Super Color Super Launch Party

As I'd mentioned before, Saturday night was the big music night in Gwangju. It was at Club Nevermind. I'd never been there before, but I showed up early to do a sound check with The Deserts, and got to see what it looked like before it got crowded. The stage was huge, lots of standing room, and in good condition, other than the bathroom!

The show started early at 8, because there were six different acts. First up was Feed the Boats, another expat band in Gwangju. They did really good; I hadn't heard them play before. They did some covers, but I think they also had original songs.



I knew the lead singer of the second band, Harp, from my winter camp at KeunByeol Elementary School back in 2010. They also did a fantastic job. Apparently, their drummer was only 15 years old! We thought the reason he was in the band is because it is the Music Academy's owners band, and he chose his best student to be the drummer.



The Deserts were supposed to go third, but for some reason the order changed and a heavy metal band was up third. They were second favorite band of the night! Check out their hair!



Finally, it was Deserts turn! Everyone was so excited, especially Rupert and Worth.



I can't remember when exactly it was, but at some point during their set, Kenny got up and announced to everyone that it was our one year anniversary and he wanted to dedicate the next song to me! I was so embarrassed! Then everyone was yelling at me to get up on stage to give him a kiss. So I did, and it was definitely something I'll never forget!! :)





It was such a fun night! I think the venue did a good job at making all their money back they'd put in to hosting the show. Tons of people showed up throughout the night, and literally hundreds of pictures were taken! Thanks to Amanda and Billy especially for the use of their pictures!

Super Color Super

This weekend is a big weekend in Gwangju. The biggest live music concert of the year is happening Saturday night at 8 at Club Nevermind downtown. There are 6 different groups playing, including Deserts and Da Megook Movement. The cover is only 7,000 at the door, which is very reasonable considering the music will last all night.



I'm really eager to see Deserts play, as Kenny's recently joined the band (he plays guitar). They've been practicing a lot, and I know how much work they've put into it. He's played 3 shows already with the Deserts, but I've been out of town and haven't been able to catch any shows. I know they'll do well, and I'm looking forward to hearing their new songs.

I also haven't heard Da Megook Movement recently, either. Da Megook Movement has "Quick fire prose, lexical trickery and wordplay that will make you wonder why it looks so easy to do. These guys are good, the beats are infectious and the songs are so catchy you don't need a baseball glove to get hold of them." Kenny also makes many of the beats for them.

It should be a great night for live music (there's also another concert later at The Speakeasy), and I'll be sure to update you on how everyone sounded.

This is not a panini

I may have jumped the gun a little bit. I was very excited when I noticed a new coffee shop/restaurant (LavAzza) opened in Suwan two days ago. I'd noticed on their outdoor menu that they serve paninis! Panini's are one of my favorite sandwiches, and I was thrilled that I could get one so easily. They also had a bunch of other yummy sounding things on their menu.

First, let's take a look at a delicious panini:



I've always thought at panini should be grilled in a press, just like the one pictured. However, after a quick search on Wikipedia, I learned that sometimes they aren't. However, a grilled, pressed sandwich is what I associate with "panini."

The sandwich I ordered was called the "Rustico." There wasn't a description of what it was, but the price seemed right (6,500). What I got wasn't anything close to what I was expecting.



Woah, wait a sec. Did they use sauce to mimic the grill mark lines?



Yes, I think they did! Also, the fillings were minimal- some melted "cheese," "bacon," and sun-dried tomatoes. LavAzza did have other things on their menu, like pasta, risotto, and toasts. I do know one thing- if I ever end up going back, I won't be having another panini! Having this disappointing of a sandwich just makes me want a real one even more!!

TAO- Family Restaurant

To celebrate my birthday dinner, Kenny treated me to dinner at a new organic restaurant in Suwan. The restaurant, TAO, is located close to the Women's Hospital, and above Coffee Bene, which means it's got a great view of the bustling street below, as well as the Lotte Mart Lake Park.

Since we celebrated early on a Monday night, the restaurant was nearly empty. We choose to sit outside because the weather was so comfortable. Our waiters were very attentive, and they did speak some English, so we didn't have any problems ordering. We choose two main dishes, which we split.

