Month 16: Update

I feel like a slacker. I apologize that I haven't updated this in a few months.. I guess nothing extra special has happened, but little things are worth mentioning. So here's a quick update as to what I've been up to...

Cherry Blossoms:

The Spring Cherry blossoms have come and gone yet again. They're only in bloom for about two weeks and then they sadly disappear. It's one of my favorite times in Korea. The weather starts to change and the streets become a winter wonderland full these beautiful flowers. We attended the festival and ate some necessary fried street food.

Andong Orphange:

I started volunteering at the local orphange here in my city, where I teach five middle and high school students. They are an absolute joy to teach. All of them are full of life and very eager to learn. There are six foreign teachers and a few lovely Korean university students who pair up with us. It was my turn two weeks ago, and the students were great! My friend Scott was grand and accompanied me on Monday, because there were no Koreans available. Then on Thursday I headed there by my lonesome, and had a great old time with them. I brought along LCR (greatest gambling game ever. If you don't know what it is, you need to get on that. It often comes out at many of my family functions.. Yes, I was introduced to gambling by my family at the age of 8.) Anyway, I use it a lot in the classroom. Instead of gambling with money, I use it to study  English expressions in unique ways. These kids are great, and it's very comforting and satisfying to know I'm helping to build their English language skills. This will aid them tremendously.

10K:

I ran my third 10K last month. Cut time off my last race. And didn't stop ONCE! EXCITING! A bunch of my friends ran the 5K. Saw some of my students and my school's vice principal. An all-around great day =)

Suzanne, Lisa, and me

Bull-Fighting:

Last month I headed down to Cheongdo, a small city, outside of Daegu- famous for two things and two things only. Bulls and Persimmon. So, two friends and I headed to the famous Bull-fighting festival to see what it was all about. Personally, I've never been to any kind of bull-fight so all I had to go on was what I've seen and heard about Spanish bull fights. It was definitely not as exciting as all that. I admit that it was actually quite boring. The worst part was probably how much time draggggged on between fights. It took them forever to bring out the next pair of bulls. To top it off it was actually frigid that day, so we didn't stay too late. My friend Angel bet on a bull and won- that part was exciting! haha After that, we headed on over to the famous Wine Tunnel where we bought ourselves a bottle of Persimmon wine (the only wine for sale.) Leave it to the foreigners to not think twice about buying an entire bottle. (Every Korean had gotten themselves a single tiny glass for themselves.) We also bought a thing of Brie.. which was delicious. I always forget how much I miss cheese. I practically NEVER get cheese in this country. The good cheese is off the charts expensive, so it's a true treat.

Field Trip:

I recently went on a field trip with my fourth graders to Gumi, a city about 90 minutes away. I was  very surprised that it was not a hike. Every field trip I've been on so far involved a hike (which is great and active but noticeably a bit boring for the students after a while.) This trip was a nice change. They started out at a gorgeous park where they had a tour guide who lead them through fields of flowers and pointed out the various species of trees. Students each had a small notebook where they had to jot down notes on each leaf and flower. After, we had a picnic and then headed to Gumo Land (a small amusement park.) Yes, I went on one of the rides.. pictured below. It was actually a bit eerie. No one else was there except for our school, so it was like a set-up for a creepy horror movie. Ghost town.

Cheongryangsan Part II:

Probably the most difficult hike in Andong is the famous Sky Bridge hike. I hiked it last year so I decided to give it another go.

Me, Jay, Natascha, and Lisa

Decorated for Buddha's Birthday

Me, Lisa, and Natascha

Principal's Art Exhibit:

A few weeks ago I was asked to help my principal write the English translation to his resume/professional background which was going in the back of his new published art book. I had no idea this man was such a talented artist.

My principal is the one in the blue tie to the woman's left.

Last Friday evening he had the opening ceremony of his art exhibit, which I gladly attended. A good amount of the staff from school were there as well as other admirers and fans. They had food and a ribbon cutting ceremony- It was a nice hour of Korean culture and conversing.

