Hot town! Summer in Korea!

To my dear loyal readers:

It's certainly been a very long time since I've posted anything on here.  Over 2 months, actually.  In this modern age of instant access to information, that's really unacceptable and I apologize to you who have been waiting patiently for an update from me.  I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I'm just a horrible person...or at least regular blogger.  I really don't have an excuse other than being lazy and then that laziness becoming a fear of the giant blog post I'd have to write to update everything that's happened.  But, I can no longer run from my obligations.  I recently got an earful from a bunch of you (hat tip to Wadie, Allison, Sue and Alex) that I need to get blogging again, so here I am.

I should note that most of these events took place on the weekend.  I have been filling my week nights with dinners with friends, and Korean language classes two nights a week.  This in addition to lesson & summer camp planning has made my weeks here quite full!

So, how can I possibly post about the last two months in such a way that it won't feel like you're reading a novel?  Without further ado, I give you my summer in Korea: the Coles Notes and picture version! *warning: this may still be a long read...it's been a busy summer!*

Back in May, to celebrate Buddha's birthday, I took advanatage of one of the very few long weekends I will have while I am here in Korea and went to the southern part of the country to visit Busan.  Since the other Incheon-ers had made alternate plans for the weekend, I decided to go down alone and met up with some of the other teachers I met during the Seoul orientation.  While in the city for 2 days, I saw Korea's largest fish market, the UN cemetery commemorating those that died during the Korean war, dipped my feet in the ocean along some of their famous beaches, was amazed by the thousands if not millions of colourful lanterns adoring the temples of the city, sung my heart out at norebang, helped save someone's life (keep it up, Ben!), and relaxed so long at the largest public bath house in Asia that I nearly missed my bus back home!

In celebration of Buddha - so many lanterns!

Some of the finds at the fish market of Busan

Requisite name in the sand picture

Requisite name in the sand picture - Korean version

Those of you in Ottawa might recognize this one.  This is the smaller version found at the UN cemetery in Busan.

A week or two later (it's hard to remember exactly as the weeks have started the blend together), I decided to try something totally new for me - I tried to become a Buddhist monk.  Ok, so it was only for a weekend, and it's a program geared towards tourists (or really any one interested in how a monk lives), but still for me, it was highly unusual.  I went with my friend Natallia whom I had met while making paper lanterns in Seoul (see previous post).  I wasn't really sure what to expect from the experience, but I tried to go in with an opened mind.  And boy, was an open mind sure necessary!  For the most part, I really enjoyed my Templestay experience.  We learned how to bow and participate in a Buddhist ceremony, made a prayer necklace with exactly 108 beads (I'm sure because that's how many times we had to bow while making the necklace), went on a nice nature hike guided by a monk, and tried to meditate (well, some of us tried to meditate, but it was a bit difficult by others who took that time to saw logs very loudly instead!).  For me, however, the most challengeing part of the whole experience was the food.  We partook in a traditional monk meal where silence is necessary and waste is forbidden.  I won't go into the full details of the experience here, but feel free to ask me about it sometime.  It has to be one of the strangest experiences I've ever had.  At the end of the weekend, I learnt 2 things: 1 - I have a lot of respect for Buddhist monks to practice such a lifestyle and 2 - I'm not meant to be a Buddhist.  I really wanted to kill all the mosquitos that kept biting me all weekend!

Inside the temple

The serving set for the strangest meal I'm sure I'll ever eat 

Morning meditation

Our monk guided hike

The following weekend, I once again went with Natallia to go hiking with a group along the Kimpo trail, which follows the river that flows down from the DMZ.  Much of the hike was on a concrete path next to the water that had a lovely view of miles and miles of barbed wire fence. But, the final part of it took us through a really lovely and peaceful rice field. The advertised hike was only supposed to take a couple hours, but I think some one got their info wrong because we were hiking for over 5 hours!  I think a highlight of the day, was being stopped by some South Korean soldiers who (from the translation I was given) wondered why we were hiking there and why we veered off the path to up another road.  Being suspected by the South Korean military of being NK spies always makes for an interesting time!  (Don't worry, nothing bad happened)

