It's Really Happening...I'm Leaving My Life in Korea!

This is incredibly late, but yes, my time in Korea is coming to an end.

It's sad and happy all at the same time. Bittersweet.

I have been very involved in hiring my replacement and taking care of communication and documentation. Today I completed the last stage and booked her flight to Korea. It's really weird being on the other side of that email, two years later.

Korea isn't perfect, and neither were my two years here, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. I've experienced a lot and I think I've grown up a bit as well. I met some pretty cool people and had experiences I never thought I would.

It is time to say goodbye though. I know that it's the right time for me.

On to new adventures!

I'm not sure what they will be yet, but that's the beauty of it.

I might have a few posts to come yet, but if you read my blog, I thank you!

Blessings.
xo

Crossing Boarders...DMZ Tour

A couple weekends ago, a friend joined me in taking part in a tour of the DMZ. It's the Demilitarized zone of South Korea and North Korea. This place has always interested me and I am glad that I had a chance to experience it before heading back home.

This tour is very popular and there are a number of companies that offer the tour. We went with the USO tour as it is highly recommended and one of the cheaper options as well. We started by leaving Seoul at 9am and took an hour bus ride to Paju.

The tour has a lot of restrictions of what you can and cannot take photos of, understandably. I have to say as well, after taking the tour, I feel a little uncomfortable putting a bunch of pictures of North Korea on the internet. If you know me and are interested, I can definitely show you the photos in person.

Out tour's plan was as follows:
1) The Third Infiltration Tunnel
2) Dorasan Train Station
3) Dora Obeservatory
4) JSA (Joint Security Area)

Just as a disclaimer, I feel fairly uneducated in the history of North and South Korea so the info I give you is just what I can remember from my trip and tidbits of info I have retained from research. Obviously there are much better outlets for information.

1) The Third Infiltration Tunnel
Our guide mentioned that there are said to be 20 tunnels that the North Koreans made in attempts to infiltrate South Korean soil. They learned this from a defector. However, they have only been able to locate 4 of them. This tunnel is called the third infiltration tunnel because it was the third one they found. Makes sense. I believe it was found in the late seventies (if I remember correctly). The North tried to pass this tunnel off as being a coal mine, but their efforts to disguise it were pretty awful as the black coating still comes off on your fingertips today. The way down to the tunnel is on a slope that has about a 12 degree incline (or decline depending on how you look at it). It's not too bad actually, but coming up tends to be a little difficult. Good exercise! I had to duck for most of the journey because the tunnels were made quite shallow. We ended our travel at the third blockade, and they had cut a small square into the blockade so that we could see the 2nd one as well. It was interesting to see where they tried to get through. After the tunnel, we were free to take touristy photos of certain displays such as the photo at the top of this post. There was also a museum that was quite interesting.

2) Dorasan Train Station
All the way up until 2003, you could take a train from Seoul, South Korea to Pyeongyang, North Korea. That way people could visit their family members that lived in the other part of Korea. Unfortunately there was a horrific incident that stopped this from being possible. A civilian woman ended up walking in a questionable area and was killed by a North Korean soldier. This increased tensions between the two nations and entrance into North Korea from South Korea was prohibited. You can still use the train to get from Seoul to Dorasan station, just no further. This station made me feel the hope that some South Koreans have that unification will happen. They have this slogan that says "Not the last station from the south, but the first station toward the north."

3) Dora Observatory
The Dora observatory is pretty self explainable, but we were given a panoramic view of North Korean land. You can notice the difference in building styles from north to south. Throughout the whole day I found myself interested in how quiet it seemed on the northern side. I wonder what it's like to live over there.

4) JSA (Joint Security Area)
In my opinion, the JSA was the best part of the tour. It was a 2 hour tour, but probably the most remarkable. We started with a slideshow presentation from one of the US soldiers stationed at the JSA. It gave a brief history of the area and explained where we would see on the tour.

The most memorable event that happened was the axe murder incident. One southern side camp was surrounded on three sides by the north and the next southern group's view was blocked by a large tree, so they decided the cut the tree down to ensure the safety of their comrades. Unfortunately, the cutting of this tree caused a conflict with the northern soldiers and two soldiers on the southern side ended up getting axed to death. One was a lieutenant. This caused there to be a distinct line as to where the south and north can set up camps.

