Day 1... On my way to Hong Kong

I said my goodbyes to Aaron and Togi and then headed down my hill to the subway, but not before stopping at Davids corner store to pick up some snacks!! I couldn't believe my eyes... A bag of goldfish for 1,000 won (80 cents!!) so I grabbed it and headed to the counter. I told David "지검 피리핀스 갑니다" which means: I'm going to the Philippines right now!! He was so excited for me, got up and walked over to the gum area and grabbed some sour ice breakers, pulled the tag off and told me in Korean to eat these in the Philippines and have a nice vacation!! I love his generosity and thoughtfulness!!

The token airport with the ticket picture!  It's a tradition now!! I had to do it!  

The flight was great! I sat next to 3 year old little boy who's mom is korean and dad is from Hong Kong. The kid new more English than 1/2 the 5th graders at my school! His mom says he goes to a language tutor, and can speak Cantonese, Korean, and English! Her son, Joshua, was sitting behind me and proudly announced that he wad 6 1/2. He speaks 4 languages fluently! He put me to shame!!

I arrived at the Hong Kong Airport around 10:30pm and did a lot of walking and window shopping! This place is GIGANTIC! There are 80 terminals in the E2 area, and my flight's gate # wasn't listed yet on the board... So I had no idea what gate to sleep at. I ended up plopping down at gate 23 and cuddling with my "secretly borrowed" airline blanket! 

 Low and behold, when I woke up this morning around 7am and looked at the board, my flight was leaving out of gate 25!! Pretty awesome huh?!

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Saying goodbye...

Saying goodbye is never easy!! Last night I had to say goodbye to Aaron for 14 days and to Togi FOREVER!  I told Aaron, the other day, that I wouldn't be mad if he found a new home for Togi while I was away... Shes a great bunny but she just eats to many darn electrical cords and has to be supervised at all times!! So I put an ad online at a couple korean/foreigner websites and within a couple hours we had an email from a family, interested in adopting Togi for their 4 year old daughter!! I immediately called the number and the dad was really excited to meet her!! I gave them directions to my apartment and then headed off to the airport... Aaron stayed around to help with the "adoption process!"  He called me later and said Togi couldn't have gone to a better family!! (He took this picture for me to see!)

He said the dad was like the bunny wisperer and she just cuddled right into his arms!!  They have been living in Korea for 5 years, but are new to Busan. So, I'm sad to say goodbye to my sweet and cuddly bunny, but am really excited to never clean another rabbit cage or buy another $30 replacement electrical cord!! So... Goodbye Togi! I love you!! Enjoy your new (and probably improved) family who will love you and play with you!  Behave yourself and go pottie in your liter box like I taught you and please try not to eat their cords!

Last Day of School - Teacher Lunch!

Today was the last day of the semester, which means it's officially summer vacation for me!!  All of the teachers left school at 11:00am to have lunch together at a seafood restaurant overlooking the harbor!  

These are the kindergarden teachers and assistants... some of the sweetest women at my school!  When I teach kindergarten, the girl in the white shirt is there with me to help translate!  Her English name is Jennifer. :)

It's an unspoken understanding that when the teachers all go out to eat, Stella and I save each other a spot right next to our own spot, so we can sit together!  Sometimes it's the only time, in a week, that we get to chat!  

The first thing to be served was this bowl of what I THOUGHT were noodles mixed with veggies!  Turns out,
"IT'S  ACTUALLY  SHARK  FIN!"
And yes, I ate it!  And yes, I ate it before I realized what it was!  Guess it's just another thing to add to the random things I've eaten while living in Asia!  I just hate when I get tricked!

After hearing that they served shark fin, I knew this would be a lunch to document!  So, I did!  I've never been served so many delicious varieties of seafood at one meal!  On the right is a seafood salad.  On the left is a plate of raw fish, octopus, and clams.  Most of what is served is family style, so a total of 4 people dig in on the same plate and soup!

Pumpkin and nut soup.

Fried shrimp in spicy red sauce.  I didn't take a picture... but there was a GIGANTIC tray of raw fish served with this!!!

