HaewooJae Museum (Mr. Toilet House) in Suwon, South Korea

Introduction:

Credit: Imagine Korea

After demolishing the house in which he lived for 30 years, Mr. Toilet, Sim Jaedeok, built this house in the shape of a toilet in order to celebrate the establishment of the World Toilet Assosciation (WTA). He named it Haewoojae, which means "a house to reliive one's concerns." This is a term that is used temples when referring to the restroom.  Construction began in May 2007 by architect Go Giung, and finished on November 11, 2007. Haewoojae was credited as being the biggest toilet sculpture by the Korea Record Institute in 2007, and it got a lot of attention by domestic and foreign media outlets. After Sim Jaedeok passed away, his family donated the house to the city of Suwon in July 2009. According to his will, the city of Suwon followed through on making his house a cultural exhibit. In turn, they used it to commemmorate Mr. Toilet.

The Founder

A Date to Remember:

Almost fittingly enough, the museum was opened on October 30, 2010 the day before Halloween. Did Mr. Sim know about this date and was he trying to create a place meant to horrify the locals? Just kidding!

Rodin would be proud!

My Experience

My wife and I made our trek to this place and when I say, trek, I mean it. Mr. Toilet House was NOT easy to get to. It was a really hot day, so we got a couple of iced lattes at the cafe next to it before exploring the Toilet House. Once we got there, we saw most of the funny or unique displays outside and saw them within 30 minutes. The statues were pretty humorous and one was a coped statue of the famous "The Thinker" by Rodin. At this place you can see him thinking on "the throne" (toilet). Haha!

Just a mother and son staring at poop

Other displays show funny sculptures of people squatting as they're about to relieve themselves as you can see above. There are also other displays showing what Koreans did with feces before toilets came into existence. Overall, it was pretty educational and interesting. There just weren't that many displays to see in total. After doing that, my wife and I went inside the first building and saw other displays regarding the history of toilets and household plumbing. The bad thing about it was that the displays didn't have many English explanations and they were mostly in Korean. Personally, I could only read a word here or there, so my wife translated some of them for me. My wife and I spent about 10 minutes inside that building, which was a small two-story building. On the other side there's one more building that has funny displays of animal poop based on what they eat, which poop is healthy, and which poop is not healthy. Kids and parents had fun with this and you can imagine and I thought it was pretty entertaining.

Here's a side note: Even though Koreans are fairly conservative, they aren't afraid to talk about poop and they have an interesting fascination with the subject. There's even a poop cafe in Seoul that many expats have blogged about. Here's just one "crappy" (pun intended because of it) blog about it among many! The blog is actually good, so I'm being literal in this case. Haha!

Now let me finish telling you about our experience at Mr. Toilet's House. The last thing we did was go up to the roof of the second building, which has a nice view of the museum and its surroundings. You can also see the beautiful scenery of Suwon around it. After my wife and I finished enjoying the view, we decided to find something to do next. However, keep this in mind. There's nothing to do around the museum and there aren't any subway lines near it, so you need to take a bus to your next destination. We ended up checking out a lake in Uiwang, but we took a couple of buses to get there. Because of the inconvenience of getting to this place and because it's so small, this will probably be my first and last visit to this museum. But if you live in Gyeonggido or you want a very unique experience to post on your blog (smile) and/or post a ridiculous picture of yourself there (see below), you should go and check out Mr. Toilet House.

How to Get There:

[Subway + Bus]

Sungkyunkwan University Station (Seoul Subway Line 1), Exit 1.
- Take bus 64 in front of Yuljeong-dong Catholic Church.
- Get off at Dongwon High School Entrance at Haewoojae bus stop.
- Take a right at the Imok Sageori (four-way intersection).
- Cross the street and continue walking 700 meters to reach Mr. Toilet House.

