303 Graceville - Home Sweet Home
Many of you have been asking after my new apartment. So, here it is... keep in mind that i just moved in three weeks ago with only two suitcases to my name. So if it seems a bit sparse, that's the reason why. Essentially, it's a glorified closet... but i've grown to be very fond of it and am enjoying the space very much.

Bedroom:
slash Corner of my apartment, with view out of balcony no.1

Dressing Room and Entertainment Centre
(or foot of my bed)

You may think that this is a simply a pleasant hallway leading out to balcony no.2 (Which houses my washing machine, but no dryer... dryers don't exist in this country. Hence the need for several balconies to dry clothing on)...
But, don't be fooled, it's actually my kitchen
*i am sitting on the edge of my bed taking this picture

Bathroom:
The one actually sepreated room in my hovel. Complete with seperate shower area. Obviously - you might think. But most bathrooms in Korea simply have a shower head hanging on the wall above the toilet. Bathroom therefore equals shower. I lucked out.

X rated
The Korean Sauna is an interesting thing. Today, Sarah and I decided to treat ourselves by visiting one. First of all, the jinjo bongs (spelled very incorrectly) or saunas, are everywhere. This is mainly because everyone in Korea frequents them on a regular basis. However, don't get ahead of yourselves by thinking that this is some sort of snooty elitist society (which it is, but not because of thier habiutal visits to saunas). Because although the saunas are somewhat of a luxury item, a lot of korean men, women, and families will visit one just to take a regular shower. Odd, i know.

So, the jinjo bongs are made up of several diffent features. First there are the baths. Not just hot tubs, but baths filled with scented water, salt water, tea (including a giant tea bag in the bath), baths with massaging jets, out door baths, cold water baths... you name it. Then there are the actual sauna rooms; stand up showers; sit down shower stations; and a place to have treatments done. So basically, these sauna's are great. The only thing is that in the sauna's you must be completely naked. No bathing suits, no towels... just what your mamma gave you.
Basically it's a cess pool of naked korean women.

Because Sarah and I were on a mission to treat ourselves right today, we decided to have body exfoliating treatments done. * Just so you can have a clear idea of what we were getting ourselves into, the women that preform these treatments are agima's (old women) who are stripped down to only their underware, bra not included. First we lay down on plastic beds while the agima's dumped buckets of warm water on us. Then, they put on what were basically brillo pad mittens and proceeded to scrub us raw. I literally watched several layers of my own body come off. After about half an hour of this we were pretty much basted, like christmas turkeys, with eucalypts oil and sent on our way. So, in a nutshell, we paid to have old topless women score our entire bodies (literally from our toes to the tips of our fingers) with steel wool. Bizarre, I know. But, the thing that is even more bizarre, is that this was not at all a traumatizing experience. Actually, it was totally amazing... so amazing that we've decided to continue to pay the topless agima's to do this to us on a bi weekly basis!
Yes, there was the looming anxiety of an agima nipple possibly grazing my back (which it didn't... praise the Lord), but in the end it was completely relaxing, and we left with skin soft as a baby's bottom. Not bad for $13.

ps... i've been informed that the actual correct spelling is "jimgilbong" and "ajuma".

check out some pics at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenndu/

(apparently i'm all about making websites for myself now)

Yes, that makes perfect sense...
Here's something interesting. In Korea it is common to receive rewards for spending a certain amount of money in any given place of business. This includes department stores, groceries, corner stores, banks etc. Last weekend a group of us decided to rent a van and head out to beautiful Songnisan to camp out for a night. So ofcourse it would only make perfect sense that the nine of us together would recieve, as our gift for filling up 75 000 won ($75) worth of gas, a single boxed pair of 'sexy panty's'.

Said pair of 'sexy panty's'

Beomgye statioln after dark

How Convenient!!! Ice Skating, Bowling, and Shooting Range! Everything a Korean heart could desire?

ice skating

shooting range
(notice cartoon racoon mascot brandishing pistol)

In case you can't read what this sign says...
"Hey June!!! Didn't you see my panty and brassier? well... Is that yours? NO! How about this one? It's mine!! My underwear! why don't go to yes? yes? yes!! yes" Let's go to yes!!!

I can't even fathom the marketing genius of this country

'tonuts' anyone?

new contact info:
phone #: ask me, as i realize that really any random person could be reading this
address:

jenn dumaran

c/o YES Yongdo

Shinsegi Town 3rd Floor

Pyeongchon-dong 900-4

Dongahn-gu Anyang-shi

Gyeonggi-do 431-070
SOUTH KOREA

phew...

Well, the adventure begins.
Here i am... in South Korea. Strange isn't it. Most likely not too strange for most of you, but definately definately strange for me. I know that many of you might be thinking... 'but you're already asian... you'll fit right in'... well that my friends is a huge misconception on your part for a number of reasons. Firstly, I'm already at a huge disadvantage since, although i belive myself to clearly look NOT Korean at all, Korean's don't seem to share this opinion. So, it comes as a huge shocker to them when i cannot understand what they are saying to me, or when i, much to my own embarassment don't know how to used chopsticks in a restaurant. Secondly, although i've had many friendly encounters with Koreans, i've also expereinced a rude, boardering on hostile, attitude toward english speaking foreigners. So me, being both english speaking as well as a foreigner, but disguised as a possible Korean, must be doublely offensive to them.

Wondering Korea: Some interesting and humerous observations
1.) Although this is a country ridden with Foreign english teachers, all bilboards and signs still post english phrases that either make no grammatical sense, or no sense in general.
ie. 'Bravo your life'
What does that mean? does anyone know? i don't think so.
2.) It is perfectly normal to find two completely random activities like 'ice skating' and 'shooting range' in the same recreational complex side by side. It is also perfectly normal to have a racoon in a tuxedo and top hat brandishing a pistol as a mascot for the shooting range.
3.) The closest subway station to my neighborhood is called Beomgye, which may not seem funny yet, but phonetically it is pronounced 'Bum-Gay'. Yes, I live at BUM GAY station.
4.) Apparently, having a conversation on public transit is a full on social taboo, punishable by public humiliation. A perfect example of this would be this very morning, when the bus driver actually STOPPED the bus and yelled at a fellow teacher and I. Ofcourse, neigther of us being Korean, could understand what he was saying and continuted our conversation until he started to make talking motions with his hands whilst glaring at us in the rear veiw mirror. At that point we looked around and noticed the ENTIRE bus staring at us, as an old lady at the front yelled 'BE QUIET'. At that point i proceeded to get off the bus in order to throw myslef infront of it out of sheer embarassment.

Well folks, that's all for now. However, there are still 52 weeks of Korean antics and enjoyment to come. Stay tuned. I'll post pictures soon.