Facial Night:
Gon:
Bicycle Watches:
And Gamjatong!!! (YUUUUUUM-yumyumyumyumyumYUM!):
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Other Highlights from Ulsan
Pizza School & Sweet Potato Pizza:
Facial Night:
Gon:
Bicycle Watches:
And Gamjatong!!! (YUUUUUUM-yumyumyumyumyumYUM!):
Facial Night:
Gon:
Bicycle Watches:
And Gamjatong!!! (YUUUUUUM-yumyumyumyumyumYUM!):
A word on Chuseok
This weekend was Chuseok, which is somewhat the equivalent to American Thanksgiving. I had heard that if you get the chance to celebrate with a Korean family, do it. So we did.
Kat's boyfriend, Gon, invited Chaz and I with them to celebrate Chuseok with his family. We were incredibly excited the days leading up to the weekend. For one: we got vacation from school. For two: we got to visit Ulsan (Kat and Kelly's stomping grounds). For three: we got to eat yummy Korean food and be with a family. The weekend proved to be as wonderful as we anticipated.
We traveled by train to Ulsan Thursday evening and stayed at Kat's apartment. Friday brought a tour of Ulsan (including jim dalk for lunch...delicious, and shopping). I also bowed to Kelly's apartment door (wish you were here!!) out of respect for her presence being there at one point in time. Friday night we meant to go to bed early, but we began watching "Rachel Getting Married" and couldn't stop. A 1:30 bedtime and a 5:45 wake-up time do not mix so well, but we made it to the bus stop on time anyway to meet Gon for the bus trip to his family's home. We met Gon's parents, and his brother, and then drove to Gon's aunt's house for the initial meal.
The family holiday began with a ceremony performed by the men. They set up a table full of food in a room and included a bowl of uncooked rice with incense burning in it. The men bowed to the table and moved the chopsticks from bowl to bowl denoting that the ancestor had eaten the food. They leave the apartment door open to allow the ancestors' spirits to come into the room and eat. In doing this, they give thanks to their family members who have passed for protecting them that year and giving them a good year. When the ceremony was completed, we began the initial meal.
When I say initial meal, I mean that Chuseok, along with family and ceremonies, brings with it many many meals. We began the first meal at 8:00 AM which included soup, fish, beef, rice, kimchi, fried shrimp, potatoes, etc. etc. etc. It was a HUGE array of delicious food piled on our low table. We chatted with the other young, English-speaking members of Gon's family and compared Chuseok with Thanksgiving.
After the meal, Kat, Chaz, Gon, Yungseon (Gon's brother), and I headed to Gon's parents' house to take a nap so we were fresh for the rest of the day. At 11, we headed to the graves of the family ancestors to partake in another ceremony. Families travel to the graves in the weeks prior to Chuseok in order to cut the grass and prepare the graves for the holiday. Once at the grave site, the men poured cups of really nice soju (Korean alcohol) and then everyone bowed to the graves. Then, the men sprinkled the soju over the graves for the ancestors.
With Gon's Family:
Gon enjoying Chuseok:
The Grave site:
This ceremony was performed for all of the family graves, and then we had a picnic (meal 2) at the grave site. There was a ton of fresh fruit, soju, and leftover potatoes to eat. I was full after the picnic (thinking this was lunch), but I was wrong. We left the grave site to go back to Gon's family's house for lunch (meal 3 within four hours). At lunch, we had bibimbap and soup (again...delicious!). The ceremony part was all complete, but the day was far from over. Gon's family was then to travel to Busan to visit Gon's mother's family. It's nice that Korean families see all of their family on Chuseok, but it is also crazy as traffic is a nightmare with everyone traveling to different places all day. Chaz, Kat, and I skipped on the rest of the day as we were tired, and we were assured that we were only missing meals and not ceremony (we were pretty full as it was, and couldn't hold a couple of more meals....think Thanksgiving times about 5). So we left giving huge thanks to Gon's family for welcoming us to celebrate the holiday.
