만우절! April Fools! [aka I'm not moving back to Texas in July]

Apparently April Fools' Day is a pretty popular holiday around the world! Talk To Me In Korean, a popular Korean language learning website, tweeted about it:

‘April Fool’s Day’ is 만우절 [ma-nu-jeol] in Korean, 
but it is forbidden by law to actually say the word in public. 

*It's not actually illegal*
 GOOD ONE, TALK TO ME IN KOREAN. You totally got me.

A friend in my office also got me with the old "my wife is pregnant" prank. Two of my friends from Korea (who moved back to the States) actually *are* pregnant and they announced it today on facebook, knowing that some people wouldn't believe because it's 4/1. The hubs announces that she's pregnant every year, every year. I'm still not entirely sure if it's true, cause she could be playing along... that ultrasound picture could be a fake... (Katherine, I don't know if I can trust you... you've been married to Leon so long! But if it's real, I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU and still want to visit your prego self in July!)

Last year I pranked my students with a good old "No class today! JUST KIDDING. April Fools!"

This year, I tried to think of the least-believable thing I could say, so I posted this on facebook:

"Believe nothing today. Also, I'm moving back to Texas in July!" 

Unfortunately, people skim so much on facebook that the "BELIEVE NOTHING TODAY" gets lost and, well... I might have woken up to some very excited text message... and I had to crush some hopes. Sorry folks. Eet's a joke. Maybe the time difference was confusing? It was still March 31 back home when it was April 1 here?

I'll be back in July for a visit, for my cousin's wedding in early August, but I'm not actually moving back to Texas, as far as I know.

I'm not actually moving back to Texas, as far as I know. 

I have a contract that'll keep me here until at least February 2015, and I have no idea what's after that! I'm praying about it a lot. I have many places I'd like to go. I made a list of about 20 cities around the world in all sorts of countries, but honestly? Gwangju wasn't on my list, years ago. Jeonju wasn't on my list. They've been very good to me the past 2 years and change! The next city I move to might not even be on my current list. I make no claims to know what's going to happen in the next few years. God knows what he's doing with my plan. IF He does want me home in Texas anytime soon, He will make that happen. I think it's unlikely. I don't have any real plans to move back.

I hold my plans with a loose fist, because God's plan is so much better! That's what I want!

And then I deleted the facebook post, cause I don't want to crush any more hopes, especially when it's family that gets their hopes up. I love you all so much! Sorry if you believed me :/ 

PS the head of the foreign faculty (who's also the guy who hired me and also a friend) commented on my April Fools joke that I don't have a contract anymore, or something like that. Even though I'm pretty sure it was an April Fools joke itself, that is a little unnerving! *BELIEVE NOTHING TODAY*

PPS Google always does the BEST April Fools jokes! Here are my favorite Google pranks for today.

And Netflix is streaming 20 minutes of Sizzling Bacon. 

Well done, internet. I love ya. 

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY! 

Pedro's House: Guest house & Hostel in Gwangju, South Korea

I have known the famous Pedro Kim for over a year and I can tell you that he's a pretty awesome fellow. He recently opened Gwangju's newest and finest guesthouse. I have no idea how to write a guesthouse review, but I had a great time staying there and I want to support this new, local business, so here goes! 

If you're looking for a great place to stay in Gwangju, let me suggest Pedro's House! From the moment you walk in the door, you immediately feel welcome. The house itself takes on the personality of the host: it's cheerful and inviting. The living room is warm and cozy and clean. The kitchen is bright and cheerful, well-stocked and modern. It's a capital place to stopover. If you've decided to stay at Pedro's House, you have made a good choice. (How am I doing, guys? Does it read like a real review yet?)

Pedro's House is pretty easy to find. It's in Ssangchon-dong, right near Sangmu-jigu, which is one of my favorite areas of Gwangju. It's not too far from the inter-city bus terminal and it's right along Gwangju's subway line and several bus stops. It's off the beaten path, so you won't have major road noise, but it's close enough to the hustle and bustle of the city to be convenient. There's a lovely reservoir about a 20 minute walk away, with tons of coffee shops, restaurants, clubs, and a movie theater nearby. 

Find directions to Pedro's House on the website, www.pedroshouse.com, or visit the facebook page here. The website is easy to use and provides instructions by taxi, subway, and bus. It's very clear and easy to navigate! 

As you walk through the gate to the house, you walk up a tree-lined walkway, up a narrow flight of concrete stairs to a stoop with a silver door with a big green frame. You've arrived! 

