Busan and Bibimbap

I have tomorrow off and I am going to Busan. I booked my KTX tickets this afternoon and as of right now I don't have a place to stay. However, I was informed that this won't be a problem and I have a few places I will check out as soon as I get there. I plan to find a place to stay, chill on the beach and eat some delicious food for the entirety of Friday. Saturday I'll probably check out some of the sights and sounds of Busan and if time allows, chill on the beach. I leave at noon on Sunday because I wanted to back in Seoul at a reasonable time. The train only takes 3 hours, but I still wanted some time at home before work on Monday. Part of me is worried about not having a place to stay, but I'll figure it out. I can always try my Korean and ask around.

Last night I went to dinner with Lindsay and Jesse and since they paid last time, I treated. Only 11,000W for the three of us, you can't get too much better than that. I had bibimbap and it was really good, in fact I went back tonight for dinner. It was different tonight, spicier and a couple of different vegetables, but still good. The first picture is what it looks like before you mix it all together. It has egg, seaweed, lettuce, bean sprouts and two things I don't know. Under all of that is red pepper paste, where it gets its spice, and rice. Of all the things I've had in Korea so far, I think this is my favorite. It tastes good, not excellent, but good and it's cheap. Tonight I paid 4,000W for dinner. It really is cheaper to eat out, if you choose wisely and stick to Korean restaurants, than it is to buy food at the grocery store. If I wanted to make bibimbap I would probably have to spend twice as much at the grocery than at a restaurant. When AT (my recruiter) told me people live on about $300 a month and eat out every meal (and pay bills) I thought I could do better than that if I buy stuff and cook at home, not true at all. While I haven't come close to spending that much money, I can see how it could be done. I actually do have some bills to pay, about $100, but I have yet to do so. It doesn't seem to be a big deal at this point as I've received the same bill twice with no late fee attached. Don't worry, they will be paid next week. Anyway, the second picture is the bibimbap after it has been mixed together and ready to eat.

4x100m Relay and Money

I finally got to watch the 4x100m relay! It was amazing and even though I knew the outcome, I was at the edge of my seat and cheering as loudly as one can while at work, in a library. I watched it again when I got home (from BBC), on better quality than a YouTuber taping right off their TV.

In other news, I had been trying to figure out how to transfer money from Korea to the US so I can pay bills and establish a savings account. I had looked into some traditional ways, MoneyGram and even setting up a CITI bank account here and in the US for easy transfer, but after Google searches and ex-pat websites I found transfermate.com. At first I thought it was shoddy, but of course I researched it and found it to be a good and cheap tool for transferring funds. The downside is a minimum transfer, but the first transfer is free. I should have the funds in my US Bank account by the close of business today!

Olympics, Payday and English

As everyone is well aware, the Olympics are currently being held in Beijing. To my advantage, I can watch them as they air and not have to be up at odd hours or TiVo them for later. This is a thrilling experience as I was able to watch the Opening Ceremonies live and without commercial interruption. The downfall is that I can't always watch Americans. I didn't see the famed 4x100m relay (and NBC won't let me watch online because I'm not in the US). However, what truly makes me happy is the way Koreans watch and cheer on their athletes, their country. The night Minho Choi won the gold in Judo my entire floor erupted in cheers. All of my students know exactly how many medals South Korea has won, 8 to date, the third highest. Last night as I was headed home, I saw the fruit vendor that sits outside of my building with his TV. He and about 15 others were huddled around the TV, in very hot and humid weather, watching the archers take on Italy. The chicken wing place in the bottom of my building has a big screen and I kid you not, at least 50 people were watching there. It paid off, Korea took the gold.

I got my very first teaching paycheck yesterday! It will be my smallest of all teaching checks, but the largest check I have ever received. It's kind of nice going to the bank to make a withdrawal and seeing 1,267,020 on your account slip. However this roughly translates to $1,270. I had $270 taken out for my hospital visit, $88 for taxes (yes, only $88), $56 for medical insurance (thank goodness or the hospital visit would have been about 3x what it was) and $99 for pension (which I get back when I leave Korea, it'll be about $1,000). All in all, its perfect. I can pay my bills (more like start paying off my bills) and still have money for living expenses. I have Friday off and I am thinking of going to Busan for the weekend, but I still need to get a train ticket and a place to stay, nothing like the last minute I suppose. I did go back to COEX yesterday so I could buy the Korea Lonely Planet travel guide. It was suggested I buy this before coming to Korea, but after looking at the online reviews from Amazon I chose a Frommer's guide instead. However, everyone I have talked to loves their Lonely Planet so I thought I'd jump on that wagon. The bookstore at COEX has a ton of Lonely Planets, my next purchase? Southeast Asia on a Shoestring.

