Today we woke up for church and were running a little late. We missed the 98 (our bus to downtown) and decided to take a chance with the 50 bus. We were hoping that it would take us downtown and make it to church.
Instead it took us to an E-Mart we thought was at the bus terminal so we got off. It turned out we weren't any where the thought we were (save for E-Mart.) So we decided to look around...and buy some Roman Noodles.
Since its rainy season it meant that it was raining and we were of course without our umbrellas. We stopped at a sandwich shop to each lunch/breakfast Alice et Lucy. They served American style sandwiches and Miranda got a Ham and Cheese and I got a Chicken Salad Sandwich with nuts and raisins. It was delicious (as our kids would say.) It tasted like the best sandwiches we both have had in months...perhaps it was only because how nostalgic it was, but it was fantastic. The lady making our lunch even spoke English.
From there we hitched a ride on another bus 45 that we believed would take us to downtown...and it would of, except we were worried we hit it wrong it was going to the greenhouses that it dumped us at yesterday. We ended up at the Gwangju World Cup Stadium. We walked around a park, and saw a golf range with 3 stories. But we weren't were we needed to be, so we decided to move on. We jumped onto another bus.
The 47 bus was going to take us whether it lead, and we were riding it to the end, unless it hit downtown, which as we watched the city go by felt unlikely. It finally pulled up to a place we recognized. The Bus Terminal. So we jumped out and explored the terminal, then went to a place I would call Wayne heaven: KUMO WORLD. Kumo World is basically a 6 stories Fry's Electronics. It has Computers, Cell Phones, Musical Instruments, Electric Fans, Video Games, Sound Boards and pretty much anything electric. Kumo World was amazing but there was nothing for us there, and we soon needed to go find our way home.
We ate and quickly jumped on the 9 bus to downtown. We knew this bus would get us to our destination and we were happy to get going. Arriving downtown we felt that we should look around some more and eat dinner. While we were out we saw several note worthy sights, but my favorite was a store called YO! Black Secret...which was a small clothing boutique.
We didn't have a camera with us, so we missed opportunities to share the sights, however we learned a few good points about Gwangju bus system. It is bigger than we ever knew, and we shouldn't just take random buses if we have a place to go. I regret missing church and I regret not doing some more work around the house. But, I enjoyed today...it was a great adventure.
Showing posts with label Steve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve. Show all posts
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Fun on the Weekend
So Saturdays (and Sundays) tend to become our social days here. Since we go out to Korean lessons in downtown, we met up friends and eat lunch and do whatever they are doing. We have nothing pressing to do on Saturdays so why not just go with the flow.
Today we explored a strange dollar store, a crazy T-shirt shop, and more good Korean food. Then we experimented with the bus system taking random buses to see where it would take us. The first bus did not give us the desired results at all. We dead ended at the bus terminal and had to pick up another bus all the way back to downtown. By then we were tired, so we just rode our 98 bus back home.
Plenty of strange sights to be had. First, were the crazy T-Shirts with bad broken English. One such Shirt had a silhouette of Mickey Mouse's face and under it said "Black Mouse." After the previous note I posted you can see why this if funny.
The broken English here is amazing, I could try to write down everything we see, but there is so much. It is quite a unique experience here for an English speaker that is for sure.
We are going out to finish walking and talking pictures for our next photo gallery. So be looking forward to that.
Love you all,
STEVEN
Today we explored a strange dollar store, a crazy T-shirt shop, and more good Korean food. Then we experimented with the bus system taking random buses to see where it would take us. The first bus did not give us the desired results at all. We dead ended at the bus terminal and had to pick up another bus all the way back to downtown. By then we were tired, so we just rode our 98 bus back home.
Plenty of strange sights to be had. First, were the crazy T-Shirts with bad broken English. One such Shirt had a silhouette of Mickey Mouse's face and under it said "Black Mouse." After the previous note I posted you can see why this if funny.
The broken English here is amazing, I could try to write down everything we see, but there is so much. It is quite a unique experience here for an English speaker that is for sure.
We are going out to finish walking and talking pictures for our next photo gallery. So be looking forward to that.
Love you all,
STEVEN
Awesome Weekend Trip
Today totally rocked.
On a scale of 1 to 10, today was like a super high 7. (Come one 9 and 10s need to reserved for the amazing.)
We started our Korean lessons today. I wish I could say that Rosetta Stone gave us a huge head up and we were ready to tackle anything, but the truth is we are starting from scratch. So no freebies. However, we meet several new friends at the lessons.
We meet 2 people from the church we visited on Sunday, and 2 more people that were taking lessons. We were the new couple, as everyone else already knew each other. We went to eat at TGIFs which is in the main bus terminal of Gwangju. This is important because it was our first Korean bus trip. It was wild, made even more wild by the fact it was raining. People were holding on to the handrails and sliding on the wet floor. It was very much like a roller coaster ride...the passengers fought for the good seats while braver people stood up and held on for dear live.
