Ringing in 23

I think I’m ready to wrap up birthday month. It’s been overwhelming…ly great. The anticipation, the indulgences, the activities, the stress, the fun.

My birthday has been a constant excuse to spoil myself with vegan treats all month long! While the heartfelt concerns for finding a proper vegan cake were appreciated, the real trouble lay in calculating just how many sweet vegan treats I could incorporate into the celebratory month. Chocolate mousse…Blueberry cheesecake…Coconut macaroons…Vegan powerball…Carrot cake…Dark chocolate with peanuts…Mocha almond fudge coconut milk ice cream…Candied nuts…Vanilla almond butter equatable to gooey cookie dough…Chestnut mousse with blueberry chutney…Chai-infused muffins...Cookies, how about pecan oatmeal, coconut, and apple cinnamon. You better believe it all went down.

Birthday week festivities intensified on the 23^rd when my MWF students brought me small gifts. My day was completely made when a former student with whom I share a birthday thought to bring me a gift! The office staff also kindly/unkindly bought a couple birthday pizzas for us teachers. They didn’t know… At home, birthday eve kicked off with delicious coconut curry and wine. I worked out a recipe for vegan cupcakes with a peanut butter banana frosting. These would be used the following two days to assuage the guilt of forcing students to sing happy birthday all week long…

A leisurely birthday morning was exactly what I wanted. I woke up to a small gift from Bethany: a nifty kitchen appliance and herb seeds! The morning also included a quick run since the birthday flu had kept me out of the gym the past four days. In a what can only be described as a birthday miracle, I had made full recovery by the big day. One awesome thing about my birthday is that no matter what I’m doing, it feels really special. Birthday wishes began to stream in through almost every form of technological and social media. Way to diversify, everyone!

On my way to work, I was treated to a tea on the house from a friend’s café. In the break room a birthday card and package awaited me. Two wonderful iHerb packages with my name on them arrived this month. I finally feel my pantry is perfectly stocked in a way that will support my healthy, vegan, and of course delicious, lifestyle.

During classes, my students fawned over the cupcakes. My last class even threw me a legitimate party with party poppers, a chocolate cake with candles, and surprisingly nice gifts like soy candles and Belgian chocolate. I may or may not have agreed to a party if they were willing to bring the party supplies. It was completely unexpected but goes to show how far 12 year-old-boys will go to get out of class work.

After work I rounded up a few coworkers for a casual drink at our go-to spot in the area. My birthday day ended with two Long Islands and a tequila shot. A fun time and luckily I had a free Friday morning to recover.

A second awesome gift magically appeared from Bethany on Saturday: white wine, lotus root, a pomegranate, and an avocado!! All things that in passing I had mentioned I loved. An avocado is a pretty unbeatable present these days. Friends joined me for a Mediterranean dinner, including a buddy from Semester at Sea. Though the restaurant owner was not the friendliest, we continued to patronize his business with post-dinner hookah. Bethany surprised me with yet another great gift: a vegan cookbook! I’m lucky to have a willing and brave taste-tester for a roommate. Maybe she is trying to tell me something…

The final birthday hurrah was Sunday morning. I had planned a vegan brunch a few weeks ago, not only in honor of my birthday but also to celebrate the near culmination of my vegan month. I love any reason to bring people from different parts of my life together. Cooking for ten had me a bit stressed out in the morning but it all came together. The menu: banana pancakes, veggie tofu scramble, toast & marmalade, coffee with almond milk. We toasted with mimosas, courtesy of my lovely lady guests who brought quite a few bottles of juice and champagne. Thoughtful cards as well as the vegan chai muffins (Alien’s Day Out) that I had been meaning to order for forever found their way to me! They were the perfect surprise. My coworkers are kind of awesome…

Birthday season, equally as festive as Christmas season, must come to a close. It’s okay because I feel fully celebrated and I have managed to keep PBD at bay. My next birthday is less than a year away...phew. That’s not to say that if something were to trickle in through the mail in February it would be a problem…

 Green class approved.

Talk about a surprise party!

 Little gifts just popping up when I least expect it... 

The birthday girl.

BRUNCH. 

Digesting and cuddling

My birthday IS kind of an international celebration, come to think of it...

wish I could have tasted my cake!

