How-To: Survive Winter in Korea, Part Two

Here in Korea, we're in the throes of (a rather mild) winter, but since I despise the cold, I've been doing everything I can to make sure I make it through my least favorite season with my spirit in tact. Part One of my "How-To: Survive the Winter in Korea" guide focused on five bits of advice that I've learned in my past two winters in Korea. Now I'll round it out to an even ten with the other half of the advice... 

Crank up the humidifier.

While your ondol has some wonderful benefits, it unfortunately also contributes to the dryness that's in the air during wintertime in Korea. After waking up with a sore throat day after day, I realized that I needed to put some humidity back into the air.

Humidifiers can be found at any supermarket chain in Korea, often for as cheap as $20-30.  

Indulge in Korean soups and stews!

One thing (of many) that Korea does really, really well is hot soups. And what better time to eat all the soups and stews than when it's below freezing outside. 

Some of my favorites include tteokguk (rice cake soup), sundubu jjigae (tofu soup), and haejangguk ("hangover" soup, which is also just delicious anytime). I recommend heading to a neighborhood spot and seeing what they have to offer -- most traditional Korean restaurants will have at least some of these, as well as a wide selection of other soups and stews.

Find some strap-on ice cleats. 

My first winter in Korea, I was dismayed to find that they don't really clear the sidewalks. This definitely varies depending on the city or even the amount of foot traffic a particular stretch of sidewalk receives, but my walk to work is basically the equivalent of ice skating. But without ice skates. 

Enter strap-on ice cleats. They look ridiculous, yes, but I for one will not be risking wiping out on the icy sidewalks. I have yet to fall on the ice in Korea, and I am not about to start now. 

My cleats came from home -- my parents had them from a previous ice storm, so they were passed on to me. You can buy you own on sites like Amazon and Gmarket, or you can look around in the sporting goods stores in Korea. If you're into hiking, these are a good investment anyway as the paths and stairs up the mountains are somewhat treacherous this time of year.

Settle in with Netflix and/or Hulu.

It's sure taken me long enough to figure out how to make Netflix and Hulu work in this country, but I have finally done it. Hibernation this winter has suddenly become a lot more convenient. 

Setting up Netflix is easy: install Google Chrome as the browser on your computer and then download the extenstion called Media Hint. Then you're good to go! Thank me later when you're marathoning TV shows instead of going out into the cold. 

Make a checklist of indoor activities for the weekends. 

Korea is full of indoor activities to keep you busy this winter. Here's a quick run down of popular and fun things to check out, with links to those previously covered by Aclipse bloggers, when you're exploring and want to stay out of the weather: 

• Theme cafes - Mustoy, board games, dogs, cats, Hello Kitty... Korea loves its cafe culture and hopping from cafe to cafe wouldn't be a bad way to spend a weekend day. 
• Museums - War Memorial, National Museum of Korea, the Trick Art Museum, or even the new National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul. There's plenty to keep you busy, indoors, and warm, while also getting you out of the house and checking off some of your "Korea To-Do" items. 

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That's all I have for my winter survival tips! Leave a comment below if you've got any additional advice for powering through the last weeks of winter. Good luck with staying warm! 

How-To: Survive Winter in Korea, Part One

I come from a place with a respectable amount of snowfall and below-freezing temperatures. While I know people from more northern climates would still scoff at my own experience with winter, I think most of us can still agree that sometimes, it's just the worst. Winters in Korea, while brutally cold, are also quite icy and grey. As I face my third Korean winter, here's the first part of my tried and true tips for surviving the cold months.

Nooooooo, thank you.

Get to know your apartment's ondol. 

Ondol, which is the Korean word for the floor heating, is one of the greatest things. Ever. There's something amazing about getting out of bed on a cold morning and feeling warmth under your feet. 

The controls are likely to be in Korean (and temperatures in Celcius), but some quick translating and converting should help you figure out the basics. The ondol control in my apartment is fairly standard, so you can expect something like that. 

Buy yourself some fleece-lined clothes.

I've been hearing that this trend is catching on elsewhere in the world, to which I say, It's about time. Fleece-lined leggings, tights, sweaters -- everything -- have been popular in Korea for as long as I've lived here, and probably even longer. It's amazing how much a layer of fuzz makes a difference, especially when you want to keep the biting wind off of your legs. 