For the last few weeks I have been meaning to post about the random things that happen while I'm walking to work or headed for the subway. Most of them (all of them) are encounters with English. A few weeks ago, as I was headed for the subway, a man came up to me and said, "hello, lovely day." I just siled at him because I didn't realize what he had said until a few seconds later. For the last week, on my way to school, I have seen a man walking the opposite direction of me. The first morning he said, "good morning." The second morning we had a conversation. He said, "good morning again." I replied, "good morning." "My name is Simon, what's yours?" "I'm Molly, nice to meet you." "You too," he replied. I saw him yesterday and we exchanged a simple "hello."

Apple Reseller

Currently at a# an Apple reseller in Seoul at COEX. Just thought I profess my love of the iPod Touch and the MacBook...they are highly intriguing. However, I will not be purchasing either in the near future. Sad, I know, especially about the Touch :(

Dinner

Tonight after work Lindsay and Jesse (two of my co-workers, the engaged couple), invited me to dinner with them. We went to a place I go to for kimbap two or three times a week. However, I didn't have kimbap this time. I decided to try mandu kuk. Mandu is a Korean dumpling and kuk means soup. The soup was loaded with mandu, six I think. It was fantastic. The mandu had pork and some other stuff in it and the soup was very light and also had egg in it. It was delicious. I didn't bring my camera, but I found this picture on the internet. Of course we also had kimchi and other side dishes. Pickled radish, some other type of radish and green onions. I just had kimchi though. I knew this before, but kimchi is the healthiest food on earth. It has 80% of your daily Vitamin C and carotene and also is high in fiber while being low in calories. The kimchi I had tonight was spicier than the last time I had it, but I am proud to say that I love it. Plus, it can slow cancer growth. You can't say that about America's favorite side dish (I don't know what that would be, but still...). Anyway, my dinner was a whopping 3,500W ($3.50) and the total for the three of us came to 10,000W ($10). I am quickly learning that eating out is far cheaper than making food at home. I am glad to be branching out in the food department and the more I eat out, the more confident I am about going places on my own and trying my Korean skills.

Development

The thing I have recently noticed about my neighborhood is how quickly new places arise. As I was walking to work this morning I noticed a brand new cafe and gelato place, called Ti Amo. Two weeks ago work was just beginning on it and now it is open. I almost stopped in after work. Another upstart was a hair salon a block from school. This place was opened within a week of work starting and now, a week later, it shares a building with a realty company. It's insane how fast things move in Korea. However, as I have been exploring more of the city I have noticed a lot about Seoul. High rise apartments nestled between mountains and more high rises. There is something beautiful yet repulsive about this juxtaposition of modernity and nature. The natural splendor of Seoul is compromised, but the development lends way to new beauty. A beauty that signifies change and growth. Seoul's natural beauty still thrives, but with a new background. Palaces stand tall among high rises and technology and parks thrive in the concrete jungle. The bright lights of restaurants and bars are a way of beckoning one in from a hard day and offering a cool glass of Cass and a bottle of soju.

Back to Work

The vacation is over, but I had a great week off (more like 11 days because of weekends). I go back to work in about an hour and 35 minutes. It should be good. I am actually looking forward to going back because I've only taught for three weeks so far and while I was pretty settled in a routine, I kind of feel like I am starting all over again. I do have my lesson plans done though so at least I am prepared, less the test I am giving today and haven't written, but I have time after lunch to do that. Anyway, since my last update on vacation I only did one thing, I went to Namdaemun Market and it was pretty much the coolest thing ever. They say if you can't find it there, they don't make it and the statement definitely bears truth. I saw everything from jeans to dried fish and dog clothing to octopus. Some vendors had a gazillion pairs of shoes and other a million "designer" purses. It was fun and they had tons of food vendors, I however decided on a gyro on the street in front of the market, delicious. I can't wait to go back there and actually buy something, I was just impressed and overwhelmed with the amount of things for sale. If you are ever in Seoul you need to go to Namdaemun. Drying fish at Namdaemun
Kimchi and other things like kimchi
Shoes at Namdaemun

In other news, I read on another Korea blog, Seoul Eats that Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel is going to be hosting a segment here in Seoul. I am a huge fan of the show and have probably seen every episode, but Seoul is huge so the chance that I meet/see him is very slim and since my knowledge of bizarre foods, or really any food, in Seoul is limited, I will just wait until the episode comes out and buy it on iTunes. He was in Spain and went to Madrid and ate at La Botin, where of course I too have dined and I make it a point of telling everyone that I have been there too, Seoul will be quite the same so be prepared.

This week is going to be hot and humid, not unlike any other week I have experienced in Seoul so far, but I think my tolerance has increased. Last summer I was in Mississippi in the hottest, most humid summer I have ever experienced. Wisconsin summers can get hot and humid, but I think Seoul is more like Wisconsin than Mississippi. It hasn't reached anything over 86 and about 90% humidity, which I can handle, even in pants walking to work.