Well, May is finished (well it will be on Monday). It's Saturday now. I just got back from getting my hair cut... always an adventure. At one point I had 3 of the hair dressers just standing watching me and giggling. After a while they all started helping the other girl do my hair, and I felt like some kind of celebrity. Anyway, I like the haircut.. much better than the last one I got there. Also, she almost died when I gave her a tip (tipping is really unheard of here).
Anyway, I'm not sure what's going on for the weekend. Although I wouldn't mind some Noraebanging tonight (karaoke).
That's my short update for today! I thought I should update because it's Saturday!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
News
Well, I'm not sure who watches the news or doesn't, but there are two news pieces that I think people should know. Today, North Korea launched a nuclear bomb in the northern part of the country. People in South Korea are freaking out kind of and there have been riots in Seoul. BUT I thought I would let people know (if you read the news), that I'm not in Seoul, and I have seen no riots. Frankly I don't expect to see a riot in Bucheon. I just thought that you might see movies on T.V. or something of "Riots in South Korea" - but don't worry, I'm fine and I don't plan on partaking in said riots, even if I see one happening!
Next piece of news (equally as unhappy) - the swine flu has hit Bucheon. Apparently there are 5 foreign English teachers with it. They are new English teachers who caught the flu while still living in their home countries. We had a mini meeting about the situation at work today. I'm kind of paranoid, but that's just me and I'm always freaked out about germs and getting sick. It's a good thing that I never touch anything remotely dirty and I wash my hands constantly.
That's my post for the day. I'm sorry it's not a very happy one, but I thought I should share the news!
There is good news though - today I found out that in June I'm changing my classes - I'm getting rid of one of my least favourite ones, and getting one that Sarah says is really good. I'm happy about that. Also, one of my least favourite students dropped out of a different class of mine!
Alright, NOW that's all the news. lol.
Have a safe week!
Next piece of news (equally as unhappy) - the swine flu has hit Bucheon. Apparently there are 5 foreign English teachers with it. They are new English teachers who caught the flu while still living in their home countries. We had a mini meeting about the situation at work today. I'm kind of paranoid, but that's just me and I'm always freaked out about germs and getting sick. It's a good thing that I never touch anything remotely dirty and I wash my hands constantly.
That's my post for the day. I'm sorry it's not a very happy one, but I thought I should share the news!
There is good news though - today I found out that in June I'm changing my classes - I'm getting rid of one of my least favourite ones, and getting one that Sarah says is really good. I'm happy about that. Also, one of my least favourite students dropped out of a different class of mine!
Alright, NOW that's all the news. lol.
Have a safe week!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Busan
Well, I went to Busan this weekend. The trip was short, but we did a lot of things for the time we had. We left yesterday morning to go on the KTX. The KTX (Korea Train Express) is a really fast train that goes across the country of South Korea. The train can go 350 km/h, but only goes just above 300 km/h.
It was a nice ride, and really relaxing. It's funny that you can travel through a whole country in 3 hours!
Busan is on the southeast coast of Korea, and it's the closest city to Japan. It's a beach city which is kind of like the Florida of Korea I suppose. The water is joined to the Pacific Ocean, but it's not actually part of it. The name of the water there is the Korea Strait, but it's salt water because it's attached to the Ocean.
Well, we got there, checked into our hotels and quickly went back out to enjoy the day. We walked along the beach for a while. It was really nice to smell the fresh air and the water. There were SO many foreigners there. There were more foreigners than Koreans there, it didn't feel like we were in Korea.
After the walk on the beach (which was most relaxing), we walked up and down this market area. It was full of fish and weird things. One tank had these tubes that were swimming around and didn't have eyes or anything. Apparently they're huge earth worms that are edible. I barely got close enough to take a good picture!
After that, we caught the subway to Busan station and hopped on a 'city night tour' bus. It had some great views - especially of this bridge which is something like 7.5 kilometres long and has 2 levels. It lights up at night and it looks pretty nice. I will post some pictures of it when I get the chance to steal the pictures from Lindsay's camera (I left mine in the hotel by accident).
After the night tour bus, we went back out. We walked along the beach, and saw a bar filled with foreigners, so we went. I wished to have a beer, so I asked for a menu. My heart seemed to stop a little when I looked at the prices - 10,000 won for a beer! It's usually somewhere around 2,000 or 3,000. Anyway, we promptly left that establishment.
We found a casino, so we went there for a little bit. It was wierd, because gambling is illegal in Korea for Koreans, but not for people who aren't from Korea. We had to show our Alien Registration Cards (like I.D. for us because we don't have licences or anything). We didn't win anything, but it was fun while we were there. I haven't been to a casino for a while.
Today, we had a short time in Busan because we had to catch our train home. We had lunch at a nice Chinese restaurant over looking the beach, and started to head back to our subway station. We had a quiet ride back to Seoul during which most of us (I think all of us) slept.
All in all, it was a nice relaxing trip, but I wish I had more time there! I forgot how much I liked walking on the beach.
Alright, I will go now, I bought "Twilight" today. Steph read the series a while back and said they were good, and I think my sister also read them (or saw the movies) and said they were good also.
Anyway, I'm going to read! That's my update!
It was a nice ride, and really relaxing. It's funny that you can travel through a whole country in 3 hours!
Busan is on the southeast coast of Korea, and it's the closest city to Japan. It's a beach city which is kind of like the Florida of Korea I suppose. The water is joined to the Pacific Ocean, but it's not actually part of it. The name of the water there is the Korea Strait, but it's salt water because it's attached to the Ocean.
Well, we got there, checked into our hotels and quickly went back out to enjoy the day. We walked along the beach for a while. It was really nice to smell the fresh air and the water. There were SO many foreigners there. There were more foreigners than Koreans there, it didn't feel like we were in Korea.
