Learning Hangeul

June 1, 2014

Hangeul 한글 (or Hangul as it is sometimes spelled) is the alphabet used for the Korean language.  It is a scientifically based alphabet that is regarded as genius.  Created in the 15^th Century by King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty, Hangeul was originally composed of 17 consonants and 11 vowels, however over time some were dropped.  Now there are 14 consonants and 10 vowels.  Many of the consonants are based on the shape of the mouth as the sound is being produced. 

Prior to King Sejong’s creation, the Korean people used Chinese characters for the Korean language which proved to be an issue that prompted a change.  King Sejong loved his people and worked hard to make their lives better.  Since Chinese is so complex, many of the people couldn’t read it.  The King decided to make an alphabet that was systematic and much easier to read. 

Hence, Hangeul was created and for foreign teachers like myself, it makes learning Korean a million times easier!  

Prior to coming to Korea, I watched videos on YouTube from a group called, “Busy Atom”.  Simple type that name into YouTube and up pops many terrific videos that explain each consonant and vowel and how the words are constructed.

As you can see, many of the characters are basic lines, circles, and curves. King Sejong considered these basic shapes elements of the Earth.  I used this exact chart to learn the letters both before and after arriving in Korea.  It may look a bit overwhelming at first, but trust me, it gets A LOT easier.

So, before Korea I looked over the charts and watched the videos.  After arriving in Korea, I began to put my knowledge into practice.  I would read everything and anything I could get my hands on or see.  I would write down what I thought the sounds were for the word and then double check using the chart.  Over time I didn’t need to use the chart anymore! 

It is an amazing feeling to be able to read an Asian language.  Yes, I don’t know most of what I am reading, but the first step to learning the language is being able to read it.  I was able to solidly read without any doubts within my first month.  Now, after over 3 months, I find reading some things amusing simply because a lot of it is in English!  This is most often found in restaurants and café’s, where the names of coffees are oftentimes written in Hangeul, but the same words as English.  It is amusing to work on slowly reading the Hangeul and it takes a fraction of a second to put it all together and realize Ah Ha!  It’s the same as English!

Here are some examples:

The part under G-3:

 오 레 오    초콜 렛    스 무 디

It says:  Oreo Chocolate Smoothie

I know it says it in English as well, but look at the chart and sound it out.  It’s pretty cool!

 

So, all in all, don’t be overwhelmed about learning Hangeul.  It is very easy and learning it will not only make you feel like a superstar, it will also come in very handy while living in Korea. 

행복 한 학습!!

P.S.  Here are some of the links I used in my research:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/CU/CU_EN_8_1_1_1.jsp

http://thinkzone.wlonk.com/Language/Korean.htm

I also learned about the history and structure from my visit to a museum about King Sejong located just outside of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.

Trip to the DMZ

May 31, 2014

Today I took a trip to the DMZ.  For those of you who are not sure what this is, it stands for the “Demilitarized Zone”.  This is an area of land along the 38^th parallel that separates North Korea from South Korea.  After World War II, when Japan left Korea after being occupied for many years, the Koreans were separated into two states: the Communist North and Democratic South.  In 1950, North Korea invaded the South and took over Seoul, the main capital.  The Korean War then began. 

The trip today was organized by the Seoul Hiking Group (SHG) for those of you who are in S. Korea now or who are going to be there, this is a great group that organizes trips every weekend to explore all parts of Korea.  There are many other groups in the Seoul area, so don’t be worried about not being able to meet anyone…ever. 

We visited some of the main parts of the DMZ without having to get the full military access, which takes two weeks to acquire before visiting.  We hopped on the SHG coach bus from Hapjeong Station and headed north.  As we got closer to the DMZ, the barbed wire fences began cropping up along the horizons, obscuring clear views of the beautiful mountains beyond. 

