Merry Christmas!

(Written 12-25-08)

The gloom of the (sick) days leading up to Christmas has passed and I finally feel like it’s Christmas. I met some S.M.O.E.’s for mass at Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral this morning, and it finally felt like Christmas after seeing the altar all decorated and singing “Go Tell it on the Mountain” to a droning organ as the closing song.

Myeongdong Catholic Church


After church I called the fam. who was having our typical Christmas Eve: junk food fest (everyone requests their own dish; mine is always taco dip) presents, and then midnight mass. So not much was new, except that we welcomed a new member to our (extended) family; my Aunt Jessica had baby boy Cooper Sterling Scutt. Pictures were up on Facebook immediately and he is beyond adorable.

Also lifting my spirits is the fact that I have much to look forward to in the coming weeks. I’m penning this post on a bus to Suanbo (small mountain town two hours south of Seoul) to meet Jamie and a few of her friends for a weekend of skiing and hot springs. Should be a good time. Then in about two weeks, one of my best friends from home is coming to visit for 10 days, then I have my winter vacation part 1 the last week of January. Not sure where I’m headed yet, but it has to be cheap. Then I come back to school for two weeks; and afterwards it’s winter vacation part 2, and I’m going to Thailand and Malaysia! I can’t wait to leave cold, gloomy Seoul and lay on the beach, ride elephants and hang out with tigers; all of which you can do in Thailand. I’m so excited! We haven’t exactly booked tickets yet (still waiting for the best deal) but it’s a for sure. I just hope the political situation stays under control and there aren’t any airport demonstrations in the near future.

I will admit it; I’ve been kind of lonely and homesick lately. It probably doesn’t help that I was sick all last week and cooped up in my tiny apartment, or that it’s only days away from Christmas and I’m a million miles away from my family. Tonight, especially, has been one of those “what the heck am I doing here?” nights. Then I finally left my place to run to the convenience store, and the most beautiful, fluffy snowflakes were falling. It was like a little piece of home.

This has been happening a lot lately; just when I think I’ve had enough of this country and that I couldn’t possibly stay another year, I’m lured back in.

Frustration

Last Sunday, I woke up with a searing migraine and spent the entire day in agony. When I get these, some of the pain usually carries over into the next day, which it did. So on Monday I sent my coteacher a text message saying I would be late to school. I didn't see any point rushing into work on a day I wasn't even teaching when I was in pain. She texted back: "Don't worry, take your time." I took an Advil, waited for it to kick in, and came to work at 9:10. (I'm supposed to be there at 8:00am)

When I walked in, the Vice Principal called my coteacher over to her desk for a chat. They were speaking Korean, but I could tell something was up. Minjung told me afterwards that the vice principal was "really worried about me" and my health problems. I have been sick/late "several times," so she recommend I go to the doctor and get my migraines checked out so that they don't prevent me from missing work again.

I've learned enough about Korean passive-aggressive communication to know that saying they are "really worried about me" is a thinly disguised warning that I shouldn't miss work unless I am literally on my death bed. In Korea, when you are sick, you're supposed to go to the doctor, get medication, and come straight back to work. This mentality completely baffles me, because how can you be productive when you are in pain? Apparently, that's not the point. What's important is being physically present, regardless of whether or not you are doing any work.

I looked at Minjung in disbelief and said, "I've been sick one day in 4 and a half months." I told her that I didn't think coming late would be a big deal since this was the second week in a row I wasn't setting foot in a classroom. The kids were in the middle of finals and on test days, I usually sit at my desk for 8 hours a day with very little work to do. I really don't understand why it's so important for me to be sitting at my desk doing nothing when I could be at home getting better.

Another thing that frustrates me is that when I do get sick, my coworkers act like it's something I brought upon myself. They tell me I need to get more exercise, I need "proper nourishment," I need to rest, etc. I'm sorry, but I think that getting a few colds is normal in my situation. Four and a half months ago, I moved to an overcrowded city where I use public transportation on a daily basis; I'm exposed to a lot more germs here than I was back home. Also, I know my body; I rest when I'm fatigued, I eat when I'm hungry, and I use Purrell like crazy, since hot water in restrooms is scarce and when they do have soap, it's usually a bar that everyone shares.

In spite of my efforts, I still get sick sometimes, and I don't think I deserve to be scolded for it. Unfortunately, today, the following Monday, was one of those times. This morning I woke up at 3 am with the chills and my body ached all over. I thought I had the flu, so I waited in misery until 8:30 when the hospital opened to get tested. I did have a bit of a a fever, but the doctor wasn't quite sure what I had so he ran some tests and gave me a shot of pain medication. The tests didn't show anything serious, so he wrote me up for "fever, generalized muscle pain, headache, and acute pharyngitis (a.k.a sore throat/cold)" I had asked him, while trying to choke back tears, to write a note for my school because they get upset when I'm sick.

