Wow, it's been over 2 months since I've posted an entry! I kept thinking about doing it, but the past few months have been so busy! First, with my Mom's visit and then planning for my best friend Lilly's visit and finally my trip to Singapore with lots of preplanning. All of that required my extra time and so blog was pushed aside. I will work on updating posts, working from present to mid-March when I last posted. Yikes! Hopefully pictures will follow, but...who knows.
Today was a tough day to come back to work. After a nice 3 day weekend spent in Singapore I was greeted with my longest teaching day. The good news is the 3 remaining work days are all pretty easy.
After work I did some errands and worked out. It has suddenly become hot here in Korea; we hit mid 80s for the high. While I love the sun and heat, going for a run in this weather was quite discouraging so I decided to do some other exercises in my room instead of a normal run.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Travel Day
My flight out of Singapore was scheduled for 1:20am. The flight was delayed because of bad weather in Hong Kong. When I finally boarded the plane, I immediately fell asleep. When I woke, maybe an hour and a half later there was a boxed meal on my tray. Inside, an egg sandwich, an orange juice, kitkat bar and some fruit. I ate some of the food and possibly watched a movie (unfortunately I can't remember...)
We landed in Hong Kong a little bit later than scheduled, which was fine with my connecting flight time. I transferred and then took a nap by the gate. We boarded and I fell asleep again right after getting on the plane. This time, my nap was a little bit shorter, maybe 30 minutes long and again, they were just serving the inflight meal. I picked a chicken rice porridge which wasn't that great. I watched part of the new Planet of the Apes movie, but missed the last 20 some minutes because there wasn't enough time.
Finally back on Korean soil, I went through customs and traveled home. I was tempted to lay down and sleep, but seeing as it was around 2pm didn't think it would be the best idea. Instead I unpacked, did laundry and cleaned my room a bit. I then went through my photos on my computer and finally went to get some kimbap for dinner. I watched one of the last new Doctor Who episodes with dinner and decided to go to bed early-it was around 9pm when I was ready for bed.
We landed in Hong Kong a little bit later than scheduled, which was fine with my connecting flight time. I transferred and then took a nap by the gate. We boarded and I fell asleep again right after getting on the plane. This time, my nap was a little bit shorter, maybe 30 minutes long and again, they were just serving the inflight meal. I picked a chicken rice porridge which wasn't that great. I watched part of the new Planet of the Apes movie, but missed the last 20 some minutes because there wasn't enough time.
Finally back on Korean soil, I went through customs and traveled home. I was tempted to lay down and sleep, but seeing as it was around 2pm didn't think it would be the best idea. Instead I unpacked, did laundry and cleaned my room a bit. I then went through my photos on my computer and finally went to get some kimbap for dinner. I watched one of the last new Doctor Who episodes with dinner and decided to go to bed early-it was around 9pm when I was ready for bed.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Walked All Over
This morning, I woke when I heard Michelle's alarm go off around 7 or so. We all woke super groggy. She took off around 8:30 and then called me shortly after. She didn't have enough change to take the MRT to the airport and the taxi would take any card BUT a Visa...I went downstairs to lend her some cash and said goodbye again.
Back up in the room, Ryan and I got ready to visit the pool one more time. It was nice because I forgot to take pictures of the amazing infinity pool in the daylight (the night time photos are pretty spectacular, but I wanted to have some from the day as well). We spent about an hour up in the pool and hot tub before heading back to the room to clean up and check out. After check out we split ways as he was heading on to Hong Kong to visit a friend. But he will come visit Korea on Friday after he stops in Taiwan.
I had made a tentative schedule for Sunday before I came, but after yesterdays schedule was a little bit different than what we had planned originally and because I was a few hours after what I had envisioned I decided to improvise a bit. So first stop was the Gardens by the Bay. The Gardens were really beautiful. The sun came out and it was really starting to get hot-the big thing on my mind was the beautiful infinity pool on top of the hotel that was towering over the gardens. I spent about an hour wandering around there.
Next I wanted to see the Merlion Park. As I was walking, I thought about what to have for lunch. I ended up just kind of wandering around through some of the different neighborhoods with no real plan set. I wanted to see whatever I could. I went through a couple different malls and stopped by the Long Bar, where the Singapore Sling originated from. I wandered through Little India and saw the Arab quarter as well. Most of the afternoon and evening was spent on my feet walking, walking.
Around 9 or so I headed to the airport for my 1am flight. I checked in and waited to board the plane. Super tired, feet sore, but another country checked on my list and some great memories made!
Back up in the room, Ryan and I got ready to visit the pool one more time. It was nice because I forgot to take pictures of the amazing infinity pool in the daylight (the night time photos are pretty spectacular, but I wanted to have some from the day as well). We spent about an hour up in the pool and hot tub before heading back to the room to clean up and check out. After check out we split ways as he was heading on to Hong Kong to visit a friend. But he will come visit Korea on Friday after he stops in Taiwan.
I had made a tentative schedule for Sunday before I came, but after yesterdays schedule was a little bit different than what we had planned originally and because I was a few hours after what I had envisioned I decided to improvise a bit. So first stop was the Gardens by the Bay. The Gardens were really beautiful. The sun came out and it was really starting to get hot-the big thing on my mind was the beautiful infinity pool on top of the hotel that was towering over the gardens. I spent about an hour wandering around there.
Next I wanted to see the Merlion Park. As I was walking, I thought about what to have for lunch. I ended up just kind of wandering around through some of the different neighborhoods with no real plan set. I wanted to see whatever I could. I went through a couple different malls and stopped by the Long Bar, where the Singapore Sling originated from. I wandered through Little India and saw the Arab quarter as well. Most of the afternoon and evening was spent on my feet walking, walking.
Around 9 or so I headed to the airport for my 1am flight. I checked in and waited to board the plane. Super tired, feet sore, but another country checked on my list and some great memories made!
Sunday, March 15, 2015
On the Hunt
A typical Sunday morning--headed to church and had mass.
After church, I was on a mission. I wanted to find the perfect Easter brunch spot for when Mom comes. I walked from Hannam to Noksapyeong (which I normally do anyway) but I went up and down side alleys and through back streets scouring menus and scrutinizing the interiors of restaurants. As I went along, I snapped photos of places and menus making notes of them. By the time I finished, I had a big list of restaurants that would be nice not only for Easter brunch, but that I would like to try in the future. My next task was lunch. I wasn't feeling that hungry and I was also thinking that I hadn't eaten Korean food in quite some time. So I decided to head home first and go from there.
When I got off the subway, I saw a poster for a restaurant that I had noticed quite a few months ago but never got a chance to go and try their food. Even better, I had been thinking about eating jjoelmyeon (a chewy noodle dish with spicy sauce and fresh vegetables) and that was on the menu for that restaurant. I glanced at the poster and went out the exit. Except I hadn't paid close attention to which direction I should go specifically. I figured I'd walk a little bit and should stumble upon it. Instead, I found a dog cafe (no, they don't eat dogs here) called Bichon. This place had grooming on the first floor, a cafe with Bichons on the second floor (bring your own or meet the live in crew!) and a hotel for Bichons in the basement. Wow. I checked it out and then took off. I ended up going back into the subway to try and figure out where exactly the restaurant was located. After getting the information I found it very easily.
I looked at the menu and they had the jjoelmyeon or jjoelmyeon plus mandu for an extra 500W. While it's only an extra 50 cents or so, I decided I'd get my noodles to go and make my own mandu at home. I returned home with my food and made mandu and watched some tv before packing up for soccer. It was nice out and kind of warm, but not as nice as last week.