The first area we entered was to sign in and to transcribe out passport/ARC numbers onto paper next to our names.  Some obnoxious members of our group were begin loud and raucous, so the woman behind the counter yelled at out group in Korean to be quiet.  After everyone signed in, we re-boarded the bus and drove along a checkpoint bridge until the bus stopped.  Two South Korean military men came on board, checked the passenger list, counted, and checked all of our passports or ARC cards (Alien Residency Card).  We were then admitted beyond the road blocks and into the DMZ. 

Driving along the road was seemingly uninterested, lots of trees and barbed wire, but just knowing where we were was amazing. The streets were empty of cars, a rare sight for Korea, making the scene even more eerie.  We stopped at an area where the Third Tunnel was discovered and watched a short video on the DMZ.  It was a dramatic, action-filled film showing the history of Korean in the last century (as summarized above).  It then ended with the beautiful nature found in the DMZ because it is an untouched area. 

The screens then lifted up and everyone moved into a museum describing various actions that led to and were part of the Korean War.  Various weaponry were displayed in glass boxes along with some mannequins showing how the tunnels were dug and how security is maintained along the border.  A miniature model of the DMZ was beneath out feet under glass floors, showing the vast greenery and fences that separated the two sides. 

 

The entrance to the Third Tunnel was in a separate building across the courtyard.  After putting our bags in free lockers, including our cameras, we walked through security, put on a bright yellow helmet and walked down, down, down, down, down into the tunnels.  It was a short tunnel, maybe no more than about 4.5/5 feet high (hence the need for the helmets).  Being 5’10“myself, I hit my head at least 10 times! There were dynamite holes still marked on the walls and rumbling could be heard from above.  I was told it was the train system that brings people down to the tunnel (which we didn’t use), but it was still frightening, especially if you are claustrophobic.  We walked quite a ways along the tunnel, maybe half a mile or so, until we reached barbed wire, many CCTV cameras, and on the other side of the barbed wire: North Korea.  It looked almost like a bunker, with a small window, a door, and a smooth rock wall.  I cannot describe to you how odd it felt being underground and 2 feet away from the most closed off nation in the world.  I stood there for a few minutes taking it all in.  Men were down here half a century ago with the intent to march into their southern brother and start another war.  The tunnel was designed to fit around 30,000 soldiers…and there are known to be three more tunnels just like this.  There is a high probability that there are more tunnels…possibly in use still. 

 

After retreating out of the tunnel, and visiting the souvenir shop (yes, they even have a souvenir shop) we hoped back into the bus and headed for Dora Observatory.  This is a military compound which faces directly into North Korea.  Visitors are encouraged to come to balcony’s edge and gander into the DMZ and N. Korea.  For only 500 won (around 50₵) you could use huge binoculars to see even further and with more detail.  The wall separating the two regions could be seen along with N. Koreans working in the rice fields. The natural elements were also very beautiful with mountains, lush trees, and wildlife roaming freely.  No photographs were to be taken right up against the balcony wall, only behind a yellow line, which because of the smog and yellow dust, nothing could be seen except an outline of a mountain in the distance.  Some people snuck some photos in, but the military men made taken a sneaky photo an undesirable idea.    

 

 

Once again, there was a souvenir shop at this location where the woman behind the counter offered us some soybeans covered in chocolate.  They were tasty, but not enough for me to purchase a giant container full on this extremely hot day.  We then drove to Dorasan Station, a fully finished, once used, train station that connects South Korea with North Korea.  Signs are everywhere describing the desire to unify Korea and complete a transcontinental rail line from the tip of South Korea, through the North, Russia, and into the west coast of Europe.  The station is spooky.  It is incredibly quiet (a rare thing for Korea) with a few military men walking around, three people furiously working at the counter (we couldn’t figure out what they could be working on in the empty station), and of course a gift shop.  On one counter, we got passport stamps on paper (not in our actual passport) showing the journey from South to North.  Outside the station, there is the Dorasan Peace Park on one side and the parking lot on the other.  We walked through the parking lot and into a little garden area right next to the tracks.  There was a calm and peaceful pavilion with barbed wire everywhere only 10 feet away separating South and North.  An indescribable feeling takes over as I looked through the fences and into a land that hurts, abuses, and shelters their people from the rest of the world that only wants to glance in and help. 

