Thanksgiving, Salsa and Illness

I am still sick after more than two weeks; I am so annoyed with my body! I just want to be 100% healthy and back on track. The coughing was annoying, but now my throat is killing, which is so inconvenient. I just want to be able to swallow without cringing. I really hope this thing passes quickly.
But on a happier note, I had a delicious Thanksgiving meal with friends Friday. It was nice to spend the holiday with good people, since I wasn't able to be with my family. It was quite an arduous task to acquire the meals, but it was well worth the effort! The food was absolutely delicious. And turkey is my favorite poultry, so it was nice to get a proper turkey dinner. Our meal came with sweet tea, turkey, mac and cheese, stuffing, green bean casserole, gravy, cranberry sauce and cheesecake. So I made mashed potatoes to complete the meal. I also made some pumpkin cheesecakes, which were quite delicious. I found a really good recipe that I will have to keep handy for future purposes! We finished the evening off with some makgeolli and cider (it's like Sprite), and we booked our flights for our winter vacation! I will be heading to Cambodia and Thailand for the second half of January into early February. I am so excited to check out both of those countries! It will be so nice to get to a warmer climate too.
Yesterday I took it pretty easy during the day. I caught a bus to Seoul around 1:40 p.m. and arrived around 6 p.m. It was quite a long journey, but a great deal. Saturday night I headed to Gangnam area for quite a different style of dance than Psy has made a world phenomenon (though let's be honest; I partook in some Gangnam Style since I was in the spot for it!). I did a Dominican Bachata and Pachanga workshop followed up by a night of salsa, bachata and some merengue dancing. It was a lot of fun, and I was really excited to learn some Dominican flavor to spice up my bachata. Originally I had planned to spend the evening dancing and catch the earliest bus back home (around 6 a.m.), but since I'm still sick, I decided to take the last bus home (at 1:30 a.m.) I was bummed to leave the party so early, but it was definitely a good call to get more rest. And that is all that I have been doing today, which has been really nice. I love having lazy Sundays!

A weekend of firsts.

 

Pumpkin Latte!

It was a weekend of firsts for me, and a very good weekend indeed! I started the weekend with an adventurous dinner Friday night; I ate raw beef for the first time. I was leery going into it, and butterflies fluttered around my stomach as I took the first bite. But as the morsel of meat caressed my taste buds, my stomach was quickly placated. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal! The meat was seasoned with sesame oil and a bit of green onions. It was a nice light flavor, allowing the flavor of the meat to break through. Had I gone alone, I think I would have been a bit more worried even as I enjoyed the delightful taste of the meal. But since I went with an experienced raw beef consumer (who is alive to tell the tale) I felt much more comfortable. Though the incredulous stares of the others dining at the restaurant (all Korean) didn't do much to make me feel at ease. Everyone's eyes carried the same question that bounced around their minds, "Does this waygook know where she is?" It's safe to say that many a foreigner fails to grace their presence at one of these establishments, but that was not enough to deter me from trying something new. I will absolutely go back, and next time I plan to try the raw beef that is unseasoned and cut that very day. Apparently in the remote villages of Korea, restaurants will cut the slab of beef right before your eyes. It certainly reminds you that you are eating an adorable cow, but I would really love to try meat that incredibly fresh, because it is just so tasty. So if the opportunity arises, it will certainly be happening!
Saturday I took it pretty easy during the day as I am still trying to get over a cold I first developed symptoms for last week Thursday! (Side note: I am definitely planning on going to the doctor tomorrow, which will ironically be another first for me) Carrying on, I got a haircut in the afternoon, another first. I was pleased with the cut and price. And the hairstylist actually lived in California for about 10 years, so I was comfortable with her since I could clearly express my desired cut specifications. Saturday night I went to a speed dating event put on by a local charity. I had never attended one of these events, but they always seemed intriguing, so I figured now's as good a time as any. It was a pretty fun evening, and I met quite a few interesting people. But it was definitely a lot of small talk 25 times over, which is really quite taxing. And with a cold to boot, it was not the easiest of experiences. Glad I had a beer (or more) in hand to help me through the evening. But overall it was a good time!
Today I had my first pumpkin latte in Korea! I was so excited to find a place that sells them, because I have really been missing my pumpkin coffee fix that autumn usually brings. Surely I have said it many times before, but I really love pumpkin flavored food and drink! They are just so delicious. Cold Stone Creamery is actually where I found the latte, which was unexpected, but much appreciated! They also had a pumpkin vanilla pecan ice cream (that also had pistachios), which was pretty good, but could certainly have had much more pumpkin flavor. After guzzling the delicious drink, my friend Elizabeth and I caught the final installment of the Twilight series. It was my first time seeing a movie in Korea with someone else (how sad!). The movie was just like all the others; it was nothing spectacular, but something you just have to watch.
I was really glad to have an adventurous weekend in my own city. It was nice to get out and do new things. That is probably my favorite thing about traveling; I love meeting new people, eating new food and doing things I have never done before. It is exhilarating and a great way to really appreciate life and all the fabulous things this world has to offer.

