A word about Korean coffee

It was May of 2003, my first day of teaching in Korea. I was nervous and a little scared of standing on front of a room full of children who didnt undertand 80% of what i was talking about. I was thinking about making a run for it when i hear the question that makes me so very happy: "would you like some coffee?" GOD yes! it had been about 48 hours since i left Canada, and that was exactly what i needed: a nice cup of coffee. As i waited in anticipation, I wondered if Korean coffee would be better than coffee from home. Since I was still on a high of being in anew place, I thought "of course, it's going to be great."

"here you are" I spin around expecting a big mug of black yummy goodness.

instead, there is a small papercup,( like the ones the my students peed in for health checks- see earlier blog) with about an ounce of milky, sugary instant mix.

my heart sinks.

but I put a smile on my face and say thank you.

it was exactly how I expected it to be: like someone melted down a bunch of coffee flavored candies into a cup and added hot water.

I felt a small surge of panic.

I had just signed a year of my life to teaching in Korea. How was I going to function for a FULL YEAR on this stuff??

this one event sent me in search of coffee grinds, espresso's and chai tea all over the country. Fresh coffee used to be extremely hard to find in Korea. and it was expensive. which lead to me begging for care-packages stuffed with freshly ground beans from anyone who would send it.

It kind of became like an addiction- not the coffee drinking itself- I already know that i have a small problem- but the searching of the coffee. it was so rare to find, that I would stock up on it, like world war 3 was coming. it didnt matter how much I already had at home, I bought it up like a crackhead. a crazy, coffee feining crackhead.

Its very smilar with English books: they are expensive and rare, and so I find myslef buying books, when I'm already in the middle of reading 5 or 6.

After years of being around the coffee mix, I found a mild tolerance level of it. I dont like it, but I will swallow it down like bad medicine if I have to.

My Korean friends were shocked to learn that we dont have the "stick mix" in Canada, since its so convenient. I then have to explain that North Americans usually enjoy their morning coffee as a "wake up call" rather than dessert style in Korea. They then informed me that they had heard of other Koreans who brought their "sticks" with them while traveling overseas. They laugh when i tell them i got my coffee sent from home. we share a love for 2 coffees that are utterly and completely unalike.

I find it funny that cultures can be crossed and understood through something as small as how someone likes thier coffee :) coffee drinkers unite!

some pictures of the sticks: a "mix" sized cup next to an ordinary cup, 2 sticks and a pencil, and the mix unleashed into said small cup.

Open Mic

Here are some pics of the Open night we had this past saturday, and as I mentioned, it was my first time getting up and singing. It was so much fun!

at the end of the night, there was even a marriage proposal- for more details see my jewellery blog.

We usually have our Open Mics at Haebyun Concert, on the Cafe Shore Road, Jeju city. This was the best turn out we've had so far, with so many talented, amazing performers.

Me and 2 friends were the back up singers for a band put together for the occasion:Part Time Groove. We performed Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye, Son of Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield, Proud Mary by Ike and Tina, and Groove is the heart by Deelite.

Debbie goin Solo

Us singin backup

Part Time Groove

Myles's big moment

upcoming

i have several post that i have written in the last week, but have not put up, because I am too lazy to sort out the pictures that go with some of them. most involve randomness of living in Korea. I will get to it, ...soon-ish.

I also found my new favorite blog today Cake Wrecks. it made me laugh out oud repeatedly. It is a blog dedicated to the most ridiculous cakes ever made- most by accident or sheer stupidity.

A blog of pure awsomeness.

Transient Love?

First of all, I had an absolutely amazing time tonight- it was my first time getting up at an Open Mic and performing in front of a large audience! it was exilerating. I want more.

At the end of the night, my friend propsed to his long time girlfriend, who also my close friend. I made the engagement ring. It was a wonderful moment. I actually jumped up and down....
although that might have been the vodka.

She told me the news this afternoon, but wasnt made official until tonight. Their engagement got me thinking about relationships while living abroad. I know they are for real because they knew each other from home.
When I say "real" I mean they know each other outside the confines of living abroad. I dont know how many relationships I've seen fizzle the moment they no longer coexist in Korea.

There have been a few success storie are but they few and far between. They usually involve a foreign man marrying a korean woman, but rarely do you see the other way around.

In the 6 years I've been here, I've dated other ESL teachers, US airforce stationed here, and Koreans. all have ended, most badly.
Others have shared similar experiences. the biggest reason seems to be the transient lifestyle of people coming to work in Korea for a limited time.
I had a friend say to me long ago "Theres no room for love in Korea, everone is on vacation."
Is this true?

pause.... just saw a cockroach run across my room. had to spray the life the out of it.
....and... done.

So. My point, or rather my pondering at 2 am, is this: can 2 people from similar backgrounds or culture meet in Korea, during their one year contract, fall in love and then make it work once their time in Korea is finished?
just wondering.

Forgotten Posts

In Cleaning out my posts that I wrote last year, but never posted, I cam across some interesting ones I wrote last year. This one was called Still Got Seoul- was written June 20 2009.

In my effort to Blog regularly, I'm going to be posting all my old forgotten posts that were written but never made made it up.

I've returned to my beloved city of soul- Seoul, for the weekend.

I've always loved this city- it;s like an asian New York.

Having been living on a subtropical island for the past 10 months I had forgotten all the charms this city has. I only remembered the crowded subways, the shoving and the smog. the horrible horrible smog.

Itaewon by day actually doesn't look so bad...

But like all things, as time passes, the bad things seem to dissipate and you can see things with fresh eyes.

So here I am, staying with my gals for the weekend, seeing things with fresh eyes.
like, last night, for example: I managed to spill 2 full martinis down my legs, so I'm realising I'm not as "smooth" as I'd like to think I am. fresh eyes indeed.


There are alot of things I really miss about the city. There's always something happening. Always some art show to attend, a gallery opening, a live band performing, a costume night at some club, new cafes to try out. There are 2 main "nightlife" areas that well known by the expat community: Hongdae, which is short for Hongik University, a notable art school that has engulfed the entire area around it with it's artsiness. The club scene is a younger crowd with funky little bars playing house music. It;s a pretty good mix of foreigners and koreans alike. For myself, i prefer walking through the area in the daytime, checking out all the little boutiques with handmade items. but people watching at night is always fun too.

Roadside Alcohol to-go! in a ziplock baggie no less!

It also has a pretty good underground Indie and punk scene, which I like to check out sometimes.

...and then there is Itaewon. Itaewon is known as the "foreigners district", and has been for some time. There is a US military base down the road, so the locals took advantage and started selling Big Size items, among other things, at a jacked up price to the military in the area.

It soon became infested with prostitution, and sleazy bars, not to say that prostitution wasnt prevalent in Korea before that, but I'm sure it didnt help matters.

In recent months, I have noticed, and heard that the Seoul officials were really trying to "clean up" the Itaewon area, and on the surface it does look a little swankier, but in actuality, the clean up was just "sweep it under the rug" type deal.
all the same, there are some great bars, lounges, and restaurants, and is really just a great party area, if thats what you're looking for.

There are other areas in Seoul to check out, and I would highly recommend it. Apgujung, and Shinsa are really trendy areas, with fantastic nightlife, but is a little more of an elite crowd, with higher prices on everything.

I live for days like these

It's now officially summer in Jeju, although I've been pretty much living in my bikini for over a month now. Days in the sun, drinking my coffee early morning on the beach, laughing with friends, makes every negative thing in life worthwhile. I dont think I need to explain the pictures- sometimes saying nothing is better

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Things I found on the Beach Today