12 Days of Christmas

1 - True meaning of Christmas!  John 8:36 - So, if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free.

12 Days of Christmas

2 - Special graduations attended

12 Days of Christmas

3 - Korean camping trips enjoyed

12 Days of Christmas

4 - Traveled countries in 2010

12 Days of Christmas

5 - Favorite Korean dishes: Dalkgalbi, Tteokgalbi, Samgyeopsal, Cheese Donkkas, and Mandu.  Yeah, we love meat.

12 Days of Christmas

6 - Months in Korea with our little bro, Derek

12 Days of Christmas

7 - Press pots of delicious Kirkland coffee brewed each week

12 Days of Christmas

8 - Gifted students we spend extra time with each week

12 Days of Christmas

9 - Minutes it takes us to walk to work (we've learned it can be done in under 3 minutes if necessary :)

12 Days of Christmas

10 - Very lovely nights in 2010 spent with our cherished pup, Daphne

12 Days of Christmas

11 - Special little kindy students we teach everyday

(Edit:  Pretty funny that we show up on this same morning to find 6 new kindy students, haha!)

The 12 Days of Christmas

We know the 12 days of Christmas actually begin on Christmas Day and count up, but this is our own spin and we are going to count down and begin now.  We would like to share some emotional gifts and special events present in our lives this past year.

12 - Months in 2010 spent in Korea

김장 (Kimjang)!!

Kimchi!!

If you were to ask someone to choose only a few words that describe Korean culture, you would undoubtedly hear kimchi 99% of the time.  This healthy food is a staple in this country and has been eaten for thousands of years.  You can hardly eat in any restaurant without having it as a side dish.

Making kimchi (김치) is no walk in the park.  Families typically set aside 2-4 days in autumn for a kimchi making party, known as kimjang (김장), to prepare enough kimchi to last them through the winter and probably through the next year.

Since we've been in Seoul we have been interested in making kimchi and the process involved.  This year, we were blessed enough to be invited to kimjang and be part of the process.  Christina (friend and former co-worker) and Daniel invited us to join their family's kimjang at Christina's sister's home an hour outside of the city.

We were told that Halmeoni doesn't wear gloves
because she says her hands are good for the kimchi :)

The grandmother, or halmeoni 할머니 (aka the toughest woman we've ever met), was absolutely running the show.  In the days before we arrived they had collected all the Napa cabbage to be used and Halmeoni made the sok (the sauce typically made of chili peppers, salt, garlic, and fermented brined anchovy or shrimp).  As soon as we walked in we were to follow Halmeoni's orders and tear the cabbage into quarters or sixths and insert the sok between the leaves.  She was so patient to teach us foreigners the correct application process.  However, we were definitely informed when we used too little or too much sok, as it was not subtly pointed out to us, rather strongly commanded, all in Korean - it was awesome.

Sauce is kept in these kimchi pots

Gotta have GARLIC!

Halmeoni being AMAZING

The process took a little more than three hours, and in true Korean style we did it all on the floor.  We could not believe the strength this woman had to sit on the floor for 3+ hours in the same position  She didn't even adjust!  It was incredible.  The five of us who were helping took some breaks and ended early, not Halmeoni.  She started before us and worked for about 30 minutes after us.  She then popped up easily to go outside (without a coat in 32 degrees!) and bury the kimchi deep in the ground for storage and fermentation throughout the winter.  Not all of it would fit in the terra cotta kimchi pots in the ground so the rest was stored in the two specifically designated kimchi refrigerators in the house (pee-yoo!  kimchi smells bad and can really stink up your regular fridge).

Completed Kimchi

난히 Nanhee (Christina) and her sister

After all the jobs were completed, we enjoyed a delicious meal of fresh kimchi, boiled pork belly, and makgeolli.  

It was quite the feast, lasting nearly four hours.  We are so blessed to have been part of such a unique, cultural experience.  Joining such welcoming and amazing people was truly a gift.  The kimjang will forever go down as one our favorite experiences in Korea.

건배! Gun Bae!

It's supposed to snow!!

We both are going to repeat this all day.

It's a great day for a movie...

