Everland and 이순신 Festival

This past weekend was really cool. This time of year is holiday time...Saturday was Buddha's birthday and then tomorrow is Children's Day. So...I had several days off of school (including tomorrow) and so I tried to get out and see a few more sites. Friday I went to Asan to the 이순신 (Lee Sun Shin) festival in Asan. I don't know if you remember in my first ever blog I went to his house in Asan (Hyeonchungsa) and posted some pictures. Anyway...he is really famous in Korean, he was an Admiral of the Korean navy and fought bravely against the Japanese in the Japanese Invasions during 1592-1598. His birthday was April 28, 1545 so I think that's why they had the festival this past week. He did some really amazing things. He designed the "Turtle Ship" which was an amazing war ship which sometimes featured over 20 cannons, versus the Japanese ships having 1 or 2. At the Battle of Myeongnyang Lee Sun Shin commanded 13 ships versus 133 for Japan. The Koreans were victorious and forced the Japanese to retreat. He grew up in Asan (near Cheonan) and that's why the festival is there. It was really cool...I went to Hyeonchungsa again (his boyhood home) and then they had 100s of exhibits set up along the river in Asan. They had a portable bridge across the river since the festival was on both sides of the river. It was a little windy late in the afternoon, and it was kind of funny watching people try and cross the floating bridge. As the wind picked up, or course it was moving the water and then people just walking across the bridge too...hahaha, it was swinging all over the place! HA! It had been nice most of the day...and then around 4 PM the sky turned black and the rain started pouring down. I was glad I had been there long enough to enjoy it before I got soaked! :)

So on Saturday I went to Everland! I had been waiting to go here for quite a while...it's the biggest amusement park in Korea and has the steepest wooden rollercoaster in the WORLD! It has a 77 degree drop...unreal how scary this thing was. I've been on some pretty scary rollercoasters over the years, but the T-Express was by far the scariest. The first drop it literally feels like you're going straight down! It was scary, and I thought my stomach was going to come out of my mouth! HA! The only thing I was a little disappointed in as that they were working on two of the rollercoasters in the park, so the T-Express was the only coaster I got to ride. There were still some other cool rides though, so it wasn't a wasted day or anything. The park in HUGE. There are some really pretty areas with flowers and fountains, and the weather was perfect for a day at an amusement park. It was nice and sunny but not hot.

I had a great weekend, and tomorrow I'm planning to go back to another Doosan Bears game...they are having a day game since it's Children's Day. Hopefully I can help them go 3-0 this season! HA!

Doosan Bears!

This past weekend I went to my second Bears game of the season...and so far I guess I'm a good luck charm! They have gone 2-0 in the two games I've been to this season. Last year I went to watch them when I first got here and they lost in the 10th inning...so they are 2-1 in the three games I've been to.

I LOVE Korean baseball...not to knock MLB, but I think I'd go to a Korean game anyday! The crowd is loud and they cheer literally from before the first pitch. I think one cool thing here is that as small as Korea is there are usually fans for both of the teams...so even though Doosan had a home game, maybe like 40% of the crowd was cheering for the other team...so the atmosphere is really cool.

I've been a fan of Doosan ever since Hines Ward visited Korea after winning the MVP award in the Super Bowl. He went to a game and threw out the first pitch, so I just sort of adopted Doosan. I felt a little like a traitor cheering for Doosan since they were playing the Hanwha Eagles. The Eagles are from the province I live in (Chungcheongnam Province) but oh well! HA!

The game was really exciting, Hanwha got off to a quick start scoring 2 runs in the top of the first, but then Doosan struck back and matched them. Doosan added another run in the 2nd inning and led 3-2 until the 7th inning when they hit a 3 run HR and pretty much sealed the game. They went on to win 6-2, and so I was of course very happy.

The weather was really cold...I was surprised because it's been so warm here the last few weeks, but I braved the wind and a little rain. Ramen Noodles are popular here, and so I got some of those to keep me warm.

