I guess I never kept my promise about part 2 of vacay. Oh well. I went to Busan. Nothing big to report, wasn't as impressed by the city as most people are. I'll return, but it won't be anything too rushed.
So a lot has happened in the last 2 months. I'll try and catch the highlights. One of the big ones: Golgulsa Sunmudo Temple. Here, Christina, Shu, Alex and I took part in a Buddhist Temple Stay where we learned about Buddhist meditative martial arts. Amazing experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat. But it kills you. It took me a while to recover. I have never sweat that much in my entire life. For a meditation it sure takes it out of you.
Luckily, and I never thought I'd hear myself saying this but, a typhoon rolled through Korea and finally got to rest on the Tuesday. Monday at school was death after the Buddhist retreat. Most of the staff thought I had gone on a weekend long binge. Who would have thought that a cleansing of the soul would make me look and feel like I'd been hit by a semi 4 or 5 times in a row? So heads up if you decide to take part in one of those retreats. But the typhoon day was exactly what I needed. As the wind and rain howled and rattled my windows to near breaking point, I sat warm and dry inside with a nice Americano and studied from a Korean textbook I had been given over the weekend. So starts the learning process.
Since then, I have nearly completed studying from the textbook. I need to move on to part two, I don't know what part two will be though. I've started taking a class, but I'm too advanced so hopefully the one on one with tutors will be more beneficial. I never bothered to study in University, but who would have thought I'd rediscover the drive after being out for over a year? Maybe I miss being a student.
What else has there been? A bunch of Korean drama, but I don't want to waste your time. I've been seeing more of the country, as per usual. Seoul visits are still regular although all of the Incheon crew are gone. Sad. It was a bit depressing to see them go.
Finally made it out to Jeju Island. Beautiful island. I'll post the pictures at some point. Glad we made it out, but it was just for a short time. I need to go back. There's too much to do and we only had a short time to actually be there. Caught my first tornado sighting though. I was pretty blown away, not going to lie. It was over the ocean in the clouds. It never touched down but I was blown away. We had taken ATVs out to discover an island offshoot and as we were driving we caught that little gem rolling and picking up cloud.
Classes are going. This semester a lot has been taken out of me. I'm not sure why, but my energy level has become almost nonexistent which kills me. Maybe it's my restlessness, maybe it's because most of the people that I know will be leaving soon, maybe it's homesickness, maybe it's because by this point I had expected myself to accomplish more than I have, maybe it's the students, maybe it's fact that I know I still have a year and a bit left at the same school. I'm thinking it's all of the above with a few more things added into the mix. It's still an experience and a half being here, and I find myself going through periods of readjustment. At first it was the adventure/tourist phase, then the settling and culture shock, then came the summertime high, but now it's the fall...I guess I won't have a name for it until the winter perhaps.
I know there is more, but I can't think of a way to put it in this post without it feeling bloated so I'll leave those. Pictures from the adventures are posted (I think...).
Ticket is booked for going home though. So I guess I'll be seeing you soon-ish Canada.
2012년 10월 8일 월요일
2012년 8월 5일 일요일
Body, Mind and Seoul
Apologies, this will be long. But only because we crammed a lot into vacation and surprisingly saw a lot.
Finished up camp number one (Iron Chef Gurye style). I'd say it was a success. But with only 20 students and 3 Native English Teachers, there would have to be a colossal mistake for it to be a failure. Needless to say spending two days teaching about cooking and eating all kinds of food, it was a blast. But with all the fun also came all of the eating. What's wrong with that right? When you talk about food with Koreans, there's always going to be an abundance floating around. I've never heard so many students complain about being full (serious, at 14 years old, who actually gets full when you're eating pizza, grilled cheese, cookies and pancakes?). But that's what happened. Pretty sure I gained a solid 10 pounds after those two days (and that weight didn't come from eating the food we made, just the food we were given).
But who cares, vacation time! Destination: Seoul. As a way to save money (failed experiment by the end of it all) I decided to stay in the country. Plus, there is a lot in Korea I haven't seen so this is the perfect chance. Start off the adventures in Hongdae. People seem to bash it, but I like it. It's the University area (Hongik University), so the streets are always crowded, there are plenty of young people, and plenty of foreigners as well. I will admit, it's not the classiest of places, but if you're looking for a neverending night of adventure, Hongdae is the place to be. Even just walking the streets at 4 A.M. appeals to me. The bars, meh, not so much. But the live music and the food stalls and the restaurants! How can you go wrong? Actually, you can go wrong. There are plenty of places that have good (even great) food, but many places that are mediocre at best, and incredibly overpriced. The Korean places are cheap and (mostly) delicious, but that's no surprise since I've fallen for almost every Korean dish. But in Hongdae you get a ton of international restaurants as well. These can be hit or miss. The first night, decent chicken wings (forget the restaurant name, foreign spot), but the second night we got back into Hongdae late and our dinner was at 1 A.M. At that time, not much is open in terms of full meal but we found a Japanese restaurant. One of the most expensive meals I've had in Korea, and it was only meant as an appetizer. The sashimi was good, but I've had better at local Korean fish restaurants where they actually feed you. This dish simply wet the tongue. It wasn't memorable enough to even catch the name.
So on this adventure we started off with myself, Shu, Alex, Ginny and Ken, all from the original orientation group. Our first stop is Caribbean Bay! Caribbean Bay / Everland is in Yongin, about an hour(ish) south of Seoul) and is one of Korea's largest amusement parks, and largest water parks. What an experience! It's clearly peak season now that it's basically 30 degrees during the night and reaches temperatures I don't even want to know about during the day. So the water park is a necessary getaway! But that's also what all of Korea is thinking. Like everything Korean, this place is packed to the brim. Each ride is minimum 60 minutes wait, some of them are not worth it. The Boomerang (think Wonderland's The Bat for the waterpark) is definitely worth it. And while you're waiting for rides to die down, jump in the lazy river! Floating around in water after standing in a line for 2 hours in the blistering heat was an amazing decision (thanks to Shu), but also made for a brilliant mode of transportation when you have to get to different parts of the park.
For the price of one ticket you can jump in between parks. After being away from amusement parks for a while, it felt great to be back in one. Everland (think Never Everland) is like Korea's version of Disney, fitted with painted buildings and magical trees to welcome everyone. There are no talking trash cans, but give it time. Since everyone tends to head home pretty early, the park was ours. In less than 2 hours we were able to get in 4 coasters and tour the park. We got on one of Korea's largest wooden roller coasters, and probably the fastest and steepest wooden roller coaster I've ever been on. Also, dare I say, one of the best. After the first drop (which is at about 70 degrees) there is no time to let up. It you thought Wonderland had fast rides, ughh, this is one you have to go on.
The next stop (also Shu, Ginny and Alex's last day in Seoul) was touring Hongdae during the day. We managed to get a few things in. First, let's talk about TrickEye. Wahhh! What a place. It's a museum devoted to optical illusions. You get to interact with all of the art pieces to become part of the art. We had a ton of fun. It takes about an hour, but you get a lot in that hour. The TrickEye in Hongdae is the most famous, but the exhibition moves around Korea and is available in a few other cities. Definitely something else. After TrickEye, it was fitting that we jumped into the Hello Kitty Cafe. Yep, you heard it right. It's a Cafe devoted to Hello Kitty. The cakes are shaped like Kitty, the drinks have Kitty drawn in the foam, the walls have Kitty shaped windows and even the bathroom is littered with Hello Kitty memorabilia. This is one of those places you go to for the atmosphere though. The product, meh. The bingsu I had was good, the coffee, mediocre. Plus, they messed up one of the foam drawings. Come on Kitty, get your act together.
After that, adios Shu, Ginny and Alex! Onto Seoul Adventures with Mike and Ken! So luckily for us, Christina was in Japan and we were able to use her place in Incheon during our vacation. Incredibly nice of her and saved us an easy 60-80,000. The only problem is that Incheon doesn't have a whole lot to offer, and it's a little depressing as a vacation spot. After checking out Wolmido Island and Chinatown (in a matter of 2.5 hours), we both decided to forget Incheon and jump back into Seoul. I mean Wolmido and Chinatown are fun, but I've been there countless times and Ken wasn't impressed, so fun was basically on the low side. It didn't help that the weather was awful. Ah well, Seoul Adventure!
