The MVP, The DMZ, and The Farewell Party!

Monday started off our last week. It was hard to believe that over 21 days had already passed, and I had only 4 more. But my nostalgic moment was pushed aside by our sports day; an entire morning full of athletic competition. What could be better? Maybe a full day of athletic competition, but a half day is pretty swell J We commenced the day with basketball. Basic basketball: 5v5, standard game. I played pretty well, scoring 10 of our 16 points. We then moved onto Korean dodge ball, which was an interesting and fun event. We then had Korean wrestling, which entails holding onto the opponent’s cloth “belt” with both hands and trying to not touch the mat. I lost on a technicality, as my knee touched the mat before I was going to slam my opponent. Ah well :/ We then had a one legged chicken fighting type game, with a “queen bee.” It was first to win 2, and we took home the victory in straight games. Our final event was soccer: classic battle on the grass pitch. Good thing I bought my new Nike cleats the day before so I was ready to go! We were down 0-1 at half, but after a goal by a teammate and a penalty kick (as a result of a hand ball—caused by an upper ninety shot from yours truly)—we were up 2-1. We finished the match victors, and the Red team took home the crown! We had closing ceremonies and I was named MVP! Out of 100+ people I’d say that was a pretty good achievement J I got a cool crown off leaves, Roman style!

After sports day we ventured into the largest marketplace in Korea: Namdaemun. I picked up a very cool looking FC Seoul uniform, complete with jersey and shorts, for $35. Namdaemun was another market that went on for days. I would venture to say it was 5 times as big as China town, maybe even more! We ate dinner and headed back to the base. We had a relaxed evening and got ready for Tuesday and the DMZ!

Tuesday we left at about 10 for Panmunjeom, or the DMZ (for you non-Korean savvy folk). We drove for about an hour before arriving. We got into busses and had a briefing on how we should act and what not to do. We then began the tour. We made it to the conference room from back in the day when North and South Korea had meetings. I even spent a little time in North Korea, just to see how the weather was J It was definitely an interesting, yet very weird situation. Such a tense, stressed atmosphere existed, and you could see it resonate in the Koreans. We hit the gift shop and headed back home! We had pizza dinner, and because two of the professors wanted to see HoMever store, I was glad to accompany them. I went ahead and purchased another pair of (In the photo above, I'm in North Korea!) cleats, well, because it was a superb deal! We spent a little longer than intended, and finally made it back by 8. We had our presentation group meeting that started at 6. I thought it wouldn’t go long, but I turned out to be dead wrong. I arrived and explained myself, and everyone forgave me for my tardiness. We continued working, not very efficiently, until our stage time at 1 a.m. Immediately after that I hit the sack!

Wednesday was our day to present. We did a combination of 5 different cultural things we saw in Korea, and it went well. I think our group got a B+. The presentations, because we had 10 groups at 30 minutes each group, lasted until the afternoon. I hit the bank up with Jee Hye, and spent some time in conversation before returning. We then headed to our farewell party. Our farewell party was definitely a great event. There was excellent food and drink (free Bud and Caprí) and we had a good closing. We did our secret angel revealing (finding out what person was taking care of us all month), and I even won a door prize! It was a nice mp3 player that was shaped as a Mickey Mouse head. I had a friend that really liked it, so I sold it to her pretty cheap. We returned to the school and chatted and hung out.

Thursday was our official last day. We had closing ceremonies in the morning, which led all the girls to tears. I was pretty sad myself, but not crying sad. We had lunch and went on one last shopping expedition. I picked up a Korean flag and some good gifts for the family (Man I spoil you guys!). We got back for dinner and then a soccer match during heavy rain! I played well, scoring twice. After our match Les and I headed to the Ginjil bon for one last go. We spent 2 ½ hours there enjoying the saunas and hot rooms before heading back. I said some good byes and packed up my stuff. I hit the sack at 3:45, with wake up at 7 a.m.!

