Fitness Korea Pageant 9/27/09

Make a Smilebox postcard

Egypt...Tae Kwon Do...work...and a really big leg brace...the adventure continues..

Yes....it's true. I discovered that even I, "Christi Lee the movement improvement queen" am not invincible to injury. I've never been injured seriously before, so I am totally freaking out right now.

I recently started Tae Kwon Do. I felt like trying something new. Not to mention, the Grandmaster of TKD personally invited me to join class for free...so I did. It's really hard!!! Untraining myself to NOT kick like a girly aerobics instructor and kick like a fighting Bruce Lee is a serious task. We even spar in class. Long story short...I am the only female in class so I feel like I lag behind the guys. I decided to try one of advanced kicks that they were doing...Hmmm...clearly not for a white belt..but I thought whatever, I'm in shape. I can do your Jackie Chan moves. Well...I landed all kinds of wrong and felt a huge POP in my knee. To make matters worse, I continued with class. Afterwards I iced it...elevated it and traveled 2 hours to get to the closest hospital (which is ridiculous, but that's another story). I was X-rayed..no broken bones (duh..it's inside my knee, but I have to wait a week to get an MRI. The doctors do not think I damaged anything outside of a sprain...but we'll see. The doctor didn't seem so confident in her answer and that scared me. So does the fact that my knee is swollen to the size of Texas and I can't walk on it or bend it. Hmmm... Now that I am temporarily disabled, I have time to update the blog :)

Work is still going well. Still running into challenges trying to get things up and running for fitness programming. Lots of new equipment has come in. However, most of the military personnel doesn't even know how to use it. We just received a huge order of kettlebells, muscle posters, agility ladders, mini hurdles, versabars, versavests, pro abdominators and much more. Once my knee is better, I'll be able to conduct clinics to show large masses of soldiers how to use the equipment.

I went to the National Museum of Korea with my friend Lamine to see the Egyptian exhibit. It was interesting. There were Korean people everywhere. i thought it was interesting that they went to see an Egyptian exhibit. I could not read a word of information at the Museum because it was all in Korean. All I could do was look around. Luckily, Lamine used to be an Anthropologist before joining the Army...and he is from Ghana. As such, he knew LOTS about the exhibit. He explained everything. There was even a production of Cleopatra (where the cast is composed of Koreans...ok, that's a little odd...Koreans playing roles of Egyptians and dressing in Egyptian clothes...hard to fathom.

I also briefly walked around the Korean War Museum. I was on my way to catch a bus...so no fun story for the War Museum yet since I only walked past the outside. I'll get back there now that I know where it is. Outside the museum are models of planes and submarines used during the war.

I'm so very sad to hear about Michael Jackson. He was by far my absolute favorite artist and entertainer of all times. As I am here in Korea, the impact of Jackson's music is even more impressive here in Asia. His music was known and loved by all. Ever since I was maybe 9 or 10...all I wanted was to see Michael Jackson perform live. As I got older, my love for Michael's music and my desire to attend a concert grew larger. He is still may favorite and always will be. The energy in his music inspires my workouts, makes for great conversation and even picks up my mood when I am having a horrible day. My heart goes out to the Jackson family. He was a music genius. Thank you Micheal for forever influencing music and pop culture.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace....and other stuff ;)

Above: My friend Michelle and I at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul




Hey Yall:
Glad you came back to read despite the fact that I suck at remembering to update my own blog..lol







Well, recently, I went to the Gyeongbokgung Palace with my Korean friend Michelle. She speaks English very well, as she used to live in Australia and Boston. The Palace was the home to the Joseon Dynasty founded in 1395. They ruled in Korea for 500 years. WHOA! That's a long time. While I was there, I read lots of information about the relationship between Japan and Korean...hmm...lets just say they had a tough past and according to my friend Michelle...Koreans and Japanese still have a little animosity (bu tnot as much as Japan and China). Ok..that's your history lesson. I thought the Palace was going to be shiny and gold (like "Palaces" in the movies). No shiny stuff....however, the Palace was VERY large and very colorful. It as elaborately designed. Absolutely beautiful architecture. I've attached some pictures to the blog.




















In other news....my work load is starting to pick up. Which is a good thing. I've been teaching Turbokick while one of my instructors has been out on leave. Participants have responded well to my class style. People like the class so much that the Armed Forces Network came to shoot a commercial to promote the class in Korea. I can't wait to see it. One I get a hold of it, I'll try to put a link up. I have been meeting with lots of people for training and fitness questions. One of our gyms just got a Power Plate (the only one in the entire country of Korea). It's a big deal apparently.

















