July Roundup

1. July was a work-intensive month. Between a full-time teaching schedule and preparing a comprehensive exit report for my replacement, I also had three kindergarten open classes. If you’re unfamiliar, an “open class” is when parents sit in on their children’s class and watch you teach. Given the high pressure put on students by their parents, I had to rehearse for open classes with my students for about a week and a half before to ensure they were comfortable with the material. I structured the lesson for my six year olds around “community places”, while the lesson for my seven year olds was based on concepts relating to “our Earth” (i.e. countries, continents, and oceans). Despite the stress I felt leading up to Open Class Week, I was totally and utterly vindicated when Happiness, Pride, and Smile Class totally killed it! My smile on that Friday afternoon was in recognition of their achievement, and also in recognition that I would never be subjected to another open class, ever. Huzzah!

2. Maybe I was listening to a lot of Calvin Harris, but I became painfully aware of summer’s fleeting nature in July. The realization that I would be returning to Canada in a matter of weeks and trading my flip-flops for winter-appropriate boots was not an easy one to accept. However, I pulled myself up by my flip-flops (NOT my boot straps) and made a simple, conscious effort to enjoy my remaining few weekends on Busan’s various beaches. I enjoyed mid-day tall boys of Cass. I fell a lot while trying to perfect my handstand. I laughed a lot and had great heart-to-hearts with friends. Ultimately, summer is always fleeting but those memories will endure long after it’s gone.

3. I took a trip to the beautiful Jeju Island with Steph and Mary at the beginning of the month. Despite the treacherous weather we endured for the majority of the weekend, it would be nearly impossible to have a bad time in Jeju. We sampled some of the local black pork stew, visited a majestic waterfall, hiked up a giant crater called “Sunrise Peak” during a typhoon, and enjoyed a period of brief blue skies on a black sand beach. I only wish I had more time to continue exploring the island!

4. My hagwon took our kindergarten students on a field trip to learn what to do and how to respond in times of crises. My students learned how to use a fire extinguisher, how to escape a burning house safely, and what to do in the case of an earthquake. These situations were often quite stressful and some of my students were rattled by the experience, but I do think they learned some valuable lessons from the field trip. Afterwards, we all enjoyed a sunlit picnic and naturally had an outdoor photo-shoot. Pictured above is me with Big Jaden, Yuli, and my absolute favourite student, Nina.

5. One of my favourite days at school, Cooking Day, returned in July! We taught our kindergarten students how to make my favourite Korean dessert, patbingsu. The recipe itself is pretty basic, requiring only shaved ice with sweet toppings such as chopped fruit, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and red bean paste. The kiddies loved assisting with the preparation, but not as much as they loved devouring their “cool” creations!

6. I hosted an event titled Goodbye to Your Bae to celebrate my last official weekend in Busan. We ate at Artista, our favourite Mexican spot in Jung-dong, headed to the Kyungsung University area and watched the sun rise on Gwangalli Beach. It was the perfect setting to reminisce on memories from the past year and to salute the future.

7. As always, my school hosted a July birthday party. Given that this was my last birthday party at Brown & LCI, I ended up hosting. I created a PowerPoint quiz titled “Who Is That Teacher?”, where my students were shown a baby picture and had to guess which staff member it was. The best parts were when a picture of a clearly Caucasian baby were shown and the students guessed a Korean teacher, or vice versa. God bless the derpy little angels, amirite?

8. The neighbourhood of Hwamyeong became like a second home to me, after spending nearly every weekend there with Jess, Maddie, and Mary during the winter months. So, prior to leaving for summer vacation, I spent my last day in Hwamyeong with my friends Mary and Nina. Mary cooked a delicious breakfast for us, and the three of us took a walk through the local ecological park. Shortly afterwards, I had to leave to catch my flight to Shanghai. This was an incredibly bittersweet moment, as I had to bid farewell to Nina (I will be seeing Mary again in Toronto this fall). This was my first serious goodbye and I was incredibly touched by Nina’s emotion as I pulled away in the cab. I’m confident this is only “see you later” for Nina and I, and am looking forward to crossing paths again soon!

