Korean Folk Village... I didn't hate it this time.

If you recall my last Korean Folk Village experience, you will remember that I wasn't too fond of it. It just didn't seem authentic enough. It was Chusok; people were everywhere. Cows were being tortured. I cried when I saw the dogs in the cages. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Patrick has been in Korea for almost a year now, and he had been planning on visiting the Folk Village (or "Fork" Village if you read the Konglish signs) for quite some time. We decided that we would go a few weekends ago since we didn't really have anything else planned and it was a beautiful October Saturday.

This time around, the Village was completely different. It wasn't crowded with Koreans; there were no sad looking animals tied up or in cages, and we were able to walk around in relative peace and quiet. It was beautiful and it made me wish Koreans didn't live in high rises these days. Here are just a few of the many pictures we took that day:



Same as last year, these dancers put on a good performance. I still marvel at their twirling abilities.

This guy has a pretty sweet job. He doesn't have to talk to you if he doesn't want to. He just takes his sweet time weaving baskets. I wish I could weave baskets all day long. That wouldn't get boring at all.

The houses were really cool. I really wish I lived in one. It sounds cheesy, but the whole time I was thinking about how different my experience in Korea would have been if I had come 50 years ago.

This woman was using a Korean style spinning wheel. It took me a minute to figure out what she was doing- it looks nothing like the spinning wheels used in the west!

Of course, I had to show of my mad swinging skills. Just look at me go. Pat wasn't as successful.

There were veggies out drying in the sun all over the place. They weren't all your typical drying veggies, either, they were like... pumpkins and stuff. Yeah.

Koreans used these totem-esque poles to drive away evil spirits from their villages.

And here I am, totally in my element. I want to make kimchi and dry chilies. Why must I teach?

Oh... hello, kitteh. How did you get in here? You have to admit, Ha Jin is pretty photogenic.

BBQ at Kyung Hee University

Kyung Hee University is well known in Korea and is located in Yeongtong- just walking distance from Now Bar, my school and most of my friend's apartments (but not mine- boourns). The majority of universities in and around Suwon are nice and are located in hip neighbourhoods, but by far, Kyung Hee has the most beautiful campus and the overall coolest "scene".

Our friend Mike is off to Japan with his girlfriend and then back to Korea for a weekend and THEN back to America, so we thought we would have a little BBQ to celebrate his time spent in Korea. I made some yummy banana bread, Grace made some yummy burgers, Lindsay made a yummy salad and Ciara made some awesome fajitas. Along with a lot of other stuff, they made for a pretty good meal. The company wasn't bad, either.


They have an ampitheatre towards the back of the campus- just kind of tucked into the mountain- with a beautiful pond and fountain in front. I admit, we are, at times, spoiled. I mean, really. Our rent is paid, we make over 2 grand a month with minimal expenses, our weekends are free, we get paid vacations and sick days... and we get to hang out in places like this in our free time. Yes, we are spoiled.

We thought the ampitheatre was the perfect spot for some cheesey photos. Here is our happy gang, minus a few who have gone back to their homelands... plus one new addition...

We tried getting a shot of us jumping off the steps, but we got ahead of ourselves... one more time?

That's better.

This is our medieval fighting scene. I got iced early on.

Jesse is victorious. That jerk.

I love this photo, even though I look stupid. Just focus on Paul in the background- as Grace put it, "it looks just like he's coming in for a landing after a nice flight around the ampitheatre"... I am totes in agreement.

As it grew dark we put the ampitheatre to good use and practised our improv skills. It was maybe the dorkiest and most fun idea we've ever had.

Three quarters of my improv team. We rocked the ampitheatre.

Afternoon Stroll in Paldalmun

This big, gothic church really sticks out in the middle of Suwon, huh? It's actually a good reference point to use because it's so massive. "Meet you two streets over from the massive, gothic church", and so on. Actually, I never go to that part of town so I've never used it as a reference point, but don't you think it would make a good one anyway?

We got off the fortress trail and walked along the food market street. It smelled so delicious, like ginseng and garlic and sandalwood...

Back home people are used to sanitized, grocery store produce that generally tastes bland and looks dull. I have never enjoyed grapes, oranges, persimmons or tomatoes as much as I have enjoyed them in Korea. They're so sweet and just ripe enough and so, so fresh. Just pick 'em right from the ground!