If you're into art districts and original, handmade products, then Insadong is definitely your kind of place. This is the artsy part of town. I'd been here once before, but that was New Year's and it was only in passing. This time we took our time, sat down to a nice green tea spot (OSullac) and had some Jeju Green, with, wait for it, Green Tea Tiramisu (aka cheesecake). Delish. But I'm getting really wary of new products now since Koreans are very confused about what exactly a nut is, and what it means to have a nut allergy. Pretty sure I ate peanuts, after asking about it, and showing a direct Korean translation. Second time in two weeks. I guess to avoid a third time drama, I might have to strap the epipen right at my hip. Inside Insadong is a Square Market called Ssamjigil, it's a pretty cool spot and this is where I caught my first sight of Korean Love Locks. Sometimes Korea is like walking through a Disney film. A romantic wonderland. Here in Ssamjigil you (and your partner) can buy love badges ("I love you", "Marry me," "Let's stay together forever", "I want your babies" etc) and lock them on a fence anywhere in the courtyard. What a place. For this experience, plus authentic Korean clothing, items, jewelry, and food, this is the spot to be.
Next, why not take a stroll out to Dongdaemun. This is a huge shopping district (still not sure how after 9 months in Korea I had not been here). Mind you, it's a huge shopping district for women, with the men delegated a square foot for every floor devoted to women's clothing. If you're a woman, you're in dreamland. But hey, what there is for guys, it's not bad. But be careful, it's easier to drop money here than you think. Especially when they are great sellers. Not pressuring, but chatty and get you distracted. At least that's my excuse for walking out with green pants. No regrets.
After Dongdaemun, as the sun was setting, we walked along Cheonggyecheon. This spot is really cool. Basically after all of the industrialization of Korea, the city planned to built a river to ease heavy industrialization and keep the city looking pleasant. This river stretches over 8 km and is really nice to walk along. If I lived in Seoul it would definitely be a regular spot, especially for a run at sunset.
Our final day in Seoul. This was basically a combination of everything we'd done. Our first day was spent scoping out the city, now we can experience it, along with other sights. So back to Anguk Station near Insadong for a little cultural experience. Hanok Village is located near Insadong and is supposed to be a very traditional area filled with Korean traditional shops and activities. It's nice, but I don't think it's as traditional as it makes itself out to be. We might have missed a couple streets, but it was all very modernized, and some of the buildings were remodeled. It was nice to see, but it's more of a passing interest. Back to Insadong. But today, Insadong was a side effort. Our real devotion: Samcheongdong, another artsy area located next to the palace and across from Insadong. If you like your cafes and little restaurants, this is the place to be. That, and we found a Cafe called Cafe Keopi Mashineun Goyangi (trans. Cafe Drink Coffee and Cat, better in Korean) which is easily one of the best cafes I've been to, and easily the best in Korea. And I set myself up for disappointment by ordering a Maple Latte. But dang Coffee Cat, you did real good. Match that with an incredibly welcoming and quirky atmosphere and you make me wish I lived in Seoul!
After that, Itaewon (sigh). Luckily Ken wasn't a fan, so we caught the fastest train out of there. Everyone should see Itaewon because it is incredibly international, and you really can have good meals there, but it's so skeezy looking sometimes that it doesn't make for a pleasant destination unless you're familiar with the area. Off to Dongdaemun and Myeongdong for some shopping (my poor wallet!). Then top off the whole Seoul Adventure with a trip to Namsan Tower (did I mention this was an exhausting day, mentally and physically?). Namsan is a must-see. We decided to take the gondola up, which made for a nice ride up the mountain and the sight of Seoul underneath while the sun went down. Before you go in the actual tower, there is a base where you can lookout and see the Seoul cityscape. since this is already a mountain, this sight alone is fantastic. And, if you want love locks, you've got them here. Wow! Now this is romantic. There is a Korean tradition that if a couple takes a lock, hangs it on top of Namsan Mountain, and then throws the key, they will have everlasting love. So you are literally surrounded by thousands of love locks. Not all of them are romantic, some are friendship, some familial, but it definitely makes for a bit of a surreal experience to stand where thousands have stood before to write these words. But enough with the romance, on to the tower! Namsan Tower is like the CN Tower, but I think I prefer Namsan, although my memory of CN is not the greatest. There is no glass tower here though, that I remember from Toronto. The view of Seoul at night with all the lights shining is brilliant. I hear that during the day the view isn't as nice because of the smog and pollution, but during the night? Ahh, unbelievably. You can catch the Han River while eating dinner in the buffet restaurant or enjoying a coffee on the top floor. Perfect end to our Seoul Adventure.
Okay, I told you there was a lot! But, I'm going to save part 2 of my vacation for another day. Reliving Seoul Adventures is making me not want camp to start tomorrow and making me just want to travel more! One week is not enough!
Finished up camp number one (Iron Chef Gurye style). I'd say it was a success. But with only 20 students and 3 Native English Teachers, there would have to be a colossal mistake for it to be a failure. Needless to say spending two days teaching about cooking and eating all kinds of food, it was a blast. But with all the fun also came all of the eating. What's wrong with that right? When you talk about food with Koreans, there's always going to be an abundance floating around. I've never heard so many students complain about being full (serious, at 14 years old, who actually gets full when you're eating pizza, grilled cheese, cookies and pancakes?). But that's what happened. Pretty sure I gained a solid 10 pounds after those two days (and that weight didn't come from eating the food we made, just the food we were given).
But who cares, vacation time! Destination: Seoul. As a way to save money (failed experiment by the end of it all) I decided to stay in the country. Plus, there is a lot in Korea I haven't seen so this is the perfect chance. Start off the adventures in Hongdae. People seem to bash it, but I like it. It's the University area (Hongik University), so the streets are always crowded, there are plenty of young people, and plenty of foreigners as well. I will admit, it's not the classiest of places, but if you're looking for a neverending night of adventure, Hongdae is the place to be. Even just walking the streets at 4 A.M. appeals to me. The bars, meh, not so much. But the live music and the food stalls and the restaurants! How can you go wrong? Actually, you can go wrong. There are plenty of places that have good (even great) food, but many places that are mediocre at best, and incredibly overpriced. The Korean places are cheap and (mostly) delicious, but that's no surprise since I've fallen for almost every Korean dish. But in Hongdae you get a ton of international restaurants as well. These can be hit or miss. The first night, decent chicken wings (forget the restaurant name, foreign spot), but the second night we got back into Hongdae late and our dinner was at 1 A.M. At that time, not much is open in terms of full meal but we found a Japanese restaurant. One of the most expensive meals I've had in Korea, and it was only meant as an appetizer. The sashimi was good, but I've had better at local Korean fish restaurants where they actually feed you. This dish simply wet the tongue. It wasn't memorable enough to even catch the name.
So on this adventure we started off with myself, Shu, Alex, Ginny and Ken, all from the original orientation group. Our first stop is Caribbean Bay! Caribbean Bay / Everland is in Yongin, about an hour(ish) south of Seoul) and is one of Korea's largest amusement parks, and largest water parks. What an experience! It's clearly peak season now that it's basically 30 degrees during the night and reaches temperatures I don't even want to know about during the day. So the water park is a necessary getaway! But that's also what all of Korea is thinking. Like everything Korean, this place is packed to the brim. Each ride is minimum 60 minutes wait, some of them are not worth it. The Boomerang (think Wonderland's The Bat for the waterpark) is definitely worth it. And while you're waiting for rides to die down, jump in the lazy river! Floating around in water after standing in a line for 2 hours in the blistering heat was an amazing decision (thanks to Shu), but also made for a brilliant mode of transportation when you have to get to different parts of the park.