9. I spent 15 glorious/somewhat stressful hours in Shanghai en route to my final destination, Bangkok, during my summer vacation. While I didn’t get the opportunity to fully explore the city, I did manage to wake up early enough to see The Bund from its observation deck. Despite the fog, the iconic waterfront area was breathtaking, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to have seen it.

10. My love for Southeast Asia could never be quenched, but my summer vacation in Bangkok was like a refreshing 255mL water bottle after a long run. My week in Bangkok was filled with exploring, noshing, making new friends, and relaxing. While I wish I could have toured around all of Thailand, I have confidence that I will be back, someday soon.

Geumjeongsanseong Fortress

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

I’ve reached my elusive last month in Busan. Inevitably, it feels like everything I do these days is for the last time. This was the case yesterday, which I shall title “The Last Hike”, if only because it’s way too humid in Busan to go for another one before I depart.

While I had technically visited Geumjeongsanseong Fortress back in April, en route to Seokbulsa Temple, I’m a bit of a crazy person and decided that my first short, unintentional visit to the fortress wasn’t sufficient and I would need to re-visit in order to truly cross it off my Bucket List. Thankfully, I have friends (Steph and Brandi) who enable my neurotic behaviour and agreed to hike back up to the fortress with me.

The three of us had anticipated a rainy, overcast day, but were pleasantly surprised with the sunlight flittering through the dense forest upon arriving at the East Gate of the fortress. We headed in the direction of the Nammun Pond, and were soon greeted by the unmistakable sound of animated ajusshis. On our left was a tiny hamlet filled with middle-aged Korean men (and likely women – we were too far away to really tell) socializing at plastic tables and playing within around a green, netted enclosure. Steph, as the perfect human being she is, remarked, “it’s like Ajusshi Summer Camp!”

We reached Nammun Pond after a ten minute hike, where we observed blue dragonflies, frogs, snakes, and koi from our perch on the wooden bridge that wrapped around the swampy waters. A couple of friendly ajusshis retired their fishing poles to snap a photo of the three of us before we continued our hike to the Second Watch Tower. We ended up sitting on the fortress wall for about half an hour playing “Would You Rather?” and talking at length about some questionable content. While we sat on the wall, I did my best to take in the mountain scenery. I sat with my legs dangling off the fortress wall, and practiced some pre-sunset gratitude. It was a perfect day – breezy, with wispy clouds speckled across the sky, but still allowing the sun to peak through. This view justified the long trip back to the fortress and was a good reminder of Korea’s everyday natural beauty.

My favourite part of the hike, given that I had seen much of the scenery before, was the (derpy) conversations and jokes I had with Steph and Brandi. At one point, Steph regaled us with an anecdote involving a random black feather she had found while cleaning out her purse. She was legitimately confused about how it had ended up in there and joked that it was some sort of talisman that she should hold onto. Shortly afterwards, we crossed the pedestrian overpass from Oncheonjang Station to reach the bus stop. We passed by a seated ajumma selling unspecified herbs on a cloth who first made eye contact with Steph, smiled creepily, and muttered some Korean under her breath. Steph joked that the ajumma knew about the feather and was cursing her with some old school, Dongnae incantation. All to say, every crow (of which there were many) that flew overhead the forest on our hike seemed to be an ominous harbinger of things to come. Also, not once, but twice, Steph was (rightfully) yelped at the sight of a giant slug on the path to the fortress. To his credit, the poor cheetah printed little guy was just trying to get to his destination, but the jarred look on Steph’s face was just too much not to laugh.

The girls and I opted to take the cable car down the mountain after quickly visiting the South Gate, which offered much better views than my first foggy trip to Geumjeongsanseong Mountain. While the fortress wasn’t anything new or particularly exciting, it felt so right to sit on the its wall and stare out into the vast and seemingly never-ending Busan terrain one last time.

Directions
To get to Geumjeongsanseong Fortress, take the Orange Line on the Busan Subway (Line 1) to Oncheonjang Station (stop 127). From here, go out exit 3, and use the overhead crossing to get to the other side of the street. Take bus #203, which will take you to the South gate, East gate, or the forest village.

Dadaepo Beach & Sunset Fountain of Dreams

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

What kind of person do you become when you’re left alone?

