Geocaching has led Jess and I to discover some absolutely beautiful off-the-beaten-path areas during our travels. I could write all day about the benefits of geocaching (everything from exercise to simply spending time with your loved ones), but I’ll save that for some other time. Besides, it’s always better to experience it first-hand.
Jess and I have introduced our hobby to countless people already, and Sunny’s family was more than eager to learn about this mysterious treasure hunt where according to the site (www.geocaching.com), “You are the search engine.”
We located Andong on the geocaching website, and to our excitement, found a few “caches” located nearby. I let her daughters plug the coordinates into my GPS, and we headed out in search of the elusive treasure boxes.
The first cache was located on a newly-constructed wooden bridge, crossing over a beautiful river on the outskirts of Andong. I had used the trip over to explain to them what they were looking for, so when we arrived, they immediately took off in search of the hidden log book. Once at the approximate site of the geocache (at what we call, “ground zero”), the girls started to poke and prod in every nook and cranny of the bridge. Within minutes, the oldest daughter called out that she had found it! We all crowded around her to glimpse at the contents of the container, and passed around the log book for each person to sign. We took a few group pictures, and headed off in search of the second geocache.
Fueled by the excitement of our first geocache find together, the group persistently marched the 600m climb up the hill to the second geocache. The daughters took turns as GPS navigators, Jess and Sunny scouted, and I busied myself digging through every spider web-filled hole I could find. Sunny’s husband stood off to the side, and watched us on our frantic (and seemingly futile) search. After about fifteen minutes, he casually walked over to a stone wall and pulled on one of the pieces. It slid out to reveal a small hollow chamber with a Tupperware container neatly tucked away inside. He took it out, and stood for a few brief moments with a beaming smile on his face, not quite sure what to do next. His daughters quickly took it from him and opened it up to see what was inside. It contained the usual log book, pen, and geocaching rules, but in addition to these things it also had a trackable “travel bug” which was later logged on the website and mailed to Krystal to hide in Canada (it’s “mission” is to travel as far as possible from geocache to geocache). After we had all signed the logbook, we sealed up the cache and placed it back in its hiding place.
Never a dull moment when you’re out geocaching… especially with great people.
- Ken
Showing posts with label Andong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andong. Show all posts
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Saturday, 7 August 2010
Meeting Sunny’s Family
Certain key factors can either make or break your teaching experience in Korea. One of the most important, in my opinion, is your co-teacher. As Jess wrote about earlier, Korean co-teachers have an extraordinary weight on their shoulders, and are expected to carry it voluntarily.
Sunny, my Korean co-teacher at Gucheon Middle School, has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Her cheery disposition and warm smile always did the trick of cheering me up during the rough patches of my contract. She took every challenge in stride, and never hesitated to go above and beyond the call of her duties. Today was a perfect example of her willingness to help in any situation.
An unusual pain in Jess’ back (don’t worry, it was nothing serious) forced us to make an unplanned trip to the Andong hospital. We gave Sunny a call mid-trip to find out the clinic hours, and she insisted on meeting us at the bus terminal in person.
She greeted us at the terminal with open arms, escorted us to her car, and drove us to the hospital. Along the way, we found out that she initially had dinner plans with the in-laws, but that she was “Dynamic…just like Korea!” She didn’t even think twice about re-shuffling her plans to help us out.
Our hospital “adventure” was slightly chaotic to say the least. To make a long story short, there’s absolutely no way that Jess and I would’ve been able to see a doctor without Sunny’s help. The hospital was a fortress of corridors, side wards, and people bustling around in every direction. Each step of the way, from triage to testing, was a good five minute walk away. Blindly running around the hospital corridors trying to translate each and every sign would’ve been impossible on our own. Luckily, this story has a happy ending. We did what we had to do, and headed out happy and healthy.
Instead of going directly back to the bus terminal, we accepted her offer to visit her apartment and meet her family. Her high-rise was only a few minutes away from the hospital in the quiet outskirts of Andong. There we met her husband and two daughters, and spent the afternoon chatting with them like old friends. Her husband doesn’t speak very much English, but that didn’t stop him from joining in the conversation whenever he had the chance. Her daughters were quite shy at first, but quickly opened up once the conversation started rolling. They were sweet, soft-spoken, and very inquisitive girls with an obvious desire to practice their English conversation skills.
