Dad Came To Korea!

My Father Mike Manary made it to Korea after 21 hours in transit, and had what we both consider to be one of the best weeks ever!  I packed our tentative schedule full (with a little room for error.. which was sometimes needed), and we had an amazing time.  The room for error in the schedule was in the form of several optional events, along with the possibility to end things earlier than I normally would.  There were a couple things we couldn't get to (especially in Seoul), but Dad really hung tough for a couple nights out with us young guys (who were on a vacation)!

I went to Busan's Gimhe Int'Nat Airport on Saturday night (9/29) to meet the Padre around 8:30, and watched him come through the gates a little closer to 9:30.  I know I used this photo in the last post, but it deserves to be in this one too.

This was such a cool moment for me.

We got his currency exchanged and discussed what the rest of the evening would look like.  We could have come straight back to my apartment in Ulsan, or we could drop his luggage in a motel and go watch my friend Yusef's Jazz band play.  My Dad loves Jazz, so I was pretty sure I could talk him into going, and I did ;)  We had a little trouble finding the place (Busan isn't exactly small, OR my city), but we beat the band there after they changed venues (and I knew where the new one was located).  After all of that travel my Dad made it until the music stopped at 1:30, and a little longer after that before we headed back to the motel.

Here we are at the Jazz concert (@ 'Ole 55's in Busan).  While there my band booked our first gig outside of Ulsan; set to play there on November 10th.

The next day we slept in, and then went out to find some Traditional Korean cuisine.  A lot of the BBQ restaurants (which was my original recommendation) are closed around lunch time, so we went to a seafood restaurant.  I thought it would be an interesting soup/gumbo dish with oysters, octopus and other exotic (and delicious) seafood.. turns out I took him to a RAW FISH restaurant for his first taste of Korea.  Oops.  It was still pretty good though, and the only real struggle was trying to eat with chopsticks, haha.  I forgot that I came to Korea already knowing how to use chopsticks (from eating at Mongolian BBQ a lot back in high school), so that is a common struggle for newbies to Asia.

Here is our delicious raw fish meal.  If you know how to use chopsticks.. then you'll recognize how off he was on day 1.  (haha)

Next we made our way back to the train station via subway, and ended up sharing a train with Keenan (from the band) and our great friend Rena (who sadly just left).  We played musical chairs and ended up sitting across from them for the hour trip up to Ulsan.  I think one of the best parts of this trip for my Dad was getting to really meet and talk to my good friends.  The majority of people that I have met here (as English teachers anyways) have been so wonderful.  We are very kind and respectful with each other, and as Dad pointed out, we have each other's backs.  I think he can now understand just how hard it is for me to leave this kind of environment after meeting the awesome people that are always around me.  Keenan is definitely one of my best friends, and this was a nice opportunity to talk about whatever.

Once we got back to my apartment we had about 2 hours to relax, and then we had a dinner party to attend for the holiday of Chusok.  As I mentioned before, I left some room for error in our schedule, and this was a day in which that was very necessary.  We had a number of very optional things to do on this Sunday morning/afternoon before the dinner party.  We didn't do a single one of them.  I didn't know if we would stay in Busan or not, and I didn't know that we would arrive back at my apartment around 5 PM!  In any case, it was all fine, and we took a taxi to this party around 7 o'clock.  The party was hosted by some new, but very good  friends of mine, Robert and Young.  They are a married couple that have been living in New York City for some time.  Robert is from England, Young is from Korea, but they both have lived in the US for years.  Robert is in my Korean language class, and Young is in the beginner level course (she immigrated to the States when she was relatively young.. no punn intended).  This was my second time over to their apartment for a meal, and it was a really nice time.  Again my Father really enjoyed meeting people that I see regularly, and this time from a slightly different perspective since they are much closer to his age.  Part of what is so interesting about the Korean culture is the whole hierarchical, Confucianism thing.  Hearing stories from a 24 year old English teacher living in Korea are very different than the stories you hear from a 50 year old Engineer.  Out of all the people we visited with during my trip, Robert ranks as one of the 2 most interesting guys to talk to according to the Padre, and that is part of the reason.  (Also Robert is just a really nice, intelligent and fun loving guy.  Cheers Robert!)

