Moving day!

We finally moved!! We started moving in our new apartment little by little two Wednesdays ago and officially moved in at the end of last week.  A few things I love about our new place are the huge windows overlooking the city and the mountains, being able to live in the same building as our friends, and living downtown close to everything we could possibly need.

It's hard though because I really want to decorate since it is technically our first apartment together, but I'm hesitant to buy decorations and furniture since we'll only be living here for six and a half more months.  I think I need to avoid Pinterest as much as possible so I'm not too tempted by all of the adorable home decor pins!

Here's some photos of our new place:

 

 

Busan, day 2.

Onto day two.  One thing that we were both excited to see in Busan was Yonggungsa Temple.  It is a beautiful Buddhist temple located up on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. To get to the temple, we walked up a large hill to make our way to the cliffs.  Once we got closer, there were a few booths of food and souvenirs lining the road.  I got a cute jade green bead bracelet and a little Asian cat charm that I may use as an ornament when we get back.  After the street shops, we came to the entrance.  There were two middle-aged Korean women rubbing the golden Buddha's belly by the entrance.  I was waiting to get a photo rubbing Buddha's belly, when the Korean women told me to rub his belly seven times, touch his nose, and then rub his hand.  They were really excited to be talking to me so I went ahead and rubbed the belly while they counted to seven for me.  They were so cute and definitely excited to show me how to rub Buddha's belly.

After that, we walked through a tunnel that took us to the cliffs.  Once we got to that side, we could see the stunning temple, ocean and view.  We've been to a few temples throughout Korea and Yonggungsa has definitely been my favorite.  There were these amazing rock formations off in the distance behind the temple area.  We walked around to tall the different statues and temple areas.  There was even a neat grotto where Buddhists go to to drink a sip of ocean water and light candles.  It was such a crystal clear, sunny day, which was so refreshing after some of the grey weather we've been having here in Cheonan.

When we were finishing exploring Yonggungsa, we went to Haeundae beach.   This is the first beach we have been to in Korea.  It reminded me a lot of Huntington, except it was winter so not many people were there on the main street.  I could tell Haeundae was a tourist place because of the many pubs and bars.  But, we were lucky enough to find a Mexican restaurant for lunch!  The place was called Fuzzy Navel Taco, which sounds sketchy, but it was actually pretty good.  Doug, of course, got a burrito and I got vegetarian tacos and a little side of guacamole.  It wasn't as good as real Mexican food that we get back home, but it did satisfy our Mexican food craving!

One thing that surprised me about the beach here was the large amount of people on the beach even though it was winter.  I feel like the beaches in Southern California in the winter are pretty dead.  Here, however, the were groups of students, families, and friends were down on the sand just hanging out and admiring the ocean.  

Busan, day 1.

Doug and I just got  back from our three day mini vacation to Busan. Busan is the second largest city in South Korea and is located on the southeast side of the country.  Since Busan is located on the coast, it is famous for its seafood and fish markets.  It's also kind of like the Hollywood of Korea.  They hold their international film festivals in Busan and on certain streets we saw golden hand prints similar to those in Hollywood.

We left for Busan Thursday morning and got on a four hour train south!  During the train ride, I finally was able to finish a scarf that I have been knitting.  It's actually the second scarf I've worked on, but the first one turned out horrible and was way to short and thick; it kind of looks like a cape!  So, I'll give that "scarf" to Yeppi for sleeping.  My second scarf turned out really well and is cozy and warm!

We arrived in Busan at around one o'clock in the afternoon.  For our first day their, we decided to check out Busan Tower, which has some pretty awesome views of the city.

Busan Tower is a really popular place for couple to take a lock with their initials on it and lock it to the fence at the base of the tower.  So, of course Doug and I had to take our lock up to the tower and take some Asian-inspired photos!

This is how a lot of my middle school students pose in pictures.  I thought it was an appropriate moment to test it out. 

After placing our lock on the fence, we got on the elevator for the top of the tower.  We got to see great views of the Pacific Ocean and of the city.

