Korea's Top 10

It's been nearly a year here in Korea, so I feel (somewhat) qualified to make a 'best of' list. These are items that aren't specific to me (meaning no bragging about my awesome students), but can be experienced by everyone coming to Korea.

10. Fashion/makeup

Korea is rapidly becoming a fashion capital of the world. Here in Daegu, which is apparently the fashion capital of the fashion capital, women are dressed impeccably at all hours (myself excluded). Even my co-teachers, who you'd think would adopt a slightly grunge-look after dealing with screaming and fighting children all day, almost always look as if they'd just arrived from a frickin photo shoot. I'm totally not jealous. Totally.  That said, women put a lot, and I mean a lot of money and time into their appearances. Because of this, it's impossible to walk 5 feet in any direction and not run into a clothing boutique or a makeup store. Heck, even just a makeup store. I've lost count of the number of brand name stores (one day I'll write a whole post detailing the most recommended and my favorite items from each), but luckily this provides an excellent realm of gift shopping! I literally would run out of friends before I ran out of gift options for them. That was not meant to be as self-deprecating as it sounds. 

9. 찜질방 (Jimjilbang)

While public nudity isn't really my speed, even I have to admit the efficiency of a Korean-style public bathhouse. They're divided by gender in the changing and bathing areas, and often open into a mixed gender, clothed area with steam rooms and saunas. Jimjilbangs are incredibly common, although they vary greatly in size and design. There are very simple ones with one hot tub and one sauna, or ones that have more steam rooms than you have moisture in your body. Many of them allow an overnight stay for a very small fee, which make them even more appealing to travelers on a budget. My personal favorite is Spa Land in Busan, an enormous inside and outside facility attached to the largest department store in the world. At only 12,000 won (~$12), it's worth the experience. Just close your eyes for the first 15 minutes or so.

8. Market shopping

Open air markets are not a new thing, especially when I recall that in every single country I've visited, I've found at least one. The people running the shops (generally middle-later aged women), are incredibly nice and helpful at picking out items for me. Not only that, but I can find nearly anything at Seomun market here in Daegu, and Dongdaemun is a frickin godsend to any shopaholics. My sister and I went shopping at 1 in the morning, and walked away with quite a few good deals. I'd like to think it's my amazing haggling skills, but I acknowledge that it's more likely that they wanted the weird foreigners to leave them the hell alone.

7. kpop

I started listening to Korean pop music about a year before I came here, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't slightly influence my decision. These upbeat songs are just so damn catchy! Beyond it helping make a connection with my students, I genuinely enjoy kpop in my free time. Anyone looking to bravely venture into the crazy brightly colored and bizarre world, here are some of my favorite groups (Big Bang, SHINee, f(x), U-Kiss) and individual songs (Tarzan- WonderBoyz, Poison - Secret, Sweet Dream - MFBTY).

6. 팥빙수 (Patbingsu)

This is a dessert/snack item that's very popular during the summer. Bingsu is shaved ice, and while there are many varieties of toppings, my favorite is red bean (pronounced like pot, if you're curious). Red bean is VERY common in desserts and is definitely not for everyone, although I enjoy it myself. The coffee shop down the street has my favorite patbingsu, and the ingredients are as follows: shaved ice, condensed milk, red bean, granola, cornflakes, and a bit of whipped cream. It's magnificent on a hot day when you want nothing more than to take an ice bath, which is apparently inappropriate in public.

5. Eating style

Surprisingly, most Koreans don't care what they look like when they eat. The object of most meals seem to be to get the most amount of food in your mouth in one bite. Considering the amount of time and effort everyone puts into their appearance, I was shocked when I saw dolled up 20 somethings shoveling ramyeon into their mouths at an alarming rate. IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY. One of my favorite Korean foods is 쌈, when you make a lettuce wrap with pork, rice, some sauce, and whatever else you want to toss in there, and shove it in your mouth. ...And now I'm hungry.

4. 냉면 (Naengmyeon)

Another delicious summer food is this noodle-soup-thing. It's light and refreshing and smidge acidic and absolutely fantastic. The wheat noodles are served in a cold broth (sometimes with actual ice chunks still in it), with half a hardboiled egg, some pear or radish shavings, and a spoonful of gochujang (hot pepper paste that you cannot escape here). On the side you'll be given spicy mustard and vinegar to add for tailoring to your palate. I add a bit more vinegar than most, and skip the gochujang completely, although I am known to toss in a bit of mustard if I'm feeling daring. I'm usually not. But I already wrote something about that. Keep up, will you?

