Shabu, Sashimi and Sanak-ji: A Foreigner’s Search for a Raw Deal
Posted on January 26, 2010 1 Comment
Matt swishes his Shabu Shabu
When you ride a scooter everywhere, the cold really gets to you. Not only to your fingers, toes and ears, but your lungs, knees and eyeballs begin to feel like they will never function again after a twenty-minute ride to the cinema. The point is, we have been staying inside more and more this month but when we do venture out into Korea’s frigid January evening it has been for one thing…Sam-gya-tan. This traditional Korean soup is both filling and has the ability to warm even the most frosty limbs. Think Thanksgiving stuffed bird, meets momma’s loaded chicken noodle soup. Inside the bubbling broth floats ju-ju bis, garlic cloves, veggies and an entire game hen. The surprise is when the hen is opened to reveal that it has been stuffed with yummy, gooey rice!!! We can’t get enough and the thing about Korea is every restaurant has its specialty, often times the only thing on the menu besides kimchi of course. So you learn your hangul translations for food quickly when you find a dish you like. After a friend decided to sample the Korean dish most discussed in hushed voices by fearful foreigners (I’ll give you a hint: it has four legs…at least to begin with), and got violently ill, I took it upon myself to “beef up” so to speak on my Korean food knowledge. In nearly five months here I have sampled over twenty types of soup all boasting flavor that knocks me out of my slippered feet, my favorites thus far: Mandu Giege (Dumpling soup), Gkal-guksu (noodle soup) and Sam-gya-tan (stuffed chicken goodness).
Matt and I are all about sampling cuisine from anywhere and everywhere and we’ve been pretty spoiled so far. I didn’t realize until years later that my time spent in Italy was both a blessing and a curse because it exposed me to Piedmont’s flawless spread of creamy sauces, fresh pasta and the world’s best wine. I never thought my pallet would be completely satisfied again…until now. I can’t really compare Korean cuisine to any other I have tried but Matt and I both agree that the Koreans have the “perfect bite” down. In any given bite I can taste ginseng, perilla leaf, bamboo salt, and rich Korean beef. Recently when having a discussion with some co-workers about what an asset Matt is to his school, he was told: “Matthew, your quality is your eating, you are a strong eater.” While I can find at least two or three qualities in Matt I would rank above his eating habits, I don’t blame him for his strong appetite here.
Outside of the delicious in every culture’s cuisine lies the exotic. While neither of us have sampled dog meat here in Korea we have done our fair share of exercising our taste buds to new flavors. We went to a fusion restaurant the other night, a tiny five table joint in our neighborhood with a chalkboard menu containing three items: Kal-guk-su, Bap and Shabu-shabu. Shabu shabu is a Japanese dish where thinly sliced beef is swished very quickly in a bubbling soup being cooked in the center of the table. The few second swim is enough to cook the beef just enough to eat or, can be sampled raw with wasabi. Raw is a big theme since we have been here. This was expected and welcome since we are both big sashimi fans and indulge in creatures of the sea whenever possible. What was not expected was the consumption of sea creatures that are still alive. Live octopus: San-nak-ji is a common dish here and is something that we had to try.
Last night Matt and I went in search of this live octopus we’ve been hearing of with brave stomachs and supressed gag reflexes. When we go searching for something it usually ends in fits of laughter as we try to convey what we are looking for in our broken Korean. Like last week when we went looking for the dinosaur tracks that apparently dot the northern bank of the river. We walked up to a farmhouse, clad in our scooter helmets and goggles asking for the “Gong-ryup” (Dinosaur). We knew just what we were doing, and revelled in the astonished look of the farm keeper as she replied “Op-sio” (We don’t have). hehehe. This time we were certain to be pointed in the direction of the octopus.
It took a few tries of wandering into restaurants and asking for “San-nak-ji?” After three fails in our cozy little neighborhood we hopped on the scooter and headed to the beach. Illsan beach is about an hour bus ride from Ulsan’s University neighborhood, 40 min if you are on the back of Matt’s bat-mobile! We bumped into a friend in Bellie donuts once arrived at the beach, who gave us just the lead we needed, pointing us in the direction of our culinary fate. I walked into the humble restaurant and took a seat on one of the hand sewn pillows lying on the floor…”San-nak-ji” I said nervously. The owner’s eyes lit up and she threw on her slippers, beckoning for me to follow her to the tank outside. Swimming around were about twenty five live, baby octopus. Her hand plunged in grabbing a few by the kneck…well the part that connects the head to it’s eight squirmy legs anyway. There was no turning back at this point.
