Training for Korea

In an effort to get my blogging to be more balanced, I'll talk about my training for the marathon in Korea.  Last week I completed 53 miles which includes an 18 mile bike ride.  It seems like I'm well on my way towards acheiving my goal of under 3 hours and 10 minutes, but yesterday while running I cut my ankle on what looks to be dried blood on my shoe.  I didn't know that dried blood could make a shoe sharp but it sure can.  Staying healthy will be my main priority because I can't let this boo boo to snow ball into an injury that could put me out for a while.  I'll have to buy new shoes this weekend because I'll never find a size 13 in Korea and the shoes that I have currently are worn (way more than the 400+ miles suggested usage).

The runs and biking could not be better, however.   Although the country has a lot less to keep me visually and kinestetically occupied, I have the opportunity to unwind.  In Boston I was too wound up and stressed from everything that is happening around me.  There are so many people driving, walking and so many buildings compared to here.  The 22 mile bike ride I went on today was so relaxing mentally.  Seeing the corn fields dotting the hills and the lone houses in the middle of no where give my brain enough time to process my surroundings.  The clean air also aids in my ability to comprehend my thoughts and to focus on my training.  The hills here are everwhere and are challenging especially on a bike, but I seem to always have a clear enough mind to focus on pushing myself up them.  I couldn't be any happier that I'll have the chance to transition my training from the countryside in the US to Korea.

I still can't fathom what it will be like to run in Korea.  Running in Japan was such a treat visually that I wonder if I will feel the same way.  All I know is that I'll use my training to my advantage to explore the many finer outdoor details Korea has to offer.

Am I there yet?

Korean food at H-mart

I promised a few days ago pictures of the Korean food that I ate with Jee at H-Mart and have finally got them from my phone to the computer.  That's one excuse but mainly my rationalization is that I want to blog something once a day and gives me something to blog about.

This is the ddokbokki (red stuff) and twigim (lighter colored fried stuff) we got.  Both of these foods, as you see in the video below, are common street foods in Korea.  Many people eat street food as a snack or while drinking because they serve soju in the same street tents.
How did I like it?
This was probably the worst ddokbokki I've ever tasted.  It was cold and not that spicy and to top it off it was $9.  Jee said it goes for around $3 or less in Korea.  Ajumma (older Korean lady) I did not feel the love in this dish!  I don't wanna brag but I make ddokbokki from scratch and it tastes much better than this.
It was actually the first time I've tried twigim (rice rolled in seaweed battered and fried) but it was actually really good.
I also order sundae (blood sausage not pictured) and that was probably the best I've had so far in the states.  It was fresh and piping hot!!  Yum!
I give this food stall place a 6 outta 10 for the price and shoddy ddokbokki.

Check this video out on pochang macha (Korean street tents that sell this food):




Can't wait to try the real deal in Korea!

PS-
I know this has nothing to do with Korea but I find it funny.  I went with the parents and brother to a restaurant called Hollywood in Auburn and this is what my dad ordered.

Yes, I think it was 10"x12" of chicken fried and covered with cheese.  Dad says it will last him for the week.  Wonder if anyone has eaten that in one sitting?

Gangwon-do in pictures

To keep my mind off things I decided to do some more research on Gangwon-do.  I've heard that Gangwon-do is extremely beautiful but the pictures on google are pretty sparse. Makes sense because google is a US company.  Why not try a Korean search engine?  So I decided to jump over to naver.com to get the real deal pictures.  To those who aren't familiar with naver (pronounced nay-i-bah sorta like neighbor) is the Korean equivalent of google.  There I found a wonderful collection of photos that aren't just sub par but of amazing quality.  Click here for the link to all of the thousands of pics.

PS- Sorry to all the Koreans that I have stolen pictures from without permission.

Anyway....

This one is called 강원도펜션(Gangwon-do Pension).  I've heard of Pension hotels and think they are for couples on getaway trips and this looks like a cottage.  I guess it's one of the many Konglish words found in Korea.  Looks beautiful!

Next...

