Sunday, January 8, 2012
Farewell, Oh Mango
This weekend was Amanda's farewell party. I met her the first few weeks Nav and I came to Korea. She even invited us to her birthday party, even though she hardly knew us! She's a great person with tons of experience and knowledge of living in Busan. I will miss her wittiness and her jokes. Her farewell party was on Saturday. We had a Korean dinner. Unfortunately, it was all beef and pork but I had cold noodles which was something new! Another person going back home and all three have been Canadian! First Chris, then Victoria and now Amanda! In a month or so, it'll be Veanna's turn. She's also a Canadian and a fellow Torontoian too. I was able to finally take a picture together with Amanda! 
On Sunday it was my Mango Galore event! This is the second time I have hosted an event! First event was all about chickens and this event was all about mangoes! Mangoes can be a challenging fruit to add to any dish but it was a lot of fun. Everyone did a fabulous job of being creative! We had cupcakes, spring rolls, curries, tortilla wraps, chicken wings and more with mangoes in it! The people who showed up are Andrew, Erin, Dharma, Steven, Jeongeun, Candice Myburgh and the other Candice as well! Yana and Veanna couldn't make it because they didn't prepare a dish and they felt really bad that they couldn't budget properly (they will be going back to Australia and Canada respectively soon). Ann and John couldn't make it because John is sick. Brian couldn't make it because he was feeling a bit sick and had nothing prepared (both reasons combined). It was a lot of fun either way, and it was shorter than the previous event because it's on a Sunday rather than on a Saturday. Anyways enjoy the picture! 
The next possible event hosted by me will be in March most likely. I need some creative themes in the next few months.
English Winter Camp – Week 1
I am excited about this English camp because I have planned so many fun activities and I know these 7 students a lot more than when I did my summer camp in August. For the first week, I took it a bit easy on day 1 and 2 but and ended Friday with a movie!
Monday:
I did introductions, greetings, and discussed about what each of us like to do. I have a total of 7 students and one of them was from my summer camp as well. She finished 2nd overall in the score sheet from that camp and I have a feeling she's going to win this camp easily. Anyways, we did self-portraits, learned new vocabulary words (Winter Theme), and we also did a word search and sentences using those words. We also played a quick trivia game at the end too. 
Tuesday:
This was purely an art day! The students first made Reindeer masks using their hands as antlers. I bought crafts from a stationery store and they turned out really nicely. The students also made a winter scene artwork using paint or pastel. I decided to make one as well while the students were being busy. The last assignment was a Geography English Project (which was 75% art related too). The students had to a choose a country and create a little poster showing the audience certain things such as population, flag, and fun facts. One student event chose Canada! I was happy about that. 
Wednesday:
The students finished off their Geography English project because many of them needed more time to use the Internet for resources. When they finished, they presented it to the entire class. They were really nervous but their posters turned out really good. Next, they had to write a short story using at least 7 of their vocabulary words and be related to winter. Another catch is that it has to have 3 characters (one boy, one girl, and one wildcard). After they did their rough drafts, we went and did a Superhero activity and game. They really enjoyed the game! I included some of my favourite superheros too (example: Gambit from X-Men). 
Thursday:
The students did their final copy of their short story. They presented it to the class and did another geography activity. This time, they had to fill in the blanks. I gave them a blank map of Asia, and told them to find 20 different countries (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand... etc). They did a small comic strip, created their own superhero (part 2 of the Superhero activity) and finally they did their spelling test! In the extra time, they finished whatever they didn't finish or use the computer quietly until 12:30pm when the camp day ends. So the last 10 minutes was useful for the students and for me. I got to see what kind of activities these students like and feel comfortable with. 
Friday:
We met at 10:20am at Seomyeon Lotte Cinema because it was our field trip day! We watched, "The Darkest Hour" and ate caramel popcorn! It was a lot of fun but personally the movie was not good. Horrible acting, a really weird plot, and the actors weren't that impressive. Lion King was playing in 3D but it was more expensive. Oh well, the students enjoyed it so that's all it matters to me.