We were brought the usual side dishes that accompany most Korean meals: Kimchi, bean sprouts, sweet potato, dried fish, yellow radish, sea weed and rice. Immediately after cleaning the squirmy octopus and removing a few legs for easy swallow, the chef brought us our undulating lunch. We looked at one another for a brief moment of reasurement and then dug in. When eating live octopus you must beware of the suction taking place inside your mouth and make sure that these sticky arms are not still holding on for dear life as they slip down your throat. I spent extra time chewing to be sure I would not end up with an octopus arm stuck to the inside of my esophagus. Another trick is to use the side dishes to your advantage. I like my octopus with a little bamboo salt, some wasabi and sesame oil, wrapped inside a piece of kelp. Matt preferred to let his octopus suction all over his lips and tongue until he could no longer feel his face…and then add some chili paste for that extra little burn.
While eating we couldn’t help but notice the three elderly women who appeared to be running the establishment, hanging out in their lounge clothes, tickling one another and gossiping over a cup of instant coffee. This typical restaurant scene resembles a family kitchen filled with family, no sign of opening or closing hours and void of menu. I have grown a custom to this setting and feel at home in these moments, even with an octopus leg dangling from my wasabi drenched mouth, looking out over the East sea, and wondering if I will ever actually be home in any one place again.
Signing off and wishing you all a full belly,
Matt and Emily
There’s no place like Yongpyong for the holidays
Posted on January 4, 2010 15 Comments
“Hi Mom! Merry Christmas!!” I called my family Christmas day, from Yong-Pyong ski resort in Korea’s North East Gang-Won-Do region. “Yes Mom I am on a ski trip…SKI…yes I am skiing!” “No I am not kidding, I am on a ski slope as we speak.” It went on like this for about three minutes, me convincing my mother that I had overcome my fear of heights, snow, moving objects, crowds of people…the list goes on. I grew up surrounded by mountains and sea, why I never learned to ski can be blamed on weekend Nutcracker rehearsals all winter long from the age of four, and the fact that I was afraid of just about everything. I assume my parents knew that their adventurous genes would have to kick in eventually and that is why this Christmas my Mom was both surprised and elated at the news that I was spending my vacation in a set of skis. Despite my fear of an infinite amount of trivial things (ferris wheels, pigeons, clutter, mold) I consider myself an adventurous person, and especially when with every waking morning here in South Korea, comes the goal of finding at least one thing that scares the crap out of me…one thing that I eagerly accept and face. With Christmas vacation came the ski slope.
“Korea is dynamic” is one of the first things we were taught at our orientation back in August, a point that has been driven home nearly every day since. Our direct bus from Busan up to Yong-Pyong was supposed to depart Christmas eve, and instead was re-scheduled to depart 3am Christmas morning. No big deal, the celebration started early while we toured Busan’s Kosin University for their AMAZING tree light festival http://www.kosin.edu/ . At 3am we boarded the bus for Yong-Pyong along with fifty other Korean families set to spend Christmas on the mountain. Matt fell asleep in record time while I sat wide awake, per usual and listened to the bus driver and his preferred Christmas soundtrack: The Best of the Beatles, until the sun rose. We booked our trip through Eun Sung Travel agency, with the help of a translator as the company is Korean speaking only. With our ticket we received 70% off our lift passes and ski rentals so the 3am departure time wasn’t looking so bad the next day. The trip from Busan is about five hours, but there are several other options. Daewon bus service runs a 2 1/2 hour bus between Seoul and the resort for 15,000 Won each way, and there is a free shuttle running between nearby towns Hwenggye and Gangnung. All of which can be found easily through a simple online search or by going to the resort’s transportation page: http://www.yongpyong.co.kr/eng/trans/tr_sbus.asp . 
Yongpyong itself is everything you would expect from a ski resort complete with a beautiful hotel, condos and cabins to rent, a hostel, fine dining, a burger joint, bars, shopping and a giant water park/spa and Korean bath house. Our party of 14 stayed in two of the hostel’s ondol rooms, perfect for large groups with a self service kitchen. Beware however that the staff of the Yongpyong hostel will at random charge extra for kitchen use and the facilities are bare with stove top cooking only and requires guests to provide their own cooking oils, utensils and propane. The hostel is in the center of the action at the resort across from the main hotel and in view of the slopes.
