Apr. 25 - Apr. 29: Fire Safety

This week's lesson: Fire Safety. Good to know after already dealing with a fire. When the Korean teachers informed us that Thursday's field trip would be a "Fire Drill," I was ecstatic to learn exactly how we should leave the building in the event of a fire. At any rate, I was glad to have a practice in case, God forbid, lightning decided to hit twice.

However, Fire Drill it was not. Instead, we went to the Fire Station for a video and a mini look-see of the fire trucks. In my opinion, it was a fantastic waste of time. Perhaps I am a wee bit bitter towards the men in the black and yellow uniforms here in Korea...the same fellows who sat, feet dangling, on the backs of their trucks, mouths agape, watching smoke pouring out of the windows of our building while we poor innocents were struggling for our next and possibly final breaths??!!! Okay, maybe I am exaggerating just a bit. Touring a fire station is all well and good, but when I asked if we were going to conduct our own fire drill at the school, all I received were stares of bewilderment.

The rest of the week was fantastic, of course. This warm spring weather has really made me one happy lady!

Horses, and Pimps, and Ho's, Oh My!

Whew! What a jam-packed weekend! I swear, as my weekdays get slower and slower, my weekends just keep getting busier! Friday night I was determined to go out in Seoul, seeing as the last time I really went out was my birthday weekend a month ago. I ended up meeting up with some girls at Gecko's in Itaewon for a bit before we decided to try out a place none of us at visited: Bar Nana. It's a tiny hole in the wall on a side street in Itaewon, but far different than any of the other haunts in the area. It had a very tropical feel, complete with bongo drums (that unfortunately were not being coddled at the time we were there) and a terrific DJ.


Beside the Horseracing Track.

Saturday morning I lazied around my apartment a bit before deciding to take advantage of the day's sunshine by laying out on my neighboring apartment building's roof (seeing as they keep mine locked!). I eventually met up with some of the guys on my team at the Seoul Grand Racepark for my first experience with horseracing. It was quite confusing placing bets, but I ended up winning the grand total of 3,900 won (equal to about $4 US).

Saturday evening I was exhausted from all the excitement of winning so much money, and if it was any other ordinary night out, I probably would have passed. However, I was invited to a Pimp 'N' Ho party thrown by a guy in Pyeongchon, and I just cannot pass up the opportunity for an excuse to dress like a prostitute. Once I got to the party, I was informed that ironically, a bar in Itaewon just happened to be hosting its very own Pimp 'N' Ho party that very night, as well. Therefore, we all hopped in cabs and made our way to Itaewon to celebrate with the other self-degrading foreigners in Seoul.


Looking for a pimp daddy.

Sunday was my second soccer game, this time at our home pitch in nearby Anyang. Of course, it comes as no surprise that my only playing time was the final ten minutes of the game...ten minutes of my running around in circles like a freshly-executed chicken. Fortunately, we beat the other team 4-1. Afterwards, we went back to our favorite Galbi joint for dinner before hitting the Rockssin for a post-game celebration. Now I am just exhausted beyond all belief!

Apr. 18 - Apr. 22: Yellow Dust

Well, I know I'm starting to sound quite repetitious, but this past week was another boring, uneventful five days of teaching monotony. My only adventure was a visit to the doctor. Ever since I arrived here nearly six months ago, I have been fighting a recurring chest cold/flu/lung failure. I know it's a combination of snotty children wiping their grimy fingers on my face and the severe air pollution in this lovely city.

The icing on the proverbial cake came about a week ago in the form of a thick yellow dust that's blowing over South Korea. Apparently, this nuisance is an annual event that lasts several weeks. I have heard many explanations for the yellow dust, from it being simple air pollution that hitches a ride across the sea on April winds to goats in the Gobi Desert that eat all the remaining vegetation, therefore causing the sands to erode into the air. Whatever the far-out reason that the Koreans and other foreigners give for this phenomena, one thing is certain: these lovely, lung-shredding dust particles hail from China.

I had been finding my last few soccer practices nearly unbearable, and I attributed it to my being out of shape. However, when I was steadily feeling crappier than ever by Tuesday, I decided to finally suck it up to the dust and visit a doctor. One thing I must say is that I love government-funded healthcare! I honestly have never in my life visited a doctor solely for a cold, or any other ailment not pertaining to my knee, for that matter. However, when all you have to pay is about $3 to have a doctor look at you and receive some drugs, I am all for being a hypochondriac!

By Thursday I was feeling a bit better (and quite loopy...God knows what that doctor had me taking!). I made it to practice Thursday night, and by Friday I was ready for the weekend. Here's to hoping this yellow dust blows on out of here!

