Kimchi Day!

Trip Start Nov 18, 2011

Trip End Mar 02, 2013

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of Korea Rep. Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, Korea Rep.
Monday, November 28, 2011

So, first week down. Schedules, classrooms, teachers, students, mountains of textbooks, attempting to master smartboards, new spicy flavours, exploring my new hometown, celebrating Thanksgiving, school-wide kimchi-making day, chocolate cookie cravings, playing sardines while riding the subway in Seoul, delicious streetfood...
It's certainly enough to make for a memorable week! I am so grateful for the amazing coworkers here - I couldn't ask for a better group. I did initially have reservations about coming to teach in Korea, but the lovely people I work with make it very easy to make the transition to life here.
At school, the students participate in the tradition of making kimchi. The staff helped prepare cabbage all week long in preparation for the main event. When Thursday came around, the kids donned aprons and gloves and got right into the mess of applying a spicy red pepper paste to the cabbage leaves. Afterwards, it is left to ferment in jars burried underground. The school makes it's own kimchi which is served everyday with lunch. It is an acquired taste. One that I am still acquiring, although freshly made kimchi tops my list so far. If you are so inclined to believe, some insist that eating kimchi helps stave off infection. So, with the winter cold seaon quickly approaching...Eat up!

Slideshow