Christmas 한국 Style

This year was officially the first time that I would celebrate Christmas overseas. It was a little surreal not celebrating with family or relatives for the first time, but I had a great week overall. I started the beginning of the week with a jazz concert. This ensemble had a mix of familiar instruments such as the saxophone and drums, and Korean traditional instruments such as the daegum (bamboo flute) and kayageum (zither). The concert was a nice and relaxing experience, and it was nice that they ended with their performance with a little bit of holiday spirit. 

Throughout the week, I also did some Christmas shopping, which probably was not the best idea. I had to fight through some crazy crowds, but it was entertaining to see shoppers scramble for last minute holiday deals!  For the rest of the week, I had some nice dinners with the teaching staff and friends, then on Christmas day I went to a world music performance. The night ended nicely with friends from Singapore coming up to visit me.

The changes in the background color and the smoking effects added a nice touch to the performance. Occasionally the smoke was a little overbearing, but it wasn't enough to take anything away from the performance.

During parts of the jazz performance, they also mixed in some traditional folk singing, called Pansori. Even though I didn't understand the majority of what she was saying, she blended in very well with all of the instruments. She also has a pleasant singing voice.

If you're a fan of Christmas music, you will hear a tune that should sound very familiar!

This was the crowd that I had to deal with when I went shopping on Christmas eve!

After several attempts, I was finally able to get a picture of this cool reindeer and sleigh ornament! I had to wait until all of the crowds were gone.

 This concert showcased some very interesting instruments that I've never seen before. There were 16 performers that represented countries in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

 All of the performers did a great job blending all of the sounds together. There were times where it felt like I was listening to a movie soundtrack, and other times where I felt like I was in meditation.

Postcard Art

Here are some interesting postcards made by local artists. I tried my best to narrow it down to the best designs since there were about 50 different ones.

Itaewon Freedom!

One of the things I did last weekend was attend a grand opening of a dance club in Masan. Usually I'm don't get into the club scene much because I'm probably getting too old for it, haha. Since we knew the DJs and we didn't have to pay for cover and beer, I figured it can't hurt to check it out. The Koreans definitely know how to party!

The lasers and flashing lights came out pretty nicely in this picture.

How would you like to be welcomed to the restroom like this?

This is the view that I got from the men's restroom.

I got a kick out of the Milli Vanilli impersonation...haha.

The DJs are trying to keep the crowd entertained.


Watching this video will completely explain where I thought of the title of this blog:)

End of Fall...

Looks like I'm about to experience my first real winter in five years!

Gyeongju Cultural Trip

The Korean Education department provided a wonderful trip for the Native English Teachers. Gyeongju is considered one of the most important historic cities in Korea. It was the capital of the ancient Silla kingdom that ruled most of Korea. Throughout the city, there are several sites designated by UNESCO. At first I was hesitant to go on this trip because it rained almost at the beginning of every weekend (in November). We lucked out since it only drizzled at night instead of the day. The autumn landscape blended in nicely with all of historic structures. Aside from site seeing, we also had the chance to see some music performances and participate in a few traditional ceremonies and games. It was a great cultural trip overall with some pleasant surprises.

The first woman on the left is playing a gayageum, which is similar to the zither. The woman next to her is playing a haegeum, an instrument that has two strings. After about 20 seconds some of you might recognize the tune that they're playing!

We had a great tour guide accommodate us during our trip. In this video, he told us a folk story about the wooden fish that you will see hanging around.

Bright Night Lights in Jinju

People who have been following my blog may have noticed by now that Korea has many festivals throughout the year. As a foreigner, I think it's a great thing. I can learn more about the country's culture and history at these events, and I also get to see some cool art, displays, etc. The Jinju Lantern Festival highlights familiar Korean cultural references and can also tell a story about important events in Korea. All of the lantern sculptures are placed near or on the Namgang River, a significant area in Korean history. This river is significant because a war between the Koreans and Japanese took place here. Even though this was a last minute trip, the festival was a great experience. I was impressed with what artists were able to make using paint, paper, and plastic!

This is the entrance leading into the main area of the festival.

Here is the lantern sculpture depicting the Korean soldiers defending their land from Japanese invasion.

This photo was taken from one of the two main bridges that cross the Namgang River.

One of the wishing tunnels that was made during the festival. People put their wishes in the lantern and hang then on the wire frames. While the sentiment was great, I couldn't get over their music selection....

I was glad to get some video of the bamboo forest. All of the pictures I took turned out blurry, so it was nice to get some video. The lanterns and landscape were amazing, and this area is also accompanied by some "interesting" choice of music.

Bonri Fall Festival

Each year, the school has a fall festival that lasts for two days. There are five main areas in the festival and it's interesting seeing the teachers, students, and some of their parents participating throughout the whole school.

This concession stand has all of the foods made by the students' parents.

I'm posing with one of my co-teachers at the beverage stand.

The students are cooking some finger foods at their own stand.

Some of the students participated in the cooking contest. Each grade had four or five groups participating in the contest. It was interesting to see how some of the foods were not strictly Korean. The students even tried making Thai and Vietnamese food! I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with the students' cook abilities.

