Last night was the big roast dinner and it was delicious! We had a turkey, stuffing, veggies, gravy, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes. Craig's eggnog was delicious and had twice the called-for amount of rum. It was really nice, a good mix of people, and a great way to spend my last night in Seoul.
The cat tried his best to ruin it, though. He kept wiggling out of his Santa Claude costume! He has no holiday spirit. Today I leave him at his Auntie Paula's and I'm very sad about this. I've never been away from my tiny little kitten for more than two nights. Sniff!
I leave for the airport in a couple hours and I'm pretty stoked. Papa Fox has planned a family BBQ with carne asada, guacamole, tortillas, and Pacifico Clara and then later, I'll be meeting up with Aleli and Felicia to get our food/drink/dance on at Baobab! Jet lag can suck it!
Sunday 23 December 2007
Monday 17 December 2007
Three Cheers for Procrastination
Ugh, it's time to write student reviews. Seriously, what can I write about a three year old?! So far they're all "Seung Yeon is a very good student. She really likes the Hokey Pokey." Gaaaah!!
Since this is due tomorrow and it's already 6 pm and I've got a bunch to write, I thought this would be a wonderful time to write a blog entry. I kinda enjoyed writing the reviews when I taught middle schoolers because I could be scathing, so long as I put it in the "shit sandwich." An example:
"Hyeon Su is very smart but he lacks focus and is not doing as well as he could be. He is easily distracted during class and loses concentration. He also needs to work on completing class homework assignments and blended learning assignments. Hyeon Su is strong, however, in grammar application and does better on that part of the weekly tests."
You can't talk poo about 3-5 year olds, try as I might. Sigh.
I leave for the States in less than a week and as a result, I'm running around trying to get bills paid, rent taken care of, flights within the States booked, etc. etc. It's all a big headache and I've got lists everywhere and very little is getting ticked off. I've got to train my subs, pack (sweet Jesus!) and finish my Christmas shopping. Thank goodness Koreans get Election Day off and I don't have to work on Wednesday. What a great system.
I'm hosting a roast dinner at my place the Saturday before I leave. I'm pretty excited about it, the army base does a good turkey dinner. We ordered it last year and it was really nice. Craig, my next door neighbor, is going to make eggnog (it was AMAZING last year) and I'm going to make a ton of chocolate chip cookies to supplement the pumpkin pie. It'll be a nice send-off.
In January, when I get back, I'm going to start gumdo lessons! I'm really excited about this. My friend Dan has been taking lessons for about a year and he's going to take me to his hagwan. I'll have to start with the little kids but I think that'll be part of the fun. For those of you who don't know, gumdo is like the Korean version of kendo. I'll have a great big sword and I'll know how to use it!
Ok, official at-home dates are: San Francisco December 23rd to January 2nd and Seattle Jan. 3rd to Jan. 8th. On the 8th, I'm going down to Portland for the day. I've got no one's phone numbers anymore so email if you can hang out!
Since this is due tomorrow and it's already 6 pm and I've got a bunch to write, I thought this would be a wonderful time to write a blog entry. I kinda enjoyed writing the reviews when I taught middle schoolers because I could be scathing, so long as I put it in the "shit sandwich." An example:
"Hyeon Su is very smart but he lacks focus and is not doing as well as he could be. He is easily distracted during class and loses concentration. He also needs to work on completing class homework assignments and blended learning assignments. Hyeon Su is strong, however, in grammar application and does better on that part of the weekly tests."
You can't talk poo about 3-5 year olds, try as I might. Sigh.
I leave for the States in less than a week and as a result, I'm running around trying to get bills paid, rent taken care of, flights within the States booked, etc. etc. It's all a big headache and I've got lists everywhere and very little is getting ticked off. I've got to train my subs, pack (sweet Jesus!) and finish my Christmas shopping. Thank goodness Koreans get Election Day off and I don't have to work on Wednesday. What a great system.
I'm hosting a roast dinner at my place the Saturday before I leave. I'm pretty excited about it, the army base does a good turkey dinner. We ordered it last year and it was really nice. Craig, my next door neighbor, is going to make eggnog (it was AMAZING last year) and I'm going to make a ton of chocolate chip cookies to supplement the pumpkin pie. It'll be a nice send-off.
In January, when I get back, I'm going to start gumdo lessons! I'm really excited about this. My friend Dan has been taking lessons for about a year and he's going to take me to his hagwan. I'll have to start with the little kids but I think that'll be part of the fun. For those of you who don't know, gumdo is like the Korean version of kendo. I'll have a great big sword and I'll know how to use it!
Ok, official at-home dates are: San Francisco December 23rd to January 2nd and Seattle Jan. 3rd to Jan. 8th. On the 8th, I'm going down to Portland for the day. I've got no one's phone numbers anymore so email if you can hang out!
Wednesday 5 December 2007
Merry Claude-mas!
Claude got into the holiday spirit! Here are some shots of the apartment with Christmas lights and Claude playing dress up. Imagine Christmas with the Rat Pack playing in the background.
Monday 3 December 2007
One year down...
Happy anniversary to me and Korea!
Today is the day, my friends. December 3, 2006 a bedraggled and jet lagged Nicole Fox stumbled off the plane after many (many!) delays and onto the bus, armed only with a cell phone number and "Itaewon" as her guides. That night, I went to dinner at the Wood Hof with Justin, Paige, and two other people. Three of them have now left Korea!
It's very odd to think I'm officially an old-timer!
Since it's officially Christmastime, I put up the lights in the living room and did a Santa Claude photo shoot. I'll post those later for sure, if Claude doesn't kill me in my sleep first!
Today is the day, my friends. December 3, 2006 a bedraggled and jet lagged Nicole Fox stumbled off the plane after many (many!) delays and onto the bus, armed only with a cell phone number and "Itaewon" as her guides. That night, I went to dinner at the Wood Hof with Justin, Paige, and two other people. Three of them have now left Korea!
It's very odd to think I'm officially an old-timer!
Since it's officially Christmastime, I put up the lights in the living room and did a Santa Claude photo shoot. I'll post those later for sure, if Claude doesn't kill me in my sleep first!
Monday 26 November 2007
Important Korean Issue In This Entry!
In one week, I'll have been in Seoul for one year! As some of you might remember, I planned on staying 6 months. Now, I'm renewing and staying on yet another year, something I swore up and down I'd never do. It's funny but I've built this whole life here. I love my apartment (though NOT the sublet dude), I've made some really great friends, and I have my routine. When I first got here, everything seemed so strange and foreign and I thought there was no way I'd ever get used to it. Now, it's home. I've lived in my apartment here longer than I've lived in one place since my parents house before I left for college.
Anywho...Last Sunday was Sharing House and it was an experience. I don't want to call it depressing but it certainly wasn't a barrel of laughs. It's a museum/house about 2 hours outside of Seoul where 9 women who were sex slaves of the Japanese army duing WWII live. When we got there, we saw a video basically explaining the situation. I'll do my best synopsis here.
Around the time after the Nanking invasion, the Japanese army realized it couldn't go around raping and pillaging if it wanted to build a lasting empire so they decided to systematize it (the Japanese are nothing if not efficient). They specifically targeted Korean women because Korea was a colony of Japan and wouldn't fall under international treaties Japan had signed against sex slavery. They got the girls through a variety of methods, including abduction, false promises of schooling, and fake factory job offers. Once the girls were there, they'd basically have to spend their entire day "comforting" the Japanese soldiers. The conditions were awful and the soldiers weren't exactly gentle.
Now, Korea was (and still is) very Confucian and a woman's highest asset was her virtue. After the war, the general Korean population did not want anything to do with the women who survived. They offered very little compensation and wanted to sweep them under the rug (and still do). The Japanese government makes various claims, such as the army had nothing to do with this or that the women were willing prostitutes. They take NO responsibility and no compensation from the government.
The Sharing House exists to make sure the women and their ordeal is not forgotten. It's pretty amazing what they've been able to do with little to no support from the government and general population. Korea is changing and as it does, so does the attitude towards the women and progress has been made. Sadly, not with the Japanese government, which leans right.
