Catching Up

Wow. It has literally been forever since I've posted on here. I haven't forgotten about this blog, but circumstances have prevented me from writing. Mainly having my laptop crash and having to send it away to get fixed. And the internet in my bedroom not working properly ever since I got it back. I'm never in the mood to fight with it to get it to work. Not much has gone on since I've last written, and if you're a Facebook friend then you're up-to-date anyhow. Let's see, what has happened....

We went to Daegu at the end of August. It's another city a couple of hours away from here by KTX. We just went for the weekend, it was one of our last weekends with Erin here. Nothing exciting really happened. We showed up Friday night after Middle school, did some drinking and partying. Had our stuff locked away from us until like 6am at the subway station in a locker, and therefore, pulled an all-nighter. And then we went and spent a few hours resting in a jimjilbang (not sure of the spelling). A place where Koreans go to sit in sauna pools and relax. Men and women are separated, which is a good thing, as you wear absolutely no clothes what-so-ever while you're in there. There are private sleeping rooms where you get a pillow and a thin mat to lay on. And if I remember correctly, a blanket. It's hotter in Daegu in the summer than it is in Daejeon, so we pretty much roasted the whole time we were there. Lack of sleep finally wore on my patience and Mashadi and I high-tailed it home that afternoon.

I went to Busan at the end of the month (August), for our first long semester-end break, with the guy I was seeing at the time. Needless to say things didn't work out with him, but he did teach me how to use the subway system and we went to both beaches (Gwangalli and Haeundae) and to Busan Tower. This was the weekend that our new co-teacher Avana, from South Africa, arrived to start her contract in Erin's place. 

Then September started, with a new semester and another trip to Busan. This time I went with mom, dad and Tanya. I really enjoyed having my family come visit me in South Korea, even though we hit some rough patches during their stay. We spent the first part of their trip here in Daejeon. They arrived on Friday night and pretty much went to bed right away. 

On Saturday I took them to Expo Park. We walked through the exhibits on our own and then went down to the river to watch some dragon boat races. Along the way we saw these little carts being awkwardly pulled by robot teddy bears, so of course Tanya and I paid to jump on one and go for a ride. It was ridiculous but a lot of fun. She has a video of it somewhere. After that, I took them to Ali Baba's and we had some Arabic food for dinner. I of course loved it, but I don't think the family were overly impressed. Saturday night of course, consisted of taking Tanya around Dunsandong to all of our favorite places, starting with Bubble, then Cantina, Lucky Strike and finally, Uncle Sponge. 

On Sunday, I took them to Eunhandong, another area in Daejeon. We went through the underground shopping center and a traditional market, spending a lot of time walking, much to their dismay. Ha ha. But I really wanted to make sure that they could get the most of their trip and Tanya got some good pictures of the market that we went through. On Monday, they wandered around ICC and Gao-dong (my neighbourhood) while I was at work. 

We headed off to Busan on Tuesday, taking the bus. We went to a lot of touristy places that I had picked out in my Lonely Planet guidebook.  We went to the UN Cemetary (the only one in the world), Busan Tower & Yongdusan Park, Busan Aquarium, Busan Modern History Museum, and Gwangalli Beach where we stayed in a love motel (a cheap hotel, kind of old looking but clean and comfortable). We also did a city tour via bus, where we paid a set price and were able to get on and off at as many stops as we wanted around the city. It was a great way to get to everything that we wanted to see, as not everyone was a fan of riding the subway like I was. We did an ocean boat tour as well that Tanya suggested doing, from Mipo Wharf.

On Saturday morning, we said goodbye to Busan and made our way to the bus station, where we hopped a bus and head to Icheon so that they could make their flight home on Sunday. 

I am really proud of that trip to Busan. Not only did my family get a chance to see a great country, but I finally did something that made me feel like an adult, and I had a chance to show mom and dad that I was capable of making it, really making it, on my own. Not that they have ever doubted me, but it was another chance to show them that I'm finally getting to be an adult. I took great pride in organizing their trip, booking hotels and figuring out how to get from place to place and I hope that they liked the trip as much as I did.

After Busan, not much else big really happened. There was Cheosok (not sure of the spelling), the Korean Thanksgiving. We had quite a few days off but missed the boat on booking something because we didn't realize how fast everything booked up. Mashadi's co-teacher Jenna and her family, were nice enough to invite us to their home, and we got to partake in a traditional Korean Thanksgiving. Then some went to Seoul and others stayed home and that was that holiday. 