I'm seriously going to consider getting a bike when I get there!  And the running.... oh my gosh here?  I can't wait.

Next...

I have yet to see terrace farming and cannot wait to see these beautiful rolling hills!

Next...

Glad I won't have a car.

Next...

That is awesome.  Sorta looks like a land version of Halong Bay in Vietnam (pictured below), which I was unable to see when I was in Vietnam.

All these pictures look amazing either because of (1) wonderful nature (2) insanely good camera or a combination of both (probably).  I've considered getting a decent DSLR to capture the beauty of Korea but I guess I'll just make due with the small point and shoot loaner from Kathy.  

32 days and I'll be there.  Check back soon for some of my pictures. 

Goals for Korea

Since coming home I have been blessed with an abundant amount of free time and in that free time I've had a lot of time to ponder some goals to accomplish while I'm in Korea.  I don't want to be that foreigner that goes to Korea and spends all of his time in his cracker jack box apartment and wastes time when he isn't teaching.  I have done plenty of that here in the States and need to challenge myself into growing as a person through various activities, events, etc,.  However, I do not want to go wild and recklessly spend and have a "good" time.   For me, a good set of goals that challenge me will equal an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.

I've added a measure of difficulty in accomplishing each goal with 4 austrian arms

1 arm= Only a girly man could do it

2 arms= Only the governator could do it

3 arms= Only Mr. Universe could do it

4 arms= Only the terminator could do it

Goal #1- Qualify for the Boston Marathon by running the Chosun Ilbo Chuncheon Marathon on Oct 24 with a sub 3 hour and 10 minute time.

Living in Boston for 5 years I have been fortunate enough to watch the Boston Marathon each year in person or on TV and it is one of the most prestigious marathons in the world.  Witnessing the marathon in person is a great experience and I've always wanted to run it, but haven't been able to qualify with a sub 3:10 run.  My PR is a 3:20 in 2008 so I'd have to lop 10 minutes off my PR to qualify.  I admit I could have trained much harder and will do so with this marathon.  What better timing, I will have tons of time to train, lovely area to train in, get to run a marathon in a different country, and get to run in a marathon that will be very close to where I will be living!  Plus I'll be leaving Korea in February and be in time for the Boston race.

It'll be difficult but doable as long as I don't get hurt in the process.  I'll give it a Mr. Universe.

Goal #2- Finish Financial Planning Courses

For the past six months I've been taking online financial planning courses to change my career from Music Therapy to Financial Planner.  There's something about having control over my finances that I absolutely love and to help others do that for a living would be awesome.  I'm nearly finished with 3 out of 6 of the courses and will have to finish them in Korea.

This shall be easy to accomplish but I have to do it.  Definitely deserves a girly man.

Goal #3- Speak Korean semi-fluently by the end of 6 months

I'll be living in the country side so this goal shall be doable with a lot of effort. When I say semi-fluent I mean be able to hold conversations that are two way without too much effort on either side to understand.

I'd say with some hard work and confidence I'll be able to accomplish this.  I'll be in the best environment to practice.  I'll give it a governator in difficulty.

Goal #4- Improve guitar playing/singing and compose one song per month

Again my free time will be plentiful so I have no excuse to practice each day and compose songs.  

I'll give it 2 austrian arms just because it takes extra effort for me to sit down, compose and practice on my singing.

Goal #5- Explore!!!!!

I need to take the time to explore as many places, situations, events, parties, restaurants, culture, people, etc,. as I can.

Definitely a girly man in difficulty because exploration will be right outside my door.

Keep posted on how I am at fulfilling each one of these goals and I have lots of small detailed goals to achieve each one of these large ones.

Hot off the Bar B

The second day of summer needed to be celebrated somehow and today I celebrated it the only way I knew how.....Grilling!  Burgers!

Every summer I have been home for 10 or so years I have been manning the grill.  Lunch and dinner rain or shine there is something about grilling outside that is so special.  Maybe I've watched too much TV growing up and subconsciously think that grilling is the All-American male past time.  Maybe it is my primal urge to build a fire, hunt and cook that is satiated each time I grill.  Who knows?