Sure enough, I got an e-mail from my coteacher tonight saying the vice principal is "really, really worried about me" and said "it's a bit too often that you come to school late or you cannot come to school because of your health problem. She said you need to make sure you stay healthy and rest enough on the weekends."

"A bit too often." Hmmm.... I did a little calculation to prove how absurd this statement is. I've been here 4.5 months, but I'm not counting the first two weeks because I didn't really start work yet. Let's say my total working days so far have been 115 (I knocked 5 days off of the total for Chuseok and other random days I didn't have to come in). Of 115 days, I've taken 2 sick days, been 1 hour late on the headache day, and 10 minutes late one day when I forgot to set my alarm. That amounts to less than 2% of my total working days. However, today was the only time that I was sick on a day that I was actually supposed to teach. So really, the total time my "medical problems" have actually interfered with teaching is .86%. One day. Absolutely ridiculous. I am not happy right now.

Also, since finals are over, the kids basically have playtime until the end of the semester, and I was going to teach them some Christmas songs. So you can see, my presence at work right now is less than crucial.

Tomorrow I have a high school teachers' seminar from 8 am to 9 pm, and I will go in spite of the fact that I will probably be miserable the entire time. Heaven forbid I take another sick day.

Oh Canada...

I always feel really bad when I meet Canadians, because up until now I had very little knowledge of Canadian geography, history, politics, etc., but they seem to know everything about the U.S. My friend Chris says that's because there's nothing to know about Canada, but I still feel bad. About half of my teacher friends here in Korea are Canadian, so my knowledge of this land and its people has increased exponentially since my arrival. I thought I would impart some of this knowledge.

Canadians are tricky people, because they look just like Americans, and for the most part, they talk just like Americans. I've recently found out that many actors and musicians are actually Canadians disguised as Americans (Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey and The Barenaked Ladies, just to name a few). Canadians get kind of offended when Koreans assume they are American, but even for us miguks (Americans), it's hard to tell. It's only when they insert an "eh?" at the end of a sentence or talk about how they can't find good poutine here that you know they're a canuck.

What is poutine you ask? Good question. I had never heard of it before I came here, but apparently it's a Canadian delicacy. Poutine consists of french fries covered in strange, fattening things like gravy and cheese curds. I had my first poutine on Tuesday night at a Canadian restaurant/pub in Itaewon. It mostly tasted like soggy french fries, but Kim (Canadian teacher friend) said that it wasn't good poutine and that she's going to take me to New York Fries, a Canadian fast food chain (with an American name) here in Korea to get some real poutine.

My first poutine



In the U.S., we like to make fun of Canada a lot, and it turns out, they like to make fun of us as well. Rick Mercer is kind of like Canada's Stephen Colbert, and he has a segment of his show called "Talking with Americans" that is both hysterical and humiliating. Check it out:

Wine (but mostly Cheese) Night

Josie and I saw the movie "Bottle Shock" 2 weekends ago and it was right up my alley. I like movies that some consider boring, with lots of talking and things like wine competitions.

After the movie got out, Josie, who hates the taste of alcohol in all forms, said it made her want to have a glass of Chardonnay. (The climax of the movie is when the Chardonnay from a California winery beats out the French wine in a blind taste test. Edge of your seat action, I know)

I told her that as a beginner, she should start out with a White Zinfandel since it's more fruity. That's what I started out drinking, and have since graduated to more sophisticated varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Actually I don't really know if liking red wine means you have a more refined palate or anything, I just think blush wines taste like alcoholic koolaid. Anyway, I decided that we should have a wine tasting at my apartment, since it's so spacious.

I invited some of the SMOE girls over and everyone brought either a bottle of wine or snacks. The wine tasting part was fun, but I think most of us were more excited about the cheese. I splurged and picked up some Brie and cheddar from E-mart and Josie brought some spreadable, cream-cheese like stuff and we gorged. Cheese is quite the novelty here in Korea because it's hard to find and is grossly overpriced. Allyssa's bruschetta was also amazing. (I am always impressed by anyone my age whose cooking skills extend beyond instant pasta and scrambled eggs)

It was really fun to have a low-key night without the boys (no offense guys) and Josie said that her first glass of wine "wasn't as bad as she thought," so I considered it a successful evening. An added bonus was the fact that Vicky found the rooftop of my apartment building, which I didn't know existed.

Some pics from the evening:

Turns out I can fit 10 people in my apartment

Chaeheun, me & Jamie

View from my rooftop

Thanksgiving in Korea

I had very low expectations for Thanksgiving dinner in Korea. For one, they don't really eat turkeys in this country. I guess it doesn't go well with kimchi. (j/k) Also, I talked a little bit about Thanksgiving in my classes last week, and many of my students and coteachers had never heard of stuffing, which in my opinion is the highlight of the meal.

