Sunday, November 22, 2009
Socks
No matter how I put my socks in the washer--whether it be inside-out or normal--they end up inside-out when the cycle finishes. I don't get it.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Scrabble and Swine Flu
So it's about 6:40, Sunday evening. I went to a brunch with some friends, and since have been hanging out in my apartment just relaxing, eating pizza, watching soccer, and playing online Scrabble. It's been nice. My crowning achievement was scoring 230 points on a word... "quiverer." How, do you ask? Covered two triple-word scores. I'm a word nerd, and proud of it.
The Swine Flu thing is rather ridiculous. I can't go anywhere these days without hearing conversation about the H1N1 deal; here in Korea it's spoken of as the "Sin-jong flu" which sounds like "shinjong ploo." But it just means "new flu." There are lots of reported cases of it here, but it all seems like just big media hype. I know it's spreading like wildfire, but it's a flu. Lots of people die every year from the flu (which has a zillion forms.) Regardless, it's affecting daily life here. Maybe it's the same back in the States, but here the general fear is worsening. Every day at school, the kids have to have their temperatures taken before they enter the classroom. Last week, several kids were sent home daily because their temperatures were too high, the impression being that if they a fever they shouldn't be in class--no problem there. But I just learned on Friday that the temperature-taking girl (who is the secretary, and nothing more) seems to think that 37.0 c (pretty much 98.6 f) is a fever. Granted, some of the kids have had high temperatures, being around 100 f, but the really ridiculous part is that they don't clean the thermometer between testing kids. Even after she sticks it in some kid's ear, determines he has a fever and possibly is on his way to the morgue. No, it's just "OH NO, GO HOME! YOU ARE INFECTED!" and 'plop!' right in the next kid's ear. I don't think the little plastic "protector" has ever been changed.
The Swine Flu thing is rather ridiculous. I can't go anywhere these days without hearing conversation about the H1N1 deal; here in Korea it's spoken of as the "Sin-jong flu" which sounds like "shinjong ploo." But it just means "new flu." There are lots of reported cases of it here, but it all seems like just big media hype. I know it's spreading like wildfire, but it's a flu. Lots of people die every year from the flu (which has a zillion forms.) Regardless, it's affecting daily life here. Maybe it's the same back in the States, but here the general fear is worsening. Every day at school, the kids have to have their temperatures taken before they enter the classroom. Last week, several kids were sent home daily because their temperatures were too high, the impression being that if they a fever they shouldn't be in class--no problem there. But I just learned on Friday that the temperature-taking girl (who is the secretary, and nothing more) seems to think that 37.0 c (pretty much 98.6 f) is a fever. Granted, some of the kids have had high temperatures, being around 100 f, but the really ridiculous part is that they don't clean the thermometer between testing kids. Even after she sticks it in some kid's ear, determines he has a fever and possibly is on his way to the morgue. No, it's just "OH NO, GO HOME! YOU ARE INFECTED!" and 'plop!' right in the next kid's ear. I don't think the little plastic "protector" has ever been changed.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
It's Morning
Just got up a bit ago after a solid night of doing nothing but watching "The Office" online and munching Korean rice snacks. Oh, and I accidentally kicked Papa Hamster as he was rolling around the apartment in his exercise ball. Oh and I also stubbed my big toe, which led me to look at my foot and realize that the toe next to it--the one I broke on the family cruise a couple years ago--has grown way more crooked than I'd thought possible. In fact, it's growing so far to the left that it's making the one next to it crooked too. Pointer toe: "Hey man, I'm going this way... wanna come?" Middle toe: "Sure dude, screw conformity!" I think I may soon venture a visit to the foot doctor, but that's risky; knowing my luck with doctors here I'll probably end up in the proctologist's office and be laughed out of the hospital for telling him about my foot problems... "Wrong floor again, you stupid waegook!*"
Last weekend was the Busan Fireworks Festival at Gwangali Beach, some 15 minutes from my apartment. Nobody I've talked to, including Koreans, knows exactly what the celebration is for, or why they picked the middle of October to put on the fireworks show, but who cares? Fireworks! We'd heard that the show was a pretty big deal, and that it gets pretty crowded at the beach, but wow--we had no idea. We got there at about 4pm, four hours before the show was to start. We had no trouble snagging an area on the sand, where it was relatively uncrowded, but by 7pm the place was a zoo. Never in my life have I seen so many people in one place. (News reports the next day said that over a million people had shown up at the beach) Anyways, lasting 45 minutes and being synchronized with music, the fireworks show was amazing, even surpassing anything I saw in Beijing for the Chinese New Year's celebration. It helped that the fireworks were shot from the stunningly-beautiful Gwangan Bridge, which spans across the bay. I wish my camera was better--most of the pictures I snapped were real blurry, but here are some of the better ones. And a couple videos (which I'm sure will not play properly, grrrr). Oh, and make sure the volume isn't turned up high :-D
Last weekend was the Busan Fireworks Festival at Gwangali Beach, some 15 minutes from my apartment. Nobody I've talked to, including Koreans, knows exactly what the celebration is for, or why they picked the middle of October to put on the fireworks show, but who cares? Fireworks! We'd heard that the show was a pretty big deal, and that it gets pretty crowded at the beach, but wow--we had no idea. We got there at about 4pm, four hours before the show was to start. We had no trouble snagging an area on the sand, where it was relatively uncrowded, but by 7pm the place was a zoo. Never in my life have I seen so many people in one place. (News reports the next day said that over a million people had shown up at the beach) Anyways, lasting 45 minutes and being synchronized with music, the fireworks show was amazing, even surpassing anything I saw in Beijing for the Chinese New Year's celebration. It helped that the fireworks were shot from the stunningly-beautiful Gwangan Bridge, which spans across the bay. I wish my camera was better--most of the pictures I snapped were real blurry, but here are some of the better ones. And a couple videos (which I'm sure will not play properly, grrrr). Oh, and make sure the volume isn't turned up high :-D
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
My Pictures are worth TWO thousand words...
My favorite temple I've seen in Korea, Haedong, is only about 20 minutes from my apartment. It boasts some real beauty, being nestled right up against the sea on the rocky cliffs.
One of my favorite activities this summer was going to the Busan Lotte Giants baseball games. Baseball is huge in Korea, and the fans are just as fun--if not more fun--to watch as the game itself. Tickets are only like 5 bucks, so we were able to afford going to several games, no problem. My favorite part of the games is around the 8th inning when they pass out orange plastic garbage bags to the fans. Everyone immediately blows them up and puts them on their heads, turning the whole stadium orange. Pretty hilarious. Note: The Giants just lost their round of playoffs, for those of you that follow Korean Baseball League :-P
A while back we went to a restaurant in a cave. Here you can see my friends Megan and Rosh perplexed by the typical Korean menu. Like I've said before, a lot of times at the restaurants it's just close your eyes, point to something on the menu, and hope it's delicious. The third pic is of temple grounds near my apartment that's smack in the middle of the city. It's such a weird contrast to see things like that.
Some friends over at my apartment for "family dinner" and games. And I would appreciate if anyone could inform me as to what the settings on my washing machine mean. I've even brought this picture into work and asked the Korean secretary to tell me what the functions are, but she's unable to explain. So I just usually pick one and see what happens. Still trying to find out if there's a "dry" function. Hanging the clothes to dry is getting old, and takes up half the space in my place.
HIIIII-YAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is a coffee/dessert shop in Jangsan that lets about 12 dogs run around. It's pretty hilarious, and super sanitary. This little pup hopped up on my lap as I was drinkin' my cocoa. Dogs often pee under the table. Splish splash!
Randomness: a waterfall. Me being a turtle. And the crushing disappointment of realizing we were one die short for Yahtzee! in the ferry terminal. We take Yahtzee everywhere we go, along with a frisbee for rolling the dice into. My top score is 709. Beat that.
Some delicious treats. I love the markets here. You can just choose what you want out of tanks, and either take it home or they'll cook it up for you right there. It's super cheap, too. We pass on the crab brain... I guess it's supposed to be the best part--Koreans save it until the end and then enjoy it over a bed of rice and raw egg. Not my idea of a delicious dessert.
One of my favorite activities this summer was going to the Busan Lotte Giants baseball games. Baseball is huge in Korea, and the fans are just as fun--if not more fun--to watch as the game itself. Tickets are only like 5 bucks, so we were able to afford going to several games, no problem. My favorite part of the games is around the 8th inning when they pass out orange plastic garbage bags to the fans. Everyone immediately blows them up and puts them on their heads, turning the whole stadium orange. Pretty hilarious. Note: The Giants just lost their round of playoffs, for those of you that follow Korean Baseball League :-P
A while back we went to a restaurant in a cave. Here you can see my friends Megan and Rosh perplexed by the typical Korean menu. Like I've said before, a lot of times at the restaurants it's just close your eyes, point to something on the menu, and hope it's delicious. The third pic is of temple grounds near my apartment that's smack in the middle of the city. It's such a weird contrast to see things like that.
Some friends over at my apartment for "family dinner" and games. And I would appreciate if anyone could inform me as to what the settings on my washing machine mean. I've even brought this picture into work and asked the Korean secretary to tell me what the functions are, but she's unable to explain. So I just usually pick one and see what happens. Still trying to find out if there's a "dry" function. Hanging the clothes to dry is getting old, and takes up half the space in my place.
HIIIII-YAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is a coffee/dessert shop in Jangsan that lets about 12 dogs run around. It's pretty hilarious, and super sanitary. This little pup hopped up on my lap as I was drinkin' my cocoa. Dogs often pee under the table. Splish splash!
Randomness: a waterfall. Me being a turtle. And the crushing disappointment of realizing we were one die short for Yahtzee! in the ferry terminal. We take Yahtzee everywhere we go, along with a frisbee for rolling the dice into. My top score is 709. Beat that.
Some delicious treats. I love the markets here. You can just choose what you want out of tanks, and either take it home or they'll cook it up for you right there. It's super cheap, too. We pass on the crab brain... I guess it's supposed to be the best part--Koreans save it until the end and then enjoy it over a bed of rice and raw egg. Not my idea of a delicious dessert.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Random
I feel like a loser when I check Logan's (my brother who's studying in Chile) blog and see all the posts he's constantly making. My creativity and inspiration has been laggggggging. But good job, bro... looks like you're having some sweet adventures. (And I'm glad to see you figured out the picture-uploading situation!)
Anyways, yes, I'm alive, though I've been wanting to die due to an eye infection I've been fighting for weeks. I guess it started as an allergy or something, but I must have rubbed my eyes a lot and just caused it to get worse (I'll save you the details...). Normally I like to stay away from doctors, but last week decided I couldn't put it off any longer. So after waking up with eyes crusted shut, I felt my way to the "hospital" (Koreans exaggerate call any medical place hospitals) across the street from my apartment. I couldn't determine what floor of the place I was supposed to go to, so I just pushed 9 and went to the reception desk there. I couldn't communicate with them, so I just pointed to my eyes and they seemed to understand, sitting me down in the waiting room. Five minutes later they called me to the doctor's office, where he (in passable English) asked me what was wrong. "My eyes, doc. I can't see!" "What else," he asked. "Ummm... lots of pain and itching and goobers all over my sinus and eyes!!! I'm blind!" "And?" he calmly replied. At this point I was starting to feel weird. "Well, I guess that's all." He laughed, and said "Floor 4." Turns out I was at the foot doctor's office.
So I went down to the 4th floor, where I was seen by the eye doctor within minutes. He didn't seem to think much of my condition, simply giving me a prescription and recommending that I buy some super-expensive contact lenses from him. I passed on the offer, but did take the prescription, for which he gave me no fewer than thirty-six instructions (all of which seemed to contradict one another) and went down to the pharmacy on the first floor. After a two-minute wait, they gave me my meds: three bottles of different eye drops, a topical ointment, and several doses of antibiotics in pill form.
Total cost for my visit to the hospital: 3,000 won for the doctor, 7,000 won for the meds. So 10,000 won (or about $7.50) and 30 minutes of my time for it all. And the medication is even working (mostly). Gotta love the national health care here... you can walk in to any clinic and be seen within minutes, and the costs are extremely minimal. So that's my doctor story.
I don't know what I'd said before about our hamsters, but holy crumbcakes they're a hassle. Our two "males" created seven new babies, which after they were weaned we were able to give away to friends and students. Two days later (three weeks ago), the mother had seven more babies. This means she got knocked up basically the day after she gave birth... we didn't separate them quickly enough. So with these seven new babies (which nobody wants now) we are thinking we might just have to add them to the circle of life and set them free in the wilderness. Either that or hamster stew.
School is fine... nothing too exciting to report. I'm getting new students constantly, which is kind of stressful as my classroom is way too small. But they seem to still like me and I have kept the death toll to a minimum.
Sunday we went to the Dongnae History Festival. Dongnae is an area of Busan very rich in culture and history. It's a place where one of the main gates of the ancient Busan wall has been preserved and refurbished (is that the right word?) I wish I would have taken more pictures, but they did a cool reenactment of when the Japanese attacked the gate in the 1500s. We have no idea what the play was about, but it ended with everyone being dead. Not quite sure about that one. A short hike up one of the mountains at Dongnae provided us with a great view of Busan (I hope the video works... EDIT: it doesn't; I still can't get the audio to sync with it, grrr). My favorite part of the festival: I was wandering around when I heard my name, and turned around to see two of my past students (sisters) from CBS run up to me and give me a hug. Little Biny (the one with the giant backpack) was my favorite student--one whom I never got to say goodbye to--so it was amazing to see her again!