Admission: Free

Parking: Free

More Information: Mr. Toilet's Website

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

60 Things I Have Learned While Living and Traveling Abroad

1. The world doesn't revolve around the United States although the U.S. media would like you to think that it did.
2. People outside of the United States have a much more negative view about the United States than I had realized.
3. Americans are even friendlier than I realized after visiting other Western countries worldwide.
4. Chinese people can be loud but they're not being rude. It's just how their language is. They're very friendly people and straight forward once you get to know them.
5. When Vietnamese locals tell you to not expose your camera in public, you listen.
6. Tea ceremonies and art galleries in China don't sound as good as you would think. (See Beijing and Shanghai for details).
7. If someone ask you in English to have a drink with you in Shanghai, you will end up paying for it and then some.
8. You might leave your cell phone on the table at Starbucks in a mall in Seoul and come back 30 minutes later without it being touched.
9. Taking a train in Italy isn't as easy as it seems. Not only do you buy a ticket, but you need to get it stamped or you'll pay a steep fine.
10. If you go to Venice, Italy, you must visit Burano Island or else you will regret it.
11. The food in Rome matches the hype and then some. You can also order tap water or ones with "gas" (carbonated).
12. Don't accept any roses as gifts around any of the plazas in Rome. You will end up paying for them.
12. London has better food than I expected but the best food there is Indian hands down.
13. Ho Chi Minh has the best Vietnamese food in all of Vietnam. Hanoi comes in second.
14. Korean food is excellent in Seoul. Every other kind of food in Seoul will not match your expectations.
15. Los Angeles has the best Mexican food. How do $0.99 tacos in East L.A. sound to you?
16. Chinese food has a variety of flavors from sweet, spicy, and sneaky spicy. My favorite kinds of Chinese foods are malatang and Chinese dumplings. Delicious!
17. Ramen noodles in Tokyo are the best I have ever eaten. Sorry Seoul, but you don't come close.
18. Grilled pork in Korea is the best. That's one reason why I've lived in Korea for 15 years.
19. Southeast Asia has the people with the best smiles. (See Indonesia, Cambodia, and the Philippines for details).
20. Don't wander around Southeast Asia after dinner time alone. It's dark and dangerous. Get back to your hotel room, relax, and prepare for your next day of traveling.
21. You might get called 'sir' or 'ma'am' in the Philippines quite often because people are so polite there.
22. Don't give out money to children in the Philippines or Cambodia or you might have an army charging you soon after.
23. London has the best museums in the world and they're free. My favorites include the British Museum and the National Gallery.
24. I've met three people from Scotland. I've concluded that they don't particularly like Americans, never talk about Scotland, yet always mention the fact that they're from the U.K.
25. People in Seoul start and stop trends very quickly. Gangnam Style is old news now.
26. Koreans conform to each other when it comes to fashion. Japanese people are very individualistic and try to be very different from each other.
27. Koreans tempers can flare up quickly but they can also forgive others just as quickly.
28. Seoul has arguably the best subway system in the world. Just avoid Line #2 and #9 during rush hour or you will get very familiar with a lot of people.
29. Seoul and Tokyo are two of the safest cities to walk around at 2am. However, you might come across a few drunk businessmen that just finished their company dinners.
30. The Eiffel Tower is beautiful at night. Just don't get sucked into buying champagne and flowers from people that are desperately trying to force romance on you.
31. Ankor Wat in Cambodia is one of my favorite places to see in this world, but you need a minimum of two full days to really see it in all its glory.
32. Although Bangkok is known for its sex tourism, there's only one main area I would definitely avoid there. The Grand Palace and Floating Markets make it a very desirable destination.
33. People in Tokyo may not speak English well, but they will try very hard to help you in spite of that.
34. Most working class people in China don't speak English well, but if someone approaches you and speaks English, be careful (See #6).
35. People in Seoul think they don't speak English well, but they are better than they think they are.
36. Korean dramas and Mexican telenovelas have one thing in common. They are extremely dramatic and unrealistic.
37. I haven't been to Mexico in a long time but if I went there again, I would eat a lot of food but avoid drinking the water.
38. If you go to Hawaii, avoid Waikiki Beach, which is on the south side of Oahu. Get an AirBnB on the north side of Oahu or head on over to Kauai and Maui for more beautiful beaches.
39. Kyoto is bigger than you would imagine, but it's still the most majestic city in Japan. The seaports in Kobe and deer in Nara will also make your trip worth it.
40. Seoul has a great mix of palaces, parks, and modern architecture which all are reachable because of its amazing public transportation system.
41. People outside of Korea don't know much about Busan but is also a city you should visit if you have time.
42. Vietnamese people treat American tourists very nicely despite the tragedy of the Vietnam War. But you might come across a couple of Vietnamese people at the Vietnam War Museum in Ho Chi Minh that want to remind Americans of what happened.
43. Although The Great Wall of China wasn't as amazing as I imagined it to be, it's still a must see. Tienamen Square was surprisingly better than I expected.
44. Staying on a boat in Halong Bay, Vietnam is inexpensive and a wonderful experience. Put that on your bucket list.
45. Teaching kids in a foreign country will get you a free apartment and a salary. The experience is great, a bit challenging, and will make you grow.
46. You'll enjoy the lights, shows, and buffets in Las Vegas. But if you aren't into gambling, two days is enough.
47. The Grand Canyon is best from the South Rim. You can walk down the canyon or take a donkey ride. The Canyon has a different look as the sun goes down.
48. Lake Tahoe is the most beautiful lake that I've experienced so far but I've only seen Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead outside of that one. I have yet to see Crater Lake, which is on my bucket list. Lake Tahoe on the border of California and Nevada.
49. Must see places in Paris: The Louvre, Orsay Museum, the Opera House, and Jardin des Tuileries.
50. The Vatican in Rome is mind blowing especially the walkway leading to the Sistine Chapel.
51. Halla Mountain (Hallasan) has the best view of South Korea. It will take your breath away.
52. People in New York City are very abrasive but don't go there for the people. Go for the pizza, Broadway, and The Museum of Modern Art.
53. The cobblestone streets and lobster are two reasons to visit Boston. Just make sure you're not wearing a Yankees jersey (not that I would ever want to do that). The same can be said vice versa.
54. Clam chowder and the Golden Gate Bridge are two of the best things in San Francisco. Parking, not so much.
55. L.A. has the best laid back lifestyle and the worst traffic.
56. Hoi An, Vietnam to see the rural side of Vietnam with beaches. Go to Danang, Vietnam to see the urban side with beaches.
57. As an American, you might get interrogated by immigration at Heathrow but an Asian with poor English might have a difficult time if they see an immigration officer at LAX.
58. The easiest yet busiest airports to fly through are Incheon (Seoul), Changgi (Singapore), and Narita (Tokyo). The busiest and worst ones are Seattle-Tacoma and LAX.
59. When you travel, some things usually don't go as you expected. Go with the flow and enjoy the ride.
60. Traveling is stressful and amazing at the same time. It challenges you and makes you learn a lot.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

