We have a bread company near the area that I reside. You may be wondering why this is a pertinent piece of information. Well, on some lucky evenings, when it does not smell like sewage or something equally fetid that is common in our area, I get to smell the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread. It reminds me of mom’s homemade bread and boy do I miss it!
We’re being watched. This I have discovered! Not that I have particularly astute observational skills, but two recent elevator rides have made me recognize this. The first instance, I entered the elevator with an older woman who I see every once in awhile around the building. As the doors shut, she pressed the button to her floor (I don’t remember which one) and then…pressed the number 9 button for my floor. Uh…thanks? The next time, I got on with a little boy around the age of 8. He acknowledged me with a very polite bow, and too, pressed the 9 button. How…do they know this? I suppose it’s not hard remembering what floor the only foreigners in the building live on…
Korea adventures:
2010 world cup! It’s over….I know, but in the first round, Korea played Greece and it was actually at a reasonable time of day considering South Africa is several time zones behind South Korea. After hearing for the past several months how excited the country gets for this event, we decided to experience it for ourselves! So, that Saturday, we grabbed ourselves a red shirt, and headed to City hall, where thousands of other people were gathered to cheer on their team! Unfortunately, the Korean weather decided to continue it’s annoying habit of being sunny during the week and rainy on the weekends, soccer or no soccer. So, we also snagged ourselves some ponchos, which proved to be of little use as the night progressed, from the subway and headed up to join the crowd…the very, very large, excited crowd. If you’ve ever been in a large group of people, you can relate when I compare it to an amoeba. I headed into the crowd with 6 other people, was somehow separated but still in sight of them, and within 20 minutes, though not even realizing that I had moved, somehow ended up right amidst my group. Holly described how crowded it was accurately when she said “I think I could have lifted my feet, and been held up by the people around me.” It was quite hot standing next to that many people so after the rain looked as though it had stopped, I removed my poncho only to find I had sweat so much, I was as drenched as I would have been had I not been wearing it. Ew. Then it started to rain again, but at that point, we were all so close to each other that I would have busted some heads trying to put it on so I gave up. A decision I immediately regretted after Korea scored their first goal, and some fellow fans sent up an immense cheer, along with an immense amount of beer and Newton’s law, true to form, took affect all over my head. Yay. Despite the wet, the hot, the beer, and my temporary fight with crowd anxiety, it was an enjoyable experience. Though, I did immensely welcome the suggestion to head to the outskirts of the crowd at halftime. We enjoyed the rest of the game from the side. An exciting year to be in Korea for sure!
We went paragliding! It was very exciting. I’m not sure how or who discovered that paragliding was an option in Korea, but as soon as it was, Holly and I immediately signed up. We were a little concerned that the weather wouldn’t cooperate the morning we left, the conditions have to be pretty perfect to take off, no rain, as well as the correct wind speed and direction, but fortunately Holly and I were both able to experience this awesome sport! We went in three groups and I was chosen to be in the first. So I headed up the mountain with two other girls and our professionals in the back of a truck. The ride to the launch site was practically as exciting as the actual paragliding…but not quite. After the fast, bumpy and tree dodging ride to the top, we suited up and one by one ran off the mountain with our instructor. Both Holly and I were chosen to ride with the main guy in our individual groups, therefore we were also put in charge of filming the ride with his camera. So I floated through the sky, completely amazed that human beings figured out how to do these things. It took about 10-15 min. to float to the landing sight and then the next group went. So much fun!
The next weekend was a flurry of activity! On Saturday, we met up with our favorite South Africans and headed to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with several other foreigners, some of which happened to be QUITE obnoxious…I’ll just hold my tongue and leave it at that. Haha. We all learned about the DMZ in our high school History class but it didn’t really have any meaning for me then, because it was half the world away. It’s a whole other story when you actually go there. We visited several different points at the DMZ but the one I found most interesting was the JSA (Joint Security Area) where both North and South Korean soldiers stand on their respective sides of the Demarcation line, which is marked by white stakes and a cement line. A building stands right on the line and this is where all negotiations since 1953 have been held. We were able to enter the building and could step over the line and be in North Korea. Amazing! Another interesting place we visited was the 3rd incursion tunnel dug by North Korea. This tunnel was found when soldiers received a tip from a North Korean defector. There are in fact four incursion tunnels with at least 10 more suspected of being dug under the demarcation line. When discovered, North Korea claimed the tunnels were for coal mining but none has ever been found, though they painted some of the walls black to give the appearance of coal. I forgot this bit of information until I touched one of the tunnel walls accidentally. Ew. The 4th tunnel was discovered in 1990, which completely amazed me as the other three were found in the 70’s. But enough of the History lesson…we descended the steep slope into the tunnel with our hard hats and walked in a hunched position while trying (unsuccessfully on my part) to avoid hitting our heads on the rock and pipes. After walking all the way to the end, we were able to observe the first cement barricade of three that were constructed by the South to block off the rest of the tunnel to the North. It was a very interesting and informational trip. I highly recommend it if ever you visit Korea.
