The joys of Chuseok

I say the word “joys” very lukewarm-ly. Not to say that I didn’t have an awesome time during my celebrations of Chuseok, if you call celebrating about half of it on busses and other transportation vehicles an awesome time.

Perhaps I should first talk about Chuseok. I actually got through this entire blog and realized I needed to put a little paragraph about it since I’m sure not everyone knows what it is. It’s basically Korean Thanksgiving. People from all around Korea travel to their hometowns (traffic is terribly during this time) and make a ton of food, honor their dead and celebrate their fortunes. They traditionally wear Hanboks, the Korean clothes of old, which are very beautiful and raise the chest of any patriotic Korean. The holiday is one of the largest in Korea aside from the Lunar New Year which happens after the regular New Year.

Now, my Chuseok began just like any other week because, guess what, my school (so few schools actually did this) wanted to have school on Monday. Thank goodness they didn’t want to have school on Friday, which would have been entirely applicable, seeing as Chuseok break lasted technically from Tuesday to Thursday. If they did, well then thank Got for sick days.

On my travels I got to see my fair share of Engrish, which makes me so, so happy. I love seeing it whenever I’m aut.

Okay, I’m done, I promise. Where do I start? I guess the beginning is a good O.o.

I began my adventure/trip/escapade/excursion (Oh English, how many words you have to denote the same thing) on Tuesday after I regrettably discovered that Tabor Grey, the secret love of my life, wouldn’t be down for her cousins birthday. I know, I should have been more upset on behalf of their cousins, but I’m selfish, as evident in the thing I did next. I left promptly afterward for Cheonan. I forewarned Caitlin, of course apologizing for missing their birthday which would proceed the following day. I came to Korea to teach and explore! So, I went to go explore after exhausting the whole teaching thing as much as I could.

The bus ride was fantastic...ehhh…It was alright for a bus full of sleeping Koreans. It’s funny how whenever you see a Korean in the real world on a bus, they’re usually sleeping. I found out earlier it’s because they over work themselves and hardly allow for any z’s, hence the whole conking out on transportation mediums. Anyway, a good three or so hours later I was in Cheonan meeting my good Kiwi friends, Jose and Ben to go to Jose’s apartment to see Leanne and Jenny (all of which I adore immensely, primarily for their brilliant accents). We had fun Norebanging it up in a really cool place called Princess or something like that (yes, the inside resembled a little girls dreamscape) and then we all hit the hay (and by hay I mean Jose’s really uncomfortable floor with nothing but a very thin blanket to separate).

The next day, the girls left and Jose and Ben and I were left to explore the wonders of Cheonan, which were very, very, very few. (The following pictures depict Cheonan City Hall, Ben ruining my shot of a really cool mirror thing at City Hall, and a pretty gazebo. There's apparently a renactment thing there of the horrible way the Japanese treated the Koreans. I really want to go back and see it.)

However, we got to go for a walk! I love walking! I can only assume they got it after my hearing numerous groans from them. I also got to meet Sara and Ashley, two very awesome girls who live in Cheonan with Jose, and Kevin who is very infamous in my circle of friends (I was glad to finally meet him and formulate my own feelings for the fellow. They’re not bad, don’t worry).

That night we enjoyed the company of friends and heaps (hehe, what a funny word) of soju and then crashed hard back on that familiar floor so we could get all rested for what lay in store the next day. The ZOOOOOO!

This place was sweeet. Apparently its 10th largest in the world (I wouldn’t know, it’s not like I’m a zoo connoisseur or anything). All I cared about was that it had wolves! I love those buggers! Along with camels, bears, flamingos, large cats, many insects, and a plethora of underwater life, the whole trip seemed a pretty big success, especially since I had Dakbokki for lunch!

Did I mention the zoo was in Seoul? Yeah, Cheonan has a convenient subway connecting it to Seoul. Jealous much? Indeed I am.

Through some random and unexplainable brain workings I decided it would be a good idea to head down to Ulsan. Trust me I have no idea why I went. Just go with it.

So, I went to the bus terminal, bought my ticket and sat around for an hour sipping yummy Americano coffee and getting told off by fuming baristas who don’t like their pictures taken and then once again I was on the rode!

