Owner: The Constant Crafter - Living in South Korea URL:http://meverden.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2007 20:11:07 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: An American crafter living in Suwon, South Korea for three years learning culture and Korean crafts. Site statistics:Click here
5th, 6th and 7th Maedeup Class 2007-10-24 01:57:00 This knot is called Dongsimgyeol Maedeup. It is worn on a traditional Hanbok during a wedding. It is a symbol of good luck. This knot is called Garakji Maedeup.The teacher made this for me using a copy of a coin from the Joseon Dynasty. I'm so spoiled.The knots are getting more difficult. This is called Saengjjok Maedeup. I am practicing this all week.Last week, the maedeup teacher had this gorgeous necklace on which she had made. She let me takea picture of it.
Sunday Lunch with a Korean Family and the Rest of the Week 2007-10-22 03:03:00 We were lucky enough to be invited to the home of a Korean
family. Curt (hubby) works with their daughter and the mom is the one who came over for polymer clay lessons a month ago. She was returning the favor and she would teach me hanji. We eat lunch there and I can honestly say I haven't seen that much food except for an American all you can eat buffet. It was delicious and we ate our fill. We spent the afternoon talking and the mom showed me all the things she had made with hanji. I wanted to take pictures but I didn't know if it would be impolite so I refrained. She made many boxes and even a had made a dresser. She brought out a bunch of unframed flowers made of hanji. I thought they were painted. She asked me to pick out my favorite and she is having it framed as a gift. I can't wait to see it.An interesting story, when the brother went off to fulfill his mandatory (26 months at the time) military duty, his mother took to her bed for a whole week. She was just devastated and w Read more:Sunday
, Lunch
, Family
An E-Mail from a Korean Friend 2007-10-19 06:20:00 My first friend in Korea was a co-worker of my husband. She was there to help me with any problems I had in Korea and through several problems we had, she became my friend. She recently was laid off by the company and I sent her a message hoping we could still be friends. I didn't want to lose touch with her. This is the email I received back:Hello Becky.Thank your for your attention. I read the text messages you sent.I am really glad you and curts concerned me.I am sad too I am leaving XXX. but the circumstance became like this,,,No matter I work for the company,I am still your friend. ^^I took a rest at my home and I am back suwon yesterday.I didnt decided yet where to move. For a while I will be here until certain decision is made.I am thinking of travelling or only studyng somthing I have interests during this vacation.Do you go to seoul every saturday? It is so awsome you go to the place with great passion to take a maedeup class.I know traffic jam really irritate you. Don`t stop Read more:Korean
FREE HUGS! (In Korea) 2007-10-16 04:13:00 Remember the "FREE HUGS" campaign from a few years ago. The YouTube video began a huge hit all over the world. We were walking in the Gangnum area of Seoul when we saw this Korea
n holding the "FREE HUGS" sign just like in the video. No one was hugging him. We saw Koreans taking pictures but no one approached him. I said to my Korean friends and my husband, "I really want to give him a hug." My husband said, "Go ahead" but my Korean friends said no, Koreans don't really hug especially not strangers.I didn't listen to them and hugged him anyway. Curt (hubby) took this picture. My two Korean girlfriends are in the foreground of the picture. You can see one is quite surprised I did it. It felt good!
