Brennan Visitors

FAMILY

Two blog posts in two weeks?.. WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

I'm sick, that's what's happening. I was told to “take a rest” which is all that's possible really because even though I think I might have tonsillitis, in the 7 months I've been here I haven't worked out where the doctor is or what I need to take with me if I needed to visit.. So I guess I’m just going to have to ride it out. *cough, splutter, sneeze*

Mum at School

One week after returning from Shanghai I made my way to Incheon airport once again but this time I wasn't leaving the country. I went to meet my mum and sister who were on their way to Korea for a 10 day visit! It was a Tuesday evening when they finally appeared out of the arrival gate. We made our way back to my apartment, talked and ate, and those two quickly passed out. Mum can deny it all she wants but jet lag exists and she was feeling it!

At the Palace

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I had to be at school as normal but my schedule was light as it was the very last week of the school year – mostly watching movies and rehearsing the Graduation Ceremony where I was due to play the hand bells to Edelweiss and a Korean song. Naomi and mum spent Wednesday and Thursday recovering from jet lag and hitting the sites at the top of every Seoul visitor’s to-do list – Gyeongbokgung Palace and a couple of big city museums. In the evenings I showed them around some of my favourite areas, Hongdae where we ate Korean BBQ and found a little jazz bar, Itaewon where I got interviewed for a radio show (these things tend to happen to foreigners here), and Namsan Tower where we took in the sights over nighttime Seoul.

On Friday, the last day of the school year, mum and Naomi came to Yongdu Elementary School and met some of my colleagues. I took them on a little tour of the school and showed them my classroom. They were able to sit in the back of the assembly hall during the Graduation Ceremony and watch me absolutely NAIL the hand bell playing! I went for leaving lunch with the teachers and mum and Naomi braved a Korean restaurant all on their own…with huge success!

Temple Prayer Beads

Buddha

I had planned lots of things to do with my week off – starting with an overnight visit to a nearby temple, Myogaksa. On Saturday morning we made our way to the temple and met our monk. She was with us for each session over the next 24 hours. We learned a lot about Korean Buddhism, practiced meditation and chanting at 5am, and did 108 prostrations (with hilarious consequences which I can tell you about in person some day). The next morning we left in a hurry, desperate for a nap after our 4.30am wake-up. Later on Sunday afternoon we explored Myeongdong before going to watch a performance of Nanta - it was brilliant!

On Monday we headed out of Seoul to Yongpyong Ski Resort in Pyeongchang for a day of skiing. Pyeongchang is where the 2018 Winter Olympic Games will be held and the resorts in the area look like they’re almost set to host it! I was really impressed with the facilities – Korea does good skiing! It was mum’s first time on the slopes so we started with the basics on the nursery slope and before I knew it we were on the chair lift to the top of the blue slope! Only a minor chair lift exit incident later and mum was snowploughing her way down the mountain. GO MUM!

Climb to Suwon Fortress

Tuesday saw us journey to Suwon. Whilst Suwon is on the same subway line as the nearest stop to my apartment, it is still an 80 minute ride away. We explored Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and rode the Suwon City Tourist Trolley around for a while. Afterwards we caught the subway up to Gangnam for some dinner and to try and find Psy. We failed on the Psy front but the 삼겹살 was delicious.

JSA

On Wednesday, we WENT TO NORTH KOREA. Well, the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at least. We got to see one of the tunnels that the North Koreans were digging 250 feet below ground towards Seoul before it was discovered in October 1978 and the famous Joint Security Area (JSA). We were also taken to Dorasan train station – the last station on the South Korean side of the boarder. The station opened in 2002 and not a single train has gone through the station so far. The whole station is completely weird and a little pointless but the guide was oddly proud of it. The whole day was creepy really but interesting to hear the timeline of events and how everyone still seems confident of a reunion one day.

