Cooking class

We used 3 weeks to learn cooking Korean food
- Bibim noodle
- Cucumber kimchi
- Kimbab
- Nalchi-ar-bibimbap

Most of the time we had too many students and not all of us had the chance to cook, but in kimbab class 5 of us attended only and all of us made as many as 3 kimbabs! :P

Kind teacher with hard-learning students

Well-served bibim-noodle (quite hot for the Philippine ladies)

Look delicious - yet really yummy - kimbab!

Anyway, since it is free to learn, why not join the center that is the nearest to you?

Living Tips - 2

In the program I joined in the multicultural family support center of Gwangjin-gu since April, for the immigrant ladies, I only knew that there are a lot of us living in this area - from Philippines, Vietname, China and Japan. The program offered us:

• orientation
• know about yourself
• learn Korean songs & visit the karaoke
• learn to cook Korean food
• learn about rights and laws to live in Korea

In this August we are having summer vacation as the weather is too hot.

There are some telephone numbers that they ask us to jot down:

For the Foreigners who got married at Korea - the organizations who help in the law assistance: (free charge)

• 대한법률구조공단 132
• 한국가정법률상담소 02-780-568, 780-5689 http://www.lawhome.or.kr/
• 대한변호사협회 02-3476-6515
• 서울지방변호사회 02-3476-6000
• Emergency Support Center for Immigrant Women 1577-1366
• 한국이주여성인권센터 02-3672-7559

Korean Immigration Service 1345 -
Counseling service in 18 different languages
9am-6pm
1345 + numbers-for-language + *
(Korean 1, Chinese 2, English 3, Vietnamese 4, Thai 5, Japanese 6, Mongol 7, Indonesian 8, French 9, 뱅골어 10, Pakistan 11, Russian 12, Nepal 13, Combodian 14, Myanmar 15, German 16, Spain 17, Philippine 18)

On 20th Jul,the Counseling Team leader, 권미경, of Emergency Support Center for Immigrant Women gave a talk for us. She encouraged us to know about our human rights and especally the rights for women.

On 27th Jul, a lawyer gave a talk on the law on the divorce and the ways to search help in emergency situations. She reminded us:

• if the husband disappeared for more than 3 years, the wife can apply for divorce.
• if the husband passed away suddenly (in tragedy), the division of property - (Case without children) Parents (1) and wife (1.5) share and (case with children) children (1) and wife (1.5)  share. --- she mentioned about this because a lot of married ladies do not know about this right
• In the court case of divorse, there was once a case that the husband wanted a divorce and the wife did not want to, but the husband hire a translator who sided the husband. Though the answer of the wife was no - when she was questioned of whether wanted a divorce - the translator said yes. Thus, the wife should find a trustable translator if she doesn't know about the Korean language well.

Living in Korea (for ladies who got married with Korean men) - 1

After these few months I joined program in the multicultural family support center of Gwangjin-gu (the area where I live), I found the information they provide is very useful for us, the immigrant ladies. Also, I hope this information will help those who are coming over here to stay.

The case of the Vietnamese girl, (naver search 베트남신부살해사건 to get more information) who was only 20 years old, was killed by the husband who is almost double of her age, in only less than 10 days she entered the country. The husband is diagnosed with mental problem. What a sad news... so the awareness of the government and the married ladies are both important. This type of case is not the first time, so we ladies should know our rights and get the useful living tips to live happily in this foreign country.

This booklet was given by the multicultural family support center. It is provided in different languages, while I got the English version. My Vietnamese friends got the Vietnamese version, Chinese got Chinese version and others.

Publisher: Korean Government
Planning: The Cenral Office for Multicultural Family Support Centers
This book was publised under the sponsorship of Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs 보건복지가족부,  Ministry of Public Administration and Security 행정안전부 and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism문화체육관광부.
However, the contents of thi book are also available through the multicultural famil support portal site (http://www.liveinkorea.go.kr/)

Contents:

1. Introduction to the Republic of Korea
2. Foreign Resident Support Services
3. Residence and Naturalization
4. Korean Culture and Life
5. Pregnancy and Childcare
6. Education of Children
7. Health and Healthcare
8. Social Security System
9. Employment and Labor
10. Enjoy Korea!
11. Reference

Get one copy for yourself is not a bad idea - as you can get a lot of information to ask in daily life (with useful website references and telephone numbers provided)

This mini booklet was also given by the center for married couples (printed by Seoul Family Support Center http://family.seoul.go.kr/ ). It was printed in Dec 2009, so there are lots of latest useful information (we're expecting our first baby in this coming Nov), especially there is the support from the government from pregnancy to the children education, health and others.
There is also a table listed out the congratulation-rewards for those who give birth of babies - from 1 baby to more than 5 babies. (Seoul governmnt encourages the residents to have babies)

More to come...

