Well this week couldn't go by fast enough. We started the second last week of this semester, got the new books for the coming semester, and last but not least it was the week Ashleigh took her first ever transcontinental trip to come and see me.
The week itself was pretty boring and slow. I had to do some shopping to make sure I had all my stuff ready for when Ash got her. I had to buy some more dishes for us to eat off of and a sleeping pad so there was a place for us both to sleep. I also rearranged my room so that the two of us and all our stuff combined would fit and we could still live comfortably.
At work this week the kids had their final tests, which unfortunately meant the foreign teachers had more days of sitting around with nothing to do. Wednesday and Thursday we were only there to take attendance and teach for the first 30 minutes of the day. After that the Korea teachers came in to give them their tests and we got to sit in our offices doing nothing. I know it sounds good but you can only sit around for so long with nothing to do before your back hurts, you are bored out of your mind, and you want to kill everyone around you.
Soon enough however, Friday came. This was what I had been waiting around all week for. It was the day (night) Ash flew in to stay with me for a couple weeks. She flew in Friday night at 11 pm but since i don't get off work until 10 there was a few hours of craziness between her getting here and me getting her back to my place.. I had to leave work 10 minutes early and run about 3 km to catch one of the last buses going to the airport from near my place (which ended up giving me shin splints). It took me over 2 hours to get to the airport when it should have only taken and hour. In the end I got there and she was at her gate waiting. We got in the cab and she told me all about her first flight ever on the way back o my place. It was great to see her and see how excited she was to have taken her first airplane and to be on the other side of the world.
We got back to my place and came inside so that she could put her stuff down and clean up. We had a couple invites to got out but it was already close to 230 am and we both just wanted to get some rest. On Saturday we got up around 1130 and got ready to get to go see some of Ashleigh's new home for the next two weeks. Jameson came over after he had finished up a few things at the office and we headed to Myeongdong for some shopping and the typical Korean crowds. Ash loved it and eventually Margaret, Brian and a couple other friends showed up and we hung out until about 4. After Myeongdong we came home and had a rest before going to Cheonho to have galbi with Jameson and Margaret. It was Ash's first time seeing a meal like that and she thought it was something else (awesome). After super we went to Sinchon for one of the girls from the elementary schools birthday and had some drinks at a hookah bar. It was a great time and Ash got to meet a lot of my friends. Around 430 we came home, had some grilled cheese, and passed out.
Today we slept in until about 2 then got up, got ready and went for a walk around Olympic Park for a bit. It is right across the street and has a lot of col stuff to see so it was a good thing to do on a lazy Sunday. After that we came home made some dinner and are watching T.V. as I type. We are all set to have a very busy week and see as many things as possible.
I'll let you all know how it turns out. Have a good one.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Blake has left the building.
Well as a change of pace I'm going to work this blog in reverse.
This was Blakes last week/weekend in Korea so I spent a lot of time hanging out with him and some other friends we have made since being here. Blake took off on Sunday at 2pm, so we took the opportunity to get our last few beers in Saturday night after he got back from one of his friends wedding (a foreign man to a Korean woman). We met up in Gangnam with Junk, Jameson and Brian for some beers and chit chatting, then eventually moved to meet some people from the elementary campus. Blake left around 1 am so that he wouldn't be in to rough of shape for his plane ride, but the rest of us stayed until around 4. Before Saturday night I spent most of the day killing time in my apartment because it was raining all day.
Friday, the end of our work week was pretty cool because it was Teachers Day. We didn't get the day off or anything but Avalon did take us out for lunch at the ever popular VIPS (pronounced veeps). It is a buffet style restaurant that offers mediocre foreign foods and an above average price, but the Koreans seem to love it. After that we went into school for the day were I received a couple of presents for the day including a piece of chocolate, a soap set in the shape of baby shoes, and an incredibly nice black leather belt. I was quite surprised to tell you the truth that I got anything due to the fact that many of my students are afraid of me and I'm pretty sure they hate me because I am so "mean" as they say.
Thursday night Jameson, Brina and I went and met Blake, Eun Jong, and Mi Young in Sincheon for some drinks after work. It was a quiet night. We just had a few drinks and some cake, which the girls brought for Blake, and called it a night by 2 am. It was good to be getting some time in with Blake since he won't be back for a couple months, and it was much better than the adventure I had after getting together with him Monday night.
