Not (too) worried yet...

So I've gathered from talking to people back home, that North Korea is all over the news and seems to be all anyone is talking about. Here, life is running normally, and most Koreans seem rather indifferent to the whole situation.
Here's the latest update from the Embassy. I thought some might be interested:

The U.S. Embassy Seoul transmits the following information through the Embassy's warden system as a public service to all U.S. citizens in the Republic of Korea. Please disseminate this message to U.S. citizens in your organizations or to other U.S. citizens you know.
The North Korean sinking of a South Korean Naval vessel on March 26, 2010, has raised concerns and inquiries regarding security for residents and visitors to Korea. The Embassy’s current assessment of the security environment for U.S. citizens in Korea is that recent events do not pose an imminent threat to the public safety of the American community at this time. However, we recommend that U.S. citizens review the information on Disaster Preparedness in the current Country Specific Information (CSI) for Korea.


U.S. citizens residing or travelling in Korea should continue to pay close attention to current events, and monitor the Embassy website, http://seoul.usembassy.gov/, for any changes in the security environment. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul provides citizen services to the public during regular business hours 9:00 to 11:30 am, and 1:30 to 3:30 pm Monday through Friday, with no services Wednesday afternoons.

In the event of an emergency situation or change in security situation, U.S. Embassy Seoul will immediately notify the American community in Korea through our warden email system. If you did not receive this message directly via the U.S. Embassy’s warden email system, we encourage you to subscribe to our warden messages concerning travel and security, as well as the monthly Embassy newsletter, simply by providing us your email address via the Consular Section's website at http://www.asktheconsul.org.

For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). U.S. citizens are also encouraged to read the Country Specific Information for Korea, available on the Embassy's website at http://seoul.usembassy.gov, and also at http://travel.state.gov.

U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security. U.S. citizens without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, U.S. citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency. For additional information, please refer to "A Safe Trip Abroad" found at http://travel.state.gov.

A shout-out to Korean Engagement Photos

I have some friends getting married soon and want to take this opportunity to share a gem of Korean culture: the Engagement Photo.

The engagement photo shoot is an all day extravaganza. The bride usually has several (rented) wedding gowns, evening gowns, and period costumes (including but not limited to traditional Korean Hanbok and colonial area ballgowns). All pictures are taken inside on a myriad of sets. And, if the bride starts starts to look a little peaked, then they just move the groom into her line of sight so that she'll start smiling all over again.

My friends Daniel and Yena, who are getting married in June, had their photo shoot a couple of days ago. Daniel was one of the first people I met at Jubilee, and he and Yena are the sweetest couple. I love to see people in love!

A couple of months ago, on a Sunday afternoon I asked Daniel how he was doing. He said, "I'm doing really well. I'm in love." It sounds like a movie, but you could just tell on his face that he had found her. At that time, he wanted to keep it a secret until they were engaged -- he already knew that he wanted to marry her!  A little bit later they were engaged, wearing matching hoodies, and planning their wedding.

Daniel was so over-the-moon once he found Yena; he couldn't wait to be her husband. I love that sentiment -- that when it's right and two people are so in love, they just can't wait to commit to each other. I am so excited for Daniel and Yena; you can't help but look at them and see little hearts come out of their eyes. They both have such a heart for God and for service -- they are truly sweethearted people!

I'm snagging some of their engagement photos so that you can see a Korean photoshoot first hand and also share in the joy of these friends!

Congratulations!

Today my dad is graduating with his Master's! I cannot express how incredibly proud I am of him. He has worked hard his whole life and always kept his goals before him. Even if he had to take time off, he still kept his eyes on the prize and eventually found a way to go after his dream. When I was younger, he told me to "do my best." He is a great example of someone who has lived this out and in doing so, has achieved great things. I am proud of him beyond measure. I don't know a greater man than my dad!

P.S. in turn, this makes me miss home. I wish I were there.

A note from Madame Secretary...

Last week, I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Friedhelm Illian. Herr Illian is in Saturday morning Korean class. During class, he invited me and some of the other students out to dinner with the Exploring Club. I was a little confused at first and tried to figure out what this "Exploring Club" was. Turns out, Friedhelm and a friend of his, Hyeon-Cheol, made up this club as a way to explore Seoul. Every weekend, they want to go someplace new and have fun. Friedhelm is the president and Hyeon-Cheol is vice-president. ^^ During the first meeting, they apparently ate the world's best Deok Boki (rice cakes) in Anguk-dong. That was before they got a secretary, so it's really only conjecture...
Here are the notes from the 2nd meeting:

President, VP, and Jillian met at the Starbucks outside Anguk Station. After waiting to see if any other students would come, they headed out towards the Somerset Hotel to convene with Susan (Friedhelm's wife) and another friend (Cathy). Along the way, they stopped to help some tourists. Jillian suggested that the tourists should walk around Samcheong-Dong (although she couldn't remember the street name at the time), because they could see traditional Korean architecture and also several cute coffee shops and boutiques. This feat of city-knowledge promptly earned her the position of club secretary and she accepted.

