Whenever you are looking forward to something it always takes longer to get there. It's like what my step-mom Kelly said one time when Jordan and I were making banana bread about two years ago, "A watched cake never bakes". Well, let's just say that I am waiting for my trip to Europe ('the cake' at the end of this 14 months of teaching) to finally come to fruition ('bake'). Weird metaphors aside I am ready to finish working. The level of disrespect that I have been receiving from some of my students has forced me find solace in the thought of leaving.
However, there is this part of me (the part that wants to accept any challenge that teaching brings me) that wants to take control of these classes and provide a fruitful learning environment. Although I truly believe that it is not possible in some cases. For the sake of the argument, put yourself in the place of one of the older students in my lower level classes. He comes to my academy after a full day of REAL school (KOREAN school [Talk about difficult!]). Then, when he gets to the academy, his friends of the same age go into higher level classes as he walks into my lower level class (feeling humiliated). Next he sits down and chats with his friend only to have some foreign man yell at him ordering to speak a different language (English). So now we have a tired, pubescent and humiliated student sitting in a class designed for younger students.
That's the recipe for success right? No wonder I get smacked by the brunt of their frustration with bad words, defiant awkward standing, and the dirtiest of scowls. Oh, now multiply that one student by about 10. There are 10 of these kids going through the same situation in one class. Oh well. At least I get to go home and get away from this situation while the students have to stay here and deal with it. Then, they will subsequently go on to run the world. I mean that is what they are studying so hard for right?
Here's a list:
31 = Days til I am done with work.
14 = Days til my birthday.
9 = Days til Mom comes to Korea.
4 = Days til Halloween (awesome couple costume with Emma (Not really couple costume [we are more just two of something]).
3 = Months til I visit everybody east of Denver with Amtrak. (Chicago friends, Justin and Kelcie, Rob, Jojo, and Emma!)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Full Circle
This last weekend we celebrated another friend's birthday. We have been on a little birthday bender over here. Everyone in our group seems to have autumn birthdays. That usually leads to spending the next day (Sunday) in town or in the mountains close to town. That is what has happened these last couple of weekends.
This past Sunday, we went hiking up the same route that I did about a year ago on my first hike in Korea. We took a leisurely stroll this time instead of a determined charge toward the peak. It was nice to have a day out on the mountains as well as being not too far from home (the trail head is about a 15 minute walk from my apartment).
My time to write has been kind of cut short lately due to running, laziness, getting ready to leave, spending more time with Emma, and an ever changing work schedule. However, I will try to keep this thing updated until my trip to Europe with Brent on November 30th.
P.S. Anyone have any suggestions for things to do and places to see in the Black Forest area of Germany, Tuscany area of Italy and Valencia area of Spain?? If you do, send me a message!
This past Sunday, we went hiking up the same route that I did about a year ago on my first hike in Korea. We took a leisurely stroll this time instead of a determined charge toward the peak. It was nice to have a day out on the mountains as well as being not too far from home (the trail head is about a 15 minute walk from my apartment).
My time to write has been kind of cut short lately due to running, laziness, getting ready to leave, spending more time with Emma, and an ever changing work schedule. However, I will try to keep this thing updated until my trip to Europe with Brent on November 30th.
P.S. Anyone have any suggestions for things to do and places to see in the Black Forest area of Germany, Tuscany area of Italy and Valencia area of Spain?? If you do, send me a message!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tandem Bikes and Flyin' Kites
Sometimes it seems as if working just gets more and more stressful. Maybe it is because I am working Saturdays now and I have only one full day to not think about teaching. Maybe I am just getting exhausted. Meh, only 7.5 more weeks!
This last Sunday, Emma and I went to Gyeongju with only one goal in mind for the full day: riding a tandem bike. We got to the bus station and walked right out to find a bunch of rental bikes ready to go. We paid the man 14,000 Won for one tandem bike for the day. Since we have become practically locals of Gyeongju, we knew where we wanted to go first: food place! We went to Sampo Ssambap. It is the best ssambap place that we have tried (Ssambap is one meal with about 1001 dishes).
After lunch, we had a great day just riding around and seeing how far we could go in different directions. Here is a pointer to anyone who wants to ride a tandem bike with Emma in the future: don't let her ride in front (that was a hilarious disaster). We stopped a couple times to hang out and walk around. One time was when we bought a kite and hung out in a park for about an hour. I never knew how completely amazing I am at flying kites. I am definitely up there with the other Franklin's who have made it famous flying kites (history joke...anybody?). The other time we stopped was when we decided that we had made it into the ghetto. We were (as it seemed) hopelessly lost. Luckily, since Korea is the most connected country in the world, I was able to whip out my iPod and look up where we were on Goggle maps (right there in the ghetto!!!I love Goggle!).
Well, needless to say, we made it back home and then built the best blanket fort this country has ever seen. I have pictures coming soon!
P.S. Here are the pictures from last week's adventure: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.680073690149.2171547.43804181&l=d49fe0998f&type=1
This last Sunday, Emma and I went to Gyeongju with only one goal in mind for the full day: riding a tandem bike. We got to the bus station and walked right out to find a bunch of rental bikes ready to go. We paid the man 14,000 Won for one tandem bike for the day. Since we have become practically locals of Gyeongju, we knew where we wanted to go first: food place! We went to Sampo Ssambap. It is the best ssambap place that we have tried (Ssambap is one meal with about 1001 dishes).
After lunch, we had a great day just riding around and seeing how far we could go in different directions. Here is a pointer to anyone who wants to ride a tandem bike with Emma in the future: don't let her ride in front (that was a hilarious disaster). We stopped a couple times to hang out and walk around. One time was when we bought a kite and hung out in a park for about an hour. I never knew how completely amazing I am at flying kites. I am definitely up there with the other Franklin's who have made it famous flying kites (history joke...anybody?). The other time we stopped was when we decided that we had made it into the ghetto. We were (as it seemed) hopelessly lost. Luckily, since Korea is the most connected country in the world, I was able to whip out my iPod and look up where we were on Goggle maps (right there in the ghetto!!!I love Goggle!).
Well, needless to say, we made it back home and then built the best blanket fort this country has ever seen. I have pictures coming soon!
P.S. Here are the pictures from last week's adventure: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.680073690149.2171547.43804181&l=d49fe0998f&type=1
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Seoul! in 24 hours!
My training friend, Joe, is heading out this weekend. We have been here a year now and he is finished with his contract (I still have til the end of November). So after work on Saturday at 8:30pm, I ran down to the subway station, rode to the Daegu KTX (bullet train) station, met Emma there and managed to get tickets to Seoul. We arrived at 11:30pm and met up with Joe, Jojo and the others. Man we had fun, but it was needless to say, a late night.
