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!!
No comments:
Post a Comment