Food Stress

I am in total foodie overload right now, I don’t know what to do other than to blog it out. Sunday I went to the Seoul Vegan Potluck. I nearly had to be rolled out of last month’s potluck. October’s was brunch themed so I brought banana bread with a tofu-based frosting. For any tofu frosting skeptics, I’ll have you know my frosted banana bread disappeared, despite an incredible mass of (delicious) food at this event. (The frosting is drained tofu, agave, vanilla, cornstarch, and lemon juice blended.) Potluck highlights included curried veggie stuffing with walnuts and cranberries, Moroccan harira soup, tofu scrambles, a vegan sandwich from The Baker’s Table, and fresh Texas salsa…

…however, one dish took the cake. I may have tasted the best thing I have ever had in my entire existence. It was a pumpkin pie that also happened to be vegan and gluten-free. It had an oat-based crust made of almonds, maple syrup, and coconut oil among other wholesome yummy things.  The filling was lusciously creamy and perfectly spiced. Of course the creator of this flawless specimen of food turns out to be a up and coming professional baker. I made sure to ascertain where this Korean-Australian angel sells these slices of heaven and how to get in contact with her. She also prepared equally amazing veggie-nut based dips with awesome crackers to compliment. I’m trying to control myself but she made need to consider a restraining order on me between my over-enthusiasm of her baking and the speed in which I contacted and complimented her after the potluck.

A little Facebook networking and internet wandering post vegan potluck, and I’m over my head in foodie stress. One blog leads to another and soon my list of drool-worthy restaurants and cutesy, freshly-roasted cafes that I must go to in Seoul is longer than I can manage. The recipe inspiration I’ve absorbed is also more than my brain can hold. Some of the blogs belong to people who I have met at events like the vegan potluck, but it seems I’ve found quite a few more Seoulmates somewhere out in this city. The good new is that I don’t feel any pressure to keep my own food or restaurant blog because the bases are well-covered. It’s taken me two months, but I have a good sense of all the restaurants and cafes I can’t miss out on, at least from the expat perspective.

At the same time, I’ve enjoyed randomly eating in little Korean kitchens run my older ladies and grabbing all the standard Korean foods like kimbap, kimchi jiggae, bibimbap, cold noodles, and of course, mysterious dishes. Even unhealthy street food meals here are appealing to me and easily justified through the need to experience everything. (But for the love of God, no more white rice, please!) There is simply not a meal to be wasted in this country! I’m going nuts, somebody, please help me calm down!

Some of my coworkers claim eating out at Korean restaurants is cheaper than cooking for one. I still don’t believe this since I feel well-trained in sale shopping and recognizing good prices. I also find a lot of satisfaction in shopping for and preparing my food, controlling exactly how it gets cooked and how much gets served. And routine activities like grocery shopping are thrilling here. I enjoy cooking and, despite the daunting list of restaurant experiences I need to have, it’s an important part of my day. Recently at my new favorite open-air market I made a nice haul of clementines, quail eggs, pumpkin seeds, a green pumpkin, and ½ kg of kimchi for about $9. Come visit me in Korea and I can promise you a satisfying quail egg and cheese bagel. Miss you, Bodo’s, but can you do that?

A note on yogurt. Yogurt seems quite popular among the Koreans, but their yogurt intake is mainly carried out through drinking form. It’s delicious, but about the exact opposite of Greek yogurt, which is thick and tart. Korean yogurt is extremely sweet. Spending an evening wandering around my local upscale market I selected what I thought might be the least sweetened. It was actually labeled Denmark-style yogurt, which is kind of close to Greece, right? It wasn’t quite as tart at Greek yogurt, but by far the closest thing I have found. And a little internet research later confirmed that this brand is the most similar to Greek available in Korea. I have to say I was a bit proud of my personal detective work since it did take 20 minutes of scouring through the extensive yogurt section and slowly translating Korean labels. A few days later a Korean friend told me I could buy a yogurt maker on the Korean Amazon for $30. You pour in the milk and a scoop of yogurt and eight hours later you have a tub of unsweetened yogurt to embellish with nuts and berries and granola as you please. I know that making yogurt without a yogurt maker is not hard…but I don’t have a thermometer…or a heating pad or…I will keep making excuses until I can justify this yogurt maker here. I think I may buy it, but as you can see if you’re still reading this saga on yogurt, I have a lot of food stress and many delicious things to eat here! I question whether I have the time or stomach capacity to even eat yogurt throughout my Korean adventure.

