Wir Essen!!! Multi-Kulti Abendessen in Seoul!

Heute Abend iss ich deutsches Essen deshalb muss ich jetzt alles auf Deutsch erklären....

Not really. I mean, I really did have German food for dinner (ehhhhhhhh.....sogenanntes deutsches Essen) at a German restaurant (nocheinmal....sogenanntes deutsches Lokal), and it was delicious (das stimmt!).

A little research makes me feel even more cooler that my friend introduced me to this gem of Sinsa...but I'll share that later.



Church & dinner friends: Jodie and Karlan

 So after a full day of church and Ecclesia, my 2 friends (who also serve at Ecclesia) and I have a new trend of eating dinner together. Tonight, we went to Deli Heinzburg, near Garosu-gil. Now, Garosu-gil is a very trendy and well-known street in Sinsa-dong. Deli Heinzburg is on the street parallel to Garosugil, called  Serosu-gil. Apparently, Serosu-gil is surpassing Garosu-gil in terms of originality and unique flavors, so I'm pretty for sure I'm going to have go back there. This article explains it all: Serosu-gil redefines cool for Seoul’s fashion elite . What I love about the article is that when it describes Deli Heinzburg, it claims it has "look and feel of a German pub." Now, I loved Deli Heinzburg, but that's not how I would call it.

I liked the lighted wood shelf installment. Schicky-schicky!



Deli Heinzburg I love because it is kitsch. Like many things I appreciate in Korea, it's this tiny cosmos of mish-mashed (gemischtes) structures and influences that somehow all work to makes something awesome. First, it's a German restaurant in Korea. That says enough right there. When you walk in, there are several mugs that make you think, "Huh, that would make a great souvenir." Wouldn't it be awesome to get a German mug from Korea? Well, too bad, because the fine print of the mugs says, "For store-use only."

There is bread for sale, but it's ciabatta, which is Italian, not German. There are also coffees and coffee-syrups for sale, but these are Italian and French brands, not German. SOoooo, it's more like pan-European cuisine. ^^



You pick up your food. I like that.



The menu was amazing....so many types of burgers and sandwiches. Again, not many of them German per se...more American-style...but more like...the Koreans looked at some American sandwiches and said, how could we make this taste and look 10 times better and have a clever name? Like Bratwurst Outburst and The Lord of the Onion Rings. Honestly, I usually don't long for American food and rarely (as in, never) eat hamburgers, but as soon as I walked in, I felt weak in the knees and was like, Dracula Burger? Sounds good! The menu is a little bit of everything...sausages, paninis, burgers, soups, but it's all good.

The decor I would not describe as a classic German pub. German pubs...well, traditional ones look like this, but I don't think they even sell hamburgers there...(^^) or maybe this one...I mean, I can't really say what all German pubs look like (und, übrigens, als ich in Deutschland war, iss ich gar kein Rotfleisch...vielleicht bei der Mensa, aber das war es....d.h. ich habe wirklich keine gute Idee wie Hamburger-Cafes in Deutschland aussehen...) The decor is catchy though...it's modern and upbeat, but the wood paneling tones it down and keeps it from being pretentious. Again, it shows Korea's tact for mixing styles and make it all work.



Rotkohl und Kartoffelsalat



Now, to the food! Authenticity aside , (and let's be honesty, I didn't go here for authenticity. I came here to say, I found a German deli in Korea!!! What!!!)  I did think it was cool that the menu was in English, German, and Korea. If it's not clear in one language, it's bound to make sense in another!

The entrees are enough by themselves (no need for extra fries, Americans!), so we were provided with a simple serving of red cabbage (I actually ate that alot in Germany. And liked it!) Korean-style pickles. Karlan ordered the potato salad. It took her a while to find the potatoes, but they were hiding under some healthy lettuce leaves quartered tomatoes.



Jumbo Huhn Burger



Jodie went straight for the Jumbo Chicken Burger. According to the menu, this is "a fried boneless chicklen leg in its entirety." Oh my gosh, it is amazing!