The zucchinis here look different from the ones at home, but they actually taste the same. They're just a little brighter in hue.

Mom is afraid to go across the stepping stones, but now she has to in order to save face. Come on, if your kids can do it, you can do it.

Typical, run down but extremely interesting street in Paldalmun. This is the old part of Suwon, surrounded by the fortress walls. I have heard a rumour that the government is going to eventually make all of the buildings exact replicas of how they were in the 1700's when the fortress was built. That would be difficult, I think, since Koreans generally build up these days (ie: high rise housing, businesses not always on ground level, etc.). How would they accomodate everyone?

I like to think that the owner is a fan... but what kind of fan mispells the name of the band. Really.

Welcome to Eggchop

My lack of posting has been leaving me disgusted lately, but really, there's not a lot I can do about it these days. Although I'm not extending my contract at Maple Bear (not because it's a bad school, I just want a nice summer vacation at home and Maple Bear became a non-option for extending because of that), I am looking to return to Suwon in early September, so all of my efforts these days have been put into finding an adequate job in an adequate area of the city. That being said, it's not that hard to find a job in Suwon, ever.

A few weeks ago, Patrick and I were lounging around the huge park in Ingyedong (downtown Suwon) and catching some rays when we decided to walk down the main street and find a decent place for dinner. Lately, Ingyedong has proven itself an excellent place to go for some eats (although you could say the same about Yeongtong, Suwon Station...Korea in general...) and recently some new, hip looking restaurants have sprung up on the main drag. We finally decided on Eggchop, although neither of us really knew what kind of restaurant it was.

Turns out they specialize in omelette rice! I'm not much of a fan myself, but since it was not just any old omelette rice, but fusion omelette rice I decided to go for it.

This was my choice for the evening: omelette rice with a side of rolled pork cutlet. the green sauce is sweet basil. It actually wasn't so bad, the fried rice inside the egg had kimchi in it and it tasted really nice. But I probably won't go back to this restaurant- I just don't like omelette rice.

Patrick got sweet and sour pork omelette rice. I thought it was more sour than sweet, and he thought it was more sweet than sour, so... really, not a great meal on the whole. A little disappointing, Eggchop! Although the presentation was nice. I find Koreans always go a little overboard with the sauces, though, and this meal was no exception.

If you are a fan of omelette rice, or believe you could be, than Eggcop is probably the place for you! Just not for me.

Genevieve and Scott Hit Up Suwon!

A few weeks ago my friend Genevieve (from university) came with her boyfriend, Scott to visit me and see the sights in Suwon. It was heaps of fun, let me tell you. We met up at Suwon Station and went out for some jjimdak (a delicious chicken stew with lots of potatoes, carrots, leek, and dok with rice noodles on the bottom) and afterwards went to check out our only real tourist attraction- that's right, we went to the fortress. Yawn. It was cool, though, because Patrick, Gen and Scott all had never been there before. And I like playing tour guide.

So we walked most of the five mile fortress wall, and then bussed home and went out for some delicious Indian buffet (there's an excellent place by the Samsung headquarters- I believe it is called "Mayura"). At the buffet we lucked out because it was special vegetarian night and the owners were making piles and piles of Mysore Masala Dosai- my new favourite dish. It's a crepe made from pureed rice and lentils that is brought fresh to your table. Then you fill the crepe with this amazing curried potato filling and top that with chutney and then fold the whole thing up and eat it like a sandwich. Heavenly! After eating we went out to Now Bar, naturally, and partook in quiz night (we lost; the questions were biased!) and then had a sweet time drinking cass-ah and having super-nerdy picture drawing competitions. Yeah.


Here's Gen after making it to the top of the fortress!

Scott, tolling the bell of Filial Piety.

Genevieve; contemplating.

Nice scenery, nice Patrick.

More nice scenery.

Our impression of Hilary Clinton. If you can guess our two interpretations you get a prize! Well...no prize... but try to guess anyway.

Patrick's interpretation of a Liger.

Kim and Aidan joined in the competition. Check out that concentration.

Lisa admires my work of art.

A solid night of drinking and this is what we have to show for it.