Straight road with zig-zag line

When I go to teach at a study center every Thursday, I walk by this road
and... I found  out it's an unique road.
What does it mean actually?

Baseball game

View from Jamsil Baseball Sports Complex to Sports Complex

Korea is famous of its baseball team, especially in the Olympic Games 2008. They won the gold medal. However, they were crazy for the sports, even before that. In Malaysia, we do not play this sports, thus actually I don't have much idea how to play the sports.

We have a friend who works at LG company and his company provided some free tickets when LG play in the tournament. On 25th May, we got the chance to watch the game LG vs KIA. It's very lucky for us that LG won that game. The result was 5:4. But actually LG lose in the early stage, but because of homerun, and later they worked hard and they won the game.

Oh ya! I finally got the chance to see Home Run! But the ball didn't come to our side.

My ticket!

I don't know about the guy in the ticket but my friend told me he is a good player (though that night he was not the star).

The game started 6.30pm and the sun still brightly shining. I like summer.

There were already thousand over people there in the sports complex. We missed the chance to see the celebrity who started the game with either throwing or hitting a ball. We were looking for the ticket booth because we got free tickets and so we were late to enter the stadium. :(

This picture just to show you that... we sit far away from the field.

The players are so tiny, right? See from TV is clearer.

Another one is, the seats opposite of us is KIA supporters.

Our side is LG supporters.

When any of the team hit the ball, the cheerleader led the supporters to sing, to shout and the cheerleading team danced. Wow! I like the Korean supporters!

But... since I'm pregnant, I felt so exhausted easily and left earlier.

This photo was taken at 7:52pm

Round 6 (if I'm not mistaken)

It's getting dark but ... the cheering sound didn't stop.

They used these balloons to make sound.

Let's see some videos, not very clear, but hope you can enjoy the live performance as we were.

There were also free stuff to give away in the middle of the show, like kissing couple, lucky number, etc. The big screen showed the audience in the supporter zone randomly then they can get free gifts. It is such a good marketing way.

Dallae's Story

Doll Performance

I got the free tickets from Korea4expats.com to have a chance to watch the doll performance - Dallae's Story. My friend and I watched it on 19th May, Wednesday.
Because of the remembrance of war, for the education purpose, this performace was held in the National Theatre of Korea from 14th May to 22th May 2010.

I like it very much because the dolls are really well made, it is sweet though the storyline is quite sad. The story was started with a happy family, performing in 4 seasons, but later on war came and everything changed. The dad died and left the mum and the child toy.

It is a non-verbal performance, and thus with the music background and puppets, toys, and the light effect, it became an amazing show. It can even help the children to know the actions  of  dolls - just like the animation on TV, it was originally moved by human action by action. It's not easy to move the doll by hand.

I think my baby inside of me enjoyed the show too. :)

I found a website which have the short movie of the performance. Click here.

After we watched the show, we found this mini house was shown outside the hall.

Beautiful flowers

Flowers are all around you this summer, stop for a while if you see some! You will certainly can't resist its prettiness. Especially try to smell the wild roses.

Share with you some taken by my hp.

Sun is bright...

The redness of rose is shining

This pink flower is shining under the sun too...

White is also as shining as other colors...

Do you also find the color of flowers you like this season?

Summer is here!

I didn't write anything in my blog since I am concentrating on... my pregnancy. I didn't take much photos like last time, but still thanks to the good handphone which I have now that I can take down some memorable photos.

The weather now is so hot... but the sky is blue and the trees are green. I like it very  much.

Share with you some photos

and hope you enjoy the weather change too...

Let's go out to enjoy the sunshine (not sun burnt instead).

27th Apr 2010

Look up to the sky and I saw this wonderful tree!

27th May 2010

The clearest sky we had in May after cloudy days

1st June 2010

Hot summer arrives on the first day of June

Summer = sun!

sun = shadow!

Look down on the floor also brings amazing view!

The shadows of the trees and leaves

I even found one love-shaped shadow when I walked from my house to welfare center.

Last but not the least, green is the main color of summer!

I like green!

