Motorcycle!

After a rainy trip to Ulsan on Saturday our motorcycle arrived this morning at about 10am.  Of course we took it out for a spin right away.  It's so much fun! 

The Other Helmet!

The other self portraits.  

One Helmet!

We went out this morning and bought helmets for our motorcycle that we are picking up on Saturday. Here is a self portrait, pictures of Mikey will be coming soon!:) Ok, off to work.

Fan Death

An extremely interesting urban legend that is still widely believed in Korea,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death 

I have not actually tried to discuss this "fact" with anyone but am told that it is a very sensitive subject (if you are trying to refute it).

6/14-6/16 Pictures

Just a Few Pictures.

Back At Sangju Beach

Hmm, Soju much?

Apple crack for techno junkies

Here comes the Rain

Though it hadn't started to rain yet, we took the umbrella out to work with us on Monday in lieu of wind gusts and dark clouds. We were to meet Helen; our manager, at the front gate of the University at 1:00 to get our health insurance. On our walk to the insurance building she admitted with a crumpled face, "I think the rainy season starts today."  

I already knew that for about a month in the summer the Korean peninsula experiences it's monsoon season. I figured this thing was a gradual increase in humidity and rainy days per week. Well. It's a bit more intense than that. 

Apparently the Koreans know just when the monsoons will start. Obviously there is some scientific clock in a Koreans body that starts ringing on the first cloudy day in the second week of June. She knew, just like our co workers that today's clouds and wind meant something else.  

Sure enough it started to rain shortly thereafter. Now it's Wednesday night and it hasn't stopped once! Okay, it gets lighter at times but is met ultimately with heavier rain. The moments of mist means the coming  of cats and dogs ready to scratch at your umbrella and windows, piss on your shoes, and prune your fingers. 

Let me give you a preview of the Jinju 10 day forecast from weather.com: Rain, Rain, Rain, Rain, Rain, Cloudy, Rain, Rain, Rain, Rain.   . . . . Sweet . . . . 

Good news: Got health insurance.

The Joys of Teaching

I was recently informed that my last blog entry was not up to par.  So, I wanted to add a few things from life. You should all really appreciate this entry because I am typing sans left index finger (the kitchen knife and I got in a little argument and the knife won (yes, yes, cliche I know)).  Anyway, what this post is really about is the joys of teaching.  They are there, although at times is seems that they are few and far between.  However, two days ago I was making a list of Spring things with my class and the students kept shouting out something in Hanguk without letting up.  They obviously didn't know what it was in English and I didn't know what it was in Hanguk.  So, I started to write the Hangul letters up on the board of what they had said.  They all stopped shouting and started coaching me on how to write.  They even told me, "Good job Teacher.  Good job!"  

Today, in another class we were trying to play pictionary but all the students kept standing up and trying to cheat.  They weren't listening when I told them to sit down and I was even pushing them away.  So, I shouted, "Anchuseyo!" (which just means sit please).  They all looked up in awe and started clapping.  It was quite hilarious and they moved towards their seats but didn't actually sit down, until I said, "Seriously, SIT!" 

I have to keep reminding myself of these times as opposed to another class where one student is definitely making fun of me in Korean but I am not sure what he is saying so I don't know what to do about it.  It really wares on the self-esteem levels of a teacher. 

Alas! It is the weekend and if the weather continues to be nice we will head to Namhae in the morning for some sun, sand and fun!

It's Alive!

So, we just went out to dinner with our coworkers again.  Not quite sure what the occasion was but hey, nothing wrong with a good dinner with fellow Koreans right? We got in a couple of cars and they drove us to another part of town, Da-Dong or something like that.  It seems that a lot of our co-workers are related, our managers sister now works there and the other manager (who just started) is the sister of someone who works in the office downstairs.  Anyway, it was a dinner of raw fish.  It wasn't sushi or sashimi, although those were some of the sides, it was eaten like all meat wrapped up in lettuce or sesame leaves with a spicy red pepper sauce and lots of raw garlic for me!  There were also a couple of live things that were brought to the table.  The first round of live shellfish neither Mike or I had the stomach to try.  But then they brought out octopus  tentacles that were still moving.  Mike had the guts to try these ones, and said they were good.  I just poked at them but couldn't get myself to try them.  However, it was all very tasty and now we're off to hang out with some other wayguks (foreigners)! 

Busan, Baseball, Bars, Beaches

From the Beach

Cold water shock

Concert on the beach

Weird floating thing

Foosball!

