A large part of the Korean culture is love motels. Kids live with their parents well beyond their adolescent years [acceptable limit] and literally only move out of their parents house when they get married. At that point, their parents buy them an apartment and they live with their spouse. When they go to university and start dating, there is no place to go for privacy, hence the love motel scene. These motels are very discrete, often with hidden garages or fringes at the entrance so that you cannot see who is parking their car. The rooms are rented by the hour and are used almost exclusively for sex. That is, except by foreigners. The expat community capitalizes on these cheap, but clean and usually decent, motels for accommodation purposes. Since we travel to different cities almost every weekend during the ultimate frisbee season, we have frequented many motels. The Hotel 369 was our most pleasant experience. For 60,000 won (often love motels run from 30-70,000), we were able to score a lovely room in Busan just behind the Oncheonjang subway stop and close to Pusan National University. I wanted to share what a nice love motel looks like. This way if you go to one and ask to see the room, you can compare.
The Korean Love motel: it's your home away from home! For 3 hours, give or take.
Most hotels provide slippers
Clean bathroom, including tub with jets!
That's right, there is a TV on the ceiling!
Every thing was classy ... except the red pleather headboard and matching chairs!
Towels, robes, and a loofa were in a drawer
Free drinks in the mini fridge
Guests are given a "bathroom set" when they arrive that holds all the essentials in case you rushed to the motel
Including, but not limited to, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razor, bubble
bath, face wash,
collagen facial mask, condoms, lube, and other sex
things
Cosmetic Surgery in Asia - The Desire to Look "Western"
An interesting observation that one can make when coming to Asia is that the ideals of beauty are the complete opposite from western cultures. In North America, we desire to be thin and dark skinned. That tanned look is "healthier", and maybe even indicates wealth. In poorer countries in Asia if you are fat and white, then you are rich. The fat people have enough food and the lighter your skin means you don't have a job working in the sun, thus you are more well off.
In Korea and China, they have taken it one step further. They actually want to RESEMBLE western/European people. They have taken to rejecting their own racial features (almond eyes, flatter faces, darker skin), in search of having a more "western" face. In Korea, a smaller face, high cheek bones, protruding nose and bridge, the double eyelid, smaller chin and jaw are all considered to be part of a beautiful face. It's astonishing to watch as parents are buying their daughters plastic surgery as a high school graduation gift. The younger you have the surgery is considered beneficial because you still have time to grow into your new features. The subway is full of plastic surgery clinic ads. I'm pretty sure there are more cosmetic surgeons in Korean than regular doctors. Plastic surgery is so prevalent In Korea, that approximately 1 in 3 people have had it, and most aren't ashamed of talking about it. Here are some videos that both appalled and intrigued me. Plastic surgery is a very foreign craze to me. The host of the show in the Korean video is sporting what is called the "Gangnam face". Plastic surgeons are so prolific in Gangnam, the wealthy upscale neighbourhood in Seoul that was put on the world map by rapper Psy, that you can literally pick out the typical face that women are getting. Even scarier is how all the Miss Korea pageant contestants in 2013 looked identical.
China is one of the biggest consumers of Korean plastic surgery
Korean plastic surgery show
Plastic surgery has
become part of the culture here; a very scary, unappealing part. Even
foreigners come to Korea in search of cheap surgery. The airport
information booth has brochures about surgical clinics, procedures, and medical insurance. In a country with such a high
demand for perfection, and an abundance of surgeons, it's no wonder a
nose job will cost you a fraction of the price in Korea compared to the
USA. You can pay for your flight, the surgery, and in patient care for
less than it would be to have it at home. A simple Google search reveals lots of news articles being written about it. A really disturbing one was about a clinic that was fined for having a monument of chin bones they had removed from patients displayed in their entrance. Personally, I think Korean women are beautiful and they should stop trying to look like a completely difference race! The ideals of beauty in this country are frustrating, as so many people don't fit into their mold of perfection. I think Korea needs a beauty reality check. Jennika
Today my Grandad will be laid to rest beside my Grandma and with his first son who died at the age of 12. Because I cannot be with my family in Ottawa to say goodbye, I wrote my Grandad a letter and mailed it to him. My sister has courageously offered to read it on my behalf at his ceremony of life this morning.
