Teaching and Life - Not Necessarily in that Order

Winning at Public Transportation

2011-10-29T04:40:00.001-04:00

So, it's been a while. In short (like tiny short), being an HI is super time consuming this term, I've been knitting a lot, and....I'm just bad at communicating with America.

But I learned a huge lesson today. Went yarn shopping with Jenny and Julie. Meant to buy nothing, but bought...not quite everything, but enough to make a cardigan, hat, and scarf. The way home involved the bus stop that is pretty much the bane oft existence. M4101 came, I ran for it, AND MY iPHONE FELL OUT OF MY POCKET AND UNDER THE BUS. Adrenaline kicked in, and it was pretty much the most traumatic thing that has happened in my life. I crouched in front of it and debated the merits of crawling under the bus to get it (DON'T WORRY MOM AND DAD, I DIDN'T). The logic was helped by the fact that I'd already finished the episode of Project Runway stored in my videos. The bus pulls out, and I wave my arms like the foreign idiot I am so the next bus (which was the only other bus I could taken home) doesn't roll over it. The driver looks at me in total confusion, assumes I am crazy, and chooses to just go around me as even though he doesn't want me on his bus, he still doesn't want to deal with all the insurance involved if he did run me over.

At this point I'd like to reassure my parents that although it was a busy street, it was the bus lane, and there was only one bus there. I wasn't in any danger ever - im just exaggerating for dramatic effect.

Okay, remember the part where bus number two was the other bus I could've taken home? Well, I missed it. I we t back to the standing area, still full of adrenaline. At this point, the adrenaline really has nowhere to go, so I start shaking. Now tue people who witnessed my phone rescue - who didn't actually see what I was doing (they just saw me jump in front of a bus, wave frantically, and then squat down in front of it) - now think that I am severely deranged.

This perception ends up working in my favor when M4101 number 2 pulls up. No one wants to get in the way of the crazy girl (even a few ajummas let me go in front of them). I am the LAST PERSON able to get on the bus (as mentioned in previous entries, M busses are luxury and don't let you sit down (no, the reason is not because they go on the highway, as plenty of other busses go onthe highway and let people stand in every cranny, including the steps RIGHT NEXT TO THE DOORS).

Said last seat is ALL THE WAY IN THE BACK. Remember, I'm holding a lot of yarn. I proceed to hit every single ajumma and ajoshi in the head with it as I walk by. Fortunately, I'd given the complimentary needles to Julie, so no one got stabbed.

Moral of the story? Kangaroo pouch pockets are terrible places for phones.

Adding to the Zillions of Posts Out There on the Subject..

2011-06-18T22:19:00.002-04:00

I remember before I left scouring the internet for posts on what to, and what not to bring to Korea. Some things I brought, I'm glad I did (pictures from home), but other things were totally from misguided information..and I could've picked up here (pillows).

Keep in mind..as my title says, there are zillions of these lists out here. When you pack, just think about the number one traveling debate, and decide which side you're on: spend a lot of money upon arrival vs. have a freaking heavy suitcase. If money is a concern, then bring the stuff that you know you'll need despite whether or not it's in Korea.

Bring this...
Clothes for work and play *this season*. I know this is a given, but the part between the asterisks is key.

Not that..
Your entire wardrobe. One, you can buy clothes *everywhere* in Korea. I know there are a lot of blog posts out there about Korean sizes, but (and this is more for the ladies because I don't really buy mens clothes), non-Asian stores like H&M carry pants up to a 34" waist. The biggest I've seen at Gap is a size 8 (maybe 10); non jeans-wise, clothes can go much bigger - I've seen tops and dresses up to a 2XL. If you are living near Seoul, definitely be able to count on buying clothes and shoes at any size.

Two, your weight will fluctuate here. It's the kimchi =p

Bring this...
A few keepsakes and momentos from home.

Not that..
Stuff for apartment decoration. Korea is the *cutest* country on the planet and there are entire stores dedicated to home decor.

Bring this...
An e-book reader. If you don't have one, go buy one.

Not that...
Books. They are heavy, and you will have a freaking tiny apartment with little storage space.

Bring this...
Headache medicine. Yes, you can get it here, but unlike America (or wherever "back home" is), you can't just walk into the convenience store and get it. All medicines (and bandages above the standard bandaid size) are sold only at the pharmacy, which is not open 24 hours. Most medicines are pretty cheap - however, ibuprofen can run $3 for a pack of 10.

Not that...
Your entire cosmetics line. Korea is *full* of skin care shops that sell the same stuff we get in America. There is a Body Shop around every corner. As far as makeup goes, the non-Korean stores sell pretty much the same products they do at home; the first floor of department stores is also dedicated to cosmetics (and luxury handbags).

**Note: If you have darker skin, bring face makeup.

Bring this..
One voltage converter/plug adapter. Your camera and laptop if you already own one.

Not that...
A voltage converter/plug adapter for every single electronic device you own. You can buy them here much cheaper than you can overseas. A few months after arriving, I bought new chargers for my iPod because the adapters do make things a bit finicky.

You can get all of this here....

Bedding INCLUDING sheets. I'm not sure who started the rumor that Koreans don't sell sheets but...come on. They have to sleep here too =p
A mattress pad - I read someone's blog in which she said this was the one thing she was glad she brought because beds are so hard. Well, that's true, but you can buy one of the mats Koreans use to sleep on the floor and just put it on your bed...much softer =p
Hair products - Yes, Korean hair is a bit different than ours, but there are stores like Watsons that sell non-Korean brands
Writing utensils - They are easier found here than America
Peanut butter - Again, who started this rumor? You can get this here...
iPhones - The Korean network is locked, and you'll have to go directly to the KT main office (no clue where that is) to get your phone on the network. I have an iPhone here...I didn't have to pay for it up front - rather, they took the cost of my phone and the cost of 2 years of service, divided that by 24, and that's my bill...I pay like $75/month for my iPhone (again, that includes the cost of the actual device
Speakers - One, you can get them here. Two, walls are THHINNNNN - you will disturb your neighbors
Comfortable walking shoes - Korea is full of Nike, New Balance, Adidas, etc. stores - there's even a shop that sells all of them: ABC Mart (yes, I know, every time I see one, I think about the liquor store =p). These shoes are pretty unisex, and come in a pretty big array of sizes.
Korean language and travel books - Most major bookstores have a fair sized English section...and all of them have info on living in Korea. If you are going to study Korean before you leave, learn the alphabet, familiarize yourself with the basic foods, and learn phrases handy for shopping and ordering in restaurants.

Korea is a foreign country, not a distant planet. Stuff can be shipped here. Likewise, Koreans are a different culture, not an alien race. They do the same things we do: sleep, eat, travel, work, and play; and they use pretty much the same things we do for those activities. There is nothing you won't miss for a year, I promise. Most of the stuff I brought is now either too big, or has been shoved in a box under my bed, almost completely forgotten...

This is What It Looks Like When I'm Not at Work =p

2011-06-15T03:38:00.003-04:00

New schedule means I have a new prep everyday (however, they are all mid-level classes, so preparing doesn't take long); but it also means that I have Wednesdays off! Finally, in week 3, I'm taking advantage of this - for fear that something will happen, and I will lose them..

I knew that moving to Korea would change me, but something has happened that I wasn't prepared for. In college, I was surrounded by people who were going to be teachers. Then I got a job as a teacher in America. Both groups had something in common: teaching was their thing. There was no something else.

Well, that's not what happens in Korea. Getting into this, I knew that Chungdahm *wasn't* a job where I'd be surrounded by people who had the same life experience. I remember in my last conversation with my Footprints recruiter, we talked about how hagwons weren't something that would further my teaching career the way a public school teaching job would. That said, I think I did make the right decision. Chungdahm (or, well, my coworkers here) have definitely stopped me from taking myself so seriously, and have made me a much calmer person who doesn't stress *nearly* as much about the small things.

As a teacher, Chungahm has taught me a lot about being an instructor. There is a difference - a teacher has much more ownership of what they do, an instructor just kind of passes on what other people create. Even though the former is a profession and the latter a job, I think that teachers do need to know how to be instructors. It's a humbling reminder that I definitely don't know the _right_ way of doing everything in this profession. Although I think I've always been a strong writing teacher (my FCAT track record shows this), my reading curriculum left a lot to be desired, and I've definitely learned a lot about how to be a more effective reading teacher from CDI. Teaching someone else's curriculum has taught me how to listen to what other experts expect. It has an effect on being an employee. Teachers are terrible employees - we spend all day being The Person In Charge, and it's hard to revert back to the mindset that someone else is the boss.

Being Head Instructor has become this second chance for me to fix all of the mistakes I made as Building Leader at AOE. I've learned so much about communication with employees (as opposed to a vague, "yeah...do....thiiiissss..."), and the best ways to talk to people when you want them to do something. Still working on the last one.

Back to the point I brought up earlier: working here has put me around people for whom this job is just a stopping point between college and real life. Teaching isn't their real life. And for the first time, I'm around the idea that maybe this isn't it - which is kind of frightening. Could there be something else that I'm meant to do? As of now, I'm thinking no - as much as I abhor school politics, I like kids. I'm still stuck on the idea that that's the most important part..

Also, the lyrics of "Drops of Jupiter" are either idiotic or genius. I still can't decide.

Wait.....Times They Could Be A-Changin..

2011-05-15T09:15:00.001-04:00

Immediately after that final comment about wanting an app, I visited the app store. Downloaded Blogger+. $1.99. I remember back in the day when all apps and songs were 88 cents (this was slightly after we overcame waking to school uphill both ways).

When I was in high school, iPods didn't exist. We just got cd burning technology, but it was still okay to make a mix tape. Only a few people had cell phones, and those had really limited ranges - as in it cost more if you used it outside of your region, or called long distance.

So we'll see how this goes. For now, look at this statue that a group of ajummas violated, much to our entertainment!

An Update!!!

2011-05-14T21:35:00.002-04:00

The bad part about having a blog is the personal responsibility you feel about updating it. So much happens, and you're like, "Oh man, I can't wait to write about this!!" But then even more happens and that excitement turns into dread because you now have so much to write about, and that'll be such a long entry, and when will you find the time and how will you organize your thoughts and it'll just end up being so long that everyone will look at it and go, "tl;dr" (clearly, I still have time to keep up with the gossip blog slang ;p)

So here it is in what will hopefully be a short paragraph: I've been knitting _a lot_.

Actually, I can end it with that and we'd be all caught up :p

No, really. It's become a hobby I've stuck with, and something I'm really good at. But, since this is my living overseas bog, and not my knitting blog, I'm going to tryyyyy to spare my already too long entries and not post stuff about "omg I keep forgetting to cast on those extra stitches for the picot edge and I keep having to re-turn my work!!!" (an actual complaint in another girl's blog - for those who knit, you understand what a dumb complaint it is to have to turn your work....not undo stitches, just turn :p)

I got an iPhone. I know there are people who totally hate being connected 24/7, but I've found that this thing has really liberated me. I was always afraid of getting lost (as we have blog entries documenting how well I've handled that). The google map function has made me much more adventurous, and I've found so many new ways to get around Seoul. For so long I was taking a way to Myeongdong that took 90 mins - now I can get there in 45~

Before getting into a phone contract in Korea, you do need to know that they will charge you for the duration of the 2 years, even if you leave after just a year. If this is something you can't handle, get a prepaid phone. Korean iPhones will work in America - you have to request that KT unlock your phone before you leave (which will probably cost $$ and probably means you can't use it on a Korean network anymore). It's much more expensive and complicated to get your foreign phone on a Korean network - I've heard, at least.

I need an app for updating my blog that let's me post photos x.x. I'm sure that exists.

뜨개질 친구 - Also, Adventures with Cait on the Subway

2011-01-31T20:36:00.003-05:00

The one highlight of this week has been getting off at FOUR O'CLOCK!!!! on Monday - which never happens. Instead of going home in the dark and falling on the invisible snow that likes to blend in with the roadways, I got to go to Care's for CRAFTING NIGHT!!!!!!!!

Was a bit unsure as I was kind of inviting myself (something I have been taught from an early age is insanely rude). I tried calling Care - who didn't answer (because her phone is forever on vibrate). So I called Cait. Things you need to know ahead of time: I live on the Bundang/yellow line - Cait has to take that and then transfer to the pink line (line number....something). Here is an approxmiation of our conversation:

Me: Hey... so I don't think Care knows I'm coming
Cait: It's ok.
Me: Where are you?
Cait: On the train
Me: Ooh - pink or yellow?
Cait: Yellow
Me: .....Did you just pass Demon-san*? Are you on my train?
Cait: I don't know.. I'm in the first car
Me: I'm in car five
Cait: Did a train just pass you?
Me: .....maybe..

We both high tail it to the middle car and meet and laugh like crazy and scare just about every Korean in the vicinity. We also, as usual, seal the stereotype that ALL FOREIGNERS IN KOREA KNOW EACH OTHER.

From the *
Cait and I usually take the first part of the Bundang line home together. In that quality time we've spent together, we have renamed just about every stop:

First - you have to pronounce it like you're from the deep south: Booon-dayng (it's really pronounced "Bun-dahng")

Seolleung: So long Seoul!
Hanti: Haunted (but with cute ghosts becasue Care lives there)
Dogok: Dog O.K. (This, imo, is the best one)
Guryong: Grrrrrr yong
Gaepodong: Gay ddong (ddong=poop in Korean. Yes, we're 5)
Daemosan: Demon san
Suseo: Dirty station (Suseo, if pronounced incorrectly, is the Spanish word for "dirty")
Bokjeong: Bye bye Cait station :( (I think we actually have a name for it - I just keep forgetting)
Kyungwon Dae: (don't have one)
Taepyeong: Tapeworm
Moran: Moron (obviously)
Yatap: Y'all tap (at this point, we're running out of creative ideas....)

That's about as far as we've gotten. I think Sunae might be Sundae..

Yes, we are children.

At Care's crafting night I managed to actually FINISH A GLOVE. This doesn't count things like weaving in ends and seaming together gaps between the fingers. But let me tell you - if you've never made gloves before, FINGERS ARE THE WORK OF THE DEVIL!!!!

We also started talking about southern staples that we just completely miss in Korea....which may or may not have made the accents come out... which may or may not have made Care realize she has NEVER seen these sides of us before. I think that's why I have so much trouble speaking Korean - I naturally want to extend and soften vowels, and round my consonants.

This Time Last Year (Or, the Obligatory "One Year!" Post)

2011-01-30T04:21:00.003-05:00

Fourth Weekend in January, 2010:
Got to Korea! Somehow, Thursday got lost in travel. Found other Chungdahm teachers and have managed to get lost EVERY TIME we venture outside. Freaking out over test the next day.

Fourth Weekend in January, 2011:
It effing snowed again. Dinner with Siobhain and Care!!!!! The next day was dinner with Edward! (Much fewer !!!'s)

Fourth Monday in January, 2010:
Hahaha! Passed the test! And the medical exam! Got lost in the hospital even though directions included "Follow the yellow line upstairs."

Fourth Monday in January, 2011:
Taught the lesson I was trained on a year ago! I did much better actually teaching it than in mock. Instead of using the examples in the book, I created a whole theme of convincing your mom not to hit you (we were learning about arguments and reasons).

Fourth Tuesday-Thursday in January, 2010:
Eagle reading scares the crap out of me and I hope I never have to teach it. I may or may not have cried.

Fourth Tuesday-Thursday in January 2011:
Intensives over (kind of sad face because I liked my kids). Eagle reading is awesome!

Fourth Friday in January, 2010:
Yes! Passed training! Now to Suji............and I'm the only non-Asian here...

Fourth Friday in January, 2011:
More non-Asians. I am not alone (.."they are here with me..."). In one year, I have gone from newbie to most longest-lasting teacher. My English has also obviously eroded into....awful.

Fifth Weekend in January, 2010:
Am so tired post-training and jet lag has caught up!

Fifth Weekend in January, 2011:
Am so tired because we have to work!

I remember telling myself that it would become much easier once I got in there and started working. I was right. Signed a contract to stay another year. As with all jobs, there definitely are things that aren't exactly stellar, but I know Chungdahm's shortcomings and can deal with them. I really like my students. I can tell that I'm getting bored with the curriculum, though - I go off book probably more than I should. However, Chungdahm is a business, and my students like my class, and they come back.

I'll be honest, this hasn't been a huge journey of self-discovery. I haven't changed or assimilated into Eastern culture. Heck, I have barely learned Korean. But I think I might be happier. This job is much less stressful - mostly becuase I'm responsible for SO MUCH LESS. I have probably become lazy (shh, don't tell my parents), but I've also learned how to teach someone else's curriculum - which is a good balance from what I was doing before (writing everything myself). It's definitely been a lesson in humility.

I have noticed a few ways I've changed. I used to correct people a lot - don't do that as much as I used to. I also quit saying "y'all" (with the exception of the text I sent Cait earlier - but she's from the South, so she gets it ;)). And, if it's at all possible, I think I cook less.

Misadventures of Mul Opesayo

2011-01-26T00:00:00.002-05:00

There are many many things in Korea that one does not experience in Florida. Last week, I discovered another one.

Here, it gets cold enough for pipes to freeze.

Last Saturday was freakishly cold. I, of course, was inappropriately dressed. The next morning, I was talking with a Korean friend online and he told me that he'd been up since early early because his pipes froze. I joked that if mine had done the same, he would have to come defrost mine, too. Thirty minutes later, I turn on my sink to brush my teeth.....and guess what doesn't come out.

Fast forward through the crying and the completely helpless internet searches (yes, I know how to unfreeze a pipe - the problem is, I can't find where the heck it is actually frozen), until I finally get an answer: "We can send a repair man to your home, but not until tomorrow. Today is Sunday and he is Taking a Rest."

Oh.

So Monday comes. At 9:30 sharp, a repair man comes to my door. I'm not entirely sure what he says, but I know it involves yelling at me for being a stupid American and letting this happen (I caught the anger and the word "Miguk"). He turns my hairdryer on a part of the pipe that I had touched earlier and found to be HOT for a bit, realizes it's not working after about 10 mins, and leaves.

