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How To Perform A Korean Jesa Ceremony
Jesa (์ ์ฌ) ceremonies are performed to honor the ancestors that have come before and paved the way for those that live today and the Lunar New Year is one time during the year that almost everyone partakes in the memorial rite.
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How To Set The Table for Jesa
On Seollal, before anything else, family members awake very early to cleanse themselves and dress in nice clean clothes. They may even wear a Hanbok, a traditional Korean style of clothing. Next, the table will be set. The table setting varies from region to region and family to family, but there are some basic rules that are followed everywhere.
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What To Expect When You’re In Labor in Korea
Having a baby abroad can be stressful. With emotions that are already running rampant because of pregnancy hormones, adding a new stressor isn't ideal. There had been no Lamaze classes or lessons on what to expect prior to labor and there we were. Five hours of contractions in the hospital in a room with just my husband and me and some nurses that would come and go every thirty minutes or so was the set up. Here's a general guideline of what to expect that might be different when giving birth in Korea.
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Learning Korean Can Be Laugh Out Loud Funny: Funny Korean Words & Phrases
Learning a new language is a difficult task for anyone. Some of my favorite words or phrases are the ones that are just so literal in my own language that they are hilarious. Here have been some of my favorites that I still try to splice into conversation even if it's just to make myself chuckle a little.
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Only 53 Halmoni Remain
In January of this year, two halmoni, or former comfort women, passed away and now there are only 53 remaining. Comfort women is a euphemism for women that were coerced into sexual slavery by Japan during WWII. These women now preferred to be called halmoni, or grandmother in Korean, because they were anything but comfortable or comforted in the situation they were forced to endure.
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A Crazy Multiply Sketch Night Is a Hit!
The Crazy Multiply Art Collective once again hit it big with the recent Transcribe/ Coalesce sketch night. With Crazy Multiply Transcribe/Coalesceeverything from musicians, installations, performance art and craft beer to boot, it would have been difficult not to enjoy the people and the space.
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Korean Cooking: How To Make Janchiguksu
Janchiguksu ์์น๊ตญ์ is a common meal in Korean homes while also common at wedding buffets and other major events. It's a warm and light soup that fills you up without weighing you down. It is one of my all time favorites that I could eat anytime. It's a pretty straightforward noodle soup with fish broth and some vegetables to top it off. It's a good basic Korean soup to learn and from there, you can shoot for the more difficult stews.
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10 Ways To Enjoy the Han River
The Han River is an iconic natural symbol that runs through the center of the city of Seoul. The construction projects that began in the 1980s to give the Han River a needed makeover have been rather successful and now there are plenty of things you can do to enjoy the scenic waterway. Don't be left out. Here are 10 ways to experience and enjoy the Han River in Seoul from summer to winter either on or along it.
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Raising Kids In Korea: Blunt Comments From Ajjummas
It's often said that Koreans are blunt. I don't recall hearing any Koreans say that but plenty of foreigners that come to the Land of the Morning Calm do. I imagine if you grow up here, what we consider blunt is considered normal and what we consider polite and non-confrontational could be considered passive and aloof. Going out into public with the new baby is something I look forward to while at the same time brings a nervous jittery feeling I never had before when faced with stepping out my front door.
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What to Expect After Giving Birth in Korea
We’d made it. We had our bundle of joy, gave birth in Korea, and were no longer the expectant couple. We were now a trio ready to face the world… well sort of. Giving birth in Korea can be daunting and there is so much going on from finding doctors, going to hospitals or birthing centers, to setting up the home to be baby friendly. It’s easy enough to think that once the baby comes, everything is done. But it isn’t! One of the first things to do is to get the birth certificate and yes, you should get both the Korean birth certificate and the English birth certificate. There…
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My Top Ten Adventures of 2014!
This year was full of new adventures for me and for my husband and not all of them included travel. I used to think traveling someplace new was all an adventure could be but, this year I learned that adventures can come in all shapes and sizes and experiences. 1. New Orleans, Louisiana:ย For our trip home this year we didn’t exactly go home. Instead of heading to my home state of Ohio, we headed to the Big Easy with my family to celebrate some big birthdays. We enjoyed the beautiful historic buildings and homes that lined the streets of the French Quarter and filled our bellies with the very filling…
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Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas From My Family to Yours Twas Christmas morning and all through the house were the sounds of laughter and glee from me, to our new baby and even my spouse. Of course we’d awoken a couple times in the night toย criesย from the littleย one but nothing would keep usย from smiling bright. We’d invited some friends to join us for a drink and a meal and soon they’d be here to eat, sing and squeal. Ornaments were hung in the window with care and a little tree sat on the table just there. Our little babe was dressed anew, got a massage and a clean diaper too. We’d cooked the…
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Basic Survival Rules For A Night Out In Korea
Whether you’re looking for a riotous night out or not, Korean style nights are a lot to handle especially if you don’t know what to expect. The basic game plan for any night out in Korea is to last five rounds which cover five different locations and often cover multiple alcoholic beverages and food across a spectrum of delicacies. There might even be some fun Korean drinking games. Drinking in Korea is serious… make sure you’re ready if you plan to have a night out in Seoul. There are plenty of tips and tricks and even Korean hangover cures for surviving and actually enjoying a night out, so let me…
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Dating In Korea: How I Snagged a Korean Musician
Dating in Korea might be a bit different than whatever you’re used to. I’m not sure what you’re used to, but I can say none of it is as romantic as it is in Korean dramas. I think that should be obvious already, but for some reason, a lot of foreign women in Korea don’t seem to get that. Just like American dramas, dating in the US isn’t the same as a drama or as hilarious as in the sitcoms. You can find your partner in Korea, but you might not.ย Dating in Korea can be different. Here are some things to expect: (This post contains affiliate links, which means…
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Secrets of the Korean Post-Natal Hotel: Postpartum Recovery In Korea
One of the decisions to be made by Korean women after they have their baby is whether or not they will stay in a post-natal hotel (referred to as a ‘PNH’ in the rest of this article). Post natal hotels are the best postpartum recovery option in Korea. Commonly women will attend such a place for two to three weeks after the baby comes in order to recuperate and learn how to care for the new addition to their family. If they will not attend one of these places it is generally assumed that they will be staying with their mother or mother-in-law or the elder woman will come to…
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Pregnant In Korea: I’m Under Construction!
Eleven months ago we decided it was time to add a member to our family and the next thing we knew, just a month later, I was pregnant. Though my mother warned me multiple times this was something that couldn’t be planned, we somehow managed to plan it pretty well. Anyone that reads my blog may have noticed by now that I am a planner. It’s not that I can’t handle unplanned events or occasions but, I always figure it’s better to have a plan going in and even if things change, I’ll have some sort of idea of how to adapt and cope with the changes. It’s all about…