To my dearest Grandad,
How does one say goodbye to the best
man they’ve ever known? I’ve decided I can’t. We always said see you later when
we parted, and stood waving at the end of the driveway until the car was out of
sight. We never went longer than a few weeks without talking. There are often
words left unsaid when someone moves on to their next journey, but I feel like
we said them all. We talked about life and love. We talked about childhood and
growing up. We talked about school and finances. How many people can say they
discussed homosexuality and gays with their 90 year old grandfather? I can. You
are the strongest, most open minded, coolest grandad I’ve ever known.
But if I had to choose (and it
appears I do), my parting words for the last time would be ‘thank you’. Thank
you for teaching me to always go for my dreams. Thank you for teaching me to
never give up. Thank you for showing me that at any age, life is worth fighting
for. Thank you for sharing your passion for rocks with me. I now cannot go
anywhere without picking up a piece of the local landscape. Thank you for
correcting my English grammar with such effervescence. It helped me write a
highly praised thesis and become a university English professor. I promise I will
always take something there, and bring it back, just as you taught me. Thank
you for supporting me, no matter what the urgency or reason. I would never be
where I am today if it wasn’t for your support, emotional and financial. You
helped me through some of the toughest times, and continue to do so even now.
I’m so thankful to have had 27 years to get to know you. I am proud to say that
I truly knew my grandfather. I took advantage of the gift that we were given,
the time that we were given, to get to know each other. In the 90s, I remember
coming home from Brownies one night to hear that you’d had a heart attack. I
thought I was going to lose my grandfather at such a young age, but I should
have known better. In high school, I remember sitting in the walk-in cooler at
Dairy Queen crying my eyes out because your heart surgery had been postponed
again. I had just called my dad to get an update, and he told me you looked so
solemn sitting there, all ready for surgery, only to hear that some machine
wasn’t working so you had to go home. It broke my heart. But again, you pulled
through, demonstrating that strength I’ve only ever seen in one person. The
summer I lived with you and Grandma is something I will forever cherish. I got
to know my ancestors as real people. We laughed a lot that summer. We danced,
we gardened, we watched movies, we shared stories, we made memories, and we
lived. Thank you for being a part of my life, and for making me a part of yours. Even though I grew up many miles away, I never felt further away than a phone
call.
Enclosed is a rock I picked up for
you from the north shore of Prince Edward Island this summer. It was my first trip to PEI, and
all I could think of was whether or not you’d been there. The sandstone bluffs
are incredible. JM and I walked out to this area where the shore was eroded and
had created some unique rock formations. I picked up a small stone for you. I
didn’t get to mail it before I left, so it came all the way back to Korea with
me. I never thought I would be sending it to your memorial.
Thank you, Grandad, for being my
family. I’m very proud to be a part of yours and Grandma’s legacy. Please give her
my regards. I miss you both so much, every day. Until next time … see you
later.
Today the GLP went on another field trip. We left campus today because of the Korean SAT, the same test we mentioned last year. This time we went to the small Korean town of Damyang in the south west of Korea. This region of Korea is viewed by the rest of Koreans a quaint. This is the first time that most of our students have gone to this region, which I think made the trip a welcome change from the typical school trip locations.
Are first stop was a traditional Korean garden. Being fall there are not many flowers or other decorative plants. The garden wasn't lush, but the trees are changing offering views of deep yellow covered leaves. One of our students Spencer is very knowledgable on Korean history and culture. He explained how the garden was special because it was built around a stream. In order to incorporate the stream into the architecture the was a bridge and a special wall constructed to highlight the stream.
The beautiful colours of fall.
This plant reminds me of Christmas tree lights.
We took a small break to learn how to make Korean rice crispy squares. With no marshmallows to make the a gooey treat, Beng Chang sneaked some sugar to make it more palatable.
Some cactus flavoured rice treats.
