Icicles, Snowmen and Subzero Temperatures

It was a normal morning, until I got out of bed to turn on the faucet and saw no water coming out. 

The night before had been a cold one. I had taken my coteachers and the school handy man Dong Yil out to dinner. It was -4 degrees Fahrenheit. I didn't know it would get that cold that night.

 
above: (left) my very, very warm and comfortable Winter boots; (right) my flannel snow pants

We went to a Korean barbecue restuarant, or "Galbi" first, then got more food at an American-style restaurant nearby.

above: Icicles

 On the table a waitress brought a plate of french fries. The plate of french fries at the American-style restaurant was refreshing. I work out four to five times a week so I don't mind munching on a few fries in my mouth. It's also a nice reminder of home, despite the fact that french fries are obviously unhealthy. Next to the french fries, my coteachers and the handy man Dong Yil ordered dry octopus, peanuts, dried vegetables and dried fish.

I have  seen octopus on the menu and in water-filled tanks outside fish seafood shops multiple times since I first came to Korea. Although we have octopus in The States, it is not widely served or demanded in America, at least not alongside other seafood. My Mom's side of the family grew up eating an assortment of seafood, and as a result I have had my share of gourmet invertebrae from the sea. That is why I was eager to try octopus.

above: I am trying to chew through octopus

above: octopus

It wasn't bad. The texture was ... rough, slightly more rubbery than beef jerky. The taste was sweet. Sweeter than beef jerky. I did not try the fish. I have not been a fan of the fish here. I don't know why. Some foods here don't agree with me.

When we left the restaurant we headed to Norebang (Karaoke). The room was a wonderful room with ample space to sit, dance and sing. I had been to a norebang two or three times before during EPIK Orientation in Jeonju, Korea back in August. Koreans have a penchant for Karoake and their Karaoke bars are very plush and sophisticated. Comfortable couches, fruit trays, coffee, tea, beer, other alcohlic beverages are all a part of the Norebang experience. They are not "bars" per say, but "singing rooms." Korean singing rooms are a category in an of themselves and they are kept in good condition. The singing rooms I have been to all look similar to the above description, which makes me feel like I am walking into a VIP lounge anytime I go inside one.

 After we finished singing, I was surprised at how much the temperature had dropped once we stepped outside. It went from -14 degrees celsius to -20 degrees celsius in about an hour. I put on my cotton face mask. "You look like you're a robber," my coteacher Jihye said laughing. I laughed, too, but the mask was the only serious way to get my face warm. My eyes and mouth were the only visible parts of my body. Every other part of me was clothed and bundled up. Any skin exposure stung violently, as if I had been locked in someone's ice-box.

above: Capturing a snowstorm from a window at my school

above: two of my fifth graders showing off their snowman.

It had snowed a few days before. Then a few teachers told me it would get colder. How much colder was another question, a question I would have the answer to very soon. Then, I was busy getting gooey-eyed over the snow. I had never seen so much snow in such a short period of time in my life. I even incorporated the snow into my "Can you ____" lesson for the 5th graders, which they loved. "Can you build a snowman?"

But the bitter cold was imminent. All I had to do was look at the calendar. It was only the beggining of Winter. It still is, and the next morning, I woke up and saw no water coming out of my faucet. Instantly I thought of the cold. The bitter, biting cold. The cold probably had something to do with it, I thought. My coteachers warned me to keep the temperature in the house on, and I did. But it wasn't turned up high enough.

Homes in Korea typically use floor heating. Many of the older ones like my apartment use a boiler. The boiler heats my hot water for bathing, laundry and the floors. The director of administration came over to my house with Dong Yil after school. They thought I would have to go two or three days without water. In which case I would have to heat water over a stove and bath in it from that. I had been doing laundry the day before and I had left the window open until that evening. When I closed it Dong Yil said the cold had already frozen the water in my pipes. 

I didn't think the cold would ruin the heating in my apartment that quickly, but the ceramic porch floor felt like I was walking on a ice cube. It had felt that way for the last two days. "You should unhook your washer tubes each time or they will freeze with water," the director of administration told me. "We will bring you water for bathing and go eat dinner together. Come on," she said. One thought went through my head: NOOOOOOOOO! No plumbing! Back to basics! I'll be miserable. Then, as I was closing the door to my apartment, I heard the sound of water rushing. "Wait! I hear water!" I said. Dong Yil and the doa came running back into my apartment. They went into the laundry room where a river of water was sinking down into a small drain. I had just finished untying my boots when the doa turned the faucet on in front of me. "It's fixed," she said. "Thank god," I said. She smiled.

We sat down and ate Korean ramen noodles in my apartment for dinner afterward. I moved my laundry hanger set into my guest bedroom, from the porch. I won't have to open the window from now on and I will use more floor heating to keep the pipes in the floor from freezing, too. Learned a lesson about how to keep out the cold in subzero temperatures, that I will never, ever forget.

above: a woman inside a small tent preparing my favorite dessert in Korea (a small pancake stuffed with peanuts and brown sugar syrup called Hotteok)-- a type of Korean "street food"

above: my coteacher Heejung waiting in line for Hotteok; it is the perfect hot dessert/treat in subzero temperatures!

Yours truly,

     Evan