I've saved the best and most amazingly crazy part of my week for last today. On Monday Blake messaged me and asked if I would go to his neighbourhood after work and have some drinks with a couple friends of ours who we have only met a few times but really wanted to meet for drinks before he headed back to Canada. I agreed and headed out on the subway after work. We got together, had some dinner and drinks for a bit, then went and norae banged after that. At the end of the night I offered to walk our friend Ji Suk home since she lives in a neighbourhood next to Blakes and didn't want to take a cab by herself. Once we got to her street I found a cab and said good night and headed home myself. OH and have I mentioned it had been raining all that day also. As a result the highways were slick and when my cab driver decided to drive 120 kph. To me this seemed really dangerous, and just as I was reaching for my seat belt my thoughts came to life and we went out of control. We had hit a bend and had no traction due to the water. The cab went sideways and we went into a series of doughnuts. We went one way and then the other as the cab driver tried to steer out of the spinning. Eventually we hit the guard rail with the rear passenger corner and ended up facing the wrong way on the road. I was in the back holding on to the seat and wondering if I was OK or not. It turned out that I was fine and after giving the cab driver the thumbs up he u-turned the cab onto the proper shoulder. Luckily we were the only car on the road since it was 4 am and when we got to the shoulder we realized that the bumper was dragging and that the rear window had been blown out. I got out and got into the front. Then to my surprise the cab driver lit a cigarette, offered me one ( I declined), and then finished driving me home. Once we got back to my area we stopped and I helped him bend his bumper back up so it wouldn't drag anymore and then headed home to figure out what had just happened in my life.
In the end all is well and I was fine. Any soreness I had I could not attribute to the accident because I had been to workout that morning for the first time in a few weeks, and felt pretty rough all around anyways.
Take care, talk to you all soon.
This was Blakes last week/weekend in Korea so I spent a lot of time hanging out with him and some other friends we have made since being here. Blake took off on Sunday at 2pm, so we took the opportunity to get our last few beers in Saturday night after he got back from one of his friends wedding (a foreign man to a Korean woman). We met up in Gangnam with Junk, Jameson and Brian for some beers and chit chatting, then eventually moved to meet some people from the elementary campus. Blake left around 1 am so that he wouldn't be in to rough of shape for his plane ride, but the rest of us stayed until around 4. Before Saturday night I spent most of the day killing time in my apartment because it was raining all day.
Friday, the end of our work week was pretty cool because it was Teachers Day. We didn't get the day off or anything but Avalon did take us out for lunch at the ever popular VIPS (pronounced veeps). It is a buffet style restaurant that offers mediocre foreign foods and an above average price, but the Koreans seem to love it. After that we went into school for the day were I received a couple of presents for the day including a piece of chocolate, a soap set in the shape of baby shoes, and an incredibly nice black leather belt. I was quite surprised to tell you the truth that I got anything due to the fact that many of my students are afraid of me and I'm pretty sure they hate me because I am so "mean" as they say.
Thursday night Jameson, Brina and I went and met Blake, Eun Jong, and Mi Young in Sincheon for some drinks after work. It was a quiet night. We just had a few drinks and some cake, which the girls brought for Blake, and called it a night by 2 am. It was good to be getting some time in with Blake since he won't be back for a couple months, and it was much better than the adventure I had after getting together with him Monday night.
I've saved the best and most amazingly crazy part of my week for last today. On Monday Blake messaged me and asked if I would go to his neighbourhood after work and have some drinks with a couple friends of ours who we have only met a few times but really wanted to meet for drinks before he headed back to Canada. I agreed and headed out on the subway after work. We got together, had some dinner and drinks for a bit, then went and norae banged after that. At the end of the night I offered to walk our friend Ji Suk home since she lives in a neighbourhood next to Blakes and didn't want to take a cab by herself. Once we got to her street I found a cab and said good night and headed home myself. OH and have I mentioned it had been raining all that day also. As a result the highways were slick and when my cab driver decided to drive 120 kph. To me this seemed really dangerous, and just as I was reaching for my seat belt my thoughts came to life and we went out of control. We had hit a bend and had no traction due to the water. The cab went sideways and we went into a series of doughnuts. We went one way and then the other as the cab driver tried to steer out of the spinning. Eventually we hit the guard rail with the rear passenger corner and ended up facing the wrong way on the road. I was in the back holding on to the seat and wondering if I was OK or not. It turned out that I was fine and after giving the cab driver the thumbs up he u-turned the cab onto the proper shoulder. Luckily we were the only car on the road since it was 4 am and when we got to the shoulder we realized that the bumper was dragging and that the rear window had been blown out. I got out and got into the front. Then to my surprise the cab driver lit a cigarette, offered me one ( I declined), and then finished driving me home. Once we got back to my area we stopped and I helped him bend his bumper back up so it wouldn't drag anymore and then headed home to figure out what had just happened in my life.
