So it's been a month huh?

I am really bad at this whole updating thing right?  Well to make up for my shameless laziness I have added a random video courtesy of my friend Chi Sun.  This is from out Thanksgiving escapades in Daegu. 

Saturdays!

My school's gifted program is winding down this next month.  As a matter of fact there are only two more Saturdays and then the Saturday classes are over.  They come for English camp for 3 weeks in January and then they graduate.  All the 6th grade students will be graduating and going on to middle school!  I really will miss those kids they've been so much fun.  Some of them can choose to come to the middle school gifted program but there is a rule where kids can only do it for two years so I'm not sure how many of them can actually come back.

She has like radar when it comes to cameras, I tried to catch her unaware a couple of times but it just wasn't possible!

Why so serious?  This activity was about what three things you would take with you if you were trapped on a deserted island.  These girls were sooooo serious about it.  The group behind them was 4 boys who played kai-bai-bo to see what they should pick lol.

These students wrote a story about how a dragon came along and made Princess Cara ugly and then burnt down her castle... It was an epic tragedy...

The classes are all full of very bright students but I must say I do have a particular soft spot for E3 and these boys.  They are mischievous but always entertaining.

My Sunday

Today was my first day off in quite a while!  I've been rather busy but that's making time go by unbelievably fast!  It amazes me that November is almost over. 4 months in Korea already, how about that?  So many things have been going on but I wanted to post about this weekend first mostly because it was awesome and since this is my blog you're all basically subjected to whatever I decide to ramble on about anyway.

After my classes at Imdang in the morning I ran to hop on the subway (Well actually I kind of stopped for coffee then I ran, what coffffffffeeeeeee, mmmmm).  I met up with my friend Kirstin we went shopping in Daegu before our Thanksgiving dinner. 

At about 4:30 we met up with our friend Chloe and then we all went to dinner together!  The Thanksgiving dinner at Buy the Book was a little taste of home!

Thanksgiving dinner!

Chloe and I are possessed!(Just kidding.... mostly...)...










We had a really nice Thanksgiving away from home!  It was really great to be with friends when family was so far away.  We even goofed off and made videos of dinner which I may eventually manage to get from Chloe lol.  The owners probably thought we were nuts!  We were having fun though so I call it a win!

After dinner we ran around for a while then poor Kirstin went home (or rather she returned to quarantine) because she still has a cold and I met some of Chloe's Korean friends.  They're really nice guys and they'd all been hiking earlier that day!  I'm hoping my ankle heals up soon so I can go back to doing more entertaining activities. 

Sunday I got up and headed to Beomeo station where I was supposed to meet with a volunteer coordinator and a couple of other volunteers.  We were going to an orphanage in Daegu!








I didn't take any pictures at the orphanage it didn't really seem right and since it was my first time there I was a bit nervous so I really wanted to not do anything that would be considered bad.  The boys were hilarious!  Very happy to see foreigners and play.  Within about 20 minutes of being there one of the little boys decided that the best spot to be was my lap.  I kept asking him his name and I knew he understood me but was just being shy so finally I switched over and asked him in Korean and once he stopped staring at me with his mouth open he answered (That's right you will talk to me whether you want to or not!)!

We ended up playing with them for most of the afternoon.  They really love soccer and baseball.  Although two of the smaller boys really wanted to play hide and seek so we ended up playing that and even the coordinator from the government office that had come with us joined in.  I was really sad when it was time to leave.  I can't wait to go back.  Right now it's a once a month thing but I'm hoping to volunteer more.

What really struck me is that the kids seem really happy and close with each other which is great.  The building was really nice but I've heard that kids from orphanages unfortunately don't often get the opportunity to experience higher education.  I'd like to hope that's not true as most of these boys were very bright. 

After volunteering I went to downtown and met with Rachel!  It'd been way too long!  We visited and had dinner.  All told it was a fantastic weekend!

Jazz in Korea!

Sooooooo I realize I've been really behind in keeping people up to date on things that are going on in my life in Korea.  That's mostly because I have been insanely busy right now... with just a touch of lazy...  I had said that I was going to put up some videos I took of some Jazz in Korea.  Since these videos I went back to All That Jazz when I was in Seoul last weekend but they had a new age Jazz band playing that I really wasn't digging at all.  So here's hoping next time I'm up in Seoul a better band is entertaining.  Then again there are also 4 other Jazz clubs in the Seoul area that I could hunt for.

Recently I was told by one of my really awesome coworkers about a Jazz club in Daegu that I could go to.  If that's the case I'd be able to hit up a live music venue much closer to home but that might have to be a endeavor for next weekend or something.