On Sunday, we went and had some Mexican food for breakfast (when I am in Seoul, I need to fill my desire for restaurant mexican food because Daegu is lacking). Then we went to the country-famous 63 tower. They have a mall and an aquarium inside. Providing that this was the only functioning aquarium in the nation that Emma and I had not been to, it was imperative that we made the short journey there. We had a good time! They had a great penguin exhibit (they even had emperor penguins!). Then we spent the rest of the beautiful day at a park by the Han river. We eventually decided to check out the river boats that were running. The boat we were on took us around just before sunset for about an hour. It was (as mentioned before) a beautiful day, so this ride was excellent.
When evening came, Brent and I decided it would be a great idea to run to the top of the famous (small) mountain in Seoul: Namsan. We then noticed that Brent did not have good shoes for running, so we decided to run up the mountain barefoot. There are paths and stairs, so it was not an extreme move. After making it to the top passing many curious onlookers, we made it back down to the bottom. When we reached the bottom we attempted to find our shoes that we left under a bush, only to discover that they were not there. We heard a couple old ladies yelling at us, so we decided to yell back. I looked up the Korean word for shoe in my phone dictionary and started asking them to help find our shoes. They came up to us and pointed us in the direction of a bunch of sleeping bums. Brent jumped the fence and ran over to check out the bum situation and found our shoes next to a sleeping bum. Lucky us!
After making it back to Daegu catching up on sleep for a couple days, I have decided to give my body a break for two weeks. I am still going to continue my running training, but I will cut out beer until October 1st. Let the ole body breathe for a bit.
Thanks for checking in! Hope everyone out there is alright!
On Sunday, we went and had some Mexican food for breakfast (when I am in Seoul, I need to fill my desire for restaurant mexican food because Daegu is lacking). Then we went to the country-famous 63 tower. They have a mall and an aquarium inside. Providing that this was the only functioning aquarium in the nation that Emma and I had not been to, it was imperative that we made the short journey there. We had a good time! They had a great penguin exhibit (they even had emperor penguins!). Then we spent the rest of the beautiful day at a park by the Han river. We eventually decided to check out the river boats that were running. The boat we were on took us around just before sunset for about an hour. It was (as mentioned before) a beautiful day, so this ride was excellent.
When evening came, Brent and I decided it would be a great idea to run to the top of the famous (small) mountain in Seoul: Namsan. We then noticed that Brent did not have good shoes for running, so we decided to run up the mountain barefoot. There are paths and stairs, so it was not an extreme move. After making it to the top passing many curious onlookers, we made it back down to the bottom. When we reached the bottom we attempted to find our shoes that we left under a bush, only to discover that they were not there. We heard a couple old ladies yelling at us, so we decided to yell back. I looked up the Korean word for shoe in my phone dictionary and started asking them to help find our shoes. They came up to us and pointed us in the direction of a bunch of sleeping bums. Brent jumped the fence and ran over to check out the bum situation and found our shoes next to a sleeping bum. Lucky us!
After making it back to Daegu catching up on sleep for a couple days, I have decided to give my body a break for two weeks. I am still going to continue my running training, but I will cut out beer until October 1st. Let the ole body breathe for a bit.
Thanks for checking in! Hope everyone out there is alright!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
One Year Ago
What were you doing one year ago? Does it matter? Not really. Either way, I was on a road trip through Montana and Canada with Jordan McChesney one year ago. I was also getting prepared to spend a year working in the mystical far east. One year later, I am getting myself ready to return back to the miraculous far west. I have 10.5 weeks remaining on my contract. Plans are in order for returning to home. First, of course, a camping trip in southern Italy. Then, I will be home for Christmas (insha'allah). However, I need to also deal with, and enjoy, the present (namely spending time with my girlfriend before our month or so apart).
Today, I worked an early day after a long weekend. This last weekend was one of the biggest holidays in Korea. It was Chuseok and everything was closed (still is). On Saturday night, we all went out to celebrate the beginning of our two day weekend (!). It actually seemed like the majority of us were partied out by Sunday morning, resulting in a really lazy and low key Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, we attempted to get everyone together, but exhaustion took hold and everyone did their own thing. Emma and I walked around and played in a playground. On Monday, Emma and I walked around downtown visiting some temples and parks. We eventually got too hot and spent a couple hours in the movie theater watching the new 'Planet of the Apes'. Then, went home so I could get some rest for my early classes today.
That was the extent of the cRaZy two day weekend. Now, I have a lot of work on my plate (student reports) and I have to return to the dentist next Thursday to get a filling refilled (one of those metal fillings that they did 15 years ago). So, I got a couple great things to look forward to. Let's make this happen!
Today, I worked an early day after a long weekend. This last weekend was one of the biggest holidays in Korea. It was Chuseok and everything was closed (still is). On Saturday night, we all went out to celebrate the beginning of our two day weekend (!). It actually seemed like the majority of us were partied out by Sunday morning, resulting in a really lazy and low key Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, we attempted to get everyone together, but exhaustion took hold and everyone did their own thing. Emma and I walked around and played in a playground. On Monday, Emma and I walked around downtown visiting some temples and parks. We eventually got too hot and spent a couple hours in the movie theater watching the new 'Planet of the Apes'. Then, went home so I could get some rest for my early classes today.
That was the extent of the cRaZy two day weekend. Now, I have a lot of work on my plate (student reports) and I have to return to the dentist next Thursday to get a filling refilled (one of those metal fillings that they did 15 years ago). So, I got a couple great things to look forward to. Let's make this happen!
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| Emma and I on Chuseok (9-11-2011). Her foot is better now. |
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Some Sunny-ness and Some Now-ness
Today, I went for a run in the wetlands area that is pretty close to my apartment. It was awesome! The land just opened up and I could see all the mountains that surround Daegu. The wetlands birds (cranes, I think) were flying around. It's a beautiful sunny day with a nice cool breeze. Safe to say I had a great morning so far, which is good because I was feeling down about losing my wallet this weekend.
On Sunday morning, as Emma and I were getting dropped off on her side of town, I must have dropped my wallet. We looked everywhere for it. Luckily (I guess), Emma was becoming a veteran at sorting things out after losing a wallet (she had lost her wallet twice within the last month). We had made plans to go to Gyeongju to ride tandem bikes, but instead we needed to head to my side of town and pick up my passport and my bank book from my apartment. We spent all day walking around my side of town and actually had a great day doing this. After reporting my missing wallet and ARC (Alien Registration Card) to the police, we walked up to Hwasong Waterside Park. The park is on one of my running routes that I do every week, but I have not spent anytime walking around in it. We grabbed some drinks at the entrance of the park, sat on benches and watched the synchronized fountains over the lake. It was relaxing. I have started to enjoy the area that I live in the more that I explore it. Living right on the edge of the city is a nice contrast. It's easy to get out and see some open sky.
