Candice in Korea
 
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Yes... a beaver at the aquarium. Why? because it's Korea and like I've mentioned before, things aren't always 'normal'. The COEX Aquarium has many creatures that aren't even related to water, but anyhow. 

One section had creative styles of fish tanks. The were fish in fridges, washing machines, vending machines, traffic lights and lamp posts. My favourite were the tiny fish in a harp-shaped tank. As these fish swam they would set off sensors which sounded music,  just like a harp.

The Coex Aquarium is also very interactive. There is a tank where you can put your hands in the water and let the little fishies cleanse (nibble on) your hands as well as an area where you can touch some marine life, like starfish.

There was a section devoted to the World Cup. The fish tanks were disguised as mini soccer fields and had little soccer men in them. The colours of the fish were similar to those of the featured teams. Once again, very odd but totally Korean. I love it.
Click on the images to enlarge them.


Here is a video clip I put together...
P.S This is my first video ever, so I'm still learning how to be a pro.
 
The residents of Danyang are ever so proud of their rose tunnel...they call it the Korean Alps. It is something to be proud of though. It's an arched walk way that runs just above the riverside for about 1km and then the path changes into more of a boardwalk. I love walking through there and now that it's in bloom, not only is it beautiful but it also smells really good!
 
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There are some stops a long the way with benches and heart-shaped decorations which are all lit up at night.
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It's a really peacefull and romantic walk way and it even has gentle music playing from the lamp post speakers. ^^
 
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Yes people, the electric fan...it will cause DEATH. Fan Death is a strange phenomenon, generally accepted only in South Korea, in which an electric fan left running overnight in a closed room can cause the death of those inside. Fans sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on.

This article, dated 28 July 1997, is from The Korean Herald, an English newspaper:

The heat wave which has encompassed Korea for about a week, has generated various heat-related accidents and deaths. At least 10 people died from the effects of electric fans which can remove oxygen from the air and lower body temperatures. On Friday in eastern Seoul, a 16-year-old girl died from suffocation after she fell asleep in her room with an electric fan in motion.
The death toll from fan-related incidents reached 10 during the past week. 

Medical experts say that this type of death occurs when one is exposed to electric fan breezes for long hours in a sealed area. "Excessive exposure to such a condition lowers one's temperature and hampers blood circulation. And it eventually leads to the paralysis of heart and lungs," says a medical expert"To prevent such an accident, one should keep the windows open and not expose oneself directly to fan air," he advised.
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So if you've ever slept with your fan on and survived, consider yourself lucky! This is not an issue to be taken lightly. I'd like to call it a myth, but there are just hundreds of articles on this bizarre phenomenon. I guess it's something you have to see to believe.
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Koreans are the most honest people I've ever met. They're never out to rob you and will literally run after you if they've short-changed you. Koreans really go out of their way to provide good service.
The first time I went to buy some make up, I left the store with all sorts of extra beauty products...all for free. Then when buying odds and ends for my new apartment, I always got something extra, just because. I soon learned this was called service. 

So far this is what I've gotten "Service":
- beauty face masks
- creams
- fork and spoon
- 12pack of toilet paper
- key rings
- beer
- pepsi/cider (when ever I order pizza or chicken take out.)
Every now and then one item from my shopping basket will become service. Just another reason to love the Korean way.
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With the Soccer World Cup being in South Africa this year and well, with me not being there, it's made me really proud, but also sad hearing about all the spirit and festive activities happening in my country. I decided I would have to do something that would be just as good as being in SA. So Busan was the answer!

I got permission from my school to leave early on Friday so that I could make the great trek down to Busan. It takes just about 6 hours. A 30 minute bus to Jecheon, a 2 hour 40 minute train to Daejeon, a 2 hour KTX to Busan and then of course a taxi to a motel, which could take quite a while because of all the night time traffic and even longer if you have a difficult driver!

Arriving in Haeundae at about 22h40, we rushed to find a motel to offload our bags and then raced off to a local bar that was showing the game. Amazingly we made it in time for kick off! 
Seeing SA on tv gave me goosebumps and I was 100 % behind the team. Although Bafana Bafana didn't win, they scored a great goal, and also the opening goal of the WC. It was Truely a 'Proudly South African' moment.

Saturday morning we made an early start with a Starbucks breakfast (my first Starbucks ever- definitely a milestone) and then headed off to Nampo-dong for a bit of shopping and lunch.

