Buddha's Day, Teacher's Day, and Soccer

As our time in Korea draws to a close, Leslie and I have been trying hard to experience as much of this country as possible before we leave in July.


A few weeks ago was Buddha's Birthday, and Korea being a traditionally Buddhist country, pulled out all the stops to celebrate. Large portions of the city were covered with brightly colored lotus lanterns that were illuminated at night. There were parades, fireworks, and an entire street downtown was blocked off and used as a festival area. There was traditional dancing, food, and music. Leslie and I made some traditional prayer bracelets, but Leslie's kept breaking. (Bad Karma?) Mine held up just fine. We also tried our hand at traditional watercolor painting, but this time Leslie came out on top, as anyone who knows my artistic skills could already have predicted. The Korean instructor didn't even spend time helping me, but simply gave me the paint and wooden block and never returned. I think she knew I was a lost cause from the beginning.


It was great to experience some traditional Korean culture. It is something that is often difficult to do in the ever modernizing, late night partying Seoul.


Besides Buddha's Birthday, Korea has this other amazing holiday called Teacher's Day, a holiday that I would have probably conveniently forgotten about until this year. Due to a overly generous Teacher's Day present, Leslie and I were fortunate to able to attend a World Cup exhibition match between Korea and Ecuador, at Seoul's historic World Cup Stadium.

The game was wild, filled with 65,000 half drunk Korean fans. Sitting next to us were three grandmothers all yelling and eating a seemingly endless supply of candy. One of them got so excited about a play that she jumped out of her seat and her shoe flew into the row below us. Now you may think that we might have been concerned about our personal safety with shoes flying everywhere and all, but thankfully the authorities had surrounded the entire Stadium with a ring of police officers, in case these sugar-crazed grandmas got out of control.

Our time in Korea has gone by quickly and we only have about six weeks left in our teaching contract. We made what should be our last run to Costco a few days ago, which was quite a milestone for us. It shows how close we are to leaving. Thank God for Costco, that's all I have to say! It really has been a lifesaver, and its hot dogs are just as delicious as back home.

Well, that's the news from Seoul at the moment. Hopefully we will post some picture soon.

Samcheong-dong

To our surprise, we are still finding neighborhoods of Seoul we have yet to explore. The area we explored this past weekend is called Samcheong-dong. Without a doubt this is by far my favorite area of Seoul. It doesn't resemble the rest of Seoul in the slightest. The streets are smaller, full of independent coffee shops, restaurants, and clothing stores. It is considered the luxury area of Seoul, which is easy to see why with all of the Mercedes, BMWs, Lexus, and Volkswagen cars driving around. We've been told that getting a foreign car into Korea is extremely expensive, hence the reason 99% of cars on the road are Hongdae or Kia.



Even though we didn't shop, walking around, enjoying the flowers and people watching was enjoyable enough. We ate lunch at a restaurant that served Singaporean food, which consisted of fried noodles (somewhat similar to Phad Thai) and spring rolls. It was tasty and relatively cheap compared to the other restaurants in the area. After eating lunch we got a coffee at a place called "The Coffee Factory." Ian enjoyed an iced milk tea latte, whereas I got an iced green tea latte. For some reason regular coffee lattes in Korea are rather strong, so we often order different drink options. The coffee shop was in a great area of people watching, so we sat and enjoyed our drinks while watching the young Seoulites.



We ended the day with making our way to the Yongsan Electronics Market. We bought the 3rd season of Sopranos and the 1st season of Entourage for a cheap 12,000 Won, which is around $10! Those purchases would have easily cost us $40 in the states.



I hope everyone is getting as good of weather as we are in Seoul!

Boracay

We finally took our week vacation and might I say it was wonderful! Since we only had a week we decided it would be best to choose one area and to stay there the entire time. After weeks of contemplation, we decided to take a beach vacation to Boracay, Philippines.


Getting to Boracay was no easy task. Our first flight was from Seoul to Beijing. We then had to stay in the Beijing airport for about 6 hours waiting for our flight to Manila. We eventually made it to Manila around 1 am. Unfortunately, our flight to Boracay didn't leave until 6:30 am. Not sure if the airport would let us check in that early, we decided it was worth the attempt. To our surprise, the Manila Domestic airport was packed with people. Literally, we have never seen so many people at an airport so early in the morning. For some reason Filipinos choose 3 am as the average departing time when traveling. The airport also had several eateries and convenience stores, so we were definitely able to keep ourselves occupied for the four hour wait.



In order to actually get to the island of Boracay, you first fly to the city of Cataclan and then take a boat to Boracay. Fortunately, our hotel had set up a pick up service for us. So getting from the airport to the boat and then finally to our hotel was very easy. Once we arrived to our hotel we collapsed with exhaustion!