Gangnam, Seoul:

Simon, Emer, Conor, Ariel, me and Marc

I made it to Seoul last weekend. Boy did I miss that city. This is the first time I actually spent time in Gangnam and didn't stop by. I once had breakfast there at Butterfingers, but I don't count that. It was literally just to get our western-breakfast fix on and then we were out. I met up with a few friends I haven't seen since February. Relaxed at Rainbow Bar, a fun, laid back hookah bar, where we listened to some great live music (video below). We then made our way around the streets of Gangnam where I gave in and indulged in the greasiest, most delicious burger I've had thus far in Korea. Complete with rice cakes in the meat? Why of course! Don't act surprised.. this is still Korea haha. Somehow we made it to Itaewon where we finished our night.

Met up with Tom the next day, with our new 8,000won rip off Ray Bans, and had...

Greek food!!! I've missed it sooo much! This was at Santorini in Itaewon

Here, we met two Finnish guys who were not our favorite people. Let's just say they were rippping America and Americans apart. My fiend Ariel and I did not hold back when it came to defending our country and our people. Now when it comes to American expats... I have no doubt that everyone of us has gotten some sort of criticism, vulgar smart-ass comment, and/or stereotype. What you choose to do with these situations says a lot about you and what you stand for. 

I mean let's face it. We don't have a lot of fans. A lot of the world does hates us. We credit this to movies, bad television, and our government's need to butt into everyone else's business. Having spent a month in New Zealand, traveled to Japan, Taiwan, and called Korea a home for 16 months, I am automatically a victim of this... just because I'm American. Even if it's as little as, "Where are you from?" "The States." "Hmmm American huh?" *the judgy look*. I can't count how many times that has happened to me. Whether it's followed by a laugh and a "just kidding." or a full on conversation as to why the guy doesn't like America and/or Americans. It's not a fun feeling. It's not comfortable.

I am stubborn as hell.. thank you mom. hehe. I stand my ground and I will make my voice be heard if I feel I am being judged or attacked. However, living abroad has taught me that as much as we travelers are all very tolerant, approachable people, you will still come across ones who have their opinions and won't open their mind to anyone who differs. These are the times I stop talking and walk away. And that's exactly what I eventually did to the Finnish in Itaewon.. We agreed on two things: First of all, yes, our government needs to back off other countries and let them try to work things out on their own. Many of them are fully capable. End of story. Secondly yes there are some Americans out there who give us a bad name. They are obnoxious, arrogant, and unable to judge a situation and act appropriately. I have seen this time and time again living here. Everyone knows the types of people I'm talking about. The ones you are embarrassed to be standing in the same room with. The ones you actually take pity on. I am blessed to know and be friends with people from various countries and backgrounds as well as Americans who are pleasant, open-minded, and can absolutely take a situation and adapt to it. As we explained to these two guys... yes, there are Americans like this out there, but that's not where it ends.
It doesn't have to become your problem. You don't enjoy someones company, you walk away.  Simple. These guys were so set on, "America this, Americans that..." You could see our words literally going in one ear and out through the other. It was a waste of time. The shaking of their heads and the dirty looks, and vulgar comments were enough to make us get the hell out of there.

This upcoming weekend is good old Buddha's Birthday.. which means a 3-day weekend for Korea. I have a Culture Trip organized through EPIK on the following Monday-Wednesday. So I have 6 day weekend coming up and I couldn't be more excited. Busan, Geoje-do, and Dok-do. I'll be posting an entry on that soon after. =)

How To Keep a Healthy Lifestyle In SoKo

WARNING: You WILL be hungry after reading this entry:

Moving to a foreign country will absolutely test your body, your willpower, and your drive to keep the lifestyle you deserve. When I came to Korea 14 months ago, I was at my healthiest. Bikram yoga became my life. Talk to anyone who regularly practices Bikram.. they'll tell you it IS a lifestyle. I was in that studio 4-5 days/week. I have always been a health-conscious eater, so nothing new there. However a few months into my life in Korea I was quite noticeably gaining some weight. At first I didn't understand what it was. I stayed away from the white rice the second I stepped foot in this country. I wasn't overeating. I was being semi-active, though no where near when I was at home. I had worked so hard for the past year on reshaping my body, so it took an emotional toll. What I realized is that it was a combination of many things including, the lack of Bikram and less active lifestyle in general, the alcohol consumption similar to that of my freshman year of college, the salty Korean food, the bakeries on every corner, the coffee, and the change of environment and the stress that comes along with it.

Some advice on staying healthy in Korea

1. Stop eating the school lunches.

    Or at least cut back. Yes, they are absolutely delicious. Yes, it's a great money and time saver, cutting back on food prep on your part. Yes, it's going to be somewhat of an internal struggle on the whole is this the "culturally appropriate" thing to do thing. In Korean schools, everyone (teachers and students) eat the school lunch and it is the time of day where the school community is brought together. However, your lunch at school alone will most likely exceed your daily salt intake. This is what I didn't realize until way later. That red pepper paste is filled with salt, and boy do those Koreans LOVE their red pepper paste. It's in soup, tofu, noodles, chicken, pork, veggies, and yes... even broccoli. Their meat is not lean, so you're going to get the fat in all its glory when you're served beef and pork. Most of their chicken is fried and/or breaded. The majority of the soups contain a good amount of oil, and the white rice.. well that speaks for itself. On some days your tray will contain noodles, rice, rice cakes, and a mini fruit filled croissant all in the same meal. Talk about carb and starch overload. So, this is where you should start. This is an entire meal- You are in charge of your own body and what goes into it.

*The only problem here is the culture aspect. It is considered rude to not eat with your co-teachers at school. Most will find it offensive. Some schools let teachers serve themselves (which helps with portion control. My school however- we are served by the lunch ladies, so even though I am constantly, kindly, telling them "jogeum juseyo" ("please give me a little") it is still hard for them to understand why I am wanting so little food. I admit I have yet to tell my school I am not eating their lunch anymore. Every time I go and try to tell them, I get anxiety and can't go through with it for this exact cultural reason. What I do do, is kindly refuse the rice (I mean I don't eat it anyway so why waste it), and choose very carefully what I eat. I waste a lot of food, but until I can decide to tell them I am no longer eating their lunches, this is okay with me for now. If you go this route- make sure you're bringing something for protein to school. I personally bring either hard boiled eggs, baked or boiled sweet potato, and/or nuts. **A piece of advice, Koreans know what "diet" means. Even though you're not dieting, you're living a healthy lifestyle, if you are getting looks and comments from co-workers as to why you're not eating certain things, just say "Moshisoyo! But I am on a diet." Personally, I've done the whole "Moshisoyo!! But makes me fat." Followed by a sad face and bringing my hand to my stomach and making a fat gesture. They'll laugh, and continue on with their day. In the end, it's just easier. 

2. Cut back on Korean snacks.

    I, unlike a lot of foreigners here, really enjoy rice cakes (tteok). I'm not talking about the ones in tteokbokki. I'm talking about the fancy ones filled with red bean or pumpkin. But they are not very healthy and so I've definitely had to put those on the back-burner. Accepting the occasional rice cake at a teacher's meeting will make everyone happy without seeming rude. Most meetings will have fruit. If I eat enough of that, they won't notice I haven't touched a rice cake. You need to just use your common sense, and living here for a year has taught me to see the difference between if I need to be accepting food even if I don't want to and when I can simply decline it with a smile. The quick rubbing of your stomach expressing you are "full" will aid in this.

