Double Play (Jun Ha & Kim C) - 사라질것들 (Will Be Gone) (Feat. Lee Sora, Beenzino)

Can't stop listening to Korean tunes lately...goes nicely with my kimchi ;-) And makes me feel 'homesick'...I can't really use the term 'homesick' since Korea was my home for just a year and a half, but the feeling seems to be the same nonetheless.

Last days in British Columbia

I'm enjoying my last days in beautiful British Columbia and playing around with a new photo filter app on my iPod. I still can't believe how gorgeous summer is here. It seems too vibrant, too colourful, too shiny to actually be real. Just as the fruit is unbelievably juicy and delicious, and people super friendly and smiley. All this cheery positivity is a good way to end my (eight year!) stay here. 

At the same time, I still feel disoriented. Everything is so completely different from Korea and I know I don't really have enough time to settle in and adjust before it's time to move. Some of the differences I absolutely love are the feelings of freedom, spaciousness, hugeness and being surrounded by such majestic nature. Every way I look I'm met with beauty illuminated by warm sunshine, it feels like a dream. 

I adore summer.

Four days left in Korea...

And it's a heatwave! I think the current temperature is around 38 degrees, oh my! I can't really tell at the moment as I'm lounging on my bed with both the fan and air conditioner on. Decadence. 

The last few days have gone differently than planned due to my poor little big toe. The doctor finally removed my toe nail (surprisingly it didn't hurt at all, I was terrified for nothing) and I haven't been very mobile as a result. Which isn't such a bad thing after all as I've been delighting in oodles of delicious moments with friends and especially my boyfriend. Four days left. Terrifying. 

I can't believe I've been here for a year and a half. I can't believe I'll be saying good bye in less than a week. Nothing is really registering and it feels like an ordinary, sunny, carefree summer day with no worries or difficulties except for which ice cream flavour to select. 

Coming soon, I will undoubtedly transform into a puddle of emotions. 

Today, it's still "carpe diem" all the way.

Walk the Moon - Anna Sun

So I've had to rethink all of my plans and expectations for my last two weeks in Korea due to a toe problem of all things. I somehow managed to get a painful abscess on my toe and have been hobbling over to the hospital every day for the past week for treatment. The doctor drained it (sorry this is not so lovely to hear about!) and now they just keep changing the bandage and giving me antibiotic shots and medicine. Sigh. I'm not supposed to walk and I have to keep the bandage dry, which is tricky to do during rainy season. Bah! This unexpected surprise is not exactly one that I welcomed with open arms.

Here's a colourful music video to brighten up the day. There's nothing that music (and time and love and chocolate) can't fix.

Birthday in Korea...

This was my second time celebrating my birthday in Korea. I was grateful to spend some high quality time with my boyfriend and lovely friends, eating delicious food, chatting, and laughing nonstop. I went to Seven Springs and as much as I enjoyed the food, just thinking about how lucky I am to have met the amazing people in my life was the highlight. I only have a month before I fly off to distant lands (otherwise known as Canada) so I'm trying to soak up everything and enjoy every single moment. I think missing someone dear to you is one of the saddest feelings we can ever experience. I wish we could always be with the people we love.

Other highlights included this delicious snowman ice cream cake, brownies made from a mix in the microwave (only in Korea! amazing!), and this gorgeous card from my parents. I miss them!

These days feel very bittersweet. I keep reminding myself to just focus on the present and not think too much about the future. One step at a time...

Fresh food in Korea + Seven Springs

One of the hardest things for me about living in Korea is the lack of fresh, juicy, delicious fresh fruits and veggies. In the Vancouver area, fresh produce is abundant and cheap, but it's a different story here. Of course it's possible to get plenty of lovely colourful foods, but they are quite costly and I can't help but miss the local foods that I ate almost daily back home. 

Soooo, I fell in love with Seven Springs, which offers an amazing buffet of healthy food. They have a giant salad bar with oodles of choices so that you can make a custom salad. The dessert table has many fruits and you can also make a yogurt parfait with their homemade yogurt as a delicious base. There's cake and ice cream too if fruit isn't quite enough. There's also plenty of warm food, including roasted veggies, spaghetti, pizza, juk (a kind of porridge made from rice and other nourishing ingredients), etc. 

