Meat Sweats Ahoy

It's been 3 weeks today since we landed in this strange parallel place, and I am quite shame facedly admitting that today was the first time that we tried a  Gogi Gui restaurant.

Gogi Gui is meat cooked on a BBQ. I'd heard about these by loads of people before we arrived but at first it was just a little bit too daunting to try. But tonight we'd been camera shopping in Nampo for a couple of hours and were starving as we walked down a road lined in these type of restaurants. It smelled absolutely amazing so we decided to give it a go.

We picked a pretty busy restaurant that had a few empty tables at the back, so we could hide away while watching what everyone else did. We got in and slipped our shoes off, and then weaved amongst the busy tables and the people sat on the floor to the very back. I've never eaten in a restaurant sat on the floor with no shoes on so that was two big 'firsts' conquered.

In the centre of the table is a small grill plate and a little box with chopsticks, spoons and serviettes in them. The waitress came over and it was a matter of us just pointing at something and hoping for the best.

In just a few minutes they came back with a plate of raw beef, salad, kimchi, pickles and a noodle dish. She flicked the gas ring on, and left us to it with pincers and scissors in hand. These sides were soon joined with soup and an omelette type dish. This is my favourite thing about the Korean food, that every meal has so much variety to it.

Luckily, just after we had sat down, two other girls sat on the table next to us so we kept a sly eye on them to check that we weren't doing anything too abnormal. Apart from a bout of pins and needles from sitting in a weird position whilst trying to cover my modesty, I think we did pretty well. The atmosphere was really relaxed, and people were just casually donning aprons, drinking Cass and chatting.

The meal was mouth wateringly good, we were really full and all for under £9, I can see us trying to rationalise the fact that it would be pretty rude NOT to make this a regular occurrence.

No Rainbows without Rain

I know it probably gets boring hearing about all the amazing things about Korea so thought I'd point out some of the things that aren't so great about being here so far...

1. The Weather. This post was inspired by the weather last Friday. We woke up and it was literally relentless, torrential rain ALL day. The people of Sheffield would be quivering in their boots and getting the sand bags ready if we had even an hours worth of the rain that we saw the other day. Even better than this is the fact we were told that this is normal weather for the Summer, AND someone stole my umbrella at school, it appears to be a free for all in the umbrella department!

2. The People who've been deemed fit to drive. I remember this one time I lived in a country where the drivers indicated, they stopped for people in the street (even if it was in an irritated fashion), knew that they belonged on the road and not the pavement and didn't incessantly honk their horns. If someone gave me a pound for every time I had heard someone toot their horn for no apparent reason I'd be a millionaire.

3. The Smells in the street. Eugh.

4. Being shadowed around a shop. As soon as you enter a shop they shuffle to your side and won't disappear until you exit through the door. I know they're only trying to be helpful but it's rather uncomfortable when I'm picking something up, trying to work out what it is and I have them breathing down my neck like they're about to start seducing me. Last weekend in Nampo we were just leaving the shop when our shadow pointed out that we hadn't been to the second floor of the shop. Not wanting to be rude we went upstairs, she obviously followed, and had a whole monologue with herself, the only word I picked out was piercing as she pointed at my lip.

5. The lack of spatial awareness. The bumping and pushing, shoving and shunting. It's enough to make anyone think that there's some ongoing, off-skates roller derby drill. I've seen people man handled by others if they happen to be in the way. We witnessed this poor waif of a girl, who was happily catching the metro, get shoved into the door so others could get on and off more easily. Tasha got inappropriately touched by an old lady the other day as she politely got up to offer her seat, the woman grabbed her chest and shoved her back down. Which brings us onto the next point...

6. The old folk. Ok, not all of them are bad. Some are quite cute, but they aren't quite the quaint old dears we're used to in England. They cough and splutter all over the show. They tut quite often, just today 2 old ladies got up and moved as soon as we sat next to them. They spit on the floors of shops, and cag constantly, and the other day we saw one who was wasted, sprawled out on the seats opposite, who then proceeded to projectile vomit onto the floor of the metro. Classy.

