A Weekend of Colour

Oh my word, Busan is BEAUTIFUL!! This weekend, we decided to head across to Busan for the Indian Holi Hai Festival on Haeundae beach. The festival is all about celebrating life, love, peace and all that jazz. For me, it was a chance to get back to my beautiful sea and toss colours up into the sky surrounded by hundreds of my "closest friends";)

Awesome coffee sculpture in Haeundae

Krissi and I decided to make the most of the weekend and head over to Busan on Saturday and spend the day exploring Busan before the festival on Sunday. What a great plan! We met up with our other training buddy, Hailey (who is from Busan) at the train station. Hailey is a lifesaver when it comes to helping us Waegooks find our way around and ensure that we see the best things to see in Busan.

Busan City

So, first, we headed off to our hostel (The New Day, about 5 minutes from Haeundae beach) to drop off our bags. New Day was the perfect place for us!! It was right at the subway and right near the beach. It was also beautiful, clean and had a rooftop garden. However, as tempting as it was to hang out at the hostel and admire the beauty, we decided to head out and discover Busan.

New Day hostel :)

Rooftop Garden

First, Hailey took us for lunch at a lovely chicken restaurant where we had fried rice (they cook it at the table)... Then we headed off to the beautiful Yongkung Temple. This temple is literally the most beautiful temple I have ever seen. It is right at the sea, and being built in the 1300's, it is an artwork. The bus ride to the temple was interesting- we literally had to wrap ourselves around the poles to keep from being flung around (these guys drive more haphazardly than our dear Jammie drivers!!!). Once there, it was a short walk up to the temple along a beautiful road surrounded by cherry blossoms, little lanterns and amazing street lamps.

Walk up to the temple

At the main area (before walking down to the temple) there were so many beautiful sculptures, some of the Chinese Zodiacs, and some just beautiful works of art. And, of course, many Buddha sculptures with various meanings. It was so beautiful and peaceful there- can't think of a better setting for a Temple than right at the sea...

After spending a long time at the temple, we headed off for some more exploring. We went to Gwangnan bridge- a beautiful bridge at the beach that offers the most amazing view of the city at night. Here, we said goodbye to Hailey and then Krissi and I continued exploring along the beach front before we found a good place for dinner. In Korea, I swear the days are shorter as time just speeds by. Before we knew it, it was close to midnight and the real part was still to come. So we headed back to New Day and had some tea before bed.

Gwangan Beach

Sunday morning we woke up, had coffee and some breakfast at the hostel (all provided, self service included) before heading over to the beach for the festival.

Words cannot describe the amazingness of this festival! It was so much fun! First, we registered, received our hats, paint powder (which smelled like inscence), free samoosas and beer (the free beer continued throughout the whole party, later including free Soju and coke. Not bad for only $10 for the whole festival). Then, at 11am the official party started. This, like the one in Cape Town, included tossing up the powder in the air. Or at each other... Then, unlike the Cape Town one, the next step had people covering themselves in actual paint. People would walk past, smear paint on your face and say "Happy Holi"...

While all us foreigners were dancing around the beach covering ourselves in paint, the locals were gathering on the sidelines videoing all the crazy foreigners :) Some locals even joined in, including the coolest old lady ever! Before I knew it, it was time to leave, so Krissi and I washed the paint off our face and carried on exploring. Then, it was a mere train ride away before arriving back in my lovely Gumi where my hot shower waited and I washed the pink paint out of my hair.

Such an amazing weekend! Still getting over the awesomeness of it!:P

Haeundae Beach

For the Love of Coffee: discovering Coffee Road

Ok, the coffee fiend in me is needing a  little blogathon... seeing as though life would be lived without colour if not for the trifector of great coffee, food and wine...

I may have complained about the coffee situation here in Korea, but I am on the verge of taking those comments back. The longer I stay here, the more coffee places I find. And yes, sometimes South African coffee is both stronger and cheaper, but frankly, I am still managing to find some of the dark goodness here in Gumi.

