A Carolina girl born and bred, living and working in Haiti since August 2010. I am passionate about social justice, but above all else I believe in the power of grace-filled love to truly change the world.
A couple weeks ago we had a few really beautiful days. I went out in a t-shirt, went for a walk in the park, and sat outside to journal and read. It was aaaaamazing. It made my heart extremely happy to be able to enjoy clear, warming weather, and know that spring was well on its way.
As soon as I expressed my happiness to my Korean friends, however, I was immediately warned not to get too attached. They described a phenomenon which Koreans refer to as "Spring flower envy," in which the winter begins to fade but becomes envious as the spring flowers start to bloom, and so comes back with a vengance to get in one last big punch before finally conceding defeat. This year, that meant another snowfall, with ice and slush once again covering the streets.
Apparently, this kind of pattern is really common in Korea, but it is nonetheless really depressing for me. As a born and raised southerner this has been the coldest winter I have experienced in my life, and I can now tell you that while I do love snow, I am officially NOT a fan of the cold. Besides, with Christmas and New Years having gone by, the thrill of winter-iness has long passed, and I am more than ready to feel the sun on my face and be able to wear skirts and sandals again.
Shelly and Christopher left Korea Monday afternoon at 3pm. I managed to hold it together fairly well until after parting with them at the security check-in, but then proceeded to bawl like a baby for the entire two hour bus ride back home. Saying goodbye that day, I suffered my first pangs of homesickness since arriving in Korea, but I was also overcome with feelings of thankfulness for my wonderful family.
My time with Shelly and Christopher here was really precious to me. I feel so blessed that they had the opportunity and the freedom to be able to come and stay for such a long time. Korea became a different kind of place to me for the time that they were here. I experienced Korea through their eyes-- and they had a much fresher perspective on it than I have had, even from the beginning of my time here. It was really wonderful to spend time with our Korean family together, and to get to talk about how we saw our mother reflected in them and vice-versa. It was also special just to witness Shelly and Christopher be truly embraced and loved on by all the wonderful friends that have turned into a second family for me during my time here. I really enjoyed bringing those two separate worlds together and seeing that they fit beautifully :)
A couple of days before they left, as we were enjoying treats in this amaaazing little chocolate cafe (I mean, a chocolate cafe= obviously amazing) I asked Shelly and Christopher to each make a list highlighting their favorite things about their stay here. Since we were terrible about keeping the blog updated during their time here, I thought I would share those with you as a kind of summary to give you a picture of what their stay was like and what they valued most in the time they got to spend here.
Christopher's Top 5
1. Getting to stay up until midnight watching Friends 2. Our cousin Moonsun coming to visit us and staying at Mary Nuna's house in Ansan 3. FINALLY getting to go to Busan [after delaying the trip due to illness and injury :) ] 4. Turning 11 in Korea; Getting to decorate my own birthday cake, going to dinner with all of the new friends I made, and then going noraebang (singing room) afterwards! 5.Getting to see a bunch of old stuff
Shelly's Top 5
1. Staying up ALL night laughing and jumping around when we first arrived, even though we hadn't slept for twenty-eight plus hours 2. My siblings regaining their health 3. Meeting all of my mom's family 4. Korean FOOD 5.Sister time and getting to experience a taste of my sister's new life
*To see more about their stay here and some of the things they got to do and experience, go to Shel's facebook page and browse through her pictures. There are some pretty fun ones in there :)
You may notice that there is a significant lapse of time between my sister's last post and this one. I hope you all weren't too worried. Let me assure you that we are all happy and healthy. Well... we are now.
You see, the weekend before last we all went on a nice relaxing skiing retreat. The weather was great and the skiing was a lot of fun. None of us really having a mentionable amount of experience on the slopes, I think we all did really well. This may have been to our awesome instructor, my sister's co-teacher, Kim Yang Il, who is one of the nicest and most super cool people in the world (you will soon understand what I mean). The first day was mostly dedicated to getting used to the skis themselves and that evening was dedicated to recovering and exploring the resort in our pj's. Then the next morning, after filling up on a good healthy breakfast of Dunkin Doughnuts and painfully cramming our feet into our boots, we were off! The morning went really well. Except for me almost crashing Unnie and me getting stuck in the wall-barrior-thing to avoid Christopher, we were having a very fun, incident free, time. We quickly became hungry for lunch after several really successful runs. We thought it would be nice and pretty to take the gondola up to the top of the mountain and have lunch at the restaurant up there. We were so oblivious to the dangers that lie at the top of the mountain. Dun Dun Dun.
