Nore-bong

Wow, I have not written for a long time. Much has happened since my last post. I have been to Thailand and had my school schedule change a lot. I think part of why I find it difficult to post is that I think I have to write some long post, but I've realized I can write short entries--that's better than nothing at all right?

So now I will write a short entry about my experience at a nore-bong.

What is a nore-bong you may ask?

Well it is much like what we in the United States call karaoke.

After eating some delicious pizza with my friends Beth, Kristi, and Cho we decided to go to a nore-bong. We walk to a building, take the elevator, and get out on the nore-bong floor. We rent a nore-bong room for one hour for about 20 dollars. The four of us take our shoes off and go into this long, narrow room. There is a large TV at one end and couches on the other. In the room are also two microphones, two tambourines, and a song book. We simply choose a song, hit play, and sing along! On the TV the words appear with music videos playing in the background. But the music videos do not coincide with the songs we chose, the videos are random korean videos. At times this is hilarious.

I was quite comfortable at the nore-bong because I was with friends I felt comfortable being silly around! I think if there were many more people or people I didn't know as well I wouldn't have had as much fun or have gotten into it so much. But I got really into it and had a blast! I danced around the room singing most of the songs. Most of the songs we chose were American songs. Cho sang us a couple Korean songs.  I can think of some of my friends in the States who would love it, especially people from my small group :)

So yeah, I had a really fun time. I will look back on the experience with fondness.

In case your curious here are some of the songs I remember singing:
I Believe I Can Fly--R. Kelly
Lose Yourself--Eminem
Poker Face--Lady Gaga
Let it Be--Beatles
Piano Man--Billy Joel
Bye Bye Bye--Nsync
Lovey Dovey--T-ara
Gold Digger--Kayne West
Forget you--Cee Loo Green
Rolling in the Deep--Adele
Moves like Jagger--Maroon 5
Party Rock Anthem--LMFAO

Nore-bong. Singing the lyrics as they come :)

Couches are nice for sitting...and jumping off of :)

Random Korean music videos always playing

Getting really into it 

Cho and I sang many duets :)

Ending the night with Let it Be

Chinatown and Wolmi Island

I realize that I haven't written for awhile, sorry! I'm so busy here, as well as tired. My days at school are long. The bus leaves at 8:10 am and I return home around 6:45 pm. Add going to the gym, getting food, and then planning for the next day and I barely have time to do much else. There are plenty of topics that I want to write about that have happened lately. I will start with a fun adventure that I went on two Sundays ago. 

On February 5th, Sunday, Beth and I were invited to go to Chinatown while at church from James' younger sister Michelle. Beth had been wanting to go to Chinatown and it sounded like fun so we agreed to go. Joining us would also be a cute high school girl named Mary. Mary is 18 years old and finishing her final year of high school. Michelle is in university and I believe she is around 20 years old. Both girls speak some English so we are able to have conversations with them. We agreed to meet after church at 4:00 at the one of the closest subway stations.

We gather together at the subway station and travel together to Chinatown. While rushing from subway to subway, we link arms in pairs. In Korea it is more likely than in America for friends to show physical affection. I walk arm and arm with Mary, while Beth and Michelle walk arm in arm. It was a nice way to stay together and also work on speaking English with each other.

Waiting for the Subway

Me and Beth waiting for subway

Bubble tea! 

With our strawberry and nut pastries! 

 We arrive in Chinatown and take a picture. It is a nice day, warmer than the past week. The sun is in the sky without a trace of clouds. We walk up up up because Chinatown is literally on a steep hill! Apparently the Chinatown in Incheon is the largest in South Korea. It was pretty big, with multiple streets full of restaurants and shops. We looked at items for sale outside the shops, such as jewelry and fun little toys. We stop and buy these little flavor-filled pastry cakes. We share strawberry and nut-flavored cakes. Then I see it...a Bubble Tea shop! Of course I make everyone stop...I love bubble tea! I "cheat" and have Michelle order for me in Korean. I get a basic babao tea. It is delicious. We sit and chat in the tea shop for a bit and then we move on to more walking.