Later in the evening, we all went out for a delicious jjimdak (a very spicy chicken and noodle dish) dinner, and finished the evening off with iced coffee and a movie. After the movie, we returned back to their apartment, and were promptly invited to spend the night. As Sunny prepared one of the girl’s rooms for us, her husband opened up a bottle of wine and pulled out some roasted garlic for us to snack on. We stayed up with them all night talking about our year in Korea and reflecting on some of the best and worst times.
Today started off a bit rough, but it certainly ended on a good note.
- Ken
Sunny, my Korean co-teacher at Gucheon Middle School, has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Her cheery disposition and warm smile always did the trick of cheering me up during the rough patches of my contract. She took every challenge in stride, and never hesitated to go above and beyond the call of her duties. Today was a perfect example of her willingness to help in any situation.
An unusual pain in Jess’ back (don’t worry, it was nothing serious) forced us to make an unplanned trip to the Andong hospital. We gave Sunny a call mid-trip to find out the clinic hours, and she insisted on meeting us at the bus terminal in person.
She greeted us at the terminal with open arms, escorted us to her car, and drove us to the hospital. Along the way, we found out that she initially had dinner plans with the in-laws, but that she was “Dynamic…just like Korea!” She didn’t even think twice about re-shuffling her plans to help us out.
Our hospital “adventure” was slightly chaotic to say the least. To make a long story short, there’s absolutely no way that Jess and I would’ve been able to see a doctor without Sunny’s help. The hospital was a fortress of corridors, side wards, and people bustling around in every direction. Each step of the way, from triage to testing, was a good five minute walk away. Blindly running around the hospital corridors trying to translate each and every sign would’ve been impossible on our own. Luckily, this story has a happy ending. We did what we had to do, and headed out happy and healthy.
Instead of going directly back to the bus terminal, we accepted her offer to visit her apartment and meet her family. Her high-rise was only a few minutes away from the hospital in the quiet outskirts of Andong. There we met her husband and two daughters, and spent the afternoon chatting with them like old friends. Her husband doesn’t speak very much English, but that didn’t stop him from joining in the conversation whenever he had the chance. Her daughters were quite shy at first, but quickly opened up once the conversation started rolling. They were sweet, soft-spoken, and very inquisitive girls with an obvious desire to practice their English conversation skills.
Later in the evening, we all went out for a delicious jjimdak (a very spicy chicken and noodle dish) dinner, and finished the evening off with iced coffee and a movie. After the movie, we returned back to their apartment, and were promptly invited to spend the night. As Sunny prepared one of the girl’s rooms for us, her husband opened up a bottle of wine and pulled out some roasted garlic for us to snack on. We stayed up with them all night talking about our year in Korea and reflecting on some of the best and worst times.
Today started off a bit rough, but it certainly ended on a good note.
- Ken
Friday, 28 May 2010
Ken’s Birthday!
My plans for Ken’s birthday were cancelled. Thanks to Seoul for being a hotspot for a North Korean attack, all weekend events that I had scheduled were turned to mush. I was trying to make the best of this ridiculous situation, so after school, I went shopping for some festivities.
As I was lugging home one bottle of red wine, one bottle of sparkling wine, nine large beers, a 2-litre jug of milk, and other groceries, I received a text from Ilana on my cell phone. Sounding ecstatic, she asked if Ken and I wanted to celebrate a birthday in Andong.
Completely oblivious about the text’s real meaning, I replied, ‘But, it’s Ken’s birthday today’. I was carrying litres and litres of liquid goodness…give me a break.
She soon texted back, ‘Of course I mean Ken’s birthday!’. So, through a series of texts and phone calls, Ken and I were on our way to the city of Andong to celebrate this glorious day that was Ken’s birthday.
***
A little uneasy from the bus ride, Ken and I opted for some kimbap for supper. To jump start our evening, a drunken man walked up to Ken, swaying from side to side, and asked for the rest of Ken’s kimbap. Trying to butter him up, the man exclaimed how honoured he felt to talk with a foreigner. After minutes of smelling the beer and soju waft off of the man’s breath and dirt-ridden clothes, Ken gave the man his kimbap, just smiling and nodding as he refused the man’s blackened, grimy hands.
We finally met up with Corey and Ilana, who had just finished doing a write-up on jjimdak (a popular Andong chicken dish). Tagging along were two of their friends, one who had befriended Corey after giving him a ride in his car, and the other, a newly made friend who was a random traveler from the Czech Republic.
