A Whole Bunch of Randomness

Tis' the season for heated floors, hot chocolate and Christmas lights. I've been pretty busy these last couple of weeks getting into the holiday spirirt and seeing new sights of SoKo. Last Thursday after work I made a visit into Seoul to see the Seoul Lantern Festival. It's an annual festival that was started in 2009 that showcases artists from all over the world down the famous Cheonggyecheon Stream. There's also a spot where one can light a lantern as a symbol of 'hope and friendship'.

That same night, Sarah and I decided to walk around this particular area of Seoul a bit more since we have never been there to enjoy it at night. To our surprise we found CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was. Christmas is my favorite holiday!

This past weekend I ventured to the eastern part of SoKo to visit none other than a penis park. Samcheok, which is where Haesindang Park (penis park) is located, is about a four to five hour bus ride from Seoul. Sarah and I woke up at 4:30 am to catch the first bus into Samcheok. Before going there, I researched the area quite a bit. I did not realize just how beautiful Samcheok was until I arrived. Because we did not plan to stay the night, we only had time to visit Haesingdang Park. I'll definitely be planning a trip back to Samcheok in the springtime to visit some of the other sights there.

For all of those who are wondering why in the world there is a penis park in South Korea, here's a story to give you the details. According to a late legend, a young virgin threw herself into the ocean, and drowned. About the same time, the local fishermen began to notice a decline in the numbers of fish they were catching. It seemed as thought all the fish had disappeared. Concluding that the young girl’s spirit was haunting the ocean; angry and frustrated after dying a virgin, the locals decided to take drastic action to appease said spirit and built this park.

To add to this post of randomness, yesterday South Korea practiced an air-raid drill around 2pm. The drill is practiced about two times a year to prepare in case North Korea attacks. Pedestrians in open and public areas are suppose move to nearby buildings or subway stations as they would when seeking shelter in an actual event. All drivers/vehicles on the road have to pull over and come to a complete stop. After watching videos online of people who were outside during this drill, I got goosebumps and a little scared of the reality of a possible attack.

No worries y'all! I'm as safe as I can be :) I miss you all so so much <3


-Jenn xoxo

The Most Magical Place in the ROK

This past weekend called for gloomy and rainy weather, so I took it upon myself to make indoor plans. After a nice brunch at Butterfingers with Lauren in Jeongja, I took a ride on the new Sin Bundang line (신분당선). This is a new subway line that just opened on October 28th and connects Bundang to Gangnam, which is a popular part in Seoul. It was developed to cut the total travel time by bus from 60 minutes down to 16 minutes. What's also neat about this line is that the trains are completely computer operated, so there's no conductor on board.

After my speedy trip into Seoul, I went to visit Dr. Fish. Dr. Fish is a semi-upscale coffee bar/spa. For 2,000 won you can experience the tickling of the Chinchin as they eat at your feet. Some may think this an absurd and disgusting idea, but it's actually pretty neat. Essentially the fish are used to exfoliate feet and toes for the most natural of spa experiences.

To add to my indoor plans, I went to the most magical place in Korea...Lotte World. Lotte World is the world's largest indoor amusement park. It's almost a small replica of Disney World with it's own version of the Magic Kingdom, otherwise named "Magic Island." I felt like such a kid as I walked into the park. The inside was lit up with colorful Christmas lights and Christmas themed parades. It was the first time since I've been here that I felt like was home in the States.
 

Magic Island

Indoor skating rink with Lotte World rides surrounding

There will be another "magical" place I will be visiting next weekend. I'll be sure to post about that!

Miss you all!

-Jenn

Three Months In...

Today marks my third month in Korea. Holy cow! Time is flying by so fast. Only nine more months until I'm home though. Wahoo! Things sure have been picking up here in Korealand. 

Last weekend I dug out the inner daredevil in me and went zip-lining in Mungyeong. Mungyeong is a city surrounded by beautiful mountains and is about three hours from where I live. The Fall colors were amazing and they reminded me a lot of the mountains back home in Virginia, which of course made me miss home that much more.

