Wow, I forgot this blog existed.

 I completely forgot about this blog, until I saw the link to it on my YouTube channel. I might resurrect it now that I'm planning to move to the Netherlands. Stay tuned...

Four Month Breastfeeding Update: Hang in There, Ladies! It's Worth it!

At four-and-a-half months in, I am so glad that I stuck with breastfeeding my baby.  All the kinks have been worked out, thank goodness!  My nipples are no longer sore; I don't have to use any type of cream on them.  I pump twice a day at work, and once before bed.  Pumping before bed keeps me from being engorged when I wake up, which is wonderful.  As a result, I don't have to worry about blocked ducts or mastitis (which I had the first time my baby slept through the night a few months ago, not fun).  My supply has regulated, so I'm not leaking through my breast pads, and my milk generally doesn't let down in between pumping/feedings.  Nursing is so much easier than dealing with bottles.  I could go on...

When I first went back to work, I was afraid that my supply would take a dip, but one thing that has helped me maintain my supply is drinking lots of water throughout the day.  I have plenty of milk, which is great, because I can keep an extra few ounces in my refrigerator to mix with baby cereal. 

Another thing that helped me with latch issues was to place my index finger on my baby's chin  in the indention right under his lip, and pull his chin down so that his mouth would be open wide when he latched on.  After a few days of doing that, he figured it out himself.  I haven't had any problems with sore or cracked nipples since.  If only I'd thought to do that sooner! 

Though in the beginning breastfeeding had a steep learning curve, I'm glad I stuck with it.  It is so worth it!

Bathing a Newborn/Infant

Before I had my baby, I went online and watched several videos on how to bathe a newborn.  It really helped me feel prepared, and if you are new to parenting, I suggest you do the same.  However, below are some things specific to our bath time routine that you might find helpful.

First off, I decided to go with an inexpensive baby bath sponge to place on a counter for sponge baths, then to place right in the tub after our baby's cord stump fell off, rather than a baby bathtub.  Those tubs take up a lot of space, and are only used for a short time until your baby can sit up on his/her own.  The sponge cost about seven bucks, stores/dries right in my tub, and the warm water soaks in and helps keep my baby warm during bath time.

Speaking of keeping baby warm, my son HATES to be cold.  The first month of baths were miserable for everyone, because our son wailed through pretty much the whole thing.  We tried running the shower to steam up the room before bath time and turning off the AC, but nothing worked.  However, my mom saw a baby bath cozy for sale at a local shop that stopped the tears and made bath time an enjoyable experience.  The bath cozy is essentially a fish-shaped towel that you wet with warm bath water and then drape over baby to keep him/her warm.  My son LOVES it.  From the moment we started using it, he stopped crying at bath time.  Now that we know about the concept, we just use a hand towel to drape over him if the bath cozy is dirty.  It works like a charm!

My son has sensitive skin, and we couldn't get rid of some skin irritation, despite using a few all-natural baby body washes.  My pediatrician just told us to switch to Dove soap for sensitive skin; hopefully it will do the trick! (Edit:  It didn't, so I'm going to keep using California Baby unscented body wash and shampoo.)

I hope you find these tips helpful!

Newborn Must-Haves

In no particular order, here are my must-have items for newborn care:


water-proof flannel-lined changing pads - I use these to place under baby and myself when nursing in side-lying position at night.  This keeps the bed dry, and the flannel is nice and soft to lie on.

bibs with waterproof backing - These are great for keeping milk off of baby's clothes.

My Brest Friend nursing pillow - It is made of foam for firm support, and buckles in place.  It also has lower back support.

burp cloths, prefold diapers, or hand towels - I put these under baby and myself when I am nursing with my nursing pillow using the cradle hold.  This keeps my clothes and the pillow dry.

button-up and v-neck shirts, nursing camis - These make nursing easy.

Aden and Anais muslin swaddle blankets - The larger size sold on Amazon has made swaddling easy, and swaddling helps baby keep from startling himself awake.  Plus, they grow with baby, so I don't need to keep buying different sizes.

sheet savers - these keep me from having to wash crib sheets all the time when baby spits up or has a diaper leak

sound machine or fan for white/background noise - This helps baby sleep in noisy situations (like when traveling).

Tommee Tippee pacifiers and bottles - so far these are baby's preferred pacifiers and bottles (However we just started bottle feeding and I haven't tried Playtex drop-ins or Dr. Browns yet.  So far we've ruled out the Medela bottles I purchased, because even the slow flow nipples are much too fast.)

bottle drying rack - The one we have looks like grass, and you can purchase little trees and flowers to place on it as structures on which to hang tiny bottle parts.  We got ours at Target.  I like it because it's a special, extra clean place to dry all of the tiny bottle and breast pump parts.

Medela steam sterilizing bags - These are great for sterilizing things when you're in a hurry.  I use them for pump parts if I know I'm going to have to pump again later in the same day, instead of painstakingly washing each tiny pump part.

Medela breast milk storage bags - You can pump directly into them (provided you have a Medela pump) - very convenient.

Grovia Magic Stick - This is a cloth diaper safe diaper rash cream that comes in stick form.  This makes it super fast and easy to apply to baby's bum. 

baby washcloths - I probably have about a hundred of these for use as cloth wipes.  Regular baby wipes break out my baby's bum, so I just use these instead with plain water.  I also use them for wiping away spit-up, and for baths, of course.

Prince Lionheart cloth wipes warmer - I just keep water in this and dunk my cloth wipes in.  The warm wipes keep baby much calmer during changes.

Fischer Price snug-a-bunny swing - This will get baby to sleep when nothing else will.

Infantino play mat - It has lots of bright colors and interesting toys, and a mobile that my baby loves.  It also makes a great surface for tummy time, and is easy to take out and put away.

pacifier clips - These keep that precious paci from hitting the ground.  The last thing you want to do is stop to wash off a pacifier when your baby is screaming.

Planetwise wet bags - I use these instead of having a diaper pail.  I have two of the large size that I alternate using while the other is in the wash.  I hang one on the back of the nursery door by our changing table.  All of my cloth diapers and wipes go inside, and I dump the whole thing in the wash - easy as pie!  Also, I just leave it unzipped so that air circulates inside and the diapers don't stink at all.  I also have two of the medium size and one small bag for use in my diaper bag.

Motherlove nipple cream - This has absolutely saved my nipples from drying and cracking, and has significantly reduced my pain.

Mylacon and Gripe Water - Our baby is gassy, and these medicines have really helped.

no-scratch mittens - I've never had a problem with these falling off like people kept warning me about.  They stay on our baby's hands just fine, and keep him from scratching his face.  I ordered a pack from Amazon that are a bit larger, so even though he is a month old right now, he can still spread his hands out inside them.

gowns and zip-up sleepers - These make for quick and easy nighttime diaper changes.

