Gwangju-si: My first official outing away from Suncheon. It's so nice to explore!
Last week was another good one- although it was hard to top my crazy Tuesday of hiking and karaoke. I mostly had some down time Wednesday, and was very much looking forward to a short week. On Friday all of the public school teachers in the provice had to go to the education office for a meeting, which meant that about 150 elementary, and another 150 high school would be congregating in Gwangju for one whole day! I lucked out to be a part of the morning crew, so I took the bus up the night before with Jen to have my first "Love Motel" experience. Love motels can be found in most every city- and exist for very obvious reasons. If you're not sure what to look for- well, you'll know it when you see it. Tall building, usually white with greek goddess-like figures on the side. The particular one we stayed in, The Windmill, was great because it's cheap- less than $15 each for a night, it's very clean, and close to everything we could need downtown. T
hey also have great water pressure in the showers, which is a treat, cable TV, and a very extensive selection of movies in the hall- if you catch my drift. Only Korea! Your other options for an overnight in most cities would be a jimjilbang, where you can enjoy a spa, shower, and a mat to sleep on the floor! So love motel it is. It's funny, they even have strips of fabric hanging down over the door to the parking garage, so people can meet up there in secret. So scandalous!
Since coming in November meant that I missed out on the big August orientation, it was nice to have some sort of workshop/lecture event to give tips on teaching, share concerns, ask questions and all that. It was interesting seeing so many other teachers too- it sure is a mixed bag here! I find there are a lot of people like myself, not really sure what to do with themselves, but still out looking for an exciting change. There are some who want to make a career of teaching, then you have others that are a little odd, and seem to looking for a place to fit in. Maybe I'm a little big of column A, little bit of column B- haha!
Gwanju was a great city though- it's a little over an hour away by bus, and has tons of things to see. So much, that I opted to stay an extra night. Friday night I met some new people from Gwangyang, a city very close to Suncheon, and we all went to the German Bar. The owner spent some years in Munich and got a licence to make beer- so we went to drink and sample some quality brew. The only things besides the beer that really made it feel German were the German flag banners running around the room- but regardless it was a great place to hang out, and very popular with the foreigners. Who doesn't love Germany? ;) I found some tasty foods from home while in Gwangju- treating myself to nachos, which are hard to come by, and I bought a brick of cheese from a foreign food import store. Oh cheese! Very overpriced, but SO worth it.
Wandering the city streets is quite an experience in itself. The streets are all very narrow, seeming like pedestrian-only zones where cars can legally drive through. Similarly, most of the stores are small: countless boutiques and street vendors basking in the glow of glaring neon lights which make you forget the sun went down. Sensory overload is what is is. There was just so much to look at and so much to take in that you forget where you're going- making it easy to bump into or step on people as you try to get your bearings. So needless to say shopping there is great- the array of random trinkets and Korean treasures is endless. I won't make it for Christmas gifts this year, but some of you back home can count on some entertaining birthday gifts coming your way ;)
There are tons of little offshoot alleyways that hold more shops and restaurants too. Walking with Kate we happened upon a little tea shop tucked away down an alley and up 3 flights of stairs. Curiousity got the best of us, and we wandered up to find a cosy little loft that looked like it belonged in the UK. Although we couldn't read the menu, we managed to order a spot of peppermint tea and cookies :) Other random things I saw Friday night: a few guys dressed up as spiderman, a man selling roasted sweet potatos in a wood-burning oven on a cart, cornflakes and yogurt on a salad, and pizza in a cup- which was delicious.
Saturday night back in Suncheon had more fun in store. Lindsay and Jon held a UFC night- not my cup of tea, I know- but it did turn out to be a lot of fun. A night of betting on fighte
rs with shots of a nasty cocktail delt out to the losers; followed by another night of nore-bang made for a great evening that lasted until 4am. It's nice falling into such a great group of people here. Much like university, there's always something going on- you just have to pick and choose what you're into. I've been jumping into most everything- maybe I'll hit the wall in a few weeks and need some space. After the trip to Seoul this weekend perhaps? Can't wait!
This Week's English Translation Gone Wrong:
On a Journey. I see the happiness of coincidence where I stopped by chance.