Mike, Ryan, Robert.

We didn't stay out at Robert and Young (who is also super nice and funny)'s place too late because the next day we had a trip to Seoul.  I purchased the bus tickets the week before, and they were for 8:50 Monday morning.  We would have taken the speed train (AKA the KTX) but it was already sold out when I purchased the tickets.  The bus takes 5 hours, and the KTX only takes about 2 1/2 hours, which is what we took back to Ulsan on Tuesday.  When you go to Seoul, you should have a whole week to do the city any sort of justice, but we gave ourselves just over a day.  I think it was still worth it, but it would have been cooler if we had had more time.  We decided on the bus ride to Seoul that we would have the following (tentative) itinerary:

MONDAY:

2:00 PM >Arrive

2:30 PM > Check into hostel/guest house

3:00 PM > Go visit Gyeongbok Palace

5:00 PM > Meet Alex (from the band) and his girlfriend Ellen.  Also meet my friends Justin and Charlie.

               > Visit Seoul Tower

7:00 PM > Have dinner at a Mexican Restaurant 

9:00 PM > ???

TUESDAY:

11:00 AM > Visit the Korean War Museum

2:00 PM > Visit Dongdae Mun Market (big street market)

4:20 PM > KTX back to Ulsan

Well almost everything on that schedule fell through... but we still had a blast!  We arrived on time, got some lunch at Lotteria (the Korean version of McDonald's), and made it to the guest house by 3:30.  We figured there was not enough time to see the palace, which wasn't a huge deal to us.  We were set to meet my friends at five, but got a little turned around at Seoul Station while transferring subway lines, so we were about 10 minutes late, as was everyone else.  (This transfer is very confusing.  I actually got VERY turned around doing a similar transfer my first time in Seoul by myself, for Global Gathering last year.)  We basically made it to Seoul Tower in good time.. but there was a 2 to 3 hour wait for the cable car that takes you to it atop a mountain.  It did not take us very long to decide that none of us wanted to stand in that line.  Too bad.  

Relaxing in our hostel before meeting everyone.

Next we went to the Mexican restaurant that Alex and Ellen were keen on going to, and had some interesting "Koreanized" Mexican food.  That was great, and we had to decide what to do with the rest of the night.  We were in Itaewon, which is a huge spot for Westerners to go and get rowdy, so we decided to have one drink out there.  Alex and Ellen had a train back to Ulsan around 10 PM, so they were parting ways after that.  Charlie lives near Gangnam, which has recently been made famous by the song "Gangnam Style," by Psy (see video below.. I can't imagine that you haven't seen it by now though).  It is basically the Beverly Hills of Korea, but not just for residence, it is also a very prominent business district.  

This may be the most famous man in the world right now.  Just remember: "Dress classy, and dance cheesy."

This is a little glimpse of us.. doing the awesome/ridiculous Gangnam Style dance.. in Gangnam.  So proud.  (As you can see Charlie on the left is.. less than enthused.  Justin and I were turning heads with our enthusiasm)

After Alex and Connie took off we headed there, and went to a few different places for drinks.  What was so great about this night is the conversations we had about Korean culture.  Justin and I came to Korea at the same time (he is the one playing guitar and dancing in my orientation talent show video), but Charlie has a much greater wealth of knowledge in regards to Korea.  He is from the UK, and he has been coming to Korea studying the language for 5 years off and on.  We had a variety of Korean foods, drinks, and chopstick practice to accompany the great conversations.  Charlie ranks as the 1st (or 2nd, to Robert) most interesting people my Dad met on this trip.  That is because of his extensive knowledge and insight on Korea and its culture.  We ended the night by going to the Norebang (private singing room), and we had a blast.  Dad and I sang a number of Classic Rock tunes, from CCR to the Rolling Stones, to Bob Segar.  It was great!