First Soccer Game

Well, another fantastic weekend here in the land of the morning calm. Friday night I went with Kelly and Amanda to the Rockssin for another Open-Mic Night. Although I am not one to go to the same place every weekend, the Open Mic is always a good time, and I embraced the opportunity to hang out with my new teammates. Of course, no night out in Anyang is complete without a trip to the Techno Bar for some late night dancing!

Saturday afternoon, Kelly and I made our way to her apartment for an attempt to catch some rays up on her roof. We managed to lie there for just over an hour, but the strong, chilly winds eventually persuaded us to go back inside. We then headed down to Bucheon, which is a lovely new town located about thirty minutes from Kelly's apartment, for a Barbeque at the home of a "friend of a friend." We brought a grill up on the roof of our host's place, and grilled pork and sausage and cheeseburgers. We ended the night with some card games, and I got out of there just in time to make the last train home that night around 11:15 pm.


I swear, I'm working on getting out of these daisy dukes and into proper soccer shorts! 

Sunday morning I awoke with excitement for my first soccer game. As I came into the season a bit late, I had already missed three games so far, two of which were ties and the other a loss. We were praying for a victory, to say the least. I met up with my teammates at Anyang Station before hopping into the team captain's car with a few others, while the rest of the team boarded a bus bound for Suwon. An hour later, we finally arrived at the pitch, which was a huge dirt field without a speck of grass anywhere in sight. We got dressed in our uniforms (or rather, our "kits," which is the "proper term," according to the British players) and warmed up.


Shaking hands with the other team after my first game...and our first victory! 

Our game began at 2:00 pm, and for most of it, I was cheering on the team from the sidelines. Finally, with about 15 minutes left in the game, (and after feeling that we had secured a victory with a 3-0 lead) my team captain put me into the game. Of course, my playing was anything but monumental...I basically ran around in circles the whole time, trying not too look too much like a fool. Unfortuntely, Suwon scored a goal on us with just minutes left in the game, but we were still victorious! Viva Anyang Footballers!

After arriving back in Anyang, we relaxed in a sauna (which requires an entire blog all to itself, which I promise to do in the near future) before rendezvousing with the team at a galbi restaurant. After dinner, we headed over to The Rockssin (did I mention it is our team sponsor?) for more celebrating until finally making our way to a fellow's apartment to watch the rather amusing game video. I eventually called it a night around midnight, my body tired and sore from the long day.

Apr. 11 - Apr. 15: Lightbulbs

This week was EXTREMELY uneventful. Each day was exactly like the one before it, and Friday arrived rather quickly. Of course, the weather is getting much warmer with every passing hour. A few times this week I did take advantage of spring's arrival by lying on the roof of my building, shirt and pants rolled up, in order to soak up a bit of the afternoon sun during my breaks. The few Koreans that made their way to the roof during those times probably thought I was one crazy white girl, but I was happily welcoming some color onto my pasty body.


The cherry blossoms are now in full bloom.

This week also saw a few changes in my future plans. Since February, I had decided to stay in Korea through next February's graduation, upon which I would make my way through Southeast Asia and Europe for some serious backpacking before finally settling back down in the States by Labor Day 2006. However, this past week a few lightbulbs went off in my head. I realized that there is really no reason for me to rush back home. I still have no clue what I want to do "when I grow up," not to mention where I want to go, or even if I am ready to settle down just yet.

So now I am thinking that I might actually sign up for another contract. Who can believe it? It's not as if I am just so crazy about Korea that I cannot bear the thought of leaving, but I do think of the great times I have not only been having, but will continue to have, not to mention all the money I will have saved after being here for two years. If I do decide to stay another year, I will probably try to get a contract with new school in a different area. I do love living in Pyeongchon, but I would like to have another experience, preferably closer into Seoul.

Of course, my ideas and plans change on a weekly basis. We shall see how I am feeling come the end of my contract in November!

Another Wedding

This past weekend was quite a busy one. Friday night, immediately after work, I took a taxi with the other two foreign teachers at my school to our friend Annie's house (the Korean teacher who got married a few weeks ago) for an official housewarming party. As is the tradition in Korea, we each brought a housewarming gift, which usually consists of things like toilet paper...of course, the Martha Stewart in me saw it more fitting to bring a potted tulip.

Annie and her husband cooked a fine dinner of pork and other Korean what-nots. It was just us Swaton teachers and a couple husbands sitting on the floor around a table, and we had a fabulous time. I even left the place with my very own Korean name: Seyeong.

