Lunar New Year

Korea was founded upon Confucianism and Buddhist cultures.  Traditionally they used the Lunar calendar.  The Lunar New Year, also referred to as Chinese New Year, lands on a different date each year.  It's one of the two biggest holidays in the country, and per Buddhist traditions you honor your deceased elders by bowing and visiting grave sites.  Koreans will also usually wear their traditional clothing, hanbok, and prepare lots of food. This includes some of the favorite foods of the deceased as an offering.  However, Christianity is becoming a more common religion in modern day Korea, thus these traditions aren't as strong as they once were.

Seoul is usually bustling with people, but during this holiday it seems like a ghost town.  Most businesses close down, and many citizens visit family in their hometowns outside of Seoul.  I was fortunate enough to be invited to Seongeun's parents home in Incheon to have a home cooked traditional dinner.

Having tea and fruit with Seongeun's mom & dad

Don't get mad Seongeun, but I don't really remember the names of all the food I ate, and since I don't have a picture of the food it's not important at this time.  But I can tell you it was very good.  After dinner we had some red-ginseng tea and various fruits.  You can also see Seongeun's mom wore a traditional hanbok dress in honor of my visit.  Just call me Buddha.

Since this holiday doesn't mean much for me, I didn't partake in too many other holiday activities.  I enjoyed the four day weekend and caught up on some sleep.  I did meet Seongeun for a little shopping, and while at the mall there was a cool display of Legos to promote the new Lego movie.

It was also fun seeing this display because I just finished reading Brick by Brick, which is a book about the Lego company.  All-in-all it was a pretty quiet weekend for me, and just like that the four day weekend is over.

Art & Culture

This week, as the title says, I got exposed to some art and culture.  Some was better than others as you'll see.  The first bit happened in the classroom.

Some Korean recipes and my drawing in pictionary

I work at an academy teaching kids, however once a month I have a class with adult students.  It's a nice break from the kids.  It allows me to have some real conversations, and also I can usually walk away having learned something.  Our theme this month was "eating out vs. home cooking."  After our discussion I had the students give me a few recipes for some simple Korean dishes that I could make at home.  As you saw in the previous post, I'm pretty special in the kitchen, so these three recipes shouldn't be a challenge.  One recipe is a fried rice dish, another is for soup, and the third really isn't very Korean, as it's really just a glorified fried egg, ham, and cheese sandwich.  I haven't tried cooking them yet, but I'm excited to give them a try.

The fourth picture is from the kids class I taught.  I usually play pictionary with them to help reinforce vocabulary.  This piece of art is titled "listening," and was drawn by yours truly.

Of course the aforementioned culture and art wasn't all I was talking about.  This weekend Seongeun and I had a museum date.  I've never been a big fan of going to museums, but as I'm getting older I am learning to appreciate them more.

Seoul Museum of Art - Nordic Architecture Exhibit

There were no pictures allowed inside, which was ok.  There was nothing Earth-shattering that I felt I needed a picture of.  But it was an interesting look at some Northern European homes, schools, furniture, and even some winter clothing.  Koreans are very fascinated with Nordic architecture, it's a bit of a craze here now.

Though there were no pictures inside, there were some artistic ones taken outside.  You can decide who the more artistic photographer is between Seongeun and myself.

But as you can see, it's not much of a competition (side note: I instructed her to pose like that). 

The last bit of "art" just happens to be me modeling some outdoor clothing.  I didn't know it beforehand, but I ended up in a full-page newspaper advertisement.  It was in one of the big three national newspapers, and Seongeun's mom happened to see it and kept the papers.  I appeared in consecutive weeks about three and four weeks ago.  Now those papers are hanging in my home...I'm not vain at all.

Choseon Newspaper ad

Did any of my readers have an artistic week?  I'm talking to you Bri and Seongeun ;)

밥 먹어요 (bap moe-go-yo)

This weeks title, 밥 먹어요 (bap moe-go-yo), translates to "eating a meal."  So as you can guess, I'll be discussing the political ambiguity of North Korea and the residual effects it has on South Korea.

Ok, how many people stopped reading?  For those of you still with me, I'll get back on topic with this weeks theme of eating.  I don't know if you've noticed, but posting pictures of food is pretty popular lately.  Because I'm hip and trendy and know what the kids like these days, I'm gonna post some food pics of my own.  

