Weekend Festivities in Daejeon

Teaching is an exhausting feat.  It's tough to be on your A-game and super energetic every day, especially when you're sleep-deprived and have other things on your mind.  As a self-proclaimed night-owl, it's rare for me to be in bed before 1:00am.  I acknowledge that I should be going to bed earlier.  But often, this is the only time that I have to vent with other Fulbrights and catch up with friends back home.  As a student, I always looked forward to the weekend.  But now that I'm a teacher, I treasure them even more.  I desperately need this time to catch up on Zzz's, pursue my personal interests, and recharge for the upcoming week. 

The past couple weekends have been particularly exciting.  On Sept 2nd and 3rd, we celebrated the birthdays of two dear Fulbright friends, one who resides in my city and the other who lives in nearby Cheonan.  Nearly twenty or so Fulbrights congregated in downtown Daejeon for a weekend of fun festivities and relaxation.  It was somewhat surreal to see everyone together for the first time, since we left on D-Day to go separate ways.  We spent the weekend catching up, sharing stories about our new lives, and reminiscing about our adventures during Orientation.  On Friday afternoon, people began trickling into our city, arriving by bus or train from all over the country.  Then, we met up at Outback Steakhouse for dinner.  YES folks, you heard that right - there's an Outback in my city!  It's highly overpriced and overcrowded, but one cannot put a price-tag on little reminders of home.

The following day, everyone slept in and then embarked upon small-group excursions throughout the city.  Some folks, especially those living in remote, rural towns, chose to spend the day shopping and exploring the downtown area.  Others decided to venture to Costco to stock up on American snack foods.  I, on the other hand, already spoiled by the luxuries of city life, spent the afternoon with four friends (and a fellow Daejeonite's host brother) at Hanbat Arboretum, the largest turf of greenery in the city.  It was so lovely to just walk around, breathe in the fresh air, and frolic through the large fountain, alongside hordes of adorable Korean children. 

To the north of Hanbat Arboretum is Expo Bridge, which was built for the International Science Expo in 1993 and connects the downtown area to Daedeok Valley, the mecca of technology and research.  We rented a bike for the little host brother and let him ride back and forth over the bridge.  Meanwhile, us, big kids, soaked in the gorgeous scenery.  Here's a 360-degree view of the Expo Bridge and Gapcheon Stream.  After that, we went to a baseball game and watched Daejeon's native Hanwha Eagles take on Seoul's Nexen Heroes.  Tickets were only $8 to sit wherever you want.  The Hanwha Eagles are so terrible that it's almost comical.  But their fans make up for it with tons of animated cheers and choreographed hand motions to root them on.  Overall, it was a really fun cultural experience.

I don't blame her.  It was a low-scoring game and went into double overtime. (-.-)Zzz

As much as I love my school and homestay, it's always nice to hang out with my American friends.  After a week of speaking sloooowly at school, we all need to vent and babble in obscenely fast English.  More than anything, this weekend reminded me how awesome my placement city is.  I mean, where else can you have KFC for lunch, shop at a Western clothing store, enjoy the outdoors, and go a baseball game - all before dinnertime?!  In conclusion, Daejeon is awesome.  But I can't wait to spend upcoming weekends visiting my friends in their respective cities and seeing as much of Korea as physically possible!