Happy 4th July!!!

There was no celebration here in ol' Busan, for the birth of the United States. But my friend and I got together for some pizza and beer, and me doing a recording for one of her classes! Woot!! In other news, most of my pics come from a few weeks ago, when I went back to Beomeosa with a friend, to do a thorough job hiking the mountain. It was a great day. I started out sweating like an old man until we made it to the summit, then the clouds rolled in and cooled me off. My hiking partner barely broke a sweat. I guess I'm getting back into American form (i.e. kinda fat in the midsection).

On another ridge we found some guys para-gliding. I've never seen that in person before, so it seemed so cool to me. They gave me a business card, in English, so we'll see what happens with that. On the job front, I do plan to stay here another year, but I am debating whether to stick around here in Busan or try another area. Obviously I already know Busan well, and have many friends here. I will let ya know what happens with that. In the meantime, France v. Italy!!!

World Cup Fever

I know the World Cup is not really a big deal in US, but Koreans are fanatics about it! Ever since 2002, when they hosted the event, they get into a high-pitch fever about it. Randomly in class, kids will chant for Korea. The chant is "Day Han Mean Gook! clap clap! clap clap! clap!" Everyone knows it, and it didn't take me long to learn it. All the kids are wearing red shirts, supporting their team. Even businesses make their employees all wear the same shirt on certain days.

So Tuesday I went to see their first game against Togo. Korea eventually won 2-1. At the bar, at least half the people had red shirts on, including our group. They must've done the daehan mingoook cheer over 100 times during the game. At the end, the people went crazy! Our group went outside to see the streets filled with people, all in red shirts, some with red light-up horns on their heads. No cars could get past, they had to turn around. People were climbing up on telephone booths and subway entrance tunnels. Police arrived eventually, but they didn't need to do much, because Koreans are so well behaved. They just gently direct the crowds and the people know well enough. No fires, no tipping cars, no vandalism; just loud people filling the streets. Very interesting to watch; I doubt such a scene could happen back home. Any large gatherings I was witness to back in college ended in huge fires in the middle of the road, burning cars and furniture, and tear gas and riot police... Go Broncos!!!

Hapkido

Well, for whatever reason, I decided to start taking Hapkido, which is a Korean martial art. Maybe because I wanted some kind of exercise for everyday, or maybe because one of my best friends does it and she loves talking about it; either way, I had a coworker help me find a place to train. Found one about a 10 minute walk from my apartment. I'll get some pics of the place and my uniform sooner or later.

I am the only foreigner at this place (no surprise there) and I think I am getting preferential treatment. The main instructor, who is a 4th degree black belt (4th dan, or sa dan in Korean) can speak a bit of English, enough to help me. But we also rely on a lot of nonverbal - him showing the moves and what makes it effective. I think he is a really good teacher, and perhaps I am also a good learner at this point. In the class there are a few 3rd degree black belts, maybe 1 or 2 1st degree, a yellow and 2 other white belts besides me. Interesting point: the newest white belt is actually one of my students from school. He is 13 I think, so he likes to just run around and play a lot.

The school accepts everyone in with open arms. As part of breaking the ice and building a strong unit, we all went out for dinner after class one evening. We had sam gyoup sal (fried pork) and soju (Korean version of Saki, very very cheap, probably poisonous). After 1 1/2 hours of eating and drinking we went to a noraebang (karaoke in Japanese, literally means singing room). At first I was not very willing to sing songs, but after watching one of my other foreign friends go all out, I realized that its the most fun when you really get into it. I can't remember all the songs I sang, but we had a great time. I had to cheers with everyone several times, so I was pretty drunk. Thankfully, this all took place within walking distance of my apartment.

I can go to the class every night, after teaching finishes. I am usually able to go 3-4 nights a week, and even have the option of going in on Saturdays, which is nice. Its good to have a hobby, otherwise life becomes pretty boring here. And I don't want to be like some foreigners here who just drink all the time. I also started going to the beach recently and playing volleyball with another group of foreigners, so I'm finding things for fun and social activity. Maybe I'll post some pics of them next time!

Children's Day/Auto Show

Friday, May 5th was Cinco de Mayo, Buddha's Birthday, Children's Day, and a day off for me! Children's day is where adults buy gifts for their kids and they get the day off. In fact, most people get the day off, to spend family time. The irony is that some schools, since they had Friday off, made their students come in on Saturday :-( But not our hagwon :-) So I took this opportunity to go the Busan International Motor Show (BIMOS) at Bexco Center in Haeundae, the up and coming area of Busan; lots of money in that area.