The exploring club met at the Bärlin deutsches Wirtshaus, a German restaurant inside of the Somerset. There was a variety of German cuisine available. The club began the meal with a round of soup and Altbier.  Secretary and VP ordered Wienerschnitzel and Thüringerschnitzel, which came with Pommes Frites (French Fries), Gurkensalat (cucumber salad), and Kartoffelbrei (fried potatoes) for the main dish. In true German style, the club ate their meal leisurely and afterward enjoyed a cup of coffee with dessert. For herself, Secretary decided to try the rote Grütze (red berries with cream).

Although the waiter did not speak German, (he did wear clippies in his hair, however), he was friendly and the atmostphere was open and welcoming. The menu had a variety of dishes from all over Germany, so it was a true sampling of German cuisine. The club members spent a very enjoyable evening there, getting to know each other, and eating delicious food. President instructed that the club must have fun, and the members obliged!

Exploring Club rating: Erfolg! (success!)

Adventure Korea: Cycling on Seonyudo

Last weekend, I took a trip to Seonyudo (Seonyu Islands) with a group called Adventure Korea. Adventure Korea is an organization that organizes weekend trips for foreigners. They go all over Korea, and oftentimes to places that are not so overrun with tourists. I was waiting for the weather to get a little better, but decided in March it was time to get out of the city!

I boarded the AK charter bus early Saturday morning. There were about 45 people total on the trip from all different English-speaking countries. We drove about 2 hours southwest to the port city of Kunsan, in the province of Jeollabak-do. At Kunsan, we boarded our ferry and headed out to the islands! The ferry ride took about an hour and it was so cold. I stayed outside the whole time, but rarely left my seat. The Koreans on board had a grand time of throwing potato chips at seagulls. Apparently, seagulls do not have the same pesky reputation as they do back in the States.

Seonyudo is part of a larger archipelago of about 20 islands. This part is actually the island of Seonyudo connected to 3 other islands (Meonyudo to the east, and Jangjado and Daejangdo to the west). The only vehicles on the island are mainly for carting tourists around or delivering supplies. The main town on Seonyudo is Jin-ri, but there were also fishing villages on the other islands.

Hit "Keep reading" to hear the rest of the trip!

After we dropped our bags off at the "pension," we grabbed our bikes and started pedaling. Our tour guide (Seok-Jin, owner of AK) suggested we bike to Meonyudo first so that we could watch the sun set of Jangjado. I fell in with a big group of girls, most of whom were from Minnesota. It was a relaxing afternoon because we could cycle, but also take time to enjoy the scenery. Seonyudo has 1 large sandy beach and 3 (I think) pebble beaches. We spent the whole afternoon cycling around Meonyudo, Seonyudo, Jangjado, Daejando and back again.
By around 5 o'clock, the tide was out and the town seemed very desolate. Fishing boats were stranded and residents seemed hunkered down for the night (kind of an eery change from Seoul).

My favorite part, though, was seeing how the landscape changed with the tide. Once the tide went out, the beach seemed to double. There was a little island off of the sandy beach; when the tide went out then it was possible to walk to the island. In the evening, a few families came out to the beach to dig up shellfish. I enjoyed seeing the "quality time." 

Saturday night we enjoyed a group dinner at a local restaurant. The main course was Sundubu-Chigae (Spicy Tofu stew) and plenty of sidedishes. One of the sidedishes was a cooked fish...it was all there, cut into 3-4 chunks and stacked on the plate. We just had to take our chopsticks and eat it a little chunk at a time! It was really delicious though, and it didn't taste sea-foody at all.

Sunday morning, I got up early to watch the sunrise. However, it was overcast, and we didn't see much of anything (hence, the lack of photos). The day (luckily!) brightened up and turned out to be very sunny. After breakfast, we all headed down to the beach to try our hand at digging out shellfish. This is how you do it: find a hole (you can see little holes on the surface), dig a little bit and pour salt over the hole. When the shellfish emerges, grab it!
The traditional method, though, kind of took a long time. Eventually, Seok-Jin just started digging out big piles of sand to root out the shellfish. This turned out to be much more profitable.

Our main activity Sunday was taking a hike up Mangjubong. Seok-Jin suggested this as an easy hike. However, when we were about a quarter from the top, the path turned into a craggy rock face that we had to somehow scramble up. If this is his definition of easy, I don't want to know what a "medium" hike is. Once we reached one peak, there was a path that led to another peak. The second peak offered some AMAZING views of the island. It was absolutely gorgeous...the type of view you could look at all day. The type of view that's just like, Thank-You God for letting me look at this (and be default, thank-you God that I did not fall off the mountain).

