We've moved!

Due to the difficulty many people have had leaving comments and even viewing our blog from time to time, we have decided to move to a different site. All our old posts are there as well as some new ones.  From now on we will be posting to that blog and not this one so you can feel free to forget this address.

Here she is!
travelpod.com/members/kelseyandmike

Ciao Blogger!

Easter Weekend in Korea

Happy Easter everyone!

 This Easter was a very special one for us since it was our first holiday in Korea away from our families. We wanted to make it a special one so we tried to do all the normal things we would do if we were at home. However, in Korea and especially in our town, it is very difficult to do things the way we would at home.. So instead, our Easter weekend took a different turn.

Fendi bags at Costco

It started with a trip to Costco because apparently on Good Friday we decided to buy in bulk and enjoy free samples (meat free, of course!). We went there with a purpose. We were on a mission to find two things: ham for our Easter dinner and cheese. The cheese wasn't really for our  Easter dinner, but it's just so expensive in normal grocery stores that we have to take advantage of the large sizes. Maybe this will help put it into perspective for you: A package of 24 processed cheese slices in Home Plus cost us about $7 Canadian. In Costco, a 1 kg block of marble cheese costs about $14 Canadian. With prices like that, how could we not?! After about an hour of roaming around the store, we climbed aboard a train headed back to Nonsan with 3 pairs of jeans for Mike, a 1 kg block of marble cheese, a 2 pack of feta cheese, 2 hams (one for Easter dinner and another to keep for later), 2 giant bottles of salsa and half of a large pizza. And when I say a large pizza, I don't mean a large frozen pizza to cook for dinner one night. I mean a LARGE pizza, with slices bigger than the biggest slices I've found in North America, fresh from the oven. We only brought half home because the other half we ate as our dinner. Looking back, we must have looked so Western on that train.. the only white people on the train and we are carrying a large pizza box.

Saturday we continued our Easter festivities by visiting a greenhouse near our building. Inside were the most beautiful orchid displays we've ever seen. Each stem had at least a dozen orchids and each arrangement had about 6-10 stems sitting in beautiful clay pots. The inside of the greenhouse radiated hues of purple, pink and yellow surrounded by lush green plants. Of course, no Easter weekend is complete without adding some new life to your home. So, we bought two potted plants: a gerbera daisy plant with at least 12 buds ready to bloom in a few days and

white and purple anenomes, which just happen to be my favourite flower. During the day, the blooms open to reveal the dark center and delicate purple and white stripes. As the day comes to a close, the buds slowly retract to get some sleep. Our little apartment is starting to feel more like home each day and these plants help to bring a little life back into it. After our trip to the greenhouse, it was arts and crafts time for me and iPad game time for Mike. The result of my arts and crafts were displayed around our house Sunday letting everyone know Spring is here!

Finally, Sunday was probably our first day since we have been in Korea where we didn't do anything. We each only left our apartment once: I left to get breakfast for Mike and myself and Mike left to get potatoes. When he returned, he found that the Easter bunny had come to visit and left him a trail of candy. Chocolates were tucked away in obscure locations such as inside my tea mug, my winter boot, on top of our air conditioner and even inside our paper towel roll. Luckily he found them all and was very impressed with the Easter bunny's hiding spots. Our day continued with some games of scrabble and taboo, hanging our laundry out to dry and listening to some Motown. Maybe the highlight of our Sunday was discovering that the pepper seeds we planted a few weeks ago had sprouted into a small green leaf! The finale of the evening was our lovely Easter dinner of glazed ham, mashed potatoes and salad, topped off with some sparkling rose wine. All in all, I would say our first holiday spent in Korea was a success and even though we were missing our families and the delicious food they usually make, it was a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. I guess it's time to continue our family traditions from home and start some new ones.

Our beautiful dinner and our hideous table cloth

There are no rules in Korea

We haven't posted in awhile so we apologize for the long post today..

