wandering korea

2007-05-01T19:14:00.000+09:00

Perfect

Hawaii - May 2007

2007-05-01T18:17:00.001+09:00

Good Morning Vietnam

Dear Vietnam,

You're GREAT! Although your motorbike traffic is terrifying, your people are kind, your food is delicious (especially your croissants and pastries), and you are truly beautiful. I will miss you and regret that I did not get to spend more time with you. I hope very much to see more of you in the future.

Yours with great affection,

jad

First stop Hanoi: Land of a million motor bikes.

Ho Chi Minh's Masolem:

A member of the Embalmed Communist Leaders Club. Other members include Lenin and Mao Zedong The hideous skirt they made me wear due to my exposed knees. The scandal! Temple of Literature Hoa Lo Prison - aka. "the Hanoi Hilton" Hoan Kiem Lake Water Puppets The orchestra looked like they were having a REALLY good time...

Hoi An, one of my favourite places... maybe in the world. You'll see.

BE BE
***If you're in Hoi An and you want a GOOD tailor (there are about 200 to choose from) I can't recommend 'Be be's' enough! They're fantastic. Not the cheapest, but amazing quality and service.

50 Tran Hung Dao St. Hoi An - Vietnam
Tel: 0510 212 558
bebe.hoian@yahoo.com.vn

2007-04-24T15:15:00.000+09:00

Laaaazy Laos

April 6 - 13, 2007

Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is said to be the jewel of Indochina. A quaint little town surrounded by mountains and sitting on the banks of the Mekong river. A UNESCO world heritage site it's like stepping into a time warp. A time warp that includes an internet cafe on every corner, that is.

The Mighty Mekong

View from the top

Peddling around town

You know you're in Asia when...
Village Kids

Feeding time!

The Bridge of Death
(that's not its actual name... although, it should be)
Kyaking

Songkran!

The Thai and Laos New Year is celebrated every year on the 13th to 15th of April. The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. People roam the streets with bowls of water, water guns or even a garden hose, and drench each other and passersby. No matter if you're walking, in a jeep, or motorbike, you can be sure to expect a bucket of water to the face.

I was the unwitting victim of these two gentlemen

Random run in on the streets of Luang Prabang with DEREK from KOREA!

Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng isn't much more than a couple streets and a bus stop. However, because of the opportunity to spend a day floating down the Nam Song River, stopping along the way for a bottle of beer laos and/or a shot of Laos Laos (moon shine-esq Laos wisky - usually served from a used water bottle), a lot of backpackers consider it heaven.

2007-04-24T14:39:00.000+09:00

If you can't take the heat...

Chaing Mai, Thailand

March 29 - April 6

Given that April is the hottest month in Thailand, Chaiang Mai (the countries northern capitol) was scorching. However, the weather wasn't the only thing cooking. During my one week stay with Liz and her family I was able to go on an elephant trek, ride a bamboo raft, take a samlor tour, attend a Thai concert, help out at a youth drop-in, and try my hand at some traditional Thai cooking.

It's always good to have an elephant handy in case you need to get somewhere

I'm pretty sure Indiana Jones almost died on a bridge like thisNorthern Thailand Hill tribe

Heart Of The Street (HOTS) Samlor event

"Carabou" charity concert
(Thai equivalent to 'The Tragically Hip")

Open Hands:
A youth drop-in for the kids who work selling flowers
and crafts on the streets of Chiang Mai at night

Jennifer Anne Dumaran: Culinary Master

Another fabulous dinner with the Kalnin's

The tuk tuk drivers in Chiang Mai work REALLY hard

2007-03-29T20:58:00.000+09:00

Bangkok Bang

March 22 to 28

Although my time in Bangkok wasn't spent sight seeing, I had a fantastic time and really love the city. I ended up focusing on two activites much more dear to my heart then visiting temples and palaces: 1.) Eating 2.) Shopping, both made all the more pleasurable as I was able to scoure the cities markets and restaurants with my friend Liz.
However, we did manage to spice up our visit a little with a trip to the Tiger Temple, and get a small dose of culture by seeing a traditional Thai puppet theater.
Thanks to Liz and here sister Sonya's incredible hospitality I was able to take a break from the hectic pace of backpacking and enjoy my week in Bangkok relaxing in Sonya's beautiful apartment, eating the best food (as only locals know how to choose).
Last night Liz and I took the night sleeper train (suprisingly comfortable for those of you who have never tried) to Liz's home town, Chiang Mai to stay with her family. Here we'll probably hang out with some elephants and do some treking, and while Liz is busy making the world better at work, I've enrolled myself in some Thai cooking classes. Something to look forward to for those of you who might be lucky enough to recieve a dinner invitation from me when I'm finally home!

Reunited and it feels so good...

Liz and I - Guess which one's Thai

Dinner at "Cabbage and Condoms"

Tiger Temple:
Oh... they're real all right
I was able to calm him with a wink and a smile
At the puppet theater

Night train to Chiang Mai

2007-03-21T22:56:00.000+09:00

Koh Phangan a Go Go

March 17 - 21, 2007

Koh Phangan is what I would imagine to be the Thai equivilant to New Orleans, with the monthly Full Moon parties being its Mardi Gras. Lots of people, music, drinks, and all around craziness. But, even on this small island every beach has its own flavour. Haad Rin is the party beach... and pretty much every other beach is just for relaxing.
I spent 3 nights in Haad Rin watching fire dancers on the beach and sipping vodka and red bull from a bucket, and two nights on Ban Tai, a much MUCH quieter beach, to attend the 'Black Moon' party and spend my days swinging away on a hammock.
Even though I'd been craving days of doing nothing, I have to admit that I missed the routine of Muay Thai training. To fill the void I looked up a local gym that trained in Muay Thai and put what I learned in Phuket (which apparently wasn't much) into practice.
Next stop on my '2007 South East Asian Invation' is Bangkok where I'll meet up with my long lost (since new years) friend, DJ Duke and even longer lost (since Queen's) friend, Liz Kalnin!

Haad Rin Beach

Party in a bucket

Fire dancers
Arm wrestling on the beach:
All that Muay Thai training made me confident I could win...
I was wrong

Ban Tai Beach

Dawn through a mosquito net
Black Moon Party
The most beautiful lady-boy painted little flowers on my toe nails!

