We were checking out at the Madison food co-op last Monday night, still blurry from the day of travel but excited about getting food and cooking our first post-Korea meal. The cashier was explaining to us how membership works there (it's a refundable buy-in system, which sounded great to me) and we were adding that purchase onto our day's shopping. As the cashier was finishing up our paperwork the woman behind us started asking the cashier about how the coffee blends get named. Apparently she believed it offensive that one was named after Che Guevara, since lots of his quotations are about blood and killing and she found that unacceptable. The cashier politely tried to deflect the tirade, but the lady insisted on talking to the manager on hand and proceeded to launch into her argument, offering to come give a presentation about her position. The cashier, once she had finished ringing us up, gave a friendly, conspiratorially too-bright smile and said "welcome to the co-op!" Ah, Seattle.
~hannah
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The last kimchi
I'm writing this from the local branch of the Seattle Public Library, where we have just received our library cards (!!) and are now catching up on digital life. Before I talk too much about Seattle, though, I'll try to mention our last weekend in Korea. On Wednesday night we got to experience the wonders of the korean bathhouse. With Monika and Megan we went to a huge bathhouse in what claims to be the world's largest department store. You go in, lock your shoes, get special spa pajamas and go to the dressing room for your gender where you get naked and then walk into the bath area, which is a large, high-ceilinged room done to look like an airy cave, full of baths of different temperatures and naked (mostly) Korean women. That's mostly Korean; they were completely naked. It took a little getting used to, but I felt remarkably comfortable. A favorite pasttime at the spa is getting scrubbed down with a coarse cloth, either done yourself or done by a spa employee. We liked our skin so skipped that step. After a long soak we saw the rest of the spa. Foot baths, dvd room, massages, fifteen different themed spas, cafes, you name it. I didn't consider myself a fan of the spa, but I'm a convert.
The next day Becky and I headed to Seoul on the high speed train. The Korean countryside is beautiful, and it was an enjoyable trip. We met up with Kim, had an amzing tour of Seoul from a mountaintop, great dinner, tea in a bird cafe with birds flying around our heads (no, birdies around the head doesn't just happen in bars or a hit over the head, at least not in Korea), and thn a drink at a quirky owl-themed bar. The next few days included a palace visit, some souveinere shopping (mostly just overwhelming), late night beer and chatting by a strean bank with Kim and her girlfriend, Anna, a hike up another local mountain, attending fireworks with four close friends and about 400000 other 'friends,' a great evening out on the town, and a western-style breakfast to top it all off. Whew! Our last night in Busan was low-key and a wonderful chance to hang out with Monika before leaving. Our flight home was uneventful and we're jet-lagged but happy to be home.
Although we've made it to Seattle, we haven't quite made it to real life, yet, since my job doesn't start for another few weeks. Although we'll both be doing some work starting now, we're trying to still see this as a bit of vacation. We'll keep updating the blog for a while, yet, to let you know what we're up to and what, exactly, we're settling into. For now we're going to head outside, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the sunshine. I hear days like this are rare in this neck of the woods, though Seattle has so far been generous with the sun and views of the mountains.
-hannah
The next day Becky and I headed to Seoul on the high speed train. The Korean countryside is beautiful, and it was an enjoyable trip. We met up with Kim, had an amzing tour of Seoul from a mountaintop, great dinner, tea in a bird cafe with birds flying around our heads (no, birdies around the head doesn't just happen in bars or a hit over the head, at least not in Korea), and thn a drink at a quirky owl-themed bar. The next few days included a palace visit, some souveinere shopping (mostly just overwhelming), late night beer and chatting by a strean bank with Kim and her girlfriend, Anna, a hike up another local mountain, attending fireworks with four close friends and about 400000 other 'friends,' a great evening out on the town, and a western-style breakfast to top it all off. Whew! Our last night in Busan was low-key and a wonderful chance to hang out with Monika before leaving. Our flight home was uneventful and we're jet-lagged but happy to be home.
Although we've made it to Seattle, we haven't quite made it to real life, yet, since my job doesn't start for another few weeks. Although we'll both be doing some work starting now, we're trying to still see this as a bit of vacation. We'll keep updating the blog for a while, yet, to let you know what we're up to and what, exactly, we're settling into. For now we're going to head outside, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the sunshine. I hear days like this are rare in this neck of the woods, though Seattle has so far been generous with the sun and views of the mountains.