The day after our DMZ trip was my birthday! So, I decided to give a gift to myself, and go bungee jumping. Haha! The trip actually included river rafting as well, which I was also excited for but it sadly turned out to be quite disappointing. It doesn’t help that my only previous rafting experiences took place in Colorado, therefore I was expecting it to be as exciting as that. I’ll tell you now that Korea’s rivers aren’t that fast or filled with as many rapids. The day started very rainy, already putting a little damper on the mood and also making me a little worried that the wetness would prevent us from being able to bungee jump. When we arrived at the rafting sight we were told to get into groups of ten. As Holly and I didn’t know anyone, we were placed in a boat with eight other girls. Girls that were incapable of following the directions of our guide or even the simple task of paddling. Though this sounds a tad mean, I can defend my slightly exasperated statement by giving you an example of what I mean: The river that we were on was a very lackadaisical one. I could throw my little brother on a tube and have him float down it. I could take my life jacket off and swim down this river (ok maybe with the life jacket on…). It’s true, there were a few rapids, but these rapids weren’t that difficult. A few rapids did require some maneuvering and were bumpy enough for some excitement but nothing extreme. On one of the rapids, our guide was yelling at us to “row, row, row!” but a few of the girls decided they didn’t want to…or something. Who knows? What I DO know, is that out of the nine boats, ours was the ONLY ONE to get stuck on a rock. We all had to pile to one side of the raft while our guide actually hopped out onto the rock to push us off. Oh girls. So rafting was…an interesting experience. By the time we were done with that, the rain had slowed to a drizzle…were we going to get to bungee? YES! We WERE! So we traveled to the site, and split into two groups. I was in the second group, and out of the 46 people bungee jumping…I was 46th. People, that’s a long time to wait and watch other jumpers freak out on a really high platform. Only three or four people were too scared to do it and backed out. You had a choice of going by your waist, or your ankles. I figured, if I was going to do it, I was doing it 100%, tie me up by my ankles! When two people were left, a girl named Sophie and I, I wondered if I would have any nerve problems once I got to the edge. Sophie walked to the edge, stood there for a few seconds looking down, and then turned to the worker standing next to her. She said, “I can’t do it, can you just push me?” and he did. Lol. I was next! I walked to the edge, looked down, waved at Holly, and dove off. It was amazing. Freefalling headfirst is a breathtaking experience. I’d totally do it again.
The next Saturday was what we have dubbed our Epic fail Saturday. It started out with such potential. We had a plan to head into Seoul with Ian, Laura, and John to find a Dr. fish (where you put your feet in water with little fish that eat the dead skin off. Sounds gross, I know) and an Ice Bar (a bar that is made entirely of ice; seats, glasses, tables, decorations). Both places were in Hongdae. We had researched them on the “visit Korea” website, written down the directions and were ready for a day full of new experiences and fun fellowship! We arrived in the area of Dr. Fish first, and after searching for about 30 min, found an English speaking native, and asked if he knew where it was. He pointed us in the right direction and we traveled up to the 7th floor of the building only to find a completely different business. They conveyed to us that the Dr. Fish had been closed for a year. Angry. Needing some comfort food, we headed to a hamburger restaurant that we had seen while walking around and around in search of the apparently nonexistent Dr. Fish. We all agreed that the burgers were the best we had tasted in Korea and gave us renewed hope that the day was not yet over, and we still had the Ice Bar to pick up our spirits. So, we headed for the Ice Bar, made a few wrong turns, looked up directions AGAIN on my trusty iPod touch, and spotted the sign that said “Ice Bar, 4th** Floor.” Oh sweet success!! We traveled to the top and once again, our dreams came crashing down around us. It was closed. AUGH! FOR SHAME! By this time it was around 9:00, and we were dejected, so we headed home early. The next day we all got up early to run the Ansan 4k together. John ran the 10K (because he’s awesome like that) and though Holly was signed up for the Half marathon, she decided she would be nice and just run the 4k with Ian, Laura and I. ;) So though Saturday was a little disappointing, our overall weekend was fun. Besides, it can never be all bad when you’re hanging out with three cool kids from South Africa!! If there’s anything to be learned from this weekend though, it’s not to trust anything on that blasted Visit Korea website. It’s all lies…LIES I TELL YOU!!
**Some buildings in Korea don’t have a 4th floor because it is unlucky. Instead, they put an F on the 4th elevator button or sometimes, they skip the floor altogether, going straight from 3rd to 5th.
What better way to spend a Sunday than eating brunch with friends? Well that’s what we did with Ian Laura, and John a couple weeks ago. But we also played the wii, and Jenga, and Bananagrams, and went bowling, and played football, and volleyball, and hiked a mountain, and ate ice cream! Of course, the only thing we planned was the brunch, everything else just happened as it was suggested by one person or another. Pretty much one of the best Sundays EVER!
Well, some of you may not know this but my school is closing. They are having financial problems so have decided to end my contract early. My original ending date was the 16th of September so I’m ending about 2 months early. Unfortunately this means I will not be receiving my bonus or flight home as promised. On the other hand, I get to come home EARLY! Which is exciting! I’ve had quite the adventures here and am thankful for the opportunity to experience all the things that I have. The most important thing that I will take from the past 10 months though, will be the friendships I have formed. I met many people but a select few became true friends, and one became like a sister. I am sad to leave those that live in other countries because seeing them again will be more difficult. I am sadder to leave my new sister because she will be staying in Korea for two more months and then living a few states away when she returns to America. After seeing her almost everyday for the last 7 months, this will seem like a much longer distance than just a few hundred miles.
My tentative itinerary is this: China next week, Aug. 4th I fly to San Fransisco to stay with my brother and sister in law for a few days (yay!!), then home to Kansas!! Can’t wait to see everyone and meet some new babies that have been born while I was away!!!
