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2011 Dadaepo Marathon, 5k, 10k, half marathon


http://busan.cityawesome.com

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Summer beach season is quickly approaching. That means it’s time to get off your lazy butt and get in shape. There’s no better way to do this than by training for the Dadaepo marathon. That’s kind of a misnomer.  All races in Korea seem to be called marathons. There’s not actually a full marathon happening, but there is a 5k, a 10k, and a half marathon.

I’m not sure when the deadline for registration is, but they’re usually about a month before the race. To be safe, probably get signed up before April 22nd.

The registration page is all in Korean, but don’t worry, Kylene MacKillop, the fearless leader of the “Waeguks Got Runs” Busan running group, has provided detailed instructions to help you register.  Join this facebook group to keep updated on all sorts of upcoming races and running events in and around Busan.

It looks long and complicated, but it really isn’t. Just very detailed. You can do it!

http://www.kookjemarathon.com/

1. use internet explorer
2. Roll over the 2nd tab across the top and click on the 4th sub-tab that pops up
3. click the i agree box
4. directly below are 2 options left is korean right is foreigner
5. Write your name as you want it to appear on your bib (but it’s much simpler if you write it in whatever form your bank account is registered in .. make sure they match eng-eng or kor-kor)
6. Alien #
7. Male (left) Female (right) and press the next button
8. on the next page you should see a space for your postal code and a grey box to the right. click on it. You have to enter the name of your ‘dong’ in korean. For example, mine is Danggam 4 Dong and I would enter 당감4동
When you click the button to the right, it will give you a list of all the apartment complexes in your dong and you have to find yours. once you do, highlight it and press the button directly below it. then they will give you a line where you enter the more specific information like building and apartment numbers. If i lived in building 123 and apartment 456, I would write 123 동 456호. press the button directly below and it will automatically enter all the info into the main page.
9. Land line and cell phone (enter your cell twice if you don’t have a land line)
10. pick your course in order of half, 10k, and 5k
11. pick the size of your shirt from 85 to 110
12. Next it will show your name how you wrote it on the first page. This name MUST match your bank account so if your name is in korean on your bankbook, write it the same way here.
13. Last is email and press submit
14. It will show you a review page and press complete.
15. You have 2-3 days to transfer your money so just do it quickly and send it to any of these accounts:
부산은행 (Busan Bank) 125-01-001623-6
농협 (Nonghyup) 942-01-205403
국민은행 (Kookmin) 131-01-0008-276

So now that the hard stuff has been done for you, you just need to sign up and get running!

Question from a reader: bigger clothes, shipping to Korea, and crazy Korean girls?

A reader writes in:

Hi Chris,

Recently I’ve been considering doing a year or two worth of TESL work in South Korea, but I had a couple of questions regarding life over there.  1. I’m 6’2″ 220 lbs, I’m assuming it’s probably going to be problematic finding clothes over there.  Are there any places to buy something for a taller and wider shouldered type of guy over there? Also, are shipping rates from the U.S. fairly reasonable? 2.  Do you have any friends that went over there as single guys? A coworker I trained with a couple of years ago had taught in South Korea for a year or two, but anything he’s said has been kind of fuzzy other than the fact that Korean women can get a bit crazy.  Is dating a foreigner over there considered chic and am I going to have to fend over crazy Korean women with a stick while over there?

[M.]

 

Photo credit: me :)

OK, so there are three distinct questions here – let’s tackle them one-by-one:

1. I’m 6’2″ 220 lbs, I’m assuming it’s probably going to be problematic finding clothes over there.  Are there any places to buy something for a taller and wider shouldered type of guy over there?

Being 5’10″ and closer to 200 pounds than I’d like to admit, I feel your pain. While things have improved somewhat – I’m seeing a lot more options involving ‘XL’ now more before – It’s best to bring a fair amount of clothes with you. The modern department stores will typically carry up to size 36 waist (91 or 92 cm), while some stores may stock a 38 waist (94 or 95 cm) as well. T-shirts tend to be short and tight – two strikes for bigger guys.

There are several clothing stores in the Itaewon area specifically for bigger people, and the sky’s the limit here. Since much of what’s sold is imported, there’s a better chance of a good fit. While you probably won’t need them, the area also has enough older Korean gentlemen promising to make you a tailored suit. I would also check out a second-hand store in the Hongdae area – from Hongik University station on line 2, take exit 8 to street level, then take the first right to the T – it’s on the corner to your left on the 3rd floor. I’ve seen some jeans as large as a size 42 waist there.