(My coffee)

(Angry barista lady coming to tell me off. I wasn't even taking a picture of her! I was taking a picture of the fermenting boxes.)

A good three hours or so later I ran smack into Ulsan! The first thing I got to see (aside from the river) was this giant Ferris wheel! Little did I know that later in the weekend I would get to sit in one of those welcoming gondolas!

I met two very good friends from Jochiwon (Erin Stutesman and Shalini Sharma) and we were off on an hour and a half trek through Ulsan to Shalini’s place near the ocean. Trust me, it was worth it.

Then I got to meet all of these rad people from Ulsan, including Nicole, Tiffany, Yuri and Ben (again). We got to explore the wonders of Ulsan (which are motley and plentiful!) which included a lot of food, primarily delicious patbingsu.

Patbingsu is a scrumptious little (actually it’s usually big. Often times it is shared. Trust me you don’t want to eat it all alone. Korean’s will look at you like you’re so pathetic and lonely T_T) desert invented here in K-Town that incorporates the flavors of shaved ice (sometimes shaved frozen cream too! If it isn’t shaved, the cream is just added in) cream (refer to previous brackets), sweet red beans, fruit (sometimes), cereal (sometimes), ice cream (sometimes) and a whole lot of Korean love. It’s splendiferous.

Finally after much fun, I had my last mean with Shalini (Kimbap, basically Korean Sushi…except no raw fish) and then I was off to Seoul. Later I received a phone call reminding me about dinner with my mentor teacher which I (of course) forgot. I’ve been so forgetful lately. Let’s hope it’s merely a phase…hope :/. She hand made me Dalkgalbi. I was so upset when I got to Seoul around 4:30 (I had to be in Chuncheon by 6:00ish to eat) and then got lost for literally, three agonizing hours. The subways system was a bitch, maneuvering between crowds of lazy Koreans was a bitch, find the bus terminal was a bitch and the bus actually getting out of the terminal onto the road was a bitch. All in all, I think we can deduce that Seoul is a bitch. I will never connect there ever again.

Finally, I got home at 9:00, shagged, fagged and ready to hit my bed that had been calling me all week long, feeling a little hallow. Not to get too deep here, (I can probably blame it on being very exhausted and having spent about \300,000 (that translates to about $300)) but I was starting to second guess my feelings for staying here any longer than six months and was really looking forward to going home.

Then I saw my friends here in Chuncheon, Carlie, Caitlin, Paul and Pat, and I felt stacks (ß Kiwi word!) better.

Aside from the odd turn in directions for my emotions, the week was pretty monumentally fantastic. I traveled A LOT and I was glad that I did. Not to mention as soon as I got home I saw a guy get racked in the nads for “science” on some silly Korean television program. Nothing like a little comic violence to be the cherry on top of my ice cream (or patbingsu) bowl of a vacation.

P.S. Why do I have NO pictures of Leanne and Jenny!? What was I doing with my camera!!? >.<

Five culture shocks

Yes, I'm merely repeating a trend of a few of my blog friends in the past. However, I believe it is an entertaining, perhaps almost necessary post that I'm required to show to the rest of the civilized world.

Five things about Korea that has appalled/interested/surprised me in the past two months since I've been here. I feel like there may turn out to be more than five, but I don't want to copy anyone so I'll think intently about the subject before putting a new series up.

1. I'm going to start with the most revolting. Now, it may be because I grew up in a country where we kill insects, not consume them, but I'm pretty sure that 번데기 has got to be one of the most stomach churning consumable I’ve ever heard of. 번데기 translates to Pupa, in English. Yes, you have the correct image in your head. If not, here’s one to help.

