Remember, remember the fifth of November...

Portrait of Guy Fawkes

Many people in Canada know very little about Guy Fawkes Day, which is celebrated in the UK.  The day commemorates the uncovering of the "Gunpowder Treason," a supposed attempt by Sir Robert Catesby and a number of Catholic co-conspirators to blow up the British House of Lords and kill the Protestant King James I during the opening of Parliament on November 5th, 1605.  The attempt was thwarted when, after receiving an anonymous letter detailing the plot, British authorities discovered one of Catesby's co-conspirators, Guy Fawkes, guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords.  Fawkes was arrested, and while most of his co-conspirators attempted to flee London, eight men, including Fawkes, were arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered.

A bonfire on Guy Fawkes Night

The outcome of the Gunpowder Treason is felt even today.  Traditionally, before the opening of Parliament, the cellar of the Palace of Westminster is inspected by the Yeomen of the Guard in order to ensure that no one has planted explosives in a modern-day attempted Gunpowder Treason.  Only once the cellar has been declared clear is the Queen permitted to enter.  In Great Britain, Guy Fawkes Day (November the fifth) is celebrated by lighting bonfires and setting off fireworks.  Small representations of Guy Fawkes are purchased and displayed, and these effigies are burned in the bonfires.  This practice has diminished over the years, slowly being replaced by American Halloween.  In Canada, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated in a few areas, such as Nanaimo BC and Newfoundland.

British Yeomen of the Guard

In Korea, no one celebrates Guy Fawkes Day, and mention of it here draws only a blank stare, much as it does in most of Canada.  So, how will I be commemorating Guy Fawkes Day, you ask?  Well, I will be going to a friend's apartment tonight, where three of us will gather in front of my computer and watch V For Vendetta.  There is definitely something to be said for tradition.  I wonder where I can buy some popcorn?

Some thoughts...

Well, here it is, over two months into my Korean adventure.  I arrived in this country on the 25th of August, and it is now already the 4th of November.  The weeks are flying by at a rapid pace, and I scarcely have time to blink before the weekend ends and Monday arrives once again.  In the past two months, I have seen many things and experienced many aspects of Korean culture and sights in Seoul.  Still, it really feels as though I've barely scratched the surface of what I want to do here.

So far, I've been up the Namsan Tower, visited Insadong, toured the Namsan traditional village, been to Bukchon, visited Gyoungbok Palace, been solicited on the street in Itaewon, discovered the only place that sells pies in Korea, and even found time to clean my apartment somewhat.

I've eaten many types of Korean foods, including kimchi, galbi, gimbap, bibimbap, danmuji, quail eggs, and bulgogi.

I've picked up a few souvenirs already, too.  I already have my official keychain, and there is also a Korean flag adorning my apartment.  I've also picked up a few souvenirs for friends and family, and I want to send those soon...

Still, there are many more things that I would like to experience.  There are many items on my "to do" list, not the least of which are:

Visit the DMZ

Travel to Japan, China, and possibly the Philippines

Visit Jeju Island

Travel to Busan

What do you think?  What should I add to my list?  Please leave any suggestions for me in the comments, any and all ideas would be very much appreciated.

Random Subway Occurrence

So, I'm riding the subway on the way to Itaewon.  Beside me is a boy (about 12 years old) and his father.  The train stops at a station, and when the boy turns his head away from his father, the father very quietly and quickly gets up and slips out the open door.  A few seconds later, the boy turns back to see his father gone.  He looks around, confused, muttering something that probably translates as "Wha... I... wha?"  He then catches sight of his father looking at him from the platform laughing his head off!  Soon, a number of passengers (myself included) are grinning and smirking, doing all that we can to not burst out in peals of laughter.  As the train pulls out of the station, the father signals his son to catch the return train at the next station.  Needless to say, it was extremely hilarious.

I'm sure the child-abandonment issues and psychologist bills will be well worth the lols.

Bread and Circuses

So much has happened in the last few weeks, I scarcely know where to begin.  I realize it's been forever since I last wrote.  I didn't want this to become one of those blogs where there's a new post every few months apologizing for the lack of posts, followed by a promise to try to write more often.  So I'm not going to do that.  Moving on.

Chuseok gift: Delicious!

Tuesday, September 21st marked the beginning of Chuseok, a nearly week-long Thanksgiving celebration.  During this period, Koreans traditionally return home to celebrate with their families and exchange gifts.  Also during this time, many stores and businesses were closed.  Those of you who follow me on Facebook have probably seen the pictures of the gift of rice cakes (song pyun) and the awesome letter given to me by one of my students. If not, get on Facebook and/or pay more attention to me, dammit!  I'm looking at you, Jason!

Chuseok dinner

During Chuseok, one of my co-workers who goes by the English name "Clouds" invited me to his apartment to celebrate with his family.  They are a great group of people, and the food was more than excellent.  We played games and watched a couple of movies.  With it being Chuseok, we of course watched two traditional Korean films: downloaded copies of 21 starring Kevin Spacey and Christopher Nolan's The Prestige.  Oh, and to Greg and Pat: I know it took forever for me to watch The Prestige, and you were right, it was an amazing film.

Dominoes!