So, on my quest to find the best, and most affordable, coffee in Gumi I have learned this. Sometimes it is worth paying that little bit extra to take the time to sit down and enjoy the coffee here. Being one who is so fond of walking with a cup of coffee glued to my hand, this is something that back home was reserved for meeting with friends. Here in Gumi, every coffee shop that I have bothered to walk in is increadibly cute. Like, belong in a magazine devoted to celebrating coffee kind of cute.

This quest also lead me to what I have named, "Coffee Road". Right near my apartment, there is a little side street with three neighbouring coffee shops, all very much in the battle to be the most awesome little coffee shop. And so, starting on Monday, I decided to risk the cost (as there is no outdoor advertising of such things) and head into one of them to test the quality of their brew.

"Coffee Road"- Bonggok, Gumi

And so, comes the list (and photo's) of the battle of the coffee shops.

#1 Cafe Latte
Monday's stop on the way to work. This amazing little place was decorated just as quaintly on the inside as it is outside (am not brave enough to photograph inside these shops in order to protect the "artists" creativity). Inside is warm and decorated with all sorts of coffee paraphernalia surrounding the place. This included a very imressive coffee drip that I will HAVE to photograph at some point. Aaaaaand, the coffee was only 2500 won (great seeing as though pay day hasn't arrived yet). To top it off, this place serves their coffee in the best take away cups ever. The coffee itself: pretty decent, among the top that I have found here. Enjoyable to drink it pure (black and bitter). So, rating: 7/10 for sit down, there is a nice atmosphere, 8/10 for take-away as the coffee cup is THAT awesome. So, happy caffeinated days ahead for me as this place is a mere 100 or so metres from my place :D

Adorable Little Cafe Latte

Cafe Latte's winning cup!

#2 Coffee and Brunch
Coffee and Brunch has been made to look like a little garden cafe- complete with fake grass, pot plants and an outdoor table. While pretty cute on the outside, I was not completely sold until I stepped inside. Yes, like the other, this one surrounded me with coffee toys too, in the back it was basically a model of my dream kitchen shelves. Filled with an assortment of coffee mugs, tea pots and cups. Love it. There was also a message tree where visitors can write messages, prayers or wishes on (recycled) paper and tie them to the tree. And the coffee? Also great, not as strong as I would drink it back home (I mean, Esspresso Lab and Delux would dominate), but still great. Served in a plain take away cup (so, not as awesome as at other places). But, they also have a loyalty card, enticing me to come back every time I open my wallet. Ultimately, 7.5/10 for takeaway, 8.5/10 to sit down :)

"Garden Area" of Coffee and Brunch

The dream shelves filled with sooo many cups and teapots.

Loyalty Card!! :)

Tomorrow's venture:  #3 Coffee House. Home to the best window art yet. I have high hopes for this place! :)

Coffee House

Window Art at Coffee House

One Month in Korea

Yesterday marked my one month since arriving here in Korea!! Cannot believe it- officially the longest I have ever been away from South Africa before... and yes, I miss South Africa and everyone in it every day. But, I am truly loving Korea and becoming quite settled here in Gumi.

My Apartment Block

My Street

My Walk to work

A little update on my neighbourhood. First is the CU Mart- basically like a 7-11 (although we have that here too). Always handy for a gimbap on the run or any other basics. Then there is my favourite Gimbap restaurant. They serve pretty much everything here- all really tasty and really cheap!

Trusty little CU

Best Gimbap!!:)

Of course, I have been going on about my two favourite coffee places (so far), Cafe Bene and Gusto's. So, here is a little view of two of them. This being the Cafe Bene at the train station and Gusto's right at my school. Both are pretty amazing, I have just had to learn that in Korea, you meet a friend for a meal and in South Africa, for coffee. And, that is just fine :)

Cafe Bene is the one below, Cafe Droptop is another one I still need to try...

Beautiful Gusto's

All coffee mugs here are very well branded, and often with interesting cup sleeves too...

