Friendsgiving

This weekend we hosted our first Thanksgiving, and did our best to recreate the traditional American dishes from our Korean supermarkets. We were not able to cook a turkey (no oven), but we did manage to find baked chickens, pumpkin pie, apple pie, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, Korean pumpkin porridge, rolls, and a salad! Needless to say, we were stuffed and it was really nice being with our new, and dear, friends during such a special time of year.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend back home!

love yall!

xo

Amy

감사합니다 (thank you)

Thanksgiving Day is here! Actually, it is coming to an end here in Busan, but it is just beginning for yall! Either way though, I have A LOT to be thankful for and I'm happy to have a day to reflect upon that.

One main reason for moving here was to be removed from my comfort zone in order to learn more about myself, learn more about others, and reflect on the life I was temporarily away from. The third part of that reason has left me overwhelmed with how much I have to be thankful for back home. I always knew this, but now I rreallly know :)

I have an amazing family (both immediate and extended) that has been nothing but supportive and loving during my ups and downs and crazy decision making (for example, moving across the world to Asia). I admire each and every one of them so much, and I am thankful for all that they have taught me, from day 1.

My friends are the best. I feel thankful to have friends across the country, and now the world, that I think are the coolest, most interesting, group of 20-somethings out there!! I love how each and everyone of them is finding their own path in this world. I am thankful for the laughs, the long talks, and the oozing love between us all :)

I am thankful for my life in Busan. I am thankful for each of my students, who have turned out to be just as much teachers to me, as I am to them. I am thankful for the people of South Korea for allowing me to slide into their world and for welcoming me with open arms and big smiles.

Also, I know this might embarrass him, but I dont care- I am incredibly thankful to have Bryan in my life. He has been a huge support to me during this transition, and I feel so lucky to have my best friend here to share this new world with.

This is my first Thanksgiving away from home, and as you can probably tell..its gotten me all sentimental :) Bryan and I are having a small group of close friends over this weekend for a 'traditional' Friendsgiving meal. We will work with what we can find, but unfortunately, I think this year will be a turkey-less one. Either way, it will be nice to be with our 'family away from home'. Today Bryan and I had work (lame), but before hand we did make some turkey wraps for lunch, so at least we had a little turkey!! Bryan will be tuning in first thing tomorrow morning to hopefully see the Horns beat the Ags!! (not gonna hold our breath for that victory...sorry guys)

I want to wish each and everyone of you a relaxing, delicious, and love-filled Thanksgiving! We miss yall!

love,

Amy

Our neighbors, the North

Hello everyone!

I want to write quickly about the recent activity between North and South Korea, and most importantly, thank everyone who has reached out to Bryan and I expressing their concern for us. It has really meant a lot to us to have such caring friends and family back home looking out for us. It made me feel less far away, and much more comfortable knowing that people were sending us their love and support.

I initially heard about the news from seeing facebook posts on my IPOD (hello modern technology!) during a quick 5 minute break in between classes. Im not gonna lie...I freaked. But, being a teacher now, and an "adult" (still getting use to that one), I had to put on a brave face and go teach a classroom full of kids. I could not let them see fear, because they could of been scared themselves and looking up to me for guidance. This is a little glimpse into how the class started (keep in mind, these children are about 11)

Students: Teacher Amy! War!!!! South Korea! North Korea! BOOM!!!!
Me: (nervous laughter, trying not to let them see that im turning blotchy and red) Oh yeah, I heard about that. But we live in Busan, we are safe!...right?!

Students: (laughter) Teacher Amy! Nuclear Bombs! Duh!

Me: (color draining from my face. 'you are the adult' mantra repeating over and over in my head) Oh. yeah. thats right. Well, how do you feel about this? Are you scared?

"Emo" Student: No. I want to die! (frightening)

"Dude who thinks hes a tough guy" student: No! My parents want me to fight! (making fake bazooka noises and arm-gun gestures)

"freakishly smart" student: No teacher Amy! My parents dug a big hole under our house for us to go in just in case!

Me: Great, then Im coming to your house.

So, after that class was over (thank god), I was able to get more news, and hear more about what actually happened. With the help of sweet Bryan (level headed, logical, hero), I calmed down a lot. We talked with our Korean co-teachers a lot about it, and read every possible article and watched the live news via internet when we got home. The more we heard, the better we felt. It was not a full blown war, as I had initially thought via facebook posts..

