[WARNING] The following post is about the consumption of man's best friend. Man's best friend meaning dog. If you continue to read please keep any negative comments to yourself. I have already heard every joke and rant about people who eat dog and am just trying to document my time here in Korea by writing on here. If you don't like this post wait for the next one. I'll talk about something more uplifting than eating dog. I promise.
#45. Eating dog is popular with older gentlemen for its supposed power to enhance stamina and virility. Dog is apparantly the Korean viagra.
In Korea some people eat dog. I live in Korea. I ate dog. It's part of the culture that I now live in so I bit the bullet and did it. When in Korea do as Koreans do. I went with 5 other teachers to a hole in the wall restaurant called "Sunni's Dog House." Really?! They couldn't think up anything more original than "dog house?" Clearly I only eat dog at the classy places.
We brought our Korean friend Allan to do the ordering. He ordered 5 bowls of dog soup, 1 bowl of chicken soup for himself (he is part of the Korean community who refuses to eat dog), 6 bowls of rice, dozens of little side dishes and all kinds of pastes and sauces that i'm sure made the dog more..cough..delicious..and plenty of beer to wash it all down. All for less than $10 per person. What we didn't know when we ordered it is that we had two courses of dog with the soup. Freaking fantastic. Now I have to feel even more guilty. Not only am I eating dog but i'm eating two courses of dog.
Out comes a platter of dog skin. Yup. It was just as disgusting as it sounds. Now it didn't have any hair on it and didn't straight up look like dog but it was definitely unique looking. I tried one little piece and barely got it down. I won't gross you out with the specific details but let's just say that it tasted a bit like roast beef that had been siting out for a few days in a warm kitchen.
The next course was the actual soup. Now as dog goes this actually wasn't bad. It was the dog meat mixed up with vegetables, itty bitty bones and huge pieces of fat. Once you got around the bones and fat it just tasted like overcooked, gamy roast beef soup. Or that's how I thought of it at least. While you're eating dog you can't think of yourself eating dog. Just trust me on that one.
It's safe to say that the dog eating adventure was a once in a lifetime thing. It's not a tasty meat and made me feel ridiculously guilty. One thing that this little adventure did do was to start a new tradition for the rest of our Tuesdays here in Pohang. Every Tuesday we are trying something new.
On the agenda for next week? Live octopus. You read that correctly. Live octopus. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Pohang Soccer League and Me
#42. Koreans think that anti-bacterial spray fixes everything when someone gets injured. You get smashed in the knee during a game and it starts to swell up. Spray it. That'll fix it all and you can magically go back to the field to play. Nope. We're not at Hogwards. Not how it works.
#43. Koreans love the name Laura. My co-teacher (the other Jen) has played in leagues here before and is called Laura by the other Koreans. She corrects them but it doesn't matter. They think Laura is a beautiful name. She learned to accept it. So any of you out there who is named Laura and hate your name? Come to Korea and Get ready to be worshipped.
#44. When Koreans are being competitive they laugh. They laugh loudly. It seems like whoever laughs the loudest is the most competitive. They probably get a better workout from their laughing than the actual sport itself. A guy runs into you hard during a critical moment in the game when you could have gotten your team the winning goal? Americans would be pretty angry. Koreans just start giggling like school girls and run away.
Monday night was my first soccer game in Korea. I haven't played soccer since I was 8 years old. There is a picture of me out there somewhere in yellow jersey and shin guards smiling in front of a soccer goal. I had no idea how to play. I liked the ball, liked the jersey, playing with my friends and the orange slices at halftime. Running wasn't my thing (and still isn't) so I didn't excel in the sport. Needless to say that was my one and only season. Now look at me. I'm a member of a Korean soccer league and play every Monday and Thursday. Who would have thought? Sure as hell not me.
So I play on a team of foreigners against a bunch of Korean men. Our team consists of 4 guys and 2 girls. We also got to have a Korean be our goalie. The team we played against had 6 players including the goalie. Now anyone out there who knows basic addition understands we were up one player. Well there's a reason. According to Koreans 2 girls are equivilant to 1 man. Yea. That actually happened. Didn't like that very much. What I did like was wiping the field with them at the end of the game. Try telling me again that i'm worth half of a man. Ok well to be fair (I) didn't do much butt kicking. I did my best to block shots, play defense (which consisted of me running around like a chicken with its head cut off) and to get the ball to my teammates. For my first time in 15 years I think I did a damn fine job. I can proudly say that WE kicked their tiny little Korean butts.