After a short afternoon nap we decided to check out the main beach, called White Beach. White Beach is about a mile and a half long of unbelievably soft sand. The water is the clearest I've ever seen and is the color of breathtaking turquoise. So, after a quick lunch we immediately jumped into the warm waters of Boracay! Very few things get better than swimming in some of the clearest and warmest water in the world.


Within that week we enjoyed a few different beaches on the island, took a snorkeling and boat tour around the island, and enjoyed the cable t.v. in the hotel!


Towards the end of the trip Ian and I got a stomach bug either from something we ate or water, which caused us to spend a little more time in the hotel then expected, but we were just happy to be taking a break from CDI. Fortunately, our trip to Boracay gave us the rest we needed to finish our last 10 weeks at CDI and in Seoul.

Myeongdong and Gwangju

We believe we have finally survived the Korean winter. The temperatures are actually staying above the 40's and the trees are starting to sprout. We've been told that Spring comes and goes quickly, so to enjoy it while it lasts.



Two weekends ago Ian and I explored a new area of Seoul called Myeondong. It took us by surprise because it's appearance did not resemble the rest of Seoul. It contains multiple streets of updated shops, restaurants, and actual department stores. It was also cut off to most car traffic, so we didn't have to worry about the weaving motorcyclists. Before exploring , Ian did some research on the best noodle houses in Korea, and apparently there's one right in the heart of Myeongdong. We were able to find it rather quickly because of the line of people waiting outside and the smell of garlic incorporated in the air. Since the line is continually long, the restaurant employees get you in and out fast. You immediately pay when you sit down and once your food arrives, you are expected to eat, not socialize. The noodles were hand pulled and covered in a pork broth with garlic, ground beef and dumplings. It was delicious! The only bad part was that it ruined our breath for at least two days.



After eating our soup we made our way down the meandering streets. Needing to calm the garlic taste in our mouth, we decided to have dessert. Fortunately, we quickly found soft serve ice cream. However, this is not the dinky soft serve you get at McDonalds, these were at least 10 inches tall of creamy chocolate and vanilla ice cream. They were quite delicious. After stuffing ourselves beyond belief we shopped some more and eventually made the trek back to the apartment.



This past weekend we decided it was time to visit our friends Eric and Dana, who are now teaching in Gwangju. After an exhausting 50+hour work week we trudged ourselves and some clothes to the train station. Fortunately, the train was very quiet and relaxing. So, after eating salami sandwiches and Pringles, we listened to music and relaxed for the entire three hour ride there. Definitely one of the most relaxing train rides I have ever taken!



Once we arrived, Eric and Dana showed us around a shopping district in Gwangju. We got some drinks and ttoekpoki (deep fried food items covered in a Korean chili sauce). The next day was spent taking a bus to the nearest mountain range. We attempted a small hike, but stopped early because Ian was feeling under the weather. So, we made it back into town, walked around the shopping district, went bowling, and ended the night with some delicious Korean BBQ. All in all it was a great trip. It was nice to see Eric and Dana and to see an area outside of Seoul.



Tonight, Ian and I are working the late shift and then coming home to eat home cooked vegetable coconut curry! Hopefully it's as tasty as it smells.



Sorry for the delay in posts. Becoming Head Instructors has literally taken over any free time we may have. But, I think we are slowly learning how to strategize our work and free time. Hopefully our posts will be more frequent. Pictures will also be posted soon!

Long Time No Post

Okay, so we haven't posted in like 3 weeks, but we do have an excuse. Since becoming head instructors Leslie and I have been working about 11 hour days (including class prep) and we just haven't had the energy to post, but we are back on the wagon now!

We are now about 1.5 weeks into the new term and things have been busier than ever. Our classes have been good, but they are giving us some challenges as well. Leslie has been teaching a TOEFL test preparation course, which is a lot of work and can be quite complex. I am teaching an advanced grammar class, and have found that explaining English grammar rules, that at times I don't even truly understand, is no small undertaking. My first day of class was met with more than a few befuddled and mildly panicked expressions from students. But practice makes perfect right? Right.

This term I am also teaching a couple students with moderate mental illnesses, which has been both rewarding and frustrating. It is great to see them succeeding, but it also make class less beneficial for other students.

On our limited free time we have been trying to explore Seoul a little more. With the Olympic fever that has swept this small nation due to the success of Yu-Na Kim and other Korean athletes, we decided to check out Seoul's Olympic Park. Seoul hosted the Summer Olympics in 1988, and created a huge park on the city's eastside where many of competitions took place. It reminded me a bit of New York's Central Park, as it is a big chunk of grass and trees surround on all sides by high rises. The only difference was that the border of the park was sprinkled with stadiums catering to the various Olympic sports. The park also contained pieces of an earthen defense wall dating from 300 A.D. We weren't sure if the wall was real or simply a modern reconstruction (like most "historical" sites in Korea), but we let our imaginations take hold and hoped for the best.

