Dear Wikipedia,
Homesickness is not JUST something kids at summer camp experience.
There's been numerous times this week where I've sat down at this computer and stared at my screen trying to decide what to write. I had a pretty eventful week last week, but since I am still playing catch up for when my sister came, I've had to dig down into my memory for the events of the second week in January. I always try to write lists during the week so I won't forget what to write about, but I can barely remember what my list from that week even means. So, all this said, don't expect anything spectacular or deeply educational...pretty much I'm saying, "stop reading now." :) Anyway, this is what my sorry memory has come up with.
I was so sick. I think I remember at one point the previous week when I watched this little girl sneeze all over her hands and homework. Then she proceeded to come up to me, hand in her homework, and touch my arm and hands, and I thought, "oh no. Not again."
Having this cold really got me feeling homesick. Of course I miss my mom saying to me as a high schooler, "just stay in bed, Natalee, I'll call you at my lunch break and check up on you." And as a college student I miss coming back to my apartment, feeling sick and emotional about something, and laying down in my bed when Zipporah would come in and lay on her bed across from me and say, "Naaaaaaaaat, what's wrong?"
But recently, I come home, lay in my one room apartment, listen to Lily run in her wheel and drink louder than any animal that size should drink, and finish off the evening with a little cup of Nyquil. (Don't worry mom, just this past week, I made sure to ween myself of it...I know you know about my past addiction..what can I say? Nyquil not only helps the sick sleep, it also helps little girls who have scary dreams get a good night's rest)
Anyhow, as this week was dragging along, I'd talk to friends here and there. I love talking to friends from home. But I realized something, I've never understood the meaning of the phrase, "I miss you." until now. I think I've misused the phrase many times in my life or at least never truly meant it so deeply as I do now. I think the sickness sometimes blew things out of proportion too, but I've also been told around the 3rd and 4th month of living abroad, it's the hardest.
Don't get me wrong, I've met so may great people here, and the church has seriously become like family to me (and I am sooo thankful for them!), but I just missing being surrounded by those who really really know me, (with all my faults, quirks, misused phrases, singing totally wrong lyrics, untimely/inappropriate comments) and still like me :) I don't think this sudden feeling of really really missing people is just a "Korea thing" I think this is a "growing up" thing.
Anyways, I can tell your bored with my whining ;) Well, I recently joined a gym. Going to this gym, I think, will provide a good amount of material for the blog. It's located in the same building as my school, so that's convenient. I'll tell you what's unconvenient about it though, the lack of changing rooms or separate shower stalls. The feel of this woman's locker room is much like going to the YMCA at 7 A.M. on a weekday only to find yourself in a room full of old woman who let it all hang all out. I mean seriously, can't you put on something (anything!) to blow dry your hair and apply makeup?
Other than that, the gym is pretty nice. Of course it's nothing like Anytime Fitness, but there is a good amount of machines and weights. The first day I went I was just checking out all the machines..surprisingly all the machines I've used so far are in English.. I was on one of the weight machines when the owner of the gym came behind me, stuck his knee in my back, and yanked my shoulders back and said, "breathe!" I was a little startled, but I appreciate him helping me out with proper posture.
On one of the other days during the week, I was walking to work, and on the sidewalk was this tall, red headed foreigner. He was trying to get a cab, but not succeeding..I gave him the "hey, we're both not Korean" nod and as I was walking away and he caught his cab, he yells, "Good morning foreigner." I just waved and smiled. It totally made my week.
The weekend was even more uneventful than my week. I literally did nothing but read, sleep, and eat lunch at a restaurant for a bridal shower. Apparently it helped though because come Monday, the nose was cleared out and the throat only had a slight tickle. Nothing a few more nights of Nyquil couldn't fix :)
Well, this post is fairly short, and lacking in pictures but there were no pictures to take, unless you wanted to see me in an apartment full of snotty Kleenexes and Lily almost suffocating in her own dwarf hamster deposits. I hope you are having a great day or night and I hope all you Dixonites are taking full advantage of the new Wendy's in town..go eat a Frosty for me :)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
D to the M to the Z
Dear S. Korean guards at the DMZ,
You are a group of pretty "hard" dudes. You make me feel safe at night.
I've been meaning to write this for about a week now. BUT I've just been sooo busy with work and walking to work that I just didn't have time....NOT, I've totally had enough time, BUT I spent my week reading the second book of the Hunger Games series and really the only reason I'm writing this and not reading the third book is because the book is in the mail. Seriously, they are pretty addicting, that is until you get to the point in the second book that makes you want to take a quick jog over to the Yellow Sea and chuck it as far as possible! Nonetheless, I resisted and with the encouragement of a friend, kept reading and am in great anticipation to read the third...phew...rabbit trail, sorry.
Sooooo..here goes my blog about one of the most interesting places I think I will ever go:
ironically named the Demilitarized Zone even though it's the most militarized place in all of Korea. If you're slightly uneducated about these things, it's the border between North and South Korea.
Friday Night, four of my friends picked me up from my work and we took a little road trip to Osan Air Base up near Seoul. We stayed at the Osan Air Base hotel. When Elizabeth and I got to our room we were so very excited to have an American style bed. We jumped right in, and just laid there for a bit reflecting on what a bed SHOULD feel like.
Saturday morning we boarded our guided tour bus with the Osan Airbase. It was nice to be surrounded by Americans for a day...I forget how much I love eavesdropping. Our tour guide was Korean but spoke very fluent English. He was a character, Mr. Pak..this picture gives a good representation of him:
Anyways, on our bus ride up to the DMZ, we watched a History Channel documentary about the North and South Korea and the DMZ. It was both very educational and infuriating.
When I was younger, our family had a blue minivan. I remember one night I was sitting in the back seat when I noticed our windows in the back had been recently tinted. I had just finished my old school coca cola when I found myself writing my name with the coca cola cap in the freshly tinted backseat window. It was dark, and I couldn't tell if I actually etched my name or not. By the tone in my mother's question the next morning, I knew I had succeeded. She asked, "Natalee, did you write your name in the window in the back seat of the van?" I said, "Noooooo, Erika did it." I am North Korea in this situation.
See, although Erika was definitely not in the back seat, and quite possible not even IN the van the night I did the deed, I still completely denied I had anything to do it. However, come to think of it, for the most part, when soldiers were killed in an ambush attack in the DMZ, the North Koreans would completely deny that the event even happened. So I guess even as a ridiculous, clueless little girl I was even more mature than North Korea has been.
Our first stop was at Imjingak. This is a place that supposedly represents unification of the Koreas. Here, there was a bridge called "Freedom Bridge" where 12,773 Korean prisoners of war were returned from North Korea in 1953. Also the "Peace Bell" is here too..although, I'm pretty sure that bell won't be ringing for quite some time. Along the fences here are many many ribbons that have Korean writing on them. The tour guide said the writing on the ribbons is a cry from the South Korean people for peace with the North.
On the other side of this tourist/security spot, there was a memorial for all the American men who gave their lives during the Korean War, a war that wasn't even their own. 
Our next stop on Mr. Pak's lovely tour of the DMZ was The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel. In October of 1978 South Korea discovered a THIRD tunnel that was dug by the North Koreans that crossed the border into South Korea. Apparently, as with the rest of the tunnels, it was created for a surprise attack on Seoul by the North. Today it's this tourist spot. I'm not sure why, but they wouldn't let us take pictures in the tunnel, so we had to settle for the monument outside. So, we went down inside the tunnel. It's about 230 feet below ground, so the descent into the tunnel was no problem, but the hike back up was a bit of a cardio workout.
I've never been spelunking or in a mine or really underground at any point in my life and after this, I just don't know if I will do it again. I don't consider myself a claustrophobic person, but after walking hunching over and through that very narrow tunnel makes me think I might be. Then again, the thought of armed North Koreans being on the other end of the tunnel also added to the stress of being in such a tight spot. The little Korean boys who I think were on a field trip, holding imaginary machine guns, crouching through the tunnel, and whispering in English, "The North Koreans are coming," didn't really calm the nerves either.
After the tunnel (or before the tunnel) we were supposed to go to a look out tower and be able to see a little ways into North Korea, however, the roads were really icy and the bus couldn't make it up the little mountain. It was a little disappointing, but it was snowy and cloudy anyway so we probably wouldn't have been able to see much. Instead, we made our way over to the Dora Mountain Station. This train station is the northernmost end of South Korea. In hopes of unification this train station was built. If someday, by God's grace, the two countries are united then trains will pass through here to Pyeongyang, capital of North Korea, and then to China, Siberia, Russia, and possibly Europe and opening up a lot of economic opportunity for South Korea and the North. So, here's our group standing on the tracks with North Korea behind us. (Behind that mountain, we're not straddling the line or anything..not yet anyway)
We ate lunch at a Korean restaurant that was really tasty and then piled back into the bus to head to the most exciting part of the trip! The JSA, the Joint Security Area. This is where the North Korean military and the South Korean military stand toe to toe and face to face. It's pretty intense to say the least.
On our bus ride from lunch to Camp Bonifas, the military station on the South Korea side, Mr. Pak got really serious over the microphone and said something along the lines of, "When you get inside Camp Bonifas you will be taken to a room to sign a piece of paper saying that you understand you are going to a dangerous area where the North Koreans might kidnap you or attack. If that happens, you're on your own." Silence in the bus and my jaw dropped a little and he says, "I'm just kidding." phewwww..he had me going.
Our bus pulled up to the entrance of the base. We had to all get out and say a temporary goodbye to Mr. Pak as we climbed into another bus with an American soldier as our tour guide. He was pretty tall and armed and super intimidating and let's be honest, not bad to look at for the next hour or so ;) Apparently, South Korean civilians are not allowed in the JSA. It makes sense though, if it was my country and my parents were murdered by the North then I would probably make some sort of rash, inappropriate decision and throw a grenade as soon as I saw the North Korean soldiers.
Anyhow, the soldier ushered us into a room on the base where we watched a short clip about the history of the JSA. He also explained the rules. We were only allowed to take pictures at certain times, we had to wear our guest badges on the right collar of our shirt. We couldn't bring anything with us except a camera. We couldn't point or wave or speak to any of the North Korean guards we would possibly come across. There were more but I can't remember, mostly it was "BEHAVE YOURSELF." And it turns out we did have to sign a piece of paper that said if something did happen and we were under attack that we couldn't sue or anything like that, but the soldier did follow that with, "It's unlikely that would happen and I am here to protect you as well as guide you." What a stud.
