Rawr!

On Thursday, our class went to the Jeju Fossil Museum on the Seogwi-po city border, to help us better understand our inquiry unit on discoveries. 

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The museum, which was opened in March 2003, has three separate exhibit areas, and displays fossils mainly domestic to Jeju. There is also an outdoor exhibit of silicified wood {had to look this one up!}, and an exhibit upstairs with a collection of foreign fossils. Not to mention a cool life-size Apatosaurus {which I had wrongly been calling a Brontosaurus..oops!}guarding the place.

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We saw lots of fossils: 

 

 

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We also made our own ammonite {think million-year-old predator squids} soap fossils! We mixed glycerin soap and lemon/lavender fragrance in a vat, and heated it up together. We then poured the hot, melted soap into our ammonite molds. I even got to make one: 

The finished product^^

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The museum employees spoke Korean and English to the children. Showing us the many different fossils: 

It was a great day! 

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Make your own soap "fossils." Neat procedure I found on another blog: http://eisforexplore.blogspot.kr/2012/02/jurassic-amber-fossil-soap.html

Hana dul ses, kimche!!

In Korean, "hana dul ses", means one, "two, three". And "kimche" is the equivalent of saying "cheese" for a picture. Here we ALL are; dressed as our favorite story book characters for a dress-up day. It was a fun way to kick off November!

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Pepero Day

Today I was informed by one of my girls in residence that today {November 11th} is "Pepper or Pepero Day" in Korea. This is a new holiday that has gained popularity in Korea. The day takes it's name from the chocolate-covered pretzel sticks that are exchanged by young adults as a symbol of affection: think Valentines Day. 

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The 11th day of the 11th month is chosen specifically because 11/11 resembles the shape of the Pepero sticks. It also reflects the Korean thought of growing to be tall and thin. {Not sure if the chocolate-covered aspect helps here!} Either way, it's chocolatey pretzel goodness and a sweet gift. <3 
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Other Korean special days: http://www.seouleats.com/the-14th-is-a-special-day-in-korea/

Hot cakes! Aka Hotteok

In Korea, spicy is everywhere from kimche to ddeokbokki, so finding a traditional sweet pancake, or hotteok is a real treat for my sweet tooth. 

Prounced hoeduck, hotteok is a sweet, sticky Korean pancake filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, or diced peanuts/nuts. It is a popular street vendor food, {only about 1,000 KRW} and winter snack in Korea. We found them in Seoul on the streets of Hongdae. 

Traditionally the pancakes are fried in oil on a skillet, as seen above. Most are made with enough oil that they are somewhat deep fried. Oiiiii. Some are thick and doughy, and others less puffy and thin. The most truly unique texture of the hotteok is the crisp outside, and the chewy bread inside. Delicious! 

The tricky bit of this pancake recipe is the mixture of wheat flour, and the perfect mix of glutinous {sweet} rice flour, a staple in Korea. The magic is in finding the balance. The rest of the recipe is simple: equal parts milk, yeast, sugar, and salt. 

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To make: Small pieces of dough are flattened into disks, with a spoonful of filling folded in. Once on the griddle, the cook flattens the mixture with a spatula, and the cakes are left to sizzle. The cakes are served straight from the griddle in little paper cups. ^^Notice the hot dogs as well: another vey popular Korean street food. 

Recipe for hotteok: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/hoddeok

Yellow Dust

 While Seoul is amazing, and has amazing sights, it is also a polluted city. Yellow dust, a gift from China'a Gobi Desert, spreads in sweeping winds as particulate matter, and is carried to many parts of Asia in differing concentrations {typically in spring, but at any time; now it is particularly bad}. Which is often why Koreans are seen in the city wearing masks to cover their mouths. While in Seoul, the air was often so hazy it looked like a permanently foggy day. Seeing stars, even seeing the setting sun clearly, just simply doesn't happen: 

{The sun setting on a perfectly "sunny" day when we left Gimpo {Pronounced Kimpo} Airport in Seoul}. 

To compare: the sun above the haze from the airplane window: 

Interesting link on "yellow dust": 

http://usembassyseoulconsular.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/all-about-yellow-dust/

As Psy says: Gangnam Style

On a rainy day while in Seoul, what is one to do but shop. So Rachel and I had to check out Gangnam, an upscale district of Seoul known for it's good eats {and plastic surgery}, and made popular by the K Pop singer, Psy's hit song:  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH1XGdu-hzQ‎

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Your welcome for that little gem. 

Before we left, we had a relaxing brunch in Itaewon for breakfast. I haven't had a real satisfying breakfast in forever. Gecko's may be the closest thing to an American bar as you can get, here. Meaning they play Katy Perry and know what bacon is. 

 {Salad, along with other items like white rice, and squid, kimche, etc. is commonly served with breakfast. While Koreans do serve "typical" foods at breakfast, they have other sides as well. Also jam is served on any imaginable carb here}. 

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Shopping!: 

 {A man crafting handmade leather shoes. My size (US 8.5) or 255 in Korean sizes *aka Bigfoot* is very hard to find here. Some stores offer to craft you shoes that are not available in your size. 

 {^^The store. And below, leaving with the goods. New winter heels and a red leather handbag. I literally made Rachel take a subway 10 stops and a solid hour back to buy the handbag.Ahhh indecision. My sense of direction is nonexistent and I found the shop on the crowded streets}. 

 {The bear outside a teen's clothing store. The bear reminded me of my teddy, Buke and of my boyfriend, Luke :) }.

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{The ^^ charming little shoulder shrug routine he's doing. Also Luke. Miss ya!}

Why hello, Hello Kitty!

Anyone who has carried on a relationship with me longer than they have a breath mint, knows I AM OBSESSED with all things Hello Kitty. And what better place to celebrate HK then in the motherland: Asia. (Sanrio is a Japanese company). If you don't know what Sanrio's is: stop reading, we are no longer friends. 

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Here are some cutesy, girly, frilly PINK pictures. Ah. Sorry, Luke. 

*Meow*

  

 {Just the toilet stall...}

{Sampling a few treats}: 

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{Posing with the life size stuffies. What's better than cake and stuffed animals}? 

 {This woman was a visitor traveling from China. I saw her discreetly take my picture a few times, and then she asked me to pose with her! Her style is super unique: Loved it!}

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{Leavingggg} :(

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{Blink twice and you'll still see shades of red. Oops!}

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