Jibeuro 집으로

"Love makes us lessen our selfish and self-centered view of the world. Even the smallest kind word, or gentle loving gesture, has repercussions in the infinite…"- Lama Surya Das 

I saw this movie a little while back ~ and it was so adorable, it must be shared!

JIBEURO- The cutest, most heart-warming story about finding unconditional love in the most unexpected places.

It is the story about a young, big city boy, who is forced to live for a while with his grandmother in the countryside. The transition from being a spoiled brat, to becoming a country boy is hilarious. Even though the grandmother cannot speak, she demonstrates her love for her grandson in daily actions. From catching a live chicken to feed him "Kentucky Fried Chicken" to slaving away to clean his mess. Ah~ It absolutely made me miss my grandmother <3

I found it Youtube with English Subtitles & I fully recommend this classic Korean movie to all!

Ttukbaegi Bulgogi (뚝배기 불고기)

My all time favorite Korean lunch time- or late at night- meal is by far:

Ttukbaegi Bulgogi ^_^ (beef in a soy sauce marinade) cooked with vegetables and glass noodles in a broth & the infinite and oh so delicious famous Korean side dishes. 

Bongeunsa Temple (봉은사)

What is this Catholic girl doing, praying to her own God, on our grounds? -

But how could I not? I took the liberty of using these peaceful Buddhist grounds and turning them into my sanctuary for a few hours. I grabbed one the cushions, positioned myself crossed legged, and just meditated. I had never done anything like that, anywhere in the world, but I must admit it did not feel as weird or hippy as I imagined it would. It felt surreal and comforting that other people were there meditating as well. After I don't know how long of meditating, I prayed... yes to Jesus, not to the Buddha.

HISTORY-This awesome Buddha happens to have similarly cool history-  It was built in the 10th year of Shilla King Weongseong's reign (794) It hold thousands of Buddhist scriptures AND if you so chose to, you can even stay in the temple for a few days and learn from practicing monks the Korean Buddhist culture..... tempted. Maybe.

                                         Directions: Take Subway line 2. 
                                Get off Samseong Station. Exit 6
            Walk straight passing Coex Mall , the turn left at the light.

                 

                                        

                                      

광장시장 - Gwangjang Market

The best way to describe this market is: The area in Seoul most likely to have Anthony Burdain as a regular costumer. 

If you're looking for the real Korean food, people and atmosphere in Seoul, look no further than the Gwangjang Market. It is equally overwhelmingly crowded as it is awesome! From the fresh food, appetizing looking booths, to the pig faces and vibrant red spicy Kimchi, this place is fantastic. Don't expect fancy, expect to be pushed, bumped into and to sit up close to others ..... and if you're lucky, or patient enough, to find a seat in one of the restaurants, make sure to "GomBae 건배 " your neighbors.

Directions: Take Subway line 1.
Get off Jongno 5-ga Station. Exit 8

Tom's Cat Cafe

Even more proof that Korea is the cutest country in the world!
CATS & DOGS CAFE! 

I must confess, I am not an "animal" person whatsoever. In fact, I have a serious phobia of big dogs, to the point where I hyperventilate on the spot if I see a big dog coming towards me. But that's another story. The point I'm trying to make, is that even if your heart doesn't melt over these creatures... these cafes are the cutest places & a MUST SEE.

They provide hand sanitizer upon arrival and departure, along with lint roller (because yes you will need it) Also, they give you a bag to place your purses/jackets, and lastly, if this is really the place where you develop a love for cats, guess what? you can actually buy the food and feed the little mignons.

Yes, the coffees are ridiculously overpriced, but that's because you're actually paying for maintaining the little kitties & I  must add, it was actually a pretty good Caramel Macchiato. Anyways, they have many of these fun Cafes around the city. I think I will overcome my fear of dogs, and go visit the Dog Cafe next (only because they are puppies, of course)

  DIRECTIONS: 

They're everywhere around Seoul!
But this one in particular is Tom's Cat Cafe in Hongdae.

