7-eleven Bus

Throughout Korea there are convenience stores and this does include 7-eleven.  Besides 7-eleven there are also “CU’s”, “GS25”, and various other smaller neighborhood stores.  Within any town in Korea you can’t go five blocks without seeing at least one of these stores.  Besides convenient stores taking up a lot of space, phone stores are the other retail building that seems to be on every other block.  With 7-eleven being so prevalent around the country it does create a unique concept for seeing each different city in Korea. 

7-eleven Bus

I introduce you to the 7-eleven bus.  This bus number is extremely common and can be found throughout Korea.  Essentially this bus is used as a way to see the city.  These buses stop in front of 7-elevens throughout the city (not every single one because then it wouldn’t get that far) and so it can be used as a tourist bus.  So a person gets on and off whenever it likes around 7-elevens and in that way can see the whole city and be introduced to a new city.  When someone does get hungry or need some sort of refreshment then it isn’t that hard to find food in 7-eleven.  In fact, it is very common to have chairs and tables in the 7-eleven so that way people can eat and enjoy their food.  Eating or drinking at a convenience store is quite common especially when it warms up and there are chairs and tables outside.  So anytime visiting a Korean town just find a 7-eleven store and wait for the bus to come by and start exploring the city.    

This week there still aren’t students around to teach.  They have one more week of break.  I have been keeping busy by putting out applications for after Korea and reading.  Time does go a lot slower without the students around.  A couple weeks ago I went hiking on the mountain by my home town.  Up at elevation there still was some snow around but it was a nice little hike.  It was shorter than I expected and so next time I will head the other way on the mountain (it technically stretches to the next city over).  It is getting around lunch time and I don’t know if someone is ordering in for us or I will have to head over to a little diner place. I will write later.   

Graduation

This last week everyone was back from winter break.  Now usually after a break it is assumed that it is back to work full force learning new stuff.  Here in Korea that isn’t the case.  Basically it was a week where no learning happened at all.  On Monday I asked my co-teacher if it was a regular week and she said it was with the same classes as before going on winter break.  I show up to my first class and the students were looking at me like I shouldn’t have been there.  I talked with them for some time and the students said this week there is no learning because every teacher is done with the book (curriculum for the year) already.  So the students knew that there would be no learning and the week would go by slow.  So I simply walked around my classes talking to some of the students, played some cards with some other students, and watched a movie in one class that was playing when I showed up.  If I attempted to teach anything I knew I would have no motivation from the students. I keep mentioning only week and not weeks because now no students are around because it is spring break.  So it is come back from winter break for one week and do nothing productive and then spring break happens right away.    

The reasoning for even being at school was for graduation which was to happen on Friday.  Graduation isn’t as big as back in the states.  I am teaching at a smaller school then the one I attended back in Arizona, but the whole atmosphere of a graduation ceremony wasn’t the same.  One main difference is the students didn’t wear any sort of graduation regalia.  Some of the students were in the school uniform while some were in casual business dress and then others were in sweatpants and a sweatshirt.  Basically there was no uniformity from anyone.  It did surprise me because overall Korea is a society that likes conformity.  Another thing that was different was the speeches and music performance was from the underclassmen and not from the graduating class itself.  There was one speech by one of the graduating students but besides that it was all the underclassmen.  Graduation started at ten in the morning and so at first there wasn’t that many family members present.  By the end the seats had filled up and they were ready to congratulate the students with bouquets, balloons, hugs, and pictures.

Overall the graduation didn’t have the same festive vibe as back in the states but I do have a theory of why that is the case.  In South Korea people live at home and stay in the same residence until they are married.  Sure some people go off to college but when done with that they live at the same home until they are married.  For school breaks and anytime off they aren’t traveling they are back in the same home.  This is especially true for the Koreans who live outside of the big cities.  Back home in the states that isn’t the case and having independence is usually the norm.  Usually high school graduation is a good time for that to happen and so it is a bigger deal than in Korea.     

So currently at school there are two other teachers and me.  School doesn’t start back up until March 3^rd.  So the next couple of weeks it will be slow and not much work.  I probably will take some days and go hiking or do other things around here, but contractually I am supposed to be at work.  Yesterday as I was walking home I heard some good sounds: birds out chirping and moving around.  I think that means spring isn’t too far away.  Even though yesterday it was snowing as I was walking to the bus to head to school.  It is still freezing temperatures during the evening time and the low fourties during the day.  I think it is colder here than in Sochi, Russia but no snow around.  Heading to lunch soon and so I will write later. 