3. Cuteness everywhere!

Did you think that panda hat/scarf/mitten contraption was just for kids? False. Although many people take it too far (which is called aegyo), it encourages the childish fun that I've always enjoyed. So what if I want to wear a giant blue scarf that takes up half my face? Spend half an hour making ridiculous faces in a photo booth? How about thick rimmed rainbow hipster glasses, without the glass? Check all of the above!

2. 노래방 (Noraebang)

Whether you're a fan of alcohol induced craziness, or your neighbors deserve a break from listening to you sing in the shower, noraebang is for you! It's a cheap (depending on where you go) night out with friends that provides instant entertainment for as long as you keep up the energy. The singing rooms are private and mostly soundproofed, so it's the perfect place to let loose and sing the Mariah Carey notes that you had only attempted at that Christmas party that one time. They're easy to spot on the streets (just look for the flashing neon signs. Odds are, it's a noraebang), and have drink and food menus to encourage customers to stay for hours. Protip: have a no camera rule inside the room. No one needs to see or hear that.

And finally....

1. 호떡 (Hoddeok)

This amazing goodness tops my list partly because it's winter right now, and it's everywhere. The closest equivalent in the US would be fried dough, except hoddeok has brown sugar and sesame or sunflower seeds melted together in the middle (think a pancake stuffed with the sugar and seed mix, then deep fried to delicious perfection). It's a very common street food, and can be found on nearly every corner as the weather gets colder. If for some reason you can't find one, hoddeok mix is easy to find at Emart or Homeplus, and tastes almost as good as the real thing. But because most stands charge 1,000won for one, it's so cheap that it gives the impression that I'm losing money by not buying one. Or four. Or twenty.

So there you have it, Katherine Teacher's list of the best Korea has to offer (as experienced in 10 months). Anyone that lives/lived in Korea, do I have any glaring omissions? If you're a future visitor, any questions about specific numbers? Leave a comment!

Regardless, 2013 has been quite an adventure, and it's gearing up for round 2 in 2014. Stay tuned!

안녕!

Not-quite-home for the holidays

Holidays have always been a big deal for me. Game night parties with my friends, making Christmas cookies with my family, buying more presents than I can usually afford... things I didn't really consider when making my decision to move around the world. When fall approached, with the season of cheer looming in the distance, I started getting nervous about how I would handle the holidays by myself.

What I've been surprised by is how much I don't feel alone. I've got friends here that are close enough to be my makeshift family, co workers who are incredibly intuitive and supportive when I need it, and my family and friends back home are only an internet connection away.

Also. 'Tis the season for arts and crafts!

My kids absolutely loved these stand-alone turkeys. Highly recommended!

2 weeks of Christmas songs and projects? Yes please!

Thanksgiving was an ordeal, but only because I brought it upon myself. I was so excited to share my holiday traditions with my coteachers, who had never had a Western Thanksgiving meal, that I offered to cook the whole thing. Nevermind that the only really cooking I'd done before that was helping my mom in the kitchen

Everything went off without a hitch, to my own disbelief. I slightly burned one batch of sweet potato casserole, but all three dinners were a huge success. My coteachers loved the food, constantly asking me for recipes and offering me their homes and kitchens anytime I had the 'want to cook'. Their kids didn't like the food as much, but they enjoyed helping (read: watching) me cook in between chasing each other around the house.

Have you ever tried eating GBC with chopsticks??

My potluck dinner was fantastic. I am constantly amazed and self-conscious about the amount of time and effort that people put into a great evening for their friends. Given that most of my 'girls nights' consist of pizza, movies, and nail painting, having an elaborate set up with games and prizes for the winners blew me away.

Sorry ladies, I tried to get a good food shot!

Dinner at my house also went well, despite a few last minute call-outs. I was nervous about so many people being in my apartment at the same time, but about half the guests were late, and some of the early birds had to go, it worked out nicely into two 'waves' of people. Everyone had as much food as they could eat, and we played games until I kicked everyone out (because I'm an old lady with an early bedtime).

