What my 엄마 did to me UPDATE

봉숭아=pong-soong-ah=crushed flower ointment applied to nails that lasts for several months

It's been almost two months since my Awm-ma 봉숭아-ed my fingernails (original post). There's still orange on my nails, but it's growing out. What do you think? Is my nailbed color prettier than normal?

The Korean 화장실

화장실=hwa-jang-shil=bathroom

A lot of things in Korea are different: the food, the language, the customs, and the bathroom....

This is the bathroom at my homestay, a fairly average Korean bathroom. The only things you can't see is the window above the tub, the mirror above the sink, and the cupboard above the toilet.

Difference #1: Toilet Paper

Korean plumbing isn't designed to handle toilet paper. This was the same in the dorms in Chuncheon. It was hard and took several weeks, but I've overcome my natural habit of throwing the toilet paper in the toilet. Some public bathrooms don't provide paper, which is confusing when you look at the trash can and it's full (most Koreans always have a solid supply of tissue on their person).

Difference #2: Showering

I haven't had a good stand-up shower since I moved to Seogwipo. Because water is an expensive resource, most Koreans don't run a continuous shower from a fixed shower head and instead use a hand-held nozzle. So, using the handheld nozzle, turn the water on, rinse, turn the water off, soap up/shampoo/conditioner, turn water back on, rinse, turn the water off, repeat as necessary.

Difference #3: Shower Curtain

There is none. It is expected that water will get all over the bathroom, especially since the nozzle is hand-held. There window is the only ventilation. If I go into the bathroom after someone else has showered and the window is closed, it feels like a mini-tropical rain forest. After I shower, even with the window open, the water hangs in the air. Because of this, I can never get completely dry; I towel off and then the water collects again on my skin.

Difference #4: Hot Water

If water's expensive, then hot water is even more so. Since it was still summer weather when I arrived, the hot water was never on, and the showers I took were freezing. This gave me more motivation to go on a run and then shower; I could handle the cold water better. Now that the weather has cooled off, the family has shown me the hot water button. Press the button to turn the heater on, and press the button after your shower to turn the heater off. This habit took me about a week to form--I would always remember to turn the water on but usually forgot to turn it off. Unfortunately, the button is located just inside the master bedroom. I have to carefully consider when I take my showers so as not to disrupt the parents' privacy.

Difference #5: Towels

The Korea Handbook I was sent advised bringing a towel from home. Why? Because Korean towels are SMALL. It's meant only to dry yourself, not wrap around your body. I did bring a towel from home (a suitcase spacewaster). When I first arrived, my Ahmma didn't let me take it in the bathroom. Instead, I use their towels. There's a whole stock (8+) in the cupboard above the toilet. No one has their own towel; use once and throw in the laundry. I save my big towel for my hair once I go back to my room. Since the Korean towels can't body wrap, everyone changes back into clothing (usually transitional clothing, like shorts & a thsirt) in the bathroom.

Difference #6: No In-Bathroom Prep

The bathroom is only meant for showering, brushing teeth, and toilet usage. That and there's only one bathroom for four people. All make-up, hair-drying, hair-straightening, etc., I do in my room, which is difficult because there's not a mirror on the wall.

Difference #7: Bathroom Slippers

Remember, no wearing shoes in the house. But don't go into the bathroom barefoot. (??) Use the bathroom sandals. This prevents water (the bathroom floor is always wet) from being tracked onto the floor outside the bathroom. There's only one pair that everyone uses. I try not to think about that too much...

Difference #8: Hair

This isn't a bathroom difference, but it's related. Korean hair (this opinion is mostly based on the experience with my host family) dries quickly. And straight. Also, the selection of conditioner at the store leads me to believe that most Kroeans use a shampoo/conditioner mix, which I can't do. My Pantene conditioner that I had been using since I arrived ran out only 2 weeks ago (July 5th to mid-September). The bottle labeled 'Rinse' that I brought at the mart works but isn't exactly what I was expecting.

This recent flurry of posts has been brought to you by class scheduling changes for the Chuseok holiday and rainy days. I would like to keep the blog updated, but teaching, taekwondo, being part of 2 families, and training is taking some time. I'll do my best!

My Homestay: No Place Like the 집

집=chib=home

No place like home! Here's a brief tour of the apartment, starting from the arrow.

When you enter, take your shoes off! This is a small entryway just for that purpose. Some households have a recession in the floor rather than a separate room to gently remind you to remove your shoes. We were told that the most disrespectful things we could do to our homestay family is wear shoes into the house. Never ever ever.

After the sliding door, to the left, is the general room, equipped with TV, floor table, piano, and air conditioning unit (has been only turned on one time since I arrived). The only thing I wish this room had is a couch. I can easily sit on the floor to watch TV or eat dinner when we use the floor table, but not much else; my body isn't used to it. I would prefer to do things like use the computer and study Korean here, it's too uncomfortable.

If you do a 180 turn, then you're facing the kitchen. My homestay family and I usually eat at the table, since there's only four of us. There's the typical stove, fridge, sink, (the essential) rice cooker, but NO oven. Meaning no baking. There will be another post on homestay food, and how this affects my new diet.




On the left of the kitchen is the bathroom. I have a continuing stream of thoughts on the cultural differences between the Korean and American bathroom. Look for another post.


Also to the left is my room. My contract stipulates that I have my own room and a bed (as opposed to floor mats). Other furnishings include a desk, bookshelves (filled with books), a fan, a freestanding clothes rack, and a wardrobe. Not much space.... This picture was actually taken from outside my room. The space between my room and the outside is a long skinny rectangular space for storage, the clothes washer, trash, etc.

