Dear Korea

Dear Korea,

I love you. I truly do. I enjoy my life here in so many ways. But sometimes, Korea, you drive me absolutely crazy. Here are some pros and cons of life in Korea (from my admittedly limited viewpoint).

PRO: You have an excellent public transportation system. Because your country is small, things are relatively close together and easily walkable.
CON: I cannot understand how no one has figured out how to walk in a straight line. Walking diagonally across a crowded sidewalk: not okay. Stopping in the middle of a staircase: not okay. Not looking up from your cell phone while walking backwards: not okay. How much more efficient would your daily commute be if everyone just walked on the right hand side (or left, if your country chooses)? Come on Korea, get it together
PRO: No one judges you for giving yourself a quick once-over in any reflective surface. In fact, it is quite normal. Sometimes I just need to check that my hair has not been whipped into a frenzy by the wind or that my mouth is free of any gochujang.
CON: In such an image driven society, no one hesitates to comment on your appearance. "Oh, don't you like the way you look with make up? Don't you want to look that way everyday? Its better, no?" I know its not said from a place of ill intent, but I really don't want to hear about how you like my hair one specific way, implying that all other hairstyles are bad.
PRO: Korean's are obsessed with giant, cozy sweater dresses and fleece lined tights. They are the greatest. I love looking put together but feeling like I'm in my pajamas.
CON: I have never in my life seen shorter skirts. Apparently legs are not considered "sexual" in Korean culture, so there is no taboo regarding how short skirts/dresses/shorts are. But honestly, if your hip length puffy coat is covering the bottom of your plaid schoolgirl skirt, then it might be too short. How do you walk up stairs?? And the biggest transgressors of this crime are middle-high school aged girls, which just disturbs me so much.
PRO: Respect and hospitality are deeply rooted in Korean culture. People use the most formal form of a word (such as thank you) in everyday transactions to convey the up most respect to those around them.
CON: For some reason, this respect doesn't translate into an "excuse me". You will be jostled and shoved and pushed aside quite often on public transportation. If you're lucky, you might get a chamshi manyo as a heads up that someone needs to get by.
PRO: Cheap and easily accessible health care. I can swing by the doctor in the building next door, explain my issue (in English nonetheless) and head to the pharmacy downstairs to get my prescription filled, all for less than $5 and in under 20 minutes.
CON: A government that highly regulates many aspects of life leads to a lot of daily frustrations. Superstores are forced to close twice a month to give mom and pop stores less competition (which, in my case, happens to fall on the one day a week that is most convenient for me to shop). Hagwon's (or private academies) have a maximum amount they can charge per minute a child is in a facility.
PRO: The coffee shops. No where in the world have I ever seen so many cafes. My block at work alone boasts a conservative number of 5 shops. There are giant chains (Starbucks, Cafe Bene, Holly's) and independent, self-roasting shops.
CON: For some ridiculous reason, most coffee shops don't open until 10:30 or later. Sometimes, I need that latte at 9 AM, not 3 PM. Coffee coffee everywhere and not a drop to drink.

But the biggest PRO of all: you let me live and work here, having an amazing time, learning so much, and saving a ton of money.

So what have I been up to in my almost month-long absence from blogging?
1. I've celebrated no less than 7 birthdays, with a few more to come. I wouldn't dare share some of those stories via the internet (where nothing can truly be kept secret), but its safe to say they included some delicious food, drinks, and late nights.
2. I enjoyed a Korean cultural weekend during Seolal (Lunar New Year), doing all sorts of Korean-y things. I visited Nami Island, a winter wonderland that has declared itself a micronation and its own republic, where I promptly got bitten by an ostrich. I walked around Insadong and went to an adorable, traditional Korean tea house.
3. I've gotten my life together a bit more. I finally got some things for my apartment that were not needed but make it much more homey (a bedside table is a great thing- I no longer have a "storage side" of my bed). I'm into a good routine with work, extracurriculars, and friends.
4. I'm planning fun trips to places in Korea and HAWAII WITH MY FAMILY!! So excited for that, mostly because of all the American shopping I will do. But also because I love my family.

Traditional Tea House in Insadong

Playing some kind of Korean see-saw game on Nami Island. I was terrified.

Yup, he is chomping down on my thumb while I was blissfully unaware. If only we had a picture of my reaction...