I cry more.

That day at work, I talk to Paul who shows me where exactly the pipe is frozen. Ohhhhhhhhhhh (I guess despite the poor aim with the hairdryer, the repair man did have a clue). That night, Paul sets me up with a heater pointed at the frozen pipe. I'm instructed to check it every few hours. It was a long night.

Tuesday morning comes. Still no water. However, the calvary does arrive. In addition to yesterday's repairman and Paul, I get a new repairman. This one has a fancy machine. I end up staying home until right before I have to leave for Chungdahm. Still no water. I am tired, and cranky, and my Giga kids are crazy because they're on vacation (PS: Korean kids always seem to be on vacation).

During one of the breaks (I've lost track of time by now), Paul comes in to tell me that I have water again (which he begins with, "Bad news" - I may or may not have crumpled to the floor).

Also, I got home Tuesday night to find that the repairmen smoked in my apartment while I wasn't there. I was not amused.

The moral: If your pipes freeze in Korea, IGNORE ALL COMPLETELY UNHELPFUL INTERNET SITES. Call your whitey wrangler/school/whatever.

FAQ:
How did you shower/brush your teeth/etc?
I bought a lot of water. My stove still worked. I learned that I can take an effective shower using only 2 liters of water.

Could you flush your toilet?
I didn't try that one. Let's just say that I tried to hold it until I got to school a whole lot.

So....what happened? Why did it take so long?
Either I am just *really good* at freezing pipes, or my neighbor did the same thing... They had to wait until he got home to go into his place and unfreeze it from there, too. He said that he would be home at 1:00, which of course meant that he was home by 4:30..

New Years=Automatic Birthday in Korea=Audrey is 30=Ajjuma

2011-01-02T07:35:00.003-05:00

Let me explain that title: according to Korean age counting/math, a person is 1 when they are born (as opposed to 0 like we are in Western society), and then turn their new age during the New Year (I asked my students - it's the Western calendar new year, not Lunar New Year). So, even though I'm really 28, I'm 29 according to that whole birth thing, and then 30 because yesterday was New Year's Day.

I have accepted this with grace.

Kinda.

In a completely unrelated matter, I have noticed that my eyesight at night has just been deteriorating. I can't really read signs - they all just look like a bright-light blur (really inconvenient when I'm trying to catch a bus). I thought that was just a me thing (especially seeing as I haven't really lived places with lots of bright lights at night), but I was talking to friends about it, and they all pretty much said it was night-blindness. Was in Gangnam with Cait and Sio, and we passed a glasses store, and I figured "eh, let's see if they can fix it...." After lots of really bad communication, i just took the pen from the guy, turned the graphic card over and drew a daytime picture and a nighttime picture of how I saw. He went, "oh!!", grabbed the glasses tester thing, took me over to the window, and we did my eye test there using the signs on the building across the street. I'm sure it was the most unconventional vision test he's ever done.

So, now, I'm Korean 30 and I have Korean glasses.

For those who find themselves in my situation, let me reassure you (and, well, my parents), that Korea is a *fantastic* place for your vision to go because glasses are DIRT CHEAP! My lenses were 30,000 (like $30), and the frames start at 20. The ones I got were 50, but they are pretty durable and...well....pretty. Plus, they were from Gangnam, so they were more expensive. Cait and I have plans to go not-so-Gangnam-y glasses shopping so I can buy a backup pair..............if this whole glasses-at-night thing works out.

Year in Review (Yes, One of Those =p)

2011-01-01T09:18:00.003-05:00

In 2010, my New Year's Resolution was to move to Korea. Mission accomplished.

I spent New Year's Eve this year with Stella and Jessica, which was eighty thousand times better than my original plan of pizza and cleaning my apartment (which still hasn't happened). Stella pointed out that New Year's is a projection of your entire year, so for me, 2011 will involve losing at Pop-o-matic Trouble, The Game by Milton Bradley ;), seeing Calvin, knitting, spending way too much money (*ahem* 70만원) on clothes and shoes, and laughing way too much. And eating Indian food. Of course :)

So, in review - moved to Korea at the end of January (i.e., Happy Birthday, Mom! Your daughter is moving to the other side of the planet!). As I have overcome a lot of culture shock, I don't really remember what initially traumatized me. Lots of getting lost was involved. Met Lisa, and friendship was immediately formed. We may or may not have become absolutely insane when we went shopping together and realized that we had way too much in common.

Early spring didn't raelly bring warm weather, but it did bring Beck! I hadn't seen her in years, and we had a night I will probably never remember (well, what parts of it I *can* remember). Beck introduced me to Tim, who became my every-weekend buddy in spring and summer....and who introduced me to the fun of Korean department stores. And Coach. And to the idea that I really don't have to take crap from people if I don't want to. And to Park, which was ehhhh, but Park introduced me to Calvin (이선구) who ended up becoming one of my favorite Korean friends - even though he is the busiest person on the planet (sorry, Obama, you have nothing on this kid).

Tim then introduced me to Siobhain, who introduced me to Siobhain, a fellow knitter, who introduced me to Cait, Caroline, and Riah....and to Dongdaemun. When the tragedy of TIM LEAVING FOR AMERICA occurred, Sio helped me fill my sorrow with yarn. Lots of yarn. At first, I was really good about being responsible and buying only what I could knit.....but now I have a giant container of it on the floor of my laundry room.

Fall brought much closeness to Siobhain, Cait, Caroline, and Riah. I don't think I was what they expected and vice versa, but they are now my family here. Thanks to our awesome common interest my knitting leveled from Giga to Eagle (yay for CDI level references).

Winter brought the end of Lisa, my BEST FRIEND IN KOREA (^^^) :( However, I'm not too sad because it's really obvious that she will be back.

This year's resolution? Don't get caught up in boy drama. And knit a positive amount of yarn (in other words, have less yarn in my collection than I do now). And, you know, lose weight, stay in touch with family better, learn Korean, blah blah blah ;)

메리 크리스마스!! :D

2010-12-25T13:07:00.002-05:00

A few questions I'm being asked by the folks at home:

1. Do Koreans celebrate Christmas?
Yes. Kinda. Not like we do. Back home, if you aren't religious, it is still a family holiday (however you define family). Here, it's acknowledged, but not quite with the fanfare that westerners give it.

2.....So, what do they do?
Stores were open. There were no big Christmas sales (at least, not in Gangnam). Kids still had to go to academies. The religious families do go to church on Christmas, but the non-religious ones treat it like a normal day. Definitely more attention was given to Chuseok (which is as it should be). I asked my kids about presents to and from their parents - they were kinda eehhh about it. Definitely not as excited as a kid the same age in America would be. Most of them looked at me strangely when I asked them what they got their parents, but a few had answers. If it's not spent with family, Christmas is a pretty big couples holiday, too.

3. Any special foods?
Kimchi. I'm sure =p

There was some homesickness for me. Especially when I was on the bus on the way to Gangnam to meet up with Sio, Cait, Care, and Riah (not that the expected company was giving me reasons to miss home - just that I'd just talked to Mom and it was so weird not to spend today with her). It also didn't help that I've been sick. I have no clue what I have, except that it started with a sore throat and turned into lots of snot. No fever. I took Korean mystery cold medicine again, which took care of it (and made my heart race....love those side effects).

I finished my Slytherin gloves on the bus! The roads were extra crowded, so our driver felt the need to push the scooter-driver impersonation even further (the result: I took the Tilt-a-Whirl to Gangnam); however, that didn't stop me from finishing my gloves - an activity that involves a darning needle - nor the woman beside me from applying eyeliner. She and I were such pros in our respective tasks ;p

As American tradition requires the family-less to order Chinese on Christmas, we decided that the Korean equivalent was Indian (that and....we just love Indian food). Taj was wonderful, as usual. Gangnam was packed, but Taj was thankfully not. They seated us in one of the private rooms and we ordered possibly everything on the menu.

Then we went to Dr. Fish and had the most political cake ever consumed. I wish our consumption of it had been recorded because I'm sure one day I will have to teach a lesson on current foreign relations, and our divided segments with appropriate country names were fantastic symbols. I was North Korea (why am I always North Korea?) and I kept flinging cranberry bombs (and missing horribly) into Riah's South Korean section. We didn't take down the chocolate barrier between us (as we ate into the cake, we just continued to re-fortify it - although Riah did dig a few secret tunnels to keep getting at my icecream). My section also got narrower and narrower. Siobhain/China pretended to be on my side but was really just intersted in what Cait/America was giving her. Someone did give me cranberries, but I just used them to create more bombs to send over to Riah's section.

The entire time, we were being stared at by this Korean guy (who looked like he was trying to be the next K-Pop sensation but with terrible teeth). Normally, this would be attributed to the fact that.....we just fail at being in public, but this guy started staring before we really got into the Us. I responded by waving at him. He waved back. And they continued to stare. His girlfriend spent the entire time putting on makeup. I'm not sure how it is possible, but I think Korean girls wear more makeup than they have skin.

The night ended with me catching the 6800 and then, as usual, getting off at the wrong stop. Yes, I did cry - but then I found a cab and, instead of telling him my address, just told him "energy building" (it's the same in both languages). He figured out that I didn't really want to go to the energy building, but to the apartments behind it, and took me right to my door. I was much closer than I was the last time I got lost - and had I kept walking (instead of hailing that cab), I would have made it home after a few blocks. But, now I know where I should get off the 6800 (just like after last time I know where I should get off the 5500).

It's 3:30 am. I should possibly sleep.

Oops...Did You Just Hear That?

2010-12-11T10:35:00.002-05:00

If you're a foreigner in Korea, you're an eavesdropper. Don't be ashamed - we all do it. We're not used to living in a place where most of the conversation is in a foreign language (and, even if you do understand Korean, most of it is so fast or riddled with so much slang, that it's often hard to follow), so when you hear it, your ears naturally perk up, and you listen along.

Another thing about being a foreigner in Korea is that you also get used to not being understood by the people around you - which means you can have some pretty interesting conversations in crowds.

And sometimes there's an indescribable mix of these two phenomenons.

The scene: Siobhain, Cait, Caroline, and I are at On The Border. Being that it is a very western restaurant, the Korean/foreigner mix was pretty even. Fortunately, the four of us were in a corner. We'd been yarn shopping all day (because that's what we do), and were ordering our various courses slowly to give us time to sit there and knit (yes, we did sit at On The Border on a Saturday night and knit; haters gonna hate). The table next to us had a much faster occupation flow. When we originally sat, there was a couple sharing some queso. They were replaced by a group of Korean university students...

Then, the stars of our show walked in. Three caucasian males who weren't bad looking; however, upon closer inspection, we realized that they were orthodox Mormon (name tag and all - not sure "orthodox" is the right word..). One of us - who shall remain nameless - suggested we order a round of drinks for them. That idea was quickly vetoed (nope, definitely not by me) because we were sitting right next to them and it would seem a bit obvious. Being that we were two groups of foreigners, we of course tried to listen in onto their conversation. However, they weren't speaking English. Cait guessed Russian, and we left it at that. And, of course, we continued to eavesdrop for the occasional hint of English because, let's face it, we were curious.

(At this point I should mention two things: one, foreigners in Korea are especially curious about other foreigners who do something other than teach or serve in the military; two, although foreigners love to eavesdrop, we tend to have this mental block that keeps us from realizing that others are probably doing it to us, too.)

Sometime later, the guys all start speaking English. Very unaccented English. At this new tidbit to pique our curiosity, we of course started to listen closer. One of us (okay, me) was caught when, like an idiot, there was eye contact made during some intense information gathering.

Finally, the three men got up to leave. One of them was INSANELY CLOSE to my chair, and I kept looking over at him....well, partially because of the above mentioned curiosity....and partially because he was REALLY CLOSE TO MY YARN STASH AND OMG I'M LIKE A PROTECTIVE MOTHER BEAR. He looks over at us and says,

"How's the sewing going? Sorry if we confused you. We were practicing our Russian."

Our only response? "It's not sewing - it's knitting!" and a whole lot of laughter after they left (but, as things had proved that night, probably not when they were out of earshot).

Thanksgiving and Too-Early Snow....and a Too-Long To-Do List

2010-11-28T09:40:00.003-05:00

I've never been that big of a fan of Thanksgiving. I don't really like the food (it all tastes the same....and salty), and I don't really have any emotional connections to the holiday. It's never been a big thing for me and mom (I'm not sure if we have a holiday. Maybe Halloween?) and the holiday I associate with my dad is New Years. However, I did join the snb girls for a massive feast. Knowing "army wives" definitely was a huge plus - we were able to place an order for the staple Thanksgiving foods, and then Sio and Care made a few other side dishes. As I'm not a huge pumpkin pie fan, I found a walnut pie at Paris Baguette (no pecan pie), which had a crust that was like 80% butter. Instead of going around the table talking about what we were thankful for, we decided that we were thankful for not having to do that, and talked about more important subjects (like Riah's play and our next jjimjilbang trip).

I was homesick this year, but for reasons other than missing a big holiday: Jess got married on Friday and I hated not being there. Combine that with Lisa leaving, and I was an emotional wreck. It also didn't help that a very important fixture in my apartment was broken (which has since been fixed thanks to Jessica, my hero with the correct tools :)).

I have a ton of work to do before tomorrow. It keeps swarming around in my head and it seems like a much bigger ball than it actually is (like when you shove your socks in the drawer instead of folding them). To get through tomorrow, I need to prep for Eagle (yes, I'm *finally* teaching that class), and get into my classroom so I can staple *aallllll* of that day 1 crap I need. And, you know, probably straighten up a bit =p I have this 65 page packet I need to print for each kid in Masters. The whole Model UN thing is going to be awesome (well, once I get it all printed =p). Our first chapter is on conflict diamonds, and I think I might show them some (tameish) scenes from Blood Diamond so they get the idea as to why it is such a problem.

The best idea is probably to go to bed now, and get up and just go straight in tomorrow so I have one day of awfulness instead of trying to rush it all at the last minute.

Also, it snowed last night and this morning. I hope that this isn't a big-snow winter. I hate snow. It's freaking cold and it makes me fall down.

The Zoo - Or, No, I Didn't Hit Her (but I really wanted to...)

2010-11-14T07:58:00.002-05:00

Note: I wrote this under the influence of lots of rage..

Dear Ajjuma Who Was Taunting The Baboons With A *WRAPPED* Piece Of Candy,

You are a terrible human being.

Actually, it's very unfair of me to address this solely to you, but you do represent everything that made me die more-than-a-little on the inside Saturday.

Let me pause to paint a word picture: The animals are in a cage. There is a big sign that says in MULTIPLE languages not to feed the animals. There are people around you throwing crackers and chips to the various ape species and laughing as they catch them. That, in itself, it completely despicable. But you took it three steps in the worst possible direction. First, you had candy - a substance that is made completely out of sugar and also completely unnatural, which means that a baboon's digestive system probably won't handle it well. Second, it was WRAPPED. How the hell was that animal supposed to figure it out? I think the only worse thing than giving it straight sugar is giving it something plastic wrapped to either choke on or, worse, cut up it's insides. Third, you were using the candy to taunt it into doing a trick. You wanted the baboon to spin around. The smaller one clinging to the cage beneath the alpha male you were taunting actually knew this trick and was spinning in circles desperate to get the treat instead. The baboon naturally became frustrated and started screaming and growling at you. Your reaction to all of this was to laugh, hold the candy out further, and continue to taunt it.

In America, you would have been arrested. In America, I would have probably found a zoo worker and had you removed (telling you to stop wouldn't have stopped as you probably would have yelled back at me and went back to taunting the animals as soon as I walked away). Not sure if you realize this, but your behavior is an example of why animals in Asain zoos are stressed beyond all belief. The animals are there to be observed in a safe environment, not taunted. These are animals. They don't have an advanced frontal lobe that allows them to just forget it and calm down. No, he's now enraged. As he has a tiny cage and can't run off the anger, he will react with violence. He'll probably end up attacking one of the other baboons - possibly the newborn that is running around in his excited baby exploration.

Actually, if you were the first person I saw feeding the animals, I probably would have yelled at you. But I was slowly dropped into this well of completely irresponsible animal behavior. It started with the woman who was throwing carrots to the zebras. I was shocked - but I wondered if maybe this was something the zoo allowed since it was just carrots. Wasn't happy with the way her kid was throwing the carrot pieces at the zebras, instead of to them. Then I saw the guy giving those flavor-less animal crackers to the llamas (yes, I see the irony). When he first approached them, he reached out like he was going to pet them, and I wanted to warn him because those animals bite - but I wasn't sure how to communicate that (yay language barriers), and then he started feeding it the crackers. I walked away. I couldn't believe it. Then I saw YOU with the candy at the baboon cage.

Perhaps I have too high of an expectation as to how animals should be treated in captivity. My mom and I didn't own dogs until we had a giant place for them to run around. My dad is a wildlife biologist. Most of my experience with zoos has involved the National Zoo in Washington, DC - probably the most animal-friendly facility in America. But this whole thing was just wrong. I'm so glad that I didn't have to pay an entrance fee because I would have demanded my money back as to not give any sort of financial support to this place.

In short: if you're from a country that has strict animal cruelty laws, don't go to zoos here.

HEADACHHHEEE!!!! (literally..)

2010-10-02T11:46:00.002-04:00

Hit another roadblock with this whole cultural difference thing. This time? Medicine..

I guess it's a sign that I've been really unstressed in Korea that I *haven't* gotten one of my killer migraines thus far. Well, until tonight. As I've spent the day knitting and watching Psych (<3), I think it's a safe bet that this one came on from eye strain. It was pretty late..pharmacies were closed...and my ibuprofen was in my locker at work.

What's a girl to do?

Attempted to drink coffee to see if the caffeine would kill it (it's like stress and smokers - nicotine technically is a stimulant, but cigarettes calm people down because it's satisfying an addiction). No luck. Came home, turned off all the lights and just writhed in pain (very much like the tentacles of a just-killed octopus waiting on your plate to eat it........you know, only in Korea =p). Remembered that I still had cold medicine. Some said cold medicine was for fever - and everyone knows that headache medicine lowers fevers, so shouldn't it work the other way around? Not that I'm recommending anyone play experiment-fun-time with medication - over the counter or not - but, this fortunately worked.