There were nine courses and each course got a little higher and longer in length. The highest course was 360m or about 1,000 feet. I definitely recommend trying zip-lining at least once to whoever is looking for a thrill. There's nothing like the feeling of basically flying from tree to tree and taking in a pretty awesome view at the same time. Next on my list...bungee jumping.

Saturday night I celebrated Halloween with some friends on a Halloween themed cruise. It was hands down one of the best Halloweens ever! The boat was massive and held close to 800 people. Props to the event planners for putting on such a successful night. Going to these kinds of events really makes me miss planning events :(

A 1920's flapper, the Cat in the Hat,
Minnie Mouse, White Trash and Nicki Minaj

Today our school celebrated Halloween with a costume party. Anna Teacher asked me to be the MC for the day, which meant I had to greet the Moms and keep everyone on schedule. It sure was a fun day! We had games,  pumpkin carvings and don't forget the trick or treating.

Ralphie?

Tweety and Elmo class

Jenn Teacher is a Bit of a Slacker

I must first apologize to everyone for my slacking on not keeping up with my blog as often as I had promised. These last couple of weeks seemed to have just flown by for me. I can't believe I've been in Korea for almost three months. Crazy! Let me catch you all up on the happenings here in Korea.

To begin, a few weeks ago I attended my first professional soccer game in Seoul. FC Seoul planned a "Foreigners Day" which allowed foreigners to pay $10 for admission, a beer, and a hot dog. It was quite an experience being in the Seoul World Cup Stadium that hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Unfortunately I wasn't able to experience a full stadium, but FC Seoul definitely brought down the house. Here are a few pictures from the game: 

FC Seoul (Football Club Seoul)

The Crew

Last weekend, a few friends and I went to the International Seoul Fireworks Festival. This is an annual event where firework displays are set off by professional teams from South Korea and abroad. This year they featured Japan and Portugal. Each country set off about 20 minutes worth of fireworks. The event took place right on the Han River which made the view absolutely amazing. Words cannot express just how awesome these fireworks were. Of course, South Korea's show which included a light show, was hands down the best. I'm unable to download a video because it takes too long, but if you're on Facebook I definitely recommend checking it out.

To add to my weekend last week, I had a friend show me a little part of Dongbaek I have never seen. This little guy below was perfectly hidden on the top of a small mountain right next to my work. It's such a romantic spot!

Work is still fun and exciting! I love having a job where I feel appreciated and loved. Two weeks ago the kinder classes had Sports Day. The students, along with hot P.E. Teacher, went to a park and played games which reminded me a lot of my elementary school days except without drinking huggies and playing with a parachute. I wasn't prepared to participate in the relay races and tug o'war games, but I did find out my arm strength has certainly improved since coming to Korea. Must be all those trips on the bus and subway where I'm hanging on for dear life with the "oh crap" or "under-arm-scent releasers."

As you can see there hasn't been too many exciting things to report back to you all.  For those who may not already know, I'm heading to Thailand in December so I've been working on saving as much money as possible. I do have a few exciting things in the works for the next couple of weeks, so I'll be sure to keep you all up-to-date. Miss you all more than you know!

Getting the Hang of this Teaching Thing

Before I begin, I must give a big shout out to all the teachers. I knew before coming to Korea that teachers put in a lot of hard work, but I didn't realize just how much. I feel that just within the last two months, I have gained so much more confidence and patience with myself and others. Not to mention a new love for kids :) I NEVER thought in a million years I'd be working with kids. When I first told my close friends and family that I was coming to Korea to teach kids, they immediately questioned me. But, when you have faces like these, how can you NOT love your job?

Chris and Edward

September was a pretty intense month for me. At the end of August, the Elementary students took their "Big Assessment" tests. This is a test given every two months to each class. It's a test on reading, comprehension and some grammar. Well this was my first time around giving this test. Luckily, I do not have to make the complete tests, but I do have to grade them. It's not a hard job, but it's very time consuming and sometimes comical. I remember one question from my student's test.

"Question: Scientists learn from their mistakes. What does that mean?

