Tuesday, December 30
Monday, December 29
Days 2 - 5 in Seoul
Day 2
The day began with a delicious bagel and ended with a good night sleep on a leather couch.
In the morning, I woke up in Byung's parents' temporary condo where they are currently living while they move their furniture. After eating a bagel with philadelphia deliciousness, we packed up our stuff for the day and headed to the Hwajeong subway station conveniently located right outside the condo.
After a 30 minute ride on the subway we arrived at Anguk station in Insadong (a very popular shopping area with antique stores and boutiques, similar to Osborne Village but much, much better). After walking around for an hour we stopped at a little Korean noodle restaurant for lunch. Afterward we shopped a bit more. Byung bought some things for friends back home and I mostly window shopped. I bought a traditional Korean placemat set with chop sticks and an original painting by a local artist in the area for 15 bucks! I put it in Byung’s folder to prevent it from getting damaged but unfortunately I forgot to take it out. I think he packed it away with him so it's probably on its way to Winnipeg right now. Oh well, at least I know where it is.
After wandering the streets of Insadong we headed over to Myeongdong to look for a music store. While looking for the store we randomly found a Catholic Church. Apparently it’s among the largest in Korea. Inside there were flat screen TVs mounted on all of the walls of the church. They weren't on so we didn't know what purpose they served. Probably for the hearing impaired or maybe to see sports highlights, who knows. Outside the church people were offering free hugs. I couldn't resist getting the chance to appear on a youtube free hugs video so I went up and hugged them.
We eventually found the Dahai music book store a few blocks away. Byung bought a music score, Cosi fan tutte. I almost bought a piano book but my indecision got the best of me and I made up some lame excuse to convince myself not to buy it. Seoul is really expensive anyway, I'll probably find something cheaper in Busan when I get back. Afterward we went to a mall then caught a taxi home. When we got in the taxi, the driver told us that it would cost 30,000 won to get home so we decided to get out at the next subway station. From there we walked around a while in search of a PC Bang (Internet room). Oddly enough we couldn't find one so we walked around for two hours and got lost in the process. We eventually gave up and headed home around 10pm.
When we arrived around 11pm, Byung's parents made a delicious meal with pergogi and samgyopsa (Korean BBQ pork and beef). It was great having a home cooked meal after a big day of wandering around.
Day 3 - Sunday
We woke up around 8:30am still full from last night’s dinner. I quickly jumped in the shower and we were on our way to Byung's church. The church service was interesting but at times very uncomfortable. The first half of the service was your typical church service with hymns and prayers, etc... In the second half, the pastor gave the sermon. Her preaching style was very fire and brimstone like, and it made me feel very uncomfortable. Afterward it sounded like everyone was speaking in tongues. Byung's mom told me that they have daily prayer meetings where they invite handicapped people to come and be healed. Sounds almost like an extreme evangelical church to me. Has anyone seen "There will be blood?" (Shudders)
After an unsettling church service, Byung's parents dropped us off at Costco where I bought a few foreign things. I bought a big jar of pickles (Mmmmmmmmmmm), some Crown Royal for my principal and some more Nutella for myself. Later we made our way home and had an afternoon nap. An interesting day to say the least.
Day 4 - Byung goes back to Canada
Today Byung packed up his things and headed home to Winnipeg. It was hard saying buy to him. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for his parents. I'll miss you Byung. Hope you come back for a visit soon. Good luck with Nuova!
After Byung left, I got some more sleep. In the afternoon I made my way to Gyeongbok Palace. According to the guide the Palace was built by King Taejo. It was destroyed during the Japanese invasion in the late 16th century but was rebuilt 300 years later. After its reconstruction in the 19th century the Japanese plotted an assassination against the Queen and murdered her in her chambers while she was sleeping. The King fled the palace and was smuggled out by his chamber maids. This was one of many attempts committed by the Japanese. Relations between Korea and Japan are not great right now.
After wandering the main grounds of the palace, I took a tour of the Folk Museum then headed to Insadong.
Day 5 - Today
Today I'm taking a break from touring around so I can catch up on my sleep. It's also very cold outside and it is sleeting. Hopefully tomorrow it will clear up. I am planning on going to Seoul tower and then I might meet up with some friends in Itaewon.
The day began with a delicious bagel and ended with a good night sleep on a leather couch.
In the morning, I woke up in Byung's parents' temporary condo where they are currently living while they move their furniture. After eating a bagel with philadelphia deliciousness, we packed up our stuff for the day and headed to the Hwajeong subway station conveniently located right outside the condo.
After a 30 minute ride on the subway we arrived at Anguk station in Insadong (a very popular shopping area with antique stores and boutiques, similar to Osborne Village but much, much better). After walking around for an hour we stopped at a little Korean noodle restaurant for lunch. Afterward we shopped a bit more. Byung bought some things for friends back home and I mostly window shopped. I bought a traditional Korean placemat set with chop sticks and an original painting by a local artist in the area for 15 bucks! I put it in Byung’s folder to prevent it from getting damaged but unfortunately I forgot to take it out. I think he packed it away with him so it's probably on its way to Winnipeg right now. Oh well, at least I know where it is.
