make

2012-02-02T13:02:00.001+09:00

I feel like I am officially not an American because I have a library card and driver's licence, but neither are valid.

2012-01-31T10:58:00.001+09:00

If you move to Asia and buy an oven and learn to bake in it, you may just become famous!

I did it all

2012-01-26T11:33:00.003+09:00

After coming back form vacation, I threw myself into some much overdue domesticity. On Tuesday I made roast beef, tortilla soup, yogurt, granola bars, banana bread, and whole wheat bread. Then I did laundry and cut and mildly electrocuted myself changing a light bulb that broke in my hand. And yesterday I made a beef pot pie with the roast. And I read a book. So now I am out of flour and books. Luckily I ordered more of both and they should all be coming this week.

make do and mend

2012-01-26T01:13:00.001+09:00

but when I found a hole in my sauce pan, I rejoiced by putting it in the recycling bin and am so happy to buy a new one. It came with the apartment, and I never trusted it.

a matter of politeness, manipulation, and simple respect for humanity

2012-01-25T18:17:00.003+09:00

I am not polite to people in order to get what I want out of them, I am polite to people because as a person, I want to honor other people. This came up in conversation, and I was shocked that this was how my friend felt; that politeness was a tool for which to manipulate people.

So. Much. Fun.

2012-01-24T01:14:00.001+09:00

It's fun to go on vacation and not have much of a plan besides eating a lot of Western food and walking on the beach. And the impromptu beach norabang was awesome.

2012-01-19T13:34:00.002+09:00

make do and mend, and when all else fails, replace the 8 year old pajamas

lunar new year vacation

2012-01-15T16:04:00.002+09:00

we are having a 4 day weekend next week to celebrate lunar new year, and I have been convinced to go with 4 other people to Busan for 2 nights. I usually travel alone, so this is a welcome change. This is one of 2 very VERY busy travel holidays, and so we were unable to get train tickets to Busan, so we got bus tickets, which is just as fantastic. I, being me, got really excited to pack us all a nice big lunch. There is a stop half way through, but if it's like any other time I have stopped on a bus and tried to find something I wanted to eat, well, it's much better to pack something.

During my travels here I have been alone and therefore very focused. I make a list and I like to check off all the things I want to do and then I like to eat dinner and it's all very organized and admittedly not terribly fun, though enlightening and I'm always happy with it. I have a feeling it will be more go with the flow and relaxed. I'm looking forward to it!

new sweatshirt and eyeliner

2012-01-07T01:33:00.003+09:00

Today I had a revelation: usually, in the past, when I have had the urge to get away, I just got in the car and drove away. Maybe for a few hours, maybe a few days. Maybe I went somewhere alone or maybe I went to visit my brother or grandmother. I have been wanting to get away but I don't think I realized it. Today, in my confusion about what I really wanted, I bought some black eyeliner and a new sweatshirt. I know it sounds crazy, and in this Korean experiment I have tried to do away with superfluous clothes and the purchasing of such things, which has at times been hard, but it was like I was taking a vacation by buying those things. For one, the sweatshirt is like a totally normal piece of clothing, something that reminds me of who I really am and my American self. The eyeliner was because I wanted to hide, or not be myself, a vacation from me. I love black eyeliner because it's not something I normally wear, but when I want a quick change that doesn't involve a radical haircut, I slap some on. When I got home from work I put on the sweatshirt and eyeliner and made dinner. (tacos!!) I checked online for train tickets, but everything is pretty booked up for tomorrow, so maybe I'll take a big long walk or go to the museum. I know it sounds crazy, but once I changed my clothes I felt 10x better.

2012-01-06T01:13:00.000+09:00

sometimes you just have to stop and draw a picture of a cave man

wallet found!

2012-01-03T18:39:00.004+09:00

After searching all over, the wallet was found on the roof of my friend Bart Teacher's apartment. To get into his house you must climb 3 flights of stairs and walk out a door onto the flat roof and into another door into the apartment. Between the 2 doors the wallet was dropped and covered up by snow and every time the door was open it was hidden. By the time Bart found it, it was soaked. He took everything out and let it all dry. I went over last night after work to retrieve it and everything looked great. Thank thank thank you Bart Teacher!

so this is the new year

2012-01-01T20:25:00.002+09:00

to ring in the new year I lost my wallet. Usually I get really upset over these types of things because it's just so frustrating. I feel upset with myself and dwell on what an idiot I am. I didn't have time for that yesterday, though. I was with a friend at a gimbap restaurant in her neighborhood and we walked a couple of blocks back to her apartment, and somewhere along the way I dropped it. We retraced our steps, but no luck. We had to meet the rest of our NYE party, and I didn't want to be a party-pooper, so I tried to not think about it. Today I googled what to do about loosing your wallet in Korea. My peace of mind was restored when I found out how easy it should be to replace my bank card and green card. Also, often when a wallet is lost is gets returned. My friend told me, as well as some expat blogs, that lost wallets get mailed back to their owners. How fantastic is that?! Here's hoping I get it back, just because my bank book fit into it perfectly.

Merry Ka-ri-sta-mas-ah

2011-12-27T00:28:00.004+09:00

Well, I survived Christmas with some help from Korean and expat friends. On Friday night I enjoyed a Christmas party with expats that went on into the morning. We even went to norabang (karaoke) to sing Christmas carols. It also magically started to snow, and I promptly fell down. HARD. Here it is Monday night and my arm still hurts. (My friend Debbie took this terrible picture. A few days later I think it's funny.)

I also had a fantastic Christmas hat that I actually was given last year but was more fun the second time around.

On Christmas Eve I didn't do much because my arm was pretty sore. I stayed bundled up in bed and made some nice food and I tried to buy my favorite delicious street food, brown sugar and cinnamon stuffed pancakes, but my pancake lady was gone when I finally went out at about 3:00 pm. I went home and didn't do much of anything, which was nice. On Sunday I met some Korean friends for knitting and dinner. We went out and had soup which was delicious, and it's so cold now that we were happy to be warmed up. After that we met another friend and went to a soju and hof joint for chicken and beer, which is a classic combination here. And then Christmas was over, and I was so happy because I felt great that I had had such a nice few days and glad that it was over so I could stop thinking about it.

lunch

2011-12-26T20:19:00.003+09:00

I think I may have finally hit my Korean food stride. It took a long time. One of the hardest parts has been my illiteracy. Little by little, with lots of notes scratched by co-workers and students as well as my bad translations of take-out menus, I am really starting to enjoy eating Korean food at the super low pressure gimbap houses. They are akin to American diners with large menus and most food can be made for take-out. (A lot of restaurants don't make food for just one person, you have to be at least 2, and that has been a big hindrance.) Today I had yuggaejang, which is a spicy beef soup with noodles and vegetables. This one also had egg in it. It is served with rice and banchan, or Korean side dishes. Today there was kimchi, dried radish kimchi, some cabbage and some fried spam. I only ate the kimchi. I have also been eating out with Korean friends more, so they have sort of taught me how to eat, which is one of those things that you don't realize you don't know how to do until someone teaches you what to do.

2011-12-20T19:08:00.002+09:00

talking to my co-workers about Kim Jong Il has been interesting. One of the teachers said with disgust that he died a fat pig comfortably on a train while others freeze to death. Another said she was uneasy about what the North would do, now. As an outsider I can't imagine any provocation because they need to deal with this death and get the propaganda machine in shape to publicize the heir. South Koreans seem to always be aware of the North and their unpredictable ways and it seems sometimes like paranoia, but the North is so unpredictable I can't blame them.

One thing I saw on the news was an English woman discussing her trip to NK several years ago. She thinks that the North Korean people have been told that Kim Jong Un is a reincarnation of his grandfather and has had cosmetic surgery to look even more like him.

I bought a newspaper today and when I get home I'm going to look at all the pictures. What a strange few days.

Kim Jong Il

2011-12-19T13:10:00.002+09:00

Kim Jong Il allegedly died on Saturday in North Korea. He was a horrible person. He has oppressed many people, held them in poverty and hunger, and lied and lied and lied to them. Living so close to North Korea has caused me to think a lot about human rights issues. I have been tithing to an organization that gives aid to the agricultural industry of NK in an effort to stave off another famine. We have so much food in SK, so how is that people are starving so close? It's sickening.

He has a son, a successor.

They say that now there is added instability on the peninsula so the won, which has been adversely affected by the European debt crisis, has dropped further, which is bad news for me.

