Update: December 27, 2012
The police called Zach's co-teacher to let her know that they had Zach's wallet. He got his wallet back today! Everything was still inside! Not even the subway card had been used. How awesome is that?!
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Well, it happened. I guess it was bound to at some point. Zach lost his wallet. The bad part about it? He was sober. Hehe! He either left it in the cab or it fell out of his pocket before he got home. Thankfully there was no cash in it. All of the cash was in his pants pocket.
Losing a wallet means that he also lost his subway card, credit card, Korean ATM card, Alien Registration Card (ARC - Korean ID card), and his driver's license. Zach's co-teacher made a report with the police, but we still have not heard whether someone has turned it in yet or not. We are not holding our breath.
Obviously, we had to cancel the credit card and have them send us a new one. The subway card is not a big loss even though he had about $20.00 on it. He will have to get a new ARC which is kind of a pain in the butt. He will have to take time off of work to go to the immigration office so they can issue him another one. It will take probably 3-4 weeks before he will get a new one. In order to make any changes at the bank here, they usually want to see our ARCs. So, I don't know if Zach will be able to get a new ATM card before he gets his ARC in 3-4 weeks. Hopefully they can go easy on him and just issue him a new card using his passport. I don't know how getting the driver's license is going to work. With the Indiana BMV, you can apparently replace a lost license by going online. However, to set up an account, you need to put in your license number. I don't think we've ever written down his license number. So, we sent the BMV an e-mail. We'll see how far that gets us. :)
Yeah, this all sucks, but it could have been worse. At least he didn't lose any money and no one has tried to use the credit or ATM cards! It's just a big hassle. Thank goodness that's all it is!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Two Years Ago.... (An Update)
Two years ago today (December 13th), Zach and I landed at the Incheon Airport to start our journey. We honestly did not know where it would take us or how long we would be gone. Yes, we would miss friends and family, but we had/have each other and that could get us through anything! In those two years, we've taught in South Korea and China. We've traveled around Korea and Beijing and even had a long weekend in Japan. We've wanted to visit more places but our time will come for that to happen.
I honestly can't believe we've basically been away for two years. I say 'basically' because last year around this time, we were home for about two months before leaving for China. However, those two months felt like we were on vacation instead of living in real life.
So, what's next? We are constantly asking ourselves the same thing. We know one thing's for sure - our current contract doesn't end until the end of August. So we are here until at least then. Yes, that's right, I said 'at least'. Sorry to everyone who got their hopes up thinking we were coming back home. I have to be honest; Zach and love what we are doing. Yes, we might complain about co-teachers and students, the education system, or even everyday life, but who doesn't complain every once-in-a-while? The majority of our time is spent being very happy and content. Our dream is to be re-hired in August to stay another year.
However, that may prove to be a problem. There has been talk the past couple of weeks that Busan public school jobs for foreigners will be cut drastically. Just when we found a place and job that we love, we may have to leave. This makes us really sad and very uncertain about our future. Yes, we have eight months left, but we pretty much have to start planning for our next step starting now.
Because of the unknown with our jobs, we have made the extremely tough decision not to take a vacation this winter. We are given 10 working days paid vacation to take a trip in the winter, but we will not be traveling anywhere. Instead, we will take the 10 days paid vacation and stay in Korea. We may travel to Seoul just to have a mini get-away. This was a very hard decision to make because we wanted to go to Southeast Asia. One of our goals when we started this journey two years ago, was to see as many countries as we could. So far, that hasn't happened. But, it will - I promise!!!! Another reason it was such a hard decision is because I worry about what other people will think. I actually worry about that a lot and I have to learn to stop worrying about that so much. It doesn't matter what others think. Zach and I are leading the lives we want and we feel that this is the more financially responsible thing to do right now.
So, this is what we are thinking for next year.