From this presentation, we were taken to what has been remarked as "the scariest place in the world". The actual division line. Everything was done very procedurally. We had to always walk in single file and we could never take photos of the South Korean side, just the North Korean side and only when the officer allowed us. The South Korean soldiers stand in what is known as a taekwondo pose that appears as if they are ready to act at a moment's notice. You are not allowed to get within a foot of these soldiers. We were informed that if we got closer than that, they would forcefully push us away. There were a couple meeting houses in between the north and south side where meetings are held to discuss negotiations and possible unification. One half of the room is in South Korea and the other is in North Korea. I can say that I have stood on North Korean soil. There was one soldier who was standing right in the middle. We were able to take photos of and with him, but it felt a little awkward. It's such a serious and intense place that it just doesn't seem right to smile in a photograph.

After leaving that area we visited and drove by a number of other places. There are people who live in the JSA, in a village called "Taesong-dong" but they are under strict security and cannot be outside at specific times. They also must stay in the area a certain number of days in a year. They cannot relocate but they are exempt from taxes and the compulsory military service. They do a lot of farming and must be protected while doing so.

There is also a bridge that is called "The Bridge of No Return." When the end of the Korean war was approaching, the soldiers on both sides were taken to the area of the bridge and were able to choose where they wanted to live. North or South. The only consequence of going to the other side was that they were not allowed to come back.

We were also taken to a point where we could look out at North Korea again. This time it was a closer view. They have this very odd place called "Propaganda Village". It's a fake village where no one lives, but is there to look as if people do. It is meant to reflect economic success and to lure defectors from the south. There are even lights on a timer to be really convincing. Propaganda and Taesong villages had a very interesting flag-off, where Taesong started by erecting a very tall 300-something meter flagpole. The north retaliated by erecting their own flagpole at 500-something feet, and it was at that time the tallest in the world. The actual size of the flag was also enlarged to be bigger than the south.
One of the more frightening pieces of information we received while looking out at North Korea was the mountains we could see at the end of our view. Our soldier guide told us that those mountains hold North Korea's artillery and there is enough there to eliminate Seoul in 9 minutes. It made me glad to live in a southern city.

All in all it was a really interesting and eye-opening tour. It really made me appreciate growing up in Canada and being able to go back there soon. It's not that I feel unsafe in Korea. I actually generally feel safer than back home, but I still feel really privileged and happy with the life I've been able to lead thus far. It also shows how far the south has come since the war.

If you're in Korea, I suggest doing the tour.

The Visitor

This story is about a really lucky girl who was ever so delighted to have her absolutely wonderful friend visit her while living abroad.

Yes, I am the lucky girl. I'm also really cheesy, but you probably already know that.

So here I am living in South Korea for almost 2 years now and as much as I like it here, I never expected that someone would come visit me. I mean, the flight itself is enough to turn one away. However, I underestimated my loved ones and I have had a visit from my parents and now from the lovely Bronwyn.

I kept having moments of thinking "I can't believe I am looking at Bronwyn and talking to her and hanging out with her, and I'm not dreaming." It was really great to just hang out and tour around the country a little bit.

Her first stop was Seoul. I was able to head up there on the weekend, but she was on her own for the most part. Seoul was a lot of fun just hanging out and seeing the sights. One thing I have now realized is that I have become this insane planner when I go on trips and I like to have everything mapped out and instructions on how to get from A to B all prepared. So, of course I made big plans for the Saturday and Sunday that I would be with Bw. Not nearly all of them were accomplished, but I'd rather be over prepared than under, right? Many of the places we went to I had already been to, but I never get tired of them. Even Gyeongbokgung palace. I have been there 4 times now and I am still not sick of it. We did however, go somewhere new for me, which was City Hall. The old city hall has been turned into a library and the new one has walls of greenery on the inside. It was really neat. We also went to a neat pub called the Sherlock Holmes Pub. It had a bunch of paraphernalia and delicious beverages. Unfortunately I had to go back to work on Monday morning so I left Bronwyn in Seoul for a few days where she saw some more sights and toured the DMZ. Wednesday evening she arrived in the very country town of Namchang. On Thursday she headed to Busan while I worked, and Friday she visited my school and took a bit of a rest.

