Interesting Pictures

Here's an interesting insert from inside a huge jar of protein powder.  Nolan brought this home after he found it inside.  I always knew they really liked Obama here.  Even my students were happy when he got elected! But this is admiration on a whole new level. Yupp that's President Obama's head on what I'm guessing is not an accurate representation of his real body. Well ya know,  whatever it takes to sell the protein powder!

If that wasn't shock and trauma enough for one day, I was hit with one more thing. Nolan and I discovered a hidden gem yesterday as we were walking past one of the giant marts.  We stumbled upon a grocery store that was tucked away in a corner.  I wanted to explore more of this place.  I was pleased with the different things they had.  It reminded me of a mini Whole Foods store.  We picked up some sunflower seeds.  As we munched on them, I glanced over the packet.  And on the corner in not so big letters it states, "Yes! -Recall".  I'm hoping that doesn't mean what I think it does. So much for our gem of a grocery store.  Maybe all the cool products they sell there are recalled somewhere from the states. 

Seoul Part 2

Our next day in Seoul was spent having lunch with Nolan's friend from back home. He teaches in Seoul and was nice enough to show us around his hood. After grabbing lunch we started hiking up to his apartment. On the way we got a nice view of the surrounding area. Of course, with all the snow on the ground we had to start a snow ball fight. We spent a few minutes attacking each other with the white fluffy stuff.Here's a view of Severance Hospital from the top of the area. Not exactly a welcoming name for those who have been recently injured.
As we continued our hike we were greeted by a few kids. They just started saying "hi" to us so we greeted them back. After some teasing and laughing snow balls started to be formed. I'm not sure who threw the first one but it quickly became clear it was every man for himself.When it was all done and over with we drove them out of their territory. It was clear who had won the battle.

Once we proved our power and might to the kids, and refreshed our parched throats with coffee, we decided to hit up an art museum and then do some shopping.This was a funny cafe we spotted on our way to the museum. No need to elaborate.
We went to a midnight market. It was jam packed with people. The streets were lined with people selling food. Here's a good before and after picture of a Korean staple, Tteok-Bokki. It's basically rice cakes soaked in spicy red pepper flakes and other veggies.
This is inside one of the markets. There wasn't much room to move around. Also, we ran into a slight snafu, because of the big holiday all the banks were closed. And for some reason the doors to the ATMs were also locked. It was at this point where my money for buying unnecessary junk was running out. I didn't actually get any shopping done. Bummer!
Another shot of people packed in like sardines inside the shopping area.
One of my favorite things about visiting Seoul is the selection of restaurants there. It's really hard to find good non-Korean eateries in our cities. So entering Seoul is like a foodie's mecca. Here's the four of us enjoying a nice dinner at a Thai place in Itaewon.

Seoul - the second time around

We had a couple days off from work because of the Chinese Lunar New Year. My friends and I decided to take another trip up to the heart of it all. We were more confident about maneuvering through the streets of Seoul this time around.

We met up with our friends Alex and Jill. The first day our destination was Lotte World! Now keep in mind it was freeeeezing cold in Seoul. We even had some snow. Most normal people would think it would be insane to hit up an amusement park in freezing temperatures and ride rollers coasters at high speeds while high up in the air. Well somehow Nolan got word that this was an "indoor amusement park". Too bad we didn't find the indoor part until well after our hair froze, our extremities had gone numb, and we could no longer stop trembling.
On a side note, before we even reached Lotte World, Jill and I got a little side tracked at the underground shopping center underneath the subway line. There were just tons of shops filled with clothes, shoes, accessories, and everything else a girl doesn't need. Here's a small shop with usually hand made factory bags.
Before the bitter cold seeped into our bones, we were insanely excited about reaching our destination and riding the coasters.
Look, here's Lotte's mascot -- The Racoon! I smell a mouse rip off! We never actually spotted the mascot anywhere inside the park. It was too cold for him to come out.
This is the entrance to the park. The castle looks mighty familiar with the blue cones and all. Here's one of the rides. The round thing rotates as it swings from one side to the other. If things go awry you might either fall into a frozen lake and die instantly, or hit another roller coaster on the other side. Pleasant! Makes you want to go on it with even more vigor!

