91 days and counting.

"I just bought a Mac from Frisbee."

Big city living in Seoul provides a plethora of culinary and drinking options. Some restaurants are famous for the food alone, others find their competitive advantage in the atmosphere and decor. For the latter, creative inventions such as the Cat Cafe have come to flourish. In more than a few restaurants, Post-it notes have become the themed wallpaper. Patrons can write anything they want on a note, then post it anywhere on the wall.

92 days and counting.

Around they go into the back stretch!

Kirin is a brand of Japanese beer, Keirin is a form of bicycle racing originating in Japan, a velodrome is an oval track built for bicycle racing, a track bike (a.k.a. fixed gear and "fixie") is a bicycle with only one gear directly connected to the hub. In Keirin racing, the racers line up at the gate behind the pacer, ride two and a half laps around the track before a bell is rung signaling the beginning of the sprint. The sprint lasts for a little more than a lap, which takes less than 30 seconds. This type of racing became an Olympic event in 2000.

Korean citizens are allowed to gamble in two types of venues (that I'm aware of); the horse track and the velodrome. Conceptually, betting at Kierin racing is very similar to betting at horse racing. The difference is; in horse racing the bet is placed mostly on the ability of the horse, in Keirin racing the bet is placed on the ability of the rider. To reduce unfair advantages, Keirin racers must be certified themselves, as well as choose their bikes and components from an approved list. For this reason, the bikes appear very simple and are comprised mostly of steel.

93 days and counting.

You and me?

As the international language, English is quite a useful tool in travel, business, and diplomacy. This is the very reason so many native English speakers are paid too much money to teach English abroad. Due to the heavy importance placed upon the English language, many companies in Korea have made slogans and products using English instead of Korean. When this happens, a perfectly good coffee shop can have the slogan, "Taste coffee, tea, and him," or a newly refurbished restaurant can celebrate a, "Grand Reopen."

94 days and counting.

Thanksgiving.

The large American presence in Korea--military and otherwise--has generated a significant demand for Thanksgiving goods and services. Some restaurants serve special Thanksgiving Day buffets, some even deliver a cooked turkey with all the fixings. The demand for such food is high, and the supply is rather low; turkey is somewhat a mystery meat in Korea. Instead of splurging on an expensive dinner, we opted for fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and carrots. There's nothing like a meal cooked with one burner and a rice cooker.

95 days and counting.

Costco kimchi.

Korea's most famous food is kimchi. There are many different varieties, but the most common is 배추김치 (Baechu Kimchi), which is fermented cabbage in pepper paste. In most restaurants in Korea, at least one type of kimchi is served as a complementary side dish. Costco has unintentionally found a niche in Korea with the chopped onions, ketchup, and mustard in it's condiment bar. To the Korean palate, any common dish served at Costco can be enhanced with what we've named 'Costco Kimchi'. A rare site is a table full of food without a heaping plate of this mixture.

96 days and counting.

Eat your bacon with chopsticks.

After more than a year, it's comforting to still find surprises. In this case, the surprise was a ruckus of students and the smell of 삼겹살 (samgyeopsal) coming from the 실과실 (home economics room).

Click on the picture to see the full album.

97 days and counting.

A few days ago--four to be exact--I was told our countdown in Korea has reached 100 days. A few days later--two to be exact--I decided it would be fun to have a 100 day project. A friend suggested taking a picture of my face every day to see what changes. I think the idea is great, but I'm not interested in having 100 shots of my mug. The concept sparked another idea, which is to take one photograph for each remaining day.

Unfortunately, by the time I discovered this idea, I was already a few days short of 100, it was evening time on the 98th day, and I was tired. Therefore, the first picture was taken on the 97th day in the countdown.

My intention is to take 97 photographs that best illustrate life in Korea, for a now experienced English teacher from America. I will do my best to post each picture on each day, but I will inevitably get behind from time to time.

--Update--

After a recalculation, what I thought was 97 days was actually 99.

Without further ado, here is my first submission. Please enjoy.

Die Springs.

Some Seoul citizens believe that in 50 years, the city will entirely consist of apartment buildings. In my neighborhood there are still signs of a bustling industry, but the encroaching high rise development looms in the distance.

Click on the picture to see the full album.