K-Club Sports Day

In Cheonam at the backgate, every Saturday a group of foreigners and Koreans get together to discuss topics in English while enjoying a nice cup of coffee at Luwak Coffee Shop. We talk about all different types of topics from food to K-pop. We usually read about a page for the topic and discuss it with some questions. Then there is still time to have a casual chat. It's usually followed by dinner, some fun, and then maybe a drink or five. :-)

However, every once in a while we have little trips or events, as you can see from some of my previous blogs. We also have some events in the city like baseball games, movies, or even sports days. Well, this time we had a sport day.

We met at the usual time and place and walked over to the university area to get our sports on. These Koreans are extremely competative. So, we broke into teams and wagered money on each game we played.

We started out the day with a free-throw contest. We each shot 2 free-throws and at the end both teams were tied. So, we decided to all shoot another one and my team lost by one! We each lost 1000W ($1). The next game was dodgeball Korean style. It's slightly different than the one we play back home. Once you're hit you go to the outskirts of the other teams side where you can get the ball and throw it at them. It was fun but my team lost again. That was another 1000W. After that we decided to play soccer. BIG mistake. It was a close and highly competative game. We scored a goal and I was going in for another one when I kicked it a little too hard for how close I was and the ball went and nailed Lee, our goalee, in the face. His glasses broke and flew off his face as he crumpled to the ground. We all stood in shock. Then everyone started laughing and cheering, well everyone but me. I was freaking out. After that, the girls were kicked out of the games. The boys played with some other random Koreans. They played the food volleyball. It's actually fun. The other team of boys, we didn't know, had two too many players. So, us girls picked them up for a game of basketball. We played to five and I made all five shots, 5-0! At least I won one thing!! ㅋㅋㅋ After that Kimber and I had to head out to get ready for her going away party. The others stayed and kept playing until dark.

Well, the point is that it was a really fun time with some great friends. And for mom, this is verification that I don't only drink. I also do other things on the weekends too!! :-)


So, thank you to my K-club for keeping me entertained and keeping me out of a little trouble! And sorry Lee for the ball in the face!

Crossroads

If you can believe it, I'm coming to the end of my second year here in Gwangju, South Korea. I've had good times and bad times and gradually built a life here, minus a boyfriend. However, I have 3.5 months left in my contract at my current school. I'm at the point where I need to make a decision to either move on or stay. So far I have 4 choices I'm currently considering:

1. Attend GIST (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology) starting in first term in March.
2. Stay in Gwangju but switching English academies.
3. Move to another city in South Korea.
4. Move back home and look for a job in the states.

As of right now, those are my current rankings of where I want to go from here. However, there is the problem of getting my letters of reccommendation from proffessors who are on summer holiday back home. Other than that, I'm not that worried about getting into grad school. It would be difficult going back to school but I think it's about time that I started moving on with my life. I would be slightly moving on and growing up but not completely, baby steps.

So, for all of you out there wondering what I'm going to do with my life and when I'm coming home next this is my answer, according to the rankings:

1. I will be back home around December 1st and staying for about 3 months before I move back to Gwangju, South Korea.
2. I will be back home around December 1st and staying for a maximum of 2 months.
3. I believe I will back back for December but don't know when I will be going back to Korea.
4. I'll still be back in December but for no idea how long. I don't intend to live in Cumberland and would move out as soon as I found a job.

So there you have it. Now you can stop asking me because this is all I know.

Slow City Jangheung County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea

There are 7 slow cities in South Korea and 4 of them are in South Jeolla Province. These cities work hard at staying true to their culture and roots by doing things the hard way. They're small cities resisting globalization.

This weekend I took my second trip to this "slow city" in South Jeolla Province. I made the trip, which was about 70km from Gwangju. We made our way on a Sunday afternoon to this "slow city". We made our way to a local swimming hole. I call it a local swimming hole because it's actually very small and only deep in certain places.

The swimming hole is right near the Slow City tourism office. We arrived at about 4 o'clock and there were still plenty of people there. We found a spot on the rocky beach and jumped right in. The hole is actually part of a small river. The river is surrounded by trees on one side and a rocky beach on the other. It's a very beautiful and refreshing river surrounded by Korean mountains. The best thing is that it's not for tourists. It's just a local beach where you go, have a picnic, a few beers and some soju. There are a lot of families swimming and most people are very kind and interested in the strange foreigner. It's not uncommon to have them float up to you to try their English because they haven't seen many foreigners.

After an afternoon of swimming we drove about 30 minutes to one of my friend's parents house. It's a beautiful rural area full of rice paddies, vegetable fields, and COWS! It was my first time seeing Korean cows. The cows here are the Hanwoo breed. It's my first time seeing this kind of cattle and I'm from a small town where there are more cows than people. I was happy to see that farming here in Korea is very similar to back home. The farmers house is a little more messy than most and dirt isn't really that dirty. It's just like back home. They're also very friendly and very community oriented people.

Anyways, we arrived at the house to find that we would be eating beef for dinner. I was in bliss. In Korea, beef is extremely expensive so we don't eat it very often and we eat it in small amounts. However, we enjoyed copious amounts of grilled beef. We also had side dishes provided by Charles' mom.

After dinner, we went to Charles' home to wash up and relax. They had just built a new home and it was absolutely beautiful. It was a beautiful stone house with a completely wooden interior. It had a chandelier in the living room along with a HD big screen TV with quality I had yet to seen. There were 3 bedrooms and a Korean style sleeping room upstairs. They also have an older traditional Korean style house behind their new house and next to the barns where grandmother lives.

