We decided to have a dinner party thingy prior to our wedding ceremony as a thank you to our international guests that are coming (which is only about 3 right now haha).  When I heard that Kabinett was having a wine event we were both keen to get there and see what was available.  If you missed it, Pieroth may be hosting another event in the winter so check the site again.

Neither of us really knows that much about wine and are the type that don’t really want to spend the time researching it.  We like what we like and hope that it matches well with whatever we’re having.  Nor had we been to a wine tasting before.  We were happy that it wasn’t too busy when we arrived and very happy that a rep came over to us and helped us the whole time.  Unfortunately the wines that we really liked were also the most expensive even at the whole sale prices (ie 85 000 KRW for 1 bottle).  But it was great to try them and get a feel for it.  They had lots of wines that were around 20 000 KRW.

The other wonderful part was that we could purchase mixed cases… and so we did.  We are now the proud owners of 28 bottles… oh wait, we drank 2 last night with Melissa from Expatriate Games and had half of one at the house before we went there… hmm, 7 months till the wedding… hope I can keep my fingers out of there that long!

North Korea had launched a commercial for their beer, you can watch it here.

In one of the comments below it, the person mentions that the locals are given vouchers and then queue up for it in the afternoon – but, is that just a show for tourists?  If people are starving, are they satiated by a beer?  Or is it a good enough distraction, and further reinforcement (to the North Koreans) of how advanced their dear leader has become?

Oh shit, am I breaking some sort of morals by wanting to drink this?

You know, it’s like, (assuming you grew up with TV in NA) all those save the children ads we grew up with, where you saw Sally Struthers walking around mostly Africa with children — that imprint, IMO of course, seems to have lasted on many people I know as you hear them talk about traveling to various countries in Southeast Asia (home to some of the highest poverty levels in the world now) and when surrounded by children they feel the urge to give them some money (not that Ms Struthers did that, nor advocated it, I think it’s more that you just feel like you should do something to help and it becomes an immediate reaction).  Then, said people are told “By giving money to the local children you are making it profitable for them to beg on the street and therefore, not go to school.  Should you want to help, you’d be better to donate that money to a local charitable organization.”

Ok so beer and children really ought not to have anything to do with one another… but you know, sometimes, trying to see that connection, about is it bad for me to want to drink a NK beer, takes a while when you first wake up in the morning … the moral connection I mean… more coffee.

Mike Kim was in Seoul a few weeks ago and gave a talk about his book, and I went and heard/saw it.  What he has been able to accomplish is amazing and personally, I was very interested in being able to hear what he had to say about North Korea, human rights, refuges etc.  I have to say though that I was disappointed in his lecture and heard others say they were disappointed in his book.  Before you jump on me, let me explain why:

1) I was expecting, from a self proclaimed former missionary, to hear more about the people, not the author.  Most of what he talked about was about him.  I do realize that the intro to his book and presentation, use phrases like “uniquely personal perspective” and that obviously, this was an almost indescribable part of his life… but… I didn’t want to hear about his life.  I wanted to hear about them, the real people involved in this and not snippets that make for good sound bites – which is what it feels like when you watch the Daily Show video (you know those cliche moments where someone tries to dazzle you with their profound insider knowledge of something, especially cultural differences?)  It not only seemed to cheapen the whole aspect of what he did, it made it too sound bite worthy – as in, people won’t remember the situation, but instead the crazy, fast facts to rattle off.

2)  From what I understand, Mike Kim founded the organization “Crossing Borders” but, as of yet, I haven’t heard of any of his current involvement.  The point I’m trying to make is that he made no mention of where the profits for this book are going.  One would assume that if it was to the foundation, then one would try to plug that as much as possible…  no mention of it leads me to assume that he’s profiting (?)  If you know the answer to that, I would greatly appreciate to hear it.

