Iksan Police

Yesterday morning I had to meet my head teacher downtown. I was sitting on a bench waiting for her when I heard "Hello" through a loudspeaker. It was a bit strange considering most people don't speak English here so I immediately turned around. The Iksan Police van was pulled up on the side of the road and 5 police officers were looking at me through the window beckoning for me to come over. A million thoughts went through my head...am I doing something wrong, are they going to ask to see my Alien card, etc. I went up to the window and the one guy said, "Hello, where are you going?" "I don't know, I'm meeting someone." They thought this was hilarious. "We are Iksan Police." "Yes." "Where are you from?" "America." "Sorry my English is not so good. You are very beautiful."

And that was it.

They said goodbye and I could hear all the other Police Officers giggling and watching our interaction. They waved and the Iksan Police van drove away. Usually when I see a Police Officer back home, I assume they are out to get everyone. But the Iksan Police just wanted to talk to the foreign woman.

Topic: My Face

We read some really funny things from the kids at work and some just really get to us. Some of the classes have to write diaries, but the Korean teachers give them the topic for their entries. This is one diary Colin read today. I think she had been in the sun too much this weekend:

My face is light black

because sun is My Face My friend

is very black face and body.

My face is magic! because sad today is

:-( <-- :-d="" :-o="" day="" div="" happy="" sad="" sleep="">

My face is magic! colin face is white.

Ha Ha Ha Ha ~ My face is eyes And nose

and Mouth and ears! My face is amazing!

:-O :-D :-(

Interesting Food

Colin has been in Korea for not even 4 weeks yet and already he has tried cuttlefish, dried squid, pigs feet, a fish that hasn't been skinned, and baby squid. I tried the dried squid, but haven't been as brave as him with the rest of it. If you're wondering, the dried squid tastes like beef jerkey :)
pigs feet

Dynamic Busan

Last weekend Colin and I headed to Busan for our first weekend trip away together! Busan is the second biggest city in Korea and we were looking forward to getting out of Iksan for a bit. We caught the 8:00 bus which went directly to Busan. Megan offered for us to stay in her cute little apartment for the weekend. She took us to a little neighborhood called Jagalchi which had a bunch of little shops and vendors. We were all craving some Western food so we headed to Pizza Hut for Bulgogi pizza which a cheese-filled crust! It makes me laugh that I can't even remember the last time I ate at a Pizza Hut back home, but as soon as I saw the sign, I started salivating!

After lunch we went to the Busan Tower. There were traditional Korean dancers and musicians performing when we arrived. It was the first time I had seen something traditional from their culture so it was a really special moment for me. Megan headed to the theatre to get ready for her show while Colin and I went up the Tower. The Tower had great views of the city, the mountains, and the sea. It was a bit hazy, but it made the mountains look really cool. We tried to figure out where the theatre was from the top of the Tower, so I called Megan. She told me to look for a red radio tower on the top of a white building...and that she was outside waving and could we see her? I laughed at that ridiculous thought, but then...we saw an ant sized Megan waving! I couldn't believe it. Later on we found the theatre with no problem.

We wandered over to the Jagalchi Fish Market which had crazy looking fish, squid, and octopus. We weren't brave enough to try anything, but we did get some cool pictures. Some of the fish were splahing me, and some of the workers were chopping up the fish and the blood was flying everywhere. Koreans will buy fish here and take it to a restaurant. Then the restaurant cooks the fish for you! We bought some snacks on our walk through the neighborhood like watermelon on a stick..because really, why not cut up some watermelon, put it on a stick, and sell it for a dollar?!

Then it was time for A Midsummer Night's Dream. I made sure I got a front row seat! It was so nice to be watching live theatre and seeing Megan performing again. The foreigners of Busan did an excellent job putting the show together!

The next day Colin and I took cable cars up to the top of a mountain. It was my first time in a cable car so I was freaked out waiting for it to start, but it was a smooth ride to the top! We explored the top of the mountain for a little and saw beautiful views. A lot of Koreans take the cable car up to the top then hike down the mountain. They were all yelling at me that I shouldn't be walking around in flip flops and that I needed to take the Cable Car. They didn't realize that I had no intention of actually hiking! (At least that's what I think they were yelling at me about).

We got in a taxi and told the man to go to a Fortress. He had no idea what we were talking about and dropped us off somewhere completely different. Luckily Colin and I are pretty easy going people so we had fun exploring where the taxi man left us. We stumbled upon a Buddhist house where a monk was praying. We were the only people up there and felt like we shouldn't be there. But I couldn't help but take a few photos while I was there. It was a really neat place to find. Afterwards we caught 7:00 bus back home to Iksan, completely exhausted from the weekend. It was great to explore Busan with Colin and share everything with him. I can't wait for the next trip away!

Family Mart Night

One great thing about South Korea are all of the little convenient stores everywhere...Family Mart, Kwik-E-Mart, Buy the Way, and yes, even 7-11!! Unfortunately 7-11 doesn't sell slurpees like we're used to, but I CAN purchase some dried squid and sticks of crab if I need a little snack. (No, I haven't felt the need to do this yet). Outside of all of these convenient stores are plastic tables and chairs. I thought it was just a place for people to sit down and eat, but then I realized that Koreans use these tables and chairs nightly for a relaxing drinking night. So Friday night we rounded up a bunch of people and headed over to the neighborhood Family Mart which has 6 tables out front and a plasma TV in the window! We played funny games like "I am going camping" and made friends with people who walked by. The workers at Family Mart made sure we had a lovely evening by providing cups and burning coils to keep the mosquitos away. I came equipped with mosquito lotion, but unfortunately none of it worked. I have over 70 mosquito bites! The little guys even got me through my shirt. We all can't wait to have another Family Mart night, but probably not until mosquito season is over.