Acting Out.

Two Sundays ago the boy and I found ourselves on the beach strapped in a four person bike.  It was a beautiful day and we were with amazing company.  It was nice to run around, rent bikes of all shapes and sizes, and act like children.  We were even able to get some of it on video.

These are the spring and summer-like days that I'll miss spent in South Korea.

Haejang Guk. Nom nom nom.

I'm going to be completely honest with you.  Before we came to Korea, I didn't really enjoy Korean food.  I mean, I liked kimchi only because my Hawaiian family eats it at almost every meal.  I liked galbi because, well, it's delicious.  That was about the extent of my taste for Korean dishes.

I distinctly remember having a talk with the boy one night after one too many shots of soju.  He wondered aloud if I would ever learn to enjoy Korean food.  I had tried samgyupsal but didn't find it too pleasing.  I'm not a fan of shellfish or seafood in general (I've just started to enjoy canned tuna again).  I wasn't a fan of being given raw pieces of meat that you had to stare at while you cooked it's counterparts.  I did like ramen.  And I lurve shabu... but that's Vietnamese.

Well ladies and gentlemen, after approximately 22 months of Korean living my body (and taste buds) have finally welcomed Korean food with open arms.  Seriously.  I love samgyupsal (albeit a certain type).  I'm a huge fan of galbi- even more so than before.  I've found that kimbap is the new burrito.  I'll have intense cravings for kimchi mandu, and I'll never, ever pass up the opportunity to enjoy a hearty helping of haejang guk.

Of all of the aforementioned culinary delights, haejang guk is probably the most repulsive peculiar.
Haejang guk is called "hangover soup".  It's the food that you're supposed to eat to cure and/or prevent a hangover.  It's really tasty and has a homemade, hearty feel to it.  My co-workers and I often find ourselves eating hangover soup a few times a week.  There's just something so relaxing about enjoying a good helping of the stuff.

Maybe it's the ox spine?  Or perhaps the coagulated blood?  Or the way you have to carefully pluck the steaming meat from the rib bones? 

What do you mean it doesn't sound appetizing?  

Here's how it works.  Your bowl of haejang guk is served to you while it's still boiling.  You then fish around and pull out the chunks of ox spine that have been simmering within.  This is where you get to peel off the meat (it actually pretty much falls off the bone).

 

See that white bowl that's holding the chunks of rib/spine above?  I prefer to put all my chunks of meat in that bowl, throw in some hot rice, and pour some soup over it all.  That way I can clearly and easily scoop the appropriate amount of meat, rice, and soup onto my spoon, thus concocting the perfect bite. 

 

Apparently the rest of the world just dumps their rice and meat back into their big black pot of simmering soup so they can blindly swirl around in search of the perfect harmony of the two.  To each their own.

Take it from me, the girl who doesn't usually eat anything with the words raw, blood, or bones in its title; Haejang guk may sound disgusting, but it's actually deliriously delicious.

Korean Pillaging

Some call it an art, some call it stealing... others might just call it creepy and dirty.  We, at Captain and Clark, call it awesome. 

We're talking about pillaging.  Well, more like taking a load off of someones hands.

In Korea, when someone moves, passes away, or wants to clean and clear their apartment they often set their unwanted furniture and goods on the side of the street.  It's not uncommon to see a bookcase, drying rack, bed frame, or even a toilet laid out on the pavement.  We know plenty of people who've found their sofas or coffee tables waiting for them on the side of the road.

Our Korean co-workers told us that some people believe that the possessions of a deceased person are cursed and are therefore unwanted.  They've also said that while there are places set up where one can discard unwanted furniture, many people are too lazy and just set them out on the street instead.  It's a free for all, first come first serve kind of thing.  It's like a garage sale, but better since everything is free. 

It just so happened that our good friend and neighbor Owen Wilson (yes, that's his real name) left Korea last night in search of greener pastures (cough cough Thailand).  While the boy and I have everything we need, we decided that it would be an ample opportunity to teach our replacements, Christie and Brad the art of Korean pillaging. 

Did they find it enjoyable?  Take a peek for yourself.

 

Chrisie and Brad made out like bandits.  And yes.  Owen Wilson even left a plastic bag full of Korean change. Cha-ching!   In the end, the boy and I walked away with a few National Geographics (which I lurve), a set of speakers, and a small backpack.  Christie and Brad found a new bookcase, some books, dvds, a traditional hat, some bed padding, and a few other knickknacks. 

