Hayjangook

My favourite Korean food so far is Hayjangook. I've heard somewhere that the direct English translation is "Sunrise Soup," and with good reason. Ever gone looking for a miracle hangover cure? This is it. It's amazing. Eaten the morning after, or even the last thing the night before, it cures whatever ails you. It's so ridiculously spicy, you sweat any toxins out of your system. I think the spice comes from the chillis, but all the other ingredients are what make it so delicious- the cabbage, scallions, onions, and the pig vertebrae. That's really my favourite bit of the soup experience- picking the meat off the bone and uncovering lumps of hog spine. They're really fatty, but it's nice fat, and good amounts of it too. I'm pretty sure there's blood in it too, but don't quote me on that. Serve it up with a bowl of rice and a bit of Kimchi on the side, and you're laughing.



I had two helpings of Hayjangook this week. One was Sunday morning, to right myself before going to play with the orphans- more on that in a moment. The place is usually packed at seven in the morning, but it was almost as full at one in the afternoon. The other was Monday afternoon, part of our tradition of Hayjangook Mondays. Myself and my co-worker Melvin go after work every week to discuss, and recover from, the events of the previous weekend. I really love this tradition, in particular cause I get to eat this delicious soup!
Saturday night we were out 'til all hours, welcoming Maire to Daegu. I know her from the TEFL course we did last summer- funny now that a third of that class are in the same city in Korea. I needed my hangover soup the next morning, because we had an appointment to go and volunteer in a local orphanage at two o'clock. We started off playing with girls aged between four and ten, and then moved downstairs to play soccer with the boys. The kids themselves were adorable, so much fun. I couldn't understand a word they said, but I can be silly in any language! I think they really enjoyed it, and while I can't really understand the myriad of complicated reasons they are there, I know that it's important for kids to play with, and to get attention from adults. I don't mean to imply that they are neglected- far from it, they have loads of toys, and seem to be treated really well. But even though we were only there for three hours, I really feel they enjoyed our prescence. I'd love to be able to post up photos of the little cuties, but the workers there have been quite specific that photos shouldn't find their way to the internet, so I'll have to respect their wishes.

Castles Made of Sand

Went to Busan last weekend. I was there a couple of weekends ago, but because the weather was so miserable that time, I didn't really get to go on the beach. This weekend though was a different story altogether. They were hosting the Haeundae Sand Festival. Professional sand sculptors were brought in to make some absolutely amazing sand castles. This one was over twenty feet tall. I don't know how the towers stayed pointy!


We entered the sandcastle competition with the intention of winning. And do you know, we did! We built a Buddha. Not particularly large, but I think it was the attention to detail that won it for us. The judge (aforementioned sandcastle pro) said he really enjoyed its originality. And I know that Buddhas not particularly into material gains, but the prize was pretty sweet- a satellite navigation system for the car we don't have! We're gonna sell it on, and hope to make a little money out of it.



The entire day was drinking beer and making sandcastles. So much fun. There were a few other festivals going on along the beach aswell though, and I managed to get a look at them. There was an international dance festival, there was a Korean wrestling festival (not unlike Sumo, but smaller) and a beach volleyball competition. Not too many other photos though.
The nightlife in Busan is pretty epic too- Friday, after checking into our hotel (the first I've ever stayed in without a bed...) we went to a club called Frankies. We saw a pretty cool post rock band, and then a pretty crap Japanese band. Still, the last time I was in Busan, we caught an excellent rockabilly band from Seoul, so I know now there's quite the music scene there. Saturday night was spent dancing. I mean serious dancing. I may have scared the locals a little. I was quite enthusiastic.
Sunday I met up with some friends I had made the last time I was in Busan, and we went to Nampodong market. It was pretty cool, lots of clothes stalls and places to buy little trinkets. I really enjoyed mooching around. I found some nice scruffy clothes, which I don't really have any of here, and I also decided I want to dress a little more like Korean men. They are a very well dressed nation, as a whole. So I think I'll be able to go back and spend a little more money there...
I was exhausted by the end of the weekend, but very, very happy I'd done it. Next weekend is a scavenger hunt in Daegu, not to mention the beginning of the World Cup. I think there's a giant screen in the middle of town, so I shall be heading in to watch it there. I solemnly vow to blog more frequently too, I have rather fallen out of the habit. Until then!

