Gettin Down and Dirrrty....MudFest!

This past weekend, I went to Boryeong City which is on the west coast of Korea. The reason for the visit was to celebrate the annual MudFest. This is a festival that centers around a special mud that is found on the Boryeong beach off the coast of The Yellow Sea. The old belief is that this mud is great for your skin and health. Now, I am totally up for a mud wrap at a spa or cleansing my skin with natural products, but this festival was a little bit about the mud and more about the drinking on the beach. It is also a time for almost every foreigner in Korea, to gather and have what can only be described as a post-college drunken haze. Neither of which, I was prepared for....

We left at 7am on Saturday morning, to meet the tour group in Yangje. We arrived in Yangje at 8:30 and were off on the big tour bus by 9am. The ride to Boryeong was 3 hours. When we arrived, It was pouring down rain and the pension/hotel wouldn't let us check-in until 2pm. We had to walk around the festival with all our bags in the rain. Once we got into the room, we changed and get ready to get dirty in the mud! The moment we walked out of the pension, the sky became clear and it was beautiful for the rest of the weekend.

The festival was held right on the beach and it was only a 5 minute walk from our pension. We got to the festival and immediately lathered ourselves in mud. The actual mud is in a field about 5 miles down from the festival site. So, they have big trucks that ship the mud in and dump it into tubs for people to put on themselves. Or if you were in our group, have mud fights and splash each other. There were slides and obstacle courses for people to go on, but the lines were so long that it wasn't worth it. You could also mud wrestle in either a pool of mud or a pool of water to clean off. We opted for the beach and the sea instead. This beach was so clean and the water was a perfect temperature. For some reason, the water makes me feel like a kid again and I love splashing around and doing flips in the water!

After our fill of getting muddy, we went back to the pension and got ready for dinner. We had pizza and chicken at a restaurant and then went out to explore the city at night. Boryeong is a small beach city, that is definitely not prepared for as many people that showed up for the weekend. Everything was packed or sold out. The people I went with wanted to go out to the clubs/bars, but I went home and rested. It was tiring getting muddy and playing in the water!

The next morning, everyone was passed out from a fun night, but I woke up at 8am. So, I went on an adventure to the beach and took pictures of the festival before it got busy again. It was very hot and sunny before 10am, so it was time to go swimming! I ended up getting muddy one last time, which led to a paparazzi moment. I was with my friend's girlfriend who is Korean and we started a mud fight. Immediately, we had six photographers from the festival take multiple pictures of us. I was really skeptical, but they said that they want pictures of Koreans and foreigners interacting and bonding at the mudfest. Maybe next year our picture will be on the brouchure!!

At 3pm, it was time to clean off the mud and get back on the bus. I arrived at my apartment at 8:30pm and realized how exhausted I was from the fun weekend. Mudfest was great and I recommend it to anyone who will be in Korea next year. It is definitely something to experience!

Other than the dirty weekend, school is going great. We are preparing ourselves for vacation starting next week. That means we have to get everything done before Wednesday and then Thursday I will be on a plane to Jeju Island! I am so excited to get back on the beach! Six weeks from tomorrow will be my last day at ECC. I can't believe how fast this is going and how much more I have left to do!

The Rommie and I after our first mudding


Playing in the mud water


Hanging with the gals

Busy as a Bee!

June has just flown by! I can't believe this coming Friday will be the first day of July. It feels as though I was dancing in the streets of Seoul, ringing in the new year just last month. The quickness of time is mostly attributed to how busy life has been recently!

For the past month we have been preparing for a special day at ECC. It was open-class day, where the parents would come in and watch their child's class. Since I teach the seven year old classes, we had a more special open-class to prepare for. We did a play about hospitals and the different types of clinics and doctors. It was very fun for the kids and they were so good with the amount of time we spent practicing scripts. On the day of the hospital play, we were all very nervous. All our hard work was boiling down to this moment. I had two classes performing a play. The first class, called Fabre class, have only been studying English for 6 months. They knew all their lines and are always a very loud and entertaining class. The second class, called Edison class, have been studying for 3 years and are extremely fluent in English. They also knew their lines, but they are more quiet and well-behaved. Fabre class was up first and I was expecting loud voices and excitment. They ended up not making a sound, forgetting their lines, and refusing to speak after I whispered the lines in their ears. It was very difficult to get them excited about anything. These poor kids were so nervous in front of their parents and I felt like I had let my partner teacher down. But, we all realized in the end, that they were nervous and I played off the flop of the play as best as I could!

