Let me start off with school because it is always so exciting on Friday! Not, its Friday my longest day with 8 classes, though they all went pretty smoothly. My back finally felt better and was ready for the ski trip. After work, picked up some food and headed home thinking that I was going to head downtown. Sitting on the couch and realizing that I had to be up at 3AM to get on the bus made me think that it wasn't a wise decision to start drinking. I stayed in, relaxed and packed for the trip. Once packing was finished, I was fortunate to get 3 hours of sleep. Woke up at 3:30 or so grabbed my bag and met up with Evan, then headed to where the bus was going to pick us up; Daegu Bank if any of you were curious. The bus picked us up at 4, then headed to the next stop which was downtown, where most people were picked up. Some were wasted and for some it is the closest place from their abode. After the downtown stop we had one more stop, then on our way to the ski resort, which was 4 hours North from us.
Arrived at our hotel, where we checked in and able to pick up ski pants and jackets for those who needed it. The hotel was actually very nice and only 5 minutes from the slopes. However, the only flaw with the hotel for us Americans was that there were no beds! They had thick mats for us and a bean bag pillow. Fairly interesting, but a custom for most Koreans to sleep on the floor. So we settled in for about an hour, dressed up in our ski outfits and then headed to the slopes. We showed up at High1 around 10:30, got our ski's and started skiing. Loads of fun, loads of people, loads of snow. The weather was nice the lines were long and er skied till 4:30. It was a long day and very tired when I got back to the hotel. Evan and I decided to go to the sauna; relaxed our bodies, took a power nap, then went to dinner, which was included in the price, except the drinks. After dinner, continued the party in one of the rooms and had a blast. Met some cool people that I had seen downtown before, but never knew who they were. Drank way too much, because I still think I won't get a hangover...wrong.
Sunday morning, still drunk, head to the slopes. Start skiing and realize that this is not going to be like yesterday. I do a good bit of skiing before I start feeling really bad. I end up heading in, eat a hot dog and just try to relax with this pounding headache caused by my stupidity. After an hour or so of sitting, I try to head back out for one or two more runs. Get on the chair lift feeling pretty well, end up back down the hill puking on the white snow. I will have to say a hot dog is probably one of the worst things you could possibly puke up. The aftertaste is absolutely disgusting! Learn from my mistakes. Called it quits, thinking to myself when will I learn the limits of my body.
Does anyone find it strange that my after effects are hours upon hours after I stop drinking? Because I do.
4Pm comes, head back to the bus and head home. Arrive back the apartment at 9, to write this blog.
Overall, great weekend! Met some really nice people and got to ski in Korea!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Jan 26th
Wednesday
If you have been reading my 60+ posts, then you know Wednesday is a great day because it marks the middle of the week and most people head downtown to take a break from children and teaching. After a normal day of teaching Max, Evan, and I head to Moontugi (a restaurant) for another goodbye dinner for the same girl who hasn't left yet. We got to the restaurant meeting the others and had an exceptional time eating BBQ and drinking sojo and beer. After a delicious meal we headed downtown to Who's Bob where we continued the party, playing pool and Foosball. A few hours pass and Max and I decide to go home and head to sleep. Another great Wednesday!
Thursday
Observation day. It has been over 2 months now of me teaching little children and it was now time for my director Betty to observe one of my classes. I got to school and she told me she would be observing K10, which is a class of 5. They are about 11 years old and are not to bright. It is one of my harder classes to teach because it is at the end of the day and these kids are already tired and do not enjoy participating. Even though I would rather have Betty observe a class that is fun and easy to teach it is good she is observing this one because she can give me some advice on how to improve it.
K10 period arrives. Betty enters the room and I could tell immediately once I introduced Betty to the class that the students were even more tense than before. I think I did pretty well, but I was also pretty nervous and tense so I am sure that I spoke to fast and moved through the material too quickly. Class finally ended, and I was relieved that I got through it. I am curious to see what she will have to say when we meet and I will let the blog know if I am fired or not. Just kidding, I am not getting fired, well I don't know yet.
This weekend I am going skiing and am very excited to get on the slopes. Have a good weekend and updates will come next week.
If you have been reading my 60+ posts, then you know Wednesday is a great day because it marks the middle of the week and most people head downtown to take a break from children and teaching. After a normal day of teaching Max, Evan, and I head to Moontugi (a restaurant) for another goodbye dinner for the same girl who hasn't left yet. We got to the restaurant meeting the others and had an exceptional time eating BBQ and drinking sojo and beer. After a delicious meal we headed downtown to Who's Bob where we continued the party, playing pool and Foosball. A few hours pass and Max and I decide to go home and head to sleep. Another great Wednesday!
Thursday
Observation day. It has been over 2 months now of me teaching little children and it was now time for my director Betty to observe one of my classes. I got to school and she told me she would be observing K10, which is a class of 5. They are about 11 years old and are not to bright. It is one of my harder classes to teach because it is at the end of the day and these kids are already tired and do not enjoy participating. Even though I would rather have Betty observe a class that is fun and easy to teach it is good she is observing this one because she can give me some advice on how to improve it.
K10 period arrives. Betty enters the room and I could tell immediately once I introduced Betty to the class that the students were even more tense than before. I think I did pretty well, but I was also pretty nervous and tense so I am sure that I spoke to fast and moved through the material too quickly. Class finally ended, and I was relieved that I got through it. I am curious to see what she will have to say when we meet and I will let the blog know if I am fired or not. Just kidding, I am not getting fired, well I don't know yet.
This weekend I am going skiing and am very excited to get on the slopes. Have a good weekend and updates will come next week.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sunday the 24th snow fest.
Woke up at 5:15 am needing to be in front of Daegu Bank by 6. Layered up and hopped in a cab to get to the pick up spot. Got there and got on the bus and headed to the next pick up spot where most everyone else was who stayed up all night downtown. They all got on, still drunk and sloppy. Pretty funny, because they were all wired for the first 15 minutes of the bus ride and once the lights went out in the bus everyone fell asleep. After a 4 hour bus ride we arrive at the Taebek snow festival! Taebek is an hour east of Seoul, so it was pretty chilly out their, but unfortunately not much snow, but lots of ice. Walked to the festival where we were supposed to be able to build snowmen, go dog sledding, sledding, etc, but realized that most of the activities were geared toward smaller children. In any event, we made the most of it going sledding down a pretty big hill and walking around viewing all the beautiful ice sculptures, trying not to bust ass on the ice. People were falling over the place and don't know if they have figured out salt helps that problem. However, the sculptures were absolutely stunning and made the trip worth it. Not only was the event fun, but I finally got to talk to people outside the bar, which was nice, even though some might have still been drunk. It was good to see people in a different environment. 4:30 came and we all headed back to the bus and headed home.
Another great weekend in Daegu!
Another great weekend in Daegu!
Jan 23rd Baseball
Saturday
Woke up at 11:15, knowing that we had to be outside our school at 12:30 for baseball practice. Got ready, ate some food, put on my sweat pants, underarmor, braves shirt, and Michigan sweater. I was getting really excited to be able to throw the baseball and maybe teach some kids how to play. He told us at the meeting that the age was between 11-14. Max and I headed to school and got their right at 12:30 and Sung (the team director) was right there waiting for us with his son who played for the team. We got in the car and we started driving and driving and driving. After a good 30 minute drive we arrive at this guys workplace to pick up the bats and balls. Then we drive a little bit further and finally arrive at a school that has a dirt field that their team makes into a baseball field. He tried to communicate with us explaining that their field is undergoing some kind of construction. Anyways, we get to practice and I see tons of children. I ask him how many are on the team and he told me 33. I was shocked, that is almost 4 teams in one. What are you supposed to do with all them? Sung took us around and introduced us to the Korean coach and manager. Then of course, the kids give us the foreigner look and ask for our names, ages, and where we are from. That is the extent of their English.
Practice then begins with stretching and running. Max and I join in having fun with the children. Then we start throwing and man does it feel good to throw again no matter how bad my shoulder is hurting. Loved every bit of it. Once we threw for a while the coach split the kids into infield and outfield. I started observing and then Sung told me to watch the coach hit outfield and tried to explain that the coach was leaving for Germany for some reason. Sung asked me if I knew how to hit fungos and handed me the bat and I started hitting balls to two parents. It was pretty fun and funny watching them run after my balls. Then Sung told me to do drills with the younger ones helping them catch fly balls. Baseball is a hard sport to lean and it is even harder when I don't speak their language and all I can do is try to explain by hand motions and by example. Some of them got it and some didnt. Once those drills were finished, the coach split everyone up into two teams and we scrimmaged, Max and I being on separate teams. Each team had about 15 people on it, and of course everyone playing, so there were about 8 outfielders. Max's team batted first and my pitcher struck out the side. Then it was our turn to bat and my team put me at fourth, the only time in my life batting clean up. Luckily the 3rd batter walked and it was my turn to hit. Got up to the plate and bombed that sucked and nearly hit the school, but the coach only allowed me two bases. That felt great hitting a bomb off a 13 year old.
Then Max came to the plate and since he was a lefty I played him perfectly. He made contact and the fly ball came directly into my glove in right field. Then the game got boring because I never got to hit again, but tried to help others during the game. After 4 hours of practicing they called it and then it was snack time! Dumplings, sundae (the liver, intestine, etc), and other food served, as well as the traditional Korean rice wine for us adults. After a fun 4 hours Sung drove us home and really wanted me to become coach and told him we will see.
Got home and Max and I both crashed and took a 2 hour nap. Woke up around 8:30 and met up with Jay at 9:30 for some galbi (BBQ). Some delicious food, well needed. After dinner we headed downtown and once again to Go-go. They had really good drink specials, but I took it easy because we had to be up at 5 to go this snow festival. We could have pulled an all nighter like some of the others but we were both really tired. So after our free jaager bombs bought by the bar for everyone, we left and got a solid 2 to 3 hours of sleep.