All of us started towards our first event – bowling. It was going to be mine and Ken’s first time bowling in Andong. Our scores reflected our lack of practice at the sport, but we had a ton of laughs, nevertheless. Sometimes we were lacking bowling pins and at other times, bowling pins were blocking other ones from being renewed. Calling upon the bowling manager at every occurrence, we watched as he was eaten countless times by the bowling-pin-gobbler, climbing over and through the machines to reset our pins. Not to worry, he made it out alive, every time :).
After our series of gutterballs, and random spares and strikes, we headed downtown towards a fancy bar owned by the brother-in-law of Corey and Ilana’s friend. Downing enormous pitchers of Cass beer, macqueli (Korean rice wine) and bucheemgae (Korean pancake), the night was almost over.
What would a birthday be without a cake? Luckily, Ilana was able to whisk away into the night and return with a delectable chocolate chiffon cake from a Korean bakery. After firing the birthday poppers from the cake, we all sang Happy Birthday to the 23-year-old birthday boy, and dove into the delectable, creamy cake.
However, the night wasn’t over. Stopping by a 7 Eleven for some munchies, Corey, Ilana, their Czech friend, Ken and I bought an array of beer, from Hite, Cass, to Hoegarden. Situating ourselves on the top level of a beautiful pagoda, encasing an old, oxidized-green bell, we discussed the different views people had on the rising tensions between North Korea and South Korea, from the opinions of South Korean natives, to all foreigners alike, residing in South Korea. We put forth ideas for evacuation strategies and suggested possible travel routes across Korea for our Czech friend during these delicate times. It was a discussion topic that fueled itself, although not very fitting for the last couple hours of Ken’s birthday :). However, the night ended on such a good note, with all of us gazing out into the black abyss of the night, calmly taking in the cool breeze, sedated by the cool, crisp beer we had just consumed.
On behalf of me and Ken, I would like to thank Corey and Ilana for turning Ken’s day into an actual birthday celebration. You guys are the best :).
- Jess
As I was lugging home one bottle of red wine, one bottle of sparkling wine, nine large beers, a 2-litre jug of milk, and other groceries, I received a text from Ilana on my cell phone. Sounding ecstatic, she asked if Ken and I wanted to celebrate a birthday in Andong.
Completely oblivious about the text’s real meaning, I replied, ‘But, it’s Ken’s birthday today’. I was carrying litres and litres of liquid goodness…give me a break.
She soon texted back, ‘Of course I mean Ken’s birthday!’. So, through a series of texts and phone calls, Ken and I were on our way to the city of Andong to celebrate this glorious day that was Ken’s birthday.
***
A little uneasy from the bus ride, Ken and I opted for some kimbap for supper. To jump start our evening, a drunken man walked up to Ken, swaying from side to side, and asked for the rest of Ken’s kimbap. Trying to butter him up, the man exclaimed how honoured he felt to talk with a foreigner. After minutes of smelling the beer and soju waft off of the man’s breath and dirt-ridden clothes, Ken gave the man his kimbap, just smiling and nodding as he refused the man’s blackened, grimy hands.
We finally met up with Corey and Ilana, who had just finished doing a write-up on jjimdak (a popular Andong chicken dish). Tagging along were two of their friends, one who had befriended Corey after giving him a ride in his car, and the other, a newly made friend who was a random traveler from the Czech Republic.
All of us started towards our first event – bowling. It was going to be mine and Ken’s first time bowling in Andong. Our scores reflected our lack of practice at the sport, but we had a ton of laughs, nevertheless. Sometimes we were lacking bowling pins and at other times, bowling pins were blocking other ones from being renewed. Calling upon the bowling manager at every occurrence, we watched as he was eaten countless times by the bowling-pin-gobbler, climbing over and through the machines to reset our pins. Not to worry, he made it out alive, every time :).
After our series of gutterballs, and random spares and strikes, we headed downtown towards a fancy bar owned by the brother-in-law of Corey and Ilana’s friend. Downing enormous pitchers of Cass beer, macqueli (Korean rice wine) and bucheemgae (Korean pancake), the night was almost over.
What would a birthday be without a cake? Luckily, Ilana was able to whisk away into the night and return with a delectable chocolate chiffon cake from a Korean bakery. After firing the birthday poppers from the cake, we all sang Happy Birthday to the 23-year-old birthday boy, and dove into the delectable, creamy cake.