1. Our ideal situation is to be able to re-sign and move into our own apartment.
2. We love Busan and would be willing to teach in a hagwon (not ideal).
3. Do a one-year masters program in the UK.
4. Try to get a job teaching in the Middle East. (We wouldn't go anywhere dangerous; we wouldn't put our lives at risk.)
We just are not ready to go back home. We are not even remotely thinking that we want to start a family, now or in the future.
Well, if you have any suggestions, we would love to hear what you have to say. I know you (family and friends) want us to come home but please do not give that as a suggestion. That is definitely not something we are ready for! Sorry.
I honestly can't believe we've basically been away for two years. I say 'basically' because last year around this time, we were home for about two months before leaving for China. However, those two months felt like we were on vacation instead of living in real life.
So, what's next? We are constantly asking ourselves the same thing. We know one thing's for sure - our current contract doesn't end until the end of August. So we are here until at least then. Yes, that's right, I said 'at least'. Sorry to everyone who got their hopes up thinking we were coming back home. I have to be honest; Zach and love what we are doing. Yes, we might complain about co-teachers and students, the education system, or even everyday life, but who doesn't complain every once-in-a-while? The majority of our time is spent being very happy and content. Our dream is to be re-hired in August to stay another year.
However, that may prove to be a problem. There has been talk the past couple of weeks that Busan public school jobs for foreigners will be cut drastically. Just when we found a place and job that we love, we may have to leave. This makes us really sad and very uncertain about our future. Yes, we have eight months left, but we pretty much have to start planning for our next step starting now.
Because of the unknown with our jobs, we have made the extremely tough decision not to take a vacation this winter. We are given 10 working days paid vacation to take a trip in the winter, but we will not be traveling anywhere. Instead, we will take the 10 days paid vacation and stay in Korea. We may travel to Seoul just to have a mini get-away. This was a very hard decision to make because we wanted to go to Southeast Asia. One of our goals when we started this journey two years ago, was to see as many countries as we could. So far, that hasn't happened. But, it will - I promise!!!! Another reason it was such a hard decision is because I worry about what other people will think. I actually worry about that a lot and I have to learn to stop worrying about that so much. It doesn't matter what others think. Zach and I are leading the lives we want and we feel that this is the more financially responsible thing to do right now.
So, this is what we are thinking for next year.
1. Our ideal situation is to be able to re-sign and move into our own apartment.
2. We love Busan and would be willing to teach in a hagwon (not ideal).
3. Do a one-year masters program in the UK.
4. Try to get a job teaching in the Middle East. (We wouldn't go anywhere dangerous; we wouldn't put our lives at risk.)
We just are not ready to go back home. We are not even remotely thinking that we want to start a family, now or in the future.
Well, if you have any suggestions, we would love to hear what you have to say. I know you (family and friends) want us to come home but please do not give that as a suggestion. That is definitely not something we are ready for! Sorry.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Hanukkah
I never really thought that I would celebrate the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah. I definitely never thought that I would celebrate Hanukkah in South Korea. However, this past Saturday night, we were invited to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with a couple friends in our neighborhood. A couple whom we are friends with celebrate Hanukkah every year. Josh is Jewish by heritage and he and his wife, Kalie, are keeping up the tradition. Hanukkah started at sundown on Saturday, December 8th and will end on Saturday, December 15th.
Josh prepared many traditional foods and Zach made challah bread (pronounced holla).
Josh and Kalie also explained what Hanukkah was all about and read the prayers associated with the first day of Hanukkah. Please view the embedded video to hear an explanation of the foods we ate and hear the readings and prayers for the first day of Hanukkah.
A few of us who attended the Hanukkah celebration.
(Arin, Natalie, Kalie, Sam, Josh, Tyler, Cody, Zach)
My first Hanukkah celebration was a really good one!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Trip to a Korean ER
In my previous post, I wrote that I had a busy week of parties and fun. However, the end of my weekend was not fun. I woke up on Sunday, after a night of celebrating my birthday and drinking, not feeling the greatest. However, I had to go to my co-teacher's wedding. I felt fine all day except for the ride back from the wedding. I started to feel pain in my stomach and chest area. I didn't think too much about it; I just figured it was a hangover. It got worse as the night wore on. We decided that it was heartburn. I got maybe an hour of sleep total that whole night. I was in so much pain that it literally made me sick. This was the worst heartburn I'd ever had. I called into work that morning. After Zach left for work, I climbed into bed and was able to get about 3 hours of sleep.
