The dust settles, resulting in a scattered recollection

It is now December 28th. As I notice fellow Hartwick College students take off on the j-term study abroad trips, where a month is spent taking a class in places like South Africa, China, and Thailand, the reality comes back for my own decision. A month and a few days from now I will be embarking on a long plane ride. Hopefully there will be some cool places to spend a layover done in the style of Anthony Bourdain's new show on the Travel Channel. Personally I'm rooting for Hong Kong or Tokyo. I figure these places would be good to quickly adjust me to living in a city with ten million inhabitants for four months.

My projected thirteen hours of restlessness will no doubt leave me stranded in some place like San Fran. With my luck, I expect to meet an untimely end getting hit by a cable car. If not, I’ll trip over a Deadhead (bad pun) and roll down one of those terraced hills like a pinball before splashing unconscious into the bay. I’ll wash up on Alcatraz and spend my afterlife being the constant subject of ghost tours, trying in vain to tell people just how un-cool my death was over EVP’s. If my layover does leave me in San Fran, my motivation to stop cowering in the airport for fear of screwing up somehow and missing the plane will only take me as far as the hotdog trolley.

"DUDE, DID YOU JUST HEAR THAT?!"

     
----------------------------------------------------------------
Seoul is fixing to throw my five senses into orbit.

The Banpo Bridge, Seoul          

          For once in these pre-departure posts, I would like to spend some time looking back instead of forward. As you can see from the last post, one where I was only just sending in an application, a lot has happened and I have left you, dear reader, un-scooped. Of course judging from the page-views I guess this hasn’t been a cause for sadness.

          I was accepted to the International Study Abroad program on November 18^th. Here’s the official link to the program details: http://studiesabroad.co.uk/seoul. This news came just in time for Thanksgiving break, a time that I and students all over the United States spent flipping off the calendar in hopes that the rest of the semester would bug-off. Only for me this was also the time when I was filling out lots of forms.

          Studying for finals, writing/stressing papers and reading expiration dates became a way of life for that long, long, stretch of time after break. My room-mate and I spent many nights cursing the assignments yet to be done, foregoing work for a few nights in a row to watch the U.K. series Survivors. Do I recommend watching this show while in a rational mindset? Nope. Do I recommend this show while hoping that an incurable disease sweeps the Earth and turns cities into a post-apocalyptic playground? Why, yes, in fact. Oh, the population of the world is now 1/3 of what it used to be? Looks like that F won’t be counting after all.

           As with most predicted end-of-days scenarios, the date of finals came and passed. Those final days of acting homeless and living in the library paid off and I actually did fine. I moved out of my cabin at the Pine Lake campus at my school and spent the next week or two hanging with the family. This was a welcome respite, but it can also be tiring in its own way at times. Kim Jong Il also died, which is awesome except for Kim Jong Un. I think it can be widely agreed that his demeanor is considerably more cold and calculating than his clown-like father. No more threats from a guy in his dad’s gym outfit.

Now, Christmas is over and I am again in the rare position of being master of my own time. Now we are at the present. Look out for updates!

Three Korean inspired dishes I had this semester:

Kimchi (김치) – Pickled Cabbage w/ red chilis

Found on Closet Cooking Blog being delicious

I bought a jar of this in a Korean specialty store in Syracuse. This stuff is not for everyone, but it certainly is for me. It boasts an intimidating, though not unbearable rotting smell. Don’t be lame though. Try a little with rice or in your ramen noodles. This pickled treat is larger than life in Korea. It’s spicy, crisp and (not so importantly) pretty good for you.

Tilapia Fillet with Gochujang (고추장) – fermented red chili paste

“You bought tilapia as a college student?” You must be thinking I drove my parent’s Audi to school, but really there was a two for one special at the grocery store. This paste and fish is a combo that’s nothing short of delicious. Eat this as fish and chips and you’ll be in heaven. This paste is supposed to be really hot, and either I’ve burnt my taste buds out or this wasn’t too bad -- but still had a nice kick. Classy, subtle flavor. All you have to do is place the fillets in a greased baking pan, throw on an unhealthy amount of butter (think Paula Deen), and use your head when applying those spices. Garlic salt, oregano, sesame seeds, get that sizzlin’ and bubblin’ for ten minutes per 1/3” of thickness.

Bibimbap (비빔밥) – a mixed meal of sautéed veggies, rice, gochujang, fried egg, carrots, kimchi, and beef usually served warm

Photo-Friendly Bibimbap

An Abomination

The picture above is the bibimbap I prepared, which, it should be noted, is miles from how it should be. I used carrots, bean sprouts, rice, a fried egg, sesame seeds and maybe something else that has slipped my mind. Oh well. It’s best when set in the oven so that the rice takes on an authentic baked quality and the meal is kept at a good temperature. This will definitely give you that full, satisfied feeling.