For the price of one ticket you can jump in between parks. After being away from amusement parks for a while, it felt great to be back in one. Everland (think Never Everland) is like Korea's version of Disney, fitted with painted buildings and magical trees to welcome everyone. There are no talking trash cans, but give it time. Since everyone tends to head home pretty early, the park was ours. In less than 2 hours we were able to get in 4 coasters and tour the park. We got on one of Korea's largest wooden roller coasters, and probably the fastest and steepest wooden roller coaster I've ever been on. Also, dare I say, one of the best. After the first drop (which is at about 70 degrees) there is no time to let up. It you thought Wonderland had fast rides, ughh, this is one you have to go on.
The next stop (also Shu, Ginny and Alex's last day in Seoul) was touring Hongdae during the day. We managed to get a few things in. First, let's talk about TrickEye. Wahhh! What a place. It's a museum devoted to optical illusions. You get to interact with all of the art pieces to become part of the art. We had a ton of fun. It takes about an hour, but you get a lot in that hour. The TrickEye in Hongdae is the most famous, but the exhibition moves around Korea and is available in a few other cities. Definitely something else. After TrickEye, it was fitting that we jumped into the Hello Kitty Cafe. Yep, you heard it right. It's a Cafe devoted to Hello Kitty. The cakes are shaped like Kitty, the drinks have Kitty drawn in the foam, the walls have Kitty shaped windows and even the bathroom is littered with Hello Kitty memorabilia. This is one of those places you go to for the atmosphere though. The product, meh. The bingsu I had was good, the coffee, mediocre. Plus, they messed up one of the foam drawings. Come on Kitty, get your act together.
After that, adios Shu, Ginny and Alex! Onto Seoul Adventures with Mike and Ken! So luckily for us, Christina was in Japan and we were able to use her place in Incheon during our vacation. Incredibly nice of her and saved us an easy 60-80,000. The only problem is that Incheon doesn't have a whole lot to offer, and it's a little depressing as a vacation spot. After checking out Wolmido Island and Chinatown (in a matter of 2.5 hours), we both decided to forget Incheon and jump back into Seoul. I mean Wolmido and Chinatown are fun, but I've been there countless times and Ken wasn't impressed, so fun was basically on the low side. It didn't help that the weather was awful. Ah well, Seoul Adventure!
If you're into art districts and original, handmade products, then Insadong is definitely your kind of place. This is the artsy part of town. I'd been here once before, but that was New Year's and it was only in passing. This time we took our time, sat down to a nice green tea spot (OSullac) and had some Jeju Green, with, wait for it, Green Tea Tiramisu (aka cheesecake). Delish. But I'm getting really wary of new products now since Koreans are very confused about what exactly a nut is, and what it means to have a nut allergy. Pretty sure I ate peanuts, after asking about it, and showing a direct Korean translation. Second time in two weeks. I guess to avoid a third time drama, I might have to strap the epipen right at my hip. Inside Insadong is a Square Market called Ssamjigil, it's a pretty cool spot and this is where I caught my first sight of Korean Love Locks. Sometimes Korea is like walking through a Disney film. A romantic wonderland. Here in Ssamjigil you (and your partner) can buy love badges ("I love you", "Marry me," "Let's stay together forever", "I want your babies" etc) and lock them on a fence anywhere in the courtyard. What a place. For this experience, plus authentic Korean clothing, items, jewelry, and food, this is the spot to be.
Next, why not take a stroll out to Dongdaemun. This is a huge shopping district (still not sure how after 9 months in Korea I had not been here). Mind you, it's a huge shopping district for women, with the men delegated a square foot for every floor devoted to women's clothing. If you're a woman, you're in dreamland. But hey, what there is for guys, it's not bad. But be careful, it's easier to drop money here than you think. Especially when they are great sellers. Not pressuring, but chatty and get you distracted. At least that's my excuse for walking out with green pants. No regrets.
After Dongdaemun, as the sun was setting, we walked along Cheonggyecheon. This spot is really cool. Basically after all of the industrialization of Korea, the city planned to built a river to ease heavy industrialization and keep the city looking pleasant. This river stretches over 8 km and is really nice to walk along. If I lived in Seoul it would definitely be a regular spot, especially for a run at sunset.
Our final day in Seoul. This was basically a combination of everything we'd done. Our first day was spent scoping out the city, now we can experience it, along with other sights. So back to Anguk Station near Insadong for a little cultural experience. Hanok Village is located near Insadong and is supposed to be a very traditional area filled with Korean traditional shops and activities. It's nice, but I don't think it's as traditional as it makes itself out to be. We might have missed a couple streets, but it was all very modernized, and some of the buildings were remodeled. It was nice to see, but it's more of a passing interest. Back to Insadong. But today, Insadong was a side effort. Our real devotion: Samcheongdong, another artsy area located next to the palace and across from Insadong. If you like your cafes and little restaurants, this is the place to be. That, and we found a Cafe called Cafe Keopi Mashineun Goyangi (trans. Cafe Drink Coffee and Cat, better in Korean) which is easily one of the best cafes I've been to, and easily the best in Korea. And I set myself up for disappointment by ordering a Maple Latte. But dang Coffee Cat, you did real good. Match that with an incredibly welcoming and quirky atmosphere and you make me wish I lived in Seoul!
After that, Itaewon (sigh). Luckily Ken wasn't a fan, so we caught the fastest train out of there. Everyone should see Itaewon because it is incredibly international, and you really can have good meals there, but it's so skeezy looking sometimes that it doesn't make for a pleasant destination unless you're familiar with the area. Off to Dongdaemun and Myeongdong for some shopping (my poor wallet!). Then top off the whole Seoul Adventure with a trip to Namsan Tower (did I mention this was an exhausting day, mentally and physically?). Namsan is a must-see. We decided to take the gondola up, which made for a nice ride up the mountain and the sight of Seoul underneath while the sun went down. Before you go in the actual tower, there is a base where you can lookout and see the Seoul cityscape. since this is already a mountain, this sight alone is fantastic. And, if you want love locks, you've got them here. Wow! Now this is romantic. There is a Korean tradition that if a couple takes a lock, hangs it on top of Namsan Mountain, and then throws the key, they will have everlasting love. So you are literally surrounded by thousands of love locks. Not all of them are romantic, some are friendship, some familial, but it definitely makes for a bit of a surreal experience to stand where thousands have stood before to write these words. But enough with the romance, on to the tower! Namsan Tower is like the CN Tower, but I think I prefer Namsan, although my memory of CN is not the greatest. There is no glass tower here though, that I remember from Toronto. The view of Seoul at night with all the lights shining is brilliant. I hear that during the day the view isn't as nice because of the smog and pollution, but during the night? Ahh, unbelievably. You can catch the Han River while eating dinner in the buffet restaurant or enjoying a coffee on the top floor. Perfect end to our Seoul Adventure.
Okay, I told you there was a lot! But, I'm going to save part 2 of my vacation for another day. Reliving Seoul Adventures is making me not want camp to start tomorrow and making me just want to travel more! One week is not enough!
2012년 7월 4일 수요일
Pushing Forward
Few developments since the last post. One, I've nearly abandoned my previous form of Korean studies, it got to the point where it wasn't helping...at all. So I've found a replacement, so far so good. It's giving me more practice and makes understanding the grammar very simple. My problem with the last course was that I couldn't find time outside the course to practice the concepts. But in this new program I can easily practice while studying, so we'll see how this goes. Hopefully I won't have to abandon this in the next month. As an additional practice, I've started watching more Korean films. Not going to lie, before coming to Korea I was not a fan of Korean cinema, but apparently I got the bad seeds out of the bunch because I'm falling in love with this country's cinematic landscape. For those of you back home, if you're in the mood for a little cinematic culture, check out My Sassy Girl and J.S.A (Joint Security Area), you won't be disappointed.