Our next stop was a Korean meatloaf place. I forgot to get pictures, but it was very nice meal. I did manage to get a picture of the mural in the entryway.
Stay classy Damyang!
Next, we visited the famous Bamboo forest. For a brief moment it felt like we were not in Korea. The temperature inside the forest was pleasant and cool. The air was Fresh. My nose was in heaven. A great respite from the smells of Cheonan. I also tried some bamboo ice cream. It had a similar taste to green tea ice cream but it wasn't as strong.
The entrance to the bamboo forest.
Bamboo
After a stroll through some nice tall trees, we packed ourselves back onto the buses and headed home.
Bad translations into English are so common in Asian countries that they have a name ... Engrish. Today while making my breakfast shake, I noticed something that cracked me up. The package contains frozen mango halves. They are delicious, but the name on the package would persuade me think otherwise. Buahaha.
Of course, playing Ultimate Frisbee means you will incur a few injuries. Bruises, scrapes, strained muscles, etc. are pretty normal. Last season I was plagued with plantar fasciitis, this year my injury was a sprained finger. After reaching back to grab a disc that was behind me, it caught my finger and pulled it back. Way back. I felt a pop and then pain. I knew it wasn't broken, but definitely sprained.
A trip to the local doctor confirmed this. Haha, that's a funny story. I went to the Dankook University hospital because it's on campus, and I get a discount for being a Dankook employee. Win-win right? Well, I went to the reception and asked to see a doctor. After getting an English translator on the phone, to whom I explained the injury, the receptionist refused to let me see a regular doctor that day. She kept saying 'Doctor, opsoyeo' which means there are none. But tomorrow, she said, finger specialist. All I needed was a proper splint (I had fashioned myself a makeshift one already out of cardboard and tape, but I needed a real one) and perhaps an x-ray to ensure there wasn't a fracture. Apparently this was not possible without a specialist's expertise.
So the next day I go to where she booked my appointment and I arrive at a sign that says 'ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY' - wait what?! All I needed was a splint and I got sent to a surgeon. In Canada, this would have taken months to get in, but here I only waited until the next day. Despite my hesitation, the doctor was really nice and he spoke English. The x-ray showed that the tendon had pulled away from the bone (over stretched) and he wanted to give it time to heal. He was very impressed with my makeshift splint and couldn't believe I had made it myself (it would seem no one in Korea takes health care into their own hands). He taped up my finger to a splint and advised me not to use it and come back in 2 weeks so he could show me 'finger exercises'.
Two weekends of Ultimate later (yes, I had to keep playing!), I went back to him. He took my splint off and buddied my middle finger to the ring finger to stop it from twisting. The joint was very stiff, but after stretching it all weekend (and playing some more ultimate - hehe) it is feeling better! Not 100%, but I can almost make a fist on my own. Hurray!
The past few weeks have been extremely hard. I have buried myself in work because after a month of family being in town, I was/am extremely behind. The problem is that I haven't really acknowledged my loss and anytime I think of my grandfather, the tears come full force.
The problem really lies in the fact that I haven't gone home. I have not had to face the reality of the situation that my grandfather is no longer here. If I put it out of my mind long enough, it's like it isn't real. Although my new job told me I get bereavement leave (the first question I asked prior to accepting the job offer), I really don't get time off to mourn. At least, not without cancelling and making up those classes in the future. My family scheduled my grandad's ceremony of life for November 9th and I have made the difficult decision to not attend. The idea of spending 40 hours travelling alone, just to be home for 2 days of heartache, is not the most appealing. I would do it in a heartbeat if it meant getting to see my grandad for one more day, but the alternative means I would be that sad girl crying on the plane for 13 hours. I have decided that I will go somewhere over winter vacation and take the time I need to mourn, since bottling it up is not working so well for me.
Today I mailed my goodbye letter to my grandad. I literally cried at the postoffice because 1. the purpose of the letter already meant I was emotional, and 2. the lady asked me too many questions. I just wanted to walk in, mail it, and get out, but nothing is ever that easy in Korea.