Incident #1: Christopher was super excited to see "Chili hotdog" on the menu and gobbled one down before the rest of us had sat down.
RESULT: Vomit on everything in the back seat of Yang Il's car (including me), and a very sick food poisoned little boy for the next 48 hours.
Incident #2: On our way outside to take a cute sibling picture before heading back down the mountain, I saw several people slip on this patch of ice disguised as a safe route out of the building. Two of whom (one being my sister) hit their heads. One was wearing a helmet and was fine. The other one however, knocked her silly self out.
RESULT: Concussion, vomiting when moved, a separated disk in neck, and (not going to lie) a very worried little sister.
Well, that was at least the initial result; my sister is fine now. She did hit her head really hard and has one more day of physical therapy for her neck, but is doing really well. Her head is not hurting anymore. Just some pain in her neck.
And Christopher of course is all better (except for a minor cold). When he realized he was over his food poisoning he dancing on the bed, jumping up and down shouting, "I am better! I am better!"
I am so happy to have my siblings back in working order now; the first couple days after the ski trip were just a tad stressful, what with living in an infirmary and all...
Shelly Nuna and I were bored because Mary Nuna had to work all day. I had told Mary Nuna that I wanted to see a whole bunch of "old stuff," so she called up her Korean friend Micah. He thought it would be cool to show us around Seoul and take us to Gyeongbuk palace.
In the morning before we left, Shelly Nuna showed me a picture of Micah, so I recognized him in the train station. It was a long train ride to the palace. Right after we bought our tickets, they were doing a changing of the guards ceremony. It was perfect timing!
My favorite thing inside the palace was the heating system. I thought it was really cool and advanced. Shelly Nuna and I climbed inside one of the fire pits.
Then we went to the Korean folk museum where we saw traditional uggs and learned about the history of kimchi.
I even tried on the traditional Korean hambok.
After we left the museum, I noticed there was an ice-skating ring. It happened to only cost one thousand won per person to skate! Super cheap!! We went skating and I fell a bunch of times.
Then we went to a King Sejong museum that was underground. I even tried on his hat.
After the end of a long and fun day, Mary Nuna met us for dinner. After dinner Mary Nuna wanted to stop by the book store (surprise, surprise). It turned out to be alright though, because Micah bought me a comic book as a gift (score!).
By the end of our adventures I was very happy to crawl in bed and fall asleep, but already looking forward to my next day trip into Seoul!
Everywhere we go, people-- and by people, I mean random strangers on the street-- stop us to comment on how good-looking he is. They are in complete awe of him. And I don't think Christopher is quite sure how to deal with it. He always kind of gets this deer-caught-in-headlights look on his face whenever people start fawning over him in Korean. We've told him to just bow and say kam sa ham ni da whenever he is spoken to, even if he doesn't understand, because chances are it is just yet another person saying that he looks like a "little Tom Cruise"...
Yesterday, Shelly and Christopher came and met me at school for lunch. We went to a restaurant nearby that serves handmade noodles and is owned by the parents of one of my students. The owners don't speak any English and I can never remember the name of the food I like, but when we walked in they knew exactly what we wanted. The meal was wonderful, as usual, and Shelly and Christopher really enjoyed their first experience getting to sit on the floor in a restaurant.
