Sunday, April 27, 2008

Five Months = Vacation

This past week, I took a vacation to Tokyo. My first vacation since coming here last November, over five months ago. My friend Sarah, who I work with, and I flew to Tokyo on Sunday afternoon. It's only about a 2.5 hour plane ride. Tokyo and Seoul are in the same time zone. That was great. My friend Patrice, from California, met us at the airport and joined us on this Japanese adventure.
Our hotel-- The view from our hotel window (on the 3rd floor); that's Tokyo Bay in the distance--
We spent all day Monday (9 a.m.-10 p.m.) at Tokyo Disneyland. They are celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year. I took almost 400 pictures. I enjoyed meeting lots of characters, seeing interesting costumes, and hearing Mickey, Buzz Lightyear, and C3PO (among others) speaking in Japanese. SO weird. Disneyland was awesome. It is very similar to Florida, in that the streets are huge, and everything is larger than I'm used to (from working at Disneyland in CA). Cinderella's castle is immense and beautiful.
The Main Entrance Area--
I'd never had my picture taken with Donald Duck before. I just never had the chance, I guess. But he was being mobbed, and was getting ready to leave, so this was my only option.
A panorama of the castle area-- View of the castle from behind (one of my favorite pictures)--
Me with a Jungle Cruise Skipper--
Sarah had only been to Disneyworld in Florida, and that was when she was 7 years old. So this was a great experience for her as well. And I loved seeing all the "familiar" things, just done a little differently.
Patrice, Jason, and Sarah--
The Partner's Statue, with the Castle in the background; but I'm sure you already knew that--
The closest we got to seeing Snow White (notice her wearing her mom's shoes)--
Why do human beings get so excited to meet a short person in a mouse suit?
Cinderella's Castle (by far, my favorite picture of the entire vacation)--
We rode the "Jungle Cruise"...enjoying it while not understanding a single word. We rode "Pirates of the Caribbean", and it was mostly in English (Davy Jones, Captain Barbossa, and Jack Sparrow all spoke English), which was strange but comforting. We rode "It's A Small World"; and of course, it was in several languages. We rode this strange "Winnie the Pooh" ride, which apparently is all the RAGE in Japan. Just the line to get a Fastpass for the ride was longer than the line we waited in before entering the park. But it was a fun ride...very different and cool technology--no track. We rode the "Haunted Mansion", and it was so bizarre hearing the scary Japanese speaking voice instead of the scary English speaking voice. I even rode "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad"...more than once (I typically avoid that ride like I avoid the dentist--not only because someone died on it in California, but because it's really just not that fun; but I must admit--it was much better in Tokyo). We rode "Star Tours", and I can't explain to you how strange it was to hear C3PO speaking Japanese, and then hearing our robot captain doing his best Pee-Wee Herman impression in Japanese. It's a good thing I've been on that ride before in America, otherwise, I would have had no idea what was being said. Poor Sarah--she's never been on the ride before, AND she's never seen "Star Wars"--so I think she was pretty lost.

For some odd reason, we did not see ONE single Princess in the park (other than millions of little girls dressed as Snow White, not just the adorable one we sat by for the parade). We saw many characters, but never a bonafide Princess. We did see them in the parade, but not walking around the park. The language barrier prevented us from getting concrete information about when and where specific characters would be. However, I was able to find lots of characters who I'd never seen out and about before. Characters like Robin Hood and King John (from "Robin Hood"), and Scrooge McDuck.

It was an awesome day. We rode all the rides we wanted to, some more than once, and we caught the 25th Anniversary Parade, titled "Jubilation". We watched the "Country Bear Jamboree"...where the songs were in English, but the dialogue was in Japanese. So strange. I had no idea what was happening. We watched the Electrical Parade, complete with all new floats I'd never seen before (like a "Monsters, Inc." float and 2 "Toy Story" floats), and we watched an abismal fireworks show that makes Knotts Berry Farm seem on the cutting edge.

