Jjimjilbang, Korean BBQ and my apartment.

It is now Tuesday and I arrived in Seoul last Thursday afternoon. Most of my time was spent catching up on jet lag, but I needed to eat occasionally and one of the best places to relax in Korea is at a Jjimjilbang. More on that later though.

My apartment is about 14' by 9' with a small wet bathroom attached to the end. So there isn't much to say about the apartment other than the wallpaper is peeling where mold use to grow, the dust-bunnies were the size of my foot, the floor is the source of the heating, my bike fits nicely underneath my clothing rack, my bed is the only place to sit (other than the luxurious heated floors) and there are enough dishes for one person. It's perfect!

Bed/Desk/Closet/Bike

        

Wet Bath - it's not that bad!

  

Kitchen - yes it is still the same room!

On Saturday I taught my first class. It was two businessmen in their 40's and their English is conversational, but in the early stages of conversation. We started by reading from their language book, which gives us topics to discuss, this week it was 'computers and the internet'. We had some interesting discussions on what it would be like if we didn't have computers, we talked about how we would have to rely on books at the library for research, which might put a damper on the rapid learning process that the internet allows in modern society. I thought about how hard it would be to stay in touch with friends all over the world... I wouldn't even be able to share my thoughts on this blog. The class went well and then I went out to lunch with the two students and Mr. Lee, my boss. They were interested in learning about my travels, which is something I love to share with people!

On Sunday I spent the day with Megan, a fellow teacher at the Hagwon that has been here for 11 months. She took me to a Jjimjilbang, which is a Korean spa. They hand you two small towels, shorts and a t-shirt. Your shoes go in lockers near the entrance, because just like most Asian cultures, you do not wear your shoes inside. You walk upstairs and put on the designated clothes. The women's changing area is full of naked women of all ages, in the gender-specific area nudity is required.

Meg and I went to the coed area first, where they have saunas of all temperatures and smells. We started in the salt room, Meg's favorite. It was about 38 degrees celsius, so pretty moderate, and a good place to begin. We spent hours going from sauna to cold room to sauna. The cold room is 12 degrees celsius and they recommend going in there before heading into another sauna. We tried the jade room, which is a pyramid and the inside is lined with jade tiles. The room smells wonderful and was 48 degrees celsius. We also tried the coal room, another hot room. It was relaxing, but remember to stay hydrated (especially if you sweat easily)!

After spending hours in the sauna area we decided to go to the spa. We dressed down to the nude and headed to the women only area. There were women bathing themselves and each other at showers and tubs that filled the main area. Surrounding this there were baths, massage tables, and an outdoor spa area and more saunas similar to the ones upstairs but hotter. We started in a moderate tub inside then took a dip in the cold tub and moved on to the outside tubs.

Back inside I decided to get a full body scrub. The woman giving me the scrub shows up in black underwear and bra. This is what they give all their spa services in - massages, scrubs, etc - black lingerie. Well needless to say for about $16 they scrubbed a good layer of my skin off and it feels wonderful!

After the scrub we sat in a sauna, that was a mere 85 degrees celsius, for about 10 minutes. I don't think I could have lasted much longer without overheating or boiling!

Meg then took me out for Korean BBQ at her favorite place in our neighborhood. They serve a fresh vegetable platter, sweet bean paste, kimchi and an assortment of other fermented vegetables, oils and spices. The pork is brought to the table raw and cooked on the personal BBQ that is the center of each table. It's the ultimate family style meal and I will definitely be returning (I will now be their regular American guest since Meg leaves in a month!)

That's all for now. An-nyeong-hi kye-se-yo!