Hey guys, been a while since I made a video but look here! It's a video!
This is not really that eventful but the second half has more stuff so hang tight for that one.
Hey guys, been a while since I made a video but look here! It's a video!
This is not really that eventful but the second half has more stuff so hang tight for that one.
I don't feel like I have been here in South Korea close to a year, and yet when I think about it, I really have. Korea has shown me a lot of things and opened my eyes to a lot of other things. I have seen good, bad, boring, exciting, and all the stuff in between all of that since I have been here. I have seen big cities and lived in a tiny town. I can't say I have not experienced Korea in it's most raw form. That is, I have lived outside of Seoul where life is simply just life. No glitz or glamour about it. If ever I wanted to get an authentic taste of Korean culture, I think this year has provided that to me far more than I think I was even ready for.
That being said, when I look back on my year, I feel like it was a really quick roller coaster ride. At the top, the beginning, the pinnacle of my stay, I was looking down at the drop like it was a long way off. My time here seemed like it was going to go on forever. I was excited and scared at the same time. Now, at the bottom of that roller coaster ride, I am looking back at it realizing it went too fast and wanting to do it all over again.
I am looking back at my year and asking myself, "What have I really seen? Did I accomplish all I wanted to? Have I seen it all?" To that I must honestly answer, "No." It is a little naive to think that you can come to a country and completely experience all the culture has to offer in one year. It would be naive to think that you could experience it all in ten or more years. But I am wondering if I have done all that I can.
I think I can say that I have. I have experienced a lot since I have been here. Stuff I do not like and stuff I absolutely love. There is so much to this country and culture to be seen, and some stuff that foreigners like myself will never be able to see from sheer subtlety. I think that is true for any country. I can say I have made the most of my stay here, but I wish I had more time to see and do more.
Soon I will be leaving Korea. I do have the option of staying longer, but life is taking me in another direction for now. Will this direction lead to a permanent path? Yes, I think all directions do, but will I stay on this same path? Absolutely not, I am not one to walk in one direction too long. I have a goal in mind and leaving Korea is taking me one step closer towards that goal, no matter how much it pains me to do it.
Who knows though, perhaps all roads lead back to Korea for me. Perhaps they don't. My life is rarely ever defined in absolutes.
Anyways that's just ranting I guess. I have had fun in Korea and learned a lot. I will be leaving soon but before then I will try to do my best to make the most of what time I have left here.
Ok, that's a little dramatic. I am actually just fine but how do I always seem to get myself into these ruts? I really like blogging, I like vlogging, and yet I get into these periods where I just don't want to do anything. Maybe you could call it laziness, and I guess to some degree it is, but I don't think that's it either. I don't know what it is but for those of you who do read and watch, thank you for putting up with my sporadic posts.
As for my Taiwan videos, I have two things to say about those. One, I really wasn't happy with them. I had a lot of stuff recorded and I uploaded 3 videos, but I really wasn't happy with any of them. I just felt they were boring. Beyond that my lap top's hard drive has failed again and I can't access those files until I go back to the U.S. I guess that is kind of good because once I do get back I can look at what I have recorded with fresh eyes and maybe that will inspire me to edit the footage down to just what is interesting. As of right now though, I hated what I recorded. So... yeah.
About recording vlogs in general, that is where I am struggling. I want to put out stuff that you guys will enjoy seeing but I have some things that hold me back. First and foremost is just me wanting it to be perfect, but knowing I am not that great at video making. The solution, of course, is to make more videos and get better but... see where I get into a rut? Secondly I am just not that comfortable in front of a camera. Most of all I just simply don't get a lot of views. I know why, sort of, but I don't really know how to fix it.
This blog and my videos actually take a long time to make. I film or shoot photos for hours, I come home, edit photos and video (photos alone take hours), then write the blog post. I am not complaining. I enjoy it. Mostly these posts are for myself and my family, but on some level I do want others to see my work. Not for any ego boosts but just because. When I do all this work for untold amounts of hours and see 10 views... I start to wonder, "What's the point?"
I shouldn't though. Again, this is really just for fun, so as always I will continue. Again I thank those who consume the stuff that I put out. Please keep doing so, and I will continue putting it out there. Hopefully some day it will be as polished as I want it to be, and I will have an actual schedule to my posts. Only time will tell.
