Goodbye Korea Series | Beomil Elementary School

Markus's Beauty and the Beast illustration for class

After teaching and working Korea for two years, I realized that I didn't know what Korean school life was really like. I've always been really curious what life is like in the schools and I begged Markus to let me visit his school. Thankfully, he and his teachers were willing to let me visit. Back in early July, I had the opportunity to spend the day at Beomil Elementary School.

Just hanging out.

School life is drastically different than what I'm used to. Markus takes more of a backseat and assists his Korean co-teacher. I think it's really amazing and I wish that I had a co-teacher in my classes. Most of the time, I have to gesture and speak in broken Korean so the students can sort of understand me. The class size is also much larger than what I'm used to. His classes are around 35 students, but mine never reach more than 15 students. It's such a stark contrast to what I'm used to! Also, there was a old guy climbing into one of the windows during class and no one blinked an eye. Apparently he was trimming the trees and needed to hang on the window. Oh Korea...

Markus and his fan club

I'm also a fan!

While I was at Beomil, there was one thing that was obviously clear, Markus's students love him. Markus always tells me funny and amusing stories about them. He really loves them and they definitely love him back. He often talks about how funny and sweet his kids are and I desperately wanted to meet them. I mean, he has a freaking fan club. What English teacher has a fan club? I really had a great time taking a backseat and seeing Markus at work and in his element. I was actually really touched that these kids would love him so much. I know why I love him, but seeing these kids looking at him with so much awe and respect was incredible.
 

Markus not only has good relationships with his students, but he also has a great relationship with his co-teachers and a few other teachers as well. Everyday after lunch, they meet for coffee and even have a little club. I don't know what it is, but Markus has so many clubs all of a sudden. When the school day was over, we went out to dinner with the coffee club. They were really sweet and for some reason they knew a lot about me! It was really cool to be able to hear what they had to say about Markus, which was all nice things of course!

I have to say that I was really impressed with Beomil. It really was everything Markus boasted about. I can definitely understand why he constantly talks about his kids. They really are ridiculously cute and really funny. As much as I love working at the library, experiencing a Korean elementary school made me a little envious. It's okay though, I'm just glad I was able to see what life is like at a Korean school. Thank you Beomil Elementary School and Markus for letting me spend the day with you!

Angkor Thom, Cambodia | 1 of 3

While planning our Cambodia trip, there was one place I was determined to visit, Angkor Thom. This temple is famous for being featured in the first Lara Croft movie. I've seen so many pictures of the temple that was taken over by nature. I was so intrigued that I even put it on the Wandering Wishlist. I was so excited to run around pretending to be Lara Croft in Temple Run.

On our last say at Angkor Wat, we finally made it to Angkor Thom. Since it's one of the most popular temples, it was filled with tourists. It was more than overwhelming; it was annoying. I've seen so many pictures that highlight the natural beauty of the place, but they must've been taken years ago, because I didn't see any of that. There were just too many people and I really didn't enjoy Angkor Thom. Despite that, we were still able to get some amazing photos and I'm glad that I was able to cross another thing off the wishlist!

Goodbye Korea Series | Junnie

Junnie has been our greatest and closest dongsaeng (little brother) in Korea. We met him through another dongsaeng, Daehwannie. The first year that we were here, Markus and I put ourselves out there and tried to meet a lot of Korean people. We wanted to have the full Korean experience. Through these past two years, friends have come and gone and Junnie stayed with us through it all. There really is no one like him and I'm so thankful that he's our dongsaeng.

For our final dinner together, we decided to eat chicken. The first night we met Junnie was at a chicken and beer place. We were meeting with another dongsaeng and Junnie was a close friend of his. Markus and I almost cancelled, but I'm glad we didn't because we could've missed out on meeting him. He's probably one of the nicest and kindest people I've ever met. Junnie always thinks about other people. He's so thoughtful and always puts others before himself. There aren't many people in the world like him and he's become so important to us.