When I woke up, I went to the pharmacy to try to get some relief. There is a pharmacy within walking distance of our apartment so I decided to go there. Unfortunately, they were closed. I had to take the bus to find a another one. I finally found one and when I walked in I showed them the translation for 'heartburn'. The lady reached for a bottle of liquid and made me drink it on the spot. It only cost $3. She then left. I stood there confused for a minute not knowing if she was getting my real medicine or not. She saw me standing there and motioned that I was finished. I couldn't believe it! All I wanted was a bottle of Tums or Pepcid AC. I walked out of the pharmacy crying because I knew I was not going to get relief from that bottle of liquid. Besides, it tasted nasty and was making me sick. I walked back to the bus stop and found another pharmacy. This one gave me two boxes of medicine that actually looked like they were for heartburn. The only problem is that I didn't know how many to take or when.
I came home and took the medicine right away. I had never been in so much pain from just heartburn before. It was awful! The medicine actually worked and I was able to get a little more sleep. Zach came home and we ate some leftovers from Thanksgiving. I tried to be careful about what I put on my plate but it was no use. The pain and burning came back even stronger. I took more medicine but it did not help. That's when we decided that I needed to go to the hospital. I just was not getting any relief. I called one of my co-teachers to help. She came to our apartment and took us to the ER. I was given two separate shots for the pain (one shot was in the hip), an antacid, and an IV because I was slightly dehydrated.
The pain finally died off and I didn't feel quite so sick. At midnight, we left the ER. The most positive part of this experience was the ER bill. We only had to pay 36,000 Won (about $36) for the whole ER visit, shots, meds, IV, etc. I couldn't believe it! We caught a cab home and I slept like a baby! I did not go to school today but I plan on returning tomorrow (Wednesday).
When I woke up, I went to the pharmacy to try to get some relief. There is a pharmacy within walking distance of our apartment so I decided to go there. Unfortunately, they were closed. I had to take the bus to find a another one. I finally found one and when I walked in I showed them the translation for 'heartburn'. The lady reached for a bottle of liquid and made me drink it on the spot. It only cost $3. She then left. I stood there confused for a minute not knowing if she was getting my real medicine or not. She saw me standing there and motioned that I was finished. I couldn't believe it! All I wanted was a bottle of Tums or Pepcid AC. I walked out of the pharmacy crying because I knew I was not going to get relief from that bottle of liquid. Besides, it tasted nasty and was making me sick. I walked back to the bus stop and found another pharmacy. This one gave me two boxes of medicine that actually looked like they were for heartburn. The only problem is that I didn't know how many to take or when.
I came home and took the medicine right away. I had never been in so much pain from just heartburn before. It was awful! The medicine actually worked and I was able to get a little more sleep. Zach came home and we ate some leftovers from Thanksgiving. I tried to be careful about what I put on my plate but it was no use. The pain and burning came back even stronger. I took more medicine but it did not help. That's when we decided that I needed to go to the hospital. I just was not getting any relief. I called one of my co-teachers to help. She came to our apartment and took us to the ER. I was given two separate shots for the pain (one shot was in the hip), an antacid, and an IV because I was slightly dehydrated.
The pain finally died off and I didn't feel quite so sick. At midnight, we left the ER. The most positive part of this experience was the ER bill. We only had to pay 36,000 Won (about $36) for the whole ER visit, shots, meds, IV, etc. I couldn't believe it! We caught a cab home and I slept like a baby! I did not go to school today but I plan on returning tomorrow (Wednesday).
