Busan

Day trip to Busan with some friends. The city is about the size of Chicago. We met a man on the subway that seemed drunk, but was really friendly. He was an acupuncturist and also practiced some other profession involving burning your back. He lifted his shirt and showed us the scars without us asking. He was interupted by an extremely nice guy who showed us the way to the beach and took a picture in our company. We had tacos for the first time in a month. Great city...

Some of the pictures are blurry because I was taking them at night without a tripod.

Our Home

Our apartment is a cozy studio without key locks. We type a 10 digit code to get into our building and 5 digits to enter our apartment. We have a laundry, but no dryer, so our thicker laundry doesn't dry quickly enough to not mildew. We must remember to turn the gas on to cook or shower. We have no bathtub. Our place is very new and was already decorated before we came.

Ulsan

We finally arrived in Ulsan after a 5 hour bus ride that should have been 2 hours shorter. Luckily i was seated next to Rob Bruce, Meg, Dave, and Vicki. When we arrived our co-teachers were scattered around looking for us. Unfortunatly they had expected us 2 hours earlier, and if we hadn't stopped for a 2 hour lunch we would have been on time.

After dinner (Pizza Hut) we were dropped at our hotels, because we still didn't have an apartment. The anticipation was killing us, because we didn't want to end up in a small rural fishing village outside of the city or near the Hyundai plant. We were unable to find any information about Ulsan online. The wikipedia article talked mostly about the Hyundai plant. We were expecting the worst. I was extremely happy to see that my preconceieved notions were far from correct. The Ulsan landscape is gorgeous and the city is beautiful and clean.

We were dropped off at The Opera House (love motel) in the Ulsan University area. We were beat from lack of sleep from the orientation, so we decided to stay in. Shauna called to let us know that she met Zhaodi and Jenika (the teachers we were replacing). So instead of a relaxing night in our hotel, we drank soju and beer. Random Korean patrons were walking across table and filling our glasses with their pitchers. (This is something that happens everywhere. Strangers will fill your drinks and buy soju and beer for you). Most of them couldn't communicate with us, but they would say "I like beer, do you like beer?" and this would mean that you have to chug your drink. By the end of the night we were chugging beer topped off with soju. When Koreans drink beer, they usually top off the drink with a couple shots of soju.

Zhaodi and Jenika couldn't have helped us more. They introduced us to a lot of people that night that I see around a lot. They showed us around the city all day Saturday and left us with a note that answered all of my questions about the city and school in great detail. They also bequeethed more than a hundred dollars worth of electronics and supplies to us including five sticks of deoderant (an item hard to come by in Korea).

I couldn't ask for a better location. We live in Taehwa River Dong. This area is located on the beautiful Taehwa River near some of the best restaurants in Ulsan. Our area is home to such a wide array of dining spots. The stretch is nothing more than bulgogi spots, fish spots, vegetarian dining, chinese restaurants, and soup restaurants. You can find a place to eat dog meat, eat shark, drink wine, or watch the Hyundai Ulsan Tigers. In the evening you can find older men seated on the floor drinking soju on every corner. We have been to about four restaurants and have never been unhappy. We live directly on the river near soccer fields, tennis courts, and a beautiful river trail that I have been jogging on a few times a week. We are also in between Old Downtown and the University area which puts us in the center of the city and allows us to meet any of our friends without a long commute. Our apartment is tiny, but we are given 400,000 won extra a month because we both have to live in it. This extra amount covers our bills and groceries. Although it is only a studio, it is only 2 years old, so everything is in good condition

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The Most Efficient Subway I have Ever Taken

It's even in English!

This was over a month ago. I forgot to post these. Ryan's friend showed us around Seoul for a day, and ordered food for us at a restaurant his father recomended.

Gold Cup Qualifier

I am going to rewind back to the Gold Cup qualifying match in Chicago. I never got around to writing about this in the states.

I left work early and took the El as close as i could go to Soldier Field. They made me throw away my new umbrella at the gate to the stadium. I guess it would be rough to be behind someone with an open umbrella and try to watch a game. I heard it was sold out, but when we arrived about 80% of the seats were vacant. There were two matches. America vs. Honduras and Mexico vs Costa Rica. U.S.A. was easily beating Honduras to the dismay of half of the audience. Gradually more and more green piled into the stadium and started rooting for the U.S. I realized why the United States' team was playing first in America. By the end of the first match the stadium was at capacity almost entirely draped in green and waving Mexican flags. They celebrated the U.S. win and began to chant for Mexico.

Chants of "chinga tu madre cabron" could be heard from both sides. Some questionable calls were made and full $7 beers were chucked in the referee's direction. Tension mounted and brawls were forming in every direction. The Costa Rican players were taking dives and getting drenched with beer during their corner kicks. A mob of ignorant Americans were chanting "COSTA RICA! COSTA RICA! COSTA RICA!" and embarrassing the actual Costa Rican fans. It was a pleasure to see the beers fly in their direction and the stomping that ensued. After the Americans were beaten up by the nearby fans of Mexico, they were escorted out by security (for their safety) and fought the very people trying to help them. At one point they were getting a beat down from the security and and the fans. I was drenched with beer in the process, but it was worth it. Rules about fighting, smoking in the stadium, and indecent exposure were thrown out the window as the game rolled on.

I can positively say that it was the best sporting event I have witnessed live. It transcended the simple love of a soccer club, and became a celebration of a people and a culture.

Keumsan Temple

I wondered why Sandra took a picture of an old broom, but it turned out to be pretty cool.

We all had these baggy/short blue shirts.

ZENO!!! THE BEST EPIK DIRECTOR!!!

This guy was sooo drunk. We were worried he was going to start trouble, but he just told us about how much he loved America.

He is saying USA #1. He really is.

Soju

We didn't know at the time, but it is rude to take photos of people praying in the temples.

We don't do this anymore.

I took mine with the flash off and no shutter sound.

Some of these pictures would be better if they weren't littered with light blue shirts (EPIK teachers. Some of these pictures were taken by my friend Meg and stolen from facebook. Thanks Meg.