Koreans and I are similar in one very important way. We like to taste everything. Often a Korean meal consists of a few different dishes, whether various dishes are ordered to share with company or if the meal comes with a variety of banchan side dishes. I totally love this. Koreans and I are also very dissimilar in one certain way, a way that has proved detrimental to my digestive comfort. Koreans stop when they are full and often leave their leftover food uneaten. To-go boxes aren’t really a thing and watching delicious food go to waste doesn’t bother them! I, on the other hand, am a (proud) member of the “clean plate club” and don’t consider a meal finished until all the food in front on me is gone. Maybe there is a reason Korea has one of the lowest obesity rates in the world. Unlike me, when they see dinner they don’t eat it like it may be their last. In a responsible fashion, I am tasting (most) everything as I acclimate to Korean culture, but am also staying true to my American roots and working hard to leave no crumb uneaten. Stomach ache by stomach ache, I am slowing learning the Korean way…

There is not a calorie to waste here! With so much foodie pressure I only wish my stomach was bigger! Now, if you’ll excuse me I have to get back to Bethany’s homemade calamari and my toaster oven attempt at apple crisp. Foodie out.

Falling in Latte

I saw this written on a café sign and thought to myself what a clever play on the word love, the changing season, AND the Korean coffee obsession. As is common, there is a comical undertone of awkwardly translated English.  But then I saw other signs that read “Falling in Chocolate” and “Falling in Coffee“ which just...didn’t have quite the same effect.  I  began to wonder if all that cleverness may have just been purely accidental… Anyways, the title is a bit of a stretch for this post but the point is that the leaves are beginning to turn outside the city, I love coffee, I’ve already fallen in love with Seoul.

Having experienced several fall seasons in Charlottesville where the foliage is beyond amazing, I knew Korea had tough competition. However, the maples so far have not disappointed. On Saturday I traveled outside the city with the same hiking group that I ventured with last month to Seoraksan. The destination was the Mungyeongsaejae Old Trail. During the Jonseon Dynasty this road connected Korea’s two biggest cities, Seoul and Busan. The section of road we hiked is the only section of the road that still looks as it did 500 years ago. Through the course of our short trek we passed through three ancient stone gates. It wasn’t so much a hike as it was walking on an inclined dirt road, but it did combine incredible scenery with historical significance. The trail was lined with the gorgeous colors of changing leaves, leaving (ha!) it impossible for anyone not to appreciate the season.

The hike also included a visit to an apple festival. I over-optimistically hoped to procure hot cider, caramel apples, apple pie and the like…but this festival was purely apples. I am not complaining as the apples were incredibly large, crisp, and sweet and are apparently the best apples in the entire country. Besides eating seven apples worth of free samples, I tried Omija berry makgeoli rice wine which is traditional to the region. The festival offered children’s crafts, a maze of apple walls, street food, and a musical performance by who we believe were Native Americans singing and dancing to techno-rock…only in Korea!

On the trip I reconnected with a few people I had met from the previous hike but also met new people whose company I quite enjoyed. The world got a little smaller when a recent William & Mary graduate and I realized we have a mutual acquaintance from home. Another new friend imparted upon me the invaluable wisdom of the only place in Seoul I can find a caramel apple this fall.

I spent Sunday afternoon at the Seoul Zoo with a few coworkers in what was one of the best zoo experiences I have had. I am accustomed to sludging through D.C. summer humidity to catch a glimpse of the animals, but the fall temperatures and changing leaves of the season overwhelmed the zoo, providing a lovely atmosphere. The zoo had all the highlights of the National Zoo in D.C. and the animals were surprisingly active. All present were the African safari animals, playful baby monkeys, various species of interactive bears, and the big cats, among many others. When the tigers got fed we even witnessed a little territorial roaring.