Woke up at 11:15, knowing that we had to be outside our school at 12:30 for baseball practice. Got ready, ate some food, put on my sweat pants, underarmor, braves shirt, and Michigan sweater. I was getting really excited to be able to throw the baseball and maybe teach some kids how to play. He told us at the meeting that the age was between 11-14. Max and I headed to school and got their right at 12:30 and Sung (the team director) was right there waiting for us with his son who played for the team. We got in the car and we started driving and driving and driving. After a good 30 minute drive we arrive at this guys workplace to pick up the bats and balls. Then we drive a little bit further and finally arrive at a school that has a dirt field that their team makes into a baseball field. He tried to communicate with us explaining that their field is undergoing some kind of construction. Anyways, we get to practice and I see tons of children. I ask him how many are on the team and he told me 33. I was shocked, that is almost 4 teams in one. What are you supposed to do with all them? Sung took us around and introduced us to the Korean coach and manager. Then of course, the kids give us the foreigner look and ask for our names, ages, and where we are from. That is the extent of their English.
Practice then begins with stretching and running. Max and I join in having fun with the children. Then we start throwing and man does it feel good to throw again no matter how bad my shoulder is hurting. Loved every bit of it. Once we threw for a while the coach split the kids into infield and outfield. I started observing and then Sung told me to watch the coach hit outfield and tried to explain that the coach was leaving for Germany for some reason. Sung asked me if I knew how to hit fungos and handed me the bat and I started hitting balls to two parents. It was pretty fun and funny watching them run after my balls. Then Sung told me to do drills with the younger ones helping them catch fly balls. Baseball is a hard sport to lean and it is even harder when I don't speak their language and all I can do is try to explain by hand motions and by example. Some of them got it and some didnt. Once those drills were finished, the coach split everyone up into two teams and we scrimmaged, Max and I being on separate teams. Each team had about 15 people on it, and of course everyone playing, so there were about 8 outfielders. Max's team batted first and my pitcher struck out the side. Then it was our turn to bat and my team put me at fourth, the only time in my life batting clean up. Luckily the 3rd batter walked and it was my turn to hit. Got up to the plate and bombed that sucked and nearly hit the school, but the coach only allowed me two bases. That felt great hitting a bomb off a 13 year old.
Then Max came to the plate and since he was a lefty I played him perfectly. He made contact and the fly ball came directly into my glove in right field. Then the game got boring because I never got to hit again, but tried to help others during the game. After 4 hours of practicing they called it and then it was snack time! Dumplings, sundae (the liver, intestine, etc), and other food served, as well as the traditional Korean rice wine for us adults. After a fun 4 hours Sung drove us home and really wanted me to become coach and told him we will see.
Got home and Max and I both crashed and took a 2 hour nap. Woke up around 8:30 and met up with Jay at 9:30 for some galbi (BBQ). Some delicious food, well needed. After dinner we headed downtown and once again to Go-go. They had really good drink specials, but I took it easy because we had to be up at 5 to go this snow festival. We could have pulled an all nighter like some of the others but we were both really tired. So after our free jaager bombs bought by the bar for everyone, we left and got a solid 2 to 3 hours of sleep.
Jan 21 and 22
Thursday
Woke up ate breakfast, headed to school and had another wonderful day at the dang. Nothing really interesting to report during school, however I had to sit for 2 hours and wait till 8:30 to meet with this baseball guy. 8:30 comes around and this very professional man comes in with this woman who we find out to be the 'team mom'. Max, Evan, and I head back with them and our director to classroom and start discussing baseball. His first questions are how long have you played, what position, and some other general questions. Once those questions were answered our director and the other two started to get into a pretty serious conversation and we did not really have any idea what they were discussing for so long. All we wanted to do was to be able to volunteer and help out either Saturday or Sunday when we could. Well, when they finished their lengthy discussion our director turned to us and said that they were looking for a 'professional' coach that would commit every Saturday and Sunday and that they would pay. Of course they would only pay one of us because they dont need three coaches. (During the week we decided I would be the 'coach out of us 3 because I did indeed play the most baseball and knew most about it). So the director looked at me and asked if I was willing to do so. I told her that I dont need to get paid and just want to have fun and that I will think about it. The Korean coach/director asked us to come out Saturday just to observe and see what we think. We agreed and then we all shook hands and left.
I came back home and made dinner while Max and Evan went to Korean class.
Friday the 22nd
Love Friday's, but also hate them because they are my longest day. Woke up, ate some grub, went to the gym, and then headed to school. Started the long day with all classes going smoothly. Unfortunately, my last class of the day, usually the most fun has started to get under my skin a little. I have literally been drilling the same 20 questions to prepare them for their oral test for a month and they are still getting them wrong. These three girls just giggle and do not pay attention and don't really care about learning English. I get that it is 8PM and that they have been going for school the whole day, but try a little. So tonight, not only was I really hungry, but they pissed me off, so I yelled at them a little.
Finally that class ended, gathered my belongings and headed out the door with Evan. Max, was already downtown because he wanted to attend this little dinner that we couldnt make, so Evan and I went to Gorilla Burger to of course get a burger. Delicious!!!
After that, we grabbed a bag drink and walked around for a bit because it was still pretty early. After a couple hours of wondering we went to Billy-bowl to meet up with everyone. Once everyone figured Billy-bowl sucked we headed to Go-go where we all ended up having a great time socializing with a little bit of dancing in between!
Woke up ate breakfast, headed to school and had another wonderful day at the dang. Nothing really interesting to report during school, however I had to sit for 2 hours and wait till 8:30 to meet with this baseball guy. 8:30 comes around and this very professional man comes in with this woman who we find out to be the 'team mom'. Max, Evan, and I head back with them and our director to classroom and start discussing baseball. His first questions are how long have you played, what position, and some other general questions. Once those questions were answered our director and the other two started to get into a pretty serious conversation and we did not really have any idea what they were discussing for so long. All we wanted to do was to be able to volunteer and help out either Saturday or Sunday when we could. Well, when they finished their lengthy discussion our director turned to us and said that they were looking for a 'professional' coach that would commit every Saturday and Sunday and that they would pay. Of course they would only pay one of us because they dont need three coaches. (During the week we decided I would be the 'coach out of us 3 because I did indeed play the most baseball and knew most about it). So the director looked at me and asked if I was willing to do so. I told her that I dont need to get paid and just want to have fun and that I will think about it. The Korean coach/director asked us to come out Saturday just to observe and see what we think. We agreed and then we all shook hands and left.
I came back home and made dinner while Max and Evan went to Korean class.
Friday the 22nd
Love Friday's, but also hate them because they are my longest day. Woke up, ate some grub, went to the gym, and then headed to school. Started the long day with all classes going smoothly. Unfortunately, my last class of the day, usually the most fun has started to get under my skin a little. I have literally been drilling the same 20 questions to prepare them for their oral test for a month and they are still getting them wrong. These three girls just giggle and do not pay attention and don't really care about learning English. I get that it is 8PM and that they have been going for school the whole day, but try a little. So tonight, not only was I really hungry, but they pissed me off, so I yelled at them a little.
Finally that class ended, gathered my belongings and headed out the door with Evan. Max, was already downtown because he wanted to attend this little dinner that we couldnt make, so Evan and I went to Gorilla Burger to of course get a burger. Delicious!!!
After that, we grabbed a bag drink and walked around for a bit because it was still pretty early. After a couple hours of wondering we went to Billy-bowl to meet up with everyone. Once everyone figured Billy-bowl sucked we headed to Go-go where we all ended up having a great time socializing with a little bit of dancing in between!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Jan 19th- 20th
Tuesday was your typical Tuesday. Woke up went to the gym, then headed to school for the Tuesday meeting. This meeting was the first time it had some importance to me, which stated that Max and I would be observed the following week by our director to see how we are doing. So I will let you know how that goes!
Wednesday
Woke up went to the gym and discussed with Choi our big night tonight. We are going to Karoke; me, Choi, and the gym owner. I am really excited for it and cant wait till classes are over. After I finished working out went to school, which went well and also feel that I am turning into a PB&J sandwich, eating them almost everyday. Oh, how I miss deli meat! Once classes ended, Max, Evan, and I were supposed to have a meeting with this baseball coach who wanted to see if we wanted to help out with our director be the translator. We were all very interested in it, however Max and Evan couldnt meet because they finished class early and wanted to go to a movie together while I was still stuck at school teaching. SO the metting is for Thursday.
However, after school, I went home grabbed some dinner and then headed to the gym where Choi, the owner, and I were supposed to meet. Choi and I got the gym at the same exact time and headed upstairs to the gym where the owner could not be found. Choi asked one of the other trainers where the owner went and he replied saying that he went home because he was tired and didnt feel well. Even though a pretty good excuse, Choi was very angry and did not like the fact that the owner flaked on us. We went back outside and started discussing what we wanted to do. I mentioned that we should just go get a drink, but Choi said we came out for a reason, so we crossed the street and headed to a Karaoke place. If I havent mentioned before, which I know I havent, the reason why this was supposed to be an epic/Korean event was because Korean men like to 'hire' women to hang out with them while singing and dancing. Apparently you can choose between a Ms and Mrs., I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but its all about the experience. Choi told me to bring $100, just to prepared.
We got to the Karaoke place, which was in the basement of this building and looked liked a brothel house. Choi started talking to the owner and then turned to me and asked if I wanted a Ms or Mrs. I told him Ms, laid some of my money on the counter, then observed the owner take out her cell phone and call the women. Choi and I went to a Karaoke room and started to sing and have a few beers. 10 to 15 minutes later the door opens and I see these two older women walk into the room, and realized that these were not the Ms's we wanted and Choi as well looked at them and asked them what they were. They told him that they were Mrs's so Choi waved them out of the room and told them to get the owner. The owner came in the room and they started hashing in out, while I was still singing 'Back at One' by Brian McKnight (one of the few songs in English). It got so heated that she paused the music and they continued to argue. After a good 5-10 minutes they sorted things out we got a refund and finished our hour of karaoke with no women in the room having a good 'ole man bounding time. After Karaoke we went our separate ways to go to bed! What a different experience than what I had been expecting.
