Our dirty little secret.

Or should I say our 'Dobby' little secret?

dobby the house-dog.

We have been harbouring a little visitor for the past couple of weeks and since she will be leaving us tomorrow, I think it is time to let the dog out of the bag.

dog in the bag. self-inflicted.

At our little dinner in early January, we met Ian and Kylene's foster dog who they had been taking care of for a few weeks.  The dog needed to be out of the shelter  while she was on some heartworm medication as she needed to be away from other dogs for the medicine to be effective (from what I understand).  Our friends generously sheltered her but unsurprisingly, did not want to send her back to the shelter.  

seji attacks.

When we met 'Seji' on that fateful Saturday afternoon, it was soon decided that we would care for her while our friends went home to Canada for a few weeks on their vacation. 


Seji (Seji is short for 'sauseg-ey' the korean word for sausage, which is fitting as she is clearly some portion weiner dog) came to us about 2 weeks ago and she has cast her little spell over us in a way that only pups can do.  

We weren't 100% sure about being 'allowed' to have a pet in our apartment, so we have kept it pretty quiet, but we have really enjoyed having Seji the Wedgie here with us for the past  couple of weeks. She has been the perfect guest: no barking, a late riser, and hates to go out in the cold. 

Tim took her on several trips to the mountain where she got to run free a la 'off leash'.

  

We also got her a little costume just in case she was feeling particularly fierce....

roar.

We will miss little Seji!!

double roar.

Updates...

And, somehow it's January 25th... the month is almost over and tomorrow will mark five months for us in Korea.  This is the longest I have ever worked continuously at a full-time job and also the longest I have been away from home.  The latter point is just one of those things where, once you pass a certain point, it all kind of feels the same (ie. 4 months feels the same as 3 months or 5 months).  

photo credit: T.Hemmerick

I enjoy the freedom and flexibility that I have in my future. I also feel lucky to be able to wonder where I will be a year from now.  My mind changes every day as to where I 'want to' or 'should' be when September rolls around... and it usually depends on who I'm with, and what life has thrown at me that day.  Things like running races with our new group of friends, getting up into the mountains, watching mini Koreans learn to speak English and being part of something 'different' make me want to extend our time here. 


Other things, of course, like family and friends at home, sour patch kids, and cheese make me count the days until we arrive at Pearson airport next Fall.  


One day at a time is the only way to do it, I think. 






As for updates on past entries:


1)  Ajumma smackdown '11:
-No further negative encounters with 'garbage ajumma', as we have dubbed her.  We awkwardly passed her on the steps the other day, but did not exchange words. Exactly which words we would/could have exchanged, I'm not sure. 


1 a) Recycling/garbage pick-up.
- one medium sized bag of recycling was deposited at the 'correct spot' and successfully disappeared. One point for us.
- 4 large sized bags of recycling were deposited, disappeared, but not without a male version of the yelling match from a couple of weeks ago. ( Tim was scolded in Korean this morning from an ajashi - older Korean man, supposedly because of the recycling we left outside yesterday).  Negative 3 points for us. 


After some research, all we can find out about garbage/recycling is the following:
-Garbage must be put in special bags which must be purchased at stores for 1-5 dollars. Garbage collection is not a service provided through taxation, so it is paid for by the proceeds from these bags. I agree with this approach because it means you pay more for making more garbage.
-Recycling is supposedly supposed to be put in ' clear' bags, which do not seem to be for sale at any sort of store. Maybe the Koreans know how to make them by hand.

the kids with their snowmen crafts (from CanAaaada)- thanks to big Deb

2.  School/ice rink
-The school was not closed last Wednesday, as hoped.  When I returned, it was as if nothing had happened. The hole that had been dug in front of the school was covered up in a wool blanket (common practice for Korean construction sites) and the bathrooms were up and running once again.  The windows were all still open however, with heaters blasting  to 30 degrees and every teacher wearing their winter coats and scarves all day, for the hallway transitions. 


