I think there is an unspoken consensus that we all wish we did this less, but when the camera comes out, the deuces fly. Peace sign (self induced) photo bomb. THE IRONY.
October 25, 2012
9 DAYS - PEACE SIGNS
It just sort of.. happens.
I think there is an unspoken consensus that we all wish we did this less, but when the camera comes out, the deuces fly. Peace sign (self induced) photo bomb. THE IRONY.
I think there is an unspoken consensus that we all wish we did this less, but when the camera comes out, the deuces fly. Peace sign (self induced) photo bomb. THE IRONY.
October 24, 2012
10 DAYS- GIRAFFE
You can't take life too seriously out here or you'll just end up crying a lot.
You're bound to walk into school feebly masking a big fat zit and some kid is going to ask, "TEACHER, WHAT'S ON YOUR FACE?"
Kids just don't really care.
If you have dark circles, they are going to point them out. If you're having a bad hair day, watch out. A few months ago I walked into a class full of ten year old's and one exclaimed, "Teacher. hair. level down." Which in his terms means that my hair was a total fail.
I'm also the "butt" of a pretty long standing joke among adults in my life. In April I went camping with a group of seven or so the night before we were meant to run a 10k. Around one in the morning, I decided to do what any smart person would do and crawl to bed. My friends were not impressed. They began making jokes around the campfire trying to pry me back out, but I wasn't having it.
Finally, just as things had settled down and they'd found another topic of conversation, my friend Brad exclaims,
"Who would win in a being tall contest, Mara or a giraffe?"
I wish this was a funnier story to tell, but for some reason it always comes out a bit bland. However, I got out of the tent I was laughing so hard.
A few months later we were at the World's Fair in Yeosu. In the African pavilion was a giraffe statue. Casually, Katie beckoned me,
"Hey Mara. Go stand next to that giraffe."
I did so without even thinking.
Looks like I lost.
You're bound to walk into school feebly masking a big fat zit and some kid is going to ask, "TEACHER, WHAT'S ON YOUR FACE?"
Kids just don't really care.
If you have dark circles, they are going to point them out. If you're having a bad hair day, watch out. A few months ago I walked into a class full of ten year old's and one exclaimed, "Teacher. hair. level down." Which in his terms means that my hair was a total fail.
I'm also the "butt" of a pretty long standing joke among adults in my life. In April I went camping with a group of seven or so the night before we were meant to run a 10k. Around one in the morning, I decided to do what any smart person would do and crawl to bed. My friends were not impressed. They began making jokes around the campfire trying to pry me back out, but I wasn't having it.
Finally, just as things had settled down and they'd found another topic of conversation, my friend Brad exclaims,
"Who would win in a being tall contest, Mara or a giraffe?"
I wish this was a funnier story to tell, but for some reason it always comes out a bit bland. However, I got out of the tent I was laughing so hard.
A few months later we were at the World's Fair in Yeosu. In the African pavilion was a giraffe statue. Casually, Katie beckoned me,
"Hey Mara. Go stand next to that giraffe."
I did so without even thinking.
Looks like I lost.
October 23, 2012
11 DAYS - MEDICAL SYSTEM
As I'm sicker than I've been in years, it's an appropriate time for me to address a magical thing in Korea: The Medical System.
Yesterday my boss asked me, "Did you catch a cold?"
And yes. Yes, I did. I caught a cold. It might have had something to do with that bit of last weekend where I decided to climb a mountain at 3 in the morning to catch the sunrise. Or the lack of sleep I committed to. Now it's Tuesday during my last full week in Korea and I can't breathe. My eyes are puffy and watering. I wake up sweating, then freezing, then sweating again. I'm wearing neck warmers and wool sweaters and it's still 65 degrees in the afternoon.
BUT, doctor to the rescue!
Regardless of what you enter for, there's two procedures that are bound to happen when you check into a hospital in Korea. First, they are going to hook you up to an IV. Second, they are going to give you a shot in the ass.
Considering the language barrier, the first time the latter happens it's quite shocking. One minute you're on your back. The next you're on your side getting a nice pat to the bum followed by a needle.
Tonight the school's bus driver dropped me at the hospital after work. After I explained my symptoms, I was horizontal with an IV intact in under four minutes. Shortly after, a lady came to my bedside. "Hip," she said. And I turned over. From there I passed out. I awoke in sweat and I could hear the nurse watching cartoons.
I'm sure there are flaws, but they are definitely not in efficiency or affordability. If you have insurance, it's dirt cheap to get fixed. Feeling ill? Just pop in real quick to get some meds. Once a doctor spent an hour with me and the bill was only $12. In a shared room, my friend Kerryn stayed in a hospital bed for five nights (including three meals a day) for less than $8 a day. That's convenient.
A related story:
I got some x-rays done a few weeks ago on my chest. In the larger hospitals, all the rooms are labeled in both Korean and English. It should also be noted that visiting the doctor is similar to a pit stop: your vitals, teeth, heart, sight, hearing and blood are all checked in 30 minutes flat. As the nurse shuffled me from the room where I get my blood drawn to the room where I'm meant to get an x-ray, I notice the sign on the door. It's in all caps. BREAST SHOOTING ROOM.
