My Korean Thanksgiving

To be honest... I kind of forgot about Thanksgiving. I mean, it isn't a holiday here. We just celebrated both Chuseok and Foundation Day (although I'm still not sure what that one was about...) and so I felt that there had been sufficient holiday time for me over the past few weeks.

Yesterday, in the middle of my afternoon Kindergarten class, Amy (my afternoon teaching partner) told me that people were going out for dinner to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving and invited me along. Of course, I wasn't going to pass up an outing with my co-workers. They're a lot of fun.

It turns out that one of our Korean teaching partners thought the whole thing up so that the Canadian teachers wouldn't miss out on a Thanksgiving dinner! I can't really describe how awesome it is to always have people thinking of you like that; I mean, our Korean friends here make it so easy for us to love this place simply because they treat us like family. Anyways, even though it wasn't a traditional Thanksgiving turkey, it was delicious and the time was spent with wonderful people, so who could complain about being homesick? Canada who...?


At this end of the table (left to right): Helen, Lisa, Rachel, Amy (in the pink shirt attempting a peace sign), Kerri, and Kim (slightly hidden).

Me and Amy! We're going snowboarding over Christmas break- can't wait!

Across from me: Michelle (who had the great idea to go out for Thanksgiving) and Enda.

And this was my delicious Thanksgiving meal: spicy soup (complete with chewy squid and octopus... which I'm starting to actually like...), rice topped with mushrooms and spicy sauce, spicy noodles with seafood, black noodles (which are delicious. But not spicy.), and sweet and sour pork. I was as full as I've ever been at Thanksgiving. The end!

Norabangin' The Night Away

In Korea, Norabang is more than just a passtime; it's a way of life. Indeed, it seems to represent the whole idea of Korean existence. Why do I say this? I'm not quite sure. There's something about the intimacy and privacy of having your own room to partake in karaoke but knowing that everyone on the outside can still hear every song you sing. Maybe I'm thinking about the way Koreans seem to admire those who can let loose and want to partake in the craziness themselves, but fear public humiliation. Norabang provides anonomimity (unless you go by yourself) and only you and your close friends will know what's going on inside the Norabang room. I think a lot about "Korean logic" and how it differs so much from what Canadians would consider logical- for me, if you want to be out there and crazy you can dance on a bar with a lampshade on your head (note to my parents: I have never done that. Just for the record.) and wake up the next day and be able to laugh about it. In Korea, you go to Norabang where no one can actually see you let loose. I always wonder why it's such a bad thing to be considered different in a country that admires those who aren't afraid to be- it's like living out loud behind closed doors. I guess that's my Norabang philosophy. Regardless of the reason Norabang is so cozy and intimate, it's a great way to spend an evening with your friends:

Kerri is an old hand at Norabang, she's been here for a year already!

Also, she totally went there and broke out the Aqua.

Another Norabang staple: Mariah Carey (You'll Always Be My Baby)

Drew does a surprisingly excellent impression of Eminem. How delightful!

I have videos, but I promised I wouldn't publish them. Other beauties of the night included: Since You've Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, All I Want for Christmas is You by (surprise surprise) Mariah Carey and The Rose by Bette Midler (just because Kim wants it played at her and Drew's wedding in March).

The End.

Where everybody knows your naaaame... (Now Bar)

What I like most about Now Bar in Yeongtong:



It's the local foreigner's hotspot! Where else can a Canadian, and Englishman, and a Mongolian gather together for a slightly drunken picture including a sexy kittie pose? I'll tell you where: nowhere. Except Now Bar.

Where else do you get table service by the adorable bar-owner for a simple shot of tequila?

And where else can two people from completely different parts of the world bond over the universal tequila shot (complete with salt and lemon, of course)?

Now Bar is where friends (because if you speak english in Korea you are automatically a friend) gather for a friendly game of darts.

And where Dean celebrates his dart victories

And most of all, it's a place I come to talk for hours... and hours... and hours... mostly about politics.

Another nice thing about Now Bar: when you accidentally spill your entire shot of tequila on your jeans, the owner immediately pours you another one- no questions asked. So sweet.

This guy is from Slovenia. We talked about the Yugoslavian War for about two hours. Everyone around us was yawning, but I didn't seem to notice... hence, the only bad thing about Now Bar is that you lose track to time too easily. The end.