After eating, Christopher and Shelly decided they wanted to go play in the park next to my school. I whined for a minute about wishing that I could join them, and then got the brilliant idea that I could join them if I just brought all of my students along. My lesson for the day was on Thanksgiving, and I was planning to teach the students about American football-- so I decided, why not take the students outside and actually teach them how to play backyard football? Or, better yet, have Shelly and Christopher help me teach them! So I sent Shelly and Christopher off to Home Plus in search of a football (their first shopping adventure alone!) while I conducted the first 3 periods of classroom time, and then we all met back up the park for the last 45 min of class to play a game of touch football. It was a little haphazard and crazy but a lot of fun, and the students were able to demonstrate that they understood all of the basic concepts. They were also really happy to meet my brother and sister, and their excitement over Christopher's adorableness seemed to match with the rest of Korea's.
Below I've posted some pictures of the game that I took with Shelly's camera. Christopher and Shelly look like teaching pros, don't they?
Group shot!
I told the students to be crazy, and this was the result. It doesn't give a very accurate picture of how really crazy they can get.
This was the opening question I used to jump-start conversation in one of my advanced adult ESL classes this week.I learned a lot of things both about and from my students in the conversation that ensued, not the least of which is that there is a very distinct difference between the things that you feel happy doing, experiencing, or having, and what it is about those things that actually makes you feel happy.As a class we came to the conclusion that if you really want to know and understand yourself, you must get at this second and often much more difficult question.
In my last post, I rambled a bit about how simply *happy* I have been this week, and listed a few of the reasons why.But these “reasons” only addressed the things that made me happy, rather than what it is about these things that have had such undeniable power to fill me up with so much joy.So I decided to give a little more thought to the things that have recently made me happy, and encouraged my students to do the same. Here’s a bit of what I came up with in my own reflections…
I was happy this week because it was snowy.
What makes me happy:
Experiencing beauty that is pure, natural, and utterly beyond my influence or control
Giving into the urge to simply *play* and feel like a little girl again
I was happy this week because I got to teach an adult class at my school.
What makes me happy:
Getting to pour myself into *women* and connect with them on a heart level
Building relationships and offering people what they want and need, rather than simply instructing them
Being appreciated
I was happy this week because I have spent a lot of time anticipating the arrival of my brother and sister in Korea.
What makes me happy:
Knowing that I am loved and cared about
Showing my love and affection in physical and tangible ways, rather than solely by my words
Being part of an intimate and affectionate family with whom I can be completely authentic and real
I was happy this week because I got to go to an advocacy and prayer meeting for an issue that matters to me.
What makes me happy:
Being connected to like-minded individuals
Being a part of something bigger than myself
Feeling that my actions are in line with my values, passion, and heart
Being enabled, and enabling others, to make a positive impact on a hurting world
For me, making this kind of list is about more than just self-discovery.It is about acknowledging the desires of my heart, and having eyes opened to see the ways that God shows me His grace in meeting those desires; it’s about recognizing my created purpose and the hand of God at work in my life.
More than anything, it’s about understanding JOY-- not only in order to pursue it, but in order to be driven to thankfulness for it.
I LOVE THE SNOW!! It's been snowing all day and has yet to stop-- when I stepped out for work this morning, I was nearly knee deep in it! AND they are calling for another 10-12 inches tonighttt! I'm liking the way that Korea kicks off the New Year!
This week, since our students are on winter vacation, I am running a conversation class for a few of the other teachers at my school. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but today turned out to be such a pure JOY! SO much fun, and I'm really looking forward to the next few days with them.
Andddd Shelly and Christopher are coming to visit me in JUST TWO SHORT WEEKS and will get to stay for A WHOLE MONTH! I am planning all kinds of wintery activities and Korean cultural treats for them that I am really excited about-- the main one being that I will hug their necks for approximately 4 days straight when do I finally get to see them!!
I literally don't think I could possibly be in any better mood than I am right now.
I hope that all of you at home had a WONDERFUL Christmas. I really appreciated the cards, phonecalls and emails-- so sweet to know that you were thinking of me, even though I am so far away :) I had an absolutely FANTASTIC Christmas. It was very low key, but full to the brim with warmth, friends and love.
Top 5 Highlights
5. Nertz I hope I got the spelling right. This is a card game that a couple friends in my bible study introduced to me for the first time at our Christmas Eve sleepover. They explained it as group Solitaire + Speed. Google it if you aren't familiar. I was absolutely terrible-- we were playing to a hundred (first person to get to 100 points wins) and at the end of the game, my score was -5. I had a lot of fun, though, and next time if I end up on the positive side, I'm calling it a victory.