Moral of the story? If you can't run down to the Jiffy Mart (or, well, Family Mart) to get headache medicine as one can do in Korea - make sure you visit your pharmacy during *working hours* to get some...even when you're not out.

In other news, meeting the foreign teacher knitters in Korea has really done a lot for my own knitting skills. When I came to Korea, I was at like Giga-level...but now, I think I'm about to level up to Eagle (hahahaha - I love how you can use CDI class levels to explain skills in almost everything...now, if only everyone else understood those references, too). I've fallen in love with the wholesale yarn shopping at Dongdaemun market (m4101 to the 2nd stop - Jonggak - take a left, walk to the line 1 stop and take it to DDM), although I'm not allowed to buy any more yarn until I finish this shawl for my mother (which I haven't started yet - but that's totally beside the point ;)). Am making a crap ton of gloves and scarves right now because the weather is turning COLD and this Florida girl is LIKE TOTALLY FREAKING OUT. Well, not really - I actually get hot easily. But still. I hate cold hands.

Living overseas has made it quite clear just how terrible I am at keeping in touch with people. I call my mom a lot because she's often the person I can tell things to that I can't tell anyone else. I call my dad because we like to keep each other posted. But...that's about it. The people who have kept in regular touch with me - Jessi, Chase, Joey - that's because they pretty much do most of the reaching out. I'm a really terrible friend when I'm far away..this is perhaps why I have such a hard time making lasting friendships. As we've all learned, I'm also quite terrible with mail. Let's be honest. I suck at mail. I'm also really bad at taking pictures and posting them.. I think because I now see these things everyday and don't think they're all that special, but keep forgetting that other people back home will think that they are new and interesting. Especially all this funny writing (which, again, I don't think is all that funny looking because I can read it (very slowly...and I also mouth the words..just like a little kid)).

Clearly, I need to get back to Psych and knitting. Both of which are things I totally recommend to anyone else who is at home on this rainy Saturday night :)

Jjimjilbangs!!!

2010-09-23T11:30:00.004-04:00

First, let's have a bit of a vocab/context lesson. A jjimjilbang is pretty much a bath house/sauna. Public bathing is a big thing in the Asian culture, and, thanks to globalization, it's become pretty modernized with mixes of different things from different countries. Yes, Mom, everyone is naked. But, yes, they do separate the genders in every part that involves nakedness.

Siobhain took me to the Dragon Hill Spa in Yongsan (when you come out of the station, go down the stairs and take a right). I was a bit apprehensive. I'm not 100% excited about being naked in front of other people (even if they're just other women in a completely non-sexual way) and I was so afraid that I'd commit a giant faux pas. I had nothing to worry about. My skin feels amazing and it's the most fun I've ever had bathing (not creepy at all). I want to do it again!! =p

Not sure if the rest are like Dragon Hill, but here's a basic run down of how things worked (which I'm putting here because I googled a *ton* of questions I had and didn't find specific enough answers)..

Before You Leave
Being a capitalist society, of course everything you could possibly need at the bath house is on sale there. And as it's a Korean place, it's not completely overpriced. However, if you don't want to spend the extra money for sample-size stuff, pack what you would normally need in the shower: shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrush, deoderant.. But, also because this is kind of a special experience, I'd also say bring those special bath things - that great exfoliant, deep conditioner, face stuff, etc. Don't worry about stuff like a hair dryer and a change of clothes for the coed area. Dragon Hill provided these really comfortable shorts and shirts for when we wanted to take a break from the bath-part to get lunch or hang out in the coed area. One of the things I was concerned about was fit - but, they pretty much size you up visually and give you what will fit you. They're good length shorts, too, and pretty sturdy clothes, so you don't have to worry about things showing.

Entrance
When you walk in, you pay a basic fee that covers entrance, two towels, clothes for the coed area, and locker rental. At DH, the number on our key corresponded to two lockers: one where we put our shoes, and one in the actual locker room where we put our clothes/bag/etc. Make sure you follow the signs and don't walk into the *wrong* room (although, the are very clearly marked in varying humorous forms of English :)).

Before You Take the Plunge
When you walk into your gender-designated area, there will be a person selling bath-related things (and you'll also see a whole lot of naked people =p). At Dragon Hill, instead of giving money for anything once in the bath house, we scanned our key (all of this tallied up for a final bill that we paid when we left). Go to your assigned locker, strip, and grab your bath stuff. Unless you have long hair and want to turban it up, leave both towels there. You won't really want/need to dry off until you're ready to leave. Then, and this is really important, go straight to the shower/bathing area. Although it isn't posted, it's pretty much understood that the first thing you do there is give yourself a good scrub down. Either pick a standing stall shower, or a seat by a faucet (which I really liked), put your stuff down, and go grab a bucket. There's no worry about conservation of water here, so take your sweet time and get really clean. You'll see all kinds of Koreans scrubbing each other's backs...the best were the moms who would go to town on their daughters' backs and necks (oh the faces of agony!) You can leave your stuff there while you enjoy the various other facilities. However, if it's crowded, other people may use your faucet/stall, but they're pretty good about not going through and using your stuff.

If you have long hair, tie it up before you go into the pools and saunas. Despite all of the unsanitary things that happen in Korea (you'll understand when you see your first bathroom), they are really big on keeping hair out of pools.

Things to Remember
They're gonna stare. But not in the bad way. Be honest, if you're not Asian, you're probably going to look back too - out of curiosity. They weren't mean get-out-of-our-place-waygook stares, but more in the range of curiosity. My advice? Get over it. Koreans stare at foreigners even when we have clothes on, so this isn't really all that much different.

Tattoos are okay. My back is covered, and I wasn't told that I needed to cover up or anything. They will do that in parts of Japan, but not here. I did get extra stares, but not really anything that I noticed.

Try out everything. Asians are really into that mix of hot and cold. It was painful at first, but it felt good later. Actually, this really funny ajjuma saw that I was a bit apprehensive about going from the hot pool to the cold pool, and she playfully flicked water in my direction (not a full on splash - definitely not anything that would be rude).

Hang on, note about ajjumas: this group of women rule Korea, and rightfully so. They've been through a lot, and they had to respect the mess out of the elderly when they were kids, so now it's their turn. I've found that when you're open to letting them have the right-of-way in any walks of life, they're really appreciative. I usually give up my seat to anyone above the middle-aged mark on the bus or subway, and, a few times, they've held the seat next to them for me when it becomes vacant. I've also let some ahead of me in line, and they've pulled me right up to the front with them. I think when they see foreigners, they're afraid because they don't know if we realize that they come first, so the hackles go up and they get extra assertive. But, once we show that we realize that they are to be respected, their defenses soften and they see us as a person, not as a rude outsider (this is a bad rep that Westerners have: that we have this whole me-first attitude regardless of age and gender).

Back to the awesomeness of jjimjilbangs..

Go with a friend. Even though I'm of the Get-Over-It school of thought (thanks, Mom), the whole public nakedness thing does help when you're with someone.

Wash off again when you are done!!

Summer ---> Fall

2010-09-23T11:06:00.005-04:00

The last time I wrote, it was so hot that I wanted to die. I should be used to this, being from Florida and all....but it still totally kills me. Now, it's actually cool enough that at night, I kinda wish I had a jacket. My Septembers aren't like this - Septembers for me are usually just as godawul as Augusts, so I'm kinda liking this change.

I say this now, but snow will still happen.

Last time we talked, I was in the middle of intensives. The only thing that got me through was the knowledge of that extra money I'd be bringing home thanks to the extra hours. Unfortunately, we went from those extra hours back into our old schedule for just a bit, and then into a completely new schedule (for those who aren't in this special The Know group, the first two weeks of any term always involve more work). However, our hagwon caved and *actually* gave us a vacation - we got the 3 days for Chuseok (read the freaking Wikipedia page **). Yes, we do have to work the Saturday before and after, but that three days straight was pretty nice :)

Spent my Chuseok mostly with Siobhain, who pretty much is my Korean family :) We spent a lot of time knitting (because it's us), and going to cafes. Sio also introduced me to jjimjilbangs and.......I'm in love. Going to write a separate entry on this that is going to be so awesome and epic and helpful that I think Aclipse should totally feature it in their teacher blog section (hint hint =p)

My knitting has come leaps and bounds here. I don't think I've done anything that hasn't required some sort of pattern or challenge. Right now, I'm doing this cowl for one of my coworkers and a few other smaller projects, but I've worked up the nerve to start lace work and I'm making a shawl for mom that I'm *hoping* will turn out really nice (or, at least nice enough for her to think that I'm a total yarn genius). Gloves have proved to be a giant pain in the rear - I now understand why there are so many fingerless glove and mitten patterns on Ravelry and much fewer fingered glove patterns. For the 1% who are reading this and haven't gone "What is all this knitting nonsense", yes, yarn is available in South Korea - you just have to know where to look.

Finally caved and went to Itaewon (the foreigner-gathering place). I think there are two types of foreigners in Korea: the type that thrive for places like Itaewon because they can't handle all the unfamiliarity, and the type who avoid Itaewon because they think they're "better" than that. I'm definitely in the second group. Yes, there is a lot of ethnic food there, but there's a lot of ethnic food everywhere in Seoul...and for much cheaper, too. It's the only place in Korea that's really loud from people and not just city noises. Plus, as one of my friends has pointed out, it's also one of the few places in which strangers will actually know what we're talking about.

I've also made peace with the M-4101. I discovered the Jonggak/Jongro/YMCA bus stop. It's the second stop on the route (once into Seoul) and pretty close to a few subway stations. I found the line one station, and I have a sneaking suspicion that if I turn the other way, I'll hit the City Hall station which is connected to line 2. It's saved me about an hour of my trip into Seoul (arg..traffic between Jonggak all the way to the Myeongdong/Euljiro-il-ga (or ip-gu if you're talking to Calvin) makes me want to stab puppies). On this, I realized that I can get *back on* the bus here, and not have to deal with the whole ajjuma shove-fest to get the last seat.

** For the condensed version, Chuseok is pretty much the "Korean Thanksgiving", except instead of eating turkey and watching football, they give thanks/praise/etc to their ancestors and eat songpyeon (tiny rice cakes full of surprise goodness)...and, apparently, according to that Wiki page, play tug-of-war...

Loss and Gain (or, The Final Shopping Trip and Yarn+Hello Kitty)

2010-08-14T12:29:00.004-04:00

Last weekend brought one of the worst things since coming to Korea. Tim, one of my closest friends here, moved back to America for grad school. It was like a giant fist with the words "HAHA TEMPORARY!!" flew through the air and smashed me right in the liver. I (metaphorically) doubled over in pain, gagging like crazy, and when I looked up, he was already back in America. Tim's Last Weekend was awesomeness that involved a "surprise" birthday party (that he asked for and made the guest list for and requested the location for) and then a final day of shopping (don't worry concerned parties (again, parents), I avoided The Gap and went to Uniqlo, which has Target prices).

Like the passing of the Olympic torch, Tim ended his time by passing me his Shinsegae point card.

Tim filled a pretty big void in my life that I thought I'd left behind in America when I said bye to Joey and Chase (who, thank goodness, have stepped in with some fantastic Skype conversations the last few weeks...even though Joey really needs to get a microphone ASAP): the platonic male friendship in which no topic is taboo with an understood wavelength that just automatically synchs, so that there's no need to explain what we're not looking at when we talk about it (or, well him ;)), or to provide context for a thought that comes out of nowhere.

This weekend, I had all intentions of staying in bed. One, I'm allowing myself a weekend of wallowing in minus-Tim depression..and, two, Intensives are kicking my butt and I'm quite sleep deprived. However, it was Siobhain's birthday, and she really wanted to go yarn shopping...so I crawled out of Suji and arrived in Seoul 3 hours late. The idea was that I'd miss Dongdaemun so I wouldn't be seduced by things that I didn't need, but then we ended up at Banul and I saw this yarn and....just couldn't help myself *^^*

Now to figure out what to make with it. I have 3 balls - they're each different dye lots, but they're pretty similar.

The original plan involved seeing Inception - which Cait and I had already seen, but could totally handle seeing again - but the only showings by that time started at 10:00 pm. As only one of us lives a decently-priced cab ride home away, we decided to forego that, and go to the Hello Kitty cafe in Sinchon. In case you haven't noticed from lack of pictures on this blog, I kinda need to charge my camera (for a few months now *^^*), so I didn't have it on me and OH MY GOSH DID I REGRET IT (which only means I have to go back). It was just the right amount of cuteness AND the coffee was decently priced for a novelty cafe! We got Sio a cute Hello Kitty cake with candles. When Cait and Caroline add their photos on facebook, I'm going to tag myself in them ;p

So..when this intensive nightmare is over, I think I'm going to go through my yarn and tag it all...plus make a list of patterns on ravelry since I'm constantly haunting that site..

Public..........things!!!

2010-07-24T11:51:00.004-04:00

I've gotten over the whole no dryers thing, and I think I may manage to survive another x years without Chick-fil-A, but I've decided that there are two things that are quite lacking in South Korea.

1. Trash Cans
I've mentioned this before, but after last weekend, I believe it deserves a revival. The reason why people leave their trash EVERYWHERE in Korea is that there is no place to throw away anything!! Or, if there is, then that space is occupied by like 10 receptacles with specific purposes, which I'm sure are clearly outlined on the signs that are too faded for me to read. I carried around a Starbucks cup for an hour last weekend because I couldn't find a place to throw it away (conscience was too guilty to just leave it on the train).

I am wondering if the lack of trash cans is just the government's way of creating jobs for the elderly. All around my complex, there's a giant team of ajumas whose job it is to straighten up the trash area. Koreans are quite picky about recycling, and anything that isn't supposed to be thrown away is usually just thrown in front of the (what in the world would you call those things?) From everything I've gathered, this is the proper procedure. However, if you live in Suji, please reply and explain to me the difference between the purplish-red and the purplish-blue but-otherwise-identical trash centers. I know one is trash that can be burned and the other.....isn't...but I don't get the difference.. .

2. Public Restrooms
Before we begin - I'm not entirely sure I want my grandmother to read this. Well. Maybe it's more that I don't want my grandmother knowing how much I think about bathroom behavior.. .

Okay, yes, I know they exist. But I always happen to be in that one part of Seoul when I REALLY HAVE TO go potty (terminology is backlash from having a pediatric nurse for a mother - the phrase stuck =p). I've mapped out the public restrooms in the places I visit regularly...with the exception of the Gangnam subway station - that sucker just keeps teleporting on me. I've come to terms with squat toilets, and even with the one-giant-roll-of-tissue-outside-of-the-stalls-for-everyone-to-share. I even got past the whole no-soap thing (hello anti-bacterial cream).

That said, if I rubbed the magic bathroom lap (don't even try to make a metaphor out of that one) and the genie only granted me one wish, it would not be an increase in quantity. Oh no. It would be to redesign the entire country's men's room floor plan. Specifically, the location of the urinals in proximity to the doors. Other foreigners in Korea know what I'm talking about: there is no privacy wall or convenient corner to hide these babies behind. No. If you walk by a men's room (which usually is required when walking out of a lady's), you are face-to-face with a row of urinals. Being that it is obviously located in Korea, my school is designed the same way. I'm frightened out of my mind that I'm going to walk out of the bathroom one day while one of my male students is taking care of business.

Sidenote: According to a sign in the Suji Shinsegae restrooms, there is such a thing as the Korean Toilet Association.

Public Transportation

2010-07-18T09:35:00.003-04:00

Living in Korea has become a culture shock for a number of different reasons. The obvious aside, this is the first time in my adult (or at least old enough to be allowed to go out on my own) that I've lived in such a big city (yes, I know that I don't actually live in Seoul, but it's close enough). This is also the first time that I've lived anywhere in which public transportation is the preferable option. For my first several months here, I only used the subway. I couldn't really read hangul and I didn't know enough about where I was going to want to chance getting off at the wrong stop and then just getting lost.

Then came the weekend we went to Busan. I had a choice - I could get up at 5am and take the subway, or I could sleep until 7 and take the M4101. Guess which one won? The M4101 was actually a good "first step" bus because it has this convenient light-up sign that shows where you are on the route and a marquee sign that alternates between Korean and English (which, as I've discovered as time's gone on, is usually malfunctioning). A few weeks later, we had to take the 8201 to Gangnam, and I realized that I totally recognized the whole area and totally could do this By Myself. I stopped taking the subway and was bus-only.

Until the battle started. The M4101 is convenient, but not without a price. The M busses don't allow you to stand, so once all the seats are filled, that's it. And everyone who lives in Suji wants to be on the M4101 when coming back from north-eastern Seoul. It got to the point in which I would dread coming into the city because I just wasn't looking forward to the ride home (as Tim knows, that dread wasn't enough to stop me from our almost weekly meetings in Myeong-dong =p). I'm also not a general fan of the whole pre-boarding zoo. Koreans, who are polite people, become pushy and impatient when a bus or subway shows up. They crowd to the beginning of the line, and act as if the world is melting behind them and their only escape is that bus.

So, getting to the thought behind this entry (yay long preludes), tonight wound up with me on the opposite side of Seoul than I originally intended (I was supposed to meet a friend for TACO BELL which just opened in Korea, but he totally stood me up - otherwise, this entry would've been about how Taco Bell is just one of those American things that's impossible to explain to non-meeguks). I had a choice: line 2 to Gangnam and 8201 home, or just keep taking the train back to Suji. Being that it's been a while since I've spent quality time with the Bundang line (last time was either Aaron's Last Weekend or the time I was refused entry to the M4101 and had the convo with Tim about how I felt like Rosa Parks), I decided to take the train home. Man, it takes longer, but it is so much nicer! None of that traffic nonsense! It's so much quieter! The walk home is a pain, but it also made me feel less guilty about the....things I've eaten and probably shouldn't have *^^*.