Next, we went to the Nampo and Jalgachi. Nampo is the big shopping district of Busan and Jalgachi is the fish market just a few blocks away.  The shopping was really great!  It was alleys and alleys of good knock-off wallets, purses, jewelry, shoes, clothing, dog sweaters, etc.

The sun was almost finished setting, so we decided to walk to the fish market.  It was really....interesting.  At first, we were walking along the outdoor market.  I'm always a little grossed out by the Korean food markets because the food is so close to the ground and it just doesn't seem clean.  Plus, the smells are always really, really strong.  I guess it's cultural, but to me it just doesn't seem sanitary.

Then, we went into the indoor market.  The indoor market seemed a lot cleaner, but it was still overwhelming.  Fish were falling out of the buckets and one wrong step and you could end up in with the octopuses!  Well, maybe I'm over-exaggerating a bit, but I still didn't think it was a good idea to have them in open containers.

Not surprisingly, Doug was pretty hungry by this point.  We went back to Nampo and got some street food.  I was really excited because some booths had corn on the cob, so there was something vegetarian I could get.  However, when I got my corn it was like chewing rubber!  It must have been sitting out for awhile.  I had to throw it away because it was so disgusting.  I ended up just having two doughy "pancakes" that were stuffed with a little bit of red bean paste and sunflower seeds.  It seems like a weird combination, but they were delicious!

This lady knows what she is doing!  I can't wait to go back to Busan and get another little pancake thing.  Doug went to another stall and got some dumpling and a chicken dish.  He said the chicken was gross because it had all the bones in it and you had to chew around it and spit them out.  They don't de-bone anything here.  I'm always amazed when I watch my students meticulously get the meat of their fish at lunch with their chopsticks.

Here is a picture of the stall where Doug ate.  Street food and snacks like this are really popular. The most popular dished are fish cake skewers seen at the bottom of the picture and tteokbokki. Tteokbokki is a rice cake spicy noodle that is extremely chewy.  It's nasty.

So, that was our first day in Busan.  Overall, I really like the city.  It had a much different vibe from the others cities we've been to in Korea.  I think since it was on the coast, it had a more relaxed atmosphere.  I'll post more about our trip later today and tomorrow!

Thoughts on winter.

Let me tell you something about winter here: it is absolutely freezing.  Before going outside, you need to put on layers upon layers.  Sometimes, even that is not enough.  To make the matter worse, we have to walk everywhere here.  So, it's not like it is back home where it's cold until your car heats up.  It's cold on your walk to school, it's cold at school, it's cold waiting for the bus, it's cold on the bus, it's cold at the subway station, it is just really cold!

I think winter is why I haven't been blogging much.  I just don't have much to blog about since going outside is dreadful.  To make up for my lack of blogging, I thought I'd show a few things Doug and I have been up to these past few months!

We went to Independence Hall and learned about South Korea's past.  I thought I could get away without wearing a heavy coat.  I was wrong! 

I said "goodbye" to my first set of students as they graduated from middle school.  It's sad knowing that I won't have them in the classroom next year.  The student in the second picture is one of my favorites.  She picked her English name as "Paris"!

 We snuggled and played endlessly with Yeppi (and fell in love with her over and over again each day!).

 One day, Yeppi got her bone stuck in her collar and searched the apartment frantically for it.  It was adorable. 

Lastly, I turned 23 and had a great time celebrating with my friends.  

So, to sum it up, it has been a long, cold, but really great winter.  We have made some really great friends here in Korea and have had the best addition to our family (little Yeppi!).  Now, I'm counting down the days till warm weather and can't wait to be back in California for summer.

Asan shelter trip.

This past Sunday, Doug and I volunteered at the animal shelter in Asan, which is the city bordering Cheonan.  Asan is much more rural and has many traditional villages still in place.  We met up with other volunteers from Animal Rescue Korea at the Cheonan/Asan train station and took a taxi together to the shelter.  The shelter was up on top of a small mountain.  The road to get to it was really steep (I can't imagine how they get to the shelter during the winter!).

