eYes. I know. I have not written a blog in awhile. I have to come clean and say that my naps have been taking up all of my time. :) I'm sorry, I'll do better (ahem, melanie.)
-Paintballing! Ahwoooo! What a complete blast. Korean's call it "Survivor game." I figured that out when they asked me what I was doing for the weekend and they thought I was going bowling with paint. We had to meet at 11:30 at the Subway stop nearest the paintball field. Unfortunately that particular subway stop was FOREVER away from me...so I left about 8:00 hoping I would get there in time. I ended up arriving 30 minutes before everyone but that's ok. The early bird gets the worm? Or...yummy, warm, bread, walnut snack things that were near the entrance of the subway. mmmm. Tangent...sorry....SO we (29 foreigners) CRAMMED onto a tiny local bus which took us near the field. We then walked another 10 minutes, grabbed all the gear that needed to be taken the rest of the way up the side of the mountain, and divided into green (yeah green!) and yellow teams. I would be lying if I denied that our green team had our rear ends KICKED by the yellow team the first two games. But little did they (and we for that matter) know that we were just warming up! We played last man standing, capture the flag, and keep the medic alive (for lack of a better name). Last man standing was the first two games that we brutally lost. The yellow looked like they knew what they were doing. Then we switched to capture the flag, and after about two minutes, one of our guys pulled a Leroy Jenkins and just took off after the flag. We were caught a little off guard but then regained our composure and layed down some cover fire. Success! We then won the next 6 games or so. The last game I actually stayed in without getting hit and even marked several people with my paint. Sweeet. I ended up with 4 kicking bruises from the paintballs. It was a cold day so they didn't really break when they hit... The first game I was actually hit twice, after the first one hit my leg I stood up with my hand in the air to let people know I was out but someone "Forrest Gumped" me and I ended up with a nice shot in the butt. Thanks guys. Tired, sore, slimed and happy, several of us then went to a Brazilian restaurant. Delicious.
I had a funny conversation with a fellow foreigner who has been here almost 3 years teaching in the middle of Seoul. This is how it went:
"You've only been here 2 months? Get ready for a cold winter!"
"Oh I'm used to it. I'm from Kansas."
"But it gets really cold, like, 10 degrees."
"I'm from Kansas."
"The thing that makes it so bad is the wind though. It's so cold!"
"I'M FROM KANSAS!!!!! Where are you from?!"
"Florida."
lol!! Silly guy.
-Two stories about my awkwardness:
1. I was at the gym. I was walking by some weight lifting machines...very obvious, big machines. What happens? I walk into one so hard with my thigh that it literally stops me in my tracks. I hop around in a circle laughing (so I don't cry) and making sure no one saw me....luckily no one had. It developed an immediate bruise the size of a softball and two weeks later, is still there. Alllll riggghhhhhtttt!!
2. My washing machine is in my bathroom and it drains out onto the floor which then goes into the drain in the floor. The floor is slippery when wet. I was washing clothes. I forgot that I was washing clothes. So I stepped into the bathroom to get something...and fell so hard, that I reset the washing machine. HAHA!! How great is that? It didn't even hurt...was just surprising and made me laugh...hard. It made me really wish that someone was there to experience the laughter with me, and then, after we regained our composure, they would ask me if I was ok. Isn't it funny the order that comes in?
-Also about my washing machine...it's in Korean. So I really don't know what happens when I wash my clothes. I pretty much just push buttons and hope for the best. The clothes smell good when they come out. That's ok right?
-On my way home from work one night I saw a couple waiting at the cross walk. The boy had bright blond hair, cut into an elaborate Mohawk, and piercings all down his ears. I don't like to judge but the way he was dressed and with his piercings and hair, he seemed like a pretty "on the edge" kid. My eyes were then directed to what he had on his hands, and yes, they were mittens, shaped like cuddly little bear heads. Oh Korea.
-Sarah and I went shopping in a town called Itaewon 2 weekends ago. We went into a shop that was selling boots because we both needed some. I saw a pair that looked cute and warm. The shopkeeper came up to us and said "We the only shop that has big sizes!" Because everyone has smaller feet in Korea. I didn't know what size I wore so the worker brought me the "Biggest size we have." I tried it on anndddd....it didn't fit. My toes were curled near the top. "They don't fit." "What?! Yes they do!" "No really...they are too small." "But that's biggest size we have! They do fit!" "No! They don't! haha! REALLY!" but they wouldn't believe me. I might have to have mom send me some boots. Blast.
-I recently rode a subway train with the WORST SUBWAY DRIVER EVER! It's hard enough not to fall over on someone when they start and stop...but after they get going it shouldn't be jerky right? WRONG. I would have hopped on another line if I had the opportunity. I was flying all over the place! Speaking of subways, the workers have been on strike for 6 days now. Korean truckers joined about 3 days ago so a lot of the freight and cargo trains aren't making their destinations. We'll see how that turns out.
-Last week my hot water heater stopped working. I went 4 days with cold showers until my boss scheduled a plumber to come look at it. What do you know...miraculously, before the plumber showed up, it started working. Oh hot water heater how you mock me.
-Thanksgiving was a little sad for me. Columbus did not discover Korea (because he's a SLACKER! lol) so it isn't celebrated here. I was able to call and talk to my wonderful family on Thanksgiving day though, which was great! I love you guys! On Sunday we went to an American Air Force employee house who is stationed near the Military Base (he has a dryer AND a stove!). He had the opportunity to purchase a couple of turkey's flown into Korea from the U.S. About 15 foreigners got together and had delicious turkey and played Apples to Apples. It was enjoyable and I had some very tasty leftover turkey for lunch yesterday. mmm!
-My friends Jon and Jordan are going to have a baby in July! Congratulations guys!
Well I miss you all and you'll probably be hearing from me soon! love!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
-Return Poke- I missed you too blog...
I've decided that getting on a bus in Korea is the likeness to getting on a ski lift. It's coming quickly, it's barely stopping, and if something goes wrong you are holding up a whole line of people and most likely a whole line of other buses too. Lovely. So when you get on and scan your card, you sure as darn better hope the stubborn piece of technology, as we all know technology can be, is working or you get to feel really embarrassed! yaaayyyy.
On Halloween, I was supposed to go paint balling, but because it rained incessantly, it was postponed. (to this weekend...woo!) So instead, Jackie and I went on a Scavenger Hunt. Several things (I'll throw out the number 78 just for kicks) were on the list to do and the goal was to get as many done with your group as possible. The tasks ranged from finding a dog in a Halloween costume (didn't happen, I don't think we even saw a DOG) to making a human pyramid with a Korean on top (success!) to eating live octopus (yes, I did it, and it latched to the inside of my check while I was frantically chewing it....gross). Without bragging, I'm just going to say that our group was awesome, and we won. The prize? A bag of American Sour Patch Kids...totally worth it. I also obtained a surprisingly detailed lion mask for the task "Have your whole group come back in costume." It sits on the top of my dresser, occasionally making me look twice in surprise. I'll probably be relinquishing to my little brother.
Last weekend I went to The Time Travelers Wife (good movie) with Sarah and David. The theater was almost completely empty besides us but this couple came in and sat....right next to me. This is an unfortunate pet peeve of mine. If you have ALL this area to sit in...WHY pick the seat next to me? huh?! Give me some spacceeeee. I looked at Sarah and she said "They have assigned seating in theaters Kaley." How did I miss this? AND WHY?!?! Kind of dumb, I won't lie.
Daylight savings time: proposed as a joke by Benjamin Franklin so people might save candles and actually put into effect by William Willet, doesn't happen in Korea. So people, I'm 15 hours ahead of you now!