**the Korean news that's in English just reported that the NK currency has collapsed and that the price of instant noodles has gone up. I have read other things about the finances of NK and it's always bizarre, what is affected in their markets.

dear brown awesome sweater,

2011-12-19T01:58:00.001+09:00

I will try my hardest to get you finished this week. I know I said that last week, but then I was on the zombie medicine. This time I mean it.

xoxo

2011-12-17T22:29:00.002+09:00

I'm still in a bit of a funk. For the first time in my life Christmas is not something to look forward to. I hate to say it, but I imagine I will be glad when it's over. I was so excited about my Christmas party plans but then the party was hijacked by someone who wanted to attend but would be leaving Korea for 2 weeks to visit family for the holiday. Of course I went anyway and was optimistic about having a good time even though I was a little disappointed and still sick. I baked cherry crumble, brownies and banana bread and it was nice to see some folks I haven't seen in a while. Then it got hot and there were a lot of people and it was noisy and I tried to duck out unseen, which didn't work. Eventually I made it home and I felt sad, and I felt sad that I was sad, because what have I got to be sad about? I am employed and I am safe and I like my job and the people I work with and I am able to go to the doctor and get medication.

I made a couple of friends over the summer and we have finally been able to get together again. I have been seeing them often and even though they don't live in my part of the city we have met up for dinner and a party and for their Friday night teacher's social thing in their neighborhood. After the Christmas party I was laying on the floor in my apartment (it's heated, so it's a normal thing to do) talking to my mom on the phone, being all sad, when one of them sent me a text message to my hand phone. They asked me if I wanted to come over and I read it to my mom and she said I better go because I sounded better just reading the message.

I am not the kind of person who has a lot of friends. I have a few friends and I love them dearly and I don't want to spread myself thin for people I don't love. I think I have mistakenly carried that too far with me here. Sometimes that kind of friendship isn't possible, because the kind of people I am good at being friends with are not always the kind of people I live around. I think I have been settling; being with people because they are the people I can easily be with because we live and work together. I didn't try to make other friends because I had friends. (This is not to say that my friendships, especially with the ladies I work with, are trivial or unimportant.) I have met this other group of people who laugh at my jokes and understand my cultural references. Some of them cook, one of them knits, and some of them are brand new to Korea and just need some help finding the cell phone shop and a grocery store. They won't all be important to me, but at least we are relevant to each other, and they aren't just other people who happen to speak English.

back to the doctor

2011-12-16T00:59:00.003+09:00

today was the second trip to Dr. Choi. I went in and the waiting room was FULL, and I was a little scared that I would be late for work, but people kept walking back into the exam room so I thought I better stick it out, especially because I knew I needed more medicine. This time he sprayed something into my nose to make the running stop and he put the light tube camera thing in farther, and it hurt and it was a tiny bit scary, but since I am a grown up I can handle it. At least that's what I was telling myself. I asked him to please change the prescription so that I wouldn't be so tired and he said that wouldn't be a problem. After he was done with me the nurse took me into the nebulizer room but this time I did a nasal rinse for one minute per nostril. I have to go back again on Saturday for him to have another look around and maybe more medicine depending on what he sees. Even though going to the doctor 3 times in one week is a little inconvenient, I like how easy it all is.

to the doctor

2011-12-13T19:16:00.004+09:00

I went to the doctor this morning and I'm glad I did because I am totally sick. I have a sinus infection as well as strep throat. It was pretty great and strange. They are not nearly as private about medical care here, in all the ways. When I went into the exam room the woman before me hadn't yet left and when they put me in the chair they called the next man in. The doctor spoke enough English, though if he hadn't spoken any it would have been okay. He didn't listen to my heart or check my blood pressure. He looked into my ears and blew some air into them. Then he put a tube up my nose while the nurse held my head and my hands sweated like crazy. Last he sprayed something into my mouth and looked at my throat. After that I was escorted to a nebulizer and breathed with that for 3 minutes before paying less than $3.00 and picking up the prescription that I took downstairs that was filed very quickly. There are antibiotics and pain relievers and a cough suppressant. And a gargle. I will ingest all of this stuff 3 times a day and on Thursday I will go back for a check-up and the rest of the medication. I feel really sleepy now, and my co-teacher said it could be the medication, but I think it's due to the last 2 nights of not great sleep. I had to do a special load of laundry this morning to wash the handkerchiefs because I used so many yesterday. I wish I had brought another to work today but they weren't dry yet.

sick day

2011-12-12T23:17:00.002+09:00

taking a sick day is next to impossible for a person with a job like mine. We are supposed to arrange them 24 hours in advance. It's stupid. The advice I have been given it to just show up and go to your classes, and if anyone questions you and asks you why you are such a lousy teacher, tell them you are sick. So that's how I rolled today. I ended up being less terrible than I thought, and since we don't have a boss at all anymore, no one was watching cctv so I was pretty lax today. I went into work early so that someone could take me to the doctor, but they were in a meeting. If I still feel cruddy in the morning I'll walk over to the clinic that my co-worked who used to live in my neighborhood recommended. She told me that the doc will look me over and then write a prescription which I will be able to fill downstairs at the pharmacy. She said it would take maybe a half an hour at most. And, the pills come in little individual packets that they make up at the pharmacy. And it will all cost less than $10.00. Here's to hoping I don't have to go!

2011-12-10T13:05:00.002+09:00

the key to great lunches is a good shopping list. This last week I pre-made some food and had the meals all planned and it was great. This week is almost all planned out with simple yet awesome recipes. I bought the Just Bento cookbook a while back and have enjoyed flipping through it often, so a lot of this week's recipes are coming from there. So far I am planning on a South Asian chicken curry with curried bean nuggets, mini hamburgers and potato salad, and something with chicken breast. After I go tell my work that someone needs to come and FIX the heat, not just turn it on, I am going to go shopping at the fancy grocery store downtown and buy some spices. And some coffee. And then I am going to come home and knit and eat soup in my clean apartment, which has been super clean this week because of all the coming over and turning on of the heat.

I'm cold!

2011-12-08T14:40:00.008+09:00

I got up early to wait around for by boss to come over and test my heat. I'm cold and he never came. I'm hoping that he will during his lunch break, because it's now the 8th of December. I really don't want to buy a space heater, but chances are this won't be fixed until the middle of next week and the temperatures are going to go way down over the weekend. 95% of the time living in an apartment provided by my employed has been really easy. I don't have to pay rent and someone can always help me fix whatever is broken because it's their responsibility and not mine. The other 5% of the time I have to do a lot of waiting whenever I want something fixed and I have to adhere to someone else's schedule, which means always having to wake up early when something needs fixing. (why don't they ever make the appointments for the late morning?) Anyway, when the heat is fixed, this house is going to be so cozy!

UPDATE: the big boss came over and turned it on. And it's still cold, so I turned it up. I should know in a couple of hours. He said I had set the dial incorrectly. I have set the dial 100 different ways, so part of me is certain it won't work and part of me hopes I was wrong and that he has the magic touch!

And now, after an emotionally messy day at work, I am going to sit on my heating pad, eat my dinner, and watch TV. I am going to feel so much better in about an hour.

UPDATE: the big boss came over again today to turn it back on. ( I keep turning it off because it's not working, and even though it's not working I can hear the water heater working, so it's burning fuel. I can't stand wasting it because I'm paying for it.) He told me it takes a long time to heat up, and in the past it has taken 3-4 hours, so after leaving it on for 10 I am frustrated. I am going to go over during Saturday school and try to bring someone back to the apartment with me. Bossy won't be there, but the secretary will and she knows that I've been hounding them. I ask you, why can't they just call the building and ask for maintenance to come and check?

UPDATE: VINDICATION! Showed up at work and showed a picture of my thermostat at 18c. Calls were made and the landlord greeted me at my door. AND brought me a heater. Someone else will be here in a few hours. I'm bummed because I didn't get to do my plans for today, but I'm so happy that this is being dealt with, because darn it, I am smart enough to operate my heating system!

December 7th

2011-12-07T02:02:00.002+09:00

So do you play that game where you see how long you can last before you turn on the heat for the first time? Well, I'm still playing it, but not by choice. In Korea, we have ondol heating, which is hot water under the floor. AND IT'S NOT WORKING. AND, my latest boss and the one who I looked to as the one pillar of stability, who should be handling this, is quitting, which is a whole other matter. So, since he is leaving, it will take at least another week to get it sorted out. But, there is some good news. There are some fantastic Canadian bloggers with their Eat Your Kimchi video blog, who did a video about the heat. I did what Martina advised and if it's not warmer in the morning, it's totally broken and / or someone just needs to come over to my house and help me. It worked great last winter, and I can't brave this winter without it. Besides, I love it, the floor gets so warm and awesome!

lentil loaf!