Last day and reflection are coming up next post. Thanks for reading and leave some comments 벤

Memorials, Museums, and Soccer Matches

Friday was our day for dancing. Our morning lecture would include leaning some dance moves for a Korean dance. Unfortunately, we only did basic stuff, so I can't actually do a traditional Korean dance :( After dancing we played some basketball. It was an enjoyable game for sure. We hit up lunch, cleaned up, and headed for the techno-mart, a 9 story electronics superstore. We arrived at the massive techno-mart and commenced checking it out. I didn't purchase anything (because I don't need anything :p) but enjoyed seeing all the top notch Korean electronics! And the parking lot attendants were an interesting site (see photo). We headed to Insadong and looked for some food. And some dinner we found! We hit up a local spot that had some meat! We found a great place with great prices, and our group ate ribs, chicken, hot wings, and terayaki chicken. Because we were only 500 meters from the river walk we decided to head that way. The river walk was a newly constructed site and I must say it was a lot of fun. We spent some time enjoying the water and night lights, and headed back home. We had a free weekend, which lasted from Saturday to Sunday night. What was in store that weekend? Ken and I planned a day and ran with it!

Saturday was an absolutely wonderful day. Because we had the weekend free, my Kiwi (New Zealand) friend Ken and I decided to hit up some museums. The first (and one of the best I’ve ever been to) was the Korean War Memorial. This memorial was 3 floors, complete with pre-Korean War history, the war, and post war. It included sections dedicated to the South Koreans, the Marines, the UN, and everyone else involved in the war. You can see from the pictures how fascinating it was!

After the Korean War Memorial we hit up the National Museum of Korea. Unbeknownst to Ken and me, it was not quite what we were interested in seeing. It focused more on older history, including documents, pottery, and art. It was still a massive museum and nonetheless interesting. We finished up at the National Museum and headed to Dongdaemun, a nice place full of shopping (more gifts for the fam :p). We traveled from there to another local seafood market which was the biggest fish market I’ve ever seen. It went on for seemingly forever, but we eventually made it out. We then passed onto the textile market, and other markets that sold anything you could want, from shampoo to dishes!

By that time it was about 6 and Ken and I split ways. I headed back to SWU to recruit some soccer match hopefuls, but was rather unsuccessful. I was so determined to watch an FC Seoul (K League pro soccer match) game that I went by myself. I left at 7:30 and arrived at the game in my seat by the 20^th minute. It was my first professional soccer match, and it was an extraordinary event. The atmosphere, the fans, the whole thing was excellent. Not to mention where I sat. For 12,000 Won ($12) I got a ticket for “E” section (East side of the stadium). It wasn’t until half-time that I realized the seats were general seating. I sat on the 27^th row from the field in the first half, and for the last 45 minutes sat on the 7^th row. Yes people, 50 feet from the field for $12. Pretty smoking deal if you ask me! The game ended in a tie, which was alright as I was just happy to be there. The competition was good and I enjoyed myself immensely. It was only 10 after the match, so I decided I’d see some other stuff. There just so happened to be a HoMever store right next to the stadium (HoMever being my new favorite store :0). I spent about an hour in the massive building finding deals and taking my time. I left at about 11 and headed for the Ginjilbon to spend the night (The university closed at 11). I got there and met Ken and introduced him to the famous Ginjilbon. I spent an hour or so relaxing and enjoying myself before eating noodles and hitting the sac, which was a spot on the floor with a pillow.

Sunday was the day to visit the Yoido Full Gospel Church, also known as the largest church in the world. Interesting fact, Seoul claims to have 9 of the 10 largest churches in the world. This church has over 850,000 members! With satellite churches, 7 services a day and 26,000 people that can fit in the building, I’d say that’s pretty massive J Ken and I had a little miscommunication the next morning, and ended up attending the 1:30 service. We arrived late so went to the 3 o’clock. We left at about 5 and decided to visit the Gyeongbokgung Palace, the second largest in Seoul. It was raining, but who cares? Rain never hurt anyone! (Actually, according to Seoulites, the rain can damage your skin because it has chemicals that come from China). We enjoyed our palace visit, and after an exhausted day came back to the school to tell about our days adventures. That evening was relaxed, and consisted of recounting the weekend and relaxing. Monday was a most anticipated day, as it was sports day!

Thanks for reading, and as always I love those comments! 벤

Han River and Lecture Goodness!

