Bombardment in the Supermarket

I had a nice post prepared for today to talk about life in the classroom, since I haven't really been focusing on that much. But I can't remember much of anything that happened today at school after my trip to the Supermarket.
It's not like it was traumatizing or anything - just a few children came up to me while I was doing some shopping, and said "hello." So I smile and say hello, naturally (there are four of them). Then they start speaking Korean to me. At first I actually understood a little bit! They asked me where I was from and I told them. I think I said one or two other things in Korean. Then they started asking me a bunch of questions, and I am very limited in my Korean now because I don't know any verbs (not like I know many nouns but I still know enough to be able to recognize some words when I hear people talking). So I said "I'm sorry, I don't understand" in Korean (Oh by the way - I know I've been writing some things in hangul and I didn't even think that some people may not be able to read the hangul on their computer - so I'll try to leave the hangul out on this site). Anyway, they started asking me some more questions and I continued to say "I don't understand." So I thought when I left then that would be it. But they started following me around, and being really loud, attracting a lot of attention. One of the boys was also pushing one of the girls, and he was also pushing her into me many of the times. So I'm trying to walk away kind of fast and into an open area with many other people to try and get them to move away, but they kept following me and being really loud, and kind of embarrassing me because it was really evident that I didn't know any Korean (it didn't help that they were speaking really fast either, but still - the things I know how to say are limited to situations for which I have studied phrases...) So I kind of bolted to the register just to get away from them.
At first I was actually excited because I was thinking...sweet! I'm having a little bit of a conversation with people (little people, but still) in a supermarket! But after 5 minutes of this I started to feel kind of uncomfortable...mostly because people were staring at me and it was basically being pointed out by loud little children who were shoving each other all over the supermarket that I didn't know any Korean...haha. Whatever. I don't care. It makes me appreciate the kids in my classes though - even though some of them are unruly and can be kind of annoying, they don't really compare to these kids.

Well definitely I will post some class-oriented things for next week. Going to get some rest now for a weekend of great company and exercise :)

Swimming With My New Friend; Track Workout Gone Soft (But Still Awesome)

Last night, I met up with my friend (I'll call him "Chol") that I met on Tuesday to go swimming. He took me to the swimming pool which is practically in the basement of his apartment building, and apparently is like 10 minutes away from where I live....! Yayyyy for pool close by! (And it is cheaper than Haeundae) We had a really fun time swimming (at least I did!) and I got in a pretty good workout! I was especially glad because since I didn't have practice yesterday I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get a workout in. :) After swimming I think I accidentally went into a dry zone in the locker room while I was dripping wet from the shower, and probably made some people the opposite of happy. Many people were staring at me (I couldn't tell if it was just because I was a foreigner or if it was because I was dripping all over them) and some woman throws a towel down in front of me and starts to wipe up my mess...I'm still not convinced that you are supposed to be dry in that room because I don't understand how people could be completely devoid of drippage before entering but I know I did not feel completely welcome...haha oh well. Something to remember for next time. After swimming Chol and I met up and went to get some tea near Gwangali - it was really fun! He is such a nice guy. I am so lucky to have met such nice friends in Korea!!

After school today I met Coach at the PNU track to do the track workout we were supposed to do yesterday (apparently yesterday 승연and 성인 were busy too and couldn't make the workout so that worked out well), but the others were also tied up today so it was just me and Coach. My leg was still hurting from the other day, having pulled a tendon behind my knee. So instead of doing a speed workout, Coach and I just ran some chill laps around the track for 40 minutes. It wasa very relaxing and very fun! Although my leg didn't feel fantastic, it was much better than not running at all. Ah. I love running - especially when you have a team to run with! (And when there is lots going on around the track to watch - ah I miss school!!!)

Coach and I then went to dinner and ate some delicious noodles and talked about the weekend training schedule...yayyyyy. Ha. He is great. Later on into the meal he told me to call over the waitress and say in Korean "This Kimchi is delicious. Could we have some more?" So she came over, and I almost finished saying "this Kimchi is delicious" and she said "네" (yes) and left...hahaha. I was trying to practice my Korean and the woman totally just left me hanging! That's gotta do a lot for your confidence. I mean, she brought over some Kimchi right after, but still - I must be pretty bad at Korean for her to not want to listen to me finish. Haha. No I know she was just trying to be nice, I'm sure. Coach and I laughed for a long time about that (that probably doesn't sound funny...haha...maybe you just had to have been there). We had a few more great laughs (I always do with him) and then left. I got to treat him tonight because he just got an article published (!!!) and I wanted to celebrate. He is so awesome!

