Happy Thanksgiving!
After work tonight, which ended at 10:30, Ben said "why am I so hungry?" We realized that this day is typically the one day of the year where we just eat because it tastes good, and then eat more. And then eat more, watch some football, eat more, and then fall asleep. It seems that our bodies are so used to being ridiculously full on this day by the time 10:30 rolls around. Our Thanksgiving celebration wasn't much of anything, as there were no pilgrims that landed on the shores of Korea. We had some people wish us a happy day, and we reflected a bit on the things we are thankful for.
Please leave us a note and share about your holiday. We hope that you are enjoying time with family and friends. We also hope that you are not taking the delicious Thanksgiving menu for granted! Tell us what you are eating, too! Jen will attempt to make a couple of *small* holiday dishes in the new toaster oven, and recipe ideas are much appreciated.
Happy eating, and happy napping!
Thursday, November 27
Sunday, November 23
Catching Up
It feels like the last two weeks have been so full of new places, new people, and new experiences. Because of our internet situation, we are quite behind on sending stories and photos from all of those new things. Thus, you can now look below for some random pictures and quick stories on our first two weeks.
You must realize that we are in a small city that is a part of one of the largest cities in the world. People who live here in Ilsan think that it is quite small, compared to the heart of Seoul, which is about 45-60 minutes by subway. Many of our experiences have been not only with Korean culture, but also with 'big city' life. Because of the size of the city, there is a lot of western influence. It is interesting to see things that Koreans have adapted, especially when it is mixed with their own styles and customs. One of the funniest things is the influence of American music here. The American songs that the Koreans know, and like, are quite random and include: Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, the Spice Girls (Ben and I sang that during our first Korean Karaoke singing room experience) and an eclectic mix of eighties and early-nineties songs. At the gym yesterday, we were next to a very strong Korean man who was singing aloud. He was singing "It's rainin' men...hallelujah...it's rainin' men." While he was lifting weights. As we left the gym and the elevator doors closed behind us, Ben and I said to one another, "Does he even know what he was saying?!"
Us singing "Wanna Be"
I mentioned the Western influence. This is the women's bathroom at a German Pub-style restaurant. Yes, that is Keanu Reeves. Why? I don't know. I had to take a picture so that Ben would believe me when I said there was a giant mural of Keanu on the wall of the restroom. Like I would even pretend that there would be a giant mural of Keanu on the wall.
We took a lovely tour of the Han River, which allowed us to see the city of Seoul from the water.
We visited the Namdaemun Market, an open air market that was full of clothes, local cuisine, some fresh vegetables, and other small stores. And full of people.
The characters under the logo read (each bundle of symbols is one syllable) "Suh-ta-bok-suh-koh-pi" and mmm it is still delicious. This is the only store that has the store name written in Korean, because it is in a traditional district of town. All others are in English.
Visiting with an old friend in Seoul! We have quite a representation of Northern Indiana people here in Seoul. Deanne was among other friends from the South Bend area that we met with, and who we will visit more during our time here.
Meet a few of the ladies from LMC school: Kalii (US: she left after our first week here), Atsuko (Japan: our manager), Kyung-min (Korean receptionist), JaYoung (Korean teacher), Noriko (Japanese teacher), Razel (She's from the Philippines, but is married to a Korean. She teaches English, but is leaving soon--we are taking her classes). They were dancing, they don't always pose for pictures like that.
And the men, who, along with Jen, make up the entire English department at LMC. Ben, the handsome one, Thomas (Tom-he's from Canada) and Lawrence (South Africa). Atsuko likes to squeeze into pictures, too.
You must realize that we are in a small city that is a part of one of the largest cities in the world. People who live here in Ilsan think that it is quite small, compared to the heart of Seoul, which is about 45-60 minutes by subway. Many of our experiences have been not only with Korean culture, but also with 'big city' life. Because of the size of the city, there is a lot of western influence. It is interesting to see things that Koreans have adapted, especially when it is mixed with their own styles and customs. One of the funniest things is the influence of American music here. The American songs that the Koreans know, and like, are quite random and include: Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, the Spice Girls (Ben and I sang that during our first Korean Karaoke singing room experience) and an eclectic mix of eighties and early-nineties songs. At the gym yesterday, we were next to a very strong Korean man who was singing aloud. He was singing "It's rainin' men...hallelujah...it's rainin' men." While he was lifting weights. As we left the gym and the elevator doors closed behind us, Ben and I said to one another, "Does he even know what he was saying?!"
