I watched The Mummy then everyone left.

After mentioning a throw-away thought of holidaying to Egypt next year, Ian gave me a look of fear as he told me he was scared of scarabs. This look was nothing however compared to the look of horror he gave when he realised the reference was lost on me. With The Mummy 3 imminent to Korean cinema screens, we bought the two prequels (I think this particular subway seller was actually legit) to aid my impending education.

Being a big fan of Egypt, Rachel Weisz and American jokes, they went down well. The latest film, however, unfortunately misses out on the beautiful lead actress, and although we came up with some plausible explanations, Alex's cut-sharp English accent was disappointingly replaced with an all-American one. On top of this, the plot was poor. Basically they revived the mummy far too early and I fell asleep during the action. With the film set in China, none of my reasons for liking the earlier films were fulfilled in this one.

So that was Ian's last night in Seoul. I packed him off on the City Limousine Bus (it's just as plush as it sounds) on Tuesday morning to Incheon airport, tried not to get too teary as a further half year of long-distance-relationship looms, and set about enjoying Lauren's last night in Seoul.

Earlier in the day Lauren had met with her now ex-boss, who'd kindly loaded her off with some cash to splash on her last day. After packing and re-packing a year's worth of accumulations (let's not even think about how much stuff got sent home; I'm thinking of having a clear-out soon) we went to a fancy sushi bar. One of those all-you-can-eat buffet places. We agreed that Korea definitely does buffet restaurant a lot classier than England. For some reason they threw a mental when I wanted to take pictures of the food, though.

As a last-night memento we also went to one of Korea's many sticker booths. With make-up shops and face-rollers to slim down your cheeks rife, it is little wonder that Koreans are obsessed with taking photos of themselves. It's not uncommon to see people on the streets/subway/drinking coffee with their phones out posing for self-pics. I guess sticker booths just aid this obsession. They're just like ID photo booths, except there are wigs and hairbands to try on, and you can decorate the photos afterwards with pretty backgrounds and borders.

So that was Lauren's last night in Seoul. I packed her off on the City Limousine Bus (still plush) this morning to Incheon airport where my unexpected tears appeared as my Korean-adventure friend set forth for the security gates and beyond. I'll miss her tonnes and I wish her all the best back in the UK...and I guess I'd better get used to the idea that the holidays are over and it's back to work tomorrow!

The Newquay of Korea?

Ian and I took the bus to Gangneung on the east coast last Tuesday. It was a 3 hour journey from the Express Bus Terminal in Gangnam, and bus 202 links you nicely to the beach once you're there.

Shock 1: I've been know to turn a motel or two down in my time if they're ten thou or so over budget. I'd say 25-30,000 won has been a standard price for a double room, 40 if it was particularly swish. When the guy at the Komodo motel quoted ship-o-man-won I just couldn't comprehend it. I was so confused I actually got him to write it down. Yep, there it was: 150,000 won. We looked elsewhere.

All the big motels had the same story, if they weren't in fact booked out. I know it's peak season but to multiply prices by 5 is a little excessive. Even the little old lady with her no-aircon-no-natural-light box of a room was charging 70,000. We gave up the search in favour of lunch and the beach.

Now I'd say I've experienced a fair few beaches in my time here in Korea so far. There was the recent trip to Muuido where all the Koreans were conservatively swimming in t-shirts. There was Daecheon beach with the mud festival offering an alternative form of modesty. Phallic symbols overlooked the fishermen near Samcheok and the mass of bikinis in Busan was largely sported by westerners roasting on the sand. Being off the tourist trail but in search of some sea and sand I'd imagined a similar story. Hah!

Shock 2: Bikini babes were everywhere! Girls flaunting themselves in high heels, oversized sunglasses and little more than a tiny swimsuit were so predominant that did I not feel out of place because I was showing TOO much flesh, but not enough! Just didn't seem right for Korea.

We found the most secluded spot on this overly crowded beach that we could - which involved sitting next to the beach's bungee jumping stand - took a 15 minute dip in the less than clear waters, just in time for an attendant to come round at 6.30pm sharp whistling everyone out of the water.

Not planning on returning to the beach the next day we took a bus back home to Seoul instead. Traffic jams and a congested subway journey meant that we literally travelled for 8 hours for a 15 minute swim. Worth it? I wonder...

Lotte World

Rob, a fellow salsa dancing Englishman, lives a five minute walk from Jamsil subway station. This also happens to be the gateway to Lotte World: "A World of Magic and Fantasy".

From the first time we met to the present day I have sung the amusement park's praises to this incessant sceptic, but having avoided it for two years Rob was adamant he would continue to do so. Now on the final stretch of his time in Korea I finally persuaded him - as a general theme park enthusiast - renouncing his absence would be worthy of his time. With girlfriend Jenny and boyfriend Ian in tow, we made it a date and finally got there last Sunday morning.

