Pre-Script: As a heads up, this post is a bit less amusing and a bit more personal. I think it's best to share though. At least writing about this experience makes me feel a bit better.
So this week has been full of emotional ups and downs. If you know me then you know that I'm a pretty stable person. Always the rock that other people come to talk out their problems to. This is true even here, or so my friends and co-teachers tell me. So this roller coaster comes as a bit of a surprise. Let me tell you the story. It's a bit long...
First, last week Eonnie, another Korean English teacher at Hancheon Elementary, asked me if I liked teaching at Hancheon or Jungang better. I easily answered Hancheon, of course. And it was the honest truth. Then we played ti off as a bit of a joke. But it got me thinking and wondering why that was true. I've thought a lot about it since. One of the things I tend to have plenty of here is free time to think. It's not always a good thing.
I had a great weekend. Saturday I went down to Seogwipo to look into cell phone contracts with Faith. Before we met I had some free time to go to a lookout point and watch the ocean. It was storm and raining that day so it was quite the sight. Faith's mom was in town visiting from South Africa. Seeing and talking to her mom made me realize how much I miss my parents too. The bus ride home was also very pensive. Sunday I treated myself to some retail therapy with my dear friend Clarissa at the underground market. Lots of laughs and adventures.
Monday was pretty typical as far as days go.
Tuesday the 5th and 6th graders had important tests so my classes were all cancelled. That meant that I had 8 hours to kill at school. I spent an hour or two doing some lesson planning in my office and then made the brilliant decision to go out and wander around the school. I talked to students, to staff, to random passerby, the vice principal. I gave out a lot of candy to kids (word gets around quickly when the Yongha Sem [English Teacher] has candy and is giving it out generously). I learned that one of my boys had seen me at the underground market. I played soccer with some of the boys. I learned whats inside heat packs with the girls. I drank a lot of coffee with other teachers. And I found some new amazing views from the 4th floor that I never get to. The kids have gotten way more comfortable with approaching me for all manner of reasons from wanting candy to settling disputes about how "hospital" is spelled. I even got to do some manual labor helping the kids carry tables to the gym for the school festival Thursday. All that was good, but here comes the drop. When I wandered back downstairs to the English hall I found my co-teacher, Byeongon, and some of the other male teachers rolling up a fire hose in the hall. I struck up a conversation to help pass the time. Eventually he told me that he probably wouldn't be teaching English with me next year! I must admit that I was shocked and a bit crushed. I know it's not because of anything I've done wrong, it's just how schools work here. He'll probably be moving upstairs to be a 5th or 6th grade homeroom teacher. But I always thought we would be together. That sounds a bit dramatic, but everything is so easy teaching with him. We have a system, but if the school hires a "pretty, young, female English teacher" then things are going to change. I like teaching with Byeongon and I don't want things to change from the way they are now. It sounds like it's inevitable though. That doesn't mean that I won't go talk to the vice principal though. She asked if there was anything the school could do to encourage me to stay, and one of my requests might be that he stay an English teacher too. But that's a selfish thing to ask for. I guess I need to find out what Byeongon wants. When I found out I didn't say much. I was too shocked. I don't think talking to him is going to be easy though, too many thoughts and too much sentimentality I guess. Neither of us is very good at those sorts of conversations.
Anyhow after that bombshell, we were invited in for snacks with the vice principal and the school nurse. We chatted about our favorite actors and actresses. The other teachers were surprised about my knowledge of Korean. They first asked Byeongon why he wasn't translating for me. We demonstrated by me explaining broadly what they had been talking about. That earned me an extra cookie, literally. Afterwards, Byeongon was going to give me a ride up to the bus terminal, but some unexpected meetings came up, which left me a walk to the bus that was full of thoughts that I couldn't quite drown out. Even a chance meeting with one of my favorite students and a chat about music couldn't quite cheer me up. Instead, it was a boy outside the convenience store near my apartment who managed to do that. He was standing outside blowing bubbles. He waved to me and asked me to blow bubbles with him. We didn't talk much, aside from me teaching him the word bubbles, but it was simple innocent fun, and it made me happy, as simple things tend to do.
I woke up Wednesday morning in a pretty good mood even though it was a day where I had to go to Jungang to teach. I got to school and heard in passing that the teachers wre going hiking after school. I got really excited, I wasn't at all prepared, but I definitely could have made due just to spend some time with people. I went to find my supervisor, who is usually a very nice lady. I told her I had heard of the hike and wondered if I could go along. She said, "Oh, just the teachers who belong here can go." Again, my good mood was instantly crushed. I've been working well and closely with the other teachers and the kids for a couple months and I still don't "belong"? I went back to my office on the verge of tears and had 10 minutes to clam myself down and get over the disappointment before having to go and smile and perform for the kids. So when the end of the day rolled around and all the other teachers left the building I was left behind. I think one of the biggest emotions was jealousy. I know I only teach at Jungang on Wednesdays, but there's another American girl who's been there no longer than I have, and she got to go. Granted she's there everyday, but maybe it would be easier to feel like I "belong" if you invited me out on these sorts of outings. It also hurts to see pictures and posts of how much fun they're having hiking, eating dinner together, having drinks together, all as a school group while I'm on the outside looking in.
This experience did make me realize though why I prefer teaching and being at Hancheon Elementary. Jungang is like work. The other teachers, even as kind as they are, feel like co-workers. The kids feel more like students. My desk in the office is more like an island than part of a community. At Hancheon everyone is like family. I have friends, kids, uncles, aunties, best friends, sisters, brothers, and everyone is always happy to say hello. Hancheon is just like home to me. After this realization I'm closer to coming to terms with the differences between the two and the changes that may be happening soon. I don't have to like it, but as I've heard many times, even Jeju is not an idyllic paradise of easy living. I actually want to explain all these things to Eonnie and Byeongon and all my other family members, but finding the right words is almost as hard as finding the courage to say it. At least I have an idea of where to start now after writing this.
