So, you're going to Korea?

Ch'i-kwa

2006-08-27T21:27:00.000+09:00

After many glowing reviews, I finally faced my fears and visited the big D. The clean, modern dental office with flat screen TVs in every exam chair helped to calm my nerves. However, it took some guess work to determine the purpose of my visit. Apparently "scaling" means cleaning. The hygenist was nice enough, but the dentist was my main fear. More specifically, the news the dentist might bear.

Through his medical school English, my dentist was kind enough to gently tell me, "you have a problem." Uhh... ok. I've heard this many times before in the exam chair. What's the damage? Not one, or two, or even four. Seven cavities. I figured with all the sugar being fed to me by the kids I may have a couple, but SEVEN! He proceeded to explain he wanted to take x-rays and then discuss treatment. Or, as he referred to it, "the feature presentation."

The digital x-rays took about a minute whereupon I was taken to a small office with only one exam chair. They had me open wide, took some pictures with a toothbrush sized camera and then booted up the computer for my viewing pleasure. I didn't need to see the cavities, I trusted they were actually there. He then laid out my treatment options and sent me home to "think it over." My main thought was 'ulma-a-o' (how much is it?). Thankfully, with my National Health Insurance, nice and new white fillings were priced at $10 each.

Over the course of two more visits I had all seven cavities treated. The cost for cleaning, x-rays and seven fillings? Less than $100! I must say I was quite fond of my new dentist until the last visit. It seems that one tooth is in poor condition and is in need of a root canal. However, root canal treatment takes at least four treatments over the course of a month. I don't have time left for that, although the $50 price tag is appealing. Instead I'll brave the second opinion of an American dentist and the inflated price of $700-1,200. OUCH.

My advice... If you are ever in Korea and covered by their National Health Insurance, go to the ch'i-kwa! For now, I have to field the children's questions; "Teacher, do you brush your teeth?", "Do you eat many candies?" Yes and no. I guess all I can do is increase vitamin intake.

I Think I'm Turning Japanese

2006-08-09T22:19:00.000+09:00

I thought I knew trendy, and then there was Tokyo. The city itself I found to be modern in every sense. Not only in technology and effiency, but also in the attitudes of its residents. Living in Korea for 11 months, it was difficult not to compare everything. In short, Japan is cleaner, more westernized and way more expensive - yet not English friendly like Korea.

Upon arrival, we were wisked away by train to our friend's enviable apartment. So clean, so modern! Our accomodation included futons on tatami mats and air con. A huge thank you to Hisa and Kaz. They soon took us out for dinner in Shibuya where we met a couple of Kaz's friends, drank plenty of Japanese beer and sampled the deliciously healthy food. Kampai! After we had our fill, we landed at a karaoke bar. Same as Korea, yet cleaner and less English options.

The next day we headed back to Shibuya to check out the high-tech shopping. I scored a super cool iPod case which was oddly inexpensive. We then walked through Shinjuku to check out the super trendy shopping and the people doing the shopping. Unlike Koreans, the Japanese seems to be obsessed with their own 'personal style.' It was incredibly refreshing to see after months in the land of homogenity. After gauking, we found our way to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office building. The two huge towers offer two free observation floors (one in each tower). Quite the view. Dinner was the highlight of the day. A proper sushi bar with a rotating train of sushi. We had to wait 20 minutes just to get in the door, but it was definetly worth the wait. By far the best I've had.

Our second day of sight seeing was jam-packed and sans Kaz. With Hisa as our guide, we signed up for a bus tour. The ride took us past Tokyo Tower and to a Shinto Temple. Here we learned how to purify ourselves the Shinto way, had a quick wander around and just enough time to buy ourselves some charms. Don't open them, or the magic escapes. Our second stop was the Imperial Palace. This is the home of the Emperor and Empress. Thus, commoners are not allowed inside. Normally, you can visit one of the gardens, but alas, it was Monday so all we saw was the gate. The next drive by was of the Diet Building (Japanese Parliment). The first western style building in Japan to be almost completely built with Japanese products. Our last stop on the tour was Asakusa Temple. This was a Buddhist temple - ahhh something familiar. Here we drew our fortunes. Lucky me, I pulled a GOOD FORTUNE. "Time passing by, everything turns out better, just like the sun shines all day long." The highlight of this temple was the large market selling everything a tourist could hope and dream of.

End of day two? Oh no... after the bus tour, we got the Hisa tour. We walked over to a famous Kabuki Theater (Japanese Opera). Here I was surprised to learn that all the actors are male. After another brief walk, we took a ferry ride to some reclaimed land where lives a replica of the Statue of Liberty... and also a mall. Our main attraction to the shopping center was the huge arcade which also had dozens of photo sticker booths. Confused by no English instructions, it was both entertaining and frustrating. We ended our exhausting day of sight-seeing with some Japanese Dominos pizza (and beer).

Day three was the highlight for me. We awoke early to have an American breakfast at Denny's and to see Kaz off to work. After a brief nap, it was time for my haircut! Kaz was nice enough to book the appointment under the name Maria (also a Japanese name) so they wouldn't know I was a foreigner and give me a crap stylist. There was a long consultation and the stylist looked a little stressed, but with Hisa as my translator I got a wicked haircut. And discounted. The next stop of the day was a Japanese spa. This was something I wasn't much looking forward too. I am stared at enough in Korea when I'm fully clothed, so I wasn't very interested in being the naked foreigner. However, I pressed on. We disrobed in the locker room and made our way to the baths holding the small towel modestly in front of us. First off, you have to sit on a little stool and shower. Only then are you ready for the baths. This includes baths with different temperatures, inside/outside baths and even fizzy baths. It was incredibly relaxing and much to my surprise, no staring. I nearly forgot we were in Tokyo.

The last night I cooked up some buffalo wings for dinner at Kaz's parents house. Despite the language barrier we had a great final night and learned the Japanese perspective on the great Korea/Japan divide. All in all, quite possibly the best vacation ever. Perhaps because it was the most deserved.

Typhoon Ewiniar

2006-07-17T22:37:00.000+09:00

Last week Monday, someone forgot to tell the waygooks about the TYPHOON. We awoke to howling winds and, as one would expect, RAIN. Yes, it's rainy season and has rained to various extents for the past three weeks, but not to where the trees were horizontal. Not knowing what else to do, we phoned the only English speaking taxi we knew (sorry Mr. Koh for the wake up call) and made our way to ECC despite the mini-rivers developing on the sides of the roads. Everything was normal upon arrival, but shortly after the Korean teachers were called away and returned smiling. That could only mean one thing... SCHOOL IS CANCELLED! Little did we know at the time, we now have to make it up on SATURDAY. Who heard of making up classes on a SATURDAY?? I'm a little angry.

Looking forward to more typhoons to come, I've created a playlist dedicated to rain and its season.

It Always Rains On A Picnic - Modest Mouse
Dry the Rain - The Beta Band
Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Why Does It Always Rain On Me? - Travis
And It Rained All Night - Thom Yorke
I'm Only Happy When It Rains - Garbage
Summer Rain - Belinda Carlisle
Blame It On The Rain - Milli Vanilli
July - Low
Rainfall - The Vines
Rain On Tin - Sonic Youth
Rain City - Turin Brakes

On Assignment

2006-07-10T16:45:00.000+09:00

It's a shame Korea exited the World Cup early. Twas a great distraction. Even the five year olds were awoken at 4am to catch the games. Not one couldn't provide a full recreation of any great moment, or foul against Korea. Instead of receiving an X for bad behavior we switched to yellow and red cards. "Teacher, red card is go out." Damn straight it is.

Most girls don't play sports or have any interest in anything sports related. Except during the world cup. After Korea's defeat against the Swiss one student admitted how she cried (at 5:30am) and phoned FIFA to complain about the "very bad referee." Other girls aren't so interested in the playing, rather the players. My oldest class gave me the assignment of deciding which players I found the most handsome on the Korean team. Here goes.

Ahn Jung Hwan, you are the winner purely for your perfectly permed hair. I hear you like to kiss your wedding ring after scoring a goal. I know you're married to some Miss Korea, but I could never live with that lie.

Lee Chun Young, nicknamed 'grandfather' by all the kids for his current fluffy silver hair. You can't tell from this picture, but he does have dimples. Ok, I can't really justify this choice.

Park Chu Young, you've made the list simply because you look the most like a stereotypical western jock. Ehhh... maybe after gaining a few more kilos. Still, he looks like he's 'on' something.

Park Ji Sung, what can I say? Manchester United and 13 year old Korean girls may think you're hot, but I think not.

Keeping with my hair obsession, I'd like to give a couple awards. First, goes to Portugal for the greasiest hair. Second, I'd like to nominate Czech Republic for the most blonde highlights. Last, I'd like to recognize Mr. Colbert for the best trash talking off the field. He may not have great hair, but he's got the verbal skills to make up for it. Here's the video link to prove it. http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_colbert_report/videos/season_2/index.jhtml?playVideo=70932 It's better than whatever that Italian guy said to that French guy.

Teacher, you look like Dakota Fanning.

2006-06-11T14:56:00.000+09:00

Apparently I look like a 10 year old.

I've been a little slack on the updates, but HEY - that's due to leading a full and successful life. For both May and June I've been shafted with Saturday duties AGAIN. This time, however, the students are great which makes teaching easy and enjoyable. Also, due to the recent health developments, I've joined a gym and am pumped up!

