16 month update

jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the wayyyy!!!

I absolutely cannot believe Christmas is already only one week away. I am definitely not in the Christmas spirit at all this year.This is my second Christmas away from family, but last year I spent it in Malaysia with my friend and her family so I had that to look forwards to, this year my vacation dates are kind of strange so rather than having two full weeks off, I only have one so I've decided to spend it in Seoul with whatever friends aren't leaving town to spend it with their families.
Last week we had quite a bit of snowfall and I felt very grinch like watching it fall from my office while all the kids where playing in it and being happy. Unless I can stay home nicely bundled up, and not have to ever walk on the snow, it's okay. My problem starts when it stops being fresh white, and becomes ice and makes it nearly impossible for me to take two steps before falling and embarrassing myself.

Things at school are going slow, but okay. This is the last full week of teaching before the Christmas holiday and because the kids (and myself) can't really concentrate on anything, we've stopped using the textbook and instead spend the first 15-20 minutes of class chatting or going over an interesting topic (today's was Konglish) and the last half of the class we watch a movie.

Since I'm not traveling anywhere for Christmas, I decided to treat myself and go away during the two weeks I'll have off in February instead. I've decided to hit up two places from my SE Asia travel wishlist, I'll be spending time with old friends from university in Bangok, and escaping the harsh Korean winter on some Thai Islands, and then finish off in Cambodia where I'll get to see Ankor Wat in all it's glory. Once I bought my tickets I drove myself a  little crazy because I started researching all sorts of touristy things that I thought I just HAD to do, but then I came to my senses and realized that I really just want to have a chill time and enjoy a new culture. So hopefully I'll be able to leave the control freak side of myself behind, and just enjoy the trip for what it is, not for all the photo ops i could have/should have taken.

I can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but when the new school year starts in March, two of my current three co teachers will be replaced. In Korea there's this rule where teachers can only teach at one particular school for five years and then rotate to a different school. Not only will my co teachers change, but some of the homeroom teachers whom I've grown close to will also have to leave, so I'm rather sad by that. In particular one of my co teachers who is leaving, actually one of my really good friends in Korea, so while we'll still see each other on weekends, I'll really miss working with her and having her so close by. She's not actually my main CT (the one who is in charge of my papaerwork, housing, life in general) but she's the one I usually go to for help or questions.

I'm really anxious to find out who my new co teachers will be, as the kind of CT I have will set the mood for how my classes go. I strongly believe that if two co teachers don't really mesh well, even if they keep it professional, it will still come across to the students and it will affect the quality of classes we have together. Also, the kind of CTs I have will affect whether I choose to renew a third year or not. Just out of curiosity (and back up security) I've been researching teaching jobs in other places, and I've found a few that seem promising. There is one program for teaching adults (university students) in Tokyo that lasts somewhere between 3-5 months with options of extending. I'm interested in it because I THINK that I might like to one day pursue a masters degree and become a university professor, so before spending all my time and money on that degree I think it would be a good idea to try it out first, specially since the contract length isn't very long. If I hate it, or I'm really terrible at it, I think I could stick it out for 3-5 months. I've also looked into teaching in Latin America, just because I really miss being around Latin culture, but unfortunately the pay level for most jobs in Latin America are rather low, and while the cost of living there is cheap, being a slave to my student loans puts a damper on things.

What else is new this month?? .. hmm.. I've been cooking a lot more! and by a lot more, I mean once a week which is a huge change from before when I cooked at home maybe once a month. It makes me excited to open up my fridge and see it stocked full of goodies. The number one reason why I never cooked before was simply because I'm lazy. I'm specially lazy in Korea because my kitchen is so tiny and somewhat hard to maneuver. The second reason was because I don't know how to cook, or so I thought. And the last reason being that I hated cooking for one person and then having to eat the same thing for a week straight so that it wouldn't go bad. My solution for that has been to look up the easiest recipes I can find online, absolutely nothing fancy, and nothing that calls for ingredients I can't pronounce, or 10 different types of seasoning. And my solution for only cooking for one is to have friends over and share with them. It's also a good way to avoid leaving my house now that it's cold, people complain a lot less about making the long journey up north to where I live once I offer up a nice home cooked meal.

