Yet again I have been slacking on updating everyone on my Korean adventures!

Fortunately, Shawn is away at a hockey tournament so I am able to catch up on a few things at the apartment. I want to start off by saying how much I miss everyone back home and how happy I am when I get to read your messages <3 Keep 'em coming!

The past few days have been extremely busy! I finally feel somewhat 'at home' in this country and having someone here that I know from home has definitely made the transition a lot easier. Its going to feel weird leaving here and heading off to Australia, where I will know absolutely nobody..but then again, I guess that part of the adventure.

Humm…where shall I begin?! I will try to my best to keep everything in chronological order, so my pictures correspond my blog entry. I've been using post-it notes (yes, I packed them in my suitcase) to try and keep track of everything I do here and so far so good.

I want to start off by writing a little bit more about the subway system here, something I have become pretty familiar with. Although it may look confusing when you first see it, its actually pretty easy to navigate and you can take it almost everywhere in the city (Toronto could learn a thing or two about transportation from the Koreans). After riding the subway a few times, I began to observe a few unique things…such as heated seats! Mind you, it doesn't get extremely cold here (nothing like back home), but the extra warm seat is comforting and makes the ride a bit more relaxing. The subway is also divided into sections, with one reserved specifically for the elderly, pregnant women, and the disabled. Although we have similar seats on the subway in Toronto, people still do sit there and then move when required to do so. In Korea, it seems people take their seat selection very seriously; I have yet to see young or middle age people sit in this "special section". When the subway doors open, its amusing to see people swarm in and the elderly stroll on knowing there will be a seat for them no matter what. I do agree with this 'unwritten rule' and hopefully one day Toronto subway riders will show the same respect to the elderly as Koreans do.

I think the best thing I witnessed on the subway so far has to be the 'live infomercials'. People literally walk onto the train with the item they are selling and put on a full demonstration for the riders. The first time I saw it, I was so amazed that people were actually giving this guy the time of day. Of course, he was speaking totally in Korean so I had no idea what he was saying, but it still was ridiculously funny and cheesy all at the same time. The product in question was a "super glue pen", one that you could use to hand up pictures, or fix a broken vase…you name it, and the SUPER PEN could fix it! The excitement in the guy's face killed it…Shawn and I just laughed. The man did manage to sell about three or four. The cost was 1,000$ won, which basically can be converted into one Canadian dollar. I'm pretty sure the next time I witness one of these 'live infomercials', I'm going to buy into it…just because.

Back to my adventures…

We decided to take the subway down to the COEX Mall, a pretty popular shopping destination for locals and tourists alike. When we got there, I was reminded instantly of Yorkdale Mall. The subway connected right to the plaza and the selection of stores was very "western". I saw an Adidas outlet, The Body Shop, an Apple Store and lots of chain restaurants (KFC, Pizza Hut, etc). I felt like I was transported back to Canada. Before I came here, I never thought I would set foot in a mall that looked like Erin Mills Town Center. Everything inside looked the same. This was my "least Korean experience" haha.

However, we did manage to go to the "Kimchi Museum" (yes, ALY- they have a museum dedicated to this traditional dish). It cost about 3,000 won and was worth every penny…errr, cent….err, whatever they call it. It was hilarious. Koreans take their Kimchi very seriously. I've had it here almost with every meal. At first I thought there was just one type, but no, no, no, no, there is like a hundred different flavors. The museum had all kinds of interesting facts and even explained why Kimchi can help prevent cancer! There was even a place where you could sample the dish. I wouldn't say Kimchi is my favorite Korean food, I'm just not a fan of the spicy-ness, but I do try it at every restaurant.

Then we decided to go see a movie at the "MegaBox" theatre. Which again, looked similar to Silvercity, only a lot of the movies were Korean (duh!). I was surprised that a lot of the English movies were up-to-date. We decided on Seven Pounds, you know, the one with Will Smith. We waited in line to buy tickets, which cost about 7$ Canadian- again, a lot cheaper than back home. But the best part was, after we told the girl what movie we wanted to see (she semi-spoke English), she pointed to a seating chart and we were allowed to actually pick our seats! This is best idea ever! It makes perfect sense. This way you don't have to go inside the theatre an hour early to make sure you'll get a decent seat, its such a time saver. Your chosen seat number is printed on the ticket and you don't have to come back until 5 minutes before your show starts….genius!

So we had some time to kill before the show started so we went for dinner. Shawn wanted "Western" food so I let him choose the restaurant…and what does every Canadian crave?! Burger King haha. It was so weird eating a hamburger and fries in Korea…tasted exactly the same though. The fries were a bit off, but the burger was perfect, complete with mayonnaise. I was completely satisfied with the meal ☺ We grabbed a coffee and headed inside the theatre.

