Spring has sprung!

 

Believe it or not, my laptop broke just after making my promise to write blog posts more often!  Alan ordered and installed a new screen for me, so it is now working again!

Alan and I went to Seoul last weekend.  This was the first time that we have visited Seoul since we moved here.  We had both been to Seoul before - me for only a day when I came to visit Alan in 2010 and Alan visited with friends when he lived in Masan in 2009-2010.  But Seoul, as large as it is, has so much to see and to do.  Since we only had two days, we only stopped at some of the main tourist sites and ate some beloved American food.

 

 

 

 

Our visit to Seoul was a lot of fun and a great reminder of why we're in Korea.  Since we've been here for almost 8 months now, Korea is starting to feel 'normal' to us.  Getting out of our routine and allowing ourselves to explore is refreshing and exhilarating.

Spring has sprung in Ulsan!  We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place.  Alan and I enjoy walks, runs and bike rides outdoors where we can marvel at the beauty of our Mother Earth.  Ulsan seems to have come out of hibernation throughout the last few weeks and we have enjoyed watching it do so.

 

 

 

Alan is staying very busy with two sports teams that he has joined - an ultimate frisbee team and a baseball team.  Ultimate frisbee is very popular here among the foreigners.  Alan plays games almost every weekend in cities within an hour or so radius from Ulsan.  Unlike his frisbee team, Alan is the only foreigner on his baseball team.  He plays games about once a week in the mornings before work.  He really enjoys it and it is fun for me to watch when I can.

 

 

 

That's it for today.  I hope all is well with you and yours!  

Back at it

So, it's obviously been a while since I have updated y'all on how things are going in our part of the world.  Truth be told, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue writing a blog.  First of all, it's time consuming!  I already write in a personal journal (have since I was 8 years old) and felt like it was just too much writing for someone that is not a "writer".  The pictures also take a long time to go through, choose, edit, and download.   I wanted my writing to sound clever, as well as being descriptive without being overly wordy.  So...I gave up.  Despite requests from a few family members and friends, I thought I was finished with the whole blogging thing.  However, while Alan and I were in the Philippines last month, we met a couple that is teaching English in China.  We had a few great conversations with them over the course of our stay and in those conversations came up the idea of blogging our experience.  One of the women talked about how lucky we are to live in such a foreign place when compared to where we call home.  She keeps a blog regularly.  One of the main reasons that she chooses to write is for the benefit of others.  Expats are so fortunate to act as nomads in this big, beautiful world.  We have unique experiences that most people don't get a chance to experience themselves.  It would be selfish for Alan and I to keep everything that we encounter to ourselves.  So, thanks to my new found friend's inspiration, I will be starting this little ol' blog up once again.

Stay tuned...

It's Off to Work We Go!

I know, I know, I have been TERRIBLE at keeping a blog about our time in Korea.  After having issues with blogger and trying to switch our blog to wordpress, I have now decided to suck it up and stay with blogger.  I am not much of a technology person and wordpress was just a bit too confusing for me.  Since I was 8-years-old I have been a journaler.  When recording this journey for everyone, I wanted the same ease of writing that I have experienced when putting my pen onto paper.  Blogger is (almost) as simple as that. 

So...there is too much to catch up on tonight, so I'll give you a glimpse of what my typical weekday looks like:

9 am (ish):  wake up and diddle-daddle around the apartment
10 am (ish):  go for a run - we have a small gym inside our apartment building & live next to a walking/running/biking path
11 am (ish): shower, get ready for work, hang with the hubs
1 pm: grab some lunch with Alan, either at a restaurant near our place or near work
2 pm - 9:40 pm: work...

A little about work....


Our building - we work on the 4th floor - E.L.C.

Alan at work - or hardly working?

 

I learned that taking their pictures works as an incentive...

 



We made ants on a log and apple smiles

 



Well, that's all for now.  Ta-ta!

...and it's only just the beginning

Hello, all!  I can almost not even believe this as I type it, but yesterday marked our one month anniversary of living in Korea.  This month has been extremely eventful, as you might have been able to guess from my lack of blog posts. 

Alan and I have done, seen, and eaten a lot since we have been here.  I wish that I had been more diligent at writing so that I would have been able to wite more about our "firsts".  Unfortunately/fortunately for you, I do not want to type for hours so I'll only be able to cover the highlights.

Our third best friend, Miss Delaney Holland, joined us in Korea for twelve days only two weeks after our arrival in Ulsan.  The twelve days she was here much resembled the twelve days of Christmas...as each day was filled with something new and exciting.  When Delaney first arrived, we had to have ourselves a 'bestie' photo shoot...I'll give you a glimpe...

(You're welcome...)

 

The same night as the photo shoot, we took Delaney out on the town.  Alan and I are fortunate enough to live near a place called "crazy intersection" which is a pretty hoppin' place.  We took Delaney to get some good grub and drinks.  She was able to meet our co-worker Sunny, our friend, Rachel, and a lot of other party people...

 



Rachel and I

 



The next morning, Delaney and I ventured out-of-town for a 'girls only' weekend. We took a bus and a train to Songjeong Beach, which is about 45 minutes south of Ulsan. 

The buses in Korea are CRAZY!

(I think you can tell from Delaney's expression!)

 

Our first "Love Hotel" experience.

 

Songjeong Beach

(The water was so clear!)

 

Alan heard how much fun that we were having in Songjeong and wanted to see for himself...he was able to snap a pic of Delaney and I working out on one of the many random exercise machines that are all over Korea. 

 

Workin' on our Fitness...