4. The Grinch and Elf Two Christmas classics. It was fun to guage our Korean friends' reaction to Dr. Seuss and Will Ferrell. 3. Christmas Eve music at Dongsan Church The night featured, among many other things, a Korean rendition of Avalon's "Testify to Love," an uptempo version of "Joyful, joyful" performed by our English service praise team, a group of ajumas in pink angel outfits doing a choreographed dance, a boy playing the saxophone while zipping through the crowd on roller skates, and a bunch of three year olds singing and stomping around in bedazzled green and pink dutch looking costumes (one of them even got so excited bopping up and down to the music that she tumbled off the stage mid-performace... she popped right back up unphased and kept doing her thing, though). It is times like these that I really wish I had my camera to share the wonderfulness that is Korea with you all.
2. Skype, Sleepovers, and Singing The best part about my first Christmas away from home is that I didn't feel sad or lonely at any point. Not only was I able to skype my entire family (multiple times) and hear all of their sweet voices praying and singing together on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I also got to have back-to-back sleepovers with two great groups of people here in Ansan. It was wonderful to get to wake up surrounded by my bible study group on Christmas morning and to all head to church together. And my Christmas Day sleepover at the Dow's that evening was especially precious, because AP and I stayed up until nearly 4 a.m. singing and listening to Christmas carols (the guys joined us for about two songs, before moving on to video games). It was a sweet blessing, and a great way to end my first Christmas experience in Korea, because singing Christmas songs together is probably the one single part of celebrating with my family that I have always treasured most.
1. Spending quality time with the birthday boy I know it's cheesy, but I love Christmas and I love Jesus. And I had a really great time thanking Him for being born :)
I am so excited to celebrate the birth of Jesus for the first time ever in South Korea!
For those interested, here are a few random tidbits about Christmas in Korea...
Christmas here is an opportunity for Chrisitians to go to church and for dating couples to have (yet another) Valentine's day-type celebration.
Families don't get together for Christmas.
The main gift given on Christmas is cash.
Sometimes, Santa wearsblue instead of red.
PS. This Christmas season my thoughts are with my family and all of the other people in North Korea who are struggling day in and day out to survive this winter, and who either don't know that it is Christmas, or who are forced to celebrate in hiding. Check out my other blog, and join my family and me in remembering and praying for the people of North Korea this Christmas.
Anyone who is remotely acquainted with me will know that I am OBSESSED with Christmastime. From November until January, I am most likely to be found wandering the streets with a giant smile on my face and Starbucks seasonal drink in hand, looking for presents and humming, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." Possibly while wearing a sweater with some type of Christmas character on it.
There is not much that can kill my mood around Christmastime. It is a period of anticipation, hope, generosity, and love, and it just makes me feel so inexplicably and uncontainably joyful. And, fortunately, despite being so far from home, the approach of this particular Christmas has been no exception. Just last night, I got to go to my first Korean Christmas play (All in Korean! And I could actually understand a good bit of it!), and it really took my level of excitement for my first Christmas in Korea up a few notches.
This season is not such a joyful time for all expats in Korea, though. In just the past few weeks, a number of foreign friends that I see on a fairly regular basis have informed me that they have put in their job notices early and will be leaving Korea by the new year. For many foreign English teachers in Korea, this time of year, rather than being cause for celebration, is instead the culmination of a long and stressful semester of failed expectations, culture shock, and mistreatment. And many decide that they can't, or simply don't want to, deal with it any longer.
As I myself contemplate the possibility of staying in Korea for another year, I can't help but reflect on the transient nature of life here, and the fact that if I do make the choice to stay-- as my friends who have already been here for a number of years will attest-- I will have to become very good at saying goodbye.
That is definitely not a skill that I look forward to developing.
I realize that this is my second Thanksgiving-related post, but I just couldn't help myself. This past Turkey Day surprised me by ranking up there with one of the best that I have ever had.