The fireworks were shot from Critter Country, which in Tokyo is behind and to the left of the castle. This means that the fireworks didn't even shoot from behind the castle; they were off to the left. What makes Disneyland's fireworks so amazing, other than the beauty of the music and the spectacular precision (which Tokyo missed on both counts), is the fact that they appear to shoot directly behind the castle, sometimes shooting directly off the castle and around where you're standing. Also, they last longer than 10 minutes. The music that played along with the fireworks in Tokyo lasted under 7 minutes; and it was 2 different songs. I can't explain how bizarre it was to watch a Disney fireworks show and not get chills. Oh well.

After the horrible fireworks, we still had about an hour until the park closed. We hadn't yet visited Buzz Lightyear and his Astro Blasters (one cool ride if you've never been); so we hit that. It was awesome, as always. That's where I caught Buzz Lightyear speaking Japanese.

On Tuesday, we spent the entire day (10 a.m.-10 p.m.) at Tokyo Disney SEA, the neighboring park. This park opened in 2001. It was indescribable. It was vast and all new. When I walk around Disneyland/the Magic Kingdom (either in Tokyo, Florida, or California), there is always a comfortable familiarity. Even though I may never have set foot in the park, I still know where things are; because the basic layout is etched in my brain. But Tokyo Disney SEA was something entirely new.

Tokyo Disney SEA has an Indiana Jones ride. I didn't know how similar it would be, if at all, to the ride I originally worked on at Disneyland in California. Well, after we quickly got a Fastpass for "Tower of Terror", Indy was the first thing we rode. It was incredible. It is the same basic layout and identical track as Indy at Disneyland...but the theme of the ride is different, and many of the effects are different. I was so surprised, and pleasantly so. It was such a cool ride...though Indiana Jones spoke Japanese (hilarious). We subsequently rode the ride 2 more times throughout the day. It was definitely my favorite of the trip. Instead of being "Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye" like at Disneyland, it's called "Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull", similar in title to the upcoming FOURTH movie installment, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". I took many, many pictures, as Patrice and Sarah could both attest.
This is from the Indy cue--this is the Crystal Skull you see throughout the ride--
Me with an Indy cast member (to think, I used to don a costume VERY similar to this)--Instead of a castle (or giant golf ball, or magical Mickey hat, or giant Tree) at its center, this park has a giant volcano--which looks entirely too real. But then again, that's Disney at its best. Throughout the day, smoke could be seen eminating from the tip of the volcano. Without going into too much detail, the park is divided into several different areas, like every Disney park. While we waited to get into the park we made our plan of attack. Fortunately, this park was significantly less crowded than Disneyland the previous day.
A panorama of the volcano and the pirate ship and some of the harbor--

In the afternoon, we watched their version of a parade, which took place in their harbor, called "The Legend of Mythica" (their harbor is called Mediterranean Harbor, as all that's around it is very Greek and Roman, etc.). Mickey spoke in Japanese again, and we were left confused. It was a very cool water show...albeit a little bizarre, as it was all sort of non-Disney like. Yes, Goofy and Pluto and Donald came out of the big floats they had--but the floats had giant imaginary animals like a phoenix and a unicorn. Strange. But, after all, the show was called "The Legend of Mythica". You could say that Tokyo Disney SEA is like the California Adventure of Tokyo...where things aren't quite Disney. But it was a neat show, with excellent music. I bought the CD later that day. I found out the music was composed by Alan Silvestri (who scored "Back to the Future" and "Forrest Gump" among many others). Very cool.

A vertical panorama of our spot for the "Legend of Mythica" show--

The Legend of Mythica show--

Over the course of the two days spent at the Disney parks, it was most interesting to see what things were in English, what things were in Japanese, and what things had a mixture of both languages. For example, when we watched the "Little Mermaid" show at Tokyo Disney SEA, all the songs were sung in English (or lip-synced in English), but all the spoken dialogue was in Japanese. It was so strange, and I don't understand why it was like that. It was the only show we saw that had English subtitles available. EVERYTHING else we ever rode or watched left us basically clueless. Obviously all the Western cast members, specifically the face characters like Mary Poppins, etc., spoke English. But segments of the parades and fireworks were in English only, which I don't understand. It was a most confusing trip.

The volcano at sunset-- Sarah, Patrice, and me; volcano behind us--

We went to a delightful Mexican cantina for dinner. I haven't had any Mexican food since I arrived in Korea. Usually, when you have a hankering for Mexican food--you don't think "Korea". But it was the MOST DELICIOUS meal I've had in months (obviously I'm not counting my numerous bowls of Honey Nut Cheerios and Frosted Mini Wheats as meals). I had a fajita trio--steak, chicken, and shrimp. It was unbelievable.

Oh, and in case you aren't satisfied with the regular, butter popcorn that Disney serves in America...just travel to Tokyo Disneyland. You can get all kinds of popcorn. Honey popcorn. Strawberry popcorn. Black pepper popcorn. Sea salt popcorn. Cappucino popcorn. Caramel popcorn. Chocolate popcorn. Even CURRY popcorn is available. Who knew?

After dinner we found a good spot to watch the much-touted water and lights show--"BraviSEAmo". Get it? Because it's on the water...or sea...and we clap, and there is music...so bravo...hmm. I'm sure you get it. Anyway, this show is like their version of "Fantasmic", just in Japanese, and a completely different subject. For this show, only Mickey came out at the beginning and said stuff in Japanese...again, hilarious. Then he left and the main show began. The music was amazing; I had already purchased the CD earlier in the day, knowing full well I'd probably love it. It was a very strange show, and anything that was said was spoken in Japanese; but most of the show was simply musical, which is often called "the universal language". Or is that love? I don't know. Whatever. Anyway, the show is beautiful and I enjoyed it very much. During the show, the volcano gets angry and there are several large explosions of fire. It's so amazing...knowing that the volcano IS NOT REALLY A VOLCANO. Disney knows what it's doing. It was great. After the show, I think we rode the "Tower of Terror" once again, and eventually went back to the hotel. Our Tokyo Disney adventures were over.

Mediterranean Harbor; this was the view from our spot as we waited for BraviSEAmo!--
A nighttime panorama of our view from our BraviSEAmo! spot (volcano is on the Left)--
Up close of the volcano at night--
BraviSEAmo! (basically the show is about fire vs. water)--
Before leaving Tokyo Disney SEA, I took this--
But perhaps the most amazing thing about the ENTIRE trip--literally--was the fact that there was a Wendy's Hamburgers restaurant near our hotel. Folks, Burger King has great hamburgers, and they are all over Korea, for which I'm truly thankful--but I haven't had a Wendy's hamburger in many moons. Not to mention, a Frosty! It was our first night in Tokyo, we were on our bus from the airport; almost at our hotel, when Sarah saw the Wendy's. I nearly peed myself, and Sarah punched an old Japanese woman in the face. I'm sure Patrice thought we were insane (because she can ultimately have Wendy's whenever she wants; which of course she doesn't, because she lives in California--and why get a burger at Wendy's when you have IN-N-OUT BURGER!!!!!)--but it's SO hard to find a good hamburger in Korea. If you go to TGI Friday's or Outback Steakhouse (both of which are in Korea), the hamburgers are good--but they cost about $13. Korea is not known for it's cows, you see. Anyway, once we arrived at our hotel, checked in, purchased our Disney tickets, and Sarah apologized for punching the lady (of course, I'm joking about that); we walked to Wendy's for dinner. I ate entirely too much--but it was so enjoyable. Of course, I ate a Frosty afterwards. Whoever said I wouldn't be able to eat in Asia was SO wrong. =) Anyway, on our last day, before taking the airport bus from the hotel back to the airport, we once again had Wendy's. I didn't eat as much, which was good, but I did have another Frosty. The pictures are precious.

Delightful trip, I'd say.

Well, sayonara (that's goodbye in Japanese). Cyanide (that's goodbye in any language).

Friday, April 11, 2008

All Is Well!