Chinese architecture 

Chinatown is steep!

Outside the entrance to Chinatown

Me and Mary in the Bubble tea shop

Statue at the top of the steps

Mary and me at the bottom of the steps

We find some neat stone steps that are very steep, but have a statue at the top. The steps beg to be climbed so we do. The look from the top is amazing. The sun is setting over the harbor. We continue to walk and decide to eat dinner in Chinatown. Once again, Beth and I "cheat" by having the Korean girls order for us. I tell them I don't really like spicy so they order separate food for me and Beth than themselves. We all share a delicious sweet chicken dish. Then Beth and I have these dark noodles that are pretty good and even better when we add some soy sauce! Mary and Michelle eat their spicy dishes. It is difficult to tell whether we were really eating Chinese food, because it seemed pretty Korean. We still ate with metal chopsticks and a spoon, which is Korean. The meal was great though and we watched some amusing Korean tv-show on the TV in the restaurant. Beth and I laugh as the Korean girls are on their phones during dinner...it's just a Korean thing to do :)

Sweet chicken dish that we all shared

Dark noodles for me and Beth

Slurp!

Michelle's spicy dish

Mary's spicy dish

Sometimes I make a mess...

After dinner we walk around a bit more, looking at food being prepared, such as the baking of rolls in an oven or the making of some sweet dessert. Then we hop on a bus and next thing I know we are at a small amusement park type place. I learn later that the place is called Wolmi Island. There are those large ship rides that rock back and forth, higher and higher. Here they are called the "Viking". No joke, there are three Viking ships here. Why do you need three of the same ride in such a small space? There are also bumper cars and one crazy ride called Tagada. Most people in the park are either in line for this ride or watching the ride. We stop and join in the watching. The ride is absolutely crazy! I scream as I watch the ride spin faster and faster and rock up and down. The girls ask if we want to ride the ride. I say no way! But then I realize it would be way more fun if I did, especially if the other three are riding. So I finally agree to go.

After we ride the Tagada

We get in line and my stomach is starting to get into knots. There is a DJ who controls the ride. The DJ teases people who are on the ride and tries to knock them off. He talks an awful lot and we wish we knew what he was saying. I cause a scene even before I get on the ride because I scream pretty loudly. I get the attention of the DJ and he asks in pretty good English if I'm an English teacher. I say yes and I know I'm in trouble. Beth and I realize the DJ is totally going to pick on us, being the only foreigners there. And boy are we right. We get onto the ride where Beth and I sit in between the two Korean girls. We hold onto the outside railing of the ride....because that is all you can hold onto. The ride starts spinning. It doesn't take too long until we hear the DJ say, "English teachers! English teachers!" And laughs and says other stuff in Korean for the crowds amusement. I'm screaming so he also mocks my screaming by saying, "English teachers AHHHH!" It was pretty funny, but not as funny as he holds our group at the top of the ride and causes the ride to shake up and down. We hold on for dear life as he tries to knock us off. I'm holding on but my back is being thrown again and again on the seat. I'm so close to letting go because of the pain, but Michelle falls off first, so the ride spins so we are no longer on the top. That was not the only time though! I think the DJ put us at the top at least 3 times! We were definitely picked on more than anyone and we gave the audience quite a show. The ride was fun but when it was over we were overjoyed! What a thrill! So much fun, so glad I did it :)

Here is a video I took while we were waiting to go on the ride!

Beth saying hello to the animals in the animal cafe

After the ride we walk around Wolmi Island. We pass restaurants and shops as we walk along the harbor. One shop catches our eye...it is a shop full of dogs and cats! It is a coffee shop where you can bring your dogs and cats with you. Is there such a thing in America?! I doubt it...doesn't seem sanitary. Anyway, we go in and pet the animals. We sit down and consider ordering but we don't. When we leave the owner gets mad at us and yells us out the door. Whoops. We continue to walk around and talk. I'm getting tired though and we finally get on a bus headed toward home. Before home, however, we make one last fun stop.