After the walk on the beach (which was most relaxing), we walked up and down this market area. It was full of fish and weird things. One tank had these tubes that were swimming around and didn't have eyes or anything. Apparently they're huge earth worms that are edible. I barely got close enough to take a good picture!
After that, we caught the subway to Busan station and hopped on a 'city night tour' bus. It had some great views - especially of this bridge which is something like 7.5 kilometres long and has 2 levels. It lights up at night and it looks pretty nice. I will post some pictures of it when I get the chance to steal the pictures from Lindsay's camera (I left mine in the hotel by accident).
After the night tour bus, we went back out. We walked along the beach, and saw a bar filled with foreigners, so we went. I wished to have a beer, so I asked for a menu. My heart seemed to stop a little when I looked at the prices - 10,000 won for a beer! It's usually somewhere around 2,000 or 3,000. Anyway, we promptly left that establishment.
We found a casino, so we went there for a little bit. It was wierd, because gambling is illegal in Korea for Koreans, but not for people who aren't from Korea. We had to show our Alien Registration Cards (like I.D. for us because we don't have licences or anything). We didn't win anything, but it was fun while we were there. I haven't been to a casino for a while.
Today, we had a short time in Busan because we had to catch our train home. We had lunch at a nice Chinese restaurant over looking the beach, and started to head back to our subway station. We had a quiet ride back to Seoul during which most of us (I think all of us) slept.
All in all, it was a nice relaxing trip, but I wish I had more time there! I forgot how much I liked walking on the beach.
Alright, I will go now, I bought "Twilight" today. Steph read the series a while back and said they were good, and I think my sister also read them (or saw the movies) and said they were good also.
Anyway, I'm going to read! That's my update!
Monday, May 18, 2009
6 months
Well, as you may have guessed from the title "6 months", I am half way through my year-long contract here in Korea. I suppose when I think of it, it feels like it has gone by quickly. So. When was the last time I updated? Ah. I see it was Mother's Day. That was last Sunday! I don't think anything major has happened since then. But here's what I remember:
The week went by as it usually does, slower than molasses in a freezer on Monday and Tuesday, and then Wednesday is sort of in the middle. Thursday and Friday is overshadowed by the allure of the weekend, with it's seemingly endless possibilities -(Catching up on chores, exploring Korea, being adventurous...) Usually, the cleaning and the adventurous doesn't happen, but I often explore Korea.
Anyway, Friday was "teacher's day". Some of us got cute gifts. Lindsay's students wrote her this big poster about how they love her as a teacher and how they'll all behave that day!
I got a few cards and some gifts. They were really nice, and it made me feel good (although that might have been the already elated feeling of a Friday...) I got a card from Molly and Karen, and a box of vitamins from Alex. Also, Cain gave me 3 onion rings, and Scott gave me a candy which he insisted on unwrapping and touching before he gave it to me. Anyway, the whole day made us all feel good.
Friday night, we played video games until the wee hours of the morning. Then on Saturday, me, Jenny, Mark and Sarah had Indian food at the Mall (the restaurant I went to a last weekend with Mark). After that, Jenny and Mark left and Sarah and I continued on our adventure to Gangnam station. We heard of this station from our new co-worker Dave. He's from Korea, but he lived in Canada for 7 years I think, so he knows all about our quirks. Anyway, he told us that at Gangnam station, there is... tadaaaaaa... NEW YORK FRIES. Well that means one thing and one thing only - poutine. POUTINE. I have had 3 poutines since I got here 6 months ago - a drastic change from one a day last summer. Ok, so I know there has to be a balance, maybe every day is a little extreme, but 3 in 6 months is just torture. No one should have to go through that.
Well, we found the subway station alright, and yes the New York Fries was there. I felt like it was too good to be true. Like I had just been Buddha in front of the Himalayas being urged by the God of Temptation to turn the mountains into gold... like I had just been wandering the desert for 40 days only to see a waterfall or a glorious Coca-Cola pop machine.
Ok people, you have to take me seriously, I REALLY like my poutine.
Anyway, I ordered the poutine, shakily looked in my wallet for my money (how awful would that have been?!? To come all this way and forget the simple task of taking out cash!), handed the lady my money and it was all real. I think I might have slipped into nirvana when they handed it to me. I took a picture of it, the colours, the scents... it was all a blur really.
To say the least, I will be going back.
That was Saturday.
Sunday, we went to a new coffee shop that just opened around the corner, it's really quite nice. You get your own little rooms and everything. I went there with Sarah for a few hours, while we read. After that, we had a barbeque up on the roof of our building which was really nice. We were up there for a while, the sun set and it was time to pack up and get back to our work weeks. In case you're wondering, we had steak, sishkabobs (I don't quite know how to spell that word), nachos, and other things like rice and stuff. It was my first barbeque that I used chopsticks and had rice with!
Speaking of reading, I finished Brother One Cell. It was good. I assume that each reader brings something different from it, but I couldn't help relating his situation to mine, however less severe it might have been. He was forced into 3.5 years of service in the Korean prison system. I guess I saw myself reflected in the fact that sometimes it's more than I think I can handle, that every day there is a new challenge to deal with, and that while doing all of this work that would be stressful even at home, I am still trying to learn a new language and culture. Thankfully, I don't have to do all of this while in jail, so I guess I'm much better off than Cullen Thomas was! Anyway, his book also told me that I should focus on the task at hand, take pride in it and focus on improving yourself day by day, rather than looking at how much time I have left to 'serve' if you will.
Once again, I loooove Korea, but the teaching is running me dry of all the patience I had in my body. Although having said that, I think I am much more patient now than I was when I left Canada.