My thoughts: it felt absolutely wonderful to join a family for a holiday this special to Koreans. It felt almost like being home for Thanksgiving (minus everyone speaking Korean and a drastic change in food). I felt blessed to be part of the ceremonies and the feeling of thanks for bounty given over the year. As I've said, it was much like Thanksgiving in America, but I feel that Koreans focus much more on the "thanks" part than we do. While we enjoy being with family and eating and watching football and napping, we don't do a lot of the thanking for the year. In Korea, they focus more on the ceremonies and thanking than on being with family (they get little time with family since they are traveling all day from family to family and ceremony to ceremony). A strange dichotomy, but it was wonderful to experience. Don't get me wrong, family is the entire reason and focus of the holiday, but it was much unlike the hours upon hours we spend with our family over the holiday. I missed the comfort of booming laughter as Uncle Bill makes a joke, and my dad rolling his eyes as my mom squeals a cute story, and Grandma Landers's dirty jokes.
On this Chuseok, I'm thankful for all the experiences I've had in my life: from family in Iowa to family in Korea. Life really is grand.
Gon's Family:
Kat's boyfriend, Gon, invited Chaz and I with them to celebrate Chuseok with his family. We were incredibly excited the days leading up to the weekend. For one: we got vacation from school. For two: we got to visit Ulsan (Kat and Kelly's stomping grounds). For three: we got to eat yummy Korean food and be with a family. The weekend proved to be as wonderful as we anticipated.
We traveled by train to Ulsan Thursday evening and stayed at Kat's apartment. Friday brought a tour of Ulsan (including jim dalk for lunch...delicious, and shopping). I also bowed to Kelly's apartment door (wish you were here!!) out of respect for her presence being there at one point in time. Friday night we meant to go to bed early, but we began watching "Rachel Getting Married" and couldn't stop. A 1:30 bedtime and a 5:45 wake-up time do not mix so well, but we made it to the bus stop on time anyway to meet Gon for the bus trip to his family's home. We met Gon's parents, and his brother, and then drove to Gon's aunt's house for the initial meal.
The family holiday began with a ceremony performed by the men. They set up a table full of food in a room and included a bowl of uncooked rice with incense burning in it. The men bowed to the table and moved the chopsticks from bowl to bowl denoting that the ancestor had eaten the food. They leave the apartment door open to allow the ancestors' spirits to come into the room and eat. In doing this, they give thanks to their family members who have passed for protecting them that year and giving them a good year. When the ceremony was completed, we began the initial meal.
When I say initial meal, I mean that Chuseok, along with family and ceremonies, brings with it many many meals. We began the first meal at 8:00 AM which included soup, fish, beef, rice, kimchi, fried shrimp, potatoes, etc. etc. etc. It was a HUGE array of delicious food piled on our low table. We chatted with the other young, English-speaking members of Gon's family and compared Chuseok with Thanksgiving.
After the meal, Kat, Chaz, Gon, Yungseon (Gon's brother), and I headed to Gon's parents' house to take a nap so we were fresh for the rest of the day. At 11, we headed to the graves of the family ancestors to partake in another ceremony. Families travel to the graves in the weeks prior to Chuseok in order to cut the grass and prepare the graves for the holiday. Once at the grave site, the men poured cups of really nice soju (Korean alcohol) and then everyone bowed to the graves. Then, the men sprinkled the soju over the graves for the ancestors.
With Gon's Family:
Gon enjoying Chuseok:
The Grave site:
This ceremony was performed for all of the family graves, and then we had a picnic (meal 2) at the grave site. There was a ton of fresh fruit, soju, and leftover potatoes to eat. I was full after the picnic (thinking this was lunch), but I was wrong. We left the grave site to go back to Gon's family's house for lunch (meal 3 within four hours). At lunch, we had bibimbap and soup (again...delicious!). The ceremony part was all complete, but the day was far from over. Gon's family was then to travel to Busan to visit Gon's mother's family. It's nice that Korean families see all of their family on Chuseok, but it is also crazy as traffic is a nightmare with everyone traveling to different places all day. Chaz, Kat, and I skipped on the rest of the day as we were tired, and we were assured that we were only missing meals and not ceremony (we were pretty full as it was, and couldn't hold a couple of more meals....think Thanksgiving times about 5). So we left giving huge thanks to Gon's family for welcoming us to celebrate the holiday.