It continues to be a Disney rip-off (I swear that parade car was playing the Looney Tunes theme) but hosting all the big rides plus a decent number of small ones, it definitely deserves a mark in my 'Theme Parks of Korea' book.

Despite being the largest indoor amusement park in the world[1] the outdoor Magic Island is really where it's all happening. I mean, granted, the Crazy Bumper Cars are indoor (a big selling point for Rob) and considering the small scale of the four storeyed arena the French Revolution does a pretty impressive take on thrilling. But there's no Gyro Swing to whirl you out over the lake, or Gyro Drop to leave you contemplating the size of Seoul 70 meters above ground. Ian claimed he wouldn't be riding anything with Gyro in the name, but of course this was just a pretense.

Despite being a weekend during Korea's only week summer holiday with the sun shining so forcefully we're left to wander how we didn't all result as red as ripe tomatoes, the crowds weren't too hideous to battle. The queues inevitably hotted up as the day progressed, but with such exhilaration from the fluffy characters that sporadically flashed you a wave or the newly sprouted animal ears from the majority of the people, a good rest in line between rides was probably called for.

As long as you can tolerate a bit of waiting, having experienced Lotte World at both end of the year during the two Korean holidays, I don't think this is a place you could ever want to avoid. Besides the dizzying feeling of being on hallucinogenic drugs, that is. But being a country with a strict prescriptive drugs only policy, this is probably as close to the real thing you'll get.

[1] according to the ever-trustworthy Wikipedia

Decisions

After receiving an unexpected PhD offer, I took Ian to contemplate his decision at Seoul Grand Park - Seoul's alleged best zoo. I'd wanted to save all potentially overly couply venues until I was equipped with a strong couply force myself, but instead we had to negotiate the swarms of young families and school outings. I'm not really sure what I was thinking; parents do like to take their kids to the zoo.

Well, the cable car over the lake from the main gate to the animals was definitely worth the ride, and with no one before or behind us it was a serene, peaceful, undisturbed journey. Disturbed, however, is definitely how Ian felt as we went from one insufficient enclosure to the next. It's little wonder the lions were closing in on civil war with only a few paces available to pace between.

Despite the poor living conditions for the animals it was a reasonably well-kept park with cute signs and good facilities for the customers. With priorities clear, if eco-friendly zoos are your thing, I'd stay clear of this one.

Now after a night's sleep, a Chi-Hé-guided tour of Gyeongbok Palace and much deliberation, Ian decided - literally a few hours before the application deadline - to accept the PhD offer. Dr. Ian, eh. We headed to Hyehwa for celebratory beer.

With a 2000cc pitcher for ~W9000, the Bier Halle seemed like an inviting place to start. Having already had a large celebratory dinner, we'd forgotten about that unwritten rule that with any amount of alcohol purchased in a bar, one must order 안주, anju, or some kind of food to accompany your drinks. With all food dishes lounging around the W10,000 mark, it rather turns a cheap beer into a not-so cheap beer. Of course we're talking in won. If you could order four pints and a plate of food for a tenner you'd be doing all right. But we're in Korea. My perception of what's cheap has definitely been distorted over the last year.

One pitcher down, we decided to see what other establishments could offer us. Mildly interested in the Live Jazz Cafe on the opposite street, the W9000 for a 330ml beer and an obstructed view certainly nipped that interest in the bud. It also made the Bier Halle seem exceptionally cheap once more. Still, intent on trying somewhere new, instead we went to Drunken Memory - a bar a couple of doors down. With no purchase of anju necessary and cheap beer available, the place did its job and here the post must end.

Hanji makes me happy

Last Friday was another national holiday. Unfortunately I spent most of it watching chick flicks and popping pills as an irritating summer cold crept up on me, but nevertheless the time off was much appreciated. Come rain or shine or deathbed sickness, the Korean teachers here always make it to class, making us feel a little guilty about exercising our sick-day rights. A paid, guilt-free day in bed certainly beat slogging it out at the 유치원.

Lauren had arranged a hanji paper lamp-making session with a lady down in the traditional street of Insadong for the Saturday. This sounded like a nice relaxing way to get out of the one-roomed place I'm calling home these days. However, on discovering the lady's absence from her shop, my slowly developing Korean skills were called upon as I dialled the number to find out where she was. "Closed," she said. Most disappointing.

Sunday was Dano - a traditional Korean holiday. For the first time since our very first weekend in Korea, we went to the Namsangol Hanok Village to see what was going on. Reflecting on our memories of those first impressions we received eight months ago, revisiting the site certainly highlighted how quickly the time has passed since our arrival, but yet also how much has passed in this short space of time.

