Have you ever dreamed of crawling through mud and under barbed wire, scaling 10 foot walls, carrying sandbags up and down hills, throwing a javelin, or climbing a 20ft rope out of a pool of freezing water? No? But I thought that was everyone’s idea of a good time! Well, I suppose I always have… Continue reading This. Is. SPARTA! Conquering the Reebok Spartan Race in Seoul
Tag: Living in 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?
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
Cucina Kaleena: Cooking in an Expat’s Kitchen
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
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
Little Moments and the Happiness of Three Dumplings
When you move to another country, your life is suddenly boiled down to the basics. You are not living the exotic and grandiose life that everyone back home thinks you are just because they saw a few smiling pictures on facebook. Everything becomes a challenge and you suddenly struggle with the simplest of tasks. … Continue reading Little Moments and the Happiness of Three Dumplings
Food Porn: What I’ve Been Eating in Korea
A few months ago, the only thing I knew about Korean food was kimchi. And I didn’t even really know what kimchi was, only that it was pickled and pungent and I probably wouldn’t like it. I told everyone I would lose weight easily in Korea because I just wouldn’t be eating. How very, very… Continue reading Food Porn: What I’ve Been Eating in Korea
12 little ways life is different in Korea
It’s strange how a period of time can simultaneously feel like a moment and an eternity. It’s been 45 days in Korea, now. I remember the day I arrived like it was yesterday, but it feels like a year’s worth of experiences crammed in, since. I’ve been told that all expats go through “culture… Continue reading 12 little ways life is different in Korea