The cost is pretty expensive (for Korea), but all the food is absolutely delicious. Also, it's lovely to sit by a window and be surrounded by plants and natural wood. The decor is beautiful, simple, and meant to create a kind of urban picnic atmosphere.

I've already gone two times and I will definitely go there again!

Summer in Korea

There are no words for just how much I adore summer. It's pure joy, golden sunshine, warmth, sweetness, freedom, and all things fantabulous! 

Here are some things that are making me extra happy these summery days in Korea:

Green tea ice cream - refreshing, creamy, and delicious!

Icy drinks with brightly coloured straws - I'm usually a warm drinks year round kind of girl, but here in Daegu it gets so hot that an icy drink becomes a necessity rather than a voluntary choice. A tasty necessity. 

Juicy colourful fruits - a few days ago I went to Seven Springs, an organic salad + other healthy food buffet. I was in heaven. Of course the salad was completely amazing but I also have to mention the rainbow of fruits that I devoured all too quickly. 

Listening to dream pop - there's no better time for it than in the hot summer!

Wearing shorts, light shirts, and no socks! - I am pretty much always cold, especially my hands and feet, so being able to feel air and sunshine on my skin is incredibly liberating and energizing. Woohoo!

Lemonade - I already mentioned cold icy drinks but I must say, lemonade in Korea seems to be more delicious than anywhere else!

Yoga!! - I try to do yoga on a regular basis, but in the winter all I want to do is curl up and cover myself with blankets (and fuzzy socks!). Yoga feels best in the summertime and warm muscles make stretching a whole lot easier. 

Walking around with a parasol - I love my parasol, it always makes me feel like I'm in a Jane Austen novel. However, here it's not just an accessory but a surefire way of preventing heat stroke. 

Opening up all the windows - what can I say, I just love fresh air and the feeling of openness. 

Hooray for summer! :-)

Buddha's Birthday

This past weekend was a lovely 3 day long holiday weekend. The holiday? Buddha's birthday! Paper lanterns are hung along many roads, crowds of people head to Buddhist temples (usually located in the mountains), and we can enjoy an extra day off work. 

This year I joined my boyfriend's family at one of many temples for one evening. Other than that, I spent the time frolicking outside, eating oodles of ice cream (and bread, and spaghetti, and pizza oh my!), meeting lovely friends, and enjoying the beauty (and glorious warmth!) of spring. Finally, I don't have to wear socks (my hands and feet are ALWAYS cold so this is a big deal for me). 

Long weekends are the best. I love the feeling of going to bed on Sunday and not dreading Monday morning - one more day of sweet freedom! 

Now I'm looking forward to more frolicking, ice cream eating, leisurely reading, and hopefully watching Moonrise Kingdom. And Game of Thrones. Winter is coming! But not really, because now it's all about delicious summer! :-)

Giant cricket - not so cute...

The past two and a half days were intense, stressful, and suspenseful. Why? A giant cricket somehow got into my room and after getting attacked (by me), it went into hiding. I had completely missed when swinging my (Korean for Grade 1 children) textbook at it so now it was somewhere behind by desk, where I couldn't see it. Scary! Every time my eyelids started feeling extra heavy and I was on the verge of beautiful sleep, I sat up and checked the perimeter attentively. Scanning my room for giant crickets. Refusing to give in to sleep. Where was the cricket? Was it nocturnal? What kind of strategy was it drawing up? 

Peace of mind eluded me. Yesterday morning I cleaned and de-cluttered my apartment. Still no sign of the scary cricket. I went out with my boyfriend. We returned after dinner and he was just saying how my apartment was totally safe ("See - no bugs.") when I spotted it just a meter and a half away. I pointed and screamed. The cricket was as big and frightening as before, eek! This time my boyfriend promptly took care of it while I remained in the fetal position on my bed (possibly shrieking somewhat loudly). Ahem, I was a total wimp. But seriously, it was big!

Now I can finally feel inner peace again :-)  It's day 2 of a three day weekend for me, the sun is shining, and I'm ready to skip and enjoy feeling carefree again, yay!

Teachers' Day in Korea!

