Divinity Attempted

We had a long discussion about Christmas cookies yesterday and so we got excited about making Christmas cookies. Several obstacles presented themselves but we were undeterred. A midnight run to Homeplus wasn't fruitless though we had to make some judgement calls on substitution ingredients because products are quite the same as they are in the states.

Besides not having or being able to purchase all of the ingredients, we don't have an oven to attempt baking. All things considered, I decided to attempt divinity which is a challenging candy without the aforementioned obstacles.

I had to substitute rice syrup for corn syrup and instead of vanilla extract or even vanilla beans, they had vanilla flavoring powder. Because our supply run to Homeplus was at midnight, the store was in the middle of stocking shelves and rearranging merchandise. Unfortunately, they were rearranging all of the cooking utensils and so I was unable to find a candy thermometer.

The old fashioned way of making candy calls for dipping the syrup into an ice water bath to determine the 'hard ball stage' or the 'firm crack stage'. I attempted this and was pretty certain I had succeeded. With great effort, I also succeeded in whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks without an electric mixer.

Everything seemed primed for my divinity to be, well, divine. I combined the egg whites and hot syrup and began the mixing process. Twenty minutes of stirring later, I conceded.

My divinity didn't set up. With another attempt, I might succeed. But I don't feel bad because my mother's divinity didn't set up either this year and she didn't have said obstacles. (Her second batch worked like a charm.)

My roommate's cannolis were slightly more successful. If time permits we might use a co-workers oven and attempt sour cream sugar cookies (with substitution for the sour cream because they don't sell sour cream in Korea). I'll let you know how that turns out!

Mayans, Misdemeanors, and Merriment

The day started out with a bus ride into the western outskirts of Seoul. It is so much different to travel to Seoul above ground. Riding the subway, I lost all sense of direction. But being able to see landmarks, I could judge distance and know which way to walk.

We met two co-workers (one of which was an hour late) with the specific intention of going to a Mexican resturaunt for lunch. The proprietor we later found out was Korean but had lived in Mexico for two years studying the food and culture. Casa Maya was born and had authentic Mexican food, Mexicana decor and played latino music while we dined. I had the lunch special of two tacos and a cabbage salad. Delicious!

We split up and half our party made its way to a book store and the other half went to 20's group choir practice. We will be performing at the Christmas Eve service. On leaving the church courtyard, we couldn't help but getting a picture inside the gigantic lighted 'tree' with a sign that says please stay away and don't touch.

We met up again for a Christmas concert by the Seoul Singers at Mission Chapel. The Seoul Singers are a diverse group mostly from the embassies that do Christmas and spring concerts each year. Their program consisted of:

Let All Mortal Flesh

Weinachtslied mit Echo

And the Glory of the Lord

Carol of the Bells

Christmas is Coming

Willie Take Your Little Drum

Drummer Boy

Virgin Mary

Feliz Navidad

White Christmas

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen

The First Noel

O Come All Ye Faithful

Away in a Manger

What Child is This

Go Tell It on the Mountain

Arirang (a Korean Christmas song)

and a variety of sing along carols such as Joy to the World, Deck the Halls and Silent Night.

Adventures in Post Officing

Well, I am proud of myself. Throughout the past week I have written and mailed nearly 50 Christmas cards. It was surprisingly cheap to send the cards to the States.

I came to Korea realizing that I needed to get going with Christmas stuff almost as soon as my plane touched down. I immediately started to scour the greater Gimpo area for a store that sold Christmas cards...but to no avail. I ended up having my students make me some cards. (Great arts and crafts project with real world application.)

I walked into the Gimpo post office and was immediately greeted by a large display advertising the fact that I could purchase my Christmas cards there. (Note to self). The post office is open from 9am to 5pm but like many other businesses here, it runs on Korean time. Just because they say they'll open at 9am doesn't mean they will. I recommend arriving between 9:15 and 9:20. You'll still be the first customer of the day.

