In the U.S. motorcycles are cool and tough. In Korea, they are what you get your pizza delivered on.

Final week at Korea university in Jochiwan,  I am very much looking forward to getting out of the dorms and to my regional orientation in Gyungsangbuk-do.  Life since the last update has been more of the same, lame lectures, terrible cafeteria food, and being a world traveler.  Of the more exciting parts of being a world traveler I can't not share with you a few things...Adventure food, friend soup, the cultural differences and implications of getting into a blacked out delivery van in 'merica and Korea.  Oh, and teaching children  (what I actually came here to do).

Part of the orientation program had us going to an english camp to teach kids of 1/2 a day.  It was nervous and exciting being thrust into this with minimal prep and minimal teaching supplies.  At the end though, it was a good experience and a reaffirmation of my choice to be a teacher and leave my comfort zone to have unique and life changing experiences.  Now, on to the main event...

Food is something that is both unique and ubiquitous to every culture around the globe, it is the reason we are so different and similar at the same time.  While I am kicking myself for not getting Taco Bell as my last meal in the states, I don't dislike Korean cuisine but the cafeteria food they have been serving us here leaves something to be desired.  As a result of this our group of friends coined the phrase "adventure food".  This is because we walk around and try to find a suitable looking restaurant for us to eat at with minimal chance of failure, adventure food.  Adventure food has taken us to places with funkyleaf, a whole chicken mixed with woodchips, e-coli risks, free ice cream, and 90 year old owners serving us while wearing leopard print pants from the 80's.  The most notable adventure food trip had us going to this restaurant which was supposed to have great chicken.  Not really an adventure, it was down the street, we knew where it was, and we knew they served chicken.  It was almost to good to be true...  As we walk up to the entrance of the building we notice that there are no light on inside (it is 7:00 pm so prime dinner time).  We think this is odd, so we try the door (unlocked), and poke our heads in.  Silent.  At this moment a black van with tinted windows rolls by, stops 20 feet past us and starts to back up.  What should have been going though our heads was "run!", but generally speaking Koreans are exceedingly nice people...and we were really hungry, REALLY hungry.  The window rolls down and a guy asks, "You people looking for a restaurant?", the content of the discussion is less important than the context and what happened next... we got into the van.  Wut.  To just add a little bit more implausibility to the story the guy's grandma and sister were in the back seat so naturally, he made them ride in the trunk.  Yup.  We got our fill of yummy chicken and he even gave us free ice cream AND a ride back to campus.  Adventure Food.

This post sort of completes the Jochiwan orientation, and in a terrible segue to the next post I will list a few seemingly random facts, and a small gem of advice.

1.  Jochiwan will now be affectionately known as "The Joch'".
2.  The Joch', while having a soft spot in my heart for the city is, in fact, super lame.

Michael's random advice column,

If you put your laptop bag under a bus going to Chungnam instead of Gyungbuk it will not be in Gyungbuk when you want it to be.  So, don't do that.  It is a dumb thing to do.