Goodbye Korea Series | Emilio & Gina

I think this post will be the beginning of all my goodbye posts to my dear friends in Korea. We have 23 days left and every day my heart breaks a little bit more. I cannot believe how fast the past few months have gone. It only felt like yesterday when we had six months and now it's less than that. In the coming days, we'll be meeting with our friends that we've made in Korea. Some we will see again and others, who knows when we will meet again. Recently, Markus and I were able to meet with Emilio & Gina. We don't have many couple friends in Korea, so the few that we do have, we really appreciate. They have similar tastes to Markus and I and it's always fun meeting up with them.

Emilio was in our EPIK orientation class all the way back in August of 2011. We haven't kept in touch with many people from orientation, but Emilio is one of the few that we make the effort to see. He and Markus have so much in common. This last time we met, they spent the whole time talking to each other about anime and kaiju movies. Markus doesn't have any geeky friends here besides Emilio, so when they get together he gets very excited. Gina came about a year ago and she's really incredible. Every time we meet, it's like seeing an old friend. Even though we haven't known each other long, Gina is the type of person that you instantly feel comfortable with. She's one of the kindest people I've ever met and she's a perfect match for Emilio.
 

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Breakfast Burger

We hadn't seen Emilio or Gina for months. It's sad, but it happens. Life takes over and then you before you know it, months have passed. We were determined to see each other before we left. After going back and forth for a bit, we finally agreed on a date. Gina recommended Bruns Week, an amazing brunch place in Nampodong and we readily agreed. Markus and I will never say no to brunch. It's like a rule, who doesn't like brunch? The food was amazing. I can't even describe how good. It's been ages since I've had brunch and it felt like coming home. Everything was really exquisite and the restaurant was really classy. It felt a bit like some of the restaurants back home.

After we ate at Bruns Week, we weren't ready to say goodbye, so we headed to another cafe. We spent a couple hours chatting and people watching. It was really strange, but everyone in this cafe was a bit off in some way. The girls at the table next to us were taking a nap, a girl across the way was straightening her hair, and a guy at another table had a mini-projector and was watching a movie. After we finished at the cafe, we still weren't ready to part, so we went to the thrift store area of Nampodong. It was like heaven for me. There was store after store of amazing vintage clothes. I can't believe it took me two years to find this place, but in all honesty, it's for the best. I'm sure I would have spent all money and then where would I be? Broke, but with lots of cool clothes.

When we were finally ready to say goodbye, we had spent almost eight hours together. I think we all knew it was our last time and we just weren't ready. Even though, I don't know when we'll see Emilio and Gina again but we're very thankful for their friendship. I know that once we meet again, it'll be like no time passed and we'll just pick up right where we left off!

Seung Ah Unnie's Korean Wedding | Busan, South Korea

Markus and I have been lucky enough to attend three Korean weddings in our two years in Korea. Three of my dearest unnie's have gotten married while we've been here. Korean weddings are completely different from American weddings. It's almost shocking how different.  At the first wedding we attended, I was overwhelmed and really confused. By this third one, Markus and I were pros. We knew all the tricks and it made for an enjoyable wedding experience. Despite the differences, there are still some really amazing things about Korean weddings and I'm thankful that I had the chance to witness real Korean weddings.

One of the biggest differences in Korean weddings is the venue. The wedding and reception is in the same place. Basically throughout Korea they have these nondescript office buildings and inside them are wedding halls. I once asked my co-teacher if Koreans got married in churches and she said that some did, but they were poor. Many Koreans look down on the couple if they don't get married in a wedding hall. It's sort of sad in a way because all the weddings I've been to have looked exactly the same. There is nothing unique or different, the only difference is the bride and groom.

One thing that I don't like about Korean weddings is the lack of reverence for the bride and groom. Everyone sort of stands outside the seating area and just talks loudly while the ceremony is happening. Everyone comes and pays their respects and then they just do their own thing.  It's a bit strange, but it's completely normal. At this wedding, there were so many people, the most I've ever seen. They were all talking so loudly and blocking the view that I couldn't see much. I got a bit annoyed and gave up. Instead of trying to fight for a view, Markus and I headed to the buffet.

The best part about Korean weddings is the food.  Traditionally, everyone gives a monetary present ranging from 30,000 won to 50,000 won ($30-$50) depending on how close you are to the bride or groom. Once you arrive at the wedding and hand over your present, they give you a ticket for the lunch buffet. After you've seen the bride and said your greetings, you can stay and watch the ceremony or head to the buffet. Since this was our third wedding, we knew the score. Almost 50% of the guests will go straight to the buffet. After Markus and I watched a little bit of the ceremony we quickly headed to the buffet to try and avoid large crowds. When we arrived we were shocked to see the place was full and that everyone had the same idea. The food at this buffet was quite exceptional and really delicious.

After attending three Korean weddings, I can say that I truly do miss weddings back home. I miss the sweetness and elegance of the wedding ceremony. I miss being able to dance and have a great time at the reception. Weddings in Korea are so rushed and for some people it's only an hour or two out of your day. I can't wait for some of my friends to get married so I can experience an American wedding again, it's been way too long.

Eats with Jeff #9: Special Edition

I feel like it's been ages since I've posted an "Eats with Jeff". Sadly, our time is dwindling down in Korea and I wont have many more outings to post. Today's post is a very special edition as it features Jeff's best friend Cathy. She came to Korea back in May and we met them for dinner one night. We had a great time and it was really nice being able to meet one of Jeff's friends from back home It was also great being able to share our eats with a new person. 

Galbijim

Korean Style Barbecued Ribs

We decided to take her to eat one of our favorite Korean meals, galbijim (갈비찜). Markus and I eat it quite often and wanted her to have a great experience, so we took her to our favorite galbijim restaurant. Galbijim is basically ribs, beef or pork, that are stewed with various spices and vegetables. Most of the time it's spicy and the meat just falls off the bone. I love galbijim so much that I'm determined to master the dish and cook it once we get back to America. We also ordered a side of barbecued ribs. Markus really misses Southern BBQ and this is the closest we can get to it. They didn't taste like Southern style ribs, but they were still quite tasty. They were a lot more savory than I imagined, since Koreans love to make everything sweet, regardless if it's dessert or not. 

I think these two bff's really missed each other. Cathy was only in town for only five days and they spent all of those five days stuffing their faces. Jeff is a huge foodie and he loves finding the best food in town. He took her to all his favorite places and sometimes they even managed to fit in five meals in one day. By the time we met her later in the week, they were exhausted and halfway into a food coma. 

After we ate galbijim, we still managed to find more food to eat. We came across this new food stand that offered Japanese style fried chicken. As soon as I saw the words fried chicken, I knew we had to try it. The chicken is fried and placed on a stick. Then you can flavor it with any sauce that you want. Most of the flavors were normal, like ketchup and mayonnaise.  They also had some strange ones, chocolate being the strangest. I tried most of them and honestly, chocolate was one of the best sauces. I was pleasantly surprised and it was the perfect ending to an evening of delicious food and great company. 

Rockport, Massachusetts | 2010

Back in 2010, Markus and I visited our dearest friends Ryan and Jessica. Markus and I already started to think about moving to Korea, so our annual vacation ended up being in the U.S. Markus never traveled to Boston, so we thought it would be the perfect place for a vacation. I went once when I was 16, but everything is different when you're a teenager. We spent a week touring the beautiful city of Boston. For one of our day trips, Ryan and Jess took us to one of their favorite New England towns, Rockport. It's this amazing little New England seaside town. I've always wanted to go to a place like that and it was everything I hoped it would be and more.

Ryan and Jessica are very special to us and Ryan was even in our wedding. They are amazing friends and even though they lived far from us, they were always people that we could rely  on. Jessica is one of the sweetest and kindest people I've ever met. She is so generous with everything. Ryan is probably the smartest person I know. His knowledge of everything is so vast and sometimes I feel a bit dumb when I'm around him. He's not only incredibly intelligent, but he's one of the most encouraging people I've ever met. He is constantly encouraging Markus and I in everything that we do. He truly believes that we can do anything and it's so humbling to have a friend that has that much faith in us.

We spent the chilly afternoon walking the shop filled streets. Everything was so quaint, but not in a cheesy sort of way. It was definitely the sort of place that everyone knew their neighbors and where people raised their kids. I spent most of the afternoon squealing and freaking out about every little thing. Even though I've always lived close to the ocean, this is nothing like Florida. Rockport was like a dream. It's the epitome of the sleepy seaside town and I wished that we could have spent more time there.

When we first arrived in Rockport and were walking around, I had the feeling like I had seen something like it before. I even turned to Markus and said, "This place reminds me of The Proposal". Rockport looked just like the Alaskan city that Ryan Reynolds character brings Sandra Bullock's character. When we randomly walked into the Fudgery to get apple cider, I saw a photo from the movie and I quickly realized why it looked familiar. It was because they did film it in Rockport! After that, Markus and I decided to end our wonderful time in the little town by trying to re-enact one of the scenes from the movie. We tried our best to get it right and I think we did a pretty good job. I felt like it was a fitting end to a lovely afternoon in the perfect New England seaside town.

Elephant Ride | Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted to ride an elephant. I think it all stems back to the first time I saw Aladdin. Seeing Abu turn into an elephant and storm into the palace is a scene I always remember. I never thought I would have the opportunity to be honest, but I put it on the wishlist in the hopes that I would one day. Most of the time, I put things on the wishlist because I want to do them, but never think that I would ever do them. I never would have thought that I would ever travel to Cambodia and ride an elephant in Angkor Wat. Seriously, I can't believe that this is my life. I get to do such awesome things with my best friend, what more could I ask for?

We were lucky enough to be able to ride the elephants through Angkor Wat. I know lots of people that have ridden elephants at Busch Gardens, but nothing can compare to this experience. It was quite surreal seeing ancient temples and being on top of a massive creature. It was pretty cool being able to see everything. Usually, when you're in a car or tuk-tuk, the view is limited, but on top of an elephant. You can see it all and it was absolutely beautiful.

Afterward, we had a chance to get a closer look at the elephants and I was a bit freaked out. One of my old students was attacked by an elephant in Thailand. After I remembered that story, I was too scared to get too close to the elephant. As you can see in my picture, I'm not really touching it, I sort of put my hand out in the hopes that it would be close enough. For some reason, he was really keen on Markus and they became best friends. Although, that's usually what happens with Markus, everyone becomes his best friend. Overall, riding an elephant was an amazing experience and one that I will never forget!