There was very little mention of Crossing Borders itself.  Is it even still functioning?  Is there a way for your average white girl in the south to help out?  From this lack of information it appeared that he really had cut all ties with the organization and cause, and was more interested in promoting and selling his book.

One question that was very interesting from an audience member was about the following (I wrote some of it down but don’t have all of it).  The question was asking about his impression of South Korean’s attitudes towards the North and his comments in 2 of the local newspapers (which stated that of the 4 continents that he had given this talk, South Korea had the lowest interest level of any of them).  His response was that the South does not have that much interest in human rights of the North due to the fact that the South has its own propaganda and it is hard to separate the people from the regime.

That, that right there, that type of focus, focus on the people and the issue, that’s what I wanted from this lecture and from the book.  It’s not to say that I won’t read the book (but at the talk itself he said it wasn’t available in South Korea yet…) I was just hoping for more.

You can check on Korea Beat and Marmot’s Hole for various write ups and videos (the Daily Show) about Mike Kim and his book Escaping North Korea (various links below).

Seoul train is a documentary about escaping North Korean refuges.  It doesn’t appear to be for private sale but they do accept donations that will assist North Korean refuges.

North Korea – Human Rights the facebook page but no mention of how to actually help beyond adding the page to your groups on FB.

Escaping North Korea webpage.

Escaping North Korea by Mike Kim facebook fan page:

Mike Kim is the author of Escaping North Korea: Defiance and Hope in the World’s Most Repressive Country. Mike is a Korean-American who, in 2003, moved to the China-North Korea border and founded Crossing Borders, a nonprofit dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance to North Korean refugees. On New Year’s Day 2003, he gave up his financial planning business in Chicago and left for China on a one-way ticket carrying little more than two duffle bags. While living near the North Korean border, he operated undercover as a student of North Korean taekwondo, training under North Korean masters from Pyongyang. During his time in China, he learned of the hundreds of thousands of North Koreans fleeing to China through a 6,000-mile modern-day underground railroad in search of food and freedom. He has interviewed hundreds of North Koreans and in his book he recounts their experiences of famine, defection, sex-trafficking, and torture in gulags.

The Crossing Borders webpage. They accept donations online.

Roboseyo pointed out this article from the Korean Times- makes me wonder if my husband can’t do it would he be offended if I called one of these guys to?  My latest example/need/justification would be the cupboard door that fell off it’s hinge and both screws were stripped .

I think that this really is a great service – I’m sure it’s putting women’s rights back a few years, but really, when my toilet won’t stop running at 10 PM and I’m tired and don’t want to deal with it, absolutely I would call these guys and get one of them over to just get it done.  BUT I do have to wonder if they actually could since, at least in my experience, Korean men don’t seem particularly skilled in regards to home repairs.  I can only assume that has to do with the cost of a plumber being so much cheaper here than back home.

What do you think?

Yes, I have blogged about this before, but it really is quite depressing that Seoul hasn’t included clothing that is larger than a 27 waist at most of it’s chain stores – because let me tell, after my latest trip to Costco this weekend, there are plenty of Korean women that need much larger than a 40 30 waist… and their kids, my god chubbers, lay off the chocopies already, you’re forming the worst eating habits at the tender age of 6!

If you only plan on being in Korea for a year then don’t bother doing this – it’s not worth the time or more so, the money.  If you are here for longer then you  might want to get into the online shopping craze.  I myself don’t shop at Gmarket as their clothing is not my style.  Here are a few online places that do ship to Korea.   (As an aside, did you know that Korea would ban shipments from Victoria’s Secret as early as 9 years ago!?!).

Victoria’s Secret:  They actually have some decent clothing too.  I’ve gotten dress shirts from here as well as loungey at home stuff.

Martin + Osa:  Nice, user friendly layout that makes online shopping a joy.  Not that much selection but decent enough.

Bluefly:  Brand name stuff that, well, I’m not sure if all of it is worth it, but some very nice items.