Skiing

There is no shortage of mountains in Korea. Skiing and snowboarding are popular winter activities…and I wanted in on them. I debated an overnight trip at the resort where the 2018 Winter Olympics will take place (about 3 hours away) but opted to take a day trip to the nearest slopes to Seoul (only 1.5 hours from Mokdong, barring any traffic.) A few chilly days during the week reminded me that spending a full weekend outdoors might be too much.

A free shuttle bus to the musically-themed Vivaldi resort left Mokdong subway station at 6am. Talk about convenience. We arrived a few minutes before the ticket counters even opened. Once they did, we shuttled ourselves from station to station (tickets, pants rental, ski rental, lockers) in true Korean fashion. Efficiency!

I’ve only skied a few times, the last time maybe 6 years ago, but it always came naturally. I felt more unsure of myself than I have in the past. I’d say it was the iciest and most crowded conditions I have experienced. Waiting for the lift in the afternoon took 20 minutes. But when you’re only 90 minutes from Seoul, what can you expect?

The snowy mountain slopes were serene, though a few moments left me frustrated. Turning was harder than I remembered and my skis kept crossing! (Perhaps icy patches and loose boots are to blame.) Despite a few frozen toes, I was in no place to complain…I was skiing in Korea! Nothing that a salty-sweet soy hot chocolate couldn't thaw out!

At last I got some much needed downtime on Sunday. A lazy morning followed by wandering in the Noksapyeong/Itaewon areas. The day's ambling began with a few steals from a friend's garage sale and a jar of her homemade black bean hummus...with cilantro! (Many Koreans hate cilantro, and by hate I mean they might freak out if it's touching their food.) Stopped in at a favorite vegan-friendly cafe for the world's best soy chai latte. This combined with a new engrossing book and half a slice of (free) vegan carrot cake created a perfectly charmed moment. I heard the slice's other half's owner remark that it was the best carrot cake he's ever tasted...and he didn't even know it was vegan! Completed the afternoon at High Street Market where I had to spoil myself with few other vegan goodies...it's birthday month, right?? A great weekend came to an end with a late night showing of Life of Pi.

Going up Techno! Uh oh...

I looked just as cool...

...not. But having fun!

 Independent ski trip success!

101 Things in 2013

For some reason, 2013 really feels like a fresh new year this year. Perhaps the vegan diet is having a cleansing effect (nine days in and going strong!) It's a little late, but I've been inspired to make a loose list of things I want to accomplish, or at least work toward, in the new year.

1.           go vegan for a month

2.          make almond milk

3.          inspire someone to try vegan for a week

4.        inspire someone to try vegan for a month

5.          listen to classical music daily

6.         listen to a new musical artist every week

7.          read an entire news article daily

8.         read everyday, finish a book a month

9.         listen to one spanish news segment a day

10.     practice speaking spanish

11.       study korean

12.      tell someone i love them everyday

13.      blog once a week

14.    write a gratitude daily

15.      visit a new country

16.     read a graphic novel

17.      see a play

18.     see a musical

19.     watch the sunrise

20.    watch the sunset

21.      try snowboarding

22.     run a 10k (or more!)