Barbed Wire Border

On the last full day of their visit, I took mum and Naomi to Insadong. Insadong has lots of shops selling traditional Korean things. They were able to get a few souvenirs and I was able to introduce them to Korea’s fascination with poo. It’s weird and disgusting and I don’t understand it but this whole country is obsessed with poo. This café was called 똥카페 (Google Translate it.......) and everything was poo/toilet themed. Weird. Korea.

Sadly the time had come for airport goodbyes. 10 days flew by way too quickly. I was so pleased that they were able to come see what I’ve been doing here and where I’ve been living. They got to meet some of my friends and now they know what I’m talking about while I’m rambling away about whatever via Skype.

After they left I had one week of Spring English Camp (playing games and eating snacks) before the new school year started again on 3^rd March. It’s now 3 weeks into the school year and everyone has settled into their new routines.

And that’s it; you’re pretty much up to date.

Until next time (which most definitely wont be next week, don’t get used to this)

Bren

Shanghai

So I went to China for the weekend.

More specifically, I went to China for the Chinese New Year holiday weekend. At the end of January (2 months ago, I KNOW) everyone had a Thursday and Friday off work so up I got at 5am to head to Incheon airport. What should have been a 90 minute flight turned into 5 and a half hour journey! We took off from Incheon on time and as the plane was circling above what I had assumed was Shanghai I was told we’d flown on an extra hour and were landing at a small airport where we’d have to wait for the "fog" (it was definitely smog - check this out) to leave Shanghai. I peered out of the window once we’d landed and managed to Google Map where we were from the name of the airport (thankfully written in English and not Chinese). We were in Fuzhou just a little less than 400 miles south west of Shanghai. OK. No big deal, but what now?... We wait. And we wait. And we wait and we wait and we waited two hours before we started trundling back to the runway to take off again.

Gang Around Town

Four hours later than expected I made it to my Hosteling International hostel. I was just in time to shower and change and head out for a walk and dinner with the other 7 people in my dorm room that night. It was a great mix of people. Two Aussies, two Germans, a Dutch guy, a Mexican, a Canadian, and me! We walked through the old town and saw the Lantern Festival then headed for food. We found a small noodle place and sat on plastic stool on the side of the road – it was delicious and I was really full for just £1.20! Afterwards we walked towards the riverfront and the area known as The Bund. As it was NYE we’d expected to see lots of fireworks and from about 7pm onwards we could hear short burst all around us but the “fog” that had prevented my plane from landing earlier in the day had descended again making it tricky to spot them. We left the Bund area and went to a couple of bars. This turned out to be a great decision because one of the guys who’d been in Shanghai for a few days suggested a bar on the 11^th floor of a nearby building where we played darts and pool, and as the clock struck midnight we were treated to an excellent fireworks display.

Financial District

I heard that my roommates were surprised to see me gone when they eventually woke up the next day but I had a lot to see in only a short trip so I spared no time in heading to the financial district. The Shanghai World Financial Centre, Jin Mao Tower and the new Shanghai Centre form just the beginning of an impressive skyline. The Lujiazui financial area is filled with dozens of skyscrapers and is fascinating to wander around. One of the most popular photo spots is in front of the Oriental Pearl Tower. By lunch time I’d made my way to the French Concession where I sat people-watching in the sunshine. I carried on my walk and was headed for TianZiFang. The area took a long while to find and I was about to give up when suddenly I turned a corner and saw what I was looking for... a small passageway in between two larger buildings. This was the main entrance to the maze of alleyways and secret paths lined with stalls and shops selling all things Chinese from hand carved decorative chop sticks to postcards and travel patches for the souvenir hunters. I really enjoyed the sounds and smells and sights of the area – I stayed for almost 2 hours, after which I slumped into a subway seat and took my weary self back to the hostel. I had a few beers in the bar and went out with a couple of the guys to get a quick dinner and called that a night.