In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, I fully anticipated being completely miserable on the day, locking myself in my apartment and crying over Skype. The holiday is always very special because it is a really big deal for my family and me, so I figured I would be feeling quite homesick on my first Thanksgiving away from them-- especially since I'm living in a land where no one really even cares that some pilgrims once sat down to eat with some Native American Indians (I know, weird, right? :P).
However, when I woke up last Thursday, I felt immediately happy and thankful, just like I had on every other Thanksgiving for the past 22 years. At work, one of my coworkers even commented on how excessively smiley and chipper I was. I simply sang back in my very happiest happy-Mary voice, "That's because it's Thanksgiving!"
After school I came home to shower and watch "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" before heading to a potluck dinner some American friends of mine were hosting. I went over to their place early and got to assist with setting up, laying the table and preparing mashed potatoes, salad, and deviled eggs-- which made me much happier than it probably should have, but it just felt like such a wonderfully homey and festive thing to be doing. The group ended up bringing together an amazing spread, which included blackberry merlot and pumpkin pie for desert. We all ate way too much, and I had a lot of fun explaining to my Korean and South African friends what Thanksgiving was like for me at home.
Then, the next morning, I got to wake up knowing that it was still Thanksgiving in the US. So lucky me got to celebrate for 36 hours instead of 24! It was a seriously great feeling :)
And, on top of everything, I still had SUNDAY to look forward to. A church that a friend of mine attends hosted a traditional, good ole' fashioned American Thanksgiving dinner that night at Yongsan Army base in Seoul. Stepping on to the base, I actually felt like I had been transported home to the US for the evening. This second Thanksgiving dinner supplied everything that my first had been missing-- namely turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. Plus, it allowed me to celebrate Thanksgiving with yet another great group of people, which was pretty special too.
The Army base was decorated in true American fashion with tons of twinkly lights, Santas, and giant Christmas trees-- so what better place to pose for a holiday card style photo? Below is a picture of our group, contentedly stuffed to the brim with turkey and dressing, putting on our best smiles of holiday cheer for YOU, dear family and friends!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, With Love From South Korea!
A similar policy of restricting the travel and immigration of people living with HIV has, of course, only very recently been lifted in the United States, and will not take full effect until the beginning of 2010.
(Click here if you are interested in reading my personal reflections on World AIDS Day.)
I have gotten a few requests for a more thorough post on kimchi since my arrival in Korea, and I figured that since we are currently in the throes of kimchi preparation season in the ROK, there would be no better time for me to tackle the subject.
Historically, the pickling and fermentation of cabbage and other vegetables arose from the need of an agrarian society to preserve it's main food source in order to get through the long, cold winters here on the Korean peninsula. Of course, in modern times this is no longer necessary, but the tradition of preparing for winter by making and storing pound after pound of kimchi persists-- though, now, rather than being stored underground, it is stored in special and widely popular kimchi refrigerators.
In my first post I described kimchi as a staple food of Korea, but in reality it is so much more. IMHO, kimchi qualifies as a cultural obsession among the Korean people, and serves as something of an icon for the nation. Last year, when the first Korean astronaut entered space, government research institutes spent millions of dollars developing a bacteria-free kimchi to send into orbit with him. Private and government funded websites, publications, and museums all devoted to the promotion and glorification of kimchi are plentiful, and it is suspected that the government has repressed the publication of research showing excessive consumption to be the cause of the high rate of gastric cancer found among Koreans. Kimchi is a source of national pride, and in Korea's quest to grow her cuisine's presence and popularity on the international scene, kimchi is the central tool.
Myth and speculation surrounding kimchi's ancient origins abound. Here is an example of one myth accounting for the foods' conception:
The origin of kimchi is attributed to a poor farmer who carried several old heads of cabbage to the sea to wash and freshen them. He noticed that these rather meager heads seemed to grow bulkier after sitting in the salty water, and decided he was onto something great. If a short washing in sea water made them a little heavier wouldn't an overnight soaking make them a lot heavier? His puny cabbage would become hearty and he would have more food for himself and his family. He left the cabbages to soak and returned expectantly the next morning, only to find that the pot he had left them in was half empty. He swore revenge on the cruel thief, not realizing that it was the salt in the water that had brought about the change in the contents of the pot and not a criminal. Perhaps driven by dispair, the farmer tore off a leaf from the wilted cabbage heads and popped it in his mouth. Yummmmm! Kimchi was born...