I almost went for the Chicken Burger as well, but finally decided on the Chili with Frites (+ extra cheese!). Now, I don't generally "miss" American foods. I love Korean food and keep my fridge regularly stocked with kimchi and pickled radish and have never gone out of my way to buy Western groceries. However, once in a while, when you're in a restaurant, if it's there, then you've just got to go for it. That's how I am with chili. I love chili. Especially in the winter time. And I haven't had any chili since I've come here...and since I came here in the summer, that means, I haven't had any since winter 2009. That's a long time without chili. And not that I've been dreaming about it or anything, but as soon as I saw it on the menu...well, I was just astounded to see it on a menu here at all, so that meant, I had to get it.



Chili-Eintopf mit Bratkartoffeln und Käse

 

I really do like the interior. Classy, but not overdone.



What was best....is that it was like my dad's chili. And my dad makes the best chili. No spaghetti or other noodles or extraneous vegetables...and not soupy...and with plenty of cheese. This chili had so much cheese, I couldn't even eat it all.

SO, would I say it's not exactly authentic German...but who cares? It's amazing. You should just go!

How to get there: If you're on Garosu-gil, turn left at the BeanBins and go down a block. Cafe Heinzburg will be on your left.





Komm essen!!!



It looks like a Kindergarten again!

Obviously, I love art day.

Anyways, so for the past few weeks, the 2nd floor hallway has been looking a little bare. Prior to Christmas, Katey (the other teacher on my floor) and I had that floor pretty well decorated for the holidays with Wish Lists and Letters to Santas and everything, but we had to send everything home for Christmas.
Today, the kids made a "Winter Scene" with penguins assembled out of different-sized hearts. I taped them up in the hallways first thing and was struck with the thought, "Hey, it's beginning to look like a Kindergarten again!" Somehow, arts and crafts in the hallway just bespeaks Kindergarten and childhood creativity at its fullest to me. I feel like hallways with no artwork are akin to ghost-towns, but seeing drawings shows you, oh yeah, little hands are working hard here.


That's right, taking up both sides of the hallways!

Here are the kids with their Winter Scenes. Obviously, some of them got it better than others....



Cathy, Aaron, and Cindy. Aaron spent an exorbitant amount of time
making the background. He has a whole other Winter Scene on the back
of the paper. I felt bad when I told him, heyyyy, you gonna make the penguin?



David, Julie, Brian, & Steve. Brian kept squinting his eyes, and I kept saying,
"Brian, open your eyes." So this time he made sure to make his eyes really big. Also, about David's penguin:
David was so concerned with coloring neatly, he colored right over the eyes. He says, "Jillian-Teacher? Nice?" I say, "Um, yeah, but where are the eyes?" But never fear. David simply takes a white crayon and makes new ones. I don't know why I worry. 



Emily, Jonah, Abby, and Anthony. Anthony's like the Benicio del Toro of the 2nd floor. He was also very excited about all the ice mountains and hills he had made.

Also, they love to sing. So here's coloring and singing:




Mixing colors, making worlds...

SO, today I realized that perhaps my Kinder are a little too close to riding the train straight to "Type-A" personality-ville. I mean, I love them, but maybe several of them would be Alex P. Keaton's best friend if they met him.
In art today, our project was to draw/paint your fantasy world. To help them understand and plan out their picture, we did some brainstorming:


These are their ideas. Really. Maybe I suggested the unicorn.
They are evidently really in love with modes of transportation, as noted by
the presence of a "train" and "mini-train" in fantasy world.


What made today's art really special is that I let them paint, which I almost never do. But they get really excited when they realize that paint and crayons don't mix, so those projects always bring like 500 twinkles to their eyes.



Almost every painting contained a train. This is Cindy's.
She got really exited about making that yellow-grayish color...but
then got tired of painting.

I think I enjoyed watching them paint as much as they enjoyed painting. I couldn't really find a good paint set, so their color palates were kind of limited, but they got so excited as they mixed cobalt blue and dark blue and golden-yellow and so on. When they figured out that white and blue make "sky blue," it was like Santa just walked into the classroom. Little synapsis firing all over the place!



This is Anthony's. What I love about Anthony is the way the world must
look to him. Sometimes he's quiet, but you know there's always more
going on. For instance, at first he was really proud of drawing a KTX (think
Korean AMTRAK) train. Then he throws in some dragons, just for good measure.

 
One of my favorite parts of watching my students paint was their favorite part. Their favorite part was not painting the picture, it was the way the paint mixed and swirled in their water trays. Seriously, it was like a whole new world was opening up to them. I guess some of the paint tubes were different types of paint, so when they put them on their brushes and then put their brush in water, they would get these wonderful swirls and layers. They were shouting across the room to each other, like, look at what it's doing now! And then they would add in another color and again their eyes would light up. It was amazing just to stand back and watch them discover so much in an action that seems so little.

This is Ethan's. He clearly pointed out the 3 objects in his painting to me.
Several times. There is a house. The blue creature at the bottom is a unicorn.
The red flying creature is a dragon. Ever since Paren'ts Day, back in the fall,
Ethan has been overly concerned with doing a fantastic job. So he always
makes sure to point everything out 3~5 times, just so I'm aware of well he is doing.

It was also great to watch them mix colors. Everytime they made a new color, it was broadcasted across the room. "Hey! We made gray!" Then another table would be like, "How did you do that?" And back and forth. It was like a half hour of gleeful shouts of "SKY BLUE!" and "BROWN!" and sometimes just truly joyful giggles when they ended up with blue-green or something in between.

This is Steve's. He had a very nice beach going until he discovered
how to make gray. Again, notice the recurring theme of trains and dragons.

This is Cathy's. Cathy is a very small girl with a big mind and (sometimes) shrill voice.
Today, though, she was totally engrossed in her fantasy world. She worked very concen-
tratedly on her rollercoasters and rides. I think her pictures has an almost Dali-esque quality to it.

When we brainstormed, I was a little concerned that the kiddos weren't thinking "creatively" enough...but then again, who's to say what is creative and what's not. We automatically classify unicorns as being creative, but trains as being normal. My kids had a lot of fun today, and were totally elated by the ability to make and mix colors. Today was their chance to put a little bit of their minds onto paper, and I am so thankful *as always* that I had the chance to see into their little, fantastic worlds.

Staying on the South Side



Olympic Flame and surrounding neighborhood



Last Monday (December 27th) was the first day I had slept in (not counting the few "sick days" I took in December. Those were not relaxing "sleeping in" days...those were "If I get out of bed, my body will collapse" days. So they do not count) probably since my vacation in July. Korean class and Ecclesia have kept my weekends pretty busy, so it was nice to take a day ~ that was not even a weekend ~ and sleep in. Eventually though, you have to get up. The nice thing about Seoul is, there is always something going on. So even if you sleep in, nothing much is lost.

Monday, I stayed a little bit closer to home and explored Seoul south of the Han River. After a quick coffee, I set out for Olympic Park. I really like Olympic Park, because not only do I love the Olympics, but it's also the site of a historic earthen fortress, so it's a multi-layered cultural experience.

Seoul hosted the 1988 Olympics. At Olympic Park, you can see several of the sports arena including the velodrome, tennis courts, gymnastics hall, and swimming pool. Winding trails lead around the park to monuments, sculptures, and the Mongchon Earthen Fortress (Mongchontoseong). When the weather is warm, it is the perfect place for jogging or cycling. If if happens to be lightly snowing though, it makes a pretty good back-drop for an afternoon stroll. ^^

We took Line 2 from Yeoksam to Jamsil, then transferred to Line 8 and rode 1 stop to Mongchontoseong. I was surprised by how close it was! At Mongchontoseong, we left out of Exit 1. Immediately, you are faced with the Peace Gate. This is truly a breath-taking experience. To stand, in front of this huge structure topped with the Olympic Rings, and know that you are standing where history took place...where only 20 or so years ago, all the eyes of the world were watching this spot. And you are there now. It's amazing.

There was a large Christmas tree put up for the holidays and even a skate rink! I love seeing holiday spirit.



Flags of the Nations, Olympic Park

After the Peace Gate, one of my other favorite sites is the flag pavilion. This is a large semi-circle featuring flags from all the nations that participated in the 1988 games. It looks out over a lake and the rest of the park. Again, it's just one of those feelings that's like, *wow* at one point in time, people from all over the world were here, and even though it's after the fact...being there is like still participating...as if you are still able to bask in all the energy and excitement that happened during the '88 Olympics.

