Woooo! WooWooo!
We did not turn into "woo" girls, but we did have a blast!
The Boryeong Mud Festival happens on 7.14-7.15 and 7.21-7.22 and draws a massive crowd, of mostly foreigners, to its shore. There are a lot of events you can participate in, such as mud wrestling, mud slides, mud fights, mud painting, and even a mud prison. If you get too dirty, there are showers and a bath they provide on site, but who wants to get into a tub of dirty water that waaaay too many other people have been in? Thankfully, there is also the sea. If you remove the copious amounts of alcohol that some people consume, it's actually a pretty cleansing festival (externally).
The festival started because of the supposed health benefits of the mud (which is quite clay-like, in my opinion, and I do know that is good for skin), and if you lather yourself up, let it dry, and rinse off in the salt water, I'd say you're doing your skin a favor. I like to think my skin is smoother... :)
Unfortunately, it was a little cold, overcast, and rainy this past weekend, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves! Or from getting sunburned. There are three things I would recommend bringing regardless of the weather: insect repellent, sun screen, and a mud-proof/water-proof bag that you can put your camera in. I really wish I could have taken pictures of everything! But I didn't want to risk my camera getting ruined. There were those who had no qualms about grabbing a stranger's face and smearing it with mud!
So how did we get there? Where did we stay? We went with a group called Seoulite, and for 65,000 won (64 USD, appx.) you were provided with a bus there and back, as well as a place to stay that was a really short walk from the beach. I would say that it was good for a first time trip because we didn't know where we were going, if we could get a room, or if there were even other ways to get there. If I go again next year, I think I would take the KORAIL (the regular train) down and back. That would be about 14,000 won if you could get standing tickets. Even if motels and hotels are charging more because of peak season, a love motel between myself and a friend would still be less than 50,000 won each. It would be a cheaper route, but also a bit more risky route. Who knows if you could get a room? But if you do, you will have a bed. A BED! The pension we stayed at had a terribly hard floor and only provided thin blankets; they didn't have any of the thicker mats that the other places I've stayed have had. So there's that. You may even have a bath tub!
Oh- one more random recommendation: Don't wear mascara.
Here is the video I put together from our journey to the festival! Thanks to Anna for letting me use her photos!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2aEDLOzb3I&feature=youtu.be
Tata~
Monday, July 16, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Korean Hair Dye
..I did it.
I'm the girl who went against all of the logical reasons to not use Korean hair dye on western hair. How did it work? (Do tell, do tell!) I'll tell you, but first- a prologue.
I was standing there in Home Plus looking over the very short hair dye section, checking expiration dates and the color it would turn my hair (the problem with this is that dark brown and black were the only starting colors). Most of the dye was also expired. The dye I ended up going with, a dark blonde Loreal Paris number, expired in February. But, because there was English on the box, the ingredients had to be listed. The only other language that offered their ingredients was Chinese because, for some reason or another, Korean laws don't require packages to list all ingredients (at least that's what I've read and come to understand). The ingredients are important, though! I just wanted to darken my hair a tiny bit and get rid of the brassiness that always seems to develop, but even the dark dyes had hydrogen peroxide 6% (a lightener) in them. So, when I bought this dark blonde, I didn't think it would darken my hair at all because of the peroxide, but I was hoping that it would get rid of the brass.
And, boy, did it. And my hair is quite a bit darker than it should be. Considering that the box was DARK BLONDE and that I am now mid-light brown, something happened. Oh, I am also tinted green, a bit. Hahaha I always say that I've been every color but green, but now I can say that I've been them all!
What I really want to know is which will fade first: the brown or the green? Hmm... I'm hoping for the sake of my professionalism that it's the green.
Honestly, though, I did do a strand test this time. I have never bothered about it back home, but considering that I was dealing with expired dye meant for a completely different type of hair, I thought it wise. I did not notice the green. I didn't notice the green until one of my 6th graders pointed it out, actually. Ha.
Gotta love that honesty. Without him, I never would have known that I have finally been every hair color.
So the prologue turned into the whole story... But. To summarize this experience, I would say that using Korean hair dye, if you're a western person, is risky and unpredictable. But, my dye was also expired, so I can't say for certain. Although if you're really particular about your hair color, don't use box dye. That is the advice I give you. Go to a salon. Your hair probably won't feel like you've just bleached it, either.
All this being said, if I weren't a teacher, I would probably enjoy having slightly (it's really only very slightly) green hair.
Rock on, loved ones.
I will post another blog after the Boryeong Mud Festival that is happening this weekend :)
I'm the girl who went against all of the logical reasons to not use Korean hair dye on western hair. How did it work? (Do tell, do tell!) I'll tell you, but first- a prologue.