The Much Anticipated (and Slightly Disappointing) Korean Folk Village

The first thing I see: traditional Korean vending machines (if you're not a fan of cynicism, maybe you should skip this post... it only gets worse)

Traditional Korean caged dogs... they were really cute.

OK, so maybe the work cow was traditional and Korean, but it was completely tied to this one spot all day, and people kept poking it with sticks. And flies kept biting it, but it couldn't get at them because it was tied to tightly. And at this point I teared up. Poor little cow, you could see it getting more enraged as each moment wore on.

Traditional Korean wedding (complete with microphones)

There was a lot of bowing involved- bowing, while a priest of sorts chants with another priest echoing what the first one says.

This is where I started having fun; I bought a wall hanging in the old Korean Hangeul script that directly translates into "Get Somewhere". For two bucks it's a good way to decorate my walls!

The baby in this picture was mesmerized by the water wheel.

The white blob on the bottom of the water is a massive goldfish. They just live in the river or something.

Rice fields, almost ready for harvesting (or ready; I'm not a rice farmer- clearly. I'm barely even a teacher!)

Traditional Korean tin cans.

Waterfall under a bridge

The ducks had funny looking heads; they were really funny.


This was actually pretty cool: the traditional dancers at the village beat their drums, did crazy summersaults and jumps, AND had strings attached to their hats (see the white string in the background?) that whirled around in time to the music. They moved the string by moving their necks and if they do this every day it's amazing they don't all have severe neck injuries!

The dancers/drummers/hat swingers in action

There was one lonely guy by the entrance who didn't dance; he just stood there playing a pipe of sorts. I tried to get this picture of him but my camera was dying- I thought he was funny.

Then the show moved on to a tightrope walker whos whole show consisted of pretending to almost fall down. Oooooh, Ahhhhh.

That was the villagey part of the village; after this my camera really did die and we went to the traditional Korean amusement park. Who knew the Vikings ever came to Korea? We went on the Viking ship ride, and the traditional Korean bumper cars, and then we ended the day with the calming traditional Korean swan boats. What a day; I feel fully informed on the entire history, culture, and traditional way of life of every Korean there ever was. The end.

Baengnyeong Do (Pangyeong Island)

So I've already mentioned what I did on my Chuseok vacation; however I've failed to go into specifics! My friend Scott from Acadia and I decided to venture into unchartered waters- namely, Baengnyeong Do (in English it's pronounced Pangyeong Island). A mere 12 kilometres away from North Korea, it is a heavily guarded and terribly beautiful island with unbelievable scenery and beaches. Although it seemed as though many of the locals had never seen a foreigner in their life (many Koreans come here on vacation, but seldom do any non-Koreans even know about this island), they were all so kind to us- which was especially nice since we were basically flying by the seat of our pants for the whoooole trip (we made some sketchy plans, and only by our extreme good luck did they work out perfectly!). Baengnyeong Do is a 4.5 hour ferry ride from Incheon City, just west of Seoul and an easy trip on the subway. I would highly suggest going not because the people on this island cater to tourists (they're very kind, but there are very few amenities!), but because it was so isolated that it felt as though we had reached one of the last untouched places on earth. It was really nice. Enjoy the numerous pics!


We had to take really disgusting seasickness medicine before getting on the ferry. It was so bad; it tasted like burnt orange peel and vomit mixed together. But we didn't get seasick! Although I maintain that we, being Maritimers, wouldn't have gotten seasick anyway...


The ferry was quite full, and outside on deck was very refereshing. This little girl was very cute.

Fishing boats at dock; just as you would see in Cape Breton. This trip was totally nostalgic.

This young man is called Edward. He introduced himself to us at the ferry terminal, saying his aunt owned the travel agency we booked through. At 12 years old, he was the only one in his family (except for an extremely shy cousin) who spoke English; and was therefore delegated the task of filling us in on every little detail he thought we should know about the island. He also asked us if "Blacks" lived in Canada ("black bears, you mean?", "no, no black people") and maintained that the Japanese were an ugly race and should apologize to Koreans for "giving their women sexual harrassment" while they occupied the country. I at least agree with the last part.

