Braved The Cold and Celebrated Christmas

For Christmas I braved the freezing temperatures and ventured into the Jongno area for some Middle-Eastern food and cupcakes. I met a like minded friend who wanted to enjoy this holiday season and we had a jolly good time.

We picked up cupcakes from Goodovening near Euljiro-1 station.

In fact I based my Christmas-fun location on the proximity of an Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant to a cupcake shop (that would be open). My favorite cupcake shop is really in Itaewon but they were closed this season, so I went with Goodovening. Their cupcakes are pretty good, except the cake is really dense.

Our dining experience was at Saffron in the area where Myeongdong starts (at the Ibis hotel).

From reviews I read online, people said this place was authentic and that the prices were decent. When we stepped inside we were seated at a table near the window, where we had a view of decorated trees. It was quite lovely and cozy.

Once opening the menu we realized the prices were certainly in the "special occasion" arena. Main dishes were around 20,000 won. Since my friend is vegetarian we ate mostly off the appetizer menu, getting the hummus mixed plate and falafels. I also ordered a vegetable curry and some naan and pita bread.

The taste was very good and quite satisfying. There were generous amounts of hummus and dippings on the plate to fill us both. Afterward we enjoyed the cupcakes, one a caramel concoction and the other a "bird's nest" of roasted coconut on top. I particularly liked the coconut one more!

We enjoyed a good amount of time sitting in the restaurant and catching up over old times and also talking about the future. It came time to move on home before things got too cold. On our way we enjoyed a Christmas tree in the lobby.

Yet what we enjoyed most wasn't getting our picture taken in front of it, but watching a couple spend a glorious amount of time photographing each other and posing in funny ways. Indeed, Christmas is a couple holiday in Korea, which is hard to explain to other people not familiar with it. So everywhere you looked there were couples acting all cute together. I'm over being single and wasn't really bothered by the site of it all. Christmas is still a special time of the year for me, no matter the status of my love life!

Well hope your holidays are shaping up nicely and so Happy New Year!

Heading Back to Being a Student

Looks like there is just about eight more weeks left till I hitch a ride back to America. I've done a lot of preparation towards moving and learning about Seattle. It seems preparing myself for Graduate school and becoming a student again has been on the back of my mind. I know that Graduate school will be a lot harder than Undergraduate school, but haven't really grasped that yet. In hindsight I don't really think there is much I can do to prepare for my upcoming school days, except buy some notebooks and pens.

However, I figured why not get a sense for the terminology and concepts of TESOL before heading into the classroom. So I went on iTunes and downloaded some "iTunesU" of TESOL lectures. The Teachers College at Columbia University offers some videos on the subject such as, "Action-based Teaching and Learning: An Ecological Perspective." So I packed up my notebook (the paper kind) and iPod and headed to my local Starbucks this morning. I figured the crowds won't be there till the afternoon and I could get some cozy listening in before the couples arrive.

As I sat and listened to the lecture it all sort of made sense to me. Although I don't know all the jargon he was using I was able to correlate the content with my own experience.  He had a chart on the projector that showed how one can go about lesson planning and execution. On one side was a "very planned" style where students know what to expect every time, and on the other side was more innovative styles. He said how if you stick to a rigid plan each class can become stale, and worse if you don't really plan and just "wing-it" your classes have no clear outcomes. Planning for innovation and exploration is more favored because students get involved and make real-life connections. He asked the audience where they felt they were on this graph, and to me I felt like I was somewhere in the center. I make really detailed plans but also change things up class-to-class. I've also found that I sometimes assess the students attitudes as the class starts and change up my activities or lecture to accommodate.

All in all, listening to the lectures and taking notes reassured me I can head back to school. It's been six years since I was as a student, and hope I'm not too rusty. I think I'll have a lot to input into the class as I'll be bringing my teaching experience with me. So I'm all excited to be heading back to school and also just jazzed up about getting more into this profession. :)

Korea's Future Without Me

The recent Korean Presidential election reminded me that this country's politics and future is going to roll on without me next year. I am surprised and proud of Korea for electing a woman President, but I know that it doesn't necessarily mean more rights for women in this country. However, with the figures for the number of people who voted this election I can see that people care about their country's future and want changes to come.

To be honest I'm not deeply involved in Korea's political scene or know in depth the problems Korea faces. However, I know that it's very expensive to get a house here due to many reasons and that I for one would like to see things change to help people settle down.

Korea has changed so much in the five years I have been here, and mostly in the commercial landscape. Take Itaewon for example, a town that when I first visited felt like an oasis for foreigners. This was because not many Korean people seemed to be there inside the restaurants and bars. I mean there were Korean people there of course, but when I mentioned "Itaewon" to my Korean friends their typical response was, "Is it safe?" Now Itaewon has become the hub of gourmet restaurants and swanky clubs, almost starting to look like Hongdae's outer areas of swankiness. This is all good and fine, but for those who remember Itaewon as it was it's a huge a change. My point I want to make is that I think Koreans have changed in a way of embracing Westernization and accepting Westerners here.