My friend Steve has been volunteering there for about a year and so I went with him on this trip. I'm so glad I did, it was amazing to learn about all this. The best part was the art I got to see. The women were taught to paint so they could express some of their feelings through their work. These were some of the most emotionally powerful pieces of art I've ever seen. Usually, one of the women will come out to speak about her experience but they were all sick or visiting family the day I went. As their getting into their late 80s/early 90s, that'll happen more and more.
Of course, it was not been all seriousness here in Seoul. The night before the Sharing House, I went out to Platinum for my friend Sunah's birthday. Platinum is an all-you-can-drink microbrewery with the best beer in Seoul. I drank my fair share (and then some...) and in general had too much fun.
Steve, the aforementioned friend, has an oven in his apartment! This may not seem like big news but believe me, it is. So far I've only used it to make a couple batches of cookies but I've got big plans. Strange fact of life that Koreans just don't use ovens.
I just ended a class and the students are going to take me out for dongdongju, my favorite Korean alchohol, on Wednesday. It'll be lots of fun showing up all drunk to pub quiz. I'm sure my contribution will be invaluable.
Making more plans for my triumphant return to the States. I'll be in San Francisco from Dec. 22nd to Jan. 3rd. I'll be in Seattle from Jan. 3rd until Jan. 8th (the 6th/7th will be in Portland). Mark your calendars and plan accordingly!
Anywho...Last Sunday was Sharing House and it was an experience. I don't want to call it depressing but it certainly wasn't a barrel of laughs. It's a museum/house about 2 hours outside of Seoul where 9 women who were sex slaves of the Japanese army duing WWII live. When we got there, we saw a video basically explaining the situation. I'll do my best synopsis here.
Around the time after the Nanking invasion, the Japanese army realized it couldn't go around raping and pillaging if it wanted to build a lasting empire so they decided to systematize it (the Japanese are nothing if not efficient). They specifically targeted Korean women because Korea was a colony of Japan and wouldn't fall under international treaties Japan had signed against sex slavery. They got the girls through a variety of methods, including abduction, false promises of schooling, and fake factory job offers. Once the girls were there, they'd basically have to spend their entire day "comforting" the Japanese soldiers. The conditions were awful and the soldiers weren't exactly gentle.
Now, Korea was (and still is) very Confucian and a woman's highest asset was her virtue. After the war, the general Korean population did not want anything to do with the women who survived. They offered very little compensation and wanted to sweep them under the rug (and still do). The Japanese government makes various claims, such as the army had nothing to do with this or that the women were willing prostitutes. They take NO responsibility and no compensation from the government.
The Sharing House exists to make sure the women and their ordeal is not forgotten. It's pretty amazing what they've been able to do with little to no support from the government and general population. Korea is changing and as it does, so does the attitude towards the women and progress has been made. Sadly, not with the Japanese government, which leans right.
My friend Steve has been volunteering there for about a year and so I went with him on this trip. I'm so glad I did, it was amazing to learn about all this. The best part was the art I got to see. The women were taught to paint so they could express some of their feelings through their work. These were some of the most emotionally powerful pieces of art I've ever seen. Usually, one of the women will come out to speak about her experience but they were all sick or visiting family the day I went. As their getting into their late 80s/early 90s, that'll happen more and more.
Of course, it was not been all seriousness here in Seoul. The night before the Sharing House, I went out to Platinum for my friend Sunah's birthday. Platinum is an all-you-can-drink microbrewery with the best beer in Seoul. I drank my fair share (and then some...) and in general had too much fun.
Steve, the aforementioned friend, has an oven in his apartment! This may not seem like big news but believe me, it is. So far I've only used it to make a couple batches of cookies but I've got big plans. Strange fact of life that Koreans just don't use ovens.
I just ended a class and the students are going to take me out for dongdongju, my favorite Korean alchohol, on Wednesday. It'll be lots of fun showing up all drunk to pub quiz. I'm sure my contribution will be invaluable.
Making more plans for my triumphant return to the States. I'll be in San Francisco from Dec. 22nd to Jan. 3rd. I'll be in Seattle from Jan. 3rd until Jan. 8th (the 6th/7th will be in Portland). Mark your calendars and plan accordingly!
Thursday 15 November 2007
Autumn in Seoul
It's been a busy time here in the Republic of Korea...going backwards...
-On Sunday, I'm going with my friend Steve to a place called Sharing House. I'm not to clear about the details (going to find out everything when I go) but it has to do with the "comfort" women used by the Japanese troops during WWII. It's still a hot topic, the Japanese government denies that they forced the women into sex slavery and so they won't issue an official apology. It's something I'm really looking forward to. I recently read the Rape of Nanking and that was a huge kick in the gut. It made me want to read a lot more modern Asian history, I'll tell you that.
-I've been trying to have a quiet time this fall but that has been made difficult by several factors. First off, I HATE my sublet and so I'm trying to be home as little as possible. He is ALWAYS here and sucking up energy and generally being a douche bag so I'm forced to go to cafes or pubs until late. Claude is terrified of this dude and is getting fat because all he does now is eat or sleep. More than usual, that is.
-I'm starting to plan my trip home! I've got 3 weeks to spend and I'll be in San Francisco and Seattle. I absolutely cannot wait to have good Mexican food, American Chinese food, and cheese. I'm a little weirded out by the thought of being in a place where the signs are all in English and where I won't eat kimchi every day but I'm super excited to see people again.
-On Sunday, I'm going with my friend Steve to a place called Sharing House. I'm not to clear about the details (going to find out everything when I go) but it has to do with the "comfort" women used by the Japanese troops during WWII. It's still a hot topic, the Japanese government denies that they forced the women into sex slavery and so they won't issue an official apology. It's something I'm really looking forward to. I recently read the Rape of Nanking and that was a huge kick in the gut. It made me want to read a lot more modern Asian history, I'll tell you that.
-I've been trying to have a quiet time this fall but that has been made difficult by several factors. First off, I HATE my sublet and so I'm trying to be home as little as possible. He is ALWAYS here and sucking up energy and generally being a douche bag so I'm forced to go to cafes or pubs until late. Claude is terrified of this dude and is getting fat because all he does now is eat or sleep. More than usual, that is.
-I'm starting to plan my trip home! I've got 3 weeks to spend and I'll be in San Francisco and Seattle. I absolutely cannot wait to have good Mexican food, American Chinese food, and cheese. I'm a little weirded out by the thought of being in a place where the signs are all in English and where I won't eat kimchi every day but I'm super excited to see people again.
Friday 26 October 2007
Konichiwa, bitches!
Fukuoka was awesome! Awesome and really, really expensive!
I spent my first day there getting my visa sorted out and then totally crashing out in my hotel room and sleeping for 12 hours. Woops! I did eat some amazing sushi and walked around the downtown area for a while. My hotel was really cool, though. It was modeled after a tea house and looked very traditional and Japanese. I had a single and I felt like I was in the middle of Memoirs of a Geisha or something.
My second day, I was up and about all over town. I went to the big park in the middle of the city and looked at pretty gardens. I took a hike up to the ruins of the Fukuoka castle, then walked downtown to do some shopping. I ate tons of sushi and ramen. That night, I went to the area with the street food stalls and had some great ramen and a nice big glass of warm sake.
My last day there, I finished up shopping and walked around the downtown area I hadn't hit up yet. My trip ended on a less than great note when I threw a temper tantrum at the airport because they tried to take away my Bumble&Bumble curl creme, but hell...you can't get that in Korea! My hair needs all the help it can get.
The Fukuoka pictures can be seen here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63860&l=e237e&id=854760437
General updates:
-I have a new housemate. Jennefer has left and I have a subletter until Linda Fung (!!!) gets here in February. Cannot wait for that to happen!
-I play a game with my students called "sleeping bear," where they pretend to be hibernating and can't wake up (it's saved my sanity on several occasions!). Ashley took the game to heart and when she "woke up" today, she bit my arm really hard because bears are hungry when they wake up.
-We won 2nd place at the local pub quiz this week!!! I'm way too happy about this.
-Claude hates halloween...here's some pictures from that wonderful holiday
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=65625&l=358a3&id=854760437
-I'm writing this from a cafe where I've been sitting for about two hours, trying to download season 1 of the UK Office and drinking glass after glass of wine. The dude totally knows I'm using all his bandwidth!