As soon as I walked into my classroom this morning there was an announcement to go outside. Why? For teachers vs. students tug of war, of course! I quickly changed my shoes from indoor slippers to outdoor flats and hurried outside to join the crowd. The students were all lined up by grade, military style. There were speeches and various announcements that I didn't really understand (my Korean hasn't been improving lately, eek!). That took about forty minutes. 

Next up - tug of war! We made two attempts, but the teachers quickly lost both times (and one fell down!) to the delight of the little munchkins. They looked like they were having a blast, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine instead of spending the morning cooped up in their classrooms. 

I got some lovely little notes from the students, and one girl wrote that I was as pretty as an orange. Ahem, interesting. It made me smile ;-) 

Just a little over a year ago, I was terrified at the prospect of teaching children. It didn't take very long to get to know them and love them. Their bright, positive, innocent, and rather hilarious energy and words make me laugh every single day. No doubt I will miss them!

Going to the beach in Pohang

I hadn't realized just how much I missed the beach, the pounding waves, the fresh air of the seaside until we arrived in Pohang last weekend for a one night, two day getaway. Our pension was right by the water so I pretty much ran down, threw off my shoes, and jumped around in the sand the second we got there. It felt amazing and incredibly energizing. I don't know what it is, but being by the water rejuvenates me more than anything else. The sound of the waves is deeply soothing and the city feels like it doesn't even exist anymore. I wish I could go to the beach more often but there isn't one to be found in Daegu. 

In other news, two amazing things happened within two lightning fast days. On Friday I was at Paris Baguette stuffing myself with cake (while my friend took tiny delicate bites haha) when I checked my phone and saw an e-mail from the University of Sussex - they offered me a place!!! So it looks like I'll be going to England this September to study Applied Linguistics. This is still so fresh I have to ponder it a lot more. Big changes are coming!

The next day, I went to a friend's wedding, which was super magical and lovely. I haven't been to many weddings so I felt super excited and happy to be there. And I got to catch the bouquet :-) In Korea, they plan who will catch the bouquet beforehand - interesting! After the wedding we all enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch. My friend looked absolutely radiant. I'm sure she's still floating on puffy clouds of joy :-)

These days, time is flying by quicker than ever. My goal is to enjoy these last couple of months in Korea as much as possible before I take my leave. And try not to think too much about it. Must remember to live in the moment :-)

Spring Picnic Day...

My school had a picnic day today so all the students ventured far and wide, leaving the school eerily empty and quiet. After spending the morning lesson planning and staring out my classroom window, I joined three other teachers for a delicious lunch. My school is next to Palgong Mountain so we enjoyed a lovely drive to a traditional restaurant. The restaurant is not just one big building, but almost a little village made up of little traditional huts. Each group of people gets its own private little hut to eat in. When the cold winter hits, floor heating makes the huts super cozy. Now it's hot rather than freezing, so we opened up the windows and enjoyed the fresh air while eating. We could hear goats and a goose as well, making it a truly countryside best ever kind of lunch.

The first picture is a spicy salad. The brown cubes are jelly made from acorn starch. I was skeptical at first, but this kind of jelly is quite delicious! 

This was followed by chicken soup with loads of side dishes. After that we also had juk (rice porridge) but I forgot to take a photo, oops.

Traditional restaurants are by far my favourite places to eat in Korea. The atmosphere is amazing (I love all things old and traditional!!), the food is delicious, the preparation of the food is also traditional and slow (no shortcuts!), but it's served quite promptly so I don't get cranky waiting (but that's how it is with all things in Korea - service is soooo efficient!), everything is healthy, and I leave feeling fantastic!^^

Books and Reading in Korea

Gosh, I miss books! I miss walking into a bookstore or library and being surrounded by endless shelves of them. I get a similar feeling walking into a big bookish space as I do when going into nature - relaxed, uplifted, energized, whole. Yes, I am weird. 

In Korea, I can't exactly go to English libraries and bookstores so I really really miss that feeling. I miss exploring the world of books, taking them off the shelf and reading the back, opening up the pages, catching a few words or phrases that resonate with me, deciding whether to leave the book behind or take it home and explore a new world.

