Currently craving...

When living here, you definitely have to sacrifice some comforts that you are used to.  I mean you do gain other comforts in return. Like awesome public transportation, cheap food, and more cutesy accessories than you know what to do with.  But sometimes, a girl just needs the comforts of home.  Right now I'm currently wanting:

1. Watermelon.

They have watermelon here, but it costs like a ba-gillion dollars.  I think they are cheaper now, but at the beginning of the season, a watermelon cost an upwards of 20 bucks.  I mean, I haven't been back home for awhile now, but I don't remember them costing that much.  When I get back home, maybe I'll even step outside of the box and try out this watermelon, feta and mint salad.  

2. Avocados.

They just aren't worth it here.  We bought two of them once for nine dollars and when we cut them open they were mostly black inside.  It was a sad day in the Ferguson household.  From then on, we gave up hope of eating avocados in Korea.  

3. Homemade goodies.

I can't wait to have use of an oven again.  I'll have to make these salty pretzel brownies, or maybe these delicious looking lemon bars, or what about this salted caramel tart?  Clearly, the only logical solution is to make them all.

Just over two months left till we are home :)

Cafe Gourmet.

This weekend, Jess and I went to our favorite cafe, Cafe Gourmet.  It is a beautiful cafe with huge sunny windows, big wooden tables, delicious lattes, and comfy patio and balcony seating to enjoy the sunshine.  It is situated right next to the lake, so as you sit on the balcony you can look over the lake and people watch.

With the sunny summer weather, we decided to take Pippa to the lake, get some coffee, and relax.  We walked down to the lake in the morning and sat in the shaded patio area with Pippa.   The walking path around the lake and the cafe were pretty much empty since it was such a hot day so it was nice and peaceful.  Well, it was peaceful until they started doing construction on the balcony above us.  I swear there are no building codes here because the men were throwing huge wood planks (with nails in them!) over the balcony to a pile below.   We sat outside for about an hour, but then it just got so noisy so thought we might as well ask if we can sit inside with Pippa.  

The staff excitedly said yes!  They were so accommodating to Pippa; I was shocked.  For a country that still eats dog soup, I was extremely surprised that they were so laid back about letting us bring her in.  The one waiter kept coming over to pet Pippa and one other worker came over to say hi to her as well.  Jess and I stayed inside for about two more hours talking and writing in our journals.  I can't say enough how thankful I am for meeting Jess here and growing our friendship over this year.  It was the perfect day to spend with Jess, Pippa, and a good hazelnut latte.  

First, she started out on the ground...

Next she moved her way up to the chair...

Then inside...

And finally after her big adventurous day, she curled up and slept on my lap. Pippa better not get used to hanging out in cafes, this would definitely not fly back home!

Galbi...another word for heaven.

As most of you know, I've been a vegetarian for the past two and a half years.  I haven't been perfect in those two years and there were definitely a few times when we first came to Korea that I ate some type of meat without realizing it was meat until after.  However, the past few weeks I had been really wanting to try galbi, one of Korea's most popular dishes.  I mean, there is a good chance that we will only be in Korean once, so why not try one of its most famous dishes?  I didn't want to go back home and regret not trying it while we live here.  And to be honest, I had really been craving meat the few weeks leading up to this, so it seemed like the perfect time to try it.

So, we made plans with some of our friends to try it out on a Friday night after work. The galbi restaurants have tables with built in barbecues, so you barbecue your own meat.  There is the option to sit at a high round table or sit on the floor at a long rectangular table. Since there was five of us, we opted for the ground (plus you feel way more Korean sitting on the floor). You tell the waiter how many portions you want for the galbi and they bring out hot coals to put under your grill.  They also bring out a ton of side dishes like lettuce, rice, a fried egg, raw garlic, raw onions in a broth, a sauce to dip your meat in, and various types of kimchi.  Then they bring out the bowl of raw meat, tongs, and scissors.  You place one slab of meat on the grill at a time and when it is almost done you cut it up into small pieces and everyone grabs the pieces straight off the grill with their chopsticks.  You eat slowly, waiting for each piece of meat to cook, so you can really focus on the conversation and catching up with your friends.  