My friend Sarah reserved tickets to a Thanksgiving buffet at Gecko's pub in Itaewon. She told us there would be turkey and mashed potatoes at least, and that was enough for me.

It turned out that the buffet was totally worth the 35,000 won. We had turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pasta, french fries, bread, fish, sausage...pretty much anything you could think of. They even had pseudo pumpkin and apple pie. (see pics) I ate until I thought I was going to burst, just like back home. The best part was, no clean up, and no eating turkey leftovers for the next 2 weeks. Not bad, Korea.

Buffet Round 1

Some hungry waeguks: Josie, me, Alan & Betsy

Gecko's version of pumpkin pie

Soooo full!

I heart my students part 2

A day or two after I wrote the last post, one of my students handed me a letter that was rolled up and tied with a pink bow, and said she was sorry for not giving it to me sooner.

The letter is two pages long, and the first page apologizes for the behavior of some of her peers who talk in class or use their cell phones, and for the girls who put on make up during class. She said I should not be discouraged by the behavior of "stoopid students" like that. She said most students study very hard and enjoy my class. She said she and other students are pleased I am here, and they "beloath when the bell wich tell us that the class is over ring."

I was touched. It's going to be very hard to go back home and teach after being treated like a rockstar here.

I heart my students

High School kids crack me up. The more I get to know my students here, the more I think that kids are the same everywhere. Sometimes they remind me so much of my students back home with their funny/sassy comments in class.

Today in one of the boys’ classes, I explained the activity for the day then asked the students, “Does everyone understand what I want you to do?” (A lot of times the students will nod their heads like they understand, then they ask me what’s going on 5 minutes later) One kid goes, “Roger that!” I couldn’t help but laugh. Some of these kids can barely form sentences in English, yet I get comments like that. I asked the rest of the class if they knew what "Roger that" meant, and explained the whole pilot/radio thing. After I finished, another kid goes, “Fire in the hole!” They surprise me everyday with the random English phrases/colloquial expressions they know. (One of their favorites is “Oh Shit!)

I’m starting to really like my Korean students. After almost three months here, I have a much better idea of what activities are going to work in each class and how to adapt assignments for the different ability levels.

I’m also showered with compliments and affection on a daily basis. My celebrity status hasn’t exactly worn off. I don’t get a unanimous “wow!” when I walk into the classroom anymore, but nearly every student yells “Hi Taryn Teacher!” when they see me in the hallways. Although some of the boys are more traditional and bow when they see me, which I think is awesome. In Korea it is custom to bow as a greeting to someone who is older than you or in a superior position. I think I’m going to try to implement that when I go back to the U.S. to teach. (Just kidding, it would never work)

And then there are the compliments. Last Friday I straightened my hair, and when I walked into the beginner boys’ class, there were claps and cheers like I was meeting my fan club. Several students shouted, “Hair! Good!” and another yelled, “Teacher!...Face...Angelina Jolie...Same!” Gotta love being compared to Angelina Jolie. Then on the way out of school Monday of this week; I was all bundled up in my new coat, boots, scarf and hat because it’s freezing in Seoul right now, and I got called a “Fashionista” by three different students. These are just a few examples of the compliments I am showered with on a regular basis. Some of them have also given me snacks and candy, and I got one Halloween card from a student that said, “Thank you for remembering my name.” With 400+ students that I see once a week, it’s hard to remember names, but there are a handful of students whose names I’ve learned. Most of the Korean teachers don't bother learning students' names.

Unfortunately, the school year ends on December 23rd, and I’ll get a whole new crop of “1st graders” (sophomores) when the new school years starts in March, just when I’m getting to know them better. Hopefully the new kiddos will be just as adorable.

Don’t get me wrong, there are certain classes that misbehave and drive me a little nuts, but overall, teaching here is a very pleasant experience. I don’t assign homework or grades, I don’t give tests; they get to have fun with me. It’s a pretty awesome set up.

The Big Test

I'm not at school today because it's the day that 3rd graders (seniors) all across Seoul take the test that will make or break them: the university entrance exam. This is the test they've spent the entire school year preparing for and that their parents have been worrying about for their child's entire life. I kind of wanted to see the madness at the front entrance, but I'm happy to have the day off to get some sleep and try to beat this nasty cold I've had all week.

Here is a youtube video that shows all the hype. There will be a similar scene at Chungdam this morning. Members of the student government are required to be there to cheer and show their support, and other students voluntarily show up to cheer. It would have been something to see, but again, I'll take my day off.



P.S. It turns out I was overreacting to the exercise comment in the posting below. Koreans are just obsessed with health and exercise and he meant no harm by the comment. I just took it the wrong way. The honeymoon period is over and little things like that are starting to get to me. It's hard being a wagukin (foreigner) sometimes.