After the movie, I was able to leave earlier than the usual 4:30pm. So, I decided to go to the bank and exchange my won to pesos for my Palawan, Philippines trip. Also, I was able to meet up with May (who owns a store that customized shirts). I decided to make 4 customized shirts! I hope it turns out good because I really wanted to do this for a very long time. The weekend is coming up and it's going to be really hectic!
Monday:
I did introductions, greetings, and discussed about what each of us like to do. I have a total of 7 students and one of them was from my summer camp as well. She finished 2nd overall in the score sheet from that camp and I have a feeling she's going to win this camp easily. Anyways, we did self-portraits, learned new vocabulary words (Winter Theme), and we also did a word search and sentences using those words. We also played a quick trivia game at the end too.
Tuesday:
This was purely an art day! The students first made Reindeer masks using their hands as antlers. I bought crafts from a stationery store and they turned out really nicely. The students also made a winter scene artwork using paint or pastel. I decided to make one as well while the students were being busy. The last assignment was a Geography English Project (which was 75% art related too). The students had to a choose a country and create a little poster showing the audience certain things such as population, flag, and fun facts. One student event chose Canada! I was happy about that.
Wednesday:
The students finished off their Geography English project because many of them needed more time to use the Internet for resources. When they finished, they presented it to the entire class. They were really nervous but their posters turned out really good. Next, they had to write a short story using at least 7 of their vocabulary words and be related to winter. Another catch is that it has to have 3 characters (one boy, one girl, and one wildcard). After they did their rough drafts, we went and did a Superhero activity and game. They really enjoyed the game! I included some of my favourite superheros too (example: Gambit from X-Men).
Thursday:
The students did their final copy of their short story. They presented it to the class and did another geography activity. This time, they had to fill in the blanks. I gave them a blank map of Asia, and told them to find 20 different countries (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand... etc). They did a small comic strip, created their own superhero (part 2 of the Superhero activity) and finally they did their spelling test! In the extra time, they finished whatever they didn't finish or use the computer quietly until 12:30pm when the camp day ends. So the last 10 minutes was useful for the students and for me. I got to see what kind of activities these students like and feel comfortable with.
Friday:
We met at 10:20am at Seomyeon Lotte Cinema because it was our field trip day! We watched, "The Darkest Hour" and ate caramel popcorn! It was a lot of fun but personally the movie was not good. Horrible acting, a really weird plot, and the actors weren't that impressive. Lion King was playing in 3D but it was more expensive. Oh well, the students enjoyed it so that's all it matters to me.
After the movie, I was able to leave earlier than the usual 4:30pm. So, I decided to go to the bank and exchange my won to pesos for my Palawan, Philippines trip. Also, I was able to meet up with May (who owns a store that customized shirts). I decided to make 4 customized shirts! I hope it turns out good because I really wanted to do this for a very long time. The weekend is coming up and it's going to be really hectic!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Happy New Year
2011 has come and gone. My new year’s resolution is the same as every year: do not eat beef, pork or any meat besides chicken, turkey and duck. Just kidding, I can’t eat that type of meat because of allergies. Honestly, I did not make any new year’s resolution because it’s meant to be broken. Just like records are meant to be broken in sports, resolutions are also meant to be broken. This is just my opinion. That is why I make a lifetime goal such as not drinking alcohol. It is quite difficult and sometimes even pressured in the least likely of places. A recent experience will be discussed later on in the blog.
Anyways, on Friday was the last day of classes so there was a school assembly and a schools staff lunch at BEXCO Buffet. The food was amazing and the restaurant was quite elegant too. I loved the dessert table because they had rambutan! 
I could have kept eating but I didn’t feel too comfortable of my surroundings after the second plate of food. Apparently there is a Korean culture of drinking “Soju” or “Makali” with your meals. Makali is an alcoholic beverage native to Korea. It is made from rice, and is usually referred to as Makali rice wine. It is a milky white colour, and said to taste very sweet. Soju’s taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter due to sugars added in the manufacturing process. I got this information from Wikipedia.