Personally, I become the “neurotic planner”. Such was the case during the June long weekend. I sat, latently anxious for no reason, waiting for Steph and Katie to return from their dinner. During this time, I clipped my toenails way too short, bookmarked all of the “best of Jeju” blog posts, and ate too many yogourt cups. I also decided, on a whim, that I would travel to Busan’s most remote beach – Dadaepo – the following day. I had gotten it into my head that if I didn’t travel to Dadaepo Beach the next day, that I wouldn’t have enough weekends to complete the remaining items on my Korean Bucket List. Steph and Katie eventually came to retrieve me from the #darkness (read: my apartment), shortly before my neuroses led me down the rabbit hole of planning my trip to Thailand – a whole 8 weeks away at that point.

While the majority of our group were either exhausted from our weekend of travelling to Bijindo, or had alternate plans, Steph graciously offered to join me on the hour and a half long excursion to Busan’s southwest coast. This trip was no joke: 40 minutes on the Busan Subway’s Green Line, another 40 minutes on the Red Line, and finally a 30 minute bus ride that dropped us off approximately 10 minutes from Dadaepo Beach and the Dadaepo Sunset Fountain of Dreams. There were no other passengers on the subway by the time we reached the last stop on the Red Line (Sinpyeong), and while the bus we boarded was nearly full, the surrounding neighbourhood told a far more subdued story than Haeundae and Jangsan.

I fell in love* with Dadaepo before I even set foot on its sandy beach. This is mostly because on our way to down to the water, Steph and I discovered a ramshackle arcade housing a batting cage, a small, carnival-style punching bag, and most importantly, a rickety, old trampoline that lay, unused, feet from Dadaepo’s traffic-laden thoroughfare. As I looked around in blissful confusion, wondering whom to inquire to or to pay for the use of the dilapidated old thing, Steph was already removing her shoes. “Don’t ask permission, ask forgiveness!” she chortled. I shrugged and joined her, bounding up and down on the shaky structure for what felt like hours. Below, foreigners and locals alike passed by, observing our mirth with a mixture of puzzlement and delight. Oddly, no one ever stopped to join us or inquire about using the trampoline. Even on our way back home, the arcade was a ghost town despite the busy crowds from the Sunset Fountain of Dreams. I wanted to shout into the great abyss, “hello, people! It’s a trampoline? Have you never had fun before?” Alas, it just meant more bouncing for me.

Despite Dadaepo’s isolation and distance from Busan’s bustling downtown sector, the beach itself was spectacular, stretching along the coast for as far as the eye could see. Steph jokingly quipped about the beach’s set-up: “On your left, cottage country. On your right, eternity!” The left side of the beach had a tiny inlet of waist-deep water, perfect for small children to wade out into and build sand castles along. The quiet Nakdong River cuts across a quiet park separating the parking lot and the beach, and trickles down into the sea. Steph and I removed our flip-flops to cross a series of stepping stones to reach the eastern side of the beach which was filled with dozens of tiny offices and sheds filled with water sports equipment. Here, fit, young males carried their paddle boards high overhead down to the beach while wiser men stood precariously on jagged rocks, casting out lines in the hopes of an afternoon fish or two.

Steph and I followed the wooden boardwalk around Dadaepo’s winding coast. We gingerly tiptoed across the rock sand beach. We freaked out about the wildlife (particularly the insects) indigenous to Dadaepo, as they scurried out from under the rocks onto the main trail. We admired the jutting rock formations emerging from the sea. We spent a lot of time people-watching: scenes of older brothers challenging their younger brothers to rock-skipping contests, foursomes enjoying a sunset picnic of gimbap and soju by the water, and ajummas stretching their legs after traversing the coastal walk. We talked and talked and talked about the future, almost as if we needed to say it all before the sun disappeared from the sky. The mood was super relaxing, and we both acknowledged how happy we were to have made it to Dadaepo.

We started back to the beach to catch the sun before it disappeared into the foggy horizon. However, the sand was so ridiculously soft that we all but ignored the setting sun in favour of a little handstand practice. After a little derping around, peppered with some more chats about our hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the future, we headed towards the Nakdong River, our sights set upon the Sunset Fountain of Dreams.

