How I Spent Easter Sunday....

Throughout my entire life I have spent Easter Sunday the same exact way. First it starts with Sunday morning worship services, followed by lunch or dinner with the extended family. We greet each other, take pictures & exchange Easter eggs & candy. I can easily chronicle my life through the photos taken EVERY Easter Sunday. However this year, was a little bit different for me....for I attended Seoul Fashion Week events.

SEOUL FASHION WEEK

Some of you out there are not really concerned with the whole fashion scene. Clothing is a merely something you were to prevent streaking your co-workers and neighbors while you perform your daily tasks. Well, I am almost the opposite of that: I LOVE FASHION...and most of you reading this know that fashion is my THING! I love every aspect of it, designing it, wearing it, putting it together and even selling it! So to get an opportunity to attend this event was a real treat for me.

For those of you that still don't know what Seoul Fashion Week means, let me explain. In most fashion centers like NYC, LA, Milan & Paris fashion weeks are held several times a year to introduce the upcoming fashion designers collections for the upcoming seasons. Over the last month or so, designers have been showing their fall collections. These overly publicized media events are a way for designers to give a preview of their collections to the highly sought after leaders of the fashion industry (i.e. media, buyers, celebrities).

How many times in life does a regular person get to attend such a coveted event? Almost never, that is why I was sooooo excited to be there. Now don't get me wrong, I would have been excited to get in the door and view the show from the nearest exit, but on this particular adventure,...I had the HOOK UP!

Let me share...
As you know, since I arrived in Seoul, I have met so many interesting people. One such individual is Regina Walton (feel free to check out her blog too!) She is Los Angeles, CA native and expat who has lived in Seoul for the last 6 years. She is one of those sisters who just likes to take the world by storm. The UCLA alum has a law degree & just finished her Master's Degree in International Studies in Korea, all while teaching at Ewha Woman's University and writing for The Seoul Times (WOW!). So when I tell you she is a woman on the move...I mean it!

I had even checked out her blog when in America & thought it was pretty cool account of an AA women in Korea. At that time, I had no idea that we would get a chance to interact. One night after a viewing of a bi-lingual production of the Vagina Monologues & a meal at the local Tex Mex restaurant with mutual friends, we struck up an interesting conversation. We had talked sparingly throughout the evening, but when I volunteered to be the one to give Condaleeza Rice a makeover, we were tickled for the rest of the night. Speaking of fashionably challenged prompted a discussion of current fashion. Being the avid newspaper reader I am in Seoul, I started talking about the upcoming Seoul Fashion Week I had recently learned of....she then casually told me, "Oh yeah, I know, I will be covering that" WHAT?!? Fashion week!!! You have got to be kidding me!

Anywho, one thing lead to another & it lead to me chillin at the fashion shows this past weekend! I met some really interesting folks & got to get out and do what I like most, PARLAY with the people (to parlay, is a colloquial describing how to talk or engage in spirited conversations with really COOL people; derived from the french verb parler-to speak)

Keena at Seoul's Fashion Week (notice the press pass!!! I keep telling everyone...I'm famous in Korea....You just gotta luv it!)

One such interesting person is Mark. He is the founder of FEETMANSEOUL.com, an online magazine that focuses on the fashion trends that can be seen on the streets of Seoul. It's a really cool site too! Check it out! Feetmanseoul.com was the reason why I was at Fashion Week in such grand style. Mark & Regina covered the week long event, so for more info about the week long event you can check out the site. I am so grateful that they allowed me to hang out with them on that day. Currently Regina & Mark, along with a host of others are working to take this publication worldwide so stayed to tuned...they are destined for success!

Photo courtesy of FEETMANSEOUL.com (more photos at end of post)

Seoul's emerging fashion market

As discussed in many posts, South Korea is a developing country in many areas. Their growth can obviously be viewed in companies like Samsung, Hyundai & Kia. In the area of fashion, Korea is slowly emerging as a serious fashion market. A few months before arriving here in Seoul, I read a publication that claimed that Korean students are attending major design schools (i.e. Parsons, FIT etc.) in significantly increasing numbers. Quite concerned with the success of this emerging market, the government is publicly (& financially) backing the Seoul Fashion Week Event. As a result, a small showing of the who's who of Korean celebrities & politicians were present during the week long event.

