Excited to Attend Seattle University

(source)

About a year ago people would ask me if I was going to stay in Korea for the rest of my life. My typical response was something like, "Unless I can figure something out to do back home, Korea is my home for now." I really didn't think about going back home and heading to graduate school. But as we all know my mind changed and I'm heading to be a student again.

I thought I would spend some time talking about the program I am heading into. Located within the Education department I will be working on getting my M.A. E.d. TESOL (Masters of Arts in Education with emphasis in TESOL. When I was picking which school to attend I mostly focused on the West in areas in California, so that I would be close to family. What I found was that most programs were situated in the English or Linguistics department and had a strong emphasis on the technical aspects of the degree. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this but as I looked at SU's program I began to see that it fit me better. 

As I did the research I liked that the program prepares, "...teachers of ESOL who will be successful classroom teachers in a wide variety of institutional settings and cultural contexts." I was also impressed by the information available online and how organized it all was. In the courses section, they didn't just list them but provided what kind of work will be expected from students. 

In addition to this I liked hearing that most classes were offered in the evenings, no more than 25 students per class and that they have internship opportunities. One catch was that they are on the quarter system, which I am not familiar with. So I will need to get use to doing my work faster than before and having shorter breaks. But the prospect of a new city and an enticing program are what finalized my decision to attend SU. 

Am I ready to be a graduate student?

I'm not really sure what I could do to prepare myself to go back to school, other than take interest in articles and media related to my field of study. I'm definitely mentally preparing myself for the challenge and considering the hard work ahead. 

But mostly I'm excited to be a student again and to head back to the classroom where ideas and discussions will be fervent. I have found that by attending the Seoul KOTESOL workshops I enjoy learning and discussing about topics in TESOL. Also, I feel I have a lot to say and add to the conversation. Mostly, I'm looking forward to turning my five years of work in the field into something professional. 

Why not stay in Korea, keep your job and take an Online course?

A few years ago I took an online TEFL certificate and worked really hard at it. I didn't have classes to meet up with online, but did most of it on my own time. However, that experience taught me that I missed the classroom. I'm not entirely sure how Online courses function, and from what I hear there are interactive sessions. But I really just couldn't see myself working full time hours then coming home to do my homework. I think I function better in the classroom then from a distance. Sure economically it makes sense to do your degree Online while keeping a salary at the same time. However, I do intend to find part-time, internships or volunteer work in the field to keep my teaching skills sharp. 

I hope all of that sums up what my program is about and also why I chose it. If you are thinking of taking your teaching gig to the next step professionally, I hope this gives you some insight into that. :)

Anish Kapoor: Leeum Samsung Museum of Art

A mirror only reflects, it doesn't retain the image forever. However, Anish Kapoor's "Vertigo V & VII" made of stainless steel, do more than just reflect. They shift, morph and construe the simple view of yourself and surroundings into mind-boggling size and shape.

This work of art succeeds so well because it brought me into it by the way my reflection moved about it's shiny surface. You have to watch yourself grow and shrink, enter and exit as you circumambulate this larger than life sculpture.

But that's just the beginning of Anish Kapoor's current exhibit at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in Hangangjin. The work, "Tall Tree and the Eye" is so tall and bulbous you can't help but feel slightly miniature.

The spheres, seen above, seem to be a main theme of Anish Kapoor's work.  Not really mentioned in the brochure, but the shape of most of his works were in a sphere shape, if not close to it. What is so special about the sphere? Does it resemble the feeling of a womb? "Inside and outside" is a theme mentioned and indeed, the reflective mirrors, orbs all protrude and recess in such a way that is eerily encompassing.

One monumental example of this concept is the work, "Cave" made of Cor Ten steel. As you approach this work you do so cautiously because you notice it is balanced upright in a tilting manner and laying to rest on a horizontally-rectangular rod. Is this safe?

Curiosity takes you close to the work, just enough so you don't cross the "line" put down by the museum. And the work succeeds in drawing you in under the canopy of the deep steel opening. "How was this made?" You stare up in to the darkness looking at the differing shades as you notice the rivets and corners inside the piece.

Color introduces itself beyond the rust on "The Cave" on some of Kapoor's early works. Here you can tell he was fascinated with objects and their placement on surfaces, as seen in how these pieces seem to melt into the platform. "To Reflect and Intimate Part of the Red" mixed media and pigment.

