Happy Halloween!

Keegan and I had a fun Halloween this year, despite coming up with our costumes at the absolute last minute. Mine relied heavily on a mask, and Keegan's relied heavily on his facial hair. We wore our costumes to a Halloween party that a group of foreigners put on in a bar downtown. We were a bit worried on the way to the party because we were so clearly the only people on the streets of Okpo wearing costumes, but we shouldn't have worried. There was a really good turnout at the party and some really spectacular costumes. My favorite was Keegan's co-worker Chris, who made himself a "dead biker" costume. And there was dancing! Those of you who know me well know that I very often lament a lack of opportunities for dancing. So I was quite happy. Here are some photos:

Keegan as a rock star with Chris post-bike-accident, and Michael Phelps.

Ellen as a black cat. You can't see my stunning pantyhose and newspaper tail.

Jamie's Visit

Sorry, loyal readers, for not posting for so long. I'm sad that I've missed so many interesting things to post about! But there's no time like the present to get back into the swing of things.

Jamie came to visit last week! I had been anticipating her visit for such a long time that it was a shock when it was finally over in such a short time. But we crammed in a lot of fun activities, and Jamie appreciated all the right things about Korea, just as I expected her to.

We picked Jamie up in Busan on Friday the 9th and drove her into the city.

Jamie and Ellen, reunited at last at the Busan airport.

Keegan and I were a bit hungry after only a small meal on the ferry, so we decided to find something small to eat. We ended up trying udon noodles at a tiny street stand. They were delicious! We made friends with several Korean men who were also eating at the stand, and one of them paid for our noodles. I really wish we had taken pictures with our new friends, but alas we did not.

On Saturday we spent the majority of the day driving to Uljin and finding the registration for the triathlon. The Uljin triathlon was not held in the actual town of Uljin but a ways south in Hupo Beach. So that made things interesting. I was really glad I had done some research before we left! On the way there, we stopped in a big field full of amusing homemade scarecrows and took a bunch of pictures.

Homemade scarecrow festival south of Uljin

Anyway, we managed to get registered, drive the bike course, and eat lunch at a really great Korean buffet in a rest stop near Hupo. In the evening, we stayed at the Baeck Am Springs Hotel, and Jamie had her first taste of the Korean spa and of bi bim bap.

Sunday morning was the triathlon. I was quite nervous before the start because it was going to be a mass start, which meant that all 500 or so competitors were going to get into the water at roughly the same time. It was a complete and total madhouse, and my slow swim time (37 minutes for 1500 meters) reflects that, but at least I survived. The bike course was flat, though a bit windy. I learned that my training on hilly terrain allowed me to switch my position more often than riding on a flat course. By about 30 km into the bike, my butt and back and arms were KILLING me. I resolved to wear shorts with at least a little more padding for the next tri. Ow. The run course was three loops of about two miles each. I felt great on the run and was really surprised with how fast my time was at the end. Unfortunately, Keegan was confused about the number of laps we needed to do and ended up crossing the finish about two miles short. It would have helped if the course map posted online and given to us in our race packets had been accurate. But he was remarkably unfazed by his mistake. We spent most of Sunday afternoon driving back to Geoje - some of the scenery was really beautiful, but it was a loooong drive for two tired triathletes and their jet-lagged guest.

On Monday, Jamie and I went to Home Plus for shopping and then met Joy, Kayoko and Jana for coffee. After coffee, we bought pumpkins to take home and paint. We had a good time watching Planet Earth, eating Mexican food, and painting three festive Halloween pumpkins.

Tuesday was the day for a swim in the morning and a party in the afternoon. All of my students, plus Joy and her students and Sandra and her students joined us for coffee and goodies. Jamie happily chattered in Russian to my Ukrainian student Elena the whole time and was beside herself with a chance to practice. I was happy that she had a chance to meet everyone.

On Wednesday, we decided to go for a hike and engage in some long overdue girl talk. If any of the Koreans on the trail spoke English, they certainly overheard some interesting things, that's for sure!

Jamie at the summit of Guksabong

We were very tired after the hike and mountaintop picnic, but we had enough energy left to do some shopping and get some refreshments nonetheless. In the evening, Fred joined us for a big lasagna dinner and we had a lot of fun reading my Culture Shock Korea book and laughing about its tone.

Thursday was the day for the big trip to Oedo Island. It's as beautiful in the fall as it is during the rest of the year. We had a fairly calm boat ride and were even offered some dried squid by our neighbors. Jamie would later regret the one bite she took, but I didn't think it was too bad. We also enjoyed an impromptu singing performance by our boat's tour guide, which I have never seen before. Jamie was very impressed.