This is kimchi jiggae; a delicious, hot, spicy soup which, when mixed with rice, becomes a harmonious party in one's mouth. Full of Korean leek, tofu, meat, and of course kimchi, it has a very interesting and complex flavour that I think one can only truly understand after living in Korea for a few months. This is the ultimate Korean comfort food; forget Kraft Dinner!

This was our hotel: no hot water, we slept on mats on the floor, and our neighbours were very noisy (our neighbours being rowdy Chuseok celebrators and lots of roosters). But at least there was air conditioning and cable!

This is the view from the gas station we stood at for about half an hour, wondering how on earth we would get around the island (we didn't know it was as little as it was). Finally, we managed to make the gas station lady understand that we wanted a taxi and she called one for us! Well, as close to a taxi as one could find in this place.

We cabbed to the tiny fishing village of Dilmujin. That landmass in the background is North Korea. You could almost swim across!

These spikes in the water were meant to keep out the North Korean boats; now they're just a hassle for fishermen to maneuver.

At the lookoff in Dilmujin. Peace North Korea, peace.

The rocks here were craaaaaazy

Dilmujin from afar... it's so little.

These stairs were very scary, but the view at the bottom was definitely worth the anxiety!

At the bottom of the stairs: rocks, caves, and...

More rocks....

Scott. On the rocks.

More rocks and water.

My tootsies, and finally...

The Korean Army? They were honestly soooo excited to see white people!


Kim drying in the sun on the beach at Dilmujin

Pretty coloured rocks in the water...

Within the village...

Waiting for our super-nice taxi guy

And along comes this poor dog. Seriously, this village had NOTHING but they still manage to find ways to doll up their puppies. This might as well be downtown Suwon.



Our cab driver called this woman and told her to be nice to us until he came to pick us up, so she beckoned us to follow her into her little restaurant and we watched her cook interesting things for awhile. She really kills the fresh fish with vigour! Here she is in action:

Lookouts allllll over the island

From Dilmujin we went to Bean Rock Beach

There were some people there, but everyone was fully clothed. I guess bathing suits are pretty taboo in Korea.

This sweet Adjima served Scott and I beer and carrot sticks with spicy dipping sauce. Maekju juseo?

I found a starfish!

Bean rocks between ma toessss


Looking for seashells

I found a Mermaid Pouch!

And a sad, empty Soju bottle.

Survivor Korea. My money's on Scott winning, he has a big stick.



Fishing on submerged rocks. Clint says he looks like he's hailing a cab. I have to agree.

This caterpillar looks like a piece of feces! Now that is goooood camoflage.

All those pretty rice fields.

Our taxi driver made us get our picture taken here, but really, this sign could be saying anything. Any insights anyone?

Pretty seashells.



This is Sagot Beach: it is the only beach, other than I believe ONE in Naples, that can act as a natural landing strip for airplanes. The sand is packed super tight!

Tour buses like to drive on the beach

Such beautiful weather!

We didn't go to the cooffee shop.

My huuuuuuuuuge pork cutlet that I randomly had for lunch. I lucked out; it was delicious considering me and Scott had nooo idea what we were ordering.


Scott's caveman pose with his huge chunk of meat in hand.

The totally deserted street

Sagot Beach at sunset

We found many interesting sea creatures washed ashore!

And soooo many clams! I spent part of the next morning digging for clams with a small Korean family... one even snapped on my finger! What an experience.

Oh right! I'm in Korea!

Seashell hunting

So pretty

Crazy big jellyfish

We honestly couldn't figure out what this was... any ideas?



The firmly packed sand, apparently perfect for landing planes, also makes a impressive beer can holder!

Scott's first dip in the Yellow Sea. Mine would never come- although the water was beautiful! I just didn't want all those Koreans staring at me in my bikini, thinking I'm a hussie.

Although I did sit in the sun for an extended period of time- final tanning session of the summer!

I honestly won't get used to seeing cars and trucks on the same beach I'm sunning on...

Panorama of the lovely beach- see all the tire tracks?



And finally, Edward's Dad insisted we get a few pictures with our new friend! Seriously, this family was so good to us. We exchanged phone numbers and if I ever go to Baengnyeong Do again I will definitely go through the same company. What a sweet trip!