Pretty good if I do say so myself

Christmas is shaping up similarly, with plans with friends Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, and a Skype date with the family Christmas night. Despite having to be at work the day before and the day after, I'm glad that I have enough of a community of friends here that I don't feel so alone.

Complete with presents from the family!

It can be easy to isolate yourself here. Wake up, go to school, go home, go to bed, repeat. If that's all you want your time here to be, then it's going to be miserable. I've been lucky to establish great friendships here, and I can acknowledge that I am tenacious in holding onto those friendships. Heck, I'm tempted to follow a couple of people back to California when they leave in February...

Anyway, I have an interesting post lined up for next week, and then a 2013 wrap up to finish out the year. Stay tuned!

안녕! 


PS- It just occurred to me what an outdated phrase 'stay tuned' is. Will the next generation even know why we say that?

PPS- Am I the only one that says that now?

Not the chaos I was expecting

Middle school students have always struck me as the most terrifying combination of 1) the brains of older students with 2) the hyperactivity and immaturity of younger ones. From the stories I've heard from other teachers, high schoolers are more like zombies than disorderly hyped-up students that will swing from the rafters (which was the mental picture I had of elementary, at first). While my current students have neither rafters nor the height with which to reach them, middle school poses a viable threat to my mental stability.

To say that I was nervous to be solely responsible for a group of all male middle school students would be a colossal understatement. We're talking 'bad dreams for a week' level of stress. The plan has always been to eventually expand my teaching horizons beyond elementary level, but was I ready for a coteacher-less lesson for my first experience?

In the end, the idea of the camp was what sold me. The students would act as ambassadors to us native English teachers, highlighting important parts of Daegu, and educating us on the cultural significance of these sites. Had this been my assignment in middle school, I am confident that I would have picked McDonalds or some ice cream shop and bullshit  say something about how they were vital to the growth of capitalism in America, or how this doughnut is beacon of freedom! Or anything else that would let me eat (my priorities have never been subtle).

But these kids blew me out of the water. Although there was only a year difference between them and my older students, the way they handled themselves around me was impressive. They were incredibly polite and curious, asking questions that weren't too invasive, constantly checking up on me to make sure they weren't walking too fast or leaving me behind. They translated signs and messages when I was staring for too long trying to read (a regular occurrence for me). When it was time to buckle down and finish the presentation, they put together an incredibly well made video to showcase the day's adventures.

We went to two parks in downtown Daegu, neither of which I had been to before. The first park was made in remembrance of high school students disobeying the government and joining in a demonstration in favor of the Democratic Party on February 28, 1960. After that, we went to the park (and small museum) in remembrance of the Korean National Debt Repayment. The Japanese had been controlling Korea under the threat of the money that was owed to them. A movement began of citizens donating their money and gold to the government to be melted down to help pay back this enormous debt. This meant a lot to my kids; one even told me how his great great grandmother (+/- a great) gave up her wedding band and baby jewelry to the cause. The idea of an entire country pitching in whatever they can to help pull themselves out from another's rule is admirable. The movement was a failure, but admirable nonetheless.

To balance out the seriousness of those two parks, we went to an arcade and they won a necklace and USB multi-port for me from the machines (stuffed animals were attempted, but to no avail). We played games for a while, which mostly consisted of me kicking their collective butt in Time Crisis, got some street food, and went back to the school to work on the video.

We took more pictures than the assignment called for, and overall had a fantastic time. The leader even texted me a few days later to let me know that our group got 2nd place for their presentation.

After the rousing success with these kids, I'm much more confident in my ability to handle older students, and can see myself having fun teaching them in the future. I genuinely hope that I get the chance to teach kids that are as interested and motivated again.

(Sorry no photos, having some technical problems...)
안녕!

Little rain isn't gonna stop us

The second half of our 2013 Chuseok vacation was 2 days in Taipei. Naturally, with my luck, the timing wasn't great; there was a typhoon hitting the south end of Taiwan just as we were arriving at the north end of the island.

The good news is that it didn't hit the city directly, only got caught in waves of rain.

The bad news is that the threat of the typhoon caused the cable cars up to Maokong Mtn to close, which was a main attraction in Taipei. There are tea houses at the top which are said to be delicious and full of traditional Taiwanese foods.

