I am back in the motherland called Canada and, as some of you already know, it has been for a good two weeks. I have taken the time to rest, catch up with friends and process what I experienced the past year.
Upon my return the question of what would happen to this space on the internet arose. Seeing that the internet is not running out of space, I will leave it up. Having left out many parts of my experience in Korea one option would be to continue expelling them until the needle on my story tank read E. I will not do this.
Instead I will conclude a story that started a full twelve months ago; a story that changed my time in Korea from mediocre to mind blowing; a story that gripped my heart and refused to let it go. That story is, of course, the story of Annabelle.
Thank-you for your encouragement and support over the past year. I don't think that I speak for myself when I say, it has been quite an adventure.
30.3.12
10.3.12
Mission
I mentioned the other day when talking about the grand open that I was on a mission. This was what I was after:
The shop that holds the title for Korea's best pizza now also lays claim to Korea's biggest pizza. SkyBori Pizza in Suwol. While SkyBori is a chain, none of the other shops, or any pizza place in Korea, make pizza like this for the price.
If you are in the area stop by and give it a try, you won't be disappointed. It is just across the new bridge past the LG and Samsung buildings. Also the owner's wife speaks great English and is always down to chat.
The shop that holds the title for Korea's best pizza now also lays claim to Korea's biggest pizza. SkyBori Pizza in Suwol. While SkyBori is a chain, none of the other shops, or any pizza place in Korea, make pizza like this for the price.
If you are in the area stop by and give it a try, you won't be disappointed. It is just across the new bridge past the LG and Samsung buildings. Also the owner's wife speaks great English and is always down to chat.
9.3.12
Message in a Bottle
Ever since I heard that it was possible I have wanted to write a message, put it in a bottle and throw it in the sea. I was reminded of this a few months back but being winter it was "too cold" to take Annabelle to the sea. But seeing that my time was short I decided to go ahead with the project regardless of the happenings outside my windows.
I bought a bottle that I felt would be perfect for this type of enterprise and went about disposing it's contents to prepare it for it's work. I also looked in to ocean currents and where my message would have the most chance of reaching some far away place. Once that was all in place I set about writing the note.
Now there is a percentage of the population that would say this is child's play, tomfoolery or nonsense but I didn't ask what others thought of the idea so I don't know what percentage that would be. I am not the most creative person but wrote the note as best I could imagine a five year old writing it.
As per message in a bottle regulations I included my name, my address and the date. I did not include my age for fear that it would impede a reply. Everyone wants to write to that five year old boy waiting for a reply, boy will they be surprised... I also did not include any form of internet communication. If I wanted more emails I would reply to my family more often, I want a letter that I can touch, look at and mount on my wall.
With everything in place I called Annabelle and we set off. My research on ocean current were inconclusive. Seeing that I would be hurling it from the shore I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get it far enough out. So I decided that the best way to give it a proper start would be to throw it from the bridge between Geoje and Tongyeon. (The Geoje Busan link bridge would have been better but I did not have a legal way of carrying it out.)
I took a glorious ride out to the bridge and found that there would be no stopping to get sentimental, I would need to heave it from the bike as I rode across. I took a few passes to determine the best place to throw it from as well as to have a minimal amount of traffic observing. About the fourth pass everything came together and as they say, "felt right", so I let it fly.
Worst case, I get charged for littering, but from what it looks like here I should be safe. Best case senario I receive a letter in the next fifty years or so and we become best friends. I can't wait!
I bought a bottle that I felt would be perfect for this type of enterprise and went about disposing it's contents to prepare it for it's work. I also looked in to ocean currents and where my message would have the most chance of reaching some far away place. Once that was all in place I set about writing the note.
Now there is a percentage of the population that would say this is child's play, tomfoolery or nonsense but I didn't ask what others thought of the idea so I don't know what percentage that would be. I am not the most creative person but wrote the note as best I could imagine a five year old writing it.
As per message in a bottle regulations I included my name, my address and the date. I did not include my age for fear that it would impede a reply. Everyone wants to write to that five year old boy waiting for a reply, boy will they be surprised... I also did not include any form of internet communication. If I wanted more emails I would reply to my family more often, I want a letter that I can touch, look at and mount on my wall.
With everything in place I called Annabelle and we set off. My research on ocean current were inconclusive. Seeing that I would be hurling it from the shore I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get it far enough out. So I decided that the best way to give it a proper start would be to throw it from the bridge between Geoje and Tongyeon. (The Geoje Busan link bridge would have been better but I did not have a legal way of carrying it out.)