Last night my dad and I were talking about the importance of solitude. He was referring to an interview on NPR with this lady who has studied social networks and technology for the last 15 years. She was saying that social networks have destroyed our ability to experience solitude. Every minute of everyday we are surrounded by e-mail, text messages and facebook. This is obviously becoming more true everyday with the new developments of 3G networks and smartphones. While studying this stuff, the lady started to understand the importance of oneness and solitude.
She recommended turning off your computer and smart phones (if at all possible) for the majority of the day. Then at night, you should spend a chunk of time doing what you need to do on the internet and with text messages. Now, obviously, many people's careers depend on the internet and text messaging. This is only a suggestion to try to do what you can. When you do have everything off, you tend to spend more time in the present with yourself or the people that are immediately around you. This will allow you to connect with what is 'right here, right now'. I think this is a great idea and I will try to do this myself. Maybe I finally get some reading done (I am still working through 'The Master and Margarita' [I was cruising through books before this one]).
We get Monday off next week! We will probably end up staying in town because intercity travel is supposed to be a nightmare.
On Sunday morning, as Emma and I were getting dropped off on her side of town, I must have dropped my wallet. We looked everywhere for it. Luckily (I guess), Emma was becoming a veteran at sorting things out after losing a wallet (she had lost her wallet twice within the last month). We had made plans to go to Gyeongju to ride tandem bikes, but instead we needed to head to my side of town and pick up my passport and my bank book from my apartment. We spent all day walking around my side of town and actually had a great day doing this. After reporting my missing wallet and ARC (Alien Registration Card) to the police, we walked up to Hwasong Waterside Park. The park is on one of my running routes that I do every week, but I have not spent anytime walking around in it. We grabbed some drinks at the entrance of the park, sat on benches and watched the synchronized fountains over the lake. It was relaxing. I have started to enjoy the area that I live in the more that I explore it. Living right on the edge of the city is a nice contrast. It's easy to get out and see some open sky.
Last night my dad and I were talking about the importance of solitude. He was referring to an interview on NPR with this lady who has studied social networks and technology for the last 15 years. She was saying that social networks have destroyed our ability to experience solitude. Every minute of everyday we are surrounded by e-mail, text messages and facebook. This is obviously becoming more true everyday with the new developments of 3G networks and smartphones. While studying this stuff, the lady started to understand the importance of oneness and solitude.
She recommended turning off your computer and smart phones (if at all possible) for the majority of the day. Then at night, you should spend a chunk of time doing what you need to do on the internet and with text messages. Now, obviously, many people's careers depend on the internet and text messaging. This is only a suggestion to try to do what you can. When you do have everything off, you tend to spend more time in the present with yourself or the people that are immediately around you. This will allow you to connect with what is 'right here, right now'. I think this is a great idea and I will try to do this myself. Maybe I finally get some reading done (I am still working through 'The Master and Margarita' [I was cruising through books before this one]).
We get Monday off next week! We will probably end up staying in town because intercity travel is supposed to be a nightmare.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Comin' Around to the Full Year!
I taught my first set of classes of this last fall term yesterday. It was a good bunch of students for those two classes. Today, I teach another set of two new classes that I will have all term. This last term will be a full one including double classes on Saturdays, so it will be a good send off for me.
Speaking of send offs, I said good bye to my first friend in Daegu, Mikey. He was the first to introduce himself to me at my school when I first got here. He also took me out to brunch about 11 months ago to meet two friends downtown. One of two people we met at brunch was Emma, the girl that I have been dating and travelling with for 10 months. The other was Chuck, who is Emma's best friend and a super great friend of mine out here. I'm going to miss Mikey. He was one of the best things about my school.
This summer has been rough on me, and I am not sure why. I had a great schedule (Saturdays off) and it was summertime. Maybe it was the heat and the humidity. I miss sunny days due to the fact that it rained pretty much everyday over the summer. Another thing that I miss is the stars. Most of all, I think I just started to get tired of doing the same things every week. I am not used to a Mon-Fri job. I have been working a floating schedule for three years before this, and I miss that freedom. It made every week feel completely original. I hate getting in to a rhythm because it makes time fly too fast. Well I only have 12.75 weeks left until I head out to Europe with Brent (not that I am counting down).
I have a short list of things that I am going to do before I leave Korea:
- Jeju with Mom - She is coming for 2 weeks in November (excited!!)
- Seoraksan - A mountain park in the north that is too crowded in the summer time.
- Jeonju - They have a really nice traditional district and some very famous local food.
- Jirisan - A mountain park that I have been skiing in, but I hear that they have beautiful trails.
- Seoul on Sept. 17th - Saying goodbye to Joe from training.
- Fireworks Festival in Busan - I went last year. It was awesome!
- Write at least 6 good songs - I miss playing in a band (I used to be famous! [not really])
- Start training for a 1/2 marathon - I have been only running a 3.7 mile route 4 times a week because of the heat. I want to be all tuned up when I get back to elevation.
Well, looks like those 13 weeks will be busy (not including school). It's going to go by super fast. I will try to update every week. I will also start posting pictures again.
Speaking of send offs, I said good bye to my first friend in Daegu, Mikey. He was the first to introduce himself to me at my school when I first got here. He also took me out to brunch about 11 months ago to meet two friends downtown. One of two people we met at brunch was Emma, the girl that I have been dating and travelling with for 10 months. The other was Chuck, who is Emma's best friend and a super great friend of mine out here. I'm going to miss Mikey. He was one of the best things about my school.
This summer has been rough on me, and I am not sure why. I had a great schedule (Saturdays off) and it was summertime. Maybe it was the heat and the humidity. I miss sunny days due to the fact that it rained pretty much everyday over the summer. Another thing that I miss is the stars. Most of all, I think I just started to get tired of doing the same things every week. I am not used to a Mon-Fri job. I have been working a floating schedule for three years before this, and I miss that freedom. It made every week feel completely original. I hate getting in to a rhythm because it makes time fly too fast. Well I only have 12.75 weeks left until I head out to Europe with Brent (not that I am counting down).
I have a short list of things that I am going to do before I leave Korea:
- Jeju with Mom - She is coming for 2 weeks in November (excited!!)