We spent the night playing punishment games and taking a walk along the river and beach. While on the beach, even though it was 12am, there were tons of people. There was a family fishing, friends drinking, couples walking, and even some sleeping in the pagodas. We had a beer and played basketball and some other sporty games. After a while we made our way home and settled down for the night in the big Korean room. There were 10 of us all sleeping on the floor. It was just like those shows on TV.

In the morning we had a traditional Korean breakfast consiting of rice, seawead soup, and a bunch of side dishes. It was fantastic. After lazing about for a while watching TV and chatting with the family we made our way back to Gwangju. On the drive home we saw some of the green tea fields that Boseong is famous for. It looked very pretty. The tea fields are grown on the steep side of a mountain in lines. It's the only break in the forests that cover all the mountains here.

I think that the next trip will have to be to Boseong to visit the green tea fields so I can spend a little more time admiring the sights. Boseong is also near the ocean so it can be a beach trip as well.

Overall, the trip was a success and I highly recommend this trip as a nice escape from the summer heat and a break from the crowded and salty beaches in the south.

What to Pack for Korea

First off, let's talk about luggage requirements by the airlines. As of mid-2011, you are allowed only 1 50 pound checked bags on most airlines, excluding Korean Air and Asiana Air, which happen to be the most expensive airlines. You'll have to check witht he airlines for actual prices for an extra bag, but when I flew Delta, I had to pay $70 for my second checked bag. Just remember that most airlines don't have a weight requirement for your checked bag and you're also allowed to carry on a purse or a laptop bag. So, choose wisely what you will bring. So, now onto what you'll want to pack.


For the most part, you can buy almost everything here unless you are a larger size in anything. That includes: underwear, bras, pants, shorts, shirts, coats, shoes, etc.

Shoes:
For the ladies who have a shoe size over a size 8/8.5 you need to bring shoes because they won't sell your size. Even around that size is difficult. You'll need tennis shoes and a seperate pair reserved only for the gym if you workout. You'll also need some slippers/slip on flip-flops, public schools and some others you'll need these for indoor shoes. You'll also need some nice shoes and some everyday shoes. Some for summer and winter. (Korea has 4 seasons.)

Underwear:
Panties won't be that difficult to find unless you're a larger size. However, bras are very difficult to find. If you're a C or bigger, you're S.O.L.! So, bring enough for a whole year. And if you wash them in the washing machine, you'll need to bring extra because these machines are harsh.

Pants:
Size 6 and down should be ok for bottoms. 8 and up, you'll need to bring a year supply of bottoms. Don't forget shorts for summer, capris for fall and spring, and also shorts for working out in or sleeping in.

Shirts:
Koreans have a very small bone structure so fitted shirts are difficult to fit into. Also, don't be offended when you go to try on a shirt and they tell you no. A lot of the time it's because we have bigger boobs and they don't want us to stretch them out.

Coats:
As far as coats are concerned, you'll need a heavy winter coat and a lighter coat for the inbetween weather. A few sweatshirts or zip-ups wouldn't hurt either.

Other necessities:
Tampons: You can find some small boxes here now but they're not as readily available as they are in the states. So, I suggest you bring a giant box of your favorite brand. Koreans love pads!

Toothpaste: Korean water doesn't have flouride and you really shouldn't drink it. And their toothpaste isn't my favorite. I can tolerate 2080 but that's about it. I would suggest bringing a couple tubes of your favorite brand. I like Crest Extra Whiting Mint flavored.

Makeup: Bring double your makeup. Korean makeup tends to be more expensive and you don't really know the brands. If you don't have a preference then don't waste the space.

DEODERANT: STOCK UP!! They barely sell any here and it's tiny spray bottles and they're very expensive. So, you need almost a year supply of this stuff.

Shaving supplies: If you don't mind using men's razors and shaving cream don't worry about it. But Koreans aren't as hairy and they don't really have a lot for women. So bring extra razors and shaving cream.

Spices / Food: Korea doesn't really have many spices. So, if you cook you'll definately need them. You'll be able to get salt and pepper and maybe some tumeric and some other random things. But you'll need most everything else. Taco seasoning, mac&cheese, hidden valley ranch packets (Korea doesn't have ranch dressing), oatmeal, etc. You're parents, friends, or relatives can send this later for a care package.

Others:
You'll just need a travel size of showering supplies. And for basic needs to last until you go shopping. A towel just in case your apartment doesn't have one yet. Having a shower right away after all the travel is needed, especially to relax. If you have no towel, it makes for a cranky start to Korea. I suggest bringing pictures, not just for you to look at but also to show other people and also to make your home more homey. Some books to read and also some movies.

Laptop:
Laptop = life here in Korea. It's your way to stay connected to home. You can make skype calls to ease the homesickness, watch movies, facebook, etc. You will become sick of watching TV that you can't understand so you'll want to watch stuff on your computer. Just remember when you're watching movies that you can only reset your laptop to different DVD regions a certain amount of times. So, you'll want to download a program that will allow you to watch any region of DVD's. Mine is now stuck on American DVD's (region 1) where my friend's is stuck on Korean (region 3). I also use my laptop in my classroom every day.

If You Have Room:
Bring some fun games for your kids. A deck of playing cars, catch phrase, or some other games depending on the age you teach. Twister for little kids is great.

F.Y.I.
Koreans are always dressed up, it seems. Going out they dress up, going shopping they look nice, and even just walking around they look nice. So, pack more of you nice clothes vs. your crappy jeans and comphy t-shirt.

Just bring some money to buy some of the extra things that you didn't bring. You don't get paid to the end of the month. So, you need money to last the month for food, drinks, and those extra supplies! Just think about what you absolutely can't live without, and pack it!