Category: South Korea

Mommy, Where Do Ajummas Come From?

This story first appeared in Platform, Daegu’s newest magazine aimed at “reconnecting the people living here with the everyday highlights the city has to offer”. Read the November issue HERE. All illustrations done by the talented Stephen Elliott. Koreans have a saying that there are three sexes: Men, Women, and Ajummas. It’s not hard a hard claim… Continue reading Mommy, Where Do Ajummas Come From?

A Chuseok Stay-Cation with the Sis and Only One Disaster

While everyone and their mom were off in Japan acquiring radioactive super powers during the five-day Korean holiday of Chuseok, my sister and I were rocking a stay-cation in the good ol’ ROK. I suppose it wasn’t quite a stay-cation for my sister, considering it took her a 13 hour flight to get here. But… Continue reading A Chuseok Stay-Cation with the Sis and Only One Disaster

Fatty McFatterson Goes to a Korean Weight Loss Clinic

This story first appeared in Platform, Daegu’s newest magazine aimed at “reconnecting the people living here with the everyday highlights the city has to offer”. Read the first issue HERE! All illustrations done by the talented Stephen Elliott.    Before I came to Korea I was fairly certain the only food they ate here was… Continue reading Fatty McFatterson Goes to a Korean Weight Loss Clinic

Fatty McFatterson Takes a Korean Swim Class

You may have read about the time I joined a Korean gym (if not, I highly recommend you do, if only for your own pure entertainment). I decided to let my gym membership lapse recently, though,  not because of the belly poking–he was smart enough not to try any of those shenanigans again–but more because… Continue reading Fatty McFatterson Takes a Korean Swim Class

A Day at Suseong Pond–I Mean Lake

I’d been hearing all about this amazing place, Suseong Lake. “A beautiful lakeside getaway”, they’d said. I pictured a sprawling waterfront, nestled at the base of a lush mountain, with tendrils of water wrapping their way around it’s tree shaded base. I envisioned boats motoring their way across, casting out a small wake and shaking… Continue reading A Day at Suseong Pond–I Mean Lake

Cucina Kaleena: Cooking in an Expat’s Kitchen

The very first thing I baked in my new oven. Looks like it works!

In recent months I have sprained my ankle, burned my leg in the second degree, nearly chopped off the top of my thumb, and fallen down the stairs on more than one occasion. “A right walking disaster you are”, is how one friend described me. And it’s true, I really am my own greatest health… Continue reading Cucina Kaleena: Cooking in an Expat’s Kitchen

Tentacles, Rice, and Nudity: The Truth About Culture Shock

This blog has been conspicuously uninhabited lately; logging in today feels like walking down a dark and dusty corridor, brushing off the cobwebs and trying to find the light switch. Usually, my excuse for absence is a lack of time. It’s true that my life lately has been operating at lightning speed with hardly a… Continue reading Tentacles, Rice, and Nudity: The Truth About Culture Shock

On Remembering Birthdays and the Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival

I’m notoriously bad with remembering birthdays. It’s not even that I’ve forgotten your birthday, it’s more that I am completely unaware of the present date and how it might relate to your special day.   There was that time that I messaged one of my best friends to tell her I was drunk on a… Continue reading On Remembering Birthdays and the Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival

Sh*t My Students Write

Kids say the darndest things; that’s a constant across cultures. But add a foreign language to the mix and the often twisted humor of Korean children, and they can cook up some really bizarre comments. I’ll save the funny things my kids say in class for another post, but for now I’ll share a few… Continue reading Sh*t My Students Write

Fatty McFatterson Joins a Korean Gym

You may have seen my recent Korean Food Porn post, or remember that Santa Barbara Food Fest I had, or heard me talk about the mass quantities of cupcakes I’ve been consuming lately.   In case I haven’t made it clear, let me state it now: I. Love. Cupcakes.   I also enjoy stuffing my… Continue reading Fatty McFatterson Joins a Korean Gym

Lights, Camera, Action! A Korean Wedding

The vice principal of the school where I work has taken particular interest in the Native English Teachers that pass through over the years. My coteacher whispered to me that Jonathan, the last NET, was always “invited” to (read: required to attend) many of the VP’s events; and I am no exception. A few weeks… Continue reading Lights, Camera, Action! A Korean Wedding