2011-12-06T13:21:00.002+09:00

The lentil loaf was great, I made a mushroom gravy and green beans and it was SO GOOD! I didn't find the coriander so I put in a bit of a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean spice mix I bought downtown and it was a good substitute. This is the recipe I started with, and I didn't follow it exactly because I had to sub a few ingredients (barley for oats, a multi-grain type rice mix for the brown rice, panko for bread crumbs, etc.) and I think it can be very versatile! I want to try it again with a variety of spices.

2011-12-05T20:22:00.002+09:00

going to try my hand at lentil loaf tonight. I have been wanting to branch out with pulses because everything I make in that department ends up tasting the same because I use the same spices every time. Not today! I found a basic lentil loaf that had ingredients I had and I am going to use cumin and coriander, if I can find some tonight, to make a falafel inspired loaf.

2011-12-04T22:59:00.003+09:00

I read this earlier today, and it's about the Japanese food that was originally Western but has now become totally Japanese. I'm posting it here because Korea was under Japaneses rule in the past and this food was also imported to Korea as well. Sometimes I run across food that isn't Western but isn't really Korean, either, and this helps to explain part of what's going on.

getting it together

2011-12-03T18:16:00.002+09:00

I don't know why, but periodically my lunch packing totally breaks down. This week it's teetering on the edge, and I'm working on getting it together this weekend by looking for inspiration and making a really good shopping list. (the options for buying lunch around work involve simple carbs and processed meats, and I hate myself every time I don't pack lunch and have to buy something so unhealthy) I think I'm also going to pick up a little thermos; I had two when I was in the U.S. that I used and loved during the winter months and the ones here come in a little kit with a bag and an extra little box for whatever other food. And, I have been realizing that I should be eating more. Sort of. I eat breakfast at home at around noon, then I go to school and I have my lunch break, sometimes not until 7:00, and I try to not eat until then because it's not lunch time, and then I turn into a hungry mess. So for this new term my goals are to pack adequate healthy food so when I get home from work I don't feel like I have to eat a pile of food before dinner is ready and to try out some new recipes in the process.

And as a happy bonus, I found this cookie recipe that I want to try sometime.

Star Trek

2011-11-30T13:50:00.003+09:00

I finally acquired Star Trek: The Original. And it is awesome. The reason I like it so much is because it's all handmade, before computer animation and special effects. And the costumes! Gold rickrack!

so much kimchi!

2011-11-27T19:20:00.009+09:00

Yesterday was a very eventful day and I got to do something that I really enjoy: I got to hang out with Koreans doing Korean things. Every fall Korean families get together and make kimchi for the coming year. There are a lot of kinds of kimchi, and we made the traditional one that most people are familiar with, which is just cabbage and the spicy red paste. First the cabbage is soaked in salted water, and that was done the day before. Then the paste is made, and it has a lot of stuff in it, but mainly it's red pepper powder, green onion, garlic, ginger, and brine shrimp, as well as some other things that nobody could translate. After the cabbage is rinsed and the paste is made, it's time to make kimchi! Take the cabbage, which I forgot to mention is quartered, and peel back the outside layer and slather is with paste. Pull back each layer and slather. Once you've got paste in between all the layers, slather more paste over the outside and wipe off the excess and then tuck the floppy end under.

We made over 100 heads of cabbage into kimchi. It was for 7 families and I was amazed at the boxes we packed that will be sent through the mail to Seoul. I was graciously given A LOT of kimchi, and I am going to have to find some friends to share it with because I already have some in my fridge. I love these experiences and I am so blessed to be able to share Korean traditions with Korean families.

attention:

2011-11-25T02:46:00.002+09:00

It has been rough around here. I have been trying to find ways to smooth it all out. Knitting, drawing, painting, baking, all of these things sooth me. Making photographs used to sooth me, but then it didn't. I decided that I didn't want to look at life through a camera viewfinder. But, now, once again, it is time for photographs!

I have been reading about making pictures; a few different articles have made their way to me as I wait for my less than $10.00 toy camera and lomo film to arrive from Seoul. I am excited. But then I read the comments made at the end of these articles. There are some rude people out in the world. There are people calling themselves professional photographers who are raining down ugliness on people who aren't professionals, on people who just want to have fun and capture images of fun. And family, and things that are important or just pretty or interesting. I will be the first to admit that just because a picture exists, that doesn't make it compelling, but not every picture is going to be compelling. That's why we read the articles and take risks! If I get one compelling picture from a roll of film, well I think that's pretty great, not to mention that the more we practice, the better we get, the greater the number of compelling images we can make.

kim chong

2011-11-23T23:07:00.003+09:00

kim chong is the family event of making kimchi for the year. I have honed my skills of being invited to this sort of thing over the last year. I think it's just that Korean people are so used to this that it skips their minds that the foreigners might want to join in. I managed to get invited by one of my co-worker's mothers. It's going to happen this Saturday morning and I was warned that I must be prepared to work. I already have rubber gloves and a case for the finished product. The rubber gloves are to guard my hands from all the hot pepper powder and the case is just tupperware, but all my friends say case. The only down side is that this is going to take place in the morning, and now that I go to bed earlier, I technically do get up in the morning, but not by much! These seemingly mundane activities are the lifeblood of my time here.

UPDATE:

2011-11-20T23:19:00.005+09:00

I have been feeling rather blah, and have been sick on top of it, but this weekend I think I may have gotten some of my momentum back. I started making some Christmas decorations. Everything here Christmas-y is shiny and bright and oddly enough noisy. I found this beautiful little project and have made mine with one section of dark pink. I'm really happy with how they look and even though I had planned to put up decorations next weekend, these got the better of my and they are up now. There is a pipe that runs from the veranda into the house through the living room and I have hung them up there. And I love them.

I have been lucky enough to convince one of my co-workers to have a Christmas party with me. I am planning the food and she's doing Christmas decorations and I think it's going to be very fun! The menu is going to be simple and vegetarian, well, excluding the meat. The plan so far is roast chicken, stuffing, cranberries, and some sort of potato side dish that doesn't need to be served hot. (any ideas??) Oh, and then dessert. We are hoping to have a little pot-luck action as well because, well, with the limited kitchen situation, I can't do much more.

And just when I was feeling very settled and happy at work, all the big changes happen. Again. In the kind of school I work in, there really aren't any opportunities for vacations. When a person needs a break they just quit their job, take a vacation, and then get another job. My new boss, the one we just got 3 months ago, is leaving at the end of the month. I really like her and she has been really fantastic to work with. We got off to a bit of a rocky start, but I have really grown to like her. She was explaining this to me on Friday, and then she told me that one of the other teachers, who has been with us for maybe 4 months, is leaving as well. I am not looking forward to this change because we won't have a liaison between the director and the foreign teachers because for now the director will be our new boss. I like him and he is easy to work for, but I can't imagine him trying to do his job as well as managing the teachers. I'm going to enjoy the next week and a half because after that, the schedule is going to get hectic.

I have to go deal with the laundry and the chicken stock. Momentum here I come!

2011-11-06T20:18:00.002+09:00

My brother and I talk on the phone 2-4 times a month, and I really enjoy our conversations. We have always been close and the distance hasn't stopped us. One of the things so very Andrew is that he has no idea about and no regard for the time difference, he just calls when he feels like it, and since I have a very regular schedule and his periodically changes, he makes most of the calls. But that's not the point. The point is that this last conversation revolved around the fact that we are so thankful that we both have jobs and can pay our bills. I have had times when I wished I was in the United States eating tacos and cake, but when I was packing up to leave I lived as a guest in a house with 6 other people and worked part time because I had been laid off from the job that I thought was my big break. My brother is in the same boat, wishing that he was working in a job that utilized his college degree, instead working in manufacturing in a town he thought he would leave as soon as he graduated from college. One of his coworkers complains often about the factory job, and Andrew told me that the other day, as this guy was getting going, he looked to another coworker and said, "I don't know about you, but I sure like being able to buy groceries!" I myself just returned from the store with meat and fruit and tea and grain and all sorts of other stuff, thinking the same thing. I am so thankful that I can buy groceries.

2011-11-04T03:54:00.002+09:00

I was informed today that I have to get a new cell phone because my hand-me-down phone is so old and the phone company is upgrading and leaving my kind behind. I'm a little excited because I wouldn't have gotten a new one otherwise, and with a new one all the buttons should work!

beach trip

2011-11-02T01:12:00.002+09:00

yup, we're going to the beach for our fall teacher's trip. In November.

I'm actually excited about this, especially because we were given more notice this year. (last time I was nearly in tears when we were told on Friday night that we needed to report to a 7-11 to get on a tour bus the next morning) Last time we also went on a mountain trip because of the beautiful colors, which seems appropriate. I'm a little confused about the location, but in all honesty the beach is beautiful no matter the time of year.

Halloween is over!

