I love science class

I teach an American elementary school curriculum at my school. We mainly use American textbooks and workbooks. I don't get to teach all the subjects at one time, but the students (depending on their grade level) get the same core classes an American student would get: reading, science (it's actually called non-fiction), grammar, phonics, writing, speaking, social studies, and even math.

My favorite class is science! (Then math.) I love all the fun experiments there are in our science book. Today, my kindergarten students learned about shadows. We had a blast!

I think this is supposed to be a monster

Crab.

And the one everyone knows how to do: a rabbit.

The camera is out of order

My camera is out of order. I can't see what I'm taking because the backlight of the viewfinder doesn't light up anymore. Thank goodness Koreans love to fix their electronics (instead of disposing of hardware as Americans often do) because I am not trying to buy a new camera. I got this camera 3 years ago and it still works lovely. I plan to go to Yongsan, the electronics market in Seoul, to see if I can get a cheap repair.

I took a couple of photos today despite not being able to see what I was doing...

I attended a workshop for my school in Incheon today (on a Saturday 0_o). Incheon is supposed to be the up and coming business district of Korea. There is a lot of fancy new construction going on, including this towering building.

After several delays and getting confused making a transfer on the subway, I was able to meet up with Jihye for dinner. We were supposed to catch a drum festival but that didn't work out, darn my job's workshop. I got a very fulfilling dinner though in good company. 

One of my stepfather's favorite dishes and one I have to agree is delicious is the one on the right, soondubu jjigae (순두부 찌개). I tried making it a long time ago with little success. On the left is the burnt rice dish that I LOVE called nooroongji (누룽지). I might try to make both dishes later this week. 

After dinner, Jihye showed me to Insadong, which is just a short walk from the soondubu restaurant in the Jongak area. Insadong is a known touristy spot of Seoul because it has traditional Korean items for sale. I browsed a bit, saw some really interesting things, and purchased some postcards. (Keep an eye out for something in your mailbox in the next couple of weeks.) 

I finally got to see my First soju tent (basically a plastic tent/tarp structure that covers a small number of people getting drunk and sitting on plastic furniture...a temporary bar of a sort). I've been hankering to see one after all the Korean dramas I've watched...that orange thing in the back is it. LOL. Jihye thought it was funny I was so interested in taking a picture of such a commonplace thing. I wonder if Korea requires liquor licenses...

I also bought a handmade, mini-wood Othello game in Insadong! I am soooooooo happy about this purchase. Best thing I've bought in Korea so far. My pieces are dark blue and orange, which is an interesting difference from the traditional white and black. I taught Jihye all the tricks and strategies I know, and we giggled away as we had fun playing. I can't wait to play this with EVERYONE haha.

Today was a good day, tomorrow...Yongsan for camera fix, some Korean-English language exchange, and fried chicken. :)

Dinner with new friends

I made dinner for two of my new friends today. Normally we meet at a coffee shop on Sundays as conversation partners, but I offered to cook 'dakjjim' because I wanted to test my skills on a native Korean. 

This dish has lots of veggies.

Seriously, it was soooo good!

I made about half of the side dishes, my aunt gave me the rest. Lauren and Daniesha brought dessert, ice cream and Asian pear.

It was a success. I was really proud of my braised chicken and I'm going to continue to use www.Maangchi.com as a source for simple Korean recipes. Lauren, my Korean friend, guided Daniesha and I to a bookstore after dinner.

I bought a simple Korean cookbook with Lauren's help. Hopefully it helps me learn Korean and how to cook at the same time. I'm excited :)

Happy mistakes

I really enjoy cooking here. Every dish I've made so far has been easier than I expected. Today, I wanted to find a new supermarket, E-Mart, I heard has slightly lower prices than the one closest to my apartment. I climbed the hill my building sits on, went down the other side, and came upon so much more to Gwangmyeong than I realized existed! There were shops galore and many side streets with more stores...clothes (I bought a jacket on sale), shoes, pet stores, florists, etc. 

As I got to the area where the supermarket is supposed to be, I stumbled upon a HUGE open market. I walked in and didn't leave until I found everything I needed (I never made it to E-Mart). 

The market was a maze of more than fresh produce and meats; it had kitchenware, blankets, clothes, etc at discounted prices. Tomorrow, I plan on returning to purchase a low dining table.

 

I took a shopping list I translated into Korean in order to make sure I purchased everything I needed to make 'dakjjim' or braised chicken with vegetables (닭찜). 

When I got home the persimmons I bought to eat as a fresh dessert were smooshed! I was a little disappointed because I was so happy to find ripe ones.

Another happy mistake - I made a soup out of the mashed persimmons and other random ingredients in my fridge. The combination of the caramelized onion, dates, and ripe persimmon made it sweet like a dessert. I think I added a little too much onion though. Next time, I will add less onion and I won't caramelize them for long. 

I also wanted to make potato pancakes; I recently watched a Korean drama and the main character made them look easy and delicious. I don't have a food processor though, so I tried to think of a creative way to puree the potatoes...

I used this awesome Korean kitchen tool (hey mom, what's the Korean name for it?) to shred the potatoes down. Then I tried to mash them with a pestle...that didn't work. I think I'm just going to have to go buy a cheap food processor soon. So what to do with all this potato?

Happy mistake #3: I made 'gamjajorim' or braised potatoes (감자조림). The first batch I overcooked a little because the recipe is designed for larger pieces of potato, but the second batch I adjusted and it came out tasty. 

Tomorrow, I'm making the braised chicken!

Tofu and Gingseng Chicken in Broth

I'm already tired of eating out, even though it has all been my favorite type of food: Korean. One of my goals while I'm in Korea is to learn how to cook more Korean dishes, especially since the ingredients are easily available. Last night, I was hungry but all I had in the fridge were vegetable side dishes. For protein, I made tofu. It's a simple side dish my mom makes frequently (probably every Korean person knows how to make it), but I had never tried.

The tofu had dots that were perfect for helping me make even pieces.

The sauce: garlic, soy sauce, green onion, sesami oil, honey, dried red pepper flakes.

Fried tofu.

I think its called 'dubu buchim yangnyumjang' in Korean. I'm going to call it 'dubu' because it means tofu (두부). It was juicy yumminess sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds.

I've been craving chicken lately because I've been eating tons of pork since I've been here. I don't like a lot of pork, but usually I don't have a choice as a lot of Koreans consider beef to be too expensive. Tonight, I made a ginseng chicken in broth. It's called 'samgye-tang' in Korean (삼계탕). 'Tang' means  soup.

The soup was really easy to make. The recipe I used didn't have potatoes, but I love potatoes so I tried it out and it was delicious.

This is the best colander I've ever used! The size adjusts and apparently I can also use it to steam things because it has high stilt-like legs.

It was savory and delicious; I wish I had used more ginseng though. I wasn't sure how strong the root would be since I've never used it in cooking before. 

Dessert was Oreos. Lol.

Kimchi and Kkaennip

I made kimchi and kkaennip today. I'm especially happy with the kkaennip because it was the first time I made it. My halmuni (grandmother) used to make it alllll the time, but it's difficult to find perilla leaves in American grocery stores. And when I'm near Korean grocery stores it's easier to buy it already made. 

I used almost all of the same ingredients to make the kkaennip and the kimchi, except for the ginger.

My secret ingredient to kimchi is the Asian pear. I love the sweet flavor in contrast with lots of the spicy red pepper.

Here's the red pepper paste before I mix it in with the cabbage.

Ole, kimchi!

Here's the red pepper paste for the kkaennip. The recipe said add honey which I was surprised to read.

Kkaennip!

Now I'm so hungry and ready to eat a late dinner.

Happy Chuseok!

Korea has a holiday similar to America's Thanksgiving called Chuseok...and it's this weekend. I believe Chuseok celebrates a good harvest (summer is almost over in Korea), but mainly it's a family holiday. Because it's a 3-day holiday, I get a 4-day weekend! Most of the kindergarten students at my school wore their Hanbok (Korean traditional outfits) on Friday. They looked so lovely I had to take photos. I want a Hanbok so bad, but where would I wear it?

Silly kids :)

They look like little people. All grown up.

We made fake 'songpyeon,' which is a traditional sweet Korean rice cake with a sugar filling made every Chuseok. The kids had a ball making it even though we couldn't eat them.

First, you mix the rice dough.

The students watched the Korean homeroom teacher, Sunny teacher (I love her English name :P), demonstrate the first step. She added a little bit of sugar into the rice dough mix.

Then you roll the dough into small balls, make an indentation in the middle, and pour a little brown sugar in the indentation.

Finally, you pinch the dough closed into half circles and you have 'songpyeon.' The students said they looked like 'mandu' (Korean dumplings) and I have to agree they do.

Our head English teacher, Chris, made a 'songpyeon' that looked like Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty should be an international ambassador for cultural exchange because kids everywhere seem to love her! The class was fighting over it, so what to do...? Rock scissors paper, of course!

Family fun outdoors

I spent my first weekend with my Korean family (my aunt, uncle, and 3 younger cousins) this past weekend. We did normal family stuff...went out to eat, went to the playground, and for a walk around this huge wetland reserve nearby their town. I had the best weekend I've had so far in Korea! 

My uncle, my cousin Eu-hyun, and my new baby cousin, Bo-hyun.

Remember these? I don't know why I don't see them in American parks anymore...

...but they are so much fun!

I'm holding a live dragonfly! Or, a 'jamjari' in Korean.

 My cousin, Eu-hyun, caught so many of them that weekend. Don't worry, he took care of them and let them all go.

The view from my aunt's apartment is even more spectacular at night.

We went to the school park after dinner on Saturday. I actually exercised! I did 3 pull ups, took a ride on my cousin's bike (the ground was sandy so it was kind of difficult), played soccer, jump roped, and used the exercise equipment you can find at every park in Korea.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Gyeongan Cheon Wetland Ecological Park. We walked on a trail around the park and ate roasted chestnuts.

All that green grass is rice!

There were some creatures too, but not many because the park was really dry according to my aunt.

Korean women are obsessed with their skin (I thought I was bad, nope not in comparison). I see them using umbrellas on the sunniest days, so they don't get skin damage. Makes me thankful for my brown skin. My uncle  doesn't like the heat of summer though.

GORGEOUS sunshine and happiness! I love the mountains in Korea.

These giant plants were strange looking but I liked them, I think I'm going to do a watercolor of this photo.