Korea has two very important holidays they celebrate annually; the Lunar New Year (AKA the Chinese New Year), and Chuseok (a holiday only found in Korea). In layman's terms, it has many aspects that are similar to our Thanksgiving, with a an added emphasis on paying homage to one's ancestors. Korea basically shuts down for three days, and transportation throughout the country is difficult and time consuming (as most people around Seoul return to their home village elsewhere in the country).
The third and final person to visit me during the length of my year contract was Pat Stahl, an old schoolyard chum all the way back from kindergarten. We took full advantage of the 10 days I had off from school, and took a similar trip to the one I went on this summer with BD. However, similarity in location doesn't mean it was similar in the experiences we had.
While BD was referred to by the Koreans as Wayne Rooney (a somewhat accurate comparison), Pat was dubbed as William Dafoe and Macualay Culkin (actual spelling). So for the first few day of vacation, Patrick AKA Dafoe AKA Macualay Culkin (whichever you prefer) and I ventured into Seoul. We had a few Korean friends escorting us and acting as our tour guides, so it was nice for me to put my brain back into cruise control and just follow orders. Within moments of entering the Insa-dong area of Seoul, we were interviewed by a camera crew for the G20 Summit being held in Seoul this year. With my vast experience in the world of video production, I completed my interview seamlessly, and will keep you posted if I make it onto the G20 website. Pat, with his business background, struggled as the camera people asked him basic background questions. But who knows, we might see Pat's face on the G20 website sounding like this...
Camera Person to Pat: Say where you're from...
Pat: Say where I'm from? Why?
Camera Person to Pat: (eyes rolling) How about what is your name?
Pat: My name?...Pat!
END OF INTERVIEW
The next day we took a train down to Busan (my 3rd time in this lovely seaside metropolis). We shared a small room in a dilapidated motel, but weren't too worried about it. We spent most of our day in Busan on their most famous beach; Haeundae (where I stayed with my mom and brother before). The weather was terrific for us, but apparently too cold for the Koreans, but nonetheless we enjoyed Papa John's and beer under blue sky's all day long.
The following three nights were spent in underrated (and one of my favorite cities) Fukuoka, Japan. This time around, we stayed at a great hostel where guests sleep on tatami mats on the ground. I've gotta tell ya, one of the best sleeps I've ever had. The only downside is waking up in the morning and seeing a spider laying next to you on the ground. For any of you that know me well enough, you know I have a phobia for the arachnid. I spent two or three minutes trying to smash the spider with a kleenex while being half asleep and having several other guests trying to sleep in the same room.
Pat and I were lucky enough to reunite with some people I met the first time going to Fukuoka. BD and I ran into them at a bar, and they took us for singing at a karaoke place. They're a group of Japanese language teachers looking to take their professions abroad to the U.S. or U.K. So they are always anxious to practice their English. We went to a great restaurant the first night we met them, then one of them volunteered to drive us to Kumamoto Castle in southern Kyushu (southern island of Japan). The castle was very impressive, and the architecture is definitely unique to Japan. Overall, did a lot of exploring and hanging with locals. Another great time in Fukuoka.
We spent the better part of day traveling from Fukuoka, all the way back to Suwon. The hydrofoil was a really rough ride because of the waves, and a good amount of the passengers were throwing up the whole time due to sea sickness. Meanwhile, Pat slept the whole time and I watched the ailed people with curiosity while snacking on delicious chips and listening to my new ipod (I'd never seen sea sickness before). After a few train rides on the KTX (Korea's fast train, a lovely and smooth ride), we were back home.
The last few days were spent at a much more relaxed pace, and hung out with more locals while exploring Suwon. My oldest Korean friend, Mr. Yoon, an English teacher at a private school specializing in test taking (similar to the ACT), invited Pat and I to dinner at his house (apartment). This is very unusual for Koreans to do, especially with foreigners. Luckily, I was familiar with the drill, and brought a months supply of toilet paper as a gift (customary to bring goods of necessity). We ate a ton of food he had leftover from the Chuseok Holiday. Wonderful.
Pat AKA William Dafoe AKA Macauley Culkin made a great impression on everyone he met, especially already having experience living in Asia (HK). It was a great week, but as always, reality awaits. This month I'll have a team teaching class, where teachers from other schools will come and evaluate me (not fun). After that, the school has a three day 'festival' that showcases the students at teachers. One thing of interest is the talent show, and I was recruited by a few of the younger teachers to form a band. I'm the keyboard player for a couple of really crappy Korean Songs, but it's an interesting experience. That's all for now. Stay tuned...
