last night, kevin and i hit downtown when classes were over. we ate sam-gyap at our usual spot, but tried the beef this time. our server struggled to teach us to be classy and taste the first cooked piece of this meat without the lettuce and extra stuff... seemed a lot like the head of the table sampling the first glass of wine before everyone is served. anyway, it was delicious, and we were feeling very ready for the weekend.... looking for a little trouble. we wandered the busy streets for a little while trying to decide where to go. i let an ajuma vendor talk me into buying a little $3 leather bracelet. kevin grabbed an ice-cream. we were on the club side of town, so we lingered in the streets watching all the people passing by excited to be out with their friends and dressed to kill. the moon was nearly full in a clear sky. a lot of the stores, restaurants, and hofs like to blare music on the streets to draw folks in, so if you keep walking, it sounds like changing the stereo. after turning down a quieter street, kevin pulled me back a few steps until we were directly in front of one shop playing an old jazz piece, and we danced in the street for a minute, under the fat moon. for lack of any plan, we wound up at the german bar, and were lucky to meet a new friend there right away who gave us good conversation for the duration of our evening. his name was cam, and he told us all about his travels and family and kept us laughing. of course, there was some karaoke and some music played before it was all over. it was a blast.
saturday morning, i was paying for the fun. i stayed in bed until 4 (though, to be fair, we didn't go to sleep until 5 or 6 am)... only to find a new refrigerator had been delivered without disturbing my slumber. our old one worked 3out of 7 days, and not on any regular schedule. plus it made the freakiest sounds. it appears the landlady took it upon herself (possibly after investigating the scary howling noises she'd heard coming from our floor) to make our lives a little better.
kevin took off to run some errands and i stayed behind watching 'flight of the conchords', then the landlady returned and retrieved me to go with her to her mother's house and pick up a television our school apparently purchased for us. the landlady has a great attitude, sense of humor, and loves to talk, so it seems not to bother her that i don't understand 90% of what she's saying.... but we both try pretty hard, so we have a little back and forth. example:
"korean, korean korean korean keb-bin korean korean?"
"no, kevin's not here. opsiyo."
"korean korean korean odie (this means 'where'!) korean korean"
"he went to eat"
she looks at me confused, then walks around my apartment looking for where our cable outlet is.
"korean korean korean"... she gestures for me to grab my keys, so i do, and follow her out, down to the basement, she grabs a small dolly, back up and out the gate,
"korean korean korean korean ama (this means 'mother') korean" point, smile, nod.
"we're going to your mother's house?"
"nay, mother house"
etc.
she's adorable, and i like her. wish i knew this language better by now. ah, well... maybe i'll get to the books again soon.
so we brought back her mother's big, heavy tv, and she helped me get it into the apartment then disappeared with a laugh down the hallway.
kevin got back soon after, and was excited to take me to yet another festival he'd stumbled upon. this was an art festival taking place at the river downtown. the bottom of the bridge was lined with art on both sides and at the fancy star-gate looking section of the bridge there was a stage where different musical acts were putting on a great show. we saw a full orchestra play some classical, followed by a five piece soft rock band using a mix of modern and traditional korean instruments, then an amazing drum troupe (now i want to learn the korean traditional drum!), and finally adorable little kids took turns singing with orchestra backing.
at one point, under the bridge, we came upon a big pile of wood and kevin was shocked, and told me when he was there earlier it was a piano, totally in tact. two young guys were hanging out nearby it, and we asked what happened. they told us it was a performance piece. they are doing it all over again tomorrow at 6: so we're going to try and make it. they let me grab hammer #5 as a souvenir.
shopping at homeplus for this and that... i got gloves in preparation for the bitter cold ahead, and we bought stuff to stick in the new fridge. then some kimbab and bi bim bop for dinner, followed by simpsons on the big happy tv at home.
it's already been a terrific weekend, and we still have a whole day to go.
and now, it's raining gently and kevin's snoring lightly; i think i'll sleep well.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Festivities and Precariousness
What have we been up to lately?
Festivals, for one thing. There have been a bunch of festivals here at the onset of fall, and they've involved lots of new foods, a sensational one-man ice-cream show, traditional Korean clothes and activities, a bowing lesson, a petting zoo, interactive art, dancing groups galore, performances I could only catch glimpses of through the crowds, fishing with strainers, fields of flowers, unbelievable cakes shaped like palaces, dragons, and such, and my favorite part- fireworks and carnival games in the streets. I won a plush heart by knocking over some cans from the kiddie spot.
