Korean Thanksgiving Weekend

Hello Home,

Well last week was Thanksgiving and I definitely missed home. :( This past Saturday a bunch of friends and I decided to have a Korean thanksgiving. Luckily there is a Costco here, so we were able to pick up some western food. A bunch of people also improvised and it turned out great. Best part was a teacher here works at a big English school campus and they have a "western style" kitchen where we got to eat like true Americans. We also invited a few Brits, Canadians and Koreans to share our tradition with.

I also decided to get out again this Saturday and visit one of the Main Palaces here in Seoul. It's right in the middle of the city. Geongbokgung was the main palace from 1392-1910. Great thing was they had this traditional Korean dress, or Hanbok, for us to try on. I've posted pics and even made a little action video for you to enjoy.

Thanksgiving Weekend Pics
Luis and Mark's Action Movie

Keeping up with the old folk.

Hi All,
Nothing too new to report here, currently the won continues to tank verses the dollar. It's 1500 per dollar. My only hope is that by the time I get to come home it stabilizes a little and gets better. It is more or less out of my hands. :( On a positive note I went out and climbed a mountain just outside of Seoul last Sunday. Seoul is surrounded by mountains and LOTS of Koreans enjoy hiking. In particular older Koreans suit up in professional style gear and go hiking. Most of it is really unnecessary but you gotta look good on the trail.... Also worth noting is that most of the climbers are pretty old, and you don't see too many young people climbing. I've seen folks that have to be 50-60 years old out there giving me a run for my money. That must explain why they are soo much thinner than us.... Also In typical Korean style, a lot of the men drink while hiking, or take breaks to have Soju (typical korean alcohol) shots during the climb. Nothing like drinking and climbing.

Here are some pics
Here are 2 videos

Colleen and Halloween!!!

Hey all,
Well halloween came and went and it was a blast. I celebrated with my kids at school then went for a night on the town with some friends. It was extra special since my friend from home (Colleen) came to visit. It was really nice to have a familiar face around. We took some pictures around town. and during Halloween. Here are the pics, enjoy! :

Colleen and Luis see the town.
Halloween Pics 1
Halloween Pics 2

How I lost $800 dollar doing absolutely nothing.

I know, I know it has been a while.

Well the last two months have been a rollercoaster to say the least. I have developed a deeper respect and appreciation for what it is like being an immigrant in another country. I have realized exactly how few rights I have. I'll try and make it quick:

My school is a private "institute" and was purchased by another owner. That owner came in an made radical changes to schedules, and curriculum with out consulting anyone. Not even the parents who spend 800 bucks a month to send their kids here. Needless to say, many teachers have quit and we have lost tons of students. The school had 200 kids when I started and now we have about 100. That's alot of dinero.

I started here teaching kindergarten, but due to all the changes parents were really upset and having troubles with the new owner. So the owner decided to get rid of the kindergarten and ship all the kids to a new school. So now I have no kids to teach. Since my visa is directly tied to my school, I am stuck. I cannot not quit and find a new job, I cannot pass go, and I cannot collect 200 dollars. They changed my schedule and now I spend half my time editing an english teaching curriculum, something I did not sign on for. The other half I spend teaching elementary kids. All of this was set up without my consent and I just have to do as I am told, or go home.

The only reason I stick it out is because, after I complete my year they MUST pay for my plane ticket home and give me a $2,300 bonus, or what used to be $2,300 .....

Now to how I lost $800 (so far)....Well due to this wonderful global economy the Korean won has plummeted in the last few months. When I arrived it was roughly 1000 won per dollar. Now it is about 1,400 won per dollar. So 6 months ago if I sent 3,000,000 won home, I had $3,000. Now it would be rougly $2,142. I have never concerned myself much with the economy, but I am hella concerned now that it involves my money. Hopefully the plung will slow.. hopefully.

My hope is that these last few months, my school doensn't completely tank, because then I would be out a plane ticket and bonus. I am limiting my travels and saving cash just in case. Traveling is definitely fun, and I wouldn't change it for the world, but it isn't always fun and games. I hope you guys are all great back at home. I'll try and post sooner so these don't get soo dang long.

-LR

Thailand!!

Hello Fam and Friends,

Last week I had a one week vacation and headed to Thailand! It was an amazing place and extremely beautiful. It is expensive to get to but well worth it and once you get there expect to spend little. I won't bore you with too many details, but while there I visited Bangkok for 1 day then headed to the South Western part of the country.

Bangkok wasn't the most impressive city, but if you like endless temples and cheap shopping it is definitely for you. After one day of being there, I had had enough "cheap suit!" offers to last me a life time.

