Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving 2015 was so great! There is an American-style restaurant in Gunsan called N.Y. Byeok that hosted a Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey and stuffing! I feel so blessed to have great friends to spend the holidays with away from home.

(Almost) a Week of School Meals

School lunches here in Korea are very different from any school lunch I had growing up in the U.S. Last week, I took my phone with me to lunch so I could share with you all what I typically eat for lunch, with the exception of Wednesday because I forgot my phone that day...

You can always count on a Korean school lunch (or any meal, really) to have kimchi and rice. 98% of the time there is soup as well. I don't know what to call everything but I'll try my best to describe it.

Steamed sweet potato, kimchi, braised soybeans, udon noodles with veggies and squid, soup. The soup had a great flavor but surprised me with a chunk of fish--bones and skin and all. Usually the fish is smaller and has been cooked to the point where bones are soft enough to eat but I can't do it...I still try to pick them out.

Pork? Apples, kimchi, sautéed zucchini, soup, rice with beans

Kkul tteok (rice cake filled with a Korean syrup), zucchini, kimchi, pork, seaweed soup (one of my favorite soups), rice with sauce

Acorn jelly, kimchi, asian pear (apple pear), lettuce (clearly haha), dumpling soup, pork. The red paste is bean paste--it's not as spicy as it looks! Next to my kimchi is also tiny salted shrimp. The shrimp and bean paste are for the pork. You wrap the pork in a lettuce leaf.

I enjoy my Korean school lunches. They are usually very delicious--especially the soups! These meals are hearty and healthful. I'm always excited to see what's for lunch.

Q&A 2: The Sequel

Merry Christmas, everyone! Here is my gift to you: a new video where I answer questions about my Korea experience. This weekend, I will make another post to clarify and further explain my answers but right now I'm busy Christmas-ing. Christmas day video to come soon as well!

In the meantime, here are some other fun things to check out!

My YSA friends at church made this cute video for our Christmas party. I'm in 3 spots, I think.

Christmas spoils!

Christmas spoils! (Now at a slightly different angle)

My sad attempt at the Fuller family traditional Christmas day breakfast, biscuits and gravy

Lunch was a lot better because it was made by a Korean and was absolutely divine

My mom sent me a Jamberry nail wrap kit

More Christmas spoils, courtesy of a sister missionary's generous family 

Enjoy your Christmas day! I'm off to put together my new Colorado Rockies puzzle I got for Christmas and watch A Christmas Story!

Hello, Nice to See You Again

I recently made the decision to update my blog at least once a week...aaaand then I go and miss last week. Oops. Consequently, I have a lot to talk about in this week's blog post!

First of all, I just want to mention that it has been one year since I graduated from the University of Northern Colorado and I received my Interdisciplinary Studies with an Emphasis in Earth Science degree. Thank you to everyone who supported and encouraged me throughout my 4 1/2 years as a university student. Having the opportunity to attend a university and study things that are important to me has been such a great blessing.

Thanks to my degree, I am experiencing another incredible opportunity--teaching abroad. Here are some things that have happened over the past few weeks:

• I got a haircut! I've never been nervous about haircuts before...until I moved to a foreign country where natives have hair that is quite different from mine. Luckily, there is a hair stylist in my city who cuts a lot of foreigner hair. I took this picture right after it was cut and it hasn't been styled this beautifully since then haha. 

• My lovely coworker and I went out to eat together a couple times, where she introduced me to more delicious Korean food.

쭈꾸미 (jjukkumi), small octopus

Close up!

The menu is handwritten on cardboard--which I thought was cool. Also, instructions for how to eat the 쭈꾸미 are underneath

Not my best picture... but this is how you eat it! You wrap it up in the sesame leaf and stuff your face! 

볶음밥 (bokkumbap), fried rice

Looking for a place to keep your coat and bag? Just open the lid of your chair.

Boom.

• We also had 해정국 (haejangguk), "hangover soup" 

Of course I am not hungover haha. I loved this soup!

That's a chunk of a pig's back in there.

• My students are often fairly camera-shy but my second graders let me take a video of them enjoying a math game. This math concept of this game is "less than" and "greater than." Listen closely, they use those two expressions many times in the video.

These two girls preferred a quieter version of the game

•  I found this "Colorado State" hoodie at a clothing shop but I didn't buy it.

The best state!

•  Christmas lights downtown!

• Speaking of Christmas decorations, I set up my little tree back in November.

•  I sent a Christmas package home! Hopefully my family gets it before Christmas.

•  My third grade students write journal entries once a week and I correct them. This one, man. "HW" is a girl in this boy's class.

Apparently the writer is not wishing HW to "go to hell" but equating his pain with going to hell. I was confused at first haha

•  I made Christmas treats for friends! I'm so happy I bought a convection oven recently. I am putting it to good use.

Peppermint chocolate chip cookies!

I tried to make peanut brittle but totally failed...so instead I made these cute star-shaped peanut butter cookies!

Fudge!

•  Church is still awesome. I've made a lot of friends and everyone is so kind and welcoming. 

Sanghyeok (Spencer), Elder Woods, Elder Ha, and I

Today we met together to teach each other English and Korean

• I've been making progress with the Korean language! I've been attending a weekly class at the Gwangju International Center and studying with a new Korean friend. 

At a cafe, getting ready to study Korean!

Mmm hot chocolate

•  I found these old pictures from a holiday in October (Hangul day, I think). We had a ward picnic. Ahh these picture make me miss warm weather!

My Frisbee got played with! Sadly, Koreans are not familiar with Ultimate Frisbee 

Sister 이예지 (Yea Ji Lee)! She goes home tomorrow. I met her one of my first few weeks here in Korea. I'm sad to see her go!

Just me derping

Mushroom home!

On our way to the picnic! On the far right is 박유진 (Yu Jin Park). She recently left for a mission on Temple Square in Utah

• No pictures to prove it, but I booked the tickets for my Thailand trip in February! I am absolutely ecstatic. I cannot wait!

Whew. Okay that's about it for today. Work is good, church is good, life overall is splendid. Christmas is such a special time of the year. I love, love summer but I also love, love Christmas. I can't help but feel happy when I think about Christmas--the meaning behind it as well as all the beloved traditions. Enjoy the holiday season, wherever you are!

Music I listened to while writing this post: the Pentatonix Christmas album. Click here to listen to the most powerful version of "Mary Did you Know" that I have ever heard.