You walk into the living room first. The living room has a vintage-looking orange couch covered in brightly-colored cushions and fabrics. There's a lamp in the corner next to a bookshelf that is absolutely covered in travel books about places all over the world. I read up on Thailand last time I was there, while my friend checked out the Lonely Planet: India on the shelf. 

Pedro provides tons of information about local Gwangju things: maps, guides, fliers for upcoming events. There's a PC to use and he provides the wifi password for your iPhone and other devices. 

The kitchen has plenty of space. There is a huge fridge where you can store your own groceries (there's a corner market 100m from the guesthouse, isn't that convenient?) plus he keeps the fridge stocked with tons of drinks to purchase as well! You can even buy whisky or wine at market value. How cool is Pedro?? The cabinets are full of dishes and utensils that you can use as long as you do your washing when you're finished. In the morning, toast and jam, tea, coffee, and the like are provided. There's a stove, a microwave, an electric kettle for hot water, and a french press for coffee, so you're free to make yourself at home!

There are 3 guest rooms attached to the living room and kitchen. The men's dorm has 2 beds (one bunk bed), the women's dorm has 4 beds (two bunks), and the third room is a private room with a queen bed. There are lockers provided for locking up your valuables. 

The furniture is quality, the bunks are wooden and new. There are clean linens on the hard Korean mattresses- fitted sheet, top sheet and/or blanket (seasonally), pillow with pillowcase, and a towel. 

There is only one bathroom, but it's a good size. It's pretty basic with a toilet, sink, shelves for your clothes, hooks for your towel. There is a shower curtain to keep the sink/toilet area dry. The shower head is still connected to the sink (as is usually the case in Korea), so you'll need to remember to turn the knob to use the sink again. On the wall outside the bathroom, the hot water heater has a sticker to remind you which button to press. There is a sign to sign up for the next shower on weekends with many guests. It's a pretty good setup! 

...

Ok, so this isn't a 'feature' or anything, but Pedro's House smells really good! That's one of those little things that can make or break a guesthouse experience. The new wooden bunks lend a cedar scent to the air that blends with the vintage-y fabric on the couch cushions and the coffee grounds in the kitchen. It's quite pleasing! It generally smells clean and homey, like a cabin in Colorado would smell. I like it. 

...

There is a veranda outside the big window in the living room, which is a nice place to sit in the evening. There's also rooftop access if you want to hangout on a beautiful day! I have only been there at night and on a rainy day, but if the weather was nice, I'd string up a hammock, throw some meat on the grill, and chill with a nice drink. There *are* buildings on all sides, so I think the roof has a more pleasant view. Grab yourself a Corona from the well-stocked fridge, add it to your tab, and head up to the roof for a nice evening.

Pedro himself is a great host! He shows you around, explains everything. He's very helpful and eager to please. Pedro really works to make his guests feel like guests. 

I've stayed in plenty of guesthouses around the world where it was a simple business transaction: hand over money, sleep in the bed. That's not the case here! Pedro strives to meet and visit with his guests. He's genuinely interested in travelers and their stories. He has plenty of stories to share as well, so do yourself a favor and have a drink with him if he offers! He's a cool guy to get to know. If you're lucky, he'll make soju cocktails. Whoa nelly! Yum. 

Like I said, I have known Pedro over a year. I have taken trips with his travel business, Lonely Korea, and they are well-planned and efficient and fairly priced. He's clear about the trip itinerary and he has good connections. He's good at what he does. I'd recommend them to everyone in Jeollanam-do, especially when you're new and/or want to meet people and/or are tired of your day to day routine and/or just want to get out and see some of Korea! 

I hope you enjoyed my assessment of Pedro's House. I love it, I'll stay there again, you should too! If you want to read more reviews, check out Join Chase: Pedro's House review. It's a good review with REALLY GOOD PHOTOS of the place! Click it! Here's the link again. I wish I'd gotten such nice pics! Camera envy... skills envy... eish. You should also check out The Gwangju Blog: Pedro's House review.

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Again here's the link to the official Pedro's House website. 

Here's the link to the facebook page once more. 

Here's a link to reserve a spot at Hostelworld.com. Do it. Doooo it. 

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If you're looking for a great place to stay in Gwangju, stay at Pedro's House! 

Braaikamp

A mini-trip to South Africa by way of South Korea: Braai Camp at Jirisan National Park. 

  

...

  

Every year, Hunter's puts on a Braai Camp for Saffers in South Korea. Remember how I went to a braai a few months ago? This was 'n bietjie (a little) like that, but our Jeonju braai was a klein (small) braai and THIS was a groot (great, big) braai. 