The only day it rained was the day I signed up for a snorkle tour.. ofcourse

2007-03-15T21:20:00.000+09:00

Muay Thai Maddness

March 9 - 15, 2007

Tiger Muay Thai Camp - Phuket, Thailand

This week Muay Thai kicked my butt. I woke up every morning at 6am to train from 6:30 - 9 and then again at 3pm (probably the hottest part of the day) to 6pm.

What I learned:
1.) Six different punches
2.) Seven ways to elbow someone
3.) How to kick and knee
4.) There's nothing smellier than communal boxing gloves
5.) In a male dominated environment, a little female charm can do wonders in excusing one from having to do push-ups

I also proudly acquired two war wounds in the form of blisters. One on my right foot and another on my left knuckle (from my deadly jab). Now I'm ready for some much deserved lying around. Next stop is Koh Phangan for the black moon party!

Ohhhhh Yeah
(Don't let the fact that you can see my blue underwear lessen the fact that this kick was totally ferocious)

The Tiger Muay Thai Gym Ben - a fellow Canadian (Training for MMA) Me demonstrating said 'deadly jab' on Mike (here training for Golden Gloves) Try and guess which one ISN'T a real Muay Thai fighter
(me showing Oh and Phet a thing or two about Muay Thai) Show off Future Muay Thai warrior
We spent most of our time out of the ring eating

I needed this motor bike helmet in case we rode into a riot

Shanti Lodge - probably the best guest house in Thailand

2007-03-06T17:36:00.000+09:00

Cool-ala Lumpur

Just joking. It's not really cool here. It's actualy unbearably hot. But the good news is that it's cheap and the food is goooooood. Today is my one and only day in the city and all I was able to see were Central Market, China Town, and the Batu Caves (where there were plenty of monkeys terrorizing tourists and stealing bananas).
Tonight I hop onto the night train to Thailand.

CHANGE OF PLANS:
So, I didn't actually end up hopping on that train to Thailand. One day later I'm still in Kuala Lumpur. After hearing about some violence going on in South Eastern Thailand I logged onto the Canadian Embassy's travel advisory and saw that they were suggesting that Canadians travelling in Thailand DO NOT stop in Hat Yai (where my train would have been arriving). I realize that the chances of something actually happening to me while in Hat Yai are slim, but travelling alone I don't want to take ANY chances. So, yesterday I traded in my train ticket to Hat Yai for a plane ticket to Phuket tomorrow. Once in Phuket any of you that might be worrying about me can rest assure that I'll be working hard at my Muay Thai boot camp, learning how to kick box any danger coming my way in the FACE.

Batu Caves

MONKEYS!
City Scape

KL Orchard Gardens

2007-03-05T23:01:00.000+09:00

Singapore Slinging

March 3 to 5, 2007

So the adventure begins. After spending my last night (for now) in the Philippines with my dear Lola (grandma) in Luboa, Panpanga province, I hopped on a plane and headed strait to Singapore.
A strange city country with spotless streets and $500 fines for possession of durian fruit, Singapore was a nice, but EXPENSIVE, way to start my seven week journey. Meeting up with a former student from Herstmonceux on exchange at National University of Singapore (NUS) I was able to score a vacant bed in her residence for the two nights I was there.
The first night we went to a posh, but hardly impressive, club at the Swiss Hotel (cover was $25) on the 71st floor. The view was amazing but the crowd and music were lacking. The next day I spent pinching my leftover pennies and single handedly navigating my way around Singapore (I estimate that I walked approximately 1000 km... That's just approximation) visiting China Town, Little India, Clarks Quay, and Orchard Street. My last stop of the day was Singapore's very own man made beach (made with imported sand, ofcourse) at Sentosa, where I was able to see Singapore's weird lion/mermaid (appropriately named the 'Merlion') mascot and, more importantly, finally drink a 'Singapore Sling' in Singapore*. And of course take a picture of me doing so, because that's what tourists do!
Today I took the long train ride to Kuala Lumpur and am stopped here for the night. Tomorrow I'll explore the city a little before I take the even longer train ride to Thailand tomorrow night.

*Apparently, I should have had my Sling at 'Raffles Hotel' because that's where the Singapore Sling was invented. But I didn't find that out until afterwards, and YOU probably would never have known that either if I hadn't of told you right now.

View from the New Asia Club

China Town Clark's Quay
(Travelling alone makes one an expert in self portraiture)

Singapore's spotless subway - not a Durian fruit in sight
The Merlion at SentosaSentosa

2007-02-24T19:23:00.000+09:00

Beaches and Beyond

After 2 months in the Philippines I finally got to take my long awaited getaway, with my cousin Ana, to Bohol. For those of you who don't know, Bohol is famous for two things: The Chocolate hills and Tarsiers. For those of you who still don't know, read on.

But first... some pictures:

Ana and the mighty Loboc River
The Loboc and I
Our boat ride to Nuts Huts (our 'resort')
The Loboc river
Nuts Huts

The Loboc River at sunset
Our primary modes of transport around Bohol:

Chcolate hills:

It's said that a during the formation of the earth a lovelorn giant cried tear drops that later solidified to form Bohol Island's famous chocolate hills. Twelve hundred and sixty eight tear drops to be exact. All approximately the same size and shape. When viewed from the top It's really kind of weird.

Tarsiers:
Similar to what you might expect if you cross bred an owl with a mouse, a koala bear, and a tree frog. The tarsier is the world's smallest primate and an endangered species. These bite size tree dwellers are fiercely territorial and independent. So much so that the trauma of being taken out of their natural environment and placed in a viewing cage, where they are endlessly poked at and prodded at by humans, can shorten their life span by years. It is even said that the tarsier finds being held in captivity so unbearable that it will commit suicide! So to play it on the safe side Ana and I decided to visit the Philippines Tarsier Foundation, rather then risk the life another one of these precious little aliens by visiting an independent captive tarsier farm... even if we didn't get to gobble one up at the end. Just joking.
Aloha Alona:
After our hectic day of sight seeing Ana and I decided that two days and nights of sun and luxury at near by Panglao Island's Alona Beach was well deserved.

Our Resort - the Alona Kew White Beach
My freshly pedicured toes on the beach
I recycled one of Andreas' old uniforms to make this bikini
Up early for some sunrise Dolphin watching
If you look closely , a dolphin has just submerged, causing the small splash in the upper right hand corner of this picture...
Alona Beach at sunset

2007-02-19T16:09:00.000+09:00

Bye Bye Baby

On a sad note, my sweet boy Andreas left for Iraq last weekend. Please send lots of positive energy and prayers his way so that he can come home safe to me in one years time. Sniff.