This was served to each person at the table!  (rice with shrimp, a special rice & bean mixture wrapped in a leaf and string, and a small sweet potato mixture, rolled in pink fried good-ness!)

I don't know that I've ever tasted something more heavenly than this!

This was some sort of pumpkin and bell pepper mixture, topped with melted cheese, served on clam shells!

There's an interesting custom in Korea, where teachers pour drinks for their Vice Principal and Principals...  Then the VP or P pours a drink for you, in return.  It's a way of showing your respect for each other!  This is my VP pouring me some Chilsung!  It's official... he respects me!  

Who doesn't love a whole plate of crab legs?!  mmmm

Each person was served their own individual baked salmon fillet, in the shape of a fish!  (Mom, you would never buy another COSTCO salmon after tasting this!  It was incredible!)  

Then came a plate full of fried shrimp and zuchini for us to share! 

No one at my table thought this looked good, so, we didn't even touch it...  I felt bad, but Stella said it was okay!

Tofu (which we call "tobu" here) and potato spicy stew for everyone to share!  Yes, we double dipped, over and over and over again!  I used to think it was gross, but now I do it all the time without a second thought!

Whenever stew or soup is served, a bowl of rice comes along too!  This rice was mixed with red sauce, sprouts, peppers, onions and some other random stuff!  It was delicious!

And for dessert... ORANGES!  This is a very typical dessert at Korean restaurants... which is probably why everyone's so tiny around here!!

After oranges came the rounds of coffee, and then goodbye's for the summer!  I'd be hard pressed to find a school in America that treats their teachers to such fancy lunches!  It was the prefect way to end my 3rd semester in South Korea!
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baby IKEA!

Aaron spotted this teeny tiny IKEA store on our scooter ride the other day!  We stopped Scoot and went inside and there were literally 5 shelves of IKEA stuff, and a really old Korean woman sleeping in the back.  Priceless!

Silly Koreans!

Introducing Moon and Bob!

I met Bob on a city bus, almost a year ago, and we immediately took advantage of the opportunity to do a language exchange, and share a meal together once in a while!  (I have no idea why I have never blogged about him before).  Anyway, 1 year later, I consider him a friend of mine!  My first Korean friend, outside of work!   I am his first foreigner friend, EVER!  In fact, I am the first foreigner he has ever talked to!  Crazy, huh?!

Last night, the 3 of us met for dinner in Nampodong and had noodles at a Japanese/Korean fushion restaurant!  While we were there, we were eating really slowly, and talking in-between bites!  The owner came over and told us, in Korean, that we should stop talking, and eat, because the longer the noodles sit, the more they will expand, and ultimately, we will get fatter!  How hilarious is that?!

So, note to self,

The faster you eat your noodles, the less weight you'll gain!

After dinner, we walked around Nampodong and did some window shopping!  The guys told me they wanted to take me to a store that they thought I would like, because it sells, "fancy toys!"  I started laughing and asked, "What are fancy toys?!"  Their response, "Fancy toys are for special occassions," which then made me laugh even more!

Come to find out, the store actually does sell, "fancy toys for special occassions!"  Korean guys come here to buy gifts for their girlfiriends!  So, I sent the guys on a mission, asking... "If you had a girlfriend, what would you buy her?"  Moon very seriously walked around the store, searching for the perfect gift, and decided on this "Piggy bank!"  I think it's worth noting that his imaginary girlfriend is not 8 years old!  She's his age; 26! 

Bob decided on this digital frog alarm clock! He said, "It's cute!  Korea girls like cute things!"  To each his own, I guess!

After dinner, we headed over to a bar, where I met Bob's good friend, Suyeon. (Sue)  She actually spent 8 months in Sonoma County, California, as a student at a university there, so her English was flawless!  We hit it off, and will probably get together when I come back from the Philippines!

Having Korean friends is part of the journey of living here, I think!  I'm a fan of immersing oneself into the culture and people, and last night was a great opportunity to do that!  So, thank you Bob, for introducing me to your friends!  I'm really glad we met on the bus that day!