Ahhhh... shabu shabu?

No, it's not a cool way to answer the phone in Korean. It's a delicious meal to share with friends! Let me walk you through the typical shabu shabu experience in my neighbourhood:


We always order the beef and mushroom version, but there are other options available- seafood, veggie (I think), etc. Well, not too many options, but enough to keep most people content. Anyway, they bring you the food like this: note the raw, very thinly sliced beef. It cooks in about 20 seconds!

They bring you a pot of boiling broth, to which you add the vegetables and beef (as much or as little as you like).

When the veg and beef are cooked to your liking, you pick them out of the pot with your chopsticks and dip them in the dipping sauce. Here is my coworker Helena in action. So yummy!



We also ordered two Korean style pancakes to go with the meal. This one was full of hot pepper, green onion, and octopus. You can also dip the pancake in your dipping sauce, to enhance the flava flav.

This may not look very appetizing, but it's my favourite part of the meal! When you've eaten all the veggies and beef you put a plateful of colourful noodles in the remaining broth and eat the broth and noodles together. The broth is really good, by the way. Not your typical beef boullion.

Here are the reasons I'm turning into a Korean: I keep my cellphone at my side at all times. I wear a hoodie that says "Total Performance Lubricant" in public. I wear that hat, even when it isn't cold out. I eat my noodles with a spoon and chopsticks. I mix my rice and jiggae together. And lastly, I like my kimchi BBQ'd (the last two were told to me by some Korean friends).

Enjoy!

A Little Something We Call Walkin' the Dog

This is a store in my neighbourhood where you can buy as many Korean side dishes (because in Korea, meals aren't meals without at least five side dishes) as you want. Just like a candy store, they'll just give you whatever sides you want, weigh them, and charge you by the weight. Quite inexpensive and delicious! If you're wondering why the little girl looks scared, she freaked out when she saw the dog. Seriously though, he's just a little poodle. Even grown men are scared of him!

All kinds of goodies for your sweetheart for sale outside Paris Baguette. Pepero Day is tots romantic.

In Gokbanjeong-dong: the YC gym, galbi, and PB bangs. That's pretty much all my neighbourhood has- oh, wait... we have some hair salon's, too! I love my neighbourhood.

A new cafe just opened a few streets over from me. The name is appealing, no?

My latest garbage find. Finally, after asking for a guitar for Christmas all those years, I find one in the street. The Gods are smiling! It's only missing one E string... now I just need to find a place to fix it for me.

Downtown, by Emart. My camera is no good at night, I've decided.

Korea's answer to Walmart? No, I would say Korea's answer to The Bay. That seems like a closer match.

Staring longingly at Korean high fashion...

Almost at Emart! Fozzie is looking back to make sure I'm still with him. Cutie.

We need to do something about his demon eyes.

Spinning Yarns

I didn't take any pictures this weekend and I apologise: I left my camera at school. My weekend was fairly low key anyway: on Saturday night I hung out with Enda and Lisa (two other Maple Bear teachers). We were the only three around Suwon this weekend because Kerri, Kim, and Drew went to see Beyonce (which they said was a very good show... I still have my doubts), Charlene went on an Adventure Korea tour- a tour group she absolutely swears by... she's been on several trips with them around Korea over the last few months, and Helena, Chris, and Liz went on a Buddhist Temple stay for the weekend (which, by the way, is on my list of things to do). Anyway, we were the three boring people who stuck around Suwon.

So Saturday night we had some drinks and went to Now Bar, and on Sunday morning we woke up very early and went to the Big Rock Brewery in Gangnam (Big Rock is based in Alberta) for their all-you-can-eat breakfast brunch. No Kimchi allowed. We ate for hours and although Hockey Night in Canada was on, we didn't watch it. I don't really miss hockey, to be honest. Kim, Drew and Kerri joined us at the brunch buffet soon after and we had an enjoyable meal with them and two of Enda's friends who met us there.