I'm pretty sure there is only one tour allowed at a time on base because we were the only tour there the whole time. He didn't really have to tell us twice, the atmosphere at Camp Bonifas was enough to make the most rebellious teenager act like an angel.
It's hard for me to explain the way it felt driving through the camp. Tense, empty, bare, stark, eerie. As we are driving he would say, "oh and over there are live mine fields." It was weird, I think I only saw like 3 military men walking around. It's almost like they were hiding in the trees. Our group of American men and women most definitely stood out, and I had to go and where this bright orange colored coat.
One of the first places we passed on our mini tour was the South Korean village in the DMZ. The North and the South are both to have a village in the DMZ to represent peace or unification or something along those lines. The South's village called, "Freedom Village," is a small farming community of about 250 South Koreans. The Farmers are guarded during the day as they work and the village is guarded by night as they sleep. If I remember correctly, I think they said there had been instances where North Korea kidnapped several South Koreans from this village. Of course your thinking, "Why ON EARTH would anyone choose to live in the DMZ?" Well, it turns out they get paid more than most middle class Americans, they don't pay for their housing which apparently is more modern than most of Korea, and their men don't serve the 1 year mandatory military service..which the last one is a little silly since they are in more danger at all times than most South Korean military men.
We weren't allowed to take pictures while driving around in the bus, if you think about it, it makes sense. I mean Kim Jong Il could just log on and look at my Facebook and see all he needs to see to know about his "enemy" camp.
I'm skipping around in order. I want tell you about the places on the tour of the Camp and then I will finish with pictures and stories from the actual place where we saw a real, live North Korean soldier.
Before 1976, the area we were in was controlled by North and South Korea. In fact, I was talking to the Pastor of my church about it, the Sunday after we went on the tour, and he said when we went into the camp, there were both North and South Korean guards guarding the gate. But in 1976 when a small group of soldiers were cutting down a tree in the JSA, they were attacked by North Korean soldiers and killed a few American soldiers. Since then, there is a line that separates the South from the North through the JSA. Here is the spot where the tree was being cut down. It's now a memorial for the men who died.
Near here, we also saw the "Bridge of No Return." This was a place where POW's were exchanged after the war and were told that they had a choice to stay in whatever country they were currently in or go back to the country they came from. The last time it was used was in 1968 when the North Koreans released American sailors that were being held captive for over a year in North Korea.
Also, around this area, we went to a look out spot. Apparently, at this spot, we were surrounded by North Koreans on 3 sides. It really felt like we were the only ones there for miles, but the soldier assured us that we were being monitored very closely by the North Koreans. Just behind me in this picture is the line that separates the North from the South. And this caption reads, seriously, North Korea, peace.
On the other side of the lookout we saw the North Korean village that is located in the DMZ. I don't remember the proper name, but the soldier called it "Propaganda Village." For a very long time North Korea had huge speakers set up in this village and blasted propaganda through the speakers towards the South. Here in Propaganda Village it looks like people may live there, but in reality no one does, except a few people who raise and lower the North Korean flag. The two villages in the DMZ sit pretty close to one another. The South Korean village had a flag pole donated to them that happened to be taller than the North Korean flag pole. Soooo, in response the North built this enormous "eiffel tower" looking flag pole where their flag flies higher than the South's. I think the soldier said it's the largest flag in the world. However, because of it's height and weight it rarely flies because it needs a large gust of wind to get it up and even then people have to lower it so it doesn't get torn to shreds..childish.
I think Koreans have some sort of obsession with height. Whatever is taller is better. So, North Korea would do these immature things like, sneak into the room where they would meet and cut the chairs on the South Korean side so the North was looking down at the South when they were talking. They would also cut all miniature flags down except for the North Korean so their flag would be above all the other flags.
In mini-retaliation, the U.S. made a requirement for soldiers stationed at Camp Bonifas. The soldier must be over 6 feet tall to serve there. In your face North Korea.
And lastly, we come to place where we see the line and get to cross it into "North Korea." This is an area where many things have gone down. I think in the early 80's a Russian man was taking a tour with the North Korean side, and when he saw the line, he decided it was worth it to run across it and away from Communism all together. He ran and North Korean guards followed, but about 5 North Korean guards were killed and 1 American killed and the Russian made it into South Korea and out of Communism.
Here are a few pictures of the area. You've probably seen pictures online or on the news.
This is the one North Korean we saw, he had his eyes on us. I'm pretty sure most people's middle finger gives a little twitch when they see North Korea's looking at them through binoculars
On top of all this, we got to go into the middle building where the U.N. has held talks with South and North Korea, and we "technically" got to cross the DMZ line and go into North Korea when we were inside. Here is the line. To the right is South Korea and to the left is North Korea.
And here's Dale chilling out with a South Korean guard who could probably kill him in one swift, millisecond motion.
And finally, here I am smiling just for you and saying, "Anyeong haseyo" from North Korea :)
You are a group of pretty "hard" dudes. You make me feel safe at night.
I've been meaning to write this for about a week now. BUT I've just been sooo busy with work and walking to work that I just didn't have time....NOT, I've totally had enough time, BUT I spent my week reading the second book of the Hunger Games series and really the only reason I'm writing this and not reading the third book is because the book is in the mail. Seriously, they are pretty addicting, that is until you get to the point in the second book that makes you want to take a quick jog over to the Yellow Sea and chuck it as far as possible! Nonetheless, I resisted and with the encouragement of a friend, kept reading and am in great anticipation to read the third...phew...rabbit trail, sorry.
Sooooo..here goes my blog about one of the most interesting places I think I will ever go:
ironically named the Demilitarized Zone even though it's the most militarized place in all of Korea. If you're slightly uneducated about these things, it's the border between North and South Korea.
Friday Night, four of my friends picked me up from my work and we took a little road trip to Osan Air Base up near Seoul. We stayed at the Osan Air Base hotel. When Elizabeth and I got to our room we were so very excited to have an American style bed. We jumped right in, and just laid there for a bit reflecting on what a bed SHOULD feel like.Saturday morning we boarded our guided tour bus with the Osan Airbase. It was nice to be surrounded by Americans for a day...I forget how much I love eavesdropping. Our tour guide was Korean but spoke very fluent English. He was a character, Mr. Pak..this picture gives a good representation of him:
Anyways, on our bus ride up to the DMZ, we watched a History Channel documentary about the North and South Korea and the DMZ. It was both very educational and infuriating.When I was younger, our family had a blue minivan. I remember one night I was sitting in the back seat when I noticed our windows in the back had been recently tinted. I had just finished my old school coca cola when I found myself writing my name with the coca cola cap in the freshly tinted backseat window. It was dark, and I couldn't tell if I actually etched my name or not. By the tone in my mother's question the next morning, I knew I had succeeded. She asked, "Natalee, did you write your name in the window in the back seat of the van?" I said, "Noooooo, Erika did it." I am North Korea in this situation.
See, although Erika was definitely not in the back seat, and quite possible not even IN the van the night I did the deed, I still completely denied I had anything to do it. However, come to think of it, for the most part, when soldiers were killed in an ambush attack in the DMZ, the North Koreans would completely deny that the event even happened. So I guess even as a ridiculous, clueless little girl I was even more mature than North Korea has been.
Our first stop was at Imjingak. This is a place that supposedly represents unification of the Koreas. Here, there was a bridge called "Freedom Bridge" where 12,773 Korean prisoners of war were returned from North Korea in 1953. Also the "Peace Bell" is here too..although, I'm pretty sure that bell won't be ringing for quite some time. Along the fences here are many many ribbons that have Korean writing on them. The tour guide said the writing on the ribbons is a cry from the South Korean people for peace with the North.
On the other side of this tourist/security spot, there was a memorial for all the American men who gave their lives during the Korean War, a war that wasn't even their own. 
Our next stop on Mr. Pak's lovely tour of the DMZ was The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel. In October of 1978 South Korea discovered a THIRD tunnel that was dug by the North Koreans that crossed the border into South Korea. Apparently, as with the rest of the tunnels, it was created for a surprise attack on Seoul by the North. Today it's this tourist spot. I'm not sure why, but they wouldn't let us take pictures in the tunnel, so we had to settle for the monument outside. So, we went down inside the tunnel. It's about 230 feet below ground, so the descent into the tunnel was no problem, but the hike back up was a bit of a cardio workout.I've never been spelunking or in a mine or really underground at any point in my life and after this, I just don't know if I will do it again. I don't consider myself a claustrophobic person, but after walking hunching over and through that very narrow tunnel makes me think I might be. Then again, the thought of armed North Koreans being on the other end of the tunnel also added to the stress of being in such a tight spot. The little Korean boys who I think were on a field trip, holding imaginary machine guns, crouching through the tunnel, and whispering in English, "The North Koreans are coming," didn't really calm the nerves either.
After the tunnel (or before the tunnel) we were supposed to go to a look out tower and be able to see a little ways into North Korea, however, the roads were really icy and the bus couldn't make it up the little mountain. It was a little disappointing, but it was snowy and cloudy anyway so we probably wouldn't have been able to see much. Instead, we made our way over to the Dora Mountain Station. This train station is the northernmost end of South Korea. In hopes of unification this train station was built. If someday, by God's grace, the two countries are united then trains will pass through here to Pyeongyang, capital of North Korea, and then to China, Siberia, Russia, and possibly Europe and opening up a lot of economic opportunity for South Korea and the North. So, here's our group standing on the tracks with North Korea behind us. (Behind that mountain, we're not straddling the line or anything..not yet anyway)
We ate lunch at a Korean restaurant that was really tasty and then piled back into the bus to head to the most exciting part of the trip! The JSA, the Joint Security Area. This is where the North Korean military and the South Korean military stand toe to toe and face to face. It's pretty intense to say the least.On our bus ride from lunch to Camp Bonifas, the military station on the South Korea side, Mr. Pak got really serious over the microphone and said something along the lines of, "When you get inside Camp Bonifas you will be taken to a room to sign a piece of paper saying that you understand you are going to a dangerous area where the North Koreans might kidnap you or attack. If that happens, you're on your own." Silence in the bus and my jaw dropped a little and he says, "I'm just kidding." phewwww..he had me going.