This recreation of a traditional Korean village hosted a variety of activities for its visitors this Dano day. There was a traditional food market, traditional games, 'traditional swing ride', hair washing with 'extract of changpo', a taekwondo demonstration, and Lauren even tried on hanbok. Unfortunately, given our love of a bit of craft DIY, the sign 'Traditional Craft Making' had its back sadly turned from us. Still, the weather was perfect for a wander - sunny but not too hot or muggy - and everyone seemed to be out smiling and having a good time.

Taking a final meander on our way out, what did we come across but a whole street lined with arts and crafts stalls! We were in heaven. Options included soap making, jewellery making, tie dying, Corn dolly making and more, but since our hanji experience in Jeonju the papier maché experience won hands down. While Lauren was creating a masterful paper doll, I was gluing up a traditional mask. Unfortunately the heavens opened big style, making the process doubly as sticky, but the end - if slightly rushed - finish was most exciting. If I'd not spent so much time ripping up pieces of paper to stick on it, I'd assume that it'd been painted.

Hanji is definitely up there on my favourite things to do in Korea. I hope the lamp lady comes back soon.

Korean wedding

On Monday morning I was surprised to open my eyes to clear blue skies. Why I was surprised I'm not sure, since most days prior to then had too been this hot kind of hot I've been complaining about. During my first class of the day I asked the ritual, "How's the weather today?" to receive shouts of "It's sunny!" No later than the second class I asked the same question, only to be faced with "It's stormy", and a racket at the windows.

The rains have come, and they've not stopped yet.

Last weekend was Alex's brother's wedding. Kindly, Lauren and I were invited along, but as the day grew closer to the event we became a little apprehensive as to why we were going. What would be the premise of our invitation? Still, it's always good to occasionally put oneself in such situations in order to build up a little extra character. And of course it was good to have the opportunity to experience a Korean wedding ceremony, too.

And regarding that, it was a little bewildering. We subwayed it down to the relevant "wedding hall" - ballroom type places used specifically for marriage ceremonies, often with cheesy photos outside displaying Just Married signs (luckily I didn't notice any on this such one; obviously a classier venue^^) - just in time to poke our heads around at the ceremony. We didn't stay in the room to watch. Not being formally seated among the masses of family guests in the main hall, it all felt a bit voyeuristic.

More bizarrely, neither did Alex, brother of the groom. "Nah, I don't need to see that," he said. Instead we headed for our sit down meal one floor down while we watched the couple make the rounds of greetings on the big screen. The fancy camera work and replays of Behind The Scenes really made me feel like I was watching a reality TV show, though Alex assures me that the screens are not a regular feature of all Korean weddings. With Korea's love of technology, it wouldn't surprise me if they were.

Many couples these days opt for a 'modern' wedding, incorporating both a western-style and traditional Korean ceremony in the one event. So the bride started her day out in a sparkly white ball gown for the exchanging of the rings with her husband-to-be in a fancy tux; commenced the transition between western and Korean style wedding by changing into more regular smart dress for greeting the guests (why they needed to change for this was a little confusing); and, once all the guests had eaten their what they all hoped was locally produced steak[1] and gone their separate ways, the couple changed once more into full-blown hanbok for the traditional Korean wedding ceremony.

[1] a very topical issue. Might write about it another time.

The whole affair was practically over in two hours. The Korean ceremony - which among other things included bowing to each set of parents and force feeding one another traditional ricecakes - seemed to be a close family do only (so if we felt voyeuristic before...), so if you were neither related to the bride or groom, a foreign onlooker, nor present for the ring exchange, you probably only came to show your face and eat the free food. Not much different to a fully western style wedding then, except these kinds of guests might also come for the free booze and all night party that were absent from this event.

Before I attended this one, I was thinking that I'd like to have a Korean wedding. OK so I have Korean blood, but culturally I am as British as they come. Nevertheless, I'm open to exploring my native roots. (Of course this wedding option would only occur were I to marry a Korean man, otherwise it really would be taking the mick.) However as pleasant as it was, I do now realise that I'm definitely up for the bridesmaids, cringe-worthy speeches and marquee that I just wouldn't otherwise get to have.

Though it is a good excuse to own hanbok; maybe I can have two weddings...or just incorporate the whole lot in one...or maybe I need to find a husband and get my head out of the clouds. Wait, I'm not looking to get married any time soon. Post while you're far far behind, Chi-Hé.

Weekend in Jeonju

WorknPlay, the recruiting company who originally arranged our trip to Korea, hosted a trip to the traditional hanok village in Jeonju this weekend. Normally I scorn bus loads of tourists who get off, snap some pics, and get back on the bus feeling like they've "experienced" the country, but for ₩30,000 to include travel, accomodation, food AND activities, it seemed a small price to pay (boom boom) for a bit of outside-Seoul adventure.

I guess there is a reason why the LP only gives Jeonju a single page of listed activities, but being on the aforementioned tour, we probably got to do a whole lot more than if we'd attempted it as independent travellers.