That was the ride that did me in. And it was the first real scary one we went on. I think I'm a pretty big fan of roller coasters. But riding them in the cold is just crazy. The seats had a shield over each person to sort of protect them from the cold and windy ride. That didn't do much. My hands were so cold after that ride. It felt like someone could chop them and I wouldn't notice or feel any pain. Well, I guess I would notice from all the blood. Ew! After our bitter cold ride we needed to get inside somewhere. We stood in line for some haunted house thing which would bring us inside.
I was so cold that I ended up wrapping myself up with two scarves. This is funny to look at now, but I definitely wasn't laughing as I was standing there freezing. While standing in line I was amazed at how busy the park still was in the winter. There were girls walking around in shorts! Yes shorts! Jill and I gawked in wonderment at girls strolling around the park as if it were summer. We decided maybe they just don't feel it.

After making it inside to the haunted house, we decided we needed to get some food before we could hit up another ride. We went on one more roller coaster before calling it quits for being outside. We were treated to funny signs of no drunken rides as we waited in line.

We strolled to another part of Lotte World. We got inside and realized OH MY GOD! It is an indoor amusement park! There was a whole other world to be explored. It was basically a 4 or 5 story building packed with rides, even some roller coasters -- all indoors!
We rode on the big hot air balloons that circled the building from high up.
Then before we knew it it was time to ride the coaster that weaved in and out of the walls of Lotte World. It was a little scary to be honest. It's not like the ride was out in the open. It was somehow cramped into a space amongst all the other rides. The line was pretty short so we rode it twice. The day ended on a high note! It was a good day once we got ourselves out of the freezing cold. There's more to this Seoul trip though. I'll post the second part next time.

One looooooong day - Gyeongju (경주)

Whoa, I really haven't updated in a while. Hopefully, with school winding down, some vacation time, and the new year I'll have a whole new set of adventures in Korea to bring you. Much like the one I'm about to show you. Last Friday, my coteacher Sun-Young and I joined other English teachers from Masan and went on our way to Gyeongju. It's Korea's "ancient" city, so a pretty big deal. There was a lot of history that was packed into our heads during this day long trip.

We had a tour guide that was sort of gestapo-like in her determination to keep us completely on schedule. I think after a while a lot of us just wanted to roam free and explore whatever tickled our fancy. But we could not steer away from the path that was set before us.

First Stop!

Seokguram.

On the bus ride to the top of Mount Tohamsan I learned that whenever there are a lot of curves and bends in the road, most Koreans automatically say there are 99 bends. Although, I think there were way more than 99 bends.

Here's some cool traditional artwork we passed by on our way to see the grotto.Once we got to the top, this was the view. If you could see the past the mountains then you'd be looking at the Sea of Japan, or as Koreans like to call it the East Sea.

The main attraction at this site was the stone grotto that encased a huge statue of Buddha. According to our tour guide, it's the biggest statue of Buddha in Korea.

Yupp, that's it. We we're seperated from the going inside by the glass wall. At least we got to see it. Our tour guide had loads of information for us. I wish I had taken a notepad to jot down all the random facts. I do remember her telling us that there used to be a big diamond in the middle of Buddha's forehead, which has now been replaced by a crystal. Apparently, the Japanese took it. Our tour guide informed us that the Japanese took and destroyed a lot of things. No mention of the Mongols, though.

Alright our second stop.

Bulguksa Temple.

There's our tour guide on the left side of the picture. She always had her little mic in hand so that we didn't miss a sound wave of her voice.

This temple was burnt down during the Japanese invasion in the 1500s. Its been restored now with a few relics still missing. The two main stone pagodas that stand in the middle of the courtyard are the most prominent features of Bulguksa.

We were only able to see one of the pagodas. The other one was covered because it was under restoration. We got to see the simple Seokgatap pagoda. The other one is known as Dabotap. Seokgotap is known for its simplcity and balance. It stands directly across from the other pagoda that is more intricately designed. She said something about it representing man and woman. The simple one was supposed to represent man's simplicity and the intricate one is supposed to show how complex women are. Puuuuuuh-leeeeze! As we made our way through the rest of Bulguksa we came across these little stone pagodas on the ground. People place stones on top of other stones for each wish they make. Last time I tried to place a stone on a pagoda, I knocked it over. I was more careful this time as I made my one wish.

