Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying ‘Learn Korean’. There’s a HUGE difference between learning how to read Hangul and learning the entire Korean language. I’ve been in Korea for two years and still can’t speak in a full sentence. I can direct a taxi, and order food, but those are just phrases I’ve picked up over time. (Mind you, I’ve never actually made a real effort to learn how to create sentences, so don’t think that I’ve tried and failed. I just haven’t really tried.) Reading, however, has saved my waygookin butt a few times. Many times, if you’re reading environmental print (bus stops, store signs, menus, etc) the words that are written are actually English words, just written in Hangul. If I didn’t know how to read, I would have just figured that they were Korean words and not understood them at all.

Learning how to read Korean is actually fairly simple because Hangul is phonetic. There are a few weird rules here and there, but for the most part when you see a symbol like ᄇ or ᄒ, they’re going to have the same sound no matter where they are in the word. There are only 24 consonant and vowel symbols in Hangul, and once you can recognize them and figure out how to read syllables, it becomes a breeze from there.

If you’re going to live in Korea (or visit for any decent length of time), make the effort to at least learn how to read the language. It will help you in the long run, I promise.

Here are some websites that will help you on your way:

Learn Korean.net – A free site with the first few lessons being on how to read.

A great flash exercise to help you to pair the symbols with the English sounds.

KoreanClass 101 youtube video – Great to hear the sounds if you’re an auditory learner.

재미봐! (Have fun!)

xo nicole

The availability of fast food is diverse throughout Korea. Lotteria is by far the most common fast food restaurant here, as it is owned by the Lotte company (Lotte Mart, Lotte Giants, Lotte everything just about…) so it is an Asian specific company. In my experience McDonalds is found in many high density areas, and Burger King is slowly creeping up. You can also find KFC, a spattering of Quiznos, and a few Subways in Seoul. There’s also another one that has recently become popular called Mom’s Touch, which is fried chicken and chicken burgers (with DELICIOUS fries, might I add!)

There are two challenges newbies face when eating at a fast food restaurant in Korea. I struggled with this for the first few months, so don’t be embarrassed.

First things first – how to order. What westerners know as extra value meals (or ‘meals’ for short) are called sets here. (In Konglish you’d say set-uh.) For example, if I was ordering a Big Mac meal, I’d say ‘ Big Mac set-uh’. This will get you the regular Big Mac, fries and a Coca-cola. I am being drink specific because Coca-cola (or Pepsi) is the default drink. If you don’t specify, they won’t ask you what kind of drink you want and you’ll automatically get Coke. Oh, and most items on the list are in English, just written in Korean, so you should be fine when ordering. This might become an issue with ordering at Lotteria, however, because the names of the burgers are kinda weird. Most Lotterias have convenient little menus that sit on the counter, so you can just point.

In Korea, they have this whole thing about charging companies money for drinking cups not being put in the right garbage receptacle (seeing as how they should be recycled). So, when you eat in at a fast food place, you’ll most likely get a plastic cup with no lid to drink out of. This goes for ice cream as well. Disposing of this is the second challenge when eating at a fast food restaurant. They’re kind of picky about what goes where.

McDonalds restaurants are great with the pictures of where to put stuff, but some places aren’t. You just have to open the flapping door to see what goes in there if there are no pictures. But anyways, there will be a place for you to empty any leftover liquid and ice from your cup, which you pour out, and then place the cup in the slot at the top (or sometimes at the side). Plastic lids and straws will have their own compartment, and so will food waste. The rest of it (paper, wrappers, ketchup packets, etc) are thrown in a completely different compartment.

If you are confused by this process, don’t worry. Like I said above, I was very confused for the first few months of living in Korea (thank goodness Ross knew what he was doing!). But sometimes things just weren’t labeled and we were both confused, so we played the waygookin card and just gave our trays to the people at the counter while sporting a “Sorry?” look on our faces. It has worked many times.

So, in closing, I just wanted to say good luck. Enjoy the burgers!

xo nicole

Welcome 2012, the year of the Dragon. (I know that traditionally they switch in the Lunar New Year, but oh well.) In the Chinese Zodiac, the Dragon is strong, self-assured, proud and passionate. I hope that this year will bring those same characteristics to me, as I try to embark on a year that will challenge me and push me to my limits. 2012 will turn out to be a very interesting year, I am sure of this.

Speaking of 2012, I have been picked as a Worldwide Korea Blogger for 2012 by www.korea.net – the official website of South Korea! It is run by KOCIS – the Korean Culture and Information Service. You can read the official blog by going to blog.korea.net. I am so very proud to be a part of this exciting group of people who are passionate about Korea and love to write about it.

