Lost in Translation

Below are some funny Korean to English translations observed over the past three months:

"Beautiful woman salad"



"Kuchumber"

"Rip eye"

 

"Seefood"



Double Whammy

 

Bonus



The slogan for the local pizzeria



Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, rockin' everywhere

          One day a few weeks ago we hopped in our car and drove about an hour northeast to Yangsan for another Korean temple, Tongdosa. This Buddhist temple was founded in 646 AD and means to communicate and to save suffering people through truth. The main temple grounds were located about a mile into the forest and the eerie road that led to it was lined with pine trees that only had needles at the very tops. There were too many trees for a human to have done this and it added to the secretive and holy atmosphere of Tongdosa.

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                                                                               Pt. A is the Hotel, Pt. B is Tongdosa

           The first area of the temple was a fancy graveyard that was marked with many names to show all of the local monks who have passed away. After the graveyard was a large decorative sign leading people onward to the actual temple grounds. Much like the other temple Bulguksa, Tongdosa had four warriors in the guard building that all people must pass through to enter. When leaving many Koreans were bowing to these guards in thanks for their protection.

The graveyard and other relics



Gigantic entrance



Hand carved totem poles



Stone totem poles. One is a man who offers peace and protection from the sky and the other is a woman who offers peace and protection from the ground.



My favorite picture of the day



With two of the four guards

           Inside the main area there were over ten different temples with different sized Buddha’s all symbolizing something different. Monks were walking around praying as well as normal citizens. Each temple varied in size and appearance. Some temples were constantly refurbished while others had what looked like the original paintjob from hundreds of years ago. Outside the main temple grounds there were over a dozen satellite temples accessible by car or hiking paths and a very peaceful stream. This was a very relaxing place to spend the day in Korea.

A two-story alarm clock



A temple without restoration



Three monks

Buddha and the bags of rice that were offered to him that morning



The largest temple at Tongdosa

Just before I saved Courtney's life

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

            On Sunday afternoon, July 17^th, we all went to a long awaited baseball game in the neighboring town of Busan. Busan is the second largest city in Korea and home to the Lotte Giants, one of eight Korean baseball teams. Lotte is the name of a Korean shopping store much like Target in America and the other teams are also corporate names such as Kia, LG, and Samsung. The Lotte Giants were playing the LG Twins of Seoul.

            Before getting to the stadium Ashley (Ed’s daughter who was also visiting), Courtney, Ed, and I drove to Changsoo Lee’s house in another section of Busan. Traffic was lighter than normal so we took the elevator to the 23^rd floor and surprised him and his family at their front door. After a quick tour of his apartment we were back on the ground and walking to the subway. The Subway was about 800m from his house and another 800m after getting off at the stadium. It was very hot outside so the air conditioned subway was a great way to relax before the game.

Waiting for the next train

One of the four major subway lines

Massachubatts!

            Outside the stadium there were almost a hundred vendors selling food and drinks to bring inside. The food ranged from fried chicken to sushi to pizza. The drinks were the typical assortment of water, beer, or soju. W 10,000 later I had my ticket in hand and was walking into the stadium. For a $10 ticket I was convinced I’d be at the top of the bleacher seats but we were right off third base about 20 rows up. Walking up to our seats there were people selling newspapers that had nothing to do with baseball for only a few pennies. The fans tear the papers and make little cheerleading pom-poms with them.

Outside the stadium

Unju (Min Gu's friend from college) and her newspaper pom-pom

            The Samsung employees went off to purchase the group some beer and drinks and they came back with quite the surprise. For themselves they bought fried chicken and for us Westerners we were given pigs feet. The bones were removed and the feet were sliced into ¼” thick rings, skin and all. They were pretty tasty but very fatty. Some Hite beer was passed around and it was game time.

Pigs Feet

I gave Jongil a $1 tip for handling the food and drinks all game. It was the first USD he'd ever seen.