A Visit to Dr. Fish 2007-10-14 20:52:00 Curt began his Tae Kwon Do training on Saturday while I was at maedeup class. I had heard about the Dr. Fish Cafe from a few Korean blogs and was really curious about it. Supposedly, you go there and place your feet into pools of fish which eat your dead skin, kinda like a pedicure. The doctor fish are from Turkey. I asked my Korean girlfriends if they knew about it and they did. After class, the four of us decided to visit Dr. Fish Cafe to check it out.When we arrived, it was quite crowded but the host managed to find a table for us. I noticed that there were Koreans waiting but we sometimes seem to get "special" treatment in Korea, not that I'm complaining. We decided what we wanted to drink and went to the counter to order the drinks (teas, coffes, sodas, lemonade) and the "Dr. Fish." We returned to our table to wait for our number to be displayed and we finished our drinks.When our number was displayed, we went to the Dr. Fish area and removed our socks and shoes. We had to wash o
Seoul International Quilt Festival 2007 2007-10-12 03:50:00 Today my husband took a "vacation" day to take me to the SeoulInternationalQuiltFestival
. It is held October 12th - 14th in the Gymnastics Building on the Olympic Park grounds. The festival features quilters from Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Our Korean language teacher told me about it since his sister owns a quilt store in Seoul and would be attending. He was our guide and got us to the right building. He also introduced us to his sister and a number of other quilters who were attending and who had quilts in the Festival.I met a friend of his sister's who spoke English very well. She had lived in the United States in Oklahoma City and Washington DC. It was while she lived in Washington DC that she discovered quilting. She does her quilts completely by hand and doesn't even own a sewing machine. She told me that she is afraid if she did have a sewing machine, she would be tempted to do a lot less hand stitching. She said that a quilt usually takes her two years to complete. She also t
Korean Dramas (Soap Operas) 2007-10-11 01:49:00 Not since the days of Luke and Laura from General Hospital have I been so enchanted with a soap opera.A few months before our move to Korea, my husband started watching a Korean
drama on a US cable channel (AZN) which features Asian television shows. It was called "My Lovely Sam Soon" and is a love story between a patissier (pastry chef) and her boss, a restaurant manager. Kim Sun Ah plays the female lead and it is said she gained 15-20 pounds to play the part of a "chubby, middle-aged" woman. Only in Korea can a woman be 120 lbs. and 3o years old and is considered chubby and middle-aged.My Lovely Sam Soon was a huge hit in Korea. By the final (16th) episode, it was watched by over 50% of all Korean households. It also created a whole craze of Sam Soon merchandise such as music CDs, stuffed pigs (like the one in the drama), cellphone charms... Who would have thought from a soap opera?!If you are ever able to get a copy with the English subtitles, watch it! We have our own copy of the d
But I Really Did Want a Coke (or Pepsi) 2007-10-10 04:28:00 Saturday night after the festival, I went to dinner with Hellena (my Korean friend). We went to a very popular restaurant in Seoul called Mad For Garlic . It is an Italian restaurant that specializes in dishes featuring garlic. Hellena ordered for the both of us and we started with their signature appetizer called "Dracula Killer." It consisted of garlic cloves which were sauteed in olive oil with anchovies and herbs. It is served with slices of French bread. We also decided to share (communal eating is very common) a crab and lobster pasta which came in a creamy garlic sauce served on spaghetti noodles.I was very thirsty from the festival and a lot of walking. I really wanted a cola (in Korea you need to ask for a coca-cola or they usually don't understand what you want). Hellena tried to order me a Coke and the waiter refused and insisted I order an orange-ade. Nothing against orange-ade which is Seven-Up (cider in Korea) with freshly squeezed orange juice, but I truly WANTED A COK Read more:Pepsi
The 8th HanSeong Backje Cultural Festival 2007 2007-10-08 02:37:00 After maedeup class on Saturday, we went to the Olympic Park to visit our maedeup teacher who was demonstrating maedeup in the 8th HanSeong Backje CulturalFestival
2007.The Peace Gate, which was designed by Kim Chung-up is 24 meters tall, 37 meters wide, and 62 meters deep.The Olympic Flame. The Olympics were held in Seoul in 1988.An ancient game being played by children. They throw the colored rectangles onto the mat, over and over again.A Korean painter painting my last name in Korean.He makes it look so easy.Meverden in Korean. All for the cost of 2000 won (about $2 US).Women weaving straw.Straw shoes.Another Korean art.Children playing in clay. I was told that children don't have the opportunity to play in dirt or clay so this was recreated to give the children a sense of the past.Local pottery.Children creating their own pottery.Local painters displayed their art.We found a lot of street food but what we never did find was our maedeup teacher.