To commemorate our fun day we go to a fun photo shop in the mall. These photo places are popular in Korea. You can put on fun headbands or hats and step into a photo booth. You take multiple pictures on different backgrounds. Then you can add items to your picture, such as cute hearts or writing. We have fun picking out our headbands and taking photos. The picture taking went so fast though! We didn't have time to discuss what we were doing for each picture. Beth and I let the Korean girls handle the picture choosing and decorating...they clearly knew what they were doing and there was a time limit. It was super fun though and we have this memory for always :) The pictures are very tiny. I'm saving mine for when I get more and then I'll put them on a mug.

Ready to go into the photo booth with our headbands!

Hats to choose from at the photo booth shop

Photo booth shop

Headbands to choose from

At this point it was around 10:30 so it is bed time...school the next day! We say goodbye to the girls. It was a great day with new friends. If anyone visits me in Korea, Chinatown and Wolmi Island will definitely be places we have to go! Anyway, I look forward to hanging out with these girls more. I'm happy to have made some Korean friends :)

My First Gym Experience

If you didn't know, I live in a city. A big city. A couple million people live here. We all live in these tall apartment buildings. My building has 15 floors. I am on the 8th floor while Beth is on the 9th floor. Our apartment complex is called Hyveras. Beth and I live in Hyveras building A. There are also buildings B, C, and D. Most of the teachers at our school live in A or B. What is really nice is that there is a gym in building D, the building across the sidewalk from our building A. One of my goals in Korea is to become healthier, both by eating healthier and being more active. Beth has a similar goal. She joined the gym about a month ago and I decided to join too. In this post I will describe what happened the first time I went to workout there...as well as other observations...

On Monday night Beth takes me to the gym to check it out. The gym is on the 9th floor of Hyveras building D. From what I saw that night there are stationary bikes, treadmills, weight machines, free weights, and lots of lockers. There is also a room for classes. There is a chart on the front table with the prices. The price chart says 3 months for 150,000 won. Beth said she got 4 months for the same price and that they should give that price to me as well for being a foreigner. I was worried she would charge me more when I said 4 months, but she didn't! So that night I got a temporary pass to use until my official card game in on Wednesday.

On Tuesday Beth had to work but I didn't yet. Thus, I decided to go to the gym during my free time. I came into the gym and gave my temporary id to the woman at the desk. She gave me two small towels and a locker key with the number 1 on it. I assumed that I would just find the locker with the number 1 on it, so I walked around until I found the number 1 locker, which was right next to the athletic trainers office where a male trainer was at his desk inside. The key didn't work. I pondered going in and asking the trainer but felt too embarrassed. I decided to keep struggling until he noticed me! He saw me and came out to help me.  He actually spoke some English and showed me that actually my locker was in the women's locker room! Whoops.

When I went into the locker room I noticed that there were piles of shoes by the door. I got the hint that I needed to take my shoes off! I found my locker and it worked, whew. I put my shoes back on and found a treadmill. The treadmill directions were in Korean though, so I just stood there for a minute. Then the male trainer from earlier came over to me and asked me if it was my first time. I told him it was and he asked if I wanted training. I said no but he still called over a female trainer and she took over. However, she could not speak English! She had me get on a scale and asked me basic questions, like age and height. I understood her questions because I could see the scale screen and could figure out what it was asking. We had trouble though when she asked for my height. I understood her question but I didn't know my height in centimeters. She didn't understand feet and inches, so she guessed my height at 170 cm. I found out later I'm actually 176 cm. Anyway, she filled in the information as I stood there on the scale and she had me hold on these grippy things that measured some kind of information from me. The trainer came back with a printout of my information and that is where the fun began...