Last Monday and Tuesday it was very cold. Sarah and David didn't have school because the government shut many of them down in lieu of the increase in Swine Flu cases. I DID have school but my break in the middle of the day allowed me to join them on a quick tour of a traditional Korean Palace. I walked to the subway and grabbed a tasty, warm green tea latte out of the vending machine while I waited for it to arrive. I assumed it would be about 10 minutes because I heard the one before leave right before I went up the stairs. To my immense surprise, the next train arrived only 2 minutes later. Standing there with a very hot drink, too hot to gulp down, and never knowing if it was OK to get on the subway with liquid...I froze (probably with a silly look on my face) with indecision and just decided to hope on, it was too yummy to throw away. I sat down and was on my way. Then an odd thing happened...the train started to slow down....it was moving at a crawl. I probably could have walked to the next station faster....so instead of being a quick 2 minutes between the next stop, it was more like 6. When it DID stop at the station it opened the doors like normal (letting a big gust of cold air in) and I sat there, waiting for them to close....and waited, and waited, and waited. Apparently, the train was ahead of schedule....so the operator decided to take it easy for 12 minutes or so to get back on schedule. They sure did pick a heck of a cold day to leave the doors open for so long!!! Gah!!
One day this week was waiting for the elevator in my apartment with my trusty (broken) bike. I was listening to my Ipod which was on shuffle. As the elevator doors opened a song by Avril Lavigne (female rocker extraordinaire) came on. I wheeled my bike into the elevator and stood there...rocking out to the song...with my eyes closed. Soon the doors opened, and thinking it was my 4th floor I turned to get off. I was horrified to find that a man was looking at me...and I was still on the 1st floor. We kind of looked at each other while the doors closed (he was laughing at me). I realized that, in my own little world, I had not hit what floor I wanted to go to, and elevators, not being in the business of reading minds, refuse to go anywhere if you don't tell them to. Embarrassing.
One of my evening classes told me that since they had to pick English nicknames, I needed a Korean one. They then proceeded to name me Yun Mi. Yun-meaning melody. America- Mi Guk means Beautiful Nation in Korean so Mi-meanings beautiful. It was nice! Now I just have to remember how to write it!
The back tire on my bike is wobbly....I thought "maybe it just needs to be tightened" so I took it to the bike repairman on the side of the road. What I gathered from his gesturing and the only word in English he could get out..."bearing"...and his unwillingness to just fix it...I think I have a permanently broken bike. Awesome.
Last night, seven people were going downstairs at the same time after work so we all squeezed onto the smallest elevator I've seen. As I looked up to see what floor we were on...I, for the first time ever, saw the words "FULL" right by the number. Hahaaaaa! They should probably put to words "TOO FULL" on there also because I have a feeling that's what it would have said. Ooops.
Love!
On Halloween, I was supposed to go paint balling, but because it rained incessantly, it was postponed. (to this weekend...woo!) So instead, Jackie and I went on a Scavenger Hunt. Several things (I'll throw out the number 78 just for kicks) were on the list to do and the goal was to get as many done with your group as possible. The tasks ranged from finding a dog in a Halloween costume (didn't happen, I don't think we even saw a DOG) to making a human pyramid with a Korean on top (success!) to eating live octopus (yes, I did it, and it latched to the inside of my check while I was frantically chewing it....gross). Without bragging, I'm just going to say that our group was awesome, and we won. The prize? A bag of American Sour Patch Kids...totally worth it. I also obtained a surprisingly detailed lion mask for the task "Have your whole group come back in costume." It sits on the top of my dresser, occasionally making me look twice in surprise. I'll probably be relinquishing to my little brother.
Last weekend I went to The Time Travelers Wife (good movie) with Sarah and David. The theater was almost completely empty besides us but this couple came in and sat....right next to me. This is an unfortunate pet peeve of mine. If you have ALL this area to sit in...WHY pick the seat next to me? huh?! Give me some spacceeeee. I looked at Sarah and she said "They have assigned seating in theaters Kaley." How did I miss this? AND WHY?!?! Kind of dumb, I won't lie.
Daylight savings time: proposed as a joke by Benjamin Franklin so people might save candles and actually put into effect by William Willet, doesn't happen in Korea. So people, I'm 15 hours ahead of you now!
Last Monday and Tuesday it was very cold. Sarah and David didn't have school because the government shut many of them down in lieu of the increase in Swine Flu cases. I DID have school but my break in the middle of the day allowed me to join them on a quick tour of a traditional Korean Palace. I walked to the subway and grabbed a tasty, warm green tea latte out of the vending machine while I waited for it to arrive. I assumed it would be about 10 minutes because I heard the one before leave right before I went up the stairs. To my immense surprise, the next train arrived only 2 minutes later. Standing there with a very hot drink, too hot to gulp down, and never knowing if it was OK to get on the subway with liquid...I froze (probably with a silly look on my face) with indecision and just decided to hope on, it was too yummy to throw away. I sat down and was on my way. Then an odd thing happened...the train started to slow down....it was moving at a crawl. I probably could have walked to the next station faster....so instead of being a quick 2 minutes between the next stop, it was more like 6. When it DID stop at the station it opened the doors like normal (letting a big gust of cold air in) and I sat there, waiting for them to close....and waited, and waited, and waited. Apparently, the train was ahead of schedule....so the operator decided to take it easy for 12 minutes or so to get back on schedule. They sure did pick a heck of a cold day to leave the doors open for so long!!! Gah!!
One day this week was waiting for the elevator in my apartment with my trusty (broken) bike. I was listening to my Ipod which was on shuffle. As the elevator doors opened a song by Avril Lavigne (female rocker extraordinaire) came on. I wheeled my bike into the elevator and stood there...rocking out to the song...with my eyes closed. Soon the doors opened, and thinking it was my 4th floor I turned to get off. I was horrified to find that a man was looking at me...and I was still on the 1st floor. We kind of looked at each other while the doors closed (he was laughing at me). I realized that, in my own little world, I had not hit what floor I wanted to go to, and elevators, not being in the business of reading minds, refuse to go anywhere if you don't tell them to. Embarrassing.
One of my evening classes told me that since they had to pick English nicknames, I needed a Korean one. They then proceeded to name me Yun Mi. Yun-meaning melody. America- Mi Guk means Beautiful Nation in Korean so Mi-meanings beautiful. It was nice! Now I just have to remember how to write it!
The back tire on my bike is wobbly....I thought "maybe it just needs to be tightened" so I took it to the bike repairman on the side of the road. What I gathered from his gesturing and the only word in English he could get out..."bearing"...and his unwillingness to just fix it...I think I have a permanently broken bike. Awesome.
Last night, seven people were going downstairs at the same time after work so we all squeezed onto the smallest elevator I've seen. As I looked up to see what floor we were on...I, for the first time ever, saw the words "FULL" right by the number. Hahaaaaa! They should probably put to words "TOO FULL" on there also because I have a feeling that's what it would have said. Ooops.
Love!
Monday, October 26, 2009
"Mr. Lee, where are you going?" "Lightening Tomorrowwww"
Last Saturday I traveled to the Incheon Global Fair and Festival with my boss (Mr. Kim), his wife (Cindy), and their friend, (one of my students) Mr. Lee. We didn't leave until 4 pm because tickets were less than half price after 5. When we got there we parked almost a mile away. It was the last day so there were many people there, also, Mr. Lee didn't know where he was going and we could have parked in the lot near the gates...but that's ok. Cindy told me that the area where we parked actually used to be the West Sea 10 years ago. They have actually built a dam and moved sand and dirt in the create more space to expand the already large city...and oh my goodness were they expanding! I'm putting picture on facebook but I could see at LEAST 20 very new, very tall buildings almost finished and several more being constructed.
If any of you have been to the Kansas State fair, the part of fair that has all of the buildings and expo halls is how you should picture this fair. When we arrived there were people going through the lines to get in...but because I was in the group (oops) we had to go through the "Foreigner" line. I'm not sure why they had this line...who can say whether too many foreigners visited the fair. It was the last day so they weren't doing temperature checks but we did have to wash our hands, get our hands sprayed, and walk through an ultraviolet light doorway thing. We went through a huge flower garden, saw the robot/space expo, a future/economically friendly "what Incheon and other seaport countries will look like" expo (which was CRAZY futuristic...but supposed to be done by 2020), watched a short 3-d movie, ate, and studied pictures of Korea taken from the sky (neat).
