After having lived in a country of open spaces and big houses, it’s difficult to fathom how one might live in a crammed, upward built nation. Once a small town girl like myself has witnessed Seoul, it becomes more apparent, but the sight is quite overwhelming. Due to the lack of living space in Korea, …
Never have I been an avid television watcher. Sure, I’ve had my bouts of Grey’s Anatomy addictiveness here and there, but I have never seen an entire season of any show from start to finish. That is, until now. A short time ago, I wrote that I had been enjoying Korean television as I got …
Twice a week, my school holds a graduation ceremony to celebrate the students’ completion of the 3 or 5 day program and to celebrate their hard “work” and “studying” efforts. Sitting through numerous graduations proves to be monotonous after a while, as the dialogue is always the same. “Congratulations” by Cliff Richard is played on …
Standing in line for lunch, a younger student saw my Mignon Faget ring that I wear daily and asked me, “Teacher, are you married?” This didn’t surprise me, as I get this question a lot from the students. “No,” I replied casually. “Well, do you have a boyfriend?” “Nope,” I continued. “Teacher, why? When do …
Let’s just make this clear… Koreans can eat. Eat in extremely large portions for an exceedingly long amount of time. With the exception of some children, the majority of them remain stick thin. It’s unreal. The Korean dining experience is pretty fantastic. At most traditional restaurants, customers remove their shoes and sit on the floors. …
I started teaching culture class last week. Immediately after observing the class, I had to teach it to a group of mid-level students. I quickly learned that describing culture is a somewhat difficult task to do. I felt like I was losing the kids’ attention, so I started talking about manners, as there were flashcards …
So, after one too many buckets and being chased around by a masked man who so desperately wanted to play rock-paper-scissors at Monkey Beach in Apgujeong, I was absolutely useless on Sunday. There was no way I was going to be capable of leaving my apartment, so I figured I should do something productive with …
Yes, I did it- spent yet another day in Myeongdong picking up some more “necessities.” As I’ve previously posted, the Korean fashion scene paints a picture for the commonly used phrase, “Beauty is pain.” I have to admit, I admire the high heel-clad women of all ages forever sporting the trendiest threads. The male perms …
In the past, I’ve heard people say many things about how to know a country’s culture. One of these said ways is to play their sport (“Dhani Tackles the Globe“). For anyone who knows me, they would say that this would be a joke for me, as I do not have an athletic bone in …
In making a run to the 7-Eleven a few days ago, I was introduced to an interesting Asian product while browsing the cosmetic isle: double eyelid tape. These strips are used by Korean females (and more recently males) to do simply what their name implies- create a crease in the eyelid. This came across as odd …