Be Careful When You Answer the Door in South Korea! 2007-10-04 01:24:00 My doorbell rung, which is really quite unusual and through our security camera I saw that there were two Korea
n women at my door. So I opened the door and they started speaking in Korea quite animatedly. They were surprised to see me (a Westerner) and it only momentarily gave them pause. I said that I didn't speak Korean but they continued on. The next thing I know is one of the women took two wooden roller things and proceeded to rub them all over my face, talking in Korean the whole time. I was so surprised that I just stood there dumbstruck and let her. She finally stopped and took my hand. She then proceeded to use one of the rollers, but the opposite end, which is pointed and jabbed it into my fingertips and down the center of my hand. Hey, that hurt! The Koreans did not cease to speak during this whole episode continuing with their speech in spite of knowing I did not understand a word they said. The hand demo was finally finished and they said in English "Jesus?" I said "Ne" ( Read more:Careful
, South
, South Korea
How to Make Money in South Korea 2007-10-03 05:08:00 How to Make Money
in SouthKorea
:1. You must look like a Westerner.2. You must live in an area of South Korea
that has little or no Westerners (this would never work in Seoul).3. You need to be purchasing something where actual won is exchanged.This has now happened to me twice so it's time to blog about it. The first incidence occurred a month ago at our local Home Plus. When I put my purchases on the conveyor belt at the checkout, the cashier was clearly shocked to see me. As he rang up my items, he continued to just stare at me. When it came time to pay, Ilooked at the register which showed the amount owed and I gave the cashier the money. I should have received back under 2000 won ($2.00 U.S.). He overpaid me by 8000 won. I tried repeatedly to return the money only to be denied. I finally just had to leave since I was holding up the line.The second incident occurred yesterday. I had to mail a package at the post office and this was my first time at a Korean post office. I walked i
While I Was At Maedeup Class... 2007-10-02 06:11:00 My husband found this car display at Yongsan Station. I can't remember if he mentioned the girls when he was talking about the cars. Nice cars! He did tell me about these three girls who came up to him in the subway and wanted to speak English with him. They are middle school students and the one on the far right did most, if not all the talking. They said "Hi" and "Where are you from?" It isn't every day that young girls stop to talk to my husband and he really enjoyed the conversation.This week's knot in maedeup class. Next week my teacher will be gone, participating in a local festival. We will have the owner of the shop, the one who didn't like me taking pictures inside the shop, as our instructor. We are all going to the festival after class to see our teacher and the festival. I'll be sure to bring the camera.
Insadong on a Sunday Afternoon 2007-10-01 05:54:00 Insadong is located in Seoul and is a popular tourist attraction. Known for Korean arts and crafts, Insadong also boasts the largest concentration of antique stores. Tea houses are also a common site. If you want to experience Korean culture, Insadong is a must see. I don't want to shop anymore! Noodle-making is definitely an art form. Restaurants in Korea often have a window devoted to the noodle maker and they do draw a crowd. It's amazing to watch him whip those noodles around.The streets are closed to traffic during the weekends and it can get quite crowded.We found this guy just standing in the middle of street. It looked like he was protesting something. More views of the street. It was in the 70's and really nice out. We were the only ones in short sleeves. We did find a few cars trying to get through but they did have a rough going. Insadong is also a place you will see a lot of Westerners. Something we do not see too often in Suwon.Korean men do have their own purses. We fo Read more:Sunday
, Afternoon
The Scooter and the Taxi 2007-09-28 00:55:00 We had finished our visit to the Hwaseong Fortress and were waiting to cross the street when I saw a scooter come zipping out of a side street and BANG, it was hit by a taxi. The taxi driver got out and began to yell with hands waving at the scooter guy who was laid out on the pavement at the time. I'm yelling at Curt to call 119 (911 in Korea) since no one else seemed to be concerned. He didn't call because his Korean is just a little better than mine and we didn't know where we were. (It's hard to find a street sign in Korea). We are still waiting for the light to change and I'm complaining to Curt about how the taxi driver is handling the situation. Of course, the scooter guy was wrong but geez, you hit him with your car! How about a little compassion!The street light finally turned and we crossed the street to find this scene. The lady was the customer in the taxi at the time of the accident. I couldn't believe the taxi driver wanted his fare. The scooter guy is sitting on th
Hwaseong Fortress 2007-09-27 02:55:00 Hwaseong Fortress