Because of the rain, we were secluded in the hotel room most of the time, which worked out just fine when we were trying new kinds of snacks from the convenience store and playing cards. I taught Alex and Roberta the classy games of Bullshit and Rummy.

I'm not convinced that Roberta isn't some kind of Irish card shark who's just been biding her time...

But when we braved the rain to explore the city, we were all pretty impressed. Downtown was clean and there was art on every street corner.

Rain apparently keeps everyone inside...? More room for us to play!

My lovely travel companions :)

Interesting and providing valuable public service!

 We spent most of our full day in Taipei at Taipei 101, the tallest tower in the city. The top floor is an observatory, but was decidedly more interactive than Shanghai's. The entire floor was full of interesting facts about Taiwan and the construction of the tower itself. Not only that, but we got to go to the center of the building and get a look at a damper, the giant wrecking-ball-thing that keeps the massive building steady during at storm with gusting winds. The cartoon damper people were a little excessive, but it was still fascinating to get a firsthand look at something I had never given much thought to before.

After the observatory we stuck around and looked at the shops, sat outside of a Starbucks waiting for the rain to take a break, and did a fair amount of people watching.

At night we saw the Shilin night market, the largest in Taipei and only a few blocks away from our hotel. We ate at a Mongolian BBQ restaurant, which was delicious and SO cheap, then walked around to investigate the content of the booths. There were T-shirts for several dollars each, carnival games, and cheap knick knacks that make you wonder who actually buys them. Walked away from the market with several 'gifts'. I put gifts in quotes because I have grown attached and am unwilling to part with them. Namely my stormtrooper and smurf t-shirts. Terrible grammar and all, they're mine.

Night market, where you can find anything and anything cheap

Oh and food. Glorious food. The smell of roasting chicken and some kind of bread dessert product was everywhere, and it was mouth watering.I was surprised not to see very many strange food items. The stinky tofu (yes, that's the actual term) was expected, but besides that I only saw some gelatinous thing that had pictures of frogs on the side. Assume away.

Mongolian stir fry at the night market.
Cheap, delicious, and filling!

I would eat dumplings every day if I wouldn't look like Jabba

'Crab Hand Roll' flavored chips. They were surprisingly delicious

We also got to visit Longshan Temple, one of the oldest, most intricate temples within the city. There was a service being held at the time, and walking around taking photos while people were offering incense and singing prayers felt disrespectful, so we didn't stay long. Although not particularly large, it was still incredibly beautiful. I am always intrigued by how vastly different the Chinese/Japanese/Korean temples are in style, even those of the same religion (Buddhist, typically).

Overall, I really loved Taipei, so much so that it's on my short list of cities to potentially live in one day. The people were incredibly friendly, the food was delicious, it was clean and relatively easy to navigate. Not much more I can ask for in a city.


안녕!

Can't quite make up my mind about China

Let me preface this entry by saying that Shanghai was not my favorite place. We started off on the wrong foot (getting horribly ripped off by a taxi, which my pride will not let me forget) and it somewhat soured our time there. I tried to be as objective as possible and would overall give the city a 6/10, but there were a lot of negative aspects (namely the overcrowding, smelliness, and rudeness of the people we met).

Once we arrived at the hotel, the trip got much better. Our hotel was fantastic. Anyone looking for a recommendation, Les Suite Orient is at the top of my list. Taking a nice hot bath while overlooking the river and the picturesque Shanghai skyline was pretty amazing.

Ahhh. Bliss.

But you're not here to read about the hotel. At least I hope not. That'd be weird.

First thing we did after settling into the hotel was to visit the observatories in Shanghai's tallest building, the Shanghai World Financial Center (or as I called it, the bottle opener). I say observatories because Shanghai scoffs at the paltry attempts of other buildings by offering 3 floors for viewing. The 94th floor has a shop and restaurant, the 97th  has glass walls and ceiling, and the 100th has glass walls and floor (kind of). We got there are dusk, so the photo quality wasn't ideal, but it was still amazing to see how far the city stretches beyond the small area we explored.

Dusk or pollution?

View from the 100th floor. Not as impressive as I'd imagined.