TAE-HAN-MIN-GUK! World Cup 2006 has begun and so has Korea's fierce nationalistic pride in their team. Not a day goes by where I don't see someone sporting the official red jersey or devil ears. You can't watch TV without seeing video clips of the 2002 games usually followed by the word AGAIN. It's great to be in a country that has so much pride in their team even if their English skills are lacking in their advertisements. *wink-wink* (get it America?) I'm looking forward to watching South Korea's first game against Togo outside in Changwon plaza. KO-RE-A! I'll be the white girl in the red Korea jersey.

Besides working Saturdays, working out and staying up late to watch World Cup games, I've also been making an attempt at planning my last few trips before the journey home. Airfare is booked for Tokyo, Thailand and home. Expect to see me states side after September 28th.

How to enjoy Gyeongju

2006-06-04T22:04:00.000+09:00

My parents did visit mid-May and we made the journey to the cultural capital of Korea, Gyeongju. Once the capital of the ancient Silla Dynasty from 57BC to 953AD, Gyeongju has now been coined a "museum without walls." And that it is... boasting several World Heritage sites.

Hopping off the bus we quickly found a hotel and a place to rent bicycles all within walking distance. Ahh... the convenience of a small city. Map in hand, we biked to Daereungwon Tomb Park. The massive burial mounds resemble rolling green hills. However, unlike the pyramids in Egypt, these Silla tombs cannot be excavated without completely being destroyed. Therefore, visitors are only allowed a peak inside one.

We then made our way to one of the most famous sites in Gyeongju, the Cheomseongdae Observatory. It's all the kids talk about. It's really old and uhhh... scientifically beautiful.

Our next stop was Gyrim Forest. One of the coolest, Asian looking tree dwellings I've ever seen. It's even complete with a creepy story about a boy in a gold box and a rooster. Sadly, my pictures don't do it justice.

After biking through the park we headed to Anapji Pond. It was man made during the Silla Dynasty to look like a wide sea. They had such advanced technoloy even in the year 600 that they developed a filter for the water to made it clear. How well it worked, I don't know. Thesedays it's looking quite dingy. Following that, our self-guided tour of Gyeongju ended on day one with a peak inside the Gyeongju National Museum. The main attractions there are a really big, old bell and gold crowns adorned with comma shaped rocks.

For day two we journeyed outside the city to Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto. Set atop a large hill, Bulguksa Temple is one of the most famous temples in Korea. It's easy to see why once you're up there. The peaceful atmosphere and impressive architecture is often spoiled by massive crowd. So, we arrived early as recommended. The most famous site at this temple area is a large pagoda. All the useless 50w coins are stamped with its image.

From Bulguksa it's an easy bus ride up to the grotto. Even further a top the mountain is a sanctuary carved into the mountain orininally intended for Buddhists to pray during the winter. Nowadays, it's a tourist trap filled with mountain trails and a line to peak into the grotto where a large Buddha statue sits in the middle. You can't actually go inside or take pictures... so... it was totally worth the walk by. After your brief spiritual experience you can purchase a roof tile for $10 and write a prayer or wish in your language of choice.

All in all, Gyeongju was well worth the trip. Although the majority of the historical sites were wasted on a waygook, such as myself, the city itself is peaceful and relaxing. The city has managed to keep out most of the large apartment complexes for traditional style houses. Many of the historical sites, such as the burial mound parks, are beautiful places to visit just for a picnic. More of my Gyeongju pictures are already up on my photo page (link to the right).

Up the Nose!

2006-05-11T00:28:00.000+09:00

For some reason, my mid-month illness has come a tad early. I was struck yesterday by a case of acute laryngitis. Meaning I can hardly talk. The best part of all this is that I racked up another hospital visit in less than a month.

I arrived at work Tuesday morning contemplating my condition. My entire body hurt AND I could barely speak. After much encouragement, I finally broke down and went to Seoul E.N.T. Hospital right here in Changwon, accompanied by none other than K.J. I knew something was up the moment I saw the exam room. There was no door. Why are there so many dental looking instruments? Why is that woman making that noise? What the hell is he doing to her? I'll admit, I've never been to a specialized ear, nose and throat doctor. I'm not sure that my condition required it.

He asked about my symptoms, typed them into a computer. Looked at it. Then, he shoved a camera half way down my throat. Ah, ok. What about a tongue depressor and a cotton swab? He then said he thought my voice had 'changed'. So, he told me he wanted to look at my vocal cords. Not knowing what that entailed, I agreed. What exactly that entailed was him shoving two pieces of cloth, soaked in pain killers up my nose. I protested at first, until he told me he HAD to do it. After removing the cloth, a very long camera was carefully placed up my nose and down my throat. WHY? Is there anything wrong with my vocal cords? NO! Was this torture necessary? NO!

I left the exam room with the diagnosis of acute laryngitis, told to drink 10 glasses of water a day, taken to a nebulizer for three minutes, paid my $3 and left the hospital. At the pharmacy, I picked up my three day prescription consisting of 18 pills a day. Three doses a day. What do these pills consist of? One is an antibiotic, one is anti-inflammatory, one is a sedative, one is a pain killer and after that I'm lost. I'm pretty sure the others contain some kind of energizing mood lifter because I've never been happier while sick.

Lotus Lantern Festival

2006-05-07T18:46:00.000+09:00

The Lotus Lantern Festival in Seoul is a Buddhist festival in honor of Buddha's birthday. Oddly, no non-Buddhist outside of Seoul has heard of this huge festival. The weeklong celebration included ceremony after ceremony, a parade and an exhibition of lanterns. Not being able to stay in Soul for the entire week, even if we wanted too, we headed to the streets of Insadong near Jogyesa Temple for the street festival on Sunday. There were Buddhists representing from around the world... er Asia such as Nepal, India and Cambodia.

The street festival offered a lot of information on Buddhism, meditation and several craft making sessions. If you have 2.5 hours to spare, why not sit down and make your own lotus lantern (I got bored after 10 petals). The festival was even complete with half naked Raelian's (www.rael.org) promoting their own 'religion'. After spending the day shopping in Insadong we headed to the main even, the parade. The festival parade boasted of over 100,000 lanterns some of which even breathed fire. It did not disappoint.

DMZ & The 3rd Tunnel

2006-05-03T22:39:00.000+09:00

I WENT TO NORTH KOREA!! It's the pilgrimage that nearly all whities make if staying in S.Korea for any extended period of time. For those uneducated on the history of Korea, the DMZ is a unique boarder which separates North Korea from South. And interestingly enough, Korea was never meant to be split. The end of WWII meant the end of Japanese occupation in Korea. Korea was like, YAY WE ARE FREE! However, the allied forces (ahem, FDR) decided to spilt military rule of Korea. The US would occupy the South and USSR the North. They then elected separate governments from there. I still don't understand WHY they would give communists control of the North without intending to separate Korea. Not long after the separate governments were established the North surprise attacked the South pushing the under defended South all the way to Busan before the US stepped in. Thus begins the Korean War. After the Korean war, a boarder was established that still exists today.

There are various DMZ tours one can take if you're not S. Korean. I chose the USO tour because it's cheaper and includes the main sites of Panmunjom and the 3rd Tunnel. Driving up from Seoul it's obvious they still feel threatened by NK. The river side is lined by fence and barbed wire to prevent anyone from NK from entering by water. Closer to DMZ there is check point after check point. Our tour guide talks for most of the hour and a half ride about what it was like during the war. She was of the post-war generation, but her parents were refugees from NK and actually took her to the South by a homemade raft.

We sleepily arrived at the JSA (Joint Security Area). Here we were briefed by a US military Officer. The area is run by the UN and is occupied by US, ROK and NK soldiers. All were free to roam together until the infamous axe murder incident of 1976 where US soldiers were brutally killed for attempting to trim a tree. Since then, the two camps are separate yet close to each other and highly visible. In one building we actually crossed into the NK territory. Here we were given a clear view of Propaganda City. A fake city NK built simply to blare propaganda at all hours of the night. Uhhh... are we supposed to think it's real?? The city does boast one of the largest flags in the world, which is rarely seen fully because it's too heavy to catch wind.

The JSA soldiers motto is "In front of them all" because they face their enemy on a daily basis. However, considering they allow these supervised tours, how dangerous can it be? In a time of war, these soldiers consider themselves incredibly lucky to be giving tours rather than in combat in Iraq.

We left the JSA for a crap, overpriced lunch set up by the tour. Then we headed to Dora observatory where we could peer at the North through binoculars, but not take pictures. We weren't able to see much due to weather. So we quickly headed to the 3rd Tunnel. This is one of the many tunnels the North Koreans have made in order to infiltrate the South. However, dynamite is not quiet so the most threatening tunnel (3rd Tunnel) was quickly discovered. Here we were shown a video that declared the DMZ a symbol of peace because of it's untouched nature... uhhh... nature covered in LANDMINES! This was the most propaganda I experienced on the entire tour. It was then a relief to walk down into the tunnel which proved the short stature of the North Koreans. Here, it benefited to be short! I only hit my head once and it was deserved. Not much to see, but a tunnel with yellow paint showing where dynamite was placed.