In the end all is well and I was fine. Any soreness I had I could not attribute to the accident because I had been to workout that morning for the first time in a few weeks, and felt pretty rough all around anyways.
Take care, talk to you all soon.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Korea celebrates Mexico's independence
This week started out really well. The banks were back up and running which meant I could get in and pay my bills as well as transfer some money home. It was a good thing I did it on Monday too, because Tuesday was the national holiday Children's Day.
It just so happened that Children's Day also fell on the same day Mexico won its independence in 1821, May 5th. Or Cinco De Mayo, as it is in Spanish. For this, a large groups of us and tons of other foreigners went to a Mexican restaurant in Jonggak to enjoy cheap tacos and Mexican drinks like tequila, beers and margaritas. It started around 1230 and we all had a great time eating and drinking in the park beside the restaurant for the better part of the day.
The rest of the week was the usual. The kids were back from their exams and we were back to full class loads, which was nice but a little tiring since we just spent two weeks doing practically nothing. Then on Friday we all went out to party as a last big send off for Blake since he leaves next Sunday. We went to Apgujong to our favorite bar, W.C. Crazy Bar, where we can both "enjoy and crazy". We took over the bar since their was nearly 25 of us and partied and talked until half the group left and the rest of us went down the road to Monkey Beach (a dance club). It was at Monkey Beach were my memory eludes me. I remember dancing and having the bouncers remove a random Korean who was trying to talk to us. Other than that it is all a blur.
Because of the late night on Friday I spent most of Saturday just hanging out at home, watching and relaxing. I declined a few different offers to go out that night and went to bed early. It was a good thing too because on Sunday i got a call from Margaret asking me if I wanted to go on a "walk" with her and her Korean friend. I agreed and met them in their neighbourhood. When I showed up I was surprised by the fact that we were not going on a walk but going to hike a mountain. It was Margaret's friend's idea and Margaret didn't even know. We were both unprepared and I even showed up in sandals. No matter though, we got on the subway and went to Gwangju to find a mountain.
Once we got there we had to take a bus a short way to the desired mountain. It was a really nice area and looked especially nice since all the trees have grown their leaves back and the flowers are out. Also, it turned out to be less of a mountain hike then we thought it might be. It was all paved paths and well marked out. We spent a good 3 hours there before coming back into town and going to Gangnam for Dos Tacos and then playing some pool.
Until next time. Enjoy the warming weather and I'll talk to you again soon.
It just so happened that Children's Day also fell on the same day Mexico won its independence in 1821, May 5th. Or Cinco De Mayo, as it is in Spanish. For this, a large groups of us and tons of other foreigners went to a Mexican restaurant in Jonggak to enjoy cheap tacos and Mexican drinks like tequila, beers and margaritas. It started around 1230 and we all had a great time eating and drinking in the park beside the restaurant for the better part of the day.
The rest of the week was the usual. The kids were back from their exams and we were back to full class loads, which was nice but a little tiring since we just spent two weeks doing practically nothing. Then on Friday we all went out to party as a last big send off for Blake since he leaves next Sunday. We went to Apgujong to our favorite bar, W.C. Crazy Bar, where we can both "enjoy and crazy". We took over the bar since their was nearly 25 of us and partied and talked until half the group left and the rest of us went down the road to Monkey Beach (a dance club). It was at Monkey Beach were my memory eludes me. I remember dancing and having the bouncers remove a random Korean who was trying to talk to us. Other than that it is all a blur.
Because of the late night on Friday I spent most of Saturday just hanging out at home, watching and relaxing. I declined a few different offers to go out that night and went to bed early. It was a good thing too because on Sunday i got a call from Margaret asking me if I wanted to go on a "walk" with her and her Korean friend. I agreed and met them in their neighbourhood. When I showed up I was surprised by the fact that we were not going on a walk but going to hike a mountain. It was Margaret's friend's idea and Margaret didn't even know. We were both unprepared and I even showed up in sandals. No matter though, we got on the subway and went to Gwangju to find a mountain.
Once we got there we had to take a bus a short way to the desired mountain. It was a really nice area and looked especially nice since all the trees have grown their leaves back and the flowers are out. Also, it turned out to be less of a mountain hike then we thought it might be. It was all paved paths and well marked out. We spent a good 3 hours there before coming back into town and going to Gangnam for Dos Tacos and then playing some pool.
