Life with Chinese Characteristics, Chapter 6: Chinese Near Year in Korea: City Lights, Seoul Food and Jeju Island

I started this post the other day, writing on the back side of the sheet of suggestions my students had given me for what to do in Seoul, while I was sipping a honey, peanut latte at one of the Starbucks on Jeju Island. I was pouting. Or, perhaps better put, I was sulking in my chair as I stared out at the blankets of clouds and palm trees blowing hard in the blustery wind. I think I failed this part of my first Chinese New Year trip I grumbled to myself. On the flight over from Seoul, as I am wont to do, I was daydreaming abut what the experience could be like. I really enjoyed my experience in Seoul, I imagined telling my students when school begins on Monday, but I fell in love with Jeju Island. I don't know entirely why I had romanticized and projected such things before arriving, except that sometimes I practice escapism, and I was on a plane, and I don't really like planes, so I was meditating on happier thoughts. Nonetheless, these thoughts had essentially set me up for disappointment. As had the fact that I had done no research before purchasing the ticket to Jeju Island some weeks before. I had not spent five minutes Googling or on Trip Advisor, nor had I put the word out to my well-traveled friends. Sometimes being unplanned and spontaneous works out in one's favor in the form of chance encounters with interesting people and the discovery of quaint restaurants. This time around, though, found me craving kimchi while eating a small Starbucks panini and pondering a visit to the neighboring KFC because I was still hungry and the local restaurants all appeared to be closed for the lunar new year.

I decided the slim silver lining was that the Starbucks was attached to Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum, so I forked over 10,000 won (about 8.50 USD), found an afternoon date, and let my jaw drop a bit.

So this is Mr. Robert Wadlow. Never mind that he is 8 ft 11 in to my 5 ft three-if-I-stand-real-tall.
He was a perfect gentleman as he guided me through this quirky museum. 

We took a look at a chicken wire John Lennon. And we imagined. Imagined, in our hearts and minds, imagined all the people living for today, and living life in peace.

Sometimes I am a dreamer. Maybe someday if you join me, the world will live as one. 

Since soon two will be joined as one, I did also find a Vera Wang made out of toilet paper that I thought I might send back to Linds for her nuptials with Jon. Very elegant in the front ...

with a little view of crack in back. (Cuz you got a bangin' booty, sista! besos :-) ) 

In addition to the museum, the very friendly staff at Hotel The Born helped me to make a spa appointment. I had the strangest massage of my life thus far after Liz and I finished hiking the Inka Trail. This facial proved to be the most interesting of its kind. There was a good deal of light slapping, clapping above my face, some patty-cake between my chin and décolletage, but I walked out of there with skin that was gleaming. Korean women are meticulous about their skin, and it shows. They glow.

By the time my 90-minute treatment was done, my stomach was eating itself. I took my fresh face to dinner next to my hotel.

I mowed down this mackerel. Pretty darn good catch of the day.

Even after a tasty dinner, I returned to my hotel room a bit sour. Until I read a friend's response to the photo above. She posted: Jeju Island is magic -- don't miss the green-tea museum! Jeju Island is magic? I questioned. Mmm, it hadn't really been in my book thus far. But Dalya got me thinking. It's all relative, isn't it. It's all a matter of perspective and experience. And choice. So I got on Google (finally) and found that green tea museum. I messaged Alexandra, who was staying with her friends about 30 minutes away, and inquired about their plans for today. She invited me to join in on some time with her friends. 

So I'll tell you what, today turned out to be awesome. I found some of that magic Dalya noted. 

It looked like this.

And this.

And it tasted like the best green tea I have ever had and the green tea ice cream melted like silk on my tongue
and the sun was so pretty at the O'sulluc Musem.

And I just gave you the introduction and conclusion of my trip without giving you the middle. So, here's what happened in Seoul ...

Throughout this trip, the foodie in me has been quite delighted by the Korean cuisine. 

This was just the beginning, at a restaurant near our hotel in Seoul, in the neighborhood Insadong.

Spending three days in the city, I've become a kimchi addict. I am typing in bed right now, craving this ...

kimchi kimchi kimchi

You can get creative with that crunchy, spicy, healthy, fermented vegetable dish ...

Take a peak at the right corner of our breakfast spread. That is a Swedish pancake thin omelette with kimchi rolled up inside. Somebody has gots to figure out time travel. If I could turn back time ... (I'd eat the whole thing and leave none for my lovely travel companions. I've regressed, Michelle. Back to my old selfish don't-touch-food-in-my-vicinity-lest-I-stab-you-with-a-fork ways.)

After devouring this, we kept with the theme and took down two orders of kimchi fries at Vatos in the trendy neighborhood of Itaewon.

My gut health's looking goooood, friends.

If you are over the food photos, I will go on to detail how we uncovered Korean culture in ways outside of restaurants.

Here we are, Alexandra, Ra Mac and I, outside of one of five palaces of Korea.
Behind us is Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Inside the National Palace Museum of Korea, I was most taken by the traditional dress of the royalty of the Joseon dynasty.

All that silk, the embroidery, the headdress, all so beautiful. And heavy.

This is a photo taken by Rachel showing the cool contrast between the old and the new.
One must marvel at the way history and the present day are juxtaposed.

When the sun went down, we got a taste of how the city burned bright at night. This is in Myeong dong, an area with lots of shops ... predominantly beauty shops for days.

These crowds were surprisingly reserved. Korea was also celebrating the lunar new year, so the city was quieter, but still, I noted that restaurants and populated areas did not put out big decibels as you find in China and the States.

