Udell's 18 day stay in the far East...

Well I’m sad to say that we said goodbye to our last set of visitors today. After a 19 day vacation in Korea and Japan, my sister and brother in law left from Seoul today at 11:00 am to head back to Minnesota. It has been such a great experience sharing our Korean lifestyle with people we love. I think Erin and Brian really got a snapshot of what our life has been like over the past 9 months. They were able to experience the good and bad that comes with living in Korea.



When Erin and Brian arrived in Yeosu we headed straight for the Chunnam Dragons soccer game in a nearby city called Gwangyang. After their stomachs were filled with their first Korean meal (Kimbap Nara) we met up with some foreigner friends of ours who organized a May birthday party noraebong bus! Yes a Karaoke bus was their first real Korean adventure. It was really fun and a great way to throw them into the culture, and meet our friends as well. Even though they had basically rolled off the plane after 24+ hours of traveling and were placed on a singing bus with people they didn’t know they did great, and only fell asleep at 10 pm on the bus, haha. The next day we went for a hike up Gorak Mountain because the weather was fantastic. On the way down we stopped at a highly popular workout area where many kids were playing. Once Brian took off his hat, the kids were pointing, pulling their friends over and staring at him. He also got dong-chimmed (a poke in the butt) by a kid, haha. Some girl also said “ 축축한 “ to Erin which Dave translated to mean “wet girl,” haha. All of these little situations were definitely some of the more memorable moments. Luckily we worked up an appetite for dinner at Hyegyong’s and Jeff’s house. We hung out with the girls until Erin and Brian started to look like zombies haha, then we decided to head home.



For lunch on Monday we took them to Marina buffet which serves Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisines. I know they both loved the food, but unfortunately we weren’t able to go back for a second visit. After lunch we brought them to our school. What perfect timing too because it rained hard all day. The kids were of course curious and excited to see more foreigners at the hogwon, and Erin and Brian had a great time too. The best part was when Brian showed the kids his bald head and his goggly eyes, haha. The kids went crazy, some were even too scared to talk to him! After school we went out for a couple of drinks and called it an early night. The next day we went out for lunch at a small but delicious Korean restaurant in downtown Yeosu. It was a spicy pork/vegetable meal and I could tell that they both really liked it. We dropped them off downtown at the open market before heading off to school where they shopped and took great pictures. On Wednesday I took Erin and Brian on a hike up MuSan Mountain, the mountain Dave and I frequently hike in the mornings. Being much smaller than Gorak mountain, we didn’t think much of it at the time, but I forgot that later that afternoon they would be going with Hyegyong and Sara to Odongdo to walk around. Needless to say I think Erin and Brian were definitely tired after all that hiking!





Thrusday we were able to go to Heunguksa which is a temple near our house, the weather was wonderfully warm and sunny, and Erin and Brian really enjoyed the scenery at the temple. We had a fish lunch prepared by our boss’s wife which even Dave loved! (he doesn’t care for fish much). And since it was finally Thursday, Dave and I knew we could handle going out that night.



After class we met up with them for dinner at a Korean style BBQ. Even though Erin and Brian are vegetarians, they have a rule that when on vacation they can eat meat! Lucky for them because the meal was really good. We had a couple of drinks at a few places and then were off to Noraebong! This was so much fun, something that I really wish was offered in the states. We sang our hearts out and thankfully went to the “Mandu” (Erin’s pronunciation) or Mondu street vendor that Dave and I frequent. Erin was reluctant at first to sit down in the tent, but I think that was more or less the soju working its’ course on her, haha. We did almost the same routine on Friday night, but this time heading to Ellui for the fire show and to meet up with some friends. Now that Erin and Brian were seasoned Noraebong singers they were able to really let loose! ( I have a great video of them attempting to sing/dance/ move/entertain to MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This” that I’m sure I’ll be posting, haha).


