Sabbath in Hoengseong (17. May)

I stayed home this weekend. I needed to give myself a break from traveling (and spending). Here are some more snapshots of my town:

I'm standing on a spot about a 5-min. walk from my apartment.

How many colors can you see on that mountain?

Here's the lower level of the river-walk, which goes along the river.

Here's the upper level, along the road.

a 360-degree panoramic shot from the spot I took the previous picture.

What's any park in Korea without free out-door exercise equipment?

If you can read Korean, you'd see this is the name of my town . . .

. . . but you can also see the cow's face, right?

Did I mention I love optical illusions?

The river-walk from the bridge that crosses said river.

The sunset, taken from the other side of the bridge, where I took the previous picture.

A little bit of nature I wanted to capture.

Same, but slightly brighter

Remember the round-about with the waving political candidate in the yellow jacket? Same round-about, but it's facing the left of that picture.

Whoa

Peek-a-boo

From the park between the major bus stop entering Hoengseong and my place.

Just in case all the beef restaurants and icons weren't enough clues to know what this town is known for . . .

Who knew? A mini-library in the park!

You know education is important in this country.

The playground.

A romantic arch-way.

Personally I'd prefer more greenery. Let's see how it looks at other times of the year.

The back of my apartment.

See the window on the 1st floor between the 2 trees? That's where my washing machine is. If you looked in, you'd see my dining-room/kitchen.

Hmm . . . "why?"

I don't remember seeing these kinds of flowers before.

This and the previous picture really don't to them justice.

Pictures of my town (Hoengseong / 횡성)

As promised, here are a few pictures of my town, Hoengseong (횡성).

This is the main round-about. You're facing towards Chuncheon and away from Wonju (I'm in Hoengseong-gun). In this picture, you're facing Hoengseong's downtown.

The brown building is 1 of many Korean beef (Hanu /한우) restaurants in town. This town is famous for its Korean beef. I've heard this is where you can have the best hanu for the least expensive in the country. Don't know about that.

Oh, the man in the yellow jacket is running for election. So, he's waving to his potential voters as they drive by.

See the blue bus? That's where all the inter-city buses from Wonju stop (Bus 2 & 2-1).

Hoengseing Bus Terminal

Platforms:

1. Wonju (Busan, Daegu, Ulsan, Gyeonggu (?), Pohang, Cheongju, Daejeon, Jeonju, Yuseong (?))

2. Chuncheon (Hongcheon, Sokcho)

3. Dunnae, Seoseok (local/small towns)

4. Jeongseon, Yanggu (small towns)

5. Dong (east) Seoul (mostly)

If I got some of those wrong, I apologize. I was going off what I could read from the picture (not too easy).

"Welcome to the Motel California!"

Emart is a huge chain in Korea (like Korea's Wal-Mart). This is a tiny version in town. It's actually more than enough.

A local landmark of something special.

So you can read about it.

or you can read it in Korea if you like.

Wonderful thing about Hoengseong: even though it is a not-so-famous town, there are tourist-friendly maps all over town.

Here's a full map of the town. Sorry that it's all in Korean. The picture of just the map from the previous picture didn't come out well, hence this picture/map instead.

Lotte is also huge in Korea (they basically own  Korea). This is not LotteMart; this town is too small. Hence, Lotte Super, which is the next-best thing for towns of this size.

I really like to eat here. This is a major chain all over Korea. This is the only place I don't feel too odd when I eat alone. Since they mostly deliver, there's hardly anyone eating there--at least not when I am. I feel as though I'm eating at someone's kitchen.

My bus stop to get to all 5 of my schools. The bus that stops here goes to both villages where I teach, hence to all 5 of my schools.

The Hoengseong SDA Church

(the part you see is actually the children's church and where they have lunch & other meals)

Gate

The actual church (coming in, you see the back-side of the church 1st).

The parking is quite spacious, although I don't recommend to fill it up.

The entrance to the church is on the left. You take off your shoes and put on indoor slippers before you can go up the stairs to the sanctuary.

The door to the right leads to a Sabbath School room and the restrooms.

Nice place to relax.

Here's the front of the Children's church where they have all sorts of activities for the children and youth.

The sign above the stairs going down is for the Children's Center. It provides after-school tutoring for free (I think). You can also get to the Pastor's home and the Missionary's home.

From here, you can see this Catholic church about 500 meters away.

The architecture caught my attention immediately. Doesn't it look medieval?

A 180-degree panoramic shot from the church's premises.

The main bank in town. There's another branch, but this is the one bank you can find everywhere. It's the only one in both of my 2 villages where I teach.

Downtown, facing the bus stop to go to Wonju.

The other round-about just beside the previous picture.

You've got the town's mascot with the time.

You can see the bus on the far left, so now I'm facing the other side of the street.

Election day is less than a month away (June 4th), so you can see how the candidates have been promoting themselves in all these pictures.

How I almost always get to Wonju and Wonju (train) Station.

This line doesn't go to Wonju Bus Terminal, 2-1 does.

Another major Korean restaurant chain. The menu? 

Porridge!

Hey, when I'm sick, this is where I go.

The biggest bus stop in town, although I've never used it.

Maybe I should just to see if the buses that stop here go anywhere else other than Wonju.

A taxi "stop".