I took a glorious ride out to the bridge and found that there would be no stopping to get sentimental, I would need to heave it from the bike as I rode across. I took a few passes to determine the best place to throw it from as well as to have a minimal amount of traffic observing. About the fourth pass everything came together and as they say, "felt right", so I let it fly.
Worst case, I get charged for littering, but from what it looks like here I should be safe. Best case senario I receive a letter in the next fifty years or so and we become best friends. I can't wait!
28.2.12
Grand Open
This past week they completed a project that they started this summer. When I started in Korea there a rundown lot that I passed everyday, with a small corrugated metal mart in the middle and a small waffle fish stand. A few months in they started to dismantle the building and clear the lot making me wonder where I would be able to find edible Korean seafood...
In it's place came a large footprint of what would, in a few short months, become a LG electronics store. It is the Korean equivalent of a Best Buy or Future Shop. It is strategically placed in a affluent, growing neighbourhood right across from a Samsung store of the same nature.
This past week they had their Grand Open as they call it in Korea and while I don't quite understand it, it is all quite interesting. First of all, most electronics stores in Korea have some sort of noise(some call it music) coming from external speakers to infiltrate the otherwise calm(not so much) of everyday Korea. But because it is a grand open they need to push the limits of what their speakers can handle.
Next you add a guy on stilts. No one is sure why, but research show that if you have a guy on stilts you are more likely to attract more people. It's either that or cause more accidents in front of your store. Then you have a clown. Just an ordinary polka dotted, red nosed, cone hatted, baggy panted, frowny faced clown. This store took it one step farther by having a gorilla suited guy to make a full set of musketeers.
And if that is not enough to draw you in they also have lights and streamers and tents and banners and prizes and specials and gifts.
To combat LG's enticing tricks, the Samsung store across the street was doing their best to sell electronics by blasting music and employing a couple of ladies to dance on a street side stage.
What do these gimmicks have to do with selling electronics? I would love to know.
I was almost tempted to set foot in the establishments but unfortunately(or thankfully) I was on a mission.(More on this later)
You can also see from where the picture is taken that the bridge is finished.
In it's place came a large footprint of what would, in a few short months, become a LG electronics store. It is the Korean equivalent of a Best Buy or Future Shop. It is strategically placed in a affluent, growing neighbourhood right across from a Samsung store of the same nature.
This past week they had their Grand Open as they call it in Korea and while I don't quite understand it, it is all quite interesting. First of all, most electronics stores in Korea have some sort of noise(some call it music) coming from external speakers to infiltrate the otherwise calm(not so much) of everyday Korea. But because it is a grand open they need to push the limits of what their speakers can handle.
Next you add a guy on stilts. No one is sure why, but research show that if you have a guy on stilts you are more likely to attract more people. It's either that or cause more accidents in front of your store. Then you have a clown. Just an ordinary polka dotted, red nosed, cone hatted, baggy panted, frowny faced clown. This store took it one step farther by having a gorilla suited guy to make a full set of musketeers.
And if that is not enough to draw you in they also have lights and streamers and tents and banners and prizes and specials and gifts.
To combat LG's enticing tricks, the Samsung store across the street was doing their best to sell electronics by blasting music and employing a couple of ladies to dance on a street side stage.
What do these gimmicks have to do with selling electronics? I would love to know.
I was almost tempted to set foot in the establishments but unfortunately(or thankfully) I was on a mission.(More on this later)
You can also see from where the picture is taken that the bridge is finished.
27.2.12
Boats!
Due to my new location I got to see this the other day on my ride to work! A ship entering port! While a simple thing in itself, having not grown up with it, I was(and still am) pretty excited about it. Something so big, so close, moving so slowly.
New Home
My school decided that it was best for them to have me out of my apartment a week before I come home. When asked where I should stay they said that I could move in with them... dream come true. I declined. Thankfully one of my friends was kind enough to take me in. This is the view from the table where I eat breakfast. Yes it over looks the sea... not too bad.
26.2.12
Growth
I showed you a while back that my attempt at a garden was a bit of a failure, or so I thought. As I was cleaning up my apartment I noticed that in neglecting a few potatoes and an onion they had begun to do, on their own, what I, with tender loving care, wasn't able to do in summer.
They were growing!
I think this summer I will just buy a bunch of vegetables, put them in a basket and forget about them for a few months. It seems to work as well or better than all the work I put in to making a garden.
They were growing!
I think this summer I will just buy a bunch of vegetables, put them in a basket and forget about them for a few months. It seems to work as well or better than all the work I put in to making a garden.
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