I spent my first day there getting my visa sorted out and then totally crashing out in my hotel room and sleeping for 12 hours. Woops! I did eat some amazing sushi and walked around the downtown area for a while. My hotel was really cool, though. It was modeled after a tea house and looked very traditional and Japanese. I had a single and I felt like I was in the middle of Memoirs of a Geisha or something.
My second day, I was up and about all over town. I went to the big park in the middle of the city and looked at pretty gardens. I took a hike up to the ruins of the Fukuoka castle, then walked downtown to do some shopping. I ate tons of sushi and ramen. That night, I went to the area with the street food stalls and had some great ramen and a nice big glass of warm sake.
My last day there, I finished up shopping and walked around the downtown area I hadn't hit up yet. My trip ended on a less than great note when I threw a temper tantrum at the airport because they tried to take away my Bumble&Bumble curl creme, but hell...you can't get that in Korea! My hair needs all the help it can get.
The Fukuoka pictures can be seen here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63860&l=e237e&id=854760437
General updates:
-I have a new housemate. Jennefer has left and I have a subletter until Linda Fung (!!!) gets here in February. Cannot wait for that to happen!
-I play a game with my students called "sleeping bear," where they pretend to be hibernating and can't wake up (it's saved my sanity on several occasions!). Ashley took the game to heart and when she "woke up" today, she bit my arm really hard because bears are hungry when they wake up.
-We won 2nd place at the local pub quiz this week!!! I'm way too happy about this.
-Claude hates halloween...here's some pictures from that wonderful holiday
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=65625&l=358a3&id=854760437
-I'm writing this from a cafe where I've been sitting for about two hours, trying to download season 1 of the UK Office and drinking glass after glass of wine. The dude totally knows I'm using all his bandwidth!
Tuesday 16 October 2007
Japan!
I leave on Thursday for Fukuoka, Japan to do a visa run and I am ridiculously excited about.
This is my first trip in Asia outside of Korea. I feel pretty proud of myself for how much travel I've done within the country but now...broader horizons! I feel like once I break the seal, I can do some more weekend trips around the area.
I'm staying at a very traditional place my first night and then Friday I'll be at a hostel that caters to younger people. It should be a lot of fun and I can't wait! Gah!
This is my first trip in Asia outside of Korea. I feel pretty proud of myself for how much travel I've done within the country but now...broader horizons! I feel like once I break the seal, I can do some more weekend trips around the area.
I'm staying at a very traditional place my first night and then Friday I'll be at a hostel that caters to younger people. It should be a lot of fun and I can't wait! Gah!
Tuesday 25 September 2007
Happy Chusok
There are two major holidays in Korea, Lunar New Year and Chusok. Today is Chusok, which is basically the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, with some ancestor-honoring thrown in for good measure. The best thing about this is that in order to worship one's ancestors properly, one must go to one's hometown so the day before and the day after are taken off for travel time. This means that this little migook gets a five day weekend! Assah!
It has been heaven. I originally thought of taking a trip to Bali or some other exotic destination but since I have to make a visa run to Japan in a couple weeks, I opted to stay in Seoul. It's been the most relaxing time ever. I got to spend an entire day nursing a nasty soju hangover and I didn't feel bad since I had four other days off!
I kicked off the weekend with some bowling. Some friends and I have started going bowling every Friday night and it's so much fun. You can bring your own drinks to Korean bowling alleys so it ends up being a very cheap night out. I actually did really well for the first game but as my soju intake went up, my bowling skills went down and my third game was in the 50s. Woops.
On Sunday, my friend Hannah came up to visit from Daejon. We went shopping in Itaewon, where I found a sweet ass Casio calculator watch...assah! It's incredibly awesome in a Dwight Schrute sort of way. Yesterday, I made a birthday dinner for some friends and drank an obscene amount of wine and today, I took a nice long coffee break/walk/late lunch with my friend Paula. And I still have one more day off!
Kindergarten is still going great and I actually miss my students over this break. Not enough to want to be at work, of course, but I do miss them. Allan told me he loved me last week and it was very sweet. Dylan, on the other hand, grabbed my boobs. Oh, kindergarten!
Sunday 16 September 2007
Insanity!
Whew! My new jobs have been keeping me incredibly busy! I've ended up teaching at the kindergarten full time and I've got 4 different business classes. I'm hopping around the center of the city all day but it's been fun. I feel so much happier now that I'm not working at CDI. I'm cooking more, getting to see friends more, and I'm just feeling a lot more positive about life now that I actually enjoy the teaching. The kindy in particular has been great. The kids are awesome and it's a lot of fun. It can be a head ache sometimes but for the most part, I'm loving it.
I've also been leaving the Itaewon area when going out, which is a lot of fun. Hongdae has great dance clubs I've been going to and it's nice to be around more Koreans. Again, have come across more and more foreigners who are kinda anti and it's odd. Hi, you're in KOREA. Eh, what can you do?
I've also been leaving the Itaewon area when going out, which is a lot of fun. Hongdae has great dance clubs I've been going to and it's nice to be around more Koreans. Again, have come across more and more foreigners who are kinda anti and it's odd. Hi, you're in KOREA. Eh, what can you do?
Friday 31 August 2007
One thing about being here is that it always feels like a time of transition. This time, though, I might be justified in thinking that. On Tuesday, Justin will be leaving Korea for his year-long trek across Asia. It seems very strange to me that he'll be gone and I won't be able to ask him questions, talk to him about the random stuff we talk about, or have him kick my ass at Halo. I'm not taking it as hard as our neighbors since I know I'll see him in the Northwest but I'm still going to miss him. For one thing, this means I can't share the coffee expense with anyone.
I also have to say I'm incredibly grateful to Justin for the way he introduced Seoul and Korea to me. I've recently met some people who've been in Korea for years and they were woefully ignorant about the culture, food, and people. They had no idea about things I've taken for granted, like dongdongju and pajon. Thanks to Justin, I was thrown head-first into life here and never went through an "I don't eat Korean food" phase. I learned the Korean alphabet so quickly because I thought that was expected of me. I shudder to think what my life here would have been like had I not known the joy of dongdongju. This weekend will be the last hurrah for Justin. A few of us are going to the beach on the west coast of Korea. Should be good drunken fun!
The other big change is that I've started my new job. Instead of teaching at an academy, I'm now teaching at a bunch of different places, all of which is arranged by my agency. So far, I've taught businessmen at Samsung and Posco, a major Korean steel company. It's been great, I only taught about 4 hours this week but next week, I'm subbing for a kindergarten and starting another business class, so I'll be very busy. I like it so far, very nice not to be on CCTV all the time! I also like how I'm moving through the city all day, I'm getting to see parts of Seoul I didn't know about.
I also have to say I'm incredibly grateful to Justin for the way he introduced Seoul and Korea to me. I've recently met some people who've been in Korea for years and they were woefully ignorant about the culture, food, and people. They had no idea about things I've taken for granted, like dongdongju and pajon. Thanks to Justin, I was thrown head-first into life here and never went through an "I don't eat Korean food" phase. I learned the Korean alphabet so quickly because I thought that was expected of me. I shudder to think what my life here would have been like had I not known the joy of dongdongju. This weekend will be the last hurrah for Justin. A few of us are going to the beach on the west coast of Korea. Should be good drunken fun!
The other big change is that I've started my new job. Instead of teaching at an academy, I'm now teaching at a bunch of different places, all of which is arranged by my agency. So far, I've taught businessmen at Samsung and Posco, a major Korean steel company. It's been great, I only taught about 4 hours this week but next week, I'm subbing for a kindergarten and starting another business class, so I'll be very busy. I like it so far, very nice not to be on CCTV all the time! I also like how I'm moving through the city all day, I'm getting to see parts of Seoul I didn't know about.
Monday 20 August 2007
Seoul in the Summer
Ugh, I haven't been posting in months because it's just too much fun to be outside, doin' stuff rather than writin' about stuff. It's been a fun summer, too!
