tee hee hee :)

Concert time!

Guess who I get to see in concert? :) (I know it isn't really a good guessing game if I post the picture...sorry!) Jason Mraz! He is coming to Seoul in about a week and a half! I know it is a little early to be posting this news, but I am really excited!

Boryeong Mud Festival

This weekend was the Boryeong Mud Festival, the number one festival in Korea (land of a million festivals). The idea?: transport tons of "healthy" mud from one beach to the next, invite the foreigners and the TV stations, set up a large stage for musicians and dancers and let the party begin! You can see from the picture above that we got dirty...a mud slinging contest. No, just kidding! They had paintbrushes set up for us to paint our bodies with lots of mud! We let it bake into our skin for awhile before washing it off to reap all the health benefits. In the pic: me (in the only bikini pic you will see posted on this blog--posted only to show you the mud), Kara and Marc. (I didn't get their permission for this, but they both look good, so I hope they don't mind!)


One of the many things set up for us to fully enjoy the mud! :)


The body painting booth.


Rice cream. I plan to pass on the next free rice cream cone that is offered, and I certainly won't be paying for any! Weird.

In other news, I AM DONE WITH SCHOOL!!!! WOOOHOOO! :) My last day was Friday! I have to teach for two weeks at an English summer school, but that is all! My Korea adventure is not over, but the public school teacher part is!

Shabu shabu!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabu-shabu

This is what I ate tonight! :) Yum! It was a big pot of vegetable and beef broth, which we mixed lots of fresh veggies and thinly sliced beef (Australian beef, to be specific--they are still extremely afraid of getting mad cow disease from our USA beef, but that's another blog entry all together). After we scooped out the veggies and cooked the meat, the ajuma (lady/waitress) came and mixed some noodles into the broth (which continued to get more flavorful). After we ate those, she came back and scooped out the broth leaving only about an inch in the pot. She added rice to the mixture, as well as fresh mint leaves and a couple of other spices. The result? Delicious! It was like three meals in one! I want to eat shabu shabu again and again! It's fun to say too! :) I heard that there are a couple of shabu shabu restaurants in LA, and I wouldn't be surprised to find one in the lovely, cultured city of Minneapolis! :)

NANTA Theater Performance

This past Wednesday night, Martin, Kara and I went to see a kitchen-themed theater performance in Apgugeong. It was a two-hour performance where the actors use kitchen items (knives, brooms, water) to create a non-verbal, rhythmic story about the preparation for a wedding dinner. Of course, they needed a bride and a groom. Who do you think they chose to be the bride out of a whole auditorium of people? Me? Why, yes. They chose me. I had to go up on stage, wear a funny hat and eat some soup. At the end of the scene, I had to walk arm-in-arm with my new Korean "husband" to the front of the stage as the wedding march blasted over the speakers and the audience roared with laughter. As a prize, I was given a phone charm and a blurry picture of my 5 minutes on stage! Oh well, it was a fun night out--Kara and I talked about going to see NANTA for months! Finally we can cross it off the list! :)

Weirdest food experience of my life?

who: me, Martin, Kara
what: "sannakji," or live baby octopus
where: Noryangjin Fish Market, Seoul, Korea
when: last Sunday afternoon
why: because one must not pass up the opportunity to sample such a wonderful local delicacy


Yes. It was still moving as we ate it and its tentacles did suction onto our teeth and tongues.
No. It did not object nor scream as it was being cut up into small, bite-sized pieces.
Yes. It was a once in a lifetime occurance for me, but I cannot speak for the others.
No. It did not taste horrible, in fact, it made up for its lack of flavor in chewiness.

Gyeongbokgung, Noraebang

Changing of the guards at Gyeongbokgung Palace, "the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty."



A vending machine outside the restrooms in the subway station.


Martin's trip to Korea wouldn't be complete without a little noraebang! :) Kara joined us for an hour's worth of singing time after going out last weekend! Lots of fun...

Busan with Martin

Sokcho and Sorak-san

Dr.Fish, Korean Baseball, Fresh Crap Pizza

Off to Dr. Fish for some breakfast, coffee and exfoliation! I honestly didn't think Martin would be able to tough out the 15 minutes of pure ticklish torture (he can be very, very ticklish), but he impressed me by keeping his feet in the water long enough for the greedy fish to give him a pedicure!


Next, we hit up a Korean baseball game between the Doosan Bears and the Samsung Lions. The skill level of the game was played sub-par to American games, but did provide plenty of entertainment with thundersticks for all fans! The game was a non-stop cheering fest! We couldn't believe how the stadium would erupt after each play! The highlight was the stage area. There were four girls and one guy dancing the ENTIRE game! They had little cheers and dances for everything! If I can figure out how to upload videos successfully, I will provide you all with a little sample of this spectacle!


Finally, it seems that the most popular pictures and blogs I post tend to be filed under the "funny English" section. Here you go...serve yourself up some Fresh Crap Pizza! Mashita!