3. Western Food Cravings
     Of course you're going to have cravings for your comfort food from home. Completely normal. After eating Korean food all week long, it's nice to spend your weekends indulging in some western-style food. However if you come from a small city like mine, you're not going to have the pleasure of sandwich places or restaurants with a nice salad that doesn't contain fried chicken. Instead you're going to get what Koreans think westerners eat... which is: spaghetti, fried chicken and pizza. That's all folks. You will find Mr. Pizza; Pizza Hut; Italian restaurants serving pilaf, pizza, and spaghetti combinations; 7 different kinds of Take-Out Fried Chicken places.

And that's pretty much it. Now coming from NY, Mr. Pizza does NOTHING for me. Actually pizza in general in Korea does nothing for me. I wasn't brought up eating fried chicken, so thank you mom. And as for the Italian restaurants... well there's nothing like some Long Island Italians... they know how to cook man. What I do like is my Mexican, Greek, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian food.. and where do you find all of that... none other than the big cities. I'm talking Seoul, Daegu, and Busan. I've come to love a few favorites. And I make it a point to indulge in western food only when I go there. You should see me and my friends the second we arrive off that bus. Immediately there's a beeline for the nearest Starbucks. What are we having for lunch! And we're discussing our dinner plans while still sitting at lunch. Oh and did I mention Starbucks for the second or third time before we leave for back home.

A couple of my favorites:

Seoul:
The Flying Pan Blue- western-style brunch, organic sandwiches, salads, soups,  beautiful presentation, (Get there EARLY. Can't say that enough. This will forever go down as my top favorite.)- (Itaewon)
Buddha's Belly- Thai, romantic atmosphere, Vegan options (Itaewon)
Braii Republic- South African Have yet to go here =/ but have heard GREAT things from my SA friends (Itaewon)
Butterfinger Panckakes- western-style brunch, HUGE menu, amazing panckakes! (Gangnam)
Santorini- Greek, It's unbelievable that I haven't yet made it here, but it has definintely been recommended by friends. (Itaewon)

Daegu:
Dos Tacos- Mexican, delicious!!
Caliente- Mexican, great bar atmosphere at night, great drinks, a bit expensive but worth it
Berkeley- Italian, light salads, etc.
Mies Container- comfort food, huge salads, huge cheese dishes (like a cheese panini without the bread. Just the filling. Talk about heart attack- but soo good!) fun atmosphere, perfect for a hungover Daegu morning (minus the upbeat shouts from the Korean chefs every time someone puts in an order)

Busan:
Namaste- Indian, always has seating, dark/intimate setting, (Haeundae Beach)

4. Stay Active!
     Most of us who are employed with EPIK have a lot of downtime. (Can't say the same for hagwon teachers.) This means I am sitting on my ass for a good half of the day. Korea has great hiking trails. They also have many gyms- you just need to look for them. I always say if you're living in a city, don't forget to look up! There's so much you miss on the top floors of these buildings. I joined a great gym in my city.

A break from my run at our Nakdong River track

The owner and his right hand man (one of my friend's former HS students) are great and so friendly. Gyms in Korea are a daily comedy show. Most Koreans will walk the treadmill, do a few stretches, play around on a weight machine, and then go straight for the vibrating belt machine. Unlike the big cities, you will most likely have free range of everything being that you're probably going to be one of the only ones in there.
There have been many days where I have the gym completely to myself. Oh, and you think you're a celebrity on the street.. walk into the gym.. ALL eyes are going to be on you. But like everything, you will quickly become old news. Pheww. My gym has a few regulars, and they don't even blink an eye at me anymore. If anything, it's nice to feel like a part of the community when you walk into the gym and exchange smiles with the Koreans in there who see you everyday. Being that the weather is getting warmer, I stopped my membership for this month. I've been training for a 10k coming up next Sunday, so I've switched to our beautiful track at the river. But I'm already missing my weight training so I'll be back there soon! For right now, the warmth and the water is perfect =)

5. H20!
     This is a given. If you've been living in Korea, you will quickly realize that they don't drink a lot of water. At all. I still don't understand it. No one really does. If you're still eating a ton of Korean food during the week... make sure you're staying hydrated. The abundant amount of salt in your system takes a toll. I personally have an issue with drinking enough water, so I labeled my water bottle with time-increments to keep me on track. It really helps.

