My new obsession...

Admittedly my English language television options are limited, but my newest obsession is a show on Nickelodeon where an awkward, slightly chubs kid of the day counts down the top pop songs (in Korean) by singing and dancing to each one. It appears that the ability to sing on key is not a prerequisite for casting. Nor a sense of rhythm. 

Back in Korea...

So last week was my my big vacation which I spent in Japan visiting Tokyo and Kyoto. I had a great time despite some pretty oppressive heat. I'll post pictures once I figure out the best/fastest way to upload large numbers of pictures to my blog (tech friends: Heather/April this question is pretty much going out to you). Anyhow, I'm back to the rain and the grind in Seoul and so as such, have prepared a little photo montage. Now Ara, this is not to poke fun at or in any way stereotype Koreans or Korean culture, it's just the things that have made me smile.




1. A clothing store window near my house... So let's just ignore the fact that the mannequin is on the toilet for a moment to notice that the mannequin is also smoking a cigarette and that a urinal apparently makes a great vase.












2. The "ajumma workout": buying in bulk.














3. My "vacation present" from my boss. Well, I'd rather have this than the pine flavored toothpaste I got for Christmas.














4. Coiffing. James got a perm, Julie, a super curly perm and Eric 2 went from highlights to all over color. They are all 5.

So I realize I'm not a poet..

Why I Love Korean Public Transportation
A haiku by Kerissa Barron

classical music
T-money, air conditioned
hot Belgian waffles

Top Ten

During my skype session with Ara, she mentioned that my posting schedule has been well, a bit sporadic (her words, not mine). My apologies to my 3 readers but something about sweating the equivalent of my own body weight (and considering I just ate an omelet the size of a small Korean child, that's a lot) everyday leaves me a bit zapped of energy by the time I get home. It's not even very hot here (temperature wise) but this humidity thing is intense. Compounding the already incredibly sticky (literally) situation is the previously mentioned cheapness of our school and the fact that our academy is located above a jinjilbang (steam sauna). It's like the perfect storm. However the wind picked up tonight so here I give you my last two weeks in summary, albeit Dave Letterman style--

My Top Ten of the last two weeks

1. One of the Korean teachers went and saw the new Tom Cruise movie "Knight and Day". When I asked her how the movie was she responded that "it was bad." When I asked her why, she told me "because Cameron Diaz looked old". In a related story, I'll give it #8 on my list, I was making a comment to one of the teachers about how well behaved one of the little boys is. She told me that actually he used to be very badly behaved but his mother told him that if he was bad his teachers would get gray hair and wrinkles. Now, he is the best student in the class. Hmm, maybe instead of time outs or writing sentences I just won't wear makeup?

2.



So maybe I'm a coward but as much as I love to eat anything and everything, I've never exactly enjoyed looking my meal in the face...or in this case watching its body ongulate as it was fried alive in spicy sauce. Additionally, watching a friendly ajumma wielding scissors (the culinary weapon of choice here), decapitating both octupi Marie Antoinette style, dramatically spraying ink into the sauce (which she made sure to tell me was good for me, they always do that), was enough to make me question the morality of eating animals, well at least for about 30 seconds. However, after a moment of silence for the departed, I decided it was now my duty to an eat an obscene amount of food, you know, in order to honor the animal's sacrifice and all that...

3.
I have made it my personal mission over the past few weeks to find the best macarons in Seoul. I am not talking about macaroons. If you don't know the difference, I don't know why you're reading this as you're clearly not my friend and have nothing in common with me. Extensive research is still necessary and will undoubtedly be conducted, but taking an early lead...Sinsegae Department store.

4.
We got a new Native (English) teacher last week. One of the Korean teachers asked me what I thought of her. I said that seemed really nice and easy to get along with. Her response, "But you know she's a vegetarian..."

5.
This week the target conversation for my Bear class:

• I want to eat you
• No, I'm too small.

6. Over the past few weeks I have learned to read and write Korean. This should probably be higher on the list but whatever, now you see where my true priorities lie.

7. In one of my more advanced classes all I do for 40 minutes is explain difficult vocabulary words to them. Last week, the day the AC was broken, I had to explain the word "humidity". Oh the irony...

8. See #1

9. One of the little girls in Red Star gave me a gift. Two tree clips (literally hair clips that look like trees) with rhinestones. I wear them more than I'd like to admit.

10. Ah, I've made it! Hmm, sneaking ninja style with my Red Trinity (my most advanced class) out of the back stairwell so I could take them to a Ttoekbokki shop today for snacks was pretty fun. Oh, and for people who say that I'm being paid to teach not eat rice cake, we spoke English the entire time.

Thank god for teachers' pets...

My favorite journal entry this week brought to you by Rose-Kim

In case you can't read the text:

"A woman was an English teacher.
She was eating breakfast regularly.
She was arriving at Guro Wonderland.
She teached for everyone very happily and kindly so everyone could understand easily and completely.
She was always teaching happily, too.
Always...smile, happy, kind, complete.
She was...she was! Kerissa teacher."

Photo of the day...

절묘한 고통...

While I've never considered myself a masochist (I can't be on diet, I shun exercise, I don't enjoy working very hard academically, at work, etc. etc.), living here has made me realize that while self-denial (or really control) is not in my nature, I am still a glutton for punishment...at least when it comes to spicy food. As anyone, even remotely familiar with Korean cuisine knows, there is no lack of fiery foods here...and well, I've become an addict. Like seriously. In spite of the fact that just looking at many of these foods makes my stomach lining start to ache, I also get a little excited and cannot help but to abandon caution and proceed to slurp my jiggae (stew) or happily pop chili chicken into my mouth. Tonight's dinner failed to dissappoint. Kimchi Sundobu so hot it made my eyes sweat. I actually got a little embarassed because I felt like my face must be bright red but one quick check in the bathroom mirror confirmed that I was at least still semi-normal colored (though my lips quite swollen and a massively runny nose). Sorry for no picture (I forgot my phone) but just think about what red molten lava in a searingly hot stone pot would look like and I think you have a pretty good idea...

