Evening all,
So it's been a while since we last posted a blog, and for that I apologize. To anyone who has been following regularly I am especially apologetic. Since our lives here have really settled in, we're doing more living than "oo'ing" and "aw'ing" which result in blogging due to shock and awe!
The last really interesting thing we did here was take a trip to Busan with a friend from school and her boyfriend. We drove down on a Saturday night and got set up in a fairly nice hotel before heading out for a bite to eat and some drinks.
Now, Busan is the second largest city in South Korea and it is on the Southern coast. The most popular beaches are located here, and it is literally a seaside city. There is a large overpass bridge that was constructed to bypass downtown traffic that swings way out into the bay and gives a great view of the water front buildings. We made sure to take a drive over this before settling into "walking" mode.
After dropping off our things, and the car, at "Hotel Orange", we headed for the beach and a bar / restaurant called the Fuzzy Navel. We heard that this place had excellent Mexican food and Nicole and I were in the mood. However, the service was atrocious and they were cut down to the "bar menu" since it was a little late. After our pitcher took 45 minutes to arrive, and they totally forgot about our nachos, we downed our beers and headed for greener pastures.
Our next stop was an aisle of small Korean restaurants about 200 meters long. There must have been at least 60 restaurants on this strip, each specializing in their own specific meat product (mostly seafood). There were tanks of live eels, crabs, fish, squid, octopus, etc. We eventually decided on a nice looking Sashimi restaurant (raw fish, like sushi but without the rice and rolls) and settled in for the long haul. We spent about two hours savouring different flavors of spice, raw fish, kimchi, clams, hard boiled eggs, soup, rice, and lettuce to wrap it all together, as well as the famous Korean "red sauce". There were definitely other dishes but I can't remember them all right now as this was a couple weeks ago.
Finally we picked up and headed for a bar around 2 AM. We found a nice Irish pub and as we walked in they were shouting "Last call!" so we grabbed some pints of Red Rock and took in the Busan night at the second floor balcony for a few minutes before switching venues for a 3rd time. The 4th and final establishment we visited that night was ... if I remember correctly. "North of 88. Awesome Miami Bar." There are some pretty hilarious English translations in Korea, especially if you're on the lookout. The cocktails were decent, for the most part (the white russian was a let down, too much Kaluha, not enough vodka), and we had a good time. Then it was time for bed after a short walk back to the hotel.
* Sleep *
The next morning we all washed up and decided on the aquarium as our next stop. However, before we started our day we wanted to sustenance! The mexican craving was still strong, and as we strolled along a road toward the beach I happened to notice Taco El Puebla. This was another Mexican food restaurant that had been rated highly and we had no idea about the location. It was a lucky find and we all sat down for nacho chips, guacamole, burritos and quesadillas. The food was excellent! I'm not sure that it tops the Mexican place in Seoul we visited a few weeks earlier but it is definitely close. Stuff and content, we headed for the beach.
The Busan Aquarium is located right on the main beach and is 95% underground. From the outside it does not look very impressive but that is before you realize it goes 4 floors down into the beachside sand, contains a fish tank 3 stories tall with multiple passageways, and multitudes of exotic fish. It was very interesting to see all the fauna, although most of the information was in Korean. We have plenty of pictures that I'm sure will be posted eventually (on Facebook), and I will try to "blog" the links to them (for those of you that do not have Facebook) so you can see them too.
After a 3D movie finale hosted by Happy Feet (it was a ridiculous animated chase scene involving penguins, a giant seal, and a massive moving platform with rollercoaster seats bolted to the floor), we were done with the aquarium and wondering what to do for the rest of the day.
A quick review of the guide book and a group consensus led us to the waterside temple of Yonggungsa. (http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264404) It is apparently one of the most beautiful temples in Busan and is one of the few temples in Korea located on the ocean shore (most are in / on mountains). It was a beautiful place (as you can see by the photos in the link above) and again, we will post our own photos on Facebook to be sure. We spent a couple of hours strolling through the picturesque ambience of the old temple, and hurling 100 WON coins at the "good luck" fountain below the rope bridge leading to the temple. It was trip we will not soon forget.
We then headed back to Daejeon. The trip took about 4 hours and we got back into town about 10 o'clock. It was an exhausting day and Nicole and I crashed pretty much immediately. Another great weekend in South Korea and many more stories and memories to share.
Hopefully the next blog comes sooner.
Until then... Adios Amigos,
Joe (and Nicole)
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
The DMZ
... continued from our previous post.
The DMZ was something that we were interested in seeing before even coming to Korea. The political and social effects that the Korean war and perpetual "cease-fire" have had on Korea as a whole are massive. After the recent artillery incident between North and South Korea, the tensions were high and many people back home were surprised that we were going so "close to North Korea."
We were not nearly as concerned and upon arriving here, have felt no tension or concern regarding the relationship between North and South Korea. We hoped that going and exploring the DMZ and hearing more about the history of this half a century old "conflict" would give us a greater understanding of the current situation.
When we left on the tour bus from the center of Seoul, our guide had filled us in on the history of the Korean conflict on the drive from Seoul, and we had seen guard posts the entire way along the river the bus had followed. Our first stop was a small amusement park near one of the main bridges into the DMZ. We had a bathroom break, got some munchies, and snapped photos of some of the more interesting sites. The coolest thing was a large "peace bell" made from melted down weapons used during the Korean war.
After this, we crossed a checkpoint into the DMZ and headed for one of the North Korean tunnels that had been thwarted during the 70s. The tunnel we were able to see was tunnel 3. Before seeing the tunnel, we saw a short video in the "visitors" center that discussed the conflict, the tunnels, and how they had been found. To those of you that do not know, these tunnels were attempts by the North Koreans to burrow under the DMZ, and come up out of the ground somewhere near Seoul, enabling them to bring in troops and tanks behind the South Korean defences. The North Korean's have claimed that 20 tunnels were started, however the South Koreans have only found 4. Each of the four tunnels found have started from different points along the DMZ. One was within 50 km of Seoul, another was over 150 km from Seoul.
Here is a google link to an article if you want to know more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Tunnel_of_Aggression
We walked down into the tunnel, which was a 400 m walk down an incline (we went down about 22 stories), and then a 250 m walk down a low tunnel (we both had to crouch the whole time). At the end we were met with a large concrete wall, one of 3 that had small windows and a heavy steel door. Instead of completely filling the tunnels, South Koreans have decide to block them with barricades. It was confusing to us but hey, what can we say? There were no pictures allowed in the tunnel although a google search will reveal some from inside the tunnel.
http://www.google.co.kr/search?q=DMZ+tunnel+3&hl=ko&lr=&newwindow=1&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=b-6zTbnSJZHyvQPt99CJBw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CAQQ_AUoAQ&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=
After seeing the DMZ tunnel, we went to a large lookout on top of a hill. From this vantage point, we could see the DMZ, the river, the fences, and much of North Korea. We could also see the extremely large flag that North Korea had constructed. Apparently the North and South had had an ongoing contest to see who could construct the largest flag pole within site of eachother's borders. It had gone back and forth a number of times until South Korea built a 100m flag pole and North Korea decided to top that with a 160m flag pole. Apparently this had held a Guiness record for tallest flag pole in the world but it has since been broken we believe. We also found out that South Korea flag flutters in the wind regularly since it is large but weights only 30 or 40 kg, however the North Korean flag is almost continuously limp because it weights a staggering 250 kilograms. Interesting.
We weren't able to get great photos from this lookout because there was a "no photos" line about 15 feet back from the edge, however I did my best and we may post some.
After coming down off the hill, our bus headed for the last train station on the newly constructed rail line that connects North and South Korea. We learned that although no trains have yet passed along the line, there are massive warehouses, a complete station, and all the facilities required to support cross border traffic, in preparation for the opening of the rail line between North and South Korea. This was an expensive move by the South Koreans, but a very optimistic one! We were able to buy "souvenir" tickets and walk the passenger platforms along the rail line. Sadly all the train traffic signals were red. Perhaps some day we will see green signals on the track!
This rail line is intended to connect to the main chinese lines, and in to the trans-siberian rail line that connects East Asia to Europe. It would indeed be an historic day when the station becomes operational. South Korea would longer be a country that relies solely upon air and water transportation.
After these sights, our bus headed back to Seoul. They dropped us at a large Amethyst factory that was purely a tourist money trap and we opted to ignore the "tour" and skip the "buy these big purple stones" segment. There were more interesting things to see and better ways to spend our money.
We hooked up with our group (Lewis and his cohort) and the bus finally dropped us in Itaewon. We all decided that Thai food was the way to go and it was delicious, although not as fantastic as the Mexican we had the day before! I got a chicken green curry, my favourite, and Nicole got the Pad Thai. Delicious!
Finally, after dinner, we set off for the Seoul subway with Lewis and two of his friends. Two trains and 4 stops later we were at Seoul station. After being worried about actually getting a train back to Daejeon (they're often very busy on a Sunday evening), we walked up to an automated machine and attempted to get 3 tickets on the fast train (KTX) back to Daejeon. There were plenty of tickets available and we only paid 20 bucks each, which is a good price for the high speed train!
Note: The slow trains take about 2 hours, the high speed train less than 1. (about 300 km an hour on the highspeed) Slow trains run about 8 to 15 dollars, but are often standing room only coming back on a Sunday night. The KTX runs between 18 and 40 depending on backwards seat, standard seating, or first class, but there are most likely seats available.
We got back into Daejeon around 9 PM on Sunday and hopped on the tube back to Tanbangdong where we live. It was a wonderful, and exhausting weekend. We were able to see about 1% of Seoul, experience a Jimjilbang, see the DMZ, enjoy some delicious food, and celebrate Nicole's 26th in style!
Hope you enjoyed our update. More to come.
Cheers, lasting peace, and best wishes from the both of us.
Joe and Nicole
The DMZ was something that we were interested in seeing before even coming to Korea. The political and social effects that the Korean war and perpetual "cease-fire" have had on Korea as a whole are massive. After the recent artillery incident between North and South Korea, the tensions were high and many people back home were surprised that we were going so "close to North Korea."
We were not nearly as concerned and upon arriving here, have felt no tension or concern regarding the relationship between North and South Korea. We hoped that going and exploring the DMZ and hearing more about the history of this half a century old "conflict" would give us a greater understanding of the current situation.
When we left on the tour bus from the center of Seoul, our guide had filled us in on the history of the Korean conflict on the drive from Seoul, and we had seen guard posts the entire way along the river the bus had followed. Our first stop was a small amusement park near one of the main bridges into the DMZ. We had a bathroom break, got some munchies, and snapped photos of some of the more interesting sites. The coolest thing was a large "peace bell" made from melted down weapons used during the Korean war.
After this, we crossed a checkpoint into the DMZ and headed for one of the North Korean tunnels that had been thwarted during the 70s. The tunnel we were able to see was tunnel 3. Before seeing the tunnel, we saw a short video in the "visitors" center that discussed the conflict, the tunnels, and how they had been found. To those of you that do not know, these tunnels were attempts by the North Koreans to burrow under the DMZ, and come up out of the ground somewhere near Seoul, enabling them to bring in troops and tanks behind the South Korean defences. The North Korean's have claimed that 20 tunnels were started, however the South Koreans have only found 4. Each of the four tunnels found have started from different points along the DMZ. One was within 50 km of Seoul, another was over 150 km from Seoul.
Here is a google link to an article if you want to know more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Tunnel_of_Aggression
We walked down into the tunnel, which was a 400 m walk down an incline (we went down about 22 stories), and then a 250 m walk down a low tunnel (we both had to crouch the whole time). At the end we were met with a large concrete wall, one of 3 that had small windows and a heavy steel door. Instead of completely filling the tunnels, South Koreans have decide to block them with barricades. It was confusing to us but hey, what can we say? There were no pictures allowed in the tunnel although a google search will reveal some from inside the tunnel.
http://www.google.co.kr/search?q=DMZ+tunnel+3&hl=ko&lr=&newwindow=1&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=b-6zTbnSJZHyvQPt99CJBw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CAQQ_AUoAQ&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=
After seeing the DMZ tunnel, we went to a large lookout on top of a hill. From this vantage point, we could see the DMZ, the river, the fences, and much of North Korea. We could also see the extremely large flag that North Korea had constructed. Apparently the North and South had had an ongoing contest to see who could construct the largest flag pole within site of eachother's borders. It had gone back and forth a number of times until South Korea built a 100m flag pole and North Korea decided to top that with a 160m flag pole. Apparently this had held a Guiness record for tallest flag pole in the world but it has since been broken we believe. We also found out that South Korea flag flutters in the wind regularly since it is large but weights only 30 or 40 kg, however the North Korean flag is almost continuously limp because it weights a staggering 250 kilograms. Interesting.
We weren't able to get great photos from this lookout because there was a "no photos" line about 15 feet back from the edge, however I did my best and we may post some.
After coming down off the hill, our bus headed for the last train station on the newly constructed rail line that connects North and South Korea. We learned that although no trains have yet passed along the line, there are massive warehouses, a complete station, and all the facilities required to support cross border traffic, in preparation for the opening of the rail line between North and South Korea. This was an expensive move by the South Koreans, but a very optimistic one! We were able to buy "souvenir" tickets and walk the passenger platforms along the rail line. Sadly all the train traffic signals were red. Perhaps some day we will see green signals on the track!
This rail line is intended to connect to the main chinese lines, and in to the trans-siberian rail line that connects East Asia to Europe. It would indeed be an historic day when the station becomes operational. South Korea would longer be a country that relies solely upon air and water transportation.
After these sights, our bus headed back to Seoul. They dropped us at a large Amethyst factory that was purely a tourist money trap and we opted to ignore the "tour" and skip the "buy these big purple stones" segment. There were more interesting things to see and better ways to spend our money.
We hooked up with our group (Lewis and his cohort) and the bus finally dropped us in Itaewon. We all decided that Thai food was the way to go and it was delicious, although not as fantastic as the Mexican we had the day before! I got a chicken green curry, my favourite, and Nicole got the Pad Thai. Delicious!
Finally, after dinner, we set off for the Seoul subway with Lewis and two of his friends. Two trains and 4 stops later we were at Seoul station. After being worried about actually getting a train back to Daejeon (they're often very busy on a Sunday evening), we walked up to an automated machine and attempted to get 3 tickets on the fast train (KTX) back to Daejeon. There were plenty of tickets available and we only paid 20 bucks each, which is a good price for the high speed train!
Note: The slow trains take about 2 hours, the high speed train less than 1. (about 300 km an hour on the highspeed) Slow trains run about 8 to 15 dollars, but are often standing room only coming back on a Sunday night. The KTX runs between 18 and 40 depending on backwards seat, standard seating, or first class, but there are most likely seats available.
We got back into Daejeon around 9 PM on Sunday and hopped on the tube back to Tanbangdong where we live. It was a wonderful, and exhausting weekend. We were able to see about 1% of Seoul, experience a Jimjilbang, see the DMZ, enjoy some delicious food, and celebrate Nicole's 26th in style!
Hope you enjoyed our update. More to come.
Cheers, lasting peace, and best wishes from the both of us.
Joe and Nicole
New Kids!
Hello everybody!
So, as you may have noticed, Joe and I finally made it to a PC Bang to update our loyal friends and family and even post some photos! I posted a bunch on facebook, and I am going to try and add some to this blog, but we've been here 2 hours already so ... I am tired. But we will send an email with the links for none facebookers.
I see Joe has posted a rather long update about my birthday, so I will save you the troubles of reading another. I have not read it yet, but I am sure it is accurate! I believe Joe is also working on the DMZ one right now, so I will not extend my thoughts on that at the moment either!
Rather, I would like to introduce everyone to four new students I have in my kindergarten class! Thats right, my morning kindergarten class has now tripled in size, and I have a total of 6 kids. Still not many, but the increase has been a handful! Before I tell you about my new students, I should tell you about the loss of one student I had. As you may know, I had a total of 3 students, but unfortunetely, one was pulled by his mommy. Hyunseo, one of my boys, got into a rather nasty fight after school in his bus waiting room. The Teacher Assistant for the room was not present, and little Hyunseo picked a fight with some older 7 year olds. Needless to say, his mother was pissed and pulled Hyunseo from TILS. I do feel bad, but there really is nothing I could do about it, and it was not in my room!
Anyways, so now, all in the matter of two days, 4 new students joined me. They are all friends on Sean, one of my other kids. My older students were Sean and Jinsung, who are both 5 years old. The new kids are 4 and one is only 3!!! The little ones are extremely adorable, but also frusterating to teach haha. Well, they are not that bad, I just try and have fun with them.
I now have 3 new girls and 1 more boy. The girls are Olivia, Emily and Ariana. Beautiful names eh? They are all super cute and young. Ariana is only 3 (I think) and still wears diapers! She is the hardest to teach, and I feel like holds me back sometimes from teaching since she does not understand as much and has a much lower attention span. Also, she still is having trouble not being with her mom so she often crys in class. At this point, I have to just ignore her when she cries, otherwise she will just keep doing it. Olivia is shy, but she seems to comprehend a lot of class materials. She also is very well behaved, so I like her haha. Emily is so so cute. You will all see photos soon. Emily is very loving, and often wants hugs and will attach to my legs a lot and not let go. This is cute, but also annoying when I am in front of a class trying to get their attention! Justin is the new boy and is a little trouble maker. I will have to work with him. But he is also very smart and can speak very English very well for such a young child.
Anyways, that is my short classroom update! I've now had one full week with the newbies, so I am sure you will be hearing more about them. I am going to go back to working on the photos, but thanks for reading and hopefully I will be hearing from many of you soon!
Much love from Korea,
Nicole
xo
So, as you may have noticed, Joe and I finally made it to a PC Bang to update our loyal friends and family and even post some photos! I posted a bunch on facebook, and I am going to try and add some to this blog, but we've been here 2 hours already so ... I am tired. But we will send an email with the links for none facebookers.
I see Joe has posted a rather long update about my birthday, so I will save you the troubles of reading another. I have not read it yet, but I am sure it is accurate! I believe Joe is also working on the DMZ one right now, so I will not extend my thoughts on that at the moment either!
Rather, I would like to introduce everyone to four new students I have in my kindergarten class! Thats right, my morning kindergarten class has now tripled in size, and I have a total of 6 kids. Still not many, but the increase has been a handful! Before I tell you about my new students, I should tell you about the loss of one student I had. As you may know, I had a total of 3 students, but unfortunetely, one was pulled by his mommy. Hyunseo, one of my boys, got into a rather nasty fight after school in his bus waiting room. The Teacher Assistant for the room was not present, and little Hyunseo picked a fight with some older 7 year olds. Needless to say, his mother was pissed and pulled Hyunseo from TILS. I do feel bad, but there really is nothing I could do about it, and it was not in my room!
Anyways, so now, all in the matter of two days, 4 new students joined me. They are all friends on Sean, one of my other kids. My older students were Sean and Jinsung, who are both 5 years old. The new kids are 4 and one is only 3!!! The little ones are extremely adorable, but also frusterating to teach haha. Well, they are not that bad, I just try and have fun with them.
I now have 3 new girls and 1 more boy. The girls are Olivia, Emily and Ariana. Beautiful names eh? They are all super cute and young. Ariana is only 3 (I think) and still wears diapers! She is the hardest to teach, and I feel like holds me back sometimes from teaching since she does not understand as much and has a much lower attention span. Also, she still is having trouble not being with her mom so she often crys in class. At this point, I have to just ignore her when she cries, otherwise she will just keep doing it. Olivia is shy, but she seems to comprehend a lot of class materials. She also is very well behaved, so I like her haha. Emily is so so cute. You will all see photos soon. Emily is very loving, and often wants hugs and will attach to my legs a lot and not let go. This is cute, but also annoying when I am in front of a class trying to get their attention! Justin is the new boy and is a little trouble maker. I will have to work with him. But he is also very smart and can speak very English very well for such a young child.
Anyways, that is my short classroom update! I've now had one full week with the newbies, so I am sure you will be hearing more about them. I am going to go back to working on the photos, but thanks for reading and hopefully I will be hearing from many of you soon!
Much love from Korea,
Nicole
xo
We Got Seoul
Hello All,
So it's been a while since we blogged from South Korea. Still no internet at the abode so we are sitting in a PC Bang again, uploading photos and giving everyone back home an idea of what's been going on the past few weeks.
We've gotten around Daejeon a bit more, but we can save that for another blog. The most exciting thing we did lately was celebrate Nicole's birthday in Seoul on April 16th, and take a trip to the DMZ (de-militarized zone) between North and South Korea.
The weekend started with our first Daejeon subway trip to Daejeon Main Station where we met up with the other teachers from our school that were heading to Seoul. We met with Raymond and Chien (who were also heading to Seoul to meet Raymond's sister Megan who was going to be in town for a day), and Jordan and Amanda. Then we got some food and hopped on the next available slow train to Seoul. An hour and 50 minutes later we were rolling in the sprawling metropolis that is Seoul.
It's hard to grasp how large this city is. There did not appear to be a "downtown" or an epicenter where all the skyscrapers were. It looked more like 10 or so smaller cities that had grown together. The horizon was covered with sprawling neighbourhoods, hills, bridges, rivers, and the odd skycraper jutted into the air in every direction. Our train brought us right to the center of Seoul at Seoul Main Station.
We all hopped in a cab and went straight to Itaewon. This is the "foreigner" district of Seoul because a large American military base is located in this part of the city. The first thing we did was grabsome grub. Jordan had recommended a nice Mexican restaurant and since we were all craving something other than our normal Korea fare, we were quick to agree. A street sidetable became our banquet hall as we all ordered something different. After a wait that seemed far too long, the table was soon filled with burritos, quesadillas, tacos, enchilladas, and copious amounts of guacamole. This was some of the best Mexican food some of us had ever had! I thoroughly enjoyed my beef burrito, with it's layers of rice, bean, beef, spices, and cilantro. Rarely am I filled after a meal, and after this goliath I found it difficult to stand.
We all concurred that the food had been excellent, and walked about 100 feet before we all decided that we had gone far enough. Looking up, we saw a pub called Geckos and meandoured up the stairs into the large common room. Grabbing a table for 8 we soon made ourselves at home for what was sure to be a "long" evening.
What followed was a celebration of life that will not soon be equalled. Photos should soon be available (via facebook or this blog) that may shed light on the festivities, but for now I will keep the description short. We had a lot of fun, and spent a fair amount of money.
After Geckos, we all strolled down the Itaewon strip to a Korean BBQ restaurant that was quite delicious. The workers were friendly as they normally are, and we all enjoyed the common Korean practice of mixing food with alcohol, even late into the evening.
When we left the restaurant, a debate ensued on where to go next. It was around 11:30 or 12 and the options were plenty. Eventually we all found ourselves walking into the basement of a Norabang (singing room) for some group Kareoke. The singing and merry making lasted well into the night and around 2:15, after Bohemian Rhapsody and What A Feeling, we filtered out into the street. Everyone headed their separate ways and Nicole and I chose to head to a Jimjilbang (to be described later) with Lewis and his friends (Lewis is a teacher at our school).
A Jimjilbang is kind of the Korean version of a hostel. A backpacker's dream (unless your squeemish), Jimjilbang's are inexpensive ways to sleep the night away in and around East Asia. What follows is a step by step account of the Jimjilbang process:
1) Walk in front door, go to window, and pay 12000 Won (about $11, which is the most you'll ever pay for a Jimjilbang)
2) Receive a receipt, and a set of clothes (heavy but breathable t-shirt and capris pants)
3) Walk into change room area, take off shoes at door, put shoes in locker, and give locker key to attendant
4) Receive a second locker key from attendant for your clothes, and proceed to get naked (public nudity was what my squeemish remark above related to)
5) Stroll downstairs, in the buff, into the common shower, hot tub, massage, etc. area where you relax and rejuvenate your tired body with an assortment of different hot baths
6) Get ready for bed after your shower with a common bathroom filled with fresh towels, q-tips, hair dryers, combs, weight scales, etc.
7) Wander upstairs into the multi-level complex and find a place to sleep
8) Realize there are a million places to sleep, but there are no beds
9) Find a place with a small square pillow on the hard ground
When the morning finally came, Nicole and I were both rested (almost) and had experienced a very common Asian custom. It is common for Korean's to spend a day at a Jimjilbang just enjoying the hot baths and massages that are available.
We then left the Jimjilbang with Lewis and his friends, and we were on our way to Seoul City Hall to find our tour bus and proceed to the DMZ. We will put this in a different blog, since this one is steadily growing into a mini-novel. Hope you have all enjoyed the relayed experience... actually doing it was a blast for us!
Bye for now,
Joe
So it's been a while since we blogged from South Korea. Still no internet at the abode so we are sitting in a PC Bang again, uploading photos and giving everyone back home an idea of what's been going on the past few weeks.
We've gotten around Daejeon a bit more, but we can save that for another blog. The most exciting thing we did lately was celebrate Nicole's birthday in Seoul on April 16th, and take a trip to the DMZ (de-militarized zone) between North and South Korea.
The weekend started with our first Daejeon subway trip to Daejeon Main Station where we met up with the other teachers from our school that were heading to Seoul. We met with Raymond and Chien (who were also heading to Seoul to meet Raymond's sister Megan who was going to be in town for a day), and Jordan and Amanda. Then we got some food and hopped on the next available slow train to Seoul. An hour and 50 minutes later we were rolling in the sprawling metropolis that is Seoul.
It's hard to grasp how large this city is. There did not appear to be a "downtown" or an epicenter where all the skyscrapers were. It looked more like 10 or so smaller cities that had grown together. The horizon was covered with sprawling neighbourhoods, hills, bridges, rivers, and the odd skycraper jutted into the air in every direction. Our train brought us right to the center of Seoul at Seoul Main Station.
We all hopped in a cab and went straight to Itaewon. This is the "foreigner" district of Seoul because a large American military base is located in this part of the city. The first thing we did was grabsome grub. Jordan had recommended a nice Mexican restaurant and since we were all craving something other than our normal Korea fare, we were quick to agree. A street sidetable became our banquet hall as we all ordered something different. After a wait that seemed far too long, the table was soon filled with burritos, quesadillas, tacos, enchilladas, and copious amounts of guacamole. This was some of the best Mexican food some of us had ever had! I thoroughly enjoyed my beef burrito, with it's layers of rice, bean, beef, spices, and cilantro. Rarely am I filled after a meal, and after this goliath I found it difficult to stand.
We all concurred that the food had been excellent, and walked about 100 feet before we all decided that we had gone far enough. Looking up, we saw a pub called Geckos and meandoured up the stairs into the large common room. Grabbing a table for 8 we soon made ourselves at home for what was sure to be a "long" evening.
What followed was a celebration of life that will not soon be equalled. Photos should soon be available (via facebook or this blog) that may shed light on the festivities, but for now I will keep the description short. We had a lot of fun, and spent a fair amount of money.
After Geckos, we all strolled down the Itaewon strip to a Korean BBQ restaurant that was quite delicious. The workers were friendly as they normally are, and we all enjoyed the common Korean practice of mixing food with alcohol, even late into the evening.
When we left the restaurant, a debate ensued on where to go next. It was around 11:30 or 12 and the options were plenty. Eventually we all found ourselves walking into the basement of a Norabang (singing room) for some group Kareoke. The singing and merry making lasted well into the night and around 2:15, after Bohemian Rhapsody and What A Feeling, we filtered out into the street. Everyone headed their separate ways and Nicole and I chose to head to a Jimjilbang (to be described later) with Lewis and his friends (Lewis is a teacher at our school).
A Jimjilbang is kind of the Korean version of a hostel. A backpacker's dream (unless your squeemish), Jimjilbang's are inexpensive ways to sleep the night away in and around East Asia. What follows is a step by step account of the Jimjilbang process:
1) Walk in front door, go to window, and pay 12000 Won (about $11, which is the most you'll ever pay for a Jimjilbang)
2) Receive a receipt, and a set of clothes (heavy but breathable t-shirt and capris pants)
3) Walk into change room area, take off shoes at door, put shoes in locker, and give locker key to attendant
4) Receive a second locker key from attendant for your clothes, and proceed to get naked (public nudity was what my squeemish remark above related to)
5) Stroll downstairs, in the buff, into the common shower, hot tub, massage, etc. area where you relax and rejuvenate your tired body with an assortment of different hot baths
6) Get ready for bed after your shower with a common bathroom filled with fresh towels, q-tips, hair dryers, combs, weight scales, etc.
7) Wander upstairs into the multi-level complex and find a place to sleep
8) Realize there are a million places to sleep, but there are no beds
9) Find a place with a small square pillow on the hard ground
When the morning finally came, Nicole and I were both rested (almost) and had experienced a very common Asian custom. It is common for Korean's to spend a day at a Jimjilbang just enjoying the hot baths and massages that are available.
We then left the Jimjilbang with Lewis and his friends, and we were on our way to Seoul City Hall to find our tour bus and proceed to the DMZ. We will put this in a different blog, since this one is steadily growing into a mini-novel. Hope you have all enjoyed the relayed experience... actually doing it was a blast for us!
Bye for now,
Joe
Friday, April 8, 2011
A Moment with Joe
Morning all,
So I've been sick with a bad cold for the past week but since it's extremely difficult to miss a day of work in South Korea I've been teaching, teaching, teaching and trying to recuperate in the evenings. Thera-Flu, Fisherman's Friend (brought from Canada), Airborne Vitamin supplement, and numerous teas, have seen me through this rough week.
Yesterday we had heavy rain for the first time and many Koreans were very "paranoid" about it being radioactive. We have done a little research and it would appear as though there is no danger from radiation, however we all brought umbrellas and some kids stayed home from school so that was a little interesting!
Last weekend Nicole and I (but just me since she is vegetarian) experienced our first Korean "fried chicken place" consisting of a platter of fried chicken pieces (1 entire chicken) for 12 bucks and 2.50 beers. There were a range of hot sauces, from mild to melt your intestines, and all were delicious. After 2 chickens (split between 6 people), a dried squid, some crunchables, and a copious amount of beer, we all cabbed home. The entire night cost Nicole and I $40 which was a wonderful change from a Canadian night out.
We both also got our first month's pay so ... YES!!! We can now live and enjoy ourselves in this fine country without drawing on funds from back home. Soooo ... that means more adventures are soon to come, as well as more blogs. Hopefully we'll have internet soon! Then we shall be connected. For now...
Cheerio!
Joe
So I've been sick with a bad cold for the past week but since it's extremely difficult to miss a day of work in South Korea I've been teaching, teaching, teaching and trying to recuperate in the evenings. Thera-Flu, Fisherman's Friend (brought from Canada), Airborne Vitamin supplement, and numerous teas, have seen me through this rough week.
Yesterday we had heavy rain for the first time and many Koreans were very "paranoid" about it being radioactive. We have done a little research and it would appear as though there is no danger from radiation, however we all brought umbrellas and some kids stayed home from school so that was a little interesting!
Last weekend Nicole and I (but just me since she is vegetarian) experienced our first Korean "fried chicken place" consisting of a platter of fried chicken pieces (1 entire chicken) for 12 bucks and 2.50 beers. There were a range of hot sauces, from mild to melt your intestines, and all were delicious. After 2 chickens (split between 6 people), a dried squid, some crunchables, and a copious amount of beer, we all cabbed home. The entire night cost Nicole and I $40 which was a wonderful change from a Canadian night out.
We both also got our first month's pay so ... YES!!! We can now live and enjoy ourselves in this fine country without drawing on funds from back home. Soooo ... that means more adventures are soon to come, as well as more blogs. Hopefully we'll have internet soon! Then we shall be connected. For now...
Cheerio!
Joe
Friday, April 1, 2011
Our New Outdoor Gym
Good Morning or Good Evening, whichever it is back there in Canada!
So Nicole and I just wanted to give another update on our activities over here in South Korea. We still do not have internet so the photos and more regular postings are not yet possible. This post will be about our second walk-about adventure through our neighbourhood in Tanban-Dong, Daejeon.
From the bus stop by our house we could see a large hill in the middle of the neighbourhood. From the first week we were here I had been interested in making a trek over to get a view of the city. We asked the teachers at school about this hill and our South African friend Fred told us it was most likely a large athletic complex that had walking paths and a sizable hill on the property.
When we headed over there last weekend, we found out that this was in fact the case. We approached the closest side of the hill and found a 45 degree stair case leading up about 80 steps. From there, we saw walk paths of hard packed earth and wood going in all directions.
For the next 2 hours we strolled these paths, looking at the new wildlife, finding a small temple-like structure at the top of the hill, and snapping photos of the surrounding city (through trees before the leafs start budding). We also found a large military tribute statue that was quite impressive (photos to come) as well as some "heritage" looking sites (piles of stones, and large builders on smaller stone legs). We had a lot of fun and it was a beautiful day.
However, our greatest discovery came when we got to the center of the walking trails. We happened upon a large outdoor gym! There were chin up bars and numerous exercise machines. The place was filled with older Korean men and women doing slow repetitious exercise and strolling around the park. Now we know why all these people are so slim!!!
Nicole and I would like to get out to this exercise area more often and try to stay fit as well! I found out I can barely do 2 chin ups when I could do 25 in highschool... depressing. Nicole could do more than me!
Anyway, we ended the walk with a nice picnic of spicy tuna, crackers, cheese, apple and wine. It was a perfect afternoon with a perfect lady.
That's enough about our random walk. The next blog may be about the pink love seat we found on the side of the road walking home, and decided to carry 8 blocks back to our house. Yes, this is how shopping for furniture works for a teacher in Korea.
Over and out,
Joe and Nicole
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Asian Glow
Afternoon Everyone,
So we've found our first PC Bang (or PC Bong = Room / internet cafe) here in Daejeon. It is dark, and everyone is playing video games, and the only foods available are potato and corn chips, and carbonated soft drinks. I am in heaven haha. (that's Joe talking)
Last night one of the supervisers from TILS Language school (Amy) took us out on the town. Her boyfriend Jason drove and we went with another teacher from school, an American named Tim. First we went to Costco for the first time, and had some of the best pizza we have had in a long time (both here and in Canada). It was 12500 WON (or about $12 CDN) for an 18" cheese pizza that was absolutely loaded! Delish.
Afterward we went shopping for a microwave and toaster. We also purchased a large block of Colby Jack Cheese, Mushroom soup, Macaroni and Cheese, and some liquor (the vodka was much cheaper at Costco than at the E-Mart ... but that was about the only alcohol that was cheaper).
After Costco we dropped our purchases off at our apartments, and headed for the Galleria (the restaurant and nightclub district). We will eventually get to posting photos of some of these places but time and the internet is not on our side right now. We do really want to post pictures because of the beautiful lights and bussling crowds, even late at night. It is a very energized area of the city and it was totally new to us.
We went to a slightly more expensive restaurant than usual, although it was still modestly priced. Our table bill came to around $60 CDN which included a plate of spicy teriyaki chicken and veggies, a cheese and crab omelette, a bowl of spicy Korean noodles, a seaweed and rice dish, 2 jugs of Soju, and about 4 pints of beer. All in all it was still a very affordable dinner, and we were all stuffed.
We wanted to mention the combination of food and drink because it is the common "thing" in South Korea to mix food and drink throughout the evening. We had a discussion last night about how North Americans "eat then drink (alot)", whereas Koreans drink, then eat, then drink, then eat, then drink, then eat, all night long. It's different, but definitely enjoyable! We are both glad however that it is relatively inexpensive food and drink or we would have an empty wallet very quickly!
After we finished at the restaurant we headed home in a cab and did our first laundry. It was actually quite easy since someone at the school had translated the very complex digital panel for us. Since it went so well, we were able to sleep soundly.
Ok, so we need to rap this up, but just wanted to mention that the experience is still going very well. We have yet to write a blog about other things we did, but they include visiting the Daejeon lake which includes a large dam and is surrounded by mountains. It was very nice, but Spring has approached and we both are awaiting the greenery and flowers to bloom so we can see Daejeon's full potential. We are also living close to the river that runs through Daejeon, so we have spent a nice Sunday strolling down it. Again, since Winter has ended and Spring and Summer are coming it should look a lot nicer soon. Also, the river is being updated to included separated bike and walking trails, as well as gardens and sports facilities. Hopefully we will be able to see the end results while here.
We hope to write some more blogs soon in further detail about the school and our kids because in the matter of two weeks we have already collected a lot of stories! But for now, its Saturday night and its another fellow employee's birthday so we are off to celebrate! Pics of night may or may not be included in this blog ;)
Have a good one, talk to you soon! xo
Joe and Nicole
So we've found our first PC Bang (or PC Bong = Room / internet cafe) here in Daejeon. It is dark, and everyone is playing video games, and the only foods available are potato and corn chips, and carbonated soft drinks. I am in heaven haha. (that's Joe talking)
Last night one of the supervisers from TILS Language school (Amy) took us out on the town. Her boyfriend Jason drove and we went with another teacher from school, an American named Tim. First we went to Costco for the first time, and had some of the best pizza we have had in a long time (both here and in Canada). It was 12500 WON (or about $12 CDN) for an 18" cheese pizza that was absolutely loaded! Delish.
Afterward we went shopping for a microwave and toaster. We also purchased a large block of Colby Jack Cheese, Mushroom soup, Macaroni and Cheese, and some liquor (the vodka was much cheaper at Costco than at the E-Mart ... but that was about the only alcohol that was cheaper).
After Costco we dropped our purchases off at our apartments, and headed for the Galleria (the restaurant and nightclub district). We will eventually get to posting photos of some of these places but time and the internet is not on our side right now. We do really want to post pictures because of the beautiful lights and bussling crowds, even late at night. It is a very energized area of the city and it was totally new to us.
We went to a slightly more expensive restaurant than usual, although it was still modestly priced. Our table bill came to around $60 CDN which included a plate of spicy teriyaki chicken and veggies, a cheese and crab omelette, a bowl of spicy Korean noodles, a seaweed and rice dish, 2 jugs of Soju, and about 4 pints of beer. All in all it was still a very affordable dinner, and we were all stuffed.
We wanted to mention the combination of food and drink because it is the common "thing" in South Korea to mix food and drink throughout the evening. We had a discussion last night about how North Americans "eat then drink (alot)", whereas Koreans drink, then eat, then drink, then eat, then drink, then eat, all night long. It's different, but definitely enjoyable! We are both glad however that it is relatively inexpensive food and drink or we would have an empty wallet very quickly!
After we finished at the restaurant we headed home in a cab and did our first laundry. It was actually quite easy since someone at the school had translated the very complex digital panel for us. Since it went so well, we were able to sleep soundly.
Ok, so we need to rap this up, but just wanted to mention that the experience is still going very well. We have yet to write a blog about other things we did, but they include visiting the Daejeon lake which includes a large dam and is surrounded by mountains. It was very nice, but Spring has approached and we both are awaiting the greenery and flowers to bloom so we can see Daejeon's full potential. We are also living close to the river that runs through Daejeon, so we have spent a nice Sunday strolling down it. Again, since Winter has ended and Spring and Summer are coming it should look a lot nicer soon. Also, the river is being updated to included separated bike and walking trails, as well as gardens and sports facilities. Hopefully we will be able to see the end results while here.
We hope to write some more blogs soon in further detail about the school and our kids because in the matter of two weeks we have already collected a lot of stories! But for now, its Saturday night and its another fellow employee's birthday so we are off to celebrate! Pics of night may or may not be included in this blog ;)
Have a good one, talk to you soon! xo
Joe and Nicole
Friday, March 11, 2011
Beluga Whales and Dinosaurs
Afternoon All !
So I'm taking this brief moment of respite on a Friday afternoon to catch everyone up on my first week of teaching. Despite the couple hours of explanation and material we received Sunday night, Monday was still a difficult day and a blur. I felt very fuzzy for most of the day due to a troubled sleep (in bed at 9, tossing and turning, up at 5), but was able to make it through.
I began Monday with my Dinosaur Class (dinosaur class is 7 year olds who are in their 1st year at the school). I have a co-teacher named Jordan from the USA who teaches the Elephant Class (7 year olds who in their 2nd year at the school). We switch back and forth between mornings and afternoons. Soooo ... Monday morning I had the dinosaur class and taught things like Phonics (the alphabet and sounds), Comprehension (this is a cat, this is not an airplane), and Printing and Writing (trace these letters, now draw you own letters).
At lunch we get to stay with the kids for 15 minutes while they eat. We are also provided lunch and can eat with them for those 15 minutes. (the first day we had rice, kimchi, seaweed soup, and some spicy dried thing that was delicious but I have no idea what it is) Then we have 45 minutes of spare time to prepare for the afternoon classes or relax, whatevs!
The morning runs from 9:50 to 12, and the afternoon runs from 1 to 2:35. In the afternoon, I taught the Elephant class Extensive reading (the kids read their own book with my help) and the Thematic class (this month's theme is friendship and I had them do a worksheet from a book that I found in the class.)
After the kindergarten immersion students go home at 2:30, we have a 30 minute break before the elementary classes start at 3:00. If you're lucky, you only have one class from 3 to 4:30 where the kids actually understand English and you teach things like Extensive Reading, Free Talking, or News in Education. On a long day, you teach two elementary classes from 3 to 6.
Both of our days have been 9 hours long and have been very exhausting, with all the prep. But, we are starting to get the hang of it and the staff is very helpful (for the most part). The other English speaking teachers are very nice, and we went out to dinner with a few of them on Thursday night. It was our first true taste of real Korean food, real Korean Soju (20% liquor kind of like Sake), and Korean night life! We had a big dinner, lots of beer, lots of Soju, french fries, and dried squid, and it only cost Nicole and I $45 Canadian!
Needless to say ... we both are really loving South Korea right now. We still have so much to do before we are set up and feel at home, but we have also already done so much this week that we already feel much more in control. Next stop? Easy Mart for more pillows!!!
Over and out,
Joe
Ok, Nicole here now. Joe went through pretty much the jest of school life, but I'll tell you my classes now because they are different (well the mornings). I teach the "Beluga Whale" class which is the new kindergartens (first time in English school) who are all 5. (Which is actually 4... Korean age is different, as everyone turns their next age at the begining of the year, Jan. 1, instead of their actual birth dates.. weird I know. And I refuse to be 26 already).
So, 4 years old, first time English kids is very difficult. They do not really understand anything. But I am very lucky because I only have 3 students! I could very well get more, but 3 is great because it can be very challenging with this age group. Its fun though because I pretty much just play with them, read to them and do fun arts and crafts type things. We are responsible for doing all lessons though, so I need to find new worksheets and cool games for them a lot to keep them interested. They have an attention span of like 15 minutes, so switching things up is essential. My 3 kids are soooo cute though. I will definitely post pics soon. So I have them until 2:30, then have the older kids, which as Joe mentioned are much more easier to teach. Most speak really good English, and one of my classes consists of only 3 girls who are the smartest, and the pride of the school. Those girls are very smart, and they will actually ASK for MORE homework!! I teach the News In Education class Joe mentioned, which is a lot of fun. They have these special newspapers to read called "Kid's Times" or "Teen Times" which cover so many topics. Lunch is really good here, and the cooks know I am a vegetarian so they make me a meatless meal! Actually, another teacher is also veg, so it works.
Ok, so we gotta get outta here and rest! This week has been extremely long and Friday is finally here... something we have been waiting for!! Miss you all, and I appreciate all the e-mails and messages! Hope to get you guys some pics soon!!
Cheers!!
Nicole
So I'm taking this brief moment of respite on a Friday afternoon to catch everyone up on my first week of teaching. Despite the couple hours of explanation and material we received Sunday night, Monday was still a difficult day and a blur. I felt very fuzzy for most of the day due to a troubled sleep (in bed at 9, tossing and turning, up at 5), but was able to make it through.
I began Monday with my Dinosaur Class (dinosaur class is 7 year olds who are in their 1st year at the school). I have a co-teacher named Jordan from the USA who teaches the Elephant Class (7 year olds who in their 2nd year at the school). We switch back and forth between mornings and afternoons. Soooo ... Monday morning I had the dinosaur class and taught things like Phonics (the alphabet and sounds), Comprehension (this is a cat, this is not an airplane), and Printing and Writing (trace these letters, now draw you own letters).
At lunch we get to stay with the kids for 15 minutes while they eat. We are also provided lunch and can eat with them for those 15 minutes. (the first day we had rice, kimchi, seaweed soup, and some spicy dried thing that was delicious but I have no idea what it is) Then we have 45 minutes of spare time to prepare for the afternoon classes or relax, whatevs!
The morning runs from 9:50 to 12, and the afternoon runs from 1 to 2:35. In the afternoon, I taught the Elephant class Extensive reading (the kids read their own book with my help) and the Thematic class (this month's theme is friendship and I had them do a worksheet from a book that I found in the class.)
After the kindergarten immersion students go home at 2:30, we have a 30 minute break before the elementary classes start at 3:00. If you're lucky, you only have one class from 3 to 4:30 where the kids actually understand English and you teach things like Extensive Reading, Free Talking, or News in Education. On a long day, you teach two elementary classes from 3 to 6.
Both of our days have been 9 hours long and have been very exhausting, with all the prep. But, we are starting to get the hang of it and the staff is very helpful (for the most part). The other English speaking teachers are very nice, and we went out to dinner with a few of them on Thursday night. It was our first true taste of real Korean food, real Korean Soju (20% liquor kind of like Sake), and Korean night life! We had a big dinner, lots of beer, lots of Soju, french fries, and dried squid, and it only cost Nicole and I $45 Canadian!
Needless to say ... we both are really loving South Korea right now. We still have so much to do before we are set up and feel at home, but we have also already done so much this week that we already feel much more in control. Next stop? Easy Mart for more pillows!!!
Over and out,
Joe
Ok, Nicole here now. Joe went through pretty much the jest of school life, but I'll tell you my classes now because they are different (well the mornings). I teach the "Beluga Whale" class which is the new kindergartens (first time in English school) who are all 5. (Which is actually 4... Korean age is different, as everyone turns their next age at the begining of the year, Jan. 1, instead of their actual birth dates.. weird I know. And I refuse to be 26 already).
So, 4 years old, first time English kids is very difficult. They do not really understand anything. But I am very lucky because I only have 3 students! I could very well get more, but 3 is great because it can be very challenging with this age group. Its fun though because I pretty much just play with them, read to them and do fun arts and crafts type things. We are responsible for doing all lessons though, so I need to find new worksheets and cool games for them a lot to keep them interested. They have an attention span of like 15 minutes, so switching things up is essential. My 3 kids are soooo cute though. I will definitely post pics soon. So I have them until 2:30, then have the older kids, which as Joe mentioned are much more easier to teach. Most speak really good English, and one of my classes consists of only 3 girls who are the smartest, and the pride of the school. Those girls are very smart, and they will actually ASK for MORE homework!! I teach the News In Education class Joe mentioned, which is a lot of fun. They have these special newspapers to read called "Kid's Times" or "Teen Times" which cover so many topics. Lunch is really good here, and the cooks know I am a vegetarian so they make me a meatless meal! Actually, another teacher is also veg, so it works.
Ok, so we gotta get outta here and rest! This week has been extremely long and Friday is finally here... something we have been waiting for!! Miss you all, and I appreciate all the e-mails and messages! Hope to get you guys some pics soon!!
Cheers!!
Nicole
On the Ground, Safe and Sound
Annyong Haseyo !!!
It's been a long time coming, but we finally have managed some time to update our loyal friends and family in Canada! Needless to say, its been a long week and we are too exhausted to attempt a clever, or even structured way to start this blog, so let's just dive in!!
We arrived at the Seoul airport at about 3:30am. Flight was pretty good. Really cool "free stuff" like slippers and a tooth brush. The in-flight entertainment was sweet too; we got to catch up on some missed movies from home like The King's Speech, Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Never Let Me Go. Also, the remote for the TV flipped over and turned into a video game controller and Joe played Tetris! But anyways, enough about flight... so 3:30am at airport, exhausted. We had someone meet us which was nice because we did not have to worry about the next step. So this man (we don't know who he was really, we assume the school hired him) got us our bus tickets and waited for us to get on our bus. Bus left at 6:00am so... more waiting!! Our directer met us at the bus stop and drove us to our apartment with all our luggage so that helped out HUGE. Apartment is very nice. It is of course small, but for Korean standards, and compared to other Korean apartments we have seen, its safe to say we lucked out in that department. Only downside was the lack of furniture, which we are still waiting to get. So far we have one cabinet, one small table with shelves, and one bed. We will post photos of the apartment soon, which will give a much better visual than our words. After a short cat nap Sunday during the day, our director picked us up at 5 for dinner and a little run down of things at the school. She also took us on the bus to show us all the stops we needed, etc. We were so glad to get some time at the school to get schedules and more preparation for teaching since we started the NEXT DAY.
So next we'll move on to teaching, because the arrival day is somewhat of a blur with jet lag, new sounds, new sights, and way too much squiggly lines to "read" on all of the buildings.
Cheers,
Nicole
It's been a long time coming, but we finally have managed some time to update our loyal friends and family in Canada! Needless to say, its been a long week and we are too exhausted to attempt a clever, or even structured way to start this blog, so let's just dive in!!
We arrived at the Seoul airport at about 3:30am. Flight was pretty good. Really cool "free stuff" like slippers and a tooth brush. The in-flight entertainment was sweet too; we got to catch up on some missed movies from home like The King's Speech, Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Never Let Me Go. Also, the remote for the TV flipped over and turned into a video game controller and Joe played Tetris! But anyways, enough about flight... so 3:30am at airport, exhausted. We had someone meet us which was nice because we did not have to worry about the next step. So this man (we don't know who he was really, we assume the school hired him) got us our bus tickets and waited for us to get on our bus. Bus left at 6:00am so... more waiting!! Our directer met us at the bus stop and drove us to our apartment with all our luggage so that helped out HUGE. Apartment is very nice. It is of course small, but for Korean standards, and compared to other Korean apartments we have seen, its safe to say we lucked out in that department. Only downside was the lack of furniture, which we are still waiting to get. So far we have one cabinet, one small table with shelves, and one bed. We will post photos of the apartment soon, which will give a much better visual than our words. After a short cat nap Sunday during the day, our director picked us up at 5 for dinner and a little run down of things at the school. She also took us on the bus to show us all the stops we needed, etc. We were so glad to get some time at the school to get schedules and more preparation for teaching since we started the NEXT DAY.
So next we'll move on to teaching, because the arrival day is somewhat of a blur with jet lag, new sounds, new sights, and way too much squiggly lines to "read" on all of the buildings.
Cheers,
Nicole
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Lost and Found: Joe's Scotland Scarf
Afternoon Everyone!
This will be the first post of many on this blog page dedicated to the adventures of Joe Grant and Nicole Heaney on the other side of the world in South Korea. We are expecting to leave this upcoming Friday or Saturday after some strenuous delays. Finally it feels as though the wait is over and our clenched stomachs and sweaty palms are prep'd and ready for the 14 hour flight to our new home!
What sparked this early post (as this was supposed to be a Korea blog) was a ridiculously long and unexpectedly gratifying yesterday afternoon.
After returning from the Korean Consulate in Toronto, we ran some errands to stock up on a few last minute items. (ranch dressing, hershey chocolate, natural sleep aids, tea, a notebook, and a travel game called Bananagrams!) When we were leaving Zehr's, I realized that I was not wearing my Scotland scarf! "Oh No!" I exclaimed. We quickly ran to her car to find that the scarf was not there either. Devastated, we began to backtrack our steps to find the elusive scarf.
If anyone is wondering why I was "devastated" by the loss of a scarf, please note the following:
1) Nicole got me the scarf early in our relationship
2) Nicole thoughtfully bought the scarf in my ancestral home of Scotland
3) Nicole thoughtfully bought a scarf that had my Grant clan Tartan on it
4) It's the only scarf I've ever owned or ever worn
5) Both the scarf and Nicole mean the world to me.
Now back on track. We first went to Chapters in Waterloo, checked the lost and found, and searched the parking lot with no results. Then we moved on to Nature Pharm around the corner, searched the parking lot, and queried the store staff. Again, no scarf! We then went back to Zehr's and searched the store (including under a number of display cases), checked the lost and found, and did a brief scan of the parking lot. With no scarf in site, and very distraught, I wandered into the "Joe" section in Zehr's hoping beyond hope to find a woefully inadequate but similar looking scarf. All they had were purple and grey Thermo-silk scarfs or something like that. Awful.
Slowly making my way out of the store, feeling down in the dumps and apologizing to Nicole for my horrible memory and poor attention skills, we headed for the car. More to cheer her and myself up than anything, I started spinning around and frantically scanning the parking lot again for the scarf.
But wait! What's that?! I spotted a small bundle of red about 100 feet from where we parked under the front of a cheap Honda Civic. I raced toward it, a spark of hope growing into a bonfire of wonder and disbelief. There was my scarf! My slightly dirty, slightly frozen, Grant Tartan plaid scarf! Oh what a time to be alive!!!
It immediately brightened both of our days, and I took it as a positive sign for our journey ahead. Then we went home and watched Friends.
The End
Best from both of us,
Joe
P.S. If anyone has seen "A Very Long Engagement" (Nicole got me to watch it the other day and it was very good), early in the search for the scarf I pealed a Clementine in the car and said "if I don't break this orange peel I will find the scarf". I did not break the peel. Coincidence? Perhaps. Awesome? Definitely.
Cheerio
This will be the first post of many on this blog page dedicated to the adventures of Joe Grant and Nicole Heaney on the other side of the world in South Korea. We are expecting to leave this upcoming Friday or Saturday after some strenuous delays. Finally it feels as though the wait is over and our clenched stomachs and sweaty palms are prep'd and ready for the 14 hour flight to our new home!
What sparked this early post (as this was supposed to be a Korea blog) was a ridiculously long and unexpectedly gratifying yesterday afternoon.
After returning from the Korean Consulate in Toronto, we ran some errands to stock up on a few last minute items. (ranch dressing, hershey chocolate, natural sleep aids, tea, a notebook, and a travel game called Bananagrams!) When we were leaving Zehr's, I realized that I was not wearing my Scotland scarf! "Oh No!" I exclaimed. We quickly ran to her car to find that the scarf was not there either. Devastated, we began to backtrack our steps to find the elusive scarf.
If anyone is wondering why I was "devastated" by the loss of a scarf, please note the following:
1) Nicole got me the scarf early in our relationship
2) Nicole thoughtfully bought the scarf in my ancestral home of Scotland
3) Nicole thoughtfully bought a scarf that had my Grant clan Tartan on it
4) It's the only scarf I've ever owned or ever worn
5) Both the scarf and Nicole mean the world to me.
Now back on track. We first went to Chapters in Waterloo, checked the lost and found, and searched the parking lot with no results. Then we moved on to Nature Pharm around the corner, searched the parking lot, and queried the store staff. Again, no scarf! We then went back to Zehr's and searched the store (including under a number of display cases), checked the lost and found, and did a brief scan of the parking lot. With no scarf in site, and very distraught, I wandered into the "Joe" section in Zehr's hoping beyond hope to find a woefully inadequate but similar looking scarf. All they had were purple and grey Thermo-silk scarfs or something like that. Awful.
Slowly making my way out of the store, feeling down in the dumps and apologizing to Nicole for my horrible memory and poor attention skills, we headed for the car. More to cheer her and myself up than anything, I started spinning around and frantically scanning the parking lot again for the scarf.
But wait! What's that?! I spotted a small bundle of red about 100 feet from where we parked under the front of a cheap Honda Civic. I raced toward it, a spark of hope growing into a bonfire of wonder and disbelief. There was my scarf! My slightly dirty, slightly frozen, Grant Tartan plaid scarf! Oh what a time to be alive!!!
It immediately brightened both of our days, and I took it as a positive sign for our journey ahead. Then we went home and watched Friends.
The End
Best from both of us,
Joe
P.S. If anyone has seen "A Very Long Engagement" (Nicole got me to watch it the other day and it was very good), early in the search for the scarf I pealed a Clementine in the car and said "if I don't break this orange peel I will find the scarf". I did not break the peel. Coincidence? Perhaps. Awesome? Definitely.
Cheerio
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