My thoughts: it felt absolutely wonderful to join a family for a holiday this special to Koreans. It felt almost like being home for Thanksgiving (minus everyone speaking Korean and a drastic change in food). I felt blessed to be part of the ceremonies and the feeling of thanks for bounty given over the year. As I've said, it was much like Thanksgiving in America, but I feel that Koreans focus much more on the "thanks" part than we do. While we enjoy being with family and eating and watching football and napping, we don't do a lot of the thanking for the year. In Korea, they focus more on the ceremonies and thanking than on being with family (they get little time with family since they are traveling all day from family to family and ceremony to ceremony). A strange dichotomy, but it was wonderful to experience. Don't get me wrong, family is the entire reason and focus of the holiday, but it was much unlike the hours upon hours we spend with our family over the holiday. I missed the comfort of booming laughter as Uncle Bill makes a joke, and my dad rolling his eyes as my mom squeals a cute story, and Grandma Landers's dirty jokes.
On this Chuseok, I'm thankful for all the experiences I've had in my life: from family in Iowa to family in Korea. Life really is grand.
Gon's Family:
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Success!
Today has been absolutely excellent. First of all, last night Chaz got his first paycheck.
WE'RE MILLIONAIRES! (in won, at least)
So that felt absolutely incredibly, especially since we were down to our last 20,000 won. Eeks! I still need to get paid, but I just got my bank account today, so on Monday I should get my first paycheck. Also, last night I got to hang out with Eun-Ah quite a bit and saw O-Ma (her mom) and Hong-Sil (found out Hong-Shi is actually Hong-Sil, but it's pronounced the same), and I also met Eun-Ah's aunt. Girl time was incredible.
Then, we met some new people living in Busan who we met at orientation. We took them out to eat, showed them a bit of the city, and tried to make them feel comfortable. We are so indebted to the people who did that for us, so we were happy we could pass it on to other people who are feeling apprehensive. It also makes us feel like we really have learned a lot about the city and really are making it our home. Excellent!
So today, as a thank you to my fellow teachers, and as a pre-celebration of Chuseok, I brought a cake and some candy to school for all of the staff (Chaz brought some to his school as well). The response was INCREDIBLE! I was an immediate hit, and it felt great to have people say hello to me who I hadn't yet met. I also had some excellent break-throughs with co-teachers. Soooo good. Kids were excited because they just finished Mid-terms (incredibly stressful for them so they can get into a good high school), and tomorrow is holiday. I knew there was no getting anything out of them, so I planned some games I learned at orientation this past weekend (more on that later).
Anyway...it was just a fantastic day, and I'm really starting to feel at home here. It's a great feeling, and Busan is a great city! Come and join us! I still need to blog about our trip to Seoul for orientation (where a lot of my breakthrough with Korea and teaching happened), but that's for later. Right now, we are headed to Ulsan to meet Kat, Gon, Ji, and various other friends Kelly knows. Saturday we are spending Chuseok with Gon and his family, and I'm very excited to experience a Korean Chuseok! Of course I will document.
Assa, Korea!
WE'RE MILLIONAIRES! (in won, at least)
So that felt absolutely incredibly, especially since we were down to our last 20,000 won. Eeks! I still need to get paid, but I just got my bank account today, so on Monday I should get my first paycheck. Also, last night I got to hang out with Eun-Ah quite a bit and saw O-Ma (her mom) and Hong-Sil (found out Hong-Shi is actually Hong-Sil, but it's pronounced the same), and I also met Eun-Ah's aunt. Girl time was incredible.
Then, we met some new people living in Busan who we met at orientation. We took them out to eat, showed them a bit of the city, and tried to make them feel comfortable. We are so indebted to the people who did that for us, so we were happy we could pass it on to other people who are feeling apprehensive. It also makes us feel like we really have learned a lot about the city and really are making it our home. Excellent!
So today, as a thank you to my fellow teachers, and as a pre-celebration of Chuseok, I brought a cake and some candy to school for all of the staff (Chaz brought some to his school as well). The response was INCREDIBLE! I was an immediate hit, and it felt great to have people say hello to me who I hadn't yet met. I also had some excellent break-throughs with co-teachers. Soooo good. Kids were excited because they just finished Mid-terms (incredibly stressful for them so they can get into a good high school), and tomorrow is holiday. I knew there was no getting anything out of them, so I planned some games I learned at orientation this past weekend (more on that later).