Week 3 looked like it was going to be busy. Group discussions, the Han River tour, Taekwondo and another Gin-gin-jil bon were all on the list of things to do. Monday started out with a discussion on economics. It was ok, but nothing too exciting. We had lunch and a look at Korean films. That evening we had to do another discussion paper; we had a group of 9 people trying to come up with stuff to write a 2 page paper. Not very long, but challenging to get everyone to agree on the paper. I decided to write this one, and we were done by 9:30. However, afterwards my group mates decided to edit, edit, edit, until 2 a.m. I don't think they improved the paper, but rather worsened it a little bit. Oh well, pass/fail for me, so I contributed and let them figure out what they want to.

Tuesday was a pretty fun day. We had Korean costumes in the morning, which started at 10. We headed to our respective places and put on our costumes. Mine didn't look very Korean, but rather Arabian. Some say I looked like Aladdin. Not sure I agree with them :) You can decide for yourself by the picture. We ate dinner and that night took a Han River Cruise. We loaded a boat and strolled on the Han river, checking out the size of Seoul. It was fascinating to see more huge buildings that went on forever it seemed. We got back to the base and hung out. Poker had gotten to be pretty popular in our room, and we'd usually have 8 or so people there. We played every evening for a week, and I came away with a steady $5 a day :)

Wednesday was another double lecture day. We spent the morning and afternoon learning about Korean Architecture and Korean food. The presenter on architecture did a great job, but the food part? Not my cup of tea. My mom might have enjoyed it, however. I had heard from my suite mate about a wonderful store called Homever. I didn't quite know what to think, but upon arrival it occurred to me: bargain shopping! This place was like a giant Goodwill with everything you could want. I started outside and picked up some nice t-shirts with country names on them (Spain, Korea, Germany). However, the purpose of the trip was for shoes! At $10 a pair for brand new stylish Umbros, how can you go wrong? I found a nice pair of red and blue ones to my liking. However, upon further inspection I discovered something else..some rather exquisite looking soccer cleats. While marked at $29, these I must say were a bargain and a half. So I purchased them. I checked them out on the internet and saw they retailed for $180, so I think I got a deal :) We got back to the base and I returned to the Gingin-jil bon for another time of relaxation. Man I love that place!

Thursday was the much anticipated Taekwondo day (Here ya go Marshall!). I was sick the night before with strep, so I left early to visit the doctor. I got my meds and got taken care of, and made it back in time for the show. A group from another university came and showed us some sweet stuff. They prepared a show, with a lot of action kicks and punches, similar to the movies. After watching the festivities we got to learn a little punching and kicking too. Oh fun Asian people! We broke for lunch, and in the afternoon had our last lecture on Korean politics. I had anticipated this lecture, but it feel quite short of my expectations. It was a rather monotonous discussion on the election results for the past 30 years, not a dynamic look at the democratic system of South Korea and how it functions in a system with 2 communist nations as neighbors. Ah well.

3rd weekend (and one of the best of my life) is coming up, so keep reading :) 벤

Military and Weekend Homestay in Changwon

Friday we had a military experience. We traveled to the west coast and started our military training. We got there and worked on formations, did a little exercises, an obstacle course, and finally a helicopter jumping simulation. I had to win a match of paper rock scissors to get the chance to jump (one of 3 people). I was apparently the best at it, because I won the Man of the Day award! We ate lunch and began our water activity. We learned rowing techniques and headed to the pond. We had a rowing competition and had a good time with that. We showered up, had an awards presentation (and I got a free long sleeve shirt), and headed out! That evening was relaxed, as I hung out and played cards at the base! However, a great weekend was ahead of me...

Saturday I woke up a little later and packed up for my trip. Bo-Ri Lee was my home stay partner, and at 11 we headed out to Seoul. We ate lunch at T.G.I. Friday's (Korean style), and headed towards the train station. We almost missed the train, but made it barely. I have to say it was an experience. We were on the KTX, which is one of the fastest trains in the world. We hid 300 km/hr (180 mph) and man was it fast! We made a stop and switch, and somehow missed our next train? So we had to transfer to a bus station, and took a very nice charter bus to Changwon. The pictures reflect the greatness of the traveling system here in Korea :)

I met Bo-Ri's dad and we headed to dinner. We had a traditional meal, and her mom took Bo-Ri and I to town. We met one of her friends and went to a light show on the lake, which was pretty sweet. We then went to a photo booth building and took some pictures. After that we went to sing Karaoke. The "Karaoke Bars" as they're called are quite different here. They are small rooms with a personal karaoke tv and music library. We had a good time, and I sang some fun songs (Bee Gee's, Californication, and even a Spanish Special, "Eres Tú"). After that we were pretty wore out, so we returned to the house. Bo-Ri's mom prepared me a meal that evening, with good noodles and kim and rice!