As a WKB, I hope to contribute tips on visiting and living in Korea, as well as share my personal experiences so that I can help educate people who want to know about Korea. Even though I am leaving Korea in 2 months, that doesn’t mean I can’t write about it after I’ve gone! My goal is to write a post a week about Korea, with Korea tips (K-tips) spread out along the way. Living here for two years has helped me to understand the culture and the Korean way of life. Some expats living in Korea will say “Hey, 2 years isn’t that long, I’ve lived here for 5/10/15 years! That’s long!” Yes, that’s long. I believe, though, that 2 years is plenty long enough to get a good grasp on the people and the culture of a country.

Anyways, all I wanted to do was make that big announcement, and wish everyone a very Happy New Year. May the Dragon help you to be as self-assured and passionate as I hope to be.

xo nicole

When you first arrive in Korea as a newbie teacher, many times your apartment will be sparse and have only the bare necessities. (Unless you were fortunate enough to have a teacher living before you who didn’t sell all their stuff off and/or kept a full supply of living requirements.) I’ve heard of new teachers arriving and there only being one place setting in the whole apartment – one plate, one cup, one fork, one knife, etc. This is a sad situation, and one that a newbie teacher should not have to endure, especially if they’re feeling homesick.

One of the downfalls about being a new teacher is that most of the time you arrive in Korea with a less then stellar bank account. This poses a problem if you want to set up your kitchen or make your house livable. Some people will head to the department stores, or even Home Plus or E-Mart in order to furnish their kitchen. Here’s a secret – head to Daiso.

Daiso is the Korean equivalent to the dollar store. They have so many household goods – everything you need for the kitchen, the laundry, cleaning, they even have pots for plants. Beauty stuff, school stuff, random little things that no one really needs but they buy anyways… it’s all at Daiso.

You can find a Daiso by walking around your neighbourhood. The sign is red and white, with dots.

The Daiso in our neighbourhood.

If you can’t find one in your neighbourhood, check your grocery store. Lotte Mart has their own Daiso section, and Home Plus and E-Mart both have dollar store-type sections to them. A first time teacher should not get sucked into buying 10,000 won plates and kitchen utensils.

On Friday, we had to dress up in Santa outfits and perform in the school’s Christmas show, which was quite interesting. There was also a little confusion when we were supposed to dress up, and also a little confused over what to do when we got on stage as Santa and Mrs Claus. I made an xtranormal video about it – it’s meant to be funny, and it’s exaggerated, but you can kind of see some of the frustration we had. LOL

I also felt really sick on Friday as well. Ended up at the doctor over lunch because I couldn’t talk. My vocal chords were swollen, and the doctor said I couldn’t speak for 3 days. (Ross was kinda excited about that…:P ) That didn’t stop us from going into Busan and looking at the Christmas lights in Nampo-dong.

We also enjoyed a wonderful meal at a pizza and pasta restaurant in the middle of Nampo-dong (I’ll look for the name later) and went shopping at my favourite store in all of Korea, ARTBOX. I discovered this store in Daejeon, and then come to find out they have stores all over Korea, Japan, and across the world. I could buy out the entire store.

By Saturday afternoon my voice was much better, thank goodness. It just turned into a horrid cold. I knew that was going to happen… anyways, Saturday we lounged around the house until our friend Bart came over, and then I met up with Rochele and took her to the Masan Christmas Caroling Extravaganza! I got dressed up in the Santa suit from the school, and about 20 of us went around Samgye singing Christmas carols and raising money for the local orphanage. It was awesome! Then we went to the park beside our school and drank some mulled wine, and celebrated the Christmas spirit.

Sunday morning Ross, Bart and I got up and we opened presents. I feel so spoiled! Then we took turns skyping with family back home. (I think I skyped my house about 5 times on Christmas day!) That night we had a few people over for a potluck and Dirty Santa gift exchange. It was awesome having good friends over for food, presents, and playing the wii.

I really enjoyed Christmas this year, but this is my third Christmas in a row away from my family back in Toronto. Next year, no matter where we are, I plan on flying back home and spending Christmas in Ajax.

And that was Christmas! Now we get to spend a week off, where we’ll be headed to Pohang for New Years to visit with Matt and experience the first sunrise in Korea for 2012. Back to work on January 2nd. But then the countdown begins until LETA AND ARIC COME TO VISIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s right, Leta and Aric are coming to visit! (Leta and I have been friends since grade 5, and Aric is her little brother.) They’ll be here over Lunar New Year and my birthday! YAY!