I would not have surmised how what a popular destination that the Sunset Fountain of Dreams was earlier in the afternoon, based on what a ghost town Dadaepo seemed to be, but soon enough, hordes of locals and tourists alike streamed into the rather unsuspecting fountain square. There were more than a dozen workers setting up rows of chairs for the show, and soon, there wasn’t an empty seat in the house. Based on blogs that I had read about the neighbourhood, Dadaepo used to be even more remote than it currently is. However, with the establishment of the fountain, the neighbourhood was quickly launched into gentrification to accommodate its newfound “tourist destination” title.

The show itself, which has been branded as the “world’s best and biggest fountain”, was admittedly, pretty magical. It lasted for 20 minutes, and featured shooting streams of water coloured by flashing lights, perfectly choreographed to a variety of popular Korean songs. Given that Steph and I had been discussing (often feeling uncertain about) our future careers, Steph sarcastically quipped that “this is actually someone’s job. They just coordinate water and lights to music as their livelihood!” We also joked that they hadn’t quite done the job justice, since “Let It Go” from the Frozen OSD, which would have been a perfect choice for the Sunset Fountain of Dreams’ light show, was not utilized.

The light show ended rather quickly (or so it felt at the time), and Steph and I began the long journey home; not before, of course, jumping on the trampoline one last time. Despite how zonked out I felt on the subway back to Jangsan, Steph and I had enjoyed a perfect, spur of the moment day in an area I knew I wouldn’t be returning to, ever. The “neurotic planner” inside me flashed a toothy grin.

* I use the term “love” lightly – it was indeed a charming area, but not one that you could pay me enough to live in for the duration of a full-year teaching contract.

Directions
To get to Dadaepo Beach and the Dadaepo Sunset Fountain of Dreams, take the Red Line on the Busan Subway (Line 1) to Sinpyeong Station (stop 101). Go out exit 5, and wait at the bus stop on your right. Buses 2, 11, 338, and 1000 will all take you to Dadaepo. The bus ride takes approximately 20 minutes. Get off the bus at the DaeU apartment complex on the right side of the street. The beach and fountain are a five minute walk straight down the road, across the street. Note: The fountain is closed every Monday. For more information regarding show times and seasons, please click here.

June Roundup

1. One of my favourite school field trips happened this month when my school attended the Haeundae Sand Festival. I will never forget the looks of joy on my kindergarten students’ faces as they built Elsa’s castle from Frozen out of sand and shrieked as the cold ocean water rushed up over their feet. Oh, to be young., it sounds like so much fun.

2. My exercise preferences change like the seasons. For the majority of the year, I’ve been on the yoga bandwagon, save for a brief stint with Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. This month, however, I began running at Daecheon Park with my fellow Jangsaner, Katie. The draws of running at Daecheon Park are simple: it’s a mere 15 minute walk from my apartment and has a 550m track wrapped around a tranquil pond. Katie and I have been running three nights a week, and I’m currently working up to a 5K race when I return to Canada. I’d forgotten how peaceful a quiet evening run can be, especially after a stressful day with 50 little troublemakers!

3. The beautiful return to Bijindo. A single visit to the beautiful island where “time stands still” was not enough, so I once again braved the long journey, this time with Steph, Mary, Nina, and Katie by my side. Since it was Memorial Day in Korea on the Friday, we had a long weekend to relax at Bijindo and I got my first real experience camping out on a beach. The best moment of the weekend was late Friday night, when Katie excitedly ran over to our tent and beckoned us out to the look at the now bioluminescent water. The entire sight was amazing; there we were, splashing around in this glowing, blue water, under the stars, on a remote island in South Korea. It really doesn’t get any more perfect than that.

4. Over the last three months, I have been (somewhat half-heartedly) growing out my hair; partially out laziness, but mostly out of love for the aesthetic. June was an exciting month for the follicles on my head because they can now be pulled together to make a respectable, albeit somewhat dinky, ponytail. The end goal is a Mulan style bun, (which will undoubtedly aid in my common, metaphorical usage of “defeating of the Huns”), and my hairdresser assures me this will be possible by the end of August. Prayers for my hair(s)!