However, the night wasn’t over. Stopping by a 7 Eleven for some munchies, Corey, Ilana, their Czech friend, Ken and I bought an array of beer, from Hite, Cass, to Hoegarden. Situating ourselves on the top level of a beautiful pagoda, encasing an old, oxidized-green bell, we discussed the different views people had on the rising tensions between North Korea and South Korea, from the opinions of South Korean natives, to all foreigners alike, residing in South Korea. We put forth ideas for evacuation strategies and suggested possible travel routes across Korea for our Czech friend during these delicate times. It was a discussion topic that fueled itself, although not very fitting for the last couple hours of Ken’s birthday :). However, the night ended on such a good note, with all of us gazing out into the black abyss of the night, calmly taking in the cool breeze, sedated by the cool, crisp beer we had just consumed.
On behalf of me and Ken, I would like to thank Corey and Ilana for turning Ken’s day into an actual birthday celebration. You guys are the best :).
- Jess
Friday, 9 April 2010
Double Date in Andong – The Sequel
We had been putting our double date off for weeks now. Corey, Ilana, Ken and I had been sick (thanks to our hoarsely coughing students) on the weekends leading up to this one. There was absolutely nothing that could possibly stand in our way this weekend – Ken and I were going to travel to Andong no matter what infectious diseases would happen to stand in our way.
We started off our evening with a classic American blockbuster Clash of the Titans. We comfortably sat back in our seats for two hours, eating our sticky caramel popcorn and drinking our brown swamp water, laughing at…I mean with the overly stern characters of the movie.
With the adrenaline high we built up during the movie, we decided that the night wasn’t over. Meeting up with some more of Andong’s finest EPIK English teachers, we drank our conscience away with sips of blueberry flavoured macgueli (South Korea’s rice wine) and strawberry, kiwi, and pineapple flavoured soju. Dangerous stuff. It went down like water.
Luckily the next morning, the four of us weren’t plagued with headaches or migraines. In fact, we enjoyed our alcohol-induced state so much, that we planned a spur of the moment picnic at the Andong Dam, complete with two bottles of red wine, one bottle of sparkling wine, two types of real cheeses, and a full box of succulent, ripe, ruby strawberries. Needless to say, our walk back to the downtown area was more like a blissful stumble, I mean stroll along the Andong river. The feathery breeze was soothing and the warm sun was shining brightly, almost blindingly, down upon us. Thank-goodness the sidewalk was wide enough for the four of us, as we supported each other to look as composed as any normal person should be out in public. It was a delightful afternoon.
I guess we couldn’t get enough of each other, because once we reached the bustling streets of the downtown area, we invited them over to our home in Andeok for a relaxing night in the countryside.
I was antsy all night. It was too bad for me that the boys had been building up this night for months. It began when Ken and I were both having a string of hauntings all around us…in our home and even in motel rooms…and they escalated after we watched the movie Paranormal Activity. Despite my warnings, Ken was so excited to show Corey and Ilana the film that he even got Corey excited about having a séance to bring forth the disturbed spirit that was haunting me and Ken. Ilana and I agreed to protect ourselves in a circle of salt.
After many bottles of mind-numbing Hite (a Korean beer) and two bags of salty, spicy chips, we all agreed to skip out on the séance…the movie had scared us into a heightened sense of fear and anxiousness and some of us were kept up all night under the covers with our eyes wide open. Needless to say, it was a long night.
We never know what to expect when we’re all together. I’m antsy to see what’ll happen on our next double-date.
- Jess
We started off our evening with a classic American blockbuster Clash of the Titans. We comfortably sat back in our seats for two hours, eating our sticky caramel popcorn and drinking our brown swamp water, laughing at…I mean with the overly stern characters of the movie.
With the adrenaline high we built up during the movie, we decided that the night wasn’t over. Meeting up with some more of Andong’s finest EPIK English teachers, we drank our conscience away with sips of blueberry flavoured macgueli (South Korea’s rice wine) and strawberry, kiwi, and pineapple flavoured soju. Dangerous stuff. It went down like water.
Luckily the next morning, the four of us weren’t plagued with headaches or migraines. In fact, we enjoyed our alcohol-induced state so much, that we planned a spur of the moment picnic at the Andong Dam, complete with two bottles of red wine, one bottle of sparkling wine, two types of real cheeses, and a full box of succulent, ripe, ruby strawberries. Needless to say, our walk back to the downtown area was more like a blissful stumble, I mean stroll along the Andong river. The feathery breeze was soothing and the warm sun was shining brightly, almost blindingly, down upon us. Thank-goodness the sidewalk was wide enough for the four of us, as we supported each other to look as composed as any normal person should be out in public. It was a delightful afternoon.