Happy New Year from Olympic Park



We walked around the park and saw several different facilities. By the time it was dark, we decided to head on our next stop....but again, were awestruck by the Peace Gate at night. I know, I'm totally dorking out about the Olympics...I'm not even athletic...but the Olympics have always seemed like this magical time to me where people from all over the world could come together and at least have a shot at trying for their dreams. It's like a 2-week long Christmas festival in my mind. So being able to be where the Olympics took place: always takes my breath away.

OK, our next stop was COEX. I mean, what's living in Gangnam if you don't go to COEX? So we traveled back to Jamsil and got on the Green Line to Samseong, exit 6. COEX, if you haven't been there yet, is a humongous complex including a shopping mall, exhibit hall, convention center, movie theater, and aquarium. Our plan was to see the aquarium, but we got there a little too late. No worries! COEX Mall has more than 260 shops and is the largest underground shopping mall in Asia.

After meandering around COEX, I felt we needed to fit one more cultural experience in. And here comes one of those "You know you're X when Y" moments. As in, "You know you're in Asia, when you can just say, 'Now, I know there's a temple around here somewhere...'" Kind of cliche, sorry, but I did know that there was a temple close to COEX!



Lanterns at Bongeunsa Temple



Mountain-top Buddha in the middle of Gangnam.



Bongeunsa Temple can also be found from Samseong Station, exit 6. It was built in 794 by the Venerable Yeonhoe. It used to be the largest temple in Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty. I wasn't real sure what the policy was for entering a temple at night, but we saw a few others walking around the grounds. It probably seemed strange to them to see 2 foreigners poking around a Buddhist Temple at night. Being on temple grounds is a perfect illustration of the beautiful juxtaposition that is modern Korea. In the heart of one of the busiest districts of Seoul is a tranquil mountain temple, where quiet visitors light candles and incense. If you keep walking back, there is an unexpectedly-large statue of Buddha. And, again, all of this is covered in snow, which just adds to the perfect stillness.

I am sorry, I know beaches are fun for the holidays, but experiences like this ~ like seeing the largest Buddha statue you've ever seen, surrounded by undisturbed, newly-fallen snow, it's just breathtaking. It's an experience I don't think is possible anywhere else.

In Germany, they call this "Second Christmas"

December 26th a busy day indeed.

We started off by getting to church at 9AM sharp. Well, there was a quick stop at the Paris Baguette and then onto church. (Ecclesia's espresso machine takes 30 minutes to heat up, and we needed coffee STAT!) I showed him around Ecclesia and the church. Although Ana told me not to work, I ended up making a few drinks before service anyways. ^^ Mike was very impressed with the cardboard walls of Ecclesia and also with the service. This was awesome to me, because Jubilee has been such a big part of my life and experience here in Seoul.

I want to go to there: Take Subway #3 to Sinsa. Go out Exit 6 and just walk for about 10 minutes, veering to the right. Jubilee is on the 3rd and 4th floors of the Lourus Little School.
Listening to Jubilee: December 26th's message was entitled Worship Service.

After church, we walked around Sinsa's Garosu-gil. This street is filled with unique shops, trendy restaurants, and cozy cafes. It tends to attract a fashionable crowd, but makes for a nice stroll. I had wanted to eat at one of my fave's, the O'Taco Burger, but was saddened to see it has been replaced by something else. (Things is Korean move quick!) We ended up going for Vietnamese Pho, which was also tasty on such a cold day.
I want to go to there: Sinsa Station (line 3), exit 8. Walk for 10 minutes.
I want to read more: This is one of my favorite blogs about Seoul. He has a pretty good description with pictures of Garosu-gil: Discovering Korea.

From Sinsa, we decided to start out site-seeing north of the Han. I gave Mike a few choices, and he decided Deoksugung sounded interesting. A palace and an art museum all in one? Definitely a winner! Deoksugung (Deoksu Palace) is right in the middle of downtown. It is (mostly) traditional buildings, surrounded by skyscrapers and visions of skyscrapers. Deoksugung means "Palace of Virtue and Longevity." It was built in the mid-1400s for Prince Wolsan. In the early 1900s, King Gojung remained here even when forced to abdicate his throne by the Japanese. King Gojung's son named the palace in hopes that his father would live a long life there.