 The second touristy thing we did was go on a river boat cruise. 'Downtown' has built up around the Huangpu river, and taking a tour up and down the notable parts at night was incredible. The skyscrapers are lit up with messages in Chinese and English, with ads for Samsung phones covering over 70 floors with blindingly bright blue, and nearby towers are trying to compete with sparkling reds, greens, pinks, and purples. There were a surprising amount of boats on the river at night, many of them as lavishly decorated as the one we were on. It was one of the experiences that really enforced that we weren't in Kansas Korea any more...

... do I?

We started the next day by going to the YuYuan gardens, one of the top tourist places to visit in the city. Different parts were built at different times, but all within the 19th century. The architecture was amazing, my favorite features were the entryways into new sections; each frame was a different shape. As can be expected in every garden ever, there were a lot of fish. But these were not normal fish. Brightly colored and HUGE, they were everywhere. I spent a lot of my time watching them interact with the children that were so clearly enamored with them. There were toddlers being pulled back a millisecond before falling in headfirst trying to pet one.

A stranger asked me take a photo with her (is it weird that I don't think that's weird anymore?).

Possibly the highlight of my trip was the acrobatics show. Roberta was determined to go to one while in China, and I am so glad that she was insistent. Parts of it were expected (2 man strength demonstration, jumping through hoops, and the young girls with the bending and the flipping and whatever else hurts my back just to watch), but there were also spinning plates and diablos, chair balancing, bicycle pyramids, roller skating (WTF?), and a motorcycle cage. For the last one I'm pretty sure I didn't breathe, which caused Alex and Roberta great concern and amusement. Sorry for the lack of photos, they were very insistent about no cameras. Although there's always some guy in the front row with an iPad who thinks he's James fucking Bond being all sneaky. Dude. We see you.

And of course the food was amazing. We mostly ate dumplings (both the xiao longbao that's famous in the area, and other dumplings like gyoza, bao, and shumai). So. Many. Dumplings.

Eat ALL the dumplings!

Living in Korea for so long has made me comfortable with where I am. I hardly ever feel rushed or panicked in my day to day life, at least when I stay in my safety bubble of Daegu, and have so many people that I can call in an instant if I need help. Traveling (not by myself) outside of Korea was a bit of a wakeup call and reminded me very quickly that I am a very far way from home. In Korea, I can sound out most of the words I see on signs and menus, but when I tried to do the same with Chinese and obviously failed, the panic set in.

Writing this post helped me to remember that coming back to Korea was like coming home (a home where a trip to Hong Kong is a feasible weekend plan). I've decided to stay right where I am, at least for now. I'll revisit the idea of switching to high school or another country next year. Thanks to everybody for the support and advice :)

Next post: Taipei!

안녕!

That is the question

As a quick break between lengthy travel posts, I decided to write up a quick somethin somethin about my decision making process for the future. Namely: to renew or not to renew.

I am a very logical person. I enjoy making lists, pros and cons, the occasional bar graph, and I ask nearly everyone for their opinion. Today I'm going to walk you through my train of thought.

Reasons to stay:
1) My coteachers are fantastic. I have heard horror stories about coteachers here, but I got incredibly lucky. Even teachers that I only see in the hallways or at lunch are friendly. While I don't go party or meet up with them often outside of school, they're always helpful with any questions I have. Heck, Mijin helped me make shorts! They're my friends, and I'll miss them when I eventually leave Sawol.

2) My students are very high level. This means that I don't have to worry about things going over their heads, and I can explain things more quickly. These kids are crazy smart and pick up ideas and vocabulary so quickly. I've already noticed a difference in the confidence of my fourth graders, who will now approach me in the hallways to say hi, whereas before they crouched/ducked/ran away in fear of an English interaction. That or they just hated me.... Let's be positive, shall we?

3) Mostly good location. I live in a quiet, beautiful neighborhood. Instead of the downtown-ish, tall buildings with small alleyways kind of area, I get a wealthy residential neighborhood with lots of coffee shops, bakeries, and am only a 15 minute walk from bars and restaurants. I have 4 friends that live on my street, and several others a very short distance away (which is unheard of for a lot of teachers).

4) My apartment is huge. Most of you have seen the photos of my apartment, and you can see why I'd be crazy to leave it. I have two rooms and a relatively spacious kitchen, instead of the cramped one room + kitchen that other teachers were 'gifted' with. Not only the size of the place, but my landlady is adorable and brings me things all the time. Water, grapes, kimbap, anything she's got. Doesn't speak more than 2 words of English, but we work it out. Lots of 'ok's are exchanged... Although the internet was just changed to her name, which means I don't pay for it, but it's slow as molasses. We're gonna have to have a talk soon.

