Nori Bong

Yesterday eveninig after meeting up with some friends, we all decided to take a trip to a “nori bong” since Barry and I had never gone yet and here is what the experience entailed…

Before coming to Korea I had heard of the word and thought it was just karaoke at a bar, but boy was I mistaken.

“nori” means sing and “bong” means room, so together it means “singing room” and that is exactly what it is. It’s not a bar, but it’s a place where you rent rooms to sing with your friends. So, you rent a room out, I think it was around 4,000 won per person ($3.00) for 8 people and you sing your heart out privately with your friends. You get your drinks and snacks at the front desk where you pay and then they set you up in the room, equipped with two tambourines and two microphones.

The music videos are another story…many of the songs were in English (I think all actually) but Korea has changed the music video and it is always about a boy and girl in love, so think of any song in English and put a Korean boy and girl in love and you’re transported to a nori bong.

It was a great cultural and social experience, one that I will never forget…here are some pictures from the night!




(the hallway into the nori bong)

Namdaemun Market

This weekend we left our little town of Dongtan to travel to Seoul. In Dongtan, you can take the express bus (which goes straight to Seoul without any stops) and takes around 35-40 minutes, depending on traffic. A one-way ticket costs 1,800 won ($1.50), so well worth it!

Seoul is divided into two different sections by the Han River, there is a South Seoul and then a North Seoul. The bus from Dongtan stops at Gangnam station, on the south side of Seoul at one of the busiest express terminals. From Gangnam, we took the Seoul Subway to Namdaemun Market, one of the oldest and largest traditional markets in Seoul.

The subway was as easy as can be. Not only do they have interactive maps at the terminal, all of the signs were in English. I haven’t been on many subways in my life, but it was by far the easiest I have ever experienced.

After crossing the Han River by subway, it was very easy to find Namdaemun Market. This market is located in the center of Seoul. Namdeamun market dates back to 1414, during the reign of King Taejong, as a government managed marketplace. In 1608, a new king set up an office in the district to manage the tributes of rice, cloth and money. A trading marketplace took its form around that time and commercial activities began as traders set up their various shops.

The Market turned to ruins during the Korean War when it went up in fire in 1953. In 1954 the Seoul Namdaemun Market Co. Ltd. Was founded to rebuild the market, but during 1968 and 1975 fires destroyed the market.

In 2007, the city of Seoul announced plans to renovate the market and renovations are continuing now in 2010.

We spent a great number of hours browsing up and down the different alleys. My favorite alleys were the food alleys where I enjoyed a nice heaping bowl of rice cake dumpling soup costing only 5,000 Won ($4.00)



Some of the other alleys in the market we ventured to were noodle alley, souvenir alley, fish alley (you can imagine the smell of the alley), army supplies alley, stationary alley, and more!

Here are some snapshots of the Market...

Kimchi, Please

Kimchi, a staple in South Korea seen at every meal, including breakfast. It started as a way to preserve vegetables through pickling during Korea’s harsh winters and has quickly become the cornerstone of the Korean cuisine.

Kimchi can come in all types, but the most common (by far) is made from cabbage, but there are over 180 varieties, depending on the region in Korea and the season. Kimchi has a reddish hue that doesn’t look all too appealing, but packs a taste of sour and spicy all in the same bite.

To make Kimchi, vegetables are salted to lock in the original flavor, then seasoned with garlic, red pepper powder, green onions, ginger, fish sauce and some other spices. It is left in a big jar to ferment for hours, days and even years. Kimchi can now be made all year round using different seasonal vegetables, but traditionally it is made in November.

Today, Kimchi is usually bought in stores and families have refrigerators especially for the Kimchi (it also helps contain its smell). Kimchi is believed to lower cholesterol, fight cancer and some even believe prevent SARS and the H1N1 virus.



Above is a heaping dish of Kimchi, I have eaten it at every meal since I have gotten to Korea!

The start of my new life....

Well, I made it to Korea safe and sound and have started to settle into my new life here. It has been a whirlwind couple days, so I will try and begin this post from the start…

My plane ride was easy as can be. I was a little nervous and turned off with the 12.5 hour plane ride, but quickly adapted to a schedule of movies, sleep and eating. I sat next to an older Korean man who gratefully talked me through the correct way to eat bi bim bap,



a special dish with rice and vegetables. This older Korean man and I got to talking and I found out that he was a professor at SKK University in Seoul and taught Botany. I later came to find out after revealing I was from Ohio that he got his masters at Kent State University, it must have been fate. He guided me through customs and luggage and I was set to go on my adventure.

I am living in Dongtan, a new city built only two years ago….



This city is filled with restaurants, bars and a huge park called “central park.” The park has everything-a skate rink, tennis courts, hiking trails, a pitch and putt golf course, you name it, it probably has it. It is nice to live in a place where it feels like a community. I can really see myself coming to love this neighborhood.

I just completed my second day of school, and its more than I could have expected. I met the foreign teachers from Canada over the weekend, and they have been nothing short of wonderful. They really have helped us adapt to life in Korea whether it be at school, or ordering food in a restaurant.

I have really enjoyed my first days of school. I am currently training and observing classes right now. Everyone at the school is as wonderful as the foreign teachers. I will be teaching reading to ages 3-5 and will have a homeroom class to the 5 year olds. I have already started to create a special bond with them, so I am really looking forward to a great year ahead.

My thoughts and perception of South Korea so far:
•I am stared at all the time, to say the least. Since I am not living in a huge city like Seoul, they are not used to foreigners in their neighborhood. The first couple of days I found it to be uncomfortable, but as time goes on I am beginning to accept it.
•After going out to restaurants a couple of times, during the meals there is very little water and it’s usually drunken out of a tiny glass. This has been a problem for me because I tend to drink a lot of water during meals
•I have spotted numerous Cleveland Indians hats so far, there is a player from South Korea on the Indians!
•At school, the kids ask me very personal questions. It’s completely normal for them, but shocked me at first. Some questions like “what are your parents names?” “are they still together?” “are you married?” “how old are you?” Its not rude in Korean culture to ask such blunt personal questions.
•Korean people are very friendly but many feel uncomfortable speaking English in front of me
•Education is the (if not the…) top priority for South Koreans.


As it turns out, those kids in the "dont stop believing" video are my class! They are even more adorable in person!

Until next time...