Notes of a Native-Speaking English Teacher

I get school documents made in .hwp format all the time.  I guess it is quite comfortable for Korean to use, but I usually have to bother someone to re-save it as a .doc before I can use it.  I have found two ways to get around this:

Check out these ribs. 등갈비 on the menu. They come fresh out of the smokehouse and are torn apart by the waiter. They come to the table ready-to-eat! Also a first, they gave us cotton gloves so we could eat the hot meat with our hands!

The samgyeopsal, which was eaten faster than I could photograph, was also very, very delicious.

Here is a view of the dining area. I didn't see anyone going inside to eat. There is an open-air section with bbq tables and also some seating under a large tent. It looked like there could be 60-80 seats available.

 

This blog has some great pictures of the food! 

I've had meal after great meal here. They do a lot of delivery orders, so you can usually eat by yourself in peace. Or, you can bring all your friends and not worry about having enough seats.

They have an English speaking delivery driver (Mr. Bae -wearing glasses in the photo), so you still have a chance of getting your food even if your Korean is horrible.  031-484-1222 

Shazam has been working GREAT in Korea.  It has been picking up all the Korean songs I've been curious about, even those without any English lyrics.  It's an awesome tool for learning more about Korean music.

There is an excellent write up about this store at The Lonely Traveler Blog. They carry books of all genres, from English textbooks to the latest New York Times best sellers.  They also take in a lot of used books on trade, making the experience a bit of a treasure hunt.  They also have an online store with access to over 1,000,000 titles.

There are 70 films posted so far, going all the way back to the '40s.  I've got some work to do!

Located just south of Itaewon station, the recently remodelled Foreign Food Mart carries many foreign staples.  Much of what's here comes from India and south Asia, but there are some good American products here too.  Gillette deodorant (stick) and Mug rootbeer are regularly in stock, along with lasagna noodles and mac & cheese.  While the prices can be about double what you'd expect to pay in the US, it still doesn't cross the line into the outrageous.  While it's pretty far away from my home, the KAF is near zero because I always know what to expect. ^^

I've never been there when it hasn't been crowded.  It is a tight squeeze!

Here is a blog that has a few pictures from inside the store, before it was remodeled

For what it's worth, there is also another foreign market across the street.  It is a smaller, but it is brighter and cleaner.  It's also worth a look! ^^

  

It is a one man shop. The owner is a Lento Guitar dealer.  There were also some Ventures strat guitars, a couple of Schecters and LTDs.  He even had a pretty nice Epiphone Les Paul.

The quality of a beginner guitar has improved A LOT since I started playing.  The Ventures strat he played was very good quality.  The whole package, including a clip-on tuner and small amp, came to around $250. 

100 Won coin

Lee Sun-sin, - (April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598, Korean: 이순신) was a Korean naval commander, famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty.

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Yi Hwang (1501–1570) is one of the two most prominent Korean Confucian scholars of the Joseon Dynasty, the other being his younger contemporary Yi I (Yulgok).

Face: Yi Hwang, -

Myeongryundang in Seonggyungwan,  

plum flowers "Gyesangjeonggeodo"; 

Reverse: a painting Yi Hwang in Dosan Seowon by Jeong Seon

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Yi I (December 26, 1536–1584) was one of the two most prominent Korean Confucian scholars of the Joseon Dynasty, the other being his older contemporary, Yi Hwang (Toegye).

Face: Yi I, Ojukheon in Gangneung, black bamboo 

Reverse: "Insects and Plants", a painting of a watermelon and cockscombs by Yi I's mother Shin Saimdang

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Sejong the Great (April 10, 1397 – May 18, 1450, r. 1418–1450) was the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He used the creation of Hangul and the advancement of technology to expand his territory.

Face: Sejong the Great, Irworobongdo, a folding screen for Joseon-era kings, and text from the second chapter of Yongbieocheonga, the first work of literature written in Korean 

Reverse: Globe of Honcheonsigye and Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido in the background

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Shin Saimdang (신사임당, October 29, 1504 – May 17, 1551) was a Korean artist, writer, calligraphist, noted poet, and the mother of the Korean Confucian scholar Yulgok. 

