Busan, Round Dos

This past week has been my "Summer Vacation." I utilize the quotation marks because this is the first summer vacation in my life that has been ONE week long (or short, depending on your personal views). The sweet and glorious days of summer which entailed rushing to tidy the house for my mother and immediately followed by watching Bob Barker's The Price is Right and giving Papa John's a holler with our pizza order, with my sister, Rachel and brother, Chris, are far gone. This summer, two of the three Denbow children are employed full-time and the third just got his driver's license so he can bop around the corn fields in the Denbow children's '99 Black Honda Accord. I will give Chris credit, for he mows a lawn or two and accrues significant funding. That being said, he is so successful that he may have to look at hiring me too when I get home!

On Monday, I left for Busan, Korea with my friend Anna. Prior to our departure and with the wonderful help of Korean friends, our KTX fast train tickets and accomodations were booked. On the train ride to Busan, and just as my last trip to Busan, other passengers complained that Anna and I liked to chat. I could have a) apologized to the mute Koreans surrounding us or b) not have cared and continued to rattle my gums at a steady pace where non-native speakers would have no idea as to what I was saying. I opted for the latter. When I am on vacation, I am going to carry on an adult conversation at an appropriate decibel level with my travel buddy without notions of guilt. Just because I was surround by meek little beach-seekers did not require me to wear a muzzle for a 2.5 hour train ride.
By the time we arrived to Busan, it was about 5 p.m. and Anna and I hailed a taxi to find our accomodations. I was responsible for where we stayed and amongst all of the hotels in Busan, not many of them have English websites. I found an establishment with great reviews and it was entitled "Busan Beach Tourist Hotel (BB)." Now, from the name, one may assume that this hotel is directely in Busan, on the beach and hosts tourists potentially of various nationalities. Now if you were a character who also hypothesized such, you, as I, were incredibly wrong. First signal that something was not right: the taxi driver had no idea as to where we were headed. Second signal: the area hosted an extensive stench of unappealing fish. Third: In order for us to go to the beach, it was a $20 and almost 30 minute cab ride...

The accomodations were very nice with splendid linens and a great bathtub, however being 30 minutes away from any hint of Western cuisine and so close to 60 year old men who did nothing but fish all day caused us to reconsider our location. After we dropped our belongings off at BB, we ventured 30 minutes in a taxi to Benigan's for dinner (which is still so delicious although it no longer exists in America...) and then to the beach! Further contemplation caused me to give a ring to the very kind gentleman I am seeing by the name of Kang Sang Ho, for he speaks Korean. I briefed Sang Ho on the situation Anna and I faced. As I pouted and emphasized my inability to have access to Western food while on vacation, dear Sang Ho called to make reservations at a different hotel for the next two nights so we would be closer to the beach and non-octopus dishes :) After all of that was settled, Anna and I went to BB for the night to prance in our robes, drink wine and watch the Top 10 Celebrity Breakups. Korea only has the finest television shows in English.

The next day, we got an early move on and spent the next two full days, Tuesday and Wednesday, on the beach. We each rented a chair under an umbrella all day for about $3.50. Tuesday was extremely overcast and although I knew we would get sun, I had no idea that having gone an hour without an umbrella would leave me completely charred. Anna and I did make friends with Jin, a university student who was selling chicken on the beach. He gave us his card and told us that when we wanted lunch, that he would deliver to our spot. Jin is awesome. The chicken was scrumptous and Jin also made sure that we became friends on facebook. After beach side beverages and lunch, Anna and I packed up for the day and headed to get massages for only 15,000 won (less than $15)! I had been there before and they leave me with bruises... but in a good way.


Wednesday consisted of more beach time, as well as a boat ride on the ocean! It was a beautiful day for such an excursion being that it was a bit overcast and not too hot. After that, we had lunch at TGIFriday's (and a colada!) and then hauled it to the beach for the rest of the day!

The final day of our beach adventure arrived much too quickly! We were able to enjoy the last bit of the ocean, eat lunch at McDonald's and then board the train again. It will soon be back to the normal routine of work, but I have only four weeks left of work! I am very anxious to wrap it up and return to my friends and family in the states!

A Trip to the "Blue House"

First I'd like to congratulate one of my closest friends from Wooster, Ohio, Molly, on now becoming Mrs. Corey Sipos! Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the glorious festivities last evening, however due to mobile text updates from my siblings Rachel and Chris, it almost felt as if I were there. Best of luck to them both as they head to San Juan, Puerto Rico for their honeymoon this week!

Secondly, my flight has been booked and I will return to the rural Ohio parts on September 4th! I couldn't be more excited to see my friends and family! This next week will be very busy, but then I will have a week vacation and will return to Busan with my friend Anna. There are many places in Korea that I'm sure are fabulous to visit, but Anna really wants to see Busan and I am not picky, other than my need for sun rays and a piña colada.

Due to the fact that my previous entry significantly lacked photos, I will attempt to compensate and show you what on earth I've been up to the past month...

Armadillo class took a field trip to the "Dibo" Museum. Dibo is a Korean cartoon dinosaur and I cannot pronounce his name correctly. When we first arrived, my students made crafts at the table as they are nicely seated. After crafts, Dibo has a special dance that he taught the children and they were precious as they shimmied in movements similar to Dibo and Friends.

Armadillo class is precious, yet I welcome the upcoming vacation with open arms. And with even wider arms, I welcome the end of my contract. I have one student in particular who loves to scream at the top of his lungs, punch other students, speak Korean while at English school and ignore my directions. This sweet boy's mother told my Korean co-teacher that her son needs love from the teacher in order for him to behave properly. My health is now declining, I get daily migraines and I am ready to never teach another day of my life :)

While in Seoul, I have made some really great friends! In this photo, I am pictured with my friends Jayoung, Leo and Anna.

I met Jayoung at a yoga class close to when I arrived to Korea. She teaches piano and yoga. Leo is a ship engineer and has been friends with Jayoung for many years. I met him at the same yoga class, as he attended not only for means of physical fitness, but to meet women. Unfortunately, I think Leo's membership expired before he was able to meet his future wife. Anna is a friend that I met while at our mutual friend, Erwin's, birthday party in April. Anna is from Illinois and attended university with several friends of mine. She and I will take a short trip together over break and will do our best to steer clear of kindergarten-aged children while in Busan.

While Seoul is a city located in the extreme eastern parts of the world, Mexico is represented of course! A few weekends ago, Anna and I went to see a mariachi band that plays at events in Seoul. The men immediately became my amigos and so we took a photo together. All of the musicians are from Mexico City and they dedicated a song or two to me. I'm certain that my allegiance to Mexico and working knowledge of Spanish were primary factors.

This weekend, I visited "Cheong Wa Dae," with two American teachers and two Korean teachers. It is the home and office compound of President Lee Myung-bak. As we have the White House, it is also referred to as the "Blue House." Documentation of this adventure is as follows:

This is the main office at Cheong Wa Dae. This building essentially houses the office of the president and an array of function rooms. It was finished in 1991 and due to the blue tiles on the roof, this is the "Blue House" of the presidential compound.
This large gray building is Yeongbingwan. This building holds presidential guest gatherings. Inside, it looks like a large ballroom on the first floor. Prior to this building's existance, the events were held in hotels in Seoul, but there was much "discomfort to the citizens and security hazards," so, this was built.
The building that seems to be covered by trees is the Sang Chun Jae ("Ever Spring") House. In this house, the president hosts unofficial meetings and dinners for small groups and foreign dignitaries.

Next to the Blue House, are shrines to the tablets of concubines for previous rulers. The architecture and details of the buildings are spectacular! Enjoy the photos and have a great week!