That melting or dissolving into the ground transformed itself into other works on the walls. Looming large is a perfect yellow square, yet with a sphere punched into it's center. This concave beast, although smooth and in a "friendly" shade of yellow, seems to scream out into the gallery. You want to get up and climb into it or at least touch the smooth entrance of where the wall turns into itself. Titled, "Yellow" and made of fiberglass this was definitely a fun one to look at.

In the following work, "Untitled" of blue spheres attached to three walls, you definitely feel a trick of the eye as you get closer.

At first you think they are solid forms, but as you peer in closer they become shells of velvety blue. A color so dense it was as if looking up at the night sky.

Other works played more on these concave and obtuse forms, but the one cube above with the shattering splotch in the center, I felt, played tribute to the practice of casting objects.

Heading up the escalator to the 2nd floor you are greeted by the presence of a large wax circle that still has that smell of melting candles.

The work, "My Read Homeland" could look like many things to different viewers. It could look like a gigantic record player that is having a really bad day on Mars. It could look like what would happen if a teenager got a hold of too many red candles.

After reading the description the work makes itself more clear, of course.

Like the hand of a giant clock, a massive hammer makes one rotation per hour around a circular vat of red-pigmented wax, scraping and reshaping its surface in the hammer’s path to produce a vast, continually changing sculpture in red wax. ...As its title suggests, the work is a metaphor for the universal homeland, an organic place of creation and birth, rather than simply referring to the artist’s own homeland, India. 

I don't think it was rotating at the time I saw it, as I am sure that is something I would have noticed. I'm not sure if his wax pieces are a success, as the texture and material seem to detract from his other works that seem a lot about precision. This work hails from 2003, so perhaps it was during a time he was reaching out.

Overall, I enjoyed this exhibit but not as much as the Do Ho Suh one I saw last year. However, Anish Kapoor is one of the artists I studied in college, and it felt good to see a plethora of his works.

The show is running till February 4th, so why not head down to Hangangjin (Itaewon's neighbor) see the show and then grab a tasty bite to eat down the road. (That's what I did!)

Korea's Future Without Me

The recent Korean Presidential election reminded me that this country's politics and future is going to roll on without me next year. I am surprised and proud of Korea for electing a woman President, but I know that it doesn't necessarily mean more rights for women in this country. However, with the figures for the number of people who voted this election I can see that people care about their country's future and want changes to come.

To be honest I'm not deeply involved in Korea's political scene or know in depth the problems Korea faces. However, I know that it's very expensive to get a house here due to many reasons and that I for one would like to see things change to help people settle down.

Korea has changed so much in the five years I have been here, and mostly in the commercial landscape. Take Itaewon for example, a town that when I first visited felt like an oasis for foreigners. This was because not many Korean people seemed to be there inside the restaurants and bars. I mean there were Korean people there of course, but when I mentioned "Itaewon" to my Korean friends their typical response was, "Is it safe?" Now Itaewon has become the hub of gourmet restaurants and swanky clubs, almost starting to look like Hongdae's outer areas of swankiness. This is all good and fine, but for those who remember Itaewon as it was it's a huge a change. My point I want to make is that I think Koreans have changed in a way of embracing Westernization and accepting Westerners here.

Anyway, I've learned in the past to not talk too much about Korean's and their opinions as some think I was wrong.

If I were to wish for Korea's future I mostly would hope that the country continues to prosper and also find peace with it's neighbor up north. Of course that can't be accomplished if North Korea continues to be as stubborn as it is.

Roboseyo has a good post about the election, which he put up after a slumbering period of no posts. Now Korea will have five years of President Park Geun Hye, and I hope she delivers what the people want.

As for me I'm heading home to my country where a fiscal cliff looms and guns laws need to be tightened. However, I am not afraid to return to my country in the state that it's in. Besides I'm moving to Washington State where they just legalized marijuana and gay marriage!

A Video about Fashion and also Beauty in Korea

After watching this video:

It made me think about these aspects of Korean culture that I have found interesting, creative but at the same time at odds about. The video at the beginning goes into underground fashion and sort of what "real" fashion is like here in Korea. Then it veers off into plastic surgery and how it's "extreme". 

I for one am not a fashionable person. I mean I like fashion and appreciate it, but don't really go out of my way to embrace it. 

However, I can say the "plastic surgery" issue has come up a lot in my time here in Korea. For one I can't help but stare at the surgery ads on the subway with the "before" and "after" pictures. Then I look at Korean women and wonder what they had done. 