(this post is 3 days early because i honestly couldn't remember the exact date i arrived/left home, and i didn't wan't to risk forgetting it when the actual date came ^^)

Rival

 After a short hiatus, the KTO came back with tickets to attend a live performance. This time it was a show called Rival.
On Saturday,  November 23 I met my friend at Exit 7 of Chungmurro Station (lines 4 & 3) and we headed to the show. The hall in which it took place was a 5 minute walk from the station and easy to find. Once we arrived, we picked up our tickets and took our seats. We were towards the middle in the first three rows, but the venue is rather small so I don't think there's a bad seat in the house. I quickly noticed that there were many kids in the audience, and for the most part I think the show is geared more towards a younger audience than adults. It was silly with a bit of martial arts blended in.  The show lasted approximately an hour and a half without an intermission. Overall, I really enjoyed this performance but I wouldn't go watch it again, unless I had children to take along with me.

15 month update

It's cold..oooh soo terribly terribly cold.
I was starting to wonder how I would ever make it through this winter since the first flurries of snow have started falling already this week, but luckily somebody heard my calls for help and the heating has been turned on at school! granted, it doesn't get turned on all day everyday, but the highlight of my day now is when I hear the little ring that the system makes when It's turned on :)

My main co teacher is back now and things so far seem smoothly, we've only taught one day together so far but hopefully everything continues to stay calm. She is really good at class management, so hopefully she can reel the sixth grade students back in, since they're going a little mental with winter vacation and graduation approaching soon. Now that my main CT it's time to get serious about winter camp planning, so now I'll be more busy with that. I want to do a very good job since my summer camp didn't go that well. In teaching I've found that my weak point is teaching younger/lower level students. I really struggle with finding material that is fun, educational, but not too difficult for them, this winter camp we will have third and fourth grade students so my material needs to be the lowest possible and that will be a challenge -___-;.

Anyways, nowadays I'm keeping busy doing a lot of things and nothing at the same time. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like I have very little time to myself, but when people ask me what I've been up to I feel like I haven't been doing anything.
I need to finalize where I will travel to for my winter/spring vacation, and soon.. yes, very soon I need to start thinking about what I will do when my contract is over. Stay for a third year? move onto a different country or go back to the States?
I'm so happy now with my life, that thinking that things have to change soon is scary. I've finally settled into my own space, made cuts and additions in order to better work towards improving myself, I think I need more time before making any drastic decisions. Even if I do stay in Korea a third year it doesn't mean I can keep the same lifestyle I have now. Most of my friends here are expats/transient so they'll be moving on, and even my co-workers will change next year. Staying a third year doesn't guarantee the same smooth sailing I've had this year, but it also leaves room for things to be better. decisions, decisions!

Halloween at school

 Korea doesn't really celebrate Halloween on the same scale as we do in the States, so I wanted to share a little bit of that tradition with my students and thus, all of last week was Halloween week at school. My substitute grade six co teacher is the sweetest lady ever, and she went out and bought all sorts of neat decorations for the classroom, and during class I showed a few scary videos that made some students jump, then so that they wouldn't hate me completely, I followed that up with some funny haunted house videos, and gave them a brief history of Halloween. At the end of the Halloween lesson there was a quiz to see who was paying attention, the team who answered the most questions got to stick their hand in my "mystery box" and fish for candy. My mystery box contained mashed up bananas, peanut butter and jelly so since students didn't really know what was inside they were apprehensive and a bit disgusted by the texture, but I think they really enjoyed it.

On the actual Halloween day I told my 6th & 5th grade students that if they came to my office wearing a costume and said "trick or treat" I would give them a candy. I expected most of them to forget, or not wear a costume, but I was really surprised when I saw how many showed up, and specially surprised when I saw how creative some students got with their costumes! It was a really fun time, and even though by the end of the week I was more tired than usual, I'm really glad I did this with them.

Enjoying snacks & watching a video

Class 6-5

This is a costume they said ;) fifth graders

Two of my funniest sixth graders

She dabbed sunscreen on her face and called it a costume, grade 6

Hulk hands, grade 5 

Pretty witches, grade 5 

I'm not sure, Frankenstein, and a Zombie with an arrow, grade 5

Some fifth graders

Happy Halloween!

Travel Videos

Below are two short videos from my most recent travels. First is a compilation of shots taken during my trip to Beijing in September, and second is from my trip to Jeju Island in October. 