Home at last

Hello again! Weekend in Seoul was absolutely amazing. We finished work at 10 o'clock on Friday evening, and were in a taxi by 5 past. Over to Dong Daegu station to get the KTX bullet train from Daegu up to the big bad city. Even though it wasn't that late, alot of people seemed to be sleeping, and although I personally feel we did a credit to both ourselves and the soju we were drinking with how quiet we were, we did still get shushed several times. Arrived in Seoul and waited in line for ages for a taxi. We had the address of the hostel on a mobile phone, and we showed it to the taxi driver, who delivered us safe and sound to a darkened back alley off a brightly lit strip. Fortunately, we were actually just around the corner from the hostel, and met up with the rest of our party for galbi (indoor barbecue- yuumy!). After some food, we found a cute little basement bar where we danced the night away. Despite some altercations with a snaggletoothed harridan and a scarred psychopath, we emerged unscathed into the inebriated night air of Seoul. When I say inebriated, I mean it was ridiculous. The first impression I got of the second geographically biggest city in the world was- yes, everybody here is insanely drunk. People passed out in every concievable position- in doorways, on busy freeways, standing against lampposts- ridiculous! People shuffling and wobbling home, old men being lifted by their old ladies- everybody was soused. The poor unfortunates we found outside The Vault were no better- three college students asleep, surrounded by pools of vomit. Ask Aiden O'Donoghue, he might show you the photos. Or maybe not, he was very busy being beaten up by a girl at the time.
The next day we headed for Gyeongbukgung, a 14th century royal palace, where we wandered around and looked at amazing old buildings. It was tremendously peaceful, and had a beautiful gardens attached, so we had a lovely walk.

There was also a folk museum there, but because the guys I was with wanted to go get some food, I didn't really get to spend as much time there as I liked. But I shall be back, never fear! We went for some delicious bulgogi, a beef dish, and drank dongdongju, an actually potable rice beer/wine thing. I don't know if it was the effects of the wine but walking down the street, carrying my balloon, wearing the new hat I had just bought and eating a delicius maple syrup cake thingy, I reached a plateau of happiness. Everything was magnificent. I was seriously as happy as I've ever been.

And then a parade came past.

All the lanterns were made from paper, and some of them were absolutely enormous- huge lit up sculptures painted in beautiful colours. We headed back to the hostel to regroup, before going for some excellent galbi- this time delicious beef. Yum. A few drinking games later, we tore up the floor in a nightclub, and then asked a select group of newfound friends (basically everyone we'd met) to join us for some noraebang. Which they did.
The next day was a little rough alright, and we didn't really get to make paper lanterns as we'd been planning, but the stalls in the street were unreal, with loads of Buddhists from different countries represented. We went to a large temple festooned with lanterns, and I bought the monks some rice.

The parade was starting soon, so after some Indian food, and encountering a few more Irish people, we settled in to watch. If I had thought the floats the day before were amazing, this melted my mind. I'd say there were easily fifty thousand people marching, and who knows how many more watching.

We snuck up to the front for the after parade show, which consisted of drummers, dancers and singers, pop and traditional alike, fireworks and huge jets of flame from the stage. Then everyone was standing up, I assumed to go home. But no, I was grabbed at either hand by two middle aged Korean women, and flung around in a circle, singing and dancing. What followed was the most energetic, surreal helter skelter of a conga line I have ever been part of. If Jack Kerouac had ever played ring a ring a rosies, he would have played it like this. I gave and recieved more high fives in that half hour than ever before in my life. And all the while there was a group of dancers on the stage, telling us what to do. We didn't understand, but we could sure as hell copy their actions. So, withall the cameras in Seoul watching us, and with all the noise and confetti of a Flaming Lips gig, we danced and laughed and danced and laughed. It was amazing. These Buddhists sure know how to thow a party. And clean up afterwards, for that matter. A little over an hour later, there was no sign of there having been a parade at all- everybody was gone, streets were cleared, floats being packed away. It was surreal. If it were Ireland, the guards would still have been carrying people off the street and the place would have been a mess of beer cans and puke. And you can drink on the street here!
Coming back by bullet train this morning was pretty rough, but I managed to study a little Korean- I'm slowly but surely getting the hang of the alphabet... I'm so exhausted now, but the spicy pork spine soup I had after work gave me just enough energy to come and write this. But I'm sure as hell going to sleep tonight- I've been wrecked all day, and coughing, from the yellow dust I'm sure. But more on that another time...

