I'm no longer in Korea, but don't worry, I'm still having adventures and eating great food! I'm spending the year teaching English in Athens, Greece. Check out my new blog here:
If you have any questions about Korea though, feel free to comment here and I'll do my best to help you out!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
See you later, Korea!
I'm all packed up and ready to go! My summer here has been a great experience. I learned Korean, made a lot of friends and got to see quite a bit of this beautiful country. I couldn't have asked for more. For the time being, this is the end of the line for Summer in Seoul, but who knows when I'll be back?
In the meantime, if you're looking for more information or thinking about coming to Korea, here are some sites that I've found useful:
Discovering Korea
http://discoveringkorea.wordpress.com/
A good source of ideas about places to go and things to do. They also provide good background information and history about their recommendations.
Seoul Hiking Club
http://www.hikingkorea.com/
This is a good group of hikers who travel all over Korea hiking together. Every Saturday a group of English-speakers (foreigners and Koreans) gets together. It's a good introduction to Korean hiking, but personally I prefer to strike out on my own. They're a great source of ideas about places to go though.
The Royal Asiatic Society-Korea
http://www.raskb.com/
Probably the best English language lectures open to the public in Korea. They bring in great speakers and tickets are generally very cheap.
Korean Multimedia Dictionary
http://www.indiana.edu/~koreanrs/kordic.html
You've got to check this out if you're at all interested in learning Korean. It's a great resource to build up vocabulary and hear the correct pronunciation. There's also a similar site for learning Hangeul (Korean writing).
In the meantime, if you're looking for more information or thinking about coming to Korea, here are some sites that I've found useful:
Discovering Korea
http://discoveringkorea.wordpress.com/
A good source of ideas about places to go and things to do. They also provide good background information and history about their recommendations.
Seoul Hiking Club
http://www.hikingkorea.com/
This is a good group of hikers who travel all over Korea hiking together. Every Saturday a group of English-speakers (foreigners and Koreans) gets together. It's a good introduction to Korean hiking, but personally I prefer to strike out on my own. They're a great source of ideas about places to go though.
The Royal Asiatic Society-Korea
http://www.raskb.com/
Probably the best English language lectures open to the public in Korea. They bring in great speakers and tickets are generally very cheap.
Korean Multimedia Dictionary
http://www.indiana.edu/~koreanrs/kordic.html
You've got to check this out if you're at all interested in learning Korean. It's a great resource to build up vocabulary and hear the correct pronunciation. There's also a similar site for learning Hangeul (Korean writing).
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Galbi Celebration
Classes officially ended today! Tomorrow we have our final ceremony and I'm supposed to represent our class by making a speech in Korean. Still not quite sure what I'm going to say (or how I'm going to say it!)...
Tonight our class went out together to eat galbi (beef ribs), which Suwon is famous for. It's a bit pricey but it's pretty much the equivalent of getting a steak.
The restaurant we went to was called "Bon-Suwon-Galbi," and it was one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. The waitresses were really surprised to hear so many foreigners speaking Korean with each other. They rewarded us with more food than I could ever possibly have eaten. I know our teacher felt really proud. We all toasted her and told her how great it's been studying with her.
(the photos are from the restaurant's website, I forgot to bring my camera)
Tonight our class went out together to eat galbi (beef ribs), which Suwon is famous for. It's a bit pricey but it's pretty much the equivalent of getting a steak.
The restaurant we went to was called "Bon-Suwon-Galbi," and it was one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. The waitresses were really surprised to hear so many foreigners speaking Korean with each other. They rewarded us with more food than I could ever possibly have eaten. I know our teacher felt really proud. We all toasted her and told her how great it's been studying with her.
(the photos are from the restaurant's website, I forgot to bring my camera)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Highway Travel
I've gotten a lot of questions recently about the ups and downs of life in Korea. One thing I always mention as a huge plus (that you might not think of) is how easy it is to travel here. South Korea's not all that large, about the size of Indiana, but on top of that, it has an amazing network of trains and intercity buses. All of which are cheap and leave on time.
In general, any bus journey of longer than an hour and a half stops at a rest area (like this one here). During your 15 minute break, you can go to the bathroom, walk around or purchase food at the outdoor stalls.
Don't tell me that you weren't craving toast, skewered fish cakes or grilled cuttlefish on your last road trip!
Of course you could always stock up on snacks at the rest area convenience store. Any takers for peanut buttered roast squid or seasoned dried pollack?
In general, any bus journey of longer than an hour and a half stops at a rest area (like this one here). During your 15 minute break, you can go to the bathroom, walk around or purchase food at the outdoor stalls.
Don't tell me that you weren't craving toast, skewered fish cakes or grilled cuttlefish on your last road trip!
Of course you could always stock up on snacks at the rest area convenience store. Any takers for peanut buttered roast squid or seasoned dried pollack?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Going Out in Korea
It's my last week here in Suwon! I've been busy taking tests, spending time with friends and enjoying the last moments of Korea. Tomorrow I will have officially finished a year's worth of college Korean in just under 8 weeks. Which obviously calls for a celebration.
