Music Video: Super Junior "Mamacita"

Super Junior is one of my favorite groups. I like this video. The video has a good concept and story line. The song has a good beat and I like the dancing.

Korean Baseball Game

On Saturday August 23, 2014 I went to a Korean baseball game. The Doosan Bears (home team) were playing the NC Dinos at Jamsil Sports Complex in Seoul. The game started at 6pm and wasn't over till around 10:15. I like baseball, but 4 hours is too long!! This was my 2nd Korean baseball game.

I don't know the guy's name that sang at the beginning of the video. He is a popular singer in Korea. 2 girls from Kpop group 'Girl's Day' threw the first pitch. One girl threw and the other attempted to hit the ball.


Korean baseball games are a lot of fun. There are tons of food choices, but you can bring in your own drinks and snacks. I had a chicken sandwich from KFC and my friend brought a snack for me. I went with one of my students, her coworker and her coworkers 2 kids. We sat on the home team side in the infield near 1st base.

I really like how the crowd gets into the game. They are constantly cheering.

The NC Dinos won 9-7. The Bears were ahead by a few points for most of the game, but the Dinos came from behind and won the game. 5 of their runs were scored in one inning.

I wish I could go to more baseball games, but the season is over soon and there aren't any games that fit into my schedule.



**warning the video might be loud so you may need to turn down the sound. The crowd was loud.

Music Video: JJCC "Bing Bing Bing"

Genre: Hip Hop
Debut: 2014
Members: Simba, E.co, Prince Mak, Eddy, San Cheong
Label: Jackie Chan Group Korea

The first JC stands for Jackie Chan. The 2nd JC stands for Join Cultures. When the name is put together it means "Jackie Chan Joint Cultures". Jackie Chan is a fan of Kpop and he formed the group. There are 4 Koreans and one Chinese Australian in the group. They can speak English, Korean, and Chinese. Their dance skills include ballet, bboy, and popping. (impressive!)

This was the first time I had seen this group. I really enjoyed the music video. I like the special effects and the dancing. The song is good too.

Music Video: Jang Beom June "Difficult Woman"

I liked this video. Great song and cute video. I especially like the ending.

Korean Food: Naeng Myeon 물 냉면

냉면 means cold noodles. The version I got is 물 냉면. 물 means water.

Naeng myeon is made with long thin noodles. You can get the noodles cut so it is easier to eat. The restaurant will cut them with kitchen scissors. It is served in a steel dish with a tangy iced broth, egg, and cucumbers. 

Spicy mustard and vinegar are added before eating. (I didn't know what was in those containers so I didn't add anything!)

I never thought I'd get full off of noodles, but I couldn't finish my bowl!

63 Wax Museum

I went to the 63 Building because I got a good deal through the Seoul Pass app. I could see 3 attractions (Wax Museum, Sky Art, and Sea World) for 23,000 won ($23). This was a 48% discount from what you would pay to see each individually)

The wax figures were made by a Japanese artist. There are figures of actors, presidents, sports stars, and other famous figures in history.

Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/106518880659515557565/albums/6044411169516394673
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Directions: Yeouinaru Station (Subway line 5 purple) Exit 4. Walk out of the exit and turn around. Turn left at the stoplight and walk on the left hand side. Walk about 80m. There will be a free shuttle bus that will take you to the 63 Building.( you can also ride the shuttle bus back to where you got on) The 63 building is a tall gold building. When you enter the building go to B1 to get your ticket. The Wax Museum is on B3. There is a staircase that leads down to the wax museum from B1.

Hours: 10:00-10:00

Price: 14,000 won ($14) adults, 13,000 won (youth, children, seniors)

63 Sky Art

I went to the 63 Building because I got a good deal through the Seoul Pass app. I could see 3 attractions (Wax Museum, Sky Art, and Sea World) for 23,000 won ($23). This was a 48% discount from what you would pay to see each individually)

Sky art is the highest art gallery. Its located on the 60th floor of the 63 Building. I didn't really go to see the art. I went to see the view of the city. I love going to tall buildings and looking out over the city.

You aren't suppose to take photos of the artwork. Someone stopped me when I was halfway through the museum.

The art exhibitions change from time to time during the year. There was a print making exhibition going on when I went.
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Directions: Yeouinaru Station (Subway line 5 purple) Exit 4. Walk out of the exit and turn around. Turn left at the stoplight and walk on the left hand side. Walk about 80m. There will be a free shuttle bus that will take you to the 63 Building.( you can also ride the shuttle bus back to where you got on) The 63 building is a tall gold building. When you enter the building go to B1 and get your ticket. Then go to the sky art entrance and ride the elevator to the 60th floor.

Price: 12,000 won ($12) (adults), 11,000 won (seniors, children, youth)

Hours: 10:00-10:00

Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/106518880659515557565/albums/6044412819161006385

63 Sea World

I decided to the 63 Building because I found a good deal on the Seoul Pass app. For 23,000 won ($23) you could see Sea World, Sky Art, and the Wax Museum. The app said it was a 48% discount. If you paid for each one individually you would pay 45,000 won ($45).

(In the Seoul Pass app its listed as the 63City Big3 package under amusement parks)

63 Sea World is located on B1 of the 63 Building in Seoul. It opened in 1985 and was the first public aquarium in South Korea. They have over 400 species and 20,000 marine creatures. They have various shows throughout the day. I watched the seal show.
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Directions: Yeouinaru Station (Subway line 5 purple) Exit 4. Walk out of exit 4 and turn around. There will be a stoplight. Turn left at the stoplight and walk down the left side of the street. Walk about 80m. There will be a free shuttle bus that will take you to the 63 building. The 63 building is a tall gold building. Sea World is on B1. The shuttle bus will also take you back to the location where you got on.