For the most part I understand that one's looks in this country are very important. Changing those looks can indeed give you more confidence and help you get through the competing race of love and career here. But I've often wondered if Korean women feel like it is too much, and whether they worry about their future. It sometimes feels like they are changing their "Korean-ness" to be this plastic ideal. Eventually most women in Korea will look like this ideal...

But it's their country and they do as they will. Americans get plastic surgery too and care about their looks just as much. 

Either way this was a fun and vibrant video to watch and one that gives you a nice little look into contemporary Korean culture. Putting the plastic surgery stuff aside I liked how one person in the video talked about his concern that most of the world will just know Korea through K-Pop, when there is other music and fashion that could better serve Korea's image. Perhaps this person needs to know that K-pop will be like the first door someone opens to understanding Korean culture. From there they can explore the rest of it.

When I head back home and tell people I was living in Korea for five year's, I'll be curious to see what they say. I think, if the opportunity comes, I'll ask them what they think about when I say "South Korea." Having lived over here for five year's I know my understanding will be different to "regular" folks back home. Something I'm going to be proud to carry over with, as I wouldn't mind spreading Korean culture to people back home.

I will miss Korea / I will not miss Korea

It's an interesting circumstance to be leaving a country you have lived in for nearly five years. On the one hand you are about to embark on a new adventure, seize the day and capitalize on all your life experience. On the other hand you are stepping out of a world that you have on days treasured and on some despised.

When I think about what I will miss in Korea I call up fond memories of places I have traveled to and fun moments had on normal days. But I also start to understand what I won't miss while living here. .

I know for sure that I will miss the feeling of adventure living here. How I have become really independent, traveling around Korea on my own and taking the initiative even though my Korean is sub-par. Yet at the same time I know I can see new places and enjoy the incredible warmth from strangers, sometimes I feel living here is like being stuck in a box.

But I look back and pat myself on the back for coming to Korea, taking that first step in adventure. Indeed, the memories I have of my first months and years here are quite fond.

When I looked out my first office-tell window and saw the imagery above I couldn't help but feel how I was in a different place. I didn't understand really what I was looking at and the culture before me. I think for the most part I spent a lot of time figuring out my place here and the people I encountered. For sure this let's me know what I'm not going to miss after my time here. The problems I had with certain people (both Korean and foreign) and how I wasn't showing my best at times. But also I won't really miss being treated the way I was when coteaching. The whole thing of "nunchi" and keeping face is something I am going to enjoy not having to worry about back home. Yet at the same time I have learned to live with these aspects of Korean culture, to the point I no longer try and fight it.

Even though I know they had not enough money and didn't really care, I will never understand why my first public school put me in the above hideous dwelling. A room with no window and filtered in cigarette smoke does not make for a happy camper. In fact it's taken a lot of energy and time to get over this occurrence. But I know for sure I would never put a Korean visiting in my country in a place like this, and say "Oh sorry it was the best we could do."

So you see I have very sweet memories of Korea and also incredibly bitter ones as well. Yet they all mix together in a swirl, and I am not leaving Korea with hatred towards this culture. All of the bitter times in Korea helped me grow as a person and gave me strength that I can survive hard times. On top of that the pleasant times I had let me know how enriching living in another culture can be.

Therefore, when I look back on life in Korea I can't help but share with you the things I won't miss, but also those that I hold fondly. These days as I clean out my house and prepare for leaving I can't help but stop and imagine that soon I will be on the other side of the ocean looking back on it all here. It's a hard picture to grasp, and I get somewhat sad knowing it's going to end soon. Maybe I'll come back? Whatever happens I'm not going to regard Korea in a sorrowful light, it was what it was, and that's that.

Foreigner Joy will soon be foreigner no more

This is what I looked like when I first arrived in Korea, back in spring of 2008. At that time I was exhausted but also thrilled to start my Korean life. For the next four years I learned a lot about Korean culture, it's people and mostly myself. I've had two serious Korean boyfriends in that time, and they helped shape my experience here. So what am I getting at?

I'm leaving Korea.

I will write about how I came to this conclusion and what my plans are shortly. But first I want to say something to those who have been reading this blog from the beginning, or generally keep up with it. Thank you! Really, I was able to get through the tough times and enjoy my time in Korea so much more because I had this blog. Also being involved in the K-blogging community kept me from jumping ship even earlier. I know many of you appreciate what I write and do to represent Korean life, and so a part of me is sad that I will no longer be contributing after I leave. However, I think what I leave behind here on this blog will be helpful to other's in the future and certainly will remain as a great way for me to look back on life here.