There are other stories like this one floating around, but, however it is that kimchi actually came about, there is no mistaking the food's importance in Korea, nor the value that Koreans have placed on it, both historically and today. Here's a little taste of kimchi propoganda:
The trailer below was linked to from LoveThatKimchi.com, one of many websites and blogs devoted to the food. Apparently this "Kimchi Khan" documentary has been 20 years in the making.
The article on wikipedia will tell you most of anything else that you might want to know-- and I am a lazy blogger-- so I will simply conclude by sharing with you pictures and recipes for my own top 5 favorite types of kimchi. Enjoy :)
1. Baechu Kimchi: Nappa cabbage kimchi, the most common variety Recipie found at whats4eats.com Makes about 2 quarts
Chinese cabbage, outer leaves removed, cut into 1-inch squares -- 1 head, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds
Kosher or sea salt -- 1/2 cup
Scallions, finely chopped -- 4-6
Garlic, minced -- 2-4 cloves
Ginger, minced -- 1 tablespoon
Korean chili flakes -- 4-6 tablespoons
Sugar -- 1 tablespoon
Method
Add the cabbage and salt to a large glass or plastic bowl and toss together well with clean hands. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 2-5 hours.
Place the cabbage—which should now be soft—in a colander. Rinse out the bowl and then rinse the cabbage well with water. Squeeze out excess water and return cabbage to the bowl. This step removes excess salt.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon. Place into a larg,, clean glass or plastic crock, container or jar and tamp down to remove any air bubbles. Cover with a lid and let set in a cool, dark place for 2-3 days.
Transfer to a new container and store refrigerated for up to two weeks.
2. Chonggak Kimchi: Ponytail raddish kimchi-- also called "bachelor kimchi"
Instructions: Peel radishes, taking care to leave green stalks attached. Wash radishes thoroughly. Drain in colander. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 cup salt. Mix and let sit 30 minutes. Separate garlic cloves and peel. Place garlic and ginger in food processor or blender and mince. Combine garlic mixture with green onions, chile, salted shrimp and 1 tablespoon salt. (If mixing with your hands, be sure to wear gloves to avoid chili burn. )Rinse salt from radishes. Drain in colander. Rub seasoning mix onto radishes. Set 2 (1-quart) jars on work surface. Divide radishes among jars. Let sit 2 to 3 days before serving. Refrigerate after opening. This recipe yields 2 quarts.
3. Oi Sobagi: stuffed cucumber kimchi, especially popular in spring and summer
Prepare the Cucumbers–Cut cucumbers in half across the middle. Slice the cucumber sections in half lengthwise, leaving the last 1/4 inch uncut. Turn the cucumber section half way and repeat. Lightly salt the inside surfaces and let stand for at least twenty minutes. Rinse, drain, and place in a large non metallic mixing bowl.
Prepare the vegetables–Grate or shred the Daikon and lightly salt. Fine chop the green onion
Mix the Seasoning Paste–Place the garlic, onion half, and ginger into a blender with just enough water to blend into thick smooth paste. Pour into a medium non metallic mixing bowl. Add all other seasoning ingredients and mix well. Add water as needed to maintain a thick paste. Add chive, daikon, and green onion, mix well. Let stand fifteen to twenty minutes.
Stuff Cucumber–Carefully stuff the seasoning paste into the slotted cucumber. Be careful not to break the uncut ends. Place stuffed cucumber into a large glass container, cover tightly, and let stand at least one hour. Refrigerate and serve cold with your favorite Korean meal.