One of the hardest things to get used to has been the absence of structure and rules in Korea. Situations that would merit procedure and order in Canada seem to function perfectly fine on their own here. Before doing something in Canada, it is common to think to yourself (or should be common) "am I allowed to do that?" or "is it safe to do that?" Here, on the other hand, we have oddly enough found comfort in knowing there are no rules in Korea. Our parents will often ask us questions about the way people here do things, such as buying their groceries, getting to work everyday and even going to restaurants. Something as simple as doing our laundry has caused my mother to even question what we can and can't do here. For example: In Canada, most people wash their clothes in a washing machine and dry them in a dryer. It's a seemingly simple task: You fill up your machine and an hour later the result is fluffy, soft, sweet smelling clothing (unless you live in the Dobsi residence, in which case the result is fluffy soft non-scented clothing). Well, in Korea. there are no dryers. Not even the wealthy and privileged are entitled to fluffy towels and bedding. Instead, they use drying racks or clothes maidens. If you're lucky and your laundry day is a windy one, your clothing and towels will feel more like what your used to and less like a paper bag. So, the Koreans have to get creative. How do they do this? By breaking a cardinal apartment living rule in Canada: they hang their bedding over their balcony railings, allowing the breeze to lift it gently and soften up the fibers. Stores even sell special clothes pins made just for this chore. It is completely normal to walk past an apartment and see dozens of blankets hanging over the edge on a nice sunny day. It is also completely normal to see barbers, restaurants and even pet stores displaying their clean linens outside their store fronts. Is this allowed in Canada? We don't really know, but the fact that we've never seen it forces us to believe no, it is not.

Another example of Korea's lack of rules is probably the most dangerous. Driving in Korea is not for the faint of heart. If you have the guts to get behind the wheel in Korea then you are a much more patient person than either of us. The lines on the road dividing traffic are more like a suggestion. Maybe you should stay on the right side of the road, but...if you happen to drift onto the left side, no one will tell. Those crosswalk lines you see? I bet you think they are for crossing the road. Well, sometimes they are. Other times they are used as parking spots, motorcycle paths and shortcuts during rush hour. Don't even get us started on the traffic lights. We still don't quite understand how they work. But, after a month of observations we have some initial guesses: A green light means go, and go fast. Don't pay attention to speed limits, other vehicles or pedestrians. They will get out of your way. A solid yellow light means you should probably slow down, but if you think the coast is clear at least look both ways and speed the hell up to make it through the intersection. You'd think a solid red light would mean stop, wouldn't you? Don't be silly. It means go faster than when the light is green. If, by chance, there is a cautious driver stopped in front of you at a red light, the only reasonable thing to do is drive up on the curb and go around him. So far the rules of the road seem pretty straight forward, almost like any other major city. But wait - there's more. Some intersections have a flashing yellow light which signals an all-way yield (we think) in which case you have the right to drive as fast as you want and in any direction. If another car is coming, go around them. If a pedestrian is crossing, speed up to greet him, then slam on your brakes, just to teach him a lesson. In the event that two or more cars think it is their turn to go, usually the person with less to lose wins. Other times there is a flashing red light. I don't really see how this is any different from a flashing yellow, since no one stops, no one yields  no one even looks both ways. They just drive and hope for the best. Amazingly though, this organized chaos seems to work for them.

Cars parked wherever they want

Parking is whole different issue. Basically, there are no parking spots - you just find an opening and go with it. Sometimes this is in front of a driveway, in the middle of a crosswalk, in the intersection, on the corner of a highway or even behind other parked cars (thereby blocking them in - hopefully the other car wasn't planning to leave anytime soon).

During our conversations with our families, we will tell them about the un-refrigerated meat that sits out on tables in the markets, the scooters that drive on sidewalks and the children that roam the streets at midnight by themselves. They will always stop us to ask "are people allowed to do that there?" to which our answer is always the same... there are NO rules in Korea.