Halloween came and went, the 8 of us all went out around Dunsandong together and had a great time. A new foreigner pub called Travelers Bar and Grill opened in Dunsandong and has become our new hangout. We're there at least once a week. They have great Western food and we're on first-name terms with the majority of the Korean staff who work there. I'm honing up my foosball skills against any who are brave enough to challenge me. I do okay at pool, and absolutely terrible at darts. But we have fun there all the same. 

Some time in between Busan and Thanksgiving, Russell, Tina, Gunnar, Paul and I went to the small city of Gumi to watch a Road FC (Korean UFC/MMA) fight. It was really entertaining and a lot of fun. We went to a random club after and then spent the night in a love motel and headed home.

We went to Travelers for the American Thanksgiving, as they did up a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It was okay, but the food was kind of cold and it wasn't quite like being at home with family. Then before we knew it, it was Christmas, and I was shopping for gifts to send home, and receiving lots of cards in the mail. Then one day, I got a huge box of Christmas gifts from home. Mom let me open some straight away, and the rest had to be saved for Christmas. We had one day off for Christmas which we spent at home, here at ICC. Paul and Avana cooked up two chickens and a bunch of other fantastic food for Christmas dinner. Gunnar was at home in England for the holdiays, but greatly missed. We spent Christmas Eve drinking at Travelers. We also did a Secret Santa and some great and really funny gifts were exchanged. I ended up buying for Tina, and Paul ended up buying for me, a great polka-dot scarf. We spent New Years at Travelers as well.

Then we went to an Ice Festival in Hwacheon with a tour group called Adventure Korea for Mashadi's birthday. We spent the Friday night out in Seoul going to some pubs and clubs, and then on Saturday morning we hopped on the tour bus and made our way to Hwacheon. It was a lot of fun. We did some ice-fishing, and the cute Korean tour guide with our group helped me catch a fish. Then we did some sled races, and Paul tried is hand at bare-handed fishing. Bare-handed fishing isn't entirely as it seems. He had to change into shorts and a t-shirt and actually jump INTO the water, and then try to catch the fish with his bare hands. He lasted in the water for maybe 3 minutes before he had to get out. Then we headed to the pension that we stayed at for the night. Adventure Korea had dinner waiting for us, followed by a campfire and karaoke. And drinking of course. Koreans love to drink. Then Sunday morning, there was a hike and some ice sculptures that were optional to do (and of course, we were too hungover/tired to go do them so we gave them a miss). Then we were back on the bus and headed back to Seoul, and from there on to home. 

And that's pretty much all that's really happened. Everything else in between has just been us living normal daily lives. Working during the week and relaxing on the weekends. 

Mashadi, Russell, Tina and I got into watching Game of Thrones (a t.v. show) while I was reading the books, so for a few weeks that was how we spent our nights and evenings. After that we got together and watched all 8 of the Harry Potter movies as Mashadi had never seen them before.

Now it's the end of January and we've got a 4 day vacation for the Lunar New Year, which is similar to the Chinese New Year. Russell and Tina are headed to Busan as I'm typing this. Tomorrow they will catch a ferry to Japan, where they will take a train tour around to some sights and cities. Gunnar is off to some other small town with some of his friends, and Crystal I believe is going to Gumi where she has previously taught. Mashadi is staying home and relaxing, and Paul and Avana are going to a spa of some sort in Gangwon-do province. And tomorrow I'm off to Seoul for a solo trip.

I've come to the conclusion that I need to face my fear of being alone and on my own, and the best way to do this is to go somewhere else by myself. I have a hostel booked, and I had my co-teacher Scarlet, book bus tickets for me. I'm excited to do some touristy things and to have some time alone. I'm hoping to doing some writing, get back into my poetry and to figure out some things for myself. I guess I'll be soul searching in Seoul. It should be good. I'm a bit nervous but glad that I'm doing this. Now if only I could get healthy again. I've been stuck with a head-cold for the last few days. 

Anyhow, I should really head to bed. I need to get up at a decent hour to get the rest of my stuff packed for Seoul. Hopefully while I'm there I get a chance to get a bit more blogging done. I'm glad that my internet is working decently for once. Talk to you soon :)