Qibao

Jade Buddha (above)
Jing'An (below)

On the Saturday morning I got the subway out of the city a little to find a small water town, Qibao. There was a river and some nice bridges but mostly what I saw was people. PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. At one point as I attempted to stroll around, I was convinced that if I lifted both feet up I would have been carried along with the flow of people. I cut my losses and left the area pretty sharpish. I caught the subway to the north side of the city to visit some temples. I started at the Jade Buddha temple. It was crowded with people there for New Years prayers but it was far more tranquil than the water village. I walked around breathing in the air think from burning incense and stopped by the carp pool to sit in the sunshine. Afterwards, I visited the Jing’an temple closer to the centre of town. This temple was much larger with a central staircase leading up to one of the main prayer halls. It was beautifully decorated and the clear blue skies and sunshine made me decide it was time to go back to the financial district to see the view from the top of those skyscrapers!

SWFC

I was able to see for miles and miles from the 100th floor of the SWFC building and the highest observation deck in the world. It was clear enough to get some fantastic photographs and to really be able to say that I saw all of Shanghai during my short stay! I’m not one for heights whatsoever but I’m really glad I went up there. There’s a café a couple of floors below the main observation deck where I watch the sun fade. I was absolutely exhausted but chuffed with my full day. I headed back to the hostel after getting some steamed dumplings and black bean something for dinner.

Yayoi Kusama

The next morning I was up and packed by 9:30am but enjoyed a long breakfast in the hostel bar before checking out but leaving my bag in the store room for a couple of hours. There was just one last thing I wanted to tick off my list before leaving for the journey back to Korea and that was the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai (MoCAS) – conveniently just a 10 minute walk from the hostel. The Yayoi Kusama solo exhibition, I Dreamed A Dream was excellent and I’m glad I made time to see it. I got there around 11am and spent a couple of hours exploring the various rooms. It was a lot of fun – especially the “Obliteration Room” – and I would urge anyone who has the chance to see any of her work to go see it.

The flight back was straight forward and I arrived back at my apartment around midnight. Shanghai is a great city. It has everything you might want from a short city-break... museums, temples, monuments, theatres, beautiful parks and gardens, riverside activities, a good nightlife… the list goes on.

Highly recommended!

Until next time,

Bren.

South East Asia

Christmas Cheer

I went to Vietnam! And Cambodia! And Thailand too!

I’m back in Seoul and as I sit here with the thermostat at -4 degrees I’m thinking over my 17 days away in the warmth of SE Asia. So lets start at the beginning and try to keep it brief…ish.

As per every other Christmas day morning I woke up bright and early and extremely excited. Except it wasn't  because I was keen to see whether Father Christmas had been but because I was about to start my 17 day trip away from Korea and away from those adorable cherubs in Grade 6… One small problem about travelling to from winter in Korea to any time of year in SE Asia is that it’s BLOODY FREEZING until you get to the warmth of the airport. Katie and I donned our Santa hats (and some other attire that made one of our party (not me!) look like a hobo) and braved 6am Seoul temperatures. We arrived at the airport only to realise that what seemed like the entire country was also catching early morning flights. The check-in queue was the longest I've ever seen so by the time we were checked in we had to run trough security, onto the shuttle to the other terminal and tour gate. During the mad dash Katie managed to leave her boarding pass and passport in the bathroom – now that would have been a disaster – luckily a kind lady came chasing after her and returned it. What a wally…

The flight was a delightful 5 hours filled with Christmas cheer and mimosas courtesy of Vietnam Air. We landed in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon at 2pm local time and the fun was already well underway.

Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City

PHO YEAH!

I LOVED Saigon. It certainly made me realise just how western Seoul is and was exactly what I had expected and wanted from South East Asia. The ride from the airport was fun – dodging hundreds of mopeds at every turn and staring out of the taxi window in wide-eyed amazement. We dumped our backpacks at the hotel and headed straight back out of the door to explore the local area and sample the 30p big beers and £1 bowls of Pho.