Here's another chill Buddha. His hand position is of great significance. It symbolizes his enlightenment and his teachings. The image of him grabbing on to his index finger, sort of like him teaching humanity about enlightenment so that they could escape suffering. Something like that.

Okay so I have no idea what the story with these creatures are. There was definitely a story. But I think at this point my stomach was growling, my body was tired, and all I really wanted was a nap. So I stopped listening. But they're pretty mean looking and colorful, cool huh?

What're we at, our third stop?

After lunch, we headed to Anapji.

Anapji is the name of the artificial pond that's a part of the Prince's palace. Nice place to stroll around. Again, I stopped listening after a while. Whatever historical facts our wonderful tour guide dropped on us, I pretty much missed out on. I did tune into the part about TV and cameras. Since, the place is pretty wide open a lot of Korean dramas set up and shoot their scenes here.

Don't leave yet! There's more. I wasn't kidding about how much they packed into one day.

Onto our next stop.

The ancient burial mounds aka The Royal Tomb Complex.

Here is the simple break down.

These mounds have once important figure heads of society buried in them. They were buried with their favorite possessions, their favorite servants, and sometimes their significant others.

They excavated only two of the mounds. We got to go inside one. Our tour guide said they've stopped excavating the remainder of the mounds because they want to make sure all the technology they have is up to date for digging up dead bodies. Also, digging up the dead is still very taboo in Korean society. They want respect their ancestors.

Our last stop was the Gyeongju National Museum.

Here's a bell.

It's not just any old bell, though.

We were told of a story about a baby being melted into a part of the bell and still screaming out for the mother. Although, later we were told the story is probably not true. I guess you can decide for yourself whether you want it to be or not. After the speech about the baby and the bell, we were finally let loose for an hour to go explore the museum. I visited two of the rooms and then shopped for a few trinkets at the gift shop.

We all piled back on the bus around 4:40 and headed off to dinner. The ride back from Gyeongju lasted about 2 hours. I was ready to pass out when I got home.

김범준

This morning I woke up to two big surprises!  I'm having a pretty awesome day.  I found out earlier in the week that classes were cancelled because my school is having a talent show today.  So  I get to chill out catch up on some reading, listen to more podcasts, and chat with my favorite students without class getting in the way.  Well if that wasn't enough goodness to begin the day with,  I opened my inbox to find out gmail had finally rolled out some new themes.  And my inbox finally got a makeover.  But no no . . . it doesn't stop there.  It gets waaaaaaaay better.

김범준(Kim Bam-Joon)  One of my favorite and best students  sent me an e-mail.  We've been hanging out a lot in between classes the past couple of weeks.  He'll come in and chat with me, fix my Korean for me, which is in need of a lot more attention that I am giving it.  But anyways,  it's always a pure delight to see him.  No matter how bad my day is going or how bad I'm feeling chatting with him, and exchanging langauge  skills with him always always brightens my day.  I momentarily forget all my responsibilties.  I wish everyone could meet my two favorite students and experience the proud feelings I get when I teach them new things.  Anyways,  I'll stop rambling.  Here's the wonderful e-mail he sent me this morning that made me twirl with joy.

from  김범준 <************@naver.com> reply-to   김범준 <***********@naver.com> to  ********@gmail.com date   Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 10:05 PM subject   trishna mailed-by    naver.com

10:05 PM (10 hours ago)

Hi, trishna

It seems like I have a lot to say but I can't really put it in to words
I always thanked you for helping me with my English
In fact, whenever I talk to you I really get nervous and worry about what to say
It is that much I care for it.
How good will it be if I could speak fluent English to express myself?
I should work on my English

I HAVE SOME 

MONEY

AND MY MAIL 

IS SECRET

 OK?

BYE!!! 

HAHAHA!!!

I really have no idea what the deal with the last part is. He's always asking me for money saying,  "You are rich."  And I always assure him that I am not

Junam Wetlands

This weekend Nolan and I decided to check out the Junam Resevoir site in Changwon. After attending the KBS Ramsar concert that highlighted the importance of preserving natural wetlands, I thought our mini excursion was quite fitting. The Junam resevoir is the largest bird migration site in South Korea.
Do you see the little black specs in the picture, right above the mountains? Yupp, those are all birds. It was hard to capture in photos. But the flock of birds were all flying in all sorts of directions and making crazy formations. It's really something else to watch in person.