Hopefully I'll have a chance to go to quite a few more Bears games. One nice thing I've said over and over is that stuff here is priced right, Koreans don't feel the need to rip you off just because you're at a sporting event. Tickets were 5,000 Won (about $4) and then a big bag of chips was 2500 Won. Ramen was 2000 Won. I love the fact that I can do so much here for so cheap!

Cherry Blossom Festival/대천 Beach

Ok...well, the cherry blossoms FINALLY arrived like I was anticipating, and so this past weekend I went to Cheonan's Cherry Blossom Festival, and it was really awesome. Actually...I went to 대천 (Daecheon) Beach in the morning and then to the Cherry Blossom Festival in the evening.

We (Dana, Sam, I) left for the beach at around 10 AM. We had planned to leave at 9, but Sam overslept and honestly (even though this hardly ever happens) I did too (I woke up at about 8:50). I hit snooze several times and then then did the "Ok, I'm awake so I'll turn off my alarm, but then I actually fall back asleep" routine. I thought I was going to make us late, and when I called Sam he answered on like the 10th ring and I could tell I woke him up! HA! So, anyway...we took off for the beach. We stopped along the way and you can always tell the areas that don't see many foreigners because they all just stop and stare at you. So, we grabbed some snacks and headed down to the beach. We got there around 11:30. I was hoping to jump into the sea and take a swim...but when I got about ankle deep in the water, I quickly decided that there would be no swimming taking place (at least not on my behalf) as the water was freezing cold. The weather was nice, but the water was cold. So...we bummed around and looked at all kinds of sea creatures, and then strolled up and down the beach. Koreans dress a lot different than Americans at the beach. Very few people were wearing swimming suits...in fact...most people were wearing pants and jackets, and I swear it was mid 70s! I was surprised! Dana's friend lives there and so she met us for lunch, we had 해물탕 (Haemultang) which is seafood soup http://www.flickr.com/photos/misskoco/443445835/ It includes shrimp, octopus, and a whole bunch of other seafood. There were some really good things that I pulled out of shells! HAHA! Sam didn't eat much, I guess I am pretty adventurous when it comes to food. Anyway...I thought it was really good, and actually octopus is very delicious. So...after we ate, we saw a really cool hiking area that had some rocks, so we hiked around there for a while and got some really cool pictures.

We headed back to Cheonan and then went to the Cherry Blossom Festival later in the day. It was at a local high school (Bugil High School) and in the evening there were fireworks. It was a little crazy, I had never been up front for fireworks, but we were like literally in the very front row and the fireworks were exploding right over our heads. So, after they fell...all the little stuff from the fireworks was like falling all on us! HA! It was crazy! It was cool I saw some of the girls from the middle school too...so they said HI and I talked to them for a bit.

So...I had a great weekend...now that spring has finally arrived, I'm hoping for more good times. Good Bye winter!
:)

Spring's finally here...ok, maybe not!

Hey everyone! I hope you're having a great week. Well...about this time last week, I really thought I could put my coat back into the box and forget about it for 6 months. I went to Seoul Saturday and the weather was absolutely amazing. I mean, sunny, warm, birds singing, flowers blooming amazing. I was basking in the sunlight, walking around with a smile on my face. I almost wore shorts, and I pretty easily could have. Sunday cooled off a bit and the winds picked up...and by last night after school there were snow flurries as I was leaving! Yeah ugh is right! The trees are starting to blossom though, and there are some flowers starting to pop up...so I am anticipating that it won't be long until I really can put that big bulky brown coat up and not have to look at it or think about trying to get warm!

School has been going well...I've really enjoyed my middle school classes this year, there are some really smart, nice girls in those classes. I am so amazed at Koreans and their ability to master two languages. So many people here speak English really well. A lot of Koreans are quite shy, so they play it off like they can't speak English well, and then I can sit and talk to them for an hour and understand 99% of what they're saying. I think most people here are perfectionists, so they feel like if they aren't perfect and don't sound like a native English speaker then they can't speak it. But, I am amazed everyday at the skill that the kids show...some of the kids at Kids College are like 6-8 years old and they can speak almost perfect English and of course Korean. I envy them so much...funny that I'm the teacher when really they are the ones with the knowledge. Anyway...things are going well. One of my classes has drove me a little nuts some days, but most of the days are pretty good and the kids are for the most part pretty cool.