The field we played on is probably about half the size of a regular field. This made the running part easier but made it really congested and confusing. Add to it the fact that the opposing teams don't speak the same language and you've got quite the interesting game. Lots of those favorite hand gestures. Koreans have amazing footwork but not the best speed. Our team was about average on both so we did quite well. My goal was to not make a total fool of myself and to not get injured. I epicly failed in both areas. I ended up with a bloody nose and a killer cleat imprint on my knee. When I went down after getting smashed in the knee (which happened WHILE saving a goal) I wasn't even remotely mad. I looked at my knee with pride and just KNEW that it was going to look awesome the next day. Boy was I right. I look totally bad ass.
Lets just say that now I understand why soccer players wear shin guards.
#43. Koreans love the name Laura. My co-teacher (the other Jen) has played in leagues here before and is called Laura by the other Koreans. She corrects them but it doesn't matter. They think Laura is a beautiful name. She learned to accept it. So any of you out there who is named Laura and hate your name? Come to Korea and Get ready to be worshipped.
#44. When Koreans are being competitive they laugh. They laugh loudly. It seems like whoever laughs the loudest is the most competitive. They probably get a better workout from their laughing than the actual sport itself. A guy runs into you hard during a critical moment in the game when you could have gotten your team the winning goal? Americans would be pretty angry. Koreans just start giggling like school girls and run away.
Monday night was my first soccer game in Korea. I haven't played soccer since I was 8 years old. There is a picture of me out there somewhere in yellow jersey and shin guards smiling in front of a soccer goal. I had no idea how to play. I liked the ball, liked the jersey, playing with my friends and the orange slices at halftime. Running wasn't my thing (and still isn't) so I didn't excel in the sport. Needless to say that was my one and only season. Now look at me. I'm a member of a Korean soccer league and play every Monday and Thursday. Who would have thought? Sure as hell not me.
So I play on a team of foreigners against a bunch of Korean men. Our team consists of 4 guys and 2 girls. We also got to have a Korean be our goalie. The team we played against had 6 players including the goalie. Now anyone out there who knows basic addition understands we were up one player. Well there's a reason. According to Koreans 2 girls are equivilant to 1 man. Yea. That actually happened. Didn't like that very much. What I did like was wiping the field with them at the end of the game. Try telling me again that i'm worth half of a man. Ok well to be fair (I) didn't do much butt kicking. I did my best to block shots, play defense (which consisted of me running around like a chicken with its head cut off) and to get the ball to my teammates. For my first time in 15 years I think I did a damn fine job. I can proudly say that WE kicked their tiny little Korean butts.
The field we played on is probably about half the size of a regular field. This made the running part easier but made it really congested and confusing. Add to it the fact that the opposing teams don't speak the same language and you've got quite the interesting game. Lots of those favorite hand gestures. Koreans have amazing footwork but not the best speed. Our team was about average on both so we did quite well. My goal was to not make a total fool of myself and to not get injured. I epicly failed in both areas. I ended up with a bloody nose and a killer cleat imprint on my knee. When I went down after getting smashed in the knee (which happened WHILE saving a goal) I wasn't even remotely mad. I looked at my knee with pride and just KNEW that it was going to look awesome the next day. Boy was I right. I look totally bad ass.
Lets just say that now I understand why soccer players wear shin guards.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sleeping, Softball and Sunday Traditions
#40. Koreans sleep any chance they get. In small restaurants without alot of foot traffic it's not uncommon to see the owners asleep on cots by the door. On the buses it's common to see Koreans sleep from the moment they sit down to their stop. It's like somehow they instinctivly know when their stop is.
#41. The bus system is amazing (as I know #29 already said) but the comment of the day is how Koreans get ON and OFF the bus. Sounds simple. You get on the bus and you get off. Remember how I have said repeatedly that Koreans run everywhere and are constantly in a hurry? Getting on and off the bus is no exception. You make it to the door and get halfway out but the door shuts? Too bad. You're too slow. People literally run as fast as they can to get off the bus. They jump. Sprint. Skip. Anything to get them away from the slamming doors. Not being quick is how people get hurt. Koreans know this. Americans don't.