We spent the first full day on the mountain, and I have to admit that until I actually got to the top I could have fooled any onlooker as an X games athlete…well maybe. Within a minute and a half of my first run I had taken out a snowboarder and scared an entire family of skiers into taking the gandala down to the bunny slopes. “This isn’t for me” I pathetically pouted to Matt whilst trying to untangle my Bambi legs from the out of bounds net they had become wrapped in. Matt is the most patient man I have ever met, and this is in part what makes him such a fantastic teacher and coach, and personal ski trainer! After two runs with Matt by my side I had outgrown the slope I was on and spent the rest of the day braving new terrain while Matt “messed around” as he called it on the double black diamond runs.
By 6pm our gang of 14, exhausted Westerners sludged back to the hostel with the ever growing realization that it was Christmas and all supressed memories of home began to surface. As two members of our Korea family braved the cold on a winter walk…TO GET ENGAGED!!! …I pulled out what I now think to be the key to any Christmas away from home: Holiday ham! A quick trip to Costco before our vacation had us set up for our hostel style, makeshift, Korean feast, putting everyone in the mood for holiday cheer and secret santa gift exchange. It really does take a village to successfully engineer a traditional Western, Christmas meal here in Korea. One person was in charge of finding enough propane to fuel four small burners, one person on a hunt for cream to whip the potatoes, three people trying to open wine bottles without wine opener/knife/ or spoon options (*Chopsticks have far more capabilities than seen at a first glance) and at least five of us inflicting Christmas cheer on the other Korean guests staying in the hostel. I think onlookers were moved as some of them joined in by accepting Christmas cookies and allowing us to play holiday themed music during dinner. I really think that as much as we are here to absorb the customs and culture of our surroundings, it is also expected that some of our traditions be shared. It becomes more and more apparent that we are representing a side of the world that many Koreans have had no contact with and because of this we continue to try and by as demure and aware of our actions as possible…and then someone offers up the soju and the demure act fails miserably, but that is for another post.
Between our four days of ski and snow adventures the resort provided every opportunity for memory and mischief making a group of well deserving, vacationing, foreign English teachers could ask for. The lodge at the resort is a perfect place to watch first timer four-year old Koreans complete with face mask roll down the bunny slopes, while drinking a cup of hot toddy. There is a Korean sauna in the hotel, perfect for overworked knees and frosty toes, and a plethora of international cuisine. And if that wasn’t enough there is a permanent stage set with the mountain as a backdrop boasting such shows as the one seen by our eyes on boxing day. The day after Christmas we were fortunate enough to have Korean MTV broadcasting a K-Pop extravaganza live from Yongpyong ski resort, and if you remember our “K-Pop and circumstance” entry we are never ones to turn down a k-pop concert. In one evening we listened to the stylings of FX, Girl’s Generation, Brian and a handful of other heart-throb Korean sensations. The temperature dropped to M-16 that night, but waiting to hear “Chocolate Love” made me warm inside with anticipation.
By Monday afternoon it was time to drag our chilled noses, overworked livers and un-wrapped presents back to “the real world” (Can you believe we have started thinking of this year in Korea as the real world when it is still such a fantasy to be here!?) Matt and I spent a day before leaving the resort hiking to the top of the mountain at 1700 meters in -14c conditions. On the way up we saw lone skis gliding down abandon runs as the winds picked up and people hid indoors until the weather calmed down. It was one of my favorite hikes that Matt and I have taken in our four years of vertical wanderings, not because it was difficult conditions, or because their was a churro stand at the top, but because we spent the day together. Sometimes when you relocate with someone so much time is spent surviving, translating, exchanging, experimenting. It’s exhausting really. I spent Christmas with new and dear friends on a snowy mountain in South Korea, and with my very best friend whom I also got to come home with to plan our next adventure. What a sweet life!
Happy Holidays, Matt and Emily
They call me Wae-guk
Posted on December 21, 2009 2 Comments
I grew up taking my shoes off inside the house. My parents appreciated this in order to save our wood floors and I always enjoyed feeling cozy in a pair of socks or dancing between the kitchen and back yard barefoot. As I grew older and visited other people’s homes it seemed very natural to take my shoes off both to assure the host that I would respect the cleanliness of their home during my stay and to show that I would be staying a while and not running out the door the second dinner was over. Taking my shoes off seems like a natural and appropriate gesture both in the United States and here in Korea. With that said, my in door slippers were either accidentally worn home by someone besides myself or stolen this week and this has spurred me to look at this custom of de-robing one’s feet a little differently.
