A Few Things

It has been 60 days and 6 hours since I arrived in South Korea. In these last two months, I've seen, heard, tasted, felt, and smelled many new things. I've made some great friends. I've settled into my new place and city. I've traveled to Seoul, Sokcho, Suwon, and Daegu. I know I still have SO much to see and do, but for my two month anniversary, I need to reflect on my time here so far.

Things I've seen:
numerous dogs with fashionable hair cuts, colors, and costumes
men hacking loogies on the streets
women hacking loogies on the streets
students hacking loogies inside school
motorbikes flying down sidewalks
the North Korean border
ridiculous outfits on the subway
firework shows from Canada, China, and Korea
1.2 million people all needing to get to the same subway station

a dead man on a hiking trail at Seoraksan
middle school girls holding hands
middle school boys holding hands
crazily inhumane fish tanks outside restaurants
a traditional Korean dance
girls in 4 inch heels, tights, and a shirt barely covering their ass
people staring at me for wearing...gasp!...short sleeves or V neck shirts
men carrying nicer purses than I've ever owned
boyfriends dramatically waving at their girl friends when they have to part ways on the subway/bus/sidewalk/anywhere
Koreans sleeping on the street, in subways, & during a hard rock performance in a bar
B2ST, 2AM, RAIN, and BoA perform live
matching couples EVERYWHERE


Things I've heard:
my co workers smacking their food
my co workers slurping their soup
my bosses smacking their food
my bosses slurping their soup
a Korean lady yelling "Wae yo!?" (why) about 100 times at McDonald's because something was wrong with her order
a Korean man passing gas right in front of Keara and me in E-Mart.
men hacking loogies on the street
women hacking loogies on the street
people telling us to be quiet on the subway or bus
Koreans talking loudly on their phones right after we were told to be quiet

Things I've tasted:
onion juice
bitter ginseng
octopus I watched die in front of me (no English menu)
dried squid
many types of rice cakes
peanut buttered squid (looks like french fries)
sweet potato balls
Korean melons
Asian pears
some sort of organs in sauce (informed after I had eaten it)
dried salty minnows and shrimp
many types of kimchi
pizza toast...which is cold mushy toast covered in sweet tomato sauce and corn
red bean filled fish pastries from the lady near my apartment
dumplings from the lady near my apartment
soy bean soup (tofu soup)...one of my favorite Korean foods
sweet tomato sauce
sweet garlic bread
boiled chestnuts

Things I've felt:
The freezing cold wind laughing at my thin pants and socks.
extremely happy and excited
extremely sad and homesick
happy to have met some awesome people
lucky to have met another best friend
a gazillion eye balls staring at me and my brown curly hair, my curves, my weird clothes and shoes, my eyes, my red cheeks while running, etc...
sick to my stomach after eating a few said things above
extremely satisfied after eating a few said things above
under dressed every single day since I've been here

Things I smell on a regular basis:
kimchi
fish
sewer
pine trees
fermented bean curd soup

Things I've never smelled:
Koreans. They don't wear deoderant, and they never stink.

Things I've learned:
Spicy means sweet.
Sweet means barely sweet.
Not very sweet means a sugar rush from one bite.
Salty means sweet.
Salty means spicy.
Salty does not mean salty.
Ginseng, onion juice & sugary cough syrupy vitamin C drinks are "good for health".
Everything Koreans eat is "good for health".
French braid is pronounced Frenchie...no matter how many times I repeat it correctly.

Delizioso Cibo Italiano

Last week, my friend, Keara, and I went to an Italian restaurant near her place. Now, in Korea..."Italian" food usually means sugary tomato sauce and corn. But this place is actually owned and ran by REAL Italians! Cute ones too. Especially when they were speaking Italian to each other and putting pizzas into their brick oven.


Even though this was a legitimate Italian restaurant, we are still in Korea. Hence, the boiled potatoes next to the bread & olive oil.


My delizioso penne with tomato sauce and tasty red wine


Keara's fancy stuffed zuchinni

After dinner, we walked down the cafe street to a little place that sells sweet potato lattes. There's actually no coffee involved. Its simply sweet potato and steamed milk, and it is amazing.