Us singing "Wanna Be"
I mentioned the Western influence. This is the women's bathroom at a German Pub-style restaurant. Yes, that is Keanu Reeves. Why? I don't know. I had to take a picture so that Ben would believe me when I said there was a giant mural of Keanu on the wall of the restroom. Like I would even pretend that there would be a giant mural of Keanu on the wall.
We took a lovely tour of the Han River, which allowed us to see the city of Seoul from the water.
We visited the Namdaemun Market, an open air market that was full of clothes, local cuisine, some fresh vegetables, and other small stores. And full of people.
The characters under the logo read (each bundle of symbols is one syllable) "Suh-ta-bok-suh-koh-pi" and mmm it is still delicious. This is the only store that has the store name written in Korean, because it is in a traditional district of town. All others are in English.
Visiting with an old friend in Seoul! We have quite a representation of Northern Indiana people here in Seoul. Deanne was among other friends from the South Bend area that we met with, and who we will visit more during our time here.
Meet a few of the ladies from LMC school: Kalii (US: she left after our first week here), Atsuko (Japan: our manager), Kyung-min (Korean receptionist), JaYoung (Korean teacher), Noriko (Japanese teacher), Razel (She's from the Philippines, but is married to a Korean. She teaches English, but is leaving soon--we are taking her classes). They were dancing, they don't always pose for pictures like that.
And the men, who, along with Jen, make up the entire English department at LMC. Ben, the handsome one, Thomas (Tom-he's from Canada) and Lawrence (South Africa). Atsuko likes to squeeze into pictures, too.
Friday, November 21
Home sweet home...
This week, we moved across the street into our new apartment. Of course, we would love to have you for a meal or coffee at our home, but that would require you to take a trip to Seoul. Instead, please feel welcomed as our first guests through pictures!
On Tuesday morning, we packed our belongings--four suitcases, three backpacks, a few bags of food, and a big package of toilet paper--and trekked across the street into our new building. Our previous apartment was...small, so we had no idea what to expect. Well, we were pleasantly surprised!
Our kitchen is typical Korean, with a small sink, a two-burner electric stovetop, a refrigerator, and a small washer where an oven belongs. I'm still a bit bitter about the oven situation, as Koreans just don't bake like we do. However, Ben said that we can get a toaster oven, which has since made our kitchen complete.
In addition to living without ovens, Koreans also live without clothes dryers. We survived our first load of laundry in our 'old' apartment, finding every possible hook to hang the wet clothes on. When we moved into our new place, we were delighted to discover that our washer also DRYS the clothes! We've never seen such a thing, but it is such a relief and an added convenience that we were not expecting. The machine itself doesn't hold much, and it takes about 3.5-4 hours to do a load from start to finish, but wow, we can do laundry!
The main room of our apartment is quite roomy. Up until tonight, we didn't have a single piece of furniture in it. Today, we purchased some 'stools' (they are perfect for a freshman girls' dorm room) and a few seat pads (think of the mats that you see on the floor of a Japanese teppan restaurant) so now we can have friends over and be more comfortable. The advantage of the floor seating mats is that the main source of heat in Korean homes is through the floor. It is getting colder each day, so we'll probably get a small space heater for our bedroom area, which has no heat because it is a loft.
The loft is quite cozy, and by cozy we mean four and a half feet tall. When standing on the second-to-last step, Jen's head just grazes the ceiling. The final step means walking like the hunchback. For Ben, well, yeah, he has to duck. Our bed consists of two twin mattresses on the floor, which you can see fit just right in the loft. We still don't have curtains yet, so we wake up to a nice view of the building across the street. At night, the lights from the street are similar to that red sign from that Seinfeld episode that kept them from sleeping. Thankfully, we are so tired at the end of the day, it is easy to find rest. It is a comfortable room, and we are so glad to have some sort of separation from the main room. In our old apartment, if anyone wanted to come over, they would have had to sit on our mattresses.