6. Gmarket & iHerb
     Korea does not have a lot of the supplements and health foods that are readily available back home. I would kill for a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods, but I've learned to deal with what I have here. These two websites are amazing. Gmarket is extremely cheap. I bought myself a blender for around $20 USD and a mini-oven for around $34 USD. iHerb is a website based out of the States that ships internationally for cheap! I recently bought chia seeds, quinoa, whole wheat flour, sucanat, and whey protein powder. My next order will consist of coconut oil and raw honey. You name it.. they got it! Best part- they ship ridiculously fast. Especially Gmarket. I ordered my oven- two days later I was baking my chicken. BAM!

I think a big part of my problem was that I thought living in this country meant me having to change my lifestyle to make it fit theirs. But moving abroad doesn't mean you should throw away everything you've worked so hard for; everything you know. That's really not the right way to go about assimilating  If you have the resources- use them! I know that now. South Korea has resources, you just need to do a bit of research. Hopefully this blog will help some of you out. Explore! My friend just recently found an Asian market around the corner from my apartment.. literally a 2 1/2 minute bike ride from my front door. There, I found chick peas, cilantro, mung beans, and a bunch of other goodies. I also have one cheat meal a week, where I let myself eat whatever meal I've been craving.

The last piece of advice I have is don't get too crazy. You're in a foreign country for godsakes! Enjoy their food! Try new things! Take it in.. because before you know it, before I know it, I'm going to be back home craving dakgalbi and bulgogi. So let yourself go a bit. That should be a given with anyone living a healthy lifestyle. Know your neighborhood. Know its markets. Know its specialty foods. Know your body. Know its limits. Experiment. Explore.

Some things I enjoy in my city of Andong:
> The most delicious carrot cake I've ever had (Cafe Life in Shinae)
> Delicious dakgalbi (in downtown Shinae)
> Andong jjimdak (Jjimdak Street in Shinae)
> Frozen yogurt (Yoger Presso across from Sungso Hospital)
> Vietnamese Shabu Shabu (in Okdong)
> Japanese (Katsura in Okdong)
> Fresh-brewed coffee (Zelkova in Shiane)
> Jajangmyeon (Chinese restaurant in Dangbukdong)

Kimchi Jiggae: my favorite take-out meal ($5 USD) 

Andong Jjimdak

Shabu Shabu (Photo credit: Leandi Pienaar)

Something I've been trying to do recently is stay present-minded- something that clicked with me when I read it off a friends' status. (She is finishing up her last few days in the Peace Corps, where she has been living in Zambia for the past 2+ years.) So as much as I have been working my ass off for the body I had before I came to Korea, I am remembering to enjoy every minute of my life here. I am on one hell of an incredible journey and decided to embark on it for another 12 months. Two months have already passed since I've been home and it WILL be all over before I know it. I'm staying present-minded, cherishing and making mental notes of everything I experience, see, hear, do, and to get back on track of this post- eat.

This weekend has turned into quite the cooking and baking frenzy. I'm leaving you with some recent goodies I've experimented with. Enjoy!

I was on a smoothie kick all last week thanks to my delicious french vanilla whey protein. (This one had blueberries, walnuts, chia, flax, almond milk, and FV whey protein,)

Baked sweet potatoes, red split lentils, onions, greens, carrots 

Blueberry Oatmeal Bake. Inspired by FitFoodieFinds 

Chickpea Breakfast. (chickpeas, egg whites, yellow peppers, tomatoes, kale, chia seeds)

Homemade Tahini (sesame seeds & olive oil)

Almond Butter (DIdn't come out right. Unfortunately my small blender does not have the power of a food processor or Vitamix) But I'll find something to do with what I did get out of it! haha

Chickpea Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (flour free, oil free, egg free, sugar free)

Clean Homemade Hummus: Kimchi Anyone? 

