bridge over the river Han and 1988 summer olympics

It was a nice mellow weekend, spent outdoors soaking up the sun and the wonderful HOT summer weather of Seoul. Everyone is saying that the rain is about to come, perhaps tomorrow, and it will stay for over a month. Torrential flooding and lightening storms every day! Yikes! So we are making the most of the limited time we do have to roam around the city without umbrellas. This past weekend, for the second Saturday in a row we rented bikes for free from Songpa-gu office at Jamsil station. This time with Peeps along for the ride. 

don't you just love Ryans pink cruiser? 

the bike paths are so nice, especially when they are not super crowded!

We took a new route this time around, cruising through the city for a short while before arriving at Olympic park. in 1988 the summer olympics were held in Seoul. Huge structures were erected to hold the events, some of Seoul's proud landmarks to this day. There is a huge park that sits in the center of these arenas, really beautiful landscaping! It has some ponds and lots of fountains and a huge gate at the entrance. We rode around on the paths for a while, stopping to film some video here and there or take in the sights. 

the gate at the entrance to Olympic Park

After we'd seen enough of the park we headed to the Han river, to take advantage, yet again, of the excellent bicycle paths that run along either side of the huge waterway. This time we headed east, towards the edge of the city. We passed several inviting mini marts before selecting the perfect one for our afternoon lunch of kimbap, ramen, and kimchi. I love the food here! I will miss it when I leave, but I will be happy to have some of the comforts of the western diet back in my life too. And more than that the ability to know what is in my food and where it came from.... ah.... that'll be nice. 

a good spot to stop for lunch...

The Han river is massive. It is over a kilometer wide throughout the city and is crossed by 27 bridges! The bridges are fascinating, each is so different, some have fountains off the sides, some light up at night, some have multi layers or train tracks below. All are BIG! And full of traffic 24/7. As I said before we rode east... away from the most populated center of the city and well, it looks like soon the bridge count will rise! There is construction underway for two new bridges. It looks so eerie, and I don't know why, because it's just a bunch of cement... anyway, the guys agreed that it looked creepy, so I guess I'm not alone. 

And speaking of the olympics- they made a new bridge to cross over right at the location of the new arenas and the park. It is aptly named "olympic bridge" and has a giant torch on the top of it! 

The sun and the exercise had us all thoroughly exhausted and not up for much that evening. There were some things going on... a homebrew fest in Habongchon, some dinner options and of course there are bars and restaurants all over the place. But we opted to end the afternoon on a nice patio in a random parking lot. This lady was serving beer and small plates of food from some makeshift mobile unit, there was shade, chairs and no traffic. Perfect. So that concluded our day in the sun, only to wake up the next day and have another... this time up at namsan with Nathan playing card games and dice and chess! Not too bad. I really feel that I have had to become a weekend warrior, being as we work the dreadful monday to friday, nine to five. But it's not so bad I guess.... I get so much more done, and my body is healthier when I am up early in the morning. 

Someone sent this picture to Josh, it must have been taken over seven years ago! Look how young we are! It's awesome to have this picture, from when we were just buddies...

from the Dude Ranch, circa 2004-2005, we look so different! But I still have that sweater and Josh still has that shirt... some things never change. But my taste in beer sure has! 

and it happened just like that....

