"So Do We Get Paddles?"

I ventured to the eastern province of Gangwon-do this past weekend for an adventure filled trip through a tour company called Adventure Korea. Some friends and I decided to get out of the city Saturday and enjoy a day of white water rafting and bungee jumping. The white water rafting was not as 'good' as it might have been because the water level was low. The rapids were nothing compared to the mighty White Nile and it was just more relaxing than nerve-racking. The scenery up the river was absolutely gorgeous. We were drifting along through a canyon of shear cliffs on either side. Along the way there were several waterfalls and some beautiful and interesting rock formations. Our raft was dubbed "team soju" since our guide had a soju hang-over and several of our group had taken some swigs of soju on the bus before the rafting. After a few hours we were finally back the the starting point for some showers and lunch. When we finished lunch we headed to the bridge a few miles away for the bungee jumping portion of our trip. This was the highlight for me. Because so many people wanted to jump it took forever to get through us all. The longer we stood up on the platform the more I contemplated my decision to tempt fate yet again, but of course I went through with it. The jump was 52 meters high and I jumped solo by my ankles. The jump was quite bouncy compared to my other jumps and I actually saw stars from spinning around so much while I was hanging in the air. Several Korean people tried to jump and chickened out. One man tried three times before throwing in the towel and doing the walk of shame back down from the platform. One Korean girl bungee jumped in high heels. Yes, high heels. Only in Korea. It was a great day, but I arrived home more than 12 hours later exhausted, sunburnt, and more than likely missing a few more brain cells.

Sean and I with the river in the background

my jump courtesy of Alex Yang

Check out my bungee jump here: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100245669278659

Sunday my friend Chris and I braved the crowds for the grand opening of Taco Bell in Itaewon. They were giving away free tacos and the mass of people waiting in line for them was crazy. The food actually tasted like T Bell from home. It was a little slice of America right here in Korea. Yum.

T Bell feast

Namaste

Birthdays, Bowling, and Bowing-Out

This past weekend was filled with lots of birthday fun and soccer craziness. I must say, it was a little heart-breaking to see Korea lose after making it to the top 16. Everyone was so hyped up and the expectations were so high. Just when I thought I might still have a team to cheer on, the USA goes and loses their game as well. It was a sad sad day for futbol fans in many places.

Friday night was Sam's 25th golden birthday and I traveled to Seosan to help her celebrate. We drank outside at a beautiful little park in a Korean gazebo. Afterwards we headed to her favorite local bar for a spectacular fire show and some great dance beats. We then bar hopped to another establishment where we enjoyed some super-sugary drinks and darts. It was a ton of fun and I was so glad I could be there with her to celebrate and see her in rare form. "Look at this. This water looks deliciousssss!" -Sam, to some stranger in the bathroom after she tried to put the glass in the soap-holder and say it was a cup holder. Good times.

the gazebo in the park

Bum giving us a bad-ass fire show

birthday girl and I

Saturday night held more birthday celebrations. Our friends, Frank and Alex were celebrating their birthdays and we all gathered at an upscale bowling alley in a ritzy area of Seoul called Apujeong. Saturday night also happened to be the Korea VS. Uruguay game. After a few games of bowling, some food and beers, the game began and the place was alive with screaming fans and cries of "dae han min guk!" Even though Korea played tough and got one great goal, they were no match for the South American players and lost in the end 1-2. Even though no one was jumping for joy, everyone still wanted to enjoy the night so we headed over to a dance club near by and were treated to head-throbbing music and buckets of alcohol while dancing to the top American Top 40 soundtrack. What more could you ask for to drown your soccer sorrows?

shots with the birthday boy, boyfriend, and brother

black-light bowling!

group shot

Namaste

Dae-han-min-guk!

This has become the victory cry for soccer fans in Korea. The weeks leading up to the World Cup kick off have been exciting over here in Korea, as I'm sure elsewhere in the world too. After Korea placing in the top 4 in the 2002 World Cup finals, the expectations and anticipations for the Korean team to perform this year have been set high. The madness leading up to the first game was apparent as people began donning red shirts, integrating soccer and Korean soccer star, Park Ji-Sung, into TV commercials and ads all around, and even having one of the hottest K-pop bands, Super Junior, creating a song featuring Kim Yu-Na called Victory Korea.