Overall, the excursion was informative, yet not spectacular. I'm glad I did the tour, but it didn't clear up the relationship between North and South Korea. JSA made it seem like they are prepared for war at any moment and the 3rd Tunnel made it seem the two countries are on the verge of peace. Which is it going to be? I don't know, but I'm certain I will find out in my lifetime. It's made me interested in the few tours that are offered to North Korea. Afterall, Lonely Planet did say I would be the most interesting person I knew if I did manage a trip to the North.

ROK soldier facing Propaganda City

Doctor visits and boobs!

2006-05-02T10:55:00.000+09:00

After discovering a physical abnormality, I decided I had no choice but to obtain first hand experience at a doctors office. I spoke with a female co-worker who offered to take me to a 'famous' woman doctor in Changwon. I'm a big girl, I can go by myself, but in the end I'm glad she came with me.

At this womens clinic they don't book appointments in advnace. You basically show up, put your name down and wait. Usually it's an hour wait, but an inside tipster told us to sign up before lunch, go to lunch and wait less when you get back. They handed me a form to fill out, which was entirely in Korean so my companion filled it out for me. We went for a delicious lunch of galbitang and returned to take our place on the couch facing any one of the flat screen tvs. Shortly after we sat down a woman from reception stood up and made an announcement. There were groans from a few people already in there, but alas, I had no clue what was going on. I was informed that my famous doctor wouldn't be taking any more appointments because she had to attend a conference. When this doctor stepped out into the waiting room my co-worker jumpped her and convinced her to see only me - probably because I looked like a frightened little foreigner.

They called my name - or what I assumed was my name - and they took me back into her office. Her English was good, but limited. There was none of the usual every doctor visit height, weight, blood pressure as I'm accustomed to. It was simply, 'what's the problem?' No family history was taken nor was there any mention of medication being taken. She decided to do an ultrasound to prove that it was nothing serious. The only complaint here was that the nurse didn't speak English. She attempted to tell me to take my 'brazieer' off. Uhh... ok.

After the procedure she told me not to worry and to come back if nothing changes. My coworker jumped in to make sure everything was ok before we headed off to work. The doctor visit itself was free with the national health care, but I did have to pay $50 for the ultrasound.

That very same day a female foreign teacher and I decided to head to a nearby park on our off hour to chat. Quarter after 8 o'clock we grabbed some tea and walked over. Soon after we recieved the typical foreigner harrassment from a group of three teenage boys. 'Hey... Hey... Hey... Helloooo...' Engrossed in conversation we chose to ignore them because they usually go away. Then one of the boys started saying 'sex' over and over again. This made us ignore them even more. Two of the boys walked out of the park, but the third ran by our bench and grabbed my co-workers breast. We didn't see it coming at all so she screamed and threw coffee all over the both of us. After that, we didn't know how to react. It was a run-by breast grabbing. Again we stuck with the original plan of ignoring him and carried on with our conversation. Much to our annoyance he returned to our bench and begain asking for 'sex.' I pretended I didn't understand his badly accented English while my companion attempted to insult him. Seeing he wasn't getting what he wanted he attempted to poke me in the breast. ( Oh, no he didn't!) I couldn't ignore him any longer. I grabbed his wrist by his watch and stood up to him, all 5'3" of me, and held my lukewarm tea to his face while I stared him down. Yeah, I've got the intimidating teacher stare DOWN! He started to pleade "No, no, no", but I didn't let go. I was still unsure of where to place the tea. However, my companion told him to leave so I let him walk away with his tail between his legs. Odd, but not a scary incident. Eight months into my contract, it's the strangest thing that's happened to me in Korea.

Whimsicality

2006-04-16T14:57:00.000+09:00

The cherry blossoms have quickly been washed away by the rain. This spring-like weather, rainy one day and high sixties the next, have left me with a pleasant chest cold. *cough-cough, hack-hack* Thanks kids!

The job has become a bit dull. Let's face it, teaching children basic English is not intellectually challenging. Yes, a great test of tolerance and patience, but any moron could do it. *points to the picture* Who is this? MIA! Yes, it's Mia. *Zzzzzzzzzz* The youngin's are cute and eager to learn, for about ten minutes. Then it's jump out of the desk and play rock, scissor, paper with anyone willing. The older children REALLY don't want to be there. And few of their parents actually care what happens in ECC. It's high-price, English babysitting. As long as their kids aren't running the streets. I supposed it's better to give foreigners hell than Koreans. Therefore, the older classes are all about making the best deal. OK, no X and we play game. Three X and we have test. Ok? They usually agree to this. All of this is compounded by the fact our employer's and many parents expect the children to master the coursework. And that's OUR responsibility. Yeah, AAAAAAHAHAHHAA, I can FORCE someone to learn English... that's funny. They also expect their children to be good at EVERYTHING. I'm sorry, YOUR KID IS A LAZY MORON! Send him to PC game academy!

Therefore the job has become more of a means to an end. There's still so much I want to do in Korea and in Asia. It's a great lifestyle, but I still don't understand how some people can stay in it so long. I do eventually need to return to the land of grown ups on a full time basis.

In cute news, Superhero Tony has returned to my class this month. He was briefly taken away in the great class swap of December and was the center of great drama for his new teacher. Now that he's back, I've seen no tears and I've never seen him smile so much. There's no Winston to tell him he looks like a monkey. My class, of 7-8 year olds have started a new game. They try to out-do each other with their compliments for teacher. Abbie Teacher is pretty. NO, Abbie teacher is very cute. NOOOOOO, Abbie Teacher is very very beautiful! - Then there is Frank, who doesn't like me too much - Abbie Teacher is very NOT pretty. Either way, I like this new game and surprisingly it was Tony who started it.

Cherry Blossoms

2006-04-08T18:38:00.000+09:00

Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom assuring us that spring has finally arrived. We headed over to Jinhea to experience their world famous Cherry Blossom Festival. Once a Japanese naval port, during the most recent Japanese occupation, the small town of Jinhea is covered in Cherry Blossoms. The trees are a symbol of Japan many were uprooted after Korea gained independence in 1945. Therefore, most of the trees have been replanted after the 1940s and it's now illegal to destroy them.

The smog filled ride up and down the mountain to Jinhea from Changwon was by far the most beautiful part. A canopy of cherry blossoms led the way. We weren't the only people who planned this route meaning a lot of time was spent idling and inhaling the sweet sent of car exhaust. Once into Jinhea the normally sleepy town was crawling with people. The tourist signs weren't really in English so we got a bit lost on the way to the park and ended up on the Korean Navy Base, which I guess was open to view the trees. By the time we made it to the park amongst all the confusion it wasn't as impressive as hoped. The best views were from the mountain so we headed home taking pictures on the way.

Jeju-do

2006-04-03T21:40:00.000+09:00

For those who don't know, and I doubt many outside of Korea do know, Jeju-do is a semi-tropical island just South of the Mainland. It's often referred to as Honeymoon Island and you can guess why. In high season it's impossible to see the beach under the mass of couples in matching outfits. It's also impossible to get there in high season unless you book well in advance. Not wanting to compete with Korean honeymooners and peak hotel prices I took a short trip to Jeju-do over our three day weekend.

Jeju is also a popular destination for school trips due to the many (and varied) natural and historical attributes of the Island. Once an active volcano, Mt. Hallasan cannot be missed anywhere on the island (except in heavy cloud coverage). You can even spend four hours climbing to its peak and another four and a half back down. Needless to say, there's plenty of volcanic rock on the isle. Other than Mt. Halla, there's also caves, waterfalls, lots of stones, oranges and parks.

The weather was beautiful when we arrived so after checking in at the pension we headed straight to Dongmun Market. Basically like any other traditional market in Korea except with lots of Jeju oranges. Incredibly overpriced ($15 for 8) they are large and sour. I'll stick to Florida oranges. Then we took a cab to Gwaneum-sa Temple. A Buddhist Temple near the entrance to Hallasan National Park. A pleasant, quiet Temple (ahhhhhhhh.....) well known for a large statue of Buddha surrounded by an amphitheater of smaller Buddha statues. Quite cool, but unfinished.

Our half day ended with a trip to the popular Yongduam rock. A volcanic rock formation that's supposed to look like a dragons head. Uhhh... ok... I kinda see it. Nearby is Yongyeon Gorge. About as impressive as the rock. A small gorge that empties into the ocean, but its a little dirty. Nothing left to do, but hit the casinos at the large hotels!

We got up early on Saturday to have a full day of sight-seeing, but sadly all of Asia was plagued by RAIN. A cab rental turned out to be the best option to fit everything in. It's not always easy to get transportation to the other side of the island. $120 for an English (some English) speaking driver from 9am-6pm. Well worth it if you're traveling with four people. We were able to fit in Hallim Park which has a subtropical botanical garden, caves, a bonsai garden and a small folk village. The bonsai garden was worth the visit alone. Some of the bonsai were 200-300 years old!

After braving the Hallim Park in the rain we stopped for a lunch of famous Jeju black pork. One of my student had informed me months earlier that Jeju pork is famous because the pigs dine on feces. I was impressed he knew the word 'feces'. I'll admit, it was delicious. Served samgyopsal style except cooked over charcoal for a smoky taste. Masheeta! The next stop on the tour was a submarine ride from Seogwipo harbor to see some the coral reefs inhabiting one of the many small islands around Jeju. Well worth the $40 if only for the incredibly choppy and scary ride to the submarine.