The following weekend was a special one in Korea. It was Korean thanksgiving or "Chuseok". That meant a 5 day holiday for most people living here. We took advantage of this and went on a trip to the south-western end of Korea. We started in Boseong and made our way east. In Boseong we visited the very famous and wonderful Green Tea Plantation. The plantation was humungous and such a great sight to see. We almost skipped going here because of time constraints, but I am really glad we made it there. We even sampled some green tea beverages after wandering through the fields. We then headed to Suncheon, where our accommodations were located and where we would spend the following day.
Getting to the traditional Korean guesthouse wasn't a difficult feat, but trying to find the entrance to it was. Unfortunately it was rather dark by now. First we spotted the house gate that had "guesthouse" written on it, but it was locked. I was able to flag someone down, but they said that it was the house
behind them. We did find the rooms, with a sign that said "Welcome Emma Hurst" so we knew we were in the right place. However, we couldn't find the office where we should check in. So, we checked the door to our room and it wasn't locked so we let ourselves in. A few moments later, the owner found us and I was somewhat able to explain what had happened, though I think she just thought I was a little cooky. The guesthouse was nice, and we slept well after a long day of travelling.

Our day in Suncheon was spent at the Ecological Park and at the EXPO Garden. Both were quite beautiful. It still amazes me how small South Korea is on the map, but how many beautiful and amazing places there are to see in it. I think I've travelled around quite a bit in the last couple years, but there is still so much more out there. It really is an amazing country to see. Anyways, back to Suncheon. We had to do some hiking and a lot of sweating, but making it to the top to really see the wetlands was worth it. It was even worth the tumble I took on the way down, scraping my knee up a little bit. Battle wounds I guess. The garden was huge and also a great sight, but different from the eco-park. Everything was pristine and well maintained. There were a ton of themed gardens from a range of different countries.



Our last destination for a couple days was Yeosu. It was a bit of a relief to be staying somewhere for two consecutive nights, so that we wouldn't have to carry our backpacks with us everywhere. We did have lots of luck with lockers being available though thus far. Our first day in Yeosu was pretty busy and jam-packed. We saw a lot of the main sights and even ventured to the island of Odong. We also made it to Dolsan Park as the sun was setting and saw a nice view of the bridge. Our second day was a lot more relaxed as we just took a walk around the area of our hotel and tried some Bing-su (shaved ice dessert). The we headed to the train station to get ready to return to Ulsan.

Our trip was really fun and great to be away from city life. The next day was some more travelling, but this time it was back to Seoul to send Bronwyn on her way back home. The hotel we stayed at was pretty nice and the beds were amazingly comfortable. I really didn't want to get out of bed the next morning, but I had to take the KTX back to Ulsan and actually work haha. The night before was fun, ho

wever, we grabbed some dinner, sang in a karaoke room, and ate ice cream.

It was really difficult to see Bw off at Seoul Station knowing she was going back home to Canada. I wanted to ditch everything and go with her. But, it is nice to know that I will see her and my home soon. Thank you for visiting me and having such fun together :)

Soo Casa Hair in Busan - What a treat

I got my hair highlighted on my visit back home, and when the hairstylist reminded me that I'd have to get my roots touched up pretty regularly, I just said "yeah, yeah" and shrugged it off.

Fast forward 8 months and my hair was a mess haha. Normally, back home this wouldn't be a problem, but while living in Korea it can be hard for foreign women to get a decent haircut let alone a BLONDE highlight root touch-up. There have been so many horror stories about dye-jobs and I myself have had a bad haircut here.
Once I got to the point where my hair was driving me crazy, I did a little research and stumbled across the place 'Soo Casa'. I could only find good reviews so I thought it was worth a shot.