By the way, my videos are here:
TaLK has given me a certain perspective that I would never have had before participating in this program. I think that anyone of us TaLK scholars, whether we stayed for six months, or we stayed far longer, can agree that this program is unique and special in many ways. I personally have never heard of another program quite like this one. What TaLK offers upfront, and what it offers by consequence, is something completely revolutionary. Going into this you sign up for a chance to see another country or a chance to learn a language perhaps. But experiencing another culture, living outside your comfort zone, and learning about yourself as a person… well, that’s the kind of stuff that TaLK offers, but doesn’t really tell you about.
Before considering this program I really didn’t know much about Korea at all if I am being completely honest. Sure, I knew what was pertinent to U.S. history, namely the Korean War and such, but other than that I knew very little. In the back of my mind, Korea always seemed like a place I would like to visit someday, but since I knew very little about the country, it really wasn’t very high on my priority list. I knew so little about South Korea simply because of a lack of exposure. In fact I had never met a Korean person until I took a trip to Japan for a month. Even my first Korean meal was the day I landed here in Korea (samgyeopsal of course).
Originally I was signing up for this program for teaching experience. I have always wanted to teach abroad, but I had never considered South Korea. This opportunity presented itself to me one day and I said, “I’ll never be chosen, but I’ll put my name in the hat anyways.” So I did, and then I simply forgot all about it. When I was chosen, I kind of couldn’t believe it. I really didn’t think that I, of all people, would be chosen for such an experience, especially since I never had a huge interest in the country before. I really didn’t get my hopes up too high because I was expecting an e-mail sometime before I was supposed to board the plane saying, “Sorry, we just saw that (blah blah blah) and unfortunately we have chosen someone else.” Fortunately, that e-mail never came.
Here I am today though, still humbled by the mere consideration, and today more than ever, I have found perspective on a lot of things. Consider it like a view from up high of a city you’ve known for so long but only from the ground. I am the same person I was before coming to Korea, but perspective has also made me a different person at the same time.
Living alongside a culture completely different from mine has given me perspective about the world as a whole, and about myself as an individual. Every day that I live here I am reminded that I am different, I am a waygook. Yet every day I am also reminded that even though I look different, think a little different, and even speak differently, I am just the same. I am just as boring on the weekdays and… well boring on the weekends too. (Again, we’re tying to be honest here!) I now have perspective on what it’s like to live in another person’s shoes. No, I will never fully understand all of the nuances that make up the Korean culture, but this program has provided me with an insight into this culture. That in itself is worth far more than a monthly wage.
The TaLK program has given me a wonderful opportunity that can’t be bought. There is nothing like living in another country so different from your own. To say it is an experience I will never forget is putting it lightly. Funny, coming from someone who knew very little about South Korea before coming here, as I think about leaving (as I inevitably will have to), I am very sad just thinking about it. There are things I dislike about Korea, just as there are things I dislike about my own country, but there is so much more that I love about it. I think both of those things make life here all the more interesting and rich. All of this, though, does not even compare to the emptiness I feel knowing that I will have to say goodbye to my students. The thought of never being able to see where they end up fills me with a sadness I cannot express in words. Though that may seem like a negative point, TaLK has given me the opportunity to feel emotions I have never felt before, and these kids aren’t even my own. In doing so I have also learned about myself and the love I have for my students.
Perspective.
For any American who lives in Korea this title might either make you laugh, or it might make you cry as you walk toward the closest thing you will get to an American burger... McDonald's. Fear not my fellow burger loving Americans, there is hope for us all.
I can't really call myself a foody. Foodies are people who love all kinds of food no matter what it might contain... I do love burgers though, and being a Texan, I'd say I know a thing or two about an all beef patty. But in Korea, at least outside of Seoul, a good burger is like trying to find a unicorn. It's just not going to happen.
So on my recent trip to Daejeon I read about a place called House Grill and I was intrigued but I knew not to get my hopes too high. Burgers just aren't the same here. In any case, I figured I would give it a try, and I headed to the subway with a bit more excitement than is appropriate for a fully gown human being.