With today not involving meeting Edward (oh he gets a name on the blog!) in Itaewon (omg, yes, my first visit to Itaewon - which I've successfully avoided for the entire 5 and a half months I've been here - resulted in me getting stood up! Jerkface...), Tim came to my social rescue and invited me to crash his dinner party with our mutual friend, Siobhain (yes, Macbook spell-check, she *does* spell her name with 2 i's), who has introduced me to the knitting world of foreigners in Seoul. She also sold me some of her stash yarn, which is pretty sweet seeing as my supply is running a bit low.. She lives near the Sports Complex, which is an insanely beautiful area! I'm adding that to one of the places I'd like to live while I'm still in Korea.

I Got Lost!

2010-07-10T11:52:00.003-04:00

There is no metaphor behind that title - I literally got lost. More lost than I have ever been in Korea. Before we go any further, I feel the need to reassure all concerned parties (e.g., my parents) of something insanely important: I live in one of the top five safest places on the PLANET. Little children in Suji-gu walk home alone after their 10pm academies let out.

Back story: My friend Tim threw me a "surprise" birthday party. Surprise in quotation marks because I knew about it (however, it did involve one fantastic surprise - I got to see my favorite Korean friend who had said earlier that he was completely busy...he did have to leave right away, but it was nice seeing him :)). We had a very American dinner followed by norebang (Lady Marmalade!) and it was exactly what I wanted.

Okay. So. Tonight was definitely the night of Bad Decisions. Not the type of bad decisions that involve hospitals and babies and brain poisoning, but definitely not ones that involved thinking. Bad Decision one was not to get on the M-4101 - a bus that goes directly from Myeong-dong (the neighborhood in Seoul where we had dinner/norebang) to Suji. I have a love-hate relationship with that bus because it's such a battle to get on. The M busses don't allow people to stand, so once all the seats are full, that's it. And everyone wants on that bus because it's the fastest way to get back to Suji from north of the river. Instead, I got on the 5500-2. Mostly because it was there. And convenient. It's a G-bus...and while they are less crowded, they also don't have that nice convenient light-up map that shows where you are on the route. Leading us to mistake number two (the Big One).

I got off at the wrong stop. I wasn't quite sure where we were. I heard the bus announcement say "Suji" - I looked around outside, thought I recognized the area, and just jumped off. I was afraid that I'd stay on it too long. Bad Decision number three is directly correlated: I looked around and realized I was a bit further away from Pungdeokcheong-dong (my neighborhood) than I realized, so I looked around again, thought I saw one of the downtown buildings, and started walking straight. I was wrong. Then I saw the M-4101 take a turn, so I followed it thinking that it would lead me to stuff I recognized. Wrong again. Had no clue how to get back to the bus stop. Had no clue where I was in relation to anything.

So I hailed a cab. Told him that I wanted to go to Pungdeokcheong. He had no clue where that was. So I told him to take me to the Suji Lotte Mart. He insisted there was no Lotte Mart in Suji (if any coworkers are reading this, here is a good place to laugh - to those who don't live here, I go to the Suji Lotte Mart like once a week). So I did the only thing I could think to do. I called Tim so he could help translate (Tim, if you're reading this, I love you and thank you forever for talking to that cab driver; I'm going to speak for my mother and tell you that she loves you too as you were involved in me getting un-lost, even though the idiot cab driver was...well...still an idiot). I overhear him telling Tim that there is no Lotte in Suji, but there is a Shinsegae in Jukjeon. Ok, fine, it's a million years away from my apt, but I know where it is in reference to where I live and, obviously, how to get home. So I tell the man that the Shinsegae in Jukjeon is fine. He looks at me as if I have 8 heads and starts driving. I look around to see if there's anything I recognize so I don't have to make that long-ass walk home. Nothing. Oh well. We get to an intersection that I kinda recognize, and he points out Lotte Mart and asks if that's where I want to go. YES!!! Well, he turns toward Shinsegae anyway. At one point, I swear he said something insanely derogative about having a foreigner in his cab..

Drops me off at Shinsegae. I walk home, laughing the whole 15 minutes. The whole time, I was just a few blocks away from where I wanted to be.

Top Five Annoying Things about Students in Korea

2010-07-02T19:23:00.004-04:00

I've already pulled the culture card once on here, so I might as well throw a round of Go Fish.

I mentioned this as a venting on my blog, but, come on, we can all relate..

1. Oh-my-god-my-____________-fell-and-I-have-to-get-it-right-now!!!!!!
Picture this. You're teaching class. Your kids have been a bit overly rambunctious and you're pulling your Satan-teacher card to scare them into being quiet. You've done it. They're all listening. You're telling them that whatever-important thing that they need to know _right now_, and, for once, you think you won't have to repeat yourself. Then a kid drops his eraser. Despite the fact that they're doing nothing relating to writing at the moment, the kid goes into a manic frenzy. Of course, it's the kid who sits in the middle of the row, so it's not just a matter of reaching over and picking it up. Oh no, whatever attention you had is now completely lost as the kid leans over his desk and looks forlornly at his lost friend. Then the once-quiet class becomes an eruption of grinding as the kid scoots his desk forward so he can capture his eraser underneath. Don't even think about telling the kid to wait until you are done talking. Oh no. Clearly, possession of the eraser is linked to bodily functions, and the kid NEEDS it right next to him AT ALL TIMES or else his lungs will collapse. The more important whatever it is you're telling them, the more frantic the kid will become if he drops something.

2. Umbrellas
This is probably a cross-cultural thing. When it rains, kids come to school with umbrellas, and they quickly become automatic toys. I think it's worse with kids here because more tend to carry umbrellas (I thank the parents for this). But we've all had it - the sword fights, the pretend machine guns, and, my favorite, whatever you call the game where they trip each other. The annoyance doesn't end with the mischievous ones, either - as umbrellas have no way to independently free-stand, rainy days become a chorus of "clack, clack, clack" as gravity bests the unwieldy objects and they clatter to the ground from their precarious perches. Related to the previous, the kids can't just let them be* - oh no - they need to jump up and fix it RIGHT NOW. No matter what is happening at the moment, they've got to right their umbrella. Because clearly it is a bomb and will explode if they don't fix it immediately.

*Well, 1% of them can, but they are the ones who like to sit on the edges, and their umbrellas are scientifically designed to fall right across my path.

3. Two volumes: 0 and 10000000000
Korean kids have one of two tones of voice. Either they speak at a volume that only certain species of bat can hear (because clearly foreign teachers are bats), or THEY TALK IN ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME. The quiet ones can't be understood - and they're usually insanely sweet, so you feel awful that you have no clue if they're saying "Teacher, I need help with number 5" or "Potatoes and bananas are a terrible combination." The loud ones - well, that's obvious.

4. "TEACHER, FINISHEE!!"
Does this one even need an explanation? Okay, from people back home who are reading this, a few things you should know.. There's a word in the Korean language for "teacher" - it's a very polite term, and that's what they use to address their teachers (they don't call them Ms. or Mr. So-and-so); there's no word equivalent in English, so they just call us "Teacher" - I expected this to be annoying, but it's actually kind of cute (and a bajillion times less annoying than choruses of "Ms. Eagle! Ms. Eagle!"

But I digress..

"Teacher, finishee!" is a whole new level of nails-against-a-chalkboard. I'm not sure if this is something their public school teachers encourage, or a habit that one kid started and the rest picked up on like a cruel Punk'd joke, but for some reason, Korean kids _love_ to announce when they're done with something. It's like a contest between them. You just want to look at the kid and go, "Okay, your point?" but you know that's not polite. My response is usually to tell them what to do next, and they always look so dejected that I'm not praising them for their accomplishment (sorry, but you don't get a cookie for numbering your lines).

5. "Teacher, me! TEACHER ME!!!!"
Remember that saying so shoved down our throats that we lost it's meaning: "Patience is a virtue"? We weren't entirely sure what it meant, but we did know that if we were ever impatient or demanding about something, we had to sit and listen to a long lecture. So, not because we sought to be virtuous or anything (hell no, we just didn't want to listen to our parents), we learned at a young age not to demand what we needed RIGHT NOW THIS INSTANT. Well, kids in Korea have missed out on this one. It is a truth acknowledged by all foreign teachers in this country that as soon as you start giving one student one-on-one attention, you will immediately be interrupted with a chorus of "Teacher! Teacher!" This whole lack of patience manifests itself in many ways. The most common include calling on one student to answer a question and having five other kids shout it out in the nanosecond it takes the initial kid to look in his book to fact check; kids mistakenly thinking you are blind, despite all evidence to the contrary, and feeling that they must shout "ME! ME! ME!" because you are completely unable to see that their hand is in the air; a student asks you a question, and mid answer, another kid "SHOUTS HIS OWN!!"

Oh, and my personal favorite, "Alright, turn to pag----""TEACHER! WHAT PAGE!!"

Sometimes you want to go / Where everybody knows your name / And they're always glad you came

2010-07-02T19:07:00.002-04:00

Confession: I've never actually seen an episode of Cheers. However, I felt that it was fitting seeing the subject matter of my post.

Underground.

On the surface, it's a club/bar/not entirely sure of the correct table. But, looking past, it's much more. The owners told me that when they created the place, they wanted to make somewhere for foreigners that they could have a connection to - where they could feel like they could go and be a part of something (this wasn't said, but I think the implication was there, "Because often, this country can be really closed off to outsiders"). Obviously, when we think about belonging, we don't think loud drunk people (well, I don't), but there still is something really comfortable about that place.

Sunny and Daehee have definitely shown that not everyone in this country is closed off to outsiders. They have gone out of their way to welcome us and to make sure that we do have a place here. Daehee has become one of my best friends here. Despite language barriers, we've found countless things to talk about and laugh about.

If you ever end up in the Suji area, definitely go find Underground. You'll have a great time, and you'll make a ton of friends - Korean and foreign alike (admittedly, much more of the latter - however, the locals who do go there go for the purpose of mingling with foreigners, so there isn't that line of separation that normally exists at such places).

"Sameness"

2010-06-18T20:52:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure if this blog is insanely racist, or the complete opposite.

This week, our discussion and group project dealt with multi-racial children. My students and I talked about kids at their schools who were not 100% Korean. A handful of my students had one "non-Korean" at their school. Oddly, most had Korean dads and American moms, which confused me at first, but then some person (totally forgot who it was, but they are most likely much more sensible than I am) pointed out that if it were a Korean mom, then the family would probably live wherever the father was from.

Hopefully discussing discussion topics isn't like revealing any deep Chungdahm pedagogy secrets..

So all of the talk got me thinking about my own place here. Suji is in no way near as diverse as Seoul. There are foreigners here, but only a small handful, and we're all teachers. It is diverse enough that we don't really get the stares. Well, I do, but usually it's because I'm sitting and knitting, and I think Koreans are watching me because I'm doing something strange, not just because I'm white(ish). When I think about it, it's sometimes strange living in such a homogenous culture. A friend of mine and I talked about the "sameness" - he's not a fan of it, coming from one of the most diverse parts of America, but I've gotten to the point that I don't even notice.

I'm trying to figure out the point in which I stopped looking at my students and thinking "Asian" and just thought "hmm...he looks like he might be in fourth grade...got that impish look of a troublemaker". I don't really notice it in adults, either. I can remember a time in which Asian features really jumped out at me, but now, I don't really notice. I think this is a good thing - I've never been one to rely on stereotypes, but I'm a huge fan of any experience that allows me to see who people really are outside of the framework designed by their culture.

I remember when I first took this job I was afraid that I would fail because I wouldn't be able to understand the kids. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I have a really hard time getting used to new speech patterns, and accented English always throws me through a hell of a comprehension loop. I don't even notice it anymore - the "F"s as "P"s, the blending of "G" and "K" (did you know that the "G" and "K" sounds are actually insanely similar?). I was definitely worrying over nothing (hey, that sounds familiar). I don't even notice a difference in my kids' pronunciation, which is good, because now I'm paying more attention to what they're actually saying..

So, back to this whole idea of "sameness". I don't know if I entirely agree. Yes, there is a lot of similarity, but that doesn't mean this culture is lacking in individuality. I remember one of the big statements in the argument over school uniforms is that it will force students to express themselves in ways other than clothing, and I think that is happening here. In America, it's much easier to judge a person at face value (yes, I did say "judge"). American sub-cultures are largely defined by music - in many cases, it influences clothing styles and attitudes, so it's really easy to look at someone and figure out where they belong. Not saying that's the case all the time. In Korea, everyone looking alike forces you to talk to people to figure out who they really are. Yes, there are still things you can see immediately - I still maintain that a person who is an absolute jerk exudes that from their pores.

친구 - it's been ages =p

2010-06-06T05:25:00.003-04:00

Yeah, I never post anymore...

New term has started. Even though I was hired to teach the higher-levels, I have a ton of lower levels again. However, I'm different from many of the teachers - I like the lower-level ones. Prepping is easier, and they are so cute! And usually say things that make me laugh so hard :) My "token child" this term is a self-proclaimed dancer. So far, all of the sentences he has to construct during "Let's Talk About You" have been about dancing. My favorite was the "is different' from": "Teacher's dancing is different from my dancing" (then he stood up and did the hula). I'm also teaching the Level 2 (higher level) IBT prep class, which isn't as painful as I thought (I'm owing all of that to the kids and their insanely awesome personalities - not sure how much actual work we'll get done.....), and 2 Alba Listening classes (higher level). The Alba kids are quiet as ghosts - probably because all of the outgoing ones are in the IBT class. My branch does higher levels on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and why they are offering the Level 2 IBT electives on the SAME days as the regular reading and listening classes is beyond me. I'm hoping that it's just first-day shyness and that they'll open up a bit more in the coming weeks. Didn't help that our Critical Thinking Project totally blew (sorry CDI, but the Track B Lesson 1 CTP STTIINNNKKKSSS - but, don't worry, in true good-teacher fashion, in class I pretended it was the coolest thing on the planet).

Went on another total shopping spree today with my "man-friend" Tim. Spent way too much money; however, I have like 4.5 million won saved so far. Intensives are coming up, and that little egg is going toward The Future. But I digress - let's talk more about the shopping because, face it, it's a lot more fun =p. Went to The Gap (partially because I am frightened that I still don't fit in Korean-store clothes....and partially because I am currently coveting some of their summer line) and I bought replacements for 2 shirts I purchased a month ago that are now too big. God, I love it. Put an asterisk here - I'm coming back to this idea*. I know that I probably could've taken out my shiny new sewing kit (<3 u, Lotte Mart!!) and taken them in, but I think I'm going to cut them up and do a t-shirt deconstruction project. Man I wish I'd brought my copy of Generation T: 108 Things To Do With A T-Shirt; however (don't you love these contrast transitions???), I did find this cute shrug pattern which may prove promising :).

Okay, back to that asterisk I know you _all_ placed. If you're reading this because you followed my blog here from Aclipse and/or found through a search engine because you are coming to Korea soon and are like me and wanted to read about everyone's experiences (INHALE), here's something you need to know: be prepared for your weight to fluctuate. I don't own a scale, but I know I've lost like 2 pants sizes here. Now, that may not prove true for everyone - I was like insanely overweight when I got here, so, really, it didn't take much for all of it to fall of. BUT (circle!!) I will guarantee that _all_ of your clothes will stretch with washing because Korea doesn't have dryers. (You get a drying rack - really makes you appreciate how easy it was to do your laundry back home.) I am probably not really a medium, but I buy most of my clothes from American stores here (yes, like The Gap) in a medium because they stretch out. Hence why I had to buy 2 new shirts (still, looking forward to turning the old ones into shrugs...especially seeing that this country isn't a giant fan of the tank top).

Also, I will buy dinner for the person who comes over to my apartment to tell me *where* I can put more clothing storage.

Related, Jessi, I owe you dinner (this is from like a month ago, but I'm just now confirming). Keep a tally and you can cash in when I come back :)

I realize that this whole entry has been about shopping and clothes. I'm not sure if it's me growing up, or this country, but I have become so vain! Before, washing my face was like a 30 second process - now, I'm running out of room in my bathroom for all of my facial products!!! Not entirely sure it's made my skin clear up, but I *can* see a difference in the clogged pores on my nose. Future expats (if you're still reading), don't worry about bringing a ton of products to Korea. You can't walk down the street without running into 5 or 6. Million. Plus, on weekends, they are constantly trying to lure you into their stores with free stuff - take advantage of the competition and score it all! If I need like 3 things, I will go into three different stores just so I can get the 3 different free gifts :)

Family who are reading this: don't worry, I'm not spending all of my money. I barely scratched the surface of my savings, and it was fun. I promise I only do this like once a month (if that) AND my shopping partner is moving back to America in August.

May, In Review

2010-05-17T22:10:00.004-04:00

My dad pointed out to me that my last entry was a month old, oops! The silence doesn't mean that nothing new has happened (hence the blog's title "Audrey's Adventures.....") - actually, quite the opposite. So much has happened that I'm a bit intimidated about updating *^^*

During the Great Silence, I went from one side of the country to the other. The weekend of the first, our academy directors took us northeast to see Seoraksan. On the way, we stopped by the Goseong Unification Observatory, which is the eastern most point of the DMZ. It is a less popular place because it is just a lookout, but we did get a lot of pictures of North Korea. Looking back through my photos, I focused a lot on this one building that we kept referring to "Kim Jong Il's Not-So-Secret-Hideout" (which started as a joke that it was his hiding-in-plain-sight summer home; in reality, it's probably just some abandoned building).

After buying icecream, we got back into the Chungdahm bus and headed to Seoraksan. The plan was to take a cable car to the temple at the top, but the Wind Demon prevented us from fulfilling those plans. Instead, we walked around the base and went to the temple there. Our director, in her fantastic sense of humor, found these two rocks close together and said that if you could pass between them, you were in good health. A few of my coworkers tested her theory before she started laughing and said, "No, I'm kidding - I have no idea what these are for!" However, some Chinese tourists had watched us walk between the stones, and when we left, they started to copy us. Our director laughed again - the whole thing reminded me of Hayden's tour-guide act in Connecticut (the short version: they were bored, so he put on a fake European accent and stared making up stories about the surrounding areas...one of the stories resulted in the best holiday ever, Aveomas).