Wednesday
Woke up went to the gym and discussed with Choi our big night tonight. We are going to Karoke; me, Choi, and the gym owner. I am really excited for it and cant wait till classes are over. After I finished working out went to school, which went well and also feel that I am turning into a PB&J sandwich, eating them almost everyday. Oh, how I miss deli meat! Once classes ended, Max, Evan, and I were supposed to have a meeting with this baseball coach who wanted to see if we wanted to help out with our director be the translator. We were all very interested in it, however Max and Evan couldnt meet because they finished class early and wanted to go to a movie together while I was still stuck at school teaching. SO the metting is for Thursday.
However, after school, I went home grabbed some dinner and then headed to the gym where Choi, the owner, and I were supposed to meet. Choi and I got the gym at the same exact time and headed upstairs to the gym where the owner could not be found. Choi asked one of the other trainers where the owner went and he replied saying that he went home because he was tired and didnt feel well. Even though a pretty good excuse, Choi was very angry and did not like the fact that the owner flaked on us. We went back outside and started discussing what we wanted to do. I mentioned that we should just go get a drink, but Choi said we came out for a reason, so we crossed the street and headed to a Karaoke place. If I havent mentioned before, which I know I havent, the reason why this was supposed to be an epic/Korean event was because Korean men like to 'hire' women to hang out with them while singing and dancing. Apparently you can choose between a Ms and Mrs., I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but its all about the experience. Choi told me to bring $100, just to prepared.
We got to the Karaoke place, which was in the basement of this building and looked liked a brothel house. Choi started talking to the owner and then turned to me and asked if I wanted a Ms or Mrs. I told him Ms, laid some of my money on the counter, then observed the owner take out her cell phone and call the women. Choi and I went to a Karaoke room and started to sing and have a few beers. 10 to 15 minutes later the door opens and I see these two older women walk into the room, and realized that these were not the Ms's we wanted and Choi as well looked at them and asked them what they were. They told him that they were Mrs's so Choi waved them out of the room and told them to get the owner. The owner came in the room and they started hashing in out, while I was still singing 'Back at One' by Brian McKnight (one of the few songs in English). It got so heated that she paused the music and they continued to argue. After a good 5-10 minutes they sorted things out we got a refund and finished our hour of karaoke with no women in the room having a good 'ole man bounding time. After Karaoke we went our separate ways to go to bed! What a different experience than what I had been expecting.
Monday, January 18, 2010
1/16-1/18
Saturday Night
Max, Evan, and I decided to go downtown to grab something to eat and maybe go to a bar afterwords. Tonight was the first night that we were blatantly rejected from a restaurant/bar because we were Americans. I heard that some bars and restaurants discriminated against us, but I think it is more because of the soldiers who get rowdy and mess things up. We were trying to go some place new and three times in a row we were rejected. At first we thought they were full and they could not accommodate us, but the third place we walked into, the host told us Korean only, which is absolutely nuts. I was pretty pissed off, but there was nothing we could do and no point of trying to get in a place you are not wanted. We walked back to the main drag and Max showed us a place he had been to before that had pretty decent food. I got the chicken stir fry that was probably the spiciest thing I have had thus far in Korea, but delicious at the same time. After dinner we decided to go to a new place that turned out to be a fancy cocktail bar. Had a drink and just chilled out. After one drink Evan went home and Max and I decided to go to another new place off the main drag. It was a mix between a German and Korean bar. They tried so hard to be German, but failed miserably. Had a couple drinks there, then decided to go home where the night ended.
Sunday
Woke up around noon, made some breakfast and remembered that today we were going to Costco. Before going, Max and I made it over to the spa that I went to with Choi a month back to relax. Love that place. 4 dollars to relax with a bunch of naked Koreans, who wouldnt love that. For real though it is very relaxing, the salt room, the saunas and the cold spring water just enriches the body. We spent an hour there, then made our way down toward Evan, where we hailed a cab and headed toward Costco. Arrived at Costco and it was just a madhouse. 2 stories of goods, and Koreans buying American food and product, however I felt that they were more interested in the samplers than the shopping itself. It seemed as they make an excuse to come shopping just to stand in line for the samplers. In any event, when we got there, Max, Evan, and Danni had to get the famous Costco pizza, and I 2 hot dogs. It was not bad, but not as good as that pizza looked. Once we finished our food we headed into arena and started shopping. Luckily, we did not need too much and only bought the necessities, which was mostly food that we could not find at the local grocery store. Spent about an hour and half there got a cab and went home. Unloaded our stuff, then did some house cleaning.
7Pm comes around and we get a call from Jay asking if we want to try and get tickets to Avatar 3D. We both say yes and headed downtown. Got to the IMAX movie theater and if I have not mentioned before this movie has been sold out here since it has been open (the 3D version). Every time someone has tried before this there is only 1 seat left for each viewing unless you want to go to the 4AM one. So we get there at 7:30 and could have gone to the 9:45 showing but we would have been front row. Luckily there were some better seats at the 10:45 showing so we took that. Had two hours to kill, so we ate at KFC, then went to a coffee/bar place to chill for a bit. After spending some time there went back to the movie theater, still having 40 minutes to burn. Went to the arcade and played some games and watched a Korean dude kick ass at Dance Dance Revolution. The man came prepared with a water bottle and towel, in addition to the fan that is in place next to the system. It was a great preview before our movie. 9:40 comes so we go to the movie theater get some drinks, our 3D glasses and head in to what would be an unbelievable 3 hours.
(If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it. If you cant find 3D in your area, just go and see it. This movie will amaze you.
After the movie it was about 2, but none of us could even think about sleeping ,we just had to discuss the movie, so we went to Communes the bar had a drink and did exactly that. After the drink we said goodbye to Jay and went home.
Monday
Oh how I hate Mondays. Very tired from last night not looking forward to teaching. Had to get there early to prepare for my classes that day. Woke up at 10:30, had breakfast then went to school. Arrived at school did my planning and then started teaching. The first 2 classes went well, loving my little preschoolers then had a break. Grabbed some lunch at another orange place, because ours suddenly shut down for some reason. A true shame, because it was the best one in my opinion. After lunch, taught 6 classes in a row, with each one, I became more and more tired. After the six classes planned for Tuesday. Finished planning, put my jacket on and went home to make dinner. Had dinner, folded some of my laundry, and finally finished my book; A million Little Pieces. Whatever the discrepancy was about that book it was still amazing, true or not.
Goodnight!
Max, Evan, and I decided to go downtown to grab something to eat and maybe go to a bar afterwords. Tonight was the first night that we were blatantly rejected from a restaurant/bar because we were Americans. I heard that some bars and restaurants discriminated against us, but I think it is more because of the soldiers who get rowdy and mess things up. We were trying to go some place new and three times in a row we were rejected. At first we thought they were full and they could not accommodate us, but the third place we walked into, the host told us Korean only, which is absolutely nuts. I was pretty pissed off, but there was nothing we could do and no point of trying to get in a place you are not wanted. We walked back to the main drag and Max showed us a place he had been to before that had pretty decent food. I got the chicken stir fry that was probably the spiciest thing I have had thus far in Korea, but delicious at the same time. After dinner we decided to go to a new place that turned out to be a fancy cocktail bar. Had a drink and just chilled out. After one drink Evan went home and Max and I decided to go to another new place off the main drag. It was a mix between a German and Korean bar. They tried so hard to be German, but failed miserably. Had a couple drinks there, then decided to go home where the night ended.
Sunday
Woke up around noon, made some breakfast and remembered that today we were going to Costco. Before going, Max and I made it over to the spa that I went to with Choi a month back to relax. Love that place. 4 dollars to relax with a bunch of naked Koreans, who wouldnt love that. For real though it is very relaxing, the salt room, the saunas and the cold spring water just enriches the body. We spent an hour there, then made our way down toward Evan, where we hailed a cab and headed toward Costco. Arrived at Costco and it was just a madhouse. 2 stories of goods, and Koreans buying American food and product, however I felt that they were more interested in the samplers than the shopping itself. It seemed as they make an excuse to come shopping just to stand in line for the samplers. In any event, when we got there, Max, Evan, and Danni had to get the famous Costco pizza, and I 2 hot dogs. It was not bad, but not as good as that pizza looked. Once we finished our food we headed into arena and started shopping. Luckily, we did not need too much and only bought the necessities, which was mostly food that we could not find at the local grocery store. Spent about an hour and half there got a cab and went home. Unloaded our stuff, then did some house cleaning.
7Pm comes around and we get a call from Jay asking if we want to try and get tickets to Avatar 3D. We both say yes and headed downtown. Got to the IMAX movie theater and if I have not mentioned before this movie has been sold out here since it has been open (the 3D version). Every time someone has tried before this there is only 1 seat left for each viewing unless you want to go to the 4AM one. So we get there at 7:30 and could have gone to the 9:45 showing but we would have been front row. Luckily there were some better seats at the 10:45 showing so we took that. Had two hours to kill, so we ate at KFC, then went to a coffee/bar place to chill for a bit. After spending some time there went back to the movie theater, still having 40 minutes to burn. Went to the arcade and played some games and watched a Korean dude kick ass at Dance Dance Revolution. The man came prepared with a water bottle and towel, in addition to the fan that is in place next to the system. It was a great preview before our movie. 9:40 comes so we go to the movie theater get some drinks, our 3D glasses and head in to what would be an unbelievable 3 hours.
(If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it. If you cant find 3D in your area, just go and see it. This movie will amaze you.
