Dinner @ Uncle Daniel's @ 상록수

Winter is soon approaching.. as it is, the weather is already getting pretty cold, but bearable. (Now I understand why I see people wearing jackets even at home in Korean dramas)

Today I got an invite for a home dinner at one of my mum's church friend's place (Uncle Daniel). Uncle Daniel was a missionary (i think) stationed in Singapore for a period of time, hence, it kinda felt like I was meeting someone from "home". The location was 상록수역 (Sangnoksu, on line 4), about 20 stops with 2 transit stations in between. Total travel time was close to 2 hours - but it was soooo worth the effort and distance.

Uncle Daniel waited for me at the station as he was afraid I might get lost. Very sweet of him.

The moment I arrived at his place, I was greeted cordially by his 2 little darlings and his lovely wife whom I address as 언니 (big sister)! They can't really speak English and so my Korean was put to the test!

It didn't take long for them to warm up to me and soon we were communicating in all sorts of body languages and hand signs! HA!

Even though I offered to help, 언니 refused any help in the kitchen & in no time, the food was prepared and we gathered around the table for a feast.

It's not my first time being in a Korean house (the first time was when I visited my buddy's) and I really do think they all resemble what you see on the Korean dramas.

We dine sitting on the floor. The dishes are always covering every bit of the table leaving no spots empty. And there's just something about meat wrapped in cabbage!

As we said grace for the food, I really thanked God for such friendships (though they were more like my mums friends - I felt they were my friends or even my uncle/auntie). The warm feeling of home just washed over me at that point. I can only say I'm truly blessed.

Could simply feel the TLC in there!

  

And there you have it, my cute buddies!

And my kind host!

The amazing thing is, it's the first time I am meeting each of them and yet, I felt like I've known them from before.

They treated me with great hospitality and even though we have a communication barrier (my Korean proficiency is just hopeless), it doesn't affect the way we communicate. 

We share stories, experiences, words of encouragements about life and crisis and many more...

Due to the change in seasons, the day gets really short and before we knew it, it was dark, even though it was barely 8pm. 언니 was asking me to stay the night (I felt so accepted and loved, somehow), but being the OCD me, I need to sleep on my own bed and hence I promised I'd be back soon for a round 2 and that will include me helping out in the kitchen! 

She gladly obliged and offered to teach me the art of making a cold cucumber dish! 

*HAPPY & TOUCHED*

My goodbye hug to the little one!

And a promise that I'd come back soon!

The thing about traveling to foreign places on your own and randomly hanging around, is that you never know what you are gonna get. 

And experiences like this one doesn't come easy cos its like a spirit-meet-spirit association. I cannot even begin to describe the fuzziness... Just absolutely grateful.

1st term Graduation!

HAPPY 1st TERM GRADUATION!

This was a time of parting for a few of the students in class.(Those who only signed up for 1 term)

I would have been 1 of them. Thankfully I extended my stay!

Awesome "family portrait" as a class!

It's strange but, this victory sign is always the standard pose, no matter which nationality you are - Japan, Singapore, Thailand... it is all about the "V"! 

Cheers to "V"ness!

One shot with just me & my certificate! YAY!

There is a sense of achievement, and 3 months have actually went by... JUST. LIKE. THAT.

It's been an awesome time of discovery so far and I am ready for the next 3 months! 

Bring it on!

*Ending on a high*

Speaking in Rhymes

When I have so much to say and yet dunno how to say it, I guess drawing sometimes can express them all. As the saying goes - A picture paints a thousand words.

My analysis - the girl in it, is me.
The rainbow is the promise that God has made to give me an abundant and fulfilling life...
The colorful rainbow equates to all the different colors that paint my life, these are experiences, people I met, the journey I took and all the spices and sweets that comes along with it.
The sky means I can reach as high as I want to, so long as I am willing to, because God watches over me.
All the bits of stars and hearts in the sky are the lovely people who pass me by to make my journey of life sweeter than it is. "Shinier" than it can be.

Tonight, I have been feeling extra melancholic.

Like everyone else, I DO:
get homesick. cry. suddenly laugh. feel PMS. feel the impulse of wanting to go home (especially AFTER paying up for the school fee for the next term here)

Yes, I procrastinate. A LOT. I waste too much time thinking about EVERYTHING and being bothered about them all..

AND YES, have the "green grass syndrome" that's where you always feel "the grass is greener on THE OTHER SIDE".

