Category Archives: Family Ties

Things specifically about the Hamlins.

The Cafe and Korean BBQ

03 Monday Oct 2011

Posted by in Cuisine, Family Ties

≈ 1 Comment

It is easy to healthfully over here, I will say that.  Every day, at our on-campus cafe, there are numerous fresh fruit and vegetable choices, low-sodium soup, the always present sticky white rice, and something with meat, usually with sauce.  Thank goodness I am head over heels for the sidekick kimchi – it is a delicious,  fermented vegetable/cabbage dish that reminds me of spicy sauerkraut.  I eat it quite a bit.  All the kids have tried it, too, and by golly, won’t eat another bite.  No worries, there is always peanut butter and jelly or toast with butter to enjoy.  The staff here in the kitchen aims to please – they’ll make or find anything you ask for, if they can.  Brownie night is a big hit, as you can imagine, but not for me.  My sweet tooth has yet to find a treat it deems delectable.  This is good for the waistline. 

Eating out is another story still.  Since we have, as of yet, only been to korean barbeque restaurants, the veggies take a supporting role while the meat – center stage.  Cuts of pork or beef, or whatever you order, are brought to you and cooked on a hibachi-type grill right in the center of the table.  You can imagine the hit this makes with children.  Finally, a gimmick at a restaurant that keeps their attention!  The waitstaff we’ve had when we’ve been out is generally nowhere to be seen until we do something truly crazy like try to grill our garlic on this hibachi!  This is NOT. OKAY.  They will smile while you laugh, but they do not find this funny.  I know this because they will take your utensil out of your hand and remove your sizzling garlic completely from your table.  And they will not bring you more. 

It’s hard to see in this picture, but after they take your order and get you started cooking, they will bring you a sidedish.  Or 20.  There are marinated onions, sprout salads, green shoot something-or-others, bowls of goo, dipping sauces, soups, more onions – only this time they’re sauteed…I can’t tell you the amount of food that arrives at the table.  To date, we have not finished what is brought to us, no matter how many people we bring along. 

This night, in these photos, we are with the Jolly family, at a restaurant, near their home, that took us in and treated us like we knew just what we were doing.  Well, the Jollys did, actually.  They’ve been in Korea for 9 years.  I liked it there, because though they, too, poopooed my roasted garlic idea, they didn’t take it away from me.  That’s gotta be good for business.  At least my business.

Here, McKenna, Macyn and Natalie do what all Korean students seem to do – give the peace sign!  And here are Guy, Sarah and Scott happily squished on the floor!  A very fun experience!

Our First Vacation

19 Monday Sep 2011

Posted by in Family Ties, Out in the Big World/Travel

≈ 2 Comments

Jeju Island was formed about 1.8 million years ago.  And, more recently (about 7,000 years ago,) its volcanoes once again got a little rambunctious and started creating the most beautiful rock formations here, there and everywhere, just to add a little cherry on top beauty to the place.  

  In our four days there we climbed up to a crater left from an erupted volcano, saw the old women divers known not only for their unique catches, but for their ability to hold their breaths for an inordinate amount of time.  We went in an underground lava tube (quite like a cave, really), hiked to numerous waterfalls and ate black belly pork.  Oh, and we hung out at the pools and the beach.  A lot.  It’s still 93 degrees on Jeju Island and the humidity is well into the 80% points.  Getting back to Daegu brought the temps down into the high 70’s again, heaven!

We decided to go to Jeju on dozens of recommendations and the inconvenient fact that we didn’t have our immigration cards in time to go to China for the holiday of Chuseok.  Funny how the way things work out is often better than the way you planned.  Welcome to my life!

 

 

The Celebrity Hamlins

15 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by in Family Ties, Strange Customs

≈ 1 Comment

Costco doesn’t even exist in Maine that I am aware of – but here, it is akin to nirvana.  We arrived, or tried to arrive, around 4pm on Sunday afternoon on a holiday weekend.  This was not a good idea.  Liane, the only one of us who can drive in Korea, legally, was directed into a traffic line that curled around the building and up the street.  So the rest of us jumped out into our shopping adventure.  The parking for this building is above ground, while the merchandise is actually below.  There are 5 subsequent floors dropping ever lower, and the lower you go the more expensive the goods.  We needed home goods and snacks, floors 3 and 2, respectively.

We had been told, before arriving here, that “everyone” in Daegu speaks English.  This is not true.  Not only do most people I have been in contact with not speak English, they have rarely seen a white skinned, blue eyed person.  They are not shy about staring (not rudely, though) or pointing and whispering at us.  (Which reminds me, this morning on my run, a man out on the trail hailed a very hearty “Goooood Mohning!” to me while his companion asked “how is your mama?” which I assume is the equivalent of “how are you, how’s your family?”  Very sweet, very genuine.)  Anyway, the funniest thing at Costco (besides the $12 Head and Shoulders) was when people started pulling out their phones to take our pictures, but covertly, as if they were paparazzi on the trail.  Guy,thankfully, towers over most everyone so he gets the most attention.  Plus he’s wicked easy to find when it’s wall to wall people fighting for their free samples.

Today was a day spent preparing my classroom and attempting to plan classes, though that’s difficult until I meet the students and know what they have done previously, what they are capable of and what they hope to accomplish in English this year.  Tomorrow morning is our staff meeting and then it’s full speed ahead with work.  For now, sleep.