Skiing and Other Adventures

With its abundance of snow and mountains, South Korea is the perfect place to take a ski trip! I learned to ski when I was pretty young, and went regularly until high school and all my back problems started. However, I really wanted to get back out there and see how it would go. After some research, I found a place about an hour from Seoul (with a free bus shuttle!) where I could spend the day skiing for a reasonable price. So I found myself sleepily trudging to the bus at 6:00 AM on a Saturday with the lovely Allie to hit the slopes.

We went to Vivaldi ski park, and since it is so close to Seoul, it was absolutely packed. Luckily, we were doing both the morning and afternoon sessions so we were able to enjoy fairly uncrowded slopes for the first hour or so. The skiing was very similar to VA skiing, although slightly icier. I did pretty well (except for one disastrous run where I crashed into a kid, the safety gate, a bush, and got hit by a rouge flying snowboard) and felt satisfyingly sore the next day. I'm really happy I got a chance to ski this season and will possibly try to go once more before it warms up!

At the top.

Ski partners!

The day was hazy, but still beautiful!

Slightly terrified on the lift to Techno, hoping there is a non-expert level way down.

Sunday was another new adventure: getting my hair cut in another country! I've heard horror stories of hair butchery due to lack of communication, and having had many a bad hair cut in the states, (curly hair is really difficult to cut correctly) I was a little nervous. I did some research and found a salon (Hair and Joy) in Hongdae that has stylists trained in cutting foreign (and specifically curly) hair and who speak English. I made my way there Sunday afternoon and was so happy with the results! The staff was really friendly and knowledgeable and cut my hair exactly the way I wanted. I got a wash with a scalp massage, cut, and style for 27,000 won (~27 dollars)! 

Haircut! Plus, taking selfies in the coffee shop is super Korean- look who is adapting well!

Sunday was also the day I indulged in my guilty pleasure food: hamburgers. I love a really, really great hamburger (no MacDonald's or Burger King for this girl), but try to only have them every few months. I was craving a burger for about 2 weeks before a friend and I stumbled upon a place that look pretty decent. Honestly, this was the best hamburger I have ever had. I could write love poems to this burger. It had truffle aioli and caramelized onions and Gruyere and came with a shot of vanilla milkshake. It was pure heaven.

Yes to everything on this plate.

I've been trying to get back into my routine after my vacation, which is always difficult. I also joined a fitness center and started my classes there! The center offers a variety of yoga, pilates, strength, and cardio class. I can go to any 3 classes a week for 3 months for 90,000 won. I've been relying on my Jillian Michaels DVDs for workouts, but they just weren't cutting it anymore. I really need a group atmosphere to motivate me in my workouts, plus the center is located on the way to/from work, so I can work it into my schedule really easily. Everything is in Korean, but it has been pretty easy to figure what to do, and I have picked up some unique Korean vocab words!

xo Julie