Not wanting to give up and succumb to the weather just yet, we stopped at one waterfall. I don't remember which one it is, but it was surrounded by a beautiful park that would have been incredible if not for the weather. Admitting defeat, we made it back to the pension just before 5pm. Sunday's weather wasn't much better so we only made it to the National Folk Museum before our flight home.

A disappointment? Nah... I knew going in Spring such events would be likely. It was great to visit someplace so touristy in an entirely Korean way. If given the chance, I'd go back to experience more the unique natural aspects of the Island that weren't possible in heavy rain.

Gwaneum-sa Temple

Submarine Ride

See the Dragon?

water water everywhere...

2006-03-04T21:33:00.000+09:00

When will it stop? No one knows...

Welcome March. Six months done and six to go. To celebrate, the boiler in our apartment broke. It has been spewing water since sometime Friday evening while the unsuspecting hagwon teachers were teaching. We returned home to find half the kitchen under an inch -or 2.5cm- of water. Water which isn't warm, but ice cold. In pure desperation we telephoned KJ who phoned someone from maintanence. I couldn't understand much of what the guy with a big flashlight said, but I'm pretty sure "you're screwed" was part of it. In his invented sign language he motioned that we should get a hose for when we sleep. This isn't going to stop???? Where does one get a hose at 9.30pm on a Friday night??

After some wandering, my roommate returned with a hose stolen from the side of a building. I'm sure we need it more than the building right now. With plenty of duct tape we managed to rig it so it will empty into the sink. Thus, we now have a lovely new water feature that includes a dust pan and dirty dishes. This may remain until Monday.

After cleaning up the mess, and finding a new found sympathy for flood victims, we realized our true condition. The gas was turned off. No gas, no boiler. No cooking, no heat, no hot water. Soggy recycling.

Sometimes it's annoying to be the foreigner...

2006-02-28T23:27:00.000+09:00

Where to begin?

In the rain, we jump in a cab after work. The cabbie would not stop turning around to stare at me. I can handle the double-takes, but repeated stares! My companion blocked his view and added 'Annyong!' to which the cabbie started speaking Korean. I think the only words we understood were migook [American] and oopseayo [I don't have]. He made some gun noises and asked if we were together. Uhhh... I think he was drunk. I'm hoping he was drunk. Couldn't leave that cab soon enough.

Ahh... escape into the western bar. Or I thought escape. A middle aged Korean woman sat down next to me as I was waiting for my food. She appeared friendly enough, but the friendliness was only a cover to learn English. She kept asking me things like "ok, bye-bye teacher ok?" Yeah, sure, ok. "bye-bye teacher another day, ok?" No, not ok. "bye-bye teacher see you wednesday, ok?" YES! OK! I just finished six hours of straight classes, I don't need another! At least offer to buy me a drink!

Tomorrow is a holiday, YAY! It's Independence Movement Day. Basically, it's a day to commerate a woman who started a resistance movement against the Japanese occupation in the 1950's. She was help captive, tortured and eventually burned. I am going to commerate the fact I don't have school.

Last weekend the American teachers received the 'grand tour' of Busan from our Assistant Manager KJ. I have to say, I appreciate all the effort he put into it. It was a true Korean tour. Half hour in the car and fifteen minutes of sight seeing, or picture taking, then back in the car. It was an exhausting two days, but he took us to some great places off the beaten path. He also fed us to death! It was like Thanksgiving... only more. Sadly, I forgot my camera. However, with Busan only a 30 minute bus ride away we have no excuses not to visit when the weather is nicer.

On the Great Busan Tour we were able to properly meet KJ's new wife. She's a supervisor at the Busan ECC and kind of helped us put our situation in perspective. In short, we're lazy, whiny teachers. In Busan they work every Saturday. They also have a lot more classes than we do every month and supposedly ask for more. They also like to study Korean so many of them take Korean classes before going to work. suckers...

This next month in Changwon ECC we are starting kindergarden. YAY. YAY because I don't have to teach it. I got lucky. Or did I? We're all close to max hours, but kindergarden teachers have slightly less because they have kindergarden at 1 every day. Needless to say, everyone's schedule sucks. They've added two new Korean teachers for kindergarden, but won't consider another foreign teacher for another six months or so. It can only get worse?

Korean bars vs. Western bars

2006-02-19T19:08:00.000+09:00

I have fallen into the trap of many a foreign teacher. Thus, the past two weekends have been eventful and funfilled, but not in the most productive way. However, this provides some appropriate blogging material.

Tired of enduring these conversations at work;
"How are yee? What did you do on the weekend?"
*blank stare* "Not much. Did some laundry. What about you?"
" Well, we went to O'Brian's on Friday night and didn't make it home until about 7am. It was a good crack."
"So, you didn't make it to Deagu?"
"Haha, no! We were too hungover. Went out Saturday night as well. It was good fun."

The four American teachers attempted, for one night only, to see if we could be Irish. We didn't hit the 7am mark, but we managed fairly well. The best discovery of last weekend were the Korea bars. It's easy to be sucked into the camaraderie of O'Brian's and IP. Our decision was to have one drink at OB then head to a soju bar. The easiest way to get drunk FAST. Soju is strong, 45% alcohol, made from sweet potatoes and goes down scarily easy. Mixed with Kiwi juice you'd think you were drinking Hi-C Ectoplasim. It's that good.

After a pitcher of fruity soju, we went on with our Korean pub crawl. The one annoyance of crawling is that a lot of bars, especially nice bars, require you to order food from a 'side menu'. Korean love to eat! It's also considered rude to drink without eating. I was a little scared of stumbling into a bar full of Korean business men who wouldn't be too friendly. However, the bars we found were both young and trendy. Expensive? NO! The best lesson learned, the western bars in Changwon are way over-priced. At a trendy Korean bar you can get several drinks, fries and butterfly larva for about $7/person.

It's not a night out in Korea without a trip to the noribang! Only $12/hour and they also sell beer. Feeling pretty happy by this point, the time flew by. I must admit, I did score a couple 100s from the generous microphone. Around 3am, when the music died, we decided to head home and admit defeat... we're not Irish.

This past Friday was Open-Mic Night at O'Brian's. It was a strange experience at nearly the half-way point in my contract. There were a lot of people I didn't recognize at all. A lot of new people. It makes sense. A one year contract is standard so there are constantly people coming and going. It was also strange because there were Mexican engineers with LG blatantly smoking weed in the bar. Just when I thought I had escaped the "mama cita".... However, in all fairness, there are often many really nice, well educated Mexicans found in Korea.

Open-Mic night was great! A lot of people, in all different stages of intoxication, got up and sang. Most were surprisingly good. I made it until 5am and the music was still going, yet drastically diminishing in quality. Needless to say, I was completely useless on Saturday, but did manage to go out and see Memoirs of a Geisha. Beautiful movie, even though it did leave out a lot.

The Fattest Cat in Korea

2006-02-06T23:43:00.000+09:00

Walmart Quality

2006-02-03T21:41:00.000+09:00

Here's a story...

I've had reading glasses for the past few years. Not a big deal. I just get headaches if I read a lot or if I spend a lot of time on the computer. As we've been busy at work, I've been wearing my glasses more than usual. Lately, I've been getting pretty bad headaches by the end of the day. So, I decided to do something about it. I asked our gimp, assistant manager Korean James, what it would cost to have an eye exam. In true KJ fashion, he made an appointment for me later that night. Seems that optricians in Korea work until 10pm.

We headed over the shop after work. It was the most high tech eye exam I've ever had. True, I've gone to Walmart for eye exams in the past, but supposedly there is some technology in eye care that only exists in Korea. With KJ as my translator, the optician seemed a little baffled. His conclusion was that my glasses were too strong. Still a bit weary, I agreed to his decision. I handed over my glasses and in 10 minutes I had new lenses.

Not having insurance, how much did this cost me? $100? $200??? NO! $20 for eye exam AND new lenses. New anti-glare lenses. Thank you Walmart for over prescribing my glasses and over charging the insurance company, ultimately over charging ME. $20 for an accurate eye exam, new lenses made and fit into my old frames. Thank you Korea. Thank you for showing me how corrupt the American eye care industry is.

Communism begins with C

2006-02-01T11:00:00.000+09:00

First of all, let me wish you a happy New Year (again). This is the year of the dog. Meaning, for those of you born in a year of the dog, it will either be a lucky or unlucky year for you. Everything in China has to do with luck. At all times, you are either lucky or unlucky. I'm confused.

Our tour (yes, I did an organized tour), arrived in cold and windy Beijing on Lunar New Year's Eve. It was really strange to take a two hour flight and land in an entirely different country. Usually I have a nice long eight hour flight to fill out all the customs forms. With no hesitation, our group went straight from arrivals to the tour bus and headed to the Temple of Heaven. This temple was built for Emperors to pray. Once a year for the harvest and once at the New Year. Here we learned that in Chinese architecture, a circle represents heaven and a square represents earth. In the center of the palace grounds is a circular mound. In the center of this platform is the center of the universe. It's large enough for two. We also learned that nine a heavenly number, so a lot of the architecture has to do with the number nine or multiples of nine. See, a tour guide is good for something.

