Picnic...Day 2

So today (yay my blogs are finally in real time!) the whole school went on a "picnic". Well most people, Eun Mee stayed behind because she is pregnant (but only 3 mos. which I thought was weird) and the principal and support staff. This "picnic" which I thought (and was told) was a trip to the ocean to fish for shellfish, was actually a 2 hour bus ride to a restaurant to have noodles with clams and then to a mud flat to actually look for clams in the mud. Oh Korea, you make me giggle!


We all met at the school at 9am and loaded onto 4 buses. I was on a bus with 2nd grade students and 2 teachers. One was very quiet and the other sat beside me and we chatted about like, as much as the language barrier allowed us. After an hour of travel we stopped at a rest stop so everyone could use the bathroom and get a snack. I got a lovely Korean slap in the face when I went to the washroom...the toilets are not toilets but a porcelain hole in the ground that can be flushed! I was a little taken aback so I used the family washroom which had a regular toilet :) I used the other one on the stop on the way home just so I could take a picture...I am a squatter extraordinaire but this was a little extreme!

sketchy

It is crazy how different things are here...for example, at this rest stop, the kids just all run off the bus and go all over the place. I was worried someone would be left behind. This was a big rest area! But we never lost anyone and it was all good. Also, a couple children gave me treats! One little boy gave me an orange juice, and another gave me a coffee (in a can). The less chatty teacher got me a cold coffee too! But I already got my first Korean americano, which wasn't bad.

rest stop - there was a Dunkin Donuts!

Bus #2

Korean americano

juice some lovely child gave me

cafe latte treat...not bad!

Off for another hour to the restaurant. For lunch we had. as I said, noodle soup with clams and kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage for those of you who don't know). I am allergic to mussels and have never had clams so I was worried I would get sick. When I eat mussels, 2 hours later I vomit  profusely. I tried to explain this to the teacher from the bus and she was worried I was going to die so she got me some rice. I told her I am sure the noodles are fine, I just don't want to eat any clams. They were AMAZING noodles! They must have been hand made, they tasted so fresh. The soup kinda tasted like chicken noodle so I quite enjoyed our lunch.

restaurant

patio

I wish I had a patio spot! I ate inside

To tie in with the clam theme, the next stop was searching in the mud for them! We drove 5 more mins to a really muddy area and everyone got rubber boots. Basically the Yellow sea tide comes over this mud at night but in the daytime, the tide is low and thus leaves mud with sea dwellers, like clams, craw fish and crabs (all very small). So once everyone got boots (they even had some for my big ass feet) everyone got a digging device. This shit would NOT fly in Canada! All of the children were running around with their "hoes" and someone could have seriously gotten hurt! Even the 6 year olds got em! 

boots for all!

digging with their hoes

instruction time

look at my very sharp hoe!

Then all of the children ran to the mud and had a very muddy and messy clam digging session. They got to bring home whatever they found and some kids even brought plastic buckets, probably given to them by their parents. Everyone got super messy but it was fun times. Some of them even found baby crabs...pretty cool. It was a very Korean field trip, I must say. Canadians stick to the zoo and such!

To the mud!

Ocean is far away, not sure how the tide comes in so far

Digging for clams

Fun?

Messy field trip

I was giving all my clams to her :)

My boots and mud

When I got home, I came home to a wonderful surprise...2 men and Mr. Joon (The administration guy who deals with paycheques and is basically my landlord) installing a washing where my shower used to be. Where is my shower now, you ask...well, It is right above my toilet!!
WOW, this place continues to boggle my mind! Where am I supposed to keep my toilet paper? bring it in each time I use the bathroom? Is it a hazard to be getting water all over my washing machine? My washroom isn't very big! So that should be interesting when I shower tomorrow morning!

where my shower used to be

really?!

seriously, really?!

Nurse just brought me some more treats! She has now come every night and every morning with food for me, I shall display her treats below...goodnight!

first night

breakfast this morning...I ate 2 and almost threw up...but they were good