I personally think you don't need a taxi to get around here, but then I've never had to carry many heavy things that much. Or be in a hurry to get to the train station/bus terminal.

This is the biggest American chain in Korea--yes, it's bigger and more popular than McDonald's.

This traditional market takes up about 3 full city blocks.

I'd say it's about the heart of town, just behind the "modern" downtown.

The street where I took the previous picture.

The street perpendicular to the previous picture, going away from downtown and to that large bank I showed a few pics before.

No, their shoes aren't made of chocolate.

No, they don't give chocolate with their shoes.

I've bought 2 pairs of much-needed shoes from them because they were very friendly and helpful, even though our communication was very limited and a bit interesting.

This is the best store. It's like the American "Dollar General", but on a much higher level--with the same (or lower) prices.

Also a big chain in Korea.

The other side of the traditional market.

This is actually the road I take to get to my bus stop from home.

The left is that huge bank. They've been constantly selling plants there for over a month now.

The right is a grocery store run by the same bank its facing.

A better, more direct view of said grocery store.

Alright!

Now you have several pictures of the main places I go and see in my town.

Very spontaneous weekend.

How spontaneous? I decided to make plans for it Friday, after lunch. It all came together.

Included in my parcel from the States was an order I made for a friend of mine in Seoul. Now that I had it, I wanted to give it to her as soon as possible. The timing would've allowed me only 1 hr. at her place. That wasn't going to happen. So they booked a room for me in the institute's guesthouse (or guestroom, since it was on the 3rd floor of the same building they live in) for Fri. night. That's more like it. I arrived around 19:30, delivered the goods, ate with them, talked (mostly with her--she's married) until past midnight. See how the 1-hr.-visit wasn't going to happen?

This guesthouse was one of the nicest ones I've ever stayed in. I'm surprised it was so nice! Then I was informed that one of those in the administrative hierarchy used to live there. That explains everything. It cost 25,000 Won a night ($24.33 USD/ 17.75 Euros), but I think 40,000 would be a good price--but since they already stated 25,000; let's keep it at that!

Went to church at Seoul Main SDALI church for the 1st time since orientation back in late-August 2010. The choir and small orchestra were nice. The special music was truly inspiring.
Had lunch with the same married couple I visited the evening before and chatted some more. Then my 1 friend who lives in Bucheon was in the area and we got to meet up. I went home with her, spent some time with her and her husband doing some last-minute grocery shopping, and had a late dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant.
Time was getting short. I had to return to the guesthouse and it was almost 23:00. Fortunately I made it to the station on time before the last train arrived (I think the 3rd-last train) that went straight to where I needed to take it. Walked into the room after midnight. Only in Korea . . . I wouldn't do that all by myself in the States . . .

Sunday was Coordinators' Meeting. I took advantage to say "Hi" to my former-co-worker and friend Duke, who's the coordinator at the institute in Jeju Island. We didn't have much time, so to get all the time possible, I went with him all the way to Gimpo Airport.
I've never seen this airport so packed! Oh, that was because the flights to Jeju were cancelled. There was a storm there, so these were just precautions (after the Sewol-ho ferry incident, safety has gone up). It was so bad, the earliest flight he could go on was at 16:30 or so! It was intense.
Well, time to say goodbye, I might as well take the bus from the airport back to Wonju (much closer & convenient at that moment than a train) which took only 2 hrs. 10 min. Pretty good! I arrived home around 21:45 & that was the end of my spontaneous weekend.


*This week, I took pictures of my town. I'll upload them on the next post, if my computer doesn't give me issues.*

After the "Golden Weekend"

I'm back in school, trying to figure out what to do for classes--so I thought I'd give myself this break to keep you all updated:

After I posted the previous entry, I went for a hike on a trail that's been calling me for months. It was rather simple, and it showed me how out-of-shape I am. Still, going on the trail was like therapy. 

Then I went to Wonju to try out a new Thai restaurant that opened called, "Thai House." I'd rather not go back. The menu had a large variety, even a vegetarian sub-menu, but it wasn't working for me. For about $13 I got a plate of spicy vegetables--that's it. If I wanted rice, I had to pay extra. Yeah, since Thai food is "foreign" in Korea, I guess the prices are expected to be steeper, but it was steeper than what I was willing to pay. The taste wasn't even that great; just spicy. I could've gotten a better deal elsewhere, I believe. Then again, it may've been my mood.

Tuesday was much better, with an overdue visit to a former-student/friend in Seoul. We met at her university, since she's working on her TESOL course.

Today had 2 surprises:

1. My main school had staff pictures today. I found out just before my ride arrived to take me over. Typical Korean surprise: finding out LITERALLY at the last minute. Fun times.

2. My box from the States FINALLY arrived! ^.^
I have my summer clothes & shoes, a few extra books, other random stuff, and . . . ta da da da! My camera! My blog has been picture-less for WAYYYYYYY too long. That will change really soon. Maybe not in the next post, but definitely in the one after.

From the middle of the golden weekend

Hey, it's the "golden weekend" : that is, Monday and Tuesday here in Korea are national holidays (Monday = Children's Day; Tuesday = Buddha's Birthday). I've had an interesting weekend so far; almost as tiring as my previous weekend.