Yeoksamdong, Gangnamgu, Seoul, Korea! How didi I end up here? Well it is true, it's a crazy adventure this life. If You asked me a year ago I would not have believed I would be here, in this massive city, teaching middle school kids at a public school. But well, I guess it's a good example of how quickly life can change. Josh and I were doomed- we had to fall in love, despite the fact that actually both of us were happy being single and content on remaining that way. But we just couldn't help it; our hearth had other plans and we fell so in love! Last summer, the summer of 2010, was spent in such a fun way! Going to the river, the Sandy or the Washougal or Sauvie Island, also we went on lots of bike rides and long walks, so in love, and having so much to talk about. We went out to awesome dinners all the time and spent many evenings drinking Hamms at Pinstripes on SE 11th. The world was our world, we did anything possible to spend time together despite our opposite schedules. We both love Portland, but towards the end of summer we both had an annoyance about the place. Sometimes a city can be too small. My job was making me crazy- I had been working at FOTM for  over three years and that place, awesome as it is, also has so it's fair share of issues, anyway... my job was getting old.  Josh and I both were rather bored and burned out from our social scene, it was demanding energy of us that we didn't care about. Lots of petty people; often gossip and often drugs.  Again- people that can be cool, but a scene that was unhealthy and overall taxing. So one day, very randomly, we talked about planning a trip to Seoul, Korea, to visit Nathan, and in that one conversation, not a long on at all- we decided that it would be a cool opportunity to come here for a year and teach, make a ton of money, travel, spend time with Nathan and his new wife, Irina (and now they are going to have a baby!), and at the same time we can easily remove ourselves from the negativity in Portland. What a cool opportunity! So we just did it- and never looked back. From that one afternoon conversation things began to fall in to place. We bought the one way tickets for crazy cheap, because at that time tensions between North and South Korea were at an all time high. In fact people were calling us crazy! And it was a little crazy, and I'll admit there were some moments of nervousness about the war, but they never opened any door for doubt about our decision. As the weeks and months chipped away very quickly we kept organizing things appropriate to the timing, we put our things in storage, sold our cars, spent a lot of time with my family and our friends, eventually had our crazy going away parties and it all happened so fast! We were waiting outside our cute apartment on 18th and Clinton, in the deep dark of a cold winter morning, before any traces of dawn were on the horizon, expecting our Radio Cab, and away we went! To the airport and whisked away across to great Pacific Ocean on a long, long, long flight to arrive in Seoul with no job, no house, no clue about anything! But we had eachother, and some good ideas, and luckily my brother- to help us out for a short bit while we got our jobs and our apartment. And here we are! More than four months into our new life in Asia. We are full blown teachers! Living in one of the biggest, most densely populated cities in the world, and it happened just like that....

long weeks happen

Friday! It was a long week, full of root canals and lacking in logic or organization. I have been finding solace from the um, well, annoying aspects of life here, by keeping in my headphones, making mixes left and right on 8tracks. Now it is a mere moments before my 4:30 freedom.... to spend some time with family and friends, likely sitting at a mini mart, which has become our favorite thing to do here. Seriously. I never thought my favorite place to hang out would be a mini mart, but it actually is! Josh and I have been scoping out our neighborhood for the best one and so far we have three or four pretty good ones within a few two block radius! 
I miss my friends back home, especially Danielle and Kate, you lovely ladies! 


“I had the misfortune to be nourished by the dreams and visions of great Americans—the poets and seers. Some other breed of man has won out. This world which is in the making fills me with dread. I have seen it germinate; I can read it like a blue-print. It is not a world I want to live in. It is a world suited for monomaniacs obsessed with the idea of progress—a false progress, a progress which stinks. It is a world cluttered with useless objects which men and women, in order to be exploited and degraded, are taught to regard as useful. The dreamer whose dreams are non-utilitarian has no place in this world. Whatever does not lend itself to being bought and sold, whether in the realm of things, ideas, principles, dreams or hopes, is debarred. In this world the poet is anathema, the thinker a fool, the artist an escapist, the man of vision a criminal.” Henry Miller

i'm actually teaching

So I write on here all about my travels and life in Seoul and what I do in my free time, so it could seem to some that I don't even teach! Well, it is true.... for some reason I was given authority over several hundred middle school students. I get to subject them to an hour a week of my awesome teaching skills...

I teach first grade and third grade, which is for middle school age, so I don't know exactly how that translates to schools in the US, and I don't actually know how old they are.... I think my first graders are 13 (??) and my third graders are already little adults, so maybe 15 or 16 (??).