Deoksugung is interesting because it is the only palace that incorporates foreign architecture. It has a pavilion designed by a Russian architect, A.I. Sabatin, who mixed Western and Korean styles. The most notable "foreign" style building is Seokjojeon, which was King Gojung's quarters and office. It is the first Western-style building in the Joseon palaces.

The current exhibit at the National Museum of Contemporary Art was "Picasso and Modern Art: Passion and Solitude." The exhibit featured works mostly from the 20th century by Picasso and his contemporaries, highlighting the changes brought about by the tumultuous time in world history. Many of the pieces came from the Albertina Museum in Vienna. Mike and I decided...we are not fans of pastels and also could not understand how paintings from the 1990s snuck into the exhibit. Really, they just don't seem old enough.

I want to go to there: Exit 12 of City Hall Station, Line 2 or Exit 2 of City Hall Station, Line 1.

I want to read a real blog about it: Lucky for you, Discovering Korea has lots of info.

I love modern art: Well, you can't beat an afternoon with German Expressionists. Especially if you get to walk through a palace on your way to the art museum.



Merry Christmas from Namsangol Hanok Village



My plan for the evening was to go to Namsan Tower, but I decided to take a round-about way to get there. First, we visited Namsangol Hanok Village. Hanok is the name for traditional-style Korean houses. This village has 5 Hanok buildings, featuring traditional house arrangements. During the day (or when the weather is nice!), you can learn traditional crafts and games there as well. In past visits, I've been able to try on hanbok (traditional Korean dress), and also took a manners lesson with my Korean class.

However, it was a cold and blustery day-closing-in-on-evening when Mike and I arrived, so there would be no print-making or hanbok for us. We DID find, though, something even more magical. We entered the park and see this forklift driving around big blocks of ice. We look at each other thinking, "What is all that ice for?" Well, when we turned around the corner, we saw the answer. There was an AMAZING ICE SCULPTURE VILLAGE!!! Even if Namsangol Hanok Village had been blown away, it was worth seeing the ice sculptures. There were ice Hanok and an ice-table set with ice-dishes and Christmas messages and everything.



Evening sets in on a Hanok

I want to go to there: Line 3 or Line 4 to Chungmuro Station, exit 3. Walk a few minutes and be sure to pick up some hot "fish" from the street vendor. If you turn too soon, then you accidentally went to Korea House. Turn around and keep going straight.

I want to learn more: You can choose English or Korean. But just go, that's the best way! And it's free, so what have you got to lose?



Seoul from the Namsan Hiking Trail

Our next stop was Namsan Tower. When I went to the Hanok Village with Korean class, we took a path that led from the village up Namsan (san is the Korean word for mountain...Namsan means Mt. Nam...but Namsan sounds better). Bipassing the time capsule, Mike and I started out on the path. It was a lot colder than my last "hike," but I knew we would get to the cable car soon, so we powered through. About a 1/3 way up the mountain, we came to the cable car station. For the winter, this is the *best* way to get up the mountain. Luckily, many Seoul-ites seemed to still be gone for the holidays, so we didn't have to elbow too many people out of the way.^^



Merry Christmas from Namsan Tower



Namsan Tower is, in my opinion, the landmark of Seoul. It is the most recognizable building on any city-scape and visible from almost everywhere in the city. At the base of the tower are a few restaurants, shops, and pavilions. These viewing decks alone give a commanding view of the city and remind you that yes, you really are in the middle of one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. The tower was build in 1971 and open to the public in 1980. It is the sending and receiving antennae for all of the major broadcasting channels in Seoul.

The tower is 236.7 meters high from the top of Namsan. You can take a high-speed elevator to the top, where there is a 360 degree observation deck.




Another famous Seoulism is at the base of Namsan Tower. Here, there are a few terraces where you can see all the scenery that Seoul has to offer. Namsan Tower is often heralded for its "romantic" experiences, and the terraces prove just how romantic it is. Over the past few years, the terrace fences have become covered in locks of love. These padlocks represent lovers' commitment to stay together. Traditionally, lovers throw away the keys to ensure that they stay together forever.