Once again this is All That Jazz it's tucked away on a side street in Itewon on the Third floor.

This is the band that was playing it was a three man (well 2 guys and a girl) band.

The food is great there and they have a rather nice selection of wines if one enjoys that kind of thing.  I'd been warned that good wine was impossible to find in Korea.  Whoever told me that was an idiot...  Truthfully I've found some rather decent often affordable wine it just takes a bit more effort than it did in the states.  (Now beer on the other hand...)

The gigantic windows definitely set the mood in this rustic studio looking space.  At night they pull the giant curtains closed to keep the mood inviting (The giant lit neon signs kind of take away from the mood).

 

So here's my little blog post about Korean Jazz.  Hopefully this week I will also put the pictures of my school's festival up.  I'd like to do that you know the same month that it happened at least...  To all of you in various corners of the world hope you're staying warm (or cold depending upon where the heck you are) and sleep well.  I'm off to sleep for like 10 hours before I have to go back to work...

It's ALLLLLIIIIIVE!

Yes that's right I really am alive I promise!  I have a lot to catch you all up on.  Been trying to catch up on the work front as things have just been incredibly hectic.  The school semester finishes up the end of December so that's one of the reasons everyone has been so busy.  A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks!  I went to Seoul for a week long training program for one thing!  It's shocking that I managed to make it back on my own right?  My sense of direction never was very good as many of my friends can attest to from 1st hand experience!  Surprisingly it was rather easy to navigate around Seoul and I didn't get lost.  The subway system is massive and often a bit intimidating but actually it's rather easy to navigate as long as you take your time and are careful.

At the training I got the chance to wear a Hanbok or traditional Korean clothing.  It was interesting to listen to them talk about culture in Korea.  One of the few classes I really enjoyed there.

We took a boat tour of the Han River which was beautiful at night!

The bridge over the water puts on a light show every night!  It was unreal to watch!

The lights on the water were amazing.  I really loved the Han River!  I'd love the chance to go back and explore it during the day.

It's me!  I was having fun but I was freezing!

Nyameko and Sindi were a couple of awesome people I met during the week!  They're both from South Africa and both teach in the same province as me.

We were paying attention during the seminar can't you tell?  Those are our learning faces...

All That Jazz is a jazz club I managed to visit in Seoul on my last day!  It is a fantastic club that often has live jazz bands in Seoul play.  I enjoyed live music and some of the best food I'd had in Seoul the whole week I was there.

The club is on the top floor so you look out some huge two story windows at a rather beautiful Seoul cityscape.  The roof does leak in a few places though but I suppose it adds to the charm right?

Some truly delicious rose crab pasta!

The band that was playing that afternoon was great. I will upload a couple of videos I have of them later... By later I mean when I officially become smarter than my phone...







All told I didn't get to do much while in Seoul but I did meet a few really cool people, listened to some great jazz and found a truly fantastic English bookstore so I definitely would declare the week a success!  Seoul has a really unique feel to it that I found myself enjoying.  I really can't wait to head back up there!

Off to Jinju

This time of year in Korea is lovely really.  As the weather has cooled down people are out and about trying to make the most of their free time before weather gets terrible.  I've been warned multiple times that the winters in Korea will be very cold.  So with that thought in mind after teaching Saturday morning I hoped on a train to head off for Jinju where the annual lantern festival was being held last weekend.  The festival was voted the best in Korea for 4 years in a row until 2009 when it was canceled because of an outbreak of the flu.

After a 2 hour train ride I arrived in at Jinju station.  There were a lot of other people traveling here for the last weekend of the lantern festival.  A word of warning to all who are heading to Jinju there are two Jinju stops one is the arboretum (which is literally in the middle of nowhere) and the other is in the city of Jinju...

I walked from the train station to the river where the festival was being held.  The website had said it was a 5 minute walk but it actually took me more like 40 minutes... Not really a terrible walk but there was a lot of traffic and it was a ways from the train station...

Across the way is a rustic castle of sorts that is incredibly amazing to walk through.  It was open to the public so after securing a place to stay I hiked across the bridge to explore before it got dark and they lit the lanterns.

Walked through the giant entry way into the main courtyard.  The place was huge!  

After walking through the giant entryway you walk across the courtyard and then through a very congested much smaller doorway.

I finally got here after a bunch of other doors!  Impressive right?  It was massive and there was a stone moat around it with little bridges for you to walk across!  Very lovely area I'd love to go back when it isn't as crowded...

As the sun set they finally lit all of the lanterns.  I hadn't even realized how many there really were until I was up in the castle...

These lanterns were massive in size and a lot of them were moving which was beyond amazing!