I realized that part of my fear stemmed from not knowing how to react to this kind of situation. I have never, ever, lived in a place where I felt unsafe (and I do want to add quickly, that I currently do feel safe in Busan). I think that is a tremendously lucky thing to be able to say. Granted, bad things can happen anywhere, and do, everyday. But, for the most part, they are 'random' uncontrollable things. The idea of living in a place that could potentially go to war is incredible new to me.

After thinking about it, I still have very mixed emotions about the whole thing. I truly feel that South Korea does not want to go to war. North Korea has been a 'bully' figure for quite some time now, but the South Koreans have been resilient and continues to offer humanitarian aid to the people of North Korea, and have not lashed out and attacked them yet. I also found comfort in the fact that the fighting only lasted an hour. I feel that if both sides were ready for a full-on-attack-war-mode, the fighting will have not stopped so quickly. I also feel strongly that China does not support this, and that North Korea can not do this alone, especially since we have America (love me some USA) on our backs.

Another big realization I had happened yesterday morning when I 'got out of my own head' and started to focus on the South Korean people. I was watching and admiring them on my normal 30 minute commute to Korean class (walk, subway, subway, walk).

They are really truly amazing. While I was freaking out wondering if I needed to go back to America, they continued living their lives, as normal as possible. They don't have another place to go. This is their home. The love it here, they love their lives, their families, and their friends. If something does escalate, and war does break out, it will be a completely devastating thing to see this culture get shaken again. They have gone through this so many times, and have always bounced back with their heads high. I would just hate to see this happen again after they have come so far.

So, what do we do now? Well, Bryan and I are keeping up to date with the news, and making sure we are aware of any changes or developments. We have both registered with the USA Embassy in Seoul, and will receive emails/texts messages from them if anything were to happen (have not received anything yet, which is a good sign). We have been told to carry our passports on us, just in case. And most importantly, if anything were to develop, and make us feel unsafe, we would come home. It would be tragic to have to leave the wonderful life we have created here, and I hope it does not have to come to that, ever. But, safety first :). I feel 100% safe in Busan right now, and hope with all my heart that this 'fizzles' out!

Sorry this turned out to be a bit long winded, but I have not been able to respond to everyone's emails, so I thought I could get out my thoughts in one place for now. Please send your 'peace and love' vibes to our neighbors up north, and we will keep on keepin on :)!

love you all,

Amy

Red to Yellow in Gyungju

Last weekend, we made our first trip out of the city limits since we arrived. It was a weekend of firsts, as this was our first chance at riding a bus. It was also our first time to see the Korean countryside.

After some early morning confusion about bus stations, and about an hour and a half on the subway, we made it to the bus for Gyungju. Gyungju is an ancient Korean city, where there are actually some historical sites still intact. Korean history is often quite sad. Virtually everything they built in the past has been destroyed; sometimes, over and over again. Whether it was the Mongolians, Chinese, Japanese, or even fellow Koreans, the southern half of the peninsula has not seen periods of peace that last more than a generation or two. I've learned from some research and the word of some Koreans, that virtually all of their temples have been rebuilt at least once. All old architecture, as in homes or other buildings, has been destroyed multiple times. One of the most tragic things I've come to learn about their history concerns wildlife. There isn't any. I've noticed this many times on our hikes, as there aren't any squirrels, rabbits, or deer that I've seen. Apparently there are some, but they are few and far between. There used to be bears and even a Korean Tigers no more than 70 years ago. The Japanese slaughtered all the bears and the few remaining Korean Tigers, during their occupation from 1910-1940. It is very sad and unfortunate, but on a happier note, South Korea has managed to preserve some of their sites, and rebuild the rest.

Only an hour bus ride away, Gyungju lies in the middle of a valley surrounded by mountains. Autumn is in full swing and the trees were brilliant mix of reds, yellows, and oranges.

A short walk from the bus station and we entered ancient burial grounds of Korean royalty. Hundreds, if not thousands of years of kings and queens are buried under massive green mounds, nearly 50 ft. tall. The park was littered with dozens of mounds. Some of the mounds were connected, symbolizing a king and queen laid to rest together. It was a very pleasant and serene setting for royal burial. I very much appreciate the natural and humble aspect of burying ones royalty under massive mounds of soil. They will peacefully stand forever, but are not as ostentatious as the pyramids built over decades.