And now…it’s a very rainy Monday morning and time to start another week of teaching.  It is a no-Facebook Monday because I plan to watch the Redskins game tape-delayed tonight.

 Walking the old road

 Stopping to snap a quick picture

 Bring on the pumpkin spice and caramel apples!

 Apple festival

 Anxiously awaiting dinner

The brown bears being rather interactive

"L says L-L-L Lion"

A New Week of New Experiences

Coming off a busy week of distributing midterm exams and writing syllabifor the second half of the term, I had hoped for a little bit of a calmer week. Even though my working hours are pretty ideal, having a day job really makes for busy days and quick weeks. I can’t complain though because I love always having something to do…and with my spare time I ended up doing a lot of fun things!

After celebrating Bethany’s birthday Saturday night, I took Sunday for myself and wandered around Namsan Park. We’ve had one absolutely beautiful day after the next, full of perfect blue skies and fall temperatures, and I’ve been itching to spend as much time as possible outside while it lasts. This park is part of Namsan Moutain, a centrally located and easily accessed mountain in the city and also where the Seoul Tower is located.  Surrounded by picturesque scenery, I made the hike to the top, so long as upward walking on paved paths count as hiking. There were restaurants and shops at the base of the tower due its appeal as a tourist attraction. At the peak there was even a cultural festival. (There are always multiple festivals going on in this city. Not sure if it is attributable to Seoul’s sheer size or whether Koreans are obsessed with having incessant festivals.) Following a wonderful day spent in the great, though semi-urban, outdoors, I spent the late afternoon into evening wandering Hongdae with only one specific destination in mind. There are always new cafes and boutiques that catch my eye, but I was determined on finding a particular gourmet ice cream shop.

Last weekend was also marked by the befriending of a neighbor who runs a small eatery across the street. Bethany and I were originally attracted to her because she has an adorable and dirty puppy outside her shop that we can’t keep our hands off. The lady’s name is Hyun-Soo and Bethany has become a huge fan of her $5 meals, which can be easily confused with a Thanksgiving feast. Korean delivery is awesome. Your meal is brought on a huge tray and reusable dishes with, of course, all the banchan (side dishes). When you finish eating, the dishes get collected them from your doorstep.

Persimmon season is among us, and to be honest, I didn’t really know what they were until this week. For a long time I thought all the produce vendors were selling half-ripened tomatoes. Upon discovering that these unappealing tomatoes were actually a sweet and juicy fruit, I naturally had to try them for myself. The street vendors group produce into baskets and sell them at a set price. It is extremely unreasonable that I would even suggest buying only half a basket…and so trying one persimmon involved buying eleven. Despite being incredibly sweet and juicy, I didn’t think they were all too flavorful. With so many to spare I threw a couple in the freezer since I heard they make a nice frozen treat. I also gifted a few to our new friend, Hyun-Soo. She promptly return the favor by giving me a decorative towel with a picture of Jesus. Fair trade, I’d say.

Monday night I subway-ed straight after work to a language exchange conversation group. Now that I’m feeling more settled in I really want to improve my Korean. Already there have been so many times when knowing more could have been so useful. Sometimes I nearly forget that I can't communicate in Korean; when I go to ask a question it isn't until the last second that I realize I'm not in a Spanish-speaking country. This particular conversation group was huge and extended to many languages beyond English and Korean. I spent an hour and half talking to a Korean girl my age. Her English was much better than my nearly nonexistent Korean and she was able to practice speaking while providing me insight to Korean culture. I added a few Korean phrases to my limited list, including “How much is this?” “This is cheap” “This is expensive” and the numbering system to used for money. My head was spinning at the time, but with some light review the following morning I felt pretty comfortable with it. And it really came in use for my next adventure this week…

Tuesday morning I checked out a recently discovered market in our Mokdong neighborhood. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have found the cheapest produce I have yet to find! The market was essentially one extremely long covered street, so long that I could not see to the other end. It was filled with vendors selling produce, meats, raw and live fish, breads, nuts, street food, fresh tofu, and even toiletries. It wasn’t too crowded on a late Tuesday morning so it was a great time to casually peruse. I could have even become the lucky owner of a mesh bag full of live bees, if I had wanted! I speculate (hope) that most of the goods were fairly local since I didn’t see much in the way of bananas and other fruits I know to be imported. I plan on being a regular since it feels much more authentic shopping here. I know Seoul is a modern metropolitan city, but even at home I still prefer shopping at local outdoor markets.