23.     get a facial

24.   donate to something i support

25.     get professional photographs taken

26.    go on a picnic

27.     host a brunch

28.    play basketball in korea

29.    see a professional basketball game in korea

30.    only support independent coffee shops

31.      grow a vegetable

32.     only use reusable shopping bags

33.     go to busan

34.   go to jeju island

35.     go to suwon

36.    try a new food every week

37.     don’t spend money for a week

38.    volunteer

39.    learn to like black coffee

40.  read my semester at sea journal

41.    do an anonymous act of kindness

42.   turn off phone/internet for 24 hours

43.   paint something

44. watch the lord of the rings series

45.   inspire someone to travel

46.  reconnect with an old friend

47.   listen to weekly podcasts

48.  get bangs

49.  go to the gym for the right reasons

50.    practice thinking only one thing at a time

51.      visit a farm

52.     do the 4-day fast

53.     go a week without processed food

54.   spend time outside everyday

55.     light a candle multiple times a week

56.    eat raw for a week

57.     go microwave-less for a month

58.    read a book about korea

59.    read a book on teaching

60.   plant basil

61.     leave a buffet comfortably full

62.    make bread

63.    keep vegan milk on hand

64.  learn something new everyday

65.    don’t eat when standing

66.   start holding a pen correctly

67.    honor feelings of hunger and satiety

68.   be generous

69.   take a class on coursera

70.    keep up with the daily show

71.      brush hair before i shower

72.     join a co-op

73.     be the friend i want others to be to me

74.   reread a book i love

75.     be spontaneous

76.    enjoy the present moment

77.     reduce, reuse, recycle, in that order

78.    compost

79.    be passionate

80.   reduce waste

81.     let it go

82.    stay in touch

83.    reorganize pinterest so it’s actually useful

84.  do a temple stay

85.    go up the 63 building

86.   go up namsan tower

87.    wear a hanbok

88.   learn a new word every day

89.   host a mama’s table meal at SPACE

90.   pay it forward

91.     eat slower

92.    eat something raw with every meal

93.    scope out the kpop scene

94.  try the miracle fruit

95.    ride a segway

Okay, reaching 101 is actually a lot harder than I thought it would be! I'll keep adding as new ideas come to me...

The VEGANing of 2013

A new year, a fresh start. I have a few resolutions that I always try to keep regardless of the time of year. Without fail, the list always includes reading more. This year I also plan to study Korean a little harder and maintain by Spanish. I'd also like to be a more compassionate person. And going along with this, I’m starting this year off by going vegan for January.

Even after 10 years of a vegetarianism, a vegan diet is still daunting to me. The more I learn about eating healthily, the more I become aware of the importance of a plant-based diet. A lot of the things we should want to avoid putting in our bodies happen to be found in animal products. Vegetarianism has been a step in the right direction but I think I have nullified some of the positive effects by overcompensating with animal byproducts. There are also a number of ethical reasons that a vegan diet can be superior. I’m looking forward to the challenge and excited to record what I eat and how I feel. 

It’s not always so black and white. I approached vegetarianism with an all-or-nothing kind of mentality. I don’t particularly like labeling my diet anymore, but it’s useful for the lack of a better description. Baby steps in the right direction are nothing to belittle. The past four months I have on occasion sampled a few non-vegetarian foods, simply because I didn’t want to deprive myself of the experience. I never ordered them, they just happened to already be prepared or leftover. Some dishes did taste very good, others were nothing special. But there is no taste good enough that would make me go back on my vegetarian values. If you want to join me for a day, a week, the month...let me know! It's going be fun!

It only takes 30 days to create a habit (or something like that…) and while I’m not permanently committing to a vegan diet at this point, my intention is that some of these habits will stick with me throughout the year.

It wasn’t on purpose, but it happened that I consumed more animal products than I’m accustomed to in the days leading up to 2013. Friday night involved three helpings of ice cream and a little fried chicken (which everyone claims is far superior to American fried chicken...and I can agree, if only because fried chicken never left an impression on me in my meat-eating days.) New Year’s Eve featured block after block of cheese, deviled eggs, and arroz con leche. I put my stomach through the ropes the past couple of days, so it wasn’t surprising I didn’t have much of an appetite on Day 1 being vegan. It’s not hard to eliminate animal products if you’re not eating much of anything!

New Year’s Day was a bit of recovery day. I was free from teaching duties and took the day at a very relaxing pace. It involved reading, writing, Thai food, and vegan grocery shopping. I didn’t really need to go out of my way to buy vegan food…but I wanted to. There is a pleasant little foreign food mart by the name of High Street Market that I enjoy any excuse to frequent. Not only do I find certain hard-to-come-by items, but I can also pick up treats and prepared food from my three favorite vegan bakers/cooks in Seoul. It can become a pricey habit so I keep it as a special treat. But in honor of the new year, birthday month, and being vegan, it felt necessary and appropriate.

People I meet in Korea, both Korean and foreign, always think being a vegetarian has to be extremely difficult here. And I can see how it could be if you’re not equipped with some general knowledge of vegetarian Korean dishes prior to sitting down at a restaurant. Korean BBQ is extremely popular and forgoing marinated pork belly is unthinkable to many Koreans. Allowing myself to eat seafood the past four months has certainly made dining out more flexible for me. However, now that I am familiar with Korean cuisine I know being vegan is just a matter of willpower.