Party Week
As I've mentioned in an earlier post, the members of Soju 2012 celebrate each other's birthdays. This month, we had two - Tammy's and mine. The week of partying began on November 17th with Tammy's birthday celebration. We went out to dinner and then ended up in a bar (or two or three).
Me & Zach
The girls of Soju 2012
Soju 2012
Then, Zach and I celebrated my birthday on November 20th. In the morning, he gave me my gift of perfume and fixed breakfast. After school he took me shopping where I bought fingernail polish and two shirts. We then went out for dinner at a place called Posh Nosh. It was delicious!
He even wore a tie!
Yum! Pizza and wine!
Thursday the 22nd was Thanksgiving. In our neighborhood, we have a large population of foreigners (non-Koreans). Most of us, if not all of us, are from the States. So we decided to have a neighborhood Thanksgiving party. Zach and I hosted. I could not believe how much like Thanksgiving it turned out to be.
On Saturday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with our Soju 2012 family. Zach and I hosted this one too. Again, it turned out just like Thanksgiving at home and the food was absolutely delicious.
We even had two who were celebrating Thanksgiving for the very first time. Stephen is from Canada and Fran is from England.
Too much dessert. Too many wines to taste!
After we ate all we could and more, we switched gears and the party turned into a birthday party for me. We did some pre-gaming during Thanksgiving and before we went out. Then we hit the bar(s). Some of us (me) only made it to one. It was a great night!
Friends from the neighborhood.
There is a picture of Soju 2012 floating out there in someone's camera, but I haven't figured out who's yet!
The next day, I went to my main co-teacher's wedding. She is the one who helps me when we have questions about the apartment, banking, living, etc. I was so happy that I could share her special day with her!
The wedding was 1 1/2 hours away so we rode a "party" bus to the wedding. They gave us snacks on the way to the wedding.
They gave us more snacks (and beer) on the way back.
First kiss.
Traditional wedding ceremony. I could not stay for that one (family only) but they let me take pictures before they got started.
It was a pretty busy week but a lot of fun! It definitely helped to keep my mind off the fact that we weren't home for the holidays. However, we did spend the holidays with friends and even family (Soju 2012)!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
A Motherless Daughter
This isn't written logically or very well at all. It's just my feelings. It's more for me than for anyone else though you are more than welcome to read it.
One of my favorite books is titled "Motherless Daughters" by Hope Edelman. I encourage any woman (any age) who has lost a mother to read this book.
I feel so much but don't know how to put it into words, but I feel that I must. It's been 9 years since Mom died. I hate the term 'passed away'. Let's face it, she died - and it sucks. Cancer sucks!
I wish I knew Mom as a person. Being almost 17 years old, I only knew Mom as Mom. Though she shared a lot with me, I still feel that I never got to see her as a real person. We experienced things together, but she experienced them as an adult. That's very different than seeing it through a child's/teen's eyes.
There are so many things I wish I could have talked to her about: prom, my first serious boyfriend, graduation, sex, college, getting engaged, getting married, living abroad, marriage, etc. What kind of advice would she give me? Would she be able to help me in only the way a mother can?
I watched an episode of "Parenthood" tonight, and like I do during every episode, I cried. This particular one had a scene where one of the characters had to get chemo for the first time. I wasn't there for Mom's first chemo treatment, or any of them for that matter. Yes, she had many, many friends to help and support her along the way, but how scary that must have been. I always wonder if there was anything I should have done differently.
I do remember the moment I realized Mom was probably going to die. It was the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep. I went into the living room and picked up some pamphlets lying around. One was about the stages of death. I could pick out which stage Mom was in. It wasn't long after that, that she went into the hospital and never left. That was the longest week of my life. Even though I knew it was going to happen, I didn't let myself thing about it. I'm pretty sure I blocked out a lot of this time period because I don't remember a lot. I don't remember being in her hospital room a lot. I remember thinking that I could not get behind on homework. Denial?! I remember wishing she would die. She was in a lot of pain and I didn't want that for her. I remember her last breathe. I also remember feeling very lost after that.