At the other end of the spectrum, I bought the book "Confessions of a Shopaholic" on Saturday, and finished it on Sunday. I really enjoyed it. I'm glad that I'm not that bad when it comes to shopping. Although reading the book kind of makes you want to go shopping. I was at a CD store on the weekend (mid way through the book about shopping), and I saw that they had a complete set of Mozart's works. Everything he's ever written in a nice little box of CDs. It was only 124,000 won! That's like $100 Canadian. (actually it's more, but this is what I was thinking to myself at the time). After like 15 minutes of debating with myself, I put it down and decided that if I really want it, I can get it in Canada when i don't have to worry about getting it home. It was pretty heavy.
I think that's all for now, it seems that every time I think I am going to write a short post, they become long. Perhaps I should put a limit on what I write! Anyway, I have to make some quizzes and then be off for work! ... only 6 months to go!
The week went by as it usually does, slower than molasses in a freezer on Monday and Tuesday, and then Wednesday is sort of in the middle. Thursday and Friday is overshadowed by the allure of the weekend, with it's seemingly endless possibilities -(Catching up on chores, exploring Korea, being adventurous...) Usually, the cleaning and the adventurous doesn't happen, but I often explore Korea.
Anyway, Friday was "teacher's day". Some of us got cute gifts. Lindsay's students wrote her this big poster about how they love her as a teacher and how they'll all behave that day!
I got a few cards and some gifts. They were really nice, and it made me feel good (although that might have been the already elated feeling of a Friday...) I got a card from Molly and Karen, and a box of vitamins from Alex. Also, Cain gave me 3 onion rings, and Scott gave me a candy which he insisted on unwrapping and touching before he gave it to me. Anyway, the whole day made us all feel good.
Friday night, we played video games until the wee hours of the morning. Then on Saturday, me, Jenny, Mark and Sarah had Indian food at the Mall (the restaurant I went to a last weekend with Mark). After that, Jenny and Mark left and Sarah and I continued on our adventure to Gangnam station. We heard of this station from our new co-worker Dave. He's from Korea, but he lived in Canada for 7 years I think, so he knows all about our quirks. Anyway, he told us that at Gangnam station, there is... tadaaaaaa... NEW YORK FRIES. Well that means one thing and one thing only - poutine. POUTINE. I have had 3 poutines since I got here 6 months ago - a drastic change from one a day last summer. Ok, so I know there has to be a balance, maybe every day is a little extreme, but 3 in 6 months is just torture. No one should have to go through that.
Well, we found the subway station alright, and yes the New York Fries was there. I felt like it was too good to be true. Like I had just been Buddha in front of the Himalayas being urged by the God of Temptation to turn the mountains into gold... like I had just been wandering the desert for 40 days only to see a waterfall or a glorious Coca-Cola pop machine.
Ok people, you have to take me seriously, I REALLY like my poutine.
Anyway, I ordered the poutine, shakily looked in my wallet for my money (how awful would that have been?!? To come all this way and forget the simple task of taking out cash!), handed the lady my money and it was all real. I think I might have slipped into nirvana when they handed it to me. I took a picture of it, the colours, the scents... it was all a blur really.
To say the least, I will be going back.
That was Saturday.
Sunday, we went to a new coffee shop that just opened around the corner, it's really quite nice. You get your own little rooms and everything. I went there with Sarah for a few hours, while we read. After that, we had a barbeque up on the roof of our building which was really nice. We were up there for a while, the sun set and it was time to pack up and get back to our work weeks. In case you're wondering, we had steak, sishkabobs (I don't quite know how to spell that word), nachos, and other things like rice and stuff. It was my first barbeque that I used chopsticks and had rice with!
Speaking of reading, I finished Brother One Cell. It was good. I assume that each reader brings something different from it, but I couldn't help relating his situation to mine, however less severe it might have been. He was forced into 3.5 years of service in the Korean prison system. I guess I saw myself reflected in the fact that sometimes it's more than I think I can handle, that every day there is a new challenge to deal with, and that while doing all of this work that would be stressful even at home, I am still trying to learn a new language and culture. Thankfully, I don't have to do all of this while in jail, so I guess I'm much better off than Cullen Thomas was! Anyway, his book also told me that I should focus on the task at hand, take pride in it and focus on improving yourself day by day, rather than looking at how much time I have left to 'serve' if you will.
Once again, I loooove Korea, but the teaching is running me dry of all the patience I had in my body. Although having said that, I think I am much more patient now than I was when I left Canada.
At the other end of the spectrum, I bought the book "Confessions of a Shopaholic" on Saturday, and finished it on Sunday. I really enjoyed it. I'm glad that I'm not that bad when it comes to shopping. Although reading the book kind of makes you want to go shopping. I was at a CD store on the weekend (mid way through the book about shopping), and I saw that they had a complete set of Mozart's works. Everything he's ever written in a nice little box of CDs. It was only 124,000 won! That's like $100 Canadian. (actually it's more, but this is what I was thinking to myself at the time). After like 15 minutes of debating with myself, I put it down and decided that if I really want it, I can get it in Canada when i don't have to worry about getting it home. It was pretty heavy.
I think that's all for now, it seems that every time I think I am going to write a short post, they become long. Perhaps I should put a limit on what I write! Anyway, I have to make some quizzes and then be off for work! ... only 6 months to go!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mother's Day
Well, it's Mother's Day today so if you haven't yet, wish your mother a happy day!
It's back to reality for me now, after experiencing Tokyo last weekend. I had 3 days back at work, and it was just as I had left it. After leaving Japan, I feel way different than when I left China. China was wonderful, but I wouldn't want to live there or anything. My feeling about Japan is totally opposite. I would live in Japan, but maybe only for 6 months or something, rather than a whole year.
I am thinking about going back to Japan for a quick visit maybe at the end of my contract, or some time during the summer, but if I go during the summer, I will only be able to go for 2 days because I only get the weekends off. If I go after my contract, I will have as much time there as I want. I'll have to see.
