The Sound of Life

Senior year of college, pretty much every meal I did not eat in the company of my friends was shared with SportsCenter and House Hunters. In Korea, I don't even have an operating  TV,  and you can't watch much from the US online.

no Amazon Instant Video.

no Netflix. (= no FNL or Gossip Girl...)

no Hulu... you can watch movies on iTunes though

my friends like to rub this in...

no ESPN.

The worst though was when Spotify stopped working. Goodbye music. 

sad day.

However, what I missed the most, after my family and friends -- and American grocery stores and ovens and shower curtains -- was the noise. 

I loved Sundays in New York. They were pretty routine for me and full of sound. Around 5:15pm, I’d take the subway from the UWS down to church in Chelsea. The train would arrive, screeching to a stop on the tracks. I’d get on and ride, usually entertained at some point by a mariachi band or a group of “Iiiiit’s showtime!” kids. 

At 23rd Street, I’d climb back above ground, welcomed by cars honking and laughter spilling out of bars onto the sidewalks. Once, I arrived at St. Paul’s, I’d immediately be lost in melodies being lifted to the heavens as the bass drum rattled the ancient floorboards and the setting sun illuminated the pastel stained glass windows on cue.

Afterwards, I'd stop by Donut Plant with friends or else walk on clouds back to the 23rd Street station where there’d always be this guy singing “How Great is Our God” with his guitar. His presence was always a great “bye, see you next week.” 

And I’d get back on the train feeling alive.

And I’d know that the city was alive because of the noise. Constant, like a heartbeat, letting you know it was still in this thing. Because of the shouting, the talking, the singing, the laughing, the swearing, the clinking of glasses, the barking of dogs, the trumpeting of horns, the noise. 

Here, where I am in Korea, it can be so quiet. 

Some nights when I’m walking home, I feel really vulnerable. Not unsafe, just exposed, like the whole world knows where I am because the heels of my boots send out sonar signals, piercing the silence with nothing around to muffle the sound. There aren’t even any buzzing cicadas like in Charlotte to accompany my footsteps, only these rabid behind looking raccoon dogs and a few nasty alley cats.

When in the main part of town, occasionally I hear the faint sounds of middle aged men belting “Dancing Queen” from karaoke rooms on the upper floors of high rises, or I’ll see a pack of drunk teenage boys slurring jokes amongst each other. But that’s about it. It’s quiet.

Comparatively, one might say there’s no life here, but as long as it's not silencing the voice of truth and justice, perhaps the quiet isn’t so bad. It’s just a different way of living, and if we’re measuring noise like vital signs, looking at the extremes, my town in Korea may be comatose, but it's quite possible New York’s going into cardiac arrest, plagued by some sort of arrhythmia where it's simply doing too much, trying to prove it's alive.

In the Bible, a lot of the big characters -- Jesus, David, Moses... -- spent a substantial portion of time alone in “the wilderness,” where it’s quiet, where there are no distractions, where you can hear yourself think, where you can hear God and remember whose you are.

But as a human, you can’t stay alone in the wilderness forever. Right? You'd go Castaway.

So, what decibel should we be living in? I don’t know, but hopefully while I'm walking here in the quiet, I’ll be able to hear something good, some whispers of life that the noise would otherwise drown out. We'll see...

Observations

I’m almost 25% through my teaching contract here. In the past few months, I’ve noted a few differences between the U.S. and Korea, not trying to claim cultural superiority for either country -- I'm in no position to do that, just observing. Here are a few random things I've noticed:

• Korea has really small trashcans. Like almost all trashcans are office paper baskets. And good luck trying to find a trashcan on the street. It’s worse than trying to find one in Midtown. (Interesting fact: there are no trashcans in Midtown because the police are trying to cut back on places for terrorists to hide bombs. A police officer told me that once, I think.)