2011-11-02T00:50:00.002+09:00

All in all Halloween, aka Ewha's fall promotion, went very very well. We wrapped up the festivities with a party for the middle school students during their last class period. We had games and food and music and candy and costumes, and they roamed the halls eating and talking and we all had a really good time. One of the things I love about middle school is they are good at going with the flow and making their own fun.

As for our early meeting, it was mostly a waste of time. Most of the meetings I have ever been to are a waste of time, but they do let co-workers connect and check in, so that's very good. I still find myself being an American at times, with my expectations. I did get to ride back to the office with Andrew and Bono and Stuart, and we had a really nice talk. We spend so much with business as usual that it's nice to do something normal like riding in a car through the city.

one more thing

2011-10-31T00:22:00.001+09:00

I'm working up my second batch of these granola bars, because I figured they were like cookies, only not as bad for me.

pizza!

2011-10-30T14:11:00.007+09:00

there are a few things that work very well food-wise for me here. Pizza is one of my total obsessions. I can buy pizza here, but making it is so easy and it tastes so wonderful. Initially I wasn't making a sauce, I was just using diced tomatoes and marinating them for a little bit with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and olive oil with maybe some oregano. Then I decided I wanted super familiar regular not fancy yet very delicious pizza. I searched out a super easy sauce that's perfect. So this is the pizza post! First, dough:

I found this recipe when I was looking at no-knead bread recipes. I make it at least once a week, the leftovers freeze really well or can be stored in the fridge.

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 t yeast
3/4 t salt
1/4 t sugar
1 T olive oil
3/4 cup water

mix everything together in a bowl that is big enough to give the dough room to grow. Don't knead it, but make sure it's well incorporated. I use a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl, one of my plates fits perfectly, so I use that, but you can use plastic wrap. Let it sit. The recipe says 12 hours, but I usually only give it 9 or so and it's fine. When you are ready for pizza scrape the dough out onto a very floured board and cut dough if desired. (I cut it in half.) Shape the dough into balls with floured hands. Flatten to get rid of excess air inside and either stretch with your hands or use a rolling pin. Top and bake! I bake mine on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet at 450f for about 10 minutes, longer if you like your pizza darker. (adapted from Food Wishes)

The sauce is super simple as well and comes to me by way of 101 Cookbooks.

1/8 cup olive oil
3/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t salt
3 medium cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 14 oz can crushed red tomatoes

put the oil, pepper, salt and garlic in a sauce pan and turn on the heat to medium. When the contents of the pan become fragrant, pour in the whole can of tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Done! 101 cookbooks adds the zest of a lemon, which I will try at some point, but lemons are expensive here so I don't ever just have them around.

2011-10-29T15:27:00.002+09:00

a welcome surprise

2011-10-29T12:58:00.003+09:00

I'm still crabby about the meeting, but the rest of the week turned out ok. I made my Halloween costume last night. I'm going as a pumpkin. My costume is made out of paper and cost me less than $6.00! I think the kids are really going to like it. I also got a full night of uninterrupted sleep. There have been men here working on the parking spaces on the ground floor and they use some sort of tool that makes me feel like my whole house is being shaken and thankfully that is finished because it woke me with a start a couple of times this week. Now I'm going to roast some coffee that my mom sent me! I really do get a kick out of the roasting.

2011-10-28T03:47:00.003+09:00

it's exhausting making Halloween decorations with kids all day long, while also trying to correct homework, administer spelling tests, and not loose it. And I have to do it all over again with the crazies tomorrow. (the Tuesday - Thursday kids are much more mellow) Then on Monday and Tuesday I have to wear a costume, decorate classrooms, do spelling and homework, and go to a meeting that I will have to travel an hour to that starts 3 hours before my usual work day begins. Just because I work the swing shift does not mean that I get up hours before I have to go to work. It's like if you went to work at 8 but your meeting was at 5 and you had to leave the house at 4. Yes, I'm crabby. Sorry.

it's coming on Halloween, so let's talk about something scary:

2011-10-26T22:14:00.002+09:00

drawing. Drawing is scary. Give me anything else, please. Give me glue and paper and wire and fluffy stuff. Please don't ask me to draw, it's just too scary. Why is it scary? I think because I lack control, and once a mark is made, it feels so permanent. When I took drawing at university, I would have to 'lose the fear' every session. So why am I now doing this willingly? I think it's for the same reason I've been reading so much. (Aside from the fact that as an expat, I have a lot of time on my hands and I need 'normal' things to do.) It's a weird post-university thing. I spent so much time reading and competing and doing things because I had to. Then when it was all over I needed a break. I slept a lot, visited my family, played with kids, and worked at 2 jobs that I really liked, which were creative but not intense. Fast forward 2 years and I'm working at a job I enjoy, but which is strange with no options for advancement. Without that chance, it's sort of like I have nothing to work toward. There's no competition. Is that weird? My job is to do a good job everyday, and that's pretty much it. So I needed a challenge. I need to do something scary. Reading isn't scary, but drawing, drawing is horrifying.

hello there

2011-10-26T13:06:00.002+09:00

I have been busy with new projects and thus neglecting this one. Too sad. I rearranged the furniture in the apartment and am very happy with the results. It's all in preparation for coldness. With the cold weather comes a lot more indoor time. I have set up a studio space, something that I have neglected the whole time I have been here. I'm ready to really get back into art, and this time it's drawing and using color with drawings. I've also been baking like crazy. And learning to read Korean!

sweater weather

2011-10-16T14:56:00.003+09:00

My mom sent me some yarn a couple of weeks ago and I have been happily knitting away, making this sweater. Why do I think that every sweater I start should be completed in a week? Maybe because I actually did that once. I'm not sure if there will be enough yarn, my mom has more of it that wouldn't fit into the box, so this project may take much longer than a week! I have also been working on an airy crocheted vest, but it's on hold because I want to block what I have made so far in order to make sure the back of it will be long enough. Later I hope to put a loaf of bread into the oven and yesterday I made granola bars. I love slow yet productive days!

the hills are alive with the sound of music!

2011-10-15T19:16:00.002+09:00

Another great Saturday. I loafed around and called my mom. I knitted and had extra coffee. Then I made myself put on my new exercise clothes and headed out into the great outdoors. It's getting colder and I can't keep wearing shorts, so I got some long pants and some much needed new shoes. (I feel like the story of my life in Korea is buying new, much needed shoes.) I went on my usual path up the hill and then on a new path down the back. I got a little lost in a patch of family grave sites, which was beautiful. After finally making my way all the way down to the trail that leads to the road, I got to the rice fields; so beautiful and changing colour. Eventually I made it out to the road and there is a bus stop, and it seems strange because it's sort of in the middle of no where, but I'm really glad it's there because the road back into town is narrow with several blind curves and no sidewalk, so I always feel in a bit of danger. The bus doesn't come often, but just as the rain started, I saw it coming around the bend.

I have uncharacteristically been eating a lot of takeout, mostly because I got my hands on a menu from the gimbap nara that's a couple of blocks away and with the help of the internet I have spent the last several days translating it. A gimbap nara is Korea's version of a diner, and the one close to me is open 24 hours. It has a huge menu with close to 80 items. Tonight, though, I am cooking up another pot of one of my favorite Korean soups: tak tori tang. It's spicy chicken and potato soup and it's eaten with a bowl of rice. And I should go check on it!

evangelism

2011-10-08T20:42:00.002+09:00

I'm not an evangelist, at least I don't consider myself to be one. I'm more a postmodernist, which sadly I am not completely comfortable with. But then today happened, and I think I had the evangelism ah-ha moment. It's so simple, and until today I didn't understand it, like I had to live it to learn it. Are you ready? Tell somebody, and then they can tell somebody else. Not everybody wants to hear it, and that's cool, it's not up to me to open ears. This came about because a group of folks met and went shopping for yarn. As it was happening, I was seeing that these folks could now tell their folks, and on and on it goes. Live it, learn it, share it, repeat.

during the speaking test

2011-10-07T22:47:00.003+09:00

me: Which animal do you think would make a good pet?

Hans: You know I hate animals.

30 on 30

2011-10-07T22:28:00.003+09:00

I've been busy, so I never posted about my birthday last week. I was feeling a little down, but it turned out to be an amazing day full of kids who showed me so much love. They brought me gifts, mostly pencils. They drew me pictures and made me cards. And they all yelled happy birthday when I walked into the room. It was such a happy day. Then I had plans to go out with the ladies after work but that turned into a much bigger event when the president of the school took us out for dinner. Then on Saturday I took a day trip to Seoul and bought yarn and went to an artist's market, and then ate TACO BELL. It was soooo delicious. On Sunday I loafed around. Monday was a holiday so I went out to the national park on the edge of the city and walked for a while before visiting a temple. I'm hoping to go back Sunday because the leaves are changing and it should be beautiful.