Price: 19,000 won ($19 adults), 16,000 won (children 4+, youth, seniors)

(I used the Seoul Pass app and paid 23,000 won to see 3 attractions)

Hours: 10:00-10:00

Website: https://www.63.co.kr/home/63CITY/eng/seaworld/intro.do

Show Schedule: https://www.63.co.kr/home/63CITY/eng/info/timetable.do?gb=A&lang=en

Ticket info: https://www.63.co.kr/home/63CITY/eng/info/ticket

Han River Cruise (Seoul, South Korea)

I have a lot of adventures in South Korea. They don't always turn out as planned, but oh well. Everything can't be perfect.

I decided to go on the Han River Cruise during my vacation. It was raining, but I still went. The cruise dock was easy to find from the directions.

I decided to go on the 3:30pm cruise. I got there early to make sure I had enough time to get my ticket. First you have to fill out a embarkation ticket which lists your name, phone number, birthdate and gender. Then you get in line for your tickets. I got my ticket from the Seoul Pass app for 10,800 won (about $10.80). The regular price for the normal cruise in the day time is 12,000 won. When you buy something from the Seoul Pass app the ticket is stored on your phone in the app. I handed them my phone and they didn't know what to do. I had to stand to the side for a while until they figured it out. By the time they figured out what to do it was 3:28pm. I was hoping I wouldn't miss the cruise! I was able to make it on time.

First I went to sit down on the first floor inside a room with a lot of chairs. I didn't like the view from inside the room so I moved to the 2nd floor which was open. It was raining so I had to try to film while holding my umbrella. It was also foggy. I still got some decent footage. Once my ipad started getting wet I put it up for the majority of the trip. I don't want to damage it.

On the cruise you can see various sites in the Yeouido area. The cruise lasts for an hour.

It wasn't the best of conditions, but it was still a good experience.
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Directions: Yeouinaru Station (Subway line 5 purple) Exit 3. Walk out of exit 3 and head down toward the water past the bicycle/pedestrian sidewalks. Follow the sidewalk for about 5 minutes. On the left hand side you'll see e-land cruise. On the right hand side there will be a ticket booth. Get your ticket at the booth and then head down to the terminal to get on the boat.

Price: 12,000 won for a regular cruise during the daytime (adults). (10,800 with the Seoul Pass app)
(There are special cruises that are more expensive at other times)

Times: 11:30, 1:30, 2:20, 3:30, 4:40

Operating Hours: 10:00-10:00

Pictures:

I completed 11 weeks!

Now I've completed 11 weeks in South Korea. I don't blog much these days because not much is happening. I just give short updates. As of now I am sticking it out.

 My classes are going pretty good. My worst class was given to the other teacher. My schedule changes all the time.

We got a new teacher 2 weeks ago. The other teacher went home to America and will be teaching in China soon.

We have a new schedule starting on August 11. A few classes are changing. My phonics class moved up to reading. A class that I taught spelling will be moving up to reading.

 This week, August 4-8 I will be on vacation! I'm going to visit a few sites around Seoul. I may take a short journey to the beach also. I have to check the weather. Its rainy season and the beach won't be much fun during the rain.

 During vacation they are doing some renovations at the school. I know they are getting new flooring in the lobby area. They are getting some new desks and chairs and making a kitchen area in one of the classrooms. On August 11 all the teachers have to show up an hour early to clean up before starting work.

 It is so hot lately. I go outside for a few minutes and sweat is pouring down my face. Yesterday it was 95 degrees, but the Weather channel said it felt like 100. I will be so glad when summer is over! The rainy season hasn't been too bad. We've only had a few downpours. 11 down..

41 to go

Aqua Planet Ilsan (Goyang, South Korea)

On Saturday I decided to go to Aqua Planet in Ilsan. I was using an app called 'Seoul Pass' which offers discounts on various attractions in the Seoul area. The price is normally 27,000 won (about $27), but I got it for 22,950won (about $23). I just purchased the ticket and showed it on my smartphone at the 2nd floor entrance.

There were a lot of people there on Saturday. I didn't take many photos due to the crowd and it was too dark to get decent shots with my DSLR. I did make videos on my ipad mini.

I enjoyed the Aquarium.

Aqua Planet Ilsan is an aquarium + zoo in Goyang, South Korea. It is in the Ilsan area right beside One Mount Mall. They have 325 different kinds of animals which are mostly sea animals. The aquarium is the largest in the Seoul area.

Website: http://www.aquaplanet.co.kr/ilsan/eng/

Hours: Open every day from 10-7 (last admission 30 mins prior to closing)

Price: Adults 27,000, Children under 13 and seniors 22,000, Youth aged 14-19 24,000

(Download the Seoul Pass app for a 15% discount--22,950 won--you download the app, Aqua Planet is under 'amusement parks', purchase the ticket, then show it on the 2nd floor at the entrance to the 'aqua' section-----Seoul Pass is an app that gives discounts to various attractions in the Seoul area. It is available for IOS and Android)

Directions: Seoul Metro Juyeop Station exit 2 (Line 3-orange), walk straight for about 10-15 minutes, cross over a pedestrian overpass, the aquarium is on the right beside One Mount Mall

Video: