I didn't do very well on my previous bucket list, so this year I am going to endeavour to do as many of them as possible. I had good intentions last year, but some I changed my mind about (temple stay), whereas others didn't come to fruition as the season passed (skiing). Others were just difficult (catch a dragonfly) or very strange to do as a planned activity (sleep in a pagoda).
So here is the new list for 2014. It includes things I missed last year, things I have added and things I have changed. Any suggestions might be added.
Three weeks ago I landed in the land of the morning calm, or for me, the land of the frantic morning rush to get ready. It doesn't quite have the same ring to it though does it?
After my two months of living as a socialite, I started off my new year with just one more week of the high life (for good measure) before attending a week long orientation (no crotch wetting incident this year: see my blog post 'One Step Closer' to find out more).
After orientation, I met up with my new co-teacher and came to school. The problem with having clothes in three different places is that you might not have enough clothes to wear to school yet. Cue the 'Daniel wears a blue suit at work week'. I did have enough shirts though. A co-teacher did ask if my tie was my favourite tie. Well, I suppose considering at the time it was my only tie, then yes, it was my favourite tie. I have since DOUBLED my tie collection. I can almost hear you gasp.
I also, to add to the classy impression I am sure I am already giving you, managed to find some street furniture to make my room seem a little cosier. While me and my accomplice were carrying a reclining chair back to my apartment, a security guard shouted us from down the street and we thought 'Oh, maybe this wasn't trash after all'. He walked slowly up to us, and then tore off a sticker on the side of the chair and bade us farewell (in Korean). The problem with living in a small town is that people might see you occasionally carrying furniture around and you might get a bit of a reputation. I would imagine my current reputation is somewhere around that of Mr Twit. I am waiting for the day when a student asks "Teacher, part time job is moving furniture?".
I also went to the Seoul fireworks festival this year and ACTUALLY got to see some fireworks. HOORAH. We managed to position ourselves just on the other side of a bridge and a tree to the fireworks, but we shuffled and made people uncomfortable and they shuffled and therefore we had more room to shuffle. By the end of all this shuffling we had quite a good view.
Incheon, the new city where I am living, is exciting and in close proximity to Seoul. I'm looking forward to a good year here! I am currently in the process of making my 2013/14 Korean Wishlist, so the next blog post will be about that.
Sorry for the lack of photos, I don't know where my memory card is for my camera. What I do have though is a picture of people queuing (QUEUING!?) up for some squid, a mega treat for the Koreans.
Once he had seen this truck, there was no going back for Oliver.
Gamsahapnida for reading,
Unofficial and picky trash collector of Yeongjeong Island.
P.S. K-Pop by Crayon Pop, with Bar Bar Bar (Does anybody else hear something else in English for the second line?)
In the final few weeks of my first year of living in Korea, I visited two beaches. The first was Haeundae Beach in Busan.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh
We were in Busan for two and a half days and me and my companion Jennifer spent almost the entirety of the time on the beach. During this trip, we saw a lot of what I will refer to as 'beach chicken people'. Beach chicken people are noisy individuals that walk up and down with probably cold chicken shouting 'beer! chicken! beer and chicken! chicken and beer!'. As you can imagine, beach chicken people are quite annoying.
At one point, while in the sea, I quickly dipped my head underwater to wet my hair. In the 0.00648 seconds I spent underwater, a young lady in a rubber ring managed to position herself directly above where my head was set to emerge. Cue creepy foreigner doing a jaws-esque attack on an unsuspecting victim.
Also, Korean sun in HOT KOREA is hot ('no way' I hear you say). We were both bright pink after our full first day on the beach. Jenny even got a 'woah' during a trip to the little girls room.
It was also on this trip that I observed the kind of things Koreans are willing to take into the sea with them. I have drawn up a comparison table to show the differences between what Koreans take into the sea versus what I am accustomed to taking into the sea with me. Please find this helpful table below.
Acceptable
items in the Korean sea
Things
I am used to seeing in the sea
People
People
Flotation devices
Flotation devices
Swimming costumes
Swimming costumes - sometimes ;)
Sunglasses
Hats and caps
Flip Flops
T-shirts
Dresses
Mobile phones around your neck in a plastic protecty thingy
REALLY!?
The second trip was to Daecheon beach, with lovely chap Oliver in tow.
Couldn't get a picture
The weather was not so favourable. We had planned to go for one night at least, maybe two. We spent about 4/5 hours there.
Told ya.
Arriving on the beach, we realised we were perhaps the most pitiful people on the beach, as everyone else had tents, umbrellas, food and other beach things. We had what you can see below.
They're not even beach towels.
We had a quick dip in the sea, and this time I didn't headbutt somebody in the.... butt (headbutt... get it?). Upon our fabulous return to our palace on the beach, I decided to bury my companion.
A pillow, for added comfort.
After his burial, it was my turn. When I was almost fully sanded, the rain started. Following the rain, came the thunder. But I will be damned if I get buried in the sand and don't even get a photo out of it!
Rain was going in my eyes, so I look great...
Following the rain on the beach, I had a lovely freezing cold shower followed by a bit of pudding and then a bus ride home. What a wonderful beach holiday.
Gamsahapnida for reading,
King of the beach
P.S. K-Pop by Cho Yong Pil with 'Bounce'. Skip to 0:25 for the music unless you like people screaming (I do, that's why I attacked beach girl).
During my first month in Koreazy, I created a list of things I wanted to complete. Well, I didn't complete them all but I'm staying for another year so poo you.
#3: Try octopus with Anna
I have now eaten octopus many times. The first, however, was to be with good friend Anna, pictured below. I didn't like octopus on my first try, and I still don't like it now. It did open me up to trying lots more strange foods, some tasty, some questionable, and some downright horrible.
Photo by wonderful Karen Dang
#6: Go to a soju tent
A soju tent is a big orange tent where they sell soju and simple foods to be consumed alongside soju. After a trip to the zoo, me and my coteacher decided to visit a soju tent. The tents we were visiting are situated in a sort of car park (underground style) and we were joined by my good friend Keith. It was warm, tasty and odd at the same time.
#7: Go to a trick-art museum
#11: Go to a theme park
I visited LotteWorld theme park in central Seoul. We managed to go on a fair few rides, and I convinced my companion Oliver to go on a vile one for the second time with the promise of a waffle. A waffle that I ate.
Muahaha.
#12: Ascend Namsan Tower
#14: Go horse-riding
Part of our itinerary for the Jeju Island school trip was horse riding. In the photo is the vice principal and a first grader, as well as my horse's head (still attached to the horse and definitely not in my enemy's bed)
#17: Go to a cat and/or a dog cafe
I've been to the 'Coffee and Cat' cat cafe four times now. The cats are often uninterested unless you have chicken, in which case they are extremely interested. Some are nice, some are cruel (the skinny ones) and some are just BLOOMIN' RUDE! Rude cat example: I go to the cat cafe and being the productive soul that I am I decide to take my laptop, in it's case. But being the lazy soul that I am I don't use my laptop and it stays in it's case on the counter. Rude cat wakes up, comes over to my laptop case, sniffs it, and then goes to town on it with it's lovely sharp claws. Then rude cat wanders off and goes back to sleep. I didn't even get a stroke out of it.
The dog cafe was more entertaining, with dogs chasing each other round, eyeing me up for my strawberry bubble tea and dipping their noses into crotches (mine and Jenny's), bags (Jenny's) and cups (everyone's). A little bit smelly but a lot of fun!
If you would like to see a funny dog playing on a chair, watch this video.
#20: Eat hanjeongsik, a side dish only feast!
This is me and Woo Young enjoying (or about to enjoy!) a tasty side dish only feast. You might be able to see a fish on the table, and I'm calling out a reader here (SASHA) who asked if they were decorative fish. Just in case any of you were wondering, they weren't decorative fish.
Failed attempt: Catch a dragonfly out of the air.
I did try and catch a dragonfly, but it wasn't out of the air and I think I killed it. Not exactly what I was going for.
I visited the great shabu shabu restaurant 'Chaesundang' (채선당 for the maps) in Chungjangro, downtown Gwangju, with my sister. She was the first student in the Noodle Eating 101 program. It is a program fraught with worry, but one that pays off eventually. Maybe one day I will have to do a course on eating fried chicken with chopsticks, but until I personally get a grip on that, it ain't gonna happen.
So, here is my first success story for Noodle Eating 101:
Step one: Pick up noodles. Look somewhat worried.
Step two: Look at noodles. Look somewhat more worried.
Step three: Go for it. Throw as many noodles as possible in your mouth. Seriously, pile them in. Worrying still on the increase.
Step four: The difficult part. The slurp. The main idea here is to slurp without flicking noodle juice everywhere. This is perhaps the most difficult part to master. At this point worrying is at it's height. It is also the point at which you cannot turn back.
Step five: You did it! Give yourself a big pat on the back, but not too hard! Don't want those noodles to make a reappearance!
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