Thailand's definite strong point was it's beaches and country side. I headed to Krabi Thailand where I visited a few temples and rented scooters for a day and headed into the country side looking for Buddhist temples and a natural hot spring waterfall. I found out the next day that Thailand has one of the higher scooter death rates in the world. Oops. In my defense it was only $5 for 24 hours. How could I pass that up? Funny story though, I was robbed by a monkey at the "Tiger Cave" Buddhist temple. I was waiting outside in front of a convenience store waiting for a friend when a monkey, out of no where, snatches a bag of peanuts from me. He ran way and climbed on the roof of the store, opened them and had a little feast. At least he shared with his friends.

Next we headed to Ko Phi Phi Island, one of the more famous and most touristy. I didn't mind though. We took a long tail boat ride around the island and stopped at various beaches, including Maya beach where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. Needless to say all the beaches were amazing.

Overall I had a great time. I posted some pics and am waiting on a friend ( Who took alot more pictures than I did) to pass me her pictures and I'll post them. For now I posted what I have at the bottom. Oh BTW a Thai massage in Thailand ( no happy ending) is about $7. I got 3 . Score for me.

-LR

Pictures 1
Pictures 2
Videos

Howdy

Well it has been a month..... Nothing too exciting to report. I have been working the 9 to 5 just like any regular Joe here in Korea. Well except that I am not so regular and I continually get stared at just about everywhere I go. I've kinda gotten used to it. I have pretty much adjusted to working here and have been in a regular routine. I have been having some troubles with my school, so I am not sure what could happen. If you see me home in a few months, don't be surprised. I get the feeling they are having some financial issues, but since I don't speak Korean, heck if I know: The glory of being a foreigner.

I did go to Mud-Fest last week with some friends. It is one of the largest festivals here in Korea and goes on for a week. The Festival is supposed to be where you come out and coat yourself in Boryeong mud which is supposed to have special properties that make it good for you. Essentially though it is just a reason to go with your friends to the beach, coat yourself in mud and get into shenanigans. I also happened to see the most amount of foreigners (ie: me) there so far. I almost felt like I was at home! I posted some pics of all the excitement.

This weekend I will be traveling to Busan, the second largest city in Korea with a friend that is visiting me from the states. The following week I will be heading to Thailand for my summer vacation. Wish me luck.

-LR

Mud Fest

Busy Busy.

*** My friend posted an awesome video of our NK trip. I've added it on the bottom.

Hey all,
Yes.. it's been a while. Last few weekends have been busy. First I found out that I had to move one weekend, then we had a 3 day weekend so I went to the beach, and last weekend I went to North Korea. Yes, the nuke building North Korea.

If you are ever curious about moving in NK just ask, I won't bore you with details. And the beach weekend was nothing too special. Just hung out on a not so pretty beach and it was rainy. So onto North Korea:

Brief history lesson, North Korea and South Korea were split after WWII. The north is communist and south is just like us. The Northern Koreans are mostly cut off from the rest of the world and are fed daily propaganda and hate everything that is American. We are the devil. Their leader is Kim Jong-il II. He and his father(deceased) are referred to as Dear leader and Great Leader and are treated as gods in NK. Technically even though his father is dead, he is still the leader of the country. He will always be. Every citizen is required to wear a pin with his face on it everyday of their lives. It's insane. As for my trip, it was to mount Geumgangsan, a famous mountain range in NK.

First we passed through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It is one of the most heavily guarded boarders IN THE WORLD. Tanks, barbed wire, pits, machine guns, soldiers; you name it and it's there. Unfortunately no pictures. After entering through immigration, we stood in a small tourist area not too far from the mountains. It was pretty much cut off from the rest of Korea and you really only get to see what they want you to see. I did not feel like I was really in NK, the only thing that continually reminded me was the presence of soldiers everywhere. Imagine being on vacation and having soldiers around. Weird. Another reminder were the random tanks and rocket launchers on the side of the road while driving through the country side. Fun fun.

We climbed the mountain but it was rainy so no pictures turned out too well. I did get some pictures near the ocean. We were near the coast of NK. I was only able to take pictures at certain times. Really only where it would shed a positive light on NK. Some general rules if you are ever in NK:

1. Always wear your NK passport around your neck. (yes they check)
2. No Cell phones.
3. No cameras that have strong zooms. (they check)
4. No pictures in restaurants
5. No pictures while passing through the Demilitarized Zone.
6. No pictures of Citizens without approval
7. No pictures of Soldiers
8. No pictures while on bus. IE no country side pictures.
9. No taking pictures of pictures of the great leaders. they are sacred and only N. Koreans can.

Over all I felt pretty "controlled". Most workers were very cordial, but they were sure to keep their distance. We never really got to talk to any of them. It was a very beautiful country though and over all the trip was nice. Unfortunately I knew it was just a small secluded and unreal view of NK. It did remind me of how great it is that I was born in a country where I have the right to do, read, and say what I want and even go where I want. Whoo ha for that.