Things I've Learned After Being a Mom for 10 Days

• If you are cloth diapering, and plan to use cloth wipes as well, then baby washcloths make great cloth wipes.  In fact, I use them for a ton of other things as well - baths, of course, and wiping baby's face, even as a makeshift breast pad in a pinch.  I use them so much that I went out and doubled my stash when I caught some on sale.  
• Don't be surprised if your baby never fits into newborn size clothes and/or diapers.  At nine pounds one ounce, our bundle of joy went straight to size 1-3 months.  Luckily, I was warned about this, and so didn't have much newborn stuff to begin with.  Bring a newborn size and a 1-3 month size outfit to the hospital, just in case you have a big baby!
• If your baby is crying but just ate, has a clean diaper, and isn't sleepy, try feeding him/her again.  Our little man went through his 1-3 week growth spurt a few days ago, and I felt like all I did was feed him.  Every hour, day or night, he would want to be fed.  By the time I would feed, burp, and change him, he would be ready to be fed again.  I was worried about it at the time, but after a few days of this (and a great weigh in at the doctor's office), things settled down and he was sleeping through the night with only one midnight feeding, and wanting to feed every two to three hours during the day.
• Stick it out if you're breastfeeding.  The baby's latch will get better, and you will work out the kinks.  Google and your local lactation consultant are your friends.  I had oversupply issues, and a Google search led me to try block feeding, which seems to be working so far.
• Your baby's fingernails are sharp, even after you file them down really well.  It looks silly, but put socks over his/her little hands to keep scratches from happening.  I recently found a pair of hand-me-down baby mittens in my son's sock drawer and gave them a try.  I didn't buy any because I read everywhere that they just fall off.  Well, I love the ones I have.  They stay on great and don't leave sock fuzz all over his little fingers.  I plan on buying some more next time I go to the store.
• Breast pads - you will need a ton of them.
• Nursing tanks are awesome; get some.
• If you are breastfeeding, get lots of cloth bibs with a plastic backing.  They absorb breast milk, but don't let it soak through to baby's clothes.
• For postpartum recovery, stock up on comfortable pads, Tucks pads, hemorrhoid cream, and A+D Cream.

How to Teach English in South Korea

I wrote this in response to a message on Couchsurfing.com, and thought I'd post it here in case anyone else finds it useful:

Hi David,

South Korea is a great place to teach English.  The cost of living is low outside of Seoul, and the jobs are plentiful and pay the highest in Asia.  You'll need a bachelor's degree in any subject, and you'll also need to get a special visa for English teachers.  To do that, you'll have to get a notarized FBI background check, and then get it apostilled by the State department.  You'll also need to get your diploma (we ordered extra ones from our university) apostilled by your state's secretary of state.  Then you have to submit all of the documents to the nearest South Korean consulate, and have a brief interview with an official.  Of course, you'll also need a valid passport. 

Actually getting a job in South Korea is fairly easy, if you go the hagwon (after-school academy) route.  Just check to make sure that the hagwon is a reputable one, and insist on speaking with a current foreign teacher.  Realize that they may sugar coat everything about the school, because they want someone to be hired (or else they will have to fill in for those classes until someone is hired). 

Jobs in Korea typically pay for your flight there and back, and you get an extra month's salary at the end as a bonus.  As an American citizen, you'll also get all of your taxes back, which will equal about another month's pay.  The school should pay 50% of the cost for your nationalized health insurance.  Housing is often provided by the school, or you should be given a housing allowance.  Now, it'll usually just be a small one-room studio apartment, but in all probability you won't spend much time there anyway.  Ask for pictures to make sure the apartment is livable.

Dave's ESL Cafe is the best site to quickly find a job in Korea.
Pusanweb is a good site for finding jobs in Busan (a city that I highly recommend).
Koreabridge and Waygook are two other good sites.
For which schools to avoid, try the Hagwon Blacklist and the Korean Black List.

It might be a good idea to use a recruiter, as you can tell them exactly what kind of job you're looking for, and they can find it for you.  Just realize that all recruiters are paid commission for each teacher they place, so they may not have your best interests in mind.  Take everything they say with a grain of salt, and really check into your school.  We taught at a hagwon in Busan, and had a good experience.  However we also know plenty of teachers who got burned by their hagwons.  Also, don't take a job where you have to work Saturdays (you can find something better), and stay away from huge chains.  They typically don't treat their teachers well. 

If you're careful about which job you take, you can have a really great experience in Korea and save up a lot of money.  I know I've used many words of caution in this message, but my husband and I had a great experience and plan to return to Korea as soon as we can.  It's just that we also heard plenty of stories about shady hagwons that jilted their teachers.  The best jobs are *usually* public school jobs, so try to get one of those if you can.  It might be tough as the program has been drastically cut.  There should be more in-depth information on the forums of the websites I've linked you to.  I hope I didn't overwhelm you with all of this information!

Good luck, and feel free to message me with any more questions.

Brandi

Making Kimchi

If you like Korean food, and you haven't been to maangchi.com yet, do your self a favor and take a look.  Maangchi has great recipes for all kinds of Korean food.  I've tried several, and they've all been good so far.  Today, I decided to try making some kimchi!  I made mak kimchi (the kind that is cut into pieces vs. whole cabbage.  It turned out pretty well.  Here are some pictures from my attempt:

First, I salted the Nappa cabbage.

Next, I made the sweet rice porridge:

Then, I made the sauce and mixed in the rice porridge:

After that, I chopped the veggies:

Next, I mixed the sauce and veggies:

Then, I rinsed the cabbage:

Finally, I mixed it all up!

And ate some for dinner, yum!

We even had some boongabang (뿡아빵) for dessert!

The kimchi turned out well.  However, make sure not to put in more onion than Maangchi advises.  I found out the hard way that too much onion will make the kimchi a little bitter.

Here's here recipe; I omitted the squid.  Delicious!

Bubble Tea!

I really enjoy bubble tea, but it isn't available in my small town.  Last time I was in a major city, I picked up a couple of bags of tapioca pearls, so that I could make bubble tea at home.  The package didn't come with any cooking instructions, and information online is limited.  But after some trial and error, I think I've got the process figured out.

I miss Korea.

... there, I said it.  All I thought about while I was in Korea was getting back home, but now that I'm here, I realize how much I took for granted in Busan.  There was no need to own a car, because there was a great subway system, not to mention buses and taxis everywhere.  The beach was a short subway ride away, and mountains were everywhere you looked.  Downtown was bustling with coffee shops, boutiques, noraebongs (karaoke rooms), great restaurants, pubs and bars, and an endless supply of things to do.  The food in Korea is amazing and healthy, and it's CHEAP.  Teaching Korean students was both interesting and fulfilling, as Korean students are much more well behaved than American students.  The pay was great.  There was a whole new culture to learn about, and a close-knit foreigner culture to belong to.

Yes, living abroad is challenging, especially in a country where you really look like an outsider.  There are stares, a language barrier, people who are always going to treat you like a second class citizen (because, well, you aren't a citizen).  The apartments are small, but in my opinion that's also a plus because there's less to clean.  The same could be said for not having a yard.  There is smog.  It's crowded.  Teaching children means you'll get sick often, at least for the first few years.  It's definitely different in the extreme from a suburban life in Texas.

