VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

Like everyone, I have caught the Olympic fever. Which country am I rooting for?  Naturally, I can’t deny my roots to the good ol’ U S of A. However, recently it has been especially exciting to watch Korea and the United States duel it out on the ice rink. Korea has much pride invested in their speed skaters and if you have been watching, you can see it’s for a good reason. It’s been interesting hearing about the speed skating from my students because they hate America’s favorite, Apolo Ohno. Apparently the bad blood goes back to the Salt Lake City Olympics where South Koreans believe Ohno stole the gold medal from Korea’s Kim Dong-sung. Kim Dong-sung finished the race first in the 1,500 meter race but was disqualified for blocking. In addition, Apolo Ohno is half Japanese which adds fuel to the fire because Korea has a bitter rivalry with Japan. Click HERE for an article that describes the story in more detail:

Korea is especially anticipating the upcoming women’s figure skating competition later this week because Korea’s skating sensation Kim Yuna will be competing. Kim Yuna is South Korea’s athletic sweetheart. She is in magazines, in commercials, on billboards, you name it, all over the country.

Never has a South Korean female figure skater won an Olympic gold medal and this year Korea has high hopes. Here is a short clip on Kim Yuna. Her coach seems to be a bit of a kook and clearly has a chip on his shoulder about his 1988 loss to Brian Boitano, but the clip is informative nonetheless.

On that note, watch for Kim Yuna and go USA!

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

In recent light of Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be appropriate to comment on a Love Actually-esque observation. That observation being that EVERYONE holds hands in Seoul-and I mean everyone. You’ll be walking through the city and you will see a couple holding hands as they stroll down the street, two girls holding hands while shopping, and two business men with arms interlocked as they head home from a business dinner after a few too many shots of soju. Don’t believe me? Have a look for yourself:

Although people from a western mindset might think it’s bizarre, I think it’s great. I mean, everyone likes to hold hands right?

On the topic of handholding, for you viewing pleasure, here is a clip from my friend Allen’s kindergarten graduation practice. Please note Kitty in the middle...apparently she is NOT so keen on holding hands. Enjoy.

In Korea, Valentine’s Day is slightly different than in the United States.  February 14^th is reserved specifically for the women to give chocolate to the men.  Then, on March 14^th, called White Day, the men reciprocate and give non-chocolate candy to the women.

Single? Don’t worry, there’s a day for you too. April 14^th, dubbed Black Day, is when all of those who did not receive anything on February 14^th or March 14^th go to a Chinese restaurant, eat black noodles and “mourn” being single together. 

IT'S THE CLIMB

When living in such a densely populated area, it’s sometimes necessary to flee the city to keep your sanity. Luckily, the city of Seoul is surrounded by mountains, which provide the perfect escape from the chaos and stress of city life. Hiking is a common extra curricular activity among Seoulites in the summer and skiing and snowboarding are a favorite in the winter.

Due to its location, skiing in Seoul is very convenient and affordable. I recently went skiing with a few friends for an afternoon. Being from the flat lands of the good old midwest, it is impossible to enjoy an afternoon of good skiing so close to home.

It’s wonderful to have the amenities of a big city with the opportunity of great extracurricular activities at your fingertips.

FA RA RA RA RA RA RA RA RA

Christmas time is here, although it hardly feels like it. Coming from a Christian dominated country, it’s easy to forget that there are so many religions practiced in the world. Korea is comprised of roughly 25% Christians and 25 % Buddhists. The rest of the country classifies themselves as nonreligious or part of newer religious movements (thank you wikipedia). Although there are a significant amount of Koreans who celebrate Christmas, the holiday season has a different atmosphere because the holiday is celebrated very differently than in the United States. In Korea, Christmas is not spent primarily with family, but more so with friends and significant others. In fact, a few weeks ago we were invited by some Koreans to go to a Christmas party at a nightclub. We respectfully had to decline because we are going to the Philippines for the holiday (so excited) but I thought this was interesting nonetheless.

From what I’ve gathered, Koreans celebrate Christmas the way we celebrate New Years and they celebrate New Years the way we celebrate Christmas. If you can recall from my previous post, all Koreans turn a year older on New Years Day. Therefore, this would make sense that New Years is a big family holiday considering it’s everyone’s birthday celebration in addition to the start of the new year.

