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.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Misadventures of Mul Opesayo
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..
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..
Sunday, January 2, 2011
New Years=Automatic Birthday in Korea=Audrey is 30=Ajjuma
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.
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.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Year in Review (Yes, One of Those =p)
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 ;)
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 ;)
Saturday, December 25, 2010
메리 크리스마스!! :D
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.
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.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Oops...Did You Just Hear That?
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).
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).
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thanksgiving and Too-Early Snow....and a Too-Long To-Do List
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.
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.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The Zoo - Or, No, I Didn't Hit Her (but I really wanted to...)
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.
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.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
HEADACHHHEEE!!!! (literally..)
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 :)
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 :)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Jjimjilbangs!!!
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!!
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!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)