Happy 4th of July!

Ian and I aren't doing much today.  Last night we went over to Arienne and Tristan's apartment for a Canada Day (July 1) and 4th of July party.  We met some new people, drank some sangria and generally had a great time.  Their apartment is amazing.  It's still small by American standards, but it's one that I wouldn't mind living in stateside. The layout (it's much more open than most Korean apartments) is very desirable.

I don't really mind a low key 4th.  I do miss my family, as this holiday is one of the quintessential summer days spent at my grandmother's house on Mason Lake.  But, I'm not a fan of fireworks.  They make me anxious and I'm always worrying about animals on the 4th.

Speaking of animals, Mipa from Alien's Day Out linked a petition to help Moon Bears in Korea.  They are facing extinction, as only 19 bears live in the wild.  The real problem is that there are 1400 Moon Bears in captivity, kept and tortured for their digestive bile and other body parts in the name of Oriental Medicine.  Go to moonbears.org for more information and, if you're moved to, sign the petition.

I hope you all have a wonderful, fun, and safe holiday weekend.  Be sure to wish our native land happy birthday for us.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Here's wishing a happy Father's Day to the main dads in our lives:  Poppa Max, Al, Bruce, and Rob.

And, of course, Grandpa Swan and Grandpa Bob who are no longer with us, but always in our hearts.

For fun, here's some dad related humor from Engrish.com:

The classic "should we or shouldn't we" confliction

Ah, the weekend.  Considering we'll be spending tomorrow morning cleaning the apartment, I'm not ready to jump up and down about it.  But, as always, I'm happy it's here.

I had to have the parent's of two students called today.  I hate having to do that, but they just wouldn't behave and they were dragging the class down with them.  It's a recurring problem with them, but today was the pinnacle.  When I turned my back to one side of the room, one of the boys raised his arm and made a joke out of "threatening" to hit me.  Unfortunately for him, I could see his reflection in the giant monitor in the room.  And, his comrade ratted on him ten seconds later.  Then only the two quietest students showed up for my last class.  These kids never talk. so keeping the class going was next to impossible.

In the middle of my second to last class today the principle came in and asked if I would like bimbimbap for dinner, I said that I would need to call and let Ian know.  She mumbled something that included the word "together" and closed the door.  I thought maybe they were going out to eat after work, but as soon as my class ended I saw a delivery man bring tons of food into her office.  Then during my last class (the impossibly quiet one), I watched through the window as every other staff member sat and had dinner together.  Sometimes it sucks being the only one who actually works at work.

So, we're putting some serious thought toward the idea of coming home for Christmas.  We want to.  Badly.  But, the cost is astronomical.  It would take nearly the entirety of both of our November paychecks to make it happen (roughly 75%, actually). We're talking roughly $2,800 on airfare.  Obviously, we're here to save money, but we're here to travel, too.  And the fact that vacation time is few and far between around here, makes us even more conflicted.  If we can't go home, there are other places we could go and still save money.  One place that has peaked our interest (for a longer break like Christmas or summer) is the Tokyo Disney Resort.  Thinking about the options and the decision we have to make soon makes my heart very heavy.  In a perfect world, we'd have it all: travel the world family in tow and it'd all be magically free.  But, this is not a perfect world.  If you'd like to weigh in on our conundrum, please do, but, family, be gentle.  We feel guilty about weighing the options as it is.

Speaking of families and traveling, I really hope that our family members who have expressed interest get the opportunity to make it out here.  Some of my hopes are for selfish reasons, I miss you guys like hell.  And, I'd love to show you our lives here and the tourist attractions, too (we'll have more of that under our belt down the road).  But, concrete reasons for overseas travel don't come often.  It's difficult for most people to justify the expense.  So, while we're here and can cheapen the trip by offering our tiny abode instead of a hotel, I hope you come.

I believe that's enough babbling for one evening.  If you're in the area, go check out my mom's booth at the Tacoma Dome Holiday Food and Gift Show.  She's got great stuff and the rest of it's pretty cool, too.  It goes until October 25th.  Don't feel peddled to, I was just saying!