7. Reading. I really don't think you truly understand how much information you gleen just from subconsciously reading instructions and signs. When that information is taken away from you, even the most simplest of tasks are pretty hard. Cue me getting into a bit of a tangle just trying to make instant noodles the other day. Finding recommended bars and restaurants is nearly impossible as well as you may catch the name, but then it's finding the street, and then being able to read the sign. 

8. Recycling. I think this is my worst thing about Korea and has almost brought me to be a quivering nervous wreck several times. Not only do they have about 10 different categories of things to recycle, but all the recycling bins are labelled in Korean, and then they seem to be emptied almost every day, so no matter what time i go to the bin and peer in, hoping to get a clue of what i should put in what bin, they're EMPTY! What makes it worse is all the CCTV warning signs around the bin area, making me worried that while I'm dithering around there is someone somewhere watching me and building up a case against my crimes against the planet- eeeek!

9. The Fashion. Socks with sandals, neon trainers, questionable denim effects, boys in too tight trousers and weird cutsey hoodies with ears are things that you see anywhere you turn. I'd been told before I came that young couples dressed the same as each other, and I'm a bit gutted that I haven't seen this yet either!

10. The rush for food at lunchtimes. I think I took the 'no left-overs' day pretty well, considering every day is a lottery with the food but as soon as the bell goes to signal lunch time, if you actually want to eat, you have to desert your class and do the aforementioned dad shuffle run to the teachers' lunch room. If you don't, you're left with only kimchi and the dregs of rice on your tin tray. Yummmm.

Anyway, as we were busy listing things off the top of our head that we disliked about Korea, we discovered a whole lot more things that we have a mutual appreciation for. I guess it's the bad things that help to magnify everything that's good too.

Spring

It finally feels like Spring has arrived in Korea - and thus my hunt for a camera has begun! I promised that by the end of the year I would have saved for an SLR, but I've decided I want to take photos of everything I'm seeing for the first time with it, and therefore want it before the cherry blossom comes out. If anyone has any suggestions then please help!

We've seen some really amazing things this weekend, Gwangali Beach that's in the shadow of the prettiest bridge I've ever seen, Busan Tower and it's tranquil gardens, and not to mention the finale of Gossip Girl Season 1! But I think Busan Tower might turn out to be one of my favourite places to go, I loved how all the old folk seemed to congregate there on the steps and play board games together, and how you feel a million miles away from the jam packed, noisy streets below. (Also the fact you get up there on the elevator appealed to my lazy side!).

Add to that a good night out on Saturday, ridiculously cheap nail art pens that means i can draw sickly pink bows on my nails, and a can of cherry coke, and this weekend turned out to be another good one.

Undoubtedly, the weekend always comes around so quick, but it's over even quicker and I think we both still get Sunday night blues here, which makes it easier to think about the things you miss at home, I would kill for a brew made in a tea pot right about now. But there's still so much to look forward to as well, my first roller derby practise next week with ROKD is probably my favourite at the moment!

Kawaii Korea V.1

One of my best friends recently described me as "all bubblegum and hello kitty and sh*t" perhaps the reason I blather on about the cuteness of things in Korea so much? I thought that I would give you a glimpse of some of the things that we have managed to snap. I'm dedicating this to a fellow blogger and Sheffield Steel Roller Girl, Leigh, as I know how much she would love it here. Let's just say that i fit right in with my Rilakkuma phone cover...

Hello Kitty Pan Scourer

Padlocks with cutsey messages on. Roof of Lotte department store

Smiley face forks

Happy Hand Cream

Lipbalm ring

Even the children are so cute with their tiny faces

Sleepy Puppy in a supermarket (not to be eaten)

You all mocked me, but now i fit right in...with my 10 year old students

I ♥ Korea

View from Lotte roof// Cake//
Yum// Inspirational words taken from a bag

A few of my favourite things about Korea so far.

1. The cuteness of everything. Everywhere you turn there's amazingly cute kids, doey-eyed cartoon characters and sickly pink plastic gadgets overload! Sometimes it's almost too much to take and I have to take a deep breath to not get too over excited!

