Proposal (and Tacos)

We invited a big group of our friends over on Saturday for tacos. Mexican food -- good Mexican food -- is hard to come by in Korea. There are a couple of good restaurants in Bucheon and Seoul, but that involves traveling, and they're a bit pricey.

So thanks to my parents and Bryan's parents, and Jeong Mi, we whipped up our own meat with some taco seasoning, shredded our own cheese, sliced up the veggies and ordered hard shells and sour cream. The food was great and everyone had a good time.

Oh yeah, I also proposed to Jeong Mi. I decided that in front of our buds would be a great time for it. She was really surprised, and she did, in fact, say yes!

And Bryan got it all on video!

[Translation: "Jeong Mi, I will love you until I die and will always be with you. Will you marry me?"]

I've already posted it on Facebook, so by the time this gets there, it'll be old news to you. But it's still good news! Haha.

Anyway, check out the taco-y pics here.

Sollal and the Kindness of Jeong Mi's Family

I was so busy getting ready to go back to work, that I left out a really important part of my vacation. That important part is Sollal.

Sollal is the Chinese New Year and one of the two big family holidays in South Korea. As you remember, I went to my first family Chuseok earlier in the year. I was fortunate enough to be invited once again to Jeong Mi's parents' house for Sollal.

Jeong Mi's family went traditional and wore hanboks, the traditional Korean clothing. I just had a tie and sweater. Oh well. Maybe next year.

We did all the traditions. I got there at 9 a.m. and we ate a nice meal with some really good meat. We also at the ddeok guk, which is a rice cake soup with meat. In Korean tradition, eating a bowl of this on Sollal will ensure that you turn a year older. I felt the same after eating it, but I guess my knees were a little sore when I stood up. Uh oh.

After that, we play yutnori. It's a game that's played with four sticks. By throwing the sticks, and depending on how they land, you move your pieces around the board. It's almost like a mix between backgammon and Sorry. It's pretty fun. I had played it before, and the rules are pretty basic, but I didn't get a full understanding until this time playing. Her family made sure to explain it all to me. So that's cool.

We also did the traditional bowing to the parents. I bowed alongside Jeong Mi's sister and brother. It was cool to be included in that, and really made me feel a part of the family even more. Also following tradition, her parents gave us pocket money for bowing. I got 20,000 won, while Jeong Mi and her bro only got
15,000 won each. Haha.

It was a really nice day, and once again, I'm honored to be included with her family as a part of it. Her parents and family are very cool. Things just keep coming up roses for Aaron, as my former newspaper editor, Dave, would say.

Check out all the pictures here!!!

End of Vacation

It's time to head back to work. I'm sitting here at my desk after a three-week layoff, and it doesn't feel too bad. I wouldn't mind a little more time off, but it's also nice to not feel like a lazy slug anymore.

Fortunately, we have sixth graders this week, and only for three days. Since they're graduating next week, we're just making cookies with them.

That also means I had no morning classes today. That's huge, because I have three weeks worth of prep work I had to catch up on. So this extra morning gave me time to get my schedules and report cards all wrapped up for January and February. Then, we'll have afternoon classes today. I also get to hit the gym after work for the first time since my surgery.

Not much happened over break besides the things I already posted. I went ice skating twice and had my eye surgery. Other than that, it was mostly about resting and hanging out with friends. I appreciate their willingness to hang out, as well, seeing as they didn't have the break that I did.

So it's back to life as I know it. Big things coming this week. Stay tuned!

Ice Skating at Walker Hill

Jeong Mi and I went to Seoul yesterday to Walker Hill where they have an ice rink set up for the winter. We had perfect weather, albeit quite cold. But I guess that's good when you're ice skating.

It was Jeong Mi's first time on ice skates. Though I've skated quite a few times, I've never claimed to be any good. It's also been about 5 years since I've strapped ice skates on.

She really got the hang of it after about 30 minutes in the beginner's area. We had a really good time. It was a bit far, and took us about 3 1/2 hours to get there, but it was a great trip for my vacation. Next time, we're going to go to one of the rinks in Incheon. They even have one right up the road in my neighborhood.

But a first time on skates is a special occasion, so we had to go big.

Check out the video below or here at youtube. 

Check out all the pics here.

Walker Hill Ice Rink

Eye Surgery Success

As of today, I think it's safe to say my eye surgery was a success. Let's go through all the steps.

On Jan. 15, I went in for a free exam to see what surgery is right for me. They do a 2-hour, very thorough check on your eyes to figure out what you need. Just my luck that I needed the only one that would have any pain associated with it.

So a week later, on Jan. 18, Jeong Mi went with me to Kim Eye Clinic -- a block away from my house -- and I got surgery. The surgery itself really only last about 10 minutes, and maybe less. The doctor preps you and pops you under the computer/laser, and it goes to town.

There is some discomfort when it slices your eye open, but no actual pain. The strange burning smell when the laser is running is interesting, though.

After surgery, they sit you in a comfy recliner with an ice pack for 20 minutes. Then, it's time to head home.

The day of the surgery, my eyes were blurry, but felt fine. It was day two that the pain came. I woke up a bit uncomfortable, but generally okay. I went for a checkup, and the doctor warned that it would hurt for the next couple days.

Starting that evening, my eyes were so swollen that I couldn't open them. The pain wasn't terrible, but enough that even though my eyes were closed, I couldn't really sleep. Day three continued along that path until the evening, when everything started letting up.

On that Friday, I went back in and had the after-surgery protective soft lenses removed. My eyes went back to blurriness again, but the pain was gone by that point.

Even now, there are times when focus comes in and out a bit. My eyes seem to still be getting used to switching focus from near things to far things, sometimes throwing me out of whack. But things are coming in clearly, and they seem to be getting more stable.

It's weird to be without glasses or contacts. I have been using them since third grade. Waking up in the morning and seeing across the room is the nicest part. Just knowing that option is back in my life. Technology, huh?

The clinic I went to was recommended to me by Ridia, who also had her eyes done there. The cost was 1.4 million won, which is about $1,250. I think that's a pretty good price for the convenience of not needing help seeing.

The only issue for a foreigner is that they don't speak English there. It's a great place, but either speak Korean or take a Korean friend for help. Other than that, it's a nice place to get your eyes fixed.

They warned that somewhere down the line, I may need reading glasses or even a touch-up type surgery that's available. But by that point, I figure I'll have robot eyes anyway.

The video is conveniently posted below, or you can check it out here on youtube.

Check out all the fun pictures here.

Laser Eye Surgery in Korea