The easy choice was the roasted duck with chutney sauce. It was served with grapefruit, asparagus, and crasins, which are both expensive and difficult to find in Korea. It was perfectly cooked and went so well with the apricots:



We choose the shrimp and scallops cream pasta to go with it. Even though the scallops were small compared to US standards, the flavor was great. The saffron on the side added a lot to the dish.



Our meal also came with a complementary salad, breads, and soup. They were nice, but nothing special. The wine we had originally chosen was out, so we opted for a half bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, reasonably priced. I thought the young waiter wasn't going to be able to get the cork out, but he eventually did. After that, we had him take a picture of the both of us. Forgive the angle, it was a very narrow seating area outdoors!



If you look closely at my wrist, you can see the beautiful bracelet Kenny gave me! I adore it! If you can't quite make out the detail, here's another shot :)



It was a great evening, and I'd definitely recommend Tao! We both thought it was the best Western food we've had in Gwangju. I know I'll be back soon, because they gave me a coupon for a free steak (before May 24th) as a birthday present. As my 9th graders would say (Unit 2, Teenage Years), it was "the icing on the cake!"

Happy Birthday~ To Me!

I've got some great friends here in Gwangju! More than 20 of them came to my birthday BBQ Saturday evening on Kenny's roof. Everyone brought their own meat as well as a dish to pass- I even got some cute presents!

The weather was great- warm and sunny, perfect for summertime dresses! Here are some of the girls. It's hard to tell, but the theme was hats.



Here's Kenny and I!



And after we got the grill heated up, I snapped this picture of the guys. I didn't choose the "prom-style" pose though!



We had a lot of food and it went quickly! Everyone still loves my cheese ball (I think I've taken it to 4 different potlucks), and it was one of the first things to go. We also had pico de galo, guacamole, potato salad, spinach salad, strawberries, and orange jello. Ann was really sweet and made me an extra large jello shot with half a bottle of Smirnoff in the shape of a baby. It was pretty funny!



It was a great party and I was so happy everyone came! Thanks to all my friends!

Parent's Visit- Suwon

The next city we visited was Suwon, just south of Seoul. We were really loaded down on the trip up there- between the 3 of us, we had 5 rolling luggages, and one duffel bag! But, three of those rolling luggages were full of my stuff to be sent home- I really cleared out a lot of clothes!

Once we successfully got all the luggage to our hotel, we took a cab to Suwon Folk Village. At first, I wasn't too keen on going there, as I've seen things like this in the past, and they're generally very touristy. This one was quite different, and definitely exceeded my expectations.

Though it was a bit expensive to get in, since we'd driven all the way there, we still went in. At first, all we saw were restaurants, souvenir shops, and elementary students, but after we passed the second entrance gate, the touristy bits disappeared and we were in a real village. All of the 260-odd buildings had been transported from different parts of the country, and we liked comparing the differences in architecture styles.



They also had lots of "businesses," like a pottery studio, silk studio, farms, and government offices. Mom and I bought some pottery necklaces and jars, which are one-of-a-kind. We saw a live performance of a wedding in the "Royal Palace" and an acrobatics show.

The next day, we stored our stuff at Suwon Station and walked to the main sight in Suwon, the fortress. It was awesome!

We payed just $1 to walk around the old walls and explore the lookout points. Part of the fortress was on top of a mountain, but it was so large that it extended down into the town. Of course now, the inside of the fortress is full of PC Bangs, homes, and schools, but hundreds of years ago, it would have been just like the folk village we'd seen yesterday.





We walked around on top of the mountain, and walked down through town at the end. We were all surprised at the size of it- I didn't realize it would be half as big as the city! This is a cool shot of the entrance leading up to the temple in the town. I've never seen anything on the sidewalk like this before:



The three of us had a great morning/early afternoon at the fortress, and Dad later said it was his favorite part of the trip!

Parent's Visit- Host Family

We spent one day with my host family the second week of their trip... and I think that was enough! Don't get me wrong, we all had fun, it was just very tiring!

We started off the day with breakfast at their house, in Bongseong-dong. They gave us many presents, like plates, Gwangju guide books, and a DVD set. Very sweet, but we thought it would be challenging to pack 5 of each thing in our luggages!

On our way to the first stop, which ended up being a random garden in the mountains, we picked up our translator for the day. None of us really knew what was happening when this lady jumped in our van (rented for the day from the church) and started chatting with us. It ended up being nice to have a translator along with us, since my host dad and sister have limited English abilities. But wow, she was a talker!