Tuesday night I traveled to a Bikram Yoga studio in Gangnam! You may or may not know that I’m a little bit obsessed with Bikram, which is a 90 minutehot yoga series held at 105 degree temperature. Their super-sale was ending soon so I had to get over there and buy a few tickets to warm me up through the harsh winter. Still a bit of splurge but the core strength and spinal flexibility it helps me achieve is well-worth it. I completed the first class I had in months and immediately felt amazing, while next day I woke up with that good soreness feeling. If the studio was a bit closer to apartment I would consider making it a regular thing, but for now it will remain a treat!

Thursday night I again made a quick departure from work and headed straight to an Ashthanga yoga class. It was at the same venue which hosted the vegan potluck last month. They hold a variety of events and this evening would be a doublewhammy for me: my first Asthanga yoga class and a Korean class/language exchange that was just forming. Asthanga is a non-hot style of set of yoga poses that once you learn, you work through at your own pace based on your breath. Becoming an Asthanga yogi master will take a lot of practice and memorization, but I have heard great things and wanted to give it a go...and I foresee myself attending more in the future. As with all yoga, it is better to practice regularly, but at the moment I’m not sure how much I will able to commit. (I recently found a neighborhood gym that will offer me a membership for about $210 for six months. The gym is much more convenient and economical. As the temperature continues to drop and I refuse to run in the park, this will be essential.)

With a half hour between yoga and Korean class I found a lovely Europeanbakery with delicious bread that wasn’t sweet! While Western-influenced bakeries and cafes have sprouted up everywhere in Korea over the past few years, I have found that Korean breads and baked goods are all sweet. Normally this isn't something I would complain about but 8 weeks later I excitedly dipped my savory ciabatta in a house-made cilantro pesto and then headed back for the Korean class. The class was a mix of English and Korean speakers, led by a fluent speaker of both. In this session we got to know each other a bit and practiced a few basic greetings in each language. This class is designed so that we all will teach and all will learn. If it ends up being effective I’ll be glad I amattending!

To wrap up this week of new experiences, I learned how to pay bills andtransfer money at the ATM. It was so incredibly convenient and something that American banks should adopt. You just go to the ATM, pop in your bank card and pin number, select transfer and enter in the receiving bank and account number, and voila!

 Namsan Park

Seoul Tower

A viewpoint on the way up

The market in Mokdong...it keeps going

Live bees, anyone? Wiggling larvae?

Bethallie's

When Bethany and I arrived in Seoul, we immediately moved into a two-bedroom apartment that a WILS couple had just vacated only days before. The spare room was a bit dusty but otherwise it was convenient moving into a fully-furnished place with an equipped kitchen. The plan was that when two studio apartments opened up at ‘the tower’ complex we would move there and be closer to where the other teachers live.  Three weeks in, we were informed how great of a deal we would get if we stayed at this apartment, not to mention that this apartment had some good features.

Bethany and I considered our options. The pro side heavily outweighed the con side.  The apartment is only a 10 minute walk from work (compared to 25) and RIGHT on the subway line. We would split utilities like the cost of heating, but also the utilities at this apartment are incredibly more efficient than at the tower. The only con seemed to be not living as close to the other teachers, amounting to either a nice 30 minute walk or $3 cab ride.  Having a roommate also has pros and cons, but so far I had enjoyed living with a fellow vegetarian who is just as new to Seoul and teaching.  And on top of this, because we would share rent, WILS would pay us the difference of our monthly housing stipend in our paychecks, which was sizable. Ultimately the decision to stay came down to how much money we would save.

At this point we embarked on making the apartment more of our own. Cleaning, shuffling furniture around, reorganizing, personalizing. Four weeks later I am still in the process of decorating.  I wish I had before pictures to show you! I think you would be impressed.