-hannah
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Bangs and kimchi; settling into Korea
Since getting back from the temple we've been lucky enough to really get a sense of what it's like to live in Korea (as a foreigner), thanks to Monika and her wonderful friends. On Saturday we walked over to the favorite local beach where we had lots of room to ourselves. Apparently July and August are the beach months when the sand is packed, but come September 1 it clears out considerably. The Koreans are big fans of doing the appropriate activity at the appropriate time. We, however, had a great time playing frisbee and swimming; the few locals in the water had on full wetsuits but Monika, Becky and eventually I braved the water in just swim suits.
On Sunday we were introduced to screen golf. Koreans are big fans of doing social activities outside of the house. While I don't know the origin of this interest, it sure is convenient since most people live in tiny high-rise apartments with not much room. The name of these establishments, which provide a small room and some snacks for you and a group of friends, are "bangs." We went to a screen golf bang on Sunday with three Mt Holyoke women (Becky, Monika and Megan) and their respective girlfriends. Screen golf is amazing - a little machine tees up your ball for you, and you then hit it with full force, using a real golf club, into the virtual world projected on a large, heavy, hanging cloth about 10 feet in front of you. You then proceed to play video game golf, but with all the physical motions of real golf. Crazy! Becky and I had games characterized more by....character...than skill, but the set-up itself was really impressive.
On Friday we had experienced a karaoke bang, in which you have a small room for your friends and your own karaoke setup. A bit more fun and more laid-back than the public style of karaoke in the States. Finally, yesterday evening we went to a DVD bang. You walk in and select a movie from the library of DVDs available, and then you're shown to a small room with a large couch (the size of a bed) and a big screen. The fellow downstairs starts the movie and you have your own private movie showing! We watched Invictus, about rubgy in South Africa during Nelson Mandela's first term. A perfect movie for this crowd, and a great, uplifting film. Watching the other people getting rooms it was clear that DVD bangs are also an outlet for young couples to have 'together time' in a repressive society in which most adolescents and young adults live with their parents and in which public affection is shunned. Fascinating way to get around that.
The past few days Becky and I have embarked on little adventures around the city after being helpfully sent on our way by Monika. Yesterday we all three went and got new glasses for Becky, since the glasses are much cheaper here than in the states and Becky happened to have her prescription on her (!). Very successful; they're fun, stylish, frames perfect for a hot architect. (Yes, I know, we promise pictures once we get home!) Becky and I then went to a very crowded street market and on to the famous fish market in which you can buy some strange stuff in those water tanks.
We're slowly getting a bit more adventurous with food, though we fully admit that it's really challenging to eat vegetarian when you don't know the language. The staple of Korean cuisine is kimchi, a condiment served with almost every meal made by fermenting/preserving cabbage and sometimes other vegetables with hot peppers. Kimchi is aged in large, earthenware pots set outside residences and restaurants, when it's not purchased already made. As a vegetarian it'd be really wonderful if we loved this dish; unfortunately it's a bit of an acquired taste. I do, on the other hand, love the scallion pancakes that we've been having. The best were found on the street yesterday, at one of the ubiquitous food stands set up in the middle of pedestrian streets. During the day in markets or the evening in bar areas there will be a line of half a dozen carts all serving the same food, consisting of scallion pancakes cooked on a flat griddle in the middle of the cart, skewered meat cooked in a vat of broth to the side of the griddle, a pile of seafood in red sauce on the other side of the griddle, and some rolls and dumplings of unspecified content. You go up, order your food, and then stand in front of the ledge on the side of the cart to eat your food, right there. Hot and fresh. Another food custom I really appreciate is the almost ubiquitous availability of large, delicious fruit platters at bars. It's almost a challenge to find a savory or salty bar snack. This speaks to a larger Korean trend: the default seasoning is sweet. Popcorn, crackers, even garlic bread and packaged Sun chips are all sweet! Makes for a bit of a surprise when you go into a store, buy a savory snack that you've been craving, and bite into it to find the coating of sugar. My sweet tooth doesn't mind, but it will be nice to get back to salt in the States.
Today is our last full day in Busan before we head to Seoul tomorrow. On today's schedule is a local museum, picking up Becky's glasses, and going to the bathhouse for some soaking (we're going to skip the brillo-pad scrub down offered for clients. I find my skin too useful to get rid of). We've heard that Busan seems almost provincial compared to the NYC-style hubbub of Seoul, so that will be an interesting experience. We leave on Monday, so we're going to live up our last days here as best we can!
