Stories from the Couch: Meet-ups and Cherry Blossoms

For months upon months, the Harrington's went without any CouchSurfing experiences except those they semi-orchestrated in Vietnam, but hosting opportunities were beginning to look like a thing of the past.  However, with the arrival of Tugca and Onur, the Harrington's received additional CouchRequests and were surprised at having to consider turning down a request just to ensure they had enough time to clean their home and enjoy each other's company. Fortunately, turning down a request doesn't always mean you don't get to experience CouchSurfing, it more accurately means you don't have to clean your home.  A recent request (which in truth the Harrington's didn't even have an opportunity to turn down since another lovely CouchSurfing couple beat them to the acceptance part of the CouchRequest) turned into a meet-up that introduced a pleasant set of CouchSurfers under the softly lit Cherry Blossoms of Chungnam University.

The Longest Friday Ever

After an enjoyable few days hosting amazing CouchSurfers Tugca and Onur, Melissa awoke on the morning of Friday the 13th unprepared for the sheer length of the day that awaited her.

Typical Friday's pair Melissa with 5 classes of energetic and fantastic 4th grade students whom always require Melissa's greatest expenditure of energy and enthusiasm. Fortunately, they are a fine bunch and easily receive such treatment from their Native English Teacher.

However, on Friday the 13th, while things were not entirely frightening, the day did not end with 5 classes of 4th graders and allow Melissa Teacher opportunities to blog and waste time on Facebook as typical Friday afternoons do. Rather, Friday the 13th gave Melissa another 2 and a half hours of school-work obligations in the form of listening to and judging approximately 20 speeches. Working in a wealthier Daejeon neighborhood, students at Samcheon elementary were able to present speeches on a variety of topics with an impressive command of the English language. The afternoon was therefore spent listening to 5th and 6th grade students sharing their thoughts and proposed solutions for
 school bullying, environmental pollution and degradation and the unification of North and South Korea. Additionally, students spoke of their admiration for their grandparents,

Stories from the Couch: Ppuri Park and Other Things

Having enjoyed the first couple days of hosting and a night out on the town, the Harrington's and their guests were happy to awake on Wednesday morning and take things slow due to the national holiday, honoring the election. 

The day began with a fabulous Turkish style breakfast prepared by Onur. The dish was a simple yet extraordinary combination of onions, chilies, tomatoes, seasoning and eggs which was then scooped up onto a piece of bread before finding it's way to eager taste buds. With a hearty, happy start to the day, the crew cleaned up and packed up and prepared for an enjoyable outing to Daejeon's Ppuri Park.

Located in the southern parts of the city, Ppuri Park is perfectly situated between the river and a small hill. The park is significant in size and allows for guests to view various markers of historical Korean family names as well as take in a variety of foliage...when it has bloomed anyway. Additionally, the park showcases

Stories from the Couch: Batting and Beverages

Following Easter Dinner on the 8th of April, the Harrington's welcomed into their home a lovely CouchSurfing couple: Tugca and Onur. Tugca and Onur hail from the great nation of Turkey but are currently working on doctorate work in the field of astronomy in Northern Ireland. The couple made their way to South Korea after Tugca won a free ticket from Turkish Airlines. The two enjoyed nearly a week of living life in Daejeon and spent 4 of those days, 5 of those nights with the Harrington duo.

After a bit of a trial finding the Harrington's abode on Easter night, the couple finally arrived, dropped off their luggage and headed out to dinner with their previous hosts. Upon their return, Melissa and the couple chatted a little covering the basics of being CS guests in the Harrington home before everybody was off to dream sweet dreams of new friendships and insights only possible through CouchSurfing.org

The following day, Tugca and Onur explored Daejeon's KASI observatory with a previous colleague while the Harrington's made their way to their respective schools.  A bit exhausted from all that Monday's entail, the crew opted to stay in on Monday evening taking time to get to know each other and their respective cultures over a bowl of Kimchi Chigae.

Fortunately, the following day left everyone more energetic and ready for a night out on the town, especially considering the mid-week holiday in lieu of Korea's National Election Day. So it was, on Tuesday night, the foursome met up with Aaron and made their way to a typical Korean restaurant to enjoy everything from kimbap to bibimbap, from mandu to sujaebe. Stuffed to the brim, the group then made their way to meet up with James at the Dunsan batting cages where Tugca, Onur and even Melissa made their first attempts at swinging a bat and even...

Harringtons in Korea: Meat, Boats and the No-rae Bang

After a day with middle school students it was time for the Harrington's to reassure the family that life in Korea wasn't only about working for a living.  Friday night was M&M's opportunity to introduce their lovely family to their lovely friends.  So while Harrington's napped, co-worker and most fabulous friend Hyun-hee came over to 519 Galma before the Harrington 6 and Hyun-hee made their way to the OEC for amazing hot choco and lattes.  With caffeine working in their veins and preparing some of the crew for an all-nighter, the group of 7 then made their way to Gung-dong where they met up with Paul and eventually Hak-chol (Hyun-hee's husband) to enjoy Korean BBQ and Korean cold noodles, which were, to Katie's surprise, cold.