Saturday morning I awoke to a dreary, rainy day...perfect wedding weather! That's right...I attended my second wedding in Korea. This time, however, the bride was Korean and the groom was a Canadian on my soccer team. Although I have only met him once, not to mention the fact that I have only been to two practices thus far, I was invited, and I did not want to miss out on the opportunity to meet all the players on my team. Since I did not want to go all by myself, I invited my friend Amanda to be my date.

This time, the wedding was in a church, providing a much more intimate and quiet affair than the wedding hall vows. Of course, most of the service was strictly in Korean, so it was all I could do not to fall asleep. After the wedding, we had a scrumptious Korean lunch in an adjoining social hall. After we had chowed down on noodles, jellyfish, and kimchee, we soccer players set out into the rain for Bar Rockssin in Anyang. This is the same place that hosts the bi-weekly open mic night, and it is also the "Team Bar." For Saturday evening, it was serving as the proper, "get down and boogie" reception room. It was the perfect environment for spending some time getting to know my new teammates, and I was pleased to find that they are all a great bunch of guys.

Sunday I really needed a day to myself, so I ventured into Seoul for some shopping in the Myeongdong district. I spent all day here, milling about the tight streets with thousands upon thousands of other Koreans. One word in Korea that does not coincide with the word shopping: relaxing. It is such a high-stress pasttime, especially on Sundays, as this is the only day that Koreans have off from work, so the people cram into the shops. I somehow managed to purchase a couple things, but had to give up on finding a pair of jeans that fits. A major problem with Korean shopping is that there are no fitting rooms...even when I would see a fitting room and ask to use it, the salespeople would always say, "No try!" Now, what girl in her right mind would ever buy a pair of jeans without trying them on first? It did not take long before I finally had to surrender and head home.

Apr. 4 - Apr. 8: Biking Down the Han River

The Bike Brigade.

Thanks to Tuesday's Arbor Day holiday, this week was another short and sweet one. Monday morning I awoke bright and early for a pre-work run around my town. I love that it is getting warm...it was in the low 60s all week, which is the best motivator in getting my sun-loving self out of the house and into the great outdoors. That night I dragged myself out to meet some friends, but I was snugly nestled in bed at a decent hour.

Tuesday afternoon I met up in Yeouido with a few of the newfound friends I met rock climbing. Yeouido is a huge island in the Han River (the waterway that runs through dowtown Seoul) that is home to the business district, not to mention Seoul's not-so-tall skyscraper, the 63 Building. We rented bicycles and cruised along the Han River before arriving at the World Cup Stadium.


Riding along the Han River.

I was astounded at the number of people that were milling about that afternoon. With it being a national holiday, it seemed like one-half of Seoul's population (which is upwards of 12 million people) had decided to spend the day by the Han. There were thousands upon thousands of Koreans riding bicycles, rollerblading, flying kites, windsurfing, and either running about or lying around the parks. The World Cup Stadium was a sight to see, as well. Again, thousands of people taking advantage of the grass, trees, and scenery. It's not exactly what I would ever call "peaceful," especially with the grating PA announcements that continuously reverberated over the loudspeakers, but I suppose it is the only escape from the cement jungle that many of these Seoulites ever get.


Thousands of people milling about World Cup Stadium.

It was a lovely afternoon, and after we returned our bikes we headed to La Salsa Loca, an American Mexican chain restaurant that recently opened in Yeouido. I had been dying to go there since it opened, and I was not disappointed. While I can forget having truly authentic Mexican grub while I am here, this was as close as it gets. Of course, I paid dearly for it, spending over $25 on a chicken burrito and teeny tiny margarita, but it was well worth it. A girl's gotta get her Mexican fix every so often!

The rest of the week flew by, thank goodness. Wednesday was a rainy mess...just glad it held off until after the bicycle excursion. Soccer was canceled Thursday night due to all the wedding festivities of one of my teammates who's getting married on Saturday. I do have a nice busy weekend to look forward to, though, including another wedding to attend!

Rock Climbing

What a fabulous weekend! Saturday morning I met up with Kelly and 25 strangers on the Adventure Korea bus for another weekend getaway...this time to Mungyeong in Chungcheongbuk Do to test our skills at a Rock Climbing camp. We endured a three-hour bus ride before reaching our final destination that afternoon at Mt. Joryong.


Getting ready to rappel down 100 feet...

Upon arriving, we received our room assignments (Kelly and I shared a large suite with four other girls) and unloaded our belongings before meeting the group outside. The place at which we were staying consisted of several cottages compose of separate suites. Also, it was located mere meters from the rock climbing walls and a ropes course. Before getting geared up, the owner of the company had us all line up for a Korean-style stretching session.