Here's the good ol' crusty grill.

Hand made turkey burger before.

Hand made turkey burgers after.

Eat your heart out fast food chains. 10 mins and delicious.

FYI, grilling is huge in Korea (at restaurants) so I'll be in heaven.  Keep a look out and I'll post all of the eye candy.

Sprinting for what?

Kimchi.  I'm sprinting for Kimchi.

For my parents, coworkers and friends who have been asking me what Kimchi is and why it's in my title.

Kimchi (김치), pictured to the left, is a traditional fermented food (1,000s of years old) that many Koreans would prepare in the fall and store in clay pots in the ground so they would have vegetables during the winter months.  There are many different types of Kimchi (for each time of year) but the most common consists of nappa cabbage usually with green onion, cucumber and radish with chilies.  Some regions of Korea put different seasoning and sometimes seafood like oysters (extra yummy).  Kimchi is one of the most important parts of Korean cuisine and it is usually served in a tiny dish to the side, the many tiny dishes served with every meal are called banchan (반찬).  Kimchi can also be found in many other forms as stews called chigae (찌개), pancakes called cheon (전), etc,.  

Every Korean I've talked to so far absolutely love Kimchi and the older generation will tell you that Kimchi is the healthiest food on the planet.  I've heard that it eliminates all cholesterol, promotes intestinal health (that definitely is true), lowers chances of cancer, etc,.  I do agree that kimchi is very healthy compared to a lot of the food ingested by Americans but moderation is key.  I could imagine kimchi giving stomach ulcers if too much is consumed.

Verdict:

I have eaten Kimchi on many occasions and I love it.  Whenever I go to a Korean market I like to get a 3lb tub of it or at every Korean restaurant I go to I'll receive a little serving no matter what I order (there are a few exceptions).  So how does it taste you ask?  You either seem to love it or hate it.  The best way to describe the taste is to imagine an acidic taste followed by a lingering spicy taste.  Once Kimchi makes its way to my stomach I get a very warm fuzzy feeling that I absolutely love.  Sort of like the feeling you get after eating Grandma's Thanksgiving dinner, but without the horrible insulin crash.  And it's good for you to boot.

Now to the negatives.  The smell deters many.  At first the smell is what you would a fermented cabbage to smell like.  The smell can sometimes be unnoticeable, if it's extremely fresh.  Wait a couple of weeks after the Kimchi has fermented some more and it smells close to death (not quite as bad as Durian).  The taste gets quite acidic the longer you have it.  Yes, it makes your breath smell like death as well.  

Kimchi, like I said previously, is a staple of Korean diet so it is eaten morning, noon and night.  The only exception I've heard so far is at lunch time as they don't want to have smelly breath.  I've heard that Koreans brush their teeth after lunch to combat the pungent stench of many foods they eat so they don't scare away clients or coworkers.  I'm curious to experience what Koreans actually do, especially in a school setting.  Do they serve Kimchi (I'm sure) and do all the staff and students brush their teeth or do they not do that in the country side?

Heres a video on how to make kimchi.

Now hopefully the title of my blog makes sense.

Visa in hand..

Finally, I received my Visa. This has been a journey in itself to receive this tiny piece of paper.

Let me highlight what I had to do to get it:

1. Send online application with photo and essay

2. Get 2 passport photos- go to Costco $10

3. Get 2 transcripts

4. Get 2 letters of recommendation

5. Get Mass Criminal check (2 weeks to receive, the biggest pain in the butt) $25

6. Get Mass Criminal Check notarized at my bank

6. Apostille Mass Criminal check downtown $7

7. Interview at Consulate

8. Wait a month

9. Now wait another month

10. Sign contract

11. Hand contract, visa and photos to consulate $45

12. Finally receive Visa

After months of papers, waiting and $87 later I now have a new shiny sticker in my Visa. I'm sure it will be worth all of the hassle.

Next post will be about kimchi. Many people have been asking me what it is and as it is a part of my title, I'll have to describe it. Many people don't know but if you have a Korean market around you they'll definitely have it.