That night ran a little later than we anticipated, so we got a slightly later start than we 'planned.'  The only real regret I have about the stop in Seoul is that we didn't mingle enough at the hostel.  Some of my greatest memories in Korea so far have stemmed from the youth hostels, and the people I meet in them.  Since my Father has backpacked in the US and in Europe (way back when), I really thought staying in a hostel would be a great way to bring him back to his past experiences.  Unfortunately all we did was drop our stuff off, sleep, shower and leave.  I met a Chinese girl and a Swedish guy whilst my Dad was getting cleaned up Tuesday morning, but it was very brief.  We did make it to the Korean War Museum (which I have been to before), however when we arrived there around 1:30 PM, it was closed.  CLOSED!  Agghhh.  It's a good thing we had a great evening with Justin and Charlie (and Alex and Ellen too), because the Seoul Tower thing didn't work out, and now this happened.  There were some cool planes, helicopters and boats outside that we checked out, but it was fairly lame that it was closed.  

We clearly still enjoyed ourselves though :)

We made it to Seoul Station around 3:30, and had a 4:20 KTX train to catch.  Since we had a little time we went to find a small market (our late start made Dongdae Mun Market impossible), but we came up short.  We saw a free little art exhibition though, and it was very interesting.  We spent about 20 minutes there, and then went back to board our train.  The trip back was nice, faster than the bus, and smooth.  I guess there is a new KTX train that is almost ready for use that will only take 1 1/2 hours to make the Ulsan/Seoul journey.  A plane takes about an hour, so that is movin!'

In the art exhibition.  I really want to build a table/art piece like this some day!

Here is a little video on the KTX.

We arrived back in Ulsan and were set for a very rockin' night at the Royal Anchor, where 'Stache Potatoes was playing a show just for my Dad's visit.  We stopped back at my apartment and relaxed for an hour or two, then went for dinner at a Korean BBQ (finally!).  We got some pork BBQ (my favorite), and finally got my Father some kimchi.  That is a tough food for Westerners to get into, as it is spicy, garlicky, and strong in flavor, along with a slightly weird texture.  He 'tried' it, which is all you can really ask for.  Anyways the meal as a whole was very good, and he gave a big thumbs up for that one.

They give you big pieces of meat, tongs and scissors.  You can throw garlic, onions and kimchi on with the meat too if you like.  Also notice my t-shirt.  My Mom was so happy that she found this shirt displaying all the different styles of mustaches.  Of course I had to wear it for the concert!

Next we went to the Royal Anchor, where we had very successful concert for Pops.  Some of our friends from the other band Karaoke Dokey played for about 45 minutes, then we played for a little bit over an hour.  It was such great fun, and seeing my Dad really get into the songs we were playing (particularly our last song that encourages the entire crowd to dance and chant "Bah, bah, bah, da dah dah da, da da dah da!"), was one of my proudest moments as a band member.  It was AWESOME.  

The next day we met my co-teacher, Mr. Park, at 10:30 AM to go visit some temples and have a nice traditional dinner.  We rode my scooter out to Mr. Park's neighborhood which is on the other side of town, and that was just one more cool experience that Dad was able to have.  We stopped by Mr. Park's parents' house for a few moments, then we went out to visit Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa, which are recognized by Unesco as World Heritage sites (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/736)!   I've been to a couple of those now (1 in Jeju Island), so I need to start keeping track of which ones I have visited.  First we saw some amazing pagodas and statues at Bulguksa.  

Then we went to see the beautiful temple at Seokgulam, which is in a man made cave at the top of the mountain.  It was really nice and had a gorgeous view of the East Sea.  Truly amazing!  We bought some nice souvenirs and had a great picnic there.

We weren't done yet, and headed over to Gyeongju Historic Area which is also a Unesco World Heritage site (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/976).  Here there were several interesting things, but most notably were a famous ancient bell and a museum.  The bell has a myth, legend or story behind it, about a divine experience of a monk, who was compelled to offer a sacrifice to Buddha.  According to the story, this monk actually forged this bell with a young girl, as his sacrifice.  It sounds quite extreme (well.. read many other historical stories and you'll find similar or worse), but now when the bell is rung, it makes a tone that cannot be duplicated.  It is a mystery, that makes this a famous site in the world.  

The Museum was really cool too.  It wasn't the largest I've ever visited, but it had some really neat stuff that I'd never seen before.  There were many unique cultural art works inside, as well as several crowns of former kings and queens of the Korean Peninsula.  As someone who studied history, I feel like there is an infinite amount of material to learn, and I always appreciate a good museum.  I have only had the opportunity  to visit museums in America (and a few here in Korea) so far, so seeing some evidence of Royalty (and..feudalism?)  was quite exciting for me.  