2. Every corner you turn there is something unexpected. The Lotte shopping centre is an amazing example of this, we caught a lift up to the top floor and there was this serene roof top garden with the best views over the whole of Busan, take the lift down to the bottom floor and there was a fountain and lights display going on that could almost compete with a Disney Magic Kingdom display.

3. The Jingles. Everywhere you go there are merry jingles to brighten up your day. End of a lesson? This happy tune plays out through the school corridors. Got to the last stop on the metro? You get played a fan fare. Waiting for lift? Stand and be serenaded.

4. The food. Ok, it took me a while to warm to it, but i am actually loving the food now.  I love how they have little bits of lots of different things.  It's spicy and sweet, hot and cold all on one plate. I still need to be a little braver and try more sea food, but I am super proud of myself so far and I love that chop sticks are becoming easier and easier to use everyday.

5. The Beaches. In less then 20 mins we can be at some amazing beaches. I don't think the novelty of this will ever wear off, coming from Sheffield where the closest beach is over an hour away.

6. Nick Grimshaw's late night show on Radio 1 being the show I get to listen to as I get ready for work in the morning. If anyone knows me well, they will know that I have had a long standing love affair with him, in the sense that I wish he was my brother.

7. The fluidity of our routine. I know this wouldn't suit everyone, but I love how I'm getting used to expecting the unexpected. They seem to change things at the last minute and never really have any concrete plans - on Friday for instance it was sprung on us at school that it was no leftover day at lunch, therefore we had to eat everything on the plate. I have no idea what the reason was, and when I asked a few other teaches, they didn't seem to know either. Bizarre but amusing!

8. The stationary! The stationary departments that they have here makes paperchase look dull. Luckily, Tasha shares the same love as me, and didn't find it odd that we spent over an hour in the stationary department of Lotte last night, or the night before that...

9. The 5 minutes of fame. I think being a foreign teacher at a Korean school is guaranteed to make you feel like a celeb for at least a few days. Being showered with gifts (ok, it was some odd stodgy mush, but it's still the thought that counts) and compliments never hurt anybody.

10. Everything seems to be imprinted with a life lesson, inspiring you in Korenglish. The toilet doors in the school tell you that 'An hour today is worth two tomorrow', buildings tell you 'Anything is possible' and my favourite was a flight of stairs that we walked up told us they loved us. Happy, happy, happy.

Let's Go Fly A Kite

Little did I know on Friday night when I was happily stuffing my face with bangers and mash and cocktails in the Wolfhound, an Irish pub in Haeundae, that in the early hours of Sunday morning I would be hoisted up by a young Korean guy, infront of a crowd of hundreds of drunk and dancing people at Club Fix.

Saturday morning turned out to be bright and breezy so we headed to Dadaepo beach, a remote little beach on the South coast of Korea. Coming out of the station we checked the map and headed in the direction of the beach, thinking it would be a short leisurely walk. Little did we know it was about a 5 mile walk through an industrial estate with very few pavements.

I’d seen that there was a kite festival at the beach being advertised, and when we got there there was the grand total of about 5 kites billowing in the wind, not quite what we were expecting. We went for a walk along the coast where there were some amazing views. This will be the perfect place for picnics once the weather heats up.

On Saturday night we put on our dancing shoes and caught the metro to Seomyeon. The streets of Seomyeon were packed with lots of young Koreans and illuminated with so many signs it was hard to know where to look.

Club Fix was a maze of different floors, and I couldn’t believe how many people were packed into the club. Some highlights of the night were the DJ’s jacket, which was a semi transparent, neon orange gauze-like Adidas tracksuit top and these amazing fruit platters that seemed to magically appear when you sat down at a table. Round all of this off with a McDonalds breakfast, and it was a pretty good night. I’m still trying to forget about the lifting incident and hope the scrawny boy isn’t laid out in bed with a bad back.

Sunday brought us more sunshine so we wandered down the road and finally got to Nampo, which is the home of the Busan International Film Festival, I’m really happy that it’s so close to us. The streets were bustling, there were hundreds upon hundreds of market stalls selling just about everything. Everyway we looked there were cute and kitsch stores and signs that made us ‘ooooh’ and ‘aaaah’. We stopped off at the most adorable coffee shop and ate such good cake.

Now I’ve found the cake and cocktails and so many cute things here I’m really starting to feel like I can settle in.

How to get there:

Club Fix: We're convinced that there is some sort of wizardry going on with Club Fix. It seems impossible to find, then just when you're about to give up, it appears very vividly right infront of your eyes and you wonder how you ever missed it, but as soon as you leave it disappears again. SO here is where I think it is:

-Get to Seomyeon. We go by metro.

-Once at the metro, leave via. exit 2 and walk down the main road(the one with McDonalds and American Apparel on).

-Take the second main road on your left and it should be on the right hand side.

-It's 8 floors up, so you will only see a white club fix sign at street level, along with the ticket booths.

Also, if you join their facebook page, every weekend they put up a status, which if you like they will give you free entry. Otherwise it's 20,000 won which is pretty expensive. Make sure you take I.D though as they have been funny about this in the past!

Dadaepo Beach: I think this beach will turn out to be best for picnics and getting away from the bikini clad bods at Haeundae. Apparently the fountain there is supposed to be awesome too!

-Catch the orange line metro headed to Sinpyeong and get off at Sinpyeong. --Don't make our mistake and try to walk to the beach. Catch a taxi from outside the station, it came to about 2,000 won which was really good to say how far away it is from the station.

One Week in Korea

Broken computer = sad faces// Beautiful Korea. Wonderful Immigration//
Fixed computer= happy faces// Tash with Teachers Hannah and Jinny//
Lampost// Busan City Tour// Unimpressed with the tour.

Today is a pretty important day for us, it marks the end of our first week in Busan! Undoubtedly there have been ups and downs as we sort things out, but today has been a good day.

We have been ferried about by our supervisors alot since Monday; to the bank to set up accounts, to the immigration office to finish the final paperwork, and to the hospital to check that we are both in working order.
It feels like we have spent ALOT of time stood around waiting for things, which  means we have had alot of time to observe. My favourite four observations so far are:

1. There seems to be this unspoken pressure that people feel at certain times that makes them do an odd shuffle/dad run. This happens mostly across roads (the drivers will not wait for you if you haven't made it to the other side of the road when the green light appears) and in queues- it's as if they are worried to miss their turn, so when they are called forward, they will run to the counter. Strange. What's even stranger is you find yourself starting to feel the pressure as they shuffle past you, and you start to feel like you should do it too.

2. We spotted a man the other day who was wearing a very smart pinstripe grey suit, shiny black shoes, a crisp white shirt...and these really thick, fuzzy, thermal, purple and pink socks.

3. It also seems as though the highway code doesn't apply to motorcyclists, who are able to switch between driving on the pavement and the road at will. They are particularly partial to using pedestrian crossings to change direction, rather than having to do something as mediocre as use a turning. They also sometimes like to multi task and fling business cards at people whilst they drive down the pavement.

4. How robust the children are here. I have seen at least three children fall down the stairs as they run to get a quick look at us. I've seen numerous kicks, punches and trips and one particular fall ended in a young boy doing a barrel roll down the corridor, before he leapt up to reassure  us that he was fine.

The novelty of us hasn't worn off with the students yet - today I have had a female student profess her love for me, and another class gather around me whilst taking pictures to show their friends.

The language barrier has been a little daunting and confusing at times. In the hospital on Tuesday we had to undress and put these kimono-esque robes on before an Xray. I went first so hesitantly stepped into the room. The nurse couldn't really speak much English but managed to show me that I needed to stand facing a screen. She then wrapped her arms around me from the back and kind of tugged, so thinking I understood her charades perfectly, I disrobed, only to notice her frantically swinging her arms around and taking deep breaths.  It turned out that she wasn't hyperventilating - she was just asking me to take a deep breath...ooops.

Amongst all of this we managed to fit in a Busan Night Tour. Although it wasn't great as the tour guide spoke in Korean, it was worth it just for the views. We drove across the Gwangan bridge and then up a mountain to an observatory. From the deck the view of Busan below was amazing. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of Busan at night this weekend.

We're celebrating our 1 week anniversary with a Gossip Girl marathon, so this is M & N signing out. xoxo

Gwangan Bridge