Post-Korea

Greetings to whoever is reading this!

It's been just over two weeks since I have left Korea and landed on paradise and I must say, it feels AWESOME!

For those of you who follow my Twitter, Instagram, or even Facebook have seen some beautiful pictures I have taken so far in Australia. I'm spending my holidays with Dave's family and they have been more than wonderful to me. His family is so kind. Dave's dad has been driving us around and showing us all the excitement of Coffs Harbour and his mom has been stuffing us with the most delicious food (I've even gained 5 lbs in the process). She is incredibly knowledgeable in food and I'm slowly starting to forget Nigella...

Within the two weeks and some few days I've been in Australia, I have seen gorgeous beaches, roaming kangaroos, and even a huntsman spider which crawled into bed with me. I have also enjoyed an awesome belly dance performance by Dave's sister, Kate, and her dance company, Sacred Lotus.

I was also brave enough to try crocodile meat in burger form-- Mr. Snappy. It tasted like chicken, but maybe even better!

I'm told that we are going camping, fishing, and even we're even going to cook up some kangaroo meat! Just like any of my trips, food is a high priority. I must say, I have fallen in love with meat pies and if I could, I would be eating one (or three) every day. Whatever plans are set for the future I know that I will not leave here until I get to hug a koala. I always wanted to put my hands in a pouch of a kangaroo (please don't ask why), but seeing them up close made me rethink that one. So no matter how heavy, stinky, and high the koalas are, I will not leave here until I get a Facebook profile worthy picture taken.

Not having to worry about going to work or paying loans for a few weeks have made a huge difference in me. I'm back to my laid back self and trying to enjoy my life as much as I can. My next "worry" is really finding a job when I go back to the states, but life has been too good for me to be crying over it. I made it a personal goal to apply to at least five jobs a week, but the wonderful people and food surrounding me have been a "distraction". 

Hopefully I'll get to blog at least once or twice more while I'm still in the land down under, but I won't make any promises. However, be on the look out for a new blog account. I won't say much detail on it, but it will be a collaboration with my good friend Janet and it'll be really exciting!

DIY: Polaroid picture frames!

This post is very different from all of my previous posts. I should be packing, but just like a homework assignment, I like to do everything BUT what I actually need to do.

I came across this DIY project as I was cruising around Pinterest.

Instead of buying those expensive colored Polaroid films, why not make your own customized ones?

Of course, you would have to do this AFTER you have taken the pictures, but here's what you'll need:

-Washi Tape

-Scissors

Washi tapes, also known as decoration tapes, are from Japan and come in different designs and colors. Pinterest is all over it and you can find literally hundreds of things to do with these tapes. I know Target now sells some simple designs and they can also be found on websites like Etsy. These tapes do cost a little more than your average scotch tapes (around $5 a roll in the states), but it comes in lengths of 10~15 meters and they are CUTE. Another plus of Washi tapes is that they can be reused without leaving a sticky residue-- pretty much good looking masking tapes. 

This is so easy, I don't even know why I'm even posting this. Just measure and cut the tapes to the length of each side of the picture, stick, and fold back the remaining tape. I do find it helpful to cut the "side" tape in half lengthwise so you don't waste so much tape. 

If you want to kick it up another notch, add some magnetic tape on the back of the pictures and you can stick them on your fridge! The original magnetic frames cost on average ten bucks, and I am too stingy to be spending my money on those when I can make my own! 

I do enjoy the classic white frames of Polaroid pictures, but decorating them does give a personalized feel to the pictures.

Checklist for leaving Korea

It's been two years since I have taught in Korea and finally it's time to leave. However, there are so many things I need to take care of, so I figured I should make a checklist of things to do before I leave:

• Ship boxes home: In the two years I've lived in Korea, I have accumulated so many things. It's pretty much going to be impossible to pack everything with the allotted amount of bags and weight limit on the plane. I'm not one to throw things away so to make sure I don't spend a lot of money, I am going to ship everything home. Shipping boxes from Korea is fairly cheap if you go the standard route. The downside is that it could take up to two months for your box to arrive and there's a slight possibility that the box might get damaged or lost. However, most of my friends who have left before have all done this and all their boxes have arrived safe and in about a month. 
• Transfer money: The good thing about my CDI branch is that they will wire my last paycheck to my account back at home. However, I still do have some money in my Korean account. Instead of taking it all out in cash and exchanging it back at home, I'm going to transfer every last penny to my American account. This way, I can use my international Visa card when I travel, if I travel. 
• Transfer cable/internet account: This is also applicable to cell phones, but the convenient thing about Korea is that you can have someone else take over your account so you don't have to pay for any cancellation charges. The reason why my cable and internet bills are so cheap is because I signed up for the three year plan. The cancellation fee can be quite high, but it is possible to have someone take over so they can finish your plan with no extra fees!
• Sell furniture: Clothes aren't the only things I have collected in the past couple of years. I purchased furniture, appliances, and bunch of other trinkets. Since there are new teachers to replace old ones, they are more than willing to buy a lot of things. However, in the case of bigger furniture that might not sell between coworkers, you can sell things through Craigslist and other websites too. There are also secondhand stores that are willing to buy your furniture. They will only pay you a fraction, but they will come pick it up from your apartment! 
• Buy gifts: All my friends and family back home will be expecting gifts when I return. Dongdaemun and Myeongdong are awesome shopping destinations for cheap souvenirs. Socks are super cheap and come with all kinds of designs. I'm sure my friends will enjoy "Gangnam Style" socks with a cartoon Psy dancing. Beauty items are also cheap and can be bought in bulk. Hopefully I can restrain from shopping for myself!
• Saying goodbye to friends: It will be a long time, if that, before you get to see the friends you have made in Korea again. I did post a while ago a list of places you could go with friends who are leaving. For my boyfriend and me, we are thinking about renting out a cabin on Nami Island with a bunch of our friends. It will be a quick, but fun getaway with close friends. I'll miss them dearly, but I will try my best to keep in contact with them (facebook, kakao, etc). 

Perks of Korea

Here is a list of perks of Korea:

Early release movies: Ok, so not all movies, but most of the worldwide anticipated movies have come out earlier in Korea than in the states. Movies like The Avengers and Skyfall were released almost two weeks earlier and movie series such as Harry Potter and Twilight have all come out a day earlier! What's even better than early release? Cheap tickets!! Regular tickets will cost you around 8,000WON before 10PM, but after that they dip down to as low as 5,000WON. That's so much cheaper than the $12 I will have to pay back at home.

Medical procedures: If you have been following my blogs, I have gotten a few medical procedures done out here: septoplasty, laser hair/mole removal, and Lasik. Both of the surgeries would have cost me over a fortune in America (probably over few thousand dollars each). However, even without health insurance, it is affordable and more in Korea.

Food: Since tipping is not a custom in Korea, it already knocks off a lot on the price of food at a restaurant. But even without the tip, going out for dinner here is much cheaper than cooking for yourself. You can get "fast" Korean food (much healthier than the American burger and fries) for an average of 5,000WON per entree. Lets not forget how cheap alcohol is. I'm not talking about cocktails, I'm talking about the beer and the ever nasty soju. Selling at less than one US dollar per bottle, soju is all you need to get your night started (or ended).

Rent/Living: A year ago, I lived in a villa and paid around 420,000WON per month. That's not bad at all, considering it was fully furnished and water is included in the rent. This year, I live in a high rise two bedroom apartment with a roommate and we pay 600,000WON each a month. I have a full living room, kitchen, and bathroom (with a shower door) and if it wasn't for work, I would never have to leave my building. My building has three different types of gyms, few beauty salons, a pharmacy, a number of restaurants, and so much more. A place like mine back in the states would cost over a thousand dollars a month plus utilities...let's not even go there.

Shipping: I'm sure shipping something overnight is costly, but anything standard is charged by the size of the box and not the weight. The postal service workers will try to get you to ship your boxes first class, but the standard is just as good. I have sent a few gifts to my friends at home and it only took five bucks per box and a week to arrive at the destination. All my friends who ship their belongings back home when they're done with Korea end up paying around 25,000WON per box for it to arrive around a month later. Like I said, they don't charge you by the weight, but by the size of the box. Please don't mistake this as shipping from US to Korea. Only the other way around.

What's not cheap? Anything American (Hollister, Ralph Lauren, TGI Fridays). Living in Korea is cheap, but you do have to live a Korean lifestyle. But don't forget, the money that you make out here will let you enjoy your guilty pleasures here and there.

Pepero Day

Happy Pepero day!

In Korea, November 11th is the official Pepero day.

What is Pepero?
Pepero, also known as Pocky, is a long and skinny biscuit stick covered in chocolate. Although what it is best known for is the milk chocolate coating, Pepero also comes in a variety of flavors including strawberry and coffee. There's even a "nude" version of this snack, where the pretzel stick is filled with chocolate instead of coated. This simple snack is also super easy to make at home and stores even sell DIY Pepero kits!