When I was told before we left for Korea that we would be expected to take our shoes off, I was under the misconception that Koreans walked around barefoot. This is certainly not the case, and in several circumstances this would have been a better option. On our first day of school Matt and I were each handed a pair of yellow indoor sandals. Matt’s of course were about four sizes too small for him and so he has resorted to wearing only socks in his classroom. My slippers must have been previously worn by Big Bird and worked as a sort of homing device where anyone could here me scooting down the hallway from at least a floor up. Matt and I thought the slippers were for the office only and soon found out that we were expected to wear these flipper like foot accessories ALL DAY LONG. The point is simple: protect the floors and follow tradition, but the fact that we wear our slippers to walk across the muddy walkway that leads us to the cafeteria and soccer field seems a bit conflicted. I of course had to find a smaller pair of slippers to accommodate my unusually small feet and Matt has resorted to a pair he picked up in the lost and found and are only about three inches shy of accommodating his toes.
Matt making the switch
The shoes off custom runs deeper than originally thought. Places to kick off your heels include: Home, school, restaurants, coffee shops, dressing rooms, and the occasional doctor’s office. Koreans have a very special relationship with their floor, it is a major source of heat with their Ondol invention and is used to eat off of, relax on and often sleep on. Western cultures who tread along this space with shoes on are seen as disrespectful to this custom of preserving the cleanliness of the Korean gathering place.
There is a bit of room for creativity when choosing your work slippers. Some of the shorter teachers in my school daunt a pair of cork wedges often decorated with metallic sequins and standing a good four inches off the floor. Others go for comfort and have ordered Birkenstocks to spend the day in. I have opted for a pair of somewhat inconspicuous slippers with just enough of a fleshy red to make me feel like I have individualized the custom. Matt is stuck with whatever he can get his hands on in any foot wear situation. On the few occasions we have gone out in search of something to cover his size 13 foot, a crowd of shoppers and workers have been known to gather around in disbelief of the giant inside their store. Sometimes Matt and I play the “What would you pack” game where we come up with a list of things that we would have packed differently if we had only known. The top of Matt’s list is always his dog and a few more pairs of shoes. Luckily having my feet bound in point shoes served me well and my feet have no problem fitting into the shoes here. So just as this custom has been added to the growing list of internalized Korean habits, this week my red slippers have gone missing from my cubby and the attack can only feel personal. Who would have taken my slippers? If they had perhaps been replaced with a sequined pair I could have smiled at the irony but all that remains are moth balls and a dusty outline of where they were left on Friday afternoon.
The banner really says it all
We spend about half our time here adapting to new ways of doing things, and for the most part I think we are doing quite well. The Korean culture has survived over 5,000 years despite many attempts by neighboring countries to destroy it, and because of this I feel that its points are valid. Why wouldn’t we make every effort to adapt to this culture that we are calling home for a year or two? It’s easy enough for the first few months to throw in the Korean phrases we know into conversation, to use chopsticks with precision and grace, to sample the Korean cuisine and visit the tombs of ancestors that are no where near our own. But after nearly four months of living here we have the new challenge of internalizing these customs and choosing now weather to reject them or make them our own.
For instance, Western and Eastern gestures are vastly different and in order to avoid offending anyone we have started doing things like beckoning someone with our palm facing down instead of up. We no longer place the food on our plate in random order because everything has its correct place. I caught myself bowing to Matt as he came in the front door last night and it hit me that the “Vacation” period of our trip is officially over.
It’s exciting really to be this far removed from familiarity. Matt and I have both experienced cultures outside the United States but never this far East, and there is really a whole different set of rules here. One of which apparently includes borrowing someone else’s indoor slippers. So I will go shopping tonight for another pair and we will try again tomorrow to camouflage ourselves into the fabric of the Korean culture. Neither of us will ever be six inches shorter, be able to combine letters to make the perfect d/t sound with our tongue or be able to take down an eight year old with a black belt, but while out in the bustle of the holiday season this weekend, not once were either of us pointed at only to hear “Wae-guk” (foreigner) whispered from a Korean child. This can only mean that our actions have become naturally Korean enough for the time being.
Always sincere, Matt and Emily
Gam-sa-hamnida!
Posted on December 8, 2009 4 Comments
Santa's Korean helpers
There are so many ways to say thank-you, and by traveling we are quickly learning there may be even more out there. When living in Italy’s Piedmont region Grazie was a phrase thrown around almost as commonly as Americans say “Thanks.” I indulged in the phrase because of how Italian it made me feel to add that extra accent to the somewhat clichéd saying. As far as gestures of thanks go, Italians are all about food and beverage and quality counts. If invited to an Italian’s home for dinner, this is not the time to shluff off that old bottle of 2 buck chuck someone left at one of your more casual Soiree. Quality out does quantity here, and a good vintage wine will go a long way as far as making a first impression. Fast forward three summers when Matt lived and taught in Costa Rica, finishing up his teaching degree. The area he lived was relatively poor so there was not a lot of gift giving, but that didn’t mean the people of Tres Rios couldn’t throw a party. Matt found that to show any kind of appreciation for the teaching he was doing or the community he was calling family for the summer, a feast was served in his honor. With not a lot of dispensable income the people in this rural area in Costa Rica say thank-you by sharing family time, not by going to a restaurant but by inviting you to their family home for a meal.