Can't you see me sitting on the front row, legs crossed, quietly pointing and discussing the fashions on the runway???

To say the least, the event for me was totally a blast! During the amazing shows that I attended I even got to sit in the first & second rows with the press!! (I really have to think about my career choice in life...I have NEVER been this excited about taking care of a quality issue!) I got the opportunity to schmooze with some of the beautiful people, and met some people from around the world! I didn't take many pictures while at the shows cause I was just enthralled with my whole experience. I likened myself to country girl from the backwoods being taken to Times Square in New York City (of course I didn't let everyone else notice how excited I was, on the inside I was screaming; on the outside I was cool as a cucumber,...my mother would have been proud) While Regina & I were standing in the buffet line in the press room, we were even interviewed by Elle Korea! What a treat!

Today's Lesson:

Even though I didn't go to a formal service to worship God on that day, the Lord opened up some doors in my life & helped me to reflect and refocus. Bringing some things to my attention that I want to do & want to pursue in life. After all the Easter season reminds us of the death, burial & resurrection of Christ. In his death we now have hope... I realize as the scripture tells us, that "Christ died that we might have life, and life more abundantly" Therefore, on this Easter Holiday I was walking in some of the abundance of life that he died for.... Thank You JESUS!

This crusade to Korea is turning out to be more like a dream...I am having the time of my life.... there is so much more to tell, so stay tuned!!!!

K

More photos courtesy of feetmanseoul.com

Living in Seoul: It's Free...But It Will Cost You!

Almost as soon as my plane landed, my family members and friends began to ask me so many questions regarding Seoul & Korea. Many of them I could not answer? Was it expensive here? How much does food cost? What about gas? The questions were endless. Now, Seoul is a very large city with almost 12 million people living within its limits. As with most big cities, prices for everyday items tend to be expensive...Seoul is definitely no exception in that regard!

In order for you to understand this a lil better I have included the prices of some everyday items that you can find in the US to compare them with prices in Seoul:

How much is Gas?
This is the first question my cousin Dre asked me when he spoke to me. At the time, I really couldn't answer his question. Although I had seen several gas stations, there was no need for me to use them personally and I hadn't quite gotten my arms around the exchange rate yet and the liters to gallons conversion at one time was a bit much. So it took me a little time to even figure it out.

Currently the US is feeling the effects of an unstable economy, that is in recession (I believe that we are not headed for a recession, we are in a recession, check out the definition in the link). This has impacted us significantly at the gas pumps. According to the Bloomberg report, the average gallon of gas was currently spiking at a record of $3.26 per gallon (3/24/08)! This situation can cause tremendous grief on the pockets, especially for you high styling SUV drivers. Ouch! That hurts :(

Knowing the problems that the US is experiencing with these rising prices. I decided to take a look at the gas prices in Seoul. So, while going past a gas station recently, I took note of their gasoline prices and was quite shocked:

A gas station marquee in Seoul, Korea

For the record, gasoline in almost every other country aside from America, is typically notated in liters instead of gallons.
~A liter is equal to .26 gallons (almost 1/4 gallon)
~A US dollar is equal to about 980 Korean WON (1000 Won =$1.02)

Therefore,
~Regular unleaded gasoline costs 1,569Won/Liter
~Which translates to 6,276 Won/Gallon
~Which translates to $6.40/gallon..., and we thought it was expensive in the US!!!!!

Strawberries
During my first visit to the grocery market in Korea, I was convinced that I was going to buy so many fruits & veggies because during this adventure I was gonna lose weight buy eating healthy, ...right? Much to my dismay, I noticed that the fruit of my choosing was extremely expensive. I just could not believe that I saw a container of strawberries, not even a quarter (1/4) of a flat for 16,000 WON ($16.50 US).

I guess this is the point in the story where I tell you that in America, I live downtown Detroit. On the weekends (when I can), I go to Eastern Market, our local open air farmer's market. I really enjoy this time, because I am able to negotiate with Apple Frank our with Veggie Louie to get the best prices on the freshest products available. Usually, I can get a whole flat of strawberries for $6 USD. In my experiences, no where in America have I seen strawberries, not even out of season organic strawberries, cost so much. How people can afford to eat strawberries, regularly, I just don't know.