• There are a lot of “love motels” in Korea. I probably don’t need to explain that... A lot of married people use them. Conversely, or likely actually associated, prostitution is a huge problem here but is kept really hush-hush. Every night after I leave work, I walk over a slathering of call girl business cards on the sidewalks. That makes me sad. In my opinion, people should never have to sell themselves to make ends meet. The U.S. also has an atrocious prostitution and sex trafficking problem...*

• On a lighter note, a lot of restaurants here only serve water. If anything, they'll have water, beer, and soju.

• Also on restaurants, no one takes to-go boxes. So much food goes to waste.

• Most people don’t wear wedding rings. How do you know who’s single or who shouldn't be flirting?

• Scented toilet paper is really popular. If you're not into that, it's wise to carry a plain variety in your bag.

• Homeplus -- like the Target of South Korea -- closes every other Sunday to give local businesses a share of the market competition. That’s really cool. Would Walmart ever do that? No. Never. (Never say never.) Ok, it's extremely hard to imagine them doing so.

• Pharmacies here aren’t like CVS or Walgreens. There are very few medications that you can just pick out yourself and buy. Over the counters are actually over the counter. So, if you don’t speak Korean or you need meds for something that might be embarrassing to gesture, it’s probably best you take a picture of what you need and show the pharmacist.  

• In the English academies, the kids go by their “English name.” I don’t really like this. I feel like they should just be allowed to use the name their parents gave them. Make the English teachers learn to pronounce them.

• Korean heating works through this system called ondol, which is basically floor heating. Personally, I’m not a fan. I mean, it would be cool in like a spa or if you sleep on the floor -- which isn’t uncommon here, but I don’t really like having hot feet. Plus, I’ve been doing this ab workout a couple times a week, and the hot floor makes it extra uncomfortable. I know a lot of people who love it though. Personal preference, I suppose.

That's all I've got for now. I'll let you know if I think of others. Cheers.

* If this is a cause you're passionate about fighting, check out these organizations:

Uganda and South Sudan - http://childvoiceintl.org/

Thailand - http://shethailand.weebly.com/

Nepal - http://mountainchild.org/

U.S. - http://restorenyc.org/

Street Food

Usually during for holidays I bake for my coworkers, friends, and students. Pumpkin bread, gingerbread-pumpkin ice cream sandwiches, molasses cookies, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are my fall and winter staples. However, now being without an oven, I have no idea what to give people. Sigh. I think food might be my love language. Is that be possible? I mean, some of you may know of my not-so-secret, joking-but-not-really ambition of starting a food truck...

In New York, street food is taken seriously, and there're amazing food trucks everywhere. Since being here in Korea, I've only seen two food trucks, but there are a ton of street food stands, and a lot of their menu items are quite tasty. Here are some notables I've tried:

Hotteok- fried dough filled with cinnamon and sesame seeds. Delicious.
There's also a savory variation with vegetables; I haven't tried that one though.

Corndog- Notice the layers. That's because it's battered and
fried twice. Heart attack? Yes. Delicious? Yes. I've also seen these
battered in french fries and then fried. That's a little too much
for me...

Tteokbokki- rice cake in sweet, thick hot sauce. The rice cake is kind of
like a solid piece of penne made from rice flour instead of wheat. I didn't
like it at first but now I find myself craving it.

Fish cakes- squiggly, boiled fish-flavored snack on skewers. Back in the
day, these were made from real fish, but now, they're only fish flavored.

Ho Ppang- warm, chewy steamed red bean bun. So good,
especially on a cold day. Comfort food.

Pomegranate Juice- supah fresh. And healthy! And typically only 4,000 won.

Some other satisfying things you can find on the street: kimbap, fish shaped red bean pancakes, walnut cakes...

There are also a lot of things I've yet to try/have no desire to try...

Sidewalk oyster and sushi bars. Convenient.

Egg breads. Like an egg sandwich.

Poop bread. Yeah, I don't know why. Chocolate filled bread, I think...

Various deep-fried vegetables and shrimp. 

Silk worm larva. And that is where I draw the line. It's probably just
the word "larva"...

Other things I see a lot but haven't tried: roasted chestnuts, grilled and dried squid, grilled corn on the cob, potato chip swirl things on skewers, custard filled churros...