With that said I also want to say something to those who might be saying, "I guess Joy has given up." "Korean life was just too hard for her anyways, she must not have tried hard enough to live here." When you live somewhere for four years, especially in another culture, you do spend a lot of time making it your home. There are folks in Korea who have been here a long time, made it a point to learn Korean, and have engulfed themselves in the culture by either marriage or other means. These are "lifers" and for a while there I thought I was one of them. But my life changed and wasn't really going down that track anymore (I'll write more on this later when I talk about why I have decided to leave). In short I want to say to those who might think I have "given up", that making a decision like this is not easy.

So why am I leaving and where am I going? I am going to detail the "why" part in a different post as I feel it would be good to give a better description of this then just, "It was time."

As for where I am going...well. I decided to go back home and go to Graduate school. After spending considerable time researching I have decided to go to Seattle University and attend the M.A. Ed. TESOL program. You see I decided that I need my American life back and I also want to advance in this field. Now, I'm no fool and know that the American job market is tough. I won't be guaranteed work after I graduate. Yet I am willing to relocate myself again to where job opportunities may be. If there is a job in Arizona that would hire me, I'll take it! Perhaps I'll even head out again and this time to Japan.

So from now on I'll still be sharing posts about my remaining time here in Korea (I'll be leaving at the end of my contract in February). Also I'll talk about my move and my time here in Korea. Once again thanks for following me through all these years or weeks...it's been a pleasure keeping this blog. So time to move on...and get going!

Mannam International a Cult?

There has been some buzz around the blogs lately about how Mannam International group is associated with a cult. I think for sure when you look at these articles you can see for yourself that this group is kind of sketchy in that they seem to really want to recruit foreigners and things do sound cult like. However, I attended a Mannam Volunteer event a while back and therefore have something to say. I went to their event where they painted the walls for a school for disabled children and I had a good time. I didn't know they were associated with these groups or this controversy at the time. However, I kept a skeptical distance the whole time.

Actually, I was approached by Mannam way earlier in the year. I was walking to my local subway station when someone stopped me in the street. "Excuse me, where are you from?" Every time this happens to me I feel like going back home and asking a random Asian person on the street (hoping they are Korean) and asking them the same question. See if you like it! So I engaged with this person and they ended up giving me a small card with Mannam events on it and the promise of free Korean classes. Since I have been in Korea for some time I know there is nothing as "free Korean classes." It's usually a trap of some sort. So I stuffed it in my pocket and moved on.

Yet, when that MBC video came out and foreigners were being painted yet again as a*holes and such I decided I should give back positively to the community. Also I had met someone earlier at a different group event who told me about Mannam. Nothing shouted "religious frantic" to me and I even asked this person if the group was associated with any religion, and she said no.

During the wall-painting event I didn't really feel like I was being used for publicity. Actually I was one of the few white-gals attending and the folks with the cameras never once asked for my photo-op or interview. Instead they seemed to focus on other members who gladly spilled away how happy they were to be there.

I honestly thought I was doing some good and now feel a bit of relief I didn't stay for their group photo at the end. I also have to say that the group, although friendly, was kind of split up. There were a large amount of Chinese students there who huddled together and didn't talk much with other folks. Did it feel like a cult the whole time? No, not really. But this was just a one time experience and I mostly focused on painting the wall and not really staying around after to talk with members.

So I think Scroozle and other folks are on to something here and I bet it is all somewhat true. So my advice is to maybe get involved but keep a safe distance. Or perhaps get involved just to spy on them! ;p

Whatever the truth is you have to be careful when any stranger approaches you asking to "join" their group. Seriously, would you just hop along if that happened to you in your home country?

Seoul KOTESOL Chapter Meeting

I have decided to take teaching English a bit more seriously, and in that process realized it might be a good idea to join the KOTESOL group. About two or three years ago I attended their international conference they hold each year in the Fall. Although I showed up at the last half of it, I remember it felt great to be around folks who are interested in teaching English.

Yesterday, I attended the Seoul chapter of the group and enjoyed their monthly meeting nearby Sookmyung University. It was a hot and sultry afternoon when I arrived, and due to a busy morning had skipped lunch. But I grabbed a snack and joined folks in the cool air-conditioned room. There I was greeted by Stafford from the Chosun Bimbo, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting at other events. I also was greeted to some other nice folks who are part of the group.