Saturday was a sightseeing day in which we went to Nagan (traditional folk village). It was really cold, and therefore not as fun to walk around outside, but we saw a sign for a temple so we decided to go. It turned out to be one of the best decisions! The temple was on the middle of this mountain range and absolutely beautiful and serene. We were all astounded at the beautiful flowers and the gorgeous architecture both inside and outside. In Minnesota at least it seems like the flowers are mostly oranges, yellows and reds. Here the flowers are fluorescent purples/pinks/reds. The flowers are like lanterns glowing in the sunlight, absolutely beautiful.







Sunday we went to yet another temple (3rd temple of the trip). We met up with Jeff, Hyegyong, Sara, and Hana at Hyangiram. Erin, Brian, Dave, and myself decided to hike up the mountain before we knew how long it would take. Unfortunately it took so long that Jeff and the girls went back home, but at least we made it to the top! It was actually a little scary of a hike, but worth the view.



The next couple of days Erin and Brian went to Fukouka, Japan to get another taste of Asian culture. They were able to meet up with one of Brian’s old drum core friends, Hiro. He took them to several different places, and it looked like they had a great time. Even though there was a little miscommunication between them and a cabby in order to find the bus terminal in Busan, they made it home to Yeosu safe and sound.

We took it pretty easy the next couple of days because we were going to Seoul for a long weekend. May 2 was Budha’s birthday and there was a lantern festival going on in Seoul so we left Saturday by train to check it out. Well, after an hour trying to even find a hotel (holiday weekend) we missed the festival by a whole week, haha. Yes, the festival took place the week before unknown to any of us. We searched all night for it, but ended up strolling the streets of Seoul, checking out the sights. The next day we did some souvenir shopping in Itaewon which was fun and cheap. Erin and Brian got a couple of cool things for their house, and Dave and I got quizno’s, haha (we also got some things too, but nothing compares to a well made, western style sandwich). We also did a little shopping in Dongdaemon (the district where we were staying) and I finally got a cute Korean fashion dress which I’m super excited to wear for the summer. After shopping we went to a temple where they were supposed to have a lantern festival. We got there at about 6:30 pm and it was still light outside. There were 1,000 lanterns set up, it would have been so beautiful it they were lit up. It was cool to be in such a historic place right in the middle of a huge modern city. We checked out the beautiful handmade lanterns which depicted a story about Budha and by the time we walked out of that building the sun had set and the lanterns were turned on! So we didn’t get to see the actual festival, but the 1,000 lit lanterns were extremely impressive. That night we headed for Mexican food, drinks/darts, then noraebong before calling it an early night (2 am).











The next morning we had to wake up and leave our hotel by 7:20 because we had already booked a tour to go to the DMZ the day before. This was a little rough at first seeing as we didn’t get much sleep, but the tour was pretty cool. We went to a river valley which was gorgeous and very scenic. There was a little sandy area where we were able to lay on for about an hour before heading to the DMZ (Demilitarized zone). We went in a tunnel that North Korea had built but refused to admit it. Later on North Korea explained that they did build the tunnel but for coal mining purposes (they spread some black stuff on the walls to make it look like a mine). We were also able to go to an observation place where we could see the actual border between the North and South. We were about 300 meters from the border. This place is really surreal to see, environmentally it is so pure and untouched, but of course politically this place is extremely tainted. Military men stood by, armed with huge guns the whole time. We were only allowed a certain amount of time to stay at the couple of sites we went to, usually people were rushing us out. Overall it was a good trip, but the bus ride home was pretty awful. We had to share a conversion van with five other Japanese people and boy do they like to talk. Plus traffic was awful and it took double the amount of time to get home as it did getting to the DMZ. Later on that night we finished off the trip with Erin and Brian’s last Korean meal (Korean style BBQ duck). It was tasty and we all ate a lot, but not enough that we couldn’t noraebong one last time. I don’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing in the end, but the lady at the noraebong kept adding more free time to our room. So much time was added that we didn’t even realize it was 3 am when we finally finished. Unfortunately we had to wake up at 7 am to get things packed and ready to leave.
Overall this was a really awesome trip.