14 month update

Phew! I almost forgot to do this one- honestly I think I could have very easily gotten away with skipping this month as nothing exciting happened, but I know myself and skipping just one month will be the start of a series of many missed months so even though there isn't much to say, I'll update anyways ;-).

My main co teacher is still out on maternity leave, and me and the substitute teacher are trekking along. We get along really well, but I also miss my Co-teacher; can't they both work at my school? Sixth graders are troublesome. I'm really concerned about their English level for when they start middle school next term, but it seems nothing I do can get them motivated to participate in class. Fifth graders are still a dream, and I actually have a pretty big open class with them first thing tomorrow. I was told this will play a big part in whether I can renew my contract or not. Honestly, I haven't really put much thought into renewing, but I want to do a good job either way so I can at least have that option. Fourth graders.. they are a mess (but the good kind of mess) they're terribly cute, but also terribly chatty.

As for my personal life, I've started having less crazy weekend nights out and more chill movie nights with friends. I think first year was dedicated to exploring, trying out everything, but now that I'm more settled most of the time I just really prefer to stay in my area and have a relaxed time.

So, that's month 14 in a nutshell! winter is just around the corner and I have a feeling I'll have even less to write about once I start hibernating in my house.

;-)

Jeju Island in pictures

Korea is really spoiling me with all of these holidays recently. First was 5 days of vacation for Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) in which I jetted off to Beijing, and most recently came a four day weekend in which I decided to hop on a short flight and explore Korea's famous Jeju Island. It is the #1 honeymoon destination for Korean couples, and often referred to as "Korea's Hawaii". Although I traveled around the island with friends rather than a significant other, I still really enjoyed my time there. The island has a very laid back feel, which was a nice break after months of the hustle and bustle of city life in Seoul.

Here are a few pictures from my most recent trip- October 2-October 6, 2013.

Beijing in pictures

Here are some pictures of my recent trip to Beijing, China (September 17-September 22, 2013)

Great Wall of China, one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. 

3 hour hike through the Great Wall

Snack Street in Beijing- live critters

True, real, Chinese food is amazing; we feasted every meal

Tianemen Square

Inside the Forbidden City

Chinese family

Temple near the Forbidden City 

Kids will be kids no matter where you are

National Stadium (Birds Nest) inside Beijing's Olympic Park

13 month update

The first month of my second contract has ended and it was so much different than the first month of my first contract. I feel very settled and at home here. My main co teacher is away on maternity leave so since we returned from vacation I've been teaching the sixth graders with a substitute. At the beginning she was really shy and nervous but now I think she feels more comfortable and we've actually gotten pretty close. She's really friendly and we have a closer relationship than with my usual co teacher.
The grade 6s are starting to get a little bit restless and are harder to teach now that they seem less motivated to learn and participate in class, I think it's because this is their last semester before graduation, luckily though, fifth graders are still a dream and I love them so soooo much! I'm sad that when my contract ends they will only be halfway through sixth grade and I won't be able to see them graduate. Fourth graders are cute too, but my co teacher has changed up the way my lessons with them go, so now I don't actually teach them from the book and I just come up with activities or games to do during the entire class period.
All in all life in Korea is really good and I'm really happy that I stayed.
Wednesday marked the start of the Chuseok Holiday which I've been told is the equivalent of Thanksgiving back home. So I've been on school break for the last 4 days. Last Chuseok I had just arrived in Korea so I spent int sight seeing and getting settled in, this time around my friends and I decided to take a trip and I'm currently writing this from Beijing, China! I will post a separate post about my trip later, but for now this is my 13 month update!

Japan- In pictures

This past August I spent two weeks in Japan visiting friends whom I met in my university back in Arkansas. During the two weeks I spent the majority of my time in Tokyo, with a short visit to Osaka and Kyoto. Despite the fact that I have many friends in Japan, for some reason it wasn't a place I considered visiting. Prior to coming to Korea I made a travel wish list and Japan didn't make the cut. However, after researching flight options, and the opportunity to see my friends it seemed like a crazy idea not to go. I really enjoyed my time in Japan, and experiencing first hand the culture and things I have heard so much about. I'm also really thankful to my friends who hosted me, and took time out of their schedules to show me their beautiful country. There is so much I could say about my trip to Japan, but all I can think about now is the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" so I'll share some pictures of my trip now, and let them do the talking.