The "scenic view" during much of the hike

Random sculptures

A strange yet not unexpected sight on this hike

Being questioned by Korean soliders

The view from the top

A peaceful way to end the long hike

Sporting the latest trends in Ajumma sun protection

With next year being the big year in the soccer world, and with South Korea being as soccer crazy as so many other countries, I thought it would be fun to go with a group to check watch a game of the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup in Seoul one night.  Not being much of a soccer nut myself, I didn't understand how huge the turn out would be for such a game.  Having talked to Fabian about it before I went, he warned me that it would likely be the biggest stadium and sporting event I have ever been to.  He was right. I went to the winter Olympics in Vancouver, but I don't think there was a stadium this huge.  Attendance for that night's game of South Korea vs. Uzbekistan was over 60,000 people.  Easily dwarfing the sold out crowds I've been a part of at hockey games.  Korea won that night's game as well as the following one in Ulsan, which meant that they are now officially qualified for the World cup in Brazil. 대한민국!

Helping to lift the giant Korean flag during the national anthem

This is what over 60,000 people look like

We are the champions, my friends!

In June, I came across a group tour that really interested me - a Korean wine tour.  I had no idea that they made wine in Korea, so I decided to sign up to try it out.  I met up with the tour group and took the train down to the middle of the country to check out a winery as well as hear a traditional Korean music concert.  As I was travelling solo, I made fast friends while partaking in the open wine bars that were on the train (both there and back) and at lunch.  My verdict of Korean wine? It's no pinot grigio, but it certainly does the trick has I felt very dehydrated the next day.

While Koreans got wine one way, and watch a movie the other way during the trip (suckers), we foreigners had open bar wine both to and from Seoul!

건배!

Open bar wine all day long!

Wine foot bath at the winery.  Keep in weird, Korea!

Finishing the day with a traditional Korean music performance

One of my favourite holidays of the year is always Canada day and I was very much looking forward to see how Canadian expats and lovers of all things Canadian celebrated the country here in Korea.  I had heard about a Canada day event being hosted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Korea and another by the Canadian embassy so I decided to don my red and white and check them both out.  The first event was good - they had good Canadian beef burgers, lots of friendly Canadians to mingle with and I got to meet the Canadian ambassador.  The second event, however, I was more disappointed with.  But, my disappointment was counterbalanced with hanging out with some great Canadian friends I've made since I've been here.  I ended the night by drinking soju, lighting sparklers and singing the national anthem along the famous Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul.  I also made myself a celebratory poutine at home.  Always proud to be Canadian!

The drunk Korean guy in front of the stage kept trying the steal the spotlight.  Hilarious.

Happy Canada day!

O Canada!

Homemade poutine in Korea!

Many of you are aware of my life goal of visiting every country in the world.  Some countries are much easier to check off the list than others.  Case in point: North Korea.  Being one of the most isolated countries in the world, how in the heck would I ever hope to knock that off my list?  Well, that task was accomplished at the start of July when some friends and I took the trip to tour the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone).  This tour had been something I had been looking forward to doing since I arrived in Korea and has certainly been a major highlight of my time here thus far.  After looking at the numerous options available to tourists to visit the DMZ, we booked a full day tour that took us to the 3rd Infiltration tunnel, Imjigak park, the Dora observatory, Dorasan station and (the part I was most looking forward to) the JSA (or Joint Security Area).  It was in this area that you could actually feel the tension as both sides faced off against each other.  You're given a presentation by US military officials about the rules and the history of the JSA and are then escorted to the site where North and South soldiers stare at each other all day long.  I found it fascinating.  We then got to go into one of the conference rooms where both sides meet when they try to negotiate something.  One side of the room is in North Korea, the other side is in the South.  As soon as you cross to the other side of the table that runs through the middle of the room, you can check the DPRK off your places you've been to!  I, of course, was thrilled to be able to do that.  That said though, the whole day was a strange experience when you really thought about it.  Normally, when you learn about a war, it's at a museum and the fighting as long ended.  Where else in the world can you take a guided tour of an active war zone?  Only in Korea!

Our gang touring the DMZ

Inside the 3rd infiltration tunnel

Requisite jumping photo at Dorasan station

The future of Eurasian rail travel??

Imjigak Park

South side of the JSA.  The blue building are the conference centers.  Where the dark pebbled space becomes light between those buildings is the official border between North and South.

