Monday, November 5, 2012

Quotes.. I love 'em.



"If I'm an advocate for anything, it's to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else's shoes or at least eat their food, it's a plus for everybody.
Open your mind, get up off the couch, move." --Anthony Bourdain

I love this man... 

Hello there!

Hello everyone!  
As I've mentioned before, this blog started as a way to keep my friends back in the States updated with my life in Korea.  I never thought I would get as many views as I have in the past three months.  So in the past week I've worked hard to play catch-up.  I still have a couple of posts to do before I'm all caught up with my life until this point.... So thank you for checking in!  
Hope you enjoy it :). 
With love.. and a delicious waffle,
Lupe 

Wreck 'Em Tech

As a cultural ambassador of the United States, it's only fair that I introduce my kids to American football... Specifically Texas Tech football.  As a recent graduate of Tech, I am still quite obsessed with keeping up with my team's stats and season.  I took this as an opportunity to teach the kiddos about football as a culture.  Because let's be honest, in Texas, football is king.  

I showed them videos of football game footage, half-time band shows, and the fans.  They were especially interested in the reaction of fans towards the game.  Face painting, the wearing of school colors, the mascots, and hand sings were an interesting concept for them.

This was the final product:

First grade kiddos :)
Second grade boys :)
"Wreck 'Em Tech!!!"

Mission Impossible... Made Possible

If you can't tell by my name, I'm of Mexican descent. Many of the teachers that I work with are very curious about my culture.  They know I'm American, but in their words, "Not typical American."  Definitely not the blonde hair, blue eyes they were expecting!  So of course when asked about the date of my housewarming party (because EVERYONE is expected to host a party once they settle into their new home), I knew immediately that I had to introduce them to both my cultures. 

So here starts the "Mission Impossible" portion of my story.  If you've ever lived in an Asian country, you know that there are certain things that are either nonexistent or very hard to find and are usually expensive.  Among these are tortillas, avocados, cumin, cheese, and butter.

Menu: Pollo picoso, Mexican rice, guacamole, tortilla chips, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, onion rings, and salsa.  For dessert: arroz con leche and buñuelos.  Also some Korean beer, soju, and makoli to keep things Korean.

One of my teacher friends got this shot of me frying up tortilla chips.
The spread.
 Korean family.
 They talked about it for days... I was so happy. 

Mokpo... The Cutest City EVER

My hometown of Muan may be small... But luckily, Mokp'o, the cutest city ever is only a twenty-five minute bus ride away.  Here are a few pictures of my weekend of exploring.

Friday night my friends arrive from all around Korea.  Slumber party anyone?
We climbed to the top of Yudalsan Mountain.  Here is the view of Mokp'o.
Hammocking on Mt. Yudalsan
View of Mokpo's harbor from the top of Yudalsan Mt. 
Lights like this decorate all of downtown Mokp'o.  Down the road I ran into a live jazz band preforming.  It was an awesome ending to a day of hiking. 



Monday, October 29, 2012

Wifi

I just wanted to make a post that was dedicated entirely to the fact that I now have wifi in my apartment.  This doesn't seem like a huge accomplishment... But for a girl that can't read Hangul or speak Korean, this was quite amazing.  Most foreigners pay extra to have someone come and connect it, or wait for a Korean friend to stop by and do it. NOT THIS GIRL!  

So cheers to Wifi and being competent enough to do it yourself!!!

Being connected to the world rocks.

One-Room


This place is starting to feel like home.  I am slowly adding things to make this experience that much better.  So finally, after almost three months, here it is:
 This is a one-room.  Literally what it's called, one room.  What I would call a studio apartment. 

This is the entrance to the apartment.  As you can see I also keep my shoes here.  I have no actual closet or armoir, so I stuck them here.  Easy access, especially since no one wears their shoes inside.

 This is what you see when you walk in.  Immediately is the kitchen area followed by where I sleeep.  I'm lucky to have such a big fridge and a toaster oven, microwave, and toaster. 

My "closet" and "desk" area.  In Korea I spend half my time on the floor working on my computer or sitting down crossed legged eating.  See that TV, it doesn't work.  I refuse to pay extra for a monthly cable bill lol.
 My bed!!!  The first month here I slept on the floor.  Now, I have a bed and comfy blankets to make this my escape.  It's so my style too... No pink, no bears, no hearts, no flowers... Just warm colors and candles. 