Perfect ending to the meal

Even though this was the most expensive meal I've had in Korea (30,000 won or almost $30), it was well worth it!

What's to Come

Happy Halloween Eve Eve. I am working today, then scurrying to Daegu for the weekend for a weekend of awesomeness with Alex, Jodi, and my CA twin. It will be epic. Because of this, I won't be able to blog until next week. However, I the following things will be posted eventually:

My REAL Italian dinner last night, that I'm still salivating over.
My REAL black coffee I drank this morning out of my mini-french press.
My 2 month anniversary of being in Korea (this Saturday) and maybe even my 3 1/4 month anniversary of leaving the states...not sure it would result in anything different, but who knows.

and of course, my Halloween weekend in Daegu.

and maybe a post on chocolate, because its thats important in life.


Just thought everybody could use a little rainism to start/finish the day.

THIS is Halloween.

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Valley View ISD, ya heard?

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Jammin' with the fam

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Where my girls at?

Just a Typical Night in Seohyeon

I met my friend, Keara, tonight at Seohyeon to go to dinner and check out this language exchange cafe. We found some pizza in the food plaza...um, actually we bought some pizza (sorry, its been a long day). Since there was nowhere to sit, we would have to eat it on one of the benches in AK plaza.

AK plaza doesn't have stores like Gap, American Eagle, or even Bloomingdales. AK plaza is filled with Coach purses, Estee Lauder make up, Louis Vuitton rain boots, the latest Gucci clothing line...you get the idea. So the fact that we were going to split a pizza on one of the benches was pretty comical. However, once we walked upstairs, we realized nobody would be paying attention to us. Here is why.


For those of you who didn't watch the whole video, you're missing out on two Carrie Bradshaw moments!*

If you think that wasn't enough to take people's eyes off the white girls eating pizza in front of Louis Vuitton, take a closer look.



I promise I didn't photoshop this. A male model actually wore this on the runway. I was just waiting for him to start calling for Giselle and see a squirrel jump off his shoulder.**

And, of course, what good would a fashion show be without a Kpop dance?

Can you believe that? In a public place where school kids hang out, some of these girls are wearing tank tops. What is happening to Korea?

*Note: If you don't know which moment I was referring to...or worse, don't know who Carrie Bradshaw is, your life is empty and I feel sorry for you.
**Note: If you didn't get my Enchanted reference, go to your Netflix page right now and add it to your queue.

Seriously, this is the end of this post. Go add it to Netflix!

G i-ship con cut-ah

I can't believe its taken me this long to post anything related to the awesomeness that is K-pop. But here goes...

Single ladies: enjoy!

Attached ladies: Try not to get too depressed when you see these hot moves that your man can't and never will be able to do.

Last Saturday, I planned on going to see a movie with Laurie, followed by dinner and noraebang (karaoke) with Laurie, Brianna, and Keara. But then I got a message from my friend, Julie, saying foreigners could get in free to this G20 concert.


So after I read the list of performers, I quickly walked to my school to print off our coupons while texting L,B,& K to organize the change of plans.

We arrived at 3:30 at the Olympic stadium. I need to take a moment here to show you this picture. You'll know why in a minute.


Even though we got there early, our section was already full, so we had to sit two sections down. But this turned out great, because we were actually closer to the the center of the stage.

We took some picture frame photos...


and waited for the sun to set and the concert to begin.


Remember that picture with the Olympic rings just one scroll away? Well...
as we were waiting for the concert to start, we learned that Laurie is not a brunette. She is, actually, a blonde.

Brianna: "I'm so glad I getting to see the Olympic Stadium."
Laurie: "What? They had the Olympics here?!"
Me: "Yeah, that's why the Olympic rings were out front...and its called the Olympic stadium."

Anyways, the concert started and nobody else made any ditzy comments. I mean NOBODY.
So if you read a slightly different story in my comments section after Laurie reads this or on Seoul Searching's next post, its a lie. It's all hearsay. Don't believe a word of it!


Right, OK, so the concert started and it was amazing! The crowd all had blue glow sticks. There were singers from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and China. There were cool light shows during the performances with fireworks galore. And B2ST, 2AM, and Rain were there.

And Rain was there.