Anyway...it was just a fantastic day, and I'm really starting to feel at home here. It's a great feeling, and Busan is a great city! Come and join us! I still need to blog about our trip to Seoul for orientation (where a lot of my breakthrough with Korea and teaching happened), but that's for later. Right now, we are headed to Ulsan to meet Kat, Gon, Ji, and various other friends Kelly knows. Saturday we are spending Chuseok with Gon and his family, and I'm very excited to experience a Korean Chuseok! Of course I will document.
Assa, Korea!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Oh, Korea
This week has been a crazy week. I'm thinking I'm ahead of the game since I planned lessons for Wednesday through Tuesday. What? I'm prepared? Heck yes! Then Wednesday I find out Chaz and I are supposed to go to Seoul for our program's orientation. Huh, wha? Yes...we miss Friday, Monday, and Tuesday of school for orientation. Then I find out students have midterms Mon-Wed anyway, so there are no classes. Would have been nice to know BEFORE I PLANNED! Ah, well. I'll have to plan all new lessons for the week after next as the lessons I planned for will be completed by the other teachers.
So Chaz and I packed a bag yesterday and headed Seoul via the train (KTX), only a three hour trip from Busa. I was dreading the trip, but orientation is actually exciting. I usually hate things like this, but they've done a really good job of providing interesting activities plus helpful lectures. Today we had opening ceremonies which included a performance by Tarang, a traditional Korean drum group. It was amazingly sweet, and I'm upset I didn't bring my camera to the ceremony. Others will post pictures on Facebook, so I'll just steal them. :) Today we're having a lecture about Korean history and adjusting to Korean culture, and then we're getting Korean language lessons this evening, which I'm really excited about. I feel there's a lot I'll be able to take from this, and it's great because I'm experiencing my first "teaching conference" and it's in Korea.
I'll update on the weekend as we continue orientation because it promises to be great.
So Chaz and I packed a bag yesterday and headed Seoul via the train (KTX), only a three hour trip from Busa. I was dreading the trip, but orientation is actually exciting. I usually hate things like this, but they've done a really good job of providing interesting activities plus helpful lectures. Today we had opening ceremonies which included a performance by Tarang, a traditional Korean drum group. It was amazingly sweet, and I'm upset I didn't bring my camera to the ceremony. Others will post pictures on Facebook, so I'll just steal them. :) Today we're having a lecture about Korean history and adjusting to Korean culture, and then we're getting Korean language lessons this evening, which I'm really excited about. I feel there's a lot I'll be able to take from this, and it's great because I'm experiencing my first "teaching conference" and it's in Korea.
I'll update on the weekend as we continue orientation because it promises to be great.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
one in which i post pictures i have not posted yet
At Jagalchi Fish Market & Nampo-dong
Chaz found a friend:
Our first Dokkoki (street food...rice cake with chili sauce):
Sunrise at the Beach:
Sand castle time:
Korean hearts!:
Model Ji:
Chaz's classroom:
Chaz's failed haircut (the clippers blew up):
And Chaz's awesome $6 haircut:
And amazing Gim-Bap:
Chaz found a friend:
Our first Dokkoki (street food...rice cake with chili sauce):
Sunrise at the Beach:
Sand castle time:
Korean hearts!:
Model Ji:
Chaz's classroom:
Chaz's failed haircut (the clippers blew up):
And Chaz's awesome $6 haircut:
And amazing Gim-Bap:
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
There really are good times while teaching in Korea
(Be sure to check out pics I just posted to my previous blog...all courtesy of Gon)
So most of you have heard my frustrations with my teaching experiences in Korea (thus far). Kat suggested I blog about the positives because there really are many. Also, those are the times where I can laugh and shake off the bad behavior. These are the times when I realize that I just might be able to survive teaching in Korea. :)
First of all, let me tell you the names. Oh the names these kids come up with. I wanted to give them English names to use in class, mostly to help me be able to keep kids straight. Now, I feel a bit bad about having them "change their names" for me, but most of the kids seem to enjoy it, and they do it with their Korean teachers anyway. So, I let them choose names. Some of these came from a list I put on the board (including Brian, Ben, Sam, Steven, Kimberly, etc....where did I get those?). Others came from the kids' minds, and I have no idea where these minds have been. Some of the highlights include:
Baguette
God (I have two)
Homer
Chicken
Top
Bella
Kaze
Rarph (no, that's not a typo)
Bank
Gun J
Magic Force
Dumbledore
Voldemort (Dumbledore and Voldemort sit next to each other)
Baby Bear
Turtle
Superman
LaBron James
Whap
Gangsta
Johnny Depp
Dino
Big Joe
Gucci
Messy
Ostrich
Beyoncé
Fiona
Wow
Pringles (and a Potato Chip too)
Buggy
Heart Breaker
Homeple (?)
