Christmas in Korea

This weekend was great. We had our Gwangyang Secret Santa gift exchange on Thursday night, which was a blast, Dan and I went back to Muju with a few friends for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then I spent Christmas Day with Dan, making yummy food and Skyping with the family!

Now let’s back track, so I can really fill you in.

Like last year, we had a Secret Santa gift exchange. A few weeks ago, we all went to dinner and then to String, where we drew names. It was supposed to be a secret, but a few people traded, others forgot who they had, and still others just hinted at who they had, like Pete. Oh well! So much for the surprise! :) Pete drew my name and so he asked me to go shopping with him because even though we have been friends for about a year and a half, he had no idea what to get me, so that is how the two of us spent last Monday night. Although I gave him crap for not being able to think of anything to get me, I must say it was nice to pick out my present, because those who know Pete know he likes some pretty weird things. Haha It also made Thursday night that much more exciting because I couldn’t wait to actually be given my AWESOME Wolf hat/scarf/mittens combo.

On Thursday some of us went out for Hajeongook, which, if I haven’t mentioned it before, is soooo delicious. It’s a Korean soup dish, known as hangover soup, served in a ceramic hot pot. The broth is delicious, and there are lots of veggies, like onions, cabbage, and garlic, several spices and best of all, lots of pork, still on the bone. It reminds me of home, because it is sort of like stew, and it’s one of very few Korean dishes that isn’t spicy, at least it isn’t at the restaurant we always go to get it at.   

After dinner, we all went to String and played a massive game of Apples to Apples. I think there were about 15 of us playing. After we got bored of this, we decided it was time to pass out presents. Rob gave his gift first and so it went from there until everyone had given and opened their present one at a time. Last year, we all just gave and opened gifts at once, so I liked taking the time to let each person see what they got before moving on. I think it made everything more meaningful, and also funny, depending on who got what.

I took some pictures of that and you can see a few below.

PRESENTS!!!

Kate with her "night vision" light up sunglasses! haha

BEST hat/scarf/mittens EVER!! :D

Ugly.. I mean Christmas Sweater buddies! haha

After the presents were all passed out and opened, we drank and talked and laughed for a while more before Dan and I went home.

Kate and I did not have to work at our usual time on Friday because our school was having a garage sale that evening. At least that’s what they called it. All the kids were told about the “party” a few weeks in advance. They were asked to bring in things they no longer wanted. Then they were given pretend money based on how many stickers they received since last Christmas. They could then use that “money” to buy toys, clothes, books and games from one of the classrooms upstairs, or they could stay downstairs and “pay” to get their face or hand painted or buy some food.

For the Halloween party, Kate and I were on face painting duty, which was a lot of fun. We aren’t sure why, whether we were being punished for Kate’s crappy job on Halloween (Kidding!) or some of the Koreans just wanted to paint because they thought it was fun, or easy. All we know is we did not get to paint like last time. We were put at the kimbop (Korean sushi, sort of) making station and it was tough. We made it for two hours straight and there were several times, especially during the first hour, where kids and their parents had to wait because soooo many people wanted our glorious kimbop!! Haha We made it fun though.

Friday night, Kate, Lizzie, and Iain all needed to get to Suncheon to take the midnight bus to Incheon Airport so we all just chilled at Club Davey (Lizzie and Iain’s apartment) even after Pete left to drive them to Suncheon.  I learned how to play Risk on the Xbox. Weird. Haha. Luckily, I already knew the game setup thanks to a game my younger brothers showed me online called World Wars 2, which I have spent way too much time playing. In fact, I couldn’t remember the name of the game, so I just had to Google Addicting Games’ website to find, and then of course, play the game! Haha

Saturday, Christmas Eve, Dan and I left bright and early, about 7am, in Lizzie and Iain’s car (THANKS AGAIN SOOO MUCH, YOU GUYS!!!) to Muju with Seth, and Julia. We made it up to Muju relatively easily, Thanks to Pete’s GPS,  although Julia and I held onto each other a bit in the back seat! Haha We arrived at Muju Ski School, the name of the rental shop and motel we were staying at. It was too early to check in so we just changed there and left everything else in the car. Then some of the workers dropped us off near the Mansun-base with our gear and we headed towards the ski lift and up our first mountain.