Here's B2ST performing SOOM. Yes, I screamed like a 13 year old girl, and no, I'm not ashamed.

(Note to readers: I am not a camerawoman. I don't claim to be. So don't expect high quality videos.)

And Rain was there.

But one of my favorite parts of the night was this song...the entire crowd sang the chorus together. My camera doesn't pick up the sound too well, but it was really neat.

And Laurie's intensity needed to be documented as well.

And Rain was there.

"Who is Rain?" Ohhh, let me tell ya. Picture the hottest arms you've ever seen (not sun burned arms, Dad). Now picture abs of steel. Then picture kick ass dance moves on a gorgeous face with a smile that could destroy the polar bears' land in a second.

Got that in your mind?

That is Rain.

I know he's wearing some interesting pants. But if you can get past that, you'll see what I mean.


And because that video is not enough, here's one of his music video. It takes about a minute and a half for the good part to start, but I promise its worth it!


I can guarantee this is not the last you will hear about k-pop. I haven't even mentioned 2NE1 or Bigbang!

SP3

If you are disappointed after this blog, don't be! I just have WAY better things I want to share! So let's get on with it...here's the rest of the pictures.



This is why my knees hate me now.


This is why my knees will always hate me.





But, it was worth it!


Why not pack a portable stove for ramen noodles and coffee?


Simba wasn't able to make an appearance.


This is the traditional Korean bed (aka a mat on the floor). I slept like one of the huge boulders I climbed up that night!

The next day, we went to the beach at Sokcho. I realized here how much I miss Panama City Beach, and I spent the 3 hours here standing in the water, smelling the salt, and watching this...



And all was right with the world.

Soeraksan Part Two

Where we left off...

The shelter. I finally got to sit down, get out of the raging wind, go pee (in the disgusting "bathrooms"), and drink some water and hot coffee in a can. Yes, there is such a thing as HOT coffee in a can!
We were only in the nap room for about 10 minutes, when they started to close it down for the day. I just couldn't win!

Let me just remind you that this was an 11 hour hike, and we had only gone the first 5 1/2 hours. So we left the shelter to be greeted with the most amazing view.

OK, so the picture doesn't really do it justice, but the East Sea is in the far distance. If only a Genie could have come to grant me wishes...I would have wished for a zip line to take me straight across landing right into the salt water I've been missing.

So we began our descent. This time it was much better. Even though it was mainly rock stairs, I wasn't having to climb and constantly pull myself up. We made it to the next shelter in 1 1/2 hours, where I ate my kimbap I had brought for lunch. The bathrooms here, I might add, were holes in the ground. But somehow, they smelled much better than the first ones which were toilets.

I shouldn't say smelled better....more like smelled less of rotten sewage death.

Oh, I also want throw my two cents out to Korea on something. Korea: you brush your teeth after every meal, only drive nice cars, never throw trash on the ground, always look clean and nice....yet you have NO place to wash your hands after hiking for hours and using the primitive bathrooms. WHY? Seoraksan was crawling with people. This is not a remote destination. You owe me some soap for having to eat my kimbap with my germ soiled hands.

Anyways,



We continued on like this for the rest of the day. Although we did stop to gaze at the beautiful leaves now and then. Unfortunately, blogger isn't letting me upload any more pictures at the moment, so the rest of the hike will have to be seen in part three.

Seoraksan Part One

Time: Friday, 9:00pm
Place: In bed, under the covers
TV: The Devil Wears Prada
Feeling: Warm, relaxed, and cozy
Sound: beep, beep, beeP, beEP, bEEP, BEEP, BEEP!!!

"Ugh ok, ok I'll wake up to turn you off!"

What was I doing waking up from a peaceful slumber at 9PM on a Friday night?

No, it wasn't a disco nap. Well, I guess it sort of was. Maybe I could call it a mountain nap.

I was waking up to grab my back pack, throw on my hiking boots, and head into Seoul. You see, I signed up for a weekend trip to Seoraksan & Sokcho with Seoul Hiking Group, and we were leaving at 11:30pm. I almost backed out. I was sleeping so good, and did NOT want to get up. And The Devil Wears Prada was on. But, no! I put my big girl panties on and got moving.