After the Temple of Heaven we went to dinner at a Mongolian Barbecue. By far our best meal. It was like most Chinese food. There was a large circular rotating center piece and tray, after tray, after tray of food was brought out. However, the Mongolian food had more taste and was less greasy than the other food we had. I have to admit, after a while I started to miss Korean food and metal chopsticks. Once everyone figured out that a liter of beer was only $1, it began to flow much to the delite of the restaurant manager.

We finished the meal and headed to the hotel. Here's one perk of doing an organized tour... the hotel was BAD ASS! A four star Holiday Inn in the center of Beijing. The hotel was complete with a pool, work out facilities, massage service and FREE breakfast! The hotel and airfare alone were more than worth the package price. Thank you Kangsan! (http://www.kangsantravel.com) To end the tiring day of travel I ordered an in-room foot massage. For an amazing 45 minute foot massage in my room, I paid about $20! I love China!

I wanted to have an early night as the highlight of the tour, the Great Wall, was scheduled for the next morning. However, this managed to be impossible. Our guide informed us that this was the first year since 1993 that it's legal to shoot off fireworks inside of the city. In a city of 15 million, at any given time 5 million people were taking advantage of this from dusk until dawn. And not just little bottle rockets... there were large fireworks like what you'd see on the fourth of July going off right outside my hotel window. I don't think anyone in Beijing was meant to sleep that night. In all fairness, it was New Year's.

The following morning we cursed the early wake up call and crawled on the bus headed for the Great Wall. Before we could brave the climb we had a stop to make; The Jade Factory. This is one of my few complaints of the trip. You'd think we were going to lunch - "Oh, look! There happens to be a factory and a shop on the first floor. Why don't you look around for 40 minutes"? There were loads of these tourist traps and we probably spent as much time at these places as we did at the historic sites. The Jade Factory was nice because they taught us how to tell if the jade was real and how to tell a difference in quality. I got a bracelet that's considered medium quality. Woman often wear the same jade bracelet their entire life and wear it on their left wrist so it's close to their heart.

Onto the Great Wall! As can be expected, it was great. We went to a small portion that was a circle. A second defense for the city. In total, there were 3,000 stairs to the top. No way up, but to walk. Duncan, our Chinese guide, told us that to be a hero in China you must have climbed to the top of the great wall. Well, I'm a hero! And it wasn't easy. The stairs were steep and worn in parts. It was well worth the effort and I have some great pictures to prove it (as well as a cheesy medal). There were 60 people on the tour and at most only one third made it to the top. I think the others were too hung over.

Had I gone on my own, the Great wall would have been a whole day event. However, the tour was only for three days. So, we headed for the Ming Tombs. There are thirteen tombs in total. Most of them are being renovated and the lot won't be finished for another twenty years. At the moment, I wouldn't say it's spectacular, but nice because there weren't many people. There was one impressive building, a 600 year old cedar structure. Cedar is now extinct in China.

What's this? A pearl shop? Why don't we stop in and have a look? Same as the jade factory... the main benefit of this stop was learning how to tell if the pearls are real. You rub them together and it creates a white powder. When you rub the powder off there should be no damage to the pearl. I'll admit, I did buy a pearl bracelet. It was cheap, but most of their pearls were kind of expensive.

The last day... day three. That morning we headed for a quick tour of the Summer Palace. Not so impressive in the winter, but nice. It was built by an Empress who ruler behind the throne because woman can't rule. She had a lot of power through the Emperors. In fact, there were some statues where the phoenix [woman] was placed before the dragon [man]. Go Xixi! The main sight here is the view around the lake. This time of year, it was frozen over and we all had a lot of fun sliding around.

Next we headed to Forbidden City. I think everyone was in awe. It's so large. There are labyrinth type walkways and you stumble out into courtyard after courtyard. Spectacular gardens - even in the winter. I took loads of pictures, but there is no way to capture the size. Impressive to say the least. Once we finally managed to exit Forbidden City we landed right across the street from Tian Men Square. The largest city square in the world. It's large enough to hold one million people. Looking straight ahead is the building that houses the preserved remains of three important communist leaders. To the right is a museum and to the left is the parliament building. We only had time to walk through and take pictures. Definitely something worth experiencing. However, beware of the street peddlers who will sell you broken waving Mao watches.

After all the sight-seeing, we rushed to the Silk Market. We had to rush because the markets closed early over the holiday. It was 2.5 hours of haggling bliss. I like to think I was pretty good at it. They'd give me a price, I'd act disinterested and walk away. They'd yell "Wait," hand me a calculator and ask, "you're price." Anything Chinese you want to buy, any knock-off clothing or digital accessories you could find here. I bought a 100% silk robe for $20, that's down from almost $100. I also bought a kite for $5, a new camera battery for $14 and several DVD's for only $1. I can't even count the times I was called pretty lady. I only believed it the first time. She even had her friend bring over a camera and take my picture.

As you've probably noticed if you managed to read this far, there are no pictures. That's because I've finally created a photo page. You can visit it here http://www.flickr.com/photos/74542277@N00/. Right now it's only pictures of China, but I will add Seoul pictures soon. I've narrowed down the 142 pictures I took and uploaded the top 70. Enjoy!

The Wedding of the Century

2006-01-15T16:30:00.000+09:00

My co-workers and I had the distinct honor of being invited to celebrate the wedding of our Assistant Manager, Korean James, or KJ. The happy event was my first Korean wedding and will not soon be forgotten. Most Koreans, thesedays, have two wedding ceremonies. A 'western' [or what they think is western] style wedding followed by a traditional Korean ceremony. The 'western' wedding ceremony is the one most people attend and the traditional ceremony is more for family. After the ceremonies, or ceremony if you can only handle one, they hold a reception, usually in a restaurant.

We arrived at the tall glass building excited for James and having no idea what to expect. After being crammed on an elevator we arrived in a lobby area just outside a ceremony ending. A Korean woman asked if we were there to see Jen [KJ's new wife is a teacher at another ECC] and were directed to another room. This small room was decorated in what I would call French Rococo and there was Jen, sitting on a posh bench for all to admire. Basically, she was there just so people could take pictures with her. As I've learned, Korean couples don't smile during the entire wedding making her look like an unhappy doll.

After the previous wedding finally cleared out, we shuffled into the 'chapel'. I can only describe the western ceremony as Vegas-style complete with dry ice and bubbles. By western standards, it could easily have been called tacky. But, as James had previously informed us, at the price tag of about $30,000, this wasn't a cheap wedding. The ceremony was short. There was some bowing and lots of pictures and absolutely no English. They even cut a small cake, complete with the mystique of dry ice, with a rather large knife. To our surprise, we were invited to have our picture taken with the happy, eventhough they couldn't express it, couple.

Once the western ceremony and pictures were complete, we headed to the restaurant to take full advantage of the Korean/Japanese/Western buffet. J and J, however, still had the Korean ceremony to look forward too. To my disappointment, we weren't able to take part in this ceremony. So, I've attached a picture of traditional Korean wedding garb. Yes, the women do paint red dots on their faces. I wish I could have seen James in the tall hat!

Waygook

2006-01-08T23:33:00.000+09:00

[Foreigner]
It's been a while since I've rapped at ya. That's because nothing new, exciting and Korean has popped up lately. Nothing new besides WINTER CLASSES. Winter classes suck. Most kids are off of school from late December until late February, so does that mean we get off? NO! That means we have more classes. Seems that for a Korean kid, less time in Korean school means you have more time to spend at any one of 5, or so, academies your parents have enrolled you in against your will. The devil makes work for idle hands?

I got off easy. I really have nothing to complain about. I lost a couple students last month - one went to Canada and the other went to India, so I've got a couple new classes to replace them. At least I don't have morning classes. Many a hagwon teacher is know to brave the icy cold upon 0900 hours to fulfill their duties.

This past weekend, I went on a shopping trip to Masan. WOW! A place where all the stores are located in a central location and NOT incredibly expensive. Can I ever shop in Changwon again? We also ate lunch at a small Mexican restaurant. Not close to American standards, but satisfying.

As this week wasn't exciting, this is what I've got to look forward too... January 14th I will be attending my first ever Korean wedding taking place in Busan. January 28th I leave for China to party for LUNAR NEW YEAR! A-SA!

Enjoy the picture.

Busan / Solar New Year

2006-01-02T11:47:00.000+09:00

A-SA! This weekend was my first three day weekend since Chu-seok. To celebrate the end of session and the three-day weekend we decided to explore Busan for the day. Busan, often called Korea's second city, is only a 30 minute bus ride away from Changwon. We wanted to experience more Korean culture than E-mart, which is difficult to do here in Changwon, so we decided to visit a temple. Beomeosa Temple was labeled as the "must-see" site in Busan by the Lonely Planet guide book. I'm guessing there isn't much to see in Busan. It was a nice temple high up on a mountain, but there was nothing extrodinary about it. We took a lot of nice pictures and met a nice temple cat who followed us around. It was nice.

After we'd had enough of the temple, we headed to the main shopping district in Busan, Nampodong. There you can buy knock-off just about anything. Now I know where all these teenage girls get their LV bags. I experienced the tragedy of losing my mittens somewhere before we made it to the temple. I decided that mittens on a string would be the best solution for my absentmindedness. Apparently, I'm not the only one. There were loads of girls walking around with mittens, on a string, around their neck. A-SA! I was able to score a pair for only $5. Other than that, none of us were really in the mood for shopping. The area reminded me a lot of NYC. They had the main streets with the big name stores, sans GAP, and the side streets offered China Town type markets.