What we did:

- We made our own bibimbap. Jeonju is particularly famous for its unique style of bibimbap. I'm not exactly sure how it differs from other places, since as far as I can tell one day some guy decided to chuck all his vegetables in a hot bowl of rice, mix it with some hot sauce and make it a national dish. Anyway, it tasted good. Maybe not the best I've ever had as it was supposed to be, but certainly not the worst. That might have been the one we had in Itaewon that was recommended by the Lonely Planet.

- We watched a local girl playing some traditional harp-like instruments, and some men story-telling in the art of traditional Korean singing. The word "traditional" is going to be used even more in this post. Beware.

- We made boxes in the style of hanji - a traditional Korean paper art form. It was good to be on the receiving end of the arts and crafts lesson. The contest at the end for who had made the best box actually turned out to be self-nominees followed by a rock, scissor, paper competition. This is not an uncommon method for sorting difficult situations out for children and adults alike.

- There was a small festival going on with many Korean ladies dressed in hanbok (traditional dress) making tea and ricecakes. We were invited to look around and join in. We learnt the correct method of drinking tea (hold cup on palm of left hand and sip with right hand three times) while sitting cross legged under gazebos.

- We slept on the floor of a traditional Korean-style house (hanok) with the ondol (underfloor heating) on full blast. Even though most of Korea is still heated in this way, I reckon many people have proper beds these days. Still, sleeping on the floor wasn't a problem, but the rock solid (bean-filled, I'm sure) pillows were more of an issue for me.

- During the festival there was a mammoth 100-person bibimbap being made. This involved many of the local community getting their chefs hats on with industrial sized wooden spoons before doling it out to the masses. Or at least, one hundred of them.






Anyway, so that was our weekend in a rather large nutshell. Certainly nice to get away for a bit, meet some other foreigners (and hear about how most of them have unfortunate working conditions too, making us feel mildly better about our situation), and get a hands-on "traditional experience". Not sure I'd recommend it as a travelling hotspot, though.

Princess Cafe

After another hectic day at work, unsuccessful and frustrating complaints to the boss and no doubt plenty more to come, Lauren and I decided to meet up for a quick recoup before heading home for the evening.

Wanting to venture outside our usual haunts, Lauren noticed Cafe Princess up on the 6th floor of one of the many neon flashing streets. Why not? we thought. Just after a simple cuppa, we were somewhat bewildered by what we encountered.

Private curtained rooms adorned with pink wallpaper, flowers and kitsch cushions and accessories? It seemed a little OTT, even for Korea.

However, we embraced these minor details once we realised the man won price per room (that's like a fiver) offering free refills of tea/juice/coffee/cookies/icecream. With deals like that going, we weren't sure why we weren't already frequenting the place.

Independence Movement Day

On March 1, 1919, a Declaration of Independence from Japanese rule was read in Tapgol Park, Seoul. 33 signed the declaration and all 33 were arrested and sent to Seodaemun prison as political prisoners.

To this day the declaration is read in Tapgol Park every March 1 to commemorate the fight from Japanese colonialism. We went by to check out the festivities.

There was traditional dancing, singing of all four verses of the national anthem and of course the speech itself. The most emotive part of the ceremony was the painting of the Japanese flag accompanied by a drum beat, before defacing it with blue paint.

On talking to various Korean people about their attitudes towards their neighbours, it seems that in reality the background of the relationship between the countries does not spark bias against their Japanese friends. However, despite individual acceptance of the Japanese, deep emotional conflict against the nation clearly remains.

The defacing of the Japanese flag

Holidays

"What's '절하다'?" I asked my mum in a moment of enthusiastic study.
"To do ceremonious bowing," she replied.
"Ah, so not something I really need to know." A hasty conclusion perhaps...

With the beginning of the Lunar New Year approaching, the whole country was released from work between Wednesday and Friday of last week to celebrate. With stories of Seoul transforming into a ghost town and a gridlocked road network as the city heads out to spend time with their families, Lauren and I - rather than spending extortionate amounts for a flight out of Korea in holiday season - followed suit and went to visit my aunt in the countryside.

We arrived on New Years day (this year was on the 7th February) to find my aunt and uncle dressed in hanbok in preparation for the New Year celebrations. Soon after we arrived, we all bundled into one of the bedrooms and watched on as my cousin and her family performed the aforementioned "ceremonious bowing" - bowing down to the floor while kneeling - to their parents and grandparents before exchanging envelopes of money. Feeling slightly voyeuristic as we witnessed this ceremony, we were taken aback and a little embarassed as we were motioned to do the same. I'm not entirely sure we did it exactly right, but we were presented with a token amount of money which was an unexpected yet pleasant surprise.

The rest of the day was filled with eating fruit and ricecakes and general pottering about. The grandma slept on the sofa while Lauren and I watched Back to the Future. Other family members turned up at various points during the day to hang out as well; the formalities were short and sweet.

