The city life in JejuSi

The city takes about 15 minutes to walk to or a short 3 minute cab ride. However, within only about 10 minutes down from our street is a bunch of useful stores...electronic stores, grocery stores, an outdoor market, and the underground mall!! Most weekends we'll go out to our JejuSi downtown area and meet up with a bunch of our friends we know from EPIK, and Korean friends we've been meeting. We have a few bars ....The Bar, The Factory, and Island Stone... that we like to go to, and they have mostly all foreigners, or as they call us in Korea, "Way guks", our favorite American drinks (white russians, coronas, jack and coke), and lots of mixed music. Right now I'm loving Island Stone because it has great music and they always have a bartender show each night we've been there! Check it out from the video! There's lots of restaurants all over and little stands to get food at pretty much any time of night, and most bars stay opened until the last person leaves. And there's this cute little photo shop place where you can go after drinking and dress up in these ridiculous outfits and take pics....check out the one that Keith and I did!! I'll have to start going there each week! :)

There are many places to shop in the downtown area. Department stores are very popular, along with the traditional Korean outdoor markets, where you can find pretty much everything that you could find at a Walmart or Target. It is especially good to get fresh fruit and veggies at these markets. You can bargain pretty much everywhere...just say..."kaka chuseo", which means "discount"...my co-teacher taught it to me! And to ask how much something costs...just say, "Uhl ma ip ni kka?"
There are also many little stores and the big underground mall where there are little open shops set up. These are mainly filled with clothes for all ages and tons of shoes and purses! You have to be quick with making decisions and usually you can't try on the clothes, or at least foreigners cannot because they are afraid of you stretching their clothes! It is fun to go shopping at this mall but also frustrating at times because things fit very differently since the bodyshapes of Koreans are more of a boyish figure ...long and lean with no hips or shape, and they are all tinier. Also, you can't be indecisive or the Koreans working at the store will get annoyed.
There are also bath or face stores where you can find things for you skin and for the shower, and makeup. Since we live on the island, though, the underground mall can be quiet expensive if you are not looking under the sale items. For this reason, it is popular for Koreans to order clothes or other specific items on the internet from the mainland...I guess shipping is supposed to be very cheap. There are also huge Lotte marts and E-marts, which are the indoor 2 or 3 floor grocery stores.

I have also learned that crosswalks take a very long time to use when walking around the city, although you do not have to push the buttom because they all work automatically. It takes long though because each lane goes one at a time. I still have not figured out all the rules to driving but I know that pedestrians do not seem to have the right of way and drivers can be crazy here, especially when riding the buses! Cabs and buses are very inexpensive...buses costing only 1,000 won to ride ($1), and 2,000 won for transfers. Cabs are usually only a few thousand won (a few dollars) if you are sharing the cab with others. Also, walking to the underground mall and shopping areas downtown only takes about 14-15 minutes. Some of my EPIK friends here are beginning to buy cars (for only about $1,500 US!) and motorcycles which are also easy to use and you can drive on sidewalks! So transportation does not seem to be a problem.

We have also found there to be sooo many restaurants and places to eat. We try to buy a few groceries for breakfast (lunch is provided at school and is taken out of our paycheck at the end of each month), and little snacks for after school or for dinner. It is sometimes even cheaper to eat out though, especially if we grab a roll of Kimbop...the Korean-style sushi rolls, or Mandu...dumplings filled with lots of vegetables and pork. There are lots of healthy options when eating out so we try to have a balance between eating at home and out. Plus, it's fun to try new food and meet more Koreans when out at restaurants and sometimes we get to sit on the floor with the lower table and take our shoes off!

School Field Trip

This maroon colored plant is called a galdae reed...it is very popular on Jeju Island. I think it's so pretty! The picture of the branch is covered with mushrooms.




This is my amazing co-teacher, Sun Yeong Kang. She has been so helpful with everything and we work great as a team in my 1st grade classes (in middle level/ 6th grade).


