Lunar New Year – Korean Folk Village – January 30, 2006

Today we went to the Korean Folk Village right here in Seoul for some Lunar New Year celebrations. The place was bustling with a lot of people arriving with their families. Quite a few of them were dressed in traditional Korean dress. The village had some buildings that displayed how Koreans lived way back in the day. It was pretty interesting.

There were a bunch of papers tied to lines on some poles so we just assumed that they were New Year’s resolutions and wishes people had put up there. So we added our wishes for the New Year there too. There was a drum troupe that performed on the main stage. It was very cool. For about 30 minutes they beat their drums, symbols and pipes while twirling ribbons attached to their head pieces. They ended with some stunts with their drums and some acrobatic balancing stuff.

Leaving the village we saw a stall selling some bugs…..so naturally we bought some. It was nasty! I only had one and threw the rest away. I think they were silk worms. Trying new things is what it’s all about but I have to say that I won’t be eating another worm any time soon.

Dongdaemun Market - January 29, 2006

Today, Mike and I went to Dongdaemun. There is a market area there but since it’s a holiday weekend, a lot of the shops and stalls were closed. The soccer stadium that was used during the world cup was full of stalls selling everything from clothes to knives. I’ll definitely have to come back when I have some cash.

Everything else is going pretty well. Our school gave us all some gift certificates for Lunar New Year, I got my Korean account bank card and I have most kitchen utensils I’m going to need. Although I’m counting down the days until I get paid. I know the money’s going to be gone in no time, seeing how I have to get some big items like a couch, table, and other stuff for my place. No complaints though.

The area I live in is really great. It’s right by Itaewon, which is a major foreigner hangout district which is a blessing as everywhere we go there are English speakers. But it’s bad in that I’m not really forced to mix with Koreans all that much. But I’m determined to not make this experience like Poitiers where I stuck almost exclusively with an English speaking crowd. It would defeat the point of coming here.

Fish Market & All That Jazz - January 28, 2006

This weekend is a 3.5 day weekend. Friday was a half day and Monday is a national holiday (Lunar New Year). On Saturday Mike, Amara and I went to a fish market. It was really cool. This warehouse was filled with a zillion stalls selling all sorts of fish, octopus, crabs, and some unidentifiable creatures of the deep. That night we went to a jazz bar in Itaewon. It was a small space but with really good music.

Although I would have preferred to go somewhere outside the city for the weekend I’m glad that I’m doing the stuff there is to do in Seoul now. Cause I probably wouldn’t do it just because I know it’s all here, and I can do it any time (after living in Toronto a few times now, I still have not been up the CN Tower).

Korean Dinner & Gecko's - January 20-21, 2006

It's been a while. Well last weekend was pretty quiet. I didn't really stick to my budget very well and so I was left with about $60 to last me until payday, which is February 7 (we get paid once a month). So I haven't been doing much due to lack of funds. Luckily, Heather has lent me some dough so I don't have to be a cheapskate for the next couple weeks. I also finally got a Korean bank account and internet service at home.

Last weekend we went to a traditional Korean restaurant. It was pretty decent. There were singers, dancers and musician. We sat on the floor and the table had a wide assortment of dishes. It was definately worth it (raw crab was the strangest).

There are a couple of things that I really like about being here. One, the subway seats are heated......sweet! Second, my appartment has heated floors so it's just great to walk around barefoot. Toasty!

I briefly started listening to some "learn korean" mp3s and when I tried speaking it with some Korean co-workers at school, I discovered that I was butchering the language! Next week I’ll be signing up for a Korean language class. I need to know how to say “How you doin’?”.

Korean Cooking Class - January 14, 2006

Yesterday, all 5 foreign teachers went to Korea House for a free cooking lesson on Korean court cusine. The instructor spoke in Korean but Jeff and Sandra (the Canadian couple) had an English speaking Korean friend who translated for us. We made noodles and cut up egg yokes, egg whites, cucumbers and beef for some Korean soup. Korean court food for royalty is never bigger than the width of the mouth. Everything has to be small with 5 different colours in the soup. After cooking we got to put on some traditional Korean clothes. It was definately a fun experience.

1st Day of School

1st Korean Nightclub - January 6, 2006

Osaka Visa Run

My Apartment

Seoul - Week 1

Welcome to my page. Instead of doing the mass email thing (since no one really reads them anyway) I'll just post pictures and tell everyone about what I'm doing here. It's a huge time saver.

So here goes.....

I arrived at Incheon airport in Seoul January 3rd and was picked up by the assistant director of my school [YBM-PSA (pre-school academy)]...who barely spoke English....as in I had no idea what he said to me. Needless to say it was an interesting hour long drive to my appartment as he spoke to me in Korean.

My place is semi-furnished with 2 rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. The bathroom is a shower room so there is no tub but instead there is a drain on the floor.

I went to the school in the morning and talked with the director about my responsiblities, got my books and met the rest of the staff. There are 5 other foreign teachers, one is a Canadian couple and they invited us new teachers for dinner at their place.

I flew with the other 2 new teachers (Heather and Mike) to Osaka, Japan to get work visas. We spent the night and filled our time trying to find the visa office and our hostel, we ate at a hibachi place, went bowling for a bit and just walked around.

Friday the 6th was our first day teaching. It was kinda overwelming as we were not too prepared but the kids were relatively behaved so it was alright.

That night we went to a Korean book-it club. The premise is that the guys asked the waiters to bring over girls that they see sitting at other tables. So it was hilarious watching girls get dragged from table to table all night long.

The rest of the weekend, I basically did some major sleeping!