Notice the spring rolls in the back!

One of the cool sculptures that the art teacher made. The sharp contrast between the colorful umbrella and earth toned statue is a nice touch.

Some of the students art being displayed in the gallery. Since I have limited space on my blog, I have set up an account where everyone can see the rest of the art. Please go to this website (will be posted once this is complete).

Sea Fishing

While the weather was still decently warm, we decided to go on a deep sea fishing trip near Busan. We had eight people out on the boat. The fishing expedition was a success since everyone caught at least one fish, including one tuna and a flounder! Most of the fish were on the small side, but they were still big enough to eat. It also helped that we caught about 20 of them. After that we ended up having a potluck at a friend's place.

Some Randomness in Tokyo

I wasn't sure where to group these photos and video of Tokyo, so I decided pick the most interesting photos and videos.

 Here is the west view of the city from the Tokyo WTC observation deck.

View of the east side from the same building

Here's a quick shot of a busy street when I was going up on an escalator.

 I'm standing just right outside the Imperial Gardens. 

 This train goes through several districts in Tokyo.

 Another video of me riding on the same train, except this one gives a nice view to the bay.

Odaiba Island

Odaiba is an artificial island across from central Tokyo. The train ride to the island had some great views. We didn't realize how large the island was until we crossed the bridge into the area. The views of the sea and buildings in the background were spectacular.

It's Sushi Time!

This was the moment I was waiting for when we visited Japan - amazing sushi. Of course, there were many places where we could eat sushi. We wanted the best sushi that we could find. Eventually, we found the Tsukiji Fish Market, where all of the seafood is freshly caught. Once I took down my first sushi piece, I was hooked. I ended up eating 16 pieces of sushi (Two of each variety). After having the most amazing sushi ever, I don't know if any other place can top this market! I will still eat sushi anywhere as long as it's prepared properly ;) 

Akihibara - Tech & Anime District

For people who really like to shop for the latest technology, Akihibara is the best place to go. There are also hundreds of arcades, video games, and anime stores in here. Since we had so many places to visit in Tokyo, we didn't have much time to check out the area.

This mega retail store has nine floors of any electronic device that you can think of using.

For people who love video games, this building has six floors of arcade machines. Beat that Chuck Cheese!

Several blocks were blocked off to accommodate all of the people shopping in this area. Here is a quick 360 view while of the street that I was walking on.

Asakusa District

One of the best aspects of the Asakusa is the mix of old and new buildings. Most of the districts we visited in Tokyo were very modern. It was nice to see an area that had some traditional elements. A large temple area and street market are the main places of interest. The street market had many interesting things worth buying. I almost bought a hand painting, but since Tokyo is so expensive, I changed my mind. I didn't bring enough money. Hopefully I'll get the chance to come back and buy a painting.

Shibuya Crossing

The Shibuya district in Tokyo is where the largest pedestrian crossing in the world takes place. 
We end up walking across this street after taking pictures. There are also a lot of places to shop in this area.

Time to Puffer Up!

Just when I thought I've tried every Korean cuisine that's delicious, this was definitely one of the best. I went to a fish restaurant with one of the P.E. teachers. What stands out is that there's more fish than the usual mackerel, salmon, or tuna. We ordered the swordfish and puffer fish. At first I was somewhat nervous about the puffers because they are poisonous when alive. Our server assured us that the venom is carefully removed by their well trained chefs. I was pleasantly surprised that such a unique and amazing restaurant was located so close to my place (only a 15 minute walk). The texture and seasonings for all of the dishes were top notch.

 

 

Great Moments at IAAF

Here are some videos of some of the events from the IAAF games. I apologize that some of the videos don't capture as much action of the actual events. It was difficult to watch and film at the same time, but it still gives an idea of the atmosphere during the events.

Opening ceremony: The representatives from each country carried their flags towards the center of the stadium. 

Opening ceremony: A Korean vocalist was accompanied by dancers who performed some colorful & artistic choreography.

Walter Dix won the third heat during the first round of the 100m dash.

Usain Bolt easily wins his heat in the 100m dash. He then has a little bit of fun with the Daegu cameramen.

Usain bolts to the finish line in the 200m final.

IAAF World Championships

The IAAF World Championships is a ten day track & field event that took place in Daegu this year. This event happens every two years and takes place the year before and after the Olympics. It was crazy that I happened to be in Daegu, as it's rare to even get the chance to attend this kind of international athletic event. I was very excited to see some the best athletes in the world in person!

 Everyone scrambling to get into the stadium.

 The opening ceremony looks even better after the sunset.

 A close up of the ceremony.

Usain Bolt getting interviewed after (easily) advancing to the 100m semi-final.

All of the decathlon athletes posing for the media. Team USA, Trey Hardee and Ashton Eaton earned the gold and silver medal. Korea's representative, Kun-Woo Kim, set a national record in this event, to the delight of the crowd.

 Our entire school went to the IAAF games during the week. It was awesome to see most of the stadium packed with students and teachers from other schools.

Posing with our P.E./guidance counselor and two of my students.