After the movie it was about 2, but none of us could even think about sleeping ,we just had to discuss the movie, so we went to Communes the bar had a drink and did exactly that. After the drink we said goodbye to Jay and went home.
Monday
Oh how I hate Mondays. Very tired from last night not looking forward to teaching. Had to get there early to prepare for my classes that day. Woke up at 10:30, had breakfast then went to school. Arrived at school did my planning and then started teaching. The first 2 classes went well, loving my little preschoolers then had a break. Grabbed some lunch at another orange place, because ours suddenly shut down for some reason. A true shame, because it was the best one in my opinion. After lunch, taught 6 classes in a row, with each one, I became more and more tired. After the six classes planned for Tuesday. Finished planning, put my jacket on and went home to make dinner. Had dinner, folded some of my laundry, and finally finished my book; A million Little Pieces. Whatever the discrepancy was about that book it was still amazing, true or not.
Goodnight!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
week of 1/11-1/16
Monday and Tuesday nothing to report, just the same old routine. Wednesday was an even better day, because not only is it the halfway point for the week, it also means that we go downtown and have a few drinks and just kick back with some friends. Before we went downtown had to have our pregame meal of some Korean BBQ; Max, Evan, Jay, and I went to the place by our house. Got some great food, soju, and beer. After dinner Max, Evan, and I went downtown to Who's Bob. Not very crowded, which was great, played some pool and beer pong. Stayed there till about 2 came back to the apartment and fell asleep.
Thursday morning came, woke up and my head reminded that I drank a little too much the night before. Was not ready to teach, but Max on the other hand looked like death, not because of drinking, but he started to get sick. I could tell it was not going to be a great day for either of us at school. Luckily, for me, Thursdays are my easiest day and enjoy teaching the classes I have that day. When I got to school, I actually felt great and had one of my most effective days teaching, meaning that the students had fun learning and I could tell that they were really engaged and enjoying the material. You feel a lot different when you actually feel the students are getting the material and having a good time. Another thing that happened on Thursday was that Analysia's replacement came, his name is Aaron and is a pretty weird dude. He has actually been here for three months at another branch, but they moved him to ours.
After school, went to the gym, worked out and met this girl named Angel who is Korean but from Chicago. Her cousin owns the gym, and he introduced me to her. Actually, that is not how it really happened. I was talking to one of the 'trainers', or should I say trying to communicate with him, but it wasn't going so well, she was right by us and said in perfect English, 'What are you trying to say to him?' I was very surprised and realized that it was the owner's cousin that he kept telling me about. So that is how we met. Not very cute, but very nice, however she is moving to Seoul, so we will see if anything happens, friendship that is.
Friday
TGIF!! Payday, is finally here and couldnt come soon enough. Very happy to have money in the bank and start spending again, not like I couldn't already do that, but not on as tight of a budget as last month because this time we got paid a full month's worth and not just for 2 weeks. Anyways, school was long and just wanted it end so the weekend could begin. It finally did, and we all went to BBQ for Anaylsia finishing her contract. Similar to Wednesday's meal, but times that by 5 and that was Friday night. A lot more meat, soju, and beer because there was eight of us instead of 3. Since we were already downtown, After dinner we went to Bar Go-GO, where this girl was having a birthday party and she had a theme, which was High-school stereotypes. I was feeling pretty good there, apparently so was Evan so after a few hours we were on a mission to find a new club to show off our moves. Went to this club G2, trying to charge is 15 each, after a few minutes trying to negotiate, left and tried MK, who were also charging, which resulted in us trying Posha, and they let us in for free. We had an absolute blast. All I have to say is that Evan lost his shirt. After Posha, we went to Who's Bob, I was not okay, very dehydrated, so jugged lots of water and bought a powerade. Stayed at Who's Bob for about 10 minutes then left to go home.
Saturday
Ahh, will I ever learn? Soju, beer, bag drinks are not a good idea. Did not feel good this morning and I really did not want this to be a wasted day like last week. Fortunately, started feeling a little better around 2, so Max and I met up with some people downtown for lunch. Had some western food, which was well needed. After reminiscing about our nights I headed to the gym and attempted to work out. At first, I thought I wasnt going to make it, but as the workout continued I felt better and completed leg day. Came home and now just relaxing debating whether to go out tonight or not.
Thursday morning came, woke up and my head reminded that I drank a little too much the night before. Was not ready to teach, but Max on the other hand looked like death, not because of drinking, but he started to get sick. I could tell it was not going to be a great day for either of us at school. Luckily, for me, Thursdays are my easiest day and enjoy teaching the classes I have that day. When I got to school, I actually felt great and had one of my most effective days teaching, meaning that the students had fun learning and I could tell that they were really engaged and enjoying the material. You feel a lot different when you actually feel the students are getting the material and having a good time. Another thing that happened on Thursday was that Analysia's replacement came, his name is Aaron and is a pretty weird dude. He has actually been here for three months at another branch, but they moved him to ours.
After school, went to the gym, worked out and met this girl named Angel who is Korean but from Chicago. Her cousin owns the gym, and he introduced me to her. Actually, that is not how it really happened. I was talking to one of the 'trainers', or should I say trying to communicate with him, but it wasn't going so well, she was right by us and said in perfect English, 'What are you trying to say to him?' I was very surprised and realized that it was the owner's cousin that he kept telling me about. So that is how we met. Not very cute, but very nice, however she is moving to Seoul, so we will see if anything happens, friendship that is.
Friday
TGIF!! Payday, is finally here and couldnt come soon enough. Very happy to have money in the bank and start spending again, not like I couldn't already do that, but not on as tight of a budget as last month because this time we got paid a full month's worth and not just for 2 weeks. Anyways, school was long and just wanted it end so the weekend could begin. It finally did, and we all went to BBQ for Anaylsia finishing her contract. Similar to Wednesday's meal, but times that by 5 and that was Friday night. A lot more meat, soju, and beer because there was eight of us instead of 3. Since we were already downtown, After dinner we went to Bar Go-GO, where this girl was having a birthday party and she had a theme, which was High-school stereotypes. I was feeling pretty good there, apparently so was Evan so after a few hours we were on a mission to find a new club to show off our moves. Went to this club G2, trying to charge is 15 each, after a few minutes trying to negotiate, left and tried MK, who were also charging, which resulted in us trying Posha, and they let us in for free. We had an absolute blast. All I have to say is that Evan lost his shirt. After Posha, we went to Who's Bob, I was not okay, very dehydrated, so jugged lots of water and bought a powerade. Stayed at Who's Bob for about 10 minutes then left to go home.
Saturday
Ahh, will I ever learn? Soju, beer, bag drinks are not a good idea. Did not feel good this morning and I really did not want this to be a wasted day like last week. Fortunately, started feeling a little better around 2, so Max and I met up with some people downtown for lunch. Had some western food, which was well needed. After reminiscing about our nights I headed to the gym and attempted to work out. At first, I thought I wasnt going to make it, but as the workout continued I felt better and completed leg day. Came home and now just relaxing debating whether to go out tonight or not.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Jan 7th-10th (the weekend)
School went well, nothing really exciting to report or write about. One of the English teacher's contract ends on the 15th, so we don't if they are replacing her or not. I think they are having a teacher from another school come part time and work at ours, but we will see what happens. She is really excited about finishing work, I know this because I sit right next to her and she complains and blabbers about how she is almost done and how much stuff she needs to complete before she leaves. You think by now she would stop, but I think it will only get worse.
Friday comes and it is the night we have been waiting for to celebrate Max and I's birthday. We get a quick bite to eat because we want to save our money for the bars. After doing a little pregame at our house and in the cab on the way to downtown, we stop in at Who's Bob, because they were having drink specials. Since we got their at 10:30 and the specials ended at 11, we downed some drinks pretty quickly, which seemed like a good idea at the time. Stayed their for another hour or so, then headed to Club Posha where the dancing began. Not as crowded as the first time we went, but it was still a great time. After a couple hours there went to Club Frog, which was just a sea of people and I wasnt feeling it so I left and met up somehow with Evan and his girlfriend to go to Go-go bar. Max stayed at Frog until 4 in the morning having a great birthday. Go-go was pretty fun, but the night got a little hazzy for me at this point, but luckily I made it home in one piece. Got to love the Korean nightlife!
Sat Jan 9th (Max's Bday)
one word: hungover. A wasted day, but I knew going into last night that today was going to be wasted, just didnt know I was going to feel that bad. 8PM comes around feeling a little better, so Max and I met up with our friends Jen and Jay for dinner. After that Max and them went downtown while I took the alternate route to my bed. A great decision.
Sun Jan 10th
Woke up at 10:30 for one of our Kt's wedding. Got to the wedding place, which is nothing like an American wedding. There are basically these wedding halls that have weddings going on all day. The wedding lasted for about 30 minutes and seemed like everything they did was for show. Music, singing, poppers, people talking. Apparently the more intimate one is just with the families, which occurs right after this ceremony. We took pictures with the bride and groom and then we all hurried out of the hall because there was another wedding to be held right after ours a few minutes later. After the wedding, they had a huge buffet for us so we dug in and ate a lot of food.
It was an experience seeing a Korean wedding and how they treat this intimate setting, but I guess I really won't know how the real one is unless I get married to a Korean woman...Just kidding.
After the wedding walked downtown for a bit, then came home and relaxed.
Friday comes and it is the night we have been waiting for to celebrate Max and I's birthday. We get a quick bite to eat because we want to save our money for the bars. After doing a little pregame at our house and in the cab on the way to downtown, we stop in at Who's Bob, because they were having drink specials. Since we got their at 10:30 and the specials ended at 11, we downed some drinks pretty quickly, which seemed like a good idea at the time. Stayed their for another hour or so, then headed to Club Posha where the dancing began. Not as crowded as the first time we went, but it was still a great time. After a couple hours there went to Club Frog, which was just a sea of people and I wasnt feeling it so I left and met up somehow with Evan and his girlfriend to go to Go-go bar. Max stayed at Frog until 4 in the morning having a great birthday. Go-go was pretty fun, but the night got a little hazzy for me at this point, but luckily I made it home in one piece. Got to love the Korean nightlife!