4. Dongchimi: White radish kimchi, vinegary rather than spicy
Wash and clean 5 dans of jjook pa. Jjook pa is basically the same as regular greens onions, but they are thinner. Mix together the ingredients listed above: 1 CUP red pepper powder,1.5 TB sugar, 2 TB honey powder, 3 TB gga-nari fish sauce, 1 TB fish sauce, 3 TB rice wine, 6 TB water, 1 TB sesame seeds, 0.5 TB ginger powder, and 0.5 TB salt. Work the pepper mixture into the pa in thirds. Get 1/3 of the pa and 1/3 of the mixture and mix, and so on...
Once everything is mixed in well, let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. This will make the pa soft and much more easier to store. Finally, store in a container overnight and then let it ferment inside the fridge for a few days. After a few days it will be ready to serve!
My favorite time of year has always been fall. I love the beautiful colors, the falling leaves, and that perfect middle ground where you can go out feeling perfectly content in nothing more than a long-sleeved t-shirt and your favorite pair of jeans. And fall in Korea, with its lovely mountains and high blue skies, has more than fulfilled my expectations.
The only trouble is that it hasn't lasted. We seem to have moved from balmy, humid summertime weather to snow flurries and down jackets in just a matter of a few short weeks. And with such a rapid descent into cold winter days, there has also come the temptation to become a little less energetic and just a little more pessimistic.
Luckily, however, I have been able to find a few fail-proof ways of keeping myself warm-- both inside and out-- as I transition into what is sure to be a long and chilly winter here in Korea.
1. Ondol
Ondol is Korea's unique underfloor heating system-- such a GREAT idea. It evolved from the millenia-old practice of heating the stone beneath the home in order to keep warm during winter. Thanks to ondol heating, rather than dreading getting out of bed and putting my feet down on the hardwood floor every morning, I actually look forward to the opportunity to make my toes all warm and toasty. It's so cozy that sometimes I'm even kind of tempted to get rid of my bed and sleep on the floor, traditional Korean style. (Well, I said kind of...)
2. Teatime
For some reason, even though it is freezing outside, my school insists on keeping all of the doors and windows in the hallway open at all times. So, despite the fact that I keep the heater in my classroom on full blast, the students still come in wearing coats and bundled in blankets, pouting "Teacher, cooolduhh!"Thus, the best part of my work day has become returning to my office right after lunch and being greeted by a steaming pot of Chinese tea. One of the older English teachers-- she is one of those sweet and precious women who act as a mother towards everyone-- serves tea to a few of my co-teachers and me, and we all spend a few minutes warming up and chatting. The tea and the company both warm my insides, giving me the extra little boost I need to get through my afternoon classes.
3. Christmas-y-ness
One great side-effect of it becoming cold so quickly and early here is that it puts me in the mood early for all things Christmas, and just thinking about the Christmas season makes me completely, inexplicably and absurdly happy-- I never tire of Christmas music and can watch Love Actually, A Christmas Carol, and A Charlie Brown Christmas endlessly. Getting into the spirit and preparing for the holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ is a surefire way to keep me warm and happy even in the bitterest cold.
4. Book Club
I absolutely love getting lost in the pages of a new book. Few things make me happier than curling up with a good long book and a warm cup of tea on a cold winter day. And meeting with friends to be able to talk about what I've read is like icing on the cake... or, in better keeping with the theme of this post, whipped cream topping on a mug of steamy hot chocolate. Every Monday night for about a month now, three other foreign teachers and I have met up for Dak Galbi (a yummy spicy pan-fried chicken dish that never fails to warm us up and clear out our sinuses) before heading to Starbucks or another nearby coffee shop for hot drinks and discussion. We get into some really interesting topics, and those once dreaded Mondays have become much more bearable, knowing that I have book club to look forward to at the end of the day. 5. Playing in the park and other fun adventures
Because of my arthritis, it is particularly important for me to get out and move around during the winter months-- if I don't, I will turn into one very stiff, sore and cranky girl.During the week this means taking regular walks in the park (which I've mentioned on the blog before and still love to do), but on the weekend I get to be more creative. And lucky for me, there is never any shortage of things to do here, so planning active adventures that I am motivated to do is no challenge.May seem a little backwards, but I look forward to doing more hiking and outdoor activities in the winter than I have during the warmer months. Although, I may eventually need to get some better shoes and a warmer coat if I want to keep it up...