National Museum of Korea in Seoul, South Korea

National Museum of Korea

Seoul doesn't quite match up to London in terms of amazing museums that are free. However, there are a few museums in Seoul that you must visit if 1) if you are the type that loves museums and 2) if you have more than a week vacation in Seoul.

One of these museums that I would like to talk about is the National Museum of Korea. It is located in the Yongsan-gu area of Seoul and the admission is free. 

What You Will Like About This Museum:

1. You'll get a good glimpse of Korean history from the Gorguyeo Dynasty, Choseon Dynasty, Baekjae Dynasty, etc. You'll see this through old documents that are on display, pottery, and paintings.

2. You'll also see other Asian works on display at various times. Two months ago, I visited the museum and saw Japanese paintings and Indian sculptures being showcased.

3. Obviously you'll enjoy the free admission. But not only is the main museum free, but also the Children's Museum is free as well.

4. It's conveniently located. See below for details.

5. There's a nice lake just outside the museum, which will give you yet another picturesque view of Seoul.

6. I'm not Buddhist but the Buddhist statues are pretty large and are interesting to look at.

7. You can get a clear view of N Seoul Tower from the north side of the museum especially on a clear day.

What You Might Not Like About the Museum:

1. If you're not into Korean history, this might not be the place for you. You might get bored especially since it's a very large museum.

2. There's only one cafe that serves food and drinks. It gets a bit crowded especially during peak times.

3. I'm not a big fan of pottery and you'll see a lot of it at this museum. You can just skip those rooms and check out the rooms that interest you more.