How we're spending the next year together

Andreas in his barracks in Kansas

Our favourite picture together
(obviously Korean socks!)

2007-02-19T15:30:00.000+09:00

Sagada

January 27 to 28, 2007

Since I was already cold and wet and north, I decided to keep going. Sagada is a small tourist town even deeper into the mountain province. The only way to get there is by rickety 'Jeep' on narrow, winding, gravel mountain roads. Sagada's famous for its ancient burial caves and hanging coffins. It's also full of wood houses and restaurants that feel like muskoka cottages. I loved it!

Our sweet ride

the road there
Me and my fellow Korean countrymen
Me in a native hat

The Lumiang Burial cave

The steps down and the mouth of the Sumaging Cave:
On our way down there was a group coming up from their own cave tour. Upon emerging from the cave several shouted 'thank God we made it'. Others were doing the sign of the cross. I, in turn told the guide that I'd changed my mind. He said it was too late.

(you can't see them, but I estimate that there were at least a million bats living in there. At least.)
Bingy, our fearless guide, lighting our single gas lantern

It's like I'm Laura Croft.
A rock formation that looks like the rice terraces
The Sugong Hanging Coffins

2007-02-19T14:33:00.000+09:00

Noah's Ark: a home for children

Banaue, Philippines Januaray 24 - February 12, 2007

From the blistering heat of Manila, I made my way north to the Philippine Mountain Province for a three week stay in Banaue, home to the 'eighth wonder of the world' and Noah's Ark home for Children.

Although Noah's Ark is technically an orphanage, most of the children here aren't technically orphans. Because poverty in the Philippines is rampant, many of the children here have families who simply can't afford to feed and care for them. Often there are already too many children for the family to support. Some of the older children are sent here so that they can have a chance to attend (public) school and later on help support the other siblings. But regardless of the family left behind, the children surely find a family here.

A far cry from Oliver Twist or the little orphan Annie, the atmostphere in Noah's Ark is warm and cheerful despite the damp cold climate (reaching a chilling NINE DEGREES during my stay!). A four story white building sitting high on a cliff with a spectacular view of the Banue rice terraces - assuming you can see them through the fog. On a clear day it's probably one of the best views in town.

There are about 37 children living at Noah's Ark in total, with a full time staff of 20 to care for them. All of the children at the orphanage (along with another 100 plus from the surrounding community) are sponsored - given $30 a month - by someone in Canada or America. For the high school kids, if they make good grades and don't get into trouble, Linda (the Canadian Missionary who runs Noah's Ark) will send them to college. This is an opportunity they would never otherwise have. Most of the kids with families don't have much of a chance of ever being adopted. Because, although it is okay to let someone else raise your child in the Philippines, it is extremely shameful to let someone from outside of the family adopt them. A big concern for the families is that if the child is adopted there will be no one left to take care of the parents come their old age.

Although many of the children come from impoverish homes, some broken and dysfunctional, with nowhere else to go, they are constantly smiling and singing. They older ones help take care of the little ones. And the toddlers will climb all over you wanting a piece of your love and affection. Being as cute as they are they don't have to
ask very hard.

At times its heart breaking when you think about the situations they must have come from to eventually find there way here, but mostly heart warming when you become a witness to the community fostered inside the buildings white washed concrete walls.

A view of the Rice Terraces and Valley

Me after a 9 hour winding bumpy bus ride from Manila

Noah's Ark

The KitchenSome staff sorting laundry

Working hard at tiling a wading pool for the toddlers and dogs
Elvis and Mama Lechon
babies
Me and dinner (just joking)
(Noah's Ark also raises chickens and rabbits and dogs (but the dogs aren't for eating))
The local high school
That's Romaline - 15, one of the Noah's Ark kidsBanaue - in the Market
The poverty
Neil and Fances
(Canadian missionaries visiting the orphanage at the same time as myself)
The kids:
(Dudes (5), Noah (4), Darianna (3), Jericho (4), Jon Jon (3), Van Chong (2))

Saturdays:
On a Saturday afternoon the kids can be found playing jackstones or jump rope, when they are not working to pitch in around the house. No X-box in site, the nearest shopping mall or movie theater is hours away.

2006-12-26T20:48:00.000+09:00

When Your Face is a Picasso

My first night in Beutiful Boracay was marked by getting eaten by mosquitos throughout the night and waking up with one eye swollen shut and a lip so fat I started drooling. Bascially I look like quasimotto.

2006-12-22T13:24:00.000+09:00

A Final Farewell

In an attempt to get as much of myself out of Korea as quickly as possible I wore my winter jacket to the post office to mail it home (as I won't be needing it for my upcoming south east asian adventure). In my eagerness/dumbness I left my apartment keys in my jacket pocket and mailed them to Canada along with all of my winter clothing. So, that was good.
Right now I'm leaning out of the window of my newly emptied apartment trying to pick up some wireless. GOOD BYE KOREA it's been a spicy 15 months!

Here are also some final thoughts and sentiments my students wanted to leave me with:

That one gets an 'A+'

2006-12-17T23:09:00.000+09:00

Let it snow!

On a snowy night in Cambridge, Ontario 1981, a sweet innocent little angel was brought into the world. 25 years later... it's still snowing.

2006-12-17T22:54:00.000+09:00

"... Is it a cat in a hat?"

Doing some winter hat shopping in Seoul on a Sunday afternoon.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-03T22:10:00.000+09:00

Dance Dance Revolution

With only three weeks left in Korea, there is still an endless list of new things to try before leaving.

Go to the local arcade to play Dance Dance Revolution - check
Life complete - check

Sara and I seem to be showing mild symptoms of physical dislexia.
This may be cause for alarm.

Andrew's turn...
pathetic

These two 10 year olds schooled us... They had moves I'd never seen.

And since we were there why wouldn't I play this game?

... or eat hot buttered squid.

2006-12-01T01:32:00.000+09:00

Pandamania!

An early birthday gift from Andrew!!!

Hat's like this alone are worth living in Asia for!

2006-11-22T11:43:00.000+09:00

Free Hugs

... are sweeping the globe

The Video

including South Korea

2006-11-18T00:00:00.000+09:00

Seoul Collection

Some pictures from my elitist socialite lifestyle as I attend my very first fashion show in Seoul (By "elitist" I mean that any bum off the street can pay $8 for a ticket). But it still rocked my face, and I still consider myself to be some what superior to all of you Non-Fashion show attenders.

Also, since the turn over rate is so high over here and many of my friends are long gone, this is my only means of getting any sort of affection these days.