Since I tried rock climbing once before in Alaska, I was expecting climbing shoes in addition to a harness and helmet. Unfortunately, I was disappointed to find that shoes were not to be provided, and I had to resort to my 'Roos. After donning our gear, we headed to the practice spot. This was a rock slab that stood at about a 45 degree angle. We climbed up the wall before rappelling back down. With there being 25 of us and only two separate ropes and instructors, it took quite a long time.


Rappelling down the wall...

After the practice wall, we hiked to a 35 meter vertical rock wall for more some serious rappelling. My first try down was all over the place, but the second time, I literally shot down like a pro...well, it probably didn't look like it, but it felt like it! I was again disappointed to find that the rappelling wall meant the end to our rock climbing day. I was expecting much more...at least a vertical wall to climb up...unfortunately, no dice. However, we did get to try out the ropes course for a bit. Everyone split up into two small groups, with our posse heading to the "Trapeze." We had to climb a shaky ladder up to a tiny platform attached to a tree. From this platform, we leapt to a trapeze that was dangling several feet away (with a harness on, of course).

As the sun had set and it was starting to get a bit chilly, we decided to gather some firewood, retire our climbing gear, and prepare for dinner. Before changing, we walked to a beautiful waterfall that was located nearby. I then realized how serene it was here...this was definitely the first time I have not felt like I was in an over-populated country since being in Korea. Dinner was pork, tofu, rice, garlic, and red pepper paste, of which I ate twice my body weight after the day's activities! After dinner, we all sat around a huge campfire, roasting marshmallows and bonding with each other. I decided to call it a night around 11:30 pm.


The Trapeze

Sunday morning, we awoke to a soggy, gray day. Perfect hiking weather, to say the very least. We met in the common room where we were greeted with the intoxicating aroma of eggs and bacon. We foreigners then had a lesson in preparing kimbap, Korea's version of the sushi roll. It consists of canned tuna, cucumbers, pickled yellow radish, carrot, ham, and some strange root thing all wrapped up in rice and seaweed paper.

Sitting around the Bonfire.

We all had to psyche ourselves out to hike for five hours in the rain and mud, but we did it, and it was not all that bad. It was quite muddy and miserable at first, but as we ascended higher and higher, the rain turned to snow. Finally, the sun came out, and things got much drier and warmer. The hike was quite strenous, with various pseudo-rock climbing spots consisting of rope nailed into the mountain. Almost three hours into our hike (and after much complaining from yours truly, I must admit), we reached the peak of the mountain, where we had lunch and tried to dry out a bit.

Finally, we basically slid back down the mountain, boarded our bus, and made the journey back home. We all exchanged e-mail addresses and phone numbers (as almost everyone in the group got along amazingly well) before boarding our respectable subway trains bound for home. I came home and crashed...it was an awesome weekend, and I am glad to have met some new people!

Mar. 28 - Apr. 1: Spring Has Sprung!

Yippee! Well, I am delighted to say that the temperature is finally starting to increase here in South Korea, as are my spirits! I was really beginning to loathe the winter, but Spring has finally arrived in the nick of time! Pretty soon, I'll be trading in my down jacket for sandals! Sadly, though, my birthday week is officially over, so no more celebrations...my body is definitely thanking me, though. With this new week, I decided to get back into serious shape (as I have been a major slacker these past few weeks), starting with focusing on soccer. Unfortunately, Tuesday night's practice was canceled at the last minute.

Speaking of soccer, Wednesday night Korea played Uzbekistan here at the World Cup Stadium for another qualifyer game. I scored a ticket that afternoon and went with some of my friends after work, not arriving until halftime. Not much had gone on before we arrived, but in the second half, Korea scored two goals to Uzbekistan's one, giving us another win! It was a great game...I just really need to learn all the Korean crowd chants!

Thursday night I made it to my second practice...again, there were only five other people there. Apparently, more people seem to go on the days I am not there...they must have heard there is a lousy girl playing on the team. Anyway, our coach was there this time...apparently he formerly played professional soccer in Germany, and now he's living in Korea and coaching and playing with our team in his spare time.

That's about it for the week...very low key...also sad because today was the last day at school for one of my favorite little ones. Jennifer (in the picture) is actually the little girl I carried out of the building during the fire. It seems like I keep losing all my favorites while getting stuck with the evil ones.


Without a doubt, the cutest little girl I've ever seen!

This weekend I am going rockclimbing, and I'm super excited!