Face: Shin Saimdang with Chochungdo - A Folding Screen of Embroidered Plants and Insects (South Korean National Treasure No. 595) in the background

Reverse: Bamboo and a maesil tree

 

I hope to impress someone soon with this knowledge. ^^

Update:

For what it's worth, KB bank does have change counting machines.  At the location in Jungang, it is inside the bank itself with only Korean language menu screens.  At the location near Homeplus, there is one OUTSIDE the bank with an English option.  However, the ATMs there on the second floor shut down when the bank is closed.  They pull down a garage-style door over them.  Hard to say why those ATMs close at a different time than the ones on the first floor do.  It's also hard to say why they close at all.

They slid the display back to reveal the shipping scale. When they weighed it up, it was about 2kg.  When choosing a service, I was told EMS was the cheapest and that it would ship out of Ansan on Monday and arrive in my hometown in Wisconsin by Friday.  That sounded nothing short of amazing.

There is a key at the top indicating what happens on each screen.  The weight screen is straight forward and I expect that the clerk enters the information for everyone to ensure that the store doesn't get ripped off.  The description of items screen is similar to the customs forms I filled out when sending stuff from the USA.  The main things that it asks for are the descriptions and the value.

The recipient info screen asks all the standard questions.  The keyboard is a little funky.  The left yellow button is for "space".  The dark bar at the bottom does nothing. ^^  The sender info screen is similar.

The next screen is for payment details.  By paying cash at the store, there really wasn't much to do but confirm the price.

This confirmation screen shows all the important info.  ^^ Click through that and you are finished.

I think the price is based totally upon weight.  No one measured the box.

They also offer insurance, but I imagine it must be a huge hassle if a foreigner had to collect on it. 

Score another point for Family Mart!

* 24 hours

* clean store

* best Samgat Kimbap selection

* owner speaks English

* friendly service

* easy shipping services

The nearest 약 (pharmacy) is near Homeplus.  This is according to Naver.  I hope that someday I will discover one a bit closer.  They operate very differently from the typical Walgreen's in the US.  The main things I've noticed are:

1. Things are cheaper.  I usually pay under $3 for a bottle of cough medicine.

2. Selection is smaller.  Cough medicine is behind the counter and I've never been handed the same brand twice.

3. It is the only place you can buy Tylenol.  Forget about finding it at the grocery store.

4. They don't have Claritin, but they can give you Zyrtek.

5. The hours are rough.  They are not open late and are typically closed on Sundays, unlike the 24-hour pharmacies that we are used to back home.

I wish I had gone to the pharmacy first thing when I arrived in Korea.  I was constantly getting colds and the stores were never open when I finally broke down and decided to get medicine. It's best to keep a little on hand rather than depend on them for any kind of urgent need.

Here is an extensive list of health related Korean vocab.  

Here  are some simple sentences that can be used to describe an illness to a doctor or pharmacist.

This is the sign out front.  It says that bikes can be rented between 7am and 8:30pm.

I believe it also says that they can be borrowed overnight.

They carry a selection of mountain bikes and cruisers.  This picture was taken on a Wednesday night.  I assume other nights are busier.  Most of the bikes have some kind of handlebar basket.  You will also be given a lock to use.

 

Here is a picture of some mumbo-jumbo with English sprinkled on top.  They take your Alien ID card and have you fill out this form the first time you rent a bike.  After that, you will be on file and get a special membership card.

The hours of operation.  Bikes can be returned anytime within these hours.

Monday - Friday : 6am - 9:30pm

Saturday : 9am - 5:30pm (must be returned same day)

Pretty easy. ^^

See the location link at the bottom for the exact area. 

Also, check out the Ansan bike rental website.

This is what the thermostat will probably look like if it is set to heat the room. Right above the temperature display (30 here), is the Korean word 난방.  It means hot room.  In May, this is no good! ^^

Under the temperature display, and just below the two plastic arrow buttons, there is a cover.  Inside the cover there is a button called 운전선탴.  This is the settings button.  After I pressed it a few times, the 난방 turned into 냉방.  That means cold room.  In May, this is awesome!  

The KAF has been reduced to ZERO! ^^