~Really quick: Last weekend, I went to Gwangju to see a couple of friends. I saw most, but not all. Bummer. It was about 4.5 hrs. there and closer to 4 hrs. back by express bus (each way). Gwangju is a really green city with tons of flowers & trees everywhere. Nature-lovers who like the convenience of a city, Gwangju is for you.~

So, this week was different for the following reasons:
Monday - only day I taught classes; and they were all review.
Tuesday - I desk-warmed. The high school was having their mid-terms, so I didn't teach; but I HAD to be there.
Wednesday - training at a town called Yangyang by the East Sea coast. There from 9 - 16:30; basically a work-day. Better than being at my middle school.
Thursday - May 1st = Korean Labor Day. I was off. I went to Cheonan and visited a few former students I hadn't seen in over a year (more for 1 student). We had a really nice time at lunch and a cafe afterwards.
Friday - Elem. school went to a musical. I desk-warmed all day there. No classes, just had to be there. At least I have my lesson plans ready for Wed. when classes start up again.

Now the weekend part:
Friday night, I went to the Friday night program in SDA language institute in Wonju. When it was over and we were done socializing, I realized the last bus from Wonju to Hoengseong had left. I and 2 other ladies from the institute waited at the city bus stop to be sure, but by a little after 23:00, we decided to call it a night. I spent the night in one of the ladies' apartment. She was really nice and gave me more than I expected. Very hospitable.

Saturday morning, I woke up at 6, got ready & headed out to the same bus stop. My bus came in about 10-15 min. I arrived home, took a shower, had breakfast, got ready, and went out the door. Took the bus from Hoengseong - Wonju - Cheonan - Yesan. To give an idea, I left Hoengseong arounf 9:40 am and arrived at Yesan at 15:00. I finally got to meet and spend time with a lady who was really kind and helpful to me when I was in Cheonan (i.e. she gave me a cell phone and helped set up an account for me). By sundown, I checked out Emart Traders in Cheonan (this lady has a car and she drove me there). Another former student was going to pick me up @ 21:30 and take me to his family's home for the night. I met some nice people at a crepe shop/kiosk inside Y-Mall (if you ever go there, it's across the Cheonan-Asan KTX station, 1st floor of Y-Mall) and we talked for a bit. My student came & picked me up and took me home. His wife and kids were there. His wife was very sweet and helpful. I slept in the kids' playroom.

Sunday, I had breakfast with the family, minus my student as he left early to go to work. Then I walked around the KTX area (not far away). After that, I went over to near Nazarene University to see what had changed & what was the same. I see my favorite cafe and restaurant were gone. Sadness. Next I checked out the new Daiso (like Dollar store, but much better) beside the SeoCheonan SDA Language Institute. Finally, I met one of my other former students. We had lunch together and talked for a while. Afterwards, off to a cafe for bingsu (shaved ice with milk, ice cream, and whatever else these Koreans feel like putting on it: frosted cereal, kiwi, oreo crumbs, bananas, red beans, rice cakes, etc.). We kept on talking til I got the bus back to my student's apartment in order for me to pick up my carry-on and make my way to the bus terminal. Got the ticket, waited & walked around for about an hr., then got on the bus back to Wonju, then back to Hoengseong. Went to bed late last night.

Today (Monday), I have to make up what I'll do, since a good friend of mine who was coming, isn't. He wasn't able to finish everything he needed to finish before the break, so needs to go back now. At least I was able to skype with a friend in Texas. Now, I'll see what's next.

I expect my box--with my camera--to arrive this week. Lord-willing, by Friday I will have my camera and I can finally post pictures on this site. Just a few more days . . .

A moment

It's Thursday, April 24th as I type this. It's the morning. It's the day before payday. Tomorrow after school, I'll be off to Gwangju (GOD willing). But today, I have a cold. Drat, it caught me too.

Before I forget, this past weekend was quite impromptu. Saturday found me spending the day in neighboring Wonju. It was nice being in church AND understanding everything that's going on. It was also nice to meet and be reunited with fellow-foreign SDAs. The late afternoon walk around Yonsei University campus was also nice.

Sunday morning was a short Korean lesson, then a trip to Gangnam (Seoul) to see Tracy one last time before she goes.

I'm slightly disappointed, but I understand. Originally, my "Friday school" was going to go on a field trip, giving me the day off. With this knowledge, I could leave for Gwangju this (Thursday) evening. Yet, with the ferry disaster that claimed about 200 lives--the majority being high school students--the government has ordered all field trips to be postponed/cancelled as an act of mourning. I'll have to come in Friday morning and leave for Gwangju in the early evening. You can say this is one of those "oh well" moments. Just go with the flow, since there's nothing you can do about it, other than control how you're gonna react to it. I was gonna go anyway, if it meant leaving Thurs. or Fri., just that Thurs. would've been better. 

Time to stop being selfish and offer a prayer for the families of the victims and survivors, for strength and comfort as they go through this horribly dark moment in their lives. I also pray for the survivors, that they don't feel guilty for being alive; to take this as a turning point to do something great in their lives, in honor of those who died. Please pray for all of them and their families. May GOD be ever with them during this time, and feel HIM closer than ever before. Amen.