The reason why I'm writing this post, however, is getting the word out there. I've officially signed my life away for one more year. Contract end date: October 31, 2013. I'll be a Gurye resident for another sixteen months. Then who knows. I got the contract this morning and signed off about 50 different pages, but it's official. So even though I'll be seeing you, Canada, around Christmas, we'll have to say goodbye one more time. Sorry, it's not you.
I have a feeling that next year is going to be filled with more adventures than I can plan on as I've missed out on so many festivals this year. I'll have to jump into the Korean spirit and check out all of these traditions the next time around.
Speaking of Korean adventures, I've joined a volunteer group in neighbouring Suncheon/Gwangyang. They're the group that took us rafting a while back. A couple weekends back we had the chance to visit a salt farm and check out the Yeonggwang Coast. Beautiful spot. Absolutely beautiful. I always forget how much I miss the water until I'm standing on the edge and looking at the horizon where water and sky perfectly align. The group is a great chance to meet other foreigners and Koreans alike. Really great people out there. Glad to be a part of it. We'll be hosting a Cultural Fair in a couple weeks, not entirely sure what it's all about, but I have a feeling mentioning that I play keyboard was a bad idea. Speaking of...I've already been asked to play in my school festival in the fall...eep. The fact that I can't practice might put a damper on that.
I've also recently bought an oven, and it was the best decision I've made in a long time. A weekend in meant to catch up on things I've fallen behind on led me to a day of cooking and baking. Less than one week and I've made five or six cakes (to share, of course, which the school loved) and three eggplant parmesians for the freezer, plus enough roasted vegetables to feed a small country. Apparently I was a little stir crazy for baked goods.
Speaking of food. The 3-week camp I had has been reduced to two days. I don't think you can understand how ecstatic I was to hear that. Plus, it'll be with the two other male foreigners in my town, and topic of choice: Iron Chef. Two days of non-stop cooking. Summer is shaping up. I'm excited to see how it'll pan out. It's only two days, so even if it's a failure, it's not a total loss.
Oh, for those of you Vanier graduates out there who can remember grade 9 Religion, I introduced a little game called Bite the Bag to my classes as a way to reduce the stress from studying and all I can say is it is freaking brilliant. Never thought I would have got anything out of that class, but it made for a hilarious day in the class.
주말에 재미있어요. 저는 여러분 그리워해요. 십이 월에 볼거예요!
안녕히계세요
마이크
The reason why I'm writing this post, however, is getting the word out there. I've officially signed my life away for one more year. Contract end date: October 31, 2013. I'll be a Gurye resident for another sixteen months. Then who knows. I got the contract this morning and signed off about 50 different pages, but it's official. So even though I'll be seeing you, Canada, around Christmas, we'll have to say goodbye one more time. Sorry, it's not you.
I have a feeling that next year is going to be filled with more adventures than I can plan on as I've missed out on so many festivals this year. I'll have to jump into the Korean spirit and check out all of these traditions the next time around.
Speaking of Korean adventures, I've joined a volunteer group in neighbouring Suncheon/Gwangyang. They're the group that took us rafting a while back. A couple weekends back we had the chance to visit a salt farm and check out the Yeonggwang Coast. Beautiful spot. Absolutely beautiful. I always forget how much I miss the water until I'm standing on the edge and looking at the horizon where water and sky perfectly align. The group is a great chance to meet other foreigners and Koreans alike. Really great people out there. Glad to be a part of it. We'll be hosting a Cultural Fair in a couple weeks, not entirely sure what it's all about, but I have a feeling mentioning that I play keyboard was a bad idea. Speaking of...I've already been asked to play in my school festival in the fall...eep. The fact that I can't practice might put a damper on that.
I've also recently bought an oven, and it was the best decision I've made in a long time. A weekend in meant to catch up on things I've fallen behind on led me to a day of cooking and baking. Less than one week and I've made five or six cakes (to share, of course, which the school loved) and three eggplant parmesians for the freezer, plus enough roasted vegetables to feed a small country. Apparently I was a little stir crazy for baked goods.
Speaking of food. The 3-week camp I had has been reduced to two days. I don't think you can understand how ecstatic I was to hear that. Plus, it'll be with the two other male foreigners in my town, and topic of choice: Iron Chef. Two days of non-stop cooking. Summer is shaping up. I'm excited to see how it'll pan out. It's only two days, so even if it's a failure, it's not a total loss.
Oh, for those of you Vanier graduates out there who can remember grade 9 Religion, I introduced a little game called Bite the Bag to my classes as a way to reduce the stress from studying and all I can say is it is freaking brilliant. Never thought I would have got anything out of that class, but it made for a hilarious day in the class.
주말에 재미있어요. 저는 여러분 그리워해요. 십이 월에 볼거예요!
안녕히계세요
마이크
2012년 6월 18일 월요일
It's been about a month and things have been rolling through. Since returning from camping and having some long holidays things got incredibly busy and wore me right out. But let's start from the top. Following camping, which is more of a running joke than the horror story it started out as, came the long weekend. Thank you Buddha for letting us celebrate your birthday, which was met with plenty of excitement. The Incheon crew came South to my small little town. It was a tight squeeze but in my little one bedroom apartment we managed to squeeze in myself, John, Christina, Rosie, Anne, Kat and Kate, and on Sunday we welcomed James. Surprisingly it worked incredibly well. Nothing felt tight, there was no scrambling for the washroom, there was plenty of food. One of the best weekends in Korea so far. Started out easy enough with a trip to Piagol Valley. That is until we got to the top of the mountain and realized it was a four hour hike to the spot we needed to go. So we jumped off that train and went to an active Buddhist temple which was incredibly small and took about twenty minutes to do. But that's okay. My co-teacher was meeting us and since we were all hungry, off to Korean barbeque and then a night out in Gurye, which ended up being us going to the two places that were actually open. But a solid night nonetheless. Since there were Americans, Koreans and Canadians, we all belted out our national anthems and then jumped into the neighbouring noraebang. Good night.
I don't know if any of you know about the World Expo this year, but it's in Yeosu which is the city about 40 minutes south of where I live. So it was basically necessary to check it out. I'm glad we did. This year's theme is water, so there were many pavilions that focused on how that country is manufacturing water products or how water is being used to make the earth greener. Each of the pavilions were pretty amazing. Some letdowns (aka, China, but is that really a shock for environment preservation?) but on the whole they were really interesting to go through. Sad to see that Canada didn't join. Apparently with the financial crisis they couldn't afford to create their own pavilion (yet somehow Cambodia managed to have what was one of the top 10 pavilions at the expo?). But that was made up for with the Italian pavilion. Well, not so much the pavilion which was okay, but the restaurant. It's been a while since I've been in the company of Italians. Ah it was like going home. Fresh cheeses, bread without sugar, proper pasta and lasagna, topped with legit beer and coffee. And made all the more better by being able to share a few Italian words with the waiters. We definitely left Korea that day and it was a welcome escape. Except then the weekend ended and my crowded apartment which felt like living with roommates went back to being lonely. Ah well.
Then came the busy time. From then on nothing was an autopilot. It seemed like I had zero time to get anything done, and anytime I did there was a million things to do. I envy those people who deskwarm. I would've loved the break. I could barely keep up with the lesson planning which always ended up being finished either right before class or finishing it while teaching the class. And then all the obligations outside of school left for very little me time as well. Helping Mr. Choi with his doctoral thesis, dinners with Mr. Heo and Mrs. Son, keeping up with the foreigners in Suncheon, teacher outings and trying to stay on top of my Korean studies made sleep nearly impossible, which wasn't helped by the humid weather which keeps me up most nights, and wakes me up most mornings around 5am (5:30 seems to be the ongoing time). So when it finally came to a weekend where I had no plans, I finally conquered my own little phobia and went to a movie alone. First time in my life, but I needed some quiet time. Not too shabs. Felt weird not being able to talk about it afterward, and I kept wanting to turn around to talk to someone, but it was alright. Too bad Prometheus was a bit of a letdown.