Now, last time I was in Muju, I only made it through one run because my first one took me so long and I didn’t want to make the others wait, so I just sat alone for a while like a creep. :) This time, I was determined to do better than that, but first, I wanted to help Julia, who had never been snowboarding. So when we first got off the ski lift, I dragged my board to the side bank and worked with her on balancing and doing the pendulum motion I struggled with at first. Seth and Dan were busy skiing and snowboarding but they did stop from time to time to give her pointers. After about a half hour or so with Julia, I was itching to get on a board myself and see if I forget everything Dan had taught me last time, or if I could improve. This board had my legs set much farther apart than the one I first learned on, which made it a lot easier to push my body in whatever direction I wanted to go in, but it did a number on my knees.  

I was WAYYYYYY better this time around. I got up on my own almost every single time and I wiped out and fell A LOT less often.  Dan took some videos of me on his camcorder and they are both below, just because I was so stinking proud of myself for doing so much better and having a great attitude about it this time around. :)

Watch me go!! Haha As you see some pro whizz by me... :o

That's really me!! :D

Shortly after my epic first run of the day, a piece of the binding on my board snapped off when Dan was tightening the board to my leg, at least I think that's what it was.. haha This meant (1) I would have to keep the board on until I was finished boarding, or (2) I’d have to call the rental shop and have someone bring me a new board. I have to give a HUGE shout out to Ivy, my co-teacher who brought Dan and me up to Muju last time. I called her at least 8 times Saturday morning first trying to figure out what the shop workers were asking when we first got to the ski school and where I was supposed to meet the guy bringing me a new board. It was an adventure, to say the least, and I was a bit cranky and discouraged by the time I finally got a second board. Let’s just say, there was quite a bit of miscommunication between Ivy, the guy trying to reach me and myself. Anyway, once I got the second board, I was ready to get back out there.

This board was a lot more like the one I used my first time out. The board itself was longer, but my legs were closer together. This one was definitely harder to adjust to using. I found I could keep myself moving more easily on this board, and I could move in more of a surfing motion than a pendulum motion, but this really freaked me out because I was going a lot faster and my body was balancing from side to side instead of forwards and backwards. Plus, I was on my own for this entire run, except at the very beginning, so I got a lot more discouraged, especially when I fell a few times while on the last big hill that was icy and REALLY hard to stand up on. Haha UUUUUGGHHHH!! I was sooo cranky when I got stuck there and I took it all out on Dan. Sorry :( Good thing he’s a good sport! ;) 

 Group shot, before we started for the day

Santa and Julia sitting in the snow.. on purpose.. ha ha ha

After this run, all four of us met up and took another half hour trying to get ahold of the guys in the van to take us back to the ski school. We were having the same miscommunication problems as I did a bit earlier in the day.

After we finally made it back, we got our stuff from the car and checked in to our rooms for the night. Then we went to a BBQ place to get some fried chicken and French fries. After that, we spent the next several hours in our respective rooms napping, showering and watching amazing, I mean terrible, TV. Dan and Seth wanted to go out for midnight skiing so Julia and I hung out in one room and snacked while we watched a CREEPY movie called The Others; I do not recommend it! We ended up passing out pretty early. The guys got back after 2am and then we all just crashed for the night.

You can't really read it, but it says, "BBQ Best Believable Quality"

When we woke up, we headed back to Gwangyang. I went to my place to clean up and get settled. When Dan came back a bit later, we decided to have a Chrismasesque dinner. We made chicken, cut that up and then added it, peas and gravy to stuffing to bake. It was really yummy and the closest thing we were going to get to a real Christmas dinner! While we ate, we watched Elf because I was in a Christmasy mood and we still had some time to kill before Dad and the kids we ready to Skype!

Of course, not everyone was awake right away, first it was just Dad, Michael and Abbie, but the others got up quickly, because if there is ever an easy morning to get up, it is Christmas morning! We Skyped for over two hours! It was so great to see all of my brothers and sisters and chat with Mom and Dad while they drank coffee, opened presents and laughed with/at me. I told Dan I wanted him to Skype with us. Since we were originally supposed to be going home to meet each other’s family, this was the next best thing. He was a great sport about it and he got over the initial awkwardness pretty quickly.

I also woke up at 6am for a quick twenty minute Skype session with my Dad’s family who stopped by the house later that day (home time). I got to chat with my Grandma, Uncle Don, Aunt Karen, and Samantha too!

I have officially lived in Korea for over a year now and I can now say that I’ve spent a Christmas away from home (last Christmas I went home). I must say that this Christmas was pretty great. I was still able to feel like part of my family and take part in all of the fun we have on Christmas day back home. I am incredibly thankful for my family and friends, both here in Korea and at home, who made this Christmas such a good one. I am very lucky girl to have the things I have and the experiences I have and I am so in love with my life!

This week Dan and I are both on vacation and we are taking lazy to a whole new level. We are both looking forward to this weekend, and ringing in the New Year with some of our friends! :) Then next week, we’ll be going up to Seoul to snowboard again!