Hey fattie

Today at lunch I sat with three male teachers, and as usual, one of my co-teachers, David, brought up the subject of my eating habits.

David: "Tahleen, what are you eating these days? What did you eat for breakfast?"
Me: I told you, I eat cereal for breakfast. (I was a little annoyed because he asks this everyday)
David: Just cereal?!?
Me: Sometimes yogurt also, sometimes toast, it depends.

David seems to think that because I eat cereal for breakfast and pizza for dinner sometimes that I'm malnourished. After I assured him I was eating a balanced diet, he moved onto exercise. I told him I've been going to dance classes once a week, and it was very good exercise. The geography teacher chimed in that working out once a week wasn't enough, I needed to do it three times a week.

I said that I do a lot of walking here and climbing subway stairs. I told them that I had spent Sunday afternoon and evening walking around Seoul; a friend who lives in Daejon was in town and we were seeing the sights. Last weekend I was in Seoraksan hiking up mountains. I told them I thought that was enough exercise. The geography teacher said, not if I want to lose weight.

They talk about weight loss/calories all the time here, but I was still taken aback. I said, "Do you think I need to lose weight?" David must have realized I was somewhat offended, because he immediately started talking about how thin I was, and asked what my "secret" was.

I don't mind if my coworkers talk about health and weight loss in general, but telling me I need to work out more to lose weight is not really necessary. Especially since it's on most women's minds anyway.

I've heard from other (foreign) teachers that their coworkers make similar comments, and I've also experienced this when I lived abroad before. When my friends and I visited Tunisia in 2003, our tour guide told my two friends they looked like they were pregnant, and didn't understand why we found that so offensive.

I think our eagerness to be polite and not hurt people's feelings is something unique to the U.S. In Korea, it's perfectly okay to tell someone that they are chubby, or that they have a pig face. (One of my students got the nickname "Piglet" from her friends)

My Korean coworkers are always quick to comment on appearance in general. It's nice to be acknowledged on days when you put a little extra effort into your appearance, but on the flip side, they also tell you when you look awful. "You look so tired. You look sick," etc. I understand that this is a cultural thing, and I can handle being told I look tired, but I wasn't a fan of being told I need to exercise more. Maybe I'm overreacting, and it was just his segway into inviting me to play badminton with the teachers after school (as several teachers have done) but it rubbed me the wrong way, and I will be avoiding him in the lunchroom in the future. It's a shame too; he's one of the few teachers that can carry on a conversation with me at lunch. But I'd rather enjoy my squid surprise and chunks of tofu soup than feel like I have to jog it off later.

Total Immersion

These past few weeks, through song, dance, and attending my first professional soccer game, I think I've been officially been initiated into Korean culture.

Song- If you want to make friends with Koreans, go to noraebang with them. I think I mentioned noraebang in a previous post but never explained what it is. Noraebang literally means "singing room," and it's Korea's version of karaoke. It is HUGE here; Koreans love to sing, so you can find a noraebang on nearly every corner. You pay about 15,000 won (which today is sadly $10.38; the exchange rate is awful right now) an hour for a private room with a karaoke screen, usually a few tambourines, two microphones, and mini strobe lights and/or disco balls. I had gone several times with fellow foreigners, but a few weeks ago, I went for the first time with Koreans. A group of teachers from my school went out to dinner & noraebang after the midterms and invited me along. Noraebang with Koreans is something else. After a few glasses of Cass (the water-flavored beer they drink here) they really cut loose. They all sang Korean songs (very enthusiastically, see the pictures), and I did a few Abba tunes because they know Abba here. I was a smash hit; not that they didn't like me before, but teachers who had never spoken to me before made a point of saying hello the next morning. It seems to be the ultimate ice breaker; you're not friends until you noraebang.

Noraebang with my coworkers, 10/8/08


Me with the Chief of Academic Affairs, the principal, and In Young (biology teacher)


Dance- Before coming to Korea, I had been taking jazz/hip hop classes at my sister's dance studio in White Bear Lake, and it was the highlight of my week. I decided that I wanted to continue to take classes here in Korea, so I've been going to drop-in classes at POZ dance studio near my school. Not only do I pick up a few new words in Korean every time I go, but one week I learned the dance to the latest "Wonder Girls" hit. The Wonder Girls are one of the hottest pop groups in Korea, and I make references to them all the time when I'm modeling sentences or teaching new vocabulary to my students.

Knowing the "Nobody" dance has proven to be another cross-cultural bonding method. I've busted it out a few times in class and my students go nuts. I also hung out with another foreign teacher recently and her coteacher, who made me teach her the dance. Now my coteacher, Minjung, wants me to teach her the dance because she and her husband tried with little success to learn from the music video. I'll post a link at the bottom to the "Nobody" video on youtube, because it's pretty awesome.