After eating, we went to this computer store which was basically a 5 story building filled with small vendors selling anything and everything. It felt like an antique mall meets a huge Fry's Electronics. We were able to find our American plug converters there. They cost 500 won each, which equals to about 50 cents. I don't even want to think about how much they would be in America.
The end of the day we went to information to take buses back home...we were going to have to hop buses because there wasn't a direct bus. So we had to watch and jump off at the right stop. I was somewhat worried, but it worked out perfectly, and now we know that bus 98 can take us to downtown and save money. We also know that bus 9 will take us to the Gwangju bus station if we are downtown. So that means we can get around most of where we need in Gwangju AND the bus station is our gateway to anywhere in Korea. With more practice we can be visiting other cities in no time.
We also have new pictures to load up for you all...but we may wait until we can have a few more than the 3-4 that we have. Most of these pictures are from the local art you can find all over. I have a desire to get a few more shots before uploading...but at least you have something to look forward to.
On a scale of 1 to 10, today was like a super high 7. (Come one 9 and 10s need to reserved for the amazing.)
We started our Korean lessons today. I wish I could say that Rosetta Stone gave us a huge head up and we were ready to tackle anything, but the truth is we are starting from scratch. So no freebies. However, we meet several new friends at the lessons.
We meet 2 people from the church we visited on Sunday, and 2 more people that were taking lessons. We were the new couple, as everyone else already knew each other. We went to eat at TGIFs which is in the main bus terminal of Gwangju. This is important because it was our first Korean bus trip. It was wild, made even more wild by the fact it was raining. People were holding on to the handrails and sliding on the wet floor. It was very much like a roller coaster ride...the passengers fought for the good seats while braver people stood up and held on for dear live.
After eating, we went to this computer store which was basically a 5 story building filled with small vendors selling anything and everything. It felt like an antique mall meets a huge Fry's Electronics. We were able to find our American plug converters there. They cost 500 won each, which equals to about 50 cents. I don't even want to think about how much they would be in America.
The end of the day we went to information to take buses back home...we were going to have to hop buses because there wasn't a direct bus. So we had to watch and jump off at the right stop. I was somewhat worried, but it worked out perfectly, and now we know that bus 98 can take us to downtown and save money. We also know that bus 9 will take us to the Gwangju bus station if we are downtown. So that means we can get around most of where we need in Gwangju AND the bus station is our gateway to anywhere in Korea. With more practice we can be visiting other cities in no time.
We also have new pictures to load up for you all...but we may wait until we can have a few more than the 3-4 that we have. Most of these pictures are from the local art you can find all over. I have a desire to get a few more shots before uploading...but at least you have something to look forward to.
GIC
So, today has been an interesting day; don't worry it was a good day.
First Miranda and I went to the Gwangju International Center. We became members and signed up for Korean classes. They have 7 week sessions meeting every Saturday for 7 weeks. The levels are Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. I imagine that the classes are much like the dance classes that my parents were/are taking. What I mean is I imagine that you may need to take levels more than once to truly grasp everything they are teaching...even with constant practice.
I am beginning to realize what a real office job must be like...not one which doesn't have enough stuff for you to do, but one where there is constantly something to do, and you must keep yourself on task to achieve it all...and when you think there is nothing else to do, that is when you better find something, or you will be behind later. It is quite stressful, but I taught myself bad habits at work and I became lazy. I have several things I wanted to get done this week and I have not yet completed them...I am working on it though.
As for teaching, I am getting a hang of it. Everyone has there own style of teaching, but I feel I haven't truly found mine yet. I go directly by the book as much as possible. We do 2 pages a day (mostly) but this is deceiving because we also have workbooks, storybooks, write it writes, vocabulary and so much more to get done. I honestly feel it is impossible to do everything needed in the allotted time. I try very hard not to give homework, but I feel I am going to have to start. I also realize that I am going to have to become more strict in my classes, and now is the time to do it because the new teacher honeymoon stage is wearing off with the kids. I already feel myself learning more and more about how to teach, it isn't natural for me, but I am coming along.
Another interesting note is different perspectives on life. In America, everyone is paranoid about North Korea and their nuclear missiles however in South Korea it is a minor concern. South Korea's perspective is simply this...North Korea is not going to risk a nuclear attack against any country or countries ally that can wipe them out. Unless, said country/ies decide to force them into action with sanctions or whatnot. I don't know if I truly believe this line of thinking. It seems like you are ignoring a potential problem on the belief it will never become a problem, and that is foolish. On the other hand, it brings up a good point, the United States should probably not be the police force for the world. We should continue to carry our big sticks but perhaps back off from the parenting. Personally, I question American Foreign Aid programs at all...why are we sending billions of dollars over sees to supposed aid countries that just the money to build up their military and feed their soldiers? Does Good Will in politics ever achieve your true goals?