Ice Cream

There is a unique phenomenon that I noticed in Korea...at some point, EVERYTHING runs out! I have witnessed this at the local TGI Friday's one weekend when they ran out of hamburgers (go figure?). But most recently, I have noticed this in the grocery store too. In the US, it is very rare that items are out of stock unless there has been some type of sale or promotion. Like during the Thanksgiving holiday it is not uncommon to find that a local market has ran out of Sage, the seasoning used for dressing or "stuffing" as some of you may call it. But standard items can usually be found with regularity.

Let me tell you about one such Korean experience:

It was Saturday afternoon, and my friend & I were walking around Itaewon after having lunch. We came upon a trailer where a gentleman was selling fresh strawberries for a good price. The aroma of these strawberries was almost hypnotic. Due to high price of strawberries in the market, we decided to buy some and were determined to make strawberry shortcake later that evening. As my friend & I parted ways, we decided to meet later that evening at my apartment for dessert....right? WRONG there was one small problem.

Most of you know that Strawberry Shortcake is made up of three key elements: strawberries, shortcake (or pound cake found in the military commisary, thanks to J!) and ice cream. Since we were in Itaewon, and there is a market in my building it made sense for me to procure the ice cream when I arrived back to my apartment to prevent melting. So upon my return, I went to the market,...I got a little confused immediately because I went to the area where I normally see the ice cream & the freezer was no longer there. Huh? Maybe, I was just looking in the wrong spot...so I asked for help. To my dismay, the grocery worker told me they had RUN OUT OF ICE CREAM! What a downer,....Ice cream? Not just chocolate, or rum raisin, but all the ice cream is gone? I just don't understand.

Having a positive attitude, I figured that this shouldn't pose too much of a problem since there are several convenience stores located within the complex as well. I would just go to GS25 or 7 eleven. When I arrived, I went right over to the freezer, and grabbed a pint of vanilla. At that point, I was praying that J didn't bring anybody with him for desert or else we might run out with this lil pint of ice cream. But sometimes you have to do what you have to do. When I got to the register, and the cashier rang me up, I could have been bowled over with a feather because that lil pint of vanilla Haagen-dazs Ice cream was 8,700 Won, almost $9 US dollars...now someone is definitely trippin in Korea. I'm not a cheap person, but I just couldn't even bring myself to buy it right then! The desert would have to wait.

Hair Conditioner

Taking good care of my hair is very important to me, like many people in the world. Therefore, I don't mind spending extra money on products that will help to maintain a healthy mane. In Seoul, I have found many different brands of shampoo & conditioner. Unfortunately, they are not any of the brands that I am used to, and I have a hard time finding the right formula for my hair type. You know how there are moisturizing, or volumizing conditions to suit every need. Well, since most of the bottles are written in Korean, it has been very difficult to find what I want.

One day while walking to my apartment, I came across a beauty product store. They seemed to have everything to do with making oneself beautiful, make up, perfume, facial moisturers & masks, etc. As I looked around the store, I came across the hair products. There were bottles of all shapes and sizes, and of course none of them looked familiar. A closer look would immediately prove worth my time. I located a small (very small actually) bottle of Paul Mitchell conditioner. I was excited & began to thank Jesus for my good fortune. My diligence had finally paid off!

As I said, I am accustomed to buying nicely priced products for my hair...no problem. However, I turned over this small bottle that was the same size as the family size Aquafresh toothpaste tube, and gasped!....What the.....? At that moment, I was convinced that my hair was gonna have to just break off & my ends could split to the roots if I had to spend 66,000 Won/$67.35 US on that little bit of conditioner! What happened to government control and regulations over price heisting?

Right now if you were to Google Paul Mitchell Hair products & look for conditioner. You could find a 10 oz. bottle for approximately $10 at the Walgreens. I know that American products would be more expensive here due to the high costs of transportation. But these examples, are just a few examples of "Highway Robbery" in procuring American products in Korea. No wonder, seemingly every country in the world buys their OWN products instead of importing over-priced goods.

Just a thought: Maybe we should start marking up all the foreign products in America, forcing Americans into common sense purchasing of American-made goods.

K

I Never Run out of Things to Write....

