Girls’ Night In and Sleepovers (23 - 24 July)

By Saturday, I’m proud of my apartment which has been scrubbed from top to bottom.  I’ve even wiped down all of the wallpaper on the walls and ceilings with anti-bacterial wipes and I’m hoping that my landlord is planning to sort out the mouldy ceiling soon.

While Catfish heads back to Boryeong for the second weekend of the mudfest, M and I do grocery shopping for tonight’s dinner.  Despite the mould, Catfish’s apartment is too small for many people and M’s house is too far away so everyone is coming to my apartment for the night.  It’s a good afternoon together as we catch up on chatting.  When Catfish arrives at my apartment at 19:20, we start preparing dinner.  We’re attempting to make our own fresh spring rolls like those at Hoa Binh and we’re happy that they turn out pretty well.  Dinner, held on the floor in my kitchen, is a success!

Two bottles of wine later, Catfish has regaled us with her day’s adventures in Boryeong and it’s time for the girly part of the evening as we apply face masks.  M has also brought her extensive collection of nail polish and the manicures begin.  By midnight, we’re all exhausted and Catfish has long since fallen asleep. 

We get a slow start to the day the next morning although M has to leave early.  Since it’s raining, Catfish and I chat for the rest of the morning and late into the afternoon.  By 16:00, we’re hungry so Catfish goes home to shower and change and we arrange to meet at the Gal-B at 18:00 for dinner.  Dinner at the Gal-B is usually accompanied by a trip to Angel-in-us for coffee although we’re smart enough to bring out laptops with us so we can work on our summer camp lessons for a few hours before calling it a night and preparing for work the next day.

Progress (20 July)

Catfish has a fantastic school that usually allows her to leave at lunchtime during vacation and exam periods.   My school, unfortunately, is not as generous – probably because there are nine foreign teachers at my school instead of one.  Today, however, Catfish finishing school early is a blessing because it means that we can meet at Paradiso for lunch.  It’s a hot and sticky day at 37 degrees Celsius and 93% humidity.  We’re reluctant to leave the sanctuary of an air-conditioned building so we migrate the 100m across the road to Santa Rosa.

Settled in a corned table, I help Catfish cut out game cards for her summer camp.  She also gives me an outline of her superheroes-themed camp.  I’m feeling inspired for my own camps that I have to plan and by the time we Santa Rosa six hours later to meet M for shabu-shabu, I’ve managed to work out an entire summer camp programme.   The afternoon also comes to a perfect end when I hear that I will be moving into the beautiful apartment that I looked at the previous day.

Unfortunately, a mouldy apartment is still waiting for me when I finally return home and I know that I’ll definitely be spending the whole of the next day cleaning and scrubbing in an attempt to get rid of all of the mould.

Lazy Days (17 July)

After the disappointment of yesterday, we decide to stay on the beach and just relax.   Since we’re not going back to Seoul with the AK bus, we’re in no rush to leave.  The day passes quickly with swimming, a few wardrobe malfunctions from Catfish when she dives into the sea and relaxed conversations. 

Unfortunately, the day also passes with significant sun exposure and I get burned.  By the time we head back to the train station, we’re starving and we’re happy to find a cafeteria in the E-mart near the train station.  Astro is a snail as we head back to the train station and back to Gunsan where a mouldy apartment awaits me.

Mudfest (16 July)

After such a long and draining night, I oversleep making me late to meet Catfish at the train station.  Thankfully, I do meet her in time for the train to Daecheon Beach and she’s even bought me breakfast from Lotteria.  M meets us on the train when it stops at her station and we chatter away for the 40 minutes train ride to Daecheon where we meet Astro.  From there, we take a taxi to the mudflats for the marine training part of the trip.

While the Mudfest itself is largely free to attend, the marine training is organised for us as part of the AK package and, quite frankly, it’s the highlight of the trip.  We’re among the first to arrive at the mudflats and we’re dressed and ready for action by the time the AK buses arrive.  The organisers of the marine training is the same company that did the sea rafting and paintball part of a trip at the end of May.  Catfish and I immediately know that this is going to be a great morning!

Getting Down and Dirty

After a brief introduction and once everyone is dressed, we’re given the all clear to enter the mudflats.  While most of the AK group are treading hesitantly through the mud, Catfish and I waste no time in attempting to wrestle each other down and into the mud.  We’re among the first to get muddy and are completely coated in mud by the time we reach the first of our games: Mud soccer.  We’re playing against Koreans – mostly men and mostly guys who have completed their military training and are therefore very fit.  The game, however, is good fun and, surprisingly, the foreigners win.  Next is the chicken fights.

Chicken fights involves holding the ankle of one foot crossed in front of the other knee.  You then hop on one foot and attempt to knock over opponents by bumping into them.  I already know that I’m terrible at this game so I sit it out and instead Catfish, M, Astro, three kiwis and I form a human pyramid in the mud.  Catfish and I also attempt to wrestle ByungMin into the mud as he has barely got dirty.  After many attempts, we finally manage to wrestle him down and insist on a photo of it as proof. 

Doing It Like A Marine!

Our next game is actually marine exercises.  The Korean men all shine in this round as they’ve actually completed these exercises as part of their real military training.  The foreigners, on the other hand, are mostly useless and find the exercises physically demanding.  We soon decide that we’ve had enough and skip the final game of wrestling in order to beat the crowds to the showers to rinse off.  Also, the rain is starting to fall in earnest.  