Dave and I both appreciated Erin and Brian coming over, it’s so nice being able to not only see people from home, but share this experience with them. It was a sad goodbye (I have been trying to hold back tears for the past 2 days, haha with some success) but this was the last big plan of our stay here in Korea. We are now officially in the home stretch of our trip. ¼ left, 3 months, 90 days, however you count it, our time is winding down. While Dave and I both feel like we really want to get home, it will be hard leaving this life, our friends, and this adventure. I think we are finally feeling the bitter sweetness of this experience. It was great being able to talk about traveling and living in a different country with Erin and Brian since they have done that before too. It is also great having people from home visit because it gives us more perspective on how far we’ve come since last year. Seeing Erin and Brian’s reactions/perspectives on things that we consider normal now has also been a great way to renew our own perspective of this experience. Living here for such an extended period of time wears on you, and you grow numb to things your once thought unusual. Erin and Brian brought a new light and energy into our lives and we will surely be feeding off this for the remainder of our trip.

As usual, we took a lot of pictures while Erin and Brian were here, so click links to the four part album below...
Part One - Noraebus/Soccer Game, Musan Mt, Heunguksa Temple
Part Two - Norae Time, Nagan, Sunamsa Temple
Part Three - More Sunamsa, Hyangiram, Seoul Lantern Fest Temple
Part Four - River Valley, DMZ

Hanrahans in Yeosu!

After several months of anticipation to have my parents come visit I’m sad to say it has already come to an end. We sent Mom, Dad, and Tim home on an 8:45 am flight this morning and while the goodbye was short and sweet, the aftermath is really making me homesick.


It was a really busy but fun week with the family. After finally getting my hair highlighted up in Seoul Dave and I met my parents and brother at the airport. They were of course the last people to walk through the gate, but they made it nonetheless. We took the bus to the hotel, dropped off our stuff and then quickly went to eat subway (I don’t think my family knew exactly why their first meal of the week was subway, but by the end of the trip they figured it out, haha). My dad spotted a jazz club and we attempted to go there, and to much of Dave and my surprise, it was a legitimate live jazz club. We stayed for a couple of rounds and then headed back to the hotel. While I was in the cab I noticed I had lost my wallet. After crying a little, the cabby dropped us off where we needed to be and luckily didn’t kick us out on account of having no money. I lost the train tickets along with my wallet, so the next morning we had to purchase more train tickets. But we made it to Yeosu in the afternoon, everyone together with only a wallet lost in the shuffle. When we got into town we took the family to Kimbap Nara and they ate their first “Korean” meal. I could tell my brother has been practicing with the chopsticks, but NOT mom and dad, haha. We took them on a scenic drive of Yeosu, stopped at e-mart for some grocery shopping and got McDonald’s for dinner. Everyone was exhausted, including Dave and I so we made it a short night.


The next day while Dave and I worked, Hyegeong, Sara, and Won kindly took my family to Nagan, a traditional folk village. They stopped at a flower festival as well where my brother got hit on by a drag queen, haha. That night we relaxed, had some cake (it was my birthday) and had a couple of drinks. The next day we took advantage of the beautiful weather we have been having and went to Odongdo, Dolsan Park, Jinnamgwan, and the open market, all before we had to work. The weather all week long was amazing! No rain, and mid 60’s the entire time we were in Yeosu. My family was pretty impressed with the open market, it’s not every day you get to see fresh fish chilling in the alley, and a pig’s head dangling from the ceiling. Good thing we ate beforehand. After school, Dave and I took them out for a Korean style barbecue. I think they all liked the food very much, but the spices got to my dad the next morning. After dinner we drove through the industrial complex where I think everyone fell asleep in the car at one point in time (besides Dave). We came home and chilled the rest of the night.