First trip was to Busan, at the southern tip of the Korean peninsula. I went with Jennefer and Maria and we got to stay at a kick ass love motel. The beach was great, although cloudy and a wee bit windy. I got to eat some good sashimi and fall asleep on the beach, which was the purpose of the trip :)
We had a kick-ass Canada party that had us banned from having any more parties on our roof...so sad. It was worth it though because it also was Jen's housewarming. Ah, it was good fun. I won mad money off Justin playing a (sometimes violent) GoStop tournament. Here's some pictures from that and some random summer fun pics.
My birthday weekend was pretty kick ass. On the actual night, a few of us went to dinner at my favorite hof to eat pajon and drink dongdongju, my favorite Korean booze. Craig and Justin said that if I finished an entire bowl to myself, they'd tell people I'm 24 indefinitely . It wasn't pretty but I managed to put the bowl down. The next couple of days a whole bunch of us went to the beach on the west coast for mudfest. The mud is supposed to be good for you and you paint your body and dry out in the sun while enjoying cass and the ocean. It was a lot of fun and I was very sad to have to come home.
A couple of weeks later at the end of July, Victoria, my old roommate from Seattle, came out for a visit. We had 9 days of insanity. She brought with her homemade cookies from Neil, our other Seattle roommate and Justin's BFF, and Black Butte Porter, the most delicious porter ever. It was amazing.
We saw what feels like everything in Seoul and I got to do a lot of touristy stuff I hadn't gotten around to. It was so much fun and her visit ended way too soon.
Now things still kinda bumpin'. Paige and I are in training for the Seoul marathon, I'm switching jobs, Justin leaves for his huge Asian trip (and I get the big room in the apartment...assah!), and I've discovered the swimming pool next to the Han river. Still plenty to do but I will be a bit better about the blog posts!
First trip was to Busan, at the southern tip of the Korean peninsula. I went with Jennefer and Maria and we got to stay at a kick ass love motel. The beach was great, although cloudy and a wee bit windy. I got to eat some good sashimi and fall asleep on the beach, which was the purpose of the trip :)
We had a kick-ass Canada party that had us banned from having any more parties on our roof...so sad. It was worth it though because it also was Jen's housewarming. Ah, it was good fun. I won mad money off Justin playing a (sometimes violent) GoStop tournament. Here's some pictures from that and some random summer fun pics.
My birthday weekend was pretty kick ass. On the actual night, a few of us went to dinner at my favorite hof to eat pajon and drink dongdongju, my favorite Korean booze. Craig and Justin said that if I finished an entire bowl to myself, they'd tell people I'm 24 indefinitely . It wasn't pretty but I managed to put the bowl down. The next couple of days a whole bunch of us went to the beach on the west coast for mudfest. The mud is supposed to be good for you and you paint your body and dry out in the sun while enjoying cass and the ocean. It was a lot of fun and I was very sad to have to come home.
A couple of weeks later at the end of July, Victoria, my old roommate from Seattle, came out for a visit. We had 9 days of insanity. She brought with her homemade cookies from Neil, our other Seattle roommate and Justin's BFF, and Black Butte Porter, the most delicious porter ever. It was amazing.
We saw what feels like everything in Seoul and I got to do a lot of touristy stuff I hadn't gotten around to. It was so much fun and her visit ended way too soon.
Now things still kinda bumpin'. Paige and I are in training for the Seoul marathon, I'm switching jobs, Justin leaves for his huge Asian trip (and I get the big room in the apartment...assah!), and I've discovered the swimming pool next to the Han river. Still plenty to do but I will be a bit better about the blog posts!
Saturday 19 May 2007
It's Official!
I have now lived in Seoul longer than I lived in Seattle...madness. In a couple weeks, I'll hit the 6 month mark and the half-way point of my time here. I've heard from a few people that the last 6 months are going to fly by and I have to say, May has been going by in a blur.
Yesterday was the Lotus Lantern Festival. Every year near Buddha's Birthday, they have a big parade from City Hall to Jogyesa temple. Everything is centered around lanterns and the floats are basically giant lanterns lit by electric lights. People holding lanterns were dressed in all sorts of traditional Korean clothing and there were a lot of drummers. It was really beautiful but sadly, my effing camera battery died and I had to buy a disposable camera so now pictures just yet. There were some really amazing lanterns, ones you could tell were hand-painted. One group had lanterns made to look like flags of different countries and the group's big float lantern was a Buddha sitting on a globe.
This whole thing gave me one of my "oh holy crap, I live in Asia" moments, which are getting few and far between since I've been here for a while now. Everything about the parade was so distinctly Asian...I mean, first off, it was a major Buddhist celebration and there were delegations from all over Asia marching in it. It was pretty cool.
I got a sports massage this week at a sauna. I found it hilarious that not only are you dressed for it, but the masseuse put towels over my back. This cracked me up. Salespeople have no problem yanking my clothes off me, I've been felt up by an ajuma in the sauna pools, but when I get a massage, they have to be cautious about touching. Oh, Korea.
Yesterday was the Lotus Lantern Festival. Every year near Buddha's Birthday, they have a big parade from City Hall to Jogyesa temple. Everything is centered around lanterns and the floats are basically giant lanterns lit by electric lights. People holding lanterns were dressed in all sorts of traditional Korean clothing and there were a lot of drummers. It was really beautiful but sadly, my effing camera battery died and I had to buy a disposable camera so now pictures just yet. There were some really amazing lanterns, ones you could tell were hand-painted. One group had lanterns made to look like flags of different countries and the group's big float lantern was a Buddha sitting on a globe.
This whole thing gave me one of my "oh holy crap, I live in Asia" moments, which are getting few and far between since I've been here for a while now. Everything about the parade was so distinctly Asian...I mean, first off, it was a major Buddhist celebration and there were delegations from all over Asia marching in it. It was pretty cool.
I got a sports massage this week at a sauna. I found it hilarious that not only are you dressed for it, but the masseuse put towels over my back. This cracked me up. Salespeople have no problem yanking my clothes off me, I've been felt up by an ajuma in the sauna pools, but when I get a massage, they have to be cautious about touching. Oh, Korea.
Friday 11 May 2007
Belated Cinco de Mayo
Yeah, yeah, the lazy Mexican can't write about Cinco de Mayo until nearly a week later...
I did all the Mexican activities I could do here, such as cleaning my house, drinking at 11 am, eating bbq with rice, and going to a big box store to pick up more beer at a late hour. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
P.S. Claude went on the roof for the first time and it was...not good. He freaked out a bit and gave Justin a nice scratch on his stomach. Oh, Mr. Claude!
I did all the Mexican activities I could do here, such as cleaning my house, drinking at 11 am, eating bbq with rice, and going to a big box store to pick up more beer at a late hour. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
P.S. Claude went on the roof for the first time and it was...not good. He freaked out a bit and gave Justin a nice scratch on his stomach. Oh, Mr. Claude!
Wednesday 2 May 2007
Jeju-do
Alright, this post is going to be about my fantastic weekend in Jeju Island but first, I have this to say: Suck it, Chelsea! Liverpool's going to the Champion's League final and you're not! Mwahahahaha!!!
Ok, now that that's off my chest I can get to business!
Paige invited a bunch of us girls to head down to Jeju-do (an island at the tip of the Korean peninsula) for her boyfriend Yong's ultimate frisbee tournament. It ended up being Courtney, Stephanie, Paige and I going as the the Beer Consumption Squad. I had to fly stand-by on Saturday morning due to a mix-up at the travel agency but it was all good since I got to fly business class. Pretty much the moment I got in, I began my duties.
Saturday, we actually did stuff and walked around the beach and one of the commercial areas of the island. I found a Seattle's Best and got a little misty-eyed looking at a huge picture of the Puget Sound. The beach was absolutely gorgeous! It was so nice to be around ocean again and to see how blue the sky is when there's no massive pollution.
That night was the Mysterious costume party. We all wore wigs and didn't really know what we were, that was our mystery. Or, as Stephanie said, the mystery was how much we cost for the night. By the way, soju in iced tea is delicious!
Sunday we did nothing but sit in the sun and drink beer. Courtney, Paige and I kicked a soccer ball around for a bit but seriously, that's it. It was glorious!
I flew home at 7 am on Monday and was seriously depressed all day. I cannot wait to go back to Jeju. Soon, people, soon.