Cheongsong Sagwa Festival

 

Lots of varieties of apples.

 

Apple arch!

 

My new best friend.

 

Fellow foreigners!

Today I took a two and a half hour bus ride (both ways) to 청송 (Cheongsong) for it's 사과 (apple) festival. I went solo, but found a group of foreigners who were also traveling to the festival. Ironically, they were supposed to meet up with a different Tara, but she never showed. So I happily filled the void and hung out with them for the day. I was really happy to have people to share the event with, because it made it more fun. And they were a really nice group of people! We had lots of free samples of delicious apples and fresh-squeezed apple juice. We also got to snack on bulgogi (bbq), soup and apple chocolate. The festival had a lot going on, with different shows of traditional singing and dancing. I joined in for some of the dancing and was greeted warmly. After the dancing ended, I was showered with free apples! It was so sweet of the people there. I think they enjoyed a foreigner getting in the mix instead of just spectating. One woman in particular (pictured above) was very enthusiastic and kept hugging me. It was so cute! I'm glad I decided to check out the festival, because it was a really good time, and I now have lots of delicious apples to munch on.

In Other News

Autumn is my favorite time of year. Gorgeous! 

Here is another update about the more routine things in my life. I (finally) started Korean lessons yesterday, and I am so excited to learn some of this awesome language! I really hope that I can pick it up quickly so I can start having some form of conversation with my fellow teachers and Korean people in general. I have the class for two hours Mondays and Thursdays at the YMCA. Yesterday we went over the consonants, most of the vowels and a few words. I am really happy to be learning the language, but I'm hoping that I don't get burnt out.
I've also started taking salsa lessons on Tuesday nights from 8-10 (in Korean, so I mostly just mimic what they do until I get the steps down) and I have capoeira from 7-9 on Wednesdays also at the YMCA. So I'll be in downtown Mondays through Thursdays, busy with lots of activities. It will be a lot, but I am happy to have so many things available to do. They are all things that I am really interested in, so it's nice that the schedule worked out to fit them all in. Though I would also really love to take a KPop dance class. I'll just have to find a place that does them on Fridays or the weekend as a once a time thing. Hopefully there is something available! Though I'll be getting busier, I will try to keep this blog more up to date!

Playing Catch Up

Well I have obviously been neglecting my poor blog, so now I am going to do a recap of the past few weeks (mostly about the weekends) of my life! So be prepared for a longer than usual post (no one would blame you if you just stopped reading now!)