5) Moneyyyyy. That's right, I added extra y's to that word. You know why? Because I am making a good amount by living here, at least more than I could reasonably expect at home with my resume. Granted, much of it is going to travel, but that's what I'd be saving it for back home too. If/when I renew, I get a month's extra salary as a renewal bonus, another 100$ per month, and an extra week of vacation, just to sweeten the deal.


Reasons to leave:
1) Family and friends. The obvious answer, of course. I speak to my family (most of them...) more than I did when I was living in the US, but kakao and Skype don't exactly equal a hug

2) Career goals? I'm still figuring out what the heck I'm doing with my life in the long-term scope. Right now I'm happy where I am, but how long can I reasonably expect to stay here? Genetic counseling was always the plan career-wise, and it's something I still love and think about often. Every additional year I stay in Korea is another year that path is postponed. But at the same time, maybe more career opportunities related to my work here will present themselves if given more time (university jobs, high paying private schools, private tutoring, etc). Anyone that wants to tell me what to do, feel free to chime in...

3) Creature comforts. Goddamn do I miss my dryer. And oven. And Firehouse subs (which I dream about regularly). And pedicures. And cats. And Reeses. The list goes on.


That's where I'm at right now. Decision-making that will affect my life makes me want to pull my hair out. To my friends who I've been ignoring the past few weeks/months, this is why. I get the paperwork for my renewal in the next week or two, so the decision is looming. Any and all advice is welcome and will be rewarded with virtual hugs. Even you strangers in Germany and Russia, feel free to say hi! I enjoy new perspectives.

Now I'm gonna take a nap.

안녕!

Jeju

We got lucky with great weather!

A bit of housekeeping to start us off: I finally got an upgraded computer at work! Great, because it's faster, but not so great because all of my work for the last 7 months is gone. They told me to save everything, but didn't say where, and apparently I saved it to the wrong place. Not only are all of my lesson plans and powerpoints gone, but so are the blog posts that were ready to go on my computer (hence the late posting).

ANYWAY. Jeju.

When my sister came to visit, I wanted to show her a little bit of everything that Korea has to offer. We did metropolitan Seoul for 2 days, somewhat boring Daegu for 2 days, and 'beautiful paradise' (as it is known here) Jeju Island. It was my first time going to Jeju as well, and I was nervous as heck. My Korean is not where I wish it was, and the anxiety I have about being lost is ever-present.

Our flight was uneventful, beyond departing from the smallest airport I have ever been in (only 3 gates!!), and we took a bus to the opposite side of the island, where our hotel was. The hotel was a hole in the wall, which became evident when 2 of 5 taxis couldn't find it or were convinced it didn't exist at all. ...We got there eventually.

This message is for Caroline, in case I didn't say it enough at the time: I AM SO SORRY. I chose poorly and you had to suffer in a tiny, mosquito infested room for 3 days because I was a cheap bastard.

You can infer that the room was less than pleasant. The owner was very nice and his English was better than I have come to expect from guesthouses in Korea.


The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly our day to Seongsan Ilchulbong and Udo. Seongsan Ilchulbong is called 'Sunrise Peak', and we hopped in a taxi at 4am to see it for it's namesake. Nearly died climbing up that freaking cliff (seriously, I was seeing spots and could see myself bouncing down hundreds of steps, bowling over tiny Korean ajummas decked out in hiking gear). Naturally Caroline did the whole thing like it was her frickin job.... Making me look like a wuss grumble grumble grumble (which I am and totally admit to).

Worth it :)

Mentally did the Rocky fist pump dance thing

The town down below us. And this was about halfway down too

After that, we took the ferry to the nearby small island of Udo. Rented scooters to get around the island, which was so awesome!!! Took a few photos, stopped at the beach, then rented them again and spent most of the day zooming around getting sunburnt.

SO. MUCH. FUN.

