My iPhone Alternative

I really thought I didn't need such a thing as an iPhone, mostly because I have an iPod and a phone and really people don't call me that much. But then my friend was snazzily working away at her iPhone looking at a map and Googling something there on the street. I thought to myself, "Maybe I could use such a thing when I go to Jeju. In case I get lost."

Thus ensued a trip yesterday to the KT headquarters in Gwanghwamun with my friend and her Korean boyfriend (who was kind enough to help me.)

The question: "Can a foreigner on an E2 Visa get an iPhone in Korea?" Has a definite answer: "Yes." The issue of whether you really want the thing comes down to this:

• Are you switching carries, say from SK to KT?
• How much time left is on your current phone's plan?

You might want to consider these because it deeply affected my ability to choose the iPhone. We got to the store, which was like an Apple store accept full of KT people and a cafe. An employee took us behind a black painted door into a tiny room where my options were presented to me. At first he wanted to give me the plan that cost 55,000 a month, but I knew there was a cheaper one.  So after some wrangling we managed to get a hold of the 45,000 plan.

But then came the extra fees. Since I still have a year left on my old phone contract I would have to pay it up on the new phone. That tacked on an extra 100,000 right there. Then came a small fee for the phone and taxes. So the first bill was going to be about 120,000 won and my regular bill around 65,000. Apparently, there were 20,000 won extra in taxes and phone fee. The look on my face was one of disgust and anguish. For my friend had an iPhone and from what I knew wasn't paying that much. Plus I read on a few forums online that people managed to get a decent plan. It felt like the guy was going to milk me for every English teaching won I had.

In those moments I realized that I didn't really need an iPhone. I figured that all I really need is a smart phone that can do the Google maps thing and help me out in a pinch. I decided to get a regular Android phone, which my boyfriend helped me get later that day.

My monthly bill is going to go up but not as much as it would if I were to get the iPhone. Plus they didn't charge me all that extra stuff for switching carriers. The phone I got is called the SKY Vega, and it does the requested job of mapping and other such stuff.

For those who really must have an iPhone I would do my darnedest to try and get a cheap plan and without all those extra fees. But really it wasn't too hard to show up at that store, ask for an iPhone, go through the plans and get one. Also they do have English staff available, just in case.

Good luck!

Recent Artworks

JH really likes the one up there, and I call the following, "leaf flowers".

The above is a continuation of my city-scape studies, however I didn't really finish it. I kind of get to a point where I don't want to do more and end up liking the missing parts.

There is one more that I didn't document because I still feel like I could finish it, so we will see.

Hongdae: Lunch at Jenny's Bread

Up this steep hill and along a backstreet near Hongik University lies a little bread making restaurant that you might not know about. It is called Jenny's bread and I was craving their scrumptious sandwiches, which I haven't had in a few years.

It seems not much has changed over the course of time, thankfully. As you may well know unique restaurants such as these can disappear quite easily.

The best part is smelling the freshly baked breads and this was made even better with the scent of rainfall in the background.

For lunch I had the "Jenny's Sandwich" that came along with a tomato soup. 

The sandwich consisted of fresh bread, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and fresh basil. All slightly toasted and with some garnishing of olive oil and herbs. You can see there a side of home-made potato wedges. This was a very scrumptious sandwich even though it had no meat, and I especially liked the layer of fresh basil.

The soup was also a pleasant surprise, as I am not too found of tomato soup. It had a great texture and creaminess to it that wasn't too milky.

After we finished our delicious meals we stayed and caught up on good times, for I was with the same friend from the first visit to Jenny's Bread. I think this restaurant is a nice quiet little nook in Hongdae where you can feel comfortable enough to chill out during the day.

To get here I would take this path:

• Come out of the Hongdae station taking the exit that is closest to the main strip. Go up the main road that has the Taco Bell, Dos Tacos and Apple store. 
• When you get to the top and the road splits, go left. 
• You want to be on the University side so cross the street.
• Go up the street and past several alleys till you get to the one that has a GS25 after it. Refer to my previous blog post for better pics.
• Go up the hill and round the corner...you'll see Jenny's Bread sign sticking out of the garage wall.