The table that divides two enemies - right side: North; left side: South

Standing in North Korea!

Koreans sure do love their festivals, and one that has been growing in popularity over the years in Mudfest.  This event takes place in a small coastal city in the east of Korea.  People travel from all over the country over a couple of weekends to cover themselves in mud, drink and have a good time.  I joined a group and went down to check it out.  I hung out at the beach with old and new friends and covered myself in mud (the point of which is to get nicer and softer skin - mission accomplished) and checked out some of the events and "mud zones" the town had set up.  But, after dealing with crazy crowds of people all day (including waiting in line for 2 hours just to go down a mud slide), I decided that this was really more of a day trip than a weekend thing, and caught an evening train back to Seoul.  It may be my 30 year old side coming out, but I'm just not into dealing with crowds and giant lines anymore...both of which can be hard to avoid here in Korea!

Doing as the locals do

Lines for hours 

I was disappointed the whole beach wasn't made of mud!

People taking full advantage of the buckets of mud

So. Many. People. - As my friend Mel would say: Ain't nobody got time for this!

So that's been my summer in Korea thus far.  I just got back from my summer vacation in Canada.  But that great trip is a post for another day.  And I promise to make it before another 2 months have gone by!

**Note: many photos in this post are courtesy of Anna, Natallia, Catherine, Heather and Reid**

Pop goes my world

This past Tuesday, our long days of orientation finally came to an end.  We were going to meet our Korean co-teachers and be taken to our new homes and finally unpack.  Living out of a suitcase for 3 weeks isn't as much fun as it sounds (and it doesn't even sound that fun) and I was quite keen to put all my stuff away and set up my new home.

I think every one in the hotel conference room was very nervous, both the foreign and Korean teachers.  Who were these people we are supposed to work so closely with?  Will they make our lives great or miserable for the next year? 

And there was still the question of where are we living.  They say all good things come to those who wait.  Finally, after months of anticipation the moment had arrived.  As mentioned previously, I knew that my school was near Inha University.  I didn't know, though, if that meant I would be living near there too.  We were told some teachers may have to commute up to 40 minutes to get to their school.  It turns out my commute is a 10 minute walk up the street.  Which I think I'm pretty happy about, though ask me again when it's raining or freezing cold.  The neighborhood seems to be very trendy; a very university type area with lots of cafes.  To be honest, I haven't had a chance in the last few days to explore the area more but I hope to do so with one of the other teacher who was place near me.

So great, a good area (although not particularly close to the "going out spots" in Incheon, but cabs are stupid cheap here so it shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?), but what about the apartment???  Well...like I said, the area is good. :-P

My apartment, or should I say "apartment" is very much a traditional Korean apartment - the kind I saw on Youtube videos in the past.  Meaning, it's teeny tiny.  When I arrived, with my two 50-lbs bags, I had a small bed in the corner (with no bedding), a wardrobe closest (with no shelves or hangers) a desk that wasn't set up and both a bathroom and kitchen sink that leaked.  Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled.  I still had to go and visit my school and register with the Immigration office, but all I could think about was all the things I was going to have to get in order to make this place a home.  Thankfully, my co-teacher brought me to Homeplus (Korea's answer to Walmart) and I loaded up on the essentials: bedding, toilet paper, hangers, etc.  Sometimes previous teachers will leave lots of useful things for the new teachers that are taking over the apartment.  I had no such luck.  He left me with next to nothing: no plates, forks or glasses.  All I had was a pot, a pan, a cutting board and knife and a toaster (and I don't even like toast).  I had no place to put my folded clothes and both the bed and computer chair were/are wildly uncomfortable.  So, I made a 2nd late night run to Homeplus (thankfully, they close at midnight).  It's amazing what a little organization can do for the mind.  Once I bought things that started to make me feel more comfortable (ie bags unpacked and put away rather than in the middle of the floor), things started to take a better shape.