Coincidentally, at this three-week mark, I had my first trace of homesickness. Living in Seoul was becoming too real. I felt unsure about if I would like it here and if wanted to stay for an entire year, but it subsided in a couple of days. I just have to remind myself of the amazing things I see and experience everyday here, and of the job I don’t have in America. In all honestly I am fully enjoying every aspect of my experience here. Work keeps me occupied, sometimes too occupied, and when it’s not I’m exploring all the little quirks this city has to offer. I understand why most of my coworkers have been here for two, three, or more years.

Here’s a good story. The night I got word that we would most likely stay in this apartment, Bethany was out picking up a bunny that she planed to foster for the year.  The timing was uncanny. I told her I didn’t mind living with a free-range bunny, and that it sounded kind of fun, as long as I held no responsibility for it. The bunny-proofing in the apartment began which included keeping anything and everything out of his chewing reach.  His name is Soondoong, meaning ‘soft and innocent one’ however a more accurate translation might be ‘asshole.’  Four weeks later I can say he managed to chew through my phone charger, my computer charger, decent amount of our furniture, and our internet cable…THREE times. So cute, right? I have a strict no-bunny policy in my room, yet there is a some physical force that attracts him to it.  The one time I forget to close my door and he finds something he wants to ruin.  It has started to feel like he has some sort of vendetta toward me. This combined with the fact that the bunny has no interest in bonding has left me with a growing animosity toward him.  When he sneakily mauled the internet cord for the third time I decided this would be the last time! I confronted Bethany and she agreed that maybe he wasn’t the best fit.  We are in the process of looking for a new home, though people have suggested we just take him to the mountains…tempting.

In closing, I’ve put this entry off for weeks because there were so many things I wanted to spruce up and decorate before I posted a peek into our apartment.  My room is still a work in progress, but I have managed to add a few personal touches.  When I know I won’t be staying someplace for an extended time, I tend to not invest a lot of energy and money into it. But despite this, I am trying personalize my little nest in Seoul since a year is no short time.  However, I’m quite comfortable with our accommodations. The only things we don't have are a dryer and a dishwasher, which is normal for Korea, but I heard we are pretty lucky to have a toaster oven! I can't imagine going all winter without roasting vegetables. 

When I go abroad I’m used to being in tourist mode.  Relaxing at the apartment was a bit unnatural at first because there were so many new things to see and experience. My coworkers have told me they are impressed by what I’ve gone out and done so far since I don't like to waste away a weekend, yet I feel quite relaxed. I think I may have found that happy medium between the two.

 Maybe we wouldn't have chosen orange, but we are working it!

Living room into the balcony

Getting crafty with some boring mugs.

Didn't do anything to the one on the left, it's just my favorite!

My bedroom and a 'headboard' that I crafted.

 Some inspiration to wake up to every morning! And postcards of Seoul.

Vanity area! The hooks and jewelry bowl are my personal touches here.

Inspirational quote to be painted on the poster soon.

A picture Bethany took of our motto and the bunny.

An Update on Allie Teacha

So there is also this part of moving to a Korea where I have a job and responsibilities.  I am approaching the halfway mark for the term as midterm exams are being given this week.  I guess you could say I am getting the hang of teaching, although I still feel like I’m learning on the job everyday.  Holding my own but still I have so far to go in becoming a good teacher.  Tomorrow, l have to give a 20 minute lesson to my three bosses who will act as imaginary Korean students so they can give me some feedback on my teaching skills. Can you say awkward?

I thoroughly enjoy teaching my Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes and on those days leave school feeling like someone might have possibly have even learned something.  I look forward to these days and want these kids to be the happiest English students in all of Korea.  However, my Tuesday/Thursday classes still feel like time wasted…and it can be really disheartening.  I know Korean students take these language classes in addition to many other classes all day long, so for this reason I don’t blame them too much for being such rascals.

I prefer teaching higher-level classes, I think.  This also happens to correlate almost perfectly with the fact that my higher-level classes are better behaved.  Teaching any class, but particularly lower-level classes, involves incredible amounts of patience.  Just when you think you can’t speak any slower, in comes a parent complaint that you are speaking too fast.  In one of my highest level classes I even had a couple complaints from parents about speaking too fast.  Apparently no new teacher to Korea can escape this problem and it is something that just takes practice, so I try not to let myself get down about it.  This particular class seems to have extremely involved parents, which can be a bit of a nuisance for a teacher who is only getting the hang of things.  One ungraded problem in the workbook results in a complaint to the main office. 

Sometimes students zone out, and I take this personally to a certain extent.  In the course of my own schooling I considered myself an attentive and fun student to have (must I flatter myself so shamelessly?) but that’s not to say I have never…passed a note in class.  My bigger issue is currently outright misbehavior and my ability to act as a disciplinarian.  The art of teaching at WILS is learning how to be the perfect balance between educator and entertainer.  Technically I’m a teacher but most days I feel like I am fulfilling a variety of roles: teacher, babysitter, disciplinarian, entertainer, and hopefully friend.  The difficult kids will never disappear, but if I strive for the harmonious balance between entertainment and learning I think some of the discipline issues will fall away.

The spelling test of one of my most difficult students.  After I got to know him, I realized he was actually very smart, but just pure 7 year old boy with ADHD. Despite a perfect score, he might need to study his name a little bit more! Still hard to reign him in sometimes, but he is the least of my troubles in this particular class now.  Did you know a pencil case can make a great imaginary gun?

Jimjilbang

The Korean bathhouse. Baths and hot tubs of ranging sizes and bubbles.  Saunas of varying temperatures and therapeutic benefits. A café, restaurant, computer room, jungle gym, treadmill exercise area, reading area, and nail salon at this particular venue. It costs about $8 to enter this particular jimjilbang for 24 hours, and it really can be turned into an all day affair. For some it appears to be a whole family activity.  You can even spend the night at a jimjilbang, which is a cheap accommodation if you don’t mind the lack of sleeping privacy. The electronic locker key that is on a waterproof wristlet serves as your credit card to all the extra perks. On the way out you have to settle your tab, or forgo your shoes.

My coworker and I spent our first hour or so in the bath area, dipping into one pool or another and letting any tension melt away.  This portion of the jimjilbang is gender segregated…because you bathe naked. Also in this section is a massage service that looked a little too rough for my taste as well as full body scrubs that cleans every last flake of dead skin off…and then some.  

Following the bath portion, we adorned in the lovely yellow prison uniform outfits that they provide and headed for the mixed gender area to use the saunas.  On the way, an reenergizing misutgaru grain drink that seem popular at the jimjilbang. The hot rooms ranged in temperature from ice cold to warm to very very hot. In addition, the saunas also had different themes such as charcoal and pink salt, probably having some type of medicinal benefits I am unaware of. I really enjoyed the moderately hot saunas in combination with the cold room to cool off once in a while.  I had fully anticipated loving the baths but was surprised by my love for the saunas. The whole experience from start to finish was relaxing and thrilling.

Chuseok

Oh, Chuseok, why must you end? I write having just come off a lovely five-day vacation.  This past Sunday was Chuseok, one of the biggest holidays in Korea. Saturday and Monday were also celebratory days. Wednesday was another holiday called National Foundation Day so most schools also closed on Tuesday to create a whopping five-day break!

Chuseok is a harvest celebration in Autumn and is based off the lunar calendar.  Koreans travel to their ancestral homelands making it a nightmare to get in and out of Seoul throughout the weekend.  The holiday includes huge feasts of traditional Korean food so the holiday is often described to foreigners as Korean Thanksgiving.  My students all mentioned a rice dessert called songpyeon, which I take to be the pumpkin pie to our Thanksgiving.  Visiting the ancestral tombs is another important component of Chuseok celebrations.  National Foundation Day is a smaller holiday that happens to fall right after Chuseok on Wednesday this year because it is based on the solar calendar.  It commemorates the founding of the first Korean state in 2457 BC.

Let the festivities begin! Friday evening we kicked off Chuseok at WILS.  After work, we gathered around the reading room table for a WILS family Chuseok dinner.  The cleaning later prepared bibimbap (veggies mixed with rice) and japchae (sweet potato stir-fried noodles).  As many grapes in Korea do, we ate grapes that ACTUALLY taste like grape flavored candy.  The president of the school each gave us a bottle of wine that she had waited for hours in an extremely crowded E-mart to get due to the holiday.  (Gift giving is very customary during Chuseok. Earlier that week Bethany and I received a canola oil and spam gift set from our neighbor, despite not having met other than the night he told us to turn our music down…)

Had I not just arrived in Seoul five weeks earlier, I may have used Chuseok break to spend a few nights traveling outside of the city.  Coincidentally, I had relatives in town for the weekend and I spent Saturday and Sunday exploring the city with them.  I would like to say I had been their tour guide, but by and large everything we saw was brand new to me as well.  In the course of two days, we visited Namsangol Hanok Village, the American Embassy, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insadong, Jogyesa Buddhist Temple, Cheongyechenon River Walk, the Gangnam and Apgujeong areas, Hangang Park, and the National Museum of Korea.  Due to the holiday, fewer people were out than normal.  Apgujeong felt like a ghost town, but conversely it was a great time to visit the museum!

I also enjoyed incredible views of Seoul from the 40^th floor of their hotel.  I had not seen Seoul from this vantage point yet...and it was incredible.  The view looked directly out toward my part of town, marked by the TraPalace and Hyperion Towers.  This, combined with delicious and unlimited western breakfast, fruit, and lattes in the morning made for two killer brunches. If only my stomach could have been bigger! In the evening, the club level had a delightful happy hour and dinner to be enjoyed as the sun set over the city.  Also a huge thank you to my relatives for bringing an entire suitcase filled with Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods goodies.  It was as if oatmeal, maple syrup, funfetti cake mix, canned pumpkin, quinoa, black beans, trail mix and much much more just dropped from heaven.  Left the family to rest and Sunday night ended up being a very late night (at least by my standards!) hanging out at bar with coworkers.

My top priority for the long weekend was climbing a local mountain in Seoul.  There are so many places to hike in the city that are subway accessible. Unfortunately plans fell through on both Monday and Tuesday, leaving me two open days to fill.  Monday ended up becoming the ultimate relaxing day, and probably much needed.  After a lazy morning spent at home and a midday jog at the park, I spent the afternoon with a coworker at a jimjilbang, also known as a public bathhouse and sauna. It was incredibly thrilling and relaxing at the same time.  Definitely a great experience to have here, so much so that I will dedicate an entire post to the jimjilbang later.  The day was capped off with a pizza and movie night with coworkers.

Tuesday, again, opened up last minute so I visited two adjacent palaces, Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung, in Seoul with a coworker on her last day.  The palaces all seem to have similar looks and feels, but they are beautiful and interesting places to visit nonetheless.  I will have to make a return trip at some point since we missed the Secret Garden due to inconvenient tour times.  In the evening we met for a  goodbye dinner at a favorite dakgalbi restaurant, which I have become an avid fan of despite it being cooked with chicken.  Dakgalbi, cooked on the table and eaten communally, is typically cabbage, chicken, and a tasty sauce.  There are many add-ins such as noodles, rice, cheese, and sweet potato.  I am a fan of the particular restaurant we frequent since there is also an unlimited self-serve kimchi, carrot, macaroni salad, and seaweed soup bar.  Despite being a vegetarian, I always leave the restaurant bursting at the seams. I cut out of dinner to see an old Semester at Sea friend that I had planned to meet for a drink.  He has been teaching here seven months and is already is convinced that he will being staying another year.  It was great to see an old familiar face!

Wednesday was spent biking around a lake in Chuncheon with a meet-up group.  We could not ask for sunnier or bluer skies or a better temperature.  It took a bit of subway and train time to get to this area, but I had a nice time.  The scenery was more natural than I would find on the Han River, but just an hour or so outside of Seoul we were by no means in the wilderness.  We biked for over four hours, but at a leisurely pace and stopping for lunch and whatnot.  Dinner followed at another dakgalbi restaurant (no complaints!) and it was interesting to try a new place and new variations than on what I have become used to having.  A couple hours later I arrived back in Mokdong, completely exhausted, and lamenting the end of a fun break!

 A lovely 40th floor view

 Jogyesa Buddhist Temple

 Entrance to Changdeok Palace

Bike trip in Chuncheon...there's me!