This weekend was crazy. Crazy in the best way.
I have started a Sunday afternoon tradition with a friend of mine named Tim. We are two of the newest Pohang additions so we feel that we need to learn more about where we live so...Sunday is our exploration day. Today we went to Jukdo market, downtown and to Homeplus. It started off to be a GORGEOUS day and here is a picturefor those of you wanting to know a bit more what Pohang looks like.
#41. The bus system is amazing (as I know #29 already said) but the comment of the day is how Koreans get ON and OFF the bus. Sounds simple. You get on the bus and you get off. Remember how I have said repeatedly that Koreans run everywhere and are constantly in a hurry? Getting on and off the bus is no exception. You make it to the door and get halfway out but the door shuts? Too bad. You're too slow. People literally run as fast as they can to get off the bus. They jump. Sprint. Skip. Anything to get them away from the slamming doors. Not being quick is how people get hurt. Koreans know this. Americans don't.
This weekend was crazy. Crazy in the best way.
We had our 2nd softball game of the year and it was even better than the first. The combination of aluminum bats, softballs and alcohol always creates an interesting outcome. Once again we had no major injuries. My team ended up WINNING this time so that was huge success. My hit actually brought in the winning run. I'm a firm believer that it was the glove that gave us luck. *Thanks Mom and Dad for sending it!*
After the epic softball game we made our way to TILT (foreign bar) for food, drinks and dancing. Every popular American song was played and we sang/danced into the night. Songs I will never think of the same way again include 500 miles, piano man, amerian pie and tiny dancer. Just try to imagine the smallest bar you have at home and pack it full of tipsy college-aged people from all over the world singing as loud as humanly possible and dancing like they actually have rhythm. It's a pity I didn't think to do more video.
This week looks like it has the potential to be an amazing week. First soccer game Monday (say a prayer), group outing on Wednesday, big theme birthday party on Saturday. Stay tuned for more shananigans.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Bars and Bedays
Hello again. I took a little break from writing this week. It was definitely a trying week that tested my ability to survive away from the people I love. It was touch and go for a minute but I passed that test.
I've come to learn while living so far away who the people are that will stick with you. Will keep in touch. Will take time out of what I know is a busy life to see how i'm doing. Every so often leave a little note on my facebook wall or pop something in the mail just because they are thinking about me. It's not that I want or need people to check on me every single minute of every day but once in a while would sure be nice. I came here knowing full well that some people who promised to keep in touch wouldn't...and some who did would. It's part of life and part of growing up to just accept what is and not look back.
Ok. Enough of the sad Jenn. Back to the quirky-living in Korea-can't speak the language-gets lost everywhere-Jenn.
#38. Koreans go out of their way to make foreigners feel comfortable. Let me give a few examples.
Example #1. I went with a group of friends to a bar around our apartments one night after work. One friend ordered Jack and Coke. It was THAT kind of a day. A few minutes later our drinks arrive and they apologize for the wait. We find out that they had run out of Coke earlier in the night and one of the employees ran (literally ran) to a corner store to buy some. Pretty sure that shit would never fly in the States.
Exmaple #2. We went to a different bar later that night for a few drinks and to just relax. We walked in and the big screen was on a Korean soap opera. As soon as we sat down it was turned to a Guns and Roses concert in English. The music that was playing was also changed to Norah Jones. All for the English speaking foreigners. The Korean culture caters to the customer. Pretty sure if a group of Koreans walked into a bar in Indiana the music and television would NOT change.
#39. Koreans have Bedays (aka fancy toilets) in the majority of restaurants and bars. There are knobs, buttons, levers...on the toilet. It's a toilet. There should be a lever to flush. That's it. Nope. In Korea you sit down never quite knowing what to expect. The person before you could have left the heat on. Or the water spray. Or both. Surprise!
This week was interesting to say the least. It dragged on and on and was probably the hardest since i've been here. It was also the one where I learned the most about myself.
Today is Saturday and in about an hour I will be going to the second Pohang Softball game of the year. The names of our teams are still being worked out but today should prove to be quite interesting if it is ANYTHING like our last game. I finally got my glove from my parents so hopefully that will give me a bit of luck on the field.
After softball who knows. It's Korea. Anything goes. Well pretty much anything goes. Stay tuned!