But it's also definitely not humdrum.  There's a lot to be said for a job and lifestyle that is both fulfilling and financially rewarding.  To anyone considering teaching English in South Korea, I'd say go for it.  But be ready to roll with the punches, and be ready to be homesick and okay with it.

How to Cure and Season a Molcajete

 

I recently got a molcajete from my husband as an early holiday gift, and I’m really excited about it.  What is a molcajete you ask?  It’s a three-legged Mexican mortar and pestle made from basalt.  They work really well, because the rock is so porous that it makes a great grinding surface.  They are also very durable; they are traditionally handed down from mother to daughter through the generations.  Another great thing about the molcajete is that it is so porous it tends to absorb the flavor of whatever you make in it, so it becomes seasoned over time like a cast iron skillet.  Salsas, guacamole, and mole are all traditionally made in the molcajete.  The grinding action breaks apart the seeds in tomatoes and peppers, releasing essential oils and making your salsas taste amazing.  Molcajete’s are great for grinding spices as well.

So you want a molcajete?  First, make sure that you order a good one.  Many suppliers sell molcajetes that are just pressed concrete textured to look like basalt, or other imitation materials.  These molcajetes can never be cured properly, and will always leave your salsas full of grit.  I ordered the highest quality one I could find from Amazon for around fifty bucks: the RSVP Endurance Molcajete made from natural basalt.  They didn’t lie when they advertised that this thing is made to last.  It’s certainly difficult enough to cure and season!  But the effort is definitely worth it once it’s accomplished.

 A molcajete has to be cured before use by wearing down the inside of the stone bowl a bit, so that when you grind food up inside of it grit won’t break off and ruin your food.  After it is cured, it can be properly seasoned to start you off making delicious salsas and guacamole.  After much research and some trial and error, I’ve come up with what I think is a pretty full-proof way to cure and season a good, sturdy molcajete. 

First, fill your molcajete with water and let soak for an hour to make the stone easier to grind down.

Second, take your wire brush and your molcajete outside if possible, and vigorously brush the inside of the molcajete bowl for thirty minutes.  This replaces hours and hours of grinding with rice.  Then grab your water hose and, either with your thumb or an attachment, use high water pressure to thoroughly spray out all of the grit that has accumulated in the molcajete.

Third, use coarse sand paper to further wear down the bowl of the molcajete, and to scrape off some of the metal from the wire brush that will inevitably coat the surface of the bowl.  I sanded mine for about ten minutes; it doesn’t take long for the sand paper to be used up against such a hard surface.  After that, wash out the molcajete with your water hose again.

Fourth, put a cup of rice in your molcajete (which should still be wet from being sprayed down), and use the tejolote to grind it into a powder or paste.  It should look like this, or even finer:

Repeat, this step three more times, or until the rice does not turn gray and contains no grit.  Then rinse out the molcajete using the water hose one more time.  If there is still some rice wedged into the pores of your molcajete, that is perfectly alright.

Fifth, peel all the cloves from the six heads of garlic, and put them into your molcajete.  You can also add a teaspoon of coriander if you like.  Grind it all up into a paste, and coat the inside of the bowl with it.  Make sure it gets deep into the pores of the molcajete.  When finished, it should look like this:

Let the garlic paste sit overnight in the molcajete; this adds oils to the molcajete and seasons it with a good flavor that will add to your salsas and guacamole. The next day, rinse the molcajete out as good as you can with the water hose.  Then, bring it inside and use your kitchen brush to brush off the remaining garlic, and rise it off in the sink.

Now your molcajete should be thoroughly cured and seasoned, and ready to make delicious grit free salsa!

¡Disfrute!

China Blogs

6/29/2010 Tuesday

I’m sitting in the airport, waiting to check in for our flight to China.  I can’t believe it’s finally here – the day we get to leave Korea.

It’s surreal, thinking about how I will never see any of this again, because I really don’t think I’ll ever come back.  It’s too hard to be an outsider every day.

I’m excited and very happy to be leaving.  There are butterflies in my stomach, and I wish we were already on the plane.  I think a deep feeling of peace and relief will wash over me once that plane is on the air with me in it.

Saying goodbye to Korea means saying goodbye to:  endless stares from strangers, open sewage, horrible smog, kid germs, bad traffic, subways, shoebox apartments, motorcycles driving on the sidewalk, language barriers, kimchi, etc., etc.

I can feel it all melting away, and the weight coming off my shoulders.

Going back to America means returning to:  actions and motivations that I can understand, English, ease of communication, friends and family, pets, wide-open spaces, grass, yards, gardens, bicycles, gyms, comfortable coffee houses, clothes and shoes that fit, clean air, my car, my belongings, home. 

But first, we are stopping in China for a much needed vacation.  There will be a lot to see in Beijing, but I also want to take it easy and relax.  I hope we can make it home without getting lost or ripped off. 

6/29/2010 Tuesday

We made it to the hotel safe and sound.  We had quite a time carrying our huge bags around on the subway to get to our hotel.  However, three people offered to help me with my bags along the way.  Chinese people are so nice I like China better than South Korea already.

Our hotel is great.  It’s nestled in a quaint little neighborhood in downtown Beijing.  It’s about three minutes from the Wongfujing shopping area, which is known for good shopping and strange food.  I got some good souvenirs and good pictures of weird stuff on a stick.

The hotel is spacious and has a good nightly rate; I’m really pleased.  Now it’s off to sleep so I can get an early start tomorrow. 

6/30/2010 Wednesday

Phew.  Today was a busy day.  After a scant buffet at the hotel for breakfast, we headed to the Forbidden City.  Our hotel, the Tian Rui Inn, is close enough to walk to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, so Erik and I got up early to make the walk and arrived just before the ticket office opened.  Perfect timing! 

The Forbidden City is in the heart of Beijing, and is where the emperors and their families once lived.  It contains the palaces and courts of the emperor and the royal family, as well as the imperial gardens.  It was called the Forbidden City because only royalty, the royals’ servants, and government officials / nobility were allowed inside.

It was beautiful.  There were amazing and intricate frescoes of flowers and dragons on the walls.  There were several throne rooms and palaces, all for different purposes, and all beautifully decorated.  Before each throne lay a huge rug depicting a winding dragon.  Everything in the Forbidden City seemed to have a symbolic or mystical meaning.  With its sprawling expanse, it kept us busy for a good while.  After we had seen enough of the Forbidden City, we walked up the man-made mountain behind it.  The mountain was built to make the palace location Feng Shui, and to block the evil energies from the north, etc.  It gave us great views of the city and of Beijing.  It’s too bad that the great views were marred by the thick smog that seems to be ever-present in Beijing. 

Sweaty and tired from our climb and hours of walking, we went looking for some lunch.  We happened upon a place called the Alley Café, which had great food, a good atmosphere, friendly staff, an even friendlier cat, and free internet.  It was a welcome break from a day of walking.  After lunch we dodged the insistent rickshaw/motorbike drivers and walked to Tiananmen Square.  We snapped a few pictures of the monuments and headed for the subway. 