- Seoraksan - A mountain park in the north that is too crowded in the summer time.
- Jeonju - They have a really nice traditional district and some very famous local food.
- Jirisan - A mountain park that I have been skiing in, but I hear that they have beautiful trails.
- Seoul on Sept. 17th - Saying goodbye to Joe from training.
- Fireworks Festival in Busan - I went last year. It was awesome!
- Write at least 6 good songs - I miss playing in a band (I used to be famous! [not really])
- Start training for a 1/2 marathon - I have been only running a 3.7 mile route 4 times a week because of the heat. I want to be all tuned up when I get back to elevation.
Well, looks like those 13 weeks will be busy (not including school). It's going to go by super fast. I will try to update every week. I will also start posting pictures again.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Still Here!
Hello hello.
I've been super busy with school lately. I will post some updates in a couple weeks. Everything is going sweet! Went ice skating with Emma today, yesterday Brent and I went to the pool and had to rent a speedo swim suit and a swimming cap. Silly Korea.
I've been super busy with school lately. I will post some updates in a couple weeks. Everything is going sweet! Went ice skating with Emma today, yesterday Brent and I went to the pool and had to rent a speedo swim suit and a swimming cap. Silly Korea.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Heinsa Today
We went to a really beautiful temple today! I am super tired from this weekend. I have 2 day weekends this whole term!! Very exciting! Hopefully I don't spend a tone of money.
Anyway, Hawaii was incredible of course. I have been to lazy to tag or put comments on the pictures, but here is a photo album showing our trip: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.648115040539.2161554.43804181&l=9bfdeb640d
Anyway, Hawaii was incredible of course. I have been to lazy to tag or put comments on the pictures, but here is a photo album showing our trip: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.648115040539.2161554.43804181&l=9bfdeb640d
Friday, May 20, 2011
Hawaii Next Week!
No posts lately... I am preparing stuff to go to Hawaii next week to meet Jeromy.
In the last couple weekends, I have been hiking on an awesome trail in Palgongsan, and we went to Seoul for tons of Mexican food and to see some mountain lions at the zoo.
More posts when I get back!
In the last couple weekends, I have been hiking on an awesome trail in Palgongsan, and we went to Seoul for tons of Mexican food and to see some mountain lions at the zoo.
More posts when I get back!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Fourth Time To Gyeongju
I think Gyeongju is becoming what Santa Fe was for me in the States. Whenever I have time and it's going to be nice weather, I just head over to Gyeongju. It's beautiful. This last weekend was my fourth time there. It's been different every time.
Anyway, I just got back from a run. It is really getting pretty in Daegu. A lot of flowers and trees. It's really getting green. Also, there was an awesome thunderstorm this week. Apparently there are no thunderstorms in Daegu (just like there is no snow in the winter [there is]) but there was a really bright and loud one going on outside the window while I was teaching. This weekend I think it's supposed to rain, so we might be staying in.
Here's a link to the latest photo album I put up on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.636478954349.2158366.43804181&l=562dc6d31c
Anyway, I just got back from a run. It is really getting pretty in Daegu. A lot of flowers and trees. It's really getting green. Also, there was an awesome thunderstorm this week. Apparently there are no thunderstorms in Daegu (just like there is no snow in the winter [there is]) but there was a really bright and loud one going on outside the window while I was teaching. This weekend I think it's supposed to rain, so we might be staying in.
Here's a link to the latest photo album I put up on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.636478954349.2158366.43804181&l=562dc6d31c
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Cherry Blossoms!
Emma, Yeonjeong, Brent and I went to Gyeongju this weekend for the beautiful cherry blossoms. Also, to just get out of town again.
Here are the pictures:
Here are the pictures:
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| Drinking some Pocari Sweat (good hangover cure) |
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| Anajpi Pond with cherry blossoms |
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| Cherry blossoms |
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| Ssambap: A local food in Gyeongju |
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| Enjoying the awesome weather and nice day |
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| Cherry blossoms |
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Practicing To Be a Tour Guide
Man, the viewer ship has gone down on this thing. I don't mind at all. I basically write this blog for three reasons: 1. Give my parents news updates (and anyone in the family), 2. To avoid telling the same story a million times (I point anyone who contacts me on facebook saying "how have you been?" over to this blog). 3. To keep a journal (outside of my real journal, which is full of happy or angry ramblings and streams of consciousness) that I can look back on and see all the places I have seen and the cool things I did. Either way, I'm glad to have this tool of contact with my family and I won't stop writing.
Last weekend Yeonjeong, a friend of ours, came down from Seoul to visit and hang out with Brent, Emma and I. It was her first time in Daegu and we tried to show her a good time. When she got here on Saturday night, we went out to dinner at a Canadian place. Then we got some coffee and went out on the town for drinks. It was a fun night and we definitely saw the sun come up. On Sunday morning, I made french toast and eggs for everyone. Then Brent, Yeonjeong and I went down to a historical house where a poet named Lee Sang-Hwa lived. It was kind of strange being at an anti-Japanese exhibit at this point in time (the earthquake destruction). Then we wandered around Yangyeongsi (Traditional Medicine Street) for a while before meeting up with Emma for Vietnamese food. After that we went to a place that is famous for tea. It was awesome tea and I am excited to know that it's there. I am totally heading back again. Then we decided to go to a random park up in the northeast corner of Daegu. It ended up having a really pretty reservoir with dinky little motorized boats in the shape of ducks. So obviously, we went boating! We stayed until sunset there and then took Yeonjeong back to the train station. I think she had a good time.
Anyway, next weekend we are planning to see some cherry blossoms. Spring!
Last weekend Yeonjeong, a friend of ours, came down from Seoul to visit and hang out with Brent, Emma and I. It was her first time in Daegu and we tried to show her a good time. When she got here on Saturday night, we went out to dinner at a Canadian place. Then we got some coffee and went out on the town for drinks. It was a fun night and we definitely saw the sun come up. On Sunday morning, I made french toast and eggs for everyone. Then Brent, Yeonjeong and I went down to a historical house where a poet named Lee Sang-Hwa lived. It was kind of strange being at an anti-Japanese exhibit at this point in time (the earthquake destruction). Then we wandered around Yangyeongsi (Traditional Medicine Street) for a while before meeting up with Emma for Vietnamese food. After that we went to a place that is famous for tea. It was awesome tea and I am excited to know that it's there. I am totally heading back again. Then we decided to go to a random park up in the northeast corner of Daegu. It ended up having a really pretty reservoir with dinky little motorized boats in the shape of ducks. So obviously, we went boating! We stayed until sunset there and then took Yeonjeong back to the train station. I think she had a good time.
