Sean's Observation

     Today, Sean came into Poly to observe my students and me.  I was very excited.  I did not know how my students would react to Sean.  He is very tall and has a beard, two things that Korean men do not have.  So, I was very surprised when the students would not stop asking him questions and took a liking to him immedietly.  He was a great help.  After administering the spelling test (of course Sean participated), we made Christmas Cards.  This seems like an easy task, but with pre-kinders, cutting and pasting can be difficult.  It was nice to have an extra set of hands.
     Sean was surprised to see how fast the classes go (40 minutes) and how well the students read and speak English.  I was fortunate that he was able to visit and expeirence part of my job. 
     Sean also expierenced two Korean meals.  The first, was lunch at Kim bop Nara.  He ordered spicy pork (juk dop bop), fried dumpling (kun mandu), and kimchi.  Dinner was the traditional Korean barbeque.  We had pork, soup, rice, egg soup, and kimchi.  

Seans Arrival

     I woke up today at quarter to five, to prepare for Seans arrival.  I went to the 24 hour coffee shop, Tom 'n Toms to wait for his bus.  The wait was long and I was very anxious.  I wasn't sure if he had caught the right bus or when it was to arrive.  There was a Canadian chap that was visiting his girlfriend and had a bad bout f jet lag.  We chatted a while, passing the time.  Although he was friendly, he did not ease my nerves.  He advised me that his girlfriend and him had taken the wrong bus from the airport.  I had no way to contact Sean, so I just sat and waited. 
      Finally, he arrived.  We jumped in a taxi, dropped off his items, gave a quick tour of the apartment (it was very quick, due to the size), showed him how to work the water and heat, and then we walked to Butter Fingers (a breakfast restaurant). 
     After we ate, I had to leave to go to work.  Sean surprised me later, by finding Poly's building and meeting me when I got out of work!  He said that it was hard to find, because there are a lot of buildings that look like towers.  He went into a few and asked for directions.  I could not believe that he found it!
      For dinner, we went to my favorite Tai food restaurant: Sala Tai. 

Pepero Day

     Americans might have some odd holidays, but this tops them all.  Pepero Day, November 11.  It is on this day you that you give your friends or loved ones Pepero.  It is a sign of friendship.  Pepero is a bread stick covered in chocolate.  You celebrate this on 11/11 because it looks like to Pepero sticks.  I have enough Pepero and chocolate to survive on for a month.  I was showered with it from all of my students. 

     Here is the history (if your interested):  The Lotte Confectionary Company introduced Pepero to Korea back in the 1980s. Many people believe that the company invented this day to increase their sales. If the Lotte Company did do this then it was a huge success. It sells almost two-thirds of it’s yearly total of these snacks in the two months before November 11^th (Source: Lina Yoon Wall Street Journal 2006). The Lotte Company refutes this claim because they say they only started marketing these snacks in the year 2000 after marketing personnel started to notice a yearly jump in sales around the 11^th. Koo Ja-ryung, the branding manager of Pepero said "Actually, we didn't start Pepero day. Some middle school girls in Busan gave Peperos to their friends on November 11th, saying 'Be tall and thin' like the number 1, in 1994. (Kim Moon-sun Cauon, 2004).

 

Gosu Cave



November 14, 2010

     I have never been caving before, but after visiting Gosu Cave, I have found a new passion: caving.  My companion along this trip, Stephanie, is a co-worker from another Poly campus.  We had met in training and share similar interests in traveling.  We had about 2.5 hours to catch up on the bus ride, while on our way to our first destination: Chungju Dam. 

     Upon arrival, we had a quick look around and boarded our next mode of transportation... a ferry.  I know that this may sound boring, but this is Korea!  The ferry had a dance club in it.  There was a disco ball, lasor lights, and korean dancing.  After a few laughs, we headed to the top of the ferry boat.  We found a great spot and took in the beautiful scenery.   The lake was lined with hills covered in bare trees that were in a national park.  Before we knew it, I was offered warm chicken and a Cass (Korean beer) from a group of korean men.  Next, Stephanie started to speak Korean and the next thing we knew, we were part of a korean picnic!  The food was great and the company was entertaining (the only communication was through broken English, but we managed).  This really passed the time and after 1.5 hours, we arrived at Gosu Cave. 

     Gosu Cave is a limestone cave, 1,300 meters deep, situated in Danyang-gun.  The name Gosu comes from the fact that in the past, the area was filled with thickets of tall grass.  Rough stone instruments were excavated at the cave entrance, which revealed that this area was home to the prehistoric human beings.
     Inside Gosu Cave, the temperature remains around 15℃ throughout the year.  There are reportedly about 25 different kinds of animal life inhabiting within the cave. Some of the rocks resemble animals or human figures, such as Lion Rock, Octopus Rock, Eagle Rock, and even the Virgin Mary Rock. About 120 various shapes of stalactites and stalagmites found in the cave.

The walk through the cave is exciting.  You climb up and down rusty, old staircases and have to watch your step on the slippery rocks.  The cave was beautiful!  Everywhere you turned, there was something new to see, from pools of water to huge stalagmites.  It was sight worth seeing.