Our journey back to Seoul was mainly driving along more barbed wire fences with the beautiful sunset on the other side reflected off of the river.  It was an interesting day that I will never forget.

 

 

 

School Lunches

March 29, 2014

I thought that I would do a little blog on school lunches in honor of my lovely mother-in-law Debbie, who is an excellent lunch lady at an elementary school.  To begin with, I don't have to pack a lunch or worry about finding food each day.  The school provides snacks and lunch for not only ALL of the students, but for the staff and teachers as well.  As a teacher in my homeroom, I dish out the food to the children and then to myself.  I find that this is an EXCELLENT way to try new and interesting Korean foods without having to pay for it (win!). 

After working here for a month, I have learned about the daily routines of lunch and the children are more aware of what to do each day and are pretty self-sufficient at the point.  They take out their metal lunch trays, containing 5 sections, and their spoon and chopsticks.  The sticks are the ones made for children, with being attached together at the top with a loop on one stick for the pointer finger (more on these in another blog).  I then scoop out each of the five parts of the meal into their trays. 

Each day, the children have a rice of some sort, a soup, typically kimchi (spicy cabbage), a protein of some kind, and a vegetable.  Generally speaking, this is the menu each day.  The type of each does change however, which offers a bit of delicious variety.  The children do not complain about the food, like they do in the States.  They accept what they are given and don't go into hysterics because they don't like something.  My 6 year olds (Korean age) accept the food on their trays and choose to eat it or not.  Super cool and a lot less stressful than my last kindergarten in the States where the children went ballistic if a food they hated touched their plates! 

Anyway, here is the breakdown for the week.  There is a picture for each day (except Wednesday...I forgot my phone for pics..sorry!) and they is also a description of the food.  I am NOT an expert and do not know the names of them all, so if you do, please feel free to write in the comments section.  Thanks!

MONDAY

 

From top left moving clockwise:

(1) a pork nugget in a sweet sauce
(2) kimchi, the spicy cabbage
(3) crab meat and bean sprouts
(4) sticky white rice
(5) seaweed soup

TUESDAY

 

 

From top left moving clockwise:

(1) dried seaweed with sesame seeds

(2) kimchi

(3) lo mein noodles with beef and carrots

(4) sticky white rice

(5) beef and tofu soup

 

WEDNESDAY

 

No Picture...Sorry!!

 

(1) chicken balls in sweet sauce

(2) kimchi

(3) squid (looks like the stalk of the bean spouts, only they were hard)

(4) white sticky rice with beans

(5) leafy green soup

 

THURSDAY

 

 

From top left moving clockwise:

 

(1) rice patty with seaweed

(2) zucchini with a spicy taste

(3) eggplant

(4) purple rice

(5) seafood gumbo (if you look closely, you can see the tentacles!  This was a medly of all kinds of sea creatures in a soup)

 

FRIDAY

 

 



 

 

From top left moving clockwise:

 

(1) salad (a rarity in Korea) made from lettuce and tomatoes in a sweet frothy yogurt dressing

(2) kimchi

(3) EMPTY!  I think because there is protein in the rice

(4) onion soup

(5) rice with ham

 

 

Well, I hope that was informative.  Hope you enjoy Debbie!  Could you make some of these at you school? ;)

 

 

맛 있는!



Convenience Store Drinks in Korea

March 16, 2014

This evening, my friend Stephanie and I performed an experiment on many of the different kinds of drinks sold at normal convenience stores.  In Korea, alcoholic beverages can be sold at these establishments, so they sell everything from hard alcohol to beers and wines.  Stephanie and I mainly chose a good sampling of basic, everyday kinds of drinks, since there was A LOT of different drinks to choose from.  We bought some delicious chewy chocolate cookies to help cleanse the palette.  :)

We took a picture of each drink and then described the color, thickness, and smell, along with noting the calories, before taking a sip.  We then described the taste and rated the drink on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best.  We tried ten drinks overall, and photographed many more in the store, without purchasing them.  I will begin with the ones we tasted.