[1a.] Also, are shipping rates from the U.S. fairly reasonable?

I wrote about shipping during last year’s holiday season from Korea to your home country. If sending something fast, prices get expensive faster than you can say ‘How much?’ Using USPS’s handy ‘international price calculator’, sending a 20 pound package from the US to Korea via ‘Express Mail International’ would cost $134.05 and arrive in 3-5 business days; if you could cram it in the USPS-provided 12″ x 12″ x 5-1/2″ box, the Priority Mail shipping would be $58.50 and arrive in 6-10 business days. A 50 pound package can only be sent via Express Mail, and would cost $306.55.

I’d love to say UPS is cheaper – but according to a personal real-world scenario (e.g. shipping a 20 pound box from my former hometown to here), it would cost $247.68 and take three days to ship. FedEx isn’t much better, costing $241.31 and taking a week to ship the same 20 pound box; an additional $13.67 would magically make it arrive two days earlier.

Bottom line – pack what you need in your two suitcases and a carry-on – you’d be amazed how many clothes you can fit in there. Once arriving, a relative or trusted friend can send you anything else you might need. Be sure to Paypal them the money to cover the shipping costs!

2.  Do you have any friends that went over there as single guys? A coworker I trained with a couple of years ago had taught in South Korea for a year or two, but anything he’s said has been kind of fuzzy other than the fact that Korean women can get a bit crazy.  Is dating a foreigner over there considered chic and am I going to have to fend over crazy Korean women with a stick while over there?

At the risk of offending half of my wonderful readers, women do have the propensity to ‘get a bit crazy’. That said, any number of things men do could likely be perceived as crazy as well. I’ll leave the psychological / sociological discussions in The Grand Narrative’s extremely capable hands. If you haven’t already found his writings online, I highly recommend them as an academic – and picture-ful – source of information.

Put simply, the story often goes that Westerners are perceived as ‘exotic’, or perhaps even a bit of forbidden fruit by Koreans. Enough older Koreans still object to foreigner and Korean relationships, and they tend to make life more difficult for couples of that type. However, you will see quite a few foreigner-and-Korean couples walking the streets of Hongdae or Gangnam. Those relationships may just be for fun, for ‘benefits’, or for serious. Taking the waygook home to meet mom and dad, though? Consider that a big step.

Virtually everyone I know came to Korea single. Whether through mutual acquaintances or mutual interests, more than a few find themselves seeing a local on some level. While there’s always the bad seed (and that goes for foreigners as well as Koreans), there are plenty of intelligent, interesting, and talented people out there. So long as the language barrier isn’t an issue and both are adults, people ought to see whomever they like – foreigner or Korean, male or female, black, brown, yellow or white. I wouldn’t say that dating a foreigner is considered ‘chic’ – but for some it’s simply what they prefer. Since I started dating the Lady in Red (a fellow American English teacher), I haven’t looked back. We’re still full-fledged observers of the Korean condition – especially when short skirts are involved – but I’m quite happy with the lady I’m lucky enough to call my own.

The bigger question becomes one of what makes you happy. Dating / seeing a Korean is relatively easy, but spend a bit of time considering what you’re looking for in a partner. At the risk of calling specific people out, I’d love to hear Roboseyo‘s take, as well as any other foreigners that have gotten serious with their Korean partner.

Readers: what are your thoughts on dating a local?

Creative Commons License

© Chris Backe – 2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

This post was originally published on my blog, Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.

 

Korea’s Indebtedness Is A Problem

Rising Interest Rates & High Debt Levels: A Bad Combination
The Seoul Gyopo Guide has been pointing out two areas of concern for the Korean economy: lower real estate prices and heavy indebtedness occurring as a result of inflation the high cost of living. The Dong-A Ilbo pointed out that indebtedness in Korea has soared.

Bank of Korea’s Difficult Task Continues
The Bank of Korea (BOK) has had an unenviable task. Inflation has increased, in part because import prices are high. Why is that? The Korean Won is weak. However, that same, weak Korean Won encourages exports of Korean-made products. Usually, central banks use the level of interest rates to dampen inflation. The BOK has been widely expected to continue to increase interest rates. However, at the same time, the BOK has been believed to have been intervening in the foreign exchange markets in order to weaken the Won. In short, the Bank of Korea is in between a rock and a hard place. Recent actions suggest that the BOK is trying to have it both ways.

