Belated Skiing Adventure Post

March 1, 1919 marked the beginning of a year's worth of demonstrations held by Koreans attempting to show their independence from Japan. Though the movement did bring about increased national unity in Korea, it didn't result in national independence (that wouldn't work out until 1945). In 1949 the date was declared a national holiday, and sixty two years later I took advantage of the day off of work to head for the hills again and ski one last time this winter.

After nearly abandoning the plan because the weather was rainy, Alison and I joined my Korean friend Harry in his trusty Hyundai and hit the road for Jisan Forest Resort, located only about an hour and a half southeast of Seoul. The resort looked pretty small on its website, but Harry had found a deal – a day of skiing, equipment rental and pitching in for gas was only going to be about $40 – so it was worth a shot. Harry's impatient driving on the slick roads almost kept us from ever making it to the mountain, but because I am a good napper (even at 9 a.m.), the near-crashes didn't faze me. If we were going down, at least I was doing what I do best.

Happy Lunar New Year!

The bus driver had some nice
flair and a lot of cassettes.

February 3 marked the start of the Lunar calendar, which is quite significant to Koreans. Workplaces (and schools) close down, people travel to visit their families, they give each other gifts (perhaps a nice set of several cans of tuna in an attractive gift box), eat special foods and play folk games. Lacking relatives to visit, I signed up for a trip for foreigners to go on a chartered bus to a ski resort, a national park and a coastal town.

The bus ride from Seoul to the High 1 ski resort in the eastern part of Korea was slow going due to the holiday traffic. The first couple hours of the trip were made interesting due to an oddly subtitled version of The 40 Year Old Virgin broadcast on the bus's movie system. Maybe it was translated from Korean subtitles back to English - the screen read "legal" when the characters would say "cool," and when a drunk girl said "you're cute," the subtitles said "you are a grace."  Weirdness of the subtitles was proportionate to the raciness of the lines in the film.

We had one evening and another day to enjoy the nearly-empty ski resort and all of its great features. A little conveyor belt transported you from the waiting gate to the spot where the lift would pick you up. At the top of each lift were extremely enthusiastic employees, some in costume, some singing, some saying "See you again," or "I love you," as you went on your way. There were many clearly-marked rest areas along the slopes, in case the journey was just too far to go without pausing for a designated rest. The snow was artificial but not icy, and all the skiing and snowboarding outfits were colorful, except for the gray one I chose from the rental shop before I knew there was a dress code. The weather was great, the views were gorgeous, and I only fell once (and I didn't even smash the sandwich I'd put in my pocket for lunch) - but there was one major, constant annoyance: speakers every 50 yards blasting songs like this:


(try this link if the video isn't showing up)

From the resort we pressed onward to the eastern coastal town of Sokcho to check into our hotel, which was just steps (about 250) from the beach. Trying to stick to the trip itinerary but always falling behind, we arrived at Seoraksan National Park much later than intended. This didn't leave enough time to hike to the summit, and tickets for cable car rides to the top were sold out for the day. The result was plan C: an easy hike until it got cold and windy, then indulging in some Korean pancakes and rice wine before boarding the bus again. The scenery and fresh air were spectacular; I hope to return in the spring or summer.

Only $150 each!

Out of the mountains and back to the seaside, we checked out a famous fish market. Tiny restaurants were tucked behind the fish, squid and crab on display in tanks large and small. Shoppers bargain for the fish, then the shopkeeper clubs the fish with a baseball bat and sends it into the restaurant to be chopped up into sashimi and a spicy soup for the shopper to enjoy moments later. One of the guys on our trip was given the pleasure of killing our dinner, which was amazingly delicious.

After a party on the final night with fireworks then a morning trip to the sauna and the beach, it was time to head back to Seoul. We stopped midway at a restaurant where I had one of the best meals I've had in Korea - local pork marinated and specially seasoned, then grilled up at the table and accompanied by almost a dozen delicious side dishes. A bus is a perfect place to sleep off a food coma.

I didn't really make regular New Year's resolutions - maybe I should make it my Lunar New Year's resolution to post more frequently. 

Hello, 2011.

With Alison and our sparklers. Sticks of fire in a small bar - maybe not the smartest idea.

Canadians, sparklers, Taco Bell, graffiti, shopping, yard-tall margaritas, Indian food, dancing and bunk beds. And plenty of soju. That's all it took to ring in the new year in a fantastic way in Seoul.

I made my way to meet Alison and her friends at Mr. Kim's Friends Guesthouse in Hongdae, a university area of Seoul. Kate, Diana, Steph and Gabby are Canadians teaching in the far southern part of Korea, which they affectionately referred to as the Alabama of Korea. We put on our party clothes and headed to a bar filled mostly with foreigners. There was some dancing, some drinks, and a lot of high spirits as we counted down to midnight. Because I am a classy lady, I began the shiny new year wolfing down a chicken taco and slipping on the ice. And then I woke up with this New Year's Party in my hair, which really impressed my new friends.