Since I have no pictures to entertain you with, I thought I'd share a funny experience (one of many) that I've had in Korea. This gets a little explicit so if you're senstive maybe you should stop reading... Mom...

So there's this Korean guy who works at a restaurant's parking lot and who was constantly flirting with Kerri when she would ride by on her bike. She thought he was cute, and would always have little conversations with him while waiting for the traffic light to change, although his English and her Korean were both pretty limited (I have to add, though, that Kerri has the best Korean out of all of us).

One night she, Liz, and I went to dinner in downtown Suwon at TGI Fridays and afterwards decided to walk back from Ingyedong- it's a bit of a hike to our neighbourhood, but it was a nice evening. On the way back we saw a concert happening at the Gyeonggi Arts Centre, but it was just ending when we got there and everyone was staring at us, so we tried (unsuccessfully) to leave discreetly. When we were back on the road we stopped into this cute little bakery we had continuously overlooked every time we had been in the area. When we left the bakery, we almost crashed right into the Parking Lot Guy! He was so excited to see us, even though I had never met him before. He insisted he drive us back to our neighbourhood, and although I was a little apprhensive, I got into the car with Liz and Ker.

When we reached our neighbourhood, Liz suggested we all go for a drink, and the Parking Lot Guy agreed. Ker was a little less enthused about the idea, since Parking Lot Guy seemed to be a lot more arrogant in real life conversations, but she still came along and we got Kim to come along too. We sat down for a beer, which he refused to drink, showing us his biceps and giving them a little kiss. He saw Liz light up a cigarette and jokingly made fun of her for smoking. Apparently, Parking Lot Guy takes great pride in his appearance.

Trying to make conversation, which was hard because we could only talk about a limited number of things ("You like Korean Pop Stars?"), Liz asked Parking Lot Guy what he was doing the next day, which was a Sunday.

"All day, f******!", was his enthusiastic answer.

"F******?", Liz repeated- completely flabbergasted, as we all were!

"Yes! F******! All day f******!", Parking Lot Guy insisted.

He kept repeating that he was going to spend the next day f******, and it took us a long time to realize he was actually saying "Parking! Parking! All day parking!" because he had to work all the next day. By that time, I couldn't even speak, I was laughing so hard. Kerri and Liz were trying to be more polite concerning his pronounciation, but I thought he was kind of a jerk anyway, and to be honest, I simply couldn't hold back. Imagine yourself in that scenario. Too parking hilarious.

I hope this story wasn't too scandalous. I'll try to hold back next time.

Where the Majority of My Korean Life is Spent

I really don't consider Yeongtong part of Suwon. I think it's a city in itself. Anyways, this is where I work! If you look at the photo below, you will see what my life consists of: bus rides (I don't take the 720-1, though- just to be honest), waiting on traffic, pollution, and construction (they're building a subway line, which will be convenient once completed).

If you look at the third building from the left you can see my school! It's the one with the red and white vertical sign.

This is the Korean dream (or so I've been told): get married, have a kid or two, and live in one of these high rises while maintaining the same, socially acceptable job for the rest of your prefessional life. This, my friends, is what happens when Confucianism modernizes!

Oh, hello! This is my confession to my mother: I have been getting my hair chemically straightened (in Korea, they call it "Magic Straight", and ladies, it works like a charm). This little wave is as curly as my hair gets now, and I couldn't be happier! I'm sorry, Mom.

Happy Pepero Day (?)

Today at snacktime, my TA Faye wasn't present to help me prepare the kids for their snacks. No biggie, it's not a big class! However, I was slightly overwhelmed when all of my children surrounded me with large packages and boxes of "Pepero". Why were they showering me and each other with this wafer-ey treat?

"Miss Janine, Miss Janine! This is from me!", I heard from Tiger, Nina (my new student) and Daniel each- all of them thrusting large bags of pepero in my face. I didn't really know what the occasion was, so I went to find Faye to get the scoop. I had not received a memo about this!