World Cup Stadium
Traditional Jeju statue
Woman selling seafood at the beach
Hehehe
Being mysterious...
Ok, now that that's off my chest I can get to business!
Paige invited a bunch of us girls to head down to Jeju-do (an island at the tip of the Korean peninsula) for her boyfriend Yong's ultimate frisbee tournament. It ended up being Courtney, Stephanie, Paige and I going as the the Beer Consumption Squad. I had to fly stand-by on Saturday morning due to a mix-up at the travel agency but it was all good since I got to fly business class. Pretty much the moment I got in, I began my duties.
Saturday, we actually did stuff and walked around the beach and one of the commercial areas of the island. I found a Seattle's Best and got a little misty-eyed looking at a huge picture of the Puget Sound. The beach was absolutely gorgeous! It was so nice to be around ocean again and to see how blue the sky is when there's no massive pollution.
That night was the Mysterious costume party. We all wore wigs and didn't really know what we were, that was our mystery. Or, as Stephanie said, the mystery was how much we cost for the night. By the way, soju in iced tea is delicious!
Sunday we did nothing but sit in the sun and drink beer. Courtney, Paige and I kicked a soccer ball around for a bit but seriously, that's it. It was glorious!
I flew home at 7 am on Monday and was seriously depressed all day. I cannot wait to go back to Jeju. Soon, people, soon.
World Cup Stadium
Traditional Jeju statue
Woman selling seafood at the beach
Hehehe
Being mysterious...
Thursday 26 April 2007
Is It January Yet?
Is there anything more exciting than buying a Lonely Planet and starting the trip-planning process? I think not!
The plan to go to New Zealand has been scrapped because its just too ding dang expensive down there and I want to have some scrilla left over after. Instead, I will be going to...South America! (Cue Pink Martini's song "Brazil" right here.)
It was slightly surreal to be in the middle of Seoul, flipping through "South America on a Shoestring" and it makes me wonder if I'm becoming one of those travel people who is never going to come home for any long period of time. It definitely made me pause and think but I'm itching to come home and start working towards saving the world again. I just want to have a little fun before I do that.
So far, the rough idea for the trip is to spend January in Argentina, February in Brazil, and March in Chile. I think this is going to change but I know I want to stay along the coasts and I really really want to go to Easter Island because seriously? How cool would that be? Man, I am so excited about this and I have 7 months to go. I know I should slow my roll but this is going to get me through teaching the little a-holes and dealing with the every day stress of being in Korea. Knowing my reward is 3 months of chilling on beaches will be a huge help!
People are more than welcome to join me on this trip...the more, the merrier!
Springtime in Seoul
I freaking love Wednesdays. I'm done teaching at 8:30 am and then I have the rest of the day free. Yesterday was one of those rare days off when the weather is just amazing so I took advantage and went rambling around Namsan for a few hours, soaking up the sun and nature. I put some Beethoven piano sonatas on the old iPod and I felt like a character in a Merchant-Ivory film, traipsing through the vernal mountain (I know, I know, I need to put down the Jane Austen).
Seoul through the trees
Nice encouragement
Claude and I are hitting a rough patch right now. I have to remember that our relationship is still pretty new and that he doesn't puke on the bathroom floor on purpose. I think he may be bulimic because of Justin saying he was going to be over the airline weight restriction when I go home. Poor little guy.
Seoul through the trees
Nice encouragement
Claude and I are hitting a rough patch right now. I have to remember that our relationship is still pretty new and that he doesn't puke on the bathroom floor on purpose. I think he may be bulimic because of Justin saying he was going to be over the airline weight restriction when I go home. Poor little guy.
Tuesday 24 April 2007
I <3 the 80s
Oh man. The Rocky Mountain Tavern, the local Canadian bar, had an 80s night party and it was so much fun. Some people got really really into it, like Magnum. Paige and I were a wee bit disturbed that neither of us had to buy anything to be in character.
Flash Dance Nicole
Claire, Jen (future roommate), Paige (current roommate), and me before going out
Where's Higgins?
Claude had a play date today. Paige is moving in with her boo so Jennefer is moving in. Jennefer has a wee dog named Cuba and we wanted to see if they'd get along. Turns out Claude is terrified of a dog 1/4 his size and hid under my desk all night. We left them alone to go eat at RMT and when we got back, Claude was rght where we left him. As a matter of fact, he's there right now. Oh, Claude.
Flash Dance Nicole
Claire, Jen (future roommate), Paige (current roommate), and me before going out
Where's Higgins?
Claude had a play date today. Paige is moving in with her boo so Jennefer is moving in. Jennefer has a wee dog named Cuba and we wanted to see if they'd get along. Turns out Claude is terrified of a dog 1/4 his size and hid under my desk all night. We left them alone to go eat at RMT and when we got back, Claude was rght where we left him. As a matter of fact, he's there right now. Oh, Claude.
Monday 23 April 2007
A Recent Email Exchange
On 4/20/07, Nicole Fox wrote:
Remember that part in Legally Blonde where Elle was watching a soap opera after her break up and a male character was telling a female character that he'll always love her and Elle screams "LIES!!" and throws a box of chocolates at the screen?
That's what I'd imagine Cameron Diaz did when she first listened to "My Love" post-break up with Justin Timberlake. Deep thoughts.
On 22/04/07, Julia Schoellenbach wrote:
Are you stoned?
For the record, I was not.
Remember that part in Legally Blonde where Elle was watching a soap opera after her break up and a male character was telling a female character that he'll always love her and Elle screams "LIES!!" and throws a box of chocolates at the screen?
That's what I'd imagine Cameron Diaz did when she first listened to "My Love" post-break up with Justin Timberlake. Deep thoughts.
On 22/04/07, Julia Schoellenbach wrote:
Are you stoned?
For the record, I was not.
Saturday 21 April 2007
How Could I Forget?!
I am so ashamed of myself. I forgot to tell everyone about the best damn part of Shana's visit...
I was going to take her to my class of Korean businessmen (oh, man...that's a whole other kettle of fish...) that I teach at 7:30 am. We had to leave the house by 6:40 and we hadn't had coffee so we're both a little groggy. We take one bus to the Seoul Express Bus terminal and get off to catch the 360 to Gangnam.
Here's where it got tricky. And it must be stated again that neither of us had had any coffee.
I see the 360 pull up behind another bus and I said to Shana, "Here it is, let's go." She thought I meant the first bus while I went to the bus behind it. I was about to get on when I looked behind me to tell her something and I noticed she wasn't there. I started calling her name and looking all over the bus stop for her but she was gone. I started to mildly freak out because I had no phone on me and no way of getting a hold of her. I became convinced she was going to end up in North Korea, talking to Kim Jong-Il about shoes and hair care.
Just as I'm imagining having to call Chuck Robinson to tell him his daughter is lost in Korea, I see the funniest thing I had seen in at least a week...Shana Robinson, RUNNING down the street, waving to me.
(Anyone who knows Shana knows that her personal motto is "Jews don't run unless they're being chased.)
Turns out Shana realized I wasn't on the bus and got off at the next stop, which was thankfully only down the street, and started hauling ass towards me. I was so relieved that I nearly died laughing from the sight of her sprinting towards me. Ahh, good times.
Wednesday 18 April 2007
Fatty Patty
Apparently...my cat has been gaining weight. This is tragic, being as he's been on diet food for a while now and has been exercising more. Oh, poor Claude. My insensitive housemate Justin has been mocking him and saying he has love handles (hehehe). WHen I said his comments are going to lead to me paying thousands of dollars in kitty therapy when Claude develops an eating disorder, Justin replied "The only eating disorder Claude has is forgetting he ate 15 minutes ago and begging for more food."
Take a look at this face and tell me this isn't the most perfect cat ever!
(By the way, for the people writing me "wah! more blog entries!" leave some freaking comments!)
Monday 16 April 2007
Saturday 14 April 2007
Two Weeks of Madness
Before I say anything, I have to let y'all know that I am typing from Tyrone, my new black Mac Book. He's amazing! Blog posts should now be a lot more frequent since I have no excuses any more. Here's a picture of my new workspace:
So yeah...Shana left exactly one week ago. We had many, many good times. The night she got here, we went straight to the wood hof and got accidentally wasted (as Shana and I tend to do when we're together) off the dongdongju.
