Goje Island

On Saturday, Amy, Dorrial, Kayse and I packed up our things and made our way to the bus terminal. Our destination this weekend was Goje Island. The nice thing about this trip is that there was a newly made tunnel that connects the island so you no longer have to use a ferry to get there. This has shortened the travel time by several hours, so it only took us about 2 hours to arrive.

Once we got to Goje, we were all famished so our first order of business was to drop our things off and find food. The unfortunate thing about this weekend was that it was fairly rainy, but luckily it was only a drizzle so it didn’t affect us much.

We went out for a delicious Korean meal with assorted stews and rice. After we were sufficiently full it was time for ice cream and girl talk on the beach. This was a great way to spend some time, just chilling leisurely on a 7-11 patio overlooking the beach… pleasant!

Afterwards we headed back to our room, unpacked and then went out to find a Noribang. Of course, all good nights included time singing Karaoke in a noribang. After much silliness and very impressive vocal contributions, we decided to take a small stroll before bed.

The next morning I got up around 6:20am to watch the sunrise. I was very excited for this because I had heard that the sunrises were supposed to be amazing on the island. Unfortunately because of the rainy, groggy weather, you couldn’t even see the sun, so around 7, I was defeated and went back to bed.

We started the day with some very healthy breakfast from 7-11 and then decided to hike to our next destination, mainly because there weren’t any cabs in the area. We were told that it was about a 7km hike, but later found out that it was more like 12. Luckily, the rain eventually went away and we had sunny blue skies for a little bit. Apart from the fact that we were walking along the side of a highway and people drive like idiots, it was a really scenic hike.

Once we arrived to our destination of “Windy Hill” we spent some time wandering around the little town and enjoyed being tourists. We met a family who began talking to us. The mother asked which of us had boyfriends and when she learned that only one of us did, she decided that it was because that one was prettier than the rest and felt obliged to tell us so…. So nice!

Along our walk, we stopped in at yet another 7-11 to grab some ramen (yes, 7-11 has become a staple for me when I travel). Sitting outside and eating, we were approached by an older man and woman in white uniforms. The woman began talking to us and telling us about the ancient asian medicine that they practice. The man then began ‘curing’ us by pushing various pressure points with his car key. Apart from being very random, it was also hilarious! They were very serious about their art and spoke very passionately about being able to ‘cure’ all of our ailments.

Following our medical adventure, we took a walk by the windmill which is a huge tourist spot. It was very scenic to look out at the ocean in such a natural setting. Being outside of the busy Busan life always makes me feel refreshed.

We had to have our friend at 7-11 call a cab for us because we were literally in the middle of nowhere. The cab took almost an hour to arrive but it brought us back to the bus station and we eventually made it home.

When I got home after the trip I was beginning to become irritated by all of the little bug bites that I had gotten during the night. They were literally ALL over my body (I counted over 40) and I was quite annoyed. I began searching Google for ideas on what they might be from and this is when I got the idea of …… BEDBUGS!!!!

Reading more and more about how horrible these bugs are and how impossible it is to get rid of them, I was certain that I would be forever cursed with them. I was quite frantic and called home in a panic. My poor mother tried to calm me down but I was at the point of thinking that I’d be spending my next 3 months being feasted on by a pest infestation.

Ultimately I put all of my clothes in the freezer and washed everything thoroughly. In a few days, after I had gotten cream for all of the bites, I finally realized that I luckily didn’t bring any of the pests back with me. It was my first experience with bed bugs and I hope it will be my last.

I guess this is one of the fun parts of traveling.

Thanksgiving and Baby Shower

Saturday was the day that a bunch of friends and I got together to celebrate American Thanksgiving. Amanda and I had been planning this for several weeks and had developed quite the elaborate menu for our event: glazed carrots, tossed green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, croissants and Rotisserie Chicken from Costco (because nobody had ovens capable of fitting a turkey). For dessert, Amanda was kind enough to make pumpkin pie FROM SCRATCH!!! And we had an apple pie from Costco. The meal was made perfect with the addition of delicious wine… it was honestly be best meal I’ve had in the past nine months!

Before we all began to eat, I decided it was appropriate to say grace and give thanks for all that we have here. Of course, I was nominated

to proceed, and as I was praying about being

thankful for my ‘korean family’ I realized how lucky I really was. I can’t believe being here in Korea without the wonderful people in my life… they have made a world of difference and I consider myself so lucky to have them.

After WAY too much food, I rolled myself home and took a long nap (as is thanksgiving tradition). I got up a little bit later and decided it was time to go to the gym to start working off all of this thanksgiving goodness. I met up with Amy and we pushed ourselves on the machines and then relaxed at the naked spa (this is becoming one of my favorite things to do). Needless to say, my Saturday night was very uneventful yet relaxing.

Sunday was a much busier day. I got up early and went to church with Amy. Afterwards we headed over to KSU in search of baby goodies. Today was the day that our friend Sora was having her baby shower and we wanted to put together a nice gift for her before heading over for the shower.

