Hongdae afternoon

Hongdae is a neighborhood in the NW of Seoul in the area surrounding Hongik University. This area is internationally known for it's nightlife, and I agree! The two times that I have been in Hongdae for the nightlife it's been really chill, dubstep at a small place called Mansion (hmm....), lots of stylish people and good street food, and an indie rock show at a tiny, smokey third floor bar.

It is evident that this pocket of Seoul is packed with style, art, and young progressive students. I set out for a day trip to Hongdae, camera in hand, to see another side of this popular neighborhood. In the light of day a new perspective was visible. For one, street art, tagging, and graffiti was everywhere! 

The streets are packed with crazy fashion sense and a variety of street performers, food carts and eclectic coffee shops. There are lots of little cafes and bohemian clothing boutiques lining the crowded streets, with clubs and music venues up top. There is one main park near the center of the urban village, a great place to drink a beer and people watch.

Once I met these guys we headed to seek out the rumored taco cart in the area, and lo and behold, we found it! The guy who ran it spent five years living in Southern California, a good place to harness the skill of making excellent tacos, and that they were! And spicy! My god, there was a moment of panic for me when the spice kept growing, I feared it was going to equal the heat of el jefe! None the less, this place was killer, and I'll certainly go back.

After recovering from the burritos we continued wandering around the neighborhood for hours, conversing while observing the people, the atmosphere, and the sights. 

cooking, couches, and other considerations....

Today is a good day. It's Wednesday at work and all my classes were canceled (not very uncommon), tomorrow starts a six day stretch with no work, followed by another three day week. I need this break! Lots of fun things are on the docket, I will dutifully report on those next week..... For now I will fill you in on the many ways Josh and I spend our time and fill our thoughts! 

We have been very explorative and adventurous in the kitchen these days, embarking upon new recipes and revamping old ones. It is quite an escapade to go to a Korean grocery store seeking many basic, easy-to-find ingredients, to realize everything is in Korean (duh), and they don't use the same stuff to cook here. Buying flour was a guessing game.... we might end up with pancake mix or dried and powdered squid for all we knew... Success! With a bag of flour and a bunch of potatoes in hand we set out to make homemade gnocchi, a first for both of us. 

It went great, and more importantly was so much fun and very messy; flour every where. It began with boiling potatoes, add egg, flour, and spices to make a dough, roll them out and cut them to size before cooking. Josh made a killer white sauce with tons of veggies and I made big bowls of spinach salad to go with it.... mmm, I think this one will be repeated. Here are some pictures of the process: 

other recent cooking thrills have included Josh's homemade bbq sauce with lots of mustard in it and some toaster oven baked chicken nuggets from my side of the kitchen. Its fun and allows us to have some tastes from home for when the kimchi and rice get old. 

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Well after a few months here our apartment is finally feeling homey and put together. Thanks to our *ahem* street score from a few weeks ago. We were out again for one of our epic walks when in a front parking lot area of some businesses we saw two couches.... which we've been on the market for for some time now. One of those would be perfect we thought, but we didn't know what exactly they were doing out there. Were they to be cleaned? Airing out from being inside a bar? Or were they one man's trash, and our found treasure? We literally walked away three times and went back, so unsure what to do. We were only about ten blocks from home, so we could carry it if need be, but we didn't want to pick it up only to be chased down by some business owner, for stealing his couch! Josh went in to inquire, down several flights of stairs, into an unknown business where he played a ridiculous game of charades with the man there, returning with no new information. We decided to go for it, noticing a layer of dust on the leather couch, making it seem that it had been outside for a few days. We moved quickly, awkwardly carrying the couch home a new way, so as to avoid the main line of sight from the businesses. The couch is perfect, fits in our tiny place just wonderfully, and after a quick cleaning it's good as new! 