Okay, so that last little "test" post seemed to work. I simply resized the pictures, making them smaller than the original 2460 x 3280. Before posting this new post, I deleted the previous post so I could include the pictures and descriptions here. I hope it works! Be sure to tell me if something is wrong.

Here is the signage for the pavilion picture I posted in the previous blog, and more pictures of that pavilion. I'd been by it a few times, but never walked right by it. It is a rather small pavilion in the middle of Seoul.--
Poster for the show (first the regular poster, then a close up of my picture, then the giant hanging poster)--
A few weeks ago, this group of boys came to see the show, and I met them afterwards. They really enjoyed the show, and were very funny. They liked to do my "move" from the show, where I pump my fist toward the ground and do my school's cheer--"Smalltown Tigers, hoo hoo!" They thought that was the funniest thing, so they all did it for me. Well, just this last week they came to see the show again. Since I don't wear my glasses during the show--I had no idea they were in the audience again. But when I went out to the lobby after the show, I saw them again. They all did the funny move again--and they invited me to eat lunch with them.

We all went to the pizza place to have lunch. I learned their English names. The picture is below, and next to me in green is Morgan, then from L to R in the front are Danny, Brian, Dan, and James. They all came with their Taekwondo instructor, who is Korean, but also happens to live in New York. It was great hanging out with them. I call them my groupies. You will also notice in this picture that I am wearing SHORTS! That's because it was about 72 degrees outside on Sunday when this picture was taken!! I couldn't believe it.

My groupies--
The boys with their Taekwondo teacher--
Dan and Brian--
Honestly, this warm weather has given me energy I'd forgotten I had. I think I've really been a jerk the last 5 months. I haven't wanted to do anything; I've been tired, etc. This warmth is just what I need. I really have found my energy level has increased exponentially, and it's not just because I've tripled my dose of Ginko Biloba. I find I run around more. I was with those guys for lunch after the show, and I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, but when lunch was over, I ran back to my apartment, jumped on my bed, reached for my suitcase that's stored on top of my shelf, and grabbed the ONLY pair of shorts I brought to Korea. I put them on and proceeded to run around outside like a 6 year old. I found the guys walking around and that's when I took the picture with them. I'm lovin' it.

If you've been following along with these adventures, you know I've spoken of the group home/orphanage that a group of us from English Village have been visiting. The place is called Peacetown, so that's how I'll refer to it from now on. Well, we've made a set plan to go each month, and our last trip was a few weeks ago, on Monday, March 31. I bought my new camera the day AFTER the visit, so I don't have any pictures from that night. However, it was more of the same. We played lots of games with the kids, and taught them how to do the Macarena and Limbo--both incredibly important things--then gave them snacks. But something we did finally do, at my behest, was to make nametags, not only for ourselves, but for the kids as well. This way, we could learn their names--at least a little better. It's still not easy to pronounce some of their names, even reading it in English, i.e. Xien Jiu, but it was still a neat experience to call out their names so they could come up and get a nametag. The kids enjoyed it; plus, as I said, they were able to better learn our names. It's one thing to hear a foreign name spoken, it's another to see it written. The kids are always excited to see us. I think I mentioned before that they get a kick out of facial and arm hair. I hadn't shaved, so I had a little stubble on my face. Well, they either feel my cheek to see what it's like, or when I give them a hug, they feel it on their face and giggle. Very odd, but funny. We'll continue to go back.

Within the past week, we've had two parties here at English Village. Last Friday (the 4th) we had a party to celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of EV being open. The new President (of EV, not of Korea) made a toast at the beginning.

The President of EV--
Candy and I at the party (I don't know why we have to make silly faces)--
Sarah and I at the party (she's the one going to Tokyo with Patrice and me)--
Then, just tonight (the 11th), there was another party, thrown by the new head of the education department, so we could mingle with people from other departments. It was fun.