I guess we couldn’t get enough of each other, because once we reached the bustling streets of the downtown area, we invited them over to our home in Andeok for a relaxing night in the countryside.
I was antsy all night. It was too bad for me that the boys had been building up this night for months. It began when Ken and I were both having a string of hauntings all around us…in our home and even in motel rooms…and they escalated after we watched the movie Paranormal Activity. Despite my warnings, Ken was so excited to show Corey and Ilana the film that he even got Corey excited about having a séance to bring forth the disturbed spirit that was haunting me and Ken. Ilana and I agreed to protect ourselves in a circle of salt.
After many bottles of mind-numbing Hite (a Korean beer) and two bags of salty, spicy chips, we all agreed to skip out on the séance…the movie had scared us into a heightened sense of fear and anxiousness and some of us were kept up all night under the covers with our eyes wide open. Needless to say, it was a long night.
We never know what to expect when we’re all together. I’m antsy to see what’ll happen on our next double-date.
- Jess
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Adventure Map for KenandJess2go (version 2)
*Added "Yeongdeok" and "Yeongyang"!
[caption id="attachment_706" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Adventure Map for KenandJess2go (version 2)"]
[/caption]
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Adventure Map for KenandJess2go
[caption id="attachment_663" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Adventure Map for KenandJess2go"]
[/caption]
[/caption]
Sunday, 3 January 2010
Casey to the Rescue
Well, we thought that the weekend had ended smoothly until we arrived at the Andong bus terminal on the way home.
To our horror, we had missed the last bus back to Andeok. As a result, we were now trapped an hour away with no means of getting home in time to run our English camps the following day.
In a state of panic, we called up Casey (the other English teacher in Andeok), and pleaded for some assistance. He pulled himself out of his nice cozy room, got into his freezing car, and drove all the way up to Andong to save us from our dilemma.
Casey, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
- Ken
To our horror, we had missed the last bus back to Andeok. As a result, we were now trapped an hour away with no means of getting home in time to run our English camps the following day.
In a state of panic, we called up Casey (the other English teacher in Andeok), and pleaded for some assistance. He pulled himself out of his nice cozy room, got into his freezing car, and drove all the way up to Andong to save us from our dilemma.
Casey, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
- Ken
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Double Date in Andong City
It was a balmy, beautiful Saturday night.
Actually, it was a freezing, see-your-breath-outside kind of night. I was pretty excited, because Ken was planning on taking me to dinner and a movie.
What could possibly be better? It was going to be a double date with the best-est teachers in the world, Corey and Ilana!
Only a 40-minute bus ride away, both Ken and I didn’t know why we hadn’t gone to Andong City sooner. We could’ve conveniently hitched a ride with one of my Andong co-teachers (hiding in the vehicle’s trunk) every Friday evening since we’d arrived in Korea. In truth, they had offered several times – almost every week, to be more precise.
Deciding to spend only one night in Andong, we waited at the bus stop in the dead of the night, listening merely to the sound of nothingness in the air. It was a Saturday night, and the only party that went on probably included the village’s chocolate-coloured cows and two calico stray cats (who usually play hide-and-seek in the rice fields).
Finally, we heard the crumble crumble crumble, and deafening BEEP BEEP!! that broke our peaceful moment of solitude. Our carriage to Andong had arrived.
***
The bright, streetlights almost singed my eyes. The vibrant, beaming signs of the convenience stores, multiplexes, and buildings that lined the street nearly gave me a seizure. I had to avert my eyes to the ground every other painful minute, just to get the teensiest bit of relief.
We finally recognized it – the Andong Bus Terminal. The bus came to a halt, and we stepped off.
Inside the terminal, we immediately saw Corey and Ilana. It wasn’t too hard to pick out the Westerners in the mass of Koreans. It was like a real life couple’s Where’s Waldo. Exchanging several warm, bear hugs, all four of us were ready to begin our double-date ^.^!
For dinner, we ate in a tiny room at the end of a narrow corridor (not sketchy, I swear!) in the Old Andong Market. Despite its size, the room was comfortably cozy, with an ondol heating our icy bottoms. Around us, the walls and the ceiling cried out messages from lovestruck couples and phone numbers from desperate, lonely singles. Above an abused soju poster (displaying a model with her hair and eyes scratched out), Ken and Corey managed to etch Ken+Jess Corey+Ilana 2009 with my dying black pen.
