May12

The Other Side of Being an Expat

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Amalia

There is something inherently glamorous about people that live abroad from their home countries. I know that I put my friends and family on a pedestal because of it. How can life be difficult living in Paris or Seoul or Tokyo?

Well… Life is life wherever you go. You might leave your country but not who you are. People often think living abroad is a way to escape their problems back home or a way to reinvent who they are. While its true that becoming an expat will change you, it will not change key traits in your personality. Rather, it will enhance them. If you are a loner, expat life will turn you into a hermit. If you like to party, expat life might turn you into a homegrown version of Lindsay Lohan. Expats need to be careful about the choices they make in the first few weeks and months of their transition. If you don’t prepare yourself, life will get really hard very quickly.

For me, the past 10 months have been a roller coaster of changes, experiences, and personal growth. I’ve struggled with severe homesickness brought on by not one, but three cases of food poisoning and the loss of a key friendship in my host country. I also have been very lucky that I’ve developed a network of friends to help me through the difficult times.

Initially, I was on vacation mode. This lasted around three to four months. I went out almost every night. I did not cook at home and ate food that was not part of my normal diet e.g. fried, fatty foods and lots of alcohol. I also found myself sleep deprived. I stayed out late and got up early. I was exhausted and didn’t know it. Around mid fall I stated getting sick, a lot. I had cold after cold along with several bouts of food poisoning. I gained weight and was out of shape. In short, I was a mess!

I left Korea for three weeks but my party-party life style continued. To make matters worse after two bouts of food poisoning, Europe was the perfect excuse to eat all the food I had been missing in Korea. How can you avoid carbohydrates and alcohol in Europe? And why would you?

In March, I joined a MeetUp group for a visit to Sokcho and Seoraksan National Park for a three day exploration of the area. I didn’t know it at the time but this would be my breaking point. The trip started out great. I highly recommend this part of Korea. The people are always friendly and the food interesting. I had more than my fair share of seafood, most of which was delicious. Seoraksan was breathtaking. I cannot express the beauty of the Korean landscape. The mountains still had lingering snow coupled with beautiful, crisp sunny weather. Saturday night, it all fell apart.

One of my trip mates, a girl from the Czech Republic, and I found ourselves violently ill by Saturday night with severe diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. To this day we are not sure which culprit sent us into our downward spiral. The three suspects are: homemade gimbap, Korean sashimi, or one, yes only one, raw oyster. Regardless of blame, I ended up in the doctor’s office twice. My symptoms lasted well over two weeks. Two rounds of antibiotics, an IV, the Korean version of Pepto-Bismol, Smecta, and various other medications could not alleviate my symptoms. The damage went beyond the physical. I could not eat Korean food. Psychologically I was damaged.

Yet, out of the darkness comes the light. This was the wake up call I needed. Since my illness I’ve slowed my life style to a normal pace. Most meals I cook and eat at home. I started walking to work and joined a yoga class. I also avoid going out on school nights and limit drinking to one to two days a week. My body is thanking me. Slowly I’m getting back in shape, but most importantly I am feeling normal. I’ve also learned to value the friends that matter and let go of the ones that don’t.

Life is not a roller coaster of adventure anymore. This expat is no longer on vacation. She is here to live and work and looks forward to sleeping in on Saturday morning. Life is not glamorous but it’s livable.

Now, about my upcoming trip to Vietnam and Cambodia…

The pee colored IV I received during my last bout of food poisoning.

May11

MeetUp in Korea

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Amalia

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Moving to a new country is daunting. Making friends in a new country is at times a Herculean task. Luckily there are several social networking sites for expats as well as locals dedicated to getting people out of their shells and out into the world.

A site I’ve had great experiences through is

Feb4

My Keyboard ROCKS!

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Amalia

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One of the best decisions I’ve made was purchase a wireless keyboard. I’ve not been blogging because of a perfect storm of circumstances: homesickness, work, tons of travel, friends, and… lack of a keyboard!

