I Love Busan

I am back from my trip to Busan! Finishing up the last day in this two-day workweek, I am utterly exhausted. I feel like I shouldn't be, since I was on vacation for 5 days and only worked for two. Flip-flop of the usual. My sinuses did start to hit me the day we left, and are still here. I am just exhausted in every way. BUT. My trip was awesome. ^^

As I mentioned, we left Friday evening. It only ended up taking us 6.5 hours to get to Busan by bus!! Amazing. My friends who left Saturday morning said it took them about 9... The hostel was really nice and in a great location to commute to all of the touristy things we wanted to see. Seomyeon, the area we stayed in, has a transfer subway (where two lines meet and you can get on either). Some things we wanted to see were on one line, and some on the other. Perfect!

On Saturday we went to the Busan Aquarium. I. LOVE. IT. Seriously, I could spend an entire day there. Maybe more. I have so many pictures, and quite a few minutes of video, so I think I'm going to make a separate video for the aquarium. Unfortunately, I am having issues getting a video segment onto my computer... So it may be a bit before I actually get that one up. Anywho, the aquarium is located in Haeundae. There is also a wonderful beach there, which you can be sure we took advantage of! 

We also hit the Busan Museum of Art. It was a fairly modern/contemporary gallery, so if you do go please don't think it is a traditional museum. Those do exist, though. The artwork itself was quite powerful, a lot of the pieces dealing with relatively heavy issues. Still, captivating and well-done. 

After that, we went to a wax gallery, Madame Tussauds, located in Shinsegae (still in Haeundae)! It was totally creepy! But it was also a needed pick-me-up after the weight of the gallery. We took pictures with Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Lady GaGa, Madonna, and more... Oh, Audrey Hepburn. I have to mention her. Breakfast At Tiffany's. You know...

We then went back to the beach. The street that followed the coastline was numbered with musicians, and we sat right behind a duo. They were pretty decent, and it was fun to sing along to the songs I knew. :)

Our second day, Sunday, we caught the other line and headed toward Jongang Station, near to Gukje Markets, the Memorial for the War Dead, Busan Tower, Shanghai Street, and a foreign food street. It's a really cool area... Because we were in the tourist area, and it was our first time, there was so much to do! Although, because it was Chuseok, the city was empty. Even on Saturday in Haeundae, it was EMPTY.

After the sun set we went to Gwangali Beach and saw the Diamond Bridge! It was beautiful!! The buildings on each side were also stunningly lit. We sat around there for a while before we set off to meet up with friends in the Kyeongseong University area.

Monday we took it easy. We sat out on Haeundae beach, went to Vesta Spa (nude) where we could watch the sun set out of the windows... It was phenomenal. You could see Gwangali and Haeundae from the spa!

There was a little sauna room, too, where there was red ginger being heated, and BOY did that clear out my sinuses!

OH, it was such a lovely trip! We took the regular train on the way back, getting off right as the train entered Seoul. The entire trip from Busan to Seoul that way took about 6 hours. I would love to go back and see more of Busan! I actually wouldn't mind teaching around there... But with EPIK you cannot choose where you want to be. You can have preferences, but there is no guarantee you will be placed in that city. Also, even if I am fortunate enough to end up in Busan, I could be in the middle of nowhere and hours away from the sights I've talked about. Still, change of pace. 

I will find out next month if my school will have the budget to keep me on for another year. I hope they do, as I really like working here! But I've started to think about options in case they can't. But that's all a different topic.

I will post the videos when I get them done!

Take care everyone!!

:)

PS- if you have any questions, please post them!

Happy Chuseok

Happy Chuseok, everyone! 메리 추석 여리분! 저는 내일 부천에서 부산까지 갈 거예요... ^^ Tomorrow I am leaving Bucheon to go to Busan... :) This will be my first trip there, and I'm so excited!

I would like to write a blog post about my adventures, but for the sake of not making the post terribly long (and satiating my current desire to write), I am going to write about the pre-trip everythings right now :)

I can't take much credit for the planning, though. My friend that I am travelling with handled it all. I'm so lucky! And inherently lazy. So I'm really lucky...

