Scavenger Hunt

 

Take a picture with a child and their parent... duh, I grabbed the baby!

 

Tai Chi

 

Beast mode!

 

Love 146

 

Dance obnoxiously behind an unknowing stranger.

 

Picture with an old guy!

Last weekend was a blast! I laughed and giggled so much. I participated in a scavenger hunt hosted by a charity group that fights child sex slavery. I had really only met one of my team members briefly before the event, so I wasn't sure quite what to expect. Turns out I ended up with a really fantastic group and had a lot of fun with them. We didn't end up placing, but it was great running around downtown Deagu for two hours taking pictures of crazy things. Some of my favorites are highlighted above with the pictures. We had a few Korean people walk away from us with a frightened look, but most people were willing to join in the fun.
After the event I headed to Babalu for another night of salsa. We had a brief bachata lesson (men were lacking, so I led... and was complemented multiple time for being the best leader besides the instructor!) and then a salsa party started. I was again amazed at the talent of the dancers there! They really inspire me to improve my skills. Tomorrow I am planning to try to get in on a lesson, so hopefully it works out well, and I can make it a regular thing for Tuesday nights! But back to the salsa party... It was a great deal. It was only 15,000 won (little less than $15), and beer, food (gimbap, yum!) and dancing was included until 2 a.m. I certainly feel like I got my money's worth!
But 2 a.m. was to soon to call it a night, so I went with newly acquired friends from salsa to two different bars. By the time the second one closed, I only had about half an hour to wait for the first subway home, so I went back to the first place that stays open way into the late night and danced while I waited. Finally I caught the subway home around 5:30 a.m. and made it back to my bed around 6:15 a.m. I was definitely exhausted, but slept in really late on Sunday and had a really lazy day! It was a great weekend.

Jam Packed Three-day Weekend!

This weekend I was lucky enough to have Monday off, because October 15 is our school's founding day, so a holiday is given. I took full advantage of the extra day and crammed a lot of sightseeing into one weekend, starting with Friday night. I met up with my friend Elizabeth in downtown, and then we caught up with another friend and his new Korean friends. The seven of us headed on a trek out of the pulsing heart of downtown, following narrow alleys to a low key Korean bar. We drank makgeolli (Korean rice wine) mixed with cider (basically like Sprite) and played Korean drinking games. It was really fun, especially because it reminded me of the evening my Korean friend from home made a huge dinner for us and taught us Korean drinking games. We played: Sam Yuk Goo (3, 6, 9) a game in which you say numbers out loud in a circle, but have to clap any time a number has a 3, 6 or 9, so 13 would be a clap, etc.; Gong Gong Chil Bang (007, bang) a game where you pretend to shoot people like James Bond, hence the 007, and have coordinating motions to go along; and the Stand Up game, in which everyone has to stand up and say a number, but if more than one person stands up for the same number, everyone drinks. We also learned the song people burst into when cheering on someone to drink, but I haven't quite mastered it yet. After drinking makgeolli and eating lots of food (spicy chicken, pajeon aka onion pancake, tangerines, and other side dishes) we headed to a Norabang for some karaoke. It was the first time I have gone norabanging in Korea, so it was fun to get out and sing! But it's a bit tough with a split group of Koreans and foreigners, because half the crowd really can't sing the song (i.e. we chose English songs, they chose Korean ones). After singing our lungs out, I decided to head home instead of dancing (wait, who am I?... don't worry, here's why) because it was about 3:30 a.m. and I needed to get up in about 4 hours to get ready for our trip the next day.

 

 

On Saturday I went to Jinju with Elizabeth and Lindsey to watch some bullfighting and check out the Jinju Lantern Festival. Sadly, the only bulls we saw were ones pictured on the side of the stadium. My guidebook led us astray, because there were not bullfights every Saturday as it so boldly proclaimed. There had been a bullfighting festival the weekend before, so we had just missed it! It was disappointing, but there was a lake nearby, so we hiked up to it and enjoyed the beautiful view. Later that night we went to the river for the lantern festival, which was indeed happening. It was absolutely beautiful! The three of us made our own lanterns and sent them into the river with our wishes. It was a pretty simple festival and could definitely have been done as a day trip, but we had already booked our motel, so we took our time wandering through the lights and enjoyed delicious pizza at an adorable Italian restaurant. Accommodations for the weekend booked up quickly, so we went ahead and got a two-person room for three people. But we made it work! We slept sideways on the bed and actually had quite a bit of room, though our feet did hang off of the bed. But it was a nice room and I got a good night of sleep. And the best part, the bed vibrated, so we had a nice massage in the morning (obviously that wouldn't be fun to try to sleep to).

