Living Seoul

Filming from my seat on the bus as we head back to Santiago de Compostela after a day trip to the Costa del Muerte (Coast of Death) in Galicia. Filmed somewhere close to the town of Cee. Chose this music because it was what I was listening to at the time.

Korean convenience stores are awesome. I love living in a city with so many “marts”. Here I talk about my three favorite drinks you can buy at any Korean convenience store. 1. Aloe juice 2.Chilsung Cider 3. Banana milk

I was about to graduate from college and was worrying about my future (of course). Today I was looking through some old entries from the blog I kept before this one. For some reason the entry below struck me, partially because it was almost exactly three years ago, but also because I feel so similarly even today. I was pretty sure it would be like this…that I’d still be confused years later, haha. It’s true, I *do* wish to remain in a state of flux. Maybe I think I know myself too well.

Monday, April 14, 2008

What’s been going on upstairs.

It’s been busy over here. I’ve got the last school works ever to do, jobs to find, funs to have, a resume tape to create and some graduating to do pretty soon.

One ear is hearing “Pomp and Circumstance” the other is hearing radio static. I’m about half ready.

The way I thought about graduation has changed drastically since I was a freshman. I was already eager to get out the first day I set foot on campus. I never wanted to go to UT. My goal since high school? Leave Texas ASAP. My parents told UT I would attend in Fall 2004. Then they told me I was going. Obviously my “abandon Texas” idea had failed.

I’d always assumed I would move away after graduation. Never really questioned it. I don’t necessarily hate Texas. Especially not the way I hated it when my family moved here when I was in 4th grade. The kids were weird and Reed Elementary seemed mediocre compared to Steeple Run Elementary. And the heat! Coming from a Chicago climate made Texas summers so much worse. I literally thought we’d moved to hell. But, after more than ten years I’ve realized that I like how the people in Texas are weird and that while the summer heat is bad, this body has finally accepted it. Texas has a place somewhere in my heart, even if it’s the smallest dark corner in the very back. However, if it occupied a more prominent place, I’d probably still feel the need to leave. It’s in my nature to be independent. Change is something to be embraced, but more than ever I wish I could stay here a little longer.

I came to college feeling so mature and independent. In many ways I was. I was convinced I’d grown out of high school at least a year before I graduated. I wanted to create my own little life for myself without worrying about daily obligations to anyone else. And it worked out. I was happier after I moved to college because I was living in my own little world..and still am. However a slew of problems toward the end of freshman year through the middle of junior year left me feeling emotionally stranded. The problems I never had to deal with in high school suddenly started popping up uncontrollably. In retrospect, I felt like I handled it well enough. I had a horrible roommate in the dorms, my parents got divorced, my four-year long distance relationship ended, my amazing and fabulous grandma died, I was in a car wreck and I started to seriously doubt my major. They were all new, scary problems. I’d never dealt with death and divorce and undeserved hate and falling out of love. Fortunately, I had a few solid friends, music to listen to, a relatively busy life and some goals. It’s weird because I feel like I started college confident but depressed inside and now I’ve ended up much less confident but generally happy. It doesn’t sound like it makes any sense. The days were sad and the future seemed happy. Now, the days seem happy and the future seems sad. That’s why I feel like I haven’t necessarily grown out of college.

The real world could be scary.
I am scared no one will hire me.
I’m scared I won’t make enough money to live. (It CAN be that bad for entry-level journalists.)
I’m scared of living in a small town.
I’m scared I won’t make friends or meet anyone.
I’m scared I won’t even get a break to come visit anyone.

It’s a lofty goal of mine to embrace what homework-free time I might soon have. Maybe start volunteering again, do more yoga and read more books. I want to think of the postive things I am going to do for myself. Planning, scheming, organizing, preparing–it’s my mind’s default function. In terms of my career I’m getting ready. Emotionally, I’ll be a total wreck when moving day rolls around. It will hurt to move so far from my family in Houston. It will hurt to leave the friends I have made and maintained at UT. It will hurt to leave others who have suddenly become such a necessary part my life. I wish I could just treat the situation like ripping off a band-aid, but I know that I’ll keep missing and thinking of people who aren’t so easily in my life.

The months before I left for college I was CONSTANTLY worrying about leaving my friends, family and boyfriend. It was a miserable period of time. I refuse to act like that again. When I finally moved, I treated each goodbye as if it were the last. Even though it definitely wasn’t. And while I lost some relationships as a result of distance, the important ones are still going strong. I may not see certain people as much as I’d like, but when I do it’s like nothing has changed. It gives me some hope that the important relationships I have now will somehow survive or at least not be totally lost with so many miles of separation.

I hate trying to decide between the importance of my own career versus the people in my life. I’m passionate enough about success in this particular career to leave everything go and somewhere else for it. Sometimes I worry I’ll be a failure and have tons of regrets. My “Plan A” is a stricly defined path toward a particular goal I’ve had since I was 15. My “Plan B” is to live out my wildest dreams. Without a plan, I have absolutely no limitations. So if journalism fails perhaps I’ll just go back to Barcelona and see which way the wind blows.

I feel like this is such a decisive time in my life. What I do or where I go right now could determine a lot of things. For the next ten years I hope to be in a state of flux, at least geographically. I’m old enough to know I’d like some consistency in my career path, social life and perhaps romantic life. But I can’t have it all right away. For now I have to deal with whatever is coming, good or bad, easy or hard.

The least I can hope for is some excitement.

At times I’ve felt stuck and frustrated with this blog because I do mostly video blogging now. I love to use YouTube to post the videos because it’s so easy and accessible. Plus, many more people find my videos via YouTube. It became really annoying to constantly have to come back to my web site and re-post everything. However, I absolutely want to keep a web site separate from the YouTube channel. I found an amazing plugin that auto updates my blog directly from my YouTube channel. It’s so much easier to keep everything synced. So, I just want to recognize the Automatic YouTube Video Posts plugin created by Matthew Praetzel at ternstyle. I’m not too good with any kind of fancy programming or coding, but this simple plugin saves me so much time and work with very little effort on my part. So thanks for creating it and keeping it free!

I had to record a video while eating Seafood Cup Noodle, so that I can remember the deliciousness. I think I’m a pro with chopsticks, but clearly I am not. My 4-year-olds are learning more and more each day. I’m trying to get them to use sentences. Found out I’m going to Spain in September to teach English there. Must live abroad while I am youthful. And I’m still sickly. It’s probably the yellow dust!

We began a new school year here in Korea this March. I went from teaching a self-sufficient and fluent group of 7-year-olds to a group of brand new 4-year-olds. What a challenge! I’ve slowly realized the importance of all of the unrecognized work that teachers all over the world do! Also, I’ve developed a cough. What else is new? And my sympathies for the people in Japan.

Ringing in 2011 at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo. At midnight thousands of people release eco-friendly balloons. Tied to the balloon is little piece of paper with a wish for the new year. Afterward many people crowded into the temple. There was lots of food, music and traditional activities.

Strolling through Kyoto and we’re lucky enough to see two maiko aka “geisha in training.” Everyone was awestruck, taking pictures, videos, etc. They were adorable!

Most amazing sushi train experience of my life at a local place in Osaka. Here with Erick and two friends who live(d) in Osaka, Megumi and Zach. When you feed the finished plates into the machine, you can wine a prize! I will never forget the wonderful tastes and cheap prices from this place.

Back in November I was approached by a representative from the Small and Medium Business Corporation of Korea. They ran an event starting in December where they gave Korean and foreign residents a chance to review new products. I was selected to review three products, all of which I’ve enjoyed and would probably buy in the future if they’re available.

HERBCARE NUTRITIONAL SHAMPOO Hopkins Bio Research Center

I’ve been using United HerbCare Nutritional Shampoo for a few weeks now. The best part about it is the smell. It has a strong, earthy smell that is actually very similar to Nature’s Gate Herbal Shampoo, which used to be one of my favorites. The shampoo is supposed to “protect your hair from damage and loss.” It’s been hard for me to tell if less of my hair is falling out and if it’s protected from damage. However, the overall condition of my hair does seem improved. The one flaw that I notice is that I still need to use a lot of conditioner. When I first tried the shampoo without conditioner, my hair felt stripped and rough the next day. When I use the shampoo with my usual conditioner my hair feels great! I would love to see this company follow up with a HerbCare conditioner or rinse.

COCOMOLLI SINGLE ORIGIN CHOCOLATE Choco Lab

I was sent a box of Cocomolli Single Origin chocolates from Choco Lab. I prefer milk chocolate to dark chocolate, but both flavors are delicious. You can tell the taste is “real” and that this company actually used a lot of cocoa instead of filling the chocolate bar full of chemicals. It’s great to eat a few small pieces after a meal. I loved the design of the chocolate bar (very unique) and the outer wrapping. It seems like each bar is individually wrapped.

CLEANING SLIPPER Clean & Clear

The Cleaning Slippers from Clean & Clear have been amazing! Since moving to Seoul I’ve had terrible dust problems in my apartment. I feel like I’m constantly sweeping the dust and dirt off the floor. These slippers have come in handy because they help maintain the cleaning I already do. I don’t think the bottom of the slippers are enough to keep the whole house clean, but it helps. I notice less dust on my floor. Peeling off the strips of adhesive from the bottom of the slipper is neat and convenient. And the slippers are so pretty! This is definitely something I would buy at the store.

It snowed all day! After living in Texas for 15 years this is the first REAL snow of my adult life. I loved it. Footage of snow falling at about 1 : 00 PM on Dec 8, 2010.

Today it snowed. More than I’ve ever seen in my adult life. I loved it!

North Korea fired rockets at South Korea. They hit the water and an island somewhere off the west coast of South Korea. Just found out…wondering if anyone has input.

I’d only ever heard of Pocky. It’s a sweet snack from Japan…like a cracker stick dipped in chocolate and then sometimes coated in nuts. When I lived at the co-op in Austin someone used to decorate their door with used Pocky boxes.

But Korea has to separate itself from Japan. So here we have Pepero instead. It’s written like this in Korean: 빼빼로. Wikipedia says Pepero was “inspired” by Pocky in Japan. Hmmm, Pocky was born in 1966 and Pepero in 1983.

November 11th (tomorrow) is Pepero Day here in Korea. Kids bring boxes of Pepero and share with their classmates. There are huge Pepero gift sets displayed in the grocery and convenience stores here. This afternoon the students in one of my elementary classes were celebrating Pepero Day early since I won’t see them tomorrow. As soon as I walked into class they were forcing Pepero sticks in my mouth. Literally. I thought I was going to choke. One of my students presented me with this:

So similar. But NOT the same as Pocky! :)

And this is what it looks like out of the package:

YumYumYum Pepero! Happy Pepero Day!

Tour of my apartment in Bangbae, Seoul, South Korea. I’m a teacher at a private English school in wealthy residential neighborhood. My employer provides my apartment.

I live at the top of a huge hill in Bangbae, Seoul, South Korea. This is me walking home.

I moved about a month ago. There was an opportunity for a bigger space with more privacy so I had to give it a shot. I’m much happier now! I live further away from the school, but still only a five minute walk. The one disadvantage is that I live at the top of an enormous hill. I’m usually still gasping for air when I get to the top, but at least I can see an improvement in my physical fitness. The apartment itself is charming and cozy. I know some of the neighbors. They’re all so friendly and sweet. No complaints here!

One more note. I live in Bangbae, which is a “dong” or neighborhood. Bangbae is in Seocho, which is the “gu” or district. The city is Seoul and country is Korea, obviously. So it’s Bangbae-dong -> Seocho-gu -> Seoul -> South Korea. The addresses are so weird that I don’t even know what my home address is. They don’t really use street names here. So confusing!

First video is me walking home up the gigantic hill.

Next is the actual apartment tour. Enjoy!

Went back to the grocery store after more than a month. It’s getting easier. Another adventure through the contents of my grocery bags.

After more than a month I finally went back to the grocery store. It’s time to own some food!

EDIT: What I thought were tomatoes are definitely something else. I think overly ripe persimmons.

About a month ago I went to Global Gathering 2010 in Seoul. Here’s a clip of Fatboy Slim’s “The Rockafeller Skank.” Mixed with Rollings Stones’ “Satisfaction.” Also includes giant images of Christopher Walken.

Back in October I was threatened by a gigantic centipede in my bedroom. At one point it even falls onto my bed. I have been told by Koreans they are called “money bugs” here. I have no idea why. On the internet they’re called “house centipedes.” Just after a Google image search for the bug I am almost dry heaving. Sorry, but I have to include this picture:

I have seen one other centipede in my apartment since this first incident. I hope they all die of frostbite this winter!

October 9, 2010 Dedicated to Dad because he likes this song. :)

Minding my own business in my new apartment when I notice a huge, creepy centipede scurrying across the wall. Freaking out. This ordeal went on for about an hour. I’ve seen another one since then. This is seriously the scariest bug I’ve ever encountered. Even looking at Google Images of them makes me shudder.