War Remnants Museum

The next day Katie and I cut a deal. I wanted to get a motorbike-taxi to the War Remnants Museum… In return I had to agree to a pedicure. Fine. FINE. So we hoped on the bikes and were off! It was maybe a 10 minute ride and I loved it – It’s still mental but the drivers seem to be much more skilled/aware in Vietnam than here in Korea. The grimace on Katie’s face as we got off told me that was the last time we’d be doing that! The museum was really interesting. Other than what I’d learned from movies, I really didn't know much about the Vietnam War. This museum heavily depicted the events from a Vietnamese POV, nevertheless it made us want to go and find out what the US was even doing there! Agent Orange sounds completely atrocious. To perk ourselves up a bit after that morning downer we walked out towards the Saigon River and visited the tallest building in the city which has a viewing platform.

That evening we chatted to some fellow travelers over some more 30p beers and swapped stories and got tips about some of the other places we were due to visit. We booked a bus to Cambodia for the next morning and then it was time. I thought Katie might forget but my luck was out… time for a pedicure.

Cambodia – Phnom Penh and Siem Reap

The next morning we hopped on the bus and were at the boarder in no time. Out of Vietnam and into Cambodia within 10 minutes and back on the road headed towards Phnom Penh. We got talking to a Kiwi couple, Ellie and Jackson, and arranged to meet them for dinner later that evening at Happy Pizza.

Happy Pizza Smirk

We weren't sure what to expect from Happy Pizza. We'd read in the Lonely Planet that if you asked for a pizza to be made “happy” with a nod and a wink your pizza would come with some additional hallucinogenic toppings. Turns out Happy Pizza offers all kinds of happy treats so after a margarita and a mango milkshake, well… I was fucking ecstatic. We said our giggly goodbyes to the Kiwis and clambered aboard a tuk-tuk. Who knows how long later we realised we didn't have a clue where we were. Luckily our driver understood our slurred “Royal Palace please” and we were able to eventually find ourselves back at the hostel for some quiet time – after struggling up to our top bunks.

Bicycle Selfie

The next morning was… tough. We dragged ourselves out to learn about the Khmer Rough and the genocide that happened in the 70’s but 20 minutes after arriving at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum we realised we were still feeling the effects of the previous evening’s shenanigans and what a terrible terrible idea learning about genocide was. Katie decided she needed to be horizontal for another few hours and I decided I needed a beer. We made these things happen pretty sharpish and thankfully felt much better by mid-afternoon. Later, we wandered around Wat Phnom and the big market place to scout out where we need to get our next bus from.

It was an 8 hour bus journey to Siem Reap. I was excited about Siem Reap – I’d wanted to see the temples of Angkor for a long time. We arrived at a nice lodge just to the east of the town centre and made our way to Pub Street. We found a great rooftop bar and some live music but just stayed for a couple because we knew tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Angkor Wat

Northern Gate

The lodge had bikes to hire but they looked a bit dodge and the lodge owner advised that we take the free tuk-tuk into the town centre and hire a better bike that’d last the day! $2 later we each had a bike for the day and off we went. We cycled a lot. After a slight hiccup (we forgot to buy a ticket) we arrived at our first stop, Angkor Wat. Thomas, another guy who’d made the same ticket mistake, joined us for the day too. Thomas had just come from Thailand and it was fun to hear about his stories and where he’d been. We visited 4 of the temples and cycled by a lot more. We were on d off the bikes from 10am until around 5pm and cycled about 35/40km in total. The temples were incredible and exactly what I’d hoped for. After a long day on the bikes and walking around, we headed back to Pub Street and tried out Dr Fish and having our feet nibbled. I didn't think I could enjoy something less than a pedicure - I was wrong...