Invest in gigantic scarves.

Giant, chunky, face-eating scarves are all the rage both in Korea and the rest of the wintery world. Guys or gals wear huge scarves without shame, largely because while also stylish, they're absurdly practical. Not only can you thoroughly wrap your neck, but you probably have enough scarf leftover to make a hood or pull it over your mouth and nose. 

Possibly the best part of these scarves, however, is that they're cheap. Really, really cheap. 

Embrace the hand warmers. 

Hand warmers were revolutionary for me. I'd never encountered them before Korea, so I was amazed when I was first handed these little warm pouches. 

Hand warmers are typically pocket-sized and you can find them in any convenience store this time of year. Some even have adorable little characters on them. 

Take your D vitamins!

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is very much a real thing, and Korean winters can be especially gray and gloomy. Last winter, the entire foreign staff at my branch got particularly mopey during the winter because we were so deficient in vitamin D. 

Finding vitamins in Korea isn't difficult, but I've found them to be somewhat overpriced. Luckily, this is where iHerb comes in to save the day. iHerb is a(n amazing) online heath food store with great shipping options to Korea. This year, to preemptively head off my seasonal depression, I stocked up on vitamin D and have been trying to take it regularly. It's been sunny so far, but the cold, dark winter months are far from over. 

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That's all for Part One, but be on the lookout for the second installment, with five more bits of advice for making it through winter in Korea! 

How-To: Teach English in Korea

Quite a while back, I wrote an article for Go! Girl Guides all about getting started with teaching in Korea. And then I totally forgot I wrote it for a few months. Recently, I've had a lot of people asking me questions about how to get a job over here, which made me remember that I wrote about it, and also that I'd totally forgotten to repost the info onto my own blog!

You can read the original entry here, and while you're at it, check out their website! Full of really great information for solo lady travelers all over the world. Definitely a great resource. :)

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Making the decision to move abroad is huge, especially when you also have to make decisions about where you want to work. When looking into teaching in Korea, the number of choices is absolutely overwhelming.

Here’s some basic information to help guide you through this intimidating decision-making process:

First, why should I teach in Korea? Is it really that great? 

Excellent question. “Why Korea?” I still get asked that regularly. For most people, when they hear “Korea,” they think of a) M*A*S*H, b) Kim Jong-Un and the bizarre hermit North Korea, or c) absolutely nothing at all. Korea is often dismissed or overlooked, which is a shame, since it’s an amazingly modern, interesting country with a wonderful culture and incredibly kind people. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that Korea is well on its way to surpassing Japan in fancy technology. Plus, it’s super inexpensive to live there, especially when you compare the cost of living to the salary you’ll make as a teacher. I’m in debt from my student loans, a car loan, credit card payments… etc. Each month, I can send over $1000 home to put towards payments and still have the money to eat out for dinner most nights, go shopping, pay my iPhone bill, and take trips around the country.

So, yes, Korea really is that great.

What do I need to get a job teaching English in Korea?

First, you need to speak English fluently. If it’s your first language, you’re golden. Actually, even if it isn’t your first language but you speak it fluently and with little to no accent, you’ve still got a chance at getting hired.

The second thing you need is that fancy piece of paper that says you graduated from a 4-year university/college with a Bachelor’s degree. Some jobs prefer an English-related degree, but for the most part, it doesn’t matter which degree you earned, simply that you did.

Also: have strong verbal skills. Speaking to a group is an important part of this job, so make sure you can see yourself in that role.

What kinds of teaching jobs are out there?

While you’ll find a variety of English teaching jobs out there, I’m going to cover the two most common types: public school and private English academy. (If you’ve got an MA and/or substantial teaching experience, look into university jobs. I don’t know much about those, so I’m not going to cover it, but I hear it’s a pretty sweet gig.)