Man, I wish I had the internet.

Writing to this thing would be so much easier. Everytime I need to use the internet I have to go down to the PC bang (room) around the corner. Alright, it's not very far, and it's not too expensive either, but it is a bit of hassle. And most of my limited time then is spent on facebook or checking emails or whatever. I'm used to having hours on the web, rather than just snatches here and there. So today, I'm being clever. I'm writing a nice long one here in my apartment, and I'll upload it later, so as to maximise internet time. Plus, I have apple juice here and I don't have to wear a shirt. (I like living alone in a warm country.)
I can't get internet in my apartment because I don't have my alien registration card. This is issued to you roughly three weeks after you do your medical test, which myself and Maccon Fionn did on Friday last. Until you get this card, you can't get a mobile phone, bank account, cable TV or health insurance either. So once I get sorted for this card, basically, I can have everything I need. But it is a bit of a dose, going from being all wired up at home to being relatively uncontactable. I know, sure who'd be phoning me anyway, right? But still, meeting up with the lads is difficult. You can't just say “Give me a call,” because people can't.
The medical test was no bother, the worst part of it was giving blood. I'm not a massive fan of having needles stuck in me anyway (who is?), but it was quick and relatively painless. The funniest bit was the eye test. The eye doctor lady made me stand in the doorway of her office and read the letters. When I went to take off my glasses, she said “Annio, Annio!” (“No, No!”). So I left them on, and read the letters she pointed at. So the test must just have told her... how good my glasses were? I don't understand. Then she sat me down and opened a little book. And sure enough, it was a colour blindness test, that little mosaic of different coloured dots. “What number?” she said. Ahaha, I thought, I know I usually can't do these, but I'm pretty sure I can see this one. “Nine?” I said, albeit somewhat hopefully. The noise that came out of her mouth was one of utter astonishment, and she looked at me as if I were simple. I really think she'd never encountered anyone who was colour blind before. I had a couple more stabs, “Six? Thirteen?” before giving up. She just stared. “Colour blind!” I said, waving my hands in front of my eyes. I'd say she thought I was a real character. I left the room slightly confused, but one step closer to my alien card, at least.
I think I'm still getting used to the heat. Well, the humidity is the real killer. I suppose it's not that bad, like a really nice day in Ireland, but very close. And it's like that all day. It's great when I step out of my apartment in the morning, but it gets a little bit much by the end of the day. I find myself taking naps, and would probably take more if I didn't have to work all evening! Course, it's going to get hotter and more humid. I can't wait! Today we had a few drops of rain. Nobody else in the office noticed it, but I'm an expert at recognising rain, being from Ireland and all. You know the way they say “It's not worth writing home about”? Well this seems to be, because I am. It made everything a whole lot cooler and nicer. Roll on rainy season!
Last weekend was mainly spent taking it easy. Saturday I spent getting a little more acquainted with my neighbourhood, Siji. It's on the outskirts of Daegu, and if I had Google maps in my apartment, I'd surely work out how to link you to it. But it's only ten or fifteen minutes by subway from the centre of the city, so it's alright. There are plenty of restaurants, and although the Korean places can be a little intimidating, they're handy enough to manage as there are usually pictures of the food somewhere. Everything Korean is delicious, by the way. I love it all, and I'll write in the coming weeks about all the amazing food I'm eating. Sunday was supposed to be spent hiking Palong mountain, the highest mountain in the reigon. Apparently there are buddhist temples all the way up. I say apparently, we had to change buses at one point and ended up going the wrong way. We ended up at a lake at the other side of the city! It was quite fun though, we took swan pedalos out and played some mini-golf.
Tomorrow we're going to the train station to buy our tickets to Seoul for this weekend. It's Buddha's birthday, the lucky man, so there'll be parades and a lantern festival. The girl in the office who's organising the trip has, I think, signed us up to a latern making workshop. Expect photos. I promise I'll post some of the better ones up, I know I've been really bad about it, but I'm going to plead the No Internet defence again! Anyway, I'll love you and leave you, and hope this satisfies those of you looking to get your Alex fix...