Now I've rambled and I've just gotten to the part I want to talk about. For those back home that freaked out, yes I went to North Korea, and yes I came back alive. I finally did something that every foreigner should do in Korea and that is visit the DMZ (demilitarized zone). This is the border separating North and South Korea as a result of the Korean war in the 50s. I had learned about it, and I knew some things about the Korean war, but the DMZ never really struck me as amounting to very much. My head just could not wrap itself around the concept of a nation divided in two and always seemingly on the brink of war. But we went, and I am very glad we did. It was an early start to the day, having to be up by 4ish am to make it into Seoul for 7:20. We started by taking a bus from Seoul up to Panmunjom, the village on the brink of North Korea. We were met by American Soldiers at our checkpoint at which point we had to change buses, leaving all of our belongings on one bus as we switched over. We were taken on a separate bus guided by military officers (including the bus driver) and taken to the J.S.A. (Joint Security Area). This is the spot where conferences are held between the Freedom Houses of North and South Korea. The conference buildings are built half on South Korean soil and half on North Korean soil. The buildings face each other, and just as the South Koreans are watching the North Koreans, the North Koreans are watching us. There were soldiers positioned outside their Freedom house, while the South Korean soldiers were positioned between the conference buildings. If you step too close, they will knock you out of their way. Little story about these houses. North Korea had a house, then South Korea built their Freedom House, but since North Korea seems to always want to show dominance, they built on top of their House to make it taller. There had to be an agreement between the two nations to make the houses equal. Keep this in mind for the next story. I'll post pictures, but only of North Korea, we weren't allowed to take pictures of South Korea because the armies would assume we were North Korean spies.
After that it's time to get out into the demilitarized zone. We drove a short distance, passing the Bridge of No Return. After the two Koreas were separated, the people were given a choice where they wanted to live. They could cross the bridge into either North or South, but once they crossed they would never be allowed back from where they came. The area stretches from East to West in a zig zag line and is a barren land stretching two kilometres North and South. The area is a giant minefield, so watchout. It was pretty depressing to look out and see how everything was out there. The big nothing didn't show much progress, but I guess it's better than than war. On the South Korean side there is a village. These Koreans live tax free in this area but are required to spend 240 nights a year in the village to claim their citizenship. Now on the North Korean side is a village as well, but here's the kicker...it's fake. The village was built to equalize the two Koreas but the North Korean village is all for show. The doors are painted on, and inside the houses you can see light shining from the top floor, but it shines to the bottom floor of two story houses, getting dimmer as it goes along, meaning there is no floor. No one lives there. It's basically a large movie set. Standing in this village is a flag pole. When South Korea erected their flag pole on their side of the DMZ, North Korea met this by making their flag pole even bigger, with a heavier flag. Come on. Also at this site was the 1976 Axe Murder Incident. Since there are several watchposts on both North Korean and South Korean sides of the DMZ, the two sides maintained constant contact on each other. But in between two South Korean watchposts was a massive poplar tree that heavily obstructed their view. So South Korea planned to cut down this poplar to make viewing easier. It wasn't long after a South Korean crew and two American soldiers were cutting down the poplar that the North Korean army attacked and killed both American soldiers. After that, there was a tree cutting settlement and operation called Operation Paul Bunyon, and to this day it is the most expensive tree cutting operation. One tree. One freaking tree, and that's how things exploded. But I guess that's how it's always been between the North and the South. It reminds me of a jealous older brother who never got over the birth of his younger brother. It's not that nobody loves you, it's just that you can be a real dick and need to get over your insecurities.
Well that's all for now, feel like I've gone on far too long and I know that I've left a bunch out but without rambling anymore there was no way of throwing it in here. Things are going well, still busy...even though half of my classes are finished. I can't wait for exam time.
I don't know if any of you know about the World Expo this year, but it's in Yeosu which is the city about 40 minutes south of where I live. So it was basically necessary to check it out. I'm glad we did. This year's theme is water, so there were many pavilions that focused on how that country is manufacturing water products or how water is being used to make the earth greener. Each of the pavilions were pretty amazing. Some letdowns (aka, China, but is that really a shock for environment preservation?) but on the whole they were really interesting to go through. Sad to see that Canada didn't join. Apparently with the financial crisis they couldn't afford to create their own pavilion (yet somehow Cambodia managed to have what was one of the top 10 pavilions at the expo?). But that was made up for with the Italian pavilion. Well, not so much the pavilion which was okay, but the restaurant. It's been a while since I've been in the company of Italians. Ah it was like going home. Fresh cheeses, bread without sugar, proper pasta and lasagna, topped with legit beer and coffee. And made all the more better by being able to share a few Italian words with the waiters. We definitely left Korea that day and it was a welcome escape. Except then the weekend ended and my crowded apartment which felt like living with roommates went back to being lonely. Ah well.
Then came the busy time. From then on nothing was an autopilot. It seemed like I had zero time to get anything done, and anytime I did there was a million things to do. I envy those people who deskwarm. I would've loved the break. I could barely keep up with the lesson planning which always ended up being finished either right before class or finishing it while teaching the class. And then all the obligations outside of school left for very little me time as well. Helping Mr. Choi with his doctoral thesis, dinners with Mr. Heo and Mrs. Son, keeping up with the foreigners in Suncheon, teacher outings and trying to stay on top of my Korean studies made sleep nearly impossible, which wasn't helped by the humid weather which keeps me up most nights, and wakes me up most mornings around 5am (5:30 seems to be the ongoing time). So when it finally came to a weekend where I had no plans, I finally conquered my own little phobia and went to a movie alone. First time in my life, but I needed some quiet time. Not too shabs. Felt weird not being able to talk about it afterward, and I kept wanting to turn around to talk to someone, but it was alright. Too bad Prometheus was a bit of a letdown.
Now I've rambled and I've just gotten to the part I want to talk about. For those back home that freaked out, yes I went to North Korea, and yes I came back alive. I finally did something that every foreigner should do in Korea and that is visit the DMZ (demilitarized zone). This is the border separating North and South Korea as a result of the Korean war in the 50s. I had learned about it, and I knew some things about the Korean war, but the DMZ never really struck me as amounting to very much. My head just could not wrap itself around the concept of a nation divided in two and always seemingly on the brink of war. But we went, and I am very glad we did. It was an early start to the day, having to be up by 4ish am to make it into Seoul for 7:20. We started by taking a bus from Seoul up to Panmunjom, the village on the brink of North Korea. We were met by American Soldiers at our checkpoint at which point we had to change buses, leaving all of our belongings on one bus as we switched over. We were taken on a separate bus guided by military officers (including the bus driver) and taken to the J.S.A. (Joint Security Area). This is the spot where conferences are held between the Freedom Houses of North and South Korea. The conference buildings are built half on South Korean soil and half on North Korean soil. The buildings face each other, and just as the South Koreans are watching the North Koreans, the North Koreans are watching us. There were soldiers positioned outside their Freedom house, while the South Korean soldiers were positioned between the conference buildings. If you step too close, they will knock you out of their way. Little story about these houses. North Korea had a house, then South Korea built their Freedom House, but since North Korea seems to always want to show dominance, they built on top of their House to make it taller. There had to be an agreement between the two nations to make the houses equal. Keep this in mind for the next story. I'll post pictures, but only of North Korea, we weren't allowed to take pictures of South Korea because the armies would assume we were North Korean spies.
After that it's time to get out into the demilitarized zone. We drove a short distance, passing the Bridge of No Return. After the two Koreas were separated, the people were given a choice where they wanted to live. They could cross the bridge into either North or South, but once they crossed they would never be allowed back from where they came. The area stretches from East to West in a zig zag line and is a barren land stretching two kilometres North and South. The area is a giant minefield, so watchout. It was pretty depressing to look out and see how everything was out there. The big nothing didn't show much progress, but I guess it's better than than war. On the South Korean side there is a village. These Koreans live tax free in this area but are required to spend 240 nights a year in the village to claim their citizenship. Now on the North Korean side is a village as well, but here's the kicker...it's fake. The village was built to equalize the two Koreas but the North Korean village is all for show. The doors are painted on, and inside the houses you can see light shining from the top floor, but it shines to the bottom floor of two story houses, getting dimmer as it goes along, meaning there is no floor. No one lives there. It's basically a large movie set. Standing in this village is a flag pole. When South Korea erected their flag pole on their side of the DMZ, North Korea met this by making their flag pole even bigger, with a heavier flag. Come on. Also at this site was the 1976 Axe Murder Incident. Since there are several watchposts on both North Korean and South Korean sides of the DMZ, the two sides maintained constant contact on each other. But in between two South Korean watchposts was a massive poplar tree that heavily obstructed their view. So South Korea planned to cut down this poplar to make viewing easier. It wasn't long after a South Korean crew and two American soldiers were cutting down the poplar that the North Korean army attacked and killed both American soldiers. After that, there was a tree cutting settlement and operation called Operation Paul Bunyon, and to this day it is the most expensive tree cutting operation. One tree. One freaking tree, and that's how things exploded. But I guess that's how it's always been between the North and the South. It reminds me of a jealous older brother who never got over the birth of his younger brother. It's not that nobody loves you, it's just that you can be a real dick and need to get over your insecurities.
Well that's all for now, feel like I've gone on far too long and I know that I've left a bunch out but without rambling anymore there was no way of throwing it in here. Things are going well, still busy...even though half of my classes are finished. I can't wait for exam time.
2012년 5월 22일 화요일
Tips for Korean Hiking
Just in case you ever go on a hike through Jirisan National Park with Koreans, here are some tips for you:
1. Don't.
2. There is not such thing as "it's downhill from here". If you say that, you've jnxed the whole group by having to walk another 6km uphill.
3. When someone says we only have to cross two mountains. What they are really saying is we have to cross two incredibly high mountains and many many small mountains. Get ready.
4. The scenery is the walking. No time for breaks.
5. Sometimes food comes last.
6. Bring a flashlight because the sun will go down when you still have another 7km to go.
7. When you pack, don't. Anything you bring, Koreans will already have waiting for you. You will likely return with much more than you came with.
8. If you do pack, remember it's not for you, it's for the group.
9. Remember there is a group, and you are a very integral part of it, no matter what.
10. You will be handfed food by many people. Especially the students. They will also take care of you if you ever need it. You look thirsty? There's a bottle of water in front of your face.
11. Students who don't speak in class, or speak very rarely will voluntarily strike up long conversations with you. Suddenly their English has become amazing.
12. Sleeping is for the weak. It just gets in the way.
13. The same cannot be said for eating. There will be a feast. It's not always good, but there is always plenty of food.
14. Stay away from the air-compressed ready made curry. Unless you like watered down sugar ketchup.
15. If it's 11:00pm and you've been hiking for 14 hours straight, there is not time to make a bed on the floor because it will get in the way of drinking soju with everyone during a barbecue feast.
16. Never say you like something. The amount you are given will never end.
17. One shot of any alcohol is never just one shot. Sometimes they will actually hand you the bottle, and if you don't pour, someone will.
18. If it's 2:30am and someone asks you a question in Korean and then follows with an English "Yes", never fall back on repeating yes. Yes, more often than not, turns out to be another bottle of whiskey.
19. Remember that Koreans are out to have a good time. Just roll with how they do things and you'll do just fine.
20. The more you complain, the more hindsight will kick you in the butt.
21. Even though the scenery may not be the key to Korean hiking, when you reach the top, your mind can't help but being blown.
22. Even though many Koreans will not stop for a break, take a stop at a lookout point and take it all in. When it hits you that you are completely isolated and scaling and entire mountain system, you may become slightly more humbled about the experience.
23. The sights may not be their prime interest, but Koreans love their natural heritage and love talking about it. Listen to them and you might learn a few things, albeit in Konglish.
24. Koreans love talking. And so should you. They will ask you questions, most of the time you will not know what it is, but try your hardest to answer.
25. Bring ear plugs. When you're in a room with 20 Koreans and trying to sleep, you might be better off outside.
26. This is the perfect opportunity to teach your students slang terms. They want to talk to you, but remember it's not school, and it should be fun. Joke with them and give them a few things that they can say to each other. They'll get a good laugh out of it.
27. Locals who are not part of your group will be very surprised to see a non-Korean hiking the trails. You will get stared at, but throw them an annyeonghaseyo and their curiousity or confusion changes into excitement pretty quickly.
28. It feels great to be able to stand on one of Korea's highest peaks. When you are at a peak after hours of trekking, try and hold back the "I'm the King of the World" shoutout, Koreans probably think you're weird enough.
29. It may be a long trek. Find out beforehand. If you go in blind, you may be surprised to find out that you still have another 30km to walk and might have to cross 6 or 7 mountains. But don't complain. The worst you can do is not soak it in. Remember everyone is going through the same thing. Being a Bitter Benny will only make things worse and will get you no where.
30. On second hand, you should go.
1. Don't.
2. There is not such thing as "it's downhill from here". If you say that, you've jnxed the whole group by having to walk another 6km uphill.
3. When someone says we only have to cross two mountains. What they are really saying is we have to cross two incredibly high mountains and many many small mountains. Get ready.
4. The scenery is the walking. No time for breaks.
5. Sometimes food comes last.
6. Bring a flashlight because the sun will go down when you still have another 7km to go.
7. When you pack, don't. Anything you bring, Koreans will already have waiting for you. You will likely return with much more than you came with.
8. If you do pack, remember it's not for you, it's for the group.
9. Remember there is a group, and you are a very integral part of it, no matter what.
10. You will be handfed food by many people. Especially the students. They will also take care of you if you ever need it. You look thirsty? There's a bottle of water in front of your face.
11. Students who don't speak in class, or speak very rarely will voluntarily strike up long conversations with you. Suddenly their English has become amazing.
12. Sleeping is for the weak. It just gets in the way.
13. The same cannot be said for eating. There will be a feast. It's not always good, but there is always plenty of food.
14. Stay away from the air-compressed ready made curry. Unless you like watered down sugar ketchup.
15. If it's 11:00pm and you've been hiking for 14 hours straight, there is not time to make a bed on the floor because it will get in the way of drinking soju with everyone during a barbecue feast.
16. Never say you like something. The amount you are given will never end.
17. One shot of any alcohol is never just one shot. Sometimes they will actually hand you the bottle, and if you don't pour, someone will.
18. If it's 2:30am and someone asks you a question in Korean and then follows with an English "Yes", never fall back on repeating yes. Yes, more often than not, turns out to be another bottle of whiskey.
19. Remember that Koreans are out to have a good time. Just roll with how they do things and you'll do just fine.
20. The more you complain, the more hindsight will kick you in the butt.
21. Even though the scenery may not be the key to Korean hiking, when you reach the top, your mind can't help but being blown.
22. Even though many Koreans will not stop for a break, take a stop at a lookout point and take it all in. When it hits you that you are completely isolated and scaling and entire mountain system, you may become slightly more humbled about the experience.
23. The sights may not be their prime interest, but Koreans love their natural heritage and love talking about it. Listen to them and you might learn a few things, albeit in Konglish.
24. Koreans love talking. And so should you. They will ask you questions, most of the time you will not know what it is, but try your hardest to answer.
25. Bring ear plugs. When you're in a room with 20 Koreans and trying to sleep, you might be better off outside.
26. This is the perfect opportunity to teach your students slang terms. They want to talk to you, but remember it's not school, and it should be fun. Joke with them and give them a few things that they can say to each other. They'll get a good laugh out of it.
27. Locals who are not part of your group will be very surprised to see a non-Korean hiking the trails. You will get stared at, but throw them an annyeonghaseyo and their curiousity or confusion changes into excitement pretty quickly.
28. It feels great to be able to stand on one of Korea's highest peaks. When you are at a peak after hours of trekking, try and hold back the "I'm the King of the World" shoutout, Koreans probably think you're weird enough.