(that's me on the left - lonely creature that I am)

2006-11-11T20:20:00.000+09:00

Another Year, Another Peppero Day

The charm of Korea is beginning to wear off on me 13 and a half months later. Today I had a shopping list of mint leaves, honey, and salt. I came home empty handed. I'm looking forward to a north american grocery store more than I ever thought I would.
5 weeks and counting before my South East Asian adventure begins. Today I received approximately 1 000 needles in my upper arms in order to prep and and defend me against any sickness that even thinks about rearing its ugly little head in my direction. It has also been a good 6 weeks since I've purchased any sort of panda paraphernalia.
In other news Andreas has just moved to his training camp in Kansas. I miss him severely. He'll be there until February when he leaves for Iraq. Please keep him in your prayers.

This blog is getting soooo boring.

2006-08-29T21:31:00.000+09:00

Beijing Top 10

10. Conquering the great wall of China!!!

9. Rickshaw ride into on coming traffic

8. Kicking DJ'S ass in Xian!!!

7. watching Ballroom dancing, ribbon twirling, and water scripting at the Temple of Heaven park

6. Boat ride across the lake at the Summer Palace

5. The Terra Cotta Warriors

4. Rubbing this mythological animal's bum for good luck

3. Flying kites in Tianamen Square

2. Riding this AWESOME HOT PINK BIKE through the Hu Tongs

1. Discovering new food - how bloody is that noun, I wonder?

2006-08-19T11:13:00.000+09:00

On Turning Korean

Yesterday, while sitting on the subway a sudden realization came to me, almost knocking me off of my seat. In the last 11 months, completely unbeknowst to me, I have begun to turn korean. It's true. This was confirmed when I took a moment to look down into my hands and registered that the snack I'd purchased for my commute was, in fact 'soft roasted dry squid'... and that I love it. For your interest I've compiled a list of evidence supporting my gradual change of identity.

1.) I snack on dried squid.
2.) I buy and wear t-shirts that read 'I ♥Panda'.
3.) I specifically order the pizza with potato and corn toppings, extra pickles.
4.) I use (and by 'use' I mean invented) the expression 'Yogi Chogi'.
5.) I wear headbands.
6.) I wear knee length shorts and high heels to work.
7.) I employ the word 'trash-ie' to enquire about the garbage.
8.) I enjoy communal bathing.
9.) I can't think of any adjectives beyond 'delicious' to describe food.
10.) I sport, upon my own request, a styled asian mullet.

2006-07-19T00:03:00.000+09:00

Time to get DIRTY!
Pictures from the Boryeong Mud Fest (July 15 - 17). What what.

On the train ride to Daechon
Our spacious minbok (hostle room)
Our luxurious beds
My $3 last minute hello kitty flip flops (and freshly painted toes)
The Beach
The Festival
Korean girl in bikini and high heels sinking into the sand as she walks. whatever.
DIRTY FUN HAVERS!

Danielle making Mud Angels
DJ is filthy
Sara and I in the Obstacle Course. I totally kicked her butt.

After all the dirt, what's a little bit of rain?
Clam Bake
Waiting for the train home in the rain... and still smiling

2006-06-26T11:55:00.000+09:00

Red Devil Feeeeeevah!

Pictures from the World Cup pandemonium in Seoul:

Two Million plus Korean Soccer fans gathered at 4am at City Hall, in a sea of red light-up devil horn headbands, to cheer on their beloved Red Devils battling it out against Switzerland this past Saturday morning... this sentence could run on forever...
YES! In with the real Koreans

Priorities in order: 1.) street meat 2.) soccer game

Red Devil's say 'Kimchi'

PIIIIIGHTING!!!

How's THIS for spirit

2006-06-18T18:27:00.000+09:00

Happy Father's Day Daddy!!!

In honour of this great day and the great man that is my dad:
(sorry that I didn't get to actually send you anything, but I didn't think that you would appreciate flowers as much as Mom did on Mother's day... hopefully all the love in my heart is enough. I hope you're not gagging from my sappyness. I'm almost making myself gag).

I LOVE YOU!
Signed with love and affection,

Your Pride and Joy/ Light of your life

2006-06-08T00:55:00.000+09:00

Seoul Lantern Festival

I realize that I've been blogging like a maniac these past few days (if maniacs infact blog), but Andrew's finally handed over a whole bunch of photos that I had been patiently waiting on since the end of April. The following are all from the lantern festival, about a month ago, held downtown Seoul to celebrate Buddah's birthday.

As far as I can understand, people are supposed to write their wishes on these coloured pieces of paper and then attach them to the strings. Andrew was supposed to take a picture of ME tying on my wish, but I guess he got confused and took a picture of another asian girl instead.

Here's me showing off my MAD double-dutching skills.

Danielle and I in Sari's. I don't really know why.

Danielle, DJ, and Andrew outside of the temple.

The Parade

Me walking in the Parade.

Me, Korean posing with this... thing

2006-06-06T19:52:00.000+09:00

Patio Tuesday
Here's us downtown having fun on our middle of the week day off.

Andrew and DJ

oh... how embarassing
Now I'm ready for a pictureokay, go away now please

Danielle, DJ, and I
Andrew's soooo popular... or so he would have us thinkCan't take DJ anywhere...

2006-06-04T18:45:00.000+09:00

Sunday Afternoon at the Races

Today was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. A perfect day to make my maiden trip to the Seoul Race Course. Considering that I have no idea how to bet on horses I think I did pretty well, winning in three of four races that I had put money on. Basically I stuck with the Sara Cation method of picking a winner by looking at their age and weight. As she so logically put it, 'an old fat horse isn't going to win'. Wiser words were never spoken.

All in all, I bet w3000 and left with a cool w3600. Or in laymen's terms, enough for a hand print sandwich and an ice cream cone tomorrow afternoon.

2006-06-01T10:39:00.000+09:00

Finding Seoul

Sorry that i haven't updated this blog in about ten years... But it's hard to come up with new and entertaining things on a regular basis. Atleast ones that mom and dad can read about. Just joking mom and dad...

Instead, here are some pictures.