3.  rrrrrRUNning.
-Still on track for the 10km in Daegu, April 10th. I've been getting a bit distracted by other races that have cropped up, and it will be hard to hold off until April, but I am set on saving it all up for then.  Ironically, racing more usually means running less for me, and I don't like giving up the mileage. I also find my racing suffers if I commit to too many in too short of a time.  It's so hard to say 'no' though, when they really are one of my top 3 things to do in Korea.  I'm pumped for spring when it will be lighter earlier in the day and I don't have to wait for the sun to come up before I can head out the door in the morning.  


I have been following Jack Daniel's training plan from his book ( thanks Ian!) which I am now able to read with my new toy, the KINDLE.  Training is going well so far, and it is really reminding me how much I miss the track and my girls in Ottawa.  


I can feel myself getting onto a running rant, so I will cut myself off here and bid adieu to you, my friends.  


This was a wordy one, I know. Thanks for stopping in.

Education must prevail.

Just another little mini-junior-midday entry:


I am currently home on my lunch break from work where, when I left, the situation was slightly chaotic.


Due to very cold temperatures (-13 being 'very' cold, for Korea) many buildings have recently lost their access to water as the pipes have frozen.  Some of our co-workers, who live in apartments above the school, in the same building, have not had water for over 24 hours.  
The school, which has about 70 kindergarten children attending each morning and many more students in the afternoon, is running with ONE bathroom ( that's one toilet, one sink, one room) for all students and staff.  The water filtration system (most people do not drink tap water, including us) is also frozen, meaning there is no drinking water. 


Just to make it an 'eventful' day, this morning, the pipes must have burst because the front stairway at the school (4 flights) is covered and dripping with water.  Combine this with the fact that all windows and doors are left open to the cold outside and I fear that the school may be the sight of a Home Alone frozen staircase scene. 


And the school is still.......open. Education must prevail. Even if you are 5. 


I usually am pretty pleased with the nature of Korea as not being overly cautious when compared to Canada (for example, peanut butter is allowed EVERY WHERE) but I think today was a bit too far on the other end of the spectrum of caution.  


Though I'm praying for an afternoon off due to unhygienic, unsafe building conditions... I won't hold my breath. 

can't stop. won't stop.

post script:  In running news, I have registered for the Daegu International Marathon 10km event on April 10th.  11.5 weeks to get in breaking 40:00 shape..... yikes.

Ramyeon callouses.

The second week of the new year has been non-significantly eventful, with the following happenings:


a) Dinner with a group of running friends
b) The cancellation of my next goal race
c) A run-in with an ajumma who made me cry
d) work work work. Work.




a) Dinner with a group of running friends. 
My fellow maritimers, Ian and Kylene had a few of us over for dinner the other night.  With an average of one bottle of red wine per person, it was an enjoyable evening with an average of 1.5 red wine spills per person.  

note the runner's world/cdn running tablecloth.

We followed the delicious meal with a game of ' Catch Phrase' which got more than a little heatedly competitive - something that can probably be expected at a table of runners. 
This game somehow morphed into a challenge of "Asian Squat-off 2011" , which in turn became "Who can pick up the small naked Santa Claus with only one leg on the ground?''. 
Both games were difficult but provided  a good hour of simple entertainment. 

a contender for asian squat champ.

He may seem harmless, but try picking him up with your teeth, and both hands behind your back.

b) Cancellation of my next race. 

Sad news came on Saturday when I came home and Tim told me he had 'bad news' which he couldn't even bear to tell me.  

After checking facebook, I found out that the next scheduled race, February 20th, where I had planned to run the half marathon, is 'indefinitely post-poned'.  We all know what that means. 

When I searched for a reason, the translation of the race website gave me the following extremely clear explanation:  

"Marathon mania everybody! of the entire country

The 8th Milyang Arirang Marathon last year the foot and mouth disease which was generated the hesitation of truth, to be diffused with national, not to reveal Indefinite postponement, decided.

At the Milyang Arirang Marathon propulsion briefing room in order protection the chaos of friend of same taste everybody's consequently, few"

Enough said.  

c) Run in with ajumma.

One morning this week, as I was on my way home from my run, I was stopped by an ajumma blocking by path and yelling in Korean.  This is not an overly rare occurrence and I would usually have brushed past her, except that she was holding a bag of garbage in one hand, and in the other hand she had some small, familiar looking pieces of paper.  