Long, Complicated Laundry List of Issues
Real estate prices in Korea have declined even as the global economy has struggled to improve. The single most important factor in determining real estate prices? Interest rates. As interest rates rise, real estate prices decline. If the price of your home declined, would you feel more or less confident in purchasing items? Less confident. The Bank of Korea is fully aware of this.
Household borrowing is high, and an increase in interest rates will make things worse. The reason is that household debt is tied to the level of interest rates.
Corporate and public sector indebtedness is high. An increase in interest rates will make the situation worse, not better as the interest costs borne by Korean companies, and state-sponsored enterprises increases.
The question is whether or not inflation will decline by enough to offset the effects listed.

BOK Should Stop Selling the Won
The Bank of Korea should stop selling the Won in international markets. While this will hurt Korean companies’ products in the international marketplace, the fact is that Korean products are now amongst the most competitive in the world. In addition, many of the products’ competitors are Japanese. Well, if you didn’t know, the Japanese have a slightly larger problem at hand. Allowing the Korean Won to rise will relieve some of the inflationary pressure in Korea. Not raising rates will ease the pressure on high indebtedness. Whether or not this combination can be sustained is unclear. However, the Bank of Korea’s intervention in foreign exchange markets isn’t really helping matters. In any case, the BOK’s task will not get any easier soon.


Aussie Burger – Kyungsung burger joint

http://busan.cityawesome.com

Click here to visit the Busan Awesome Facebook page!

front of the aussie burger restaurant in kyungsung pukyongWhen Aussie Burger opened up a couple months ago, it marked the third burger spot in Kyungsung (I’m excluding places that have burgers, but aren’t necessarily burger joints), which is a lot, if you think about it.

There’s Thomas Grill, Burger Hunter and now Aussie Burger. I know that it’s maybe because it’s fresh in my mind, but Aussie Burger has to be my pick of the three, slightly edging out Thomas Grill. AND LET ME TELL YOU WHY.

the interior of aussie burger at kyungsung pukyong university1) Service. Here, I feel Aussie Burger barely has the edge. The staff at Thomas Grill is pretty friendly too, but the owner of Aussie Burger and the other young lady working there were charismatic and made us feel at home a bit more.

2) Atmosphere. While Thomas Grill IS pretty cool inside, it’s not comfortable. The chairs and bench seating are fine; I don’t mean that. I mean I feel a little uncomfortable sitting around past when I’ve finished my meal. Aussie Burger, on the other hand, feels more laid back. My fiance and I stayed there for a good hour-and-a-half just hanging out, reading and watching Busan I’Park getting routed by Seongnam on TV. There are couches as well, and the layout of the restaurant is a bit more conducive to hanging out.

the burgers at aussie burger in kyungsung pukyong university area3) The food (of course this had to be a factor!) Although TG has more choices for burgers on the menu, you get to “build” your own burger at Aussie, which is pretty cool. The burgers at Aussie in general are a bit juicier and the buns are softer and sweeter (reminds me of Farmer’s Burgers in Nampo). See below for ingredients that you can add.

Fries-wise, both TG and Aussie have potato wedges. Aussie’s regular fries are better with their seasoning. They also have cheese oven wedges, which are good, but Thomas Grill’s messy fries (chili and cheese) actually are a bit better.

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT. Aussie Burger rocks. Try it out and feel free to debate with me!

Menu: Base burger: 5.8; The Lot (burger with everything): 8.7. Add-on ingredients: extra patty 2.5; bacon 1.0; egg .8; cheese .8; pineapple (awesome!) .5; lettuce .2; tomato .5. Add potato wedges for 1.5. Unlimited refill soda for 1.5. Make it a set/meal (soda+wedges) for 2.5. Other stuff: cheese oven wedges 6.0; salad 5.0; meat pie 5.0; triple cheese toast 9.8.

Drinks: Americano 2.9; cappuccino 3.5; juice 3.0; Cass on draft 2.9 (12 oz; 330 ml); Hoegarten on draft 6.5. Bottled beer (Cafri, Miller, Corona, Coopers) ranging from 3-7k.