Something about Japan felt natural - like I should be there. While in China, I felt more like a guest. Either way, I'm in Korea for another 7 months, so I should make the best of it! Speaking of making the best of it, this is what I have done this weekend:
Yesterday I went to a Traditional Korean Dance show, which was actually really cool! They did a fan dance, a drum dance and an orchestra of old Korean instruments played which I really enjoyed. At the end, they had the drum dance, which was really neat to watch. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to take pictures so I have no pics to put here. Anyway, at the end of the performance they chose 3 people to go up on stage and hit the drums with them. Naturally, as I stick out like a sore thumb here, I found myself on stage banging this drum! I was hesitant at first to go up and do it, but after some convincing (from both Sarah and the drum lady), I went up and hit the drum! I got to keep the drum sticks!
Last night, we went to Noraebong (Kareoke) with Antoinette, and Lindsay's sister, Mom and Aunt. It was really really fun! We were there for 4 hours!!!!! Before that though, I bought a wooden pan flute from a guy who lives in Peru.
Then we met this guy who is from Canada (I think Kitchener), and his wife from Korea. He's lived here for 5 years now! The night was a success.
Today I just went out for lunch with Mark (I guess it was dinner time, but I woke up at like 1:30pm), and we had Indian food! MMMMMMMMMM delicious. I am so happy that Mark showed me this place, because I had to go all the way to Itaewon for my Indian food before! This Indian food place is in Bucheon, like 10 minutes away from my house (it's in The Mall).
Tonight we're going to see a movie - Wolverine. I haven't seen any of the X-men movies, and I don't really know anything about the story lines, or the characters, but I've heard it's a good movie so I'm excited to see it. And I'm excited to eat the popcorn and what not. Interesting thing about the movies - when you get your tickets, you choose what seat you want to sit in and then you have whatever seat you want when you watch the movie. It's kind of cool.
So yes. That's happening tonight at 9. I am about 2/3 my way through this book that my parents brought me when they came here. It's called Brother One Cell, and it's about this American guy who came to Korea to teach English (illegally), and when he was here, he went to the Phillipenes and tried to send himself hash in the mail. He got caught and spent 3.5 years in Korean prison. It's a good book.
That's my update about life back in Korea.
Oh, David (the Belgian guy we met in Japan), is coming to Korea at the end of June I think. It'll be fun to show him around. He is interested in teaching here, so this is kind of a test to see if he likes the country I suppose.
Sarah's parents left this morning, I guess they will be arriving tomorrow some time back in Minnesota. Lindsay's parents are leaving tomorrow I think.
Oh ya, I'm going to a city called Busan with Mark, Lindsay, Antoinette and Jenny at the end of May. Busan is like a beach city in Korea. It's in the Southeast end of the Korean peninsula for those of you who enjoy geography as much as I do (which is VERY much). Anyway, it's apparently quite nice, like Florida or something with the beaches, so I'm looking forward to that.
Then in July I think I mentioned here, (but if I didn't I'm mentioning it now), I'm going to Jeju island with Lindsay. Jeju is an island off the southern tip of Korea and it's compared to Hawaii in the states. It's apparently quite nice. We aren't going to Cambodia / Thailand anymore because it's mad expensive to go there. And the war in Thailand may have also effected our decision.
Alright, I will go now. I think I could go for a nice hot cup of coffee.
Auf Wiedersehen.
It's back to reality for me now, after experiencing Tokyo last weekend. I had 3 days back at work, and it was just as I had left it. After leaving Japan, I feel way different than when I left China. China was wonderful, but I wouldn't want to live there or anything. My feeling about Japan is totally opposite. I would live in Japan, but maybe only for 6 months or something, rather than a whole year.
I am thinking about going back to Japan for a quick visit maybe at the end of my contract, or some time during the summer, but if I go during the summer, I will only be able to go for 2 days because I only get the weekends off. If I go after my contract, I will have as much time there as I want. I'll have to see.
Something about Japan felt natural - like I should be there. While in China, I felt more like a guest. Either way, I'm in Korea for another 7 months, so I should make the best of it! Speaking of making the best of it, this is what I have done this weekend:
Yesterday I went to a Traditional Korean Dance show, which was actually really cool! They did a fan dance, a drum dance and an orchestra of old Korean instruments played which I really enjoyed. At the end, they had the drum dance, which was really neat to watch. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to take pictures so I have no pics to put here. Anyway, at the end of the performance they chose 3 people to go up on stage and hit the drums with them. Naturally, as I stick out like a sore thumb here, I found myself on stage banging this drum! I was hesitant at first to go up and do it, but after some convincing (from both Sarah and the drum lady), I went up and hit the drum! I got to keep the drum sticks!
Last night, we went to Noraebong (Kareoke) with Antoinette, and Lindsay's sister, Mom and Aunt. It was really really fun! We were there for 4 hours!!!!! Before that though, I bought a wooden pan flute from a guy who lives in Peru.
Then we met this guy who is from Canada (I think Kitchener), and his wife from Korea. He's lived here for 5 years now! The night was a success.
Today I just went out for lunch with Mark (I guess it was dinner time, but I woke up at like 1:30pm), and we had Indian food! MMMMMMMMMM delicious. I am so happy that Mark showed me this place, because I had to go all the way to Itaewon for my Indian food before! This Indian food place is in Bucheon, like 10 minutes away from my house (it's in The Mall).
Tonight we're going to see a movie - Wolverine. I haven't seen any of the X-men movies, and I don't really know anything about the story lines, or the characters, but I've heard it's a good movie so I'm excited to see it. And I'm excited to eat the popcorn and what not. Interesting thing about the movies - when you get your tickets, you choose what seat you want to sit in and then you have whatever seat you want when you watch the movie. It's kind of cool.