When I looked closer ( because she shoved her hand in my face), I saw that what she was holding were:  a post-it note with our friend's phone number, Tim's boarding pass from our Jeju trip, and an old grocery list.  She also had an empty popcorn bag. 

I, for the life of me, could not figure out what these 4 things had in common, or why they were so incriminating. She refused to give them back to me and would not stop yelling until I picked up the bag of garbage and took it back to our apartment.

As I collected my thoughts, I realised that the crafty ajumma had disgustingly searched through our garbage, looking for evidence of the culprit who had left the bag.  The papers she had shoved in my face were proof that it was MY garbage

(the only foreigner/english person in the  vicinity).  

Realising this didn't make it any easier for me to accept that a total stranger had just yelled at me for five minutes. Tim came home and, upon seeing my red eyes, busted outside to give the woman a piece of his mind.  

After all was said and done, 2.5 confrontations later, we finally understood that our garbage needs to be put in a certain area (between a concrete wall and 2 parked cars, of course... how could we not know that?) and must be in a specifically labelled garbage bag.  

Fwef! Never thought garbage disposal would be a thing I'd miss from home.

d) work work work.

Tim and I are both doing extra projects for our school, in addition to working overtime every week for the entire month of January.  There are extra classes this month for the kids because they are on vacation from regular school and couldn't possibly be allowed to have any free, non-studying time on their hands.  

I'm also still doing a class on Saturdays, so the weeks are busy, busy busy but are flying by for sure. 

That is all for today, as the aforementioned work is calling.... but there will, inevitably be more to come. 

 a break from work to make some creepy chili.

Happy Sunday!

The heat is on in Saigon, but NOT Korea... or is it?

One of the things that took getting used to when we arrived in the 'dong was the heating/electrical situation in our apartment.  

For instance, in order to have hot water ( for a shower, doing dishes, laundry, or even washing hands ), the hot water must be turned 'on' and you need to wait, for about 15 minutes while it is heated by oil.  This is an all or nothing thing, meaning that if the hot water is not 'on', the water is COLD.  It's obviously not worth turning hot water on for washing your hands, or doing 8 dishes, so we have learned to plan our heated water use and do things like  shower, dishes, and laundry within 2 hours of each other so as not to waste energy ( and money ). 


Besides the hot water for cleaning, the apartment's heating system is also linked to the hot water tank/oil tank.  Like most homes in Korea, our apartment has 'ondol' heating which is a series of pipes in the floor that radiate heat.  This means no radiators, and of course the hot water needs to be 'on' for it to work. It's another thing that takes consideration before just switching it on as you would at home.


About 3 weeks ago, our oil tank ran out.  Translation: no oil means no hot water and no heat. 
With our next pay cheque 3 weeks away, we debated putting more oil in the tank before leaving for Christmas vacation, and then kind of forgot about it and took for granted that we would just make do with cold water. 


Aside-----> getting the oil tank filled is not just a phone call away either:  Korean oil companies speak Korean, so it is up to us to ask our boss to call for us and arrange the appointment.


Showering was not a big problem.  Our apartment's bathroom is more like a giant tiled icebox with no contained shower. The room has a toilet, a washing machine, and a showerhead that is fixed to the wall. The shower and washing machine both drain into a drain in the middle of the bathroom floor (which sucks when you forget to wear flip flops after a wash has been done). 
Due to this less than stellar bathroom situation, both Tim and I usually shower at the gym where water is ' free' and hot all the time.  


As for laundry, dishes and hand washing....
Laundry and dishes were done in cold water, until last week when we really started living like campers and boiling water on the stove to wash hands and dishes.  I think at one point  Tim even boiled a pot of water to clean the floor with.  Hello, 1800's living.  


Heating, on the other hand was a different story.  Having no floor-heating, our only source of hotness was a small space heater that I feared might blow up at any second.  Busan is definitely not the coldest place in the world, by any means, but I suspect that the insulation in our apartment is made of concrete which makes for a chilly home.  
Going to bed became a process of layering 3 blankets in the warmest way possible, wearing just enough clothes - but not too many socks, and eventually incorporating sleeping bags over the clothes and under the blankets.  


