The Variety Hour

There are so many things that I want to share with you about the culture here and what we have been up to. Forgive me if I jump around from subject to subject. 

First of all, these are not my pictures of Okinawa. On the way to Korea I sat next to a man who shared his pictures of the Okinawan beaches. I was disappointed that I didn't take better pictures myself, to show you how majestic Okinawan sunsets really are. So I asked him to send them to me. 

This weekend I traveled with the Hong's to countryside and stayed for one night. Junggi had a seminar on Saturday evening. While Junggi spoke, we waited in our room until he finished. Here are some pictures of the place we stayed at. There is no furniture, because the living quarters are usually shared by many people. The one next door to us had at least fifteen people sleeping on the floor.

Each kitchen has a rice cooker. To the left is the dining table that sits low to the ground when it is folded out. A long time ago and still today, a lot of homes had ondol flooring. Ondol, is a heated flooring system that warmed the homes during the harsh winters. That is why so many people sleep and eat on the floor. In the old times, rooms were multipurpose. They could be the living room, dining room, and bedroom with just a slight move in furniture. 

Here is the bed that I set up for myself. 

There is an area at the front door in each home and some traditional Korean restaurants, that sits slightly below to leave your shoes. 

When the seminar finished Junggi came back to our cabin and we waited until dinner was ready. One of Junggi's college students came and got us and we walked towards a group of 22 men and one woman. As we walked up to the outdoor picnic area, all of them stood up, like we were the wedding party going down the aisle. They all bowed and stood until we took our seats. Since, Junggi is their professor, he is shown a lot more respect. It is astonishing how different they treat the professors here. I don't ever remember going on a retreat with my professors or eating dinner with them either. 

For dinner we had galbi. Galbi is barbecued meat. You can eat it in a lettuce wrap or alone. Each meal comes with banchan, which are side dishes. I am going to miss that part of eating in Korea. 

It is customary to pour for the other person. If you are younger then you pour with two hands. As you can see in the picture above the guy to the right is using both hands. But so is the man to the left. When you receive something, and you are younger, you use two hands as well. I am guessing they are the same age and by the two of them using both hands it shows more respect. That is my thought, you can tell me if I am wrong. If you are the older person giving or receiving you can use one hand. Also, if you are younger you face away from your superior when drinking. But with friends all rules can be tossed to the side. 

They are giving cheers, in Korean "kom bei," after someone's speech. Each person, including myself gave a speech. I was completely thrown off that I was to give one. My speech sounded more like a wedding toast. At the end of my awkward speech, I ended it with, "Cheers to good friends, family, and love." I was so embarrassed by everything I said. 

Here is a quick video of all of his students and someone's speech. I had no idea what anyone was saying the whole time. Next to Junggi is a guy I met who looks like he is in middle school, but he's a medical student! Are the college students looking younger these days or am I just getting old?

http://youtu.be/LyD5EoQuHuQ

The night before we left, we went out to Korean fried chicken. I know I have talked about my self proclaimed love for the chicken here, but this restaurant tops all of the other ones I have tried by far. I don't ever order it in the states, but if we had it back at home, I would become a different person in size. And not in a good way. The sauce is sweet and spicy. I wish I could recreate it!

There were mostly women at the restaurant eating with their kids. I guess many of the men work so late that women are left at dinner time by themselves. At night you can see restaurants full of business men eating and drinking together. It is apparently the culture to not only stay late at work but also end the night by having dinner with your coworkers. 

I have observed a lot of the older men, ajusshis, hang out in large groups together. Same with the older women, ajummas. The convenient stores have picnic tables set up outside of their store. Many times at night, I will see large groups of men drinking and eating outside of the store. The man I got the pictures from said he saw a large group of ajummas walking towards him on the road. He didn't get out of the way fast enough and was knocked off of his feet and thrown to the side. The lady looked at him and said, "So soddy (sorry)," smiirked and walked away. He is not a small man by any means, but he said the older women are very strong here. I believe it. Some of the women look like they are carrying small houses on their backs. It is said, some of the deepest divers and best fisher's are the older women from Korea. 

On Saturday morning, I went back to the hospital because I was left with too many unanswered questions. Some of the questions I asked were: What do you think went wrong? Was there anything I could have done to change the results? How can I prepare for next time? What would be the procedure, since I have three frozen embryos, for round two? Dr. Lee said it wasn't my fault and many people fail the first time trying. She said I couldn't have done anything different and the next time would only cost $1,000. I told her I might be able to come back during my winter vacation. She prescribed me all of the medication I need to take before I come back so I won't need to stay as long. She believes she can get it done within one week. I hope it doesn't come down to me going again. But if it does at least I won't have to do all of the shots again and it costs a lot less. 

My nurse to the left, who you already met, and Dr. Lee to the right. I was in good hands. 

After my appointment, I came home and Soo made bibimbap. Which means mixed rice. 

It is served like this and then you can add some spicy sauce, if you want, and mix it all up. 

Yum, yum! I'm hungry, hungry, hungry for some bibimbap! (From a korean children's book.)

Today is Sunday! Only two more days until I go home! I have been so grateful for the Hong's care for me, I will miss them. But I will be happy to go home! 

It's bedtime on Saturday for you right now! So good night and pleasant dreams!