It was a little tricky to find, because the sign for the shop is not on the main street, it's behind some flashy cell phone stores. I did find it before I wandered too far though, thankfully. She speaks perfect English and I read that she worked in Canada for 6 years on this show called "Style by Jury" on the Women's network. She was very kind, not very talkative, but I prefer it that way. She did comment on how long my roots were by saying "it's about time" hahaha. She even had English rag-mags for me to read. I can't remember the last time I read one of those. I haven't been missing much, but it was still nice to flip through a magazine. She did a great job and gave me a well needed trim as well. It hasn't been 8 months since a hair cut, but it has been a while.

Overall it was a really pleasant experience. It was just me and her in the shop and I was in and out in a couple hours. The price wasn't as outrageous as I was expecting, but a little more than I would pay back home.

If you're living in or around Busan, and are a blondie, she's definitely the one to go to.

Blind Faith in Foreigners

I usually only post about exciting things I have experienced, but I had an interesting week and wanted to share some thoughts.

My director recently hired a new teacher at our school. She is Korean and fresh out of university. She started on Monday. My director was aware that she had no teaching experience, but decided to take on the task of becoming her mentor and spending time teaching her the ropes. This week she sat in on all of our classes to observe the ways of the school and how each teacher runs her class. It's weird being watched like that, but I got over it quickly. As the week progressed, she was given a few classes a day to prepare a lesson for and run the class herself with the director watching and helping out where necessary. We have a new schedule and the director took herself off the schedule completely. I was a little surprised, but I knew that she has wanted to cut back so she can focus on the running of the school more.

But, this is not fully the case. She is going to spend a month with our new teacher to watch her teach and help her out. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great and I am happy that she is putting the care into her new investment. But it makes me think. I arrived and was given a brief rundown of the runnings of the school and then just thrown to the wolves. No training. No observing. No being observed. I learned a lot being immersed like this, but it's really interesting to see the difference in proceedings when hiring a foreign teacher opposed to a Korean teacher.

I had a measly 20 hours of experience when I arrived, and a simple 100-hour training course. But that, with the fact that I speak English fluently seemed to be enough.

This isn't a rant or anything, just an observation. I wonder if it's the same at other private academies. My dad said that my director just knew I was going to be awesome at my job so I should take it as a compliment. Maybe he's right. Maybe he's my personal cheerleader. But more likely, there is just this intrinsic blind faith put in foreigners who come to this country to teach. It's kind of shocking and a little scary.

Rock, Paper, Scissors...Sword?!

This is just a cute little story about what happened today.

I was sitting at the bus stop waiting for my bus to go downtown, when three boys all under the age of 10 came up and said hello. It was cute. Then they challenged me to a game of rock, paper, scissors which was all very fun, but then they started introducing the one finger move which apparently means sword and beats everything. We played this for about 3 minutes until my bus came and we said our goodbyes.

This was just a brief moment of fun but it really brightened my day. Something that probably would never happen back home. I'm starting to really cherish moments like these.

Daewangam Park

If you read my blog, you know that I've got about 4 months left before I am heading back to Canada. With the end drawing near, I have created a "Korea Bucket List" and some of the items are places here in Ulsan. There really is so much to see even in your own city, that it's hard to see everything. There is this park, called Daewangam that I have heard is really nice. I can now confirm, it is really nice!

It's way out in Dong-gu, the eastern part of Ulsan, and it takes me almost 2 hours to get there via bus from Namchang. I got off the bus at Ilsan Beach, and met my friend. As you walk along the beach, you can see all kinds of restaurants, coffee shops, and arcades. Now that it is in the middle of summer, there are quite a few families hanging out at the beach, swimming or lounging. As you walk to the end of the beach, there is a big set of stairs heading up into a forested area that is known as Daewangam Park. There are a number of trails you can walk around and see. My friend and I chose the A course on our way to the lighthouse, and the famous bridge, and the B course back since we were getting hungry and wanted the easiest route back to the beach.

The rocks along the water and the trail, are really unique and have a reddish tinge to them. It was a super beautiful area and a nice walk. It was really humid when we went, but being surrounded by trees helps to keep cool.

Once you reach the bridge that connects some large rocks together, it gets a little more crowded with people, but the wind there is fantastic. You feel rewarded for enduring the humid trail by a nice constant cool wind. Hearing the waves on the rocks is also nice and soothing.