After Fabre class, I was expecting Edison class to go just as badly. The script was much harder for them, because they are more advanced students. Also, the are usually very quiet. Edison class went infront of their parents and were amazing! They remembered all their lines, spoke very loudly, and were very excited during the whole play. I was so proud of them, I bought them ice cream and candy before they went home on Friday. I should have guessed that Edison would do so well because they have been doing plays and open-classes infront of their parents for three years now. This was Fabre's first time speaking English infront of a big group. Overall, the plays went very well and the parents loved it. The kids had so much fun, but I know we are all happy to be done with open-classes.

Apart from those fun-times, my birthday was last Friday and I had a very special day thanks to my co-workers and students. My kindergarten kids made me special cards and gave them to me as a surprise. I spoiled them with candy and played a game with them. My elementary kids were very funny for my birthday. I walked into my last lesson of the day and the kids jumped out from under the table and started singing "Happy Birthday." After school, I had a dinner with some of the teachers and then went out to Uijeongbu and drank the ever famous Korean Soju. We went to a norebang (again! It's becoming an obsession) and we sang our hearts out until the early morning. I wanted to do an all-out birthday celebration in Seoul, but most of the teachers couldn't make it, so we moved it to the next weekend.

Before my second birthday celebration, we were invited to a 1st birthday party for the daughter of my Korean partner teacher. It was at this amazing world buffet in Gangnam. There was gourmet food from all over the world. The choices were endless. We ate ourselves silly and watched the traditional Korean birthday events. The main event was a very common Korean tradition. The baby, on their first birthday, is presented with different items that represent different career goals and aspiration. The baby then chooses an item and that is the path of the child's life. In the modern era, this tradition is just for traditional purpose, but at one time this was how parents decided the future of their children. All the guests had to put their name into a glass that had the name of one of the items. I choose to put my name in the glass that said "pencil" because Linda (my partner teacher) is a teacher and it would be fitting that her daughter become a teacher too. The baby was then presented with a tray that had the items. The items were a pencil for teacher, money for a business person, gavel for a lawyer, stethoscope for a doctor, string for a long life, and paintbrush for creativity. When it was time for the baby to pick, everyone was very quiet and watched her every move. It didn't take long for her to decide and she quickly grabbed the pencil! I was very excited because my guess was right! I was very happy to attend this birthday party because it's just another thing I can add to my list of cultural experiences. My partner teacher was so happy to have the foreign teachers attend as well!

I have been so very busy with all aspects of my life! I am constantly on the go and barely taking a second to just sit and relax. I wonder how different my life will be once I return to America. I could keep myself busy, but I also have the option to just sit and do nothing for a while. I think I will take the second choice, at least for a couple of week! My weeks in Korea are down to the single digits! I keep going up and down with my emotions about leaving. I am soooo happy to go home and see everyone and be in a place where I can talk to whoever I please and I won't be stared at, but I am also so sad to leave this amazing country. As I have learned from these last two weeks, you can't stop time so I might as well enjoy every moment!


My students with the birthday cards they made for me


Singing a few classics on my birthday with Sarah Teacher


Preparing the birthday girl for the "Path of Life" choice.

From the Park to the Forest

As comfortable as I've been getting used to Korea, I am starting to realize that my time here is rapidly coming to an end. Before I know it, I'll be packing my bags and running towards my family at the airport. With this thought, I've been trying to take in as much of Korea as I can. I am trying to have at least one Korean adventure every weekend. Luckily with school, I get to go on some pretty awesome field trips. Even though the words "field trip" at school are associated with stress, screaming children, puking children, and long bus rides. Still, they can be quite enjoyable!