The galbi was way better than I ever imagined it would be.  So incredibly juicy and the perfect combination of sweet and savory.  It is also good put into what I like to call a gabli burrito, which is a lettuce wrap filled with a little bit of rice, galbi, sauce, and some onions.  Pretty delish.  I am definitely going to get some more before we go back home.

Cooking up that meat.

Bethany, Jess, and I waiting for the first round of meat.

Right before my first bite!

The aftermath.

We snapped a photo with the owner on our way out.  Can't wait to go back...maybe I'll be a galbitarian.

Summer days.

Lately, we haven't been up to much.  Ever since we started teaching at a school on Saturdays, our idea of a perfect weekend is relaxing and setting the plans as the day goes on.  Next weekend we do plan to get out a bit more.  But for now, we are enjoying restful weekends.  Here are a couple recent photos:

 

We been cuddling a lot with Pippa.  She is such a bean bag and can fall asleep in any position.

 

Last weekend we had a spontaneous date night that was really great.  We went to our favorite bar for drinks and then afterward went to the only really authentic Italian restaurant in Cheonan and shared a pizza and a salad.  I think we are going to have to have more impromptu dates from now on!

Five things.

Only eleven and a half more weeks to go!!  I'm officially starting to make sure we do and see everything that we wanted to while we are here in Korea. It is going to be so weird being back home.  Living here, you get so used to being an outsider...in every sense of the word.  Korean culture is so tight knit, that, when you are a foreigner, you stick out like a sore thumb--which can have its upsides and downsides.  Here are five things that I am definitely missing about home right now...

1. Food.

I'm sorry, but Korean food just doesn't cut it for me.  Some people love it, but unfortunately I am not one of them.  In Cheonan, the "western" food options are so limited that if you don't love Korean food, your only option is to cook at home.  And, even that is limited.  A lot of ingredients and spices that are staples back home are extremely hard to find here.  So, our cooking options our limited.  What do I especially miss, you ask?  Avocados....  Guacamole.... September 3rd can't come fast enough.

2. Space.

I think Koreans have done a really good job of optimizing their space and resources.  Living here has made me really realize how we Americans feel so entitled to a lot of personal space.  Well, I know where I belong because I cannot wait to have backyards to hang out in, privacy, and to be back in our families' spacious homes.  Let's have lots of barbecues this summer, ok?

3. A bathtub.  Wait...an actual shower for that matter.

 

Here is our bathroom.  Yes, that is the shower nozzle connected to the sink.  We just pull up the stopper to turn our sink into a shower.  And, yes, that is our washing machine behind the sink.  See what I mean when I say I miss having space?

4. Understanding the language.

To be honest, sometimes it is really nice not being able to speak Korean.  It's pretty common for random people to come up to you and try to have a conversation with you about something.  Well, the nice thing here is you can use the "I don't know what you are saying" line and go on with your day without having to answer a million questions about how you like Korea, where you are from, and on and on.  But...it will be so nice to be home where I understand the language and the culture.  Even when people do speak English sometimes I just don't understand what is going on because our cultures are so different.  To sum up how it feels not understanding a word around you, check out this link: http://kikinitinkorea.tumblr.com/page/3

And last but certainly not least,

5.  These sweet faces:

I can't wait to give the biggest hugs to my sweet nephews and see how much they have grown in a year.  I can't wait to finally talk to Jaxson!  And of course, I can't wait to rub Megan's growing belly and countdown the days till my next little nephew or niece arrives.

Seoul.

Last weekend, Doug, Jessica, and I went to Seoul. We spent the day getting a few last souvenirs, buying gifts to bring home, eating yummy food we only get to eat when we are in Seoul, and enjoying each others company.  I am so thankful to have met a friend like Jessica.  I know that this would have been an awfully long and lonely year without some of the friends we have made, like Jess.  Here our some photos from our day:

Getting a little pick-me-up after some serious souvenir shopping.  Jess got a free drink. By the looks of it, she was happy about it.

It started sprinkling when we were watching this man play the sax.  He did not even skip a beat and kept playing.  He was getting so into it, even shimmying his shoulders.

Last stop of the day, a pub so that Doug and Jess could get a good ol' American cheeseburger.  And, of course, so Doug could get a beer on tap!