Why were we leaving so late?

Because we had to get there by 3am to start hiking to see the sunrise, that's why!



So, we all met outside the bus stop around 11:00pm. I met a few nice girls, and was feeling great about this weekend trip. I had a rough week, and was really looking forward to a break. I managed to sleep on the bus, so when we arrived at 2:30am I was pumped and ready to go.

Then the bus door opened.

"Whoa!" X about the 40 people on the bus...it was freakin' cold outside.

But, still...I was ok. I just added my hoodie underneath my jacket, and threw on my sweats over my frog legs and shorts. So we all congregated near the coffee tent before starting, and took a few pictures.



And then we were off. Now, before I go any further I should explain what my expectations were before starting. I signed up for the 11 hour hike. I know that sounds like a long time, but considering breaks and lunch, and the fact that I can walk forever, it didn't seem that bad. I was expecting a gradual climb. My mind saw switch backs and dirt paths. Like the kind I have hiked on in Colorado, Montana and England.

NORMAL HIKING TRAIL


KOREAN HIKING TRAIL

I took the above picture later on in the day, so the part of the hike I'm referring to doesn't even have proper photo documentation. I guess it was really more like this:

Ok, so maybe not JUST like that.

Anyways, the beginning of the hiking trail was stairs. I'm sorry, did I say the beginning?

I meant the first FOUR hours.

Rubber stairs, metal stairs, rock stairs, rock "stairs", and rocks. And rocks.

And rocks.

"Shit, what did I get myself into?" I thought. We weren't just hiking up one big mountain. We were going straight over smaller ones first. No switchbacks. Just straight up and over.

And it was dark and freezing! Yeah, I had a flash light...but it just made it harder to CLIMB up the rock "stairs", since both hands were needed so as not to fall off the side of the mountain.

I ended up sticking with 4 people: Kelly, Erica, Tim, and Faina. Kelly and Tim had been hiking in South Korea before, so they knew what their trails are like. But, Erica, Faina, and I had no clue it would be like this. We were a happy bunch, let me tell ya.

I could go on forever about those first 3-4 hours, but nothing will illustrate how difficult it was for us. Oh wait, there is one thing that might.

About 3 hours in, we were finally on a less rugged trail and we passed by a Korean man laying on his back with people all around him. And he was not breathing.
We kept walking, but about an hour later, an emergency rescue helicopter flies right over our heads in the direction of where the dead man was.

mmmm...anyways...

It was obvious we wouldn't make it to the optimal spot for sunrise, so this is the best I could do:




We were only about an hour away from the first shelter, when we made it to one of the mountain's peaks. The clouds were flying over us, and the wind was seriously testing my balance. But considering I would have fallen off a mountain if I lost my balance, I made sure to keep my yoga skills in check.



After a few more eternities, I saw it.

SHELTER!!! A BATHROOM!!! WATER!!! A PLACE TO GET OUT OF THE WIND!!!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we finally made it to the first stop. And just writing about it has worn me out.

Stay tuned for Seoraksan Part Two!

Seoraksan Preview

I made it back from Seoraksan. Well, most of me made it. Most of my leg muscles are still there somewhere.

There's absolutely no way I could fit this past weekend into one blog, so I will write it in chunks. Considering I have to get up in 6 hours, and can barely walk, I can't start right now. But, it will come sometime soon!

Get ready.

Freedom's Oppressive Neighbor

Last Sunday, I went on a tour with Adventure Korea to the DMZ.

The Demilitarized Zone, also known as the 38th parallel, is the border separating North and South Korea. South Korea is a free, technologically advanced, and prosperous country. North Korea is not.

First, we stopped at Freedom bridge. This is where approximately 13,000 Prisoners of War were exchanged after the Korean war. Even so, there are still displaced families and loved ones stuck in North Korea while their relatives are in South Korea. The ribbons are prayers, wishes, and messages to those loved ones who cannot leave the North.






This memorial is a popular place for Koreans to come pay homage to their loved ones trapped on the other side.

Next stop was lunch at a Korean restaurant. It wasn't spectacular. But, we did have a chance to buy different products such as DMZ rice, DMZ ginger root, and some North Korean products such as beer or soju.