We made it home in time for dinner at the nearest sam-gyop-sal restaurant. Seems that restaurant is the place to be on a Friday night. I noticed on their sign that they offer Jeju pork - which a student informed me is famous. Why is it famous? Because Jeju pigs dine on feces! Mmmm... Delicious.

~~~~~~HAPPY NEW YEAR~~~~~~

Yesterday didn't feel like New Year's Eve, nor does today feel like New Year's Day. Korea was lacking that buzz in the air - probably because it's not a big deal to them. I lounged around until about 6 o'clock when the neighbor came knocking. She brought an entire tray of food this time! There was dokkuk, a rice cake soup that is traditionally eaten on lunar new year to ensure you grow a year older, kimchi, rice and rice cakes. Quite a surprise that I don't know how we'll top.

The evening posed the usually dilemma - O'Brian's, International Pub or Eisen Brau? IP came first knowing that we'd end up at OB eventually. Nothing too exciting, yet it was nice to be among friends.

My New Year's resolutions? To finally sort out a picture webpage and to make a habit of going to the gym. I've got plenty of time for both, now all I need is motivation.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

2005-12-27T03:54:00.000+09:00

Despite our best efforts, it didn't really feel like Christmas this year. To Koreans, Christmas is about as big as Valentine's Day. There are some decorations and Korean celebrities attempting Christmas songs on TV, but that's about it. It's not really a family holiday, but rather a day to spend with your sweetheart. Kids like it because some of them get presents.

We only had the weekend off so traveling didn't seen plausible. For the most part, it was a typical weekend. Not much to do on Saturday, but Saturday night was a friend's birthday. We headed over to the number one birthday spot in Changwon - Eisen Brau. The bathrooms are lovely! Besides that, it's a small micro-brewery that offers live entertainment six days a week. The Filipino band they've had since I've been here does a wicked cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. They also have two sizzling hot lead singers who will provide you with a birthday song and dance [no touching]. A-SA! They even had little Christmas outfits on and handed the birthday boy bunny ears.

On Christmas day we planned a late lunch held at my posh flat. There were eleven of us in total. Six Americans, four Irish and one Canadian. We all combined our culinary talents and created, agreeably, the best meal we've had since arrival. As much as I like Korean food, it's just not nearly as satisfying. As there's no turkey and none of us have ovens, we had roast chicken from the nearest supermarket. There were mashed potatoes, stuffing, vegetables - NOT in a stir-fry, gravy, mulled wine and a fabulous Jello no-bake cake.

We ended the feast and were talked into watching an Irish comedian on DVD. I guess that's what the Irish do on Christmas (or so they said). Quite funny, but rather inappropriate subject matter for the holiday. Haven't they ever seen those cute little claymation films with Rudolph?

Back to work!

boys, boys, boys, boys, boys, boys.....

2005-12-18T05:28:00.000+09:00

It's not surprising to report that classes this month are unevenly distributed on the male to female ratio. I have a couple classes where the boys outweigh the girls eight to three and one class with four little boys. On the other side, I do have a class with seven girls and one boy and an older class with six girls and three boys. As far as gender equality goes in the whole of Korea, I'd say they are about twenty+ years behind the U.S. Gentlemanly conduct also does not exist here. It is accepted that a man enters, or leaves, a room before a woman. When at a restaurant, the man will be served before a woman.

It seems that in a class full of boys, everyday is a competition to see who can be the biggest bastard. Yet move them over two seats or threaten to phone their mother and they resort to tears. Nothing is worse than being embarrassed in front of their friends. The middle finger? In America, that means you want to kiss them. You want to kiss teacher? Yeah, I won't be seeing that again.

The girls, on the other hand, have a different sort of competition - who can be the best student. While this does mean they are sometimes mean to each other, it's never been distracting in class so I don't care. Some of the middle school girls [14-15 years old] have a lot of attitude because they are rich and spoiled. The only cure for this is a handsome white male teacher who they'll want to impress.

A-SA! It's the weekend. Two whole days without any children!

H

2005-12-12T09:32:00.000+09:00

I'm a quarter of the way through my contract! Isn't it interesting how sometimes it's 'I'm one quarter into my contract!' and sometimes is 'I'm finished with a quarter of my contract!' It's not the actual job or Korea that determines these discrepancies for me. It's one person. The Super.

We'll call her H. Or as Koreans say, 'H-ee.' She has turned the office entirely around - in a bad way. Our new schedule is.... shite. We did testing last month to hopefully put kids in the classes they belong. That is all well and good, but I don't understand why ALL the classes have different teachers. It's very difficult for us foreign teachers, and especially the younger students who speak no English, to develop relationships where they know our teaching style and are comfortable with us. I think I had just gotten to that point with my classes last month and now all is changed. I have a total of FOUR students that are the same. One is the devil incarnate. Ok, it's day three of the new session - I'm over it.

I don't understand why she put classes with kids 10+ in rooms designed for children 7 and under. In a couple of my classes they are literally on top of each other making it difficult to keep order. I asked if this could be changed and she said no because then she would have to tell the students and have the manager approve it. OH WHAT LIMITATIONS! The kids complain about it, but I have to tell them to take to H. Alas, there is nothing I can do.

We also have a few 'special students' who we work with one-on-one. I've been working with an older student named Harry who is off to India next month to start university. For some reason, H changed the schedule so now he has three teachers. I see him Tues/Th and the Irish girls see him MWF. The tried to make sense of it last class and explained his level of comfort with each teacher. "Abbie teacher - very comfortable. New teacher - very uncomfortable. You say 'app' and she says 'opp.' What's worse is there is a little boy called James who is moving to Canada soon. He comes to ECC every day to prepare. This month, instead of two teachers, he has FOUR. I only see him on Wednesday. That's only three times this session. why?????

For the most part, I like my new classes. It's easier to teach when they are all at the level where they should be. Most of my classes are also a lot better behaved. I have a lot more classes this month - which also doesn't make sense comparing it to other schedules. No breaks, so I'll probably be going in a lot earlier. This may all change next month. They are doing a winter academy in the morning so whoever does those classes should finish early and the new teachers should pick up more classes. If this happens... all should return to normal... as long as H-ee can control her stress.

I think the top two frustrations with the job are (1) miscommunication and (2) older Koreans being very narrow-minded. H can't speak English well and she's unwilling to take suggestions from us to heart. She tends to put her stress on us and to make it seem like the director is angry with us. I don't think he is. I think he's frustrated with her. It's a very different ECC from when she worked there seven years ago. Parents have a lot more choices in English academies now. YBM is expensive - to the point where it's a status symbol to send your children there. Parents expect a lot especially when they are paying a lot. H doesn't know how to take the complaints because she says there weren't any seven years ago. I was told my first day at ECC that parents complain all the time. Either you're giving too much homework or not enough.

I hope all will calm down and return to normal. I'm not sure that it will. It's been three months. If that's the case, I don't expect her to last much longer. I now consider a good day her not freaking out about something trivial. Ah well, I suppose we're still better off than most foreign teachers.

Ever watch porn with your co-workers?

2005-12-04T05:26:00.000+09:00

End of month three saw another farewell/welcoming party. This time, because the director is supposedly not happy with us, the party was combined with the annual Christmas party. It was the typical sam-gyeop-sal, soju and speeches. I think after this past week, we all felt like we deserved the soju.

We finished the heart clogging, yet delicious, dinner and gathered outside to decide on the next place. Instead of another drinking/dining establishment, SOMEONE [I'm assuming Mr. K] got the Noribang idea. So off we ran into the night in pursuit of a noribang that could accommodate us. We were denied by the first place so, onto the next - sans a few of our Korean co-workers. They rarely say goodbye and simply disappear in the drunken blur. We finally settled into a noribang and the machine started to roll. Wait? What's this? Why is there a naked girl with large fake breasts touching herself and rolling around on a ball? What kind of noribang is this? There were a couple shouts of 'A-SAAA!' I'm not sure how anyone could read the lyrics with a straight face. A female co-worker, with some sense, asked for the screen to be changed to something a little more tame. The atmosphere, feeling appropriate at last, changed drastically and there was much singing, dancing and Hite consuming to be had by all.

The numbers dropped even more when moving onto the next place. We were down to six. Two Koreans and four Americans. Somehow we ended up at B&Girls, which can be likened to Hooters. Korea, being far more conservative than the US, the girls wore nothing more scandalous than cheerleading uniforms. Fake breasts also don't exist in Korea. Menu items include things like 'Hot Naked Chicken', which is actually pretty damn good. After several 'fucking cheers!' [We've discovered the managers favorite four letter word when drinking] and a couple more pitchers of sHite it was 3am and time to stumble home. An early night by Korean standards. Yet the hangover tells a different story.

The Deliciousness of Korea

2005-12-01T13:32:00.000+09:00

Western food options are limited here in Changwon, so unless you can subsist on TGI Fridays, Outback, Baskin Robbins, Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds it's best to take a liking to Korean food. Expect the food to be spicy and learn to eat with metal chopsticks, or go hungry. Here's a rundown of what I've discovered so far.