I slept soundly, and the next morning got up for church. It was a completely Korean service, which was a little tough, headed to the movies. but still an experience! We returned to the house, packed up, andThe movie theater was an experience. It was pretty normal like the US, but you had selected seats. Furthermore, while we waited for the movie there were PS2s that you could play for free (US, you hearing this?). We watched Hancock, which was mediocre at best. We left the theater and ate at an Italian restaurant, with salad, spaghetti, and pizza and bread. Bo-Ri's mom picked us up, and we headed back. While it was a short weekend it was definitely a good one! We returned on the train, got on the metro, and made it back at the base.

Korea never ceases to amaze me! Déjenme unos comentarios! 벤

The Gingi Bon Experience + Seoul Tower and Korean Baseball

A gingi bon, known as the Hilex Spa, is a wonderful Korean innovation. I experienced this greatness on Tuesday evening, after returning to base and playing soccer. Let me enlighten you all...

The Hilex Spa is one of the coolest concepts I've yet to enjoy. It is a place of relaxation and rest, and pure enjoyment. It has two floors, the bottom with hot tubs and saunas, and the top room with hot or cold "huts" with varying temperatures. You pay your 7000 W ($7) and get your blue clothes (pink for females) and head into the shoe room. You put your shoes in your locker room, and then head to the clothes room. You then put all your clothes in your locker and head to the jacuzzi/hot tub and sauna room (because they're nude, they're segregated, naturally). They have 3 saunas, varying in temperatures from 55c, 70c, and 90c (142, 170, 212 degrees Fahrenheit respectively), and 4 pools, with temps of 11c, 35c, 40c, and a 30c. (The conversion for Celsius to Fahrenheit is rather easy. C= Temp x 2 + 32; example, 30c; 30x2 = 60 + 32 = 92). Our routine, (our being Les, a professor from Canada and I) included trips to the 55c sauna, the 15c pool 3 times, and a trip to the 90c sauna the last trip. It was quite refreshing!

But that's only half of it folks :) You dry off and clean up and put on your clothes, and head upstairs to the co-ed section. They have a series of these "huts" that you go in and relax, much like the sauna, but its drier heat. We took a trip to the 55c "hot" room, which has a lot of hot rocks on the floor. You lie down and relax, which includes a nice sweaty nap! We then headed to my favorite room, the "freezer room." 11c of great cool a/c! After that trip we went to the 88c hot room to finish the night off. The trip took 2 hours in total, and was well worth the $7. If you wanted you could spend the night there in a bed with no extra charge. What a deal, right!?

Upon returning I went to bed. I got up on Wednesday and enjoyed the two lectures, those being Religion & Thought and Korean Movies. They went pretty smoothly, and the evening activity was Seoul Tower, the 3rd tallest structure in the world. We headed to the tour in the afternoon/early evening, and arrived a little before sunset. The site was breathtaking. After experiencing New York and a rather grandiose site from the Empire State Building, I thought I had seen the epitome of a large city. Boy was I wrong. Let me draw this quick ratio: Seoul is to New York as the World is to the US. Basically I'm saying Seoul makes NY look like a village. From the Seoul tower, i literally could not see the end of the city. Buildings and skyscrapers expanded as far as I could see with my eyes, and when the lights came up I couldn't see beyond the city lights. It was a truly amazing site! That was truly an amazing experience. We barely made it back by curfew that night, but did. I hit the sack and got ready for...what? Korean Baseball! (Yes, its THAT different)

On Thursday morning we listened to a North Korean Defector (one who fled North Korea for a free country) as he explained the struggle he and his fellow brothers experience in the nation of North Korea. It was riveting to listen to his story and his struggle, all to obtain what? The freedom we in the US take for granted daily. We had the afternoon free, so we decided to do something in the evening. The winning activity? A Baseball game! Yes folks, the LG Twins were going up against the Doosan Bears in a big time rivalry game!