My holiday plans? Unfortunately, I have to work Christmas Eve, but it should be fun regardless. My lucky friend Mike got to play the role of Santa and payed a visit to the eager kindergarten campus and all the teachers partook in dorky holiday activities (my favorite!). In addition, I’m headed to the Philippines for the holiday TOMORROW! On that note, Happy Holidays and I miss all the friends and family who are reading! 

THE NAKED TRUTH

The jimjilbang experience has been on my Korean “to do” list for quite some time. However, not necessarily being a fan of public nudity, it took a few weeks of mentally preparing myself for a possibly awkward afternoon before I decided to dive in (literally).

For those of you who don’t know, a jimjilbang is a Korean public bathhouse. A jimjilbang is fairly cheap costing the equivalent of about 5-10 US dollars. There are jimjilbangs in every neighborhood and many Koreans go with their families to spend an afternoon soaking in different baths of various temperatures. The baths and saunas are divided into male and female because you have to go stark naked.

Ehhhhem Right….

Forget trying to cover yourself up, the towels provided are washcloths. So there I was, alone, naked and barely speaking any Korean. Cool. Luckily, one of the ladies was really nice and showed me what to do. First, she shoved me into what looked like a giant heated cave, threw a burlap sack over me and shut the door. I thought this was a little odd but I went with the flow. Just as I started to panic in fear that this was how they got rid of all the annoying non-Korean speaking foreigners, she opened the door. She then pointed me towards a cooler sauna where I was supposed to lie down and rest.

After the saunas, I went to the baths. After rinsing yourself off in the shower section, you can enjoy the different baths including a green tea bath, a mud bath and a ginseng bath. After the baths, I was asked whether I wanted to add any other pampering treatments for an additional cost. Most jimjilbangs offer things like massages, body scrubs, eyelash perming, facials and pedicures. The most common treatment in Korea is the body scrub. I figured, while in Rome (or Seoul)…

I was directed towards an old Korean lady sporting a uniform of black lacy lingerie. Why their uniform couldn’t be a little more modest, beats me. You definitely cannot be shy to partake in a body scrub because you basically flop around on a massage table in the nude while the lady scrubs you down EVERYWHERE with what feels like sandpaper. The amount of dirt and grime that comes off your skin is crazy/disgusting but totally worth the awkward experience because it leaves your skin is incredibly soft. At the end, the lady literally throws a bucket of water on you to rinse you off and it’s a done deal.

I’m still not sure what to think about the whole afternoon. It was definitely the most invasive experience I’ve ever had but it was very relaxing and refreshing to see how comfortable everyone was with exposing their bodies-definitely different from what we’re used to in the United States. 

BIRTHDAY BONANZA

I’ve had some great birthdays in the past few years and this year’s birthday didn’t disappoint. I had the pleasure of sharing my joint birthday bash with my friend Kiren. We have celebrated the past four birthdays together at Miami so it was great to keep the tradition going, this time, Asian style. We strategically planned our birthday bash at a bar in the “hipster” area of Seoul, which serves $1 tequila shots. As you can imagine, this ensured a good night for all.

Although I was turning 23 in western terms, here in Korea I was celebrating my 24^th birthday. Why have I been jipped out of a year of my life you ask? Well, time for another Korean culture lesson.

In Korea, a child is age 1 when they are born. The first birthday celebration comes 100 days after the baby is born. On this day, 100 red bean cakes are passed out to friends and family. If all 100 red bean cakes are eaten, then the baby will live a long life. A child’s 2^nd birthday comes on the first New Year’s Day after the child is born. This is true even if a child is born on December 31^st.  This means that everyone born within the same year is the same age and everyone in the country turns a year older on New Years Day. This is the way the government recognizes age, which makes some things, like laws about driving age and drinking age, a lot more convenient.

I have mixed feelings about the way age is determined here in Korea. The positive? I get to celebrate another birthday in just a month and a half! The negative? I will be turning 25…yikes!

It Takes Two

While walking around Korea, you will often see this:

Couples wear matching shirts. I still find this funny, even after 3 months. Actually, I don’t think it will ever lose its comic appeal. Not only do guys match their girlfriends, but it’s also common to see a guy carrying their girlfriend’s purse. I have a feeling that this is a trend that will remain Seouly Asian...