Kapjagi Canada

The pride and joy of our apartment

1st day of school!

Hey, it's been a while!  A lot has changed in our lives since our last post and perhaps some of you are interested to hear about it.  Trevor and I are now in Winnipeg, Manitoba all the way up here in Canada! A lot of people have asked us why in the world we would come here of all places.  Seems a bit random eh?  It's all due to the fact that Trevor got into graduate school here.  The professor he is working with wanted Trevor on his research team which means he is basically getting paid to get his Master's Degree.  And guess what else? My little smarty pants is so amazing he even got a scholarship (which doesn't directly give us more money but helps the school make up for the tuition they're basically paying for)! Isn't he just the best?!?

So, the past couple of months have been spent planning, fretting, apartment searching, worrying, packing, moving, unpacking, packing again sort of (long story), stressing, moving, unpacking, starting grad school (for Trevor), and an abundant amount of job searching (for me).  I can't begin to thank everyone who helped us on the journey especially Trevor's family for letting us store all of our stuff in their house, helping us pack up our u-haul and helping us haul our trailer all the way to South Dakota.  I also have a heart full of gratitude to who used to be complete strangers to us, the Smith family.  Even though they had never met us, they reached out to us and let us stay in their home until we found our own apartment.  They were extremely kind, hospitable and crucially helpful in our move and adjustment to the city.

There is so much to talk about concerning the first couple of weeks in a new city, but there's too much and if I start going into all the frustrating things, it just makes me not want to be here anymore (moving to a new city is hard!) so I've been really trying to think of the fun and positive things we've been doing!

One of our first excursions was of course (who can guess...it was Trevor's pick...it has to do with animals...) to the zoo!  The Assiniboine Park Zoo is especially known for its polar bear exhibit (it is Canada after all, eh).  Aside from the pristine polar bear exhibit, my favorites were the butterfly greenhouse (I wish I would have taken more pictures there) and the snow leopard (gotta support my love for felines).  Another favorite excursion was to a sculpture/botanical garden.  I guess you can say Trevor and I have a mutual adoration for living things.

Most of our time so far has been spent getting to know the city and going here there and everywhere to stock up our new apartment with new furniture and food.  If you ask me though, it's a lot easier to do here than in Korea because guess what? They speak English over here! Yay!!! Otherwise, Trevor has been busy getting things started at school and has even gone out in the field doing data collection on bats (gross, I know ;) ).  I am still looking for a job and even though it's been almost 7 weeks, I'm still waiting on my work visa to be accepted so basically every time employers hear I'm still waiting on that, I never hear from them again although I've gone to several interviews.  Ah well, patience is a virtue I guess.  My patience doesn't run out very fast but the people at the visa office are making it wear very thin these days!

Well, that's it for us for now.  I don't know how often I'll update the blog now because hopefully I'll be busy with a full-time job and Trevor will be busy with grad school.  I'm thinking that the next place we move has to start with a c/k sound so we can keep up with this kapjagi alliteration theme!  Here's to hoping the next blog update is about a job offer!  Until then, any prayers pointed our way are extremely appreciated :)

What did I do?

So I know most of you know why we went to Korea: Trevor got a job teaching English. When people hear this the number one question always is well Kelsey what did you do that whole time? I invested my time and talents in the English speaking community in our section of the city. There is a decent number of foreigners in Ulsan due to large companies such as Hyundai and Exxon Mobil that hire several engineers to work on projects abroad.  Most of these foreigners have families and most of the families prefer to have someone who speaks fluent English to babysit their kids.  Here is where I come in.

I started out doing several babysitting jobs and after talking to one of the moms, it came to my attention that there were several parents looking to put their kid in a dance class.  When Trevor and I first moved to Ulsan we had asked about starting a dance class at the clubhouse in our apartment complex.  At the time they said there was already someone doing kids dance classes and we couldn't do a duplicate class.  It wasn't until about January this year that we heard from these parents that several of them wanted to put their child in a dance class so we went back to the clubhouse and there was still someone doing kids dance classes but for some reason this time it was ok for me to start my own kids dance classes.  Miscommunication? Misunderstanding of policies/procedures? I don't know what it was but eventually I was able to start 2 dance classes of my own.  They were small classes but they were classes nonetheless.

So, aside from continuing to babysit, I made lesson plans and carried out lessons once a week for two classes at our clubhouse.  The first class was a Mommy and Me class for toddlers.  We worked on fine and gross motor movements and learned a few basic qualities of dance.  Mostly we just wiggled and jumped and spun in all sorts of creative ways.  We even had movement activities to help learn numbers, colors, and shapes!  Close to the end of my time in Korea we had a little "recital" where the kids could show off to their families what they had been learning.  Here are a few snippets of the Mommy and Me class Daddy style. (I asked the dads to join us for the recital so the moms could have a break.  It was great fun!)