Street food. Tastes good. Not the best for you, but hey, moderation, right?

Hongdae Playground

Last night, my friend and I decided to make an impromptu trip to the "Hongdae Playground." It's a graffitied up park area that's become a sought after venue for street performers and underground musicians.

Once we found the playground, (it's adjacent to this Smooth King), we learned that it was karaoke night and enjoyed a few performances. I kind of wanted to sing (#yolo) but decided to play spectator instead. Since we hadn't planned on staying out all night, we had to leave at 11:00pm to catch the last subways and buses home, but that was when things were really just starting to pick up. We wished we could've stayed longer.

During the warm months, the park is packed, so hopefully we'll make it back then and get to stay out later. But anyway, here are a couple of the acts we watched yesterday:

(WARNING: this one contains some expletive language)

Mixtape: Thanksgiving 11.28

Play:

1--- Apparently, there are places you can grub for Thanksgiving in Seoul, but I didn't know about them, so instead, I'm sitting in my room listening to Drake and Lecrae (his new album is free!).


2 --- I'm thankful to have an awesome family and amazing friends all over the world. Told them not to send me anything. Got two huge surprise packages anyway.

3 --- Been reading these every morning and night. Good stuff:
http://52daysofthanksandpraise.com/



4 --- "33 Signs You're a New Teacher:"
#2, #8, #9, #12, #14, #16, #22, #23, #27, #28, #29, #30, #33
http://www.buzzfeed.com/antwaunsargent/signs-you-are-a-new-teacher



5 --- One of my kindergarten classes has twin boys in it. When this happened, in my mind I shouted, "Let the boys play, ref!" because recently my inner monologue has been quoting Remember the Titans in excess... Thankful I sometimes get to laugh at work.

6 --- In the words of Nicki Nick, "No. I'm not lucky I'm blessed." Thanksgiving is a lifestyle. Trying to be about it. 

Easy Stovetop Chili

Being that I got home at 7:30 am this morning, I planned to take it easy for the day and decided to make a real meal for myself since of late I haven't bothered with much besides soup and boiled potatoes. 

Chili was on my mind. As they say, you can take the girl out of the South, but you can't take the South out of the girl. (Do they say that? I don't know.)

Here's the recipe I was working from. I amended it to work for my limited kitchen and selection of ingredients. 




Easy Stovetop Chili:

You'll need:
- approximately 300g ground beef (I think I bought ground beef...)
- 2 chopped onions
- 4 cloves minced garlic (I used about 10 because I had a ton...)
- salt to taste
- 1 can whole tomatoes
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 jar tomato sauce





1. Cook garlic, onions, and beef until meat has browned. Drain.

2. Stir in canned tomatoes and tomato sauce.

never put the chili paste in. was good without.

3. Cover and simmer for 40 mins.

4. Add beans and cook uncovered for about 15 mins.

wish that was cornbread instead of rice bread, but you use what you've got

I didn't realize chili was so easy to make. This will likely be happening again in the future.

Night Out in Hongdae

This year on my birthday, I was sick but sucked it up and kept my plans to visit another town in Korea with a few friends. However, on the way to the meeting spot, my phone broke, so I couldn't find them. I tried to redeem the day by getting lunch with a couple other friends, but at the restaurant, the executive chef (an American) came out and condescendingly yelled at us for what seemed an eternity just because we asked to have our meat cooked a little longer. That wasn't cool, so after finding another place to eat, I just went home and went to sleep.

This weekend, kind of as a birthday redo, my friend suggested that we try going to Hongdae, an area of Seoul known for its art scene and nightlife. I'm not a big partier; I'd take a milkshake over a beer any day, especially if I have to pay seven bucks for it. But, I love to dance, so I greenlighted her plan.

***

I got on the subway around 11:30pm and noticed a full row of empty seats in the car. Cool, I thought. I'll get to sit. After taking two steps towards the free spots, I realized why no one was sitting there. A completely trashed girl had flipped her stomach inside out in the aisle. I'd never seen an unaccompanied girl that drunk before in public.