Oh, but first. Let's just talk about how lucky we are in North America to rarely have to witness our food being prepared for us. I'm sure that a Korean kitchen is really no worse than any kitchen in Canada but it's just right there in the open... looking gross. My friend Matt was so use to pulling hairs out of his food that by the time he had left it didn't even phase him. A hair here, a hair there, and keep on eating. Miss you Matt!!!
So, the other day I'm having a sandwich made across the street from my school. Usualy there's a young guy that puts the sandwiches together and he's pretty good, using plastic gloves and what not. However, an older man took my order and pulled two slices of bread out of the the toaster... bare hands. Whatever, that's cool.
As he lays out my bread some new customers come by and start talking to him. In the midsts of this new distraction he seems to have forgotten that MY SLICE OF BREAD is still under his paw and proceeds to just REST HIS HAND on top of it as he continues to carry on an indepth, life changing conversation with the new customers!!!
I mean, SERIOUSLY. That's gross. You may think that I'm over reacting... but it was a good 3 to 4 minutes. Ask DJ, he was there. However, not being able to speak Korean and despite desperate efforts to get a new piece of bread, I still ended up eating the sandwhich in the end. And, i'll be honest, it was pretty good.
Moral of the story is: Try and distract yourself while Koreans are making your food.

Okay, back to those pictures:

Cheonggyecheon river at night
Seoul

Hongdae Art Market about three weeks ago

DJ the Friendly Giant

Girls Night on the town

Catching the 6am Subway home

At the Picasso Exhibit last weekend
Seoul Museum of Art

Oh, and PS. I met a really great guy on Sunday... but he left the country today (Thursday). My timing is killing me.

2006-05-18T02:39:00.000+09:00

Teacher! Teacher!

Here is a poem written for and about me by my all time favourite class... You'll be able to see that they return the sentiment:

J - Jennifer is good teacher.
E - English Teacher is good.
N - No, she isn't
N - No, No, No
I - I think she is not so good teacher
F - Fox like her (???)
E - Ehhhhhh..(this is not, as you might think, a reference to my Canadian-ness... rather, it should be read more as a wretch)
R - Robin Hood wants to marry with her. (again - ???)

The Proud Poet Himself... and not too modest to take full credit for his work

As I already mentioned, this is my favourite class... ever. EVER. First of all, they're all soooo smart. And they're young... so this means that they talk, and they're completely uninhibited in what they say, which is refreshing. Also, they're hilarious. So, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a little bit disappointed when 'Teacher's Day' rolled around this past Monday and I didn't even recieve so much as a 'happy teacher's day' greeting from them.
However, today, waking to my class room I noticed that all my lights were out. This is not an unusual occurence. For some reason, classes never stop thinking it's funny to 'surprise' you by quickly turning on the lights and jumping out from behind their desks.
As I opened the door, ready to feign shock at their cunning ability to conceal themselves from me, I was greated by the explosion of pary poppers and a great big 'SURPRISE!!!'. As the lights came on I noticed my white board covered in balloons, framing a large 'THANK YOU TEACHER'.
As if that wasn't enough, they proceeded to present me with a heap of my favourite chocolate bars. I was completely speechless... and on the verge of tears. It was amazing. They're amazing. So, today i liked being a teacher... mainly because there were gifts involved. Just Joking.

As a complete aside... Here's me and a cute hat I bought in Hongdae last Saturday!

2006-05-14T12:52:00.000+09:00

A little bit of D and R

CONGRATULATIONS DONNA AND RICHARD!!!

We just recieved the fabulous news of Donna and Richard's engagement!!!
You two are amazing and we miss YOUR FACES in Korea sooooooo much!

2006-04-29T08:18:00.000+09:00

Springtime in Korea... a montage

A random selection of photos that i feel best represent the past month in Korea... enjoy!!!

The official wedding photo...
DJ and I are bound by both love and a COSTCO spousal membership.

Blossoms

Bicycle and Blossoms
(me and my primary mode of local transportation)

Up on the Roof
(from the Haeinsa Temple weekend)

Lindsay and I
(in my favourite Insadong tea house)

Parade

Soju and I

THE END

2006-04-01T12:27:00.000+09:00

A Pinnical of Cultural Acceptance
What is THIS about??? Here's an article, copy and pasted, from the Korean Herald.

Canadians banned from group for cultural understanding

An organization that promotes cultural understanding and brings together people from different nations is open for anyone in Seoul to join. Anyone that is, except Canadians.

In a classified ad in KScene, a free biweekly magazine, World Class describes itself as a group that "brings together all nationalities to discuss world issues and break down cultural barriers and prejudices."

Breaking down the prejudices, however, doesn't extend to all countries. "No Canadians please," the ad continues.

When contacted by a Korea Herald reporter by e-mail, the organizer of the group, Bernard Carleton, elaborated further, "The thing is, CANADIANS ARE SCUM! They are self-loving, welfare supporting, over taxing, work ethic hating scum!!! They are not welcome in our group."

Anyone who would like to join the meetings with Carleton in order to break down prejudices, dissolve stereotypes and have an enhanced understanding of people from other countries can contact him at cbicsmd@yahoo.com.

2006-03-27T00:33:00.000+09:00

Pictures from Haeinsa Temple Stay

Me in front on Haeinsa Temple entrance Me trying to throw coins into a turtle for luck. Considering my athletic ability I won't be getting lucky any time soon... Our sleeping Quarters DJ and I riding a Dragon Dragons Temple Love Monks on drums The Tripitaka Koreana Group shot of newly enlightened English Teachers

2006-03-26T23:58:00.000+09:00

Hey Buddha
This weekend, several teachers and i travelled far and great distances to experience a buddist temple stay at the Haeinsa Temple near Daegu. This is one of those things that foreigners do in Korea, much like visiting the DMZ, that contributes to the greater cultural experience and understanding, dispite it not being fun (fun being defined as 'behaviour or activity that is intended purely for amusement and should not be interpreted as having serious purposes'... quite similar to this blog).

Here's a sample of our temple stay schedule:
(Saturday evening - Sunday afternoon)
Saturday
pm. 5:30 - Dinner
Dinner consisted of plain white rice, kim chi (spicy fermented cabbage as referred to in previous bloggings), and some tofu and veg in a colourless broth. As we found out a bit to too late, there is not supposed to be any talking during the meal, and when we were finished eating, we had to rinse out our bowls with cold water, and then drink it to avoid any wast. Just joking... but only about the drinking our dish water.
6:30 - Evening Ritual Ceremony
This was basically 3 hours of chanting and bowing. I stayed for about 45 minutes... and didn't partake in the chanting or bowing. The thing that was interesting about this was that, I hadn't realized how ritualistic and worship based a religion Buddhism was. Unfortunately, even though we were there to learn and expereince a bit about Buddhism, no one actually explained to us what all the fuss was about.
9:00 - Bed time and lights out
Here's a picture of my bed.
Basically, surpassing the lap of luxury. If luxury is a bare concrete floor.
We also shared this room with approximately 25 lola's (grandmother's). They were all very kind to us though and helped us settle in... and they gave us candy.