      

Veinticinco Meters

So it has been awhile since I have written.  It’s because I have been a little busy traveling.  A couple weeks ago I booked a plane ticket and then a few short days later I flew down to the Philippines.  The Philippines is a country that does have a mix of influence from different countries some of which include: Portugal, Spain, and United States.  The main language of the Philippines is called Tagalog and it does have the influence of the different countries.  So for example the numbers are the same as in Spanish and also some of the colors are the same.  Besides that Tagalog is its own language with different dialects for the different area of the Philippines.  I particular was around the Cebuano dialect because I went to Cebu Island.  Even though I didn't know any Tagalog before going to the Philippines I was still able to communicate and get around just fine.  That is because English is the second official language of the Philippines. 

Heading down to the Philippines I had a couple of things in mind to do.  First thing was to find a warmer place for vacation, which wasn’t that hard to get out of the daily freezing temperatures in Korea.  Another reason for the Philippines was for the scuba diving.  I flew into Cebu City and then headed to a small town to the south west of Cebu City.  This town is called Moalboal.  It is a small town where people mainly go to scuba dive.  I ended up staying in the small town for seven nights and tried to scuba dive as much as possible.  I ended up not diving that much because the weather was bad the whole time I was down there.  There were about three days in a row where the dive shop I was at nobody was out diving.  In Moalboal it is possible to do shore dives but with the strong current and waves the visibility wasn’t good so that is why not much diving.  The dives that I did do were considered wall dives where we either swam out or jumped off the boat and went down to depth and followed this huge wall with coral and life on it.  With the overcast skies it was usually dark down at depth but I was able to see some neat things.  Some of the smaller things were: Pygmy seahorses (the two I saw were smaller than my own thumb), anemone fish, banner fish, porcelain crab, nudibranch, stone fish, scorpion fish, sea fans, eels, and various other coral fish.  A bigger thing that I did see was a bait ball.  I did see it a couple times and it is a big school of sardines that swim together for protection.  One time watching them there was some bigger fish trying to eat and the sardines would all swim as one avoiding the big fish.  It was this big huge shifting cloud that stretched for some time.  That was neat to see but I think the neatest thing was this: 

I have seen turtles before and this was the third one while in the Philippines but I think this one was the neatest.  This particular turtle was sleeping and didn’t even know we were around.  Plus the turtle is resting its head right next to some anemone and so the anemone fish were swimming around looking scared.  It was a good size turtle but simply the circumstances we found it in, sleeping was real neat.

 One of the days I did take a day trip over to Oslob (a smaller town on the south eastern side of Cebu) in order to go snorkeling.  I snorkeled in order to get close to these creatures:

Whale sharks have been hanging around Oslob for some time now.  There were about four different ones and were pretty big.  Also the same day of the whale sharks I did visit a waterfall:

The water fall is known as Kawasan Falls.  It is a three layered waterfall system but I just saw two of them.  It is about a ten minute walk back to the first fall through a jungle type atmosphere with lots of green trees.

After spending a little over a week relaxing and hanging out by the ocean it was time to fly back to Korea.  The last couple of days there hasn't been any work.  School starts back again on Monday for everyone.  Tomorrow there is a group of us who will be going snowboarding and skiing.  I will write later. Here are some more pictures from the Philippines.    

Typical dive boat 

Eel

Porcelain crab

Lion fish 

They feed by sucking in water like a vacuum and releasing out gills. 

    

Holidays Korean Style

Holiday season has come and gone with the New Year.  In Korea there is a big difference in the way both Christmas and the New Year is celebrated compared to United States.  In Korea these holidays aren’t as big and don’t have as big of a meaning as in Western culture.  Christmas in Korea is actually more of a holiday for people who are dating.  Simply it is used as a day to have a date and hang out together.  Then the very next day it is back to normal with nothing that special happening.  Since Christmas was Wednesday this past year, everyone worked on Tuesday, had Wednesday off and then right back to work on Thursday.  Plus there wasn’t that much commercialisation of the holiday around the small town I live.  I was up in Seoul in early December and there was a little bit more commercialisation at that time, but still nothing compared to back in the states.  They do have Christmas music that is both in English and in Korean.  The beat and sound of the music is pretty close to the same even if it is in Korean.  That music did start playing in a few of the cafes around Thanksgiving time, but it wasn’t just Christmas music the whole entire time.  The soundtrack playing did have both Christmas songs and then the typical Korean pop.  One of my co-workers on the day before Christmas talked about Christmas with me and he simply said: “It’s a Western holiday and not celebrated in Korea."  That quote does sum it up for how Christmas does ‘work’ in Korea. 