After wandering the streets of Insadong we headed over to Myeongdong to look for a music store. While looking for the store we randomly found a Catholic Church. Apparently it’s among the largest in Korea. Inside there were flat screen TVs mounted on all of the walls of the church. They weren't on so we didn't know what purpose they served. Probably for the hearing impaired or maybe to see sports highlights, who knows. Outside the church people were offering free hugs. I couldn't resist getting the chance to appear on a youtube free hugs video so I went up and hugged them.
We eventually found the Dahai music book store a few blocks away. Byung bought a music score, Cosi fan tutte. I almost bought a piano book but my indecision got the best of me and I made up some lame excuse to convince myself not to buy it. Seoul is really expensive anyway, I'll probably find something cheaper in Busan when I get back. Afterward we went to a mall then caught a taxi home. When we got in the taxi, the driver told us that it would cost 30,000 won to get home so we decided to get out at the next subway station. From there we walked around a while in search of a PC Bang (Internet room). Oddly enough we couldn't find one so we walked around for two hours and got lost in the process. We eventually gave up and headed home around 10pm.
When we arrived around 11pm, Byung's parents made a delicious meal with pergogi and samgyopsa (Korean BBQ pork and beef). It was great having a home cooked meal after a big day of wandering around.
Day 3 - Sunday
We woke up around 8:30am still full from last night’s dinner. I quickly jumped in the shower and we were on our way to Byung's church. The church service was interesting but at times very uncomfortable. The first half of the service was your typical church service with hymns and prayers, etc... In the second half, the pastor gave the sermon. Her preaching style was very fire and brimstone like, and it made me feel very uncomfortable. Afterward it sounded like everyone was speaking in tongues. Byung's mom told me that they have daily prayer meetings where they invite handicapped people to come and be healed. Sounds almost like an extreme evangelical church to me. Has anyone seen "There will be blood?" (Shudders)
After an unsettling church service, Byung's parents dropped us off at Costco where I bought a few foreign things. I bought a big jar of pickles (Mmmmmmmmmmm), some Crown Royal for my principal and some more Nutella for myself. Later we made our way home and had an afternoon nap. An interesting day to say the least.
Day 4 - Byung goes back to Canada
Today Byung packed up his things and headed home to Winnipeg. It was hard saying buy to him. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for his parents. I'll miss you Byung. Hope you come back for a visit soon. Good luck with Nuova!
After Byung left, I got some more sleep. In the afternoon I made my way to Gyeongbok Palace. According to the guide the Palace was built by King Taejo. It was destroyed during the Japanese invasion in the late 16th century but was rebuilt 300 years later. After its reconstruction in the 19th century the Japanese plotted an assassination against the Queen and murdered her in her chambers while she was sleeping. The King fled the palace and was smuggled out by his chamber maids. This was one of many attempts committed by the Japanese. Relations between Korea and Japan are not great right now.
After wandering the main grounds of the palace, I took a tour of the Folk Museum then headed to Insadong.
Day 5 - Today
Today I'm taking a break from touring around so I can catch up on my sleep. It's also very cold outside and it is sleeting. Hopefully tomorrow it will clear up. I am planning on going to Seoul tower and then I might meet up with some friends in Itaewon.
Friday, December 26
An update at last
Dear friends and family,
I hope that you are all doing well and keeping healthy. It's hard to believe that I have been in Korea for over four months. I have to say that I am enjoying every moment of every day out here. Naturally I have my ups and downs, but that is part of the whole experience. Right????
At the moment I am in Seoul writing to you in a PC Bang in the Itaewon are (one of the more popular clubbing areas in Korea). I arrived a few hours ago after a 3 hour KTX train ride from Busan to Seoul travelling at 200 miles an hour! It's now around 6:30pm in Korea and I am planning on meeting a friend for dinner. He graciously offered to let me stay at his family's house for the week. I'm going to explore Seoul for the week and then return to Busan on the 4th in time for my co-teachers wedding. I have been asked to sing a solo at the ceremony.
It's a little colder up here in Seoul as compared to Busan, but my Canadian genes have given me a strong resistance to the cold. It actually feels like October. Two weeks ago it snowed in Busan for the first time in four years. My students were extatic! They were literally bouncing off the walls when they saw the first fluffy snowflake fall from the sky. They all raced to the windows and stuck their hands out to catch as many as they could. Unfortunately the snow didn't stay long. It melted as soon as it hit the ground. But it made it all worth while when I saw their beautiful smiles as they caught the snow in their hands.
Anyway, I'm going to try to update daily while I'm in Seoul. Stay tuned.