On Friday another of my cousins turned up to spend time with us. We got our nails done before venturing out to a nightclub for our evening entertainment. Now, in Korea, there is apparently a subtle difference between a club and a nightclub. The former sounds like a similar setup to a Western club with music, a bar and a dance floor. A nightclub, however, predominantly holds tables and chairs and might have a stage and a small dancefloor at the front of the room. On hearing about such joints, American-style bars that pop up on TV sprang to mind - another misperception.

On arriving at the nightclub, we observed neon taken to another level as blinking palm trees welcomed us in. Inside was a band playing beyond volume where conversation was possible, and the room was totally black save the attendants' glow-in-the-dark name badges. We were shown to a table where our bags were taken away for safe keeping before being presented with beer and fruit.

"Beer and fruit: it's normal," confirmed my cousin.

My cousin had also pre-warned us that the waiters might introduce us to some men. She didn't make a big deal out of it. "In Korea, it's normal," she assured us again.

Lo and behold, within fifteen minutes of being seated, we were led by a couple of waiters out of the main room, up some stairs and into a private noraebang where we found a bunch of men sitting, singing and drinking. They offered us whisky and strawberry milk.

"Young persons place my..." I thought as we sat with them.

Lauren and I gave them an ironic rendition of It's Raining Men before bidding them farewell in favour of our own seats. They weren't our types.

Some Korean techno pop blasted out of the speakers while a scantily clad young lady girated with a couple of topless muscular men on stage. In a society where low necklines are frowned upon, this display was seemingly out of the ordinary. Little did we realise that if we'd turned up an hour earlier we would have witnessed a full strip show.

We danced until the music switched to the ballad genre and the floor emptied. Everyone went back to their seats and the match-making began. Initially the waiters attempted to split us up to send us each to different tables, but this certainly wasn't on our agenda for the evening. Regardless of what we wanted however, they were pretty forceful as they grabbed us by the wrists leading us up and down the aisles until we reached an appropriate table of men. I have read since that girls are supposed to put up some resistance so as not to appear too eager, so perhaps my arm wrestling and repeated refusals were in keeping with the ritual. Eventually my cousin came to rescue me with the excuse that I couldn't speak Korean; one I felt was valid but perhaps this not a factor to the service the attendants were providing.

Soon the music started up again so we figured if the boys wanted our company they would be forced to dance too. And so the cycle continued: dancing with raunchy stage performances followed by slow songs and match-making. Even if we didn't appreciate being dragged around for the benefit of drunken men, at least it made for a cheap night out!

Tiring of the nightclub etiquette and unenthused by the squatter toilets screened by smoke as girls rebel against the unwritten rule that they cannot smoke in public, we left the building to find our valet parking guy. It's almost as though they were encouraging drink-driving...

Seoul Land

In celebration of the approaching end-of-school year, my seven year old kindy classes were taken - with their new favourite Mary Teacher - to Seoul Land.

This is another of Korea's amusement parks, though being accompanied by the under-100metered, the more thrilling rides were only to be enjoyed by mock awe and gasps. Instead we all struggled up the fake snow slopes hauling little red sleds behind us, anticipating the crowds of half sized people eagerly pushing their way for an opportunity to slide the twenty seconds to the bottom. Of course when I say we, I mean the children. I merely followed behind and waited for a chummy child to invite me on the back of their sled.

This excitement was followed by - in between toilet breaks - a "magic show". As witnessed at Lotte World, this was largely conducted by Western looking (and by that I mean an amalgamation of blonde haired and blue eyed) performers dancing in a changing series of coloured lights and stage effects. The magic itself was pretty lame, for even my inspired eyes could sense that secret compartment holding that multi-coloured scarf. Nonetheless, a bonus of not being of the intended age group audience, as a teacher I was given a free magic trick to wow the students and whoever else is willing to humour me. (Note the present tense there; free webcam demonstrations are available to those on my contacts list ;) )

Amusement parks such as this one do seem to be prime spots for attracting not only hoards of school children, but also courting young couples. You can tell these, if you are unsure of their relationship status, by their matching outfits. These venues tend to encourage matching ears as a fashion accessory, however many other items can be viewed in double across the capital. Such items might include matching phone charms (your mobile is naked without one), hats, jackets, bags, or - wait for it - underwear. With Valentine's Day approaching I considered indulging this culture, albeit as a joke, however for some reason couldn't bring myself to part with my hard earned cash over anything sufficiently unsexy that I'd allow either one of us to attire. E-card it will have to be, then :P

(Right: a couple sporting matching cat ears; one of many underwear shops getting ready for "Valentain Day")


Returning from this digression, I rode a couple of children's rides with half-real enthusiasm while one of my new (7-year-old) admirers asked permission to take a video with my camera from the top of the spinning aeroplane ride. Facebook holds the evidence.