This gem is a mere 50 yards from my home

So this first picture is one of the reasons I chose to post about food this week.  Hayley's Cafe is located very close to my home.  I've walked past it many times, but never popped in until recently.  There is an over abundance of cafe's in Seoul, no way to try them all.  Within a 100 yard radius of my home, there are at least 10 cafes, probably more.  Now that I've found this cafe, with it's wide array of desserts, I am hooked.  I never had cocaine, but I imagine these cookies are equally as addicting.  Recently I also tasted their dark red velvet cake.  This cake is so moist, so sumptuous, it took all my energy and taekwondo focus to continue eating it classy, with a fork.  This is the kind of cake that should be eaten at home...alone...in the dark.  That way you feel no shame as you shove it down your gullet.

(Seongeun was supposed to give me a picture of the cake, but failed to do so. She is no longer working for this blog, and is now jobless, homeless, penny-less, etc.  You get the point).

Clockwise from top: Chicken fondu; Mr. Pizza; Thai food

One thing about my eating habits that I'd like to change is the amount in which I eat out.  This has become habitual.  Now I could blame this on the low price of meals here in Korea.  Or I could blame it on my schedule not allowing time to cook.  Or I could even blame it on my lack of an oven and other cooking essentials (note: Koreans don't have or use ovens for cooking).  But instead I'll take the high road and blame it on a combination of all these factors.

My kitchen & brunch made in said kitchen

Speaking of my kitchen, here is a picture of it now.  The expression "less is more" does not apply here. But sometimes I do use this lame excuse for a kitchen to cook.  And when I do cook, it can get downright cute, teeheeheehee.

However, don't be fooled by those dreamy ketchup eyes and killer egg smile.  I've been called a renegade bad-ass of the kitchen, and for good reason.  Some people crack skulls, I crack eggs.  Some people break ribs, I prefer to bake 'em.  That may sound violent, but my cooking is more closely related to a symphony.  I realize you may now be up out of your seat in anticipation of my next analogy, but I recommend you sit back down and prepare to have your mind blown.  I'm done talking about cooking, here's a little taste:

Now that my best Guy Fieri impersonation is over, I'll wrap up this weeks food post.  Feel free to take this video recipe and try it yourself.

친구 (chin-gu)

What's that title mean you ask?  친구, or romanized chin-gu, is the Korean word for friend (there's no reason this blog can't be educational as well as informative).  In this weeks post I'll share with you some of the closer friends I've made here in Korea.  And without further ado:

David, Brian, Mark, me

I met this group of guys through the acting work I've done here in Korea.  We're all veterans of the TV show "Surprise" that I've done.  This group of friends spans the English speaking world.  David is from England, and has Australian citizenship as well. Brian is from Ireland, and just recently (the day after this photo) moved back to England with his wife and kids to live.  And Mark is from Canada, though been in Korea 10-11 years.  We all come from different walks of life and have interesting stories, but Brian and Mark are quite the characters with very interesting life stories.  Brian is clearly the oldest, but definitely the youngest at heart (if you look closely at the picture, he is holding 2 pool balls in each hand conveniently located near David & Mark's pool sticks).

The photo was taken a couple weeks ago in Itaewon.  Itaewon is a district in Seoul where many foreigners live and gather for night life.  Actually it had been about 4 or 5 months since I had last hung out with these guys.  And since Brian was moving away it gave us a good reason to get together. Working abroad as an English teacher you expect to make friends who come and go, whether they move back home or to another country.  But I've been pretty fortunate that the friends I get along with the most, have been mainstays in Korea.

Blog Challenge

After talking to Bri recently, she mentioned in 2014 she would be adding a picture a day to her blog. She challenged me to do the same. I'm realistic, and said maybe a post a week would be more feasible for me. So here goes, my 2014 blog challenge of a post a week starts now.  

I haven't posted much about teaching on here, so I'll sneak in a quick one. Lately I have been teaching many different types of classes. Private academies, jobs at students homes, and at office buildings. This includes elementary students, a business executive, and a doctor. I didn't get pictures of all my students, just the students whose homes I go to.

Clockwise from top left: Ethan, Audrey, Jenna and Junie.
Note these are not their real names, just names for English learning.

