Life This Week in South Korea: Feb 26-March 3
Monday, Feb 26
Continuing to just take it pretty easy over the break. One day I do a thing…the next day I do not do a thing. I can live with that schedule.
Today I went with Building Friend to a “western” breakfast place in Gangnam. THEY HAD ACTUAL WESTERN STYLE BREAKFAST SAUSAGE OH HAPPY DAY.
Tuesday, Feb 27
I don’t believe I left the building today. I worked on my ridiculous Korean verb conjugation spreadsheet OH WHY DO I DO THESE THINGS TO MYSELF. Turns out I cannot type hangul (Korean letters) into Excel. So I have to type the words into Notepad, then copy and paste by column into Excel. So the already huge project is now OVERWHELMINGLY huge.
Oh, so, I’m taking all the verbs from the class and putting them into the spreadsheet with translations, and then entering all the different iterations of tenses, formalities, sentence connectors, verb endings, etc. To speak in general terms there are about a MILLION versions of each verb. And it was ALREADY going to take FOREVER. But now it’s taking even longer because I cannot type directly into the program.
Does anyone know how to “able” a “disabled” MIME? I’ve googled it and tried some of the suggestions…and what I DID manage to do at one point was change ALL my Microsoft Office products to Korean. And THAT was helpful.
NOT.
Wednesday, Feb 28
I think…I did not leave the building this day. I had a tutoring session, napped, and finished my book I started 27 months ago.
Thursday, Feb 29
Hyungeun Thursday! Yay! Ha ha. We went to a local Korean BBQ place that advertised soy-marinated samgyeopsal (pork belly).
Back home, once I started learning about Korean food, pork belly was something I tried and LOVED. But I made it myself at home. Marinating it in a mixture of soy sauce (for salty) and brown sugar (for sweet caramelizing), then either oven roasting it or pan frying it to fatty, flavorful perfection. It was cheap, easy, and delicious. And I was sure it would be even MORE delicious here in its homeland.
Until this week, I’d only been to KBBQ once since I’ve been here and I was really disappointed in the samgyeopsal. SO bland. Not flavorful At All. So when I saw this place that specialized in soy-marinated samgyeopsal I was excited.
But sadly, this also missed the mark. Because “dipping in soy sauce right before placing meat on the grill” is NOT “soy marinated.” That’s soy DIPPED. And is not enough to impart that wonderful soy sauce umami to the meat. So. I am still the best samgyeopsal maker 🙂
Then we went to a 술집 (sool-jib), or “alcohol house” which is essentially a bar – minus the bar. And you have to order some food item…and then you can just stay and drink pretty much as long as you want. At Hyungeun’s recommendation we ordered (and I forget the Korean name) “acorn pudding.” I was expecting cute little cups of, well, acorn pudding, but it was more like mini slabs of the pudding in a vegetable medley. It was interesting.
I’ve tried a lot of new foods here. I’m (almost) always up to trying something new. And there have definitely been some hits and some misses. But the drinking is always fun and the company is always good, so. It’s All Good (even when it’s not all good).
Friday, March 1
Today was such a good day!
I had planned a little birthday lunch for Jun (my tutor), whose birthday was on Valentine’s Day, and Hyungeun, whose birthday was just on Tuesday. There were several iterations of the plan, but in the final one we were all meeting up at a pizza place near their workplaces…and I was picking up a birthday cake on the way. The guys didn’t know the lunch was for their birthday, I’d sort of sold it as “Arie’s in town (Arie my friend from the first term who’d had to return home to the states and was back in Korea for a month just as a vacation – and she’d done some tutoring with Jun as well, so…it wasn’t like it was 5 strangers meeting up)” but really it was for their birthday.
If I’d PLANNED to have everything go wrong, I couldn’t have planned it this well. First, I got me, Jacqueline, and Ari on the wrong bus so we were going totally in the wrong direction. Oops. Fortunately Jacqueline realized and had us get off the bus…but then we had to walk like a quarter mile to another bus stop to get on the right bus. Once we got on the right bus, we were stuck in So Much Traffic because it turns out March 1 is Korean Independence Day, when, in 1919, the Koreans began uprising against the Japanese who had been colonizing Korea for mumble mumble number of years. ANYWAY, we were Just Not Moving…and it looked like we were definitely going to be late to meet the guys and I hadn’t even picked up the cake yet. I’d planned to get to the restaurant like 30 minutes early so I could sneak the cake into the kitchen before the guys got there, to be brought out after we were finished eating…but now I could see THAT was not going to happen. THEN, when we finally got off the bus not too far from the cake place, Hyungeun texted me that we would have to go somewhere else to eat as the one I’d picked closes for a break from 3-5 WHICH THEY ABSOLUTELY DID NOT DISCLOSE ON THEIR WEBSITE – I’d specifically LOOKED for a place with no afternoon break – a lot of restaurants here do that – close for a couple hours mid-afternoon, so you always have to check. GUH. So as I’m picking up the cake, I’m texting him to please please see if he can find something else in that same area, as we would be there in just a few minutes. Of course he and Jun came through and not only found a nice place that was open, but they even remembered me mentioning that Jacqueline is a vegetarian and they found a place with several options for her (which is not always easy to do). Because they are lovely, thoughtful humans who I am SO LUCKY to have met 🙂 Anyway, cake in hand, we arrived at the new restaurant really only about 10 minutes late, not that bad, considering.
I introduced everyone and we ordered and everything seemed fine. And I thought, okay, as soon as we’re done eating and clear the table, I’ll bring out the cake (from hiding under my coat). But the SECOND we were done eating, Jun asked if we wanted to move to another location for coffee. It’s common practice here to move from place to place. Coffee place, dinner place, dessert place, drinking place, etc. We all said yes, and I carried the cake to yet another location, ha ha. But when we got inside I realized it was a cafe with its own bakery…and while I suspected the answer would be no, I asked a wait staff if we could have our birthday cake here.