Directions: Kyungsung metro exit 3. walk straight out and take your first right. Go down 3.5 blocks, and it’ll be on your left, just past Ol’ 55. It’s almost all the way down to Pukyong University’s campus.

http://busan.cityawesome.com


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Oddball Facebook Sale: Nailclippers

Was checking the Facebook Marketplace for a TV or microwave when I came across this person selling nail clippers.
The ad seems like it might be for a homework assignment or just a way to make a new friend. Anyways, it was a nice random thing to find today.

UPDATE: Looks like a whole group of people have some kind of assignment to sell "normal" stuff lying around. So far there are slippers and tissue boxes for sale. I wonder what will be next and what will come of this.

The Afternoon That Got Swept Away

Although getting home at five PM is pretty sweet compared to most jobs in life, my afternoon today was a little bit different from usual. I was thinking of going to Lotte Mart to pick up some things, but then decided I didn't feel like eating dinner there. When I entered the entrance of my apartment complex the Ahjusshi was there along with another fellow. The Ahjusshi asked me something, but I didn't know what he was saying. However, it sounded pretty serious. The only thing I made out of it was a number, and so I figured he needed some payment.

Actually, when I moved in the previous teacher/tenant gave me a bag of money and a payment slip. He told me to head to the management office and pay it next month. Well time has passed, and I did go to the management office last month. But they only took half my payment. So I figured the Ahjusshi today was trying to get me to pay the rest.

I went up to my apartment gave Tom a quick hello, grabbed the money and went back down stairs. But apparently there were issues. To make a long story short this involved another teacher at my school, calling my team leader and following the management guy around till we fixed this. Ends up I didn't need to pay anything since the school took care of it. So now I have this bag of money and should responsibly return to the right person.

Home life these days seems so adult like and dull. I suppose it is just normal, but when you think of someone living abroad you probably think every second of their life is exciting. I don't know about you but doing laundry two times a week, cleaning up after your pet cat, making and cleaning up dinner for one, blah blah...is well not exactly the highlight of my life.

But that's just it, even though I am living abroad life seems to steam along pretty normally like it did back home. I suppose I have globalization to thank for my being able to carry out this "modern life" in another country.

Oh I did need to go to the store anyways, since I needed bread. Ah the usual bread run. The thing is the good kind of bread (that is natural or made of wheat) is to be found at bakery stores. In America you can get a whole loaf of bread, but in Korea the good bread comes in only half size. This means it runs out quickly. I suppose I could buy two halves of bread, but I seem to fear the second one will rot while I eat the first one.

Isn't that exciting!

Busan e-FM Week 6: Busan Festivals, Events and Places

About 'Open Mike in Busan'

Background

By the time I reached my sixth week at Busan e-FM, they’d moved from the centrally-based Yeonsan-dong KNN building to Centum City in Haeundae, in the increasingly fashionable Eastern fringe of the city, where KNN are building their monstrous new headquarters.

Introduction

As everyone knows, there’s certainly always a lot happening in Busan, so for my sixth week on Inside Out Busan at Busan e-FM, I thought I’d talk about some of my experiences visiting festivals, and going out to various events and places here in the city.

Busan Fireworks Festival

My first festival was the Busan Fireworks Festival in 2006 – I think it was only the second year they’d held it then. I remember when we reached the nearby subway station many people rushed off the train and walked fast – or even ran – towards the beach. It gave me a real sense that something exciting was about to take place.

And it was exciting. Sometimes it feels that Korea is a little too obsessed with Seoul, but Busan has the sea and its beaches, and you can’t get that in the capital. It was a bit cold, and sitting on pebbles for three hours isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world – but that was the point I thought that maybe Busan was a better city to live in. Actually I was listening to ‘What’s Popin Busan’ on Busan e-FM a few weeks ago, and the Fireworks Festival sounds even better now. Also, showing movies afterwards is good – when we went it just ended and everyone headed off the beach at the same time. There was a crush and it was a little worrying.

I haven’t been again since. I live in Saha-gu so coming to events in Haeundae can mean two to three hours of travelling. I have to admit, it does put me off sometimes. But it wasn’t long before I was back in the Haeundae area for the New Year’s Sunrise Festival.

Being on the beach at 6am

So the Sunrise Festival meant being on the beach at 6am. We don’t have this culture of watching sunrises in England, so I was really surprised at just how many people were there – tens of thousands I’m sure. Unfortunately it was cloudy. Eventually we saw the sun about forty minutes after it rose. And there wasn’t much to do except stand and wait. I’m glad we did it though – it’s certainly an interesting way to start the year. But of course, you can’t predict the weather.