At the garden, we heard a lot about Ying and Yang and Buddhism, and took many pictures, very Korean-esque. I'm not sure why we went there, but it was pretty and quiet, something that can be hard to find in Gwangju.

Our next stop was Damyang Bamboo Park, making it now 5 times that I've been there. It looks the same everyday- a lot of bamboo! We did get to visit a handicraft shop. The man specialized in making- get this- bamboo crafts! Woohoo! Actually, he was very talented and had many nice things for sale in his store. Our translator, Ms. Oh, surprised mom with a nice green flower pin, woven out of bamboo. Here's mom and dad, listening to Ms. Oh.



I was getting hungry at this point, but I declined a snack, thinking we were getting some bibimbap soon. Well, an hour and a half later, we made it to the middle of nowhere (otherwise known as Gochang) to a barley festival.

Wait, what?!

Yes, a barley festival. I'm not sure why, but my host family thought it would be fun. That's one word to describe it!

After tasting the bibimbap, made with local barley, we started to take a relaxing walk through the barely fields. It quickly got interrupted by a group of young men from the TV channel, Arirang. They were interested in interviewing Dad and me about our feelings on the barley festival. We did two takes, then spent about 15 minutes casually walking through the fields of barley while they filmed. Between Ms. Oh, Mr. Mun, and Mom, we had so many pictures taken- I really felt like a star!



After we were done walking through the barley, it was Mom's turn to be interviewed. For hers, she put on some traditional Korean clothes at one of the vendor's stalls. She actually really liked it, so for the rest of the trip, we were on the hunt for anything as cute as this one:





We entertained ourselves for the rest of the afternoon by making naturally dyed handkerchiefs and rice cakes (ddeok), and getting free samples from vendors, like juice, lotion, soap, and face masks. By the time we were finished, we were all exhausted, but had made so many crazy memories with my host family!

Parent's Visit- Gyeongju

Following Busan, we headed north to a small town called Gyeongju. Gyeongju is referred to as the "Rome of Korea" and "Korea's best outdoor museum." The town is full of old artifacts, tombs, temples, and historical sites, some dating back to the 4th or 5th century. We didn't have as much time here as I would have liked, but we got a good feel of the city and the things to do. There's still many things I'd like to see, so I'll have to plan another trip back!

Our first stop was Bulguksa Temple, just outside of town but easily reachable by city bus. We went on a Saturday afternoon, which wasn't the best time (there were lots of people!), but we had nice weather. Bulguksa is classified as "Historical and Scenic Site #1," because of it's importance to Korean history. There are seven different national treasures there, and it's very beautiful. If you'd like to see more pictures or learn about the history, here's the link to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulguksa

On Sunday, we enjoyed a continental breakfast... and then found out it wasn't actually continental! Good thing we enjoyed it a lot and ate a lot of food. Next, we headed into town with our luggage, and did a walking tour for the rest of the day until our train back to Gwangju. We started by seeing the Royal Tombs in the center of the city. There were over 20 of them in the main park, and more in the surrounding area. We were all surprised at the size of them!



One of the tombs of the King had been excavated, and you could walk inside. Sorry, no pictures allowed. The remains were in the center of the tomb, surrounded by gifts of gold and pottery, enclosed in a wooden casket, buried under many rocks, and then covered with dirt. Also inside were some relics that had been cleaned and placed in display cases. Once we went inside, we had a much better understanding of what it was, compared to just a mound of dirt and grass.

Some other sites we saw included the oldest structure in Korea, an astronomical clock, which wasn't worth the $.50 we spent on the entrance ticket. We also walked around the old "fortress," better known as a "forest" (those darn translations!), and the free National History Museum, both enjoyable and educational. There were so many interesting things to look at in the museum, but it wasn't overwhelming, like museums sometimes can be. But the dates of some of the relics made my head spin. Hard to believe things from Bronze Age (1000 BC) still exist!

Gyeongju was a great time- so much to see and do, but not nearly enough time. If anyone out there wants to go sometime, let me know and I'll gladly join you!

Parent's Visit- Busan

After Daegu, we took the bus to Busan for two nights. We had a great hotel, Sunset Hotel, right on Haeundae Beach. The weather was great the first day, so I'm glad we did a lot of sightseeing then, because the second day was rainy and a bit cooler.

