Our year in Korea as a foreign teacher is now over. Korea has been really good to us. It was the first time for both of us to be away from home for more than a month and we’re happy that we had the chance to experience it together.
We worked at great schools with amazing co-teachers, which really made the experience even better. Of course, there were things that we didn’t understand, but we accepted them and just moved on. And although teaching was hard at first especially in a middle school and with the language barrier, we eventually learned to enjoy teaching and the students. We’ve taught all ages of students since we’ve been here, third grade elementary up to juniors in high school. We’ve learned to appreciate the students and have learned a lot from them as well, especially the high school students. They will always have a place in our hearts.
We made some really great friends, foreign and Korean, and we’ll miss them dearly. The people we have met here are remarkable. A lot of the other foreign teachers have done a lot traveling and it’s really a great way to learn about other places where we would like to travel. These people have been a real inspiration for our future endeavors.
We’re also really thankful for the Korean friends we’ve made. They’ve helped us understand more about Korean culture and way of life. Without them, we would not have learned so much about Korea and its people.
We know that we probably will not ever see some of these people again, but we hope that we will get to see some of our friends, co-teachers and even students in the future or near future in Vietnam after we have settled there.
We will be leaving Korea on a one-way flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. Our plan is to travel from Hanoi down to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) for two or three weeks and then find a job teaching English in Saigon or whatever city that we like. But, we don’t want you to miss out on our future travels and adventures, so please refer to our new web site! www.vo-pulayya.com
Ourkoreanteapot.com will still be available. We would especially like to thank our readers, visitors and family and friends who have visited ourkoreanteapot. Thank you for your love and support as we travel and work abroad. We’ve just been selected for an interview with Agrafood in Korea. The interview will be published in the October issue! So, please come back to ourkoreanteapot.com and remember to visit and subscribe to vo-pulayya.com to continue learning about other cultures as we do.
Last but not least, thank you Korea and everyone we’ve met here for our first amazing year abroad!
Thank you Weol-pyung Middle School for being a great school! Thank you to the students who made the year memorable, emotional and rewarding. Thank you to the teachers and staff who made the year fun and for welcoming me into your school. I’ll miss everyone! Fighting!
Bibimbap (비빔밥) has been said to be a westerner’s favorite Korean food, according to the Korea Herald. It’s really a great combination of a lot of basic Korean ingredients. Bibimbap literally means “mixed rice.” It includes, rice, seaweed, raw or fried egg, seasoned vegetables like cucumber, mushrooms, zucchini, bean sprouts and spinach, slices of meat (usually beef) and red pepper paste. It’s all mixed together before eaten and tastes delightful.
One of the most unique restaurants we’ve been to in Ulsan is an 80-year-old bibimbap restaurant. It’s been through four generations of families and has survived lots of heartache in Korean history. The family gave us the warmest invitation. It was clear that not many foreigners had visited. I had actually been there before for lunch with my school because it’s about two blocks away from my school.
The father (Kang Tae Won) spoke pretty good English and told us all about how his wife’s (Yun Hee) restaurant has always been in the family. He even told us how they met while they were both in acrobatics. Their oldest daughter was in Hawaii at the time and their youngest was at the restaurant with them.
They were the nicest people. After our delicious yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) bibimbap they gave us a bowl of noodle soup and a cup of sweet persimmon-cinnamon drink for free! This was one of the most splendid moments in Ulsan.
What is the restaurant called? Ham Yang Jip (함양집)
Where is it? From City Hall, cross the street and walk toward Nong Hyup Bank. Walk down the street so that Nong Hyup is on your left. Walk two blocks and take a left when you see a boutique called NANOMIA. The restaurant is on you right. See the last picture to see what it looks like.
I have always been a huge fan of watching my fellow native New Yorker Anthony Bourdain on “No Reservations” from the Travel Channel. I think he is one of the few experts out there who is outgoing and not afraid to tell you how it is. He is always on the hunt for the best places to visit when traveling to new countries. He likes to go where the locals live and avoid the touristy scene Anthony does a great job pointing out these authentic places that serve great food. I think the best part of traveling is eating and trying out the best foods from each culture.
This was my second time to Japan and I came with an appetite. My taste buds were excited for this trip because I needed to satisfy my desire for awesome Japanese food one more time.
Toriki is a special family-owned restaurant. A lovely lady greeted us and she even pointed out what Anthony Bourdain ordered when he visited. We sat by a wonderful family who made the whole experience even better. They wanted to know all about us and they were very excited to hear that we just hiked Mt. Fuji where I proposed to Shauna. Satoshi, the father, bought me a drink, which was very similar to vodka and lemon juice. It was a really nice gesture. This is the reason why I love to travel and meet new people.
We ordered chicken soup, yakitori, chicken thigh, chicken sashimi, and grilled chicken skin. The chef is the main part of the show. His energy filled the room with positive vibes and he reminded me of an entertainer/comedian with his upbeat attitude.
Everything was very tasty and lived up to the hype. I have to say that my favorite dish was the chicken sashimi (todiwasa). It’s made of boiled but rare and lightly seared pieces of chicken soaked in a bowl of soy sauce, wasabi and a splash of vinegar. This was very unique and it very delightful. People back home would definitely freak out if this were presented to them.
The next time you’re in Tokyo and want to try a different spin on chicken and eat at one of the best places for yakitori visit Toriki.
