Seoul Searching

It seemed about time to visit the 6th most populated city in the world, so Lynn and I boarded Korea’s 300 km/h KTX train to Seoul. After some minor setbacks in finding a place to spend our first night, we ultimately found shelter in Motel Blue, and were initiated into the Korean Love Motel experience. After some much needed sleep, we awoke at 9am and began what would be our marathon 21-hour day. So much to do, so much to see, so much to look at and experience… and so many people: An overwhelming amount of English (people, speaking, signs, food) in the foreigner district, a beautiful ancient palace in the middle of the modern city providing an interesting contrast of new and old, some traditional market shopping in Insa-dong and busting a groove til 6am, then making our walk of shame home in daylight while the rest of the city began their day. After just 4 hours of sleep, we re-emerged to continue our exploration of the city and get in some serious shopping before heading back home. A great weekend of wear on my body and overload on my senses, but time and money well spent.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

A Long Way From Home

…Buddha, It’s your Birthday…

It seemed only necessary to celebrate this holiday in full style. Despite waking up at 1pm as a result of soju-drinking pre-party celebrations, we still managed to enjoy a full day of fun. A few hours at the beach (although the clouds dominated by the time we arrived) with some much needed recuperation time and some sweet frizbee toss action, and then it was off to Beomosa Temple. Big birthday celebrations were occurring all day, but the chanting performance and lantern lighting were to occur at dusk. Problem was that ½ of Busan had the same idea, and having only minimal time to spare, we missed most of the chanting and such stuck in a cab on the one-way street up the mountain. We were determined though to not miss out, so we left the cabby a few extra thousand won and trekked the last kilometer or so on foot…amazing race styles…We made it to the Temple in time for the lantern lighting. It looked amazing, lanterns were hanging everywhere, creating a canopy of brightly coloured flickering beauty…thousands upon thousands… We were given candles to help in the lighting process… It was a rather wonderful experience. Sadly, however, the rain that had help up all day finally arrived smothering many of the lanterns, and making the task of relighting them a little too ambitious. So, we headed down the mountain for some warm comfort food and called it a day… and that’s just the beginning of my 4-day weekend!

Red Means Go?

It could just be that my toenail polish has begged me as a prostitute. Elise and I got pedicures last week, and I was talked into adorning a red-red colour, much brighter and unlike the darker hues I have become accustomed to wearing. I was happy with the choice, and thought my newly polished toes look hot, sexy even… but I wasn’t the only one that seemed to think so. Waiting on the platform for my subway train, an older man, dirty and possibly drunk, sat down next to me. After several minutes of staring (a very common occurrence) he tapped my leg, and pointed at my toes, then mumbled something at me in Korean. I smiled at first, not quite sure what else to do.. shrugging my shoulders, and answering his Korean questions with my English yeses, nos and maybes just to be polite. Thankfully the train arrived quickly and I boarded several cars away from Sir Creepy. A very short while later, my stalker had scoped me out, and came stumbling through the cars towards me. He winked, I looked away, he sat down next to me. He tapped my leg again, leaned over, and began whispering at me through the gabs where his teeth should have been. I needed him to leave before I cried, and was thankful I had just 2 stops to go. Finally, we got up (very inconveniently at the same stop) and he threw smiles and winks over his shoulder back in my direction as we exited the train….I’m sure he was convinced we were getting off at the same stop so we could head to one of the various love motels near my building.. and I was convinced I would navigate the crowds with far greater speed and agility … and racing past his final taps and calls, I did just that. *shudders*

Cheapest Bar in Town

Patio culture as we know it just doesn’t exist in Korea. Bars and restaurants deny their customers one of the summer’s biggest pleasures. It’s hard not to miss enjoying a post-work patio drink with co-workers, or a pinot grigio and nachos outside the Foggy Dew (*drools*). But, as drinking is a national past time here, the country has made some small improvisations to encourage both outdoor and public drinking. Outside of family mart, and GS 25 stores (these are the convenience stores that dominate Busan) there are plastic tables and chairs on the sidewalk. Anyone can buy some noodles, a snack, or a beer and a bottle of soju and just sit outside and enjoy.

Thus, in order to take advantage of the nice weather, a couple friends and I decided to utilize the tables and headed out around 11pm for some intense scrabble competition (yes, I’ve made friends that are as passionate about scrabble as I am – scary). Other friends came by, walked by, stopped by, and before we knew it there was a crew of us gathered patio drinking and gaming: Korean style. At one point, an old man came to talk to us with the cashier of the store. I had a feeling they’d had enough of our rowdiness, and were trying to politely usher us on. Instead, they left and returned with beer for all of us…no complaints. So, my night ended around 3am, after dominating the last round of scrabble, and polishing off my free beer, I left the party and headed home to bed. Some days my life is too good, it seems unfair.

Teacher's Day!

Today is teacher’s day. Though my loot was poor, and consisted only of a couple candies and oranges, (and a pair of skull socks that another teacher didn't want) it’s nice to have a day to be recognized for something that I can’t help but love doing… there are so many positives:

The Hours: Sometimes I forget that it’s my job, given that I currently teach only 19 classes a week at 45 minutes each. And unlike many other Hogwons, when I’m not teaching I don’t have to be there.. so after prep and the breaks I do stick around for (which usually involve watching greys anatomy on my ipod), I’m at work for about 25 hours a week. It’s hard not to love this job.

I influence small minds: Sounds scary, doesn't it? But honestly I love seeing the progress that my students are making in just the 2 months I’ve been here. It’s amazing to watch them learn and see the light go off when they finally get something. My kids really are amazing, they marvel me a lot of the time with just how much they actually know.

They Make Me Laugh … on a daily basis. The other day we were discussing healthy and unhealthy habits. Amy raises her hand “unhealthy habit, sucking fingernails and toe nails”. Urghhh, yes that would be a pretty unhealthy habit. Gross.

I get to Play Games … ok, I don’t actually get to play them usually, but I get to facilitate them and give high fives. I like to make learning fun, and I get to encourage competition, knowing first hand the way that it will soon consume their lives.. buwah ha haha

They Bring me Presents… Sometimes it’s a drink, a half eaten package of crackers, or a chocolate they’ve been holding in their sweaty little hands for 10 minutes.. but who doesn’t love receiving treats?

I have all the power .. What I say goes. And some days it’s just fun to power trip. If that means sitting in the hall because you forgot your book, doing jumping jacks because you didn’t do your homework, or getting extra homework because you spoke Korean in my class. That authority is MINE.

Jealous?

Keeping Dry

Rain has a horrible tendency to screw up plans, and so would begin the story of my Saturday. Waking up to hear the sound of rain pelting off my window, put a wicked spin on our plans for a day of beach bumming… But we’re ambitious and I refused to let Mother Nature win this battle, so, we set out for the downtown region and did our best to make a positive day in light of the negativity of the weather. Our mission was an outstanding success.. plenty of shopping and purchases to ease our sad hearts.. followed by a few hours cozy and dry inside a coffee shop with a delicious chai latte to keep me satisfied, and scrabble to stimulate our brains and my need for competition. Perhaps the most entertaining portion of the afternoon involved taking to the streets in search of a restaurant for dinner…. So, you take an over populated county, and a culture that has zero regard for personal space. Now, give them all large umbrellas with sharp pointed edges and test your luck at maneuverability. GO!

Play With Me

I’ve been playing board games since I could count. Even before I knew the value of money, mom and I would play our “game of the day” and just count the number of bills at the end to determine the winner. Whenever I’d cry because I’d owe money, she’d make change in as many bills as possible, calming explaining “you give me 1, and I give you 3 back”… so winning was always easy… and boardgames have since ruled my life.

So, you can well imagine my excitement when I was introduced to a new paradise for my competitive soul -- a boardgame room. For a small fee, you grab a game, and a beverage, sit in a cozy chair at a big table and get into some fierce competition with friends. It’s the best way to close a day, it’s something fun to look forward to, and is a healthier alternative to drinking or eating.. For me, it’s a constant source of entertainment, and happiness. Unless of course I lose, (given that without mom, the rules aren’t always stacked in my favour)…. but it rarely happens ;)

In the Buck

When I was a child I loved to be naked. Every time my mom would strip me for a bath, I’d run away to streak through the house, and ambitiously seek out everyone else that was home. Once located, I would take a flying leap into the room, throw my hands up into the air, and scream “MEEEEEEE NAKED!”. I can’t quite remember what appeal this had, and nor do I think my family really enjoyed my nudist expressions..but I must have just always felt comfortable in my own skin.

So, my excitement for nudity led me to what the lonely planet boasts as the largest public bath in Asia. True or not, this place was awesome. There were about 25 different baths, varying in size, shape, temperature, or medicinal value, both indoor and outdoor. There were also saunas, steams rooms, showers areas, and massage waterfalls. So, for about 8$, I got naked and bathed with a bunch of Korean women. And, for another 15$ I got the full scrub down. Lying on a table, a naked ajima (old Korean woman) put scrub mitts on and exfoliated me from head to toe. Leaving no skin untouched, she vigorously scoured me from head to toe. I came out feeling smoother than a babies bottom….(and the unsuspecting recipient an unintentional boob slap to the face). Sometimes it’s best to kick old childhood habits, but the implications of them will remain inherent in one’s character forever.