Sunday, August 30, 2009

Koreatown Galleria, re-visited

It's worth noting that when Uncle Fog and I were at the Galleria in Koreatown, I was taken aback by the abundance of kimchi and its many varieties. I'm including a photo which depicts only part of the massive display on hand. No sense in fighting it, kimchi is about to become a very real part of my diet.


One product particularly amused me, and while I'm sure there's something comparable in the States, I loved the direct messaging of this item:

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Consulate Interview


Has it really been a month since my last post?! So much has happened in these last few weeks, but I'll try to summarize the highlights for posterity's sake.

When I awoke last Thursday, I had an email from Rosa (HR manager for my new school) with my visa application number. Success! I'd been approved, which was also a major relief. I dashed off to Los Angeles where I interviewed with the Korean Consulate and submitted the requisite paperwork. The interview itself was quick and to the point. Essentially, it was an opportunity for the Consul to verify that I was who I claimed to be and that my motives for moving to Korea were appropriate. After answering a few questions regarding my health and education, I received a thumbs up (literally) from the Consul.

I returned to LA on Monday to pick up my official visa and spent the day being a tourist with Uncle Fog. We visited Koreatown's Galleria -a massive supermarket chock-full of Korean food and merchandise. It was a completely eye-opening and got me thinking more seriously about how drastically my diet will be changing in just a few weeks. We sampled various foods, and then I was approached by a woman who asked if she could take my photo. I thought I was getting into trouble for eating cookies that I'd not yet purchased. Instead, the woman turned out to be a reporter for KoreaTown Daily, and she was writing a story on the globalization of Korean food. I checked in with her today, and she sent me a link to the story:


Classic!