    

Dodamsanbong Peak      Dodamsanbong Peak consists of three rocks that create a large S figure as it stands tall in the middle of Namhangang River. This is the only place in the world where you can see the three longest rocks protrude in the middle of a river.  The following legend still lives through this day; among the three rocks, the big rock is called Nampyeonbong, Janggunbong the rock on the right side is called Cheobong (or Adeulbong), and the rock on the left is called Cheopbong (or Ddalbong). According to the legend there lived a couple who loved each other, but had no child.  They found a mistress because they wanted to have a baby, but once she had the baby, she began to mistreat and taunt the wife. The heavens saw them, and turned all of them into stones. The way the rocks stand next to one another is very interesting.  

     I viewed the rock formation from atop a hill.  It was a short climb to a small pavilion called lhoyangjeong. It was built to comfort the locals who lost their homes due to the flooding caused by Chungju Dam.  The pavilion is a nice place to sit and take in the scenery.  It is also a great place to prepare yourself for the next part of the tour.

     There is a narrow path, through the woods that opens up to a stone bridge.  The bridge is made of natural rock and over the years, formed into an arch.  The climb up to the top of the bridge is nerve-wrenching.  There are no rails or steps.  The bridge towers high over water and is narrow-only wide enough for one person to walk across in the middle.   I was so nervous, that I took a quick picture and hiked down, very cautiously.

Dr. Fish

     When your feet are dry, rough, and in need of some repair, you go to Dr. Fish!  It is similar to a pedicure, except your feet are not serviced by people.  Instead, they are taken care of by fish!  The establishment I went to, along with two of my co-workers was very high end.  It was an upscale coffee shop!  You have to order your drinks first (I got a beer) and then wait for the "fish" to open up.  One of the perks is that you get free bread with your drink order.  There was all sorts of rolls and various breads.  Note of caution, if you go, be sure to finish all of your bread.  If you leave bread on your plate, you receive a fine.  So, eat up!
     There are two kinds of fish that you can choose from.  The Garra rufa fish are little and do not have teeth.  They are born in the Middle East and are reported to release enzymes to help your skin regenerate faster.  The cleaning is not as effective as the chin chin.  They are larger and have small teeth.  We opted for the garra rufa, but there were only a few in the tank.  We decided to go for the chin chin and take our chances with the teeth. 

     The area was very clean, including the tanks of fish.  You are required to wash your feet prior to placing them in the tank.  My friend Julie was the first to go.  I was very nervous and reluctant to put my feet in the tank.  Everytime I did, the fish would swarm towards them.  I guess I had a lot of dead skin cells on my feet (gross).  After a while, I got over my fear and put my feet in.  Check out the expeirence in the video below!! 

     Overall, it isn't that bad, once you tell yourself that you are not going to get hurt.  It is a natural reaction to remove your feet from water when something is nibbling at them.  It is very hard to keep them in the water and not very relaxing.  After you are done, you rinse your feet, sanitize, and put lotion on them.  Yes, they actually felt great (although it could have been the lotion).  I recommend this to anyone.    

The Heulimgol valley

    
     On Novemer 7, 2010, I woke up had a quick breakfast (toast and peanut butter) and headed out for Heulimgol Valley.  The Heulimgol Valley has been closed to the public due to damages caused by severe flooding.  For more than 20 years it has had the chance to rejuvenate itself, and is now well preserved.  The Jujeonggol Valley, which is known as the area where the old yeopjeon coins were made during the Joseon Dynasty. 
     Even though I had a great soak in the hot tubs the night before, I was exhausted and was looking forward to a leisurely hike.  It was everything I expected.  The trees had brilliant colors of red and gold.  The trail had mulitple bridges that criss crossed the river, and the trail was very easy. 
     Along the trail I saw the a great little temple and three gold statues.  What I was really looking forward to was Yongso waterfall.  The tour guides really talked it up.  I thought, what a great way to end this hike... a beautiful waterfall. 

     Well, it was supposed to be bigger.
     After the hike, we had a delicous lunch.  It was korean style and in a great little restaurant in town.  After lunch, we took the chartered bus back and watched a movie.  It was a great way to spend a weekend.

Lantern Festival

    Lanterns symbolize hope and wishes.  They are filled with light and set across rivers or streams to make dreams come true.  After visiting the 2010 Seoul Lantern Festival, I have a new appreciation for the time, patience, and talent that goes into the heart of a lantern.  I viewed the giant lanterns along the Cheonggyecheon (stream).  The crowds were thick, but I was able to view the brilliant lanterns.  Much to my dismay, the lanterns did not float along the stream.  Instead, they were anchored in place. 

     The lanterns were grouped by themes: Lights of Seoul, Lights of the Global Village, Lights of Korea, Lights of Memory and Lights of Future.  The Lights of the Global Village was amazing.  There were mini replicas of world landmarks.  There was even one of the Statue of Liberty!  The Lights of Future had various animal lanterns and beautiful scenery.  It was a great night out in the city.