I recently collected all the photographs I had of my grandfather on my computer and sent them to my aunt who is putting together a memorial DVD. It was hard. My grandparents were such a big part of my life. They were present for every important event; every graduation, every birthday, every Christmas, you name it. We spent all our vacations/long weekends in Ottawa at their house. I'm one of the fortunate people who can say that I really knew my grandparents, but also one of the unfortunate ones who has to go through losing two people that meant the world to me.
Among the photos was a video I took of my grandfather earlier this year, on his 90th birthday. I asked him what advice he has for people who would like to live to 90. I have watched this video many times this week. Hearing his calm, casual voice and seeing that cheeky smile have not necessarily brought me comfort, but a sense of nostalgia. We always wish for more time once all the time has passed. Life is precious, and fragile, and we need to make the most of it while we still have the time.
Today my mom and sister returned to Canada. They were in Korea for 3.5 weeks and boy, did they do a lot! We tried to take advantage of all the time we had. I'll attempt to recap.
The first weekend that they were here was spent in Cheonan. We played some ultimate frisbee with our Cheonan group and then went out for shabu shabu. Mom was struggling with the chopsticks, but surprisingly, she liked the kimchi! Sunday we headed out to Independence Hall for some history and scenic pictures.
Post ultimate smiles!
Post ultimate eats!
Independence Hall: Entrance and Korea Flags
The next week, they headed out to Seoraksan National Park to do some serious hiking and then to Seoul for shopping and a templestay experience. JM and I had some frisbee games that weekend, so we did not join them, but we all met up again after the weekend for our Chuseok break in Busan.
Templestay outfits!
Touring Gyeongbokgung Palace
After Chuseok, the four of us took an evening trip into Seoul to see the Nanta cooking experience. I had read some great reviews of the show online (it is Korea's longest running broadway show) and was excited to go to the theatre. Audience members are often pulled up on stage and lucky for us, we had aisle seats! So both Sarah and JM were called up. Sarah had to pull a barrel off some guy's butt and JM had to make mandu on stage as part of a competition. His team didn't win, but he was given a picture and a chef's hat as a souvenir. It was a great show - highly recommended for some amazing chopping skills and laughs!
Finally, our last trip was a long weekend in Jeju. Sarah and Mom took the ferry and I flew up after my last class. We rented a car that Sarah drove (!!) and it was by far the best decision we made. It was so convenient to have the freedom to travel when and where we wanted. We grabbed a tourist map and started circling places we wanted to hit. We planned out three days: east side, hiking Hallasan, and the west side. Jeju is an old volcanic island, Hallasan is a dormant volcano, so lots of sight seeing revolved around awesome lava rocks, formations, tubes, and cones. We stayed at the very cute Breakfast at Tiffany's B&B and our hosts were lovely people. Nice view from the rooms, log cabin style with the smell of pine. Very relaxing!
Jeju - Beautiful volcanic island
Day 1: Seongsan Ilchulbong, a tuff cone also called sunrise peak, has a great view of the ocean. By far the coolest part of the trip was the 1km long lava tube we walked through. A UNESCO world heritage site, this was such a unique geological wonder that all I could do was wish my grandfather was able to experience it with us.
View from the top of Seongsan Ilchulbong
Lots of stairs on the way back down
View of Jeju from the tuff cone
The entrance/exit of the lava tube. The ground caved in here, and that's how they found it!
Mom and Sarah walking through the tube
Melted rock
Day 2: Hiking Hallasan in the rain and sleet. Not as much fun as it sounds. Hallasan is the tallest mountain in Jeju, but sadly, we had no view at the top.
We made it to the top!
Day 3: The west side brought with it the amazing seashell museum/gallery (this was my favourite place), a hilarious waterfall (road drainage), a chocolate museum, and finally, the beach! A cute setting, where the beach was quite private and you had to climb down the escarpment to get to it.
The artist not only displayed seashells, but she created art out of coral, bronze, and seashells.
This was the most spectacular gallery I've ever been to.
Three little mermaids
The world's greatest waterfall [*cough - road drainage*]
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