Next stop! Little sister! I mean.... A cool light/water show put on by Samsung!
Ok...so when we got to the water show area there were already a lot of people everywhere. It was like the last *bang* the fair was going to get before they closed...also...it was being sponsored by the biggest company in Korea!! It had to be good! We made our way to the front, in front of all the chairs...our first mistake and not my idea. The ground was a little wet from the previous water show but only slightly damp. We (I) had to kneel so people behind us could see over the abnormally tall American. So...let me just say I don't kneel...it's not phyically possible for more than 5 minutes. Not kidding. I've tried. I finally had to say "oh well" and just sit on my rear, a let it get wet. The show finally starts (15 minutes late) and a song plays that is in Korean with the words "Lightning Tomorrow" thrown in every 10 words. Who knows why. The water goes off...we get a little damp from the mist...no big problem. BUT THEN...I look in front of me and realize...we are in the absolute worst spot anyone at the Fair could be at the moment. This isn't an overexaggeration people...like when you're at something like this and people say "Man am I glad we aren't were THEY are." that was us...we were "they." I look...and there is a considerable sized pool of water rushing right...towards me. GREAT!!! So I have to hop back into my excrutiating kneeling position, letting the ant size tsunami wash over my shoes and not enjoy the show at all...which was pretty cool so far. There was a mixture of water, lazers, fire, and music. Luckily, after my 5 minute time limit of kneeling was almost up, some genius set off some fireworks BEHIND US!! Yesssss. Everyone at this point stood up to try and watch the water in front, and fireworks behind. Any other time I would have been annoyed....who separates two cool shows in opposite directions, making it impossible to watch both?! But today...I didn't even care, I didn't have to KNEEL anymore!! Afterwards, with my wet knees, shoes, bottom and head, we walked the mile back to Mr. Lee's car.
Mr. Lee, it turns out, is a person who doesn't like to wait for traffic. So..ignoring his GPS beeping at him, he took a detour. Mr. Kim kept asking him "Mr. Lee....where are you going?" To which Mr. Lee replied with a surprisingly bad rendition of the "Lightning tomorrowwww" phrase of the light show song. I also heard Mr. Kim say, "slow down man!", "you violated!" (which means he broke a road law) and " are we going to get home before tomorrow?" Mr. Lee just laughed and kept going. At one point...he randomly honked at some guys by the side of the road eating dinner. All I could do was sit in the back and laugh. So a fairly eventful 6 hours on Saturday made up for the uneventful Saturday morning I experienced.
miss you.
If any of you have been to the Kansas State fair, the part of fair that has all of the buildings and expo halls is how you should picture this fair. When we arrived there were people going through the lines to get in...but because I was in the group (oops) we had to go through the "Foreigner" line. I'm not sure why they had this line...who can say whether too many foreigners visited the fair. It was the last day so they weren't doing temperature checks but we did have to wash our hands, get our hands sprayed, and walk through an ultraviolet light doorway thing. We went through a huge flower garden, saw the robot/space expo, a future/economically friendly "what Incheon and other seaport countries will look like" expo (which was CRAZY futuristic...but supposed to be done by 2020), watched a short 3-d movie, ate, and studied pictures of Korea taken from the sky (neat).
Next stop! Little sister! I mean.... A cool light/water show put on by Samsung!
Ok...so when we got to the water show area there were already a lot of people everywhere. It was like the last *bang* the fair was going to get before they closed...also...it was being sponsored by the biggest company in Korea!! It had to be good! We made our way to the front, in front of all the chairs...our first mistake and not my idea. The ground was a little wet from the previous water show but only slightly damp. We (I) had to kneel so people behind us could see over the abnormally tall American. So...let me just say I don't kneel...it's not phyically possible for more than 5 minutes. Not kidding. I've tried. I finally had to say "oh well" and just sit on my rear, a let it get wet. The show finally starts (15 minutes late) and a song plays that is in Korean with the words "Lightning Tomorrow" thrown in every 10 words. Who knows why. The water goes off...we get a little damp from the mist...no big problem. BUT THEN...I look in front of me and realize...we are in the absolute worst spot anyone at the Fair could be at the moment. This isn't an overexaggeration people...like when you're at something like this and people say "Man am I glad we aren't were THEY are." that was us...we were "they." I look...and there is a considerable sized pool of water rushing right...towards me. GREAT!!! So I have to hop back into my excrutiating kneeling position, letting the ant size tsunami wash over my shoes and not enjoy the show at all...which was pretty cool so far. There was a mixture of water, lazers, fire, and music. Luckily, after my 5 minute time limit of kneeling was almost up, some genius set off some fireworks BEHIND US!! Yesssss. Everyone at this point stood up to try and watch the water in front, and fireworks behind. Any other time I would have been annoyed....who separates two cool shows in opposite directions, making it impossible to watch both?! But today...I didn't even care, I didn't have to KNEEL anymore!! Afterwards, with my wet knees, shoes, bottom and head, we walked the mile back to Mr. Lee's car.
Mr. Lee, it turns out, is a person who doesn't like to wait for traffic. So..ignoring his GPS beeping at him, he took a detour. Mr. Kim kept asking him "Mr. Lee....where are you going?" To which Mr. Lee replied with a surprisingly bad rendition of the "Lightning tomorrowwww" phrase of the light show song. I also heard Mr. Kim say, "slow down man!", "you violated!" (which means he broke a road law) and " are we going to get home before tomorrow?" Mr. Lee just laughed and kept going. At one point...he randomly honked at some guys by the side of the road eating dinner. All I could do was sit in the back and laugh. So a fairly eventful 6 hours on Saturday made up for the uneventful Saturday morning I experienced.
miss you.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
And then nature decided....It was Fall.
Because I walked out one morning...and all of the sudden, it was. And it was beautiful. I think that I get to enjoy fall more than other people who live in the city on a day to day basis because I have a strip of park right outside my apartment. There aren't many trees in the more downtown area. For some reason, the park "workers" we'll call them for lack of a better name, have gone all out. There are flowers EVERYWHERE in pots. It's like spring almost. Strange. Today on my run there were people everywhere taking pictures. I must have missed something.
It's strange how I never realized how much my sense of smell was a huge part of Fall as well. In the U.S. I noticed the smell of the fallen leaves after it rained, the smell of the crisp mornings, and my favorite, the smell of the fires in the chimneys when it got cold enough. Here, even though it's beautiful, there is always a smell of exhaust unless I go to the mountains on the weekend. And I think the closest I'm going to get to a fireplace smell is a pile of burning leaves. There are no houses here, therefore no fireplaces.
I love the Bakery's here. They are as numerous as coffee shops with one on practically every corner. The 2 main Bakery's are Tous Le Jour and Paris Baguette. I think Paris is my favorite. You walk into the store, grab a tray and tongs, and place whatever you want on the tray as you walk around. They have everything. It's pretty amazing.
An unusual and suprising treat here is called the red bean. It's a very popular thing to eat. Now, I have an aversion to beans so I was reluctant to try it but Sarah bought me some dough balls with red bean filling inside at a subway station not too long ago. WOW!! So good. She also told me to buy a red bean ice cream treat shaped like a fish next time I saw one...and I did...and I LIKED it! The bean has a sweet taste to it and only has the slight consistency of a mashed up bean. I think they make drink out of it too.
I went to McDonalds after I got my first paycheck. I ordered a Big Mac meal. I know some of you don't like McDonalds...but...can I just say how delicious it is to eat something you know they have America? I'd also be willing to bet this McDonalds was cleaner. :) They also have a nifty way of giving you your drink to go. They just slip it in a plastic sack with handles that was made the perfect size to carry your cup. Handy!
I'm thrilled to say that all of my socks still match. No one here to get them confused with. ;) though I did find a Wall-e chew hole in one of them that I hadn't noticed before I left. I guess he wanted to give me something to say goodbye too. Thanks Wall-e!