The most exciting thing I saw there was a couple of cats hanging out on the rocks and playing around. It was a cute sight and they seemed so out of place.

Overall this is a great site to see in Ulsan, and I would highly recommend it.

Korea: Baseball Done Right

Sajik Stadium

I finally made it to my first Korean baseball game. I must say, it was a riot. I have never seen anything like it. One of my co-workers helped me get tickets online and we paid around $12 for field level seats. I couldn't believe it.  After being at the game, I would recommend sitting higher up, as your vision is a little obstructed, but it was still a really good time. We sat behind first base, and that seemed to be quite the section to be sitting.

One of the three mascots (seagulls)

The game started kind of slow, not too much action and Busan was down 5-0 against Incheon. However, once Busan started their comeback, the fans started to go wild. When they scored a run, you'd have thought they just won the championship. It was really great to see fans get that excited about their team. Each player has their own theme song and every time they go up to bat, or make a move to benefit the team, the crowd goes crazy and chants their song. Busan's team has a foreign player, who appeared to be Spanish and they seemed to really love him haha.

The game turned out to be really exciting as the two teams ended up with a tie of 7-7 in the 9th inning. Busan ended up winning the game 8-7 in the bottom of the 9th due to an overthrow by the pitcher, also known as a wild pitch. The fans literally went wild and were so excited. It was a truly great experience to have in Korea, and I think MLB fans back home have a thing or two to learn about cheering their teams on!

the "Eye Fight"

An egg carton headband,
because why not?

One of our hilarious seat mates 

The most interesting thing that I found was that you can bring absolutely anything you want into the stadium, food or drink wise. People bring boxes of stuff. The most popular items seem to be fried chicken, pizza, dried squid, beer, and soju. I think the increase of alcohol consumption as the game went on had something to do with the increase of cheers as the game went on. There were a group of guys sitting next to my friend and I, and they were really entertaining.  They knew all the songs and cheers to sing and sang and danced for most of the game. When Busan tied the game, we received hugs of excitement. There are even cheerleaders at the games, and people make pompoms out of newspapers. They also have something called an "Eye Fight" where a fan from each team have an eye contest and the first person to blink, loses and the winner gets a prize. It seemed really strange to us foreigners but was quite hilarious.

At the beginning of the last inning, the ushers hand out orange plastic bags meant to collect your trash, but before they do that, the fans blow up the bags and tie them to the tops of their heads. When you look around all you see is a sea of orange. Like I said, this was a truly entertaining experience and I am glad I made it to a game!

The Scenic Subway Line

The first weekend in June turned out to be a long one, which is always nice. It was the Korean Memorial Day. My roommate asked me if I wanted to go on a trip to the Gyeongchun Subway Line. I wasn't really sure what it was, to be honest, but I researched it and found out that it covered the city of Chuncheon in Gangwondo Province and was supposed to be really nice.

We started our journey by taking the KTX from Ulsan to Seoul Station, and from there got onto the subway and transferred a few times until we were on the Gyeongchun Line. It wasn't a short trip. It took two and a half hours on the KTX and another two hours on the subway. Finally we made it and got off at Gapyeong station. From here, we were going to head to Nami Island. The only problem with this area is that the transportation around, apart from the subway, is not ideal. There are hardly any taxis around and the city tour bus is small and only comes around once an hour. There were a lot of people waiting around for the bus, so we naturally didn't get onto the first bus that came, while waiting for the next one, we noticed the cycle rickshaws and decided our time was more important and took one of those to the Nami ferry port. I had never been in a rickshaw before so it was fun.

Before heading to Nami Island, the area is famous for a meal called "dalk-galbi" which is chicken and vegetables like carrots, green onions, and cabbage cooked in this sweet yet spicy sauce. I had never had it before, but it was really tasty. Instead of taking the ferry to and from Nami island, we opted to pay a little more (38,000 won) and took the zip-line route to the island. This was so much fun, but a little on the short side. Nonetheless, exciting. Nami island is well known as shooting locations for some Korean dramas and is a nice change from the busy cities. Its really cute for couples. I have heard that the island is really beautiful in the winter with a little snow, and in the fall when the leaves start to change. It was really enjoyable to wander on the island and be with nature.

