Cats and Dogs and Post - OH MY!

Hello there, so I thought I had better update you on... well ...April!! For those Wizard of Oz and Wicked fans I hope you like the title of this post! So once again I have fallen behind on my blog. The thing is when there is something to write about you are busy doing the things worth writing about, and when you aren't busy you think I  mustn't have anything to write about because I'm not doing anything! So enough about the inner psychological working of Katie Menezes and on to more interesting happenings.

So I will just tell about one of my students, of course no names, but she is so friendly. She asked me to help here with a presentation because she actually is at university and has an English university professor. Well anyway with help from me and another teacher she got 10 out of 10 and was the only one in her class to get top marks! I am so happy for her and just thought I would share her achievements with you.

Anyway not last Sunday but the Sunday before, me and my friends went one a mass dog walk for a charity near us. The dogs there are so adorable. There were three of us and we had two dogs between us; my friend helpfully named the dogs which was good because I couldn't stop saying the dogs name later. Everyone meet Gertrude:

That's right on a dog walk she lay down in my arms!!!

She is amazing and had never been on a lead before and so to begin with she wasn't having any of it, but by the end she was loving it. She is such a lady of leisure, as she just kept stopping abruptly whenever she wanted, hence sometimes I had to carry her. I am definitely going back to 'walk' her again - I feel like I have got to attached to this dog! My friends walked a dog too and name her Princess Leia:

Me, Lauren, Princess Leia and Gertrude

There were also some really other cute dogs there too:

That's right - a dip-dyed puppy!

On this particular day we walked around Dyuru Park and it was lovely. The Koreans do tend to look at you as if you are crazy because most of these dogs are older and some of them have things wrong with them. This is wierd to Koreans because they usually get them as cute accessories and when they get a bit older they sometimes just abandon them. How anyone could have abandoned Gertrude is beyond me!

After the dog walk, we went to the cattery which I was less excited about as, although I like cats, I don't entirely trust them! Koreans are even worse to cats generally as they are to dogs. Most of them were strays and have had things thrown at them or been kicked etc. This cattery started however, by one woman bringing home  a stray cat and her husband being like, "OK one cat"..."OK two cats"...14 cats later and the husband tells the woman to do something about the cat situation. So he gives her some money and she buys a separate house and the cats live there, and it is literally a house:

A Literal House

Last thing about the cattery, look at this massive fluffy cat:

Anyway, I have been doing the usual stuff like going for meals, coffees, a couple of nights out (including Norae-bang for a sing-song), and to watch my friend play in his bands. The last time I went to see him play was at a place called Sugar Joe's which is a really cool place. The bar owner's wife is really cool and funny. The ceiling was decorated with band posters from everyone who had played there and there was this really cool light: 

Denizen at Sugar Joe's

I also went on a bit of a shopping spree and bought a new outfit, it looks quite Korean, I just need a place to wear it! I will upload a picture of my in it when I wear it, but for now, this is it:

High-waisted skirt and top (will be less creased when I wear it!)

Then I had an impromptu sleepover and the next day was CATS!!!!!! Yes, that's right, I went to see Cats and it was all in Korean! The costumes were amazing and the characters kept coming up into the audience which was funny and a little bit scary at the same time! In the song Memory there were three words in English and they were 'memory' and 'touch me', which was very funny! As was the point where me and my friend thought she sang ramen (as in the noodles) and later when they kept singing 'nooki-nooki', which even now I have no idea what it translates to. Koreans have trouble pronouncing their 'f's and so Mr Mistoffelees came out with a 'p' instead. Overall I had a great time and I am very happy I can still be a musical theatre geek in Korea.

I found out that it is custom for the youngest person to pour the drink to the oldest person first and then decrease in age, pouring lastly for themselves. Also my friend who lived in Korea when he was a boy told me that people used to go round the elementary schools in the spring with baby chicks, selling them to the kids. They don't need parents permission, honestly it is a good thing me and the family didn't live in Korea because I would have bought 10! It is my friend's belief that they still do this - I do not need a chick!

So my mum is coming to visit tomorrow!!!!Argh! So excited to see her and the cherry blossoms are coming out just in time:

Lastly I would like to say thank you to everyone who has sent me cards and letters, they have meant to much to me and really made me smile. I cant thank you enough. The most recent of which I have to share with you. My brother is the best, he went round my friends and got letters and collected nostalgic pieces from around my house and got people who are very close to me to send messages too. I received this last night and keep looking at all my lovely things. I particularly loved a coaster my friend sent me saying "I'd rather be in Yarm"! I loved everything to be honest and trying to name everything would be too much like the generation game so here is the package I got:

The icing on the cake for me though, was the poem my brother wrote for me!!! Thanks again to all involved! I am so happy! Love to all!!!

Hello Kitty Cafe!

Yes, that's right there is a full on Hello Kitty Cafe:

I don't think you can see but the waffle is also Hello Kitty shaped

Other shenanigans of the past few weeks!