Pictures of the Museum:

The lake outside the museum

N Seoul Tower in the background

A huge pagoda on the first floor of the museum

Japanese calligraphy

A large statue of Buddha

A view of N Seoul Tower from the north side

Website: National Museum of Korea Directions: Take Line 4 or the Jungang Line (Munsan-Yongmun) to Ichon Station. Go out Exit 2, and walk 150m toward Yongsan Family Park.

• ※ Wheelchair accessibility: If your train is bound for Oido, the elevator is at the front end of the platform. If your train is bound for Danggogae, the elevator is at the rear end of the platform. Take the elevator up to the ticket office level, then take the elevator located at Museum Nadeulgil near Exit 1 & 2.

Scott Worden (The L.A/Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

What Am I Thankful for in 2018?

Although Thanksgiving has passed, I can still be thankful because one of the most important holidays as a Christian is approaching: Christmas. Therefore, let me go over my list of things to be thankful for as 2018 comes closer to ending.

1. I am beyond thankful for my wife. She's amazing and does so much for me! She cleans the house so well, she irons my clothes, cooks wonderful meals, and she's so supportive. Most of all, she loves God and we can talk about meaningful and deep conversations. She also is very expressive towards me when she has problems that she wants to talk about. She's definitely my best friend. I love you sweetie!

2. I'm also thankful for our home. We almost moved in July but our landlord made a deal with us. We had gone on vacation to Vietnam and the plan was to move right as soon as we got back. That would have been extremely stressful. However, the Lord had other plans and I'm very thankful for that. Despite it being on a hill, it's in a quiet neighborhood, and our house has a good amount of space for a home in Seoul. I really can't complain!

3. I can't leave out the true friends that I have and you know who you are. These are friends that hold me accountable as a Christian, those that I can talk to when I have some problems, coworkers that are there when I'm frustrated with a student, and ones that just enjoy hanging out with me. I'm very happy to have each one of you as a friend. I'm truly blessed. I lost one friend out of greed (I'm thankful that God helped cut that friendship off) this year, but there are plenty of other good friends that have stuck by me. Thanks for your love and support guys!

4. Most people have a hard time being thankful for their boss or manager and I would have to say I would have been one of those people in 2017. Fortunately, 2018 was a different story. I have a manager that doesn't micro-manage, trusts his teachers, and has the same expectations for everyone- not just for a certain few. When I see him walk in, I'm genuinely happy to see him instead of dreading his presence like I did when a previous manager arrived at work.  Having a good manager makes work a lot easier to handle and I'm very blessed that I have had this blessing in 2018.

5. I'm thankful to have a place of worship. In some countries, proclaiming God's Word is a crime or seriously looked down upon. In some cities in Europe, people might not think you're that bright for believing in a God. Thankfully, South Korea is a wonderful place to express your love for Jesus. I sometimes forget to realize how important that it is, but it's huge.

6. I lost a friend this year (Ben Coyner), but I'm thankful that he's in Heaven with the Lord. He loved being on the praise team at church and I'm 100% certain that he's singing with the angels in Heaven. I miss you Ben, but I can't wait to see you again!

7. I'm thankful for my dad. He truly has unconditional love for me. I know that he and my brothers would love to have me move back to California, but my dad supports me no matter what. I do get a guilt trip once in awhile. On the other hand, my dad knows that my wife is amazing, so the guilt trips don't happen nearly as often as they used to. When we talk on Face Time on our I-Phones, we just continue where we left off in our previous conversations. Thank you very much for that Dad. I love you!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Seoullites Are Addicted to Technology Especially Cell Phones

Photo Credit: psychguides.com

Living abroad will help you get over culture shock but there are certain aspects of your adopted country's culture that you just can't seem to get used to. I will pinpoint one culture in Seoul, South Korea that I will probably never get used to. People in Seoul are addicted to their cell phones or other forms of technology. Cell phones and tablets seem to be an extra limb for people that live in a country that has the fastest internet in the world. And it's only going to get faster according to this article, which will probably just make people want to use their cell phones more. Samsung is also introducing a folding phone in order to continue competing against Apple's latest I-Phones. One of my students says that her son wants this phone badly, so that he can play games on it. However, she knows the addiction that it might cause and has denied his frequent requests up to this point.

