South Korea

Third of Twelve

Welcome -- needless to say, three months down, nine to go [No its not so bad that I'm counting down how many months I have left here... at least not yet!]

Lunar New Year/Valentine'sDay

Second of Twelve

And today completes the second month back here in Korea.  This past month not too many things have taken place but none the less, there were some.  To begin I have a few pictures of the apartment... a nice cozy studio abode.  I know, I know... a little late on the apartment pictures and such, but they are finally here.  Most would have had these out the first month, but perhaps I'm not like everyone else... HA! [Click on the pictures for larger images]

Bondo Bora Sky View Apartments     

         

Out the apartment window looking down the streets

         

Looking out the apartment windows towards the mountains

       

The bed, chair and table

         

The entry way and kitchen

January 31 of this year marked the annual "Polar Bear splash" -- Busan's best known winter sporting event, the "Polar Bear Swimming Competition" was held at Haeundae Beach. This year they celebrated the 23rd anniversary.  The swimming competition was an event where people pray for good health in the upcoming year by swimming in the sea in the middle of winter [I know, you're thinking exactly what I'm thinking... Idiots!].  Some 600 people, both Koreans and foreigners, took part in the event. Other than the swimming competition, various events were held such as taking pictures with the polar bear character and eating the traditional Korean adzuki-bean ice dessert which is popular in the summer months, as fast as possible.

"Some pre-swim/splash stretching"

"More pre-swim/splash stretching"

"And let the swim/splash begin"

"And yes, the Americans had their representation too"

This month is the last four weeks of the semester.  We just finished with some mid-term testing which was pretty strenuous on the students.  They were tested in 6 English categories; Listening, Speaking, Writing, Vocabulary, Reading, and Grammar.  I was proud that of the awarded students at the school, the two top students with perfect scores on the test were from my class.  [Perhaps I'm not so bad at this teaching thing even if I have to say so myself]

And that about does it for this month... be looking forward to next months "update" -- there should be some pretty interesting things to see and read about.  Until next time...

First of Twelve

Its been about a month since returning to Korea for my second teaching contract.  Things have been continuously busy with the many holidays that are around this time of the year.  First was Christmas -- I had to work Christmas Eve at the school until pretty late, but once worked finished, I went and spent [the remaining of] Christmas Eve with people from ICC.  We stayed up all night at the Arpina Youth Hostel in Haeundae playing games, watching movies, eating and just enjoying the company of one another.  It was an enjoyable time together with like-minded friends.  Then New Years was a few days ago.. And yes of course I had to work late New Year's Eve too; however, the owner of the school took all the teachers and administration out for [a late] dinner and celebrations of "ringing in the new year" at Aligote in Haeundae.  It was an fun time together with coworkers as there were many games, skits, and plenty of food/drinks to keep everyone on their toes until the early hours of the morning.  I was going try to stay up an watch the first sunrise of 2010 on the beach in Haeundae, but the thought of my warm comfy bed was much more appealing and I totally succumbed to the thought.  I have yet to do much sight-seeing this past month as I have spent most of my time reuniting with old friends here in the city, trying to get settled into a new apartment [pictures coming soon], and getting use to the school's schedule.  That about wraps up the past month.  Hopefully next months "update" will be tons more enjoyable to read.  Cheers!

The City Lights Greet Me...

After about a 5-6 hour [dreadful] drive/ride, I have finally made it to Busan.  It’s late [again] but I’m happy to finally make it to Busan.  For the past few nights I have been in Seoul with my co-teachers going through some training.  It’s good to have the training behind us and I think it is safe to say that we are all looking forward to starting at the school.  I’ve got a few things organized and unpacked in the apartment, but will do most of that tomorrow and on into the weekend.  Before long I hope to have the place feeling “homey” to some extent.  Time will allow for more detailed post later, but for now sleep is much needed…   

Welcome [Back] To Korea

I have made it [back] to Korea and finally into a motel.  Yes, a motel.  It’s not the greatest of places to stay, but none-the-less it’s a bed to sleep in and its safe and warm.  This motel tends to be nicer than many motels here in Korea.  I met two other teachers from the states that arrived today as well.  After finally meeting them in the airport we managed to make our way to where we are now [some random city on the outskirts of Incheon] to meet the administrator of the school.  It was pretty complicating making our way with the luggage [2 large checked suitcases for each passenger and 2 carry-on’s each] and trying to figure out how to meet someone we have never seen before in a city where we only knew the name of the subway station we were to meet at.  Needless to say, none of us were familiar with this area of Korea either.  Tomorrow, we will meet the other teachers [3 teachers; 2 Canadians and 1 American] and then prepare for our training that will be held at the head office in Seoul.  All-in-all, the trip thus far has been interesting.  I’ve enjoyed meeting the two teachers [a newly married couple from Texas] that flew in today and look forward to meeting the remaining three tomorrow.  This journey is only beginning…

And back I go again...

Today, I will be heading back to Korea.  I have been home for over a month now and the entire time I have missed being in South Korea.  I am returning to the same city, but I will be teaching at a new school.  I look forward to my return and reuniting with friends.  I can only hope that this coming year will be just as great if not better than the last year I spent there.  I will miss family and friends, but I also and thankful for the support that I receive from them.  Stay in touch with me through emails and I will do my best to make sure I keep this blog site posted at least once or twice a month. 

Goodbye

Tomorrow concludes my one year teaching stint in South Korea.  I will board a plane early in the morning and set flight for "the land of the free and the home of the brave."  Needless to say, but this past year has been an exciting year spent in Busan South Korea.  My time here has gone by quicker than I expected - I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.  I have enjoyed the many friends I have had the honor of getting to know and I will look forward to reconnecting with many of them in the future elsewhere.  The things I have experienced and learned here will forever stay with me.  As for what is next, the future is unknown for me at this current time.  I hope that what I have gained from this past year living in Korea will be useful in the next steps that I will take in life. 

Gyeongju

Today I had the privilege to visit the historic city of Gyeongju.  Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 AD) which ruled most of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. A vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period remain in the city. Gyeongju is often referred to as "the museum without walls".  The many major historical sites have helped Gyeongju become one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea.

Feel free to browse the Gyeongju picture album

Click here for more information about the city of Gyeongju

One Month Completed

I have officially completed one month working here in Korea.  Things are going well.  I am trying to learn my way around the city here... a city of 4 million people to be exact.  I have become pretty comfortable with the subway system here which is a huge help in getting different places throughout the city.

Beomeosa Temple

Today, I had the privilege to visit Beomeosa Temple.  Beomeosa is a Buddhist temple in Cheongnyong-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, South Korea.  Beomeosa is one of the oldest and grandest temples in Korea.  Founded in 678 by the industrious monk Uisang, none of the original buildings have survived the ravages of time.  The temples oldest architectural treasures are a few stone stupas that date to the Unified Silla period, while all of the present buildings were built in the past four centuries.  No earlier buildings exist because the entire temple was leveled during the 1592-98 Japanese invasions under the command of Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

Feel free to browse the Beomeosa Temple picture album to help visualize better what majestic place this is.

*Nilsen, Robert  South Korea Handbook Moon Travel Publications.  Hong Kong.  1997