The January 1^st New Year in Korea isn’t as big either as the one back in the states.  I do clarify the January 1^st New Year because Korea traditionally did follow the lunar calendar.  The lunar new year is still yet to come but I imagine it will be bigger than the January 1^st New Year.  Here again it simply is a day off and right back to work on the 2^nd.  That night out on the town it was busier with the younger generation home enjoying the day off.  I have heard from some Koreans that for the New Year they will watch the sunset on the West coast the night of the 31^st and then drive to the East coast to watch the sunrise the 1^st of January.  Since I am on the West coast it was busier at the beach that day even with the temperature in freezing numbers.   Plus Korea is a smaller country so it is easily manageable to drive from one coast to the other before the sun rises again.

Currently it is ‘Winter Camp’ at school this week.  Essentially it is classes for the students during their winter vacation and not actual camping.  Since it is winter vacation they don’t want to be here and so very few students and motivation is pretty much nonexistent.  A couple of them are here because they are forced to be here by parents.  I have been busy planning the camp and finishing up the semester the last couple of weeks. School does resume back around February 3^rd but then it is only back for one week.  Graduation happens and then a few other little things but after that I am pretty sure a ‘spring break’ happens.  Kind of crazy to have a ‘break’ after only one week back but that is how the school system works here.  This weekend I am pretty sure I will be snowboarding which is about a three hour bus ride away.  I have been also gathering some more pictures of food for a later post.  The other day I did eat some "Sundae" (google 'sundae Korean food' if curious but fair warning. . .  not for queasy readers) with some Korean friends and it was good.  We were in a 'hole in the wall' sort of place in the middle of the open air market in town.  Will write later.      

Merry Christmas

" I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..."  So it still can be a dream.  It snowed last Thursday but since then it hasn't snowed. For that matter it has been warmer the last couple of days.  I hope everyone has a good Christmas.  Here is simply some pictures of the snowfall so far this Winter.

Snow on the beach?  Not a typical beach scene

  

Main Dishes

With Korea’s main reliance on side dishes it does mean that the main dishes aren’t as memorable when it comes to the food experience.  Of course this doesn’t mean that they don’t exist but for some reason we always seem to be getting the same dishes.  I guess what I am trying to say is that Korean cuisine doesn’t have much variety.  Some of the main dishes include: bulgogi (marinated beef), fish, fried pork, soups (big pots for the whole table to share), raw fish, chicken, samgyeopsal, and dak galbi.  The last two are foreign to most people but they are the two biggest main dishes us foreigners partake in and so I will describe them in further detail.  Of course that list wasn’t exhaustive and I am saving some stuff for a future post talking about strange food. 

Samgyeopsal is essentially pork belly meat that is cooked on this grill that is right at the table.  The meat itself typically isn’t marinated and so to add flavor you take use of the side dishes and a few other things that is commonly served with samgyeopsal.  Pieces of garlic and green chilies are a standard side items to be eaten with the meat.  Plus lettuce leaves, sesame leaves, or other kinds of leafy vegetables to make a lettuce wrap.  Another thing to flavor the meat is a sauce by the name of ssamjang.  Ssamjang is a chile paste type of sauce that can really be mixed with any type of meat.  Not only meat but it’s not uncommon to dip garlic into the sauce and eat the garlic raw.  One place in Boryeong has the option to have the meat cooked alongside this heap of a “kimchi” style vegetable medley.  It’s not that bad because the juices from the vegetables flow over to the meat side.  For Thanksgiving this year there was a group of us who went out for samgyeopsal because it is a bigger dish that is usually eaten on a special night or on the weekend when there is a lot of time for dinner.  After eating we proceeded to have a mini- snowball fight (I am sure we will have bigger ones) while walking home.    

samgyeopsal plus the sides

ssamjang is the red paste in the middle

Dak galbi is a dish that is real good and we do eat it quite often.  Basically it is some chicken that is spiced up and cooked in this skillet type pan.  Besides chicken within the pan there are usually other items including: mushrooms, carrots, scallions, cabbage, sweet potatoes, onions, potatoes, sesame leaves, and sometimes a few other things.  One other thing that is found in any Dak galbi place is a thing called dhuck.  Now this isn’t the animal (there is another word for the animal) but instead is rice cake.  Cooked in with everything else it usually does have a soft chewy texture.  Plus in some spots we know of where to get cheese infused dhuck.  It is similar to a mozzarella stick but with a different type of breading.  This mixture of stuff is cooked together in the same pan and then you simply eat out of the pan.  Of course the side dishes are right there so you can mix and match what different bites will go along with the dak galbi.  Again here they do have lettuce, sesame leaves, or other kinds of leafy vegetables to make your own bite size wrap.  I usually will put a piece of chicken along with some of the other things in the pan and top it all off with the ssamjang sauce.  

dak galbi being cooked all together

This has been a quick look at a couple of the main dishes that is best eaten in a group because of the quantity received from these meals.  A future post will look at a ‘diner’ type atmosphere food establishment or street food.  Here in Korea all the food is pretty much fresh, so saying street food or ‘diner’ type food isn’t that crazy.