Remember this is a lunch buffet around 12:30pm. If this was dinner, I would be a bit more understanding. However, this meal wasn’t. I wasn’t overly impressed about this Korean tradition because the principal of the school offered me alcoholic beverage. I immediately refused but he said it was their tradition and that I should drink with him. I was really nervous and I didn’t want to offend him but at the same time I don’t drink any alcoholic beverages so I said no to him very politely. He seemed irritated and kept on persisting that I should but thankfully the head English teacher (Christine), who told me to call her the Korean mother few months ago, came to the rescue. She said, “Ruban, you don’t have to drink it.” So, I immediately placed it down. Then she said something to the principal in Korean and he left me alone for few minutes. Then he came back and placed a shot glass in front of me again. This time he pointed to the shot glass and motioned for me to pour some Soju for him. I somehow understand this, so I poured it for him and he drank it right away. I thought I was the only one peer pressured like this but there were other Korean teachers who did not want to take part in this so called drinking tradition. Coincidently, it was most of the younger teachers at the school who refused or hid away from the principal when he came around offering Soju shots or asking the teachers to pour for him.
This is probably the only time I have ever felt my hand shake in Korea. I am usually not scared or peer pressured by any of the bosses I have ever worked with but this was something totally unique. Yes, I do understand it is a tradition but I honestly do not want to take part in a tradition like this. Many of the foreign teachers have also experienced similar situations like this in Korea, some just refuse and others love it! Those who love it have their own reasons such as being able to get free alcohol, able to drink in front of their superiors, or needing alcohol to be social. That’s their choice, that’s fine, but this is my choice, to live life without the consumption of alcohol.
Anyways, after the buffet, I immediately went to Seomyeon to meet up with Steven, Andrew and Erin. We hung out for awhile, talked and discussed about our work life. Then Steven and I headed to Nampo to watch Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol! Wow, the movie was superb! I loved it a lot! The sceneries from all five countries were stunning. There was Sawyer from Lost (TV Show), Anil Kapoor from the Bollywood industry and of course, the crazy old Tom Cruise doing dangerous stunts as usual. I recommend this movie to everyone!
On New Year’s Eve (Saturday), I went to KSU area to have dinner with Nav, Matt, Jeongeun, Ann, and John. First time I had dinner with Nav in the longest time but it was nice to see him again in a normal surrounding. We toasted for our 6 months anniversary in Korea and for New Years! After couple of hours of chowing down on delicious chicken, Nav and Matt wanted to head to Seomyeon because they wanted to do their usual business of partying. As we were about to leave Warren showed up! So, Warren and I hung out at KSU for an hour with Paul and his friend. Jay and Elizabeth mentioned that they were going to come and join us too. This is the first time I met Jay since September! Such a long time! We went to a cozy restaurant with books and hot beverages to mingle and catch up. We did the whole New Years countdown and toasted. Later, Jay met her friend Jennifer who had a custom made game of Apples to Apples. I love that game but I haven’t played it in a year. So we joined in on the fun and we played until 2:30am. I felt so tired and sleepy so I headed home. I arrived home around 3am and went straight to bed. 
The next day (which is New Years Day – Sunday), I woke up at 11am. Went on Facebook, Yahoo Sports, and Hotmail, then I watched a movie. Ate a late lunch, watched couple of YouTube stand up comedy shows, and then took a nap. Only to wake up few hours later because I was hungry and I didn’t want to sleep all the way through until Monday morning because I had to wake up at 7am for winter camp! Basically, Sunday was a relaxing day of catching up on sleep.
I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and may all of your dreams and goals come true. 2011 was a success for me. Graduated with my second degree (B.Ed in Primary/Junior with President’s Honour Roll), moved to Busan, South Korea to teach English in an all girls’ middle school, flew on the airplane for the first time (yes, I did fly to Canada from India but I was only 5 years old then so I didn’t remember anything), and finally I enjoyed my first ever vacation (Jeju)! Hopefully 2012 is fun, adventurous, and a learning experience.
Anyways, on Friday was the last day of classes so there was a school assembly and a schools staff lunch at BEXCO Buffet. The food was amazing and the restaurant was quite elegant too. I loved the dessert table because they had rambutan!
Remember this is a lunch buffet around 12:30pm. If this was dinner, I would be a bit more understanding. However, this meal wasn’t. I wasn’t overly impressed about this Korean tradition because the principal of the school offered me alcoholic beverage. I immediately refused but he said it was their tradition and that I should drink with him. I was really nervous and I didn’t want to offend him but at the same time I don’t drink any alcoholic beverages so I said no to him very politely. He seemed irritated and kept on persisting that I should but thankfully the head English teacher (Christine), who told me to call her the Korean mother few months ago, came to the rescue. She said, “Ruban, you don’t have to drink it.” So, I immediately placed it down. Then she said something to the principal in Korean and he left me alone for few minutes. Then he came back and placed a shot glass in front of me again. This time he pointed to the shot glass and motioned for me to pour some Soju for him. I somehow understand this, so I poured it for him and he drank it right away. I thought I was the only one peer pressured like this but there were other Korean teachers who did not want to take part in this so called drinking tradition. Coincidently, it was most of the younger teachers at the school who refused or hid away from the principal when he came around offering Soju shots or asking the teachers to pour for him.
This is probably the only time I have ever felt my hand shake in Korea. I am usually not scared or peer pressured by any of the bosses I have ever worked with but this was something totally unique. Yes, I do understand it is a tradition but I honestly do not want to take part in a tradition like this. Many of the foreign teachers have also experienced similar situations like this in Korea, some just refuse and others love it! Those who love it have their own reasons such as being able to get free alcohol, able to drink in front of their superiors, or needing alcohol to be social. That’s their choice, that’s fine, but this is my choice, to live life without the consumption of alcohol.
Anyways, after the buffet, I immediately went to Seomyeon to meet up with Steven, Andrew and Erin. We hung out for awhile, talked and discussed about our work life. Then Steven and I headed to Nampo to watch Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol! Wow, the movie was superb! I loved it a lot! The sceneries from all five countries were stunning. There was Sawyer from Lost (TV Show), Anil Kapoor from the Bollywood industry and of course, the crazy old Tom Cruise doing dangerous stunts as usual. I recommend this movie to everyone!
On New Year’s Eve (Saturday), I went to KSU area to have dinner with Nav, Matt, Jeongeun, Ann, and John. First time I had dinner with Nav in the longest time but it was nice to see him again in a normal surrounding. We toasted for our 6 months anniversary in Korea and for New Years! After couple of hours of chowing down on delicious chicken, Nav and Matt wanted to head to Seomyeon because they wanted to do their usual business of partying. As we were about to leave Warren showed up! So, Warren and I hung out at KSU for an hour with Paul and his friend. Jay and Elizabeth mentioned that they were going to come and join us too. This is the first time I met Jay since September! Such a long time! We went to a cozy restaurant with books and hot beverages to mingle and catch up. We did the whole New Years countdown and toasted. Later, Jay met her friend Jennifer who had a custom made game of Apples to Apples. I love that game but I haven’t played it in a year. So we joined in on the fun and we played until 2:30am. I felt so tired and sleepy so I headed home. I arrived home around 3am and went straight to bed.
I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and may all of your dreams and goals come true. 2011 was a success for me. Graduated with my second degree (B.Ed in Primary/Junior with President’s Honour Roll), moved to Busan, South Korea to teach English in an all girls’ middle school, flew on the airplane for the first time (yes, I did fly to Canada from India but I was only 5 years old then so I didn’t remember anything), and finally I enjoyed my first ever vacation (Jeju)! Hopefully 2012 is fun, adventurous, and a learning experience.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to everyone! I never imagined myself ever celebrating Christmas in Busan, South Korea when I was growing up but here I am. Thankfully, I made many wonderful friends to share my memories with. This entire weekend was great because it was fun, warm feelings all around, and a marathon of eating delicious food.
Christmas Eve lunch was with Veanna and Yana. We got fried chicken from a nearby restaurant and Veanna made salad. We ate lunch, played Crazy 8 Countdown, listened to random music on Veanna’s laptop and shared many laughs (mostly about Yana and Victoria). Best part was when Yana got scared when a Christmas card fell from the window sill onto her head so she jumped up screaming. Veanna and I couldn’t stop laughing for 10 minutes! I brought avocados from Costco as Christmas gifts (that’s what they wanted apparently) and I also brought Belgium chocolates because I know how much they love desserts. Veanna got me Cebu dried mangoes and Yana got me Tim Tams. They know me so well. 
