ONE YEAR IN KOREA!!

Exactly one year ago, Steve and I stepped off a plane at Incheon international airport, waited for our luggage, and found a Korean man holding a sign with our names written on it. This year has been life altering, fun, stressful, exciting, and full of new experiences. Overall, it's been an incredible journey.

For this blog, I have decided to make a list. The top ten things I have enjoyed about Korea.

10. KPOP!
Korean pop music will always have a special place in my heart. Sometimes I'll hear a song that makes me want to dance, other times the blatant rip-off of American pop music and nonsensical "English" makes me laugh uncontrollably. The song "Chocolate Love" by Girl's Generation was the popular hit when we first arrived:

The band Shinee was also popular this past year with their song "Ring Ding Dong."

This one is pretty ridiculous. The English is cringe-worthy but the complete rip-off of "I Got a Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas is the funniest part.

And this one is just sexy. :) Singer "T.O.P." from the band Big Bang came out with this single, "Turn it up."

9. Free Stuff!
In Korea there is a thing called "service" or "service-uh" as the Koreans say. When we first came to Korea and were exploring the area we walked into a 7-11. We were looking around the store and suddenly we see the guy behind the counter looking frantically for something. When we made our purchase, he handed us a small box with a 7-11 mug inside and says, "Service-uh!" From that point on we've gotten so many things: dish towels, lotion, bottles of coca-cola, make-up, and more.

8. Ajummas and Ajoshis
Ajumma (아줌마) in Korean translates to older woman, or married woman. Her male counterpart is the ajoshi (아저씨). It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't seen it for themselves, but these Korean "characters" have been inspiring, and also a source of great entertainment at times. I'll start with ajummas. When you see her she might be hunched over pulling a cart of cardboard boxes. She has a perm, most likely has tattooed eyebrows, and will be wearing the biggest, flashiest visor you've ever seen. She is strong, tough, and refuses when you attempt to help her carry something. She has also been spotted yelling at her drunk husband, the ajoshi. She stares when I walk by, no shame involved. She is very interested in my foreign body, my curves, the strange way I dress. She loves hiking, and be careful! She will shove you if you are in her way.

Next comes ajoshis. An ajoshi's favorite hobbies are drinking soju, smoking cigarettes, watching construction sites, and hacking loogies...usually all at the same time. Picture this: some construction workers are working on the street and have dug a huge hole in the ground. 3 older men are watching carefully, holding their hands behind their backs, and hacking spit into that hole. Yup, I see it every day. The ajoshi can also be spotted on a Monday night passed out in front of their favorite bar. Lying on the concrete. There's even an entire website dedicated to documenting it: http://blackoutkorea.blogspot.com/ Okay, so they're not ALL ajoshis, but you get the picture. On the subway the ajoshi will be the one wreaking of soju and yelling at foreigners because they are talking too loudly.

They can be funny, rude, and drunken, but you gotta love 'em!

7. Natural Beauty
I've been to many metropolitan areas of Korea and they all pretty much look the same. I could be 4 hours away and see the exact same buildings, Family Marts, Dunkin Donuts, and Paris Baguettes. But when you explore beyond the city, you will find Korea has some really gorgeous sights to offer. We still haven't done all of the sightseeing we want to do in Korea, but what We've seen so far has been awesome!

Hiking at Byeonsanbando National Park

Taejongdae, Busan

6. Busan
Really? A city gets it's own number? Yep, Busan is amazing. It's Korea's second largest city (after Seoul of course) and it's right on the coast. It's the only city I've been to in Korea so far that actually feels different. It's beautiful, fun, and there's lots of culture!
5. Culture
It has been really amazing to learn about a culture I knew almost nothing about before I came. Most of the things I've learned will be with me forever. I've learned how to read Hangul (Korean written language) and a few Korean words and phrases to get me through the day. I know to take things with both hands, turn your head away from an elder when you are drinking, and how to tell someone you are grateful for their hard work.

4. My Students
Obviously, teaching takes up much of my time in Korea. Most days I have 2nd graders screaming at the top of their lungs, running around the class, on top of the tables and crawling out of the windows. I have 1st graders pointing to my stomach and saying "baby?" or "teacher, it's big." I have 6th graders flipping me off, and simply not paying attention to a word I say.

But then there are other moments when my students brighten my entire day. A 5th grader "Chris" visits me at lunch time and tells me, "Teacher, when I am 10 years old I don't like English. Now, 11 years old... I love English! Because Melinda teacher." A 1st grader "Susie" walks into the classroom, doesn't say a word, just smiles and sits in my lap. She plays with my hair and tickles the back of my neck. When I tell her it's time for class she doesn't want to leave my side. Those are the days I love my job.
3. The Food
I had never had real Korean food before coming here. I had heard of "Korean BBQ" which in California means a bowl of rice with meat on top and hot sauce... definitely not traditional. And I had also heard that kimchi is supposed to smell pretty bad. When I got here I tried everything. Some of my favorites include:

• Japchae (잡채밥, glass noodles stir-fried with vegetables)
• Tteokbokki (떡볶이, chewy rice cakes and fish cakes in a spicy sauce)
  
• Bibim nang myeon (비빔냉면, cold buckwheat noodles mixed with vegetables and spicy sauce)
• Bibim bap (비빔밥, rice with vegetables mixed with spicy sauce)
  
• I also recommend dak galbi (닭갈비, chicken and vegetables cooked in a spicy sauce) for those who eat chicken.

But I have to say, my absolute favorite Korean dish is kimchi jigae (김치찌개, spicy stew with kimchi, vegetables and tofu). This stew is perfect on a cold day and I know I'll crave it when I leave Korea.

Kimchi Jigae (top left) and side dishes (This all is for one person!)

Japchae Bap (A Korean-Chinese dish)

Dak Galbi

2. Traveling
Ok, so this isn't technically something I love about Korea, but it is a major benefit to teaching in Korea. Lots of vacation time! In one year we have traveled to Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, and Thailand. It's been freaking awesome! I can't wait for this next year's adventures.

1. Friends
The absolute best thing I've enjoyed in Korea is the great people I've met. In Korea, foreign teachers are usually in the same boat. We come here not knowing anyone. But with a little networking on Facebook and elsewhere, you can quickly find some cool people to hang out with in your area. We realize how much in common we have: love for travel, a readiness to embrace Korean culture (or complain about it- hehe), and open minds. I have had some amazing times with really incredible friends from all over the world. Some have already finished their contracts, others will leave Korea very soon... I am sad to see them go but something tells me I've made at least a couple life long friends. I hope this next year will bring more awesome people into my life!