Games Koreans play

Koreans love to go to the hospital. And with extraordinarily affordable health care, it's not surprising that no malady, from headaches to hangnails, is too insignificant to necessitate a trip to the hospital.

Still, it was a surprise when at the makeup counter yesterday, the salesgirl took one look at my painfully broken out face and said, "Hospital."

To be sure, my face is taking longer than I would like to adjust to this new climate, but I didn't think it wasn't anything a bit of foundation and a little more time couldn't take of. (Oh, who am I kidding, my face is a disaster!) But it got me thinking that perhaps, I too, should make use of South Korea's renowned health care system. And so tomorrow, I, along with a Korean teacher/interpreter, journey to the dermatologist. And with any luck, I'll be looking prettier soon.

So long, farewell ...

This weekend, I began the process of saying farewell to some of the new friends I've made since I've been here. It seems that I was among the first of a new wave of teachers, and by September, not many of the people I've met will still be teaching here in South Korea.

Ironically, I met most of these folks at another going-away party -- one for Mary, the teacher I replaced. I'd only been in Korea for five days before Mary left her final mark on Korea with a blowout at a huge German pub (good beer, horrible food) featuring a Bulgarian band belting out songs in a dozen different languages, including a far-too-accurate cover of "Step by Step" by the New Kids on the Block.

Not surprisingly, the expatriates tend to hang out together at expat bars, so it was off to Moe's where a punk rock band rocked some original songs with a little Nirvana and Ricky Martin thrown into the mix. I hear the most random music here. Old and new American music is certainly prevalent, but Koreans also love their K-Pop, the catchy, mind-numbing, bubblegum, Korean pop that's played in every shop, taxi and disco in the country.

It was only my second weekend here when I was carted off to go camping on the beach of picturesque Geojedo Island, a hour-long ferry ride from Busan. Sadly, the beaches are pretty littered, but our group was able to carve out a pretty spot to pitch tents, roast weenies and, of course, imbibe a mind-erasing amount of soju as we played in the sand.

Out to the ball game; off to the races

Busan is a baseball loving city, and the home team is the Lotte Giants. So far, I've only been to one game, but they're a blast, so I hope they schedule more home games on the weekends. Games are a spectacle of rabid fans waving newspaper pompons and wearing inflatable seagull headbands (the Giants' mascot). You can bring in our own food and drink, though you can buy everything from hot dogs to sheets of dried squid in the stadium.

The local horse-racing track is also a hot spot in town and an event for the whole family. When my roomie, Sarah, suggested a day at the races, we were all envisioning a dusty track and a few bleachers, so we were blown away by the gorgeous and massive racing complex before us. In addition to the four-story viewing building, with a couple restaurants and the nicest restrooms I've found in Korea thus far, there was a large outdoor seating area.

In between races, there were dance groups to entertain the crowd. There were horse-drawn carriage rides, an alpine slide for the kids, along with a random assortment of games, including one where children stood barefoot on a block of ice to see who could last the longest. The stables were open for viewing, and the grounds were a sight to behold all by themselves. Truly an impressive experience that I'd like to repeat. Maybe I'll even bet on a horse next time, though the whole process confounds me.

Another Korean institution is the norae-bong, or private karaoke room. Now, you all know, I am not a karaoke-ing sort of girl, but there's something about being in semi-private company and watermelon-infused soju that loosens the tongue. I'm generally hoarse by the time I step out of the norae-bong, which has been as late as 5 a.m. since norae-bongs (and bars) never seem to close. Just this morning, I watched the sky brighten over the ocean at Guangali Beach as another farewell party came to a close.

Check out my photo albums "Just another Friday night," "Take me out to the ball game," and "A day at the races" on my Facebook page.