Deliciously Cheap: Pak India Restaurant

Itaewon is legendary in South Korea as a foreigner's hangout and special Tourism Zone. For people coming into Seoul from the rural towns where pizza is rare, Itaewon's international food like Indian and Thai are a gourmet's nirvana.  Though I've lived in the multi-ethnic neighborhood of Itaewon-dong for more than two years, I haven't explored much beyond the shops on the main drag or in the immediately adjacent alleys. Filled with the determination of New Year's resolutions, I explored a bit and discovered a delectable gem, Pak India Restaurant.

Located 100m from the Itaewon Mosque, this  restaurant serves authentic, halal Pakistani Indian food at reasonable prices.  Inside the restaurant, the white walls are unadorned and crisp, snowy tablecloths cover the tables, creating a simple but clean and cozy atmosphere. My lunch-buddy and I ordered the Vegetable Samosas, one of my all time favorite foods. For only W4,000 we received  not one, not two, but FOUR pieces of  fist-sized flaky  potato-stuffed, golden deliciousness. They were spicy but a bit sweet and served with a yogurt dressing to cool the palate. We ate them so fast I couldn't even take a picture!

After that we ordered Chicken Palak (W8,000), Vegetable Korma (W7,000), and Garlic Naan (W2,500).  The naan was thick but light and soft without being too doughy and slathered with enough garlic to ward off any vampires possibly in the vicinity. The spinach in the palak was creamy but not goopy, and served with generous amounts of soft chicken meat (mostly leg and thigh). The korma had a rich tomato gravy covering balls made of nutty chickpeas. I could barely believe I wasn't eating meat!

All dishes were fragrant and flavorful  but the best taste is the price. Unlike other Indian food restaurants closer the Itaewon Station or other areas of Seoul which charge W15,000 for a simple curry plate, most items on Pak Indian Restaurant's menu are priced below W10,000.  For that price, I might eat there more regularly if I lived a bit closer.

This restaurant also has excellent customer service. When we ordered out food, the owner-chef even asked how spicy we would like our food. After having been served needlessly copious amounts of red pepper at Korean establishments, a chef who asks my preference for spice is very considerate in my opinion!

This restaurant only has 15 seats so small groups are recommended.  I hope to come back here with a few more friends so we can sample some of the other dishes.

To get there, climb the hill past the Foreign Food Mart and turn left up the hill. At the Mosque, turn left and walk 100 meters.  Also, the Maeul Bus #1 also runs along that street.

Do yourself a favor and try Pak India Restaurant. Your legs will thank you for the pre-meal exercise and your stomach will purr in satisfaction.

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Life in the Dojang

So most people know I'm doing taekwondo, but many don't know what that exactly means.  I've decided to participate in a SNS project (Social Networking Services) and create video blogs to document my progress in taekwondo.  I think this will be an excellent opportunity for friends and family to see what I"m really doing after work 7 hours a week. I'm still not used to editing video well, but I'll hope to improve. Enjoy~

Re-Cycling my Seoul

Since the weather warmed up in mid-April, I've been back on my bike.  I ride 15 minutes to work almost everyday, except when it rains.  I've done two longer rides too, about 30~40 km. I enjoy getting outside of Seoul for a bit of fresh -well, fresher air. There is a subway line called the Jungang line that you take your bike on the train.  The first time I ride my bike from my house outside of Seoul and took the subway back.  The second time I took the subway out  an hour and a half and then rode back into Seoul.  I think I like the second method, since I can get to the quiet river town of Yangpyeong quickly. The road is really flat for most of the way so it's easy to cover distance quickly.  My legs are slowly getting stronger so that even on slightly steeper inclines, I can just shift downgear and keep petaling.  

When I was in middle school, I REALLY hated exercise.  I like riding my bike, but after I got into that car accident when I was 14, I didn't ride a bike for several years.  I realize how much I've missed it.  I think riding a bike is much more fun than other forms of transportation. Your speed is totally dependent on your effort and physical fitness. I like the personal challenge - no one is forcing me to keep going. I keep petaling because I WANT TO. 

