another update about buses.

I realize that I have been silent for over a week and I apologize. I have no big fancy tale about how my amazing life has kept me so busy that I couldn't find the time to write. In fact, it has been the mundane routine and fighting a cold that has kept me from writing. 

Earlier in December I was informed that I will be running an English camp by myself January 2nd-22nd and ever since then I have been spending my desk warming afternoons scanning the internet for different ideas for a fun but educational English camp. I settled on a themed camp because it will be easier for me to plan and also to keep the students interested and actually wanting to come back the next day. My Theme is going to be Harry Potter and thankfully there is a ton of information online about different activities like following directions (and making "potions" in the process), using the future tense (and making "predictions") and using describing words (and making up different animals). I am very excited about this camp and REALLY hope the kids enjoy it. I'll write more on that later. 

Friday the 14th I had an unfortunate encounter with not one, but two buses. 

I left my apartment at 8:10am, not because I needed to be to school early, but because I was ready for school already and I didn't know what else to do. It was a cloudy morning with a chill in the wind. I stood at the bus stop for less then a minute when a 412 bus came forward. I hopped on and made myself comfortable in my usual seat (on the right hand side in front of the back door for an easy get away). A few of the women on the bus had umbrellas. I shook my head in dismay. I've learned that if ANY Korean (young or old) are carrying an umbrella: it will rain. Everything was routine with the first few stops and then the bus came to the roundabout. Instead of bypassing the circle by going in the first turn lane that makes a u-turn the bus drove forward into the circle and exited two streets later. As soon as I noticed where the bus was headed I jumped up and pushed the "stop" button. My thoughts towards the bus were not friendly because I knew the bus was marked 412 and it sure wasn't headed the way a 412 bus should go! When I jumped off the bus I looked at the side number that is painted on the bus and it read: 442. I was now a half a mile away from the nearest bus stop that would take me to school. I power walked a few steps until I decided: who cares what anyone thinks. And thats when I started to run. I ran around half of the roundabout and up a hill towards my school grumbling the whole way about poorly signed buses and drivers not checking to see it their electronic number was the same as their route. The few people waiting at the bus stop all stood there looking at me. I'm sure it really was some sight to see: a foreigner in a big winter jacket, with a thick scarf, a colorful headband, and a balky bag bounce up the hill.  I was out of breath by the time I reached the bus stop but just in time to see another 412 putt up the hill. For a second I thought: oh, maybe that is why I missed the real 412 bus, it looks like it won't make it up the hill. Well it did and when it opened it's doors up all of the Korean's at the bus stop got on so I figured that if they trust the slow bus then it must be okay. I got my free transfer onto the bus and the bus drove a few feet and then stopped. The bus driver restarted the engine and continued up the hill. When he reached the next stop he turned around and told everyone to get off. So once again I scanned my bus pass and followed the now bigger group of Koreans. I looked at my phone and noticed it was 8:28 already and I knew I was a 20 minute walk but a 4 minute bus ride to school. I decided to call one of my co-teachers so she'd know I was on my way but that I'd be late. No one answered. We waited for a minute or two for the 415 (which also goes past my school) to arrive. I waited in line as the frantic passengers all pushed to get on the new bus. I was so warm with all of my layers (I wear a lot of clothes at school to stay warm) and getting pushed around in the bus didn't help. Thankfully I only had a stop light and a bus stop to pass before the bus reached mine. I jumped off the bus for the last time that morning and ran across the street and up another hill to my school. And that's when it started to rain. Somehow I managed to get to the school parking lot at the same time as one of my co-teachers. 

What lessons have I learned? Trust the painted number on a bus and not just the electronic one. If a bus is not driving so fast that I think it will kill me, then I shouldn't get on it. And I should always check the weather before leaving the apartment. 

2.

I have been living in the city of Ulsan for two months now and last Saturday I finally went on a trip outside of the city to Busan.

Meredith and I took a 50 minute bus ride to Busan early Saturday morning. Considering the 45 minute inner city bus ride I take to get to her neighborhood, the trip to Busan felt like a blink of an eye. The subway stop was right next to where the bus let us off and soon we were off to the international "Chinese" market. The subway system was so easy to navigate thanks to our smart phones and the fact that each stop was given in Korean and English.

Even though it was 10:30am a lot of the shops weren't open along the market street but the owner's of the shops that were open spoke to us in English, which was such a refreshing experience. I think I ignorantly thought that I would experience English wherever I went in cities and I quickly discovered that is not the case in Ulsan. The residents of Busan continued to amaze me as we explored the city through their curiosity of why we are in Korea and also in their eagerness of have us sit by them on the subway (often I notice people avoiding me when I am on the bus, probably because they either don't speak English or are afraid I'll speak to them in English) but there was a group of elderly women on the subway at one point who were so fascinated by Meredith and I. They didn't say anything to us but through their body language and their smiles I could tell they were so excited to have us sit by them. Meredith's co-teacher had taught her "cute" in Korean and she heard them use it while they were looking at us a few times. They were so cute though. The best interaction we had was with a taxi driver who stopped and asked where we wanted to go, I couldn't believe a taxi would slow down long enough to ask! I'm normally the one running out of their way!