North Korea.

Davids NK Video

-LR

Moved!!

Hey all,
So I had some problems and lost my first apartment. I have been getting set up and moved into my new apartment and am up and running again. Things are good here so far, just working and getting into slight amounts of trouble. I'll post some more pics and such soon. Hope you all are fantastic in that 100 degree weather!

-LR

Mount Seoraksan

Hola familia y amigos,

So last weekend was Buddha's b-day and we had Monday off so I headed to North East South Korea to climb a mountain. It was sooooooo nice to get out of the city, and is actually the first time I have been out in 2 months!! The fresh air was nice. Unfortunately we were not able to hike to the top of the mountain because it was closed off due to firehazards. We did climb one small peak with an amazing view and climbed up to a cave in the side of the mountain. It was neat, they were having a ceremony celebrating Big B's birthday in the cave. Most of the trails were really good and some even had steps bolted to the side of the mountain. Although I did notice a few coat hangers holding things together.. but I'm sure it was safe, right?......... anyway I'll let the pics do the talking. Until next time!!

Mount Seoraksan

-LR

Field Trip, Buddhas B-day and a little Korean Hospitality

Hola Amigos,

So it has been a busy few weeks here in Korea. I had a field trip with my kiddos to a science museum and it was tons-o fun. Unfortunately now I have an understanding of how nerve racking it is trying to control 18 children knowing their lives are in your hands while they run around like mad children in a new surrounding and at a playgroud. Lesson learned; I'm never having 18 kids. Last week was also children's day here in Korea which you actually get a day off of school which I was super stoked about. We had a party for the kiddos where they got to come to school in costumes, have a fashion show, a music competition and stuff-your-face-full of food-fiesta. It was sweet.

I did get to experience some real Korea these past few weeks. I attended the annual Lantern lighting festivities which is the celebration of Buddhas birthday. I attend the very serious opening ceremony where they chanted and walked around Seoul city hall plaza. Best part was after the ceremony it was followed up by some extremely fun synchronized dancing. I posted some video. I also attended the annual Lantern festival parade and visited a temple covered in Lanterns. It was kinda like the Macy's day Parade.. Korean style.

One of the coolest things I got to experience was a real Korean household. A local family invited us to their home (not something taken lightly here) and our friends Ginny's mom showed us how to make some real Korean food. We got to help and her mom found it funny that 3 of us guys were helping: men don't traditionally cook here. Then the best part was: we got to eat it. This was tons better than any Korean food I have had here and I actually really liked it. Nothing tops home cooking, even on the other side of the world. Anyway hope you all are doing fantastic. 2 months down!!

-LR

To see Kiddos, Buddah and Korean Hospitality: Click here

Things are warming up...

Hola,

Hi everyone hope things are great back at home. It has a been a fun couple of weeks. I have experienced every thing from a Korean Karaoke bar to eating silk worm larva and Octopus. (I don't recommend the Larva... good initial taste.. terrible after taste.) I have eaten out several times here and eating out here usually lasts a while and you get to cook your own food. You sit around a fryer and they bring meat and an assortment of vegetables for you to eat. I actually like the food, but I am a little impatient when it comes to cooking it. What can I say I am a little spoiled. I mean if I go out to eat I want someone to throw a nice big slab of cooked meat in front of me within 6-8 minutes. But there is something to be enjoyed about cooking and spending quality time with your friends.

I also have visited a Korean Karaoke room and DVD room. These are essentially small rooms you rent in hour increments and hang out with your friends. They are usually pretty nice and pretty comfy. I posted some pics.

I also visited Namdaemun Market, a very large and rather crowded market here in Seoul. It is home to the Namdaemun monument which until February had been standing for 610 years until some disgruntled employee burned it down. It was all over the national news. It was pretty insane but very impressive.

Other than that I have been making some friends and hanging out. I went out last Sunday to see the Cherry Blossoms bloom here in Seoul. It is a big event and they really enjoy getting out here once the spring rolls around since they have such a harsh winter. It was nice to be out and about. I haven't worn my coat in a week, which is really nice. Overall I am staying pretty busy and enjoying things. It is not all fun and games, I do work every day 9-5 like every other stiff, and work is well........ work. Overall though things are good though. Hope you are fantastic!

Pictures

-LR

P.S. So I took this video cause I thought it was hilarious. Seoul is the only place where I have seen it be OK and very common place to see completely plastered business men on the street. I see this just about every day.. but usually on the weekends. Enjoy. Video

Work time and Playtime

Shazzam,
So I am still alive and kicking and I can't believe I have been here for almost a month already. Time is flying by, I think this year will blow by. I have a pretty normal work routine, but have yet to get paid so hopefully the money will start flowing soon.... I did take my kids on a field trip to a "playground" on the 3rd floor of an office building. Due to the space constraints it is pretty common to have indoor playgrounds here. It was loads of fun and quite chaotic for 2 hours. I posted some pics.