It was a weekend of eating a ton of incredible South African dishes, drinking a ton of delicious South African things, hanging out with a ton of baai mooi South African people, speaking one of my new languages. Fun was had by all. 

Hunter's is a brand of South African hard cider. It's pretty amazing. There's a gold and a dry, and if I were to review them I'd say that they both have their merits, but I prefer the dry. It's a little crisper, while the gold is a little sweeter. Anyway, Hunter's sponsored the weekend of braai happiness and many of our pictures look like we're living in a Hunter's ad campaign. 

The original, pure golden cider.

Who wouldn't want to drink Hunter's with models like us?

Refreshes like nothing on earth. 

The event started Saturday around lunchtime. They sold boerewors rolls for lunch, which are the most amazing beef links on a bun ever. So delicious. I want another.

Egbert with boerewors roll in hand. 

We spent a chunk of the afternoon down at the river. I don't know if you know this about Korea, but we have this concept called "seasons" which is mostly unheard of in Texas. I am used to "summer," "late summer," "off-and-on-winter-ish," and "early summer." Unfortunately for me, September in South Korea is "early fall" which means that river was ICE COLD and there wasn't enough hot weather going on outside the river to support the crazy decision to jump in. I think you all know me by now, though... I totally got in anyway. I'm gonna rack up as much time swimming as I can, even without a good reason. It wasn't *too* bad once you got used to it, and if you stayed submerged to your shoulders, you didn't notice the absurd cold. Side note: Monty (not pictured) was like "oh, I wasn't going to take off my shirt cause I'm so white, but then I saw you and I felt better." Y'ALL. THIS *IS* MY SUMMER TAN. Fair skin problems. Welcome, welcome to my life. 

Most everyone chose not to brave the ice water. Their loss ;) 

It was so nice to play with the kiddos at the braai. It felt right, taking up my role as Tannie (Aunt) Zara with the 3 Julius children (they're also from Jeonju!). They're such sweet kids! I soaked in the cuddles and playtime. <3!! 

Obviously not everyone in attendance *was* a Saffa. They're kind enough to include us wannabees (the nice ones even call us *honorary Saffas* - isn't that sweet?) and friends. Most people were impressed by Jennifer's and my limited Afrikaans (!! we've got good teachers). We learn differently, but ons probeer. We try. She even uses a real book to study. So far, I use youtube. I joke that I'm in Afrikaans kindergarten. Ja. Nee. Blou. Rooi. Die leeu is kwaad. Die olifant is groot. Ek weet nie.  

Learning a new language is SO. MUCH. FUN. Being sarcastic in a language that you barely understand is even MORE fun. Really, once you get a few basics, you can smile and nod your way through a surprising amount of conversation. Besides, as we learned in the movie Hitch with Will Smith: "90% of what you say ain't coming out of your mouth." Maybe next year I'll be able to hold an actual conversation! Goal: set. I need to get that study book.


The Main Event: Ons gaan nou BRAAI! 

Braaiing itself is a big deal. The men do the meat, the women fix the sides. It's cultural. It's done a certain way. You don't mess with tradition. I, for one, am ok with this. That's mostly how it's done where I'm from, too. Besides, I love sides. I am not good at the grill. So.

Braai 

Marli!! I just love her. How am I so lucky to have such a great big sister in faith??

Amy and I are pretty much total goofballs. Please love us anyway. 

Making braaibroodjies! I'm mildly obsessed with them now. THEY'RE JUST SO LEKKER. The South African boys were pretty impressed that an American girl was making braaibroodjies. Also lekker. 

FIRE! 

The braaibroodjies hitting the grill - AH SO MUCH GOOD FOOD!! 

SO good. Lamb chops, boerewors (beef links), varkswors (pork links).

There was so much food! The meat was out of this world, there was potato salad, cole slaw, braaibroodjies, salad, wine, melktert, etc. etc. I didn't have enough room for everything that I wanted to eat! With the sun going down over the mountains, we feasted on a mouthwatering, joyous dinner. 

AND THEN WE WATCHED RUGBY. South Africa played Australia at 7. They've never beaten the Wallabies at home in Australia... that is, until SATURDAY! Jacques sat next to me and patiently explained, well, everything. I love sports and I'm absolutely obsessed with American football, so it was so much fun! Something exciting would happen and I'd be like WHAT WAS THAT!? By the end of the 2nd half, I was hooked. Standing up, arms crossed, just like I do when I'm watching the end of the 4th in a tight game of American football. It was awesome. AND THEN WE WON! Soundly. And then the really drunk saffas did crazy things... like moon the projector... bahaha, whatever. As if I haven't seen crazy drunk shenanigans at tailgate parties in the States. *Crazy* knows no nationality. (The game was so short! I'm used to games lasting around 3.5 hours.)