Mung Bean Ball Salad- Inspired by Scandifoodie

Korea has some delicious foods- enjoy them! But don't forget what your body needs. =)

Pyeongchang: Weekend Getaway

I spent this past weekend reconnecting with Korea and the kindness and beauty it has to offer. My five friends and I, thanks to Angel's amazing planning, decided to travel up to Pyeongchang for the weekend. I think we all needed some time away from Andong and this was the perfect place for it. Pyeongchang is a rural town in the northeastern part of Korea. It is high up in the beautiful mountains and will be the site of the 2018 Winter Olympics. This was the constant joke all weekend.. because this town is so underdeveloped and not very exposed to foreigners, that it was hard for us to imagine the mass amounts of people coming to this town in five years. One thing is for sure, these Pyeongchang residents are in for one hell of a culture shock.

We left on Saturday morning, bright and early to make a 2.5 hour train ride to Wonju. That was followed by a 1.5 hour bus ride to Pyeongchang where we were met by one of our pension owners, who then drove us about 30 minutes up to our pension. As we packed our six bodies and all of our bags into the small van, we made our way through the gorgeous mountains on some of the narrowest one-way roads I've ever seen. The question of what would happen if we ran into a car coming in the opposite direction clearly crossed our minds. Not sure if I wanted to know the answer to that one. By the time we reached the top of the mountain and saw our hostel all thoughts of being traded were out of our heads. I know- not funny. But some of us (meaning me) were contemplating the scenarios and escapes.- (This may or may not have to do with me recently becoming addicted to the new show, 'The Following.') Our pension was perfect. Huge kitchen, dining room, two bathrooms, and two large bedrooms.. one with a view that was absolutely breathtaking.

View from our pension!

As we made our way back outside, we met the owners' beautiful huskies used for dog sledding. I should mention we were supposed to do this, but the weather proved to be against us. Damn you Korea for finally having a warm day! How dare you! Yes it was an absolutely gorgeous day.. no coats for us! Hallelujah. Instead we went ATV riding through the snow-capped mountainside, through mud, ice, and rough terrain. Riding quads has got to be one of my favorite activities. Unfortunately there's not a lot of opportunity for it back home. You know the person who deliberately rides full speed into the muddy ass puddles? That would be me. Later on that day we geared up for a few games of paintball. Now, this was my first time playing and I was admittedly scared. I don't do well with impending pain. The first game I actually did pretty well- shooting my friend Lisa smack between the eyes (mask-protected of course). But the second game did not end well for me. I went home with three very large, very painful battle wounds on my legs and arm. Thanks friends! Despite this, it was still a bunch of fun! By the end of the day we were exhausted, so we headed back and showered the cow shit and the good old outdoors off of our bodies and cooked ourselves up a fantastic dinner. On our stop in Wonju, a  few of us ran into Home Plus to pick up the goods, and thanks to Angel's cooler- we were able to cook up some delicious meat, a salad, and South African's famous braaibroodjies. The next morning we made traditional Korean rice cakes called 떡 "deok" and practiced archery. I strutted up to that field thinking I was Katniss herself, but damn is that sport hard!

    

 

I can't say enough about this place. The owners were sincere and so accommodating. Typical of a cute elderly Korean couple. The pension itself was clean and spacious. Perfect conditions. I'd recommend this place to anyone here in Korea. We've already talked about going back next winter for dog sledding. That's a must! Pension --->: 700 Village 

This weekend proved to be a productive, action-packed two days. Not a typical "girl's weekend" what so ever. Quite the memories =)

Made my homemade protein bars for the trip! DELISH. Find out how to make them here!