Checking the List - Garak Market

Good Day everyone, and welcome to my second video for my South Korean Blog!

So when I first moved to Korea 7 months ago, I knew that the one things I really wanted out of this life event of mine was to experience the Korean culture by completely emerging myself. The only way for that to happen was for me to do just what I mentioned- completely relocate my life to Korea where I knew no one, could not speak the language, and had no form of security or stable living environment. I was so incredibly excited, nervous, scared, and anxious to by in a foreign world completely alone. However, I did do my research and felt as if I was strong enough and dependent enough to make the daring life decision.

Boy did I ever make the right decision!! 

As mentioned in previous posts in my blog as well as on Facebook, accompanied with my photo albums, I have documented all of the unique and one of a kinds experiences I have partaken in since arriving in Korea. Not only have I experienced the culture first hand via performances, dining, learning the Hangul language, trips to the tourist hot spots in Seoul, and small home-stays with native Koreans but I have also had numerous travel experiences and made great friendships which have brought even more wonderful social memories of my time here in Korea as well.

Not all of my experiences were planned, and I actually did not even know half of them existed until arriving here and learning from word of mouth, but I have since concocted a so called 'Korean bucket list". I have been slowly but surely checking off each experience, activity, location, food, and other various items off my list while adding more and more each week it seems! This past weekend, I was able to accomplish one more 'need' on my list, and that was to visit a Traditional Korean market. I took a solo trip to Garak Market, which is a very old Korean Farmers Markert located just south east of Seoul. When I say Farmer's Market tho I don't mean a few stands and some corn on the cob...I mean BIG GIGANTIC PLETHERA of fresh home grown fruits, veggies, seafood, meat, and other various items. It really was the largest famers market I have ever seen and something I had heard/read about doing since I moved to Korea. I'm really glad I made this trip to Garak Market and I go into further detail about it in my video.

So, as I mentioned, I have made 'bucket list' for Korea...here are the things I have done thus far:

-Toured Korean Museums

-Been to Gyeongbukgo, Kyongju Palaces

- Stayed in a Jimjilbang (korean bathhouse)

-Visited Itaewon, Gangnam, Hongdae, Dongdaemun (all hot spot neighborhoods in Seoul)

-Biked the Hann River (many times)

-EATEN SOOOO MUCH KOREAN FOOD!!! ^_^

-Taken part in Buddha's birthday celebration and made a buddhist lantern

-Toured Pulguksa Temple while on my Cherry Blossom bicycle tour

-Shopped the streets of Insadong and Myeongdong Markets 

-Went to Mudfest on the west coast (a drunken mess of foreigners...)

-Been to a Nooribang...and plan on continuing to go!!! (Korean Karaoke)

- Been bicycling and hiking on the beautiful Syeonudo Island

-Went Deep Sea fishing on Namhae Island

- And Seen a Korean Baseball Game

-Oh yea...not to leave out that I visikted Beijing, China for 5 days! ^_^

(there are many more small experiences that I have had I am sure...but cannot recall them at the moment.)

Here is what I still WANT to do:

- This weekend, 9/22/2012, I will be camping on Muido Island

- For Chuseok Holiday, 9/28/2012-10/1/2012, I will be on a beach vacation in Busan, South Korea.

- in 2 weeks I will be taking a tour of the DMZ (known as the scariest place on earth)

-Visit Seoul Tower and the 63 building ( famous landmark buildings in Seoul)

-Take a Korean 'skill' type class (probably a martial arts class)

- Visit the city of Suwon, South Korea

-Enjoy a PROPER Korean massage ^_^

- Spend a weekend at a Temple Stay (living and learning the life of Buddhist Monks alongside them)

- Continue to learn the basics of Hangul Language ( I can read already, and spell basic words...but I need to learn more vocabulary and get better at speaking)

- Hopefully take another overseas trip during winter break!!! 

So there ya have it...my bucket list for Korea...which continues to grow each time I complete something new and exciting!! 

I'l be sure to keep ya'll updated and as always, Take Care! Peace Out!

Here's lookin at... me ^_^

So as you most likely know, this is a blog kept by me, Patrick, on my adventure to South Korea to work as an English Kindergarten teacher.The main goal of this blog was to document the details of my life such as my work, living, cultural, travel, and social experiences while living in Korea and to inform my friends and families of what I am up to/how I am doing.
However, for those of you that follow me regularly you may have noticed that keeping and up-to-date blog really isn't my forte. I thought that it would be rather easy to submit and entry once a week/every other week, but the matter is is that most of the time I don't feel like writing lengthy blog entries describing everything to a T, whether it be about work, living day to day, a cultural experience, or my weekend travels. I do love to write and I love to share...but only when I want to and when I am in the correct mood and frame of mind. Half the time I wound up leaving out important details or not going the full mile in depicting my life here due to me not being fully engaged in my writing (in fact I'm not even wanting to write this particular entry right now). I have come to realize that I am a much more verbal than transcriptive person.

That said, I have decided to begin vide blogging! Hooray!! Not only will this be easier and quicker for me, but it will also result in more frequent entires. I believe I will be going into greater detail of my life in Korea and also will (possibly) video record short segments of some of my future experiences and past favorite places which I plan on returning to.
Of course I do still plan on writing from time to time and will always add small blurbs with each video entry I post.

This first video is just a brief introduction to my new video blogging segment and is pretty boring except for the fact that you have my gorgeous face to stare at. I plan on figuring out my editing program and adding more bells and whistles thus making my videos more exciting to watch! Until next time (which will be soon), peace out and take care!