Work Hard, Play Hard

As promised, a post dedicated to the Korean drinking culture.

Drinking is more than just acceptable in Korea, it is encouraged. It is a cultural thing. I don’t want to give off a wrong impression because Koreans actually work very long and hard hours, however, they can also balance it with heavy drinking. Might I say that it is part of the culture that some foreigners have enjoyed assimilating to, as well. After work, men routinely take Soju shots throughout a beer-drinking session. It is common for businessmen to be passed out on the street or in the subway station. This country is very safe as far as violence and thievery go, so the following day's hangover and their wife's justified anger end up being the worst of their problems.

Even my younger students know what’s up. They are aware of the drinking culture firsthand because they have seen their fathers come home and know just what drinking does to them. Their English skills may be limited, but motioning a drink followed by arm-waving and a crazy face is a very communicable language. For better or for worse, they think it’s hilarious...I do my best to suppress my own laugh.

Unfortunately Korean beer is not very good, even by my lowly beer standards, but is typical  when groups go out to dinner. Foreign beer is available but is rather expensive. At dinner, Korean beer is very often accompanied by a distilled rice liquor with 20% alcohol called soju. I think the taste is best described as watered-down vodka, though that doesn’t exactly make it any more tolerable. It is very inexpensive and can be purchased at any convenience mart, many of which even have tables you can sit at to eat or drink right there. This coupled with Korea’s lack of open container laws is a good way to start of a night. Sojurade can be concocted with Gatorade and soju. While incredibly affordable, the downside is that soju seems to lend itself to worse hangovers than other liquors or alcoholic beverages.  You get what you pay for, I guess.

Another option is makgeolli (Korean rice wine) which you can also buy bottled at convenience marts for a good price, as well. So far I’ve mostly passed on it as it has what I might call…a rotting taste. And that it looks like milk. To be fair, there was a sparkling makgeolli served in a restaurant that I thought was decent. Makgeolli goes hand-in-hand with pajeon, a delicious savory green onion pancake. There is a range in quality, so it may be likely that I just don’t find enjoyment in the bottom-of-the-barrel makgeolli. It's growing on me, though.

To my dismay, wine as I know it in the States is expensive. Cheap American brands are a few times more expensive here and it is painful to pay good money for bad wine. We do have a wine store just down our street, and while most of it is dismayingly expensive by college student standards, Bethany and I have gotten in the habit of buying what we have affectionately named “gamble wine.” These bottles are on discount because they are starting to age…in a bad way. It's not high quality but I’m actually finding that I like it pretty well as far as red wines go. The best part is that the lady who runs the shop often throws in a third bottle for free!

Despite a post entirely on alcohol, I want to make it quite clear that I personally have not been drinking to excess. It is quite common to stay out until the sun rises, but so far I have found that I like being in bed quite a bit before that. I must I value sleep more than many Koreans do. However, there is lots of fun to be had all over the city no matter what time you head home. One of my favorite nightlife areas is a little place called Hongdae...

Hangul

On my to-do list all summer was to begin learning Korean.  In three months time, my studying totaled 15 minutes.  Laziness. Traveling. Living in fantasyland. (Even after a month of living in Korea, I’m still in disbelief that I am here.)  However, Bethany did her homework this summer so upon arriving in Korea I felt behind and I did not like it. My very first jetlagged morning Bethany helped me figure out this whole Hangul alphabet thing.  And believe it or not, it was not impossible.  Dare I say it was even a little fun, like a puzzle.  Thankfully, the Korean alphabet is not a character system, like the Chinese system, but rather it consists of symbols with phonetic sounds that build words.  A little memorization would go along in the coming year deciphering signs and menus.

