How do you like your kimchi in the morning? I like mine with a radish.

So two weekends ago I made an early morning journey to Seoul. I can't remember much of it due to drowsiness. After arrival and rendez-vous with friends, we spent a couple of hours doing some shopping ('til dropping) in Gaeksa and then made our way Yueinaru station to see the fireworks that were set to be going off for a couple of hours.

I had my first experience of busy period on the Seoul subway system at this time. There is no waiting for people to get off the train before you start getting on. Just walk towards them and hope you win. To say there were a lot of people going to see the fireworks would be an understatement. I spent most of the time like this.

The next day we made a trip to the DMZ, and we got to see North Korea from a distance wahey! During our trip we went to 'The third tunnel' which was one of four discovered tunnels from the North into the South (and vice versa I suppose) and the ceiling/earth was very low in places. So low that Becky pointed out that we looked like we were in the planet of the apes by the way that we were walking. I couldn't help but agree with her.

Last Wednesday, I joined the school staff in a game of volleyball (Quidditch) against the staff of two other schools (Beauxbatons and Durmstrang). I told the teachers 'I'm bad' and after giving a speech introducing myself ('Hello, I'm the new ancient runes teacher at Hogwarts') I took on the 'why the hell not approach' and took back position in the team. I served twice and almost wiped out a spectator each time. I think we won overall so it would seem my presence wasn't a complete curse. Get it? Curse? Because I'm a wizard. Maybe not. One can wish.

In Jeonju on Sunday, I'm pretty sure that a preacher told me that if I didn't repent my 'evil British ways' I would go to hell. Better stop riding my penny farthing to school then I guess.

:/

I've been teaching alone this last couple of days, and it's been fun! Today I had to remind some girls at the back that it was English class and not dance class. They told me it was English dance class.

Gamsahapnida for reading,

Squashed.

P.S. I was 'got' by an Evil Shower Head. Only on the side but that means I'm one step closer to a fully dressed shower.

P.P.S. K-Pop this time performed by Rain, with a really cool dance.

One week later...

 Hello.

What a week. I'd say that that was all I could say but I think it would make for a very boring blog post if that really was all I could say. Plus, I can say more than 'that is all I can say'.

I started my travels (with Amy and Ekta) on Friday evening, with a bus journey from Sunchang to Gwangju, followed by a later bus from Gwangju to Daegu, where we spent the night. I stayed in my first ever love motel! We had checked out another one but it was a 'pay by the hour' kind of place and we thought that it wasn't quite suited to our needs. The man in charge of our motel assumed that I wanted to share the room with a lady who was stood behind us in the queue.

No thanks. Just me.

 

Welcome to the boudoir.

The next morning, we took a bus from Daegu to Andong, where the Andong Mask Festival was taking place. It was very big and we got to see a Lion Dance. They're shaggier than the Chinese dragon costumes, and cuter I think. Someone misheard as going to see a line dance, which would have been fun but I think I'm on the wrong continent for that.

 Cheeky lions.

We spent two days in Andong and here are some things that happened:

• A man asked if I wanted to hold his beetles, and when I asked if they would bite he said 'sure'. No thanks.
• The same man asked if I wanted to hold his tarantula, and when I asked if it would bite he said 'sure, it has venom'. Again, no thanks.
• We climbed the cliffs you can see to your right. Both the advised path and the unadvised path. That's enough on that.
• Amy spoke to some chickens in chicken. They spoke back in chicken. A dog watched the whole thing and looked pretty confused.
• I got 'married' to my neighbour Ekta and dressed up in some traditional Korean gear. See below:

For the next leg of my trip, I went to Jinju while Amy and Ekta made their way to Seoul.  Here, some fellow 9th Generation TaLKers and I managed to attend the floating lantern festival and see its opening ceremony. We saw the most amazing fireworks display from on top of the fortress on the Nam River. They just kept on getting bigger and bigger until they were filling the entire sky.  'OH MY GOD!' was gasped many a time.

The accommodation in Jinju for Monday night was an ondol room. Ondol is the underfloor heating which is found throughout Korea, and seven of us shared the floor and some 'cushy' blankets for the evening. I say that seven of us shared the room, but there was a creepy centipede in the tub, a cricket in the main room (which Florina heard moving in the night) and a spider/mosquito hybrid lurking on the bathroom door, meaning that I got to do an action film-esque kicking of the door to get out. No way was I touching that door handle with Mr Spindly having hidden away from me somewhere again.

Finally, me and my fellow scholars retired to Jeonju for Tuesday night where Anna, Dom and I went out for dinner and just ended up having pudding. Lots of pudding. We had a waffle each, a chocbingsu, some more chocolates and a smoothie to top it all off. Oh, we had a cookie too. Then we went on the swings. It makes sense to do physical activity when you've just eaten BEHEMOTH AMOUNTS of chocolate... right?

 Chocbingsu + Complimentary Cookie

Don't worry I wasn't sick.

On Thursday I went on the school trip to a couple of Gwangju museums. It was a nice day spent with both teachers and students. In one of the museums, there was a big drum, detailed on the plaque next to it as 'A big drum'. Inspiring.

Later on this morning, I'll be catching a bus to Seoul for ANOTHER (four) round(s) of fireworks, partying and a trip to the DMZ on Sunday. AND I STILL HAVEN'T PACKED!

Gamsahapnida for reading!

Busy Bee.


P.S. This is a picture of me on a cow with a funny face which I couldn't put into context anywhere else.