After several unpleasant and uncharacteristic heat waves this month, it seems the Autumn weather is arriving! I had to wear a long sleeve shirt while out delivering some cupcakes and I could not be more excited.
Before moving to Korea I had lived in Jacksonville, Fl for 13 years. I have not experienced an actual Autumn since I moved away from New York when I was 11 years old. Now to some this may seem inconsequential, but to me this is a huge deal. I love Autumn. It is one of the prettiest seasons of the year and finally, this year I get to watch the leaves change color :)
I had been told over and over that Chuseok usually bookmarked the coming of the cooler temperatures, but we experienced a very weird extended summer. It started to cool down and then all of a sudden it was in the upper 80's again! Needless to say I did not take this gracefully. I have complained about the heat for weeks. Why? Because every year in Florida I have endured the extreme heat that lasts most of the year. I am in Korea now and this country is supposed to have four distinct seasons and I am very eager to experience them all! And now I get what I want because I am wearing a sweater! I cannot wait to take as many photographs of the trees as possible because let me tell you something people, Autumn is gorgeous. With it comes warm clothes, pumpkin and apple desserts, and turkey! This will be my first Thanksgiving and Christmas away from home and also my first holiday season as a married lady so of course I am very excited to begin planning all the festivities :)
Now if you will excuse me, I think a hocho is in order.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Order Up!
Within a few hours of launching our company Facebook page, I received a request for some cupcakes. Needless to say I was over the moon about this. I was also nervous because I wanted them to be perfect. My customer requested six of my Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate/Vanilla Swirl Buttercream. These happen to be my favorite cupcakes. There is just nothing more classic than a good vanilla cupcake. We made the arrangements for pick up and I checked the pantry to make sure I had a sufficient amount of ingredients.
The day came and after dropping off some bagels and doughnuts to school, I came home, took a nap (because Bubble insists I nap daily now), and then woke up to bake away while my awesome husband went to pick up some boxes for transport. It is not every day that my baking endeavors go off without a hitch. Today, however, was one of those days. The cakes rose perfectly, right to the top of the cups. The frosting came out smooth and delicious, and I made just the right amount for the cakes so no ingredients were wasted! The finished product can be seen below and, not to toot my own horn, but my presentation has gotten better since the first time I baked these particular cakes :)
I packed them up in boxes, took a cab downtown, and enjoyed a delicious western breakfast at The First Alleyway while I waited for Emma to come pick up her order. I hope very much that she and her boyfriend are enjoying their cupcakes and cannot wait for her feedback! I could not be any more excited to be putting my full efforts into our business :D
The day came and after dropping off some bagels and doughnuts to school, I came home, took a nap (because Bubble insists I nap daily now), and then woke up to bake away while my awesome husband went to pick up some boxes for transport. It is not every day that my baking endeavors go off without a hitch. Today, however, was one of those days. The cakes rose perfectly, right to the top of the cups. The frosting came out smooth and delicious, and I made just the right amount for the cakes so no ingredients were wasted! The finished product can be seen below and, not to toot my own horn, but my presentation has gotten better since the first time I baked these particular cakes :)
I packed them up in boxes, took a cab downtown, and enjoyed a delicious western breakfast at The First Alleyway while I waited for Emma to come pick up her order. I hope very much that she and her boyfriend are enjoying their cupcakes and cannot wait for her feedback! I could not be any more excited to be putting my full efforts into our business :D
Saturday, September 24, 2011
A Little Slice of Home for 4,000 KRW
Homesickness. It comes with the territory when you live in a foreign country. No matter how awesome that country may be, no matter how many great new experiences you encounter, you still find yourself missing the familiar. Many people deal with homesickness in many different ways. Some people dedicate their time to creating a place that alleviates that sadness. In Gwangju, we are lucky to have several people that bring tiny parts of Western culture to our bustling Korean city. Two such men are Michael Simming and Tim Whitman.
The First Alleyway and The Underground Grocer are marvelous places. They are places one can go to eat familiar foods impossible to find elsewhere, and to have company with people who understand you. The simple experience of a slice of Key Lime pie, English conversation, and music you know and remember is a priceless experience, that happens to only cost 4,000 KRW.
Both of these men constantly look for ways to bring pieces of home to Korea for us so that we can go somewhere and feel like we spent a little time there. The Alleyway provides a dining experience that is delicious and familiar, be it a burrito, macaroni and cheese, or pie like mom used to make it. The Underground Grocer brings us grocery items that are either extremely difficult or impossible to find elsewhere, i.e. deli meats and Root Beer. I don't know if they realize how much the foreign population of Gwangju appreciates them, but they are definitely appreciated in our household.
Since I became pregnant, life has been very fast and eventful. I have found myself several times feeling extremely frustrated with life here be it as simple as food I want but can't find or something more inconvenient like a broken air conditioner and a language barrier. The last two days in itself have been very testing and a trip to the Alleyway for dinner was just what the doctor ordered.
