Pressure!

Last Thursday (11/10/11), 4th years (equivalent to high school seniors) took their college entrance exam.  I've read that more than 80% of the 4th years attend university.  This test determines where they will go to university and what they will do with their life.  That is a huge weight on one's shoulders!  Fourth years spend months preparing for this test.

Earlier this year, I "tutored" a 4th year for 30 minutes twice a week over the phone.  We basically had a conversation in English to help him with his speaking skills.  We stopped talking in September so that he could concentrate on studying for this test.  I'm sure he did very well because he's very smart!  :)

I have come across the following videos that you might find interesting.  I sure did!  The first one I stole from a friend who posted it on Facebook.  The second one was a recommended video since I watched the first one.  (I hope that makes sense!)

11/11/11 (Pepero Day)

In the United States, November 11th is a special day.  It's Veterans' Day.  We remember those who died for our country and honor those who have served and are still serving.  So, if any of you are Veterans and are reading this post -- THANK YOU!

In Korea, November 11th is also a special day.  It's called Pepero Day.  Pepero Day is a day similar to Valentine's Day in the U.S.  A company called Lotte made up the day to make money (that's the quick explanation).  Pepero is a non-salted pretzel-like stick coated in chocolate.  If you stand up five of the sticks next to each other, they resemble the date 11/11.

Zach and I got a few boxes of Pepero from our students.  I took some pictures so you can see what I'm talking about....

On anther note with it being 11/11/11 -- I stole this news article that a friend posted on Facebook.

Number priority for some Korean mums is "111111"

Expecting mothers in South Korea have inundated hospitals with requests for a Caesarean section delivery on November 11 to secure the unique life-long identity number of "111111" for their children.

The Korean Resident Registration Number, an identification number for all residents in Korea, is composed of 13 numbers with the first six numbers corresponding to the date of birth.

The number of appointments for c-section births on November 11 was 20 per cent higher this year than previous years. Expecting mothers who are due even a week after the date have scheduled to give birth on November 11, Seoul Newspaper said.

"There's always people with due dates in January who want to deliver on the first of the month, but this seems more unusual - trying to set delivery so they can have the ID number 111111," a staffer at a maternity clinic was quoted as saying.

November 11 is known as Pepero Day, or Sweetest Day, in South Korea and is similar to Valentine's Day. It was named after the Korean snack Pepero, because the date 11/11 resembles five sticks of Pepero.

- Reuters

Seoul in Autumn

Zach and I had November 4th off work so we had a long weekend!  We took the opportunity to, once again, go to Seoul.  We only had one thing on our agenda and that was to take pictures for our Christmas cards.  After that, we were just going to spend the whole weekend relaxing and enjoying Seoul.

We started our weekend by going to Namsangol Hanok Village to take pictures.  When we arrived we noticed that there was a competition going on.  So, we decided to stay and watch for a few minutes.

That evening we decided to be low-key so we posted up at the Starbucks down the street from our hotel.  Before going back to our room, we thought we would walk around for a bit.  To our surprise, it was opening night of the Seoul Lantern Festival and it was just two blocks from our hotel!

The next day, Zach went to a Baduk/Go club (a game he plays) and I set out to enjoy some of the palaces and whatever else I could find.  The first one I went to was Gyeonghuigung Palace.  The fall leaves were so vibrant!  Near the entrance to the palace was the Seoul Museum of Art which happened to have the Seoul Photo Festival.

Then, I walked to Gyeongbokgung Palace.  On my way there, I saw people dancing in the street.

After that, I went to Deoksugung Palace.  Again, the trees were so beautiful!

On my way to meet up with Zach, I stopped to check out the Gyeongbuk Smile Apple Festival.

After a wonderful day of sightseeing, Zach and I spent the evening at a bar across from the Seoul Lantern Festival and people-watched!

It was just another wonderful weekend in Seoul!

Sam Teacher - Baby?

No, I am NOT pregnant!!!  Just throwing that out there in case you had ANY question in your mind....!!!

This week marks 10 months of us being in Korea.  And, for those 10 months, we have had the same students in class.  Sure, new students have come and some have left but for the most part, we have had the same students.  That's why I'm still amazed when the students ask if I'm married and their jaws nearly hits the floor after they learn the answer - for the 4th time.

This is usually how the conversation goes:

Student:  Teacher, how old are you?
Me:  I'm 24.
Student:  Boyfriend?
Me:  I'm married....to Zach Teacher.
Students:  Awwwww??!!!! (It's mass confusion by this time.)

Some students will go as far as to ask if we kiss, but I usually divert the conversation to something else.  The very next question is usually:

Student: Teacher, baby?!
Me:  No, I do not have a baby (and I put my arms in front of my chest and cross them - a sign of 'no').