I also miss seeing people reading. When I do go to the bookstore here, it's always bustling and lots of people appear to be buying books. However, I almost NEVER see people reading in public. Usually they're playing with their smart phones. And I think a lot of the books people buy are for studying rather than for fun reading. There are entire giant rooms dedicated to books for learning English and math. 

I still have a couple of new books to read, sitting on my desk. There's an Edith Wharton waiting patiently for me. At the moment I'm in the midst of reading Lady Chatterley's Lover, which is a lot racier than I expected, oh my. 

Thank goodness for books. May they live on forever ;-)

Winter Street Food - Hotteok (호떡)

In Korea, street food is kind of seasonal. One of my favourite winter street foods is hotteok - a delicious, plump pancake filled with brown sugar, honey, and chopped nuts. It's freshly made in front of you and put into a little paper cup for easy, non-messy eating. When I first bit into one, I did not expect the burst of deliciousness that exploded in my mouth - sooo good! Warm, crispy on the outside and soft inside, deep flavour, crunchy nuts - hotteok has it all ;-)

Yesterday was a day of indulgence and included not only hotteok but also ice cream at Baskin Robbins. Have I mentioned how popular BR is here? There are dozens of locations and it's usually crowded - way more popular than in North America. There's one just a couple minutes from my apartment...so I can't not go there, eek.

Yesterday's flavours of choice: almond bon bon, peanut rocket, and chocolate mousse. Of course I shared. Ice cream tastes so much better when you share it with someone...just try to eat a little quicker than they do. Keep them talking while you dig in ;-)

Have a lovely, toasty weekend!

Mozart, the Rock Opera!

A couple of days ago I got the chance to see 'Mozart, the Rock Opera' at the beautiful Keimyung Art Center. I love going to shows - plays, musicals, concerts, operas, ballets, recitals, readings - all of these wonderful creative performances make me feel inspired and incredibly alive. I used to do quite a bit of theatre back in the day and I miss it terribly. Everyone needs an outlet I suppose.

Anywho, getting back to the show. The overall look, including costumes, sets, and lighting, was stunningly gorgeous, lavish, colourful, unique, and quite magical. The 1700s exploded with colour and modern boldness. Some bits reminded me of Cirque du Soleil. There was plenty of glitter and the richness and vibrancy of all the colours made my eyes pop. It was a treat visually.

Even though everything was in Korean (the original version is French), I could still follow the story. More importantly, the music was so fun and most of the songs were combined with creative choreography so I never felt lost or bored. Some of the singers were very talented and there were several goosebumps-worthy moments.

Of course it's quite fluffy but many fluffy things are awesome. This show was pure fun and I could easily watch it again and enjoy the visual spectacle and catchy songs. It's kind of like Moulin Rouge in that way - over the top and magnificent.

Now, what can I watch next?

Playing Catch-up

This week was marked by a few notable events.

Event the 1st: I moved into a new classroom at school, hooray! My new room is much more spacious and it has windows! With a view of the mountains! Natural daylight and fresh air, here I come!

It was actually quite fun being back at school. There was plenty of tea time with other teachers, lots of catching up, and yesterday we all went for a delicious sushi lunch that wrapped up the week quite nicely. 

Event the 2nd: Valentine's Day. Not really a huge event, but fun in its own way. In Korea, only women give presents/chocolates on Valentine's Day. Then one month later, on March 14th, it's the man's turn to give something to the woman who gave something to him. Oh, and it has to be something white since the official name of this little holiday is White Day. I gave chocolate to my bf and we went to our fave restaurant for dinner. I also made him a card...I made it at school and attempted to use crayons...which is not as easy as it seems. I prefer pencils.

Anywho, lots of people complain about Valentine's Day and its commercialization and various other things, but really - it's a day to celebrate love and tell the people around you just how much they mean to you. Yay!

Event the 3rd: My one year anniversary living in Korea! I arrived exactly one year (+ a day) ago and the year went by incredibly quickly! Now I have less than 6 months left and I want to enjoy them to the very fullest! I can't wait for spring!

Here's to more fun, laughter, chocolate, sunshine, and spring flowers in the very near future!

Baked goods in Korea - tasty bread!

An interesting example of tasty baked goods in Korea.