(Picture with a few co-workers at one of the gyms)

All-in-all, life is great. Things are still going beautifully, and work is smoothing out. I miss all of you lovely people. I can't wait to see you all soon. It looks like I may be making my way to the States this summer for a Strength and Conditioning Conference. I'll keep you posted :)

Finally getting settled

I am still alive...lol...So....it's been a while since my last blog. I've been running around crazy lately. Since my last blog post, I have moved into my new apartment, started some productive projects at work, gone shopping at the Korean equivalent of Target and eaten at some interesting places.

Everything is going EXTREMELY well. In fact, it kind of freaks me out that things are going so well. At work, I have been given a huge amount of freedom to begin fitness projects/programs and order things that seem necessary. Honestly, there is so much that can be done, i am not even sure where to start. A feeling of excitement and a feeling of being overwhelmed comes over me every time I sit at my desk. My brain wonders off on 20 million tangents because everything is starting from scratch. The soldiers (believe it or not) do have lots of fitness questions. Most know very little outside of their usual push-ups, sit-ups, etc. I honestly get stopped at least 3 times by soldiers when I workout coming up to ask me questions about fitness. OK...when I'm working out, I'm obviously not working, but of course I always hop off of whatever equipment I am on to answer their questions about various topics. My office is in one of the gyms on base. I share a huge office space with two wonderful Korean staff members at my gym. They sometimes ask me to help them with their English e-mails when they send them. Hmm... really? I barely know all the rules of my own native language...lol They are both incredibly kind and share absolutely everything. I mean everything. They've offered me their breakfast, lunches, books, desks, arms.. (ok, maybe not their arms, but you get my drift). They are incredibly hard workers.



One of my co-workers, Ms. Sin, whom is Korean took me to E-mart, the equivalent to Target in the states. This store had everything. I mean everything. She took me to E-mart and we spent 3 hours in the store. When was the last time you were in Target for 3 hours? Don't worry, E-Mart had a food court so we did not starve ;) The food court only served Korean food..and once again, i was forced to use chop sticks. I saw 3 year olds in my peripheral vision using chopsticks better than me. UGH! I just can't win. I bought my own practice set of chopsticks at E-Mart. Yes ladies and gentleman, I will be eating everything at home with chopsticks from now on....cereal, eggs, pizza, stir fry, pancakes....lol. ok, no. I think I bought one of everything that store had. Hi..American on aisle 5 (yes, I made a scene..mostly because I looked like I was totally out of place and that automatically attracted all kinds of unwanted attention). All went well. To thank Ms. Sin for escorting me to E-Mart and translating absolutely everything, I bought her a chocolate cake from the Korean Dunkin Doughnuts and took it to her at work. Yes, Dunkin Doughnuts here sell beautiful cakes. Ms. Sin was very appreciative and so was I. She even helped me carry it all into my apartment and she read to me the buttons on my Korean washing machine so that I can now wash clothes. YEA!!

More pictures soon :)

The End of My First Week....Spoiled...Sick..and Ready for More!

Above is a picture of a toilet I came across in the subway station. Hmm....I can't even squat that low. Needless to say, I decided to hold it.

My first week in Korea has come to a close. I've been spoiled rotten by all of the wonderful amenities we still have here on the American base I work on, but I have had a cold for the last three days. A lot has taken place over the course of the week, and for for the sake of those of us who hate reading long passages (or typing them..lol), I decided to break it all up (mostly to keep my sanity).

The Korean Subway...Chopsticks at a Sanchon Temple Style Restaurant...and Dancing

My cousin Al and I decided to meet up for dinner in Seoul. I live in Uijongbu (waaaay north) and he lives near Migeum (waaaaay South). We could not possibly be any farther apart on the Korean map. No, I'm serious. As a result, we met in the middle of Korea for dinner. I took the subway train my first night here. My boss was actually impressed that I was being bold and venturing out on the train having only been in Korea for a total of 4 hours prior. He walked me to the subway station and showed me how get a ticket using the Korean ticket machine (which, by the way...was not in English). The Korean Subway system is quite extensive...but is super easy to navigate..even for Americans. Although the seats were not conducive to a person with shoulders or hips as broad as mine, the ride was interesting. The seats on the subway all face each other which I felt kind of requires people to look at each other. HELLO...is this awkward to anyone else? NO! Just me. The Koreans did not look at each other. Instead, they kept their eyes closed, held conversations or watched TV on their cell phones. Speaking of TV on cell phones...I'm going to out on a limb and say I'm sooo 2005 by still using an ipod on the subway apparently. Its not the thing to do like it is in DC.

