Lunch with Family

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed 

by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.  

So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  

Catch the trade winds in your sails.  

Explore.

Dream.

Discover."

-unknown

My friends, Geneva and Jennie, sent me a care package filled to the brim with love, thoughtfulness, and well, care.  In it was a magnet with this quote.  This idea is what solidified my decision to move abroad.  I like to think I live my life fairly regret free.  No use mulling over the coulda-woulda-shoulda's.  Learn, change, and move on.  So, in making this decision it was more about, "Will I regret this one day if I don't do it?"

Yes.

And so, another set of words to live by.

Yesterday (seriously, I am THAT on it.  This actually occurred yesterday!  Saturday, September 22!) I had a lovely lunch with Grace and MJ Chun.  I consider the Chun's my in-laws or extended family.  The family tree breakdown:

My brother, Jon, married Mindy.

Mindy's sister is Allyson.

Allyson is married to Wex.

Wex's sister is MJ and mother is Grace.

Who would have ever though the Irish girl woud have family (Korean family!) nearby while living in Korea?!

I feel very fortunate.

We met in Gangnam.

Yes, as in "Gangnam Style."

We went to an amazingly delicious Japanese restaurant in the Intercontinental.  I haven't had sushi since I've been here because when we arrived it was so hot and humid we were advised against eating raw fish, just to be safe.

Well, the weather is now in the perfect 70s, so it's game on for raw fish.  I had a variety of nigiri (raw fish over rice).  Mmmm, fresh and delicious.  Inspires me to start planning a trip to Japan.

We discussed family, travel, North Korea, and, of course, PSY of "Gangnam Style" fame.  He's actually been quite famous in Korea for about a decade, so for them it's funny to see him become a global sensation.  

It was wonderful to catch up with MJ and meet Grace.  I'm looking forward to meeting up with her more often.  

I meant to take a picture of the three of us, but we got wrapped up in chatting, eating, and shopping and I completely forgot. :(

Sinchon: BBQ and Rock Music

I have realized one of the reasons I delay so much in putting up posts.  I don't want to post without pictures because that seems boring (shout out to all the visual learners out there).  But I'm not always on point about taking pictures when I'm out.  And so begins the vicious cycle of blog procrastination.  

I may even have to refrain from date stamping "when" certain events occurred.  "Two weeks ago we..."

Wait, what?  Two weeks ago?  

Maybe I'll just keep things vague to protect my poor "journaling" habits.

So, recently, a large group of us from KIS had a very fun Saturday night out in Sinchon (a neighborhood in Seoul).  It wasn't a school sponsored event, but when we get large groups together we can book a KIS bus to take us where we need to go.  There's a small fee (less than $5 a person, depending on how many people you have going) but it's a great option, rather trying to get 20-30 people organized on public transit.

Someone will surely be left behind on the Inner Circle Line.  (More on that later.)

We started the evening with delicious Korean BBQ.  Or BBQ, rather.  I am working on leaving the "Korean" out of it, it's a bit (a lot) redundant.  No one will accidentally  take you to a KC BBQ joint in Seoul because you didn't clarify.  I'm starting to get the hang of the BBQ experience.  Like when they come over and flip your meat and cut it up they are not providing a service, they are freaking out because your meat is about to burn!  Oh, right.  I'm supposed to take care of this.  Got it.  

We then headed over to a bar called Woodstock.  My initial thought was, ugh, some expat/foreigner bar.  I'm not a fan of hanging out "where all the expats hang out".  Alright, yes, I realize I'm rolling in with a large group of foreigners.  Let's put that aside for now...

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Woodstock is actually Korean owned and there were actually no foreigners there!  That is, until we arrived.

This place was my kind of dive bar.  Old, rustic wooden tables and chairs.  Walls camouflaged in graffiti.  But my favorite, a wall dedicated to records and CDs.  Every genre and era of rock (and maybe a little pop).  Quite an impressive collection.  One I was headed towards (CDs), before I purged my whole collection during my move (box sets and complete catalogues were spared).  Maybe I'll start over with records?

You could request songs.  
My selections: 

Led Zeppelin - "Travelling Riverside Blues"

Talking Heads - "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"

Pixies - "Hey"

The following were early on, which is probably a good thing.

I should probably get in some of my pictures as proof that I actually lived in Korea.

The Kiwi vs. The Aussie

Jay and Ben

True Story.

One of these things is not like the other...

Jay and Dave

Fake smile time?
Dave and Tiffany

And a good time was had by all...

This one goes out to the other 50%...my Watson side.

A popular convenience store, Watsons.  

This one, unfortunately, was located under the Ho Bar.

Looking forward to the next few weeks and expecting some great posts out of them.  This weekend:

Meeting up with extended family and a KIS Scavenger Hunt through Bundang (Amazing Race style)!

Next weekend:  

Chuseok break with a visit from Christy and Mentha.  

Lots of fun adventures in store for that week!

Mmmm, food.