On our way down, we stopped at a pebble beach and climbed on the rocks for a little bit. The tide was coming back, so I spent some time watching as the waves kept hitting a little bit higher and higher each time. By the time we headed back, the island I had walked to the night before was now surrounded by water again and the fishing boats were floating.
I haven't gotten out of Seoul much, but this trip was really worth it. Saturday I was a little skeptical because it was colder and kind of overcast, but it was so gorgeous on Sunday, it was like being on a whole new island. 

The One Where I was in a Movie

A few weeks ago I get an email from a friend saying that there is a director who goes to our church (Jubilee) who needs some extras for his new movie. My friend Taryn and I decided to go for it. We were given very little information besides "dress like you're going to an art gallery opening" and the time to be there.

The scenes they needed extras for took place at night, so we filmed 2 nights at a restaurant called ColaPasta. The first night, a Friday, we filmed from 10pm to 8am on Saturday. Saturday night we filmed from 11pm to 9am the next morning.

Overall, it was a really fun experience! The first night, there was a lot of sitting around...but luckily, I am always thinking and had brought some "coloring" to do. I was not thinking, however, about the weather. We were filming outside, and even the shots "in" the art gallery were freezing because it was not an enclosed space. I did not bring a sweater and so did my best to have thick skin during the shoots. In between shots, everyone hustled under blankets and coats to get a few minutes of warmth. My hand was very definitely frozen in the wineglass-holding position. I hope they didn't get a close-up.

I got assigned to be "friend #1." Most of the time this meant murmuring in the background and looking at paintings. However, around 3 or 4 am on Saturday, I also found out I had actual lines! And not just a quick 1-liner, but a whole conversation! The director places us all and then says, "Ok, are you ready to go?" And I'm like, uhhh, I haven't even seen the script yet! I was supposed to be "ditzy and vapid"...it took a little practice, but I think I eventually pulled it off!

I really enjoyed getting to know so many people from the movie. A lot of the cast/extras go to Jubilee, but I hadn't met them before, so it was a good chance to connect with more people from church. I also got to practice my German with one of the main actors, Pascal. He's German-Korean...and a SUPERMODEL! In fact, he's from the same state I lived in when I studied there.

I know Sun-ho (the director) is planning to enter the film into some festivals, so if it becomes widely available, I'll let everyone know. I'll be in the background, staring at paintings. ^^

My friend Youngen took a lot of photos, so you can see more on her facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid=2376957&id=22417896&ref=mf

Chop! Chop!

This weekend while I was out, I passed by a rock'n'roll salon and thought, I want to go to there! So I did. As soon as I walked in, one of the assistants walked up to me and immediately started grabbing at my backpack and then asked me to take my clothes off. He really just meant my vest, as in Korean salons they love to hang your jackets up for you. Then the stylist comes over, sizes me up, and says "Short cut?"
What I've noticed in Korean salons is that there seems to be some sort of apprentice system, whereby the apprentice washes your hair and then has to stand and watch the master stylist cut your hair. So, the apprentice takes me back to wash my hair and gives me a little head massage. When he takes me to the chair, the stylist hands me a hair magazine. I looked at the cover, which had a cute wavy style and asked "Perm?" He said "Wave." Then he takes the magazine from me and flips open to a page which has 2 short cuts on there and he says, "This one or this one." I pointed to the shaggier one.

The poor apprentice took my glasses and then just had to stand there and watch while the stylist cut, razored, and zoushed my hair around. Occasionally, the stylist would throw things around when he was done using them and then the apprentice would have to pick them up. It's a very interesting system. All in all, though, it was a GREAT HAIRCUT! I feel really cute now, and they took pictures, so I hope I make it onto the wall. They probably don't get that many foreigners coming in. ^^

I also wanted to related one of my favorite hair-cut reactions. It comes from Yoon-Jae, who works on the Refreshing Team at church. Yoon-Jae is Korean-Korean and sometimes asks the best questions. (Such as, so how do boys and girls start dating in your country?) (Sometimes he also brings me pictures from work...he's a surgeon, so usually the pictures involve the inside of someone's hand...) So I get to Ecclesia to help out before service and am down in the kitchen and Yoon-Jae looks at me and says "Whoa! What happened to your hair?!" And I'm like, "I got a haircut, Yoon-Jae." And then he says, "Did you get a perm?" "No, a haircut." He says, "It looks like you got some sort of chemical reaction on your head." Here, I just have to laugh. Koreans do not always realize how they sound to Americans. He finished with: "I thought you got a straightening perm." I don't really understand this, because my hair has been straight for quite some time...but I think in Yoon-Jae's world my haircut was equivalent to sticking my finger into a light socket. :)