Sam-gyop-sal: Had this my first night out in Korea. It's basically thick cuts of bacon fried in front of you. Typically eaten wrapped in a leaf with some red bean paste. Popular with foreigners, but not heart friendly.

gim-bap: Korean sushi. Basic gim-bap is all the same. Pickled something, some vegetables and spam [or ham?]. However, there are many variations that can include tuna and kimchi.

ramyeon: Kind of like Ramen noodles, except a lot tastier. Many varities, I prefer cheesey. Typically served with gimbap.

kimchi-tchigaei: Korean Chili served with rice to cool the palate. This is a spicy stew with kimchi and tofu and whatever else is left in the kitchen. There are many different types of tchigaei. I've also tried a bean tchigaei.

mandu: fried or steamed dumplings served as a side dish. Like Japanese gyoza or Chinese pot stickers. Many different kinds, some also including kimchi!

bi-bim-bob: assorted steamed vegetables over rice. Koreans will mix in some hot chili paste. A healthy dish to make up for the sam-gyop-sal the night before.

tae-yuk-ta-bap: marinated pork and vegetables with rice. Almost like a spicy bbq sauce.

bul-go-gi: beef and vegetables with rice and slimy noodles. Not a lot of flavor here.

kimchi-bokum-bap: rice fried with kimchi and whatever is lying around the kitchen.

cheeje-bokum-bap: It's basically like the former, except with cheese instead of kimchi. DELICIOUS.

galbi-chim: Korean beef stew. not spicy. delicious.

say-go-gi-go: mmmm.... discovered this recently at the restaurant across from school. Kind of like a beef soup with potatoes and bean sprouts. delicious.

There's loads of Korean food I haven't tried yet and I'm hoping to expand my repitior. However, that's sometimes difficult. Korean restaurants are typically small and specialize in certain dishes. They don't have menus with pictures, but list what they serve on the wall. So, it's best to learn how to say the food you like and also to be able to recognize it in Korean. Or, date a Korean - as many men come here to do.

Happy Thanksgivin'

2005-11-27T12:48:00.000+09:00

As Americans, we found it difficult to celebrate Thanksgiving. There appears to be no turkey in Changwon, nor do any of us have an oven. We decided to have Thanksgiving dinner at Outback. Ahhh... Outback... easily the best western food in Changwon (and I don't eat steak). Uneventful, yet enjoyable.

Again, there be change in the air. We did testing for all the students last week meaning all the classes are being moved around. This can be both good and bad. For myself, I'm maintaing a couple of my BAD students and gaining another young class. Meaning I now have one more class on MWF. Lovely. However, I must be greatful because I do get to keep my cute class [see the Superhero post] AND my high school student - who is useful for answering questions and teaching me slang.

Today marks the end of my Saturday classes! I'm beat.

Seoul / YBM Banquet

2005-11-23T07:05:00.000+09:00

I suppose while still recovering from the weekend is a good time to write about the weekend. Last Sunday was the annual YBM Banquet in Seoul, so we took the opportunity to head up on Friday night to spend some time in the city.

First off, due to not leaving work until 9pm on Friday night, we had no other choice but to take a 4.5 hour bus ride to get to Seoul by Saturday morning, which also turned out to be the cheapest option. We left Changwon around 11.30pm and got in at 4am. The bus was actually quite comfortable. Large seats, dark and stifling heat. I've discovered Koreans crank up the heat inside when it's cold outside. I would have been more comfortable in shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops. Happy to leave the bus, it was easy enough to get a cab into Itaewon - where the foreigners be. You'll hear more English on this street than Korean. We stayed at Seoul Motel which was recommended by Lonely Planet. $45/night for a clean room, bathroom with a hose and few amenities - yet is within stumbling distance of Itaewon's main street.

Despite the late night, we got up early and headed to Gyeongbokgung Palace. The oldest Joseon Dynasty Palace (whatever that means). The large palace grounds in the middle of Seoul offers some impressive buildings, but these palaces are quite the opposite of European palaces. They lack a lot of ornamentation and flashy extravagance for something more spiritual. Yet the architecture is impressive. Entrance into Gyeongbokgung Palace also includes entrance to the National Folk Museum of Korea. Everything you wanted to know about Korean culture, including the health benefits of kimchi (it can be helpful for constipation). Upon leaving the palace, we were lucky enough to experience the changing of the guards. Definitely a place I'd recommend visiting in Seoul.

After the palace, we headed to Insa-dong, the Buddhist and more traditional area of Seoul. I wanted to have a Korean food FREE weekend so we stopped for a quick lunch at BK - this is after having Dunkin Dounuts for breakfast. NO, I DON'T FEEL BAD FOR EATING AT AMERICAN CHAIN RESTAURANTS. We don't have many in Changwon. Insa-dong has loads of art galleries and shops, shops, shops. Basically, all we did was shop. Any traditional Korean ware you may want, you can find here. Ceramics, fans, mother of pearl, art, traditional clothing, masks, Buddhist items, etc... Dangerous ;) We ended our shopping afternoon with a quick stroll through Tapgol Park, which boasts of a 1470s marble pagoda. Sadly, this pagoda is now under a protective glass case.

Iteawon is know for its surplus of ethnic restaurants so we went back towards our motel for dinner. We chose Italian and were not disappointed. Tired of the Korean-Italian of Changwon, we were thrilled to find something closer to REAL Italian :) After dinner, we wanted to check out Seoul Tower - which is said to offer the best view of Seoul. We walked all the way to the cable car from the subway only to discover that Seoul Tower is closed for remodeling. The cable car still ran as usual, so we hopped on with several young Korean couples. After three minutes, somewhat scary due to all the Koreans going "Oooooohhhh!" whenever it moved, we arrived at the top of the mountain and the base of Seoul Tower. Trees were blocking most of the panoramic view, but we did get some good pictures. I'd like to go back when the weather is nice and the tower is actually open.

With not much sleep the night before, we knew an early night was necessary. The next morning we decided to take it easy and hang around Itaewon. As Itaewon is the foreigner capitol of Seoul, anything a foreigner could want is here. You can easily find a tailor made suit, leather goods, jewelry and some brand name stores (Nike, Puma, Adidas). I decided now would be a good time to purchase some black pearls. After shopping around I was able to find a decent strand for $100. I got it down from $120. A good deal, I hope.

We had a light lunch and then got into a cab to the Grand Hyatt Hotel for the YBM Banquet. I have to confess, it was the nicest, and largest, banquet I've ever been too. The Grand Hyatt in Seoul is probably one of the most posh hotels to be found in the city. The ballroom looked amazing. There was professional entertainment from Nanta, who are kind of like Stomp except with kitchen utensils. They also had a less than spectacular magician, who lost half the crowd by not speaking English. The food was the best I've had in Korea thus far. Smoked salmon, mushroom soup, steak and chocolate cake with strawberry ice cream. Most importantly, REAL BUTTER. *drool* They also gave away loads of prizes, none of which I won. Everything from a Hyatt hand made cake to two round trip tickets to Hong Kong. YBM knows how to do it right! However, in true Korean fashion, the company president was a little too honest with his speech and said something about YBM losing business to ruthless competitors. Cheery.

Needless to say, a grand weekend. Seoul, for a city of its size, is amazing. I now understand why Koreans are so proud of it. Incredibly clean, cheap and easy to use public transportation. And despite the size of the city, Koreans maintain their hospitality. A nice getaway when tired of feeling like a foreigner. Although, my first day in Seoul, I did have my picture taken four times. Once by Korean schoolgirls, an older woman took a close up of my eye and we were bombarded by some students doing surveys. Not that I mind. *does a model pose* Now back to the real world... with a lighter pocketbook.

Pepero Day

2005-11-13T05:16:00.000+09:00

Yesterday was Pepero Day. Pepero is what is know as Pocki in Japan and China, which can now be found in the US. Basically, it's a sweet bread stick covered in chocolate. Why was yesterday Pepero Day? Because it was November 11, or 11/11, and Pepero is long and sweet. However, I've also heard it's because that's the day the company was founded. And what do you do on Pepero Day? Well, you give and recieve lots of pepero. I've never seen so many kinds! Everything from white chocolate to strawberry. Long pepero and short pepero. Needless to say, my kids love me and I cleaned up! [most of if broken from being in backpacks all day] Now I've got more pepero than I know what to do with.

To load off some of the pepero we decided to be good neighbors and give some to our friendly neighbors, as they have two small children. The woman was more than happy to see us, as usual. She made an attempt to invite us over for ko'pi [coffee], however, with the language barrier we couldn't understand a day or a time. Perhaps it's better left as random gifts.

Missing Kurdish Tv? Estonian Tv? If you've got the internet, miss it no more. One of my co-workers has introduced me to beeline tv. A website that has links to tv channels freely broadcast on the web from all over the world, including several channels in English. Definetly worth checking out. I'll post the link to the right.

The Super

2005-11-11T07:00:00.000+09:00

After my first month here in Changwon, we lost our energenic and outgoing supervisor. We'll call her A. A was great. She did her job well and was able to stand up for us foreigners to the director. Not an easy thing for a Korean woman, but that's the way A was. She was well liked, although I can't speak for a lot of the Korean teachers. A has been replaced by B. B is an incredibly sweet lady. B used to work for our ECC a few years ago. Supposedly all the Korean teachers in the office were asked if they wanted A's job when her husband got a new job in another city. None of the teachers wanted or could take the position. I guess that's why we got B. I can see that being the supervisor is not an easy job. B now looks just as stressed and busy as A did. However, unlike A, B does not speak English well at all, despite living in the US for ten years! A never left Korea and spoke perfect English. This poses many communication issues. So, I tried asking some Korean teachers for help, but it turns out they don't know what she's talking about either - even when she speaks Korean. I feel bad for B, because I know it's frustrating for her as well.