From the pictures you can tell that the Korean auto show is much more sexy than, for instance, most western auto shows. When compared to NAIAS in Detroit, BIMOS puts much more emphasis on the women. And that made it very fun for me and my budd John. Contrary to my normal interest in new cars, I didn't sit in a single car. John and I spent our time taking pics of as many girls as we could (that were worth taking pictures of) and posing with a few as well. I took about 100 pics, but had to delete some due to unfocused images. Later that night I went to a bar that kinda celebrated Cinco de Mayo, even though there are no hispanics in Busan. Just an excuse for a cover charged, theme night, and sell tequila and Coronas (which are more expensive here than Budweiser). Saturday night saw more of the same, and Sunday night I went out with a group of friends, one of which had her sister and her husband visiting in town for a few days. So we played some drinking games and went to a singing room, which I am very good at signing, it appears, on a good night. All in all a long weekend full of interesting experiences and much alcohol. Its like being in college again, but less responsibility! (j/k kinda)

Gyeongju tashi kaja

Means lets go to Gyeongju again, and I did! So much better this time around, as you can see from the pics. A few of my friends chickened out at the last minute, so it was just me and a coworker. Everyone else had the same idea, though, so we were stuck in traffic for almost an hour on the way in! But once we got into the city area it was easy going. Apparently there is another city southwest of Busan which has even more cherry blossom trees, but my coworker said that place would be way too packed with people.

Another funny thing that I forgot about, but which my coworker (Katy - she's Korean) noticed, was all the people staring at me. I've learned to turn that off for the most part, as I was paying attention to the surroundings. But once she mentioned that, I started looking at people and so many would be staring at me, and staring at her wondering what she was doing walking around with me lol! Its not that they are rude, they just do not see many foreigners, so they get a good look when they can. And I didn't see any other foreigners while I was in Gyeongju that day.

On the way out, traffic was a breeze. This was about 3 or 4pm. The inbound lane was backed up a few miles! Then again its only 2 lanes each way. OK, I'm rambling so just look at the pics :-)

Gyeonju

Last weekend I went with a fellow teacher and her family to Gyeongju, the ancient capital of South Korea. Of course there are the major temple and buddhas to be seen there, but the real attraction in the spring is the cherry blossom trees. For about a month ( April) all the blossoms are in bloom, and the streets are lined with the trees full of white flowers. In fact, so is much of the lake in the area.

Unfortunately we went there too early, and there were no cherry trees in bloom. The weather was a bit chilly also, but that didn't stop my teacher and her family from showing me some of the local attractions. From what I understand, almost all Korean students take a field trip to see this ancient capital city at least once during their scholastic career, usually at a younger age. It is amazing to realize that tha dated history of this area goes back to the 8th and 9th centuries. Korea has a rich cultural heritage which I didn't really expect, because its such a small country. I checked out Wikipedia online for more information. We didn't see all the ancient landmarks, such as burial mounds and the Buddha on the mountainside, but I took a few pics of some interesting things. I may go back later with some friends to see the trees next month. If so, I'll post more pics.

Beomeosa

Last weekend I went with a few friends to the North end of Busan. I live on the south end, so by bus and subway it took about 1h 30min to get there. There was me, my friend John, his girlfriend, and 3 other girls. Beomeosa (Bo mo sah) is a temple in Busan. People can do temple-stays if they want, for a nominal fee. I didn't see any monks while we were there, though.

I took a pic of a couple big statues. After I did, I felt this might have been offensive, as everyone else who walked by them placed their hands together and bowed. Oops! But I kept the pic anyway. We only hiked for about 1 1/2 hrs because it became a bit cold, and we were kinda lazy. Someday I will go back and actually hike the whole mountain, and see some nice sights, weather pending.

I had a pic of the place where I live, but I lost it. You can only see the first 2 stories, then there are another 13 floors in the same building, but separated. This is a common structure in Korean buildings, to have the first 2-5 floors for businesses or apartments, then floors 6 through whatever are just apartments. Its different but can be a benefit, like having a party shop on the first floor of your building. Teaching continues in the same fashion.

People Helping People

Last Saturday I went with a group of foreigners to an orphanage. This group of Christians are from the US and Canada. They do this once a month. I agreed to do this a few months ago, but I usually was hungover or woke up too late and couldn't make it. This month I made sure I would be able to go. So we met at 1:15 at Starbucks in Nampodong (just across the bridge from where I live) and waited for 1/2hr before a van came to pick us up. Yes, Starbucks are popular in Busan also, as well as Dunkin Donuts (which is much nicer than the one was in my hometown).

So we went there and played with kids. I spent the first 30 min playing basketball. Man, I suck! I'm so out of shape for that. But the kids were pretty good, lots of passing and teamwork; they were about age 10-12. Then me and the other guy in the photo played with a group of girls for the rest of the 2 hrs we were there. We came with more people, but they all disappeared and we couldn't find them.