Daejeon yarn map

2011-09-27T12:26:00.001+09:00

a map of stuff that you can buy to make other stuff with, like yarn and fabric and buttons

pig, popsicle, chicken and potatoes

2011-09-26T22:38:00.002+09:00

Everything was going fine...but then one of the kids got super naughty. My m.o. for these types of situations is to try my best to avert total naughty overload. I ask them to get it together, or I send them to get a drink of water, or I change gears. I hate it when they are in trouble, and I hate when they waste time by being naughty on purpose. And not sassy, but NAUGHTY. So a girl who has been historically terrible called me a pig. In Korean. But you see, I know the word for pig. And this was the last in a string of insults, the other students were sitting with big eyes and one little boy was outraged and told me what she had said. I had already moved her so she couldn't bother the others, and I guess this made her mad. So I sent her out. And I was pretty hot at this point, something I try very hard not to become. As she was waiting in the hall I went to get the desk teacher because I didn't want to talk to this kid anymore, and so Erica took her away. I don't know much of what happened after that, but some of the others were questioned after class and my boss was worried I had hurt feelings. And then, stupid, I started getting a migraine! So I tried something I read about 6 weeks ago or so: popsicles! The idea is to give yourself a brain freeze and the pain will go away. There was an even a scientific study! Stuart Teacher went out on his brake and got me one and in less than 5 minutes I felt better! After all of that I needed some comfort food, so I made chicken and mashed potatoes. So good. Here's hoping that tomorrow is better!

Sunday, the day of my lazy

2011-09-25T20:18:00.000+09:00

brioche and crochet; suddenly I'm French

great day in SK

2011-09-24T21:45:00.002+09:00

such nice weather today! I ran around, got a haircut (!) and some gummy bears and a Caesar salad. For the past year I have been avoiding unnecessary extravagance, not eating in more expensive Western restaurants and not buying overpriced packaged food. And then it hit me, a little bout of culture shock relapse. I don't know if it's the new contract and the commitment to stay another year, or spending another birthday away, but I've been feeling a little strange. The value of the currency has dropped as well, which means the money I make is worth less, so I can't save as much, and that's got me feeling a little frustrated. I also need to stop reading so many sad books. But anyway, today was awesome. I got a much needed haircut; the last one was in February. I bought some yarn to keep my hands busy. And I bought food that made me feel happy. Tonight I'm going to make up some brioche and watch a movie while playing with the new yarn and starting a new project. Praise the Lord for really nice days.

soup's on!

2011-09-20T22:25:00.002+09:00

I think fall is here, the weather is much cooler this week, and at least half of my students this evening have colds, so I'm going to take some measures to 'take care of my healthy' this week. Also I'm making soup, sort of like soups of the world. This week I made the closest thing to Japanese miso I could with what I could get in my neighborhood, which was everything to make dashi and the Korean soy bean paste, which is very similar to miso paste. Next is a super simple clear soup with soy bean sprouts. I also have some chicken stock in the freezer for a curry soup with coconut milk. And I might also toss tortilla soup into the mix!

What is your greatest extravagance?

2011-09-19T11:45:00.003+09:00

I have a friend in the states who sends me magazines every few months, and it is a Godsend. She sends W and Vanity Fair and in the back of VF there is always an interview, more like 20 questions, with someone well known. I think my favorite one, though they change, is what is your greatest extravagance. As I read the questions I like to answer them for myself, and though my answers change from month to month, that one stays the same: fresh fruit. I have never liked fruit, but I sure do like the fruit here! It tastes like fruit! It's also expensive. But worth it.

loosely remembered conversation from Friday with the kids in writing class

2011-09-18T23:09:00.001+09:00

teacher, there is a phrase. It is like getting two things by one exertion.

Do you mean killing two birds with one stone?

YES!!

2011-09-18T22:35:00.003+09:00

It's Sunday night, and I can't decide, at 10:45, what to make for dinner. This is about the usual dinner time, maybe a little late today because I just got home from running errands. I wish I could make about 3 different dinners tonight: chicken and mashed potatoes, taco pizza (first avocados in over a year! I love clearance produce!) or Korean dinner consisting of rice and side dishes. (I bought some new dishes to make the Korean dinners easier to serve.) I have a ball of what now might be borderline sourdough pizza crust and so I think taco pizza it is. I love food.

Dear Friday, I love you

2011-09-16T13:20:00.002+09:00

Thanksgiving a la Korea a la awesome

2011-09-13T19:49:00.003+09:00

I had a fantastic time over the holiday! I met some great people, including another Nataly. I also discovered, or rather finally tried a sweet potato latte. I also ventured into Itaewon, the foreigner capital of Seoul and really of all Korea. I just wanted some scenic Korean postcards, and after asking around I decided to make the trek. The most amazing thing is that I didn't even go to the Taco Bell. But I did find the postcards. Are you interested in the latte? I haven't tried to make it yet, but I bought some sweet potatoes! So this is how it was explained to me, in a little English, a little Korean, some pictures, and a lot of spirit:

*boil the sweet potato and peel after it's cooked

*beat it with a hand mixer (I don't have one, so I'm going to mash it really well and beat it with a whisk)

*you are then going to guesstimate and add an equal part milk and beat it together; it will be sticky

*when you are ready to make your latte heat some milk and put a spoonful of the potato mixture into a cup and add the milk and some sugar or honey to taste and stir. Mine was garnished with sliced almonds. I was also told that it's delicious made with pumpkin.

update: the latte is yes. It's like soup and breakfast and Christmas all rolled into one. Fill the cup 1/3rd full of the potato mixture and then add the milk to that.

waking up full of awesome

2011-09-10T14:39:00.003+09:00

I challenged a friend to take a picture first thing in the morning as a response to the blog post that's making the rounds about waking up full of awesome. This is mine.

Chuseok

2011-09-10T14:34:00.002+09:00

Another long weekend is upon me, and tomorrow I am going to Seoul for a few days. It's Korean thanksgiving time and I lugged home a box full of soap, shampoo, and toothpaste, which is the usual present we get from our hogwan. I am going to be so clean. As I was putting it all away last night I realized that there will be one more box like this in my future before I return to America, and I still have stuff left over from the last box in February, and I took a good portion to the food bank already. It's like going to Costco but without having to carry loads of stuff through the subway!

hoop

2011-09-09T03:03:00.000+09:00

I can hula hoop. Both ways.

pancakes

2011-09-08T13:34:00.002+09:00

I really like pancakes, good pancakes. I hate bad pancakes. My mom makes good pancakes, and I think mine are pretty good, too. So here it is, my homemade in Korea pancakes:

3/8 cup whole wheat flour
3/8 cup all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 T ground flax seeds
2 t vanilla extract

sometimes I use yogurt instead of milk, in which case you will need a little more than half a cup. I also like to add either a quarter cup thawed frozen blueberries or a couple of tablespoons of chocolate chips. Stir it all ingredients until well incorporated but don't over mix, then add the berries or chocolate. I like to cook them in a fry pan greased with ghee using a quarter cup scoop. Makes about 5 pancakes, and the leftovers store well in the fridge and can be re-heated in the pan.

internet shopping in South Korea

2011-09-04T21:50:00.015+09:00

A combination of not wanting to loose this information and a desire to be helpful have led me to this post. I haven't used all of these companies, but I may in the future. This is all South Korea specific, but they may ship to other places as well.

Macy's is now shipping to South Korea as well as other destinations. Bras and shoes here I come! Keep an eye out because they sometimes offer shipping specials. UPDATE: I ordered bras and they came quickly! I would definitely use this site again!

iHerb has groceries, health and beauty products, vitamins, coffee and tea, coconut oil and Braggs liquid aminos as well as Dr. Bronner's soaps. I have not ordered from here but have read good things and will probably do so in the future. The shipping appears to be very reasonable.

Nice Market sells a lot of groceries, including meats (lamb!) pie filling, pepperoni, corn meal, and Costco stuff. It's not cheap, but you can pay with paypal. I ordered stuff this week and should get it next week. There was a minimum of maybe $25.00 USD. This one only ships inside Korea.

EZ Shop Korea is pretty much Costco online. It's expensive because you are paying above what you would pay if you visited Costco, plus added shipping. There's a Costco in my city so I don't think I'll ever use this one. They do ship to Jeju-do, but I think it's more. Is there a Costco on Jeju?

Bento & Co ships bento boxes, some magazines and other bento stuff, excluding food, to anyplace in the world, at least that's what they claim on their website. I would love to order from them, everything is so pretty!