The crazy thing though is that after she got off the train, three girls who I assume were strangers to each other and to the drunk girl, cleaned up her vomit! I was really impressed by that. There was something really redemptive about it.

***

Once off the train, I waited for my friend outside exit 9 of the #2 train's Hongik University stop, and a crowd began to line the road in front of me. I sat back and thought, Oh, maybe it's a celebrity sighting, like a K-Pop star are someone, so after a minute or so, I stood up to see if I knew the celebrity, but was it a celebrity? Noooo. It was two wasted guys fighting in the middle of the busy street. Fighting like reality show cat fight/wrestling match fighting. I've never seen anything like that before either.

Apparently, in Korea there's a word to explain why so many drunk people were out that night: "bulgeum," which I will translate for you as "#yolo it's friiiiiday. heeeey!"

Anyway, after witnessing these two events, I began to wonder what the night would bring for my friend and me...

going to see what the crowd was for...

But it was cool. When she arrived, we walked towards the main strip. There were a bunch of restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs, and people on the streets "busking."My friend and I split some hoteokk and then some fried squid and mandu at this place called Mimine before finding somewhere to hang out. 

4,000 for calamari. pretty good. mandu was meh. they're supposed to be
famous for shrimp though.

My friend suggested we head to this bar called Thursday Party. It was a great suggestion. The crowd was composed mainly of foreigners, but there were some very stylish Koreans there as well. The music was great -- until about 3:00am; after "Call Me Maybe" played, it was all downhill from here. Also, the drinks weren't expensive, about 3,000-5,000 for beer and 5,000-7,000 for mixed drinks. Fun, casual atmosphere. I'd go back.

friend outside Thursday Party

I forgot to mention that public transportation in Korea is not 24hrs, so if you go out at night, you have to plan ahead and find somewhere to crash or do what my friend and I did and wait until 5:30am to roll around when the trains start running again.

After we left Thursday party, we went to find a 24 hour cafe to wait in for a while.  On the way there, we passed another huge crowd on the street and a taxi parked with it's headlight serving as the spotlight for whatever was going on. I thought it was a really talented street performer or something, so my friend and I went to check it out. Surprise, surprise. It was another wasted girl, and everyone was just gawking at her. Really sad. A couple of fellow English-speakers voiced their shared frustration over the situation. At times like those, it would be nice to know a little Korean. People need help...

***

The cafe we found was crowded, like you'd think it was 4:00pm rather than 4:00 in the morning. All around, people were shamelessly sleeping mouth-agape, legs propped up on chairs. About twenty minutes after we got there, the staff kicked everyone out to clean the upper floor, so we had to find another cafe. (If you're waiting in a cafe, find a spot on the first level so you don't get kicked out!)

At about 5:15 am, we walked back to the subway station to catch the first train of the day. There were people already waiting in the cars. Again, they were knocked out. 

Around 6:00am, the old ladies in their hiking gear headed to their Saturday morning treks started to board, while we twenty and thirty-somethings were still en route home from the day before. It was fun though, like there was a sense of camaraderie amongst all of us, like, "Yeah, that was a great night."

No way I could do that every weekend though, haha.

Started from the Bottom...

Suggested Listening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OQQsurQFQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsLykJ17Oxc

On Friday night, I left with Seoul Hiking Group for Naejangsan National Park. That night, we slept at a nearby jjimgilbang so that in the morning, we could head straight to the park.

Now, I joined this trip by myself. In life, I'd much rather do things with company, but if no one wants to tag along, depending on the situation, I'll go it alone. In this instance, I figured I could meet people on the trip, and oh, did I...

A jjimjilbang is a Korean public bath house.  They're really, really popular here, and for only about eight US dollars, it's easy to see why. Jjimjilbang have a bunch of different sauna rooms and different soaking tubs you can use; some also have swimming pools, karaoke rooms, gyms, and massage areas. There are also areas where you can pay extra to have old women scrub a layer of your skin off. Most jjimjilbang are open 24 hours and have a rec room with mats and blankets for you to use to sleep on the floor -- something like an upscale high school lock-in, and when you enter, you're given a towel and a hospital gown-like uniform to sleep in.

