It's very bright tonight, mostly because the air is thick with vapor. The clouds have been dumping rain, sleet, and snow on us all afternoon and evening. At some point I heard a massive crack outside, which apparently was thunder. I wondered if it were possible to have thunder in a snowstorm (I did look out the window just after the sound occurred, and it was pretty clearly snowing), and my Google search offered this Wikipedia result.
Apparently we're experiencing something known as "thundersnow," a fairly rare weather phenomenon. How exciting to be able to witness something that's allegedly so (okay, relatively) rare! It's clearly something to write home about (as I'm writing this post now), and maybe it'll be one of those boring stories I can spice up for my grandkids later.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Christmas in Korea
This post is way overdue (over a month late? I just have no excuse), so I apologize.
I was fully expecting Christmas to be just another day for me. I had no plans, no tree, no family in the country. I wasn't really bummed about it (in fact, I'd even opted not get a tree or decorate, although I could have), but I didn't anticipate it being something special. I even opened my Christmas presents early (thanks for shipping me stuff, guys!) because I figured it wouldn't matter if I did it on the day or not.
But I went to my church's Christmas Eve service and had a blast. A few of the other single folks and I hung out afterwards and didn't get back till 3 a.m. The snow was falling thick and we had snowball fights and ate ice cream (surprisingly popular in the winter here) and played pool.
The next day was a white Christmas. After the service and delicious meal, most people went home to be with their families, but the pastor said, “But the church is our family,” and took a bunch of us to Jeonju in the van.
The pastor and his wife, a couple and their middle-school-aged daughter, an older English teacher, my good Korean friend, and I were the participants in this adventure. Jeonju is about an hour away by bus or car, and is the capital of our province, Jeollabuk-do. It's known for bibimbap (a Korean food) and its traditional Hanok Village, now a major tourist attraction.
We went to this traditional village and explored and browsed the stands of handmade jewelry and wares. We went to a traditional Korean teahouse and took our shoes off on the outside step (right by the snow!) and settled into a warm room with heated floors and a low table.
There we enjoyed a nice array of snacks and tea, and I ordered the Flower Tea, at my pastor's wife's recommendation. It was so good, and both the sight of it and its aroma were so pleasantly delicious.
I have to say that this Christmas was far from boring - in fact, I'd rank it among the most exciting Christmases I've had. While I certainly would have loved to spend the holidays with family, this Christmas was definitely memorable.
I was fully expecting Christmas to be just another day for me. I had no plans, no tree, no family in the country. I wasn't really bummed about it (in fact, I'd even opted not get a tree or decorate, although I could have), but I didn't anticipate it being something special. I even opened my Christmas presents early (thanks for shipping me stuff, guys!) because I figured it wouldn't matter if I did it on the day or not.
But I went to my church's Christmas Eve service and had a blast. A few of the other single folks and I hung out afterwards and didn't get back till 3 a.m. The snow was falling thick and we had snowball fights and ate ice cream (surprisingly popular in the winter here) and played pool.
The next day was a white Christmas. After the service and delicious meal, most people went home to be with their families, but the pastor said, “But the church is our family,” and took a bunch of us to Jeonju in the van.
The pastor and his wife, a couple and their middle-school-aged daughter, an older English teacher, my good Korean friend, and I were the participants in this adventure. Jeonju is about an hour away by bus or car, and is the capital of our province, Jeollabuk-do. It's known for bibimbap (a Korean food) and its traditional Hanok Village, now a major tourist attraction.
We went to this traditional village and explored and browsed the stands of handmade jewelry and wares. We went to a traditional Korean teahouse and took our shoes off on the outside step (right by the snow!) and settled into a warm room with heated floors and a low table.
There we enjoyed a nice array of snacks and tea, and I ordered the Flower Tea, at my pastor's wife's recommendation. It was so good, and both the sight of it and its aroma were so pleasantly delicious.
I have to say that this Christmas was far from boring - in fact, I'd rank it among the most exciting Christmases I've had. While I certainly would have loved to spend the holidays with family, this Christmas was definitely memorable.
Time to Read the Writing on the Wall
Just when you start to feel all proud of yourself for recognizing 남자 (man) and 여자 (woman) on restroom doors, a sign like this pops up and shows you that you really ought to learn 한글 (hangeul, the Korean writing system):
Fortunately, I learned before I came, so I know that it says Romeo and Juliet.
Fortunately, I learned before I came, so I know that it says Romeo and Juliet.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Lunar New Year's
Yesterday was 설날 (Seollal), or Lunar New Year's. I have a luxurious four-day weekend to celebrate, which I mostly spent cleaning, eating, and playing hidden object games.
On Sunday we ate 떡국 (ddeokguk), a special soup with sliced rice noodle in it, at my church to celebrate. According to Korean tradition, everyone turns one year older on Seollal - but only after you've eaten your ddeokguk.
It's 2012 and the year of the dark dragon. I won't endorse anything astrological, but I've gotta say this year sure does have a lot of hype already built for it. I wonder what these next months hold.
On Sunday we ate 떡국 (ddeokguk), a special soup with sliced rice noodle in it, at my church to celebrate. According to Korean tradition, everyone turns one year older on Seollal - but only after you've eaten your ddeokguk.
It's 2012 and the year of the dark dragon. I won't endorse anything astrological, but I've gotta say this year sure does have a lot of hype already built for it. I wonder what these next months hold.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Sushi Buffet
On Saturday my coworker took me to a sushi buffet. For twenty bucks a head, you can eat all you want.
Colorful little dishes of sushi roll up to you on conveyor belts, and if you think one looks appealing, you just snatch it down.
There are cute little pots of wasabi and cups and teabags available for green tea.
Every couple chairs (the seats are diner bar-style) there's a hot water dispenser built into the counter.
I'll admit I was quite nervous, because I hadn't really had sushi before, and there was no way for me to tell what I was putting in my mouth. But I just shoveled them in without looking, and they were actually quite good.
I know I consumed fish eggs (bright orange and bright yellow) and tried eel (not at all as slimy as I'd thought that it would be, and actually something I might like to try again). I also had a couple with what looked like birdseed on them:
All in all, a great experience, and very filling. I'm so glad I went, and glad, too, that I wasn't scared to try new things.
Colorful little dishes of sushi roll up to you on conveyor belts, and if you think one looks appealing, you just snatch it down.
There are cute little pots of wasabi and cups and teabags available for green tea.
Every couple chairs (the seats are diner bar-style) there's a hot water dispenser built into the counter.
I'll admit I was quite nervous, because I hadn't really had sushi before, and there was no way for me to tell what I was putting in my mouth. But I just shoveled them in without looking, and they were actually quite good.
I know I consumed fish eggs (bright orange and bright yellow) and tried eel (not at all as slimy as I'd thought that it would be, and actually something I might like to try again). I also had a couple with what looked like birdseed on them:
All in all, a great experience, and very filling. I'm so glad I went, and glad, too, that I wasn't scared to try new things.
Breathing Freely
Tonight I decided to check out Beijing Cuisine, one of six new restaurants erected in a single building this past year. (I previously ate at Olive Garden, another restaurant in the establishment, but my bloggly slackerdom has kept my pictures from you.)
I ordered fried rice with crab meat, and it was delicious.
After I finished I stayed to drink the tea, and then decided to eat a piece of the raw onion you can see here in the back:
I've never been adventurous enough to try eating a chunk of onion straight alone like that before, but I noticed immediately--after the stinging kick, that is--that I was suddenly breathing more freely through my nose than I could remember ever having breathed before.
It was quite amazing.
So, I had two more chunks!
Then I realized I should stop, because my onion-eating skills were still at novice level, and the last piece had a bite that knocked tears into my eyes.
So I downed my tea and left.
My meal of fried rice and crab only cost 7,000 won, or roughly $7, but some items on the menu were as high as 70,000 won (which, by very rough approximation, is almost 70 bucks). Some of their more exotic menu items featured shark fin soup, braised abalone, and sea cucumber.
I ordered fried rice with crab meat, and it was delicious.
After I finished I stayed to drink the tea, and then decided to eat a piece of the raw onion you can see here in the back:
I've never been adventurous enough to try eating a chunk of onion straight alone like that before, but I noticed immediately--after the stinging kick, that is--that I was suddenly breathing more freely through my nose than I could remember ever having breathed before.
It was quite amazing.
So, I had two more chunks!
Then I realized I should stop, because my onion-eating skills were still at novice level, and the last piece had a bite that knocked tears into my eyes.
So I downed my tea and left.
My meal of fried rice and crab only cost 7,000 won, or roughly $7, but some items on the menu were as high as 70,000 won (which, by very rough approximation, is almost 70 bucks). Some of their more exotic menu items featured shark fin soup, braised abalone, and sea cucumber.
A Single Serving of Eggcitement
In case you ever want to buy just one egg while in Korea...
7-11's got your back.
7-11's got your back.
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