I hope that you are all doing well and keeping healthy. It's hard to believe that I have been in Korea for over four months. I have to say that I am enjoying every moment of every day out here. Naturally I have my ups and downs, but that is part of the whole experience. Right????
At the moment I am in Seoul writing to you in a PC Bang in the Itaewon are (one of the more popular clubbing areas in Korea). I arrived a few hours ago after a 3 hour KTX train ride from Busan to Seoul travelling at 200 miles an hour! It's now around 6:30pm in Korea and I am planning on meeting a friend for dinner. He graciously offered to let me stay at his family's house for the week. I'm going to explore Seoul for the week and then return to Busan on the 4th in time for my co-teachers wedding. I have been asked to sing a solo at the ceremony.
It's a little colder up here in Seoul as compared to Busan, but my Canadian genes have given me a strong resistance to the cold. It actually feels like October. Two weeks ago it snowed in Busan for the first time in four years. My students were extatic! They were literally bouncing off the walls when they saw the first fluffy snowflake fall from the sky. They all raced to the windows and stuck their hands out to catch as many as they could. Unfortunately the snow didn't stay long. It melted as soon as it hit the ground. But it made it all worth while when I saw their beautiful smiles as they caught the snow in their hands.
Anyway, I'm going to try to update daily while I'm in Seoul. Stay tuned.
Friday, December 19
Seasons greetings
Caution: To avoid blowing your speakers, turn down the volume at the beginning.
Here's a video I whipped together this week. This is my first attempt at putting together a video on youtube. Let me know what you think... remember, be kind, it's my first time.
Happy Holidays.
Here's a video I whipped together this week. This is my first attempt at putting together a video on youtube. Let me know what you think... remember, be kind, it's my first time.
Happy Holidays.
Wednesday, December 17
Why does heat rise?
To those who live above a parking garage,
Why can't heat descend? I believe that we've tolerated the cold long enough! Why do we have to pay more on heating then our neighbours? We all live in the same building, we all pay the same rent. The fact that we live on different floors should not play a role in the cost of our heating bill.
Our neighbours who live above us enjoy "free" heat that emit from our rooms below.
They enjoy a nice view of the city, they don't have to worry about peeping toms and they don't have to tolerate noisy drunks and cats on the street.
A friend of mine lives four floors above me. He enjoys a nice warm apartment and he doesn't even have to turn his heater on. I on the other hand, must keep my heater on most of the day in order to be somewhat comfortable in my apartment. As a result, my gas bill is 10 times more then his bill.
This is inconceivable! If I get my way, I'm going to move into a new room by the end of the month! Come hell or high water it's going to happen!
Why can't heat descend? I believe that we've tolerated the cold long enough! Why do we have to pay more on heating then our neighbours? We all live in the same building, we all pay the same rent. The fact that we live on different floors should not play a role in the cost of our heating bill.
Our neighbours who live above us enjoy "free" heat that emit from our rooms below.
They enjoy a nice view of the city, they don't have to worry about peeping toms and they don't have to tolerate noisy drunks and cats on the street.
A friend of mine lives four floors above me. He enjoys a nice warm apartment and he doesn't even have to turn his heater on. I on the other hand, must keep my heater on most of the day in order to be somewhat comfortable in my apartment. As a result, my gas bill is 10 times more then his bill.
This is inconceivable! If I get my way, I'm going to move into a new room by the end of the month! Come hell or high water it's going to happen!
Monday, December 15
Wednesday, December 3
60 second update
1. I just got a package from Rob and Sheila! Enclosed treats: Dill Pickle chips, fuzzy peaches, microwave popcorn, maynards, glosettes, reeses pieces, kraft dinner, crispy crunch, life savers, coffee crisp and earl grey tea. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Canadian deliciousness... Thank you Rob and Sheila!
2. This weekend I'm going to see La Traviata and Cosi fan tutte at the Busan Cultural Centre. Sweeeeeet.
3. There are only 14 more days of school until the holidays!!!! Woohoo.
4. You may have heard, relations between South Korea and North Korea have worsened over the past couple of months. Unfortunately, these worsening relations led to North Korea's recent decision to suspend all tours to Kaesong City, which too effect on December 1, 2008.
5. Last week the school bought me a new rice cooker for 120,000 \. It's great! I can cook rice (obviously), steam vegetables, dumplings and more.
2. This weekend I'm going to see La Traviata and Cosi fan tutte at the Busan Cultural Centre. Sweeeeeet.
3. There are only 14 more days of school until the holidays!!!! Woohoo.
4. You may have heard, relations between South Korea and North Korea have worsened over the past couple of months. Unfortunately, these worsening relations led to North Korea's recent decision to suspend all tours to Kaesong City, which too effect on December 1, 2008.
5. Last week the school bought me a new rice cooker for 120,000 \. It's great! I can cook rice (obviously), steam vegetables, dumplings and more.
Monday, December 1
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