Now, I know we have said "no rules" several times in this post, but there are some things the Koreans do without wavering. If you buy a ticket on a bus or train, you are assigned a seat number. You MUST sit in this seat. If there are 4 people on the train and you sit in a seat other than the one you've been assigned, all mayhen breaks lose. People are confused, they don't understand what to do and they don't seem to think taking a different seat is an option. They just stand in front of you, point to their ticket and stare, which is supposed to signal to you to get the hell out their seat and move along (in a friendly way, of course). Stemming off of this strange fixation with numbers, when you go into a store or bank and take a number, even if you're the only one there and your number is 5 numbers away, you must wait until your number is called. They will go in order, without skipping any numbers until the beeping finally stops on your number. You are then allowed to approach the counter.

Home Plus on an open day

Finally, and probably the most frustrating is Korea's love for randomly closing stores just because. Costco is closed...it must be the second or fourth Sunday of the month. Today, Home Plus was closed. Probably because it was the third Wednesday after the first full moon. Tomorrow our local grocery store will probably shut down half way through the day because it is one month from the last time it rained during the day on a Thursday, but one week away from strawberry season. Makes total sense, right?

Even though it seemed difficult to get used to at first, adjusting to the Korean way of living has been one of the easiest things to adapt to. We no longer look both ways twenty times before crossing the street. Instead, we look 5 times and commit. The key is no sudden movements, no hesitation - just go with it and the Koreans will figure it out.

A Weekend in Nonsan

Culture Street

A weekend in Canada is very different from a weekend in Korea. In Canada, my weekends were usually very lazy. I'd sleep in, watch TV in my PJ's until noon, slowly get ready and by 1:00 p.m. I was usually ready to go out wherever I needed to go. Mike's, on the other hand, were usually all business. He'd get up, go to work, come home and then get ready to do the same thing the next day. In Korea, our weekends are our time to explore, do some shopping and try new things.

It is hard to say what most Koreans do on weekends. Based on our observations we can say a few things with certainty.

Inside the market - total chaos

Every Saturday, everyone and their brother goes to their local open air markets to buy fresh produce, meat, fish and socialize with their neighbours. Old ladies sit at the stalls snacking on some kind of meat on a stick, rice cakes (not the Quaker kind we are used to in Canada) and kimchi, all of it covered in some form of garlic hot sauce. Next to them are children running up and down the aisles of the market, dodging men on scooters and carts delivering an assortment of goods. Further down the aisle are shoppers collecting the items on their grocery lists which usually include an array of cabbage-type vegetables, over-sized bags of onions, various meat not commonly seen at your local Zehrs store, and gathering leafy greens and nuts from bulk bins in the middle of the market. Surrounding this organized chaos are alley ways filled with teenage girls and boys shopping for clothing while seizing the opportunity to savour "street-meat" and confectionery items. Looking around this little part of the world we now call home, 3 weeks ago it would have been hard to believe that a place like this actually existed.

Entrance to the market

Just stopping for a snack

A typical meat stall in the market

On Sunday, Nonsan seems like a completely different city. The busy and chaotic streets turn into desolate walkways where pedestrians are free to cross the street without fear of being run down by a taxi. That is, until 2:00 p.m. when church-goers have returned to their usual business of getting where they need to go as quickly as possible. Sunday for us means walking around the city, finding new places to visit. Sometimes it also means taking the train to Daejeon for some retail therapy at Costco. However, if you aren't mindful of the dates, Sunday may mean taking the train to Daejeon to go to Costco only to turn back around once you find out it is closed on the second and fourth Sunday of the month, as was the case for us this past Sunday. Starting now, Sunday will no longer mean Costco trips... As the sun goes down and the last few hours of the weekend hang in the air, families gather for dinners at restaurants and homes where stories of their days are retold with a sense of melancholy for the return to the work-week. We know this because we have a sneak peek into approximately 300 kitchens from the comfort of our balcony. As they sit cross-legged on the floor, we watch and wonder: what are they cooking, what part of the animal are they eating...what animal are they eating, did it have a name?

This little piggy went to the market....

Dinner with the foreigners

This past weekend was our second in Korea. Overall it was a nice and relaxing weekend. Thanks to the wonderful advancements of technology, we were able to connect with foreigners, most of whom are fellow teachers, at a welcome dinner they held for us. They took us to a typical Korean restaurant where shoes are removed immediately upon entering. We were then taken to a room in the back of the restaurant where low tables are surrounded by pillows. This is where we sat while eating - yes, on the floor. The low tables each had a BBQ pit sunk into the middle of it surrounded by an array of condiments, side dishes and utensils. The food of choice that was samgyupsal, which is pork belly meat. Basically, it is western style bacon that hasn't been cured. It is then placed on the grill with whole cloves of garlic and eaten with spicy sauce, a sesame oil dipping sauce, kimchi and various other condiments. This is followed by at least one shot of soju which is a cheap Korean liquor, similar to vodka. And when I say cheap, I mean it is cheap. For a 4L jug, you will have to fork out a hefty 5,000 won - approximately $5 Canadian. The Koreans (and foreigners) love their soju. More will come on food and drink in Korea shortly. But for now, let us say this.. I don't think anyone goes hungry in Korea. Or has to eat alone. No matter where you are from or where you are going, someone is always around to keep you company and you better believe food is always involved. We have been very fortunate to meet some really great people in Korea and we can't wait to keep you updated with more stories.

Our first night out in Korea

The Apartment

When preparing to move to Korea, our biggest concern was the apartment. Would it be big or small? Would it be clean? Would it be safe? We had nothing to go by except what my employer told me. He said there were two apartment complexes the university rented from. The newer building was very nice and the older was not as nice. Of course, we were assigned to the older building. Instant panic ensued. Our minds began to run wild as we imagined studio apartments the size of a bedroom, cockroaches festering around and a toilet shoved into the corner of an open room.

As we walked down the hall to our apartment, we were both nervous and excited to finally relax after 18 hours of travel. We opened the door, held our breathe and finally sighed with relief to see a real apartment with rooms and doors. Admittedly it wasn't perfect. Our kitchen faucet leaked, our bathroom had layers of mildew and grime, the gas stove top worked but only if you held the knob down the entire time you were cooking, our bathroom floor flooded every time you ran the sink for longer than 30 seconds and to top it off, our heated flooring turned our apartment into a sauna even hours after being turned off.

At first we didn't want our families to know how bad it was. We knew they would worry if we told them the truth, so we played it off like, it's pretty good... Sorry guys, but we lied. It was bad. Really bad. I mean it. BAD. So, after a quick email to the people at the university, we found ourselves moving two floors higher to a cleaner, fully functioning and fully stocked apartment. The guy that lived in the apartment before us left us with a bunch of essential items: cooking pots and pans, two fans for the scorching summer days, a bathroom storage unit, bowls, plates and glasses, two umbrellas, a clothes maiden and 7 extra chairs. Also, our fridge and cupboards were stocked with spices, tea, pop and even burgers. We can safely say that everything he left us saved us probably $800.

Rather than posting pictures that vaguely show what our apartment actually looks like, we have decided to take you on a video tour. Click here to watch.

I actually really love our apartment. It is quaint and cozy and with every trip to Home Plus it gets more and more homey. Eventually we would love to add some more decorations like plants, fruit and vegetable shaped throw pillows (seriously) and pictures for our walls. It is completely different from what we are used to in Canada, but I think it is good for us. It takes us out of our comfort zones and challenges us to try something different. It may not seem like much, but for us, this is home.

The Adjustment Period

When moving to a new country, I'm not sure at what point it stops feeling like you're a visitor and starts feeling like you're a resident. Everyday is an exciting adventure of exploring new areas, finding new places to visit and meeting new people. Much of what we do resembles normal vacation routines - getting a lazy start to the day, walking around town, taking pictures of locals doing their usual thing. We couldn't look anymore like tourists than if we were wearing Canadian T-shirts and asking random people on the street to pose for pictures. I hardly think a native Korean would be taking pictures of the pig's heads resting in cooler beds in the open air markets...but you can safely assume we would (and are)! Even the novelty of using the 4 Korean words we know makes us laugh with excitement when someone actually understands us. All of these experiences are fairly typical of visiting a foreign country. Then, a day like today snaps us back to reality to remind us that we are not on vacation. A day when a leisurely walk through town is replaced with shopping for organizational supplies and groceries.