One Saturday, I went with 15 teachers at my school and 25 students to a small mountain. It was for the wellfare program that my school heads and supports the students with low-income families to special trips each year. The new national park/mountain that we went to just opened and it had a tour guide that took us around and showed the newly planted flowers, trees and other wildlife that is supposed to be a small model of Mt. Halla and will one day become a larger national park similar to it. Although the tour guide told us the names and all about the different wildlife, I did not understand any of the Korean so I listened to my wonderful co-teacher, Mrs. Kang, who explained some of it to me, and I talked with most of the students in English while we walked the path. It had a lot of fun getting to know the students (especially since some I do not have in classes so now they say hi to me at school), and was able to spend extra time with my co-teacher and meet her kids, who had lunch with all of us afterwards at a nice buffet (with sushi!!), close to our school. Above are pictures from the walk, and with the students, who lovvved to speak English with me and share their music on their i-pods with me! They love the Korean dance music: Big Bang, Brown Eyed Girl, Abracadabra, and they also love Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga and Kelly Clarkson! I also have a video of some of the Korean girl students! It's so cute!

Culture and Arts Center

Keith and I were walking around the city the other weekend when we came across the culture and arts center. It was free to look around at all the different sculptures and paintings, and the painter was actually there in the studio presenting his work, so we checked it out!! They also make you tea as you look around at the unique paintings. The place also puts on free performances most nights, so we'll have to go back soon.

Jeju Cultural Festival

The $3 (or 3,000 won) purse that I bought! These are the famous stone island people you see all over Jeju. This is a picture of a Korean singing/ doing karaoke, or as they call "Notaybong" at the festival. And here is the hilarous video of the Korean performance/ play that we watched while sipping on makali!







Two weeks ago Keith and I went to the cultural festival, which was walking distance form our apartment, right near the ports. It was definitely a dip into the culture....we were able to see the little stands of food, hats, purses and other things they were selling. I actually bought a really cute hat and purse for 3,000 won each!!! That's less than $3 in US dollars!! Take a look at the pic of them too...what a good buy! (After telling my co-teachers at school though, this is very rare and it is hard to find a good bargain like that! Go Tina!) We drank makali...the Korean rice wine, and thought it would come in a little bottle, but we ended up having this huge bottle of it for both of us, and it's pretty strong stuff! oops It is very common for Koreans to drink, especially older Korean men. You will usually see them at night on the weekdays or anytime on the weekends just stumbling over when walking around the streets. They do not seem out of control though, but just that they have been enjoying a lot of makali or soju:)

There were some carnival games for kids and games that you could throw a ball and if you hit the blocks or bottles, you would win a prize. One Korean man bought me a throw and it won me a massage wooden stick! wahoo. Then, it was random, but there was some type of gambling on the floor that the older men were playing with sticks. Keith got in one game of course (lol) and he won 1,000 then lost it. I think the men were impressed he won and I think the Korean dealer wasn't sure if he should tell him he won or not! :)

There was also Koreans singing (kind of like karaoke) on this big stage with so many people watching. Koreans love karaoke...they call it Notaybong, or the singing room...and it is very popular for Koreans to go out to bars that have Notaybong. I have yet to go, but many EPIK teachers have already and say it's so much fun and that half the songs are American songs. Pop music, or boy band music, is the most popular and most often played music in Korea. And so far, I have learned that my students love Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and Kelly Clarkson. For Korean music, my middle school students love Big Bang, Green Eyes Girls, and Abracadabra.

We also went by this other stage and a play was just starting. We watched most of it and since we were drinking all that Makali, the play was hilarious to us, and still is when I replay it now! Check it out!!! lol Great night!

Jeju United soccer game

Keith, our friend Kristin and Liz and I all went to the Jeju United soccer game at the stadium in Seogwipo (southern part of the island) a few weeks ago. It was so much fun although they lost 1-9!!! We all sported our free tickets to the show...with our orange Jeju United team jerseys. We met up with some other EPIK teachers there who live in the area, enjoyed a huge corndog with sweet potato stuck on the side of it, a delicious waffle, and a sweet potato latte drink:) It was a fun little trip and we knew it was definitely worth our time as soon as we bumped into Jeju's mascot...the mandarine!!! Good times.