Incidentally, "ju" is the Korean way of indicating alcoholic content. Hmm.
We spend a lot of her time here eating and shopping. Shana fell hard core for dolsot bimbambop, which is veggies, rice, and an egg mixed in a sizzling hot stone bowl. I also introduced her to the joy that is kimchi mandu (dumplings). Her life will never be the same.
Highlights of the trip:
Taking pictures with an Elvis statue outside a "Texan" bar
The old dude hitting on Shana saying "Don't worry, my wife's in jail."
The nachos at the Rocky Mountain Tavern
Day boozin' on a Sunday
Oh, the shopping we did...major damage...
Teaching Shana GoStop
Drunk eating
Watching the entire series of Weeds
Shana hooking up with the 46 year old
And the biggest highlight of them all...Shana bringing us a six pack of Pacifico Clara. God bless her.
Shana and nachos
They're glorious
So yeah...Shana left exactly one week ago. We had many, many good times. The night she got here, we went straight to the wood hof and got accidentally wasted (as Shana and I tend to do when we're together) off the dongdongju.
Incidentally, "ju" is the Korean way of indicating alcoholic content. Hmm.
We spend a lot of her time here eating and shopping. Shana fell hard core for dolsot bimbambop, which is veggies, rice, and an egg mixed in a sizzling hot stone bowl. I also introduced her to the joy that is kimchi mandu (dumplings). Her life will never be the same.
Highlights of the trip:
Taking pictures with an Elvis statue outside a "Texan" bar
The old dude hitting on Shana saying "Don't worry, my wife's in jail."
The nachos at the Rocky Mountain Tavern
Day boozin' on a Sunday
Oh, the shopping we did...major damage...
Teaching Shana GoStop
Drunk eating
Watching the entire series of Weeds
Shana hooking up with the 46 year old
And the biggest highlight of them all...Shana bringing us a six pack of Pacifico Clara. God bless her.
Shana and nachos
They're glorious
Wednesday 21 March 2007
Shana in Seoul!
Holy crap, it's only 5 more days until La Shawnduh Mother Effin' Robinson lands in Seoul and I am so excited! Not only is she bringing me essentials like bras and beer, but she herself will be here for almost two weeks. That gives us plenty of time to make sure Seoul will never be the same again. Ho Bars 1-4, here we come!
My bad for not updating in...oops, a month and a half. Lots to do here in Seoul and I've been doing it. I finally have a good schedule so I'm working 4 days a week for about 6 hours a day and so I've got time to actually do stuff (except write blog entries, apparently). Been doing lots of shopping, redecorated my room here, ordering boots, etc. etc. I've also been taking the time to work on something near and dear to me, which is of course perfecting my nap-taking skills.
But really, I've done some productive stuff...I just can't think of it right now. It is nice, though, to be able to have this time after the craziness of my summer/fall last year. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 5 months since Nov. 7th and I've been in Seoul for nearly 4. It's crazy that most things here are now routine. That's not to say I'm totally adjusted or over homesickness but Seoul is now almost as familiar to me as Seattle. Madness!
My bad for not updating in...oops, a month and a half. Lots to do here in Seoul and I've been doing it. I finally have a good schedule so I'm working 4 days a week for about 6 hours a day and so I've got time to actually do stuff (except write blog entries, apparently). Been doing lots of shopping, redecorated my room here, ordering boots, etc. etc. I've also been taking the time to work on something near and dear to me, which is of course perfecting my nap-taking skills.
But really, I've done some productive stuff...I just can't think of it right now. It is nice, though, to be able to have this time after the craziness of my summer/fall last year. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 5 months since Nov. 7th and I've been in Seoul for nearly 4. It's crazy that most things here are now routine. That's not to say I'm totally adjusted or over homesickness but Seoul is now almost as familiar to me as Seattle. Madness!
Sunday 11 February 2007
R.I.P. Substance Free February
It went from Substance Free Feb to Alcohol Free Feb.
Then it went to "Two Drinks a Night" Feb because it's the second month of the year...number 2...made sense at the time.
Finally, last night, it was "Who am I kidding?" February and I drank a bottle of wine and had some sweet sweet Canadian IPA.
Hey, I tried. I also lasted 10 days, which is a week longer than last year so yay progress!
Also, I beat Justin and that's what really counts :)
Then it went to "Two Drinks a Night" Feb because it's the second month of the year...number 2...made sense at the time.
Finally, last night, it was "Who am I kidding?" February and I drank a bottle of wine and had some sweet sweet Canadian IPA.
Hey, I tried. I also lasted 10 days, which is a week longer than last year so yay progress!
Also, I beat Justin and that's what really counts :)
Tuesday 6 February 2007
Alcohol Free February!
Yes, it's that time of year again...Alcohol Free February has reared it's ugly head. For those of you not familiar, every February, I try to abstain from alcohol to give my poor liver a rest. Most years I'm dunzo by Feb. 4th or so but this year, it's Feb. 6th and I'm still going strong.
The same cannot be said of everyone. I finally came across someone who is worse at this than I am. I received a text at 8:59 pm on Friday, Feb. 2nd from R. Justin Brooks giving me the time and date of surrender. Pathetic.
Sobriety means things like I don't sleep through half of Sunday and I actually get things done. This Sunday, I went to Insadong with Craig, Sunah and Justin. It's the "artsy" neighborhood in Seoul and one of my favorite places so far. It's gotten more touristy but it still has some really cool traditional calligrahpy and paper stores. We found this one antique shop that has all sorts of random odds and ends, like a huge wooden pipe that looks like a dragon making out with a woman. At another place, there were little buddha figures that had explicit sexual positions on the bottom.
The best part of the day, though, was the delicious makerel that we had for lunch. The best thing about eating out in Korea is the side dishes and this meal had the best ding dang tofu and seafood stew this side of the Pacific. Yum!
The same cannot be said of everyone. I finally came across someone who is worse at this than I am. I received a text at 8:59 pm on Friday, Feb. 2nd from R. Justin Brooks giving me the time and date of surrender. Pathetic.
Sobriety means things like I don't sleep through half of Sunday and I actually get things done. This Sunday, I went to Insadong with Craig, Sunah and Justin. It's the "artsy" neighborhood in Seoul and one of my favorite places so far. It's gotten more touristy but it still has some really cool traditional calligrahpy and paper stores. We found this one antique shop that has all sorts of random odds and ends, like a huge wooden pipe that looks like a dragon making out with a woman. At another place, there were little buddha figures that had explicit sexual positions on the bottom.
The best part of the day, though, was the delicious makerel that we had for lunch. The best thing about eating out in Korea is the side dishes and this meal had the best ding dang tofu and seafood stew this side of the Pacific. Yum!
Monday 29 January 2007
Pukin' in the Street
Well, it happened. I finally had a night out on Hooker Hill in Itaewon. In honor of Justin's friend Kyle's last night out in Seoul, we finally made it to Polly's Kettle House on the top of the hill, where I managed to throw up before I even went in.
My plans to pace myself were dashed early on when I fell for a (really obvious) trick during Drinking Scrabble and so I was already drunk when we left the house. We made a long stop at a bar where there were shots ordered and darts played.
Interesting side note: get me the right amount of drunk and I'm a darts idiot savante.
After another stop at a bar where drinks for women are free (but there are lecherous looking men all over the place) we went up the hill to Polly's. Sadly, this is where all the alcohol in my system demanded to be freed and I was just trying not to get any on my shoes. After a nice long break sitting outside, I finally made it in.
Another interesting side note: there I was, wasted and practically catatonic, sipping lightly at my "kettle," which is essentially jungle juice made with soju. All of a sudden, Toxic came on and I was up in a flash, shaking my ass on the dance floor. Such is the healing power of Britney Spears.
Got home around 6 am and spent all day Sunday in a haze. It's a good way to remember why I want to do Substance Free February.
Yet another side note: the second time at the saunas is much easier than the first. I don't know if I was so hung over that I didn't care or what, but being naked with all the Koreans almost felt liberating. Good times.
My plans to pace myself were dashed early on when I fell for a (really obvious) trick during Drinking Scrabble and so I was already drunk when we left the house. We made a long stop at a bar where there were shots ordered and darts played.