(Transportation)
But! Down to business. We are leaving from Sopoong Bus Terminal (소풍터미널) tomorrow at 5:50 pm. It's fortunate that we have a big terminal so close, because the only other terminal I am currently aware of is in Gangnam, which is to the northeast of Bucheon (ohhhh, backtracking). We just need to go down for what everyone is saying will be around 8-9 hours. It's great living so near to Seoul, but because everyone else thinks that too, it means that everyone else will also be travelling south to visit their families this weekend.

No, it isn't always that long of a trip. The traffic lengthens the bus ride, but there is also an express train, the KTX, that can get you from Seoul to Busan in three or four hours. Why didn't we choose that? It sells out pretty quickly around Chuseok, it seems. The bus is quite a bit cheaper, though. Each way costs less than 30,000 won ($28.00, maybe?). I believe the KTX runs about 60,000 won each way...

Yeah, buses! Another awesome thing about Sopoong is that it is attached to a huge shopping center, theater, and grocery store, not to mention the coffee shops running along the outside of the building. Delightful <3. So I'm probably going to swing into Kim's Club (food) to get things for the road. No coffee. No tea. No soda. Only one bathroom break. And I ALWAYS have to pee as soon as we start driving. Like clockwork, baby.

(Accommodation)
But once we get there we have a really cool hostel to stay at. And I mean, like, phenomenal. At least that's what I've heard :). It's called Zen Backpackers and is located in Seomyeon (서면), Busan. All of the reviews are more than positive, loving both the hostel and its owner. He offers tarot card reading, hand acupuncture, and a super groovy living space. If you want to check out the website for this hostel, please click here. It costs either 30,000 won or 22,000 won per night depending on the type of room you choose. There is complementary breakfast, a kitchen area with a microwave, stove, oven, rice cooker, and dishwasher, along with a good-sized plasma TV with a selection of movies to watch. He also offers acoustic guitar lessons and a few other things. I'll let you read them on the site if you're interested.

He has such a good reputation, though, because he gets involved with those who stay in his hostel. If he is free, I've heard that he'll go around and show you (or just tell you) all of the places you need to see. And the location of this hostel is another perk. It's a ten minute walk away from the subway, and right by a great neighborhood to go out in (day and night)!

(Activities)
So what are we going to do once we get there? ...I don't know, actually. Hahaha, there is so much to do! And so much to see! But this is a vacation, so I'd rather have a few things in mind and then just see what we feel like doing at the time. Reelaaaaax a bit. There are some helpful websites to look at if you ever want to go yourself.

Here are links:
Top10 and Then Some
Oh, the Places to Go
BestBest

I liked picking through those links, and I hope they will prove useful and interesting for others, as well. Ha, for the link names I just pictured my parents trying to remember which link went to which site and having to say my link titles over and over. "No, click 'BestBest'!" Haha. I am a wonderful daughter.

A wonderful daughter who is about to go on a wonderful trip.
Take care and have a great Chuseok! Or just a good weekend for those of you who aren't Korean or in Korea, and won't be practicing Korean Thanksgiving.

:)

Transportation Observations

So I've been watching for a while, now. It's easy to do, really, when you're in a foreign country that speaks a language you don't... But after six months of observing, I find it's time to share.

First: The Bus.
Buses don't like to stop. Hold on tight. Also, I've found that some of the passengers that I ride with every morning have preferences regarding which side of the bus they sit on. Sounds strange? Maybe it is. But I do understand. You see, the sun shines in really brightly from the right side of the bus in the morning. So the left side is better then. On the way home, it's the opposite. There's one woman who is usually on the bus with me, and one morning I sat next to her (left side). It was in one of the back seats. Halfway through our journey, she got up and sat two rows in front of me. I was taken aback! At first, my thoughts were, "Is she offended that I'm a foreigner? Do I smell? Is my iPod up too loud?" But this morning, she did it again. She was sitting one row in front of me (right side) and got up to move up one row (left side). My philosophy on that is that it's the morning, and I would like to move as little as possible in the morning. Apparently she and others on my bus don't share my anti-morning sentiments.

Also, when I first arrived in Korea, there was a woman I would see walking almost every morning. She has rather sharp features, really. I hadn't seen her for a few months until this morning. I saw her again! It was strangely comforting... Haha (I'm totally not creepy or anything.)

Another thing to note about public transportation is that you don't really raise your voice above a soft indoor voice. Unless you're young and with a bunch of your friends. It's best to take up as little space as possible, too. Common courtesy for those about to sit next to you. :)


Second: The Subway
Not really much different from the bus, except for the fact that it's a really smooth ride. If you stand in line with the direction of the train, you probably won't almost fall. And by that, I mean having one side of your body pointing toward the direction the train is heading, and the other pointed toward the direction the train is leaving. Don't stand facing the direction the train is going. You will end up looking like you're dancing as you try to catch your balance.

The elderly get seats before the young folks, as it should be. Most of the subway rides I've taken I end up standing. I don't really mind, though. Public transportation is like a good lullaby here. If I sit down, I will want to sleep. The subways are clean, and it's not unlikely that there will be someone walking through trying to sell something. Sometimes they're useful items, sometimes they boggle my mind.

Subways are also really fun to watch people fall asleep. Most people are absorbed into their smartphone, but sometimes you get awesome faces on the people who've passed out.


Public transportation here is quite effective. Sure, driving a car yourself or taking a taxi would be the quickest way to get anywhere, but the public transit is cheap and reliable. One thing I do hope I pick up while I'm here, though, is the ability to fall asleep and wake up right before my stop. Like clockwork. I've seen it so many times, and boy am I jealous.


That's it for this post! A bit strange, but I wanted to write something and I don't have anything fun or interesting going on until next weekend when I take a little trip to Busan :)

Bye-Bye

ReverseReverse

I've been having songs from the 80's and 90's running through my head like mad lately (and I raaaaan, I ran so far awaaaaay)...

This post is more of an update than anything :)

I did decide to drop my course at Sogang University. As I mentioned in the previous post, they only offer part A in the fall and spring semesters for their evening classes. Unfortunately, I need part B. It's a bummer that my level doesn't fit in with their schedule, but I will continue to study independently for now. I am considering starting to learn at a hagwon (private school) next month, though.

For more exciting news... I will be dying my hair tomorrow! Yeah!!!!!!! And yeah, still Korean hair dye. Hahaa I'm going to mix a box of what I used last time (a good friend of mine picked up a box for me, and this one ISN'T expired!) with a box of something dark. Half and half. Save the other half for the next time I need to dye my hair. I am quite curious to see if this will work or not... Oh well. At least I teach elementary school, where the kids have purple, red, and green hair (I like to think I started the trend on that last one).

We have a new principal at school, and she decided to change the greeting that students say to teachers from the usual "Hello!" (안녕하세요) to "I love you!" (사랑합니다)! She said people will laugh and be happy if they greet others like this. Well, it's true! It's really funny. And my kids are such tarts, too, that some of my sixth graders just keep on going! "Teacher! I love you! You're so beautiful!" Warms my heart. <3 

Especially considering that the boy I was seeing and I have split. He has no time right now, and really, I have no patience. It sucks and it hurts more than I thought it could, but what can I do? Relationships are all about timing. What will come of us? Who knows. But! But:

At least, I want to be.

Hahaha, I love this song in every language. I'm sure those of you who know me well can only imagine the number of songs flying through my head from this situation. Most of them also from the 80's and 90's. I just can't escape it (and I raaaaan, I ran so far awaaaaay)...


Take care, everybody! :)

Studying Korean

I think I may review what I learn on here, in order to further my practice and overall learning. Also, that way everyone can study with me!! FUN, RIGHT?! ;) Yes.

So today. TODAY! This is my first day at Sogang University. I am signed up for their evening classes which take place three days a week (MonTuesThurs) for two hours each session. The course runs 10 weeks for a total of 60 hours. It is different from what I would expect out of an evening class, though. Unlike my assumption, the evening course is not accelerated. You learn half the material that the regular class does. Yes, you only meet for half the time, so it seems fair, but it means you will need to be in school longer if you plan on taking Korean courses for a while. At Sogang, the regular courses learn book A in the first half of the semester, and book B in the second half. The evening courses only learn book A in the fall and spring courses. To learn book B, you need to enroll in the winter or summer semesters.

Still, though, when you sit back and think about it from a logical point of view, there is a day job to do. People only take evening classes (another assumption) because they have work or other things during the day. So it's good that it's not accelerated, because otherwise the students might not be able to keep up...

Anywho. Today... I have not bought my book or paid my tuition. I know the building my class will be held in, but I do not know the room number or the floor. I am going straight to the university after work today to try and get all of that sorted. They are prompt with their responses, but I felt that I needed to make sure to contact them with the question first. Like, "How do I pay my tuition?" Then, I received an email with a box of options to choose one from. Their program is supposed to be quite outstanding, though. While other schools focus on grammar, and what I would consider test-oriented nuances, Sogang focuses on speaking and communication (instead of it only being 25% of the curriculum). It is why I chose Sogang University.

But let's have a look, shall we?
Which schools offer Korean language courses? Where are they located? How often and for how long do they meet? What does it cost? Here are the stats for two universities in Seoul:

( For more locations, please click here. There is a list of universities that offer Korean courses throughout Korea, including Incheon, Busan, Daejeon, Daegu, Ulsan, Gwanju, and alllll of those other places! Prices outside of Seoul are cheaper, although class sizes may be larger.)
*Example: Kyungbook National University in Daegu offers a class that meets during the same days, for the same hours, but it costs 1,200,000 won. The average class size only jumps to 15.


Sogang University (서강대학교)
- Located in Seoul between line 2 (Sinchon or Ewha Women's Uni stops) and line 6 (Daeheung stop).
- Exact address: 35 Baekbeom-ro Mapo-gu, Seoul
- Evening course fee: 640,000 won
- Classes meet three times a week on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 6.50pm to 8.40pm and continue for ten weeks (60 hours total)
- Regular course fee: 1,515,000 won
- Classes meet five days a week from Monday to Friday, and run from 9.00am to 1.00pm (200 hours total)
- Average class size: 12 students
 *Sogang does have other course options. Please visit their website to learn more.

Yonsei University (연세대학교)
- Located in Seoul by line 2 (Sinchon stop)
- Exact address: 134 Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
- Evening course fee: 750,000 won
- Classes meet three times a week on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 6.30pm to 9.00pm and continue for ten weeks (90 hours total)
- Regular course fee: 1,616,000 won
- Classes meet five days a week from Monday to Friday, and run from 9.00am to 1.00pm (200 hours total)
- Average class size: 12
 *Yonsei does have other course options. Please visit their website to learn more.

A third university in Seoul that I must mention is Seoul National University. The stats are essentially the same. I'm sure you could guess just by looking at the above two. But. Here is their link!


So look around if you're interested! Regular course programs are also grounds for a VISA, so if you just want to study and get away from wherever you are for a while, then maybe this is for you!

I'm off!
Take care, everyone!

FastFastFast

Time is flying by!
With summer camp over, school is back in session. The kids came back as cute as ever, with new haircuts and a renewed anti-work sentiment (just my sixth graders, really, for that one).

I figured today would be a good time to write a blog- it's been quite a while. Also, I have a bit of free time because the students are at home today. For those somehow unfamiliar with the situation, the biggest typhoon in decades is due to hit Seoul around 3:00 pm today (I've heard there's a hurricane headed for the US, too! Be Safe!). Pictures are up on Korean news sites, and my co-teacher and I have been checking out the damage that has occurred in southern Korea already... You can find windows blown-in, broken, and even a HomePlus missing a chunk of its siding. But not here!

The clouds here are moving rather quickly. I know right now most of my teacher friends are scattered around Bucheon, with a few in other locations. I work up toward the top of Bucheon, in Ojeong-gu. (Note: the typhoon is coming from Japan, and then working its way up Korea toward China.) Aside from racing clouds and dancing crops, it really looks like it could just be a bad storm. But it's not raining very hard, so the clouds and lack of sunshine make it feel rather ominous. And then there's the fact that it's looked like this since morning.

Makes for a productive day, though! I've planned my after school lesson for tomorrow, and typed up a schedule for the remainder of the semester. We also watched Leap Year (프로포즈 데이), the romantic comedy with Amy Adams and Matthew Goode, who still looks reaaal good ;). It was cute, but entirely predictable. From the box in the beginning being earrings and not an engagement ring, to knowing she would fall for the bartender the second she walked into the bar even before knowing it was Matthew Goode playing him. Then it was certain. Her character was also terribly annoying. Between the portrayal of Americans in Love Actually and this film, I feel like I should start acting more risque, bothersome, and materialistic. I'm just not living up to the standard!

Quite frankly, I'm okay with that, though.

In news related to furthering myself from the ignorant standard, I had my speaking test/interview with Sogang University this past week. Haha, I was so nervous! I completely blanked. I wrote out a list of talking points and potential topics (because I knew I would blank) after coming to terms with the fact that I'm a bit anal retentive, but they didn't even pop up. The way she asked questions was also different than the way I'm used to them being said, but that's okay. I don't think I showcased all that I really know... The course is supposed to be challenging, but hopefully I placed at a level where I will still need to push myself a bit. Still, I'm sooooo excited to be able to study the Korean language. It's getting to the point where it's frustrating to no ends to not be able to communicate with people. It really hit me during summer camp when parents would call in for their kids. I understood what they were saying, but I didn't know where to begin for a reply. This will change from now on, though! I will study hard. I'll put up a post detailing the different Korean language programs at the various schools in Seoul. Which school you should study at depends on what you want, because the programs are quite different. I may even do it today.


Aiya. So it's a bit after 1:00... Two hours till the typhoon will hit us the way we've been waiting for (I'M ACTUALLY REALLY EXCITED), and four hours until the farewell dinner for the principal. That's right- it's still on! TyphoonShmyphoon. Let's eat! And drink. Good thing I wore my rain boots today. Also, I really think that rain boots should be one word, not two. Look: rainboots. ..Beautiful.

Speaking of beautiful, it is already September next month. I will be wearing sweaters and dancing in the leaves soon. Time is a funny little concept.


Take care, everyone <3

Summer.

As the summer season began and hit its peak, I wondered how in the world such weather was possible. Where I come from, we do in fact have four seasons, but minus the 78% humidity I see too much here... And so in my thoughts I discovered the truth.

"Once upon a time, there was a land with an unpredictable climate. In the sky hung Sun whose size doubled and halved as he inhaled and exhaled. The temperature shifted drastically from day to day, causing sickness and a loss of crops and livestock. So the people of Korealand prayed to Sun. 'Sun,' they cried, 'please stop playing with the weather as if it doesn't affect us!' Sun, being a rather magnanimous pain, said, 'Fine. I will hold my breath for three months after fully inhaling and exhaling, but in return you must allow Water to enter the air.' And so the people of Korealand saw three months with their Sun twice as big, and called it summer. As time passed, they saw three months with their Sun twice as small and called it winter. And so they developed a cycle where crops and livestock could live and flourish, beginning the healthy prosperity of Korealand."


This is the only way I can understand the weather right now. It's been hitting 95 degrees along with the high humidity. As I said to a few of my friends, you could take a picture of me at any given point of the day or night and I would probably make a good sports drink advertisement. I am sweating constantly and woke up at 5:40 this morning because of how thirsty I was! So of course I messaged my sister.

Hahaha... Aside from thinking up stories on the bus and bothering Kyleigh with delirious ramblings, I am about 3/4 of the way through my English summer camp. The kids have just been divided into their groups/bands, and have picked out songs they would like to perform. I'm really excited to see the cuteness I'm expecting! They will perform on Monday, so I've been showing kids videos for their songs so they can learn the dance moves, and been helping them sing the melodies. Most of them are doing pretty well, but I feel like some of them just want a normal summer break. They're antsy and LOVVVVVE break time. ..I can't say I blame them. They're elementary kids and this is their break! But as long as they listen during class time, I'm okay with them running around during break. Maybe I baby them too much, haha.


Things are still going really well, though. I am looking forward to fall more than I ever have in my life, which is incredible because fall is the only season I ever want. Ever. (evaevaeva) I also want popsicles on a daily basis, although I don't know if that's much of a shift, either. Basically, my usual sentiments are just multiplied a bit. Like my desire for it to be Christmas. ( ! ) I will probably start listening to Christmas music next month.


But I think that's enough of my heat-melted mind for one blog entry, so stay tuned for the next one! ;)