I have a much better time with the little ones. They don't fully understand at that age how to be manipulative and disrespectful... they still look up to their teachers a little bit. But those third graders... whew... I better be on their good side or they let me know. Class is so much more about keeping all 35 of them under control and keeping their attention fully focused than it is about hammering home grammar and vocabulary. Being super strict is essential in this line of work, which took me a couple months to really learn, but I have it down now.

I teach 22 classes per week, each about 45 minutes in length. I spend the rest of my hours planning lessons and copying worksheets, making powerpoint presentations, watching lots of boring videos on youtube to find that perfect one to show class, and well... some personal interneting as well.  Communication is at an all time low in this country so I usually keep my headphones in and work in solitude.

The first few weeks were so new, full of nervousness and insecurity as a teacher. Now it's easy. I am used to it, I am familiar with the students, and I know how to get through to them, so I don't stress too much anymore. This week I am testing my first graders with a one on one speaking test, they are so cute! And so damn nervous that I almost feel guilty for having them do this...

I love 4:30 in the afternoon like I have never loved it before, in fact it used to be the time I went to work, for so many years, and now I am off.... I leave school each afternoon with a skip in my step, and a good beat on my ipod. Leaving is freedom again for a half a day! And how I love that freedom. Josh and I have settled into a really nice routine with our evenings, which involves cooking and playing chess or go-stop (a rad korean card game), watching movies or reading, and to bed so early! This job is not done easily hung over or tired, unlike all those years slinging wings and drinks (I think it was easier hung over?).....

Aren't my students so cute?

Love, n

highlights of Seoul

Summer is here, in full swing and it is HOT! And it is only going to get hotter, and more humid. For the first time in my life I have air conditioning and I am glad for that. We live on the third and top floor of our apartment building and, well that will be nice in the winter, but it's already like an oven in there. So to try and beat the heat the other day we rented bicycles and headed to the river. At Jamsil station, between exits 1 and 2 there is a shop that rents bicycles for free for the whole day! It was super easy, and somewhat conveniently easy to get to from our neighborhood. So we got our rickety cruisers, both too small for us, and dangerously made our way through Seoul traffic before reaching the amazing bike path that lines either side of the enormous Han river.

  

the path was far removed from the traffic of the city as we rode about six kilometers on one side, and under maybe eight bridges before crossing the river and heading back along the other side. There were lots of other cyclists and fishermen posted up in the shade under most of the bridges. Some kids were beating the heat by playing in a huge water fountain and we even found a rose garden in full bloom. It felt like a slice of Portland when I spotted a bum under the bridge. We stopped frequently to cool off in some shade or to have our simple lunch of kimbap and ramen at a mini mart. We saw some cool things along the way so I'll give you a glimpse into our sights, and I'll add a few other photos from our daily adventures around Seoul. 

a floating buddhist temple

Namsan tower and the Iteawon neighborhood, from across the river.

this is the Ttukseom bridge and overpass. This is massive! As with, well... most things in this city. I think that the combination of the huge loop and the odd building, with the apartment high rises in the back it looks like something out of a science fiction movie.

this is one of the main temples in Seoul, takes a few weeks ago when we were out walking around in the northern part of the city. 

taken at the war museum, we went on a random monday off and they were closed but we were able to roam around the grounds, free of many other people. There were scores of aircraft carriers and tanks and statues created to remember the many wars that Korea has been in over it's history. 

In the Hongdae neighborhood. This is some street art that Josh captured at an old abandoned home. They are doing some crazy demolition along a few blocks to make a new and fancy subway station. This too will soon be gone. 

Also in the Hongdae neighborhood, a bright window into a cafe..

  

(above) this is in our neighborhood, we often use this subway station, and the street is one of the busiest in Seoul. Traffic is so crazy on this road. The buildings that line the street have cool design, ahh... the concrete jungle! 

this is my new shirt that I got for about four bucks on the side of the street. I read it and I just had to get it, because it makes NO SENSE! This kind of messed up english is found everywhere.
It reads: "on a nice holyday 'divas CUTE' 'when I happened is everything ok' LOOKED elevator looks nearly killed me. getting sociated." 