Two days ago, on our way home from work, my boss was driving. Him and his wife said to me "Sorry Kaley, I have to drive aggressive sometimes." I hadn't even noticed. (I was getting used to it?) Yesterday my boss went out after work so his wife drove us home instead. I kid you not when I say I ended up in Han's (secretary) lap on one of her turns. I said "Now THAT'S aggressive driving!! You should drive every night!!" We laughed the whole way home. It's great when people in the same car barely speak the same language and we can all be laughing about the same thing.
I went to the Olympic park with Jackie last Saturday. It was amazing. It's where the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics were held. I love the Olmpics. Even though all of the buildings were locked we were able to see how large all of them were. We walked on the same sidewalk that hundreds of thousands of people would have walked on more than 20 years ago. Interesting sculptures were everywhere around the park and the fall leaves made it even more awesome. We found all the country flags, the fire was still lit under the huge peace gate and we walked through the Olympic museum. There was a small room that held information about this years Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I'm excited to watch them as the winter olympics are my favorite. Maybe that will give me a reason to turn my T.V. on. I hope the announcers are english though...
This part of the Blog will be used to tell Melanie Dawn good luck! She's eagerly awaiting her baby boy to enter our world and I'm so excited for her! I love you!!
I miss everyone!
Love!
It's strange how I never realized how much my sense of smell was a huge part of Fall as well. In the U.S. I noticed the smell of the fallen leaves after it rained, the smell of the crisp mornings, and my favorite, the smell of the fires in the chimneys when it got cold enough. Here, even though it's beautiful, there is always a smell of exhaust unless I go to the mountains on the weekend. And I think the closest I'm going to get to a fireplace smell is a pile of burning leaves. There are no houses here, therefore no fireplaces.
I love the Bakery's here. They are as numerous as coffee shops with one on practically every corner. The 2 main Bakery's are Tous Le Jour and Paris Baguette. I think Paris is my favorite. You walk into the store, grab a tray and tongs, and place whatever you want on the tray as you walk around. They have everything. It's pretty amazing.
An unusual and suprising treat here is called the red bean. It's a very popular thing to eat. Now, I have an aversion to beans so I was reluctant to try it but Sarah bought me some dough balls with red bean filling inside at a subway station not too long ago. WOW!! So good. She also told me to buy a red bean ice cream treat shaped like a fish next time I saw one...and I did...and I LIKED it! The bean has a sweet taste to it and only has the slight consistency of a mashed up bean. I think they make drink out of it too.
I went to McDonalds after I got my first paycheck. I ordered a Big Mac meal. I know some of you don't like McDonalds...but...can I just say how delicious it is to eat something you know they have America? I'd also be willing to bet this McDonalds was cleaner. :) They also have a nifty way of giving you your drink to go. They just slip it in a plastic sack with handles that was made the perfect size to carry your cup. Handy!
I'm thrilled to say that all of my socks still match. No one here to get them confused with. ;) though I did find a Wall-e chew hole in one of them that I hadn't noticed before I left. I guess he wanted to give me something to say goodbye too. Thanks Wall-e!
Two days ago, on our way home from work, my boss was driving. Him and his wife said to me "Sorry Kaley, I have to drive aggressive sometimes." I hadn't even noticed. (I was getting used to it?) Yesterday my boss went out after work so his wife drove us home instead. I kid you not when I say I ended up in Han's (secretary) lap on one of her turns. I said "Now THAT'S aggressive driving!! You should drive every night!!" We laughed the whole way home. It's great when people in the same car barely speak the same language and we can all be laughing about the same thing.
I went to the Olympic park with Jackie last Saturday. It was amazing. It's where the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics were held. I love the Olmpics. Even though all of the buildings were locked we were able to see how large all of them were. We walked on the same sidewalk that hundreds of thousands of people would have walked on more than 20 years ago. Interesting sculptures were everywhere around the park and the fall leaves made it even more awesome. We found all the country flags, the fire was still lit under the huge peace gate and we walked through the Olympic museum. There was a small room that held information about this years Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I'm excited to watch them as the winter olympics are my favorite. Maybe that will give me a reason to turn my T.V. on. I hope the announcers are english though...
This part of the Blog will be used to tell Melanie Dawn good luck! She's eagerly awaiting her baby boy to enter our world and I'm so excited for her! I love you!!
I miss everyone!
Love!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Beware the Subway and elevator doors! (And more observations)
'Ello loved ones! It is I again! This one consists of a few stories, some things I miss, and some more Korean observations. Enjoy.
-On Saturday, I was travelling to Seoul with my friend Sae-rom. As we transferred from the blue to the green line...we walked down the stairs and Sae-rom exclaimed "That's the one we need!" So we ran over to the train and I hopped on. Well as I turned around, I noticed, to my dismay, that the doors were closing and my large bag had prevented Sae-rom from hopping on after me before the doors closed. Blast!!! She made the universal "thumb and pinky to ear I'll-call-you" sign...but my phone was dead. Soooo....I thought "i'll just get off at the stop we were going to meet at and wait for her, no big deal." but I soon noticed that I was in fact, not on the right train, but going in the opposite direction than I needed to be. Double blast!!! So I jumped off at the next station. Luckily, Sae-rom caught the next train and we found eachother with no more porblems. Boarded the correct train, and succesfully, if not timely, made it to Seoul.
-Elevators- the doors! They close SO QUICKLY! None of this stay open for 20 seconds stuff. It's literally a 3-5 second open and close deal. If more than one person is getting on you have to actually hold the <> door open button so they have time to get on. It's very interesting with a bike in tow let me tell you. ESPECIALLY when the elevator is tiny. I have to take my bike up the elevator at my school so it won't get stolen... I push the button, rear my bike up on it's back wheel, hold the back brake handle so it doesn't go anywhere, and shove myself in with it. Joy and rapture unforseen. Every day. It's almost as much work backing it off the elevator into the hallway before the doors shut on me! HA!
-Touch- Koreans display emotions by touch? This statement is partially untrue because it's not like they go off and smack eachother in the face in a dispute. (that I've seen) An example, my boss's parents rode home with us on Friday night because they were staying the weekend. His mom grabbed my hand halfway through the car ride because they were talking (in Korean) about how I was far away from home and I must miss my parents. Mr. Kim explained to me that this was normal, and not to "be alarmed." Which I wasn't. It's just much different than in America. Also, I noticed that Korean girls walk arm and arm or hand in hand much of the time. It's perfectly normal. One of my friends does it to me as well...but I think that she is also partially steering me, because I don't know where I'm going much of the time...lol.
-In a discussion about North and South Korea in class the other day, one of my students stated that he thought the North Korean government would fail within the next 3-4 years. I asked him "What do you think will occur when this happens?" to which he replied "I think you should not be in Korea when that happens." HAHAAA! No problem.
-This same student was asking me about what I watched in my apartment. I told him that I had only been able to find one English channel the first day I was here because I only had cable, so I hadn't turned on my TV since then. He said that there were more English channels on satellite TV and did I want it? I said no...I was doing fine with having the internet. "but I can get it for you, for free." lol.....oh my... nooo.....thanks. ha.
-Koreans age AMAZINGLY well. They have a game show where people try and guess the ages of the contestants. Almost every time, the guess is way too low. I saw a man who looked 35, but he was actually 61. My goodness.
-Ordering in resturants/ eating- Usually food is ordered, and then shared by all people. You just eat from the same plate. It's not a bad idea.
-I can't even stress how much I took a dryer for granted. Washing and drying clothes is much more of a process since you can't just throw them in the dryer. My clothes aren't as soft either. *sigh*
-Many Koreans brush their teeth after every meal. They just have their toothbrush with them always. Oral hygiene. Alright!
-High heels. "Everybody's in stilettos! Guess I didn't get the memo!" -song...sorry....but really. Everyone where's high heels. It's crazy! I would literally fall on my face, I'm already clumsy. Not to mention I would be taller than everyone else. Good thing I'm an American and can be forgiven (or so I assume) for wearing flip flops around...lol.