Ethan and Audrey are brother and sister, age 4 and 2 I believe.  I work mostly with Ethan, and I 'm still amazed kids this young are learning their second language.  Ethan already does so well, his vocabulary amazes me, and he can put together simple sentences.  I don't work as much with Audrey, but she already has a small vocabulary and can count to 10.  Ethan has also begun taking violin lessons.  One of the busiest 4 year olds I know.  This is in addition to the English kindergarten he attends.

Junie and Jenna are school friends; they are about 6 years old. Side note, I'm unsure of the kids actual ages because Koreans count age different than we do. Everyone adds a year to their age on January 1. And thus everyone is 1 or 2 years older than the way we count it, depending when you're actual birthday is. For example, I am actually 30 years old, but in Korean age I am 32. A 2 year difference until June 25 when I turn 31, and it goes down to a 1 year difference. I know, it's confusing.  

Anyway, these two girls are at a lower English level than Ethan. It is very challenging working with these two girls due to the lack of communication. If I want them to do something I have to physically act it out so they can follow my instructions.

My current schedule is nice because it allows me to work with individuals and small groups.  It's easier to make a difference and see the progress the students make.  Also it's nice to get a mix of kids and adults.  Each class has different needs, and different goals.  So while it keeps me busy making so many different plans, the variety is nice.

Taiwan pt. 1

How many of you have heard of Taiwan?  Maybe none of you, but this isn't geography class so it doesn't matter.  If you have heard, maybe you know of the small island nation from the Little League World Series.  Or perhaps from the short lived hype around Taiwanese-American basketball star, Jeremy Lin (Linsanity); once a member of the New York Rangers, he's now rumored to play for the Houston Sprockets.  Punt, pass, shoot.  Go sports!  But enough basketball history.

For those remaining few that know nothing about Taiwan, fear not, I'm about to break you out of your cultural imprisonment.  Join me on this 2 part, or 2 post if you will, journey about Taiwan.  Post 1 will focus on my first trip to the capital city, Taipei.

Taipei is a delightfully modern city, with sights, sounds, and smells that make it uniquely it's own wondrous place.  The most famous of those sights would have to be Taipei 101, currently the 2nd tallest building in the world.

It's not the best photo of the building, but you get the idea, it's tall.  101 stories tall to be precise, 5 of those being underground.  That leaves 96 visible stories in this shot; go ahead and zoom in and count for yourself if you don't believe me.

96 right?  That's what I thought, don't ever doubt me again.  Some other sights in the city that aren't necessarily unique to Taipei, but still fun to see were these:

Clockwise from top left: 1. Taipei Eye 2. View from Taipei Eye
3. Love sign near 101 and 4. Scooters 

Pics 1 & 2 are of the Taipei Eye, which provided a nice view of the city.  You could also see a nice view of the 101 building lit up nicely at night (though the picture does not do it justice). Picture 3 is the Love sign, located outside of 101 building.  I'm not sure if you have to be "in love" to pose in front of the sign, but luckily I didn't have to worry about that potentially embarrassing clause. Also if you look closely at our picture, we are making a human shaped heart in front of the sign.  I don't think that's ever been done before, and that just solidified our status of being "in love" and not just some tourists faking it to get a picture.  The last picture is pretty exciting, parked scooters.  You could see these throughout the city; because of the nice weather year round, scooters are only slightly popular.

Another great place to visit was north of Taipei, located near the coast.  A famous area for tea houses, it was one of my favorite spots of the trip because of the view.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

I'm not a big tea drinker, but enjoying some nice tea with that view was easily one of the best parts of the trip.

Another great thing about Taipei is the ability to easily get pampered.  This included foot massages, which are open 24 hours and located conveniently throughout the city, and also a shampoo/scalp massage. 

The shampoo/scalp massage was pretty inexpensive and quite enjoyable.  The foot massage parlor was another story.  The foot massage also included a foot bath, along with a neck and shoulder massage.  I fully expected these shops to employ dainty women, and to thoroughly enjoy this experience.  Upon entering I immediately found out these dainty women were in fact men, and not dainty at all.  However, I was completely confident there would be no George Costanza type moment, nothing downstairs would be moving during this male given massage.  After a confusingly delicate foot scrub, my confidence was very quickly confirmed.  This male masseuse had very powerful thumbs, and knew how to use them.  I found out the hard way that Asian men prefer deep tissue massages.  During the early foot soaking portion he began working over my neck and shoulders.  His thumbs expertly rolling and kneading my muscles as if it were dough.  Though this felt more like the beginning of some sort of Asian torture technique, when asked if the pressure was ok, I grunted out a feeble yes.  I immediately regretted paying for a full hour and gritted my teeth dreading the thought of him moving onto my feet.  I may have blacked out for a portion of the neck/shoulder "massage" but when I came to he was on to my feet.  While there he attacked pressure points that I never knew existed. By the time he was finished my body was so stiff I could barely stand.  Lucky for him my neck was so sore I couldn't turn my head to tell him how I really felt about his massage.