In the early afternoon we took a bus up to Beomeosa Temple. It was a beautiful day for walking around in the hills of Busan and we both agreed we'd like to go back when the flowers are in full bloom. The temple buildings were painted with a vibrant teal in different designs. There were a few buildings that had signs outside that said "no pictures" or "do not enter" and we did see a monk walk by in his robes. It was special to see the contrast between the busy city life and the quiet temple atmosphere.  

After that we went to an Iris pub and I got a real burger! And by real I mean it was made out of real beef and was cooked with burger spices. Hmm... now I want another one. 

Our final (and most anticipated) stop was to the largest shopping center in Busan. Why were we so excited about this place? Because they have an H&M! I was looking forward to shopping at a place that I knew would fit my "long" arms and legs. I was not disappointed (well I was a little when I saw my bill) but it is worth spending every Won because my new clothes fit and they are cute. I now have enough warm things to help me survive the open windows at school. 

I am very glad that we visited Busan and that I am so close to the city. I think I'll be spending a lot of time there now that I know it's so easy and cheap to get to (4,800 W). Plus we only scratched the surface of the city. 

The biggest disappointment was coming back to Ulsan and having to take a bus home. I fell in love with the clean and smooth subway ride. There were points during our trip that we had to stand in the middle of the subway with no handles and it didn't matter because the subway started and stopped so smoothly that no one went flying. 

The Christmas spirit is in full swing in my apartment! On Friday I went decoration shopping and I put them up on Sunday. I have been listening to Christmas music nonstop and it's pretty much wonderful. If only it would snow... but I'm not holding my breath because it doesn't sound like it snows often in Ulsan.  

Bless friends

My four Day Thanksgiving

I'll be honest, I have certain expectations when it comes to Thanksgiving which are based on past experiences. For example I anticipate either an electronic malfunction (cell phone or laptop... both have happened to me) or a health scare (of either myself or a family member). And this year I had another thing to add to the list: my Icelandic Thanksgiving.

That Thanksgiving will always hold a special place in my heart because the holiday spirit was alive in the dorm. Every North American came together to share their families' recipes and everyone else came to celebrate with us. I'll never forget the three tables full of food or the sounds of satisfied guests.

This Thanksgiving wasn't like those past experiences. And I am Thankful for that because this one can stand alone in my memories as well.

On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I showed my students this clip from Charlie Browns Thanksgiving https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnohHTLMs3Q and shared about Thanksgiving. The kids at least listened well for the youtube clip and most of them listened to me explain a little more about Thanksgiving. It was nice to be able to share a little about my culture.

After school on Wednesday I walked to a local pie shop to test taste the rumored pumpkin pie. The shop is tucked away in the basement of a building and has a quaint coffee shop feel. The owner is a sweet girl who studied in America and the pie passed my taste bud test.

On actual Thanksgiving I woke up early because the bus company was going on strike that day over the taxis getting to use their bus lanes (I still don't understand because I have seen cars, taxis, scooters, and buses use every lane) and I knew I'd need to walk to school. I was a little frustrated with my school because no one had told me about the strike or offered to give me a ride to school (thankfully I read English updates about the city and they warned of the bus strike). As I was getting ready for my cold walk to school my landlord and some younger lady who translated for us buzzed my room. They wanted to see if I knew about the bus strike and when I told them I was planning on walking to school my landlord said her husband would drive me to school. It was an awkward fifteen minutes in the car (a common car ride with a Korean consists of them speaking Korean under their breath most of the drive) but I am SO thankful that I didn't have to walk to school. In the afternoon I learned that the strike ended at 11am that morning. What a quick strike. That night I celebrated Thanksgiving by watching every Thanksgiving episode of How I Met Your Mother (which has become a self made tradition the last few years). I ended the evening with a little Skype time with my parents.

Friday morning before I went to school I was able to Skype with my mom's side of the family down at the farm! What a blessing to see their faces and be offered homemade bars. (Seriously, technology is such a blessing). After school I met up with Meredith and Loree at Costco for our Thanksgiving shopping. After two hours of shopping we successfully got everything we needed for a proper Thanksgiving feast. We decided to get two full chickens instead because without an oven we would never be able to cook a turkey in a day. One thing we were hoping to find at Costco was cranberries and we left without them sadly. But while at Homeplus Loree and I spotted them from across the room and both ran to the refrigerator that held them. Both of us started to dance in the middle of Homeplus, it was magical.

Saturday afternoon began the Thanksgiving festivities in my apartment. I had five Americans over and we cooked our Thanksgiving feast for two and a half hours, ate for about one, cleaned for a half hour, and sat content around the table the rest of the night. I love that this holiday brings people together no matter what country they are in and that everyone is willing to cook, wait for hours for the food, and then clean up.

And in true Thanksgiving fashion there were left overs that I was able to share with my two friends from South Africa the day after.

In conclusion: I am thankful for my landlord driving me to school, for American friends to celebrate with, for new friends to share with, for my electronics still working, that everyone's health is intact, for cranberries in South Korea, for happy dances in grocery stores, for pumpkin pie, for How I Met Your Mother's hilarious Thanksgiving episodes, for Skype, and every other blessing in my life.

everyone (minus Loree) and our Thanksgiving feast.

Thankful that Meredith and Loree were on my plane.

Eating Thanksgiving with chop sticks because I didn't have enough forks!