Merry Christmas!

I hope all of you have a great holiday and a happy new year!

Bringin' Back the 80's

Kim decided that we needed a weekend to unwind. What better way than to dress up in funny costumes and drink alot of alcohol. Thus, the 80's party was born. We lugged the forementioned alcohol and eyeshadow across the city to Kim's mom's spacious 15th floor apartment (it even has a bathtub - a luxury not seen in our measly bachelor suites). Her mom is out of the country so the place was ours!

Anyway, the 80's were in full swing and the costumes were awesome. We got some strange looks on the street when we went to pick up other people at the subway. To see the pictures check out my facebook album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=77065&l=f1db4&id=798630540

Rira & Tak's Wedding

My friend and former co-worker got married today. Her new husband's family is from a small town in the south-western corner of the country called Buan. I'm fairly certain I was the only foreigner to have ventured into Buan in quite some time, judging by the stares and not whispered exclamations of 'Oh! Waegooki!' Waegook means foreigner.

Anyway, seeing as though the wedding was Sunday morning and it takes 4 hours to get to Buan we decided to make a road-trip out of it and go Saturday night. Boarding the bus even the driver was confused as to why we would want to go to Buan. Kimberly had to explain it was for a wedding, then he let us on. The ride there was uneventful. Naps were had, books were read. We had planned on finding a hotel and hanging out in the thriving metropolis of Buan, but then Tak called and said he and Rira were meeting friends in a town 40 minutes away, and if we wanted to go he had another friend coming through who could pick us up. Sure, we thought. It was quite funny when our ride showed up and Tak forgot to mention we were foreigners speaking sketchy Korean. He told us later that when he saw us on the corner he was praying it was other people he was picking up.

In Buan we got a room....in a love motel! Love motels are cheap basic motels located all over the country which function as meeting places for dating couples living at home and men cheating on their wives. Classy.

Then we went for dinner and drinks with Rira, Tak and 7 of his elementary school friends. None of them spoke English so there was a lot of awkward silence....until the beer started flowing. We ending up going to Noraebang after and then drinking whisky at the motel. Come 5am it was time for bed, only to get up a few hours later to primp for the wedding. Some of the guys were looking quite rough. One still had pillow lines on his face!

The wedding was held in a lime green wedding hall. Rira looked beautiful in both her white dress and hanbok. The ceremony was short and sweet, followed by picture taking and then lunch. The buffet was delicious, a lot of people were really curious about what white people eat, so my plate was analyzed by almost everyone who walked by. I hope they were impressed by the pile of kimchi on my plate! Tak and Rira left for the airport wearing their couple clothes. Its Korean tradition that newlyweds dress alike during the honeymoon. It was all over within 2 hours and we were headed home!

...That's when the real fun began. Actually, not fun. It was a long, loud, awkward 4 hours. Rira and Tak had organized a bus for their family coming from Seoul so we joined them coming back. Now, since Korean weddings don't have receptions I guess the party was on the bus. The soju was flowing and the music was pumping. There were microphones so the drunk people could wail to the already loud songs. Perhaps if I had been drinking it would have been fun. Right now I'm just glad to be off that bus and in my quiet apartment. Of course, I'd rather be in Guam on the beach like Rira and Tak!

Facebook Album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=68581&l=b8f2a&id=798630540

Happy Halloween!

Once again GKI hosted a halloween bash for the parents....oops, children. Everyone got dressed up per theme and we played games and had a fashion show and parade. My class's theme was scary monsters. I had some witches, ghosts, vampires, Shrek and an interesting 'gold bat'.

After school we went out for a staff dinner to say goodbye to Thomas and Leslie, who are now on a vacation and joining the real world again in America. Also, we were welcoming two new teachers taking their place.

To top off the evening we all drank too much and went singing...at the Luxury Noraebang. Meaning its slightly nicer than your run of the mill singing room. Thursday was a long day at school. Next time we'll rethink the drinking way too much.

To see more pics check out my facebook album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=65906&l=1b313&id=798630540

The Great Ontario Road Trip

I spent the last week in Ontario, visiting my bestest friend, Dawn. It was my first time to Ontario, so it was a busy sightseeing week... and it was fantastic!! We had so much fun touring Toronto and Niagra Falls, then we headed north to Sudbury and hilarity ensued.

In Toronto we walked around downtown and ate in cool restaurants, we even went to a show at The Second City called 'Facebook of Revelations', which ended with a song containing the line "Jesus has added you as a friend. Will you accept the request?" So funny.

We went to Casa Loma and were surprised to see the castle all Hollywood-ed up. ET Canada had rented it every night that week for celebrity parties because the Toronto Film Festival was going on. We had fun posing on the red carpet and pretended to be much more important than we are.

We also went to the CN Tower and ate lunch at the cafe overlooking the city. I had a really hard time stepping onto the glass floor, I only did it long enough to get one picture of my shoes over the city, then I jumped back.