Moving to Korea meant giving up many of my creature comforts. Before moving to Korea I gave my daughter laptop and invested in an iPad. My iPad has been terrific in replacing my cumbersome HP laptop and for the most part has been an incredible device. It has functioned as wifi phone, camera, television, social networking tool, game console, banking center, internet hub. The list goes on. The one drawback has been having to hunt and peck on the iPad’s on screen keyboard to do any sort of typing. I hated typing on it. It was so cumbersome and unnatural! It took me three times as long to get any sort of writing out and quite honestly it wasn’t fun at all.

I recently attended an educational technology conference in Hong Kong. My school is considering adopting 1:1 iPads and I took mine as a sort of experiment. Could I survive a tech conference only using my iPad? The answer was a resounding yes, but I hated typing and taking notes with the iPad’s keyboard. After the conference I was determined to purchase a keyboard for much beloved and well used device.

I did some research on possible candidates. I don’t always need a keyboard and though i was tempted to purchase a new iPad cover with a built in keyboard, I finally settled on Apple’s very own wireless, bluetooth keyboard. What a great decision! Not only can I connect it with my iPad, I’m currently typing on my iPhone! I am so excited at the possibilities this new peripheral will bring.

So no more excuses for not writing on a regular basis. I have quite a few new posts planned and looking forward to typing them!

Jul31

Expo 2012 Exposed

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Amalia

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This past weekend I attended the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea. Originally I was to ride a bus up with my friend Heather and her husband. Unfortunately they became gravely ill in their Thailand trip. I was debating wether or not to go on my own. Fortunately I met a new adventurous colleague, Jared.

We met Friday night and Saturday morning we were on our way on an AKA… awesome Korea adventure. We bought bullet train tickets. In 3 hours we were all the way across Korea on the coast. Luckily the Expo has expanded train service in that part of the country and the train station was right outside the Expo.

We arrived around 1 pm got in line for tickets and were shocked when we only paid 6k₩ for both of us. We thought it was a mistake at first but decided not to question our good fortune and went with it.

We entered the Expo grounds mesmerized by all the sounds and commotion all around. Straight ahead were the different country pavilions.

The main area had a HUGE digital canopy that swirled and changed with various amazing images.

We explored a few of the various country pavilions. Lines were brutal for most so we took advantage of the less popular venues.

On our wanderings we ran into the Australia pavilion which had some delicious smelling meat-on-a-stick. We caved and got a sampling along with a couple of much needed beers.

We also caved and braved the lines for the USA pavilion. It was the coolest one we saw… Literally. A wall of water rained down during the entire presentation. It took all of my self control to refrain from running in and bathing in it. It was so bloody hot!!!!

The theme for the entire event was save our oceans. Here’s the Big O as a symbol for the whole event. That is their name, not mine, BTW.

We went to several of the theme pavilions which focused on a different aspect of saving the oceans. One was about humans relationship with the ocean past and present. We saw a shipwreck and a miniature futuristic ocean city.

Another was like Free Willy but with a manatee instead of an orca. I got in trouble for taking pictures. I got punished by having them come out blurry.

At the end an animatronic robot version of Free Willy Manatee flew over the crowd.

We stood in line after line braving the crowds and heat. In between we stopped for food ( Jared was obsessed with meat-on-a-stick) and for photo ops.

We were jealous of the kids running around in the water. We settled for some pics instead.

Jared also got the star treatment for his green apple shake. About 5 employees tried to figure out how to make it when they ran out of ice. In the end he got it made with an extra scoop of green tea ice cream to boot.

We wandered over to the corporate pavilions but alas we missed seeing any. The crowds were brutal and some had shut down for the day. Jared got his picture taken with one of the Korean hostesses as a consolation prize.

We finished off the day with a K-Pop concert. It was the best behaved concert crowd either one of us had seen. We wanted to get up and dance but we clapped side to side like everyone else instead.

