Cooking Day: Sandwich Rolls

Another Cooking Day at the Inje English Village, and today's recipe? Sandwich Rolls! As mentioned before, the Western cooking recipes we use are slightly adapted to Korean tastes, and what ingredients Korea has to offer.

The original recipe. Luckily, we modified it.

John is unsure of the Sandwich Rolls

I don't know where the first recipe we had came from. It called for a sauce made with mayonnaise and strawberry jam, and for us to spread butter on the bread before spreading the mayo-jam concoction. Thankfully we decided not to use butter, or the mayonnaise/strawberry jam sauce. We changed the sandwich toppings and used ham, cheese, crab, sliced apples. We also changed the spread to just strawberry jam.

Jenny and Mille

I had the students flatten the sandwich bread with a rolling pin to make the bread thinner and easier to roll once finished. One of my students called it "paper bread". Then we would spread the strawberry jam on the bread. At this point I would yell "spread the bread!" to my students because it rhymed and I love things that rhyme. No one found this amusing. 

Mona, Lilly, and Rose enjoying their Sandwich Rolls

Next, we placed a slice of ham on the strawberry jam. I couldn't control my rhyming self so I yelled "ham on the jam!". Same response from my students: nothing. At this point I gave up. Which was a good thing, because I couldn't think of anything that rhymed with apple. Anyways, we added sliced apples, cheese, and pieces of crab sticks to the roll. Then we rolled the bread up like a tortilla or kimbap.

The inside of my Sandwich Roll

The Sandwich Roll was interesting. Like the Chicken Tortillas and Cheese Canapes, it was unique with so many different flavors that shouldn't go together, but it wasn't terrible. I wouldn't recommend making it at home for yourself, but if you find yourself teaching a cooking class that's making this, try it!

Inje Ice Fishing Festival

This is long overdue, but it was an experience definitely worth revisiting. And sorry for the long post and excessive pictures, I couldn't help myself.

The Inje English Village crew (Aubyn, Darren and I) went during the first weekend to represent K-Water, AKA smile and pass out water and brochures about K-Water, and met up with other friends when we were off duty. We first met up for lunch where we ate delicious 빙어, which is basically smelt. This wasn't just any smelt, this was special smelt eaten only in the Winter, especially at the Inje Ice Fishing Festival, and this smelt was alive. Yes, you've read that right, it's not raw, it's a live, wriggly, slimy, tiny fish. And it tasted horrible! Hah, jokes! I didn't have big enough balls to stomach that, maybe someday. However, I did try the deep fried smelt, and that was delicious.

Fried  빙어

Live  빙어

I wasn't expecting much from the Ice Fishing Festival but WOW! Minnesota, land of the cold and snow, could learn a thing or two. Hailed as one of Korea's biggest Winter festivals, and conveniently located in my own backyard on the Soyangho Lake. There were so many things to do and so much to see! There was ice fishing (obviously), the novelty of eating live 빙어 (smelt), sledding, people paragliding off the mountain and landing on the ice, ice skating, four-wheeling on the ice, rides driven by snow mobiles throughout the festival grounds, ice soccer, and one of my favorites, an enchanted ice forest. The ice forest was a bunch of trees grouped together that were completely frozen and covered with ice, it looked like something from the Chronicles of Narnia.

I don't know what these were called, but they were a lot of fun, and there were families and children scooting around on these.

Snow Mobile rides!

Ice Fishing!

Ice Skating!

Paragliding!

Sledding!

Ice Soccer!

The Enchanted Ice Forest!

We were roaming around the ice soccer "fields" and a group of Koreans invited us to play ice soccer with them, we couldn't refuse. Ice soccer was a rush. Sliding around with the gut feeling that you're going to slip, the adrenaline of the game running through you, bonding with Koreans despite the language barrier. It was amazing! One of the guys from the other team took a hard fall and the game had to end.

Charlie on the swing

We moped around and ran into another group of Koreans who wanted to play a group of foreigners. Assa! I played goalie, and was surprised with how many goals I actually managed to stop. I think it was my abnormally large dinosaur feet that had something to do with that. Regardless, it was a very close game, so the spokesperson for the team said that the next goal wins, and the losing team will have to treat the winning team to makgeolli. Things got intense. The Koreans were zooming around the ice like crazy, shooting goals at me, luckily my amazon woman feet were blocking most of the goals, our team was zooming around as well and I didn't know what was happening. Next thing I know we got a goal! We win!

Beautiful Soyangho Lake

We all rejoined at the food tents where the Korean team we played fed us more smelt and makgeolli which warmed our numb fingers and toes. This experience of the ice fishing festival was unreal. Playing ice soccer and connecting with this group of Koreans, hanging out with some of my students and sliding around the ice together, and being a part of an event that's so family oriented and community based, and the fact that his event is the proud and joy of Inje, was amazing.

The Foreign Teachers (stolen from Facebook)

Yesterday Was A Good Day

Yesterday was a brilliant day. In fact, one of the best days I've had in months.

Here's why:

1. We usually have 5-6 class everyday, but the Tuesday schedule had us only scheduled for four.
2. Less students showed up that day, so technically I only had to teach 3.5 classes.
3. My last class was amazing! And it was a small class (about 6 students, and small classes are my favorite).
4. I taught them when to use "a" and "an" and how to say "these are..." versus "this is..." and they understood it!
5. I had yoga, and the crankiest looking ajumma gave me a towel to wipe my sweat off! Friends!
6. Biking home, I ran into fellow teachers at a coffee shop, and we ate ice cream. Even better? When I went to go buy ice cream, I got 2 free ice cream bars. Woo!
7. Everyone went home early, but my friend Connor and I stayed behind to chat while he finished his beer, and we met a Korean, who was born in Kazakhstan. He was awesome; his English was good, he was funny, he talked about soju and pooping, aaand I thought he was easy on the eyes.

How do I summarize this day in one word? WINNING!

Thanks Charlie, me too.

My Life as a Waygook, Episode 2

I loves gifs, that's no secret, and this blog perfectly describes life in Korea as gifs.
Check it out here: Kikinitinkorea
It might not be as funny to you, as it is to expats in Korea, but I hope you enjoy it.

And to make you all jealous, here is a picture I took while walking home earlier this week, jealous? Yes, this is my life, yes those are my mountains, and yes it's much more beautiful in person.

Taken with instragram

Getting a Haircut in Inje

I did it. After almost two months of debate I finally got my first haircut in Korea. I hate it.
To start off, I don't know why, but I do not like getting my hair cut. I'm afraid of how it will look, I'm afraid I won't get what I want, and I think my hair is my security blanket that I don't like strangers touching and cutting. I was nervous going in (as always) but since I see Korean girls with super pretty haircuts, and Korea is generally a pretty stylish country, I was fairly confident they would do a good job wherever I went. I wanted a trim (about three inches off) and new bangs since mine had completely grown out.

This is what I was afraid of (stolen from roketship)

I initially wanted to the to a salon in Inje where a man worked, because I though he looked really cool and would give me an equally cool looking hair cut, but I went in and he gave me the big arm X meaning "NO".

I continued wandering around town and ran into my friend Connor who recommended a place to go where all the boys get their haircuts. Their hair always looks nice, and he said the lady was "smart" so I went in. There was a K-pop concert on the TV, so I though "Man, this is going to be good. This woman must know stylish hair if she is has k-pop on TV." 

It was my turn. This woman knew no English, and I knew very little Korean. This was expected, but I was super excited for the adventure of the language barrier, yet being to able to get an awesome haircut. I motioned I wanted about three inches off, and showed her pictures of various bang styles that I liked. She nodded and started. Next thing I know, seven of inches of hair are gone! Tears almost emerged. She even knew that she did it when she went "oh" and put her hand where I told her I wanted my hair, and where my hair was. Oh really?

This is Grimes. I love her.

I said "okay" because I was in shock and I knew tears of sorrow wouldn't make my hair magically grow back. Then she cut my bangs. They don't look anything like any of the pictures I showed her. My bangs look like Grimes's bangs. That's her above. She encompasses everything I wish I could be, but I unfortunately am not cool enough to have bangs like her. I smiled, mumbled a goodbye and thank you in Korean, left, put my hair in a ponytail, bought ice cream and a bottle of 복분자주 (Korean black raspberry wine), which I am currently enjoying to drown my hair woes.

I'll probably be used to my haircut in about three days and get over this. And to be honest, I hate 80% of the haircuts I get anyway. And I'm probably just being a typically whiny girl, hating on their own haircut. Well, I hope your haircut is better than mine. I recommend bringing pictures of what you want when get a haircut with a non-English speaker. I'm off, I hope you enjoyed my 복분자주-filled rant.

Snow in Inje

It snowed! My first beautiful snow in Inje. It was beautiful and wonderful and amazing and now it's all melted and gone. Cross your fingers it snows again for Christmas. Otherwise my first Christmas abroad will turn into my first Christmas without snow which will make me sad.

Shameless self portrait

The day it snowed was also the day the Inje English Village staff went to Chuncheon to pick up the new English teacher. I would like to start my story by saying this: Koreans are scary drivers. Yes, that is stereotyping, but I have first hand experience driving inside many cars with Koreans and it is terrifying. Even outside of the car, on the street, I am scared. Well in the snow, Korean drivers are even scarier.

On the way back to Inje, we were in a left lane behind a police car and there was an ambulance in the right lane. Next thing I see is the ambulance swerving right in front of us, into our lane, then swerving the other way and crashing into side-rail. It was absolutely terrifying. Five minutes later we saw two cars on the side of the road. I don't think they got any assistance as soon as they hoped.

Tony and "downtown" Inje. We are probably 2 of the few people who were excited for the snow

Artsy Fartsy with my smartphone

My Life As A Waygook, Episode 1

This is an accurate portrayal of a situation I am sure every English teacher in Korea has found themselves in. Those who have not taught in Korea, you may not find it as funny as the rest of us do. This is also pretty offensive, so to any Koreans who watch this, I apologize.

Those who enjoyed this video, should watch related videos in the same cartoon format to get a better understanding of life as an English teach in Korea.

Also, my boss just told me I have old man shoes. But she said that "it's okay". I'm glad I have her permission to wear my old man shoes.