Next week it will have been a year for me in Korea. Hard to believe. And as the holiday season approaches--especially knowing that, had things gone normally I'd be getting ready to go home--I'm feeling pretty homesick. I miss you guys!!! Lauren's finishing her contract and is planning on visiting home during November, and I'm very jealous. I wish I had some holiday vacation to look forward to. Christmas day is my only day off for the rest of the year. Depressing. However, I will have two weeks off sometime in January/February, and I'm going to try and find a flight back to the states to visit. The thought of being here for another 9 months without getting away for a bit is quite maddening. Not saying I'm not happy here, but I need a break; I think that's understandable.
Anyways, yes, I'm alive, though I've been wanting to die due to an eye infection I've been fighting for weeks. I guess it started as an allergy or something, but I must have rubbed my eyes a lot and just caused it to get worse (I'll save you the details...). Normally I like to stay away from doctors, but last week decided I couldn't put it off any longer. So after waking up with eyes crusted shut, I felt my way to the "hospital" (Koreans exaggerate call any medical place hospitals) across the street from my apartment. I couldn't determine what floor of the place I was supposed to go to, so I just pushed 9 and went to the reception desk there. I couldn't communicate with them, so I just pointed to my eyes and they seemed to understand, sitting me down in the waiting room. Five minutes later they called me to the doctor's office, where he (in passable English) asked me what was wrong. "My eyes, doc. I can't see!" "What else," he asked. "Ummm... lots of pain and itching and goobers all over my sinus and eyes!!! I'm blind!" "And?" he calmly replied. At this point I was starting to feel weird. "Well, I guess that's all." He laughed, and said "Floor 4." Turns out I was at the foot doctor's office.
So I went down to the 4th floor, where I was seen by the eye doctor within minutes. He didn't seem to think much of my condition, simply giving me a prescription and recommending that I buy some super-expensive contact lenses from him. I passed on the offer, but did take the prescription, for which he gave me no fewer than thirty-six instructions (all of which seemed to contradict one another) and went down to the pharmacy on the first floor. After a two-minute wait, they gave me my meds: three bottles of different eye drops, a topical ointment, and several doses of antibiotics in pill form.
Total cost for my visit to the hospital: 3,000 won for the doctor, 7,000 won for the meds. So 10,000 won (or about $7.50) and 30 minutes of my time for it all. And the medication is even working (mostly). Gotta love the national health care here... you can walk in to any clinic and be seen within minutes, and the costs are extremely minimal. So that's my doctor story.
I don't know what I'd said before about our hamsters, but holy crumbcakes they're a hassle. Our two "males" created seven new babies, which after they were weaned we were able to give away to friends and students. Two days later (three weeks ago), the mother had seven more babies. This means she got knocked up basically the day after she gave birth... we didn't separate them quickly enough. So with these seven new babies (which nobody wants now) we are thinking we might just have to add them to the circle of life and set them free in the wilderness. Either that or hamster stew.
School is fine... nothing too exciting to report. I'm getting new students constantly, which is kind of stressful as my classroom is way too small. But they seem to still like me and I have kept the death toll to a minimum.
Sunday we went to the Dongnae History Festival. Dongnae is an area of Busan very rich in culture and history. It's a place where one of the main gates of the ancient Busan wall has been preserved and refurbished (is that the right word?) I wish I would have taken more pictures, but they did a cool reenactment of when the Japanese attacked the gate in the 1500s. We have no idea what the play was about, but it ended with everyone being dead. Not quite sure about that one. A short hike up one of the mountains at Dongnae provided us with a great view of Busan (I hope the video works... EDIT: it doesn't; I still can't get the audio to sync with it, grrr). My favorite part of the festival: I was wandering around when I heard my name, and turned around to see two of my past students (sisters) from CBS run up to me and give me a hug. Little Biny (the one with the giant backpack) was my favorite student--one whom I never got to say goodbye to--so it was amazing to see her again!
