On the Search for Food and Fun in Busan

Jamie EPIK 2015 Teacher in Busan Busan and Orlando, FL I'm a new EPIK English Teacher in Busan for 2015. This is my place for my daily musings and food photos.

[adashofasian]

Today Is My Last Day With Glasses

I know I haven’t been posting much or sharing many photos lately. Forgive me, I’ve been pretty busy with work and adapting to life in Busan. I’ve also been a little lazy and have been uploading everything onto Facebook instead. 

But, I thought tonight would be a good night for a blog post, since my life is completely changing tomorrow. Because tomorrow, I’m getting LASIK surgery. While many people have been very excited and happy with the news (thank you), I feel like I should explain why this is such a HUGE deal for me. See (ha, pun), I’ve been wearing glasses or contacts for as long as I can remember. As in, since the 1st grade (at least, I honestly don’t remember when exactly I got them). Since then, my eyes got -1.00 or more worse every year until around high school, when they finally balanced out. By that time, I was at around -8.00 in each eye. I started wearing contacts in the 4th grade (very young, I know), but during my senior year of high school, I got a bad eye inflammation in my right eye, and had to wear glasses for a month or so. After that, I realized that contacts dried out my eyes a lot, and I could see a lot better out of glasses. By this point, you might be like, “What? Why would you stop wearing contacts? How could glasses be better?” In high school, once my eyes had moved past around -6.50, my eye doctor informed me that from that point on, contacts only go up in half measurements, not quarter measurements. So let’s say my actual prescription at the time was around -7.25 in one eye and -7.75 in another. Instead of getting those quarter measurements, I would have to wear a -7.00 in one eye and -7.50 in the other. So even with contacts in, my eyesight would still be a little blurry. After wearing glasses for a while and getting used to my actual prescription, they would be even more noticeably blurry, and probably give me a headache after a while. See why I stayed with the glasses?

But tomorrow, this all ends. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new era, one where I can see what I’m doing when I’m in the shower, or opening an oven, or standing in horrible humidity. I’m looking forward to it, a lot, but I have to admit that there are some aspects of glasses that I’m going to miss, mainly pushing my glasses back up to the bridge in my nose. I’m going to be doing that for a couple of weeks afterwards, for sure.

So, tonight is the last night that I go to sleep with blurry vision. Tomorrow is the last morning that I wake up, and put on my glasses to see. I’m nervous. Excited, but nervous. Oh, the butterflies.

(If you want to see close to how bad my eyes are for yourself, go to http://www.eye-sim.com/ and enter -8.25 for the right eye, and -8.15 for the left. I don’t know what the other numbers are for the other boxes, but the vision is close enough to how I see without glasses.)

[papertownsmovie]

Ok, Paper Towners, let’s get a Florida stop on the ‘Get Lost Get Found’ tour. It’s what the Jefferson Park squad would want. Favorite and reblog to vote for your state now! One note = one vote!

[adashofasian]

Why, Korea? WHY?

Today, I saw something truly disturbing. Something that rocked me to my very core. Something so terrible, I will never be able to un-see it.

Let me start from the beginning. 

Today, I decided to go to Costco. I don’t know why I went on Saturday, but now I know better than to go on the day when EVERYONE goes to Costco. My god, the people. Anyways, I bought some pizza to eat before shopping, because Costco pizza is the best and cheapest pizza in Korea. While eating, I noticed something...odd.

The family across from me was eating normal Costco food. Pizza, chicken bake, salad, etc. But they also had a plate of onions (you know, for hot dogs), with two large sides of mustard and ketchup. I didn't really think much of it, until I realized that THEY DIDN’T HAVE ANY HOT DOGS. They then proceeded to mix the whole plate of condiments together and eat it by the spoonful.

I had to avoid looking at the plate while eating my pizza, it made me so queasy. It wasn’t until I was throwing out my trash that I noticed EVERY SINGLE DAMN TABLE HAD IT. Just a giant plate of shredded onions, mixed with mustard or ketchup, or both. 

While part of me wants to commend them for being so resourceful and eating what is basically a plate of free food, the rest of me is just so grossed out by it. HOW CAN YOU EAT JUST THE CONDIMENTS?! AHHHHHHHH.

[adashofasian]

I know I haven’t updated this in a while, sorry. These photos were from a little over a week ago when I went with my other teachers on a hike around Busan Citizen Park. 

I absolutely loved the scenery. Those shots of the reservoir and the mountains were breathtaking while walking across this bridge over the water. The best part about the trip was hanging out with my fellow 6th grade teachers. Even though I teach 4th, 5th, and 6th grade, I’m considered a 6th grade teacher because my main co-teacher teaches 6th grade.

So, while all the other teachers set off on a steep mountain trek, we hung back and waited for them to leave, so we could take a less-strenuous walk and maybe find somewhere to grab some food and chat. I, being a food-minded person, heartily accepted this idea. We hiked until we found a nice food shop overlooking the water, ordered some snacks, including a giant green onion pancake, and just relaxed. It was around this time that I thought to myself, “Yeah, I can do this. I can live here for a year.”