Faye explained that every November 11th, Koreans give gifts of Pepero to each other, as they would give Valentines on Valentine Day. It's not an official holiday, which is why I didn't hear about it, and Faye said it was created by the Pepero company, so it's just a commercial thing. But the kids love it! Wikipedia says it was started by some middle school girls who exchanged gifts of Pepero with the wish that they would grow up slender and tall, like a Pepero. Gag me. I think I'm going to believe Faye's more commercialist version. Oh, also, they have it on November 11th NOT as a tribute to fallen soldiers in the Korean war (as I mistakenly suggested), but because 11/11 looks like four Peperos. Clever!

So what exactly is a Pepero? To be honest, the only sweet tooth I have is for ice cream and chocolate, so I'd never had a Pepero before today, but they're really good. They're little rolled up wafers covered in chocolate. Yum. We should start something like this in Canada; it's cute to see the kids being so good about sharing and gift giving.

Happy Pepero Day!



Miss Lisa and the Peperos

Miss Janine enjoying the Peppy goodness.

Miss Kerri has the cold, but apparently Peperos'll cure what ails ya! Not really, but they taste pretty good.

Who would YOU vote for?

It's election season in Korea! I thought I'd escaped all of this when I left Canada, but this has proven to be a really interesting election! First of all, none of the candidates for the presidency seem, to me (and some Korean friends have backed me up on this point), to be... well... honest. I guess that's nothing new, but I've never experienced an election where all of the possible presidents have been accused of corruption. Politics are dirty everywhere you go, but I find them especially dirty here. One woman who wanted the presidency got attacked by a man on the street and was slashed in the face with a knife and then she was criticized by the opposition for coming back to work the day after the attack- I totally understand why she did it; she probably would have been replaced within a day. Anyway, she was the only woman in the race and she lost in her party's primary. Now, it's pretty much down to these two guys: don't let their clean cut, fresh faced appearance fool you: they're really, really old. Koreans age exceptionally well.



Lee Myung bak comes from a poor family and worked his way to the top (by means some could only describe as "questionable"). As a teenager he would work at his family's vendor all day and then go to high school at night. He made it through university and got a cushy job with Hyundai, eventually becoming a multi millionaire. He wrote a book called Mother, and says his mother was the inspiration. Duh.

He's a total hardliner on the North Korea issue and is economically conservative. He's running for the GNP, or the Grand National Party which is most comparable to the Progressive Conservatives in Canada or the Republican Party in the US. He was born in Osaka where his dad was a cattle hand, and then his family moved back to Korea after the occupation in the 1940's. Sad story though, the boat they were on sank and they lost everything they owned, which is why Lee had to work his way up the ladder.

There are some bad things about him: he's been suspected of corruption during his term as the Mayor of Seoul, there have been bribery charges laid on some of his people involved with one of his restoration projects, again while he was Mayor. But I think he's currently at the front of the race.



Chung Dong-young is running for the United New Democratic Party, which can best be compared to the Liberals in Canada or the Democrats in the US (with a slightly more pronounced stance on environmentalism). He was the Unification Minister from 2004-2005, and was a TV news journalist before getting involved in politics. He's a huge supporter of the "Sunshine Policy", which is a more diplomatic and liberal approach to North-South relations. People who support this policy want to see reconciliation and eventual reunification between North and South Korea, and certainly support a peaceful means of reunification.

Unlike Lee, he doesn't really have a sob story. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in history and went on to complete his master's in Wales. He certainly does not seem to have been brought up in a poor household.

Some bad things about Chung: He is often questioned on how he has been able to send his children to private school on his supposed income of just 100,000 USD a year, leading to assumptions that his dealings may not be completely legit. He's also been known to shoot off his mouth; in the past he has directed ciriticisms at members of the opposition, to students with a poor background, and to the elderly (who, in Korea, are more likely to vote for the GNP). Also, when he was minister of Korean Unification, he was criticized for his position on North Korea and his anti-American sentiments.