I found a couple websites and completed a few worksheets to practice reading and writing.  I am a star pupil, if I do say so myself.  My favorite words to translate were Konglish words, or English words adopted in the Korean language.  Not only could I read them, but I knew what they mean!  With just a few hours of study I could (sloooowly) read practically any sign in Korea…the only problem being I had no idea what I was saying…

Something that I come across everyday in the classroom, and work with kids ad nauseum on, is the extra syllable Koreans tend to add to English words.  It is not natural for native Korean speakers to end a word with just the ‘s’ sound, for example.  Instead, the tendency is to pronounce words ending in ‘s’ with an extra ‘suh’ sound.

Despite my expanding knowledge of Hangul, I may have still eaten fish intestines.  But I figure things could be much worse without this little base.  Bethany also obtained a copy of the Korean Rosetta Stone which I have really enjoyed the two times when I made time for it. I had never done Rosetta Stone before and the idea of acquiring a second language the same way you would acquire your first language as a baby fascinates me.  I am nearly settled in and ready to hit the books a little harder. I just may be on the market for a language partner. Fluency is not high on my list of priorities but I am definitely aiming to develop some basic Korean in the coming year!

A few Konglish words! Say the Romanized spelling out loud and hear your very own Korean accent!

nyu-seu                             뉴스                         news

pi-ja                                    피자                         pizza

bi-di-o                                 비디오                     video

seu-teu-re-seu                  스트레스                 stress

keopi                                  커피                         coffee

a-i-seu-keu-rim                  아이스크림             ice-cream

syu-peo-ma-ket                 슈퍼마켓                 supermarket

Keu-ri-seu-ma-seu            크리스마스             Christmas

Seoraksan

Yesterday, marking my four week anniversary in Korea, I ventured outside of Seoul to Seoraksan. And wow.  In Korean, “san” means mountain and “ak” denotes a particularly rugged mountain.  The mountains of Seoraksan National Park were completely gorgeous.  My experience of Korea had thus far consisted of steel beams and concrete, so it was nice to get out of the city!

The expat community in Seoul is pretty amazing.  There are many foreigners from all over the world.  English teachers are quite common (after all, there are 43,000 of us in Korea) but there was a number of graduate students studying at Korean universities as well.  I’ve been to a couple of online organized events, including a vegan potluck, and it really seems as if only really cool people attend these meet-up events.  Shout out to Bethany for encouraging me to give them a shot so soon.  

I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to join a hiking group for a trip to Seoraksan National Park, especially having heard it is on of the most picturesque places in Korea.  Hiking is also a huge leisure activity with Koreans so I also felt it should be part of my assimilation process.  Seoraksan is a few hours drive east of Seoul so the group conveniently arranged for a charter bus.  On top of that, it took me nearly an hour by subway to reach the meeting place more toward the Gangnam side of town.  At 6:15am you would be surprised by how many Koreans are already on their way to different mountains all around Seoul!

It felt like a perfect fall day, though the leaves were still green.  We completed the Heullimgol and Jujeongol Valley courses, an “easy” course by Korean standards, though I found the intensity perfectly suitable. (In America, I think “easy” could mean an entirely downhill mountain, if that were even possible…) We hiked all day at a leisurely pace, stopping every so often to fill up on trail snacks.  The experienced Korean hikers even brought a full-on Korean lunch, chopsticks, rice, makgeolli and all.  Some parts of the trek were steep enough to require us to hold onto ropes that had been tied in at certain ascents and descents.  At some points there were quite a few stairs that had been built since I believe this is supposed to be one of the most scenic and popular courses in the park.  I didn’t see much in the way of wildlife, apart from a few chipmunks with squirrel tails.  As I hiked through one picture-perfect scene after another, I swapped stories with people from Colombia, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the UK, New Zealand, the US, and of course, Korea. The middle-aged Korean men on the trip were completely adorable and so much fun to chat with.

It was an exhausting day, but well worth it.  Seoraksan offers many more trails, so who knows where the next 11 months will take me.