5. Literally the moment I have been waiting for all year long: Ultra Music Festival. The highlights include dancing to Blasterjaxx at dusk, dancing on stage with M.I.A. in the late evening, and dancing the rest of the night away with Steve Angello. So much dancing obviously, and so much recapping after the jump here.

6. I love a good costume. Earlier this month, my kindergarten students frantically practiced simple sentences ad exchanges one might hear if they were sick for our school’s hospital play. They were then were responsible for taking turns as both doctors and patients. It was seriously so adorable watching the kiddies use stethoscopes on their friends and diagnosing them with “you’re dead”. I really do believe our children are the future.

7. With the exception of my friends and fellow teachers here in Busan, there will be no way for me to properly describe my experience in South Korea. Thankfully, after receiving a 5AM WhatsApp about a month ago indicating that there was a $600 round trip ticket to Seoul via Vancouver on DeltaAir, I subsequently received a visit from one of my best friends, Yusra! She ended up staying in Busan for six days, braving a ferry, two airplanes, a cross-country train, and multiple cabs. Without a doubt Yusra made the most of her time in Busan, visiting Gamcheon Culture Village, Jagalchi Market, Busan Tower and Yongdusan Park, Haedong Yonggungsa Water Temple, Seokbulsa Temple, Igidae Park, and Vesta Spa – all after completing a UBC Law exam! Seriously, what a trooper. A couple of my friends joked that she had seen more of Busan in six days than they had throughout their whole contract. While it felt incredibly bittersweet walking her to the subway, I am so grateful to have such a generous and adventurous friend like Yusra. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – next time in Vancouver, Yus!

8. This month has been a big old throwback to my post-graduate life in Montreal, where the majority of my time was spent on my old apartment’s rooftop pool and terasse. Recently, my friends and I have been on a hunt to discover (and enjoy!) the rooftops of Busan. My apartment in Jangsan, as well as the commercial building beside it both have adequate rooftops, perfect for sunset beers and wine. Props to Steph for discovering both rooftops and cheers to July potlucks on the penthouse!

9. I’m very happy to announce that I’m officially a student in the Public Relations Postgraduate Certificate program at Humber-Lakeshore in Toronto this Fall! I officially paid my tuition fees earlier this month, which means a mere two and half weeks after I finish as “Dylan Teacher” and arrive home in Canada, I will be off to Toronto to begin another year as a student. I couldn’t feel more confident about this program and I’m excited at the prospect of going back to school after two years in the “real world”. It’s going down – I’m yellin’ Humber!

10. The end of the month can only mean one thing – birthday party at school! This month could have easily been dubbed the “Derpsday Party”, given our roster of birthday kids (check the photo above), but as usual, it was a period filled with lots of singing, embarrassing photos, and of course, English speakin’. Happy birthday to Big Jaden, Pobi, Sophia, and David Y.!

I’ve been having a mild, and mostly latent freakout recently, as the end of June approaches. This was the month I had been waiting for – two holidays off of work, Ultra Music Festival, a visit from Yusra – and now it’s over. I only have one full month left in South Korea and it is already shaping up to be a busy one at school and at home. I fell a little bit out of my weekly routine, but I am looking forward to some home-cooked meals, evening yoga, journalling, and sticking to a strict blogging schedule. It’s time to get my affairs in order and wrap up my time here: bring on the month of “last” everything! See you in July!

Haeundae Sand Festival

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

“Just another manic Monday – wish it was Sunday.”

Nope, nope, nope – not today. I woke up this morning in an absolutely chipper mood. Why, you ask? Oh, just a casual Monday morning field trip to the beach for the Haeundae Sand Festival, that’s all!

The Haeundae Sand Festival happens every year on Busan’s largest beach, Haeundae. Despite Busan’s reputation as a coastal town and playing host to five major beaches, this is the South Korea’s only festival based on appreciation for sand (huh?!) Given that it only lasts for three days, my head teacher had to amend the regularly designated field trip day (Friday) in favour of Monday morning. However, this was the best possible outcome since the field trip took me from “totally zonked out” to “z0mg look at all of this energy, I’m the best teacher in the world!”