(1)  Mint Chocolate Milk
       - Pre-Drinking Instructions:  Shake Well
       - Color: Medium Brown
       - Texture: Thick
       - Smell: Chocolate Smell
       -Taste: Tastes like Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies!
       - Calories: 125 kCal
       - Comments: Very Good!  I am not much of a mint fan, but I still really enjoyed this drink.
       - Rating: Steph 15/10 (yes, she liked it!), Ash 10/10

 



(2) Banana Milk
       - Pre-Drinking Instructions: Does not come with a straw, however you typically poke a straw into the top and then drink.  Shake well.
       - Color: Light Yellow
       - Texture: Thick, looks like eggnog
       - Smell: Strong smell of bananas
       -Taste: Sweet and intense banana
       - Calories: 210 kCal
       - Comments: Good if you like bananas.  Comes in other flavors. 
       - Rating: Steph 6/10, Ash 7/10

 

(3) Coffee Milk



       - Pre-Drinking Instructions: Shake Well
       - Color: Tan
       - Texture: Semi-Thick
       - Smell: No Smell Present
       -Taste: Coffee taste present but not strong, slight BBQ smokey taste at the end
       - Calories: 120 kCal
       - Comments: Not very good.  Would not drink again.  Other flavors available such as strawberry and chocolate.
       - Rating: Steph 0/10, Ash 4/10

 

(4) Danish Drinking Yoghurt Strawberry



       - Pre-Drinking Instructions: Shake Well
       - Color: Light Pink
       - Texture: Fairly thick, but not as thick as the thinnest yogurt
       - Smell: Like Strawberry Yogurt
       -Taste: Tastes like thinner strawberry yogurt
       - Calories: 100 kCal
       - Comments: Great for breakfast with a hard-boiled egg.  Has probiotics and says on the label "55 Years of Danish-Korean Relations".  Comes in many different flavors.
       - Rating: Steph 10/10, Ash 10/10

(5) Soy Milk
       - Pre-Drinking Instructions:  Just open  :)
       - Color: Light Tan
       - Texture: A Little Thick
       - Smell: NOT a Good Smell when opened.  Smells of cold tofu.
       -Taste: Definite soy taste. 
       - Calories: 145 kCal
       - Comments: Similar to soy milk in the U.S. but this is thicker with a more pronounced soy flavor.  Had trouble reading the Hangul on the label (as you can see!).  Comes in different flavors. 
       - Rating: Steph 1/10, Ash 2/10

 

(6) Aloe Drink





       - Pre-Drinking Instructions:  Shake Well.
       - Color: Pale Green.
       - Texture: Thicker than water, has little bits of aloe plant floating in it.
       - Smell: Sweet Grass
       -Taste: Sweet and Refreshing
       - Calories: 80 kCal
       - Comments: Nice cold drink to have in the summer. 
       - Rating: Steph 9/10, Ash 9/10

 

(7) Apple Juice



       - Pre-Drinking Instructions:  Give a little shake.
       - Color: Pale Green Color
       - Texture: Fairly Thick for Juice
       - Smell: Faint Artificial Apple Smell
       -Taste: Thick Taste.  Nice Apple Flavor, still tastes artificial.
       - Calories: 65 kCal
       - Comments: Good summer drink, especially for children.  Also comes in peach.
       - Rating: Steph 7/10, Ash 7/10

 

 

(8) Bulhongsan  (We didn't know what it was when we bought it)

       - Pre-Drinking Instructions:  Just open

       - Color: Caramel Color
       - Texture: Thick like Liquid Caramel
       - Smell: Disgusting!!!  Flora smell, of plants and earth, but not in a good way.
       -Taste: We didn't want to try!!!  But, I did and I spit it out immediately.  Mild naturally fermented alcohol taste mixed with rotting wood and mold. 
       - Calories: 70 kCal
       - Comments: Steph compared it to cliff jumping.  It looks nice, but not something to partake in.
       - Rating: Steph didn't try, Ash -100/10 (yes, I gave it negative 100)