Back in Cheonan, Pt. 1

This past weekend (April 11-13) I had set aside to visit the place where it all began: Cheonan. If you've read any of my posts from the time I was in Cheonan, you'd know this was the 1st place I started teaching, also the place I spent the longest amount of time (14 months straight). Every time I go back to visit friends, I feel like I'm coming home.

I didn't quite have that feeling of coming home this time around, though. There have been quite a few changes. Granted, most of the major landmarks haven't changed, but several others have. Makes sense. The last time I was in Cheonan was over 1 year ago, hence change is expected yet surprising at the same time.

I had to go to school with my carry-on bag, seeing I wasn't going to have time to catch the 17:00 bus from Wonju to Cheonan if I didn't leave for Wonju straight from school. I had it well hidden that no one asked until I whipped it out as I was leaving.

I arrived too late for the 17:00 bus, but was able to get the 17:25. If I'd taken the 17:00, I would've arrived at Cheonan by 19:30. With the 17:25 bus, I arrived at 19:10 or so. Hooray for serendipity!

First person I met was MJ, the only one I've ever seen graduate in my entire time with SDALI. She met me at the bus terminal and we had dinner at a Korean restaurant on the 5th (?) floor. Oh, the bus terminal is on the basement/ground level of a Shinsegae Department Store. 

Her husband came by to pick us up and dropped me at my hotel. I stayed in the Cheonan Business Hotel, somewhat near Cheonan Station, although not really. I didn't realize how scary this area was at night. I've never really been here before. I've been near, just not in this area. Let's say it's the kind of place where I, as a solo female, would feel very uncomfortable. There were a ton of hotels all over the place (in case some of you don't know, hotels/motels in Korea are known as "love motels" where you can even rent for an hour if you want). I got in to the reception desk. Ok, nothing too fishy here. The man tried speaking to me in English--and I tried responding in Korean. I think we understood each other pretty well. Into the tiny elevator up to the 5th floor (really 4th, but 4 is an unlucky number in Korea, like 13 in the States) and stepping into my room . . . oh, so inviting, so comfortable, so cozy, so . . . safe. Now I know I can hide here and be ok.

Well, more than ok. This room had more than what we get in a budget hotel in the States: a computer connected to the internet, a bunch of free toiletry samples, a shower/sauna + tub/Jacuzzi, and an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet (mind you, Korean breakfast, not Western) Mon.-Sat.! I don't know about the tv 'cause I never used it. Considering I paid 60,000 KRW ($57.81 USD/ 41.77 Euros) per night, I think it was a good deal.

On Sabbath, I found myself at the SDALI Cheonan Institute (not SeoCheonan) for church service. I was surprised to see a guy from my SDALI orientation there! When I was sent off to SeoCheonan, he was shipped off to Busan. Now I learned he was in the States for a year, got his Master's and is now a professor at a nearby university for the past 1.5 years. Way to go!

After church, it was lunch at Kate's house. It was nice to finally meet her husband. It was also interesting to hear from her what it's like in the early stages of pregnancy, since she's in her 1st trimester. What a surprise when her mother stopped by to see me too! Kate was our interpreter, since my Korean is lacking and her mother's English is nonexistent. Good times.

Then it was off to see Phil, one of my 1st students. We met at his pharmacy then he drove me home. They moved from where they were before, for his daughter's education. They live in a pretty good area. It's where I used to go to use the KEB bank. This is the BIGGEST apartment I've ever seen in Korea! 2 floors?! Wow! 

This is such a beautiful family; both Phil and his wife are sweet, down-to-earth people with hearts of gold. Their children don't know how blessed they are to have such parents (besides the fact that the girl is about 4 and the boy is about 1.5 years old).

At dinnertime, Phil and his family drop me off at the place I was to meet a group of my former students, whom I also consider friends (just like Phil, Kate, and MJ). Hooray for Sooway, HyoJin, Hojun, and Jimmy! Dinner, tea, and about 3+ hours later, we all went our separate ways. Fortunately, Hojun the gentleman dropped me off at my hotel. If there are any good single girls interested, I recommend Hojun! ^.~

On Sunday, it was a day with wonderful Eve. We had an early lunch at "With Spoon" family/all-you-can-eat restaurant. Then it was to her home and I met her 2 sons. Wow, motherhood really isn't easy; kudos to her. After her showing me her university where she's getting her Master's, dropping her sons at the library and home, she dropped me off at the bus terminal. It was an almost 2 hr. ride back to Wonju, then a 25 min. bus back to Hoengseong. By 20:00 I was home, unpacked and reflecting on when to return to see those I couldn't see this time around . . . and maybe see some of those I did see again . . . 

Alive in April

***Whoops, I honestly thought I already posted this. Well, here it is, 1 week later.***

Don't fear, nothing drastic happened to me. It's just that I couldn't think of a better title for this post. I just wanted to let you know I'm still alive and kicking, even when I don't write here every week.

I've got a half day at my school today (Thursday). The teachers have to go to some training in Chuncheon (춘천) right after lunch. I was told to go home. I've got some time, so I figured I'd write something here.

Last weekend (April 5 & 6), I went to Seoul again. Yes, I was just in Seoul (서울)/Bucheon (부천) the previous weekend, but this time was to spend some time with a friend who will leave Korea really soon--and probably for good. I left for Seoul right after lunch on Saturday to meet the friend I was going to stay with for the night. She had a few things going on, but no problem.