On Wednesday we had a Korean style picnic lunch out at Shindock beach. We turned this into a candid photo shoot taking silly and fun pictures on the beach. It was a lot of fun, and got some great pics. My mom also successfully attempted a cartwheel on the beach (she does this every once in a while to make sure she can still complete it, haha). While we were driving back there were a couple of times we had to get out of the car while Dave drove over the speed bumps in order to not bottom out our car, but besides that the little Elantra survived the Hanrahan’s, haha. This was the day the fam came to school. Our boss and his wife gave them a warm greeting and they had tea and potatoes ready for them to eat. While Dave and I were preparing for class, my mom and dad talked with our boss and my Maric (our boss’s 2nd oldest son) took my brother to look at a comic book store. It was great having the family in school, all of the kids were amazed and excited to see them. Some of them were even nervous and scared. I made up some questionnaires that the kids used to interview my family, it turned out to be pretty fun. I think my mom, dad, and brother were really excited and happy they could get a chance to see the school and the kids. My boss also took my family aside and basically said “teach my son how to play jazz.” Well his son only plays violin, and my dad doesn’t play violin. My dad taught him a jazz scale and they listened to Max (boss’s oldest son) play violin. Exactly what my parents wanted to do, haha jk. They missed one of my classes that I actually had a special lesson prepared for my family because my boss wanted them to hear his son play the violin. I think this little lack of communication situation gave my family just a little taste of how this school and Kologic (Korean logic) can get very daunting and annoying. After having dinner at the Hagwon, my family took a cab home and waited for Dave and I to finish the rest of our teaching.



Thursday I didn’t have to work! Unfortunately Dave did, but I think it was nice for him to just get out of the house alone for a couple of hours, haha. I took this opportunity to hike the mountain with everyone. It’s the mountain Dave and I hike frequently, and even though it was foggy and rainy early in the day, it cleared up while we were hiking. The flowers have just started to bloom so it made for some beautiful scenery. After the hike my mom and I went to Lotte mart and then the open market closer to our house to pick up a few more things. That night we all had dinner at Hye-gyong’s sister’s apartment. Hye-gyong, Jeff, Sara, Hana, Jahn-oak (Hye-gyong’s sister), Won (Hye-gyong’s brother), Hye-oak (Won’s wife), Jay-yeong (Hyegyong’s neice), Hyun-sa (Hyge-gyong’s niece), and my family. It was incredibly nice of Hyegeong’s family to do since technically I am not a part of their family. They are such a generous and supportive family, thank you! We had a traditional pork dinner sitting on the floor, which I must admit my family did pretty well at. It was delicious and much appreciated; what a cool experience for my family. We visited awhile with them and then set off for home. We played scattegories at home while having a couple of drinks (luckily my dad brought some good whiskey from home). Then we hit the town and went to a soju room where my parents had their first and last taste of soju, haha. After that we were ready for the noribong! This was probably the most fun night of all, everyone was singing and having a great time. We didn’t get home till 3:30 am!



Friday both Dave and I had off of work! We were a little sick from the night before, but nothing that a little McDonald’s can’t soak up. We took everyone to Hyangiram (a temple on the south side of Dolsan island). It was very beautiful outside, and at the top of the mountain we took some great pictures. We also went to view the turtle ships and drove through the famous Marae tunnel that Koreans built by hand while enslaved by Japan. That night we went out to dinner with Jen and took the parents to Ellui, the bar where most foreigners hang out. There they got to see the fire show and meet a couple of our friends. I took my brother home early and we got some Mondu from the nicest foodstand lady in town. My parents stayed out for a bit longer with Dave and they also got Mondu (or according to Sue – Mongu) later that night.
The last day we got kimbap nara one more time and headed to Gwangyoung for a soccer game. It was really fun because it gave them a chance to just sit and watch Koreans, haha. They were able to experience the storm of “Hi, how are you?” and the other fun things that go along with this culture. We headed home and after a whole week of no rain, it started to rain. Mom and Dad walked and got a pizza (all on their own) for us and we just visited and watched a movie. The next morning we headed our early to say goodbye and put them on a plane home.


