To celebrate the Fourth of July, some of us got together to act American (i.e., be really loud) by shooting fireworks off the roof. We also ate hamburgers, chicken, potato salad, and beer! And to make it even more American, I was able to squeeze … Read More →
Category Archives: korea
Balloons — DBSK / TVXQ
When I first saw this video by DBSK (동방신기) I was mortified. I didn’t understand the mittens, the headbands, the ties, or the penguin back-up dancers. I still don’t understand it, but after several hundred viewings, I have completely succumbed to their saccharin smiles and … Read More →
fat in Korea
I’ve been wanting to write about my fat-ness for a long time, but to be honest, there’s too much to write about and I get overwhelmed… When I came to Korea I was fat, I’ll admit it. My last couple of years in America were … Read More →
Korean Cabaret
My Friend from the Philippines visited this weekend. So, after a day at temple, we decided to walk through downtown Daegu. Of course, something fun happened… I got to see Cabaret performed in Korean, which is probably the next best thing to seeing Liza. It … Read More →
mixing love & war is sometimes inappropriate
It’s a good day to be on Facebook… and it’s a good day to be one of the 16 allied nations that helped South Korea in their war with the North in 1950. If you are like me and from one of the allied nations … Read More →
my weekend — two interviews, a temple, and a songroom
As usual, I got out of work at 11pm on Friday. I went straight to bed because I had to wake up at 5am to catch the bus to Seoul. But I was nervous; I couldn’t sleep. I woke up late and missed the 6am … Read More →
“Nothing to Envy” in North Korea
I just finished Barbara Demick’s Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea. I bought this precisely because I wanted a non-sensational account of life in North Korea. I didn’t want to read about nuclear weapons or labor camps. In many respects, the handful of … Read More →