On Sunday we were introduced to screen golf. Koreans are big fans of doing social activities outside of the house. While I don't know the origin of this interest, it sure is convenient since most people live in tiny high-rise apartments with not much room. The name of these establishments, which provide a small room and some snacks for you and a group of friends, are "bangs." We went to a screen golf bang on Sunday with three Mt Holyoke women (Becky, Monika and Megan) and their respective girlfriends. Screen golf is amazing - a little machine tees up your ball for you, and you then hit it with full force, using a real golf club, into the virtual world projected on a large, heavy, hanging cloth about 10 feet in front of you. You then proceed to play video game golf, but with all the physical motions of real golf. Crazy! Becky and I had games characterized more by....character...than skill, but the set-up itself was really impressive.
On Friday we had experienced a karaoke bang, in which you have a small room for your friends and your own karaoke setup. A bit more fun and more laid-back than the public style of karaoke in the States. Finally, yesterday evening we went to a DVD bang. You walk in and select a movie from the library of DVDs available, and then you're shown to a small room with a large couch (the size of a bed) and a big screen. The fellow downstairs starts the movie and you have your own private movie showing! We watched Invictus, about rubgy in South Africa during Nelson Mandela's first term. A perfect movie for this crowd, and a great, uplifting film. Watching the other people getting rooms it was clear that DVD bangs are also an outlet for young couples to have 'together time' in a repressive society in which most adolescents and young adults live with their parents and in which public affection is shunned. Fascinating way to get around that.
The past few days Becky and I have embarked on little adventures around the city after being helpfully sent on our way by Monika. Yesterday we all three went and got new glasses for Becky, since the glasses are much cheaper here than in the states and Becky happened to have her prescription on her (!). Very successful; they're fun, stylish, frames perfect for a hot architect. (Yes, I know, we promise pictures once we get home!) Becky and I then went to a very crowded street market and on to the famous fish market in which you can buy some strange stuff in those water tanks.
We're slowly getting a bit more adventurous with food, though we fully admit that it's really challenging to eat vegetarian when you don't know the language. The staple of Korean cuisine is kimchi, a condiment served with almost every meal made by fermenting/preserving cabbage and sometimes other vegetables with hot peppers. Kimchi is aged in large, earthenware pots set outside residences and restaurants, when it's not purchased already made. As a vegetarian it'd be really wonderful if we loved this dish; unfortunately it's a bit of an acquired taste. I do, on the other hand, love the scallion pancakes that we've been having. The best were found on the street yesterday, at one of the ubiquitous food stands set up in the middle of pedestrian streets. During the day in markets or the evening in bar areas there will be a line of half a dozen carts all serving the same food, consisting of scallion pancakes cooked on a flat griddle in the middle of the cart, skewered meat cooked in a vat of broth to the side of the griddle, a pile of seafood in red sauce on the other side of the griddle, and some rolls and dumplings of unspecified content. You go up, order your food, and then stand in front of the ledge on the side of the cart to eat your food, right there. Hot and fresh. Another food custom I really appreciate is the almost ubiquitous availability of large, delicious fruit platters at bars. It's almost a challenge to find a savory or salty bar snack. This speaks to a larger Korean trend: the default seasoning is sweet. Popcorn, crackers, even garlic bread and packaged Sun chips are all sweet! Makes for a bit of a surprise when you go into a store, buy a savory snack that you've been craving, and bite into it to find the coating of sugar. My sweet tooth doesn't mind, but it will be nice to get back to salt in the States.
Today is our last full day in Busan before we head to Seoul tomorrow. On today's schedule is a local museum, picking up Becky's glasses, and going to the bathhouse for some soaking (we're going to skip the brillo-pad scrub down offered for clients. I find my skin too useful to get rid of). We've heard that Busan seems almost provincial compared to the NYC-style hubbub of Seoul, so that will be an interesting experience. We leave on Monday, so we're going to live up our last days here as best we can!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Monika Goforth and Chanting Monks
Korea is amazing. Monika is amazing. And let me tell you, chanting monks are amazing. We spent the first day or two in Busan we spent recovering and checking out Monika's hood, her mountain and her secret meditation spot. Thursday Monika had an extra full work day so we headed to Golgulsa, a Buddhist temple high in a Mountain about 2.5 hours away.