After the hike, all of the teachers had dinner at this delicious pork restaurant. Have I mentioned that I love Korean pork? As usual, by the time I was too stuffed to move, the other teachers were ordering cold noodle and soup dishes to balance out the grease. I still don’t know how they do it.

[adashofasian]

On the Importance of a Ham and Cheese Sandwich

So I went to Costco today. Yes, Costco exists in South Korea.

I was able to buy all of my favorite foods that I missed from home, like, ham, cheese, bagels, cookies, strawberry preserves (Smuckers!), and peanut butter. I also got a slice of real, delicious pizza and a real hot dog. For under $5! I was in heaven.

When I got back to my apartment, I made myself a ham and cheese sandwich on a bagel for dinner. Now, this might not sound that amazing to you. It’s pretty easy to get regular cured ham, real sliced cheese, and good bagels in the states. But for me, it was the closest thing I’ve had to normal comfort food in a long time. 

 Anyone who knows me well knows that I can eat a ham and cheese sandwich any day of the week. It’s one of my go-to foods when I don’t feel like cooking. I had forgotten how something so simple can be so wonderful. When I bit into that bagel sandwich, I had to hold back tears because it was so good.

Never underestimate the importance that is a good ham and cheese sandwich.

[adashofasian]

Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival 2015 Photos, Part 2

These photos are from Jinhae Tower, and the stream at night, when they had all of the figures in the water and the hearts on the side of the stream lit up. It had started raining around 4 pm, but I thought the low clouds added a nice touch to the view of the city and the cherry blossoms.

[adashofasian]

Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival Photos, Part 1.

Yesterday, I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Jinhae, about a two hour drive from Busan. It was incredible. I’ve never seen so many cherry blossom trees in my life. These photos were from the train tracks and the famous Yeojwacheon Stream. Yes, it was ridiculously packed. That’s Korea for you.

[adashofasian]

So it’s been a while since I've posted. Last weekend I caught a cold, that cold turned into a weird sinus/throat infection thing, and I’m taking some meds to help get rid of the last of the congestion. Anyways.

This past week, the other 6th grade teachers were nice enough to invite me to their staff dinner. This crazy 10+ course dinner was amazing! So much Korean food! My favorites were the pork, the mini pancakes, and the japchae. I was just so happy to be welcomed into this group of teachers.

[adashofasian]

(Please ignore my finger in most of these photos. I am not a photographer. These are from an iPhone 4.)

I explored Gwangali Beach today! There was a small foreigner flea market at some Western bars in the area, and the weather was perfect, so I decided to take a look around and finally see the beach. I had no idea, but it turns out that I’m only 15 minutes away from here on the subway. I will definitely be coming more often, because the beach is just gorgeous. This is also the best place to view Gwangali Bridge, and it actually lights up at night, which I’m going to have to see the next time I’m there. What surprised me the most was how clean the beach was. There was barely any trash, and the water was crystal clear. You can even see some older ladies harvesting seaweed and shellfish in the water in some of the photos. Pretty cool stuff. 

[adashofasian]

So this week was the best week of teaching so far! It also was the first full month I had been here since orientation started. I can’t believe it’s already been that long. So weird. 

Anyways, other than my amazing classes (and Waffle Chicken, long story), this week featured my first staff dinner. As you can see, the food was delicious. And there was a ridiculous amount of it. But SO GOOD. The best part about the dinner was being re-introduced to everyone. See, they had already introduced the new teachers twice in the past two weeks during morning announcements and at the opening ceremony for the parents, so when people started standing up to bow before dinner, I realized it was happening again, in the same order. So I prepped myself to stand and bow after one of my co-teachers, because I was the last name on the list. When I stood up and bowed, everyone was so impressed that I knew what was going on! I heard my vice-principal gasp and say what I hope was something like, “Wow, she knows what she’s doing! She has such good manners!” I even got louder claps and cheers than the new principal. I was so proud of myself, haha.

[adashofasian]

Gelato in Korea! It was so thick and rich and delicious. Mmmmm...

[adashofasian]

Second Week in Busan

Weekly update time! 

I wanted to write a new post so many times this week, but every time I said to myself, “Time to update that blog,” it turned into, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt time!” God, that show is so good. Even the transition music reminds me of 30 Rock.

Anyways, let me break down this week by day:

Monday: No classes again, just desk warming. I finally get to meet most of my 4th graders this upcoming Monday. It’s going to be weird, since I’m already getting used to my 5th and 6th graders.

Tuesday: More random desk warming. 

Wednesday: First staff sports day, which turned out to be 15 minutes of being in a massage line, 5 minutes of stretching, then watching people play volleyball and eating pizza. This was my first pizza experience in Korea, and it wasn't half bad. The toppings tasted fine, but the dough was almost purple and a little chewy from the flour they used. My main co-teacher told me that this was a more Westernized pizza.

Thursday: Exciting things happened! It turns out that my ARC card had been delivered to my apartment, but I needed to sign for it, so I had to pick it up at the post office. My main co-teacher told me about this coffee and dessert show they were having near Centum City, so we decided to have some fun and go there first. It was a little small, but we had some amazing gelato and chocolate. By the end of the day, I had my alien card! I might have also bought some more takoyaki from Takobi for dinner. That place is addicting.