-I'm going to have to start liking spicy FOOOOD! AH!
-Roti buns- delicious. Warms buns that are slightly sweet with a buttery gooey center. My gosh.
-Liquid yogurt- people LOVE it here. And I have to admit...it's quite yummy.
-Waiting a whole month to be paid-Not my idea of a good time.
-Had some Mcdonalds french fries friday night. My first American food since I've been here. And can I just say....they were heaven. And unlike Disney World...I was not attacked by birds while eating them...but I think that's just because Brad wasn't here to taunt them by holding one in the air....lol.
I miss everyone!
Love!
-On Saturday, I was travelling to Seoul with my friend Sae-rom. As we transferred from the blue to the green line...we walked down the stairs and Sae-rom exclaimed "That's the one we need!" So we ran over to the train and I hopped on. Well as I turned around, I noticed, to my dismay, that the doors were closing and my large bag had prevented Sae-rom from hopping on after me before the doors closed. Blast!!! She made the universal "thumb and pinky to ear I'll-call-you" sign...but my phone was dead. Soooo....I thought "i'll just get off at the stop we were going to meet at and wait for her, no big deal." but I soon noticed that I was in fact, not on the right train, but going in the opposite direction than I needed to be. Double blast!!! So I jumped off at the next station. Luckily, Sae-rom caught the next train and we found eachother with no more porblems. Boarded the correct train, and succesfully, if not timely, made it to Seoul.
-Elevators- the doors! They close SO QUICKLY! None of this stay open for 20 seconds stuff. It's literally a 3-5 second open and close deal. If more than one person is getting on you have to actually hold the <> door open button so they have time to get on. It's very interesting with a bike in tow let me tell you. ESPECIALLY when the elevator is tiny. I have to take my bike up the elevator at my school so it won't get stolen... I push the button, rear my bike up on it's back wheel, hold the back brake handle so it doesn't go anywhere, and shove myself in with it. Joy and rapture unforseen. Every day. It's almost as much work backing it off the elevator into the hallway before the doors shut on me! HA!
-Touch- Koreans display emotions by touch? This statement is partially untrue because it's not like they go off and smack eachother in the face in a dispute. (that I've seen) An example, my boss's parents rode home with us on Friday night because they were staying the weekend. His mom grabbed my hand halfway through the car ride because they were talking (in Korean) about how I was far away from home and I must miss my parents. Mr. Kim explained to me that this was normal, and not to "be alarmed." Which I wasn't. It's just much different than in America. Also, I noticed that Korean girls walk arm and arm or hand in hand much of the time. It's perfectly normal. One of my friends does it to me as well...but I think that she is also partially steering me, because I don't know where I'm going much of the time...lol.
-In a discussion about North and South Korea in class the other day, one of my students stated that he thought the North Korean government would fail within the next 3-4 years. I asked him "What do you think will occur when this happens?" to which he replied "I think you should not be in Korea when that happens." HAHAAA! No problem.
-This same student was asking me about what I watched in my apartment. I told him that I had only been able to find one English channel the first day I was here because I only had cable, so I hadn't turned on my TV since then. He said that there were more English channels on satellite TV and did I want it? I said no...I was doing fine with having the internet. "but I can get it for you, for free." lol.....oh my... nooo.....thanks. ha.
-Koreans age AMAZINGLY well. They have a game show where people try and guess the ages of the contestants. Almost every time, the guess is way too low. I saw a man who looked 35, but he was actually 61. My goodness.
-Ordering in resturants/ eating- Usually food is ordered, and then shared by all people. You just eat from the same plate. It's not a bad idea.
-I can't even stress how much I took a dryer for granted. Washing and drying clothes is much more of a process since you can't just throw them in the dryer. My clothes aren't as soft either. *sigh*
-Many Koreans brush their teeth after every meal. They just have their toothbrush with them always. Oral hygiene. Alright!
-High heels. "Everybody's in stilettos! Guess I didn't get the memo!" -song...sorry....but really. Everyone where's high heels. It's crazy! I would literally fall on my face, I'm already clumsy. Not to mention I would be taller than everyone else. Good thing I'm an American and can be forgiven (or so I assume) for wearing flip flops around...lol.
-I'm going to have to start liking spicy FOOOOD! AH!
-Roti buns- delicious. Warms buns that are slightly sweet with a buttery gooey center. My gosh.
-Liquid yogurt- people LOVE it here. And I have to admit...it's quite yummy.
-Waiting a whole month to be paid-Not my idea of a good time.
-Had some Mcdonalds french fries friday night. My first American food since I've been here. And can I just say....they were heaven. And unlike Disney World...I was not attacked by birds while eating them...but I think that's just because Brad wasn't here to taunt them by holding one in the air....lol.
I miss everyone!
Love!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Jeju-do!
Vacation on Jeju Island:
It rained on Thursday when we flew in. The forcast called for rain almost everyday that we were going to be there (dang!) but the man who took us to the town where we were staying informed us that the weather was clearing up....while it was still raining. We could only hope that this islander knew what he was talking about. We went to a resturant after unloading our stuff in the hotel. It was pretty good food! It poured the rest of the night but when we woke up the next morning it was only cloudy! The hotel was nice, but near three other hotels that were 5 star, amazing, highly expensive ones called the Shilla, The Lotte, and the Hyatt Regency. The Shilla constantly ran horse drawn carraiges up and down the streets in the evenings. The hotel played music over speakers in the evenings too, reminded me of Epcot.
We took a little while to look around and had the best coffee I've ever tasted and a coffee shop called "Ripley's believe it or not coffee" It had some relation to the actual Ripley's chain in america. We then decided to ride the submarine. We reserved a time and bought a ticket. Then, to kill time, we went to a beautiful waterfall (pictures on facebook soon!). A boat took us out to the submarine. I forgot how much I love boat rides. It brought back memories of our Seattle trip. I guess since we were Americans they let us go first into the submarine. We crawled into the hole and went 40 meters below the water. A scuba diver followed the sub with a bag of fish food so the fish would swim right by the windows. We saw sea anenomies as well as a cool looking sunken ship.
Jeju Island is known for it's black pork so that's what we had for dinner. It was really good. Resturants here have grills in the table so the food is cooked right in front of you. It's a neat concept. Like a Japanese steak house at home but you do most of the grilling of your food, with the waiter coming by to motion that it's done.
We found out Hallasan Mountain (the dormant volcano that formed the Island) only had 2 of the 4 trails open because of the holiday. One didn't go to the top but only took 3 hours, the other did but took 8-9 hours. Lenny and Jen took the 3 hour one but Dave and I really wanted to go to the top so we woke up at 5:00 to drive our propane car an hour to the trail. It was a little chilly in the morning but we thought that it would warm up, so we didn't change our outfits of shorts and tshirts(Dave) with a sweatshirt(me). Mistake. ha! It warmed up a little but we were passing people who were dressed like it was 40 degrees! I would have been sweating a lot if i had dressed like that. As we had a date with Sarah, Soo, and a hamburger big enough to feed 5 people later, we began with a very quick pace. "We'll cut the time down and kick this mountains butt!" we thought! We were passing people right and left! Literally right and left, they have no order on how they walk up and down the stairs (or mountains) here. There are arrows on stairs, up=left, down=right (opposite america...strange) but they don't follow the arrows...frusturating!
My ankles started to get more tired than anything else by hour 2. We were walking/hopping up large pieces of igneous rock. There weren't any flat surfaces. I can't even imagine how they laid the rock out to make step like surfaces. Spaced every once in awhile were some wooden steps they had built to...give us a break? Make it actually physically possible to get to the top? Who knows...but they were handy. Some of the stairs near the top were so new that they weren't even bolted on the the metal beams. As we neared the top about 3 1/2 hours later the wind started to pick up. The trees weren't growing anymore. Not because we were at the tree line (it's not that high) but because they wouldn't be able to grow with wind like that. The temperature was...very...cold.
Side note: Koreans stack rocks here because they believe they have unseen powers. A prayer is said for their family and friends for each rock that is stacked.