Oh, and guess what – Ross is already starting to pack! That’s what he’s doing right now as I write! 61 days until we’re done!

**For anyone who’s interested in our plans for coming home, we’re leaving Masan around the 28th of Feb, so we can go to Daejeon to spend some time with Justin and Rachel before we leave. Then we depart Incheon on March 3rd, and spend 19 hours in Narita, Japan. After a free hotel stay (courtesy of Japan Airlines!) we’ll be leaving Narita on March 4th, and coming into Chicago 4 hours before we leave Narita. After a 7 hour layover in Chicago, we will be arriving in Memphis around 3:00pm on March 4th. And there you have it!!**

Okay, I guess that’s it for tonight. Over the next couple of months I hope to wrap up our Korea adventure with a bunch of good posts that will be helpful for new teachers. (And, maybe if things go well, I’ll continue to post about Korea for the next year… fingers crossed!)

Good night!

xo nicole

Last night, Ross, Alice and I went into Changwon, and did some Christmas shopping. We were very hungry, and decided to go to VIPS. Now, I am not unfamiliar with VIPS – it’s one of my favourite places to eat in Korea. But in our conversation, we figured that not many foreigners knew the benefits of VIPS, and what it could do for the waygookin soul.

The VIPS restaurant in south Daejeon.

VIPS is foreigner heaven. A steak house with a HUGE HUGE HUGE buffet filled to the brim of awesome goodness, you can eat to your hearts contents on food from home like Caesar salad (among other many different salads), smoked salmon, delicious pizza, chili, soup, pasta, fried chicken, rice, and many other delicious options. If you’re still feeling in an Asian mood, you can make Pho noodles or bibimbap as well. The steaks are wonderful too. I’ve never had the ribs, just because I’ve always wanted steak, but I’m sure they are awesome as well.

The thing is, is that VIPS is expensive. You can get the salad bar for around 25,000 won (prices fluctuate depending on day of the week and time of day), but for an extra 10,000 won you get a steak + salad bar. Here’s a tip – if you go to VIPS, get the steak. Fill up on the salad bar, and take the steak home. It’s worth it because you get to have a second meal the next day (scrambled eggs with steak – SOOO good!).

Another tip – when you go to a steak house in Korea, if it is not run by foreigners, Koreans tend to under-cook steak. So, for example, Ross likes his medium rare, so he will order it medium and it will come out perfect. I like mine medium well, and usually they do a good job on that, so I order mine medium well and if it’s not cooked enough I am still saving it for the next day, so I just cook it at home.

For those of you who have never been to VIPS, they are in high-traffic places (for example, I’ve seen VIPS in Hongdae in Seoul, Dunsan-dong  in Daejeon (as well as Seo-Daejeon), at Haeundae Beach in Busan, and in Changwon it’s right down the street from the Lotte Department store). The Korean website for it is http://www.ivips.co.kr/, and there is a link to the English description of the restaurant from there. If you are craving western food of all different kinds, VIPS is the place to go.

Okay, I have now finished my profession of love for VIPS. Time to go make my scrambled eggs with steak.

xo nicole

Ross and I have been kicking around an idea to write a book, however, about teaching and living in Korea. I’ve also tried to start a new blog ‘Tips for Waygooks’ – I just can’t remember the tips I think of when it comes time to actually write. I need to start carrying around a notebook so I can remember what to write.

I will tell you that we only have 85 days left in our contract here in Masan. The time has flown by, and I’m glad to be going home. It will be the second time that we’ve left this beautiful country, and while I’m excited about going home, I know I will feel a deep longing for this place. People keep asking me if we’re coming back, and I say no, but in all honesty I can see us doing another year or two here. I just need to spend time with my family, specifically my grandparents and my nephew. I miss everyone at home dearly, but I miss them the most.

So, on this note, I PROMISE I will write about something cool this week, seeing as how I won’t have extra school work to do. Maybe I’ll write about our awesome Christmas tree, or about our random afternoon in Busan. I’ll figure something out. In the meantime, I’m going to go read Harry Potter and go to bed. Yes, I know it’s a Saturday night, but it’s getting so cold outside….

xoxo nicole

I love shows, as I have always had a deep seeded dream to be a ballerina or a singer (just someone up on stage, really…), but my husband is not the biggest fan. We were traveling with a couple of other people, and no one really wanted to go see it with me, but I convinced my husband that we should go as a date. He was skeptical, but agreed to go.