Next week it will have been a year for me in Korea. Hard to believe. And as the holiday season approaches--especially knowing that, had things gone normally I'd be getting ready to go home--I'm feeling pretty homesick. I miss you guys!!! Lauren's finishing her contract and is planning on visiting home during November, and I'm very jealous. I wish I had some holiday vacation to look forward to. Christmas day is my only day off for the rest of the year. Depressing. However, I will have two weeks off sometime in January/February, and I'm going to try and find a flight back to the states to visit. The thought of being here for another 9 months without getting away for a bit is quite maddening. Not saying I'm not happy here, but I need a break; I think that's understandable.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Jeju-do and Cruise
Okay, so like I said before, Lauren and I headed to Jeju Island last week. It was amazing. Lives up to its name as the "Hawaii of Korea" very well. Only about a 35 minute flight from Busan, so quite convenient, too.
We got there in the evening, so we didn't have much time to do anything other than munch some grub. The next day was rainy, but actually quite pleasant (for the most part) so we headed to the famous botanical garden. The place was incredible; so many thousands of different kinds of plants, trees, flowers, fruits, and unicorns. We couldn't believe how green everything was, and it's too bad the pictures can't do it justice. But behold, some pictures of the glory:
After the garden (which as you could see was enormous both inside and out) we headed on a walk, which led us past some nice architecture and across an amazing foot bridge. The view was so beautiful I cried for seven- and three-quarters minutes.
Later in the trip we ventured to other waterfalls, gardens, monuments, beaches, the 2002 World Cup stadium, waterfalls, gardens, beaches, and even the 2002 World Cup Stadium! Did I mention the waterfalls?
We went on a submarine tour, which was really neat. I think it took us to a maximum depth of 45 meters, or roughly 9,560 feet. Please notice the odd-looking and ultra-rare scuba fish on the right side of the porthole.
What else, what else.... meh, that's enough about Jeju. All in all a really solid few days. (All thanks to Lauren... muah!)
A few days ago, my friend Paul--in the beige tank top in the second picture--organized a catamaran cruise for people. A couple of our friends (Mandi and Megan) just finished their contracts and are going home for a couple months between contracts, so it was kind of like a last "hurrah" for them. I think about thirty of us teachers packed on the boat and cruised around for a while, followed by an amazing steak dinner on the beach. We passed Haeundae Beach, which I'd never seen from the water. It's ridiculous how packed it is... see for yourself. And by the way, the sunset that night was one of the most amazing I've ever seen.
Alright well I suppose that's enough for now. (The beach is calling my name)
By the way, I really need some topics to write about. If you read this, you should leave a comment about something you might be interested in, and I'll write about it (for example: food, money, customs, friends, relationships, entertainment, daily life, language, etc...) . It's just tough, as I've become so used to everything here, but I know that things that might seem bland to me by now would be interesting for readers. Help me out!
Annyong!
We got there in the evening, so we didn't have much time to do anything other than munch some grub. The next day was rainy, but actually quite pleasant (for the most part) so we headed to the famous botanical garden. The place was incredible; so many thousands of different kinds of plants, trees, flowers, fruits, and unicorns. We couldn't believe how green everything was, and it's too bad the pictures can't do it justice. But behold, some pictures of the glory:
After the garden (which as you could see was enormous both inside and out) we headed on a walk, which led us past some nice architecture and across an amazing foot bridge. The view was so beautiful I cried for seven- and three-quarters minutes.
Later in the trip we ventured to other waterfalls, gardens, monuments, beaches, the 2002 World Cup stadium, waterfalls, gardens, beaches, and even the 2002 World Cup Stadium! Did I mention the waterfalls?
We went on a submarine tour, which was really neat. I think it took us to a maximum depth of 45 meters, or roughly 9,560 feet. Please notice the odd-looking and ultra-rare scuba fish on the right side of the porthole.
What else, what else.... meh, that's enough about Jeju. All in all a really solid few days. (All thanks to Lauren... muah!)
A few days ago, my friend Paul--in the beige tank top in the second picture--organized a catamaran cruise for people. A couple of our friends (Mandi and Megan) just finished their contracts and are going home for a couple months between contracts, so it was kind of like a last "hurrah" for them. I think about thirty of us teachers packed on the boat and cruised around for a while, followed by an amazing steak dinner on the beach. We passed Haeundae Beach, which I'd never seen from the water. It's ridiculous how packed it is... see for yourself. And by the way, the sunset that night was one of the most amazing I've ever seen.
Alright well I suppose that's enough for now. (The beach is calling my name)
By the way, I really need some topics to write about. If you read this, you should leave a comment about something you might be interested in, and I'll write about it (for example: food, money, customs, friends, relationships, entertainment, daily life, language, etc...) . It's just tough, as I've become so used to everything here, but I know that things that might seem bland to me by now would be interesting for readers. Help me out!
Annyong!
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