Thailand – Bangkok, Koh Samet, Ko Samui, Krabi

PARTY

New Years Eve had arrived and we were onto anther bus and another boarder crossing. We arrived at Khao San Road, Bangkok at around 6:30pm, dumped our bags and changed at our nearby hostel, and we were off out again. We wandered around the Khao San area and cocktail “bar” which was actually just a little table and a bloke with a shaker but he made a mean mojito and that’s all that mattered. We got chatting to a couple, Rachel and Adam who were in Thailand to do some climbing during their winter break from outward bounds centre in none other than… *drumroll please* HORWICH! Half way around the sodding world and I’m celebrating New Years with a guy who went to the rival high school and lives 15 minutes up the road. Weird. They were fun and it was actually really nice to hear some proper accent after so many months. We wandered, cocktails in hand, only stopping to try the local delicacies – I had a scorpion and Katie a grasshopper – until we strolled out of a dark alleyway smack bang into the middle of a huge street party. It was around 10:30pm by this point so we danced for a solid 90 minutes before the big countdown. There was Auld Lang Syne and hugging and kissing and a whole load more dancing.

Casual

Sunset

New Years Day called for one thing immediately – hair of the dog. We had cocktails with breakfast and boarded a bus towards Koh Samet. Just off the eastern gulf coast, Koh Samet is a small island perfect for chilled out beach time. We got to the resort by mid-afternoon and parked ourselves on the beach.

Balcony View

The next day we were up nice and early in time to turn on ESPN and catch Katie’s alma mater UCF in the Fiesta Bowl game. Which they won easily (#ChargeOn) in an excellent game. A great start to the day. We spent the rest of our time on Samet in hammocks or deckchairs or strolling around in the sunshine. We explored some other beaches further up the island and saw some fire dancers while we were eating dinner. We could see Orion's Belt and it was peaceful and calm and I really didn't want to leave. Alas the time had come for Katie to head back to Korea so we arrived back in Bangkok and said our goodbyes.

Photobombing Selfie?

Samui

I made my way to the train station to catch the night train to Surat Thani and a bus and boat on to Ko Samui.  The night train was a lot of fun. It was surprisingly comfortable and a couple of hours into the journey a bloke came along the carriage turning the seats into bunkbeds. I strolled through the train to the restaurant car (which was more like the nightclub car!) for some dinner and a couple of beers. I played cards and chatted with a couple of Swedish guys who were on their way to Ko Pha Ngan. I clambered up to my top bunk (not before almost falling through the curtain on to the old lady who was sleeping in there) and was gently rocked to sleep as the train trundled southbound. I woke up and instantly thought I’d missed my stop. I quickly packed my stuff away and hopped down from the bunk. Thankfully 15 minutes later we pulled into my stop, I got some breakfast, and waited for the bus to the pier. Once there and on the ferry, I found a window seat, popped a couple of travel sickness tablets and crossed my fingers hoping for the best – I don’t do well on boats, but that’s another story for another time.

Moped!

In a very strange turn of events I walked into my Ko Samui hostel and was suddenly accosted by a guy who bear hugged me. It took what felt like an eternity to put a name to the face but eventually I realised I knew the guy and could unclench the fist that was milliseconds from connecting with the guys throat (that’s all I’d have been able to reach, he’s pretty tall). I know Vossa from the Korean language classes I was doing when I first got to Korea! We chatted for a while and it turns out he quit around the same time I did and now is having more casual language exchanges with a few different Koreans a few times a month. Vossa and his sister had just come from Krabi where I was heading to a couple of days later and he gave me a few tips on what to see and where to go. I explored the area close to the hostel and it quickly became clear that I was going to need to hire a moped in order to get around – so I did! I don’t have any driving license but that didn't seem to be an issue whatsoever, I handed over the cash and they handed over the keys. Within the first hour I could understand why bikers get addicted….and I was only on a glorified hairdryer!

Boats to Poda

Thai BBQ

After my couple of days on Samui were up I was nearing the end of my trip. I bussed it over to the west coast and stay in Krabi for two nights. I visited Poda Island for some sunbathing in 36 degree heat and of course got horrendously sunburnt. Idiot. The last day of my trip was spent getting to Phuket airport, finding an AC unit to sit next to and applying industrial quantities of Aloe to the burn.