At Seoraksan, I was totally fascinated by the wishing stones. There were stacks of these flat stones that represented people's wishes. As I was concerned about a since solved matter, I made more than one wish. My greedyness was rewarded when, on my third round, the entire pile collapsed beneath my tiny stone. My coworkers laughed and said that I destroyed everyone's wishes. I know you get seven years bad luck for breaking a mirror - I can't wait to see what's in store for me for ruining dozens of wishes...

The accompanying picture post, which I am just now mentioning, will also include shots of silkworm larvae. Those little buggers (literally!) are chock-full of protein - good for mountain climbing!

The following week brought May 5, which in Korea is Children's Day. That week was IBT testing (the test they take to move up to the next level), so a handful of kids had to take a test on a day devoted to their happiness! We had class early and were out by 4, which meant that we had time to go to Seoul to celebrate an equally important holiday: Cinco de Mayo! I figured Dos Tacos would be packed with foreigners, but we were lucky and got a table right away. I miss Mexican food so much! Actually, anyone reading this who happens to be in the Seoul area, drop me a line and we will go :)

That weekend, May 8-9, I joined Anna and Laura and we ventured south to Busan to visit Christi, who had just returned to Korea. Busan is just like southern California! It was a completely different world than Seoul - much more laid back, and with a relaxed style that Seoul just couldn't do. Christi's place is amazing - her apartment is three times the size of my tiny villa and she lives insanely close to almost anything a person could need.

The beach was a much-needed getaway from Suji/Seoul. The Koreans were completely fascinated with us, despite Busan being such a foreign destination. We kept getting approached by people asking us where we were from - some even wanted to take our pictures with them. According to Jen, in the summer, every inch of sand is covered with umbrellas. The Koreans flock to the beach, but avoid the sun because pale skin is considered to be more beautiful.

Rounding out this month of awesomeness (which isn't anywhere near over) was a trip to Caribbean Bay, the water park attached to Everland. Jen's birthday is coming up soon and that is what she wanted to do! She chose a fantastic weekend, too - it's off season, so the park wasn't too crowded, and the weather was beautiful. If you go, expect to find rules that are a bit different from American water parks. Learn from our mistakes: You don't have to get a life jacket to go in the wave pool if you don't go past the red line. The waves break after the red line, so it's more fun in front of it anyway =p. We bodysurfed and slammed into poor, unsuspecting Koreans like champions! Also, bring a hat. They won't let you into the wave pool without one (something about keeping the water clean?).

The boomerang slide was by far my favorite of the few that were open. It starts off like a regular tube ride, but at the end, you're shot up this giant wall of water, and then slingshot back down into the pool. This trip was all about relaxing and being away from responsibility, but I think next time I go, I will do that ride multiple times! Stella, like a champion, let go of the tube and held up her arms at the very top - I was too busy screaming to do anything similar to that braveness ;)

Here comes the 신부

2010-04-20T12:00:00.002-04:00

The sole bright spot of certain drama illuminated over two new friends: the couple who own Underground - Sonny and...Sonny's Wife. For those not in Suji, that's a club/bar we frequent on Friday nights when we're out celebrating our two-day pause from Chungdahm. Two weekends in a row, they've "kidnapped" me and taken me out to dinner with them and another one of their friends (yes =p). Sonny's Wife has declared us "good friends" (to the point that at her wedding, she kept calling my name for me to go over to her - and then when I left, clasped my hand and wouldn't let go), yet I have absolutely no clue what her name is. Sonny referred to her as "my fiancee" and Baekhyun calls her "Sonny's Wife", so..... I'm contemplating naming her "Cher".. .

Anyway, Sunday was their wedding. Tony, Kevin, Jen, and I attended. It was held in this giant tower of electronics; before Sunday, I was like, "what?......." but getting there, we found that it was actually this area set up for weddings. It was insanely nice and had this beautiful chandelier that I couldn't stop staring at.

This Korean wedding was pretty similar to an American wedding. The biggest difference were the guests: people talked throughout the whole thing! And they didn't dress as nicely as guests to American weddings do - most men were there in jeans. Afterwards, there was this fantastic buffet! No wonder Korean weddings cost so much!!

No dancing - that seems to be a pretty western thing.

Completely unrelated: anyone else notice that Koreans aren't big on having their shocks, brake pads, or CV joints worked on? Every time a car passes by my window, I cringe! yet they're all about keeping their cars clean.....go figure =p

Gloves!

2010-04-16T00:01:00.003-04:00

So this has nothing to do with teaching or South Korea, but I am such an irresponsible knitter that I get way too excited when I finish a project..

I cast off with *way* too small of a needle on the left one, so I need to go back and redo them if I have any hope of being able to do things like open my fingers. I also haven't tied off or woven in any of the loose ends - despite that, I'm totally wearing them to work today :D

I taught my EC4 kids the word "scandalous" when we were reading the Anna Marker story (at the end - when Mike gives Karen the ring), and now every time there's the hint of a love story between characters, my students go, "Teacher, scandalous!" This is totally the face that goes with that:

Don't call them hobo gloves (this means you, Lisa). They are not hobo gloves =p My grandmother said that they were for golfing and asked if I was playing again.

Also, I have this obnoxiously bright hot pink color...and I'm totally open for ideas with it (only one ball, so nothing too big and fancy =p)..

But Not Quite Ready to Leave....

2010-04-12T13:09:00.005-04:00

As promised, I am going to write a list of the things I will miss about Korea. Which, actually, as this has only been 3 months, maybe I should call it, "The Top 12 Great First Impressions Provided by Korea"?

1. My students
I know, gag me with a spoon, but I love how competitive they are. I have one class who treats the critical thinking project like they are guarding state secrets. They get so competitive - even going out of their way during the post-presentation discussion to argue why theirs is the best. I also like talking with my older, more fluent students - they understand some of the cultural differences, so we're able to talk more about abstract concepts, and it's so amazing how smart they are.

2. The food
Just when I think everything is how-would-you-like-your-bulgogi-and-rice-and-red-pepper-paste-arranged, I eat something that's absolutely fantastic that...just can't happen in the states. Like my mistaken-not-really-bulgogi-dapbap. And kimbap. And kimchi mandu. I feel that in America, they'd find some way to deep fry both and just ruin them..

3. The foreigners
Now before you, "What?!" this one, let me explain.. Korea is a place where you form connections with people just because they happen to speak English, and I've found that I've become really good friends with people who I wouldn't have hung out with at home. That sounds a bit backhanded, so I'm going to clarify that I am so excited that being this minority has given me the chance to meet all of them. I've definitely learned a lot about myself and branched out with the person that I am (stop me before this gets too Hallmark).

4. Lotte
Yeah, had to do a u-turn after that last one =p. I love just wandering around Lotte and people watching. It's a lot like being at Target, but different - mostly because I don't spend the insane amount of money (because I'm not a Korean size in anything =p). I love the combinations of things they put together as sales, too - like the cream cheese and chapstick bundle from last week. It's such a neat combination of eastern and western cultures, too - like even though it is the Korean version of a Super Target, there's still a bit of that at-the-marketplace culture, with the workers trying to get you to buy something, or show you something, or help you choose an item.

5. The fashion
Again, a shallow idea that runs a bit deeper. I love the way Koreans - both men and women - dress. There's something about it that is insanely fashionable, but still tasteful - a concept that I think we're lacking in the US. I love that I haven't had to tell a preteen male to pull up his pants - something that I had to say at least twenty times a day while teaching in America. I love that the girls don't put their developing cleavage on display. I love that everyone dresses constantly to make an impression - there's no way a site like "People of E-Mart" could exist. But, they do all of this without sacrificing the art of looking good. America's Next Top Model is starting to scrape the bottom with it's overseas trips (Hawaii, anyone?) - Seoul would be such a fantastic destination. But, then we'd have Tyra Banks here. Not sure how I'd feel about that one...

6. The efficiency
I was talking about my students with this one - Koreans just make everything easy. Sometimes, I feel like America goes out of it's way to make things complicated just because they can. In class, I referenced the sloped conveyer-belt-people-mover at the back of Lotte so that you can take your cart upstairs without having to push it up some ramp. I'm sure that those exist in America, but not in any stores I visited. I'm sure after I post this, I'll think of some fantastic example - so think of the Lotte one as a place-holder =p

7. The Korean boys
I don't think an explanation is necessary =p

8. Indecision corner and restaurant alley
Every night when we go out to dinner, we always head to the same spot, then stand in a circle and do the, "Okay, where are we going to eat tonight?" Eventually, Aaron will look at one of us and say, "______, it's your special day - where do you want to eat?" and we all echo with, "Yeah, it's your special day..". We always end up at one of the same four places, and I always order the same thing, but for some reason, it doesn't seem repetitive (at least not to me).

9. Kimchi at pork-bone-soup and that one place I went that Aaron knows the name of
My first week in Korea, the coworkers took me to this place that served only pork bone soup - literally, soup with a big pork bone in it. I wasn't a big fan - it was kinda oily, and I had a hard time picking the meat pieces off of the bone. However, that place had some of the *best* kimchi I've ever had, and have since been on a hunt to find some that I like just as much but at a restaurant that served....not pork bone soup. I found it! But I have no clue what the place is called! I went there at like 3 in the morning with the owners of Underground (who, by the way, are completely awesome and the sweetest people on the planet) and was served....I have no clue what it was, but it was good. And, looking back, I really should've eaten more kimchi..

10. Pickled radishes!
Thinking about kimchi reminded me of this one. For those in America, when you go to a Korean restaurant, they usually bring you out these side dishes/appetizers of various simple foods. My *favorite* are the yellow pickled radishes. I have been known to eat all of them before my dining companions could have their turn.

11. The crazy drivers!
"Crazy" is probably not the right word. South Korea is a pretty crowded country - especially in the cities (where everyone lives). In America, we have pretty bad stereotypes for Asian drivers, but there's no way Americans would be able to perform the maneuvers that these Koreans do on a daily basis. I have a game on my iPhone called "Unblock" (the idea is that you have to shift around the blocks so that you can create a path), which is what the parking around the library reminds me of - yet there are never any dings or scrapes, which is what would happen if Americans tried the same thing. Traffic laws are also a bit different here - Koreans are more into the U-turns than Americans (which is so fun to watch at intersections - a bunch of cars just turning around in unison). Red lights seem to be more of a suggestion than a law - especially for busses, taxis, and scooters. The horns on cars are also less obnoxious - not the loud blast like in America, but a softer tone.

This one is getting two paragraphs =p. I appreciate the drivers because of something I mentioned waaaaaaaaay long ago - Koreans have insane road rage, but they also have something that Americans don't: the ability to forget. They'll honk like crazy at each other, but it ends there. There's no worry that one will follow you 20 blocks out of their way just to get out of the car and yell at you (or worse) because of something you did to make them mad 15 minutes ago.

12. Subway shopping
Many subway stations here are set up like little shopping centers once you exit the turnstyle. The rule of thumb to shopping in Korea is don't go to stores (with my Lotte addiction, we know I don't follow this rule =p). Street vendors and subway shops have much less overhead so they're able to keep their prices down. I bought a scarf for 5000 KRW (like $5), and want to go back for more *^^*. Still have yet to start buying clothes here - I'm kind of afraid to start...

Bonus! 13. Dr. Fish!
I know you can find the doctor fish in other countries, but since this is the first place in which I visited them, I view the experience as something Korean. I want to go back! Also, the last time I went (when Laura arrived), I totally braved the "big-fish" tank and decided I like them much better :)

When talking about this entry to a friend of mine, his first reaction was, "You're planning on leaving already?!" Want to clarify that one: No! As I said, this is probably just the top 12 good first impressions that Korea gave me. I'm sure a year from now, the things on this list will change (and you all will be subjected to another list entry!).

Adding....

2010-04-12T12:10:00.002-04:00

I lied - we're going to make this a 12 point list...

11. American barbecue
There's something I say wrong when I order bulgogi dabap that results in me getting something that's.....not bulgogi dabap. But I like it more *^^*. However, it really makes me miss Sonny's - not that it tastes like Sonny's, but there's something about it that reminds me of the barbecue pulled pork. Oh man.....pulled pork sandwiches on garlic bread with those creamed corn fritters. If Sonny's served tater tots, I would be in *heaven*

12. Cars that puddle dodge
I think this is the only one I'm putting on here in anger. In America, cars definitely swerve around puddles to avoid splashing people on the sidewalks, but in Korea, they just zoom on by. I've been hit by a torrential tidal wave (possibly a slight exaggeration) every time it rains.

Since I wrote 12 about America, I'm going to write 12 about Korea. It's only fair :)

Homesick?

2010-04-11T22:36:00.003-04:00

Last week, I got homesick for the first time. I had a godawful week and just wanted to escape anything related to work - I was talking to Jessi about this and she said, "See, this is the kind of weekend that I'd convince you to come down to Orlando. I'd bribe you with Universal and sushi!"

I almost started crying. This weekend would have been a *perfect* Orlando weekend.

The weekend actually turned out pretty well, but it got me thinking about things here that we just don't have at home. To keep this from going on and on, here are the top 10 things that I miss about America...

1. Drinkable tap water
In St. Augustine, I went through a pretty long phase in which I only drank bottled water - not because the tap water was unsafe, but just because I didn't like the taste. I got over that phase when I realized how much trash I was generating, and started drinking the tap water (which wasn't all that bad when I thought about it). Here, I'm sure the tap water tastes fine, but it comes with a really awesome side effect: massive sickness. It's annoying because you constantly have to have bottled water on hand..

2. Steak n Shake and Village Inn
I can probably live without the terrible food, but I miss what these places represented: my friends. These were our default late-night places where we'd order something absolutely terrible for us, and spend hours just talking and laughing. They were where we went when awful things happened and just needed to escape - because nothing bad can happen when you've got a frisco melt or coconut cream pie.

3. Italian food
Red sauce here is the equivalent of ketchup. Most cheese is insanely processed. I miss all forms of Mediterranean food like crazy! On May 15, Chris and I are having our America Day in Itaewon, and I might just convince him to find some good Italian food there (that isn't ketchup and a few spices!).

4. Gay Clubs
Dancing is my favorite form of exercise, and there are plenty of clubs here. The problem is, when I go out, there's usually alcohol involved, which then makes me *so much* more aware of the opposite gender. Gay clubs at home, for me, were all about the fun of dancing with complete strangers without any of the mess that goes along with dancing with straight guys.

5. Dryers
I think part of the reason my clothes are too big is that they don't have that opportunity to shrink back up in the dryer! I've also made the mistake of leaving paper in pants pockets, which breaks up in the wash and gets all over my other clothes - and is an absolute *pain* to get out. I've learned that once lint is washed in, it is *staying* there for good! I miss the way my clothes -especially my socks - feel after coming out of the dryer, though it is nice that none of them have faded since I've gotten here. Plus, laundry now takes a day and a half instead of a few hours..

6. Shopping
I love Korean fashion. I hate that my hips are too big for the clothes. I hate that my feet are too big for the shoes. Again, America Day...Itaewon ;) I have started to develop a few accessory habits, which I'm sure will grow while I'm here.

7. Chick-fil-A
Of course this one made it to the list - I was an addict in America :). I don't just miss the food, I miss how that place was run. Everyone was so friendly (at least at the St. Augustine franchise). Not to say that people aren't friendly here - they definitely are, and insanely helpful especially seeing as there's this huge communication block - but there is a lack of warmth.

8. Anastasia Athletic Club / My old morning routine
I miss charging up the mountain on the elliptical, and then talking with the old ladies in the dressing room. There's a path here, but it's not the same. I miss going backwards =p I miss the steam room afterwards. I miss Gail, who used to give me free makeup, and Karen who used to try to sell me condos.

9. Vilano
One of my favorite "Me" things to do was go to Vilano Beach and hunt for sharks teeth. I had quite a collection going - which Mom of course took in an effort to incorporate them into jewelry. It was so peaceful - just me. And when I would feel like I'd searched the whole beach and there were none left, I'd always end up finding one. Even though the big ones were impressive, I liked the small ones the most because they were the most challenging to find.

10. Being in the same time zone
I've been such a bad friend/daughter/granddaughter here. Lately, I've been so down (because I have this secret emo side that I'm trying desperately to shed), and just haven't felt like connecting with *anyone*. This time difference sucks! By the time I am done with all of my stuff in the morning, it's too late to call...and when I come home at night (late morning there), I'm too tired to talk to anyone.....plus, they are all at work.

Reading back, this was an insanely negative entry, but I guess if I'm going to talk about the things I miss at home, there's no way to put a positive spin on it. Next time, I'm going to write the top 10 things I will miss about Korea when and if I come home. Yes, even though I just spent all that time writing about these things I miss about America, I really don't miss living there. The other day, I figured it out: living in America is like living with divorced parents. There are two sides in power, and they don't get anything productive done because they are too busy arguing with each other. When one side comes up with a good idea that will help move things forward, the other side disagrees just because it wasn't their idea/program. Instead of helping them improve it, or working to reach a compromise, they just sit back and point out only the negatives and put exaggerated spins to bury any positives. It's not healthy.

Continued....

2010-04-03T09:25:00.006-04:00

Going to add a bit to that entry about Norebang and laryngitis (e.g., the whole tribute to the Chicago Trib advice column)

Don't be impatient with the samgyeopsal. It will be just as good if allowed to cook that extra necessary minute - plus, you will avoid the week of not being able to keep anything down.

Korean boys are just as untrustworthy as American boys.

Clean your tiny apartment. It'll look bigger. Making your bed on a daily basis helps with this, too - especially if your place is all one room.

Despite the fact that being a hagwon teacher is an extension of college/the frat party, try not to get totally wasted every weekend. Your skin will thank you. As will your stomach and your brain.

Related to the above, find a sober hobby.

Scooter drivers don't play dodge-the-person - they play Red Rover. You will lose. Sidewalks are not just for people.

Get lost in Lotte - preferably during free sample time. The workers will be entertained that you come back for more - be sure to smile each time.