First Miranda and I went to the Gwangju International Center. We became members and signed up for Korean classes. They have 7 week sessions meeting every Saturday for 7 weeks. The levels are Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. I imagine that the classes are much like the dance classes that my parents were/are taking. What I mean is I imagine that you may need to take levels more than once to truly grasp everything they are teaching...even with constant practice.
I am beginning to realize what a real office job must be like...not one which doesn't have enough stuff for you to do, but one where there is constantly something to do, and you must keep yourself on task to achieve it all...and when you think there is nothing else to do, that is when you better find something, or you will be behind later. It is quite stressful, but I taught myself bad habits at work and I became lazy. I have several things I wanted to get done this week and I have not yet completed them...I am working on it though.
As for teaching, I am getting a hang of it. Everyone has there own style of teaching, but I feel I haven't truly found mine yet. I go directly by the book as much as possible. We do 2 pages a day (mostly) but this is deceiving because we also have workbooks, storybooks, write it writes, vocabulary and so much more to get done. I honestly feel it is impossible to do everything needed in the allotted time. I try very hard not to give homework, but I feel I am going to have to start. I also realize that I am going to have to become more strict in my classes, and now is the time to do it because the new teacher honeymoon stage is wearing off with the kids. I already feel myself learning more and more about how to teach, it isn't natural for me, but I am coming along.
Another interesting note is different perspectives on life. In America, everyone is paranoid about North Korea and their nuclear missiles however in South Korea it is a minor concern. South Korea's perspective is simply this...North Korea is not going to risk a nuclear attack against any country or countries ally that can wipe them out. Unless, said country/ies decide to force them into action with sanctions or whatnot. I don't know if I truly believe this line of thinking. It seems like you are ignoring a potential problem on the belief it will never become a problem, and that is foolish. On the other hand, it brings up a good point, the United States should probably not be the police force for the world. We should continue to carry our big sticks but perhaps back off from the parenting. Personally, I question American Foreign Aid programs at all...why are we sending billions of dollars over sees to supposed aid countries that just the money to build up their military and feed their soldiers? Does Good Will in politics ever achieve your true goals?
First weekend in Korea
This weekend was amazing,
We went to see the Buddhist Temple in Gwangju with our boss Alex. It was up in the mountains and beautiful. You were required to hike throughout the temple to see the 92 Buddha statues throughout the temple, at one time there was reported to be over 900. Unfortunately we forgot the camera so no pictures. I can say it was like walking through a museum except instead of man ripping the artifacts out of the its environment and bringing it to you, you go see it in its home.
For dinner we ate at this great restaurant and ate Hair Tail fish, it was quite good, but very bony.
Sunday we went hiking again, and then went to downtown and it was crazy. Each building was 3 stories and each story had several different stores. Street Vendors were out selling crazy wind up toys, dried octopus tentacles, and much more. We found a Burger King, Krispy Kreme, Outback Steak House, Pizza Hut, and finally a street vendor selling Pizza in a cup.
Our vacation is over though, work starts tomorrow, and that means new challenges. I can't wait to see what that brings.
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I forgot to mention about the language. Korean uses character blocks, these are like words of sorts, but each block is one syllable. The blocks contain no less than 2 letters and no more than 3. Each block contains a vowel, but vowels can never stand alone, so there must be either one or two consonants. It makes writing and reading fairly easy once you understand of to pronounce the letters. My goal is to learn this as quickly as possible and then work on my vocabulary.
We went to see the Buddhist Temple in Gwangju with our boss Alex. It was up in the mountains and beautiful. You were required to hike throughout the temple to see the 92 Buddha statues throughout the temple, at one time there was reported to be over 900. Unfortunately we forgot the camera so no pictures. I can say it was like walking through a museum except instead of man ripping the artifacts out of the its environment and bringing it to you, you go see it in its home.
For dinner we ate at this great restaurant and ate Hair Tail fish, it was quite good, but very bony.
Sunday we went hiking again, and then went to downtown and it was crazy. Each building was 3 stories and each story had several different stores. Street Vendors were out selling crazy wind up toys, dried octopus tentacles, and much more. We found a Burger King, Krispy Kreme, Outback Steak House, Pizza Hut, and finally a street vendor selling Pizza in a cup.
Our vacation is over though, work starts tomorrow, and that means new challenges. I can't wait to see what that brings.
--------------------------
I forgot to mention about the language. Korean uses character blocks, these are like words of sorts, but each block is one syllable. The blocks contain no less than 2 letters and no more than 3. Each block contains a vowel, but vowels can never stand alone, so there must be either one or two consonants. It makes writing and reading fairly easy once you understand of to pronounce the letters. My goal is to learn this as quickly as possible and then work on my vocabulary.
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