I woke up every morning with a red nose and cold pillow, and for the first few seconds I was awake I fully believed I was sleeping in a tent at Fundy National Park in late May.  


Why the hour-long blog on heating and water, you ask? 


Well, dear reader, today being pay day, Tim and I made the decision to 'splurge' on 100$ of oil (a full tank costs 400$).  A year ago I never would have guessed that buying oil to have heat and hot water would bring me such joy. 


The appropriate people were called, and when I arrived home last night, we turned the thermostat to a luxurious 19 degrees, did a load of laundry with WARM water, and washed the dishes with hot water.
Also, we had a 'floor party' just to soak up the warmth of the ondol.  


The point? You ask again.  
The point is very simple:
Hot running water is a blessing. I'm glad to be happy to have it.  

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On another short, heat-related note...
I can't wrap my head around the heating of public buildings in this country.  Our school for instance, has space heaters mounted to the wall in each classroom.  These heaters are turned to 30 degrees with the fans blasting hot air all day.  Must be hot eh? No!  Every single window in every hallway, and most in the classrooms are wide open, making this the most inefficient and largely ineffective system I have seen before.  


This situation isn't limited to our school.  Most stores have space heaters scattered throughout the floorspace, but keep the entrance doors wide open with cold air blowing in.  


Just another Korean question mark. 

where the magic happens.

See... Jeju? Part 2

Oh my God I'm back again...

( a BSB reference for those who care)

Seogwipo

When I left off last time, we had just departed for Seogwipo, an area on the south of the island of Jeju, with many waterfalls and natural sightseeing spots. 

some new friends on the way to the 'fall

We walked from the bus stop for about 30 minutes to a spot on the side of the ocean where the Cheonjiyeon waterfalls fell. A waterfall is a waterfall, but this one is special because it is said to be the only one in Asia which falls directly into the ocean. 

It was a peaceful spot, with perfect weather, about 12 degrees and sunny, and after doing the pose in front of the waterfall ( and Tim stepping into the ocean twice by mistake ), we decided to grab a small shot of soju from the ajummas who were perched on the rocky beach. 

Since it was apparently unacceptable to have a shot of soju, we ended up with a place of fresh, raw octopus and a bottle of soju with 3 shot glasses.  Though it wasn't the best thing I've ever tasted, it was not the worst either, and the setting made for a very refreshing afternoon.  

Following this, we made our way back to the bus station and then back to our digs at the 'New Crown' for Christmas Eve. 

Christmas Eve dinner found us at the Jeju Brewery, eaten some overpriced 'western-style' meals which were a big disappointment after being so spoiled with Indian food the night before. However, we were fed, and then went back to the Factory in Jeju si for some Christmas celebrations.  

Though I made an early exit on the night, Tim and Christine stayed out and managed to win a couple of prizes at another bar called 'The Island Stone', while playing darts, and in a dance competition (?)

Christmas morning arrived, and my biggest wish came true.... SNOW!

There had been a few flakes the day before, yes, but this was real, covering the ground, wake-up and feel like school is cancelled snow.  Ok, maybe not school-cancelled snow, but close enough.  It made my Christmas complete. 

We opened presents with Christine, who spoiled us with lots of warm fuzzy things like socks and bathrobes, and I got maybe my favorite gift ever, a custom made t-shirt from Tim. I love it so much, I can't wear it. 

We didn't accomplish much on Christmas day , just had a big nap, and I pulled myself out of the hotel room for a short run to see the other side of the city.  

For supper we ate at a Mexican restaurant called Zapata's ALSO in Jeju Si, and it was extremely delicious. Chimichangas, and tacos with a Korean twist ( cabbage instead of lettuce? ) really hit the spot. 

We all talked to our families on Skype, just to get a glimpse of Christmas back west, and wish our loved ones a Merry Christmas. Not the best internet connection, but once again, I am pretty thankful for Skype. 

We capped our night off at the 'Roo Bar', and spent our final night in Jeju sleeping soundly before making our way back to the Bu on Boxing Day morning. 