The last field trip we went on was to the Children's Grand Park near Gangnam. The bus ride wasn't too long and I kept my sanity by sitting next to my favorite little guy named Eric :) I've nicknamed him "My Little Prince." We arrived at the park and it was packed with other schools, but I was able to take my students around a folk village and zoo. The animals were from all over the world and they were very active as well. The kids had so much fun! Despite the fact that it was very hot, we were able to find a nice shaded area for lunch. After lunch, the foreign teachers had to leave to go teach elementary, but the time at the park was very special.

Two weekends ago, I went to the Forest Research Institute near Seoul. It was an amazing arboretum filled with over 2300 species of plants. It doesn't sound that cool, but being there was very nice to see. There was also a museum with different types of trees, herbs, and grains that are grown in Korea. The best part about this adventure was realizing how different the world is. Not only in terms of culture, but agriculture as well. Again, it was a very hot day, but that is becoming a common occurrence now that summer has hit!

Today, I went to Yangju, which is only four subway stops from me. My plan was to find Jangheung Art Park. This has been only list of things to see for months now. When I got to Yangju, there was no map (like there usually is at the stations). There was a pamphlet that told about all the places to see in Yangju, but no directions on how to get there. I found a bus stop and decided to just get on the bus and see where that takes me. Well, the bus took me on 40 minute ride, with no sign of any tourist attraction. The bus driver asked me where I was going and I just shook my head and said back to the station. He laughed at me and stopped at a convienence store. He said that I would be back at the station after his lunch break. I went into the store, bought a water, played with the store owners puppy :), and got back on the bus. I returned to the station and went home. It was a failed adventure and only on my way back to the station did I realize that the art park was in the other direction from where I started. Epic Fail!

As far as my social life in Korea is concerned, the number of teachers who leave before I do is dwindling down. Only two more! One at the end of June, the other at the end of July, and then me. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by! I'm so sad to leave this place because I have created such an amazing life, with amazing people, but the happy thought is that I get to come home and see my family and all my wonderful friends. My hope is to return to Korea, and continue and improve the relationships I have started here, not only with people, but with the country itself.

My birthday is next weekend, and I plan on a big celebration in Seoul with my best chingus! Hope all is well in Michigan! Much love! Love, Mal


My students at the Children's Grand Park


Outside of the Forest Research Institute

The DMZ in All It's Glory

I was very fortunate to be able to see the DMZ this month. We had to sign up in advance and the price is usually around 90,000 won. However, a special price was running at this certain time and it only cost 42,000 won. The money pays for the bus to and from the DMZ. Also, we are given a traditional Korean lunch at a village outside of the DMZ.

The trip started at 7:30am. We had to take the subway into Seoul to meet up with the bus and other tourists at 9:30am. Once we were on the bus, we had a quick 1 hour ride to the "Freedom Bridge" site. This is the bridge that once connected the two Koreas and also the bridge that refugees once used to escape North Korea. Prior to arriving at the bridge, our bus was stopped and a soldier came on the bus to check everyone's passports. I was a little frightened but it went by quickly without any problems. After the bridge, we went to the village and had our lunch. This village is were only a few hundred people live and they are exempted from taxes and military service. However, they are not allowed to leave the village. They are mostly farming families in this area.

It was always a little scary because when we would get off the bus the tour guides and military would say "Don't wonder too far and stay with the group!" Sure, I'm just going to go wondering around the DMZ by myself. I might be blonde, but I'm not a complete idiot!

After our lunch, we went to the site of the third tunnel. "The Tunnels" are four tunnels created by North Korea and discovered by South Korea. The starting points are at various places in the North and all connect into Seoul. They were created for a surprise attack during and after the Korean War. There are believed to be 20 more undiscovered tunnels. We were allowed to go into the third tunnel, but no pictures could be taken. We had to wear hard-hats and it was very cramped. The tunnel itself, is 700 meters below the earth's surface, so we had to go down a tunnel to get to the actual tunnel. It was quite a workout!