Leave your hair dryer at home. They sell them at E-Mart and Lotte for the same price as a power converter. They also sell hair straighteners, and every skin and hair product known to man. Seriously - save the suitcase room for sheets and pillows.

Bring your own pillows.

Don't censor your music collection. Out here, it's not only okay, it's actually kind of cool to like bad American pop.

After the laryngitis, go back to norebang. Be sure to choose one of those terrible American pop songs. Belt it without shame - we both know you know the lyrics ;).

But, seriously, wait until the laryngitis is *over*

----

This weekend brought a few lessons, and a whole lot of awesomeness. Finally met up with a few people I've been talking to for various periods of time. The first was a knitting group of foreign teachers. They showed me this one expensive yarn shop (totally forgot the location, which is probably a good thing), and then the Dongdaemun Market. Bought some of the ugliest yarn for 2000 KRW a ball and plan on making insanely awesome fingerless gloves with it :D. Also bought some very expensive, but very pretty, yarn that will also become a pair of fingerless gloves.

Left the group for lunch with Tim, which is always a great time. This time, we discussed how, thanks to CNBlue, Koreans know how to start counting in English. Unfortunately, also thanks to CNBlue, they run the risk of thinking that the number that comes after 7 is "tonight". Seriously, on behalf of Tim and The Beck, ask a Korean what comes after 7 - they will tell you either 1, "tonight", or "to nine". I hate that I love that song.

Ended the day with round two of meet-a-stranger-I-met online - in a much less creepy sounding intro, I finally met Chris! To the family members who are probably reading this and worried that I am meeting strangers from the internet, don't worry - he's a Chungdahm teacher whom I started talking with before I left America while I was reaching out to people over there who weren't serial killers. We did a few loops around Hongdae (I have yet to actually go clubbing in that place despite having been there a few times) and went to a fantastic chicken galbi place for dinner that was much cheaper than the one in Suji. We decided that May 15 is going to be our America day, which we will spend (appropriately) in Itaewon (Land of English menus, XL sizes, and corn-free pizza :)).

Actually, we need to discuss that link that I just snuck in there: Roketship is this fantastic webcomic done by an American teacher in Korea. Everything that man has written is so true about this place: the kids are insanely busy with academies, they complain about being hot but won't take off their jackets, there are trucks that drive around making apocalypse-sounding announcements but are really just advertising sales, and the weirdest things come packaged together at grocery stores (today it was chapstick and cream cheese). Also, gun-line-square-batman-sideways t-batman equals not only lunch, but also dinner :). I was so inspired that I emailed the guy and told him about "shiver" popping up on my Memory class's vocabulary list (pretend you're a Korean 6th grader...now say it....yeah, that's exactly what they said, too ;)).

Acquired Tastes and Bumps in the Road

2010-03-27T23:51:00.003-04:00

The two week silence isn't because life has been boring - the complete opposite. I've had so much to write about that I have been so intimidated by the ideas that I've avoided this thing. That and the combination of last week's complete despondency (which was not helped by actions this weekend...oops).

Weekend of the 13th involved The Beck!!! As Japan is quite close to Korea, she was able to jet over on her vacation and spend some quality time in the Land of the Morning Calm. Beck brought me Japanese candy (half of which we ate and the other half was left....somewhere) and introduced me to Tim. We went to norebang (we're going to ignore the spelling in the last entry) and I felt quite intimidated with them - I am tone deaf like a seal, and they are both champions. Despite that, I somehow managed "Phantom of the Opera" (which was chosen because our microphones had so much echo and it seemed the only fitting song) and "Lady Marmalade" (Tim..such a champion).

That night, we went to this all you can eat galbi place. Just 8000 KRW - only in Korea. Not sure how much I ate, but it was probably too much. This was also the night that Audrey learned about the dangers of soju. First, it's a good thing that stuff gets to you so quickly because it tastes like rubbing alcohol. With the terrible overblown sense of confidence that comes in these situations, I decided it would be a great idea to turn to the table full of Korean guys behind us and ask if they spoke English. I'm not entirely sure what I said - but thank goodness our table involved a few native Koreans who could translate whatever it was that I said. Turns out the guys were in university studying medicine and law, and did speak English (which seems to be a pre-requisite here if you want to get into a decent school).

A few quotes from Beck's visit:
Rebecca, to Chae when he wouldn't drink, "Excuse me, are you a North Korean? Are you a communist?" Chae gave in to the peer pressure - that's apparently the line that works here =p

Me, on seeing a man walking a gigantic dog and watching girls jump away from it, "Everyone is scared of his dog."
Rebecca's response, "They're scared because they're looking at it thinking, 'I can't eat all that!'"

The following week brought our new director and a few new rules. Normally at Chungdahm, we write comments/evaluations of students three times a term. Our new director decided that we would have to write them daily - an idea, to her, that would improve our connection to the students. I think this may have been poorly translated - it doesn't improve *our* connection to them, but does let other staff know what's going on with the students. This is a good idea in theory, but it creates so much work for everyone that they just don't have time to care about the implications behind what we wrote. The new rule isn't that bad in itself, but it did kind of create this idea of "Is this just the start?"

March 20th became the day of Laura! The fourth member of our Facebook email exchange finally made it to Korea - however, based on her status updates, she didn't have nearly the hard time with training as we did. I think it's become the thing to take the new recruits to Dr. Fish (although, now that Laura is here, I have a feeling that we're done with the new recruits in our group). Laura took the unique pedicure like a champ, but her roommate, Kira, was even more squeamish than Christi. So glad I survived with my fingers intact - not sure I could translate what happened to a Korea doctor. Later that night, thanks to Anna, we discovered strawberry makgeolli, which is a much nicer substitute for soju. We then headed in search of a place in Gangnam that didn't have an insane cover and had *something* going on (yes, I know we should've headed to Hongdae, but we didn't want to lead the girls too far from the Coatel....plus, by this time, I still was under the delusion that I would actually make the last train to Jukjeon). We found this bar with loud music and four bartenders who were too busy blowing fireballs onto the ceiling to take our orders all the time.

Around 3:30, we decided it was time to leave, but were stopped by two of the bartenders who decided they wanted to go clubbing with us when they got off at 4. Several of their friends joined us - by 4:15, we were standing in the subzero weather waiting for people to withdraw money from the ATM, and by 4:30, we were in this sardine-mob of a coat-check line. As soon as we were free of that, the guys totally ditched us at the club. Lesson learned. Not too put out, though - the club was awful! I can't stand that techno/house stuff that is the same thing over and over - it was like 90 mins of Sandstorm.

Koreans and Disabilities

2010-03-10T11:28:00.003-05:00

There's a guy in Suji with Cerebral Palsy. I've held the door open for him a few times coming in and out of the bank - every time I do, I get either glared at or stared at in confusion (Sean, if you read this - there's another stare/glare example..). Last night, when we got our freak March snowstorm (if it's not unusual to get snow in March, please don't tell me), we were at a pizza place commiserating over the latest (for another post), and he walked by. He slipped several times on the frozen sidewalk, to which the other patrons (high schoolers) responded by laughing. Now, I know that's a typical teenager response, but I feel that American high schoolers at least have that "accept differences" idea engrained in them so hard that the laughter wouldn't have been so open.

My Alba+ reading students (whom I love dearly) talked to me the other night about the Korean perspectives on disabilities. I forget how we started discussing the subject, but one (quite outspoken) student informed me that having a mentally disabled person in your home lowers the value of your house in Korea. This is so opposite of American viewpoints, in which we have pushed tolerance and acceptance to the top tier. In the American classroom, any time a kid might have the slightest difficulty keeping up, we storm in with our tests and our IEP's, whereas here the parents shame their kids into working harder so that they can stay on track. I had to explain to them the concept of a learning disability, and their reaction was to laugh. I'm conflicted over this - on one had, I think that we tend to misdiagnose in America because labeling a kid as dyslexic is much easier than working harder as a teacher, but on the other, I taught kids who had legitimate reading disabilities and were not dumb by any means.

Tomorrow, the same kids will be in listening where we'll talk about Bipolar disorder. I know how Koreans view mental and physical disabilities...it'll be interesting to see how they view emotional instabilities..

Ain't No Lie, Baby....

2010-03-07T06:23:00.002-05:00

In high school, our "graduation song" was the "Sunscreen Speech" (also called "Advice, Like Youth, is Wasted on the Young") set to background music. Later, the song was mocked by Chris Rock in a sketch called "There's No Sex in the Champagne Room" - both very sound pieces of advice. Since hearing both, I've been searching for my own piece of advice that I was 100% sure would always be effective and help out a large chunk of the population. Well, I found it...

Noriban is not a cure for laryngitis.

For those unfamiliar (i.e., my family at home - hi!!!), noriban is the Korean version of karaoke. Instead of singing in front of a large crowd, you and your friends rent this little room (not soundproof, of course - this is Korea, after all), and have at your disposal every pop song ever created in the American and Korean cultures (I'm sure there's also some J-Pop in there - I didn't get a chance to really look through the book). I like it better than our perception of karaoke because there's no crowd involved. Yes, I know that I <3 attention, but not when singing is involved.

Before noriban, I thought that "I Believe I can Fly" was a syrupy sweet song that was too cavity-threatening to make it even onto my iTunes list (and for everyone who's seen that thing, you know that there's too much Miley and High School Musical for me to deny my love for pop). Tony, however, corrected that misbelief. Just like "Boyz in the Hood" can be turned into a soft alternative song, "I Believe I can Fly" can become a rough, screaming jam.

Also, before noriban, I thought that I was _not_ a fan of Lady Gaga. I was also terribly wrong on that one, too. I also didn't know that I knew all of the lyrics to "Poker Face" (I was just as surprised as everyone else reading this..).

After our assigned hour and a half, I had hopes of surviving the night with my vocal cords still intact....but then I guess the owner decided that he really liked us (the "half" previously mentioned was free), and gave us another free twenty minutes. Instead of being a good, logical person and thinking, "Okay, save the voice...need to be able to talk next week", my fun side kicked in and went, "Heck yes all of us singing 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' at the top of our lungs is a fantastic idea!!!" Probably still could've made it had we not also decided to do some Jimmy Eat World, No Doubt, Boyz II Men (don't ask - I never question the genius that is Jennifer..), and finished it all off with N'Sync's "Bye Bye Bye" (I will admit to knowing all of the lyrics to that song).

For those who have heard the story, we saw the Scottish guy!! He was not at noriban, nor at Underground - he was with this elusive girlfriend that one of you mentioned and very not all-in-our-faces. Fortunately, Jen and I are such fantastic actors that Josh and Tony now understand exactly what our last encounter was like. I have more evidence supporting the theory that he lives in my building: he and his girlfriend walked up there (which caused me to run back to Jen and Kevin because although he's probably not that creeper of a guy, I'm having a hard time getting past that first awful impression).

But since I did reference that awesome Chicago Trib article about the advice that I'm not all that qualified to give but am anyway (you know that whole month of experience really speaks volumes =p), here it goes..

Eat the kimchi. Okay, maybe it won't cure AIDS or male pattern baldness, but it's some good stuff. Eat the radishes, too. If your braver friends order intestines, take a bite - you don't have to join them in finishing all of it, but you look like less of a hoser American if you at least try some.

Learn hangul. Knowing what your'e ordering in restaurants is much easier.

Listen to what your friends say about Korean fashion advice, but pack your suitcase with *your* clothes. Seoul women do walk around like they're on a runway, but they won't deny your ARC if you show up in flare jeans or opt out of purchasing Uggs. Actually, if you do stray from the Ugg trend, drop me a line - I'm trying to start a non-ugly boot group.

Stay away from buildings with barber poles.

Embrace the cuteness. Just because Americans feel like everything has to Be Serious doesn't mean it always has to be in other parts of the world. Police officers who come out of a building with a cartoon on the front are just as respectable as the ones who come out of the white institutional buildings. Also, since we have to listen to PSA's, why not make them animated? This also applies when you purchase your first cell phone.

Learn how to use metal chopsticks. Don't feel like a failure when you're told that it's okay to eat your rice with a spoon. I'm still working on that one.

Don't eat alone. Meals are a community event and everything is set up to make it about sharing. It's so freaking cheap here that you don't really have an excuse, either.

Children will stare. Old people will glare. Smile at both.

"Thank you" is pronounced "kahm-sahm-nee-daa". Be sure to bow a lot, too. Even if you make the worst cultural mishaps (like throwing your trash away completely incorrectly right in front of the garbage men), bowing makes everything better.

You may already know some of these. Others just may not work for you. But I'm serious about the laryngitis and noriban - not a good idea. I'm sure my nurse practitioner mom agrees..

I'm Surrounded by Self Confidence..

2010-03-01T05:58:00.002-05:00

I love how Korean kids shout "Genius!!" when they get something right. I wish that were popular in America. Actually, I wish this whole desire to do well in school were popular there. When did we start heading down the bad path? I blame the invention of MP3 players. And better television. And the Internet. Definitely the Internet..

No Longer a "Lost Girl!"

2010-02-26T23:10:00.004-05:00

I'm too excited to build up to this: I went to the Coatel and back all by myself!!! People who are confused by this excitement should know that I am *terrible* about finding my way around - and I've been especially self conscious since being in Korea. It took me a bit to find the subway station near Suji - I got to the building okay, but had a hard time locating the entrance. Still not sure I could do it again without having to look around first; however, the station map itself is really easy to follow. I'm especially grateful that the signs indicate not only the station name, but which station is next (and which one the train is coming from).

I'm so glad I struck out on my own - I had so much fun with Anna, Christi, and the rest of the small percentage of that GINORMO training group! I've decided that it should be a rite of passage for training groups to go to Dr. Fish - yes, that means I even found *that* (shocking, I know - I had help from Anna :)). It's a great bonding experience, plus it's so much fun. Didn't eat a fish this time =p But I did experience the "other pond" - I like that the fish are bigger, but they didn't attack my heels the way the smaller ones did. If I had to go back, I think I'd return to the pool with the smaller fish since they seem to be able to read my mind and tell where I most want them to attack.

We also went back to that bibimbap cafe - after eating in Suji for a month, I've decided that place is expensive! We can get good bibimbap here for like 4000 KRW, whereas my mushroom bulgogi bibimbap was 8500 at the place in Seoul. So glad I wasn't placed there - everything is so much more expensive.

This week flew for me, but I can imagine that it crawled for everyone at the Coatel. So glad that Anna and Christi made it through :). I'm not sure if training really is that stressful, or if we build it up too much in our minds. If it's the latter, then do we do that to ourselves, or is it something we've inherited from those who have already been through training? Did I make Anna and Christi's week harder because I went on about how awful training was? I also noticed that males and females attack training differently. We get all stressed out and blow things up (see above ;)), whereas guys take it in stride - or, if they do stress, they stress much more hardcore than we do. I just remember the males at our training acting like it was no big deal, and not even seeming to prep. The guys we have here were confused as to how people didn't sleep that week. Maybe they are right - maybe training isn't that big of a deal (well, not that you shouldn't blow it off, but that you shouldn't make too big of a deal of it all).

The whole "If I knew then what I knew now" concept is quite dizzying. As stated in previous entries, this is a *really* easy teaching job. This semester will be especially awesome for me - I have mostly English Chip and Bridge (odd because I was told upon hiring that I'd be teaching more higher level classes). I'm excited about my Alba+ class because the topics seem to be more open for discussion than what was presented in Alba (sidenote: can anyone explain to me how "Albatross" fits in with the golf terms?).

Being a Hagwon Teacher - First Impressions

2010-02-20T07:08:00.003-05:00

Where has this job been all my life? Seriously - at AOE, I constantly felt like I spent so much time chasing after students for makeup work or calling parents because the kids weren't doing their work to actually grade their homework and assess their skills in a timely manner. Likewise, I was too busy rewriting IEP goals and scheduling progress meetings to actually make the accommodations for the students in my class. In short, planning was getting in the way of teaching. Here, that's all I'm responsible for: to teach. It's kind of nice.

I remember before I came, I read all of the online reviews of CDI and saw lots of negatives. People complained about the teaching hours, of the rules, and how mindless the structure is. I've decided that these people never had a teaching job in America. The structure is the same everyday, but it seriously beats staring at a class and realizing the lesson you planned will not work and you have five seconds to pull something out of your ass before the kids figure out you have no clue what you're doing. The rules are nothing uncommon compared to what was required of teachers in America - one person I think complained about having to cover her tattoo......ummm....yeah.... When you're part of one of the most respected professions, it is kind of expected that you at least act like an adult. The hours do kind of suck, but they are probably the least surprising aspect of it all. If you show up in this country as a hagwon teacher and aren't aware that you'll be working evenings...well...just go back to America - if you seriously were unaware, you don't have enough common sense to be here anyway.

I do have to say that I feel more like a daycare counselor than a teacher, though. Because hagwons are businesses, the idea is to attract and keep students. You can have as awesome as a curriculum as you want - if you can't keep the kids, you aren't surviving. This was something that bothered me about AOE - we made a lot of degrading decisions (such as accepting makeup work 3 months later) for the sake of keeping our numbers - but somehow, I kind of understand the concept with CDI. Probably because I have yet to be asked to do something that compromises my teaching morals. I'm getting off subject. The comment about the daycamp counselor comes from the delivery. We are teaching, we do have a curriculum with goals, but the way we're supposed to teach it is to sell it - is to keep the kids almost entertained. I think I'm wary because this isn't hard work at all. AOE was - AOE kicked my ass and completely turned me into a monster. When I go back to America, I'll list CDI on my resume as teaching experience, with all the BS verbal jargon, and when asked, I will talk about how it's one of the highest rated private academies in South Korea, but I'll know. I don't feel like AOE was real teaching experience either because it was a whole lot of babysitting and absolutely no follow through with expectations. Maybe there is no such thing as real teaching experience - or maybe AOE and CDI have been more than I am giving them credit for.

Teaching here definitely kills a lot of Asian stereotypes, too. These kids are just as lazy and prone to mischief as American students. The only difference is that they back down sooner (well, most). The girls are in no way as boy crazy as my middle schoolers in America, which makes teaching *really* nice. It's funny - they don't even talk to each other. The boys are just like American boys, though - they either are your favorite or your least favorite students. I told one of my classes that they would have no problem fitting into an American classroom.