It was so nice being on the beach, the three of us enjoyed walking on the boardwalk and watching the numerous boats out at sea. There weren't many people on the beach, since it was a Thursday, but there were a ton of adorable students going to the Haeundae Aquarium, and they all wanted to say "hi" to us.

We did see two "touristy" sights on Thursday, the Busan Tower and Jalgachi Fish Market, both near the port downtown. Mom and Dad really enjoyed the $3 trip up to the top of the tower- the view of the port is stunning. There are so many boats and containers! We must have taken hundreds of pictures between us.



The Fish Market was something I'd always been meaning to see whenever I visited. It was much larger than I expected. The first floor had lots of vendors selling crab, prawns, fish, oysters, clams, and various other sea creatures. We knew that we wanted to buy crab, so I was able to ask how many we should buy for three people, and the ladies advised us to buy two. I think we chose just the right amount.

Another lady took our two King Crabs up to the second level, where we had them prepared for just a little more. While it took longer than we expected (but still not too long), it was worth the wait. It was the best, freshest, sweetest crab I've ever had. It was simply steamed, and they gave us some scissors to help crack the shell. We didn't talk too much during the meal, we were enjoying it too much! By the time we finished, we were so sticky and the table was covered with bits of crab.



Friday brought with it rainy weather, so we entertained ourselves by exploring Shinsaegae and being interviewed by the Busan English Radio channel (which I'll try to post later). Busan's such a fun town, and I'll be going back sometime this summer to see Haeundae in it's prime.

Parent's Visit- School

On their second day, I took my parents to school for two classes. Gosh, I thought they loved me, but their reaction to my parents was off the charts!!!! I think many Koreans are used to seeing young, white adults, but to see a middle aged foreigner is practically unheard of in my neighborhood. I can't even guess how many "hi's" my parents said, or how many times students compared their height to Dad's.

Here's some pictures of the two classes I taught with my parents assistance:





Here's Mom and some third graders:


And an action shot of me and Hyunhee, my coteacher, at my desk:


I'm pretty positive that this was one of the most memorable experiences of my parents visit!

Parent's Visit- Daegu

One of the places I took my parents to was Daegu. I'd never been to Daegu before, so I was also eager to see what it was like. Daegu is famous for their traditional market, named Seomun, as well as their traditional herbal medicines. It sounded like a place worth checking out.

After we'd stored our luggage in the subway lockers upon arrival, we rode the subway to Seomun Market. Seomun had it all- dried fish, seaweed, fruit, comforters, street food, and great people watching. We weren't looking for anything in particular, but enjoyed the almond samples and taking pictures of all the "strange" food (strange for Mom and Dad, normal for me!). I thought I was going to have to hold dad back from sampling one of the dirt-flavored silk worm larva- thank goodness I was able to convince him that they really do taste like dirt!


(thanks Google Images)

My friend Jeannine who lives in Daegu recommended some good street vendors for lunch, a place that specializes in flat mando, and a place that has the best Heoddeok, a fried pancake with sweet filling. However, once we entered the food area, I knew we'd never be able to find the right one! There were just too many! Every stand was busy, so we knew wherever we decided to eat that it would be hot and fresh.

We settled on the busiest stall, and came back once three plastic chairs were empty. We ordered 4 dishes- a plain kimbap roll, udon, guksu, and heoddeok. All the dishes were good, Mom liked the guksu best because of the non-fishy broth, and Dad enjoyed them all, especially the heoddeok! The best part was that we were all full after, and the meal came to less than $9!



The medicine market wasn't exactly what I'd expected, it was more a cobblestone road with various medicine shops selling roots, barks, seeds, and the like. We paused to look around the medicine museum, and sampled some tea made from 10 different herbs that we continued to look for during the duration of our trip, but never found.

We enjoyed the temples in Gyeongsangamyeong Park, close to downtown before meeting Jeannine for dinner and desert (spicy fried bokumbap and ice cream waffle).

Daegu was great to explore for a day, and even though we all got tired in the afternoon, having Jeannine as our guide perked us up. When we got back to our hotel (16th floor!) later on, we all crashed before 10pm!

Supa Dupa Diva

This is the dance we do in our dance class. It's probably not as cute as when Dal Shabet does it, but it's still fun!