Majority of yesterday and currently it has been snowing.  This weekend is supposed to stay cool but by beginning of next week it will warm up to the mid fourties.  Classes are still happening even though finals have already been taken.  The 27th is the last day of classes until January 2nd when there is Winter school for some students.  I will be staying in town this weekend.  I am hoping for some good snow build up soon so that way we can go snowboarding.  Pictures have been giving me issues to load so that is why its been a while for a post.  I am pretty sure I have figured out the issue.  Will write later. 

The button to get servers attention (mentioned in previous post) 

Introduction to Korean Food

On this day associated with a lot of eating I will start to tackle the subject of Korean cuisine.  This is going to be a multiple post subject because there is a lot of stuff that does go along with food.  I have been here around seven months and so of course I have been eating Korean food for some time now.  I have waited in order to gather some pictures and to figure out how to describe the food.  For this post I will start with the very basics of Korean food.   

First thing to talk about regarding Korean food is the utensils used to eat Korean food.  Every meal you get a spoon and two sticks.  Of course these sticks you work together in order to form chopsticks and eat with them, but they essentially are sticks that are a tiny bit thinner on one side of the sticks.  This thinner side is where you pick up the food with and grip with the thicker side of the chopsticks.  When I first did get to Korea I wasn’t that good with chopsticks and essentially had to learn fresh.  By now though they are no issue and I can pick up anything even all the way down to a single grain of rice.  There is one dish that you do get a fork, but to my knowledge that is the only exception.   To cut stuff in Korea you do use the chopsticks or for some dishes you do get scissors. 

After the utensils the next biggest point in Korean cuisine is the side dishes.  Some people may have heard of Korea being the “land of the morning calm,” which is true.  Another accurate known thing about Korea is that it is the “land of the side dishes.”  Koreans pride themselves on their side dishes and it isn’t quite the same as back home.  So side dishes come with every single meal and they are endless.  Essentially meaning you can get as much as you want and there is no charge to these side dishes.  They usually come on little white plates and fill up the table.  There are multiple different side dishes but going from one restaurant to another you will have overlap of the side dishes.  Some side dishes range from: onions, garlic, bean sprouts, anchovies, seaweed, mushrooms, fish cake, pickles, corn, rice cake, radishes, spam, and the list goes on.  Some of these side dishes are by themselves or are mixed with a red sauce.

The main side dish of Korea is known as ‘kimchi.’  In fact it is known as their national dish.  When people think of Korean food usually kimchi is the first thing that comes to their mind.  There are many different types of kimchi but essentially it is: vegetables mixed with spices and a chili paste left to ferment for some time.  By the time you eat kimchi it can have a pickled kind of taste, along with a spicy, or sour taste.  The traditional way to prepare kimchi is to bury it in the ground for some time.  Of course it is in a container but it stays in the ground to ferment and turn into kimchi.  Some main ingredients for some different types of kimchi include: cabbage, radish, scallion, and cucumber.  Kimchi does come with every single meal.  At first I didn’t touch the kimchi because I didn’t like it at all.  Now slowly I can tolerate it a little bit.  It does help mixing it with some rice or other piece of food, but still not my first choice. 

Last thing for this post is the ‘button.’  The button is essentially a button that is at every table which is used to get a hold of a server.  After walking into a place and sitting down you simply take your time thinking of what to order and push the button.  This button does a ringing noise and then you know someone will be over shortly.  The button basically means you won’t be bothered unless you need something.  Now keep in mind, there is no tipping at all in Korea.  So before thinking you need this button in the United States the servers here don’t need to work extra for any type of tip.  So back home if your service is good don’t forget to tip your servers. 

This post has started to look at the food situation in Korea.  Start practicing with chopsticks, be aware of side dishes, and of course the button is important, or you will never be served.  A future post will look at some different types of food that is commonly eaten.  Then eventually work my way to the crazy food that can be eaten.  Some of this food might not be considered ‘normal,’ but who is to say what is ‘normal?’  Snow is officially here.  Monday night I did see a little bit falling, but last night there was a lot.  It is currently snowing right now!  Not white out conditions but enough to stick around for some time.  Pictures aren't cooperating and loading up.  Will write later.