So elections are going on here in Korea. What this consists of I have no idea. I'm not going to claim to be knowledgeable here. Just my observations as a clueless, wide-eyed foreigner that doesn't watch TV or read the papers...
1. Campaign workers are creepy. They wait around subway entrances and exits in lines with matching (almost) neon shirts (I think of them as the blue team and the green team) with Miss America style sashes that say I don't know what (all in Korean of course). They wait for people to pass and then bow very deeply (to show respect) and yell some chant at you. Which of course, with my limited knowledge of Korea, all I can gather is that they are speaking very formally. Sometimes there is a person passing out business cards. It's hilarious that they still try to hand them to me.
2. Campaign truck platforms are scary. The one by school had a picture of a candidate with a child holding a lunch plate on his lap on the back and then inside the platform there was a character wearing a chef head. Come home and there is one on the opposite corner of my building shouting from his into a mike... I think other people are shouting back at him. He sounds angry. Hmm.... Close the window.
I'd go research what these elections are all about but I'm pretty amused by my ignorance.
The joys of living on a main road. Close the the subway, constant light and sound pollution, overhearing fights from the HOFs (beer places) and domestic disputes as old drunk men threaten to get in their cars parked on the main road and drive away, random car horns and bad Korean music blasting from car stereos... and now, loud angry election campaigning. Oh wait... I think only one of those was a good thing. ;) hehe.
I have about 5 trips backlogged I might one day want to write about, but I felt compelled to blog the mundane.
Tentative return date: June 29th. You ready USA?
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
New Song!
Here's an original I wrote called "Away from the Concrete"
As you can see I'm still working out the kinks. Comments? Suggestions?
Thanks!
As you can see I'm still working out the kinks. Comments? Suggestions?
Thanks!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Genocide Awareness Event
So today and last night my friends Sean and Mel and their friend Molly put on a genocide awareness even hosted by Roofers in Itaewon. What a wonderful time! Last night there was capoeira and belly dancing performances, tons of friends showed up, and it was an all around nice time!
Today for the daytime part of the even there was art for silent auction, all you could eat home baked pastries with the entrance donation, a slideshow of digital photographs being displayed, spoken word poetry performances and one singer as well. The vibes were nice, everyone was so friendly and it was just an all around nice and relaxing Sunday afternoon! A few of my photographs were for sale in the slideshow which I was really excited about as its really the first time my works been out and shown anywhere! I bought a couple prints and Maggie bought one of mine as well! So flattered! :)
Then Maggie and I went at the wonderful Indigos and talked before heading home.
All and all a really nice Sunday. Better than my usual Sunday of being a hobbit indoors these days!
Oh by the way, all the proceeds are going to Doctors without Borders and it would be really great if you would like to contribute as well!
Doctors without Borders Website
Update: The event raised 1,950,000 KRW which is about $1650 for those of you back home. Most excellent!
Today for the daytime part of the even there was art for silent auction, all you could eat home baked pastries with the entrance donation, a slideshow of digital photographs being displayed, spoken word poetry performances and one singer as well. The vibes were nice, everyone was so friendly and it was just an all around nice and relaxing Sunday afternoon! A few of my photographs were for sale in the slideshow which I was really excited about as its really the first time my works been out and shown anywhere! I bought a couple prints and Maggie bought one of mine as well! So flattered! :)
Then Maggie and I went at the wonderful Indigos and talked before heading home.
All and all a really nice Sunday. Better than my usual Sunday of being a hobbit indoors these days!
Oh by the way, all the proceeds are going to Doctors without Borders and it would be really great if you would like to contribute as well!
Doctors without Borders Website
Update: The event raised 1,950,000 KRW which is about $1650 for those of you back home. Most excellent!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Cherry Blossom Bike Tour!
Wow... I haven't posted in 3 months! Yikes I've been slacking!
So this weekend I went with some friends to Gyeong ju "World cultural heritage city rich in thousand-year-long history and tradition" for a bike tour to look at the cherry blossoms. It's about 4 hours by bus south of Seoul. Our first taste of real warmth in many, many months!
Hannah, Maggie and I left our apartment building at about 5:15 am to meet the group at Express Bus Terminal by 6:15 am. Off on the bus and picked up our rental bikes at the bike shop at around 10:30. There were 3 buses full of people for this trip! The first day we mostly biked around. Didn't stop for photos as much as I would have liked but it was beautiful, and I was pretty proud that I'm a lot more confident on a bike these days! When we arrived at the lake it was so crowded we had to walk our bikes. There were kids and adults alike with rented mini motorcycles and quads (none of which were wearing helmets!) Hmm... safety rules are pretty lax in these parts! We stopped to have some Korean food for lunch. After that we decided to go for a swan paddle boat ride. There were 11 of us on 3 boats and we had a fun time singing and racing and playing paddle boat chicken... or swan? Cheesy joke.
