Blogs from Taejon, South Korea, Asia - page 2

Asia » South Korea » Taejon October 17th 2009

This post is dedicated to my goo poh Alice Chen. I was walking through Jugangno shopping area Saturday night and what did I see? Rain's store: Six To Five! I was told he had a store in Seoul but I guess this one in Daejeon just opened! It consisted mostly of men's clothing. Suffice to say, it wasn't THAT fancy of a store (or even popular as it was quite empty)...but immediately reminded me of a goo poh and memories of searching for his concert dvds and listening to her gush about him and his hot body. This is for you goo poh!... read more

Autumn in my Heart

Asia » South Korea » Taejon October 15th 2009

my lovely path now!

Dingles

It's officially fall!! As I was walking back to school this evening for my second wind of teaching, it dawned on me just what a perfect day of weather we were having today. I'm fortunate to have a section of my walk that is not filled with blaring horns and flashing neon signs. It is probably the most favourite part of my walk to and from school every single day. It is quite evident now that the leaves are changing colour...the weather is a brisk 8 degrees when I walk to school in the morning (~6am) and rises to a mild 18 degrees in the afternoon (~11am). In the evening on my way home from work (~10pm) the weather is still a comfy 15 degrees. Talking to my family back home, I realize that winter has ... read more

Gubongsan

Asia » South Korea » Taejon October 12th 2009

passing on my walking stick

Dingles

Mt.Gubong is one of the designated "8 Sights to See" in Daejeon. It is pretty much also one of the many many mountains you can hike just outside the city! What makes this mountain so special is that its highly recommended to hike during the autumn season as one can see the leaves change colour. My mate and I decided to hike this mountain last Saturday since the weather was starting to get colder: signs of autumn, right? We weren't disappointed as we did see evidence of leaves changing colour. The mountain is a smaller mountain compared to others in surrounding Daejeon. It towers at a height of 264.1m while my previous Bomunsan hike was at an astonishing 457.3m. It was a nice and relaxing hike up the mountain, and I noticed that it was a ... read more

Mt Gubongsan and Relaxation

Asia » South Korea » Taejon October 11th 2009

Mt Gubongsan

Telle

This weekend was much more relaxing then the past weekend. Saturday Jessica and I decided to hike up Mt Gubongsan. The mountain was out in a suburb area of Daejeon. This meant that we had to venture on to the bus for the first time ever. We were very unsure of what to do or how to pay but thankfully it was very easy. The bus driver also helped us with where we had to get off in order to get to the mountain. It is a gorgeous hike. You are right in the trees and it is not as commercialized as other mountains I have seen. There are different routes up so you have your choice of using the stairs to hike it up on the man-made trails and rocky sides. That is the way ... read more

Autumn Night

Asia » South Korea » Taejon September 30th 2009

Telle

BUSAN IN T-MINUS 2 DAYS!! I am so excited.....words cannot even describe it! I am not sure what I am more excited for, leaving the city for 3 days or just having a break from work? We are able to go because it is Cheusok here which is the equivalent to our Thanksgiving. That does make me a tad bit homesick but I was able to talk to my brother on skype last night and that made me very happy! As well my family is coming in Dec!! Work here is so exhausting because little kids are so tiresome. I adore each and every one of them but they tire me out! I am now a huge fan of afternoon naps : ) Today was another great day at work. The students wanted to know about ... read more

What have I been up to?

Asia » South Korea » Taejon September 29th 2009

Telle

Now that I have hit my two month mark things seem to be going more smoothly. At the school I have established a routine with each of my classes and with them knowing what to expect and what I expect in turn really helps. I also have a handful of games and activities that I can recycle depending on the topic. I have also made it through evaluation month, now just to make it through open class month. I have been asked by numerous people what kind of glorious adventures have I been up to and the sad part is nothing comes to mind. My weekends are usually spent with two others and we may do some exploring followed by Hanguel class and maybe grocery shopping. Life is not as glamorous as some may think. I ... read more

Chuseok

Asia » South Korea » Taejon September 29th 2009

songpyeon

Dingles

Happy Chuseok everyone! Chuseok (Hangawi) is a major harvest festival and a 3-day holiday in Korea. It's celebrated around the time of the Autumn Equinox, making it a similar comparison to the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival that goes on during this time as well. Everyone goes back to their hometown to share a feast of Korean traditional food. For the past couple weeks, my students have been visiting the tombs of their ancestors to cut the grass, trim the plants, and clean the area around the tomb. In addition to offering food and drink to their ancestors, they also offer crops. Harvest crops, after all, are attributed to the blessing of ancestors. A major dish that many of my students mentioned they would be making is something called "songpyeon". It is a crescent-shaped rice cake steamed upon ... read more

Daejeon National Cemetery

Asia » South Korea » Taejon September 27th 2009

welcome sign

Dingles

Since it was forecasted to be a crappy day full of rain and gloom tomorrow, our usual trio decided to take advantage of today by exploring the Daejeon National Cemetery. After getting off at, yup you guessed it, the National Cemetery subway station, we got out at exit #3 and started walking due west towards the cemetery. We were unsure as to the length of walking required before we actually hit the cemetery but it turned out to be approximately 15-20mins. We noticed many flower stands on our way, with the occasional car stopping on the side of the road to pick up a floral bouquet on their way to the cemetery. From far away, I thought the flowers looked so beautiful and bright only to realize they were all fake & silky...how disappointing. Then again, ... read more

mountain + horses + perfect shot of korean flag!

Bomunsan

Asia » South Korea » Taejon September 20th 2009

at the peak

Dingles

Last weekend, Chantelle and I, along with our newfound exploring friend, Ryan (the dedicated McMaster graduate), decided to hike up Bomunsan, one of the designated Daejeon Eight Sights To See. We started off by meeting at Daejeon Station, then walking in the direction of the mountain. We went through about an hour of city walking before we officially saw the Welcome to Bomunsan sign. Being the hiking newb, I was starting to fatigue but was determined to trudge onwards. At the Bomunsan map, we pinpointed the main areas we were hoping to hit such as Ryan's two temples on top of two mountain peaks as well as my Seated Statue of the Buddha. One of the first sights we came upon was a small cluster of beautiful temples and Buddha statues located at the entrance of ... read more

National Science Museum

Asia » South Korea » Taejon September 20th 2009

Kumdori & Kumsuni

Dingles

Paid a visit to Daejeon's National Science Museum last weekend. After our failed mission at finding the bus to Zooland, we decided to re-strategize and hit up the museum on the other end of the city. After getting off at Government Complex Station, we headed north towards Expo Park, adjacent to the museum. We passed the airport bus stop, as well as several curious structures of people with business attire that were perched on top of some sort of restaurant. Not quite sure of the meaning, I decided to take a picture and let you guys decide what the heck the message is. I kinda think the restaurant is trying to say "Hey guys, don't jump just cuz you've had a crappy day. Come in for some great lunch and you'll feel loads better." *shrug* We ... read more

Brief history of South Korea

Korea was an independent kingdom under Chinese suzerainty for most of the past millennium. Following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan occupied Korea; five years later it formally annexed the entire peninsula. After World War II, a...more history

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