What to expect from a public school:

• “Normal” school hours, being something like 8am to 4pm, Monday through Friday.
• Larger classes, usually at least 20 kids, many of whom you only see once or twice a week, for about an hour at a time.
• Vacation time generally reflects when the students are in school, meaning public school teachers often have more time off than private academy teachers.
• The big hiring times are geared around the start of the school year in February and then the mid-way point in August.
• It’s likely you will be one of a small number of foreign teachers at your school, if not the only one.
• Check out the following links for information about the big government programs that hire for public schools: EPIK, GEPIK, and SMOE.

What to expect from a private academy, or hagwon:

• After school hours, typically starting around 3pm and ending around 10pm, Monday through Friday. Some academies have Saturday classes, so keep an eye out for that too.
• Smaller classes, usually no more than 15 kids.
• Depending on the academy, you might have a different class each hour, or you might have one group of kids for two or three hours.
• Vacation time really varies between academies. Mine only offers 5 unpaid vacation days per year, plus two of the biggest holidays, whereas others cancel classes for every national holiday and offer excellent vacation time.
• Academies don’t have specific hiring periods — it’s pretty much a continuous/monthly thing.
• When looking into academy jobs, recruiting agencies are the popular route. Browse the following recruiting company sites for more information: Aclipse Recruiting, Footprints Recruiting, and Pegasus Recruiting. (All three of these are legit — I got my job through Aclipse and I know people who used Footprings and Pegasus — good experiences all around.)

Okay, you keep mentioning recruiters… Should I use a recruiting agency?

Ah, the big debate. Personally, I liked having a recruiter to guide me through the entire process, making sure my paperwork was in order and that I didn’t miss any deadlines. Other people just branch out on their own, contacting schools directly about a job. It’s really up to you. Overall, nearly everyone I know used a recruiter to find their job and they were happy with the process. Using a recruiter won’t cost you anything — the schools hire and pay them to find teachers, so don’t worry about that part.

Do I need to do a TEFL/CELTA certification course?

It depends on where you want to teach. For public school jobs, it is sometimes a requirement, such as with EPIK. SMOE seems to prefer you have it, whereas GEPIK doesn’t seem to care. When it comes to working for an academy, it could be helpful, and might get you a nice little pay bump, but it’s unlikely it will be required.

How exhaustively should I research a potential job?

Research until your brain can’t handle any more information. I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. I’ve been lucky with my experience in Korea because my academy has been honest and (so far) hasn’t taken advantage. But it does happen. Doing thorough research won’t necessarily give you an immunity to shady behavior, but it should decrease the chances of having a miserable experience with a stingy school director.

The wonderful Internet is a great resource for you, so use it. Type something like “expat Korea blog” into your search engine of choice and see what pops up. Message bloggers — most of them are super nice and happy to answer questions. As you’re looking into specific schools or areas, look it up! Try to get in contact with a current teacher and ask a million questions.

One resource that I was pointed to by a friend, which is very popular, is Dave’s ESL Cafe. Lots of great information, including a page of job postings and a forum. Though be warned, there are a lot of bitter, grumpy people out there, and an internet forum is just the sounding board they need… Find all the information you can, but use your judgment and take some of it with a grain of salt. When in doubt, keep researching and asking questions.

Above all, remember that if one job doesn’t work out, there are tons of others. These schools need you, and with the right amount of digging, you’re sure to find a school that’s a perfect fit. For more information about this process, leave a comment or check out this GGG post from a couple years ago — it covers some of what I wrote and also goes into depth about what happens once you’ve been offered a job!

Do you have any sage advice to add? An experience worth sharing? Leave a comment below! 

How-to: Survive the Korean Summer Heat

This blog entry was originally published on the Aclipse Blog, which is produced by current Chungdahm Learning teachers in Korea. The blog features entries on current events around Korea, advice for incoming teachers, and the best spots sightseeing, shopping, and eating. The original entry can be viewed here. It has been edited slightly for content. For more information about Aclipse and Chungdahm Learning, click here. 

Finally, everyone on the Korean peninsula breathes a sigh of relief: rainy season is over. However, the relief is short lived because with the end of the rain comes the real summer heat. Having grown up in Oklahoma and lived in Texas, I'm no stranger to stifling, humid, triple digit (Fahrenheit, of course) temperatures. The heat in Korea is not quite as intense, but it's still a humid heat, which makes staying inside as much as possible very appealing. But you live in Korea! You don't want to waste your weekends away hiding in the air conditioning! So here are some tips on what you can do to enjoy Korea this summer and still stay cool. 