I hope you all had a great Christmas, and I'll be back in 2012!!! :D

First Time Snowboarding!!

As I said we’d be doing in my last message, Dan and I went snowboarding this past weekend in Muju. I had mentioned to my co-teacher, Ivy, that Dan liked to snowboard and that he would be making me go soon. I asked her a few questions about it earlier this week and then she invited us to go with her, and her niece. We met her husband up there. She picked Dan and me up in front of my apartment building at 6:30am Saturday morning. Fortunately I was in a good mood, and not cranky like I usually am early in the morning. Haha 

She drove as the rest of us napped.  As it got brighter outside, I woke up and looked out the windows. It was snowing- in Korea! This is still amazing to me because I’ve only seen it snow here three other times, once on a mid-December day, very faintly, again on my trip up to Seoul and then coming back to Gwangyang after going home last Christmas. Anyway, this was REAL snow that was actually sticking to the ground and everything! Dan’s and my faces were lit up with joy.  Me, because it was weird seeing it, him...well just because he is weird. :P

As we got closer, it started to look like a country town, and then all of sudden it looked just like all the pictures and movies I’ve seen of “ski” towns. The road was completely cluttered with places to rent and buy gear to ski and snowboard, restaurants, and places to stay the night.

We stopped at a shop to rent gear. Dan was fully prepared and I only needed a board, goggles and padding. All of us already had pants and coats so it only took about 15 minutes here. It was fun seeing Korean girls pick out coats, pants and hats to wear as well as seeing so many of the guys in crazy outfits that I did not know were snowboarding attire. Only in Korea.

We continued on our way; both Ivy and Dan were making little squealing noises in anticipation and excitement! It was adorable and put me slightly at ease.  Then we parked, got our gear and went to change. The dressing rooms were in a building attached to the bathrooms, but you had to go outside to get into the bathroom. It was very warm in there. We took another 20 minutes or so to suit up and make our way to the ski lift. Of the two slopes in the area we were, only one was open by the time we were getting ready to start. Ivy and Dan said it was crowded but I didn’t know the difference and it looked pretty empty to me. As we got closer, Dan stopped and tried to show me a few things to do once I was on the board but then decided it would be easier to just get up there and try.  

Ready for my first ever run!

This is when I started to get nervous. I made him leave me and go for a run without me so I knew he would get some actual snowboarding in and so I could have time to freak out by myself. Haha Those of you who know me know I’m not athletic at all and I haven’t tried a new sport in a very long time so I was kinda freaking out. It only took Dan about 20 minutes to go through the line, get up the mountain on the ski lift and then down the mountain back to me.  He sat with me for a few minutes and then we got in line.

Oh My Gosh!!

I was sooo nervous! Haha Even getting on the ski lift seemed challenging because you have to go on this conveyor belt first and then sit down quickly and hold on to your board, because I clearly did not have that attached to my feet yet. Going up the mountain was nerve racking because it was so cold and I didn’t think we were going up nearly as far as it looked from the bottom. I wasn’t nervous about the height off of the ground we were but farther the distance I was about to go down because I knew it was going to take me FOREVER!! Once we got off the mountain, Dan led me to the left side. I learned that both sides of the mountain are for training. He helped me put my board on and then he put his on. This was before he realized how long this whole learning process was going to take me. :)

He quickly realized that he was going to need to be on his feet to help me get up on mine. So, he unhooked himself from his board, put it off to the side, walked towards me and helped me up to my feet, because I was completely unable to get up on my own at this point. We spent the next half hour or so trying to get me to make pendulum motions down the side of the mountain. This was a very slow process with a lot of cursing and falling but also with a lot of laughing and jokes. Because I was working SO hard, I was nice and toasty warm.  

 One of many falls

After making it down the first slope, I was starting to feel pretty good about it all. Dan was VERY patient with me and encouraging which was exactly what I needed. About halfway down the second slope I was getting a bit discouraged again and needed a break, but I knew Dan was antsy to finally be on his board again so I made him leave me AGAIN to go down the rest of the way and then meet me back there. This took another 20 or so minutes and it gave me a chance to think about the experience thus far and I decided here, all alone sitting in the snow, that I liked it. I was having fun and it wasn’t a cold as I thought it would be!  

Standing :)

When Dan met up with me again, I got up and got going quickly and we made it down to the flat part of the mountain. We took off our boards (read: he helped me with mine) and walked to the right side. Once he helped me put my board back on, he walked down the mountain as I rode down. He loved that I was going faster than him, not falling or anything. I did fall pretty badly one time on this part. It KILLED my knees, but I was determined to finish my first ever run standing, so I got back up and didn’t fall again! :)

Yes, that's really me!