Not too bad for their first pilfering experience. 

Where did this come from?

 I was out to dinner and coffee with one of my good friends tonight.  Sarah Willey and I have known each other for years.  We met while attending Pacific Lutheran University and she's been a close friend ever since.  She actually moved to Korea (Pohang, no less) only 3 months after the boy and I did. 

Tonight at coffee we were talking about all of our plans after Korea.  As you know, the boy and I have a big expedition planned that'll hopefully take us around the world and back.  Sarah is actually planning her own trip around the world with intermittent teaching stints in Thailand and Vietnam.  We were both so excited about all of our plans and were discussing all of the amazing things that we'll be able to see and experience when all of a sudden, it hit me.  I was overwhelmed with sadness and maybe even a little grief.  I'm going to be leaving Korea... and relatively soon.

Korea has been our home for almost two years.  It's no longer foreign to us.  Our first 12 months living in Korea I would often have to stop and remind myself that I was living here.  Living in KOREA!  I would revel in the fact that we're living in this exotic land that we knew so little about before we came.  The smells were new and I still hadn't found myself craving any of the local Korean dishes. 

Now I feel like I know Korea like the back of my hand.  I know that I'll see exactly four red crosses beaming from the tops of churches on my way home from work.  I know that chamchi kimbap costs exactly 2,300 won at our local kimbap restaurant.  I know that the 109 bus from our little village will take you to two opposite locations if you're not paying attention.  I've learned that Korean grocery stores sell their vegetables fresh out of the ground and to not be alarmed when a mass of dirt still clings to them after their initial washings.  I know to accept things with two hands as to not offend anyone and to strive to wear matching socks as you'll be shoeless more often than you'd think. 

It's not only what I know now, it's also what our friends and neighbors have discovered about us.  The local shabu shabu owner knows that we like extra pineapples and two ciders with our meal.  They always accompany our meal now, whether we ask for them or not.  Our Hapkido master knows that we absolutely adore taking hapkido but are not too good about keeping our uniforms clean.  My students at school know that I have a love affair with cheese and when little Leon caught me eating a banana in the teacher's room the other day he pointed at me accusingly and said, "Tawny teacher loves cheese but is eating a banana!". 

I have fallen in love with Korea.  Sure we've had our ups and downs but to be completely honest, it's going to be a little heartbreaking to leave this place.  I don't want to leave our hapkido master and his brand new baby girl.  I don't want to give up my weekly trips to our favorite Fish and Grill restaurant.  I like being able to ride our motorcycle wherever we want and that public transportation is a cinch.   I'll definitely miss the food.  Kimchi, samgyupsal, kimbap, mandu, ramyeon, galbi, samgyetang.... I'm already drooling!

I know that it's time to move on.  I'm aware that we have one hell of a trip planned for us.  It's just that.... damn.  I love Korea.

And now I'm going to take this little pity party and shove it back into the kimchi pot from whence it came. 

whimper

Happy New Year!

... again!

It's been a little quiet over here as the boy and I are on a little vacation.  Thanks to Lunar New Year we have 5 days off.  Whoop whoop!  We didn't really have the funds to go anywhere exotic (although we tried) so we decided to spend some time in Seoul.  It's actually like being in a different country.  It's so different compared to Pohang.  Any kind of food you could possibly want is just a short subway ride away, if not closer.  I'm pretty much eating my way across Seoul.

So I'll have a ton of updates as soon as we get back, but for now we're going to enjoy this rare vacation as best we can.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Things that would not fly in the States.

Over the span of almost two years the boy and I have composed a nice little list of all of the things that happen in Korea that would never happen back home.   From parking (and driving) on sidewalks and hard liquor in claw machines to leaving your baby in their stroller while you have a coffee in Dunkin' Donuts and donning high heels while hiking; there are just some things that are unique to Korea. 

Today I bring you my top 3 things that I think would not fly back home. 


#1
Corporal Punishment.

What can I say?  In Korea it's perfectly normal to see a Korean teacher hit a student.  Students are usually hit on the hands with some type of wooden rod.

