International Fireworks Festival in Busan

Last weekend we went to the fireworks festival in Busan. I've never been much of a fan of fireworks, but this was definitely the best fireworks show I have ever seen. I didn't bring my camera, but I'm hoping to get photos from other people to give you an idea of how awesome it was. As awesome as the fireworks show was, my experience in Busan was less than thrilling. We couldn't find a place to stay the night, so I ended up sharing a couch with 2 people in a DVD room, which is a room you rent to watch movies.

My limited knowledge of Korean has presented me with a number of problems. One the of the biggest problems so far was paying someone else's phone bill. My coteacher and I are still in awe of how this could have happened, but somehow someone else's bill ended up in my mailbox (addressed to me). We both didn't notice that it was not my bill until the damage had already been done. My coteacher seems to think that is was the cell phone's company's way of trying to take advantage of foreigners, and they seem to have succeeded.

I'm taking a salsa class on Tuesdays, which has become what I look forward to most during the week. However, salsa is definitely different in Korea than in Ecuador. In Ecuador, salsa was all about having a good time and relaxing. In Korea, salsa is about counting, making the right steps, and dancing flawlessly. In a nutshell, that is the biggest difference between Korea and Ecuador as a whole. South Korea seeks perfection while Ecuador seeks disfrutamiento. It's nearly impossible to compare the two countries on any deeper level because they are so completely different (except for the manbags).

Dr. Fish

This week was my first experience with Dr. Fish. Dr. Fish is where you go to have fish eat the dead skin eaten off your feet. I don't think I've ever laughed as hard in my life. Pictures to come.

Teacher Field Trip

After midterms, the teachers were required to go on a field trip. We didn't realize we'd be hiking and forging rivers...

Oldstyle houses

Dongchon Middle School Teachers forging the river

Some of the teachers

Me and one of my coteachers

We didn't know we were going to be hiking...

Mask Festival in Andong

Last weekend we went to a mask festival about an hour and a half from Daegu. It wasn't anything too exciting, but I made a mask and lamp!!

I was paid last Friday, and I don’t think that any of my first paycheck will be saved. I joined a gym, joined Costco, and bought a chair all within 24 hours of my first paycheck. I’m realizing that since this is my first full time job, all previous dedications to saving have gone out the window. Considering I’m planning on traveling while here, I should really reconsider my careless spending habits.

Today (Saturday) I’m going to a mask festival about an hour from Daegu. It’s supposed to be one of the best festivals of the year, so I’m pretty excited about that. On Sunday, I’m also taking a day trip about an hour away to bike around a small town that is known for it’s old-style architecture.

Next week on Monday and Tuesday, my students have midterm exams. Basically, what that means is that I’ll be desk warming all day. However, on Tuesday, all the teachers are going on a field trip somewhere about an hour away. I think it’ll be nice to spend time with my coworkers outside of school.

I also recently met a girl who is interested in doing a language exchange (English-Korean), so were meeting on Monday. I’ve learned the alphabet, but I have absolutely no vocabulary except for the most basic survival skills. I really want to learn Korean, so I’m really excited to meet her.