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.

Funerals in Korea

I've lived on this peninsula for over 17 months now (Can you believe it?!). And so far, I have been to two funerals. The first one was immediately after I arrived here, as my director's relative had just passed and we needed to go there before heading to my apartment. At the time I wasn't sure what I was really being a part of since it's so different from what I was used to. I wasn't sure if I was at a memorial or an actual funeral. This question was answered about a month ago when my co-worker's sister passed away from cancer. All the teachers went as support and I soon came to realize it was the same proceedings as my first one.

I never really thought about it before, but most people, if not all, are cremated. This makes a lot of sense, considering how many people live in South Korea and how little land space they have. Funerals are not always carried out in a church or a funeral home. Both funerals I went to were held in hospitals. They have special areas and rooms for funerals. When my co-worker's sister passed, I was told to wear black clothes to school since we would be going to the funeral directly afterwards. So I dressed in my nicer clothes, because that's what you do back home. Well, I felt really overdressed, considering I never met the person, but I guess it's better to be overdressed than underdressed.

The way it's set up is there is a small room off to the side where the loved one's ashes, a nice picture and lots of flowers sit. People can go into this area and pay their respects. You see a lot of food offerings there too, which I think is for the family. Also, most guests put money in an envelope to give to the family. The rest of the space is a sitting area with tables (floor seating, traditional Korean style) and the family serves their guests a meal. I really cannot remember what I had at the first funeral, as I was exhausted from making my way to Korea, but at this last one we were served soybean soup, octopus, and an array of side dishes. To me it seems like more of a social gathering than anything else. My co-worker was really pleased we came and we got to hear about her sister a little bit. She was young, in her late forties and the cancer had taken over her whole body. We were only there less than an hour and to me it seemed like more of a dine and dash situation, but again my co-worker seemed pleased we came, so in the end it was worth it.

Funerals here are quite different from back home, in my experience. However, it has piqued my interest in learning about what other cultures traditionally do when a loved one passes. I'll have to look into it.

Change in Seasons. Change for Reasons.

'Korea changes you'. I can't tell you how many times I've heard that sentence. I always reply with a simple, 'yeah'. Recently I've been thinking a lot about how much it does change you. We don't always see change in ourselves so easily, but we can see it if we take some time for reflection.

I am braver. I take more chances. I am more positive. I stop and look. Strange or uncomfortable situations don't phase me. I love myself and my life.

Taking that daunting plane ride here alone didn't seem like that big of a deal to me until it actually happened and then I was in another country with way too much luggage and being sniffed by a dog. I was alone. I didn't have anyone to turn to for reassurance or to make decisions for me. I was in charge of everything. Was it overwhelming? YOU BETCH'YA. But it was also exhilarating. I come from a really good family who always supports me and really awesome friends who still love me even though I've abandoned them. Coming to Korea was a decision I made for me and only me. I wasn't trying to make anyone else happy at the cost of my own happiness. I did this for me. Lord knows I needed it. I was 25 years-old and felt like I was in a rut. Twenty-five. So young, so many possibilities. I had just finished my degree and was working at a comfortable job in a grocery store. You know, one of those jobs where you don't have to use your brain. I can tell now that my inner self was screaming until her throat was raw for me to do something.

Living in Korea isn't rainbows and butterflies. I am an alien. I am so different from everyone else. I have curves and a little extra weight. I don't wear high heels everywhere I go (actually I almost never wear them). I don't care if my skin or hair or clothes are perfect. I get stared at constantly. I've learned to semi-ignore it but it happens. You can't communicate with the general public because of the language barrier. But, I've gotten good at charades! People do things differently here and it seems so foreign to me, but I am so foreign to them. With everything though, I love this country and its people.

It has been through the staring and the whispering that I have learned to love myself. At first I got sucked into being so focused on my weight and how I look. To the point where I wasn't consuming enough calories to give me enough energy for the day. This didn't last long before I snapped myself out of it. "What is wrong with you Emma?" I vowed to try and only think positively about myself. I am a beautiful woman. I take care of my body. Do I eat too many sweets? Probably. But there's no point in getting angry at myself for it. Just try to eat less sweets. My room actually only has one little mirror so that I can style my hair. I am less focused on making sure my clothes are perfect or that my tummy isn't bulging out. My students call me fat. Less often now, but some of them still do. I just agree with them and move on. Everyone's entitled to their own opinions. What I am trying to say here is that I learned to love myself and not hate my body or things that I do or don't do. I owe that to my experience here over the last year.

I get put in awkward situations and don't lose it. The first time I was in a public shower with other women I was a little weirded out because I didn't experience that back home. Then, one of the Korean women I was with and had just met, started washing my back. I had no idea what was going on, but I went with it. I returned the favour and washed her back. It really secured my bond with her and I am always excited when I get to see her now. I can also comfortably take my clothes off and walk into a public shower like I do it every day. I guess this gave me confidence in my own skin which helps with my positive body image.

I've tried all kinds of foods that I never dreamed I'd be eating back home. The fact that I choose to go to a seafood restaurant over another place is astounding if you know me. I ate live and moving octopus this year. Old Emma would never have tried it or thought about it. I did hesitate for a moment, but then I dug in. I also ate squid gut soup. I am not sure if I would have done it had I know before hand though. We all have our limits I guess.

Teaching in Korea has it's ups and downs. Day to day I love it. I have never once counted down the hours until home time or complained about going into work. Most of my students are really wonderful and make my day, everyday. I work for really great people who really care about me. I also work with some cool people as well. My director trusts me enough to form my own lessons without books, so I have a lot of freedom in my teaching. On the flip side, English instruction in Korea is flawed. Student's will know English grammar like the back of their hand by the time they finish middle school, but probably can't keep up with a conversation or formulate their own sentences well. So much of it is focused on straight translation, and that doesn't always work. We have to change our way of thinking to be successful in another language. I also have a hard time with being strict enough. I often get told to be stricter with my students. I have gotten better over the last year, but I just can't do it. I feel bad for them. Students here are worked so hard. I think about my childhood and growing up in Canada. We were so free. We could become our own person and explore new things and people. Here they are so focused on education and scoring well that it takes over their lives and many students are very unhappy. I often find myself thinking about my students' lives and I enjoy when I hear them laugh because they can have fun even when their life is so stressful. I try to make my classes fun for them and active so that they can learn and have fun at the same time. I haven't gotten fired yet, so I must be doing okay.

Overall I feel like I have grown up since I've been here. I appreciate life a little more. I appreciate my parents for all they've taught me and loved me for who I am. I love my friends for trying so hard to keep me in their lives. Its amazing how you see who really cares enough when you move away. Some relationships have changed for the worse, but the one's who have changed for the better make you appreciate that person even more. I have learned to accept myself for who I am. Flaws and all. That's the most important thing for me. If I gain nothing else other than that, it's all good.

Korea, I love you and I thank you. You are a home to me. No matter what happens in the future, I will have this experience and no one can take that away from me.