Sorry, to all you loyal Keena's Crusade Blog readers. I have failed to update my blog in a while. It is only because I have been doing so many things here in Seoul, I have not had much time to write. So what does that mean for my blog? That means I have sooo many things to share with you my friends. It's kind of interesting cause when I first started this process of creating a blog about my adventure, I have to be honest, I was little nervous. Why? What if I ran out of things to talk about? If so, my blog would be pretty boring and no one would want to read it. But I should have known, that the gift of GAB that the Lord gave me, transcends to the written word as well.

Stay tuned for more adventures from Keena's Crusade! The tales of Seoul only get better from here!

K

How I Got Beat -- Korean Style

Greetings and Salutations to you all!

I don't know how I forgot to mention this lil interesting adventure that I had along the way in the Namdaemun market. As you know, I was pretty excited to be in the market, and as per usual was clicking away with the digital cam. There are soooo many things to see here that are so different from home. Although I can be pretty descriptive, descriptions alone will not do some of these things justice. Therefore, I continue to click away!

As previously mentioned, I was quite interested in seeing the silk worms. I found them of course after a while. But that wasn't all I found. There were lots of mobile carts throughout the market, where mainly little old Korean women were selling edible goods. One such cart, I noticed was quite different from the rest. This particular woman was selling several different types of homemade treats (at least that is what I think they were). Additionally, she was selling tea. As you know, tea seems to be the beverage of choice here in Korea & many other Asian countries. But one thing that caught my attention, was on the end of her little cart, she actually had a lil teapot serving the customers tea. It was so cute and authentic looking!!!

See the little tea pot? How authentic

Therefore, I had to do what a normal tourist would do...right? Yes, I took out my camera and begin to snap shots immediately. Click-Click-Click! After I got my shot, I continued to stand in the same spot with my friend, Ajenai, to determine our next steps. While talking, our attention was immediately drawn to the "cute lil cart" where the vendor was all of a sudden quite visibly angry & screaming. Since I am less then a novice in the Korean language, I had no clue what or who she was speaking to.....until, she walked over to us and continued to yell at the top of her lungs. Was she really yelling at me? For what? What happened in the last 60 seconds that caused such an outburst? I was befuddled, I had ABSOLUTELY no clue what was going on...well, I'll put it to you like this, even though you may not understand everything a person says in another language, BODY language is universal.....THAT LADY WAS CURSING ME OUT!!!!

I just could not believe it! Ajenai & I just looked at each other, I don't know who was more perplexed by this spectacle. So what was I to do? Should I walk away now? I hadn't done anything wrong, ..right? But that is when it happened...this little old Korean lady haled off & HIT ME!! WHAT!!! Now she was really trippin! At that point, I just was overcome with emotion...what was I supposed to do...beat down the little old lady like she had stolen something from me?

I could see it in the paper now,

My mother would surely die of embarrassment and worry!
But the facts were certain...., she had crossed the line & hit me!

So, what did I do? I did what any good christian and tourist would do who did not want to start an international incident....I laughed at the woman, YES, I mean I got really tickled! This vendor lady did not at all seem to happy with my response. It actually seemed to infuriate her even more, so I stopped laughing long enough to give her one of those looks...you know that look that your mother could give you as a child from a mile away that would cause you to straighten up. I gave her "the look" that told her "don't even think about trying that again!"

It has been a little while since that episode transpired, but I still don't understand it any more today then I did on the day that it occurred. On that day, I figured that I had performed some forbidden tourist act out of ignorance and somehow deserved to be scolded (...not hit but scolded). In an effort to get some clarity regarding the situation, I discussed it with my Korean colleagues. To my surprise, they were even more perplexed then I! At the end of the discussion, we collectively agreed that the lady was just crazy! Oh well, as it is said "It takes all kinds to make the world go 'round!"

That day taught me something about myself, and the power in a look. If someone would have provided me with a similar situation in the US, my first reaction would have been to tell this lady a few things about her improper behavior or even threaten to hit her back (I say threaten cause she was a little old lady, I do have morals). In this situation, I did not have the power of words to communicate my feelings, rather a still small look that said MORE than any words I could have mustered at the time. This "look" let the vendor lady know that I was highly displeased by her reaction. Even though I did not receive an apology from this lady, I know that she will think twice before hitting another black girl from Detroit!

Obviously, crazy is not something that is reserved for the US, there are crazies everywhere!

Until Next Time,

Take Care

K!