The print out was in Korean characters except for the numbers. The only numbers I understood were my height and weight. I figured some of the numbers meant BMI or percent body fat. The poor trainer couldn't figure out how to explain it to me. She called a friend of hers on the phone who spoke English. I don't think her friend even worked at the gym! The trainer gave me the phone and her friend tried to explain my results to me. The trouble was that her friend did not know the terms in English. She tried explaining but she couldn't find the right words and I was very confused. What I did understand was that she said I was obese and need to not eat hamburgers, haha. I'm sure that I'm overweight, but obese! I don't know about that. The trainer kept apologizing and her friend would ask to talk to her friend the trainer again. We kept passing the phone back and forth. Her friend then told me she will look up the terms and call back. The trainer put me on an exercise bike and told me to bike for 30 minutes, which I did...even though I didn't ask for any of this to happen :)

The trainer comes back with the phone and I talk to her friend some more. I found out some more of what my chart says, such as how much weight I need to lose. I asked about what I should do to lose the weight. She gave me a basic plan for my schedule: 30 minutes cardio, 20 minutes strength training, and 10 minutes stretching. Then I asked about what food I should eat, since I don't know what is considered healthy food in Korea. All she told me though was not to go out to eat and to eat cucumbers and tomatoes. The teachers go out all the time so I can't really avoid going out to eat. I also went to the grocery store today and didn't find tomatoes! But really I think I will be okay because the food here seems so much healthier than what I was eating in America! I'm always eating vegetables here...and other healthy things like tofu and fish. I also drink water all the time here and I didn't at home. Anyway, it was an interesting conversation talking to the trainer's friend on the phone. It was both frustrating when we couldn't understand each other but also a little funny. We were trying so hard to communicate. In the end the trainer said "I'm sorry!" And I said it was okay! Then she left and didn't come back.

I finished riding the bike, after riding for one hour. Then I did some resistance exercises with my own body weight, some dumbbells, and an exercise ball. There is a cooler where I could consistently fill up my water bottle, which is nice. It is not too different than an American gym that I know of except having to take off your shoes in the locker room, almost all the equipment is in Korean, and there are these interesting stretching machines that I've never seen and I'm afraid of! Such as this machine that holds you upside down. I'll try and take pictures sometime!

So there you have it...my first gym experience was quite the experience. I've been going there everyday since then and I've had no problems :) I discovered that there are some free dance classes so I'm going to check those out. I'll probably write a post about my first dance class experience...I've heard it's really intense :)

My First Church Experience in Korea

Beth has been going to a particular church in Incheon pretty much since she arrived here in July. The church has a small English service as well as three Korean services. Sometimes Beth will go to both a Korean service as well as the English service. I told Beth I wanted to go to both this Sunday! I have been anxious to worship in a Korean church with other Koreans speaking Korean!

The Korean service we went to was at 12 pm. The church is basically just a walk down the street! Beth says that no one comes early, so we started walking to the church around 11:45 am. We arrive at the church and many people are excited to see us and very welcoming. Beth has a Korean friend who attends and he was there, we'll call him James. James' mother loves Beth and ushered us both to fill out a welcome card. James helped us fill out the card, since it was in Korean. We wrote our names, birthdays, and address.  James brought a friend. Unfortunately I couldn't get his name. He was a friend of his from the Air Force. Korean men are required to serve in the military. Anyway, the four of us go into the service and sit together. The singing had already started. I recognized the song. They were singing "I Have a Friend in God". There was a stage with a group of about 8 people singing, mostly men. The band included a drummer, piano, and two guitars. There were more people at the service that I was anticipating. Around 100 people I would say, but probably more. The other worship songs that I recognized were "Amazing Grace" and "We Want to See You".