The shelter definitely isn't up to the standards of an American pound, as many of the dogs never get a chance to walk and leave their cage.  At the entrance, there was about 50 small dogs in cages as well as three mom dogs and their puppies.  The shelter continued up onto the slope of the mountain.  I was shocked when I walked up to the enclosures at the top of the mountain to see that many of these dogs were so wild that it would be impossible to ever adopt them out into a family.  The dogs on the mountain were grouped by breed.  There was an enclosure with about ten Cocker Spaniels, one with maybe seven poodle looking mix breeds, another with some terriers, etc.  The bigger dogs got their own pen because I'm guessing that they do not get along with other dogs.  Many of the dogs up on the hill are not even walkable because they cannot be trusted with humans.

It was so sad to see these dogs up on the hill because you could tell that they really were completely wild.  Many of them had open wounds on their bodies from fighting each other.  It was so sad to see that these beautiful dogs - many of them purebred - would never be able to live outside a cage.

Ok, so on a happier note, Doug and I were able to walk dogs for five hours straight!!!  I had the best time there loving the dogs and getting to know them.  It was so nice to be outside all day up on the mountain getting to play around with these dogs.  We were absolutely exhausted by the time we got home!  Sadly, the dogs only get walked every Sunday (if they are lucky), so you can imagine how much energy each of them had.

This was the first dog I walked.  A little black male poodle with lots of energy.  I fell in love with him!

This poor German Shepard never is allowed to leave his cage.  He doesn't get along with other dogs and I'm guessing maybe he is not too friendly with humans either.  We had to pass him each time to take the other dogs for walks...it must of been torture for the poor guy!

This little girl is April.  Typically, I am not the biggest fan of Chihuahuas, but she was so gentle and so loveable. All she wanted was to snuggle in your lap and get to know you.

 I was in heaven with all these cuties!

 One of the puppies :)

 Here is a picture of the bottom kennels.  The dogs kept here are the ones most likely to get adopted and get to leave their cage maybe once a week for a walk. 

 Here is a picture of the enclosures on the side of the mountain.

 The crazy cockers.  I would not want to be left alone in that cage with them.

 So many dogs.

This is Jasmin.  She is a Jindo, which is a Korean breed.  These dogs are typically raised in meat farms and eaten. 

She is so beautiful!

Favorite food.

Now, Korean food isn't my favorite.  In fact, I avoid it most often.  The smells, the weird textures, and the fact that I'm never sure what I am eating just don't appeal to me.  Some dishes I definitely can enjoy, though I would not choose to eat it if I had the choice.  Overall, most of the soups are pretty good - especially on a cold fall day.  In all honesty though, I really thought that I would never see a day where I actually craved a Korean dish.

Well, I think that day has come. I know, I can't believe it, but I actually crave Dolsot Bibimbap.  It is basically a rice and veggie bowl with a fried egg on top.  In Korea, regular bibimbap is very popular and is not too bad.  It is is a cold dish and although it doesn't taste half bad, it kinda just tastes mushy after awhile.  Dolsot Bibimbap on the other hand, is steaming hot and the rice continues to cook in your "stone pot" (what they serve it in).  There is very thin layer of oil on the bottom of the bowl so the rice gets crispy and fried and delicious!  It is also served with a red hot pepper paste which gives it a kick - Koreans love their spicy food!  Basically it is the perfect Korean meal for me on a cold day!

Another thing I love about it, is that it always comes vegetarian.  I think historically it was known as a poor mans dish since it is just rice and veggies, but now has become popular and is served in all Korean restaurants.  Also, it costs a mere 4,500 won (a little less than $4.50!), which includes the yummy bibimbap, side dishes (which are nasty so I never touch them), and a tasty broth soup to start the meal.  Not bad for $4.50.

Here are some pictures taken at Kimbap Nara, a little Korean restaurant down the street from where we live.

  Here are the soup and those "delicious" side dishes.  The two on the left are kimchi (top) and yellow radishes or something (bottom).  I have no clue what the two on the right are.  My guess would be salted pork and fish....

 Dolsot bibimbap.  The red pepper paste is to the right.

Doug with his favorite dish.  It is beef served with glass noodles in a broth.  It comes with a side a rice that you eat the meat with.  This one has a really long Korean name!