The rest of the afternoon we spent lazing on the beach in true Cape Tonian style. Swimming was not for me...the water was way too cold, but the others enjoyed it, clothes and all. Many people swim in their clothes here, it's totally acceptably. For me it was just so good to be close to the ocean again! Busan reminds me so much of home.

That evening the streets were pumping with Korean Spirit. All dressed in red screaming Dae-Han-Min-Gook..... and we joined in. Kick off was at 20h30 and only a few minutes before the clouds broke into showers. Our plan to watch the game on the beach, and we hadn't thought of another option. Most fans rushed off to any available bars, and a few people still opted for the beach. We ended up in a very overcrowded bar for the first half of the game and then hit the beach for the second half once the rain had stop. With the whole Nation behind the team it was impossible for them to lose. Korea's victory led to celebrations until all hours of the night. It was so wonderful to be part of it.
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My 'Proudly Korean' friend, Eomji
Busan has become my favourite city in Korea and I can't wait to go back and see more of it!
 
A popular activity to do in Danyang is river rafting. I've heard it's one of the best place in Korea! The Namhangang is a long river running all the way from Gangwon-do to Seoul, but most of the way it is very gentle and has very few rough areas to make rafting a thrilling experience. 

I decided to go with a group of English teachers I met from orientation. After kitting up in our helmets and life jackets we carried our raft down to the river and had a quick briefing with our guide. His name was Park Sung Hyeul, but he said we could just call him Rafting Guide- so original.

So off we went shouting 1-2-3-4 to keep our strokes in sync. Because of this, I can now count to four in both Korean counting systems: hana-dool-set-net and eel-ee-sam-sa. 
Due to the lack of rapids we ended up playing many games both on the raft and in the water. Once I was in the water I didn't want to get back on the raft. Ok... well I did, but it was pretty difficult. Firstly, because the guys insisted in pushing everyone off again, and secondly, because I was simply not capable of pulling myself up.

The water temperature was devine and it was so good to cool off from the sweltering heat and humidity. Unfortunately after coolling off you have to carry the raft out of the river and up a flight of stairs which is exhausting but well worth it!

Before heading to lunch, a couple of people went for a swim in the river, but were told to keep their life jackets on! "Swimming in the river is dangerous" I've been told by many of my co-teachers and korean friends; and they are always so surprised when I say that I can actually swim.

After freshening up in the public showers we headed off for lunch - bibimbap, which was included in the rafting fee of  25 000 won. All in all, it was a great day and I recommend doing it if ever one is in Danyang.
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So spicy food is not really my thing, and as for sauces well, I prefer my food as plain as possible. I’ve never been able to tolerate hot food, but after living in Korea for almost four months now I’ve adapted and my pallet is way more experienced. Knowing I was coming to a country where the food is so foreign to what I know I told myself that I would be adventurous and that I wouldn’t turn my nose up to anything without trying it first. I’ve done pretty well so far, and although I haven’t tried everything I’m proud of myself so far. I can’t say the same for myself when I was a kid. If there was something I didn’t think looked appealing, I would just ignore it. I wouldn't even try tomatoes because they were red, and to me that meant hot. The kids here however are brought up having to eat exactly what adults eat - spice and all! It’s given me some laughs at lunch time when the kids brace themselves for a chopstick full of kimchi and then gulped down a glass of water, and so it goes till their lunch tray is empty. 
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Today is the first day that I wasn't woken by the noise of campainers. For the past month Korea has been promoting the upcoming National Elections and the streets of Korea have been invaded by enthusiastic campaigners. There are about eight different parties and they stand in their groups along side the road, singing and dancing, waving posters and the typical two-finger peace symbol, and bowing to every car that passes by. It's campaigning like you've never seen before! Each party also has a minivan that patrols the streets at any hour either with the sound of blaring music or someone giving a speech from a platform on the minivan. 
Yesterday was a public holiday (I had to contain my laughter when one of my co-teachers told me that there would be no school on June 2nd because it's National Erection Day. Oh, how I love the mispronunciation of the r and l sounds) and I was woken at 7am with an announcement from the local street lamp post speaker. I didn't understand it, but I'm guessing it said something along the lines of "Wake up, it's time to vote!" Today the streets are back to normality and all foreigners will be able to sleep in a little longer on the weekends again..