I don’t think I have been as homesick as I have been these past several hours after saying goodbye. It meant so much for me to have my family travel all the way out here to see me. Dave and I both had a great time visiting, and had a lot of fun sharing our Korean life with people from back home. It was the best birthday gift I could ever ask for. I am so lucky to have such a great family! Thank you so much Mom, Dad, and Tim, we love you!

p.s. Only three more weeks until the next set of visitors come! And only 4 more months left of Korea! Time is really going by too fast.

Here are the pictures part one!

Part Two!

December Above Freezing? MC Mong!

Suncheon Bay...


Being (almost) born and raised in Minnesota, I know December to be a bone chilling month that is only justified by the fun events of Christmas and New Years Eve to make it worth while. I have found out that other places in the world are not like this. It is currently December in Yeosu, and it is still significantly higher then freezing. It feels like those days in March or April, when it's still technically cold, around 50F back in Minnesota, but it has been so damn cold all winter that you are walking around in shorts and a tshirt, but in December! I cannot believe it... I won't rub it in, I mean it's not that much better, and my house is just as cold, but I am able to be outside and not curse under my breath the entire time, which is nice.

We have some pictures to put up from the last few weekends (this is a link to them). These are from three different events. The first one is from the Thanksgiving party at Jeff's house. Unfortunately there are only a few stray photos from that night. The next weekend (11/29-30) Megan and I took a trip to the next town over, Suncheon (순천). We visited the "famous" tourist sight, which is Suncheon Bay (click for more info). It was about a 30 minute drive, and the first time I'd driven out of Yeosu. It was easy to find as most signs were in English, plus I figured out how to read it in Korean just in case. Saturday was quite cold and windy, so we didn't stay for long, but we got some cool pictures. We then went shopping at some of the big stores, Home Plus and E-Mart. We bought some clothes for the first time. Once in a while you can actually find a size that'll fit a Westerner, but not every time. That night we stayed in and I just did some work at home.

Sunday was the big foreigners Thanksgiving party. It is getting pretty neat now, since we have met many of the foreigners, so we can have a chat in English with some people, and catch up. The food was AMAZING. Shannon (from California / New Jersey) went to the closest big city (Gwanju) and picked it up. It tasted delicous. There was a lot of cool people there and a lot of good food.



Last night (Wednesday night) Jeff, AJ (Upscale) and I went to a concert at a local night club. This was a kind of strange Korean style club called a "booking" club. You can read more about "Booking" if you'd like, but the just of it is, guys just point to a girl they want to talk to, then the waiter drags them over. We didn't partake, because we just wanted to see the famous Korean rapper MC Mong (MC 몽). We had to wait until 12:30AM for the show to start, and it lasted about 25 minutes, but it was pretty cool. We were the only foreigners in the club, so we stood out. MC Mong also noticed this, so he said "where are you from?" To which Jeff replied "We are Americans (미국 사람 입니다). He then gave us props, and gave Jeff a fist pound, which was cool. All of the Koreans around tried to grab onto him when he did it. It is so strange being in the minority..! A famous celebrity still notices you.

The next weekend will be pretty good, and it is now only 3 weeks on the dot until we leave Yeosu to head to Ho Chi Minh City!! Pretty unbelievable. I will leave you with the MC Mong Song that was stuck in my head all day, I'm crazy (for you!)

Approaching Three Months

We have now been here for well into two months. The time has had it's ups and down, but I try to be an even keeled person when it comes to personal things, although some might have me pegged as a bit impatient, or spastic (a spaz) but we are still here. It is harder then I would like to keep in touch with people, and that has made my life slightly more lonely here as of late, but there is always something to help you get your mind right. This weekend it was a fun day with Hana and Sara, last weekend it was going to Seoul and getting some re-exposure to Western culture, next weekend who knows what it will be. There are times when I feel like I could spend many years abroad, and there are times, sometimes during the same day, where I feel like I cannot wait to get home. The weather is beautiful, the scenery is beautiful, but we will see. Who knows what will happen in the rest of our year here. For now, we will sit back and enjoy it.