I laugh.
This is what I've been staring at for the last hour and a half:
Yesterday my boss asked me, "Did you catch a cold?"
And yes. Yes, I did. I caught a cold. It might have had something to do with that bit of last weekend where I decided to climb a mountain at 3 in the morning to catch the sunrise. Or the lack of sleep I committed to. Now it's Tuesday during my last full week in Korea and I can't breathe. My eyes are puffy and watering. I wake up sweating, then freezing, then sweating again. I'm wearing neck warmers and wool sweaters and it's still 65 degrees in the afternoon.
BUT, doctor to the rescue!
Regardless of what you enter for, there's two procedures that are bound to happen when you check into a hospital in Korea. First, they are going to hook you up to an IV. Second, they are going to give you a shot in the ass.
Considering the language barrier, the first time the latter happens it's quite shocking. One minute you're on your back. The next you're on your side getting a nice pat to the bum followed by a needle.
Tonight the school's bus driver dropped me at the hospital after work. After I explained my symptoms, I was horizontal with an IV intact in under four minutes. Shortly after, a lady came to my bedside. "Hip," she said. And I turned over. From there I passed out. I awoke in sweat and I could hear the nurse watching cartoons.
I'm sure there are flaws, but they are definitely not in efficiency or affordability. If you have insurance, it's dirt cheap to get fixed. Feeling ill? Just pop in real quick to get some meds. Once a doctor spent an hour with me and the bill was only $12. In a shared room, my friend Kerryn stayed in a hospital bed for five nights (including three meals a day) for less than $8 a day. That's convenient.
A related story:
I got some x-rays done a few weeks ago on my chest. In the larger hospitals, all the rooms are labeled in both Korean and English. It should also be noted that visiting the doctor is similar to a pit stop: your vitals, teeth, heart, sight, hearing and blood are all checked in 30 minutes flat. As the nurse shuffled me from the room where I get my blood drawn to the room where I'm meant to get an x-ray, I notice the sign on the door. It's in all caps. BREAST SHOOTING ROOM.
I laugh.
This is what I've been staring at for the last hour and a half:
October 22, 2012
12 DAYS - KIMBAP NARA
The literal translation here is "seaweed rice nation." This is Korean fast food. This is the place you get your late night snack, your quick lunch, and your kimbap for the mountain. They sell a little of everything - cheese ramen, kimchi soup (kimchi jjigae), noodles, rice, fried rice with kimchi (kimchi bokeombap), bibimbap (rice and vegetables), curry, eggs and it continues.
A typical menu is posted on the wall: (1,000 KRW is about 1 USD)
I love these shops. Although nothing fancy, they are cheap, fast, delicious and if you make the right choices, relatively healthy. Many are also open 24/7. In the winter I stop in a few times a week to pick up something pipping hot on my way home from work.
You can also eat here alone. In most Korean restaurants you must be accompanied. I've tried to work out the reasoning for this. The primary reason is surely money related. The restaurant uses energy to heat your hot pot or stove. Eating is also very communal. You don't see a lot of people eating or sipping coffee alone. Perhaps it's just most comfortable for everyone if you chose to eat with another.
Here's me in my favorite kimbap shop in my neighborhood. NOM NOM NOM. And between my chopsticks in some tuna kimbap.
Korean food doesn't photograph well. Every shot looks like a terrible blob of rice and weird piles of brownish red food. Fourteen months of attempts, and this is the best kimbap shot.
A typical menu is posted on the wall: (1,000 KRW is about 1 USD)
 |
| Photo by: The Gluten-Free Nomad |
I love these shops. Although nothing fancy, they are cheap, fast, delicious and if you make the right choices, relatively healthy. Many are also open 24/7. In the winter I stop in a few times a week to pick up something pipping hot on my way home from work.
You can also eat here alone. In most Korean restaurants you must be accompanied. I've tried to work out the reasoning for this. The primary reason is surely money related. The restaurant uses energy to heat your hot pot or stove. Eating is also very communal. You don't see a lot of people eating or sipping coffee alone. Perhaps it's just most comfortable for everyone if you chose to eat with another.
Here's me in my favorite kimbap shop in my neighborhood. NOM NOM NOM. And between my chopsticks in some tuna kimbap.
 |
October 21, 2012
13 DAYS - LOOKING LIKE A FOOL
I'd like to think that I dress pretty well. Scratch that. I know that I dress well. I've been told. It's on that list of things that I somehow do well without really trying.
Many people are fortunate enough to understand taste and can throw together a fine meal in minutes. I happen to know how to put together an outfit without looking like an idiot.
I'll just go ahead and put that on my life resume filed under skills that don't lead to jobs.