No Pain No Gain
Wind Breaker (this made me laugh)
Crocodile
Sexy Boy
There are many other hilarious and just plain strange names, but I'll leave you with this list. I hope it brought you laughter.
Next good story: yesterday after school my English Conversation class (I teach an after school class everyday) came in. There were some boys talking in the back of the room, and then one said, "Teacher, teacher. Make up?" And I said, "No, I don't wear makeup. Just on my eyes." He responds, "Ohh...eyeliner?" And I said, "Yes, eyeliner." "Ohhh. Very good. Beautiful. Teacher, you sexy girl." So I responded, "You better watch out! My husband will come and fight you, and he is very big." They all said, "Ohhhh....don't!" Pretty cute/comical.
Then today, I had my last (pretty much, except for Friday) day of introductions. In one of my classes, I was introducing my family:
"Iowa has a lot of land. If there is a lot of land, what would a good job be?"
"Farmer!"
"Yes, you're right! A farmer is a good job to have in Iowa. This is my father, Brian."
"Ooooooh, very handsome! Big guy!"
"Yes, he is very strong. What do you think my father's job is?"
"Farmer!"
"Good! Yes, my father is a farmer. This is my mother, Jane."
"Ooooooh, very pretty. I love Jane!"
"Haha, yes. What do you think her job is?"
"Farmer!"
"No, not a farmer."
"House-uh Wife-uh!"
"No, not a housewife."
"Model!"
"No, but my mother will love you."
That dialogue is for my mom. Hope you enjoyed it and want to come teach in Korea soon! :)
One more highlight: a student walked into the room this morning wearing a yellow t-shirt (they're supposed to wear uniforms) that said, "Everythings good! Everyone's singing black music," on the back, and on the front was a black guy with a fro. No joke. My response: laughter, and "WHHHAAAA??"
So there really are many bright spots during the day. It's sad that the frustrating ones are the ones you remember. I also wanted to say that I love my Level 1 students. I recently realized that Level 1=6th grade, Level 2=7th grade, and Level 3=8th grade. The Level 1 students are soooo sweet and just about the cutest little bugs you've ever seen. They also seem to have better English than the older grades, so I find that interesting. The class I saw this morning was especially sweet, so that was an excellent start to the day. I look forward to many more hilarious and fun moments.
So most of you have heard my frustrations with my teaching experiences in Korea (thus far). Kat suggested I blog about the positives because there really are many. Also, those are the times where I can laugh and shake off the bad behavior. These are the times when I realize that I just might be able to survive teaching in Korea. :)
First of all, let me tell you the names. Oh the names these kids come up with. I wanted to give them English names to use in class, mostly to help me be able to keep kids straight. Now, I feel a bit bad about having them "change their names" for me, but most of the kids seem to enjoy it, and they do it with their Korean teachers anyway. So, I let them choose names. Some of these came from a list I put on the board (including Brian, Ben, Sam, Steven, Kimberly, etc....where did I get those?). Others came from the kids' minds, and I have no idea where these minds have been. Some of the highlights include:
Baguette
God (I have two)
Homer
Chicken
Top
Bella
Kaze
Rarph (no, that's not a typo)
Bank
Gun J
Magic Force
Dumbledore
Voldemort (Dumbledore and Voldemort sit next to each other)
Baby Bear
Turtle
Superman
LaBron James
Whap
Gangsta
Johnny Depp
Dino
Big Joe
Gucci
Messy
Ostrich
Beyoncé
Fiona
Wow
Pringles (and a Potato Chip too)
Buggy
Heart Breaker
Homeple (?)