Back to Saturday...I went to watch Seoul Samsung Thunders (yes, it is Thunders, not Thunder HAHA). It was a fun game, it was cool it was played in the same basketball arena that they played the Olympics basketball in in 1988. The USA got a bronze medal that year, and that was the last time they used amateur athletes, the next Olympics was the original Dream Team with Magic, Bird, Stockton, Robinson, Laettner, etc. So, kind of cool to be in a venue like that. The Thunders weren't very good really, they got beat down pretty bad. The other team KT&G was pretty good and I think they are one of the top teams in the Korean Basketball League. I think I still like Dongbu Promy the best, maybe since they were the first team I went to see! The game was fun though, my friend got us some discount tickets from a woman on the street. She said that she hoped they weren't counterfeit! HAHA! When we got to the door though, they let us in...so I guess they were OK! :) They were like half the regular price, which still wasn't much. That's one thing I keep saying...Korea actually prices stuff fair, like we paid 9,000 Won for 2 tickets (about $7) and we were sitting pretty close. At the Bobcats games those tickets would probably be $60-75 each. Obviously the level of competition between the NBA and KBL aren't even close, but basketball is basketball and I still have fun going to the games. They had some nice give aways (Papa John's pizza and Krispy Kreme doughnuts) so we yelled loud, but didn't get anything. It was a good time! When we left after the game, they were playing a soccer game in the Olympic Stadium, so we went in there for a minute. I got a little better picture of the stadium then I did in August last year. I think it's so cool to think that's where Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson ran against each other!

I'm hoping to go the West Sea in the next few weeks as the weather warms, and also to the Cherry Blossom Festival the first week or two of April...so hopefully I'll have some great pics here soon!

유관순

유관순 (Yu Kwan Sun) is one of the most famous patriots in Korea, and since today was her birthday I figured it would be fitting to come out of hibernation and make a post! Greta thanks for your concern about me, HAHA! Yes, Duke losing a second time to Carolina was a little tough to take, but it's comforting to know that they'll be playing the ACC Championship game in a few hours as Carolina takes the bus back to Chapel Hell, losers! HA!

So...back to Yu Kwan Sun...(I hope you all aren't burned out on my weekly Korean history lessons) she was a patriot during the Japanese Occupation of Korea (1910-1945). She was born just outside of Cheonan (where I live) and so she is especially famous around this area. Most Korean cities have little icons and so she is Cheonan's icon, and also there is a little cartoon type statue of her in town as well. Anyway, she was born on March 15, 1904 in Cheonan. Last weekend I went to Seodaemun Prison where she was held and eventually murdered by the Japanese, and also to her birthplace here in Cheonan.

She was attending Ewa Women's University in Seoul in 1919 when she helped to organize the Samil (Sam is 3 Il is 1) Movement on March 1, 1919. People gathered in the Aori Marketplace and shouted "대한 독립 만세" or Daehan Dokrip Manse, which translates to "Long live Korean Independence!" Of course the Japanese police came and broke up the crowd and she was arrested. She was tried and sentenced to 7 years in prison at Seodaemun. After only about one year of being there she was tortured and murdered by the Japanese. The saddest and most shocking part to me was that she was only 16 years old. Hard to imagine that the Japanese could be so cruel to anyone much less a 16 year old girl. The prison was interesting but quite sad of course. The Japanese tortured and murdered many of the prisoners, and they were held in very small cells sometimes with as many as 30 people packed into an area about 10'X10'. Many of the times they said the cells were so packed that the prisoners couldn't sleep because there was no where to lie down. I was a little disappointed that the facade of the prison is undergoing some construction so I couldn't really get any good pictures of the outside. They used the tunnel after they would murder the people they would drag them out through the tunnel to a cemetery right outside and bury the prisoners so that the citizens of Seoul wouldn't know they were killing prisoners.

I also went to her birthplace...it was such a pretty day. There is a burial site for her, but according to what I've read her body isn't there, and in fact her body was lost during the Korean War...so it's more of just a memorial. It was a nice hike to the top of the mountain where there is a monument for her.