Check out the music video for Victory Korea here (this version not featuring Kim Yu-Na):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCdYAYPjZ4M&feature=channel

Saturday arrived quickly and unfortunately mother nature decided to rain on our parade here in Korea, literally. There were many huge outdoor screens all around the country and four in Seoul where the first game was to be broadcast with huge crowds of people, but many like me decided to stay indoors and dry instead of braving the wet to cheer on team Korea. [Side note: I am and always will be a true American fan and root for my team to the end, but I have become part of the mass of red-screaming-devil-horn-wearing people for the time being. Proud of my American team for their first non-loss as well!] We chose a bar in Gangnam to watch the game that night and lucked out getting the last table available. Every time Korea scored a goal, the crowd in the bar went nuts. The energy in the room was pulsating and the crowds in the streets after the first victory were unbelievable. Korean fans and expats alike were shooting off fireworks, shouting at the top of their lungs, and generally acting ridiculous. Needless to say it was quite a sight and a World Cup experience that will remain unmatched. I am pumped for game two!

mini CASS parade before the game

with our red gear all ready for kickoff

we got our devil horns

the streets in Gangnam after the win

Check out the anticipation before the kickoff at the bar here:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100226404555319

Namaste

Just Call Me Pocahontas

I was lucky enough to have a 5 day weekend which was more than I could have hoped for. Time away from my job was just what I needed and after a fantastic weekend in Jeju island, two extra days to relax were a bonus.

Sean and I went exploring on Tuesday in Seongnam. Seongnam is the city I live in, but the area I live is called Bundang. Bundang is a really upscale trendy expensive area to live in and differs tremendously from the rest of Seongnam. The other areas of Seongnam are a bit ghetto if you will. A few years ago the government moved the poor people out of areas of Seoul and relocated them here in Seongnam. You can immediately tell when you cross over from Bundang to Seongnam. The people, store fronts, and general atmosphere is different.

As we were about to begin hiking up a trail through the city we discovered an archery range on the slope of a hill. We looked at each other, said "why not" and paid the 3,000 won to try our hand at archery. Let me tell you, shooting a bow and arrow is a tough thing to do. You have to use a lot of arm strength and balance in order to aim correctly at your target. After being showed what to do I practiced and finally got the hang of it. I hit was able to even hit the circle a few times and the older Korean men there were clapping for me and told Sean in Korean that I should join the Olympic team. It was a lot of fun and totally random. Sean and I really gained some respect for Native Americans after that discussing and wondering how the hell they were able to shoot those things while riding horses too.

Sean's turn

my turn

I hit inside the red!

There is a big market in that area as well and walking through it was an experience. I was trying to photograph different things and most people didn't mind, but some were asking me not to take photographs. People were selling everything from fresh produce, to meat, seafood, and even random house hold odds and ends. There was one man using a machine to make rice cakes and home made popped corn and rice. We stopped and watched the process for a while. The device he used got really hot and then made a loud exploding sound and all of a sudden the popped rice or corn came out. The popped corn was a delicious and healthy snack.

After a night out dancing and drinking with friends on Tuesday night, we hopped in a taxi home. Before I knew it we had been side-swiped by another car and we were left sitting in the middle of an on-ramp to the highway. After a few minutes we decided to get out and grab another ride home praying that we would make it safe. Thank God no one was hurt or anything, but it was still scary. The roads in Korea are bad and Seoul is the worst. People are not careful drivers at all and cab drivers and bus drivers are notoriously dangerous and reckless. I am totally fine and everything is ok, but I continue to say a little prayer every time I get into one of those vehicles.

As I've mentioned before, Korea is full of all kinds of random and fun things to explore. I love making little finds and trying new things. I also love getting a good photo and will do just about anything to do so, even if it means risking getting scolded by an ajuma saleswoman.

Namaste

3, 2, 1 Bungee!

So I decided to do another crazy stunt this weekend with some friends- bungee jumping! There is a small park in Bundang called Yuldong Park where there is a beautiful little lake and a bungee platform over the water. You can jump from the platform, scream your head off, and fly through the air Mission Impossible style all over the cost of a mere 25,000 won (about $22). This was my second time throwing myself off some sort of surface into the air, but it was much different than my first bungee experience. This time they attached my harness around my shoulders and waist instead of around my ankles. I also went solo this time. Last time Sam and I held on for dear life together. I really loved this bungee. The platform was 43m (141 feet) up in the air and it had a gorgeous view of the park and surrounding Bundang. After we got suited up, we hopped into the elevator that took us up to the top. Once we were up there, there was no turning back. Sam decided that I needed to go first so I worked up the courage to walk to the end of the platform. The man working up there tightened my straps and then asked me if I was ready. I said "no". He was like 'well, too bad'. Then he counted down 3, 2, 1 bungee! and I closed my eyes and jumped. I felt like a rag doll flying through the air and wasn't sure which way was up and which way was down for a minute. When I finally figured out which way I was I looked around to see the lake below me and spectators to the side of me. I bounced around in the air for a few minutes until my cord settled down and then they lowered me into a boat, unhooked my harness, and took me back to the ground of the platform area. The rush I felt was amazing and I had such a good time bungeeing!

