The “Camaro” Challenge

 Last year’s vacation in the Philippines, my husband thought of giving the men in my family a “food” challenge.

 

He brought bondegi (a popular snack in South Korea which is made from boiled and seasoned silkworm pupae) and dared my uncles, my brother-in-law and two of my cousins to eat it.

 

This year, it was my husband’s turn to eat something nasty.The men in the family vowed to avenge themselves after being forced to eat a spoonful of silkworm pupae.

Uncle Henry, my youngest uncle, prepared camaro for him. Camaro are mole crickets found in rice fields. It is a famous Capampangan dish. In my hometown (Angeles City), camaro is usually cooked with soy sauce and vinegar, just like the typical adobo. 

In South Korea, mole crickets or 귀뚜라미 (gwitturami) are cooked and eaten, too, but my husband has never tried them, so he was thrilled to try camaro.

His verdict? “Not bad.” ^^

He made me try some. I was reluctant at first, but I didn’t want to spoil the fun. Surprisingly, mole crickets are delicious! They are crispy and they taste like shrimp. ^^

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My Sanctuary in Korea

I’ve finally found my sanctuary in Korea.

When I was in the Philippines, I used to go to a monastery in my hometown in Angeles City. Carmelite Monastery has been my sanctuary since I was young. I fell in love with the serenity of the place when I first visited it with my classmates and my teacher on our high school class retreat. I used to visit it every Saturday or Sunday. I didn’t usually hear Holy Mass. I would go there to pray. I am not a pious Catholic, but I find solace in talking to “my God” through prayer.

When I came to Korea, one of the first things I did was to look for a church or a chapel near our area, that I could visit every weekend. Thank God, I found this church which is just a few walks away from our apartment. ^^

I used to go to church with my Omonim, but since I couldn’t understand most of what the pastor said, (Of course, he would be preaching in Korean.) I stopped attending church with her. Besides, I didn’t like waking up at 6 in the morning every Sunday.

I go to Jinjeop Catholic Church every Saturday, not to hear Holy Mass, but to simply PRAY. The church somewhat reminds me of Carmelite Monastery. It is quite peaceful, a perfect place to pray in solitude.

The church has just been remodeled. The facade is still a work in progress, I suppose.

Just like in Carmelite Monastery, you can light a candle outside Jinjeop Catholic Church. They don’t have notes and that little box where you can drop your prayer petitions, though… but there is a prie-dieu you can kneel on as you make your prayer request.

Have a blessed Sunday, everyone. ^^

I hope you have found your sanctuary, too. ^^

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