You can also order Mango online but they don’t ship to Korea.  I get stuff sent to my parent’s place in Canada and then it encourages them to make me a care package – haha.

As always, don’t order more than $500 worth or you’ll need to pay duty on the items which can be quite hefty (I have no idea how it’s calculated so safer to not get that much).  You should also try to send the package to a business as, if there is no one around to sign for it, you may need to get to the post office (and depending on how much you’ve bought, it could be quite the box — I ordered my winter coat online and box was large enough to fit a 10 year old).

In Seoul I’ve been to Marks and Spencer but it was very expensive and, sorry, I’m not sure if the sizes are equivalent to the UK standard or not, one would assume they are.

In Itaewon, there’s a bunch of shops that are outrageously expensive, of extreme variance in size and availability and generally hideous in style.  I’m not sure who decides what will be imported each season but good god give me a call so that I can help you out.

Other then that I’m at a loss.  Do you know of any other international brands that will ship to Korea?

The story that I’m telling myself, in order to justify the copious amounts of wine consumed last night, is that I had to!  For family! haha.  I went to the COEX Intercontinental Hotel happy hour and it is so much better than the one at Novotel Hotel.  For around 23 000 KRW it’s all you can drink wine, sangria, beer, champagne, and soju cocktails (looked a tad frightening).  You help yourself to what you’d like and there’s no scornful looks if one should take 2 full glasses back to their table.  Right now the happy hour runs from 6-9 but you’ll have to check to confirm the dates and times depending on when you want to go.

There is also a buffet that has more variety like identifiable meats (ie labels in English and Korean as to what it is), various cheeses, fruit, sliced veggies and various breads.

There is entertainment but this is where Novotel, for those in the mood to dance, is better.  At the COEX Intercontinental Hotel there was someone on the piano singing which was great for background music.  The happy hour is in the lobby of the hotel in this very open, vaulted ceilings room.  There had to have been close to 150 people there but it certainly didn’t feel “Seoul” busy – no pushing, no shoving, you could even lift your arms and twirl around should you have the desire to do so.

At Novotel a live band comes on, as far as I remember, around 8:30.  The happy hour, the last time I went, ran from 6-9, and cost around the same price but the food wasn’t nearly as good as at the COEX Intercontinental Hotel AND they pour you the wine – ie, you have to encourage them to keep up the rounds and to pour a decent sized glass.

What does this have to do with family and me justifying drinking my face off?  Well, I can tell them to check it out when they come for the wedding ^^ Of course, I may need to go back, just to reconfirm how good it really is.

Have you been to any other happy hours in Seoul that you’d recommend?

(BTW the COEX Intercontinental Hotel is near the aquarium at COEX, not the Grand Intercontinental Hotel near the Hyundai Department Store – although they most likely have a happy hour too).

We’ve started to order more groceries online in order to get them delivered but neither one of us is very good at determining how much something really is in terms of weight.  I’ve started to make bruschetta again as I love it (well, anytime really but the tomatoes are cheaper in the summer) but I have no clue as to how much I need.  I’m used to going to the store, grabbing a bag and filling it up, or, conversely, picking up a package and mentally figuring out what I can do with that many tomatoes.

(Hubby has to order everything on his computer because Korea hates Macs AND there is some funky blocky thing, so that his work laptop is painfully slow when out of the office, and so he often orders stuff while at work.)

Order failure #1:  I asked hubby to order some pork loin so that we could marinate it and then cook it on our George Forman Grill.  He ordered 100 grams of ground pork.  I honestly didn’t know what it was when we got it.

Order failure #2: I asked for green, Tesco brand, Spanish, pitted olives with no pimentos (ie I copied everything off of the jar for him).  He told me it took him over 30 minutes to find them but proudly beamed that he was successful!  What gets delivered?  Tesco organic olive oil in a green bottle with a picture of green and black olives on it.  Man, he worked hard for that one!