Sunday, we met up with our mutual friend who was leaving. We had lunch at a Mexican fast-food place called "Tomatillo." It was good. I wouldn't go there everyday, but I would like to go back. Although it was pricier than I expected. It was the 3 of us plus the one friend's husband and another friend who's about to give birth at the end of the month. 

After lunch, it was the 3 of us again and we went to the "Princess Diary" cafe, near Ewha Women's University. This is a cafe where you can get your coffee, tea, shake, whatever and try on a dress--most likely a wedding dress. They have several kinds of dresses that can be made to fit most body types--including Western body types. The dress I tried on was a bit tight, but that's 'cause I needed a corset. Well, the dress WAS the corset. I could get in, but you could tell it wasn't my size. Then again, considering that this is Korea, the land where I'll have to go to the men's section in order to find something that may fit me relatively well, I guess the dress was a success. If I go again, I'm definitely picking up another dress.

There were 2 dresses I liked, but either I was too curvy or it was only 1 size. So yeah.

I was contemplating about posting about this, seeing I didn't take my own pictures. The other 2 girls took tons of pictures, but I haven't received 1 yet. Then again, I'm not sure if I want to share such a picture on the internet . . . it'll have to depend on the picture.

I hear there's more than 1 in Seoul, but I don't know. Don't feel like looking it up right now.

I'll admit that this is an activity that's a bit too much on the girly side for me, but it was nice. Even I need those "girly moments" every once in a while.

Ah yes I almost forgot! I got to check out Costco in Sangbong (상봉동). It was Sunday night, so that's probably why it was so packed. They have both Korean and Western brand stuff. Not everything mind you, but enough. My friend and I went through it pretty quickly, considering I had to leave soon if I wanted to make it home not too late. Which I did. 

Now I know it takes 19,200 Korean Won ($18.57 USD/ 13.40 Euros) to get from Wonju train station to my home. Not bad at all.

I'm expecting my camera to come soon, so bear with me please. You WILL get to see some pictures.

Yes, I have a camera in my phone, but I can't send my pics to my email or anything like that because it's pre-paid. If I had a contract, I could.

Now, for this weekend, I'll be making my return tour of Cheonan to see a few familiar faces and spend some time with them. We'll see how it all goes.

Weekend of Reunions (29-30.March.2014)

It's Monday morning and I want to take a nap. I'm really tired, but it's a good kind of tired.

Saturday, I left home early to get to Yangpyeong English Village. This weekend was the annual Teachers' Retreat through the SDA Language Institute. Since Yangpyeong is about 30 minutes away, I haven't seen these people in a long time, and I'd like to know who was still around; of course, I decided to attend.

It was great worshiping with other  Adventists AND understanding everything that was going on. We even had a nice "Jeju Reunion", the 2 foreign teachers and I even saw the director again! I was surprised 'cause he was supposed to be in the States by that time. He's still going to the States, but in a few weeks. It was great. I even met a few other people, one being a girl who went to my university (Southern Adventist University) and is now teaching in Gwangju. I've never visited Gwangju before and this girl is going to leave by the end of this term (end of April). We exchanged contact info and I'll ask when may be the best time to come down.

Afterwards, I left to meet my friend and her husband in Seoul. Over an hour, several text messages, a few directions, and a friend's help later; I reached the restaurant where they were with other friends and joined them (didn't eat, already ate at the English Village before I left). So I went home with them and stayed the night.

Sunday was a crazy and disappointing, to a certain extent. What wasn't disappointing was meeting a mutual friend of ours, and spending most of the day together. What was disappointing was the wedding we went to and the meal we had together after.
Yes, my two friends were bridesmaids in a Korean wedding. That is not normal in Korea, because they don't use bridesmaids or groomsmen. Just the couple, and the couple's parents. But since the bride was a friend of theirs and she requested them to be there, it was done. So many things went wrong. We didn't know where the wedding was supposed to be. No one helped us get there. We took a taxi and the driver didn't know where the place was either. He had to ask, but fortunately he didn't charge us for the time we were waiting for him to figure out where it was (an honest taxi driver, yes they do exist).
To not give too many details, the bride basically used my friends for show in her wedding. Just like some may use peacocks or doves, this bride used my friends. In short, she (or anyone for that matter) shows that she has foreign friends, it's like she climbs a few rungs up the social ladder. She used my friends to show them off so she can be looked upon as way up there. This is very typical in Korea: things done just for show. Appearances are EVERYTHING here. Some may have to come to Korea to really understand the previous sentence. Others may not have to, because they understand this all too well.

Of course I didn't know the bride, but since my friends were going and I was there to spend time with them, by default, I had to go with them. For the actual ceremony, I stayed with my friend's husband, away from the ceremony. We were guarding both our and my friends' stuff. Needless to say, we were more than happy to leave. Normally there's an all-you-can-eat buffet at weddings (this one being no exception), but there was no way we were going to stay there. Hence we left to eat some place else, only to discover the food wasn't worth the price we paid.
It's an Italian Restaurant by Yangjae Station (양재역, Line 3, Orange Line) called  "6" Plate". This was the worst Italian food we've ever had in our lives. If you're in the area, beware. Who adds fish to olive oil? Who uses ketchup kimchi as tomato sauce? We weren't happy.

