Fireworks!!!

So I had a spectactular weekend in Busan... and I just wanted to show you some of the highlights via photos. For an indepth look at the photos... see

but here is a little preview...



And for more look at my site on http://www.flickr.com/photos/27441599@N07/

State of the Union

Let me just say that although, we have seen some price increases over the last few months over here... I am most certainly glad that I am not going back to the States for awhile. When I moved here, the won and the dollar were almost evenly pegged... around 1085 won = 1 dollar. However in the last 2 weeks, there have been dramatic losses on that front. The won is now worth about 64 cents on the dollar. The exchange has stabilized somewhat at around 1385 won to the dollar (official, not bank rates) and let me say I am very glad I don't have to be sending home massive amounts of dollars for credit cards or whatever else. I have a friend that sent home 10,000 W to get 7500 USD, just last week! OUCH! Those that are here, are glad they are here, those leaving shortly are hating life as they've seen a dramatic decrease in their savings in just a matter of days. My fellow co-worker just watched 25,000 turn into 13,000 overnight because he had to transfer money home. It just made me realize how crazy it must be over there. I miss you all and hope everyone is doing well.

Livin la vida loca

So alot has happened in the last few weeks... So where to start? Well, two weeks ago my friend, Jeff, and another American opened up a bar in Busan and then one week ago, two days after the gas company hooked up the gas in their bar, decided to cook some food up in their kitchen. He lit the burner and the kitchen exploded... the force knocked down a brick wall outside the kitchen and blew all the windows out in the building. Jeff was badly hurt in the accident, he received 3rd degree burns on his hands and arms up to his triceps, and 2nd degree burns to his face and stomach and feet. Its a long road ahead for him. He will be in the hospital for quite awhile in the burn unit recovering from his injuries.

This last weekend was the Pusan International Film Festival, one of the biggest, if not the biggest film festival in Asia. Films from around the world premiered in Busan this last weekend, combined with the fact that it was Foundation Day on Friday (see below) it was a packed weekend, with people oozing out of every hotel. It was kind of fun watching all the Korean movie stars descend en masse with the papparazzi everywhere. Producers and directors from everywhere were on the scene to sift through the latest and greatest movies from around the world. Someone told me that they had even seen Steven Spielberg and I'm not sure that I didn't see Spike Jones and Ice Cube. Craziness.

Anyway, on to the description of Foundation Day... So a long time ago, Hwawin wanted to live on earth instead of in the heavens and he came down and there was this bear in this cave and he fed the bear garlic and after some time the bear turned into a woman. She wanted to become a mother so he obliged her and their child was named Tangun. Tangun founded Korea and made his capital in Pyongyang and ruled for about a thousand years. Now Koreans will tell you that its a myth... but they all believe it! I love superstitious people!

P.S. -- I finally bought a camera! Pictures will be forthcoming again.

Fan Death.... beware

So Korea can be a strange place... I have recently been intrigued with a Korean urban myth. And sadly I am disheartened by the fact that in such a technologically advanced country and with such a major emphasis put on math and science in the schools and haegwons here... one can only *sigh* and wonder. This phenomena I would like to discuss is called fan death. This belief is so widespread that the media not only cultivates this myth with is continued propagation, it wholeheartedly believes in it and has the backing of the government in its perpetuation. So anyway the belief is such: If you go to sleep with the fan pointed at your head, you can die.
There are a number of different explanations for this... 1) The fan cuts the O2 molecules inside the fan and you can't breathe and asphyxiate. 2) The cold air from the fan will cool your body so much you get hypothermia.
The media climbs on board with reports every summer of the many casualties of fan death backed with governmental statistics showing it to be on of the highest causes of death during the summer months.
Luckily, there is a simple method of prevention for this needless death: open your window! By opening your window, you create a steady flow of fresh oxygen. And just in case you forget to open your window... all fans in Korea come equipped with a timer that automatically turns the fan off... so you can't die and hold them responsible. They also have warnings printed on the fan warning against fan death.
And now just when you are sitting there thinking to yourself... well, I'll just sleep in my car, think again! Fan death happens in cars with windows closed, too! And it is for that reason, that most taxi drivers don't use the A/C in their taxis, or if they do, they will crack the window open to ensure that uncut, uncooled oxygen can keep everyone alive. This is not purely a folk legend... doctors, professors, educated people and common people alike all believe in this myth. Here are a couple of videos showing just how widespread this belief is... Until next time!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs0b2vBfSrM


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLAfVbrd3iM

argh!!!

Sometimes you just want to strangle your students! Since my students didn't have school today they were extra wound up coming into the haegwon tonight. I had some little punk run up and stick gum on my pants! *sigh* Okay I'm done venting... hey mom! how do you get gum out of clothes? LOL

Chuseok

So I am rather excited about this weekend... Chuseok is upon us! This is one of the biggest holidays in Korea. Its rather similar to our Thanksgiving and is a 3 day holiday, unfortunately... Chuseok falls on Saturday, so Saturday, Sunday, Monday, but my work was kind enough to give us Tuesday off (read: attempt to cut down on overtime) Chuseok is a day that families get together and honor their ancestors and eat lots of food. So since I'm not Korean nor can I cook Korean food (yet) I am going to go down to Busan and lounge on the beach and then make my way over to Kyungju. I will hopefully pick up a new camera this weekend so I can show some more of Korean life. Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday! Next time, I'll tell you all about the dangers of running your fans at night!

Jjimjilbang

So its about time I write some of the goings on in Korea down on virtual paper. I wanted to let everyone know about the amazingness that is the jjimjilbang, or public bath/sauna. So every Wednesday, we get off from work early... 9:05pm at the latest and recently Peter and I, a fellow co-worker, have made it our weekly ritual to enjoy the early evening and relax at Home Spa World, this monstrosity of a bathhouse. For those who don't know what a bathhouse entails... you walk in and get a locker. Take off all your clothes, put the key (on a little bracelet) on your wrist or ankle and wander off to enjoy the myriad of pools and saunas. The men and boys have separate floors from the women and girls. Many families come here together and it is a sort of a male/female bonding experience. The pools range from 42 deg C to 18 deg C (or 108-64 deg F for all you westerners). Some pools have herb infusions, green tea, or Japanese cedar pool called Hanori, the majority of them though are just normal water. There are also waterfall showers and cold water jacuzzis. And just to temper it all, you have a Finnish sauna, an herb sauna and various other heated rooms. And that is just the main floor where the lockers are located. They have a gym, a swimming pool and masseuses (unfortunately only during normal daytime hours). Jjimjilbangs do not ever close, people sleep there, they have little cubbies you can tuck yourself into and sleep and wake up and do it all over again if you so choose! Now my favorite part of Home Spa World is something called Korean Bulgama. To get to the bulgama you have to travel to a different floor. Down in the basement, you have a variety of rooms, all heated or cooled to different temperatures and varying themes, but the two of most importance are the bulgama and the ice room. After spending an hour or two up in the pools and saunas, you make your way into the bulgama, this beehive shaped oven basically. It reminds me alot of a Native American sweat lodge because they have this thing heated up to 90 deg C or 194 deg F. The floor is covered with mats which are mostly covered in turn with blankets. And what we do is go sit in the bulgama for about 15-20 minutes with a nice liter of iced green tea or ice water and then when you've had all you can take, go into the ice room at a brisk 6 deg C or 42 deg F and watch the steam rise off your body! Rinse and repeat as many times as you like and even throw a massage into the mix to really cleanse your body. It is a great time had by all and I can't wait to take dad when he comes for a visit... right up his alley! Talk to you all again soon!