I’m just being honest, but I think I’d rather eat a multitude of other dishes on the planet than this, not to mention, it smells like dirt and feel s like dirt when you bite into it. Yes, indeed I have eaten it. It reminds me of a dirt bean. Yum! There are some things that I just wonder, “why would you ever put that in your mouth? “

2. Commercials. I know at home, they suck. I hate it when you’re in the midst of an emotionally epic film and a commercial pops up and you groan. Luckily at home, they’re just long enough to get up, go pee, maybe grab a drink really fast and run back to the T.V. to continue. Not in Korea. Here, instead we watch a film for a good 30-45 minutes. Yeah, that rules. However, the commercials are so long that I have found myself multiple times having enough time to pee, grab a drink, drink it, make dinner, eat it, sit around aimlessly and then give up and call my friends to see what bar we can go to (perhaps this is an overstatement). Literally, the commercials last so long I get tired of the movie and almost lose entire interest in the film itself. That and the same commercials are pretty much on constant repeat. Oh Korea. There’s only so many times I can watch yellow clad Korean singers dancing to a loan shark commercial before I feel like punching the television screen.

3. Koreans I have found are, for the majority, a very kind and welcoming group of humans. Yes, I have seen the odd fight among four businessmen in Seoul who were just way to fucking drunk and smashed shot glasses over one another’s head, resulting in much blood and ruined suits (which is a pity, seeing as Korean suits are usually silvery and shiny and downright amazing!). However, they are understanding when you can’t speak Korean, and will play the mime game with you any old time if you have to, say, find the toilet or need the directions to the nearest subway/train/bus station. In fact, almost to the point where they feel comfortable to whip out all of the English they have EVER learned in an attempt to communicate, despite the fact that, no, it doesn’t make any sense. Usually, you’ll just find yourself nodding, smiling, saying 감사합니다 (thank you) and trying to get free of their un-bashful groping of your ligaments. This happens very frequently, usually among those of the inebriated Korean race.

4. In America, I always hated trash. I think trash was my least favorite chore that I was given as a child. Korea in comparison is a nightmare to my American upbringing. While at home, we had trash taken on a scheduled day. Food trash was merely disposed of in the trash can and placed in a giant green bin that, yes eventually smelled bad and sometimes got infested with flies, but it was all manageable. In Korea you just put your trash on the side of the road and wait for someone come get it. Seriously. You leave it in a fucking bag and someone in the middle of the night may or may not throw it out. But there's not real way to tell precisely when they will be there. I usually wait till the pile on the corner of my block is about to my head level. Then I know the trash man must be coming soon. And trust me, walking past that every morning to get to my bus to school smells fantastic! As well, I feel at constant battle with fruit flies. At first moving into my apartment, I kept my food trash in my kitchen. In my feeble attempts to save money and not be a waste of plastic, I didn’t (and still don’t) take out my food waste bag (btw, there are different bags for different wastes here. Forewarning) until it was brimming full of partially composted, moldy food. As such, such cute little creatures like maggots take the chance to grow and flourish into cute little flies that harass my entire apartment. I don’t like killing things, bugs included. However, flies/mosquitoes/cockroaches serve no purpose in my life/on the planet so I feel no remorse in destroying them. The war has lasted the entire time I’ve been here even though I’ve long since placed my food trash outside on my balcony to reduce the number of fucker flies zooming around my head. I promise my apartment is not that disgusting. I think I’m winning the fight. Their numbers seem to be diminishing.

5. This last one is a pleasant surprise, yet a surprise none-the-less. To be honest, I’ve never felt I’m a totally unattractive person. Yeah, everyone has felt those moments of non-satisfaction in themselves and have hated the way they look or the way their shaped or what not. Yes, I’m included in this bunch. Living in Korea however, has kind of inflated my ego insurmountably. So much so, that I think I could wear sweats and a baggy tee, go a few days without shaving and wear my giant clunky glasses and still get Koreans telling me that I’m “handsome boy”. In fact, the other day (maybe a week and a half ago) a Korean girl got off at the bus stop where I was waiting for my bus to come home and asked if she could have my picture with her. When she took the picture, she looked at it, squealed and then for the next block and half kept turning to me and saying “bye handsome boy!” A vast majority of the school and school staff has called me attractive and offered me gifts solely for this fact, and I’ve even had Korean men (drunk mind you, but never-the-less) get up from their tables and shake my hand and introduce themselves to me, all the while saying, “you are handsome!”. My physical education teacher at my school (a male) even said to me, “You are more beautiful than woman!” It wasn’t a joke. He was legitimately attempting to compliment me.

That’s it so far. I’ll try to put more up as I see them. :P Keep watching for updates!