Two posts in one night?  It was the deal with myself - if you don't bring work home, then you need to blog away.
Why doesn't my inner monologue make deals like - if you don't bring work home, then you can kick your feet up, read a book, and enjoy a glass of wine - ?

It's a well known fact that Colleen "does not do" spicy food.
Koreans do.  A lot.

So, many have inquired...how are you hanging?

Well, first off, I lived in a predominantly Asian neighborhood in San Francisco and frequently ate Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and (more recently) Korean food.  I love Asian food, so that wasn't going to be an adjustment for me.  Of course, I knew what to order or not, rather- no wasabi, no red thai curry, etc.  

I have branched out and gotten better over the years [family shakes head].  I can handle a little heat, but if it gets too hot I just lose my appetite.  Bleh.

What I have noticed is that Korean spicy is a bit different then, say, Mexican spicy.  Although, too much chili paste and you've lost me again.  I'm also very savvy, I know what to look out for - red is always a dead giveaway, it's not tomato sauce!  I also, apparently, have "no spicy" tattooed on my forehead.  I have often been at a Korean restaurant, ordered something, and the waiter's eyes widen and they declare, "Spicy!"  When my eyes widen and I shake my head, we have now bonded and are on the same page.  They then point out my options.  See, easy breezy.

  Kimchi has been my gateway to spicy.  Some of them are a bit too much, but I do try to have a little kimchi everyday.

Fun facts about kimchi:  

*There are hundreds of different types of kimchi.  As well, there are different varieties for different seasons.  For example, summer offers radish and cucumber kimchi.  The spicy cabbage kimchi (red in color) that many are familiar with is offered almost everywhere.  

*Kimchi has healing powers!  Seriously!  It is said to build immunities and aide digestion.

*Kimchi is like a multi-vitamin.  It is high in carotene, Vitamins A and C, B1 and B2, calcium, and iron.

I apparently need to be on the look out for white kimchi or white radish kimchi which is considered "not spicy."  I'll be the judge of that.

Food here is cheap, healthy, and delicious.  I haven't had a bad meal.  After a meal I never feel overly stuffed or that "gross" feeling I would sometimes have back in the states.  

I haven't been good about taking pictures of food.  Mostly because I used to make fun of friends back home who would take pictures of food for Yelp.  But, I have made an exception since I'm in a foreign country.  

 This is one of my favorite Korean dishes - bibimbap.  There are many varieties - beef, veggie, fish (this one had fresh raw tuna).  It's often served with a fried egg on top, this one was not.  Bibimbap has rice on the bottom and is topped with various vegetables (and sometimes a meat and egg), you then mix it all together and enjoy.

The sad story about this particular bibimbap was that they served it and I was so excited because it had a beautiful presentation and was full of bright, fresh veggies...and tuna, yuuummm.  Some bibimbap is served with chili paste, but they don't usually mix it in.  So I usually scoop it out, leaving a small bit for a little kick.  This one didn't have any chili paste.  YAY!  I found my new bibimbap spot!

I immediately started mixing and added some sesame oil.  I took a few bites and my mouth was on FIRE.  Not just...oh this has some kick to it.  ON FIRE, I say!  
My friend ordered the same thing.  She agreed it was unusually spicy, but we couldn't figure out what it could be...all the ingredients looked so benign.

She did some investigating and discovered oh-so-thinly sliced jalapenos!  What?  Jalapenos?  Damn you, jalapenos!  I was not prepared for you!  I dove right in, mixing my bibimbap, and you tainted the whole thing.  

Lesson learned.  But I will be back.  And next time, the jalapenos are getting the boot.

My first take out from a very nice Japanese restaurant across the street from me.  Koreans offer (free!) delivery on just about everything.  I haven't ventured down that road yet, speaking Korean is a must for that.

This whole meal was under $7!  Teriyaki chicken, miso salad, kimchi (hey, it may be Japanese food but we're still in Korea), corn salad, soup, and pickled veggies.  Oh, and those aren't onion rings, they are fish rings.  Not bad.

My absolute favorite snack/meal is kimbap (or gimbap)!  My addiction has spread to all of my friends.  It is  quick, cheap, easy, and delicious!  

Kimbap is served as a roll or as a triangle.  One may look at a kimbap roll and think...sushi!  But, don't voice that thought.  It is not sushi.  Some Koreans may not take to kindly to that comparison.  Yes, it is rice and seaweed (gim or kim in Korean), but inside can be a variety of vegetables and then sometimes, spam or ham, tuna (tuna salad style), crab, or other meats.

The triangular kimbap is my favorite.  Mostly because you can pick it up at any market or convenience store.  It's under a dollar (more like $0.75).  And you can have one for a snack or, two or three and make it a meal.  I'm starting to figure out which ones are which.  One has kimchi in it, which I'm ok with.  But another is completely mixed with hot paste.  Not ok.

They are cleverly wrapped so the seaweed does not touch the rice until you unwrap it.  No soggy seaweed!  