The following day was originally meant for horseback riding and exploring, but given how sunburnt we got, we opted out of chafing thighs and sore butts. Instead I took Caroline to the highly-reviewed Jeju Stone Park and the Trick Art Museum, both of which were in the middle of nowhere that required taxis for all transportation. Again, let me address Caroline specifically: I AM SO SORRY. It was boring as heck and a waste of time and money. Ok, the stone park would have been way more enjoyable if it wasn't so far away or so goddamn darn hot (6/10 would recommend, but only if you're really interested in Korean history). But the day ended with going to really beautiful waterfalls near our hotel, so it all ended well.

Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, complete with tourists

Overall, I felt like this trip was more about seeing my sister than about me sightseeing, and I hope she had as much fun as I did. It made me realize that I've been so caught up in my own world and figuring things out here on the other side of the world that I haven't had time to really miss my family. I do now.

But I drowned that out with my Shanghai/Taipei trip :)

Stay tuned! 안녕!

My sweet revenge for her taking this photo: welcome to the internet sis!

The Land of the Rising Sun

This is a long one. Bear with me.

Before any trip, I research what major attractions I should take the time to experience while I’m in the city. The list of recommendations for Tokyo was enormous, and I knew I couldn't do everything. Because this was my first time traveling alone, I decided to do something a bit different. Instead of cramming in as many sights as possible (my usual plan of attack for big cities), I wanted to do memorable activities. I signed up for a day-long tour to Mount Fuji and Hakone, a hands on cooking class, and a temple/beach walk with a company that organizes informal tours for foreigners living in Tokyo. Unfortunately, due to a stupid alarm mistake, I missed the beach walk. The cooking class was absolutely AMAZING, and I’ll be doing an entirely separate post on it later this month. Mount Fuji was cloudy, so I didn't get many good pictures, but I learned more about Japan in that day than I did the rest of my trip.

No one wants to hear boring step by step details of what I did, so I’ll put a bunch of pictures with captions, then finish this post with my overall impression of Japan. How’s that sound? It sucks? Too bad. This is my blog.

Capsule hotel my first night. The beds are essentially boxes with 3
inches of padding to sleep on. Cheap and a very cool experience. 

Tako yaki = octopus balls. Too much dough, not enough octopus.

Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Very touristy, but pretty.

Another temple in Asakusa

5 story pagoda in Asakusa

Tokyo Skytree, the tallest building in Tokyo. Didn't get to go up, as a reservation was required, but the huge mall built around it was great fun

Kabuki-za theater in Ginza. I saw a Kabuki show here and was very impressed
(kabuki is traditional Japanese theater. Men only, very exaggerated and bizarre costumes).

Ginza is the glitzy shopping district of Tokyo, where every other building is an expensive brand name

A photo of a photo of Mount Fuji. I was not so luck as to get a great view

At the fifth station of Mt Fuji, with the mountain behind me
(I believe the white building is a hotel)

Mt Fuji candy. Lava candy, on the left, is sugar that looks like lava.
On the right, crispy rice cookie shaped like the mountain

Lake Ashi, as seen from a river cruise

Cable car ride to the top of Mt Hakone

Mt Hakone, active volcano. Really windy and a mild sulfur smell due to the volcanic gasses 

Kurotamago = black egg. Eggs boiled in the volcanic hot springs turn black from the iron and minerals
that are in the water. It's said that eating one will make you live 7 years longer.

What kind of 90s kid would I be if I didn't go to the Pokemon center?

Amazing park next to the Pokemon Center. Completely calm and separated from the hectic feel of the city

Yet another illustration of the coexistence of the old and new

Meiji Shrine, one of the largest Shinto shrines in Japan. This is called a Torii, a gate that marks
 the entrance to a Shinto shrine. It cleanses the souls of those who walk through it.

Sake barrels at the shrine. Sake is offered to the shrine as it is considered to bring good luck on the donor

Me at Gonpachi restaurant in Nishiabuza, the restaurant that inspired my favorite scene in Kill Bill.

For a bit of a break, I spent a day at Tokyo DisneySea. The shows
were incredible and unlike anything I've seen at any amusement park

It was interesting to compare my experiences there with my time in Korea.  I've included pronounced differences below:

• Japan is so freaking clean. I've traveled quite a bit and genuinely can’t recall a city being as clean as Tokyo, which is astounding considering just how many people live there! There was no trash on the ground, no pockets of sewage smell, or people spitting on the street. Korea is full of those three things, and it’s incredibly unpleasant. The sound of an ahjeosshi hacking a loogie next to you on the sidewalk is gag-inducing.