After that we had some dinner and then went back to the hotel. Us 3 girls were almost asleep when we got the call to go for a little get together in our friend's room where we drank a little and played Uno. I raced a friend down the hallway after and lost pretty badly. I never was a runner...
The next day we went for a walk near the hotel and through this park area. Vendors were selling silk worms but I opted for a corn dog instead... though I swear I must try the silk worms before I go. I heard they taste just as you'd expect. Yum?
We then hopped on the bus as went to the beach for a little bit. The warmth was gone as it was overcast. We happened upon some Buddhist ceremonies on the sand and people feeding flocks of seagulls. There were people in tents hitting instruments and chanting while others on the beach were bowing and meditating. After some snacks we headed back to return our bikes and head home. We didn't get back to Seoul until after 10! Long weekend but so fun and beautiful.
3 buses full! Can you find me? Nah...
Hannah in front of Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory "Visitors come and find it full of scientific surprises and mysteries."
View of the park area
wow... I look stunning
The journey begins here... we're already lost. :)
Riding next to Bomunho Lake!
Right after this we were bombarded by a band of boys attempting to talk to us in broken English.
Always fun being a foreigner in Korea!
Swan paddle boats on Bomunho Lake
Michelle and Maggie riding in the back.
Playing some paddle boat chicken!
They kept trying to capture a kiss!
I think we took more photos of each other on the boats than anywhere else... odd!
Look mom no helmets! This was the safest part though. Big and open. Most of the lake path was really narrow with lots of pedestrians to ram into! :)
The Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory (aka the tower) at night.
Day into night.
lost kite
royal tombs
Mr. Red Bean Paste man about to ruin some perfectly good pastries with his monstrous mountain of red bean paste.
Day 2 in the park taking photos!
Just before rubbing her face in the flowers. :) Marvelous.
Maggie, Chad, Anthony, Me, Hannah
Anthony wasn't feeling the 300 jumps.
Where are our instruments?
Steps to the park.
lucky 13
Hannah and Chad. There is a tomb behind them in the rocks.
Hannah telling us about punching waves. Getum!
Amanda, Michelle, Chad, Anthony. I think they are watching Hannah skip stones...
Me and the tomb. So chilly!
The Ajumas 3
Kim (seaweed) vendors
Kim chopper
Buddhist ceremony of some sort. I didn't peek in the tents on the hill next to me and photograph the men making music inside. I really wanted to though...
Some folks feeding the birds. Seagulls seem so out of place after 9 months in Seoul!
So this weekend I went with some friends to Gyeong ju "World cultural heritage city rich in thousand-year-long history and tradition" for a bike tour to look at the cherry blossoms. It's about 4 hours by bus south of Seoul. Our first taste of real warmth in many, many months!
Hannah, Maggie and I left our apartment building at about 5:15 am to meet the group at Express Bus Terminal by 6:15 am. Off on the bus and picked up our rental bikes at the bike shop at around 10:30. There were 3 buses full of people for this trip! The first day we mostly biked around. Didn't stop for photos as much as I would have liked but it was beautiful, and I was pretty proud that I'm a lot more confident on a bike these days! When we arrived at the lake it was so crowded we had to walk our bikes. There were kids and adults alike with rented mini motorcycles and quads (none of which were wearing helmets!) Hmm... safety rules are pretty lax in these parts! We stopped to have some Korean food for lunch. After that we decided to go for a swan paddle boat ride. There were 11 of us on 3 boats and we had a fun time singing and racing and playing paddle boat chicken... or swan? Cheesy joke.
After that we had some dinner and then went back to the hotel. Us 3 girls were almost asleep when we got the call to go for a little get together in our friend's room where we drank a little and played Uno. I raced a friend down the hallway after and lost pretty badly. I never was a runner...
The next day we went for a walk near the hotel and through this park area. Vendors were selling silk worms but I opted for a corn dog instead... though I swear I must try the silk worms before I go. I heard they taste just as you'd expect. Yum?
We then hopped on the bus as went to the beach for a little bit. The warmth was gone as it was overcast. We happened upon some Buddhist ceremonies on the sand and people feeding flocks of seagulls. There were people in tents hitting instruments and chanting while others on the beach were bowing and meditating. After some snacks we headed back to return our bikes and head home. We didn't get back to Seoul until after 10! Long weekend but so fun and beautiful.
3 buses full! Can you find me? Nah...
Hannah in front of Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory "Visitors come and find it full of scientific surprises and mysteries."
View of the park area
wow... I look stunning
The journey begins here... we're already lost. :)
Riding next to Bomunho Lake!