This is my favorite picture, it shows why I'm in the right homestay:

What my 엄마 did to me

엄마 = awm-ma = mom (my homestay mother)

Look what she did!

No, that's not blood. (Although, I've had a couple tumbles and, consequently, have a stronghold on the Korean words for blood, bandaid, nurse, pharmacy, and medicine). No, this is a form of pampering.

She crused dried flower petals and leaves into balsam to apply to my nails. While watching a Korean drama, she first isolated the nail bed with medical tape, put a small bit of the flower/balsam mix on the nail, then wrapped and tied a strip of plastic around my finger tip. And, oh, by the way, don't take these off till you wake up in the morning!

The result:
There were two rounds: Thursday and Friday night. All ten fingers and big toes too. "When the orange goes away, in two months (!), you'll have pretty fingernails."

I'm not quite sure how this works, in fact I'm doubtful. The nail will grow out and be replaced by new fingernail, to which the flower balsam ointment was not applied. I'm thinking it looks pretty by comparison. In the meantime, it looks like one of my sloppier students took a orange marker to my nails (sorry 엄마). Unless the results are beyond fantastic, I don't think I'll be repeating this. Come back for the after after pictures.

Otherwise, in regards to my 엄마, I can't complain. She fits the role of the general Korean 주부 (chu-bu = housewife). Outside the hours she works as an assistant at her husband's construction company, she's cooking, cleaning, and/or doing laundry. She homecooks everything; we haven't eaten out once since I've been here. It's a lot better than the cafeteria food. I do enjoy the good ol' cereal and milk combo every so often, but there's not many chances. She never lets be hungry enough to go searching for my own food.

She's sweet and caring, but our conversations have been limited--she doesn't speak English. She knows a few words and phrases, like "Good morning/night" and "Let's go". We're learning together...

Can't Be a Silly Girl

I know I haven't yet written about my homestay family, but I wanted to write this lost in translation experience while it is still fresh. All you have to know about my homestay family is:

1. the daughters speak English, the parents know a few words

2. the middle school daughter, Chong-een, loves (is obsessed) with Big Bang (Korean pop band), especially their leader G-Dragon.

Yesterday, G-Dragon's solo album, Heartbreaker(see the video--it's interesting!), was delivered. Of course, she was excited! She was really enthusiastic, jumping around, playing music, whatever else a teenager girl would do when her Korean heartthrob deliveries goods. Everyone teased, including me; I called her a "Silly girl" and laughed.

While I was taking a shower, the music, which she had been enjoying abruptly stopped when her mom went in for a talk. Later, her older sister comes to my room saying "different cultures", she is "mere child". Confused? I was. It took awhile for me to understand what happened, especially since the younger daughter was trying to apologize to me. Apparently, my "silly girl" comment was taken seriously by my homestay mother (she recognzed silly); she gave a strict lecture to her daughter about studying, Big Bang's not important, etc. Whether this alone was the cause or whether this only added to her feelings overall, I'm not sure. I felt bad for being the cause, but Chong-een had no hard feelings--she knew I was joking.

Korean Pop Stars Big Bang advertising for Baskin Robbins

As for the reduced frequency in blogposts, I apologize. My attention and time has been taken over by Winter Sonata, a Korean soap opera from 2002. It's a pretty intense love triangle, but Korean dramas are limited in length, unlike American soaps. So all the drama won't go on forever. I only have 10 more episodes, then I'll be free!

The Best Yet: 삼겹살!

삼겹살 = sam-gyeop-sal (= deliciousness!)

I didn't know the quality difference between the cafeteria food and proper Korean till last Tuesday night, when I discovered samgyeopsal. It's the best meal I've had yet. Do not go for samgyeopsal if you're starving; if you do, you're in for a lesson in patience: you cook the meat yourself at your table.

Picture at right:
on grill
-fatty pork slices
-kimchi and sprouts
-mushrooms

in small dishes:
-sesame oil
-garlic
-sauce (soy base)
-red sweet chilipaste

also
-finely chopped cucumber
-lettuce and sesame leaves

And that's only the first roundof pork, since it all can't fit on the griil. We (5 of us) had about three times what you see in the picture!

Cooking 삼겹갈:
You cook the meat. I went with my language partner Seong Jun 성준, two other Koreans, and another ETA. Seong Jun took charge with the cooking: checking and turning the meat. When the meat is mostly cooked, it is cut with scissors. Seong Jun was very particular about this; one of the girls (Korean) starting cutting the meat while he held the meat with the tongs, but he took the scissors to cut the meat it himself.

Eating 삼겹갈:
There are several ways to enjoy 삼겹살, all delicious:
1. Just eat.
2. Dip in soy-based sauce.
3. Dip in soy-based sauce and eat with slice of cool crisp radish
**4. Wrap it!
-in lettuce or sesame leaf or both
-add meat (1 or 2 small pieces)
-add sweet red chili sauce
-add finely chopped cucumber
-add grilled mushroom and/or garlic (optional)
-wrap the lettuce/sesame leaf around to make a ball
-eat it (all at once)!

Definitely a good meal, and very cheap--only 6,000won (~$5) each.


This is Seong Jun (English name Stephen), my language partner. He's studying for the TOEIC (Test of English for International Conversation) so that he can be placed on an American base for his military service (all Korean males are required to serve 20 months) so that he can improve his English even more. He's a freshman business major at Kangwon University. Sometimes we hang out, sometimes we study, and sometimes we get 삼겹살! There's more English than Korean conversation, as I can hardly string together sentences, let alone interesting ones. He's always at the dorm and loves to correct homework, mine and the other ETAs.