This was the entryway to a bridge you could walk across to see the lanterns up close.  The bridge was supposed to be a symbol I guess?  It really swayed though especially with all of the people using it... At one point this girl was walking with her boyfriend and stumbled and I believe she meant to grab her boyfriend but latched onto me instead.  She was so embarrassed she took off running and almost fell on her face a second time leaving her boyfriend behind screaming "sorry, sorry, sorry."  As he ran after her lol....

On of my personal favorites!  This and the dragon lantern!

The little floating objects are wish lanterns.  People made their own lanterns and wrote their wishes in them then released them into the river....

The bridge all lit up!  This side of the bridge had a bunch of lotus flower lanterns.









All in all I really enjoyed Jinju but I really felt like the Andong mask festival was more impressive to see.  It had more activity and the location wasn't as congested.  The lantern festival at Jinju is definitely however, something that is worth seeing if you are in Korea in October.  Well it's past my bed time so I'm off have a lovely night world.

The Andong Mask Festival part 2

After riding the shuttle bus up to the center of Hanoe village we started walking.... Yes the dancing was REALLY out there.  It was incredibly beautiful up there though.  Surrounded by mountains and trees I imagine living up there must be impressive.  Perhaps a bit isolated though...

This is apparently where old masks go to... well be rather creepy actually...

Rice fields.

Some rather disturbing scarecrows decided to join the festivities by donning masks of their own...

Of course we felt the need to run out there and take photos with them...

A river that wrapped around the village.  There was a rather impressive rock cliff that people could hike up.  Sometime I'd love to go back and hike.  To many other activities this time around...

Downtown Hanoe Village.  It was amazing to walk around and think that people lived here.  Then I felt guilty... Bet they really hate this time of year...

This village really had some truly spectacular houses.

Traditional Mask dances!  They were actually quite lovely even if I couldn't understand what they were about...

I think he was a monk... Or a scholar...

Little shop selling souvenirs of the festival.

Picture of the village from a dirt road that ran parallel  to the river.  Looked like something out of a historic drama...









After we left Hanoe village we rode the bus back to Andong village where we were staying in a hotel for the night.  It was rather late when we got back so we decided to try jimduk made with Andong chicken.  This is supposed to be a specialty dish that the region is famous for.  I'd had jimduk in Gyeongsan and it is one of my favorite dishes.  It is a spicy dish with glass noodles, vegetables and steamed chicken.  A rather healthy and delicious meal in my opinion!  We visited until the restaurant was closing.  A couple of very drunk and rather hilarious Korean guys stopped to try and talk to us, it was entertaining.  Apparently one of them had been/wanted to go to Hawaii.  At least that was all I could gather from that conversation.

After dinner a couple of us decided to be brave and try a jjimjillbang.  There were a couple of 24-hour spas near our hotel.  I'd definitely made it a goal to try going to a jjimjillbang while I was in Korea.  Well after last weekend that's one thing I can check off my list.  It was amazing!  Their was a steam sauna that was really great and then a giant tub with some kind of soaking salt in it.  So we spent nearly 2 hours in the jjimjillbang before going back to the hotel for the night.

The next morning we got up and wandered around buying souvenirs and such for people.  Then rode the train home.  It was a fantastic weekend!

The Andong Mask Festival Part 1

Well it was quite a weekend in Andong!  I've had an insane work week though so the pictures have been sitting in my camera waiting for me to download them onto my computer.  I really do need a new camera though!  So many of my photos came out blurry that it was a bit depressing.  It was really beautiful up there! Andong is a lovely area.  I don't think I would enjoy living there though.  They seemed a bit less tolerant of foreigners running around than Gyeongsan does.

We arrived in Andong and promptly went to the main "food street."  After a rather long train ride we were starving and it was lunch time!

Rather interesting stone mosaics of the masks were every 200 meters or so.  This is the bride mask.

We went to a BBQ place for lunch and had bulgogi. She brought us a ton of side dishes too which was fabulous.

My friend Kirstin outside of the restaurant after lunch!  It was so delicious!

We were then off to Hanoe village about 40 minutes outside of Andong by bus.  It was where one of the festival sites was.

Hanoe village is largely untouched by modern society.  The buildings and area really had a rustic feel to it.  I was amazed.  It was almost like walking into another time.

This was a rather impressive pagoda I thought...

We went to the Andong Mask museum for 2,000 won (around $2)!  I love that museums are usually really affordable to get into!  There were masks from all over the world it was actually rather impressive!

This guy looked happy to see us...

It almost looked like a funeral procession...











After we walked through the mask museum we rode the shuttle to Hanoe proper which is like 3 or 4 km from the festival site where they were having dancing and other various activities.