It is Korean tradition NOT to clean your apartment when you move out. Granted, there's not many rules in the States about leaving your place spotless, but there is such a thing as apartment maintenance, who will clean the apartment, re-paint, etc. Not so in Korea. That same tradition also holds that when you move into the apartment, it looks like it did when the previous tenants moved out. A bit...different for us, especially when it came to cleaning the bathroom. Of course, cleaning any bathroom, including your own, can be a chore. But, cleaning your bathroom and finding long, dark Asian hair everywhere is just...gross. It was a challenge. Today's adventure is cleaning out the refrigerator, which smells like old Korean food.
Despite Korean tradition, we have felt very comfortable and at home at our new place. We praise God for an apartment that is big enough to have people over, which is what we love to do. Jen's excited to learn how to cook some things the Korean way, and we already have plans to teach the guys we work with how to play Euchre. Now, if I can only convince Ben that we need a small Christmas tree next week...'tis the Season!
On Tuesday morning, we packed our belongings--four suitcases, three backpacks, a few bags of food, and a big package of toilet paper--and trekked across the street into our new building. Our previous apartment was...small, so we had no idea what to expect. Well, we were pleasantly surprised!
Our kitchen is typical Korean, with a small sink, a two-burner electric stovetop, a refrigerator, and a small washer where an oven belongs. I'm still a bit bitter about the oven situation, as Koreans just don't bake like we do. However, Ben said that we can get a toaster oven, which has since made our kitchen complete.
In addition to living without ovens, Koreans also live without clothes dryers. We survived our first load of laundry in our 'old' apartment, finding every possible hook to hang the wet clothes on. When we moved into our new place, we were delighted to discover that our washer also DRYS the clothes! We've never seen such a thing, but it is such a relief and an added convenience that we were not expecting. The machine itself doesn't hold much, and it takes about 3.5-4 hours to do a load from start to finish, but wow, we can do laundry!
The main room of our apartment is quite roomy. Up until tonight, we didn't have a single piece of furniture in it. Today, we purchased some 'stools' (they are perfect for a freshman girls' dorm room) and a few seat pads (think of the mats that you see on the floor of a Japanese teppan restaurant) so now we can have friends over and be more comfortable. The advantage of the floor seating mats is that the main source of heat in Korean homes is through the floor. It is getting colder each day, so we'll probably get a small space heater for our bedroom area, which has no heat because it is a loft.
The loft is quite cozy, and by cozy we mean four and a half feet tall. When standing on the second-to-last step, Jen's head just grazes the ceiling. The final step means walking like the hunchback. For Ben, well, yeah, he has to duck. Our bed consists of two twin mattresses on the floor, which you can see fit just right in the loft. We still don't have curtains yet, so we wake up to a nice view of the building across the street. At night, the lights from the street are similar to that red sign from that Seinfeld episode that kept them from sleeping. Thankfully, we are so tired at the end of the day, it is easy to find rest. It is a comfortable room, and we are so glad to have some sort of separation from the main room. In our old apartment, if anyone wanted to come over, they would have had to sit on our mattresses.
It is Korean tradition NOT to clean your apartment when you move out. Granted, there's not many rules in the States about leaving your place spotless, but there is such a thing as apartment maintenance, who will clean the apartment, re-paint, etc. Not so in Korea. That same tradition also holds that when you move into the apartment, it looks like it did when the previous tenants moved out. A bit...different for us, especially when it came to cleaning the bathroom. Of course, cleaning any bathroom, including your own, can be a chore. But, cleaning your bathroom and finding long, dark Asian hair everywhere is just...gross. It was a challenge. Today's adventure is cleaning out the refrigerator, which smells like old Korean food.
Despite Korean tradition, we have felt very comfortable and at home at our new place. We praise God for an apartment that is big enough to have people over, which is what we love to do. Jen's excited to learn how to cook some things the Korean way, and we already have plans to teach the guys we work with how to play Euchre. Now, if I can only convince Ben that we need a small Christmas tree next week...'tis the Season!
Sunday, November 16
Seoul Food from Korea
Hey Everyone! We are finally able to update you on our first ten days in South Korea!