Sunday
am. 3:00 - rising
3:00 - morning ritual ceremony (another 2.5 hours of chanting and bowing)
I opted out of both of these activities... resonably guilt free.
6:10 - Breakfast
White rice and seeweed... quite nice actually.
After Breakfast we did a short hike to another temple. Incline walking before 7am is something i've decided i can live quite happily without.
9:00 - 11:00 - morning nap (this was my own addition to the schedule)
10:00 - Ritual ceremony
Unfortunately I missed this due to the aforementioned alteration to the original schedule.
11:20 - Lunch (you should know what to expect by now)

After lunch we took a gander around the temple grounds. Haeinsa is actually one of the more famouse temples in Korea. It is an official UNESCO site and home to the Tripitaka Koreana. All in all it was not a bad weekend. I was a failure on several fronts, as far as ritual ceremony attendence was concerned, but it was definately worth seeing and doing in the end. Plus, some of those Buddist Monks were surprisingly handsome.

2006-03-15T00:53:00.000+09:00

Happy White Day!
These Koreans LOVE their comercial holidays! Today, March 14th is celebrated as ‘White Day’ Nation wide. To get to the bottom of this we need to start in 1960’s Japan, where a supposed marshmellow company decided that chocolate was dominating the valentines sweets market, in turn creating ‘White Day’. However, the mass marshmellow consumption that the day was originally created to promote doesn’t seem to have carried over as well as the day itself.

In order for these ‘love’ holidays to not appear too redundant to the masses (since they do follow each other in consecutive months), in this part of the world Valentine’s day is a time for men to be showered with tokens of love by their ladies. oh la la. Seeing as men carry the monopoly on February 14th, women are alloted ‘White Day’ for their own. Intrigued, i dug a little deeper. Here’s a quote from an internet site i found discussing the topic.

“There is another special day like Valentine's Day in Korea. We call that day 'White Day." White Day is on March 14. It is just the contrary of Valentine's Day. Many boys and young men give chocolates to their girl friends. Some confess their love to their girlfriends on that day, so many young women look forward to it.”
Excuse me, i just vomited in my mouth.

So what about us singles? As if having one day dedicated to candlelight (vomit), and roses (vomit), and cheesy stuffed animals spouting off love ballads in battery operated voices, wasn’t enough to make us want to gag. Well come one come all to Korea. You’ll all be gald to know that on April 14th, one month from today is a day dedicated to singles and singles alone! how exciting. The name of this day is... dun dun dun... BLACK DAY. On this day singles gather together, eat noodles in black sauce, and contimplate their lonely black hole existance. Thanks for the recognition!

2006-02-26T15:35:00.001+09:00

Easy like Sunday Morning...
This weekend we finally cashed in on our grand prize for our musical fireworks as the YES Youngdo Christmas Staff Party back in January. Here are some pictures from our brunch at the Hyatt... REAL coffee, crepes, salmon, steak, lamb, CHEESE ... it may not seem too impressive to most of you, but in a country where spicy fermented cabage is the staple dish, a little champaign and orange juice on a Sunday morning can just about save your life (and by life i mean sanity)...

2006-02-22T01:24:00.000+09:00

Typical
I died when i saw this. This video clip basically epitomizes exactly what i've been talking about... and by that i mean KOREA...

http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/offbeat/2006/02/19/vo.pajama.day.reut

annnnnnd... drumroll

i put in a new nose ring (Sorry mom and dad... i know that you'll both hate it).

2006-02-13T01:57:00.000+09:00

That's the Way I Rike It...
My obsession with breakdancers continues. This weekend, some friends and i went to watch 'B-Boy Unit Volume 8", an international bboy competition being held in Seoul. It was HOT. The dancing was amazing. I can barely wrap my mind around it. It was SICK... seriously. The thing is, i love everything about it! I love the dancing, the music, the bboys ;)... but i think that if i were any where apart from korea, i never would have taken to it as much as i have.

Really, the most appealing thing about the hip hop/bboy culture here is that it's just that... a total sub culture in, what can sometimes seem to be, a nation of robots. It can be so frustrating some times talking to my kids... the little ones are great because they're still young enough to have free minds, but once they get into middle school it often just seems like they are being molded to live in a very black and white, yes and no society.

So, yeah, i love watching break dancing... but i love seeing people in korea that are moving against the grain... people with piercings, and tatoos (which is illegal here), and crazy hair, that don't comply with this Korean ideal that every man must be and think this way, while every female must act and make herself that way. The forum for individual expression in this country is meager at best. And, although it is not publically frowned upon, it seems to me... and all i really am, is an outsider looking in... that society doesn't allow much leeway for anyone to stray very far from its own precieved notion of sucess...
rambling... sorry, this wasn't even what i was going to talk about... hence the title of this blog not corresponding with anything i've just written. This is all generally speaking ofcourse. And, like it said, all my own opinion. And really, what do i know.

Basically, i was going to say that, apart from the dancing there were two highlights to the night:
1.) getting amazing seats simply for being foreigners!

and

2.) a guest preformance by this amazing korean beat boxer who sang... 'B-BOYS! That's the way, uh-huh uh-huh, i RIKE it!!!'
that's the way i rike it too!!!

2006-02-01T01:23:00.000+09:00

My Little Monsters
Note my favourite child EVER... wearing the tiger head hat. She also wrote the story about the fat dog blowing up. BOOM!

This is Enda and Andy. Andy (right) is one of the cutest kids ever. He has a little mullet, but it's okay.
These girls are great. They're not in my class anymore. I miss them...
These are some of my kids from before Christmas.

2006-01-26T19:53:00.000+09:00

Why does no one ever post comments for me??? hello???

2006-01-25T20:37:00.000+09:00

Tales of a Fat Dog... and more
Nothing much happening on this end of the world. I realize that everyone at home is up in arms over the new conservative minority government... but, atleast our north isn't communist!
So, for the sake of blog up keep, here's what's new with me. And, don't get your hopes up, because it's not exciting.

1. I cut all my hair off... viola!

2. As a Chinese New Years gift our school's head office gave us all a giant gift wrapped box of apples. Landom, but much appreciated.