So here we are in South Korea, invited regularly to events and celebrations ranging from house-warming parties, to weddings to taekwando belt tests, and with Thanksgiving now just behind us and the holiday season in full bloom I have been thinking a lot about our custom of saying “Thank you.” For Korean actions don’t even operate on the same playing field as words. For a Korean person the action IS the “thank you,” and to say “Gam-sa-hamnida” as a gesture of appreciation often seems insignificant and unnecessary to a Korean person. The phrase is not used day to day, something I learned when replying “Gam-sa-hamnida” when handed a cup of coffee and told “You really should stop saying this…” Point taken. Feeding people, as is true in many cultures, is a huge sign of appreciation and thanks here in Korea. I was told about the custom during our teaching orientation and thought I would put it to the test the second week in my new job. I started small and brought in a bite sized snickers to everyone in the office. It seemed American enough, small enough to share with a staff of nearly 100 and cutesy enough to give off the “Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself, thanks for including me in your school” vibe. The next day I was shocked at what my small token of thanks resulted in: There were a total of 15 oranges on my desk, a persimmon, homemade rice cakes, a vitamin C drink, instant coffee packets and a box of tissue. I’ve been playing this sort of “secret Santa” game ever since, and it’s working out quite well for everyone. Next I managed to find marshmallows and butter at the nearby Costco and made the office rice crispy treats, this resulted in a mix of confusion that rice could be eaten as a gooey and fattening dessert, and a return of apples, sweet potato and more rice cakes. Matt made everyone in his office Halloween cards and he came home with new coffee mugs and a dinner invitation. The dinner resulted in more gift giving, we brought toilet paper and bread and walked away with full bellies, a make-up bag, left-overs and a puzzle. In case you missed the memo on toilet paper, it’s simple really: toilet paper can be given on any occasion, in a ny denomination, and for any purpose. The mix of practicality and care for one’s well being and hygiene make it the perfect gift…according to the Koreans.
Last weekend was Thanksgiving, my second outside the United States. When I was 19 I spent Thanksgiving living in Madrid and around 5pm stumbled into the “American Grocery” where you could find on every aisle a young adult grasping a can of cranberry, sniffling to them self no doubt missing home and the smell of gravy. This year there was not the same “woe’s me” wave of emotion in either Matt or myself. This could have been the fact that we taught Thanksgiving lesson plans to our students all week and had our fix of Americana by Friday, or maybe the two giant Thanksgiving meals served on Friday and Saturday night. Either way our Thanksgiving was about as American as you can get while living in Asia.
Game hen pre-pot slow roast
Matt found a rugby team to play on here in Korea and was part of a tournament 3 hours outside of Busan for the weekend. Our big Thanksgiving dinner at the local bar we frequent was not scheduled until Saturday and so, not wanting Matt to go a year without stuffing, I decided to tackle a Thanksgiving (Round 1) in our apartment on Friday night. I use the word “Tackle” because there is the obvious headache of finding ingredients to satisfy an American palate in Korea, although walking through the market to find flavors that you never knew existed has become one of my favorite pastimes. The real headache in cooking American food in Korea is the fact that Korean homes do not have ovens. No that is not a typo, rarely can you come across an oven here in Ulsan. So with our improvisation knobs turned way up, Matt and I invited a mix of Americans, English, Welsh and Australians to our humble apartment for a Thanksgiving feast. The biggest problem was the turkey, because lets just face it, the turkey farm is about as American as you can get, so we settled for game hen. Meat can be purchased fresh daily and VERY affordably at our local market, so this is where we were able to handpick the ingredients for our makeshift meal. After some helpful and encouraging advice from the one and only saltyseattle www.saltyseattle.com I was confident that stuffing could be made using a rice cooker, and a hen in a pot wasn’t that crazy of an idea.
Get it while it's hot!
Friday night Matt and I sat on our Ondol heated floor peeling potatoes, crumbling bread for the stuffing and wondering why we had thought this would be a good idea. With all the prep work done for our meal I left for my after school teaching job and put the execution in Matt’s hands….and he did a fantastic job! Our apartment was filled with the smell of garlic, butter, french bread and wine when I arrived home a mere twenty minutes before guests arrived. We had solicited the assistance from our lovely neighbors for the use of an extra burner, and when guests showed up we had successfully set our harvest table with: Two game hens, garlic mashed potatoes, apple and wild mushroom stuffing and chicken gravy, all ingredients found in the outdoor market and all delicious.