I'm just one expat living in South Korea who feels this is a problem. Another expat's viewpoint of cell phone addiction in South Korea can be found here. And if you want a perspective from Koreans, a very short Korea Times article written by two Koreans can be found here. One interesting tidbit is that 1,042,000 people could have been addicted to smart phones in 2016. The population of South Korea is 51,047,000 people. That means about 1 in every 55 people is addicted to their phones. Yikes.

I take the subway twice a day since I work on a split shift, so I see people using their cell phones all of the time as I'm walking from home to the subway, commuting on the subway, walking from the subway station to work, and walking from the subway station to home. And it's not just the subway. I see addiction to technology at cafes, restaurants, the bus stop, etc. Here are just a few instances that show how much people in Seoul are addicted to their phones or other forms of technology:

1. My biggest pet peeve is when people drive while on their cell phones. It's bad enough when people are talking to someone on their phones. Furthermore, it's even more frustrating when someone is texting someone while driving on a very narrow residential street. I actually gestured to a guy in his 30s to get off his phone because he was texting someone while he was driving near Nakseongdae Station. Worse yet, a woman was backing out of a parking spot while talking on the phone. When I said "dangerous" in Korean, she was embarrassed and immediately realized it was wrong. Sadly, even though it's a law in Korea, not driving while using a cell phone isn't a law that is strictly enforced along with other traffic violations.

2. One situation that I see quite often is people walking while using their cell phones. What other people do is not my business until it starts affecting my commute to work. Sometimes women in their 20s are sending Kakaotalk (Korea's version of WhatsApp) to their friends or young teenage boys are playing Overwatch or Fortnight. I get it. I'm sometimes guilty of texting while walking myself. However, in Seoul, people are not aware of people behind them and when they are on their phones, they walk at a snail's pace. This situation can get very irritating when you're on a crowded subway behind someone going up the stairs and they're playing with their phones. This happens so often that I can't even count how many times I've experienced it.

3. Another instance which is irritating is when parents use their cell phones as a distraction tool for their children. One time I was at Suji's and the mother and father were eating. After the kids ate a little bit of food, the parents gave them both a tablet and let them play on it for about a half hour while the parents talked. If the kids were a bit older, I could've understood it but the kids were about 6 and 7 years old respectively. Two months ago, I was at Starbucks near Samseong Station. A whole family was sitting there: a mother, father, son, and daughter. All of them were on their cell phones and none of them were talking to each other. On occasion, you'll see people on a date but focusing on their cell phones more than their dates.

4. As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, selfies are huge in South Korea. But it's pretty crazy when ladies use their cell phones to take selfies at the weirdest places. I saw four girls taking a few selfies at McDonald's. I didn't know McDonald's was a venue that would help me get more "likes" on Instagram, but I might have to try it! Last year, I saw one woman at Coffee Bean taking 35 selfies. How do I know it was 35? Well I started counting after I heard a multiple amount of cell phone camera clicks. I guess you can say 35 was a conservative estimate. It must have been more like 50 shots.

5. An irritating thing I see at work as a teacher is when adult students come to practice their English. Our academy promotes small class sizes. Our main classes have between one and four students in an Encounter class where the teacher evaluates their performance. Since the students determine the class based on their schedule, they don't always have an Encounter class with the same students. Due to that, students constantly meet new students, although in Korea, students don't enjoy talking to each other in English in the Encounter class. They prefer to only talk to the native English speaker. As a result, two students might get to class before the teacher does, but they don't introduce themselves to each other. They just play with their smartphones until the teacher gets there. However, it's even more annoying when they actually met each other in a previous class, but still prefer being on their smartphone instead of talking to that student.

Overall, cell phone addiction is a worldwide problem, but it's definitely a more serious problem in Korea. Why is that? Technology is everywhere here and the internet speed is the best in the world. On top of that, Koreans don't generally enjoy talking to strangers, so Koreans will always use their cell phones to shield themselves away from awkward experiences with people they don't know. I hope and pray that people can realize that addiction to technology is a serious problem in South Korea and that something gets done about it. People need to enjoy lives without staring at our screens all of the time and that includes me as well.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy