How to Dance K-Pop Style 2009

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Last year, we brought you our most popular video to date, How to Dance K-Pop Style, 2008. In that video, we showed you all of the dance moves that our students couldn't stop doing in our classes. A year has passed since then, and now those moves aren't going to be useful to you in your classes. Well, you could try doing them, but you'll surely get a lot of groans. So, now that 2009 is over with, we have a whole new list of songs and moves that you need to know. So click on the picture above for our latest installation, How to Dance K-Pop Style, 2009.

How to Become a Teacher in Korea

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We have received a lot of emails from people asking us how to become a teacher in Korea. It's a complicated process at times, with a lot of documents that need to be signed, stamped, and delivered. However, before you get to that process, you need to make two important decisions:

1) Do you want to teach at a public school or private tutoring school
2) What recruiter do you want to use to get you to Korea

In this video, we'll give you our honest opinions and experiences with public and private schools. Sure, not everyone will agree with this, since everyone has different experiences, but we think this is the safest bet for having a successful stint (or career!) as an English teacher in Korea. As for us, we both work in pubic schools with Gepik (The Gyeonggi Board of Education), and we love it!

Have you already taught in Korea? Share your experiences with us in the comment section!

Click on the picture above for our guide on How to Become a Teacher in Korea, or check out the sidebar for the QuickTime version.

What You Should Pack to Korea

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Planning on coming to Korea? What are you going to bring with you in your suitcase? Surely by now you've heard stories, about what Korea has or does not have, but as we discovered, a lot of those were just rumors. Since we've been in Korea for well over a year now, we can squash those rumors. After visiting Canada for summer vacation, we prepared "a what to pack" and "what not to bother packing" video. Unfortunately, the video could not cover everything, because it would be far too long, so this post will serve as the exclusive extras list of things you must pack to Korea. So click on the picture above for our video on What You Should Pack to Korea, or check the sidebar for higher quality QuickTime

Not mentioned in the video are the following:

ELECTRONICS: Simon packed his Wii and PS3, and has had no issue with them whatsoever. Nothing has fried after many hours of usage. The secret? Read your cables! If they say anywhere on them "Input: 100-240v" you're safe! You can plug in your electronics from anywhere in the world so long as you have a little plug adapter to pop on the top of it. If you don't have that cable, it's ok! You can still buy a power converter. Go to any supermarket and in the lighting section (usually), you'll find a thick, ugly, clunky metal box that will plug into your Korean outlet and let you plug in two of your North American plugs. It ain't pretty, but it works.

BOARD GAMES: If you're geeky and like board games like us, we had a hard time finding reasonably priced English games (ie: Scrabble was double the price) and the newer games (ie: Cranium, Apples to Apples) were impossible to find. Playing cards are also expensive. Pack any games you find necessary.

COMFORT FOODS: Fruit teas, chai tea, and your favorite black tea brands are impossible to find or are otherwise really, really expensive. Starbucks does offer a small selection of TAZO brand teas, though.

COOKING FOOD: Dried spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, oregeno, and basil are available in speciality import sections but crazy expensive, and Martina was unable to find liquid vanilla extract anywhere.

COSMETICS: If your skin tone isn't similar to a Korean person's skin tone, it can be hard to find pressed power or liquid foundation to match your skin, so come prepared. If you wear contacts and can only use a specific brand of solution, pack a few bottles to be safe.

GIFTS: It's nice to bring your new employer a gift to thank them for hiring you. If you're at a public school, get a small gift for your Principal, Vice Principal, and the co-teacher who will be taking care of you when you first arrive. We suggest a product that is only availble in your country. For example, a specific food (we brought organic maple syrup), hand cream/soap (Bath and Body Works is not available in Korea yet, and it's sought after) or even alchohol (rum, ice wine, or rum filled candy).

Feel free to contact us or leave a comment about anything you're worried about Korea not having. We might not know all of the answers, mind you, but we might be able to tell you if you should pack it or not.

How to Get Your Korean Driver's License

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Want to drive in Korea? Let's rephrase that: drive legally in Korea? If so, you're going to need to get a Korean Driver's license. Don't know how to get one? Don't worry! That's why you came here! Follow this guide, and you'll be driving on the maddening streets of Korea in no time, where illegal maneuvers are the norm, and red lights are suggestions rather than the law. To get your license, you're going to need a few things. The first two are obvious:

1) Your Alien Registration Card.

2) Your passport.

3) Your driver's license from your home country. If you don't have one, then you need to take a different approach. For this how-to guide, we're only dealing with people who have a driver's license from their home country.

4) 3 headshots that are 3x4 centimeters. You can get these done at Emart, for example, for a few thousand won.

5) 11,000 won in cash. The first five will be spent on your physical exam, and the last six will be spent on buying stamps. We're not sure what these stamps are for, but we had to buy them anyway.

Once you've got all of this, then you're ready to roll! Take everything your closest Department of Motor Vehicles, sign some papers, pass your physical exam, buy some stamps, and - voila! You can legally drive in Korea. Be warned, though; going this route means that you have to trade in your home country's driver's license for a Korean one. You can get your license back at any time if you trade back your Korean one. You're essentially doing a swap. We don't really understand the reasoning behind the swap, so if any of you know why this is done please tell us!

If you don't know where your closest DMV is, then watch our video! At the end of it, we have a list of all the different locations, along with their phone numbers. Hopefully, if your co-teacher is nice (or your Korean skills are rocking) then you can call the DMV in your area up and ask how to get there. We went to the one in Incheon, and explain how to get there in the video as well. So click on the picture above for our video on How to Get Your Korean Driver's License, or check out the sidebar for different formats.

How to Pay Your Bills in Korea

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If you're new to Korea, then this video's for you. We didn't know that we could pay our bills (internet, cell-phone, and gas) at the machines for a very long time. For the first few months or so, we've been waiting in long lines at the bank, which always seem to be much longer than they naturally should be. And so, to save you the time you would waste in line to pay these bills, we bring you a new video, explaining how you should pay your bills.

A couple of words first: we cannot pay our apartment fees (re: electricity) through these machines; the only bills this machine will accept are the uniformly sized bills that say "OCR" on them. We think the OCR stands for "Optical Character Recognition," since the machine scans your bills and pops up its info on the screen. Oh, and one more thing: supposedly you can pay your bills online, or do your banking online through KB Bank, but I heard that you have to have a Windows computer to do so. We're Mac users, and - as such - have been ostracized from the Korean internets (they don't like Macintosh around here)

Anyhow, without further ado, here is our How-To Pay Your Bills in Korea video, also available in the sidebar, as always.

How to Be the Coolest Teacher in Korea

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We've made a few How-To Survival Guides here at Eatyourkimchi.com already. We've shown you How to Use your Korean Rice-Cooker and your Korean Washing Machine, How to Get McDonalds Delivered to your House, and How to Drink Properly in Korea. Today, we have an all new How-To Guide. Today, you will learn how to be the Coolest Teacher/Person in Korea.

The vast majority of your students live and breathe on K-Pop music. Many times they'll make references to these songs, either through hand gestures, odd dances, or even odder ways of saying things. And so, to keep you in the loop, we've compiled the eight significant Korean Pop Culture References and explained how they might be used by your students and how you can use them too. Accompanying this list is our Video Guide to Coolness in Korea, available in different formats in the sidebar, or just by clicking the picture above.

And so, here is your list:

#8 - Jewelry's "One More Time"
Thanks to this video, whenever anyone in the class says "one more time," another student will sing out "One More Time" the way Jewelry sang it, and then try the super-complicated index-finger-over-the-head-and-behind-the-back touch. It takes practice to master this move. Spend 20 minutes in front of a mirror doing this and you'll guarantee yourself 10 more cool points amongst your students (and -100 cool points amongst your regular friends and family).

#7 - DBSK's "Mirotic"
This is a fairly new song, and students are just beginning to catch onto its massive popularity. Show your students that you're in the loop by referring to this song, either by mimicking the silly chin holding dance and parodying the awful rapping, or just sing out the chorus and pretend that you genuinely like the song. Not that it's my ringtone or anything...so what if it is!!! It's catchy!

#6 - Rain's "Rainism"
This is another fairly recent song compared to the other songs on our list. The chorus of the song doesn't make a lot of sense, but just suggesting that either you or anyone else - including Rain - will make it "Rainism" (what does that even mean?) will generate laughter from your class. There are two dance moves that are fairly popular from the music video as well, both of which are too complicated to explain. All that you need to know is that the first one can be used in many situations, while the second one needs to be used sparingly (and with great caution).

#5 - Uhm Jung Hwa's "D.I.S.C.O"
This song was massively popular at the end of summer, and still has a bit of resonance in today's Korean classroom, even if it is getting a bit stale. There's a dance that goes with the chorus but you can't find in the music video, as she did this dance live in concert. If your students ever ask you if you know any Korean music, you can tell them that you not only know Korean music but you even know Korean dances, and then break out into the disco dance.

#4 - Big Bang's "Lies" (aka) "I'm So Sorry But I Love You"
Your students aren't perfect, and when they make mistakes they'll apologize for them. However, don't take these apology sincerely; more often than not, these apologies are coupled with professions of love. So one student will throw something at another student. You'll scold the first student, and then hear him say "I'm so sorry...but I love you!" and the class will erupt into laughter. Beat them to the punch, and tell them that you love them after their apologies. You'll be super-cool.

#3 - Wondergirls' "Nobody"
Simply put, girls are walking around the school singing this song and dancing its dance. Know the dance. It's so simple that it can be explained (for once). After saying "I want nobody, nobody but you," point with your two index fingers while raising one knee. Then clap twice quickly. Point the same way again. Then clap once. And that's the dance! So simple, yet so contagious. You'll hear the song playing in the background of our Intro to Peppero Day video, and - if you're in Korea - you'll hear it just about everywhere else. Know the song and know the dance.

#2 - Wondergirls' "So Hot"
This was very useful in the summer. Somebody would complain that it's so hot, and then do another one of those Wondergirls' minimalistic dances. You can still use this dance today, because - if your school is anything like ours - then your classrooms are still sweltering hot in the winter. Complain about the heat and then do the weird Wondergirls face-fanning dance. You'll be like soooo last summer, but at least you'll prove that you know your K-pop music.

#1 - Lee Hyori's "U-Go Girl"
Oddly, the impact of this song has nothing to do with its chorus. In the middle of the song, Lee Hyori breaks out into a completely unrelated song, in which the only words are "OK!" Every time she says "OK!" she does the OK symbol with her fingers, and brings it right close to her face with a cute little smile. That's it. It sounds innocent enough, but it has proven to be unstoppably popular. You will hear the words "OK" far too much, and see smiling OK faces far too much as well. If you didn't understand why your students were constantly saying "OK!" in such an odd manner, now you now. Check out her newest single "Mr.Big" to REALLY be in the loop.

So, that's the list for now. We plan on keeping you up to date from now on with other K-Pop references, so don't be a stranger around here. So as not to miss a beat, make sure you subscribe to our page, either through the RSS link or the Email Newsletter to the left, here. Also, if you have at all found this useful, we'd greatly appreciate it if you'd do any of the things the yellow box below suggests, either Stumbling or Digging or Deliciousing our site. Thanks!

How to Get McDonalds Delivered to Your Home

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We've been here for five months now and we're still amazed with all of the cool things has to offer. A while ago we made a post about Korean Home Delivery, and this can be considered an update to that with an amazing twist: Last week we happened to learn something else that's awesome about Bucheon and Korea: McDonald's delivers to your home!! That's right. Korea's food delivery service is such a huge part of the culture that McDonald's had to tap into it as well. This means that you can sit at your home, play video games all day, and get a Big Mac and a McFlurry delivered to your doorstep. How awesome is that! Here's what you need to make this happen:

Phone Number: 1600-5252.
Menu: See an image of it here. It's not the best quality, but you'll get an idea of what you can get delivered. If need be, you can get a copy of it at the McDonald's closest to you.
Options: They sell everything. Breakfast and dinner foods, as well as Sundaes and McFlurries. Everything you can buy at the store can be ordered for delivery
Price: It seems as if everything costs around 500 won more for delivery than the regular in-store prices, but, hey, if you need a Big Mac right away, it's worth the extra change.
Names: The names are pretty much the same as they are in English, except they are pronounced in a Korean way. So the McFlurry here is the "Ma-Ku-Pu-Lau-Ree" and the Big Mac is the "Bee-guh-Mah-Kuh." So, even if you can't read the Korean on the menu,

One More Thing: The phone system here isn't the number of a specific McDonalds; instead, the number is for a central system. Your order gets forwarded to the closest McDonald's delivery chain. The problem with this is that you have to give more information, (namely, your city and your region). Here in Bucheon we're in the Wonmi-Gu district. When Martina called, both she and the operator were very confused, until an operator with stronger English came on the line. Martina had to explain what landmarks we're close to (the closest being Bucheon's City Hall), and only after 10 minutes of confused explanations did we finally get our order through.

We made a video for McDelivery as well, which shows you the whole ordering and delivering process (and more). Both YouTube and High Quality QuickTime versions are available for viewing in the sidebar on the left. Enjoy!

How to Drink in Korea in Seven Easy Steps

We understand that this might be a sensitive post. Let us begin by saying that not everyone in Korea is a drunkard. What we want to talk about is the differences in the drinking culture here in Korea compared to what we're used to in Canada. Not everybody drinks excessively here in Korea the same way not everyone in Canada drinks excessively. But, when you do go out for drinking here, be prepared for a different mentality, approach, and game plan. Follow these steps and you should blend right in.

1) Don't Decline the First Round - Even if you're not a drinker, you should accept the first glass poured for you. If you decline, you'll ruin the drinking mood. Afterwards, you're safe, and can back out. Cite religious or health reasons if you must, but - be warned - drinking is an important part of Korean socializing, and if you refuse then you won't be considered sociable. This is high-school peer pressure to a whole new level. So, when you finally cave, and give in to drinking with others, watch out for the next step

2) Watch Your Hands - Never pour your own drink, for starters, and never let anyone pour their own drinks. Afterwards, when someone older than you offers you a drink, hold the glass with two hands. When you pour a drink for someone older than you, hold the bottle with two hands. It sounds odd, but you'll get used to it. In fact, we recently met up with a friend here in Korea, and he was fully confused to see us holding our glasses when he poured out beer. Finally, refill someone's glass if you see that it's empty as well.

3) Don't Stop Drinking - The big difference between Korean and Western drinking is how we handle our limits. See, the way I've been raised is to respect my limits; if we get to the point that we're drunk then it's time to stop, drink some water, and sober up. Mission accomplished! The Korean attitude is different here. Getting drunk is only half the battle. Once you are drunk, the real challenge is in how much more you can drink before you drop. And when you drop it is only a timeout for you; get back on your feet and drink some more.

4) Encourage Others - It is perfectly acceptable, and even encouraged, to drink beyond your limits here in Korea, as your friends will goad you on. We're used to saying "Chug Chug Chug!" back home; here, you'll often hear "One shot! One shot!" which - obviously - suggests that you should drink it all down in just one shot (but it's beyond me why this is in English and not Korean). As well, instead of the "cheers" we're used to saying, get prepared to say "Kon-Bay!" before you clink your glasses.

5) Drink in Public - There are no laws against public consumption of alcohol or against public drunkenness. Drunk and Disorderly conduct - though not appreciated - is common. After all, the restaurants people eat and drink in are too small to house all of their customers, so many people eat and drink outside. In fact, quite often we'll see people drinking outside of convenience stores, as rickety plastic tables and chairs have been set out for people to sit and drink at.

6) Drink Any Day You Want - What surprises us the most about drinking here is that it is done every day of the week, and isn't necessarily strongest during the weekends. When we walk around Bucheon on Wednesday nights we see people in business suits shouting Kon-Bay and slamming down shots of Soju, then staggering home just as they would on the weekend.

7) Have a Meal With that Drink - While we're used to thinking in terms of having a drink with our meal, here in Korea the mentality is often to have a meal with that drink: the alcohol is the main course while small shared appetizers compliment the drink. Small fruit salads or crackers and chips will go nicely with that Soju.

This post was inspired by this movie here. We were walking around Bucheon on Friday night and saw two men violently hugging each other. We watched them for a bit and realized they were drunk. Then we realized that this had to be captured on film. You'll see just how drunk people can get in public here in Korea. You should also know that, after we stopped filming, all four people walked right back into the bar for what we assume will be more alcohol. The worst part about it all is that we've seen this time and time again. Drinking is a big part of Korean Culture, and - as a result - so has become drunkenness. Click on the picture above for the movie, or click here to see Korean Drunkenness at Its Finest. YouTubers can see the drunkness here.

How to Use Korean Washing Machines

This is for all the expats living in Korea and trying to operate their Korean washing machines. We translated the buttons and we explained how to operate our washing machine in this video. No more shrunken sweaters! No more accidental pink shirts! We also drop some important hints on how to have soft and manageable hair...I mean....clothing. Really, here in Korea, you have to use fabric softener. For our first month here in Bucheon we didn't use any, and our clothes and towels often had a funky smell to them, regardless of how much detergent we put in the machine. Fabric softener is the key. It's optional in Canada, but absolutely necessary here.

Check out the translations below or click the picture above to learn How To Use Korean Washing Machines. Click here for the YouTube version.

The main operations:
표준 NORMAL WASH
합성 We don't know what this means...help!
란제리 DELICATE
울 WOOL
손세탁 HAND WASH
헹굼 + 탈수 RINSE AND DRY

Self Timer:
배수 WATER SUPPLY (?)
예약 Make a RESERVATION (SLEEP TIMER)
예비세탁 SET TIMER
시간단축 REDUCE TIME and also STOP/ START

Extra cycles:
헹굼 RINSE
헹굼추가 ADD FABRIC SOFTENER AND RINSE
탈수안함 NO SPIN AND DRY
탈수 DRY
배수안함 NO WATER

Adjustments:
구김방 PREVENT WRINKLING
세탁온도 CHANGE TEMPERATURE OF THE WATER
배수안 함 WATER SUPPLY (we don't know what this means)
강 중 약 HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW

General Buttons:
동작/일시정지 PAUSE
버튼 잠김 PRESS DESIRED BUTTON
문 잠김 CLOSE LID
추기석택 ADDITIONAL SELECTION

How to Get Korean Home Delivery

Korean Home Delivery is a thing of pure beauty. The food is the same price as it would be in the restaurant, the appetizers come for free, you don't have to tip the delivery person (or at least that's what we're told), and - here's the clincher - when you're finished eating you leave your dirty dishes outside your door and the delivery guy will come back to pick them up! We always wanted to try this home delivery service, but were too scared, because our Korean was so shoddy. We finally thought that we had enough Korean on us to try ordering, so two days ago we finally did. We made a video of the whole ordeal and, even though it didn't work as smoothly as expected, it still worked. You'll be amazed when you see what it looks like. Altogether, ordering food for the both of us cost only 9000 won altogether, which is roughly NINE BUCKS. There are many reasons to love Korea, and this is definitely one of them. If you want to know how to order home delivery here in Korea (especially in Bucheon), then click on the picture above to see the video, or click here to see our Korean Home Delivery video. It's not perfect, but you'll get the idea.

Oh, and by the way, the place we ordered from wasn't very good, so if you're in Bucheon don't order from "Ee Moo Noy" - or at least that's how we think it's pronounced. The food was pretty bland and disappointing, and we wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if we weren't as exhilarated from our success.

How to Use Your Korean Rice Cooker

When you move to your place in Korea, your school will set you up with a few things, like a television, bed, and - more than likely - a rice cooker. If it's a Cuckoo Rice Cooker, consider yourself lucky, because those are supposedly the best brand of rice cooker in all of Asia (or so a documentary on television told us). The Rice Cooker won't be in English, though, so unless you can read Korean you're not eating any rice. Fortunately, we have Korean friends who wrote out what every button means. Here's what you need to know:

- The top left button: Keep Warm
- The bottom left button: Reservation - If you want the rice cooker to start cooking in a few hours. Useful if you want rice ready when you come home.
- The top right button: Start
- The bottom right button: Cancel
- The bottom middle button: Menu - changes cooking settings in this order:
Normal -> Quick -> Special -> Slow Cooker. The Special section is for any specialty rice you may have (whatever that may be. We just use regular rice).

We made an instructional video as well, so click on the picture above to watch it and match up the Korean writing to our English explanations, or click here if you want to know How to Use Korean Rice Cookers

How to Use Korean T-Money Cards

A little while ago we made a video about how to use the public transportation in Bucheon, Korea. In that video we showed you how to charge your card and how to swipe it. This video doesn't add much more to that, apart from showing you how absolutely cool these cards can be. Here's the story: while we were at the convenience store perusing through the replacements for our subway cards, we found some cell-phone charms in the same section. The one you see here is a glow-in-the-dark charm of a man with a huge afro and what looks like a chin-strap. Sure, it's not the most aesthetically pleasing cell phone charm, but it has an added bonus: it is an actual T-Money card. This means that, to get on the bus or subway, all we have to do is swipe our cellphone past the censor, and our fare is paid. Essentially, if you never leave home without your cellphone, you'll never have to worry about forgetting your busfare. How awesome is that! Click the picture above to see them in action, or click here to see our movie on Korean T-Money Cards.