Once again, it looked fairly similar…only the screen was a bit smaller and of course the movie had Korean subtitles. I always wondered how Koreans felt about English movies….do they find it hard to follow the story? Everyone inside seemed pretty 'with it', even laughing at some of the subtle jokes. Overall it was a unique experience and its interesting to see how Korea is slowing becoming like everything other Western culture, at least when it comes to movies and shopping.

The day next we go up semi-early and took the subway to….hummm….forgive me, but I do not know the name of the stop/town. This was the day of my first Korean 'mountain hike'. Apparently hiking is a huge deal here and I often seek people walking around in outdoor-sy outfits with giant backpacks. The first thing I noticed that day was that in Korea, its easier to get to a mountain, than to get to a mall. Kind of funny, but so true.

Its sad to admit, but right now I don't know the name of the mountain I climbed haha. I really need to brush up on my Korean. I will ask Shawn later and edit this post.

Anyways, the hike was pretty intense. It started off on a cement path, which eventually turned into a steep stone walk-way (if you could even call it that….). It was a beautiful day out, but it was pretty foggy, so the pictures didn't turn out the greatest, but it was still worth it. It was a grueling workout though and the stepping stones were definitely not designed for short people. I did see a lot of older people trekking it up there, so they sort of motivated me to keep going, even when I got tired. The view was spectacular! I'm so glad I got to experience this and I definitely recommend it to anyone who visits here.

After climbing down it was definitely time for lunch! We made out way back to Shawn's neighborhood and went to one of his favorite restaurants. We always cut through this alley to get to the subway and every time we walk by this one food place, the woman inside always gives him a HUGE smile and waves. I was pretty excited to eat there. Shawn ordered….oh good god…what's it called?! BIBIMBAP (thank you google). Its basically a mix of rice ('bap' in Korean) and veggies and egg stirred in a hot sauce. At first I didn't think I could handle the spice, but it was actually very good, probably one of my favorite meals so far. Shawn got a noodle soup and some sort of sushi, which minus the seaweed taste, was pretty delicious too. I swear if it wasn't for Shawn, I wouldn't eat here. I would be limited to eating in restaurants that actually had pictures on the menu (which apparently, is not too common here). Almost every place we have eaten in is entirely in Korean…everything. I just look at the pages with a blank face and let Shawn take over. My stomach is very thankful for his Korean-ness.

That night we decided to hit up the bar downstairs for drinks and nachos (they were no Tostitos, but still pretty good…I think it was the first time since I got here that I actually saw something with cheese). Then we met up with a bunch of ESL teachers that live in Shawn's building. They were an interesting group that's for sure. A mix of Canadian/American and Australian (and yes, I was super excited about her accent haha). The night was definitely interesting….I wish I could remember all the details…but it basically consisted of A LOT of maekju and soju (popular drinks in Korea) and really random discussions haha.

Oh and who could forget our infamous "Noraebang" adventure- which basically translates into "singing room". We stumbled there after the bar and it was the best experience everrrrrr. It was hilarious and Koreans take their karaoke VERY SERIOUSLY. You go to this venue and rent a private room for your friends and belt out the tunes. You can also drink inside, which is a plus for the shy and quiet ones. There was one Korean guy, "Marvin", (I think he actually worked there) who joined us inside and he is by far my favorite Korean that I've meet. He was singing and jumping around and made sure everyone was having a great time. By the end of the night, our room must have been a hit because two random Korean dudes walked in and sang "bridge over troubled water" with us….it was hilarious because they actually knew the words!
This by far was the most "Korean experience" I've had. Everyone was really nice and friendly and it was a great way for me to meet Shawn's new friends.

The next day we slept in and eventually made it down to "Insa-Dong", a local shopping area. This sort of reminded me of Queen Street, really artsy with all kinds of shops and booths set up. I picked up a few souvenirs for some people and I bought myself a necklace and a pair of chopsticks (and no, I still cannot use them…and yes, I still do carry around a fork in my pocket!). Shawn gets claustrophobic easily and since it was a weekend, this place was super crowded so we didn't stay too long. We did manage to stop at a Dunkin Doughnuts though. They have them everywhere here! It's a bit pricy, but I guess that's because its considered "international". For Shawn and I, its lifesaver, especially when we need a coffee fix. We've been there about 5 times already, as there is one about 2 minutes from his apartment. Its probably the only place I feel comfortable going, since most of the workers there speak a bit of English….or "Konglish"- Koreans attempting to use English but in a Korean context…its basically the best thing ever. You can read all about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konglish (what would I do without Wikipedia!?!)

Today I'm not sure what the exact plan is. I've got a few things to do before I can venture outside. Oh, I would also like to point out an interesting fact about this apartment that I discovered today….I was doing some laundry and to help dry my clothes, I opened up the window. Right away I felt the hardwood floor heat up. Now, I'm not sure if this a direct result of me opening the window, but it seems like a pretty big coincidence…I will have to consult with Shawn about this when he gets back.

Blah, okay, I'm sure by now you've heard enough. I will upload more pics asap!

Keep in touch! xoxox