After sitting on concrete for two hours plus we ventured out not a having a place to stay for the night. I was dreading sleeping on a park bench. We got in a cab and said “jjimjilbang” … The cabbie grumbled all the way there. Turns out the Korean bathhouse was a 10 minute walk from the Expo. No wonder he was so crabby. Once there we debated about going out to eat and then checking in. We were afraid of not getting a spot so we gladly took the jammies and keys they gave us. For 8k ₩ each we had a place to pass the night. Jared was a bit freaked out by the communal bathing and sleeping arrangements. He took this picture:

Wall to wall people all sleeping on the floor. This is the new normal. I embraced it. Unfortunately I did not sleep a wink. My travel partner, on the other hand, was snoring peacefully in no time at all.

We were up by 5 am the next day. We headed out, bought train tickets on the slow train back, and got much needed food.

The 5 hour train ride was brutally long after a sleepless night and crazy busy day the day before. We made it home by mid afternoon. My bed never felt so good Jared made a great travel companion. He won’t replace my daughter, she holds the #1 spot but he is a close second. He is the Gilligan to my Skipper. Good job lil’ buddy!

Jul31

Jamming to Weezer at 300km/h

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Amalia

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Sitting on a bullet for the first time in my life. I can’t believe I’m traveling at 300 km/h or 186 mi/hr. It doesn’t feel like it at all. The ride is super smooth. I’m on my way to Expo 2012… The world’s fair. So excited!

I entered the train in car 7, found my seat but ended trading it. A kid was sitting next to me and his mom was in car 13. Since I’m flying solo for the next 3 hours I decided to move. They seemed grateful. It was kind of fun moving from car to car. Once i found my new seat I was a bit uncomfortable with the potent smell of food in the car. As soon as everyone found their eats they took out their breakfast! Yuk! Normally I wouldn’t care but in train car with no windows it is not pleasant.

I decided to entertain myself with blogging and Weezer. I haven’t made time lately to write. I wanted to just take everything in and enjoy my time in Korea. So what have I’ve been up to? Everything!!!!!

I have played sand volleyball by the Han River, visited multiple traditional markets, eaten fresh seafood bought and cooked at the world famous seafood market, walked the grounds of a palace and Secret Garden, made a paper lotus flower at a Buddhist temple in the middle of the second largest metropolitan area on the whole Earth, eaten some of the best food, hung out with some of the nicest, coolest colleagues ever!

Jul16

Seoultastic… Part 3: Itaewon and the Korean War Memorial

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Amalia

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I sure am tuckered out. I was up by 5 am… again. It’s now 8:43 exactly. I had a pretty full day.

I registered to vote overseas and with the US Embassy first thing. Then, I put a call for help on Facebook. I’m homesick. I miss my girl, my family, my cats, my car, my smells, my sounds, my air, my grass… knowing stuff. I’m an ignorant mute here.

The Campbells came to the rescue: Tre, Heather, Quane, and Zane. We agreed to meet at Vatos in Itaewon. It was perfect. Mexican food in Korea.

I managed to find the Daechi station which turns out is only a 10 minute walk from my place. I also figured out how to reload my Tmoney card. The simplest of accomplishments make you feel like hero. I also did my first metro transfer. I’m such a big girl. I get a bold star.

Once in Itaewon things were mixed bag. I gave myself enough time in case got lost which turns put I did. I walked everywhere except in the right direction. I didn’t download the offline maps correctly on my iPad so it basically did me no good. I have no sense of direction in Seoul. It has been overcast so I can’t use Mr. Sun. I also don’t know the city and I get all turned around. It is frustrating as I usually have a really good sense of direction.

The good thing about Itaewon is that it is FULL of Westerners particularly Americans because of the base nearby. So I just started asking anyone that looked like my people. This turned out to be my best strategy. Unfortunately Vatos was closed. On my accidental tour of Itaewon I did spot another Mexican place, Amigos. When the Campbells arrived we made our way there.