So yes. That's happening tonight at 9. I am about 2/3 my way through this book that my parents brought me when they came here. It's called Brother One Cell, and it's about this American guy who came to Korea to teach English (illegally), and when he was here, he went to the Phillipenes and tried to send himself hash in the mail. He got caught and spent 3.5 years in Korean prison. It's a good book.
That's my update about life back in Korea.
Oh, David (the Belgian guy we met in Japan), is coming to Korea at the end of June I think. It'll be fun to show him around. He is interested in teaching here, so this is kind of a test to see if he likes the country I suppose.
Sarah's parents left this morning, I guess they will be arriving tomorrow some time back in Minnesota. Lindsay's parents are leaving tomorrow I think.
Oh ya, I'm going to a city called Busan with Mark, Lindsay, Antoinette and Jenny at the end of May. Busan is like a beach city in Korea. It's in the Southeast end of the Korean peninsula for those of you who enjoy geography as much as I do (which is VERY much). Anyway, it's apparently quite nice, like Florida or something with the beaches, so I'm looking forward to that.
Then in July I think I mentioned here, (but if I didn't I'm mentioning it now), I'm going to Jeju island with Lindsay. Jeju is an island off the southern tip of Korea and it's compared to Hawaii in the states. It's apparently quite nice. We aren't going to Cambodia / Thailand anymore because it's mad expensive to go there. And the war in Thailand may have also effected our decision.
Alright, I will go now. I think I could go for a nice hot cup of coffee.
Auf Wiedersehen.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Japan pics
Here are the pics from Japan.
They're a couple days late, I'm sorry! The first couple pics are me getting ready, the amount that I packed, and arriving in Japan. We took the subway to our hostel, and took some really nice pics of our hostel. After that I think everything is self-explanitory from there. If you want to know what anything is, feel free to comment!
Hope you enjoy the pics!
They're a couple days late, I'm sorry! The first couple pics are me getting ready, the amount that I packed, and arriving in Japan. We took the subway to our hostel, and took some really nice pics of our hostel. After that I think everything is self-explanitory from there. If you want to know what anything is, feel free to comment! Hope you enjoy the pics!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
JAPAN
Wow. All I can say is wow. Japan was absolutely amazing, but in a different way than China, or Korea, or other places I've been... wow.
I guess I can just give a quick summary (which will probably end up being long...). Here goes.
Saturday I woke up (after an hour's sleep), went to the airport and got on a plane. On our way to Japan we drank some beer. It was an international flight, so the beer was free. By the end of the flight (2 hours), the stewardess politely informed us that we had drunk all the beer on the plane, and that the plane had no more beer to give us.
We got to Tokyo, signed into our hostel (which was BEAUTIFUL), and went back to Tokyo station. From there, we went to the Imperial Palace which was really pretty. We layed on the grass and admired the scenery for a while, then continued on our adventures. We ended up meeting a random Belgian guy who was nicer than Ghandi - I'm not even joking. He gave up 2 of his days to help us around Tokyo, and show us around to all the touristy things. He was sooooo nice, and really helpful. He wants to come to Korea, so I told him to visit and I'd repay the favour by showing him all the cultural things here, too.
That night we ended up sitting on the street in a circle listening to a Japanese hippy play the Beatles on his guitar. We took pictures, and were merry. We were also in a store that was SO busy to look at, colours, flashing things everywhere, shelves and shelves of random things to buy, 7 floors tall, with escalators, elevators, but no more than 1 foot between the aisles of flourescent Japanese crazy things. I couldn't get out because every floor looked the same, and eventually I just had to ask where the door was.
The whole time of course, I know only how to say 2 things in Japanese - Hello (Konichiwa), and thank-you (Aragato).
The next day, we went to Harajuku which was SO cool. The harajuku girls were really cool, and I took a bunch of pictures with them (although some of them didn't appreciate that very much! lol) The station was SO busy, we had to wait to go up the stairs, they had security guards ushering people through with these people-sized shoe horn things. I took a picture once I got out and looked down onto the station.
After Harajuku, we went to Tokyo Tower which was fun, but very busy and high. I don't like heights, so I basically wished never to be there. However, I figured, if i'm in Tokyo, I have to go up the tower.
Anyway, that was the end of that night. (It was an early night because all of us had been running on no sleep, and robust amounts of beer the night before.)
The day after that, we went to Asakusa, which is really famous for shopping, and a nice temple. The place was really busy, but the temple was pretty.
There, we saw a monkey on stilts doing back flips, and a McDonalds that sells McHotdogs for breakfast.
That afternoon, we went on a futuristic train that ran about 5 storeys above the city, winding through skyscrapers and along side the river. We ended up at a Panasonic centre that had futuristic inventions and energy saving appliances and stuff, which was interesting to see.
More interesting, they had a HUGE nintendo section, which I instantly fell in love with. I wanted to live there, but I don't think the Japanese people would have appreciated it.
When we left the panasonic centre, we walked by a park that was FILLED with people in really crazy outfits, like halloween, but Japanese, and MUCH cooler. I took pictures.
That night we spent at Sakuya which was crazier than Times Square in New York. It was SO bright, I'm suprised my retinas are still working. We went to a dance club there called Gaspanic.
I had a beer there, and when I was finished, a bar tender came up and asked if I wanted a re-fill. I said, "No thanks, I'm fine for now". Apparently that's not acceptable at this place because he responded with "Actually, if you're not drinking, we usually don't let you stay here"! Then I looked at the signs which were in every language saying just that. "Guests must always be drinking". Oh, Tokyo.
We finished off the night by going back to our hostel, had a bath, and went to bed.
The bath was probably the most relaxing part of my vacation. It was in a natural hot spring, in a place surrounded by japanese looking trees, paper lanterns and silence (a rare commodity in Tokyo). The water was perfectly clear, except for the steam that was slowly rolling across the surface. I could have stayed there forever. It was probably the most relaxed I've ever been. It was just amazing. I can't explain it.