Our bus pulled up to the entrance of the base. We had to all get out and say a temporary goodbye to Mr. Pak as we climbed into another bus with an American soldier as our tour guide. He was pretty tall and armed and super intimidating and let's be honest, not bad to look at for the next hour or so ;) Apparently, South Korean civilians are not allowed in the JSA. It makes sense though, if it was my country and my parents were murdered by the North then I would probably make some sort of rash, inappropriate decision and throw a grenade as soon as I saw the North Korean soldiers.
Anyhow, the soldier ushered us into a room on the base where we watched a short clip about the history of the JSA. He also explained the rules. We were only allowed to take pictures at certain times, we had to wear our guest badges on the right collar of our shirt. We couldn't bring anything with us except a camera. We couldn't point or wave or speak to any of the North Korean guards we would possibly come across. There were more but I can't remember, mostly it was "BEHAVE YOURSELF." And it turns out we did have to sign a piece of paper that said if something did happen and we were under attack that we couldn't sue or anything like that, but the soldier did follow that with, "It's unlikely that would happen and I am here to protect you as well as guide you." What a stud.
I'm pretty sure there is only one tour allowed at a time on base because we were the only tour there the whole time. He didn't really have to tell us twice, the atmosphere at Camp Bonifas was enough to make the most rebellious teenager act like an angel.
It's hard for me to explain the way it felt driving through the camp. Tense, empty, bare, stark, eerie. As we are driving he would say, "oh and over there are live mine fields." It was weird, I think I only saw like 3 military men walking around. It's almost like they were hiding in the trees. Our group of American men and women most definitely stood out, and I had to go and where this bright orange colored coat.
One of the first places we passed on our mini tour was the South Korean village in the DMZ. The North and the South are both to have a village in the DMZ to represent peace or unification or something along those lines. The South's village called, "Freedom Village," is a small farming community of about 250 South Koreans. The Farmers are guarded during the day as they work and the village is guarded by night as they sleep. If I remember correctly, I think they said there had been instances where North Korea kidnapped several South Koreans from this village. Of course your thinking, "Why ON EARTH would anyone choose to live in the DMZ?" Well, it turns out they get paid more than most middle class Americans, they don't pay for their housing which apparently is more modern than most of Korea, and their men don't serve the 1 year mandatory military service..which the last one is a little silly since they are in more danger at all times than most South Korean military men.
We weren't allowed to take pictures while driving around in the bus, if you think about it, it makes sense. I mean Kim Jong Il could just log on and look at my Facebook and see all he needs to see to know about his "enemy" camp.
I'm skipping around in order. I want tell you about the places on the tour of the Camp and then I will finish with pictures and stories from the actual place where we saw a real, live North Korean soldier.
Before 1976, the area we were in was controlled by North and South Korea. In fact, I was talking to the Pastor of my church about it, the Sunday after we went on the tour, and he said when we went into the camp, there were both North and South Korean guards guarding the gate. But in 1976 when a small group of soldiers were cutting down a tree in the JSA, they were attacked by North Korean soldiers and killed a few American soldiers. Since then, there is a line that separates the South from the North through the JSA. Here is the spot where the tree was being cut down. It's now a memorial for the men who died.
Near here, we also saw the "Bridge of No Return." This was a place where POW's were exchanged after the war and were told that they had a choice to stay in whatever country they were currently in or go back to the country they came from. The last time it was used was in 1968 when the North Koreans released American sailors that were being held captive for over a year in North Korea.
Also, around this area, we went to a look out spot. Apparently, at this spot, we were surrounded by North Koreans on 3 sides. It really felt like we were the only ones there for miles, but the soldier assured us that we were being monitored very closely by the North Koreans. Just behind me in this picture is the line that separates the North from the South. And this caption reads, seriously, North Korea, peace.
On the other side of the lookout we saw the North Korean village that is located in the DMZ. I don't remember the proper name, but the soldier called it "Propaganda Village." For a very long time North Korea had huge speakers set up in this village and blasted propaganda through the speakers towards the South. Here in Propaganda Village it looks like people may live there, but in reality no one does, except a few people who raise and lower the North Korean flag. The two villages in the DMZ sit pretty close to one another. The South Korean village had a flag pole donated to them that happened to be taller than the North Korean flag pole. Soooo, in response the North built this enormous "eiffel tower" looking flag pole where their flag flies higher than the South's. I think the soldier said it's the largest flag in the world. However, because of it's height and weight it rarely flies because it needs a large gust of wind to get it up and even then people have to lower it so it doesn't get torn to shreds..childish.
I think Koreans have some sort of obsession with height. Whatever is taller is better. So, North Korea would do these immature things like, sneak into the room where they would meet and cut the chairs on the South Korean side so the North was looking down at the South when they were talking. They would also cut all miniature flags down except for the North Korean so their flag would be above all the other flags.In mini-retaliation, the U.S. made a requirement for soldiers stationed at Camp Bonifas. The soldier must be over 6 feet tall to serve there. In your face North Korea.
And lastly, we come to place where we see the line and get to cross it into "North Korea." This is an area where many things have gone down. I think in the early 80's a Russian man was taking a tour with the North Korean side, and when he saw the line, he decided it was worth it to run across it and away from Communism all together. He ran and North Korean guards followed, but about 5 North Korean guards were killed and 1 American killed and the Russian made it into South Korea and out of Communism.
Here are a few pictures of the area. You've probably seen pictures online or on the news.
This is the one North Korean we saw, he had his eyes on us. I'm pretty sure most people's middle finger gives a little twitch when they see North Korea's looking at them through binoculars
On top of all this, we got to go into the middle building where the U.N. has held talks with South and North Korea, and we "technically" got to cross the DMZ line and go into North Korea when we were inside. Here is the line. To the right is South Korea and to the left is North Korea.
And here's Dale chilling out with a South Korean guard who could probably kill him in one swift, millisecond motion.
And finally, here I am smiling just for you and saying, "Anyeong haseyo" from North Korea :)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
No Electricity=No Rice
Dear Lina,
You are such a little blessing. You're my favorite student..don't tell anyone.
It's already 12:30 a.m. and I am just starting this blog. I was going to do it tomorrow, BUT I figured I am awake now because maybe the coke I drank 2 hours ago won't let me fall asleep or I'm coming down with round 2 of sickness, or the indie film I just watched made me feel weird and so I felt the need to watch a little of Baby Mama to give me some laughs so now I'm all giggles, or I'm still jet lagged (unlikely).
Well, I guess I'll pick up from the last Thursday in December after my sister left. I had a class in the morning so I didn't get to see her off at the bus station, but my friend Elizabeth was able to take her..so thankful. I got to class and as I was waiting for the elevator with my students, my adult Chinese student asks if I was sad my sister was leaving and I said, "yeah, a little." and she says, "This okay, you have us." It was pretty precious.
Later that day, it snowed like nobody's business and it made Gunsan look sooo beautiful. Snow just makes everything just look soooo clean..well, at least for the first day, then it's just a gray slushy mess. Yogita, Jemal and I roughed the snow storm like any good American. Jemal took me to the cell phone place because my phone wouldn't turn on. The Korean man tested it out and says a few times and probably with his arms in an "x" shape, "phone die, phone die." So, that was that..fortunately I got a new used one and am back on track.
We had Friday off, so Thursday was kind of a fun day for classes. We ended up taking all the younger students outside and had a killer snowball fight. These kids didn't know what hit them. I thought at first I would take it easy on them, but then one of these little goobers nailed one of the other teachers in the face and it was on. I won't lie, I threw a few snowballs a little too fast and a little too hard and yeah, maybe I aimed for the face of the boy who was pelting the little girls with snowballs while they were trying to make an innocent snowman. No, I'm kidding..but I do think they were thoroughly impressed with my ability to catch their extremely packed, oversized snowball and through it right back at them. Please, my neighbors growing up were Mitch and Alex Wakeley, a 10-12 year old boy behind a snow fort chucking snow grenades at me doesn't scare me.
And so, Thursday ended, and we had Friday OFF! I guess it was our winter "vacation." I really didn't do anything too special on Friday, slept over at Elizabeth's apartment, slept in very very late, watched some Free Willy and ended up going on base with some of our Airforce friends and playing racquetball. I think one of my future blogs needs to be about the people who I've become friends with here..they are quite the group..I'll elaborate more in the future. Anyhow, it's always a good time going on base where I love to see diversity, eat American food, read every sign, understand the music and most importantly...eavesdrop and understand.
Friday night was New Year's Eve. The church I'm going to, The Haven, had a New Year's Eve service and so we had church, some snacks, and we prayed for this new year. It was a good time with good people.
The rest of the weekend was just a hang around, play games, and sleep sort of weekend. It was pretty relaxing.
This past week went surprisingly fast. It may be because I found a Korean drama online with English subtitles and I couldn't stop watching this show about this love triangle. And listening to Korean and reading it in English I figure is going to practically make me fluent in Korean. Also, I started the first book my sister gave me for Christmas, Hunger Games....wow, so good. I just finished the first book yesterday...I was so addicted..I would read the book in between classes, which is only a 5 minute break...reading stresses me out. I can't just casually read..I have to finish the thing a day or two after I start it. I'm afraid to start the second one.
Also, I got soooo many new students I think about 8 or 9 new students all together AND I decided I would try to learn their Korean names instead of assigning an English name, so it's making it doubly as hard. However, there is one male student in my class of 16 year olds who was new this week. I tell you what..nothing shuts up two chatty 16 year old Korean girls like a goodlooking but quiet 16 year old Korean boy. It's been great getting new students, changes things up a bit. Something funny from this class: I asked them a question from the book about what they think the world would be without electricity. Keep in mind, I asked this to a group of 16 year olds..one girl raises her hand says, "I think it would be bad. There would be no rice."
Lina. She's the sweetest 13 year old Korean girl in all of Korea. I'm confident of that. She's in my 5 oclock class. Her English is really improving and she really loves me for some reason. She always comes early and after I walk out of a class I just finished she runs over to me and grabs my hands and says, "Natalee Teacher..hello!" She always always makes my day better. Here's this little angel:
And lastly, it's 1:15 a.m. and I'm fading quickly. It was New Year's Day last Saturday, so every Korean turned another year old. They don't turn another year on their birthday, every Korean turns another year on Jan. 1. SOOO..if you were born on December 4, such as myself, you would be 1 immediately (because you are 1 years old when you come out of the womb) and several weeks later, you're turning two. Interesting huh?
