OMG! You can eat with a fork?!

There are many interesting things to experience when foreign people come to Korea. One of the first things you will notice (if you have not grown up in Asia or lived here for a long period of time) is that everywhere you go you will be stared at.

One of the amusing parts of me being new in Korea is that when I sit down to eat with a Korean for the first time they are amazed that I know how to use chopsticks. The usual remark is something along the lines of, "Wow, you can eat with chopsticks?!"

Once the amazement dies down a little the Korean sitting next to me wants to know if I like Korean food. When I say yes they are amazed again and usually say something along the lines of, "But Korean food is so spicy! You really like it?"

Korean's seem to be either excited and/or amazed at the ability of foreigners to adapt to Korean-style anything. In some ways it is amusing but after hearing it several times the charm slips away.

Jason and I went out to eat with one of my co-teachers last night. We had Chicken Dokgalbi which I find absolutely delicious. There is of course chicken, but also there is cabbage, green leaves of some kind, garlic, onion, rice tube-thingys (kind of like rice penne pasta shape) , and a few other vegetables.

It seems that just about all Korean food has some amount of red pepper in it. The different levels of spicy, I think, go hand-in-hand with how much red pepper is mixed in. When a Korean asks me what my favorite Korean food is, and I say chicken dokgalbi, their eyes get very big and they exclaim,

"Really? But it is so spicy!" to which I reply, "Yes, it is spicy, but I love it."

Anyway, dinner was very good and my co-teacher was kind enough to pay for all three of us (in Korea 'going Dutch' is almost unheard of--whoever invites people to dinner usually pays). Her English is very good but like most Koreans she believes that her level is very low--which it isn't--but trying to get Koreans to say "My English is okay," or "My English is fairly good" just doesn't happen here.

Jason took some pictures of dinner while it was being cooked. It is brought to your table uncooked and part of the fun of eating chicken dokgalbi is that you get to sit around the table and talk with your company while the food cooks in front of you. When Jason has uploaded the pictures to the computer I will add some. :)

So, my co-teacher and Jason got to meet one another and enjoy a meal. Because Jason has been in Korea for nearly four years he explained to my co-teacher that the amazement of, "Wow, you can use chopsticks?!" is the equivalent of an American, Canadian, etc. saying,

"Wow, you can eat with a fork?!"

which made her laugh very hard. The best thing was that she did understand what he was getting at. After the utensil discussion ended the varying topics of dinner were places traveled, hobbies, the differences between elementary, middle, and high school education and students, different kinds of Korean food, and sex education, among other things. lol It was a diverse conversation that was an enjoyable two hours for me.

After eating A LOT of food we left the restaurant and Jason and I decided to walk home to settle our stomachs a bit and get some light exercise. Jason took some pictures on the way home too. We took a different way than usual so we noticed a bunch of things we had never seen before. Everything in Korea seems to be vertical because the country is so small. So, you only really notice the things that are across the street while walking around.

I will post some pictures of dinner and other things soon so you can actually see what I am talking about a bit better. Tonight Jason and I are going to work out at the gym and then I have to make lesson plans so it will probably be tomorrow that pictures are posted. :)

Soyang Dam and Temple

On Saturday, September 20 Jason and I decided to go to Soyang Dam and Temple. The original plan was to go to Seoul but I am *still* coughing and trying to get rid of this crazy cold so a day trip close by sounded good. The day was not sunny but because of that Jason got some really good pictures. Unfortunately my camera battery ran out of juice after not too long so some of the pictures that I will post in later blogs will be his photographs. For this entry they are mine. :D

Soyang Dam is about a 15 minute ride from Chuncheon. Jason and I took a taxi for convenience but there are buses available as well. When you get to the top of the dam the first thing you will notice is a waterfall with fish at the top. Why fish at the top? Who knows...? lol

I got a pretty good picture of Jason sitting in front of the said waterfall with fish at the top. Jason got several good pictures of me sitting in front of it. Go look at his blog kimchi-icecream and you can take a look. :)

You can walk around the top of the dam to some extent but you are not allowed to walk across it (hence the gate (I know it isn't closed but there is a guard to the right who would try to stop anyone who shouldn't enter)). The dam is obviously very high so you get a chance to see mountains in the background. The lake is very clear and if there were no ferries to take people to the temple driving by every 15 minutes or so the water might be perfectly still. Would make for an exceptional picture if that happens.

Around the walk-able part of the dam there are many pots with flowers in them. I took a fancy to these pinkish ones. I think they are interesting and unlike anything I had seen back home.

Jason and I saw this woman walking with three different purses. She just kept on walking. Not sure where she was going or what she was doing. Made for an interesting picture.

1988 Olympics monument.

If you go anywhere near a Buddhist temple in Korea you will see these small piles of stones. There is a significance that I need to look up. I know prayer is involved. It is always interesting to see the different kinds of piles people choose to make as well.