The other big news around hear is that we are taking our week vacation in the middle of April. From April 17th to the 25th, Leslie and I are headed out of cold, polluted Seoul to the beautiful and fresh Philippines, where hopefully the majority of our activity will involve sand, water, good books, and 50 cent beer. We are going to spend a week on the island of Boracay, and maybe poke around Manila for a day or so. We are incredibly excited and are already counting down the days!

Tardiness

Our deepest apologizes for failing to maintain the blog over the past couple of weeks. We have been really busy starting the next term as Head Instructors and teaching new class. Excuses aside, we promise we will get a post up by this weekend.

Thanks for your patience!

Gearing Up

Things are gearing up over here to be sure! In less than two weeks Leslie and I will officially be head instructors at our school, however the responsibilities of our new positions are already upon us.

This last week we had the unfortunate mission of returning to "Hell," more commonly referred to as CDI Training Center, a place Leslie and I vowed to never return if at all possible, due to our less than positive experience there 7 months ago. We were headed there for CDI Head Instructor Training, which thankfully was only 3 hours instead of a full week. After we overcame the initial nausea and panic upon entering the building, the training turned out to be not nearly as bad as we predicted. We actually learned a lot useful information, like how to deal with various instructor personalities, strategies for creating effective workshops, and the best ways to tell bad teachers that they are doing a crappy job. Overall, it was much less mind-numbing, exhausting, and sterile than our original training.

Over the next two weeks Leslie and I will each go to two more workshops. We both have to go learn about a new test-taking course CDI is implementing this term. Also, Leslie will be teaching a TOEFL Test preparation class next term, and needs to go to a workshop for that. I will most likely be teaching a speaking presentation and debate class that also requires me to attend a workshop. We have heard that these workshops are of limited value, and the best thing to do is just smile and nod until they let you out. However, our first workshop was a pleasant surprise so we're hoping the trend continues.

There is breaking news on the food front as well. The latest excitement stems from the discovery of a California Pizza Kitchen in Seoul, which we are hoping to try soon. We also learned of a spot that apparently serves "legit" Mexican food. Our quest on this culinary manner has repeated been filled with great hoped followed by utter despair. Let's hope this time things turn out differently....

Finally, our friends Eric and Dana are coming to Korea on Tuesday for a teaching gig down in Gwangju, a city about 2-3 hours south of Seoul. They will be working in the public school system. We are looking forward to having them here and going down for some visits. We have heard Gwangju is really nice and have been wanting to see more of the country once the weather warms up. We are hoping their training goes a bit more smoothly than ours did.

That's all the news for now. Leslie and I have to hold our own workshops in about two weeks, plus train some of our newbie teachers. We'll let you know how it goes.

New Slideshow

We just posted a new slideshow above this posting. These pictures are...

• From our apartment flooding
• Riding the public bus
• The local movie theater
• The subway/map
• A university area
• A bowling tournament that I particpated in with some girls from work

Ian is going to write a new post this weekend. So, look out for that! Enjoy the pictures...

Wii Room and 110 Bus Ride

The past couple of weeks have been very busy with teaching intensive classes and regular classes. We are both very thankful to have intensives done with so we can enjoy a little more time relaxing and touring the city.

A few weekends ago, our friend Peter had a birthday. So in full Korean fashion we had a big, relaxing dinner and finished the night off with going to a Wii room. The Wii room fits about 7 people and is $30/hour. You can play any Wii game that interests you, including tennis and Mario Kart, which are my favorite! The only set back is the directions are in Korean. Thankfully the room Ian and I were in had two Korean speakers, so we had no problem.

Yesterday, with a lazy day in mind, we decided to take a bus ride around the city. It wasn't a bus tour, it was actually the regular city bus. This specific bus takes you to Itaewon ("America Town"), which we go to a couple times a month. However, we have recently been interested on what lays beyond our usual Itaewon stop. So, than other getting off the bus at the usual stop we kept on riding.

For the most part, the rest of the route consisted of the same gray and run down city that the rest of Seoul looks like. However, half way through we noticed a large food market. Since we were getting hungry for lunch, we jumped off at the next stop, in hopes of delicious food. Well, we didn't find any scrumptious food for lunch, but we did find, we believe, the largest produce, meat, and seafood market in Seoul. It was huge. At least a half a mile in every direction.

The market was very interesting. It was the first time we have seen turtles, frogs, and dog's legs sold to the public. The meat vendors were selling every part of the cow and pig, and the produce vendors were selling everything from giant asian pears to ginsing. While the smells were a little overwhelming, the markets was one of the most interesting sites I've seen in Seoul.