I just thought you needed a picture of me in all this wordy mess. :)

After lunch, we visited the 3rd tunnel. North Korea began secretly digging tunnels into South Korea during the Peace Talks in 1974. The 3rd tunnel (found in 1978) is 1,635 meters long, and was big enough to move 30,000 soldiers per hour. It was meant for a surprise attack on Seoul.


We weren't allowed to take pictures in the tunnel, which is unfortunate because it was one of the creepiest parts of the tour. We walked 250m in. I was usually having to crouch down, and it's hard to imagine how cramped it would have been had the soldiers actually used the tunnel while carrying their weapons. The walls were painted with "coal" to make it look as though that's what the tunnel was used for, in case the tunnel was discovered. Too bad there's no coal mining in this area. When we got as far as we were allowed, there was barbed wire and a steel wall blocking it off.

Except the steel wall had windows, so we could see the other side. This is where I got weirded out. I mean think about it: a North Korean soldier could have been on the other side of that wall. I'm sure this isn't "allowed",but when you are on the wrong side of the DMZ, whatever Kim Jong-il wants is what is allowed.



Entrance to the underground tunnel

Then we were on to the Dora Observatory. It was here that my fascination and curiosity bloomed. First off, I have no good pictures of the view. This is on purpose. We were only allowed to take pictures behind the yellow line.




Best picture I could get from behind the yellow line


If you did dare to step over and try to sneak some shots, one of the South Korean soldiers saw you, and personally watched as you deleted them.

This is not because South Korean soldiers are scary like the North's. They have this restriction for South Korea's own protection. If I could have taken pictures from the edge (with a professional camera), I could have gotten some good shots of government and military buildings on our side of the DMZ. And North Korea spies enough as it is. It would be too easy for them to find pictures online and use them to their advantage. But we were able to see, through binoculars, the closest North Korean village on the other side of the DMZ.

"Cool, a North Korean village!" you say?
Let me rephrase that...
We could see a cluster of freshly painted modern buildings with a waving North Korean flag looking down on all of them.

In reality, North Korea built this village in this exact location, and repaints the buildings every year for one reason: to make them look rich to the outside world. Up until recently, nobody was even living in the village. Now, there are a few military families that live there, complete with their radio broadcasts in their homes to remind them how terrible the rest of the world is.

The actual DMZ area was really beautiful to see. 50 years of nature, untouched by humans. I just hope too many animals haven't stepped on the mines that are there. No, but really, there are apparently a lot of unique wildlife and plants in the DMZ.

Our last stop after this, was the Dorasan Train station. This station is mainly used for the small economical relationship between the North and South. The South sends raw materials via the train to a North Korean textile factory, and a week later, the train brings back jeans, t-shirts, and cookware. The North Koreans who work in the factory make $80 a month...and that's a coveted job.

In 2002, President Bush made a speech at the station, and donated a railroad tie.


Also there, Dorasan Peace Park was near the station.

While everybody else on the tour (and I mean every single person but me) bought a fake train ticket so they could go on the tracks, I chose to walk down to the peace park. I didn't know this at the time. I thought there would be other people already there.

But I was alone.

And it was surrounded by tall barbed wire fences with signs like this:



And there was creepy music playing. The music would change speakers, as if it would play only near me. And our guide had just explained about the speakers in North Korea that brainwash their people. I know this is SOUTH Korea, and it was just music, but still...I didn't like it.

I was quietly walking down the path, when I spotted a deer! I froze, with that happy rush I get when I see a wild animal. It just froze and looked at me. I snapped about 5 pictures, then slowly started walking, waiting for it to bound off into the distance.

But it didn't.

Then I saw a couple more. Holy crap! This is awesome! Are these DMZ deer that haven't ever seen humans?

Am I really experiencing this magnificent moment: walking on a beautiful day through a park and spotting deer grazing on some grass?

No.

I realized they were fenced in within the park.


Bummer about thinking I saw wild deer. DOUBLE bummer that these beautiful deer are stuck in this small fenced in enclosure. I kept explaining to them that the fence wasn't really that high, and if they just bent their legs right, they could clear the fence easily.

But they didn't understand English.