Michael and Tim, if you read this, I want to say thank you for what you do for all of us. It makes living here that much more wonderful :)
The First Alleyway and The Underground Grocer are marvelous places. They are places one can go to eat familiar foods impossible to find elsewhere, and to have company with people who understand you. The simple experience of a slice of Key Lime pie, English conversation, and music you know and remember is a priceless experience, that happens to only cost 4,000 KRW.
Both of these men constantly look for ways to bring pieces of home to Korea for us so that we can go somewhere and feel like we spent a little time there. The Alleyway provides a dining experience that is delicious and familiar, be it a burrito, macaroni and cheese, or pie like mom used to make it. The Underground Grocer brings us grocery items that are either extremely difficult or impossible to find elsewhere, i.e. deli meats and Root Beer. I don't know if they realize how much the foreign population of Gwangju appreciates them, but they are definitely appreciated in our household.
Since I became pregnant, life has been very fast and eventful. I have found myself several times feeling extremely frustrated with life here be it as simple as food I want but can't find or something more inconvenient like a broken air conditioner and a language barrier. The last two days in itself have been very testing and a trip to the Alleyway for dinner was just what the doctor ordered.
Michael and Tim, if you read this, I want to say thank you for what you do for all of us. It makes living here that much more wonderful :)
Friday, September 23, 2011
The Perks of Working Without a Contract..
Great news! My employer informed me today I don't have to work anymore! Oh joy! Wait, doesn't that mean they fired me? Of course not, because they didn't even tell me. They told my husband through another employee (gotta love the obsessively non confrontational Korean culture). It looks like after being put on bed rest once since I became pregnant they have decided to let me go. The best part, you ask? There is nothing I can do about it. Even better? My husband works for them still so I have to be nice to them even though they fired me through a channel of people....in case you cannot tell, I am a little peeved.
Don't get me wrong. I have a dependent visa and I am not allowed to teach here with that type of visa (but it was not a teaching job so I think that is irrelevant). It was nice of them to create a job for me, it just was not nice of them to fire me in my first trimester.
Things have been very tense at work because we offended the owners wife. We got premium nuts for Chuseok on Friday night. We did not have work until Wednesday, but on Wednesday we found out she was mad because we had not thanked her for our nuts (despite the fact we had not seen her since we got the present, but that is besides the point). If the boss's are unhappy then we have to suck up no matter what. This is definitely a rant because we are pretty lucky to be where we are. Justin's school provides nice apartments and good pay. This school is one of the most reputable in the area. Still doesn't mean that the culture differences don't create frustrations constantly.
And please don't think of me as ethnocentric. Justin and I totally understand the importance of trying to understand and work within the Korean culture. I just sometimes feel as if I will never have any respect from them even though we do our best to do exactly what they want us to.
Well at any rate I guess it is good we launched our cupcake business when we did because I just lost a good chunk of money per month at a time when we need it most!
Ok rant over. Positive note? I get Krispy Kreme doughnuts tomorrow :D
Don't get me wrong. I have a dependent visa and I am not allowed to teach here with that type of visa (but it was not a teaching job so I think that is irrelevant). It was nice of them to create a job for me, it just was not nice of them to fire me in my first trimester.
Things have been very tense at work because we offended the owners wife. We got premium nuts for Chuseok on Friday night. We did not have work until Wednesday, but on Wednesday we found out she was mad because we had not thanked her for our nuts (despite the fact we had not seen her since we got the present, but that is besides the point). If the boss's are unhappy then we have to suck up no matter what. This is definitely a rant because we are pretty lucky to be where we are. Justin's school provides nice apartments and good pay. This school is one of the most reputable in the area. Still doesn't mean that the culture differences don't create frustrations constantly.
And please don't think of me as ethnocentric. Justin and I totally understand the importance of trying to understand and work within the Korean culture. I just sometimes feel as if I will never have any respect from them even though we do our best to do exactly what they want us to.
Well at any rate I guess it is good we launched our cupcake business when we did because I just lost a good chunk of money per month at a time when we need it most!
Ok rant over. Positive note? I get Krispy Kreme doughnuts tomorrow :D
Om Nom Cupcakes
Well it is official. I will be pouring the majority of my energy into our cupcake endeavor. We have named our business "Om Nom Cupcakes" and we will be making it possible for anyone in the city to order our cakes and either arrange pickup or find a way to deliver it to them. We are even most likely investing in a larger toaster oven for our place! I am super pumped and hopeful that we will be at least somewhat successful :) We have no other competition that we know of in the city because cupcakes are not too big in Korea from what I can tell. It took some arm pulling to get any Koreans to even try the cupcakes. When they do try them they usually say, "it is very delicious but too sweetey." The problem, I found is that they are expecting muffins. When we started selling cakes to a local cafe they asked us why the bread was so soft. After some prying we realized they did not understand it is cake, not muffin. In the end it has worked out because the cafe has been ordering them more and more often.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come because I love baking and my husband loves coming up with ideas. With the holidays coming up we have endless experimenting and taste testing to do. If you are interested in trying any of the recipes we have done you can visit my baking blog here.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come because I love baking and my husband loves coming up with ideas. With the holidays coming up we have endless experimenting and taste testing to do. If you are interested in trying any of the recipes we have done you can visit my baking blog here.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Bubble
I have not written in quite some time and that is unacceptable because Justin and I have received some amazing and very unexpected news. We are expecting a baby! May 4th is the estimated arrival date of our little boy or girl. We have made the decision to stay in Korea as opposed to going home and that has not been an easy decision.