Anyway, I've learned in the past to not talk too much about Korean's and their opinions as some think I was wrong.

If I were to wish for Korea's future I mostly would hope that the country continues to prosper and also find peace with it's neighbor up north. Of course that can't be accomplished if North Korea continues to be as stubborn as it is.

Roboseyo has a good post about the election, which he put up after a slumbering period of no posts. Now Korea will have five years of President Park Geun Hye, and I hope she delivers what the people want.

As for me I'm heading home to my country where a fiscal cliff looms and guns laws need to be tightened. However, I am not afraid to return to my country in the state that it's in. Besides I'm moving to Washington State where they just legalized marijuana and gay marriage!

A Video about Fashion and also Beauty in Korea

After watching this video:

It made me think about these aspects of Korean culture that I have found interesting, creative but at the same time at odds about. The video at the beginning goes into underground fashion and sort of what "real" fashion is like here in Korea. Then it veers off into plastic surgery and how it's "extreme". 

I for one am not a fashionable person. I mean I like fashion and appreciate it, but don't really go out of my way to embrace it. 

However, I can say the "plastic surgery" issue has come up a lot in my time here in Korea. For one I can't help but stare at the surgery ads on the subway with the "before" and "after" pictures. Then I look at Korean women and wonder what they had done. 

For the most part I understand that one's looks in this country are very important. Changing those looks can indeed give you more confidence and help you get through the competing race of love and career here. But I've often wondered if Korean women feel like it is too much, and whether they worry about their future. It sometimes feels like they are changing their "Korean-ness" to be this plastic ideal. Eventually most women in Korea will look like this ideal...

But it's their country and they do as they will. Americans get plastic surgery too and care about their looks just as much. 

Either way this was a fun and vibrant video to watch and one that gives you a nice little look into contemporary Korean culture. Putting the plastic surgery stuff aside I liked how one person in the video talked about his concern that most of the world will just know Korea through K-Pop, when there is other music and fashion that could better serve Korea's image. Perhaps this person needs to know that K-pop will be like the first door someone opens to understanding Korean culture. From there they can explore the rest of it.

When I head back home and tell people I was living in Korea for five year's, I'll be curious to see what they say. I think, if the opportunity comes, I'll ask them what they think about when I say "South Korea." Having lived over here for five year's I know my understanding will be different to "regular" folks back home. Something I'm going to be proud to carry over with, as I wouldn't mind spreading Korean culture to people back home.

Getting Five Years of Stuff Down to Two Suitcases

 After five years here, stuff starts to accumulate. I'm talking about books, souvenirs, memorabilia, and just anything else I've held onto over the years. So I've been sorting things lately and making one big pile of "donate" and the rest is being packed into boxes to be shipped across the ocean. I found it the cheapest to send via "surface" or by ship. But the weight limit for each box is 20kg or 44lbs. So trying to meet these requirements is a little tough.

This small pile pictured above is the stuff I am hoping to take with me along with my clothes in two suitcases. Speaking of clothes, I have a lot! Since Korea has four or really two seasons (hot and cold) I've accumulated quite the collection. However, I am going to let go of a lot and hold on to the essentials. Some of it's old and worn out anyway.

How does one get rid of their stuff here in Korea? Back home you would call up the Salvation Army and they would pick up anything if it's in boxes. They have the Salvation Army here in Korea, but I have yet to try it. So we will see if that works out. In the meantime I have a nice huge pile of clothes, books and stuff growing in my laundry room closet.

What's left besides my "stuff" is a lot of kitchen wares, items and also furniture throughout the house. For some reason I filled up my space here with 3 bookshelves, desk and chair, microwave stand and a large TV stand. All of which will need to go, as you can see by my previous post. Hopefully people will come and buy this stuff or it can be donated. The worse case scenario is just giving it up to the front of the building. Instead of donating it themselves they tear left over furniture apart and get rid of it that way.

I also notice I have a lot of art supplies including sketchbooks and other materials. Also I have my portfolio that I need to figure out how to get back home, either with me or by shipping.

Thankfully I have till February to liquidate it all and pack up my two suitcases for the move. Our school's Christmas vacation is coming up next week and so that will give me plenty of time to start squaring away these tasks.

Seeing and going through all my stuff made me realize how much I settled into living here in Korea. I'm sure if I had planned on just teaching a few years and moving back, I wouldn't have accumulated so much. Oh well! Time to head back home and start piling on more! ha ha

TV Stand and Bookshelf for Sale!

There are two items here for sale and both are in great condition.

1. Is a large TV stand. Dimensions are Length 149 m, Width 43.5 m, height 48m. It has five draws that pull out and an opening in the center for your entertainment device.

2. A standard bookshelf in light brown color. Dimensions are 120 height, 24m length and 38m depth.

Prices:
1. TV Stand: 70,000 Won
2. Bookshelf: 10,000 Won

GET BOTH for 60,000 Won!

You have to come and pick this up and I live in Nowon, Seoul. More stuff for sale as time goes by, but items seen on this stuff is not for sale.

Thank you!