It wasn't fair! It isn't fair!
I want to give her a hug. I want to see her laugh.
Yes, 9 years have gone by. Yes, it has gotten easier with time. There are days when she doesn't cross my mind. But, there are also days when I can't get her out of my mind and I am flooded with emotions. I miss her! I am thankful to have such a loving and supportive group of family, friends, loved ones, family friends, etc. I love hearing stories about Mom and comments about what a great person she was. Those are what makes the tough days easier.
Well, my thoughts are everywhere right now. I should probably stop writing before it gets hard to read.
Love you and miss you, Mom!
One of my favorite books is titled "Motherless Daughters" by Hope Edelman. I encourage any woman (any age) who has lost a mother to read this book.
I feel so much but don't know how to put it into words, but I feel that I must. It's been 9 years since Mom died. I hate the term 'passed away'. Let's face it, she died - and it sucks. Cancer sucks!
I wish I knew Mom as a person. Being almost 17 years old, I only knew Mom as Mom. Though she shared a lot with me, I still feel that I never got to see her as a real person. We experienced things together, but she experienced them as an adult. That's very different than seeing it through a child's/teen's eyes.
There are so many things I wish I could have talked to her about: prom, my first serious boyfriend, graduation, sex, college, getting engaged, getting married, living abroad, marriage, etc. What kind of advice would she give me? Would she be able to help me in only the way a mother can?
I watched an episode of "Parenthood" tonight, and like I do during every episode, I cried. This particular one had a scene where one of the characters had to get chemo for the first time. I wasn't there for Mom's first chemo treatment, or any of them for that matter. Yes, she had many, many friends to help and support her along the way, but how scary that must have been. I always wonder if there was anything I should have done differently.
I do remember the moment I realized Mom was probably going to die. It was the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep. I went into the living room and picked up some pamphlets lying around. One was about the stages of death. I could pick out which stage Mom was in. It wasn't long after that, that she went into the hospital and never left. That was the longest week of my life. Even though I knew it was going to happen, I didn't let myself thing about it. I'm pretty sure I blocked out a lot of this time period because I don't remember a lot. I don't remember being in her hospital room a lot. I remember thinking that I could not get behind on homework. Denial?! I remember wishing she would die. She was in a lot of pain and I didn't want that for her. I remember her last breathe. I also remember feeling very lost after that.
It wasn't fair! It isn't fair!
I want to give her a hug. I want to see her laugh.
Yes, 9 years have gone by. Yes, it has gotten easier with time. There are days when she doesn't cross my mind. But, there are also days when I can't get her out of my mind and I am flooded with emotions. I miss her! I am thankful to have such a loving and supportive group of family, friends, loved ones, family friends, etc. I love hearing stories about Mom and comments about what a great person she was. Those are what makes the tough days easier.
Well, my thoughts are everywhere right now. I should probably stop writing before it gets hard to read.
Love you and miss you, Mom!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Helping in a Soup Kitchen
During the past few months, Zach and I have made friends with several married couples who live in our neighborhood. One of the couples invited us to a Facebook group called City Lights. According to the 'About' section, "City Lights exists to mobilize the people of God to be an active influence and transformative presence within our local community." I joined the group not knowing if I would actually get involved in any of the activities.
A couple of weeks ago, City Lights posted that they were going to help at the Busanjin Soup Kitchen on November 10th. I literally thought, "why the hell not?" Haha. Before coming to Korea, I'd like to think that I was a fairly active volunteer. Since coming here, I've not volunteered for anything and I thought it was about time I did something.
I want you to know that I am writing this, not to toot my own horn, but to let you know that there is a homeless community in Busan. And, if you are in the area, this is a great chance for you to get involved.
Outside of one of the Busanjin subway exits, a large tent is set up where the soup kitchen is. Several churches are responsible for running the kitchen. Several people from one of the churches wake up really early to prepare all of the food. There is a church service that begins at 11 am and when the service is over, the food is served. Our group and a few other volunteers lined up and the members of the church filled the trays with food. We then took the trays to those waiting for food. The whole process of serving the food took less than 30 minutes.