You can't hide. 

Eat and drink ALL the cold things.

This is absolutely the time for everything cold, and luckily, Korea knows what's up. As you may know, Korea has a certain affinity for coffee shops and dessert cafes. Not only do these cafes have a wide assortment of iced to ice-blended coffees and fruity drinks, but there's also bingsu, aka the best summer treat ever. 

The one is from my favorite of the coffee chains: Angel-in-us. 

Bingsu is like an overachieving snow cone. Instead of just shaved ice and syrup/cream, you get any combination of red bean, ice cream, rice cakes, fruit, whipped cream, cereal... I've seen tons of combinations in the various cafes around Korea. They come in huge bowls, so it's definitely easy to share this with a friend or two. They typically cost around ₩9,000. 

If you're looking for a cold meal to take the edge off the heat, try some naengmyeon, or cold noodles. This dish will typically be a pile of buckwheat noodles, half an egg, some veggies, and broth -- with crushed ice. Yes, ice. This makes your noodles chilled and perfect for slurping back on a hot day. I'll admit, I was highly wary of these when I first saw a friend eating it, but after trying it myself, I'm willing to admit that I was wrong to be so skeptical. 

There are tons of varieties of naengmyeon, so if you've tried one kind and decided you don't like it, don't give up completely -- it took me a couple tries to make up my mind. Pro-tip: make sure your noodles are cut up with scissors before you try to eat it, otherwise you'll be slurping impossibly long noodles and it might make your experience less than pleasant. You can find naengmyeon in most Korean restaurants, and it's typically super cheap. 

Also, a summer can't go by without these being a huge part of your life: 

Ice Cup! How I love you.

You'll find these in every mart -- a pouch of liquid for ₩500, and a sealed cup of ice for another ₩500. They come in a wide variety of flavors, including bubble teas that are a tad pricier, and they're wonderful. Cheap, quick, and refreshing. And did I mention cheap? I've come to look forward to the Ice Cups making their way onto the shelves each summer. It just isn't summer in Korea without them. 

Check out indoor activities.

One of the great dilemmas of the summer is the desire to stay indoors vs. the need to go do things. If you're worried about not taking full advantage of your weekends in Korea because the heat is making you slowly melt, look into spending your time doing indoors activities.

Just look at that big, air-conditioned building.

My go-to is always museums. Korea is full of awesome museums, such as the War Memorial of Korea, pictured above, with its free admission. It really is a well-designed museum, and while somewhat depressing, it's also very informative and interesting. There's also the National Museum of Korea, which is huge and also free! I haven't been yet, but I hear it's great and would take at least a full day to completely explore. 

Right now, there are three really cool art exhibits going on in Seoul: Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, Alphonse Mucha, and Paul Gaugin. (Click each name for more information about the exhibits.) 

Admission ranges from ₩12,000-15,000. Also, just a heads up: the Ghibli and Mucha exhibits are in the same place, which is super convenient. All three art exhibits run into September.

Then there's another great fallback: themed cafes. They're everywhere in this country, ranging from dogs and cats to Hello Kitty and Mustoy Dolls. Some allow you to dress up in fancy costumes and pose for photos, whereas others have pools of water filled with fish that eat the dead skin off of your feet.

My favorite: the dog cafe. Just look how happy these children are! Best. Place. Ever.

Sometimes, I've planned an entire day around being in a particular area of Seoul so I can check out a new cafe. They're immensely entertaining, and with all the different themes, you'll definitely find at least one that interests you. For most of these cafes, the "admission" cost is that of a coffee or other drink from their menu, which is usually no more than ₩10,000. For others like the Mustoy Dolls or the dress-up cafes, you can expect to pay more due to the activity you'll be experiencing, in which case a drink is included in the price. 

Embrace the use of fans and umbrellas.

You're probably going to feel silly waving around a brightly colored plastic fan in the middle of the subway. Especially because it seems like 99% of the fans here are covered in cute animals or something K-Pop related. Or, you feel ridiculous walking with an umbrella when the skies are clear and blue, because you're used to the idea that umbrellas are for rain, not sun. (The giant beach ones being the notable exception, of course.) But here's my advice: just swallow your embarrassment and follow the lead of the Koreans. 