In the last week, I FINALLY got my ARC card, making me an official alien in Korea!! :D I was also able to get a bank account and phone sorted. Thanks to my amazing co-workers, this took a few hours to get sorted (mostly while I was in class)!! New phone of course means I now have no excuse to be photographing (and instagramming) everything I see.

Hippie Soul update: I have found some amazing festivals happening here! Sadly, no tie-dye attire to be worn to said festivals, but am thinking on investing in an awesome onesie to keep up the festive vibes! Next weekend I will be heading of to the beautiful coastal city of Busan! Saturday will be spent exploring the awesomness of Busan (I WILL hold my camera at all times as I have been pretty pathetic on the photo front). Then, Sunday morning, we will head down to the beach for the Holi Hai Colour Fest! So, now the FOMO of missing the colour fest in Cape Town will be appeased!! Soooo excited!!

Gumi Glory update: Gumi, aka Little South Africa is amazing! Yes, it is smaller than most cities, but the sense of community here is awesome! It also helps (in my mind) that there is only one foreigner bar in Gumi, Corona, so you always meet up with everyone here. On Friday, I met up with a South African, Liske (turns out she randomly met up with my big boss Alastair on a ski trip in Austria so he put us in contact...SMALL WORLD). So, met up with Liske and some other EPIK teachers living in Gumi... about 90% of them were Saffas (LOVE it). Met some really awesome South Africans who really made me feel right at home ;)

So, my Friday night was spent pretty much like the average person back home: surrounded by South Africans, drinking Savanas and partying hard... Only difference: I'm in Gumi, so add Soju to the mix...oh, and Korea does not have a last close. The bar closes when you are ready for it to close!! So, we ended up partying till 6am (pretty stoked that in my "old" age, I can still party like a 18 year old)... things escalated at one point when a decision was made that we should DEFINITELY go to Daegu!! So easy as the train is right at Corona and only costs like $3 do get to Daegu (which has proper dance clubs, so it felt like a great idea). This is the reason why the trains stop running between 2am and 6.30am. It is merely to protect people from getting eager for adventure, and subsequently passing out on the train and finding themselves in another city...

Just a bunch of Saffas drinking Savanas...as you do :)

So instead, we all went our separate ways and I found my way to my lovely and warm bed just as the sun was rising.

I then spent Saturday remembering that I am not 18 anymore and that if I do chose to party till 6am, I will feel it later on... Totally worth it though! At Corona, there is no OFFICIAL Dj, only a laptop that pretty much anyone can change the song. So, thanks to Goldie's love (and mine to be honest) of Thrift shop...we maaaay have played it about six times that night! Alternating (or at least trying to) with Taylor Swift's "Trouble". Best part of the night (if you ask me at least) was this one girl pretty much break dancing to Scream and Shout, only to pause, cup her face and add a "Hello Kitty" to her dance move. Maybe it was a "had to be there moment", but I loved it!

Other "win" of the weekend: went on a shopping adventure to Home Plus on Saturday- love that place! Finally bought a router so now I have wifi!! This meant I could rearrange my entire apartment so am very happy with the Feng Shui of it now ;) I also found some awesome specials, like banana's!! So, I will probably be living on banana's for the next while (you have to take your fruit intake where you can).

Guess what I will be living on for the next while!!

Awesome Hangover food!! And yes, the fat kid in me at EVERYTHING

Anyhoo, only a few more days until the Holi  Hai awesomeness!! Cannot wait! :D

Weekend Review

Such an amazing weekend!! Let's start at the beginning...

Friday, while walking to school, I found two awesome couches!! They are sooo not me, kind of a Marie Antoinette wannabe couch in red and gold. But, I love them, and...coming from the street, they were free. So, I spent the whole day at school, HOPING no one else would take my gems. And, I now have two awesome couches in my apartment!! (thanks to the help of my co-worker/neighbour Stu) Still need to work on the Feng Shui of the apartment, but the ideas are flowing. All kind of based on me getting a router so that I can have wifi in my apartment. That, and pay day, and I will be posting a whole lot of new photo's of my complete apartment.