Well, it's been a pleasure writing this for you all. And I plan to write another one very soon..hopefully tomorrow because this past weekend was one of the most interesting things I've done in my life. I'll give you a clue, I had to sign something that the very first line said, "The visit to ___________ will entail into a hostile area and possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action." So there's a little preview for ya, snack on that :) Keep up those New Year's resolutions people!
You are such a little blessing. You're my favorite student..don't tell anyone.
It's already 12:30 a.m. and I am just starting this blog. I was going to do it tomorrow, BUT I figured I am awake now because maybe the coke I drank 2 hours ago won't let me fall asleep or I'm coming down with round 2 of sickness, or the indie film I just watched made me feel weird and so I felt the need to watch a little of Baby Mama to give me some laughs so now I'm all giggles, or I'm still jet lagged (unlikely).
Well, I guess I'll pick up from the last Thursday in December after my sister left. I had a class in the morning so I didn't get to see her off at the bus station, but my friend Elizabeth was able to take her..so thankful. I got to class and as I was waiting for the elevator with my students, my adult Chinese student asks if I was sad my sister was leaving and I said, "yeah, a little." and she says, "This okay, you have us." It was pretty precious.
Later that day, it snowed like nobody's business and it made Gunsan look sooo beautiful. Snow just makes everything just look soooo clean..well, at least for the first day, then it's just a gray slushy mess. Yogita, Jemal and I roughed the snow storm like any good American. Jemal took me to the cell phone place because my phone wouldn't turn on. The Korean man tested it out and says a few times and probably with his arms in an "x" shape, "phone die, phone die." So, that was that..fortunately I got a new used one and am back on track.
We had Friday off, so Thursday was kind of a fun day for classes. We ended up taking all the younger students outside and had a killer snowball fight. These kids didn't know what hit them. I thought at first I would take it easy on them, but then one of these little goobers nailed one of the other teachers in the face and it was on. I won't lie, I threw a few snowballs a little too fast and a little too hard and yeah, maybe I aimed for the face of the boy who was pelting the little girls with snowballs while they were trying to make an innocent snowman. No, I'm kidding..but I do think they were thoroughly impressed with my ability to catch their extremely packed, oversized snowball and through it right back at them. Please, my neighbors growing up were Mitch and Alex Wakeley, a 10-12 year old boy behind a snow fort chucking snow grenades at me doesn't scare me.
And so, Thursday ended, and we had Friday OFF! I guess it was our winter "vacation." I really didn't do anything too special on Friday, slept over at Elizabeth's apartment, slept in very very late, watched some Free Willy and ended up going on base with some of our Airforce friends and playing racquetball. I think one of my future blogs needs to be about the people who I've become friends with here..they are quite the group..I'll elaborate more in the future. Anyhow, it's always a good time going on base where I love to see diversity, eat American food, read every sign, understand the music and most importantly...eavesdrop and understand.
Friday night was New Year's Eve. The church I'm going to, The Haven, had a New Year's Eve service and so we had church, some snacks, and we prayed for this new year. It was a good time with good people.
The rest of the weekend was just a hang around, play games, and sleep sort of weekend. It was pretty relaxing.
This past week went surprisingly fast. It may be because I found a Korean drama online with English subtitles and I couldn't stop watching this show about this love triangle. And listening to Korean and reading it in English I figure is going to practically make me fluent in Korean. Also, I started the first book my sister gave me for Christmas, Hunger Games....wow, so good. I just finished the first book yesterday...I was so addicted..I would read the book in between classes, which is only a 5 minute break...reading stresses me out. I can't just casually read..I have to finish the thing a day or two after I start it. I'm afraid to start the second one.
Also, I got soooo many new students I think about 8 or 9 new students all together AND I decided I would try to learn their Korean names instead of assigning an English name, so it's making it doubly as hard. However, there is one male student in my class of 16 year olds who was new this week. I tell you what..nothing shuts up two chatty 16 year old Korean girls like a goodlooking but quiet 16 year old Korean boy. It's been great getting new students, changes things up a bit. Something funny from this class: I asked them a question from the book about what they think the world would be without electricity. Keep in mind, I asked this to a group of 16 year olds..one girl raises her hand says, "I think it would be bad. There would be no rice."
Lina. She's the sweetest 13 year old Korean girl in all of Korea. I'm confident of that. She's in my 5 oclock class. Her English is really improving and she really loves me for some reason. She always comes early and after I walk out of a class I just finished she runs over to me and grabs my hands and says, "Natalee Teacher..hello!" She always always makes my day better. Here's this little angel:
And lastly, it's 1:15 a.m. and I'm fading quickly. It was New Year's Day last Saturday, so every Korean turned another year old. They don't turn another year on their birthday, every Korean turns another year on Jan. 1. SOOO..if you were born on December 4, such as myself, you would be 1 immediately (because you are 1 years old when you come out of the womb) and several weeks later, you're turning two. Interesting huh?
Well, it's been a pleasure writing this for you all. And I plan to write another one very soon..hopefully tomorrow because this past weekend was one of the most interesting things I've done in my life. I'll give you a clue, I had to sign something that the very first line said, "The visit to ___________ will entail into a hostile area and possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action." So there's a little preview for ya, snack on that :) Keep up those New Year's resolutions people!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Twenty-Three for Twenty-Three
Dear subway system in Seoul,
You've just been dominated by me. How does that feel?
I KNOW..I am WAYYYY behind..but to make it up to you, today I am going to write 2 whole blogs. And here is the theme of the first blog...best displayed in a picture :) Here we are at an old old old Korean palace..and I have a Buddhist gazebo sticking out of my head.
On Thursday, after teaching my morning class to NEVER EVER answer "O.k." to questions like, "Are we going hiking today?", how to emphasize the "y" in "year" so they stop saying "ear" when they really mean "year," and the cooking term, "drain the water," so they won't keep saying "then I threw up the water," I was off to get ready for my one and only sister's arrival in Gunsan. It was a full afternoon of grocery/last-minute Christmas shopping, miraculously stuffing my bookbag and two medium sized boxes full of groceries and Christmas stuff, hauling that stuff out to the street to catch a taxi, getting all my "loot" out of the taxi and through Myeung san shijeung with the help of a very compassionate ajumma, teaching the afternoon classes, FINALLY cleaning Lily's cage, cleaning everything else in the apartment, and watching an hour of a Korean drama. Then at about 1 a.m. my Korean world and my American world collided.
Erika arrived safe and sound. She had a crazy adventure in Shanghai, but was able to catch her flight to Seoul. She got on the very last bus from the airport to Gunsan with the help of the one and only Elizabeth Holscher, so after 2 plane rides, a bus ride, and a short taxi ride, mi hermana made it!
We hugged, caught up, and then slept. Friday morning I went off to spread the English language while Erika slept even more. On my walk, I experienced another "sneak attack" from the cyclist that always asks my age, but this morning he said, "blahblahblahblahchristmascardblahblahbla," and I said, "oh you have a Christmas card for me?" He just nodded and rode off. After class, my adult students took my sister and I out for our bi-weekly adventure.
I was pretty excited to have another English speaker in the car. Some things you just can't read about, you have to experience being in a car full of Koreans, eating strange things, and stopping in the middle of a busy road to take a picture yourself to really understand.
We went on a drive over the longest sea wall in the world. Yep, that's right..IN THE WORLD. I think it's called Samangeum. Google it. On the other side of the sea wall, we ate at this Korean restaurant. I was a little nervous for Erika just to be thrown into the world of Korean food right off the bat, but she did spectacular..she even said she "liked" the kimchi...liar. After lunch and the long drive, we went to a coffee shop and ate a sweet potato cake..I'm still not sure about all these sweet potato flavored foods.
After the coffee shop, I went back to school to eat toast and make Christmas cards for 4 hours and Erika went back to the apartment to....sleep. No, actually, she went back and decorated my apartment for me...Merry Christmas to me.
Friday night was Christmas Eve. I was a little late..Mr. Oh even left the middle of the service to come get me from my work. When I said, "thank you so much for picking me up." He said, "That's ok, you're my family." Presh. So, we went to the Christmas Eve service at the church, we ate Christmas cookies, opened gifts, and sang songs..myself, Erika, and this other teacher named Hank sang a Christmas special.."Go Tell it on the Mountain." As you very well know, singing is NOT my forte..so to the best of my ability, I stood up front, knees shaking, and silently mouthed, "watermelon" through the whole thing ;)
Christmas morning rolled around and lo and behold, Santa made it to Gunsan, South Korea and Erika and I are 23 for 23 Christmases together! The morning was complete with failed pancakes, successful scrambled eggs and cheese, stockings, presents, skyping with the family, and the ugly sweater tradition.
In the afternoon, we went to a Christmas day service at church, ate SUCH a delicious Christmas lunch--straight up American style, played some games, and then started to make our way back to town from church. Most of us went to watch "Despicable Me," at my friends Melanie and Nick's house later that night. We piled out of the van and started to make our way towards their apartment complex, when we saw these kids having a snowball fight (it had snowed so much!), soooo, we decided we could take these little goobers and as we walked by, we pelted them with snowballs..shortly after, the security guard came out shouting something in Korean..the kids dropped their snowballs, but we didn't, there are some perks to not understanding the language.
Sunday was a very restful day for the sister and me. We hung around the apartment, slept off and on, watched "I'll be Home for Christmas," (Jonathan Taylor Thomas..what a stellar actor), walked around Gunsan's shopping area for a bit, ate a Korean dinner out, walked around at Eunpa park, and had a coffee drink at a cafe called Santa Rosa where our waiter was this young Korean guy who was eager to speak English to us. When he noticed Erika's drink was almost gone, he leaned over and whispered in her ear..."coffee refill?" I think this cat had seen too many American movies..it was pretty awkward and pretty hilarious from where I was sitting. She didn't get the refill and we quickly made our way back to the apartment.
Even though, North Korea says they have an absurd amount of missiles aimed at Seoul as I write this, Erika and I decided to try and defy death. We hopped on a bus to Seoul Monday morning! sorry..that was a little too dramatic.
Monday was such a full day. The Seouls of my shoes were worn down. The first thing we saw was the Gyeongbuk Palace. It was sweet and so so so old. When we got to the end of the palace, I saw this house that was heavily guarded and tinted blue and I said to myself, "If I knew what the Blue House looked like, I'd say that looks like the Blue House." And ta da, the guy at the gate said that it WAS the Blue House...similar to the White House..it's where the President of Korea lives. And since it was built in 1095, I'm going to say we are the copycats in this situation.