This is sweet potato and garlic bread! The outside is so fresh and warm and crispy, and the inside is sweet and soft, and then there's some garlic thrown in for good measure and a bit of a "surprise!".

Yesterday was a bit of a lazy day so these cute little snacks made a perfect addition to the coziness. 

I also finished watching the documentary Senna. I know nothing about Formula 1 racing but enjoyed this film simply because this man was extraordinary. He lived so fully, passionately, and without ever compromising. He had amazing charisma, a special kind of energy, and couldn't help but express himself honestly through every action and word, even though his sport was tainted by politics and behind-the-scenes drama. He really lived, and he was an inspiration for so many people.

Lastly, today is the day! The day for submitting my application to grad school. And go! :-)

Craving: nature!

It's the very first day of February 2012! Unfortunately, it doesn't look anything like this photo (taken on Jeju Island this past summer). It's -3 degrees outside and I'm thankful for my cozy little apartment, which keeps me warm and lets the beautiful sunshine in.

Living in Korea has been incredible, enjoyable, and for the most part very comfortable. One thing that is a little difficult though is being so separate from nature. In Canada, I just had to walk out my door and I was surrounded by flowers, trees, and just five minutes from the ocean. Glorious! I completely took it for granted. These days (and especially in the winter, when it's hard to spend much time outside), I'm craving nature and outdoorsy-ness more and more. There's a kind of peace that only green trees and blue water can provide. Away from cars, concrete, busy shops...a place for rest, rejuvenation, and inspiration. 

Cute stationery + paper love

My favourite stores in Korea are the ones bursting with beautiful stationery, art supplies, gorgeous books, handmade jewelry and accessories, and super cute things. And wow - there are a LOT of stores like this just waiting for me to step inside, heart pounding with excitement. Yes, I get very excited about these things. I don't understand why in North America most things are so plain and boring, when in Korea EVERYTHING features cute and beautiful designs. Even older adults carry around colourful stationery and I have yet to see a boring office supply store. And have I mentioned the socks??

Even though I will be living here for many more months, the fact that I will eventually go back to North America makes me anxiously want to purchase as much as possible - stocking up for the future, oh yes. 

These little notebooks are adorable. Notebook paper is always high quality here, another bonus. I paid about 50 cents for each notebook. And about $1 for the socks. I had to restrain myself from buying more. Another time, no doubt.

I also bought some beautiful origami paper. It's so pretty I almost don't want to use it. 

I think I'm attracted to all paper-y things (surprise!). Books, notebooks, letter paper, postcards, cute memo paper, origami paper, construction paper, wrapping paper, wallpaper, so on and so forth. Partly, it's beautiful. Also, I think it suggests possibility and creative potential. Using these lovely paper-y things, we can create something new.

I love writing because it's world-building - words literally bring to life the world around us. Using words, I can contribute to my own little world and help to shape it. All of this paper eventually takes shape, absorbs someone's words, becomes a unique form of expression that contributes to the world. It's a kind of transformation that feels amazing and incredibly satisfying. Hooray for creativity! And pretty stationery ;-)

Good things - salad and notebooks!

Martha Stewart has her "good things" so why not share a couple of mine? As you can see by glancing at the photos, my "good things" are a little less refined (but only a little).

First up, the previously mentioned cute notebooks! I think this is actually becoming a problem for me. I keep buying notebooks even though I have more than enough already. Usually I a) fill out a few pages and then use a different notebook (because obviously each topic deserves its very own set of pages) or b) have trouble writing anything at all in the notebook because it's so pretty and I don't want to wreck it. Another conundrum: the inability to choose between different cover designs...resulting in the purchase of multiple notebooks. I'm so bad...one more notebook and I just may fall off the edge.

Next up - salad! I had a hard time adjusting to food shopping here at the beginning but it's gotten a lot easier and it's always super fun. I constantly see new things (sometimes I don't know what they are) and try lots of samples (usually I know what these are). Anywho, this is about salad, not grocery shopping. This is an example of "good cooking" - throwing together some romaine lettuce, baby greens, lemon juice, olive oil, and sesame seeds. Clean, delicious, simple and it makes me feel like a superhero, woohoo! Best followed by a mug of hot chocolate :-) And also the rest of your meal, because salad just isn't enough.

Here's to the good things in life :-)