Uncategorized – Korea…20 Years Ago

Spending Winter in Seoul…

I spent the winter of 1997/’98 in Seoul. I hadn’t known anything about Korean weather at all before I went. I knew nothing about Korea. Nothing, like I wrote in my first blog post. I had borrowed an old book that described some facts about Korea from my city’s public library in July of 1997… Continue reading Spending Winter in Seoul…

My Walk in Anguk-dong…

One day in Seoul, I took the subway by myself to the North near the Gyeongbokgung Palace in central downtown Seoul. It must have been a Saturday or a Sunday, as it would have been on a day I was not travelling to classes and teaching. The Anguk subway station I went to that day… Continue reading My Walk in Anguk-dong…

Men and women…

For a long time, I have wanted to write about what I noticed in regard to males and females while I lived in Seoul. There is a personal case of sexual harassment I experienced while I was there that I should write about as well. I have been afraid to describe most of it because… Continue reading Men and women…

More Fruit and Some Snacks…

I remember speaking to one of my Korean students, “Anthony ” Lee, about the fruit I saw in Korea back in 1997. Anthony and I used to go sight-seeing and go out to eat a lot. One of the restaurants we ended up in would be called a “pub” by Atlantic Canadians. Many establisments at… Continue reading More Fruit and Some Snacks…

Traffic…and ‘Different’ Vehicles…

I wanted to describe some of the peculiarities I noticed about cars, trucks, buses and traffic in general while I was in Seoul. Above, I wrote that many people owned cars even though there was a lack of space for parking, but another issue was pollution. Koreans told me when I was there in 1997… Continue reading Traffic…and ‘Different’ Vehicles…

More Korean Drinks…

Soju… One thing I could never get over in Korea was that alcohol was sold in convenience stores and that those 24-hour stores were everywhere. The area of Canada I had always lived in did not have alcohol in corner stores at all. We had to go to special government-run stores to buy alcohol and… Continue reading More Korean Drinks…

Korean Fruit and Sodapop…

I landed in Seoul on September 1st in 1997 and it was very warm and humid, whereas at home the weather would have been cool and I would have needed a sweater. That September Seoul was sunny every day and the temperature was always 28 degrees. The sun was relentlessly hot when I was outside.… Continue reading Korean Fruit and Sodapop…

Fishcakes and Bugs…?

My husband asked me a few months ago what this particular item was that was in his dish at the Korean restaurant, and I hesitated because Koreans call it a fishcake, but to me it’s not. And to him it would not be a fishcake at all. In my area of Canada, which is beside… Continue reading Fishcakes and Bugs…?

Korean Coffee and Tea in the 90’s…

Instant coffee… The coffee situation in Korea was not very advanced in the 1990’s. Koreans seemed to like coffee but I never saw or heard of there being any percolators in apartments and never noticed any ground coffee in stores. I only ever saw instant coffee there in most of my travels back then. There… Continue reading Korean Coffee and Tea in the 90’s…

Different Food…”Culture Shock”

I remember hearing about the term “culture shock” soon after I arrived in Korea. Well, I thought about this as I was so very much in shock from the vast difference between my remote little province in Atlantic Canada and the highly populated, busy place I found myself in. It was too hot and it… Continue reading Different Food…”Culture Shock”