My thoughts exactly.
Last week was another good one- although it was hard to top my crazy Tuesday of hiking and karaoke. I mostly had some down time Wednesday, and was very much looking forward to a short week. On Friday all of the public school teachers in the provice had to go to the education office for a meeting, which meant that about 150 elementary, and another 150 high school would be congregating in Gwangju for one whole day! I lucked out to be a part of the morning crew, so I took the bus up the night before with Jen to have my first "Love Motel" experience. Love motels can be found in most every city- and exist for very obvious reasons. If you're not sure what to look for- well, you'll know it when you see it. Tall building, usually white with greek goddess-like figures on the side. The particular one we stayed in, The Windmill, was great because it's cheap- less than $15 each for a night, it's very clean, and close to everything we could need downtown. T
hey also have great water pressure in the showers, which is a treat, cable TV, and a very extensive selection of movies in the hall- if you catch my drift. Only Korea! Your other options for an overnight in most cities would be a jimjilbang, where you can enjoy a spa, shower, and a mat to sleep on the floor! So love motel it is. It's funny, they even have strips of fabric hanging down over the door to the parking garage, so people can meet up there in secret. So scandalous!Since coming in November meant that I missed out on the big August orientation, it was nice to have some sort of workshop/lecture event to give tips on teaching, share concerns, ask questions and all that. It was interesting seeing so many other teachers too- it sure is a mixed bag here! I find there are a lot of people like myself, not really sure what to do with themselves, but still out looking for an exciting change. There are some who want to make a career of teaching, then you have others that are a little odd, and seem to looking for a place to fit in. Maybe I'm a little big of column A, little bit of column B- haha!
Gwanju was a great city though- it's a little over an hour away by bus, and has tons of things to see. So much, that I opted to stay an extra night. Friday night I met some new people from Gwangyang, a city very close to Suncheon, and we all went to the German Bar. The owner spent some years in Munich and got a licence to make beer- so we went to drink and sample some quality brew. The only things besides the beer that really made it feel German were the German flag banners running around the room- but regardless it was a great place to hang out, and very popular with the foreigners. Who doesn't love Germany? ;) I found some tasty foods from home while in Gwangju- treating myself to nachos, which are hard to come by, and I bought a brick of cheese from a foreign food import store. Oh cheese! Very overpriced, but SO worth it.
Wandering the city streets is quite an experience in itself. The streets are all very narrow, seeming like pedestrian-only zones where cars can legally drive through. Similarly, most of the stores are small: countless boutiques and street vendors basking in the glow of glaring neon lights which make you forget the sun went down. Sensory overload is what is is. There was just so much to look at and so much to take in that you forget where you're going- making it easy to bump into or step on people as you try to get your bearings. So needless to say shopping there is great- the array of random trinkets and Korean treasures is endless. I won't make it for Christmas gifts this year, but some of you back home can count on some entertaining birthday gifts coming your way ;)
There are tons of little offshoot alleyways that hold more shops and restaurants too. Walking with Kate we happened upon a little tea shop tucked away down an alley and up 3 flights of stairs. Curiousity got the best of us, and we wandered up to find a cosy little loft that looked like it belonged in the UK. Although we couldn't read the menu, we managed to order a spot of peppermint tea and cookies :) Other random things I saw Friday night: a few guys dressed up as spiderman, a man selling roasted sweet potatos in a wood-burning oven on a cart, cornflakes and yogurt on a salad, and pizza in a cup- which was delicious.
Saturday night back in Suncheon had more fun in store. Lindsay and Jon held a UFC night- not my cup of tea, I know- but it did turn out to be a lot of fun. A night of betting on fighte
rs with shots of a nasty cocktail delt out to the losers; followed by another night of nore-bang made for a great evening that lasted until 4am. It's nice falling into such a great group of people here. Much like university, there's always something going on- you just have to pick and choose what you're into. I've been jumping into most everything- maybe I'll hit the wall in a few weeks and need some space. After the trip to Seoul this weekend perhaps? Can't wait!This Week's English Translation Gone Wrong:
On a Journey. I see the happiness of coincidence where I stopped by chance.
My thoughts exactly.
1 comment:
your blog is very good......
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