We ate an insanely large plate of jjimdak (soy chicken with clear noodles, sweet carrot, starchy potato, and spicy red and green peppers). This savory-sweet dish, representative of Andong, made one of Ken’s top Korean meals (that’s saying a lot). It was goooood.
Next, what was our double date without the movie? We had our choice of two English movies that were playing at that time – The Time Traveler’s Wife or 2012. Luckily, they weren’t voiced-over, so I didn’t have to be the half-wit translator for the night (I would’ve turned the movie into a nightmare!). 2012 was the obvious choice (because of the boys), and the suspense and maxed-out volume blasting out of the speakers didn’t leave them disappointed. With sugary caramel popcorn (which seemed to be the only kind they were selling) and delicious peanut-buttered, dried squid (mmm…), we enjoyed the movie that kept us clinging to the edge of our seats.
After the three-hour-long movie, we made it to Corey and Ilana’s to get some nappy time (it was past midnight…hey, we’re not that old!). After watching some typical, oddball Korean programs (which was kind of nice, since Ken and I don’t have cable), Ken and I slept on the soothingly-heated ondol floor and dozed off for the night.
T’was a fulfilling double-date for our first night in Andong. We’ll be looking forward to more of them :)!
- Jess
Actually, it was a freezing, see-your-breath-outside kind of night. I was pretty excited, because Ken was planning on taking me to dinner and a movie.
What could possibly be better? It was going to be a double date with the best-est teachers in the world, Corey and Ilana!
Only a 40-minute bus ride away, both Ken and I didn’t know why we hadn’t gone to Andong City sooner. We could’ve conveniently hitched a ride with one of my Andong co-teachers (hiding in the vehicle’s trunk) every Friday evening since we’d arrived in Korea. In truth, they had offered several times – almost every week, to be more precise.
Deciding to spend only one night in Andong, we waited at the bus stop in the dead of the night, listening merely to the sound of nothingness in the air. It was a Saturday night, and the only party that went on probably included the village’s chocolate-coloured cows and two calico stray cats (who usually play hide-and-seek in the rice fields).
Finally, we heard the crumble crumble crumble, and deafening BEEP BEEP!! that broke our peaceful moment of solitude. Our carriage to Andong had arrived.
***
The bright, streetlights almost singed my eyes. The vibrant, beaming signs of the convenience stores, multiplexes, and buildings that lined the street nearly gave me a seizure. I had to avert my eyes to the ground every other painful minute, just to get the teensiest bit of relief.
We finally recognized it – the Andong Bus Terminal. The bus came to a halt, and we stepped off.
Inside the terminal, we immediately saw Corey and Ilana. It wasn’t too hard to pick out the Westerners in the mass of Koreans. It was like a real life couple’s Where’s Waldo. Exchanging several warm, bear hugs, all four of us were ready to begin our double-date ^.^!
For dinner, we ate in a tiny room at the end of a narrow corridor (not sketchy, I swear!) in the Old Andong Market. Despite its size, the room was comfortably cozy, with an ondol heating our icy bottoms. Around us, the walls and the ceiling cried out messages from lovestruck couples and phone numbers from desperate, lonely singles. Above an abused soju poster (displaying a model with her hair and eyes scratched out), Ken and Corey managed to etch Ken+Jess Corey+Ilana 2009 with my dying black pen.
We ate an insanely large plate of jjimdak (soy chicken with clear noodles, sweet carrot, starchy potato, and spicy red and green peppers). This savory-sweet dish, representative of Andong, made one of Ken’s top Korean meals (that’s saying a lot). It was goooood.
Next, what was our double date without the movie? We had our choice of two English movies that were playing at that time – The Time Traveler’s Wife or 2012. Luckily, they weren’t voiced-over, so I didn’t have to be the half-wit translator for the night (I would’ve turned the movie into a nightmare!). 2012 was the obvious choice (because of the boys), and the suspense and maxed-out volume blasting out of the speakers didn’t leave them disappointed. With sugary caramel popcorn (which seemed to be the only kind they were selling) and delicious peanut-buttered, dried squid (mmm…), we enjoyed the movie that kept us clinging to the edge of our seats.
After the three-hour-long movie, we made it to Corey and Ilana’s to get some nappy time (it was past midnight…hey, we’re not that old!). After watching some typical, oddball Korean programs (which was kind of nice, since Ken and I don’t have cable), Ken and I slept on the soothingly-heated ondol floor and dozed off for the night.
T’was a fulfilling double-date for our first night in Andong. We’ll be looking forward to more of them :)!
- Jess
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