Here's a quick tour of my pad:

The bed area

The entertainment/work area

Sitting on the bed looking into the "kitchen" & apartment entrance

The "kitchen" - if you're asking "where's the fridge?", please see previous photo

Bathroom & laundry doors

The bathroom/shower

The laundry closet

I won't lie here.  Once I was alone in my new apartment that first night, I cried.  I felt so overwhelmed and alone and scared.  Thankfully, I had internet access in my apartment so I was able to call Fabian and my mom to have them help relieve my anxiety and tell me that it would be ok.  I was seriously this close to saying "Nope, sorry, I can't do this".  But with the help and support of the other foreign teachers who are having the same experience as me, in addition to my family and friends back home, my confidence is coming back that I can in fact do this.  I was thinking about it the other day, and in some strange way, I feel like I am doing this for my future kids: so that I can focus on them and not have a nagging thought in the back of my mind "I wish I had done ____ when I was younger"; so that I can share my worldly experiences with them and enrich their lives; so that when they are going through hard times in life, I can tell them about my hard experiences and help them through their troubles.

Now that the bubble of orientation I had been in for the last week is gone, reality has taken over.  It is scary, certainly, and there are times where I feel like I can't take it.  The culture shock has already started to hit me.  I will rely on you, my friends and family and general readers, to help me keep going through this wild adventure.  All supportive comments are greatly appreciated!

And....go!

안녕하세요 (hello) from Korea!

After a wonderful vacation in some amazing places with Fabian, I have now arrived in Seoul Korea to start my orientation.

But before I tell you about my arrival here, I'll wrap up the last few days we had in Istanbul.  On our "bazaar" day, we haggled hard and got some pretty Turkish style plates and of course the requisite magnet (for me) and shot glass (for Fabian).  After our shopping day, we took a $2 ferry ride to the Asian side of Istanbul and enjoyed wandering the interesting street markets.  So now Fabian can say that's he's been to Asia and we can both say that we've been to a rare intercontinental city.  Check that off the bucket list!  The following day we visited Topkapi palace, which was interesting, but I think Fabian thought it was better than I did.  We also explored the modern and trendy Beyoglu area, and took a lovely tour of the Bosphorus. On our final day together, we checked out the beautiful Cora church and ancient city walls before we met up with two of Fabian's friends from Ottawa who are currently posted at the Embassy in Ankara.

Despite the wonderful time we had together in both Istanbul and Switzerland, it was so, so, SO hard to say goodbye to my Fabian at the airport.  As expected, I cried.  Alot.  I had to apologize to the girl sitting next to me on the plane for crying so much.  But, mixed with the tears was a sense of excitement and pride.  This is what I wanted to do: live in a new city, a new country.  Mixed with fear and nerves, was joy that I am living my dream.

Touring the Bosphorus - I miss you already, my love!

Fresh off the plane from Turkey.  Anyonghaseyo Korea!

So far, I have to say the experience has been great!  Once again the flight with Turkish Airlines was great (I guess there is a reason they have been voted twice as Europe's best airline), my bags arrived intact and my clearance through customs was quick and painless.  I had a driver waiting to pick me up at the airport and brought me straight to the orientation center.  I arrived as the welcome dinner was in full swing, but I wanted to change and take a quick shower to freshen up before meeting all my fellow teachers.  So, I found my roommate, a nice Irish girl, so I could get into our room and sort out my things.  She invited me to join her and some of the other teachers for a drink at a local bar, and I gladly went so that I could get to know people.  Why not since I wasn't all that tired?

The bar we went to had a "self service" feature where they had all the bottled drinks in fridges and you just got what you wanted and paid for everything when you left.  Pretty handy, although my drink wasn't really all that cheap ($6 for a vodka cooler)...maybe I'll stick with soju from now on since it's supposedly much cheaper!

Here in the orientation center they seem to try to give us newbies a "gentle welcome" to the country.  The breakfast this morning was very western (bacon and eggs) and there's even a "north american style" outlet in my room!  I also haven't seen any kimchi yet.  The water taps are opposite from ours (push the tap down rather than up to turn on), but aside from that, everything's pretty much the same as here.

Every one's been very helpful and friendly and welcoming and I've had a chance to talk with a number of teachers who've been here for a while and it has calmed a lot of my worried and makes me even more excited about this experience.

Today's first item of the day was the full-on medical check (everything from hearing and eyesight, to blood and urine tests and xrays), and in a short time we have the official opening ceremony for this orientation week.  It promises to be a great way to start my time in Korea!