Sat Jan 9th (Max's Bday)
one word: hungover. A wasted day, but I knew going into last night that today was going to be wasted, just didnt know I was going to feel that bad. 8PM comes around feeling a little better, so Max and I met up with our friends Jen and Jay for dinner. After that Max and them went downtown while I took the alternate route to my bed. A great decision.
Sun Jan 10th
Woke up at 10:30 for one of our Kt's wedding. Got to the wedding place, which is nothing like an American wedding. There are basically these wedding halls that have weddings going on all day. The wedding lasted for about 30 minutes and seemed like everything they did was for show. Music, singing, poppers, people talking. Apparently the more intimate one is just with the families, which occurs right after this ceremony. We took pictures with the bride and groom and then we all hurried out of the hall because there was another wedding to be held right after ours a few minutes later. After the wedding, they had a huge buffet for us so we dug in and ate a lot of food.
It was an experience seeing a Korean wedding and how they treat this intimate setting, but I guess I really won't know how the real one is unless I get married to a Korean woman...Just kidding.
After the wedding walked downtown for a bit, then came home and relaxed.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Jan 4-6th, Recooperation
Wow, getting back from Japan, what a long day and definitely took everything out of me. Unfortunately, developed a cold on the last few days and doesn't not seem to have let it yet. Max and I had a great time in Japan and did not waste any time over there, traveling as much as we could, covering more ground than I could imagine. This trip reiterated that no matter how much you plan in advance nothing ever goes perfectly, yet everything works out. We couldn't go skydiving, but because we didnt do that we saw more of Japan and met people who we probably wouldn't have met that showed us most of Tokyo. We would have never seen the places we saw or ate at the places we ate if certain events didnt occur. It is true that life is a roller coaster with many ups and downs and you have to take everything with stride, not getting frustrated or overwhelmed with the negatives because eventually you will be going back up to cloud 9.
Jan 4th-
Woke up feeling sick and not ready to teach and still on vacation mode. Luckily pre-school wasnt back yet so I did not have to be in till 2. Completed my routine at home and headed to school. Once at school, started to plan for my classes, because I did not plan for them last week. Took about an hour and then started to teach. Unfortunately, for you readers nothing interesting happened at school/ I was out of it, not feeling well just going through the motions. After school came home, had dinner talked to a few people and fell asleep, with the birthday approaching.
Jan 5th
My birthday! 23 years old, pretty cool age...not! However, I figured out that I am actually 25 in Korean age, now that is old. Josh, you are soo old! Fortunately, able to talk to my family, who all wished me a happy birthday! Thank you and Love you! Went to school, feeling a little bit better and in a good mood because it was my birthday. Saw my mom's package resting on my desk and was excited that it made it in tact. Very excited to open it and see all the goodies! Thank you soo much for everything. Started my first classes (preschool) who I actually missed. Love the little ones. Interesting enough, we were going over birthday material and told them it was my birthday, they were very excited. I was pretty laxed in all my classes because it is my birthday and I can do what I want. All my other classes went smoothly, nothing out of the ordinary. I told his one class of 5 girls that it was my birthday and they were overly excited so they sang happy birthday to me. It was so cute! After my 4 classes back to back, the other teachers brought me into the other office, where they got me a cake and sang Happy Birthday to me in English, Korean, and Chinese. They actually only wanted to sing the English version, but I sort of forced them to sing the other two. When am I going to get that chance again? Never. Even though most of the teachers knew I couldnt eat dairy, they said it was too late to change the order, so one of the secretaries ran to get me so toboki (the rice noodle in spicy sauce). It was very thoughtful of them and glad that everyone was able to enjoy the cake. Had my last class and it went well.
After school headed to a bar that was across the street to meet up with some co-workers to grab a beer before going to BBQ. Some people that were attending the dinner had not gotten off work yet, so we just killed some time. 8:30 came and we went to the BBQ place, everyone showed up and we had an eventful time. Ordered lots of meat; spicy, sweat, and regular. Some soju and beer that made the night a lot of fun. After dinner everyone went home, but Max and I were going to meet up with two other people not able to attend the dinner at a bar near our house. Got to the bar and learned that it was more of a gentleman's club because the women that worked there joined us keeping the table company. The couple that we met up with gave me a gift, which was an animal hat that is very popular in Korea. We had a great time and after a few hours there, left, went home and fell asleep.
Jan 6th
Woke up still not feeling 100%, but I am sure the drinking is not helping any. Talked to my grandpa before going to school, which was a great way to start the day. Headed to school, looked over my lesson plans for the day and then began teaching. Max and I had PE today with our preschoolers, where we taught them jumping jacks. It was hysterical because none of them could do it correctly and it ended up just all of them jumping around with the arms flailing everywhere. Nothing else really exciting happened to write about. Feeling a little more comfortable teaching, but there is one class that all I really do is check there homework and go over it, which is boring for me and probably for them too. So I asked the KT if I could teach them some simple anatomy, which she agreed to. Thus I will be teaching one of classes about the human body, then gov over their homework.
After work took a cab home with Max and then met up with the same couple from night before at a BBQ place to eat dinner. Can never get enough of this food. It is like my turkey sandwich of Korea and for those who know me I went a good 10 years of eating a turkey sandwiches everyday. So it takes me a long time to get tired of something I really enjoy. Once dinner was over came home wrote my blog and then fell aslepp.
Jan 4th-
Woke up feeling sick and not ready to teach and still on vacation mode. Luckily pre-school wasnt back yet so I did not have to be in till 2. Completed my routine at home and headed to school. Once at school, started to plan for my classes, because I did not plan for them last week. Took about an hour and then started to teach. Unfortunately, for you readers nothing interesting happened at school/ I was out of it, not feeling well just going through the motions. After school came home, had dinner talked to a few people and fell asleep, with the birthday approaching.
Jan 5th
My birthday! 23 years old, pretty cool age...not! However, I figured out that I am actually 25 in Korean age, now that is old. Josh, you are soo old! Fortunately, able to talk to my family, who all wished me a happy birthday! Thank you and Love you! Went to school, feeling a little bit better and in a good mood because it was my birthday. Saw my mom's package resting on my desk and was excited that it made it in tact. Very excited to open it and see all the goodies! Thank you soo much for everything. Started my first classes (preschool) who I actually missed. Love the little ones. Interesting enough, we were going over birthday material and told them it was my birthday, they were very excited. I was pretty laxed in all my classes because it is my birthday and I can do what I want. All my other classes went smoothly, nothing out of the ordinary. I told his one class of 5 girls that it was my birthday and they were overly excited so they sang happy birthday to me. It was so cute! After my 4 classes back to back, the other teachers brought me into the other office, where they got me a cake and sang Happy Birthday to me in English, Korean, and Chinese. They actually only wanted to sing the English version, but I sort of forced them to sing the other two. When am I going to get that chance again? Never. Even though most of the teachers knew I couldnt eat dairy, they said it was too late to change the order, so one of the secretaries ran to get me so toboki (the rice noodle in spicy sauce). It was very thoughtful of them and glad that everyone was able to enjoy the cake. Had my last class and it went well.
After school headed to a bar that was across the street to meet up with some co-workers to grab a beer before going to BBQ. Some people that were attending the dinner had not gotten off work yet, so we just killed some time. 8:30 came and we went to the BBQ place, everyone showed up and we had an eventful time. Ordered lots of meat; spicy, sweat, and regular. Some soju and beer that made the night a lot of fun. After dinner everyone went home, but Max and I were going to meet up with two other people not able to attend the dinner at a bar near our house. Got to the bar and learned that it was more of a gentleman's club because the women that worked there joined us keeping the table company. The couple that we met up with gave me a gift, which was an animal hat that is very popular in Korea. We had a great time and after a few hours there, left, went home and fell asleep.
Jan 6th
Woke up still not feeling 100%, but I am sure the drinking is not helping any. Talked to my grandpa before going to school, which was a great way to start the day. Headed to school, looked over my lesson plans for the day and then began teaching. Max and I had PE today with our preschoolers, where we taught them jumping jacks. It was hysterical because none of them could do it correctly and it ended up just all of them jumping around with the arms flailing everywhere. Nothing else really exciting happened to write about. Feeling a little more comfortable teaching, but there is one class that all I really do is check there homework and go over it, which is boring for me and probably for them too. So I asked the KT if I could teach them some simple anatomy, which she agreed to. Thus I will be teaching one of classes about the human body, then gov over their homework.
After work took a cab home with Max and then met up with the same couple from night before at a BBQ place to eat dinner. Can never get enough of this food. It is like my turkey sandwich of Korea and for those who know me I went a good 10 years of eating a turkey sandwiches everyday. So it takes me a long time to get tired of something I really enjoy. Once dinner was over came home wrote my blog and then fell aslepp.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Jan 2nd Last day in Japan: Jan 3rd
Woke up around 9, the girls had to be out of the hotel at 10, so we said our goodbyes again. Showered and got ready for the day, for today is our last day in Japan. Unfortunately, the fish market was closed all week so we could not see it, but the Imperial Palace is open and the inner grounds were open to see the Royal Family. Today is the only day that this section of the Palace is open and they were expecting millions of people. So we left our hotel around 10:30 got on the train and headed toward the Imperial Palace. Got off the train and as we were walking toward the exit, saw groups of beautiful woman standing in groups silent in rows. We pass a group of 20, walk further then another group, and so on. It was like we were in a fantasy land and we were supposed to choose a girl to come with us. Anyways, kept walking towards the Imperial Palace seeing once again thousands upon thousands of people, millions I would say. Japanese have a great line structure and everything runs so smoothly and you rarely stand still. Walking towards the Imperial family, guess who taps us on the shoulder? The Chinese girls. CRAZY!!! So of course we had to hang out with them again, watching the Imperial Family and what not. The scene was undescriable. Young and old come and gather for this occasion just to wave to the family who were enclosed in a bullet proof deck. One of them spoke, we all waved our Japanese flags and then headed out of the palace. An amazing experience! Walked back to the train station with the girls and asked them where a good place to go shopping was for sovoueniers gifts. They gave us a place, helped purchase our tickets and finally said our last goodbyes.