is just about a mile away from our apartment so off we set for another adventure in South Korea along with some exercise. Construction was planned by the 22nd king of the Joseon Dynasty, Jeongjo, when he decided to move his father's tomb from the Yangju area to Mt. Paldalsan in Suwon County in 1789. The fortress construction was started January 1794 and completed in June 1796.This is called a "Poru" which is a tower with many holes which would enable the defenders to attack using guns for the smaller openings and cannons for the larger openings.Janganmun Gate 장안문 - It is the north gate of the Fortress and it's main gate as well.Gongsimdon is a 3-story stone brick structure built on top of the fortress wall. There are many holes in the wall which allowed sentries to keep watch on outside activities and to shoot intruders if needed. A unique feature of Hwaseong Fortress.Steps leading up the Fortress wall. To gauge just how massive this fortress is, do you see th
The Chuseok Holiday 2007-09-24 23:30:00 The Chuseok Holiday
is the biggest holiday in Korea. This year (2007) it is celebrated from September 24-26. It is a time when Koreans leave their homes to travel to their hometowns all over Korea. Many people visit the grave sites of ancestors and tend to the graves. They will also leave food and drink in honor of their ancestors. It is also the time that traditional Hanboks are worn. Gifts are bought for parents and grandparents. Our local Home Plus had a huge section devoted to Chuseok gifts. There were fruit gift boxes and even Spam gift boxes. My husband brought home a "Dove" gift box filled with "Dove" products.It is a time to gather together and be thankful, very much like the U.S. Thanksgiving. The main food of Chuseok is songpyeon which is half moon shaped rice cakes filled with red beans and sesame and steamed over pine needles. Families make songpyeon the eve before the holiday and it is an old Korean saying that whoever makes the prettiest songpyeon will have the best look
Maedeup Class #2 2007-09-24 06:01:00 A walk to the bus stop. Be careful where you walk in the Fall here in South Korea. You see a lot of peppers drying on the sidewalks. A view from the back of the bus on our way to Seoul. The bus drivers are crazy here. They run red lights, they drive on the shoulders, and are constantly switching lanes on the highways to get ahead. I got carsick for the first time on the bus on the way home from maedeup class. Luckily, I made it home without getting sick but it sure wasn't a good feeling. My latest maedeup knot. This one was quite easy but the hard part was getting it tight enough. The teacher gave me a dolphin charm and said that dolphins bring good luck. It's neat how her English is improving each week. She can now count to five in English. I'm learning some Korean in the class, I know now yogi means here.
Mexican Food in Seoul 2007-09-22 19:38:00 My biggest craving since moving to Korea has been for Mexican
food. Thanks to the Daily Kimchi, we found Mexican food in Korea. By subway, take exit 6 from Gangnam Station and upon leaving the station walk about one kilometer and look for the Tous Les Jours bakery which will be on your left side. Right before the bakery is an alleyway, turn left into the alley and you will see the signs for Dos Tacos. We were there on a Saturday about 3:00pm and it wasn't crowded at all. We sat next to some other Westerners, something you don't see in Suwon everyday. We found a table and were given menus immediately. Then about three minutes later a waiter came to take our order (unusual in Korea, you normally have to wave over the waitstaff). We started to speak in our limited Korean only to find out the waiter spoke perfect English. I was also surprised to hear English being spoken exclusively by Westerners and Koreans alike. It felt really strange to hear all the English. This is my chicken burri Read more:Seoul
My First Award! 2007-09-21 00:54:00 What a wonderful thing to wake up to here in South Korea. My dear friend Holly on her blog, http://creekhiker.blogspot.com/, gave me the "Nice Matters Award
"“This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends, and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you have been awarded, please pass it on to seven others whom you feel are deserving of this award.”I'm trying to keep a positive spin on life here in South Korea. But like life in general, you have good days and you have bad days. I have had a couple of hard (bad) days and this put a big smile back on my face.I am thrilled to be able to present the "Nice Matters Award" to the following:Eva McKinnon, better known as "Stranger in Suwon" who has been very helpful with my transition here in Suwon, South Korea. - http://survivingsouthkorea.blogspot.com/Donna Kato, the one who introduced polymer clay to the masses - http://web.mac.com/ Read more:First
Observations 2007-09-19 05:38:00 Korean boyfriends are very attentive to their girlfriends, carrying their purses is not an uncommon sight to see in Korea. I have also noticed that when they eat a take out sandwich, they leave the wrapper on.I was channel surfing the other day and the name of this show caught my eye, "3 Color Women Talk Show." I admit to being curious as to what the hostesses looked like. These are the hostesses. Another name for toilet paper holder.