Amy and Erika from Newfoundland!

The Saturday following Chuseok, I went to the National Institute of International Education (NIIED) for a five-day orientation with EPIK, which stands for English Program in Korea.  Most of the lectures were helpful and informative (with one notable exception - the people reading this who were there, you know what I'm talking about).  We had classes in teaching theory and lesson planning, most of which were old news to me.  What was helpful was the beginner Korean language classes, which have given me a good starting-off point to learn the alphabet and begin to really learn how to communicate and understand Korean.  The true value of the week, however, was found in the new friends and contacts I've made here, both in Seoul and in the rest of Korea.  There were only four of us from Seoul at the orientation, but it turns out we're all Canadian!  Amy and Erika (who lives only one subway stop from me) are both from Newfoundland, so hanging out with them definitely makes me feel like I'm back home in Grande Prairie, Alberta!

Gyongbuk Palace

Other highlights of the EPIK orientation included a visit to Gyongbuk Palace and the Korean Folk Museum, as well as watching the musical performance "Nanta."  When I saw this show, I wanted nothing more than to have my friends and family there to see it.  What an amazing performance!  It's been performed in countries all over the world, but sadly not in Canada.  Toronto and Vancouver, get on it!

Cookin' With NANTA!

The only noraebang picture I got
before my camera batteries died!

The last night of orientation was sad, as we had to say goodbye (for awhile) to our new friends who were leaving for various parts of Korea.  A bunch of us went out partying that night after the farewell dinner: Erika, Amy, Pat from Calgary, Linda from Ireland, Alex from Australia, and George and Amber from the US.  And let me tell you, I never thought this sort of this would happen to me, but let me just say we noraebanged like crazy that night!  (That was just for you, Jason and Greg.  That's all you're getting!  And to everyone else, my sincere apologies.)

I think I'll wrap it up there for now.  So much is continually happening here, and there is always so much to do.  I've never seen a city more active at four in the morning than Seoul, with the possible exception of Vegas.  I'm sorry, I haven't written lately, and I promise to write more often.  I know I said that I wouldn't type that, but what can you do?  Old habits die hard.  From Seoul, South Korea, Cheers!

Babel

 An nyoung ha seh yo!


That's hello.  In Korean.  Written in Hangul, that's 안녕하세요.


This is a crucial phrase if you want to get by in Seoul.  Everywhere I walk, I hear "an nyoung ha seh yo!"  People answering cell phones, passing friends on the street, bowing to elders and superiors in the hallway at work.  When one walks into any store or restaurant in Korea, he or she is greeted with a chorus of "an nyoung ha seh yo!" from any employees in the vicinity of the door.


Also, a phrase I've recently learned, and put to very good use:


"kamsahamnida"  (감사합니다)


This means "thank you."  I got into the habit of using this today, much to the delight of the Koreans I interacted with. They were so happy when I used it, and really made me feel more at ease about trying different Korean phrases out.  I purchased a bottle of orange juice at the Mini-Stop convenience store near my officetel, and when I couldn't quite remember the phrase, the store clerk had no problem with helping me out a bit.  She asked where I was from, and welcomed me to Korea.  Many people here are so inviting, it really makes me feel very welcome.

Oasis

It's pouring rain outside, so I'm enjoying a relaxing Friday evening in, catching up on watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, eating nachos and drinking a Chilsung Cider:

"Cider" doesn't really mean the same thing here that it does back home.  Chilsung Cider tastes almost exactly like Sprite or 7-Up.

Things have been going fairly well for me.  The kids that I teach are amazing, and incredibly friendly and inquisitive.  My favorite part really has been teaching the classes so far.

I've joined a few meet-up groups, hoping to meet some fellow English-speakers.  One group, called "Seoullites," is meeting for a dinner/karaoke night next Saturday, the 18th.  I don't think I'll take part in the karaoke, but so far 27 people have signed up to go, so I think I have a good chance at meeting some fellow world travelers.

One oasis I have found, and for which I am very grateful:

I was pretty excited when I heard about this place.  It really felt like being back home when I went inside, and I'll definitely be going back for Tuesday wing night!

I hope this post finds everyone well, and I look forward to talking to you all very soon!

Wolfhound Pub and the Seoul Metropolitan Subway

On Sunday, on the train to Itaewon, I met a girl from New York City named Adrienne. It was really great to meet someone with whom I could converse. Once we arrived at Itaewon, she helped me find the Wolfhound, an Irish pub that is apparently a very popular foreigner hangout. Let me tell you, fish and chips and a pint of Guinness? I was in Irish heaven...

I should take this time to tell you a little bit about the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. If you're like me, and the only experience you've had with city train transit is in cities like Edmonton, the Seoul Subway is quite a shock. In a city as densely populated as Seoul, an efficient rail system is key, and it is really amazing how well the subway here works. There are nine different lines in the system, with a total of 291 separate subway stations. You can quite literally get to almost any part of Seoul using the subway system. On top of that, the trains and stations are, without exception, nearly immaculately clean. The trains are very modern and obviously well-maintained.  To give you an idea of the scope of the entire system, here is the map of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway:

To me, it looks as though someone has dropped a bowl of cooked spaghetti on the city.  Crazy!