In order to celebrate the arrival of the couches, we went to dinner at the best little Gimbap place in Gumi. Here we ordered enough for Christmas Dinner: Don Casa (basically a pork schnitzel served with rice and gravy), Dumplings (the fried kind, served with sweet and sour sauce and VEGETABLES), two tuna Gimbaps and of course the normal sides of kimchi, radish and soup (still not sure what flavour this soup is but I am growing to like it). Needless to say, the food wasn't finished so I had a tuna gimbap for breakfast on the bus the next morning.

That takes me to the next exciting part of the weekend- I got to visit Briony in Cheongju!! Cheongju is two hours away from Gumi by bus, in the direction of Seoul... Had a successful bus ride there- pretty much slept most of the way. The last bit of the trip had me staring wide eyed, practicing my reading convinced I had missed the bus stop. The reason being: the bus stopped at some random stop for about a minute (with me still half asleep), some people got off and then we continued...curious as to where we were, I started reading the signs...all of them had Cheongju at some point!! Luckily, there are two stops on the way there and I wanted the second one :)

Met up with Bri at the Starbucks near the station. It was amazing I will admit, with fairly affordable coffee (by bag. Cups are still silly expensive). Interesting update on the coffee fiasco: coffee equipment is super cheap here! As in coffee machines, drips, plungers, grinders...all waaaay cheaper than SA :) After having a bit of catch up at Starbucks, we decided to go back to Bri's apartment to drop my bag before going exploring in Downtown (otherwise known as Shinae in Korean). Bri's apartment is super cute in an amazing area. It is in a modern building and, as all apartments here do, it has interesting wall paper- still not as "interesting" as my pink flower bomb theme wall...

Then, we went through puppy district- a torture Bri has to go through daily. So glad I have not discovered Gumi's puppy district- it would be hard to resist. So, puppy district is basically a road FILLED with puppy shops!! So, you walk past windows and windows with puppies everywhere- every type and pretty cheap (these being the pet variety, not the eating type)... There was even a PUG (at which point I started tearing up and contemplating how bad an idea it would be to get a puppy)...

Downtown was awesome, as always. Every city, Downtown area is basically all the awesome shops all within a few blocks. So, did a lot of theoretical shopping- pay day will be sweet! And then went for coffee at this cute little place called "A Twosome Place". It's great as it is upstairs, so sitting at the window allowed for some awesome people watching! People here are really stylish (seriously)...up to their shoes. While there are amazing shoes available that some woman choose to wear, others opt for the more comfy takkie...even when in a little black dress. I guess, as Bri mentioned, you just never know when you might need to jog somewhere! Other than that, everyone looks as if they have hired a stylist.

Later, after A LOT of walking and looking, we headed back to Briony's place to get ready for dinner and... WINE!!!!! Yes, I am not going to have to complete this year wine-free, as dear HomePlus stocks wine (and decent wine) for a good price! This is right up there with discovering places that sell decent, affordable coffee. So, after drinking some of the crimson glory out of a mug (Bri still needs to get wine glasses, but I appreciated the comfort of cradling a mug), we headed out for dinner.

We decided to go to a Western place called Kitchen 31 (or some other number). They serve pasta's, salad's, potato wedges and pizzas.. While I am loving the food here, it was a nice change to have something familiar! We then went to a bar called the Romantic Ethnic Bar... The setup was very Turkish with pretty lamps. There they serve fruit Soju which is like a Soju cocktail :)

Sunday we went for all you can eat sushi (note, all you CAN eat, not all you would LIKE to eat)... Here, all you can eat included: sushi conveyer belt, hot dishes (like pizza, pasta etc), salad, fruit, desserts, ice tea, coffee, beer on tap, the normal sides and various soups. Needless to say, we made full use of the offer and had an amazing meal! Even though I ended up with a serious food baby situation! We then met up with David and I finally got to meet Gizmo (David, and kind of Briony's, pet beagle). He is so cute! Super hyper of course! We took him for a walk up to a coffee shop that is right on top and looks over the whole of Cheongju. Really pretty up there!