Somehow in Korea I misplaced the motivation to utilize this trait because I feel invisible. Of course, this is highly imprecise because, in fact, I stand out more than ever. I am tall, blue eyed, have the Western high nose, and among that, I now have a piercing on my face.
I'm not exactly blending with the background.
Still there's a freedom that inspires me to go in public looking absolutely ridiculous. This last weekend I was walking through downtown in seven shades of green, a swim suit top over my shirt, leg warmers, confetti pants and a Hitler stache.
Yes. I had a Hitler mustache in board marker on my face. I have no idea how I got nominated for that. It was my friend Tammy's birthday and she wanted to have a K-themed party simply because she wanted to dress as a kimbap (Korean sushi roll). I was a "kiwi kaleidoscope," which at some special point in the day turned into a "Hitler kiwi kaleidoscope."
During a moment of reflection I stopped in the middle of the street to announce,
"You guys realize that in two weeks I have to be a proper human being."
It seems I'm always wearing mismatched clothes because I threw the wrong shirt in the bag or the temperature shifted twenty degrees midday.
I am interested in why we do this. I say "we," because I am completely not alone. Truly, my incident is not isolated. Katie wears heart-shaped sunglasses everywhere. Tammy sports capes. It seems there's always a themed gathering going on and I've seen a decade's supply of animal costumes.
There's a festive bunch out here. That's undeniable. I'll miss these wacko's and as I slowly deplete my wardrobe, I'll think of you as I rebuild.
Here's to looking silly -
to utilizing props,
to letting your guard down,
to being festive
and to making it work.
Many people are fortunate enough to understand taste and can throw together a fine meal in minutes. I happen to know how to put together an outfit without looking like an idiot.
I'll just go ahead and put that on my life resume filed under skills that don't lead to jobs.
Somehow in Korea I misplaced the motivation to utilize this trait because I feel invisible. Of course, this is highly imprecise because, in fact, I stand out more than ever. I am tall, blue eyed, have the Western high nose, and among that, I now have a piercing on my face.
I'm not exactly blending with the background.
Still there's a freedom that inspires me to go in public looking absolutely ridiculous. This last weekend I was walking through downtown in seven shades of green, a swim suit top over my shirt, leg warmers, confetti pants and a Hitler stache.
Yes. I had a Hitler mustache in board marker on my face. I have no idea how I got nominated for that. It was my friend Tammy's birthday and she wanted to have a K-themed party simply because she wanted to dress as a kimbap (Korean sushi roll). I was a "kiwi kaleidoscope," which at some special point in the day turned into a "Hitler kiwi kaleidoscope."
During a moment of reflection I stopped in the middle of the street to announce,
"You guys realize that in two weeks I have to be a proper human being."
It seems I'm always wearing mismatched clothes because I threw the wrong shirt in the bag or the temperature shifted twenty degrees midday.
I am interested in why we do this. I say "we," because I am completely not alone. Truly, my incident is not isolated. Katie wears heart-shaped sunglasses everywhere. Tammy sports capes. It seems there's always a themed gathering going on and I've seen a decade's supply of animal costumes.
There's a festive bunch out here. That's undeniable. I'll miss these wacko's and as I slowly deplete my wardrobe, I'll think of you as I rebuild.
Here's to looking silly -
to utilizing props,
to letting your guard down,
to being festive
and to making it work.
October 20, 2012
14 DAYS - GETTING PUNCHED IN THE MOUTH
on accident.
The Korean girl who did this is kind and sweet. We were in a club and for whatever reason, she was dancing about with her locker key positioned erect between her knuckles. I was casually walking and got struck in the mouth.
She'd be horrified to know I even remember this happened. (The perks of photo cataloging.) She also apologized to me profusely, only after I stood there stunned, and then quickly ran to the bathroom to confirm the events.
And there's the one and only time I've been punched in the mouth.
Here's to that.
The Korean girl who did this is kind and sweet. We were in a club and for whatever reason, she was dancing about with her locker key positioned erect between her knuckles. I was casually walking and got struck in the mouth.
She'd be horrified to know I even remember this happened. (The perks of photo cataloging.) She also apologized to me profusely, only after I stood there stunned, and then quickly ran to the bathroom to confirm the events.
And there's the one and only time I've been punched in the mouth.
Here's to that.
October 19, 2012
15 DAYS - TEMPLES
 |
| BAEKYANGSA // APRIL 2012 |
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| SEORAKSAN // MAY 2012 |
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| WOLCHULSAN // SEPTEMBER 2012 |
 |
| SEONUNSA // NOVEMEBER 2011 |
If you're a person who enjoys mountains, you'll have a hard time avoiding temples. You don't need to be Buddhist to enjoy them. Listen for the monks chanting. Take a peek at a person worshiping. Enter for some quiet time in a sacred place.
When Japan occupied Korea, they burnt down the majority of the temples. Most of these are replicas, but I hand it to a nation for doing such a thing.
It seems wrong to give a "cheers" to a set of sacred buildings, so I won't.
So temples. Yeah, temples. Thanks for being beautiful.
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