After the tunnel, we looked around the museum dedicated to the tunnels and at the beautiful garden outside. The garden had traditional Korean statues and structures. When I took a closer look at the fence though, it said "MINE" with a skull on it. That took away the beauty of the garden! But I had no time to worry because it was back on the bus and off to the observation deck into North Korea!

When we arrived, everyone was very excited because this is what the big tour was leading up to! We were actually going to see North Korea! When we got to the deck, we discovered this big yellow line that was the "Photo Line." We could not go past the line to take pictures and if we did our cameras would be taken and searched. The reason for this is if the pictures got into the hands of the North Korean military, than they could see the advantage point that South Korea has from the observation deck. The actual view wasn't great. It was a little foggy and we just saw mountains and trees. The only interesting thing was on either side of the actual line seperating the countries is two massive flags. One for the South and one for the North. But of course, I couldn't take a picture of that!

The final stop was to Dorasan Station. Basically, this is the biggest waste of money ever spent. It is a station that was built in the DMZ for the HOPE that one day it will be the first station a subway will go through to North Korea. A train goes to and from this station only once a week and it's for the Korean military. The tagline for Dorasan is "Not the last station from the South, but the first station to the North." I don't see that happening anytime soon and I think it might be time to ask for your money back! We got to go on the platform and look at the tracks that "may one day" lead to North Korea. It was the most boring part of the trip, which was fine with me because we were all dead-tired!

Seeing the DMZ was really great! I learned a ton about the Korean War and got to see a great part of history. I hope to have more experiences like this during my time remaining time in Korea. Only 3 more months!

On a happy note, I want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful sister! She is lucky to be at home with our parents on her special day, and I can't wait to see all of them very soon!

Buddha's Birthday

This weekend was a time of celebration all over Korea. It was Buddha's Birthday and it is a huge holiday for the country. Almost every school (except for private academys) had Thursday thru Tuesday off for the holiday. Thursday of last week, was Children's Day. A day to celebrate kids, buy them presents, and take them to a rowdy amusement park. I went to a wonderful festival for Children's Day in Ilsan. It was the Flower Festival and the entire park was covered in flowers and displays. It was a beautiful day and I had a great time! Then it was back to school on Friday.

On Saturday, a group of teachers and I went to go see the Lantern Festival, which is the celebration for Buddha's birthday. Before heading into Seoul, we stopped in Itaewon for a Western meal. I remembered seeing a restaurant called The All-American Diner and I promised the teachers a real breakfast like back home. Well, I forgot where it was and we walked around for about 30 minutes. Luckily, we started talking to a Korean couple from America and they pointed us in the right direction. It was so worth it! We all had breakfast at 1:00pm. I had eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, and hashbrowns with a big barrell of coke to top it all off! It was wonderful! Except that it cost about $15. At IHOP it would have only cost about $8! But I will make the sacrifice for a little taste of home.

After brunch, we went into Seoul to the Lantern Festival. It was unbelievable how many lanterns filled the city. Every street corner and store had a lantern hung up and the colors were incredible. We ended up going to a temple and observed many people praying and bowing to Buddha. After the temple and walking around the city, we stood on the streets of Seoul and watched the Lantern Parade through the city. The best part was seeing the hundreds of monks walking through the street with their offerings for Buddha. There were many floats in the parade and every float was a huge lantern. The parade lasted for two hours and when it finished it was 9:00pm. We decided to head home after a long day of being tourists.

As for my daily life in Korea, I have been working alot and actually enjoying myself at work. I feel like I am so used to this job that it just comes naturally now. Rarely do I have a surprise or get scolded at for not doing something because I am on top of my game! My friends are great and I have been bonding well with the new teachers. It's amazing how fast you become friends with people here, but us foreigners have got to stick together! I made the stupid mistake of joining a gym and now I feel obligated to go. 6am work-outs here I come! The Summer weather has started and that means humidity, rain, and poofy hair :( Also, Korea has the awful season called "yellow dust." It's when the pollution from China drifts down with the wind and creates a yellow dust in the air. The level of danger changes daily, but small children, the elderyly, and sick people should stay inside if it's at a high level. It causes phlem and people get coughs, etc. It should only last for a month, so hopefully it'll be gone for my Birthday! I don't want to be sick! Have a good day friends and family! Love you all!