Each time you enter the subway, you have to pass all bags through a security check.  A single ticket costs two yuan, which is about 33 cents.  It’s easy enough to figure out and ride around, but it tends to be painfully crowded. 

We soon arrived at the Temple of Heaven, which sits at the middle of a large park.  We headed to the main hall, passing by seven stones that represented the provinces in China.  They were carved to look like mountains, but the folk story was that they are meteorites. 

The main hall is where the emperor would come to pray and give sacrifices for a good harvest.  The building is beautiful.  It is raised up on a tall round stone foundation, and the structure itself is also round.  The hall is very large, and has a three-tiered roof.  The main color was a rich blue, and while, the hall makes quite an impression.  Peering inside, I saw a throne for the emperor, and on either side of it a row of statues of calves standing over basins ready for slaughter.  I hadn’t realized that the hall was centered around animal sacrifice until this point, and I found it to be a bit creepy.  I’m used to seeing Buddhist temples, which would never allow animal sacrifice.  I don’t know what kind of religion was/is practiced at the Temple of Heaven (probably the old shamanistic religion), but the fact that it revolves around animal sacrifice is unsettling.

We then made our way to a hall that housed the tablets of the gods, and then to an area that consisted of three raised rings of stone (one on top of the other, getting progressively smaller in diameter).  Each cardinal direction had three gates leading from it and at the top center of the stone platforms was a “speaking stone.”  It’s said that if you stand on it your voice will be particularly clear and resonant, and people will hear/listen to what you say. 

We began making our way out of the park, but about half of the way through I had to sit down to rest my throbbing feet.  I sat against the outer wall and watched random men doing Tai-Chi amidst the juniper and cedar trees and the untamed monkey grass.  An old lady passing by also felt the need to serenade us as she walked.  Once I could make myself get up, we made it back to the hotel and took a much needed shower.  When I took off my jeans, I found that my legs were covered in black dust from the smog.  Yuck. 

After a short rest, we headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner.  Trying to get Erik fed without accidently including wheat or soy sauce in his food has been difficult.  He’s mainly been eating salad.  I, however, ordered some chicken with onions and peppers, which turned out to be painfully spicy.  Thank goodness I had some beer and mild dumplings to round out the meal. 

After dinner, Erik and I bought some fruit from a local vendor for breakfast tomorrow, as well as some juice and dessert.  We bought fresh apples, peaches, and cherries for breakfast, yum!  I also got what I thought was an ice cream bar, but was actually a whipped cream bar…interesting.  And now here I lay, feet still throbbing, excited about the Great Wall tomorrow!

7/1/10 Thursday

I did it!  I fulfilled my childhood dream of seeing the Great Wall of China!  Apparently, if you climb the Great wall you are considered a hero in China, so now Erik and I are heroes, I guess.  Woot!

The section of the Wall that we went to is called the Mutianyu section.  We chose it because it is a bit farther away than Badaling, so it’s less crowded.  We lucked out and found a tour for it and the Ming tombs through the China Culture Center. 

Mutianyu was beautiful, even if it was a rainy day.  The mist kept us cool and added a nice foggy “on top of the clouds” effect to our pictures.  We chose the steeper side for the better views, and it was well worth it.  It was amazing to just be on the wall and think about the history behind it.  I kept thinking to myself, “Wow, you did it.  You’re really here.”  I have always wanted to visit the Great Wall, but I never really thought I’d be able to.  But I’ve done it!  Hoorah!

After the Great Wall, we had lunch at an outdoor restaurant complete with a pond and fountain.  They brought out several Chinese dishes, lazy susan style, and everyone helped themselves.  There was trout, fried green beans, sweet and sour pork, fried rice with beef, soup, steamed rice… and it was all delicious!  We ate with a couple from Baveria, a ‘chap’ from the U.K., a couple from Hamburg, Germany, and a couple from Australia.  And of course, when we told them we were from Texas, someone said, “oh, Bush country,” and Erik and I found ourselves in the middle of a discussion of U.S. politics, and having to explain that we were just as exasperated with it all as they were.  Oh well, that’s the price all Texans abroad pay for Bush’s mistakes!

After lunch, we headed to the Ming Tombs, where most of the emperors from the Ming Dynasty are buried.  The tour guide explained to us about how the location was chosen for its great Feng Shui (aka its harmonious surroundings with nature for good fortune).  Ideally Chinese structures are blocked from the north (which brings bad luck) by a mountain (or in the case of a house by a lack of windows on the north wall).  This was the case at the Ming Tombs, and was also why an artificial mountain was built to the North of the Forbidden City.  According to Feng Shui, a dwelling or structure should face, and be open to, the south.  This is why most Chinese houses face the south.  Also, ideally water should flow in front of a structure, and all paths should be meandering (because chi flowing in a straight line builds up into a destructive force).  True to form, the Ming Tombs were open facing the south, and just behind a river.

The tombs begin with a long path lined with statues of animals, generals, and government officials.  This then leads to a courtyard with three gates / buildings leading up to the huge mound of tree and foliage covered dirt under which lies the emperor in his “underground palace.”  That’s only one tomb, there are twelve more.  However, they all look the same, so we only visited one. 

After the one and a half hour bus ride back to Beijing, Erik and I had dinner in a ‘hip’ area called The Village.  We had Mexican (or an imitation of it) for dinner, then stopped at an international supermarket for come goodies.  They had so many American products!  It made me feel like I’ve been living in a crap hole for a year…  I indulged in some chocolate covered raisins, and a cabernet sauvignon.  Thank goodness for screw on tops for wine bottles – the best friend of a corkscrewless tourist!

After a nice dinner, some chocolate, wine, and some relaxation, I feel really satisfied with the day.  I had a great time, and I maintain that I <3 Beijing!

7/2/10 Friday

Today Erik and I went to see the Summer Palace.  This began with an hour long subway ride, during which we had to stand up and be crammed in the car like sardines.  It was awful.  Now I know why Chinese people freak out about disease.  It could spread so rapidly in such crowded conditions.

When we finally arrived, we realized that exploring the Summer Palace was going to take quite a while, because of its expansive grounds.  So, we decided not to go to Fragrant Hills Park, and make a day of the Summer Palace instead.  This turned out to be a good move, because after five hours of wandering around in the sunshine, the last thing we wanted to do was go to another park.  The palace grounds were beautiful.  There was an artificial mountain to block the bad luck from the north, and a huge man-made lake in front of the palace for good chi.  The palace and a tall temple were nestled into the south side of the mountain.  They are restorations, as they were burned down twice by the English and French.  In the early 1900s, the Empress Cixi had the summer palace rebuilt to celebrate her birthday, so many items from her secret reign were there.  Her son became emperor as a young child, so she appointed a puppet regent to the throne and whispered exactly what he should say from behind screens.