Some stereotypes are true - like the math thing. It's not because they're Asian, though - it's simply because they don't repeat the same math curriculum for grades 1-5 and then start learning new things in 6 like we do in America. Some of the kids are bad at math, though - I asked one of my students to answer 50 thousand plus 50 thousand and he just looked at me blankly (he did, however, know 50 plus 50). The politeness thing I think is more true because they don't really understand, and therefore don't use, sarcasm. A few of my kids get it, but those are ones who have lived in America for a number of years. When teaching sarcastic tone in reading class, I really had to exaggerate the author's words to get them to see it. Most students are polite, but there are definitely a few who are downright rude. One in particular comes to mind - and if you're one of my coworkers in Suji (and still reading this =p), you know exactly who I'm talking about. However, teaching my American misfits for so long has made me kind of like the rude ones, so I'm not gaining any gray hairs over this kid.

I've heard getting into high school compared to college entrance in America, but I don't think that's an accurate comparison. These students put a lot of stress on which high school they attend, whereas I think there's a pretty big "It doesn't matter" attitude with college...maybe the Ivy League schools. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that more kids in Korea care about their high school than kids in America do about college.

Pause: I think Coffee Bake bought a new CD. Fantastic :)

Next week will be the last week of the term. I've fallen in love with one of my afternoon classes and will be so sad when they transfer to evenings. Evening students are so blah, whereas the afternoon students are so enthusiastic. I've said a few times that I want to continue to teach them, but I think the transformation will break my heart.

New Definition of "Alone in a Crowded Room"

2010-02-15T06:15:00.003-05:00

It's kind of surreal living somewhere and not speaking the language. I don't know exactly what I expected, but it's not completely awful. The worst part about not having my Alien Registration Card yet is the inability to communicate with _anyone_. I pretty much have to take complicated plans with people as there is no way I can get any sort of message about where or when to meet. It's also frustrating with people back home - I'm getting quite a demand to call friends and family members, and I don't think they realize that me getting online is either a few minutes because I got to school early, and am on that virus-packed computer, or it's because I managed to find an unstable internet connection at a local coffee shop. I feel guilty that I cannot stay in touch - especially during this first month - but there's really _nothing_ I can do. Korean law states that I have to have proof of residency to start something like an internet account, and I'm still waiting on that. Oh government processing time.

I think about the version of myself in America. I was so addicted to my cell phone and the internet. Here, not being connected is resulting in spending a lot of time alone, something I promised myself that I wouldn't do. I don't mind it so far - it's kind of a weird, adventurous thing, but I'm wondering when it will all seep in and I'll start getting lonely. I wish I was brave enough to walk up to Americans here and say, "Hi, I'm new in town and have no friends. What are you doing after work?" I'm still not sure if foreigners are allowed to band that kind of stranger connection (this is reminding me of Dr. Wilson's Sci Fi class - the whole thing about The Other), or if we're supposed to be trying to blend in. I see lots of foreigners together in this town - or walking around alone with a sense of confidence like they either don't need people, or are on their way to meet the scads of friends they already have (and don't need anymore, thank you), and it reminds me that I only know seven other people in this town. Maybe in Suji we're only supposed to hang with people from our own hagwon. If I weren't totally frightened out of my mind of getting lost, I'd attempt to seek out my training buddies, who I think are probably more in this whole, "I'm trying to meet people and be social" newness in Korea.

There are so many couples in this coffee shop. Every girl in Korea has a boyfriend. Ugh - that is something I definitely don't envy..

Holy god, if my parents are reading this, please be advised that I am not as miserable as I actually seem - that my coworkers are freaking wonderful and are doing a great job teaching me how to get around. Today, when we left Suji to go to a late lunch, Thanh and Dan pointed out the subway stops and bus numbers that get me back to Suji. A few days ago, Lisa gave me a subway map in English. I'm just sad because in two weeks, three of my coworkers, who make up the majority of our dinner plans, are leaving and I feel that means I should be officially over my New Girl phase and know how to do things like get around outside of Suji and order food for myself. It will actually be good that we're getting three new people as they'll be like me in wanting to get out and explore, as opposed to already having all that wandering worked out of their systems.

I feel like I need to be like Samantha in that last episode of Sex and the City - where she wipes her eyes and says, "Okay ladies, let's [perk up]. I'd like to show my face here again."

I'm labeling this post "pre-departure" for a reason: If I could go back and change anything, it would be learning hangul. Even if you don't know the actual spoken language, knowing how to read is insanely helpful when navigating the subway/buses, or trying to order in restaurants.

In happier news, I updated the photos in my Mobile Me gallery..

Welcome to Suji - A Brief Look at the First Two Weeks..

2010-02-13T04:43:00.004-05:00

Not having internet makes updating this a pain. It took longer than I expected to move into my new place, which happened finally on Wednesday, and I've been too busy learning CDI structure and setting up my crib to ask the school about helping me to set up my own internet account. I'm kind of using February as my irresponsibility month, which I think is perfectly acceptable and I will freely pass on the torch of not-having-to-do-anything-but-live-in-Korea to the newcomers next month.

As I spend a good portion of my teaching encouraging students to identify a topic and main idea, I feel the need to include that here: My first two weeks in Suji have been a wonderful, and relieving, adventure full of good food, fantastic friends, and fun students. Be sure to underline the topic, main idea, major supporting details, and the minor details within each paragraph - also don't forget to circle transitions!

Each night, a good chunk of the staff (and with an 8-person staff, it's still a pretty small chunk) go out to dinner together, and this month will bring the departure of two of the key players of our nightly dinner rituals. These are the guys who've introduced me to such foods as chicken galbi (totally unsure of that spelling), pork bone soup (not my favorite at all, but worth the ehhhhh for that place's _fantastic_ kimchi!), bulgogi dobap, bibimbap in the stone bowl, the Korean version of fried chicken (which is quite similar to the American version), dopoki, and donkasu (again, totally not sure of the spelling of the last two...but I think the fact that I remembered them (!!!!!) should be celebrated as my coworkers have been incredibly patient with having to always reexplain what I'm eating!). Eating out here is so cheap - I think my most expensive Korean meal has been the equivalent of $5. Well, let me be a bit more specific: Korean food is cheap; American food is insanely expensive. Coffee shops are a good 20% more expensive than in America, and American restaurants are insane! Lisa - my HI - and I went to On the Border on a Mexican food craving, and things were about twice as much as they were at the OtB's in the States - plus they tack on this foreign tax..

Although, Suji is kind of the shaft when it comes to apartments, I totally lucked out with coworkers. They're all freaking awesome and, the best part, like to do things together (though, apparently this is new). Friday night, most of us gathered at Jen's and post-dinner snacked. It was a nice contrast to the staff breakroom. Somehow, I became the expert on how to prepare whipped cream (yeah, those of you who know me see the irony in this ;)), but it turned out, so I think I'll continue to let everyone assume that I know what I'm talking about when it comes to preparing milk products. Aaron brought these fantastic cookies and I'm refusing to ask him what they're called lest I purchase a giant package everyday.

Last weekend, two coworkers rescued me from purgatory in Suji and took me to Seoul. Saturday, Lisa and I had a girl's day at COEX mall as I decided that I really needed a handbag (do not ask why I didn't pack mine - I'm still confused as to what I was thinking when I was packing my suitcase). We searched all over the mall and eventually found one when we stopped at E-Mart on the way home. The day wasn't a total loss, though - there were lots of cute guys AND we found an On the Border. Expensive as all get out, but we found reasonable combo meals. I miss Mexican food soooooo much. On the subway back to Suji, we randomly got into a car that also contained one of my training buddies! It was so weird - out of all the subways in Seoul... Sunday, I was much more traditional with my Korean experience - Ben took me to a few street shopping districts near the Women's University in Seoul. I took pictures, which I promise to upload!! (Yes, I know I haven't been good on that promise..) That was the day I officially discovered street food, much to my mother's chagrin. When I am more confident in my Korean, I want to go back and look through the stalls for gloves and scarves.

To fund these shopping habits (including a very bad Lotte Mart hat addiction), I get to spend 6 hours a day with students who were *nothing* like I expected. I'm going to go ahead and break down stereotypes: Korean students are just as lazy as American kids, and many misbehave just as much, too. However, unlike Americans, they haven't really discovered the opposite gender...actually, the female students are usually my favorites (it was so opposite in America). They are the ones who usually find the right answer and participate the most. I often make reference to my "Birdie girls" - two classes of elementary students in what CDI labels the "Birdie" level (the easiest way to put this is to say that they are in the middle of the highest tier). They are the ones who have fun with the class and like to talk to me over break. One of my Birdie classes has decided that it's their job to teach me Korean so that I can read restaurant menus - they taught me the spelling for "bibimbap" and next week will teach me "bulgogi dobap". The middle school boys are one of two personalities: either they don't talk _at all_ or they do everything they can to cause mischief. One boy reminds me so much of the type of student I'd find in America that I sometimes forget that he is Korean. The elementary boys are more fun - they like to shout out answers and play hangman.

It freaking snowed last weekend and now I have to put forth a lot of effort at thinking about not falling. I tempted fate the other day when I slid (on purpose) across the basketball court that I cross on the way home from my apartment, as afterward I slid on accident and almost fell (and possibly would've brought Lisa down with me - I told her that if I fall, she's falling, too).

Must prep. Am an idiot and forgot to print out the teacher guide - I never use it except for the answer key to the exercises. I'm such a bad English major - I don't even know the correct answers to exercises made for middle schoolers!!

Goodbye Training....

2010-01-31T05:11:00.007-05:00

I should probably write entries as things happen, or at least make a list of what to write about later, because time goes by and I completely forget about what That Moment was like.

I did have my first experience of American food in Korea. Near the training center was a McDonalds, and I went with one guy (Andrew, actually - he seems to feature in the adventure that was training). I was really curious as to how they serve American food, as I know that we tend to botch dishes from other cultures (New York style Chinese - that's all I have to say ;)). I had a bulgogi burger, which was a lot like moist pork. Definitely something that is missing from the Mickey's menu in America. It smelled just as bad as American McDonald's though. The other days, I stuck to the kimbop and dumplings place a few blocks down.

The rest of training was a blur. Tuesday night was definitely the worst (well, not counting my breakdown on Thursday night, but thanks to people named Andrew and Ed, it didn't end in tragedy (tragedy in this case being failing training and having to move back to America - yes, I know there are worse things)). Wednesday night, we went through this huge moment of "Screw it," and went to Lotte Mart for Korean bbq supplies. That was the first night I've actually made it to dinner - usually, I was either too busy or done with food for the day. I think all training groups go through that - the first night of complete anxiety because we have no clue what to prep, and then the second night of going, "Eh, we got this".

Fortunately, a group of April teachers cornered their trainer who admitted that unless Chungdahm had a Talk with you, you were in good shape to pass - bar any instances of showing up to final mock day inebriated, or just saying, "Yeah, I didn't prep this - let's talk about bunnies". I imagine that this moment involved a dark corner and boards with nails driven through - if I'm wrong, please don't correct me.

For those who are coming to Chungdahm later this year: the last day just involves being tested on a few class schedules they give you on the last day, and mock teaching the lessons you've been mock teaching all week. Pretty much, I think they're just looking to see if you've learned anything. I'll reassure you now, if you make a huge mistake (like if you do something like not prep the in-class quiz for answer justification.........no, that wasn't me at all ;)) but pretty much show that you have improved from your worst moments earlier in the week, you've got it. The fine-tuning is something that'll happen at your actual school - I've already been over with my Head Instructor the things I need to work on, and from what I've gotten from my coworkers, everyone pretty much sucks their first week, but it's easy to pick up on the stuff and improve.

The actual contract signing was very anti-climactic. My Chungdahm recruiter (who is different from my Aclipse recruiter) sat me down and asked how I thought training went. I was pretty honest (I even said that I wish Aclipse knew more about the training materials so I was better prepared - a small shoutout to Sean :)). Pretty much, I signed the same contract that they issued a month ago, and was told that my taxi would be there in 40 mins. We were all busy signing contracts during that last hour, so there was really no big goodbye.... I was actually the first one to realize it was time to leave..

Long cab ride later, and.....Suji.

Unlike previous promises of annotated picture posts, my day one in Suji post will actually come soon..

"Eat My Foot, Fish!"

2010-01-25T16:10:00.004-05:00

Day one of training brought together sixteen of us! I had no clue there were this many CDI teachers in the hotel - I guess we're all just really good at hiding from each other. Training was short - just an introduction to how the rest of training will go, and the taking of The Big Scary Test. Totally passed - despite my panic attack when I realized that I hadn't studied *anything* about the history. Definitely don't blow off that part! The reading portion made me realize why my students hate the FCAT so much - the questions do seem "trick" and you're constantly second guessing yourself. My test looked like a weather map when I was done with all of the circles and arrows all over the place.

That first day is also the day trainees go to the health center for screening. Whomever told me that they didn't have to give blood - well, that has definitely changed! They have an awesome system at the center: there are color coded lines on the floor, and you follow one of the lines to your respective part of the hospital. It made getting lost insanely hard (I still managed to do it, but just once...you know, as opposed to each time I had to go to a different station). I won't call him out too much in this blog, but if you're in my training group - all I've got to say is, Brian with his sample cup. ;)

Typed like a madwoman to get to this part. We all went out to lunch (more like "linner" as it was so late) with each other afterwards. A native Korean in our group took us to this Bibimbap place. I think the waiter was insanely relieved to know that a few in the group did speak Korean (I've given up for now - I'm way too overwhelmed with all of the newness). The food here keeps getting better. Not only do they really showcase the flavors to their best advantage, but also the presentation is so nice. The mushroom and bulgogi dish that I got came in this bowl where all of the different vegetables were arranged like a color wheel with the meat in this neat little circle in the center. Didn't get a picture - at that point, I wasn't comfortable enough with the group to admit that I am definitely *that person* who wants to photograph everything ;)

Afterward, eight of us went to see Dr. Fish. If you're also stalking my gallery, this is where I brought out the camera. The coffee was just as overpriced as in America, but "the rest" ;) was just 2000 won (equivalent of $2). After coffee and a long wait, we were taken up to this platform, washed our feet, and then stuck them into the best foot spa EVER. Well, I make that sound much less eventful than it actually was: after washing their feet, the guys stuck theirs right in - the girls, however, sat for a bit in this awkward position with our feet poised above the water as if we were never going to see our feet again.

Imagine those old gangster movies in which a body is dangled above a piranha tank - the fish swarm around, gnashing at each other as they wait for their meal. Well, replace those scary piranha with a bunch of fish that looked like minnows' relatives, and that's about what it was like. Yes, we were afraid of minnows - I'll say it =p. After sticking in our feet with some awesome facial expressions (totally captured Lydia's and Steve's on camera), these tiny doctor fish swarm around and chow down on all of the dead skin. They were like monsters - and definitely couldn't get enough of our nasty heel crusts. I experienced both tanks and definitely liked the one with a ton of tiny fish better than the one with the bigger fish - the tickling sensation was more pleasant than "ahhh!!". Anna, you will be glad to know that afterwards, we did wash our feet again and treat them with an anti-bacterial rub. For the rest of the night, we were all so incredibly aware of our feet. Totally doing this again :)

Fashion / Hello From Home

2010-01-24T19:02:00.003-05:00

Everyone who advised to bring trendy clothes were so right: Korean ladies are so freaking chic. Walking around here is like being treated to a constant fashion plate - with as efficient as these people are, I'm so not surprised that the girls get up an hour early to be sure they look slammin' on the streets. Their hair is always perfect, and Korean ladies have the most beautiful shoes. The guys are pretty trendy, too - especially with their haircuts. Totally puts a shame to the way American guys style their hair: either clippers, or totally forget to use the scissors/soap period..

Someone on the Aclipse forum made a pretty snooty comment about how Korean women don't wear purple. Being the snot that I am, I'm keeping tally, and have officially reached the double digits. These women totally rock the purple - which they should, with their pretty white skin and dark hair. Wearing purple today to Training, Day 1 just to savor the moment.

I've been digging to the bottom of my suitcase each day to find my trendiest looking clothing so I "fit in" as well as I can with my short haircut and completely un-Asian features. Saturday was this cute little red dress with black leggings and boots; yesterday, I completely rebelled against the whole dark-clothing thing and wore blue jeans and a white sweater. At one point last night, I stood up and one of the rocks from my windowsill back home fell out of my shirt. It was awesome - like a little "Hello!" from home, or a bit of good luck for today's tests. The rock is now sitting on my bedside table, and I think it's going to spend training in my pocket.

I've Survived....So Far..

2010-01-23T21:35:00.004-05:00

Hello from Seoul, South Korea! Unlike previously feared, I am not the only person in training. To borrow words from a fellow trainee, we are the most mismatched, eclectic group of people, but somehow it works. My hotel roommate is from Canada, and we've bonded over Degrassi and their awesome healthcare system. The two boys are both from the northeast and have bonded over the supporting opposing baseball teams. My only experience with northeastern baseball is the episode of Sex and the City in which Carrie dated the "new Yankee". But I think I'll keep that contribution to myself.

We'll get the obvious out of the way: Seoul is GIGANTIC. It is also insanely quiet and very clean for a city of this size - which I'm sure is due not only to the diligent street workers, but also the general politeness of the people...I bet Koreans just don't litter. I still haven't figured out the whole politeness/insane road rage connection with Koreans, but am sure it must relate to the whole big-city life. I think what makes traffic work in Korea is that after they get cut off by someone, or almost rear end another, they move on and don't hold a grudge. This would never happen in America - we're famous for following people back to their houses and letting them know just how much we don't appreciate their changing lanes without signaling. If Americans drove like Koreans, there would be many many more vehicular homicides.