Seeing as I’ve never kept an eye out for baby stores in Korea, this event posed to be quite a challenge, but I have to admit it was fun putting together a bag full of baby things. I was quite pleased once we had everything in order.

When we arrived at Sora’s, both her and her husband were there with a full out decorated apartment. (They’re the couple who got married earlier this year, and they had a beautiful traditional wedding… also quite an event!). Sora’s husband Nicholas is French and he made delicious food for the shower… crepes, Yorkshire puddings, pate…. So much yummy food!

As guests arrived, we were all asked to put holiday streamers around our necks to give it more of a festive feel. We were also given a French name for a baby item (which would serve as our name for the night). Mine was La Couche with means diaper.

The evening was filled with lots of baby games, good food and making new friends. It was great!

Later, we went back to KSU to meet our friend Dorrial, who was celebrating her last night here in Korea. Dorrial was playing ultimate Frisbee so we went to play a bit and cheer her on. I can honestly say that I’ve improved my Frisbee throwing skills… now it actually goes in the direction I’m aiming for. Afterwards we went out for a nice dinner and said our goodbyes. Dorrial has been in Korea since I’ve arrived, so it was sad to see her go. She will be missed.

Fireworks and Halloween

The Busan International Firework Festival is a 9-day festival that runs from Oct 21- Oct 29. The festival originally started in 2005 for the APEC Busan Summit but was such a success that it has continued on every year since. It attracted 2.52 million visitors from Korea and around the world in 2010, and this year I’m sure there were at least that many.

The festival takes place in Gwangali (just down the street from my house) and the fireworks are set off from the famous bridge that runs parallel with Gwangan beach. On the first weekend was the international festival which had competitions between USA, Poland, Japan and China. Each country put on a 15-20 minute display which was synched to music. Although we were unable to hear which country did which specific display, they were all outstanding..

As I watched each display after the next, I was pretty awestruck. Amy commented by saying “just wait until next week…”. Apparently Korea’s display is one of the best firework shows around, so my expectations were set pretty high.

Walking down the street, a news castor came up to Amanda and I and asked us to do an interview for the local news. Of course we agreed (why not have a spot on Korean television). I would have loved to see it, but unfortunately, I forgot which new station it was and I probably wouldn’t have been able to find it anyways

Once the night’s displays had finished, everyone came back to my apartment and we ordered some pizza (with the help of my Korean friends) and had a great post-firework dinner of pizza and pop! All in all, a good night.

The following weekend was the big show. Because so many people came to view the fireworks, my friends and I planned to meet at the beach at 4pm to find a place on the sand. It was a beautiful day and I was so excited for the evening. When we arrived at the beach, I was shocked to see SO many people there already. The show wasn’t for another 4 hours, but it was difficult to even find free space on the sand. Luckily some friends had arrived earlier and had set out spots for us.

With every passing minute, more and more people filed in leaving the entire area a very chaotic zoo. Once we were settled in our small group on the beach, the only thing left to do was wait. As the sky became darker and darker, more and more clouds were rolling in. Around 6:30pm, we began feeling the first few drops of rain… not a good sign. Immediately, umbrellas began going up and poncho sales were all around us.

Although it was not the most comfortable of settings, my friends and I decided to wait it out, because this show only happens once a year and this would be my only opportunity to see it. Now, being that we’re from North America, our bodies aren’t used to sitting on the ground for extended periods of time. So, we would regularly stand up off the ground and get circulation going to our lower extremities again. Now, one would think that this would be totally acceptable seeing as we were still about 2 hours from showtime however the Koreans sitting behind us did not agree. They put up a fuss whenever any of us would stand up because it was obstructing their view (of what, I don’t know). It got to the point that one of them threw an empty pop can at us so that we would sit down (rude! I know, and know that these people must have been in their 50s). So this was the ongoing war between us until the fireworks began.

Once the fireworks started, it was pouring full on. We were completely drenched and cold. Some of our group left to go and get warm, but I was determined to see the show after waiting for so long. I’ve seen fireworks before but nothing like this night. The entire sky was illuminated by firework after firework. It was excellently choreographed to excellent music (from Josh Groban to the Spice Girls and everything in between… even some Korean songs!).

Although it was thoroughly cold and uncomfortable, I’m so glad that I was able to attend the show because it was truly a masterpiece. I expect that I’ll probably never see another show as impressive as this one. Definitely worth the crowds and the rain!

Now after the show, I went home and took a hot shower to warm up. Then I put the most fabulous costume on… a giant Kangaroo! Yes, it was Halloween and we were going out to KSU to celebrate.

This was probably one of the best Halloweens I’ve had because everyone was dressed up and having a good time. Also, because Korea isn’t as cold as Canada, you were able to wear your costume without needing a coat overtop (a big plus!). For the next few hours we went barhopping from place to place and at around 5am we ended up at a Noribang for some Halloween karaoking. Needless to say, the next morning was spent sleeping in.