Anyway, next weekend we are planning to see some cherry blossoms. Spring!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Too Much To Do!
Seoul was super fun! We had some tea in a bird house basically, climbed to Seoul tower, had some 'good' Mexican, found some good German local brewery, hung out with Joe, Jojo and Shawn. We also stayed in a super fancy hotel that we didn't spend too much time in. Then last week was just a whole bunch of work. This last weekend there was an acid rain warning, so we tried to stay in as much as possible. We ended up eating brunch downtown, having cocktails at a fancy hotel, some beer in a cabin, some japanese food and finally ended up at my friend's bar playing some games. Needless to say, I have been having fun. I promise to post pictures when I get a new memory card (my last one was stolen). Next weekend: More rain? Two weekends from now: Cherry Blossoms.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Still Alive...
I'm just letting everyone know that I'm still kickin. It's been an interesting couple of weeks. After I got my stitches out of my foot last Tuesday, Emma and I got hit really hard with food poisoning. Then, the next night when I came home from work I realized that my apartment had been broken into. They didn't take anything major, just some old coats (name brand North Face and Marmot stuff), and a memory card. So I have been dealing with that and the first two weeks of a new term at school. Busy, busy, busy.
Chuck, Brent, Emma and I are heading to Seoul tonight. My personal agenda for the trip is to find good Mexican food and good beer. I will update when I get back... hopefully with pictures (I need a new memory card).
Chuck, Brent, Emma and I are heading to Seoul tonight. My personal agenda for the trip is to find good Mexican food and good beer. I will update when I get back... hopefully with pictures (I need a new memory card).
Monday, February 28, 2011
A Whole Lotta Whatever I Can Manage
I hate doing nothing. I hate being friends with people who say they are going to do something and not do it. It's a waste. I have never planned something with someone, gotten turned down at the last minute, went anyway, came back and had them say "Man you should have not gone! We had a blast hanging out here complaining that there is nothing to do." That was a weirdly hard sentence to write. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that I like to do things but when I am on crutches I have a limit on what I can do. These last couple weeks I have tried to test that limit while letting my foot heal.
During the work week I couldn't do much. It takes me a while to get anywhere (and my arms will be superman-strong when I'm off of these things). A couple of nights I went to Traveler's downtown for a beer and veggie burgers (recommended). Brent and I went down to see a movie last weekend, which is pretty sweet here in Korea. They have nice theaters and cheap beer and popcorn combos. I have tried to spend as much time out of the house as possible. I actually spent a lot of time enjoying the nice weather outside the convenience store across the street from work.
Emma, Brent and I left for Busan after work on Saturday. Getting to the train wasn't much of a problem even though it was a bit exhausting. Brent and I loaded up on cans of Hite at the convenience store before the ride (mmm train beer). When we got to Busan we headed to meet my friend Paul from Denver at the Seomun subway junction. Once we met up with him, we ventured to the barbecue place where we had dinner. After a big meal of grilled mushrooms and kimchi (there is not much to eat for a vegetarian at a Korean BBQ), we went to an awesome German style brewery. We drank our weight in heavy beer. Then we walked/crutched to the next place where the nights festivities started. It was Paul's last night in town and this was his good-bye party.
On Sunday, we went down to the Jagalchi fish market down by the water. We ate some octopus that was still moving in our mouths and some other fresh fish (for those of you who are confused about my dietary restrictions, I am a pescetarian. That means that I eat a vegetarian diet except for seafood). It was a strange and delicious breakfast. Then we just walked (crutched) around and hung out in Busan for the day. We had an awesome dinner at a traditional style place that made their own soy sauce and kimchi. Then, completely exhausted, we came back to Daegu and I crashed out hard on my bed until this morning. It was a fun time. It was a hell of a lot more fun than just hanging out at this apartment all weekend!
During the work week I couldn't do much. It takes me a while to get anywhere (and my arms will be superman-strong when I'm off of these things). A couple of nights I went to Traveler's downtown for a beer and veggie burgers (recommended). Brent and I went down to see a movie last weekend, which is pretty sweet here in Korea. They have nice theaters and cheap beer and popcorn combos. I have tried to spend as much time out of the house as possible. I actually spent a lot of time enjoying the nice weather outside the convenience store across the street from work.
Emma, Brent and I left for Busan after work on Saturday. Getting to the train wasn't much of a problem even though it was a bit exhausting. Brent and I loaded up on cans of Hite at the convenience store before the ride (mmm train beer). When we got to Busan we headed to meet my friend Paul from Denver at the Seomun subway junction. Once we met up with him, we ventured to the barbecue place where we had dinner. After a big meal of grilled mushrooms and kimchi (there is not much to eat for a vegetarian at a Korean BBQ), we went to an awesome German style brewery. We drank our weight in heavy beer. Then we walked/crutched to the next place where the nights festivities started. It was Paul's last night in town and this was his good-bye party.
On Sunday, we went down to the Jagalchi fish market down by the water. We ate some octopus that was still moving in our mouths and some other fresh fish (for those of you who are confused about my dietary restrictions, I am a pescetarian. That means that I eat a vegetarian diet except for seafood). It was a strange and delicious breakfast. Then we just walked (crutched) around and hung out in Busan for the day. We had an awesome dinner at a traditional style place that made their own soy sauce and kimchi. Then, completely exhausted, we came back to Daegu and I crashed out hard on my bed until this morning. It was a fun time. It was a hell of a lot more fun than just hanging out at this apartment all weekend!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Jeju Island and the Hospital
Last weekend, we made plans to head out to Jeju Island after class on Saturday, and then get back to Daegu Monday at 12:00pm (I work at 3:30). Everything worked out totally fine, and the island was awesome and weirdly dead because it was the off-season. I like trips during the off-season (look through my pictures in Nova Scotia), so it was awesome for me. Everything was really cheap and readily available with no lines or screaming children. We saw all the sights that we wanted to see (photos at this link: My Facebook), and we got to stay in a nice hotel for cheap. The next day we woke up totally refreshed and ate a huge breakfast. When we arrived at the airport, we suddenly realized the exhausting day that we were about to embark on.