Until next time. Enjoy the warming weather and I'll talk to you again soon.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
And the boredom continued
Well we were on holding again for the week of April 27 - May 1 which meant two things. Very few classes for us and a whole lot of boredom for the teaching crew. Daily we had to be at work from 3 until 10 but only taught for maybe an hour each day compared with the usual 5 hours. So to pass the time, most of us studied our Korean, read books, or sat staring aimlessly at our computers.
After work most of the days I just came home on account that it was the end of the month and funds were getting low (in this case quite low).
During the days I didn't do too much, just got some rest and work on my Korean. Then on Thursday we had a test in our Korean class and I almost got stuck forty minutes away from home.
Here's how it happened. I had forgotten to put money on my subway card and come Thursday pay day) my account was so drained that I couldn't pull money out to charge my card unless we got payed. And guess what happened? We didn't get paid first thing in the morning like usual so there was no money. But, I wasn't the only one. Jameson also couldn't get home. We all had a good laugh then Margaret gave us each some Chun (Korean 1000 Won bills) and we were able to get on the subway. Amazingly enough by the time we made the 40 minute subway ride we had been paid and life was good again. We got lunch and went to work.
Little did we know that shit was about to go crazy.
Thursday night we left work and Jameson, Margaret, and I went out for dinner. At the restaurant I was about to put the meal on my card when my card wouldn't work. We laughed about it, Jameson paid and we went home. The next morning all of us, and by us I mean people who use Hana Bank (which happens to be most of the foreigners), got a huge surprise when the bank was not only closed for the holiday but had shut down their systems for the entire weekend. That's right, we couldn't use the ATMs or even use our card at restaurants. We were essentially without money for the weekend, which made many people flip out. Myself, I had some extra money saved in an envelope and made out OK for the weekend and did my best to help everybody out.
On Saturday my tutee Sung Eun took Blake, Brian, Alex, Margaret, and I to a performance at the theatre she works for. It was a mix of Korean traditional music, played on and instrument called a Gayageum, and hip-hop music accompanied by break dancers. It was quite amazing and really got the blood pumping. After the performance we grabbed a couple beers and a snack before parting and heading for dinner in Itaewan and then to Jonggak for drinks and partying with Junk. We ended up at a dance club (Blue Moon) and danced and had a great time until about 4 am. We met some other foreigners at the club (some of which were more questionable than others) and some Koreans that were really excited to dance with us but entirely too creepy in the end.
Sunday was a day of rest. Jameson and I went to Dos Tacos for lunch then went home to rest and get it together for the week. Later on I met up with Blake and a couple of his friends for a drink and late dinner and welcomed the coming of Monday and the end of holding.
After work most of the days I just came home on account that it was the end of the month and funds were getting low (in this case quite low).
During the days I didn't do too much, just got some rest and work on my Korean. Then on Thursday we had a test in our Korean class and I almost got stuck forty minutes away from home.
Here's how it happened. I had forgotten to put money on my subway card and come Thursday pay day) my account was so drained that I couldn't pull money out to charge my card unless we got payed. And guess what happened? We didn't get paid first thing in the morning like usual so there was no money. But, I wasn't the only one. Jameson also couldn't get home. We all had a good laugh then Margaret gave us each some Chun (Korean 1000 Won bills) and we were able to get on the subway. Amazingly enough by the time we made the 40 minute subway ride we had been paid and life was good again. We got lunch and went to work.
Little did we know that shit was about to go crazy.
Thursday night we left work and Jameson, Margaret, and I went out for dinner. At the restaurant I was about to put the meal on my card when my card wouldn't work. We laughed about it, Jameson paid and we went home. The next morning all of us, and by us I mean people who use Hana Bank (which happens to be most of the foreigners), got a huge surprise when the bank was not only closed for the holiday but had shut down their systems for the entire weekend. That's right, we couldn't use the ATMs or even use our card at restaurants. We were essentially without money for the weekend, which made many people flip out. Myself, I had some extra money saved in an envelope and made out OK for the weekend and did my best to help everybody out.
On Saturday my tutee Sung Eun took Blake, Brian, Alex, Margaret, and I to a performance at the theatre she works for. It was a mix of Korean traditional music, played on and instrument called a Gayageum, and hip-hop music accompanied by break dancers. It was quite amazing and really got the blood pumping. After the performance we grabbed a couple beers and a snack before parting and heading for dinner in Itaewan and then to Jonggak for drinks and partying with Junk. We ended up at a dance club (Blue Moon) and danced and had a great time until about 4 am. We met some other foreigners at the club (some of which were more questionable than others) and some Koreans that were really excited to dance with us but entirely too creepy in the end.