We arrived at the game with the idea of a regular baseball game like that in the States. Then I saw some cheerleaders. Cheerleaders? Difference #1. I took a photo with them (as you can see) and found my seat with our group. When the game started I saw those same cheerleaders again. Who else was that? A man with a whistle who acted as "conductor" for the Doosan Bears!? Difference #2. As soon as the Bears got up to bat he began to lead the fans in chants. Home team making noise when their own team is batting? Difference #3. It was like it was choreographed, and everyone knew the 10+ cheers that the Bears had; everyone except us Americans. This cheering and chanting continued through the game. It took me a few innings to realize that the cheerleaders I took a picture with were from the other team. Then after looking at the other side, I realized the OTHER team had cheerleaders and a whistle blower too. It dawned on me: Each team was "battling" the other to be louder with their cheers and chants. Difference #4. Wait, is that the peanuts guy? Oh wait, those aren't peanuts. She's carrying squid around. Squid? Yes, Koreans are in tune with their seafood. The squid was like jerky...so that means its squid jerky? Difference #5.

The Doosan Bears clinched a solid victory of 4-0. The game was under 2 hours, which was a record for any baseball game I've ever attended. Amidst the cheering and chanting and whistle blower and other crazy stuff I was entertained the whole time. Seeing a man in his work clothes - a suit and tie - and holding noise makers is just something we don't see in the US. Oh beautiful South Korea... :) Be sure to leave some comments :) 벤

Gyeongju Photos

International Night and Trip to Gyeoungju

Well Saturday was a relaxed day. I woke up and ate breakfast, and relaxed until about 10:30. We had an international talent night presentation that evening, so we met at 10:30 to work out what we'd do. We hashed out a plan and by lunch were ready to go. That afternoon we watched a Korean movie, Blood Rain, about a paper ship sinking and the arsonist responsible being unknown. It was a little slow, and I slept through some of it :) We re-met at 3:30 and had our stage practice at 4. We worked out kinks until dinner. After dinner we had our presentation. There were 11 groups in all, and we came in 2nd place--which was where I would have voted us; one performance was just WAY better than the rest, and needless to say they won 1st. A lot of groups resorted to dancing, which was a little sad to see the American culture dominate the scene, when I know there are a lot of talented Koreans that could have done other stuff. Oh well :/

Sunday we left for Gyeongju, a city in the south east. We had to drive for about 6 hours, which was ok because we ride mad deep in charter buses and my bus buddy is great! We stopped at a Korean village and enjoyed seeing the old houses and way of life. I got a lot of good gifts for the family here :p We arrived at a really NICE restaurant (probably $30 a person) in Gyeongju and enjoyed a Korean dinner. After that we drove to the hotel, the Hyundai Hotel (yes, the car company). We arrived to our luxurious rooms and discovered the place. A group of us headed out to a little pub called the "Titanic," which was a ship outside. We enjoyed a little drinks, some more than others. I got back to the room and hit the sack!

Monday was our tour day of some pretty cool places. We visited Kyongju, which was an ancient buddhist temple. It was fascinating to see the old architecture and intricate design of the buildings, but sad to see that people actually believe a golden statue can bring them salvation. We also saw the Seokguram Grotto, which was another little temple thing that supposedly illustrates the history of buddha and his defeating the ancient gods. After that we headed to an ancient burial ground where Kings and important people were buried. These mounds were quite large, as you'll be able to see from the photos.

After the mounds we headed to the beach with the prospect of soft sand and warm water! Not :( We got there and I ran out of the bus eager to hit the water. Only to my sadness, the water was freezing. The temperature was 55 degrees. Probably the coldest water I've been in in my life! But after 5 minutes or so it felt good :) We stayed there, on a rocky beach (little sand :/) for a little longer and loaded up the buses. We returned to the hotel to clean up, and headed out to dinner. That evening we had a club reserved, and a complimentary Hike (Korean beer) to boot! I stayed there until about 2, dancing and playing pool. I hit the sack and woke up the next day, ate breakfast, and loaded the bus. I didn't feel too good, with a headache and stomach issues. (Not due to a "hangover," as I did not consume excessive alcohol, but rather the smoky atmosphere!) I tried to sleep it out, rather unsuccessfully. We stopped at the Hyundai shipbuilding plant, which was MASSIVE. This plant we were at made 80% of the big ships in the world, right there in Ulson, South Korea.

More to come later! Thanks for reading and leave those comments! 벤자민