Weekend of Oct. 26-28:

Teen Top performing

I attempted to check out the Fireworks Festival in Busan, but the rain foiled my plans... but more on that later. I headed to the city straight from work with my friends to catch the free KPop concert. We arrived about a third of the way into the show, but were able to get in after grabbing some free tickets. The show was pretty good, and I actually knew a few of the songs performed by Teen Top (and by that I mean I knew the English lyrics and swayed/mumbled to the rest of the songs). But it was a lot of fun and makes me want to attend more KPop concerts. Though if I'm going to pay for it, I'm going to see a band I really love and learn all of their songs so I can sing along.
The next day we had plans to see some awesome cliffs in Busan, but torrential downpours forced us inside. So what's a girl to do? Go shopping, of course! We went to H&M, and I stocked up on cute winter clothes. I am so happy to have an H&M so close, but not too close. Otherwise I would spend my whole paycheck on cute outfits. The rain really started to pick up as we were walking back to our hotel, and we got completely soaked. As did my paper bag with all of my new clothes. The bag disintegrated and all my new clothes fell on the filthy, wet street. I was really frustrated but once I got back to the hotel and laid my stuff out to dry, it was funny to look back on. We figured since we were already soaking we might as well walk to dinner and then head to the beach for the fireworks show. But as we were enjoying our seafood paella at The Back Room, we learned that the show was postponed until Sunday. It was a devastating blow (a little dramatic, I know) because there was no way to see the show without returning home ridiculously late on a night before work. So instead we decided to head out to some Halloween parties. I was dressed as a pathetic "Calico" bunny. It was a pretty sad costume, but I didn't feel like spending a lot. The evening was decently fun, but nothing spectacular. Though better than if I had just stayed home.



Weekend of Nov. 2-4:

Opera:

 

Daegu International Opera Festival

 

Don Giovanni's Conquests

 

 Oh, of course.

On Friday night I headed to the Opera House to see Don Giovanni. It was showing as part of the Daegu International Opera Festival. The opera was quite funny and entertaining, but it was a little too drawn out. And the end was basically like a religious smack in the face. Though that certainly is understandable given the time frame it was written  in. Overall it was an enjoyable experience. I was happy to have English translations for the Italian lyrics, because it helped me to understand the opera better. And sometimes, when the translations made no sense, it made the experience more hilarious.

Daegu Arboretum:

 

Autumn!

 

The next weekend I headed to the Daegu Arboretum with my friend Jocelyn. The arboretum had a chrysanthemum festival with a variety of objects shaped out of the flower. And lots of gorgeous, fall-colored trees. It was a really nice and relaxing day. The sun was shining, and it was warmer than it had been the few days previous. So it was the perfect time to go! We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch in the open grass area of the arboretum and walked through the lovely paths.  

Palgongsan Cable Car:

 

Going up.

 

Love trails. If your love isn't true, the tiger will bite your hand!

 

On the mountain.

 

After the arboretum I headed to the northern part of Daegu to ride the Cable Car up Palgongsan (Palgong Mountain). It was a 7 minute ride, but about a 2.5 hour journey to take the ride. I was hoping to make it back in time to do some salsa dancing, but the line for the ride was just too long and ate up my time. But I was able to see a beautiful sunset, so it was a good trade off. I was a bit underwhelmed with the view from the mountain--I was hoping for a sea of red, orange and yellow leaves--but I'm happy that I went. Daegu really has a lot to offer, so it was nice to have a weekend at home and enjoy the beautiful areas.

 

Mask Dance Bread Masks

 

Aquarium

 

Skills

The next day I headed to the Daegu Food Expo. It was a pretty neat show and had some free samples. I was definitely hoping for more samples, but was happy to have any. I learned about a few more restaurants in Daegu that I hope to try one day. The best part of the expo was the bar tending tricks show. They performers were really talented and even threw flaming bottles. It was a good show! After I saw the new 007 movie. It was my first time at a theater in Korea, and I loved it. The seats were incredibly comfortable, and the front seats are a good distance from the screen, so you don't have to strain your neck to watch. I enjoyed the experience so much, I went to see Looper the next night. Both movies were really good, but Looper was even better.

All in all, the last few trips and events I have participated in have been delightful.