Continuing with tradition, this might be my favorite Korean song of all time. It's tone suits my mood right now as well. It's a soundtrack to a drama that I have not seen, but the vocalist, 2PM's Jun.K, is absolutely amazing, one of the most skilled vocalists and composers out there. Enjoy.
So there are good days and bad days, but some days are both. Yesterday was both.
The day day started well. I slept in, I got lots of cleaning done (everything in my apartment now sparkles), I did some well deserved relaxing, and I decided to go into town. My plan: catch the 3:40ish bus into town, transfer at the terminal onto another bus that would take me into Sarabongsan, climb to the top of the mountain, have a nice picnic, read a good book, and watch the sunset. Let's just say things did not go exactly according to plan.
I made the first bus, but when we got to the terminal it was going to be 30 minutes before the next bus was going to show. I decided that I could just walk to the mountain; I'd done it before. And I forget just how far it was. I wasn't a difficult walk, just one that takes an hour and a half. I finally made it to Sarabong Mountain. I had made it past the point of exhaustion and was feeling confident that I could make it up the mountain straightaway. I was wrong. Long story short, if you're going to walk for an hour and a half, wait 5 minutes before climbing a mountain, even a little one. Eventually, after much effort, I made it to the top. And I was just in time to see the sunset.
These sunsets are the reason I love going to Sarabong. It may be my favorite place on the island. You can see the whole city and watch the planes fly out from the airport. It's quiet at the top. And there's a friendly atmosphere as families, hikers, and the elderly made the climb up to the top to watch the sunset. As I was getting ready to descend I saw something very interesting. A large, black rabbit.
I have no idea what he was doing there, but he's the first real wildlife that I've seen since coming to Korea. I followed him around for a while, which confused to locals, but I was pretending that I was Alice and he was going to lead me to Wonderland... and then I realized that I was already there!
Yesterday I had a grand total of three human interactions (not counting my Skype chats with some of my favorite people). Not that that's good or bad. First, as I was heading downhill to the bus stop (munching on a very tasty cinnamon sugar roll) a truck pulled up along side me and the driver, a middle aged ajussi, shouted out the window at me, "You are very beautiful!", which was very nice of him. I responded "Mfmbft mwoo!" because I had just shoved a big bite of sugar roll into my face. But he understood.
Second, once I boarded the bus, I found that there were lots of empty seats, but people were usually sprawled, sleeping, or had set their bags in the "empty" seats beside them. I resigned myself to standing, but a young, pretty female student from the Tourism College moved her bags so I could sit next to her. And I said, "Thank you!" Clearly this time.
Third, when I was leaving Sarabong, I was walking along the sidewalk and a young student was coming towards me with his mother. He ran up and shouted "HELLO!!!" and I enthusiastically said "HELLO!!!" right back. His mother thought it was adorable. He wasn't even one of my students. Just a friendly kid.
So yesterday was a pretty good day for me. However, it was a bad day for some of my favorite Kpop groups. You might not care much, and it won't really affect my life terribly, but it was disappointing news to get.
First, it was announced that U-KISS' maknae rapper, Dongho, is going to leave the group. I love U-KISS, they're definitely one of my favorites. Dongho isn't a critical member, but he is definitely one of the popular ones. U-KISS is already struggling with their popularity levels in Korea. While they are fairly well liked abroad they're not that popular here. I'm hoping that the rest of teh group can really pull together and keep producing the same awesome music of which here is a sample:
The second bit of bad news came from the more obscure group DMTN. DMTN has had a rough road. They debuted as Dalmatian, kind of a last chance group of talented failures in the industry, but never really made it big. They have undergone a lot of member changes since debuting as well as company changes. One of the most talented members from the beginning was Daniel. He has an amazing voice and has sung with some of the best. But, he was just sentenced to one year in prison for selling marijuana 4 times. Korea is very strict about drug use and distribution, especially around idols; they make them an example in many cases to deter the average joes from dealing or using. I don't know how DMTN is going to pull through. They were already struggling, but I really hope this isn't the last we see of them.
I would like to preface this blog by saying that I am now 110% and that my mother knew well in advance (I love you Mom <3 [and Dad]).
So I discovered that the Korean healthcare system is very different from our own firsthand last Monday (I know I should have told y'all about it sooner but I've been sleepy [read lazy] and I've written it a thousand times in my head). To make a long story short, I found myself in increasingly intense pain and I knew what I needed to make it better. Home remedies weren't working, so a trip to the doctor it was. But they don't really do private practitioners here. If you're sick you go to the hospital. I knew exactly where the hospital was, I pass it everyday going to and from work. I knew where the Health Clinic for Foreigners was (third floor, friendly lot but don't count on proficient English speakers). I suffered through the weekend and by Sunday night, when nothing had changed other than to get worse, I decided I had to bite the bullet and make a trip into the hospital.
I'll easily admit that I was not looking forward to the trip. Yes, the pain would end, but I've never had a good experience at a hospital (has anyone?). I knew it was going to be a solo trip, and while I do speak some Korean, the extent of my terminology around the topic of hospitals is the word hospital (which isn't very helpful once you're inside).
So Monday morning I get up, I'm nearly immobilized, but I have classes to teach and I can't let the other teachers down. The whole way to school I'm thinking: It's just one class full of second graders then I can leave and get this straightened out. I get to school and I'm going to request an early leave when my co-teacher informs me that there's been a change in the schedule. I was now teaching the other 2nd grade class for the day and at the very end of the day we would have an open lesson (meaning all faculty and parents could attend). So leaving at 10 was out of the question. I threw together a quick plan for my 2nd graders and I knew immediately it wasn't going to be easy. I had been dreading climbing up to the second floor and now I was going to have to sing and dance Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. I made it to the classroom, I made it through the "lecture", and started dancing. It was pretty obvious very quickly that small Korean children LOVE Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. And by love I mean that they wanted to sing and dance to it on repeat for 15 minutes. And they were so happy that I couldn't say no. So I put on a smile and hobbled my way through Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes an ungodly number of times. After class I slunk back downstairs to my desk at the back of the classroom. Luckily, it was Byeongon's day to teach the 3rd graders so I could just observe. After a short while I realized that the pain was gone! Ta-da! Cured by Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. I was debating calling the whole trip to the hospital off, but I knew if I didn't go things could go from bad to worse.