I want to keep getting into better shape, so someday I can ride for a week or more.  

stopping for a photo op, just outside of Seoul

South Han River, where 3 river forks meet

Lifescape - the future's landscape

This week I have accomplished a major goal for my life in Korea:  I finally earned my black belt in taekwondo.  I want to analyze more deeply in another post about what this means to me, but I was also thinking about my larger goals in Life... now that this main reason for coming to Korea is complete, what do I want to do next?

Moving to Japan is high on my list... I keep looking at Dave's ESL cafe's job postings...

So~  I was browsing a job board looking from jobs in Japan when I saw this :

http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/index.cgi?read=24979

http://www.sfusd.edu/en/employment/certificated-careers/teaching-careers/certification-pathways.html

http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/cl622.pdf

It's a job posting for bilingual teachers in SF.  

I think about it and I would feel proud to be serving the SF community... I have no small amount of pride to declare that I'm from such a city as San Francisco, so I feel like it would be a worthy duty to work there again... 

It got me thinking about what you asked me before... the "Me in Five years" or maybe my "Bucket List" (things to accomplish before I kick the bucket)

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Here's my list:

- work as a costume designer for film/TV/plays

-draw my fantasy comic and get it published

-draw concept art for video games/ film / TV

-translate anime Japanese ---> English

-translate English to Korean or English

-Event producer for Fanime/ Anime Expo (anime conventions) like work with the special guests or help with logistics

- cosplay/ perform on stage at Tokyo game show 

-study Kung Fu or other martial arts in a beautiful surrounding (like a remote temple in China or Taiwan)

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That's why I think are my true hearts desires..... sure, I could be happy working as a teacher back in the US... but not for 3 or 5 years... I don't think I'm ready to move back and if I get my MA it would be to move into a job in the US, I think... because to get an MA, that would be a 1 to 2 year time commitment so if I move to the US for study, it would be better to think about moving back to "settle down"... at this point, it seems that way.... though life changes so much, it's hard to tell what the picture of my lifescape will look like in even 2 years.... Isn't it enough to think "I want to move to Japan, travel Japan, study Japanese, get my credential in translating Japanese to English and do something more with that later. "  ? 

Just a thought...

Calm Before the Storm

     These last 2 weeks have been pretty awesome. Despite the fact that I was near broke because I hadn't received my first pay check yet, there was still a lot of frugal good times to be had in expensive Seoul.
     First of all, please excuse the previous blog post. Some readers were confused, but actually these days Donghee and I get along quite well. We've joined the Korean couple trend and placed a locket on the fence around Seoul Tower - and he threw away the key~  I occasionally climb up Namsan (more of a hill than a "mountain") to check on it :)

Scenically placed, it reads "Claire and Donghee: Soul Entwined" 

     About two weeks ago, Korea also celebrated it's version of Thanksgiving, known as "Chuseok." For most Koreans, this holiday is marked with traveling to visit extended family, getting stuck in horrible, 9 hours-for-100 km traffic jams, and stuffing your face with delicious food. When most people around you are talking about meeting family, or other English teachers are flying off for tropical adventures, it can make poor, broke Claire a tad homesick and angsty... but I never let life do that to me (>u<)

     I prefer sitting on my couch than the on the highway, so I took 2 out of 3 and threw a party at my house. Dear friends are my surrogate family, and they kindly covered the cost of food ingredients. I was much happier to fill my belly with Jason's hearty chili and my family's nostalgic recipe for cranberry apple oatmeal crumble instead of kimchi pancakes or songpyeon (white-bean filled rice cakes). Donghee even snuck out of his filial obligations to join the festivities. Another friend Adrian brought some creative card games that helped to change up the usual flow of parties.  All in all, it was an enjoyable evening.