Soooo there are the options! Well, two of them. Korea has a multiparty system and there are others running, but these two (I'm thinking) are the only ones you'll need to worry about for the rest of the presidential election. We'll find out who wins in a month (ish). Are there any other candidates you think might have a chance? Let's keep in mind that I don't think Lee Hoi-chang has a chance (he's just left the GNP to run as an independent, saying he questions Lee Myung-bak's "integrity").

My Canadian Life vs My Korean Life

I wouldn't go so far to say that I've been homesick lately or anything; I'm still having a great time! I have; however, become a little nostalgic as I think every person who has suddenly realized they are, indeed, an adult as opposed to a university kid tends to feel, so I thought I'd give you all a little comparison on how my life was in Canada and how it is now that I'm living in Korea.

You'll see that some things in my life will never change, such as the popularity of the sexy kitty pose, and that some things are unchangeable, such as the crappiness of Korean coffee. The one thing that will probably never change is my lame sense of humour. Enjoy (don't get too bored)!




My favourite pose in Korea (this picture is from Japan, but you get the point):

My favourite pose in Canada:

My Coffee in Korea:

Stale medium roast (I'm guessing) with overscalded, unproperly frothed, steamed milk cafe au lait. Sigh.

My only other option. This little package has instant coffee, powdered milk, AND sugar so you don't need to add any of your own. The only problem is I don't take sugar in my coffee! Geeeez.

My Coffee in Canada:

Fairly traded, organic, light roast coffee cafe au lait with a slight dusting of cocoa. Sigh.

My Korean Coworkers:

My Coworkers in Canada:

My favourite campus bar.

Ahh... the Christmas Axe Staff party, complete with Karaoke.

Where I live in Korea:

Where I live in Canada:

My Korean Pets:

My Canadian Pets:

Chelsea. The sweetest dog in the universe.

Belle: 16 years old. This is all she does now... but I still love her.

My Korean Family:

These are the girls I spend (or have spent) my entire Korean life with! Thank God for them, too... they've been here way longer than me and pass down their knowledge. We decided today that I am the kid sister of all Maple Bear teachers and it's true... I am the youngest.

Faye takes care of me like she's my big sister. In the three months since I've known her she has given me two pairs of shoes, two of my three birthday cakes, a bag of rice, fruit, numerous other snacks and God knows what else.

I spend five days a week with these kids, and I never get tired of them. Some days are better than others, but no day is ever excruciating. Also, Faye says that when I do projects with them and read them books I look like their big sister and that's exactly what teaching them is like- fiiiiinally, I'm the oldest in the family.

Charlene took the role of Mother Hen the second I got to Korea- she showed me around Suwon, gave me all the bus numbers and their destinations, took me to GS Mart and the grocery store and helped me identify groceries in Korean, and had movie nights with me when I didn't know anyone. She has been great, to say the least.

My Real (Canadian) Family:

My lovely Mother, Marlene.

Daddy-o, Ian

This was the least intoxicated picture I could find of me and my brother Rory. Don't judge. We went to university together. And worked at the same bar (see above coworkers)!

My big brother Matt and his pretty wife, Margret. They live in Alberta and I haven't seen them in ages!

Mr. and Mrs. Bear- Rory is a grizzly or something. Sarah, his main squeeze, is clearly a panda.

My Korean Friends:

Rachel, Kim, Kerri, Helen, and Amy at Galbi.

My Korean homies- Kerri and Kim!

All my closest friends at my birthday!

Enda and Charlene

My Canadian Friends:

My future lawyer, Amanda. Not that I'm planning on needing one or anything. Just in case...

My friend who has done the most tequila shots in a bathtub (besides Shelley), Zack.

My fellow Arts Degree graduate- best buds. Zack, Amanda, Drew.

Friends since grade primary, Monica and Stef... Monica and I were, in fact, the only two babies born in our community in 1984!