Teacher Appreciation Day

On Wednesday, May 15th, it was Teacher's Appreciation Day in Korea. I don't remember ever giving my teachers gifts as a young student.. but maybe my mother did, or maybe we were too poor to do that sort of thing, or maybe people don't really do that in America. I am not sure, but I do know that the students (more like the parents) go crazy on this day here in Korea. I was shocked by how many NICE gifts we got. Not just socks and weird vitamin C pills, but legit brand cosmetics, lotions, perfumes, food, beverages, and gift cards.

As you can see from this inconclusive picture, we were loaded with amazing gifts. 

We feel lucky to be teachers and to see all of our kids improving everyday. It is also nice to feel appreciated sometimes, especially since it is not Korean culture to tell people they are doing a good job.

Volleyball Tournament

A few weekends ago, we (mostly Bobby because I had to work) partook in a volleyball competition on Haeundae beach. We decided to uniform our team in ajumma pants. Sadly, I didn't get any photos from the competition, but we did fairly well (we lost to the eventual champions) and had a great time! 

There is a new food truck in Haeundae that I was eager to try. So after playing volleyball all day we decided to get some food. I ordered a kimchi quesadilla, one of my favorite ways to eat kimchi.

While we were waiting for our food this women came up to us and started to talk to us in Korean. We could only make out a few words she was saying, but she was very sweet. I think she was shocked by the ajumma pants (she would be considered an ajumma here)

After about five minutes, our kimchi quesadilla were ready and boy were they tasty!

 I will definitely be back for another one!

Outdoor Markets

Bobby and I work in Gaegeum, which is a ten minute subway ride away from our apartment. In Gaegeum, there is an outdoor market where a lot of locals buy produce, meat, fish, clothes, etc. 

Here are a few pictures from the market:

Korean's hate the sun. Here is an example of what we see everywhere in Korea when the sun comes out. They must think the foreigners at the beach are pretty crazy for wearing a tank top in 80 degree weather!

Here you can buy fish and shells that have been sitting in the hot sun all day. This man will even cut them for you on that wood block that has also been sitting out day. Watch out for the flies!

YUCK!

This street is so very familiar to us. We often walk to the market or to Homeplus (a huge store that is 6 stories and sells everything) during our breaks at work. If we walk straight long enough we end up at our apartment.

Spring Hiking

A few weeks back, Bobby and I decided it was a perfect day for a hike. 

Here are a few pictures from that day:

Leading Bobby to the mountain.

It was a beautiful day to take some photos of the sky line.

At the top of almost every mountain in Korea there are outdoor gyms. There will always be mid-aged people busily working out. Props to them. The mountain was hard enough for me to climb up and they are working out?! Here a picture of a couple massaging their feet on a stone path.

Here is a women doing a workout machine.

Here is a view of another gym we saw on our hike.

The view from the top of the mountain. All we can see is concrete and mountains. This is something we won't see back home, so we are treasuring every moment of this. 

Before we know it we will be back home.

A Photo Blog of My Current Home

I always have wished I was that girl who brought her camera everywhere she went and took amazing photos, but lets be honest, I'm not. Not only am I am STILL trying learn how to use my Cannon Rebel that I bought a year ago, but I also find it too big (and expensive) to lug around everywhere I go. Excuses excuses right?

But hopefully things will change soon because I just bought a Cannon Powershot (a smaller camera) and it should be coming very soon.  Hopefully this will be more convenient to bring everywhere I go so I can finally be THAT GIRL, but we'll see.

For now, just bare with me and enjoy this photo blog I found to help you guys get a better idea of what it is like here in the land of the morning calm. These photos can show you a glimpse of what we see everyday. Things that might seem strange to you, are now routine to us. We often remind each other that we are in Korea and need to take a step back from our every day life and appreciate where we are.

So, without further adieu, Here is the website!!

Opening Game of Lotte Giants

At the end of March, we got together with a group of over 50 other expats and went to the season opener of Busan's Lotte Giants baseball. The weather was just starting to warm up from a grueling winter, so we were excited to be spending some time outdoors. Since it was the opening game, there was a great deal of promotions and performances outside the stadium. I got to sit in the Giant's Mini Cooper. They use this car to drive relief pitchers to the mound during the game (it's pretty ridiculous).

I had to show some love for the home team.......

Since it was the opening game, it was very crowded (although behind home base looks a little empty because that is where the media and "special" people sit).

When going to a baseball game in Korea, it is important to stock up on food and beverages before going into the game. Not because the prices are high in the stadium (actually they are the same prices as any other Korean restaurant or convenience store), but because you are allowed to bring ANYTHING in besides glass bottles. You will see Korean's bring in whole pizzas or even a whole chicken and all put on plastic gloves before eating the greasy food.

The best part of the baseball games here are the crowds. At either end of the field are cheerleader looking girls on a stage with a hype man. They have choreographed dances and loud cheers and music. 

My favorite part is the 7th inning stretch. Since you are aloud to bring anything in, they hand out orange plastic bags to try to encourage people to pick up their trash. Somehow, it has turned into a tradition to put the orange bag on your head. Here are a few pictures of the us during the 7th inning stretch.

All of the expects that went to this game

And to top off an incredibly fun day, we won with a walk-off pop fly in the 9th inning.......

(Bobby is quick to point out that 4 of our team's 6 runs were from walks, but I don't think anyone else was paying attention!)

Go Giants!

Funked Up and Souled Out

Last Saturday, we decided to go to a funk and soul dance party where Busan hosted a few great DJ's. One of them was from Texas and goes by the name Hobo D (click on the hyperlink to hear one of his mixes). Everyone was encouraged to dress up and we got pretty excited for the event.

We wandered around Seomyeon for a while until we found a small costume shop. I found a black afro and then we were in search for a wig that was blond or a lighter colored for Bobby. When we found a Jesus wig, we thought it would suit Bobby really well.  We were a bit concerned of the quality they might be, but once we tried them on, and stopped crying from laughing so hard, we knew they were going to be a hit! 

I wasn't sure if Bobby looked more like Zach Galifianakis (the guy from The Hangover) or Blake Anderson (from Workaholics), but either way it was hilarious. You wouldn't believe how many STARES, not just looks but people straight staring, the whole time we were on the subway. I don't think my fro fazed them, they were mostly in aw with the amount of facial hair Bobby had. Even at the bar, which was filled with foreigners, people kept asking if his hair was real and how long it took him to grow it out. It was very funny and completely worth the small amount of money! To top it all off, I was a very happy girl because I got to dance for hours and hours with Bobby and a smile didn't leave our faces until the wee hours of the morning once we were finally asleep. 

The following photos are taken with my ipad, sorry for the bad quality.