In April we are having a kind of tournament playing against parents of domestically adopted kids. This week, the families all came so we could practice and scrimmage against each other. They told us we should be gentle and play softly. Eirik scoffed and said there's no such thing as that in soccer. At first we really crushed them-making goals left and right. Then they called in for backup and some of their sons (high schoolish aged) arrived and hopped in relieving the older dads. They were decent and gave a little bit more of a challenge, but it was still a walk in the park for us. I saw how good we were at passing and making good plays. Also unusual for us, they wanted to play for 20 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. We were all kind of antsy and didn't like having to stop and rest. Some of the guys were annoyed and also annoyed at the sportsmanship of some of the opponents-they were pushing on us, but complained if we pushed back. Oh well, it's all for fun anyway.
After church, I was on a mission. I wanted to find the perfect Easter brunch spot for when Mom comes. I walked from Hannam to Noksapyeong (which I normally do anyway) but I went up and down side alleys and through back streets scouring menus and scrutinizing the interiors of restaurants. As I went along, I snapped photos of places and menus making notes of them. By the time I finished, I had a big list of restaurants that would be nice not only for Easter brunch, but that I would like to try in the future. My next task was lunch. I wasn't feeling that hungry and I was also thinking that I hadn't eaten Korean food in quite some time. So I decided to head home first and go from there.
When I got off the subway, I saw a poster for a restaurant that I had noticed quite a few months ago but never got a chance to go and try their food. Even better, I had been thinking about eating jjoelmyeon (a chewy noodle dish with spicy sauce and fresh vegetables) and that was on the menu for that restaurant. I glanced at the poster and went out the exit. Except I hadn't paid close attention to which direction I should go specifically. I figured I'd walk a little bit and should stumble upon it. Instead, I found a dog cafe (no, they don't eat dogs here) called Bichon. This place had grooming on the first floor, a cafe with Bichons on the second floor (bring your own or meet the live in crew!) and a hotel for Bichons in the basement. Wow. I checked it out and then took off. I ended up going back into the subway to try and figure out where exactly the restaurant was located. After getting the information I found it very easily.
I looked at the menu and they had the jjoelmyeon or jjoelmyeon plus mandu for an extra 500W. While it's only an extra 50 cents or so, I decided I'd get my noodles to go and make my own mandu at home. I returned home with my food and made mandu and watched some tv before packing up for soccer. It was nice out and kind of warm, but not as nice as last week.
In April we are having a kind of tournament playing against parents of domestically adopted kids. This week, the families all came so we could practice and scrimmage against each other. They told us we should be gentle and play softly. Eirik scoffed and said there's no such thing as that in soccer. At first we really crushed them-making goals left and right. Then they called in for backup and some of their sons (high schoolish aged) arrived and hopped in relieving the older dads. They were decent and gave a little bit more of a challenge, but it was still a walk in the park for us. I saw how good we were at passing and making good plays. Also unusual for us, they wanted to play for 20 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. We were all kind of antsy and didn't like having to stop and rest. Some of the guys were annoyed and also annoyed at the sportsmanship of some of the opponents-they were pushing on us, but complained if we pushed back. Oh well, it's all for fun anyway.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Long Chats
This morning I skyped with my mom and Grandpa. It was good to talk with both of them together. Toby also made a small appearance.
After talking with them, I decided I'd go for a short run. The weather wasn't too cold and it was sunny. I felt like I needed to get some exercise in since I hadn't run in a long time! It was a nice run and lots of people were out walking along the stream.
I got home and made a plan to go to Itaewon before meeting Michelle for dinner. I would get a tea and possibly sit by the Han River outside for a little bit. I started getting ready when I got a message from Liduvina asking if I had time to talk. It was around 1:30 so I figured I had plenty of time. She and Joel had just bought their tickets to Korea! She wanted to ask about how to get to my place from the airport and get some ideas of what to do while they are here. We talked through some ideas and she suggested seeing another city. I decided Busan would probably be the most fun so we will go there for a few days. We also did a lot of other catching up-we send messages here and there, but this was the first time we had a proper chat in a long time! We were talking and talking and talking...when I realized we had been talking for almost 2 1/2 hours! We were starting to say goodbyes when Joel came home and he wanted to ask a few questions as well. So in total, we talked for 3 hours! I had to cut it short because I was running late to meet Michelle.
