the good things in life never come easy

Well, to be honest, this has been a really tough week. I had an unpleasant experience at a new church in my area, two typhoons slammed Korea, I had troubles with schools and registering, I spent four hours at immigration, I found out that after all the work and qualifying for the intermediate level through a placement exam, I cannot take the KIIP course (an extremely intensive Korean language/culture course offered through the government) because the time conflicts with my Korean classes at Seogang (and therefore must wait until NEXT MARCH to try and take it again), I'm missing my friends in Gumi, I'm feeling alone again in such a BIG city, and I'm overall just overwhelmed with the change. I'm wondering what it is exactly that God has up His sleeve. All I knew before coming to Seoul is that I need to become fluent in Korean and I will somehow be involved with North Koreans. Period. I assumed things would become more clear after coming to Seoul, but they are just becoming more foggy and unknown. I just trust that God knows what He is doing and that He will work out all things in His time. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life and have it in abundance" (John 10:10). I will not allow Satan to steal my joy, to kill my spirit, or to destroy my drive and passion. God WILL be glorified.

Isaiah 55

Typhoon Bolaven sweeps across Korea

Although not much blog-worthy has happened in the last couple of days because I have been house-ridden (hey, if one can be "bed-ridden," then I assume one can be "house-ridden," right?) due to the threat of Typhoon Bolaven sweeping across the western coast of Korea, I thought it best to keep you all informed. In Seoul, as of now at around 5pm, it hasn't been quite the hype that I assumed it was going to be. I even got multiple emergency alert emails from the US Embassy here, including the notice that they were closing early today due to the typhoon. To be honest, it's been REALLLLY windy here (and at times a little scary) accompanied by some rain at times, but it is nowhere near what Jeju and the coastal cities have been experiencing. According to a recent article from the Korea Herald, at least 16 are missing or dead , numerous people have been injured, and massive blackouts strike the country, as well as much damage to buildings and housing, etc. ...So please keep Korea in your prayers!

Typhoon Tembin and Typhoon Bolaven

A night in Hyehwa with Simon and Brian

Saturday night, I met up with Simon and Brian outside Hyehwa Station to hang out and have a goodbye dinner for Brian who, after having taught in Korea for this past year, is returning back to the USA. Brian and Simon had their EPIK orientation here in Hyehwa (mine was in Jeonju), so they were quite familiar with the area. After walking around a little and recalling past memories of orientation, we stopped by this cute place for dinner called 옛골토성 (Yet-Gol-To-Seong).

We had some tasty barbeque here. ^^ In this picture below, Simon is checking out the meat that is roasting.

We ordered the sampler plate which came with duck, pork, and ribs.

After having dinner, we walked around the area in search of a non-typical coffee shop while taking in the sights of this unique and artsy area. While walking around, we saw some of the cutest puppies, and I just had to stop in the store and play!

Simon told us how this adorable little store is a popular place famous for Korea lunch boxes (like Japanese bento boxes...an assortment of food, not what we in the USA think of when we think of "lunch box.") and an assortment of good teas. I will definitely be back sometime to check it out.

Another place I found to check out later is a live jazz club! Alright! ^^

Lastly, we finally settled on this cute coffee shop.

I would not recommend the espresso drinks (there isn't any hand drip coffee there in the first place) because the americano I had was not that great. I cannot speak for the rest of the drinks, so let me know what your opinion is. The atmosphere is nice (but a little loud), and the desserts are FANTASTIC. We ordered this Nutella Toast Waffle Bread (whatever the actual name is for this big size bread dessert), and it was so moist and melt-in-your-mouth.

Unlike similar breads at places such as Cafe Bene where they are a little more crunchy on the outsides like toast, this one is moist and well-made from first bite to last.  There are many options for these breads as well as parfaits and gelato. Definitely a place to go if you are looking for a tasty treat!

Nanta Show

After a morning of cooking, I went to see Nanta at the Myeongdong theatre with Jack and Daisy. It was a Sogang reunion. Awwww.....I missed you guys! Glad we are all back in the same city again.

And so....as a late birthday celebration for Jack, we all went to see Nanta. Tonight's performance was a special event. Usually the show times are at 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm, but tonight, the show time was at 11pm with games, prizes, Polaroid photo shoots, and free food and drinks beforehand celebrating Japanese culture.