Soccer- I have never cared about or paid any attention to soccer, and had never actually sat through an entire match before coming here. But when my friend Jamie had an extra ticket to the Asian World Cup Qualifiers, I thought it would be a good "cultural experience." I dressed up in red and bought devil horns for the occasion since Korea's mascot is the red devils, and I had a blast. I never knew soccer was so much fun! Everyone was decked out in the team's colors and waving flags and chanting; it was much more entertaining than sitting through a baseball or football game. Whenever Korea scored a goal, there was confetti and toilet paper sailing through the air; even a red hand-held flare at one point. By the end of the match, I was waving the South Korean flag and singing along to all the chants. One of our friend's Korean co-teachers was there, and he commented on how "Korean" I was.

South Korea vs. U.A.E., 10/15/08


In the two months I've been here, I think I've adjusted pretty well to life in Korea. There are a few things that I will never get used to, like how people, mostly men, will hock loogies all over the streets and sidewalks. I cringe every time I hear someone gargling the mucous in their throat; it's so gross.

I also HATE fish and seafood, which they serve nearly every day at my school. I get really excited when it's a "no fish day," and there's something I can eat besides rice and kimchi.

These are very minor complaints though. Overall I still love living here; I was lucky to be placed in a nice area and in a good school, I get a along with my students and coworkers, and there are always people in the S.M.O.E. family to hang out with in the evenings and on the weekends.

I do miss home a lot and sometimes wish I could fly home for just a week to visit and maybe eat some Chipotle and buy shoes that fit, but I have to remind myself that when I do go back home, I will miss the friends I've made here, noraebang, bibimbap, galbi and other Korean foods I love. I'll miss living in this massive city where I'm constantly discovering new little neighborhoods and restaurants and shopping areas, etc. So I'm trying to live in the moment and just enjoy myself, and not worry about whether or not I'm going to stay another year or what I'm going to do when I go back home, etc.

That being said, I'm going to go meet up with some friends now instead of worry about how to wrap up this post :)

*As promised, the link to "Nobody" by the Wonder Girls

The small face/peace sign phenomenon

(Written 10-24-08)

Recently I heard from a friend of mine back home who said he'd been looking at my picutres from Korea and didn't understand the peace sign phenomenon in Asia (while taking pictures). Perhaps I can shed some light:

Loyal readers may remember that when I first arrived here, everyone kept telling me I had a small face. I thought it was strange that they kept commenting on that; like I was some freak of nature. I would respond by showing them pictures of my dad and saying, "see, I get it from him, it's his fault."

I have since learned that Korean women all want a small face (or narrow face) because it is considered more beautiful. Usually when I take my camera out, the females will make a peace sign covering their cheeks or strike some other strategic pose to make their face appear smaller.

I didn't realize this until Wednesday, when we took a field trip to Olympic Park and a group of my students decided that they can't pose for pictures with me anymore because my face is "too small," making theirs look bigger. It's not just the students who make these comments either; the teachers all say the same thing when they pose for pictures with me.

I could be wrong. Maybe they're just all about peace and love here, but I think that the small face phenomenon and peace sign phenomeneon are closely related.

World Peace Gate, Olympic Park


Me with my "1st graders" (10th graders) who told me my face is too small


*You can see the rest of my pictures on my flickr page

One-sentence stories

(Written 10-10-08)

This week I had my intermediate and advanced classes do a writing exercise where one student started a story by writing a sentence, and the next person in the row wrote the next sentence, and so on. From the stories in each row, they were to pick the best story and I would decide a winner for the class. I told them that the winning story would be the most creative, one that made sense, and was school appropriate.

The term "school appropriate" doesn't seem to exist here. Back home, I would tell my students they had to be "PG" or "school appropriate" in class activities and they knew what I was talking about. Here, I had to explain that means leave out the sex and violence. In spite of this warning, my students wrote all sorts of disturbing things, which completely surprised me. Most of them seem so sweet and innocent, yet here are snippets from some of the stories I received this week:

"I have a sexy girlfriend. She gave me AIDS. We suicided together."
"I was in love with my teacher, but he married my sister. So I got plastic surgery to flirt with him."
"I took a shit in the backyard."
"I hit his penis with a bat."
"My mother is more delicious than cow. She is very fat and salty and spicy." (from the "steak boy" class, this one did NOT surprise me)
"I like American girls because they are fat."
"My parents hit me, so I go to the hospital. Now I am so happy because I can pass the exam. Yeah!"
"He is too angry, so he shooted his mother brain bones."

Nearly every story had something about death or suicide. They are obsessed with it. I told one class I wanted nice stories and to leave out all the death; and one boy (who speaks English very well) said, "but this is art!"

Probably the strangest part of all this was the fact that my co-teachers were entirely unfazed, as if AIDS, suicide and murder are perfectly normal topics for students to write about in class.

