Strengthening Ties

This past week I have been working on strengthening my relationships with the Koreans in my community. Tonight I had dinner with Ji Hye,  a co-worker's daughter and two other Hwacheon ETAs. The four of us grabbed Korean style Chinese food for dinner and then went to Dunkin' Donuts for coffee. Dinner in Korea is almost always followed by a second-round, called 이차(icha). Most of the time drinking is involved and there are four or five total rounds, the last of which is noraebang, or karaoke. This is the second time I have met Ji Hye for dinner and I am really enjoying getting to know her.

Amy, Ji Hye and I

Since Hwacheon is so rural it is extremely hard to meet people my age. Most of the people in Hwacheon are soldiers or older couples with kids. Ji Hye is a university student but is taking the semester off. Therefore, she is living at home before starting a job outside of Seoul. I am hoping I can continue to keep in touch with her when she leaves for Seoul in December. It's really fun being able to talk about the differences between American and Korean culture with Koreans. I am also becoming closer with Ji Hye's mom. I meet with Ji Hye's mom and a few other teachers every Tuesday afternoon to eat, drink coffee and practice English. This week her mother invited me over her house to learn how to make kimchi, the fermented cabbage dish that Koreans eat with literally every meal. Next Tuesday she will also teach me to cook 떡볶이 (deokboki), a Korean snack food that I have come to love. It's basically rice cakes, fish cakes and cabbage in a really spicy sauce. Ji Hye actually introduced me to  라볶이 (laboki), which is the same dish but Ramen noodles are served in addition to the rice cakes.

떡볶이

On Sunday I met another teacher from this group, Seon Oak, for lunch in Chuncheon, a nearby city. I went to Chuncheon early in the morning and did some shopping. I really needed to pick up warmer clothes because it is often 35 degrees when I walk a mile to and from school. Our school also is not heated so it is often very cold inside the building. Hwacheon is one of the coldest cities in Korea and in the winter I am told the temperature reaches -18 degrees Celsius (yes Celsius!). After I did some shopping I met Seon Oak and her boyfriend for lunch. We ate 닭갈비 (talkalbi) on 닭갈비 street in the shopping district. Chuncheon is very famous for 닭갈비 and there are many streets that only have 닭갈비 restaurants. Unlike in America most Korean restaurants specialize in one dish. There is a menu but it is limited to the one type of food they specialize in. The lunch was really fun even though it was sometimes hard to communicate. Seon Oak does not speak a lot of English and her boyfriend speaks even less. It is amazing what can be achieved and conveyed with limited language though.

The remaining part of my week is shaping up to be pretty busy. On Friday my family is leaving Hwacheon at 5 to drive to Seoul. We will then attend a lantern festival for an hour before driving the two hours back home. It seems a little crazy to me but I am sure it will be a great experience! On Saturday I am leaving for another overnight trip with my students. This weekend we will visit 안동 (Andong) the old capital of the Shilla Dynasty. There is a traditional village there so it should be a great trip!