below the bungee sign

jump for bungee!

the bungee group

Check out a video of my bungee jump here:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100193739261829&ref=mf

My friend Hyun-jin had her senior recital this weekend at her university. She plays the gayagam, a traditional Korean stringed instrument. She has been studying music and playing the gayagam for years. There were 9 parts to the recital and Hyun-jin performed in 3. She wore a different hanbok each time and looked absolutely gorgeous. The music was beautiful and it was a real treat to hear.

Hyun-jin at her recital

Hanging out and drinking with friends, eating good food, enjoying the nice weather, and shopping in Insadong completed my weekend.

sparklers at the bar

Namaste

White Weekend

One of the first things I noticed right away when I came to Korea was the large amount of couples surrounding me at all times. There were couples on the subway, streets, stores, restaurants, at the movies, etc, etc. Obviously there are couples everyone you go in the world, but it seemed like every Korean I saw was in a 'couple'. Korean couples are quite humorous to watch. Often times they are wearing matching outfits. Sometimes it's a jacket or sweatshirt. Sometimes it's a baseball hat. 9 times out of 10 the guy is carrying the girl's purse for her. Not kidding. This is just common behavior here. Lots of times couples are fighting and Korean girls are putting their pouting faces to the test. I always see couples play fighting as well; hitting, kicking, and generally bugging each other just playfully. My favorite scene is when one member of a couple is leaving another, especially at the bus or subway stop. The goodbyes are so dramatic you would think they were auditioning for a soap opera. They are also usually accompanied by a wave-and-follow walk (or run) along side the road or subway.

Koreans celebrate Valentine's Day in a special way. February 14 is still the Hallmark holiday over here, but there is a twist. Girlfriends give their boyfriends presents (usually chocolates) on Valentine's Day. Then when March 14 (White Day) rolls around it is the boyfriends' turn to reciprocate. The guys usually buy their girlfriends chocolates or some kind of gift in return. There is even a 'singles' holiday (Black Day), although it does not sound like much fun to me. On April 14, single people in Korea eat a kind of black bean noodle called jjajangmyun and celebrate their freedom? Or cry into their sauce? I have no idea. Hopefully it is accompanied by friends and lots of soju.

I was lucky enough to celebrate White Day this year with my boyfriend, Sean. We kind of celebrated on both days this weekend.

On Saturday we went into Seoul and did a little shopping in Myeong-dong. Afterwards Sean took me to the Cheonggyecheon stream. It is a man-made stream of water that runs through the busy downtown area. It's really cute and surrounded by walking paths on either side. Lots of couples come to the stream on dates to take a stroll. Very romantical.

view from the street

Cheonggyecheon stream

Sean and I

lights at night

We came back to Bundang and Sean took me to dinner at a great little Italian restaurant where they film lots of Korean TV shows and movies.

Sunday afternoon we caught a ride into Seoul to meet some friends for a soccer game. The FC Seoul team was playing another Korean team at the World Cup Stadium. When we arrived the line for tickets was literally halfway around the stadium and we wondered how we were ever going to get in. It actually ended up moving quickly and we were inside before we knew it. The game was not very exciting, but I had a good time catching up with friends, drinking warm beers, and playing with these free blow-up clapping things they gave us to cheer with.

World Cup Stadium

FC Seoul game

the girls at the game

Sean and I at the game

Namaste

All You Need to Remember is Pizza and Fries

A couple weeks ago I had another public school training course and on our last day we went on a field trip to Icheon, an area popular in Korea for traditional Korean pottery. We visited a pottery studio for the day. First we were shown a video about how to make pottery (in Korean). Next, we were given a tour (again, in Korean) of the studio and shown some of the finished products. They then showed us how to use the pottery wheel (you guessed it, in Korean). We were taken to a studio to make our own clay pinch pots. During our arts and crafts time I had the chance to learn how to use the wheel and practice with some clay. The Korean pottery that we saw in Icheon was really intricate and beautiful. Some pieces ranged from small tea sets to gigantic pots that were almost as tall as me. The colors were really peaceful jade greens, blues, and soft browns. I was impressed at the amount of time and craftsmanship that go into making a piece of art like that. After finishing up with the pottery studio and browsing some gift shops, we ate lunch at a traditional Korean restaurant. Not a bad way to spend a paid day away from school.