The thing is, outside the rec room, everyone's naked. Like, even the old women who scrub your skin off. This was my first real culture shock moment since being here. There are separate floors for men and women, but still... Being a film studies major, I've seen a lot of naked bodies (the French New Wave, I'm telling you...), so I'm not offended or anything, it's just kind of... strange to me? To be having conversations with naked people... in a room of a bunch of naked people? The idea of a "public bath" in general just doesn't really appeal to me. I mean, it's like skinny dipping in a pool without chlorine, right? I already feel like normal bathtub baths are kind of odd (soaking in the filth you're trying to wash off?), so the whole public bath thing, I'm not really about that life, but tons of people enjoy it. So, you know. I didn't do it, but, really, cool for them. Bathe on.

We left the jjimjilbang around 7:00am to head out for the park. The trip was advertised as an easy stroll type hike, but it was far from it. The first stretch was difficult, as it was nearly all stairs (my quads hurt just thinking about it), but when we got a peek of the view below, our stamina was revived. We focused on breathing and trekked on.

first view.

After a couple hours and hundreds more stairs, we made it to the trail that headed towards the mountain's peak.

so. many. stairs.

Hiking is mad popular in Korea. On the weekends, the subways are always packed with 40, 50, and 60-something year olds headed to the mountains with their hiking clubs.

Koreans always have their gear looking fresh.

My group reached the final stretch at the same time as a lot of the Korean groups, and I think the Koreans were pretty frustrated with our collective lack of climbing skills.

hiking group, geared up and ready to go.

Eventually, after scaling a few short rock faces with ropes and walking across bridges made of thin metal slats (what about that says "leisurely stroll?"), we made it to the top. It was such an awesome feeling -- and an even better view.

the peak, a little beyond these people.

We took some pictures on the peak and then prepared to go back down.

the greyish area in the bottom left was our final destination, a temple.

Going down was a beast, maybe even more difficult than the ascent. My knees felt bruised from all the stairs and were shaking by the time I got to the bottom. Once, we finally did get to the bottom, there was a small temple where we stopped to eat our snacks.

After that temple, we walked to the bigger temple -- our final destination -- and got ready to head home.

of course there was makgeolli being sold at the end of the trail.

I'm glad the hike was challenging; it made it more worthwhile, like we accomplished something. Seoul Hiking Group does trips every week, so I'd definitely consider joining them again.

Saw some stunning views, met some new people, and got a workout. Winning situation. Surely made up for last weekends' roughosity.

***

Today, after church, I had lunch with a couple friends. Then, we went to a cafe and ordered the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my life, but more about cafes later... It was a good weekend. I'm thankful (and am working on being more thankful even when the weeks are roughosities).

But anyway, happy trails.

Day Trip: Daebudo

The church I've been going to here in Korea is really great. The service is in English, but the congregants call over 20 different countries home.

In addition to normal Bible studies, they also have activity based small groups. Like right now, I'm in a taekwondo group, and if all goes according to plan, I'll be a yellow belt come December. So, that's pretty fun. I'm also part of a day trips group, which has been a nice way to see the country and meet new people.

A couple weeks ago we took a trip to Daebudo, a little island a few hours from Seoul.

When we got to the island, we visited a new, manmade park situated on strip of land reclaimed from the sea. We took a guided tour of the area and learned about the irrigation and gardening difficulties there, with the land being so sandy and all.

it was a very Monet kind of day.

Though, with cosmos blooming in every direction, you'd never know the soil wasn't fertile.

After the park, we walked along the beach for a bit and watched some local fishermen haul in their catch.

Then, we headed to a seafood restaurant to taste some of the cuisine the island was famous for, namely, shrimp, haemul pajeon (seafood pancake), and a noodle that I think was called kalguksu.