I've come to learn while living so far away who the people are that will stick with you. Will keep in touch. Will take time out of what I know is a busy life to see how i'm doing. Every so often leave a little note on my facebook wall or pop something in the mail just because they are thinking about me. It's not that I want or need people to check on me every single minute of every day but once in a while would sure be nice. I came here knowing full well that some people who promised to keep in touch wouldn't...and some who did would. It's part of life and part of growing up to just accept what is and not look back.
Ok. Enough of the sad Jenn. Back to the quirky-living in Korea-can't speak the language-gets lost everywhere-Jenn.
#38. Koreans go out of their way to make foreigners feel comfortable. Let me give a few examples.
Example #1. I went with a group of friends to a bar around our apartments one night after work. One friend ordered Jack and Coke. It was THAT kind of a day. A few minutes later our drinks arrive and they apologize for the wait. We find out that they had run out of Coke earlier in the night and one of the employees ran (literally ran) to a corner store to buy some. Pretty sure that shit would never fly in the States.
Exmaple #2. We went to a different bar later that night for a few drinks and to just relax. We walked in and the big screen was on a Korean soap opera. As soon as we sat down it was turned to a Guns and Roses concert in English. The music that was playing was also changed to Norah Jones. All for the English speaking foreigners. The Korean culture caters to the customer. Pretty sure if a group of Koreans walked into a bar in Indiana the music and television would NOT change.
#39. Koreans have Bedays (aka fancy toilets) in the majority of restaurants and bars. There are knobs, buttons, levers...on the toilet. It's a toilet. There should be a lever to flush. That's it. Nope. In Korea you sit down never quite knowing what to expect. The person before you could have left the heat on. Or the water spray. Or both. Surprise!
This week was interesting to say the least. It dragged on and on and was probably the hardest since i've been here. It was also the one where I learned the most about myself.
Today is Saturday and in about an hour I will be going to the second Pohang Softball game of the year. The names of our teams are still being worked out but today should prove to be quite interesting if it is ANYTHING like our last game. I finally got my glove from my parents so hopefully that will give me a bit of luck on the field.
After softball who knows. It's Korea. Anything goes. Well pretty much anything goes. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
During the day there is so much hustle and bustle...running to and from different classes..making lesson plans...going downtown to meet up with friends...that sometimes I forget where I am. I forget how far away I am from the people in my life that matter most. I forget that I can't just pick up a phone and tell someone how much i've missed them. It has to be carefully calculated as to what time zone they are in and if it's 10:08am here it's 9:08pm there or maybe it's really something different entirely.
Somehow tonight it all set in. At night it's quiet. It's so quiet. It's dark and calming and most of the time soothing but tonight it just reminded me how far away from home I am. How far away from my Mom I am. My Dad I am. How i've never been further than 1 1/2 hours away from home for a long period of time. Now i'm 30 hours+ by plane/bus/taxi. That realization set in tonight. Somehow it made it all real.
I've been here for 1 month and somehow tonight of all nights it became real.
I know that i chose to be here. I know that this is something I want. I know that 99% of the time I love my choice. I love it here in Korea. I love my friends, my job, the culture and experiences.
I love it but sometimes that 1% paralizes me.
Somehow tonight it all set in. At night it's quiet. It's so quiet. It's dark and calming and most of the time soothing but tonight it just reminded me how far away from home I am. How far away from my Mom I am. My Dad I am. How i've never been further than 1 1/2 hours away from home for a long period of time. Now i'm 30 hours+ by plane/bus/taxi. That realization set in tonight. Somehow it made it all real.
I've been here for 1 month and somehow tonight of all nights it became real.
I know that i chose to be here. I know that this is something I want. I know that 99% of the time I love my choice. I love it here in Korea. I love my friends, my job, the culture and experiences.
I love it but sometimes that 1% paralizes me.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Restaurant etiquette and Maekju
#33. Here in Korea all of the foreign people know eachother. If we happen to find one that we don't know we make fast friends. We stick out like a whore in church so we figure we may as well stick out together. Plus we can understand eachother without pantomiming every other word. Definite bonus.
#36. It is common in many Korean restaurants to sit on the floor for dinner. You sit on a tiny mat but you are on the floor. Trying to look graceful while using chopsticks, drinking maekju and sitting Indian style? Good luck buddy.
