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!!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Summer ---> Fall
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...
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...
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Loss and Gain (or, The Final Shopping Trip and Yarn+Hello Kitty)
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..
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..
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Public..........things!!!
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.
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.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Public Transportation
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.
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.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
I Got Lost!
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.
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.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Top Five Annoying Things about Students in Korea
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!!"
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
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).
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).
Friday, June 18, 2010
"Sameness"
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.
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.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
친구 - it's been ages =p
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.
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.
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