We spent our last dinner together doing what we always do, just hanging out. Even though Junnie isn't fluent in English and we aren't fluent in Korean, we're really close. We always have a great time talking and laughing. We spent around three hours at a cafe playing Pictionary and talking about our hopes, dreams and the future. We ended the evening listening to Markus and I on the radio with Midnight Rider. It was a great evening and I'm really sad to say goodbye to Junnie. I wish I could pack him in our suitcase and bring him back with us. I'm so thankful for his friendship these past two years!

Korean Baseball Game | Cheerleader Edition

This past June, we were able to go to one more Korean baseball game. Thankfully, Jeff has a lot of friends and was able to ask his friend, Crystal, to get us tickets on the Lotte Giants side. We were so close to the cheerleaders this time. We were only two rows behind the stage, so if we turned around, we could see everything up close and personal! It was the last time that we would ever go to a Korean baseball game, so we wanted to make sure this one was the best!

Lotte Giants Hype Man!

Look at all the guys staring and filming.

Oh snap.

Meow Meow

I know there are heaps of cheerleader pics, but I was completely in awe. I can't believe that they even had them. It's such a weird concept. I think it actually added something special and maybe they should add them to American baseball games. Every time the hype man and the girls came out, the crowd went wild. Since we were in front of the stage, we had to turn around. If you faced the field, all you see is a sea of smiling faces. What's even more amazing is that the women turn into fangirls and get more excited than the guys. It's pretty awesome.

We even had a chance to see a guy propose to his girlfriend. Of course, she accepted and the whole thing was really sweet. She was crying and when she said yes, he kept kissing her. It's pretty cool that he proposed to her at a game and I'm sure it's something they will always remember.

At the end of the game, they passed around the trash bags and Crystal was able to make mine into a bow. At first, I had no idea what she was doing. When I finally realized she was making a bow, I freaked out. I always see the girls with them and I get so jealous. I was excited to be able to have my very own trash bag bow! It was the real Korean baseball game experience. 

When we left and were walking toward the subway, a guy started walking toward us. I saw that he had a snake around his neck and started to run in the opposite direction. Then I remembered who I was married to and walked toward the guy. Markus loves all animals and as soon as he saw that snake his face lit up. The guy immediately put the snake on him and Markus was so happy. Then the guy tried to put it on me and I screamed. I think it wasn't the best of ways to end such an awesome day, but it definitely was unique. I'm so thankful for Jeff and Crystal. Because of them, Markus and I were able to experience something unforgettable!

Eats with Jeff #10: Baseball Stadium Food

When you go to a Korean baseball game, you can bring in any food that you want.  It's pretty amazing what you can bring. Before the game, masses of people go to Homeplus, a Korean version of Walmart. We've also gone to Homeplus and the amount of people is overwhelming. Everyone is clamoring to get pizzas, chicken and more. It's incredible seeing people walk into the stadium with boxes and coolers stuffed with food and drinks. I don't know where they put the food, because the aisles are tiny and there isn't much leg room. Some people get creative. I saw one group put their cooler in a seat, which meant they bought a ticket just for the food!

I'm so excited for fried chicken!

Kimbap

Never buy fried chicken from the ahjummas on the street!

Dried Squid!

Look at that delicious fried goodness.

We tried to be creative with the food that we brought to the games. Some things you can get in America, but some you can't. I do think we went a bit overboard because we just kept eating and eating. Although, it was nothing compared to what I saw other Koreans eat. Games usually run for three to four hours, so Koreans come prepared. They bring enough food to feed a classroom of kids. In some cases, they bring enough to share with people around them. We had a few guys feeding me all sorts of things. It's not unusual to make friends with those seated around you. I love that about Korean people. They are always ready to share a shot of soju or a chicken wing. It's great part of their culture and made the experience that much better!

I can't believe we brought a whole pizza!

Blood Sausage and Liver

Someone is excited!