We arrived at Haeundae Beach mid-morning. I rode with my homeroom students – Aiden, Grace, and Sa-Yeon of Happiness Class. After informing the students of the “beach rules”, (“no eating sand”, “no throwing sand”, no drowning, etc.), we were off to look at the various sculptures scattered across the sand.

The theme of the 2014 Haeundae Sand Festival felt slightly garbled. Featuring Tarzen and Jane as the main players, the festival was (aptly?) named “Through the Sand Jungle”. While there were important elements of environmental awareness and protection throughout (Tarzan and Jane end up saving the beach through sand restoration – yay!), the entire backstory felt like it had been written by one of my fourth-graders and didn’t really add much to the beautiful scenery. I’m all for motifs, but in this case, the backstory was completely unnecessary; methinks a simple “here’s a sand sculpture of a gorilla” would have sufficed.

It’s always so refreshing to see the looks of wonder and excitement on the faces of five year olds. They absolutely marvelled at the giant sculptures featuring lions, rhinoceroses, and other jungle imagery. One of the cooler elements of the Sand Festival was the large sand hill at the end of the beach, towards Marine City. At any given moment, hordes of children could be seen clambering to its peak, only to be unsuspectingly yanked down the hill on a sand board by  their parents. Other (admittedly unexplored) elements of the festival included a “sand theatre” where visitors could view short films and documentaries, a sand exploration hall containing seven differently themed rooms, and a sand maze. I silently wept upon learning that the sand maze was not on our itinerary for the day. I do love a good labyrinth!

Towards the end of our time at the beach, the kids were allowed to flex their creative muscles, (something seriously lacking from Korea’s hagwon system, in my opinion), by building sand sculptures and castles, themselves. After dozens of references to Elsa’s ice palace in Frozen, too many pockets filled with seashells, and wails of “teacher, there is sand in my eye!”, it was almost time to leave. My head teacher did allow the children to strip off their socks, sandals, and in my case, leather loafers, to run in and splash about ankle-deep in the ocean. Very wet, much fun, so smiles!

While I’ve heard rumours that this year’s festival was significantly less ostentatious than in year’s past, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Haeundae Sand Festival is one-stop shopping for the millennial soul – one can marvel at the beautiful sand sculptures at one end of the beach before moving to the opposite end to enjoy a day in the sun. Sand, sightseeing, and sunbathing – Busan’s tried and true recipe for an amazing summer!

Directions
To get to Haeundae Beach, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Haeundae Station (stop 203). Go out either exit 3 or 5 and walk straight until you hit the beach (this takes approximately 10 minutes). The Haeundae Sand Festival happens every June for approximately 3 days during the first or second week of June. The 2014 Festival took place from June 6th to the 9th.

Chungnyeolsa Shrine

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

Today is Election Day in Busan. It constitutes an important day where the citizens of Busan can exercise their civic duties to safeguard the values they hold most dear. Since I cannot participate in this particular election, I decided to spend my afternoon at Chungnyeolsa Shrine, a site commemorating citizens of Busan who also safeguarded their own values – over 400 years ago.

Chungnyeolsa Shrine is dedicated to those Korean nationalists who lost their lives during the Japanese invasion of Korea between 1592 and 1598. The bravery of the largely unprepared Korean troops and volunteers who fought against annexation are memorialized at the Chungnyeolsa. The complex itself consists of a main hall, fifteen subsidiary structures, and nearly one hundred tablets in memory of the Busan area patriots who lost their lives defending Busan.

I spent around an hour exploring the large grounds of Chungnyeolsa. I started at the small koi pond near the entrance of the shrine. I watched as earnest children deposited coins into a machine dispensing fish food, their faces alight with wonder as they sprinkled it into the water beneath them. I worked my way around to a quiet elevated park on the west side of the complex, where groups of men huddled together to watch games of (what looked like) backgammon. I sat for about fifteen minutes and drank in how peaceful and restrained it felt beneath the perfectly trimmed tree branches of Chungnyeolsa. Even though I could see the urban sprawl of Busan just beyond the shrine’s walls, I felt far removed; in my own private Garden of Eden.

The park itself is meticulous and manicured. Every type of tree, flower, shrub, bush, plant, and weed you could imagine was in bloom, neatly trimmed, fighting against every unruly tendency it might have. The shrine contains dozens of seated areas, ranging from gazebos, wood benches, and circular rock formations, depending on your mood. Chungnyeolsa also gains serious points for being completely wheelchair accessible.