Yesterday was my first day of school. I really enjoyed being in front of a classroom, enjoyed the banter with the kids and the feeling of teaching- asking questions, getting answers, doing excersises. I was really hyperactive, despite the lack of sleep and the heat, so even in those air conditioned classes I was sweating buckets. It was all going really well until the listening class. These generally are the ones that go wrong anyway, when you're relying on CDs and players. And the classes at this school are doubly difficult because you have to have all the right paper, and give each of the students a test, and put them in the door, then give them a different test, and put those in the door and then do the rest of the lesson on a different piece of paper. So of course muggins here brings all the wrong tests, all the wrong paper, generally getting everything wrong, and makes a massive confusion of everything. And this was only compounded when the next listening class I was timetabled to do (which I had prepared for in the break) was actually a higher level, so I had all the wrong paper. Again. Miserable. But, on the plus side, I went for spicy pork spine soup and a few glasses of wine with the other teachers, and that was a good way to let off steam!

Today was much better- I really feel I learned from the mistakes I made and put them into practice- preparation, preparation and all that jazz. ANyway, time for me to sleep...

I'm still alive... just about!

It's kind of hard to believe I've only been here three days. Maybe it's the jetlag, maybe it's the unhealthy amounts of alcohol that people keep making me drink, but it feels much longer. Well, I'm not to badly jetlagged, so it's probably the other one!

I was picked up from the plane by the “reinforcement team”, guys whos job it is to help us settle in. The apartment was missing a few bits and pieces, my matress was on the floor and there was no dinner table, but I really didn't care. I went straight to sleep. I woke up as it was getting bright. It must have been about five, I'd imagine, but I had no idea- I hadn't reset my clock on my mp3 player- the only time telling device I had! I made myself sleep some more, even though my body was sure it was the wrong time of day, then I went down to the Emart.

The Emart is a massive supermarket, on three levels, and they sell absolutely everything. Well, I presume they do, I didn't recognise very much of the food! I got some apple juice and noodles to tide me over, but I don't think I'll be eating at home very much. It's quite cheap to go out for food.

At 2 o'clock myself and Maccon Fionn had induction training in MoonKkang headquarters, and then we went to our respective schools for observation. The other “foreign teachers” (whenever somebody says foreigner, I keep forgetting that I'm one too...) are really nice. There are some really diverse and interesting teaching styles, and I'm actually just really excited to get in front of a class!

Then it was into town for drinks and food. There are a few other teachers starting at the company, so we all headed out to a Korean barbeque place. You cook the food on the table, and press your little button when you run out of food. It's amazing.

Anyway, I've got to iron shirts for tonight- (another drinking session?), but I will post tomorrow with more news. Oh there will be news!

So people seem to actually be reading this thing...

...because a few people over the last few days have said to me, "Oh yeah, I saw on your blog...". So thanks for following guys, I shall endeavour to keep you as in the loop as possible!

Flying out Tuesday now, barring any unforeseen volcanoes, earthquakes or giant plane eating sharks. My bag is (still) packed. I bet you're dying to know what's inside, huh? Well, I'll tell ya, since this is all I'm bringing with me for a year. Anything else I might need I can pick up there, I'm sure.