I rushed to get to Itaewon and was about 20 minutes late. I met Michelle in a coffee shop near the subway station and we walked to Craftworks for dinner. I had seen a promotion if you showed them their ad, they'd give you their beer paddle sampler for free! We ordered sandwiches and got our free beer paddle sampler. I got the buffalo chicken sandwich and it was really delicious! We remembered that today was Pi day and I tried to think of somewhere we could get pie. Of course Sugar Daddy's came to mind, but their apple pie is not the best of their desserts and not a good introduction for someone new there. (It's possible just because my mom makes amazing pie crust nothing else can compare) Instead we went to a place called Sweet East and got a strawberry funnel cake. It was served with a small dish of whipped cream and ice cream. YUM!
After our dessert, we went to a meetup group for foreigners and Koreans alike. It was held at a kind of bar/club. Michelle and I met a Korean American, Ken and a Korean, Joon. Then our goal was to mingle and try to meet a bunch of different people. At one point Ken sat down and we said that sitting kind of defeats the purpose of mingling so we went in search of other groups to meet. After awhile, we checked back in with Ken and he said he was thinking of going to Hongdae instead. We decided we'd move there with him and told Joon. He joined us as well and we took the subway to Hongdae. Joon left us to meet up with some of his friends and the three of us went to the Playground to sit outside. There weren't too many people at the Playground and I guessed it was because everyone was actually in Itaewon at all of the foreign bars and restaurants to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. We went to Monster Pizza to get a slice of pizza-it was pretty delicious. Can't go wrong with a slice of pizza! We called it a night shortly after that.
After talking with them, I decided I'd go for a short run. The weather wasn't too cold and it was sunny. I felt like I needed to get some exercise in since I hadn't run in a long time! It was a nice run and lots of people were out walking along the stream.
I got home and made a plan to go to Itaewon before meeting Michelle for dinner. I would get a tea and possibly sit by the Han River outside for a little bit. I started getting ready when I got a message from Liduvina asking if I had time to talk. It was around 1:30 so I figured I had plenty of time. She and Joel had just bought their tickets to Korea! She wanted to ask about how to get to my place from the airport and get some ideas of what to do while they are here. We talked through some ideas and she suggested seeing another city. I decided Busan would probably be the most fun so we will go there for a few days. We also did a lot of other catching up-we send messages here and there, but this was the first time we had a proper chat in a long time! We were talking and talking and talking...when I realized we had been talking for almost 2 1/2 hours! We were starting to say goodbyes when Joel came home and he wanted to ask a few questions as well. So in total, we talked for 3 hours! I had to cut it short because I was running late to meet Michelle.
I rushed to get to Itaewon and was about 20 minutes late. I met Michelle in a coffee shop near the subway station and we walked to Craftworks for dinner. I had seen a promotion if you showed them their ad, they'd give you their beer paddle sampler for free! We ordered sandwiches and got our free beer paddle sampler. I got the buffalo chicken sandwich and it was really delicious! We remembered that today was Pi day and I tried to think of somewhere we could get pie. Of course Sugar Daddy's came to mind, but their apple pie is not the best of their desserts and not a good introduction for someone new there. (It's possible just because my mom makes amazing pie crust nothing else can compare) Instead we went to a place called Sweet East and got a strawberry funnel cake. It was served with a small dish of whipped cream and ice cream. YUM!
After our dessert, we went to a meetup group for foreigners and Koreans alike. It was held at a kind of bar/club. Michelle and I met a Korean American, Ken and a Korean, Joon. Then our goal was to mingle and try to meet a bunch of different people. At one point Ken sat down and we said that sitting kind of defeats the purpose of mingling so we went in search of other groups to meet. After awhile, we checked back in with Ken and he said he was thinking of going to Hongdae instead. We decided we'd move there with him and told Joon. He joined us as well and we took the subway to Hongdae. Joon left us to meet up with some of his friends and the three of us went to the Playground to sit outside. There weren't too many people at the Playground and I guessed it was because everyone was actually in Itaewon at all of the foreign bars and restaurants to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. We went to Monster Pizza to get a slice of pizza-it was pretty delicious. Can't go wrong with a slice of pizza! We called it a night shortly after that.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Fun Friday!
