Short and Sweet

Here's the run down. Monday's are a little crazy all the time and I drank a coffee too late last night and stayed up reading into the wee hours of the morning. I'm exhausted.

This weekend was spent saying good bye to a couple of friends. I said good bye to a friend on Friday night after an amazing dinner with Nicole, her fiancé Adam and his family- they are getting married in 10 days or something crazy like that. It made me sad to see a real Dad here because it made me miss mine!!

Saturday morning tired and groggy I went to Naju to getmy license.

This is the rundown! I got to the bus terminal around 9 and bought a ticket. I wanted to take out money because you never know if the place you're going will take cards. I went to withdraw money and it was a no go. I couldn't believe it. I ended up using my credit card to withdraw 30,000 won and got on the bus pissed because I had no idea what was wrong with my card. After getting on the bus I realized I didn't have my cell phone either.. the odds were really pushing against me. I had most of my forms filled out but with out the ability to quickly call a co worker or friend, I would be at the mercy of the limited English at the test centre.

Getting there was fine- I had previously taken the local bus with Dori and knew the drill. Once I was there the lady took all my info and ask me to go get my eye exam. I twas a joke- I read out numbers in English knowing full out I could have said house, chicken, truck instead of 3, 4., 5 and still passed but whatever- who am I to judge we let seniors drive for way too long.

Anyway.. by an amazing stroke of luck there was a korean who spoke excellent Eglish that translated the rest of my time there. How to fill out a form and some other small things that made my life so much easier! Thank you Korean man whoever you are!

I got my license did a little dance, some Koreans laughed and was in a cab on my way back to the bus terminal. With the license out of the way I had to figure out my cell phone and bank card issues.

I left my cell phone in the cab I took that morning and I had discovered my card worked just fine, there was no money in my account because my director didn't pay me. Sigh.

I had to go all weekend with no cash and no cell phone. Luckily I had bought books earlier last week so I spent Sunday tearing through one. Nineteen Minutes- Jody Picoult... really good.

That was my weekend. I'm pooped and it's only Monday. Holli and I have found flight to the Philippines for about 600 round trip. We're going to book tonight! Really excited for that.

We're still foggy on the exact where and what on the trip but we're pretty good at winging things so I figure let's have a true adventure. I think our phones will work lol. I do have to buy a huge back pack because we're not going to be staying at just one place and back packs are easier than luggage- I think. : S

I need a nap.

Lovee Dom

COSTCO- Korean Styles

This weekend was one of 'firsts'. I finally got out of Gwangju which I have wanted to do for awhile now. I love my girls but a change of scenery was desperately needed. I witnessed my first really wicked lightening storm, I rode a train for the first time, visited Daejeon and shopped at Costco! Whew, I'm pooped but I had a wicked time.

The train ride was really nice. I took the KTX (Korean Train Express) both ways and although it is a little more expensive and skimp on the leg room, it was more relaxing and faster than the bus. The KTX trains are among the fastest in the world and have the ability to get close to 300km/h, although I definitely wasn't going that fast.

The bus trip would have been 2 hours and 30 minutes and I got to Daejeon just under two hours. Overall, I was happy and will definitely be doing the train again. Oh, and there are washrooms on the train which is a huge pro over the bus.. can't forget that.

(centre of the picture is where the train begins)

Once I arrived in Daejeon Bryan picked me up and the first thing I noticed was the streets looked exactly the same as the streets in Gwangju. If someone had blindfolded me and plopped me down in Daejeon without a doubt I would still think I was in Gwangju. Daejeon has a larger foreigner community and is more densely populated than Gwangju. It is also only an hour from Seoul which is a pretty sweet considering you can live there, keeping costs down and then party or visit Seoul with relative ease.

Dinner in Daejeon was one of the best I have had in awhile- it is right up there with Shabbu Shabbu now. I can't remember the name of the dish because I suck but it is a chicken dish. They throw in some chicken, cabbage, this hot paste sauce, sesame leaves, garlic, onion and stir it topping it off with mozzarella cheese. Korea boasts hot foods and I am always disappointed- but not with this one. My mouth was definitely feeling the spices. Mixed with a little rice at the end made for a very filling dinner!