Nanta is a long-running, mostly non-verbal musical set in a kitchen. The audience is taken through the course of an evening where chefs must prepare the food for a wedding banquet. You will experience the wonders of a variety of "ingredients" including song, dance, lots of percussion using kitchen utensils and knives, magic tricks, and audience participation. 

This show is definitely a "tourist trap" as such is so often named. As a music major, I appreciated the integration of percussion with kitchen utensils and following along with the "rhythm" found through cooking, but I was a little turned off by all the "audience participation" acts and gimmicks. Although it was definitely NOT up to the hype and standard I had assumed or hoped for (I was imagining something more like STOMP! or Blue Man Group but with a kitchen setting), I am happy to have seen it, and now I won't leave Korea regretting I had never gone.

Rinnai Cooking Class

Friday was the day of cooking and food. The morning started off by attending class at the Rinnai Cooking School and ended with my first experience of the show Nanta. 

Sponsored through the Seoul Global Center, this month's cooking class menu included 보쌈 (Bo-ssam) and 쟁반국수 (Jaengban Guksu). Our group met at 10:15am outside of Hongik University Station (Green Line 2) exit 4 and walked together over to class (it is the tall building behind you as you come out of the subway exit). To add to the excitement, the cost for the class is a mere 5,000 W! 

You will find the cooking school on the 3rd floor of the building. From here, you will pick up your apron and find a station to work at where the ingredients and utensils have already been laid out for you.

The class is conducted in Korean, but do not let this stop you. Our lovely guide from the Seoul Global Center was there to translate for us. Before class begins, you are also given a recipe sheet (in both Korean and English), so you can easily follow along. Additionally, as you can see in the video, there are three screens where you can watch the teacher prepare and follow along with each step of the recipe.

보쌈 (Bo-ssam) meat is finished!

Completed 쟁반국수 (Jaengban Guksu)

Afterwards, you have the chance to sit and eat what you have so diligently and tastefully prepared, followed by a time of cleaning up and washing dishes. The class finished eating and cleaning by around 1pm.

***In addition, as a side note, I was also interviewed during this cooking class (as well as many of the other participants) for a radio program airing tonight (Monday) on Arirang Radio.  We were interviewed about a variety of questions relating to Korean food and cooking....two of my favorite things!***

만수야 커피 먹자!~~"It's Mansu! Let's drink coffee!"

Another thing I have had to say "see you later" to in Gumi is my favorite coffee shop, Timber Coffee. This coffee shop needs an entire blog post of its own, so when I gather together some more of my pictures from it, I will feature it in an upcoming post.

But the story does not end with Timber Coffee...the Lord, knowing my unparalleled addiction to the beauty and taste and atmosphere and overall feeling derived from this simple bean, has brought me to yet another jewel. *^.^*

On Thursday I got up early and hopped on a subway over to Incheon for the day to help out my friend, Simon, with packing before he moved into his new place the following day. Knowing my addiction to coffee and desire for the "real-thing," he made sure to make a stop by his friend's coffee shop before diving into our work. 

Let me tell you........

I.HAVE.NEVER.TASTED.COFFEE.SO.GOOD.AND.RICH.AND.FULL.AND.DYNAMIC.AND.

FLAVORFUL.AND.OVERALL.SO.COMPLETELY.FANTASTIC.IN.MY.ENTIRE.LIFE.  

......that is.......until I came here.

Located in the Songnae area of Incheon off of Line 1 and a quick bus ride into town, this coffee shop is full of character and has a relaxing, chill atmosphere. 만수야 커피 먹자 (Mansoo-ya Keo-pi Meok-ja..."It's Mansoo! Let's drink coffee!"), as it is named, is owned and run by a brother and sister duo. Originally opened in 2011, this coffee shop boasts some of the best hand-drip coffee made from beans roasted right in the shop and a variety of delicious espresso-based drinks, as well as many other drink choices to suit any style and taste. The baked goods, all handmade and exquisitely crafted by the sister in this duo, are an absolute must when stopping in, and one cannot leave without sampling one of the scrumptious goodies. 

In addition to fabulous coffee and mouth-watering pastries, 만수야 also offers barista classes and language exchange classes. 

So...

Whether you live in Seoul or Incheon or anywhere in between, this is definitely one place that tourist books won't tell you about but that you definitely do not want to miss. 

See you at Mansu!

Kpop Song Class

So I decided to start the journey right and enjoy these two weeks of vacation. Although I can't go back to the States right now or spend the money to travel to some other exotic land nearby, I still have two weeks to explore a few things here and there around Seoul.

Tuesday started off busy with my usual Skype tutoring class, then Skyped with my mom, then my first breakfast with the fam (really, my first time eating a BREAKFAST in awhile), then an interview with another Skype tutoring opportunity, then flute practice, then meeting with my new boss, then heading to Myeongdong for some lesson planning time and finally off to my first Kpop song class.

The Kpop Song Class is sponsored by the Seoul Culture and Tourism Center and is FREE for anyone interested. You just need to register, which you can do by emailing seoulcenter@seoulwelcome.com. (Kpop Song classes are Tuesdays 4:00-5:30pm, and Kpop Dance classes are Wednesdays 4:00-5:30pm.)

This week's song was not really a "Kpop" song but actually a very famous "trot" song called 무조건 (Mujogeon). In the class, we read are given sheets with the words in Korean and romanization (so don't worry if you cannot read hangeul yet), as well as the sheet music. Together, with the teacher, we read each line and check for meaning. From there, we practice the song line-by-line as the teacher plays along on the piano. Finally, once we have practiced everything, we sing it karaoke-style with the lyrics and video up on a big projection screen while we pass around the microphone. Some of us were new this time, so we felt a little shy singing solo, but by the end of the class, we had all warmed up to each other and were belting it out, having a great time. I'm looking forward to next week as well, where we will learn 여수밤바다 (Yeosu-bam-bada) by Busker Busker (a now really famous indie band from Korea...woo!).

무조건 [박상철]

the Seoul-filled journey begins

So, much has happened between my last post and now. Rather than fill in all the details, I want to start new...

For those who don't know, I just moved back to Seoul this past Monday. It was hard leaving knowing that I wouldn't be seeing my friends as often as I used to, but it is comforting knowing that it isn't goodbye yet.....we are only a 3 hour ride away from each other. To all my Gumi/Daegu friends~~~I love you dearly, and I miss you so much already. 

Let's see....my arrival into Seoul was reminiscent and deja-vu of my first day in Korea: a rainy, dreary day (at least this time I had an umbrella!), coming alone. My new home stay Korean dad picked me up from the bus terminal and brought me to what I will now call home. I feel so safe and relaxed here. Honestly, I realized that I had forgotten what a "good night's sleep" felt like until I came here. I've never slept so soundly or so well in what seems like a very, very long time. Blessings for that.

And yes, as I mentioned, I decided to do a home stay rather than living alone or in a boarding house. I chose this for many reasons. One reason being that I missed living with a family (Evelyn and Clara, I miss you guys!). I missed having a family to come home to and cook with and hang out with and just plain having someone else in the house while I am home. It's just really a nice feeling. Also, I wanted to experience the culture first-hand (as if LIVING in Korea wasn't first-hand enough!) and practice the language. At this point, I know some of you are wondering whether my family speaks English, and the answer is well, no. I am getting to practice speaking in Korean everyday without fail. It is hard sometimes, but it is well worth it. I live with a mom and dad. They also have a son and daughter, but they are both in the USA now (small world--their son is studying music at one of my dream schools with some of my college friends!). My Korean mom is so cool and unlike anyone I've met. She also loves learning some new English words and phrases, so we are going to practice together each day. We have a lot of fun together. (Again, it's a small world. She has, shh shh, secretly learned all kinds of Latin and ballroom dancing! When her husband walked in and I asked if they danced together, she said it was our little secret. lol Guess who's going to be playing some Latin music and dancing in the house? This girl and her new momma! lol)

And so.....as the adventure continues, I want to document it. Because I know how easy it will be once school starts to just get in the habit of school and work and study and school and work and study, etc etc.....I've made it my goal/determination to explore one new area of Seoul each week. Needless to say, I have already begun exploring and creating a list of places I want to go and see. Stay tuned!