Happy Pepero Day!

Today is Pepero Day in Korea.  Pepero is Korean Pocky candy … often with almonds in the chocolate, mmm.  On Pepero Day, you give candy to your friends and/or lovers.  I received a box from one of my fifth grade teacher friends last night, and a box and another stick from some students today.  It made me feel special!

Here I am with my Pepero:

this t-shirt reads: "I love you, but I have chosen Disco."  Konglish at it's best!

There are several similar-to-Valentine's-Day candy holidays in Korea.  White Day, Valentines, Pepero Day, and another my coteacher told me but I have forgotten. 

Yesterday, my fifth grade teacher –friends invited me to walk up to Namsan Tower and go to dinner with them.  It was great!  The weather was PERFECT for a nice stroll up a big hill full of Autumn leaves and ancient looking fortress walls.  

It was really nice to do some bonding with the teachers, too.  They have been incredibly nice to me right from the start, but the language barrier has been difficult and I have felt like a dull fish, not understanding or being able to contribute to conversation.  But, I feel like yesterday was a breakthrough.  Shared experiences are the best vehicles for beginning to understand each other.  

We walked up and they were impressed that I could walk quickly (haha … I tend to race up stairs/hills because I want them to be over quicker!).  I will admit that I also did not want to look like the fatty foreigner at the back of the troupe, so I kept up a quick pace.  We did not go up the tower (better for me as I’m broke), but we looked around and got some snacks at the top.  They love snacks, this group.  From day one they have used snackfood to express community and inclusion!  Haha.  

Next, we caught a bus to Myeungdong (a favorite shopping haunt of mine … also where I chopped my hair off on last year’s visit!) and went to a fish restaurant.  There was winter kimchi, in which the pickled cabbage is served in a bowl of frozen sauce (mashiso!).  Next was a clear shellfish soup, a stew-like white fish dish (bone-in, unfortunately), some pan-fried white fish, and of course the range of side-dishes.  Side dishes are big in Korea … anything you order comes with a host of small, flat white bowls containing various pickled and salad-like items.  

I have a bone to pick (heh, heh) with the fact that in stews and other dishes, the bones are always left in!  Maybe with certain meats, the bone adds flavor.  Even so, take it out before serving!  And fish bones?  Never good.  I spent a lot of last night’s dinner deboning my fish using chopsticks … not easy!  And in stews … the meat is surrounded by sauce and other items, so you assume it is safe to just shovel into your mouth.  But not so in Korea.  Ahh, well … at least now I know.  

After dinner we walked over to the Cheonggyecheon (manmade river in the heart of Seoul, have mentioned before) to see the International Lantern Festival.  Basically, several lantern displays representing various nations, mounted on stone boxes in the stream.  USA’s was the statue of liberty rendered in paper lantern.  The leaning tower of Pizza, Big Ben, and Brazil’s stone “Christ the Redeemer” statue were also featured.  My favorites were Korea and China.  China’s representation featured giant lotus-shaped lanterns and massive koi fish surrounding a house flanked by suspended strings of traditional Chinese box-lanterns.  It was lovely : ).  

Then we got coffee at a place called “Coffine,” where I was about to fall asleep!  Then home.  A lovely evening!  I got several photos with my cell phone, but I haven’t figure out how to extricate them from that house yet.  When I do, I will surely post!

Meaty updates on the Danyang trip and Halloween to come … sleepy, sick and busy this week, I have not been very productive (in any sense!).  

Happy Pepero Day!

Love, K