There were live bands all afternoon. They were ok, but when the singers would start talking... bless their hearts. Just sing, honey. Toward the end of the evening, sokkie dancing was attempted, but it wasn't as good as sokkie-ing to 'proper sokkie music,' from what the Saffas said. 

I'll be honest with you. The sokkie part of the evening was a... struggle. 

The guys were so patient with me. I quickly figured out that every guy sokkies differently. For example, Egbert is 6'4" and holds his extended arm somewhere up by his ear... um... I'm 5'2" y'all. I couldn't reach. Urgh. 

I love to dance in general. Back at home, I go dancing at country bars whenever I can. Get me on a dance floor and I'm a happy girl. I learned to two-step, polka, waltz, etc. in college, but even back then I had to *learn* to follow the guy's lead. It was hard, I wasn't good at it, and I'd accidentally try to lead. I had some very patient guys teach me and (through much trial and error) I finally figured out how to respond when the guy pushed you one way or another. 

Fast forward from then to Saturday night... it's like I was starting from scratch. I was trying to translate my knowledge of two-step into sokkie and you just can't. It's close, but it's not. I didn't know *what* I was supposed to be following, and every guy does it differently! I felt like I was 16 again, completely lost and frustrated. If I'd try to follow a spin, I'd hold my hand out the way I learned, pulling back a little, keeping tension in the line to be pulled back through the spin. Oops- wrong. Apparently, I need to keep my fingers loose and "just follow" ... Ugh. Also, I'm a bit of a know-it-all, so it was hard. How do you "just follow" when you don't know what you're supposed to be following? 

*mega metaphor for life as a Christian, huh? submission to Jesus, no matter what he's about to do with you? mega metaphor for my personal struggle with pride and just let me do it, ok? attitude* 

So, in a nutshell, I got a little bit frustrated. I got frustrated that I didn't know what I was doing. I got frustrated that I wasn't good at this kind of dance. I got embarrassed that I was frustrated. I got embarrassed that I was embarrassed. And...oh no...I got emotional. >< 

Lord bless my friends, cause I try not to be *that emotional girl* most of the time. And yet. I was a bit more tipsy than I should have been (taking shots right before you dance isn't a great idea... darn you, delicious springbokkies) and, welp, the emotional-self-control went out the window. They actually handled the emotional overload well (thanks, y'all). 

In the midst of the emotional mess, my nose ring fell out and I took that time to go off and have my own little pity party and put in a new nose stud. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out by the fire. Once in a while I'd ask if we could dance to something, then pout because the answer was no, this song's too slow. (My niece might have gotten some lessons on pouting from me... I'm a pro.) By the time they finally played 'proper sokkie music,' everyone in our group was off to bed. 

It was really fun to try, though! Next time, sokkie. Maybe I'll figure you out next time. 

Beautiful end to a beautiful day. 

Day 2 

I woke up bright and early Sunday morning (cause I'm a morning person now and it's become impossible for me to sleep in) and went for a walk to the river for some quiet time. Read through Psalm 37. It couldn't have been better.

Look how beautiful! Jirisan National Park is picturesque.

I'm a walking TOMS advertisement. 

We spent the rest of the morning hanging out, playing frisbee, eating breakfast, talking, walking, and eating ice cream before driving back to go our separate ways. My poor car actually made it through the mountains, can you believe it? LOTS of prayer went into that part of the trip, oh man! The brakes held out, though, and I didn't do too much damage to the transmission and/or gear box. My friends in the car were so supportive of my stressed-out driving. Bless them! Even when the brake-fluid-hydraulic-stuff spazzed out on me and I had a minor panic attack (heart in throat), they were calm, cool, and collected. I don't deserve them! Amy even came all the way back with me to Jeonju to make sure Sarabi and I were safe.

Ons het 'n baie lekker naweek. We had a very nice weekend. 

Y'all, I just love my friends. What a blessing. It was such a unique weekend. Oh, this crazy life! Sometimes I wonder about the intense blessings I've received in this season of life, then I remember what I've read:

"When people's steps follow the Lord, God is pleased with their ways." 

Psalm 37:23 

Can't wait for next year! Hunter's Braai Camp 2014, I'm ready for you. 