What the Book has at least 1 million titles and is super easy to use. They offer free shipping on orders of 25,000 SKW or more, or 2,500 SKW otherwise. Many of their books can be in your hands in a couple of days, others take about 2 weeks. There is also a b&m store in Seoul, though not all the books listed on their site are available at the store. You can also order your books and pick them up in store with no shipping charges!

When I couldn't find a book I wanted from What the Book the Book Depository had it! This is another super easy to use website that has free shipping. What the Book tends to be faster, so I always look there first.

Endless sells name brand shoes, purses, and some watches and jewelry. They sell shoes for men, women, and kids. Free shipping on purchases over $100.00, $10.00 otherwise. Some of the ladies I know here have used this company and they like it.

ASOS sells men's and women's clothes and shoes, I was just notified of this one and it looks great, they have all sorts of trendy stuff. They periodically offer free shipping.

A comment was posted alerting me to Fat Bag. I haven't used it, but it looks like the other online Korean malls, but suited to my American visual aesthetic! No flashing blinking things! And it's all in English!

There's also always G-market (I buy whole wheat flour from there and am very happy with it!) and other online malls, but G-market seems to be the expat favorite. And I've also had good luck with both American and UK Ebay, you can filter the search to find out who's shipping to your desired destination.

update: December 2011-the word on the street is that Gap, which also own Old Navy and Banana Republic is now shipping to SK as well as Overstock.

busted

2011-09-03T01:41:00.003+09:00

We are not allowed to speak Korean to our students in class. I don't speak Korean, so this is not a problem. Until today. I was explaining to 2 girls what I had eaten earlier in the day. There is no English equivalent, it's rice and tuna salad, in the shape of a triangle, covered in seaweed. I think in America we would call it onigiri, which is a Japanese word, and in Korean it's known as chamchi mayonnaise (pronounced may-o-nase-a) samka gimbap. I said it in Korean, because, as I said before, there's no English word or phrase. A mom called the school to complain that I had been speaking Korean. My boss calmly explained that I couldn't speak Korean, that there is no English equivalent to this food which is analogous to sandwiches in America. (Truth be told, the girls informed me of the proper way to say it all.) We had a good laugh as she chastised me and I promised to never do it again!

Dear Friday,

2011-09-02T13:08:00.003+09:00

I love you.

I am feeling much better about the whole work thing. Tensions and emotions were running high, but now I feel like we can get back to business and get on with our work. We have a new teacher, and an old teacher returning. The office is really feeling full of people, even though there is only 1 more. I am fairly happy with the new schedule, it's never perfect, but I have reasonable lunch breaks, which I had to ask for as there was an oversight initially. The conversation went like this:

I don't have a lunch break on Tuesday or Thursday, can you please fix it? If I don't get a lunch break then I get very hungry and if I am too hungry I am grouchy, and I don't want to be grouchy to students!

Oh, yes, it can be fixed!

And by the end of the day it was.

Now onto the weekend. I'm going to find someplace to take a walk, it might be good old Songgong hill, or Sintanjin hill, or I might take a bus ride to one of the bigger mountains with ruins and temples, depends on how outgoing I feel. This is the first weekend in a month that I don't have plans to meet up with people for various activities, and I can't believe I'm writing this, but I don't know what I will do with myself! Happy Friday!

2011-09-01T02:09:00.002+09:00

today was TERRIBLE. My boss quit, which was actually the best part. Her English is not where it needs to be for her to communicate clearly with those of us who don't speak Korean, or even with those who do. I'm not even sure if she quit or was forced out, I'm just glad it's over. Today was her last day and she was very emotional, and rude. I knew we were going to have to have a formal goodbye, and I was not looking forward to it. Today was also the last day of term, and I always try and clean out my desk at the end, mostly clearing out all the paper I have collected over the past 13 weeks. So after the clearing (I left the drawers for tomorrow) I gathered my things and went to her desk to say goodbye. We had a Korean hug, which sort of lasts for a long time, long enough that I started to wonder if it would end anytime soon. She told me to keep in touch.

As a guest in Korea, I try to make my employer and bosses happy. I feel like she didn't understand that. All I wanted was to do my job well so that things would run smoothly, so that parents would be happy, so the administration would be happy and be able to do their jobs. The way that she reacted to her own disappointment in us will bewilder me forever. I understand the cultural difference well enough at this point to be able to gauge my own reactions and responses, but I was pushed to my limit today. I had to take a time out and go sit on a bench in the alley and do my paperwork out there.

Tomorrow is a new day! It is the first day of the new term, the first day of my next year in Korea.

2011-08-30T16:54:00.002+09:00

I signed my new contract yesterday! I also go the raise I asked for! I am still in visa limbo and in 2 weeks I will go to the immigration office and submit the forms for an extension. I hope this all goes as planned, though I have been trying to prepare myself if it doesn't. I went from considering staying to now wanting to stay.

tak toritang

2011-08-29T00:25:00.002+09:00

I went up the mountain, twice! It was a nice and challenging (for me) hike up the hill with beautiful views from 2 different lookout points. Today I used a different trail, steeper and shorter. There are 4 trails that go up from my side of the hill and the one today goes through a lot of family gardens before it enters the woods. It was beautiful. Then when I got home I was pretty hungry and not up to the weekly grocery shopping so I pulled some stuff out of the freezer and made a Korean potato and chicken soup. This is one of my favorite Korean foods, and here's how it goes, roughly.

I used 2 chicken breasts that I cut into bigger than bite sized pieces, as that is the way here. Then also a large carrot, 2 large potatoes, and a medium onion. Put that all in the soup pot. In a bowl mix a cup of water, maybe 5 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 or 3 tablespoons red pepper paste, 1 tablespoon of soy paste (very similar to miso), 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes, more if you want it hotter, less if you don't, 2 cloves minced garlic and a tablespoon of sugar-I used maple syrup. Whisk that together and then pour it over the veg and meat in the soup pot. Bring to a boil and then put a lid on it and reduce the heat to let it simmer until the veg are cooked through. I ended up adding more water. Serve with a bowl of rice if you want to be very Korean.

Dear Friday,

2011-08-27T01:08:00.002+09:00

I love you.

This weekend, I am hoping to go on an uphill walk to the top of Songong-dong mountain. I got directions from one of my students so that I can find the trail head. There are no markers, mostly a person needs to look for a family grave plot, but there isn't one for this particular trail, so I asked a boy called Sam and I am confident in his instructions and directions. Most of the students agreed that it will take me about an hour to get to the top. Hiking and the like are a big deal here as the country is 70% mountains. Most of my other mountain adventures had been accidental, I have taken a trail that led me up up up to a pavilion overlooking something, usually town. I'm happy to know what I'm getting myself into this time.

cake withdrawls

2011-08-25T13:25:00.002+09:00

after the cake baking bonanza, which in truth was a marathon of 4 layers and 2 different batches of cupcakes to get the perfect cake, I really want a piece of cake! I didn't have one at our little fete, and the last 2 nights I have been wanting one. I really don't know where I would go to get one, a coffee shop maybe. Sadly it wouldn't be satisfying, Korean cake is pretty, but not what I want. So...another cake must be made! I struck a deal with one of the middle school classes that if they would participate more in class, they could earn points, and if they earned 5,500 points I would bake them a cake. Cake day is next Tuesday, and I still haven't decided what to bake. (I think I'm going to just make cupcakes because it's so much less fuss) The kids have recommended chocolate, carrot, green tea, and sweet potato.

Chuseok excitement

2011-08-24T13:04:00.003+09:00

Chuseok, like Korean Thanksgiving, is next month. All the foreigners are left to their own devices for three days, and it can get p-r-e-t-t-y boring. I, on the other hand, got invited to go to China and Seoul, and though I wanted to go to China, Seoul is a better option for my savings plan. I am going to go and visit a woman I met the last time I was in Seoul named Hyung and I am going to help her and her sisters and mother cook the Chuseok meal! I don't know how much help I'll really be, but I am really looking forward to seeing this holiday up close.

2011-08-24T01:11:00.002+09:00

we had a little birthday party today and I made a cake. Then the day got going and later I returned to my desk to find this charming little note:

To Natalie

Hi Natalie ~ I'm Erica!