I have made a few friends, couple from Canada and my Irish co-worker. We have hung out the last few weekends. I visited a Hookah bar here (one of two in the city I believe). I did have a little shindig at my apartment, where I realized that I need to invest in cups. Nothing like having your friends drink beer out of bowls. I may go crazy that first check and invest in 3-5 cups. In other news I have slowly been growing accustomed to the food and with time I may actually grow to like it... hopefully. Other than that nothing new to report, but I am planning on getting out of the city in a couple weeks and see the surrounding mountains and do a little exploring. I'll be sure to post pics, until then it is concrete and flashy lights for me.

Playground time, Hookah and a few more city pics
Playground Videos

-LR

Little challenges..

Hey all,
So you definitely know you are in another country when you spend 10 minutes trying to figure out your washing machine and T-stat. (I took quite a few cold showers before I realized how to work the T-stat, since it is linked with the water.) I will have to say that I was a little spoiled in Chile by the fact that I could speak Spanish. Since I don't speak a lick of Korean, reading things is pretty much impossible. I am taking some classes to learn the alphabet, kinda funny actually: my Korean is at a much lower level than my 5 year olds' english.

I did finally make a couple trips on the subway system here. It is quite impressive and extremely massive. The good part is that it IS labeled in English... although I did manage to get stuck in it for about 20 minutes...... but you live and learn. One good thing that may come of this trip is that I may increase my cooking skills from 0 to 1.2. Since I don't particularly like the food it has resulted in me cooking most nights. I feel like in the 15 years I've lived with a Chef I should have picked up on something.. oops. Shopping is fun though, since I can't read any labels. Most of my shopping is based on pictures, if there's no picture.. I ain't buying it. I did manage to find an amazing pizza place 3 minutes walk from my place.... I've had pizza three times in the last week... dangerous.........

T-Stat
Washing Machine

-LR

Yes.. I am a cafeteria lady.

Hey all,
I am getting settled into working and thought I would share a typical day with you. Luckily some of my students, especially my home room class speak a little bit of english which sure helps. I usually arrive at school around 9:30am and greet my 4-6 year old kids off the bus. I help them change then serve them a snack for breakfast, which typically consist of some milk and bread. I then have class from 10-12 in 40 minute sections. I teach math, science and english. Try teaching math to kids in a language not their own.. it is fun to say the least. Then "Luis the lunch lady" springs into action and serves them lunch. I then eat with them, or atleast eat what I can. Lunch is very "interesting" (posted some pics, don't ask me what it is.. the only thing for sure I know is "rice") Then I have class from 1-3, and load them up on the bus. Finally I have older kids (1st -3 rd) grade in the afternoon from 3-5. Not too bad a schedule, but anyone that works with kids knows how they suck the energy out of you like tiny little energy sucking vampires. They are tons of fun though and continually make me smile... for now........

Kids, Class and Lunch

-LR

Getting Settled in

Hey all,
So I a settled in my new apartment which is about 2 blocks from school. So I will essentially sleep walk to school. My school is nice and most speak english there which is good. Unfortunately I found out I am not just teaching english, I am also teaching math, and science WHILE teaching english to 4-6 year old really cute Korean kids. This should be fun.

I have explored a little of the city and saw what is supposed to be one of the largest indoor amusement parks in the world, called Lotte World. It is located in a mall that is like a giant maze. The mall runs under the streets, and is also attached to several buildings. You can enter through the building or walk down steps like your going into a subway. It was huge. I also visited the foreign part of town which consists of a bunch of American type bars. I went with some of my teachers who are locals and they didn't like it. In Korea typically you go out and eat and drink and it is a little calmer. Next I'll get to experience a Korean bar with them.

For now I am getting settled, trying to pick up on a few words here and there and just adjusting to being in a huge city. People are very friendly here and always helpful. For a big city it is surprisingly very safe, atleast in the part I live in. Anyway hope you all are doing well!! Here are some pics and video of my apartment. More pics are coming.......

Apartment Video and City Pics

-Luis

Arrived Safely

Hey all I have arrived safely last night. I have my first class today. I also plan on getting internet in my apartment, because I am having some serious trouble using these Korean Computers!! I'll post some pics of my apartment and school soon!

Hello Friends

Hi all,
This will be my new travel blog. I will be posting pics and information over my 1 year stay in Korea. More posts soon!! You can check out my blog over my travels in Chile at www.luisinchile.blogspot.com

-LR