My first night in Japan was spent watching fireworks at a beach town about an hour from Tokyo.

My first taste of good ramen and I'm now obsessed.

Akihabara- Electronic Town

In Asakusa.

Boat tour of Tokyo Bay

Tokyo Tower

Fushimi Inari in Kyoto

In Kyoto.

In Osaka.

Night view of Tokyo from Roppongi Hills Observation Deck.

Night out with my dear friends.

Lastly, a trip to Japan isn't complete without a visit to one of it's very popular purikura photo booths!

Yes Sir, I'm one of a kind pt. 2

On Sunday September 1st two of my friends and I headed to Seoul's Olympic Park to attend the final performance of G-Dragon's One of  a Kind tour. I had previously attended the opening performance of this tour back in March, so I was really excited to see it all wrap up and see what improvements or changes had been made.
We arrived at the venue about two hours before the show was due to start because we needed to collect our tickets and wristbands, but even after doing that we still had time before we could go inside so we spent sometime walking around the park. During that time I ran into one of my favorite bloggers/vloggers April from The Pink Fashion Ninja; she was so sweet and kind, I was sad to hear that she was flying home after finishing up her working contract in Korea.
About 45 minutes before the concert was due to start, we were finally let into the venue, and right away I knew this one was going to be different. To start of, the security at this concert was a different company than the last, and they were much friendlier/polite than the last one; they still did a professional job and kept everybody in check, but they didn't shout at us unnecessarily and push people around. I once again decided for standing section tickets, and originally I thought I had gotten tickets in the same section as last time, but I soon noticed that the stage and layout where a little bit different, so we were at a different standing section and I was a little bit bummed. However, this turned out to be a great thing because my friends and I were able to get a much better and closer view of G-Dragon, than if we had been where I originally thought we were going to be. The show kicked off with a video premiere of one of GD's latest songs, and immediately after that he took the stage and got the crowd pumped. Although he performed a lot of the same songs from the first show I attended in March, the sets and costumes were very different, so it felt like I was seeing him live for the first time. In between some of his old songs, he threw in three new songs from his most recent album and the crowd went crazy.
At this concert I felt like GD had more interaction with the crowd, getting really close and even coming through a walkway in the crowd. I know he was sick when his concert opened up so I'm sure that's what hindered him from giving it his best, but he definitely made up for it at this last show.
Because he had some new songs to perform, and he had so much crowd interaction the show went on for nearly three hours! definitely I think fans got what they paid for. The guests performers for this night were Tablo, 2ne1, the female singer from Akdong Musician and... Big  Bang!!!!!! I had read rumors online that they might be performing that night, but I didn't want to get my hopes up too much so I was definitely surprised when all five boys took the stage. They performed three songs together, cut a cake, and had some fan interactions before leaving GD to do his thing again. Because of the location of our seats, at one point I was mere feet from TOP. It was so exciting! I'm definitely happy that I chose to attend GDs concert again, specially on the last night of the tour as I'm sure it was special to him and hence made it more special for the fans. He is a talented guy when you hear his songs on the radio or watch his music videos, but seeing him perform live is a different experience. He gives so much and even though you're in a sea of thousand other fans, he somehow makes you feel like it's just you two. Before I leave Korea I hope to have a chance to see him perform again, specially with his Big Bang brothers.
unlike the March concert, this time fans were able to take photos so I'll share a few now:

turning 25.

Today is my 25th birthday! the second birthday I spend in Korea, and while I've been at work/my office the majority of the day I have definitely felt loved and been made to feel special from both friends near and far. My coworkers have been so kind and generous, dropping by to congratulate me and asking if I have plans with my friends so as not to spend it alone. I've even been surprised by not one, but four beautiful and delicious cakes from some of my co-teachers. Since it's Wednesday, tonight I will take it easy and have dinner with a friend in my building, and then Friday night I will meet my other friends for a night out in the town. Last night I went to bed a little depressed by the fact that I would be a quarter century old when I woke up, but now I realize just how silly that was. I mean, I'm off to China in less than a week! I'm seeing and doing things that people only dream of. Twenty-five is nothing to be scared of, and if anything, I still have five more years to worry about turning thirty. ;)