I'm on my way back to the subway, happily thinking about practice at 9am on Saturday, when I run into two girls I knew from the EPIK orientation!!!! (Awesome girls, I might add). It was so great!!!! We went for ice cream and caught up a bit...(although it was more of me getting all girly and gushy and excessively smiling about the Korean man who is stealing my heart away (and probably has no idea)...but they seemed to enjoy that...haha) and then we split for home. I'm so excited that I saw them though! Although I have been very busy I definitely need to make some time to see these girls every so often - they are a great group of ladies!

And tonight, I figured out which bus I can take from the subway to my house, and where it is located...sighhhh. :)

범어사 (Beomeosa Temple); 황령산 (Hwang-lyeong Mountain)

Yesterday was another awesome day! at 10am I met a co-worker from 동상 (Dong Sang) and she took me to 범어사(Beomeosa Temple), one of the most famous Temples in Busan (probably this one and the one I visited a few days ago are the two most famous). The scenery at 범어사 was a bit different from 용궁사 (Yong-gung Temple), whereas today the temple was situated on the top of a mountain.... :) It was amazing! Just driving up the mountain got me SO excited! (You know how I am about hills and imagining biking up them...) Not too much to say about this temple, it is more in the experience of seeing its beauty. But it was very fun. My co-worker and I chilled in the woods for a while and talked, and then we left to go for some lunch.

We went to lunch at an awesome Japanese Restaurant where we had lots of raw fish, including 계불 (kebul, which looks like a worm...and is still alive...apparently this fish is not considered fresh unless it is still breathing). That was a very interesting experience. It was good...crunchy...but it was one of the more difficult things to eat that I have had here only because I am not used to eating live things. But it was good! We had a course meal, so I got to try a lot of different things, all of which I can't remember. But it was delicious.

After that, I came home because I was going to meet a friend to go for a run. I had met this boy a few weekends ago at the beach, and I didn't remember him very well, so I knew that would be interesting...but we met up, went for a chill run, and it was very fun! After that, I went home and took a shower and then met back up with him and his friend for dinner, where we had some deliciousness - all I can remember was octopus and vegetables - but it was awesome!

After that, they offered to take me to an amazing site in Busan, and although I was planning on studying that night, I decided I can wake up early and study - so we drove off to Gwangali. We drove over Gwangali Bridge - wow - so beautiful!! Great experience to drive over compared to just looking at it from the beach (which is still beautiful!) After that they took me up to 황령산 (Hwang-lyeong Mountain) - this was probably my favorite thing so far - SO beautiful! i wish i had my camera...I'll have to make another trip up there sometime soon. But at night...and all the lights...amazing. I'm so lucky that I have met such nice people!

The only negative thing about yesterday is that I pulled the back of my knee somehow - either running or walking up to the top of the mountain (although we only walked a small distance so I can't imagine that it would have been from that...), so today, in the middle of the day, the back of my knee was popping a bit...! At least I know it isn't a major thing - as long as I rest it and heat it and ice it it should get better soon - but today I was supposed to have a track workout...!! :( So I texted Coach and told him that I was still going to come but I'm not sure how much I can run because I pulled a muscle - and he called me and suggested that we take the day off and do the track workout tomorrow. I was definitely bummed! My heart really wanted to run, but I know it I did I would be hurting a lot tomorrow, not in a good way... so now I have time to write this :) But also, my friend's friend that I met yesterday is a swimmer and teaches lessons...and apparently he works very close to where I am (he is a student primarily but works as a swimming teacher also), and he said that I could take lessons there instead of in Haeundae if it is more convenient. So I called him a few hours ago and asked him if I might be able to jump in on a lesson tonight....so I am off in a few minutes to swim!! Yayyyy.

I love Korea.

Another 추석 dinner

Today I ran up a small mountain and had a wonderful 추석 dinner, from which I am still extremely full.

