Korean celebrations - Pepero (빼빼로) day

11th November every year is designated pepero day. Supermarkets will have full shelves of exclusive and regular pepero sticks, convenience stores will make grand stands outside their shop with gift baskets and special sales.

So what is pepero? Pepero is a breadstick-looking cookie-stick usually covered in different flavors of chocolate. The cookie is more commonly known in the west by it's japanese name of Pocky-stick.

Why pepero-day? 11.11 - a date which in itself looks like a pack of pepero sticks. The original intention was that you would give eachother pepero sticks as a symbol of the hopes of growing tsll as a stick. These days it is mostly a commercial holiday, and the custom is to give a box to friends or coworkers. 

People appreciate to get one, bt your are not considered rude if you don't give them out to everyone. 

Last year i got one box from one of our contractors, this year one of my co-workers bought a box each for the girls, i myself bought for my girls at work as well. By all means, you can even buy one for yourself.

Enjoy this relaxed "holiday" and who knows, eat enough pepero sticks and maybe you will get taller...?

How to book bus tickets in Korea

If you want to travel intercity in Korea, bus is a great way to do it. It is fast and the buses usually have very comfortable seating arrangements. Usually the buses run so often there is no need to book in advance. However, for weekends and holidays, it is best to be sure. You can therefore book your ticket online.

Note! To buy bustickets online you need a creditcard issued in Korea (korean bank) and a korean phone number.

The wesites are, as of today,in korean only.

For the kobus.co.kr website, please check this link: How to book a ticket on kobus.co.kr

For my hometown i cannot use this website. So if you, like me, live in Geoje island or cannot find your city on Kobus, please go to this webpage.

I will book a ticket from Geoje island (Goheyon city) to Seoul. The terminal in Seoul for Geoje buses is called Nambu (southern Seoul).

Note! If you use google chrome browser, it will automatically translate to english large parts of the webpage, which is very helpful. below i will show you the image from chrome browser to help you understand the different options you are given in korean if you use explorer.

 Enter you destination to and from and desired date for travel. If you are booking a one way ticket you only need to fill inn the upper part, called 가는일시 (day of departure). If you are booking round trip you also need to fill inn  the lower part with dates, called 오는일시 (day of return).

Finally press the big blue button below the dates.

This will pop up. It is information about cancelling fee. It says you can change your ticket up to one hour before departure and that you can book up to five tickets.

Press the bottom left button to continue.

Now to choose your departure time.
1. departure time
2. travel type, you want the bus that says 우등. It is the most comfortable of the faster buses. 일반 is regular bus seats.
3. Travel time
4. price for regular adult
5. youth price
6. Example, press to seethe bus route. Most buses to Seoul will have a stop for 15 min resting period about midway.
7. reservation. If the button is red, the seats are sold out..
8. earlier times
9. later times

If you booked a one way ticket, you will now see this message. If you are booking round trip ticket, this step will come after you have selected the time for your return trip. To the left is Korean, to the right translated version. Check the box on the lower section and press the blue button at the bottom of the page.






Next part is easy, choose the amount of tickets. Once that is done, an overview of the bus seats will show up and you may choose your seating. When done, press the blue button at the bottom.

If you have booked round trip you will now repeat the steps of choosing time and seating for your return trip.

Next is entering your credit card details. birthday (yymmdd), skip the password section, enter birthday again and phone number. Press the blue button at the bottom and you should now get a confirmation that you have bought the ticket.


Please remember to bring you korean credit card to the bus terminal. You will need it to retrieve the ticket.

PS i will add some photos of how to retrieve your ticket at the bus station soon.

Homemade pumpkin halloween cupcakes

These cupcakes are super yummy and perfect for autumn season by themselves. With some decoration they become perfect for a halloween party. This recipe gives you 12 regular size cupcakes.

What you need for cupcakes:
200g kabocha squash (japanese pumpkin)
240g cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g butter
a pinch of salt
160g granulatet sugar (regular sugar)
2 eggs (beaten)
40g roasted pecans
1dl milk


Make sure the ingredients are room temperature. That will prevent the batter from separating.

How to bake:
Cut the pumpkin and remove the skin and seeds. Steam until soft.









Mash the pumpkin while it is still hot, put aside.

Add the baking powder to the flour and sift two-three times. This will help make fluffy cupcakes.

Whisk the butter until it looks nice and creamy. Add the salt and half of the sugar, whisk some more. Add the rest of the sugar and whisk until the granulated texture of the sugar is more or less gone.

 Gradually add the beaten eggs while whisking. Make sure all the egg is absorbed in the mixture before you add more.

 Add pumkin and nuts and roughly mix together.

 
Add 1 third of the flour. Fold in the mixture with a spatula. Don't overstir. Add half of the milk, continue folding. Continue adding flour and milk and finally mix until all is combined.

 Devide the cupcake into moulds and put in pre-heated oven on 190 celcius for about 20 minutes (may vary depending on the oven). Test if the cupcakes are done by poking them with a toothpick or other wooden stick. If no batter attaches to the stick, then it's done.

Let the cupcakes cool while you prepare the decorations.













What you need for decorations:
Buttercream
black sanding sugar
small m&ms
yellow jellybeans
chocolate candy melts or melted chocolate in piping bag

See recipe for buttercream and sanding sugar at the bottom of this page.

Make cobwebs and ears/ whiskars for the cat with melted chocolate. Put in the fridge.



















If the edge of the cupcake moulds are higher than the cupcake it can be a good idea to cut the edge down a little to make application of buttercream easier.







For the cobweb cupcakes, put buttercream on the cupcake and attach the cobweb while the buttercream is still fresh.
For the cats, put buttercream on the cupcake and roll the top gently in the sanding sugar until sufficient coverage. Attach eyes, nose, whiskars and ears.


Enjoy a spooky holiday!!











TIPS:
- Feel free to use other types of pumpkin, the tastes may vary depending on the sweetness of the pumpkin.
- You may steam the pumpkin with the skin, but remember you then have to remove the skin from a steaming hot pumkin, which is a little uncomfortable. My lesson learned with many burned fingers.
- Do i have to use cake flour? No you can just use regular flour. If you want to use cake flour, here is how to make your own: 1 cup (2.5dl) flour, remove 2 tbsp and replace with 2 tbsp cornstarch. Sift several times to mix thoroughly. You can of course also just use regular flour for this recipe.
- I don't have pecans, what can i do? Use walnuts. Or skip entirely.
- how to divide the batter evenly? Try an icecream scooper. It gives the perfect amount for one cupcake and ensures the same amount for each cupcake.
- I recommend using the cupcake tray when baking. You make put the paper mould directly in the oven, but your cupcake will them usually get wider and flatter. The tray helps the cupcake keep its shape.
- The sanding sugar is used to give the impression of a fluffly cat fur. If you think sugar on sugar is too much, just color the buttercream for the cats with black foodcoloring (use paste, not liquid. Otherwise your buttercream will get too thin.)


Buttercream recipe:
250g butter (room temperature)
600g powdered sugar
1ts vanilla extract
1-2 ts milk
Whisk the butter until white (if already white, whisk on high speed for 5 min)
add powdered suggar little by little, whisking for 2 min between each addition. Do this until you have used 2/3 of the sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 ts of the milk. Whisk again and add the rest of the sugar. Test with a spoon. If you can shake a little and the buttercream doesn't fall off then it's ready. If too thick add more milk, if too thin add more sugar.

Sanding sugar:
1/2 cup regular granulated sugar in a plastic bag. Add food colouring and rub together until you get the colour you want. Spread on a baking sheet and dry in the oven on 50 celsius for 10 min or until it feels dry. If it cakes together, to beat it lightly.

Becoming an alien

Coming from Europe, at least the western European countries, you do not need a visa to travel to Korea for holiday. By filling out the form for temporary stay you may be in Korea for up to 3 months. However, if you intend to work here you must have a visa, and within three months of entry you must also have registered for an alien ID card.

The procedure of the visa application may differ from country to country. My employer did not give me sufficient information, so i found the best thing was to contact the South Korean embassy. I tried to call, but you will be asked to send an email, so just go ahead and do that right away. I received an email with a list of instructions.

First of all you need a valid passport, you will not be issued a visa for longer than your current passport is valid. Second, you need to fill out the application form included in the email.

You will need confirmation of employment from your company, a copy of business registration certificate from the Korean or Korean based company you will be working for or with, their certificate of tax payment and, if employed by a company based in your country, you also need a copy of a business plan or order agreement between your company and the Korean company you will be dealing with. Hopefully your employer knows what they need to do when they send you abroad, I was given all these documents in a ready package with my name filled in.

Lastly you will need a passport photo, in colour, and a visa fee (cash).

Mail all this ( including your passport) to the embassy, it should only take about two weeks to receive your visa. It is also possible to visit the embassy to deliver your application and then pick it up, if you live close by.

Once in Korea you need an address. If you are staying at a hotel temporarily, i would advise against applying for the alien card until you find an apartment and get your permanent address. otherwise you will have to re-apply when you change your address. Waste of time and money.

My company has hired a Korean HR company. They assist us in aqquiring apparments, vehicles, mobile phones, and also the alien card. So since they paid for my application i cannot tell you how much it costs.

You have to go to the immigration office in your area and fill out a registration form. Remember to bring your passport with visa and a passport photo. They will fingerprint you, you pay and then leave. After two weeks you may then collect your alien ID card.

So you may ask, why do you need it?

Well, apart from being mandatory, you need it for just about everything. Memberships, bank account... Korean drivers license, but that we will cover another day.

Anyeong hi gaseyo 안녕히 가세요

Introducing the Alien

어서 오세요 (Eo seo o se yo)! Welcome to my blog, and essentially, welcome to my life. I currently live and work in Korea, on Geoje island, near the southern city of Busan. This will be my home for the next 2 1/2 to 3 years. Perhaps this blog may give you some assistance if you are also moving to Korea, or even to Geoje. And if not then i hope you are here to enjoy with me my daily life and travels in Korea and Asia.