By the time we’re clean and on our way to our hotels, it’s raining more than we’d hoped.  At the hotel, we drop off our bags and head to the beach and the mudfest area.  The actual mudfest is something of a disappointment and it is basically an opportunity for foreigners to get drunk and behave badly.  In all fairness, there are also a lot of Koreans who are just as drunk and behaving just as badly. 

We paint ourselves in more mud and buy tickets to go on the inflatables inside the demarcated area.  We wait in a line for nearly an hour before finally giving up.  During our wait, however, we witness many disgusting displays of arrogance and inconsiderate behaviour.  The one that stands out the most is a group of foreigners who had a bucket of very watery mud thrown at them by one of their friends.  The mud also hit a Korean woman who was clearly a professional photographer at the event.  Her camera was covered in mud and, when this was pointed out to this particular group of foreigners, they simply laughed it off and gave her a thumbs up. 

Fireworks? What Fireworks?

After playing around the water, we find ourselves desperately wanting a refreshing shower.  After our showers, we walk the strand flat in search of somewhere to eat.  We settle for delicious galbitang and later find enormous take away Junebugs before heading to the stage area.  Deciding that the stage area is too crowded, we head back down to the beach where we build a “2011” with sparklers and unsuccessfully attempt to get them all lit simultaneously.

Promised a fireworks display on the beach, we eventually come to the conclusion that the few rockets we’ve seen are the display and we decide to call it a night.  We no sooner get back to our hotel room when we hear major fireworks exploding.  M, Astro and Catfish decide to return to the beach while I call it a night.  Apparently, I miss some amazing fireworks and great fried chicken….

National Geographic Exhibition (9 July)

M’s friend who is the manager at T.G.I. Friday’s has offered us discount coupons to the National Geographic Exhibition in Jeonju this weekend.  Always keen for an excursion, we agree to go to Jeonju for lunch and then the exhibition.  Since I have to work on the writing textbook for school this weekend, I can’t afford to spend an entire day in Jeonju but an afternoon’s respite is certainly appreciated.

We head straight to T.G.I. Friday’s where we’re faced with difficult decisions regarding which of the restaurant’s mouth-watering meals to order.  On our way out, we see M’s friend who greets us and fetches the coupons for us and we’re soon on our way to the Sori Arts Centre for the exhibition.  

Let's Exhibit!

The photos at the exhibition are spectacular and some of the views are simply breathtaking.  Unfortunately, the audio commentary is only available in Korean as are the explanations of each photo displayed beside the prints.  This puts a definite damper on our tour as we like to know more about what we are looking at.  In addition, the exhibition venue is unbearably hot on the second floor and we find ourselves rushing slightly in order to get back out into the cool air.  Before we know it, we’re on our way back to the intercity bus terminal and back to Gunsan, which means back to working on the textbook for me.  Since two of my co-teachers will be away for the entire summer vacation, the book has to be finished by this coming Wednesday so I already know that I’ll be spending the whole of tomorrow working on the editing and formatting of the book.

Surprising Gifts (17 June)

Cute Doctor is very friendly and chatty during my acupuncture appointment this afternoon.  He also keeps asking me if the treatment that he’s busy doing is hurting me but, while all I want to do is cry from the pain, my ego won’t allow me to cry in front of him.  While he does my neck and spine realignment at the end of my appointment, he suddenly leans forward and whispers, “Sarah, I have something for you.”  Not really sure what to say to this, I ramble.  When he finishes the realignment, he says, “Let’s call it a day” before asking me if he’s used this phrase correctly.  He seems happy when I confirm that it is correct and scurries away to fetch his gift for me.

He returns with a gift bag containing a gift beautifully wrapped in pink paper with flowers on it, tells me that he hopes that it’s to my liking and to enjoy it.  He then wishes me a good weekend before disappearing to his final patient of the day.  Curiosity gets the better of me and, as soon as I’m out of the front door of the hospital, I open the gift, delighted to find three Korean books: a Garfield comic book (in English and Korean), a book of what M later tells me are Korean fables (with a 4 – 8 year age guide on the front) and my favourite book of all – The Little Prince – which is also in English and Korean. 

Good Choice!

The Little Prince has been one of my favourite books since I first started studying French as it was the first French book that I managed to read alone although we also covered it as a set work in one of my earlier French classes in high school.  What surprises me even more is that Cute Doctor has also chosen the only comic book that I still actually read (Garfield) and, although it’s a children’s book, fables which is something that I always enjoy reading.   I’m surprised by how well he has chosen books for me and even more surprised by the gift entirely. 

Part of me, however, is not surprised by the gift.  While I give a gift for the sake of giving it or because I’ve found something that I think a particular person will enjoy, I’ve heard that the Korean custom is to always give a gift in return and of a similar value.  In a way, by giving Cute Doctor the English phrase book two weeks ago, he was, in a way, obligated to return the gift – something I didn’t anticipate at the time.  It also, unfortunately, suggests that he’s rather traditional.

All Fun and Games (12 June)

Catfish and I meet M at E-mart at 10:00am dressed in our swimsuits and ready for another day on a beautiful beach.  We meet M’s friend from Seoul, Astro, at the train station in Daecheon at 11:30am and then head to the beach.   Astro is a total sun-worshipper and while we all apply sunscreen, he applies sun tanning oil. 

He is the first Korean person I’ve met who actually tries to tan since white skin is generally highly valued among all of the other Koreans I’ve met.  I’ve jokingly told students that I’m so pale, I’m almost translucent and been surprised by how much they envy the paleness of my skin, which I’ve always tried to tan without success.  