Hongik University Station (Line 2) Exit 9
 I won't even try to explain where haha but Click here for the Naver Map. 

Cookin' NANTA

HILARIOUS!

I have been so intrigued by this show, and for a while I've had the urge to go see it. A few friends from class recommended it, and there are advertisements for it everywhere around the city! So, since I had two awesome guests to entertain, I decided to go and...... what a great time! I recommend everyone go see Nanta!
The good thing about this comedic performance is that it is aimed for tourists. It is a non-verbal performance, so even if you know even less Korean than I did when I first arrived (as in, nothing) than this would perfect for you. The play is energetic, interactive and extremely funny! (and with a really really cute guy haha)
Don't make the same mistake I made though, make sure to get your tickets on line! As there are better discounts via internet or if you purchase them through the tourist organization office.

Click here for location, tickets, and times information

ps: During the show, they asked for volunteers .... and of course.... my Father was chosen!! What a blast 

                            

Noryangjin Fish Market

My parents kept repeating how impressed they are that I have expanded my eating habits. Truthfully before Korea, a meal for me consisted of Chick-Fil-A and cold stone (oh man, how I miss CFA!) Hahaha

Well anyways, they were surprised to see me eating seafood! Octopus, squid, vegetables, etc. were just not on my diet before. As a result of my new love for seafood, I decided to visit the Noryangjin Fisheries! and WOW! INCREDIBLE! (Maybe because this isn't my thing, so I had never seen anything like it) but it is quite impressive. The fishes are so fresh out the water, some are even still bleeding. However, it is a wholesale market, therefore there is not necessarily a huge difference in prices, but man talk about quality. Another convenient aspect of this market is that if anything looks appetizing, you simply choose your dinner, and go upstairs to a mini restaurant and they bring it to you. We didn't try any, but I'm definitely going back for some...

Directions: Take Subway Line 1 and get off at Noryangjin Station.
Walk over the bridge (and just follow the signs)
and be guided by the smell :) 

My Sassy Girl

Korean Movies 

I just watched the absolute cutest Korean movie ever! If any random night you have 2 hours of free time, I recommend everyone to watch it. It has become probably top 5 on my Best Romantic Comedy list. It's not a total chick-flick though, I was laughing hysterically ^_^  

The English name is: My Sassy Girl. The full length movie is on youtube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuyX_3V-98o
(Oh yeah, I guess there was an American remake of it.... Haven't seen it, but watch the Korean version with Eng subs. I can guarantee it is way better!)AND, I actually learned/noticed a few interesting facts about the Korean culture. For example: 

• Respecting of Elders > Being a Gentleman & giving up your seat
• The 100th day of a relationship is equivalent in importance to western anniversaries
• Even at 25 years old, it's common to be beaten by Mothers for staying the night out.
• Drinking.... A LOT
• and the run-away soldier scene & the mandatory service for men. 

In conclusion: See ex-boyfriends, aren't you glad I wasn't this chaotic? ;) 

 

Museums .. Part I?

The story of King Sejong:

This guy, was cool. One of the most beloved figures of Korea. The museum is exceptionally awesome because it's underground and one of the entrances is behind a huge statue of him in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square. He was the renowned King that ruled from 1418-1450. (The 4th king under the Joseon Dynasty) His major achievement is the creation the Korean writing system of Hangeul!! I mean what a genius, right?! To create a whole language?  But from going around the museum and reading his quotes and whatnot, it was evident that he was also a very charismatic and trustworthy leader; coincidentally also deeply loved by his people. My rating for this museum: 4/5 (only because there was not that many English explanations so I missed out on a lot of information haha)

The Story of Admiral Yi Sunshin

Another awesome fella. He also has a prestigious huge statue in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square. He was the prominent commander who protected his country during the Imjin war!!(aka the Japanese invasion of Korea) probably one of the most taboo topic in Korea from what I've heard. You know how they say to never talk about Religion, Politics or Money? Let's just say that in Korea, you should also never talk about Japan, and if they are, it's probably not anything nice.... At any rate, not only is he famous for his intellectual battleground war tactics, but he also happens to be the creator of the famous "Turtle Ship." This was the main battleship of the Korean Navy, and according to the museum, the world's best assault ship of the time. Arguably, the tactic that helped defeat the Japanese! In the museum there is a replica of this ship, and pretty interesting reads and artifacts about the numerous battles faced throughout this war. One of  my favorite quotes and also his most remembered is: 

          "If you are prepared to fight to the death, you will live. 