How to Use Korean Hand Gestures

The way you handle your, err, hands, coveys a lot of meaning in Korean Culture. The way you place your hands upon giving and receiving things can be viewed as either proper if you know what you're doing or disrespectful if you don't. For example, say you're in a convenience store here in Bucheon; when you give the cashier your money, you need to hold your cash or card one way, while the cashier takes it in another way. Your change is given back in similar fashion, and once the dance is done you can walk away with your purchase knowing that you have been respectful of the customs. As a general rule of thumb, just remember to use both hands. When you give something with one hand, make sure your other hand is touching your elbow, as if the weight of what you are giving is so heavy that you need both hands to support it. Do the same when you are receiving something, or accept it with two hands altogether.

When it comes to waving people and taxis over, a lot of significance is placed in your hand motions as well. Our North American way of doing it is supposedly very rude, because it is the way that Korean people call over their dogs. In North America, we have our palms up, and wave people towards us with a one-hand-clapping gesture. That, supposedly, is how Korean people call their dogs. When they asked me about it, they were surprised that we don't call our dogs the same way. Martina and I just slap our thighs rapidly and yell "Here Spudgy Pudgy! Come here you fat and smelly dog!" (Now if we called Korean people over THAT way I'm sure it would be extremely rude). Anyhow, if you're going to call over a taxi or a student in Bucheon, make sure your palm is facing down, not up, and wave them towards you as if you're swimming with one hand.

If this all sounds confusing, and you're worried about how to move your hands so that you don't treat Korean people like dogs, worry no more! We've made a Korean Cultural education video just for you! Click on the picture above for directions, or click here for our video on Korean Hand Gestures.

How to Make Dok Bok Ki

One of the things Simon and I really miss about living in Canada is homemade cooking. We love to cook and bake, but it is challenging to do so in Korea as the grocery stores are stocked with unfamiliar ingredients, and also because eating out is so darn cheap. I (Martina) finally snapped and decided to learn some Korean cooking so that I could make my own authentic Korean food, and I went with an easy meal called dok bok ki (duck-boh-key). After a couple bad meals, I finally got it right, so we decided to do what any normal couple would do...make our own cooking show to share the news! For those of you living/moving in/to Bucheon or Korea, we’re hoping you can follow along and make some dok bok ki for yourself. If you're not in Korea and crave some Korean food of your own making, this is the video for you! If any of you want the recipe written out, feel free to contact us. We would recommend a specific recipe we got from a book if that were the case. Instead, I just Googled many different versions of the recipe, and fiddled around with it until I finally it right.

I warn in advance, this video is pretty long at about 8 minutes, and due to a single cameraman and no script, some of the talking sucks. I apologize in advance. Enjoy! To see the video click on the picture above, or watch our Korean Home Cooking video here.

How to Use the Korean Subways

We really like the way Korean public transportation (official name: Korail) works, as you can see in an older post we made on them. It's absolutely brilliant and highly efficient, and it's not like anything we're used to in Canada. To begin with, it's MUCH cheaper here in Korea than in Canada. For example, the subway or bus costs you $2.75 (last time we checked) and offers free transfers between the two. It does not allow you to transfer to the intra-city Go Buses, though, which are ridiculously overpriced themselves (an hour busride from Pickering to Brampton will set you back $8-9). Here in Korea, though, taking the bus to our schools costs us 90 cents. The subways charge by distance, though, while the TTC of Toronto just offers a flat rate, but - still - taking a 45 minutes subway ride from Bucheon to Seoul sets us back $1.30 (not even half of the TTC fare), while taking the 25 minute air-conditioned bus costs you $2.20.

What's even cooler about the public transportation system here in Korea, though, is how you can pay. Buy yourself a refillable card for $10 (or get an old one from a friend, like we did from Mark and Katrina), put on $10-50 or so, and use it until it runs out. The benefits of using these refillable cards is that they are used for many things. You can swipe them to get on either the subways, the local buses, or even the intracity buses. As well, for some special cards - like Martina's T-Money card - you can use them to pay for other things, like vending machines (which we were confused about in our other video on Korean Subways). For the subways and buses, as they charge you by distance, it's really quite smart how they charge your cards: when you swipe your card upon getting on the bus or subway, you are charged the minimum 90 cent fee. When you get off you swipe your card again. The distance is calculated, you are charged the extra amount, and the remaining balance is shown on your card. How awesome is that! Now, if you don't swipe your card on the way out, you will be charged the maximum distance, so always remember to swipe out!