How to get there:
Take the JR Yamanote Line, which stops at Gotanda station. Then transfer to the Tokyu Ikegami Line. Stop at Hatanodai station. Exit to the right and walk straight down a small alley. Toriki is less than five minutes from the station on the left. If you get lost, ask anyone for help and people will show you the locals’ favorite spot.
(We got useful information from http://ernskie.com/?p=102328397)
Before we came to Korea, I told Shauna that I would propose to her if we came to Korea together. I always said that before I ask a girl to marry me, I would have to do an overseas backpacking trip with her. That is precisely what we did for the past year in Korea. We have been living together and experiencing new things everyday with each other in a new country. Over the past year we have visited China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Japan twice.
I knew I was going to ask Shauna Vo to marry me the minute we left the States and were off to South Korea. I wanted it to be special. She deserved that. I wanted to ask her while living in Vietnam. (After our contract in South Korea, we will be moving to Vietnam.)
However, the time came to plan our fourth vacation together during our year in Korea. We really like to travel. We were torn between going to Taiwan to visit our friend Vivian Ko or make our second trip to Japan to hike Mt. Fuji. We couldn’t decide, so we played a popular game, Rock, Paper, Scissors (가위, 바위, 보 – Kawi, bawi, bo – in Korean). We played best out of three. Destiny would decide where we would spend our next trip together. The moment I won, I decided that I needed to do something special once we got to the summit of Mt. Fuji.
I am pretty old fashioned, so I felt it was important to ask Shauna’s mother for her permission. I spoke to her two sisters, her mother and step dad. Everyone was happy and gave us their blessings. My family was also very excited and happy for the two of us.
I spent more than three months getting ready for this proposal. I immediately went ring shopping in Korea and was really disappointed in my search because of the lack of options. I needed to learn about diamonds and rings so I researched the Internet. I spent a solid month of going back and fourth on what ring I wanted to get. I visited Bluenile.com, Jared, Tiffany’s, Kay Jewelers, DeBeers, and a few mom and pop companies. I learned everything I needed to know about diamonds from www.bluenile.com.
Did she want a princess or round cut? How do I determine if the diamonds are conflict- free? How big of a ring should I get? What was my budget? I was all over the place. The set up on Bluenile.com was really helpful. I read hundreds of positive reviews from their recent customers and was very pleased. Bluenile.com is ranked very high when it comes to diamonds.
After spending weeks searching for the perfect ring, I finally decided on a stunning 1.01 brilliant round cut diamond on 18k white gold. It was perfect for her.
I had the proposal all planned and thought out. I was going to ask a random stranger on top of Mt. Fuji to take our photos and then have them record a short clip about our thoughts about hiking Mt Fuji. I would first talk and then Shauna would finish. I would then distract her to look in the opposite distraction and I would be on one knee. Things went different in reality.
Our bags were set and we were off to Tokyo. We packed two backpacks. Of course, I had the ring in my backpack along with our hiking gear. We decided to fly with Delta this time to Tokyo and I was in for a big surprise. We passed through security without any problems. But, as we were about to board the plane, Delta had an extra security check for hand luggage. My heart was pumping. I had wrapped the ring box into a pink sock for added cushion so the box would not get destroyed. I was so nervous. Shauna went into one line and I went to the opposite line. Shauna was cleared and waited for me in the corner. The lady opened my bag and immediately went for the pink sock. She started to unroll the sock, so (I was freaking out. My heart was racing!) I spoke in my limited Korean – yoja chingu (girlfriend), diamond ring, Mt. Fuji, chuggio (over there). I decided that if she found out I might have to propose to Shauna right there and it wouldn’t be that bad because we met at JFK Airport going through the security line. I was relieved that the lady figured out what I was doing and she let me go. Shauna later asked me on the plane why was she looking at your pink sock? I said, “I don’t know.”
We took a one hour bus ride from Ulsan to the Busan Gimahe Airport, two hour flight to Tokyo, 90-minute bus ride from Narita to Shinjuku station, 2.5 hour bus ride from Shinjuku to Mt. Fuji and started hiking at 8:45pm and made it to the top by 3:10am. We were tired.
Hiking Mt Fuji at night is hard to describe in words. It’s something that you have to experience. It sounds like a cliché, but it is 100 percent true. We hiked up Mt Fuji on a clear night. The silhouette of the steepness of the mountain was spectacular. It was spiritual. The wind blew softly and filled the air with peace and serenity. The sky was filled with thousands of stars across the sky. We were above the clouds and on our way to the summit. We wore our headlamps and came across a few different people just sitting on the side of the path taking it all in. It was an intimate and spiritual hike.
On the 7th station I noticed some guys who were wearing Florida Gator shorts. Turns out that the father of the two sons went to the University of Florida. I told them that I wanted to take photos with them on the top and we went our separate ways. Go Gators! (The Gator Nation is everywhere!)
On our way up to the 8th station I ran into them again and I started talking to the father when Shauna went for a bathroom break. I told him, “I am going to propose to my girlfriend on the summit and I thought it would be even more special if we could get some Gators involved.” I informed him of the plans and when we got to the top, we picked a nice area and waited about an hour. It was bitter cold. At 4:30am I went forward with my plan and proposed to Shauna with everything on video. She was completely surprised and she had no idea. When I asked her to marry me she replied, “okay.” I knew she was surprised. We were filled with joy! I love our life together and I look forward to our life and what it brings.
I would like to thank all of our family, friends and Gators who made this video possible.
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