Lining the entire grounds were the oldest willow trees in Beijing.  They were everywhere, and they were beautiful.  There were many bridges along the walkways surrounding the various parts of the lake, and vast portions of the water were covered with lily pads and lotus blossoms.  Stately buildings dotted the landscape in traditional Chinese style, and people were crossing the lakes in paddle boats.  We were almost dropping from the heat by the time we left.  We did make one last stop at the palace’s riverwalk of souvenir shops though.

Erik wanted to see a nearby electronics market, so we stopped by on our way back to the hotel.  It gook us about a minute to get tired of the extremely aggressive salespeople shouting at us, so we made a beeline for the door and taxied back to the hotel. 

For dinner, we tried roasted duck.  Sounds good, right?  Wrong.  What a disappointment.  It was so rich and fatty that I found it disgusting.  There was so much fat that it was like jelly!  It’s hard to find a food to rich for me, but China has done it.  Erik and I had to get some fruit gelato to clear our palettes of the lingering taste.  By the way, I also tried some jasmine ice cream today.  Let’s just say it’s better left in tea.  Bad food aside, the Summer Palace was beautiful; I won’t soon forget it’s serene landscape.

7/3/10 Saturday

Today was an interesting day.  In the morning, we went to see Lama Temple.  It was once a prince’s palace, but he decided to renovate it into a temple (or in this case, a lamasery) for the Lama sect of Buddhism to promote harmony between China and neighboring Buddhist countries.  This was by far the grandest temple I’ve ever seen.  I mean, it used to be a palace, so of course it is grand.  But the really impressive part is the statues.  There are many grand,  large statues of various Buddhas draped in huge silk robes and framed by golden screens that sit behind the Buddha and are actually part of the statue.

The most amazing statue was a Buddha carved out of a single tree trunk that was nearly three stories tall, all gilded in gold.  To see its face, you have to walk right up to its feet and tilt your head all the way back.  It was draped with silk scarves, and it was just beautiful.

After the temple, we went back to the area known as The Village for some lunch.  We headed back to Luga’s Mexican Restaurant and Bar, because we know that Erik can eat their nachos without getting sick (he has a gluten allergy).  We walked in dripping from the heat, and had to ask the bar tender to turn on the AC.  The cool air felt so good; it was just what we needed.  I had tacos and Chinese beer for lunch, and both were delicious (especially the tacos).

After lunch, Erik and I headed back to the hotel to shower and repack luggage so that we can fit in all of our souvenirs.  Bu the time that was done it was time for us to head to see an acrobat show.  I didn’t really know what to expect, except entertaining gymnastics and stunts.  But I found out rather quickly that it’s not as innocent as it seems.

The very first act was centered around male acrobats throwing small girls around the age of eight high up into the air.  The girls are used because they are much lighter, and the male acrobats can throw them much farther.  So the first thing I saw was a group of small girls being used for the most dangerous stunts.

As the show continued, I thought about the girls’ situation, and realized that many many be from poor families in Beijing for the country who sent their kids away to make some money.  It’s better than working on the farm, right?  I’m not sure.

The show is performed at the same time every day.  Between the show, there’s preparation and practice.  I don’t think those girls go to school.  Many Chinese people, especially in the countryside, don’t receive more than an elementary or middle school education.  These girls may not even get that much.  Also, what happens to these girls as they grow older?  The ones who remain small and flexible become adult acrobats, but what about the girls who don’t make the cut?  And what about the adult acrobats who grow too old to stay in the show?  I’m willing to bet that most of them become exotic dancers or sex workers.  The reality of those little girls’ lives is not a happy one.  A lucky few may continue on to become adult acrobats, and after that perhaps an acrobat trainer.  But most of these girls probably end up in the sex industry at some point in their lives.

The thought of this really tempered my enjoyment of the show.  There is no question that the acrobats are talented.  The show was amazing, but I couldn’t help but wonder about the acrobats.  It was also upsetting to look around me and see that most of the other people in the room probably don’t know or care about such problems.

7/4/10 Sunday

I just realized that it’s the Fourth of July…so, Happy 4^th!  I wish I was at the cabin swimming, barbequing, and shooting off fireworks with my family.  Imagine, I’m in the land of fireworks, and I haven’t seen a single Black Cat since I got here!  Well, I did go to McDonald’s and have a coke and fries today; that’s about as American as it gets in China.

Today we went to see Prince Gong’s Residence.  He had a nice place, a palace with expansive gardens – though nowhere near as big as the Summer Palace.  The roofs were all glazed green tile, the color just below imperial yellow.  The gardens were full of rugged looking rock formations, ponds, and pavilions – very unique. 

After seeing the palace, we ate lunch at a little “hot pot” place nearby.  Chinese hot pot is a type of food where you choose what goes in your pot – veggies, meat/ribs, noodles, etc. and it cooks right at your table.  You end up with a very tasty soup.  Mine had pork ribs, tomatoes, green onion, tofu, noodles, and mushrooms.  It was delicious!  It’s too bad that Erik can’t eat Chinese food because of all of the soy sauce (which has wheat in it).  Erik has celiac disease, which is basically a wheat allergy.  Our waitresses here can’t understand why he’s not eating.  He has a card written out in Chinese that explains everything, but when people here read it they get really confused.  It doesn’t really help, so he’s living off raisins and peanuts at the moment.

After lunch, we taxied to Xidan, a large shopping area that turned out to have little of interest to us.  It would be a good place to get some cheap clothes and accessories, but to travelers just looking for souvenirs, it’s not so great.  So, we taxied to Wangfujing to get a custom calligraphy painting that says “good luck” in Chinese.  It turned out great! 

After leaving Xidan, we headed toward the drum and bell towers of Beijing, but we got a little lost, so we asked various rickshaw drivers if they could take us there.  They all wanted to take us on a big rickshaw tour that was really expensive, but we kept insisting that we just wanted a ride to the drum and bell towers.  One man led us over to a guy with a really dilapidated motorbike rickshaw.  Erik and I squeezed into the little backseat and held on tightly while this guy took us through crowded hutongs right up to the ticket office for the drum and bell tower, for cheap!  It was an amusing part of the day, both for us and the Chinese people watching us zip by in our rickety ‘rickshaw’.  We got there just in time to see the drum show.  The drums were beaten every hour to denote the time for the citizens, and the bell was rung in the morning and evening to signify the opening and closing of the city gates.

7/5/10 Monday

Today is our last full day in China, and it’s been a good one so far.  We visited two temples, one Buddhist and one Taoist.  They were both impressive, and well worth the visit.

The first temple is only two city blocks from our hotel, so we walked there through some old hutongs (traditional residential alleys).  Today was another scorcher, so it was a hot walk, but it was worth it.

Zhihua Temple is an old Buddhist temple that hasn’t been renovated over and over, unlike most of the temples in Beijing.  It has an authentic feel to its architecture.  Where jewels were pried off of statues of Buddha, they haven’t been replaced.  And two of the ornamental ceiling centerpieces were removed long ago and now sit in American museums. 