Clothes

4 nice shirts (with collars and everything)
4 pairs of pants
4 T-shirts
1 pair of shorts
Hub Hoodie (sooo comfy!)
Swimming trunks
My red jacket
2 Towels
Poncho (freshly washed and dried by my wool-washing expert grandmother)
Thai Fishermans pants (for general lounging around)
7 pairs of underwear (including my new Spiderman jocks!)
7 pairs of socks (in actual pairs- what has happened to me?)
Runners

Toiletries
(pretty much none of this stuff can be gotten over there, apparently, and if you do find it, it's ridiculously expensive...)

6 roll-on deodorant sticks (I'm concerned this may not be enough...)
New toothbrush
3 tubes of Sensodyne toothpaste (again, will surely need more...)
2 packs of Mach 3 Razors
Shower gel & Shampoo
Shaving foam & Aftershave
Sunblock

Toys

Nintendo DSi (Keep me entertained on the bus/plane)
Digital Camera
Netbook
MP3 Player
Hard Drive
Bag of cables

Books n stuff

Folder for important travelling paperwork (tickets etc)
Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener
Day to a page diary
A few little posters, photos and trinkets I couldn't leave behind
And of course, my passport!

My checked in stuff weighs less than 20 kilos, would you believe? So on Tuesday, I'm going to lug this big heavy bag to Ennis bus stop, where I will take the 8.25 (AM!) bus to Galway. There's a 45 minute wait, then I'm on the 10.30 Citylink direct to Dublin Airport. I'll wait there for a couple of hours, before getting a plane at 17.00 to Heathrow. There's another wait in Heathrow until 21.00, when I get on the big plane. This flight is 10 hours and 50 minutes, and I have to wait in Incheon airport for three hours for another connecting flight to Daegu. I'll land at 20.15 local time, which in GMT (which my body will still think it is) is 11.15. That's right, AM. Meaning from the moment I set off, until the moment I land, I will have been travelling non stop for 27 hours. I'm sure I'll manage to sleep after that, no matter what my body clock says...

Anyway, unless you hear to the contrary, you can take it for granted that I'm on the plane. Fingers crossed, my next post will be from Korea!

Still sitting at home...

I'm supposed to be on a plane now. I'm supposed to be flying to South Korea, with nothing more than the bag on my back and a fistful of dreams. Instead, I'm sitting in my parents living room, watching a movie, and wondering what to do with myself for the week.

The clouds of volcanic ash from Iceland mean that no planes are flying in or out of Ireland. No planes are flying in or out of London Heathrow, either, and no planes flying over Europe. While the airline companies are pushing to get them back in the air, the prospect of actually flying anywhere til Thursday is pretty remote, and I don't know if Sunday is even viable, either. I haven't heard back from the school yet, but I expect an email from them any minute, telling me it's all going to be OK, and I'll be on the next flight over. Or that they're doing everything they can, and to hold tight until it's taken care of. Which of course, nobody can say, because they don't know how long it's going to last. In addition, apparently the cloud will move into Korean airspace on Wednesday or Thursday, and while the authorities expect it will have dispersed enough to not cause engine problems in jets, anything can happen. Literally anything.

My bag is all packed, has been since Friday. All my remaining clothes are in it, and I don't really want to unpack, wear, wash and pack stuff again. I finished up with the job on Friday, and I've everything ready, so I've nothing really to do until I get on a plane. My going away party last night, while it was really good fun, felt a little hollow knowing I wasn't going to be leaving tonight as planned.

I know I am not as badly affected as so many other people- at least I'm still at home, unlike all those stranded on holiday across the world- but I still feel a little bit put out. Everything I've been planning and preparing for the past few months is now looking much tougher than expected. I've overcome so many obstacles and put in so much effort, and this is just another massive problem. It will sort itself out, it has to, but in the meantime its a whole load of trouble and uncertainty.

There's lessons to be learned here, I suppose. No matter how much time and energy you put in to something, there's always something that can go wrong. Things you never even thought of- things nobody thought of- can turn around and bite you in the ass. I'm learning an awful lot about international air travel, and global weather systems, and crisis management. With this much time on my hands, internet reading is going to take up a fair bit of my time I'd say!