Sunday was a day of rest. Jameson and I went to Dos Tacos for lunch then went home to rest and get it together for the week. Later on I met up with Blake and a couple of his friends for a drink and late dinner and welcomed the coming of Monday and the end of holding.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
My life is a blur... and thats not a good thing.
Well it seems as thought I fell behind for the past little while. These are the events that transpired from April 20-26. This week fell on the tail end of our exciting weekend in Boseoung and was one hell of a long week.
For starters we were in holding again, which means hardly any students came to school since they were preparing and writing exams. This meant there were very few classes if an to teach all week, making school an incredibly boring place to be for several hours at a time. It did however mean that we were given Wednesday and Thursday off.........well technically we had both days off but we the foreign teachers had to come in for a workshop on the Wednesday due to the shitty teaching and bad choices some of the foreigners we work with make. So that being said we went to school early Wednesday and sat around talking about books we use, teaching methods and watching ourselves teach from film they had taken of us. It was a rather useless day because nobody wanted to step on to many toes, but we got it over with and got out of there. After we left work Brian, Jameson and I went to met Blake in Apgujong for some drinks. We met up with some of our Korean friends too and partied until around 3 am.
On Thursday since we had the day off Jameson, Margaret and I got together and studied for a bit before heading to to some shopping and wandering around the city during the actual daylight hours. After shopping I went to meet Blake when he was done work because we had plans to meet one of his friends and her friend for drinks. And again it turned into a party. We stayed out until the sun came back up, which was a bad idea because it made going to work after not sleeping much really hard. Luck was on my side however, and we got to leave work early Friday at 8 instead of 10.
Since we got to leave work early it gave us a chance to go out with some of the Korean teachers for dinner which was nice because we hardly ever get to hangout with them. After dinner we met with Blake in Kondae, and his friend Angie for a couple beers, but called it a night around 1230 so that we could all get some rest. Saturday was a lazy day and I just stayed inside out of the rain for most of the day but then met up in Sincheon around 11pm for some food and a couple beers with Blake.
Sunday was a pretty god day, and the best day of the week. It was the opening day of the Lotus Lantern Festival so quite a few of us made our way up to Jonggak to check out the festivities and wait for the night time lantern parade. It was a great day but the parade didn't start until 7pm and didn't make it to where we were standing until almost 8 so we had to wait for a long time. It was well worth it and the parade lasted for almost 2 hours.
Well that's enough for now.
For starters we were in holding again, which means hardly any students came to school since they were preparing and writing exams. This meant there were very few classes if an to teach all week, making school an incredibly boring place to be for several hours at a time. It did however mean that we were given Wednesday and Thursday off.........well technically we had both days off but we the foreign teachers had to come in for a workshop on the Wednesday due to the shitty teaching and bad choices some of the foreigners we work with make. So that being said we went to school early Wednesday and sat around talking about books we use, teaching methods and watching ourselves teach from film they had taken of us. It was a rather useless day because nobody wanted to step on to many toes, but we got it over with and got out of there. After we left work Brian, Jameson and I went to met Blake in Apgujong for some drinks. We met up with some of our Korean friends too and partied until around 3 am.
On Thursday since we had the day off Jameson, Margaret and I got together and studied for a bit before heading to to some shopping and wandering around the city during the actual daylight hours. After shopping I went to meet Blake when he was done work because we had plans to meet one of his friends and her friend for drinks. And again it turned into a party. We stayed out until the sun came back up, which was a bad idea because it made going to work after not sleeping much really hard. Luck was on my side however, and we got to leave work early Friday at 8 instead of 10.
Since we got to leave work early it gave us a chance to go out with some of the Korean teachers for dinner which was nice because we hardly ever get to hangout with them. After dinner we met with Blake in Kondae, and his friend Angie for a couple beers, but called it a night around 1230 so that we could all get some rest. Saturday was a lazy day and I just stayed inside out of the rain for most of the day but then met up in Sincheon around 11pm for some food and a couple beers with Blake.
Sunday was a pretty god day, and the best day of the week. It was the opening day of the Lotus Lantern Festival so quite a few of us made our way up to Jonggak to check out the festivities and wait for the night time lantern parade. It was a great day but the parade didn't start until 7pm and didn't make it to where we were standing until almost 8 so we had to wait for a long time. It was well worth it and the parade lasted for almost 2 hours.
Well that's enough for now.
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