Another day we drove to Niagra Falls. I think TV has ruined me. I was expecting it to be huge and incredible, so it was quite underwhelming. We did the 'Journey Behind the Falls', also a let-down. In hind-sight we should have done the Maid of the Mist, but we though going behind the falls sounded cooler. We put on yellow ponchos and walked down a concret hallway with 2 windows/sewer grates where you could see a wall of water. Thats it. There was one lookout area where you were standing right at the base of the falls, so that was ok... and wet.

While in the Niagra area that infamous commercial jingle from our childhoods kept playing over and over in our heads so we headed to MarineLand. Turns out its more 'Land' than 'Marine'. But, visiting an amusement park on a weekday in September is a great idea. We didn't wait in a single line and we could go on most rides as many times as we wanted. For dinner we drove into Niagra-On-The-Lake and ate and bought fudge. Mmmm... fudge.

The next day we got back in the car and headed north. Sudbury is about 4 hours from Toronto so we took a little side trip to Parry Sound. We played around taking pictures and being stared at by all the old people who had just got off a ferry. In Sudbury we visited the World's Largest Nickel, went down in a mine, went to the best science center ever and attended Dawn's baseball banquet. Fun. At the science center I held a snake and rode a Segway. Cool. And I got to visit with an old friend from Grande Cache and her family who I hadn't seen in years. It was hard to leave, but I'm back in Calgary to relax and enjoy my last 10 days in Canada before I ship out again.

To see more pictures from the adventure you can click the link to my facebook albums:

Part 1:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=53786&l=04e6a&id=798630540

Part 2:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=53792&l=2d527&id=798630540

An Epidemic of Fugly

I had no idea how much of a problem you in Canada were having. I mean, yes, I've seen it in Asia, too, but not to the extent that it is here. I'm talking about Crocs.

Since I got here about a month ago for my vacation I have seen every size and color imaginable. I understand the function of Crocs for gardening or mowing the lawn, but they are not formal footwear,. And if you think the 'MaryJane' style ones are dressy, you are wrong. And then to see fur lined winter Crocs... ridiculous.

The ugliness alone was enough for me to stay far, far away, but then I saw the price. Why would anyone in their right mind pay that much for styrofoam shoes!?!

Cambodia: The Trip

As you all know, I spent my summer vacation in Cambodia this year. I flew into Phnom Penh and took the boat to Siem Reap early the next morning. The boat trip was cool. I travelled up the Tonle Sap river and saw small villages and fishing boats, and little kids would wave. When we arrived in Siem Reap we went through a floating village. Everyone lives in floating houses and they're transportation is boats. One house had a floating pig sty. About 4 pigs were in this wooden, floating cage. There were also floating ducks and chickens.

My three days in Siem Reap were spent being a tourist. I visited about 1000 temples in varying degrees of ruin. The highlights were Angkor Wat (of course) and Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm is famous for huge trees that grow out of the ruins. The temple itself is about 800 years old, so the trees are only slightly younger. Also, parts of 'Tombraider' were filmed there. Bayon was amazing as well. It has 216 huge carved faces all over the temple. They're supposed to be various Gods and the King. I also took in a traditional dance performance, did some shopping, and visited the landmine museum and a waterfall.


My last night there I went for dinner at a place called Dead Fish. The food was awesome and the place was really great. The second floor was made up of floating floors at different levels where you sat on big cushions on the floor. Then came the entertainment. They were Cambodia's Sunny and Cher I think. He had a fabulous mullet and she wore spandex and had a 80's poodle perm. They rocked out with an electric keyboard to some pop classics. It was like a bad SNL skit. The same place also had duckling waddling around and a pit of crocodiles. The two were kept at a distance. I fed the crocodiles frozen fish, you can see the video below.

I took the bus back to Phnom Penh the next morning. After I arrived I went to visit the Royal Palace and then Wat Phnom. Its the highest point in Phnom Penh, but really its a small hill. The main draw to going there was that my guidebook said there were monkeys....and boy was it right! On one side of the hill is a whole group of monkeys. Old monkeys, baby monkeys....a barrel of monkeys! As anyone who knows me well knows, I have an unnatural fondness for monkeys, so being so close and interacting with them was a highlight of the trip for me. I got to feed them and pet them. These were very tame monkeys, and well fed. Some of those monkeys could use to lose a few pounds!

The last day of sightseeing was dedicated to Cambodia's more recent, terrible past. I had met some others travelling alone so we hired a driver and went out the Killing Fields at Cheoung Ek. This was the biggest of the 350 killing fields scattered around Cambodia used by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. There was a memorial filled with remains found at the site, but many bones and clothes still remain in the dirt. We had a guide, which was great, because it really gave perspective on what we were seeing. He told some really gruesome stories about how they killed. The Khmer Rouge killed more people than the holocaust, yet most of the world has no idea.