Maedeup Class 2007-09-18 00:08:00 Saturday was the first of my eight week maedeup classes. We learned two knots. The one on the far right was quite simple with few steps. The knots in the center I had learned during my previous introductory class. The three knots in the center of the first maedeup was extremely difficult with a lot of twists and turns.The maedeup bracelet we made. The teacher picked out the colors. How did she know it was Minnesota Vikings colors? It was so much fun to make.On Sunday, I had a craft afternoon with mother of my husband's co-worker. She loves to craft and wanted to learn some of my crafts. We made some polymer clay beads which I am putting into a bracelet for her. She brought me this box that she made. It is a Korean paper craft called Hanji http://www.koreanpaperarts.com/about/what.asp). She is going to teach me how to do this. She also knows where the store is to buy the supplies.Another view of the box. Although she spoke really no English and my Korean is still in it's infancy, we
Trying to Find the Post Office 2007-09-14 04:03:00 I set out on a walking excursion to find the post office and a community center which are both within a half mile of our apartment. I found a set of buildings and this sign. I'm sure it identifies what the buildings are but I couldn't read it. So I went into the nearest building and up to the information desk. I heard an orchestra playing in the background and I inquired if this building was the community center. No one spoke English and they tried to give me a program to the concert. I declined, thanked them and headed for the door.I found a second building that looked (to me) like a community center. I entered and again inquired at the information booth. The young girls here were quit giggly and also spoke no English. They talked among themselves for a time and then a security guard came up and led me to another building. I assumed he had understood me.We enter the third building which seemed more like an office building and we approached the counter. A group of six gi
Fan Death 2007-09-12 05:13:00 This is a picture of our Korean fan. It may look like an innocent fan to you but it can kill. I have talked about fan death with quite a few Koreans and there are several ways a fan can kill:1. A fan can cause death by hypothermia. The fan can lower your body core temperature which can lead to hypothermia and death.2. A fan can cause death by suffocation. The fan can reduce enough of the air around you that you suffocate.This is not a joke but a real concern. In Korea, you cannot run a fan all night long while you are asleep. This is when fan death strikes. One Korean told me of his concern for his girlfriend so he calls her before bedtime to make sure she isn't running her fan. Another told me that when someone dies at home in bed and there is a fan in the room, it is assumed that the cause of death was fan death. I was told the amount of deaths per year is 3-4 people.I tried, in one case, to plead a point that it didn't really make sense, but I quickly learned that this is truly in
Something I Thought I Would Never Do in Korea! 2007-09-10 01:17:00 I got highlights and a haircut. My hair has been driving me crazy. With the humidity and the need for a haircut, my hair just became too much of an issue. I was going to grow it out and it was at the point where it fit mostly into a ponytail which was really nice when it was humid. But now that we are into September, the humid days are getting fewer. Curt wanted to get a hair cut at a beauty salon in Home Plus and I decided to do it too. Luckily, there was a customer there who knew English and could translate what we wanted.Our stylist was a guy and he started with Curt's haircut. Then it was my turn. They do it differently here than in the States. Your hair is cut dry with an occasional spritz from a water bottle. It was really strange to be in hair salon with no curling irons anywhere, no bottles of mousse, styling gel, or even hair spray. The hair dryer appeared from under the chair. They keep their tools (scissors and combs) in a tool pack around their waist.They gave me several b Read more:Korea
It's Not Always as It Seems 2007-09-07 05:11:00 We discovered a chicken restaurant a few blocks fromour apartment. I usually go once a week and get somechicken to go. The owner gives me free treats in my baglike a Pepsi. This week, she handed me this corn. Itsmelled and looked delicious. When you bite into it, thecorn was the toughest corn I have ever eaten and wereally couldn't eat it. The chicken comes with a sweetand sour coating and is really delicious.We never would have ever gone into this restaurant if not for the sign.In English, it said "Mexican" and I was so hungry for anythingMexican that we entered the restaurant. Luckily, it had pictures ofthe food on the wall and we soon discovered that the only thing Mexicanwas the name, it was actually a chicken restaurant. We ordered a plateof fried chicken and one of the sweet and sour chicken. The owner reallyquestioned (in Korean) our choices but we were very insistent that waswhat we wanted. About 20 minutes later, she brought out two huge platesof chicken. Ohhhhh, now we get i