Ok so these are a few things I forgot to mention at the time but now I thought I would post them. They are in no particular order, so apologies for the randomness of this post.

So me and some of my friends went on a walk down the river one weekend:

In the words of one person present at the time : 'WILDLIFE!'

Oh so in South Korea they randomly have exercising areas just there for people to use. I have been told in retirement the old people just gather at these outdoor gyms and just work out all day! So we made the most of the equipment available!

  Then of course a traditional park:

On the night we went to this cool bar that only serves beer in these massive glasses!

  At the tables there are individual fridges for your beer:

 I ordered the second smallest beer called 'love'! Who knew you could order love at a bar!

 This is just a random performance in the middles of the street:

This is apparently a birthday cake that they would make when they are in the army, made out of choco-pies. Here it is obligatory for the men to serve two years in the army. They can opt out but have to serve longer as a civil servant, but then they are frowned upon and a little bit outcast.

 One weekend we had a good old fashioned  sleepover with girly movies, online quizzes, nail painting and of course an epic pizza:

  And what is a sleepover without finishing it off with face-masks:

Another random bit of information for you: Koreans sing Auld Lang Syne but for graduation not new year. I actually think that makes more sense as it is about moving on and remembering good times.

Amongst other things I have also gone on the dodgems, visited a Huka bar and been to a games room. They have rooms here for everything! One such place is a place that you go to play board games. They have big squeaky hammers to hit the loser with and also a place where you drop a thin metal plate on the loser's head! Luckily our group did not enforce that tradition otherwise I may have been a bit concussed.

Ok so that is all I can remember for now and I will try to keep more up to date so as to avoid these quick, random posts. Love to all!

Gat Bawi and more!

So I have been quite bad with updating my blog this month, apologies!!! A lot of things have happened, its just a case of remembering them! This week has been fun packed! On Thursday I went to a traditional Korean market which was fun, but also a little bit terrifying at some points! There was loads of fish and fruit, me and my friend bought some strawberries which looked delicious but it turned out the layer underneath were not so delicious! The man did give us some free tomatoes though so I'll let him off a little bit! Then we unfortunately walked into the meat department where there were full pig heads that had been hollowed out (needless to say no pictures were taken at the market!) and we saw some livestock that would later be killed. At this point we had to turn back as it was a little bit upsetting. At one point I saw a bunny chained to a railing and thought it was really cute until my friend pointed out that it would be for their dinner later! I was less than impressed!

Friday was really rainy, but nonetheless we went to find a church and on the way we found a medicinal museum which was really cool! There was a survey that found out what type of body you were and what things are good for your type and bad for your type! I am 'Soyang' type, I would put the description in but it is not very flattering, however I have 'energy in my eyes' and am enthusiastic! I got told I can't have most of the things I like which is a bit sad and 'food that produces heat is harmful' to me, which is devastating for a hot drinks lover! I am not sure I am convinced by this analysis as my friend got told that Soju, the paint-stripper spirit' is good for her! I find it hard to believe that is good for anyone! 

Of course I needed a photo with a giant teapot

These are some of the statues outside the museum

Me crushing my own medicine

This was a puzzle you had to fit together!

I am so a hat person!

The structure at the end is a 'gate' into the medicine market

We did find the church in the end, however we weren't sure if we were allowed in and so we only spent a little time there.

This was a  mosaic of the church on a wall

Then we had a a night out on the Friday which was hilarious and we got to put our signature on drink in a bag!!!Its a little shop where they do cocktails in a bag that you can drink on the street! They are the strongest, sugary drinks because the guy just makes up the measurements and throw in loads of different alcohol!  The owner is really friendly and is starting to get to know us and so let us decorate a bag and pin it up as part of the decoration!

Saturday was a recovery day at bed bar and dinomeat (which I have already talked about). Then I went to see my friend from work's two bands (Never Going Home and Mr Headbutt) play  in town. They were excellent and if you can support them please do! 

Today, Sunday, was a big day trip out to Gat Bawi! This is a massive mountain that has these stone steps (that are a bit dangerous in some places) up to the top. There are 1500 steps so I have been told. About a third of the way up there was a temple that we stopped at and had some kim-bap! About half of the way up there is this vending stand that sells something called 'Oh-Dang' and corn on the cobs! On the way up there was a big pile of stone and I remember seeing them at Donghwa-sa as well, and apparently it is for good luck! If you knock the stones off then it is bad luck! Then when you get to the top there is a Buddha carved from the stone where people were bowing and praying. There was a place where you could light prayer candles in this metal container and there were mats there for people praying. There were a lot of people! Also people place coins and try and make them stick to the stone. On the way back down some of the Koreans were walking down backwards to work a different muscle on their legs which I thought was quite clever! The views at Gat Bawi were amazing!

Well that concludes the update for this week. I have more to report but it was previous to this week. Love to home!