Sand sculptures

Making a masterpiece 

Cheering at the baseball game

Our imitation seats

Weird man who wouldn't leave me alone

Subway walks

Streets

This weekend was Memorial Day (현충일, Hyeon Chung il) in South Korea, meaning we had Friday off from work!  The bus trip can be anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours all depending on traffic, this trip seemed shorter than the last time we went.  We arrived at the baseball game an hour early trying to get seats.  Most of the tickets are general admission and they sell as many tickets as there is standing room (not seats like you might expect).  Needless to say getting to the game an hour early is not early enough and we still had to stand.  We got some beer and fried chicken though to make the wait for the game to start a little easier.  As before that crowd is totally into the game, or perhaps they just like to chant.  It doesn't seem to matter whether they win or lose, or who is at bat, there always seems to be some sort of chant going on.  And our team, the Lotte Giants, lost.  

After the game we decided to go and get some dinner at the same Turkish restaurant that we went to last time we were in Busan because the food was quite delicious.  We got there and sat down and waited almost an hour to get just our appetizers and 2 beers.  Thinking, this is ridiculous as we saw other customers come after us and get their food we decided to leave.  A bit angry we went to cool our nerves at the local Korean Baths, an interesting place and something I've never experienced to say the least.  At the baths, the women and men are separated.  You take your shoes off in one room and put them in a locker, then you enter another bigger locker room and take off all your clothes and store them with anything else you might have brought.  Then you enter a huge room that has showers and baths of all types.  There are cold, warm, hot, hotter and hottest tubs.  They are all carved out of giant rocks so you feel like you are at an actual rock hot springs or something.  There are also salt baths, and these giant waterfall things that are a great massage as well as steam rooms. After this invigorating  experience we continued on to the next local watering hole where we got to play some foosball (I am quite possibly the worst foosball player ever and only like to play on teams with someone who is really good).  

Then, onward.  We stopped at a local street food vender for some yummy deep fried kim bap and fish on a stick (lots of food for 3,000 Won!) We went to a couple of other bars, with crazy dance music and one where I got to dance my heart out:) At the last bar we found a pool table.  Mike played a round of pool for a round of beer and had to buy a round of beer, ah but life goes on.  It was late at this point and time to find a hotel/motel and hit the sack.  What seemed like a very long cab ride later we found a motel for 30,000 Won, not too shabby. 

It had a bed and pillows all that I wanted for the night.  The bathroom was kind of scuzzy but I wasn't expecting much.  After sleeping until 1 pm we finally got up and out.  None of the hotels we've been to seem to have a check out time, interesting.  We found our bank and the subway and decided we needed to eat before going much further.  We found a local rice joint and had some kimbap, noodles and bibimbap, very tasty and filling.  Back to the subway a short ride later and we found the stop for the beach.  Not quite sure where the beach was from the stop we looked around and found a blimp in the sky and determined that must be where the beach was.  At the beach they have a stone walking path, the beach is narrow and full of activity.  It happened to the the time of the Sand Festival.  There were tons of really intricate sand sculptures and people were working on them as we walked around.  There was also a concert and sand wrestling and volleyball.  The weather was a bit chilly with the wind and the water was cold!  Even though I had my bathing suit on there was no way I was going in the water.  After hanging out for a bit taking a nap and reading we decided to walk around.  We found a restaurant and I wanted to get some fish being so close to the ocean and all.  The sashimi platter was going to run about 130,000 Won! No way! So we got the least expensive thing on the menu which was still 20,000 won, it was okay but way over priced.  

Trying to find the subway again we walked in a couple of circles but eventually found it.  The maps are confusing and no one likes to use street names. We took the subway to Lotte world where we could catch a bus back to Jinju and eat some dinner.  In the grocery store they had avocados which they were selling for 4,900 won, even though they were so expensive I decided to buy one and it better be the best avocado I've ever had.  Before the next bus came we had some time and walked around there area which was quite bustling with activity.  There are all these tents sent up on the road where you can have a sit down dinner and there are also ones that are bars, and quite fancy for being in a tent.  All around there were arcades and we got sucked in and played some street fighter, always a good move.  

Back to the bus stop, there seemed to be a lot of people waiting for the bus back to Jinju, we thought we might have to stand but we were lucky and got seats.  At the next stop people had to stand for the hour long bus ride back.  And ahhh finally back home!

When It Rains It Pours

I cannot remember the last time I witnessed rain as torrential as it was last night. Rivers ran down inclined pathways, over the sidewalks and onto the streets. It was abrupt and thunderous. 

People laughed us off as fools as we ran through it without an umbrella, caught between a friends place and home. Soaked through and through we stopped running and walked the rest of the way home. 

Back at the apartment peeling the clothes off it got harder still. Our little cactus plants (aka "The Ladies") were frightened on the window sill. I could tell. 

That night we saw the movie "What Happens in Vegas." It was okay. I didn't have much expectation in the movie featuring Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz as a one night stand married couple. Plenty of below the belt humor that ends with our attractive stars being happy and rich. Fool proof.     

The movie was in english with korean subtitles. Most of the jokes were laughed at by the 3 americans in the front (us). It was obvious the jokes were not translating, or flat out didn't make sense in Hangul. So we were only joined in laughter during the slapstick parts.

