Patbingsu

This is patbingsu (paat-beeng-sue) in all its glory. I didn't get what all the hoopla was about the first time I had it. It was just shaved ice with a bunch of fruit to me.

But today, the patbingsu was a welcomed treat. It was so humid the entire day. Everyone loves this stuff over here in the summer because it cools you off. One student's mom had several bowls of patbingsu delivered to all the teachers on the fourth floor.

It's made up of a bowl full of shaved ice, and you mix in an assortment of fruits -- kiwis, strawberries, oranges, and whatever else they throw in there -- they'll put little rice cake chunks in there as well, and of course the sweet red beans. We pour milk over our patbingsu, but people have different ways of eating it. I've seen some pretty elaborate bowls topped of with ice cream. They serve them at the fast food joints too. So, going to McDonald's and ordering patbingsu is always an option

I've been hanging out with my Korean co-teachers a lot. One of the older teachers invited me over for dinner and to stay over at her house for the night next weekend. This should be interesting considering she doesn't know any English, other than hello and good. But, we have a weird way of communicating, and through some miracle we always end up figuring out what we're trying to say to each other. Definitely looking forward to next Thursday, that's when she's planning to have me over.