So yes, our Sunday was disappointing, but the fact that we were together spared us all.

I took the express bus back. Now I know: Seoul - Wonju = 1 hr. 20/30 minutes. From Wonju - Hoengseong = about 25 min. and from the Hoengseong bus terminal home is about a 10 minute walk. Good to know.

Summary at the End of Week 3

Wow, this week flew by.

I figured I'd share a few experiences I had this week. This blog is, after all, a kind of online journal that I'm sharing with the world . . . 

On Sunday, I went off, thoroughly exploring Hoengseong. I started around 10:00 and was pooped by 15:30-ish. I believe I have now seen about 90-95% of my town. Yeah, it's that small; but I love it. 

There were other things I was able to do besides exploring, finding my way around, and developing my own mental map of Hoengseong. I came to the new Hoengseong Culture & Sports complex. It was huge and beautiful. It inspired frequent visits. I got to look inside the library and found an "ok" selection of books in English--as well as other languages, mostly Asian. I asked if I could get a library card. After showing my ARC, the receptionist took out a form, filled some and told me where to fill my part, and I got a card! Sweet! There were a few things we wanted to say. Thank GOD and technology for Translate.Google.com. I kid you not, we used that to communicate a few points for 3 minutes or so.

After checking out the Hoengseong Culture & Sports complex, I continued my exploration. At one point I was quite hungry. I was by the catholic church when I noticed a sign that said "Agape Restaurant." "Agape?" I thought, "that's Greek." Curiosity got me in its grasp and didn't let me go. The inside was definitely romantic date-worthy. The menu was not too big, although I couldn't eat most of the food because it had either pork or seafood other than fish. So my options were narrowed down to 3: fish cutlets, kimchi fried rice, or kimchi fried rice with cheese. I was basically convinced to try the fish cutlets. That was a wise decision. It turned out to be a 3-course meal--and for \7,000 (4.69 Euros/ USD $6.47)! Yeap, soup, salad, and then the main course, oh and tea to finish. That was the biggest bang I ever got for 7,000 Won. Now I know where to take people if I wanna treat them to some place nice.

After lunch, I continued my excursion. By 15:00+ I had just about come around full circle and was kinda tired. I was also reminded that it was market day. So I went around and got some strawberries, tangerines, and a pair of comfortable walking shoes. I was wearing my boots from excavating in Israel, so they weren't the most comfortable, but they were the most comfortable and durable from what I had. Hence, the need to buy walking shoes. I've got a pair, but they're still in the States, waiting to be sent to Korea. I still need to get my address over to my family. Will do that today.

Alright, that was Sunday. Now during the week I had 2 impromptu adventures. Here's the 1st.

Tuesday. I finish my time at the high school. I see the bus coming is going to Wonju. There's a bank I need to visit in Wonju. I searched for it online and I have an idea where it is. I decided to take that bus to Wonju, thinking it would go in the direction I wanted. I was wrong. It went another direction and ended up at the Wonju Bus Terminal. 

Well, I was there, so I might as well look around to become familiar with the place. At least now I know how to get there and how to get back home.

Here's the 2nd.

Thursday. I finish my time at the elementary school. I wait longer than usual for the bus, but eventually it arrives. It's going to Wonju. I thought the same as Tuesday and decided to take it to Wonju. Then I discovered it wasn't the bus I thought. Too late. Well, let's see where it takes me. The bus is getting packed and the windows are fogged, so I couldn't really see how it was outside. I was able to hear "bus terminal" on the speakers, so I thought I'd get off there. Yeap, it took me to the same bus terminal from Tuesday. At least one of my high school students got off too and started talking with me. Her English must be the best from the entire school! I really enjoyed our short chat. I also saw a LotteMart and a department store (in the West, a multi-level mall or shopping center). So, I walked around some more then went back to the bus terminal, and ended up returning home the same way as I did on Tuesday.

So yeah, now it's Friday.

I'm planning on going to church tonight for vespers, and then choir practice right after. This won't be my 1st time in a Korean choir, not understanding anything until the action is done and all I can do is follow. Yet still, it'll be interesting. We'll see just how interesting it will be.

Hey! Stop snoring! I'm done! The end!!

3 Great things--a wonderful way to start out the new week

As the title says, there are 3 great things that happened today--actually, 3 things I received today.

1st: my medical insurance booklet.

With this, I can go into any hospital/clinic in Korea and be attended for really cheap. You'd be surprised at how little one pays for medical services here; it's absolutely WONDERFUL! And now I can enjoy it too!

2nd: my flight allowance.

This is the money we were promised to reimburse our flight ticket over. Now, I can pay off my credit card, except that I've been using my credit card a lot just to not have to spend my cash. Let's say that with the flight over and all the expenses I've made just to survive (and a few things to treat myself), I'll need to wait for the settlement allowance to have enough to pay off my credit card completely. But that's fine. Payday is a week away tomorrow. ^.^

3rd: internet installed in my apartment!

Yes, I'm actually writing this post in my apartment, not a cafe or in 1 of my 5 schools; I'm in the privacy of my own apartment. The guy who installed it took no more than 10 minutes to do everything. I kinda felt that I could have done the installation myself, had I known all the minor details.

So yes: I can now go to any hospital and have internet at home with the money I just got. What a wonderful way to start out the new week!