My last class of the week, which is my best class behavior and participation wise, wrote this little gem:

"A foreign teacher came to our school. And she is taller than me. She is so popular in the boys' classes that I am jealous of her. So I kill her."

Hmm...I think we'll stick to vocabulary games and speaking exercises in the future.

Back in Seoul

Okay, this is going to sound like the lamest thing ever, but it’s good to be back in Seoul and back to work. Let me explain…

All of last week at school the students took midterms, so I didn’t teach at all, but I still had to be there and sit at my desk. What did I do all week? Good question. When I have a whole week of unstructured time and no looming deadline, I am physically incapable of productivity. I stalked a lot of my friends from home on Facebook, followed the Twins’ almost playoff run, and did a little research on Thailand. I also threw together a last minute trip to Busan, a port city on the southeast tip of Korea. This is all I got accomplished in a week’s worth of work. I felt like a huge slacker, so I welcomed the actual work I had to do at school this morning. Although when I go back to the States to teach, I’m sure I will fantasize about the days in Korea when I could e-mail and Facebook at work.

Like I said, I decided last Tuesday that we should use our day off on Friday (it was a National Holiday, but my co-teacher wasn’t even sure what it was for) and visit Busan. Other than the beach, there wasn’t anything in particular I wanted to see, it was just a chance to see another city in Korea. I didn’t have any luck finding an available hostel or budget hotel online, so my friend Vicky’s co-teacher looked into finding us a yeogwan. “Yeogwan” means guesthouse, and like hostels, I think they are hit or miss. I’m sure there are nice ones out there, but ours was pretty decrepit, which was fine since we are all on a budget. My only complaint was the fact that the three of us women were supposed to share a double mattress on the floor with pillows that felt like they were stuffed with bricks. Needless to say, we didn’t sleep very well. It also was located about 45 minutes away from the Haeundae Beach area by subway, so it took us an hour to meet up with the other groups of S.M.O.E. people that somehow found accommodations near the beach.

Other than the sleeping situation and the lack of planning, I loved Busan. People were extremely friendly in passing, unlike Seoul where everyone is in hurry and will knock you over if you get in their way on the subway. It’s probably pretty common in a beach town verses a huge city, but the vibe was really laid back. We also were in awe of the beach view from our friend Brian’s friend’s apartment; it was gorgeous. (See pic. below) A few of my teacher friends were like, why do we live in Seoul? I found myself defending my new home. In spite of the fact that it’s overcrowded and the rush hour traffic is horrendous, I love Seoul. I’m glad I picked Seoul over Busan or some other smaller town. The commute to and from work is kind of a pain, but city life suits me. I also love that while I’ve seen a lot of the sights, I still have a lengthy list of things I want to do in Seoul. There is so much here and I love that.

It’s funny how you come to appreciate a place once you leave it. Going to Busan made me realize how much I love Seoul, and coming to Korea made me realize how much I love Minnesota. My parents dragged me there kicking and screaming when I was 13, so I spent most of my teenage years hating it, but I’ve really come to appreciate it since I’ve been here. I’ve been educating Koreans about the wonder that is MN since the day I arrived. For example, when a neighbor lady took me to E-mart, I pointed out the 3M symbol on the tape and proudly told her it was a Minnesota based company. I guess this is one of the unforeseen benefits of coming here. Travel is not only about experiencing new places, it’s also about recognizing the good in where you came from, which I’m definitely doing.

Busan at night

Haeundae Beach

Jagalchi Fish Market

Titus pretending to eat live octopus

Chuseok part 3

On Monday we met up in Dongdaemun, Holly's dong (neighborhood). Dongdaemun is famous for its shopping markets, which include everything from department stores to cheap knock offs on the street. Since I'm trying to save money, I've been trying to stay away from this area, but luckily most of the shops were closed for Chuseok.

At Cerestar Department store, we stumbled upon an impressive drumming/dancing show and watched it for awhile.

Then we headed over to the actual Dongdaemun, which means "Great East Gate." During the Joseon dynasty, it was the major eastern gate in the wall that surrounded Seoul. It is one of only two that are still standing; apparently in February of this year a cab driver went ape wall and burned down Namdaemun, the South Gate.
After that we hit up the tents for some street food and a peek at the merchandise. Another thing that cracks me up about Korea is all the clothing and accessories that sport random phrases in English that more often than not, don't make any sense.


What??



We also walked by a group of policemen who must have been bored because they were playing tag and frisbee in a parking lot. I've been told that Seoul is a very safe city, so they must not have enough to do.