The next class is for anyone else who was too old to do the toddler class.  I picked tap for this class and I think it was a great success.  Special kudos go to the youngest in the class who just turned 5 when we started!  She had to keep up with the advanced dexterity, balance, and experience of the older girls!  Take a look at their final project at our recital!

They all did such a good job and I had a blast teaching them!  I am sad that I had to leave them and I am so grateful for the opportunity to teach them.  As many of you may know, I am back in the United States.  Trevor is sadly still in Korea waiting for his contract to be over.  I came home early because the flight was much cheaper in June than end of July and to get things ready for us to move to Canada (Winnipeg for Trev to attend grad school at the University of Winnipeg for those who haven't heard!)  I miss my sweetheart so much and can't wait until he gets home!

The Skin You're In

Ok here's the post about public bath houses I promised you like 2 months ago.  A post like this is hard to write because experiencing a public bath house is an indescribable experience and a sensitive subject on which to offer my opinion without making things weird.  

I'd like to note that most of the people who read this blog (hey mom!) are most likely fairly conservative and if you're like me, don't even feel comfortable walking around in a swim suit.  The next thing I'd like to clarify is the way bath houses are in South Korea.  Basically, there is a section for men and a section for women.  You go in, put your shoes in a cubby, find your designated locker, strip down (yes completely) and head on in to the bath area.  Before getting into any of the pools, you scrub yourself down in a quick shower.  Then you are free to roam around and find whatever pool suits your personal needs.

I'm sure that each bath house has different options and are different sizes but I'll tell you about the one I went to.  We went to a fairly popular bath house in Busan when Kelley and Birch came to visit.  Yes, I stripped down naked and bathed with my mother-in-law.  Not as bad as some of you might imagine ;). We went in and they give you a little waterproof key on a bracelet that you keep with you the whole time you're bathing (it's on a bracelet because naked people don't have pockets). Once you have your key you use it to open your cubby for your shoes.  The first little cubby is for shoes only and further in you have a bigger locker for everything else.  As soon as Kelley and I turned the corner after putting our shoes away, the first stark naked Korean woman walked past us and that's when it hit.  We're really doing this!

I'll be honest with you, I DID NOT want to go to a public bath house.  You can probably imagine the number of reservations I had about bathing naked in front of a bunch of strangers.  I will be honest once again and let you know that after that initial shock of the first naked woman we saw walked past, it only took about 5 minutes to realize I was being completely silly to be so nervous.  We're basically pretty much the same under those clothes and when every person in the room has nothing but their skin, you come to realize it's really not that big of a deal.  

Ok, back to the play by play of how the bath house works.  After you shower, you can choose from several different pools of varying purpose and/or temperature.  There are warm pools, hot pools, extra hot pools, and cool pools.  There's an area to do more detailed scrubbing and personal preening and whatnot.  There are some pools that have stuff in them like the lemon tea pool.  You can also go upstairs to check out the different sauna rooms.  Once you are squeaky clean, completely relaxed and have  bathed to your hearts content, you can put on some pajama-like clothes and go to the co-ed area and nap on the heated floors or you can just go back to the locker room to change back into your own clothes.  They also had a few areas where you could sit down and do your hair and makeup.  They even provide hair driers and lotions and brushes.  Once you're fully beautified, you go pick up your shoes, pay for your visit, and leave.  

To answer some questions I know you all have, yes, I enjoyed myself.  Yes, we were stared at for being foreigners.  Yes we didn't realize we should shower first and were told to get out of the first pool and shower before we continued.  Yes there were people there of every age, shape, and size.  No I wasn't grossed out about being in pools with naked people.  Yes the pools are very well maintained and are decorative not just like holes in the ground. Yes I felt very good and refreshed and clean when I left.  Yes I would recommend the experience to anyone who has a chance to visit South Korea if nothing else but for a cultural experience you won't get another chance to have.  If you have any questions or opinions or experiences on the matter you'd like to share, feel free to leave a comment!

So Much Sand!

This weekend we played in the sand at the beach in Busan!  The main attraction at the sand festival are giant sand sculptures along the beach.  We had great company with us too!  A family from church who will be here for a few months came with us and it was so fun.  Aside from the sand sculptures there were also various activities like a sand maze, make your own hourglass, 4-wheeling in the sand, and digging for treasure for the kids.  I guess I have too much on my mind or something because I can't make intriguing and well-though sentences right now so here are some pictures!

 Trevor says it's the first baby who's actually liked him

 Splish Splash! Fun in the ocean

 Sand getting EVERYWHERE was never so cute!

 Some of these are so detailed it was amazing!

 "Take a picture of me by the bare bum!"

 It was actually just cloudy enough to not be warm enough to really go swimming but just sunny enough for me to need sunscreen :(

I still haven't figured out what exactly I want to say about my experience at a Korean bath house but maybe I'll figure it out by next week. Stay tuned regardless ;)

We Got Visitors!