I gave my buddy a piece of gum, and the kids, with their raptor-like senses, were on to me instantly and wanted all my gum. So I reluctantly gave it all away, everything I had. Then one girl though it would be a good idea to put rocks in the gum pack where the gum used to be. Pretty funny, so I said in Korean "Oh, delicious?" And I gave lots of piggy-back rides, chased them around and spun them around.

As we were finishing, one guy said to me that we are probably getting back more than we give (when we do this good deed). I didn't really have a response, so I just said Yea, I think so! lol I didn't see it that way at all, I just went to play with kids. Kinda like work, but no studying English. I was the only non-Christian in the group of foreigners. But it was fun and I'll try to get some better pictures next month. It's a really nice school complex.

Korean food

Ok, so you guys must wonder what I eat every day. To tell the truth I don't really keep track of what I eat, so I have to take pictures to remind myself. Usually for breakfast I have a western-style meal, like cereal or eggs and a PBnJ, orange juice, maybe a banana and a protein shake a bit later. The rest of the day it varies. For lunch I might cook up some meat and some vegetables. In one picture you can see the vegetables on a white plate. Next to that is what is known as busan odang, which is a sort of fish patty, particular to Busan because of its abundant fishing industry. It tastes great!

Last week I went to a fishery in Yeongdo with a coworker. It looked more like a warehouse than anything else. All their food was fresh, and I guess you could pick your fish if you want. I ate raw fish, its was okay, with some soju and beer. Growing up my family did not eat a lot of seafood because of allergies, so getting used to eating mollusks and squid and such was pretty weird. It still is because of the salty taste. Yes, I live on an island, but its just like the rest of the city, nothing special. I just cross a bridge to get to the rest of the city. There are two bridges and they are pretty short.

Later in the week I went to another place to eat, in Nanpodong, which is right across the bridge. Just look at the stuff! Its hard to explain what everything is. Its Korean traditional food. The big plate on the left is steamed pork, the big one on the right is kimchi. Then a bunch of side dishes, which is common to Korean meals. There are plenty of western-style restaurants as well, like Outback, Bennigans, MacDonalds, TGI Fridays, etc, but I don't really want to go to those places. There'll be plenty of time for that when I go back home.

Snow? In Busan?

Yes, it finally snowed in Busan on Monday! But by 11am it was mostly melted where I live. I received a few text messages to wake up and look outside, cause I've let everyone know how much I miss it! It was a measely 1-2 inches, and turned to light drizzle later. It was ok, but I wasn't all that excited. The picture of the mountains is the island I live on, on Monday around noon. The second picture is what I see everyday when I first walk out of my building. Nothing special, but I do get to see those mountains when I walk a bit farther down the street.

I went hiking again a few weeks ago, and took a few pics. I had a friend help me get those two little girls to pose, but they seemed pretty confused about what was going on, and maybe a bit scared of the big waygook lol! Also atop the mountain there are old mine fields, pretty fun. It used to be some sort of lookout point however many years ago due to its location close to the sea. On a clear day you can see all the way to the island I live on, but usually its kinda foggy.

Also included a pic of one of my students, a typical little Korean girl. Its funny, most Korean girls ages 6-11 wear pink almost everyday, either their coat or shirt, pants, etc. And you see that piece of paper being held up? Thats a scaredy-cat teacher who didn't want to be in the picture lol. Silly girls...

The day to day

Ok, only 20 day this time between posts lol! Its funny, I know that evenyone back home is interested in how my life is different from back in the States, what makes Korea different. But to me its one of those things - you get so involved in your day to day life that it becomes natural and you don't think about it. Thats why I seldom think of anything new to post. This is my life now and I take it for granted that there are other lifestlyes. I'll try to talk about a few differences now...

Everything here is cheaper than back home. Where I go to get groceries looks like any western grocery store, but its a bit different - more fresh food and much more seafood (because of Busan's location on the coast). A 2-liter bottle of water costs less than 50 cents, a bottle of soju (rice alcohol, 20%) costs less than one dollar for about a 20-oz size. Imported beer costs a bit more than back home, and there is plenty of wine. Hey, am I talking about alcohol too much?

Public transportation is cheap and clean. Bus is 90 cents and subway is 1 dollar, to take you the whole length of the city. But otherwise the city doesn't look all that clean - lots of dirty buildings (ie. no power-washing buildings), except for the nicer areas. My school is 3 minutes away walking time, the gym is 5 minutes, grocery store is 5 minutes, subway is 10 minute bus ride, bus stop is 5 minutes walk. Everything I need is close by. I'll try to get some pics of these places soon.