Next, I wanted to get some food for my Seoul. I've been craving Mexican food big time! I read that there was a Mexican restaurant called "Ponchos" in an area of Seoul called Itaewon. So, Erika and I decided to take on the Seoul Subway system once again and as we were staring at the subway map, trying to figure out what direction to go, a man came up to us and offered his help in English. Erika was pretty excited to talk to a stranger. I thought it was nice, but was a little worried he was going to follow us the rest of the day to improve his English. Turns out, the man just confirmed that we were getting on the right subway, and him and Erika had a nice conversation about the many travels he's had in his life. We made it to Itaewon, no problem, and I enjoyed a decent beef burrito..however, this place couldn't hold a candle to Casa Mexicana.
We spent the majority of the evening at Seoul Tower. This is where Erika may have met her Seoul mate. Seoul Tower is on top of a "mountain" called Namsan mountain. At the base of the tower, Seoul is visible, unless it's a very foggy day like the one we encountered. Still, it's a pretty sweet view. Around the tower is a railing, on the railing, there are many locks. Apparently, couples come to this tower, buy/bring a lock, write something on it, lock it on the railing, and throw the key. There are SOOO many locks. Needless to say, it's a pretty romantic spot. As Erika and I were admiring the insane amount of locks, this Korean man with a nice looking stache, comes up to us and says, "picture?" and I say, "sure, I'll take your picture." And he then he motions to both of us and says, "no, us picture." First he took it with his camera and then I took one with mine. It was a pretty classic Korea moment.
We finished the day when we arrived at our guesthouse. Thankfully they were not all seouled out. We got a room for 20,000 won each (which is like 17 dollars). And we slept. Well, we tried to sleep. The beds were awfully hard, and at about 3 a.m. it thundered..of course I woke up in a panic because I was sure we were getting nuked, but settled down soon after..but SERIOUSLY, why does it thunder during a snow storm????? Feel free to answer that in a comment.
Tuesday we had one Seoul purpose and that was to find souveniers and other goodies for ourselves. So, we went shopping at Insadong and Namdameun. Insadong was much more quaint and less chaotic than Namdamuen, but Namdameun had some amazing jewelry! Erika was in awe of the awesomeness and cheapness of the necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. And she also had a little fan club following her around Insadong. There were like 8 little 13 year olds who came up to us and asked us where we were from and a few other questions they were all giggling through. So, we answered their questions, snapped a photo with them and were on our way.
We got back to Gunsan on Tuesday night and Erika slept while I organized various things to send back with her. Wednesday, Erika shadowed my regular life, which was not so regular since I had been gone for two days and a few of my classes changed and I got 3 new students. In the afternoon I took her to Lotte Mart and we made the infamous walk to work for the afternoon. After class, Yogita and Jemal took us to eat at this fusion restaurant. It was delicious and great company. And so, Erika ate her last Korean meal and slept through her last night in Korea. Thursday morning we rushed around, hugged, and I put her and all her luggage in a taxi with Elizabeth and sent her to the bus station while I made my way to work and back to my "normal" life in Korea.
Well, I realize this was a massive blog and you may need a few days to read it, SO, I'll write the next blog tomorrow or Monday. Happy New Year everyone! 2011 is going to be a great year..only one more year until the end of the world..yikes!
You've just been dominated by me. How does that feel?
I KNOW..I am WAYYYY behind..but to make it up to you, today I am going to write 2 whole blogs. And here is the theme of the first blog...best displayed in a picture :) Here we are at an old old old Korean palace..and I have a Buddhist gazebo sticking out of my head.
On Thursday, after teaching my morning class to NEVER EVER answer "O.k." to questions like, "Are we going hiking today?", how to emphasize the "y" in "year" so they stop saying "ear" when they really mean "year," and the cooking term, "drain the water," so they won't keep saying "then I threw up the water," I was off to get ready for my one and only sister's arrival in Gunsan. It was a full afternoon of grocery/last-minute Christmas shopping, miraculously stuffing my bookbag and two medium sized boxes full of groceries and Christmas stuff, hauling that stuff out to the street to catch a taxi, getting all my "loot" out of the taxi and through Myeung san shijeung with the help of a very compassionate ajumma, teaching the afternoon classes, FINALLY cleaning Lily's cage, cleaning everything else in the apartment, and watching an hour of a Korean drama. Then at about 1 a.m. my Korean world and my American world collided.
Erika arrived safe and sound. She had a crazy adventure in Shanghai, but was able to catch her flight to Seoul. She got on the very last bus from the airport to Gunsan with the help of the one and only Elizabeth Holscher, so after 2 plane rides, a bus ride, and a short taxi ride, mi hermana made it!
We hugged, caught up, and then slept. Friday morning I went off to spread the English language while Erika slept even more. On my walk, I experienced another "sneak attack" from the cyclist that always asks my age, but this morning he said, "blahblahblahblahchristmascardblahblahbla," and I said, "oh you have a Christmas card for me?" He just nodded and rode off. After class, my adult students took my sister and I out for our bi-weekly adventure.
I was pretty excited to have another English speaker in the car. Some things you just can't read about, you have to experience being in a car full of Koreans, eating strange things, and stopping in the middle of a busy road to take a picture yourself to really understand.
We went on a drive over the longest sea wall in the world. Yep, that's right..IN THE WORLD. I think it's called Samangeum. Google it. On the other side of the sea wall, we ate at this Korean restaurant. I was a little nervous for Erika just to be thrown into the world of Korean food right off the bat, but she did spectacular..she even said she "liked" the kimchi...liar. After lunch and the long drive, we went to a coffee shop and ate a sweet potato cake..I'm still not sure about all these sweet potato flavored foods.
After the coffee shop, I went back to school to eat toast and make Christmas cards for 4 hours and Erika went back to the apartment to....sleep. No, actually, she went back and decorated my apartment for me...Merry Christmas to me.
Friday night was Christmas Eve. I was a little late..Mr. Oh even left the middle of the service to come get me from my work. When I said, "thank you so much for picking me up." He said, "That's ok, you're my family." Presh. So, we went to the Christmas Eve service at the church, we ate Christmas cookies, opened gifts, and sang songs..myself, Erika, and this other teacher named Hank sang a Christmas special.."Go Tell it on the Mountain." As you very well know, singing is NOT my forte..so to the best of my ability, I stood up front, knees shaking, and silently mouthed, "watermelon" through the whole thing ;)
Christmas morning rolled around and lo and behold, Santa made it to Gunsan, South Korea and Erika and I are 23 for 23 Christmases together! The morning was complete with failed pancakes, successful scrambled eggs and cheese, stockings, presents, skyping with the family, and the ugly sweater tradition.
In the afternoon, we went to a Christmas day service at church, ate SUCH a delicious Christmas lunch--straight up American style, played some games, and then started to make our way back to town from church. Most of us went to watch "Despicable Me," at my friends Melanie and Nick's house later that night. We piled out of the van and started to make our way towards their apartment complex, when we saw these kids having a snowball fight (it had snowed so much!), soooo, we decided we could take these little goobers and as we walked by, we pelted them with snowballs..shortly after, the security guard came out shouting something in Korean..the kids dropped their snowballs, but we didn't, there are some perks to not understanding the language.
Sunday was a very restful day for the sister and me. We hung around the apartment, slept off and on, watched "I'll be Home for Christmas," (Jonathan Taylor Thomas..what a stellar actor), walked around Gunsan's shopping area for a bit, ate a Korean dinner out, walked around at Eunpa park, and had a coffee drink at a cafe called Santa Rosa where our waiter was this young Korean guy who was eager to speak English to us. When he noticed Erika's drink was almost gone, he leaned over and whispered in her ear..."coffee refill?" I think this cat had seen too many American movies..it was pretty awkward and pretty hilarious from where I was sitting. She didn't get the refill and we quickly made our way back to the apartment.
Even though, North Korea says they have an absurd amount of missiles aimed at Seoul as I write this, Erika and I decided to try and defy death. We hopped on a bus to Seoul Monday morning! sorry..that was a little too dramatic.
Monday was such a full day. The Seouls of my shoes were worn down. The first thing we saw was the Gyeongbuk Palace. It was sweet and so so so old. When we got to the end of the palace, I saw this house that was heavily guarded and tinted blue and I said to myself, "If I knew what the Blue House looked like, I'd say that looks like the Blue House." And ta da, the guy at the gate said that it WAS the Blue House...similar to the White House..it's where the President of Korea lives. And since it was built in 1095, I'm going to say we are the copycats in this situation.
Next, I wanted to get some food for my Seoul. I've been craving Mexican food big time! I read that there was a Mexican restaurant called "Ponchos" in an area of Seoul called Itaewon. So, Erika and I decided to take on the Seoul Subway system once again and as we were staring at the subway map, trying to figure out what direction to go, a man came up to us and offered his help in English. Erika was pretty excited to talk to a stranger. I thought it was nice, but was a little worried he was going to follow us the rest of the day to improve his English. Turns out, the man just confirmed that we were getting on the right subway, and him and Erika had a nice conversation about the many travels he's had in his life. We made it to Itaewon, no problem, and I enjoyed a decent beef burrito..however, this place couldn't hold a candle to Casa Mexicana.
We spent the majority of the evening at Seoul Tower. This is where Erika may have met her Seoul mate. Seoul Tower is on top of a "mountain" called Namsan mountain. At the base of the tower, Seoul is visible, unless it's a very foggy day like the one we encountered. Still, it's a pretty sweet view. Around the tower is a railing, on the railing, there are many locks. Apparently, couples come to this tower, buy/bring a lock, write something on it, lock it on the railing, and throw the key. There are SOOO many locks. Needless to say, it's a pretty romantic spot. As Erika and I were admiring the insane amount of locks, this Korean man with a nice looking stache, comes up to us and says, "picture?" and I say, "sure, I'll take your picture." And he then he motions to both of us and says, "no, us picture." First he took it with his camera and then I took one with mine. It was a pretty classic Korea moment.
We finished the day when we arrived at our guesthouse. Thankfully they were not all seouled out. We got a room for 20,000 won each (which is like 17 dollars). And we slept. Well, we tried to sleep. The beds were awfully hard, and at about 3 a.m. it thundered..of course I woke up in a panic because I was sure we were getting nuked, but settled down soon after..but SERIOUSLY, why does it thunder during a snow storm????? Feel free to answer that in a comment.
