Tuesday, May 26, 2009


So things have been very busy this past week. Thursday i was told to move out of my apartment...into a new apartment by friday night. Luckily i was given until Monday and stayed up until 5am every night getting things organized, ready, and set!

after all the efforts of 6 amazing korean teachers and the help of Alex, the legend of all resourceful Canadians... I got blinds put in, a fixed refridge, a fixed bathroom, and even felt on the upstairs to keep it darker than a cave! its like my very own tree fort!

enjoy...

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

First bday out of the Country!

MY BIRTHDAY!!!! So friday is Daniel's bday, not too cool...totally got a cake and the picture and all that...stole my thunder :( but went out to eat dinner, surprised him kind of...and then he drank loads didnt sleep until 8am. haah, hye kinda confused me but whatever, went saturday to walk around with Deb and watch Angels and Demons. Had some fascinating points....love to discuss with Jerm. basically do wish some changes could be done with "religion" and it is true---religion is flawed because man is flawed. accept it for what it is, not what u expect. Good times, went to Outback for dinner! Had a great meal with coworkers and friends and even had one teacher bring his baby and wife! What an honour! haha, first time taking the baby out :-D

Went back home...gave up on really going out afterward cuz the day was packed and ended up playing chess with Alex until 3am and it was good just spending quality time with him. Not big into partying, just quality time talking and chillin :)
He bought me guinness too, so that always makes me grand.

Sunday was a day of recahrging after such a big 2 days! So i played video games for 3 hours and watched a movie and TV shows (had some weird missing "home" from ridding in a family's car and otehr random moments) so smallville and scrubs hit the spot! silly how they take me there and back again. Had a simple evening, went to homeplus for a few things, ate dinner? saw people and on my way home...i found a BICYCLE in a puddle! it was obviously abandoned...and brakes r brokne sooooo...
MINE!

hm, so now my project is getting it fixed and riding for a little...great times!
and the reason i blogged all this time? if i hadnt found the bike, i wouldnt have encouraged jerm to meet his pappa figure in korea...which urged me to get the act...so i now am investing my money with korea and china mutual funds! BOOM BABY! and then also cuz so excited...i went to R&B met a guy got a drink, he works at busan university---just where i was trying to research about! So i picked his brain! Lots of info to think about!

Bucheon University:

2.3mil
paid housing (same) and key deposit.

16hours a week teaching.

2x 50 minute class. Earliest is 9am. Latest is 8pm. Never both extremes.

prepare = chapter and minor worksheets.

pension 1mil.

Overtime tutoring professors.

40 students, finish early is ok and motivated to learn/finish/WORK!

start interview in december. Hire for March... paid vacation. 2 months in summer= 2 weeks camps also and get month paycheck on TOP of paycheck if do camp...


Bottom line: i need to get my paperwork in order and weigh my options!
Now just need guidance ><

Ahnyah ka sayo Parents!

my parents left monday May 4th.

A lot has happened since then! let me tell you!

First...great time with them...but loved having may 5th (children's day) all to myself---with Deb to go play...actually as crazy as this was-i went to DINNER with her parents! yah, totally just met and walked around shopping and laughing and made a sticker at a photo booth (aw sappy) then wanted to eat pizza and watch a movie---why not at her house? scrap the movie, her parents invited me to a homecooked korean meal. and it was delicious! and i got to see a korean home, what a surprise! Its in a 10 story building...but it felt just like my florida home! 1 story, 3 bedrooms, big kitchen (3 refridgerators, haha, 2 for kimchi) and an actual laundry room/patio to just...store stuff or see a view of the awesome little pond they have in their complex.

funny too cuz its 705. i'm 905. yep, easy to remmeber. so i loved her mom's kimchi pizza (have to show u a picture...kinda like batter, kimchi onions, and seafood...of course its delicious) and other side dishes. and her dad fed me cuz it was from "a father's warm heart" lol, what can i say? parents love me. so of course this is just silly fun wild crazy (the parents were so nervous cuz they had no idea what i liked, just that i was deb's friend) bottom line: kept it short, was polite, ate a lot, helped her little sister with college english homework, left before 10pm. yep, golden. Interesting facts: no family photo on the wall, eat on the floor table, had a dog named mary---that responded to konglish commands (some korean, some english commands). mother dresses young and very health concious!

Well so that was a great day off...
the week went smooth, had lots of testing....weekend i took it easy. actually i'm sure i did something but its 4am so give me a break. OH! yah, on Sunday i went to Hongdae w/ hyesung---in plans to go to the Dj Festival in Seoul and went to so many fantastic bars to waste time until angela and alex showed up...! i really learned a lot of great places to go and loved watching people...basically an enjoyable evening with good company. Didnt go to the concert, Ang got there at 11pm---too late for me to stay out all night with that. So we went to more bars. 1 with a cat and indie music, 1 made to look like a bathroom, even 1 that played 80s and 90s korean music. and all were so....special! ah, great.

