Dad's visit - Day 2 : The DMZ

The DMZ trip was a full day ordeal. We were up early and at the USO offices by 7:00 in the morning. We were then loaded on a bus and took the almost two-hour trip up the the Demilitarized Zone, which stretches 5 km north and south of the border.

After switching busses at the 5 km mark (only certain vehicles were allowed past the gate), we went to Camp Bonifas for the briefing. From there is was off to the Joint Security Area. The JSA is the site you see in most of the pictures - the buildings right at the front line, where the two sides have soldiers that just stand there and stare at each other.

Soldiers stand half protected by buildings, in case someone starts shooting. You can almost spot the North Korean soldier at the top of the steps on the left.

ROK soldier in the JSA.

Then we were off to Checkpoint 3, which is surrounded on three sides by North Korea, and which also gives a good view of the enormous flagpole in NK's Propaganda Village :

View from Checkpoint 3.

The giant flagpole in Propaganda Village (one of the tallest in the world).

On the way to the next stop, we rolled by the Bridge of No Return, where, at the end of the war, prisoners were given a last chance to return home.


The next stop was the 3rd Tunnel. There have been a number of tunnels that have been found that run from the North toward Seoul that could be used to invade. We were able to go down into the tunnel, and it was quite a hike. Once in the tunnel we weren't able to go too far in, since we're a little taller than the average Korean.

Map of the tunnels, since no cameras were allowed inside.

Wood carvings near the tunnel.

Our last stops were at the Dora Observatory and the Dorasan train station. We had to stay behind a line to take pictures, and it was cloudy, so we weren't able to get great pictures. The train station has been open for a few years, and it's all ready to go once they open up the border between the North and South again.


After the long day, we spent a while wandering around and trying the street food in Myeongdong (the downtown area). As many times as I've gone, it was the first time I had eaten so much, and so much great food.

The final installment should be up some time soon - hopefully sooner than this one!

Dad's visit - Day 1 : Prisons, Palaces, Museums and Baseball

I had a great time when my dad came to visit - so much so that I'm going to have to post pictures in installments so they aren't too huge.

On Friday, we tried to fit in as much history as we could. We started at Seodaemun Prison, which was an important site during the Japanese occupation in the first half of the 1900s. It was interesting to see some of the (very graphic) representations of what was going on, since it's not something I knew much about.

After that we headed over to one of the old royal palaces - Changdeokgung. The trees were just starting to bloom, so it was very nice :



Changdeokgung has one of the largest palace grounds, including the "Secret Garden," which is a huge section of nature on the side of a mountain :


By the time we finished at the palace it was just after noon. Then we went to the War Memorial Museum, to prepare for our next day's trip to the DMZ. The whole Memorial area was ENORMOUS. I was shocked - I was expecting a building, and maybe a monument or two, but it's huge! Outside there are a number of monuments, a huge plaza area, and a ton of war 'things' - ground vehicles, airplanes, missiles - just about everything you would need in a war.


Inside the museum, they have a complete history of peninsula - from the earliest humans to various dynasties and conflicts, to the War, and even information about Korea's involvement in other conflicts (like Vietnam).After that, we headed toward the baseball stadium. But, on the way, we took the opportunity to do "Doctor Fish." In a nutshell, you stick your feet in a pool of fish, and they eat the dead skin from your feet. Here's us trying it :


I couldn't stop freaking out, and we ended up only using about five of our twenty minutes. Dad called it "unnatural," but the strangest part to me is that this all happens in a coffee shop-type place, so there's food and drinks and then you're supposed to have fish eat the skin from your feet. Ick. But at least we tried it.

Our last stop on Friday night was the Twins baseball game - the LG (electronics) Twins vs. the Doosan (construction?) Bears. Teams are all named after companies, and both the Twins and the Bears are based in Seoul. It was a good game. The fans of Korean baseball are very participatory - there are chants and cheers for every player and situation, cheer (and chant-) leaders. We had great seats right in the front row on the first base line.

Dad watches the game with his new Korean friends.

The Bears fans cheering

Next up : The DMZ/JSA

After complaining so long about having nothing to do, I finally got what I wished for.

Last week was extra busy - with a co-teacher on vacation I had extra classes. In addition, I've had a terrible sinus/infection thing that just won't go away. Then on Wednesday I took a massive, flailing fall while teaching a class. I ended up spraining my ankle (and putting on a big show for the kids). I've focused a lot on getting better, and the recovery has actually been quite fast.

It's good that it's been a fast recovery, because there are only two more days until Dad gets here! We've got a lot planned for the short time - we're going to a baseball game (the "Twins"), the DMZ, and then we'll come to Chuncheon for a couple of days. I'm really excited, and not just because I'm taking a vacation day on Friday.