It wasn't too hard to find but if you aren't looking for it, you definitely will miss it. I must admit that if I had walked by this place I would have thought it was a dry cleaner's or something. To my delight it was indeed the House Grill I had been looking forward to and I stepped in not sure what to expect. Inside was small with about four or five tables most of which were meant for about two people to sit at. All around the place there was also drawings much in the style I am interested in. Interestingly enough there were some foreigners already eating there as I walked in which really got my hopes up.
I sat down and was greeted by a nice lady who offered me a menu that had Korean and English. I can read Korean but it is nice to have the option for English since I don't know the words for some things. The menu itself was simple enough, burgers, burgers, and more burgers. Just the way I like my menu. What really got me was that there wasn't just the normal cheese burger, cheese burger with another patty, and burger with no cheese options. No there were burgers with egg, bacon, hashbrowns, and a whole load of other stuff.
I read through the menu wanting to try everything and that's when I saw it... The Monster Burger... Two patties, two hash browns, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pineapple, and egg... How could I pass that up? It was basically everything on the menu thrown between two buns. Yes please! I was NOT disappointed I must say.
So then this must have cost me a fortune right? Actually, no. With the optional chili fries and a soda, the whole thing came out to 20,000 won. I was blown away by the price and even more by the taste. This burger was cheap and damn good, just the way an American burger should be.
I ate that whole thing... and I regret nothing. My whole trip was made with this one burger and I just had to meet the owner.
This ladies and gentlemen, is Brian Kim. He is the owner, chef, and artist behind House Grill. I asked him about his amazing burgers and learned that he spent a few years in the states both in New York and in California. He said that he felt Korean burgers didn't taste right because the ingredients were too over complicated. In his burgers, to get that true American taste, he uses very simple ingredients. As an American, I can appreciate this and I can agree that whatever he is doing, he is doing it right. He also told me that when he had opened originally 7 years ago, there was more on the menu, but the burgers were so good that there was really no need for anything else. Again, I agree.
It is interesting that such a place can exist in Korea outside of Seoul. Typically when a restaurant opens anywhere, the taste must be tailored to suit the palates of the locals. Meaning that, when a burger place opens in Korea, it must have a recipe that pleases the Korean palate. Brian Kim is interesting in that he takes a "no compromises" approach to his burgers. He does not change his formula to make his burgers more "Korean" but instead tries to stay true to what an American burger tastes like. I respect that.
So my thoughts should be clear on this place but I will sum it up anyways like this... House Grill has some of the best burgers in Korea. If you are looking for a real American burger, look no further than House Grill. If you are in Daejeon it is a must. The owner is friendly and speaks good English, the place is small but cozy, and the food is amazing. Ten million stars to House Grill.
How to get there: Head to Yongmun Station and take exit 4. Once you exit just keep walking straight towards all the big buildings off in the distance. It's a little walk from the exit but keep an eye over your left shoulder until you see a Paris Baguette. Just past that Paris Baguette will be a little hall, go in and head all the way to the end, House Grill is on your right! The address is: #119 Orange Town, 423-3 Goejeong-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon.
042-528-6639
It's been a long time coming guys but I can now officially introduce...
Drum roll please...
My website!!
That's right, it has finally happened. For a long time I have been planning to make a website to showcase my photography and host my blog. Previously I was using blogger to write my blog and after over 100 posts, I cannot complain too much about blogger. However, having people and clients go to blogger or flickr to see my work simply didn't look professional. Now I have my very own website to serve as my portfolio and blog.
The website URL from now on will be: www.alexmakesascene.com
What does this mean for you? Well, nothing really except that I will probably no longer be using blogger. My old blog posts will still be on there if you wish to see them, but they will be here as well and my new posts will be here exclusively. But this is a much better way to see the work I think is the best and, being that it is my own site, I can customize it any way I like in the future.
So here it is, my site. Please take a look around. There are still changes and tweaks to be made but as of right now this seems good. If you happen to find anything broken or weird please tell me so I can fix it. I am still figuring all of this out so please be patient. (Right now I don't know how to put photos in my blog posts!)
That's it. I have wanted this for a long time but I have not had the confidence to actually go about putting my work together on my own site until now.
Please tell me what you think of it!
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Taylor Fox and I... and a well timed photo bomb. |