Friday: I opened my bank account! Yay for being able to get paid soon! I also was invited to eat some pizza with my other teachers! Don’t ever order from Domino’s in Korea, their pizza has corn and sweet potatoes and tastes...interesting. 

Friday night I decided to go to a jimjilbang (Korean bathhouse) that my co-teacher had said was near my apartment. The pictures on the website looked great, but in reality it wasn't anything special, especially for the price. I won’t be going there again. The best part of last night was finding a weekend hotteok (Korean sweet pancake) vendor next to the jimjilbang who spoke perfect English! She had to have been a exchange student from the States attending one of the universities in the area. I was so happy when she started talking. Oh, and the pancakes were sooo delicious. A little greasy, but the dough was fluffy and the cinnamon-y syrup was to die for. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for her on the weekends. 

[adashofasian]

Today, I finally went to a cat cafe! It turns out that there's one right down the street from me, called Pocat (cutest pun name ever). For $7.20 you get to play with the cats, and you get the coffee drink of your choice.

Of course, I loved it. I missed being surrounded by cats so much. I even found a dedicated cat to pet and cuddle. I have no idea what its name was, but I think it was a girl, so I named her Lettie because her loud meowing and chirping was almost identical to Sophie's. She loved my pets so much, she fell asleep on the table in front of me! I'm determined to make her my lap cat for all future visits. I see this being a weekly place for me to visit and unwind, especially if I'm feeling a little homesick.

On the way home, I stopped by a waffle stand that had been recommended to me many times. That crazy-delicious looking monstrosity was only around $1.99. I'm going to explode from all of the cheap junk food. Thank god for walking everywhere. 

[adashofasian]

Yesterday, I went to the Seomeyon area with some friends to eat lunch and explore. We found the pork rice soup street, full of restaurants that specialized in the dish, and had some delicious soup, pork, and sundae (Korean blood sausage). After walking around a bit, we found a cute import store called Yellow, and they sold those adorable tiny food kits I love so much. I will definitely be buying some for a friend or two (you know who your are). :) We then found a great Korean dessert cafe that made sulbing, a kind of shaved ice, almost like snow, with condensed milk, and toppings, in this case strawberries. Very yummy.

On the way home, I decided to treat myself and finally try the famous takoyaki stand near my place (Taboki, I think). Oh my god. The BEST takoyaki I have ever had, and it was 10 for only around $3. That's going to become a regular snack spot for me, I can feel it.

[adashofasian]

A bunch of us EPIK teachers went out for dinner last night in the KSU/PKNU area. It was this crazy stir fry of spicy chicken, veggies, tteokbokki (rice cakes), cheese-stuffed tteokbokki (SO GOOD), rice, and two different kinds of noodles. Basically, the spicy stir fry of my dreams. They also gave my table bibs, which we think was because we ordered the noodles, but also maybe because we were some weird white people. 

[adashofasian]

So One Direction is loved here, too... You should have seen their faces when I tried to explain St. Vincent to them. 

[adashofasian]

Korean Co-Teachers

So I didn't want to talk a lot about the teaching experience and whatnot on this blog, but I haven't really left the house this week to explore and eat delicious food yet, so teaching experience it is.

(Btw, you'll notice I'm using the non-gender specific they when talking about a person or people. I don't like getting personal with these kinds of things, especially when someone might read it and figure out who I'm talking about.)

You know how, when you're put in a group of three or four for a project or an assignment, there's always that one odd person who doesn't fit into the mix? They're awkward when talking, or don't contribute much. That's how I feel with my co-teachers. Two of them are wonderful. While they might not be the best teachers, or great when speaking English, but they're nice, fun to be around, and super helpful. (Though one is actually an amazing teacher and barely has an accent when speaking. But you get the point.)

The other one...

Ehhh..............

It's not that this co-teacher is a horrible person. From what I've seen, they interact well with the students. But they are just an all around awkward person, and so far I have not been getting good vibes from them. I was hoping it would get better once we started teaching together, but after we met to plan the next week's lesson, I starting having more doubts. 

Okay, so as EPIK teachers, we're told NOT to let the co-teacher be the translator the entire time. We're also told to try and balance out the lessons, so each teacher does 50%, or one does 100% one week, and the other the next week. Unfortunately, this co-teacher didn't really get the memo. I'll be introducing the key words and phrases, practicing, going over pictures and asking questions, and supervising the lesson's game, while they translate. I'm not sure if it's going to be like this every week, but if it is, I'm going to have to have a serious conversation with them.

The biggest problem, though, is that this co-teacher's English is TERRIBLE. They can barely form sentences or say words correctly. And they're supposed to be the head English teacher! (I'm assuming because of what I've noticed, and their age.) If they want to improve their English and be a better English teacher, they should be trying to teach more, not standing in the background translating! 

But like I said, my other co-teachers are amazing. Also my school is crazy nice, and I'm only sharing an office with my main co-teacher, who is awesome. So I guess I really shouldn't be complaining. I just wanted to get this off of my chest. Okay. End rant.