Christmas Eve dinner was with Elizabeth, John and Ann at Nampo Dong’s Indian restaurant called Bombay. First of all, Nampo Dong was packed with thousands of people. The subway was packed with people that it reminded me of a can of sardines. I even had to wait for 2 subways before I could get on because of the massive line up. Regardless, the trip was well worth the hassle of getting there and back through the traffic and crowds. I was able to spend quality time with good company and eating delicious Indian dishes. I got John and Ann chocolates and they got me dried mangoes from the brand “Nature’s Sensation”. 
I came home and talked to my friends and cousins from Canada on MagicTalk. I was able to wish them Merry Christmas. It was 3am by the time I went to sleep. I woke up at 9am because there was a knock on the door. A Korean lady was inspecting the gas services in the building. I cannot believe they were doing this on Christmas Day! Oh, well. I guess I had to wake up early in order to get myself to starve again because I was still full from Saturday’s crazy food adventures.
On Christmas day, I talked to my parents and my god-daughter through MagicTalk. I wished them Merry Christmas. Then I wasted time on Facebook and on Yahoo Sports checking NFL scores! It was a great Christmas already when I see that my Patriots defeated the Dolphins and clinched the AFC East Title and a 1st round bye in the playoffs. Sadly the Detroit Lions clinched the playoffs as well. This is the first time since 1999 but they’ll be one and done. Anyways, I went over to Steven’s place around 2pm to enjoy the amazing food he created all day. We had biscuits, chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, chicken gravy-soup-like dish, and apple pie! We as in me, Steven, Brian, Dharma, Andrew and Erin, and we were in a food coma at the end. We ate so much that we couldn’t move for few hours. Thank goodness the event started at 2pm because we didn’t leave until 7pm. All we did was eat, eat and eat more. Then again, that’s how my entire Christmas weekend has been. I am not going to complain though. I love food and I love trying something different.
Overall, this Christmas was wonderful! Something I have never done before and I am not sure if I ever will get another opportunity like this but I am glad that I met so many wonderful people in Busan. It’s nice to share these memories from fellow teachers from all over the world.
Christmas Eve lunch was with Veanna and Yana. We got fried chicken from a nearby restaurant and Veanna made salad. We ate lunch, played Crazy 8 Countdown, listened to random music on Veanna’s laptop and shared many laughs (mostly about Yana and Victoria). Best part was when Yana got scared when a Christmas card fell from the window sill onto her head so she jumped up screaming. Veanna and I couldn’t stop laughing for 10 minutes! I brought avocados from Costco as Christmas gifts (that’s what they wanted apparently) and I also brought Belgium chocolates because I know how much they love desserts. Veanna got me Cebu dried mangoes and Yana got me Tim Tams. They know me so well.
On Christmas day, I talked to my parents and my god-daughter through MagicTalk. I wished them Merry Christmas. Then I wasted time on Facebook and on Yahoo Sports checking NFL scores! It was a great Christmas already when I see that my Patriots defeated the Dolphins and clinched the AFC East Title and a 1st round bye in the playoffs. Sadly the Detroit Lions clinched the playoffs as well. This is the first time since 1999 but they’ll be one and done. Anyways, I went over to Steven’s place around 2pm to enjoy the amazing food he created all day. We had biscuits, chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, chicken gravy-soup-like dish, and apple pie! We as in me, Steven, Brian, Dharma, Andrew and Erin, and we were in a food coma at the end. We ate so much that we couldn’t move for few hours. Thank goodness the event started at 2pm because we didn’t leave until 7pm. All we did was eat, eat and eat more. Then again, that’s how my entire Christmas weekend has been. I am not going to complain though. I love food and I love trying something different.
Overall, this Christmas was wonderful! Something I have never done before and I am not sure if I ever will get another opportunity like this but I am glad that I met so many wonderful people in Busan. It’s nice to share these memories from fellow teachers from all over the world.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Festivities
My weekend felt so short! Okay, I shall explain in details what I mean by that statement.