 

 

(9) Mojito



       - Pre-Drinking Instructions:  Comes with a straw.
       - Color: Pale Green
       - Texture: Kind of Thick
       - Smell:  PineSol Cleaner Smell.  Fragrant and sweet, but not too appetizing in a drink.
       -Taste: PineSol Cleaner!  Sweet and thick, but not too refreshing or minty.
       - Calories: 90 kCal
       - Comments: Would not try again.  Would rather mix my own drink than buy this.
       - Rating: Steph 3/10, Ash 3/10

 

 

(10) Fruit Drink



       - Pre-Drinking Instructions:  Just Open
       - Color: Dark red, like Merlot
       - Texture: Kind of Thick
       - Smell: Grape Juice Smell
       -Taste: Exactly like Welch's Grape Juice, sweet
       - Calories: 84 kCal
       - Comments: Great for a sweet fruity drink.  Good for kids.  Comes in MANY flavors.
       - Rating: Steph 7/10, Ash 8/10

 

 

Okay, so now we come to the section on drinks that we saw in the store, took pictures, but did not purchase and consume for various reasons.  Some drinks were pretty self-explanatory about what they were, others were a bit too pricey. 

 

To further fuel Korea's major addictions to coffee and coffee like products, one company created these drinks.  I have had the red one once at work.  It was like a chocolate milk, with a little latte flavor.  They are good and a nice cold-coffee substitute when you're in a bind at the convenience store.

 

 

 

Here are some more cold coffee products.  From the left there's Mild Caffe Latte, Caramel Machiato, and Mint Latte.  Come with straws and yet another quick, easy, and legal stimulant.

 

 

 



Dawn 808.  The quintessential hangover drink.  As described to me by Stephanie, you are to drink one of these before going to bed from a night of partying and it will prevent a hangover.  It's a small little can and inexpensive.  I like the picture of the man on the front smiling.  :)



 

 

Beta 500.  This little bottle if filled with some sort of either energy drink or vitamin C beverage.  It is a very small bottle, as are many bottle in Korea.

 

 

Hot 6.  As you can see, this is an energy drink, found right next to the Red Bull in the store.  If you say the name, it sounds like "Hot Sex".  Give it a try...it's fun to say!  It's a popular beverage and many people mix it with alcohol to make some interesting drinks.

 

 

 

Sprite in Korea.  I like the can and how it looks exactly like Sprite in the U.S. only the can is narrower and shorter, and the label is in Korean (so cool!).

 

 

 

Pine Bud Drink.  We are not sure what this is and wished we had bought it to try.  It just looked interesting.  Keep checking the blog to see if I gave it a try.  ;)

 

 

 

Bokbunjajoo, a Red Raspberry Wine.  This is a thicker wine, like a port, and is pretty tasty.

 

 

 

Dutch Latte.  I just like the name of this one, and the fact that it is  coffee drink in a can.

 

 

 

 Soju.  This is the drink of Korea.  It is very cheap (around $2) and can be found in every convenience store in Korea (practically).  It is a clear liquid with a lot of alcohol inside.  I have yet to try it, but I hear it is nasty.  Many people mix it with other flavored drinks, like vodka.  Steph tried it with Gatorade over the weekend and it wasn't so bad.  It can be used to clean windows and remove nail polish as well, in case you were interested. 

 

 

 

Makgeolli (spelled a million different ways) is the second quintessential drink of Korea.  It is made from rice and it between 5-6% alcohol and, like Soju, it is really cheap that the store.  I have had it a few times already and I prefer the homemade kind found in some restaurants. It is sometimes served in a communal way, with the drink in a large clay pot with a ladle that the youngest person dished out in small bowls for the table to all drink.  It is sweet, kind of thick, and can apparently give you a nasty hangover when too much has been drunk (I haven't had that much to know).  

 

 

 

So that about wraps up this edition of drinks.  I will post more blogs about food and drinks in the future.  Hope you enjoyed the sampling!

 

 

건배!