"Don't Worry; They are Just Trying To Get Some Rice" Mr. Park

I asked if I had anything to worry about because of recent events made by North Korea (ie:blowing up a Nuke underground) and my co-teachers all reassured me that the threat that North Korea is nothing. They believe they are just grandstanding to get what they want, more rice.

True, the current President Lee Myeon Bak inspires more hatred among most Koreans than Bush did with most Americans, and they blame him for the North's increased 'power stands' (because he imposed more sanctions against North Korea). But for the most part, they are not worried. And, to be honest, they had other things on their mind this week, like the death (suicide) of the late President Roh.

Now don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean we're not worried. We are. But according to the Koreans we know, North Korea has no legs to stand on. As a student of mine put it "If they (the North) blow up anything, then they really won't have anything. They don't have rice now. They won't get any rice in the future if they blow us up. We will all be dead." Well, I think that's the point, but anyways.

We have reviewed the evac requirements if we have to evac Korea. But as of now, and the way that I read it, Americans who do not have a Nuke possibly pointed at them, are freaking out more than the Koreans, who do. Ahhh Korea...

Tall Ship Festival

A couple of weeks ago, Yeosu was the host of the Tall ship festival. It was a pretty big deal; all the Koreans were talking about it. The funny thing was there was only one real tall ship there! The 'Tall ships" hailed from Russia, which was cool seeing some foriegners. Overall it was a good cultural experience. We got to go on some ships, gauk at some foriegners and eat ice cream.

People paid to dress up. They were excited to take their picture with us.

Some dancers.

Flying a really long kite!

Rolling up the masts.

Showing off my "guns".

What you do to bad children.

My new hiking pack.What you do to bad wives!

Paul (who went with us) showing Ed how this torture device works. Ed didn't want any part of the fun picture taking!

My Car Has Glitter....Does Yours?

Well we did it. We bought a car. It is a 1996 Hyundai Avante. It has power windows, and as the title suggests, it has glitter. It was cheap; in fact it is the only car I think either Ed or I have been able to buy out-right with out any payment plan.

Sooooo it also leads to the statement "Well why did you buy a car if you are leaving in 3 months?" right. Well as many of you know, we are planning on staying a second year here. The new whip will allow us to hopefully "Get out of Yeosu" a bit more and see the real Korea. We're excited!!

Baekdo (or something like that--it is where the famous Yeosu Lighthouse is. Yeah it was so wonderful we didn't even get a picture of it haha!).

Blue Steel model pose with obligatory car in the background. Nice-uh!

What is Kimchi??

So Grandma and Tyler asked what was Kimchi. I was just going to respond back to them, but thought that perhaps other people would love to know about the deliciousness that is Kimchi.

Kimchi is technically fermented cabbage in a red paste sauce. To make Kimchi, you get some fresh cabbage, cover it in red paste, maybe some other spices (like garlic), put in a Kimchi pot, and let it sit and 'develop' for a few months. The longer it sits the better (although I think they have a year expiration--but I'm not sure).

Most Koreans will eat Kimchi at every meal. I mean EVERY MEAL! Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Some of the Ajumas (old ladies) will even eat it as a snack. No kimchi-no deal. To say that Kimchi is Korean's national dish would be an understatement. When Koreans bleed, they bleed Kimchi. To a Korean, Kimchi is life.

Kimchi comes in a variety of tastes, flavors, and vegetables. You can almost always count on it being spicy, cold, and there being a lot of it around. I have been told (and I'm not exaggerating as I sometimes do) that Kimchi is good for you. Here is what it cures/prevents:

1. Any cold
2. Cancer
3. Old age
4. AIDS
5. Great for healthy living (kind of like "a huge serving of kimchi three times a day will keep the doctor away).
6. Homosexuality (okay I might be lying on this one...but I wouldn't put it past someone to make this statement)
7. Ear infections
8. Food poisoning
9. Tiredness
10. It will give you stamina (as does every other food in Korea, but that's another post).

I'm not going to lie. I'm not a huge fan of Kimchi. Sometimes I'll find a bowl of it that tastes really good, but for the most part, I have to eat it smothered in rice and in small amounts. I enjoy it warm (or grilled) a lot more that I like it cold. I most likely will never miss Kimchi. Ever.

One can only really experience the Kimchi to understand what I'm talking about. Some people love it. There are good Kimchis and bad Kimchis. It is at every meal, so you can quickly become a Kimchi expert. So what do you think. Are you going to try it?