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!!? >.<