The first class was cancelled because students were voting for their class presidents. Instead, we had to swap and do it for 5th period later in the day. So, in the morning, I looked up restaurants to go to for dinner. The rest of the work day was rather uneventful.
After work, I headed to Jongno area where I had picked a restaurant and had idea of a coffee shop I would go to to study Korean after dinner. It was a bit early for dinner when I first arrived to the area so I located the restaurant, Koba and then went to Cheonggyecheon. I sat by the stream for a little bit soaking up the last few rays of sunshine and worked more on itineraries for my visitors.
I returned to Koba and was greeted with a smallish mostly empty restaurant. There was a older Korean man on the left side of the bar and an older Caucasian man on the right side. The young waiter was also doubling as bartender and he was very friendly, asking where I was from. I finally got my food (I ordered a vegetarian sandwich) and was enjoying it-it rivaled my favorite sandwich from Casablanca (though I like how Casablanca puts more veggies on the sandwich). The chef came out (his name is Simon and he's from Morocco) and saw me eating the sandwich-holding it with both hands and diving right in-and he applauded me and said it was good to see me eating a sandwich the "real" way. After I finished eating, G, the waiter asked me if I liked beer. I said I didn't mind it and he told me he was going to give me a free glass. I got my beer and joined the others at the bar. They ended up cranking up the music a bit more and we talked and sang and danced in our seats. G got a little crazy and was even flicking the lights on and off. After a little bit, some other people came into the restaurant and G said, "we have to act normal now!" and they turned the music down a little bit. I talked with the American man-he works for an NGO and was doing a business trip in Korea. It was really great to talk with him. As time went on a few more people trickled in and out. We were joined at the bar by a Japanese girl who somehow knew G. Then, we were joined by a Brazilian. He teaches music at Kyunghee University-has lived in Korea for 10 years. There was a drum in the restaurant so he ended up doing a few small "performances" for us and also was teaching us how to play the drum. Simon made some fried potato balls for us as service and they were delicious. It was a lot of fun meeting new people. I was there from 6 until 12:30! I never made it to a cafe to study Korean because I was enjoying the time at Koba so much. It was such a great find to stumble upon and I was thankful that G had asked if I wanted a beer and was friendly.
After work, I headed to Jongno area where I had picked a restaurant and had idea of a coffee shop I would go to to study Korean after dinner. It was a bit early for dinner when I first arrived to the area so I located the restaurant, Koba and then went to Cheonggyecheon. I sat by the stream for a little bit soaking up the last few rays of sunshine and worked more on itineraries for my visitors.
I returned to Koba and was greeted with a smallish mostly empty restaurant. There was a older Korean man on the left side of the bar and an older Caucasian man on the right side. The young waiter was also doubling as bartender and he was very friendly, asking where I was from. I finally got my food (I ordered a vegetarian sandwich) and was enjoying it-it rivaled my favorite sandwich from Casablanca (though I like how Casablanca puts more veggies on the sandwich). The chef came out (his name is Simon and he's from Morocco) and saw me eating the sandwich-holding it with both hands and diving right in-and he applauded me and said it was good to see me eating a sandwich the "real" way. After I finished eating, G, the waiter asked me if I liked beer. I said I didn't mind it and he told me he was going to give me a free glass. I got my beer and joined the others at the bar. They ended up cranking up the music a bit more and we talked and sang and danced in our seats. G got a little crazy and was even flicking the lights on and off. After a little bit, some other people came into the restaurant and G said, "we have to act normal now!" and they turned the music down a little bit. I talked with the American man-he works for an NGO and was doing a business trip in Korea. It was really great to talk with him. As time went on a few more people trickled in and out. We were joined at the bar by a Japanese girl who somehow knew G. Then, we were joined by a Brazilian. He teaches music at Kyunghee University-has lived in Korea for 10 years. There was a drum in the restaurant so he ended up doing a few small "performances" for us and also was teaching us how to play the drum. Simon made some fried potato balls for us as service and they were delicious. It was a lot of fun meeting new people. I was there from 6 until 12:30! I never made it to a cafe to study Korean because I was enjoying the time at Koba so much. It was such a great find to stumble upon and I was thankful that G had asked if I wanted a beer and was friendly.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Staff Dinner
Nothing too special at work today. It was fun seeing my little 4th graders again. Some of the boys who were in summer camp and already know me kind of showed off to their classmates that they knew me so it was entertaining.