Jeju... see? Part 1

After travelling to a new place, there is much to say, and not so much time to write it. 
I have managed to get down the first part of the our trip (which is a billion pages already) to Jeju for the Christmas break, and will keep you on the edge of your seats for the conclusion :)

Most importantly: Merry Christmas!!

on the road again...

Secondly: WARNING!! This post has some ‘adult content’, so close your eyes and plug your ears when LOVELAND comes up....

Tim and I are now back ‘home’ in Busan after a mini vacation to the island of Jeju in Southwest Korea.

We departed from the Gimpo airport in Busan on Thursday, early in the afternoon, where we met our friend Christine, who joined us for the holidays.  Antlers on head, and presents checked, we took off on Korean Air towards the land of Korean honeymooners via a 40 minute, barely there flight. 

2 of the 40 passengers on the 300 passenger plane...bad sign?

Our base for the trip was in a small area known as Shin Jeju ( ie. ‘new’ Jeju), which was only about a 5 minute cab from the airport, and 10 minutes from the larger city called Jeju si. We checked into the ‘New Crown Hotel’, which turned out to be very similar to our The Shining-like hotel in Gyeongu this October:  very outdated decor, not trying to impress anyone.  This hotel was slightly better with restaurants (and a karaoke room, and sauna and beauty salon) that were actually opened and frequented. 

We set out to find some food, soon after arriving, and stumbled upon a modern, bright, young restaurant where their main focus was their ‘ hand made man doo’ ( also spelt mandu).  Mandu is a dumpling, a bit like an egg roll, with different fillings, sometimes steamed sometimes fried.  

We were so excited to find such a nice place with Korean food, pictures, and food descriptions in ENGLISH that we ordered 5 items from the menu.  Our waitress thought we were pretty big heffers - probably because Koreans seem to be able to satisfy their hunger by sharing 7 bites of food among 6 people... not sure what their secret is. 

We ordered:

-kimchi fried rice

-bibimbap

-kimchi/pork soup

-mandu

-veg soup

 And ate it all... even if the last bites were spitefully gulped down.

a bite to eat. 

Feeling pretty festively plump, our next item on the agenda was a magical place we had all heard rumours about: LOVELAND ( the squeamish and easily offended can start stopping to listen *now*).

What is ‘Loveland’ you ask? Well, Loveland fills the void we have all felt for an amusement park/museum/sculpture collection that is of an adult theme.  Perhaps because of the popularity of Jeju island as a honeymoon destination for young lovers, this sexy park is filled with mostly comical, partly awkwardly uncomfortable portrayals of sex in art forms such as sculpture, photographs, dioramas, paintings and educational displays.  

one ticket to Loveland.

Not really knowing what to expect, we hopped in a cab, spent the 7000 won admission fee and ventured into the outdoor walk around... with directional help from male genitals pointing the way on the walkway. 

After spotting another male genital - this time in the shape of a door handle on the women’s bathroom door, I posed for a picture.  As Tim was focusing the camera, an ajumma (older Korean woman) barged in front of me in true ajumma fashion and grabbed the bathroom door handle.  Having just entered the park herself, she wasn’t accustomed to seeing genitals all over the place and in her haste to get me out of the way, seemed pretty surprised to look down and see the shape of the door handle she was grabbing.  Luckily this moment was caught on film:

censored. use your imagination. you have a dirty mind.

We took about an hour to peruse the rest of the grounds and displays and saw many hilarious things too off-side to mention before heading back to the hotel. 

(this is where the erotic pictures would be posted if I had the nerve to do it. But, you know what they say : once on the internet, ALWAYS on the internet).

Third on our list of priorities was a visit to an Indian restaurant called ‘ Bagdad Cafe’ which Christine had suggested, located in Jeju Si.  I tried, unsuccessfully to replicate the  address for the restaurant in Korean, but when I gave the piece of paper to the cabbie, he looked at like it was written backwards (and it probably was).  As a side-note, this was an unforeseen challenge of living and travelling in Korea.  If you don’t know the exact Korean pronunciation of your destination, you better have a phone number for the cab driver to call, or the location written in Korean ( by a real Korean, not by me).   There is apparently a huge difference to  Korean ear  between saying ‘ Jay song dong’ and ‘Ja sung dung’.