After finally making it down once, this took about an hour and a half, we met up with Ivy and the others for some fried chicken. Then they all left me to go back out. I was happy with my one run and there was only another hour and a half before they closed both slopes for a while so I decided to sit and wait while the others went boarding. This way no one had to worry about me, and I didn’t have to rush. Haha 

 Dan and I about to leave Muju after a successful day!

Check out this video of me trying to snowboard! It's pretty entertaining!

Dan and I were originally going to stay the night but I decided I wanted to be back home, especially knowing how sore I was going to be in the morning. I REALLY did not want to sit on a bus for a few hours and then walk to my place the next day. So, we headed home with Ivy, her husband and niece, got home around 7:30, watched Dumb and Dumber and PASSED OUT!! Aren’t we wild?!

All in all, it was a great experience. I got hurt, but I had expected that and it was totally worth it. My “injuries” were ones that could have been avoided. So I’m looking forward to going again, staying the night and making a whole show of it. We are trying to set up a group trip with some friends, but that has proved tough to coordinate with everyone about to go their separate ways on vacations, so hopefully that works out in the next few months. Either way, Dan wants to take me up to Seoul to a place he knows, so that should be fun! Yay!! :)

"Cooking" Kimchi!

So today’s topic: kimchi. For those of you not familiar with Korea and Korean culture, let me introduce you to what is likely the most popular food in the country.

Kimchi is a food made in huge batches through a long, arduous process. You can buy kimchi from a supermarket, a street vendor, or at a restaurant but many people choose to make the spicy side dish themselves.

There are literally hundreds of recipes for kimchi, but the typical one includes a vegetable, lots of water and a variety of spices. Napa cabbage is by far the most popular vegetable used in the dish, but I’ve seen green onions, radishes and cucumbers too. The spices included and the amounts of each vary by recipe but most recipes require: salt, Korean chili powder (which is finely ground, not flakey), green onions, brown onions, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, ginger, sticky rice starch and white radish.

I am going to explain briefly how to make it, but let it be known that I have never made kimchi from beginning to end, and I am certainly not pretending to know all about it. I just wanted to give an overview of the process as I see it since I’ve been here over a year, LOVE the food and recently “helped” the staff at my school make a large batch. If you want to know how to make it yourself, it is very easy to do a quick Goggle search and find a recipe with detailed instructions.  

From what I’ve seen of ajummas (Korean word meaning older women) making kimchi, I know it takes A LOT of effort. You start by washing off the cabbage, or whatever vegetable you are going to use, and then soaking it in huge tubs of water and salt. This helps take the crunchiness out of the cabbage and makes it ready to ferment. I’m not sure how long to leave the cabbage sitting, but it’s at least overnight. Meanwhile, you combine the other ingredients and make a sort of paste out of them.

Once your cabbage is nice and limp, you can rinse it, wring out the water, and then coat each leaf with the spicy paste. You truly cannot be too generous with the paste; seriously- the more, the better.  Once this is done, you roll up the messy cabbage and place it into dark plastic containers with a lid to let the fermenting process occur. This takes at least a few days and then you can put your kimchi into a type of storage container, like a giant kimchi fridge. Yes, that is exactly what it sounds like, a fridge containing nothing but kimchi. Many Koreans have these in their homes and they are also a staple in restaurants. These exist as a way to keep kimchi fresh and away from other refrigerated foods so that the kimchi smell does not cling to them.

Kimchi Fridge at my school

As I said above, I am no kimchi expert, but I have witnessed kimchi being made, at random times, in various stages.  Last week, my school decided to whip up a giant batch of the staple delicacy right at school. They took a “field trip” to a garden somewhere nearby to pick cabbage. Then they brought it back to school and had the kids bring it outside to be rinsed off and soaked in tubs outside. The kids thought it was the most exciting thing ever, naturally.  A few days later, last Wednesday, we were all called into the cooking room during some morning classes. All the kids put on their art shirts, to stay clean, and adult size plastic gloves were taped around their wrists. They were each given a tray with some cabbage and sauce to smear it on.  This is the only part of the process I’ve actually helped with, and it was only on two small bundles of cabbage.  Still it was fun, and another experience! Check out a few more pictures from that day below.

Sally, and some other students preparing to make kimchi!

Kate and I

Ready for storage!

As always, thank you for reading! I’m going snowboarding this weekend for the first time EVER so I’ll be sure to get lots of pictures to keep it interesting!