We succeeded in our open lesson, and when 2 o'clock rolled around I went to the hospital. I found my way up to the 3rd floor, found the Foreigner's Office, conveyed to the nurses approximately what I needed, they handed me over to an English speaking doctor in the office (who knew that Michigan had lakes and black people [where do they learn these things]). He promptly told me I was in the wrong place (go figure) and he had a friendly nurse escort me to the proper office. I went right in chatted with that doctor (who spoke a little less English but we managed), and he wrote me a perscription. After a quick stop by the Foreigner's Office (again), and another friendly nurse showing the lost foreigner where to go, I found my way to the cashier. I paid, received my paperwork, and was given directions to the nearest pharmacy (right next door).
The exact same reason for a visit in the States would take more than 4 hours and would cost at least $150 USD after the insurance company had a whack at it. This trip took a little over... 30 minutes. And my grand total bill for consulting with TWO doctors, an exam, and the drugs they prescribed (an anti-biotic, a pro-biotic, and an anti-inflammitory) all cost me 10,000 won... approximately $10 USD. When Byeongon asked me the next day "How was your trip to the hospital?" I told him it was amazing because it absolutely was!! I still had all afternoon to recover, I still had money in my wallet, and the service was truly five stars. And! To top it all off, on my way home I stopped by a hair salon and played with the biggest, fluffiest, friendliest white dog imaginable, which was exactly what I needed (the ice cream helped too).
I can now say that I have no fear for any future trips to the Korean hospital system. Koreans seem to go there a lot and now I understand why! It's great! I can't believe we can't have something as amazing as this in the states! If you're in Jeju and you find yourself in need of medical treatment I would highly recommend Halla Hospital. You'll be in for a treat!
On a different note, here's your dose of Kpop culture! I decided to stick with the hospital scene (even if it's a bit different sort of institution) and do a bit of a throwback! Co-Ed School is the only group I know of that has both guys and girls. Unfortunately, the group has been split into two groups. The guys now promote as Speed and the girls as 5 Dolls. Anyhow,
A lot has happened since the last time I wrote one of these (what else is new, am I right?). You have all been waiting very patiently and I promise to make it worth your while!
I have done a lot of sightseeing since the last time. I've come to realize that even if I lived here for 10 years I would never see every tourist trap and legitimate attraction. There are too many to count (especially for someone who was never any good at math!). I still haven't been over to the neighbors yet...it's a dinosaur theme park, but I have been to loads of other places! To list a few Manjanggul (basically pronounced Man-jungle [it failed to live up to that name]), numerous beaches (some with better sand than others), I've lost count how many mountains (but at least 2), Ollea 7, and Seogwipo (we in the north call it The Soggy). And just getting to those places required that we drive past so many other awesome destinations!! I do plan on visiting as many of them as I can while I'm here, but for now you'll get to hear about the ones that I've been to.
The first stop on today's tour: Manjunggal or Manjung Caves. These caves are actually some of the finest lava tubes in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. A group of us (about a dozen in the herd [which is an interesting sight for the locals to see; practically better than a parade]) picked a great day to go. It was raining steadily the whole day so we figured what better day to go and see some caves! Which was well planned; less well planned was the decision to walk from the bus stop to the caves (a distance of approximately too far [fine it was a kilometer or two]). We could have caught a taxi for cheon won (1,000 won [~ $1]), but we decided to hoof it. It all turned out okay for three reasons: 1) We found Maze Land, a tourist trap that does live up to it's name. Even better, Maze land was heavily populated but cats that were friendly, playful, and cute. 2). I got to see my second tropical snake! Unfortunately (mostly for the snake), it was pancaked in the road, but interesting nevertheless. 3) I saw a giant, gorgeous butterfly. I said 'Oh look! Butterfly!' and the next thing I hear is a massive thud. Apparently Danny, our Scot friend here (who won't eat it if it still has eyes [ruling out about half of the Korean menu]), was afraid of/startled by the butterfly and he fell flat on his ass in the middle of the road. Which made the day totally worth it, even if the caves were a bust. We got there, pretty well tired and wet, and paid admission (1000 won [~$1] -- interestingly I fell into the "youth"category. If I had been over 24 then I would have had to pay a whole 2000 won!). Then, we descended into the bowels of the caves, and they were pretty cool...for the first 200 yards or so.
Even if the ceilings were really awesome (which they were), you couldn't really look at them because the floor was so ridiculously difficult to traverse. Unlike most everywhere else, the floors here were natural and unpaved. Don't look at your feet at your own risk!
This was pretty cool though. Korean style Excalibur! I don't know why, when, who, or how, but it's still pretty cool and I'm increasingly sure that few people notice it (mostly because of the floors). It was about here too when my wonderful friend Tammy decided to mention that the cave is inhabited by some nightmare called Huntsman Spiders. Noting good was ever named Huntsman without reason. We never saw any, but I had the hee-bee-gee-bees the rest of our time there.
Okay, this was pretty cool too, even if I couldn't get a clear picture of it. It called a lava ... float? Rock types help me out. Anyhow, it just sits there and they call it Turtle Rock. People like it because it is shaped exactly like Jeju Island. Pretty interesting.
At the end of about a kilometer of hiking through these caves you reach this cavern opening. There was a bat flying around there and it was lit pretty well, but my camera wasn't having a good day. There was a pretty big stalactite chilling there too. After you got to this point you had to turn around, march back through the tunnel and up the stairs that reminded me of those that lead to the top of Aztec sacrificial temples. And then we were back in the rain. We decided to pay the taximen for a ride back to the bus after we had a quick kimbop snack.