NAMDAEMUN --The South Gate of the City

History of Namdaemun A few weekends ago, I decided to take a little venture around the greater Seoul area. My travels led me to the Namdaemun Gate, also meaning the "GREAT SOUTH Gate" of Seoul. In Seoul, there are several gates that have historical significance as they were the main gateways into the city during the Joseon Dynasty, when the whole city was enclosed. The Namdaemun gate, officially called, Sungnyemun (숭례문 / 남대문), translates to "Gate of Exalted Ceremonies," originally controlled access to the capital city & kept out Korean Tigers (wow folks!). Referred to as the #1 National Treasure of Korea, this gate represents the oldest wooden structure in Seoul. Construction began in 1395 during the reign of King Taejo of the Joseon, and was complete a short 3 years following [1398].

Photo of Namdaemun (South Gate)

This gate is a true site to behold, very beautiful and majestic in nature. An authentic display of the traditional Korean culture.

Namdaemun illuminated at night

The GREAT FIRE While I have been in Seoul since January, there have been many important places that I have traveled. I want to make sure that I get the WHOLE Korean experience. As a result, I have learned a great deal about Korean culture and their source of pride. Unfortunately, in my schedule, I failed to visit the Namdaemun Gate early enough. Much to the whole nations dismay, on February 10th, a gentleman who the media reports only by his surname Chae, attempted to destroy the historic landmark by putting it on fire!!!!! I later found out that the reason the man claimed to start the fire is because his land got taken away from him in some type of unfair court case. This fire was his own personal protest...and to make matters worse, this man was 69 years old!

As you can imagine, the whole country was in dismay. I can remember the afternoon that it happened very clearly. That evening I returned to my apartment after a busy day at the office and decided to turn on the TV. It didn't take long for me to realize that on almost every "Korean" channel, I could see live coverage of this structure burned. . .

After watching coverage like that one above, I really had no clue what was happening. I tried CNN, but they hadn't picked up the story yet. But watching the building burn was quite surreal. I knew something MAJOR was happening,...I just didn't know what. So, after quite a while trying to figure out what was going on, I just changed the channel...

The next morning during breakfast, I was quite shock by the stories reported in the Korea Herald (English language Korean paper). Wow! I missed it! I had the perfect opportunity to see the #1 Treasure of Korea, and it had slipped from my fingers in one evening!

Namdaemun Gate after Fire

Some of you reading may not be big history buffs and find this type of discussion kind of boring. But these type of historic landmarks are really cool places to visit because there is generally, a lot of activity surrounding them! Let me tell you about a few:

The Doksugung Palace

This was a cool place just like most of the palaces around Korea. But the reality is, if you've seen one palace, you pretty much have seen them all. This may be a strange comment coming from me, cause I can truly enjoy the artistic display & differences from one palace to the next. However, it does not make for an interesting addition to my blog (at least not this one, I will show you another palace in greater detail another time).

A few steps from the Great South Gate is Doksugung Palace. Of course it once housed royalty of the Korean nation until the Japanese came to Korea and overtook it :( It is quite beautiful though, and has guards that stand watch of this historic monument. I was lucky enough to walk up just as the changing of the Guard Ceremony was taking place, please see below:

Other photos at the Doksugung Palace....

This is the entryway into the Palace

The Guards dressed in ceremonial robes for the Change of the Guard

A traditonal Korean Drum

The Namdaemun Marketplace Located in the Jung-gu area of the city, this 24 hour market can be a shoppers dream! Complete with booths, malls & arcades full of goods to meet almost all tastes and styles. Actually, it can be quite overwhelming to take in at once. During my first visit to this area, it was quite cold, so the marketplace full of people to block the spine-chilling wind was definitely a welcomed site. There are so many different places to shop in this marketplace right across from the Namdaemun Gate.

This market is considered a traditional type of Korean market and offers all types of clothing, kitchen ware, spices & traditional Korean items. Oh Really.... I had one of the most unique experiences that I have had in a long time at the Namdaemun Market. I was really excited to be there, carefully taking in all the sights, products & sales around me. Before coming to Korea, I had heard so much about the different marketplaces & how they have things that you never even dreamed (or had a nightmare) about. ANYWHO! I was on my trek...having a good ole time...laughing at some of the knock-offs (really, how many L's are in Louis Vuitton?), trying to figure out the clothing sizes (that is much more difficult than one can imagine), and much more.