So that's it for the DMZ tour...for now. There's another tour through the Joint Security Area I want to take, where I will get to see the Bridge of No Return, the infamous poplar tree from the 1976 axe murder incident, and the buildings where government talks are curently held.

If I haven't explained something clearly enough, please ask me a question in the comments section. I am so interested in this, so I would love to answer anything!

Buying in Bulk

Koreans love their teeth. They love them so much, they brush them after every meal. I guess since they brush so much, they buy their toothpaste in bulk.


I hope I like the taste of this toothpaste, because I'll be using it for the next year!

Its Not Over 'Till the White Lady Sings

Today all of the teachers (about 50) went on a trip.

When we got on the bus, they gave us our own little goodie bags and some kimbap for lunch.

Obviously I did not partake in the "squid jerky". If you don't know why, please refer to my "Don't Mess With Korea" post.

We went to visit another middle school, because they are doing something new in Korea. They don't have homerooms; just subject rooms. We walked around the school after the short presentation, and I couldn't help but notice phrases on the walls like "Catch the English", Ladys Only, and Guys and Dolls. The building itself was similar to ours, and it was surrounded by mountains.

Anyways, after that, we went to the national arboretum. But I won't bore you with writing about the scenery. Just see for yourself...


That's right, I live in this country.



Eunji, Vice Principal Oh, me, and Principal Lee




In case you can't tell, I'm the the second one from the right.


English Translation: Jessica's Railroad Company


I called for Tuck a few times, but he never came...

By the time we were done walking around, it was dinner time. We went to a very traditional Korean restaurant, which for those of you who don't know, that means sitting on the floor. I've done this once before with Alex and Keara, but this time I was with only Koreans. This means that when I took off my shoes with everybody else, I suddently noticed I was the ONLY one not wearing socks. Alright ROK, I got it...always wear socks. Always. Nevertheless, I had no choice but to walk in and sit down with everybody else, so I just hope nobody else noticed my...gasp!...bare feet.


Traditional Korean meal: soup, rice, and approximately 500 side dishes = some deliciously creative lettuce wraps. And notice....there's no meat! Yay!

I also tried Macoli for the first time with dinner. It is traditional Korean Rice wine. It has the same rice taste as Sake, but its thick like milk, and is sweeter. It was delish!

After this long day, Eunji and I were both tired and had planned on sleeping for the 2 hour bus ride back home. But wait...

What do Koreans do after dinner?

NOREBANG!......What if there isn't a norebang nearby though?



That's right...the bus suddenly becomes a portable norebang. Complete with extremely loud speakers and eager participants. I should note here that the man you see standing toward the front is the Korean equivalent of Anthony Long. Seriously, I think they were separated at birth...and one of them has a permanent hair color job and skin color change. I just haven't figured out who yet.

OK, back to my story.

Eunji and I were both appalled that we had to listen to this the whole way home. That is, until the vice principal requested that I sing a song.
Then I was appalled AND terrified.

So I was searching through the book for a song they would never have heard. Preferably a country song. I came across Dixie Chicks' "Long Time Gone".
In my nervousness, I immediately thought this was the "Taking the Long Away Around" song...you know, the one I know by heart and would loudly sing in my car in Texas?

But this was not the same song.

This was an older, louder, and faster song. A song whose melody I don't remember too well.

It was horrible. I was climbing Lyric Mountain wearing stilettos and basketball blinders...during a mudslide. All I could do was embrace the hick accent deep within in me to help the situation. Now that I think about it, that probably just made it worse.

After it was over, I still thought my self esteem was intact. They were all singing Korean songs that sounded perfect to me, so maybe since it was an English song I sounded the same right? But then one of the male teachers chose a song. He said in the mircophone "for Rachel"...and went on to beautifully sing an English song. So basically they all knew I couldn't sing, because these Koreans are secretly talented in the art of American music.

As if giving in to the vice-prinicpal's request wasn't enough for one night, I convinced Eunji to sing "As Long As You Love Me" as a duet to redeem myself. Don't judge me-the Backstreet Boys are awesome whether or not you admit it.

So for the second time in one night, I sang in front of half of the teachers and principal and vice-principal.

I don't know where I get these ideas.