We have had so many adventures in such little time. Now, the word "adventure" is widely used, and includes anything from living out of our suitcases in a "the bedroom is also the living room and...the only room" apartment to visits into the capital city of Seoul, and about eating strange foods and also seeing a four-story Dunkin' Donuts. Korea is a beautiful place, full of rich tradition and heritage, yet busy with modern technology and Western trends. Throughout our time here, we hope to share with you about this place, the people, and about what we are experiencing through it all. Please expect to find fun stories and photos, and maybe you'll learn a thing or two about Korean culture. Hopefully we can update enough to keep you entertained, but not bored. Here is a quick glimpse at our journey so far...
After about 30 hours of travel, we came to our new home. As we were unloading our suitcases, we were told that this apartment was just a temporary one. And that we had to be at work in 12 hours. We didn't have towels or anything, so we made a great first impression after drying off with t-shirts and wearing wrinkly clothes.
On our Tuesday morning, we'll move into our 'real' place (a building next door). We're told it's a loft, but we're just not sure what to expect. We've made due just fine here so far, with the only frustration being more time having to live out of our suitcases (it has been about three months now).
Our first day of work was nice, as we were welcomed by the director (Miya, from Japan) and our manager (Atsuko, also from Japan), and all of the other foreign teachers. We are now the only Americans out of 20 staff, which includes about 5 Japanese ladies, 2 from China, one Korean teacher and all other Korean staff, two Frenchmen, our Canadian Tom, and Lawrence, from South Africa. The teachers that Ben and I are 'replacing' more or less are Kalii from the US and Razel, from the Philippines but is married to a Korean and has a couple of children. The last four mentioned are all English teachers, which means that when December comes, it will be Tom, Lawrence, Ben, and me, representing the girls, in the English department. Our directors took our department out to lunch. Take a look at this typical Korean feast! Everything is in the middle, including the barbecue rack that sits over hot coals. Everyone literally digs in with their chopsticks!
Our first visit to Seoul! This is Changdeokgung Palace, which was surrounded by absolutely beautiful fall trees! I'll put more photos in a photo album, once I figure out how to do that on here.
Not far from the palace was quite a culture shock experience. As you cross the streets in Seoul, you realize that you are crossing with at least 200 or 300 other people. The Insa Dong Market is the Art District of Seoul, where you can buy and see more Korean traditional art, jewelry, and gifts.
The Myeong Dong Market is exactly what I expected: NEON. People everywhere, small streets, and designer shops from all over the world. This is where you can find the four-story Dunkin' Donuts building. This is a great place for shopping and just to visit, but there are just so many people! And above all else, everyone is dressed up. Almost all of the ladies wear high heels everywhere, and they are all quite trendy. Not me! I'm in my trusted Habitat fleece and jeans!
Ben thought he was ordering a side dish for Chicken. I can't believe he ate all of those fish heads.
We've had yet another crazy weekend, and can't wait to tell you about it. Please check back soon for more!
On-young-gee-kah-say-oh! Goodbye!
We have had so many adventures in such little time. Now, the word "adventure" is widely used, and includes anything from living out of our suitcases in a "the bedroom is also the living room and...the only room" apartment to visits into the capital city of Seoul, and about eating strange foods and also seeing a four-story Dunkin' Donuts. Korea is a beautiful place, full of rich tradition and heritage, yet busy with modern technology and Western trends. Throughout our time here, we hope to share with you about this place, the people, and about what we are experiencing through it all. Please expect to find fun stories and photos, and maybe you'll learn a thing or two about Korean culture. Hopefully we can update enough to keep you entertained, but not bored. Here is a quick glimpse at our journey so far...
After about 30 hours of travel, we came to our new home. As we were unloading our suitcases, we were told that this apartment was just a temporary one. And that we had to be at work in 12 hours. We didn't have towels or anything, so we made a great first impression after drying off with t-shirts and wearing wrinkly clothes.
On our Tuesday morning, we'll move into our 'real' place (a building next door). We're told it's a loft, but we're just not sure what to expect. We've made due just fine here so far, with the only frustration being more time having to live out of our suitcases (it has been about three months now).