Interesting side note: get me the right amount of drunk and I'm a darts idiot savante.
After another stop at a bar where drinks for women are free (but there are lecherous looking men all over the place) we went up the hill to Polly's. Sadly, this is where all the alcohol in my system demanded to be freed and I was just trying not to get any on my shoes. After a nice long break sitting outside, I finally made it in.
Another interesting side note: there I was, wasted and practically catatonic, sipping lightly at my "kettle," which is essentially jungle juice made with soju. All of a sudden, Toxic came on and I was up in a flash, shaking my ass on the dance floor. Such is the healing power of Britney Spears.
Got home around 6 am and spent all day Sunday in a haze. It's a good way to remember why I want to do Substance Free February.
Yet another side note: the second time at the saunas is much easier than the first. I don't know if I was so hung over that I didn't care or what, but being naked with all the Koreans almost felt liberating. Good times.
Thursday 25 January 2007
My internet romance and a change in plans
I met my soulmate on the internet.
I have been wanting a pet for the longest time but working horrendous hours have proven to be huge road blocks. That has changed here in Seoul, plus the housemates were very (very) enthusiastic about having a little animal around the house.
I starting cruising the internets to see what kind of cats Seoul had to offer and I found Claude. He was a one year old kitty who's owner's allergies were getting out of control, so he needed a new home. I fell in LOVE with his picture (pretty good lookin' face, sandy blond hair...) and we arranged to meet in person. Turns out he's the most amazing, incredible, and fantastic cat...ever. I took him home and we've been in bliss ever since.
Ok, to be honest...I may be a wee bit insane over him. He's already got roughly 468 nicknames and my back is in massive amounts of pain because he hogs the bed. Seriously, though, he's awesome. Watching him "hunt" toys is hilarious. Just today he fell behind the couch twice due to over-enthusiasm. Oh, Claude.
He's also a celebrity. I've attached the pic his previous mommy (oh, yes...I call myself his mommy and he has Uncle Justin, Auntie Page, Uncle Craig, Auntie Sunah...) submitted to stuffonmycat.com.
Alright, change in plans...I had originally intended to stay in Seoul for 6 months and be back in Seattle in June or July. I've now decided that that is not enough time for me to spend here so I'm going to stay out my contract and leave Korea in December of this year. Then, I'm going to spend about 3 months roaming around New Zealand, Australia and the surrounding area and then go home. I'm really excited about it and if anyone wants to join me in NZ, I'd be thrilled. Also, this means more time to haul ass to Seoul!
Saturday 20 January 2007
Carne Station: Beer and Wine
Teaching on Saturdays is going to be the end of me.
For the month of January, I have to teach a class at 9:30 am on Saturdays. It's a conversation class. For middle schoolers. In a foreign language. On a Saturday morning...yeah, it's silent for the most part for at least the first hour. Eleven kids just staring at me as I am doing a song and dance routine, trying to get them to talk. Ugh.
After that, I have to teach my regular Saturday afternoon class. If you recall, I have freaking 24 hours of work (27 with the intensive) spread over freaking 6 days. So at the end of the day on Saturday, I've had the trauma of working 6 days and on that particular day, having to deal with sullen pre-teens who resent being sent to English class on Saturdays. The result?
A lot of drinking on Saturday nights.
This past Saturday, we headed over to Carne Station. They're tagline is "Beef and Wine." Ooh, good times. It's all you can eat AND drink. Beer, wine, hard alcohol, soju as far as the eye could see. We grilled seafood and ate smoked salmon by the plateful. My only complaint was that there was almost too much pressure to chug the alcohol down to get our money's worth. It must be said, though, that it was weird to see a whole bunch of drunk foreigners in the same place as a bunch of Korean families. Wasted Canadians and small Korean children, together at last.
PS I am trying to find out how the heck I upload pictures so I can include them in these posts. As soon as I do, it's going to be a picture smorgasboard because I have been clicking away on my cute new fuscia camera.
For the month of January, I have to teach a class at 9:30 am on Saturdays. It's a conversation class. For middle schoolers. In a foreign language. On a Saturday morning...yeah, it's silent for the most part for at least the first hour. Eleven kids just staring at me as I am doing a song and dance routine, trying to get them to talk. Ugh.
After that, I have to teach my regular Saturday afternoon class. If you recall, I have freaking 24 hours of work (27 with the intensive) spread over freaking 6 days. So at the end of the day on Saturday, I've had the trauma of working 6 days and on that particular day, having to deal with sullen pre-teens who resent being sent to English class on Saturdays. The result?
A lot of drinking on Saturday nights.
This past Saturday, we headed over to Carne Station. They're tagline is "Beef and Wine." Ooh, good times. It's all you can eat AND drink. Beer, wine, hard alcohol, soju as far as the eye could see. We grilled seafood and ate smoked salmon by the plateful. My only complaint was that there was almost too much pressure to chug the alcohol down to get our money's worth. It must be said, though, that it was weird to see a whole bunch of drunk foreigners in the same place as a bunch of Korean families. Wasted Canadians and small Korean children, together at last.
PS I am trying to find out how the heck I upload pictures so I can include them in these posts. As soon as I do, it's going to be a picture smorgasboard because I have been clicking away on my cute new fuscia camera.
Wednesday 17 January 2007
Seoul High Lights Reel
Oh my God, y'all. There's a lot I've been doing since I wrote that first email about a month ago. Here are the high lights:
-Korean Kristmas
(Warning: Most of this stolen from an email I wrote to Victoria, because I'm lazy)
I don't know what I expected Christmas to be like here, but I ended up having an almost traditional holiday. We had lights in the apartment, Justin stole a bunch of branches from Namsan hill and he decorated all our doorways. On Christmas eve, he nailed some of them together to a plank of wood and I made paper and popcorn garlands and an angel and voila! The world's most ghetto Christmas tree was born.
He and our neighbor Craig made eggnog from scratch (you do NOT want to know how many eggs went into it) and mulled wine and we had people over and got really drunk and watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas. ( P.S. I am not going to tell you how many Christmas cartoons I watched in total because you would be disgusted. I even watched Scooby Doo Christmas!) Some of my house mate Paige's friends spent the night and we opened presents in the morning and had breakfast (I made it!) and later, we had a traditional dinner ordered from the Army base. It was pretty nice.
-The Sauna
Seriously, you have lived until you've been to a Korean sauna. I went after having a few drinks, praise Allah, because I could not have done it sober. I went with Craig, his girlfriend Sunah, and Justin at about midnight. I did not know that I had to strip down and shower with a room full of naked women but boy was I glad I had had that beer before going. It was so intense that you just have to say, fuck it and be naked in a room full of naked Korean women. The rest of the sauna (where you get to wear clothes) is pretty surreal, too. Unlike American saunas, which are pretty basic, these saunas are basically a place where you can do everything in matching pajamas. There are computer rooms, restaurants, movie rooms, massage chairs, traditional sauna rooms, bars, blah blah blah. I can't wait to go back.
-New Year's
Oh, New Years. My least favorite holiday...so much pressure to have fun. This was actually pretty fun. Started off at a hotel party, went to a weird club that looked like the bastard love child of a wasp nest and the bar from the first Star Wars, grabbed and pulled some random dude, cried while eating fried something, drunk dialed Julia, and passed out in my clothes. Good times!
-The Shopping
It's amazing. I love Muji (www.muji.co.uk) and the little stands that sell cute ankle socks. As Paige says, go cute or go home. Anyone planning on visiting, come prepared to do some serious damage.
-The Drinking
Dudes and dudettes, it is way too easy to get totally wasted here. Bars are open so late and the (shitty) beer is so cheap. This past weekend, I was the drunkest I've ever been in this country and it was pretty damn drunk. I'm not going to lie, there was puke involved and non-consensual toe nail painting.
That's been my month so far...there are tons of little things but I'll write about those later. Let me know if you want to be automatically updated (or hopefully there's some way you can sign yourself up because...seriously...I'm lazy). I'll try to be good about updating and responding to emails.