I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to go back to the cold. I wanted to see more things and go to more places. Alas, my time was up. As I shivered my way back towards my apartment my spirit was lifted by realising it was less than 3 weeks before my next trip. And between Winter Camp and new years catch ups with people here that’s exactly how long it’s taken me to write this.

So on that note, I’m off to Shanghai for Chinese New Year and to celebrate the start of the Year of the Horse. I'll tell you all about that a few weeks after I get back I'm sure...

Until then,
Bren.

Never Eat the Brown Soup

Grade 6 - little sods

Snowy

It’s been snowing quite a bit here in Seoul over the past week. It was cold and icy and the kids pelted me with snowballs every morning as I walked through the school gates. Two of the boys ran up to me shouting “teacher, teacher, never eat the yellow snow” – I laughed.. then wondered how they knew that because I certainly didn't teach it.

But I’m not here to talk about snow. It’s winter, it’s cold, we get it.. let’s move on. No, I’m here to talk about school lunches. I like food and am really not fussy about what I eat. In fact there are only two things I will not eat – any type of nut and anything banana tasting or smelling. Banana reminds me of baby sick… but moving on!...

When I arrived in South Korea four months ago I thought I might struggle with the food. Meals at orientation weren’t exactly a culinary delight. Rice and kimchi with every meal is the norm here but it was the weird attempt at western foods thrown into the mix that freaked me out. Soggy chips were the main issue.

Anyway, once out of the weird orientation bubble and back into the real world food improved immensely… on the whole. At school we get a full cooked lunch everyday and during the first few weekends of being here I realised how much I was relying on those lunches to stay fed – I hadn't been brave enough to buy anything much at the supermarket at that point. Now, four months in, the school has stopped trying to impress me but the lunches are still great and far better than I can attempt to make at home.

Monday:

The worst food day of the week and the day of the Brown Soup. I have no idea what is in the brown soup but from the taste of it, I can only assume it's the left overs of the previous weeks soups left to 'mature' over the weekend. It is disgusting.

clockwise from the top left: pickled radish, fried potato/egg thing, pineapple, Brown Soup, rice with veg stuff.

Tuesday:

We've got all the main ingredients to a school lunch here. Rice, kimchi, soup, meat, and veg. No surprises. Surprising!

clockwise from the top left: kimchi, veg and stuff, meat (possibly pork?), cabbage and veg soup, rice.





Special Wednesdays:
For some unknown reason, most schools in Seoul have a special lunch on a Wednesday. I've had everything from spag bol to cheesy chips.
This particular Wednesday was a little less special than usual. Boo.

clockwise from the top left: veg stuff, kimchi, mini mandu, beef noodle soup, apple and carrot juice and ricecake.


Thursday:
I remember this day. Mostly because I enjoyed everything which is rare. I should clarify, I DO NOT enjoy kimchi... but I can't be arsed with the fallout if I ever didn't put it on my tray!

clockwise from top left: tomatoes, kimchi, ddeokbokki and quail eggs, scrambled egg soup, rice with seaweed and stuff.

Friday:

This lunch was a whole load of weird. The bread and the 'soup' were the weird bits. The bread has a weird buttery/sugar coating and I guess is meant to be dessert along with the orange. The soup was unexpectedly fishy. Weird.
clockwise from top left: orange, breaded meat + unknown sauce, kimchi, sugar bread, fish porridge soup, rice.

This is the tale of what happens if you're a vegetarian here in South Korea or generally don't like spicy food.

Sad times.

And this is an example from a third school.


So the moral of this story is yes, obviously don't eat the yellow snow but more importantly never, ever eat the brown soup!

I'm off to Vietnam in four days time so it's safe to say I won't be posting again before then - it takes me that long to pack a bag! I'll be gone until mid-Jan but I'll be posting pics bragging about drinking cold beers on sunny Thai beaches in the meantime.

Merry Christmas everyone!!