Right after this we were bombarded by a band of boys attempting to talk to us in broken English.
Always fun being a foreigner in Korea!
Swan paddle boats on Bomunho Lake
Michelle and Maggie riding in the back.
Playing some paddle boat chicken!
They kept trying to capture a kiss!
I think we took more photos of each other on the boats than anywhere else... odd!
Look mom no helmets! This was the safest part though. Big and open. Most of the lake path was really narrow with lots of pedestrians to ram into! :)
The Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory (aka the tower) at night.
Day into night.
lost kite
royal tombs
Mr. Red Bean Paste man about to ruin some perfectly good pastries with his monstrous mountain of red bean paste.
Day 2 in the park taking photos!
Just before rubbing her face in the flowers. :) Marvelous.
Maggie, Chad, Anthony, Me, Hannah
Anthony wasn't feeling the 300 jumps.
Where are our instruments?
Steps to the park.
lucky 13
Hannah and Chad. There is a tomb behind them in the rocks.
Hannah telling us about punching waves. Getum!
Amanda, Michelle, Chad, Anthony. I think they are watching Hannah skip stones...
Me and the tomb. So chilly!
The Ajumas 3
Kim (seaweed) vendors
Kim chopper
Buddhist ceremony of some sort. I didn't peek in the tents on the hill next to me and photograph the men making music inside. I really wanted to though...
Some folks feeding the birds. Seagulls seem so out of place after 9 months in Seoul!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Recordings and photos from Messiah!
2 songs and a photo montage are up now of our performance of Handel's Messiah, check it out!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Contradiction Song
This is rough... haha. But I'm posting it anyway cus I can't see repeating this performance. It took a very specific mood to create this... not sure what mood that is. Anyway, on with the video.
Oh and I also realized, the mic I bought and thought I was using is fine, but the computer can't seem to use it if I'm recording a video. So the poor sound quality is gunna stay until I figure it out. Cus I did some non-video recordings and not to say it sounded great but it didn't have the buzzing and clicking that's for sure!
Oh and I also realized, the mic I bought and thought I was using is fine, but the computer can't seem to use it if I'm recording a video. So the poor sound quality is gunna stay until I figure it out. Cus I did some non-video recordings and not to say it sounded great but it didn't have the buzzing and clicking that's for sure!
Jimjilbang! 찜질방!
So tonight I went with Lexi and her friend from back home Emily to our first time at a Jimjilbang. Which, in short, is a Korean bathhouse/ spa of sorts. We went to one that was huge! I've heard many a story about these places (many of which much funnier than my experience!) but here's what I got.
First, it took forever to find the place. We are walking through the snow, getting pointed in all kinds of directions and finally go in a big circle before we find the building. Then we go in the elevator, no 7th floor, where its supposed to be. We go to the 6th floor and walk up the stairs... hmmm this isn't right. Storage closets and its all dark. Finally a kind Korean girl shows us to an elevator on the other side of the building.
So we get in, pay out 8,000 won (about 8 bucks) and go to lockers where we change into our flattering pink pajamas (photos soon to come thanks to Lex) and so we wander. Not sure where to go, what to do. All the signs are in Korean save the ones that say "Women's this" and "Men's that" sort of thing... plus at this point I've put my glasses in the locker. After a blind confused trip around the labyrinth we finally decide to go lock our pjs up and venture out in the nude to where all the spas and saunas are.
So in we go. I will describe this scene to you. We hop in a large shallow hot tub that is right next to 2 others in the center of this big room. I'll do a 360 view for you. First on the left I see rows of shower stations. Low sinks with shower heads attached and "stools" which were little more than upside down buckets with a butt shape on top to sit on. Women of all ages are shampooing and scrubbing. On the right, similar scene only over there, there is a woman that looks like she is covered in blood Carry style. I eventually realize its some sort of body scrub as she begins scrubbing it on another woman. Next comes the saunas... nothing too crazy there. And next to that are the cold water tanks. This is where most of the little girls are swimming around and playing. Not shy at all about hugging and running and hanging around nude. Last on my eyes venture around the room I see massage tables with a price list hanging starting at about 15 bucks. A woman is naked, getting a massage from a naked ajuma (older woman). Uh huh... why exactly does the massager have to be naked as well? I've heard many stories about this... apparently that's just how it goes in the Jimjilbang.
So that of course is all the woman's area. We hang around there dipping in the tanks, spas, and saunas. There were about 10 or so total all with different temperatures displayed on digital clock type things. One group of little girls began following us around. Trying to hide it at first and eventually saying hi, giggling, and talking about us in Korean staring right at us. "Amma (mom)," one calls in Korean to her mother, "We said hi to the foreigners!"
