Tag Archives: Seoul

13 cents

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It finally happened… after living here for over two and a half years. The public transportation prices WENT UP.

I was flabbergasted yesterday when my t-money card wouldn’t transfer from the subway onto the bus I had to take for church. I was informed (through very broken English and the help of some kind Korean Americans) that if I didn’t have enough money on my t-money after I transferred I had to pay the whole price of the bus ride. I didn’t realize I wouldn’t have enough money because no body told me the price went up!!! Why didn’t anyone tell me?

I wasn’t too upset, just a little. I was also a little surprised at the bus driver’s lack of grace, but you know- it’s his job to make sure people pay for their ride. After a small amount of thought, I came to the conclusion that public transportation prices don’t often change in Korea. For me to be here for almost three years, and this is the first increase (of 150 won, which is about 13 cents)… well, if you think about it, that’s not bad. Not bad at all.

Here are three pictures that have absolutely nothing to do with this post or each other. I just like them.

Something about the way all of these tables and coffee cups lined up, I just loved it.

I got the privilege of having a mini-photo shoot with my girl Hannah (from hannahgram.com)

Fresh flowers on Paul's dresser. LOVE.

looking for horses

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Blessed with a clear day for the first time in a fortnight (I really just wanted to use that word) Tina and I met up at Seoul Racecourse Park Station on Line 4. The sun was shining, the heat was intense, and for not having a race that day, the track was packed. Neither Tina nor I had ever been to a race track before. It was an eye-opening experience.

We walked in wanting to find the horses (we both LOVE horses), and ended up discovering a sad past time/addiction for thousands of ajhussis. In a culture where the father is often absent, here is another reason why. To spend an entire weekday at the tracks holding a betting sheet, chain-smoking, only to watch a race on a big screen because there isn’t an actual one on the tracks… what?

I love the idea of letting a horse run. I just hate the idea of caging in a person.

I was absolutely obsessed with her necklace.  I want one.The saddest eyes I have ever seen. They were there for children to ride. We found a playground. Enough said!

J & S rockin’ Seoul

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For the first time I have people who I know from back home invading my world in Seoul. What an experience. I am remembering things that I forgot were strange are, in fact, still strange! I am realizing that there are certain things I accept about the culture I live in now that used to blow my mind.

Justin and Shawnna arrived on Valentine’s Day (a great gift amongst all the chocolate my students showered me with as well)  and have been amazing house guests ever since. So great, in fact that I left them alone in the apartment all weekend to go to grad class. Yeah, okay that wasn’t planned.

I am now taking Justin and Shawnna to experience the wonderment that is New Philadelphia Church in Itaewon. I am THRILLED to be able to bring some friends from my church back home to my home church in Korea!

confession…

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I have a confession to make. Tonight. I did not want to go help my little orphan boy learn English. I know. It sounds horrible. I had all the excuses right? I have been sick for the past week, I need to get to bed early and get better (as if I would go to be early). I have grad class this weekend and so much stuff due I must do it (I am a procrastinator, no need changing that now, I will get around to it later). I have so much to do for my class this week (I ALWAYS have something to do at work).

Two weeks ago I went to tutor Han Wool and he was gone at ski camp, no one told me. Last week I went to tutor Han Wool and he was in a different English class by a worker at the Children’s Home. I had to wait 30 minutes to even hang out with him. I figured this week something else would happen, though I have been going to tutor Han Wool every Monday at 7 p.m. for over a year now.

If I am being honest I just didn’t want to go. It’s cold. I was being selfish.

I went. AND GUESS WHAT? Han Wool READ TO ME. Yes, it may have been only 3 or 4 words… but he READ. Dr. Seuss I love you. I had such a great time with this boy I was reminded why Monday used to be my favorite day of the week. Time to get back in that mindset. Man, I had such a great evening, and then Jee Young and I went to Isaac’s for dinner. Best Toast Sandwiches Ever.

I took some pictures of Seoul this weekend. Here they are.

wow. now this big beautiful heel…yeah, definitely korea.

still can't believe the smallest size in this asian country is still a little too big for my feet!

I took this picture and then messed around with some of my camera settings, I love the outline of the hangul letters.

I would have never discovered this little coffee shop if I was looking for little alleys to take pictures of. I LOVE seeing Seoul through the eyes of my camera lenses.

sometimes i forget that staring daily at a foreign language used to be abnormal for me...

my friend kelly recently told me that I take a lot of pictures of food. she was right.

“I have never seen her in the kitchen before.”

