Month: June 2008

Just some pics of my everyday life.  Nothing too special.Oh, and here’s a video of one of my classes, to give you an idea of how things run there.  Usually, I’m lecturing to the kids and Mr. Jang takes a backseat.  This day, though, he was playing a game with the kids in Korean that I didn’t fully understand, and thus…took over for me.  Good times.

Ciao.

I finally got to go to a Korean baseball game last weekend.  I was feeling better, so Jeff and Andrew and I decided to go see the Incheon SK Wyverns play.  They were the Korean league champions last year.

Baseball’s crazy in this country.  There are only 8 teams and they play 100 games a year – so really, they just keep playing the same teams over and over.  I imagine that gets a bit boring.

Like most professional sports in Korea, though, there’s so much energy there.  Group chants, team colors, loud noises – they got it all.  Really, really great.  While some people at a baseball game in America might stand up and cheer, here they have routines they go through.  It’s really something special.

So, we splurged and got the expensive tickets – six dollars. And there are no assigned seats, which is cool, so you can basically sit anywhere. At first we headed over to the visitors’ side, where it was a bit empty, and managed to sit right by the third base. Very, very cool. Oh, and they had some mega-good hot dogs and cheap beer. Can’t go wrong.

Some pics:And a video:

Ciao.

Last Saturday, after a self-imposed, week-long exile to battle this evil Korean cold I’ve had, I decided to go check out some scenery in Seoul with my buddy Jeff.  The target in question: Gyeongbok Palace.

It’s a very beautiful, remarkable place…I think.  We got to the grounds a bit late and couldn’t get in, and on top of that my camera died after about five minutes of being there, so I don’t have much in the way of photos.  I do have some, just not much.

Anyway, it appeared to be pretty fantastic.  I’d like to go back, I think, when I have more time and access.  That being said, enjoy the snaps I managed to get in before the battery went kaput:

Ciao.

Last week, my good friend Michael and I decided to explore Incheon – specifically, parts of the city neither of us had seen yet.  We basically just walked around, got some lunch, saw some sights, etc.  It was relaxing and great.

Enjoy the pics.

Ciao.

As promised (forever ago), here are some shots of my neighborhood.  Just really wanted to give you all a feel for my life in  Korea on a daily basis – the things I see, the people I pass, etc. Yes, the streets in Korea have names, but ask most Koreans and they couldn’t tell you them. They basically maneuver/give directions based on landmarks. Crazy, crazy stuff.

Also, there are captions with each photo, so enjoy!

Ciao.

I love museums. Great, great times. But, well…I’ve been in Korea for two months and haven’t been to one yet. Been a bit lazy, I guess. Last weekend, my friend Mike and I finally decided to go to what we heard was one of the best: the War Memorial Museum.

Now, this place was cool and was far from just a Korean War museum. In fact, it basically detailed the entire history of Korea from way-back-when up until right now. Unfortunately, as I learned touring the mammoth place, Korea has had a pretty tumultuous history – location, location, location! Seriously, all about the location. They are perched directly between the powerhouses that are Japan and China, as well as being directly south of what was the USSR. And, as it turns out, all of these guys at one point laid waste to the tiny, mountainous country which, eventually, lead to the Korea War.

Now, I didn’t know much about the Korean War, as we Americans have a tendency to focus more on the Vietnam War, but this thing was bad. Very, very bad. I won’t go into details here, but if you want to know more, here’s a great link.

So, the museum was set up nicely, taking you from the start of Korean civilization (showcasing some great stone tools and such) up to the present with tons of miniatures and models (my favorite parts), as well as a cache of real-life jets and tanks and things sitting outside. There was also a special exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls touring (my main reason for wanting to go). This was really, really cool, but unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take any pictures of the ancient documents. I actually missed (by like a week) seeing the scrolls while in England, so it was good to finally see them – and worth it, in my opinion, for any history buff.

Anyway, here’s some pics. They’re pretty self-explanatory.And there was also this really cool “chamber” that was actually a giant monument to every fallen Korean soldier…ever. It’s really grand and artsy and operatic and boy, oh boy does your voice echo in there. Here’s a vid:

Ciao.

Okay, so it wasn’t a “fight to the death,” but I was invited by Mr. Jang (and his wife and two kids) to go to the Korea vs. Jordan 2010 World Cup Asian qualifying match this past weekend. Wow, that’s a mouthful. It was held at Seoul World Cup Stadium, built in 2002 for the…uh…World Cup, and this place is massive.

Now, I like soccer, although I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know much about it and I’ve never seen a game live (besides high school). I had no idea what to expect but, like a lot of European countries, Koreans have soccer fever, so I knew it was going to be big.

And I wasn’t disappointed. The energy was great. The place was packed (I guess it was supposed to be a big game). It ended up being a tie, but it was fun, nonetheless. I learned a ton of the Korean chants and songs they sing during the game and everyone was getting into it. Really, really cool experience.

Enjoy the pics and a few vids:Here’s some sort of mid-field, pre-game extravaganza (with Mr. Jang on the phone):

And here’s some stadium-style chanting:

Ciao.