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.
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