"Summer panda: Tommorow will be like today!" Gee, thanks, summer panda. Making me feel real good about this summer heat...

Air circulation is key. Summertime in Korea is kind of like living in a sauna, so even if you initially resist buying a fan, you'll eventually understand its usefulness and cave. Fans can be picked up literally anywhere -- from free ones being given out on the street (printed with an advertisement of some sort), to cheap plastic ones being sold near the registers in stores, or nice, fancy ones sold in touristy areas. So don't worry, if you need a fan, you'll find one easily. And I highly recommend finding one. 

When it comes to the use of umbrellas, that all depends on how sensitive you are to the sun. In Korea, having tan skin isn't considered attractive, so it's common to see Koreans walking under umbrellas when the sun is out. However, even if you don't have an aversion to tanning, you have to appreciate having a portable shade-creator. It really does cut a few degrees off of the temperature by walking in the shade of an umbrella. 

Last, and most obvious: get into water. 

Korea has beaches aplenty, as well as countless islands -- one of the perks of being a peninsula. But for quite a lot of us teachers, we aren't always in a position to pop over to the beach for a day. Even living on the coast in Incheon, the best beaches are at least a couple hours away from where I live, which makes for a long commute to and from the water.

Busan, pre-summer beach season, looking so, so inviting. 

Luckily, while beaches are often ideal, they aren't the only spots where you can cool off. For more swimming spots, check out the pools along the Han River in Seoul. Is a pool too ordinary for your taste? Check out the water sports Korea has to offer, in nearly any place that has a river. I saw some interesting ones near Nami Island, and I've seen tons along the Han River. Tubing, peddle boats, something that looks like water Iron Man... Lots of activities that will cool you down.

I bet these people are feeling nice and cool.

Recently, some of my friends and I have been throwing the idea of a water park around, eyeing either Caribbean Bay or Ocean World. Tickets to the two parks are on the pricier end of things, around ₩60,000-70,000, but for a day splashing around and acting like a kid? I'd say it's probably worth it to go at least once. I know it's definitely on my to-do list. 

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This is just a smattering of options for staying cool without sacrificing your enjoyment of summertime in Korea. I've already knocked a few of these off my list, and as we're facing quite a few more hot weekends, I'm trying to plot what I want to do next. 

Have you tried any of these activities? Do you have any brilliant ideas for staying cool this summer that don't involve refusing to leave your apartment? Leave a comment below! 

how-to: eat korean food, volume one.

since arriving in korea, i've gotten numerous questions from family and friends about korean food. do i like it? what's delicious? what's my favorite? what's the best thing to get at a korean restaurant?

so, since i'm one of those instagramming iphone assholes users that loves taking pictures of her food, it didn't take long for me to compile a short list of some of my favorite dishes.

these are just a few of the items that i eat fairly regularly, so expect more installments of this how-to later on as i eat more and take more pictures.

김밥 - gimbap/kimbap

this is one of my staples here in korea. it's the roll on the right side of this picture, and it's delicious. basically, it's rice and other ingredients like radish, egg, spam, kimchi, tuna, mayo, etc. rolled up in seaweed and sliced. very cheap, too -- usually a little over $2 for a roll that fills you up pretty well. i eat this quite a lot -- there's a gimbap house in the bottom floor of my work building and the ladies that work there know what i want as soon as i walk in.

만두 - mandu

this is another go-to meal for me. my students have huffed and puffed when i've mentioned my love for mandu because "teacha! that is not korean! dumplings are chinese!" yeah, whatever. it's cheap and it tastes good. my favorite is the mandu with the meat inside, though the kimchi ones aren't bad either. you can find these boiled, grilled, fried, or steamed, and with a variety of fillings. i've managed to actually burn myself out on dumplings a little... i can still eat a few, but i can't put away an entire order of eight like i used to... still, so delicious. 

잡채 - japchae

i've been on a big japchae kick for the past week or two. according to wikipedia, the source of all knowledge, the cellophane noodles are made from sweet potatoes. with the noodles will be a bunch of stir fried veggies and sometimes also meat. the sauce is delicious and a little spicy. usually also comes with rice, which mixes nicely with the noodles and sauce. 