Let's Learn About Traffic Safety!

It was decided at the beginning of our new school year that we would be taking our kids on monthly field trips rather than bimonthly. It's fun, for sure, but I'm wondering if my bosses are running out of ideas for good field trips. We went on one last week, although one could hardly call it a field trip as we piled the children onto their buses and got them buckled up only to drive for two minutes down the road and unpile them once again.

We went to a traffic safety school for kids, which would have been a lot of fun had it not been cut short due to the weather. The kids went inside and were forced to stay quiet and listen by several uniformed adjimas while one adjima lectured them on the dangers of the everyday pedestrian. Then they were forced to stay silent while they made us watch a hilarious (and informative) anime cartoon about a little boy from a faraway world who was too careless on his personal hovercraft and was therefore sent down to earth to learn about traffic safety with a mystical (and knowlegable) bird to guide him. Let's just say the informative and mystical bird ends up being hit by a bus. I mean, I couldn't hold in the giggles let alone 60 small children.

We then went outside where they had set up a child-sized traffic simulation where they had mini cars, mini traffic lights, mini cross walks, even mini walking bridges.

The kids said "Teacher, this is not fun."

I said "Just wait, maybe the ladies will let you play in the street after we learn about safety."

But the traffic area was purely for educational purposes, and no, the children could not have fun. Safety is not supposed to be fun! But afterwards I let my kids run around the lawn for awhile and they loved that part.


I said, "Now Thomas J., this little girl is scared to sit by herself. Will you look after her?" And boy did he ever! Look how proud he is of himself. What a cool guy.

Bright Kim is too cute and photogenic for words. Someday soon I am going to get a video of him so can all hear his lovely vocal chords.

Alex and Sally, being instructed (and jerked around a bit) by their "Safety Adjima".

Alvin was only allowed to sit in the car while the children practised crossing the road. I think it would have better prepared the children if he had been allowed to drive through a red light at random, don't you think?

Afterwards we were hanging around waiting for the buses and the kids had a blast. Here's me and my boys!
Miss Jessica and all the kids.

Alex is such a good kid. He knows so much English and he has never once misbehaved! Plus the perm is adorable.

Tag!

Su-chang remains my favourite kid by far. He pronounces his F's like P's- "Miss Janine, I'm PINISHED!" and "One! Two! Three! Pour! Pive!" He slays me. And now he has new dorky glasses that I absolutely love. Oh Su-chang.

BBQ and Softball in Yeongtong

So I've already talked about how great my Saturday in Everland was spent, but in all actuality, my Sunday was also pretty epic. A bunch of Now Bar people got together at a school in the area to make use of their sporting facilities. The plan was to celebrate our friend Andrew's birthday with a BBQ and a game of softball, but Andrew didn't even show up in the end. I still don't know what happened there! Anyway, though, the game went on and so did the BBQ and the Cass-ah drinking. It was totes fun.


My friend Veronica has a hedgehog! This one is not hers. But it belongs to her friends, who I met at the game. They had their two hedgehogs on an outing, and they were the cutest things I've ever seen. I kinda want one (...NO Janine, STOP).

Mich brought out his diggery doo. He's a pretty talented guy. Nova Scotian, too. Go fig.

To my delight my two yoga buddies showed up, too! I was so happy to see Grace and Rachel (I should note that Grace and I became friends while in Korea through my brother's girlfriend, who is good friend's with Grace's sister back in Canada...very random, eh?)

Ciara and Michelle taking a break from the festivities.

I'm saying "for God's sake, why don't you just SMILE at the damn camera?" all the while failing to do so myself. I'm such a hypocrite.

My pal Jeremy was purposely missing out on the ultimate frisbee game until people started taking off articles of clothing. Suddenly he was gone to play and we were all left looking puzzled.

Me and Patrick and Michelle and Kim were the only ones not playing ultimate frisbee by the end. I'm not coordinated at the best of times, but after two beers with a new pair of glasses and it being nighttime, I would have hindered the team rather than helped. Actually, I hindered my softball teamearlier in the day. And every sports team I've ever been on, for that matter.

The frisbee game was divided into the girls against the guys. This is the winning picture! I'd show you the guys' losing picture, but they had lost their pants by that time.