Despite the indefinite hours, once open it runs with amazing efficiency. You take a number and cue up for the next available teller. One employee monitors the lobby and helps box up packages and helps prep you for the next teller. I've never spent enough time in there to get comfortable before they take my letters from me and whisk me on my way.

I prefer being 'good gamed'.

Though I've had a few requests to address this topic, no one will actually believe the truth of the matter.

The first time it happened I was mildly offended but laughed it off as an accident. The second and third times it happened, I was appalled. I've been goosed, I've been 'good gamed', but I prefer both of those to being 'kancho'ed!

Kancho (カンチョー, kanchō?) is a prank often played in Japan and South Korea by young school-aged children; it is performed by clasping the hands together so the index fingers are pointing out and attempting to insert them into someone's anal region when the victim is not looking. It is similar in spirit to the wedgie or a goosing. (Taken from Wikpedia)

This was made popular by the arcade game Boong-Ga Boong-Ga which would never work in the west. I don't quite see the appeal. But to each his own. Just don't kancho me!!

Slaves to the little red man.

In Montana, we call it jaywalking, in Missouri they call it 'walking against the light', here they practically call it a capital offense. Pedestrian crosswalks in Korea are controlled by little red men that are on a timed delay in sync with the traffic light.

I have been told that Koreans will break all manner of laws from speeding to adultery but one law that is obeyed religiously by all is the law of the pedestrian crosswalk. This is probably a good thing because most Koreans are very unaware of their immediately surrounding area. If you pay attention to the sequencing of the lights you can determine when the pedestrian light will turn green.

As Americans, we start walking when the traffic stops knowing the light will soon signal us. The Koreans at the street corner often start walking across with us but then look up at the red man and freeze in their tracks. Noooo, they call and they point to the red man. They are insistant about waiting that extra 5 seconds for the man to turn green.

All I want is Earl Grey!

I am finally caught up with my postings so I can now post daily about this that actually happen on that day.

I might have classified myself as a tea drinker though on any given day I would jump back and forth between tea and coffee. I definitely don't like routine with my hot beverages. However, I am not sure I'm a fan of the green tea and brown rice that is so abundant here.

It seems that Koreans are willing to sacrifice taste on a simple commodity. The coffee too seems to promote minimalism. It is sold in individual straws that are pre-measured with creamer and sweetner as well. I can't make it through the mornings without some fix of caffine but I could really go for a good cup of Earl Grey.

My reading has been all but nonexistant since I got here. I am able to read on the subway rides into Seoul because it is a nearly 45 minute ride. I selected a strangely appropriate book in Bill Bryson's 'The Mother Tounge'. It is all about how the English language developed to it's modern form and how it became the world's language. For you lovers of the English language, this is a fascinating read.

Sunday, December 3

The elusive Seoul Tower...

I woke up early this morning and made my way into Seoul with the hopes of hiking up to Seoul Tower and having a nice view of the city because is was actually a clear day. First was distracted by the Christmas tree at City Hall and the parliament building.

Because I went to look at the tree, I was waylayed by the Deok Su Gung Palace. When I asked the lady at the information office how to get to Seoul Tower, she said you can't get their from here. Did she go to school in Maine??? She finally drew me a map and then told me about the many thousands of stairs that I needed to locate to hike to the tower.

After wandering through the back streets of Seoul, I found a set of such stairs. Not the right set of stairs. One of many 'fake' sets of stairs that only took me half way up the mountain. I walked around the mountain for an hour before deciding I needed to get back to the city before church started.

Note to self...Google Earth everything before you set out on an adventure.

I did get one nice view of the city.

On my way back to the city I found the Korean House (a traditional village) and walked in on the tail end of a concert of traditional instruments. I snapped this picture as the performers were scurrying away.

I made it to church on time and then home to set up our Christmas tree. It is a little pathetic compared to the one I know is being set up at home. It is the love and the spirit of the season that counts.