KoInMo Opening Ceremony 2013

The Korea In Motion Festival (KOINMO) is a month long festival organized by the Korean Tourism Organization geared to promote purchase of tickets to Seoul's various variety shows at half price. This years festival will run from September 1st through September 30th, and kicked off with an opening ceremony on Saturday August 31st, at the entrance of Seoul's popular Cheonggye Stream. Once again, the KTO generously provided me and a friend with tickets to this event, so right about 4:00 o'clock I collected our tickets and then hung around until the event started at 6:00 p.m..  The opening ceremony pretty much consisted of several shows performing parts of their sets, I guess as a preview to what audiences could expect if they bought tickets to the show. My favorite was Sachoom, they were a boy and girl dance crew who performed really well despite the rain and the stage being slippery. To close out the ceremony, the famous K-Pop group MBLAQ came on state to accept their plaque as they are these years KOINMO ambassadors. After receiving their plaque, and giving a brief speech MBLAQ performed some of their biggest hits, and it quickly became clear that most of the people in the audience had attended specifically to see them perform.

I really appreciated the fact that unlike past KTO events, this one had MCs who spoke not only Korean, but also translated into English. Many times I attend events that I'm sure are really terrific and entertaining, but because they are all in Korean I tend to zone out whenever the performance stops and they just carry on talking. The only thing I was disappointed with, was that there seemed to be no preparation taken in case of inclement weather, which was the case on Saturday. The clouds had been looming over for the better part of the afternoon, but for whatever reason it failed to register in my mind that perhaps I should bring an umbrella out with me. I would say about 15 minutes into the start of the ceremony rain started to fall rather heavily, some people whom I'm assuming were pretty important, got handed raincoats right away while the rest of us were left there to get wet. Luckily, I was able to dash into a convenience store and buy an umbrella before they sold out, but those who weren't as lucky, had two choices: a) leave and miss the performance or b) stick it out and get soaking wet. So my suggestion to those who organize these events, specially if it is an outdoor one, is to prepare a back up plan in case the weather doesn't cooperate.

Below are a few photos from the ceremony.

12 month update

One year ago I sold or gave away pretty much all of my belongings, packed up two suitcases and set off to the other side of the world to teach English! Deciding to quit my comfortable job, and saying goodbye to everything and everyone that was familiar to me was the craziest, and bravest thing I've ever done. Even though not a day passes in which I don't think of the home and people I left behind, I can't imagine my life now without the people I've met since arriving in Korea. People whom were not even in my life a year ago, are now the people I talk to everyday, and the people whom I've grown to think of as my family. I've signed on for a second year at my school, and I think this will be my final year, but I also didn't plan on staying longer than one year so it will be interesting to find out what exactly happens when this contract ends.

In less than a month's time I will be celebrating my twenty-fifth birthday, and while I'm probably not at the place (career and personal) where SOCIETY things I should be, I know in my heart that I'm definitely where I, MYSELF want to be.

Living abroad for the past twelve months has changed me in ways I wasn't even aware of, until people started pointing them out to me. No matter for how long you do it, living abroad is something I think everyone should experience.

EPIK Renewal Process

I started my original contract with EPIK/SMOE in august of 2012, and although each school/district is different, below is an estimated rundown of the renewal process for me. If you're interested in applying with EPIK, or already working here and curious about how it will work, hopefully this will serve as a guide. I also have a timeline of dates during the application process, if you're still in that stage.

Late August 2012 contract began

Mid May 2013 had open class for school administration

Late May 2013 school administration gave OK for my renewal. Was asked if I wanted to stay or go, and fill out a form indicating my decision.

Mid June 2013- Signed new contract

Late June/Early July completed required health check to be picked up within five days.

Mid July 2013- Extended ARC card/Visa

Everything in order for me to stay in Korea for a second year has been taken care of!

K-Performance Digitalbook Ap

In it's continued efforts to provide great service to tourists, the Korean Tourism Organization has launched a K-Performance Digital guidebook application for it's most popular shows! The application is still in it's beginning stages, and the KTO needs people to download and review it so that changes to make it as efficient as possible can be made. You can download the app for FREE from the following places: 

Android (Google play)

english : http://goo.gl/fsPM0

Japanese : http://goo.gl/7Uuky

Chinese : http://goo.gl/5zbZ1


iPhone (App Store)

english : http://itunes.apple.com/kr/app/korea-performance-english/id669947235?mt=8

Japanese: http://itunes.apple.com/kr/app/korea-performance-japanese/id669955290?mt=8

Chinese : http://itunes.apple.com/kr/app/korea-performance-traditional/id669963600?mt=8

11 month update

Eleven months have passed since I first arrived in Korea!! While having dinner with friends earlier I mentioned that this would be the time when I'd be panicking and rushing to do and see everything before my time in Korea ends, but since I have made the decision to stay I feel really calm and at ease, specially since none of my close friends are leaving either.