Today we went to Omori station (a relatively small one), and ended up walking around it. We found a small shrine which was really peaceful. Luckily, we had called David (the Belgian), and he (having lived in Japan for 7 months now) explained what to do, and the symbolism of everything. We washed our hands with purified water, approached the gate and followed the rituals: ring this big bell rope thing, toss a coin into a big wooden box, bow 3 times (the third a bit smaller than the rest), clap twice and pray for whatever you wish. It was really neat.
From one extreme to the other, we went from a peaceful Buddhist shrine to a raging arcade. It was INTENSE. It was sooooo loud, and I didn't really know how to play any of the games. Luckily the Japanese people are the nicest people on the planet and they helped me out.
All in all, the trip was a GREAT success. I couldn't have asked for a better one. If I ever have that kind of experience again I will count myself the most fortunate person I know. It was just an amazing, uplifting, culturally astounding 4 days. I'll miss it very much. If I ever have the opportunity to go back, I'll be there in a hearbeat.
This post was kind of random, but so was the trip. I wasn't as organised as my China trip (I didn't keep a log of events), but the trip didn't allow for such organisation. It was purely a trip of chance. A wonderful one.
Tomorrow I will post the pictures. It's 2 in the morning now and I have to go to bed. I work overtime tomorrow and I think I will collapse, so I need all the sleep I can get!
I have the pictures organised, I just have to edit them and crop them and what not. Anyway, thought I would update now that I just got home. I'll talk to you all later.
Ian
I guess I can just give a quick summary (which will probably end up being long...). Here goes.
Saturday I woke up (after an hour's sleep), went to the airport and got on a plane. On our way to Japan we drank some beer. It was an international flight, so the beer was free. By the end of the flight (2 hours), the stewardess politely informed us that we had drunk all the beer on the plane, and that the plane had no more beer to give us.
We got to Tokyo, signed into our hostel (which was BEAUTIFUL), and went back to Tokyo station. From there, we went to the Imperial Palace which was really pretty. We layed on the grass and admired the scenery for a while, then continued on our adventures. We ended up meeting a random Belgian guy who was nicer than Ghandi - I'm not even joking. He gave up 2 of his days to help us around Tokyo, and show us around to all the touristy things. He was sooooo nice, and really helpful. He wants to come to Korea, so I told him to visit and I'd repay the favour by showing him all the cultural things here, too.
That night we ended up sitting on the street in a circle listening to a Japanese hippy play the Beatles on his guitar. We took pictures, and were merry. We were also in a store that was SO busy to look at, colours, flashing things everywhere, shelves and shelves of random things to buy, 7 floors tall, with escalators, elevators, but no more than 1 foot between the aisles of flourescent Japanese crazy things. I couldn't get out because every floor looked the same, and eventually I just had to ask where the door was.
The whole time of course, I know only how to say 2 things in Japanese - Hello (Konichiwa), and thank-you (Aragato).
The next day, we went to Harajuku which was SO cool. The harajuku girls were really cool, and I took a bunch of pictures with them (although some of them didn't appreciate that very much! lol) The station was SO busy, we had to wait to go up the stairs, they had security guards ushering people through with these people-sized shoe horn things. I took a picture once I got out and looked down onto the station.
After Harajuku, we went to Tokyo Tower which was fun, but very busy and high. I don't like heights, so I basically wished never to be there. However, I figured, if i'm in Tokyo, I have to go up the tower.
Anyway, that was the end of that night. (It was an early night because all of us had been running on no sleep, and robust amounts of beer the night before.)
The day after that, we went to Asakusa, which is really famous for shopping, and a nice temple. The place was really busy, but the temple was pretty.
There, we saw a monkey on stilts doing back flips, and a McDonalds that sells McHotdogs for breakfast.
That afternoon, we went on a futuristic train that ran about 5 storeys above the city, winding through skyscrapers and along side the river. We ended up at a Panasonic centre that had futuristic inventions and energy saving appliances and stuff, which was interesting to see.
More interesting, they had a HUGE nintendo section, which I instantly fell in love with. I wanted to live there, but I don't think the Japanese people would have appreciated it.
When we left the panasonic centre, we walked by a park that was FILLED with people in really crazy outfits, like halloween, but Japanese, and MUCH cooler. I took pictures.
That night we spent at Sakuya which was crazier than Times Square in New York. It was SO bright, I'm suprised my retinas are still working. We went to a dance club there called Gaspanic.
I had a beer there, and when I was finished, a bar tender came up and asked if I wanted a re-fill. I said, "No thanks, I'm fine for now". Apparently that's not acceptable at this place because he responded with "Actually, if you're not drinking, we usually don't let you stay here"! Then I looked at the signs which were in every language saying just that. "Guests must always be drinking". Oh, Tokyo.
We finished off the night by going back to our hostel, had a bath, and went to bed.
The bath was probably the most relaxing part of my vacation. It was in a natural hot spring, in a place surrounded by japanese looking trees, paper lanterns and silence (a rare commodity in Tokyo). The water was perfectly clear, except for the steam that was slowly rolling across the surface. I could have stayed there forever. It was probably the most relaxed I've ever been. It was just amazing. I can't explain it.
Today we went to Omori station (a relatively small one), and ended up walking around it. We found a small shrine which was really peaceful. Luckily, we had called David (the Belgian), and he (having lived in Japan for 7 months now) explained what to do, and the symbolism of everything. We washed our hands with purified water, approached the gate and followed the rituals: ring this big bell rope thing, toss a coin into a big wooden box, bow 3 times (the third a bit smaller than the rest), clap twice and pray for whatever you wish. It was really neat.
