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.