April Roundup

1. The winners of the Brown & LCI kindergarten Reading Book (RDB) Contest. My fellow foreign co-teachers and I acted as judges for the RDB contest, an event that provides our students an opportunity to practice their public speaking abilities. The students are expected to memorize a short, topical book suited to their English level and present it to their peers. Students were judged on memorization, pace, and clarity. I served as the MC for the awards ceremony, and was so happy with our winners! Perhaps you can’t see, but that’s my favourite little noodle, Nina, hiding behind her certificate.

2. April marked the return of my Instagram hashtag #yogaboyinloafers. The picture above is me in bakasana, or crow pose, at the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival. Rest assured, as long as there are items left on my Korean Bucket List, there will be #yogaboyinloafers.

3. April, like it’s predecessor, was a month of handstands. Even though I still have crazy “banana back“, I’m now able to comfortably kick up into a handstand. As my dear friend Jess Sternberg always says: “I will handstand in 2014!”

4. My amazing friend and fellow Busanite, Steph, turned 23 in early April! This is Steph and I shortly after a Monday nightcap at the local watering hole, Thursday Party, in celebration of another year.

5. April was all about aggressive bucket listing. Over the course of the month, I managed to check off ten sights on my Korean Bucket List, including Jagalchi Market, Igidae Park, Busan Tower, and the “Let’s Eat Alley”. Big love to both Mary and Steph who were by my side at all ten sights!

6. A group photo of Brown & LCI’s kindergarten program after our April field trip to the Busan Aquarium. This photo was nearly impossible to coordinate, (I have recently likened it to “herding cats”), but I’m quite pleased with the final product. One interesting note: literally two minutes after we managed to get all 30something students onto the sand for the photo, a motorcyclist crashed his bike on the promenade where two of our classes had been sitting. The power of photography!

7. My first official beach day! After five cold, often drizzly months, Busan is gearing up for summer, and I couldn’t be more excited. This past weekend, the girls and I took to Haeundae Beach to enjoy a mid-afternoon beverage in the sand, and let me tell you: there is seriously nothing better than beach season in Busan. Vive le summer!

8. Another farewell. My good friend, Kendall, (whom I travelled with to Boracay last December), is leaving Busan at the beginning of May. The sad reality of teaching in South Korea for a year is that goodbyes are inevitable. I’ll miss Kendall a lot, but am wishing her all the best in California and Australia! À bientôt!

9. Brown & LCI’s Arbor Day event. The picture above is my homeroom class (Happiness Class) outside in Centum City’s Olympic Sculpture Park. Our entire kindergarten program took to the great outdoors to learn about gardening from experienced botanist, Dylan Teacher (not). The event was basically an excuse to let the kids roam free in the park, and in turn, snap adorable photos of the unsuspecting little munchkins.

10. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Tokyo! Nearly two weeks later, the entire trip feels like a surreal blur. Pictured above are my travel-mates – Kate, Steph, Mary, and Nina – who were a constant source of hilarity and comfort, during the fun and not-so-fun parts of the weekend.

April was jam-packed. I accepted an offer for the Postgraduate Certificate in Public Relations at Humber-Lakeshore in Toronto, and readjusted my future plans. Every single week at school had an event to prepare for; every single weekend had an itinerary to stick to; and even during my downtime, there were still things to execute. Yesterday marked my 9 month anniversary in South Korea, which means I only have 97 days left in Busan! I’m excited for my last 3 months in Busan before heading back to Canada, and have a lot of projects in the mix to keep myself busy with! Bring on May!

~ObSeSsEd~: March Edition

March: you came in like a lion and are going out like a lamb.

On a personal level, this month was one filled with change and facing the future. A new semester at school meant a new curriculum, new classes, and new students. Applying to school in Canada from a distance meant Skype interviews, written assessments, and contingency plans for the future. A near-death experience for a family member meant extreme uncertainty, helplessness, and a reevaluation of the things I hold dearest.

Through all of these changes, there have been so many amazing moments in March: two of my closest friends embarking on an around-the-world adventure; the arrival of my friend Steph in Busan; receiving acceptance to school for the Fall; continued exploration of Busan’s beautiful coasts, beaches, and temples; planning for upcoming trips around Korea, including Jinhae, Seoul, and Jeju Island; booking an impromptu trip to Tokyo; new and improved electronic devices improving my quality of life; adorable new kindergarten and elementary school students, and a shift in my thinking, toward the positive. March 2014 was not without its adversity or its beauty, and for that, I’m grateful.

This month’s obsessions include a return to yoga, some more delicious Korean nomz, and an long overdue education about Queen Bey.

Handstands
Or, if you’re fancy, “Adho Mukha Vrksasana”.

Over the last two weeks, I’ve re-launched my daily yoga practice (and along with it, the Instagram tag #yogaboyinloafers). Every weekday night, I head over to Steph’s apartment for a relaxed flow and some “yoga play”. Our personal mantra is all about being #limberandfree. In essence, our practice is a nonjudgmental space to vent and prattle about our lives, all while restoring ourselves physically and redefining our perspectives about the things out of our control.

My personal goals have centered around first, improving my flexibility and strength for arm balances, and second, perfecting the handstand. While I’ve seen a lot of improvement in both of these areas, there is still a long way to go. I frequently lose my balance during crow pose, my arms are often too weak to hold my 8-angle pose for extended periods of time, and I still need to use a wall for the majority of my handstand practice. Thankfully, I’m super motivated to see even more improvement, and am much more conscious these days that it’s about the journey, not the destination. As they say on Instagram, #iwillhandstandin2014!

Shabu-shabu
If you want a hearty meal that lets nothing go to waste, Google search for shabu-shabu restaurants in your area. The concept is simple: boiling hot water combined with thin slices of meat and vegetables. Once finished cooking, patrons place the goods on a thin rice paper, top it of with other non-boiled vegetables and sauces, and roll it up until it resembles a spring roll. Afterwards, it is customary to add noodles to the broth, as well as egg and rice to make a sort of fried rice dish. It’s an absurdly efficient way to put everything to use, and you end up with an empty hot pot.

Steph, Kendall and I went earlier today to Coco Shabu in Jangsan (Subway exit 7) and it was an ordeal.  A delicious ordeal, but an ordeal, nonetheless. I’m still feeling sluggish from my food coma, but I regret nothing.

For more information, there’s a fantastic video on the popular YouTube channel, Eat Your Kimchi, devoted to their personal experiences with Korean shabu-shabu.

Beyoncé
Many of you are likely to cry foul that I’m only now including Bey’s eponymous fifth studio album on my list of obsessions. In all honestly, the album has been completely off my radar since its December release. Thanks to persistent badgering from a few close friends at home in Canada, and Steph’s inclusion of the album in our recent yoga flows, I’ve received quite “an education”. Just call me Carey Mulligan.

My current obsessions from the album include “Drunk in Love” (along with every other Beyoncé fan out there), “Partition”, “Jealous”, and “Pretty Hurts”.

Apart from Bey’s own flawless work, the interwebz has greatly assisted in fostering my obsession. A Tumblr devoted to graphics of Beyoncé slicing and dicing the undead? Fantastic. A second Tumblr featuring screenshots of Downton Abbey paired with famous Bey lyrics? Amazing. My favourite YouTube vloggers covering excerpts of songs from Beyoncé? 6 minute of perfection.