Commonwealthishly Texan (a Texan learns to braai)

Moving to South Korea, I knew I'd experience a lot of cultural exchange. I bow a little when I meet new people, I read hangul, I am perfectly content to eat rice at every meal. I love touring temples and hanok villages, going to noraebangs, learning the language a word or a phrase at a time.  But there's a cultural exchange that I was entirely unprepared for:

South Africa.

I think I have as many good friends from South Africa at this point than any other country, and I've never even been there.  Every time I turn around, I meet more Saffers, and truly delightful ones at that! And. I. Love. It.

I've been exposed to new sports, new language, new food. I get postcards from Free State that I have to translate from Afrikaans. I sing along with lyrics that I can't quite understand, but when I hear something I think I know, I get super excited.  I try to compare rugby with what I know about American football. A Saffer taught me to drive stick, so I'm just as comfortable talking about the petrol as I am talking about the gas.

A while back, my dear Saffer-friend Amy started calling me Commonwealthishly Texan, cause I love tea as much as a good citizen of the British Commonwealth.  It just gets better.

Two weeks ago, another dear Saffer-friend, Marli, coordinated a braai for all the Saffers in Jeonju.

Braai is the Afrikaans word for barbecue or grill, but it's also the cultural aspect of barbecuing or grilling. It's a lot like America/the South, how we grill at home, but go to a barbecue as an event. You can just braai or you can go to a braai. (Correct if I'm wrong, Saffers!)  It was a ton of fun! Amy came up from Gwangju and joined in. We had a few other countries represented, too, like Rwanda, Ghana, Belize, Korea, and the USA (represent). There was good food, good conversation (in English and Afrikaans), games, wine... ahhh so lovely!

Now about the desert: 

South Africans have a desert called milk tart (or melktert, as Amy made me spell it in Afrikaans).  Since I've been friends with a bunch of these peeps for a year now, I've heard about melktert a time to two, and always with fondness from those mentioning it. Marli sent me a recipe to make one for the braai and being the adventurous baker that I am, I set about my task.

Y'all. Julle. It was comical.  I had never seen a milk tart, never tasted it, never seen anyone making it on a cooking show, nothing.  How on earth does a girl figure out what to do? The internet, that's how. I read about half a dozen recipes and got a general idea for what I probably wanted to do, then just jumped in.

I decided to make two, since there are 2 different ways to have milk tart. You can either bake it or cook the filling on the stove and have it set in the refrigerator.  I figured that if one version crashed and burned, the other might turn out well.

There I was, laughing at myself in my kitchen - a Texan in Korea baking South African Melktert. Belaglik. Ridiculous. As I was fussing with the tart in the oven, wondering if it was right that it rose so much, the filling that I was preparing on the stove started to burn! I forgot to turn off the heat!! So I placed the oven tart to the cooling rack quickly and rushed to save the batch on the stove, but no dice. There was no way that was going in a tart crust. Not being one to waste delicious things, I poured it in a bowl anyway and got as much of the burnt out of the mix... then... I dipped a spoon in... and the clouds parted, my taste buds rejoiced!! Now I understood the reason for all the goings-on! This "milk tart" business... it's amazing!

With second batch of stovetop filling cooked, I let it set in the crust in the fridge and ... well, it looked nothing like the one from the oven.  Aren't they the same thing? Shouldn't they look similar? Guess not (or I'd gone horribly wrong, whichever).  Amy arrived and reassured me that they were both fine, maybe the oven turned out a little more like a souffle than I intended, but milk tart is a finicky desert that takes practice.

At the braai, the milk tarts went over like gangbusters. It was awesome! The fridge tart was voted the best, but the oven one was not neglected. We had steak and braai broodjies, which are these little grilled sandwiches with cheese and tomato and onion. (Hey family, get ready. These are coming to a grill near you in July!)  With potato salad and coleslaw, people all over, talking and laughing, kids running in and out, grill going, marshmallows toasting, desert eating, wine and beer drinking, it really, really felt like I was at home. I think I'm gonna like South Africa. Time to move to Capetown!!

The menfolk braaing at the grill 

The ladies making braai broodjies 

Twins! (on the inside)

If you ever wondered what Amy Daniels looked like as a little girl, we found her carbon copy!

The melktert!! The oven one on the left, the fridge one on the right.

My soul's at peace!

This weekend, I got mistaken for a South African on twitter and it made my day!  Sometimes I tweet in my poor Afrikaans and I'd posted pictures of milk tart at the braai, so I guess it's an easy mistake. Who would have thought??  The girl who left Houston 16 months ago would have never believed it.

I love this strange, unexpected cultural exchange! Dis baie lekker.


Some of the more beautiful photos courtesy of the lovely Marli van Vuuren