After the cab driver called the Bagdad Cafe for us, we managed to arrive at its doors and were actually greeted by the owner in the street - what service!  She ushered us into a restaurant that had ‘ more character than all of the other restaurants in Jeju combined’.  We ordered a combination meal which included a fruit plate, samosas, naan bread, curry, chicken, soup, and laskies (? milkshakes). A-maze-ing.

The restaurant employed at least 3 native Indian chefs, who actually served us our food, and was so warm and cozy, it was difficult to leave when our meal was finally done.

The weather was literally freezing in Jeju, and we were so lucky for it to snow almost the entire time we were there.  We strolled around the City Hall area of Jeju Si and finally found ‘The Factory’, a bar that we had heard was a foreigner gathering place.  When we   opened the door and walked in, we were surprised to be greeted by a sea of Asian faces, all seeming to be waiting for a show by the white guy and his guitar-playing buddy on stage.  

crashing 'teacher's' fan club party.

Immediately, something struck me as ‘off’ ( kind of like plastic bag-head from that night a few months ago), given the age and weirdness of the group we were amongst but I ignored it... until I heard the singer on stage thank everyone for coming and comment that everyone was sitting in their ‘ class groups ‘.  Ah Ha! We had stumbled upon a show being given by an ESL university teacher and were part of an audience filled entirely with his students (who probably hoped to get good grades by attending).  Though this was pretty hilarious, it was not fun, so we cheers-ed, downed our beer and jumped in yet another cab back to Shin Jeju and closed down the night at the ‘Jeju Modern Times Brewery’, across the street from our hotel.  

On Christmas Eve, I woke up fairly early to a clear sky which allowed me to see the ocean from our hotel window.  I got really excited and figured I could make an easy run straight to the beach and just run along the ocean.

There is a much smaller foreigner population (from what I saw) in Jeju, so me being white, wearing tights, running down the street was quite a sight for many of the residents.

As it turned out, the ‘beach’ I had seen from the window, was in fact the airport and its runway ( yes, Tim I know you told me ), so instead of a beautiful beachside run, I actually ran along the streets of Jeju Si and then beside a barbed wire concrete wall for about 5 km. 

 But! My efforts were worthwhile when I turned a corner and caught a glimpse of the beautiful blue East China Sea.  The run there was less than scenic, but I have always found that the best way to get a feel for a place is to run it.  Stopping at intersections and seeing street signs, shops and residents from the sidewalk, but going faster than a stroll gives a certain kind of perspective in a new city that always makes me feel a little more a part of it. 

splish.....

SPLASH!

The part of the ocean I stopped at was not quite a tourist destination, but the overcast skies, flurries and giant waves on the volcanic rocks made it a pretty inspiring sight.  When I stepped down to get some closer shots, I looked down and found a 10 won Korean coin and that warmed my heart because of the following little anecdote:

After my Mom’s father ( Papa! ) passed away a few years ago, every penny we found on the ground became a ‘Papa penny’, kind of a little gift from heaven to show he was thinking of us.  Clearly, being in Korea, there are not many Canadian pennies lying around, but the 10 won coin is the Korean counterpart to the penny and finding one in such a beautiful place on Christmas Eve was one of those happenings that I just can’t write off as coincidence.  

Korean Papa Penny!!

I made my way back to the hotel, amid even stronger flurries, and that afternoon we departed from the Jeju Si bus terminal to visit Seogwipo, a small city on the southern part of the island.  The bus ride cost a pretty 3000 won ( about 3 dollars) for an hour of travel over Halla Mountain (South Korea’s highest).  As we climbed the mountain, my appreciation for the snow slowly turned to outright panic as the bus driver careened around cars up and down the windy road and out the window I saw at least 2 cars that had gone off the road.  Then, as if by magic, everything white disappeared and we found ourselves in the slightly warmer region of Seogwipo.  

And that's all for now - the rest is yet to come.....soon!

To be continued.....