After strolling the parks for a while, we decided to catch a taxi into the mountains. First we visited the Seokguram grotto at the top of a mountain over looking the ocean to the East. There was a small temple complex with some statues and then a small building built into the side of the mountain. Once inside, you see a room carved out of the mountain! It was unbelievable. It is apparently some of the oldest Buddhist art in Korea. It is also some of the most beautiful statues/sculptures I have ever seen. They did not allow pictures, so we cannot share....But! You should come visit and we'll take you there!

After the Seokguram grotto, we took a nice easy path, about 2.2 km, down the mountain. This was beyond beautiful. We walked for about thirty minutes under a never-ending canopy of reds, yellows, and oranges gracefully falling from the trees. There isn't much of a fall in Texas, and I've never had the pleasure of experiencing all of it in Ohio. But wow! This was one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen.

At the bottom of the mountain, we came to Bulgulksa Temple. This is one of the oldest and most popular temples in all of Korea. It was originally built in 731 AD, and was destroyed and rebuilt many times. The original foundation has remained intact, and the current structure was rebuilt in the 1970s.

Amazing sculptures and architecture littered the entire complex. This is the third temple we've had the pleasure of seeing and it was still breath-taking.

We left the temple just as the sun was beginning to go down. After some Ssam-Bap, a kind of vegetarian style Korean BBQ. We caught a bus headed for home, in Busan.

Inside the Box

I learn so many things everyday about Korean culture, that I forget to write them down. However, this past week, I was let in on a new piece of information about the education system.

At our school, we (the native English speakers) usually teach speaking and writing classes. There are obviously a few exceptions. For the most part, it is easiest for us to teach the natural way to speak and write and it is easier for the Korean teachers to teach vocabulary, since they can simply translate it directly, rather than act it out with their hands.

Recently, I have been teaching one of my more advanced writing classes how to write good paragraphs. I'm talking basics, like topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a conclusion to wrap it up in five sentences. I noticed that the more diligent students in the class were taking notes on these basic ideas. So I asked them how their teachers in school teach them writing in Korean. Do they have indentions? How long are the sentences?

They don't.

What I mean is, they DO NOT write in school. EVER. I was blown away. Not in middle or high school. It took some self control not to lose it in class...so I held it in until I could confirm this insanity with my co-teachers.

True.

Korean students never write paragraphs, or essays, or ANYTHING.

All tests are multiple choice.

English, Math, Science, History, and Korean literature classes are all multiple choice.

Even now, I am getting worked up about this.

There is no room for personal voice. No room for intuition, invention, style, or art. Everything is about their precious scores. Did I get %100??!?

And how can you get an accurate, objective score from an essay?? I guess you can't.

I love the people here, but this makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.

The quantitive is so vastly superior to the qualitative concerning the education here, that I could scream.

Put your hands up for Busan! I love this city.

This past weekend was an amazing blur of laser beams and bass lines. We have now been here for more than three months, and are loving life here. There are obviously things that we miss about home. Live music probably tops the chart....followed closely by margaritas. We got to have both this weekend!

Internationally acclaimed French artist Yuksek came for a one night only appearance at club Maktum here in Busan. He is an extremely versatile musician. Depending on travel capabilities, his performances range from being a one-man-electronic band with many different keyboards, controllers, synthesizers, and a microphone...to spinning vinyl or CDJs like the best of them. Amy and I were lucky enough to get a big group of our friends out to the show with us this past Friday.

This was also one of the first times we've made it to a legit, dance your face off all night, club in Korea. Club Maktum has a massive silver mirror-esk protrusion entrance that leads down lit stairs to the basement dance floor.

On your way past the tickets/coat check, all guys are given these blue laser/lights that have a strap for your finger...girls are given red.

I was curious how popular Yuksek was in Busan....apparently, VERY. The place was packed and bumpin' long before he went on.

He finally came on after some quite talented Korean djs, around 1:30. Massive screens run by a VJ (video jockey), displayed amazing visuals in-time with his music. Laser lights pierced the entire hall which was filled with a sea of red and blue lights pumping to the beat.

In a strange way, it was quite comforting to be dancing my face off to music I love once again. The only thing that could've made it better would probably be a High-Kick from Steve.

Me, with my 'This is the greatest, most gnarliest beat ever' face on...

Heres a pretty sweet Yuksek track for ya featuring Chromeo on vocals....

Yuksek feat. Chromeo - So Down

The weekend was pretty Go! Go! Go! Saturday was recuperating. That night we met a friend at a new Mexican restaurant in Jangsang called Hello Kimchi...i dont get it either. It's run by Koreans, but they do a pretty good job considering....