It definitely felt good to help those in need. Though I probably won't go every Saturday, I plan to go as often as possible.
Someone made a video of what happens at the soup kitchen and I will share that video with you to give you a better idea of what it's all about.
A couple of weeks ago, City Lights posted that they were going to help at the Busanjin Soup Kitchen on November 10th. I literally thought, "why the hell not?" Haha. Before coming to Korea, I'd like to think that I was a fairly active volunteer. Since coming here, I've not volunteered for anything and I thought it was about time I did something.
I want you to know that I am writing this, not to toot my own horn, but to let you know that there is a homeless community in Busan. And, if you are in the area, this is a great chance for you to get involved.
Outside of one of the Busanjin subway exits, a large tent is set up where the soup kitchen is. Several churches are responsible for running the kitchen. Several people from one of the churches wake up really early to prepare all of the food. There is a church service that begins at 11 am and when the service is over, the food is served. Our group and a few other volunteers lined up and the members of the church filled the trays with food. We then took the trays to those waiting for food. The whole process of serving the food took less than 30 minutes.
It definitely felt good to help those in need. Though I probably won't go every Saturday, I plan to go as often as possible.
Someone made a video of what happens at the soup kitchen and I will share that video with you to give you a better idea of what it's all about.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Ordering Take-Out
Within a very short time of us being in Korea, we figured out that just because a restaurant doesn't have delivery does not mean that your food cannot be delivered to you. Korea has a system called "Quick Service". Basically, you can call any restaurant and say 퀵서비스 (quick service) and someone on a motorbike will pick up your food from the restaurant and deliver it to you. Even McDonald's does this.
*I did not take this photo. I copied this photo from Google Images.*
Zach and I have said from day one that we cannot learn how this system works. If we figured it out, we would be fat, lazy slobs ordering in food for every meal. **The great thing about quick service??!! You don't have to pay the delivery person. You also don't have to tip them.**
Well on Monday, we decided that we wanted to check out the Chinese restaurant near us. The sign on the door said "Take Out". That was fine with us! However, after we ordered our food, the man asked us for our address (in very broken English). Zach told him our address (in Korean, of course!) and we were shooed out the door. We walked back to our apartment and within 10 minutes, our doorbell rang. Our food had arrived!
We ordered one meal to share plus a side of fried rice -- too much food!
The food comes in real plates and they even gave us a couple of real spoons and wooden, disposable chopsticks. When you are finished with your food, just leave your dishes outside your door and the delivery person will come back to pick them up! It's as easy as that!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Busan Fireworks Festival
This past weekend was the Busan Fireworks Festival. People have been talking about this festival for months. It is held on Gwangalli Beach in Busan and is very popular. http://festival.busan.kr/html/kor/movie/fire_08_eng.html We definitely wanted to go and see it. During the week or two leading up to the festival, we began to hear stories of how crowded the beach is during the fireworks. We were told that if we wanted a seat on the beach, we would have to get there hours early. The fireworks started at 8pm and we were told to get there in the early afternoon.
Me, Zach, and two other couples from our apartment complex decided that we wanted to go together. We had heard that the view from one of the mountains nearby was absolutely amazing. We planned to make a day out of out. We packed food, snacks, drinks, and games.
Saturday came and the weather was terrible! It was raining and very cloudy/foggy. We stopped to eat a restaurant at the bottom of the mountain to see if we could wait out the rain for a little bit. It never stopped raining. In fact, the rain came harder. That's when we decided to go into a coffee shop for a bit. After a couple of hours at the coffee shop, we heard that the fireworks had been postponed until the following day (Sunday night).
On Sunday, we headed up the mountain a little later than the day before. We hiked up the mountain for about 45 minutes before we found a fairly decent spot to see Gwangan Bridge and the fireworks. We picked a great spot. It wasn't very crowded and we had a great view!