 Answer per my students: Scientists learn from their mistakes"

Not only was I introduced to the "Big Assessment" tests, but I also had to plan my first lesson plan for the month. Come to find out this wasn't all that difficult once I got the hang of it. I already have to make a weekly lesson plan for my kinder classes, so I already knew the gist of it.


While we're on the subject of my Elementary students, I will say they can be a bit of a handful at times. They like to goof around and talk in Korean at times. I only know a few words, like "fart". So I like to call them out for it when they say it. Silly kids think they can fool Jenn Teacher? I don't think so ;)

I feel the kids have adapted well to me for the most part. They know our routine and have gotten much better with listening. I'm extremely proud of my Elmo class! These are the 5 (Korean) / 4 (US) year olds. They're beginning to write and even sound out words. Sevin, the little girl we have coined the "badass" because she likes to bully the older kids, has always excelled in reading. But, Ethan and Isaac are coming along. Although, Isaac still thinks that "L-I-O-N" spells hamburger. Progress people, progress!!


Ethan has been voted my absolute favorite student. He showers me with hugs everyday and anytime I wear a colorful dress or scarf he says "Jenn Teacha bery bery prettyyy". He's already learning the art of brown nosing. What a smart, smart boy!

Ethan :)

At the end of October, each kinder class has to perform a song for a speech contest. This month I have Tweety class. I chose the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". I already told my co-teachers the competition is on. Jenn Teacher and Tweety class will be bringing the best darn dance moves that ILS has ever seen! Not to mention I have Judy, aka "Judy wit da booty", in my class. That girl can get down! She was named this by co-teacher and it's stuck ever since. 


I know you're probably thinking, well her job doesn't sound too difficult. And to be honest, it has it's days. I mean how can you really complain about a job where you get to snuggle with the cutest 5-year olds, color, dance and help the world by teaching children the difference between "their", "they're", "your" and "you're?"

Korean Food 101

Before coming to Korea, I was very nervous thinking I would not be able to eat because my chopstick skills were way under par. I could barely pick up a sushi roll for goodness sakes! Since coming here, I think I've done rather well. After several embarrassing incidents of dropping my chopsticks in the fire at Korean BBQs, I'm happy to say that I can now eat just about anything including rice, noodles and soup.

Since we're on the subject of food, I thought I'd educate everyone on some food that I have been introduced to. Now to begin I must confess, I have eaten more fried chicken while being here in SoKo than I have ever back home. Funny to think, right? Usually when you think of fried chicken, you think of the South. I'm not sure what the fascination is with it, but I almost feel as though the Koreans have embraced this more than the South back in the States. I have found there to be at least one fried chicken place on every block. I'm still trying to figure out how the Koreans stay so skinny.

A fried chicken place near my house

Thanks to one of my coworkers, it wasn't until recently that I was able to try some new Korean cuisine and I must say it was pretty darn good. I tried an assortment of foods and by far my favorite is kimbap. (I know, I know.  It sounds like a Hanson song. haha)

Kimbap (김밥), or gimbap, is basically rice, some vegetables and meat wrapped in seaweed. Many people will compare this to a sushi roll. Kim (깁) means seaweed and bap (밥) means rice. It usually contains eggs, tuna, or beef, and vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, or spinach. It's also very inexpensive. The cost of a roll will run you about 1000-2500 won, which is $1-$2.

Kimbap (김밥)

The next dish I tried was bibimbap. This dish was so amazing! Bibimbap ("mixed rice") is a rice dish that is accompanied by cooked and fresh vegetables, a sunny side up egg, and beef (you can substitute chicken or any other meat). Some varieties are served in a sizzling hot stone bowl, with a cracked egg on top. This is so the egg can cook while in the bowl. I unfortunately haven't had a chance to try this kind yet.

Bibimbap

Below is a picture of kimchi jjigae. This dish was recommended to me by Lauren, the teacher who I had replaced. She said that it was a good cure for a cold. Kimchi jiggae is a stew-like Korean dish made with kimchi and other ingredients, such as scallions, onions, and diced tofu. It's usually served boiling inside a hot sizzling bowl. It's a very good dish, but is also very spicy.

