Plus Academy recreation day

All of the teachers from the 3 Plus Academy schools were invited out for a team building day this weekend, to a little place known as Dream Island. We were treated very well by the owners and president as we were fed 3 meals, rewarded generously for our work, fed an unending supply of booze, and divided into 5 teams to participate in a bunch of games.

The day started at 8:45 as we boarded buses in front of our school and were immediately handed a Gimbop, a bottle of water, and a beer. Bop is the Korean word for rice, and a Gimbop is rice wrapped in seaweed with whatever flavour you choose in the middle. This one was tuna and I didn't eat it (I unwittingly cooked myself a few too many mini bakery pancakes after Kelly started reacting to them), but there really is nothing like a heavy rice dish washed down with a beer to start a day of fun in the sun. The beer I drank. Still have a little Canada left in me.

2 hours and several U-turns later we arrived at the Island, which was really nice. Surrounded by mountains covered in evergreens, with a little river running through the edge of the property, it was as picturesque as we've seen since being here. The soccer field was dirt, but that's the stardard here for whatever reason. They don't have a rain shortage so it's unclear why grass fields are non-existant, but I digress.

The day started with a little meeting (we had an English speaking one while the natives were motivated by the owner Mr. Kwon, who's a great dude and really enjoys a high five after he makes a good play in soccer) and then some lunch. The spiciest stuff since we've been here, but still good.

Then came the events! We had strategized a little before the event so we had all our teams in order at the start of the day. There was a cash prize for the winners so people were taking it pretty seriously. First event was the simplest - in a designated area laid about 100 pieces of bristol (sp?) board, 1 side white, 1 side purple. Get in there and come out with the majority facing your colour up. We were white, so we needed 51 white pieces face up at the end of the event to win. We dominated 3 straight matches. Brad, Tina, Leah, myself and a Korean teacher tore it up and got us blue-shirts off to the early lead.

Next 2 events lacked excitement, at least for us as we lost pretty handily in soccer baseball and a balloon popping game.

The 4th event, however, was controversial. A 6 person relay, with 3 men and 3 women. The men scheduled to run, Mr. Park, Mr. Lee (2 administrators from our branch) and myself, went out for time trials earlier that week and I posted an impressive 18.78 seconds to run the perimeter of some small park near our school. I have no idea how far it was, but neither of them broke the 20 second plateau so I was riding high. It was so strange, they called me out in the hall of the school, talked a little racing strategy, then beckoned me into the evelator for no real reason. It was when I noticed Mr. Lee's sneaks in a grocery bag that I finally clued in.

Mr. Lee was talked into officiating that day, so Brad took his place as our 2nd. The first 5 runners did a half-lap, and the anchors had the privelege of finishing off a full lap to make it interesting. Kelly got off to a hot start, getting the inside track and tossing a few 'bows to make sure she kept it. Our team did a good job keeping the lead, especially Brad, Tina, and Yoon (a Korean teacher...you'll notice I didn't mention Mr. Park) getting the baton to me with an advantage. Coming around the final corner I could feel someone trying to sneak by on the inside, but that obviously wasn't happening and we ended up winning by a full stride.

The controversy that ensued circled around Kelly and another runner getting tangled up after the baton pass and the other runner falling. They were upset that they were unfairly penalized, so Mr. Lee, being the nice man that he is (even though he's on our team, techincally) granted them an odd re-race. 2 men, 2 women, running straight lines so nobody could get in each others way, back and forth across the field, so you had to pass the baton to someone standing still and facing you. Even with a baton drop on 1 exchange, it was a photo finish and I think Mr. Lee gave it to the other team just to seem impartial. Frustrating thing was that the complaining team finished a distant 4th, and the winners were the ones we were competing with for 1st place. Either way, Kelly and I were both amazed at how well we could sprint considering neither of us had done it since elementary school. We kept in shape sporadically and still played sports, but both of us were the class of our heats. I don't want to toot my/our own horn here....but HONK HONK!

After that was soccer, and the first half was nearly as bad as my initial Korean soccer experience on no sleep. I dropped back to midfield for the second half, and playing a 2-4-4 with some great strikers made for an exciting half. I played infinitely better, getting the steal that led to our lone goal, yet we lost 2-1. I swear, if we had 5 more minutes we would've tied it. They had never experienced pressure like that, I tells ya.

A little free time after the game allowed for a nice cold shower and some chillin before dinner and some awards. Mr. Lee was speaking in Korean, I imagine giving thanks to those who came and to those who paid for everything, when suddenly I heard my name called into the mic. It seems I was 1 of 2 MVPs (or VIP to most Koreans) for the day! I guess my soccer skills were perceived to be a little better from the sideline, because I certainly didn't think I was doing anything special. I received a nice 100,000WON (pronounced 'on' with a W in front) gift certificate to the Hyundai department store, which I was told is quite upscale. So that was cool. Kelly also won a raffle prize of some Elizabeth Arden perfume, and our team (5th floor of the Junggye school) finished 2nd and took home 300,000WON which we're using for a party next week. Good times!

The night finished with some galbi, mekju (beer), soju, and a kareoke contest (they LOVE karaoke in this country, there are noraebangs, or singing rooms, all over the bloodly place) then we boarded the bus and headed home. Kelly and I are being treated very well around the office now as we are kind of celebrities since we are such a drastic change (with Brad and Tina too) from the previous couple who complained constantly and finished their last month with a multitude of screaming matches with coworkers and bosses. Things are going great around the office, everyone's getting along great and enjoying their time at work.

The day itself was a blast, met a lot of teachers that we didn't know, got some exercise (man are we paying for that these last 2 days though, groans every time we stand or sit), got some sun and had a lot of fun. The owners must've spent at least $5000USD equivalent on the day, paying for buses, renting the resort, buying many drinks (Gatorade, water, beer, and soju flowed), meals, 17 raffle prizes at a $30-40 average, and at least $1000 in cash prizes. The price tag was hefty, but they really seemed to enjoy everybody enjoying themselves, and it was obvious that everyone was grateful. Not the mention the numerous "up tops" that the owner received during the soccer game.

Links to pictures:
http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2087836&l=37d40&id=187905622

http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2087875&l=19500&id=187905622