pottery studio in Icheon

Korean pottery

using the pottery wheel

pouring some makkoli at lunch

Last week as I mentioned, I took over the after school English classes. I had 5 extra classes a day to teach in a small cold room after school. It was draining on top of all my other work, but the students were really adorable and their English levels were high, so we had some fun while pushing through their required curriculum.

cute kiddos in the after school English class

Check out a video of these little darlings: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100124321410759&subj=6804238

Christmas Eve some friends and I decided to go and see the Nutcracker ballet in Seongnam-gu (the city I live in) at the Arts Center here. It was a Russian ballet and was beautifully done. After the ballet we enjoyed a Mexican dinner for Christmas Eve and had a drink at the local bar before calling it a night. It was a lovely way to spend Christmas Eve away from home.

the Nutcracker ballet in Seongnam

ladies at the ballet

Merry Christmas Eve

My friend Sam and her friend Lucas came all the way up from Seosan (about 2.5 hours away) for the show so they stayed with me for the night. I had to get up at 5:30A.M. for my ski trip the next morning and I was looking forward to a good rest when I got home. As soon as we walked in the door around 12:45A.M. there was a terrible eye-watering, lung filling smell in my apartment. I had never smelled anything like it and it really freaked me out. We spent the better part of the night trying to figure out where it was coming from. We turned off my gas, opened the windows and doors, and decided to see what would happen. Around 1:30A.M. the smell was not any better, so Lucas went down to see if there was someone in my building office he could talk to. He came up after having talked to a security guard in broken Korean (or Konglish= Korean + English), and we thought that he had called someone to come and check it out. An hour later and no one to help, we decided to go to bed with the window open. A few minutes later the smell grew even worse and I went out in my hallway for some air. I saw my neighbor’s door open and decided to peek in only to find them trying to put out an electric fire from their heating pad that was now burning through their mattress with water. The entire room was filled with smoke and I now knew where the awful chemical smell was coming from. Lucas tried to convince them in Korean to take it outside, but they would not listen. Finally I went to bed with the covers over my face in hopes of getting a couple hours of sleep and we heard them taking the mattress out through the hallway a little while later. I cannot believe how idiotic you have to be to keep an electrical device like that plugged in for so long. Lord knows how many hours they were gone and what would have happened if they had not come home when they did. They could have burned down our entire apartment building. Definitely a Christmas Eve to remember.

I was a little cranky the next morning getting up so early to head into Seoul to catch the bus for our ski trip. The first day I fell a lot, but the second day was much better and I did not fall at all. I only stayed on the bunny hills, but was proud to have basically taught myself how to ski with a little help and some pointers. Christmas dinner was accompanied by lots of soju and was followed by a small gag gift exchange at a noraebang. We drank and sang away the rest of the night. Saturday night we went to check out a casino near the ski resort. I had no idea until that night, but Korean people are not allowed to step foot into any other casino in the country except this one. The reason being that this is the only casino in Korea that does not serve alcohol. I have mentioned Korean drinking culture before and they are a people who easily become addicted to things like alcohol and gambling. We all know that when you mix the two it can be bad, so the Korean government has banned Korean people from entering any casino with alcohol. The result of this was a casino jam packed with Koreans sipping free juice and gambling away their lives. These people were nuts. Some had cigarette packs or coats on chairs of slot machines they were using and if you went anywhere near it they would push you out of their seat and yell at you in Korean that it was ‘their’ machine. The tables were surrounded by people playing three deep because there weren’t enough seats and so many wanted to play. The most annoying and interesting casino experience of my life. Sunday traffic was really bad and it began to snow as we got closer to Seoul. What was supposed to be a 2.5 hour ride ended up taking us 7 hours. Korean people are really poor drivers with normal road conditions and it was chaos with some snow added to the mix. By the looks of things on the road you would have thought it was blizzard conditions outside, but there were only a few measly inches of powder. People were stuck, going backwards, outside on the highway pushing their cars. It was quite a sight. Once we got back to Itaewon we enjoyed a delicious last meal together and then headed home. It was a fantastic weekend with new friends, ski slopes, soju, noraebang, numerous GS 25 stops, Disney references, You Tube videos, casinos, and lots of laughs.

up at the top of the slopes

group shot after the first day

Christmas dinner

sides

ski slopes in Korea

ski and snowboard gals

all the ladies

on the bus

bees and honeycomb that cost 800,000 won

dried squid at a rest stop

yummy

crazy roads after some snow

last meal at the Wolfhound

Check out the rest of the photos from the ski trip here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2745730&id=6804238&l=75d954b92f

Namaste