While I miss my friends and family and want them to be able to be as involved in this as possible, the economy in the States is horrible right now and I am not even finished with college yet. We could not possibly make the decision to leave our affordable health care, steady income, and stable living situation to go home to none of those things simply to be with family. It would be the most irresponsible decision we could make as parents. So we have taken the plunge and begun the journey of having a baby in a foreign country.
There are many positives to this decision but also many challenges. Most of the challenges come in the face of cultural differences and then paperwork after the baby comes. A nice perk of having a baby here is the cost and level of care. From what I understand Koreans have had trouble conceiving and carrying to term in the past, so prenatal care is extremely thorough and while sometimes overly cautious, it is nice to know they are always better safe than sorry. We get an ultrasound every visit and so far we have been 3 times and I am only 7 weeks along. It is so cool to watch the development even at this early stage. We were able to find a doctor that speaks English and even spent time in the States during her education which is comforting for us.
Another perk is the cost. It will cost us less to have a baby here without insurance than it would with insurance back home. Which says something about the growing problems we have in our country. For a normal birth we will pay a flat rate for the entire process. The delivery and 3-4 days in the hospital will be $1500.00. Of course back home you are billed separately for the delivery and hospital stay and that usually involves paying 20% coinsurance. Of course military personnel is exempt from this in normal circumstances. Our visits will usually run 20-30 dollars and that includes ultrasounds. Blood work is a little more expensive but still nothing compared to what it costs back home.
Some of the challenges come later. My doctor during my pregnancy is not the doctor that delivers my baby. There is a set rotation of delivery doctors there at all times and my OBGYN is not one of them. She strictly does prenatal care. I was upset when I heard this because that would mean a total stranger is going to be delivering my baby as opposed to the woman who I have gotten comfortable with over the past ten months. I have been told I can request to visit the labor and delivery floor to meet the doctors which helps a little. Also typically they take the baby to the nursery immediately and the baby stays there except for feedings. So we would not get to spend very much time with the baby for the first 3-4 days. I am told it is because the mother needs to rest. I would prefer my baby stay in the room with us most of the time. I was reassured by another foreigner here who had a baby and I can request the baby stay with us.
There are many other little cultural differences about pregnancy that have been interesting but I am trying to keep an open mind about being here for this. I miss my friends and family desperately but at least our parents will visit when the baby comes. In the meantime I promise to write as often as possible about our experience to keep our friends and family updated. :)
While I miss my friends and family and want them to be able to be as involved in this as possible, the economy in the States is horrible right now and I am not even finished with college yet. We could not possibly make the decision to leave our affordable health care, steady income, and stable living situation to go home to none of those things simply to be with family. It would be the most irresponsible decision we could make as parents. So we have taken the plunge and begun the journey of having a baby in a foreign country.
There are many positives to this decision but also many challenges. Most of the challenges come in the face of cultural differences and then paperwork after the baby comes. A nice perk of having a baby here is the cost and level of care. From what I understand Koreans have had trouble conceiving and carrying to term in the past, so prenatal care is extremely thorough and while sometimes overly cautious, it is nice to know they are always better safe than sorry. We get an ultrasound every visit and so far we have been 3 times and I am only 7 weeks along. It is so cool to watch the development even at this early stage. We were able to find a doctor that speaks English and even spent time in the States during her education which is comforting for us.
Another perk is the cost. It will cost us less to have a baby here without insurance than it would with insurance back home. Which says something about the growing problems we have in our country. For a normal birth we will pay a flat rate for the entire process. The delivery and 3-4 days in the hospital will be $1500.00. Of course back home you are billed separately for the delivery and hospital stay and that usually involves paying 20% coinsurance. Of course military personnel is exempt from this in normal circumstances. Our visits will usually run 20-30 dollars and that includes ultrasounds. Blood work is a little more expensive but still nothing compared to what it costs back home.
Some of the challenges come later. My doctor during my pregnancy is not the doctor that delivers my baby. There is a set rotation of delivery doctors there at all times and my OBGYN is not one of them. She strictly does prenatal care. I was upset when I heard this because that would mean a total stranger is going to be delivering my baby as opposed to the woman who I have gotten comfortable with over the past ten months. I have been told I can request to visit the labor and delivery floor to meet the doctors which helps a little. Also typically they take the baby to the nursery immediately and the baby stays there except for feedings. So we would not get to spend very much time with the baby for the first 3-4 days. I am told it is because the mother needs to rest. I would prefer my baby stay in the room with us most of the time. I was reassured by another foreigner here who had a baby and I can request the baby stay with us.
There are many other little cultural differences about pregnancy that have been interesting but I am trying to keep an open mind about being here for this. I miss my friends and family desperately but at least our parents will visit when the baby comes. In the meantime I promise to write as often as possible about our experience to keep our friends and family updated. :)
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