The Ceiling of Lanterns




Inside the Temple

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye....

The realization of this job has finally hit. When I was preparing to leave for Korea, I was so sad to leave all my friends and family back home. I didn't realize that I would come to Korea and make a new set of friends and have a "family away from home." It is unbelievalbe how close you can become with people in just a few months. It's amazing how you can develop a community of people you can rely on. This job has a constant turn-over and people are always leaving and new people are always arriving. I was very fortunate to have gone the first six months of my contract without losing any of my friends, but now the cycle has started. This weekend, we said goodbye to a very beloved teacher at ECC. He was an awesome person who always made the best out of any situation and he will truly be missed! I told myself I wasn't going to cry, but I had a wimper the day he left. We all did! But like I said, the cycle has started and at the end of June another teacher leaves and then another in the end of July. A month after that, I leave and I can't believe my year will be over!

Apart from having to say goodbye to my friends and fellow co-workers, I will be devestated when I have to say goodbye to my students. I absolutely adore these kids, especially my kindergarteners. They make my days better and put a big smile on my face! I wish I could see them grow more, but this job and lifestyle is a cycle that must keep moving. I think that four months from now, when I am packing my bags for home, I will feel as though my time is up and I need to move on from Uijeongbu and ECC. I was talking about this with a fellow foreigner and said that ECC has been a great place to have a first time contract. I have learned so much about Korea, private schools, and myself. This has been a challenging year, but a great one at that.

As I said before, we said goodbye to a teacher this weekend and it was his goal to leave Korea with a BANG! We celebrated his departure with the norebang and a trip into Seoul. By the end of the weekend, I was happy to see him go for the fact that I would never have to party like that again for awhile! The weather is finally getting warm enough to go without a jacket, but since this is Korea I will probably be sweating buckets in the humidity by next week. Korea is the land of extreme temperatures. It's either too cold or too hot and no in-between. Oh well, I'd rather be sweating my ass off than having it freeze off! Also, the rain has started and it just makes me feel so lazy. It's 11 o'clock on a Friday night and due to the rain, I am in my pajamas, in my bed about to fall asleep. I hope everything is going great back home! Miss you all and love you!

The Snowball Effect

Over a month since the last post, and I have a very good reason! At school, we just finish a huge two day event for the parents. It was called "Market Play" and we simulated a little town for the kids to go through with there parents. They went to the bank and got money from a little ATM, bought schools supplies at a market, and went to a cafe and ordered food. The play itself was only two hours, each day, but the preparation took a month. We had to make all the props, powerpoints, and teach the students chants and songs. We ended up staying at school until about 10:00pm on many nights. It was a mess to make, but a success in the end. The parents loved it and complimented the teachers on all their hard work.

However, I feel as though I am having a snowball effect with work because now it's on to the next task. This new task being another parent's day next month. There usually isn't two parent's days so close together, but for some reason there is now. We are making a hospital play. This one is an actual play were the kids will have scripts and costumes. I have already started preparing for it and feeling slightly overwhelmed. I was pretty sad after market play because I usually have this great feeling of relief, but not this time. The pressure is starting again, but I'm trying to take it day by day!

Other than school, my social life (or what's left of it) is going good. I had a chance to go to a Cherry Blossom Festival last weekend and it was so amazing. The trees looked like they were covered in fluffy, white snow and the amount of people there was insane! Speaking of snow, sorry Michigan! :( Mother nature just likes messing with you! The weather has been very consistent here. For the past month, it has been gradually getting warmer and it's been in the upper 60s.

Well I am very tired and ready to sleep until that awful thing called an alarm wakes me up. Good night everyone!