Ain't No Party Like a Chuseok After Party

Tonight was a blast.  Chun wha and her family are amazing.  They picked us up around three and brought us back to the house.  There we met their kids (both very nice, but a bit awkward and shy) and gorged on amazing homemade Korean food for four hours straight.  I'm not kidding, and I don't mean that we grazed like Americans do when they gather, no we were expected to eat up, and eat up we did.  I didn't take any pictures in their home, simply because I didn't want to risk making anyone uncomfortable.  Though, Chun wha's husband works for Hyundai as an engineer, they live in an apartment about twice the size of ours.  It seems that Koreans prefer to live in smaller spaces, which makes a lot of sense, because it's a pretty small country.  Their apartment was very tidy and their floor was impossibly clean (we sat on it to eat, of course).  There was japchae (sweet potato noodles with veggies), salad, ha-mul pajeon (Korean "pancakes" with vegetables),roasted chestnuts, eggs and sweet potatoes and PLENTY of different kinds of dduk (the generic name for Korean rice cakes and cookies).  There was no meat in sight except for a very small side of beef.  It was very welcoming.

One of my favorites was the yakwa.  They're pretty much honey and flour (rice or wheat) cookies fried in oil.  So, they have the simple sweetness of a sugar cookie, but the same satisfying fatty taste of, say, a cornchip.  Yeah, they can't be good for you.  Image source (sorry, I didn't take it):

http://english.visitseoul.net/visit2007en/lodgingdining/fooddrinks/fooddrinks.jsp?cid=107&sid=1023

Along with the intense amount of food there was also a lot of alcohol.  Ian and I managed pretty well.  Our "anio" (no) abilities and the intense amount of food we were eating helped us stay sober.  Chun wha's husband (whom we've mentally named Hank because we are having a ridiculous amount of trouble with his real name), however got pretty tipsy.  In fact, he not only knocked my wine glass over on me, but he broke it.  It was hilarious.  They are great to be around.  When the food orgy began to wain, dinner was suggested.  Ian and I almost died, but they ordered a veggie pizza and insisted that we each eat two slices.  After four and a half hours of being pumped full of food and liquor (Autralian wine, Korean wine [more like a liquor], mokoli, soju, Korean sake, and Johnnie Walker) it was decided that we should go to the noribang (Karaoke rooms).

At the noribang there was singing, dancing, laughing and beer.  Yes, beer.  On top of all that food and drink there was now beer.  By the way, Koreans are the kings of peer pressure.  So much for that "just always keep some in your glass" rule.  They just tell you to drink it, so they can refill it.  The place didn't smell all that great, but I've decided that in Korea some places just kind of smell.  They don't flush toilet paper, so the bathrooms eminate a funk from the garbage can.  Side note:  that's one thing on which Ian and I won't cave.  The toilet paper goes down the toilet; our apartment is much too small for that business.

We're singing "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."  We also sang "Somebody Told Me" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" (complete with Wayne's World head banging) among others.

They mostly chose slow songs.  Their daughter had me sing "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson with her at one point.

This picture is too dark, but it kind of gives you an idea of what the rooms are like.  You can see the disco light and everything.

We were almost home when I heard a cat meowing (a strange occurrence here).  I stopped to see if I could see anything and a tiny little tabby cat came out from under a truck to greet me.

I'm pretty sure it was a female, but it was dark.  She was very affectionate, but she was rooting around on us a lot, so we decided to get her something to eat.  Ian ran over to the store and bought her a hot dog on a stick.  She gobbled it like there was no tomorrow.  We put what she didn't eat in a safe place on the ground and put her down next to it.  But, when we went to walk away she cried a little and followed us.  We started thinking of our options and decided that since there was no way we could keep a cat (no space and we're never home) that we'd call the animal shelter in Asan and ask for their advice.  Well, when we decided we would pick the cat up and do this, she decided to head somewhere else.  If I see her again and she seems as hungry and cold as she did tonight, we'll get her to the shelter.  I wish we could just take her in, but we live in a box.

So, that was our eventful evening.  Now, I believe we're going to settle in and watch Flash Forward.  Have a good Saturday!

It's a Chuseok Miracle!

Today was the first day since we've been in Korea that we allowed ourselves to wake up naturally without setting an alarm.  It was very nice.  I woke up at about 10:15.

We doddled around the apartment for a bit, washed our sheets (you have to let them dry all day) and ate breakfast.  Then we went out for a run.  We decided to go over to this little park that we can see from our window.  From our window we can see a green patch and a gazebo, so we figured it was a little nature park.  When we got there it turned out that there wasn't much nature to run in, but that there was a little family park with a small track attached to it.  It was so nice to run in a place filled with other active people.  It reminded me of neighborhood parks or even college campuses at home.  I think we have a new running place.  Plus, though the track isn't ideal (it's more like slightly padded cement), it's still better than the asphalt on which we've been running.

When we got back we went to Lotte Mart because we were running low on groceries.  Because Chuseok is tomorrow, there were about twice as many people in the store.

Including this couple who thought to themselves "Gee, we like each other a lot, maybe we should dress like each other, too!"  The girl is pushing the cart and the guy is standing next to it.  They're probably close to Ian and my age.  Only their shoes were different.