Order failure #3:  I think that it either is, or is very close to, watermelon season here on the PEN and so I wrote down that perhaps if they had a 1/4 section of a watermelon (the pink ones from back home) that would be a tasty treat.  Now, he and I both suck and never think to use a conversion table online… well, we might after today.  We now have over 8000 grams of watermelon in the fridge… aka 18lbs…. I have a lot of eating to do in the next little while.

But really, bless my husband for how freaking hard he tries!  Love that man!!!  Lesson learned:  write down approximate weights of items to help speed things up for hubby.

Roboseyo pointed this out and you should be warned that the link leads to some very disturbing images and it is difficult to listen to the phone conversation but something that needs to be heard and passed on.

I just spent 2.5 hours at 3 different banks.  Not a happy Korean resident camper.  I closed an account at one bank because they are just rude to me every time I go in there.  I cancelled a credit card at a different bank because they told me there was no way to set up withdraws to be able to pay my monthly bill from a different financial institution and would need to physically go into the branch EVERY month to pay it off.  AND I didn’t get any point from the card which is pretty useless in this point crazed banking world that we live in.

The 3rd bank was KEB which was the doozy.  I use a MAC and so can’t do any online banking with them since they hate anything non mainstream in this country.  I also tried to ask about investment options.  It is so annoying the was people have such a strangle hold on information in this country.  I really wonder what the experience is like for Koreans – I can only assume that they too want to bash their head against the desk repeatedly in a vain attempt to get some answers.  I was patient until the first 45 minutes passed and then started to get annoyed as I was moved to another desk and told “customers are waiting”.  Umm, hello?  I’m a customer too.  Moron.  I’m asking about locking in my money with you – which in the world of banking generally means that a client is going to stay with your institution and you should try to sell them more crap to lock them in even further — when clients have the majority of their banking at one institution they are less likely to close their accounts.

I still can’t get over how much PAPER is used at banks here.  Such a waste of resources.

There is no foresight here.  Banks have the opportunity to offer their services to international clients and get them to actually do something with their money.  Ridiculous.  There is so much money to be made for them and yet the comments I got were things like

“It so hard to explain banking things in English”  – so you mean, to do your job?  Correct me if I’m wrong, you work in a self proclaimed “Foreigner Friendly Branch”

“Maybe you know, that the stock market is not so good these days” — Jesus H Christ, do you think I’m a moron?  Of course I know that, but your measly 2% interest rate would be better than the, oh what’s that, yes that’s right, the 0 rate you’re currently offering.

“You’re not a real professor so you can’t get a loan” — FUN!  Can you at least tell me what your rates are?  ”You’re not a real professor so you can’t get a loan” – yeah you said that already… FUN!

“You should use online banking” – YEAH, I’d love too but alas your freaking bank only believes in PC’s.

UPDATE: haha read this article, obviously they haven’t actually talked to us about what we want/need/currently feel.

I’ve often read about people who’s former employers still used their names, education info, work experience and pictures as advertising for their school.  Lo and behold I’m now part of that group.

While eating a delicious homemade bran muffin (yes, I am a healthy geek and feel bowl movement proud of that!) I was looking at job postings and saw my old employer had a listing.  I checked out their web page (that hardly worked in the year I was there) and there was ME.  What the hell?  Not only me but at least 4 other instructors that I know don’t work there anymore; listed as “currently employed”.  I, luckily, only have my picture and name on there – other’s have their full resumes posted and they too are listed as currently employed.  Very annoying.

I know in Canada this is illegal but the laws and the enforcement of them here is …. well… what the hell is a good descriptor?  A no go.  Unlikely.  Dubious.  Doubtful.  Remote.  Unheard of.  You get it.

So, does anyone know if there is anyway to get them to take it down?  I sent them a helpful email reminding them that I don’t work there anymore (along with trying to call 2 different phone numbers this evening but no one was in the office and no answering machines).