(21) 90 in 90: The New King of Soccer (not really)

It's almost been an entire week since returning from the US and getting my bearings again. After waking up much earlier than necessary and going to sleep much later than recommended on a school night, it finally seems that my body is beginning to get back to its normal routine. The 9 to 5 that became a daily part of my life seems to be coming back without the mid day falling asleep at my desk routine.

It feels great to be back and in the groove again. I always hate the feeling of being out of the loop and not actively involved in my day to day life beyond just going through the motions. I may turn into a wasted pile of energy after the work day is over sometimes, but I try my hardest during the day to be a somewhat productive member of my school or at least a productive member to accomplish what needs to be done on my personal list.

What I Saw

I'm not a scientist, nor am I a sleep expert, but I am almost certain that two events in the middle of the week helped me bounce back to my normal self.

This week was my school's Foundation Day, or a holiday in which the school celebrates the day it was founded and built. Like many other schools, my school celebrated by having a ceremony where the principal and other high ranking people in the school gave a speech to the students. The actual Foundation Day was spent with a day off, a day of rest for both teachers and students.

The day of the ceremony was ended with a soccer game between the different members of the staff. Young and old participated on the field, including myself as a participant.

Now before you go thinking that this turns into a sports movie miracle and the scrappy kid from America wins the game for to roars of applause and being carried on shoulders, stop, because what actually happened couldn't be further from the truth.

What I Expected

This was the first soccer game that I have ever participated in. Sure, I've seen soccer played before and I have a slight understanding of the rules, but beyond that my knowledge of soccer is next to zero.

Soccer is huge in Korea. Now just that sentence alone is most likely a vast understatement, giving that there are schools in Korea based entirely around the game of soccer. It is an arguable fact that soccer isn't as large or as popular in the US as it is in Korea, making this guy who grew up in the Midwest all the more ignorant.

I kept telling my teachers how playing with them was not a wise choice. I kept telling them that putting me on their team would only present a large handicap and severely hinder their chances of winning. Either through wanting to be as accommodating as possible or through miss communication, it was insisted that I join their team. Swallowing my pride and accepting my fate I slowly slide on my bright blue jersey, preparing for the worst.

The game lasted less than an hour, and by the time the game finished, I felt as if my whole body had been stretched to its limit and my lungs were deflated balloons gasping for any amount of air it could.

We had lost the game, 0-1 and while my team appeared in good spirits, I felt like I had not accomplished anything constructive during the game. I ran around a lot, made attempts to steal the ball on occasion and at one time, blocked an incoming shot. While it wasn't a horrible first effort to play, in terms of being dropped in the middle of a soccer game with experienced soccer players,  it could not have been more futile.

What I got

However, the ones who seemed to get the most out of the match were my students. The entire time they kept cheering me on and clapping at any attempt made by me to do anything. Now while I'm sure much of it was an attempt at saving face or an example of laughing at someone rather than laughing with someone, I still received some kinds messages later on evening telling me that I did a good job for my first time.

Overall, it was an experience that left me beyond tired, and with sore muscles where I didn't even think I had muscles, it left me with a another unique experience in Korea, a way to wake my body up in the middle of a jet lagged week and earned me a new nickname with the students*.

That's what I love about being a foreigner working and living here. Everything is new and exciting. Things happen at random and sometimes with seemingly no reason. It's a constant and dynamic life and I am enjoying every minute of it, even if it leaves my body and my ego sore and bruised from time to time.

*for those who are curious, my nickname is The Soccer King. I strongly disagree with this nickname and its implied meaning.

A trip to Caribbean Bay!

Last week was midterm time at my school. While that meant a hellish exam cycle of studying until the early hours and cramming vast amounts of information to be memorized for students, I got to take a mini vacation and have a spare day off from work. I had known that this day was coming soon and decided to take advantage of it early by planning to take a day trip back to Everland with Hyejin.

Its funny, as most people I know usually make it a habit to make it either a once a year trip or biannual trip to  Everland and here I was, visiting again in a span of a month. In all fairness though, it wasn't the same kind of trip and I wasn't visiting the same exact place again.

Next to Everland, was the water park know as Caribbean Bay, famous in Korea for having both an indoor and outdoor portion of water slides and attractions. I've heard stories of it being packed with people during the hot and humid summer months, with long lines waiting to go down slides and visit the spa area.

I guess I went at the wrong time because aside from a handful of people in the indoor portion, the park was a ghost town.

Maybe it was because of the weather. It was slightly chilly and the skies had a hint of overcast, possibly threatening to rain at any minute. Maybe because it was an afternoon on a Thursday, a day typically spent by most Koreans either in school or working. Whatever the reason, it was a bit odd to be able to walk around the park with no lines or waiting.

While a line free water park sounds like paradise to most people and ideally it would be, it seemed that the staff took the day off as well and most of the water slides and water attractions on the outside were not open. None of the slides were available to slide down with many portions of the park were blocked off and closed.

I was certain at this point that I would end up regretting the time and money spent coming here, however my girlfriend reminded me about the indoor portion of the park. Remaining skeptical but not wanting to waste anymore time, we made our way inside.

I was glad I listened to Hyejin, because as soon as we stepped through the door we were greeted to a brightly lit area of lazy rivers, small pools, water slides and spa areas. It was a light at the end of a chlorine smelling tunnel.

While this was my first time visiting an indoor water park, I was impressed at what was available. The whole place had a cheery and clean atmosphere with the bright colors and themes of a amusement park. Simply walking around the are and finding new places to play in hidden in the corners was a fun time that constantly offered new things to try out. Starting from the bottom and making your way to the top could take a person more than a few hours if they went at a leisurely pace.

One of the things I found most different about the Korean water park experience was the preparation before even stepping foot  in a swimming pool. One of the most striking is the safety concerns and preparations for each person with safety measure going far beyond what I was used to back at home. Where safety concerns generally consisted of "don't run" and "jump in kids!" back at home, the rules were different here, specifically with swim attire.

According to the rules of the park, you are required to wear the following before swimming:

A cap to cover your head.

A life vest (but you can take this off later on)

A t shirt to cover your torso (but we were allowed to remove these)

Luckily, due the the small number of people there, the staff allowed us to slide by the rules a little bit and go without caps and later on remove our vests and t shirts. However we were told that if it was a busier time, these items would be absolutely necessary.

Another difference was the variety of things to do beside go in the water or swim in the pools. Spa and sauna areas were scattered between the slides and pools to offer a quick dip of relaxation along with scented water with rose and other flowers. The indoor area also offered both a beauty section and relaxation section that for a half hour and extra fee, could allow a quiet area to relax and be pampered in. It seemed like an odd idea at first, but after taking small breaks to refresh between swimming and sliding provided a revitalizing burst of energy that was welcomed after a few hours of activity. America needs to get on the idea ASAP.

It was a fun day with my girlfriend who like me, was caught up in her work life leaving places like this a distant priority in the wake of more important and work related manners. At the end of the day, despite being tired and worn out were reminded just important these little breaks are from our daily schedule and how the company of a special person is a key ingredient for a happy time.

Website for Caribbean Bay

http://www.everland.com/web/multi/english/caribbean/main.html

The outside of the Bay!