During dinner it poured rain, I mean a sheet of rain falling from the sky. There were a couple claps of thunder that shook the place and the lightening was pretty impressive. The 'storm' only lasted about 20 minutes but it just rained for the 20 minutes and then stopped. There was no variation in the rainfall, just start and stop. So strange but it makes me excited to use my rain boots!

On Sunday I was getting ready to head home and the topic of groceries and shopping came up. I didn't even know that there was a Costco in Daejeon. We went there for a couple of things before I got on the train to go home! Below is what I came home with... I spent 160 dollars-ish but it's BULK and will last me awhile... especially the vodka!

(my costco bounty- the bag, 2 litres of vodka granola bars,

cheese, parmasian ccheese, penne, ham, salsa, sausage,

almonds and a giant beach towel.)

We only spent about 40 minutes inside of the Costco but it was 40 minutes that felt a little like home minus the sea of Asians. The set up was almost exactly the same as in Newmarket, membership etc, etc... they even sold items that very few Koreans would purchase like patio furniture and outdoor fun water games like slip and slide. Koreans hate the sun.

(a little taste of home for .20 cents)

The Kirkland brand was all over the place and the prices, overall, as far as Korean standards go weren't that bad. I spent what would seem like a lot for home but it's just the comfort and convenience to get it all at once at Costco, that I guess I'm willing to spend a little more money for. It was pretty funny watching all the Koreans watch me drag my bag of groceries through the train station! I was not carrying that shit more than I had to. Being in Daejeon also fueled my determination for my license and potential car purchase (pun fully intended). I found out you can buy a really decent car for about $1,300 and insurance is only about $35 a month! Gas is stupid expensive here though, that is the only downfall. Last I looked it was around $1.60/L!! BUT- with the right amount of budgeting it would be cheaper than taxi rides all over the place and I wouldn't have to spend forever on the bus.

So we'll see.... lol.

Love and miss everyone

PLH out!

Chalk One Up for the Good Guys

Whoa... these last couple of days have been pretty productive. With Dori's help I have gained permission from my director to go to Seoul Friday morning!!

As it turns out I do need confirmation from the embassy for my license. I'm obviously excited to have finally won one and get a definite answer from my director but it is going to cost a little chunk.

From Gwangju to Seoul is about 3 hours on a bus, on a plane it's 40 minutes... do you see where I am going with this? The bus costs about 22 dollars each way and a one way flight is around 65 dollars. I wanted to fly round trip but there are only two airlines that fly domestic in Korea and their schedules suck. What I will probably have to do it get on the 5am bus get to Seoul around 8 - subway, (a dollar) or cab (which will cost about 10 dollars), to the embassy and then subway or cab to the airport in Gimpo and fly back to Gwangju.

My biggest problem is that the only flight that works with my schedule is at 10 20am. Which leaves me with about an hour window at the embassy. I really wanna fly back because 6 hours on a bus is killer but I just don't think it's going to happen now that I am writing this all down.

If I skip out on the flight and save the 40 dollars I can just use that for the convenience of cabs in Seoul I suppose. I'm still going to have to be at the bus station for 10 30 but buses leave every 20 minutes. The worst I can be is 20 minutes late for my afternoon classes.

Wow, thanks for hanging in there while I rationalized that one! The bus is pretty well the most comfortable ride anyway, so I can just sleep!

This is my budget

- bus fair: 40 dollars

- cab fair: 30 dollars

- embassy charge: 55 dollars

I really want this license now, it's become a bit of an obsession! Plus, it's kind of nice having something special to come back home with. I mean really, how many people can say they have a Korean license. Not that I need more excuses for bragging rights. Just kiddinngg!!! Haha.