After walking through part of the market, and not finding any lunch foods, we decided to jump back on the bus and keep riding. Unknowingly, about half way through our trek, the bus turned off the usual route to head back to the bus depot. While it caused a little concern when the bus abruptly stopped and the bus driver kicked everyone off, we were able to find the next bus stop in no time! The rest of the ride took about 20 minutes. Even though the ride wasn't very eventfuly, we were led to a fascinating market and were able to see even more of Seoul!

For some exciting news, Ian and I were recently asked to be Head Instructors for the following term! This means that we, including two other instructors, will be in charge of the different Programs, including EC, Memory, and Interactive classes. We will be in charge of getting the new instructors situated and evaluating instructor's teaching skills. We don't know of all of the details just yet, but we will tell you as soon as we know!

Delay

Sorry for the delay in posts. We are in the last week of Intensive classes, so we are busier than ever! Plan on a new post and more pictures this weekend...

Birthday Bash

I recently celebrated my 23rd birthday and did it in full Korean fashion. A co-worker of mine was also celebrating her birthday, so most of our co-workers came out to celebrate with us. We first met at a local pub called Yale Town. It serves burgers, bottomless curly fries and beer. The curly fries were by far the best part. We even had chocolate cake for dessert. After a couple hours of mingling and eating, we made our way to a karaoke room. In Korea the karaoke rooms are called Noraebang and they are very different from your typical karaoke bar in the states. In Korea you get your own room with a huge projector, which plays a Korean music video while also playing your song of choice. So, than other singing to a group of strangers you sing to your friends. It was a little strange at first, but once you add a little alcohol to the mix everyone starts to sing! Fortunately, they had all of the typical American songs, so we were able to sing our hearts out to some Britney Spears and Beatles. We finally made our way home at five in the morning. While I was completely exhausted the following week, it was a great night.

Our intensive classes are going well. Ian is learning how to communicate with children who understand very little English. He is also starting to perfect his hand gesturing and drawing skills. My grammar class has been a little challenging, but has taught me a lot about different grammar rules! My students are remarkable, which helps me immensely. They understand the majority of the material. Unfortunately, there is more material than both they or I can handle, so we work/learn for three hours straight.

Today we decided to tour Seodaemun Prison. While it was lacking some historical background, it was fascinating to see where the Japanese held Korean freedom fighters. The conditions seemed pretty bad, especially for the Korean women, who were imprisoned underground. On the whole it was an interesting experience.

Tonight we are going to eat barbecue pork that has been cooking in the crock pot. Hopefully it works out!

Parental Visit #1

Last week my (Ian's) parents hopped the pond to get a taste of Korea and see firsthand what our new life in Seoul is like. Other than the sub-zero temperatures, the teaching of extra classes, my mom's and my lingering sickness, and the biggest snowstorm in Korea in 70 years, it was a great trip.

Seriously though, we had a good time. I think my parents enjoyed themselves and handled the hustle and bustle of Seoul surprisingly well. I also came to the conclusion that my dad must have been a Korean in a past life. He loved the food, especially kimchi, knew an almost unsettling amount of Korean history facts, and the fast-paced, no-nonsense attitude of Seoulites, along with their penchant for flashy ties fits him perfectly. Now if I could only get him interested in tight jeans and karaoke he would more or less fit the mold.

My mom handled the ice-covered, neon-lit mega city better than her rural Idaho sensibilities led me to anticipate, and she enjoyed most of the food, which was especially impressive considering her sickness.

Leslie and I showed them our favorite eating and drinking establishments and some of the items on the standard tourist itinerary. My dad also came in to see one of my classes, which was fun for me and the kids. I had told them to prep questions for him as homework, but a lot of them nervously clammed up, and about their best response was that our mouths looked alike. But still we had a good time and Dad got them laughing and relaxed by the end.

About midway through my parents' stay Seoul experienced a monster of a snow-storm, which even shut CDI down for a day and a half. (That shows you how big it was.) Actually, it wasn't really that big, pretty standard compared to whatwe got back in Utah, but Seoul usually does not get much snow and the city was unprepared to handle it. For example, people here don't even have shovels, they used brooms and plywood connected to a two-by-four to shovel the snow. The army had to bring in 5,000 troops to assist with snow removal.

Thus, this made showing my parents around a little more challenging, but we managed it in the end. Dad spent most mornings playing superman/good Samaritan, helping get Korean drivers out of the snowbanks they had inevitably driven themselves into. Koreans have absolutely no idea how to drive in the snow. They are even worse than Portlanders!

My parents also went up to the DMZ, while we were working. Something Leslie and I still have not done. They said it was quite interesting and actually got to go a little bit inside North Korea. I haven't been able to talk to them in detail about it yet, but it sounded like a memorable adventure. Leslie and I are definitely needing to go do that soon!