Three Bears Song

♫♪ kom se ma li ka han ji beh yi soh ♫♪
♫♪ Apa kom, Oma Kom, Egi kom ♫♪
♫♪ Apa Kom en diung diung ae ♫♪
♫♪ Oma kom en nai shi ae ♫♪
♫♪ Egi kom en domokiyowo ♫♪
♫♪ Usu Usu cha ran da ♫♪

Korean Winter and Christmas!

As another layer of snow delicately coats the outdoors, I feel an urge to make a blog post. First, a reiteration. It's cold. It's very cold. It's much colder than Florida ever was. And there's a strange white fluffy substance that falls from the sky. It melts and forms ice, which makes you slip and fall on your bum in the morning. I still am altogether unsure of this snow thing.

Anywho, such is the time to experiment! So last weekend, I went with the gregarious Gongju gang to Gangwando, a province in the northern part of the country, to go.. SKIING, a first for a townie like me. The trip was organized by Adventure Korea and we skiied at the lovely Phoenix Park Resort. It was cold, yes. But, by gosh, it was fun too! I loved skiing very quickly and falling over as the only way I knew how to stop. The Korean schoolkiddos found my bumbles to be amusing. And the ski lifts were divine-- it felt like flying!


And, Christmas! Well, as despite the prevalence of Christianity in Korea, Christmas is not what I would call a large holiday. In fact, the local grocery stores were far more decorated for Pepero Day in November. The stores were all open. There were people on the streets. Everything was.. normal. Aside from the mysteriously crowded trains, it really felt like just another Korean Saturday. Calm.

I spent the holidays with my darlings from Gyeongbuk, opened presents from one another (I got some real good'uns!) had a home-made holiday meal, and danced in the Christmas lights in Daegu. VIA Skype, I got to join me fam on Christmas morning and view the stressful holiday from afar! I miss my family and friends, and hope you all had an amazing holiday!


Next week is New Years! I wonder in excitement what interesting things Korea shall offer!

Happy to be here!

This morning began at an abhorable pace. I had ignored my alarm, and woke up at 8:05, with a train slated to leave at 8:13. I had class at 9:00! Thank god the train was late. I hate my commute. I hate not having a car.I hate walking in freezing cold rain in December, but I love my job, and, all the same, I love my life.

This past weekend I went to the grand old capital of the Silla empire, Gyeongju. I love old places, and this is THE prime example of an old city in Korea. I travelled alone, somewhat a scary experience, but didn't feel unsafe at any point. Maybe a little stupid. And I think there was a moment of desperation when I got off on the wrong stop at 11:00 at night. But everything worked out. It always does. Here's a picture of the 1500-year-old Bulgoksa temple.. with some girl awkwardly posing like a flamingo in front.



The weekend before, I went to Seoul with three of my closest friends in Korea.. The Michiganders extrordinaire! We screamed like school girls to the brain-infiltrating rhythms of K-Pop superstars Big Bang, 2NE1, Gummy, SE7EN and Psy. It was an amazing concert, they know how to put on an amazing show. I also lost my wallet, about 70,000W, my ARC, my credit cards.. Which was a bummer. Nothing that can't be replaced, but still, do'h! Never a fun time. I filed my police report, but I suspect that someone took the money and threw my wallet in the trash.. No cards have been used at least!

May I reiterate how happy I am to have these girls?


This here is the deliciously entertaining PSY; a man who danced, sweat, huffed and puffed to the point where he looked like he could have fallen over on stage, but not once stopped smiling. And it has been decided that his song is popular this month! I'm all for anyone who can push past the silly Korean standard of beauty. Silly is smexy. Kudos, Mister Psy!


I still need to decide where I am going for winter vacation. Cambodia is beautiful, but if I can't find anyone to go with me it will be beaautiful, but probably not all that fun. My trip to Gyeongju made me realize that while I am one who enjoys solitude, possibly more than most people, going on trips alone is just not nearly as fun!

Mom and Sissy, Part Two!

Wow, I cannot believe it is December! The time is flying by. And the feeling of the holidays is simply not here without my family. My mom and sister's visit was amazing, despite the extreme stress that seems to come with every family trip, we had a plethora of fun and were able to spend time together again. I am so happy I got to share some of my Korean life with them.

Our adventures into Seoul spanned from Friday through Monday... each day left us completely mentally and physically exhausted!

Pictures, HERE!
http://picasaweb.google.com/nyxnightingale/MomAndSissyComeToKorea02#

Friday We left for Seoul in the morning. Sissy and I enjoyed a feast of Pringles and Hite from the snack train. The first order of business was replacing my lost passport.. we struggled a bit with the metro system but eventually made our way. Dealing with the consulate was very bureaucratic, as one might imagine. Anyway, once THAT was over we stayed at Lee and No's hostel in Hongdae. We shared the house with traveler's from China, Hong Kong, Massachusetts and Ohio. Erica and I went out dancing in Hongdae, and got matching ice cream lemonade floats from a frilly pink cafe!
Cafe in Hongdae

Saturday Packed up our bags and began another tedious journey through the metro station. We only had one suitcase, but it got heavier each day as we crammed new parcels within. The Grand Hyatt at Itaewon was our second hotel, one of those places that is beautiful but so fancy that it was offputting to someone of my middle-class upbringing. We gallivanted about Itaewon, and Erica and I saw the National Museum of Korea! That night we had dinner at Gecko's with a Ben from back home!
Christmas tree at Grand Hyatt


Sunday The tour day! Jogyesa Buddhist temple, the beautiful Gyeongbok palace, the National Folk Museum, Changedok palace, Insadong shopping, Namdaemun market, and finally back to the hotel. Honestly, it was sensory overload, and there are so many stories to tell that I may choose to add them later, or they may be incorporated into anecdotes that I tell to my grandchildren. By the end of the night we were pooped.
At Gyeongbok Palace


Final destination was the LOTTE Hotel in Jamsil. Towards the end of our night, we were walking up from the underground shopping and passed a set of clear doors that opened to the parking area of the hotel. It was snowing! I dropped the box of Krispy Kremes I was carrying and ran outside. SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! SNOW FREAK OUT

SundayWe went to Lotte World, the world's largest indoor theme park. It's such a blatant rip off of Disney world that Mom, Erica and I couldn't help but laugh! We rode rides, ate yummy park junk food (Erica looooved the roasted squid), and were generally merry.. but we didn't mind leaving early!

Then it was back to Jochiwon.. joggity jog. Parting was such sweet sorrow.