29. It may be a long trek. Find out beforehand. If you go in blind, you may be surprised to find out that you still have another 30km to walk and might have to cross 6 or 7 mountains. But don't complain. The worst you can do is not soak it in. Remember everyone is going through the same thing. Being a Bitter Benny will only make things worse and will get you no where.
30. On second hand, you should go.
2012년 5월 1일 화요일
Oh hey there. Been a while. Yeah, it's been a while. It's been a while since I've shared some of my stories. I guess the last month and a half has been up and down. Following the St. Pat's adventures in Seoul came many many more trips up to Seoul. But, here's the first one. We travelled up to Seoul for some Seoul discovery and shopping because there just isn't enough in our province. Solid weekend out. Kept ourselves busy by exploring different sections of Seoul. I'm getting a real kick out of travel planning, seems I spend most of my time doing that now.
But, discovering the different parts of Seoul came with meeting some local celebrities too. We met two, both were on some random television shows I'd never heard of (not that I'm caught up on my Korean TV-watchings. One was selling women's clothes...as much as it made sense why he was selling it, it was as weird as it sounds. That was in Itaewon which is the international district of Seoul. My first time in the area I got a kick out it, and thought it might have been my favourite part of the city. Maybe I'm becoming too accustomed to Korea but that spot was a little too foreign-dependent. It's nice to go there and get what you need, but personally, I'd much rather spend my time elsewhere. It is convenient that there are a few foreign markets, so anything I could want that I can't find in Korea is likely in Itaewon. And I'm pretty sure I went on about the Rocky Mountain Canadian Tavern in another post? If not, it is exactly what i sounds, so it was nice to go back to Canada for an hour. After that, we dove into the shopping district of Myeongdong. I dig that spot. Even though I'm a small guy, it can actually be hard for me to find some thigns that fit. Dang those Koreans and their super lean bodies. But Myeongdong has the solution. I can see another shopping spree coming on in the next little while. After Myeongdong shopping, why not hit the night life. So we jumped around Hongdae. This is an area close to one University, so it has a super active night life, although this time around it seemed rather quiet compared to the last time I came out. Still a fun time and I know there are still a ton of places I need to discover. Just researched a bunch of cool cafes to check out like the Hello Kitty Cafe, not my thing but how often do you get to have a waffle shaped like Hello Kitty?
But this trip to Seoul also led me into a sickness I could not fully shake for a month. I managed to get better only for Easter, which naturally brought me back up to Seoul where we indulged in an epic buffet of ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, tomato and mozzarella salad and I made a banana bread. For an Easter away from home, it was spent well.
Following that came my second round of sickness. This was a doozy. There was no way I could have shaken it. Should have stayed home from work, but the stubborn guy I am I went into school. The school should have just been quarantined. Many Koreans don't bother covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze, so I am in a constant dodge of bacteria. It doesn't help. I spent a few days cooped up inside curled in my bed and feeling nothing but suffocation and dizziness. Great way to spend the weekend. Especially since it was about 30 degrees. But, again, my stubborness got the best of me, so I decided to kick away from the sickness and go for a hike. Not a good idea. I felt like death immediately afterward. And for the next week. Blah.
But luckily I was nearly back to normal come around my birthday. Like always, I don't tell people it was my birthday, so a small group of us went out to dinner. But, good thing I mentioned the peanut allergy because over half of the meal had nuts somewhere inside it. For a four course meal it was a delicious salad. But, got my first try at screen golf. This is actually really fun. You get a room to your group, and there is a screen and a stage in front of you, and you play it like you would play golf. You swing a regular club and hit a golf ball, but it's all to a screen. I'm terrible (actually, even that is an understatement) but it was a great time.
And then the celebrations continued into the next weekend for...can you guess? Another trip to Seoul. This time around we went on a hunt to discover Wolmido Island. We were in Incheon which has become my second (third?) home. So I took some people on a tour of Incheon, well a bit of Incheon. Wolmido is an "island" (no longer coined an island since 1989 when it was connected to the mainland) off Incheon Port. It's actually a really cool place. The island is set up like a beach resort. It reminded me of home. They have a street called Culture Street which is filled with bars, restaurants, stores and stands all along the water's edge. And they also have live performances along here. Then they have two amusement parks. If you get the chance to visit Wolmido I highly recommend getting on the Apollo Disco. You want a rocky ride? You got it. Plus, when it comes to the DJ controlling it, he's going for laughs, so he will pick on you and make you his bitch. Before I got on the ride I was pegged by him since I was the only non-Asian in the park. Basically the ride is a circle and you are sitting along the edges with nothing to hold you in but your own hands on the railing. The ride will spin slowly or fast and along the way the DJ makes the ride jump, so you are flying in all directions. It's one hell of a ride. And it's not like back home where even the long rides are about 3 minutes. Expect a solid 10+minute ride. Your arms will hurt, and part of you will want to ride again. Another thing I would recommend is the fresh fish. We went to a fish barbecue joint near the water. For less than $50 you get more than enough seafood and it's all super fresh. Then after that and a dinner and walkaround in Chinatown, off to Bupyeong, Incheon's nightlife district. First time here and it was a really cool spot. American soldiers put a damper on the night almost immediately, but we picked it up after putting them in their place.
That brings me to now. Well, the Korean is coming along. I can write it now, and I can understand a little bit more, but I'm still having a bit of trouble separating words from each other, especially since Jeolla province is known for speaking a highly different dialect than the rest of the country. But I can read it and translate it now, so that's a start. Maybe conversation will come soon. Not too bad for not having an actual course.
Well that's it for me. I could have said a lot more, but maybe I'll save it. My biggest dilemma right now is the renewing of the contract. Stay or go or stay or go. One week I have my answer, the next it's something different. Ahh. Still a couple months away though. Hope you're all doing great back home!
But, discovering the different parts of Seoul came with meeting some local celebrities too. We met two, both were on some random television shows I'd never heard of (not that I'm caught up on my Korean TV-watchings. One was selling women's clothes...as much as it made sense why he was selling it, it was as weird as it sounds. That was in Itaewon which is the international district of Seoul. My first time in the area I got a kick out it, and thought it might have been my favourite part of the city. Maybe I'm becoming too accustomed to Korea but that spot was a little too foreign-dependent. It's nice to go there and get what you need, but personally, I'd much rather spend my time elsewhere. It is convenient that there are a few foreign markets, so anything I could want that I can't find in Korea is likely in Itaewon. And I'm pretty sure I went on about the Rocky Mountain Canadian Tavern in another post? If not, it is exactly what i sounds, so it was nice to go back to Canada for an hour. After that, we dove into the shopping district of Myeongdong. I dig that spot. Even though I'm a small guy, it can actually be hard for me to find some thigns that fit. Dang those Koreans and their super lean bodies. But Myeongdong has the solution. I can see another shopping spree coming on in the next little while. After Myeongdong shopping, why not hit the night life. So we jumped around Hongdae. This is an area close to one University, so it has a super active night life, although this time around it seemed rather quiet compared to the last time I came out. Still a fun time and I know there are still a ton of places I need to discover. Just researched a bunch of cool cafes to check out like the Hello Kitty Cafe, not my thing but how often do you get to have a waffle shaped like Hello Kitty?
But this trip to Seoul also led me into a sickness I could not fully shake for a month. I managed to get better only for Easter, which naturally brought me back up to Seoul where we indulged in an epic buffet of ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, tomato and mozzarella salad and I made a banana bread. For an Easter away from home, it was spent well.
Following that came my second round of sickness. This was a doozy. There was no way I could have shaken it. Should have stayed home from work, but the stubborn guy I am I went into school. The school should have just been quarantined. Many Koreans don't bother covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze, so I am in a constant dodge of bacteria. It doesn't help. I spent a few days cooped up inside curled in my bed and feeling nothing but suffocation and dizziness. Great way to spend the weekend. Especially since it was about 30 degrees. But, again, my stubborness got the best of me, so I decided to kick away from the sickness and go for a hike. Not a good idea. I felt like death immediately afterward. And for the next week. Blah.