Before I knew it, the weekend was done and I was on the bus back to Gumi. It is always great getting back to my little town and seeing familiar sites around me. Of course, excitement wasn't over yet...

Since arriving here, I have been loving it, but missing out on festivals I would normally be attending back in Cape Town. Well, the fomo is over as I have discovered:
- Korea Burn happening sometime in summer
- Korea Holi Hai (like Holi One), am hoping to go there this weekend
- World DJ Fest (happening on Buddha's bday weekend, tickets booked)

Soooo excited! everyone in Korea, join the When in Korea WINK group, it has all these amazing details!!

So now for week three of teaching! Have mock teaching tomorrow (dreading it slightly, but guess it must be done)

TTFN :)

Red Day, White Day...and other news...

Red Day/White Day
In Korea, there are two Valentines Days. Red Day is the 14 February. Here, all the girls buy the boys chocolates. Then there is White Day (14 March) where all the boys buy the girls candy. Admittedly, I would choose chocolate over candy... but I like the fact that both girls and boys get a special day. And, I did get some chockies too :D Great fun, everyone was hopped up on sugar all day!!

In other news, this week has flown by in a blur of fun activities, early morning skypes with South Africa and of course many classes!!

The Kids
A little update on who I am teaching. I teach a bunch of kids, ranging from age 5 (aka my seedbed starters) to about12 (my Sprout 3's). Mostly, the students here are very well behaved and sooo honest (they will come and tell you when there homework is not complete). Of course, there are one or two who are a little bit naughty, but that's normal.

My seedbed class is one of my more interesting classes, made up of four little girls. All four of them are little princesses and dress accordingly (amazing hair accessories, shoes and a tiara every now and then). Sooo, seedbed English level you say? Um, I am teaching them the alphabet. So, I don't understand them, they barely understand me... about the only thing we have common ground on is the Hello-Goodbye song where we all gather around and sing and dance. That song is what spiked their latest fascination which is to lick my hand goodbye. I think my first reaction was too exciting for them (it was quite gross), so they may be attempting to reenact that...

Other than classes, we had a fun company night last night- we all went bowling!! And, those who know me know my feelings towards bowling (my lack of skill and high level of competitiveness has generally kind of ended up in snot en trane every time I play). Buuuut, I will say, I really had fun last night! Yes, my team would have won had I been selected for a different team, but they helped me reach the highest score I have ever had (in my extensive history of three games prior to this one)... After bowling we headed off to Corona and had a few drinks. Here, I met another South African- this time FROM MOSSEL BAY!!! So, yes, Gumi is officially Little South Africa :D

Heading off to Cheongju on Saturday morning to meet up with Briony for the weekend (sooooo excited)! So, more adventures and catching up to be had :)

Enough for now, pretty sure you peeps have lives to get to :P

The Table Braai

In the five minutes I have left before heading off to class, I thought I would indulge all South Africans about one true joy in Korea: The Table Braai. I have no idea what the Korean name for it is (English "Korean" term is barbecue), but it is an idea that should move to South Africa IMMEDIATELY.

For all non-South Africans that are reading this (unlikely, I know), a braai is pretty much the most South African thing, next to Biltong, Rooibos tea and Ouma Rusks. We have put aside a public holiday to celebrate the social and deliciousness of the braai (pretty much like the American Barbecue, but more festive and better meat I am sure).

So, in Korea, they have moved the braai in-doors and created what I like to call "the table braai". Thus bringing the joy of braaing to the restaurant sector. Not sold on that idea? Well, basically, you get you your table which has a hole in the middle and a silver pipe above (so no more playing odd ritualistic seeming games, trying to avoid the smoke). You then choose your style of braai (different restaurants offering different styles of braai, ranging from a hot plate with a "mote" around it for various "dips" such as egg or cheese, to the traditional grid braai). Then you choose your meat (I have even been to a bacon braai restaurant- Kate Small, that one is right up your alley). Finally, they bring already heated coals, your meat, some braai tongs and meat scissors (so you can eat with chopsticks)... and, like a true Saffa, you get to cook your own meat at the table.