Mount Sarabong

Mount Sarabong is an amazing (they call little but I think it's very big) mountain pretty much across from our apartment. Keith and I go there for hiking up the steep hills, and running on the paths (and now running the hills for our marathon training), to use the outdoor fitness equipment, and for seeing the amazing sights at the top. The mountain has a great view on the top of the city, other mountains including Mt. Halla, and of the ocean/ports. On the days we do our workouts at Mt. Halla, we go after school around 5:30, which is a perfect time because it is still sunny, but then the sun is going down and we see the sun setting and the lights across the city by the time we are almost done with our workout. There are also underground swimming pool lanes, temples, places to go sit by the ocean/rocks and watch the ports, and badmitton courts. I love this mountain and have a video above of me at the top of one of the bigger hills.

As you see above, health is very important to Koreans. It is common to see families and couples walking/hiking or running on the mountains in the morning and in the evenings. They are very good hikers, especially with the steepist of hills! They also seem to love stretches, martial arts, such as yoga and tae kwan do, and a small amount of weight machines, pushups and situps. One big challenge and accomplishment for Koreans living in Jeju is climbing the largest mountain in South Korea....Mount Halla. Koreans will tend to tell you how many times they have climbed to the top if you are talking about the mountain and its various trails. Keith and I were lucky to already have climbed it on the 2nd weekend in Jeju, and although we didn't take the most difficult path, we took the 2nd most difficult and one of the longest trails (one of two that takes you all the way to the top). We feel like it was a big accomplishment and we hope to hike Mt. Halla in all seasons to see the snow at the top in the winter and the beautiful spring flowers.

Koreans also feel that most of the food they eat has nutritional value and is very good for your health. I have been explained by my co-teacher the many health benefits of green tea, seaweed, drinking vinegar, sweet potato, and many more. Also, I have learned that it is better for you health to drink a little bit after your meal...instead of during or right afterwards. At lunch at my school, because there is always a soup served, Koreans will not have a drink with their meal. Instead, they will have barley water available after they eat their lunch. However, my co-teacher mentioned it is better for digestion to wait even longer so that you will not have a stomach cramp. I find this very interesting and I learn something new from her each day! Thanks Mrs. Kang! Rice is also served at almost every meals, along with kimchi (a spicy cabbage). Rice is very important to Koreans and serves many types of dishes, including rice cakes, curry rice, rice crackers, rice in soup, etc. Cheese and milk are not as popular in Korea though. I find it very expensive to drink milk and we usually only have cheese if we have our Pizza Maru sometimes as a treat (which makes us find like we're in Chicago again!). I am excited, though, because although I love Korean food, Keith and I found a great little sandwich shop that has delicious and inexpensive choices.

Koreans also love to play games and sports, and can be very competitive (especially the students when playing games in my classes)! Badmitton, soccer, baseball, and a game called "kick volleyball" (which is volleyball and soccer combined) are very popular sports in South Korea. Instead of tennis courts, they have badmitton courts on Sarabong. It is popular among my Korean girl students. My boys tend to love soccer, baseball and kick volleyball...which I always see kids and sometimes adults playing by the badmitton courts near the ports (theres a small park on pavement with basketball hoops there and an open area to rollerskate).

Jjimilbongs, or bath houses/saunas, are also very popular because they are supposed to be relaxing and very good for your health. Keith and I have not yet experienced one, but we hope to with friends possibly next weekend. Here is what I have been told they are like....you go in and go into separate rooms (males and females) where you undress, shower, and while you are not wearing any clothes you go into different temperature baths (very hot or colder). Then, you can get a sensual massage, and then you are given a set over loose-fitting clothing to wear. The next room you go in is open and has both males and females. You can eat, watch TV, play cards, listen to music and just relax as you go into different temperature baths. It only costs about $5,000 won (or $5 US), and you can stay at one of these houses for as long as you'd like...even overnight, which some people do and use as a hotel. If you ask me, this sounds great and I can't wait to try it for myself and then tell you details on the experience!! I will have to be confident though, because I hear I will get a lot of stares for looking very different than Koreans when I am in the all-females area with no clothes! I will find out!