15-Month Update: A Self-Interview: All about Korea

Since my last update was over half a year ago, I figured it was about time to write a general blog post about what's been happening here in Korea. Get ready.

I thought it would be fun to write this in the format of a sort of self-interview style, asking and answering many of the questions I am often asked by friends back home... because if you haven't asked it, chances are, you were thinking it. :)

#1 Question: Do you still like it there?

I love it here, even after living here for over a year. They do say that the second year is the best. At this point, I have become more familiar with the culture and customs and have a basic grasp on the language (although I still have so much more to learn with that). Here, I'll teach you how to say hello in Korean. There are two ways: formal and informal.

Formal: 안녕하세요. (an-young-ha-sae-yo.)

Informal:  안녕. (an-young.)

The formal is used for those older than you or with strangers. The informal is used for someone clearly younger than you and with friends. There, now practice it and impress me next time you see me! :)

Anyway, back to how I like it here. I always tell people that Korea is a really "easy" country to live in when it comes to being a western foreigner. There is a lot of western influence here from dress to language to the food that is available. For example, it is not too difficult for me to buy groceries and eat pretty much the same way I would eat at home (with a few exceptions), albeit, it is expensive as Korea is a small country and has to import A LOT of things. I have found that the people are generally kind and excited to meet American foreigners. The climate and landscape are not that different actually from what one might experience in the midwest. The main differences are: Korea is 70% mountainous and gets quite humid in the peak of summer. Another obvious difference is the construction of many traditional style houses.

There are a lot of awesome things here in Korea that don't exist (at least to my knowledge) in America. For example: 

BOARD GAME CAFE's, like a coffee shop with every game imaginable. Perfect for chilling with your friends when you're out on the town.

NORIBONG! A private karioke room you can rent with friends and sing your hearts out without any worries of embarsassment in front of scary people you don't know!

And delicious Korean Street food that you can get almost anywhere year round! One of my favorites is sadly only available in winter, hottuk.

Hottuk is a delicious sort of pancake batter with a sweet, cinnamon-y filling. Perfect for warming you up on a cold night.

Anyway, the short answer to the question of how I like it here is, yes! I like it here a lot.

Hot Question #2: Have you eaten anything wierd?

The question of questions for people who travel anywhere! If you know me, you know that I'm typically a picky eater. So, I personally haven't eaten anything too crazy. About the farthest I have gone is eating kimchi, a fermented cabbage, and korean seaweed pancake.

 

However, there are a lot of really interesting things they like to eat here, such as "live octopus" and skatefish, a flat fish prepared in its own urine (yes, it sounds a little gross, and yes, it smells).

One dish I really love here is called 삼게탕, basically it is chicken and ginseng soup. However, I was not pleased the other day to find an entire chicken foot in my soup! I may have lost my appetite a little after that.

Samgyetong

So, no, to answer the question, I havent eaten anything too wierd (but I have had a few close calls!) :)

Popular Question #3: Do you like teaching?

Yes. Most days I love it. Of course, there are those days when I'm not in a particularly good mood, and my patience can run a little dry, but overall, the job is fun and rewarding. The children are always surprising me with their humor. Here's some photos of me and a few of my students:

The photos of me aren't so flattering since I'm not wearing any make up and have my hair pinned back, but don't look at me, look at the sweet children! :p The best part about teaching is that my job gives me the opportunity to be a direct role model for my students and also allows me to impact their lives. Probably the most difficult part is making English learning a fun experience for them. My students are often exhausted by the time they make it to academy which is in addition to their standard general ed. classes at school, and they get a lot of pressure from their parents and society to do well on their tests as this could determine their future, beginning with getting into the best colleges. In Korea, everything is a competition, including education.

Last Question: So, what else is new?

Since my 7-month update, here's what has changed. First, a couple of months ago, I started teaching violin again. I just have one student right now, but if there is an opportunity in the future I may gain some more students to earn a little extra cash. In addition to this, I am starting to get regular invitations to perform on my violin. Currently I am preparing for two performances -- a Christmas Party at the International Center later this month and a community concert in May where I'll join several professional musicians with individual performances. I also play violin two times per month now at church with the worship team.

Here I am playing for my sister's wedding this past September. Photo Cred: Katy Frey, Charizma Photography.

I'm really excited that God has provided me with many opportunites here to continue using my musical ability.

Oh, here's something, in case you don't follow me on Facebook, you may not have noticed that my hair is now purple (ish).

So yeah, that's fun. Guess this is what happens when you get restless... good thing I like it! haha.

I guess the last big update is that I completed my first ever full-length novel, and I did it in one month! If you didn't know, November every year has been deemed National Novel Wrting Month (NaNoWriMo). People all around the world attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. When I heard about the challenge, I decided to give it a go. I had my doubts about being able to finish it, but amazingly, I did! Many people have been asking if I'll be publishing or sharing the novel any time soon. The answer is, I don't know yet. The reason for this is that there is quite a bit of editing to be done and even after that I am not sure if I want to share it as there is actually a lot of personal content in it. However, if I do decide to share it at some point, you will hear about it! Along with this, I am continuously writing stories and if you would like to read some of my recent fiction, just shoot me a message! 

So, that's all of the big updates for now! I hope you enjoyed reading all about my recent life here in Korea. If there are any lingering questions you are just itching to know, comment and I'll respond, or perhaps even write another blog post to answer your question in detail! :)

Also, if you didn't get quiet enough Korea from this blog post, I made this short video that gives a nice visual of my life here. I think you'll like it.

Thanks for your support taking the time to read this blog post!