Why is it called Pepero Day?
Since these snacks only come in the long stick form, Koreans have converted November 11th as Pepero day, the 1s resembling a stick of Pepero. Can you imagine how big this holiday must have been last year?

Who can celebrate this day?
Unlike some of the special days people have created over the years, Pepero day can be celebrated by anyone and everyone. It's not just limited to couples, it's also for family, friends, students, and teachers. Bakeries, supermarkets, and convenience stores take advantage of this day and set up big displays in their stores.

 

Pepero day this year fell on a Sunday, but I remember couple of years ago when it fell on a weekday, I went through an overload of this snack. Even after sharing with my students, I still ended up with a huge grocery bag full of Peperos given by students and other teachers. 

Korea is full of fun days like this one. March 14th is "White Day" when boys buy girls chocolates. April 14th is "Black Day" when single people eat Jjajangmyun (black bean noodles). I actually found out that there is a day dedicated to relationships on the 14th of every month of the year.

South Korea's presidential candidates

So we just found out that Obama got re-elected for a second term in the US, but what about Korea?

On December 19th of this year, South Korea will hold its 18th presidential election. Just as the elections have been the central topic of the states for the past few weeks, it's also been like that here.

Before I even get into who's running and what party they're with, I want to go over one difference between presidency in Korea and America. Unlike the states, the president of Korea may only hold office for a single five year term. This obviously means no re-election and people can move onto the next president after a term if they're not satisfied with the current.

Now, unlike the huge competition between Obama and Romney, South Korea actually has three candidates running: a woman, a lawyer, and a computer programmer.

Park Geun Hye is one of three candidates. Just like when Hilary ran for president four years ago, there have been many debates on whether or not Ms Park can actually be a good president. As the daughter of a former president of Korea (Chung Hee Park) with a political background, some say she might actually be the best candidate out of all three. Because she has so much experience, people actually believe she may help the country, regardless of her gender. Park is running for the conservative party known as Saenuri. The current president, Myung Bak Lee is also with the same party. They support free trade and favor maintaining strong ties with America. This party is also against reunification of the Koreas. Because of their conservative status, this party strongly opposes gay rights.

Lawyer and former chief of staff, Jae In Moon is running for the Democratic United party. Why does he make a good candidate? Because his party is liberal and completely opposite of Park. This includes favoring the reunification of the Koreas by first merging the economies.

Cheol Soo Ahn is probably the oddest, yet most hopeful candidate for Koreans. He has many occupations including, but not limited to politician, professor, and computer programmer. He's best known for founding an antivirus software company. Ahn is running independently, with absolutely no affiliation to any of the parties in Korea. He's the oddest because he seems to have been a surprise to everyone when he announced his candidacy. One promising hope for all the young in Korea is that he's striving to cut all college tuition by half.

As of a day ago, Mr Ahn and Mr Moon actually mentioned merging the two parties together to run against Ms Park. By merging, they will have the best chance to win. Another difference between America and Korea is that there is no electoral college in Korea. It seems it's purely won by a popular vote.

So now that America has elected its president, it's time for Korea to elect its own. As an American citizen, I cannot vote, however it is very interesting to see how citizens of both countries mirror each other during the elections.

Who do you think will be most fit to be South Korea's next president?

Restaurant: Craftworks

Here it is, another restaurant review!

I was actually going to write one on a Spanish restaurant named Bodega located in Jamsil, but it's closed down! My boyfriend and I did some research on Bodega since it was suggested by a friend and nowhere on the internet did it mention that it was closed. So, I am here to break the news. It's actually been closed since sometime around September of this year, due to reasons I do not know. We just had to find out the hard way by showing up to the place hungry to find it dark and closed up.

On a lighter note, we did find another great restaurant to brag about. This taphouse and bistro has a good selection of typical pub food as well as a few South African dishes mixed in. The beer selection is pretty good, considering the fact that it is all brewed in Korea.

Since we went on a weekend, waiting time did take a while (thirty minutes!). Although they don't have much of a waiting area, they do have a wide selection of t-shirts available with the names of the beer printed. They also have a couple of English magazines you can read while you're waiting.

The food itself was pretty delicious. We ordered some chili cheese fries, a steak burger, chorizo sandwich, teriyaki burger, and sirloin steak. All delicious. It was pretty interesting to see all orders taken by an iPod although it seemed a little inefficient since our waitress took a long time pressing all the buttons possible.

I will state that their pies were pretty disappointing. They have it on display in the waiting area and it seems like the most delicious thing ever. However, the peach pie was too thick and stuck to my teeth, while the pumpkin pie was the complete opposite. Both were served cold and not satisfying to the palate.

