Adventureland

So about these little adventures:

10-30 can be classified as my second trip to hospital. Part of our requirements to teach we have to prove that we are not drug attics, nor do we have any extreme health conditions that would force us to exit early. On my first trip I was told that I have low cholesterol, high blood pressure and poor eyes. By the second trip I had high cholesterol, low blood pressure and perfect eyesight. This instilled 100% trust in their health care system. I also took joy in their idealistic hope for the goodness of their people. Let me explain. I carried all of my paper work from each testing station (all 10 of them), after I urinated in a cup, I put it by ten other pee cups, that were poorly labeled and sitting by the exit of the station, no one spoke a lick of English, there were 9 people just standing around waiting for service, budging in line etc at every point. I want you to know that at no point did I tamper with my paper work or substances. There is a reason American hospitals are so systemized and protected - we would take advantage of such open opportunities; rather, we probably did, hence the strict regulations of today. On the trip home with my director Mr. Nam, I heard a park worth of dogs barking. When we pulled up to the location of this noise, I found myself locked in on rusty cages filled with beautiful pups. I couldn't help but dream - which puppy would I take home with me if I could not have them all. Just as soon as I had decided who I would rescue from the puppy play pen, Mr. Nam, informed me that they were not for pets, but for processing - they eat dog meat! I was nauseous the rest of the day at the thought of Chloe being tasted...

I can't say I found comfort, but I found peace in an article regarding such practices. It was from the perspective of a Hindu - ye who love the cow. They said that it is more insulting to them that Westerners eat beef multiple times a week with little regard for their culture. Just the same, Korean's don't view all dogs as best friends. Can't hardly argue that.

10-31 also known as Halloween, was one of the most exhausting days of my life. You would think it would be the most fun, filled with candy, parties and play time. With that came the need to constantly entertain the unappreciative whining candy whores! Overall, fun. I fell asleep at 9pm that night.

11-2 My second church experience in Korea began with an early Western brunch with Alison, the girl whose position I have taken over for - she is now teaching in the depths of Seoul, as Guri ison the outskirts. We had an amazing brunch filled with great food and enlightening conversation. Church managed to top that. I really like it there, and the people are incredibly welcoming - you can feel their love pulsating off their chests, so brilliant! This is the venue from which I take my Korean lessons (next entry).

11-8 My first Korean Lesson, mall trip, and club experience. The day started too early, heading an hour and a half away for our lesson at the church I have joined on Sundays. Thankfully, Ashley and I were not the only ones who were three weeks late for joining. They started a second session for us, and kicked our butts. Yes, I have 26 pages of hwk I have yet to do. They don't mess around. My proud moment was when the amazing teacher (she's one of the coolest people I have met here hands down!), reached out her high-five hand complimented with a "you are my best student!" This didn't stop. I hated it on the outside, as the other students glared, but deep down I was glowing through all my innards. Little does she know, that I won't always be that, as I am missing class this weekend and am overall a bad student, who can only pronounce well and repeat with ease. Ha.

After Korean class, a couple us (Becca, Chatch's old roomie who was up visiting for the weekend! She is teaching in Busan) hit up the CoEx - the biggest mall in Seoul. Good times. That night we exhausted a club club called Monkey Beach. It was themed out in a tropical decor and hiphop bumps. Needless to say, I felt right at home :) 

11-9 Came too early. I met Becca a teensy restaurant, where we chatted about the days events and prayed the rain away. As soon as we decided we would have to spend this one inside, we crossed the coolest umbrellas EVER - we eventually named them after famous unicorns - ya know, the things that seem to good to be true until you find them one day! Yeah. They were clear, so we kept them out rain and shine. Enough about that, we took a long walk passed the old prison (really lame, not worth writing about, but the umbrellas were), and through a gorgeous park.

It was covered in yellow and red leaves, giving both of us a taste of midwest home :) We played on the hilarious exercise equipment, offended a couple elderly as a result, and witnessed a fight in broad daylight - one of the rarest sites in Korea! We then embarked on a hike we were not prepared for - so what it was on cement most of the time. I will have to ask Becca the name of the temples we sought after. It was cool to get some of the rich history, see the Buddhist rock they pray too, and hear the faint chant of the monks. The lookout was the highlight of the hike. With our clear umbrellas in hand we basked on pride rock overlooking all of Seoul. Nothing could bring us down from feeling like the Kings (Becca's BF was with us at this point) and Queens of the most populated city in Korea. Afterwards, we descended down the mtn, exchanging teaching stories all the while, to Insadong - one of the oldest and most authentic Korean markets. If you ever receive a present from me (don't get your hopes up), it will most likely come from there :) It turned cold too quickly, so the three of us comfied up in a hometown comfort, Starbucks. It was so great to have my fellow midwesterners here to share stories with! I felt completely refreshed, ready to take on the following week of screaming kids and educating sponges.

11-10 concluded our second trip to the grocery store haven, we like to call CostCo. It is a little flavor of everything import and Western. Ashley and I will go there just to marvel at the magnitude of food and soy sauce (they sell them in gasoline gallon containers... hahaha... only in Korea, and maybe China or Japan ;). They have supported my kettle chip and snickers addictions - two habits I will not be kicking on this trip.

11-15 (This coming weekend) I am cramming myself in a teeny car with too many others to head 2.5 hours away to the beach. To be honest, I don't even know the name of the beach. I am just along for the ride! We are staying a nice camper along the shore!!! I'll let you know all about it when it's all over. 

That weekend has now come and gone. It was all that I dreamt the Korean ocean could be. On our drive there we stopped at a sweet cave to buy time, but it ended up being one of the highlights. I have never been in such unique carved out rock :/

Afterwards, we pulled up to our home away from home away from home. It was the sweet little trailer you see on your left. It comfortably slept 8, and had every imaginable amenity. I guess this is what the Korean's call "camping". Hey, I'm ok with that. There was little adventure involved, but was the best, most peaceful weekend I have had here yet. I spent my day in the sleeping bag you see on the bench (me) overlooking the lapping waves, finishing a book. At night we cooked, ate, then cooked again. If we weren't cooking, reading or eating, we took long walks on the beach. I ventured into the freezing water twice. I couldn't help myself! Overall, it was a dreamy and surreal weekend!