Got to the shopping area called Shinjuku and it was more retail crap. Huge sales though, and lots of people buying clothes, but all I wanted were shirts for the family. Well we were definitely in the wrong place, so we asked a random dude on the street who actually spoke some English where we could find these gifts. You would think they would be everywhere, but we searched high and low and could not find any, so he gave us another area which was 30 minutes by train, so we took our chances and went there. Just loads of people wondering the streets of this place called Asaksa. This was definitely going to be the place to find souveighners if any. So we started walking and walking, and walking, could not find a thing. Just an uncountable amount of shops selling jewelry, nice clothes, and crap, nothing for the family.
Mom I literally asked everyone and know one knew what these socks were. Didn’t see one woman wear these things. Josh, sorry no beer T-shirt. Looked for days for the both of you and know luck. Sorry!
It was getting pretty late around 5PM or so and we were both crashing and needed a nap, so we went back to the hotel. Took a nap for a couple hours and then got dressed for our last night out. We were headed to the gentleman’s area of Tokyo. Left the hotel around 9, ate a quick dinner and went to this area. Very interesting and very similar to other districs like these around the world. Promoters trying to get you in to their ‘club’ and of course Max likes this dude from Ghana because he knows how to say one word in their language so we go with him. Bargain with him on the entrance fee and we go to his place. None of the places are strip clubs, but rather just women who sit with you and don’t strip. Don’t really know what they do, but didn’t want to spend the money to find out because these girls were not pretty or Asian. Felt obligated to stay because we had 90 minutes all you could drink. So we just chatted with the ladies who of course spoke English. Didn’t come to Japan to see an American girl, sorry. Time limit came and we left to go home because we had to be up in 4 hours, however got some late night kabob before heading back. Delicious.
Took a cab back to our hotel, packed and fell asleep for a few hours.
Jan 3rd
Woke up, hailed a Taxi and statred our long journey home. First the 5 hour bullet train from Tokyo station to Hakata, then a six hour ferry from Hakata to Busan, lastly a 2 hour train ride from Busan to Daegu, and then a taxi home.
Goodnight!
What a great trip!
Got to the shopping area called Shinjuku and it was more retail crap. Huge sales though, and lots of people buying clothes, but all I wanted were shirts for the family. Well we were definitely in the wrong place, so we asked a random dude on the street who actually spoke some English where we could find these gifts. You would think they would be everywhere, but we searched high and low and could not find any, so he gave us another area which was 30 minutes by train, so we took our chances and went there. Just loads of people wondering the streets of this place called Asaksa. This was definitely going to be the place to find souveighners if any. So we started walking and walking, and walking, could not find a thing. Just an uncountable amount of shops selling jewelry, nice clothes, and crap, nothing for the family.
Mom I literally asked everyone and know one knew what these socks were. Didn’t see one woman wear these things. Josh, sorry no beer T-shirt. Looked for days for the both of you and know luck. Sorry!
It was getting pretty late around 5PM or so and we were both crashing and needed a nap, so we went back to the hotel. Took a nap for a couple hours and then got dressed for our last night out. We were headed to the gentleman’s area of Tokyo. Left the hotel around 9, ate a quick dinner and went to this area. Very interesting and very similar to other districs like these around the world. Promoters trying to get you in to their ‘club’ and of course Max likes this dude from Ghana because he knows how to say one word in their language so we go with him. Bargain with him on the entrance fee and we go to his place. None of the places are strip clubs, but rather just women who sit with you and don’t strip. Don’t really know what they do, but didn’t want to spend the money to find out because these girls were not pretty or Asian. Felt obligated to stay because we had 90 minutes all you could drink. So we just chatted with the ladies who of course spoke English. Didn’t come to Japan to see an American girl, sorry. Time limit came and we left to go home because we had to be up in 4 hours, however got some late night kabob before heading back. Delicious.
Took a cab back to our hotel, packed and fell asleep for a few hours.
Jan 3rd
Woke up, hailed a Taxi and statred our long journey home. First the 5 hour bullet train from Tokyo station to Hakata, then a six hour ferry from Hakata to Busan, lastly a 2 hour train ride from Busan to Daegu, and then a taxi home.
Goodnight!
What a great trip!
Jan 1st, 2010
Woke up around 7 to call the skydiving place to see if it was worth going the two hours to get to them. Unfortunately, they said it was going to be too windy and not worth the travel. Upsetting, but can’t let it ruin our trip. Fell back asleep for a bit, which was well needed and woke up around 12. Took showers and headed out of our hotel around 1 toward the electronic district of Tokyo. When we got there, just in amazement of how many stores and little shops selling every type of electronic gadget. . In addition, there were many stores selling animae magazines, games, videos, and action figures. Animae is very popular here, even animae porn. Spent a couple hours in this area just wondering in and out of stores looking at the same stuff over and over again, but just crazy to see. I didn’t notice if the prices were cheaper here or not, just a must see street if you come to Japan.
After seeing countless electronics, headed back to subway to go to our next stop which was downtown Tokyo. Get there and it is an absolute ghost town because it is Saturday and the New Year. We walked around to see if anything was open. We even went into this hotel to ask what to do and they told us everything was closed due to the New Year, however, they gave us a free soup that is eaten on New Year’s, which was delicious. After the soup, went to the train station to go to our final stop, which was Tokyo Tower. Purchased our 8 dollar tickets and went up the elevator 150m. We got there right before sunset so we were able to see two different types of view of the city. The 360 degree view of the whole city was absolutely beautiful. city, 360 degree view. What was even more beautiful was the sunset coming down behind Mt Fiji. Stunning colors and made the city look stunning. (quick note- Apparently the Tokyo Tower is higher and lighter than the Eifel Tower and they make sure you know that in the pamphlet they hand out). Once we looked at every conceivable view of the city we took the elevator down and headed back to our hotel.
We took a little nap, showered, and Max called the girls we met the night before to meet up with them for dinner. They met us at our hotel around 8:30 and took us to this great sushi restaurant on Roppongi street. We had some saki and many different types of sashimi; salmon, tuna, red snapper, mackrael (?), eel, etc. I also ordered to bowls of rice to fill me up, which was well needed. Following a great dinner, we walked around Roppongi , Max holding one girls hand, while I the other girl. A little bit of a romantic evening with two Chinese girls in Japan, who would have thought? Of course, get lured in to a bar, which of course we were the only ones there. Had a good time listening to music and drinking a couple drinks not knowing where the night was going to head. All we knew is that they had to catch their train at 12:30 or so. Time came and we sort of rushed to the station to say our goodbyes. Max and I walked home discussing the evening, got back to our hotel and got ready for bed. Twenty minutes later our phone rings and it is the girls saying that they had missed their connecting train to their apartment which was an hour away and that they have to find a hotel to stay in because it is more expensive to get a taxi. We tried to get them up to our room and let them sleep there because we felt bad about it, but our hotel has a weird rule not letting visitors into the rooms. So they went to search for a hotel, but couldn’t find one, so they purchased a room in our hotel just 3 floors below ours…
After seeing countless electronics, headed back to subway to go to our next stop which was downtown Tokyo. Get there and it is an absolute ghost town because it is Saturday and the New Year. We walked around to see if anything was open. We even went into this hotel to ask what to do and they told us everything was closed due to the New Year, however, they gave us a free soup that is eaten on New Year’s, which was delicious. After the soup, went to the train station to go to our final stop, which was Tokyo Tower. Purchased our 8 dollar tickets and went up the elevator 150m. We got there right before sunset so we were able to see two different types of view of the city. The 360 degree view of the whole city was absolutely beautiful. city, 360 degree view. What was even more beautiful was the sunset coming down behind Mt Fiji. Stunning colors and made the city look stunning. (quick note- Apparently the Tokyo Tower is higher and lighter than the Eifel Tower and they make sure you know that in the pamphlet they hand out). Once we looked at every conceivable view of the city we took the elevator down and headed back to our hotel.