So let's recap. Taking pictures of Korean signs and shops: Vacation. Buying pillows, kitchen supplies, cleaning products and a year's supply of garbage bags (thank you Costco!): Not a vacation. Going to sleep at 9:00 p.m. out of sheer exhaustion: Vacation. Waking up at 7:00 a.m. because you have errands to run: Not a vacation. Daring to eat at a Korean restaurant without knowing exactly what you're ordering: Vacation. Cooking your own food to avoid eating dog or live octopus: Not a vacation. Spending the day wandering around the town: Vacation. Ironing my clothes for work the next day: Definitely NOT a vacation.

I'm not really sure where we stand on the vacation to reality transition, but so far we aren't in any rush for the real world part of this journey to kick in. Once it does, it will become a lot more real that we are living in a completely different country, on the opposite side of the world, where hardly anyone speaks English. Which is a scary thought, but it hasn't really set in yet.

We are starting to realize that the feeling of being a stranger in a foreign land will never go away. When a child looks at you in the supermarket as if he's never seen a white person before, it is easy to remember that we don't quite belong here. But, I think somehow that's okay. In all fairness, we are coming into their lives, not the other way around so it's to be expected to be seen as outsiders. Now, if these outsiders can somehow navigate their way through this complicated and highly traditional town and win over the impassive Korean people, I think we'll be alright.

First Impressions

It’s funny how fast things can change. A year ago I had my heart set on packing up my things in January of 2013 and moving to Italy to teach and live there. I dreamed about sipping cappuccinos at cafes in piazzas while I brushed up on my Italian and chatted with shop keepers. What actually happened couldn't be further from that picture. Instead of taking me across the pond to country of pasta, Michelangelo and Fiats, life took me in a very different direction. Life took me to a country of rice paddies, Buddhas and Hyundai…to Korea. Before, I had no interest in moving to Asia to teach. It just didn't seem like me. However, a series of events led me to a small town in South Korea to start a journey that I can’t even begin to understand right now. And, did I mention I’m not alone. In what can only be described as the most amazing gift in the world, my boyfriend Mike has decided to come with me. Together, we are starting a crazy journey of discovery and adventure. We came into this fairly blind – we don’t speak Korean, we don’t eat Korean food, we don’t know much about Korean culture – but, part of the fun is figuring this all out along the way. We are so excited to see what Korea has to offer and are willing to just let life take its course.

We landed in Korea a little less than a week ago, although with everything we have gone through it seems like it’s been longer. To start, we moved into our apartment. Then we moved out and then moved in again. I packed and repacked our suitcases twice already (and this is in Korea) and finally unpacked them today. It’s a long story, but the short version of it is this: we moved into our apartment, found a better one, sweet-talked the woman at the university and a couple days later, we moved into our cleaner, nicer, fully-stocked apartment.

The town we live in is called Nonsan. It is about 30 minutes from Daejeon and two hours from Seoul. Koreans would categorize it as a small town or village even. I would describe it as being similar to downtown Toronto, but with shorter buildings, far less people and surrounded by farmland. Nonsan is known in Korea for two things: it is the location of Korea’s military training and it is its largest producer of strawberries! In one direction of our apartment is a small mountain with a Buddhist temple and hiking trails hidden by a bamboo forest and in the other direction are narrow streets lined with restaurants, electronic stores, textile shops and alleyways hiding a treasure trove of exotic and somewhat disturbing treasures. The character of this town is something that brings a smile to your face just watching the people go about their daily business. There are the taxi drivers that line the street below our balcony, the cars that barely escape collisions as they pass through intersections completely devoid of any kind of traffic markers, the children that stare and giggle at every foreigner that walks by (which, at this point has pretty much been just us). At times it is easy to forget that we are living here and not watching this on TV. It will be interesting to see how this all feels in a few months or weeks even. Until then, we will keep exploring and updating you all along the way.