Fish coma...

Due to the recent heat, humidity, and our school being too cheap to use the AC, I really wanted to find some good sashimi for dinner. While I have been a little shy to go to the sashimi restaurants, as I have no idea how to order anything there, I decided just to wait until a little later in the evening when all the patrons would be too drunk off soju to notice me...and well it worked, sort of. I asked the waiter what he suggested (in Korean), he said something I didn't understand (in Korean), and I said yes (in Korean). And so the adventure began... The waiter first brought about 10 dishes. In a total amateur move (I really should know better by now) I assumed this was the meal. Just as I was polishing off the salad (so good) and beginning to feel pleasantly full out comes a behemoth wooden blank piled with literally about 50 pieces of sashimi. I don't know if I've ever been quite so overwhelmed by a quantity of food. Sashimi's not exactly something you save for later nor do I know "doggie bag" in korean so I dug deep and did a pretty respectable job . But of course, the night would not be over without the arrival of more dishes. Out came this crazy looking possible crustacean (or possibly dinosaur?). It had a flexible shell that was orange-red with spikes...it was odd. Anyways it kind of tasted like a salty mix between an oyster and raw squid doused in iodine. Like I said, odd. At this point, I literally could feel fish in my lungs but of course what would a dinner be without something sweet. I really need to get a boyfriend or something because meals here are just too big...

Things my dad would like/ directly benefit from...

In what I am sure will be a recurring post category and is probably only funny to my dad, but he's really the only one reading anyway, I give you: "Things my dad would like and/or directly benefit from...".

1. The aprons they give you at restaurants.

Nearly every restaurant has aprons they give you that you can wear over your clothes to avoid spills. Particularly useful because it seems that about 90% of all Korean food is red. If anyone has seen my dad at an Italian restaurant, you understand.

2. The rotisserie chicken truck.

Saying that my father LOVES rotisserie chicken is an understatement. In Korea they take an ice-cream truck approach to roasted poultry and bring the bird to you. A truck with large rotisserie ovens in the bed drives around the neighborhood in the evening selling hot chickens. All you have to do is follow the scent of crackling chicken skin.

Don't be offended father...this is really an ode to you.

I haven't had a cellphone in so long that I actually screamed (in fear) when it rang...

I finally got a cellphone...I have no idea what plan I have (do I have a plan? I signed something...) or how much it costs (we had some communication issues) but that's not so important. What is important is that I have a phone and that it is is pink, sparkly, has several glittery keychains hanging from it, and a snappy K POP ring tone, bringing me to my much bigger point-- "K-Pop" (Korean pop music). Korean pop girl groups are fun. They pretty much just dance around in hot pants with toy guns or pom poms or something and for the most part can't really sing but Korean boy groups are AMAZING! There's this group that wears crystallized bullet proof vests. Seems like a bit of an oxymoron.

Wonder Girls 2 Different Tears English

Wondergirls "2 Different Tears" Korean

In the name of research...

So I'd heard Koreans don't sleep and decided that I must investigate this claim. I've come to my conclusion--it's true. As I was making my way home around 6am this morning, I fully expected to be the only one in the streets--the silly foreigner dragging her bedraggled self home in last night's clothes and smeared makeup as portly garbage men shout less than savory things in my direction as they fling garbage sacks (flashback: Buenos Aires). But no...much to my amazement the streets were full with so many other people schlepping their tired bodies home or eating at one of the many 24 hr drunk food spots or in many cases still partying. I have to admit though, doing this for a weekend is kind of exhausting. We'll have to see if I can keep this lifestyle up...or maybe I'll just start passing out on the subway benches like all the Korean business men.

Photo of the day...

"Better"? or simply an ode to dairy fat?

Meet Red Star!

I posted my first picture, success! I still hate taking pictures though so don't expect this on the regular. Anyways, explanation of picture: while I teach around 10 classes this is my main kindergarten class. Friday was cooking day, hence the getup. Even for a photo-phobic person like me they were too cute looking to not take a pic. Andrew, the evil-looking (and acting) little boy on the left had the funniest kerchief that matched his apron and was made of plastic so it stood straight up in this yellow triangle on his head, but he wouldn't wear it for me. The rest of the students starting from the left are Daniel (who announced to me on Monday, "look teacher, I got a mushroom!" in reference to his haircut), Ryan (whose favorite English word is lynx), Anna (who's so tiny and quiet I'm in constant fear that I'm going to step on her), Hanna, Carrie, Ji-Yeon, and Julie (who seriously has like two teeth and has a loose tooth everyday. I'm afraid that soon we'll have to blend her kimchi).

I don't think I'm creative/witty/techologically savvy enough for this but I'll attempt in an effort to save myself a massive, rambling group email...

This feels a little weird, writing to no one, but okay... let the self-indulgent reflection begin. Or not.

Off to my fave coffee shop for a green tea latte. Hmm, I need to find out if they have wifi or whatever so I can start writing from there.

Oh, I almost forgot to explain the name. "Bibim" means mixed, usually in relation to food. Since this blog has no real point, and my life in general is one big digression, it will certainly be "mixed" if not "stir-fried", which I believe bibim also means. The name is however tentative, so if any of my much wittier friends have any suggestions, feel free. I think you can leave comments or something. Haha, I'm so bad at this.