I was standing there in Home Plus looking over the very short hair dye section, checking expiration dates and the color it would turn my hair (the problem with this is that dark brown and black were the only starting colors). Most of the dye was also expired. The dye I ended up going with, a dark blonde Loreal Paris number, expired in February. But, because there was English on the box, the ingredients had to be listed. The only other language that offered their ingredients was Chinese because, for some reason or another, Korean laws don't require packages to list all ingredients (at least that's what I've read and come to understand). The ingredients are important, though! I just wanted to darken my hair a tiny bit and get rid of the brassiness that always seems to develop, but even the dark dyes had hydrogen peroxide 6% (a lightener) in them. So, when I bought this dark blonde, I didn't think it would darken my hair at all because of the peroxide, but I was hoping that it would get rid of the brass.
And, boy, did it. And my hair is quite a bit darker than it should be. Considering that the box was DARK BLONDE and that I am now mid-light brown, something happened. Oh, I am also tinted green, a bit. Hahaha I always say that I've been every color but green, but now I can say that I've been them all!
What I really want to know is which will fade first: the brown or the green? Hmm... I'm hoping for the sake of my professionalism that it's the green.
Honestly, though, I did do a strand test this time. I have never bothered about it back home, but considering that I was dealing with expired dye meant for a completely different type of hair, I thought it wise. I did not notice the green. I didn't notice the green until one of my 6th graders pointed it out, actually. Ha.
Gotta love that honesty. Without him, I never would have known that I have finally been every hair color.
So the prologue turned into the whole story... But. To summarize this experience, I would say that using Korean hair dye, if you're a western person, is risky and unpredictable. But, my dye was also expired, so I can't say for certain. Although if you're really particular about your hair color, don't use box dye. That is the advice I give you. Go to a salon. Your hair probably won't feel like you've just bleached it, either.
All this being said, if I weren't a teacher, I would probably enjoy having slightly (it's really only very slightly) green hair.
Rock on, loved ones.
I will post another blog after the Boryeong Mud Festival that is happening this weekend :)
Monday, July 2, 2012
Busy Little Bee
Good morning, everyone!
This is usually how I greet my first class of the day. If your thoughts responded, "Good morning, teacher!" you are an excellent student.
I feel like I've been really busy lately. I blew my power on Sunday and had management come up on Monday to show me that the bizarre boat picture in my kitchen actually houses the switchboard for my apartment. So at least I have power again and now I know. Because I will probably do it one more time at some point in the future.
Yesterday I also went on a rain boot hunt. The U-PLEX at Hyundai had a lot of cute boots, and the pair I got are a little shorter than I wanted and way more expensive than I wanted, but they are SO CUTE. I had to get them. They go with everything I own. Even 60% of my other shoes.
I typed up plans for my summer camp last week. It is a full three weeks, leaving me with five or so days of break before the new term starts. I wish I had a few more days, but this way I have a lot more time in the winter. I have a few places I really want to go in the winter!
Not this past weekend, but the one prior, I went on a trip with the teachers at my school. We went to Nami Island, which is actually quite famous because the Korean drama "Winter Sonata" was filmed there, and around the border of Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province. We also visited a lovely little place called Jade Garden. It had several different types of gardens hidden along its paths, and was really quite beautiful.
Because it's been so long, here are some pictures :)
Expect another blog in two weeks! The Mud Festival is the 14th of July, and I'm sure it will be a lot of fun :)
Stay tuned,
Kaitlin
This is usually how I greet my first class of the day. If your thoughts responded, "Good morning, teacher!" you are an excellent student.
I feel like I've been really busy lately. I blew my power on Sunday and had management come up on Monday to show me that the bizarre boat picture in my kitchen actually houses the switchboard for my apartment. So at least I have power again and now I know. Because I will probably do it one more time at some point in the future.
Yesterday I also went on a rain boot hunt. The U-PLEX at Hyundai had a lot of cute boots, and the pair I got are a little shorter than I wanted and way more expensive than I wanted, but they are SO CUTE. I had to get them. They go with everything I own. Even 60% of my other shoes.
I typed up plans for my summer camp last week. It is a full three weeks, leaving me with five or so days of break before the new term starts. I wish I had a few more days, but this way I have a lot more time in the winter. I have a few places I really want to go in the winter!
Not this past weekend, but the one prior, I went on a trip with the teachers at my school. We went to Nami Island, which is actually quite famous because the Korean drama "Winter Sonata" was filmed there, and around the border of Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province. We also visited a lovely little place called Jade Garden. It had several different types of gardens hidden along its paths, and was really quite beautiful.
Because it's been so long, here are some pictures :)
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Nami Island (the famous road!) |
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Jade Garden |
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So pretty! |
Stay tuned,
Kaitlin
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