I am coming to love our view, and all the ways I have seen it. I am trying to take a photo a day of it, to make some kind of stop animation video down the road a ways. Here are some recent ones:

This storm was so incredible. the thunder went on through the whole night, echoing off all the buildings, shaking the whole city a little. Waking up to the loud kaboom's were sometimes really startling, and it took a moment to remember that it was just the effect of lightening in the sky. It is a strange phenomenon living in South Korea, so close to the dangerous border with the North. While tensions have certainly eased up, it is still a reality that there is a rouge nation just a few miles away. About 99% of the time I don't think of this, life is normal, I feel safe, I have all the comforts I need to live an easy life, but there are those moments... Being so foreign to this city, or a big city in general I am not used to the sounds, nor can I understand the language.  These fearful moments come unexpectedly, perhaps there will be shouting from all directions on loud speakers, and people scurrying everywhere, this can be alarming! But it might just be the farmers in from the outskirts selling their produce and a lot of people late for work, it's the not knowing that sometimes stirs me. One night I woke up to the sound of a car accident outside, wow, that was the worst! I thought it was a bomb, or some explosion, it was so loud and people started making such commotion afterwards. Every subway station is equipped with cases filled with gas masks and flashlights and emergency rations of food and water, such a good idea (But lets my imagination run wild sometimes)! The emergency drills at our schools have a loud siren that sounds like and air raid or something, while it is clear that everything is okay, it still is an eerie experience to be rushing outside to crouch down and hide behind the tennis courts. Okay... well Josh and I joked about playing paintball near the DMZ, wearing camouflage (yeah right!). Making light of a potentially awful situation is the best tactic, because in reality, no matter where in the world one is there are dangers and threats if you choose to see it that way.... So we keep our ears and eyes open, but remember always to laugh! 

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We have been really busy helping Nathan and Irina plan the wedding, seeing new and old friends, and exploring our giant city. But this has not interfered with our trip planning! We are planning to spend a few days next week in Chuncheon, a city NE of Seoul, and famous for Dakgalbi (my favorite Korean food, more on that later). Japan in early June and ten days in Veitnam in August! I'll surely keep you abreast of our journeys....

Love Love Love!

Walking.

I love walking. It is a good way to spend time, especially when new to a city or neighborhood. It is free and takes up a lot of time, the fresh air is good for the mind, the moving around good for the body, and it is always a little thought provoking, leading to new and interesting conversations.


Josh and I have been taking epically long walks most days, getting lost on purpose, or perhaps setting the goal of just stumbling upon a place that we know is in the general area (haha, in this city?). 
The weather is pleasantly springlike and a little breezy here and there, making it possible to leave the coats at home and head out in whatever direction we feel like that day. Here are some images from the neighborhood south of mine, taken on a lazy sunday afternoon stroll... with this guy:

The streets are lined with colorful lanterns, in preparation to celebrate Buddhas birthday, this makes every street look festive, pretty, and exotic.

The sun was shining brightly on this very colorful day:

And it wouldn't be the same if we didn't come across the usual strangeness of larger than life animal statues on the tops of random buildings and insane clusters of wires and electrical boxes:

But lucky for us we found our destination for the day, a small river stream that flows north into the Han river, called the Yangjaecheon. The trees and breeze were a created a welcome change of environment from the 12 lane streets and rows of skyscrapers! We stopped for a while on a nice wooded path overlooking the Yangjaecheon with cherry blossoms and willow trees in the foreground. 

All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.

~Friedrich Nietzsche

Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.  ~Henry David Thoreau


Pakistani fail.

It is a sad day for Pakistani women following the acquittal of five of the six men who gang raped Mukhtaran Mai, a woman who runs an all girls school in a small village in the eastern part of the country. The sixth mans sentence was reduced from the death penalty to life in prison. This is so sad. The rape was ordered by a council member in Punjab to take place, as punishment for a crime her twelve year old brother had allegedly done. 


It is more common for women to never speak of these things, and often suicide is their way out of the pain, but Mukhataran Mai was brave enough to tell her story and take on the lengthy legal battle, in turn she became a pioneer in Pakistan for women's rights, which are largely non-existent. She has become a recognized figure in her country and with the release of these men her life is in imminent danger. 


In an interview with BBC she stated that she will not flee her village, leaving her school, her students, and her family. She will stay and face whatever fate comes her way, even death.  I hope this woman's voice is heard around the world, that change can come to that region, so the women can become free. 

"I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself and there I take my stand." 

~Susan B. Anthony

The connection between women's human rights, gender equality, socioeconomic development and peace is increasingly apparent.

~Mahnaz Afkhami

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