I love Korea :)

Chuseok part 2

On Sunday, I met Josie, Hugh, and Josie's friend Makeeya at City Hall station to check out the Cheonggyecheon stream, a stream that was once covered with concrete to build an elevated highway, but was turned back into a stream in 2003 as part of an urban renewal project. Apparently there was controversy about the billions of dollars spent on this project and debate about whether it's actually doing anything for the city's eco-environment, but the Koreans seem to enjoy it now and so did we. I read that it's also supposed to be symbolic of Korea's progress in recent decades.

Cheonggyecheon stream


One thing that cracks me up about Korea is that people will nap anywhere: at their desks at work, in their trucks, and apparently in the middle of downtown. This guy was sleeping next to a giant cone sculpture near the stream:



After strolling along the Cheongyyecheon and admiring the artwork and some guy's pet monkey, we took the subway up to Gyeongbok Palace (or Gyeongbokgung), one of the largest of the Five Grand Palaces built in the Joseon Dynasty.

Makeeya strikes a pose at the entrance

Another building inside the gates

Lots of kids were dressed in traditional hanbok


Palace guards (just for show)

Chuseok Weekend, part 1

This post is almost three weeks late, but I did say earlier that I would post about Chuseok. It also occurred to me that this is supposed to be about my "adventures" in Korea, and so far I've mostly talked about teaching. Not that teaching isn't an adventure, but anyway...

After the prison-like experience that was orientation, we (SMOE members) had our first full week of teaching. The week after that we got 4 days off (some of us 5) for Chuseok holiday, which can best be described as Korean Thanksgiving. This is probably the biggest holiday in Korea, and traditionally Koreans return to the towns of their ancestors to offer thanks to their ancestors' spirits for a good harvest. However, I asked a lot of teachers and students about their Chuseok plans and most of them were staying in Seoul. Actually a lot of my students said they would be spending the time off studying for mid-terms, which are going on this week at school.

They did say that people still make songp'yon, a traditional Korean pastry made of (big surprise here) rice. I've never seen so many things made from rice before moving here; or squid for that matter. Also, a lot of children wear a hanbok, or traditional dress for the occasion. (See pictures above) Otherwise, it sounds very much like an American Thanksgiving, where you eat a lot and sit around and watch TV with relatives.

When I found out about our time off for Chuseok, I immediately thought of a trip to Japan. I want to see as much as possible while I'm here, so any vacation time we have, I make big plans in my head. However, Holly (roommate at orientation) pointed out that we wouldn't be getting our first paycheck until after Chuseok, so we should probably stay in Seoul. Holly's a smart gal because I barely made it to pay day without what would have been an expensive trip to Japan.

So we stayed in Seoul and hit up some of the tourist destinations in our own backyard. I'm glad we did, because there is so much do right here in Seoul, and now I have a better idea of places to take people who come to visit me. I still don't know when Japan will happen, but Koreans celebrate a lot of holidays and there will hopefully be another long weekend soon. (Thailand and Cambodia are on the agenda for Winter Break)

On our first day off, (Saturday) we hiked up Dobongsan Mountain which is at the northern border of Seoul in Bukhansan National Park. Josie (my other orientation roommate) has lived here for a year now and decided that she is going to hike up all the mountains in Korea, so she recruited some of us to go with her. It was a moderately difficult hike, pretty rocky and steep, but nothing like the Volcano hike I did in Nicaragua during spring break '07. However, when we got to the peak, I had a mini panic attack trying to get to the top. There was nothing to prevent us from falling to our death other than this wobbly iron railing that I clung to for dear life while scaling the rock. Being a total American, I kept commenting how it was a law suit waiting to happen. In the U.S., you would have had to sign a waiver saying the park isn't responsible for your death or gotten a climbing license or something. But this is Korea, and they don't have people suing McDonald's because the coffee is too hot...yet. Panic attack aside, it was a good time and a great photo opp.

My hiking buddies:


Like I mentioned above, Koreans can't seem to get enough squid. They were selling it in jerky form at the base of the mountain. Actually this might be octopus...but you get the idea.

I got a big kick out the signs in the park. My coteacher told me that this one means "Don't take my acorns!" and warns that park goers will be fined for doing so.

"Don't even try to bring your bugle up this mountain!" At least that's what I think it says :)


Minjung said this one says to stay off the mountain when there's lightning. I love how dramatic it is.


"David" decided to join our hike so he could practice his English with us. He didn't understand why I wanted a picture of people's backs (I was trying to be artsy) He also got irritated that we took so many breaks.


Again, this rickety iron fence was all that separated us from falling to our death. It was scary.


I must say that for all my complaining, the view was worth it. This is my new city!

"Hello, I am a foreigner"

Minjung and I were just about in hysterics about this at lunch today. She and Eunjin (another one of my co-teachers) were teaching me simple Korean phrases since for once, because of midterms, they weren’t insanely busy and we had time to sit down and chat.