If you avoid battles to preserve your life,
you will die"

Admiral Yi, 1597 

National Museum of Korean Contemporary History

One of my top favorite museums I have ever visited... thus far. It's pretty cool that when you enter, the first floor is barely the "Prelude to the Republic of Korea" & it includes every piece of important information such as independence declaration and movement (again the suppression and information about the Japanese occupation) and flag history!!! Finally I learned: The flag is referred to as Taegeukgi and the meaning of all of the colors/symbols, in my opinion is one of the most creative and unique representations (I say this partly because where I come from, the majority of the flags are Yellow, Blue and Red, and most have the same meaning. After independence, people should've been more creative in S. America!!) Anyways, that's besides the point haha SO the flag: The Blue and Red obviously represent the Yin and Yang = the perfect peaceful balance. The four trigrams around the center represent: Earth, Fire, Water, Heaven. And all of these merge together to form a balance and peaceful oriented flag, that represents the ideology and values of Koreans. I'm sure if you google this, there's probably a more sophisticated and educated answer haha but I thought it was pretty cool to see and learn in person. Anyways..... back to the museum. Every floor focuses on different time periods of the country. So floor 3 focuses on the founding of the Republic. From building a modern nation, to post-war recovery and it touched around the international efforts that aided Korea (this was around the era of World War II, so this floor was full of history) The next floor was the development of the country. There were awesome exhibitions of urbanization and economic growth (such as car replicas of this time period, as well as pop culture icons) AND lastly, the 4th floor was by far the COOLEST. It was the modernization and "Korea's vision of the future" Oh my gosh. So awesome! There was an exhibitions of all of the cell-phones during the past 10 years from the big brick ones up to the latest iphones/ipads as well as 4D presentations about smart houses and the advancements of technology. I loved it! It was like going through 100 years of history in 4 floors. I rate it 5/5 ! 

and lastly,

The National Folk Museum of Korea

This one was interesting if you are keen and more into the socio-cultural history of Korea. There were exhibition rooms ranging from the typical and traditional Korean Wedding attire (and also included the traditional wedding gear for other Asiatic countries) Then, there was "History of Korean people" exhibition where it dated back to the cave-man, agricultural, rural, indigenous beginning humans of this place (lol, sorry for the language) and how they lived "back in the day". It was interesting but then again, we were all underdeveloped humans at one point, so I'm sure it was not that different to what other museums may say. My favorite part of this museum is that for the most part, it used replicas to explain all of the details. So the costumes,places, food, and artifacts depicted all throughout are very interesting! Definitely can spend hours here just walking around reading and seeing everything. Another reason why this is a definite stop for any visitors, is that it is located right next to one of the coolest Palaces! So overall I really enjoyed it, and as if my opinion matter whatsoever, I rate it a 3.9/5

                                               

Christmas & New Years!