Girl in the plastic bubble! Seriously, it's harder than it looks to stand up

     This past weekend was also eventfully busy but interesting. Summer and Winter must have signed a temporary seize-fire agreement and given administrative weather control over to Autumn since it hasn't rained in over 3 weeks and the days are clear, dry, bright, and warm- perfect for picnics. A few weeks ago, I feel like I didn't have a broad, concrete social base in Korea (good friends keep leaving and moving away...) so I decided to join more meetup.com groups again.  This time was Lost in Seoul group picnic in the spacious and forested Children's Grand Park. Chris came, everyone shared their food, and rode the midget roller coaster. It was a good time.

My awesome Arirang Taekwondo Club - I just got my red belt~! Black belt in December~!!! Fighting~!!

   
Despite all these good times, I am anxious... tomorrow is the day that I will get the result of my interview for the job in Kobe, Japan.  This job is the best opportunity to work in Japan earning a comfortable salary for few teaching hours in an area of Japan I want to live.  However, I'm not sure if I'll be ready to leave Seoul and Korea... if I get the job, I'll have 4 months to prepare but I still sense many things yet completed- annual events and festivals to attend, mountains to climb, cosplays to complete, tkdo skills to improve... I feel like my life is like the roller coaster I rode on Saturday.  I'm painfully, slowly creeping up the apex of accomplishment. But as I climb higher, I can see there is a loop-de-loop just up ahead. The anxiety builds- will I be able to hold on to my precious skills/memories/relationships?  Or will they go flying out of my hands in the overturning chaos of change? I'm prepared for the answer of "no, you didn't get the job"- that would almost be more reasurring. At least I wouldn't have to worry or fear about losing something. But wasn't it in the Alchemist this kind of situation was described?? People work so hard to achieve their dream and just before it comes true, they abandon it because they are afraid of the transformative change it will ignite?
God, grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change, the COURAGE to change the things I can, and the WISDOM to know the difference.
Amen.

Boys and boyfriends

Oct. 2010 - a goodbye dinner for Lukas with Chris

If you get married, do you have to stop seeing your guy friends?  This is a question I've pondered on many an occasion, specially since arriving in Korea.  I'm an open, independent person who grew up as a tomboy between two brothers.  I always felt like I got along better with guys than women, probably because of my interests in video games, so I've naturally gravitated towards making friends with guys. Even though I had a boyfriend, spending time with my many guy friends has never been an issue. 


When I moved to Seoul, I noticed something a bit different about the relationships between men and women; with the exception of  young children or close relatives, adult Korean men and women hardly ever mingle socially.  Girls and women tend to form closer friendships with other women.  (Korean women can often be seen walking around  hand-in-hand or arms-linked.) Even if a women has a close, childhood guy friend, she will rarely meet him after she marries and would NEVER meet him unaccompanied.  


From books I've read and conversations with Korean friends and co-workers, I've learned that unlike other Asian countries, Korea is significantly influenced by Confucianism. "Confucians taught that a virtuous woman was supposed to uphold “three subordinations”: be subordinate to her father before marriage, to her husband after marriage, and to her son after her husband died." (Wikipedia) It seems that Confucians also supported separation of the sexes - separate housing for female and male servants at the royal palaces, separate school facilities, and the general formation of friendships.  


I've seen this trend among my young Korean friends.  I frequently to go on hiking trips through meetup.com, but my boyfriend Donghee rarely has the time/money to come with me. When I've met Korean guys on the trips, they often exclaim, "Oh, why isn't your boyfriend with you?"  Does this mean Koreans have an expectation that a guy should always accompany his girl or she should spend all her free-time with him?


I enjoy a large social network comprised of men, women, guys and gays. I enjoy the uncommon diversity of people. I want to enjoy my life's most significant relationship along with my friendships, ideally allowing them to merge. I would feel suffocated if I confined my socializing to only one or two people. I want to share my friends with my boyfriend, and I want him to share his friends with me.  I believe sharing our friends can add depth to our relationship. But to Donghee and other Korean friends I've asked, people usually don't introduce their girlfriend or boyfriend to casual acquaintances.  One time I called him and asked "Who are you hanging out with?" and he's nonchalantly replied, "Oh, it's all people you don't know."  I asked, "So, why don't you introduce me to them next time so I can know them?" He told me, "Why should you know them? There isn't any real reason for them to know you..."  Does anyone really need a reason to be introduced to another person?