Amidst the festivals, we also celebrated Kevin's 27th birthday with our closest friends here, some Mario Bros on Wii, and a handful of seedy establishments. Both branches of Jisan bought him a delicious cake from Paris Baguette, and his students made him cards and sang Happy Birthday.
Right before birthday time, Kevin's parents were visiting during our extended Chu-Seok vacation! It was so great to see them, and we made the absolute most of the visit, doing something new and exciting every day. It was refreshing to act like a tourist again, and so comforting to have some family around. We miss our loved ones something terrible, so this was much needed.
Yeah, it's been a great time lately. Lots of fun on the weekends, and lots of work during the week so that it goes by fast.
We've officially made it past the halfway mark here at the Jisan-Hangil Academy. It has been and continues to be a wonderful experience, full of positives! I enjoy my job, and feel good about the work I do here. I have more in my bank account than I believe I've ever had in the past. Gwangju is a fun and welcoming city with plenty I have yet to explore, but also little spots that make me feel at home. The apartment is becoming cozier with every passing week. Kevin is even liking his job more, and we've both made a few friendships that will last beyond our Asian time together.
The question remains, though: Will we sign on for a second year?
Just a month ago, we thought we'd made up our minds, and the answer was 'yes'. Then a week ago, with no factors changing except a big case of homesick, we switched to a definite 'no'.
So: Picture it-- since challenges are often compared to mountains, and we're halfway through this one, you can imagine us at the very top of a mountain, looking around for what to do for fun once we trek down.
But then, we can't decide-- and when you can't decide 'yes' or 'no', you're said to be on a fence, right?
So we're on fence on a mountain peak. Now that's a precarious situation if ever there was one. And that's kind of how I feel right now. I mean, all we have to do is simply climb down from the fence, on either side, really, and then just walk down the mountain- which will be much easier than it was going up- and even that wasn't very hard:
But at the moment, I'm a little overwhelmed up here...
Festivals, for one thing. There have been a bunch of festivals here at the onset of fall, and they've involved lots of new foods, a sensational one-man ice-cream show, traditional Korean clothes and activities, a bowing lesson, a petting zoo, interactive art, dancing groups galore, performances I could only catch glimpses of through the crowds, fishing with strainers, fields of flowers, unbelievable cakes shaped like palaces, dragons, and such, and my favorite part- fireworks and carnival games in the streets. I won a plush heart by knocking over some cans from the kiddie spot.
Amidst the festivals, we also celebrated Kevin's 27th birthday with our closest friends here, some Mario Bros on Wii, and a handful of seedy establishments. Both branches of Jisan bought him a delicious cake from Paris Baguette, and his students made him cards and sang Happy Birthday.
Right before birthday time, Kevin's parents were visiting during our extended Chu-Seok vacation! It was so great to see them, and we made the absolute most of the visit, doing something new and exciting every day. It was refreshing to act like a tourist again, and so comforting to have some family around. We miss our loved ones something terrible, so this was much needed.
Yeah, it's been a great time lately. Lots of fun on the weekends, and lots of work during the week so that it goes by fast.
We've officially made it past the halfway mark here at the Jisan-Hangil Academy. It has been and continues to be a wonderful experience, full of positives! I enjoy my job, and feel good about the work I do here. I have more in my bank account than I believe I've ever had in the past. Gwangju is a fun and welcoming city with plenty I have yet to explore, but also little spots that make me feel at home. The apartment is becoming cozier with every passing week. Kevin is even liking his job more, and we've both made a few friendships that will last beyond our Asian time together.
The question remains, though: Will we sign on for a second year?
Just a month ago, we thought we'd made up our minds, and the answer was 'yes'. Then a week ago, with no factors changing except a big case of homesick, we switched to a definite 'no'.
So: Picture it-- since challenges are often compared to mountains, and we're halfway through this one, you can imagine us at the very top of a mountain, looking around for what to do for fun once we trek down.
But then, we can't decide-- and when you can't decide 'yes' or 'no', you're said to be on a fence, right?
So we're on fence on a mountain peak. Now that's a precarious situation if ever there was one. And that's kind of how I feel right now. I mean, all we have to do is simply climb down from the fence, on either side, really, and then just walk down the mountain- which will be much easier than it was going up- and even that wasn't very hard:
But at the moment, I'm a little overwhelmed up here...
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