- Thanksgiving round #2
The next morning Matt was out the door at six am with a full belly and I was very happily left wiping chicken grease out of our only pan in order to whip up some french toast for our guessed who had, in true Thanksgiving style, fallen asleep on our heated floor. Thanksgiving round two may have been in a slightly less traditional setting but was certainly not without all the culinary comforts of home. The Royal anchor is a bar that has evolved over our three months here into somewhat of a “Cheers” like hangout. Mr. Kim is the owner and with the inspiration and dedication from one of his American bartenders they were able to put on a Thanksgiving feast for 30 of their patrons. The meal was complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pickles, pumpkin pie and my homemade egg nog. I am choosing not to include the recipe because after making egg nog I realize that some things are better bought from the store for the sheer reason that you really don’t want to know what goes into them, but it was DELICIOUS!
This Thanksgiving, like most we are reminded of how happiness really can follow you anywhere. On this same day last year Matt proposed in front of a room packed with our family and friends. neither of us thought anything could top the happiness of that moment, and although the one thing missing from this year’s holiday season is those same people who bring us so much joy in the Pacific Northwest we are not without friends here, farther East. We have met people here that we will have friendships with for the rest of our lives and for that both of us are thankful.
From our home in Korea to yours, Happy Holidays!
-Matt and Emily
Hula-Hooping in Hangul
Posted on November 11, 2009 1 Comment
Exercise Playground
Hitting the gym in the States provokes thoughts of a culture highly conscious of their physical appearance. A culture that will pay often exorbitant fees to enter, a small fortune to clothe oneself in appropriate attire, and big bucks on top of the line accessories to make the experience more enjoyable (iPod, utili-belt, sweat band…) This is a culture that I have bought into for over five years now, and a routine that is heavily interrupted by travel. It’s not that one cannot exercise while on the go, and for anyone backpacking the world knows that you will inevitably arrive home a stone or two lighter. The problem is in finding a routine when you have uprooted yourself from anything familiar. “Do people jog in Korea?” “What is the appropriate attire so I don’t stand out even MORE?” “Where can I go for a spin class…what is the word for spin in Hangul???” These are questions that I started asking myself once I realized that I have been eating 4-5 Korean meals a day in order to sample all of the cuisine, and that I am not backpacking around the countryside at the moment. I needed to find a way so come time to hike Tasmania’s East coast this spring, I’ll be ready. While on a walk this weekend with some friends who live in Ulsan’s Illsan beach area I found my answer. We came across what appeared to be a playground. These playgroundesque plots are dotted throughout Korea along every path and trail, some big, some small, but all serving the purpose of promoting fitness. The set-up is standard: placed in a forest clearing giving off the appearance that you have just magically stumbled onto this exercise haven, you are presented with an array of curious, self operated, cord-free workout machines. There is the “elliptical” completely self-powered, the arm and leg stretcher (more of a tower or terror like torture device), the giant steering wheel and usually about a dozen or so heavily weighted hula hoops. On a busy weekend these stops are packed with kids, adults and Omas all trying to fit in a work out. This kind of dedication to creating budget and space for recreation really says something about the Korean culture.
Hula on the playground
Koreans are particular, even neurotic when it comes to hobbies. There are several questions a foreigner will be asked upon arriving to Korea. Usually in standard order these are: How old are you? Where are you from? What is your blood type? and What is your hobby? The age question falls under the Confucian ideology practiced where age determines the level of respect granted and the appropriate language that should be used when in conversation. Then there is the question of blood type. Apparently aside from our astrological sign, numerological sign, the old adage “you are what you eat” and any other personality shaping trend you may subscribe to, blood type is a vital signifier in what to expect from someone on a first date. My students have tried to determine mine, for instance today after spending five minutes making them all sit in their chairs with their eyes closed while I told them how disrespectful they were being, one student peeped one eye open to tell me “Teacher, you B.” “What!?” I said, thinking they were referring to a female dog, in which case I was going to drop this calm and collected act and really flip out on this kid. “No teacher, blood.” “Oh, you think I am a B blood type?” “Yes.” “Why?” I asked. “Because you are crazy.” Then I flipped out..