Here is a video I took of the fireworks. It lasted for 45 minutes but the video is about 15 minutes long. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkJLTcqWuSQ
Me, Zach, and two other couples from our apartment complex decided that we wanted to go together. We had heard that the view from one of the mountains nearby was absolutely amazing. We planned to make a day out of out. We packed food, snacks, drinks, and games.
Saturday came and the weather was terrible! It was raining and very cloudy/foggy. We stopped to eat a restaurant at the bottom of the mountain to see if we could wait out the rain for a little bit. It never stopped raining. In fact, the rain came harder. That's when we decided to go into a coffee shop for a bit. After a couple of hours at the coffee shop, we heard that the fireworks had been postponed until the following day (Sunday night).
On Sunday, we headed up the mountain a little later than the day before. We hiked up the mountain for about 45 minutes before we found a fairly decent spot to see Gwangan Bridge and the fireworks. We picked a great spot. It wasn't very crowded and we had a great view!
Here is a video I took of the fireworks. It lasted for 45 minutes but the video is about 15 minutes long. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkJLTcqWuSQ
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
A Gift From a Widow
My co-teacher walked into my classroom earlier this morning and handed me a box. She said, "face towel" and started to walk away. I said, "thank you" and asked her who it was from. She said that before I arrived in Busan, one of the teachers from this school died. This gift is for the anniversary of his death. Apparently, the date on the box (2012.10.22) is the day that he goes to Heaven. I asked my teacher what subject the man taught. She then revealed that he was a retired P.E. teacher that was very old. When I asked her if he died of natural causes, she said that he had cancer or something. I guess it's a tradition in Korea (or so I've been told) for the widow/widower to give gifts (to whom exactly, I don't know) on the day that the person goes to Heaven.
Anyway, I was a little taken aback by receiving a gift from a deceased person's wife whom I have never met, but I sure am glad this guy is now in Heaven! Yay!
Anyway, I was a little taken aback by receiving a gift from a deceased person's wife whom I have never met, but I sure am glad this guy is now in Heaven! Yay!
The box that the towel came in.
(Using Google Translate - not totally reliable)
김현철 - Kim Hyun Chul (the man's name) / 영가 - Spiritual
49재 - 49th / 회 향 - Times incense
2012.10.22 - The date he goes to Heaven
The hand towel
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Chuseok/Rachel in Korea
I'm a little late for this post, but I have not had internet at home since Oct. 1st.
At the beginning of the month, Korea celebrated Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). Because of Chuseok, we had a 5-day weekend. During Chuseok, many people go back home to visit with family. Instead of me leaving to go visit family, my family came to me. Well, my sister did at least!
She arrived on Sunday evening which means I could spend 3 full days with her before I had to go back to work.
At the beginning of the month, Korea celebrated Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). Because of Chuseok, we had a 5-day weekend. During Chuseok, many people go back home to visit with family. Instead of me leaving to go visit family, my family came to me. Well, my sister did at least!
She arrived on Sunday evening which means I could spend 3 full days with her before I had to go back to work.
It's a little blurry but I was really excited to see her.
Spent the first day on the beach.
The first night too!
On the 2nd day we went to Beomeosa Temple
At Beomeosa Temple.
We also had some fun on the subway!
On the 3rd day, we went shoppig in the markets. We also stopped to shake some hands.
After shopping we stopped at Busan Tower.
On the 4th day I had to go to work, but after work we went to the Childrens' Grand Park.
We didn't get very good pictures because it was dark and I was using the camera in my phone.
On the 5th day (Friday after school) we met up with some friends. We had snacks and drinks at a Korean bar.
On the 6th day, we checked out the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). Tickets were sold out so we didn't watch any movies.
Later that night, we met up with friends again and went to a noraebang (karaoke room).
We sang some interesting songs.
We got about 3 hours of sleep before we had to take her to the airport.
The sunrise after we dropped her off.
It was a great week and I am soooooooo happy that she was able to come out to spend time with us. We had some much-needed sister time!
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