Saturday: I had to go to the school because it was the School Festival. The students performed to many songs, did a lot skits and played instruments. It was like a talent show but 10 times better than anything I was ever part of. Students, teachers, and even the parents took part in the event. Four students danced to Miss A's Good Bye Baby song. Step for step, they were spot on. Oh, I had to perform with 8 other "young" teachers (who all happen to be females) to a Korean song. I don't even know the song but the steps were super easy, although it involved too many jumps and it was a lot of fun. I was obviously the youngest at the age of 24. I was the only male and I was the only foreigner. The students really liked it and clapped throughout the 4 minutes of the song. I was wearing black dress pants, white shirt, a red and blue tie, white gloves, and danced in socks. It was a great experience for me and I really enjoyed the 2 weeks of practice for this special school event. The moms danced to T-ara's Roly Poly song to perfection! They even had the little costumes and accessories like the music video. Overall, it was just fantastic! 
Around 3pm I met up with Kristin, Steven, and Warren to discuss our winter vacation plans to Palawan, Philippines. That's when we found out that the country was hit with heavy rains and there were severe damages to many places, including Palawan. We are hoping that in the next month or so, the weather cooperates and the infrastructures are restored. I can only wait and see what happens by January 21st.
At 7pm, we headed to Barbie's Day (a Buffet restaurant) to celebrate Candice's birthday! Her mom was still in town and we enjoyed a massive feast. Then we had cupcakes that her mom decided to bake for all of us! Enjoyable evening with awesome people. The waitress kept giving us smiles throughout the time we were there so we decided to give her a cupcake, along with the owner who let us be loud as we wanted to. Usually, Koreans don't like it when 12 foreigners are being so loud when laughing and talking. However, this owner was great. I am even thinking about having my quarter-century birthday here!
[ Pictures will be added here after I receive them. ]
Sunday: I woke up at 10:15am even though I went to bed around 1am because I was busy watching the movie - The Tourist (which sucked in my opinion considering in had Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie). I set my alarm for 2pm but I woke up super early. I think I am getting used to waking up before 11am now. I guessing having a full-time work that requires me to wake up at 7am really does help with my notorious sleeping pattern. Anyways, I just decided to watch another movie. So I watched The Informant! Let's just say, I wasn't too impressed with the movie at all. I thought there would be a bit more action and a bit more diversity. Instead, it was just Matt Damon in every scene. It kind of got boring.
Well, around 3:45pm, I headed to Jangsan area to have dinner with Jeongeun, Elizabeth, Vince, John, and Ann! Jeongeun decided to invite us over so she can cook some dakjjim for all of us! She even made desserts too. She was more than happy to cook! She's the best Korean chef I know! After we talked for few hours, we decided to go out for more desserts. Around 9:15pm, I decided to come home because I have work the next day, sadly. 
Overall, this weekend passed by really quick and the next weekend is Christmas Eve and Christmas! I can't wait!
Saturday: I had to go to the school because it was the School Festival. The students performed to many songs, did a lot skits and played instruments. It was like a talent show but 10 times better than anything I was ever part of. Students, teachers, and even the parents took part in the event. Four students danced to Miss A's Good Bye Baby song. Step for step, they were spot on. Oh, I had to perform with 8 other "young" teachers (who all happen to be females) to a Korean song. I don't even know the song but the steps were super easy, although it involved too many jumps and it was a lot of fun. I was obviously the youngest at the age of 24. I was the only male and I was the only foreigner. The students really liked it and clapped throughout the 4 minutes of the song. I was wearing black dress pants, white shirt, a red and blue tie, white gloves, and danced in socks. It was a great experience for me and I really enjoyed the 2 weeks of practice for this special school event. The moms danced to T-ara's Roly Poly song to perfection! They even had the little costumes and accessories like the music video. Overall, it was just fantastic!
At 7pm, we headed to Barbie's Day (a Buffet restaurant) to celebrate Candice's birthday! Her mom was still in town and we enjoyed a massive feast. Then we had cupcakes that her mom decided to bake for all of us! Enjoyable evening with awesome people. The waitress kept giving us smiles throughout the time we were there so we decided to give her a cupcake, along with the owner who let us be loud as we wanted to. Usually, Koreans don't like it when 12 foreigners are being so loud when laughing and talking. However, this owner was great. I am even thinking about having my quarter-century birthday here!