The caves weren't a total bust, and I'm glad I went. Mostly because now I can say that I've done it and I don't have to go back. If you like rocks, more power to you, but now you've seen the highlight reel, so go to the beach instead.
Speaking of beaches... Hamdeok Beach beats Gwakji Beach by a lot in terms of my personal preference. Hamdeok has real sand! Gwakji has teeny tiny pieces of broken shell that stick to your flesh for days! Hamdeok has a great hiking trail attached to the mountain next door!
I mean, just look at the color of that water! For me it's Hamdeok hands down. Here's some Gwakji pictures so you can attempt to decide for yourself.
I will say that we say what were probably dolphins at Gwakji, which was really awesome. And Gwakji has a restaurant that serves the best fish and chips on the island. Okay so Gwakji is still pretty awesome (especially since we were last there almost all day last Wednesday), but it does still have weird sand.
The nest day, Thursday, September 18th, was the Korean Holiday of Chuseok (Chew-Sock). It's basically like our Thanksgiving, except they're thanking their ancestors through food ceremonies and we just eat the food. There's all sorts of information out there if you're more curious about the traditions. Some people were invited to celebrate with their co-teachers. Unfortunately, my co-teacher's daughter got really sick and most of his family lives on the mainland, so they didn't do much in the way of celebrating and I wasn't invited to the not-a-party. Anyhow, instead, I went with a group to Seogwipo to meet up with the people we know who live there. Basically, there are two cities on Jeju: Jeju City on the north side (where I am) and Seogwipo on the south side. Soggy is more touristy and resort-y, buy it still has a small town feel. Before we found the others, I found my new best friend:
Isn't she just the cutest little thing!! She was just a puppy and still had all her sharp, pointy baby teeth. She even smelled like puppy! I just wanted nothing more than to take her home with me. This is actually among the more common breeds here on Jeju. To me they're somewhat lab-like mixed with something like an Akita. And absolutely gorgeous. It was then I realized that if I stay here too long I'm going to ave to get one of these. Or two. I think that's what I miss most about home: my dogs.
Anyhow, moving on. We met up with the gang (we now numbered somewhere on the plus side of 15 [perhaps the biggest group of foreigners ever seen on Jeju {not really}]). We found our way to a gorgeous waterfall. Apparently it's the only one that is freshwater that falls directly into the ocean. All I know is that there were a ton of people admiring it that day, even if it was a national holiday.
Then we wandered around for a bit. Saw some random goats. Crossed a gorgeous bridge. Watched teh sun set. And while the others went for dinner, Vasim and I caught the bus home, hit the best Turkish restaurant in Korea, and went home.
The next morning I was back on my way into the Soggy for another adventure. This time Jim and I were going to hike the number 7 Ollea. The Ollea is a series of hiking trails that go allll the way around the island. 7 is said to be among the most beautiful. Once we found it, it was! We got off the bus at the World Cup stadium, asked some strangers for directions (they all turned out to be tourists for the most part as well), got lost, eventually walked down a long hill to the ocean, and found the Ollea. After half-an-hour or so we actually ran into some of our apartment mates who had started walking at some ridiculously early hour that Jim and I refused to comply with. The 7 mostly follows the ocean, which makes for both amazing views and huge cliffs that you have to walk up. I guess we should have taken into consideration the heat and bizarrely vicious sun before starting a hike around 12:30. Hindsight's 20-20. I survived. And I felt even better after some ice cream. Jim and I eventually fell well behind the other group (their pace setters were IronMan marathoners). We lost them before we got to the end so while they went cliff diving, we decided to catch a bus back home (Jim for food and me to recover from my brush with sun stroke).
As if that hike wasn't enough, the next day I was at it again. Matt and I decided to go into town and visit Sarabong Park and Sara Oreum. We left the bus terminal at 3 and walked to the park (an hour long hike in which we consulted the map numerous times and still got a little lost [only a little]). Along the way he introduced me to a chocolate art joint and I had this miracle sample:
That, my friends, is strawberry flavored chocolate. And if that wasn't delicious enough, there are pop rocks embedded in it. Pop rocks. IT WAS AMAZING!!! Pretty much a life changer right there. Now I just have to find that place again...
When we got to the park we went into this little monastery. I love the traditional architecture here so I took loads of pictures. Here's a few:
After the monastery, we went right up Sarabong Mountain. It's small compared to others, but the view from the top was amazing!
At this point it was about 4:30 and we weren't willing to sit on top of a very well sun lit mountain and wait for sunset. So we went down. Between Sarabong and the other mountain right next to it there's a small park and sitting area. We were getting some water when an old man waved me over for a chat.
He was a really great guy! And his English was superb for someone his age, usually the elderly don't speak any at all. He was a police chief here on Jeju for a long time. And an 8th level judo artist. He's 86 years old and climbs to that park every morning and evening. He gave Matt and I the Spanish Inquisition on every detail of our lives. For me, his favorite questions revolved around marriage. Are you married? Why not? When? To who? How many kids? Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. He didn't seem to believe me when I told him I was only 23 (in Korea you add a year because they count the time that you are in the womb as 1 year [no, I don't know why, but they do]). I even broke out my Korean skills for him. "Why no husband?" "Nam-pyeon bu-dam-su-ro-wo." Basically, husbands are burdensome. He got a good laugh out of that and bought coffee for Mat and I. Which was really sweet of him, but I still don't like coffee (and that which comes out of a vending machine in a public park is particularly foul). After a bit more chatter, Matt and I went to the top of the mountain. And the view from there was even better (and there was all sorts of the strange exercise equipment that the Koreans like there), but it was still far too early to catch the sunset. So we followed a nice little path...the led us half way down the mountain and right into the waiting laps of two of Jehovah's Witnesses. They were very friendly, asking where we were from, handing us a brochure, and sending us back up the mountain. We waved at the friendly Grandfather as we passed. This time we made it to the top just in time for sunset.