Fun on the Playground
The hobby question I find the most intriguing. If a Korean person tells you that they like to hike and invites you to go hiking I would certainly accept, and then be prepared to wake up at five in the morning to meet at an undisclosed location with hiking boots, walking poles, sun-proof gear and a bottle of electron replacing liquids to pour down your throat as you climb up to what will most likely be one of the most breathtaking views you have seen. The “All out” approach to hobbies is the same reason Matt and I were kicked out of the swimming pool for not having racing suits or swimming caps. It is the same reason a Korean can either dance or they can’t, sing or not, play bad mitten or not. There is no in between, you choose a hobby and this will be your life’s purpose, and when Koreans admit to being good at something, they mean it. I have heard seven-year olds wailing on a piano, middle school students who miss two days of school to be flown around the nation for ping-pong tournaments, twelve-year olds who have chosen a professional goal with nothing to stand in their way of success. If it is inspiration you are looking for Korea is not a bad place to start.
I see these work-out stations as a sort of standard of excellence. Yes they are probably one of the hokiest things I have seen outside of a petting zoo or Salem’s “Enchanted forest” theme park, but the fitness playground is well used anywhere you go. I am still considering joining a gym, but in the meantime if someone asks me my hobby here in Korea a think I might answer “The playground” and turn these pit stops into the launching pad for my routine. Matt has been playing on a local rugby team about once a week and is able to get together with some guys from our program for pick-up soccer games and the occasional faculty volleyball or basketball at his school. Sometimes it’s hard to set up routines, it’s like admitting that we will not be back to our home in Washington for quite some time. Next time you see us we might just have super stretchy arms, excellent balance and great abs from all the playgrounding we’ve been doing!
Biking in Geyongju
Until then enjoy the rest of Fall running season, anyone looking for a little cross-training may consider hitting the playground to mix things up a bit!
All our best, Matt and Emily.
Home Sweet Home
Posted on November 2, 2009 5 Comments
Driveway to Okdong Middle School
On Sunday we arrived in our new, TWO-ROOM, third floor, bright and breezy, mold-free apartment with kimchi grins and excitement for the ten months ahead of us. Moving in Korea is nothing short of bizarre, at least our experience was. About A month ago we put in a request for a new apartment. We were told when we arrived that we would be placed in “couples housing” meaning a one or two bedroom apartment. This wasn’t the case so we politely began the necessary procedures to hunt for a new pad. Last week our school told us that they had found an apartment next door to ours that we were sure to like more than our windowless box, so eagerly we went on our lunch break to check it out….Along with an administrative staff member from my school, one from Matt’s school and the landlord (none of whom spoke a word of English) we were shown apartment #1, about half the size of our old place… Shaking our heads and playing charades to convey our desire for a LARGER apartment they took us to apartment #2…3/4 the size of our old apartment… Time to get out the phrase book and we were able to say “Dul Bang” “Two-Room.” The reaction was utter shock from our team of househunters and they whispered the words back and forth to one another.
At this point we began to walk the streets of our neighborhood looking for signs and called on the first nice building boasting two rooms for rent that we saw. Two minutes later the landlord of the new building had shown up to let us take a peak at the room. She marched us to the third floor, punched in the door code and opened the apartment…right onto a TENANT who had just gotten out of the shower. Matt and I began to leave thinking we would come back at a better time, but no, the landlord insisted that we go into this woman’s apartment and see if we like it! We took a quick peak, smelled fresh air, saw bright light and a roomy bedroom and said “we’ll take it.” A contract was signed standing in the hallway whereby the landlord fished around in her purse for a pen and I tore out a piece of paper from my notebook, signed the bottom corner and forked over some cash. The biggest problem I foresee in our return to the States will be getting frequently conned because we have become SO trusting here in Korea.
Moving Day
Move in day was not anymore typical of what we would expect back in the USA, and started at 10am when Matt’s co-teacher, her entire family, ten middle school students and a moving truck showed up to transport our things down the street. This is when we realized that in Korea you do not only move you personal items, you move: The refrigerator, the washing machine, the air conditioner, and the furniture that comes with the house. We were completely moved into the new place in under two hours thanks to the efforts of our community here in Ulsan and these efforts were more than deserving of a Mexican lunch, compliments to our Costco trip last week (tortillas, cheese, salsa Oh my!). All in all it was a really fun day and probably one of the more memorable moving experiences we will have.