We made a video explaining how the subway works, and - more importantly - how to refill your subway card when it gets low on funds. Luckily we had our friend Sasha with us as well to show you how to use the subway if you don't have one of those cards. You can buy individual tickets at the subway station, or pay cash if you're taking a bus, but it costs you 10 cents extra. Sure, that's not much of a penalty. The real penalty is not using the supercool cards! As well, the biggest problem with buying tickets individually at the station, though, is that - as foreigners - our Korean is more than likely horrible, so the ticket vendors will not understand where you want to go, no matter how accurate you think you are with your pronunciation. In that case, just bring a map with you and point to where you want to go, and save practicing your Korean for another day. Click on this picture to see the video, or watch our video on Korean Subway Fare here. The video was shot at Songnae Station in Bucheon. Other than that, check out the official Korail website if you want to learn more about how the subways around here work.

How to Go to the Korean Movie Theatres

So we finally saw The Dark Knight here in Korea after waiting for it for so long. It just came out on Wednesday, and we saw it on Friday. It was absolutely awesome. Before we saw the movie, though, we decided to make a movie of our own; this one’s about movie theaters in Korea. After all, you should know how to order a ticket if you’re ever in Bucheon or anywhere else in Korea.

It’s really quite simple, and makes sense. You might be tempted at first to get into line, as is the North American way, but you’ll soon find that people bud in front of you at all times (that’s the Korean way, by the way). For both sides to meet peacefully, lots of busy places in Korea have you take a number, so grab a ticket with a number on it and wait till you’re called. Once you’re called, you’ll have your choice in seating. In Canada, you just buy a ticket and sit wherever you want. Here you have to reserve your seat numbers ahead of time. Pretty cool, eh? Anyhow, click on the picture above for the full video tour, or just watch the video on Korean Movie Theaters right here.

How to Use Korean Food Courts

One of the first few videos we put up on the site was of Martina’s Food Paradise, in which she saw a conveyor belt of food and was extremely happy for it. Since then we’ve been using the food courts often whenever we need a quick snack. The food courts, though, are managed differently here in Korea than the food courts in Canada. They’re far more confusing at first glance, but make a lot of sense in the long run. In fact, the first time we ever bought food from the food courts we almost accidentally stole someone else’s meal. And so, out of consideration for potential Korean Food Court Diners, we made a video to explain how these food courts work, so that you don’t get confused the way we did. Click the picture above to watch the movie, or just watch the video on Korean Food Courts here.

How to Learn Korean

So, you want to learn to speak and read Korean? Well so do we! After living in Korea for just over two months, we’ve quickly developed the urge to understand the signs (and the menus) around us. We’re not experts yet, but here are some helpful hints we found for learning to read and speak Korean, also known as, Han-gu-go. The first thing we did was buy a really good phrasebook before we left Canada. It’s not one of those books that only has random phrases in it; it’s colour co-ordinated so we can flip to different sections easily. As well, it has a highly useful culinary reader. What really sold me on the lonely planet phrasebook (check out their website here, or just buy the book from Amazon directly) was that they explained the two different ways of saying “goodbye” in Korean, while other Korean phrasebooks we perused did not make or explain the distinctions.

Another thing that we found really useful is this chart right here. Simon’s co-teacher gave it to him and explained it as well, or else it would not have made any sense at all to us. Going up and down the left sides are the korean consonants; going across the top are Korean vowels. It’s like a multiplication table. Essentially, Korean children memorize this table, and learn the Korean alpabet that way. It’s actually quite practical when you look at it. For example, the first row is “ga na da la ma ba sa, a ja cha ka ta pa ha”; another row would be “gu nu du lu mu bu so, u ju chu ku tu pu hu,” so on and so forth. Now, this is sung in the “twinkle twinkle little star” theme the same way our “abdefg” is sung, so it’s easy to memorize. What’s really cool about it is that the first half of the song is regular consonants, while the second half is aspirated consonants. If that doesn’t make sense to you, sing it out with your hand in front of your mouth. You’ll feel next to nothing when you sing “ga na da la ma ba sa,” but you’ll feel a lot more air against your hands when you sing “a ja cha ka ta pa ha.” Cool, eh? As well, the korean alphabet has letters that kinda make sense when you read them. For example, the g-sound and the k-sound are similar, only the k has you breathe out more air. So, in the Korean alphabet, the k is written out just like a g, only with an extra small mark. In the alphabet we see relationships between letters. You don’t see that in the English alphabet.