C - Cars - Obviously, Korean manufacturers dominate the car market here. Hyundai, Kia and GM Daewoo are the big 3, with SM (Samsung Motors, owned by Renault) and Ssyangsong behind. You also see quite a few Mercedes, BMW's, Audi's, Volvo's and Peugeot's too. I have never seen a Fiat, Renault or Vauxhall over here. My favourite Korean cars are probably modded SM5's, the Hyundai Coupe and the GM Daewoo Windstorm Extreme SUV.
D - Dogs - and more specifically the Korean practice of eating them. Contrary to popular belief, most Koreans don't eat dog and many of my kids react with disgust at the sheer mention of it. Restaurants that serve dog are not that common, and it is quite expensive. I have had it twice, both as a soup ('bosintang') and also steamed. It was quite tasty, although the meat is quite fatty. I tried the skin, but it was not very nice. I would say it tasted a bit like lamb.
E - E-Mart - One of the 'big three' supermarkets in Korea, the other two being Homeplus (Tesco's name in Korea) and Lotte Mart. E-Mart is very similar to bigger supermarkets back home, but they sell some different things like pets and live crabs. I like visiting E-Mart from time to time, but there is a Lotte Mart closer to my apartment, so it takes care of most of my shopping needs.
F - Fudding - Those who know of websites like Urban Dictionary and read Viz may well know the meaning of this word, if you don't...........there is a restaurant in Bupyeong which goes by this name that looks very nice.
G - God - Many Koreans are quite religious, and most who are follow the Christian faith, although Buddishm is also quite popular. From my window I can see a few neon-lit crosses, and occasionally I will get people knocking on my door giving me 'The Watchtower'. Thanks, but no thanks.
H- Hite - Along with Cass, the nation's most consumed beer. Clean, Crisp AND Fresh, or so they say. I say put an 'S' at the start of the name and you've hit the nail on the head. Makes Tennents seem like the Holy Grail of lager.
I - Incheon - Where I live. I'll let Wikipedia explain it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incheon
J - Jump! - The brilliant performance Lisa and I went to see in Seoul for my birthday. If anyone ever has the chance to see it (I believe they tour quite often.....they've certainly been to the Edinburgh Festival and London) don't miss out, it's excellent. I covered it in a previous blog post so I won't go into detail, but it is a comedy/martial-arts show that has almost no dialogue.
K- Kimchi - I had to have Kimchi for K......the national dish, said to cure swine flu and a variety of other ailments, and scarily addictive. I like 'Baechu' Kimchi, the classic variety made with cabbage, but there are hundreds of other varieties. I will genuinely miss it when I leave.
L - Lessons - My lessons at school mostly last for 45/50 mins, but at one school they are split in half so I only teach for 25 mins. I think around 4o-45 mins is ideal, 25 mins is too short to get into any detail, and for 50 mins you sometimes have to stretch it out a bit. Average class size is about 10 students, it is never above 13/14 (better than last year....32 was my record I think!)
M - Money - Ahhhh money, my greatest battle in life is keeping control of my money. I really need to pay off my credit card this year and save a bit of cash for whatever is next after Korea. I am determined to do it. I will do it! Anyway, Korea's money is called the Won, and comes in 10,50,100 and 500 coins, and 1000(blue),5000(brown),10000(green) and the newly introduced 50000 (gold) notes. 1 British pound is around 2000 Won.
N - North - The further North you go in South Korea, the more military-related things you see, until you get to the DMZ, the 4km wide barrier that separates North and South Korea. The border (also called the MDL, or Military Demarcation Line) is slap-bang in the middle of that 4km area. It is the most heavily fortified border in the world, and I find it a fascinating place. I've been on the DMZ tour 5 times now, and have still enjoyed it every time. Given North Korea's unpredictability these days, it is unlikely the DMZ will be dismantled any time soon.
O - Octopus - Probably the craziest thing I've eaten in Korea is still-moving octopus. They cut it up before they bring it to your table and then you eat it whilst it's still squirming about on the plate. They say you should chew it thoroughly before swallowing as the suckers could suck themselves onto your throat if you don't, causing you to choke. I made sure I chewed it pretty well. The following link is a clip from one of the most famous Korean movies 'Old Boy'. DO NOT WATCH IT if you are squeamish! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-ewUzXpgM4
P - Post - The Korean postal service is a bit hit-and-miss. If you are posting domestically it seems to be OK, but things coming into the country from abroad and leaving are sometimes never seen again, and if they are they often arrive battered or ripped. It may not be the Koreans that are at fault, but I have quite a lot of faith in Royal Mail so I think it might be a problem at this end.
Q - Quiznos - When I lived in New Zealand I discovered Subway for the first time, and now I am living in Korea I have discovered Quiznos. I think they are so much better than Subway, I lovvvveeee the Chicken Carbonara sandwich. Tasty.
R - Running - Something I am trying to get back into. I did quite a bit of running last year, both at the gym and outdoors in my local park. This year I am using a nearby cycle path to run along, it is pretty flat and quiet. It is still pretty warm here and often the humidity/pollution are quite bad but I will keep plodding on. If I have my MP3 player and it's not too hot I don't mind it. No wait, that's a lie, I hate it, but I like the way I feel afterwards and I don't want to get fat.
S - Sunny - No, not the weather condition. Sunny is my boss (although she doesn't pay me, my other boss Baker does that) and as close as I have to a Korean 'mum' now that I don't work with Dinna any more. If I ever had a problem that was work-related I would go to her. She and her husband (the famous/infamous 'Mr.Jo') run a big GnB in Donchun-Dong where I work 2 days a week.
T - Talking - In English and Korean. These days I feel I have three different ways of talking.
1: My normal English voice, used when talking to other Westerners.
2: My simplified English, used when talking to my students, teachers and anyone who can understand English but not that well.
3: My attempt at Korean. Usually a mix of Korean and English, and with no sentences, just Korean words. Usually met with a blank stare. Occasionally met with a 'Nayyyyyyyyyy'.
U- Umbrellas - Using an umbrella never crossed my mind before I came to Korea. Back home I always used waterproofs. Here, everyone uses umbrellas, some women even use them when it's not raining to protect them from the sun's tanning ability. Right now, I only have a crappy green one, as I left my good umbrella in a taxi a few weeks ago. Thankfully, I haven't been caught out since then (touch wood).
V - Giving the V's - Korea's love giving the V's (the good V, not the bad one) whenever a photo is being taken. Here is an example. Also, instead of saying 'cheese', they say 'kimchi'.
W - Whisky - It is difficult, and expensive, to find good Scottish whisky in Korea. There is plenty of Johhnie Walker around, and a lot of Ballantynes too. But if you want a malt, you really have to go to Seoul. Even then, I have only ever seen Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Bowmore, or Macallan. Last year I paid around 7 pounds for 1 dram of Glenmorangie at the Hilton in Seoul. Still, it was Christmas! When I came back last year I brought in 3 bottles.....there is 1 left (we drank one and Neil Munro has the other!)
X - emmmmm....... Xi'an - One place I would still like to try and visit in China, one of Korea's neighbours. Xi'an is home of the Terracotta Warriors, and many other historical sites. I think you can get flights direct from Incheon, but to be honest I probably won't go before I leave.
Y- Yogi-Yo - One of the phrases I use the most in Korean, I suppose translated it means.....'stop here please'. Mostly used when taking a taxi.
Z - ZZZZZZ - I have reached the end of my A-Z and it is time for me to go and ZZZZZ. I hope you've enjoyed it! I'll update with a 'proper' blog post soon.
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