No Pain No Gain
Wind Breaker (this made me laugh)
Crocodile
Sexy Boy
There are many other hilarious and just plain strange names, but I'll leave you with this list. I hope it brought you laughter.
Next good story: yesterday after school my English Conversation class (I teach an after school class everyday) came in. There were some boys talking in the back of the room, and then one said, "Teacher, teacher. Make up?" And I said, "No, I don't wear makeup. Just on my eyes." He responds, "Ohh...eyeliner?" And I said, "Yes, eyeliner." "Ohhh. Very good. Beautiful. Teacher, you sexy girl." So I responded, "You better watch out! My husband will come and fight you, and he is very big." They all said, "Ohhhh....don't!" Pretty cute/comical.
Then today, I had my last (pretty much, except for Friday) day of introductions. In one of my classes, I was introducing my family:
"Iowa has a lot of land. If there is a lot of land, what would a good job be?"
"Farmer!"
"Yes, you're right! A farmer is a good job to have in Iowa. This is my father, Brian."
"Ooooooh, very handsome! Big guy!"
"Yes, he is very strong. What do you think my father's job is?"
"Farmer!"
"Good! Yes, my father is a farmer. This is my mother, Jane."
"Ooooooh, very pretty. I love Jane!"
"Haha, yes. What do you think her job is?"
"Farmer!"
"No, not a farmer."
"House-uh Wife-uh!"
"No, not a housewife."
"Model!"
"No, but my mother will love you."
That dialogue is for my mom. Hope you enjoyed it and want to come teach in Korea soon! :)
One more highlight: a student walked into the room this morning wearing a yellow t-shirt (they're supposed to wear uniforms) that said, "Everythings good! Everyone's singing black music," on the back, and on the front was a black guy with a fro. No joke. My response: laughter, and "WHHHAAAA??"
So there really are many bright spots during the day. It's sad that the frustrating ones are the ones you remember. I also wanted to say that I love my Level 1 students. I recently realized that Level 1=6th grade, Level 2=7th grade, and Level 3=8th grade. The Level 1 students are soooo sweet and just about the cutest little bugs you've ever seen. They also seem to have better English than the older grades, so I find that interesting. The class I saw this morning was especially sweet, so that was an excellent start to the day. I look forward to many more hilarious and fun moments.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Our First Korean Adventure!
Kat wanted Chaz and I to take a break from the depressing-ness of school and learn why Korea is so great. So she took us on our FIRST KOREAN ROADTRIP!
I'd heard so much about Korean Adventures from Kelly and Kat, so I was super excited about the getaway. As promised, Kat delivered a good time. We pushed back the roadtrip to Sunday because not everyone was available, so Kat came and visited us Saturday and took us to Nampo-dong, this great area with Jagalchi Seafood Market and a huge outdoor clothing/street food market. Ah, it was delightful.
Then "to bed to bed" because we had to be up and ready to go by 3:30 to meet our crew at 4 a.m. Our crew consisted of Gon and Ji. Yipee! We had heard so much about these two, so I felt like I already knew them. It was incredibly exciting to actually get to meet them. Gon had borrowed his parents' car, so he was our chauffeur for the day. First, we began the day with ramyun (ramen for you Americans) on the beach watching the sunrise.
We made a sand castle!
And then an old man walking backward along the shore (who does that?) not looking where he was going falls RIGHT OVER our sand castle. Granted, he was a bit distracted by Ji who was doing an impersonation of the man, but he also did not look behind him the ENTIRE TIME. Probably at this moment was when the ice broke, and we became fast friends with the Korean boys.
Well, the day wasn't over yet. We jumped back in the car and drove for three hours (it would have been two but traffic was bad) to GOEJE ISLAND! Assa! Good surprise. So we met a friend of Ji and Gon who lived on the island, and began that leg of the trip with a visit to the Korean POW camp on the center of the island. It was an interesting walk through the Korean War and also revealed great views of the city.