 

Sunday we headed straight back to Daegu after waking up and getting ready. We decided to spend the gorgeous afternoon and Suseong Lake. It was a nice area, but for some reason I expected a much bigger lake. But it didn't disappoint, because duck boats abounded, and of course we took one for a spin. It was quite a workout, but a fun way to experience the lake. As we passed fellow duck boat users, we became instant, fleeting friends and shared friendly 안녕하세요s (hellos). Later we went to Ganga for dinner and had tasty Indian food. We had spinach paneer (my favorite!), tandoori chicken and garlic naan. It cost a pretty penny, but it was good. We then trekked over to the airplane turned coffee shop that was overlooking the lake. I've had many a cup of coffee in airplanes, but someone this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up! The coffee was yummy (I haven't come across a bad cup of Joe yet) and it was fun sitting in the cockpit. But the inside was a bit stuffy, so we took our drinks to the patio upstairs and reveled in the delightful weather and stunning view of the lake. After the lake we headed to Camp Walker, a U.S. army base in Daegu, on a mission to find the other gate into the post (I had already found one). We walked around the post, but sadly came to a dead end. I figure army bases have great businesses outside the main gates that cater to foreigners, so I wanted to check out what there was nearby. I actually found some good businesses outside Gate 4, but I still want to find out what Gate 6 has to offer. It was a bit disappointing, but there is still time to track it down. So we just headed on home.

 

Gatbawi 

 

It was quite the hike!

 

Bullo-dong Tomb Park

Today (Monday) I headed up to the northeastern part of Daegu to visit the famous Gatbawi stone Buddha. It was way more of a hike than I was expecting, but I was happy to get some exercise in with my sightseeing. I climbed so many stairs; I didn't think it would ever end. But I managed to make it to the top, and some some spectacular views of Daegu below. And the Buddha itself was quite magnificent. After making it back down the mountain, I went to the nearby traditional market and to Bullo-dong Tomb Park. The tombs are grass-covered hills all congregated in the park. Most have no marker or tombstone, and so just look like an interestingly shaped piece of land. It was a serene area and actually a nice place for a stroll. You just can't think about all of the bodies below the ground! I wrapped up my evening by visiting a recommended Vietnamese restaurant that had really tasty pho. I was also able to buy some cilantro and limes, two things that are hard to find else where. I paid about $1 per lime, but a girl had to have her favorite citrus... and I only got two! I have some avocados and home, so I certainly plan on making some really delicious avocado. I am definitely looking forward to that. So clearly I had a very busy weekend, but it was nice to be able to see so many different places, and to get a better feel for what's in my own city as well.

So ExPSYted

 

I saw Psy perform live!

  

Stadium food... actually quite cheap!

I went with no ticket, no time and a sliver of hope, but I managed to get in to the opening ceremony of Daegu's 93rd National Sports Festival. The festival is one of (if not the) biggest festivals that Daegu puts on, and this year's opening ceremony featured a concert by none other than the fabulous Psy. It was amazing! I loved the whole experience, and I mostly loved that I was able to experience it at all. I stumbled across information about Psy performing from a facebook group only two days ago, so I scrambled to get as much information as I could. Kudos to the Internet and facebook, because I was able to find out everything I needed about the event, including time, location and the free shuttle buses. And I also learned that all the tickets my gu (similar to district) was handing out were gone, and that I likely wouldn't make it on time to get in. But even with no ticket and the slimmest chance I would even arrive before the gates were closed, I decided to venture out and give it a try. I mean, it was a chance to see Psy perform live for free! You just can't throw in the towel for that until you do anything you can to make it.

I rushed out of my office as soon as the bell struck 4:30 p.m. and power walked to the Metro stop, determined and on a mission. I traveled past 9 stations to reach the interchange to get on line 2, where I traveled another 10 stops. Originally I was only going to travel 8 and catch a city bus to the stadium, but moments before getting to that stop, I saw two groups of Koreans pull out their tickets and discuss the shuttle bus location. I only really understood, because I had read the name of the shuttle buss point prior, but I wasn't confident about catching the shuttle until I saw them planning to go. And good thing I did wait, and that I got there when I did! As I stood in line waiting for the shuttle, my excitement was growing, because it was seeming more and more likely. Apparently the 5:30 p.m. shutting of the gates, was not observed, thankfully for me and countless other attendees. As I shuffled along in line, I remembered a tiny detail... I had no ticket. What to do, what to do?! Hello Korean man to my left, do you happen to have an extra ticket? And like that, my entrance was possible! God was definitely on my side and hooked it up. The man gave me an extra ticket he had with no hesitation. It was amazing. I thought he would be the first in an long line of many people I would have to beg for a spare ticket. Turns out, the man (my ticket friend) was their with his friend from church that has an English service and a group of about 100 or so foreigners. I was really excited to hear about that, because I haven't come across detailed information about English services here yet. So I plan to check out the church as soon as I am in Daegu on a Sunday, which should actually be pretty soon.