At the end of the day we had a staff dinner. We went to Gyeonggi-do (the province surrounding Seoul) to an area called Seollung. Last year we also went to this area, so I thought we were going to the same restaurant (and I was very excited because it was some of the most delicious meat BBQ I've had here) but was very disappointed when we pulled up to a different place. I rode in the car with my 4th grade COT who drove and a few other teachers.
The dinner was pretty good. There were lots and lots of side dishes all leading up to a bulgogi (beef) stew. I think they brought out at least 5 or 6 small "main" dishes before the final one. My principal went around to some of the new teachers, wanting to do a shot of soju with them and he also asked me if I wanted one. It's generally considered rude to turn down a drink (especially from a boss or higher up) so I complied. After eating, we did a kind of poem "game". They took the name of each new staff member and broke it down into the 3 characters (for example my Korean name is Kim, Jong Hee) and then started a sentence with each of the characters (so going with my example there would be one sentence starting "Kim", the next "Jong" and the last "Hee) I of course couldn't really participate but my 4th grade COT, Alex thought it would be funny to make a really sweet one to the new vice principal and sign my name. She translated it to me and had me write the English. Basically the poem went something like "the first time I saw you my heart started beating faster, I couldn't believe you were here. Is it destiny?" The next part of the game required teachers taking the papers out of a box and reading them aloud to the new staff member and then an exchange of sorts in Korean. Well, when they finally read mine I had to go up in front of everyone, but couldn't say anything at all. Just some awkward bowing and shook hands with the vice principal.
After dinner, my COT dropped people off which was nice. I had planned on walking back because it was around 2 or 3 miles. The rest of the evening I worked out an itinerary for my Mom's upcoming visit!
At the end of the day we had a staff dinner. We went to Gyeonggi-do (the province surrounding Seoul) to an area called Seollung. Last year we also went to this area, so I thought we were going to the same restaurant (and I was very excited because it was some of the most delicious meat BBQ I've had here) but was very disappointed when we pulled up to a different place. I rode in the car with my 4th grade COT who drove and a few other teachers.
The dinner was pretty good. There were lots and lots of side dishes all leading up to a bulgogi (beef) stew. I think they brought out at least 5 or 6 small "main" dishes before the final one. My principal went around to some of the new teachers, wanting to do a shot of soju with them and he also asked me if I wanted one. It's generally considered rude to turn down a drink (especially from a boss or higher up) so I complied. After eating, we did a kind of poem "game". They took the name of each new staff member and broke it down into the 3 characters (for example my Korean name is Kim, Jong Hee) and then started a sentence with each of the characters (so going with my example there would be one sentence starting "Kim", the next "Jong" and the last "Hee) I of course couldn't really participate but my 4th grade COT, Alex thought it would be funny to make a really sweet one to the new vice principal and sign my name. She translated it to me and had me write the English. Basically the poem went something like "the first time I saw you my heart started beating faster, I couldn't believe you were here. Is it destiny?" The next part of the game required teachers taking the papers out of a box and reading them aloud to the new staff member and then an exchange of sorts in Korean. Well, when they finally read mine I had to go up in front of everyone, but couldn't say anything at all. Just some awkward bowing and shook hands with the vice principal.
After dinner, my COT dropped people off which was nice. I had planned on walking back because it was around 2 or 3 miles. The rest of the evening I worked out an itinerary for my Mom's upcoming visit!
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