The church website: http://www.pyungan.or.kr/

After the worship there were what I assumed to be announcements. There is a video on the screen about an upcoming conference. Beth and I probably shouldn't sit together because we whisper and try not to laugh but it is hard to control! Everything is in Korean so you just pretend like you know what is going on. One thing that made me laugh and whisper to Beth was when someone brought the pastor an envelope and I'm like, "Oooo what's the secret message?!" I keep asking Beth about the secret message. Then the pastor opens the secret message...and Beth says Oh no, its our welcome cards! But then we doubt ourselves and say no it's not the welcome cards. But then he spreads out the papers and its clear they are the welcome cards! Oh no, do we have to stand up in front of everyone? Well, turns out we do! He says Beth's name first and then mine. We stand and wave. He also reads James' friend's name and another woman in the audience. Then the singers come back out and Beth says, "I think they are singing us a welcome song". After the song the pastor speaks in English to me and Beth and says something about how he's sorry that the other church members are shy. Beth thinks they were supposed to come and lay hands on us during the song. Then the pastor speaks in Korean to James and James stands up. We don't know what's going on...and then we find out the pastor is asking James if he can translate for us. He says he can't, so the pastor finds someone else that knows English to translate for us. A young man comes and sits next to me. He texts on his phone and then shows it to me: "I'm here to translate". He writes a line on his phone to me about every 5 minutes. I get the gist of what the pastor is saying and it was helpful that we knew the scripture passage, so we knew what the pastor was probably saying. The service ended with a couple more songs. All in all, I enjoyed the service. The people really got into the songs, everyone would clap along. The pastor was animated and kind.

After the service we were invited to a room where the pastor is sitting in a chair. It looks like a board room and we sit at a nice long table. We have no idea what is going on. James and his friend come with us, along with the other woman who was new and her friend. We are given tea. The pastor introduces himself and welcomes us. He says he would like to meet with us. He asks me where I'm from and I explain where Indiana is. He says he would like to meet with us again in a month.

Next we go up some stairs to where lunch is served. Apparently, lunch is free for foreigners and 1000 won for Koreans. I'm told that the food isn't the greatest, but we go to be with people. We have to stay anyway because the English service begins at 2:00 and it is very close to 2:00! I get some rice, rice cakes, and spicy soup. I tell Beth we definitely need to eat again after church :) We eat with James and his friend, sister, and mom. I mainly just eat a lot of rice. There are a lot of people eating and helping serve. It is neat to see everyone from church hanging out together.

The English service takes place in another room of the building. It is full of plastic chairs and has a small stage. The regular pastor is on vacation in Africa, his home. So a husband and wife team are leading the service. The wife is from the Philippines. She sings and prays. There is a drum and piano, along with James singing as well. The words displayed on the projector are in English with Korean words often underneath. The husband comes up to preach. The scripture is read and then lessons are pulled from the scripture. It was a great message on a scripture that I've struggled with in the past. He gave the background information and gave us a way to apply the message. The service was very informal, with his kids running around on stage and around the room. There were more people at the service than normal, apparently. I'd say around 20 people. Sometimes Beth said there are only 3 people! After the service we went to a meeting with the pastor and people who do worship. The pastor discussed when the regular pastor will probably be back and if we had any ideas for the service. We finally made our way back home around 3:30. We had been at church for 3 and a half hours. Long time!

So first impressions...from my experience more Koreans were involved in the worship time than my church in the States. Almost everyone was clapping and singing. They are very welcoming, especially to foreigners it seems, as you can see we were invited to meetings and met with the pastor over tea. Other than that, not many differences that I noticed.

So there you have it! My first church experience in Korea!

My Korean Apartment!

Hi! Welcome to my Korean apartment! Let's go on a tour!

After you come in the door and pass the kitchen this would be your view of my room! 

Last night I bought the comforter and blanket. I was given the pillow, the full length mirror, and the two dressers you see in this picture! On the left are the doors to my clothes closet. 