            Along first baseline there were cheerleaders for the Lotte Giants that sang and danced all game. Behind us on third baseline there was the LG cheering section and they had some drums and whistles to show their support. It took some time to get used to the soccer-game style, drumming chants and the random whistles. The stadium was smaller than an MLB stadium and reminded me of a AAA stadium with seats in the outfield. Along the stands there were tall, thick nets so the only way a fan could catch a ball is if it went at least 30 feet high before going out of bounds. The nets obstructed the view of the game and also took some getting used to. The seats didn’t face the infield; they were perpendicular to the foul line, so in order to see the batter a good 30 degree neck turn was in order.


Home Plate



The scoreboard

             The fans for both teams really get into the game. Not a single home run was hit all game but if a blind person were watching the game they’d think the score was in the hundreds. Foul balls, pop-fly’s, and grounders all got the same level of attention as an MLB grand slam. When the game was in the later innings and it was time to call in a relief pitcher, the Lotte Giants drove him from the bullpen to the pitchers mound in a Mini Cooper. I thought it was a special 7^th inning stretch gimmick, never did I expect it to be driving the pitcher to the field. At this point the Samsung crew left to get us “popcorn” and returned with dried squid. They showed us how to eat it and it was like seafood jerky only ten times chewier than any beef jerky in America. After three strips of squid my jaw was too tired to keep chewing.  To help clean up after the game they hand out a ton of plastic bags that are the home teams color. The fans blow them up and wear them as hats for the last few innings. Think of it as a korean rally cap.

Excited for my popcorn



My jaw was feeling it on this piece of squid



The relief pitcher and his Mini Cooper

Rally hats

The gang



The gang with our rally caps

     The Giants ended up losing but just getting to see a Korean baseball game made it worthwhile. After the game we took the Subway back up to Chang Soo Lee’s apartment and all conversed over some Korean fried chicken and adult beverages. Sunburned and tired from the baseball experience I slept like a baby that night.

Courtney and I in Masan, the town next to Changwon, the day before

Yongji Lake and a Crazy Game of Poker

           Note: Play the song below while reading the post. It is one of the best poker songs from one of the best jam bands of recent times.

My last few weeks in Korea are upon me and now that my girlfriend has left I am scrambling to write about all the events not yet documented both in her presence and prior to her arrival. Before arriving in Changwon everyone at the hotel knew Courtney was coming, especially the concierges who I often small talk with while waiting for a taxi. About a month ago there were some new staff members at the Pullman Hotel and one was Goeun, a young Korean lady who was very shy when it came to speaking English. Every few days I’d catch her with her cheat sheet note pad with common English phrases to assist with hotel guests.

            When Courtney arrived Goeun presented her with a post card rather than verbal communication because she was too nervous to talk. The post card was very nice and I quickly tossed it into the hotel room before Courtney could see what was on the other side of it, Yongji Lake. Yongji Lake is a lake in the center of town with a lot of picnic areas and a walking trail around. Every night in the summer there are two water shows that are synced with lasers and music, each lasting 30 minutes. After a nice dinner of BBQ duck and cabbage I surprised Courtney by walking to the lake and watching the light show. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so my only visual of the event is the other side of the postcard. It was much like the Bellagio show in Vegas.


Yongji Lake in the daytime



Yongji Lake



One the right side it says in Korean: From: Goeun, To: Courtney

            During one of my first weeks in Korea I ended up at one of the two major Western bars, the International Pub or IP for short. There was a group of guys playing poker and in the coming weeks I found out from Lee, the cook at Obrien’s (the other major Western bar), that they play cards three nights every week. The poker schedule stared at me every time I opened my wallet for the past eight weeks and I couldn't leave town without playing atleast once. As my time winds down in Korea and I have a big stack of Won still left to spend, last night I strolled down to the IP for a 10:00 p.m. game of Texas Hold’em. For those of you who have known me for a while, I majored in Texas Hold‘em my first year of college but quickly got sick of the game. Before last night it was easily two years since playing.

The poker schedule on a sticky note stuck to the hotel business card.

The buy-in was W 20,000 and there were eight of us, all in the same age range. Going around the table there was a German CNC engineer, an English teacher from Orange County, an Australian who was pissed I still haven’t tried surfing in LA, two Koreans, another American English teacher who married a Korean woman and now lives nearby, and a nuclear engineer from England. I was more excited to be out with people my own age playing a game I loved rather than trying to win. To be honest, I wanted to lose so that I had less won to exchange. Murphy’s Law came into effect and I ended up winning first place 2.5 hours later. W 80,000 later after closing my bar tab and heading back to the hotel I realized this only means I need to play poker a few more nights to let the English teachers win back their money.