Christmas

Yes Koreans celebrate Christmas, but just a little bit different than the western world is used to. I liked the fact that the typical event during Christmas day, is surprisingly attending Church! (Given the fact that 1/3 of Koreans are Christian) When I asked my students if any of them had any plans, the majority of them said going to church was the only event planned for the day. BUT for the most part, I was so shocked to find out that Christmas is typically more of a lovey dovey holiday. Only couples celebrate the gift exchanging tradition & it has more of a "Let's go party" feel to it, rather than a family holiday. I also heard of this cool plaza where apparently single people go on Christmas to find Love <3 Kind of like a huge blind date/speed dating event out in the open. For this past Christmas, I read 36,000 people signed up! See full article here.  I didn't go obviously, but man if by next Christmas I haven't found my Korean boyfriend yet, I'll know where to go find him next December! :)  .... (Obviously joking, duh!)
ALSO, another fun fact, is that apparently Christmas cakes are the thing to have for Christmas. Bakeries have over the top decorated cute little cakes and everyone must have some on Dec 25. I didn't know at the time but I actually had one that my friend Lindsay brought to the Christmas party. Cute & fun tradition!

 New Years 

This holiday is also nationally celebrated, but there is more emphasis on the Lunar New Year (which I'm not too sure when that is yet, but I do know that because it is a holiday we get some days off work, woooo!)
So NYE did not have the big enthusiastic, romantic feel to it that it has usually had for me in the past. At least contrary to Christmas, for Koreans NYE is more of a family gathering event. It feels like these two holidays are celebrated completely opposite than how Americans celebrate it. A very cool tradition that I hope to one day experience myself is that in Korea one of the most known "thing to do" for New Years, is to watch the first sunrise of the year! Everyone made their way to watch the sunrise at dawn on January 1st ... except me because that night was so cold and full of unbearable snow. No way. Oh yeah and lastly, there's also a Plaza "Times Square" style where they do the official countdown to midnight. Instead of a ball drop however, there is the "Ringing of the Bell" right at 00:00am but every person that has ever gone will tell you to NOT go because it is ridiculously overcrowded and you're barricaded within the crowd for hours (see, kind of like New York)  ... For me, I welcomed the new year 2013 in Itaewon, Seoul! With new friends, co-workers and fun Koreans ^_^ (For pictures, go to the "Pictures" Tab) 

New Korean President!

2012: Overwhelmed with presidential elections

So this year I was bombarded with three very important presidential elections. Man, 2012! What a year!  1) The most heart-breaking and devastating news on October 7th during the elections in Venezuela. No need to repeat what happened there. THEN 2) In November, my first time ever voting as an American citizen! Mr. Obama wins and then, just as I  thought it was over:  KOREA HOLDS ELECTIONS!

I did not know much about the candidates or their campaigns, pros, cons. history, heck I was not even aware it was election year here. Until I arrived, and coincidentally ended up in one of the rallies for candidate 2 in the center of Gwanghawmun Square. I think it is safe to say, that the publicity and propaganda these candidates use (as well as for regional elections) are the most clever I have ever seen! For example. they have vans of mobile "FlashMob dancers" that go all around the city, stop at crowded places, and do their "thing" I was lucky enough to see and record one of the vans. I wish I could have joined. Whoever you were, if I was Korean, you sold me with your dancers, you had my vote! 

On a more serious note, as we may all be aware, the winner of the presidential elections
was a WOMAN.

                                              Congratulations Park Geun-hye! 

                                                 

Ms. Park ran for presidency in a country that is "still a traditional society
where, despite some strong inroads in business and government, women’s most
important job is still considered to be raising children." 
NY Times 

I have not been here for long, so therefore I do not claim to know much about the situation, but I found it interesting that most of the few Korean friends I have on facebook, were clearly discontent with this outcome. As I became aware through further research, she is none other than the  daughter of South Korea’s longest-ruling dictator! Mr. Park Chung-Hee. He was the General that lead the military coup and served from 1961-1979. I need to educate myself more on the circumstances of the country under his regime, but from what I've heard, it was a very similar scenario as to Argentina's in the "dirty war." Multiple similarities of governments known for homicides, accusing and torturing many innocent dissidents. I even read he banned rock music and miniskirts!  Anyways, I hope the best for this country (especially since I live here now.)  Even though the words: Dictators, Communist, Socialism and all others that do not equal Freedom are a scare factor to me, at least she carries the hope that by being the first female president, social and cultural status quo will change! Oriana Pina for President- Venezuela 2025? ;)