This is from our trip to the east coast a few weeks ago, not sure what it is, or why it sits in solitude on the beautiful beach, but it caught my eye none the less!

a beautiful sunset over the lake. I love these mirror shots! 

  

the beautiful DMZ

In the very NE corner of South Korea, just minutes from the border with the rivals up north, lies a beautiful town, with an incredible coastline. In the area surrounding Sokcho, South Korea are small and rural villages with rice farms and gardens galore. Small shanty-esque dwellings clustered on the hillsides are the foreground of the scores of mountain peaks all around. Everything seemed to be in bloom and the freshness of the sea air was very refreshing. Mixed in with one teeny neighborhood of humble homes and terraced gardens was one very out of place home. A mansion! Nothing about it seemed very Korean at all, except the lack of beds and ample supply of sleeping cushions (super comfortable, actually). The house had a really big open layout, half a dozen bedrooms and and bathrooms, really nice front and back porches with tables and benches lining them. Sixteen people all together were the inhabitants of this home for three days. What a blast it was. We all pitched in and did one large grocery shopping trip and ate like queens and kings every meal, with leftovers! There was a BBQ and a Mexican food feast and brunches that rival the Portland restaurant scene.

When we were not eating or relaxing around our little yard we were pretty much at the beach. The ocean was the most beautiful tropical sea blue color and the vast open beach was nearly empty.... it isn't "beach season" in Korea yet and it would be too outside the social norms to hit the sand before it was "normal". That was just fine with us, we managed to get a massive wiffle ball game going, and  played lots of frisbee. It was hot and sunny, the water was....um....refreshing (read: cold!). Everyone got a sunburn, I mean everyone. No matter how much sunscreen we were continually applying. The sun was so intense for our pasty white winter skin. I was happy as could be swimming in the water for hours while losing feeling in my limbs from the coldness.... it is hard for me to leave the water!

One of the most dangerous and heavily guarded borders in the world happens to be very beautiful and calm, creating an interesting contrast of thoughts and ideas. We took one morning off from our beach duty and drove the really short drive to the DMZ. It was a strange and cool experience. After a somewhat long process of registering our cars and all the passengers and paying a small fee we proceeded to the gate where heavily armed soldiers were checking the cars and paperwork before admitting anyone to the border. As we drove on past the check point the scenery became very desolate and tall barbed wire fences were just everywhere we looked. The beautiful untouched beach to our east and the menacing isolated enemy to our north. We walked up to an observation deck and there it was! North Korea, but it was hard to see much. There is a five kilometer DMZ in between the countries, no one lives there, no one goes there, nothing is seen there, except a big road with no cars on it and an empty train track and some empty buildings and of course the beautiful beach and lots of barbed wire.

At the border there was a North Korean market, not sure how they got that up and running, I think it is something that was grandfathered in from about forty years ago, when relations between the two countries were more stable. They were selling various foods and alcohol products and trinkets. There was a major demand for the rumored delicious North Korean beer. Sure enough it was killer! Beats any Korean beer I've had so far, but then again, this country is notorious for having bad brews. Along with a market and a few places to eat there is a cool park with a giant white buddha statue and some artifacts from the Korean War.... which my Grandfather fought in! We hung around enjoying our beer, the scenery, our friends, and especially being on the free side of the border! 

We made the most of our time and pushed it until the final time we had to leave! Of course it is hard to leave vacation, especially at such a beautiful, remote place, knowing that work is looming so close in the morning. And of course we are tired and dragging a little today, but it's worth it for sure! June and July will be a little busy here at school.... lots of exams and projects to work on. Then Vietnam in August! I miss my people back home! Take care of yourselves. 

"Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes."

— HENRY DAVID THOREAU 

love love love