An especially quiet space that we found one afternoon was a cat cafe. While I did leave my dog behind, I am a loyal pup person who misses that spunky Gus like mad. I've also come to love my cuddly daredevil Patacón. My friend Vanessa worries about my trajectory towards cat lady spinsterhood. This won't help my case ...

We had to keep it quiet due to cat nappers.

Some kitties were wide awake, but still not too impressed with our presence.

This is the look I got when I started singing In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeeps toniiiight. Aweemaway, aweeemaway, aweeemaway. Perhaps singing has never been my forte.

Definitely not too cool for school. I am certain they are reading some text about how to take over the world, but I'm all Kitty Choi for president 2020? Yeah, you got my vote.

Vanessa, just a quick note: I did not acquire any more cats on this trip. I did not pack one in my suitcase, did not stuff one in my sweater. Lil' P remains an only child. 

Those cats were actually not nearly as friendly as we found the Korean people to be. I have been fortunate in my travels, and in my life abroad, to come into contact with, and to befriend, countless individuals from dozens of cultures and countries who are divine, interesting, beautiful human beings. Still, I have not experienced such welcome and openness from an entire people as I did here. Walking down the street, sitting in a taxi, or dining at a restaurant, I have spent time reflecting on what I project out, what my appearance is if you are a stranger looking over. Often deep in thought, I think I frequently have furrowed brows. I also sometimes wear a frown because #hangry is my middle name, and I am a 34-year-old hypoglycemiac who has not learned to keep snacks close at hand. 

This humor aside, citizens of Seoul, you have prompted me to ponder the faces I wear around town. You have warmed my heart with your welcoming nature. You have shown me some of the beauty about a culture I previously knew so little about. Thank you. 

I'm pooped now. I fly out in the morning to go back to Seoul to catch a flight back to China.

I'm out. 

Peace, family and friends. Peace and love.

Life with Chinese Characteristics, Chapter 5: The weekend I fell in love

I remember when it happened in Quito. It was many moons after the initial enamorment, and it was some time after my frustrations over flaws and undesirable qualities had quieted. Yes, some months into my move to Ecuador, I fell in love with that developing city. If I wanted to be critical, I could find blemishes on every street, but when I was able to look past imperfections, I discovered a city that was willing to wrap its arms around me. I had fallen in love before, but as a former inamorato said to me, each relationship is its own universe. And this I see to be true. Each relationship establishes its own balance, its own yin and yang, its own spirit.

As the Universe is gracious, I was granted another chance at love. This is the weekend I found that I had fallen in love with Shenzhen. As with Quito, it was certainly not love at first sight. While I have acknowledged the attempts made to make this sprawling city green, the air quality has kept me from running outside on numerous days. If you take the time, you can find cool temples and quaint spots to dine, but the city is young, and lacks soul and history. And so it is that I have been holding something of a grudge, withholding my deeper affections for my new home.

But this weekend reminded me that relationships are about more than appearances; they are about the total package. You’ve got to look to the layers, like those of a sweet yellow onion; some will make you cry, but when you sauté them in butter, you get a real taste of the sweetness. 

And layers this weekend did have. 

As I wax poetic, I will start the weekend early. Thursday marked my 34th birthday, and I am one of those people who will shamelessly say that I love to be celebrated on this day of my birth (though it still seems weird that we are not showering my parents with gifts as they gave me life). It was my students who made this lady feel so special as they surprised me with a homemade brownie birthday cake. I paused to reflect on my relationships with all of my students, and continued to feel grateful to be working with each of them. 

One sweet crew.

The night was capped off with dinner at Baia, with a squad of lovely ladies ... and more chocolate cake.

Friday was a frenzy of teaching and grading as we prepare for the end of our semester. I had salsa plans with the lovely Latina Ceci, but sometimes the best laid schemes go askew when sweet babes are feeling crummy. So one minute I am in my pjs baking and prepping for Saturday night, and the next I find myself sipping a beer with the handsome German from my building. And God does it feel good to have a touch of romance, a bit of intrigue, introduced again. One beer, one night, or many more, who cares at this point. Let’s just shake things up. Here's to spontaneity and flirtation and feeling sexy.

And then Saturday turned sublime. Because lunch with Deborah at Panini Station is full of girl talk and her exciting plans for South Korea next year. Because Nanshan Flower Market with Linda is full of beautiful scenes and floral aromas and bright reds in preparation for Chinese New Year. Because progressive dinners with women who represent a handful of countries, with women who are strong, with women who are real, helps me to reflect that I have a beautiful tribe here. 

The year of the Rooster.

Orchids abounded, and so did the mystery fruit on these trees.

House hopping and fine food and fabulous friends.

Right now I am toasting Sunday, sipping a glass of merlot, with Patacón having tucked herself into the crook of my arm. Nanshan mountain — which lies right outside my door, and amounts to hundreds of stairs that climb up to a pagoda that overlooks the ocean — offered many breaths of fresh air and a long look at clear blue skies this morning. I do not take these things for granted now. After sprucing up my home by potting the plants I bought yesterday at the market, a trip to All City Mall proved fruitful. A long red wool coat that I know NieNie would have loved is going to keep me warm in South Korea this week. And oh so independent and victorious am I feeling that I am learning more about how to use the metro. 

So I’m saying I’m sweet on you, Shenzhen. I am finally getting in the rhythm with our give and take. I see how you are going to push me to grow, how many of the exasperated moments are leading me to further expand my horizons, hone my patience and remember my privilege. We have established our peace, Shenzhen. And I feel like I am home.