Tea for three - skype style!

Last night, Gill and I met up at the Starbucks in Jangsan for our tea for three date with Truchen!  Incase you didn't realize it, Truchen is now living back in South Africa... SAD!!  But, before she left, the three of us all vowed to keep our Wednesday tea for three dates a tradition, with the help of skype of course! 

So, we set up my new little laptop, signed on to skype, and drank our coffee's while we waited... and waited... and waited for Truchen to sign on...

As we waited, Gill decided to break out her make-up (she's a make-up artist) and give me a little makeover!   Who doesn't love a little impromptu make-over in Starbucks?!

I realize this would never be done in America, but in Korea, girls do their make-up everywhere: on the bus, in the subway, in line at the bank... wherever!

We wait at Starbucks for about an hour and half... We found out later, that Truchen had gotten her times mixed up! Ooops! Luckily though, Gill is meeting Aaron and I for dinner at the Samgyupsal restaurant under my apartment tonight, so we're gonna have a little skype date with Truchen over dessert afterwards!  :)

 

While the coffees and make-over were wonderful, my favorite part of the night was still to come!  Gill and I met up with her friends Sarah, Tam, and Andrew at a... drum roll please.... MEXICAN RESTAURANT!  Oh Mexican food!  How have I lived without you for so long?!

The chicken tacos and quesadilla (I may have splurged a bit!) were delicious, and long awaited!  The only thing that could have made this night better was to have had Truchen there in person!  Miss you friend!

 

PS: Happy Solar New Years Eve!

When's the last time...

... your hair dresser handed you a bag of homemade fermented cabbage as you were leaving her salon?!  haha!  It happened for me today!  When I was there on Saturday, getting my mud treatment, she and her husband were sitting at the table in the back, eating lunch.  They had a huge tub of kimchi and offered me some, which of course I never turn down!  Excited that I thought it was so delicious, she motioned for me to follow her to her computer so she could use google translate to tell me something!  What she wrote translated as, "Next time, I offer a large fence of kimchi."  

I was very much looking forward to what a "large fence of kimchi" looked like!"  haha  ... I'm happy to report, it's a large bag of it!  

yum, yum yum! 

Man, I love Koreans!

Mud time, fun time!

Getting mud put on your head is fun... 

but getting mud put on your head while a darling and playful Korean schmooch plays on your lap is even better!  I love this kid!

Introducing the new me... or technically, the old me, with some new bangs and a much needed trim! :)

Thanks for lunch!

If I had my camera today. I would have taken a picture of Aaron, knocking on my classroom door, while holding a homemade lunch in a bag for me!

I think he loves me! :)

Yeongdo Farmers Market!

One of my favorite things about living in Korea is the fact that I can shop at local markets!  I've always been a fan of supporting local merchants, and now I have the chance to do that everytime I shop, because today, I stumbled upon the most awesome indoor/outdoor market less than 2 blocks away from my new apartment!  I could have spent all day there!

The market spans about a 1/2 mile or more, offering anything and everything you could think of! 

They have fresh vegetables in baskets, and delicious apples, oranges, bananas, pineapple. and pears galore!  By the way, does anyone know what this is?!  I've personally never seen one before!  Aaron thinks it's a "turnish" (a turnip radish hybrid)!!

My first purchase was some Gogi (Meat) mandu (dumplings) at this tiny shop!  The lady handmakes them herself!  Ten for $2.25

I don't know why I found this picture to be so funny... but this table was filled with chickens just like this one, under the plastic wrap... but for some reason, this one was laying on top and the way it was laid looks funny to me!  IDK, maybe it's just me! 

This family owned shop sells tofu, any and every way you could possibly want it!  I personally never want tofu, so I skipped past this place!

Want a pig foot for dinner!? 

... How about some octopus?!  Anyone?  Anyone?!

Don't bother going to tupperware parties... just stop by this shop!  They've got all the tupperware you could ever need... not to mention, you'll save yourself a pretty penny shopping here!  Everything is dirt cheap!

Fresh veggies... sprouts, spinache, peppers, cabbage, mushrooms, etc... 

If I'm ever in the mood for some fresh meat, I can walk here and watch the meat cut right off the cow or pig hanging from the hook in the back!  Uuuughhhhh

This shop is jam packed with any and every tacky hair accessory you could ever want or need!

Fish seem to be the shop of choice here!  There are shops and shops and shops offering fresh and dried fish!  If it didn't smell up my apartment, I'd cook fish for every meal!   

Need or want a cheap bra?!  These bra's are only $1.80!!!  I think it's worth mentioning that the fish store (picture above) is right next door!

And this lady is on the other side!  haha  My guess is that the bra's are only $1.80 because they probably reek of fish!

Yummy cookies and crackers!  Pick what you want and pay by the kilogram!

Can you tell that Yeongdo is a port town and an island?!  There might possibly be more fish than residents!

The market even has it's fair share of thrift shops!

... and of course, blanket shops, filled to the brim with bright and tacky bedding!  Can you see now why I had to make my own?!  This is what all the bedding in Korea looks like!  Yes, even the old men cover up with bright pink and purple zebra patterned blankets!

I love my new neighborhood and am head over heels about my neighborhood's farmers market!