In the middle of June I got an urgent email from Mr. Park explaining that I needed to obtain my visa ASAP because I would be leaving for Korea in July. Unfortunately, our government was ‘months behind’ on paperwork and my FBI background check (which I needed in order to obtain my visa) was just sitting in a pile of papers waiting to be sorted through. Granted there was nothing I could do, but SLP needed me desperately (Janet, the woman I was replacing could not wait any longer to return home). So they sent me to Korea without a visa to begin work. Now before anyone gets hot and bothered by this, just know you can live in Korea for up to 3 months without a visa (to be honest, I’m not sure if working is legal- but I know SLP would have my back if anything were to come up). For many, this might have seemed like a nuisance- but for me it was a blessing. I ended up getting a free trip to Japan for 4 days! And by free I mean that SLP paid for my flight, and my parents paid for my hotel for 3 nights (thanks mom and dad!!). Oh, and I got to take 2 days off of work- SCORE!
Japan is like a better Korea. Now don’t get me wrong, Korea is amazing… but Japan is sunny- so it automatically wins! After not sleeping at all the night before, I boarded a bus at 5:30am for an hour long bus ride to the airport. There, I waited for 3 hours for my 9:40 flight (why I took a 5:30 bus… I’ll never understand). The flight to Fukuoka, Japan was about an hour from Ansan. Fukuoka is closer to Seoul than it is to Tokyo. The first thing I did when I got there was take a cab to the South Korean Consulate. After this approximately $55 cab ride, I realized I would need to master the subway station before I went broke. I dropped my passport off and was instructed to come back at 10am the following day to pick it up. I was eager to get to my hotel and take a nap, so I took another ridiculously expensive cab ride back (I had no idea where I was going so I had no choice). I checked into the Reisenkaku Hotel Ekimae went to my room on the 9th floor- and slept for 3 hours.
My hotel
When I woke up I decided to learn about my surroundings- so I ended up walking around for about 4 hours. I walked up and down any street I saw. Fukuoka was really a great place to stay; I was not bored just wandering around for hours. Finally, I decided it was time for dinner, I ended up eating a burger place (I know, not sushi!). I went for a teriyaki burger though, for some Asian flare. It was already getting late, so I stopped in a café for some tea, then headed back to my hotel. I was going to be at the consulate at 10am on the dot tomorrow, I needed to get my visa right away so I wouldn’t have to think about it anymore.
The following morning I woke up very well rested, ready for a day of adventure. I headed to the Starbucks I had found the previous night and ordered a low-fat iced Vanilla bean frappuccino (my first of about 20 throughout the 4 days I was there). The barista kind of laughed at me, I think it was due to the fact that I ordered the only thing labeled as “low-fat” on the menu (such an American). On my way out of Starbucks a Nigerian man approached me. I was interested in making some friends for my few days there; at least I’d have someone to hang out with. However, after getting oddly hit on (his first question to me was “are you married”) I decided it might just be better to spend the next few days alone.
After picking up my visa, I headed out on my first adventure of the trip- I was going to the zoo which also had a botanical garden to explore. I hopped on the subway… took it a few stops down. Then my instructions told me to take a bus, which would stop right in front of the zoo. I got off at the right subway stop, but didn’t know how to get to the right bus. So I asked this man who worked in the subway/bus station. He spoke no English, brought me to a phone where you could talk to an English-speaking person. I spoke on the phone to this guide, who then translated to my worker friend. The man then proceeded to leave his job and walk me through the streets of Japan to the bus stop. He waited with me until I got on the bus, and then explained to the bus driver where I was going. People here are all very nice and helpful. If they can’t help you they’ll take you to someone who can help you. I also met an old Japanese woman on the bus, she spoke beautiful English. She asked me where I was from and what I was doing in Japan. She also asked me if there were any specific animals I was looking for at the zoo. I said no, that I was just going because I like animals, she laughed at me- it made me feel like I was too old to be going to the zoo, maybe I was.
I spent about 4 hours at the zoo/gardens. The sun was beating down on me, burning me to a crisp. I was also getting attacked by mosquitoes. The zoo was also somehow completely all uphill on an intense incline. So after 4 hours I decided to head back to my next activity (a visit to Ohori Park). I somehow found the bus that would take me back to somewhere I knew. I loved the bus. It was air-conditioned and bug-less. I then took a subway to Ohori Park… a beautiful and relaxing spot. I literally just sat there for 2 hours. The park is also home to the Fukuoka Art Museum, in which I saw a really cool Buddhist exhibit. After the park I walked around looking for the Ruins of Fukuoka Castle, I really believe I was in the middle of the ruins but didn’t see anything that seemed ruin-ish. So after walking around aimlessly for an hour, I bought a hotdog from a lady in a van and headed back.
There are so many shrines and temples around Fukuoka- you could literally spend a whole day walking around looking at them. So that’s exactly what did. I’m not exactly sure which shrines are which but some I saw were Kushida Shrine, Shofukuji Temple and Jotenji Temple. They were all beautiful and spiritual (I actually ended up watching some people pray in them). Very cool to see!
Canal City is this huge mall in Fukuoka. Some of it is outside, or just open to the outside. I went one night just to check it out and saw this laser light sprinkler show for kids. It’s really just a DJ playing music for kids to run around in sprinklers too. It was very interesting to be in an “outdoor” type mall. There were many two buildings of the mall which were connected by these overpass walkways. There were also many small alleyways around the mall which were just lined with smaller stores and boutiques. It was easy to lose track of time just walking around looking at everything.
Udon noodles are very popular in Japan. It’s basically just a noodle dish topped with different things (fish paste, veggies, etc). There was a small ‘restaurant’ right next to my hotel. What you do is walk in, put money in a vending machine type thing, and press a button of the food you want to eat. I, of course, got a spicy noodle dish. Every time I went back I promised myself I’d try something different, but I love spicy food too much to pass up on it. I also ate a lot of gyoza which are basically dumplings. Very delicious!
Going to Japan was an amazing experience! Before coming to SLP I was nervous about not having my visa, knowing I’d have to go on a “visa run”. However, it ended up being a great thing… I got a trip out of it all! It was exciting to see the country on my own, with no real plans. A very relaxing four days!
SLP Kindergarteners had a whole day of celebration for this holiday. Every student came into school wearing their traditional Chuseok outfits known as Hanbok (HAN-BO). The Korean teachers even bring in Hanbok for all the foreign teachers to wear. It was a really fun day, and a learning experience for me to learn a little about the traditional celebration.
First, we made songpyeon. Basically it’s a rice cake outside (rice cake is very soft and can be molded like play-dough). You flatten it into a circle to symbolize the moon, fill it with sugar and sesame seeds, and then fold it in half and pinch it closed (this symbolized a half moon). All the kids made a bunch to take home to their families, very fun but very messy- sugar was everywhere!
Then we played traditional games. One was a board game called yutnori. I didn’t really understand the rules, but you throw these sticks that are marked and they tell how many spaces you can move forward. Another game, jegichagi, is where you kick a shuttlecock like a hackie-sack… just trying to keep it up. We also threw these colorful sticks into the garbage can. * I can’t remember the name of this game, I’ll have to get back to you all on this one * The sticks were pointed at the end almost like arrows. We had “chicken fights” where the kids stood on one leg and tried to push each other over (a little dangerous and violent for 5 year olds don’t you think). And we did some arm wrestling (again, slightly inappropriate for 5 year olds).
