea. Sun Jung made baked sweet potatos for all of us and we ate them on the bus for breakfast. She also gave Erin and I straw hats--which we never wore.

First stop, a miner museum of some sort in the outskirts of Boryeong in the mountains. At first I thought it was pretty boring. It was just about the land the was mined a long time ago and anyhow, everything was written in Korean. But then, we get in an elevator to go to another floor, and the lights go out and then the numbers on the elevator start go (down?) to floor, like 400 or something, and there's a stobe light effect and it was awesome because we were in there with some random Koreans who looked freaked out at first...but it was obviously a gimick, I wasn't scared at all, nope. Yeah. So we emerge into a "mine shaft" and there were dummies mimicking mining and whatnot. Now for some pictures...

We hopped back on the bus and headed to the beach! The weather was nice, and by nice I mean it wasn't humid and it didn't rain. First, we were famished, so we had a nice, traditional Korean lunch with Sun Jung and the kids.

Then, Erin and I split and let them do their thing while we walked around and to check out what this mud fest was all about. Apparently, the mud from Boryeong is famous for it's skin beautifying properties and the city has spas and world renowned mud products. (We got some free mud soap for being foreingers.) The mud fest started as a way to advertise their mud and once all these foreigners starting teaching English over here, it took off and is now a huge event. There were mud games, mud slides, mud painting booths and a stage for entertainment. Oh, and beer ;)

Erin and I layed out on the beach, wadded up to our waists in the Yellow Sea, painted some mud on our bodies and talked to a few foreigners. And then had more beer. All in all, a good day, worth the 3 hour bus ride. Next time, we'll go for the weekend!

Snow!

I woke up early-ish saturday morning to "volunteer" in Songnae. My room felt rather chilly and it had been raining all night, so I decided to pile the layers onto my body and wear my rain boots just in case it was wet outside. I walk down the stairs and out of my apartment building, and saw some stuff floating in the air, which I first thought was trash or some kind of flower pollen. Then I realized it was snow! I had to take off my mittens and feel it to make sure it was real. It looked like little clumps of fluffy, shaved ice. It changed my morning mood to a pleasant one, even sans coffee, and I became distracted from the harsh cold weather and delighted to be walking in the big snow flurries. I know it sounds cheesey, but it was exciting to me--being from Florida and all.

Yes, it was magical and beautiful the whole way to the neighborhood I was due to teach at...that is until I got off the bus and had to walk to their apartment in it. The wind picked up and the snow began pelting me in the face and I was completely covered from head to foot in it by the time I got to my tutoree's apartment. It stopped snowing during my class, but I got to admire it from their balcony window for a little while longer at least. I didn't get any pictures of it, but next time, I'll try to be more prepared.

Korean Style American Pizza

I just finished eating pizza with the 5th grade teachers (for some reason Sun Jung and I are grouped as 5th grade teachers) and since I'm on a blog kick, I thought I'd share the experience.

What's so special about the Korean version of pizza you ask? Well here are the toppings on the 2 slices I just ate:

cheese (of course)

mushrooms

red and yellow peppers

onions

bacon

...sounds normal so far, but wait, there's more...

potato wedges

corn

crab meat

shrimp

crumbled up nacho chips

something that tasted like salsa perhaps

yogurt sauce drizzled around the pizza near the crust

and speaking of crust, it was stuffed with sweet potatos

그래요? 네.

This probably sounds completely disgusting and extravagant to you, but being a girl who loves to mix all of my food together, I thought it was pretty good. Maybe I'm just getting used to Korea. Who knows. But I'm sure if these Koreans ever had American pizza in America, they would probably think it to be pretty boring.

In-ploo-en-ja chim (flu shot)--침'chim' actually means needle...I don't know the word for shot.

This has been the most chill week ever at school!

Monday--I taught the adorable, little 3rd graders, that I love so much because they actually pay attention in class and do everything I say.

Tuesday--I was under the weather, the cold weather that is, and got sent home to "take a rest" in hopes that my cold wouldn't turn into the Swine flu, or H1N1.

Wednesday--Still not feeling spectacular, but it didn't matter because the 6th graders had to study for another upcoming test so no English classes that day. (Not to mention the Pepero I received from some students who I encourage to suck up to me ;)

Thursday--Had a very light English class for the 5th graders, half of which revolved around a game that they played by themselves in pairs.

Today--Friday! I love Fridays and all the students know it. So I was already in a good mood when I got here (and the Cappucino from Paris Baguette also helped). Then I just found out that ALL of the students have to get their Flu Shots today. And it just so happens that the English room is next to the Nurse's room, so English classes are cancelled today. Why? I'm not exactly sure, but I think the kids all get to leave after lunch, too. I kinda feel bad for Sun Jung; she's running around crazy out there helping with this flu shot distribution while I get to sit in here and blog. But I don't think there's much I can do. And I offered to help.

In other news, I'm flying home for Christmas and New Years! The tickets basically cost me a whole month's salary, so you guys better plan an awesome New Years Eve celebration, and not just because it happens to fall on a Blue Moon this year, but also because I'm coming all the way from Korea to be there for it! I will get to celebrate 2 New Years this year because in Asia they celebrate the Lunar New Year. Jealous? ;P

Pepero(배배로) Day

Today is Pepero day. A holiday this huge company called Lotte invented to sell their chocolate covered cracker/cookie sticks. Usually they are long and thin and come in a box of about 20, I think. But today I've received 2 big Pepero sticks from 2 of my good students. I didn't have to teach any classes today because the 6th graders were reviewing and preparing for some more tests. So it was sweet of these students to come into my office after lunch and present me with the gift of Pepero. I'm sure Lotte is banking this week. Damn corporate giants and their cute holiday schemes. They are pretty tasty though...pictures to come.

So I seem to have caught some kind of cold and my school, being paranoid of H1N1 and all that jazz, sent me home yesterday. And today I had no classes; holiday for me! I am a little worried ab0ut my lungs though. I don't know how my asthma will react to the winter here and I don't want a stupid cold to make them weak ;( But alas, I have Albuterol, so I'll be fine.

Anywho, I hope that this decreasing temperature allows (forces) me to blog more, because there are so many things I want you to know. "You," as in whomever happens to be reading this. Anybody out there?