Month: September 2016

Work Trip to Nami Island

VLUU L310W L313 M310W / Samsung L310W L313 M310W

In South Korea they have a custom where you are expected to go out for meals and drinks with your coworkers, and occasionally take vacations together.

VLUU L310W L313 M310W / Samsung L310W L313 M310W

You are supposed to spend a lot of time with your “work family” to build strong relationships.

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I didn’t really mind this most of the time, except for the pressure to get really drunk. Some nights my boss kept us out so late that she ended up buying us breakfast and cabs home.

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Don’t get me wrong, Jinah (above) was a wonderful boss and I adored her. I haven’t really had a bad boss yet, actually. It’s just that I am a bit old (in my opinion) to get home after sunrise.

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Anyway, for one of our work trips we went to Nami island. It seemed like an odd choice, because it’s sort of a love-themed island where people go for dates.

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However, at that time, Jinah was falling in love with her then-boyfriend (later husband), and I think she wanted us all to feel it too.

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The hearts everywhere were a little weird since we were all walking around as co-workers. But what can you do?

VLUU L310W L313 M310W / Samsung L310W L313 M310W

It was a good adventure. I guess the most surprising part was how Koreans travel in groups. We had a two room hotel with one room for the boys, and one for the girls.

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We all laid out our mats on the floor and slept together. It’s not weird in Korea, but to an American it was a little unusual.

Overall, it was a fun trip and we saw a lot of cool things. We definitely bonded as co-workers, and I guess that is what it was all about.

If you do go to Korea, I recommend Nami island. It’s a fun little place to spend a weekend.

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The Trick Eye Museum

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There are a lot of great things to do in Seoul, and one of them is the Trick Eye Museum.

Jenifer DeLemont

It’s just a bunch of walls painted so you can take pictures with them, but it’s a lot of fun.

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It’s best in a group, because some of the walls are better with two or three people in them. But it’s fun to do the ones that are just for one person as well.

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Some of them walls have holes in them so you can more easily become part of the picture.

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It only takes about an hour to walk through, and it was about $12 to get in.

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If you are ever in Seoul, I definitely recommend The Trick Eye Museum.

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Tokyo

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I love big cities, so of course I had to hop over to Tokyo while I was living in South Korea.

Here are some Geisha (above), who were on their way to perform traditional tea ceremonies at a tea house.

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This is from a traditional Shinto cemetery that I stopped at. I enjoy the different death customs from other cultures.

In a Shinto cemetery, they have sticks that knock against each other in the wind because the noise is meant to keep the dead company. I thought that was a nice thought.

Uneo Park, Jenifer DeLemont

This is Uneo Park, which I enjoyed visiting. There is a little zoo there that I saw, and of course, the swan boats were a good time as well.

It was spring, so the park was ringed with cherry trees. I missed the best of the blossoms, but there were still some left.

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In my hotel desk drawer, there was a book. In the USA, it would have been a Gideon’s bible. But of course, this was Tokyo. So to my amusement, there was instead a book on the teachings of the Buddha.

I took it with me (the hotel assured me that I could) and it was a good read. I can’t say I agree with all of Buddhism, but there are some good points.

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Everything under about $10 US is coins, which is a difficult adjustment. I am so used to thinking of change as not being very important, but change in Japan can easily add up to $50 if you’re not paying attention.

I guess my point is, don’t just give your spare change to the homeless (a habit of mine in the US) because you might need it.

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There are vending machines all over Tokyo. Even in little neighborhoods where you wouldn’t expect a vending machine, they always seem to be there.

This one had Kit Kat soda. I was amused to discover that the Japanese are in love with Kit Kats, because the sound of the words is similar to the sound of the words for good fortune in Japanese.

Jenifer DeLemont in Tokyo

This is Arisugawa-no-miya Park in the Rappongi Hills. At one time, it belonged to the royal family of Japan, but now it is a public park where all are welcome.

The Rappongi Hills are notorious for being a great place to party at night. There is a wonderful night life. But, I went to see the famous shopping and the sights.

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In Asia, you run into shrines everywhere. Some of them are really beautiful. It felt disrespectful to take pictures inside, because there always seemed to be people praying.

I did take a lot of pictures of the outsides of the temples, because they are impressive in detail and I love the colors.

Jenifer DeLemont

Here’s a shot of me by the pond near my hotel. I had a lot of fun, and I hope you’ll all consider a trip to Tokyo if you are able to.