It's hard to realize how big and sprawling Jeju City is until you're well above it. From this position we could watch the planes flying out of the international airport every 5 minutes, like clockwork. We stayed until the mosquitoes sent us running home. This time we caught a bus back to the station. We went out for dinner at a traditional Korean soup restaurant. Matt was talking it to the sky and when we got there I realized that it was the same place that my co-teacher took me on day one of school. And, again, it was delicious.
The next day was Sunday, the last day of vacation. And I had a whole new experience. A first time for me. I went to church. It certainly was interesting. We show up and I have boiling hot tea accidentally spilled on me (and of course we were sitting in the front row). Then there's lots of prayers and songs followed by a sermon. The people were all very friendly, and all very passionate, but I don't think organized religion is my cup of tea. I respect their religions and all that, but I just prefer my way of doing things. I don't need someone to read scriptures and translate them for me. Frankly, it doesn't catch my interest; I spent most of the time wondering what the pastor's sources were (beyond the Bible). It was a great way to meet new people, but not something I plan on waking up early on Sunday's for. We went to lunch of the people we met at the church. Which was probably the highlight of the day.
Monday was back to school and back to the grindstone. It was good to be back. I actually missed the noisy, messy monsters. This week was easy. 40 minutes in teh cage with the 2nd graders (we read Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See to learn animals, colors, and sounds [which they already knew]). Tuesday was two 40 minute sessions with 5h grade classes. It was fun. They love me. It's always good to hear them come in and leave happy and excited to learn Enlgish (even if they just want to play games and get chocolate [I swear if the phrase "Teacher, chocolate!" was on any standardized test ever, my kids would ace it!]). Highlight of the day: During a pass the ball game, one smarty pants decides it'd be funny to hand to ball to me and my co-teacher. First time funny, second time cute, third time I whip the ping pong ball at him and bounce it off his back. The other kids loved it! They also seemed to like the background music: Nyan cat. After almost an hour of stop and go Nyan I am officially over it. I choose poorly. I've made the executive decision that Hancheon is my favorite place to be here. It's like a second home away from my second home. Today was 5 classes of 4th graders at my secondary school. The powerpoint game I had prepared wouldn't work, so it was a good thing I had a backup just in case. Kids love Mario. And the kids will kill to win absolutely nothing.
That's all the important (?) things I have to say for today. As a postnote I've decided to include a bit of Korean culture (in the form of Kpop) at the end of each of thee (unless I forget to). Kpop has been my guilty secret for a while, but now I'm letting the cat out of the bag. Hi everyone, my name is Kate I've I've been listening to Kpop for three years. It's helped me get interested in the Korean culture as well as helped me learn some of the language. And it's catchy. I've memorized *a lot* of lyrics that I have absolutely no clue what they mean.
So for tonight: I have these two videos to share (if you want to watch them).
This one is a new group called VIXX. The song is "Hyde" like Jekyll and Hyde. I really love this song of theirs. I've included the dance practice rather than the actual music video. In this one you can see the dynamics between Jekyll (the boys in black and the one with red sleeves) and Hyde (in white). Basically the lyrics say that there's a stranger inside them that they don't recognize and the dance fits it perfectly. Catch the actual music video on Youtube if you'd like to see that as well. I shared this one because you can see a lot more of the technicalities rather than the costumes and fan cams.
Second, I just found this one the other day and it's been on replay since then. It's Teen Top's "Rocking". Again a fairly new group to the scene (and I don't much care for a lot of what they've produced thus far), but this one is oddly addiction and they're dance skills have improved a lot. Here is the dance version of the music video, which is way better and far less dramatic. I realize that the dance skill/style may not be that impressive to dancers, but it's their synchronization that I find impressive.
Again, it's been a long time since I've had a chance to do one of these. From now on I'm no longer going to apologize for the span between entries. Just know that the longer I take, the more adventures I have. Since last time a lot has happened. I've taught a few classes, been to the beach, touched the ocean, mastered the bus system (at least to and from the main terminal), befriended the students and staff at my schools, found some friendly (?) dogs, and done a lot of deskwarming.
Tonight's adventure pretty much takes the cake thus far. I was to meet a friend at a bus stop in Shin Jeju (New Jeju City) to catch up with some other friends for dinner in Si Choong (City Hall). I expected there to be a bus at 6:50 getting me to the second stop right a 7. The bus did't make an appearance until 7:22. Which made me quite late. Eventually, I caught up with Clarissa and we made our way together to Si Choong to meet the others (between the 502 bus stop and the waffle shop). We had Dak Galbi for dinner.
It looks a bit foreign, but it's soooo good. It's chicken (dak), rice cakes, veggies, and tons of cabbge, all cooked with the spicy gochujang (pepper paste) that the Koreans love. There were also a half dozen banchan (side dishes) to help cut the heat. Us five girls (shoutout to Clarissa, Natalie, Laura, and Emily) polished off a huge platter of the stuff. And then immediately went to Baskin Robins for ice cream. I have to say that that's something that I was missing out on in the states. Once Natalie and I had a cone (Lunar Cheesecake to share) we literally ran the dozen plus blocks to the bus terminal in order to catch the last bus of the night. It sounds so easy to write it like that. And I'm sure for Natalie (who runs and is from South Africa where heat is a daily thing) that doing so was no problem. But I'm hardly a runner. I'm more of a gentle wanderer. I don't remember the last time I covered so much ground on foot so quickly. Generally, it would take someone the better part of half an hour to do what we did in about 10 minutes.
Anyhow, we made it just in time to catch the last bus of the night that was heading south. With the help of a kind elderly gentleman we were able to ask the bus driver if he was going to stop at Go Sung Ee Ri (the bus stop that our apartment is near). And we were told (rather insistently) No. But, it was stopping two long stops before that at the Jeju Island Tourism College (I don't know what they do there either [but apparently English is something that a lot of the students know to some degree]). We said that that was close enough (it really wasn't). So, again with the interpretation skills of a kind student, we were told to get off the bus at the College because that was really last stop Texaco. So we got off and the kind students last words to us were: "It's about a half hour walk." And then the bus doors slammed closed and they left in a cloud of dust, leaving us standing in the near black. I optimistically quipped that at least the stars were pretty, and the crickets were chirping happily, and the lighting was still way off in the distance (we're told it may rain tomorrow). And so we started walking along a trail/road that runs parallel to the highway. Until that stopped and then we were just tromping along the shoulder of the highway.