Break time
We wake up now to the sound of the market, kids walking to school, bright sunshine and fresh air in our roomy bedroom. It is amazing how just one simple request could grant us SO much happiness. Matt is able to play his guitar on our balcony without elbowing me while I read a book or cook in the next room and my walk home is now completely lit and on a main street so we both feel really safe. Best part is that two of our friends we have made here in Ulsan live right next door! Our neighborhood is becoming more and more like home. I found a community food co-op a block away and our students have started inviting us to dinner which turns into an entire evening of piano concerts and charades, it’s fantastic! We have also welcomed the newest member of our family to our lovely apartment, a sweet little bunny who remains at the moment nameless. He was rescued from a nearby park and then from a middle school, and seems to be adapting very well to living on our enclosed balcony.
We are doing really well here, still homesick for some boundary brew, a Pacific Northwest sunset, the smell of the bay and the ease of calling our loved one’s whenever we feel the urge (not at 3am there time.) Traveling is at once addictive in its ever changing and unknown nature, and heartbreaking for the same reason. Having a home during this year has made all the difference just in one week of feeling settled and relaxed. I urge travelers to stay put from time to time: instead of 8 countries in two weeks try 2 and get to know these places that you visit. Just a thought for all of us who love to wander, being “home” somewhere is an irreplaceable feeling.
Bunny
If you are living, or planning to live in South Korea and would like to find a house try this new link: http://www.sublet.com/city_rentals/Ulsan_rentals.asp It gives sub-let options in most major cities and some smaller ones in Korea. Also your best bet may be to go to a real estate agent, found in practically every neighborhood.
That’s all for now, thanks for any questions or comments.
Matt and Emily
First Homeade Korean Meal
Teach Travel PLay gets a facelift!
Posted on October 21, 2009 1 Comment
Teach Travel Play gets a face lift!
We will be blogging now from the wordpress domain, because this is where all the cool kids hang out, and it is easier to access. Monday afternoon here and it is nationwide school testing. These tests happen frequently and without warning so here I am blogging away at my desk while my middle schoolers no doubt are thinking “Man I should have listened to that superheroes lesson last week where we learned the future tense!” It is actually a really nice break to get my classroom in order, catch up on lesson plans and do some much needed studying of the Korean Hangul I still have not mastered!
Playing doctor with my students…
This weekend I can sum up as very…Western. Not that we wore cowboy hats and spurs and ate over a campfire, but that our comfort zone was not as stretched as it has been in the past two months trying to fit into the Korean culture. We took a trip to Costco for starters and bought two gallons of peanut butter, a block of cheese, microwave popcorn, tortillas, salsa and marshmallows. Now you may be thinking that this does not sound like the old health and well being conscious couple who could on occasion be seen biking downtown to gnaw on sushi rolls and micro brew, passing the Starbucks with disgust and an elitist ere, but we travelers alike will sympathise that when away from home there are things in your crave stricken mind that you would never go near when in easy reach of. The marshmallows have already proven to be well worth the shame of their purchase. We made a huge batch of rice krispy treats last night and brought them into our teachers. I came into the teacher’s office with a Tupperware filled with goey Americana and no more than 30 seconds of me setting them down the vice principal was on the loud speaker beckoning staff in to try this curious treat. The way food works in Korea is if you walk an inch, you will grow a mile (is that the saying?) anyway when I have extended a piece of gum, satsuma or even a crumb of cookie here, the Koreans have always reciprocated, so I can only imagine what will show up on my desk tomorrow.
Matt competed with his principal and fellow teachers in a volleyball tournament this weekend, not placing but making it far enough in the season to be invited to the event. In true Korean fashion there was about an hour of play and three of food and drink.
Matt with principal and volleyball team ready to play!
We headed down the coast last weekend to the Pusan firework show, which after hearing rave reviews I expected nothing less than spectacular. Little did I know the night would include riots over people trying to get a good view, four hour waits to get on a bus home and the most incredible 45 minute, 200 million dollar firework display I have ever seen. For those wanting to visit next year’s event held on the third weekend in October when the weather here is romantically chilly meaning a fleece blanket on the beach makes all the difference; I would reccomend arriving well ahead of time. The event is free although I would suggest it not be to cut down on participants, and begins at 8pm. Finding a spot on Gwang-an Beach around 2-3pm is advised and once the crowds really start pouring in by 6pm, DO NOT LEAVE as it is very difficult to get back onto the beach. If possible get some brave souls together and drive a car atleast to Hyundai beach becasue the underground, buses and all taxis are impossible resources for anykind of across town or out of town travel. And finally don’t forget your soju to share with all of the sweet old women who will insist that you snuggle on their blanket with them, which they have had staked out since noon.
This weekend reminded us once again of how lucky we are.
Enjoy the new blog and let us know what you think!
Until next time enjoy some fireworks all the way from Busan!
-Matt and Emily
Teachtravelplay's Blog 