There is also the issue of spending time with other men, even if you have a boyfriend. As I said before, I never really considered this an "issue" until my first Korean ex-boyfriend (another guy before I met Donghee) expressed displeasure when I spent time with other guys one-on-one without him.  Well, to me they were good friends, not dating possibilities.  I began to think that Korean men can get easily jealous and possessive... 


When I started dating Donghee, I was careful to explain to him that I've always had a lot of guy friends and even one of my best friends in Korea is a guy (shout out to you Chris :) Donghee is a somewhat traditional-thinking but relatively easy-going guy, so it didn't seem to be an issue.  


However... since last week, many people Donghee knows (like his college friends, his internet friends, and even his boss at his part-time job) started telling him that it's not "proper" for me to be hanging out with other guys with out him.  He called me to talk about this and I was annoyed at their statements' lack of logic and highly surprised at Donghee's sudden tendency to agree. Besides, who are they to comment on our relationship??? 


I extended this topic to the conversation I had tonight during a sidewalk BBQ with my downstairs neighbors, a middle aged Korean couple . (They like me because I eat kimchi and try to speak Korean. A REASON TO TRY TO LEARN KOREAN, all you long-term ex-pats!!!! >:D ) They have a daughter who is about my age, and she's already married with a 9-month old baby. I asked them how would they feel if their daughter started meeting other guys for something like language exchange, how would they feel?  The father replied that he would warn his daughter to be cautious or even dissuade her from meeting him.  He agreed, it's specially not "proper" for a married women to maintain close friendships with another guy.


To me, friendship is gender-blind. There is no reason why men and women can't have platonic relationships with each other. Problems only arise if one person's spouse lacks trust in the other and becomes jealous or suspicious. 


...Am I naive to think in this way?  


Thanks for reading this long post. Comments are GREATLY appreciated.

Good Impressions

Today was the first day at my new job. I'm starting on my THIRD year-long contract here in Seoul, and - to follow the cliche - third time is definitely the charm.

In my first year in Korea at Moondeok Elementary, I just barely got my feet wet - I struggled with language barriers, culture and work culture differences, and finding my social niche. At the beginning of my teaching I thought I had to be perfect; since I'm a native speaker, I should be an authority on the language, right? Nope, totally wrong... I learned a bit too late when it's right to admit that you're wrong. Though I made mistakes, I don't regret the past - I learn from it. Looking back, I think I'm a lot wiser from those mistakes. Within a year, I had learned to read and speak some Korean, explored the countryside, and formed life-changing, significant relationships ( namely my boyfriend Donghee :)

In my second year on the job at Eunhye Elementary, I learned the value of a co-teacher - simply because I didn't have one~! I taught 28 hours a week, without anyone else in the class. I wanted full autonomy in the classroom? Well, I got it, and let me tell you, it tastes bitter.

And now... round 3, batter up! This time up to the plate is.... Sacred Heart Middle School! Comparing to my previous schools, this school and teaching situation seems much better, even from the surface-level observations of first-day. The location is within 2 km of my house. I can take one bus that runs from the front of my house to close to the school. My office is my new renovated classroom, and there is a nice lounge for the English teachers adjacent to my classroom. I have four co-teachers who all speak English well. Students in the 2nd and 3rd years are divided into ability levels. The top class is "Justice" followed by "Patience", "Love", and "Peace" at the bottom. Students seemed active and attentive (except for maybe the 3 year low level Peace class). Overall, a very positive first impression.

I'm also determined to make a good impression at this school. I know the meaning of work and the value of a paycheck (specially now when I've been unemployed for 6 weeks). I came to Korea to work, so that's what I should do - will the full strength of my mind, heart, and Seoul - er, soul

;)