Tuesday we had one Seoul purpose and that was to find souveniers and other goodies for ourselves. So, we went shopping at Insadong and Namdameun. Insadong was much more quaint and less chaotic than Namdamuen, but Namdameun had some amazing jewelry! Erika was in awe of the awesomeness and cheapness of the necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. And she also had a little fan club following her around Insadong. There were like 8 little 13 year olds who came up to us and asked us where we were from and a few other questions they were all giggling through. So, we answered their questions, snapped a photo with them and were on our way.
We got back to Gunsan on Tuesday night and Erika slept while I organized various things to send back with her. Wednesday, Erika shadowed my regular life, which was not so regular since I had been gone for two days and a few of my classes changed and I got 3 new students. In the afternoon I took her to Lotte Mart and we made the infamous walk to work for the afternoon. After class, Yogita and Jemal took us to eat at this fusion restaurant. It was delicious and great company. And so, Erika ate her last Korean meal and slept through her last night in Korea. Thursday morning we rushed around, hugged, and I put her and all her luggage in a taxi with Elizabeth and sent her to the bus station while I made my way to work and back to my "normal" life in Korea.
Well, I realize this was a massive blog and you may need a few days to read it, SO, I'll write the next blog tomorrow or Monday. Happy New Year everyone! 2011 is going to be a great year..only one more year until the end of the world..yikes!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Snow makes everything better
Dear snow,
You are welcome here in Gunsan anytime!
Well, last week we had our first legit snowfall. It was wonderful. I don't know what it is..maybe I just really love the first snow every year, maybe snow makes it look a little bit more like home, maybe it's that snow muffles the sound of screeching brakes and honking taxi drivers, OR maybe it's that the snow disguises the multiple pools of spit on the sidewalk that I seem to walk through every morning, but I LOVE that it snowed this week. Of course it's gone now, but it was so wonderful while it lasted. Here are a few pics.
*SNOW!!!!!
* So it begins..this is one of the entrances to the market..I live in the depths
of this market
*We still ride our scooters in snow storms in Korea
* And this is what I woke up to!
Anyhow, I realize I am super late on this blog. BUT it's because I've been one busy bee these past few days. I've been cleaning, Christmas shopping, grocery shopping, and trying to get ahead because ERIKA will be in Gunsan in exactly 2 hours and 20 minutes! Also, last week was painfully uneventful, there were a few high points..of course the snow was the biggest highlight.
As for the other high points, here it goes. It turns out my students in my morning class have taken pity on my in this cold weather and have been giving me rides back to my apartment, so I don't have to walk through the snow. Speaking of that class, last week we said a temporary "goodbye" to Mrs. Ko. She is studying English in Tacoma, Washington for 6 weeks. I am so excited for her, and of course I begged her to take me with her, but she wasn't having it.
Also, early last week, my Chinese student came back and brought me some Chinese snacks. I tried the "gummy bear" type things but have yet to try the stuff that looks like a solid square of diarrhea. Also, the same Chinese student invited me over for lunch on Sunday. So, this Sunday, I went and had a Chinese lunch with 3 Chinese college students. I couldn't believe it..2 of them lived in a 1 room apartment that was probably a little smaller than my one-roomer. I don't know how they do it...I mean I'm stressin' a little with sharing this apartment with my sister for 6 days. Anyway, the food was delicious. We had beef with onions in some sort of sweet sauce and eggs with tomatoes (both apparently, Chinese dishes), a fruit salad, and this ham sandwich sort of thing. It was all really really good and I loved spending time with them...although it was difficult since their not really fluent in English. Our conversation was pretty much centered limited to topics such as Twilight, Harry Potter, Avatar, Britney Spears, and hamburgers.
Well, as you may know, South Korea has been a huge part of the news lately. And although some people say, this is how it's always been, I think they are mistaken. Last week the whole country held an Emergency drill. We were told to stay home or if walking, to get into the nearest building and stay there for the next 15 minutes. I was home, but I went and looked out the window of my complex and saw that their were still people walking around and school kids still walking in masses and taking up the WHOLE sidewalk. However, I heard later that many people did participate in the drill. It's really interesting being in a country that holds these kinds of drills.
So, last Thursday, I got an email from the U.S. Embassy saying that S. Korea would be holding these live-fire military drills on the island that was bombed last month. Pretty much the email said "Don't be scared little American, just keep yourself informed, and STOP emailing us to ask us if you should evacuate...we will let you know if the situation changes." The drills took place on Monday, and if you watch the news at all, it was one of the tensest moments I think this country has seen in a while. North Korea said they would deliver a "catastrophic" attack if the drills took place, Russia and China strongly encouraged South Korea to not hold the drills, and the U.N. decided they would get together and try to solve this thing once and for all (shockingly, that didn't work.)
Nonetheless, gutsy South Korea held those drills like nobodies business. Of course it would have been too predictable for North Korea to attack right then, but still people have been on their toes ever since the drills took place on Monday. All day on Monday, I carried my evacuation bag with me.
Yes, North Korea being a bully has been going on for awhile, but South Korea has never been so aggressive either...they are definitely at their tipping point. And it's almost like they are daring North Korea to try one more stunt so they could respond full force.
SO, please pray for this situation, for the safety of the people of South Korea, and for the freedom and release of oppression of the North Koreans. It's most definitely a very interesting time to be living in South Korea.
I'm sorry this blog wasn't as good as previous ones. I promise more laughs for this upcoming week's blog. Oh and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
You are welcome here in Gunsan anytime!
Well, last week we had our first legit snowfall. It was wonderful. I don't know what it is..maybe I just really love the first snow every year, maybe snow makes it look a little bit more like home, maybe it's that snow muffles the sound of screeching brakes and honking taxi drivers, OR maybe it's that the snow disguises the multiple pools of spit on the sidewalk that I seem to walk through every morning, but I LOVE that it snowed this week. Of course it's gone now, but it was so wonderful while it lasted. Here are a few pics.
*SNOW!!!!! 
* So it begins..this is one of the entrances to the market..I live in the depthsof this market
*We still ride our scooters in snow storms in Korea
* And this is what I woke up to!Anyhow, I realize I am super late on this blog. BUT it's because I've been one busy bee these past few days. I've been cleaning, Christmas shopping, grocery shopping, and trying to get ahead because ERIKA will be in Gunsan in exactly 2 hours and 20 minutes! Also, last week was painfully uneventful, there were a few high points..of course the snow was the biggest highlight.
As for the other high points, here it goes. It turns out my students in my morning class have taken pity on my in this cold weather and have been giving me rides back to my apartment, so I don't have to walk through the snow. Speaking of that class, last week we said a temporary "goodbye" to Mrs. Ko. She is studying English in Tacoma, Washington for 6 weeks. I am so excited for her, and of course I begged her to take me with her, but she wasn't having it.
Also, early last week, my Chinese student came back and brought me some Chinese snacks. I tried the "gummy bear" type things but have yet to try the stuff that looks like a solid square of diarrhea. Also, the same Chinese student invited me over for lunch on Sunday. So, this Sunday, I went and had a Chinese lunch with 3 Chinese college students. I couldn't believe it..2 of them lived in a 1 room apartment that was probably a little smaller than my one-roomer. I don't know how they do it...I mean I'm stressin' a little with sharing this apartment with my sister for 6 days. Anyway, the food was delicious. We had beef with onions in some sort of sweet sauce and eggs with tomatoes (both apparently, Chinese dishes), a fruit salad, and this ham sandwich sort of thing. It was all really really good and I loved spending time with them...although it was difficult since their not really fluent in English. Our conversation was pretty much centered limited to topics such as Twilight, Harry Potter, Avatar, Britney Spears, and hamburgers.
Well, as you may know, South Korea has been a huge part of the news lately. And although some people say, this is how it's always been, I think they are mistaken. Last week the whole country held an Emergency drill. We were told to stay home or if walking, to get into the nearest building and stay there for the next 15 minutes. I was home, but I went and looked out the window of my complex and saw that their were still people walking around and school kids still walking in masses and taking up the WHOLE sidewalk. However, I heard later that many people did participate in the drill. It's really interesting being in a country that holds these kinds of drills.
So, last Thursday, I got an email from the U.S. Embassy saying that S. Korea would be holding these live-fire military drills on the island that was bombed last month. Pretty much the email said "Don't be scared little American, just keep yourself informed, and STOP emailing us to ask us if you should evacuate...we will let you know if the situation changes." The drills took place on Monday, and if you watch the news at all, it was one of the tensest moments I think this country has seen in a while. North Korea said they would deliver a "catastrophic" attack if the drills took place, Russia and China strongly encouraged South Korea to not hold the drills, and the U.N. decided they would get together and try to solve this thing once and for all (shockingly, that didn't work.)
Nonetheless, gutsy South Korea held those drills like nobodies business. Of course it would have been too predictable for North Korea to attack right then, but still people have been on their toes ever since the drills took place on Monday. All day on Monday, I carried my evacuation bag with me.
Yes, North Korea being a bully has been going on for awhile, but South Korea has never been so aggressive either...they are definitely at their tipping point. And it's almost like they are daring North Korea to try one more stunt so they could respond full force.
SO, please pray for this situation, for the safety of the people of South Korea, and for the freedom and release of oppression of the North Koreans. It's most definitely a very interesting time to be living in South Korea.
I'm sorry this blog wasn't as good as previous ones. I promise more laughs for this upcoming week's blog. Oh and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Monday, December 6, 2010
YIKES....BIKES!
Dear Mr. Kim,
Seriously, you are one crazy dude. Next time you cycle next to me, I'm taking your pic.
Here I am sitting in the teachers lounge because it's cold and rainy and I just didn't feel like walking anywhere. I guess this is a major downside for working a split shift and living 2 miles away with no vehicle. However, I'm using the school's electricity and heat and therefore saving bundles on my utilities, right? right.
So these past several days have been a bit of a challenge..don't get me wrong, this week was another eventful and humorous week, but I really think I'm starting to get homesick. It's probably the holidays, birthday, and the fact that for the past however many years of my life, I've had AT LEAST a two week break from school and I could hang out with family and friends pretty much every single day.