After returning from Nami, we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. I really like the westernized Chinese food we have back home, but I must say that I really enjoy the way Korea does Chinese food too. Its different but quite delicious. After dinner we made our way back to the subway station to head to our pension for the night. The pensions in Chuncheon were really nice. I mean they're pretty basic, floor sleeping, with sink and an element for cooking, but the owners pick you up from the closest subway station and will drop you off in the morning as well. It makes life really easy, especially if you are arriving in the dark.

Day two started with a beautiful garden called "Jade Garden" You could tell it was really well kept and they had all kinds of flowers and greenery around. It was rather large, and before we knew it, we had spent hours exploring. Our second stop for the day was at "Pettit France". This was a really cool place that had a Parisian feel and was centred around the book, The Little Prince. The whole village was like a big museum with colourful buildings and sculptures and French accents all around. Our pension for the second night was similar to the first, but it had a swimming pool. After two days of travelling and exploring, it was really nice to go for a leisurely swim. We also opted to buy some meat and side dishes, and had our own Korean BBQ outside. As I write this I am constantly reminded of my limited time left here and how much I am going to miss Korean cuisine. I'll have to cook it back home for my friends and family.

Our last day was a shorter one, since we had to be back at Seoul Station for our train back to Ulsan. We had pre-booked the "Rail Bike" and it was my favourite thing we did that weekend. We started at one subway stop and as a large group, rode these carts along the train tracks that were powered by our pedaling. The ride took just short of two hours but you really got to enjoy the scenery and bike through tunnels. There was even a "Party Tunnel" where they flashed disco lights and played PSY music (Gangnam Style and Gentleman). It was a lot of fun.

After the Rail Bike, we went to a small but very nice temple on top of a hill.  We also had lunch there basically on a rock in the middle of a stream. After this, we quickly made our way to the subway station to head back to Seoul. However, we realized that by the time we reached the station, by subway, it would be a couple minutes before 5 (our train would leave at 5) and the probability of us getting to the train on time would be doubtful. However, my roommate thought we could do it, so once we got to the station, we ran like crazy people all through the station and indeed missed the train. We lucked out though and the man at the ticket booth was able to get us on the next train and we only lost a little portion of our money. We ended up being booked on the movie car and got to see the movie Transcendence while riding home. It sure made time go by quickly.

It was an interesting and fun weekend. Yet again, another trip I probably wouldn't have made without my roommate, so I feel really blessed.

Solo Seoul (May 3-6, 2014)

The first weekend in May turned out to be a 4-day weekend, thanks to the lunar calendar. Monday the 5th was Children's Day and the 6th was Buddha's Birthday. I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do for it and finally decided on heading to Seoul. I've also been thinking about my travels after I finish my contract in November, and thought going on a 4-day solo trip might be a good chance to get used to travelling alone. This wasn't your typical Seoul trip. It was nice.

I started by finding a guest house that was in "Edae" This is short for Ehwa Women's University. The word for university in Korean is 대학교 (dae-hak-gyo). Hence "Edae". I've been wanting to visit the university for a while because it's so unique for Korea. I was really excited to be able to explore the campus and surrounding area.

On Saturday the 3rd, I took the KTX to Seoul and arrived at around 1pm. The DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza) had just been completed and opened to the public. I had been waiting for over a year to see it so naturally it was my first stop. The building looks like nothing else you see in Korea or anywhere. It's really cool. Inside there are museums and exhibits that change constantly. At that time there was a sport exhibit that I really wanted to see and it turned out to be my favourite in the building. There are also a ton of shops and restaurants/cafes. I spent a while here, but finally got a little overwhelmed with the crowd, so I moved on to my next destination. I went to a temple I hadn't been to yet. Every time I go to Seoul I always go to Gyeongbukgung because I love it so much, but I was determined to see new things this time so I visited Changdeokgung instead. This temple was really nice and had some unique buildings, but unfortunately the viewing of the Secret Garden was sold out at that point, so I wasn't able to see what is described as the best part of the temple. I still enjoyed it. At this point, it was getting a little late and I was eager to get rid of my backpack full of my weekend supplies. I checked in at the guesthouse and I had my own room. It was small but even had a washing machine inside of my unit. It had everything I would need. I am always so surprised at how well they speak English at the guesthouses. Its a nice relief. After checking in and taking a short rest, I was starving. The last time I was in Seoul, I went to this Mexican restaurant called "On The Border" and it was fabulous.