We took a little nap, showered, and Max called the girls we met the night before to meet up with them for dinner. They met us at our hotel around 8:30 and took us to this great sushi restaurant on Roppongi street. We had some saki and many different types of sashimi; salmon, tuna, red snapper, mackrael (?), eel, etc. I also ordered to bowls of rice to fill me up, which was well needed. Following a great dinner, we walked around Roppongi , Max holding one girls hand, while I the other girl. A little bit of a romantic evening with two Chinese girls in Japan, who would have thought? Of course, get lured in to a bar, which of course we were the only ones there. Had a good time listening to music and drinking a couple drinks not knowing where the night was going to head. All we knew is that they had to catch their train at 12:30 or so. Time came and we sort of rushed to the station to say our goodbyes. Max and I walked home discussing the evening, got back to our hotel and got ready for bed. Twenty minutes later our phone rings and it is the girls saying that they had missed their connecting train to their apartment which was an hour away and that they have to find a hotel to stay in because it is more expensive to get a taxi. We tried to get them up to our room and let them sleep there because we felt bad about it, but our hotel has a weird rule not letting visitors into the rooms. So they went to search for a hotel, but couldn’t find one, so they purchased a room in our hotel just 3 floors below ours…
Dec 31st, New Years Eve in Japan
After a 12 hour bus ride and sleep finally get to Tokyo, so we think. It is 7am and everyone is getting off, so we get off too. We ask the bus driver where the station is to get to skydiving he points so we start walking. I am very tired and don’t even realize that we are in Tokyo. We ask 2 or 3 people how to get to a certain train and they all point us in different directions. Finally we find the JR train, purchase the ticket that we hopefully need and start heading toward the train. Get to the number 5 and the conductor says that his train is express only and that we need another ticket to get on his train. We just spent 30 yen for these tickets and they seem to lead us no where, so I start to get a little frustrated. The JR rail is so big it doesn’t seem that anyone knows where we need to go. We even go to the information people and all they can say is that this train is for express and we have local tickets. We try to ask where local is, but they have no idea what we are saying. We are Japan! The frustrations of traveling in another country. Finally we go back to a ticket counter and the guy behind the desk can speak some English so the communication is mostly hand motions and writing. After about 15 minutes of going back forth we finally understand where we need to go and how we do it. So Max and I dart for the train that is leaving in 4 minutes get on, head towards Fukojima (skydiving place). Transfer once and about an hour later arrive at the stop where we needed to be. Exit the station and as we are about to call the skydiving place we see these two people with skydiving apparel and ask if they were here to pick us up. After a few minutes of talking we all agreed that we needed each other. Got in the Suv and headed toward the drop zone. Looking like a beautiful day I start to get excited, but as we drive it gets windier and cloudier. We get to the drop zone, watch an instructional video, sign our lives away, about to go, and then bam, the lady in charge says it is too windy and we cant go. Heart is broken because that is part of the reason we came to Japan. We tried waiting a little bit, but it just kept getting windier. Finally called it quits, they were very apologetic, but nothing could be done. They drove us back to the train station and we are shooting for tomorrow morning. They even showed us a quicker and cheaper way to get to and from their place. Said our goodbyes and left with a not so good feeling in my body.
Next adventure is to find our hotel. At this point I am exhausted, even pass out on the train, Max luckily away woke me up to get off. Transferred to the subway to Akasaka, and we finally made it to our hotel. It is doable, two beds which is all I care about and a nice shower. About to go celebrate new years in Japan,
Dec 31st night
Left the hotel to find some food and ended up eating, sushi which of course was expensive, and then headed to Akasaka nightlife district, which is called Roppongi. Walked around for a bit and realized that all the clubs and bars were charging 50-60 dollars just to enter. Not bad, if you knew how the bar was going to be, knowing if it was going to be a popular place for new years. There were hundreds of promoters trying to persuade us to come to their club, most of them were of African descent or White. One of them persuaded us because he said his bar had free admittance before 10 so we said okay. Went there and only a few people were there. Decided to have a drink, which was 10 dollars, gotta love these prices.
After our drink, left and headed toward the subway to go to this shrine that apparently attracts 3 million people to make wishes on the New Year. I think that is what we had to do being in Japan. You can party anywhere in the world, but 3 million people gathered in a spiritual area, where am I ever going to see that again? So we headed toward the train station, but while still downtown got lured into one more bar (strip club). Bargain the guy down for a good price and of course we were the only people there. It was pretty early though. Stayed until we finished our drink and then went to the train station on our way to Meij jiingu around 11. As we were getting on the train saw this European couple who were headed in the same direction and said Happy New Year to them (I mention this because it comes up later). Got to Meiji jingu and walked around the town for a bit looking at all the different foods that they were selling, Max ate some type of deliciousness. Then we headed into the shrine area were thousands upon thousands were surrounding us heading in a particular direction. We entered one of the four entrances. It was crazy, because we had no idea what the end result was going to be, just tons of people walking in the same direction in the forest. Finally got to a standstill and had to wait for a long long time. I started nudging ahead, Max followed and then we get to even a bigger crowd. Met these two Chinese girls who we hung out with the rest of the night and who had been in Japan for a few months. They told us what was going on and that we make wishes and throw coins at the shrine. As we were waiting midnight came and singing started and people said happy new years to one another. After another 30 minutes or so finally made it to the shrine and it was crazy amounts of people. Cannot even attempt to explain.
Made my wish, took in the surrounding and then we left and headed toward the subway with these girls only problem was that we exited on the opposite side of where we needed to be. So we had to walk all the way around the park/forest to get to our subway station to find that it was closed. One of the Chinese girls was fluent in Japanese and got directions to another station from an officer. Got on the subway said goodbye to the girls and headed back to our hotel. As we were going up the escalator in the station, the same European couple was directly behind us. After seeing so many people and being gone for so long, the coincidence of seeing them again is unfathomable. Even crazier is that they were staying at the same hotel as us. Instances like that, just make you wonder about life. Walked backed to the hotel with them discussing the night’s events to eventually fall asleep.
Next adventure is to find our hotel. At this point I am exhausted, even pass out on the train, Max luckily away woke me up to get off. Transferred to the subway to Akasaka, and we finally made it to our hotel. It is doable, two beds which is all I care about and a nice shower. About to go celebrate new years in Japan,
Dec 31st night
Left the hotel to find some food and ended up eating, sushi which of course was expensive, and then headed to Akasaka nightlife district, which is called Roppongi. Walked around for a bit and realized that all the clubs and bars were charging 50-60 dollars just to enter. Not bad, if you knew how the bar was going to be, knowing if it was going to be a popular place for new years. There were hundreds of promoters trying to persuade us to come to their club, most of them were of African descent or White. One of them persuaded us because he said his bar had free admittance before 10 so we said okay. Went there and only a few people were there. Decided to have a drink, which was 10 dollars, gotta love these prices.
After our drink, left and headed toward the subway to go to this shrine that apparently attracts 3 million people to make wishes on the New Year. I think that is what we had to do being in Japan. You can party anywhere in the world, but 3 million people gathered in a spiritual area, where am I ever going to see that again? So we headed toward the train station, but while still downtown got lured into one more bar (strip club). Bargain the guy down for a good price and of course we were the only people there. It was pretty early though. Stayed until we finished our drink and then went to the train station on our way to Meij jiingu around 11. As we were getting on the train saw this European couple who were headed in the same direction and said Happy New Year to them (I mention this because it comes up later). Got to Meiji jingu and walked around the town for a bit looking at all the different foods that they were selling, Max ate some type of deliciousness. Then we headed into the shrine area were thousands upon thousands were surrounding us heading in a particular direction. We entered one of the four entrances. It was crazy, because we had no idea what the end result was going to be, just tons of people walking in the same direction in the forest. Finally got to a standstill and had to wait for a long long time. I started nudging ahead, Max followed and then we get to even a bigger crowd. Met these two Chinese girls who we hung out with the rest of the night and who had been in Japan for a few months. They told us what was going on and that we make wishes and throw coins at the shrine. As we were waiting midnight came and singing started and people said happy new years to one another. After another 30 minutes or so finally made it to the shrine and it was crazy amounts of people. Cannot even attempt to explain.
Made my wish, took in the surrounding and then we left and headed toward the subway with these girls only problem was that we exited on the opposite side of where we needed to be. So we had to walk all the way around the park/forest to get to our subway station to find that it was closed. One of the Chinese girls was fluent in Japanese and got directions to another station from an officer. Got on the subway said goodbye to the girls and headed back to our hotel. As we were going up the escalator in the station, the same European couple was directly behind us. After seeing so many people and being gone for so long, the coincidence of seeing them again is unfathomable. Even crazier is that they were staying at the same hotel as us. Instances like that, just make you wonder about life. Walked backed to the hotel with them discussing the night’s events to eventually fall asleep.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Dec 30, Locked up Aborad (almost)
5:30 alarm goes off. I am in an ice cold bed while Max is on the steaming hot floor of a love motel. We both are groggy from a night sleep that I can forget about. We both take showers, at least those were hot and head out of the motel toward the Busan Interantional Port. The walk is easy and get there in less than 10 minutes and have time to figure out where we are supposed to go. After a few minutes find the check-in for our ferry and wait until the window opens. Window opens and we get our tickets and go through customs. No problem there. Board the hydrofoil which is an express ferry from Busan to Hakata, Japan. (normal ferry which we will be taking on Sunday takes 6 hours, while this one takes 3.) The Ferry leaves right on schedule and we are off to Japan!! Fall asleep for a couple hours and the next thing I know is that we are arriving in Japan. Fill out our customs and declarations forms, dock, and get off the Ferry.
Head toward immigration, where everyone is required to give fingerprints and a photo. That went well for the both of us. Then we head on to customs were the man asks me if I smoke cigarettes? I reply no, and he asks if he can check my bag. I hand it over to him because I have nothing illegal whatsoever. He starts checking the top part of the bag, where my toiletries are, which contain most my pills. I always have to be prepared in case of any situation. I guess the guy was shocked or new at the job, but was very curious about each one. He called another security guard over to check it out. I guess that wasn’t enough, so they escorted me into a small room and shut the door. Reminded me of the show locked up abroad. He checked every part of my body, luckily no strip search. Emptied all my pockets, then unpacked my whole bag. Took the pills that were not prescribed like, Sudafed, Tylenol cold, and such asking what they were and how many mg. I told them everything honestly because I had nothing to hide. Another security guard comes in who knows better English than the other two. He translates and then another guy comes in with a pen and paper to take down the pill names and went to research it. Meanwhile, Max made it through perfectly fine and is waiting on the other side not knowing what is going on. Back to me, I am just sitting there freaking out thinking that they are going to A) not let me in the country, B) take all of my pills, or C) arrest me. I guess they could see my frustration and nervousness and told me not to worry. As they were doing this they looked through my passport and asked about Israel, Costa Rica, and Mexico. I thought I was fucked (excuse my language). Finally after 40 minutes and six security guards the main guy comes back in and tells me everything is okay. I tell him thank you and understand that it is his job. They escort me out of the room and into Japan where I saw Max and gave him a hug and told him what happened.