They even dummy-proof it with numbers!  Start with #1 and pull down.

Carefully pull #2 away.  Repeat with #3.

Kimbap goodness awaits you.

Mmmm, Korean food.

Letters from Home

Living abroad has been quite a smooth transition.  There are many factors to this, but the internet wins by far.  Between Facebook (which I really don't use much), email, Skype, and blogging, the old adage "it's a small world" rings all too true.  Aside from trying to actually schedule time to catch up with family and friends (or just plain doing the math - what time is it?), I still feel very connected.  

Weeelll, ok, I did hit a [small] wall last week.  Despite meeting a TON of new people and making connections, I began to feel disconnected.  You spend weeks going through the "get to know you" motions and just miss the people that already do.  I built a wonderful life in San Francisco over the last 12 years, which made me sad to think that I chose to leave it.  At the same time, I had to remind myself it took years to form those connections and bonds.  I have to remind myself - I'm doing just fine for one month into a new job, new country, new life.

My friend and 4th grade partner (there are 5 of us), Tiffany, compared this experience to freshman year of high school.  

Great.

High school, while it was not horrible, would not be my selection should time travel become an option.  Freshman year wouldn't even be a consideration.  

But, it's true.  For example, most of the teachers go down to the cafeteria for lunch (side note:  It's surprisingly good food!  Not what you'd expect out of a school cafeteria.  A Korean option, a western option (which I have discovered just means, not Korean - it could be American, Indian, Chinese, Mexican...), a cafe/deli, a teacher's Korean option (sometimes different from the kids' option), and a teacher's salad bar - yum!) and there are times when you find yourself carrying your tray of food and searching for a place to sit - Who do I know?  Who can I talk to for 20 measly minutes?  

Of course, just as I'm hitting my [small] wall, I received a postcard from my friend, Mentha, a card from my Mom, and a card from my brother and (soon-to-be) sister-in-law.

A perfect quote, but the background story of this card brings it all together.

My brother, Mike, and his fiance, Jen, met when they were in college.  In fact, I met her when I went to visit him in 1999.  She was the friend who took me under her wing and made sure I had a blanket, pillow and clean towels while staying with Mike and his two friends.  Seriously.  

After undergrad, she moved to California to get her master's degree and then a few years later randomly decided to move back to the midwest (she's originally from Colorado).  Her brothers moved her halfway across the country.  Much like my brother, Jon, did 12 years ago when he moved my to San Francisco.  Then, again, joined this time by my brother, Andrew,  moved me out of San Francisco.  

She found this card and has kept it since making that "random" decision to uproot her life.  I'd say it worked out quite well.  Although Mike and Jen remained friends over the years, I'm going to take a leap and say they wouldn't have reconnected like they did had she not moved to Missouri.  

For the most part, I have felt very confident with my decision to move to Korea.  But, there are those days when I think... This is crazy.  What am I doing?

I do know that if I didn't do this I would absolutely regret it one day.

So,

What the hell?

Lost in Translation

Wow!  I have seriously fallen behind.  School is in full swing - and, for the record, there's no running away from the heavy workload of a teacher.  In addition to the day-to-day prep/planning/grading, I have been asked (and accepted) the Lead Curriculum position for K-5 Math.  While I am excited for the challenge and I enjoy leadership positions, this is quite an undertaking.  I will basically be guiding the K-5 teachers in mapping their whole math curriculum (from scratch).  

  Outside of all that, KIS is chalk full of activities!  There are, of course, after school clubs and sports that teachers lead, but there are also after school activities offered by teachers for  teachers.  Zumba, circuit training, and Korean classes are just a few I have joined so far.  There's also yoga, dance, volleyball, basketball, soccer, and rock climbing...and that's just what's been offered so far!

But what I really wanted to discuss is the true essence of "lost in translation."  While walking around you get excited when signage is in English.  But, often times, upon closer inspection you may be left just as confused as you'd be had it been written in Korean.  I have quickly learned...Google translate is not always your friend.  Let me be clear, my Korean is basically non-existent (aside from a few super basic words/phrases) and what I do say is probably not real accurate.  The Korean language has syllable inflections that are difficult for the English speaker.  My point is, it's a two lane highway on the road to poor translations.  That being said, it's still quite entertaining to try to figure out what some of these signs/slogans were going for.  

A metal/soft rock mashup?

I have seen multiple uses of "romantic" or "romance" on menus and restaurant signs.  I'm thinking they're going for "love" - as in "you'll love our chicken."  

It's not really "lost in translation" (at least I don't think so), it's just a restaurant nearby.  You can never quite escape the OC.  

The next two are my favorites so far.  In fact, other people have mentioned them as well.

Face on?

Meat Pie.

Sandwich.

So, is it a pie or a sandwich?  The picture says sandwich, but they seem serious about their meat pies.

Touch.  Taste.  Eh, it's one of the five sense.  They're on the right track.