Christmas gifts all around

Seohyun and Seojin with their mom. I gave them nail polish, barrettes, and memo pads for Christmas. They gave me gloves, a framed picture of them together, and a fancy holiday cake from a popular Seoul bakery.

Debbie models her t-shirt from her "American Grandma" (a.k.a. my Mom)

Danny prepares to create an artistic masterpiece with gifts from his "American Grandma". Not seen are the John Deere tractors Danny LOVED.

I gave Debbie "Twister" for Christmas.

Someone had to teach her how to play . . .

Meh-dee Ku-dee-seu-mah-soo!

Or, Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday. I spent most of the day volunteering in soup kitchen at a Seoul homeless shelter. My co-workers, Sarah and Chris, and I had a great time chopping, skinning, cleaning, and serving. We wore floor-length vinyl aprons and tall rubber boots, since the easiest way to clean up the kitchen is to periodically hose everything down.

America gets a bad wrap for over-commercializing Christmas, but I think the Koreans are giving us a run for our money. The 25ish% of Christians in the country recognize the "true meaning" of the holiday, but from what I can tell, the celebration is mostly about fancy cakes, parties, and date nights. Christmas is considered a couples holiday here, much like Valentine's Day in the U.S. On my subway ride home last night, a multitude of couples could be seen nuzzling up to one another as the train threw us all from side to side, barreling down the tracks. I unintentionally slammed into more than a few pairs when the train turned and stopped suddenly . . . talk about awkward. Perhaps they thought I was just a bitter, single meeguk (American) expressing my disdain for the amorous atmosphere. I must have looked pretty pathetic because at one point, an elderly gentlemen gestured to a young, good-looking couple holding hands, and then tried to hold MY hand. Thanks, buddy. I needed that.

I survived my first Christmas away from home, but I'm not sure I'll be able to trade turkey and dressing for kimchi in perpetuity. I am thoroughly enjoying my life in Korea, and I probably wouldn't have come home for the holidays even if I had a free ticket. I believe fully experiencing this culture sometimes means leaving my own behind. That being said, I think I've come to the realization that I'm probably not cut out for long-term international life. The holidays bring the importance of time with family and friends into perspective, and life is just too short to miss out on Christmas after Christmas, birthday after birthday, and any other opportunity to eat mass quantities of down-home, fatty American food.

Everyone Loves Christmas Tunes

I emerged from a movie theater onto a busy city plaza Saturday evening to the sound of traditional Christmas tunes being sung in Korean. Although the audio quality was horrendous, the group of older Koreans wearing yellow sashes (no idea what they indicate) belting out Christmas carols in their native language was quite entertaining. I've always wondered how songs can be translated into a different language and still fit the beat of the original score. Anyway, the real highlight of this clip comes a few seconds in when you can see one passerby demonstrating his appreciation for the music. Enjoy!

KBS World Radio Year-End Party

The KBS World Radio year-end party was held at a casual, but delicious Korean barbeque joint about ten minutes from our office. We packed the place and had a great time eating, drinking, and chatting.

Chris Dykas, English team freelancer who hosts a Korean pop music show, as well as other feature programming. Chris is a Korean-American from Los Angeles, California.

Sophia takes charge with the pork barbeque. The technique involves holding big slabs of meat with the tongs and using kitchen shears to cut small, bite-sized pieces.

Sarah Jun, Korean pop music show host, Chris Dykas, and me.

Chris and Sarah acting like the booze is getting to them. Actually, the English team was quite tame. Some of the green bottles are soju (like gin), but most are clear soda.

Head of the Vietnamese service. She moved around every table, challenging everyone to race her in drinking glasses of beer. She was the life of the party.

Chris and me with the former chief of KBS World Radio. Mr. Park is the Arabic service chief.

Christmas in Seoul

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . . in Seoul. It took the city a little longer to become "Christmafied" than most places in the U.S., but now lights, decorations, singing Santas, and Salvation Army bell-ringers are all over the place. The area around Seoul City Hall is particularly bright these days. An ice rink and nearby stream are surrounded in multi-colored lights in palace-type formation. The display is called "Lucevista" and will be up until January 6. See pictures below.

A popular Korean department store, Shinsegae, is covered in sheets of lights.

Mr. Chae and me by a KBS Christmas tree

O ship beon!