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I come from a big family (you may hear me mention it a time or two) and there came a time when my mother got tired of cooking up a feast for her small army and called upon the children to help her out. One divine evening in my early teens I was chosen as my mother’s pupil in the art of making homemade pizza. The first time I made it the success was great and the praise from my family was limitless. They begged for more, I humbly obliged. Over a decade later I am still trying to improve my pizza making skills.

Then, a sad time struck when I moved into my apartment in Seoul in August 2009. I had no oven. I didn’t even have a counter really. I wasn’t able to cook a homemade pizza for over a year.

God is a gracious loving Father though and granted me an oven in my new apartment as I started my second year living in Seoul. Last Saturday I had a group of fine ladies from my Korean church over for a sleepover (yes you can have those at any age) and I decided it was time to re-awaken my one domestic ability. We headed over to the local E-mart and found the closest ingredients possible to recreate Melody’s Famous Homemade Pizza. The flour in Korea is slightly different, the sauce was a little off, and my oven isn’t able to distinguishes how hot it should get (in other words, it gets as hot as it wants because it’s broken)…. but despite all of these variables working against me the pizza didn’t come out half bad.

me, using the kitchen for the first time, and apparently really excited about it.

My lovely roommate came out from her room at one point and looked at me working in the kitchen with a face of extreme surprise, “I have never seen her in the kitchen before.” She explained to the other girls. Great, thanks for blowing my cover… so I can only cook one dish. I tried my hand at making chocolate chip cookies too, but those were a complete failure due to a)korea’s funky flour and b) my silly oven’s heat problem… they cooked fast on the bottom and stayed doughy on the top. Oh, well… at least I tried. I really wanted a fresh-out-of-the-oven-warm-chocolate-melting-in-your-mouth homemade cookie though…

I let them choose their toppings and had to hold them back in the end, we wanted it to actually cook!

and cook it did! soooooo yummy^^

All the girls ended up borrowing clothes for pj's, love those shorts on Mi Jung, and she is really enjoying the pizza!

What can I say? I am a simple girl and love my cheese only pizzas!

even better than it looks

literally less than a minute after they were given their food I went to take a picture and their plates were almost wiped clean.

my sad attempt at chocolate cookies

Anyone in Seoul want to make me some cookies that taste like home? I am really craving some now.

11:39 p.m.

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That is what time I got off the subway this evening, 11:39 p.m. and I walk out of exit 3 to see a family: father, mother, daughter, brother (they stop at 2 regardless, mom and dad you are considered very patriotic for having nine, I had no idea what that meant until about a week ago, another story for another time), eating ramen noodles on the sidewalk. Literally all four…in a line… chopsticks in hand… and buckets of ramen purchased at the convenience store located directly behind them. Little children, put down your chopsticks and go to bed.

Rewind to the beginning of the weekend. Farewell Animal Onesie Party for a one Mr. Dinosaur Eric Choi and a one Ms. Giraffe Melissa John at the restaurant mentioned in the post before this one. Yes, more than twenty full grown adults dressing (and acting) like animals graced an elegant Italian restaurant for a delicious dinner.

We proceeded to a park, which took us to a dance party in a bar, which took us to another dance party in a different bar, (people taking pictures of us and asking “why the animal suits?” the whole time), which took us to eating kebabs to get out of the rain (thank goodness our onesies have hoods), which took us to a FAILED attempt at noraebanging. The room was VIP, their was an animal limit, it was just silly. I did sing two and a half songs before we got kicked out and therefore, (I am not speaking the word aloud Kathleen so it is okay) I was happy.

I woke up at two p.m. Saturday and felt like whole morning was gone because A) well, it was and B) I don’t really have a B, I just like lists….  Text from Tami to get my butt to Itaewon and there I went, I then ended up at a superhero going away party (themed parties are totally cool) only none of us were dressed as superheroes and we left our animal costumes (I could have been SuperCow?) at home. I left for home by nine p.m. Saturday evening to have a productive Sunday morning preparing for my new classroom, and it felt good.

I had to say goodbye to EJ this afternoon (now it is Sunday) in English Cell because she is getting married (on September 11, think about that one) and once you get hitched you get kicked out of the 2 p.m. service at my church, who knew? I didn’t, if I get married during the next two years I am totally breaking that rule, because I am not going to the stuffy older married peoples service in the morning, which is where the people who get kicked out of the awesome young, Jesus-likes-it-when-we-sing-fast-worship-songs-too, service go. ANIYO.