파전 - pajeon

oh, pajeon. you are so good. this is sort of like a giant pancake, made from eggs and flour, but then with things mixed in. like green onions. and shrimp. and kimchi. then you dip it in some soy sauce and it makes your mouth happy. 

비빔밥 - bibimbap

another easy, go-to dish. it's basically rice with any or all of the following: egg, lettuce/green leafy things of some variety, beef, dried seaweed, radish, mushrooms... then the red pepper paste on top. you mix it all really well with a spoon and then eat! filling, cheap, and you can order it pretty much anywhere you go. 

고기구이 - gogigui (korean bbq)

i had korean barbecue once before i left home, and it was nothing like how they actually do it here. here you order the cut of meat you want and then they bring it to you. sometimes it's already nice and sliced, sometimes you have to use tongs and scissors to cut it into smaller pieces. then you put it on the grill in the middle of your table and cook it. from there, you can dip it in sauce, put it in a lettuce wrap with some other tasty things (like onions, kimchi, garlic, etc.), or just eat it as it is. 

만두 순두부 - mandu sundubu

dubu is tofu, and according to what i just read on wikipedia, the "sun" bit comes from how the tofu is prepared, and this tofu is "pure" or something, meaning it's got the highest moisture content of all fresh tofus. sure. anyway, this is perhaps my favorite thing to eat here. so much so that i've eaten it the past two days... there is a standing "tofu soup monday" thing at work -- it's what we do. it's a little spicy, but mostly savory and delicious. the soup is served boiling hot, which is perfect since you're supposed to immediately crack an egg into it. you also get a hot bowl of rice. in an empty bowl, mix some rice and soup together and enjoy. sundubu has many varieties -- meat, seafood, curry. i just almost always get the mandu one because, as i mentioned, i love dumplings. this soup is perfect for cold or rainy days especially. it's filling, warming, and just satisfying. 

now, we need to move on to the side dishes for a bit. because ohmigod, i love the side dishes in this country. there are so many! and they just keep refilling them!! it's amazing and probably my favorite part of eating in a restaurant here.

the unnaturally yellow stuff is a radish. it's okay... not the kind of radish i'm particularly fond of, so i usually skip eating that bit. plus it's just... too yellow. at the top is some kind of kimchi-like dish with cucumbers, to the left is something spinach-y (i think? i don't remember), and at the bottom is some glorious kimchi. (more on kimchi later.) 

a whole fish. minus the head and tail. at this point, i'm a professional at using chopsticks to tear into one of these and pull out all the bits of tasty meat. 

김 - gim/kim

seaweed! dried and delicious when you dip it in soy sauce. 

김치 - kimchi

when i think about a future without kimchi in my daily life, i get really depressed. i've grown so accustomed to getting a dish of this at every restaurant that i'm actually extremely disappointed (and a little annoyed) when i don't get kimchi with a meal. kimchi, for those who don't know, is usually fermented cabbage, made spicy by red chili pepper and other spices. i've also had kimchi versions of other veggies like cucumber, green onions, and radish. i was on the fence about kimchi before moving here -- didn't love it, didn't hate it, but now i'm obsessed with it. and when i get it at a restaurant here, they just keep bringing me more as long as i'm eating it! and it's good for you! not only is it full of vitamins, but it also has bacteria that boosts your immune system and might also stop you from developing cancer! (this is what the kids tell me, at least. and wikipedia.) i don't know what i'll do without kimchi in my life. 

and, to go with all of this food, when we don't want to drink water, we will get a bottle of:

막걸리 - makgeolli

makgeolli is delicious. and deceptively strong. this "rice wine" is made from fermented rice and wheat. it's thick, creamy, and you drink it out of small bowls. a couple weekends ago we went to a makgeolli house in seoul, where we tried all kinds of fancy flavored makgeolli (mango, honey), as well as some that was very old and had been served to some famous person or another. there's a spot nearby to my area of incheon that does a wonderful pineapple makgeolli mixture that goes nicely with some pajeon. 

aaaaand last, but not least, DESSERT.