One of my training buddies became an exploring buddy when we ventured out twice to get the lay of the land (and by "the land", we mean "the block around the hotel"). We got lost twice - the first time, I tried asking directions using my Pimselur-gained Korean, but I think all that resulted from that conversation was both of us understanding that the hotel was not at that particular restaurant, and that I speak awful Korean. There are American-restaurants EVERYWHERE. Despite being in a foreign country and feeling obligated to experience the food that this culture offers, I am kind of curious as to what they consider "American" food and kind of want to try it. I bet they are much closer than we are at our attempts at ethnic food. I did watch a commercial for a local Outback and saw that their shrimp were completely shell-intact. I'm kind of wary of that - do you cut off the heads and peel off the shell, or do you eat it whole? My only experience in a restaurant here tells me that Koreans have no problem explaining how the food works. Exploring buddy and I went to this Vietnamese place and needed a bit of instruction as to what to do with all of the various spices and sauces served with our Pho. The waiter flat out told me not to put the spicy peppers into my soup, which I totally appreciated. I did try a bit of the red pepper sauce and made a totally fantastic face. Thank goodness for rice noodles.

Posted some new stuff in my gallery - will make a post later explaining some of the shots (although, some do a good job of that on their own)..

Meds Overseas..

2010-01-18T09:36:00.004-05:00

Visited St. Augustine yesterday for a final goodbye to my various crews. It was awful, and I had to call someone on my way home to keep from totally crying. The great thing about going on a Sunday was that the entire house was off at a decent hour, so we were all able to go out to dinner. As I'm going to Asia, they decided that the thing I would probably not get over there would be Mexican, so we went to El Potro (yes, much queso was consumed ;)) and then to Village Inn because they don't have ovens to bake pie in Korea ;)

Melissa gave me a fantastic departure gift: more toothpaste than you can shake a stick at! I know that Aclipse recruiters claim that the toothpaste over there *isn't* packed with sugar, but I want to be sure... I also went to Target and picked up a ton of deodorant. Later, at the house, I made a comment about visiting my old roommates; Dereck responded, "We are old and Audrey apparently has an odor problem!" I digress - at Melissa's, we ran into her neighbor (Beck: the woman who replaced Randy Taylor) who travels overseas a lot and she gave me this long freaking pharmacy list. Now, while I'm taking all advice with a grain of salt - especially as everything I buy must be *packed*, there were a few things I listened to:

Culturelle - a probiotic. This was the only thing I listened to with the whole "Get a 3 month supply" advice..
Immodium - still with this whole Audrey will probably get sick idea
Monistat - TMI, I know, but in case any female is reading this who is also going overseas, their toilet paper may be a bit different than what we're used to..
Benadryl
Cold medicine in case you pick up something on the plane and don't know enough about the culture to get something

She also suggested to pick up feminine hygiene products in case what's sold over there is different - but several female Aclipse teachers have confirmed that they've been able to find Tampax, so I'm not taking that one too seriously.. I also picked up some Airborne which I will be taking religiously for the next several days as me=sick on the plane=awful.

While on this adventure, Jess tossed some wet ones in my basket. She said that her airplane ran out of water and it was nice to have *something* to was her hands with after going potty. Also, she said I may want them for things like wiping down surfaces before I sit down..

Back to this awful beast that is packing. I've eliminated the space bags because they just aren't flexible once the air is gone. Crossing my fingers in hope that I actually can fit it all x.x

But this time I have the Glee soundtrack!

I Don't Think I can Take It All...

2010-01-16T16:46:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the world I call "Trying to Pack". I thought that leaving my previous high stress job had the whole panic attack thing licked.... Well, that was until I tried to pack everything I thought I might need in the next year or so into two suitcases with a 50 lb limit each. As shipping costs are a nightmare, especially if you want something like a tracking number, I'm trying to keep the amount Mom has to send me way down.

I'm taking more shoes than I care to admit on here - mostly because I'm sure my parents will read this one day and I can hear it all now. I believe that actually only one person knows the true number. Despite this, they're not taking up too much room in my suitcase (I'm actually shocked at how compact all *hmmhmmhmm* pairs became). I now only need to make room for one more Space Bag, and I'm beginning to think that it may actually be easier to try to pack in the clothes sans bag. Still need to transfer a few things from my carryon as, for some reason, I tried to pack *everything* I'd need for training week in that thing. Don't ask - I don't understand my strangeness either.

So of all the questions I've asked, I feel that this one is the most important: how many times can you reuse a space bag before the thing gives up and says, "Honey, just pack less"?

Resuming packing on Monday. If I can fit it all, I will be one very *very* happy Audrey.

Adventures and E-2 Visas

2010-01-15T15:26:00.001-05:00

I didn't realize how nervous I was about the consul interview until the night before - I couldn't figure out what I wanted to wear (ladies, you understand this one ;)), and I couldn't sleep. Like many, I'm not a huge fan of walking into a situation without knowing what would happen. There are all kinds of topics on this forum about waiting for visa codes, packing lists, information about various schools and areas of South Korea - but I was hard pressed to find anything about the actual interview required to attain an E-2 visa.

Be sure the contact your local consulate in advance. The emails from Aclipse tell you what to bring, but - at least in my experience in Atlanta - the consul may require more documents than Aclipse states, and s/he (or the assistant) will want them at least a business day before your appointment. He or she will also send you a *ton* of information - as I get lost very easily, I was especially glad to receive very detailed directions on how to get to the consulate office.

Everything else here will be pretty much Atlanta-specific. I'm not sure how much networking the various Korean consuls in the states do with each other, so I don't know what of my experience is similar with other areas. Just a disclaimer :)

I'll be honest - I dreaded the trip. Atlanta is far away (6 1/2 hour drive x.x), and I'm not a fan of big cities. I live in a town with one stoplight and about a thousand people. To keep me sane, I brought my mom and my best friend from high school (I say "brought" - they were more excited than I was), and made plans for things to do other than just go to the consulate so I'd have things to look forward to.

However, I had absolutely no reason to dread or worry about anything.

We found a hotel really close to the downtown area that wasn't insanely expensive. The Atlanta consul's assistant will suggest that you stay in a nearby Merriot/Hilton/whatever that's hundreds of dollars per night. Ignore that advice! There's a Country Inn and Suites and a Comfort Inn down the road from Turner Field. We stayed at the former for $79 a night. Definitely wasn't luxury accommodations or anything, but the rooms were clean, the place was safe, and, most importantly, the water pressure was *fantastic*.

We had an interesting time finding places to eat. Downtown Atlanta is full of restaurants, but the parking fees are insane! Our first night there was a Sunday night as my interview was Monday morning, and many places were closed. We ended up eating at this bbq place called the Bullpen across from Turner Field. The parking lot was completely barren - only one car, which was just someone who was visiting one of the two employees on duty. Going inside, it's easy to see that during baseball season, this is a happening place. As we were car-tired, the lack of crowd was nice. I had one of the best hamburgers I've had in ages. If you go there, look for a tall African American woman who smiles and laughs a lot - she should be tending bar or at the cash register - ask her to make you a Somebody Else's Husband. Tell her that girl who was going to Korea sent you ;)

My interview with the consul was the next morning at 11:00 am. Way overestimating downtown traffic, I was about an hour early! Fortunately, the International Tower is in the same building as the Peachtree Mall, so there was a coffee shop and a few places to browse as I killed time. There is free wifi, but it is quite misleading: that place is a black hole for electronic devices! I couldn't get cell phone signal, and my iPod had a hard time connecting to the internet. When you finally make it up to the fifth floor, the Korean area is pretty easily marked. Don't be fooled by those imposing double doors! You can just walk through. There's a small reception desk - just walk past that to the waiting area. The window for visas should have a sign, but if it doesn't, it's the far right one. All of the receptionists are insanely nice.

Again, this may be just an Atlanta thing, but the consul sees five people a day in one group interview. The assistant will tell you to be there at 10:30 to fill out paperwork. Well, I didn't have any paperwork, but I do encourage you to be there at 10:30 so you'll have an opportunity to visit with the other teachers. I didn't meet anyone who was with Aclipse or CDL, but it was nice to hear everyone's experiences. Two of the other four had gone through Adventure Teach, who sound like they're a pretty good recruiting agency (not as good as Aclipse, of course ;)); the other two found their teaching positions without use of a recruiter. After hearing their stories, I was so glad that I didn't go that route! One girl had no clue she had to send in her documents ahead of time - had there not been an opening in our group, she probably wouldn't have been seen. Plus, she paid like $4000 for her ticket (made me thank Raquel profusely again!). The other woman was better prepared, but she didn't know anyone else going over. I think we were the first ESL teachers she met. I pointed her in the direction of this site, saying that I'm sure they'd welcome non-Aclipse teachers.

The interview itself was fantastic! The consul explained his role, that he was kind of a representative of Korea to determine whether he thought we would be a good fit for the country. He said that many people are confused about his job, and he also thought it was funny that he had such an important task, but only an hour to make a full judgement! He also said that the face-to-face interviews were now required because there had been so many problems with foreign teachers in Korea - apparently, we Americans are greatly prone to drinking, doing drugs, and participating in sexual deviancy. Sadly, I could definitely see how that would happen. We spent most of our interview talking about current events and Korea's role in the global market before he addressed us individually to ask a few questions (this is where I misinterpreted what I'd read about the structure: although we were asked individually, he didn't see us individually). He asked most of us about our college and teaching experiences. Ironically, he didn't ask me about the latter. However, I was one of the last to receive the questions, and the others had all majored in something other than English, education, or foreign relations - when I told him my two majors (secondary education and English), he laughed and said I was perfect for teaching in Korea, and asked why I didn't go for Japan instead.

I do recommend knowing a bit about the Korean culture, as he did ask us what we knew. Also, be sure you are 100% positive of the pronunciation of your province/city! I pronounced "Yongin" incorrectly and he had no clue where I was talking about! (Or, well, in my nerves, I probably said something completely different from "Yongin"..).

One part I liked was that I could pick up my passport the next day. I was wary of having it mailed to me - I have a had time putting faith in the postal service (especially since they seem to have lost a pair of shoes I've ordered for Korea x.x). You can pick it up at 11 - so if you're planning on flying back that day, be sure to schedule a flight that leaves sometime after that :)

If you're a Floridian like me, Atlanta is also a fantastic place to buy a coat suitable for the Korean winters. Our hotel clerk provided us with a list of very detailed driving directions to a few of the shopping locations. He recommended the Lenox Mall (?), which ended up being awesome as I found a coat at Macy's that was on this insanely awesome sale. Also, if you end up there, totally check out the Lenox Grill! One of their specialities is their macaroni dishes - I had a foodgasm :D

I took a few pics at the Georgia Aquarium to test drive my digital camera. Quite impressed with the thing - especially since all of those pictures were taken without a flash. If you end up there after your interview, be sure to be near the giant shark tank for their feeding, 2:45-ish. Sadly, didn't get shots of those as my camera battery died (killed it with those jellyfish shots - but, as you can see, so worth it!) http://gallery.me.com/aeagle

Cushioning the Wait

2010-01-15T15:16:00.002-05:00

"The Waiting Game" seems to be a popular topic on the forum lately. I'm sure CDL candidates are experiencing delays that their predecessors never had to experience. I'm one. The original plan started when I was laid off in June. I figured I'd collect my summer paycheck through August, and by September I'd be in Korea. Hah! When I received an offer that said January, I thought I wouldn't survive until then. I must have - because it's December, and in a bit over a month, I'll be on that freakishly long plane ride. When waiting for something this exciting, the days seem longer than just 24 hours. So, I don't know about anyone else, but this how I survived..

1. Learning something new
Okay, yes, this is awful and cliche and sounds like something my mom would say (and that she'd be right about, which would make me hate the advice more), but it worked. I knew that I had to find something to keep my hands busy so I wouldn't constantly call or email my recruiter. So I learned how to knit. I'm straddling the line between twenty-something and old lady with this hobby, but magazines like Vouge Knitting (not kidding - it really does exist) keep me on the safe side of things :). With Christmas coming soon, I also have that extra motivation to stay busy knitting and not worrying about when things will happen..

2. Getting Involved
Finding part time employment was a big negative for me, and I ended up having to move back in with the parents. To keep from sitting at home all day, or going out and building up the credit card debt that I finally just paid off, I contacted some of my former teachers and started volunteering in their classrooms. Plus, it could be a good way for inexperienced teachers to get to know what they're getting into.

3. Staying Active
Know the line in Legally Blonde - "Exercise releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy and happy people just don't kill their husbands"? Well, happy people also don't get totally depressed when they don't hear about a contract ;). I fixed up my bicycle and started riding (I call it the Tour de Melrose - except, instead of beautiful French countryside, I see cows and dead armadillos). The worrying puts me in a frenzy and the release gets me up those hills (yes, there *are* hills in Florida), and things just never are as bad when I come back..

4. Making Plans
I used to be a runner, and I hated it. To keep the path from looking so long, I'd set a thousand mini-milestones - instead of looking to the other side of the lake I ran around, I'd focus on a tree five feet away, and then a crack in the pavement as my goal lines. With this start date practically eons away, I made sure that I had at least two fun things planned each month so I could look forward to something two weeks away - instead of six months.

5. Learning Korean
This one didn't help with making the time pass because it makes you think more about going overseas, but since I did have a bit of time on my hands, I invested in the Pimselur program (Rosetta Stone is a bit too rich for my blood ;)). I did a lesson everyday - had to do most twice - but I feel a bit more prepared. If anything, the language did give some hints about their culture. For example, you address older people much differently than you do younger (kind of like how Spanish has different words when talking to/about a female vs. talking to/about a male). Also, it's apparently common to ask "Have you had lunch" instead of "How are you?" You're supposed to say "yes, thanks" even if you haven't (kind of like how we're supposed to answer "fine, you?" when people ask how we are in greeting).

I have approximately fifteen thousand post its left over from my previous job, and may use those to create a countdown with little message reminders (e.g., "5 days to go - have you gotten that space bag for your pillows?"). I keep thinking to myself that if things hadn't been delayed, then I wouldn't have been able to spend almost a month with my grandma (who is this hip, rockin old lady - I swear that woman has "I Love Elvis" tattooed somewhere..), or move back home to spend time with my childhood pets. I bought a suitcase yesterday, and when I came home with it, they looked at me like I was breaking their hearts - they're smart puppies and know what suitcases mean (I already know that the day I leave, we'll have to keep circling the block because one will chase the car).

Top Five Curiosities about This New Life

2010-01-15T14:48:00.003-05:00

I seem to always have conversations with people who have a story to tell about a time they went on some grand adventure, and I really don't have much to say in return. I went to college, got a job within a week of graduating, and have worked more overtime than I've had days off. It was the American dream, but not my dream. I didn't really follow the status quo in high school, so why start now? Over the summer, I was presented with a huge choice: stay with my current teaching job with the students I loved, or change paths to a job that requires a new language and foreign work visa. As much as I will miss my students, it was time to let them go - it was time to embark on that journey to finally gain some global understanding.

In January (fingers crossed), I'll leave this life for something the complete opposite. If the world were a book, South Koreans would be my foil character. I'd have to live under a McDonald's box not to learn anything or evolve in any way. Right now, I don't have any expectations about how I will change - just questions about what I'll encounter. Here are the top five that I hope will be answered on this journey...

1. What's for lunch?
I won't hide it: food is a huge Audrey-motivating factor. As a die hard foodie, I'm looking forward to some new cuisines to replace the ones I'm leaving behind. Fortunately, I wasn't raised a picky eater - a good friend of mine somehow survives on a diet of chicken fingers, french fries, cheese pizza, and fried rice (nope, never a hamburger, and you can forget anything green) - but at what point will I not be able to handle what's put in front of me? I'm approaching this new cultural diet with a small amount of apprehension and a huge excited curiosity. Eel? Alright! Sea cucumber that's still slightly alive (yes, that's a reference to a fellow Aclipse member's blog), bring it on! Food is such a major part of any culture, so limiting diet may result in a loss of experience.

2. Which references are not cross-cultural?
President Bush (the first) thought he was flashing the peace sign in a gesture of goodwill, but was pretty much giving many parts of Europe the finger. He had a whole team of advisors and assistants up on etiquette all across the world, but still managed this snafu. Imagine what damage I'll cause when left to my own devices - gestures and phrases that I use without thought may have a huge consequence in another country. I'm sure I can measure the countdown in minutes (or seconds, depending on who's sitting next to me on the plane). Hopefully, it'll be something that makes us all laugh - like the friend of mine who thought she was using excellent Turkish when informing the bus driver that he'd reached her stop, but was really announcing to her fellow passengers, "Look at that cow!" Whatever the damage, I can only respond in typical Audrey fashion: blush, laugh, probably cover my face, apologize profusely, and ask for an explanation (which, of course will be followed with more laughter). :)

3. How do teenagers compare across cultures?
Adolescence is the second time in a person's life that the part of the brain that processes long-term benefits and interpersonal understanding goes under construction (the first being when we're toddlers - and anyone whose worked with teenagers can probably see the connection :)). In America, it's pretty obvious that teenagers are going through this, and understanding that they're not selfish or lazy. I'm about to enter a culture in which hard work is always expected and student-to-teacher rudeness is unheard of. If we're all humans and our brains develop the same way, how are the Asian students coping with this?

4. What will happen to my perception outside of the homeland?
Americans have a lot of patriotism, which has quickly become this belief that our way of living is the right way. This idea has become pretty obvious with the spread of "democracy" and "capitalism" with the intent to improve lives in foreign cultures, but are they really the best ways? Although McDonalds and Starbucks can be found all throughout the world, they haven't made enough of an impact to turn foreigners into American copycats. Right now, many Americans are battling against universal health care, but if many other countries are healthier under more socialized/government-controlled health care, then are we fighting against the idea because it's un-American, and not because of its merit?

5. Is it really a small world after all?
Question four was pretty negative and focused on our differences, but I also want to learn about our similarities as, for the most part, this will be a positive experience. As mentioned in the third question, we're all humans, with the same physiology and basic needs. European cultures aren't too foreign because that's where from - but we didn't have regular contact with Asians until quite recently in our history, so we've evolved into very different peoples. From what I've learned, politeness seems to be cross-cultural, as does a curiosity, rather than a barrier, about new people and ideas. Friendship is a universal need, which has created a global enjoyment of having fun with your pals.