cross-cultural craziness

There are times when I think I need to stop watching K-dramas, stop eating ramyeon, stop listening to k-pop and just hurry up with the czech already.

and then something like this happens....

Yes, that man is speaking czech, while pointing at the hangul on his crotch/apron. Love it!

I found this gem outside of the Korean restaurant in Ostrava (which, in my defense, John suggested we go to. I've been eating lots of cabbage, dumplings and fried cheese like a good central european visitor. And enjoying it all, too. Although I did skip the pig hearts at the cafeteria on Thursday. I've got my limits.)

Basically, my process of de-Koreanization is going to proceed much more slowly than I thought. And I am endlessly amused by the co-existence of Korean and Czech here in Silesia.

Oh Eastern Czech Republic! You will never cease to amaze me. Thanks for letting me have it all.

(Seriously, I do! I had bokumbap and padjeon at this place. In OSTRAVA. but with real beer. my life is awesome.)

got some dirt on my shoulder, could you brush it off for me?

So, Petr's friends are in town from Hradec this weekend. I really like them, partially becuase they are totally willing to speak English with me and partially becuase they keep getting me to try new things, which is a major goal of my life.

Yesterday, we did shots of Russian vodka (smooth but strong) and today I tried beef tartare for the first time (actually surprisingly good, despite the preliminary ick factor of uncooked meat) and was also introduced to Kofilu, a kind of shot involving czech rum, a spoonful of coffee and a mothful of disolved sugar. It was also surprisingly good, and i was goaded into doing a second shot (one for each leg, as they say). It gets its name from the coffee filled chocolate bar, and actually bears a striking resemblance. I can't wait to expereince more Czech things, even though I want to talk about them in korean still.... *sigh*

Dobru noc. Chal chayo! Sleep well all, and to all a good night. ;)

updates from the road

Autumn has come to central Europe, bringing a lovely orange tint to the trees as well as an intense longing for 온돌 (in floor heating and perhaps my second favorite Korean invention after 한글). It also brings with it an abundance of breaks and random days off wherein I can indulge my incessant wanderlust.

Because I am the luckiest girl in the world (or thereabouts) I have fantastic friends in random countries like, oh I don't know... BULGARIA. So when a long weekend presents itself, clearly I have no choice but to go. Especially with Europe's wonderful abundance of cheaper-than-dirt flights.


We started the weekend in Plovdiv, a town like nowhere I've been before.

We also got to check out the Alexander Nevsky church, which was one of the most striking churches I've ever been to. And I have been to quite a few in my day. Perhaps its the dramatic lighting, or the grand size, or the way the beautifully decorated interior still has a feeling of open, barren, desolate space. Some churches feel more or less like art museums, this one still felt like a place people come to plead with God. I like that.

Sofia is kind of a funny town. They've got random ruins to play in and fancy soldiers to guard the importaint folks, but the Starbucks there is not hurting for customers (the cashier loved my hello kitty wallet) and there's a great little Chinatown nestled next to the old Synagogue.

I also ate some delicious Tarator (cucumber yogurt soup) and sampled shopska (Bulgarian take on the Greek Salad) and had one of the famous meals baked in an earthenware dish.

Then we ventured out to the Rila monastery, which is completely epic and possibly under consideration as the location of Tim Burton's next film.

i've got tons more that I could post, but I'm really trying not to go overboard here. Anyhow we had a great lunch (turns out that Bean Soup Monastery Style is delicious!) and hopped on the bus back to Sofia.

My culinary adventures did not end there, however. Mark also introduced me to Bonitza, that most magical, flaky pastry filled with spinach and cheese. Seriously, so so good. I still crave them occasionally.

I was also finally persuaded to try the local Yougurt drink. Initially describe to me as "kind of a water/yogurt drink with salt" (not a very convincing sell), I finally agreed to taste it (these days, anything that doesn't involve pork product is basically on the table) and its also quite good. You win again, Bulgaria.

Plus, I learned about Chalga music which I could never satisfactorily describe to you. But I'm glad I know of its existence.

Overall, I'd classify my trip to Bulgaria as a great success. I'm quite greatful to Mark for showing me such a lovely time. =)

On my way back through Vienna, pretty much every bad thing that could happen, did. My ring fell off my finger and onto some train tracks. Later I was running for the train, got myself inside before the doors closed but not my backpack and got very very stuck as a result. Both times I was assisted by benevolent Vienese strangers to whom I am extremely thankful. I also broke several nails (not usually something i worry too much about, but it seemed relevant). However, I also ate a really excellent falafel, nabbed a fair-trade latte (I know I know, I'm like a walking stereotype sometimes) and even found an international grocery store run by an extremely friendly indian man. This last was exciting to me because I have been looking for fish sauce for ages, and now that I've found it I can finally attempt the pad Thai recepie Ingrid kindly sent me. All in all, my afternoon in Vienna was probably the closest I'll get to new York city living for quite some time. I'm pretty ok with this. Eastern european adventure #1 complete. Over and out!