It was a long day of jumping up and down, being pulled in multiple directions as several small people bided for my attention, and holding a fixed smile on my face. I was lucky to get the front seat of the bus home thereby relieving me from entertaining duties, however my attention was stolen, somewhat in alarm, by the number of spray-painted car outlines adorning the highway. These are apparently corners of cars marked out to indicate the location of recent crashes. Literally seeing outlines of car after car pointing in all directions, my mind was not eased as the bus driver weaved in and out of traffic at high speed coming inches within other cars and the lives of a whole bus load of children...

The end of a long week

This week has been horrendously tiring; even though we're not always DOING things, the cold weather and long days have been taking it out of us somewhat. We considered a renegotiation of hours again, but the boss is never in, always stressed, and difficult to get hold of. We'll see.

Today wasn't so bad though. For one, it was Friday. That means, for those of you unsure of your days of the week, it's Saturday tomorrow. And THAT means: no school tomorrow. Or the day after that. So maybe with that in mind there wasn't the stress of, "Eugh">, the week STILL isn't over," because it was. W00t.

So.

* Lauren and I both made animal puppets which induced much animal sound making. You know Korean people say mung mung mung for a dog, and nyaong for a cat?

* I spent the afternoon making several versions of "Grandma's House" which I'll get the kids to make on Monday. It's exciting - you open the door and there's Grandma with all her stuff.

* Olive, our Korean co-teacher/babysitter, made a duck mask, and modelled it beautifully. See the picture.

* It was one of the other teacher's birthdays today, so we had real Domino's pizza. Made a change from sloppy Korean style kimchi pizza. And we ate with our hands; not chopsticks and a spoon!

* We witnessed some major dodgy advertising by a couple with clown faces and crazy costumes. The picture just doesn't do it justice.

* Lauren and I headed to Can More to swing in the swing chairs and cosy up with some fruit, yoghurt and cornflakes. Ah, with a side dish of toast and cream. Bit of a couples paradise this one.

A comparatively fun day, but I'm definitely running on overdrive now. Been waking up every day this week without fail having emerged from one bizarre dream or another. Something to do with sleep cycles or whatever; perhaps my alarm is set for that particular hour where I'm in the dreaming stage. I'm not expert, but it might be nice to sleep through them tomorrow and wake up not remembering what my subconscious has managed to dream up for me. Ha ha.

We apologise for the delay...

So as I forced myself to relax as we missed the turnoff for the airport, it was futile once I realised my flight home has been delayed by one and half hours.

Hence, the increased facebook activity and pointless blog post.

So. News. Ha!

1. "Happy Birthday Jesus!" we exclaimed into a video camera, approached by churchy types on the street in exchange for free choco pies.
2. Being such a frequent goer of the PC방, they made me a member, lol. Now I get to clock up mileage points, or something. And since I don't know my address, they just filled that part in with PC Bang. Ha ha.
3. Saw Ghost for the first time last night in the DVD방. Despite despair at the cheesiness, I cried as Patrick leaves Demi forever...
4. I have 1 minute left of my time online at the airport. Guess I'd better wrap up this thrilling entry.

Ciao!

Aquarium

Continuing with the tourist theme, we headed to the COEX mall - a huge underground shopping mall and allegedly the largest shopping centre in Seoul.

On the subway journey there, an elderly man struck up conversation with the interrogative "Where you from?" Amused, I participated in the exchange. After going through the usual, "How long you in Korea?" and, "What you do in Korea?" he took me by surprise by asking, "You marry?" I replied negative. This in turn provoked, "Every month you send money family?" I replied confusedly, "Er...no...?" to which he then said with an air of realisation, "Ah, because when you marry you need the money." Uh huh, that's my reason for keeping my earnings to myself...^^

Anyway, we arrived at the COEX in time for lunch. The plan was to go to the Aquarium, though naturally we had to stop off at the various stationery shops along the way^^

We came across the clothes shop Bongzi&Bongzi, with the fantabulous claim, Made by Jesus. In an increasingly Christian country, I'm not entirely sure how they feel they can justify such an assertion...



Finally at the aquarium (having felt like we'd been taken on the long way round by the signs to the back of the store) we came across plenty of interesting and exciting sea-life.

We were:

• dismayed at some of the tiny enclosures, especially for the larger creatures like the crocodile (but were relieved at the small, locked cabinet for the tarantula);
• simultaneously appalled and intrigued by some of the genetically modified goldfish (see above picture);
• confused by the twin-headed tortoise;
• amused by the inventive displays including fish in the toilet, fish in the washing machine, fish in the vending machines;
• excited by the walkthrough shark tank.

All in all, an afternoon filled with wonder and excitement as we fulfilled our inner children, meandering around the huge display of underwater creatures.

