In one moment...

I was sitting at the bus stop in my hometown of Icheon two days ago and realized that I have found true happiness. I have successfully entered into a career that has been a long-time goal of mine, I have fatefully found an incredible support system of friends, both foreign and native, that make some of the memories I am sure to miss the most, I have passed through the 3-month long threshold that was America at my back and Korea at my front to now be in full existence as a resident of Korea. I am well on my way to becoming a Korean speaker and have worked so hard to become accustomed to what was once a completely foreign place. I have gained an incredible amount of respect for everyday comfort, something that has left me since I left the western world, and have a newly heightened sense of awareness about how easy Americans have it. Though it has been a struggle for me and a genuine emotional strain at times, I would not have it any other way than how I have it now....well....I would chose to have my friends and family readily available at a snap of a finger but that's all. I have the best support team back at home that keeps me going more than they realize. Their love and encouragement transcends through the lands and oceans and is delivered directly to me everyday. How did I get so lucky? How did everything fall into place so magically? I enjoy being challenged and pushed daily and find thrill in the fact that I constantly experience so many unknowns. There are moments in my life when there is such a rush and happiness that I can't help but shine a huge smile. This was one of those moments. And it was incredible.

I love and miss you all dearly but please find comfort in the fact that my heart is happy, my mind is content, and my soul is at peace.

Delicious is subjective...

Food in Korea is an experience all of its own. I have personally become accustomed to the food here and actually crave kimchi if it is not in my daily diet. There is quite an array of choices when it comes to traditional Korean food and I have only found one that I don't like....the live octopus. Well, I guess anything that's still alive is still problematic for me. Most things are spicy and all are uniquely delicious. I hope to post more pictures of the food that I eat on a daily basis because food is such a big part of any culture so I would love to share it with those that are unfamiliar to it. Also, Korean food is so different from Western food so it's difficult to describe the looks and taste of it. I think it is all delicious but then again, delicious is subjective...

This past weekend, I met up with a Korean friend of mine to have lunch. We planned on going out for our meal but decided to change things up a bit; we decided to cook! This was really exciting to me because whenever I meet Koreans, they commonly ask me 1-if I have a boyfriend and 2- if I am a good cook. I tell them that "good" is subjective because I think I make a mean kimchi pancake but apparently, that's not up to everyone's standards. So, anyway, I have been wanting to learn how to cook more Korean food and here was my opportunity! So we decided to cook 떡볶이 (ttuk-bogg-ki) for our meal. Well... he cooked, I learned. The recipe calls for rice cakes, fish, traditional spicy Korean red pepper sauce, sugar, water, chili powder and garlic then other things are optional; boiled eggs, noodles and cheese are a popular addition. We added the ladder two items. It was fairly simple and sssooo delicious! I wish I would have taken a picture of the final product but was so hungry and excited to eat that I didn't think about it. Dang. I must get better at that.

Photo Essay.

For some reason, I'm really tired lately but felt the urge to update by blog despite the fact that my brain doesn't feel like creating a narrative composition. So, I thought I'd change things up and use more pictures than words to share what I've been up to lately. Enjoy!

I tried eel for the first time with some friends. SSSOOOOO delicious. If you ever have a chance to eat eel, go for it!!! It has a very unique taste to it. It's not too fishy but if one were to eat it under a blinded taste test, one would know it lives in the water. Simply delicious. At this restaurant, they cover two eels with a semi-sweet sauce and the third is sprinkled with sea salt. Simply Divine.

Over my winter vacation, I spent a few days in Seoul with my Koren friends that I met at my university. We had originally planned to take a trip out to the East Sea but quickly realized that it was way too cold for such an excursion. (At that time, the temperatures were about -15 degrees C.) We thought about going ice skating but realized that that idea was much worse than the primary one. So the 5 of us gathered in Seoul together and huddled together on the sidewalk of Seoul without any plan. We decided to walk around the open market. (?!) I think we've made better decisions.... It. Was. FRREEEEZZIINNGG!!!! Seoul has 2 open markets and this is the smaller of the two. Venders are selling all sorts of things ranging from underwear to veggie pancakes. Most of the open market has food for sale; some is meant to be eaten then and there while some other is produce for you to take home. Here is where the food culture of Korea comes alive. You can find any part of a pig possible, chopped up and made edible...well....I suppose edible is subjective...

And now!...For the weather!....

It's been cold here. Average temperatures are about 15-20 degrees F. Not as much snow as the States have gotten but enough to make it glisten! ^.^

A random find in Seoul that made me really happy

Z-O-U!

These types of machines are everywhere around Korea. This one was one that I spotted in Icheon, my hometown. They start the kids young, huh? Wow...

I celebrated a friend's birthday with the same group of friends that accompanied me at the open market in Seoul--Korean style. It is a Korean birthday tradition to drink a one-of-a-kind birthday concoction. The process of this is quite grotesque but a lot of fun. The birthday boy/girl must drink the beverage that their friends have made for them but this birthday drink is not comprised of just alcohol like you may find in the states but rather it's more like a double-dog-dare from a teenage girl sleepover party. The drink is made up of whatever is available and whatever the friends decide to use. The one we gave to my friend, Mun, followed this recipe: beer, birthday cake, kimchi, chicken skin, chicken bone, mustard, pickles, pickle juice, ketchup and rice. I think that's all...might have been more. The guest of honor then has to drink the entire thing. However, we decided to do things a little differently. There is a popular drinking game in Korea where two teams go head to head (using Rock, Paper, Scissors, of course) to decide who will be the "it" team. The "it" team then must do RPS amongst themselves to decide who is "the looser". Then the "it" team drinks beer from a large bowl and leaves "the looser" to drink last. Each team member can drink as little or as much as they choose to--it's basically a test of friendship, or so they say, because if you are really good friends with "the looser" then you will drink a fair share of the beer along with everyone else. However, if you don't feel that close to "the looser" than you will take a mere sip, leaving others with the beer burden. This would never work in America because "the looser" would always be left with nothing to drink because their "friends" drank it all! We incorporated this game into the birthday drink. We passed the cup around the table, giving each person a chance to show our love for Mun. We each took a drink of the birthday delight and left her with a mere gulp. ^.^ Happy Birthday, Mun!!!

I went for a second ski trip in late January. I actually spent some time with my foreign friends (non-Koreans). Myself and 5 guy friends left from Seoul on a Saturday morning on a tour bus full of foreigners. I felt very out of my element. Too...many...foreigners....

We drove northeast and hour and a half before landing at our destination. We skied all day and all night. It was freezing but incredible. The slopes are armature compared to Colorado but I'm not picky; I'm just happy to be able to ski in Korea! Get this: the cost for day and night ski lift, transportation to and from, lodging, one meal, and drinks was 100 bucks. Incredible. We topped off our day with a raging bonfire.

The Lunar New Year came on Feb 2,3,4 and it wasn't at all what I was expecting. There was no festival, parade or free candy. Dang it. The Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is celebrated in full force by Korea but not in the same force Americans celebrate the calendar new year. Koreans take this holiday time to go back home and spend time with their family. The country basically shuts down with the exception of the all means of transportation, which make the roads a REAL Charlie Foxtrot this time of year. A voyage to a destination doubles in time if not triples due to traffic. People are not out in the streets celebrating but rather they are in their homes with their family having a modest meal together. Children receive money from their grandparents to wish them good fortune in the future and everyone eats Duk Guk soup, the traditional soup for New Years. I finally got to eat some at school on Tuesday. It's made with eggs, beef, and rice cakes. It's very delicious!