Rockin' In the Free World

On one of the lesser frequented, but equally vast beaches of Busan, thousands of Koreans and a mix of foreigners gathered to party at Busan’s International Rock Festival. Musicians from around the world took to the stage to perform for a very diverse crowd of all ages. From my previous rock concert experiences, I wouldn’t have expected this one to be what it was: definitely a full family affair. Older women and men got their groove on around blankets *littered with empty soju bottles of course* at the back of the crowd, parents held their babies while rockin’ it out in a sweaty mob of fans, while dads taught their 3 year olds how to shoot roman candles. And though it made for a grueling 9am camp departure with my students the next morning, it was amazingly entertaining to witness it all. This was one I couldn’t miss.

Seeing Is Believing

Some days I think about how strange it will be to go back home one day… true, there’ll be a lot of readjusting and reverse culture shock… but one of the things I’ll miss most is the excitement and randomness of everyday life that I experience here. Take this past weekend for example: two full days in the sand and surf, where Haeundae beach has become a sea of Koreans and umbrellas….and with this sheer density of people, it seems only natural that it would exhibit many of these very quirky things which help make my time here so entertaining. Common findings at the beach are Koreans swimming in full clothing (or too small speedos), women sporting high heels, people buried in the sand, and couple photo shoots. These are just a few behaviours that are odd and wonderful and have come to be expected of a day at the beach… so my weekend hit a new level of wonderful, with an experience that topped them all.... Befriending and photographing with Korean bodybuilders. How can you top that?

The Bane of my Existence

Dried Squid. They eat it here like potato chips, it’s sold cheap and people love it. I hate it.
Aligned with my repulsion for anything fishy, this snack is close to the worst thing I’ve seen or smelt yet… and it always seems that those people around me love to use it as torture .. in their eating and enjoyment, I am left gagging and uncomfortable.. it’s just not fair really. Then today, I had the worst of my dried squid experiences yet.. Walking into the classroom of my youngest students, one of the kids had been kind enough of to bring in this horrid snack for the class. The room stank something fierce, and all my 9 year old wonder children were chomping on the fishy nastiness. I wanted to heave, but this class is slightly crazy and I knew I’d lose all control if I showed any signs of weakness.. Thankfully I’d already instilled the no food in the classroom rule.. so it wasn’t difficult to stop them from eating, but the bits on the floor continued to emit gaggerific odours into the space I would be occupying for the next 45 minutes… as if the stench of sweaty, dirty children wasn’t already enough to knock you out cold. Sigh.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

In a nicer and quieter part of town sits Sajik stadium. And inside Sajik stadium are the rowdiest group of Koreans I have seen yet. According to Wikipedia, “Busan is known as the capital of baseball and has a reputation for very enthusiastic baseball fans”, so I thought I’d check it out for myself… and let me tell you, I was in no way disappointed.. Even just approaching the stadium, I had a feeling I’d be in for something unique… Fans transported bags or coolers of beer and soju and bought newspapers outside the gates that would assist them in making pompoms to wave during the game. Once the game was in action, there were cheer leaders to keep the crowd entertained, and a white gloved cheer-leader who kept the fans energized and chanting away. It seemed there was a ditty or song for just about everything.. and all the “Gal-mae-ki” (seagulls, as the fans call themselves) knew each one of the words. Lotte was down 8-1, but it didn’t stop the energy in the stands. In the 8^th inning orange bags were passed around for garbage which the crowd then blew up, tied them to their heads, and continued to cheer and watch their team lose. It truly was a sight to behold, and just not your average day at the park.

Show and Tell

As of last week Wednesday, Summer Intensives have begun. What this means for Korean students is that since they are on holiday from their regular school, they now have more time to spend studying English at my academy. What this means for me is that I’m teaching another 2 classes a day, so I work more, start earlier and have longer days. Fridays, I learned last week, will be the toughest.. teaching 6 straight classes, with a short break before my 2 older classes close the day.

So, arriving in my classroom on Friday, it’s was my 6^th of 6^th and I’m pretty worn out… but I’m serious about my job, so I greeted my class with my last efforts of enthusiasm. But what they had waiting for me, left me weak and defeated… Amid taking attendance and saying my hellos, one of my students says to me, very calmly “teacher, look, mouse”. And there it is, about 3 feet away from me, in her small little hands, scurrying around and scampering up her arm. Truth is, I’m squeamish (and pathetic perhaps) but I hate insects and rodents… and without the energy to remain calm, I panicked and lost my mind. Backing myself into a corner, I tried my best to sound firm in my requests for her to put it away,…but encouraged by the rest of the class who laughed at my expense, she just continued to play and ask me why. It seems that cowering in the corner, I was of very little threat to her. When she’d finally decided she’d had enough of teacher torture time, she put the mouse back into his home… a small hard pencil case, not much bigger than a match box. Appallingly I stared…curious, confused… what’s worse, a mouse in my classroom, or a suffocating pet in a child’s pencil case? This is going to be a long month… I can feel it.

D-I-R-T-Y

I’m a Hamilton girl, born and bred... and that alone comes with a certain amount of presuppositions towards my character… but sometimes it’s hard to deny reality. Perhaps it was this upbringing that has left me without any aversions for filth and dirt, to the point where some days showering is just not an option. But this past weekend it was in fact Korea that encouraged me to get “dirty” on a whole new level, as I attended the Boryeong Mud Festival.
After an 8 hour bus ride, (with a painful beginning at 2:30am) and only a few hours of shut eye, I found myself a beach of goodness ready for the messiness that would ensue. From buckets of mud, we painted ourselves muddy, and then the games began. The festival held all the fun of carnival games; wrestling, tug of war, obstacle courses, and all with the added bonus of mud. Wandering around the beach and boardwalk sporting a crusted grey layer was kind of surreal and exciting, while a beautiful sunny day made for cleansing and frolicking in the ocean a delightful break.

Sundown brought partiers to the beach to continue the festivities and marvel (between bottles of soju) at a spectacular fireworks display. The next day, covered in battle wounds, mosquito bites and dirt residue I boarded the bus for another long trek home…. leaving behind all forms of acceptable dirty behaviour. *tears*

Maple Leaf Forever

O' Canada,
Our Home
and
Native Land







Long weekends, growing up, almost always involved trips to my family’s cottage on Georgian Bay. As I got older, I appreciated these quiet getaways so much more; a wilderness retreat for ultimate relaxation, escape, and simultaneous fun and out-of-controlness… and as my time here passes, and the summer months are upon us, I miss it more and more. But since luck is on my side these days, I was thrilled to discover I wasn't the only person who desired a cottage getaway... and what better way to to do it then the July 1st weekend. And so, my fellow Canadian friends (along with some others who chose to support the Maple Leaf for the occasion) rented an amazing “cottage” in the mountains not too far outside Busan. It was a great way to celebrate the nation we are all so far away from and the home we often miss so much. A red and white weekend in the wilderness, escaping the concrete jungle we call home, to frolic in the river, bbq, listen to Canadian music, get into some guitar sing songs, go night swimming and celebrate with fire works and the national anthem at midnight…. It was the best alternative to my cottage that I could ask for! Oh, Canada!