Yes steal my stuff!

So half the objects in the apartment are gone! Quick I say. Thank god for MIT's reuse! It wasn't more than 2 minutes after sending an email to the reuse email list that everything I needed to get rid of was claimed to be picked up tonight, tomorrow or Saturday. Makes me wonder what MIT students do most of their day. The desk, chair and stools got taken not more than 3 hours after posting. Reuse sorta makes me feel like I've been robbed but happily robbed. Sorta like if I was robbed by hamburglar.

Wait......

Reuse=free stuff>sorta like a burglar>makes me happy like hamburglar>who sorta looks like a beaver>who is the mascot of MIT

Coincidence? I think not.

Visa

After work I headed to the Korean Consulate, handed over my passport, my contract, and $45. At first the lady behind the desk looked clueless with what I just handed her. I'm sure she does not see too many Americans come into the consulate so I must of caught her off guard. After 5 minutes of looking over my documents she sent me to the table to fill out the visa request form. The lady said to pick it up my passport after 4pm on Friday. That gives me an hour window to pick it up!

Tonight I'm going to hang out with one of the people who got me interested in Korea in the first place, Jee. We go out and eat Korean food all the time and that is what we'll be doing tonight. Our destination will be the somewhat new supermarket called H-Mart in the 'burbs. I've been there a few times with Kathy and we love it. H-Mart is one of the few asian supermarkets that I've been in that is not an eye sore nor has the subtle scents of BO, fish and rotting vegetables. It's a hugely popular Korean supermarket that is clean, smells good and has the best fish and meat selection I've ever seen at a supermarket. They also have a mall style food court with lots of different goodies.

I'll throw some pictures up soon.

Welcome to Sprinting for Kimchi

So I've been excepted and received my contract to teach in Gangwon-do South Korea. I'm embarking on a 6 month contract teaching English through the TaLK (Teach and Learn in Korea) program. This blog will be my portal in keeping in touch with family and friends while also giving others interested in Korea and the TaLK program an idea of what this country is like.

What is this TaLK program?

The TaLK program has been recently created in August 2008 by South Korea's president Lee Myung-Bak to help level the education playing field in Korea. Let me explain, South Korea is obsessed with education to the point where children spend 12+ hours a day in public schools and private academies. The problem is that families in the cities are much wealthier and have more opportunities + more foreigners = better English education than the rural folks do. This is a stark contrast to the States, I know because I'm from a rural area (3,000 people) and have met so many kids in Boston that were from big cities and had numerous educational opportunities.
Anyway, the TaLK program was created to get some native English teachers out in the rural areas and give these kids some opportunities. The native English teachers are mainly college students from any native English speaking country so we are considered TaLK scholars.

How did the Korean Government Buy Me?

The government provides flight to and from Korea, housing, food and activities during the 3 week orientation at a Korean University (currently I have no clue where). From there we have a one week orientation in our province and then we start teaching. We get paid 1,500,000 Won per month ($1235) with housing, health benefits and some activities provided. Pretty nice for only 15 hours of work a week!

What I'll be writing about?

FOOD (음식)! I love Korean food so expect loads of Korean food pictures.
RUNNING (뛰다)! I learn my surroundings by running long distances.
KOREAN LANGUAGE (한국말)! Believe me it's easy.
CULTURE (문화)! I know a lot of Korean culture from friends and the internet but haven't experienced it all first hand.
TALK PROGRAM! What it will be like to be in the program and the process it took to get accepted.

Where is Gangwon-do?

First you must understand Korea is broken up into provinces called do, sorta like a state in the US. The only difference is the huge cities are really their on provinces, such as Seoul, Busan, Daegu, etc,. Gagwon is a province in the northeastern most part of Korea. To the north is the dreaded North Korea, to the east is the Sea of Japan or East Sea (depending on if you ask a Korean or a Japanese person), to the west is Gyeonggi-do and Seoul, and the south has Gyeungbuk and Chungbuk.

The internet tells me that Gangwon's scenery is very famous for the mountains and other natural wonders. I'm looking forward to running this wonderful area!