There were many statues, all unique and with character.  Most were gold with the Chinese style screening in the back.  However, my favorite was a dark brown Korean/Japanese style Buddha that looked very simple and serene, with a small hole on its forehead where a jewel should have been.

One thing that Erik and I have observed, is that Buddhist temples in Beijing seems to be mostly just tourist attractions rather than places of worship.  I’m not sure how many Buddhist are in China, or where they go to temple, but I can’t imagine that it’s at these places crawling with tourists where they charge to get in.

After that, we went to Dongyue Temple, a Taoist temple not too far away.  It was really interesting.  All around the first large courtyard were little rooms housing wooden statues of members of the different “Departments of Hell.”  (Note:  in Taoism, Hell just means afterlife; it has no negative connotation.)  There were many different departments such as:  The Department for the Birth of Insects, The Department for Water Animals, The Department for the Control of Wandering Ghosts, The Department for the Recording of Good Deeds, The Department for Signing Documents, the Department for the Proper Execution of Justice, etc.  There must have been more than fifty of them, and they were so obscure!  But hey, there was a department for everything.  So if you have a problem in the Taoist afterlife, you’re covered.

Aside from that, there were large halls with big statues of the guardians / rulers of China and its afterlife.  When I was in the main hall, I actually saw and old lady come in and give offerings of fruit to three of the main guardians.  It’s quite a different experience than a protestant church, perhaps more akin to watching people kneel before statues of Mary in an old grand Catholic cathedral.  After getting our fill of the Departments of Hell, we headed to the Silk Street Market to pick up our last souvenirs.  Everything is way overpriced, so you really have to haggle for it.  You start by taking sixty percent off the price, it’s ridiculous.  I got about fifty or forty percent off of the price of everything, but I didn’t haggle as hard as I could have.  I hate gaggling, and the last thing I need on my vacation is some angry Chinese saleslady yelling at me.  You’re really supposed to take it so far as to walk away slowly like you’re not going to buy the item because it’s too expensive.  Then the sales lady puts out like she’s angry and exasperated, and lowers the price and sells it to you.  That’s way too much effort to buy something.  I could only muster up the energy to do it once. 

I finally found a good stereotypical Chinese hat like the rice pickers wear.  I’m sure Mom and Nana will get a kick out of seeing me come off of the plane wearing it.  That will be the only way I can get it home.

Then Erik and I brought our purchases back to the hotel, and hid from the summer heat until the afternoon passed.  Although, when we went back out for dinner, it was like walking into a wall of heat.  For dinner, we tried a “Muslim Restaurant.”  They bring out a big pedestal with a bowl full of water with a scalding hot metal or stone cone in it heating the water.  You order what you want to put in the water, so it’s similar to “hot pot;” it just looks a bit more odd.  We had strips of beef and greens in ours, and it’s dipped in a brown beanie tasting sauce.  It was an interesting meal, but I liked hot pot better.  Now I’m just killing time until I can wake up tomorrow and go home.  I can’t wait!

7/6/10 Tuesday

It’s been a long day, you know, since I’ve lived it twice and all…  We left Beijing on Tuesday at 5:30 pm (after taxing on the runway for half an hour, oh joy), and arrived at the San Francisco airport at 1:30 pm on Tuesday.  I traveled into the past! 

Then, we waited for seven hours for our connecting flight to Dallas, which was then delayed for another hour and a half.  When we finally boarded the plane, we were informed that the flushing mechanism on the toilet was broken, “so if we really need to go, we can bring in a bottle of water to flush the toilet with.”  Talk about a ghetto plane.  United just can’t get itself together today.

I just want to get home!  Only three more hours of flying and we’ll be there, and then I can collapse…

One Month Left!

I can't believe I'll be leaving Korea in less than a month.  I'm glad I came, and I had a lot of wonderful experiences here...but I'm so excited to be going home!  Erik and I will be visiting Beijing, China for a week after we leave Busan, and will then head back to the States on July 7th.  I'm really glad that I will have the opportunity to see Beijing and visit the Great Wall before I leave Asia. 

However, when my plane lands in Texas, I just may kiss the ground.  I have taken so much in America for granted, and am looking forward to being in an English speaking country, having personal space, not being an outsider, etc. etc.  I am really excited to be going home to clean air, grass, and trees.  When I get to my parents' house, I plan on rolling around in the grass and basking in the sun. 

Our last month in Korea looks like it will mainly be an online job search, and a finalizing of our Korean affairs.  There is so much to do; I wish I could just relax...but that's not going to happen!  Hopefully I will at least get in some good beach time before I go back to being land-locked!

Teacher's Day

Saturday was Teacher's Day in Korea; here is a list of the presents we received:

Brandi:

100,000 won Lotte Department Store gift certificate
35,000 Starbucks gift certificate
Five pairs of designer socks from Elle and Beanpole
Two bottles of shower gel
Hand cream
Two pens decorated as cloth carnations
Two chocolate bars
A long-stem rose
Many handwritten cards in broken English from kids and parents

Erik:

An approximately $75 dollar bottle of 17 year old scotch whisky
Man lotion
Mini bottles of spf 50 sunscreen, face whitening lotion, and ginseng "face awakening" lotion
Gum and chocolate
A long-stem rose
A cloth carnation pen
More broken English cards

We bought a nice Korean tea set with the Lotte gift card.  It was actually hard to find something to buy in Lotte that only cost 100 bucks.  I don't know why anybody would shop there.  Now I just need to get well so I can spend my Starbucks money...mmm.  Teacher's Day rocks.

In-Laws in Korea!

Carl and Dian's visit went really well.  They got to see a lot of interesting new places, and so did we!  Sunday we took them to Seokbulsa (a mountain temple with Buddhas carved into the rock face) and Busan Tower (a good place to see the skyline of the city), and Jagalchi (a fresh seafood market where you can pick out your fish and eat it too.  We ate still wriggling octopus, raw abalone, and boiled king crab, mmmm.)and Nampodong (a huge traditional market selling anything and everything you could possibly need).  On Monday while we were at work, they went to Beomeosa temple and Taejongdae (a seaside walking park with temples, a lighthouse, a pebble beach, and beautiful ocean side cliffs).  On Tuesday we accompanied them to Haedong Yonggungsa (the temple by the sea), and they went to Haeundae beach while we worked for the afternoon.  On Wednesday we had the day off for Children's Day, so we took them to Dadaepo beach for some hiking, and to Shanghai/Texas street for some killer Chinese massages. While they were here, we tried to give them a sampling of all the best Korean foods:  shabu shabu, chicken galbi, traditional fish and bulgogi with tons of banchan (side dishes), kimbop shops, and barbecue. 

 I think they had a great time while they were here, even if they conked out early because of the jet lag.  I think it was a trip they will never forget!

Dear Korean Neighbor,

I am writing this letter because I am tired.  Why am I tired, you ask?  Because of you.  I'm sure you're aware that the doorbells in our neighborhood are extremely loud, as they obnoxiously play Fur Elise over, and over, and over.  While this is annoying, it's not necessarily a problem...during the day.  The problem occurs when you, dear neighbor, come home at three a.m. and ring said doorbell continuously for AN HOUR.  The simultaneous banging on the door and calling of a cell phone within the house does not help the matter.  In fact, it makes all of the residents of our building want to bang their heads against a wall until they cause enough brain damage to rid them of the curse of hearing your late-night cacophony. 