I decided to track one down, somewhat close to my accommodations. This turned out to be trickier than anticipated as I sent myself to the wrong subway station and was on the compete wrong side of town. I managed to correct myself though and without hopping into a cab. It was quite the accomplishment haha. I made it to the restaurant and it definitely delivered. Oh how I miss the availability of any kind of food from around the world back home. I had some delicious enchiladas with a side of guacamole. Heaven. I ended the day with finding a Payless Shoes so I could see about getting some summer shoes for my giant feet. I found a pair of sandals, but I'm beginning to think I just bought them because I could and not because I overly liked them. They're not bad. They'll do. I ended the evening by going back to my guesthouse to shower and rest up.


I had booked a day trip through the USO (US Army Base) in Seoul to see Nami Island and the Garden of Morning Calm, but a few days before I was told that I was the only one to book the trip so it would have to be cancelled. I was, however given the option for an alternate trip on the same day to Danyang. I knew nothing about that area, but I did want to try out a tour so I went for it. This was on the Sunday. I think it's because I live out in the boonies in a not-so-well-known city of Ulsan, but I am always so overwhelmed when I see a group of foreigners. This was the case when I entered the USO office Sunday morning. I think I get so comfortable living life and not being able to really communicate with the public, that I become really awkward when I can actually talk to people.


Anyways, the area we were going to was east of Seoul and would take a couple hours to get there by bus. Our schedule had to change due to heavy traffic, but it was a really interesting day. Once we arrived in Danyang, we went to a Korean restaurant for lunch. It was really delicious and it entertained me to see people who are not used to eating Korean food in the Korean way (sharing everything). It brought be back to my first few weeks of being here. After lunch, people started to warm up a bit and we all started talking and introducing ourselves. We then went to a resort in Cheongpung and were given a short time to walk around and see some pretty flowers and sculptures. They also had bungee jumping going on, but I didn't have enough time to even contemplate doing it.

We then took a ferry ride on the Cheongpung River. The view was really wonderful. There was tons of unique rock and greenery to see. This place was special in that there are no tall buildings. There is one block of apartment buildings, but that's it for high-rises. That is really rare in South Korea. We also got to see how low the water level is right now. We didn't really get our rainy season last year and you can tell by the water level.  Once our boat ride was finished, we arrived at a cave. This cave was spectacular. It took over an hour to go through the whole thing because A) it's huge, and B) there were a ton of people walking through it. We were continually having to duck our heads, squat-walk, and go up and down a bunch of stairs. It's hard to capture with a camera the stunning formations in the cave, but it was really interesting to see. Not like anything I've ever seen before.

Our last stop of the day, was to the location of the "Three Weird Rocks". I kid you not, that is the actual English name for the rocks. It is said that they resemble a family of a husband, wife, and child. The husband is off to the side because he did something unfavourable according to his wife. Basically it resembles every family at one point in time haha. It was a cool sight and we also got to do a bit of hiking here. All in all, it was a fun day and I got to see yet another place I wouldn't have seen otherwise.

The USO has all kinds of tours available if you're in Korea. They all depart from Seoul. their website is here.