And many other places

Actually, it could have been worse. Last year I went to the Last Sunset Festival on Dadaepo Beach – it was about minus ten degrees and my hands were shaking so much I could hardly take photos properly. It was the same with the Pusan International Film Festival – we saw a movie outside but it was a bit too cold to enjoy it that year. I think PIFF has been held a bit earlier in the last couple of years.

It certainly feels like I’ve been to a lot of festivals in Busan during my time here. I try to get out and do things. Of course, it’s not just about festivals, becase there are a lot of shows and concerts going on. Maybe compared to Seoul, Busan doesn’t have a big reputation as a cultural centre, but I think that’s unfair because there seems to be far more happening here than I’d ever find it possible to experience.

Although there is the language barrier problem

The language barrier presents problems though. Sometimes there isn’t any information in English, even at visiting foreign exhibitions such as those held at the Busan Museum of Modern Art. I’ve been to performances such as the famous Nanta because it’s non-verbal, but I can’t go and watch a Korean stage play, or anything in the Korean language. That works both ways – because when foreign actos come over here, it really has to be for non-verbal performances too. And I’ve seen how that can be a problem.

I’ve seen foreign performers have difficulties here. I attended a French stage play by a famous choreographer as part of the Busan Intenational Performing Arts Festival – it was called 'Comédie!' There was a question and answer session afterwards with the performers, and the first person to stand up basically said "the performance is called Comedy and it’s pitched as a comedy... but it didn’t seem funny." It was really rather awkward. On the other hand, I was quite nervous when the famous British-based mime artist Nola Rae did a performance at Kyungsung University, but the audience seemed to like that.

Music concerts are sometimes easier in terms of language. I’ve seen Jeon Jeduk and Malo here, but I got the impression – from what’s been said – that quite a few famous entertainers from Seoul don’t often come down to Busan, because they don’t feel the need to, which is a real shame if that’s true.

I think – quite often – the costs of these events can be quite high, but actually one of the best performances I attended was by a choir – the Busan Metropolitan City Chorus – and the tickets were only 1,000 won. I think the local government subsidised that.

Sport

Baseball is another cheap recommendation. I went to a baseball game – the Lotte Giants at Sajik Stadium – and it only cost 6,000 won. We don’t play baseball in England, so that was a really amazing experience, especially because of the noisy crowd. A few years ago I watched a movie called Mr. Baseball about an ex-New York Yankee playing in Japan, and it really seemed to capture the atmosphere of Japanese baseball. I kind of hoped that Korean baseball would be the same – and it really was. They have people in the crowd encouraging them to be noisy, it was great. It’s a shame I don’t really understand the game very well, but if I ever get the time I could see myself really getting into it.

I’ve also been to see KT Sonicboom. Basketball’s not popular in England either, so that was the first time I’d seen a game. I expected it to be a bit quieter – but they still had a guy in front of us encouraging the crowd, so it was noisy. I’m not so sure about having very young cheerleaders dancing right in front of me though. That was a bit much. I could see myself developing a taste for basketball though. I guess that as an English person living in Korea, I have to accept becoming more Americanised when it comes to sport, because sports which are popular in England, such as football, really aren’t that popular here – except when the national team plays.

Favourite places

Because I live in the west of Busan, I spend a lot of time in Nampodong. It’s mainly about shopping and eating there, but it has two large cinemas opposite each other, and one of those rare independent cinemas showing more obscure foreign films a little further up.

Bosudong Book Street is nearby, with dozens of book stores and all its cultural heritage. Because of technology, I fear we might be seeing the end of an era there. And despite the distance, I do like Haeundae; it’s nice to eat of drink with a view of the sea – and of course, it’s an advantage Busan has over Seoul.

Then another thing, although I haven’t done it too much, is climbing mountains at night such as Hwangryeongsan, to take photos of the city, because there really are some spectacular views of Busan to be found.

So I can’t see that I’ll ever get bored here. Maybe this isn’t Seoul, but I think the authorities in Busan seem to be trying really hard to make this a culturally interesting city. I honestly feel overwhelmed sometimes by how much there is to see and do.


Links
Busan e-FM
Inside Out Busan

Air date: 2010-12-01 @ ~19:30

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