Snow Jam 2009

So the weather is starting to get cold...and like black people, the koreans don't like that one bit!

The first snowboarding world cup is taking place in Seoul and the launch event was a man made slope in the middle of a busy road, surrounded by buildings with a mountain as a backdrop. With over 100 professional boarders, this was a great spectacle.

Gwanghwamun Plaza

Gwanghwamun Plaza

Slope by day

In the afternoon I picked up an SBS news reporter in Starbucks, then we hung out for the day.....stay tuned for more pictures.

Chilling with Miyuki

Miyuki

Cute Snowboarders

The Jump @ night

High Riders

High Riders

High Riders

Trees + Lights = Pretty Picture

Trees

My Little Secret...

Today I found a sweet spot for me to enjoy my tea/coffee and relax...im keeping its location a secret though...it will remain my 'secret place' for now, and i very much doubt many foreigners know where it is...they sell exquisite chocolates and play beautiful music.

Expensive but tasty chocolate

Great selection of wines

My crazy students @ Christmas

This week iv been been conducting speaking tests for 1st and 2nd grade, part 1 is an individual interview, part 2 was a group task. Last week i had them read a short story (Goldilocks, Snow White, Gingerbread Man etc) and write a 5min script to perform this week in front of the class and the vice principle. (i will upload video as soon as i can). The funniest play came from my top level 1st graders this afternoon. The reason why it was the funniest, was down to 3 choice words that Snow White used as she ate the poisonous apple (just watch the video and pay attention @ 3:40).

My 3rd graders are done with high school exams so a couple of them offered to decorate the classroom

So Christmas is here and the koreans don't celebrate it... so i decorated my classroom and played random notes

on my Ukulele this week (i dont know how to play it well yet-but my students love it) Make no mistake my students are crazy-outside of teaching time that is. But i love spending as much time with them as possible, they do make my life in Korea much more fun.

Playing with my ukulele

All the girls love Arsenal

I discovered a few more places to eat in Sillim-dong (yey!)...and my apartment building is looking

pretty.

My home

Cool café that sells little pieces of art

Pancakes in Gangnam and a drinking in Hongdae

So i finally found one of 2 pancake outlets in Seoul....its called Butterfingers and if you haven't heard of it, its an american breakfast bar/cafe with everything related to pancakes, waffles, french toast etc and its open until 3am...everyday! It is not cheap but im addicted to their Banana pancakes so i just dont care anymore.

But just in case any of you readers are wanting to experience this joyful place its in Gangnam: leave Gangnam station (exit 6), walk straight ahead for about 30seconds, take your 1st left and just keep walking...within 2mins you will see it on your left.

Sindorim Station

I met up with Gabriella (a really sweet girl from New York) on a Saturday and went to a place that place id like to keep secret for now, but its a posh café neatly placed in the corner of a korean corporate building. After tea and chocolates we went to get dinner in Insadong and to Hongdae for drinks after drinking a little too much we went to the park, where creatives usually hang out on a Saturday night and we danced to this korean band to a happy audience (yes we were drunk!)

Gaby's favorite dumplin restaurant

Keeping ourselves happy in the cold

On the way to Hongdae we randomly met a guy on the subway (Braidy) who decided he wanted to be our friend, so the following Saturday me, Gaby & Megan met him for dinner and drinks, but i decided to have a long night after they decided to go home early....

We like chicken!

The evil look

Happy people

I love the fact that there is a tree in the middle of them room

....so i met up with my boy Andre, had more drinks...went to this hip hop club Saab.

.....ran up a tab of 300,000 and ended up chilling at at my favorite cafe in Hongdae until the subways started running again at 5am (this cafe is quite funny because they just allow people to come in and sleep after clubbing -but its very civilized).