Happy Halloween! 2007-10-30 00:20:00 I made this pumpkins for my new Korean friends in honor of Halloween
. I also noticed that I have yet to put a tutorial on my blog or website. So here is the first of many to come, enjoy!Halloween GuyBy Becky MeverdenMaterials:Polymer clay: orange, white, black, brown and greenRound toothpickSmall paintbrushStylusPlastic straw, optionalCircle template, optional for measuring ball sizesInstructions:1. Condition clay according to manufacturer’s instructions.2. Pumpkin: Roll a 7/8” orange ball. Use a toothpick to indent lines around the entire ball. Stem: Use the blunt end of a paintbrush to make a hole in the top of the pumpkin. Roll a ¼” brown ball into a teardrop. Press the widest end of the teardrop against a flat surface to flatten. Use a toothpick to indent lines randomly around and on top of the stem. Press stem into the hole. Leaves: Flatten two 5/32” green balls into teardrops. Indent veins onto each leaf and press leaves onto both sides of the stem. Vine: Roll a 1/8” g Read more:Happy
, Happy Halloween
Our Favorite Pizza Joint in Korea 2007-10-27 23:21:00 How can you not like a pizza place whose motto is "Pizza
for Women?" Mr. Pizza, so far, is our favorite pizza joint. It can't hold a candle to Donatelli's back home in Minnesota but they wouldn't relocate with us. I'm usually a sausage girl but we've been unable to find Italian sausage here so it's pepperoni. It's pretty tasty too.The only problem I've found (not just at Mr. Pizza) is that I also like to order the salad bar. The salad bar is for up to 4 people with one price. When I've tried to order it just for myself, they refuse. They will let you order it for 2 but not one (even though I'll pay the full price). We've tried several times and now just order it for the both of us even though I'm the only one eating it. They also bring you only one small bowl. It doesn't matter how many eat the salad bar, you share the same bowl. You can return as many times as you want with the same bowl and load it up. Communal eating is the only way they eat here. Back home, we call it Read more:Favorite
, Joint
, Korea
Tae Kwon Do 2007-11-03 05:19:00 Today maedeup class was cancelled so I went with Curt to his Tae Kwon
Do class. Most weeks, it's just Curt and his instructor, but this week we were thrilled to see lots of kids! The little boy in this picture demonstrated a bunch of Tae Kwon Do moves for us. He was incredibly talented!Photo op! Can you say "Kimchi?"This little guy got a thrill and so did Curt.
Getting a Flu Shot in Korea 2007-11-01 05:17:00 Last week, I decided to get a flu shot (called an influenza inoculation here in Korea
). I've been getting them for the past few years and thought it was a good idea. I talked to Hellena (my Korean friend) and she said we could go before maedeup class on Saturday.Saturday arrived and I went off with my Korean girlfriends to get a flu shot. We approached a hospital which was only a few blocks from class. As we entered, it reminded me of the stores at Christmastime, there were people everywhere! Right by the front door, I saw a woman lying on a gurney, hooked up to I.V.'s with a nose tube. No doctor or nurse in sight of her which was quite unnerving to me. We went to the reception desk and were directed to another part of the hospital.As Hellena was talking to the receptionist, a nurse came at me with an ear thermometer. I held up my hands and said alarmingly, "Wait a minute!" They all started laughing as Hellena said they needed my temperature before I could get the shot. Okay, so I'm
How NOT to Display Merchandise 2007-11-07 23:37:00 Cold weather has arrived and along with the weather, we have found this sock and stockings vendor at one of the busy intersections here in Suwon. Now I don't know about you, but it really creeps me out to see leggingsdisplayed this way. It looks like a bunch of cut off legs. I think it would be great for Halloween, though!How's this for displaying slippers? It does get your attention when you walk by. It's too bad they don'thave anything in my size. I have really big feet - 9 1/2.We had our first U.S. visitor this past weekend. Curt's brother was in town for business so we spent to day together. Of course, we had to take him for budae jjagae. Read more:Merchandise
, Display
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