Monday was my last day in Seoul and I had planned to wake up early and head to Nami Island myself, but when my alarm went off at 6am, my body was not having it. I ended up sleeping in until about 9 and took it easy that day. I had explored the Women's University a little on my first day, but I was able to check it out a little more thoroughly on this day. The sky was clear and it was a really beautiful day. I loved wandering about that place. It reminded me a little of the University of Guelph campus. At lunch time, I went on a hunt for this supposedly really good sandwich place. Every month I get a magazine delivered called Groove Korea that is all about Korea and things that are going on, but in English. I look forward to it every month. There was a huge article about finding a really good legitimate sandwich in Korea. It's really difficult to do, actually. There was a place listed near where I was staying, called Lord Sandwich. I was able to find it and had my lunch there. It was fabulous. It was also a little expensive, but extremely worth it in my opinion. I then explored the area of Ehwa a bit and went into the local shops. There's this makeup shop called "Too Cool for School" and it's pretty much only in Seoul. I've seen one in Busan recently though. I really like their stuff, so I treated myself to some things. After that, I casually made my way to Seoul Station to get a train ticket back to Ulsan. I arrived late afternoon and it was nice to be back after a busy few days. My roommate was still away on her own trip, so I had the place to myself. Bliss.

Tuesday was Buddha's Birthday and I chose to go to Busan to a famous temple called Samgwangsa. It is known for its huge lantern displays. The place was hopping with people wandering and wanting to go inside the temple to pay their respects to Buddha. I snapped some shots and then somehow started walking on this path and got totally lost. I eventually found my way and went to a market before heading back home at the end of the day.

I had a really good time travelling alone. It's a different experience than travelling with a buddy. Obviously it has some drawbacks, but it's also nice to be so free to do whatever you want and see whatever you want. I'm still not used to eating at restaurants alone though. It feels awkward. I'll get over it though.

Another Year Older... (April 23, 2014)

As most people around the world now know, mid-April South Korea was hit with a very shocking and horrific disaster. A large size ferry carrying mostly high school students suffered trouble on its way from Incheon to Jeju Island and ultimately sank. Even now in June, this is still a heavy weight on the country. The accident could have been prevented and a lot of strange things happened from the first point of problems and still now. I won't get into that here, but you can find lots of information in the Internet. Just be wary of truth stretching.

Spring and Summer time are big for festivals in Korea, and as a sign of respect and a mourning time, many were cancelled or delayed. Actually any kind of event was cancelled or delayed. That being said, my birthday came around quickly after that and I wasn't really into celebrating. Fortunately for me, my co-workers and students were wonderful to me and made it a really special day.

It started with a trip to Ganjeolgot for lunch and cake with two of my co-workers. Ganjeolgot is right on the coast so of course we had fish. I had a really delicious raw fish bibimbap (mixed with rice and vegetables). It was really nice just to be on the coast and to smell the sea. We went to this really nice coffee shop after to enjoy coffee and cake. It was a nice way to start the day.

Once at work, my director surprised me with this really nice cactus plant. She knows me well to buy me a plant I only have to water once every two weeks. It's still alive. YAY! Haha. The students were wonderful too. I was showered with gifts and well wishes. Every class covered my white board with love notes. One class even threw me a party. There were balloons, cake, and presents. They made me feel really special and it meant a lot to me.

After work, the director insisted we go out for dinner and we went to our favourite raw fish restaurant. I ate a lot of raw fish that day. All in all I am super grateful for all the people at my school. It hasn't always been a smooth ride, but days like this remind me why I came here and why I continue to love my life.

Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival (April 5th, 2014)

Okay, so I've been a really bad blogger lately. I don't know if anyone reads this anymore, but if you do, I am sorry. I'm going to try and backtrack to my major trips and experiences over the last few months that I missed.

At the beginning of April, the country was covered with cherry blossoms. It's quite a beautiful sight and doesn't last long. Last year I admired them from here in Namchang, but I decided to travel to the main stage this year. That would be the city named Jinhae. It's famous for its cherry blossom festival.

The day was truly beautiful and I signed up for a foreigner friendly tour. It was just a drop off/pick up bus service, but it worked out well. The only unfortunate event was that traffic was brutal and it took us much longer than anticipated to get to Jinhae and back to Ulsan. The trip was through Enjoy Asia Korea incase anyone is looking for that information. $25 can't go wrong.

The place had beautiful displays of the blossoms, it was like a dreamland. Also the leaves were already beginning to fall, so it was a wonderful sight when the wind picked up. There were all kinds of places to see the trees and so I just wandered around and snapped photos. Before I knew it, it was about time to meet up with my group to head back to Ulsan. It was a really nice place to experience, and while I would suggest going with a friend, I still had a good time exploring solo.