At my previous school students knew when they were about to get hit and would blow on their hands and rub them together feverishly.  I never saw blood and I never saw tears.  In fact, it seemed to me that the teacher's who were known for hitting, were also the most admired and respected by the students. 

If you could see how my old co-teachers acted towards the students you would be astounded.  Almost daily they would have one backed against a wall, pretending to knee or punch him or her while frantically shouting in Korean.  It was all (mostly) in jest, but either way, if that were to happen in the States, the school would be slapped with a lawsuit faster than you could say "Jake Gyllenhall".


#2
My direct and abundant use of the word "panties".  Just let me explain. 

If there's one important teaching technique that I learned from Aria it's that Korean children love the word "panties".  They love it.  It's kind of dirty and gritty, but still a little fun to say at the same time and the kids go nuts. 

It took me 3 months for my students at my old school to remember that the tricky little "y" has to be changed to "ies" to become plural.  Party- parties.  Berry- berries.  Ferry- ferries.  Nope.  They just couldn't get it.  There was no easy way to get it ingrained in their heads.

This year I used the word "panty" as an example, and let me tell you, these students haven't forgotten once.  Not once. (yes, I know that panties are always plural, but give a girl a break)

I even have a huge class of 6 year olds and there's one little girl that can barely read, write, or understand a word that comes out of my mouth, but you best believe that she'll randomly shout, "fire panties" throughout the class.  I'm hoping that "fire panties" will eventually lead to a more tactful exclamation, but I'll take what little I can get. 

#3
Nude spas (Jjimjilbangs)

I'm not saying that it wouldn't necessarily fly in the States, I'm just saying that it probably wouldn't be nearly as popular or common as it is here. 

What do you do if you're feeling tired, stressed, and your muscles are aching?  In Korea, one would go to a spa. 

What is a spa like in Korea?  Let me paint you a picture. 

The boy and I went to a spa about a month or two after joining hapkido.  We were sore and tired and we thought that a relaxing day at the spa was just what we needed.  I thought it was awesome.  You pay about six dollars and they give you a nifty little outfit to wear throughout your experience and you get to stay there as long as you want.  You can even spend the night!  There are several different levels and men and women have their own floors. 

The beau and I went on a Saturday and boy, it was poppin'!  There were women everywhere.  They were in the saunas, they were in the showers, there were at least 20 women in every pool.  There were women lined up along a river in the floor, sitting in between each others legs, scrubbing down their friends.

It was awkward.  Just a little.  Awkward for me and only me because I had never experienced anything like it before.  I had never really paraded around so many people with all my cash and prizes hanging out.  It was how I had expected Mardi Gras in New Orleans to be minus the booze and beads. 

But after ten minutes, all the awkwardness and nervousness subsided.  I had found a pool that was the perfect temperature and I didn't even have a second thought about my surroundings.

And there you have it.  There are some things about Korea that I will probably never understand, but that's the beauty of it all.  The boy and I yearn to question and be challenged and Korea certainly does both.  While I can't see myself incorporating corporal punishment into my classroom any time soon, I will be casually frequenting the local spas.

Halloween for the little ones!

So I know it's only the 29th and there's still a good day in between us and Halloween, but my fellow teachers and I celebrated HARD today. HARD people. We've been decorating and planning all week and all of our hardwork has finally paid off.
Preparing ourselves before all of our students showed up. We have...
Claire Teacher, the cat.

Aria Teacher, the Mexican soccer player.

Landis Teacher, the magician/witch/random character from Alice in Wonderland.

And Tawny Teacher, the "Indian". I tried for the life of me to get them to say "Native American" but it just wasn't happening. That might be next week's lesson.

We decorated the sheeeet out of our school. It looked like Halloween had a drunken night with a party store and this is what they produced 9 months later. We even made "Dracula's blood" complete with bubbling dry ice.






And then all the kiddos showed up. We cycled through three different groups throughout the day. Some of our students brought friends and we ended up having to change our schedule four different times. We had a ton of activities planned. The kids sat through a short presentation on Halloween, they sang a few songs and danced, they made ghosts and bat mobiles, played musical chairs and a pumpkin game, and got to show off their amazing costumes.

Look how adorable they are!














All in all, it was a pretty successful day. We only had one child shed tears (he's actually the one pictured above) and look at him! He looks like he's loving life. Nothing too serious. All of us teachers however, were done for.