When you got off the ferry on the other side of the lake you then needed to hike approximately 3km to get up to the Buddhist temple. Jason and I stopped to take pictures on a regular basis so it took us about 90 minutes or so to get up there. Jason took loads of pictures at the temple (I will post some later, I promise). This view was just a little ways up from the ferry and as you can see it was a very nice view. The day was overcast and rainy but we both got some really amazing pictures.

The river had many mini waterfalls and one really big one. This is obviously not the big one.

This girl is sitting in the middle of the river. She is holding a snake which I have been told by my Korean co-teachers is a reincarnated man who was in love with her.

I asked what the story is and thanks to the internet and a translation by one of my co-workers at Seongwon Elementary I found this out:

Princess Shuni of Yuan of China and the Lovesick Snake

The princess and a 'common man' met each other and fell in love with one another. Because they were in love they chose to meet each other every night. The king found out about their meetings and had the common man killed. When the common man was killed a snake suddenly appeared. The people who witnessed this event said that the snake was the common man reincarnated.

One night the snake came into the princess's room and coiled around her tightly and would not allow her to move. The king could not hire anyone in China to get the snake to let go so he decided the best thing to do would be to have his daughter seen by the best Buddhist monk in the world. In order to have his daughter see the best monk he had her sent to Korea. The snake refused to let go for the entire journey. Once the princess arrived in Korea the monk was able to remove the snake and free the princess. The snake was sent away by the Buddhist monk and was struck by a bolt of lightening. The snake died instantly.

The princess now felt free but also very sad. She did love the common man who turned into a snake.

The king was so greatful to the monk who freed his daughter that he built a temple in Korea to show his gratitude.

The princess was so sad that the man she loved was dead that she prayed for him at the temple every day.

To get to Cheongpyeongsa temple, a temple that has existed for over 1,000 years since its construction, you pass by a three-story stone pagoda, Guseong waterfall, and a statue of princess Shuni of Yuan of China holding a snake.
http://tour.chuncheon.go.kr/eng/

Elementary School

Today was my first day at the elementary school in Gajeong (pronounced Kajong) which can also be affectionately referred to as the middle of nowhere. It is about 45 minutes outside of Chuncheon and it was a nice car ride in this morning... going up and down a couple mountains (small ones) and seeing all of the rice fields and general greenery here. The school has nine students TOTAL and is set in a very picturesque spot with mountains, a lake, and some rivers nearby. I was supposed to go teach there last week but due to my awful cold I had to take a sick day.

In one of my classes I have three students which are grades 5 and 6. In the other class I have four students which are grades 3 and 4. One of the students from the grades 3 and 4 class was sick and at the hospital (don't worry, he's fine... Korean's go to the hospital for anything and everything... all of the teachers at all three schools have been trying to get me to go to the hospital since last Thursday just for a cold, lol).
The students all enjoyed looking at my pictures I brought from home. I laminated a bunch of me when I was little through my university years. They loved looking at them and asking questions about them. The 3rd and 4th grades all wanted to know "Do you like _____?" and you can fill in that blank with just about anything. Next week they want to talk about movies so I'll have to see what I can come up with for that lesson plan. :)

I didn't take my camera with me today but I plan on it next week. The kids are so cute and very pleasant. After lunch today we had about 15-20 minutes to do whatever so a couple of the boys grabbed some soccer balls and we threw them around (I didn't have good shoes for actually playing soccer).

So, with my six students for today (next week I should have all seven) I had a lot of fun and enjoyed getting to know their personalities. Most schools have 30-40 students per class for elementary here. It was a huge difference talking to only three students who don't know/understand English, but the Korean teachers were very helpful (and as their level of English knowledge is not spectacular it went very well).

The kids are so good here and they are so curious... it was a very fun morning. :D

VIPS in Chuncheon

If you want a really nice place to go and enjoy dinner one night and you are in Chuncheon I would suggest going to VIPS near the bus terminal/e-mart. The food is delicious and it has a nice, relaxed atmosphere. According to Jason this is one of the very few places you will find a "Western" atmosphere in Korea.

Jason decided to take me out on a date last night so we went to VIPS. I was so happy to spend the evening with him and I was excited to go out on a 'date' with him. I couldn't stop smiling!

I had heard about VIPS briefly before so I knew steak was on the menu but when we arrived and made our way up the stairwell with multiple mirrors (very cool entrance) I was surprised by all of the options that awaited our tastebuds.

To eat you have a few options: there is a salad bar that is more than just a salad bar... it consists of many different types of salad, tacos you can make yourself, sushi, pizza, pasta, chicken, and dessert! Who knew a salad bar could have so many options? There is obviously more than just a salad bar though, you can have different cuts of steak or several different types of seafood. Jason and I ordered seasoned prime tenderloin (trips to the salad bar were included).