One of my co-workers from 동상 초급학교 (Dong Sang Cho-geup Hakkyo, or Dong Sang Elementary School) picked me up from 동상초급학교 at 5:30pm today with her husband and her daughter and took me to their house for dinner. Out of all the Koreans I have met here, her daughter is the best speaker so far. I was so surprised when I got into the car to hear what seemed like a native English speaker! She told me that she spent two years in Canada for middle/high school - but for only two years in an English speaking country - wow, it was amazing.

So I ended up talking mostly English most of the night. I actually felt quite bad because although her mother (my co-worker) speaks better English than many of the Koreans I know here, she still didn't understand everything that her daughter and I were talking about, and I don't think her husband understood much either. I felt a little uncomfortable speaking so much English - but they were so nice and seemed like they were encouraging me to speak English and to be comfortable.

The food was absolutely amazing. We started eating about 4.5 hours ago and I am still full! Oh man. Soooo good. I LOVE 송뷴 (Song Pyun - is that spelled right?). 송뷴 are special rice cakes that in the past had only been made on 추석, but now I think they are more popular. Oh man. They are just rice cakes with sesames and beans inside - so imagine rice kneeded into a stricky rice dough and balled around sesame and beans...it is AMAZING. It is so good that I am going to try and make some of my own next weekend...

The rest of the meal was amazing too. Noodles, fried shrimp (the fried is kind of getting to me but it's ok, it's 추석) and an amazing sauce with chunks of carrots, cucumbers and onions, amazing soup, pumpkin porridge-type of thing, kimchi of course...and lightly fried pumpkin cakes...wow. Wow. I am so lucky!

We talked about a lot of things at dinner, but one thing that struck me as very interesting was our conversation about Lunar and Solar New Years. I had started this conversation with 수청 a few days ago, so I knew of the existance of the Lunar Calendar, but we talked about it in more detail tonight. It is so interesting! Just think - we measure our days by the rise of the sun without a second thought - but some people measure time by something completely different! Can you imagine? I think that is so cool...

Well I'm off to bed - I am going to research more about the Lunar Calendar and write more about that next time. :)

Crazy Awesome Foot Massage; Yonggungsa Temple

Another sweet day today. One of my co-workers, 지인 picked me up today at 11am and we headed off to her parent's house for lunch. Again, another
fantastic meal, and her family is so nice! No surprise there though.

We left shortly after eating, and she took me around the apartment complex where her parents lived, which is a new development. We walked around for a while - quite beautiful. There were a few different waterfall type situations, and a great view. Then she took me to this place that you see in the first three pictures - basically it's a fere foot massage - and it is AMAZING. You take off your shoes, and walk over the different textures, as you can see below (I have more pictures but they won't all

fit so if you want to see more email me and let me know!) Oh man it felt SO GOOD.

After that, we went to her apartment and she helped me with Korean for a while. It was great! I felt bad though because we worked at it for a few hours and I feel like it would be tiring having someone butcher your language, but she said she was happy to do it. We worked on time expressions, and I feel like I definitely have advanced a decent amount today!

After language lessons, we drove over to the Songjeong Beach area to meet two of her friends and to see the 용궁사 절 (Yonggungsa Temple). It was BEAUTIFUL. See pictures attached. Right on the water...amazing buildings...lots of beautiful nature...wow. We also went into the temple and did a few bows. I felt weird because I think some people knew exactly what they

were doing andI had no idea, and I felt like everyone was looking at me strangely. But whatever. It was really fun and quite interesting.

After the temple, we all went to a Chinese/Korean restaurant - I actually think it was Chinese, but I asked the others and they said it was Chinese food with a Korean influence. In any case, it was delicious. Noodles, somewhat spicy soup, radishes, other vegetables, fried rice and fried pork (the fried is kind of getting to my stomach but I haven't yet tried the fried food here so I figured I should at least try it).


Her two friends were great, too. They are so nice. I can't believe how many really nice people I am meeting here, it doesn't seem real. I have yet to spend a decent amount of time with a rude person.

The only negative thing about the day was that I kind of missed the presence of a certain person...but just thinking of him brings a HUGE smile to my face so it really doesn't have much of a negative relation. Ahh this is so inconvenient...