After making a quick stack of rocks for our family and friends, we hurried to the top and looked into the awesome crater for a little while. We then took cover from the wind behind a rock and had a delicious lunch of snickers, nuts, bananas, and powerade. We called Soo and Sarah from the top ("You can't be to the top already!!" "No really, we are...") and then HIGH TAILED it to the tree line were the wind wasn't as bad. We decided to try to get to the bottom as fast as physically possible (without breaking something) to make a record. but then...
Side note: there was a sign at the top saying that Hallasan mountain was home to dozens (dozens I tell you) of Roe Deer.
...we heard a strange noise. Dave thought it was a pig. But after hearing rustling, we spotted a deer. It wasn't that far from us and he was aggravated that he couldn't get across the trail to what? another deer who was unknowingly even closer to us than the other. We spent about 45 minutes watching the upset one trying to find a way over while dodging hikers who were oblivious to the whole thing. He finally made it over and then we were on our way again. We saw about 4 more deer, 2 babies, on our way down. With only dozens being on the mountain, we might have seen half the heard right there!
Both Dave and I only fell once each on the rocks. I happened to go hands first down one part of the trail but for me...that's pretty good. :)
After that, we had enough time to grab Sarah, throw our suits on, and swim in the Ocean for awhile. The water was only a little cold getting in but took very little time to get used to.
We then went to eat our very large, yummy, hamburger. Hang on monkey bars. Try out the exercise equipment, hurt our feet walking on rocks, and search the town for a gift for the man who let us borrow his car (everything was closed).
The next morning we had to get up early because their flight left at 8:30. Mine didn't leave until 2:00 so I walked around the airport for awhile. I then flew to Fukuoka Airport (in Japan). Strange I know, but it was the only flight available. When I got off the plane, an attendant walked up to me and asked if "I was the one going back to Seoul?" She then took me to a room with 2 other attendants where I sat for almost an hour so they could switch my ticket and send my bag through customs. I'm not totally sure what happened during this time. They were speaking alot of Japanese to each other. But they walked me up the stairs and into the area where all the other people were waiting for the same flight. I bought a shirt with a Japanese Hello Kitty Surfer on it. Rock on.
I flew back to Seoul. Thought I would try the subway home instead of a bus. Realized this was a mistake because line 1 is a darn confusing one. Had a Korean woman help me with my bag because she thought it was too heavy for me. Arrived home, and didn't collapse in bed right away. (another mistake...lol)
So my trip was fantastic! So glad Sarah and David invited me to go. Being here in my apartment for 5 days would have been lonely!
miss you all!
It rained on Thursday when we flew in. The forcast called for rain almost everyday that we were going to be there (dang!) but the man who took us to the town where we were staying informed us that the weather was clearing up....while it was still raining. We could only hope that this islander knew what he was talking about. We went to a resturant after unloading our stuff in the hotel. It was pretty good food! It poured the rest of the night but when we woke up the next morning it was only cloudy! The hotel was nice, but near three other hotels that were 5 star, amazing, highly expensive ones called the Shilla, The Lotte, and the Hyatt Regency. The Shilla constantly ran horse drawn carraiges up and down the streets in the evenings. The hotel played music over speakers in the evenings too, reminded me of Epcot.
We took a little while to look around and had the best coffee I've ever tasted and a coffee shop called "Ripley's believe it or not coffee" It had some relation to the actual Ripley's chain in america. We then decided to ride the submarine. We reserved a time and bought a ticket. Then, to kill time, we went to a beautiful waterfall (pictures on facebook soon!). A boat took us out to the submarine. I forgot how much I love boat rides. It brought back memories of our Seattle trip. I guess since we were Americans they let us go first into the submarine. We crawled into the hole and went 40 meters below the water. A scuba diver followed the sub with a bag of fish food so the fish would swim right by the windows. We saw sea anenomies as well as a cool looking sunken ship.
Jeju Island is known for it's black pork so that's what we had for dinner. It was really good. Resturants here have grills in the table so the food is cooked right in front of you. It's a neat concept. Like a Japanese steak house at home but you do most of the grilling of your food, with the waiter coming by to motion that it's done.
We found out Hallasan Mountain (the dormant volcano that formed the Island) only had 2 of the 4 trails open because of the holiday. One didn't go to the top but only took 3 hours, the other did but took 8-9 hours. Lenny and Jen took the 3 hour one but Dave and I really wanted to go to the top so we woke up at 5:00 to drive our propane car an hour to the trail. It was a little chilly in the morning but we thought that it would warm up, so we didn't change our outfits of shorts and tshirts(Dave) with a sweatshirt(me). Mistake. ha! It warmed up a little but we were passing people who were dressed like it was 40 degrees! I would have been sweating a lot if i had dressed like that. As we had a date with Sarah, Soo, and a hamburger big enough to feed 5 people later, we began with a very quick pace. "We'll cut the time down and kick this mountains butt!" we thought! We were passing people right and left! Literally right and left, they have no order on how they walk up and down the stairs (or mountains) here. There are arrows on stairs, up=left, down=right (opposite america...strange) but they don't follow the arrows...frusturating!
My ankles started to get more tired than anything else by hour 2. We were walking/hopping up large pieces of igneous rock. There weren't any flat surfaces. I can't even imagine how they laid the rock out to make step like surfaces. Spaced every once in awhile were some wooden steps they had built to...give us a break? Make it actually physically possible to get to the top? Who knows...but they were handy. Some of the stairs near the top were so new that they weren't even bolted on the the metal beams. As we neared the top about 3 1/2 hours later the wind started to pick up. The trees weren't growing anymore. Not because we were at the tree line (it's not that high) but because they wouldn't be able to grow with wind like that. The temperature was...very...cold.
Side note: Koreans stack rocks here because they believe they have unseen powers. A prayer is said for their family and friends for each rock that is stacked.
After making a quick stack of rocks for our family and friends, we hurried to the top and looked into the awesome crater for a little while. We then took cover from the wind behind a rock and had a delicious lunch of snickers, nuts, bananas, and powerade. We called Soo and Sarah from the top ("You can't be to the top already!!" "No really, we are...") and then HIGH TAILED it to the tree line were the wind wasn't as bad. We decided to try to get to the bottom as fast as physically possible (without breaking something) to make a record. but then...
Side note: there was a sign at the top saying that Hallasan mountain was home to dozens (dozens I tell you) of Roe Deer.
...we heard a strange noise. Dave thought it was a pig. But after hearing rustling, we spotted a deer. It wasn't that far from us and he was aggravated that he couldn't get across the trail to what? another deer who was unknowingly even closer to us than the other. We spent about 45 minutes watching the upset one trying to find a way over while dodging hikers who were oblivious to the whole thing. He finally made it over and then we were on our way again. We saw about 4 more deer, 2 babies, on our way down. With only dozens being on the mountain, we might have seen half the heard right there!
Both Dave and I only fell once each on the rocks. I happened to go hands first down one part of the trail but for me...that's pretty good. :)
After that, we had enough time to grab Sarah, throw our suits on, and swim in the Ocean for awhile. The water was only a little cold getting in but took very little time to get used to.
We then went to eat our very large, yummy, hamburger. Hang on monkey bars. Try out the exercise equipment, hurt our feet walking on rocks, and search the town for a gift for the man who let us borrow his car (everything was closed).
The next morning we had to get up early because their flight left at 8:30. Mine didn't leave until 2:00 so I walked around the airport for awhile. I then flew to Fukuoka Airport (in Japan). Strange I know, but it was the only flight available. When I got off the plane, an attendant walked up to me and asked if "I was the one going back to Seoul?" She then took me to a room with 2 other attendants where I sat for almost an hour so they could switch my ticket and send my bag through customs. I'm not totally sure what happened during this time. They were speaking alot of Japanese to each other. But they walked me up the stairs and into the area where all the other people were waiting for the same flight. I bought a shirt with a Japanese Hello Kitty Surfer on it. Rock on.
I flew back to Seoul. Thought I would try the subway home instead of a bus. Realized this was a mistake because line 1 is a darn confusing one. Had a Korean woman help me with my bag because she thought it was too heavy for me. Arrived home, and didn't collapse in bed right away. (another mistake...lol)
So my trip was fantastic! So glad Sarah and David invited me to go. Being here in my apartment for 5 days would have been lonely!
miss you all!
Some observations...this is a doozie. Doozie is a strange word...
OK! It's been awhile kids! The length of this blog may make up for it. We'll see. You can stop reading at any point if it becomes boring, rambling, or just downright ridiculous. *wink*
Men's purses or.. murses?: They exist. Everywhere. Literally almost every male in this country has one. They look good too! No joke. They are hip, handy, fashionable and make perfect sense. Also, if men are with their significant other, they hold their purse too. How kind!
Tax: There isn't any. It's so GREAT! Oh hey, I need some milk, but only have 2,000 won. The milk is 2,000 won. Can I afford it? YES! Because it's 2,000 won. Not 2,015 won with tax. What the price tag says is what the price is. Fantastic!
Tip: Again, there isn't any. They will literally not take a tip. It's not expected, and it's not given...anywhere. So great.
Squid: Koreans love dried squid. It's like beef jerky to them. Being dried, you'd think the smell would, maybe, not be as strong, but it is...and it's disgusting. yuck!
Sleeping on the Subway: The percentage of people falling asleep on the subway is amazing. I just watch as people hop on, sit down, and are asleep before we get to the next station, which is usually not more than 3 or 4 minutes away. Koreans fall asleep really well in moving vehicles anyway I have heard. It's interesting to observe someone who is asleep, jump awake to check what station we have stopped at, and after confirming it isn't their stop, precede to fall back asleep. lol. Every once in awhile, they will wake up too late, sprint to the closing door, and end up having to stay one station too many because they missed it. I should wear a sign that says, "For 1,000 won, you can tell me what station you need to get off at, and I'll make sure you don't miss it!" hahaaa....or not.
Flavoring for fries: WOAH! I went to a resturant at the airport and they give you a bag of fries. Then you tell them what seasoning you want. They hand you a package that your pour into the bag, shake, taste, and yum! "It's shake and bake, and I helped!" Ok so it's not shake and BAKE but same concept. Pretty delicious!
Dreams: They take dreams seriously here. If you have a pig in your dreams, it's good luck, run to buy a lottery ticket! One of my students told me that he had a dream with 3 pigs in it. He went to buy the lottery ticket and got 3 of the 6 numbers right. he said that if his dream had 6 pigs in it...he would have won. Also, if you don't have any dreams, that means you are healthy...well I guess I'm not a healthy person then! lol.
Blood Type: "What is your blood type?" someone asked me. This someone was not a doctor, or nurse. Some Koreans judge personality by blood types. I am O positive, apparently that is a good type to have. "We like O positive! They are happy and easy to get along with!" Oh good! I'm not sure what personality goes with the other blood types but I heard, "strange and short tempered." Boy was I lucky on that one. Thanks Mom and Dad! :)
Moonpies: The Korean version, stick them in the freezer, delicious. My boss's wife bought me a box. It would be great if she never did that again...because I have no will power against them. They were gone in less than a week. Yikes!
Interesting instances:
-using "chicken" instead of "kitchen" in class
-one student keeps say he has a "Good body" instead of "Healthy body"...ha! I keep correcting him, but he has this grin on his face when he says it now and everyone laughs...ornery Korean!
-asking questions in the form of statements...it's hard to get used to. "Kaley, I think you miss home." "Kaley, you go to Jeju for holiday." "Kaley, you have friends in Bundang." These are all asking something...but what!?
-"Have you eaten?" this is a way to ask "how are you?" My boss asks me this, he explained that in the small town where he grew up, that's what they asked. He informed me of this after I, confused as I was, told him what I had eaten for dinner a few times. Embarassing. lol. He has since started asking me "how are you." Much easier to answer. ha.
And...that's it! I'm typing another about my vacation to Jeju Island...but I wanted to let you guys breath before having to read that one..... :)
love!
Men's purses or.. murses?: They exist. Everywhere. Literally almost every male in this country has one. They look good too! No joke. They are hip, handy, fashionable and make perfect sense. Also, if men are with their significant other, they hold their purse too. How kind!
Tax: There isn't any. It's so GREAT! Oh hey, I need some milk, but only have 2,000 won. The milk is 2,000 won. Can I afford it? YES! Because it's 2,000 won. Not 2,015 won with tax. What the price tag says is what the price is. Fantastic!
Tip: Again, there isn't any. They will literally not take a tip. It's not expected, and it's not given...anywhere. So great.
Squid: Koreans love dried squid. It's like beef jerky to them. Being dried, you'd think the smell would, maybe, not be as strong, but it is...and it's disgusting. yuck!
Sleeping on the Subway: The percentage of people falling asleep on the subway is amazing. I just watch as people hop on, sit down, and are asleep before we get to the next station, which is usually not more than 3 or 4 minutes away. Koreans fall asleep really well in moving vehicles anyway I have heard. It's interesting to observe someone who is asleep, jump awake to check what station we have stopped at, and after confirming it isn't their stop, precede to fall back asleep. lol. Every once in awhile, they will wake up too late, sprint to the closing door, and end up having to stay one station too many because they missed it. I should wear a sign that says, "For 1,000 won, you can tell me what station you need to get off at, and I'll make sure you don't miss it!" hahaaa....or not.
Flavoring for fries: WOAH! I went to a resturant at the airport and they give you a bag of fries. Then you tell them what seasoning you want. They hand you a package that your pour into the bag, shake, taste, and yum! "It's shake and bake, and I helped!" Ok so it's not shake and BAKE but same concept. Pretty delicious!
Dreams: They take dreams seriously here. If you have a pig in your dreams, it's good luck, run to buy a lottery ticket! One of my students told me that he had a dream with 3 pigs in it. He went to buy the lottery ticket and got 3 of the 6 numbers right. he said that if his dream had 6 pigs in it...he would have won. Also, if you don't have any dreams, that means you are healthy...well I guess I'm not a healthy person then! lol.
Blood Type: "What is your blood type?" someone asked me. This someone was not a doctor, or nurse. Some Koreans judge personality by blood types. I am O positive, apparently that is a good type to have. "We like O positive! They are happy and easy to get along with!" Oh good! I'm not sure what personality goes with the other blood types but I heard, "strange and short tempered." Boy was I lucky on that one. Thanks Mom and Dad! :)
Moonpies: The Korean version, stick them in the freezer, delicious. My boss's wife bought me a box. It would be great if she never did that again...because I have no will power against them. They were gone in less than a week. Yikes!
Interesting instances:
-using "chicken" instead of "kitchen" in class
-one student keeps say he has a "Good body" instead of "Healthy body"...ha! I keep correcting him, but he has this grin on his face when he says it now and everyone laughs...ornery Korean!
-asking questions in the form of statements...it's hard to get used to. "Kaley, I think you miss home." "Kaley, you go to Jeju for holiday." "Kaley, you have friends in Bundang." These are all asking something...but what!?
-"Have you eaten?" this is a way to ask "how are you?" My boss asks me this, he explained that in the small town where he grew up, that's what they asked. He informed me of this after I, confused as I was, told him what I had eaten for dinner a few times. Embarassing. lol. He has since started asking me "how are you." Much easier to answer. ha.
And...that's it! I'm typing another about my vacation to Jeju Island...but I wanted to let you guys breath before having to read that one..... :)
love!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
My goodness umbrella...control yourself!!
As I was walking home from the Subway station today...it was sprinkling a tad. I thought it would be a good time to try out my new umbrella that my boss so kindly gave me. I had, after all, been lugging it around all darn day. "Let's put it to some use" I thought! Now this unbrella...is possibly the largest umbrella I've ever owned. If I had fallen out of an airplane with only this umbrella in my hands...I probably would have made it to the ground alive. SO....as I was walking along...I literally had to hold it with both hands. I thought it would lift me off the ground! GAH! I'd rather just brave the sprinkles!!!
I also encountered a Korean church concert about 4 blocks from my apartment tonight. It was awesome to hear "It is well with my soul" in English. But they must have been popular because there were also alot of screaming girls......hmmm.
I was informed in class the other day....that the GPS system that EVERY CAR has....also doubles as a TV. So.....people driving...can also watch tv. While they drive. And they do.....Something is wrong with this picture.
I went to the movies Friday night with my boss and his wife. They said "The movie starts at 11:40!" My gosh that's late!! We watched "The Ugly Truth." It was not a good movie BUT.....it was in English. So I didn't care. I felt like I was at home in my little theater in Chanute. It was great. I'm going back sometime this week to watch a better one. And can I just say I feel very priviledged to be probably one of the only ones in this country to have seen District 9 already! It hasn't even been released here yet!
Saturday I went hiking with Sarah, David, and my new friend Jackie from Indiana! Yaaaaay! I did not plan the spot for our meet up very well and we were pretty lucky we found each other I think. After wrong directions from some guy who was trying to be helpful, and a couple of hours on the subway, we made it to the mountain! It was a good climb. We went to Seoul after that and tried not to blow all our money on Anime characters...though I must say, I'm quite jealous of Jackie's new friend, Calcifer...lol. Can't wait for more adventures with her!
Today's lunch: Sicilian shrimp and sweet potatoe pizza! Delicious!
Today's special treat and Kaley's new favorite ice cream flavor: Polar Bear from Baskin Robbins. Sooooo Amazing!
Side note: Whoever is leaving me anonymous creepy comments about milk....is abusing the comment box. I will have to disable comments from non-members if you keep it up!!!! lol.
I also encountered a Korean church concert about 4 blocks from my apartment tonight. It was awesome to hear "It is well with my soul" in English. But they must have been popular because there were also alot of screaming girls......hmmm.
I was informed in class the other day....that the GPS system that EVERY CAR has....also doubles as a TV. So.....people driving...can also watch tv. While they drive. And they do.....Something is wrong with this picture.
I went to the movies Friday night with my boss and his wife. They said "The movie starts at 11:40!" My gosh that's late!! We watched "The Ugly Truth." It was not a good movie BUT.....it was in English. So I didn't care. I felt like I was at home in my little theater in Chanute. It was great. I'm going back sometime this week to watch a better one. And can I just say I feel very priviledged to be probably one of the only ones in this country to have seen District 9 already! It hasn't even been released here yet!
Saturday I went hiking with Sarah, David, and my new friend Jackie from Indiana! Yaaaaay! I did not plan the spot for our meet up very well and we were pretty lucky we found each other I think. After wrong directions from some guy who was trying to be helpful, and a couple of hours on the subway, we made it to the mountain! It was a good climb. We went to Seoul after that and tried not to blow all our money on Anime characters...though I must say, I'm quite jealous of Jackie's new friend, Calcifer...lol. Can't wait for more adventures with her!
Today's lunch: Sicilian shrimp and sweet potatoe pizza! Delicious!
Today's special treat and Kaley's new favorite ice cream flavor: Polar Bear from Baskin Robbins. Sooooo Amazing!
Side note: Whoever is leaving me anonymous creepy comments about milk....is abusing the comment box. I will have to disable comments from non-members if you keep it up!!!! lol.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Don't take a nap. It's not good for you.
These are the words of my boss. Now...whether or not I listen to them is another story. Anyone who really knows me...understands that the only way I take a nap, is to be so extremely exhausted, that I fall asleep without intending to. I don't just lay down in the middle of the day with the purpose or intention of falling asleep. I could be doing more productive things. Don't get me wrong, I like to sleep...but that's if I've been asleep all night. Saying that, this waking up at 5:00 am is outrageous! These Koreans! So much motivation to have class before class/work. So I may just take a nap. Who knows. My boss seems to think that it makes you sick if you nap. I don't know why, he obviously doesn't take a walk in the middle of the day and see all his fellow countrymen sleeping outside all over the place!
It was particularly smoggy this morning. I haven't noticed much smog in Siheung but I think because it was cloudy...it was shoving it closer to the ground.
I found out that Jackie, American who doesn't ignore other Americans, is a fellow Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away fan. THAT'S exciting! Anime store...here we come!
I was told that I looked tired today. A student said "uh Ka-lee...you uh...you look-a tired." He wanted to know what time I got up. I said 5:00. He seemed surprised. Apparently that was early for even him. Not by choice I tell you! Good thing they have delicious instant coffee here!
The milk here...is...how to say.....absolutely delightful. Perhaps it is because I can't read the bottle and am drinking whole milk instead of the 2% I get at home...but MAN! yum-o!
love you guys.
It was particularly smoggy this morning. I haven't noticed much smog in Siheung but I think because it was cloudy...it was shoving it closer to the ground.
I found out that Jackie, American who doesn't ignore other Americans, is a fellow Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away fan. THAT'S exciting! Anime store...here we come!
I was told that I looked tired today. A student said "uh Ka-lee...you uh...you look-a tired." He wanted to know what time I got up. I said 5:00. He seemed surprised. Apparently that was early for even him. Not by choice I tell you! Good thing they have delicious instant coffee here!
The milk here...is...how to say.....absolutely delightful. Perhaps it is because I can't read the bottle and am drinking whole milk instead of the 2% I get at home...but MAN! yum-o!
love you guys.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Staring, Sweating, and outdoor exercise equipment.
Three of these things happen in South Korea. One apparently doesn't. Can you guess? Yes, it's sweating. I have yet to see a Korean sweat. Because when you are the only one drenched when hiking up a mountain...you notice these things.
Staring...it's quite funny actually. I saw a taxi driver make a full left turn today without even watching where he was going....he was looking directly at me the whole time. I just smiled and waved.
Outdoor exercise equipment....revolutionary! Except I might have to buy some gloves. I'm not sure how many people touch them and I imagine the only thing the cleans them is mother nature...and she doesn't have any disinfectant. Kelsy! Come clean my exercise equipment! :)
Side note: It takes me approx. 5 minutes to figure out how to get to the button that let's me make a new post on here...lol newb.
Staring...it's quite funny actually. I saw a taxi driver make a full left turn today without even watching where he was going....he was looking directly at me the whole time. I just smiled and waved.
Outdoor exercise equipment....revolutionary! Except I might have to buy some gloves. I'm not sure how many people touch them and I imagine the only thing the cleans them is mother nature...and she doesn't have any disinfectant. Kelsy! Come clean my exercise equipment! :)
Side note: It takes me approx. 5 minutes to figure out how to get to the button that let's me make a new post on here...lol newb.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wind
I went on a walk/run/hike today. The walking was because I'm pretty much just out of shape. And I had alot of streets to cross. And I was amazed at the large park smack dab in the middle of all the large buildings around me. When I got the the park there was a "korean mountain" in the middle...equivalent to a small hill in Colorado. It only took me about 20 minutes to get up. But it's so much higher than everything else...that the view was awesome. It's amazing because people were all over the place. It's like they take a break from work to go on a hike. No wonder there are very few overweight people here. Some still had business suits on...walking up a mountain. Do they go back to work sweaty? Do they SWEAT?! There were shelter places periodically along the trail and people would be taking a nap, or talking. Crazy. I felt a little strange standing at the top with all of them so I went down a ways and sat on a rock. I closed my eyes and felt the cool wind blowing...not my wind...not my colorado smelling wind, or my strong Kansas wind. It felt nice, just not the same. It's pretty cool looking though. The city on one side, and the ocean on the other. I'll take my camera next week so you can come with me.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Korea
Well...I'm here. Sitting in my apartment....It's odd...because the towns kind of run together. I guess my city, Siheung, is fairly big. I haven't explored too far though. So far I know where the subway is and the store! woo! I found a McDonalds (NicUnolds Kelsy and MaryKate, lol) so I'll check that out when I obtain so more money. Prayers are appreciated.!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)