Now this is the evening that my band and I had an interview scheduled for 8 PM.  We were doing pretty good on time, but we still had dinner in our plans, so we had to mind the time.  After the museum we went to a famous tofu soup restaurant that was nearby.  (In Korea there are many 'famous' restaurants, that basically serve the same food as many similar restaurants.  Somebody, however, decides which ones will be famous, so all of the celebrities that pass that area eat there, and sign a framed piece of paper on the wall.)  For that reason we waited about 30 minutes for our table, and had a great meal.  My Dad was a real trooper through this whole trip, but some meals (this one in particular) were just not his style.  We still had a nice meal nonetheless, and were off when we realized that it was 7 PM, and that I might be late for my interview.  

I think Dad's the only one looking real "photogenic" in this one, but you can see the meal that we had here.

We decided to leave my scooter in Mugeodong where Mr. Park lives, so that we could just get dropped off right in Downtown where we were meeting for the interview.  I linked the resulting article in the last post, so it is there if you would like to read it.  We arrived only 5 minutes late, and had a very interesting, and fun interview for about an hour.  I think it was just as cool for me as it was for my Dad, being my first 'real' interview.  Not to mention how much fun the guys and I had with it!   

Here I am with Deirdre Madden who contacted us about doing this interview.

Here are the fellas trying to think of something to say.  haha

After the interview Dad and I rode a sardine packed bus (what I call it, for obvious reasons) back to my apartment.  We finally got a relaxing night in, which was not only needed but also very appropriate since we both had school in the morning.  There was another party this evening, but we wisely declined on that one.  We watched Animal House (an absolute classic), and I gladly surrendered my bed to the Padre.

Thursday was the day that Dad finally got to see my school, and what it is that I actually came to Asia to do; teaching. Unfortunately the only day that he could come was the day that I had 6th graders.  Now, I think that most of my students really enjoy English, and are legitimately excited for my class.  Not the 6th graders.  They are at the point in their lives where they stop seeking the teacher's (i.e. MY) approval, and start to value their peer's approval much much more.  I don't mind that really because I do understand it, and I enjoy the challenge.  Even though the other grades would be much more fun to watch, this did allow my Father to see a side of me that he has never seen before, a disciplinarian.  He was a bit surprised by this, and told me after class, "don't be like this because I'm here."  I reassured him that his presence had nothing at all to do with my strictness.  These students are at a point where they do not yet know their boundaries.  I take most of their insubordination as disrespect, however I recognize that most of them are not trying to be disrespectful, they're just trying to fit in.  I can actually tell that some of them really want me to make a lesson interesting enough that they can participate without losing face.  Because of this I am quite strict with them, and the Padre came at just a good enough time to see how well he rubbed off on me ;)

Mr. Park told us to finish the 4th period about 10 minutes early, and come back to his room so we could go eat with the principle.  When we arrived at the classroom he was still teaching the 5th graders.  When he dismissed the class they swarmed my Dad, haha.

The last event of this trip was my good friend Connie's birthday/potluck party in which her mother Diana was in town for!  I prepared some of my 'famous' buttered ramen noodles with sauteed veggies and shrimp, some of my Grama Ehrman's cookies, and some of Mr. Park's pears.  We had a great time with about 20 others in Connie's tiny studio apartment.  It was a nice evening with great company for my Father's last night in Korea.  We got back relatively early since I had to teach in the morning, and he had a flight to catch in Busan at 2.  

This is Father and I with a good friend of mine Chrissy.  She is actually from Concord!  When she visited home last December she was working at Spats and ended up meeting my Aunt Peggy and Grama Manary.  What a small world!

Here is my Dad, Barry, Alex and Ellen at Connie's party. 

This was by far my longest post, and for good reason.  It hardly tells the story of this week, because there were so many parts where you 'just had to be there' to understand.  I'm hoping I have another visitor or two before I'm done living in Korea, but it will be hard to beat this.  We set the bar pretty high.  Thanks again Dad for coming, love ya!