Winter is here!  It's quite a chilly day here in Seoul.  There was even some snow on the ground when we woke up!  We just finished a delicious breakfast (yes, it's after noon and it's awesome) of apple pie with melted cheddar and gingerbread coffee - it doesn't get much better than that.  We are now going to watch the first holiday movie of the season!!  Love Actually!!  To be honest, I will probably watch it more than once between now and Christmas - it's too great :)  Here's our official movie list for the next couple of weeks:

• Love Actually
• Elf (Swirly twirly gum drops)
• White Christmas (Snow, snow, snow!!)
• The Santa Clause
• Miracle on 34th Street
• It's a Wonderful Life
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Home Alone (We slept in!!)
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
• Scrooged
• A Christmas Carol (Jim Carrey Style)
• Christmas Vacation 
• The Family Stone

What's on your list?  Any suggestions??

Thankful Thanksgiving

We are tremendously thankful this Thanksgiving for...

• the blessings that flow in many different ways
• the good and the bad and for what it teaches us and how it encourages us to grow
• our snug little home and the calm it provides
• sharing this special American holiday with friends (and family this year!!)
• and of course PIE!

Wishing you all the happiest Thanksgiving full of yummy food, good friends, loving family, and rest!

Thankful Thursday

Hokay, so this week we are thankful for...

• connecting with loved ones 
• new books
• soup season!
• one month countdown to the rents' arrival!
• all of the international opportunities for friends and family recently - got peeps all over!

Wow, that song is annoying.

She might argue otherwise, but I actually enjoy shopping with my wife.  However, there are times when all of the circumstances add together to result in a dreadful shopping experience.

Forever21 opened a while back in Seoul.  There is only one Forever21 in the city/country and it's in Myeongdong (about 40 minutes away).  We decided to make the trip and check out the goods.  It was February at the time...a dreadfully chilly February.  We bundled up coats on top of sweatshirts on top of long-sleeves wrapped in scarves and covered with gloves and hats.  We were quite comfortable in the sub-freezing temperature.  Too bad the store didn't keep their temp that low as well.

Upon entering the heat box of Forever 21 (thermostat must have been set at 30 degrees Celsius aka freaking hot), I immediately began to remove my outer layers.  This was no easy task as I had to move in an extremely agile manner due to the lack of personal space.  So there I was shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip with dozens of people, sweating from the abusive heat, picking through racks of clothes we had circled at least 4 times (sounds great??) when this gem starts blasting on the speakers...



The last thing I wanted at this time of extreme patience is an annoying song repeatedly teaching me to count to forty by fives.

Haha, it took me forever to post this only because that is how long it has taken me to find the song.  In actuality I do find the song quite catchy and am often caught singing it whenever anything must be counted by five.

Thankful Thursday

Oh Thankful Thursday, where have we been?! Even though we've had frustrating and upsetting moments over the last few weeks, we've also had countless reasons to be thankful...

- celebrating two years of marriage
- completed goals
- down time at work
- The Fruits (in more ways than one)
- sleep!

Dak Galbi 닭갈비

This meal has been a favorite of ours since we arrived in Korea over a year and a half ago (what?!?).  Dak Galbi is a stir-fried chicken and rice dish that is traditionally cooked in a large pan right at your table.  Ingredients commonly include cabbage, tteok, potatoes, and lots and lots of spice - we like it hot.  Our world got turned upside down when, out to dinner with some friends to one of our favorite Dak Galbi restaurants, they ordered cheese and ramen to be added to the dish.  It was delicious.  I think I even said,  "this is the best thing I've eaten in Korea".  I may have just been giddy from the incredible flavors, but it really was amazing.  So amazing, if fact, that I didn't even think to snap a photo until it was nearly gone. This is undoubtedly a super easy dish to create at home but I just don't think I would be able to capture the taste in my own kitchen.  

Another Point of View

We have started reading, and are really enjoying, a new blog recently...

Derek of the Orient

Check it out if you haven't already :)

BIS Kids!

Thankful Thursday

We are very thankful for...