We walked up to the Korean Airlines counter and their was NO one in line. It didn't really dawn on us why until the counter lady had a terrified look on her face when we asked her to check into our flight to Daegu. This was at 10:15, and our flight was to be at 11:10. She couldn't tell us that our flight was cancelled, so she typed a bunch of stuff and called her colleague over to break the news. Chuck ran to the bathroom when we heard this news. We all had to be at work at 3:30pm. We needed to get off of the island and to our town in the middle of the country in 4 hours. We checked flights to Busan (one hour train ride to Daegu)... cancelled. The next flight to Seoul (Gimpo) with Korean Air was at 12:49. That wouldn't be enough time to get to Daegu. We frantically started to check other airlines. We found one plane that was leaving for Seoul in 30 minutes (it was 10:30 now). They sold us tickets and we had to run to the gate. The departure time for the flight from the southern most part of South Korea to the northern most part of the country was at 11:00. The ticket said the arrival time was at 12:05 (this must be some kind of miracle right? No, its just that the Korean airlines don't take an hour to leave the gate and they don't take an hour taxiing to the next gate). We landed at 12:05 and we were in a taxi by 12:15 heading to the KTX train station. So far so good.
At the KTX train station they had the next two trains, 13:00 and 13:30, listed as sold out. We NEEDED to get on that 13:00 train. We were contemplating getting on and just playing dumb but Chuck talked to the ticket counter. It was 12:51 at this time. They sold us standing room tickets (we had to sit between the coach cars [inside of course]). We ran and hopped on the train. The arrival time for Daegu was 14:49 (2:49pm). "We'll make it!" At 1:00pm I called Young and asked him to grab a work shirt for me out of my apartment and bring it to work with him (we were all clean and pampered because of the fancy hotel that we stayed at the night before). We got to Dongdaegu KTX station. I ran to the subway. It was a straight shot to work on that subway line. I said "bye" to the other three. They were going to make it, too. I showed up to work at 3:30. Perfect. I was on time, and had time to make my print-outs. Except something went horribly wrong.
I showed up to a flustered mess at work. They had been stressing about me and trying to get a hold of me. "Why didn't you call?!?!" They had cancelled my class. Someone had caught wind that the Daegu Airport closed and assumed that I wasn't going to make it. My phone was dead, so they called and called. I called Young using Emma's phone at 1 to ask him to grab a shirt, but didn't think to call anyone else. Why didn't I call anyone else? Because I had spent my whole day ensuring that I was going to get there in time, and I did. If I was stuck up at the airport in Jeju, I would have had time to find a phone charger, charge it up and let them know that I was going to miss class. I didn't call because I was going to make it. I'm not going to call work to let them know that I am going to make it on time today... That leads me to the next development this week:
I ruptured the tendon that leads to my big toe on Wednesday morning. I was cooking breakfast and I dropped the bowl that I was mixing the eggs in. Somehow the bowl landed and broke into 4 pieces on my foot. One of the pieces sliced my foot, deep. I hopped to the bathroom and spent 30 minutes trying to stop the bleeding. I called Brent. He was at the hospital, so I asked him to bring me some gauze and tape. He showed up to what looked like a murder scene in my apartment. We got the bleeding stopped and cleaned the wound with alcohol. He suggested that I go to the hospital, so I did. I hobbled down to the hospital (about a 20 minute hobbling distance). When I showed up, they were closed for lunch. I had to go back at 2:00. So I staggered back home and made it back at 2:00, dressed for work (again, I had to work at 3:30). The doctor was nice and speaks decent English. He immediately said that my wound needed to be sutured. When he started the surgery, he noticed that my tendon was ruptured. After making me look at it (::shudder::), he sutured the tendon up with 13 stitches, then 26 stitches on the top of my foot. They got me in a splint and a boot and I am now on crutches.
It's been an interesting week.
We walked up to the Korean Airlines counter and their was NO one in line. It didn't really dawn on us why until the counter lady had a terrified look on her face when we asked her to check into our flight to Daegu. This was at 10:15, and our flight was to be at 11:10. She couldn't tell us that our flight was cancelled, so she typed a bunch of stuff and called her colleague over to break the news. Chuck ran to the bathroom when we heard this news. We all had to be at work at 3:30pm. We needed to get off of the island and to our town in the middle of the country in 4 hours. We checked flights to Busan (one hour train ride to Daegu)... cancelled. The next flight to Seoul (Gimpo) with Korean Air was at 12:49. That wouldn't be enough time to get to Daegu. We frantically started to check other airlines. We found one plane that was leaving for Seoul in 30 minutes (it was 10:30 now). They sold us tickets and we had to run to the gate. The departure time for the flight from the southern most part of South Korea to the northern most part of the country was at 11:00. The ticket said the arrival time was at 12:05 (this must be some kind of miracle right? No, its just that the Korean airlines don't take an hour to leave the gate and they don't take an hour taxiing to the next gate). We landed at 12:05 and we were in a taxi by 12:15 heading to the KTX train station. So far so good.
At the KTX train station they had the next two trains, 13:00 and 13:30, listed as sold out. We NEEDED to get on that 13:00 train. We were contemplating getting on and just playing dumb but Chuck talked to the ticket counter. It was 12:51 at this time. They sold us standing room tickets (we had to sit between the coach cars [inside of course]). We ran and hopped on the train. The arrival time for Daegu was 14:49 (2:49pm). "We'll make it!" At 1:00pm I called Young and asked him to grab a work shirt for me out of my apartment and bring it to work with him (we were all clean and pampered because of the fancy hotel that we stayed at the night before). We got to Dongdaegu KTX station. I ran to the subway. It was a straight shot to work on that subway line. I said "bye" to the other three. They were going to make it, too. I showed up to work at 3:30. Perfect. I was on time, and had time to make my print-outs. Except something went horribly wrong.
I showed up to a flustered mess at work. They had been stressing about me and trying to get a hold of me. "Why didn't you call?!?!" They had cancelled my class. Someone had caught wind that the Daegu Airport closed and assumed that I wasn't going to make it. My phone was dead, so they called and called. I called Young using Emma's phone at 1 to ask him to grab a shirt, but didn't think to call anyone else. Why didn't I call anyone else? Because I had spent my whole day ensuring that I was going to get there in time, and I did. If I was stuck up at the airport in Jeju, I would have had time to find a phone charger, charge it up and let them know that I was going to miss class. I didn't call because I was going to make it. I'm not going to call work to let them know that I am going to make it on time today... That leads me to the next development this week:
I ruptured the tendon that leads to my big toe on Wednesday morning. I was cooking breakfast and I dropped the bowl that I was mixing the eggs in. Somehow the bowl landed and broke into 4 pieces on my foot. One of the pieces sliced my foot, deep. I hopped to the bathroom and spent 30 minutes trying to stop the bleeding. I called Brent. He was at the hospital, so I asked him to bring me some gauze and tape. He showed up to what looked like a murder scene in my apartment. We got the bleeding stopped and cleaned the wound with alcohol. He suggested that I go to the hospital, so I did. I hobbled down to the hospital (about a 20 minute hobbling distance). When I showed up, they were closed for lunch. I had to go back at 2:00. So I staggered back home and made it back at 2:00, dressed for work (again, I had to work at 3:30). The doctor was nice and speaks decent English. He immediately said that my wound needed to be sutured. When he started the surgery, he noticed that my tendon was ruptured. After making me look at it (::shudder::), he sutured the tendon up with 13 stitches, then 26 stitches on the top of my foot. They got me in a splint and a boot and I am now on crutches.