I have also finally nailed down my first solo vacation. From May 1-5 I'm going to go to Hong Kong (with a day trip to Macau). It will be an experience, going alone, but it should be fun.

It is also finally getting warm here - 50-60s during the day. I'll be able to send my winter jacket home with Dad with no problem!

I hope everyone had a happy Easter!

I haven't written much lately, since nothing has really been happening.

Last weekend I finally got my first haircut since I've been here. It's nice to have short(ish) hair again. I found the one salon in Chuncheon with an English-speaking owner. It was nice to have someone who understood what I wanted, and who was able to chat.

It was amazing how inexpensive it is here. Even though I still have just under five months left, it's starting to hit home how little time that is. And it's starting to sink in exactly how good of a gig it is to be here. For example, the whole haircut thing was only 10,000 won (less than $10) for everything. The incredibly cheap water bills (less than $5 a month).

Not too bad.

Nothing else is really exciting here. I'm working extra this week as one of the teachers is taking his vacation. '

I'm just trying to get through the week, and then Dad is going to arrive on Thursday, April 8 so I'll go to Seoul to meet him. I'm tentatively planning that weekend to get us to the DMZ (North Korean border), and to a baseball game (Seoul has a team called the LG Twins, so we'll see a "Twins" game in Korea).

Just have to make it to the weekend and I'll be home free...

March 11, 2010

The semester is under way and so far it has been going pretty well. I have class after class with no break every day except Fridays, so the days go by very fast.

The kids have been very up and down - there are a few kids who are wild and loud, and some really great new kids, who are on or even above level. One girl is my new favorite. Her name is Ruby and she's adorable and very smart. I need to take pictures of my new classes.

This week we were finally approached about extending our contracts in August. I had decided before I even got here that it was one year and I would leave (and I still am going to), but if I had to stay here I don't think it would be so terrible. It's going to be a bit difficult to explain to the owner, especially since he's been trying to spend more time with us as the apparent downturn in attendance (a minor 'crisis' at a lot of the schools) is turning around.

Not much else has been going on. I've been doing a lot of research and planning for my post-Korea travels. It's shaping up to be a pretty big thing, but it's nice having something to look forward to (and keep saving money for).

Halfway done!

The weekend in Seoul was a nice getaway. We spent Saturday at the Coex mall and aquarium. On Sunday we went up to the N'Seoul Tower, even though it was a bit cloudy.

(Locks people leave symbolizing enduring love)

The five lights that indicated the state of the city (safe/under attack)

We also tried to visit the old east and west gates to the city. The west gate (Namdaemun) was supposed to be the nice one, but it was burned down by a fire a while ago and has yet to be rebuilt. Dongdaemun (the east gate) is a bit smaller, but still intact.


We also walked around down by the Cheonggye Stream, which was nice (though it would be nicer if it were green).


This week is the first week of the spring term. New classes and lots of stress, and on top that I've got a cold. Luckily tomorrow is Friday and I just have to make it through and I have the weekend to recuperate.

All I know is that I'm more than halfway through my contract! It's all downhill from here!

Olympics, Dentists, and Singing with Soldiers

Korea is going well. The last couple of days have been really nice here – almost all of the snow has melted, and I almost didn’t need a jacket this afternoon.

Today I had my second of two dentist appointments (just for cleaning). The total cost was about the equivalent of fifty dollars. It’s an interesting experience, not being able to follow the simple directions, but somehow it works. We also made friends with the manager, who has invited us to dinner next week. She’s very nice, but it’s still kind of strange – go in for a cleaning, come out with dinner plans.

I’ve been trying to watch as much of the Olympics as I can. However, between my lack of a television (and the language barriers when I am by a television) and the time delay, I haven’t seen much of the games live. Additionally, the Koreans have certain events that they care more about (speed skating and figure skating), so their programming is heavily geared toward those events. While we were at the dentist’s today the whole place stopped to see Kim Yu Na skate.

It’s also interesting seeing their coverage because they highlight their own accomplishments (replaying speed skating victories again and again) while showing the missteps of others (showing Vonn crash). I wish I could actually understand what they are saying when they do all this.

Last weekend was my co-worker’s birthday, so we had a girl’s night out. After dinner, we met some soldiers who were on their night off and we ended up singing at the noraebang (karaoke) with them until early in the morning. It was another one of those experiences you never imagine happening. I have a number of pictures (and videos) of this, but I'll wait to share those.

This weekend I’m off to Seoul to see my friend there, and maybe do a little more sight-seeing. We have Monday off of work, and then it’s the start of a new semester. This marks the sixth month point of my stay here. Hard to believe that I’m halfway done!

This week has been extra difficult though, because one of my co-workers is on vacation. It's only an extra class or two each day, but it makes a difference! A couple of nights this week my classes don't end until 10:30 at night. But there are only two more days left, so that helps.