First hair party of 2011!

Climb these steps for tasty
beer & calamari.

January 1 headaches gradually dissipated as we wandered the curvy streets and narrow alleyways of Hongdae, ducking into shops when it got too chilly. We stumbled upon a great tucked-away Italian villa-like restaurant just in time to warm up with some calamari (served with kimchi mayonnaise) and toast the stroke of midnight in Minnesota with a beer. From there we wandered on and looked at a bunch of vibrant graffiti/street art/wall art that adorns alleys and shop walls. Another grand find was a store selling take-out margaritas (perfect timing to toast Alberta). Later we came across a rap battle in a park, then ate a feast of Indian food.

A tag seen several times: "Shame for sale. Inquire within."

Something's missing.

Purchases from the day's shopping begged to be shown off during a second night out. A confusing situation unfolded as we awaited our order at one bar: we had ordered six Cass and waited quite a while for the beers. Someone flagged down a server and asked if they'd forgotten. Moments later he returned with a tray of glass - six empty glasses, each with a shot glass and a straw inside. He said they were out of Cass. It reminded me of the scene from Hook where the Lost Boys are having a banquet with dishes of imaginary food. We didn't feel like imagining our beer, so we took off. We ended up at a club mostly populated by Koreans which made me feel like a giant on the dance floor (to say nothing of Kate, who's 5'11"). Just as in bars in the U.S. of A. there were some amazing dancers, some creepy lurkers, and lots of lame head bobbers. Awesome outfit of the entire weekend went to the booty-shaking Korean girl in her early 20s: Lynryd Skynyrd sweatshirt tucked into a green mid-calf length skirt, finished off with white Keds.

Heading home on the icy streets proved disastrous again. I fell, then struggled to get up, Bambi-style, in front of a Korean couple staring in awe. Back on my feet, I stuck my cold hand in my pocket to find that I had somehow managed not to smash my phone or my camera when I crashed to the ground, but had smashed my brand new lip gloss phone charm. That's what I get for spending $4 to finally fit in with the locals. 

Finally, for your listening pleasure I've included a track that is playing all over the place here in the land that is Korea. I may have cut a few rugs to this one.

Christmas!

Nothing screams Christmas like a sugary pig, wafer windmill, and candles!

And just like that, Christmas is over. It wasn't white, there was no time off of work, and there were precious few cookies. But there was blustery cold weather, ballet, an Italian feast, and plenty of Christmas cake & Cass (beer) shared with friends.

Without Christmas smacking me in the face this year, I had to take it upon myself to seek out something jolly with which to celebrate. What's that, Internet? The Nutcracker is being performed at the Incheon Arts Center on the 24th and 25th? Perfect! I asked Hani whether she thought it would sell out. No tickets, she kindly informed me via instant message. I never thought I'd be so disappointed to not pay $10 for the ballet. A moment later, she sent a link to another performance, located in a different part of Incheon. Carly and Fletcher were on board for getting some culture, so I had Hani pull the trigger and purchase three tickets. Online shopping is only a distant memory now, thanks to my lack of Korean reading skills and my possession of a bank card that is only usable in ATMs.

A helpful* pre-show plot synopsis,
demonstration of some ballet moves
 and how to properly shout "Bravo!!"
*if you speak Korean

We bundled up (-12° C seems really cold to me now) and made our way to the sleek, modern Bupyeong Art Center. The main performance hall where the Nutcracker was shown seats only about 900, so from our seats waaaay in the top rear we still had a great view. The crowd was two thirds children, who were surprisingly quiet and respectful and interested (until the end - while we were applauding, a six-year old boy showcased multiple techniques for flipping the bird toward the dancers bowing onstage). My ballet knowledge is limited, but it was impossible to not appreciate the grace and athleticism of the performers. Plus the costumes were elaborate and gorgeous, the children involved in the main party scene were adorable, and some Korean flair was cleverly inserted amid the Chinese dance scene.

Super convincing.

Probably the best thing about being at the performance was just that - being at the performance. I was in a warm theater, in an assigned seat, not needing to understand Korean, not having to deal with people bumping into me or swerving into my walking path or trying to sell me something. It was majestic. And just when I started to get annoyed with the little one in front of me leaning way forward and blocking my view, her mother pulled her back into her seat, then pulled her close for a little Christmas ballet cuddling. Warmed my heart. When things seemed like they couldn't be better, Santa made an appearance in the lobby following the show! His beard was straight, his attitude less than jovial, and the bear wearing a pink t-shirt that said "Bling" was a confusing companion. Still, people flocked to sit next to him on the bench and take photos.