In my free time I make it to the gym maybe 3 times a week, sometimes I meet up with my friend John (Canadian) and maybe get a few drinks on a Thursday in Seomyon, which is 30 minutes away, bus/subway. In fact, me and John always meet on Fridays and Saturdays and hit the bars. Its fun, but sometimes it gets out of hand :-) He's my drinking buddy.

I've been dating one Korean girl for a few months, and others come and go. The lifestyle is a bit slower here. We're all pretty busy during the week and only meet up on the weekends, usually because of the distance. So if I stop seeing people on a regular basis, its not a big deal. Its a big city, but it doesn't feel like 3.8 million. Until you go shopping on the weekend. The main shopping areas are packed, especially in the winter. Everyone is out shopping, watching movies, street vendors selling food and merchandise, underground mini-shoppes packed with Koreans! Sometimes it seems like everyone is going the other way, and I can't dodge them all. No wonder people here don't say excuse me, because you're always bumping into one another. I still try to dodge people, but I'm the only one who seems to care haha!

I know, you guys want pics. I usually forget my camera at home, but I'll make a conscious effort to bring it out with me sometime on a weekend and take some pics of the sights and people. Until next time, thanks for visiting my site :-)

Lazy Me...

Yea, its been a while since I posted, but not much new here. Holidays came and went without much hoopla. I got really sick the day after Christmas, eating bad food. This was the first such incident in Korea, and it was my own fault for eating leftovers that had been sitting longer than 2 days. Generally the food here in Korean is healthy, albeit weird to the western pallette. So I am skinny now. I'm kind of afraid to go back to the states and put on a belly again :-(

I was at a Korean bar on New Years Eve. When the clock struck 12, nothing happened lol! I had to look at my watch to realize it was New Years. So I started whistling and yelling, no one seemed to care, like it never happened. When I was yelling, koreans knew why, but no big deal, because they celebrate the lunar new year.

In an effort to combat this laziness, I bought a classical guitar yesterday from a friend. That should be some cheap fun, creative activity. I also ordered Pimsleur Korean, in hopes of helping my conversational skills. If it works well, I may buy more of the same after that, for Chinese, Japanese, whatever. Apparently Japanese and Korean have the same grammar structure, so its easy for Koreans to learn Japanese.

I'll try to keep up with posting for those of you who faithfully check this site. Speaking of faith, remember how I was talking about Christian Science? Well, I've done nothing with that, I'm still without religion, and thats ok.

Merry Christmas!!

So Christmas is this Sunday. Funny thing is, I feel no sadness about missing it. Koreans don't really celebrate Christmas, so there are few signals that its even coming. I have made plans with some Americans and Canadians on Christmas Eve. As for Christmas, who knows what I will end up doing, maybe set up a date or something, and just relax.

I was going to send out Christmas cards, but I waited too long and I'm lazy ;P so this is my card. Thank you to everyone who visits my site, everyone who keeps in contact with email, and special thanks to my mom and dad, and Nancy and Gary for the packages sent. They are all being put to good use.

Then New Years is around the corner and so is my birthday! New Years isn't really a big deal, but I'll make sure to go out, and go out for my birthday as well. There is no shortage of people to talk to here and meet with. Koreans are so nice, and they try hard to speak English with me. And the girls are not bad either ;-)

King is Back

That was the slogan for Carl Cox, world famous DJ who played in Seoul Dec 10. I made the journey with a fellow foreigner from Busan. I rode on the KTX (Korean Train Express), which took 2hrs 40min for the travel. The train reaches speeds up to 300km/h. It was nice and fast, compared to a regular train which is 4-5 hrs.

Seoul is much bigger than Busan, 13 million v. 3.7 million. While Busan has 3 metros, Seoul has 11(?) but some of the lines split, so kinda hard to count. The show was held at the Sheraton WalkerHill in Hongdae. Very posh, and the ballroom was a great place. Never too crowded, and great acoustics. Carl Cox played for 3 1/2 hrs, and I danced the whole time. I was very tired at the end of the night. For anyone familiar with his style or listened to his CDs, you know what the music was like. But his presence was strong, he was moving to the music the whole time. Most DJs use headphones to cue up the music for the next track. The great thing about Cox was that he didn't even use headphones for at least the first 10 songs! My pictures do little justice here, its the kind of thing you have to see live.

There were also a few Asian DJs and a traditional Korean drummer, with all kinds of lighting effects and fireworks. Interesting artist, though not for everyone. No one really danced to it, but it was unique. For more info, wait a few weeks and check out carlcox.com or trustthedj.com. Should be some info for anyone interested :-)