From one extreme to the other, we went from a peaceful Buddhist shrine to a raging arcade. It was INTENSE. It was sooooo loud, and I didn't really know how to play any of the games. Luckily the Japanese people are the nicest people on the planet and they helped me out.
All in all, the trip was a GREAT success. I couldn't have asked for a better one. If I ever have that kind of experience again I will count myself the most fortunate person I know. It was just an amazing, uplifting, culturally astounding 4 days. I'll miss it very much. If I ever have the opportunity to go back, I'll be there in a hearbeat.
This post was kind of random, but so was the trip. I wasn't as organised as my China trip (I didn't keep a log of events), but the trip didn't allow for such organisation. It was purely a trip of chance. A wonderful one.
Tomorrow I will post the pictures. It's 2 in the morning now and I have to go to bed. I work overtime tomorrow and I think I will collapse, so I need all the sleep I can get!
I have the pictures organised, I just have to edit them and crop them and what not. Anyway, thought I would update now that I just got home. I'll talk to you all later.
Ian
Friday, May 1, 2009
Holidays and thoughts
Well, looks like I do have enough time to put up one last update before my journey to Japan. I guess it has been 3.5 months since my journies brought me to the Great Wall of China! It really doesn't seem that long ago! I guess when you're busy during the weeks and exploring a country that still offers new things to do on the weekends, time goes by quickly.
It's May 1st, which means that April is now over. April was a good month I think, considering during May I will be working overtime (it is a requirement in my contract). April had three birthdays: My Sister Jill, my Dad and my late dog, Bits! This is the first April 30th that went by that we didn't have Bits. I still talk about him a lot here, and I spend lots of time with Mark & Jennifer's dogs a lot too! I think I can't be pet-less! haha.
May is bringing some birthdays as well! My sister Donna's birthday and her daughter Arielle's birthday will happen, and they have gifts coming their way from Korea!
Speaking of birthdays, Steph sent me a bunch of videos from her Aunt Erin's birthday back in January, but they didn't have any sound. For some reason, now when I click on them, I can open them up in a different program (windows movie maker), and watch them with sound! It's wonderful! It's like I'm hanging out back in Hamilton again! (Not to mention it looked like a great party!)
Well, as I mentioned about a thousand times in my blog, I'm going to Japan tomorrow. It should be fun, although I still don't know what we're going to do when we get there. I think I will go to the bank today and try to get money switched to Yen, because if I'm running behind or if anything happens at the airport tomorrow, I won't have time to switch it there.
Oh! I saw the Beethoven concert yesterday! It was so nice to get back to a orchestra concert. I have seen a ballet and a musical since I've been here in Korea, but nothing beats an orchestra concert. It made my heart ache a little to see them playing that stuff. I wondered how long it would be until I could play in an orchestra (or with any group) again. I guesstimated 10 months or so for french horn, and 7 for piano. I could play piano for something when I get home, but I need to whip myself back into shape if I want to play french horn for anything (which I hope will be happening in May in Woodstock as it usually does).
Anyway, the concert was great, but getting there and back wasn't. We were running late on the way there, so instead of transferring the second transfer on the subway, we decided to just go up to the street and catch a cab to the Seoul Arts Centre where the concert was playing. However, there were no cabs to be found. We finally got one after walking around for a long time. We got in and told him where we wanted to go (Saw-ool Ah-tuh-suh Sayn-tah-yo?).
We finally got there, (at 8:01) and went into the wrong building. When we finally got our tickets (in the right building), and walked up to the 3rd floor (we got $10 dollar cheap seat tickets), the applause was signalling the end of the first piece on the program (Overture to Leonare). We just made it in time for the piano concerto (which was really well done!)
After he played the concerto, he gave two encores - the first was the second movement of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata (very pretty indeed), and the second was La Campenella by Liszt. It was pretty impressive!
Then they played Symphony #3 in Eb and for the love of me I couldn't help but visualise Dr. Stokes at UWO swaying back and forth when he was explaining to us the opening of the first movement; happily so at first, until the cellos mess everything up by playing a C# in the 7th measure (causing Dr. Stokes to shudder and retract like a misbehaving small child that's just heard his parents' promise of only coal for Christmas).
On the way home, it was even more of a big adventure than getting there, and maybe even more of an adventure than the time I had to take a cab home from Hondae (I seem to remember posting that on here). We got back to the subway alright, and got on the subway, counted the stops (16), and sat down to relax after a nice long day full of arts and culture. Some time later, I thought to myself that we should be there by now. Unfortunately, we had gone the wrong way on the subway, and we were in the N.E. of Seoul, when we are supposed to be in the S.W. So, a total of 46 subway stops later, we finally made it as far as we could go (it had reached the time when all the subways stop running). So, we exited the subway station to take a cab home. We figured it should be about 20,000 won to get home from there. So, we found many cab drivers (they know when the last subway runs). They were shouting things like "Incheon, 30,000! Bucheon 20,000! Taxi issoyo! (taxis here).
Well, we were just so happy that there was a cab to take, that we accepted the first offer of 20,000 to Bucheon. I followed Lindsay into the cab, took a moment to take a deep breath and then looked around me. There was a man in the passengers seat, and a girl next to Lindsay in the back seat. They were also passengers! Smart taxi drivers... they are asking all of us for the same amount of money, making 60,000 off of a 20,000 drive. If we got out of the cab though, we would have ended up in another cab doing the same thing.
So we just settled with what we got. The cab driver was INSANE. He was going 120 on a street like Upper Wentworth in Hamilton (for those of you who don't know, think of a street with many stop lights, maybe 3 lanes each way). He was running red lights, weaving through traffic and talking to the girl behind him (the one next to Lindsay).