With full bellies the crew of now 9 made their way to the Rum-boat, a pirate themed bar where they keep the music volume under control so as to encourage and allow for conversation, to meet additional friends of the Harrington's.  Throughout the course of the evening and drinking beer on a Pirate Ship, the visiting Harrington's met Garrett, Alla, Josiah, Jenelle, Whitney, Jonathan, Harris, Aaron, Uzma and the infamous Joe Berry.  Conversation was easy and steady as the visiting Harrington's began to understand that it's not just delicous food and cute children that have M&M sticking around in Korea for the time, it's the caliber of friends they've made that would have been impossible had they not placed 6,000 miles between them and 'home'.

As the night carried, the barely-over-27 Harrington's made their way back to 519 to get some well-deserved rest before the upcoming flight, where as Mike, Melissa, Molly and Katie made their way, with a slew of friends, to a crappy no-rae bang for an awesome no-rae bang experience.

A couple of highlights from the no-rae bang...

My Chick Bad - Ludacris (performed by a teddy bear of a friend with large eyes and killer skills on the microphone)

Diggin' on You - TLC (HUGE no-rae bang fail by Melissa...BUT huge win on igniting middle school memories)

With various pop songs playing in their heads on repeat, the Harrington's under-27 returned to 519 at 3:30 am for a 'nap' before getting out of their warm blankets, strapping on some bags and heading to Seoul for their final day together in the Land of Kimchi.

Fine Dining in Daejeon: Daejeon Cantina

If you're living in Daejeon, you probably already know all there is to know about Daejeon Cantina. You know it's in Dunsan, you know they serve the best Nachos and Tacos in the city, you know they meet your need for American Football, Rugby, etc. Really, if you live in Daejeon and haven't heard of the Cantina nor made a trip their yourself - perhaps you're more immersed in the culture than other foreigners and therefore aren't likely poking around on The Harrington Times...

But just in case and because it's what we do, let us fill you in. The Cantina has fabulous Mexican Food. Hard and Soft Shell Taco platters, Burritos, Taquitos, Nachos and Margarita's - it's the best you can get.

However, let it be known, the Harrington's still have a soft spot for Taco K and the spicy Green Enchiladas served in Gung-dong. Additonally, the couple is looking forward to trying out Daejeon's two other Mexican restaurants: Takorea (clever name) and Paxia.

Until then you may just spot us at the Cantina as it is a mere 5 minutes from our front door - Holla!

Getting There: Timeworld-Dunsan neighborhood...around the corner from Yellow Taxi and down the street from Bon Bon and the new 'Capri Sun' Cocktail in a Bag vendor.

Night Life: The Shisha House

If you find yourself hitting up Taco K or Santa Claus or just plain enjoying the sights and sounds of Gung-dong near Chungnam University - don't hesitate to step into the Shisha House. Home to some non-Cass/Hite/Max brews (a fabulous Red/Amber Ale and a Cider...as well as a Wheat), The Shisha House provides a relaxing environment for some drinks, the hook-ah or a bagel-sandwich and nachos.

Falling Slowly into Howl at the Moon

If you've been with The Harrington Times for long or more specifically during the last few months of their time in South Korea, you are surely familiar with references to Gung-dong, a neighborhood near Chungnam National University that is full of cheap eats, numerous coffee shops and plenty of amazing finds.

Many foreigners in Daejeon are familiar with Santa Claus and in small part thanks to THT, Taco-K in the Gung-dong neighbor hood but perhaps, in your desire to attend such well-established joints you've missed out on another night-life gem: Howl at the Moon.

Howl at the Moon is a bar which speaks deeply to those with musical talents, such as dear friends of the Harrington's Aaron and Brian. The bar features 'pick' shaped tables as well as a larger 'guitar' shaped table. Another musically inclined feature are the instruments available for strumming or shaking (particularly if you are the only customers). One highlight of the bar that the Harrington's and friends have yet to participate in, yet anticipate is Wednesday night Open Mic nights. While Mike and Melissa are by no means musical artists, they do enjoy hearing others express their musical talents and hope to attend on a Wednesday night and enjoy the full musical experience this bar has to offer.

Update: Readers may have been asking themselves: Why is the title of the post 'Falling Slowly into Howl at the Moon?' Well, wonder no longer, the reason for such a title is evidenced in the following video, an impromptu performance of the song "Fally Slowly" from the movie Once. Enjoy.

Getting There: Gung dong is accessable by the following buses: 105, 104, 113, 106, 108, 706 and others. The most common stop name will be Chungnam Dae Hak-gyo. Howl at the Moon is down the street, toward the University, from both Santa Claus and Taco K.