Sunday: I woke up at 10:15am even though I went to bed around 1am because I was busy watching the movie - The Tourist (which sucked in my opinion considering in had Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie). I set my alarm for 2pm but I woke up super early. I think I am getting used to waking up before 11am now. I guessing having a full-time work that requires me to wake up at 7am really does help with my notorious sleeping pattern. Anyways, I just decided to watch another movie. So I watched The Informant! Let's just say, I wasn't too impressed with the movie at all. I thought there would be a bit more action and a bit more diversity. Instead, it was just Matt Damon in every scene. It kind of got boring.
Well, around 3:45pm, I headed to Jangsan area to have dinner with Jeongeun, Elizabeth, Vince, John, and Ann! Jeongeun decided to invite us over so she can cook some dakjjim for all of us! She even made desserts too. She was more than happy to cook! She's the best Korean chef I know! After we talked for few hours, we decided to go out for more desserts. Around 9:15pm, I decided to come home because I have work the next day, sadly.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Fuzzy Feelings
This weekend brought me further into the Christmas spirits! I am starting to enjoy the Christmas songs from cafes, streets and the restaurants. On Saturday I saw the Christmas lights at Nampo and enjoyed some fish for lunch with Steven, Candices, and Mincer's mom, who is visiting from South Africa. She decided to bring a little treat for me! She knew how much I loved mangoes so she brought dried mangoes! It was very sweet of her to do that for me. I never met her until that day and she already knows my favourite fruit and one of my weaknesses! We enjoyed some BBQ fish, clams, and sashimi for lunch as well.
After lunch, Steven, Candice Myburgh and I walked around while Candice and her mom visited the Busan Tower. As you already know, I visited the tower twice before so I didn't want to go again. After Nampo, Candice, her mom, and I decided to have dinner at this buffet place! It was a wonderful place near Busan Station. It was only 13,000 won per person and we could all the chicken, shrimp, duck, and other meat as we wanted to. Plus the vegetables, drinks (lemonade and persimmon punch), and ice cream were available too! 
On Sunday I went to Jeongeun's potluck event! I brought my spicy mango chicken and shrimp curry! It was finished within the first 15 minutes of dinner. Thank goodness we had so much other food. Nav was there, and this was the first time I saw him in over a month. I usually don't go to the same places as he does (bars and clubs), and we live far away too. I live near Seomyeon, and he lives in Jangsan, which is 45 minutes subway ride away. It was nice seeing him again and he brought pizzas for everyone. Thank goodness one of them was chicken so I was able to take couple of slices. I saw Trecia, John, Ann, and Elizabeth as well! It was a fun evening and I hope to have more Christmas get togethers in the next two weeks. 
After lunch, Steven, Candice Myburgh and I walked around while Candice and her mom visited the Busan Tower. As you already know, I visited the tower twice before so I didn't want to go again. After Nampo, Candice, her mom, and I decided to have dinner at this buffet place! It was a wonderful place near Busan Station. It was only 13,000 won per person and we could all the chicken, shrimp, duck, and other meat as we wanted to. Plus the vegetables, drinks (lemonade and persimmon punch), and ice cream were available too!
On Sunday I went to Jeongeun's potluck event! I brought my spicy mango chicken and shrimp curry! It was finished within the first 15 minutes of dinner. Thank goodness we had so much other food. Nav was there, and this was the first time I saw him in over a month. I usually don't go to the same places as he does (bars and clubs), and we live far away too. I live near Seomyeon, and he lives in Jangsan, which is 45 minutes subway ride away. It was nice seeing him again and he brought pizzas for everyone. Thank goodness one of them was chicken so I was able to take couple of slices. I saw Trecia, John, Ann, and Elizabeth as well! It was a fun evening and I hope to have more Christmas get togethers in the next two weeks.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Music To Your Seoul
I just had one of the better weekends of my stay in Korea! I went to Seoul for the YG Family Concert (K-Pop)! The concert was at 2pm on Sunday but I decided to go on Saturday for some sight seeing. I took the 9:30am KTX so that I can arrive in Seoul around 12 noon. As soon as I arrived, I was starving so I decided to go to a Thai restaurant called Little Elephant. Amazing lunch. I loved it a lot. Around 1:30pm, I met up with Samantha and Noelia at the Hello Kitty Cafe for some desserts. Just check out the inside of this cafe! Pink overload. I almost went blind.