Korean Football

            Just down the street from the hotel is the Changwon Sports Complex and ever since seeing the large, new sports arenas, going to see a professional soccer game made its way onto my to-do-list. While taking a cab downtown a few weeks ago I saw banners for Changwon FC and Geongnam FC. FC stands for “Football Club”, A.K.A. Soccer. The town has two teams that share one stadium. Geongnam is the name of the region encompassing Changwon and a few other cities. The 100% Korean banners made it easy to spot the date of the game and the time. Based on the banners I’ve been seeing around, each team plays at home on alternating Saturday nights at 7 p.m.

            A few minutes before the start of the game the car was parked and the typical American/Korean confusing conversation was taking place at the ticket window. Luckily soccer games are mostly GA and that is what our tickets turned out to be. The stadium was very nice and the field looked a little shorter than the one at the Home Depot Center in LA. After picking some seats near the center of the stadium and under the view of the setting sun, a food and beverage lady came walking by. Unlike American sports where they sell just one or two items per vendor, the basket she was carrying had enough variety to compete with a 7-11. A 6-pack of Hite was purchased for W 12,500, about W 5,000 more than in the store, not a bad markup. Unfortunately it wasn’t very cold so we just had to drink it faster. Around us many locals were bringing in dinner from nearby restaurants. There was an abundance of fried chicken, kimchi, and seafood flavored potato chips. Just like any other soccer game there were cheering sections behind each goal that chanted to the beat of their loud drums. The soccer players themselves were mostly Asian with a few westerners in the mix and played above a college level but a little below the American MLS level.

The scoreboard

The field

The upper level seats spelled out "Changwon"

The snack lady

 

My snack



            Just before halftime my stomach started to growl and it was time to see what the snack bar had for sale. There were three main choices for food and beverage: Hite (beer), Ramen, or Pizza. Pizza was an instant no-no because it was Korean style with different cheeses and toppings that would not sit well with me. After some inspecting of the ramen flavors I chose one that was not fishy and looked like beef and vegetables. Around the corner I filled my W 2,000 ramen cup at the hot water dispenser and walked back to my seat. The ramen was filling and the rest of the game was just as fun to watch as the first half. The home team ended up winning 7-1 so the fans were really active. Going to a Korean soccer game was on my list from the start, I am glad I could finally see one.

Dinner

Delicious

The Changwon mountains from atop the stadium

Changwon Sience Center and a Korean War Monument

            The rainy season has now passed and it is officially summer time in Changwon. The weather gets up to around 85°F but with the humidity and lack of clouds it feels like the upper 90’s. Courtney has been in town for the past few days and will leave Korea this weekend. Being able to share this experience with someone else has been a desire since my first weekend in town and I am so lucky to have a girlfriend who is willing and able to come visit me.

            The first full day with Courtney in town was spent at the Changwon Science Center and walking through the various public parks. The Science Center was about a mile from the hotel and although geared towards elementary students it was still interesting. The guides were college students who were fun to talk and enjoyed talking to younger Americans about science, Changwon, and America.

            After the short science center visit we kept walking away from the hotel over a big hill where there was a large waterfall surrounded with bonsai trees and a lily-pad lake. While roaming the park it was hard to miss a large tower nearby that looked like it could be in the next Men in Black. The tower was actually a Korean War Monument representing over 1,100 soldier deaths in the Changwon Province of Gyeongsangnam-do. The monument is 150 ft. tall and represents the Korean commander’s helmet. Walking around the monument was very cool except the large pond in the middle was not in operation yet which is where most of the symbolism was carried out. By this time of day our legs were tired of walking and our shirts couldn’t hold any more sweat, it was time to head home to the hotel.

The monument looks more like a spaceship than a war helmet

Getting closer

The upper inside

The lower inside

The Bonsai waterfall

Dolphin fountains 

Lily-pads galore