Adventures in Englishing

The topic for my fourth year students this week was personal descriptions. So, I decided to make them describe their ideal partner. Is talking relationships the low hanging fruit for high schoolers? Absolutely. Guess who doesn't care at all. My boys were writing away with a concentration they usually reserve for trying to send text messages under the table without my knowledge.

I got a fair number of somewhat cliche answers (She should be rich. she must be a good cook.) as well as the somewhat predictable (She should be short and American. Her name must be Rachel.) -- and no, I don't give extra credit for describing me. But at least we had some laughs about it. In the end, a fun classroom is a productive classroom. Especially for EFL, where the students are usually quite nervous and hung up on perfecting their grammar. 60% of my job is just getting these kids out of their own way, so they can start just talking and using English naturally, and I will shamelessly leverage any sort of topic to do that. Plus, you know, it keeps me amused.

Anyhow, quite a few of them surprised me by describing their current girlfriend as their ideal woman. I got quite a few variations on the "She's quite pretty but what I like most is her personality" theme, which totally melted my heart. (How many American boys are that mature in high school?) Perhaps the czechs will win me over yet, although they do lack the style of Korean namjas. Also, namja kinda sounds like ninja, which is a plus. [Namja being korean for dude.]

Now, I'm off to Bulgaria (a sentence I never thought I'd be writing) for a long weekend with Mark. Should be an excellent mini-adventure. Sometimes I think about how awesome and absurd my life is, but I still can't appreciae the full extent of its ridiculousness. That will probably sink in at some point. For now, the sun is shining and my kindle is charged. Life is good.

Rachel Nusbaum: Professional Foreigner

So, my life these days is pretty incredible. I'm all aboard the amor fati train (as John said the other day, any sentence that begins with 'this is probably just because I've read too much Nietzsche but...' is probably going to lead somewhere good.) Even so, today was exceptionally fun and exciting.

My morning walk over the river, past the castle and along the railroad tracks was beautiful as always. Things took a turn for the even-better circa 9:30, when we began plotting the school's thanksgiving program over instant coffee and homemade cake (my favorite 15 mins of the day: coffee break). Of course, I maintained that food was the most importaint part and should be dealt with accordingly. It was then suggested that american football is also a thanksgiving tradition, and so plans for a thanksgiving football tournament (american style) quickly followed. (Please note: at this point, I had to run over and wikipedia 'American Football' to double check on the rules and how many players are required. oops.... ) Perhaps the funniest part of all this will come in November, when I am inevitably forced to take part in said American Football tournament. I will try not to disgrace myself or America, but trying is really all I can do. ^^

After all that fun, I left school and challenged the czech postal system for the first time. I managed to send some post cards, but they were not amused by my tiny (but adorable!) korean stationary. Can I help it if bear shaped cards with tiny ears don't come in regulation postage size?

I also managed to get myself a discount card for the train, which I will be taking frequently.

Then, I had dinner with my new friend Kim Uri. She is one of the few people I've met in FM who is actually my age (most people I know are under 20 or over 30. they are all lovely, but there's something about going out with a group of 20 somethings I miss.) She also happens to be korean, which is excellent. Mostly because her Unni came to visit from Prague, and brought her mad korean food. As further proof that the universe generally provides me with anything I ask for, sooner or later, I finally got the Kimbap I have been craving since the end of August. Is it sad that I am so excited about food that generally costs a dollar? mm, i dont care. Kimbap sarang indeed.

So we had a really fun time, and because her friend didn't speak nearly as much english as Yuri and I didn't want her to feel bored or left out I got brave and busted out my janky, gramatically incorrect Korean. much to their amusement. I've never heard the phrase "oh, otokay? nomu kyopta!" (oh, what to do? Its really cute) so many times in my entire life. We talked about dramas, and how weird it is that I know all this stuff about korea, and once or twice I even managed to make Yuri laugh so hard she fell down. Then we went for a little walk to digest, and I got sent home with a purse full of kimbab. So much win. Thank you, Frydek-Mistek. Could you be more awesome if you tried?