Astro is keen on a day of fun and heads off in search of water guns after a few hours of tanning.  We then have a fun afternoon playing with water guns and taking photos in gangster and Charlie’s Angels inspired poses before heading to Orange for dinner and milkshakes.  Reluctant to leave the beach, we return to watch the sunset and finally heading home at around 20:00.

Consequences (6 June)

We awake just in time to get ready for the ferry at 9:30am the next morning.  Following our drinking of the previous night, we decide to take motion-sickness medicine for the ferry ride back to the mainland and we’re grateful that we do after the events of the previous night.

Back on the mainland, we head to Suncheon’s Traditional Folk Village where we have about 90 minutes to look around.  Although the village is impressive and interesting, I feel awful and impatient to get home.  Catfish thinks it’s rather funny that I’m so grouchy after last night’s drinking session.  We’re soon delivered to the Suncheon Bus Terminal and fortunately, we’re just in time for the next bus to Jeonju where we head to T.G.I. Friday’s for a proper dinner at 19:30 before getting on our final bus back to Gunsan.

Happy Birthday, Catfish (3 June)

Today is Catfish’s birthday and we’ve signed up for another great AK trip for the long weekend in order to celebrate her 24^th birthday.  After a regular school day, I head to the Gunsan Medical Centre for an acupuncture appointment.  I’m excited yet nervous as I’ve found a great English phrase book for Cute Doctor.  Last week he showed me his English language book, which I think is too easy for him and having recently been in an ELT Bookstore this week, I have found a great book that I think will be very useful for him.  When I give him the book, he seems very surprised and at a loss for words.  I leave the GMC wondering if, perhaps, I’ve overstepped a line and doubting myself as to whether or not I made the right decision.  I don’t dwell on it too much though as I head to my apartment to pack a bag quickly and meet Catfish at the Express Bus Terminal.

We take an 20:30 bus to Seoul and arrive at 23:00.  We have approximately an hour before the AK bus arrives and so, famished, we decide to have bagels for dinner before heading to the meeting place.  We’re delighted to see the AK staff again whom we greet like long-lost friends.  We leave Seoul’s EBT at around midnight on an overnight bus to Nokyeophang (I think) harbour on the south coast where we’ll catch an 8:00am ferry to Geomun Island.  Although it sounds ridiculous for us to have up to Seoul when the harbour is probably only about 3 hours away from Gunsan, it really is easier since figuring out the bus transfers so late on a Friday night and then finding accommodation near the harbour is just to confusing.

Dinner With the Mayor (1 June)

I often work late at school.  There have been a couple of days where my colleagues have actually had to tell me to go home so that they can lock the office.  Today, I’m given a key to the office and told that I can now stay as late as I like but that I should go home at the end of school.

The Kiwis and I leave school at 16:00 and head to City Hall.  All of the NETs in Gunsan have been invited to a dinner with the Mayor of Gunsan.  The catch is that we first have to attend a “short training” session which turns out to be us all introducing ourselves (although we know most of the EPIK teachers in our city), a short speech by several prominent people, a couples of clips of various foreign teachers introducing their schools and classes, a video clip of the Mayor’s plans for Gunsan and then a Q & A for which we are completely unprepared.  Apparently, the Mayor would like to know how to improve working and living situations for foreigners and is relying on us to give him suggestions.  Although we come up for a few things, the general consensus is that if the Gunsan Office of Education had told us in advance that this is the main purpose of what we were told was a training session, it would have been more beneficial for everyone present. 

Gunsan: The City the Whole World is Watching!

The video clip that we’re shown, however, is quite entertaining.  In the video, the cheesy North American accented voice (because North America is the reference for all English-related things in Korea) informs us that Gunsan is the “new Dubai” and “the city that the whole world is watching”.  There is also a great map of the world with arrows showing planes heading from major countries around the world directly to Gunsan; within Korea, all roads lead to Gunsan and we can’t help but laugh at this video which also reminds of Gunsan’s slogan: The Dreamhub. 

There are a couple of reasons that this video is so entertaining:

1.      Gunsan has a population of approximately 300 000 people.  I’m uncertain as to whether or not this number include the huge US Air Base in Gunsan too, which, if it does, would make the size of the city even smaller.

2.      Gunsan boasts two cinemas, two large market stores, two parks and let’s not forget the Saemangeum Seawall.  Obviously, we also have lots of coffee shops, restaurants and boutique type stores but these are our main sites.  Although I’ve never been to Dubai, I’m fairly certain that is has far more attractions than Gunsan. 

3.      The US Air Base in Gunsan is apparently the second largest in Korea.  Consequently, many of us have heard on numerous occasions that this makes us a prime target for a North Korean attack after wiping out the base in Seoul.  Whether or not there’s any truth to this story remains unclear.  What is clear, however, is that it would seem that only North Korea would be watching Gunsan as many people outside of Gunsan – especially outside of our province – don’t even have a clue where this prime city is!

4.      The arrows showing planes from around the world going straight to Gunsan is a farce.  Gunsan has a small domestic airport – on the air base apparently – that only seems to have daily flights to Jeju. 

One thing you cannot deny, however, is that Koreans dream big and, in all fairness, there has been a lot of development in Gunsan over the last few years.  The section where Catfish lives, for example, and the area around the cinemas, Lotte Mart and where the Arts Centre is being built were rice fields until about six years ago – there weren’t even buses to those areas then because it was just fields.  If Gunsan continues it’s development boom in this manner, it could very well become a major city although it doesn’t have a beach since it’s an industrial port.

Please Take Advantage

We’re shuffled out of City Hall and onto a bus to take us to a samgyeopsal restaurant for dinner.  Here, the conversation turns lively and foreign teachers seem to scramble for seats away from the prominent people.  Catfish and I end up sitting across from Peter Jung, the head of the Gunsan English Learning Centre that is next to my school, and the Mayor’s assistant.  The meat is not yet even on the grill and the alcohol is already flowing.  We’re introduced to Baek Soju, which seems to be even stronger than regular soju.  Shot after shot, our glasses keep being refilled despite our attempts to just sip our soju. 

Suddenly, the Mayor’s assistant is indicating for me to follow him and to bring my shot glass.  He takes me over to the Mayor and motions for me to pour a drink for the Mayor.  One of the interpreters then tells me that the Korean custom is for the Mayor to now pour me a drink in return then we have a brief chat.  The Mayor, via the interpreter, asks me the usual questions: How old am I?  Do I like Korea?  How long have I been here?  Do I have a boyfriend?  He then tells me to “take advantage and find a Korean boyfriend” at which point I excuse myself. 

Towards the end of the evening, Catfish is approached by two of the interpreters who offer to teach her and I Korean – something that Catfish asked about during the earlier Q & A session.  After a short chat and exchange of numbers, we excuse ourselves and tipsily leave with some friends to our Kiwi-mom’s apartment for birthday cake to celebrate Catfish’s upcoming birthday on Friday.

Monte Cristo Comes to Jeonju (15 May)

Having studied classical music all through school, I’m a big fan of musicals.  I love the theatre in general but musical theatre is definitely my favourite!  Cute doctor told me about going to Seoul to watch Monte Cristo a few weeks ago and I decided that it was time for me to watch a theatre performance in Korea.  Fortunately, I don’t have to go to Seoul to watch Monte Cristo as the show was on, with the Seoul cast, at the Sori Arts Centre in Jeonju.  Gunsan is in the process of building a similar Arts Centre and we’re hoping that shows like this will come to Gunsan eventually.

M booked the tickets online and we travel together to Jeonju on a pleasant Sunday afternoon to watch the show.  The sets are impressive, the costumes are colourful and detailed, the choreography is energetic and the singing is mesmerising.  Overall, the show is extremely engaging and well-performed.  Just over two hours later, I’m satisfied that I’ve had my musical fix to last me at least a few weeks and we’re soon on our way to meet Catfish in downtown Jeonju for an hour or two of shopping – especially shoe shopping.

Happy Birthday, Buddha (10 May)

Today is Buddha’s birthday and a public holiday in the ROK.  Since Buddhism is a fairly dominant religion here, there are guaranteed to be celebrations taking place at the various temples.  One of the closest major temples to Gunsan is Geumsansa where I did a temple stay in mid-February.  I meet Catfish, M and NZ1’s wife at E-mart at 10:00am and we head to Geumsansa for the day.

Disappointments and Creepy Men

Unfortunately, the temple is busy but rather disappointing.  There are hundreds of people and the temple has been decorated with many lotus lanterns but, if you’re not Buddhist, there’s little in which to participate at the festival.  Consequently, we take a quick walk around the grounds, take several photos and decide it’s time for lunch.  A brief moment of entertainment arises when an ajeossi strikes up a conversation with Catfish.  She manages to answer all of his questions in Korean and proceeds to do a happy dance to celebrate after the man walks away.  While I film the dance, he decides to return for a photo with the pretty blonde Migook (American) – creepy photos that he also asks us to take using his phone.  We don’t even want to know what happened to those photos….  Kudos to Catfish for still managing to smile and pose with this creep!

Lunch is a pleasant affair at T.G.I. Friday’s in Jeonju where M’s friend makes our second round of JuneBug’s even stronger than usual leading to a very entertaining drive back to Gunsan.

‘Convicts’ and Lunches (4 May)

Today is the last day of exams and so, since tomorrow is Children’s Day (and therefore a public holiday), the English Department at my school is going to lunch together.  We go to an Italian restaurant in Naundong, Gran Piatto.  The food is pretty good and the atmosphere is lively despite the conversation mostly being in Korean.   By the end of lunch, all I feel like doing is walking off the enormous meal we’ve just had and so, I bid farewell to my fabulous co-teacher and tell her that I’m going to go for a walk before going home. 

I meander around Naundong, exploring streets I’ve only passed before but never ventured down previously.  When I see the public library, I remember that I’m on the road to Catfish’s school.  I head further down the road and see a PE class in session at the school on the corner ahead of me.  Recognising the convict-like orange PE outfits, I’m fairly certain that I’m outside of Catfish’s school.  After walking around for a bit, I give Catfish a call and she meets me at the front gate of her school before showing me around.  Like the teachers at my school, her teachers have heard all about me.  After the tour, we agree to meet outside her school 30 minutes later when we walk to Paradiso for dinner followed by dessert at our Kiwi mom’s apartment.

Jonmyo Kings’ Memorial in Jongno-gu (1 May)

Each year there is a memorial service for the Kings of Korea.  Our friend M has told us about the service this year and we’re meeting her and another friend of hers today at the subway station closest to Jonmyo in Jongno neighbourhood, Seoul.  As we enter the impressive gates of the site, M tells us that we are not allowed to walk on the brick path before us as it is reserved for the kings: the row on the right is for the kings, the middle row is for the ancestors and the row on the left is for the kings’ sons.  To walk on the path in the middle is to bring bad luck (to whom, I’m not sure) and we’re not eligible to walk on the kings’ path.  We make our way around the path, stopping to pose for a few photos along the way, and eventually find the location where the first of the ceremonies is underway.

There are so many people present that it’s rather difficult to get decent photos of the ceremony.  M briefly explains all of the proceedings before us: The square of ‘guards’ to our right are patiently awaiting their turn while the group to our left are performing their ceremonial movements.  In this courtyard, there are 16 rooms – one for every king – and each king must be honoured individually with a feast and certain rites.  The traditional hanbok and uniforms of everyone participating in the festival are beautiful and it’s a truly special sight to behold.  The traditional Korean music that fills the air is also spectacular, and I’m amazed to learn that traditional Korean music such as this consists of only five notes.

When the ceremony ends in the courtyard, crowds scurry to get prime locations beyond the courtyard’s walls for the procession that’s about to take place.  Since we’re unaware that this is what is happening until most of the people have already left, we don’t get good positions for photos.  Fortunately, many of the people involved in the parade are only too willing to pause for photos when they see us.  We have the same experience outside the main entrance of Jonmyo where a much larger procession enters and we’re amused to see even a few foreigners dressed in traditional Korean outfits and participating in the parade.

Seoul Antics

From here, we move to Gwangwamun, which is in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace.  We’re planning to go to a Karsh photo exhibition at the Sejong Centre of Performing Arts so we move directly there.  Since we’re early, we stop at a restaurant called “Good Restaurant” for the most delicious kimchi jigae (kimchi stew) that I’ve yet had in Korea.  After lunch, we still have time to kill so we look around the statues of King Sejong (probably the most famous – at least among the foreigners – of the Korean kings as he is the one who created Hangeul, the current Korean writing system).  We find a booth filled with traditional Korean outfits that we can try on and pose for photos with and Catfish and I are soon dancing around as usual in our red and yellow garb. 

Karsh Exhibition

After playing in the water fountains in front of the centre, we finally head into the Arts Centre for the exhibition.  Karsh is a famous (Turkish?) photographer who photographer hundreds of celebrities in his career.  The photos are amazing and we only wish that we could understand the short descriptions that accompany each photo.  After a long day, Catfish and I again say goodbye to M and her friend and head back to Euljiro-sam-ga station to retrieve our bags from lockers.  Unfortunately, we get very turned around in the station and it takes us much longer than anticipated to find the lockers in which we’ve stowed our bags.  Even more frustrating is that we can’t figure out how to open these particular lockers since the instructions are entirely in Korean.  Fortunately, Catfish has only to bat her blue eyes in the direction of a young Korean guy who happily helps us and we’re soon on our way to the express bus terminal and then on to Gunsan.

Sunday Marathons (24 April)

Catfish and M have signed up for the Saemangeum Seawall Marathon in Gunsan.  The Saemangeum Seawall is one of Gunsan City’s biggest sites and proudest achievements.  It is basically a long bridge that connects Gunsan to Buan – a city approximately one hour south of us.  Catfish and M have signed up for a marathon along this seawall and so have had a very early start to the day while I opt to stay home and do some work before meeting them at Lotte Mart after the marathon.

From there, we head to Paradiso Perduto, an Italian themed restaurant overlooking Eunpa Park with magnificent views of the lake, a peaceful and relaxing deck and the best brie/pastrami Panini sandwiches in Gunsan.  It’s easy to while away the next five hours relaxing on the deck of the restaurant, enjoying the balmy weather and just generally lazing about.  When we finally decide to move, it’s a mere 100m migration to Santa Rosa, the famous coffee shop next to Paradiso.  From our table on the second floor, we have an even better view of Eunpa Park and notice that the cherry blossoms in the park have finally bloomed – something we’ve been eagerly awaiting for weeks!

After relaxing in Santa Rosa for another hour or so, Catfish and I finally say goodbye to M before going for a walk around Eunpa Park to see the cherry blossoms.  The trees are beautiful and the park is busy with many people as eager as us to see the promenade of blossoms at the entrance to the park – a site that is apparently one of the most beautiful in Gunsan.  The cherry blossom trees are a special sight that mark the beginning of Spring: The flowers are small, delicate white blossoms that look like little icicles or crystals from a distance; they also only bloom and last for approximately one week.  Quite simply, it’s easy to miss the cherry blossoms altogether because the blossoms do not last very long; by next weekend, the trees will simply be green.

Fresh from our walk around the park, it’s time to take care of a few admin details like doing the transfers to secure our places for our next two adventures with AK: the Pumba Festival with sea rafting and the Baek Islands trip in June.  It’s still a month to go until the first of these trips but, as we all know, time flies when you’re having fun in the ROK…

Aches and Reunions (21 February)

Waking up this morning is far easier than walking.  I’d anticipated my thighs being sore today as a result of the bowing but I hadn’t even considered the repetitive strain that my upper arms were under during those same bows.  Walking up stairs at school is far less painful than coming back down.  Each step is like a baseball bat being beat against my weary body.  Mercifully, today is a quiet day at school with limited expectations so I’m able to spend most of the day at my desk surfing the net and catching up on blog entries. 

Reflections

I can’t help but think that today’s horoscope is spot on…for yesterday’s adventures:  “Perhaps you planned to attend a group event but circumstances beyond your control got in the way.  Maybe it was cancelled.  This could cause some disappointment for you and others.”  I had planned to meet friends for dinner but ended up in the wrong city nearly three and a half hours away which caused frustration more than disappointment.  “A project of your own is likely to need some attention, and this challenge could keep you engrossed for hours.”  My blog is permanently several weeks behind despite my having blogged diligently for the past two months.  Granted, I’ve managed to get a lot done on my blog but it’s reaching a point where I’m tempted to just forgo the last five weeks of entries and start afresh from today’s date – if only my ego and pride would allow me to do so.  The final part of my horoscope is spot on for today: “Tonight, treat yourself to dinner out.”  Since I missed last night’s dinner, and I haven’t seen Catfish in 10 days, we’re meeting at our favourite Vietnamese restaurant tonight, Hoa Binh, to catch up on the events of the past 10 days; there’s no way I’m missing this dinner!

With the start of the new school year around the corner, offices are abuzz with teachers moving desks.  In Korea and Japan, teachers change desks at the start of every year because it helps to keep things fresh and something about ‘energy’ that I still don’t quite understand.  The amusing part is that when these teachers move desks (and even offices), they move everything – including their keyboard, mice, computer screen and trash cans!  I’m devastated that this means that my fantastic co-teacher will be moving to another office just as I’ve finally been deemed cool enough for the International Office.  However, we’ll be getting three new Korean teachers in our office: Mr Jeong, a new English teacher and Moon Arang (a Spanish teacher).

Introductions

Since Arang is moving to the office that I’m in – and since she’ll be sitting diagonally across from me and we’ve never really spoken to one another before – she decides that it’s time to formally introduce herself at lunchtime when we find ourselves sitting next to each other.  The conversation goes something like this:

Arang:  Sarah, we haven’t met but I am Arang.

Me:       Moon Arang? Spanish teacher, right?

Arang:  (Surprised gasp) You know! Thank you!  I’m moving to your office.

Me:       Awesome!!

Arang: Really? (With very confused look!)

Me:       Of course (With equally confused look).  You were in the fourth floor office

              with Mr Jeong.

Arang:   You know who I am?

Me:        Of course! You play piano too, right?

Arang:  (Another surprised gasp) How do you know?

Me:       You played at the school festival in December.  You play very well.

Arang:  I’m honoured that you remember me.

Me:       I also play piano.

This is where the conversation ends because, frankly, I think I’ve overwhelmed her with the fact that I actually know who she is and remember hearing her play piano at school in December.  She also seems surprised that we actually have things in common – I honestly thought she didn’t like me so it seems we’re both a little surprised today.  I seem to have finally convinced some of the teachers that I plan to stay in Korea and that even though I’m a foreigner, I’m not a bad/conceited/obnoxious person.

Happy New Year…Again (3 February)

Today is the official Lunar New Year (Seolnal).  I thought that yesterday was the new year holiday so I sent text messages to all of my Korean friends while on the bus – if they only knew just how long it took for me to type that message in Korean! 

We wake to the sound of the emergency rescue team doing their morning warm-up exercises on the bunny slope in front of our hostel.  It’s interesting to watch them stretch and warm up, and it makes NZ2 and Catfish keen to hit the slopes as early as possible while the snow is freshly pressed and the slopes are quiet.  After my slide yesterday, I’m not quite as keen to ski all day.  We head to the cafeteria in search of breakfast before returning to our room for Catfish and NZ2 to collect their respective gear for the slopes.  This is when we notice that they are inadvertently ‘couples dressing’. 

Couples Dressing 

Couples dressing is extremely popular in Korea.  Since public displays of affection – beyond holding hands or hugging – are generally frowned upon, couples tend to dress in identical clothing to ‘show their love to the world’. Some couples wear only matching colours or smaller matching items like scarves or beanies while others go full out and match their entire outfits.  Catfish and NZ2 have inadvertently hired identical snow suits which make them look like a couple.  While they pose for photos in their snow gear, I somehow manage to tie the shoelace of one of my sneakers to the strap of my bag which has also caught halfway through my scarf and accidently strangle myself somewhat when I attempt to stand upright.

With clothing issues sorted out, we head out to the slopes to take more photos of Catfish and NZ2 in action on their skis and snowboard respectively. The snow is crisp and the slopes are fairly empty that it’s almost enough to tempt me into getting my skis and joining them on the slops – almost.  Instead, at KiwiKat’s prompting, I attempt to make a snow angel on the compact snow which results in something that resembles more of an angry face than anything else. 

View From Below

Having said goodbye to Catfish and NZ2, KiwiKat and I head back to our room where she keeps herself occupied with various activities and I catch up on some sleep.  By midday, I’ve slept enough that I take out my Korean phrase book and attempt to study a bit of Korean.  YeonJeong, one of the awesome AK staff members on the trip helps me out by explaining a few confusing phrases to me.  She seems surprised to find me studying Korean but takes this in her stride and teaches me additional useful phrases from time to time. 

After only hitting the slopes for another 30 minutes, I resign myself to the fact that a natural skier – or even athlete – I will never be.  I’ve taken the gondola to the peak of the  highest slope just to take photos and then once again part ways with Catfish and NZ2 who ski down while I take the gondola back down to safety and hit the bunny slopes once more.  I feel a bit like a child being escorted by parents who are eager to do more advanced things than I can manage but don’t want to be discouraging either.  The day passes fairly quickly and I’m soon returning my ski gear and preparing to head to Blue Water Canyon, the water park attached to Phoenix Park.

Winter Waters

The water park feels like a sauna as we enter and the smell of chlorine cloys at our throats in an attempted suffocation.  Once changed, everyone seems to make a beeline for the heated pools where we have a choice of three variants: Aloe, something pink and something blue.  We warm up in the pools before heading over to the slide into the circular pool which leads outside too.  It’s a rather strange experience swimming outdoors in a heated pool in the middle of winter but it’s a pleasant evening of playing in different pools before moving to the jet pool for water massages.  The jet pool contains several jets at a variety of heights which makes it possible to direct pressure on specific muscles in your legs, backside, back and shoulders.  The male lifeguards on duty seem quite happy that there are several foreign women at the water park.  From their vantage points high above the water, they seem to be enjoying the view afforded to them by large chested bikini-clad women.  It’s ironic that Koreans will make unpleasant comments about excess body fat but don’t seem to object to a larger bust in general. 

The Start of a Late Night

By 20:30, we’ve moved onto the noryaebang where we once again spend an hour singing songs at the top of our voices while KiwiKat plays around with the pitch and speed controls while we sing.  We’re determined to make this an early night since we’ll be at an ice festival all day the next day.  Fate, however, has other plans for us.  As Catfish and I watch the night skiers from the windows in the stairwell, Seokjin greets and chats to us for a few minutes before inviting us to join him and the Korean staff downstairs for some drinks.  Sure.  We’re not huge fans of soju but we’re keen to drink with the Koreans. 

Downstairs we meet Seokjin’s younger brother who, at 1.82m, is an ex-national volleyball player and good looking too.  He’s hesitant to speak English despite Seokjin’s instructions that we make him speak English to us.  YeonJeong, KyungSu and Seokjin, however, are all lively talkers and our conversations are highly entertaining as we eat chicken and pizza and learn Korean drinking games which involve two rounds of parties since we’re not quite ready for bed after the first round when YeonJeong and SeokYun leave to go night skiing.  Round two of drinking with KyungSu and SeokYun, however, takes us to somewhere around 3:00am and very giggly by the time we reluctantly go to bed.

Three Cocktails Not Three Koreans (1 February)

After five days of vacation spent in Gunsan, I am more than ready to head up to Seoul this morning in preparation for the ski trip that Catfish, NZ2, KiwiKat and I have signed up for through Adventure Korea.  Although we’re only leaving for the trip tomorrow, the pick up time is 7:00am so we’re spending the night at Hong Guesthouse in Hongdae which is only a five minute walk from the pick up site at Hongik station.  In addition, this long weekend is Lunar New Year (설날 – Seolnal) which, along with Chuseok (추석), is one of the two biggest holidays in Korea.  This is a time of mass migration on the roads of Korea as most people travel to their hometowns to celebrate the new year with their families.  There is a system as to who travels where (based on the hierarchal and patriarchal system of Korea) and there are various traditions associated with what actually happens at Seolnal but I won’t get into that here.

Getting to Seoul

Since we already knew that the roads would be busy, Catfish and I meet at the Gunsan Express Bus Terminal at 11:35am and manage to get onto the 11:40am bus – with only four other people.  We take this as a good sign that getting to Seoul this afternoon shouldn’t be too arduous and most people will be travelling later tonight or tomorrow.  The first two hours of the trip are great and we encounter no more traffic than usual in the two and a half hour trip. 

We’re excited to finally get to Seoul and know that we’re only approximately 1 km from the Gangnam Express Bus Terminal when we’re greeted with a sight so terrifying that only a picture can accurately describe it.  After making it to Seoul in the usual two and a half hours, we start to wonder just how long the final stretch is going to take.  We sit on the off-ramp for at least 30 minutes and watch as a passenger approaches the driver, has a hushed conversation with him and then gets off the bus.  I’m optimistic that this traffic can’t delay us for more than 45 minutes but when we’re barely off the highway 45 minutes after getting to Seoul, I’m starting to have doubts. 

Please Control the Waegooks

Catfish keeps sliding across the bus to take photos of the endless traffic and, frankly, we’re starting to go a little stir-crazy which encourages the two Korean passengers closest to us to move to the opposite end of the bus.  We’re meant to be meeting NZ2 in Itaewon after his five day trip to Japan where he proposed to his girlfriend.  We’re eager to catch up and run a few errands before heading to the hostel for the night but the traffic poses a serious obstacle.  Despite the driver’s valiant attempts to slay the many heads of this traffic dragon, it seems to keep multiplying and we’re soon in the thick of a war of vehicles that every possible police officer in Seoul is attempting to control.  It’s the first time we’ve seen so many police officers in one day and clustered in large groups – obviously for their protection from crazed travellers like ourselves.

After another 45 minutes on the bus, we can finally see the Central City sign for the bus terminal and we know that we’re just around the corner from our final stop.  However, we’ve been sitting in Seoul traffic for an hour and a half and just want to get off the bus at this point – if we only knew how to ask this in Korean!  Finally, the driver says something in Korean and the remaining two Korean passengers jump up so we take this as a sign that we’re being released back into the wilds of Seoul and race the other passengers off the bus, grab our bags and make our way across the road to the relative freedom of the subway.  After seeing the chaos on the roads, I’m reluctant to travel below ground where I once again anticipate the type of traffic experienced at Christmas Eve.  Fortunately, most people seem to be focusing their chaos-contributions above ground and the subway is no busier than usual so we’re soon in Itaewon where we hastily store our luggage in lockers and head to What the book? to meet NZ2.

We don’t spend too long at What the book? where Catfish buys a copy of Making Out in Korean to study a few essential terms to use with JH.  From there, we head to a store that does personalised stitching on beanies, t-shirts and other assorted personal goods.  NZ2 is in the market for a new beanie and Catfish and I are still debating t-shirts along the lines of “She made me do it” with arrows pointing to each other.  Standing in the shop, NZ2 chooses a beanie and asks for input as to what it should say.  Considering the speculation of our colleagues over the past month, I suggest it read “Engaged!” which makes both Catfish and NZ2 start laughing almost hysterically.  I even suggest getting one myself that reads “But not to me!” to wear to school on the same days as NZ2 which makes us all laugh even more.  Eventually, we decide to pass on this idea and NZ2 gets a beanie that reads “Too Cold :/” in Korean. By the time we leave the store, we’re starving but not in the mood for burgers so NZ2 suggests Gecko’s which apparently makes fantastic fish and chips so he leads the way to this new paradise.

Listen Carefully Catfish

We’re soon seated and salivating over a menu that lists many mouth-watering options.  We’re all keen to have fish and chips but the quesadillas also sound delicious so Catfish and I decide to share one of these too.  Before you judge us too harshly, we had barely eaten breakfast before leaving this morning and we hadn’t had time to have lunch before getting on the bus so we were starving!

Our waiter places paper place mats in front of us and we notice that there is a picture to colour in on the back.  This is probably meant for children but Catfish is the baby in our group so she asks for crayons to colour in the picture much to the amusement of our waiter. When our dinner arrives, the food looks just like fish and chips in an English pub which is something of a novelty here in Korea so Catfish and I immediately pick up our cameras to document this auspicious moment.  We’re ravenous so conversation is limited as we attack our food with relish.  We make short work of most of our meal before the conversation once again becomes lively. 

Since NZ2 was in Japan for my actual birthday – and I was told at my surprise party that I could have a week long birthday – I tell him that he has to have a cocktail with us.  We can’t see our waiter so Catfish is dispatched to order drinks at the bar.  Within minutes, she returns to the table followed by three very eager and flirtatious waiters who vie to take our order much to Catfish’s embarrassment and our amusement.  With all three 20-something men fighting to take our orders, I lean over to Catfish and tell her that she seems to have only heard the first syllable of “cocktails”.

As we finish off our meal, we’re aware of the overly attentive waiters who seem to have taken a liking to Catfish.  They circle our table on a loop, constantly looking over until Catfish engages them in further conversation.  WanSu, at only (Korean) 20 years of age, is the youngest and has just finished high school as Dan, who is (Korean) 27 years of age quickly points out when we play the Guess How Old I Am game with them.  WanSu also tells us that his English name is Jack Sparrow which prompts Catfish to start humming the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean: World’s End.  I don’t think he quite understood this response in all honesty which just added to the humour of the situation.  Clearly WanSu and Dan are having fun, however, and when they hear that we’re all English teachers, they teach us a Korean phrase to use in class when we have one boy who is not cooperating; Malicious Boy immediately springs to mind.  The phrase means something to the effect of: When I am kind to you, you be a good boy to me.

Engrish in Itaewon

We leave the pub still laughing and teasing Catfish about not getting their phone numbers and head back to Itaewon station to collect our luggage.  While unlocking the lockers, I notice the Engrish instructions that are on the screen when a locker door is open: 33 is the beginning of the locker, After you take the goods until you hear the door beep thrusting. We’re still not entirely sure what this actually means as we take the subway to Hongik station and walk to Hong Guesthouse where David, the manager on duty, seems very excited to finally have people arriving.  We get the impression it’s been a very slow day at the guesthouse and this seems to be confirmed when Charlie (another staff member) takes his time showing us around the guesthouse and finally to our room. 

Let's Play a Game or Two

We’re waiting for KiwiKat to arrive and NZ2 and I are still teasing Catfish about being a natural flirt. When he logs onto Skype to chat to his new fiancée, I join Catfish downstairs to check emails and we end up chatting to David and Charlie until KiwiKat arrives and we head back upstairs together.  Unfortunately, we’re quick to recount the Gecko’s story to KiwiKat who is laughing as much as we did so Catfish, tired of the teasing, excuses herself and heads back downstairs where she is invited to join a birthday party for David’s girlfriend/friend.  This is where we find her when KiwiKat and I head downstairs to go to the convenience store and we’re invited to join the party too.  We chat to the group for a few minutes and, once again, end up playing the Guess My Age game with this group of Koreans.  Koreans and Westerners find it rather difficult to guess each other’s ages so this game often provides great entertainment for both groups.

This game leads to the Guess how long I’ve been in Korea game between us and another English teacher.  He’s a bit pompous and tells us that he’s just renewed his contract which, of course, doesn’t impress any of us with KiwiKat by our side.  When he tries to guess how long KiwiKat’s been in Korea, he seems to find it hard to believe that someone would stay in Korea for eight and half years without: a) Being married to a Korean or b) Earning a ridiculously high salary.  OR c) Maybe we genuinely like our jobs and schools so that’s enough reason for KiwiKat to have stayed here so long which is, actually, the reason for KiwiKat’s long stay in Korea.  He can’t seem to understand this third option and we take this as our cue to leave. 

We’re all more than ready for an early night which means that, once again, we’re staying overnight in one of the biggest clubbing areas in Seoul and we have yet to even venture anywhere near these despite many invitations from David.  Maybe next time we’re in Hongdae, we’ll experience nightlife beyond just the local convenience store.