In other news I am almost positive I won't be backpacking in Japan with Molly as my director is adamant on having my vacation week following hers. This totally blows but I can't get upset over something I have absolutely no control over. I tired everything but still won't give up until the very end! So I have been looking at cruises as a back up... which is kind of more my style. Their is one for about 700 dollars that leaves from Busan and docks at 4 places in Japan and you can do little day trips and then get back to the boat. I am sure their will be other foreigners on whichever cruise I choose so hopefully I can make friends with them. Otherwise it will be a completely solo operation.

My co worker is also going to Manila for 4 days so I might go with her. I don't know South East Asia in August might be really hot, and I don't know how hardcore she is. I would need hotel rooms and A/C.

I have options which is the main point I am trying to get across here. lol.

I have been gymming like crazy and getting back into some serious p90x shape. I have nothing else to do! This weekend we might go camping... I hope so I could use some beach action.

I need some GO GO GADGET Umbrella arms because Gwangju is PMSing and can't decide day to day whether it wants to rain or just be simply beautiful. I hate cumbersome objects in my purse and, as a minimalist at heart, umbrellas are the worst!

I think that's it really. I'll probably do a video blog during my Seoul excursion and then upload it. Pray that is goes off without a hitch!

Dom out.

You Gotta Get the Whole 8 Hours

Lately I have been waking up to the light of the early sun around 5:30. This is killing my energy level and I am becoming even more dependent on my ice coffees! There is a simple solution to all of this. Just get a towel or blanket and put it over the window at night but at 10 or 10:30 when I am finished watching tv on my laptop there is just no way I am making that extra move to get out of bed. I'm soo lazy but maybe I'll do it tonight... it's supposed to be sunny and hot for the next 7 days and I need to catch up on my sleep- big time.

As the days get progressively hotter the city gets progressively stinkier. On my way to work I got through waves of stink. The first wave is a little bit like raw sewage which concerns me because as far as I can tell the sewage system here is all underground, similar to back home... I don't know. This wave is of medium offence and is not the worst. The second wave is like a rotten fish smell. There are a lot of sushi and sashimi places around my school and I am assuming that the waste is left outside and when it warms up it starts to stink! This is definitely the worst of the waves and it has potential to trigger gag reflexes for sure. The third wave is closest to my school on my walk and it smells like a purfumey garbage. I don't know how else to describe it ha,ha but it's always around lingering - hopefully it won't get any worse because it is the most bearable of the three. I hope I can get used to all these smells otherwise it is going to be a long summer.

Speaking of summer. My vacation is not sorted out yet. My director tried to tell me that I had no vacation in my contract! Looking over it, it clearly states that I have vacation in July for a week but maybe it is lost in translation somewhere on the Korean part of the contract.

So I got upset- I had just broke it off with Remy, an American I had been dating for a bit and then this BS! So I decided I would call recruiter so I didn't lose my mind.

Jeyion was amazing. I called her told her what the deal was and she actually told me, in her wonderful English "Seriously, don't worry about it, you'll get your vacation". Ahh, sweeter words have never been spoken. I was relieved.

Being the only foreigner in a school filled with little Koreans 9 hours a day makes you really appreciative of the Koreans whose English is really good. It's always nice to go out with Korean friends and let them do all the ordering and talking and not have to fumble through your limited knowledge of the language to get something you want.

Yesterday's vacation was spent trying to keep myself busy. Tuesday night went out to my rival iSPong school's BBQ... her Director and co workers are really nice. Then we went for some drinks and I decided yesterday morning I need to find a hobby that isn't soju. My vacation day was lunch with Molly and then a DVD bong. Let me explain DVD nong.

I'm pretty sure here copy right laws are non existent. So in a DVD bong you will find hundreds of titles to pick from and you simply pick out the DVD you want to watch and then you get your own room and a projection screen and surround sound to watch it with. There's big couches and blankets so it's like watching a movie at home but with a waaay bigger screen. Molly and I spent 12,000won on it which is 12 bucks. I think it should be cheaper seeing how a movie at a theatre is only 8 but that's just me lol.

I'm going to make another coffee and then start my class prep.

Dom out.