Today, You cake was delicious Tastes like a fantastic. wow (and there was a little drawing of a man making a wow face) Um... May i ask a favor? (the Um was written over some correction tape, and under the correction tape was the word So) I need to know the recipe. I'll appreciate it if you write Please. Just write it down simply.
thank you ^_______^ (and a little heart)

Erica is the desk teacher, in charge of discipline and in charge of getting parents to sign on the dotted line. She never speaks English, but she writes well enough to get her points across. I really like her, and this note is just so cute.

the baking store, or one reason why I'm staying put for another year

2011-08-15T18:39:00.002+09:00

One big reason to stay in Korea another year is because I finally know the ropes. After culture shock and jet lag subsided, which took a lot longer than I thought, I settled into the business of life. That also takes a long time, learning the basics, and now still learning all the time. I spent so much time in survival mode, and now I'm so much more relaxed and grocery shopping doesn't consume my weekends, why leave now that it's all making sense? A perfect example is the baking store. Baking is not ubiquitous here as it is at home. My apartment doesn't have a kitchen counter much less an oven. (I bought one and it sits on top of the refrigerator) Much to my delight there is a baking store in my city, which I found after I had been living here7 months, and though I have to hoof it to get there, it's worth it. This trip I got cake flour, which I may well be able to get at the big supermarket on my side of town. I also got cherry pie filling, chocolate chips made from real chocolate, an offset spatula, sprinkles, some cake boxes, and birthday candles. Next week is my co-worker's birthday and I am going to bake a cake! Actually, it's in the oven now, I'm going to be busy next weekend and freezing cake works great, so all I will have to do is frost it the day of. I also worked out a plan with one of my middle school classes, we are playing a point game based on class participation, and if the get 5,500 points I told them I will bake them a cake, and they were so excited! And after all of that, my birthday is at the end of next month, and I am going to bake myself a cake! So now that I can finally find all this stuff, why go home?

1 year

2011-08-14T21:17:00.002+09:00

this week marks my first anniversary in South Korea! If I pass my FBI background check, a strange hoop I must jump through because the laws have changed since I arrived, I will be staying another year. So a special anniversary top ten, the best things about South Korea, in no particular order.

1. the fried chicken- It's spicy and great hot or cold. When I get it it comes in a sort of meal deal, with one of those half cans of coke and a radish side dish!

2. banchan- All those side dishes; not necessarily delicious, but always interesting, and makes eating out fun.

3. the stationary- Cheap, and always fun, or funny.

4. shijang- The traditional markets, filled with all manner of things, from dried whole rays and squid to clothes, fabric and crafty things, produce, so many things, and bugs for eating!

5. Korail- the South Korean rail system. It's fast and clean and cheap and I love it.

6. the internet- My city boasts the fastest internet in the world.

7. the fruit- it's delicious and there are so many varieties.

8. the coffee shops- There are so many quirky and cute little cafes serving coffee and desserts.

9. bing soo- Korean shaved ice; cold and sweet.

10. my students- They are always helpful, if not mischievous! They are what keep me going!

trousers part 2

2011-08-11T11:49:00.006+09:00

went and picked up the pants and they are pretty great. They look nice and they fit! I'm going to show a friend to the tailoring neighborhood in the next few weeks, so I'm going to keep my eyes out for some more fabric for a dress and possibly another pair of pants and a jacket. Custom made clothes are great.

fantastic day out

2011-08-07T22:53:00.003+09:00

on Saturday I had plans to go meet a group of women I had never met to go to a yarn shop downtown.Of course, me being me, I was excited, but then in the morning, I didn't want to go, I didn't want to be with people I didn't know. But they were expecting me, and they like yarn, so I sucked it up and got on the bus, which was a whole other adventure in itself. When I finally got to the subway station that we were meeting at, I met Madelein and Debbie and Vanessa. We went to the shop and walked around in the shopping arcade. Then we stumbled upon the new Mexican restaurant that we had all wanted to try. Then Vanessa had to go to a tutoring session, but I went along with Debbie and Madelein to Uniqlo, which is a clothing store from Japan that sells very basic clothing that will fit me. I've been to one in Seoul, but finding that there were 2 of them in Daejeon was rather exciting! I didn't buy anything because I have most of my bases covered for now, but when it cools off I might stop in for some tights and tops. We drifted to a few shops because Madelein needed to get some things for her upcoming trip to China. Then we had a great dinner at a Korean restaurant, a chicken soup with potatoes and rice cake with really interesting conversation. (Debbie is Welsh and Madelein is from South Africa, and that contributed a lot to the interesting factor.) And then, after all of that, we went to the movies! Captain America, which I really enjoyed much to my surprise. I think I will see more of these ladies in the future, hopefully.

trousers

2011-08-04T01:22:00.003+09:00

I've had a clothing crisis which I have been remedying. When I was in Seoul last week I bought 2 dresses and then on Tuesday I went to the tailor to have a second fitting for my new pants. I hope the pants turn out, I brought in the pair I have been wearing all year that are wearing through, and I figured I would just get something very similar. I was surprised when I went back to try them on and saw the pleats! Ugh! As I was walking to the bus stop I thought, well, yes, I never mentioned no pleats. They will be ready next week, and other than the pleats they look great. I really like the idea of custom made clothes, after a year of most of my pants not fitting well it was so nice to look in the mirror and see something so nice.

bingsoo

2011-07-23T23:08:00.002+09:00

bingsoo is fun to say. Bingsoo is delicious. I have been trying to find a definition, and I can't seem to come up with anything concrete. It's shaved ice, traditionally served with sweet red beans and little bits of rice cake and fruit jelly, which is sort of like little pieces of hard jell-o. I bought some tonight without the beans and with fruit. It also had sweetened condensed milk. I accidentally ordered it to go, and it was wrapped up in a special bag designed to keep it cold. I felt like I had to get home fast in order to enjoy it before it melted so I flagged down a cab and got home and my bingsoo was in good shape and it was so wonderful.

Grandma’s Praline Toast

2011-07-16T16:19:00.001+09:00

Making another loaf of bread so I can have this tomorrow. All the granddaughters are crazy about it!

6 Tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Evaporated Milk
2/3 Cup Sliced Pecans
10 Slices of Bread

1. Melt butter & stir in sugar, evaporated milk & pecans.
2. Toast bread on one side under broiler.
3. Spread untoasted side with pecan mixture.
4. Broil again until bubbly & hot, about 1-2 minutes

knee to knee

2011-07-16T16:02:00.002+09:00

last night we were treated by the company president to dinner and norabang. Mr. Min is an entrepreneur and owns 3 academies and is most surely involved in other businesses, so I always assumed that though he recognized me, he was unaware of my name or really anything about me. Was I wrong! I was seated at the other end of the table and was summoned to sit next to him. I am always a bit unsure of how to behave around him because I don't always understand the power structure, as it were. All the walls came down for a little while at least as we sat knee to knee, holding hands, with his nose touching my face as he spoke in my ear, telling me that he was glad I had come to Ewha. It was awkward and I felt a bit uncomfortable, but very sweet also.

yes

2011-07-15T01:38:00.001+09:00

the bread is yes

2011-07-14T02:49:00.002+09:00

with a bit of encouragement I am trying this bread recipe out. I am trying 1/2 white bread flour and half whole wheat flour with some ground flax seed. Will report back!

Sunday night

2011-07-10T20:35:00.002+09:00

I don't know what it is about Sunday nights, but every Sunday night I feel a burst of enthusiasm and usually make something. I think tonight I'll make a loaf of bread, I haven't had any around for at least a month because I have been eating homemade crackers, but I think I would like a sandwich. It's amazing how much planning a sandwich can take!

2011-07-06T22:53:00.003+09:00

I bought a Korean radish today, it's big! I thought it was a daikon radish, but they are actually different. I guess this one is sweeter? I will cut into it in a little bit, I am going to ferment this one as well. Then I will have 3 kinds of fermenting vegetables in the fridge. I should take pictures but it's pretty cramped with not so nice light. Excuses, excuses. There are at least 2 more vegetables I want to try and I haven't even received the book about kimchi that I bought!

2011-07-05T01:04:00.002+09:00

#1 missing the 4th of July is much harder than I thought it would be.

#2 Tomorrow, after the yogurt is done incubating, I will make peach and blueberry yogurt pops!