Ba-dump-bum. Nope. So we drank our drinks, I made a little toast about how grateful I am to have met all these lovely people, and what each of them has added to my life since I’ve been there…and I managed to not really cry (Go Me)…and then explained about the birthday cake. Birthday Fail, ha ha. Fortunately, all the cake slices were individually wrapped (each slice was a different flavor), and I had two large ziplock baggies in my purse, so at least they were able to take birthday cake to go…
BUT. In spite of all the foibles…and my disappointment that nothing was going according to plan…I still had a really nice day…and was so happy to introduce all my friends and that they all seemed to like one another. My friend from work (remember when I used to work? at a job?) said it was like a crossover episode…when the cast of ER is on Firefighters on the Go (or whatever). It’s a Very Special Episode of Bettye’s American friends meet Bettye’s Korean friends. Hee hee.
And I was actually pretty proud of myself…as I’m usually much more introverted and socially awkward, but I felt pretty comfortable sort of “hostessing” the day…making sure everyone was included in the conversations, etc.
Afterwards, both guys texted thanking us and saying what a nice day they’d had…and Hyungeun said (“if it was alright with me,” which I thought was very thoughtful) he thought it would be fun to have a little party for “the members” at his house if we’d be up for it.
Yes.
So he’s working out when this can happen while Arie is still here (she’s actually only in this area for 2 weeks and then she’s traveling a bit).
FUN. A Good Day. A Very, Very Good Day.
After we parted ways, as the guys had to get to work, we went to a nearby mall and had some refreshments at an aquarium cafe…and I sat and people-watched while they stood in an endless line for the Studio Gibli store. Then we came back here, had dinner…and called it a day.
Saturday, March 2
We all got haircuts 🙂 It was all sort of spur of the moment. Arie got a bang perm like I did last time (and it’s still holding up…from December 1!), I got a little more layering put in and a trim…and Jacqueline looks like a freaking movie star. She’s not a picture person, but trust me when I say she walked out of the salon and heads were turning!
Sunday, March 3
Today we met at a local board game cafe. Seoul is So Good about having places to go that aren’t just based around eating or drinking! You rent little private rooms by the hour and you have to order some sort of small food (I got mozzarella sticks), and then you pick a game and play as long as you want.
The adventure for me was, because it was so crowded, having to be in a “sit on the floor” room. I’m sure most of you “about my age” folks can commisserate with me on that one. And to top that…I had to climb a little ladder to get up into our second floor room! I managed to get myself up without too much difficulty…but I was a little concerned the whole time we were there about how I was going to get back down!
But I’m back in my room writing this post, so…clearly I made it back down to earth.
It’s been a busy couple of days…I can’t believe my class starts up again in just a few more days…and I’m going to have to start walking to school again and UP THE HILL, now with a bad knee.
And it’s MARCH!!!
Lisa
I love reading about your adventures! I’m living vicariously through you!!!
bettyewp
Thanks, Lisa. I feel my “adventures” so far have been very unadventury. I feel like I’m just living regular life, I’m just doing it here in South Korea, ha ha. I alwasys hope there’s SOMETHING entertaining for people about my time here 🙂
Kelley
I love your posts! So fun to read and follow your adventures. I bet you pinch yourself everyday you had the confidence to do this. I know you probably said, but when do you return? Or will you? Is it everything you expected and more?
bettyewp
I will probably return to the US (for good) only when I absolutely have to. There are many reasons, but the most immediate and personal is that it’s just too expensive on my retirement income. My daughter knows that someday she will “get me” when I can no longer “do life” on my own. Whether that means making room for me in her home or helping to set me up in some sort of assisted living or putting me in a cardboard box in her backyard. I’ll do it on my own as long as I can or as long as I can afford to…but unless I’m lucky and just die in my sleep some night in a thatched hut in an obscure village in Vietnam, at some point I’ll probably need some help of some sort.
What I did not expect when I came here was how life and time-consuming school would be. I did not estimate well at how far-reaching the lack of language would be. It’s not just talking to people – it’s transportation and doctor’s offices and the microwave and buying stuff, etc. It’s EVERYTHING. I thought I’d be able to adapt to that better than I am. And I did not expect my phone to work against me and limit my freedom and travel as much as it has. I did not expect the walking injuries I have incurred, also limiting. I did not expect to be living in a single room with no kitchen, but it just worked out that way.
So I thought I would be better able to get around and do things I want to do…but the issues above have clipped my wings a bit, so…while I do not regret coming here, and I think it will get better, so far the experience is not really living up to my expectations. But there’s still time to turn it around…and I think I’m coming into a better time of the year when due to the milder weather and lighter evenings, I’ll be able to get out more and that will be good. Just yesterday I sat out by the lake with a classmate for over an hour and it was just so nice to be OUTSIDE. So I expect things to get better.
I EXPECT THINGS TO GET BETTER. DID YOU HEAR THAT, UNIVERSE???
Maggie
Oh, I so commiserate with you about the sitting on the floor! I take my grandson to a gym program where all of the adults (young, lovely, skinny moms) sit on the floor with the kiddies. And them jump up, and sit back down as needed. And then there’s me, plopping down because my knees don’t bend and then making a spectacle of myself getting up. Ugh! Feeling like a lumbering elephant!
I’m so enjoying following your Korean adventures, Bettye. I would never have the nerve to do what you’re doing. You’re my hero!
bettyewp
Oh gosh, the floor is my nemesis! It’s gotten so far away!!!