Today, this 'baby' question confused my youngest students immensely!  First off, they know VERY little English.  They know, "My name is..." and "It's a .....".  Korea, as far as I can tell, is still pretty "old fashioned" about marriage and children.  Once you get married, you have kids.  The end.  So, my young students couldn't believe that Zach and I don't have a baby.  They just didn't believe me!  I finally had to draw a picture of me and a picture of Zach on the board.  Then I drew a baby and crossed it out.  Then one girl asked about moms and dads.  I told her they were in the United States.  One of the boys said, "baby in United States?"  They just didn't get it!  haha!

I'm sure this conversation will come up at least a couple more times before we leave and it will be just as confusing to them then as it is now.  :)

Some of our Korean counterparts also don't understand why we don't have children.  We tell them just as we tell everyone else who asks us, "We don't want kids now, but maybe in the future - maybe not."  Yes, I know, babies are wonderful gifts.  However, we want to be selfish for the moment (and maybe forever) and not bring kids into this world.  We are having too much fun!  --Just in case you were wondering!  :)

Eating Dog Meat

Reader Discretion Is Advised


So, we finally did it!  Zach and I finally ate dog meat for the first time.  We decided two days ago that we would go with some Korean friends so they could tell us all about it.  I'm not going to lie, I have wanted to try dog meat the entire ten months we've been here.

When I first heard about people eating dogs, I was repulsed.  But the more I thought about it, the more appealing it was.  We eat cattle, pigs, chicken, and a variety of other animals. Why not dog?  This dog was not raised as a pet but raised to be consumed.  So, why not?!

Koreans call dog meat 'gaegogi'.  It is mainly eaten in the summer months because it is thought to cool the body.  The guys we went with also said it is good for stamina.....  I guess we'll have to wait and see...  :)

I was really excited that I was going to try dog meat!  I kept telling myself to think of it as another animal.  I'm sure it can't be that bad.  A friend of ours tried it for the first time last week and he said it was ok but that it was chewy.  I knew I could handle it.

So, tonight we went!  Here are the pictures.

This is dog skin.  I was a little scared to try it, but it doesn't really have a taste. 

This is "premium" dog meat.  It apparently comes from the mid-section of the dog - from around the rib area. 

You eat it by putting it on lettuce and adding sauces and other garnishes. 

This is dog soup - not made with "premium" meat.

I ate two pieces of the "premium" meat on lettuce.  It was pretty good except that it was chewy.  When I tried the soup, my first thought was, "this tastes like turkey".  The more I ate though, the tougher it was for me to put in my mouth.  I tried not to think that I was eating dog, but not thinking about it didn't work so well. I ate what I could and left the rest.  I felt really bad about wasting it, but I just couldn't stomach it any more.

I'm glad I tried it even if I didn't particularly care for it!  Zach liked it and would probably eat it again if he had the chance.  Honestly, I would recommend it if you would like to try it....

Soju - Korea's Vodka

Just the other day, Rachel (my sister) asked me about Korean alcohol.  First of all, after 9 months of being here, I can't believe this topic has never been discussed.  Secondly, I thought that I might as well write about it on here to share it with all of you.  Drinking is such a huge part of Korean culture.


Soju is native to Korea and pretty comparable to Vodka.  I am pretty lazy and don't really want to get into the history and all that with you so I am providing a link to Wikipedia (shhh...don't tell my college professors!).  Here's a short little summary of Soju:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soju

From first-hand accounts (not my hand), I know that Soju can be "deadly".  It will definitely sneak up on you when you least expect it - around 6am when you are just leaving the bars (yes, the bars are still open at 6am) or a noraebang (a karaoke room).  I hear that the hangover is just terrible!

 There are many brands of Soju

 You can mix Soju with Coca-Cola

 You can mix Soju with bear.

"somaek"

Soju - Maekju (bear)

You can mix Soju with orange juice.

My personal favorite is Soju mixed with a fruity drink.  Anyway you drink it, you are sure to have a good time!  :)

Air-Raid Sirens

On August 17th, I received an e-mail from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul entitled: Civil Defense Drill on August 18, 2011.  Here is part of the e-mail:

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul is transmitting the following information as a public service to all U.S. citizens in the Republic of Korea.

Seoul Metropolitan Police authorities advised the Embassy that on Thursday, August 18, at approximately 2:00 p.m. an air-raid siren will sound for one minute to signal the start of a nationwide civil defense drill.  Pedestrians in open and public areas should seek shelter in nearby buildings or subway stations.  All drivers/vehicles on the road must pull over and come to a complete stop. At approximately 2:15 p.m. a second siren will sound, signaling the conclusion of the drill.  Local authorities will give further instructions if necessary.

This has happened several times since we've been here, but this is the first time I have gotten an e-mail about it.  The first time we experienced it was our very first full day in Korea.  We were a little worried, to say the least.  Now, it's not so concerning.

I uploaded a 30-second video on YouTube.com which has the siren.  Sorry for the poor quality -- I was walking to work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGwsUF7FNmw