Ahh Maui. 3 months and I will be laying on your beaches. Its still freezing here so any thought of warm places provide some much needed hope that things will not always be this cold.

xo Julie

Food

A lot of things in Korea revolve around food, including for me, this past weekend. As an amateur foodie, I love to cook and try new foods. While I haven't posted much about food on here (except for the ode to the hamburger), I have been indulging in some delicious Korean food. During the week, I generally cook lunch/dinner for myself to save money and eat healthier (plus, cooking is relaxing and a bit like therapy for me). Barely a day goes by when I am not gifted with some delicious morsel of food from a student, be it kul (clementines), dakk (rice cakes), or yogurt. However, galbi (barbecued meat), bimbimbap (rice with mixed vegetables and gochujang-red pepper paste), mandu (dumplings), and soondubu jjiage (soft tofu soup) are generally in my weekend rotation.

Soondubu jjigae, my favorite Korean food.

I was finally able to get to the monthly Seoul Vegan Potluck this weekend with Allie. After having a decidedly un-vegan breakfast, I got to making a fiesta quinoa salad full of fresh veggies. While it was missing avocados (which are ridiculously expensive here) and the beans might not have been cooked at all (I don't eat them...), the flavours were really nice and everyone ate it! I also sampled some truly amazing vegan food. I love meat, and will never go vegetarian or vegan, but good food is good food. I had a delicious veggie burger with homemade bread and onion jam, vegan queso, tofu buffalo wings, and cookies!

My fiesta quinoa salad at the potluck.

After the potluck, my friend Jacque and I headed to High Street Market, where you can get foreign food. I splurged on a bag of Lay's Salt & Vinegar Chips. At 7,000 won for 5 servings, you best believe I am slowly making my way through them. We rounded out the food marathon with bubble tea and ginormous freshly baked cookies (yummmmm). I headed home to fall into a food induced coma (or maybe it was staying out until 5:00 AM at the noraebong....who knows...).

Yup, $7 for chips. They are my favorite though...

The food adventures continued the next day with a Korean lunch of tofu soup and haemul pajeon (seafood pizza/pancake type thing), tacos for dinner, and FROYO (in my best valley girl accent) for dessert. Oh froyo, how I have missed you. Lets just say I'm really glad I joined a gym and can work off some of the gluttony of the weekend. But as the lovely Ms. Shepherd would say, "Marie and I ate our way through Korea". I'm only now understanding how true that statement can be.

xo Julie

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

New Years and Palawan

Happy 2013! I rung in the New Year in Seoul dancing with some friends at this great LP bar in Hongdae, where I proceeded to slip twice on the ice and ruin my white pants. I had planned to stay out all night and then catch a cab to the airport for my 7:30 flight. Of course, the night slipped away from me and I had to rush to the airport, only to fall asleep on the bench waiting to check in and woke up with 30 minutes to check in, go through immigration and security, and sprint to my gate. Lets just say that flight was one of my most miserable and I will not be choosing itineraries like that in the future. After a couple of hours of delays due to ice/snow, I made it to Manila and on to Puerto Princessa, the capital of Palawan. From there, it was a two hour trek through the jungle until I arrived at the resort. I was thoroughly wiped and crashed early. I woke up to a beautiful night sky so I could head into the city for my first excursion.

I visited the Underground River, which was really cool. Picture Lurray Caverns, but you're on a boat the whole time. The formations were massive and it was really fun trying to decide what shapes you could pick out (like watching the clouds). I had great weather that day and so the water was beautiful. After, our group had lunch on the beach where I sampled tamilok, a Palawan delicacy that is called "wood worm" in English. Its really similar to oysters, just bigger, and was pretty good!

Entrance to the Underground River

Heading into the cave on the boat, hard hats and life vests included.

Tamilok! It looks a lot worse than it tastes!

The next day, I awoke to a lovely tropical storm that lingered for the rest of my vacation. The landscape was still beautiful and I took some rainy walks on the beach, but I mostly curled up in my cabana reading. So much for a winter tan!