End of 2nd Week. Already?

Well what do you know, the 2nd week is basically over!

Where did it go?

I'm pretty sure this is how most weeks will pass by in Korea. Such has been my experience in the past. Why would it change now?

The latest news I have is that I now have a cell phone! I got it Wednesday (March 12) afternoon. It's simple and that's what I love about it. No, it's not a smartphone. I will avoid purchasing those things for as long as I can. This phone has features I never thought it would have, like Seoul's metro map, unit conversion, and others that I'll probably not use. I was really excited to be able to connect with people again, after so long!

Well, that's about the only major thing happening right now.

The weekend is basically here and I haven't figured out what to do yet. I'll probably end up doing some random exploration. I guess I could try taking pictures with my phone and uploading them here. We'll see.  

By the way, have you noticed that you can translate my blog now? I don't know if it'll make sense in other languages, but I'm sure you can give it a try. Just go to the top of the page. Where it says "Translate", click on "Select Language" or the arrow beside it, pick your language, and watch to see if the magic show is good or not. Check it out! Let me know what you think in the comments below. 

Random incomplete info about department stores in Seoul

Yesterday (Sunday, March 9), I made my way to Seoul for 2.5 reasons:

1. Deliver an order to my friend who asked me to bring it from the States--and lives in Seoul

2. Said friend would take me to Costco

2.5 To figure out how to get to Seoul from Hoengseong

I was able to accomplish the 1st and last, but not the 2nd. We were so upset when we arrived and saw it was closed.

There was a sign that said Costco will be closed every 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month.

We thought we'd cross the street and try HomePlus. Also closed. I didn't see a sign for how often it would be closed. 

Well, fortunately E-Mart was nearby. Unfortunately, it too was closed. There was a sign in front of E-Mart that said it will be closed the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month.

Bottom line: If you want to do some (grocery) shopping in either E-Mart, HomePlus, or Costco in Seoul, DO NOT go the 2nd Sunday of any month!

I don't know about LotteMart (hence the word "incomplete" in the title), but I'd expect it to be closed as well.

I'm pretty sure this is an incentive from the local government in order to help out the local/small businesses.

Read and be forewarned . . .

After my 1st week . . .

Whew! I made it through my 1st week.

Let me give you the day-by-day synopsis:

Monday

My co-teacher picked me up from home and brought me to my 1st school (Cheongil Middle). As in my previous post points out, I desk-warmed. My co-teacher brought me back home.

Tuesday

I went to the indicated bus stop around 7:30am and got the bus to my 2nd school (Gapcheon High). I actually got to go to the classrooms and introduce myself, along with another assistant English teacher. I took the bus back.

Wednesday

Same bus stop, different school (Gapcheon Middle). I got an introduction PPT (PowerPoint presentation) from waygook.com and tweaked it for introducing myself. I got to see all my students and all 3 of my classes.
After lunch, I walked over to Gapcheon Elementary for 2 afternoon classes. I met my 3rd grade class (population: 3), my 5th grade class (pop.:  3), and my 6th grade class (pop.: 1). As one might guess, 5th & 6th grades are combined. Afterwards, the bus took me back.

Thursday

This is the day when I spend all day at Gapcheon Elementary. I even have an After-school session of 2 class periods (40 min. each) with 3rd-6th combined (pop.: 7). Please pray for me as I come up with activities for these kids in such a varying degree of English (from just now beginning to learn, to can understand somewhat). Bus there and back. 

Friday

My final introduction to my final school: Cheongil Elementary. I had to be careful in the bus, since I almost missed my stop.
So, I found out I'm teaching 2 period of each 5th grade (pop: 8) and 6th grade (pop.: 3) classes. Ok, fine by me. I was told I should stay til 16:30, but because of the bus schedule (and how not-often it comes), I'm allowed to leave as early as 14:30 or so. I was almost pushed out to get the 15:45 bus. Okay then.

. . . . so yeah, that's pretty much what I have to look forward to every week. It should be interesting. Definitely keeps me on my toes.



***Breaking news***
I just got my Alien Registration Card (ARC)!

This means I can have my settlement and entrance allowances deposited into my bank account. This also means I can get a phone . . . and internet in my apartment! We'll just see how long it takes for each one to happen.

Basically, if you're a foreigner living in Korea, you can hardly do anything without said ARC. It's annoying, yet that's how it's done here.

First day (3.March'14)

My first day in a Korean public school was . . . not what I expected.

My main co-teacher (since I have 5 schools, there is one co-teacher in particular who's been in charge of me) picked me up from my apartment a few minutes before 8 am today. He drove me to Changil Middle School (창일중학교)--which is my "main school." It's a good 25-minute drive from my apartment. On the way, my co-teacher showed me the other 4 schools I'll be teaching in. Fortunately, they are near each other (although that might cause confusion the first few days).

So, we arrived at the middle school before 8:30. We file into the staff room and am pointed to my desk. I think it's fine and spacious. I kinda like the fact that I have my own computer. I guess that's expected, but I didn't think about it and brought my laptop. Whoops.

Okay, what do I do? Oh, just wait until 10 am. That's when we're having the opening ceremony. You can do whatever you want until then.

Thank GOD for having my own computer. I think I've answered most of my pending emails. My replies weren't short either.