Beef Galbi with all the usual sides :)

The shake-it-up lunchbox: rice, kimchi, seaweed, anchovies and egg :D

Of course, many sides are included, sometimes some potato is added to the braai. Basically, it is a lot of fun and worth trying out if you are in Korea- it's a great taste of home. And maybe, we will one day have table braai restaurants in South Africa.



Right, off to work for me, Tuesdays are nice and easy :)

Daegu Adventures

A quick update of my first week teaching in Gumi!! Pretty intense trying to remember all the students names, everything that needs to be done, timing of all, oh and trying to communicate with kids who have very basic English and me with my, uh, no Korean (yet). But overall, the kids are really sweet (most of the time). And, my co-workers are all amazing, all happy to help me find my feet! My one co-teacher even brought be lunch from Paris Baguette (amazingness)!!

After an intense, but ultimately enjoyable, first week, I decided to meet up with Krissi (my one training roommate) in Daegu- only half an hour from Gumi by train, for some exploring. So, getting to the train station first thing this morning was super easy (catch a cab, say gumiyok [yok sounding like afrikaans "jok"]). Getting a ticket was slightly trickier as the machine refused to be in English. Luckily, I have been learning to read Korean, and knew what time my train was meant to be leaving (and Daegu is REALLY easy to write in Korean) so managed to get my ticket sorted...ok, a Korean girl also helped a little bit. Then came the interesting mission of guessing which station to get off at. I was told it should be Dongdaegu, or Daegu station, but wasn't too sure about how many stops. Oh, and still pretty much phoneless unless I get wifi access, so that's always interesting... Eventually I decided to judge stops according to arrival time which worked fairly well.

Eventually got to Daegu station and met up with Krissi and the exploration began. First we went to the Daegu fish market, where you can find pretty much any type of seafood (even turtles...sad face), fresh fruit and veggies for a fairly decent price... fairly being under R100. This market was amazing! Did have a slightly weird experience where an old lady stroked my leg and said something to me in Korean.  But, she said it with a smile, so assuming it was a compliment...?

We then wondered around the area stopping in at random shops. Found an amazing glitterama multicolored couch which was AMAZING!! But, most importantly... I FOUND A DECENT FRENCH PRESS!!! And, some Tesco's coffee for not too bad a price! :D So, here's hoping Tesco's makes decent coffee!! Did manage to find some amazing imported coffee...at an imported price. May need to splurge every now and then around pay day. We even found some South African wine!! A couple of brands like Goats do Roam and Barrister's (the coffee infused Pinotage that Em and I regularly  purchase). Well, Barrister's in South Africa is around R40 or R50 a bottle. Here, it is about R500 a bottle...sigh.

After wondering around the station shopping area, Krissi and I walked to downtown Daegu where we found more awesome shops, a cinema and some food. The food stop also to attempt to read the map and try find our way to another market in Daegu. We decided the market wasn't too far to walk to (both of us eager to get some exercise in)... well, we got so eager we walked waaaaay passed the market turnoff and ended up in HomePlus (always a fun excursion). We then headed back to Krissi's apartment (she was also lucky like me to get a nice sized place) and then headed back into town to meet up with some Gumi peeps.... well, we tried to. Epic fail on our part, we got lost, took a cab to the OTHER side of Daegu, got to where I think everyone was meeting...too late probably because the place was empty. Tried to walk back to the station out of anger towards cab drivers that we felt were taking us the long way. Got more lost. Gave up and took a cab to the station. Ate ice-cream for dinner and then hopped on the train back to Gumi.

So, pretty much a day full of adventure. Excited for many more like this!!
Oh, side note, the weather jumped from about 4 to 23 overnight... going to have to get some summer clothes fast!!

Daegu :D

Daegu Fish Market

Daegu Sculptures

Cold Stone!! YUUUUUM

Awesome looking Cathedral

More Street Sculptures

Wall Art

The love of my life

Gusto's Coffee- my saving grace until my coffee plunger...

My awesome lunch from Paris Baguette thanks to my amazing co-worker, Heather.