 If you are heading to Hongdae and want to try something new than I highly recommend this place. Plus you can take home the bread!

Patbingsu Quest: Samcheongdong

Okay, so I am not completely sure what the title of this cafe is called but I am going to say it is "Rousseau and Rousseau". Maybe the name derives from Henri Rousseau who was a French painter of the post-impressionist style. Famous for his wildly colorful animal scenes:

Or perhaps the place is named after Jean-Jacques Rousseau known to be a philosopher amongst other talents. 

Whatever the reason for the naming of this cafe, we were enticed by it when we opened the door. Before hand we were on the hunt for a great patbingsu in this area, and came across a few options but turned them down. This cafe pulled us in by their comfy and casual atmosphere.

The choices of patbingsu on the menu included an espresso or a green tea one. I went for the green tea one since I can't stomach coffee.

It came in a large sized glass cup, with a mound of ice with milk and green tea at the bottom. On top were the usual sweet beans, along with a dollop of green-tea icecream and real tteok cake pieces.

The experience of eating this was one of having a mix of two flavors, that of bitterness and sweetness, coming together in harmony. I enjoyed how the strong taste of the green tea was subdued by the sweetness of the beans. However, I would have enjoyed crunchy bits which were missing.

All together this green-tea patbingsu was not bad and really felt original. Yet, it lacked a few things that I would have enjoyed.

Was it the best of the summer? It definitely hit a nail with being unique and also a different experience so it comes very close.

Have you ever had a green-tea patbingsu?

Haircut...

This is the result of today's haircut at Hair and Joy in Hongdae. I am going to be honest here, I am not 100% satisfied. Yes I like the salon and the hair stylist, but I didn't want it this short. However, as for a short cut it does look well and the shape is good.

Sigh, I really thought I had found the right salon here. But maybe I should have brought some pictures of short cuts I have had in the past, and maybe I didn't do a good job of exactly describing what I wanted. All I said was, "Cut it short to here (mid-neck line) and put in some more layers."

I still recommend Hair and Joy, but would say to make sure you be specific (which is probably what you should do anyways.)

(Any words of encouragement welcomed.)

First Semester is OVER!

My gosh did it go so fast! I am really pleased that this semester has come to an end. Of course, kind of not looking forward to three weeks of camp with the same group of kids. But, in essence the toils and trials of everyday work will not come to me again till September.

Things I've Learned:

First graders do require a lot of energy, but you don't have to put on a show all the time. They like games and things for them to do that can keep their minds and hands busy. Teaching at a private elementary school has a lot of benefits when compared to my previous job. I have enjoyed the lack of coteaching and love being in control of my own classroom. However, I have not escaped the Korean workplace and still encounter many snafus related to this. I've learned that patience is the key and one can be strict with the students but not take it emotionally. 

Also, I have seen that I can put a lot of hard work into something and feel like I am getting results. Even though I don't know for sure, because you never really can know, I still feel like I have done pretty good at my job and being in the Korean workplace. There were a few times when I screwed up on the whole Korean-ness of things but it seemed my hard work is shining over that and making it okay.

Where to go from here...

I am already working on my plans for the 2nd semester. I just want to get ahead so I can finesse my teaching style more and not really be concerned with material creation. I am really hoping this school will decide to keep me for the next year, but I have realized that sometimes things are still not in your control. In that case I am keeping in mind to keep my cool with my Korean counterparts. 

Also, I wasn't too satisfied with my home life after work this semester. I tried my best to produce works of art. But I really wanted to practice Korean and go to the gym this year. So that is why JH has agreed to help me learn Korean by sending me weekly lessons of his creation, that he will teach and test me on. Also, I will be signing up at a local gym (given I like the looks of it) this weekend. I really want to be healthy and fit, along with starting to use Korean more. 

Whatever, though! Because the first semester is over and despite that it was tiring at times, I feel I really learned a lot about myself as a teacher. I hope to share some of those lessons with you and what I did with my classes. 

For those other folks out there with their semester's ending...congratulations!