This post is like a Korean meal

....multitudinous side dish samplings. So, here are some photo-documented samplings of the past couple weeks. Don't ask me what the main dish of this post is, because I have no idea. Oh, I often say "I have no idea" about the main dish of Korean meals too. Another similarity.

1. This past week at school was English Center Week, in which students from surrounding rural elementary schools come to Josan (our main school), for special, non-textbook lessons. Theme: Halloween. Obviously. Results as follows:

2. We made kimbap. Kimbap is basically any food you want (though not coffee-flavored ice cream, much to Trevor's dismay) rolled up in seaweed and rice. 

Eun ji made sure it was done right.

 Top to bottom: A vegetable for which I don't know the English name, cabbage, ham, and crab. We also used egg, bulgogi (marinated beef), kimchi (fermented cabbage), and cheese. Not all together, but in various combinations. 

That's seaweed on the right, on a handy seaweed rolling mat (it's bamboo, Michelle!). First we spread rice on the seaweed, then added various combinations of the prepared food. My combinations were notably light on the crab and heavy on the cheese.

All rolled up

Ready to eat

Trevor getting his kimbap on

We were overly eager noobs, and now have enough kimbap in our fridge to last a week. But it's delicious, so I'm not complaining. 

3. This past week was full of beautiful sights:

This beach is right behind Josan. We walk here during lunch break sometimes.

Seoraksan in autumn. You're welcome for the gratuitous instagram, Michelle.

This is not only a stunning view, but a view from a lane lined with cherry blossoms. I can't wait til spring!

This is the roof our apartment building, 13 stories high.

I was inordinately excited to have finally found the route to the roof.

I'll be coming up here with some frequency.

It occurred to me that I've not posted a picture of Yangyang yet. So, here it is.

Welcome to Yangyang, where the trees are creepy.

Because everyone at home should know that this is what will greet you if ever you visit Yangyang.

We live in a beautiful place.

P.S. I became best friends with a puppy.

"Sometimes it's the boring stuff I remember most."

Trevor recently told me I should write a blog post, as people from home were asking for updates. I replied, "But I don't have a good enough story yet. We are just living daily life so far."

I then realized that if I waited until a grandiose story broke through the humdrum, I may never get around to writing. Besides, didn't the cutest boy scout on the face of the earth say something about boring times being the most memorable?

Ok, Russell, you convinced me, you and your cuteness. Time to tell about the everydayness. Here follows an eclectic smattering of humdrum moments and glimpses of everyday scenes on this side of the world:

1. The coffee shop just behind Josan Elementary is one of my favorite places here. It has wicker chairs, plants in giant coffee mugs, a phonograph, and a friendly elderly man behind the counter. Tenderness overload. I occasionally walk here from work when the children's enthusiasm levels necessitate additional infusions of caffeine into my blood stream.

2. I suppose Seoraksan National Park extends beyond the boundaries of "humdrum," but it's a piece of where we live, so it's going on here anyway. A 25 minutes' bus ride from the apartment, this place has become a frequent weekend destination and never ceases to stun me.

3. I found a waffle and a Taco Bell. I need add nothing else here.

4. The land around our apartment, though it separates us from delicious fish bread (red bean-filled pastry, for the uninitiated) and much of society in general, is highly conducive to running and general meandering. We are essentially surrounded by gardens lined with concrete paths. I hesitate to use the word "rural," northwest Ohioan that I am, but it is certainly rural compared to just about anywhere else in this country.

Tender little Yangyang in the lower left corner

5. Am I allowed to put two coffee shops on this list? Well, I'm going to, because I am the boss of this blog post. This is my favorite coffee shop in Sokcho:

This table alone put it high on my list.

You're welcome for the gratuitous, cliche, overhead fancy coffee shot.

6. Meet Eun Ji. Friend, co-teacher, and general life saver. She has magical problem-solving abilities. This is not a joke. When Korea gets scary, and English shows up far too little and octopus far too often, she is always there to save the day. Plus she is a lot of fun.

7. We looked into North Korea. Here is a photo, though I'm saving my thoughts on this experience for a later post.

Post Script: I didn't realize people actually wanted this blog to be updated, so it was flattering to have been told so. Rambling, especially from behind a computer screen so as to hide my social awkwardness, is one of my very favorite things, so you can absolutely expect more posts now that I know they are welcome. Trevor may usurp blog control and say something more relevant, like what we actually do as teachers and where we go to church and how we grocery shop. So don't worry. Useful information will surface eventually.