Monday, October 8, 2007

White water and white foam

This weekend I went to a province called Kongwondo. I took 2 buses and a cab to get to a town called Bong-Peyon...population 3,000 people. I met my friend Art there and we went out to dinner. We ordered one dish, and actually a second one by accident...but it didn't matter because the guy brought out 3 other dishes and kept saying "service!" That is Konglish for free. So we got a huge meal and my buddy picked up the tab because he loves me. Then we went out to a bar a little buzzed and ordered more beer and soju. After a long day of traveling it was necessary. We were at the bar and met these Korean kids. It turned out they were really kids and only in highschool. But whatever, it was fun. It turned out they were friends with the bar keeper and they paid for all our drinks. So that night I DIDN'T SPEND A PENNY! I love small town life. We went back to my friends house and he pulled down an attic latter, we climbed and there was a room to sleep in. It was so funny. It's a small ski town so he lives at like this bed and breakfast place. His landloard even does his laundry for him. What a lucky dick. Anyway needless to say he is right by the mountains. The next morning we woke up at 7 am and walked out his door and 4 mins to the right. We found the trail head and started hiking. 2 hour hike, it was beautiful and good to sweat out the night before. Showered and then took 2 more buses to the place we needed to get to. We were suppose to meet up with our friends at 11:50 and we got there at 11:48. Talk about close calls. When we got there we met up with friends from orientation and a couple of people I didn't know. We did some more traveling to an adventure place and went white water rafting. Rapids weren't that big but it was still a good time. We then proceeded to celebrate after a short trip back to town. Celebrated what you might ask...BEING ALIVE! It's worth a celebration ain't it? Anyway, after getting given 1,000 won ($1) by some Aussie embassy worker who spoke english because I was that much short for my second and longest bus ride back home. No atm and my credit card needed a pin number...didn't have it and the bus left in 15 mins. If you guys see any Australians in need GIVE THEM A HAND!The seats were awesome and comfy and after all that traveling I went downtown to pick up the book "The God Delusion." Complex sentences and eh right now, still interesting. Got some food, and now i'm home. I'm fucking exhausted right now and I don't even know why i'm writing all of this instead of sleeping.
I was tired at school, but then pepped up because I realized it was time for Hapkido. I took the first class with the younger kids, then I decided to stay for the second one. Hell it's free why not! So I took the second class with the advanced kids and we were doing so much more fun things like spinning back kicks and double kicks and some crazy flippy spiny kick. The kids are older and better. I can def. learn a lot more doing this class but i'm only going to double up once or twice a week...maybe three times if i'm feeling like a champ. Other than that I'M SO TIRED and I start ABC English tomorrow...so i'm going to hit the sack...or the floor actually. Yo-style baby. Until next time, peace out!

p.s-i'll put pictures up later. It's taking too long now*

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Soon Dae


There is this food called SOON DAE. That is how it's said. I was taken there by co workers before that hapkido demonstration. I wouldn't say I got tricked into eating it but I wasn't informed. On the awning when I was walking in I saw that there was a picture of a pig...like every food place in Korea there is a picture of either what your eating or what the dishes look like. Really dumbs it down for the foreigners. I can't tell you how many times I get the waiter to walk outside to the pictures and I point and put up one finger. It's easiest sometimes. Annnyywho, I didn't think anyone of the food because like I said, I already saw the picture of the pig and there is A LOT of pork in this country. So I sit down and presented with a bowl of soup and in it is what looks like maybe mushrooms and noodles wrapped in a piece of tubular meat. I wasn't thinking I was just eating and watching chuck noris on the big flat screen t.v. It was good. After I went to the Hapkido thing and that was that.

At night time I went to this opera with some friends and I told my friend scott that I ate soondae...He immediatly said "EWWWW THAT IS SOMETHING I CAN'T EAT." I was immediatly scared to find out what it was...but I asked anyway. I found out it was noodles wrapped in intestines (that explains the tube shape) kindey's and liver. MMMmmMmMmm! They are lucky they didn't tell me what it was before or I would have ran out of there!

Monday, October 1, 2007

ABC English

Just to let you know, I don't proof read these things so if there is a mistake JUST DEAL WITH IT! Anyway.

I have to start this thing called abc english. Not so excited for this. It is a program for poorer kids and I have to call about 6-12 of them over the course of an hour and talk to them for at least a little bit. If their English is as bad as some of my students the conversation will be basically like the following:

Me: Hello
Them: Hello Jay-kuh
Me: How are you?
Them: I'm fine thank you
Me: What did you do today?
Them: Nice to meet you Jay-kuh
Me: How is the weather outside?
Them: So Hansome
me: Can you tell me what day it is?
Them: I love you

.....I hope it's not what I think it is