One of many incredible views

Accomplished

The camera can only show so much

Through the valleys

Post-hike foot spa

Gangnam Style

Korean culture is all about presenting an image of wealth.  Where you live, where you shop, what you buy, what you drive, what you wear, where you’re seen.  I don’t live in the Gangnam, perhaps the ritziest area of Seoul, but my neighborhood, Mokdong, is quite affluent itself. It is home to the 69-story Hyperion Tower, the second tallest building in Seoul and one of the tallest residential buildings in the world, according to good old Wikipedia.  The figures I heard for monthly rent blew. my. mind.

Anyways, rich or not, Koreans take a lot of pride in their image.  And appearing wealthy is far more important than actually being wealthy. Even if it’s a hideous designer bag, it’s all about the label.  Plastic surgery to achieve double eyelids and pointier noses is practically a routine procedure that many girls get upon turning 18.

When I found out that many Koreans live deep in credit card debt, I was not too surprised.  Adults average five credit cards. Credit card debt is 155% of disposable income (138% in the US). Due to Seoul’s incredible economic growth in the 1990s borrowing on credit seemed relatively safe. A few years later the government encouraged spending to lift Korea out of the Asian financial crisis. There are many wealthy Seoulites, but I wonder if I should be concerned about a bursting bubble…

Oppa is Gangnam Style.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, let me introduce you to the K-pop hit “Gangnam Style” by PSY.  Every Korean knows the song and dance.  I occasionally even hear the youngest of kindergarteners mumbling the words, even though it’s not age-appropriate. The first time I experienced this music video, back in the US, I could hardly believe people genuinely listened to the song, granted it is incredibly catchy.  You can’t go to a club and not hear it at least once or seven times.  Ridiculousness and all, “Gangnam Style” has taken over Korea and is topping American charts…and I think Koreans are taking pride in its international success.  The music video features lavish displays wealth.  It embodies the Korean mentality of appearing rich.  You really must see it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0

It took help for me to realize the undertones in this song.  Though it may not be blaringly obvious considering the language barrier, it is actually satiric in nature and gently pokes fun at the materialistic side of Korean culture.  PSY acknowledges the absurd lengths people go to for appearance.  While Korean pop tends to be relatively tame, “Gangnam Style” is a subtle challenge of contemporary Korean class structure.

Gotta know more about “Gangnam Style” and debt?

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/08/gangnam-style-dissected-the-subversive-message-within-south-koreas-music-video-sensation/261462/

Smartphone or Go Home

Within a week of arriving in Korea, I got a smartphone.  I was actually pretty lucky to get a hold of one so soon since I don’t officially have an Alien Registration Card (nor will I until October.) Signing a phone contract requires Korean identification but I was fortunate enough to be able to just take over the contract of another teacher who was on his way out.  My first few days here I learned that using a basic phone, even in a technologically savvy country such as Korea, can be incredibly archaic.  I was also highly persuaded to get a smartphone for another reason.  Everyone here communicates on an app called KakaoTalk.  Through this app, texting and phone calls are free, anywhere around the world, to another Kakao user.  And if you have a smartphone with unlimited data, this also means communicating any time.  And my coworkers often communicate and coordinate through group Kakao messages.  Definitely glad I went the smartphone route, mainly because I want to fit in with the thousands of Koreans playing on their phones on the subway.

However, shortly upon receiving my iPhone, I realized the speakers didn’t work.  No ringtone, no alarm, no music.  Even though my phone is almost always on silent anyways, I do use my phone as an alarm.  Luckily it was still under one-year warranty and I had heard of a place to take defective phones.  Phone contract in hand, I got directions to the service center and went by cab since it was close by and would inconveniently involve two subway transfers.  In the area, I had a bit of trouble locating the service center, and actually walked right by it, partly because I didn’t know what I was looking for.  A friendly Korean man helped me out through a map on his own smartphone and pointed me in the right direction.  I took a number to wait for iPhone repair but, within 2 minutes and to my surprise, I was called to the counter.  I could not communicate much with the customer service technician but he easily acknowledged my problem.  Seeing that my phone was under warranty, he simply pulled out a new one from the back and I was on my merry way.  I don’t think customer service has ever been this convenient at any point in my life in America.  Plus one Korea!  Now I just need a new screen protector, essentially a thin peace of sticky plastic, which for some reason unbeknownst to me, is overpriced here.