-Korean Kristmas
(Warning: Most of this stolen from an email I wrote to Victoria, because I'm lazy)
I don't know what I expected Christmas to be like here, but I ended up having an almost traditional holiday. We had lights in the apartment, Justin stole a bunch of branches from Namsan hill and he decorated all our doorways. On Christmas eve, he nailed some of them together to a plank of wood and I made paper and popcorn garlands and an angel and voila! The world's most ghetto Christmas tree was born.
He and our neighbor Craig made eggnog from scratch (you do NOT want to know how many eggs went into it) and mulled wine and we had people over and got really drunk and watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas. ( P.S. I am not going to tell you how many Christmas cartoons I watched in total because you would be disgusted. I even watched Scooby Doo Christmas!) Some of my house mate Paige's friends spent the night and we opened presents in the morning and had breakfast (I made it!) and later, we had a traditional dinner ordered from the Army base. It was pretty nice.
-The Sauna
Seriously, you have lived until you've been to a Korean sauna. I went after having a few drinks, praise Allah, because I could not have done it sober. I went with Craig, his girlfriend Sunah, and Justin at about midnight. I did not know that I had to strip down and shower with a room full of naked women but boy was I glad I had had that beer before going. It was so intense that you just have to say, fuck it and be naked in a room full of naked Korean women. The rest of the sauna (where you get to wear clothes) is pretty surreal, too. Unlike American saunas, which are pretty basic, these saunas are basically a place where you can do everything in matching pajamas. There are computer rooms, restaurants, movie rooms, massage chairs, traditional sauna rooms, bars, blah blah blah. I can't wait to go back.
-New Year's
Oh, New Years. My least favorite holiday...so much pressure to have fun. This was actually pretty fun. Started off at a hotel party, went to a weird club that looked like the bastard love child of a wasp nest and the bar from the first Star Wars, grabbed and pulled some random dude, cried while eating fried something, drunk dialed Julia, and passed out in my clothes. Good times!
-The Shopping
It's amazing. I love Muji (www.muji.co.uk) and the little stands that sell cute ankle socks. As Paige says, go cute or go home. Anyone planning on visiting, come prepared to do some serious damage.
-The Drinking
Dudes and dudettes, it is way too easy to get totally wasted here. Bars are open so late and the (shitty) beer is so cheap. This past weekend, I was the drunkest I've ever been in this country and it was pretty damn drunk. I'm not going to lie, there was puke involved and non-consensual toe nail painting.
That's been my month so far...there are tons of little things but I'll write about those later. Let me know if you want to be automatically updated (or hopefully there's some way you can sign yourself up because...seriously...I'm lazy). I'll try to be good about updating and responding to emails.
Welcome to the SK
Y'all asked for it, y'all got it. I'll update very soon but in the mean time, here's the first mass email I sent out. If you haven't read it yet, enjoy!
Hello everyone,
Yesterday was my two week anniversary in Seoul and I thought I'd celebrate with a big old mass email to let you all know how it's going.
First off, I live in the lovely Hae Bang Chong district here in central Seoul. I'm situated at the bottom of a hill that has decided sidewalks are for wimps. It is a daily battle against cars, scooters, and buses and I was terrified of crossing the street alone for the first few days. We have three bars within a two block radius and right across the street there's a veggie stand and a corner store. It's always buzzing with activity and very different from my nice cozy block in Ravenna. Our apartment is pretty sweet, though. It's palatial by Seoul standards and has three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom and we have the roof to ourselves. I'm living with Paige, a delightful Canadian, and Justin, who I met through my Seattle roommate Neil.
The school I teach at is in Dongjak, on the other side of the river that divides Seoul. I'm teaching three classes of elementary-aged kids and one of middle schoolers. The kids are, for the most part, pretty cool and very smart. I teach at a private hagwan so the kids had to pass certain tests to get in so they all speak fairly well. The only thing that sucks is that while I'm only teaching 24 hours a week, it's spread over 6 days so Sunday is my only day I'm not teaching. I'm taking the bus to work everyday, which apparently is not something foreigners do in their first few weeks, so I'm pretty proud of myself. Here, the bus does not have to be at a complete stop to open the doors so I like to see how fast the bus can be going when I jump off.
I am, however, managing to have a lot of fun during my time off. My first week here, I was in training so I had my days free after 3 pm. My housemate Justin has been playing tour guide and showing me the city. We went on a scooter ride my third day here and it was quite the experience. There aren't very many traffic rules regulating scooters so we were weaving in and out of traffic and making crazy u-turns and it was very thrilling. We've also gone to several markets (if anyone wants some fake Burberry ankle socks, let me know!), an art museum, a few bars, and a small art show where I got to meet some interesting people (including the guy who I thought might be Jewish and totally thought I was hitting on him when I asked). However, the most exciting part of Seoul has been happening right in my kitchen...I'm cooking! I can now make eggs in a bread frame, curry, and hash browns! I also made some potato latkes (described as "Jewish hash browns") for Hanukkah. Shabbat shalom!
It snowed this weekend so we made a snowman, Prosty the Korean Snowman, on the roof and got into a snow ball fight with our next-door neighbors. I also took a walk up the hill I live at the bottom of to the top of Namsam park and the Seoul Tower. It's kinda like the Seoul version of the Space Needle but it's a giant radio tower. It was cool so see all of Seoul covered in snow. It was less cool when Justin kicked the tree I was walking under so I was covered in snow.
I miss you all like the deserts miss the rains and I'm more bummed that I can say that I won't be seeing anyone before the holidays. If anyone wants a postcard, send me your address and I'll put pep in my step.
love,
nicole
Hello everyone,
Yesterday was my two week anniversary in Seoul and I thought I'd celebrate with a big old mass email to let you all know how it's going.
First off, I live in the lovely Hae Bang Chong district here in central Seoul. I'm situated at the bottom of a hill that has decided sidewalks are for wimps. It is a daily battle against cars, scooters, and buses and I was terrified of crossing the street alone for the first few days. We have three bars within a two block radius and right across the street there's a veggie stand and a corner store. It's always buzzing with activity and very different from my nice cozy block in Ravenna. Our apartment is pretty sweet, though. It's palatial by Seoul standards and has three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom and we have the roof to ourselves. I'm living with Paige, a delightful Canadian, and Justin, who I met through my Seattle roommate Neil.
The school I teach at is in Dongjak, on the other side of the river that divides Seoul. I'm teaching three classes of elementary-aged kids and one of middle schoolers. The kids are, for the most part, pretty cool and very smart. I teach at a private hagwan so the kids had to pass certain tests to get in so they all speak fairly well. The only thing that sucks is that while I'm only teaching 24 hours a week, it's spread over 6 days so Sunday is my only day I'm not teaching. I'm taking the bus to work everyday, which apparently is not something foreigners do in their first few weeks, so I'm pretty proud of myself. Here, the bus does not have to be at a complete stop to open the doors so I like to see how fast the bus can be going when I jump off.
I am, however, managing to have a lot of fun during my time off. My first week here, I was in training so I had my days free after 3 pm. My housemate Justin has been playing tour guide and showing me the city. We went on a scooter ride my third day here and it was quite the experience. There aren't very many traffic rules regulating scooters so we were weaving in and out of traffic and making crazy u-turns and it was very thrilling. We've also gone to several markets (if anyone wants some fake Burberry ankle socks, let me know!), an art museum, a few bars, and a small art show where I got to meet some interesting people (including the guy who I thought might be Jewish and totally thought I was hitting on him when I asked). However, the most exciting part of Seoul has been happening right in my kitchen...I'm cooking! I can now make eggs in a bread frame, curry, and hash browns! I also made some potato latkes (described as "Jewish hash browns") for Hanukkah. Shabbat shalom!
It snowed this weekend so we made a snowman, Prosty the Korean Snowman, on the roof and got into a snow ball fight with our next-door neighbors. I also took a walk up the hill I live at the bottom of to the top of Namsam park and the Seoul Tower. It's kinda like the Seoul version of the Space Needle but it's a giant radio tower. It was cool so see all of Seoul covered in snow. It was less cool when Justin kicked the tree I was walking under so I was covered in snow.
I miss you all like the deserts miss the rains and I'm more bummed that I can say that I won't be seeing anyone before the holidays. If anyone wants a postcard, send me your address and I'll put pep in my step.
love,
nicole
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