Our stay at the temple really grounded us in the fact that we are indeed in Korea and not just visiting Monika somewhere in the world (which happens). Golgusa is known for its martial arts, specifically an art called sunmudo. For my Tae Kwon Do people, Golgusa is a temple built in the Silla (pronounced Shilla) Dynasty circa 7th Century - and yes, a site of the Hwarang youth warriors. The dynasty after the Silla brought in Confusionism and destroyed a lot of the Buddhist temples in the cities on military order. The ones in the mountains are the oldest and only remaining. Whoa is this temple on a mountain. There is a lot of vertical "walking": if you're going somewhere, it's up or down. We got our full workout just going to meals. The martial art training and bowing meditation on top of that has left us super sore, but feeling good about it. Sunmudo has some super clear links to Tae Kwon Do - up/down motion, unity of action and breath, balance - but its much more like a dance and makes TKD exaggeratedly direct. The monks study Qui Chong and other some other aspects of zen martial art. There were at least 4 monks between 12-15 in the Hwarang practice - real Hwarang warriors. It was awesome for me to connect little bits of history I've learned to recite and the people who are living it today.
Last night we had a BIG NIGHT out in Busan with the Busan Sisters. An amazing group of women, both foreign and Korean, who embrace an... alternative lifestyle - women loving women. It all ended around 5am at a karaoke club. We're in Asia now.
Today: Ocean - maybe surfing. Screen golf? and tomorrow a 10k bridge walk and maybe a latern festival.
Korea is treating us well. Monika is wonderful as always.
Our stay at the temple really grounded us in the fact that we are indeed in Korea and not just visiting Monika somewhere in the world (which happens). Golgusa is known for its martial arts, specifically an art called sunmudo. For my Tae Kwon Do people, Golgusa is a temple built in the Silla (pronounced Shilla) Dynasty circa 7th Century - and yes, a site of the Hwarang youth warriors. The dynasty after the Silla brought in Confusionism and destroyed a lot of the Buddhist temples in the cities on military order. The ones in the mountains are the oldest and only remaining. Whoa is this temple on a mountain. There is a lot of vertical "walking": if you're going somewhere, it's up or down. We got our full workout just going to meals. The martial art training and bowing meditation on top of that has left us super sore, but feeling good about it. Sunmudo has some super clear links to Tae Kwon Do - up/down motion, unity of action and breath, balance - but its much more like a dance and makes TKD exaggeratedly direct. The monks study Qui Chong and other some other aspects of zen martial art. There were at least 4 monks between 12-15 in the Hwarang practice - real Hwarang warriors. It was awesome for me to connect little bits of history I've learned to recite and the people who are living it today.
Last night we had a BIG NIGHT out in Busan with the Busan Sisters. An amazing group of women, both foreign and Korean, who embrace an... alternative lifestyle - women loving women. It all ended around 5am at a karaoke club. We're in Asia now.
Today: Ocean - maybe surfing. Screen golf? and tomorrow a 10k bridge walk and maybe a latern festival.
Korea is treating us well. Monika is wonderful as always.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
New Mexico to South Korea with a layover in Seattle.
Congratulations Annie and Ira! beautiful wedding. so much fun in New Mexico!
We got home at 3pm or so. packed for Korea, ignored our ridiculously out of sorts apartment and headed out for a late dinner. We are so excited about the trips we have smashed together so cozy-like, but we are starting to feel like road warriors. You know, the weary kind.
Tomorrow we will take on the Seattle public transit without handicaps - we're leaving the droid at home. Only buses, a lightrail, two planes and a customs official stand inbetween us and Monika. Bring it.
Post might get less frequent while were abroad. We're looking at hiking mountains, hanging out in temples, going to islands, having big nights in cities and generally having a ball. We'll make sure to tell you all about it!
We got home at 3pm or so. packed for Korea, ignored our ridiculously out of sorts apartment and headed out for a late dinner. We are so excited about the trips we have smashed together so cozy-like, but we are starting to feel like road warriors. You know, the weary kind.
Tomorrow we will take on the Seattle public transit without handicaps - we're leaving the droid at home. Only buses, a lightrail, two planes and a customs official stand inbetween us and Monika. Bring it.
Post might get less frequent while were abroad. We're looking at hiking mountains, hanging out in temples, going to islands, having big nights in cities and generally having a ball. We'll make sure to tell you all about it!
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Friday, September 24, 2010
leavin on a jet plane
we've decided to explore santa fe tonight and albuquerque tomorrow. something about smaller and artsier really appeals to us. i think this quick trip will be a tease.
side note: has anyone noticed how lime green is super hot right now? i'm guilty. i bought a lime green nalgene 6 months ago and lime green board shorts 3 months ago. however the walls of our apartment are a light lime green. its a really nice color. it magically goes with the dark red/orange/tan thing we had going on in new haven. however, if i wear my board shorts i can blend into the wall and while purchasing a britta filter we skillfully avoided the lime green. and we keep noticing how many things we have that are that color. its silly and lime over here.
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Monday, September 20, 2010
party in seattle!
cheers! to Seattle!
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