Last week was completely jam-packed as Trevor and I did our best to show Trevor's parents as much of Korea as physically possible!  We absolutely loved having Birch and Kelley come visit and we had so much fun showing them around this beautiful country.  They were real troopers as we walked them absolutely here, there, and everywhere.  Birch kept track of the miles and flights of stairs and I can't remember what it all came out to, but I can say it was A LOT!!! Thanks for coming to see us!

We took a ton of pictures and videos of our adventurous week so it was hard to consolidate them to only a few favorites so this might be a bit of a long post! Hope you enjoy I think we saw and did a lot of cool stuff!

 The first day we were all in Seoul.  We took the opportunity to do a session at the LDS Temple in Seoul which was really great.  You have to walk up a pretty good hill to get to the temple and Kelley said that finally she saw the Moroni and knew she could make it after that :D.  I am so blessed to have so many family members who have the same beliefs as me.

 They look so good especially for having a long long day of traveling the day before and probably being jet lagged beyond belief! Plus what a great background too, am I right?

 I really really wanted to sit in the middle of this and have Trev pull me around like an Asian princess

 This is one of the big buildings of the King's Palace at Gyeongbookoon.  Lots of cool traditional architecture and artifacts.

 While in Seoul, we met up with Bart, an exchange student who lived with Kelley and Birch for a few weeks to study a couple of years ago.  He took us around the touristy shopping district and to a really cool tea shop.  After our time in Seoul, we all went to our house in Ulsan, but didn't stay for long because there's so much more to see!  The very next day we traveled to Gyeongju to see more traditional Buddhist temples.

 Every sightseeing place in Gyeongju is always spectacularly scenic.  Bulguksa and Seokuram are certainly no exception.  Korea is very green and vibrant right now so we were able to bask in its full glory.

 Great view of the temples at Bulguksa.  It was such a nice day!

 This is at Seokuram.  There are a ton of colorful lanterns up all around Korea right now because it is getting close to Buddha's Birthday.  The colors added vibrancy to the already beautiful scenes.

Well, we certainly wore them out ;) What great sports letting us drag them all around and up and down where the only breaks were on various forms of transportation between places.

 There was a giant bell at one of the temples.  Birch decided to have a go.  The sound quality of the video doesn't even give the sound of the bell a tiny bit of justice.  It was much louder and gong-ier in real life.

We heard about a random lantern festival in Ulsan so we decided to go.  We heard about about an hour or so too late and only made it for the last half of the parade but we still had fun and got to check out a little flea market at the park below.

 Here is a little snip-it of the lantern parade.  Once again, better in person.

 This is one of my favorite places in Ulsan.  It literally translates to "flower rock" due to the unique rock formations.  It is also beautiful because it is right on the coast and there are bridges that light up when it gets dark.  We went right after a storm so the ocean was really acting up with big waves.

 A night view of our "side of town" across the way

 I love my baby!

 This was probably my favorite part of the trip.  There is a temple on the sea close to Busan that Trevor and I have never been to before.  It was incredibly beautiful and we definitely recommend it if you ever visit South Korea.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves here.

 So pretty.  Photo credit goes to Trevor for this awesome panoramic view!

 Throw a coin into the fountain and if you make it into either of the bowls, you get good luck.  Watch the videos to see who makes it in!

Trev's turn!

My turn! If you know me at all or my track record in PE class in high school, you will truly realize how lucky it was for me to make it into the pot.  Mine was the one that bounced off the bottom wall into the bottom bowl.

 There was a monk chanting in one of the temples.  Pretty cool. Very serene.

Next was the beach in Busan.  The water was still pretty darn cold but we splashed around anyways.  This first pic is right after a big unexpected wave came up and got Birch's pants pretty wet! 

My little monkey splashin' around! :D

 Haha had to put this one up.  I told you we totally wore them out, right? ;)

Look at them, practically natives riding the public buses and stuff!

Here's some of the food we had on our trip. Couldn't help but get a delicious burrito while in Busan :D  Thanks Birch and Kelley for the great meal!

 Meat buffet! Yum Yum :D

 Jjim dark! Also yum yum!

 Can't forget Tangsuyuk

And jajangmyeun!

 This was a really great shabu shabu place.  It was a little more pricey but it was so good and high quality.  If you don't know what shabu shabu is, read one of my previous posts about food ;).  For anyone living in Ulsan, it's down by Ilsan beach close to Home Plus and the restaurant looks like a couple of mushroom tops.

 My monkey hears no evil. or something like that.  We went to the little zoo at Ulsan Grand Park.

 The end!  What a week!  We had easily 3 or 4 times more pictures than this and even more memories!  Thanks again for coming to see us we had a blast :D  Now everyone else who didn't come see us will be jealous ;)

A last little side note about our trip is that we went to a Korean bath house together.  That in and of itself deserves its own post I think.  Stay tuned ;)