Things got under way and soon there were two groups swapping stories and ideas about the 4 basic skills one teaches in this job. (Reading, writing, speaking, and listening). I found myself having to kick on the gears in my head and respond to questions like, "Have you had any successful speaking activities lately?" I teach 2nd grade math, and explained that most of the time my goals are for the students to not speak Korean and that the lower levels do well. But I chimed in with several examples and statements on the topics, adding my own flare to the group. Mostly, I just enjoyed being around people who take their teaching job seriously and want to learn more. I hate to say this, and not sound terrible, but I find myself at work not having many conversations about the actual teaching job. Mostly we talk about which students are our favorites and which ones we wish would fall down a well. When it comes to talking about improving our lessons, or how to get the kids to speak, all of that kind of wandered off from the beginning.

But at my school we are left to our own devices and can teach however we see fit, so it is no wonder people don't really feel like talking about it. However, usually we meet with other members at the school to discuss the subject we are teaching (subject meetings). Thankfully, at these events people talk about how to improve and get the kids to use their skills more.

Back to the fun times at the Seoul chapter KOTESOL meeting. We finished up our group discussions and then headed up the hill to the Hyochang park. Both of these areas were new to me, and sorry I didn't grab any pictures. Actually, I brought my camera but realized that I attached my macro lens on accident.

The park picnic was very pleasant, and gave everyone a chance to gab about this and that. I was amongst other seasoned residents of Korea, and so we reflected on how things have changed over time.

All in all, I look forward to attending future meetings and making it to the International Conference in October. I also highly recommend anyone interested in perking up their teaching career to give the group a shot. Enrollment fees are half off, apparently and with membership you get discounts to their big events. Plus, nothing really beats the conversations you can have about teaching and people you can meet who have been in this field for some time.

Head on over to the KOTESOL website, and if you fancy it try out joining as a member.

Thunder

Last night there was a mighty lightning and thunder storm. Although I mostly heard the thunder, since I sleep with an eye-mask on, it sure did a good job of rattling me. However, I like these types of extreme weather. It's something I missed when I moved to California from Florida, and is one of the reasons why I look forward to summer in Korea.

However, the humidity is here and the cicadas are buzzing away. My school doesn't allow the air conditioner on till 9:30 and then I can't keep it on if there are no kids in my room. Thankfully, my room is attached by door to one of the Korean homerooms. This guy doesn't mind breaking the rules and keeping the aircon running after hours. So I open that door and feel a nice cool breeze waft in.

The final tests went well and report cards are ready for printing, and in just one week that will be the end of the first semester. I have to say I've learned a lot as a teacher and a worker this time. I've learned to be very patient with my students and use methods other than yelling to calm them down and get ready. But some days I feel spent and just want their nonsense to stop. As a worker I've come to pick my battles and do my best to get things done on time.

I know I haven't posted much lately, and I have no clue if anyone has noticed. I love my blog and yes want to keep it up and running. But things might slow down and not be as accumulated as it was before. Mostly because I don't want to push myself to write or post stuff just for the sake of a number of posts. I want to always put up meaningful posts.

Anyways... hope we get more thunderstorms!

A Response to This American Life's "American's in China"

A while back I listened to the podcast show of This American Life's episode, "Americans in China." As I listened I was amused to hear familiar tales of life in an Asian country, coming from seasoned expats. At the same time I was a little peeved that the good folks at This American Life didn't consider the same show but with Korea as their backdrop. Heck, why not even a similar show with both Korea and China together? Maybe now that Samsung is becoming a big hit abroad, popular media will pick up on what life is like out here. Until then I feel like responding to their episode with bits of my interpretations to life on the peninsula.

Point 1: Foreigners on TV in China might be more exploited than foreigners on TV in Korea.

In the beginning of the show you are treated to an introduction about how foreign folk (mainly non-Asian) are often asked to be shown on TV. Not just this but typically they are made to sing or dance for the audience, which makes some people feel like monkeys.

Benji: When foreigners go on TV shows, the most common thing is, they like to dress them up in old Chinese garb, like the Tang Dynasty clothes, and make them sing some old Chinese song and say some ridiculous phrase in Chinese. And then the host will come out and just kind of make fun of them ....
Like I've heard that in Chinese TV, the things that get the best ratings are children, animals, and foreigners, which just kind of says it all. It's just that foreigners are considered cute and adorable. It's kind of like a baby who can't take care of himself and needs to be loved.

Sound familiar? The thing is though I haven't felt like foreigners have been made to do the same thing here on Korean TV. Sure foreigners are interviewed and put up on Arirang TV or news shows, but they haven't been randomly plucked off the street and whisked to the studio. I've known several bloggers who have been on popular tv programs here, but they were given notice and a choice.

However, I would say that foreigners are often depicted in non-sensical and racist ways on Korean TV, as seen in the MBC video (the scandalous one that reveals the "truths").

Anyways the theme of the show seems to be about how foreigners are interpreted in the communities around China, and how the foreigners themselves have learned to live and love the country.

Point 2: Always the outsider

The show transitions into a segment about the senior expats in China and how they have become so adapted to the atmosphere, that their almost "Chinese" themselves. Then it grows into a segment about one family that lives in the rural part of the country. Where on the one hand they are the welcomed foreign traveler that brings English language to the village, yet on the other they are the complete outsider.

This piece centers around Michael Meyer who has written the book, "The Last Days of Old Beijing." He lives in the rural town of "Wasteland", which is uncanny enough. As a man married to a Chinese woman, he gets asked about his family there a lot. Yet even though probably every villager knows him by now, he still receives the stare.

In urban China, the sight of a foreigner no longer causes a crowd to gather and stare. But in the rural half, people still approach me with friendly, cautious curiosity, the way you might if a giraffe wandered down your street. I read that the comedian Steve Martin used to hand autograph seekers a signed name card that confirmed the person had met Steve Martin and found him to be warm, polite, intelligent, and funny. I've often thought of making a similar card to present with a silent smile, answering the usual six questions asked of me in this order.

I've had the same idea, to have a small laminated card with the basic details of my life on it. "Where are you from?" "How old are you?" "How long have you been in Korea?" "Yes I can eat kimchi and use chopsticks." ...etc. Something to present the next person who starts asking me these questions, to which I can hurry things along and get to more personal and fun questions about myself.

But he also expresses the encounters he has had that were humbling, like a construction worker who asked him a philosophical question about life. I too have randomly found myself having a strange yet deep conversation with Korean strangers on the street (in English).

The show continues to show how Michael's life in rural China becomes how he is a representation of his country. People ask him about political and economical life in America, and why they are such a superpower. Similarly, I've felt like a small diplomat over here covering for my country when huge issues occur.

He moves on to the disruption his presence causes in the village, that he really has no control over.

Like teachers, writers are worthy of pity in China, even out in the sticks. But I know the trouble my presence causes, cutting a wake across the surface of village life. China's distrusts the single traveler, the person without a work unit or even a name card, especially when the person is a la-wai, an old outsider, as foreigners are often called. And with reason-- we can always leave.
Chinese doesn't use tenses or differentiate between singular and plural. So one la-wai is the same as six la-wai. But in situations such as this, in a town so small, where I am a visitor, teaching, sure, and invited to weddings and funerals and New Year's dinners, but a guest always. I know how to describe my numbers. Just as there is a murder of crows and a school of fish, in China, even in the middle of Wasteland, the foreigner is always a hassle of la-wai.

I think I can never voucher for being that disruptive in my neighborhood, as I live in a highly dense part of Seoul. But I can say I've recognized my presence in the schools I've worked as one where people walked on eggshells around me. Not because I was a terrible person (I'm a nice person!), but because they didn't want to speak English or deal with whatever might happen. This only meant for me to warm up to people in my school slowly, so to make my presence a warm one.

~~

It's a fun podcast and gives you some insights into what expat life in China is kind of like. Certainly, interesting to see the similarities and differences. I do wonder what it would be like to be an expat of one country for a long time, and move to the next. Readjustments not only in language surely must be a hurdle to overcome. Anyways, take a listen to this podcast and see what you can discover for yourself.

July's July

The summer can be considere half-way through already. It's my 5th summer in Korea and it seems the rain, heat and humidity are just passing me by without much thought. I've kept busy this term with school work and life changes. Vacation planning is currently preoccupying my mind. I plan to do something mild this season, just venture out far enough and not spend too much to make it valid.

Looking at the above picture I wonder if the fish in there is alive, because he doesn't really look like it. The kitten even seems to look on in sympathy. It comes from an add I spotted while transferring on the subway a few weeks back.