You see, we actually have to get up early and go to work the next day, and it's not so easy to entertain kindergartners when you're bleary-eyed from sleep deprivation.  I don't know why you can't get into your house.  Perhaps whoever you live with is angry at you for your late-night gallivanting, or maybe you just keep forgetting your key.  Either way, you have two options that would really increase your popularity in our neighborhood, or at least keep everyone from wanting to hunt you down and hose you off until you sober up.  Option one:  come home earlier.  Option two:  instead of ringing the doorbell for an hour, why not just walk five minutes up the hill and sleep in the jim-jil-bong for the night.  It will only cost you a couple of bucks, and it's a lot less trouble than standing there unsuccessfully trying to get in your house all night. 

Please, dear neighbor, have some mercy on everyone within a half-mile radius of your house.  We'd really enjoy a good night's sleep; I think it would really increase the neighborhood's morale.

Sincerely,
The Neighborhood Waygook

Things I learned this weekend:

Octopus tastes relatively like chicken.

Galbi soup is delicious, even for breakfast...and there's a great restaurant not too far away from my apartment that is famous for it.

If you go to the temple by the sea and bathe the Buddha statue you get one wish, and there is also 'magic' water that can cure skin conditions if you drink it (which is made easy for you because they provide the customary germ infested community plastic drinking ladle). 

The temple was built by the sea because it honors the Korean Buddhist 'Goddess of Mercy'/water goddess who was said to ride a dragon around out over the ocean.

Butterfly pupae is not completely disgusting to eat like I thought it would be (but still kind of weird), and neither is sucking the little critters out of tiny cooked seashells (although it does taste a little sandy).

Riding in cars for a long time still gives me a bad tension headache.

I will always spend too much at Costco for rare items like Dr. Pepper and NutriGrain bars.

I may never kick this Scrubs addiction.

Oysters on the Half Shell

Last night we went out to dinner with our coworkers Kadie, Ryan aka "Rowdy", and Ryan, along with our Korean friends Eva and Roy.  Eva and Roy took us to their favorite restaurant for eating mussels, clams, and oysters cooked in butter.  Apparently the restaurant is very popular and well-known in Korea.

We took the subway to Jung-dong station (exit 7), which is the stop on the green line right after Haeundae.  Then we took a taxi to Chungsapo (정사보) beach, where there are several raw fish and buttered shellfish restaurants.  The restaurant that we went to was named Soo Min Ee Neh (수민이네) which is a Korean woman's name.  Eva thought that perhaps it was the name of the wife or daughter of the man who owns the restaurant.  I was expecting a building, but what we found was an open air concrete pavilion, surrounded with individual tents with tables in them.  The ambiance was a bit lacking by Western standards, but the freshness of the food keeps the crowds coming.  After a short wait, we were shown to a tent on the second floor.  The tables were the typical cheap metal barbecue type, with the hole in the middle for hot coals.

We were then left to ponder the menu, which Eva told us consisted of buttered shellfish of your choosing, eel, fish, live octopus, live sea squirt, and other such interesting fare.  Us foreigners decided to play it safe and stay away from live cuisine for the evening; we chose a sampler of shellfish and some eel, along with some soju and rice to round out the table.  Soon after ordering, out came two large platters of shellfish on the half shell, raw, seasoned, and waiting to be cooked.  Roy and Eva took over in this department, since us foreigners were pretty much clueless as to how to proceed.  The shells went directly on the grill, while in the meantime they were cut free from the shell itself and added to a tin filled with cooking onions in the middle of the grill.  The process was very labor intensive, but thanks to the expert cooks the tins were soon filled with juicy buttered shellfish and onion.  In the meantime, Erik (the only non-shellfish-eater of the bunch) munched on rice, tasty seaweed soup, and fermented bean paste soup that came with the meal.

When we finally worked our way through the shellfish, Roy and Eva started cooking the eel.  The edge or fin of the eel is considered very special in Korea.  It supposedly gives men 'stamina', so us ladies kindly reserved that part of the eel for the gentlemen present.  The eel is cooked directly on the grill after being dipped in spicy red pepper paste.  This was my first time trying eel, and I was surprised at how tender it was.  I did run into a few bones, but they were easily discarded.  It pretty much tasted like any other fish.  Now I can check that off of my list of exotic foods to try while I'm here.  We finished up the meal with a course of in-house specialty ramyan noodles that were perfectly spiced and tasty.

All in all, it was a fun night.  The soju flowed, and the good food kept coming.  Maybe next time I can be persuaded to try some of the live food....provided it's put out of it's misery before I actually eat it.  I've heard some places actually chop off the legs of the octopus one by one as you eat them.  Talk about cruel.  Why not kill it just before it gets to the table, so that it's not in agony while it watches you eat it's limbs.  I know Korean's are all about super fresh food, but that's too creepy for me to enjoy or watch.  I'll have to check into it more before I try it.  But who knows, maybe in time if the place and method are right...

January and February Happenings

Mmm, there's nothing like sipping on Earl Grey tea in the morning.  I've been a bit sluggish to post the past couple of weeks, because I've been so busy.  As a result, I've got several noteworthy events to write about all at once:  the kinder English Concert, a skiing trip to Yongpyong, acupuncture, kicking my vegetarian habit, and a poetry reading.

English Concert

I'll start with the English Concert first.  Each kinder class performed a little play in English complete with singing and dancing.  Among the choices were 'The Wizard of Oz', 'Peter Pan', 'Ali Baba Jr. and the Four Theives', and 'Three Billy Goats Gruff'.  The only problem with the concert is that all of the foreign teachers had to perform in the plays.  Oh yes, we had to sing and dance with kinders in a big auditorium in front of an army of Korean parents armed with cameras and camcorders.  Add to that the costumes, and we felt like monkeys on display at a zoo for our school's profit. 

Erik played the troll in 'Three Billy Goats Gruff', and I played the wicked witch of the west in 'The Wizard of Oz'.  I asked to play that part.  I figured if I had to do it, I might as well have a fun part.  :)  I made a few fumbles.  When I turned on my pen mike, I got massive feedback from the speakers for a moment.  Then when I got on the stage, I realized I had forgotten to bring my magic wand with me.  Oh well, it was no big deal, we just mimed it thanks to the quick thinking of a kinder.  Of course, there were many more little fumbles like that throughout the show.  It's expected when working with kids....or goofy foreign teachers.