3. I've decided that it is my new life ambition to become a hip hop dancer. Last weekend i went to go see a hip hop/break dancing show down town called 'The Ballerina that Fell in Love with a B-Boy"...
from there i've taken to watching the movie 'You Got Served' (staring B2K and IMx) every other night. I'm a loser. It my be the worst movie... that i ever loved. I can't get enough. Again, i'm a loser.

4. Today, purely for my own amusment, i showed my kids this picture (taken by jeff brez while in thailand)...
and told them to write a story about it. Here's a taste of what they were able to produce:
The dog many eat. It happen is at house. First, he likes food. Next, he is very very fat and his girlfriend is leave. He is want to die and is very sad. The End. - Andy

The dog is FAT. This happens in America. His mother was very fat, his father was very fat, too. He eats so much. He was very fat. The End. - Kevin

The dog much eat. He is eating many foods. His friends don't like him because he is very very fat. He is going home. He is sleeping. He must diet. - Alex

AND

The dog's stomache is blow up. It happened in the bathroom. First, the dog eat candy, chips, chocolate, ice cream, sandwich, fruit, juice. Next, the dog is very stomache ache, then he go to the bathroom. The dog's stomache is blow up. He is die. Die. BOOM. - Sophia

2006-01-08T15:08:00.000+09:00

Rock and Roll Baby
Last night was a night of musical... hmmm... if not success, then at least competence. The company I work for hosted a New Years/Christmas party for all of it's staff at a posh hotel downtown Seoul. Althought the food was AMAZING... the program was boarderline making me want to end my life from boredom. However, the night did peak when our school campus won the grand prize for our poignant rendition of I will follow him, from the cinematic masterpiece, 'Sister Act I'.

Afterwards, to wake ourselves up from the dead, we headed down to Hongdae, the university bar and clubbing area, for some good times. It was only appropriate that we eventually ended up at a Norae Bong (or Karaoke Room, for you non-koreans) to finish off the night properly.

2006-01-04T18:43:00.000+09:00

I heart Hong Kong
Well...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Although i'm already back to the tedious grind of teaching Korean children the magic of the english language ("no, it's actually called a L-obster... not a 'Robster'"), I had an amazing holiday in Hong Kong!

1.) Korea was -10 degrees... Hong Kong 20 degrees... Hong Kong wins.
2.) Everybody (EVERYBODY) speaks english in Hong Kong!! EVERYBODY. hmm... remember what it was like when things were easy? I'd almost forgotten.
3.) Hong Kong is probably the coolest city in asia... possibly the world.
It's pretty cool... It's basically a city right out of the future. Everything is super hightech and spotlessly clean... but there's still a little bit of dirty china town in there... yeah, it's pretty cool.

We (my co-worker/ friend Denise and I) arrived on the 24th and basically didn't stop till we left on the 30th. It was a crazy time. Lot's of eating, shopping, and partying. All the things we love best!!!

Here's us with some Christmas carollers in Causway Bay (where we were staying)

Happy New Years... er... I mean... christmas??? In Hong Kong, Christmas Eve is celebrated the same way as New Years... you name it. Party masks, noise makers, champaign, count down etc.

This is 'Isola', our favourite place in Hong Kong. A great Martini Bar on top of the International Finace Centre (IFC)... expensive drinks... but killer atmosphere and view

The Kow Loon Sky line from the 'Isola' patio

Here's us...

View of the IFC

This is the INSANE line up to get to 'Lon Kwai Fong' (the most popular clubbing/ bar scene on Hong Kong Island) on Christmas Eve

This is us foregoing the crowd and making our own party at 'Lush' a hole in the wall bar off of Hollywood Ave

And, here are some whole ducks, heads included, hanging in a storefront in Causway Bay... hungry?

Denise and I with some Weirdo Clowns in this crazy 11 story mall

Me at Isola

Oh, hi drunken Santa (Lan Kwai Fong)

Random Canadian Horse... Why wouldn't there be one?

Drinking Champaign at 'Sugar'... where the floors are actually covered in Sugar

So... you like meat?

.. then you'll LOVE these cooked ducks with heads...

This is in a Russian Bar where they give you these fur coats and hats so that you can go into a ice room and drink vodka... random... or 'Landom' as my students would say

Cheers to Hong Kong! our last night...

2005-12-19T00:30:00.000+09:00

Turning 24 in Seoul
Some pictures from my birthday weekend:

Saturday Night at the 'HIP HOP bar'... or the 'Black music' club

Korean Street meat...
surprisingly delicious!!!
(for the most part)

Sunday Night at the Platinum Micro Brewery in Gangnam

2005-12-10T23:44:00.000+09:00

What's New...
I finally caved in, and for the first time in my life i have a cell phone. Here in Korea - land of technology - every man, woman and child (including ALL of my students) has a better cell phone then me. Mine is old and GHETTO... but it can make and receive calls, and I guess that's good enough. I really struggled with the decision to finally activate mine (which was actually handed down to me by Sarah Cation when she made her move to Thailand), as I've survived without one for so long. But in the end it just makes sense to have one.
It's taken me forever to even figure out how to use the stupid thing. Yesterday, it took me my entire break to send a text message, and for atleast a week i was sending them with no puncuation because i just didn't know how. I'm a technological idiot...
So, my kid's laugh at it whenever i whip it out to check for messages or the time (as i never wear watch, something else i'm apparently against)... but that's the cross i bear as a poor english teacher trying to survive in this mass of foreign asian chaos.

Today, Jessica and i also spent the day shopping in the 'the express bus terminal'... impressive name i know. This is an overwhelming underground laberith of korean shops, similar to a flea market. Mostly we were searching out cheap and funny kon-glish covered clothing (notice the use of illiteration)... it's amazing some of the non-sense these crazy koreans come up with. I mean, there'll just be a grouping of random words on a shirt that have NO meaning... whatsoever.

ie. Love bright the world, apart consign we see you recycled!!! Horse!!!
***i just made that up, but that could very well BE a shirt that you might find in korea... it probably even makes more sense then most of the shirts i've seen around here

Although, there were a lot of pretty funny ones, most were just too ugly to even consider buying... even for the whopping $3-5 they were being sold for. They just can't seem to get it right with fashion in this country. However, when you find something good... it's GOOD. Case in point are the two pairs of shoes that i spoiled myself with by buying today...

1.) these boots are chocolate brown VELVET!!!
i could just eat them i love them so much

2.) how cute are these little white beaded mocks-(short for mocasins)

and the best part about them is - THEY HAVE FOOT PRINT SOLES!!!
(I'm obviously very excited)

Sorry that my shoes are the best things that i have to write about right now... I'm going to HONG KONG in two weeks, so more exciting things are to come.

