Friday Fives: Five Things I Have in Korea That I Never Thought I Would Own

1. A Rice Cooker
I mean, I always thought you could JUST. COOK. RICE.  Before my return to the "motherland," I never really understood why you would even need something like this.  But I get it now.  You can make rice for the day in one go (or in my case, several days), it always turns out perfectly, and (especially for me) you aren't occupying your only stove burner with a pot of rice.  Not to mention there are fancy versions that make more than plain rice.

2. An Electric Kettle
Because, again, I always thought you could just boil water.  But again, when you only have one burner, then you hate to occupy it with the tea kettle.  Plus, it is actually more energy efficient that boiling water the old fashioned way...and in considerably less time!



3. Pants that Fit Off the Rack
This has never in my life happened to me before.  I have a non-supermodel body...I'm short and curvy...so buying clothes is always borderline self-abuse for me. In the  States...Korea....doesn't matter...all pants will have to be adjusted.  Until now.  I ran into one of my favorite stores to grab a pair of jeans the last time I was in the city for my eyes...I only had 3 pairs and wanted an extra pair for the winter since clothes drying takes so long.  I grabbed the style I usually get and left without trying them on.  When I got home I gave them a try so I would know where to make the adjustments and low and behold they fit...length and width...right off the store rack!  And not need to do the "pants dance."  Probably, they are meant to be ankle pants, but I'm not gonna worry about that...the point is they fit off the rack.

4. An Eyelash Curling Iron
That sounds scary, but it isn't....that's really not the best way to describe it, but it was all I could come up with.  Anyway, it's a eyelash curler.  It's battery-powered and it heats up to help your eyelash curl last longer.  In the past eyelash curling has been just short of tortuous for me.  I have monolids, so curling my eyelashes required eyelid manipulation, a good bit of pinching, and several frustrating attempts before any sign of curl began to show up.  Sure, there's the risk of burning your eyeball or scorching your eyelashes off, but really, it's never that close to your eyes...and it's run by a AA battery, so how hot can it really get?

5. Down Winter Coat and Long Underwear
Ok, technically, that's two things...and even more technically, that's considerably more than two, but let's not split hairs.  I never thought I would own these things because 1) they are expensive, and 2) it just never gets that cold back home.  However, my first winter in Korea saw quite a few snowy days...which I was not entirely prepared for...so I was more than happy to start stocking up as soon as winter clothing hit the stores.  I am extremely grateful my main co-teacher insisted on taking me for a winter coat last year...I had thought I would just layer up and nearly fell out in sticker shock when I bought it, but a few weeks into the "proper" winter and I would not have let it go for anything.  I already have visions of buying proper winter boots when they hit the shelves in another few weeks.