Candy and I at this other party (see, we don't always make faces)--
This past week, I went into Seoul...as I am wont to do. While there I explored parts of town I'd never before seen. I went to a bookstore in the Kyobo Building, a bookstore I'd heard a lot about. It's a large bookstore, with a specific English section. I love reading, and I love books...but not only do I have enough books already here to keep me busy but the books were too expensive. However, in the same general area was a CD/DVD store called "Hot Tracks". That's all I need. So I bought some DVD's. That pavilion that is pictured at the beginning of this blog is in front of the Kyobo Building.

I also took some more pictures of Seoul Tower. I'm still trying to work out my camera's "flower" focus, to try and get some cool shots.


Seoul Tower in the background, in focus--
Seoul Tower in the background, not in focus--
Seoul Tower in the background, in focus--
On my way back from Seoul, I stopped in a place called Paju Book City, which is a little town not far from here. If you take the bus into Seoul from EV, the bus takes you through this little place, but I'd never checked it out. The shopping center is called "Orange County", and I just found that hilariously bizarre. I had to go. Well, I'm glad I did. I got some great things--at great prices. I had been looking for a lighter jacket (because it's getting WARMER!), and I found a perfect jacket for 5,000Won (about $5). I also bought a cool shirt (7,000Won) and a pair of New Balance shoes (35,000Won).


The shopping center at Paju Book City--
An oddly designed building in Paju Book City (the whole area is very artsy)--
Then when I was getting closer to EV, I got out of the bus early to walk the rest of the way (because it was SO nice outside), and I took some more pictures. I know I have posted a picture of our version of the "HOLLYWOOD" sign before, but here's another one from farther away. If you ever get lost in Paju, all you have to do is look for this GIANT sign. You may remember, early on in my time here, I took a photo from the street in front of English Village, across the Han River. Across the Han River is North Korea. We're...really...close.

You can't miss it--
It's right there--
EXCITING NEWS: I just found out today that I have been chosen to direct one of the shows in the next season. If you recall, I was writing a script for the next season, but it did not get chosen. Two other scripts got chosen, and I will be directing the show called "George Saves Storyland". It's a cool show. It's basically "The Wizard of Oz" meets "The Neverending Story"; both of which I love. The dad, George, is very busy with his work, and his 12 year old daughter, Chelsea, wants him to read her favorite bedtime story. He tells her that he is too busy and that she is getting too old to use her imagination. But Chelsea is the last child to believe in "Storyland", and it begins to fall apart without her belief. The Emperor of Storyland steals Chelsea and puts her under a spell in order to force George to save Storyland (hence the title). He embarks on a spectacular journey through Storyland, finding a dragon's tooth, a unicorn's tail, and a witch's broom in order to save his daughter, and thusly Storyland.

Auditions are in 3 weeks, so I have some time to prepare myself for what's ahead. The show opens in June, which means I'll be directing while I'm still performing 10 shows a week (we've done 52 as of right now). Oh, and I'm also writing yet ANOTHER script for the Fall season. It's going to be intense, but I'm looking forward to the new challenge.

I'll be going to Tokyo in 9 days! My friend Patrice from California will be joining one of my coworkers, Sarah, and me in Tokyo. We are going to Disneyland in Tokyo. They are celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year, and besides that, it will be neat to see another Disney park. This will be my first vacation since arriving in Korea 5 months ago. I have no real intention of eating any Japanese food or seeing any sights, other than Disneyland. The reason for this is simple: I'm living in Korea; and the two countries aren't all that different. I am amazed that Tokyo is only a 2.5 hour plane ride away. At least for me. Patrice will be flying for about 10hours. Sorry. =)

Mom and Dad will be visiting in less than 3 weeks, so I'm preparing for that as well. They will get to see me in the show among other sites in Korea. We'll hopefully visit a palace or two, take a river cruise, get shot at by North Koreans, ride the subway, hike to Seoul Tower, be ripped off while shopping at Namdaemun Market, and eat some wild food. Also, as I said, the weather is changing from freezing to pleasant, so we'll probably get a chance to see some lovely foliage.

This next month is going to be the busiest ever, but it should be fun.

Stay tuned.