• Nobody stared at me! This may have been the first time in 7 months that I didn’t constantly feel as if I was on display. It was so exciting! In Korea, being stared at is a common experience for a foreigner. Old men and women will literally walk to within 6 inches of your person and slowly circle, looking you up and down as if you’re being sold at a market. It’s typically more subtle (quick glances away when you look up on the subway is most common, with a side of this), but it does happen. In Japan, however, I only noticed a handful of people looking my way, and that was when I was struggling to use a kanzashi (decorative Japanese hair stick). Heck, I would have stared at me too, flailing about with my hair frizzing out everywhere.

• Order is king. Koreans are not known for their patience, and that unfortunately bleeds over into aspects of everyday life. Most notably, walking down the street and waiting for public transportation. Sidewalks are just constant danger zones. As someone that walks very quickly, the tendency of Koreans to meander and zig zag as if strolling through a frickin empty meadow is intensely frustrating. Mr Bean knows what I'm talking about. The 20-somethings like to walk in rows 4 people wide, older women with pushcarts expect everyone to move out of their way, scooters navigate through crowds at terrifying speeds, and I look like the weirdo speed-walking around people. When I see an opening to finally pass a crowd but there’s another group converging, it feels like the scene in ‘Empire Strikes Back’, when the Millennium Falcon is escaping the space slug’s mouth on the asteroid. Once I've reached the glorious freedom of open sidewalk I’m struck with the desire to high-five Harrison Ford. But I digress. Tokyo was very orderly, with everyone walking at a brisk pace and adhering strictly to the ‘stand on the left, pass on the right’ rule. I already miss it.

• Strangers left me alone. In Korea, it’s very common for foreigners to be approached by people wanting to practice their English. Sometimes they’re men looking for a date, women who want to know how you did your hair, or mothers pushing their kids to say hello. I’m usually approached by middle aged men who smell a little too much of soju. But Japanese people left me completely alone. I wasn’t approached once, which I had mixed feelings about. It would have been nice to make a new friend, but when I travel alone I tend to be very paranoid and distrustful of new people. Wouldn’t exactly make for a good first impression.

• The food was quite different. I've been a big fan of sushi since my sister introduced me to it in high school, but have never really experienced any other kind of Japanese food. While in Tokyo, I had sushi, soba noodles, ramen, and lots of other things I don't remember the names of. What my general takeaway was that I prefer Korean food. Most of the flavors were very muted, just hovering over the point of bland. There was no spicy factor excluding the separate wasabi added to sushi and soba dishes. Korean food is full of spicy hot food, dishes with an acidic bite of vinegar, or the sweet savory-ness of meat marinades. I found myself dreaming of naeng myeon and dweggi kalbi. mmmm

• Many people wore traditional kimonos. The kimono in Japan is very similar to the hanbok of Korea. Both are intricate, heavy, expensive, and absolutely beautiful (I very much want to get one of my own). Walking around in Korea, I’ve only seen women wearing hanbok a handful of times. For formal occasions, sure, but never just walking around a market or grocery store. While I was in Japan, I was really blown away by how frequently I saw kimonos! I’d go so far as to say 5% of the women I saw in Tokyo were wearing kimonos, and maybe 1% of men.
  
   Those may seem like small numbers on paper, but imagine a busy subway platform, just a sea of black and white business attire. Then you pick out the dots of bright purple, red, and deep blue of kimonos in the crowd. The picture practically paints itself.

On the note of traditional dress, it brings me to an important observation of Japan and of Asia (at least in my experiences thus far): the organic combination of the traditional and the modern. I feel like Korea has the concept down pretty well, as a brief walk in any city will have you stumbling upon a historical gate, hanbok shop, or museum/gallery of some sort. But in Japan, that feeling is much more pronounced, more easily illustrated by the architecture of the buildings, the beautiful parks, and the almost refined way people carry themselves. The New-Englander in me admires the stoicism and subtle elegance of Japan. I felt at ease there, maybe more so than I do here in Korea.

That’s the note I want to end on. I love Korea, but can really see myself loving Japan too. Perhaps another visit or two is in order J

안녕!