I was also informed that the foreign teachers were expect to have their own performance, so I thought to myself, "What is the easiest, shortest, and most child appropriate English song that I can work with?"  I came up with Yellow Submarine by The Beatles.  I decided that I would make props of the submarine and different sea animals to parade around on the stage with, so that most of the focus would be on them, not us.  Here's the basic run down.  A 'teacher' comes out on stage with some 'students' to have story time.  When the teacher opens a big book called 'The Yellow Submarine', the song starts.  The 'teacher and students' look confused and try to find the source of the song.  Then a big yellow submarine makes it's way slowly on stage.  After that the captain comes out and proclaims his search for 'the whale'.  One by one sea animals come out and parade around the submarine, and the captain is disappointed each time that it's not a whale.  Finally the whale comes out and the captain harpoons it, only to have all of the other sea animals attack him as he runs away in defeat.  This came out pretty bungled and hilarious.  I can't wait to see it on DVD and laugh.  Those sea animals (cut out of colored foam) were such a chore to make!  I'm glad they were recorded permanently on film for posterity. 

Skiing

Thankfully, a week later we got a four day weekend to recover, courtesy of Lunar New Year.  Erik and I went on a ski trip with some coworkers to Yongpyong ski resort near the northeast coast of South Korea.  The area was beautiful, and luckily had just gotten a lot of fresh powder the day we arrived.  The resort was at a lot lower of an elevation than I'm used to, but there were still plenty of trails, thankfully.  They also had lots of good night skiing.  You could ski well after midnight at this resort.  I'd say about half of the mountain was open at night.  I've never encountered anything like that back in the States.  Korea is definitely a late night culture.  We got there at about five o'clock on Saturday, but thanks to the night skiing, we got in a full 'day' on the slopes.  It was a great opportunity to teach Erik how to ski, even if it was a little nippy to ski at night.  I was proud of Erik, he caught on pretty quickly.  His biggest problem was that he's so tall he couldn't push himself up once he fell.  That means he had to take off one ski to get up...and then put it on again on a steep snow covered mountain.  Not easy when you're a beginner.  I think he got it all figured out in the end.  :) 

I really enjoyed the slopes.  They didn't have snow blades for me to rent, which are easier on my knees (and more fun in general).  But for once skis didn't hurt my knees, and I actually enjoyed using skis this time out.  I thought about snowboarding, but after seeing my coworker tumble head over heel again and again, I'm glad I stuck with skis.  That also made it easier to teach Erik. 

It was nice to get out of the city for a while and see some pristine nature.  However, sleeping on the floor Korean style after a long day of skiing left us all pretty exhausted by the end of the trip.  Erik also had a hard time finding things to eat.  Pretty much everything had either wheat or meat, so he lived of junk food for a few days.  On our stopover at Seoul, he ended up eating some tainted kimbop which gave him gastroenteritis.  He's on antibiotics for it now; thankfully it seems to be a mild case. 

Acupuncture

I've been struggling to fight a sinus infection the past week, and my coworker swears by acupuncture.  So, I decided to give it a try.  I went first for my sinuses.  When I arrived they took a sample of my hair, and stuck me on an EKG machine to monitor my heart rate for five minutes.  After that they put me on some massage machines while I waited to see the doctor.  Then they took me back to the acupuncture room and laid me down on a medical bed.  They put balloon-like pants on me that inflated in different places at different times to stimulate circulation (I assume).  After about fifteen minutes the doc showed up and stuck about ten needles at various places in my face and left me to sit for another fifteen minutes.  The needles stung a little bit, but really didn't hurt too much.  At this point I was thankful for the balloon pants because they took my focus off of the needles.  A nurse came and took out the needles and removed the balloon pants, and laid me face down on another table.  She then put six big suction cups on my back (this is called fire cupping...I'm not sure what it's supposed to do), and two electrodes on my shoulders to administer muscle shock therapy.  After about ten minutes they removed all of the stuff, gave me a quick vibration massage and told me to come back tomorrow.  All of this cost me a whopping six bucks. 

I went back the following day for treatment for my back, shoulder, and neck pain.  This time they stuck needles in my back, did fire cupping, and the electric shock stuff all at the same time.  The doctor also brought out these little tape squares that came with a tiny little needle sticking out of the center of each square.  She put about eight of them on my right hand (ouch!) and told me not to take them out until tomorrow.  Then they stuck me in a massage chair for about ten minutes and sent me on my way.  At first the needles in my hand (which are supposed to increase circulation) didn't bother me too much, except for one at the knuckle of my pinky finger.  It hurt to move that finger so much that a coworker told me I should probably take it out because it might be in wrong.  I took it out, but later I started to feel really spacey and I developed a headache.  The same coworker advised me to take the needles out if they were making me feel strange, so I did.  It hurt to take them out, but I felt a lot better very quickly.  I really haven't felt any improvement from the treatments, so I think that's the end of my acupuncture journey.  Hey, I gave it a shot, but it's just not for me.

Vegetarianism

Lately I've been reading a lot about nutrition, our food system, and vegetarianism.  My readings made me think about how I've felt all this time that I've been vegetarian.  I examined my health, and I found it to be lacking.  My hair has been getting thinner and thinner, my fingernails are more brittle than they've ever been, I have absolutely no energy, and I'm hungry all the time.  I decided that I need to face up to the fact that vegetarianism isn't working out for me nutrition-wise here in Korea, and maybe not even at home.  I feel that I need to look after my own health first.  I also admitted to myself that I think it's hypocritical to eat eggs and dairy when egg laying hens and milk cows are treated even worse than animals raised for meat.  I came to the conclusion that the best way to slow the consumption of factory farmed meat might not be to skip the meat entirely, but to instead buy free range, organic meat from reputable companies.  If I support those companies, maybe they can grow enough to replace the horrible factory farms out there. 

I also learned recently that almost all soy produced for consumption is GMO soy.  They have modified the soy so that it produces its own insecticide.  That means when we eat the soy, we are eating food laden with pesticides.  Of course, the big food companies don't want studies done that show this might be harmful to humans, but a few doctors have probed the stomachs of patients.  What they found in the tissue samples was that this insecticide is in the soy, and is being digested by the people who are eating it.  This obviously isn't good for our bodies and digestive systems, but it's all being kept quiet for the sake of profit.  This whole thing really makes me want to avoid eating soy products, so that pretty much nixes all tofu and fake meat out there for me. 

Because of all of the above things I've talked about, I decided to put my own health first for now, and go back to eating meat.  I have to say that since I've been eating meat, I feel a lot better.  I have more energy, and I finally feel full.  I even recovered from an oncoming cold very suddenly the day after I started eating meat.  My only regret is that I don't have access to organic, free range meat here in Korea.  Once I get back to the States, I plan on buying it exclusively.  That way I can have the nutritional benefits while avoiding the chemicals pumped into the meat and the cruelty that stems from the factory farms. 

Poetry Reading

Last night Erik and I went to a poetry and fiction reading in Kyungsung with our new friend, Jennifer.  The venu, Radio Cafe, was like a little slice of home.  It was nice to be surrounded by artsy people, and the poetry/fiction was pretty good too.  It was inspiring to hear all of those creative voices; maybe I'll get back into writing...if I can find the time.  :)  What I really need to do is finish my online courses for my teaching certification....maybe I should go do that now.