Sunday i just caught up on house chores (finally cleaned after my parents ...) then deb's parents invited me to a special dinner of raw fish. ooo what a variety! haha, things i STILL dont know what they were...some i would never want to eat again! others i loved. the raw flounder was heaven, and the crabs were divine. There was this guk (soup) that really had a spicy seafood yummy mushroom veggie taste. The father again made all over me, really wanted me to open a mutual fund account with him and really loved to learn about American customs vs korean (like we hate seeing squid eyes...so they cut them off, lol) and we just enjoyed culture! Went back home (they drove me in their car...laughed cuz i said i feel like i'm kidnapped and he asked deb "does he feel kidnapped?" at the same time) and slept like a charm...

another week of testing u.u It was horrible, it sounds like a breeze---but i have to interview each kid one at a time same question...hard questions and grade them hard. gross. Next big entry...
BIRTHDAY BASHHH

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Seoul Train

And this brings us back to Seoul.

My parents returned friday and were exhausted but why stop? They hadtoo much fun in Jeju and saw a LOT of things...can't stop now! so friday night i a little party thrown by angela for them...
a lot of people showed up and she made homemade salsa, hummus, and other foods. kimbap, mandu, fruits, cake.

so what a great evening of hanging with good friends and laughing and destressing from teh week too. all together pleasant evening. had some serious convos but that also is expected with life. just take it in flows.

saturday was a day of real korean culture! deb took us out to the heart of seoul. we went to all the markets and places i hadnt been to yet even. traditional korean things and my mom loved shopping for all these great items. we had the BEST and i mean BEST traditional korean style meal and such for lunch. everything. the best fish, all these side dishes of kimchi, green onion, kimchi pancake (always funny), soup, beef, seafood, pork, and then finished with tea and rice cakes.

so fantastic shopping and looking and exploring. we certainly had a wonderful day despite a little rain. (kept the crowds small.) We then had a whole chicken with ginseng inside and it was soo delicious. and they truly believe it keeps u healthy. Then we saw the oldest catholic cathedral in Korea. 1898 i believe... it was built and had the great art and all. someone practicing the organ too. ah, glorious. came back to bucheon and said goodnight. interesting phone call but its what what. and thats another day that was too good!

Sunday...the last day for my parents! It was celebrated by a hilarious production by Nanta. A sensation of light, sounds, and smells. They cook food on stage and use only kitchen tools to make awesome music. Like Blue man group or Stomp. A sensational adventure! Very well done and only had a few words...in english and in korean and even then u understood "oops, take it!" etc.
Afterward, we returned to Insadong to buy tradional fans and boxes and other korean historical things.

The banks were closed so we couldnt get cash out and so i owe a LOT to my korean friends for their more than giving spirit in me owing them. it makes me happy to see just how...genuine and true these people are. Wonderful. And that night...again with Danny and Heather..had duck and beef and pork and another truly fantastic dinner. One of the best beginning meals and ending meals...spent with my favs korean "uncle"! That's my Danny!

This country is as a shirt i saw read, "the best kept secret of Asia".

BUSAN BABY!

First off. I missed the beach. A lot. 2nd, I LOVE BUSAN!

quick story. We wake at early 9am to take KTX train friday. we're rushed, no time for anything, we get on the train thinking there will be food. oops, no food. its a 3 hour train ride. don't panic, we'll just eat the little amount of food Angela brought and we all will share---then i notice the 2 boys beside me are playing Nintendo DS. I pull out mine and next thing you know i'm playing Mario Kart with them, like a little kid again, they're speaking english i'm exclaiming in korean...its great! The mom tells them to eat and they'r like "aw mom, just one more game!" and wow...i say, no eat...and the mom gave us a whole plate full of kimbap (korean sushi) and strawberries and apples! it was like totally korean hospitality and homemade and delicious and thats when you'll fall in love with these people.

Ok so NOW busan!
we visited the largest Fish market in korea....Pusan is a Port after all. We enjoyed eating raw flounder, grilled flounder, raw sea urchins, and shellfish and conch. so delicious and unique. unbelievable how smooth it all went. went to the markets and shopped some more and i bought a lot of things it was funny. i love to haggle. lots of various things... I certainly enjoyed the different ...subtle fashion difference in korea. And the accent. And it was Budda's birthday festival so we enjoyed being total torists in that event. again it was just a peaceful day. we take the train to the beach and hotel...it starts to rain. We found the place sooo perfectly. Love paris baguette---has always taken care of me (they pointed us in the right direction of the hotel). Hmm, we enjoyed gettin there...we leave angela to find herself a hotel...with great success! (in the rain, what a champ) My parents and i want something unique...i think of shabu shabu (like...fondu boiling soup instantly cooks thin pieces of meat) and the ajuma feeds us! She doesnt have to but just because we're the only customer and the taxi got lost finding them and it was almost toooo special! Like kings and queens again. She loved to feed us and told her she didnt have to but "my pleasure". they love redhair lol. so awesome meal, we sleep like babies that night after listenin to the ocean for a little bit.

