Quesadillas, guacamole, and . . . whipped cream?

This is what I received for dinner a couple of nights ago. I am curious how this happened. This is what I think. A couple of Korean restaurant owners wanted to add Mexican food to there bustling, western style beach front restaurant. The problem was, they didn't know any Mexicans. No one they knew had had much luck with Mexican food in Busan, so they decided to consult Google, of course. They found out that a few popular Mexican food menu items were burritos, tacos, and quesadillas. I'm fairly positive they stumbled upon this picture of a quesadilla, because it looks remarkably similar to what I got, and it's also the first Google image that comes up when you search "quesadilla".  "Ok, well that looks like some sort of bread. After much a couple minutes of research, they found out it was a tortilla. They noticed it had cheese in the middle. A lot of cheese. "Cheese is expensive, so let's just forget that," they said. "Hmm, that red stuff is definitely salsa. I've seen it in the Mexican sauces section at E-Mart." They weren't so sure about the green stuff. Again, after a few minutes of research, they found out it was guacamole. "This has a lot of ingredients. Why don't we just smash up the avocado and call it good." The white side through them for a loop. What could it be? Mayonnaise? Once again, they turned to their dear friend Google. I am positive something was lost in translation here. Sour cream somehow became whipped cream, and obviously they are the same color, right? Easy mistake to make. . . if you have NEVER had Mexican food before!!! I have had enough poorly made western food here to just laugh it off at this point, and avoid it most of the time. In this case I saved it until the end and ate it like dessert. :)

A week in review:
The teacher's hike last week was great. We hiked near a temple on the north side of the city. I unfortunately don't know any more details about where we were than that. I asked the vice principal if I could take a group picture of all the teachers, and he said no. "Amy, natural pictures better." He took my camera out of my hand and started snapping away. He then made me sit awkwardly on a stump so he could take pictures of me "for my America family." This is the aftermath.

This weekend we decided to take a last minute trip to a town about an hour away, Gyeongju. We were tagging along with friends of friends, so we weren't sure what was in store for us. We found out when we got there that we were going to rent ATV's. I'd never driven one before, but was up for it regardless.

Christine, Jon, Sam, Kurt, and I with our sweet helmets.

Sam used to go to horse camp. . . can you tell?

The next day we checked out Bulguksa Temple. The fall colors where stunning, and the Temple wasn't half bad either, except for the hordes of tourists.

I finally caught something on film I have been waiting months for! The Matching Couples Phenomenon.

This isn't the best example, but you get the idea. They have matching Levi's sweatshirts. I bet the girl is upset because he's wearing it around his waist and it isn't actually on. Still working up the nerve to ask a Korean why they do this.

More updates to come after Halloween!!!

Festivals, Festivals, Festivals!

It is festival season here in Busan. Everywhere you turn, you will see a sign for a festival currently going on or one about to happen. Last week was the Pusan International Film Festival. Films played all over the city, and we were able to catch movies from Albania, France, and Australia.

Waiting for the movie "Sisters" to begin at the outdoor theatre

This weekend was the Busan Fireworks Festival  I can safely say it was the best fireworks show I have ever seen. It lasted about 40 minutes and some, well, interesting music to accompany it. Everything from the Sound of Music to Heal the World by Michael Jackson was played.

In other news, I currently have a friend from CU crashing in my kitchen/ guest bedroom. Jon moved out here a couple of weeks ago to look for a job and was very fortunate to get one at his friend Kurt's private school (hagwon). He was staying with Kurt and their other high school buddy Sam in Kurt's one bedroom apartment, so I offered up my floor to ease the burden. Jon is very easy going, and it's nice right now to have someone else around to hang out with all the time.

Jon and I out and about.

Not a lot else to report. Tomorrow I get to take the afternoon off to go hiking with the some of the staff. For some reason I am getting paid extra to go on this hike since it is mandatory. I don't get that at all, but I won't question it!

I will leave you with this. . .

Seoul and Beomeosa

Day 52 in Korea: This could be the most boring news ever, but I am now bronchitis free!! After 3 trips to the doctor, I finally got enough meds to cure me. I think. I coughed once today, panicked for a moment, and then realized a bus had just driven by and I had inhaled enough exhaust to make any healthy person cough. OK, I promise to never blog about my cough again, but boy am I glad that is over with!