I eventually reached Chungnyeolsa’s Main Hall, which is dedicated to twenty-two officers who lost their lives during battle. Perhaps more interesting to me was the Uiyeolgak complex. This particular shrine is dedicated to two women who resisted Japanese aggressors by throwing roofing tiles upon them. I pulled my hands to heart centre and bowed to these women, but felt quite sure that there were more unsung female heroes that deserve equal representation at Chungnyeolsa.

The day soon turned overcast and rainy. I decided to depart the shrine, but not before ambling over to peer down into the koi pond one last time. I caught my own reflection in the clear waters, flashed a quick smile and turned on my heel to leave. Mushy, but it’s true.

Directions
To get to Chungnyeolsa Shrine, take the Blue Line on the Busan Subway (Line 5) to Chungnyeolsa Station (stop 405). Go out exit 3, and turn left until you are facing the large white stone monument. Take your first right and walk for about a minute. You will see a flight of stairs on your left. Take them and the shrine will be on your right.

Energy Core Noraebang

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

I get a lot of questions from people back home about life in Korea. The most common questions are usually “How are your kiddies?”, “Do you travel around the country much?”, and “Are you having trouble with the language?”. Another one, strangely, makes the cut, too: “Do you go to karaoke bars, like, all the time?”

The answer to that question as of a month ago, friends of the interwebz, is no. No, I do not, and it is shameful. A whole eight months had elapsed in Busan without belting out my favourite pop songs in a smelly, dank room with my friends. Luckily, I did know about the best karaoke room (or “noraebang”, as they are Koreans know them) in the city from Jess and Maddie. Why is it the best, you ask? Likely because its interior looks exactly like a spaceship. Yup, this is why I love Korea.

While we had hatched a plan to visit this noraebang before the girls left, it sadly never came to fruition due to time constraints. Thankfully, I have some amazing 3G (giving, good, and game) friends still kicking around Korea who love to sing and find my tone-deaf singing voice endearing.

Mary, Steph, Nina, Katie, and I visited the spaceship noraebang, called Energy Core, in early April. Energy Core was our first stop in KSU that evening, and the excitement was palpable. As we descended the stairs into the noraebang, we saw that Jess and Maddie were proven right. Energy Core had all the blinking lights, metallic gray walls, and leafy plants we could have ever wanted from a spaceship-themed karaoke place. We were very impressed with our service and our spacious room, with its sprawling red couch and polka-dotted pillows. There is truly nothing better than having expectations of dank smelliness and instead being treated like a space prince!

The song selection at Energy Core was absurd. I’ve heard tell that many noraebangs in Busan (and Korea generally) usually lack adequate songs for Westerners to sing, but this was not the case here. Energy Core’s songbook catered to American Top 40, K-Pop, J-Pop, and classic songs dating back to the 1970s (and perhaps beyond – I didn’t really study it that closely).

The five of us sang a variety of #relevant tunes including “Escape” by Enrique Iglesias, “Best Song Ever” by One Direction, “Red” and “22” by Taylor Swift, and “Timber” by Pitbull ft. Ke$ha. In addition, since we’re all living in Korea, we felt we would be totally remiss if a rendition of “Let It Go“, from the Frozen OSD, didn’t happen. The video recordings of these sing-a-longs will never see the light of day, I promise you that.

We closed out our hour at Energy Core with the rather nostalgic “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind (a total throwback to summer 2012). As the music stopped and the lights went up in our room, I couldn’t help but think how absolutely charmed life in Korea is these days.

Overall, Energy Core’s decor, songbook, and price are out of this world, so blast off into an hour or two of pure ecstasy with Energy Core today! (LOL space puns).

Directions
To get to the Energy Core Noraebang, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Kyungsung University/Pukyong National University Station (stop 212). Go out exit 5 and proceed straight. Once you reach the Outback Steakhouse, turn left and continue straight for two blocks. Turn right and the noraebang will be on your left. Take the stairs down to B2, and you’re at Energy Core! Entrance is ₩16,000 for one hour.