Hot Doggin' Around

The whole month of February has been filled with bittersweet moments, sheer and utter boredom, and absolute randomness. This past month officially marked the end of my time at the center, and I had my last day at the center on Saturday.

Beginning of February

The start of February began with an incredibly random day at work. A few of my co-workers had bought matching Costco hot dog sweatshirts and decided they were going to have a photoshoot to commemorate the occasion. The center happened to have a hot dog costume, so they so graciously asked me to wear the costume in their photos. I immediately said yes and got myself picture ready. We started by taking some photos representing a business meeting where I, the hot dog, was listening to a presentation on the consumption of hot dogs at the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Competition. It was quite fun getting into character as someone both interested and horrified at the prospect of so many innocent hot dogs being devoured on an annual basis.

Following this moment of hilarity, we moved on to more traditional photos. Our basis for these photos were the classic 80s JC Penny style photoshoots; one can never go wrong with these types of photos. There were some photos where I was lifted over the heads of all three co-workers (the boys were doing some major lifting). Other photos were more reminiscent of a royal family where one person (me) was sitting in a chair and everyone was surrounding the chair. Still others saw us four standing in a perfect line staring off in the distance. I tried so hard to maintain a straight face in the photos, but the simple fact was that the entire situation was ridiculous and funny.

Hot diggity dog

Mid- February

The middle of February was met with a lovely 4 day weekend. I really needed a break after only being back at work for about 2 weeks. To be fair, the entirety of my winter break was comprised of me basically running around Japan, constantly traveling from one destination to the next. Kicking off my long weekend, I headed over to Busan Museum with Tom; I had been dying to see the museum ever since I moved to Busan. Technically, we saw the museum backwards (that is what I get for allowing Tom to lead the way), so we started with more modern-era Busan and ended with the first people to live in Korea during the Neolithic Period.

Regardless of where we began, the museum was absolutely fascinating. I learned a great deal about Busan during the Joseon Dynasty and its crucial maritime vantage point. I think the most intriguing historical period of the museum dealt with the Japanese invasions. In case you did not know, Japan has invaded Korea numerous times throughout history. One of the more momentous invasions began in 1592 and ended 6 years later. The long standing tumultous history between Korea and Japan is certainly interesting to read about, but it is also quite sad to read about the devastation at the hands of the invaders. The remainder of the museum had information about more modern times, such as the Korean War, and the impact of Western country aid, both socially and economically. The Neolithic Period was also interesting, but there was not a great deal of information to read about.

After the museum, we headed over to Gwangalli Beach for a late lunch. I took Tom to the Mexican restaurant I had visited so many months ago. He was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was since it is not super common to find good Mexican food in Korea. He is British though, so I do not know how much authentic Mexican food he has actually had. Once our blood sugar was more normal, we headed over to the beach. The day was somewhat chilly, but it was still a gorgeous day to walk alongside the water. I had not been to Gwangalli in months, and it was nice to explore the area more than I had previously.

Busan Museum/ Gwangalli Beach

End of February

The last couple of weeks of February were suprisingly jam packed. Center wise, I had my last online class with my middle schoolers (only 2 came to class), which meant everyday after was filled with watching movies, playing video games, and catching up on Japan blog posts. I also re-read all the Percy Jackson books in the span of a week. In case you could not tell, I was INCREDIBLY bored.

Outside of work, I hiked the Hoedong Reservoir with Tom on one Sunday. The hike was quite nice even if I was walking uphill the first half. The elderly were moving faster than I was. While I may have been a little (ok a lot) out of breath, the views more than made up for it. I could see different parts of Busan on each side of the mountain. If I squinted hard enough I could basically see my apartment building way off in the distance. The second half of the hike was far easier. Downhill for the win! The view was still great, and I felt quite accomplished when I was back on flat ground.

Hoedong Reservoir

The following day, I headed over to Spaland to relax my barely sore muscles. Spaland is a giant spa that holds various saunas, baths, and a large foot spa. I had been eager to visit Spaland since I had heard great things from various people, but I was DEEPLY out of my element.

To preface, I would consider myself a prudish person. I do not enjoy being naked around others, and I certainly do not enjoy seeing other naked people. You can imagine my utter discomfort when I walked into the locker room and was met with naked women everywhere. Literally every which way I looked I was met with a new body. I quickly found my locker, and then proceeded to give myself an internal pep talk before removing my clothes. Now, I am sure you are saying to yourself "Geez, Emma, it cannot be that bad. No one will even look at you. It's common courtesy to not stare at naked people". WRONG! Everyone was staring at me because I was the only foreigner in the locker room. I do not look like them therefore I am intriguing. The towel was so small I could not wrap it around myself, so I had to hold it to my front and let my backside just feel the breeze while I walked to the showers. I have several things on my bucket list, however, sitting on a small stool while showering in front of dozens of random women is not one of them. In fact, I would consider that my own personal hell because, again, I was being stared at by pretty much everyone.

After a speedy shower, I walked back to my locker with the glorified washcloth covering my lady bits. It seemed everyone and their mother was by my locker, so I awkwardly dressed in the provided clothing. I looked like I was an 8 year old wearing my dad's clothing; shorts coming down to my knees and an oversized t-shirt. Still traumatized from my locker room adventure, I met Tom in the lobby and we headed in to the spa area. The first area we stopped at was the foot spa. The water was practically boiling, and by the time we exited about 10 minutes later, we looked like we were wearing socks our skin was so red. The next area we visited held all the various saunas. Another thing to note about me: I do not enjoy being hot. Keeping that in mind, imagine how wonderful it must have felt for me to enter a room that was 167 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, you read that correctly. 167 degrees! Everywhere on my body was just wet. No matter how many times I wiped my forehead or my arms, more liquid would appear. Needless to say, I left an outline of my body on the floor. I am not entirely convinced part of me did not just straight up die on that floor. The remaining 21 saunas varied from about 90 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Each room I visited received about a pound of sweat as a parting gift. I would not say I was miserable, but I was not the picture of relaxation. The only room I truly enjoyed was a cool 60 degrees.

After a very long 3 hours, we decided to head home. I prepped myself to enter the locker room and ventured inside. This time around I had no towel, so I actually did have to use a washcloth to dry myself. I was not even completely dry before I put on my clothing that is how much I wanted to get the hell out of there. Leaving the spa, Tom informed me I was even more stressed than when I went in; a feat he did not believe was possible.

Last Days at the Center

The last 2 days at the center were quite bittersweet. Two of my favorite people were moving to other parts of Busan to be closer to their news schools. In case you have forgotten, in November I found out I was losing my job at the center and would be placed at 2 public schools in Busan. In addition, there was a high likelihood I would be moving closer to my new schools. Fortunately for me, I did not end up having to move, and my 2 new schools are right next door to each other. Commuting will be much easier knowing that my schools are so close. Anyway, Nicole and Maddie said their goodbyes on Friday since they would be moving on Saturday. Of course I will still see them from time to time, but we will no longer live in the same building.

The final day at the center was quiet due to several people moving. The day seemed to drag on and on and on. Finally, it hit 6pm and I walked down the hill for the last time. Time for new adventure to begin!