A night out in Korea is sort of like going out in the U.S. The loud rap songs have the exact same beats (but the lyrics are in Korean). People dance. People drink.
There are some key differences though. The alcohol of choice in Korea is called soju, Korean vodka made from rice. When you pour a glass of soju for a higher status individual (boss, parent or even older friend), you pour with both hands on the bottle. When you drink, you turn away from the honored individual.
Another crucial difference is that anytime your cup is empty, a Korean is going to refill it. So while in America you'd drain your glass, in Korea you better keep something in there or else you're in for another round. This cultural difference can (and has) led to many an unfortunate night for an American drinking with Korean friends.
Korean bars generally require that you order some small snacks or food with your drinks, called anju. If you just want a beer, there are no open container laws (at least none enforced) so grab a can from the nearest convenience store and sip to your heart's content. A lot of convenience stores even provide plastic tables and chairs outside for this exact purpose.
It's not a real Korean night out unless you end up at a noraebang, Korean karaoke room. You can find these everywhere (even rural towns in the south without the Internet had noraebangs).
Now you're ready for Korean nightlife. Gombei (cheers)!
A night out in Korea is sort of like going out in the U.S. The loud rap songs have the exact same beats (but the lyrics are in Korean). People dance. People drink.
There are some key differences though. The alcohol of choice in Korea is called soju, Korean vodka made from rice. When you pour a glass of soju for a higher status individual (boss, parent or even older friend), you pour with both hands on the bottle. When you drink, you turn away from the honored individual.
Another crucial difference is that anytime your cup is empty, a Korean is going to refill it. So while in America you'd drain your glass, in Korea you better keep something in there or else you're in for another round. This cultural difference can (and has) led to many an unfortunate night for an American drinking with Korean friends.
Korean bars generally require that you order some small snacks or food with your drinks, called anju. If you just want a beer, there are no open container laws (at least none enforced) so grab a can from the nearest convenience store and sip to your heart's content. A lot of convenience stores even provide plastic tables and chairs outside for this exact purpose.
It's not a real Korean night out unless you end up at a noraebang, Korean karaoke room. You can find these everywhere (even rural towns in the south without the Internet had noraebangs).
Now you're ready for Korean nightlife. Gombei (cheers)!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
A Trip to North Korea
Never one to be overshadowed by former President Clinton, I made a surprise visit of my own to North Korea yesterday. The North Korean border that is. While you can't visit independently, there are group tours of the border almost daily. The De-Militarized Zone (or DMZ) is the most heavily fortified border on Earth. Everything from barbed wire fences to tank traps to land mines prevents any unexpected visitors from sneaking across.
You wouldn't expect to see a dramatic difference between the two countries but looking across the river at North Korea, the mountains are completely stripped of trees and many of the homes are crumbling and lack roofs.
The most exciting part of the tour was getting to enter the building where negotiations are conducted. Half of the building is in North Korea and the other half is in South Korea, so technically we were able to stand in North Korea. We also got to stand face-to-face with the North Korean guards outside the window. For a while these guys just stood next to the window and stared at us but then they decided to take photos of themselves.
I'd been to the DMZ once before and surprisingly, this time the tension felt much lower. No worries though, I made sure to demonstrate proper intimidation stance to this South Korean guard.
You wouldn't expect to see a dramatic difference between the two countries but looking across the river at North Korea, the mountains are completely stripped of trees and many of the homes are crumbling and lack roofs.
The most exciting part of the tour was getting to enter the building where negotiations are conducted. Half of the building is in North Korea and the other half is in South Korea, so technically we were able to stand in North Korea. We also got to stand face-to-face with the North Korean guards outside the window. For a while these guys just stood next to the window and stared at us but then they decided to take photos of themselves.
I'd been to the DMZ once before and surprisingly, this time the tension felt much lower. No worries though, I made sure to demonstrate proper intimidation stance to this South Korean guard.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Korean Food: Southern Edition
Now that I'm finally gotten all the posts up about my trip down South, I thought I'd throw in a look at some of the tastiest dishes I got to enjoy!
Wang mandu, fluffy steamed buns stuffed with meat and veggies.
A heaping plate of vegetables fresh from the farm at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, Samsu Town.
Some friends enjoying corn-on-the cob at the same spot. Those are some happy campers.
Nokcha sujaebi, thick green tea dumplings in a light broth.
And finally, gomtang, which literally means "bear soup" although I was repeatedly assured that the meat was not bear...
Wang mandu, fluffy steamed buns stuffed with meat and veggies.
A heaping plate of vegetables fresh from the farm at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, Samsu Town.
Some friends enjoying corn-on-the cob at the same spot. Those are some happy campers.
Nokcha sujaebi, thick green tea dumplings in a light broth.
And finally, gomtang, which literally means "bear soup" although I was repeatedly assured that the meat was not bear...
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