I want to go to there: As you should. Why come to Seoul and not see its major landmark? Walking: I suggest the path leading up from Namsangol Hanok Village. Head towards the time capsule, but then start following signs for the cable car. You have to walk through one parking lot, but don't get thrown off, you will reach the walking path!

It's too cold to walk: Take Line 4 to Myeong-dong. Go out exit 3. It's a 10 minute walk up to the cable car station.

It's really too cold to walk: Take the bus! The Yellow Namsan Bus leaves from Chungmuro Station (exit 2), Dongguk University Station (exit 6), Itaewon Station (exit 4), or Hangangjin Station (exit 2).

I want to see Seoul: Luckily, the website offers you a view. Check it out!

Reveling in Christmas!

OK, let's just be honest...my Christmas holidays were AMAZING this year! I'm including basic info if you also want to do these activities! 

Kim Min Seu breaks open the sticker books.



Christmas morning at Geon Children's Home

So, to start: Christmas morning I went to Geon Children's Home. Each year my church organizes "Christmas angels" so people in the church can buy gifts for a child at Geon and deliver them on Christmas. I went last year and ... it's actually a great Christmas. Maybe one of my new favorite Christmas traditions. Anyways, this year, I had a 7 year old with a hankering for UGG boots. I can't afford UGG boots, but tried to find some suitable replacements. The church also ordered sticker books of Bible stories. At the children's home, there was a skit and a short message, and then it was gift time! The kids are so excited, and it's just...heartening to be able to be someone else's family, if only for an hour or so. To be able to pray for them and just be there for them. We can't really understand each other, but hopefully they could see how many people care for them. ^^




For Christmas dinner, I ate with a friend at  Sawore Boribap, which means Barley in April.  Sawore Boribap dishes are made with barley rice and is considered "well-being food." We ordered two entrees: roasted mackeral and bibimbap. Both of these came with several side-dishes, so we were full pretty quickly.



After that, we walked down Gangnam Avenue, which has been generously decorated by Coca-Cola for the holidays. It was *soooooo cold* though, so we didn't stay out long.

OK, Sunday we did so many activities, I'm going to have to make it a separate entry!

If you want to see all the photos, go here. I'm going to be updating the album over the next few days, so keep checking in!

In case you thought I'd forgotten about you...

....tadaaaaaaaa! I haven't!!!
I've just been über busy lately, and sick, so I haven't had much time to blog. Never fear, though, I am feeling better and have plenty of ideas for the blog. Hopefully, I'll have time too!
Well, at this time of year, many people wonder, "How do Koreans celebrate Christmas? Do Koreans celebrate Christmas? What's it like?"
Yes, Koreans celebrate Christmas. Perhaps it's not as ingrained as in America, but in the nominal sense at least, Christmas is here. You can even hear Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer and Jingle Bells translated into Korean. Major things I notice about Christmas: all of the bakeries make amazing Christmas cakes and often give you a prize if you buy one. Like Dunkin Donuts and Tous Les Jours. This blog has some good pics of the cake + gift phenomenon.

As far the real meaning of Christmas, well, the world's largest church is here in Seoul and a little over half of the country is Christian. Plus, with a Jesus like this  (see pic), who doesn't want to celebrate Christmas?

In general, I would say, Koreans celebrate Christmas with a lot of lights. If you thought this country had enough lights, you were wrong. Just like there's always more space on the subway, there's always more spots that need lights.



Illuminating the city is a team effort.



Outside COEX, a shopping mall. It speaks for itself.

Last year, I had a really great Christmas. I helped pass out gifts at Guion Children's home in the morning, then attended the English Christmas service put on by the Association of International Ministries in Korea. After that, I met up with some friends for dinner and finished the night at downtown Seoul, where it also started snowing.

This year, I will be going back to Guin Children's home with Jubilee folk. After that though, my plan is going to somewhat diverge from last year's. I'm sure I will blogging about those adventures soon enough.

It is really tough to be away from home on the holidays, but I'm thankful to be in a city that doesn't shirk on Christmas spirit (even if it's just commercial. sometimes, commercial can be cute.). And thankful that there are always activities to keep me busy. This year, I have even MORE to be thankful for.

Anyways, I will do my best to share the Holidays, Korean style in the coming days. Until then, Merry Christmas friends & family.