Since samgyeopsal (three-fat pork) has become a weekly staple in my diet, I decided it was high time I join a gym. In a society where great importance is placed on appearance and it seems everyone is on a diet, gyms are ubiquitous. I located a little mom-n-pop operation about two blocks from my apartment last week and sauntered in to inquire about their monthly membership rates. I made my first faux pas just stepping in the door. It's customary to take off your shoes when entering a home or a a restaurant with floor seating, but I didn't realize the same rules apply to gyms. And apparently walking over about five pairs of shoes just to get through the door wasn't hint enough. Once I realized everyone who was paying attention was staring at my feet, I quickly shuffled back out into the entryway and shed my shoes. Through a series of hand gestures, grunts, and facial expressions, I confirmed the membership rates and told the owner I'd be back another day.

So, this Monday I found myself back in the gym, the owner sternly instructing me to do "O ship beon" [fifty more] abdominal exercise "x". Fifty more?! Who do I look like, Rocky Balboa?! This guy does not think it is cute and/or funny that I don't speak Korean. While I smile at my own ignorance, hoping for a little sympathy, he seems to get increasingly annoyed. Although I tried to explain that I really just wanted to run on the treadmill, Mr. Gymowner seemed highly concerned with my mid-section and insisted upon guiding me through rigorous strength training before turning me loose for a cardio workout. I hung up my coat and hadn't gotten three steps outside the locker room when he approached me and used blatant gestures to "explain" we'd be working on my stomach . . . and whatever you call the flab that pokes out of your sides over the band of your exercise shorts. At this point, I was glad I couldn't understand anything that was coming out of his mouth. His message was pretty clear--"Honey, that samgyeopsal is going straight to your gut."

Amid 1970s era posters of body builders, I huffed and puffed my way through Mr. Gymowner's instructions, looking forward to being left alone to commence my treadmill workout. But when the time arrived, I realized every treadmill in the gym was set up on a permanent incline--a significant incline. Not ready for defeat, I decided no hill was too much for me and started running at a fairly brisk pace. That's when I realized everyone else in the gym was watching me (some giggling) and there was no way I would make it any longer than ten minutes at this pace. But now that I had established myself as super woman, I couldn't give up my ambitious run and settle for power walking like some soccer mom. The glass in front of the treadmill reflected my face getting redder and redder and even my most inspring iPod tunes weren't cutting it for this workout. I hammered through 25 minutes with visions of Sylvester Stalone confidently maneuvering the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art before succumbing to my fatigue. I stumbled off the treadmill, my legs feeling like Jell-O, grabbed my things, and rushed out before Mr. Gymowner could catch me and demand, "O ship beon!" of any other maneuver up his sleeve.

Joong Ang Ilbo Article

The Joong Ang Ilbo, a popular daily newspaper in Seoul, carried a feature article about yours truly in its English edition this week. Click on the link below, then look for "Foreign Community" in the orange menu bar. My article should be the second from the top.

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/list.asp?cat_code=04

B-Boy Korea

Break dancing and "B-boy" troupes are a very popular part of the hip hop movement in Korea right now. Dance crews from Korea have recently won several international break dancing championships, and there are several groups performing regular shows throughout Seoul. Jessica and I checked out "B-boy Korea" last night, a 90-minute performance that included a thin plot line. It was an amazing display of physical talent, and quite funny, too. Here's a picture of us after the show with some of the star b-boys.

My life this week

English Service freelancer, Sarah Jun, and Sophia enjoying a Japanese lunch on Monday.

Mr. Chae and me also enjoying a Japanese lunch (or at least Japanese beer!)

Doing my thing in the studio.

My student, Seojin, working diligently.

My student, Seohyeon, learning words for emotions.

Sophia, me, and Mr. Chae after decorating our section for Christmas. It looks much better in person!

Nuclear Negotiator Takes on Hurricane Abby

Today I met someone whose name I've read at least once weekly during KBS news reports. He is Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, but also chief nuclear negotiator with North Korea. Hill has been in Seoul the last couple of days in preparation for his second trip to Pyongyang (capital of North Korea) on Monday. There, he'll check on the progress of the North's nuclear disablement. He expects China, the host of the next six-party talks, to receive a full declaration outlining the country's nuclear program within the next week.

I attended a lecture given by Hill to a crowd of just around 30 people at Ewha Women's University in Seoul. I found out about the lecture through my friend Jessica who has some connections in the international studies department at Ewha.

Hill gave a thorough, yet straightforward and uncomplicated account of North Korea's nuclear issue from the U.S. perspective. He also took questions from the crowd, and sitting in the front row, of course I jumped right in! He was an extremely laid back, affable man who seems to care genuinely about resolving this issue in a diplomatic fashion.

Jessica and I were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet and speak to Christopher Hill.