Skype really has been wonderful, many times I hear people say, "I don't know how they did it back in the day without cell phones and internet." But I've been beginning to think of the internet and skype as a bit of a tease. It's frustrating when the connection is bad and the conversation is delayed a solid 5 seconds. I mean you skype or talk on the amazing magic jack (thanks MRS. BIVINS) for an hour or so with a group of your friends and it's great while you're talking. But then you hang up the phone or shut off the computer and you're sitting alone in a tiny one room apartment listening to your dwarf hamster obnoxiously drink from her water bottle. And then you begin to think, "I won't really see them for at least another 8 1/2 months." "Will we still talk this regularly in 7 months?"Is the phrase 'out of sight, out of mind' really true?" "When I do see them again, they will have experienced so much without me and vice versa, will we still connect?"
I could go on, but I feel like it would depress you. Needless to say, I miss a lot of people! And although, I just called skype a "tease" it's still pretty great to be able to see and talk to my friends and family. Most of the time after skyping my homesickness is like a 3 instead of a 7.
ANYWAYS, you're probably thinking to yourself, what's this about "bikes." WELL..Tuesday felt like the days when something always out of the ordinary happened on my walk to work. I was walking right past the food garbage place and I look over to my left and about 8 inches from my face was the man on the bicycle who is 100% positive that I'm 18! YES, SAME GUY! I jumped back, startled, and the same thing happened..he rode in line with my walking and asked me my age, and when I told him, he told me I was wrong and that I was 18. So, I asked him how old he was, he's 59. Then he asked me where I was from. I told him I was from Chicago..like I do everyone else who would be confused by the word "Dixon." Then he started spouting out American cities he knew, " San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Seattle, California." After he finished his list, he patted me on the back and rode away. I decided to call him Mr. Kim, until I find out his real name..because let's face it there is a 75% chance his name really is Mr. Kim.
A little while later, I saw a nasty accident that involved a school bus and a bicycle. Thank the Lord I didn't walk any earlier than I did. It was just a messed up bicycle and the school bus driver that was still on the scene.
Then I was half a block away from my school and I was about to cross the street and I had to tap into my goalie/catlike reflexes to stop myself from getting hit by yet another man on a bicycle.
So, that walk was a bit treacherous, and I hope it's not a foreshadow into these winter months. Speaking of winter months, early last week it snowed! It was so beautiful and I raced home (and by that I mean I briskly walked) to try to get a picture but it had all melted by the time I got to my camera. I hear the Midwest got hit hard yesterday with a snow storm, SO JEALOUS!
So I think I disappointed a few of my students last week. Last Friday I was on cloud nine when they all called me an "English genius," but I definitely don't deserve that title anymore. On Wednesday we played pictionary and the 12 year olds are absolutely repulsed if they are intermixed with boys and girls and there was only one boy. So, I decided I would be on Jay's team. We would work well together, I thought, he was the one who called me an "English genius." Sparing the bloody details, we got totally annihilated by those little girls...and to add to the humiliation, I was the one who made the pictionary words. Jay just looked at me and said in a disappointed tone, "teacha."
However, I'm pretty sure my adult students still think of me as an "English Genius." Again, they were full of advice for me this week. Sometimes right before class ends, they feel the need to give me advice about my life since I am so young and they are so...experienced. This week they told me that I need to marry rich and if that means waiting a really long time, than so be it (they didn't say "so be it," ...but that would have been awesome!). So, thanks for the advice Mrs. Ko and Mrs. Nam, I'll really keep it close to my heart ;) Mrs. Nam, not only did her results show that she is the most daring person in our class but she also went on and on about how handsome Clint Eastwood is and how if she could spend the day with someone famous, it would definitely be him. Watch out Mr. Nam.
So, I ended the work week by going to see Chronicles of Narnia at the theater with a hot date. You guessed it, Mr. Oh. He was quite the gentleman. He paid for me and opened doors for me. However, I'm pretty sure he could have got us kicked out, because every once in awhile I would hear him snapping pictures of the screen. Mr. Oh is an avid photographer..almost in a stalkerish kind of way. I'm pretty sure he took about 30 pictures of the movie.
The weekend was relaxing, I hardly did anything, but I still feel so tired! And if I read one more facebook status about how people are so happy they are home on a 4-5 week Christmas vacation, I might chuck Lily out the window in a jealous rage!
But seriously, if you are one of the lucky few that is home on an enormously long Christmas break I leave you with the words of Billy Madison, "Cherish it, CHERISH IT!"
Seriously, you are one crazy dude. Next time you cycle next to me, I'm taking your pic.
Here I am sitting in the teachers lounge because it's cold and rainy and I just didn't feel like walking anywhere. I guess this is a major downside for working a split shift and living 2 miles away with no vehicle. However, I'm using the school's electricity and heat and therefore saving bundles on my utilities, right? right.
So these past several days have been a bit of a challenge..don't get me wrong, this week was another eventful and humorous week, but I really think I'm starting to get homesick. It's probably the holidays, birthday, and the fact that for the past however many years of my life, I've had AT LEAST a two week break from school and I could hang out with family and friends pretty much every single day.
Skype really has been wonderful, many times I hear people say, "I don't know how they did it back in the day without cell phones and internet." But I've been beginning to think of the internet and skype as a bit of a tease. It's frustrating when the connection is bad and the conversation is delayed a solid 5 seconds. I mean you skype or talk on the amazing magic jack (thanks MRS. BIVINS) for an hour or so with a group of your friends and it's great while you're talking. But then you hang up the phone or shut off the computer and you're sitting alone in a tiny one room apartment listening to your dwarf hamster obnoxiously drink from her water bottle. And then you begin to think, "I won't really see them for at least another 8 1/2 months." "Will we still talk this regularly in 7 months?"Is the phrase 'out of sight, out of mind' really true?" "When I do see them again, they will have experienced so much without me and vice versa, will we still connect?"
I could go on, but I feel like it would depress you. Needless to say, I miss a lot of people! And although, I just called skype a "tease" it's still pretty great to be able to see and talk to my friends and family. Most of the time after skyping my homesickness is like a 3 instead of a 7.
ANYWAYS, you're probably thinking to yourself, what's this about "bikes." WELL..Tuesday felt like the days when something always out of the ordinary happened on my walk to work. I was walking right past the food garbage place and I look over to my left and about 8 inches from my face was the man on the bicycle who is 100% positive that I'm 18! YES, SAME GUY! I jumped back, startled, and the same thing happened..he rode in line with my walking and asked me my age, and when I told him, he told me I was wrong and that I was 18. So, I asked him how old he was, he's 59. Then he asked me where I was from. I told him I was from Chicago..like I do everyone else who would be confused by the word "Dixon." Then he started spouting out American cities he knew, " San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Seattle, California." After he finished his list, he patted me on the back and rode away. I decided to call him Mr. Kim, until I find out his real name..because let's face it there is a 75% chance his name really is Mr. Kim.
A little while later, I saw a nasty accident that involved a school bus and a bicycle. Thank the Lord I didn't walk any earlier than I did. It was just a messed up bicycle and the school bus driver that was still on the scene.
Then I was half a block away from my school and I was about to cross the street and I had to tap into my goalie/catlike reflexes to stop myself from getting hit by yet another man on a bicycle.
So, that walk was a bit treacherous, and I hope it's not a foreshadow into these winter months. Speaking of winter months, early last week it snowed! It was so beautiful and I raced home (and by that I mean I briskly walked) to try to get a picture but it had all melted by the time I got to my camera. I hear the Midwest got hit hard yesterday with a snow storm, SO JEALOUS!
So I think I disappointed a few of my students last week. Last Friday I was on cloud nine when they all called me an "English genius," but I definitely don't deserve that title anymore. On Wednesday we played pictionary and the 12 year olds are absolutely repulsed if they are intermixed with boys and girls and there was only one boy. So, I decided I would be on Jay's team. We would work well together, I thought, he was the one who called me an "English genius." Sparing the bloody details, we got totally annihilated by those little girls...and to add to the humiliation, I was the one who made the pictionary words. Jay just looked at me and said in a disappointed tone, "teacha."
However, I'm pretty sure my adult students still think of me as an "English Genius." Again, they were full of advice for me this week. Sometimes right before class ends, they feel the need to give me advice about my life since I am so young and they are so...experienced. This week they told me that I need to marry rich and if that means waiting a really long time, than so be it (they didn't say "so be it," ...but that would have been awesome!). So, thanks for the advice Mrs. Ko and Mrs. Nam, I'll really keep it close to my heart ;) Mrs. Nam, not only did her results show that she is the most daring person in our class but she also went on and on about how handsome Clint Eastwood is and how if she could spend the day with someone famous, it would definitely be him. Watch out Mr. Nam.
So, I ended the work week by going to see Chronicles of Narnia at the theater with a hot date. You guessed it, Mr. Oh. He was quite the gentleman. He paid for me and opened doors for me. However, I'm pretty sure he could have got us kicked out, because every once in awhile I would hear him snapping pictures of the screen. Mr. Oh is an avid photographer..almost in a stalkerish kind of way. I'm pretty sure he took about 30 pictures of the movie.
The weekend was relaxing, I hardly did anything, but I still feel so tired! And if I read one more facebook status about how people are so happy they are home on a 4-5 week Christmas vacation, I might chuck Lily out the window in a jealous rage!
But seriously, if you are one of the lucky few that is home on an enormously long Christmas break I leave you with the words of Billy Madison, "Cherish it, CHERISH IT!"
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Twenty-Three...a good age and a good basketball player
Dear citizens of Korea,
Stop moving to Seoul...being squished into a subway, paying an arm and a leg for a taxi because you sit in traffic jams for the majority of the time, and sweating like a Norwegian man while shopping because of the body heat from the ever growing crowd that follows is simply NOT worth it.
Look at this, it's Monday night and I am sitting down to blog. The dishes haven't been touched, my clothes are still all over the place, and Lily is practically swimming in her own feces, but by golly, this blog is being written ON TIME!
Well well well..you are now reading the writings of a very wise 23 year old. That's right, it was my birthday on Saturday the 4th. Turning 23 is exciting, and I'm not saying that because after a year of not being able to, I can switch the numbers and say I'm "32"...maybe it was my obscure imagination when I was younger but I remember being so excited when I turned 12 because I would switch the numbers and say I'm 21, or 31, or 41, and so on and so forth..you're probably like.."what the hay?" I don't know..I think I was out there as a child..the amount of imaginary situations I put myself in is just embarrassing.
Back to the birthday bonanza..Well, the celebrations started on Thursday. Yogita and Jemal took me to lunch on Thursday afternoon for a little lobster linguine. It was this cute little Italian place. It kind of looked like your blind great grandmother's house inside, but the food was amazing! They are great company and I am so blessed to have them as coworkers and friends.