It's been an interesting week.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Trying to not spend any money today...
We get paid tomorrow and I have been spending money like crazy lately. I want to hold on to some so that I have some room to work with when I get done here. Today and yesterday I have been going through the day trying not to spend any money at all before work. Yesterday I succeeded because my iPod was reformatted when I hooked it up to Emma's computer, so I had to spend the whole day working with my computer and my shotty external hard-drive. Today, I have had nothing to do. I went on a long run hoping that that would take up a decent amount of time, but it only took up about 40 minutes. So I have had to spend the rest of the day playing around on the computer listening to music and searching out new music. It has been an relaxing day so why do I feel like a bum?
The work schedule during the last half of last week and last weekend was totally irregular. The switch of routine made it feel like a bit of a break which was good. Travis, Emma and I hung out most of those days and nights. We went for a hike, we played a lot of darts, ate about 8 octopuses total and went for another trip to Gyeongju (on Sunday). I got to hit a huge prayer bell. That was fun.
This weekend (Saturday night, Sunday and Monday morning), Chuck, Travis, Emma and I are flying to Jeju Island. Everyone who I have told has said to wait until it gets warmer, but I really like seeing places on the off-season. I'm looking forward to this one!
Here are some pictures that I hijacked from Emma from last weekend:
The work schedule during the last half of last week and last weekend was totally irregular. The switch of routine made it feel like a bit of a break which was good. Travis, Emma and I hung out most of those days and nights. We went for a hike, we played a lot of darts, ate about 8 octopuses total and went for another trip to Gyeongju (on Sunday). I got to hit a huge prayer bell. That was fun.
This weekend (Saturday night, Sunday and Monday morning), Chuck, Travis, Emma and I are flying to Jeju Island. Everyone who I have told has said to wait until it gets warmer, but I really like seeing places on the off-season. I'm looking forward to this one!
Here are some pictures that I hijacked from Emma from last weekend:
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| Anyone want "itarian" tonight? |
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| Wish I didn't have that goofball smile in this picture... |
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| Bulguksa: A temple built in 550 AD and renovated ever since. |
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| Bulguksa |
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| Ringing a huge bell on top of a mountain that looks over the sea. |
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| Dongdongju: Traditional creamy rice wine |
Friday, February 4, 2011
Catching Up
I didn't do much last weekend. Everyone went out to celebrate the end of intensives on Saturday night. I slept until noon on Sunday, which I hate doing. I told Emma that we needed to get out and do something, so we ended up heading down to Busan to see the aquarium and to get fresh sea food. The sun had just gone down by the time we got down there. We went to the beach and walked around for a bit, then went into the aquarium. Which is pretty similar to Denver's Ocean Journey (or whatever its called now). They actually had a lot of awesome exhibits, like the worlds most toxic fishes, penguins, otters, sun fish and a huge shark and ray tank/tunnel. Oh and jelly fish. That was awesome! I really want to get a jelly fish tank when I get rich. Then we went for sea food on the ocean. That was obviously good.
The first half of the week was typical, just teaching/babysitting, but yesterday (Thursday) was Lunar New Year. Everyone in the country had the day off and nothing was open. It was seriously like walking around in a zombie (pronounced "jomby" to Korean kids) movie. I went for a hike with Emma and Travis over on their side of town. It was warm and sunny out. We then went downtown to try to find something to do. We found some Seafood, some coffee and some bar games. Now, to teach two more days before the real weekend. I think I may be doing a quick trip to Gyeongju to check out some of the major stuff that we missed a month ago.
The first half of the week was typical, just teaching/babysitting, but yesterday (Thursday) was Lunar New Year. Everyone in the country had the day off and nothing was open. It was seriously like walking around in a zombie (pronounced "jomby" to Korean kids) movie. I went for a hike with Emma and Travis over on their side of town. It was warm and sunny out. We then went downtown to try to find something to do. We found some Seafood, some coffee and some bar games. Now, to teach two more days before the real weekend. I think I may be doing a quick trip to Gyeongju to check out some of the major stuff that we missed a month ago.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Just Cruisin'
Today is my last day of intensives (extended workdays)! Hooray!
Now I can get my mornings back to myself to do whatever it is that I used to do with my mornings. Usually sleep in and then go to the gym, I guess. Meh, it's just nice not to constantly have somewhere to be. Exciting.
Last Sunday, Young and I got up early again, for the third weekend in a row, to go skiing. This time we went to a new resort, well actually an old resort. It's called Muju-resort. It is the lowest in latitude (not ever a good thing for snow conditions), the highest in altitude (makes for weird snow/ice) and the only resort in a national park. It was strange seeing hikers come up the slopes that people were skiing (or falling with extreme speeds) down. I saw some heroic crashes, the kind that the parties involved don't get up or even move for about 10 minutes. The rental facilities there are horrible. They tried to give me 153cm skis. I normally ski on 180s, and thats if they are twin tips. I am 187cms tall, and they wanted me skiing on 153s. I was able to haggle them up to their largest skis in the house. This pair of 183s that were awkwardly standing alone in the back of the racks. Something should have struck me as weird about this.
On the second run down the hill from the top of a 4.3km run, I was leaning into my second turn and my binding fell off. Yep, my whole left binding. It did give me a chance to look like Lane Meyer in Better Off Dead (skiing on one ski). I somehow McGiver'ed it to mildly stay on for the rest of the run. Then I went in to the lodge and attempted to explain, then gave up explaining and started repeating "new skis, new skis, new skis". They put me on a pair of the next longest skis, 160s. That was at noon. I was not having a good day. Then it started snowing, I found an awesome corner of the mountain with a bunch of double blacks (basically steep blues) fed by the only lift with no line. The rest of the day was actually awesome.
The boys and I also watched Korea lose in the Asian cup game against Japan. That didn't make anyone happy. Though it was fun to pretend that I know how to understand sports again.
'Til next time!