We leave the Hakata port, get in a cab and head toward the Hakata station where we get the bullet train to Hiroshima. Purchase our tickets to Hiroshima and also from Tokyo back to Hakata on the 3rd. We had 15 minutes to catch our train and figure out the location of it. Task accomplished, got on the bullet, and man does this thing move. We got to Hiroshima in 2 or so hours and think it would have taken us 8 hours by a regular train. Hiroshima is a pretty big city and we wanted to see the A-bomb memorial, so we asked the Information desk, who pointed us in the right direction. Got on a street car and went to the memorial, but first had to get a bite to eat. We were really hungry so we went in to the first thing we saw, which was Subway. 2 sandwiches and 2 drinks; 20 dollars, damn this country is expensive! After a fulfilling meal went to all the Hiroshima sights, which were incredible and I am unable to explain the damage we caused to this city. Just unbelievable, and the fact that it was an overcast day made it that much more intense.
After walking around the memorial, took a stroll through this underground mall that had hundreds of people going in and out of shops. Took a break at a coffee shop and still had some time to kill. Max found this temple surrounded by a moat, which was completed destroyed by the a-bomb and rebuilt in the 50’s or 80’s so we headed there. Very beautiful and saw the biggest coy fish that I had ever seen. Walked around the area, Max in his King phase; acting as if he were the King back then. Finished wondering around and headed back to the street car to get back to the train station in order to get the overnight bus to Tokyo. Had some dinner at the station and then boarded the bus now on the way to Tokyo.
Key notes- this place is very expensive. Let me repeat very expensive. Not a place to travel if you are a backpacker.
Never have I traveled so much on so many different types of transportation- subway, train, ferry, bullet train, bus.
Love you all, Jeremy
Head toward immigration, where everyone is required to give fingerprints and a photo. That went well for the both of us. Then we head on to customs were the man asks me if I smoke cigarettes? I reply no, and he asks if he can check my bag. I hand it over to him because I have nothing illegal whatsoever. He starts checking the top part of the bag, where my toiletries are, which contain most my pills. I always have to be prepared in case of any situation. I guess the guy was shocked or new at the job, but was very curious about each one. He called another security guard over to check it out. I guess that wasn’t enough, so they escorted me into a small room and shut the door. Reminded me of the show locked up abroad. He checked every part of my body, luckily no strip search. Emptied all my pockets, then unpacked my whole bag. Took the pills that were not prescribed like, Sudafed, Tylenol cold, and such asking what they were and how many mg. I told them everything honestly because I had nothing to hide. Another security guard comes in who knows better English than the other two. He translates and then another guy comes in with a pen and paper to take down the pill names and went to research it. Meanwhile, Max made it through perfectly fine and is waiting on the other side not knowing what is going on. Back to me, I am just sitting there freaking out thinking that they are going to A) not let me in the country, B) take all of my pills, or C) arrest me. I guess they could see my frustration and nervousness and told me not to worry. As they were doing this they looked through my passport and asked about Israel, Costa Rica, and Mexico. I thought I was fucked (excuse my language). Finally after 40 minutes and six security guards the main guy comes back in and tells me everything is okay. I tell him thank you and understand that it is his job. They escort me out of the room and into Japan where I saw Max and gave him a hug and told him what happened.
We leave the Hakata port, get in a cab and head toward the Hakata station where we get the bullet train to Hiroshima. Purchase our tickets to Hiroshima and also from Tokyo back to Hakata on the 3rd. We had 15 minutes to catch our train and figure out the location of it. Task accomplished, got on the bullet, and man does this thing move. We got to Hiroshima in 2 or so hours and think it would have taken us 8 hours by a regular train. Hiroshima is a pretty big city and we wanted to see the A-bomb memorial, so we asked the Information desk, who pointed us in the right direction. Got on a street car and went to the memorial, but first had to get a bite to eat. We were really hungry so we went in to the first thing we saw, which was Subway. 2 sandwiches and 2 drinks; 20 dollars, damn this country is expensive! After a fulfilling meal went to all the Hiroshima sights, which were incredible and I am unable to explain the damage we caused to this city. Just unbelievable, and the fact that it was an overcast day made it that much more intense.
After walking around the memorial, took a stroll through this underground mall that had hundreds of people going in and out of shops. Took a break at a coffee shop and still had some time to kill. Max found this temple surrounded by a moat, which was completed destroyed by the a-bomb and rebuilt in the 50’s or 80’s so we headed there. Very beautiful and saw the biggest coy fish that I had ever seen. Walked around the area, Max in his King phase; acting as if he were the King back then. Finished wondering around and headed back to the street car to get back to the train station in order to get the overnight bus to Tokyo. Had some dinner at the station and then boarded the bus now on the way to Tokyo.
Key notes- this place is very expensive. Let me repeat very expensive. Not a place to travel if you are a backpacker.
Never have I traveled so much on so many different types of transportation- subway, train, ferry, bullet train, bus.
Love you all, Jeremy
Dec 29th vacation
Woke up this morning around 10. Today is the last day of school for the year and the beginning of Max and I’s trip to Japan. Finished packing and was able to talk to my mom for a bit. After that headed to school for the Tuesday meeting, with my travelers backpack on. Got to school had the pointless meeting and then went to grab some food. Came back to school and started class. My first two classes went smoothly with no interesting stories to share. Break. Max and I went to pay our bills and withdraw money for Japan. Exchanged US to Won to Yen. So lost so money there, but needed to be done. After that errand was done came back to school and started my 4 classes back to back. Smooth sailing and that much closer to vacation! My last of the four classes I had to give an oral test because they are about to level up. These are questions that I have been drilling into their little minds for about a week or so. There are 20 questions and I split it up into 2 days; 10 questions each. Some of the students did well, while others did horrible, but we have to grade very leniently and give every child decent grades so they will come back. Remember this is a business. Class ended, break and then my last class, which went well. Vacation!!!
Max and I left school wished everyone a happy new year and got into a cab that headed toward the train station. Got to the train station and purchased our KTX tickets to Busan. Had 20 minutes to spare so I grabbed a snack and then headed toward our terminal. This is the first time I have been on a train so I was pretty excited, especially since it was a high speed express train. The train came right on schedule, hopped on it and reminded me a lot like a subway. Nothing too different a little bit nicer and this baby could move. We got to Busan in less than 2 hours. Just a little over an hour. Hailed a cab and went to the motel that was suggested to us by lonely planet. At first the cab driver had no idea what we were talking about, but eventually his GPS got us there. Headed into the love motel, put our stuff down and went to look for the port. We found the port, which was only 5 minutes away from our love motel, walking. Got some food, went back to the motel and fell asleep. Have to be up in 5 hours!
Max and I left school wished everyone a happy new year and got into a cab that headed toward the train station. Got to the train station and purchased our KTX tickets to Busan. Had 20 minutes to spare so I grabbed a snack and then headed toward our terminal. This is the first time I have been on a train so I was pretty excited, especially since it was a high speed express train. The train came right on schedule, hopped on it and reminded me a lot like a subway. Nothing too different a little bit nicer and this baby could move. We got to Busan in less than 2 hours. Just a little over an hour. Hailed a cab and went to the motel that was suggested to us by lonely planet. At first the cab driver had no idea what we were talking about, but eventually his GPS got us there. Headed into the love motel, put our stuff down and went to look for the port. We found the port, which was only 5 minutes away from our love motel, walking. Got some food, went back to the motel and fell asleep. Have to be up in 5 hours!
Dec 29th vacation
Woke up this morning around 10. Today is the last day of school for the year and the beginning of Max and I’s trip to Japan. Finished packing and was able to talk to my mom for a bit. After that headed to school for the Tuesday meeting, with my travelers backpack on. Got to school had the pointless meeting and then went to grab some food. Came back to school and started class. My first two classes went smoothly with no interesting stories to share. Break. Max and I went to pay our bills and withdraw money for Japan. Exchanged US to Won to Yen. So lost so money there, but needed to be done. After that errand was done came back to school and started my 4 classes back to back. Smooth sailing and that much closer to vacation! My last of the four classes I had to give an oral test because they are about to level up. These are questions that I have been drilling into their little minds for about a week or so. There are 20 questions and I split it up into 2 days; 10 questions each. Some of the students did well, while others did horrible, but we have to grade very leniently and give every child decent grades so they will come back. Remember this is a business. Class ended, break and then my last class, which went well. Vacation!!!
Max and I left school wished everyone a happy new year and got into a cab that headed toward the train station. Got to the train station and purchased our KTX tickets to Busan. Had 20 minutes to spare so I grabbed a snack and then headed toward our terminal. This is the first time I have been on a train so I was pretty excited, especially since it was a high speed express train. The train came right on schedule, hopped on it and reminded me a lot like a subway. Nothing too different a little bit nicer and this baby could move. We got to Busan in less than 2 hours. Just a little over an hour. Hailed a cab and went to the motel that was suggested to us by lonely planet. At first the cab driver had no idea what we were talking about, but eventually his GPS got us there. Headed into the love motel, put our stuff down and went to look for the port. We found the port, which was only 5 minutes away from our love motel, walking. Got some food, went back to the motel and fell asleep. Have to be up in 5 hours!
Max and I left school wished everyone a happy new year and got into a cab that headed toward the train station. Got to the train station and purchased our KTX tickets to Busan. Had 20 minutes to spare so I grabbed a snack and then headed toward our terminal. This is the first time I have been on a train so I was pretty excited, especially since it was a high speed express train. The train came right on schedule, hopped on it and reminded me a lot like a subway. Nothing too different a little bit nicer and this baby could move. We got to Busan in less than 2 hours. Just a little over an hour. Hailed a cab and went to the motel that was suggested to us by lonely planet. At first the cab driver had no idea what we were talking about, but eventually his GPS got us there. Headed into the love motel, put our stuff down and went to look for the port. We found the port, which was only 5 minutes away from our love motel, walking. Got some food, went back to the motel and fell asleep. Have to be up in 5 hours!
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