Cherry Flower blossom

This year it comes late, but still as beautiful as before. I planned to go other places to have different scenery but the weather stopped me. So, I just go to the place where I always go - and the one I like the most - Children Grand Park.

Guui entrance
on Wednesday

twinkle twinkle little star

close up

soon to blossom

too beautiful to shine

Did you get to see some around you? The cherry flowers bloom out earlier in our housing area, but the park later, and even Walker Hill area does not yet bloom out yet! Weather is strange and the flowers come out late too.

Enjoy the spring!

GPS Navigation

Almost all Koreans' drivers have GPS navigation system in their cars. It is very useful when the roads in Korea keep updating and changing. However, I believe it is popular in Korea as the map of Korea is always keep updating for the users on the websites.

It is available in different sizes depend on the brand and the size of the car. Our car is mini Tico and this mini MyDean Navigation system is just nice. With a hook, and the direct battery charge cable is just hooked in the car and can be used usefully.

Not only it is useful to travel around the country with this navigation system, it is also used as a mobile tv, mp3 and other functions.

Homemade noodle

After my hubby read about the book about the disadvantage of eating snack and instant food, he decided to stop eating ramen. For me, I don't like instant noodle at all since my father always brain-wash me. Only during camping time or group eating time, then we will eat together.

So in order to  keep the loving of noodle, the only choice is to make noodle soup myself. It's very easy.
From the photo above, the meat ball is brought from Malaysia one! (My father bought  me one big pack and hand made by his friend).

With scallop brought from Malaysia too (My mother brought from China and also Kar Lai from HK brought me some whenever she  visits me)  - just put a few into boiling water.

If not, when we cook chicken soup, with some left, we will use it to cook the noodle too.

Put in any vegetable ingredients available, mostly I have onion and carrot, and mostly I will add in  the green vegetable to make it look more attractive. It is  more nutritious too when the green vegetable is  cooked in the soup.

Korean style then sometimes my hubby will just add in the kimchi. :)

Why not you also try some homemade noodle instead of instant noodle?

Food from Taiwan

One of our small group members went to Taiwan during the Lunar New Year holiday. It was not a good trip because  it rained for the whole trip. She could not take good photos and visit all the places  she planned to. However, she brought back gift for  us - pineapple pie from  Taiwan.

Yes, I think I am the only person feel so excited to see this.

Since it is a packaging one, sure not as chewy as it is sold at the bakery itself. Yet the pineapple sauce is tasty, hard to find in Korea.
A lot of my friends visit Taiwan since last year, most of them went for the food there. If  I have the chance to go there, I think I want to visit the countryside places - which are shown in  the Taiwan MTV mostly. They are so beautiful and calm. :)

kuksuri kuksu (noodle)

This noodle restaurant is near to our school and in school time, we went to the shop quite often. The shop is soy bean paste and it's very tasty.

It makes us warm too when the weather is cold. It is pan-mee type: either made by hand (piece by piece) or by machine (long noodle type).

Another tasty food  in  the shop is the dumpling - 만두.

a little bit spicy with kim chi inside but very tasty when it's hot.

Compared to the restaurants next to it, the price do not increase for the last 3 years. It is still 5000 won. Price is reasonable and a lot of travellers visit this  place. It is located besides the road of Yangpyeong. People go to Gangwon-do and go back to Seoul, mostly will pass by Yangpyeong, and this shop is just besides the road.

국수리 국수집
Tel: 772-2433
everything here is 5000won.
kimchi is self-service and very tasty too.

Free Korean Language class at Gwangjin area

I just moved to Gwangjin area and I found out that Gwangjang Social Welfare Center offers free Korean language class for immigrant women. So I called up and they informed me that there will be class starts in Mac/April.

I went to the orientation on last Friday, and there were only 4 ladies attended there. Anyway, from the photos in the center catalog, I think there are some other members who already studied here before. We may meet in the class opening ceremony on 31st March.
They also introduced us about the functions of the welfare center and the multicultural family support center.

The class is offered:
in 1-1 style 1 teacher and 1 student,
the time you choose to suit your own time,
also you can ask any questions in other resources you are using in the moment.

If you live in this area, please call them up and join  the class.
website of 광장종합사회복지관 Gwangjang Social welfare center
tel: 02-2201-1333

There is another department in the same building also offers free Korean languge class, but only in beginner stage. 광진구 다문화가족지원센터 Gwangjin-gu Multicultural Family Support center.
Tel: 02-458-0665
They also offer other helps like counseling and programs for multi-cultural family.