I said that I would start going around saying, “I am a foreigner” to everyone, as if it wasn’t glaringly obvious. (I stick out like sore thumb most of the time here.) Eunjin said it would be unnecessary; it would be like her telling people she was Asian. I said, that’s why it’s funny.

We were also talking about how I’m sort of like a 4 year old here. I’m starting to read Hangul, but very slowly, like a kid who is just learning to read. I told them that my friend back home bought me little kid chopsticks that have a rubber gripper to bring here, and Minjung said I should bring them to lunch next week because the teachers would get a big kick out of it. I had thought the kid chopsticks were just a novelty gift at Patina, but kids here actually use them to learn, like her 4 year-old nephew. So Abby, you will be happy to hear that your chopsticks will be put to use next week ☺

I love that Minjung (my main co-teacher) and I have the same sense of humor. I told her that I think she is the Korean version of me, because every time she says something about herself (i.e. she’s really scatterbrained, she loves to sing, she loves to shop, she’s technology inept, etc) I’m like, me too! We have so much in common, we just never have time to hang out because she’s been so busy.

She and I both agreed that in October we would spend more time together outside of school, since midterms, which she coordinates, will be over, and she will be done with the English textbook she’s helping publish. We’ve made a lot of plans since discovering all of our shared interests. When she took me to immigration to get my alien registration, we sang along to the Mamma Mia soundtrack in her car and she discovered I could harmonize, since then she’s wanted to go to noraebang with me. We also made plans to go out for Thai food (my favorite) and for her to teach me how to cook a few simple dishes, since one thing we do not share in common is the fact that she can cook.

Overall it’s been a great week. Tuesday I got my alien registration card, allowing me to get a phone, and Wednesday I got paid, finally! People from home have been asking how things are going, and my response was always, “Great, but I have no phone, “or “Great, but I have no money.” Now it’s just “great,” no buts. I am having a blast here so far.
I also have a week off from teaching since the students are testing all day, so I have lots of free time at work to update this blog, practice Hangul, plan my trip to Thailand over winter break, and of course, Facebook. It also was a gorgeous fall day today; the first we’ve had here. I have no complaints ☺

Minjung and me at an Italian restaurant near the school

Small Victories

When you’re living in a city of 10.4 million people, in a country where you don’t speak the language, small victories like getting to school on your own, navigating the subway system, and reading a word (or part of a word) in Hangul feel like huge triumphs. Also when you’re me, and you’re domestically challenged and lacking practical skills, simple tasks like doing laundry and making scrambled eggs are cause for celebration.

Tonight I successfully used my stove for the first time to make dinner. Yes, I’ve been here for 2 days short of a month and I still haven’t had the courage to use the stove. I’ve been eating out for the most part or eating college-kid meals like cereal and ramen. But I quickly realized that I’m not going to save any money if I’m eating out all the time. (Such wisdom I’ve acquired here!)

I had reason to fear the gas stove. When I lived in Uptown after college, I once didn’t turn the gas off all the way on our stove and left the building for the day. That afternoon I got a call from my roommate telling me that our neighbors called the landlord about the gas smell, and she came home to a note from the fire department saying they broke in to shut the gas off. I could have burned down the entire building, or if I had stayed home to take a nap like I had considered, died of asphyxiation. I personally think gas stoves should be outlawed, but apparently not everyone is as clueless as I am.

The stove in my apartment here has a gas pipe on the wall that you have to turn on, and I was scared that if I played around with it, I would blow up my apartment or something. I know it’s ridiculous, but I don’t have a good track record in the kitchen.

So I made eggs and beef patties for dinner tonight, and I’m feeling pretty proud of myself. Sad I know.

Missing North

Written 9-18-08

Don't tell the IT staff at North, but I'm still able to access my e-mail account there. Since today is a slow day at my school, (the kids are testing so I have lots of free time) I was browsing some of the staff e-mails and opened up the Homecoming Coronation list. Reading the names made me a little sad. My first year at North, I knew maybe one or two of the students nominated. My second year, a few more. This year, not only do I know most of the students nominated, but I recognize the names of younger siblings in 9th and 10th grade. One of the things I love about teaching is getting to know my students, and it would have been fun to have some of their younger siblings in class this year. It also would have been neat to see my first group of sophomores, the class of 2009, walk at graduation this year, but that is unlikely. Even if I decide to stay another year in Korea, which I am considering, I can't take my home leave until the end of July. (If I don't stay another year, I finish my contract in the end of August)

Not that I regret coming here at all; it's been amazing so far and I'm learning so much, but it was really hard for me to leave North, and I like that I still have my e-mail account and that my teacher page is still up because it's like I haven't been officially "erased" yet.

So I'm going to take a moment to be a big sap and say to all my former kiddos that I miss you guys and even though I'm not standing at the door every Friday to say this, I still hope you're being safe and making good choices :)

~Ms. S.