Quick side story: Thursday afternoon, my 5 o'clock class was hilarious. This class is all 12 year olds. They are becoming my favorite class. They are goofy, smart, and pick up on American sarcasm pretty easily. So, this boy Dan brought this snack to class. It was raw ramen noodles and he put this spicy packet all over it and I mean SPICY! I tried a little, but being a weak Westerner, I couldn't take it, so I did the sensible thing and stopped eating it. However, all the other students did the UN-sensible thing and kept shoving the spiciness in their mouths. The room filled with the smell of spicy food and the students (except Dan) starting breaking into a sweat, then the sucking in of air through the teeth started (all but Dan), then the panting started (minus Dan), then as they were answering the questions I could hear a lisp and see that their tongues were getting bigger and bigger (but not Dan)..then mid-English exercise, I say, "Just go get water" and they all jump from their seats and rush out the door..but there sat Dan licking the last of the spice from the packet. He finished while I just stared at him, and he said with pumping fists, "Teacha, I am champion." And I said, "Yes, Dan, you ARE champion."
So anyway, Friday came along and it was such a special day. I told my adult students like a month ago when my birthday was and they made it a point that we celebrate it even if we had to celebrate a day before the actual day. So, Friday my adult students from the morning class took me for some Chinese food, which was fitting because I just got a new student in that class who is Chinese. Her name is Xian Jio or something like that, she's my age and she knows Korean fluently and is working on her English and Japanese. So in the car, we were trying to learn Chinese..."Nee How" is hello..and that's all I remember. The car ride was interesting with Korean and broken English being spoken mainly with a little Chinese thrown in here and there. It was one of those moments that made me say, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
After lunch we went on a drive to the outskirts of Gunsan. We mainly drove around the industrial part of Gunsan that is situated right on the Yellow Sea. I read about it before I came here, so my students showed me the ferry that crosses the Yellow Sea to go to China. Again, another of those moments, "I'm just a ferry ride away from China. NBD." Then we crossed this new road that was built on this thin piece of land that goes to the islands near Gunsan. It was awesome to be surrounded by the Yellow Sea. It was a really windy day, so the swells were HUMONGO! I couldn't capture it on my camera, but I know I'll never forget it. I feel like those swells gave me a little glimpse into the power of God.
So my students brought me back, it's always a good day when I don't have to walk to work. Yogita surprised me with a gift of a hat, scarf, gloves, and nail polish..all matching. She's a gem. Later, the teachers got me a birthday cheesecake and sang happy birthday in Korean. My adult students in the evening class brought me pizza AND more cake and one of them brought me a "the king" bobblehead from Burger King. They also sang Happy Birthday to me! I was stuffed full of cake, pizza, and birthday wishes. I felt like one special teacher!
So, Saturday came along and thus the second Saturday in a row I've gotten up before 6:30 a.m. A group of us from my church went to Suwon, a suburb of Seoul to see this traditional Korean village. It was pretty neat. One of the men we went with grew up somewhere much like the village we walked through. It really is incredible to see the changes that have happened to this country in the last 70 years. And in fact, the man said that much of North Korea today looks like these traditional villages. I compare it with colonial America..if you've been to Jamestown in Virginia (or is it Maryland?) than you could combine what that looks like with an African village you've seen on TV or in magazines. The people who work there are all dressed in traditional Korean dress. We saw a traditional Korean dance and an abnormally flexible 60+ man do acrobats on a tightrope. Pretty entertaining stuff to say the least.
After our adventure into Korea's past, we dove right into modern day Korea and took the subway into Seoul..thus my introduction of my Seoul frustrations. We tried to get to the Seoul Palace before it closed but we were 20 minutes late. Bummer..but that's ok, we still stood outside the walls and went into the museum for a little while. Finally after our day of sightseeing and travels, we made it back to the Seoul bus terminal where the group bought me a Krispy Kreme snowman birthday donut! Then we got onto our bus and made the journey back to good ole Gunsan. The more I'm away from her, the more I appreciate this little "hidden treasure" called Gunsan, South Korea :)
Well, to all you Norther Illinoisians, I hope you are enjoying the snow...it's tradition that it snows on my birthday..unfortunately that tradition did not follow me to Korea. So go outside for me, make a snowman, snow angel, build a snow fort and throw snowballs at your siblings, neighbors, or complete strangers...enjoy the snow, don't hate on it.
*blowing out the candles on my 2nd birthday cake of the day..notice my
illustration of a camel from a previous class that day..that's art.
*Who has the best students? This birthday girl
*A little pregame stretch before the big show
*Some Chinese for lunch with adult a.m. class
*Traditional village group
*My birthday donut
* A little birthday dance :)
Stop moving to Seoul...being squished into a subway, paying an arm and a leg for a taxi because you sit in traffic jams for the majority of the time, and sweating like a Norwegian man while shopping because of the body heat from the ever growing crowd that follows is simply NOT worth it.
Look at this, it's Monday night and I am sitting down to blog. The dishes haven't been touched, my clothes are still all over the place, and Lily is practically swimming in her own feces, but by golly, this blog is being written ON TIME!
Well well well..you are now reading the writings of a very wise 23 year old. That's right, it was my birthday on Saturday the 4th. Turning 23 is exciting, and I'm not saying that because after a year of not being able to, I can switch the numbers and say I'm "32"...maybe it was my obscure imagination when I was younger but I remember being so excited when I turned 12 because I would switch the numbers and say I'm 21, or 31, or 41, and so on and so forth..you're probably like.."what the hay?" I don't know..I think I was out there as a child..the amount of imaginary situations I put myself in is just embarrassing.
Back to the birthday bonanza..Well, the celebrations started on Thursday. Yogita and Jemal took me to lunch on Thursday afternoon for a little lobster linguine. It was this cute little Italian place. It kind of looked like your blind great grandmother's house inside, but the food was amazing! They are great company and I am so blessed to have them as coworkers and friends.
Quick side story: Thursday afternoon, my 5 o'clock class was hilarious. This class is all 12 year olds. They are becoming my favorite class. They are goofy, smart, and pick up on American sarcasm pretty easily. So, this boy Dan brought this snack to class. It was raw ramen noodles and he put this spicy packet all over it and I mean SPICY! I tried a little, but being a weak Westerner, I couldn't take it, so I did the sensible thing and stopped eating it. However, all the other students did the UN-sensible thing and kept shoving the spiciness in their mouths. The room filled with the smell of spicy food and the students (except Dan) starting breaking into a sweat, then the sucking in of air through the teeth started (all but Dan), then the panting started (minus Dan), then as they were answering the questions I could hear a lisp and see that their tongues were getting bigger and bigger (but not Dan)..then mid-English exercise, I say, "Just go get water" and they all jump from their seats and rush out the door..but there sat Dan licking the last of the spice from the packet. He finished while I just stared at him, and he said with pumping fists, "Teacha, I am champion." And I said, "Yes, Dan, you ARE champion."
So anyway, Friday came along and it was such a special day. I told my adult students like a month ago when my birthday was and they made it a point that we celebrate it even if we had to celebrate a day before the actual day. So, Friday my adult students from the morning class took me for some Chinese food, which was fitting because I just got a new student in that class who is Chinese. Her name is Xian Jio or something like that, she's my age and she knows Korean fluently and is working on her English and Japanese. So in the car, we were trying to learn Chinese..."Nee How" is hello..and that's all I remember. The car ride was interesting with Korean and broken English being spoken mainly with a little Chinese thrown in here and there. It was one of those moments that made me say, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
After lunch we went on a drive to the outskirts of Gunsan. We mainly drove around the industrial part of Gunsan that is situated right on the Yellow Sea. I read about it before I came here, so my students showed me the ferry that crosses the Yellow Sea to go to China. Again, another of those moments, "I'm just a ferry ride away from China. NBD." Then we crossed this new road that was built on this thin piece of land that goes to the islands near Gunsan. It was awesome to be surrounded by the Yellow Sea. It was a really windy day, so the swells were HUMONGO! I couldn't capture it on my camera, but I know I'll never forget it. I feel like those swells gave me a little glimpse into the power of God.
So my students brought me back, it's always a good day when I don't have to walk to work. Yogita surprised me with a gift of a hat, scarf, gloves, and nail polish..all matching. She's a gem. Later, the teachers got me a birthday cheesecake and sang happy birthday in Korean. My adult students in the evening class brought me pizza AND more cake and one of them brought me a "the king" bobblehead from Burger King. They also sang Happy Birthday to me! I was stuffed full of cake, pizza, and birthday wishes. I felt like one special teacher!
So, Saturday came along and thus the second Saturday in a row I've gotten up before 6:30 a.m. A group of us from my church went to Suwon, a suburb of Seoul to see this traditional Korean village. It was pretty neat. One of the men we went with grew up somewhere much like the village we walked through. It really is incredible to see the changes that have happened to this country in the last 70 years. And in fact, the man said that much of North Korea today looks like these traditional villages. I compare it with colonial America..if you've been to Jamestown in Virginia (or is it Maryland?) than you could combine what that looks like with an African village you've seen on TV or in magazines. The people who work there are all dressed in traditional Korean dress. We saw a traditional Korean dance and an abnormally flexible 60+ man do acrobats on a tightrope. Pretty entertaining stuff to say the least.
After our adventure into Korea's past, we dove right into modern day Korea and took the subway into Seoul..thus my introduction of my Seoul frustrations. We tried to get to the Seoul Palace before it closed but we were 20 minutes late. Bummer..but that's ok, we still stood outside the walls and went into the museum for a little while. Finally after our day of sightseeing and travels, we made it back to the Seoul bus terminal where the group bought me a Krispy Kreme snowman birthday donut! Then we got onto our bus and made the journey back to good ole Gunsan. The more I'm away from her, the more I appreciate this little "hidden treasure" called Gunsan, South Korea :)
Well, to all you Norther Illinoisians, I hope you are enjoying the snow...it's tradition that it snows on my birthday..unfortunately that tradition did not follow me to Korea. So go outside for me, make a snowman, snow angel, build a snow fort and throw snowballs at your siblings, neighbors, or complete strangers...enjoy the snow, don't hate on it.
*blowing out the candles on my 2nd birthday cake of the day..notice my illustration of a camel from a previous class that day..that's art.
*Who has the best students? This birthday girl
*A little pregame stretch before the big show
*Some Chinese for lunch with adult a.m. class
*Traditional village group
*My birthday donut* A little birthday dance :)
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