But luckily I was nearly back to normal come around my birthday. Like always, I don't tell people it was my birthday, so a small group of us went out to dinner. But, good thing I mentioned the peanut allergy because over half of the meal had nuts somewhere inside it. For a four course meal it was a delicious salad. But, got my first try at screen golf. This is actually really fun. You get a room to your group, and there is a screen and a stage in front of you, and you play it like you would play golf. You swing a regular club and hit a golf ball, but it's all to a screen. I'm terrible (actually, even that is an understatement) but it was a great time.
And then the celebrations continued into the next weekend for...can you guess? Another trip to Seoul. This time around we went on a hunt to discover Wolmido Island. We were in Incheon which has become my second (third?) home. So I took some people on a tour of Incheon, well a bit of Incheon. Wolmido is an "island" (no longer coined an island since 1989 when it was connected to the mainland) off Incheon Port. It's actually a really cool place. The island is set up like a beach resort. It reminded me of home. They have a street called Culture Street which is filled with bars, restaurants, stores and stands all along the water's edge. And they also have live performances along here. Then they have two amusement parks. If you get the chance to visit Wolmido I highly recommend getting on the Apollo Disco. You want a rocky ride? You got it. Plus, when it comes to the DJ controlling it, he's going for laughs, so he will pick on you and make you his bitch. Before I got on the ride I was pegged by him since I was the only non-Asian in the park. Basically the ride is a circle and you are sitting along the edges with nothing to hold you in but your own hands on the railing. The ride will spin slowly or fast and along the way the DJ makes the ride jump, so you are flying in all directions. It's one hell of a ride. And it's not like back home where even the long rides are about 3 minutes. Expect a solid 10+minute ride. Your arms will hurt, and part of you will want to ride again. Another thing I would recommend is the fresh fish. We went to a fish barbecue joint near the water. For less than $50 you get more than enough seafood and it's all super fresh. Then after that and a dinner and walkaround in Chinatown, off to Bupyeong, Incheon's nightlife district. First time here and it was a really cool spot. American soldiers put a damper on the night almost immediately, but we picked it up after putting them in their place.
That brings me to now. Well, the Korean is coming along. I can write it now, and I can understand a little bit more, but I'm still having a bit of trouble separating words from each other, especially since Jeolla province is known for speaking a highly different dialect than the rest of the country. But I can read it and translate it now, so that's a start. Maybe conversation will come soon. Not too bad for not having an actual course.
Well that's it for me. I could have said a lot more, but maybe I'll save it. My biggest dilemma right now is the renewing of the contract. Stay or go or stay or go. One week I have my answer, the next it's something different. Ahh. Still a couple months away though. Hope you're all doing great back home!
2012년 3월 20일 화요일
The Post-St.Pat's Post
Been a while. The new semester is in full swing. This is my first full week of classes since December, so it's a bit of an adjustment getting into the pattern. Still a little confused and out of the loop with some things, and the days seem to go up and down with me knowing exactly what is happening. An example of this: I have afterschool classes with 20 higher level students on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What I wasn't told was that I also have one on Mondays. I found that one out by one of the students in the class who came to my desk and told me that they've been waiting to start class. My co-teacher forgot to tell me about this little bit of info. So walk into this 2-hour class with nothing. Nadda. I scramble, and manage a terrible lesson while the projector warms up. Awful. But luckily a few games are up my sleeve, so finish the last 40 mins off on a solid note. I've got the grade 1s on a great start, at least I think so. They hang onto my every word, which is way different than the other grades. I like this fresh start.
Also new are the divisions between higher level and lower level students. A great choice on the school. It's more class (nearly double), more work, way less prep time (almost zero) but I think it will pay off. So far the different goals set in the classes have been working. Plus, for the lower level students there is a new English teacher that I work with who speaks English incredibly well and she's my age so it's nice to finally have someone to talk to. I also got a replacement main co-teacher, but since she had back surgery in January she is out of commission for a few months. In her place, another young co-teacher around my age who studied in B.C. So the communication level has gone up this semester. Downside is how nervous she gets when she speaks English, so she doesn't seem to like speaking English too much. But it's still good. Found a bond over music, so now I've got a few ideas how to have fun lessons together. I'm also looking forward to the international afterschool classes I'll be having. My country school has gotten a little bigger with internationally-learned students. There's the one student who lived in Canada, one who studied in France (she is fluent in French, English and Korean, she's 15!), one from...I always mix it up, Philippines or Malaysia (I think Philippines), and I'm sure I'm missing another one. Should make for some good discussions.
My travels from the first three months have settled down. I have taken to more local outings. Suncheon and surrounding areas have been where I've stayed. Plus Seoul, but that's becoming my home away from home away from home. That being said, meeting new people is never out of the question. While waiting for a bus the other day a black car pulled over. At first I thought it was a taxi, so I said what the heck and jumped in. Turns out it isn't a taxi. So some stranger has decided to pick me up and I just went with it. As it turns out, it was a zen master from one of the Buddhist temples in Gurye. So it was incredibly nice of him to drive me home, and we had a nice conversation on the way. It's these little things that I love and will miss about Korea. You don't really get that back home, and it really never ceases to amaze me. Even the slight gesture of someone picking me up at the end of the long driveway to my apartment in spitting rain, still amazes me.
Also new, I spontaneously made a little purchase. While visiting Suncheon one weekend, I was about to leave, and found I had an hour to kill before my train arrived. So I'm in E-Mart, which is like a Zellers or WalMart, and I'm staring at the pet section. After three minutes of physical deliberation while my mind was made up, I walk out with a little hamster. I named him "DwuiDa" which means "jump/lunge" because he jumps from everything. Yep. Little apartment is a little more crowded. Not to mention all the plant life I've been given.
Well I hope everyone enjoyed their St. Pat's!
Also new are the divisions between higher level and lower level students. A great choice on the school. It's more class (nearly double), more work, way less prep time (almost zero) but I think it will pay off. So far the different goals set in the classes have been working. Plus, for the lower level students there is a new English teacher that I work with who speaks English incredibly well and she's my age so it's nice to finally have someone to talk to. I also got a replacement main co-teacher, but since she had back surgery in January she is out of commission for a few months. In her place, another young co-teacher around my age who studied in B.C. So the communication level has gone up this semester. Downside is how nervous she gets when she speaks English, so she doesn't seem to like speaking English too much. But it's still good. Found a bond over music, so now I've got a few ideas how to have fun lessons together. I'm also looking forward to the international afterschool classes I'll be having. My country school has gotten a little bigger with internationally-learned students. There's the one student who lived in Canada, one who studied in France (she is fluent in French, English and Korean, she's 15!), one from...I always mix it up, Philippines or Malaysia (I think Philippines), and I'm sure I'm missing another one. Should make for some good discussions.
My travels from the first three months have settled down. I have taken to more local outings. Suncheon and surrounding areas have been where I've stayed. Plus Seoul, but that's becoming my home away from home away from home. That being said, meeting new people is never out of the question. While waiting for a bus the other day a black car pulled over. At first I thought it was a taxi, so I said what the heck and jumped in. Turns out it isn't a taxi. So some stranger has decided to pick me up and I just went with it. As it turns out, it was a zen master from one of the Buddhist temples in Gurye. So it was incredibly nice of him to drive me home, and we had a nice conversation on the way. It's these little things that I love and will miss about Korea. You don't really get that back home, and it really never ceases to amaze me. Even the slight gesture of someone picking me up at the end of the long driveway to my apartment in spitting rain, still amazes me.
Also new, I spontaneously made a little purchase. While visiting Suncheon one weekend, I was about to leave, and found I had an hour to kill before my train arrived. So I'm in E-Mart, which is like a Zellers or WalMart, and I'm staring at the pet section. After three minutes of physical deliberation while my mind was made up, I walk out with a little hamster. I named him "DwuiDa" which means "jump/lunge" because he jumps from everything. Yep. Little apartment is a little more crowded. Not to mention all the plant life I've been given.
Well I hope everyone enjoyed their St. Pat's!
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