 

The week following our adventure to Songjeong Beach, we tried to get as much in as possible.  One of the most hilarious things that I have ever witnessed happened one morning when Delaney and I decided to experience a Korean bath house.  Going to a Korean bath house entails stripping down into your birthday suit with a bunch of Korean women, showering, bathing and scrubbing your skin off (almost literally).  The bath house is a great way to jump right in, be vulnerable (you're naked for heaven's sake!) and truly experience the culture.  Well, while we were there, Delaney and I wanted to pamper ourselves by getting massages.  After the somewhat frustrating experience of tyring to communicate that we wanted massages, the attendant took our money and told us to wait for her in the bathing/showering area...we were to stay naked.  We went and waited for the attendant (who was going to be our masseusse) near some plastic covered, wet massage tables.  When the masseuse came in, she was NAKED.  I mean, full on, totally, completely, naked!!!  She put on some granny panties (but that's IT) and motioned to Delaney to get on one of the wet, plastic tables.  From there, it was a whirlwind of naked-ness, water, cucumber shavings, lotions, sandpaper-like towels, and Delaney's body being manipulated in all sorts of directions!  I was trying super hard to be respectful, but I silently had streams of tears rolling down my face from laughing so hard.  The uncomfortable, and at times, painful massage that Delaney got, took way longer than we both had anticipated. So, I was unable to get a massage since I had to go to work...bummer.  (Unfortunately, there are no pictures to document the momentous occasion...)

 

Another day, Delaney and I explored the bamboo forest near my apartment...

The Bamboo Pathway

 

After work one day, Alan, Delaney and I went out for dinner and drinks.  At our final stop of the night, we were served silkworms as an appetizer.  This was a first for all three of us.  Delaney and I were the only ones brave enough to try them.

 

Being served silkworms defeats the purpose of using the word "appetizer"

 

Pre-taste. Notice the smiles...

 

A video as proof

 

Alan and Delaney enjoying snacks and Makali

(notice the silkworms at the bottom, left corner of the picture - EEK!)

 

For our final weekend together, we took a 20 minute train ride to Busan, the second largest city in Korea.  We had a fun-filled day full of sight seeing, shopping, and eating fantastic food.

 



Alan and Delaney near the Busan Pier

 





A Korean Culture Festival that we ran into.  We ended up staying for awhile.  There were many different performers and we enjoyed them all.

 

Alan and I at Yongdusan Park.  The fence behind us had tons of locks on it.  Couples write a message or wish about their relationship and put the lock on the fence.  It's supposed to be romantic.

 

A close-up of the 'love lock fence'.

 

Alrighty, well, that was our time with Delaney.  Looks fun, doesn't it?!

 

Love you all!  xoxo

 

 

 

 







 



Welcome to Korea!

A week ago today, we arrived in Korea.  It's been an eventful week, as one would expect, but we are having an exceptionally fun time! 

The first day in Korea was exhausting.  After an almost twelve hour flight from San Fransisco to Seoul, we then had to wait three and a half hours for a bus to Ulsan, which was another five and a half hour trip.  CRAZY DAY!  Once we arrived at the bus station in Ulsan, we were met by a Korean co-teacher, Benny.  We were not expecting Benny, nor had we ever heard of a teacher named Benny.  Needless to say, we were a little confused.  However, he seemed to be expecting us and drove us to our apartment.  The first thing that we did when we got to our apartment was turn our air-conditioner on and move our mattress onto the floor in the living room, directly under the air-conditioner!  Exploring the apartment could wait - we were exhausted!

We were to report to work the very next day!   We work about a ten minute bus ride from our apartment, which in not bad at all.  What's even better is that the bus stop is directly in front of our apartment. I was extremely nervous about my first day of work.  I always get nervous before starting a new job, not to mention a new job in another country where you don't speak the language!  However, everyone in the office made Alan and I feel very welcome.  There are seven Korean teachers that share our office and one other foreign teacher (other than Alan and I).  Each teacher has their own desk and computer in the office as well as their own classroom.  We work Monday-Friday, 2 pm - 9:40 pm.  Classes do not begin until 3:20, so we have from 2 until 3:20 to prepare for our classes.  Some of you might be wondering why we teach in the afternoon and evening...well, in Korea children go to public school during the day (as we do back home) and then private schools which they call 'academies' in the afternoon or evening.  These academies specialize in various subjects. There are English academies, math academies, science academies, etc.  (One reason why Korean students score so much higher on tests than American students - they go to school for longer!) Obviously, we work in an English academy.  Students come in shifts by age, so they are not at the academy for the whole time that the academy is open.  I'll explain more about work in the next post. 

Our apartment is FANTASTIC!  We are darn lucky to have the accommodations that we do.  We couldn't be happier with where we live.  In our complex there is a free gym to use as well as a virtual driving range (golf).  There are also doctor's offices, dentists, restaurants, hairdressers, etc. on the bottom levels of the building. 

This is our apartment 'complex', if you will:

Instead of trying to explain just how sweet our apartment is, we decided to make a geeky video instead.  See for yourself:  FOR SOME REASON THIS VIDEO IS NOT LOADING...CHECK BACK LATER!

If anyone ever wants to send us wheat thins oreos doritos love notes, our address is:

103-501 KCC Welltz Tower Mugeo Dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, South Korea 680-749

So, that's our apartment.  For the sake of avoiding boring you to death, I'll save a bunch of other stuff for next time.  I'll leave you with a glimpse of our first Saturday night in Ulsan.

Shinae (Old Downtown).  Loads and loads

of people, flashing lights, smells and sounds!

A video on Shinae for your enjoyment!

We ended up going with a safe choice - our favorite Korean meal, samgyupsal (BBQ pork belly).

YUM YUM!

We miss you all and think about you everyday! We hope that all is well with you and yours.  xoxo