After having desserts, we went to Dongdaemun Market for some shopping. I ended up buying random souvenir gifts for friends back home in Canada. I saw a lot of neat stuff but I didn't feel like spending a lot of money on clothes. Maybe another time. 
Around 4pm we met up with JK (my EPIK orientation leader). All four of us headed to Myeongdong! We walked around the busy streets and took random pictures. We also had snacks from a store called "REDMANGO"! Yes, ladies and gentlemen. A store that has my favourite colour and my favourite fruit! Clearly I was super excited to go inside and try out the food. After that we walked around some more and took more pictures. 
Around 7pm we all headed towards Anguk station except for Samantha who had to go back to Hyehwa area (that's where my hostel was located at too). However the rest of us met up with Kukovica and her husband Joe for some bimbimbap. It was nice seeing Kukovica because we were Teacher's College classmates. We both loved playing badminton against each other and she went to same school for our 1st practicum. What a small world. We met in a boring place like Windsor, Ontario and now in city where the population is over 14 million and so many things to do in Seoul. When dinner concluded, we said our farewells. JK, Kukovica and Joe left, so it was just me and Noelia. We decided to go back to Hyehwa area. 
As soon as we arrived to Hyehwa station, we called Samantha to see if she is able to rejoin us. She said she would be able to. That gave me and Noeila some time to get some mango smoothies from Mango Six! I was feeling a bit sick due to lack of sleep. The mango smoothie was exactly what I needed. Samantha rejoined us and told us that she was hungry so we went to a chicken restaurant. We had more food. By now, I was stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey and I was super full. I think I had like 7 meals on Saturday alone. I went to my hostel place, applied some Vicks to my forehead, nose, throat, and chest. Fell asleep immediately and had a peaceful 10 hours of rest. I felt 100% better the next day because my own medication of mango smoothie, Vicks and 10+ hour of sleep did the trick. My own unique way of getting better.
On Sunday, I woke up around 10am, had breakfast with Noelia at Dunkin Donuts, and took a taxi to Olympic Park where the YG Concert was held at. I met up with Lara and her friends Savana, Tim, and Danielle! They were all K-Pop fans like me! It was nice to talk to other foreigners who appreciate the same taste of music as I do. The foreigners I usually meet only like bands, metal, rap, and nothing to do with K-Pop or Bollywood. It was a nice change of scenery. The concert itself was amazing! I loved all 3 hours and 45 minutes of it. I wish I was able to see more concerts like this at least once a month! I am planning to go to another concert sometime in March or April as well. We'll see how everything goes. Oh, I arrived at Seoul station around 7pm, had dinner at KFC, and took the 8pm KTX train back to Busan. 
I arrived in Busan around 11pm, got home around 11:40pm. Fell asleep around 5am because I was still excited about the whole weekend, uploaded all of the pictures to Facebook and checked all of my e-mails. I woke up 2 hours later for work. I shared my K-Pop stories with my students and they loved it! Some were jealous but most of them were excited to hear about G-Dragon, Minzy, and 2NE1. Anyways, the rest of the week is basically me catching up on sleep and thank goodness Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the final examinations for the students so I had no classes to teach. I was able to get all of my lesson planning done until January 1st. Time for me to finish this blog before it turns into a novel. See you next time.
After having desserts, we went to Dongdaemun Market for some shopping. I ended up buying random souvenir gifts for friends back home in Canada. I saw a lot of neat stuff but I didn't feel like spending a lot of money on clothes. Maybe another time.
On Sunday, I woke up around 10am, had breakfast with Noelia at Dunkin Donuts, and took a taxi to Olympic Park where the YG Concert was held at. I met up with Lara and her friends Savana, Tim, and Danielle! They were all K-Pop fans like me! It was nice to talk to other foreigners who appreciate the same taste of music as I do. The foreigners I usually meet only like bands, metal, rap, and nothing to do with K-Pop or Bollywood. It was a nice change of scenery. The concert itself was amazing! I loved all 3 hours and 45 minutes of it. I wish I was able to see more concerts like this at least once a month! I am planning to go to another concert sometime in March or April as well. We'll see how everything goes. Oh, I arrived at Seoul station around 7pm, had dinner at KFC, and took the 8pm KTX train back to Busan.
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