In this March, there are 2 programs offered:

• To know about the happy marriage life

경혼과 가족의 이해 '행복한 결혼생황 알아가기
20 people
30th March
1 - 4 pm
free
광장종합사회지관 2층 강당 Gwangjang welfare center 2nf floor, seminar room
register before 26th March 6pm
tel: 02-458-0666
Computer class

• Computer class

10 seats
only for immigrants of Gwangjin residents
computer room of Gwangjin office 광진구청 컴푸터실
period: 23th March - 13th May (Tues, Thurs 10-12am)
free
register before 19th March 6pm
tel: 02-458-0666

The food I had in early March

With the photos in the camera, only I realized that I had some fantastic food in this early mid March. I would like to share with you and hope you can try it too.

We got this set of rice cookies from a missionary, whom she herself can't eat food made with flour. It is like the "mooncake" of Chinese style, but this is made in Korea style.

All 12 round cookies are in different flavor (we haven't finished eating it, but until now the fillings inside the cookies we ate were all different.

Roll cake - the one we like it so much - soft and the cream is made with a different flavor from other bakery.

This was bought by one of our church family while we had the lunch gathering at our house this Sunday. The bakery is 가또마들렌 Gateau Madeleine.

The bakery which I like to visit, Aroo Bakery, didn't make any bread recently but only cakes. I'm not sure what happened but I think may be I should pay a visit and ask them about it.

Ok... this is the white day chocolate bought by hubby.
Happy it is a dark chocolate, but ... it is high calory oh! :P

It is packed individually.

It is made in Korea. erm... not really as good as cadbury anyway. :)

And last but not the least, the food I had for my lunch! All made by me...
tofu - boiled in water, instead of fried.
sauce of tofu (home-made)
raw green vege - 돈나무 Japanese Pittosporum 
samjjang sauce made by pastor's wife
soybean paste stew (tofu, radish)
sliced radish kimchi  (home-made)
and rice...

a totally full lunch.

What do you have  in this March - though it should be spring, it snowed and the weather is still cold. Hachoo! I just kept myself in water and vitamin C most of the  time. Take care of your body well too!

Long time no see... long time no eat

I haven't updated my blog lately, busy of house moving after I returned back from Malaysia, and finally almost settled everything, and now I have the time to blog again. There is also another reason that we have only 1 notebook that 2 of us share, and hubby is going to buy me a new laptop soon... yet, must save hard after buying that.

Anyway, the topic today is that: we ordered chicken today... long time no eat, though we're learning to be vegetarian lately.

I checked online that which fried chicken branches at our new area, Guui-3-dong, and the list is long in Naver search website. The rates given by the customers  was my consideration since it was hard to choose. And I found this new brand - Home Chicken - baked chicken shop.

The difference from other shop is:
the chicken is not fried,
pickles and radish provided do not add in chemical ingredients.

The price is also reasonable too.
We ordered sweet lemon chicken this time - 15,800 won for 1 bucket.

It came with lemon sauce and black spicy sauce.
Also, it came with a mini box of vegetables! Special! I love it!

not the normal salad with dressing, it's just nice - raw vege!

We had this with rice and it made us so full!
It is different from the chicken style of lemon chicken.

This shop promotes home chicken campaign. The price range is as follows:
Baked wings:
Black spicy wings, Hawaiian Teriyaki Wings, Original Garlic Wings, Sweet Lemon Wings, Barbecue 17 Wings, Chinese Chili Baked Wings.
   1/2 basket: 8,200 won
   1 basket: 16,400 won
Plain Baked Wings
   1/2 basket: 7,900 won
   1 basket: 15,800 won

Baked Chicken  (original garlic chicken, spicy garlic chicken, plain chicken)
  15,800 won

new menu:
herb garden chicken 15,000 won per basket
wings & chops 15,800 won per basket

side menu:
baked chops, spicy chops 7,800 won
meat sauce potatoes 5,200 won
baked wedge potato 3,200 won
baked tortila 1000 won
french biscuit 1,900 won
mexican side 1000 won
soft drinks 1000 won

Coupons are given too for the next order.

Website is here.
Tel: 1588-5111

Graduation season!

Entering the new semester, also the time to say goodbye to the graduated! Congratulations to all who have graduated for the year 2009!

Koreans give flowers as a encouragement to the graduated persons. Seeing the fresh flowers in the cold winter make people feel so warmth.

Parents and friends attend the ceremony - not because of the ceremony, but because of the special time to take photos for you, looking at you on the gown - though just for 1 hour.