Tonight after work we went out with 2 of our coworkers. Lee, our friend is leaving. So it was a farewell for her. Sad I guess, but replacing her is Jenny who is liked. We went out for coffee after that and had some nice conversation and Korean lessons. They are amazed at our ability to read and write Hangul, but it's easy not to be flattered because our comprehension of what we are reading is very low. But we do know considerable amount of sentences and questions that can get us by. Convo is a long way away. They talk to damn fast. Well, only 2 months right. We'll get better. 

We are going to Busan tomorrow morning, so I should sleep. More Baseball(Yagu)! Assa! 

Seoul Trip

Cable Car

Seoul

Flying wire man

I believe we may have spotted a place eat (we do that very well)

Mountains surrounding Seoul

Stream in the middle of Seoul with a film festival going on

Trying to get to the other side!

Alley

Bar where we experienced some culture shock

BANANA! (well almost)

Folk Museum

So tall

Trying to fit in

Warrior performance

The TV tower

Snack with a view

A very strange tree

Inside a room of the palace

Gi-normous fishies 

 

Pretty water lilies

At the batting cages

Mikey sleeping Ana being bored

Mmm Fire hydrant

A pile of rocks for Bill!

At Namdaemun Market

It's a mote! 

1/12th view of Seoul

Part of Gyeong Sang Buk Palace

Got back in from South Korea's capital city; Seoul, last night. Seoul is about 3 1/2 hours by bus from Jinju. It is a megalopolis of about 10 million people and is divided by the Han River. Not sure which is the better half, anyway despite it's size we somehow managed to run into our friends from Jinju and a friend of a friend from New York that I have never met before, who is from Mt. Kisco. 

Seoul is a very cool city with lots of action, but I am glad to live in Jinju. Seoul is just too big and big cities get old. However, in Seoul being a foreigner is not a big deal so you aren't stared at or get hello'd like you do in a smaller city, which is nice. 

About a third of our time there was spent underground zipping around the subways going from one spot to the next.  We got a pretty good handle on the system, and it's a good thing because of it's cheapness and efficiency. We were told by others not to bother with the subways because it is very confusing, but Ana being schooled on the largest subway system in the world was not phased. And it is not confusing if you can read a map. 

We went to an ancient palace on one end of the city that had a folk museum inside it. It was on the edge of a mountain bluff, so we got some nice pictures there and some ice cream of course. There was also the first ever Gay Pride parade going on somewhere in the city that day which is pretty historical, but we only saw massive amounts of Riot Police and no masked marchers. (We were told the paraders had to wear masks because it is still very taboo to be out.)

The sheer number of Riot Police was pretty alarming. Some groups were in formation, shouting as a chorus, and other groups were lazily sitting on the sidewalks waiting for something to happen. 

We wound up getting a hotel in a part of the city called Sinchon, which was cool and cheap. That part of town was referred to us because it is known for their "Love" Hotels, which is really just a no strings attached cash business. The one we picked was nice and clean with a/c, a big flat screen TV, and interesting lighting that only ran us 60,000 won (60 bucks). They didn't ask our names or take any info.  Best part about the hotel was either the electric picture of a tropical beach lit up, emitting grainy ocean and seagull sounds, or the nearby batting cage. 

So that night after checking in and relaxing a bit we took the tube to a part of town called Itaewon (ee tae won) which is a major foreign site. In a bar there we experienced our first dose of culture shock; ironically surrounded by our likeness. There we met some friends from Jinju, saw a couple of bands play and headed out to some other bars. Good fun all in all. In between bars at a sit down street side food vendor I had a small conversation with a Korean guy who spent some time in Indiana and will be going back soon. That is also where we ran into the kid from Mt. Kisco.

Sunday we checked out of the hotel and stopped at the batting cages for a go at it. It was great to swing a bat and hit some balls. Also there was a guy there in full uniform maybe even wearing cleats, smoking cigarettes in between at bats. He was silent and intense.  After the baseball workout we got some mexican food at a chain restaurant(decent) and then headed for the old TV tower. The TV tower is now an observation deck that stands on a forested peak in the middle of the city.  The views were phenomenal. The city was absolutely huge. 360 degrees of bland apartment complexes, corporate monoliths and hazy smog. We had the ear shot of a bird, and watched cars use the streets and highways like blood cells in veins. I spotted a Trump tower and became a little hot. It was a beautiful day. In the distance you could tell the various mountains that interrupted the city sprawl were very old, because the peaks were rocky and bald. 

Seoul has been the cultural center of Korea since the ancient times. Interspersed through the city are palaces and temples once owned by the rulers of various dynasties. At the Folk center museum there was an exhibit that compared locations through pictures separated by 100 years. The differences were startling. All locations are completely transformed by industrial progress. 

Any way there must be some things I am leaving out. Good news. Today (monday) we got new books to use in class, so now with ample teaching material it is 100% breezy!