Saturday, December 2

Christmas shopping day in Seoul.

I had my whole day planned out. I would transfer subway lines for an extra twenty minute ride to a subway station at the Myeong Dong shopping district. I thought I was really utilizing the public transportation system. When I emerged from the subway station I quickly realized I was a block from our normal subway station that I could have been too 20 minutes earlier. Whoever invented subway maps was a genius and wisely condensed them to cover large territories and yet fit on a single sheet of paper.

For the practical minded of us who like maps to follow some sort of above ground topography, this is a huge draw back.

I did end up in the Myeong Dong shopping district and asked a hotel concierge where I might find a souvenir shop. She kindly informed me that the nearest souvenir shop closed three years ago. (Mental note to write to Moon Handbooks). An information booth pointed me to an underground shopping plaza.

The shops were tiny and stacked floor to ceiling with an array of goods. Ginseng, t-shirts, lighters, souvenirs, and many other items.

In one shop, I selected my items within ten minutes and then the shop keeper in broken English asked me to sit down. She served me a Vitamin C drink (it was cold outside) and proceeded to take 15 minutes wrapping my packages. She was meticulous. First tissue paper, then newspaper, then bubble wrap, and finally gift wrapping paper. I was impressed. Customer service is certainly a priority here.

The second shop I was in I found a moderately priced Jade necklace. I asked if I could pay with my MasterCard and she immediately dropped the price 5,000W. Thinking back, I'm sure I could have gotten her to lower the price more but I have some inherent problem with haggling over price. If it is too expensive I won't buy. I've never been good bargaining for price.

On my way home, the subway platform was surprisingly empty. It seemed dreary. Certainly not like the Londoner's cheerful 'Mind the Gap' ringing through the underground.

I came home to find our Korean helper teacher and my room mate waiting to make kimchi pizza. It is an authentic Korean dish that could easily be duplicated provided you have the right ingredients.

Recipe:

Lots of a thin pancake batter

3 eggs

2 big bundles of green onions

2 pounds frozen kimchi - chopped

Mix all ingredients and fry in a hot oiled pan like a pancake.

Dipping Sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon rice syrup

Friday, December 1

The viruses of a new country, new students, and a new culture have caught up with me. Thank goodness for Nyquil!!!

I was broken into the routine at the school very quickly and have already made my own curriculum book for the month of December, written lesson plans and started to become accustomed to a routine teaching schedule. The school was orginally founded by with underlying Christian values which have to some extent been maintained. Consequently, we can actually say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays, tell the history of Christmas and even include the Christmas story. I can't say my hopes of kindergarteners grasping the concepts are high but at least they haven't placed those kinds of boundaries on us from a teaching perspective.

In other update news...I previously mentioned my spacious apartment. I'll share some pictures though I'm not sure the scale translates. It really is quite large.

We went out for pizza at Mr. Pizza. The girls at work talked me into going. It was only later that I learned it was pizza marketed for women. The delusions of the fairer sex! It is pizza made with slightly less oil. But, the health benefits are completely counteracted by eating the entire pizza dipped in blue cheese sauce and served with extra garlic bread ;-). But who am I to say anything! We then went to see 'The Departed'. It was good and very reminiscent of 'The Boondock Saints.' Very violent, very graphic, and language not for virgin ears.

Sunday, November 26

Went to church this afternoon and we stayed to go to a performance of Handel's Messiah. One of the members of our 20 something group was a soloist in it so we went to support him.

The music was very recognizable but of course it was sung in Korea. Amazingly, the Hallelujah Chorus powerfully translates in any language.

Saturday, November 25

Laundry Day!

Many on the previous tenants (and there have been a lot with the high turnover of teachers) have left clothing, broken electronic equipment, shoes and a variety of other items. I decided to wash the miscellaneous clothing items and take give them away. The fourth Sunday of every month IWE has a community closet day where items for the needy are deposited, traded, sold and given away.