Hershey's seems to have exploded in Korea.  I Googled it, but found nothing that made me understand why we couldn't find it two weeks ago and now we can find it all over the place. (from left to right: Hershey's with almonds, Hershey's nuggets of various flavors, and Hershey's Kisses)

As I've mentioned, Chuseok is all about the gift pack.  Pretty much anything that you can buy in a grocery store here is available in gift pack.

Rice cakes are some of the gift packs that make the most sense to me, but you can also buy fresh meat, produce, and canned goods like Spam to give as gifts, too. I couldn't get a picture of the Spam.  Maybe Lotte Mart was sold out, because normally they are everywhere you turn.  Feel free to Google "Korea Spam gift pack" if you're curious.

Now for our Chuseok miracle.

Real cheese!  Ironically, we would reject this terrible excuse for sharpness in the states, much preferring Tillamook or something less mass produced.  But, in Korea we are MORE THAN HAPPY to eat this.  I mean, look how happy he is.

So, naturally, we made nachos and mexi-veggies for dinner.  It was delicious.  Though, the amazing mexi-veggies (made with a jalapeno pepper's Korean cousin) were so good that they over shadowed the cheese a bit.

So, we're going over to Chun wha's tomorrow for the equivalent of a Chuseok after party.  I thought I'd tell you a bit about the holiday.  I'm going to try to do this one without doing anymore internet research.  Let's see how much I've learned from living here.

Chuseok is Korea's harvest festival.  It's also called Hangawi and a few other things as well.  All of it's names refer to "Great Middle," though I'm not sure why, as it's not considered the middle of the year.  It falls on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar.  Expat's often refer to it as Korean Thanksgiving, and that's pretty accurate.  Chuseok is about food, family, and having a good time, just like it's American cousin.  However, Chuseok has a memorial aspect to it, as well.  The eve is traditionally used to visit one's ancestral  tombs and to pay homage.  There is a specific, sorrowful bow used for this.  One gets on their knees before the grave and bows forward until their head is on or near the ground, arms stretched in front of them.  Food offerings are given (sometimes on tables at home, or at the site itself) and incense is burned.

Another main difference between American Thanksgiving and Chuseok is gift giving.  Gift giving is common for Chuseok and the gifts usually reflect the fact that it is a harvest holiday.  People commonly gives packs of apples and other food.  Gift packs are sometimes used to give a group of people a gift to share.

Hanbok's were traditional Chuseok attire for a great while, but they've fallen out of style.  This is probably because they are uncomfortable and difficult to maneuver.  I can't imagine cooking in one.  Chuseok has changed in other ways, too.  Because it often extends a weekend (three days are given for this holiday, though this year, two are on a weekend), more and more Koreans are using this holiday for travel abroad instead of staying home.  Also, there are some people that give offerings to their deceased love ones via internet sites that allow for a person to participate emotionally and symbolically.  It is more common for people to hire companies to care for grave sites and tombs now.  Korean's lives have become more industrial only recently (within the last 20 years or so), so these changes, though inevitable, are pretty new.

Other than that, the holidays are pretty similar.  The women cook and the men and children play games or watch t.v.  They eat all day and enjoy the company of their families.  It's easy for foreigners to feel homesick during this time.

Maybe I'll learn more about the holiday on a personal level tomorrow.  I'll be sure to let you all know.  I'll take as many pictures as possible, but we will be in their home, so I'll have to be careful not to intrude.

Have an excellent Friday.  I know ours was good.

A Call for Suggestions

Today was a pretty average Monday, so there is not much to blog about and no pictures to be had!

Julia texted us this morning and switched our meeting to tomorrow at 10:30am.  Apparently Julia has a cold. She's been sick for over two weeks.  As we say here in Asia, let's hope it's not "the influenza."  Don't panic, I'm joking.  However, I am unsure why the meeting has to be so damn early.  I suppose she needs to make up for the time she's lost in letting us know that we're inadequate.

It was pretty refreshing to talk to the other teachers on Saturday.  We're definitely not alone in our troubles, in fact, we actually work fewer hours than they do.  Some of their set ups (breaks, apartments and vacations) sound a little better, but for the most part we're all in the same boat.  Many of them use a stick or ruler at work (or their coteachers do).  It's pretty much to poke the kids into paying attention.  Man, on some days, what I wouldn't give...