Before coming to Korea, there was one conversation that I had that really kind of bugged me (no pun intended), it was a small matter of the silk worm. At first thought, when someone mentions a silk worm, I think of a nice flowing silk chemise, ...right? WRONG! In Korea, they are also considered a snack, YES I said a SNACK FOOD...that you eat! Fear factor watch out! Being the epicurean that I am (yeah right!), I was anxious to see this Korean delicacy along with other options that I had not witnessed before. Well, I finally found them in the highly esteemed Namdaedum market...

These silkworms are placed in a heating device & served warm. They have a very unique scent that I can not liken to ANYTHING I have ever smelled before.

(for your viewing pleasure) Other interesting Korean delicacies witnessed along the way...

It is said to be like a spicy pasta in sauce, of course the pasta is derived from rice and is pretty solid. I have heard that it is quite good...I just haven't mustered up the strength yet 2 taste it. I will keep you posted though. In Korean, they refer to this treat as "Sora," to us, they are small spiny turbine shells. People eat the organism on the inside like a clam.

These tasty little treats can be found in many areas of Seoul, supplied by street vendors. Different vendors make various shapes depending on their cooking device that is reminiscent of a waffle iron. Batter is poured into the hot iron, sweet red bean paste in placed in the center. Served hot out of the iron, these are good!

Hope you enjoyed today's posting...as you can tell, Korea has a LOT to offer...

K

Another One Bites the Dust....

As time goes by during my voyage, I have determined that there is one distinct difference between Seoul & home. Here, there is a revolving door of people who enter and exit your life. While at home, the people that you meet are pretty much stable, pretty much settled, setting up and maintaining their lives. The native English speakers that I have come to know, are really a bunch of nomads, wandering from place to place...trying to find their rightful place in the world. No one is here to stay, indefinitely. Their lives,.. so very different from the lifestyle that I have come to know as my own.

As it is very intriguing, I never seem to tire of the colorful stories told by my new found friends over drinks or dinner of escapades near & far. But one thing, I can't help but wonder is when this cycle stops for most. Is it perfectly acceptable to go from place to place reaching & searching for that place of Nirvana on earth? Or is it nonsensical to think of settling down with a 9-5 job in your corner of the globe, without regard that there is a whole wide world out there that is moving & changing. Should we all be so focused on concrete plans for the future (i.e. buying a house, paying off bills, etc.) that we forget to stop & smell the roses? Is one lifestyle approach better than the other? Can both approaches to life lead you to the path of knowing and fulfilling your life's purpose? Who decides? These are the questions that I find myself asking....

Speaking of which...

On last evening, I had a great time hanging out with my new compadres here in Seoul. This weekend we were bidding farewell to another sister on the brink, Annice. Annice is a AA young woman who has been living in Seoul for the last year. She has come to the end of the Korean road & is now headed home to the US....for a month. After which time she is relocating to Cairo, Egypt! I don't know about anyone reading this, but not only have I never been to Cairo, but I don't know anyone who LIVES there...well, I guess in a few weeks or so that won't be true cause Annice will be there. WOW! For some of you this may not seem to be a likely choice for your life...mine either, but this type of situation helps me to get a glimpse of the vast possibilities that exist in this world. I admire Annice's strength & drive to go after a different path. I think for far too often, I have limited myself to the options that exist in my small world...but slowly, my vantage point is changing.

Seoul Family hanging out on the town. Annice (center)

This type of discussion reminds me of my mindset during undergrad, or maybe as early as high school, when I truly felt that the world was my oyster. There was nothing that I could not achieve and/or do if I put my mind to it. Since that time, reality [or as some would say, cynicism] and time have kind of destroyed a mental link to my grandiose possibilities. I still believe that I can & will achieve great things in my life, but I am a little more realistic these days.

Sometimes while writing this blog, I feel like I am writing about some nonsensical topics. But honestly, I can see myself changing....seeing life quite differently. Now don't expect me to make some kind of announcement next week that I have decided to stay here in Korea indefinitely or that I have decided to become a missionary trying to convert communist China. However, I trust that many of my life's decisions will be impacted by the way I now see life, less limited with so many more possibilities.

Good Luck to Annice on your new voyage! We wish you the best! K