Awkward picture at the POW camp:
Fixing a jeep?
A very strange Korean tradition: Butt gun *shakes fist at Gon!*:
Then it was finally LUNCH! We went to this restaurant near the POW camp and had a DELICIOUS meal of bo-ssam, boiled meat with a bunch of vegetables wrapped in lettuce leaves (you pick and choose what you want). yum! Also, Gon and Ji's incredibly nice friend paid for the meal. So nice, especially because we just met him and couldn't talk to him very much because of language.
After full tummies, we drove to the south of the island to see the sea. We stopped at this great look-out point and got an incredible view of the island cliffs and the sea. Gorgeous! We hiked down the cliff a bit, and Chaz and Ji went all the way down to the edge. They became best friends after that because they did manly things together. Men are strange.
Also on the docket: we went to Windy Hill and checked out the view there. Not as impressive, but still incredibly gorgeous. Where else do you see this? Then, at a fishing village, we caught crabs with our hands and smelled the salty air.
It was a looong day, and we were incredibly tired afterward (especially during the FOUR hour trip it took home....tons of traffic going back to the city, ugh), but it was also very worth it. Memories and friends were made, and felt like they'd been around forever. Dancing, singing, eating, laughing, hiking, beautiful sites, pictures, and hugs: all the necessary components of a fantastic roadtrip. Korea, plus 100 points for being beautiful.
The crew (Ji, Sang Moon, Kat, Gon, me, Chaz):
I'd heard so much about Korean Adventures from Kelly and Kat, so I was super excited about the getaway. As promised, Kat delivered a good time. We pushed back the roadtrip to Sunday because not everyone was available, so Kat came and visited us Saturday and took us to Nampo-dong, this great area with Jagalchi Seafood Market and a huge outdoor clothing/street food market. Ah, it was delightful.
Then "to bed to bed" because we had to be up and ready to go by 3:30 to meet our crew at 4 a.m. Our crew consisted of Gon and Ji. Yipee! We had heard so much about these two, so I felt like I already knew them. It was incredibly exciting to actually get to meet them. Gon had borrowed his parents' car, so he was our chauffeur for the day. First, we began the day with ramyun (ramen for you Americans) on the beach watching the sunrise.
We made a sand castle!
And then an old man walking backward along the shore (who does that?) not looking where he was going falls RIGHT OVER our sand castle. Granted, he was a bit distracted by Ji who was doing an impersonation of the man, but he also did not look behind him the ENTIRE TIME. Probably at this moment was when the ice broke, and we became fast friends with the Korean boys.
Well, the day wasn't over yet. We jumped back in the car and drove for three hours (it would have been two but traffic was bad) to GOEJE ISLAND! Assa! Good surprise. So we met a friend of Ji and Gon who lived on the island, and began that leg of the trip with a visit to the Korean POW camp on the center of the island. It was an interesting walk through the Korean War and also revealed great views of the city.
Awkward picture at the POW camp:
Fixing a jeep?
A very strange Korean tradition: Butt gun *shakes fist at Gon!*:
Then it was finally LUNCH! We went to this restaurant near the POW camp and had a DELICIOUS meal of bo-ssam, boiled meat with a bunch of vegetables wrapped in lettuce leaves (you pick and choose what you want). yum! Also, Gon and Ji's incredibly nice friend paid for the meal. So nice, especially because we just met him and couldn't talk to him very much because of language.
After full tummies, we drove to the south of the island to see the sea. We stopped at this great look-out point and got an incredible view of the island cliffs and the sea. Gorgeous! We hiked down the cliff a bit, and Chaz and Ji went all the way down to the edge. They became best friends after that because they did manly things together. Men are strange.
Also on the docket: we went to Windy Hill and checked out the view there. Not as impressive, but still incredibly gorgeous. Where else do you see this? Then, at a fishing village, we caught crabs with our hands and smelled the salty air.
It was a looong day, and we were incredibly tired afterward (especially during the FOUR hour trip it took home....tons of traffic going back to the city, ugh), but it was also very worth it. Memories and friends were made, and felt like they'd been around forever. Dancing, singing, eating, laughing, hiking, beautiful sites, pictures, and hugs: all the necessary components of a fantastic roadtrip. Korea, plus 100 points for being beautiful.
The crew (Ji, Sang Moon, Kat, Gon, me, Chaz):
Friday, September 11, 2009
New Friends
Yesterday was a NO SCHOOL DAY! For me, at least. My school had a special day where the boys all took a field trip of some sort into the city. Eun-Ah, the teacher at my school who has been helping us, got it okayed for both of us not to go to school, and instead, to get some errands done.
So at 2:30, I met Eun-Ah and Chaz (he got out of school for the afternoon) in front of a hospital in Busan. We got check-ups needed for our arrival, and that included blood work. EEK! For those of you who don't know, I frequently pass out when confronted with a needle. I was prepared for the blood work, but that made me no less nervous. Fortunately, I made it through okay, but that didn't stop the nurses from laughing at my fear.
After the check up, Eun-Ah took us around Seomyeon, the center of the city. We had our first experience with Korean photography as we had to get more passport photos taken. Apparently, in Korea, they get photos taken, and then they alter them. Yes, even passport photos. Chaz and I were apprehensive to do this, but Eun-Ah insisted that all Koreans do it, so we should. They whitened our faces (no more freckles for me!), made our eyes bigger and brighter, and slimmed my neck and bulked up Chaz's shoulders. Crazy, I know.
Then Eun-Ah asked if we wanted to see Hong-Shi's house.
Meet Hong-Shi:
Hong-Shi is her maltese dog who is basically her sister. I said a definite yes, so we went to visit Hong-Shi. While there, we also met Eun-Ah's mother. She is an incredibly sweet woman, and she made me miss my mom. Especially when she brought out snacks for us to eat as we played with Hong-Shi.
Hong-Shi and Eun-Ah:
After playing with Hong-Shi, we went with Eun-Ah and her mom to Migliore, a big department store where Eun-Ah's mother works out. She wanted to show us her fitness center. Outside of Migliore, there was a dart game where you could win tickets to the movie Fame. Chaz, Eun-Ah, and her mom all tried their hand.
Eun-Ah's mother:
Chaz flirting with the beautiful dart woman:
Then, Eun-Ah took us for ice cream......at COLDSTONE!
Proof that everyone should come and live with us. :)
So at 2:30, I met Eun-Ah and Chaz (he got out of school for the afternoon) in front of a hospital in Busan. We got check-ups needed for our arrival, and that included blood work. EEK! For those of you who don't know, I frequently pass out when confronted with a needle. I was prepared for the blood work, but that made me no less nervous. Fortunately, I made it through okay, but that didn't stop the nurses from laughing at my fear.
After the check up, Eun-Ah took us around Seomyeon, the center of the city. We had our first experience with Korean photography as we had to get more passport photos taken. Apparently, in Korea, they get photos taken, and then they alter them. Yes, even passport photos. Chaz and I were apprehensive to do this, but Eun-Ah insisted that all Koreans do it, so we should. They whitened our faces (no more freckles for me!), made our eyes bigger and brighter, and slimmed my neck and bulked up Chaz's shoulders. Crazy, I know.
Then Eun-Ah asked if we wanted to see Hong-Shi's house.
Meet Hong-Shi:
Hong-Shi is her maltese dog who is basically her sister. I said a definite yes, so we went to visit Hong-Shi. While there, we also met Eun-Ah's mother. She is an incredibly sweet woman, and she made me miss my mom. Especially when she brought out snacks for us to eat as we played with Hong-Shi.
Hong-Shi and Eun-Ah:
After playing with Hong-Shi, we went with Eun-Ah and her mom to Migliore, a big department store where Eun-Ah's mother works out. She wanted to show us her fitness center. Outside of Migliore, there was a dart game where you could win tickets to the movie Fame. Chaz, Eun-Ah, and her mom all tried their hand.
Eun-Ah's mother:
Chaz flirting with the beautiful dart woman:
Then, Eun-Ah took us for ice cream......at COLDSTONE!
Proof that everyone should come and live with us. :)
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