Still beautiful despite the storm

Because my resort was so remote, transportation to and from was very difficult. Add in a lot of rain and you end up with roads washed out and river banks overflowing. So in order to get to the airport, I ended up as the third person on a back of a moped speeding down and very rocky dirt path for about two hours. I'd never ridden a motor bike before, and the lack of helmets (and space) was a little scary, but after a few kilometers I started to relax and enjoy the scenery. I wound through beautiful jungles and mountains, passed small villages, and even rode along the beach for a while. There are worse things I could be doing then zipping along the ocean on a sunny day in the Philippines. After the bone-shaking, butt-numbing ride was over. I hopped in a motorized tricycle for the last leg of the journey to the airport. After breezing through security (no taking off shoes/belts, all liquids allowed... just like the old days) I head back to Seoul, where temperatures had been about 3º Fahrenheit and my washing machine froze my clothes into a giant slushie.

I rode down this for two hours...

...on the back of this. With three people!

I was actually really excited to return to Korea. It became really obvious to me how much I feel comfortable here and how much this place feels like home. Funnily enough, the first song that came up on my shuffle on the bus ride to Beomgye was "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Seemed like an appropriate welcome back to Korea.

xo Julie

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The past few weeks in Korea have been simultaneously busy and restful, if that is possible. Work-wise things have slowed down as we finished the fall session so I haven't had any stress on that front. However, it is the holiday season and I've had plenty of things to celebrate in my first Christmas season away from home.

To start, I ended up having an amazing birthday weekend thanks to my friends in Korea. A good friend of mine who lives in Seoul came down Thursday night for dinner and trivia, and brought me some delicious cookies and tea! My coworkers surprised me with cake and sparklers at lunch and then Britny and I had people over for an End of the World party, where I got some truly thoughtful presents. It was so nice to spend the day amongst friends and it definitely made me feel less alone and more settled heading into Christmas.

I spent Christmas day in Seoul as the guest at my friend's work potluck gathering. I had such an great time and about half of the people there were from Virginia so I was able to play the "what-friends-do-we-have-in-common" game. Its funny how small the world can be sometimes! Anywho, I ate yummy food, stole some presents during White Elephant, and had a blast playing Catchphrase. I headed back down to Anyang for the evening so I could prepare my first solo Christmas strata and skype into Christmas morning back home. My parents connected me to the TV so I could see everyone and it was almost as good as being home. I'm a little surprised at how easy it was to be away from family during the holidays, although I have to give a lot of credit to technology for making communication so easy.

It may be the season, but I have been very contemplative the last few weeks. I have been examining my  friendships and figuring out why the people in my life are so important to me (many of you will be getting letters about this in the near future). Since I have been in Korea, I have found myself questioning many of my beliefs about life and what I want out of it. It is slightly terrifying because I consider these beliefs to be central to who I am, and without them, I feel less sure of myself. I feel like I am in limbo; behind me are the things I thought I wanted, in front of me are the things I actually want, but I am in the middle and can't see either very clearly. I'm trying to embrace the confusion and stop over thinking and just enjoy whatever life chooses to bring me.

Hopefully, my vacation will give me some time to sort things out! That's right, tomorrow I leave the snowy, 13ºF that is Seoul for sunny 82ºF Palawan! I have never taken a trip with less planing, and my only real goal is to swim and hike and read. My satisfaction threshold is really low, so something would have to go outrageously wrong for me to be disappointed on this trip!

xo Julie

Hitting My Stride

Things have been going good in Korea. Well, let's rephrase that, things have been going great in Korea.  As the title implies, I really feel like I'm finding my place in here. My parents will tell you, I was a bit of a mess my first week or two here. I was completely overwhelmed not only by a new culture but the huge life transition of leaving the familiar (college, home, friends...) for a real life with real responsibilities (bills, work...). I was excited and terrified and nervous and jet lagged and there were a fair share of tears.

But slowly and surely, I began to make this place a home. A home that is full of friends and adventures and laughter. I've pursued my passions, both old ones and new ones. I've made the unfamiliar familiar. I'm a regular at (many) coffee shops. I've managed to navigate banking and bills and setting up a cell phone in another language. And although my Korean is still terrible, I can get around OK on my own (with the help of my translating app and some hand motions).

There are still things that surprise me about Korea, and things that excite and frustrate me as well. And I hope that it will continue to be that way for a while. But its nice to feel comfortable here and to know I have people to be with when I don't want to be alone. Although I'm sad not to be with my family during the holidays, I'm excited to spend them with people who have quickly become very important to me.

Anywho, I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season and are eating all the good food I can't cook here (although I finally got a toaster oven and can (try to) bake some goodies). And happy end of the world! If something goes down I promise I'll give you a heads up :)

xo Julie