Blogs from Daegu, South Korea, Asia
April 25th 2012
So I am really lame at this blog but have decided to sort it out because I have some spare time this week. So in brief recently I’ve been getting out and about in Daegu, climbing Palgong Mountain (the hardest route but awe inspiring and well worth it when we got to the top), going to beer festivals in the rain in Seoul and generally continuing to adapt to life living as an alien in Korea. As I’ve been in Korea for over two months and have been at my school for two months I thought I’d have a think about the aspects of living in Korea that are different to back in Manchester. I’ll try to update over the next few days. Being a bit famous Okay so only a bit famous and not quite ... read more
Don't Flush It Down!--Lessons from A Year in Daegu
Published: April 11th 2012Asia » South Korea » Daegu
April 11th 2012
New intakes came recently, and I forgot how many things surprised me about this place . . . and how many things I’ve learned. First, the practical: -things I didn’t even know I could do a year ago are now habitual—bowing to say hello orusing chopsticks, for example. Also if a Korean has some food to eat and there are others in the room, they will almost always break it up and share it. So I’ve become a lot more likely to share whatever I have, even with Western friends. -toilet paper issues—toilet paper is usually outside the stalls, so you have to remember to pick it up before going in. Then, you also have to guestimate how much you’ll need. Last, you should usually throw it in the garbage—older Korean pipes can’t hand... read more
March 23rd 2012
Hi all Okay so I’ve finally decided to get a blog so family and friends can keep up to date with what I’m up to on the other side of the world. I’ve been in Korea a month now so sorry about this but my first blog post is going to be REALLY long as there is a lot to say. I will keep it shorter going forward I promise! Sorry if I have already told you about some of this as well just skip to the new bits. Seoul Extremely tired and grubby we arrived in to Seoul on the 14th February. We had decided to fly out to South Korea early so that we could get over jetlag and adjust to the culture a bit. We decided the best route from the airport to ... read more
March 11th 2012
In February, I finished my first year contract here, and I began a new one. This post won’t be so much about living in Korea, as about living in a country as a foreigner. This year has flown by, mostly because I had such fun experiences with new friends. I met all my Daegu best friends when I first arrived in Korea a year ago. Some of them, I met in the airport in Seoul my second day in this country. I of course was really apprehensive about moving to a new country, but I lucked out big time by meeting these women. I became closer to them than I ever expected. Having foreign (American, English, Australian) friends was really helpful for me. We went through the same experiences— moving to a different continent without ... read more
March 3rd 2012
Today was fun! The last couple of days, I've actually been a bit of a recluse. Hiding in corners, eating what's left in my fridge instead of walking across the street to get something... you know, anti-social. But my friends from EPIK brought me out to Daegu for a little reunion. The day started out a bit crazy. I had to catch a train to get to Daegu, but I had no clue where the train station was. Colleen (former teacher who lived in my apartment before me) had kindly left me a note saying that to get to the train station from downtown, I should cross the bridge and keep walking straight past the market to get to the train station. However, I wasn't sure which bridge she meant, and I wasn't sure what she ... read more
November 17th 2011
I’ve now been here almost 9 months. My life has turned into a routine. It used to be each day learning or seeing something new. It’s turned into a kind of culture shock phase in which too many small things annoy me that really shouldn’t. Now I’ve lived here long enough to see patterns emerge and have the opportunity to be bothered by bad ones or just accept them. An example: I am on the subway standing at the door and waiting to get off—the only person. There is a person waiting in the station to get on—only one. The subway doors open for around 14 seconds every time they stop. The girl waiting rushes onto the subway without waiting for me to get off. What is the rush??? There’s no one else getting on! You ... read more
October 18th 2011
To Whom It May Concern, I, your average Kpop obsessed 외국인, recently attended the Asia Song Festival and I wanted to commend you AND condemn you on a wonderful yet horrible show. As soon as my friends and I entered your fantastic stadium, it was immediately recognized that we were celebrity status as the press flocked to us for an interview. We gave a shout out to Super Junior, who we were then questioned harshly about. I do believe we told you beforehand that there would be no questions about band members ages or blood types. Embarrassingly, we were then asked how much we spent to get to Daegu Stadium. If you want to know about our spending habits, you can check out MTV’s “The Fabulous Life of Geumsan English Teachers”, which airs next week. The ... read more
September 14th 2011
When you think about Korean food, one of three things probably happens: you imagine a table full of kimchi; you almost retch at the thought of dog meat; or you have an absolutely blank mind because you have no idea what they eat (but you’re pretty sure they use chopsticks, right?). So I thought I would describe the most common or typical foods we here in Korea eat. Even though I’ve been here about 7 months now, I often discover things I have never seen or heard of before. Let me tell you about Korean food in general. First, there is some saying in Korean about how Koreans can never go one day without eating kimchi. Kimchi, by the way, is a style of vegetables that almost always have hot pepper paste on them. Usually they ... read more
DAEGU city in the fever of World Championships Athletic 2011!!!!!!
Published: August 31st 2011Asia » South Korea » Daegu » Suseong-gu
August 29th 2011
From 28th August to 4th September, world championships athletic 2011 is held in DAEGU(대구,大邱) city. I went to the world cup stadium where world championships athletic competitions are holding. after my works, with my friend, in night time, I went to the stadium to watch various athletic competitions. in the second day night, I watched Usain Bolt, Jamaican sprinter's disqualification in Men 100meters rush in far distance. If he were not disqualified, I could see him rush to finish line. I was sitting on the bench that is in the near areas of 100meters finish line. another Jamaican sprinter, Yohan Blake gained gold medal in Men's 100meters rush. I could see him who rushed to finish line instead of "Lightning Bolt". In the third day night, I watched women's 100meters, 400meters, men's 110 meters hurdle ... read more
August 23rd 2011
My school didn’t have class for 5 weeks, and I expected that I would have a long, boring summer, but this summer has flown by. I went away a couple of weekends, did summer camps at 2 schools, and took the first half of my TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) class. First, in early July, I went to the Boryeong Mud Festival with a big group of other foreign friends. Boryeong is a beach on the west coast. The Mud Fest has grown to be The Place foreigners go every year to see others from all over the country. This is because the real point of the festival is getting covered in mud, drinking, and going swimming (in no particular order, but if you really wanted an order, I guess it would be drink, ... read more