Sorry for such a sad post...

HA!

I'm doing well...springtime is almost here, I saw on Yahoo! today that it's supposed to be up to 60 degrees on Wednesday, which is a welcome site for me. I'm so sick of winter, and ready to get back out and enjoy the outdoors. My friend told me there is a Cherry Blossom festival usually around the 1st or 2nd weekend of April, so I'm planning to go there with her, and hopefully I can get some pretty pics. She said there are so many blossoms that it looks like snow!

Hard to believe I've been in Korea almost 9 months already...the time has gone so fast looking back. I've had a great time here, and this has been a great experience.

As I said...hopefully my next post will be more uplifting. I just like history so much because there are so many things you can learn from the past, and hopefully help make the future better. I think knowing the history of Korea has helped me love the people even more too...just knowing all the struggles they have overcome.

Have a great week, and GO DUKE!

National Cemetery

The Korean National Cemetery is a pretty amazing place! Founded in 1955 and covering around 343 acres of land, there are over 160,000 soliders and patriots buried on the hallowed grounds. I would compare it in some aspects to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. The weather was pretty nice for still being winter time. The sun was out and shining and I've longed to get back outside and enjoy the fresh air. As I've said before one thing I love about living here is that I can go do a day trip like this for like 5,000 Won. I rode the subway from Cheonan to Dongjak Station for 2,500 Won. The walk from the station over to the cemetery was only about 5 minutes. There are numerous statues around the cemetery honoring different military units and patriots that have fought and died over the years for Korea's independence. The tombs of the late presidents Syngman Rhee and Park Chunghee, as well as the leaders of the Shanghai provisional government and other patriotic leaders are also there. About 104,000 memorial tablets have been enshrined inside a monument to honor the spirits of soldiers whose bodies have not been found.

When the Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, a great number of young students from all over the country volunteered to fight. These volunteer student soldiers fought bravely with the army and police, and many of them died a young, but heroic death. However, most of their remains were never found, so there is a monument for the "Unknown Soldiers" too.

It was very touching to go there and think of all the 1000's of Koreans that have died over the years fighting for independence against not only North Korea and Russia, but of course the Japanese. I have been reading a history book about Korea and the relations they had (or were forced to have) with some of the other countries in Asia. It must have been a tremendously difficult time to be alive and always having to fight just to be free.

After touring the grounds, I walked down to the Han River and took some pictures across to the Namsan Tower. Koreans are very active and love to get out and bike, run, and walk...so there is a nice path along the river and there were a lot of people out and about.

I swear I must have walked 4 or 5 miles Saturday...my hips are actually a little sore even today, I guess another sign that I'm getting old! So sad.

Oh yeah...I adjusted the settings on my camera after talking to my friend and for some reason I had the camera set on lower pixels, so I changed that and I think the pictures are much more clear and bright now. I wish I would have had it changed when I went to NZ, but oh well. Hopefully I can catch all the beautiful colors in the spring.

Taejosan Hike

Last Saturday I went for a little hike up Taejosan, it's a small mountain close to Cheonan. It was a beautiful morning, but by afternoon it had cooled off quite a bit and by early evening it was COLD! I put several pictures of a bridge that spans over the road. It's really high and it was kind of windy, so the bridge was moving back and forth and was a little bit scary! HA! There is a small Buddhist temple there...legend has it that a flock of cranes discovered the spot for the temple, so you'll notice above Buddha's head there are a bunch of wooden cranes, I thought they were really cool...I've never seen cranes at a Buddhist temple before. The temple was on the side of the hill and the stairs leading from building to building are really steep. I wish my camera captured color a little better, the colors of those laterns were really amazing especially this time of year.

After we left the temple I saw a little dog that reminded me so much of Chaco...this little dog was so sweet too! HA

I'm also posting a picture with John, he was one of my favorite students he speaks English really well and is a super cool kid. He moved to China over the weekend, so I got a picture with him before he left. I've been here almost 8 months and he's the only kid worthy of taking a picture with! HAHA Just joking...