2011-07-05T00:27:00.002+09:00

made a batch of cucumber kimchi! It's a little salty, I should have rinsed the cucumbers longer than I did after the salting, but besides that I am very happy with it! Many of the kids told me it's better to eat this variety fairly quickly, because the longer it ferments, the softer the cucumbers get, and most of them don't like them if they are too soft.

nightclub

2011-07-02T21:12:00.003+09:00

last night was another go out with the work people night. First stop was a soju hof, which is a bar that serves beer, soju (it's alcohol made from rice, sort of like the vodka of Korea, though not hard alcohol) and hof, which is food to eat while you drink. Chinese style sweet and sour pork is a staple and we also had a strange fruit plate that had not only fruit, but french fries and small pieces of fried meat. I wanted to have beer, because the alcohol content of the beer here is fairly low. But when the pitcher of beer came, one of the guys dumped a bottle of soju into it. I have gotten pretty good at not drinking a lot at these parties. I can get away with using my water glass when there is a toast ( there are many) and if my cup is full, no one wants to fill it. So after that our boss insisted we go to a nightclub. A nightclub is not the same here as is is at home. They have a thing called a club, which is very similar, but nightclub is not. So what is it? It's a place for men to meet women. The whole place is crawling with cctv cameras, and men can rent a private room and watch the cctv and pick women. Then a person in a uniform comes to get the girls and bring them back to the room. I guess our boss wanted us, who are all single but one, to meet men. Sadly we were a mixed group of men and women, so no one wanted to meet us. But we did get another fruit plate, and watched the strange and tacky stage show, and danced like maniacs.

dinner tonight

2011-06-29T13:37:00.002+09:00

found this mango ginger beef in the crock pot recipe when I was reading about b-log's ice cream. I am so excited for this! I still had some beef that Catie gave me when she and Ben left Korea, and I have been working through all sorts of crock pot ideas. As I was looking at the ice cream I started perusing other recipes and I had everything but the mangoes so I got some of those last night and I wish dinner time could get here faster.

Grandmother, dear, see here see here

2011-06-27T22:04:00.001+09:00

an article about my grandmother, my last living grandparent, a person I love and admire so much

12 soups

2011-06-26T20:26:00.001+09:00

hello delicious

definitely going to take the advice and post these on the fridge. Are soups a summer food? I used to think not, but they definitely are here is South Korea. As far as I can tell the idea is to raise the body temperature and sweat, or I could be way off, but that's what I think after some conversations about summer food with the kiddos. If broths and stocks are made ahead of time and frozen, it makes for super fast meals with not a lot of work. I can turn on the kitchen fan, close the door, hang out in the cool living room, and dinner makes itself. Now I have all the inspiration I need!

drawing

2011-06-25T13:39:00.002+09:00

I have embarked on phase one of the next year in South Korea, drawing. I purchased a book, Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists by Carla Sonheim. I don't consider myself a mixed media artist, I practically don't consider my self an artist! ( I consider my self someone who makes things, with attention to detail and craft, at least at the moment.) The book is designed to be worked through week by week over the course of a year, though some 'labs' are short and to the point, others meander, and still others I won't be able to complete. (Draw your pet, for example.) I have made a supplies list, and am very tempted to just have my mom send everything to me, but then I remembered that one of my goals while being here was to use things from South Korea. And more importantly, to be fully submerged in my life here I want to use materials that reflect that.

Weed

2011-06-20T22:17:00.003+09:00

There is a student named Weed. Let me start by saying that he is so funny, and speaks great English. But not to me. That's one of the things that makes him funny. That and he periodically changes his name from Weed to something else, but only for a time. I have known him to be Obama, Saguaro and simply Cactus. But this no speaking English to me is the funniest. He always greets me with a bow and says a respectful hello, in Korean, but with great enunciation, I think to make sure I understand what he is saying. And on the off chance that he does speak to me in English, it's done in his American accent, which is passable.

2011-06-19T21:01:00.002+09:00

It's weird, but getting myself out of the house on the weekends takes some doing. During the winter I was happy to stay inside, but now if I don't get out into the sunlight I don't feel very well. It also doesn't help that my schedule has me sleeping until noon and there is no daylight savings time, so it gets dark rather early all year long. Yesterday I left in hope of meeting up with some other westerners for a BBQ, but I never did make it, leading me to believe that leaving the house was a crock. Today I wanted to go downtown to pick up some colored pencils, which didn't work out either, but I did have a very nice time at the other art supply store I went to. Then off to the import food store. Mostly they import food from other Asian countries, and I like to mill around looking and I always find something interesting or exciting to try. This week I had been thinking about jasmine rice and looking and looking, but all that I could find up in my part of town was short and sticky. I found it at World Food and was so excited that it was only 1000 won for the small bag. I grabbed two and headed to the register and paid and then outside I though, wow, that was expensive! The rice was 10,000 won a bag, roughly $9.00 each. Yikes! I thought about it for a second, and then I realized how happy I was to have found it and I know that it will all be eaten within the next 15 months. I'm making some now and it smells lovely!

2011-06-19T14:48:00.001+09:00

here's to hoping that there is less crying at Ewha this week. I don't know what it was, but there were little girls crying all over the place last week.

tricky tricky

2011-06-16T23:19:00.000+09:00

Cheating is completely normal here, and though it's frowned upon, there are never consequences that deter anyone from it. Last night I had had enough of homework cheating, and I took all the instruments of cheating away form the offender and put them in the office. Of course the student was mad and pouting, but that didn't stop me! Then maybe 10 minutes later she asked if she could go get some medicine from the desk teacher because she had a stomachache. Sure. Lucky for me her classroom has a window that faces into the office. She took her sweet time, but then she magically appeared in the office, a no-no as it's a teachers only space. You should have seen me, up on a desk, glaring through the window at her, motioning for her to put the books down and come back to class. The other students in the room were also a bit scared after that.

Don't mess with the bull

2011-06-16T01:32:00.003+09:00

For the most part, my job is pretty fun. The kids are a constant source of laughter for me. But then there are days like today. Everything was going just fine, we were laughing and joking. And then something happened in Korean, and suddenly one of my sweet little girls made the pre-cry face, and her little body fell forward and then she started making all the sad sounds. I think the boys told her she had a body like a man, though I will never know. I was standing next to her trying to comfort her and trying to keep all chaos from breaking loose, and then Sally said, "I get the tissue." For some reason that caused a mass exodus, and everyone but crying Mandy ran out of the room to get a drink of water. So I went after them, and enlisted the help of Saromi who told them all in Korean to get back to class. And all of this was caught on CCTV. So the boy, Tony, who made Mandy cry, got hauled off for a stern talking to by the desk teacher, her name is Erica and I really like her and she doles out the discipline. And then when Tony got back from being in trouble, I thought we were ready to get going again. But no, Henry started to fuss with me! And half of the naughtiness happens in Korean, so I really don't know most of what is going on, and by now it was Henry and Jimin, then Henry and Cathy. But the common denominator was Henry. (I adore Henry. He drew the fan death picture.) So I had to escort Henry to the hallway for his 1 minute of time out. All the while Erica is still watching the CCTV. After what feels like hours, the bell rings and they all run along home, but then suddenly Henry, Tony, and Mandy are back in the room, they were caught in the hall by Erica and sent back in for more stern warnings. Poor Mandy, who was not in trouble, she started crying again. I think Erica brought the boys in to apologize to her, but she just got upset again. And then the boys received their yellow cards! They get these yellow slips of paper and they have to take them home and give them to their parents and get a 'sign' and bring them back with them next time, and if they don't bring them back, someone calls their parents. Very scary business!

2011-06-13T01:04:00.002+09:00

just put up some new pictures!

update

2011-06-12T20:12:00.002+09:00

well, I have decided to stay in South Korea for another year. It's not official official, but close enough. About 33% of me wants to just go back to America. There is another 33% of me that wants to keep going to work every day and collecting the paycheck, because I will be able to save a nice nest egg if I keep at this. 25% is about how much I really honestly do like going to work and hanging out with kids. 5% feels like now that I understand a good deal of what is usually happening, it would be a good idea to stay and face the next year knowing that. The other 4% is just sheer madness. I know it's only been 9 months and really that means 15 more months, but who's counting? So I've also been thinking about what I want to accomplish in these next 15 months. I want to see a bit more of Korea. I want to visit the beach at least a couple of times this summer, as well as continue to visit the art museums and other cities of interest. I am also going to start some sort of Korean snack food journal! Some people have expressed interest, so I will keep you posted on that venture. Also I have been trying to dedicate time each week to draw, something I wish I didn't have to work at but if I am ever going to improve, I must practice. I just need to figure out what drawing is for me, and then move in that direction.

And also, I am considering switching grocery stores. Let me start by saying that the grocery store ladies have been very kind and helpful, and I really have appreciated them. But. They also can be pushy and they sometimes hold onto my hand or arm, and it makes me a little crazy when they follow me around the store. I feel like I have to have a lot of energy when ever I go. There are several others in the neighborhood, though not as close. I guess I'm just weighing my options.

2011-06-12T03:03:00.001+09:00

I was crossing the street and there was a blind man in the crosswalk walking the same way. He was tapping his cane loudly which led me to believe that he used the sound from the tapping and the changes in sound to alert himself to obstacles in front of him. He was getting close to a parked car, but then stopped, tapped the cane several times, and then ran into the car. I wished I had known, through some sort of super power, that he was going to run into the car because I would have just grabbed his arm and sort of pulled him to the side, but I just assumed he could hear that there was an obstacle. By the time he ran into the car I was ahead of him and I just heard the thud.