CARPET!!!!

Today we headed to Daegu to find some carpet. We had been wanting some to put in our living area as a break from the hardwood floors. The hardwood floors had been bothering both of our shins so we thought an area rug would help. We found a piece the size we wanted. The next task was getting it to fit under the bus. Andy managed to bend it a little and jam it under the bus. Once we got back to Camp Carroll is when the challenge really happened. Andy had to carry it the whole way home.





Doesn't it look nice???









My crazy husband carrying the carpet home to our apartment... about a mile!

Our old rug under our kitchen table

SPICY Pork Bulgogi

After tonight's dinner we discovered what spicy was to an entirely different level! I made a Pork Bulgogi recipe that I learned how to make in my Korean cooking class. We were given the recipe, but when we were making it in class we did not follow the recipe. Thus, we did not know how much of the Korean Red Pepper Paste we had put into the recipe at class (compared to what the recipe said). Anyhow, I made the recipe. I had a feeling that it was going to end up being spicier than it should have been. As I was cooking it Andy commented that the smell of it alone was burning his eyes. At that point we should have known that we were in trouble! I made some brown rice to go along with it and I was hoping that would cut down on the spiciness of it.

After the first bite we both decided that it was indeed very spicy, but we thought it was manageable. After five bites we changed our opinion. We were taking a bite of it, then a bite of rice, then a drink. It was the hottest thing that I have ever eaten. It was so hot that it was making my nose run.
At one point I decided that it wouldn't be as hot if I put it on the paper towel and dabbed some of the red pepper sauce off of it. It was then still spicy, but manageable to eat.

Andy's remedy for eating this hot creation was ice cream. Hard to believe isn't it...Andy and ice cream!?!?! Although it did take the spiciness out of your mouth it was not long lasting! All in all we liked the recipe, but decided that about half of the amount of red pepper paste would be sufficent. Our parents should be prepared for a spicy meal of Pork Bulgogi when we visit!

Korean Washer & Dryer

A few weeks ago we talked to our landlord and told him our plans of staying in Korea for an extra year. We told him that if he could get us a dryer (he already provided us with a washer) that we would stay in his building for another year. At first he didn't seem to happy about it, but then about two weeks later he stopped by our apartment to talk to us. He has bought us a new all-in-one washer and dryer and needed to set up for delivery. They came to deliever it last Wednesday evening (of course while Andy was still at work). I was hoping our landlord would be here as he speaks a little English. However, his wife (who doesn't hardly speak a word of English) knocked on our door to let me know they were here. They came in and took the old washer out and brought the combo washer/dryer in and hooked it up. That part went very smoothly. Next, came the challenge. The landlord arrived and the one delievery man was explaining to him how to use it. I stood there and began trying to understand. Between the delivery guys very limited English, the Landlord very basic English, and the few words of Korean I know we tried to understand each other. We went through each button (and it has lots) one by one. Most of the time was spent with the two men trying to come up a word or two in English that I would understand. About an hour later, Andy showed up and joined in the fun. Then a few minutes later the landlords daughter arrived who speaks English very well. She was great. She was able to get answers to my questions and talked the delivery men into located a book to a smiliar model in English!

So far it seems to be working good. The only thing is that it takes FOREVER. Atleast an hour to wash and two hours to dry. It doesn't have a dryer vent, which is hard for Andy to understand. When you walk in the room with the washer/dryer when its in the process of drying, you feel like you are walking into a sauna. It will be great being able to dry some of our clothes...especially our socks. They are soooo streched out from like 8 months of not seeing a dryer!

Our Garden

A few weeks ago a friend of mine that was leaving gave me three cucumber plants and a tomato plant. We have been keeping them in our window. The pots that they are in were handmade and I got them at a little pottery shop in Waegwan. They are so cute:) The tomato plant gets taller each day. It is about three feet tall now. The cucumber plants continue to grow also. There are many baby cucumbers already started to grow. We can't wait to eat the yummy tomatoes and cucumbers!

The Tomato Plant

(In the red cup Andy is trying to grow peppers)

The Cucumber Plants

Korean Haircut

A few weeks ago I decided to be brave and let the Korean that works in the Salon on Camp Carroll cut my hair. I was a little nervous and rightly so! It ended up being a little shorter than I wanted, but it'll grow back. At least I got some of the length off of it so it won't be so hot this summer. After I came home a friend of mine stopped by to show me how the same lady had chopped too much off of her hair apparently right after she did mine. Guess she was in a chopping mood that Friday!