Next, we visited the Tuol Sleng Museum. Before the revolution it was a high school and then was turned into a prison where people were taken for interrogation before going to the Killing Field. The Khmer Rouge took and killed everyone who was educated and everyone who wore glasses because it meant they could read. They also took all the members of their families because they wanted to wipe out all of their genes.

For a country that was at war until 1990 they've come along way. I had a great time. People I met were really friendly and quick to tell you their stories from the war. My moto got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and the man who fixed it was a former soldier who had lost a leg to a landmine. It really made me realize how privileged I am when he asked if Canada had a war right now.

Cambodia: Videos

My First Tuk-Tuk ride...it was very, very bumpy!



Feeding the crocodiles at the Dead Fish Guesthouse and Restaurant.


A view from the top of Angkor Wat.


Virtual tour of the Bayon ruins at Angkor Thom.


Traditional Khmer dance. This one is about a monkey and a fish. To see more go to my YouTube channel (cwilson4).

Cambodia Pictures

Well, I survived my week in Cambodia alone, and had a fantastic time!

I'm pretty tired though, but thanks to a nice hot shower, I think I got all the dirt out of my ears and eyebrows.

It may take me a day or two to sit down and write about my vacation, so to appease you (by you I mean mom) until then here are links to my facebook albums. I'll try to get you some videos, too. Enjoy.

Siem Reap 1:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39849&l=e6353&id=798630540

Siem Reap 2:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39864&l=93479&id=798630540

Phnom Penh:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39874&l=b45df&id=798630540

Fireworks

Here's a video I took of the fireworks at the Mud Festival. It's sideways, but you get the picture.

Muddy Goodness

With another summer in Korea comes another chance to roll around in the mud. Last weekend was the annual Mud Festival at Daechon beach in Boryeong. Myself, Leslie & Thomas, and another couple from the Seoul campus took the bus with Adventure Korea.

After driving for about 4 hours the first stop was at the mud flats. When the tide is out the mud stretches about a mile. Everyone had to dress in military fatigues and jumping jacks and such. I did it last year, so passed on it this time. They don't really have a good place to wash up after, so I saved the mud for the real beach. In town there is huge beach and they bring in mud from the mud flats for people to play in.

Before we could hit the beach we had to check into our hotel. Worst Hotel Ever. It had no wall!!! Between us and the next room there was no wall. So the 5 of us slept on one side and 5 complete strangers slept on the other side. At least we had a bathroom on each side. Our roommates seemed cool until they came in drunk and 4:30 and woke us all up. We were up and left before they even woke up, and then on the bus they pretended to not know us. Jerks.

Anyway, aside from the hotel, it was really fun. We painted ourselves with mud and sat around in the sun letting it do its magic. My skin did seem softer after it was all washed off. Once it got late there was a fantastic fireworks show. It lasted probably between 7-10 minutes and was all set to music. They were the best fireworks I've ever seen.

Even the dogs got muddied-up. Well, the dog didn't look too pleased, but the lady made sure he was covered.

The quieter side of the beach.

Fireworks on the beach.

Korean vs. Uzbekistan

We found out at the last minute that Korea was playing a home game against Uzbekistan as a qualifier for the upcoming Asian Games. It was cool to see a game in the World Cup Stadium, it seats 64,000 people, but it wasn't full for this game. The crowd was great, Koreans love their sports teams, and it was a good experience. On the subway on the way over we made bets on the final score. Korea, and Thomas, won...2:1. He made out with a cool $12.

Dino Encounter

After studying dinosaurs and fossils for the last couple of weeks we went on a field trip to Korean's Natural History Musuem. It was the smallest musuem I've ever seen. I think the fabric museum was bigger...seriously. There also seemed to be a significant lack of history, just a couple dinosaur skeleton casts, some fossils and a crapload of gems.

Since we're in the middle of Monsoon season, most of the tour was inside, but the rain let up for a moment and we got to go to the roof and see the dinosaur models. It only lasted about 7 minutes and then we had to run to the buses.

Pretty gruesome for little children!

I told them to look scared, but only about half seemed to catch on.

glug..awk...grrrghh......aaahhh!

My Birthday!

I know, I know....I've been lazy. But I have an excuse! My computer's been having tantrums lately and it takes me forever to accomplish anything on it.

Anyway, lateness aside, I had a good time and celebrated my 26th in style.

Cake #1

Cake #2

The Crew at The Wolfhound in Itaewon.

(Mary, Hera, Me, Miriam, Thomas, Leslie, Jung Mi, Jack)

Our Korean co-teachers: Mary and Hera

Umm...Great...a cat keychain!

Kevin and I singing our hearts out. Good times at the Noraebang....at approximately 3am, hence the squinty eyes.

Ryan, Val and Stefan beltin' it out.