We ended up going during some bird watching festival. I wish I was more of a bird enthusiast. I don't think I appreciated the whole magnitude of it all, because I didn't know which birds were which and which ones were extremely rare. The awe-ness of it all lied with the natural scenery and the amount of birds that were present at the site.
Here's nice view of the area as the sun's reflection hits the water.
More of the wetlands.
They had stations set up along the long pathway where kids and their parents could do crafty activities. I was also in the process of finding a present that I could send back home. I spotted this fan station where the ladies were painting names onto the paper fans.

A little down the road they had this other tent where people were pounding away at rice cake. Nolan got a chance to take a swing at the rice cakes. Here's a short clip of him using all his might as he takes his best shots.
After all the pounding was done with they put the wad of rice cake onto a pan and sprinkled the brown powdery stuff onto it. After sifting it for a bit they cut it all up and handed us a cup with a few pieces of the freshly made rice cakes. I took a bite of it. It was like biting into sweet dry sand with glutinous chewy rice cake inside.
We stepped into a gift shop for a few moments. It had a large map of the area along with a few pictures of the park. This picture features a handful of Korean bird watchers, along with one lone tall foreigner looking inredibly creepy right smack dab in the middle!

We also got to see a selection of crittery creatures.
That's a really big yellow snake, in case you couldn't tell.
This guy was fun to watch.
This picture really has nothing to do with the Junam resevoir. But as we were headed in that direction we noticed how colorful the mountain has become. Fall really shows itself in Korea and all the leaves have begun to show their true colors.

A long overdue post on the KBS Concert

So about a week an a half ago I had my first Korean pop concert experience. Complete with 5 member boy bands, flashy ensembles, and of course thousands of screaming teeny bopper girls going crazy for their favorites.

My friend Lindsay scored us prime seats at this outdoor event. There is a big circle in the center in Changwon, which is where the concert was held. The concert was being held as a part of the Ramsar Convention that Changwon was hosting this year. I didn't know about Ramsar until I started seeing signs for it all over the city the week the convention was being held. It's a treaty to help sustain and conserve our natural wetlands. Gooooo Environment!

To help raise awareness for keeping our wetlands safe, a lot of the Korean artists made their appearance and did their part so the young screaming middle school/high school aged girls would realize how important it is to protect our ecosystem.

Among the many big names present at the concert were TVXQ! I later found out this isn't even the real Korean band name they go by. Instead it's really Dong Bang Shin Ki (동방신기) which translates into Rising gods of the East. That's a pretty intense name! And let me tell you their attitude and the poses they struck right before singing were just as intense.

They even brought out the police brigade in case the girls stormed the stage. Fortunately no such event took place, but the thought of such commotion taking place excited me greatly.

This is ShinEE. Not as cool as a name that translates into rising gods of something, but they were pretty upbeat. The girls went insane for them as well. Believe it or not, I've been listening to their song Amigo on youtube, and I gotta say it's pretty catchy. I even know some of the words!

Here's a quick Korean lesson for you -- in their music video AMIGO

they keep repeat Ought to kay? Ought to Kay? which translates into What do I do? What do I do? It's become a favroite Korean phrase of mine. The song isn't musical genius but it's definitely a fun way for me learn new stuff.

Okay so now for some real up close and personal footage from the actual concert.

They started the concert of with a few mellow crowd pleasers. This guy was neat, he does Poppera. Awesome voice. This little bit of video doesn't do his voice justice.

The best and most memorable performance was by an artist named Son Ho Young. His song "I know" is definitely my favorite Korean pop song for the time being.

Here he is in action.

Here's another cool group beating their hearts away.

This next group call themselves the B-Boys. They were truly something else. They did mind blowing acrobatic stuff. It was insane. Just take a look.

This is just another clip of them doing crazy cool things with their bodies.

I had no idea what to expect when I decided to go to this thing, but I'm glad I ended up in the second row from the stage, in the middle of the circle in Changwon on a cold Sunday night watching pyros shoot off from behind my favorite Korean pop artist Son Ho Young.