This evening, after the cook and waitress of the restaurant we ate at “chased” (we were sitting on steps right outside) us down to give us back the 6,000 (about $5.14) won that we accidentally over-payed (did I mentioned I left my cell phone on the subway and got it back within 24 hours because that is just how Koreans roll, they give things BACK! It is a novelty) … anyway after that happened Eric showed the Seoul Family this amazing video he made of our last year together and there is a scene of me showing off my one truly amazing talent, putting my entire fist in my mouth, perfect. WHY? WHY? WHY?

My dear friend Melissa leaves tomorrow evening to head back to Toronto and study Law. I will miss her terribly, after a quick goodbye hug I had to jump on the subway (as the doors were about to close, and I didn’t want to be that one awkward person who gets stuck halfway and then has to get the attention of the driver to get the doors to open because that actually does happen!) and wave mournfully through the window while her mother pretended to chase after the subway. I love MJ’s mom. Can’t wait to visit Toronto.

Goodbyes suck.

i love this city

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I was on a bus yesterday heading from Gwanghwamun to have dinner with friends in Sinsa. I am not particularly fond of buses so I tend to opt for the subway if given the choice, that is, unless the commute is a heck of a lot shorter by bus.  In this case it was and I realized something I miss out of when I travel by subway… the city.

With the windows down and a slight breeze shuffling my newly chopped hair I sat on the bus and gazed out at a beautiful view, this was a route I had never taken before and the only thing I can remember thinking was: “I love this city.” I passed by lit up buildings and zoomed over streams and rivers, the roads wind like artwork (confusing to navigate but fantastic to look at), the flowers (bringing a little nature to the city, flowers everywhere) bloom brilliant colors, and the water shines inviting you to take a plunge and escape the humidity in the air.

I grew up in Middleville (yes, actual name) Michigan, a one-stop-light farmer town. I am definitely not in Kansas anymore (okay never was since I just said Michigan, you know what I mean) and though I am incredibly proud of my roots and I really miss grass, I really enjoy this city.

My favorite part of commuting in Seoul, whether it be by bus, taxi, or subway is crossing over the Han River. My friend Christina gives an amazing description (with pictures!) check it out.

And here are a few pics of my own, not many because I haven’t actually gone around just taking pictures of the city because I love people to be in my pics but now that I am realizing my love for this city I think I will be taking a whole lot more.

my first week in seoul, so many lights...

the view from my apartment, taken through the window which is why it's a little grey, wait nope that's the smog... still love it.

bike riding along the han river, this bridge lights up at night.

chyeonggycheon stream during the lantern festival

sick

i love this city

“Bus driver” just another word for “Crazy”

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Okay so technically bus driver is TWO words, but it just didn’t work with the title.

Here in Seoul, one of the safest cities for crime in the world, I often put my life at risk… because almost every day I hop on a bus.

I often ponder when the turning point is; when a bus driver goes from a law abiding citizen of Korea, to a crazy “I can break all rules of the road because I drive a BUS” person. Sometimes (okay, this might have happened twice in the last seven months) when I get on the bus to go to work I sit down and enjoy a nice slow-breaking, stop-at-every-red-light-and-crosswalk, drive in the correct lanes, kind of ride. But usually I get on the bus and hold on for dear life. Bus drivers will run any and every light, drive on those yellow-striped-no-driving-on-lines in the road and stop so fast that I am genuinely surprised when I don’t have whiplash.

One time I was on a usual bus route I take and I knew my stop was the one right after a turn at a busy intersection, therefore,  I always got out of my seat to push the button and wait by the back door during the turn because normally a bus driver-or any driver- slows down at turns. The bus driver took the turn so fast and with out breaking that as soon as I went to stand my knee slammed on the floor of the bus and as I struggled to get up I almost sat in a poor woman’s lap. I then made it to the ‘stop’ button and as it glowed red the bus driver flew by my stop! My knee is in so much pain and thus all knowledge of the Korean language has left me, I just stood gripping the handle above the door yelling “aahhhh!” and pointing back towards my stop. The confused bus driver (who obviously forgot he was a bus driver and morphed into an adrenaline junkie race car driver instead) finally just pulled over and let me off in the middle of traffic. Safe.

This guy manages to ride the bus while texting and look cool while wearing.. snowflakes? flowers? diamond shape things? on his sweater. Impressive.

I walked to work today in the snow. Guess I brought Michigan’s unpredictable weather pattern over with me since yesterday morning it was 40 degrees and raining. No problem.

I also walked to work this morning with several umbrellas poking me in the face. It’s fluffy snow people! Put away your umbrellas and wear a hat.