My only challenge is to figure out the washing machine. Anyone care to offer some help? See picture. Interestingly enough...Today (December 4) John, a former tenant from two years ago is back in Korea and called wondering if his winter clothes were still here. Were we supposed to just store them on the off chance that someone might return years from now?

Tonight is one of our Korean helper teacher's birthday and she and her husband decided to take all of the teachers out for duck. A week's worth of anticipation led up to this meal and needless to say we were pretty excited. We arrived at a nondescript tent set up in a parking lot. Questioningly, we entered to find large griddles set up on a dirt floor each surrounded by milk crates.

We pulled up a crate and proceeded to get a waffle pattern tattooed on our backsides. We had to fetch our own food and drinks and then we had to cook the duck ourselves (typical of Korean barbeque). The 'waiter's' sole purpose was to bring flaming hot charcoal bricks to heat the griddle.

See the picture of coal bricks and imagine red hot and spurting flames. Also, be sure to keep your knees and toes away as the tend to approach supernova temperatures.

I tasted my first soju and I must say despite the tent, the dirt floor and the self serve meal, it was very good.

We went nore' bonging after dinner. Kareoke is huge in Korea but unlike in America where you can humiliate yourself in front of large audiences, here you have a private room so you only have to humiliate yourself in front of your friends. It is a much better system.

Tursday and Friday, November 23 and 24

Thanksgiving in Korea. I celebrated Thanksgiving with my students by singing 'Five Little Turkeys' during music time. On Friday, some of the mothers brought in a Thanksgiving feast. We toured our kids around the table and we were supposed to point out the traditional American foods on the Thanksgiving table. I recognized the Turkey (and I am thankful we had a turkey) but all of the other foods were foreign to me.

We ate lunch with our students and I was surprised and pleased when our teacher manager asked me to lead a prayer for the students before we began eating. No way you'd get away with that in the states!

After class we went out with some of the adult English students. Many are working to improve their conversational English to get into American colleges so any extra time they can spend with us is for them very welcomed.

Tuesday, November 21

Students can't get over the fact that there is a new teacher. They come by the door of the teachers room every morning just to stare at me. I say hi and then they giggle and run away.

My classroom is small and in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint but for the most part they are decent facilities.

It was the Vice Principal's birthday today and he ordered in pizza for everyone. That was nice of him...And to think, in America we give presents to the one who is aging. It was reminiscent of Hobbit birthdays. They serve pizza with sweet potatoes as an acceptable. Unconventional, yes. But delicious! All pizza's also come with a side of pickles. Must make sure that palette is clean.

After work we took a cab to HomePlus. The Korean mega store. It is actually bigger than Walmart. They have items spread out on three floors. Imagine if Walmart kept its floor space and then expanded to multiple levels!?! They thought of everything as the gently sloping moving walkway took you and your shopping cart from the first floor up to the second or down to the basement.

Monday, November 20

We have a walking trail just outside of our apartment complex so I started jogging. There is nothing quite like the smell of raw sewage from a stagnant canal in the morning to wake you up! Gimpo is sporadically developed and on one side of our apartment is city

and on the other side, rice fields.

I had a delicious red bean filled doughnut for breakfast at a bakery on my way to work. Apparently red beans pass as a sweet pastry filling, a candy, and a dessert here.

Sunday, November 19

We set out for Seoul for church service. The other teachers have attended IWE services which are possibly the only English services in the greater Seoul area. It is about an hour and a half bus and subway ride into the city. We first met with a 20 something group who were reading "The Purpose Driven Life". Church is at 3pm. It is a smallish chapel in a larger church complex. The praise song singers start out the service and pastor Bill gives a detailed account of the Bible passage.

After church, the 20 somethings group wnet out for dinner and then we took a walk in a restored old Korean village. We had a really nice view of Seoul tower.