The next morning breakfast was fit for a king. western and eastern styles, all u can eat, its all about service here. and the view was not even 20 feet from the waves. after eating, we hit up the beach. last night's rain had scared away the crowd but the sun shown bright for us. silly college girls got a picture with us, haha. we just walked and talked...its only about a mile long beach. then had beautiful outback lunch/dinner at 4:30! hyesung met up with us and ah, like kids we all splashed in the waves again. haha. she left shortly, parents and i tried another stab at good food. Choge gooyie (shell fish on grille) and this time we were the only foreingers in a HUGE tent space and it was THE place to eat! everyone was surprised we were there....the waitor---a guy who knew the most english i imagine, showed us how to cook it and made it for us and it was delicious and funny and my dad tried it all...that was good. After dinner we met up with angela and alex and shared a drink. Laughed at the adventures we did that day...learned a lot. Just relaxed. Another perfect day.

Sunday, wow...so i got my dad to plan the hotels in jeju before they all get booked...not a good idea to b stranded! So excellent...and then we went to a buddist temple!

Being's budda's bday it was going to be jam packed. we met a foreigner from CDI hagwon, funny how u can kinda tell they work tehre by how they act... another story. But he showed us how to get tehre much easier than me (he was showing his family and was actually from busan). so we take pictures and explore....do a hike to a temple off the path. Such luck as it may be....a random girl that looked my age asked if we would like to have tea. she was an english teacher and comes here regularly to have tea with the monk. We accept and he is so excited to speak english with foreigners. He tells us about buddist and the way he lives, felt like a college dorm. a workout bench, his bed, loved to draw and meditate and tea and plants. all in that one room. Monks dont eat meat and believe in living very simple lives. so we totally rocked his day. as he said upon leaving him "i will never forget you" Awesome times. the girl walks back with us... we actually take a taxi down because we're late...but who cares!? we met a monk and had tea (grown from his garden!) and he drew a picture for us... We found out she was 37, that was wild (seriously looked like 24).

We parted ways with the girl and were late but met up with angela and alex and hyesung to go back to bucheon. due to time, we decided to have a great dinner at an indian restaurant. yum! before getting our seats, we ran to this bar "rock and roll" i believe and had a pint overlooking the ocean on the top floor (10th). quite nice. dinner was excellent, just like...home? haha, the lamb, the curry, the nan...except no basmati rice :(

We rush to the train station...thought we'd b late... enjoyed the budda parade and concert? and lantern festival i imagine. slept the whole train ride back.

My parents stayed in busan and went to jeju the next morning. That is an adventure I have yet to be completely told myself... We had not a single day of just doing nothing...is that good? is that bad? it certainly was a lot to in a small time!

They returned Friday morning....To find some more drama of my life. as said, they saw more in teh time they come than the months i've been here. Good? Bad? Molla.

Pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015900&id=105600042&l=37a4b1a6d4

SEOUL COMING SOON...

Parents...came to Korea?!

So as most know. My parents came to korea April 18th until May 4th. that means they were here 2 weeks. They got to breathe, eat, live kimchi---i mean Korea. It was quite a jam packed visit...no? We had drama, we had emotion, we had good and bad and everything between! We've even got it all on film! or...836 on the cannon and who knows how many on dad and mom's camera. Though Dad's camera broke in Jeju... i digress.

So first they arrived in Korea at Avalon..what a journey! they were so tired..but we still managed a glass of wine and moving a couch upstairs to sleep on. great, 4 am...next day we head to Seoul to catch the last cherry blossom losing its pedals... What an adventure of so many new sights and sounds and smells! they couldn't believe how...just everything! we had a relaxing day at the park...watching people and their styles and how we're different but alike. hmm...they met danny and heather that night! they introduced them to the best kalbi (rib meat) and other delicious things Korea has to offer. Mind you 3 REALLY nice gifts just for visiting korea. Like honoured king and queen. Enchanting..

That sunday lunch they ate at R&B and got to see just how fun that place could be? or the remains at least.

Monday until Thursday youll have to ask them what they witnessed...as i had to work! I would stay up late talking with them...we went to eat...beef/pork with Deb tuesday for kalbi and yum yum. Stayed up real late with important situations and encounters.

Wednesday...not sure what exactly we did. i was exhausted so we just ate and slept and they got paris baguette sandwiches in the morning.

Thursday was delicious kalbi again and the guy even gave my mom his shirt! i've been wanting it all this time! not cool! It was after work we ate with angela and alex to prepare for busan and eat and enjoy and take care of tickets. major preparing! and work was stressful to add to it ><

This living together for a week after being apart for so long. 1 shower, 1 room, and only truly comfortable for a couple or a single person...oh it made for one quick adjusting. haha. all the goodies they brought me too were quite somethign! my shoes already are instant success...same with the candies and toys with the kids. Who knew starburst were SOOO popular. they love fruit--makes sense. And thats about all...

Next Blog:

BUSAN!!!