Annyeong Haseyo! (That's Hello in Korean)

As you may have read (and read again), I'm not quite 100% right now. Therefore, I'm excited that several friends have been willing to write some guest posts. I've known Christine since our first year in college, um, several years ago, and over about an 18-month period, she chronicled her experience living in South Korea. You see where I'm going here with the Winter Olympics being in Pyeongchang, right? Here's Christine:

With the start of the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, I’ve found myself feeling a bit “homesick” for Seoul. For one military assignment, our family spent a great year and a half exploring South Korea, enjoying the food, and falling in love with the culture. I visited museums and palaces, attended markets and festivals, and attended many different concerts (who’s up for some K-Pop, Pansori, or Korean heavy metal?). It is a country that embraces tradition while moving full steam into the future, having rebuilt itself after the horrible conflict with the north. We are always asked if we felt safe there - my answer: it’s the safest place I’ve ever lived, with little crime and welcoming people.

When Sean asked me to write a guest blog post, I happily dusted off my keyboard and revisited my Korea blog for some inspiration. One post that immediately came to mind was our visit to the 1998 Summer Olympics site in Seoul - you can check out all of the pictures here (there are a bunch).

Knowing how the Koreans have revamped that space into a bustling part of the city and event venue, I’m sure they will make great use of the new site in the future. I did actually get to visit Pyeongchang for a snow tubing festival ahead of the games - even in 2015, preparations were well underway and the Koreans were gearing up for the games. If they ever add a snow tubing event at the Olympics, I am ready to represent!

Watching the opening ceremonies brought back many memories, including my classes in Korean drumming. The large opening number featured women dressed in white playing in unison on the janggu. It is a Korean, hourglass-shaped drum, and I brought one back to the states with me. As a music teacher, it was fun learning a new instrument and we got to wear the traditional colored dress for our concert. The five children featured throughout the opening ceremony wore those colors: red for fire, blue for wood, yellow for earth, white for metal, and black for water.

Nostalgia also had me visiting the local Korean market to stock up on some favorite items. We LOVE eating Korean food, although we tend toward the less spicy end of the spectrum. If it’s red - beware! If I could have my own Korean BBQ grill inside the house at all times, I’d be a happy girl. One website I use for Korean recipes is written by Maangchi:  www.maangchi.com

Some of our favorites for you to consider trying:

Bibimbap (비빔밥) - rice mixed with vegetables, meat, egg, and chili pepper paste
Jjajangmyeon (짜장면) - noodles with black bean sauce
Samgyetang (삼계탕) - ginseng chicken soup
Hotteok (호떡) - sweet pancakes filled with brown sugar (Sean's note: This sounds delicious!)

So for the next few weeks, you can most likely find me watching all of the events in Pyeongchang with a milkis in hand (yes, milk flavored soda - so good!), cheering on our US athletes and smiling at all of the things that make Korea….well, Korea!