The girls and I had a whirlwind of a trip to Seoul that started off with a bang, at least for me anyway. Our train was departing at 6:10, so the plan was to meet at the station at around 5:45 to get situated. My co-teacher was taking me to the doctor directly after school for another check-up and another round of medication, so I knew I would be cutting it close. I was in and out by 5:15, but that only left me 30 minutes to get to the station, which was completly impossible in traffic. I took a deep breathe, got on the next bus, and told myself somehow everything was going to be ok. Realistically I could be there by 5:55, but I would have to book it. The problem was, I wasn't actually sure where to get off and where to go once I finally did. As 5:45 struck on my awkward little Korean phone, I anxiously called Amy. "I think I'm close but I'm not sure! You might have to go without me!" I decided to ask a young man on the bus how far Busan Station was, and he replied, "a little". Hmm ok. When it was finally my stop, he motioned for me to exit and we got off together. It was 6:00 and I told him I had to catch my train in 10 minutes and asked where to catch the KTX. "10 minutes? Let's go!!" We both took off in a sprint and I followed hom across a busy intersection, through a park, up an escalator, and into the station. I thanked him profusely, as I absolutely never would have found it in time had he not run with me and taken me there. How many people do you know that would do that? Take the time to help a complete stranger, let alone a foreigner, find their way? "Eh, cross the street and you'll find it over there," is probably what most people would say/do. I will definitely be paying it forward. I sat down in my seat at 6:08pm. And we were off. . .

Because of the Chuseok holiday, most things in Seoul were closed down. We managed to get a little shopping in, go to the famous Changdeokgung palace, and visit the War Memorial museum. Unfortunately we didn't plan very well ahead of time and the weekend was a little scattered. This won't be my only visit to Seoul, so next time we will get a lot more in. Somehow I managed to forget my camera, so when I have a chance to get some photos from Christine, I will post them

We had Monday off as well, so we decided to go on a hike starting at Beomeosa Temple. Like most photos of temples, you can't truly appreciate the beauty and intricacy unless you see it in person. The hike was about 5k and took a couple hours with a couple water breaks and a stop for lunch.

Christine, Sam, Amy, and Jon at the top.

A whopping 801 meters! Not even half the elevation of Denver. :)

We purchased this tile for 10,000 won to dedicate to the temple.

This week is the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF). We were able to get tickets to 3 movies and I am totally stoked. Read more about it here: http://www.piff.org/ We are going to see Honeymoons tonight, the world premiere of the French film Sisters tomorrow, and The Waiting City next Thursday. Looking forward to a great weekend!

Where did you go, September?

I know everyone says this all time, but this time I really mean it. I have no idea where the last month went. What did I do? A lot, and a whole lot of nothing at the same time. Lesson learned: keep moving. My time here is short and if I want to see everything there is to be seen and do everything there is to do, I better be more productive then September. I will chock it up to getting acclimated to my new city . . . ahh excuses. Though I want to feel like I live here and am not just a tourist, I need to force myself to get out there more and do "touristy" things. One of the most rewarding things I have done thus far was something touristy - visting Busan Tower. Going to the top and checking out the whole city was awesome, and I will definitely pay the 4000 won to do it again in the future.

Yesterday was my first day of volleyball practice. Such a good time! Volleyball is a big sport here, and every school staff seems to have a team. "Amy, you tall and have blonde hair, you play on our volleyball team???" This was one of the first questions presented to me my first day teaching a month ago. I gladly said yes, and forgot about it until they told me on Monday we were starting practice this week. The language barrier is a never ending struggle, but if there are two things language can transcend, it is sports and music. All you have to do is play!

This evening we leave for Seoul.  I am so excited!! We have an idea of all the things we want to do, but I don't think we will make any final decisions until we get there. Christine's friend who lives there is going to be in Hong Kong for the weekend, and was kind enough to let us stay at her apartment for a few days.

I am going back to the doctor after school today. No, my cough is STILL not gone. :(  I don't think 3 days of antibiotics was enough, but maybe that's just me. The doc also suggested buying a humidifier since my cough is the worst at night, so I will try and pick one up when I get back from Seoul.

Here's to an October filled with new adventures. . .and of course more mishaps!