Anyway, I'm glad I finished on a more positive note. I'll keep posting any information I recieve, and I hope I van get on a plane soon!

Two and counting

So! Bags packed, stuff given away or put in the attic. All my things are taken care of. I'll include my list of things packed in a later post, maybe.

My visa is on the way back from Dublin with my brother. There was a moment of panic there when the embassy told me on Thursday that it hadn't been sent- thankfully I can count on Tommy!

My going away party is on tomorrow evening. Going playing Laser Tag, and then out in Brandons. Should be fun!

But the old saying "anything that can go wrong..." still holds. In this case, an unprecedented mass stoppage of flights due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland. Go figure. It would take an act of God to stop me getting to Korea. I'll prepare to head off this Sunday, but it's looking increasingly likely that the plane is not going to get off the ground. Even if it does, the airports will be mobbed, and it'll be an absolute nightmare. Oh well. Keep you posted.

12 days now!

Not even counting in weeks anymore- it gets a little more real every day! Today was a particularly busy. I got the number for my visa application, and booked an interview on Thursday in the Korean Embassy. Also got my tickets emailed to me. I'm leaving on Sunday week, the 18th April- the same day as Maconn Fionn, and the day after the party I had organised. Guess I can't drink *too* much that night, really don't wanna be hungover for a sixteen hour plane journey!
I spent the rest of the day sorting out all my belongings into three piles- bring, bin, and give away. I've loads of stuff to give away if anyone is interested. The clothes were the hardest part though. Throwing away what were admittedly rags, but rags that have been friends of mine for a very long time, was very very tough indeed. My mother was amazed that I could do it at all! It really is amazing, though, the stuff you accumulate that you don't need and never really use. I've a big chest full of the things I just couldn't bear to part with, and this will wait in the attic for me until I get home. The bring pile is very small indeed, and perhaps it's just aswell- I'm only allowed to bring 20 kilos with me.
The other big thing I did was visit the barber. I went in and asked her to make me look really neat. This involved cutting my (not too long, but not short) hair, and shaving my beard. Ouch! I've had that beard for a long time now, and it feels so weird to be without- the breeze blowing across my face, the smooth feel of the skin there. I still think of myself as a man with a beard though- it's just that now it's hidden under my skin. I then went into Boots' and bought rasors, shaving cream, aftershave- the works. If you're going to do something, do it right!
So here we go- 12 days and counting. But you know what? I'm going to wake up tomorrow, and it'll only be eleven! Tempus Fugit, my freinds...

Start at the very beginning...

It's a very good place to start.

I've been wanting to go teach in South Korea for some time now. I had the notion a year or two ago, then after doing the TEFL course last summer, I decided the time was right for me. I started a job very shortly afterwards though, and wasn't able to follow through. I was still looking at placements and considering my options, casually applying, but not really getting anywhere. Then my good friend Aiden O'Donoghue put me onto a very respectable looking hagwon (private language school) named MoonKkang, and managed to swing himself a job there aswell. Maccon Fionn Macnamara, another lad who was on my TEFL course also managed to get a job there too, and for a while it looked like I would be the only one of us left in Ennis! But fortunately, things fell into place, and I was told on Paddy's day I'd a job in Korea.

I'll be working in Daegu, the same city as Aiden and Mac, and while we'll be in the same company, it's different branches, so between us we'll meet a good few new people. My branch is in Siji, near to the soccer stadium, and has ten other foreigners, a couple of whom I've already been in contact with. So I've an idea of what to expect. But also, I suspect, I'll be very bewildered too...

When I signed the contract, I was told I'd be starting May 1st. I got an email from the HR manager this morning saying that the teacher I was replacing wanted to leave a little early, and could I come sooner. So now my departure date is April 20th. That's three weeks time! So much to be done. I wrote out a list of things to pack and jobs to be done, and there is an awful lot! I have a week off work next week though, and I'll get loads done then. There's injections to be got, insurance to be bought, going away partys to be had, and lots of other little things to be taken care of, before I even start to pack a bag.

This is long enough for the moment. I hope to come back to it fairly regularly though, so continue to watch this space.