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!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
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.
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!
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
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
Sunday, March 28, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
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...
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...
Saturday, February 20, 2010
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.
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.
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