KOREA Day 16

Tues, May 12, 2009 at 9:50pm

It rained all day Monday and Tuesday morning. Perhaps this, and not the Korean beer from the weekend, is why I took two naps Monday? Dinner Monday night at a Vietnamese restaurant helped remove me from my funk. A delicious bowl of soup with shaved beef, sweet onions, and hot peppers was accompanied by a dish of rice and pork. It was a generous portion, and unlike Korean dishes, it was not terribly spicy.

I'm seriously loving the food here; trying something new every day. I have discovered some favorite restaurants, and I have cooked a couple simple dishes in my apartment. These usually consist of rice, fried eggs, pan fried tofu, etc. It's not gourmet, but it'll do. Strangely, I'm really hungry for macaroni and cheese and would pay good money for this now. One of my favorite restaurants is a Korean chain called Sinpo Woori Mandoo, and is great food for around 3,000-6,000 Won. Mandoo are these little hand-made Korean dumplings and filled with a variety of ingredients. Their menu has many other Korean favorites, and you are sure to leave deliciously full. Check it out: www.sinpomandoo.co.kr

I continue to run the streets of Sanbon or hit the gym most days, which helps me keep sane. Plus, it's sort of a necessity since my food consumption is way high. I've heard many foreigners warn of the "adult version of the freshmen 15 lbs." after arriving in Korea. This is no joke. I know many friends back home who, I'm sure, would share this ridiculous love affair of Korean food with me.

Classes are going well. I teach a total of 20 classes per week (an average of 4 classes per day), including a 930am-1pm Saturday class twice per month. I usually have a 6 hour break mid-day between morning and evening classes, which is perfect time for a nap, followed by lunch, and a workout. This coming Saturday will be my first Saturday class and I am not very excited about it. I was really hoping to revisit the Sanbon pirate bar again Friday night, and spend a full day Saturday hiking SuriSan Mountain. Friday night is also Open Mic Night at Club Psycho, starting at 11pm and located in Anyang, which is only two subway stops away. This is supposed to be a big hang-out for Westerners in the Gunpo area. At least Saturday is overtime pay, and 930am start time is better than the 630am Monday through Friday start time.

My Korean continues to improve. It's a day to day thing, but I probably know 20-25 Korean words now, and I learn more each day. It's usually enough to communicate around town, with a few hand gestures to help out when necessary. The people here are surprisingly patient and entertained by any attempt to speak the language with them. I am certain that I would be beaten, robbed, tortured, and possibly raped if I acted this ignorant and naive with the language in the U.S. Seriously, the people so far are great. They may push their way on to elevators and the subway, but that is the Confucian way and is what it is. If they do not know you and do not know where/how you fit in to Korean society, then no harm no foul. You can't let it bother you. Plus, I am larger than most Korean men and women so that helps some.

If you have Skype on your computer, please call me! My reception is hit or miss in the apartment, but I would love to speak/video conference/chat with all of you. I'm not going to lie; it's sort of lonesome here, but no worries; it's to be expected and all is good.

Bests from Korea,