For the shrimp, our waitress brought over a bucket of live creatures, dumped them into a boiling pot in the middle of our table, and closed the lid. Horrified, we all listened for a solid minute as the shrimp fought for their lives. Then it was silent. One of the Korean ladies at our table opened the pot, dished the shrimp, and instructed us to pull the heads and legs off and eat...

it would have been worse not to eat the shrimp after all they'd been through...

It was a nice trip. I wouldn't want to do the shrimp part again, but the ocean was pleasant. Sometimes it's nice to be reminded of how small we are.

Bootcamp NYC (Korean public transportation and other things)

At the conclusion of my freshman year of college, I watched the class of 2010's commencement ceremony from my 15th floor dorm room. When the ceremony was over, Sinatra's sweet voice played through the campus while elated graduates sang and formed celebratory kick-lines. "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere..." Looking down at the seniors, I couldn't wait for that to be me, and soon enough it was.

I'm convinced that I would not have transitioned smoothly into South Korea if I had not first spent four years in New York City, mainly for three reasons: public transportation, stressful situations, and being alone.

1. Visitors to New York are always impressed by people who can navigate the city with ease; however, they shouldn't be. New York -- Manhattan at least-- is a giant grid. Getting from point A to point B is basically as simple as plotting coordinates in a game of Battleship. The subway can be a bit tricky when it comes to transferring lines, and the buses may be reserved for more seasoned New Yorkers, but after some exposure, traveling in the city isn't too difficult. And if you do get lost, you can always catch a cab -- or call Uber.

With that said, if you've ever taken the subway from the Upper West Side to JFK with a 50 pound suitcase at Christmas time, you can navigate the Korean subway system no problem. The subways in Korea are much gentler than those of New York. None of that abrupt stop, trying to get you to fall on your face business. On the train, stops are announced in both Korean and English, which is crazy to me. I mean, despite the number of Spanish-speakers in NYC, you're never going to hear anyone speaking Spanish over the intercom... If you're in Seoul, I recommend the snazzy Jihachul subway app.

subway station out in the boondocks.

You can use your phone and get WiFi underground. That’s good in the sense that it's amazingly convenient, but you miss out on the beautiful sight of rows of people reading books to pass their commute time. Instead, you get rows of people on giant Samsung smartphones. 

touch screen station maps to help you get around.

The bus is a little more tricky. I'd say tag along with someone who knows where they're going until you learn your own way; that's been my strategy at least. There are a couple cool things about Korean buses. The inter-city buses tell you how many seats are available and also have WiFi and phone chargers onboard. There're also airport shuttles that take you directly to Incheon, so that's convenient.

bus with TV and internet.

You pay for the subway with a T-money card, but unlike MetroCards, with T-Money, you pay for distance travelled, not per swipe, so you save quite a bit. You can buy and refill cards at convenience stores or in subway stations.

NYC could learn a thing or two about bike lanes from Korea...

2. In the words of Forrest Gump, "S*** happens." You get set on fire at restaurants; you’re approached by emo guys who look like they’re going to kill you; you shamelessly cry in public parks; you get cursed out by strangers a couple times a year. (There are actually decent stories there... Ask me sometime.) But yeah, learning from past experiences, I feel New York prepared me to be pretty lax about situations out of my control. That's probably why I haven't quit my job... In the end, life is life. Conflict makes for better stories -- at least in the movies.

3. Lastly, likely one of the most important things New York taught me was how to spend most of my time alone without being lonely, which is not to say I'm never lonely. A city of over eight million people, it's astounding how isolated you can feel there. The numbers provide anonymity, and with everyone taking up an independent, "you do you boo" attitude, it's easy to get lost. NYC taught me to find peace in solitude. At the same time, New York -- specifically, the church in New York -- taught me to be intentional with relationships, to make time for friends, to stick to appointments, and to be sacrificial with my time because people need people. "It was not good for man to be alone." So, in Korea, I’m trying to do those things as I start to make friends here.

I haven't been here that long though, so these observations could be prematurely thought out... 

But anyway, I love New York. When I think about that city, I hear this song in my head and at the same time, remember all the brokenness that resides there. Regardless, I can't wait to go back someday. Until then...