Alright, it's a few minutes before 10am! We go upstairs to a large room. I don't think this place has an auditorium. That room looked like a library. Either way, I liked it. If you ever want to get me in a pleasant mood, just put me in a room full of books--even if I can't read any of them.

So, we opened with music from the students (I counted 20 total, boys and girls). My co-teacher spoke. He spoke a lot. Apparently he was the master of ceremony. The new principal was introduced and he gave a speech. Each individual teacher was introduced, including yours truly. Oh, that's it. Everyone's leaving. I guess I should leave too.

So, now what? Oh, I just sit at my desk until lunch @ 12:30. 

Well . . . may I have the semester schedule? Please? Yes! So it's all in Korean--makes sense. At least I've got plenty of time to go to translate.google.com and figure out what it all means. I got most of it, but I'll have to ask about the ones I don't understand. Wow, we have many holidays! Wow, most of them are not on Monday, when I come in . . . so that's why they're having me teach on Mondays . . . Considering how many holidays they have, that I can come in only once a week, and how much they're paying me to (help) teach their children English . . . Yeah, it makes sense to put me as often as possible, all things considered.

Oh! It's almost lunchtime! I'm actually starting to get a little hungry. Oh, my internet is off again . . . and everyone's busy doing their own thing.

Alrighty then. Just returned from lunch. We all went out and ate at a restaurant in the village. It was pretty good. It was a lunch with all the teachers and several parents (I don't think they were all there). They introduced everyone again. This re-introduction will probably go on for the rest of the week.

Have things changed after lunch? Nope. Now I've been officially introduced to the term "desk-warming." At least now I'm told (after asking) how my schedule will be.

Monday: Changil Middle
Tuesday: Gapcheon High (mostly football/soccer fans)
Wednesday: Gapcheon Middle & extra class in Gapcheon Elementary
Thursday: Gapcheon Elementary
Friday: Changil Elementary

. . . now to find out the times . . .

Oh, it's 16:40 and everyone's leaving. I guess this is the end of day 1.

Honest review of my recruiter

Hello one and all. I thought I'd take the time to give my honest review of my recruiter: Alistair Wery of Korean Horizons.

Let me give you a bit of a background of myself:

I left Korea in March 2013 feeling very negative about Korea. I was honestly thinking of not coming back. Things at my institute were getting worse--and so was my health. I desperately needed a break.

While I was home, after resting/recovering for about a month and traveling with dad for 3 weeks (and then recovering from that), I decided that I wanted to go overseas again, I just didn't know where. Out of all of my chosen options, Korea was the best choice. I still wasn't thinking very seriously of returning though. Then I decided to read a few websites from different recruiters. They all promised the same thing. I ended up at www.gooverseas.com to check out the different reviews people have left.

Then I saw it.

A recruiter with a 95% approval rate. And this from over 90 reviews. I skimmed them. The only negative comment I saw was along the lines of: "he was just doing his job." Sounds pretty neutral to me. I know people (myself included) who didn't exactly have the best experiences in Korea. Even those who loved it have something negative to say. How can it be that no one had anything actually negative to say?

I decided to find out for myself.

I went to his website (www.koreanhorizons.com). I was impressed with the straight-forward honesty I met. I know Korea isn't perfect (what country in the world is?), but I also know that sugar-coating is lying. Please spare me the b.s. and we will have a better chance of getting along. That website made me want to try returning to Korea. I filled out the application form, sent in everything they wanted, and lo and behold: I'm currently living my 1st day of teaching in the Korean public school system.

Alistair was very helpful and straightforward through the entire process. He told me things as they were and gave me very practical tips. There were times when he was very quiet and didn't contact me, but that was because he had nothing to update. When he did have something new to inform, he did so immediately. Alistair seemed very distant and a little too professional during the process (i.e. I thought he didn't like me), but he proved himself to be a likable guy who can smile and laugh--just before I arrived to Korea. I probably owe passing the EPIK interview to him, considering his mock-interview turned out to be much more stressful than how my actual EPIK interview was. I'm very grateful for that.

He was an excellent host. He picked us up at the airport and brought us under his wing. He put us up in a guesthouse for the night, took us out for dinner and breakfast, brought us back to the airport the next morning to meet the EPIK crew and they took it from there. As we were waiting to leave for orientation, Alistair gave each of us a large welcome packet including the following:

a Korean-English dictionary

a Lonely Planet guidebook to Korea

a Lonely Planet Korean phrasebook and dictionary

an ESL textbook

a Korea tourist map + 2 maps on your respective area (mine is Gangwon Province)

a guesthouse info book.

A book about Korean cuisine

 a book about Korea's temple-stay program (spending the night in a Buddhist temple and participating in their different activities)

Did I mention that we didn't have to pay 1 penny for any of this? EVERYTHING (books, 1-night stay in guesthouse, dinner, breakfast, picking us up, taking us to the airport, advice, tips, etc.) came from Alistair. All this and he still wants to keep in contact with each one of us. This is a man who genuinely cares about his job AND his recruits.

So here it is, my honest, no-bull review of my recruiter. I honestly recommend any and all who want to teach in Korea--and are serious about it--to talk to Alistair. I can assure you, you will be in the best of (recruiter) hands.

Need I say more?