The only main difference that bums me out is our location.  Everyone else lives pretty close to downtown and within reasonable walking distance (20 minutes, tops) to everything (work, shopping, other teachers, etc.).  It's kinda lame to be stuck out in the annex.  It takes us at least twice as long to get anywhere and it seems like it's strange that we're not within walking distance from our schools.  Everyone else seems to be.  Ian says that he likes the annex, though.  And, he has a point.  Our neighborhood is really self contained, I mean, we could easily live without ever leaving Sinback.  But, all the neighborhoods (called "dongs," yes, go ahead, giggle) are self contained that way.

So, because we have a lull this evening, I wanted to take the opportunity to ask for a couple of suggestions.  Firstly, we're almost done with the books we brought.  When we get paid, we're going to order some new ones from whatthebook.com.  So, we want to know if anyone has a good book suggestion or two.  I've recently read and enjoyed "Broken" by Daniel Clay and I'm currently finishing "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris.  Ian likes most science fiction (I like a good deal of it, too) and recently finished the Star Wars novel "Vision of the Future."  We both read and mostly enjoyed "The Time Traveler's Wife" this summer.  We both love graphic novels, but we're trying to stay away from them because they make for too quick a read when getting books takes so much effort.  So, what say you?

The other thing we are looking for are good skillet (stove top) recipes.  We don't have an oven we get home around 9pm to make dinner, so it needs to be relatively quick.  Though, if you have a more time consuming one that you really like, let us know.  I'm sure we could make it on a weekend.  Remember, we're vegetarians (vegeMAtarians, as the British girls call us :) ), so please leave out the meat (meaning we don't eat fish, either).  Also, we live in Korea, which means that some ingredients are tough to find.  We won't be able to make it to Costco until after the 10th (I'm SO stoked).  I'm excited to see what you guys come up with.

Last call for suggestions:  is there anything that you would like to see me blog about?  I know you want more Ian, but it's very difficult to get him to cooperate. Any questions to which I can devote a blog?  Let me know.

This coming weekend is a three day weekend (we have Friday off for Chuseok, which is Saturday).  I don't know what we're doing.  We may be going with Chun wha to her family's place for the actual holiday.  I'm not saying anything to her about it, because with the language barrier you tend to invite yourself to things.  Chuseok is a VERY family oriented holiday.  If we are invited, it's an honor and we will go.  However, I completely understand if they'd prefer to leave the foreigners out of this one.  We probably won't know until the last minute, but we'll keep you posted.

Tuesday, Bloody Tuesday

Okay, so that reference is massively overblown.  But still, neither Ian nor I have much fun on Tuesdays.  Most of Ian's students on this day are brats, and I have many bratty students (not as many as Ian) and Julia to deal with.  I sent the camera with Ian today, hoping he could find something constructive within his hatred of this day, but he couldn't find anything that he found blog worthy.

We did see another praying mantis today during our run, but we didn't have the camera.  It's tough to jog with it.  This time, the mantis had its "hands" in the air in the "you want a piece of this?" fashion.  It was pretty awesome.

David gave us our schedules for the year (telling us our time off and such.  Ian asked him vacation time and asking for a few days.  David apparently seemed confused and told us to talk to Julia.  I'm pretty nervous about it.

Here are the days we get off (aside from every Saturday and Sunday):

Friday, October 2nd (for Chuseok, which is the 3rd)

Friday, December 25th through Sunday January 3rd (Christmas vacation)

Monday, February 15th (Lunar New Year)

Monday, March 1st (Independence Movement Day)

Wednesday, May 5th (Children's Day)

Friday, May 21st (Buddha's Birthday)

Saturday, July 24th through Saturday, August 1st (Summer vacation)

Our contract ends on Monday, August 30th, 2010.

I tutored Julia's daughter during my "break" again today.  I'm thinking of asking Asia (our ESL recruiter) if this is an acceptable practice.  It just doesn't feel right.  I will ask Asia to reply to me before saying anything to Julia or David, though.  I don't want to get deported because I overstepped or something.

We got our bills in the mail today.  It looks like Yoon's pays about $80 U.S./month for us to live here.  We also got some sort of recap about last month's bills.  I'm not sure the previous tenant paid everything, but I'll just show Julia the paper and see what she says.

On a positive note, there was a notice on our door when I got home from work today.  After looking at it for a moment, I realized that it was notification of a package.  There was a picture of a mailman on a Vespa and "U.S" was handwritten on it.  We took it to our super, since he has all the packages.  It turns out that we need to go down to the Post Office to sign for it.  We're going to try to get there tomorrow.  It should be an adventure.  I'm not sure if it's one package or two, because most of the notice was in Korean.  But, we're really stoked!  That was very fast.

Well, that's all for now.  Hopefully, there will be something worth photographing tomorrow.