But anyway, to the main event. I shoved my way on to a crowded shuttle bus and arrived at the marvelous Daegu Stadium. Once inside I grabbed some concession stand treats (a meat stick, popcorn and water, all for only about $4!) and searched for a seat. I lucked out again and got an aisle seat, though it was pretty far from the stage. But I was just happy to be inside the stadium. The opening ceremonies were really beautiful, and included a light show, fireworks, the lighting of the torch and the singing of the national anthem. I realized that was the first time I had heard Korea's national anthem, so it was pretty moving, and I kind of teared up a little. Most of the time I had no idea what was going on, but I clapped and cheered with the crowd and just took in the general splendor. I was so happy to be a part of such a hugely important festival, because I really felt a sense of experiencing the culture.

Of course everyone's favorite part of the evening was when Psy came on stage. I don't know who was more excited, me, the little kids behind me or the adjumas. It was great fun watching Psy perform and watching the crowd's reaction. My favorite part of the evening was when Psy sang gangnam style and I danced it with the rest of the crowd. It was so awesome to dance to a real, live version of the song! After Psy performed, the evening was wrapped up with a beautiful fireworks show. 

Then I had to get home. It was intensely crowded and people were only looking out for number one. I felt bad for the police, because it was a huge crowd to deal with. But after about 40 minutes of waiting in a line that constantly swayed from side to side as intruders pushed their way in from either side of the line, I was able to get on a shuttle bus and make it to the subway. Overall it took me about two hours to get home, but it was totally worth it. I'm so glad I didn't give up before I tried, and that my ticket friend was awesome enough to give me a ticket! It really worked out well and was a great night to experience Korean culture.

Bits of Travel and the Best Sister in the World

 

Hey sexy lady!

 

Getting our massage on.

 

How we do.

I have the best sister ever, because she came to visit me in Korea! Luckily her Moon Festival vacation lined up with my Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) vacation, so we were able to travel to Busan together. We giggled a majority of the trip and had such a great time together! I tried to convince her to move to Korea; she tried to convince me to move to China. But we just wouldn't budge. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful relationship with my sister, and I know that if we ever settle down in the same country, we will certainly have to live close to each other and have ridiculously giggle-filled lives. It was an absolute joy to spend in-person time together after so many months of Skype. And considering we don't even live in the same country and haven't for the past two years, which have actually been able to see each other quite often. It's fantastic! 

We enjoyed the beach in Busan and got Thai massages. We also went to Spa Land, which is a huge bath house with a variety of saunas. My favorite sauna room was the wave dream room. It had comfortable benches and it wasn't as incredibly hot at the other rooms. I really enjoyed the different pools in the women's bath house. It was quite an experience, though, because there were naked women every where! It was actually quite freeing and very relaxing. We also went to Beomeosa Temple. It was very beautiful and in the mountain, which was a nice escape from the city.

Andong Mask Dance Festival

 

The group.

 

Bubbles!

 

Latvia

 

Russia

 

Masks!

 

Andong beef

Last weekend I went to Andong with Elizabeth and Jocelyn to check out the Mask Dance Festival. It was such a fun day trip! We saw many different kinds of masks from all over the world, and Elizabeth and I even made our own as pictured above. The festival had so many activities (Taekwondo performances, music, group dancing, food booths). We enjoyed the main dance performance featuring dancers from Uzbekistan, Latvia, Indonesia and Russia. The Russian dancers were my favorite! They were more like gymnasts, jumping incredibly high and doing back flips one after another. Their dancing is quite a physical feat! The dancers from Latvia were also good and did more of a contemporary style of dance. We finished the evening by trying some Andong beef, which is famous for being the best beef in Korea. We had it bulgogi (Korean bbq) style, and my was it delicious! The meat was very tender and flavorful. It was some of the best bulgogi I have had yet.