Today I renewed my visa, and completed everything that's required for me to stay a second year. Nowadays, I find myself preparing for the two week Summer English camp that's coming up, trying to stay cool in this crazy hot weather, and daydreaming about my vacation to Japan that's also coming up. Life is good, honestly, I feel very settled and at home here. My school is wonderful, nobody really bothers me, which at first felt lonely, but hearing horror stories from friends or other people online, makes me really thankful that my school staff pretty much leaves me alone as long as show up and do what I'm supposed to.

I haven't been going out as much lately for crazy weekend nights, I feel like I've experienced Seoul nightlife enough to where I feel completely comfortable staying in and hanging out watching movies with friends, or even hanging out alone at my apartment. I've slacked off on my Korean classes, but I'm looking forward to starting that up again once camp and vacation are over with.

I'm just really content with everything in my life now, the only thing that would make it perfect would be seeing my family, but that's just once again me wanting to have my cake and eating it too.

2013 R16 B-Boy World Championships

The 2013 R16 World B-Boy Masters Championship was held on July 13 & 14 at Seoul's Olympic Park complex; sponsored in a large part by the Korean Tourism Organization, KTO Supporters were offered tickets to attend both days or only one. Unfortunately, I was only able to attend the second day, but I ended up having a great time despite the downpour of rain on the way to the event. The KTO was kind enough to give me three tickets, one for myself and for two friends. My friends and I arrived at Olympic Station just as the heavy rain started in so we were not able to browse the tents and "markets" that were set up, instead we picked up our VIP tickets and headed inside. 

The venue was really comfortable, we had pretty good seats, but with the layout I imagine there wasn't really a "bad seat" in the house. There was also a standing section, but the event lasted roughly four hours, so I'm glad I had a seat. This year's competition was MC'd by MC GO, and MC Snipa, and they did a very good job keeping the crowd energized in both English, and Korean, which was really appreciated it.

On Sunday, it was the day for the crews to battle it out. The event started out with crews from countries like Japan, USA, Russia and of course the host country, Korea, taking the stage individually and showing some amazing skill. After the crews performed, it was time for the crew vs crew battles.  At this time the crews had the opportunity to not only show their talents as a team, but individuals in the crews were able to have their moment in the spotlight. My favorites were Taiwan, and Russia. They seemed to really have a lot of fun, and were engaging with the crowd. As good as everybody was, there could only be one winner, the last two teams standing were Japan- Body Carnival, and Korea- Morning of Owl. Second place was Japan and they were awarded a check for $5,000 and first place was Korea, and they were awarded a check for $15,000. 

After the contest, came what I think a lot of people were waiting for.. a hip hop performance! The lineup consisted of Dok2, Beenzino, Jay Park & Korea Assassins. The first ones to take the stage were Dok2 and Beenzino, I'm not very familiar with them, but it was something new and good to listen to, second Jay Park took the stage and he was a hit from the start. As soon as he came on stage he was jumping around, being super energetic and getting the crowd pumped up. The event finished off with Korea Assassins, a local b-boy crew, who were joined halfway through their sets by two 6 year old b-girls from Europe. 

My overall opinion of this event is really good, definitely a new experience for me but something I enjoyed and will have fun talking about with my friends. It did seem to go on for a long time though, we were in the venue from 6:00 p.m. to a little after 10:00 p.m. But with as many battles as they had, I'm not sure how they could have made it shorter. I really enjoyed the Hip Hop performance at the end, and I can definitely say that the staff at this event were super friendly and helpful. If you have the opportunity to stand next year's R16 I suggest you do it, even if you're not familiar with the B-Boy culture, it's definitely something worth checking out. 

entrance to R16

KTO ticket booth

With my friends during the event

KTO CEO announcing the winners between Korea & Japan