Tomorrow the kids take their final tests, then it's a time of grading and inputing things into their report cards. I can't believe the first semester is practically over, and camp is upon me. Where did the time go?

Sometimes I lay on my bed after work, when I've finished having dinner and took care of those after-work things. I look out my one window and wonder where all this is going. These hours of sustained daylight keep the mind preoccupied with thoughts of the future. At least the rain comes and soothes one's soul.

Taste of Greek: Santorini Taverna

Located at the "start" of Itaewon street, or near the Noksapyeong station area, is the restaurant Santorini Taverna. This is a sister-restaurant to the main Greek place nearby. I recently had a bite here with some friends of mine from the area.

I've like Greek food for it's sumptuous flavors and use of yogurt, so I was looking forward to an "authentic" Greek meal. Whether it was authentic or not, I can't really say. But all in all it was pretty tasty.

The interior gives you a view of the street of Itaewon, and the setting is pretty much casual. I kind of got a little peeved they were playing Abba music. But, what can you do?

My friend and I ordered the spinach popovers appetizer, while we waited for number 3 to show up. It came out looking delicious and tasted that way too. A little bit oily, but otherwise the spinach and feta mix inside was quite yummy.

For the main course we all shared the gyro and pita set plate, mostly because it was 19,000 for just one. For the price we weren't too impressed with quantity, considering they only gave us 3 pitas. We had to order more pita bread, at a cost.

Otherwise this was very scrumptious and fun to chow down.

I would recommend coming here, but to go with pals as the menu is a bit pricey for one person. This is the first Greek place I have tried in Itaewon, so I'm not sure if it is the best.

I wonder if making Greek food at home is easy? hmmm

Krys Lee Book Reading at What The Book?

On a warm early summer evening I joined some friends for a book reading at What The Book?, in Itaewon. There the author Krys Lee shared a few stories and thoughts from her book, "Drifting House." I mostly came to the event because it was something different to go to, from the usual line up of weekly things to do. I didn't know who this author was, but was interested anyways.

Krys Lee was born in Seoul yet raised in California and Washington. This book of hers portrays stories of Korean immigrants who come from North Korea or head outside of the Korean peninsula. The stories in her book have been called dark, and she even mentioned this herself.

The stories she selected for reading dealt with an arranged marriage and also the experiences one have when reuniting with family. During the Q & A session I could tell she spent a lot of time thinking about the issues surrounding the hardships of refugees from North Korea. She mentioned having many friends who were North Korean defectors.

I didn't pick up a copy of her book, but you can if you like on your next visit to What The Book?. Altogether, it was a fun event to attend and from what I hear there aren't many book readings at this site. I think it would be nice to have this more often, even it were in Korean.

Gobbled N' Go

I was surprised to find myself in a part of Itaewon I didn't recognize, recently. It had been just a year since I traversed the back streets near the 3 Alley Pub, and I didn't realize what changes had occurred. Now there are more restaurants and the street seems wider itself. Plus the crowd seems to have diversified and opened up as well. Before it really felt like Itaewon was the "foreigner place" in Korea. This is so due to the plentifulness of foreign-food restaurants and just the sheer presence of non-Koreans wandering around.

However, these days the place is starting to attract all sorts of people. Maybe the hype that Itaewon is a scary place, is fading amongst Koreans. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, or whether locals to Itaewon are griping or not. In the meantime, it means new restaurants to try out.

I did a little researching and app handling to come up with Gobble N' Go, a kind of brunch restaurant. They have one in Gangnam, too.

The interior had the feel of a cozy cafe that also feels like a diner. Their menu has a list of Po'boy sandwiches, soups and salads, pastas and hamburgers. Seoul Eats did a review of the Gangnam location and mentioned that the prices were decent, and I would have to agree. Since the meal came out fresh and with bountiful portions I would say the price of a sandwich for 15,000 Won, was good enough.

I ordered the Po'Boy sandwich and it was an interesting conglomeration.

One half of the sandwich was mozzarella with tomato and the other half was a ham sandwich. It was a split personality thing, but with fresh flavors and thick bread. It came with a little side of salad and a small cup of soup.

All together it was a good meal, and very accommodating for this solo traveler who had other business in Itaewon. I would visit here again to try another item off their menu, or bring in friends to share the atmosphere with.

All together, I would recommend it to my readers as another place to try out in the new 'hood of Itaewon.