• an extra day off for Chuseok!!  We will have a six day vacation in September!!
• sleeping in 
• The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists - a must have for any teacher
• hard work and dedication
• they yummy new sandwich shop in our building - they deliver but we refuse to be that lazy :)

A Fishy Taste

A few weeks back we joined some friends of ours for another fish market visit to dabble in the tastes of raw Olive Flounder (광어), amazing King Crab, and of course some slippery, slimy, sucking, slithering octopus!

And nothing goes better with some fresh fish than a night of singing at the Noraebong!

Lauren's 26th

August 19th is certainly a special day for me. I wanted to post this letter on Lauren's birthday, but figured I would wait until I had some birthday pictures to go with it.

An open letter to Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore,

Thank you. God trusted you two to raise Lauren up to be an amazing woman. You guys took on that task and gave her the opportunity to become the woman she is today. I couldn't be more thankful! I look forward to celebrating her birthday every year for the rest of my life.

Love, Christopher


On August 18th the kindergarteners piled into my room asking what Lauren's favorite fruit was...ashamed I wasn't sure.  I guessed and told them strawberries, peaches, and kiwis were the fruits she really loved.  Then they rushed off.  I figured they were off to make a list of fruit gifts their mommy's needed to purchase.

Even better, this favorite fruit was supposed to be the topping on the cake they were making for her.  When we arrived at school on August 19th I found the kindergarteners like this...

When Lauren tried to come have a peak, there was quite a disturbance and she was promptly rushed back to her room and locked in it.

They didn't want her to ruin her surprise...

That afternoon we enjoyed this beautiful cake (well the children enjoyed it...the staff purchased a sanitary cake from the bakery for the adults) and had a little party.

제주도! Jeju-do!!

During our week off in the first part of August, Lauren, Derek, and I subwayed, trained, taxied, and ferried our way down to Jeju Island off the southern coast of mainland Korea.  This is a popular destination for many Korean citizens as well as foreign visitors.

The island, known locally as the "Korean Hawaii", was formed entirely from volcanic eruptions.  It is now host to beaches and beautiful island scenery.

It was a bit of a journey to get there because we waited so long to make our summer plans.  Flights were all booked so we went the ferry route.   Sidenote, we are so thankful for our frined Allen (Younghwa) for all his help and assistance during our multiple cancelled legs of the trip.

Our ever changing Itenerary

 We left our apartment early Tuesday morning to hop on the subway in order to make it to the KTX (high speed train) station to catch our train for Mokpo (Southern coastal city) where the Ferry leaves from.

We arrived in Mokpo approximately 90 minutes before the ferry left and figured we could walk to the ferry terminal (an easy 20 minute jaunt).  This would have been no problem had it not been 85 degrees, 90% humidity, and pouring rain.

Never the less, we boarded the ferry not sure what to expect.  We purchased the "general seating" tickets for this trip.  These tickets are great for the budget conscious traveler who is familiar and comfortable with sitting on the floor...not so much for our chair adapted American bodies :(  It was a long 5 hour ferry.

We arrived in Jeju around 9:00PM without accommodation, hoping for the best.  We happened upon a shabby motel with vacancy and accepted it as such, Korean floor style and all.

The journey to the island and the first night was no doubt a task, but the next 2 and 1/2 days were quite wonderful as we saw beaches, checked out the largest lava tube cave in the world, tried our luck at the casino, and visited the loudest club on the planet... with 12 patrons including us...


Overall the trip was quite a success.

Some locations:
N 33°14.718 E126°30.524 - World Cup Stadium
N 33°14.669 E126°33.716- -Seogwipo Hotel
N 33°31.758 E126°46.273 - Entrance to Lava cave
N 33°31.758 E126°46.273 - Beach

And the exhausting trek home...

** Editor's Note **  

I wanted to add that Christopher didn't really feel comfortable with Derek and my "get on a bus and see where it takes us" mentality for this trip.  So after about half an hour of that adventure, Chris got us in a taxi headed for well-known beach.  He, being the incredible "plan man" that he is, was then promptly on the phone with the free foreigner service (an awesome service here in Korea - just dial the area code you are in followed by 1330 and you can get free English help with practically anything) and had booked us a two-night stay in a very clean, inexpensive hotel in the much more agreeable part of the island.  I love my husband's go get 'em attitude!  I'm so thankful for his dedication to keeping us coordinated :)