We also had some "Wineade" (a very sweet drink that tasted like wine mixed with 7up). I am not sure how Jason managed to get this picture of me without my noticing but kudos to him for managing it. :)

The steak was awesome. Such a treat!
It even comes with a "Safety Fence" that surrounds it. In order to eat this delicious looking piece of meat you have to remove the "Safety Fence" and cut up the meat and let it cook on the stone dish. The meat is still raw when it arrives at your table and is resting on a small pile of mushrooms, onions, and other veggies (yum!). This allows you the pleasure of cooking your meat from still mooing to well-done.

Between the salad bar and the steak, Jason and I were pretty full... but what meal is complete without a little something for dessert?

The company was perfect, the food was excellent, and it was a wonderful night in Chuncheon. :D

Thank you Jason and VIPS for a fantastic night!

Jason and Me :D

Here are a few pictures of Jason and me in Korea. They are taken on the bus rides we have taken between Chuncheon and Seoul. He's wonderful and makes me use my brain... can't dream of more than that. :)


For those of you who are wondering about his sunglasses... he has prescription sunglasses (his eyesight is really bad) and with us being on the bus during the day it makes sense for him to be wearing his sunglasses. I will upload more pictures of us as we take them. :D

Having a cold is no fun :(

I have survived my first illness in Korea. Last week one of Jason's students came in sick and gave him a cold... it only took a couple days for me to get the cold from Jason.

We went downtown to a pharmacy and bought some cough syrup that is Chinese herbal stuff... I still can't smell very well but Jason's face and my tastebuds have indicated that it smells AWFUL. It certainly tastes bad. It has helped quite a bit along with a Canadian version of Thera-flu and plenty of tissues.

Jason has been wonderful and has taken care of me even though he wasn't feeling all that great. It seems as though the cold hit me harder (most likely because it was the first cold I caught while in Korea) but I'm sure that doesn't make Jason feel any better, lol. It hasn't been fun but it could have been a lot worse too, lol. The good thing that came out of us being sick is that the apartment is very clean (with the exception of one room).

If you get sick in Korea my advice to you is to find a pharmacy that has a clerk who speaks enough English to understand if you have a fever, sore throat, and/or nausea. In downtown Chuncheon it was a lucky find one day thanks to a cute dog sitting in the window of the pharmacy. :)

Pink Shirt

A day at a Korean Folk Village - in a PINK shirt! ahhh!!!
(For those of you who don't know, I can't stand wearing pink. It's not that I don't like the color, I just don't like it on me.)



There have been only two days in my entire life that I remember I have been forced to wear a pink shirt. Both of those days were in Korea! LOL I was part of Group D for the National EPIK (English Program in Korea) orientation and because I was part of Group D I had to wear this pink shirt on the first day of orientation for the opening ceremony and for the trip to the Korean Folk Village. The picture above is at the Korean Folk Village. I am holding a wonderful woven thing that cools you down when you hold onto it. I seriously need to find one of these for home!

Temple at the Korean Folk Village. It was very beautiful and when you stepped inside it was much cooler. The picture of me with the woven thing was taken inside of here. :)



Traditional Korean Music Concert! The guys played their instruments (different types of drums and a couple guys had small gongs) and put on an amazing show. It was a lot of fun to see the guys jump in twirling circles several times during the concert.


I got to have my name written in Korean (Hangul) Calligraphy! It's Julianne (not Kelly for all of the family members checking in) written on the sheet. This was so neat to watch. I still have it wrapped up at the moment, just waiting to find a good frame to keep it in.

It was a very fun day. I took hundreds of pictures (you can see more if you like on my facebook page) and met some nice, fun people that day. Good times!

I have a blog now!

Hello to everyone all over the place!

I finally have created a blog so that I can keep everyone as up-to-date as possible on the things I do every day and take pictures of. :)

I have been in Korea since August 8, 2008 and have enjoyed my time here so far. Dealing with jetlag and culture shock have been difficult and the culture shock thing still continues a bit. Learning how to be a teacher and actually teaching have been a lot of fun so far. Only one of my classes has been not-so-great and I think with time even that class will be a lot of fun. I hope I will have a wonderful year or two here in Korea, maybe more, who knows, and I will have fun sharing my experiences with the people who want to see my pictures and know what day-to-day life is like for a foreigner living in Korea.

I am living in Chuncheon, the capital city of Gangwon-do (pronounced Kangwon-do), which is about 90 minutes east of Seoul. I teach at three schools this semester (I don't know at this point if all three schools get to have me for the whole first year I am here, will have to wait and see about that). My home school is Wooseok Girls Middle School and I teach at Sangwon Elementary and Gajeong Elementary. The kids are wonderful, sometimes very loud, sometimes very sleepy, and sometimes don't pay attention at all, but they are still great kids.

Anyway, I will do my best to keep this fairly up-to-date. I have internet access at home (unlike in Newcastle, England) and I will be using the computer a lot to make lesson plans and such. It will be an interesting ride for me and I hope you will enjoy reading and seeing what I am up to over the coming months and years.

Love to all,
Kelly/Julianne