After we get too hot and pruney and dehydrated to go one, we wander around the coed pajamaed areas. There is a huge floor to sleep on and watch movies on matts. Though there are also several sleeping areas that are more secluded, and also people pretty much sleeping where ever they pleased, including upstairs near the gym (which was closed for the night). There were snack bars, restaurants, DVD rental to use on one of the many TVs.
We each bought an ice cream and took advantage of the 2,000 won massage chairs. They went for a while and actually did a pretty decent job!
There were 5 little rooms to go in, a few of which had a theme. One was shaped and decorated like an igloo and was really cold inside with 2 fake snowmen. One room was slightly less cold with a TV inside. The next was shaped like a pyramid and had these rocks you could lay in which we later figured out were or included a lot of salt (thanks to the gash in my finger suddenly throbbing in pain). The last 2 were unbearably hot. I felt like Goldilocks trying out all the rooms. Too hot. Too cold. The Eygptian one with the salt rocks was definitely just right. And I felt like a little kid when I used to play in my dad's rock paths in the back yard.
And so it goes. My first time naked in front of people. It wasn't so bad. I want to go back again, especially since its so cold outside! Maybe go early enough to take advantage of the gym next time!
Japan blog soon to come. And one day my Chusok blog from back in October. I swear I'm not letting that one go. It'll get done eventually!
First, it took forever to find the place. We are walking through the snow, getting pointed in all kinds of directions and finally go in a big circle before we find the building. Then we go in the elevator, no 7th floor, where its supposed to be. We go to the 6th floor and walk up the stairs... hmmm this isn't right. Storage closets and its all dark. Finally a kind Korean girl shows us to an elevator on the other side of the building.
So we get in, pay out 8,000 won (about 8 bucks) and go to lockers where we change into our flattering pink pajamas (photos soon to come thanks to Lex) and so we wander. Not sure where to go, what to do. All the signs are in Korean save the ones that say "Women's this" and "Men's that" sort of thing... plus at this point I've put my glasses in the locker. After a blind confused trip around the labyrinth we finally decide to go lock our pjs up and venture out in the nude to where all the spas and saunas are.
So in we go. I will describe this scene to you. We hop in a large shallow hot tub that is right next to 2 others in the center of this big room. I'll do a 360 view for you. First on the left I see rows of shower stations. Low sinks with shower heads attached and "stools" which were little more than upside down buckets with a butt shape on top to sit on. Women of all ages are shampooing and scrubbing. On the right, similar scene only over there, there is a woman that looks like she is covered in blood Carry style. I eventually realize its some sort of body scrub as she begins scrubbing it on another woman. Next comes the saunas... nothing too crazy there. And next to that are the cold water tanks. This is where most of the little girls are swimming around and playing. Not shy at all about hugging and running and hanging around nude. Last on my eyes venture around the room I see massage tables with a price list hanging starting at about 15 bucks. A woman is naked, getting a massage from a naked ajuma (older woman). Uh huh... why exactly does the massager have to be naked as well? I've heard many stories about this... apparently that's just how it goes in the Jimjilbang.
So that of course is all the woman's area. We hang around there dipping in the tanks, spas, and saunas. There were about 10 or so total all with different temperatures displayed on digital clock type things. One group of little girls began following us around. Trying to hide it at first and eventually saying hi, giggling, and talking about us in Korean staring right at us. "Amma (mom)," one calls in Korean to her mother, "We said hi to the foreigners!"
After we get too hot and pruney and dehydrated to go one, we wander around the coed pajamaed areas. There is a huge floor to sleep on and watch movies on matts. Though there are also several sleeping areas that are more secluded, and also people pretty much sleeping where ever they pleased, including upstairs near the gym (which was closed for the night). There were snack bars, restaurants, DVD rental to use on one of the many TVs.
We each bought an ice cream and took advantage of the 2,000 won massage chairs. They went for a while and actually did a pretty decent job!
There were 5 little rooms to go in, a few of which had a theme. One was shaped and decorated like an igloo and was really cold inside with 2 fake snowmen. One room was slightly less cold with a TV inside. The next was shaped like a pyramid and had these rocks you could lay in which we later figured out were or included a lot of salt (thanks to the gash in my finger suddenly throbbing in pain). The last 2 were unbearably hot. I felt like Goldilocks trying out all the rooms. Too hot. Too cold. The Eygptian one with the salt rocks was definitely just right. And I felt like a little kid when I used to play in my dad's rock paths in the back yard.
And so it goes. My first time naked in front of people. It wasn't so bad. I want to go back again, especially since its so cold outside! Maybe go early enough to take advantage of the gym next time!
Japan blog soon to come. And one day my Chusok blog from back in October. I swear I'm not letting that one go. It'll get done eventually!
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