On the left are the doors to my clothes closet. The full length micro was already in the room. The dresser has items such as socks and underwear, with some candles on top! 

My clothes closet! I was given a drying rack on the bottom in the left hand corner. This is nice because while we are given a washer, there is no dryer. In the middle is my travel suitcase. On the right I was also given a clothes hamper, so nice! On top my pants and shirts are hanging while my bulky sweaters are on the shelf

My clothes closet! I was given a drying rack on the bottom in the left hand corner. This is nice because while we are given a washer, there is no dryer. In the middle is my travel suitcase. On the right I was also given a clothes hamper, so nice! On top my pants and shirts are hanging while my bulky sweaters are on the shelf

Another view of the closet. You can see the kitchen on the left. 

My bed! With two dressers next to it. The dressers were given to me! As well as the chair you see on the left.

My bed! With two dressers next to it. The dressers were given to me! As well as the chair you see on the left.

The couch was already in the room in addition to the table with a fish tank on the left (should I get a fish?) I clipped some butterflies as decoration on the blinds. The door on the right is a small closet where I keep my luggage bags

The couch was already in the room in addition to the table with a fish tank on the left (should I get a fish?) I clipped some butterflies as decoration on the blinds. The door on the right is a small closet where I keep my luggage bags

Another dresser that was in the room along with a bookshelf which I placed on top to create more floor space. Books, games, office supplies, and memory items from home fill this space.

Another dresser that was in the room along with a bookshelf which I placed on top to create more floor space. Books, games, office supplies, and memory items from home fill this space.

 

The small door opens to this small space where I can just fit my luggage bags.

The small door opens to this small space where I can just fit my luggage bags.

 

Phone and heat controller. My room only gets to 19 degrees Celsius. Brrrr

Phone and heat controller. My room only gets to 19 degrees Celsius. Brrrr

View from the front hallway with my coat/dress/scarf closet door open.

View from the front hallway with my coat/dress/scarf closet door open. 

On the left you can see my closet where I'll keep my coats/dresses/scarves. On the right you can see my refrigerator and freezer.

The refrigerator. 

Refrigerator with some items I bought today: baking soda on the right (was already there), yoplait strawberry yogurt, grapes, orange juice, water, and kimbap (much like sushi)

Refrigerator with some items I bought today: baking soda on the right (was already there), yoplait strawberry yogurt, grapes, orange juice, water, and kimbap (much like sushi)

View of the kitchen and my front door.

View of the kitchen and my front door.

Kitchen. Includes a sink and stove. Beth gave me the microwave which I placed up above ^ The room already had plates, cups, silverware etc.  —

Kitchen. Includes a sink and stove. Beth gave me the microwave which I placed up above ^ The room already had plates, cups, silverware etc.

 — 

Here you can see that I have some plates, bowls, silverware, towels, dish soap, and microwave. Almost all of this was already here!

Here you can see that I have some plates, bowls, silverware, towels, dish soap, and microwave. Almost all of this was already here!

Front closet by the front door has quite a few umbrellas...at least 7! 

A front closet. Umbrellas on the bottom and other random things above. All of this was already here

A front closet. Umbrellas on the bottom and other random things above. All of this was already here

Another front closet, right by the front door. It's my shoe closet!

Another front closet, right by the front door. It's my shoe closet!

 

Shoes! 

View of the bathroom from the kitchen. 

Cabinet in the bathroom (not organized yet)

Shower. The water has great pressure and was warm this morning! I could also move up the shower head to my height!

Shower. The water has great pressure and was warm this morning! I could also move up the shower head to my height!

 

View from the toilet :) You can see the kitchen and oh look, toilet paper!

View from the toilet :) You can see the kitchen and oh look, toilet paper!

 

The blinds. I added some butterflies for decoration :) 

Well that's my room! I'm relaxing on my bed now until Beth gets off work!

Well that's my room! I'm relaxing on my bed now until Beth gets off work!