Quickly moving on from that experience, I'd like to get to my absolute favorite part of the trip.  The food!  First up, a miner's lunch at an old gold mining site:

This included pork cutlet over rice, along with bubble tea and Taiwanese beer.  I chose to ignore the treasure map printed on the place mat.  I'm not Nicolas Cage, and our itinerary did not allow for that (thanks a lot Seongeun).

Also included in the delicious category was the world famous Din Tai Fung, which originated in Taiwan. We got the wildly popular dumpling and beef noodle dish.  It did not disappoint.

Taiwan also has delicious desserts, and who was I to say no. 

Desserts included ice cream over shaved peanuts, tucked nicely into a tortilla like wrap.  This was far and away one of the best things I've ever tasted.  I found it at one location outside of the city, and was unable to find another location anywhere else in Taiwan. That should be a crime, but sadly I don't think it is.  The mango and ice cream over shaved ice was also very good, but might as well have been dog shit after eating that burrito of ice cream and peanut shavings. That's enough about the desserts. Damn it!

Outside of the comforts of restaurants, laid a treasure trove of delicious street food.  Our personal favorite was the fried squid with some spicy powder sprinkled atop.  Pair that with some low alcohol content fruit beer and the result was fantastic.

The food stall was also located near a unique temple where we ate on the steps. All  around it was quite the sensory sensation.

However, all that glitters is not gold.  I believe Bill Shakespeare said that.  Either him or Bill Clinton. I'm not exactly sure, but both were great Bill's, so does it really matter?

I've included this one last because just maybe you've stopped reading and will never have to know the existence of this truly toilet bowl of a restaurant.  You've heard of tourist traps right?  I'm gonna continue assuming you have.  This restaurant was truly a tourist trap at it's best (worst?).  You sit on toilets (not functional) and eat on glass covered sinks.  The food is served in little toilet or sink shaped dishes.  I'm sorry I wasted the time shoving this horrid food into my mouth hole and wasting precious time digesting and breaking down the food into waste.  Had I known how bad it would taste before hand I could have dumped it right into the toilet, saving both time and money.  Besides this black eye on the otherwise delicious food, I was pleased with the bold flavors Taipei offered.

Taipei was a successful, enjoyable trip.  That success led to another trip to Taiwan that would include some other locations.  Post 2 will be coming soon.

Where have I been?

Let me see, it's been about a week since my last....OH, it's been a year.

Since it's been so long since my last post I'll just hit the highlights.  I'm still teaching, and doing some modeling/acting here in Korea.  But enough about that.  The most exciting part of this past year  would have to be the traveling I've been able to do.  My first year in Korea didn't grant me as much free time, so I've really taken advantage of the free time I've had.  I've been lucky enough to visit a few countries in Asia, including Japan, Taiwan (twice), and the Philippines.  To make the trips even more memorable my girlfriend, Seongeun, was able to come along.  It's always nice to travel with someone (and not just because you did most of the planning Seongeun).  Each trip was uniquely different, so I'll give them each their own post.

Up first is Japan, and specifically Tokyo.  We visited a few sites, notably Shibuya, which is Tokyo's equivalent to Times Square.  We also got out of the city to a town called Kawagoe, it's a town significant because it was not damaged during war times.  The style of the building are very old, which made me feel like I was in some old samurai movie.  Once we got back into Tokyo, we went to a small island named Odaiba.  It has many shopping centers, spas, even a Statue of Liberty replica.

Seongeun in the heart of Shibuya.  

At the old bell tower in Kawagoe.

Odaiba Island.  We saw the Statue of Liberty replica.
The rainbow bridge and Tokyo Tower in the background made it a very nice view at night.

Ended our trip relaxing at a spa on Odaiba Island.