Find This!

   Towards the end f April, there was a Gwangju Scavenger Hunt.  This was sponsored in part by the group that my recruiter works with, so it was a good way to meet other foreigners here.  It was also a great way to familiarize myself with more of Gwangju.  Teams could be up to four people, Koreans and foreigners alike.  You were told to get a team name, and encouraged to team-dress like the theme.

    My team was Chelsea, Jessie, Anna, and me, as pictured here.

  We decided to be the Care Bears! Our team was The Bear Necessities.

 After searching the city over, Anna and I found "ears" - which were more like mouse ears, but e sewed them back a bit to look ore like bear ears.  Uniqlo (a store here that often fits foreigners, love love!) had Care Bear shirts... so that worked out well. We all had different ones, but they were all care bears.  We even put little hearts on our noses - like Care Bears.  Tee he he. 

 Intermixing with the enemies... We have good friends, Andrea (by Anna) and Karl (sitting by Chelsea), who had made a team with some people from work.  So, before the Scavenger hunt began, we hung out with them for a bit.  We look all nice and friendly here, but I reminded them that we were still going to beat them though, don't worry.

    So each team was given the same set of clues.  You had to figure out to where the clue was making reference, then go there and take a picture.  At least one team member had to be in every picture, and you had to be back by a designated time.  Some clues were more difficult, and thus worth more points... so there was some strategy involved, as well. 
  To make the night even better, it was seriously raining.  We used our umbrellas some, but not when it was lightening.  Our team was motivated (okay, so half of us were motivated and tried to drag the others along) and trooped on, through the rain.  Not even the rain could dampen our team spirit!

   One of the easiest clues to decipher, but more difficult to find, was this one.  You had to find a spray-painted doggie.  Now, Koreans paint their dogs all the time, (don't get me started) especially the little dogs.  Normally, you can go downtown and see people being walked by their dogs (seriously, they carry their dogs around) - but NOT in the rain.  So, we put on our thinking caps and decided to find a pet store that had a dog with spray paint.  The language barrier was a bit of a situation, as we motioned spray painting a dog to one employee... he took us to the flea spray.  Finally, we saw a dog in the window, but it was a bit of a fancy smanchy place and we didn't think they'd let us take the picture. 
   Chelsea and Jessie tried to talk to the employee in the Korean pieces they know.  They were trying to explain it was for a game and we just needed a picture... meanwhile, Anna stood outside and I posed with the dog for the picture!  Ha ha.  Not only was this dog in costume, but the ears had pink paint.  Note that I, the one that is probably the least comfortable with little yappy dogs, was the one with my face right next to this ferocious critter...  ahh, I am def. a team player!

   Here we are in front of First Nepal, the amazing local Indian restaurant.  Oh, don't we look cheery. 
  Notice that Anna played photographer and tried to get out of most pictures. Jessie, Hannah, and Chelsea:

After we went back, waiting for the results of the contest.  Here is Jessie, who "lost" her heart nose in the rain, with me, posing all cute like proper care bears.

   Okay, WARNING FOR MY MUMS and those who are like other mothers to me (you know who you are) -- the following may not surprise you; but you may not want to see the following - it's relatively harmless, but does involve beer and whatnot... so you might want to stop reading this post around now.  OR, just skip to the last picture - it's cute, cute.  It's up to you, of course, but consider yourself warned.

  Also, for other mothers - please note that this night involved ME drinking ONE beer, but it was mainly the scavenger hunt event and just time to see good friends... this in no way means that other people present here were drinking, as they were not all.  We can go out and drink or not drink responsibly, and we do.

*****

 

   As it turns out, we were tied with another team.  The tie breaker was a chug-off.  Now, my college days are getting more distant with each passing day and I was never much of a beer drinker; but I have worked in a bar as a bouncer, etc... so I knew my way around the mug.  One of the girls on our team (who didn't know me very well yet) was like, "Um, Hannah doesn't really drink beer.  Is she gonna be okay, can she do this?"  Anna, who knows me very well and is my friend despite my competitive attitude, was quite confident that I had this all under control.

   So, here we are preparing for the chugging contest:

  I was talking a bit of smack, teasing the other team that they sent a guy up in a pink shirt to compete against me.  I asked him (who is a friend of one of my friends, btw) if he was okay with losing to a girl, and one dressed like a Care Bear at that.  Ha ha.  READY...

 SET...

   GO!  

(Sorry, Mums.)  Notice that I am only using one hand, that poor other guy.  There is one picture where my mug is almost empty and I even have my pinky up.  What a sinker I am!

The Care Bear is victorious!  I won, I won!

      Ahh, the taste of sweet victory... we won free kabobs from the kabob guy.  (they are amazing!) 

  Actually, I was quite fortunate - there was another tie after us, and this other girl had to go up against a guy who was aptly named "Rambo"... he would have possibly beaten me (as in def.), but I would have made him work hard for the win.  Ha ha.  Chelsea and me, with our certificates for our winnings...

  After the Scavenger Hunt, there was an 80's theme party - which the Care Bears also fit nicely into our team costumes.  (because we rock like that)  Of course, other people were drinking... but I opted for coke.  Then it was time for the dancing portion of the evening.
  Can you see Anna here?  She has on the pink care bear shirt, rock'n out on the end here:

  Oh yes, the foreigner teacher community knows how to party.  We danced, but didn't win... the competition was good!  (and we are perhaps not so great at dancing)  It was an interesting evening and a good time.  It was nice to see old friends and make new ones.
  We learned more about Gwangju, esp. from the clues we didn't get correct -- like the new big hamburger in town, yeah, so apparently it's at KFC - crazy!
  Here is our team, minus Jessie.  (Where did she go?) 

  Hannah, Anna, and Chelsea:

Go Team Bear Necessities!