Natalie and I came to an agreement that hitchhiking was not out of the question. And then we were delivered two lost ladies in a small car. They stopped in the small triangle of space between highway and exit ramp. I don't think they were looking for anything more than a place to turn around to go in the opposite direction, but I whipped out some of my Korean language skills ("Dowajuseyo. Ouri-neun ill-eoss-o-yo" or "Please help. We're lost.") and they were mightily impressed. Natalie and I climbed in and we directed them right up to the small convenience store outside of our apartment where several of our friends were standing before heading into the city. And we told them the story that I've just told you. Quite the adventure isn't it? So, in summation: late, friends, dinner, dessert, running, nearly late, wrong stop, walking, hitchhiking, home. And this is not the first of such adventures here. It seems to happen about once a week. Usually on Fridays and Saturdays. Late at night. But don't worry Mom (and friends). Even though it sounds terribly dangerous, and somewhat ridiculous, I never got lost alone (and really the most dangerous part of it is the way that the bus drivers here drive [the lane lines and speed limit signs mean nothing to them {nothing!!}]). Ryan, Clarissa, and now Natalie have joined my on my adventures. I quite enjoy them and look forward to more!!
As a bit of a post script of sorts, I'll tell you a bit of the past and a bit of the future.
In retrospect, here is a picture of my main (and favorite) school, Hancheon Elementary. The student body ranges from Kindergarten to 6th grade. I teach 2nd to 6th graders with the help of my co-teacher Moon Byeongon (Moon being his surname). I feel like I've got a bit of the lost puppy syndrome with him though. That is, I'm always happy to see him, I'd do anything to avoid disappointing him, I typically follow half a step behind, and I swear that if I had a tail I'd wag it whenever he compliments me. He's a great teacher (even if he didn't want to be a teacher in the first place). And the kids adore him. I wish that there was more I could do to help him because he's super busy right now. We have an open class coming up in a few weeks (meaning parents and upper echelon faculty can come), and I can tell he's a bit anxious for that. I'm going to make sure to do my very best. I really couldn't have gotten a better co-teacher for my time in Korea.
On the yard here kids often run around either playing soccer (you've never seen so many games at once in such a small area) or jumping rope, or running about with bug nets. Off the the left hand side there are some exercise machines for the ajummas (middle aged women). There are also several broad, flat, sitting tables that they love to sit on in the afternoon. There's one ajumma in particular who's very friendly. She's custodial staff at the school. She was the fist one I met upon getting here and she helped me find my sandals (you don't wear your street shoes inside the school) and my office. The other day Moon Sungsaengnim had to go to the mainland for some "Volunteer" work and the kids were ALL going on a field trip (which was really something to see). The school was eerie quiet after they left. It didn't occur to me (who was left behind) that the cafeteria would be closed until I was well into being hungry. I had decided to just stick it out and ignore the protests of my tummy when the Custodian Ajumma poked her head into my shared office and offered a box of ramen to me. She cooked it for me and chatted with me until it was done cooking. It was really kind of her to think of me when I couldn't even to that. She said she would look out for me since my co-teacher was away. And today after lunch she came in to check on me and she offered to make me a cup of coffee. I don't even like coffee, but I couldn't say no to her. She's so kind, and so is everyone!
I know the Principal and Vice Principal have been looking out for me as well. One day at lunch the VP came over and spun my food tray around because I had my rice in the upper right instead of the lower left where it belonged. She smiled, waved, and walked away. Moon Sungsaengnim (who I really don't actually know what to call. Moon Sungsaengnim is right, but he doesn't usually like such formalities. But does it make a difference when we're in class with the kids and when it's just us? I am so over thinking this and he probably doesn't care anyhow. But I haven't decided yet so I tend not to call him anything, which is probably another sort of social faux-pas) told me then that the VP really liked me a lot since the last Guest English Teacher was an older gentleman who was a bit of a stick in teh mud and who always ate lunch alone, never said hello to anyone or smiled, and refused to do the teaching songs and dances with the kids. The Principal is a pretty cool guy too. He's also very stealthy. He's young for a person of such a valued position (mid-40s I'd guess). He often comes into my office to check on me and say hello. Thursday, when everyone else was gone, he snuck up on me (I was on facebook) and I didn't know he was there until he put his hand on my shoulder. Startled, and a little embarrassed, I looked up, (smiled charmingly), and said hello. He said "You...home..go." I asked, "Now (it was an hour earlier than usual)?" And he said yes!I thanked him profusely (in Korean and in English) and bolted before he could change his mind.
I won't lie, on my first day here, when I was approaching these steps for the very first time, I was a bit nervous. The first thing I saw when I got here was a cute little kindergartner come running down the steps... only to drop trow and pee on them. The bathroom is just on the other side of those doors. But you've got to love Korean Surprises. And now I love this school and it's students.