Our first day of work was nice, as we were welcomed by the director (Miya, from Japan) and our manager (Atsuko, also from Japan), and all of the other foreign teachers. We are now the only Americans out of 20 staff, which includes about 5 Japanese ladies, 2 from China, one Korean teacher and all other Korean staff, two Frenchmen, our Canadian Tom, and Lawrence, from South Africa. The teachers that Ben and I are 'replacing' more or less are Kalii from the US and Razel, from the Philippines but is married to a Korean and has a couple of children. The last four mentioned are all English teachers, which means that when December comes, it will be Tom, Lawrence, Ben, and me, representing the girls, in the English department. Our directors took our department out to lunch. Take a look at this typical Korean feast! Everything is in the middle, including the barbecue rack that sits over hot coals. Everyone literally digs in with their chopsticks!
Our first visit to Seoul! This is Changdeokgung Palace, which was surrounded by absolutely beautiful fall trees! I'll put more photos in a photo album, once I figure out how to do that on here.
Not far from the palace was quite a culture shock experience. As you cross the streets in Seoul, you realize that you are crossing with at least 200 or 300 other people. The Insa Dong Market is the Art District of Seoul, where you can buy and see more Korean traditional art, jewelry, and gifts.
The Myeong Dong Market is exactly what I expected: NEON. People everywhere, small streets, and designer shops from all over the world. This is where you can find the four-story Dunkin' Donuts building. This is a great place for shopping and just to visit, but there are just so many people! And above all else, everyone is dressed up. Almost all of the ladies wear high heels everywhere, and they are all quite trendy. Not me! I'm in my trusted Habitat fleece and jeans!
Ben thought he was ordering a side dish for Chicken. I can't believe he ate all of those fish heads.
We've had yet another crazy weekend, and can't wait to tell you about it. Please check back soon for more!
On-young-gee-kah-say-oh! Goodbye!
Saturday, October 25
Missouri's Little Vegas?
Road trip! We took a quick visit to Branson, Missouri for the weekend with Ben's parents. For anyone with an appreciation for Dolly Parton, neon lights, and good old American entertainment, Branson is your place. Our trip was more of an overnight getaway, but seeing the Branson "strip" was nice. Mom and Dad took us to some of their favorite places, and we enjoyed the beauty of the winding roads into town. The winding roads made Jen want to sleep, however Ben was more in the mood to be loud while taking scenic photos from the car window, so no napping was accomplished. Here is some of his fine work:
Perhaps he should stick to something that is a bit more fitting to his personality.
Who you gonna call?
Wednesday, October 22
Peanuts, Pine Trees, and Passports
During our two months "off" (the time when we've been uninsured and unemployed), we have had many adventures. Think about the last time you ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or when you reached for a handful of peanuts in that decorative bowl. Have you ever wondered where those peanuts came from? Well, during our first couple of weeks in the south, we picked 10 gallons of peanuts. They grow underground...who knew!?! (Oh! The handsome fellow in pink with us in the pictures is Flat Stanley. He's going to Korea with us!)
Though officially unemployed, we have been quite busy, doing things that may surprise some of you. Ben's dad owns a lawn care business, and Ben has spent many of our days here helping Dad mow. Well, last week he invited me along for a change. I handled raking hickory nuts and fallen leaves just fine, and was amazed at how quickly Dad and Ben had cut down an old tree in some back yard (it was dead, of course). It took them about ten minutes. Well, then Dad decides that we'll go ahead an cut down this other dead pine tree, the one that has been dead for over two years. Needless to say, it took us about 3.5 hours at least. This tree was not the baby sapling that was cut down just an hour earlier. This was what you all think of when I say pine tree. That's a new experience!
I took a trip to FedEx today and sent away more paperwork and passports. While it seems that this process is never going to end, we have good news: WE GOT OUR VISA CONFIRMATION NUMBER YESTERDAY!
Now, that may not mean much to many of our readers, but to us, well, we've basically been checking our e-mail obsessively since...August waiting for these numbers. It's about time! Speaking of time, we've got to be completely honest here, each day of this process has been such a lesson for us. Not only have we been through the emotional ups and downs of waiting. And waiting. And, well, you know--waiting. But, we have truly seen the Lord's hand in the timing for everything. We have been embraced by both of our families, who have taken us in graciously for many weeks at a time. Even more encouraging is the random note, e-mail, and phone call that we receive from people that could easily forget about us. We did not plan on being "around" for two extra months, but we are thankful for each of those days.
This is us shortly, after we made our appointment for next Wednesday at the Korean Consulate. Basically, that means that we have been waiting for over two months to get this silly number so that we could make an appointment to get our visas approved. One step closer to Korea!
Thanks to everyone who has left notes and comments! We are still learning how to use all of the fun features, so responses and such will come eventually.
Jen
Sunday, October 19
Welcome to our Blog!
Can you believe we've actually started a blog? Personally, I can't. Nor can I believe that I am using the term "blog" and that I think I am currently "blogging". Ben and I usually poke fun at technological noun-turned-verb words and phrases, such as "just google it". For those of you who in turn poke fun at people like us, we non-facebooking internet users, please overlook our lack of tech-savviness and welcome us into this new realm of communication.
For those who aren't quite sure where we are or what we are doing, well, either are we. Our plan to teach English in Korea in early September has long passed us by. After moving out of our apartment in South Bend, we never anticipated having such a long delay for our visa paperwork. During that time of waiting, our anticipated jobs were cancelled, as there were ten other teachers also waiting for visas to process, and thus a school that had no teachers. Unsure of how long we would have to wait for a new school opportunity, we came to Arkansas to visit with Ben's family. During our stay, we've had a handful of interviews with English schools in Korea, and we finally signed a contract with a particular language institute just north of Seoul.
We are currently staying in Arkansas with Ben's family, where we have been very encouraged throughout our time here. We have also been very enlightened into Arkansas culture, which is quite a bit different from Indiana. Today, we packed into the Suburban after church and drove about 45 minutes south to a fall arts & crafts festival (the boys only agreed to come because of the promising beauty of the Ozark fall foliage). The highlight was the pig races. Yes, that is what I said. The day's entertainment was watching four pig races, in which three or four pigs would race around an enclosed track chasing...an Oreo cookie. The emcee, who spoke like an auctioneer, creatively named each pig according to that particular race's theme. An example was the Hollywood Ladies, in which Lindsay Loham was racing Brittney SpareRibs. I couldn't stop laughing, to say the least.
The drive was beautiful, though we all agree that no foliage (or foil-age, says Ben) quite matches the beauty of the northern midwest. We are privileged to be in the States for the Fall, our favorite season, but we do truly miss the brilliant reds and yellows of the trees that are up north. The colors are less vibrant here, and the apple orchards less common. Even so, there is something about Fall that just makes you feel good, no matter were you are. Dad started the first fire of the season in the fireplace, which is the perfect balance to the chill in the air. These small things have helped to make our time waiting--still waiting--not only tolerable, but enjoyable.
The drive was beautiful, though we all agree that no foliage (or foil-age, says Ben) quite matches the beauty of the northern midwest. We are privileged to be in the States for the Fall, our favorite season, but we do truly miss the brilliant reds and yellows of the trees that are up north. The colors are less vibrant here, and the apple orchards less common. Even so, there is something about Fall that just makes you feel good, no matter were you are. Dad started the first fire of the season in the fireplace, which is the perfect balance to the chill in the air. These small things have helped to make our time waiting--still waiting--not only tolerable, but enjoyable.
We have been frustrated by our situation, but blessed and encouraged by friends and family. God, in His grace, has been opening our eyes to understand this time of waiting. For the last two months, we have experienced so much joy from our loved ones, people who have taken time to spend with us, to call us, or just to let us know that we are important. One of the reasons for us to have this journal is so that we can do the same for you. We want to be involved in your lives, and want you to be involved in ours. We often joke about it being just the two of us for awhile, but that is a reality that we are preparing for. Any updates and encouragement from the States is going to be much appreciated over these next 12 or 13 months.
So, please keep in touch, please take a few minutes to read about our adventures in Korea (we'll try to keep it interesting!), and please please please write us and share what is happening where you are!
Jen (and Ben)
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