BUT, ultimately, although it means I am gonna have to miss my family a lot more, miss all the major occasions and spend them here "alone", miss my friends and my "support centre", miss the money I will be spending here, I believe this is all worth a shot. What is the point of doing something if you cannot do it with your all?  You might as well not do it at all!

I m speaking in rhymes in the middle of the night...
Don't ask me why,
I can't answer that, as I may not be in the right frame of mind

My heart aches at times, mostly late at night...
But somehow, I find,
A deep comfort inside

Many times, when I feel like giving up,
Feel in-confident, and feel like this whole thing sucks

Then a phone call comes, from somewhere, somehow

I don't believe in coincidences, nor in strange occurrences
For somewhere, somehow, God must have planted them all around

The angels whom I don't know,
The faces that don't show,
The shadows that come and go,
And all that I have yet to know...

Many things can seem dark, at first
Then only after that, will we see the light

Riddles I write, and these, straight off my mind
Maybe this is the best way to express what I feel inside

Know me? Know who am I?
Then you will know how to read between the lines.


ALL THAT stuff. Where did it come from?

OK it is 36 mins past 1 am in the morning now in cold, cold Seoul town. Time to turn in.

I miss home, I miss my love, I miss shalom. I miss the most of all, my comfort zone.

And there I go again, going on in rhymes, and I know I have a purpose and I know God knows why....

Post-Exam Celebration - Time for KTV!

It's time to CELEBRATE! 

Finally the exams for this term is over.

Frankly, I am not really satisfied with my performance this term. I was rather distracted with adapting to the environment, playing (alot!) and just hibernating. I am just truly glad to have extended my stay for the next 3 months although I am quite afraid of winter... Urg... the cold, harsh winter...

Nevertheless, post-exam period will only be completed with celebrations - so - well, I promise I will work harder next month!

My Taiwanese friends decided we should have a KTV session (it is so cheap here!) and followed home-crashing (at their place) for dinner.

Absolutely love hanging out that their place.. Cosy and warm. Like family!

Our yummy fried-seasoned chicken! 양념통닭

Although it's really squeezy in the tiny living room of theirs - it was an ultra sweet ending to our post-exam celebration because I have friends whom I could celebrate with. 

No longer just a lone-ranger hanging out alone in this foreign city.

Dining in front of the TV! So very typical!

Our best self-taken group shot!

Feeling extremely grateful tonight!

Kimchi Making @ Seoul Station & Cheonggyecheon Light Up!

Thanks to 언니, she is always giving me ideas on how to spend the weekend.

This weekend was really fun cos there was a huge gathering at Seoul Station to promote Kimchi-making. 

This event was only entitled to foreigners, without charges. All you need is to sign-up for it.

 (As part of the Korean Culture) 

 

We were assigned to our designated table once we registered our attendance. 

Each table was covered with HUGE cabbages and other kimchi-making ingredients.

The ladies in hanbok where our designated kimchi-making instructors.

We need to quickly take a picture before our hands got dirty!

And the kimchi-making began!

As the ingredients were all pre-packed, the process seems simple. 

 Everything was big. Big pots. Big cabbages.

Me cutting the radish as the instructor supervised me!

Then, it was just putting all the ingredients together in the big pot.

Work the ingredients in altogether and ensure all the radish has been coated with the paste!

Super chili red.! I can already feel the spice!

 

Time to add the big cabbages into the paste.

According to our instructor, every layer of the cabbage was to be well-coated. You need to spread the paste evenly to ensure a consistency. 

We coated them layer after layer.

Almost done!

 

All we need was a group picture to claim credit & pack them separately for take home!

We had to have a feast before the day ends & were sponsored with Maekgoli! 

Alas! All the participants were to form a huge circle in the big field, holding hands and singing "Arirang" - a classic Korean folk song. The feeling of camaraderie was really strong. 

As a foreigner, you feel accepted and integrated into their culture. It was a warm and homely feeling. Possibly also because the Korean instructor was like a mum - guiding you how to make, holding your hand and leading you along the way. Oh - I miss home! 

Final group shot before the session ended.

Since Cheonggyecheon was nearby, we hung out for dinner and were pleasantly surprised to see the stream lit up with colorful floats and lanterns. 

It was like Ching-gay parade on the water!

It was extremely crowded. People were packed both sides of the stream from the stream level to the ground level. (Stream was 1 level lower than the ground level, like a basement?)

I don't think romantic would be the right word to describe this. 

But it would have been nice for dating couples to hang out here.

I want to go for more of such outings!