Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Snow!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Santa Con
So I heard about this group called Santacon Seoul on facebook through my trusty dusty friend Whitney. The group info said this:
Santa is coming early!
On Saturday, December 12 Santa is coming to Seoul. Help spread Christmas cheer through one of the world's largest cities! Join this global event and dress in your snazziest Santa outfit. You're welcome to dress as other festive characters (reindeer, elves, tree, snowmen) but Santa is the reason for the season, right? We will have a specific meeting location and route to several bars in the area. The event will be held in Hongdae (Line 2.) We will start at Hobar 3 at 7 pm. We will be crawling to 5 specified bars. Don't forget to practice your Christmas carols. You can also purchase little gifts (candy, ect.) to pass out to strangers. Started in San Francisco in 1994 the Santa Con event is now held worldwide. SantaCon events are noted for the cheerfully bawdy and harmless behavior, including the singing of Christmas carols, the giving of small gifts and often free hugs to strangers. The point of the event is to spread some old fashion Christmas cheer and joy while of course having a good time!
Here are some pictures of what transpired:
Saturday, December 5, 2009
It's December in Korea!
Here's some of the coworkers:
I'm making Christmas Cards tonight and having an evening in to myself. If you want a card leave a comment. :)
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Losing my good karma and my voice...
On Friday I had a bad cold. My nose was continually stuffy and had been draining each night as I slept. After teaching all day I decided to have a quiet night in instead of drinking with friends. I woke up to find I had lost my voice.
I was able to get some theraflu by miming and writing down a few key phrases for the pharmacist, and I rested all of Saturday. One of my coworkers is leaving so I wanted to go out on Saturday to say goodbye, but I was so sick I decided to ditch that plan. Also, I got paid this week and I had a lot of plans to go and get stuff done, unfortunately it's Sunday and I still have no voice. I'm cleaning today in hopes that if I rest my voice it will return. I hope I get my voice back by tomorrow otherwise I wont be able to teach.
I feel MUCH better today, still stuffy and coughing, but I still have no voice.
Sadness abounds.
I suppose I shall have to do something really nice to get my good karma back again.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Halloween
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Busan Trip
I had an awesome time in Busan and on our mountain hike in Gumi. On the bus ride I jotted down these thoughts,
Riding in a bus from Incheon to Busan I am filled with sudden overwhelming awe... I am in Korea! I am a traveler in a distant land and I have so much I've yet to discover and experience. Yet here I am, at the foothills of my trek. I am alive and I am in love with the beauty of life. The beauty of the moment; however bittersweet and fleeting, it fills my very being and I feel more beautiful, alive, and richer just being in this moment.
Here are a few picures of what I saw and did:
my bus ride window view as I traveled ...
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
Here's Brittany and I the night before the hike:
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
We met up with some of her friends in Busan and saw some live music:
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
Then early in the am (7ish) we woke up got breakfast and met with the crew for hiking:
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
Here are the hike photos:
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
the paved portion of the hike:
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
Beautiful...
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
worst picture of me ever but proof I made it to the top:
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
Done hiking and eating before my long car ride:
From 2009-10-26 BusanTrip |
Monday, October 26, 2009
Vlog from the top of the mountain!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Insadong and More
"During the Japanese occupation, the wealthy Korean residents were forced to move and sell their belongings, at which point the site became an area of trading in antiques. After the end of the Korean war, the area became a focus of South Korea's artistic and cafe life. It was a popular destination among foreign visitors to South Korea during the 1960s, who called the area "Mary's Alley". It gained in popularity with international tourists during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In 2000 the area was renovated,and, after protest, the rapid modernization of the area was halted for two years beginning that year"
The marketplace was a-buzzin with activity, art, and antiques. We found the local tourist stop and got subway maps as well as maps of the city. This map was posted outside the building.
Some of the stuff you could find laying along the sidewalk can be seen below.
There was a robot so I encouraged Jen to do the robot with me.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Apartment Tour
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Oh, Korea
Kat and I went hiking on our mountain after all, and then she had to leave me for her crazy adventure. I had my first couple of days at my school. I'm making lots of new friends and the students seem pretty nice. I don't know if I can compare them to American students though. It's just different, but not better or worse. Very few can pronounce my name correctly so I get a lot of "Teacher Callalon" and "Teacher Candy" I'm glad I'm not a Beth though because an old teacher named Beth was referred to as "Bathroom Teacher." My student explained that "Beth plus r-o-o-m is bethroom ... she bethroom teacher"
Last but not least, here are some more of the pictures of the area Yeonsu. Yeonsu is the neighborhood I live in and Incheon is the city.