This was our first opportunity to have margaritas in about four months. I got some enchiladas, which we much different than usual, but quite spicy and delicious. Chips and salsa and tacos made for a nice break from...well, Kimchi.

We headed to Kyungsung with unusually full stomaches. Kinoeye was already full by the time we arrived. This was my second chance to get to DJ here and definitely surpassed the first.

The crowd took no time at all to get into the music when I started at 1am. It didn't stop until...well actually they were still dancing when we left at 4.

It is so energizing to get to see such an amazing DJ the day before a show. I was very excited to get to show Busan some of my favorite tunes, and they were quite receptive to the new sounds. The one aspect of djing here that is much...much different than back home is requests. There are some Korean guys who dj there most of the time, and so i think my apparent Americaness really encourages people to ask for songs they like. It can get a little frustrating we people ask me five times to play a song i either don't know or hate. After the first thirty minutes or so, they stopped asking for the most part...probably because i didnt play much of anything they asked for. Regardless of their preferences, the dancing never stopped and three hours zoomed by in a flash of happiness and excitement.

Thanks Kino-eye.

I'll be back on the Nov 26th and Dec 11th.

A Pirate's Life for Me!

So, just when I thought Busan couldn't get any cooler...our friend Hayley organized a tour of the beaches of Busan for us on a Pirate Ship! Thats right folks..a real, live (well, sorta) Pirate Ship!

We had seen this boat from the shores a few times when we were at the beach, and it always really intrigued us. We had also heard of various short cruises you could take that go along the different beaches of the city. Luckily, our buddy was pro-active with these curious thoughts, and got us all spots on a 2 hour night cruise, on the Pirate Ship.

Now, one thing to mention about this ship is that it is not 100% real (although I had my fingers crossed for a Johnny Depp run-in), because it runs on a motor, and not the real sails. But those are just details, because it delivered a fully thrilling and memorable experience.

We were able to see some of the city's beautiful lights from out on the ocean. You could also bring anything on the boat that you wanted to, so we all enjoyed some Korean beers and traditional Korean snacks. It was such a fun time, and we even all agreed to try an do it again one more time before our year here is over (maybe for Bryan's 25th birthday :)).

The excitement of the cruise paired with a DELICIOUS Galbi (Korean bbq) dinner afterwards really made for an amazing Saturday night. Hope everyone's November is getting off to a great start too!

Love yall! xo, Amy

Flip-Flip-Flipadelphia! Halloweenin' Busan style

The day after a 4am dance party was a little rough. But it was saturday, and the day before Halloween! So, we had to suck it up and get down to Gwangalli Beach for a Halloween Flip-cup tournament.

Our friend Hailey put together a 16-team costume flipcup tourney for that saturday. Each team had four players, two guys, two gals. They managed to get tables out on the actual beach for the festivities.

Some teams were more dressed up than others. Costumes ranged from penguins and old-korean women (Ajeemahs) to football players and that Zach Galifianakis from The Hangover Everyone came ready to get our flippin' on!

For our older readers, Flip Cup is a relay drinking game where 1) even teams line up on opposite sides of a table 2) each player has a plastic cup filled about 1/3 with brew 3) you start at one end, where the opposing players cheers, drink, and then flip. 4) the object is to drink fast, and the flip your cup from right-side-up to top-down on the table 5) as soon as the cup successfully lands on its top, the next player then drinks and flips and so on

Our team, Team Flipadelphia, was made of Amy, Maddie, Matt, and myself. We were kinda slackers in the costume department, but our feathered MardiGras masks did unify our team enough for some gnarly victories.

The tournament was set up in a rather official manner, with two round-robin stages. Our team actually lost our first match, but won the next two and proceeded to Stage 2. We were beaten rather soundly in the second round, but the sun was going down, and we needed to recoop for a few hours before the Halloween night festivities in Kyungsung.

After some much needed Korean BBQ and a nap..hehe....we got out to Kyungsung for a Halloween pub crawl. The crawl was between four bars in Kyungsung, where you got a free drink with your ticket. The costumes and dancing was riotous.

I've never seen the streets that packed here. The details get a little blurry, but one of my favorite parts of the night was at the end, where we got some late-night McDonald's...which used to be a rather disgusting habit of mine, but is now a nice change from our much healthier weekly diet.