Amigos was overpriced and not very Mexicancy. I think they might get full on the weekends when they are slinging Margaritas to GIs. At least I hope their drinks are better than the food. I should have taken a picture of the nachos. They basically put beans on the plate, a runnier version of sour cream, guacamole, jalapeños and proceeded to decorate the concoction with 9 stale chips stuck into the mixture. Bizarre. We ordered two appetizers and the bill came to 30,000₩. Pricey.

We left disappointed but made our way to the War Memorial and Museum. The actual museum was closed but we walked around the grounds and took pictures. It was a very sobering, moving experience. The memorial has exterior halls in which the names of all the soldiers who died during the conflict are listed. It was heartbreaking to see wall after wall with inscriptions. So much loss.

There are also some amazing sculptures outside. One in particular is striking as it physically demonstrates the fractured nation. Families separated by the conflict.

There are also many types of airplanes, helicopters, tanks, etc outside on display.

From the memorial we headed back to Itaewon and luckily found a delicious Turkish street food place and it was affordable to boot. We were all pretty hungry.

We parted ways at the Olleh store where I found out I cannot buy a wifi access card for my iPad. I briefly wished I had gotten a 3G iPad. By then I was just hot, sweaty, and tired. I made it back to Daechi with ease. I’m getting good at maneuvering the metro system. On the way home I stopped for some dinner and a bit of grocery shopping. In all it was a good day but now I’m tired of wring and just want to go to sleep.

Jul15

Voting and Safe Traveling for US Citizens

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Amalia

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Well, today marks my fourth full day in Seoul. I’m now ready to tackle more practical matters. For us Americans this is a very important election year. I have been an active voter since I turned 18. Today I registered to vote overseas. I am not about to miss out on this upcoming election!

Here is the link I used to help me on my civic, patriotic duty quest:

US State Department: Voting

I also enrolled in STEP… Not an aerobics class but a traveler registration service for US citizens. I think, in this day and age, it’s important to let the US State Department: STEP know where you are … just in case.

I also browsed around the US Embassy: Seoul website. It’s full of great info and makes me feel better knowing they are just a short subway ride away.

Hope this info is helpful to my fellow Yanks! Go USA!

Jul14

Humility

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Amalia

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This is not going to be a long post. I just have to say one thing: I. Cannot. Drink. Soju. Ever. Again.
Ever.
Ever.
Ever.

Jul14

A Seoul-rail experience

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Amalia

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I’m sitting on the Korail subway for the first time as I write this post. I made a few mistakes, all easy enough to fix and forgivable. I started by going to the wrong side of the platform. Took me a few minutes to figure out but made my train just in time.

I got on but all the seats were taken. Luckily I spotted an empty seat! I sat down so I could double check on my iPad I indeed was on track on my fabulous offline subway app. Once my fears were calmed I realized I was committing a major faux pax. I was sitting in the elderly/handicapped section. I figured it out before getting reprimanded. An ajumma across the aisle smiled with approval.

I then had time to take in my surroundings. I love people watching and this is a great place to do it. First of all Koreans are a very quiet people. Very quiet. Most are on their mobiles, reading, or staring blankly into space. Some chat, softly. They dress in all styles but I can definitely say as a group they love polo shirts. Polos everywhere. Also, flip flops, yeay for me. I love my flippityflops. Most younger women wear heels it seems. One young woman across the way had severe bunions, her shoes were half off and I could see her feet. It was apparent she had squeezed her toes into one too many tight pair of shoes. I’m starting to think maybe Korean feet are not so small and Korean women just squeeze into tiny footwear just like Westerners. I love watching the women. They seem so regal, especially the older ones. I love the luminescence of their skin. It seems to glow with health and vitality… Maybe it’s just the BB cream. I don’t care what it is but they are just beautiful to me.

I tried to not stare too much, especially all at once. But I was being observed just as much as I observing myself. I wonder what Koreans think of me. I’m a mutt like most Americans and most people can’t quite figure out what I am. I have been told I’m just about every nationality except Scandinavian. My olive skin, hazel almond shaped eyes, and curly hair throws people off. Well, except Mexicans, they must have radar or mind reading powers because they always seem to know I speak Spanish. But to them, in spite of my language skills, I’m always a “gringa” because of my heritage and surname. In the US I’m always Mexican. It seems like I’m no ones child or maybe no one wants to take responsibility.

People watching done, I watched and listened carefully for announcements, straining to discern the words spoken. It is fortuitous the trains have English subtitles. At last, my stop… I managed to not only not get lost but also made it on time to my destination.

Jul14

Seoultastic…Part 3: My First Outing … Alone

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Amalia

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I popped the cherry… I ventured out, all alone, by myself, solo for the first time today. I blogged most of the morning. I don’t want to forget a single minute of this experience. But, alas, my furious typing wore me down and I was famished. I needed sustenance. Delicious sustenance.

I Skyped with my kiddo and her roommate and off I went. This is me all ready to put on her big girl panties and venture out in the second largest city all by herself. I look brave, huh?

My first stop… pictures of my building and street.

Then off for the great search for food. One snag. I am a coward. There were a bunch of places I passed but I was too chicken to go inside. I walked a few blocks and opted to purchase some lotion instead at The Body Shop. It was a familiar store. I cheated. I knew there would be English subtitles on all the products. Nonetheless I made my first solo purchase.

Next, I finally made a snap decision and entered the next food place I thought I could order from without risking too much. Normally I am quite brave in my culinary exploits. I’m not sure where this shyness is coming from.

The place was called Jaws Food. Seafood is a pretty safe choice for me. I had already tried Bulgogi in the US, picture 1 on the outside menu, so I opted for picture number 2. Somehow we all communicated and I even managed to get a drink. The food was all fried :/ and not so good for my waistline but I knew I would like it and by then I was starving! Not sure what I drank since it was called Milkis but it was good.

From there I went to the “Apple” store. I need a cable to connect my iPad to my camera. Wow! My third purchase; I’m becoming a pro. I entered the store and said the appropriate annyeonghaseyo (hello). I asked if the sales associate spoke English but all I got was a smile and a shake of the head no. Fear not! I pulled out my iPad and camera and pointed. Voila! I got what I needed.

I started walking back towards my place. I took the scenic route. I stopped by Homeplus Mini and learned they don’t sell food trash bags. I also wandered around Lotte. Lotte is the baby Nordstrom, Bergdof Goodman, and Whole Foods had after their ménage-a-trois. If Dante was alive he’d write another masterpiece based on the levels of Lotte. The basement is food. Not just food… Ah-mazing food. Restaurants, bakeries, groceries galore. The next level is cosmetics and some clothing as is level 3. Level 4 more clothes, level 5 shoes, level 6 furs and fancy ajumma garments. I didn’t keep going. I was afraid I would be like Jack and reach the final level only to be greeted by a giant angry about beans and golden harps.

I was also tired. I started homeward and managed to rescue a dog, sort of. I just ran and pointed as two teens actually caught the little runaway. I also bought tomatoes from a street vendor and received my first Korean lesson in person. I only learned that I still don’t know Korean and that annyeonghaseyo and gamsahabnida (thank-you) will only take me so far.

Tonight I will venture on the subway on my own and meet up with some colleagues for the REAL Korean BBQ. Don’t worry … I got this!

DailyFixxe…

Get your DailyFixxe of travel, food, and photography

The Other Side of Being an Expat

MeetUp in Korea

My Keyboard ROCKS!

Expo 2012 Exposed

Jamming to Weezer at 300km/h

Seoultastic… Part 3: Itaewon and the Korean War Memorial

Voting and Safe Traveling for US Citizens

Humility

A Seoul-rail experience

Seoultastic…Part 3: My First Outing … Alone

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