As far as details of what we have been up to since the "Night of the Living Slugs", I will try to keep it brief. Last weekend we took our first trip out of Yeosu, going up to Itaewon, the foreigner district of Seoul. Anthony "Upscale" joined us. It was a lot of fun. We got Mexican food, Subway, Middle-Eastern Food, delicious late night eats, met some new people from all over the place, and basically felt like we were back in America for the weekend. At the same time, it got played out fast, people trying to get you to buy things, prostitution, etc... That stuff can get old. It was a great place to visit, but it made Megan, AJ and I appreciate the exposure to Korean culture we are getting in Yeosu. It gives you a slight feeling of pride to know that you've made it in a place where there are less then .01% people like you in the population, and not many things that bring the comfort of home. At the same time, it made Yeosu feel like a home away from home - the feeling you get after arriving back to your apartment or house after a long weekend away. There was also some cool perspective for me because I visited some shops, and remembered some alleyways from when Mom and I visited Jeff back in 2003. I cannot believe that trip was five years ago!!

I think Megan and I are beginning to be settled in at school. I am not going to claim that teaching the students is by any means easy, but we know what to expect. I now know what a good day teaching entails, what a bad day teaching entails, and at least have some ideas of how to make a class go smoothly. In the grand scheme, I know that I can handle what I deal with on a daily basis for the rest of my time here, but that doesn't always mean it's easy. I think anyone here can get a new found respect for teaching, and realize how exhausting it really is. I come home exhausted everyday, but I also have a feeling of satisfaction for conquering the students that day. I know it's a strange way to put it, but sometimes the kids can manipulate you, and really hurt your feelings if they want to. At the same time, a fun lesson coupled with interested students can make the day fly by... Sometimes that just isn't possible with 7 different leveled classes rotating day by day, but when a class is fun, it is awesome!



This weekend we kept it low key. We both were in no mood for an exhausted Monday, so we stayed in on Saturday night. Megan caught a cold, so she has been battling that, and I was just plain tired. We hit up the open market to get some Curry, fruits, veggies, and the whole sale store to pick up chicken and some frozen snacks. We snapped some photos of an experience that is becoming strangely typical... We hung out with Jeff, HG, and the Girls all day at Dolsan park, which was a lot of fun. The weather was about 72 and sunny all day. We have a lot of photos, and will get them up soon. We hit up Lotte mart on Sunday morning and made a much needed upgrade to our food supply. We are finally getting a feel for what we actually eat and what is just a waste of money... Sunday afternoon was a "Canadian Thanksgiving" party, thrown by the many Canadians in town. We came expecting kind of a show up and say hi affair, but we ended up staying for about 3 hours. We played Frisbee, catch, and just had a great time with another beautiful day of weather. The local Yeosu-ites were in awe to see such a large group of foreigners out. Many people stopped by to say hello, try throwing the Frisbee, and to check out what kind of food "wayguks" eat.

We will see what this week brings, but a few things an English teacher can begin to depend upon: The sun will rise in the morning, the people in the town will stare, the kids will shout hello, the Yeosu traffic will still be counter intuitive and our students will show up for English class. Looking back at my post, I hope I didn't come off negative, positive, I am just writing off the top of my head. Some days it seems difficult, and life here can be hard. Most days are good, but it is hard not to miss your good friends and family... However - There are still those moments in which you are walking down the street, looking out the window, teaching a class, shopping at the mart, where you just take a step back, give yourself that deeper perspective and think to yourself... "Wow, I am in South Korea... That's pretty incredible!"

Here are some photos...

The trip to Seoul... 12 photos.

Open Market, Beautiful Yeosu, Dolsan and the Cart Man... 40 photos.