More fishy pics

Baby birthday party

So apparently I went through one of these affairs when I turned 1 too, but since I don't remember that occasion, attending our friend's baby's one year birthday party last night was a peculiar event indeed.

We arrived at the restaurant unprepared for just how big an occasion it was to be. Our friend was beautifully made up in hanbok, completed with curled hair and careful makeup. She was carrying her son - also in traditional dress - with a professional photographer milling around snapping pictures left, right and centre. At the end of the restaurant was a table adorned with cakes and towers of ricecakes, along with a selection of items in a basket each representing a potential career path for the baby.

At the entrance of the restaurant we were presented with a raffle-style ticket, which we were to place in the relevant pot depending on which future we predicted for the child. The options included a ball (assumedly representing a sportsman), crayons (creativity), a stethoscope (doctor - the mother's hope), and a banknote (self explanatory).

The ritual was bizarre. There was a compere with a mic and if we'd not known better we might have thought we'd walked into a small town auction. He began by encouraging the guests to guess what time the baby had been born. Not really understanding what was going on until we were filled in later, we obviously didn't join in the competition. It was a shame since the 'winner' was presented with a gift - though for all we knew it was a wrapped up empty box. Jokes.^^

The baby was then dressed in some kind of white necklaces representing longevity (엄마 or 오빠 care to inform?^^) before the compere instructed the father of the baby to perform a cheesy dance making heart shapes with his arms, chanting "I love you" to the baby. It was very amusing, and I couldn't help feel that our friend was mildly embarassed by this. Then came the ceremonial baby item picking. He went for the money, much to the delight of his elders.

So after we'd eaten our share of the food (having maxed out on sushi a few days earlier we weren't particularly revelling in all the raw fish available), and having had our pictures taken with our friend, we weren't really sure what to do with ourselves. Since we didn't know anybody - nor could we converse with the people who were there - we made an early exit; our cue taken from several of the other guests who'd done the same.

It was a beautiful occasion and an excuse for the parents to get dressed up, but we couldn't help leaving feeling slightly bemused by the experience...^^

Today we visited the National Museum of Korea where we had our fill of ancient Korean relics. It was interesting, but there are only so many Buddhist paintings, Chinese medicine chests and kimchi jars that one can take in one day ^^

Christmas is coming...

For fear of having overdosed on the writing aspect lately, here are some recent observations in pictoral form:

"COCK IT TO ME", reads a girl's backpack

Christmas may not be the main event of the year, but those that go for it certainly don't hold back; behold a decorated bus

As the presidential elections loom, less than orthodox methods of campaigning ensue

DVD Bangs

Regarding the kinderschool, it isn't so much that nobody else wants to work for her - she does have her maximum required number of teachers at her hagwon - but it's that she realised that she could introduce English teaching into her Korean school too, and now that she has two young willing girls to help her, she's jumping on the English learning bandwagon!

It's possible that if we do work at the kindergarten then we won't start work until late January since the school takes three weeks off for Christmas. 3 weeks! They also take 3 weeks off in the summer, and since we're being given a say in the running of the new English department we've requested shorter hours (phrased as "more preparation time"), so I think we're hoping that it does go ahead since this is probably the best deal we'll get at such short notice!

Regardless of the perks, and despite the fact that we told her we're definitely on board, we've not actually signed a contract yet and there's no real guarantee that the proposal will go ahead. So we're still taking interviews from other schools and we have several recruiters on the job for us.

In other news, we've been frequenting DVD Bangs over the last two nights - small rooms equipped with projectors, easy-clean beds, tissues and bins. Oops, I didn't sell that well, did I? ^^

What I meant was that we've been going to DVD Bangs - private rooms where you rent a film and watch it at your own leisure on your own small cinema. I guess the aforementioned provisions are due to the fact that many Korean people live with their parents until they marry, so these places have become a popular place for couples to take dates -- which made Alex's friend very uncomfortable when we suggested the four of us go and watch a movie together.

Regardless of the dodgy nature of the venue, Lauren and I really like them - they're cosy, you get good sound and picture quality, and you are provided with an endless supply of free drinks. You don't need to worry about popcorn being thrown at you or people telling you to "Ssshh!" when you make a comment about the lead actress. The perfect place for a quiet night in -- as long as you keep your mind off who was in there last.

Lotte World pictures

Life in the PC Bang

It's distressing. Despite the convenience of the close proximity to my apartment, the computers in the internet cafe, or PC방, don't have any form of MSN messenger, you can't download anything, and the owner insists on sitting next to me, snapping his gum really loudly. I can even smell it. He occasionally looks over my shoulder to see what I'm doing, which is very disconcerting. Last time I tried to sit in a different seat he insisted I sit in this one. I don't know why. Kids usually come to these places to play online games, and I hear as far as they go this is quite a nice one since it has a non-smoking area. At 1000 won/hour I can't really complain, but it's just not the same as being in the comfort of my own home...