Our guide on the boat to Oedo, belting out Korean hits.

We saw some truly enormous jellyfish in the water during the boat ride. In the evening, we went out to eat at the Chinese restaurant and devoured a huge plate of stir-fried tofu while indulging in more girl talk.

On Friday, we decided to spend the day in Busan. We didn't actually get on the ferry until 12, though, so it was a quick afternoon seeing the sights. We checked out the fish market and the Busan tower.

Jamie in Busan, near the Jalgachi fish market

There was a festival going on, possibly in conjunction with the Pusan International Film Festival or PIFF, so everywhere was very crowded. We enjoyed being at the top of Busan tower in the evening, so we could watch the lights come on in the city. After the tower, we went to the Shinsegae shopping center for a truly delicious pasta dinner and a shopping spree in the adorable stationery section of the Kyobo bookstore. It was a very sad evening in the hotel as we prepared for Jamie's early departure in the morning. It was a whirlwind week, full of female bonding and good experiences. I miss Jamie already, but I'm so happy that she made the time to come for a visit!

Photos for Your Consideration

A few photos that I took while out and about (don't worry, I was stopped at interminable traffic lights when I took them) so I could show you some unique aspects of Korean life:

Swarms of scooters surround my car at a traffic light near the shipyard. You can also see my trendy dashboard bobblehead.

Not sure what to say about this except "Wow."

Junction Produce, a car detailing company I think, shows fine control of the English language. And exhibits "austerity, eeriness, rambunctiousness, and austere elegance in which only prestige car has."

Good Things That Happened this Weekend

1. Had a wonderful get-together with students and friends on Thursday afternoon. A lot of English was spoken and a lot of listening was done. And a lot of delicious cakes were consumed.
2. Met several new people at lunch and at coffee on Friday afternoon.
3. Found (with the help of my student Flavia) a tiny hole-in-the-wall store in Okpo that sells beautiful handmade purses. I plan to stock up for Christmas gifts (and for myself!).
4. Enjoyed dinner and ice cream with my handsome husband on Friday evening.
5. Got lots of sleep!
6. Had a nice trip to the beach to hang out with Flavia and her husband and another Brazilian couple and a third Brazilian woman.
7. Enjoyed watching Keegan play a Brazilian beach game involving two paddles and a rubber ball. (He is sore today!).
8. Resolved to start taking Portuguese lessons with Flavia.
9. Swam in refreshing, clear water and discovered that Wahyeon Beach is really nice.
10. Learned that nice beach chairs can be obtained relatively easily by searching on GMarket for "fishing chairs."
11. Got back on the bike again after a long hiatus.
12. Did not wreck calamitously, get a flat tire, fall off while trying to clip out of my pedals, or ride into a ditch, despite imagining and worrying about these things every time I have even thought of riding.
13. Got all my lessons planned for Monday and got a call from my Ukrainian student saying she is back in Korea and ready to start studying again. This is actually stressful because I have a student overload now, but I will be happy to see her again!
14. Had friends over for beer-brewing this evening.
15. Successfully prepared almost five gallons of beer and ate a delicious spaghetti and homemade marinara dinner.
16. Planned a homemade Mexican night for the near future.
17. Avoided the Sunday blues and actually feel relaxed and ready for a new week!

Visit to the Dentist

One of the fun things about living overseas is that things like going to the dentist become worthy of a blog post! I got my teeth cleaned on Tuesday, and I was definitely impressed with the staff at the dentist's office. They escorted me to a dentist chair in a long room with about eight chairs in a row. Each chair had a television monitor suspended above. It kind of reminded me of a gym since those individual screens have gotten popular. The receptionist switched the channel of my screen to a movie channel that was showing "Men in Black." Of course, I couldn't hear the audio, and the subtitles were in Korean, but it was a nice gesture. After a few minutes, my hygienist came over and got me positioned in the chair. She handed me a pair of glasses to protect my eyes while she cleaned my teeth.

For the cleaning, she used a high-pressure water jet, which I have never seen before. It made a high-pitched noise and was a little, ummm, uncomfortable, but man I think my teeth have never been so clean! After a long session with the water jet, she polished my teeth with that gritty paste they use and then flossed for me. I think she was the gentlest flosser ever! Finally, she gave me a lesson on proper flossing procedure using impeccable English. She was a little tentative and giggly with some of the words, so I think it was a bit strange for her to be giving her spiel in English, but she did a great job. No cavities, so I was free to go. I was really happy to find out how easy and inexpensive it was to visit the dentist and how professional and able the staff were. Good job TLC dentist in Okpo! See you in six months.