빙수 - bingsu
i am so in love with this it's not even funny. pictured above is the only kind of bingsu i've tried, actually, because any time i think about getting a different kind, i look at all the delicious fruit on top of this particular one and i just can't resist. bingsu is a popular summer dessert here, being served at nearly every coffee shop, but also on the summer menus at the likes of burger king and kfc. on the bottom is a layer of shaved ice, then on top you can get any combination of: cream, fruit, green tea flavored-something, azuki beans (which makes it the popular patbingsu), bits of rice cakes, flakes of cereal or chocolate, little candies, ice cream -- it's amazing. now, this berry bingsu that i'm in love with is about $9, which i can only imagine comes from the pricey fruit sitting on top, but it's worth it when i'm feeling like a fancy dessert on a hot summer night. 

that's all i've got for this installment, but i'm already making a list for the next entry. i even got some
of my students to help me -- they made a list of about a dozen korean dishes that i need to try, apparently, so i intend to do just that. and then i'll blog about it. 

How-to: NOREBANG.

So, it has recently come to my attention that my friends and I are quite spectacular at norebang. What is norebang? 노래방 translates to "song room" and it is just that -- so think karaoke, but not at a bar in front of tons of strangers, but a private room with your friends/coworkers. AND WITH TAMBOURINES. I've been to a private karaoke room once, last summer in Austin at the Highball, so if you've been there, norebang is like that, but BETTER. 


The room rentals are decently priced, especially when you split the cost among the group. The rooms range in size, from a small one perfect for four or five people, to huge ones that can accomodate over twenty. After renting your room, you can order drinks and food (or break out the ones you've smuggled in), settle in to flip through the songbooks, and then sing your little hearts out. 

Just look at that big book of songs! And the tambo! 

Typically, norebang seems to be a popular after-bar activity. They're open late and they're a good place to go as you sober up a bit. Or, it's the place to go once you've had a fair bit to drink and you've lost all fear of singing in front of your friends. They're so, so easy to find. I'm pretty sure I can't spit in my neighborhood without hitting a norebang. Just look for big ol' glowing signs like this in pretty much ANY area that has bars. 

Thank you, random site, for the stock norebang picture. 

Before coming here, I haaaaaated karaoke. I remember actually telling a friend once that if she tried to pull me up to the stage, she would literally have to drag my lifeless body as I had every intention of going into dead-weight mode. Here, it's different. Not only do the Koreans take it REALLY seriously, but it somehow isn't nearly as embarrassing. Maybe that's the makgeolli speaking, but having a private, dimly lit room with fancy disco lights and tambourines makes this pretty damn awesome. 

I believe this was during our rendition of "Build Me Up Buttercup."

Once, after a work dinner, by boss actually led the entire staff (Koreans and expat-teachers) to a norebang room, where I got to watch my normally quiet and polite (and one that I would actually describe as meek) Korean coworkers belt it out. And rap! And dance! Even my boss sang a few songs, and was very insistent that everyone participate. 

That's Mr. Kim there on the left, holding the microphone. 

At one point he was really concerned that I hadn't done a song yet. Sadly, Mr. Kim missed when one of our Korean staff, who knows I'm a dancer and also that I know some choreography to "Thriller," played it I could dance for everyone. So, that was interesting. Talk about a team-building exercise. Especially since we were all far from drunk. 

Yeah, it was awkward.

Recently, among my friends, norebang has taken on a dresscode: pajamas. 

Striking a pose on the sidewalk. And yes, Corey is wearing a fanny pack.

Why, after a long night (or day) of running around Seoul for shopping and hanging out and eating, stay in your going-out clothes? I'm not sure who among my friends started this trend, but I'm backing it 100%. (But this is coming from the girl who would happily stay in pajamas 24 hours a day.) 


We're into it. 

Singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" like professionals, nice and comfy in our pjs.

So, it turns out that the girl who never sings is completely into acting the fool and belting out a medley of 90's pop (and some classic oldies, obvs) with her friends on the weekends. Not all the time, as norebang as a tendency to kill my voice and throat ("go big or go home" is my approach to public singing), but it's definitely become a Korean hobby that I've embraced. 

Also, so much dancing! Really, you can't help yourself. It's infectious.