Now I can get my mornings back to myself to do whatever it is that I used to do with my mornings. Usually sleep in and then go to the gym, I guess. Meh, it's just nice not to constantly have somewhere to be. Exciting.
Last Sunday, Young and I got up early again, for the third weekend in a row, to go skiing. This time we went to a new resort, well actually an old resort. It's called Muju-resort. It is the lowest in latitude (not ever a good thing for snow conditions), the highest in altitude (makes for weird snow/ice) and the only resort in a national park. It was strange seeing hikers come up the slopes that people were skiing (or falling with extreme speeds) down. I saw some heroic crashes, the kind that the parties involved don't get up or even move for about 10 minutes. The rental facilities there are horrible. They tried to give me 153cm skis. I normally ski on 180s, and thats if they are twin tips. I am 187cms tall, and they wanted me skiing on 153s. I was able to haggle them up to their largest skis in the house. This pair of 183s that were awkwardly standing alone in the back of the racks. Something should have struck me as weird about this.
On the second run down the hill from the top of a 4.3km run, I was leaning into my second turn and my binding fell off. Yep, my whole left binding. It did give me a chance to look like Lane Meyer in Better Off Dead (skiing on one ski). I somehow McGiver'ed it to mildly stay on for the rest of the run. Then I went in to the lodge and attempted to explain, then gave up explaining and started repeating "new skis, new skis, new skis". They put me on a pair of the next longest skis, 160s. That was at noon. I was not having a good day. Then it started snowing, I found an awesome corner of the mountain with a bunch of double blacks (basically steep blues) fed by the only lift with no line. The rest of the day was actually awesome.
The boys and I also watched Korea lose in the Asian cup game against Japan. That didn't make anyone happy. Though it was fun to pretend that I know how to understand sports again.
'Til next time!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Korea Extreme!
Just watched Aspen Extreme again, it's been 20 years since i saw it last. The crevasse and avalanche scenes some how aren't as real or terrifying anymore...
We went skiing again last weekend at high 1. This weekend, I think Young, Brent and I are going to Yongpyong, at least I hope so. I have been indoctrinating myself with awesome ski movies throughout the week. I need to get out and reenact that awesome "Powder 8 Competition" ending scene.
Other than that, not much news. Work has been kicking my butt. These long weeks are almost over though, just one more week until it's back to normal.
I'll sign off with an awesome quote from Aspen Extreme (1993):
"Can you swim?"
"Like a fish." ::jumps in the pool fully clothed::
We went skiing again last weekend at high 1. This weekend, I think Young, Brent and I are going to Yongpyong, at least I hope so. I have been indoctrinating myself with awesome ski movies throughout the week. I need to get out and reenact that awesome "Powder 8 Competition" ending scene.
Other than that, not much news. Work has been kicking my butt. These long weeks are almost over though, just one more week until it's back to normal.
I'll sign off with an awesome quote from Aspen Extreme (1993):
"Can you swim?"
"Like a fish." ::jumps in the pool fully clothed::
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Skiing!
Last Sunday, Young, Emma, Chuck, Travis everyone from Sigi and I went skiing with their hapkido instructor. We left at 4am on a 4 hour bus ride and got to the resort at about 8am. We rented everything (they gave me HUGE parachute pants). We had a blast. Some people were not having a ton of fun (Travis), but most of us were smart enough to wear coats. The resort is called High 1. I'm still unsure where it was. Young and I are heading up there again this weekend.
Sorry for the short entry, I have to get to bed. I've been meaning to write since I got back on Sunday night.
Here are some pictures of High 1 that I stole from the internet:
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Year at Gyeongju
Well, I would love to write about Friday night but it seems that I hit my head and lost my memory (not really, mom).
Anyway, moving on to Saturday, Jan. 1. I had made a promise to myself to wake up and spend the day in Gyeongju with Brent. Gyeongju is an hour away from Daegu on bus, and it is highly recommended by every Korea tour book. An awesome thing about the bus ride is that it only cost about 4 dollars each. We spent the day wandering around the town and eating ssambap (I recommend it). It was a beautiful day. We then went to our hostel which is tucked inside the older part of the city. The hostel building and courtyard was about 150 years old and it is built around a well that is the same age. It was a pretty cool place. Emma got into town after she got off work and we walked around the town for a bit before heading back to the hostel.
On Sunday, we had a bunch of options of places to spend the day. We decided to head out to the coast to see the worlds only underwater tomb, The Underwater Tomb of King Munmu. The bus ride out to the coast was one hour long and it cost $1.50. We spent a good part of the day walking along the coast and eating fresh seafood. In the afternoon, we headed back into Gyeongju and decided to try to find the museum. We ended up not finding it but we found a really great area called Anapji pond. It has been reconstructed to resemble what it looked like during the second and third century. It was beautiful at night! Then, we went back to Daegu.
This month, I teach intensives which means that I teach 12 hour days on Tuesday and Thursday on top of my normal load. I taught my first one today and I'm actually liking it. Skiing this weekend!
Pictures that I stole from Emma and Brent:
Anyway, moving on to Saturday, Jan. 1. I had made a promise to myself to wake up and spend the day in Gyeongju with Brent. Gyeongju is an hour away from Daegu on bus, and it is highly recommended by every Korea tour book. An awesome thing about the bus ride is that it only cost about 4 dollars each. We spent the day wandering around the town and eating ssambap (I recommend it). It was a beautiful day. We then went to our hostel which is tucked inside the older part of the city. The hostel building and courtyard was about 150 years old and it is built around a well that is the same age. It was a pretty cool place. Emma got into town after she got off work and we walked around the town for a bit before heading back to the hostel.
On Sunday, we had a bunch of options of places to spend the day. We decided to head out to the coast to see the worlds only underwater tomb, The Underwater Tomb of King Munmu. The bus ride out to the coast was one hour long and it cost $1.50. We spent a good part of the day walking along the coast and eating fresh seafood. In the afternoon, we headed back into Gyeongju and decided to try to find the museum. We ended up not finding it but we found a really great area called Anapji pond. It has been reconstructed to resemble what it looked like during the second and third century. It was beautiful at night! Then, we went back to Daegu.
This month, I teach intensives which means that I teach 12 hour days on Tuesday and Thursday on top of my normal load. I taught my first one today and I'm actually liking it. Skiing this weekend!
Pictures that I stole from Emma and Brent:
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| Our Hostel - Sarangchi |
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| One of the many tombs in Gyeongju |
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| The Underwater Tomb or King Munmu |
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| Brent chasing birds |
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| Me and Brent |
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| Good fresh seafood |
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| Anapji Pond |
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| Anapji Pond |
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