 Part of my kitchen area that has my appliances.  Two feet away is the actualy area where I prepare meals and wash dishes. 

 My fun-sized kitchen.  

And here is the area I get ready every morning.  Complete with my mess of makeup, hair products, jewlery, my lamp, candles, jump rope, mirror, and whatever random things I can put on my little table. 

Homemade Cookies: Fail

This was the day Angela got a toaster oven.  We were so excited to try it out and make something that we had both missed from home.  So we decided on chewy cookies.  Needless to day, this was a learning experience for the both of us.
 The batter.  We bought it from a box.  Mistake #1: too much oil.
 Neither one of us is good at baking things...
 Our first round.  They were pretty horrible.
After about three tries, this fourth batch was the best.  Still kinda tasted like chalk, but we ate them. Hahahaha.  #KoreaProblems 

Fat Girl Post

Every once in a while it's only fair that I show everyone the food I'm eating... So here goes.
 Lemon Table Cafe.  First legit cheeseburger I've had here.  Also, the BEST fries!  Cutest place ever.  If you ever find yourself in Korea, come here if you ever want the comforts of home. 
 Let's get more traditional now.  These are the BEST dumplings I've ever had.  They're from my small town of Muan.  It's a small family-owned place. SO GOOOOD.
 Want dumplings in a convenient pouch?  BAAAAM. 
 Figs.  My local farmer didn't want to sell them to me because she thought they would be too exotic for my taste buds.  Lucky for me I had my friend Angela there with me to translate.  Figs are one of my favorite fruits.  Didn't think Korea would have them!
 On some nights you just want a homemade meal.  For this one in particular I have to thank Angela.  She's seriously my best friend in Muan.  She's the sweetest person with the biggest heart.  I'm also incredibly lucky that she cooks and invites me over.  Love this girl!
 Homemade Samgyeopsal, courtesy of my dearest Angela.  So freaking good. 
 We've discovered the BEST chicken place in our little town of Muan.  Crispy on the outside and so incredibly juicy on the inside.  Yummmmmmmmmmmm.
I made a trip to Gunsan and was taken here: a Mediterranean restaurant that serves delicious lamb, awesome hummus, pita, unlimited beer, and hookah.  I was in heaven.  Thank you Ava, Matt, Taylor, and the random Koreans I met that night... I had a blast! 

Chuseok Holiday Continued...

Day Four: Gunsan

So Gunsan is where my wonderful friend Ava lives.  She took me and our other friend Irene to see Eumpa Lake which is near the university there.  Seriously one of the cutest, most relaxing places to take a walk, sip on some coffee and just  enjoy the scenery. 

 The night before... We were total fatties.  We had a traditional, girly sleepover with lots of food.  Korean junk food, baked goods, hazelnut spread, Spanish wine, and candles.  So fun to do something completely "normal." 
 Walking up to the Lake.
 "Lover's Bridge"
 The trails were awesome...
Friends in new places.

Chuseok Holiday Continued...

Day Three: Jinju

We bused our way to Jinju after a relaxing time in Muan. This was the first day of the Jinju Lantern festival.  I am so happy we got to see this celebration.  It was truly a magical experience.  The lanterns, the people, the fireworks, the street food.. It was awesome.  
I walked down to the river where the lanterns were.  First thing I see is this wonderful bridge lit up.  
 The entire thing was lit up.  
 The entrance.  Also a lantern.  
 Cool shot of the bridge and a tunnel made entirely of red paper lanterns.
 Once inside the lantern this is what I saw.  It was so cool looking! 
 Dragon lantern.
Lanters in Lover's Alley.  I don't need to explain these.... Hahaha. 
 Lover's Alley...
 Rocky!!!
A roasted pig food stand.  Awesome. 

Chuseok Holiday Continued..


Day Two: Discovering Topmori Beach

So on the second day we decided that we would get to a beach.  We stumbled upon this specific one that's a fifteen minute cab ride from my apartment.  We couldn't find it on any maps and were super lucky to hear about it from some locals.  It truly made me appreciate my small little rural community even more.  This is what we saw:
 Me and the girls.  We've arrived in my little town of Muan.  This is the main street aka "Onion Street."
 Fifteen minutes later we've arrived.  Topmori Beach.  Happiness in a $12 cab ride.
 It was so beautiful!
 Families were out enjoying the holiday.  I was such a creeper snapping pictures of random people.  
 Me at Topmori Beach.
Cool picture I got of Ava and Emily.