2005-12-10T21:24:00.000+09:00

Long Cold Day... Long Cold War
Being a regular glutton for punishment, last weekend I sacrificed my saturday by waking up before the sun itself, to set out for a visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Although the day was looooong and stinkin' cold, and now come to think of it, NOT FUN AT ALL... it was an experience i wouldn't have been able to leave Korea without. Here are some pictures (there are only about 4 pictures, because i couldn't bear to take my hands out of my mittens long enough to actually take more) and information (taken from K-scene Seoul magazine - 11/26/2005 issue):

The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a 4 kilometers-wide strip of land straddling the 151 mile long Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The July 27, 1953 Armistice Agreement established the DMZ along the approximate line of ground contact between the opposing forces at the time the truce ended the Korean War. However, the Korean War is not officially over - there was a truce but not a negotiated settlement.

This is the room where the truce negotiations took place. The half way point of the room is actually North Korea, with a guard continually standing guard over the door opening onto enemy territory.

By being at the DMZ we were literally standing in the middle of one of history's unfolding sub-plots. The ROK (Republic of Korea) Soldiers guard every inch of their teritory with the same intensity as if the war could break out again any minute. Here you can see soldiers standing with only half of their bodies exposed to the enemy side. This simply to keep them, atleast, half conceled and to give the enemy a smaller range of visibilty if shooting were to break out.

This is Kichong-dong, or what the UN troops call "Propaganda Village". It is a small North Korean settlement, named so, because until recently large speakers were set up to constantly air Pro North Korean Sentement through out the village and for miles around. The large tower in the centre is a flag pole that on a windy day dispalys a flag that is equivilant in size to a three story building. Except for a small custodial staff, no one actually lives in Kichong-dong. The buildings are all empty shells, and have no windows or floors. Although North Koreans work the fields by day, they are all removed from the area before dark.

If you're interested in more information here's a good site to check out:
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0307/feature1/

2005-11-29T01:33:00.000+09:00

SMILE
I realize that pictures are much more interesting then anything else i could put on here, so... enjoy!

Very be-lated Halloween pictures:

left to right: Donna, Tiff, Jessica, Me, Erin. Front: Sarah, Elizabeth

Donna, Andrew, and Tiff

Sarah and I

Jamie and Tiff arm wrestling
(at the Roxen, a foreigners bar in Anyang city)

Elizabeth is a paper crane... a girl after my own heart

Andrew re-applying Donna's whiskers

Erin and I

My lamo costume is Medusa... which is only because of the five or so barely visable plastic snakes in my hair. Disapointing i know... but this IS korea.

2005-11-25T01:47:00.000+09:00

303 Graceville - Makeover Edition
As sad as it was to see Sarah go, the pain of her departure was slightly eased by the inheritance of most of her funiture. Here's the complete product... i love this apartment more then any place i've lived so far. I don't know what kind of emotional damage is going to occure when i have to leave it behind in ten months time...

Before

After

Before

After

2005-11-21T01:18:00.000+09:00

Insodong
Insodong is a GREAT little area in Seoul. In a country where everything looks like it was put up as quickly and efficiently as possible, with no aesthetic consideration, Insodong is a small breath of fresh (or polluted) air. One cobble stone street, filled with vendors and tea houses and shops selling 'traditional' Korean merchandise... a trap for foreingers that i willingly fall into everytime i'm there! and i love it!

This is a great little tea house with dim lighting, low tables, paper screens and little birds that fly around the ceiling...

Don't belive me... here are some of the birds... so there

Inside... how perfect is it, really?

Me - saying something VERY interesting and important... as usual...

Andrew - hanging on my every word... as usual

Sarah - drinking tea... as usual (?)
(i don't know where i'm going with this one)

Another perk about Insodong, is that you can buy a bunny on the street...
if you so choose.

(look at how quick that little one in the corner is)

This guy's making noodles in the window... AND getting upset with people taking pictures of him making noodles. Which would make sense if he had chosen to NOT stand in the window, of a tourist area, whilst making his noodles.
Lamps

***All photo's curtesy of one Miss Sarah Hunter, who will leave Korea to return to reality on Thursday.

2005-11-12T02:41:00.000+09:00

Some Traditional Korean Palace Shots (a la three weeks ago)
Here are some belated pictures of the Biwon (the "Secret" Garden), in Changdeok palace, in the heart of Seoul. Filled with woodland paths, lotus ponds, and pleasure pavilions. It was first landscaped in 1623 and served for centuries as a royal retreat.
***this information was obviously cut and paste from a Seoul Tourist information website

2005-11-12T00:35:00.000+09:00

Pepero Day
Novermber 11. Rememberance Day to some, 'Pepero day' to all of South Korea. 'What is 'pepero'?', you may wonder... Simple. It is a chocolate dipped bread stick. And in this country there is a Nation wide DAY devoted to it. Seriously.
Similar to Valentines day, one would buy the one they love pepero's. However, the theme of the day isn't 'love' it's actually 'pepero'. That would be like us having a 'Tim Horton's day' where we would all be expected to buy each other decorative baskets full of timbits and stuffed puppies, to not only show our affection for one another, but also to celebrate the sheer existance of Tim Horton's itself. What corporate genius could have fathomed that this entire country would actually buy into such a blatent marketing ploy? Astounding really. The best part of this whole day is the reason WHY 'Pepero Day' falls on Novermeber 11th. Simple. 11 11... looks like four peopro sticks lying side by side. obviously.

check it out:
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2005/11/11/200511110022.asp

2005-10-16T18:10:00.000+09:00

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.

2005-10-15T23:56:00.000+09:00

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".

2005-10-15T03:10:00.000+09:00

check out some pics at:

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

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

2005-10-15T01:19:00.000+09:00

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'.

2005-10-15T01:14:00.000+09:00

Said pair of 'sexy panty's'

2005-10-06T02:00:00.000+09:00

Beomgye statioln after dark

2005-10-06T01:58:00.000+09:00

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

2005-10-06T01:57:00.000+09:00

ice skating

2005-10-06T01:56:00.000+09:00

shooting range
(notice cartoon racoon mascot brandishing pistol)

2005-10-06T01:42:00.000+09:00

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

2005-10-06T01:26:00.000+09:00

'tonuts' anyone?

2005-10-04T15:41:00.000+09:00

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...

2005-10-04T09:59:00.000+09:00

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.