Do check out this restaurant to catch up with friends. It has a very chill atmosphere and they even have a few vegetarian options, including veggie moussakas and salads. They also have specials throughout the week such as wing nights, quiz nights, and all-you-can-eat pasta nights.

Craftworks is located near Noksapyeong station, exit #2. It's located on the other side of the street, but a little ways down, about a ten minute walk.

A CDI Halloween

Let's face it, Halloween in Korea is nothing like Halloween back at home in America. Kids don't dress up, there are no trick-or-treaters, nor are there carved pumpkins in front of homes.

In order to bring some of the Western culture to our students, some teachers decided to dress up. I guess it's almost become a tradition and a huge competition at my school, because there was even a prize for having the best costume: an extra hour of pay.

I dressed up two days in a row, one as a basketball player. Halloween is a perfect excuse to wear basketball shorts and a jersey to work. On another day, I dressed up as Waldo and none of my students recognized me. They guessed I was Santa.

The students also got to draw posters for Halloween. The prize was a big bag of candy and I've never seen my students work so diligently on a project.

The contest was held for the whole school and only three winners were chosen, my students being one of them. These girls were so creative and even came up with a 3D poster.

One downside to Halloween this year for the students was that it was held during the week of level up tests. As excited as they were to see their teachers dress up and receive candy, I'm sure the thought of having to take a big test disappointed them a bit.

As far as the Halloween culture for the rest of Korea, it's more popular amongst the younger crowd. Although the Korean youth don't go all out with their costumes, party promoters use the name to advertise for clubs.

If you do swing by Korea around this time of the year, check out Itaewon. This is where you'll see most of the foreigners hang out with their costumes on.

If you are trying to shop for costumes, check out Dongdaemun station exit #4. There are a few stores down a dark alleyway that sells a variety of costumes and party accessories.

Did you dress up this Halloween?

 

Seoul Fashion Week: Big Park show

This past week was Seoul Fashion Week S/S 2013 and I got to experience the runway for the first time in my life. I scored a couple of tickets to the Big Park show held at the culture hall of the Shinsaegae mall in Seoul.

I must say, it's just like all the pictures you see of fashion week. You got the VIP sitting down and busy on their cell phones and the press flashing away in the back of the venue.

There were actually more people than I think were supposed to be, since the security was not doing a great job of checking tickets. There were so many people in the room standing, pushing, and shoving each other to get to the front. Lucky for me, I pulled out my Galaxy Tab issued by Chungdahm and worked my way to the front. I guess I looked so official that people let me through. 

The show itself was pretty awesome. There was dubstep and techno style music blasting through the speakers as the models took turns debuting their clothes. I wish I got the chance to see some other shows, but it seems like gems, pleather, and patterns will take over the next couple of seasons. I think the designer, Yoon Soo Park had a very funky, yet trendy theme and I can definitely see it hitting mannequins in stores very soon. Another heads up for you fashionistas is that spikes are going to get old very soon!

Being at the show made me feel so plain with my clothes. Every guest had a funky style either in their makeup, clothing, or both. I guess I have to step my game up and take this show as inspiration for my wardrobe for spring and summer of next year.

 Unfortunately for me, my journey in Korea will end very soon so I will not be able to attend any more fashion weeks in Seoul. However, I hope this will not be my last in general. I had so much fun and would love to experience this again!

For those of you interested in going to future shows, the tickets can be purchased on Yes24. Make sure you buy it as soon as the tickets open up because everything was pretty much close to sold out a couple days after. I was lucky enough to score these tickets, but wasn't able to get any more. 

Seoul Fashion Week: Pre-event

I don't really know since when, but I started becoming more and more interested in the fashion world. I may not come off very stylish (my wardrobe definitely doesn't), but it's been a secret hobby of mine for a while now. Since the fashion industry in America seems to be more centralized in the big cities (NY/LA), I was pretty much limited to just following fashion blogs. However, now that I am in Korea I finally have the chance to feel like Mary-Kate or Ashley Olsen, wearing my big sunglasses and staring at the super tall models strutting down the catwalk.

This week is officially fashion week for Seoul, South Korea. Still lagging a bit behind those big fashion cities, Seoul is working hard to make its way up the fashion ladder. Before the official week begins, Seoul hosted a fashion week kick-off event on the 21st of October. This event included a flea market sale, a sneak peak of one of the designers' spring and summer 2013 line, and a mini concert.

The flea market was actually not as big as I'd imagined it to be. It lined the side wall of Deoksu Palace in front of Seoul city hall and it had more of a yard sale vibe than fashion week flea market. I did end up scoring a funky bracelet and some awesome fleece lined leggings all for under 4000WON!

I'm not too sure if this was related to the kick-off event, but there was a free show by Crying Nut (famous in the Korean punk rock world) in front of the Seoul Museum of Art at the same time as the flea market.

The show itself was pretty impressive. The hair and makeup booths for the models were opened up for the guests to see what happens live backstage.

The stage was set up right in the lawn in front of the city hall itself. My friends and I were pretty lucky to get seats right on one of the sides of the catwalk. Although it was chilly, the audience was so packed that the body heat from everyone made up for the decreasing temperature.

One of the cool features about this show was that it allowed unknown designers/fashion students to show off their skills. It's definitely a great way to put your name out into the fashion world as a beginner.

The sneak peak for the actual fashion show was quite impressive. Divided by different styles, these models took the stage to show off the upcoming S/S line for 2013. I'm definitely excited to follow some more shows on the actual week of the event!

The event ended with a few performances including Superstar K (Korean version of American Idol) winners, Ulala Session. I'm not too familiar with their music, but I will tell you that their vocal abilities were super impressive. They got the crowd so hype, everyone was running to the stage trying to get a picture or few of them performing.

Unfortunately for me, as a teacher, I have to work all week during prime fashion show hours. However, I did manage to score a couple of tickets to the weekend shows so please stay tuned for upcoming events for SFW S/S 2013!

My Lasik experience

I'm sure there are already tons of blog posts like this one, but I figured I'd put in my two-cents on MY Lasik experience.

What everyone should know is that Lasik is not for everyone...neither is Lasek. There are basically three options, but some eyes may not fit into any of these criteria. Pretty much from what the doctors have told me, the difference between people who have to get Lasik as opposed to Lasek depends on the thickness of their cornea. Lucky for me, I was able to get Lasik. Lasek is for people with a thinner cornea. Why I say I'm lucky is because Lasik has a faster recovery process and has less discomfort during the healing time. Lasek sounds worse, since the recovery time is much longer and you have more than one procedure. However, it is the safer option for those with thinner corneas. The third option is for people who are not eligible for neither Lasik nor Lasek. Pretty much, a permanent contact lens is inserted into your eye. So how can you tell which you are eligible for? You would have to go in for a consultation and find out.

It's recommended that you check out a few places before you decide which clinic you will have your procedure in. It's also good to go to other places because you want to know that every doctor will say the same things about your eye. Some doctors say that Lasek is an easier procedure, so that may be the only thing offered to you. The good thing about these pre-surgery consultations is that most clinics do it for free. They will even give you a price for your surgery right then and there.

I went to Dr. Moon's Eye Clinic in Suwon. This place was actually recommended by three of my co-workers in Chungdahm. They all had great outcomes, so I figured I should check this place out. This was the second place I got a consultation for my eyes. The reason why I chose this clinic and not the other (fancier, more popular) clinic was because of the price and the result. Since I knew three people who have gotten their surgery done here, I knew they would do a good job. Also, because I went by recommendations, the doctor actually gave me a very good deal for my eyes. Just note that the average price for Lasik for both eyes in America may cost up to $2000~$3000. The average price for both eyes in Korea may cost up to $1000. Also, Korea is known for their eye clinics. So what better place to get it done than in Korea??

The overall process took only an hour. That's including paperwork, pre-surgery check up, the surgery, and the payment process.

I was actually SUPER nervous going into the surgery. My heart was pounding so hard and I kept having the urge to pee every five minutes! Once I laid down, air was pumped into my pillow to secure my head from moving around. I was given the anesthesia drops, but was awake for the whole thing. The doctor started with my right eye. He clamped my eyes wide open (like they do in horror movies) and I was to stare at a red dot directly in front of me the whole time. I couldn't feel a thing, but I did see a suction cup, I heard the whirring of the laser, and I even smelled my cornea burn. It sounds scary, but like I said, I didn't feel a thing. What's even more amazing is that I saw a difference in my vision almost immediately. The procedure for both eyes took no more than 15 minutes, and that's with about 10 minutes of waiting for my eyes to "calm" down.

I had a bit of discomfort going back home since it was a bright, sunny day outside. I even had to take a series of uncomfortable naps for the next few hours. However, literally three hours later, I had close to perfect vision. What's sad about my eyes is that I have a really bad case of astigmatism. The doctors warned me that it was pretty much impossible for me to end up with 20/20 vision. However, this process will get me close enough that I will not have to wear glasses or contact lenses. This is awesome news for someone who had to wear glasses for over 19 years!