Anyway, I think the girl next to Lindsay was drunk, but we didn't know how much English she knew so we were talking about the whole situation in big long words, so that we knew they wouldn't understand: "I am pondering - I am considering that our fellow passenger may be inebriated"... "I think the operator of this vehicle may be inebriated." ... "Lindsay, I hope you don't become a projectile!" (she was sitting in the middle of the back seat) Her reply to that last one was "At least I wouldn't have to worry about the Swine Flu!" haha.
Well, we made it home in one piece, THREE HOURS after the concert ended. It was 1:30.
12 hours later writing this post, I think I should be kissing the ground of Bucheon or something, but I'll just calm down and be thankful I didn't DIE last night. Alright, that's all of my words for today. This is a long post.
Have a great weekend, and I'll be thinking of all of you whilst in Japan!
buh bye
It's May 1st, which means that April is now over. April was a good month I think, considering during May I will be working overtime (it is a requirement in my contract). April had three birthdays: My Sister Jill, my Dad and my late dog, Bits! This is the first April 30th that went by that we didn't have Bits. I still talk about him a lot here, and I spend lots of time with Mark & Jennifer's dogs a lot too! I think I can't be pet-less! haha.
May is bringing some birthdays as well! My sister Donna's birthday and her daughter Arielle's birthday will happen, and they have gifts coming their way from Korea!
Speaking of birthdays, Steph sent me a bunch of videos from her Aunt Erin's birthday back in January, but they didn't have any sound. For some reason, now when I click on them, I can open them up in a different program (windows movie maker), and watch them with sound! It's wonderful! It's like I'm hanging out back in Hamilton again! (Not to mention it looked like a great party!)
Well, as I mentioned about a thousand times in my blog, I'm going to Japan tomorrow. It should be fun, although I still don't know what we're going to do when we get there. I think I will go to the bank today and try to get money switched to Yen, because if I'm running behind or if anything happens at the airport tomorrow, I won't have time to switch it there.
Oh! I saw the Beethoven concert yesterday! It was so nice to get back to a orchestra concert. I have seen a ballet and a musical since I've been here in Korea, but nothing beats an orchestra concert. It made my heart ache a little to see them playing that stuff. I wondered how long it would be until I could play in an orchestra (or with any group) again. I guesstimated 10 months or so for french horn, and 7 for piano. I could play piano for something when I get home, but I need to whip myself back into shape if I want to play french horn for anything (which I hope will be happening in May in Woodstock as it usually does).
Anyway, the concert was great, but getting there and back wasn't. We were running late on the way there, so instead of transferring the second transfer on the subway, we decided to just go up to the street and catch a cab to the Seoul Arts Centre where the concert was playing. However, there were no cabs to be found. We finally got one after walking around for a long time. We got in and told him where we wanted to go (Saw-ool Ah-tuh-suh Sayn-tah-yo?).
We finally got there, (at 8:01) and went into the wrong building. When we finally got our tickets (in the right building), and walked up to the 3rd floor (we got $10 dollar cheap seat tickets), the applause was signalling the end of the first piece on the program (Overture to Leonare). We just made it in time for the piano concerto (which was really well done!)
After he played the concerto, he gave two encores - the first was the second movement of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata (very pretty indeed), and the second was La Campenella by Liszt. It was pretty impressive!
Then they played Symphony #3 in Eb and for the love of me I couldn't help but visualise Dr. Stokes at UWO swaying back and forth when he was explaining to us the opening of the first movement; happily so at first, until the cellos mess everything up by playing a C# in the 7th measure (causing Dr. Stokes to shudder and retract like a misbehaving small child that's just heard his parents' promise of only coal for Christmas).
On the way home, it was even more of a big adventure than getting there, and maybe even more of an adventure than the time I had to take a cab home from Hondae (I seem to remember posting that on here). We got back to the subway alright, and got on the subway, counted the stops (16), and sat down to relax after a nice long day full of arts and culture. Some time later, I thought to myself that we should be there by now. Unfortunately, we had gone the wrong way on the subway, and we were in the N.E. of Seoul, when we are supposed to be in the S.W. So, a total of 46 subway stops later, we finally made it as far as we could go (it had reached the time when all the subways stop running). So, we exited the subway station to take a cab home. We figured it should be about 20,000 won to get home from there. So, we found many cab drivers (they know when the last subway runs). They were shouting things like "Incheon, 30,000! Bucheon 20,000! Taxi issoyo! (taxis here).
Well, we were just so happy that there was a cab to take, that we accepted the first offer of 20,000 to Bucheon. I followed Lindsay into the cab, took a moment to take a deep breath and then looked around me. There was a man in the passengers seat, and a girl next to Lindsay in the back seat. They were also passengers! Smart taxi drivers... they are asking all of us for the same amount of money, making 60,000 off of a 20,000 drive. If we got out of the cab though, we would have ended up in another cab doing the same thing.
So we just settled with what we got. The cab driver was INSANE. He was going 120 on a street like Upper Wentworth in Hamilton (for those of you who don't know, think of a street with many stop lights, maybe 3 lanes each way). He was running red lights, weaving through traffic and talking to the girl behind him (the one next to Lindsay).
Anyway, I think the girl next to Lindsay was drunk, but we didn't know how much English she knew so we were talking about the whole situation in big long words, so that we knew they wouldn't understand: "I am pondering - I am considering that our fellow passenger may be inebriated"... "I think the operator of this vehicle may be inebriated." ... "Lindsay, I hope you don't become a projectile!" (she was sitting in the middle of the back seat) Her reply to that last one was "At least I wouldn't have to worry about the Swine Flu!" haha.
Well, we made it home in one piece, THREE HOURS after the concert ended. It was 1:30.
12 hours later writing this post, I think I should be kissing the ground of Bucheon or something, but I'll just calm down and be thankful I didn't DIE last night. Alright, that's all of my words for today. This is a long post.
Have a great weekend, and I'll be thinking of all of you whilst in Japan!
buh bye
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