They're having student council elections right now, so every morning as I go to go in, the candidates and their posse mo me at the doors screaming "Teacher!! Vote for Number ___!!!" When they don't agree on the number, they can come up with some pretty inventive English to tell me about the other candidate. I know I'm not supposed to pick favorites, but I've got one. I don't know his name (and originally I thought he was a she) but I just called him Trouble because that's what he is. Now I call him Number 2 (because he is running for candidacy as candidate number 2). He frequently comes through my office just to sing and dance for me. He likes to touch my hair and tell me that's its pretty (he's quite the charmer for a 5th grader). He has a huge following of friends because he's friendly and fun(even if he can be a smart as in class). Today I was working in my office at the computer when I felt a shadow at my shoulder. I turned and he was standing right beside me peering at what I was doing. When I told him he scared me (with a big smile) he laughed and handed me a frilly pink wand (that had been sitting on the windowsill [I have no idea whose it is or where it came from]) and he told me I was Miss Korea (and them we same Lee Hyori's Miss Korea together). Whenever I leave, which is right around 5 most days, he is always nearly to say "Teacher!! Bye Bye!!!" I asked Moon Sungsaengnim about him and it turns out his father is a professor at Halla College here on the island and that Number Two can be a bit mischievous because he's very clever and his father's jobs grants him some protection (social hierarchy being what it is here). When all the kids were I the lawn preparing to go on their field trip I was watching them from the window of my office. Number Two spotted me and pretty soon we were shouting back and forth and gesturing wildly that Number Two was indeed the best candidate (Ee-bon Jjang!!!). He turned to his friends and they all started flapping their hands at me. I thought it was more thumbs up or Korean sign language or something but soon Number Two shouted "No Teacher. Not that!! L-O-V-E (there is no V in Korean so when they say it is sounds more like Bvwee and it's soooo adorable)!!" I knew immediately what they were talking about and flashed teh signal back at them (which really impressed them).
Overall, while Number Two is special, I'm quite popular among the students. The boys like me because I'm not a grumpy middle-aged man, the girls like me because I've listened to K-Pop for three years and I know all their favorite idols groups by name and have some of the songs memorized. Today I realized that printed images of their favorite idols (right now it's a group called EXO) are basically black market contraband that can be sold and traded like Top Secret government intel. They're a but obsessed and the sociologist in me loves observing their "deals" from my position in the back of the class. The first time they caught me watching (they were supposed to be paying attention to the English lesson) they were a bit scared of what I might do. I just winked at them. They smiled, put the pictures away, and paid close attention the rest of the class (I should explain that in all the classes all the boys sit up front and the girls are all in the back [I don't yet know why]). After class I went to the girl who had the folder of pictures and asked for one of Kris, my favorite EXO member. Her jaw dropped to the floor. She rifled through her paper, conferred with another girl, and said she would get one for me next week.
I don't spend a lot of time at my other school, so I don't have any students in particular that stand out as favorites. I recognize some though. One girl in one of my classes is way above the rest in ability. She usually acts as my translator for class activities. I owe that girl some Chocopies. Everyone at Jungang is very friendly, but I just don't fit in quite as well. It's a bit bigger, so there are more teachers, but fewer of them speak any English or have any interest in talking to the secondary English teacher. And the 4th graders that I teach there are little hellions. I'm hoping that they'll chill out a little once they stop showing off for me, but we'll see.
In other news, I touched the ocean last weekend!! It was amazing. The beach smells like the Great Lakes, but that's about were even the faintest similarities end. The shells are different. The sand is different (not in a good way). The pull of the waves is different. There are tides!!! I knew they existed, but I had never seen one before!! There is volcanic stone in the water where the abalones live. And Koreans don't usually visit the beach after August. I really wanted to taste the water, but then thought better of it. At least while people were watching. Ocean liners and barges often stop by Jeju City, and the vastness of the ocean makes them look really small!!
Tomorrow some of us are going to the lava tubes on the North East side of the island. Apparently these are some of the largest such tubes in the world and are a UNESCO World Heritage site. After that we're hoping to hit another beach. I know this time I'm going to bring along some sun screen and apply it liberally. The sun, like the ocean, is a completely different beast here. Anyways, until the next adventure!! Annyeong!!
At long last, and after much patient waiting, I made it to my apartment yesterday! And I have to say, even if it is less convenient to get to my schools the views make up for it! Instead of just walking a few blocks to each of my schools, I have to get on a bus for about 20 minutes then walk about 10 minutes to my schools. Not terribly inconvenient, but the buses here are very crowded and I have to pay the fare (which is only 1000 won [about $1], but it's the principle of the matter). But then again, this apartment is in a much nicer area (I've always been a country girl at heart). And I'm not going to miss seeing the call cards on my door step every day.
Instead, this is the view from the windows in the hall my room is in. I still can't believe that I can see the ocean everyday! When I tell people that before coming here I had never even seen the ocean they're always shocked. I haven't made to the beach yet, but that's something I plan to remedy very soon. The breezes that come in through windows smell like the ocean. Maybe the ocean will seem real when I standing in it...
This is the sports area attached to the Foreign Language High School next door to the apartment building.
This is the view up the mountain from my balcony. Again, mountains aren't really a thing at home and I find that between the ocean and the mountains the landscape is just so majestic here. It's very moving, nearly to tears.
These cute homes made me think of the Alps and Heidi, but here they are in South Korea halfway up the mountain behind our apartments.
There are lots of Guest English Teachers living in this dorm, and they have all been very welcoming! John, the nice Aucklander next door stopped by to tell me that (for a small fee) I could just piggy-back off of his wifi service rather than have to pay for the installation of my own router. That makes everything so much easier!! It's like a little western haven here. Not exactly what I had booked on when I was preparing to come here, but it does make dealing with any culture shock easier.
So here is a brief tour of my apartment:
The front entry way. Culture dictates that you take your shoes off and leave them here. The bathroom, which is quite large but a little dated, is through the door on the right.
The main part of the room. Still in some disarray from moving in. I've now added some maps and pictures to the walls to make it a bit more homey. The computer works better than the one I have at school. The bed isn't as bad as the others I've used here, that means it's more like sleeping in a sheet of plywood rather than a slab of concrete. Koreans also don't use the sheet sets that we do. There are instead layers of blankets and comforters. I tend to use the extra blankets and such as mattress pads and use a sheet that I brought with me to cover myself since it's so warm here. And of course I brought Ruby the Kangaroo with me! My brother bought me that (under coercion and I paid him back, but still it's the thought that counts?). Unfortunately, the TV doesn't work. I'd have to pay for teh service, and with the existence of the internet the TV is obsolete. Now I just have to find a place in the room to store it. The glass door wall leads out to my balcony. It's enclosed in windows that con be opened. It's about 12 feet long by 3 feet deep. Probably one of my favorite features of Korean houses is that the vast majority of them have these balconies.