(To make my experience even better, on my way back from the service center I found an incredibly cheap produce stand! I got 7 small eggplants, 10 oranges, and more cherry tomatoes than I know what to do with for 6,000 Won. Suspiciously cheap actually…but the prices were clearly labeled.  There was some kind of misunderstanding at the register and I tried to clarify prices but they agreed, 6,000 Won, and along I went with two bags of cheap produce! No complaints here…)

Running

I’m trying to get back into it! I have completed two 2+ mile slow jogs here in Seoul so far.  For those unfortunate souls who know, a few days without exercise can make me a bit grumpy.  After a lazy and busy summer (two illegitimate excuses) along with a knee injury and the stitches incident (two legitimate excuses) I haven’t been exercising nearly at all.  I haven’t gone as crazy as I thought I might and have secretly been enjoying having to take it easy, guilt-free.

I scoped out a few gym memberships, but since I’ve never paid to use gym facilities ever, I wasn’t so keen on joining up quite so soon here.  Plus, the weather is really great to be exercising here this time of year and I much prefer being outdoors.  The city is really too dense to be running around the streets, however, the parks provide a little more open space and there are many of them. 

A sidewalk/track hybrid runs the perimeter of most of the parks I have seen here.  The park nearest my current apartment, for example, has a ‘hiking’ trail, basketball courts, playground, badminton courts, and an amphitheater all inside the track.  All parks also seem to have surprisingly nice public restrooms.  But the coolest part, at least for me, is that there is equipment in all the parks I’ve seen, such as a free-weight bench press and a elliptical type thing.  They aren’t top of the line, but I can definitely work with some of it.  (I’ve also been perusing Craigslist here so I can snag the next 7kg dumbbells that pop up.)  Some of the public equipment that I see the old ladies use I would consider useless, such as a wheel that you spin rather effortlessly.  In general, Koreans, young and old, seem to be very active.  I see them exercising in the parks at all times of day, including late at night since it is quite safe to be out at any time, even alone.  Hiking is also big amongst Koreans, but that is unchartered territory for me so far.

So, until the brutal winter hits at least, I hope to familiarize myself with several of the parks.  I think I will have the time to stay active, assuming my students don’t wear me out.  I just hope my knee will cooperate!

A peek at some of your equipment choices

DMZ

On Saturday I visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides North and South Korea near the 38^th parallel.  In length the DMZ is 241km and in width extends 2km into both countries. It is one of the last living remnants of the Cold War.  Two coworkers and I attended a USO tour which transported us about 50 km from Seoul to four different locations in the DMZ.  Upon telling my mom that I was visiting the DMZ I left out the whole tour part, which may have caused some anxiety…

The first stop was a tunnel dug by the North Korea toward Seoul, discovered in the 1970s.  There are four known tunnels, but it is likely there are more yet undiscovered.  After a very steep decline to the tunnel, we were able to walk through the cold and wet granite tunnel and look through a peep hole into the North Korean side of the tunnel.

The second stop was to an observatory that looked out into North Korea.  Looking into North Korea was pretty incredible.  The view was beautiful, but more than that, it was sad to look into a country where many of its people are suffering and starving.  How simple it seems to just tell the governments how silly this whole thing is and that they should just get along.  From this vantage point we could see the both North and Seoul Korean flags flying.  When South Korea constructed a taller flagpole, North Korea had to top them, giving them what I believe is the third tallest flagpole in the world.  At the observatory there were many pay-to-use binoculars and a line from which you had to stand behind to take photographs.  However, no one seemed to follow this rule…

The third stop was to Dorasan Station, a train station that used to run to Pyongyang.  For a while it had been taking a daily load to North Korea but I believe the station is completely shut off now.  It is now more of a tourist destination, where for about $5 you can buy a ‘ticket’ to North Korea and get a ‘passport stamp’.  My passport may or may not have a stamp that says I went to North Korea…I hope that won’t be a problem!

After lunch, we made our fourth and final stop at the Joint Security Area (JSA), also called Panmunjom.  This was definitely the most serious part of the tour, as US Military officers checked our passports and debriefed us.  There was even a certain dress code.  The JSA straddles the demarcation line and is where, in theory, negotiations between the North and South take place.  Unfortunately, there has not been too much negotiating.  Two large buildings face each other, one on each country’s side, and in between are blue, barrack-type buildings where discussions take place.  We were monitored and instructed that we may only take pictures of the North Korean side.  In the JSA we saw about a dozen South Korean soldiers and one North Korean soldier at his post across the way.  We entered the blue building where negotiations take place, which is recorded 24 hours a day.  Since half of the building is on the North Korean side, I guess I can say that I have been to North Korea.

Since the DMZ is uninhabited, it has become quite the ecological preservation for animal and plant species alike.  There are even ecological tours of the DMZ.  Many hope that in the future the DMZ will become a peace zone and remain a safe-haven for various threatened species.

Overall, the trip to the DMZ was an interesting and information experience, and not at all scary.  To be honest, sometimes it didn’t even seem that serious.  The DMZ has actually become somewhat of a tourist destination.  In fact, in each of the four places we stopped, there was a gift shop.  DMZ t-shirts, coasters, key chains, postcards, you name it.

Reconciliation between North and South Korea is a question that always seems to linger.  Our tour guide generalized by telling us that the older generation tends to want reconciliation, as they have been disconnected from family members for many years, while the younger generation does not seem to care as much.  In fact, if reconciliation were to occur, South Koreans would take on an economic burden.

 An example of what I mean by touristy...

 Observatory view into North Korea, although the picture makes it look farther away 

than in actuality.  If you have eagle eyes, maybe you can spot their flag.

 At the JSA, the North Korean building across the way and 

blue building on the left is where negotiations should occur

 South Korean soldier, technically in North Korea

Subway

The subway in Seoul has essentially transformed me into a gopher. As a Seoulite, most days a week I burrow underground and pop up in an entirely new area of the city. I could be anywhere, for all I know. And in fact I actually am since the subway gets me almost anyplace I need to be.

The subway is by far my favorite way to travel, despite an intricate bus system and cheap cabs. The Seoul subway puts the DC Metro to shame.  The cars are cleaner and wider and feature TVs to advertise all sorts of things, such as the bug festival.  The ride is also smoother and I hardly need to hold on, even though handles are plentiful. Seats can sometimes be hard to come by but there is almost always an abundance of standing room.  A small section of seating on each car is reserved for the elderly, disabled, and pregnant.  Most people pass the time on their smartphones, though there is a number of people who are passed out.  As far as I can tell, they always wake up in time for their stop.

The subway stations are huge. My Mok-Dong station has a Dunkin Donuts in it. In fact, most stations have a variety of convenience marts, clothing and electronics shops.  I almost bought a pair of shoes in a subway station last week while Gangnam Station is actually a shopping destination in itself. There is whole other Korea you'd miss if you don't spend time underground.

The lines are numbered and colored and because the stations are so big, the exits are numbered as well.  Getting out at exit 1 could put you someplace very different than exit 9.  For the bigger stations, it is very useful to know what exit to take.  Every station features a few maps to help you decide in case you don’t already have directions.  In my two weeks of experience, the subway has been able to take me any place I want to go.  It will even take me to the base of mountains in national parks. 

The platforms are very long and provide lots of information about when the next trains are coming.  There is always a Romanized translation of the signs in the subway, making subway navigation seamless.  It is impossible to fall into the subway tracks since they are protected by a large glass wall with doors that open when the train pulls into the station.  Also, for safety, each station contains a number of gas masks.  Cause for concern...?

On top of all these amenities, the subway here is also much cheaper than in DC, coming out to around $1 per way.  T-money cards are the Korean version of DC’s SmartCard, but can also be used for buses, cabs, and even some shops.  There is even a chip on some credit cards you can use as a your T-money card if you want to cut down on plastic rectangles in your wallet, but it does require a $30 refundable deposit.

Jihachul is a smartphone app that complements the subway experience very nicely.  It contains an interactive map to select departing and arriving stations and tells you how long it will take based on the current position of the trains, how many stops, how much it costs, the fastest way or the way with fewest stops, what side the car doors open, and which car and door numbers to exit.  I’ve been enjoying Korean technology, to say the least!

On top of all this convenience, fun things just happen on subways. There is great people-watching to be had and I have had a share of interesting conversations with friendly English-speaking Seoulites. Striking up a conversation with a young Korean man in a Washington, D.C. sweatshirt led to a dinner date a few weeks later. Despite a 12am closing time, I have still witnessed a fair share of inebriated travelers and, on a rare occasion, a pile of vomit known as a 'kimchi pancake.' I usually enjoy my transit time reading an ebook from the Arlington Public Library. Even a 45 minute train ride to the other side of the city is always enjoyable. I challenge the US to make public transit this much fun!

 A fairly uncrowded train

 The Seoul subway map

College Wasn't So Bad...

I can say that I have two days of teaching under my belt, but that’s about all I can say.  My days technically begin at 2:30 and end between 6:10-7:40. depending on the day. If you’re reading this thinking I’m working 4-5 breezy hours a day, STOPPPPPP.  They feel MUCH longer, and in fact they are.  I can imagine any teacher would attest to this. Teaching may just be the way to slow down the accelerating speed I feel my life has taken the last couple of years.

I am now the teacher of two advanced kindergarten classes, two phonics level classes, one beginning grammar class, one more advanced grammar class, and a middle school class at WILS Language School.  Most classes consist of two 40-minute blocks.  As a teacher it is nice to have a mix so we don’t tire of teaching the same thing.  BUT, on the other hand, it creates A LOT more prep work, and right about now I wish I were teaching a little more overlap.  In fact, the majority of the time I have spent at the school has been prep work.  At this rate, I’m putting in at least an hour of preparation to every hour I am in the classroom. And I thought getting a real job meant no homework...

You would think that the prep work might not be that time consuming because the same classes are taught every quarter…but this isn’t really the case, for two reasons.  First, WILS doesn’t seem to have a great organization system for carrying over worksheets and the like from an old to a new teacher.  Second, WILS is a private ‘after-school’ school that caters to the parents.  The parents have a lot of say in the workbooks and storybooks they want us to teach, so the materials are always changing between terms and hence require new syllabi, new worksheets, new quizzes, new tests, new inspiration.  I imagine this weekend will include even longer syllabus-writing hours for my seven classes.  Have I mentioned that all the prep work is unpaid?  We are compensated per hour in the classroom, five minute breaks between blocks not included.

I truly hope that this is the most hectic week of the entire year for me.  I can’t imagine what it would be like if it were any more chaotic.  Exploring Seoul and learning Korean are temporarily on hold.  Eat, sleep, breath teaching.  This is partly because I am going through everything for the first time and essentially learning how to be a teacher on the job: learning names and personalities, establishing classroom rules (are they good for anything?), figuring out who still needs which textbook, which activities are effective and which bore them.  Right now I think my biggest problem is maintaining classroom order in a few particular classes.  How do I stay in control of the classroom and still be a fun teacher?  I soon hope to learn how to teach without constantly saying “sit down,” “be quiet,” and “pay attention.”

WILS is a private language academy, or hogwan.  It is located in the Mok-Dong neighborhood of the Yangcheon-gu district of Seoul.  The area is well-known for good education and also for having the second tallest building in Seoul.  Very near the school are many great lunch and coffee shops sprawling in every which direction, keeping the teachers happy.  In fact, the school is located on the 3^rd-6^th floors of its building, the ground floor of which is Baskin Robbins.  Convenient, I know.  I happen to know WILS pays a good deal less than the going rate of other hogwans.  This gets frustrating when you consider the amount of extra time the teachers put in.  However, with the exception of Bethany and me, all the other teachers have worked at WILS over a year.  WILS has some very positive things going for it, including the camaraderie amongst teachers.  We may be working hard in the teacher’s room planning lesson after lesson, but at least we are together!

Welcome to the working world, Allie.  I look forward to getting the hang of teaching.  I know I can and will enjoy it, as I have been practicing on my Dad since a young age.  Until then, red wine and ice cream will carry me through.

Where the magic happens

The World that Never Sleeps

I am awed by the speed in which we can travel and the time zones we cross.  I understand it perfectly yet am continually fascinated by the abstract nature of it.  In just a (relatively…) short plane ride, I journeyed to a land where everything happens 13 hours before.  While I am asleep in Korea, my former Eastern Standard Time life is busy about the day.  Somewhere, someone is always awake.  To think I used to take nighttime for granted!  Now here, I find myself looking at my watch, calculating the 13 hour time difference, and wondering, what would I be doing if I were still in America? For the most part, that is just sleeping.  As I explore the streets of Seoul, I am comforted knowing that my loved ones back home are snug in their safe, warm beds.  

I have difficulty imagining that had my life taken any other path, I might be at home eating dinner and watching Jeopardy at this very second.  How long does it take for these imaginative thoughts to travel to the other side of the globe? Is the world really happening all at once?

A Farewell to Guacamole

I think this may be a guacamole-less year, and I’m coping well with this prospect so far.  I’ve been told they don’t do Mexican here (though I did have a tasty little shrimp quesadilla at a taco shop this week.)

This is post dedicated to the foods I left behind in the US.  They will be sorely missed.

One of the first things I found out when I got here is that…fruit is very expensive.  It broke my heart a little bit.  One outrageous example is the cost of a medium watermelon.  Dad, if you’re reading this, hold on to your seat.  They can be up to $20!  From what I can tell, vegetables aren’t that cheap either.  Of all things, fresh fruits and veggies are something that I won’t compromise on.  Apples and bananas should be doable.

Also expensive is oatmeal.  Almost $15 for a pound of Quaker oats.  Might be able to get it a little cheaper in bulk, but still outrageous.  It seems that it is also only available in Itaewon, the international district.  Hoping to figure out how to make some brown rice porridge to endure the cold winter mornings here.  There is a special spice combination that Grandpa Malis really enjoyed, so waiting to get my hands on that magical recipe.

I can’t find whole wheat bread anywhere, even though I’ve seen whole wheat flour.  Ovens aren't common, so if I actually knew how to make bread, I probably couldn't, though I've heard some pretty crafty stories about rice cookers.  Bread in general is just not common, but it is around, like at the Paris Baguette chain. Interestingly, sliced bread is sold by partial loaves, about 6 slices.  The darkest bread I’ve seen is Walnut & Rye, but I can’t understand Korean to actually know if it is whole grain.

Soy or skim milk will also be challenging to come by, though I did see some 1% if I care to pay extra.  Cheese is ridiculously expensive…and along with that is expensive wine.  But this is a post on food, I’ll fill you in on alcohol soon enough.

Trader Joe’s, I miss you already. But, I’m in for the ride here and leaving behind the old favorites might just open the door to something even better.

There's an $18 watermelon for you