Nevertheless, I write up the day's events, bleary eyed and irritated by the guy next door. Slept through my hangover this morning, to be forced out of bed by the cable guy coming to disconnect my internet. *Sniff*.

OK. I'm over it. Really. ^^

Anyway, I didn't make it to graduation, but since none of my kids were graduating it was pointless for me to go, except maybe for the amusement of seeing seven year olds dressed up in gowns. I did turn up at school near the end of the ceremony to wait for Lauren, but I opted to hang out in the Teachers Room (where the few teachers that had made it automatically went to their ex-desks...) I stole the "What's The Time Mr Wolf?" book that I'd seen lying around - an exciting childrens story with a puppet wolf resembling a black, snappy Badger out of the Bodger and Badger duo. I'd had my eye on that for a while, so I was secretly glad the school closed so I could have it. Jokes. ^^

Lauren and I headed for Yongsan where we went for a job interview. We liked the layout of the school but there are some serious power-tripping women in this country, as the principal made it perfectly clear that she would consider our applications along with all the other interviewees she is seeing this week. Still, hopefully we'll hear back from her soon with a reply, whatever that may be. It was strange since we didn't really find out any information about the school though it seemed decent enough, but nor did she really ask us any questions about ourselves.

Slightly bemused by the fifteen minute 'interview', we headed out in search of some fun. It felt as though we had all the time in the world to play with, and we wanted to make the most of this. Of course this isn't true - we really ought to be getting a new job ASAP, but why waste a beautiful Saturday afternoon job hunting when we could be outside enjoying the non-icy cold weather?

We went to Myungdong where we wandered the high street shops. We revelled in the Christmas decorations, found new addictions in decorating our own sticker photos - in shops just filled solely with photo booths where you can dress up, take photos, and decorate your own backdrops and borders - and took advantage of the free hugs - people just standing in the streets with a sign reading "FREE HUGS". With fairy lights lining the shop windows and a crispness in temperature, there was certainly a festive feeling filling the air.

In the evening we went up to Seoul Tower via the Namsan cable car. It was very romantic looking down on the lights of Seoul *^^*

On the subway tonight I found a newspaper entitled "The Learning Times" - a newspaper for learning English. This weekend's feature article was part of a script from Sex in the City with Korean translation. Interesting vocab you could pick up there...

Tomorrow we're off to one of the US Army bases to remind ourselves of Western food and English literature. In fitting with the theme of the day we're meeting our army guy - the only one we've met so far - at Starbucks. Should be a blast.

More photos

The art of paper folding

Stationery shops are rife. They are each filled with more pink and sky-blue (a term that is unavoidable among kindergarten children) than Mothercare and more broken-English slogans than you can so much as put two fingers to your throat. (Right: Happiness seems far but sometimes it is at your doorstep)

Admittedly much of the stock is Made in China - as the majority of goods around the world is - but there are still a fair amount of these cutesy office supplies that are genuine Korean merchandise. A particular favourite brand of stationery to be found across the country/city/your local street is Morning Glory: all your pencil case fillers to be found with excessive numbers of cartoon characters and delightful scripts littered upon them.

But wander into Paperchase back at home and you are bound to find much the same products, albeit slightly more tasteful and for a seemingly older audience. What you don't find are rows upon rows of origami paper, in a multitude of different sizes, a plethora of different colours, shades and textures, and an abundance of different paper folding instructions depending on the pack you decide to buy. It is thus that I am now able to relive my misspent childhood years, spending hours cramping my fingers as they dwindle into a realm where everything is made from paper...

Popular culture

Last class on a Monday, Wednesday, and most irritatingly, Friday, is a group of nine boys ranging from 11 to 13 years old (Korean age). They are an absolute nightmare to teach: they tip their chairs and tables over by the minute; I'll glance away for one second, look back and find half the class have hidden round the corner, under the piano, in the shelves or behind the whiteboard (I ask them, "How old are you?" They reply, "I'm three years old"); they're constantly leaving the classroom to get water; they shout, they sing, and I have one boy who insists on rapping everything he says with the speed cranked up x1000. As amusing as this is, to exercise any control over them whatsoever is proving somewhat of a challenge, not to mention the fact that the range of their English levels is so vast that it is almost impossible to keep all of them occupied at the same time, give anyone attention without having the others throwing each other out of the windows, and actually give them any kind of education.

However there is one positive side to this group of raucous boys: I do get to keep up with all the latest Korean pop songs. Whether or not this is a blessing (highly debatable as you will see), I certainly cannot escape the tunes of "Tell me, tell me, t-t-t-t-t-tell me" (complete with dance routine), and "I'm so sorry but I love you, blah blah blah blah..." that fill my classroom with untuneful pre-pubescent voices.

Tell Me - Wondergirls


Lies - Big Bang