In to corner by the front hall/entrance is the kitchen/laundry hybrid area. Behind the fridge there's a stove top that works very well, apparently. The sink is huge. I don't know why. And next to the sink is the laundry machine. At the end of a cycle it chines a charming little song that's about a minute long. Much friendlier than the harsh beep of the machines at home. Where's the dryer? They practically don't exist here. Everyone uses a drying rack to air dry their clean clothes. I have to go and purchase one in the net few days.
So that's the apartment. In the next couple days I'll post pictures of my schools, the kids, and my co-teachers. Tomorrow is my first day to work with a large group of kids. Monday is 2nd and 3rd graders day, so things should be interesting. Wish me luck!
Again, it's been a while. But this may be the last chance I have for a while to do one of these because I'm moving into my actual apartment (and out of this motel) tomorrow, so no more free internet. So, even though it's 4:30 am, I will continue to work.
Not much has happened since last time. But at the same time, my whole world has changed. I am now living on Jeju Island in South Korea. Holy cow. The flight here was no problem, even if hauling my bags around was laborious. That day, Monday, was really hectic. We sent a lot of time on a minibus going from place to place. We also got to meet our co-teachers. All of the Guest English Teachers ([GETs] myself included) were put into a big room with all of the co-teachers and we didn't know which one was ours. After a long speech from the Provincial Supervisor our names and schools were called. My co-teacher is one of very few male elementary teachers. I was really surprised to see that he was dressed in worn jeans, a band tee-shirt, and a baseball cap. We chatted for about three minutes, then he left. Everyone else was having long conversations with their co-teachers, but I was alone. It was sort of off-putting. But, as I quickly found out, my co-teacher, Moon Byeongon (Moon being his surname), is totally awesome! He's really nice, very friendly, laid back, honest, and the students love him. He tells me that he gets angry at them sometimes and yells, but I can't imagine it. Together, we've been working with a group of 6 advanced 6th graders reading a simple version of the Merchant of Venice. I have to say I'm impressed with them and their rapid progress. And they're adorable in a rabid kitten kind of way. Before working with them I never considered how I pronounce things. It just came naturally. But when I'm asked how to pronounce words like 'interest' and 'important' properly, I find myself thinking that this is how I would pronounce it, but elsewhere they might say interest with 3 syllables instead of 2. It's quite perplexing.
Many of the students that I meet are clearly curious about me, but I haven't yet been given the Spanish Inquisition by them (I'm expecting that next week once classes really start). I get a lot of stares around the city, especially when I ask for directions. Therein lies my biggest problem: speaking the language. I know I have a lot of vocabulary stored away in my brain, but when the chance comes to use it I speak English instead. And the problem is in confidence. I lack it. I made a new friend tonight and talking to him in Korean was a lot easier. Gundam and I are going to exchange language lessons. I'll teach him English and he'll teach me Korean. I hope it works out because I could really use a tutor.
Lots of people have asked me if I'm homesick. And the easy answer is yes, but not so much as I had imagined. It's the small things that comfort me the most; the many construction sites around, the barking of dogs, the smell that wafts out of the dozens of bakeries. They make me think of home even if very little looks or sounds familiar. This weekend I'll be spending a lot of time with other GETS. Tonight we had a night out on the town. Tomorrow some friends will help me move. Sunday we're making a day trip to the south side of the island to Seogwipo to see a soccer match, apparently the last one of the season. I'm really excited. It still doesn't feel quite real to be here. It hasn't fully registered yet. I'm pretty sure it'll sink in on Monday when 30-odd faces are staring at me with eyes full of curiosity and brains full of questions. Bring on the Inquisition, I'm expecting it. I just wish I knew my bloodtype...
So it's been a while since I've done one of these, and a lot has happened since then.
On Thursday we went to Seoul! It's an amazing city, beyond words really. All I could think was 'Look at all the humanity.' I don't think that I would ever be able to live in a place like Seoul. I got some really good pictures, which I'll share. I wish I had taken more, but silly me forgot to check and see if my camera was charged. So I only had one bar of battery to make last. I don't think it was a bad thing though because it made me think and be choosy as to what to take pictures of. So below are the best pictures. More can be found on facebook (eventually).
First we went to Korea House. We saw 5 different Korean traditional performances. The first was a drum performance. The five women each had five drums arranged around them. They were in perfect sync the entire time.
This man played a traditional Korean flute. It was my favorite act of the group. Because the flute is made of bamboo, wood, and cloth the sounds it produces is really haunting. You can't get the same sounds from a western flute.
The next act was an ensemble of fan dancers. They were all very beautiful. The woman in the red skirt was the main character. They moved like birds, floating across the stage, fluttering the fans like feathers and wings.
These guys were hilarious. They wore traditional hats with long ribbons or feathers attached. It's hard to see, but the entire time they were playing their drums and symbols they were also twirling the ribbons on their heads. It was quite amusing.
After Korea House we went around the corner to a traditional Korean village. The architecture style is called Hanok.
From teh village you could see Nam San Tower.
These are traditional Kimchi jars. Instead of letting your kimchi ferment in a fridge, you kept it in these jars in the sun until it was edible, then buried the jar to keep it cool.
They also had these little bows and arrows to play with. The target was about 20 feet away. I managed to hit it, but the Canadian friends I was hanging out with weren't so skilled.
We had bibimbop for lunch at Korea House and it was really tasty!
A statue of Great King Sejong who invented the Korean alphabet.
We also visited the biggest royal palace in Seoul. It was originally built about 500 years ago but has been rebuilt several times. The architecture was really majestic, especially with the three mountains that surround it.
The house with the blue roof behind the palace is the Blue House. It is equivalent to our White House; it's where the Korean president lives and houses foreign ambassadors.
So tomorrow I leave for Jeju. Word is is that the kids are still on break so it may be another week before I'm actually teaching. I'll be teaching at Hancheon and Jungang elenentary schools in Jeju City. I'll keep you all updated.