Kimchi jiggae

Another kind of Korean cuisine I recently tried was dak galbi.This dish hands down has one my vote for my favorite Korean dish. It's a little on the spicy side, but oh so amazing! Dak galbi is made by stir-frying marinated diced chicken in a chili pepper paste based sauce, and sliced cabbage, scallions, onions and tteok (rice cake) together on a hot plate. Just like Korean BBQ, everything is served family style. There's a giant wok placed in front of you and your party where you can watch it cook. It's a super yummy dish!

Dak galbi

As I try more food, I'll be sure to keep you all posted. A lot of people have been asking me, "how do the prices compare to those in the States"? Well it all really depends on the type of cuisine you are eating. All of these dishes posted above are all relatively inexpensive. You can get a full meal for about 5000-10,000 won. Now the prices fluctuate a lot when is comes to Mexican or Italian. A good Mexican meal will cost you anywhere's from 11,500-25,000 won. And to top it off, it's not as good as the Mexican back home. I certainly miss La Herradura :(

Chuseok Weekend

This past weekend was Chuseok. It's pronounced as "chew-sock" for anyone wondering. This holiday is where families travel back to their home towns to be with family and to pay their respects to their ancestors. It's basically their Thanksgiving. Well, thanks to this holiday I had a  full 5 days of play. So to celebrate I decided do some sightseeing.

My school celebrated Chuseok on Thursday with traditional festivities. Each student wore a Hanbok, or a traditonal Korean garment. They were all so cute! Also, each class made Songpyeons. Songpyeons are a traditional Korean food that are half-moon-shaped rice cakes stuffed with either beans or a sweet filling, then steamed. They are actually very good! My co-teacher, Rafaela Teacher, explained to me a myth that if you're pregnant while making the songpyeons you will have a healthy girl on the way.

Songpyeons

That same night I attended a teachers dinner at a Korean BBQ near my work. All the Korean and Native teachers attended as a farewell party to one of my co-workers and my welcoming. It was really great to be out with my Korean co-teachers and learn a little more about Korean culture.

For the Chuseok weekend Everland, an amusement park, and Caribbean Bay, a water park, had half-off ticket prices for foreign residents. Yippee! I jumped on the chance to go to at least one park. So on Sunday, I went to Caribbean Bay. It was a pretty decent sized water park and considering the holiday, it was pretty dead. Making lines non-existent and our visit even more enjoyable.

On Monday I met up with a group of friends and went to the Korean Folk Village. It's a living museum with replicas of traditional houses of the different social classes. It was such an experience. It's rather big so if anyone ever goes to visit, be sure to allot a whole day. We spent almost seven hours there. They had traditional Korean food, along with traditional Korean folk dancing and music.

One of my favorite attractions was the wishing tree which is were one can write a wish on a piece of paper and tie them to a tree that would later be burned.

Another attraction I liked was the totem pols. People would place these totem pols at the entry of their village or a building. They were used a tutelary gods to defend their town from disease or disaster.

For weeks I have been craving Western style breakfast but have hard a time getting my hands on any since most of the breakfast places are located closer to Seoul. On Tuesday I went to Butterfinger Pancakes in Jeongja to surprise one my co-workers for her Birthday. I cannot begin to tell you how blissful my meal was. They had any kind of breakfast food imaginable along with some amazing mac & cheese. 

Afterwards, we headed to see the LG Twins vs Doosan Bears game. These are generally big games since both teams share the same home stadium.

Overall this past weekend was one of the best weekends I have had so far in Korea. I spent it with good company and got to see a lot more of what I came here to Korea to see. Last night was by far one of the most exciting things I have encountered. While in the taxi on the way home from the bar, the taxi driver had me sing along to "Like a Virgin" with him. Madonna is such a legend no matter what country you're in.

I unfortunately have to head back to work tomorrow. I'm actually kind of excited to get back and see my little babies. I kind of miss them :(