A Memborable Week

My week from Monday, October 24th to Sunday, October 30th was fantastic!

Monday (24th): My head Korean English teacher invited me to attend her university class at Pusan National University (PNU). Her students were doing a mid-term examination so I basically introduced myself and helped supervise. Afterwards, she brought me to restaurant that served delicious chicken in a tangy and savoury sauce. I was hooked on it right away and I even brought the remaining sauce home to make my own curry dish (which I later made and gave to my friend Andrew who was sick).
Tuesday (25th): My pay day! I was super excited for this day because I only had 40,000 won in my bank! I sent 1.5mil back home, paid off my bills and only had enough money for food and bus. Luckily, this magical day happened and I was rich again! I immediately went on a shopping spree. I know, I know. It’s very irresponsible of me but I really wanted this blazer type of jacket for years. Finally, I had the money, the proper size, design, and colour. Most importantly the price was affordable (compared to Canadian standards). I also bought a fanned shirt (red, white and black colour), which is quite Canadian of me to do but I never owned one in my life. People kept saying that it would be stereotypical but I just wanted it. Steven tagged along in my spending spree and he bought himself a nice winter jacket as well.

Wednesday (26th): Bunch of EPIK orientation teachers are planning to attend a YG Family K-Pop Concert in Seoul on December 4th so we needed to purchase the tickets online before it gets sold out. The tickets were going to go on sale on the 27th so I sent my money in advance to the person who was organizing the event to make sure that I was 100% going to get a ticket if the tickets were not sold out. I also went to Costco with my friend Warren but I was only there to shop for my students. I bought lots of chocolates, candies and treats for Halloween prizes that my students can earn to win.
Thursday (27th): After work, I went and met up with my Korean friend Ethan and he helped me get a smart phone! Samsung Galaxy Neo! This was a massive upgrade over the previous Korean phone I owned. The old one sucked at reception, volume, design, comfort and texting! I really wanted a smart phone because I have been used to my Canadian iPhone 3G for over three years. With this new Android phone I can easily communicate with all of my friends in Korea and I even have a Kakao account (which is similar to MSN Messenger).
Friday (28th): It was a school picnic today so it was late start. I met up with the students and other teachers at the Busan Art Museum to explore Monet’s paintings. I was not impressed at all. I found it super boring and I know many of the students felt the same way too. The museum looks nice from the outside but the inside seriously needs to get better exhibitions and paintings. I guess I have been spoiled by the R.O.M in Toronto for so many years. After the museum, we went to have a picnic at a nearby park (20 minutes walk). The students started to sing K-Pop songs for me because they didn’t know what else to do for entertainment. I played songs from my iPhone and the students danced to the songs. Yes, I had my iPhone with me even though I got a Galaxy Neo. I am in the transition stage so I am slowly getting used to the Android and I haven’t added any music to it. Lunch was served by the teachers. It was kimbap, fruits and little snacks. I ate the fruits because they had seedless green grapes. Around 1pm I left the picnic and the students because I was free to leave early. So, I decided to go to the Spaland (which was really close by to where the museum and the picnic were happening). I spent two and half hours relaxing and then I headed to the Gwangalli beach around 4pm. The K-Pop Super concert was held in Busan and the admission was free! I stood in line at the foreigners line for hour and half before the gates were finally open. The concert was amazing! I loved every moment of it. I was interviewed twice, I did a survey to get a Dynamic Busan blanket, and I was videotaped many times by the videographers at the event. They were impressed by a foreigner knowing a lot of the K-Pop songs! This was truly one of the best days I had in Korea!





Saturday (29th): It was Veanna's birthday celebrations and Busan's Firework Festival! Double the fun and double the excitement! I was able enjoy the fireworks and spend time with my fellow Toronto-ian friend at the same time. I decided to make a collage for this day because I took so many photos of the firework festivities so this is much easier for you to follow along.

I also added a video I made by myself using Windows Movie Maker and the videos I captured on my Galaxy Neo. Check it out on Facebook!

Sunday (30th): I stayed at home for most of the day to clean up, relax and organize few things for work. For dinner I went and met John and Ann for the first time in more than 6 weeks! It was nice seeing them again and we ate dinner at a Cuban restaurant. This was my first time enjoying a Cuban meal in Korea so it was worth the price (15,000 won for two meals). After dinner, I just came home and got ready for work because the next day was Halloween!

EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA!

Monday (31st): Halloween at school! I dressed up as a baseball player because I had two jerseys (Lotte Giants – Lee Dae Ho, and L.A Angels’ customized jersey with my name on the back and #13), I had a baseball glove, Blue Jays baseball cap and batting gloves! It was perfect! Each class I changed jersey to keep the students confused and to keep the Halloween spirit alive. I gave out lollipops, chocolates, and other Halloween treats! I gave candies to the teachers too and I figured that I would be the only one dressed up so I wasn’t surprised. Either way, this was a fantastic day for the students and of course for me too. It gave me a chance to wear jeans to school, not fix my hair, and be surrounded with candies everywhere. I am looking forward to what November brings and to the next exciting adventure that is just around the corner in South Korea!