We picked the Sunday before Chuseok to go, the last performance of the night (there are two to choose from on a daily basis, 4:00pm and 8:00pm, except for Mondays when they are closed). We thought it might be a special time to go, as it was so close to the holiday. We got there about a half hour before the show, and was greeted by smiling faces, a warm cup of tea, and a nice lobby to rest in. They offer some pre-show entertainment, some of which you have to make reservations for (traditional drumming class, 15,000 won extra) and some of which you can participate when you go in (trying on traditional clothing and picture taking, 5,000 won for each outfit), which is nice to be able to experience some culture before hand.

The show starts with a description of the story, so that you are not lost while you’re watching it. It has translations in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese, so everyone can understand. Then the show begins. The theatre is small, which gives it an intimate feeling, and the cast will sometimes walk through the aisles, which makes you feel like part of the show. The art direction and choreography is wonderful, and the music is so beautiful to listen to! The love story is so touching as well. It is nice that they give you an overall plot outline at the beginning, so you know what’s going on. My favourite part is the drumming, it is so powerful and moving, and I love the traditional Korean rhythm.

At the end of the show, they pick two people from the audience to come on stage and do some plate spinning. Ross was SO close to going up, he was only one seat away! I kinda wanted to go up, just to fulfill my lifelong dream of being on stage, but oh well. Anyways, it was really neat for them to incorporate people from the audience. I wonder if they always pick people in the same seats…

The show was so lovely, and I’m glad I got the chance to watch it. The real test, however, was if Ross was impressed. I asked him afterwards how he liked it, and he said it was great! He said he was very impressed with the show, and the quality of the performance. I’ve also heard him talk about it with other people, so I know that it made an impression on him!

The Chongdong Theatre, where it’s held, is tucked away behind the Deoksugung palace near the City Hall subway station, is easy to find – just follow the road to the left of the palace, go past the art gallery, and it’ll be on your right. There are three seating sections (we were lucky enough to sit smack in the middle of the theatre, definitely the best seats in the house!), but the theatre is so small and intimate that any seat would be perfect.

The website for the show is here, and you can also call them at 02-751-1500.

I’d love to show you pictures of the show, but cameras were not allowed. I do, however, have this one:

I promise, there were lots of people in the theatre, just oddly none behind us!

Anyways, if you’re looking for something to do in Seoul, and want an injection of traditional Korean arts, Miso is definitely a show to go see.

xo nicole

On the bridge on the way to the island.

Namhae Island in the background.

For some reason the army was on the bridge?

The group walking down the massive hill on the way to the traditional farming village. The hills in the background are the fields in which they farm on. This village is a very popular tourist destination, but only in the past 10 years. 10 years ago, the village was trained to host people in their houses so that they could have income from the tourists. And it worked. There are so many people who visit the village now, it can get crowded.

Our honestay. The people who live here have basically turned their house into a mini hostel. I’m sure they get paid a lot in order to do this.

The darangee village. And our housemother crouched in the foreground.

The village and the farming fields.

The traditional lunch we were served. Basically a lot of delicious side dishes, and soup. And fish.

Hanging out in front of the only store in the village. I think we cleared them out of their beer and soju. I mean, there were 40 foreigners on this trip.

This is the man who represents the darangee village and is in charge of making sure the visitors to the village are educated and have fun. He is super sweet!

Alice and Callum, with the paper lanterns we were going to fly. We wrote wishes on them, and the wishes are supposed to come true when the lanterns lose their fire and come down. We didn’t get our wish (a pancake breakfast).

Lighting the lanterns. This one didn’t fly, because there was a hole in it.

Our red one flew though! Bye bye!

They had a wonderful drum circle demonstration, and Callum got to play a drum!

The village served us all these mussels. They were delicious!!

The village worships these stones, a male and a female, and they pray for good harvests. The male is obvious, the female one (on the right) is a pregnant woman.

The village’s farming fields.

Callum fishing in the sea.

The fields in this village are so skinny, that they have no machinery to plow the fields. They still use ox in order to farm. I got the chance to plow the field – it’s harder then it looks!

After the farming village, we went to the fishing village, and we got to try to fish with our hands. It was really challenging!

The bay where we tried fishing. This is also where we went night swimming. This is when the tide is out – when the tide is in, the water would come all the way up to the umbrellas.

Yummy raw fish meal!

Callum playing with the BBQ fish.

I would definitely travel with Adventure Korea again – Seokjin , our tour guide, really put on a good tour. Going with friends was good, meeting new people was awesome. Great trip overall!

xo nicole