http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Midget/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Midget en-us Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:43:09 +0000 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:43:09 +0000 Never before has a purchase said so more about my current state of mind than the aboveapart from a hideous pair of red gingham wedges that were a purchase after the last break up...jeez I'm beginning to sound like Bridget Jones.... Anyhoo I'm kind of at pains to write at the moment as it's been a bloomin awful day and I'm worried as to what strange negative forces may possess my fingertips sho http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-140213.html As you can see fro the picture I visited Great Britain again the other day. The 'London Carnival' came to Busan and there was absolutely no way I could let it leave without having a nosy. I expected there to be exhibitions about Britain and may be some British food and believe me after all the rice I have eaten over the past 6 months the prospect of Shepherds pie and fish and chips was well it http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-141438.html No sound of mail dropping onto the doormat. No carrier pigeon beating his wings against my apartment window bearing joyful messages of love. Not even a flippin ecard. Nothing. Zilch.What with being busy earning his latest Michelin star and his recent New York venture I had begun to think Gordon Ramsey had forgotton about me. Not even Beckham who I like to think of as my cheeky bit on the side http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-128955.html I've been here nearly 5 months now and hadn't even left Busan when you figure thats nearly half a year in a foreign country in the same city it kinda looks pretty unadventurous though if you saw the second hand shops here you may come closer to understanding...bliss.The Scots Linsay Richard and Martin being made of hardier stuff than me picked up the mantle of the intrepid explorer and head http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-122458.html A couple of weeks ago all ESS staff ahd a 4 day weekend yippee This is one of the perks of working at ESS we only work 20 days in a month and because we had worked over that the previous month it meant we got 2 days off this month. I mentionned to my wonderful 11am class that I was at a loss as to what to do with the two days but I need not have feared they came to my rescue with an itinarary http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-123528.html Ok I admit it I couldn't go a whole Christmas without popping back to Blighty at some point and I thought it a must that I attend that quintessential Western tradition that is the office partypiss updance show Bollywood no exception eh Claregossip mongers favourite time of the year.outside the box kindly wecomed me back into the fold to attend their Christmas bash and although I can't reme http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/West-Yorkshire/Leeds/blog-114438.html So today was turning out to be a really bad day. I think I was just tired and having one of those days when it would have been super nice for somebody else to do my grocery shopping and cook my tea I've come to realise the benefits of flatmates since I've been away Plus I lost something due to my tiredness and carelessness which really annoyed me. Even a cup of Tetleys and a second bar of chocol http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-112341.html So sometimes there are just some things that keep a girl going you know In the absence of a suitable partner I have turned to other means to satisfy myself. In steps the toast man. The toast man can be found every day a 5 minute walk from my work. He can rustle up the best toasted sandwich I have ever had in my life so good in fact that the other day once I had already been for dinner the toa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-111768.html Hey so every Friday I normally go out in Nampodong. Its the southern end of Busan and is the original downtown so it has many bars and restaurants but not so many foreigners on a Saturday I normally head up to Kyungseong which is considered a more 'foreigner' area. In the absence of any good clubs and good music although I am developing an ear for Korean love ballads which is most worrying I http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-106847.html So a couple of Fridays ago that pesky time delay again my Korean coworkers 'treated' me to the wonderful jokpal thats pigs feet to you and me. Apparently it had been one of the previous foreign teachers favourites and it was hoped I would take to the trotters with the same relish and gusto that he had. On an aside did I mention that the previous teacher was also from Durham Sherburn Hill to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-106667.html Ok so about four weeks ago I work on a delay around here can you tell one of my wonderful 1A students Kelly and her mother Gloria took me to the place in the title I'm not spelling it again and I can't say it either trying to explain to people where I went just drew lots of blank faces.This vilage is one of the few remaining walled villages in the country and was first constructed as an e http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-101024.html Okey dokey so last week I decided to check out the second part of the the Busan Biennale with two of my most favouritest students Angela and Chloe. All of the classes change every two months but Angela and Chloe's class held a revolt and demanded the class should stay the same and I should still be their teacher. It's really cool I teach them at 11am every morning and I would now consider every http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-101203.html Yo.So I'm sitting at the work PC desperately trying to plan classes in preparation for the new classes I will be taking as of tomorrow. The students I have known and loved for the past two months will be replaced by new students who I haven't known and loved at all. Plus they are nearly all free talking classes which means I have to have a steady stream of articles up my sleeve ideally with accomp http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-99640.html So here I am in my teachers guise and I think I pull it off rather wellturtleneck oval glasses an automatic smile I was made for this gigThis is me and my beloved 1A class last month. On the back row from right to left we have Catherine Julia Emma Maria my hiking buddy and Audrey. Front row we have Rosen and Kelly ta daHonestly although their English wasn't great we had such a good ti http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-97693.html ..is what I saw on a childs tshirt today.I've also seen 'Juicy Bunny Slope' and 'When Girl and Boy fall in Love Little Doggy'.Another winner was 'There is nothing funny about a one eyed doggy' which immediatley makes you think there IS something funny about a one eyed doggy apologies to all visually impaired dogs no offence intendedAdd to that a committed Christian wearing a tshirt that had http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-96413.html So last weekend Sunny and I went to the Chinatown Cultural Festival. To be fair there wasn't that much going on but I did get a cute couple of kiddie picsAnd some dude was making intricate sugar lollies which was pretty cool. I wasn't really in the mood as I'd been hoping to go to Thailand over CHristmas and new Year to catch up with the King of Stink that's Paul or Pikey P to some of u guys bu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-96320.html Ok so not last week but the week before really must update this more regularly it was Chuseok which is basically the Korean Thanksgiving. What with being British n all that I wasn't exactly sure what Thanksgiving was ok so being British AND being and idiot but apparently it's when you give thanks to the harvest for being prosperous. So Koreans get a holiday that lasts about four days dependin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-96190.html ...is when Korea really comes alive for me I can walk around and around at night just soaking it all in. Unlike the UK where shops open at 9am and close at 5.30pm Korean shops don't usually open until about 11am and shut much later around 10pm. Also there are a multitude of street sellers selling various food chicken on a stick mandu Korean stuffed dumplings and a whole host of other delica http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-94144.html So every year a modern art exhibition comes to Busan so I thought I'd best check it out I went with one of Wills students a guy called Joey. His English is really good and he's a really cool guy to hang out with. Although I love all of my Korean friends sometimes there are moments when it can be testing for both parties especially when it comes to humour. Sarcasm can sometimes go way over their http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-94133.html ....Photobooth Well lots apparently when you have sooper dooper photo booths like they do in Korea The idea came from Japan basically you go in act like a goon and then have very little time to decorate the photos with backgrounds borders and motifs.It's so much fun You really need a Korean with you tho to explain to you what the hell is going on it's a little like a crazy glittery girlie p http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/South-Korea/Busan/blog-94131.html