Without asking Santa (Korean or otherwise) for a single thing, I made out like a bandit this holiday. New clothes, new books, treats of all sorts, movies, notecards, a tiny gong (first item in the SoKo edition of my collection of tiny things), plus coffee and a tiny message in a bottle from Carly and Fletcher (second item in the collection). They presented the lovely gifts when they joined me for Christmas dinner at an Italian restaurant in my neighborhood. Salad, spaghetti, pickles, garlic bread, and tangerines made for a well-rounded meal. We then retired to my apartment with pizza, beer and Christmas cake (this tasted like chocolate-infused butter) for Christmas movie watching. Though I couldn't experience it in its VHS glory while surrounded by my family, thanks again to the wonders of the Internets I was able to expose Carly and Fletcher to the wonders of a 1987 classic: Muppet Family Christmas. Or as Nathan used to say, Muppet Fammy Kimmis. I'm sure a Christmas exists that doesn't include the Muppets, the Sesame Street gang, Fraggles AND a cameo by Jim Henson, but I don't want to know what it looks like.

Almost Christmas??

Simple decorations at Bupyeong Market.

Were it not for the calendar, peoples' holiday-themed Facebook updates, and constant singing of Christmas songs in class - this week is Mariah Carey's huge hit, "All I Want for Christmas (Is You)" - I might not even know that The Big Holiday is fast approaching. Oh, and the awesome Christmas care package I received from my mom was a helpful and delicious reminder.

The mild temperatures and lack of snow here are tricking my system - usually garbage weather and piles of snow are easy indicators that fun holidays are around the corner. More than that, though, is the refreshing lack of Christmas commercialism being shoved in my face. There are a modest amount of holiday decorations and I've seen some Salvation Army bell ringers and a band playing carols. But similar to the reaction to North Korean aggression, life goes on as normal when Christmas approaches. No blowout sales, extended shopping hours, special packaging or obnoxious commercials. The stores are already open late, and the vast underground markets (and ubiquitous street vendors) encourage constant shopping rather than just special occasion shopping.

When I've spotted Santa, he's usually been memorable or creepy:

Rappelling?

Playing accordion.

Doing gymnastics.

Not wearing a shirt.

Turkeymania

I'm thankful for preservatives and the USPS.

My large, well-equipped apartment is an excellent tool for trying to make people be my friends. So I had a Friday night dinner party! Luke scored big points by sending me a package of Thanksgiving things. I whipped it all up for my Tennessee friends using my two-burner stove and my toaster oven. It definitely takes more strategizing when those are my only resources (plus a microwave), so we'll see how my cooking skills develop this year. I'm pretty pleased to have made the following and sustained only one toaster oven burn:

• Stuffing skillet (green beans, corn, carrots, cream of mushroom soup, turkey spam, chicken (to lessen the potential nastiness of the turkey spam), and stuffing on top)
• Candied yams
• Garlic mashed potatoes (ok, ok, they were instant)
• Turtle brownies

Going, going, gone.

Quite delicious. But between the pizza and beer fest and the Stovetop stuffing bonanza there was a second Thanksgiving in Seoul last Sunday. I was a little confused, believing I was going to an American Thanksgiving meal at a church - when in fact it was an American Thanksgiving meal to be served after a church service. The church is very welcoming to expats, and they even gave me a pen and journal and a nametag. The focus was pretty musical - many, many songs were sung, most of them in Korean and English at the same time, which resulted in feelings of schizophrenia. Surreal moment #894 of my time here occurred during the service: at one point I was holding hands with two Korean men while the pastor led a prayer about North Korea not starting a war. How did I get here? More songs, then I stuffed my face with salad, turkey, chicken, ham, rolls, corn, potatoes & gravy, and a couple of Korean side dishes. After pie and coffee I had to waddle out of there, cursing myself for not having worn sweatpants. Alison and I recovered by window shopping and lounging in an Indian restaurant, smoking hookah. So definitely not a shortage of Thanksgiving cheer and food - maybe Christmas will turn out to be a week's worth of celebrations as well.

Thanksgiving, Korean Edition

A feast.

Just another day in Korea, this fourth Thursday of November. No day off of school, no special events (unless you're in Seoul), no turkey to be found. So I was determined to spend the holiday with some familiar faces - those of my new Tennessee friends, Fletcher and Carly. We made arrangements to meet in Fletcher's neighborhood for pizza and beer and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - nothing could've sounded better to me.

But then Google Maps lied to me. A supposed 40 minute bus ride turned out to be an hour and 20 minutes. I think an approximate comparison would be riding from Eagan to Brooklyn Center without any highway usage. Amid heavy traffic and construction. [insert deep, calming breaths here] Such a helpless feeling: sitting on a bus, without a cell phone, not exactly sure where you're going, knowing people are waiting, worrying they are eating pizza without you, on Thanksgiving, in a foreign country. I finally arrived in Fletcher's neighborhood, and after emailing and calling from a PC bang I was able to find him and Carly. The pizza was still hot, and we bought more cold beer to supplement what I already brought along. Plus they had cookies for dessert. Finished the night with some Korean Cranberry Almond Crunch (kind of Thanksgiving-ish, right?). Sending everyone warm, fuzzy holiday wishes since yours is just beginning!