I met my cousin Al at the top of the metro. We jumped into a cab. Al speaks Korean and told the driver where we need to go. He led me to a restaurant that he has eaten at before. I was surprised when we walked into the Sanchon Temple restaurant. It was in the back of an alley. But absolutely beautiful inside. As soon as I walked in, Al informed me that I needed to take off mt shoes. For the sake of those around me...good thing I had just had a pedicure ;) We proceeded into the restaurant and the first thing I noticed was that there were no chairs. Yes, we sat on the floor. Pillow were provided and the floor was heated. A heated floor...REMARKABLE! Note to self, must get that in the States. We had a full course dinner. There was no menu. Everyone was served the same thing. I could make nothing out. Al had to tell me what everything was. There was no meat served, just fresh vegetables found in Korea's woods and mountains. The dishes were inspired by temple cooking the proprietor came to know during his years as a Buddhist Monk. It was quite interesting. There were no forks. I had never used chop sticks. It was interesting. I think I landed more food on the table than I did in my mouth. While trying to balance, my cousin Al enjoyed laughing at my attempts. I ate slowly and hoped that no one noticed. Al and I were the only people not Korean in the entire place.

During Dinner there was a dance performance. Two Korean men and Two Korean women wore elaborate and beautiful Korean attire and did some impressive dance to instrumental music. All was great...until they wanted people form the audience to come on stage and dance. Surely, I thought they wouldn't pick me..I'm not even Korean. Well...scratch that, they picked me and two other Koreans. I had no idea what to do. I just went on stage and did exactly whatever the woman in front of me did no matter how silly. I think it worked out well. Do you think they noticed that I wasn't Korean...lol

WHAT? There's Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Dunkin Doughnuts in Korea?? Oh, there is a God :)

My boss was telling my there are several Pizza Huts in Korea and that their pizza is different. I'm not sure what this meant...so I decided to do a little experiment. Well. I went to the Pizza Hut and the Starbucks. Best experience I have had at both. The pizza was super friesh. Not oily, not fatty. Just the right amount of everything. The put random things like shrimp and potatos on pizza here. While at Starbucks, I was glad that I had my staple of the Tall Vanilla Latte, but I was not sure how to ask for it skim and/or sugar free...so I was bad...and had a regular Vanilla Latte. It was amazing. The Baristas were nice enought to allow me to take photos. I hear Koreans love thier coffee ;)

The menus are in Korean too...

The Cutest Dog I have ever seen...and I don't even like dogs....
I saw the cutest dog today at a local pet store. Apparently this is a Korean dog. I am not sure what that means or what kind it is....but I am seriously debating if i should adopt one. What do you think?

Left: My cousin Al's friend Susanna hanging out in Seoul.

Right: Al's friend Ki Moon from Alabama. They go way back and he loves my sister. Ki is definitely being added to my list of coolest people I have ever met!!

Whew....my first day in Korea....what a process

Whoa! My first two days felt like 2 months. It all runs together.....



My flight over to Korea was quite long. Countless hours of movies, TV shows, ipod and naps aboard the plane. Once I stepped off the plane, I had no clue where to go. For the first time in my life, I was totally confused, lost in the Korean text/symbols that surrounded me all over the airport. I somehow managed to make my way down to customs and found my 140 pounds of luggage. My new supervisor and 1 co-worker met me at the airport. Finding each other was quite a process. They were not sure what I was going to look like, and I had never seen them either. Apparently, I walked right by them. They never noticed and neither did I. They were playing the "do you think that is her" game for every female that got off of the Korean Air flight. There were only a handful of Americans aboard the flight so their options were slim. One of them expected me to be Asian...and the other expected me to be White. No wonder they did not find me for 30 minutes after I landed :) We rode in a government vehicle from the airport to the military base, Camp Casey. The entire trek took almost 2 hours given the traffic and our need to stop for gas. From my backseat view, Korea looked nothing like what I had envisioned. There are lots of cookie cutter high rise buildings that Koreans live in. All the buildings look alike despite the beauty of the mountains that surround the cities.



Long story short, I made it in. I am now being housed at the hotel on the base until one of the Realtors helps me locate an apartment that I like. I am excited about the idea of having my own place. However, this hotel location is incredibly convenient. It is located right on base in the middle of everything. The military base is like living in America. Everyone speaks English (even the Koreans). People can easily live here and never leave base (meaning they never experience Korea). There is a Taco Bell, Burger King, Popeye's (that delivers) Subway, Starbucks, hair salon, travel agency, car dealer, Bank of America, grocery store, concert hall, movie theatre, bowling alley, taxi stand, cleaners, department store, (best of all) the are almost 5 gyms on this one base. All of which I will head and get to see on Monday.....


I'll keep you posted....


-Christi Lee