I actually don’t even think being vegan will be as hard has everyone thinks it will be. If I slip up, it will be because I temporarily forgot I'm vegan. I have met more vegans in Seoul (mainly expats) than I ever knew at home. They have shown me just how doable it is. It requires a little more planning but that can be the fun part! New recipes to experiment with, new excuses to delve into some untried foods. I have several great vegan resources (oh those blogs again) in Seoul. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to buy their prepared foods and baked goods, continue trying their recommended restaurants, and scour their blogs even more closely than usual. They have shown me how making this change isn’t as drastic and intimidating as I initially thought it would be.

If you know me well you know I refuse to let a single sub-par calorie enter my body. I may be going vegan but I will be eating very well. I embarking on a fun journey and I’m taking you along whether you like it or not!

I’m still deciding how much of my vegan journal will be interesting to people other than, well...me. So far I've written enough that I could post about each separate day, but I should remember that everyone isn’t as interested in what I eat as I am. I see the irony since I say this after an entire new post about food…

I am constantly referencing 'my favorite vegan baker' and 'my favorite vegan blogger' and yadda yadda yadda, so perhaps it’s best I introduce them:

http://aliensdayout.com/

http://wholeistic.wordpress.com/

http://kimchitacos.blogspot.kr/

Happy Solar New Year!

I get slightly panicked after Christmas because it is hard to fathom that the year is coming to a close. Another year come and gone…unbelievable. The past few have flown particularly quickly. And to think so many good things could happen in just one year!

2012 began in sunny California with family, food, and a dedicated running schedule. I had a breezy last semester in college that allowed me to soak up everything Charlottesville has to offer. I celebrated my 22^nd birthday about six times (wouldn’t want it any other way!) I put a check on the bucket list when I experienced being a waitress. My family gathered in Charlottesville making graduation weekend a total blast. During an impromptu week in the Virgin Islands I swam with a sea turtle. I trekked through Europe with the sole regret of wishing I could have stayed longer. I savored the Malis Family Reunion of 2012 and a week on Lake Michigan since it would have to suffice for the following summer as well. I finally returned to the special beaches of Cape Hatteras after a few years absence. And…I moved to South Korea to start my first real job and have had awesome experiences along the way. 2012 has been a big year for me, but none of it has meant anything without the people I have shared it all with! Hello 2013.

As it turns out, I’m not too bad at keeping up with a blog! And seeing as you’re still reading this after four months, I still have at least one follower! (And perhaps one new one...shout out to a certain cousin who I just now coerced into reading...) It’s been a lot of fun to write about certain experiences, and even though it takes a good bit of time, I still think it's the best way of communicating with everyone back home. Happy Solar New Year!

In Korea, January 1^st is not nearly as important of a day as Lunar New Year, which will fall in early February this year. People still get the day off and celebrate both solar and lunar New Year to a certain extent. Certain rituals that are traditional to Lunar New Year are also upheld during Solar New Year, such as eating duk gook, a rice cake soup.

It’s surprising to me that January 1^st isn’t more celebrated in Korea since Koreans ‘change age’ on New Year’s Day. So today is kind of like everyone’s birthday in Korea! In the Korean age system, you are born at age 1. This is to account for near year spent in the womb. On New Year’s Day, everyone’s age increases by one. So, this can mean a baby born on December 31^st is ‘one year old’ and the following day on January 1^st turns ‘two.’ I know, I know, it doesn’t make sense to our Gregorian calendar-ed brains, but that’s just our Western bias, right? People can choose to add their year on Solar or Lunar New Year, but it seems January 1^st is the most widespread day. During the year, Koreans also celebrate their actual day of birth with candles on a cake and perhaps a gift, but they don’t actually ‘change age’ on this day.

Age, in fact, is a central concept in Korean culture. A typical Korean conversation often goes “Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Allie, how old are you?” Establishing this hierarchy is important to social interactions. Age is highly respected in this culture, even within the younger generation. When a group of people go out it is often expected that the oldest person will pay. I have been a beneficiary of this custom and it rocks having mainly older Korean friends! There are also certain names you kindly refer to older friends depending on whether you male or female and whether the person you are speaking is male or female. An older female to me is my unni and an older male to me is my oppa. Yes, as in…Oppa is Gangnam Style! The sentiment of these terms is akin to calling someone your older sister or brother.

So as it goes, I’m turning 24 today. What a horrifying thought. But I suppose this aspect of Korean culture could be quite agreeable to me if it means I get to celebrate my birthday on BOTH New Year holidays as well as my actual birthday. Does this mean I’ll be 26 by the time March rolls around??