Tis' the life of an English teacher living in Korea.
#34. When I go out with my Korean employer it is considered rude to refuse more alochol or food. If my glass is filled with beer aka maekju (pronounced Mik*Ju) I drink it until it's gone with a smile on my face and be ready for it to be filled again. and again. and again. If your boss wants to go to another bar after finishing dinner...you suck it up and you go. The Korean culture is all about politeness and making sure that the elders at your paticular table are happy. If making my boss happy means going to another bar and drinking free drinks...i'll go. Twist my arm.
#35. It is also considered rude to fill up your own glass. At dinner if your glass is empty it is the responsibility of the people sitting around you to fill it up. You are NEVER to fill up your own glass.
#37. Continuing on the theme for restaurants...it is considered rude to shift your weight while eating dinner and making conversation. If you shift your weight it means you don't have interest in what the other person is saying. Right on. Let's add another inconvenience to me while i'm already sitting on the floor feeling ridiculously uncomfortable. Only in Korea.
So as you can see I had quite the rant about restaurants and proper etiquette. There is a reason. Last night was my first work dinner. The Koreans that I work with all know a little bit of English so it was easy enough to communicate but there were still PLENTY of hand gestures (my favorite and yours). My director and supervisor know the most English so the majority of our conversation was with them. Interesting dinner to say the least!
After we were stuffed (and by stuffed I mean our director ordered two courses of food, another course of fried rice amazingness, and round after round of maekju) we were told that it was time to go to another bar. Another bar? On a Monday night? Koreans love to party.
We get to the new bar called MuBar and walk in to find a confederate flag with an Indian on it hanging from the ceiling. Next to it is the American flag with a clown riding a motorcycle. Interesting place. Out comes more maekju. Because of those flags we had to explain to the Koreans what racism and slavery were. More maekju. That conversation changed into how Koreans feel about people who are homosexual. They said and I quote "I don't have a problem with gay people but I don't want to have any friends and family who are gay." I would say that is a teeny problem. Somehow THAT conversation turned into talks about gangs and gang signs. We then decided it would be a fantastic idea to take a picture of ourselves doing a newly learned gang sign. I blame the maekju. Out comes even more maekju and it is close to midnight before its decided that we have had enough and it is time to go home...in order to be back at work at 9am.
Tis' the life of an English teacher living in Korea.
P.S. I got my very first package yesterday! (Monday) It was from my Mom and included all kinds of goodies! I am now the proud owner of sheets (isn't it sad how excited I get about sheets?!), a backpack, bobby pins, pudding mix, brita water pitcher and so much more. Thanks Mom! I'm pretty sure my Mom rocks out more than your Mom. Does yours send you a huge care package when you live in a foreign country? Yea i didn't think so. My Mom wins.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Korean apartments
#31. Korean apartments do not have central heating. Their heating comes from their floors. A little button on the wall controls the heat for water, floor and washing machine. Weird but kind of nice. Best part? My feet are always warm.
#32. Some Korean apartments use keys. Some use keypads. Luckily my apartment uses a keypad. To get into the building you have to know a code. To get into your individual apartment you have to know another code. No more keys for me. Anyone who knows me understands how often I lose keys. This rocks.
Not much to say today. Spent the day lounging around the apartment getting things as organized as I can. As soon as I get my first paycheck I will be able to get the rest of the stuff I need. Things like cups, silverware, plates, bookcase, pillows, bedding, etc. Ya know...the basics. For now i'm dealing with what I have and becomming increasingly amazing with chopsticks due to my lack of forks. Like able to pick up single grains of rice amazing.
It's okay to be jealous.
#32. Some Korean apartments use keys. Some use keypads. Luckily my apartment uses a keypad. To get into the building you have to know a code. To get into your individual apartment you have to know another code. No more keys for me. Anyone who knows me understands how often I lose keys. This rocks.
Not much to say today. Spent the day lounging around the apartment getting things as organized as I can. As soon as I get my first paycheck I will be able to get the rest of the stuff I need. Things like cups, silverware, plates, bookcase, pillows, bedding, etc. Ya know...the basics. For now i'm dealing with what I have and becomming increasingly amazing with chopsticks due to my lack of forks. Like able to pick up single grains of rice amazing.
It's okay to be jealous.
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