Which brings up what happened the other day. She pulled me and another teacher aside and told us there was a serious problem with the Saturday class. Yeah, the serious problem is that we HAVE Saturday classes. Supposedly, a couple of the students said my class was boring and that I don't explain things well enough. The real problem is, there's a couple of spoiled girls in that class who don't like girl teachers. I was told this by A after having problems the first Saturday I worked. They'd rather have my handsome, male co-teacher. These students complained last month, so B observed my class. All she told me to do was that the students found it easy so I can go faster. Ok, done. Basically, these students are going to complain about me no matter what. They just don't want to be at ECC for three hours on a Saturday afternoon - and I don't blame them. The problem is that B is taking complaints like that from 15 year olds seriously.

So, what to do? I'm not going to take what B says seriously. She's already tried to quit, but she's stuck in a one year contract. I have three more Saturday classes left. Then the kids can complain about the new teachers.

I have an older student - who doesn't think my class is boring - that I see five days a week. He's my favorite student because he genuinely wants to learn English. He REALLY wants to go to University in India and he's about to graduate from High School next year. The other day he said, "I have a difficult question." Uh-oh... uhhh... go on... "Why are there no black people at ECC?" How am I supposed to answer that? I've heard that Koreans are racist, but I'm not about to say that our director is racist, although I do know he prefers to hire girls. All I can say is, "I don't know." I don't know how many, if any, black people apply to our ECC. There are only six foreign teachers in our school. Then he taught me the word for the person who wipes a sumo wrestler. They supposedly make big money.... and high ranking sumo wrestlers have three or four. huh...

I climbed a mountain!!

2005-11-07T12:23:00.000+09:00

Thus begins my third month in Changwon. It's autumn... a season of change. I've given up and accepted the fact that it's not going to get warm again. My hak-won is also not immune to change. Last week, we simultaneously lost and gained three teachers. Big change, considering there's only twelve teachers total. This means I'm not the new teacher anymore!!! Which allows me to reflect on how far I've come in the past two months.

Ok, so, I'm not fluent in Korean. In fact, I couldn't even carry on a conversation with a small child. However, I am now comfortable with that fact and have become really good at pointing and gesturing to get what I want. I've also learned that Koreans do appreciate it when you butcher their language. They find it greatly entertaining that you're trying. But to my credit, I can tell the cab driver where I live and they do understand now. No pointing needed there.

As far as the children go, they continue to become more comfortable with me. My youngest kids now try to lift up my skirt, but I'm pleased that they actually acknowledge my existence now. It's a start. For the others, it's all about motivation. The younger students are content with recognition - the winner of the day gets to be first in line! For the older students it's all about threats and embarrassment. ["Tom, one more time and I'm calling your mother." / "Teacher! NO!" *magically turns into an angel*] Embarrassment is my favorite and often more effective than threatening. ["Peter, why are you talking to Rick?" *Peter shakes his head* "Is it because you LOVE Rick?" *Peter shakes his head more and turns bright red* "Peter, look, I know you love Rick, but you can wait until the end of class to hold his hand." *writes Peter's name on the board with a BIG red heart followed by Rick* The entire class laughs. Peter and Rick wish they didn't exist for the rest of the class and, therefore, stop causing trouble.

In other news, we had a knock on the door the other day from a friendly neighbor. She brought over some boiled sweet potatoes and apples with her two kids. Thinking it unfriendly to return a empty tray, we gathered some candy and returned the favor. Later that evening, the woman returned with a bag FULL of tangerine and tomatoes! I guess it's true what they say about Koreans; They don't expect anything in return, but if you make an effort, they appreciate it a lot. We, on the other hand, have decided not to resume the gift war until the holidays.

Despite the drink specials at O'Briens, I managed to have a sober weekend and did something I've wanted to do since I arrived in Korea. I CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN! This may not be a big deal to most, but being from the great prairie land of Wisconsin, I didn't grow up with mountains to climb. In fact, they scare me, but Koreans love to hike. So, we decided to join them up the small mountain behind out apartment complex. Not easy, but definitely rewarding. The trees are changing color and there was a nice fall breeze. Hopefully I'll have some nice pictures and maybe someday I'll figure out how to post them.

HALLOWEEN DAY

2005-10-31T07:00:00.000+09:00

First of all, I have to say how lucky we are to have our director. Mr. Kim rocks. You can find hundreds of websites on the internet about bad directors, probably a lot of them named Mr. Kim - as 20% of Koreans have the last name Kim. While our Mr. Kim is definetly a boss figure at work, he's incredibly cool outside of work. We had another one of those welcoming/farewell parties Friday night. He not only paid for our entire faculty at an expensive samgyopsal restaurant, but also did an obligatory shot [or two] of soju with everyone. The fun did not end there. He also took us all out to a bar afterwards and did one-shots of beer with us. You can definetly joke around with him in social situations - at least the whities can.

The reason for all this director worship is simple. Some people here do not have such tolerant directors. I've found that, for the most part, foreign teachers love to go out, drink and stay out late. Some directors do not approve of this behavior, especially from women. It's not uncommon to be told but your director that you shouldn't go out anymore. Perhaps it looks bad for the school, but who ever sees you out that late is just as quilty as you are! We tend to hang out at western bars - which consists of TWO in Changwon. So, it's not as if you're going to run into your children OR their parents.

I'm lucky. I can go to work and talk about my night out and my co-workers were either there - or they just laugh.

Ahhhh... Halloween Day... is apparently only for the children in Korea. I was told by some students that it's 'childish.' Count on the western bars to have costume parties! And count on many Koreans to be completely oblivious to the holiday. And also count on having a hard time getting a cab when you're with a man dressed as William Wallace. The reactions from Koreans ranged from "Oh, my god." and laughing to people actually running away. Once inside O'Briens it was the most crowded I've ever seen, most people in costume. They gave prizes for best costume, best dressed and sexiest costume. A pair of dice won for best costume [I don't think the poor couple could move the entire night as they were attached]. My co-worker won for best dressed. He was a haadgema - an old woman who works sells things on the streets. And sexiest went to some Korean girl. Most girls went for sexiest, meaning there were many bunnies, cats, devils and angels. Origional. I went as a skeleton - I found it funny attempting to fit into a kids costume plus I can acutually wear it to work on Monday.

The night, of course, ended at the noribang. On the way out some Korean men started saying 'Babo! What's your name?' Ok, bastards, I know what babo means. I learned that my first DAY here. It means mentally insane. So maybe they had a point. All I could say was "Your name is Babo!" Well, that would have been really insulting to my kids.

Tony's Theme

2005-10-28T04:09:00.000+09:00

This is a post about a superhero named Tony, it's called Tony's Post.

I have this student named Tony. He's probably my youngest aaaaand most unpopular. I'll admit, although we can't communicate past 'cow' and 'kitten' in English, he is a bit strange. The few minutes prior to class usually involve Tony chasing the other six students around and around and around the table... screaming.

Nearly every class, and I have this class three times a week, Tony ends up crying about something. It usually goes like this;
"Teacher, Tony!" They all point to the crying Tony who is shouting in Korean through tears at another student.
"Tony?" I attempt to console through the language barrier, "Tony, what's wrong?" More crying and shouting in Korean.
"Ok, Kevin, what's wrong with Tony?" They ALL act innocent. Even if they wanted to tell me, they don't have the English to do so. I know they were all picking on him, but without any evidence or confessions I have no choice but to deflect the situation.
"Tony, why don't you do your workbook. Here are your crayons - no, stop shouting at Ivan. TONY, English only. No Korean speaking." I could say anything at this point, unless it has to do with a farm, he doesn't understand. After talking to him enough and showing him his workbook several times he usually calms down.

Monday, however, was different. Tony was very proud of his new pencil case and the other students seemed equally impressed especially with the pencil sharpner. After everyone had a turn with the sharpner, it was jammed. He started banging it on the desk.
"NO, Tony. Teacher will fix." I took the sharpner from him and disassembled it. Not the best idea. He saw his precious sharpner in pieces and immediatly began to cry.
"No, Tony, Teacher is going to fix." All right, obviously he doesn't understand the word fix. He rips the pieces out of my hand and attempts to fix it himself. The other students try to help him to no avail. Jenny puts her arm around him and trys to calm hims down, but he only cries harder. Well at least I KNOW what he's crying about today. I try to talk him into giving me the pencil sharpner so I can fix it, but apparently I'm now the devil. Jenny bolts from the classroom. Wonderful, where the hell did Jenny go? Now there's chaos. Tony screaming and Jenny AWOL, the others staring at Tony with concern.

Before I have a chance to panic, Jenny returns with tissues. She attempts to hand them to Tony - who refuses. I finally manage to obtain the pencil sharpner and reassemble it.
"See Tony, fixed." I'm hoping he has now learned the word fix. He doesn't seem impressed. I grab a pencil and start sharpening. "See Tony, it's OK." Jenny picks up the tissues and starts drying his face *awwwwwww* She's able to talk him down and I distract the other students with a game.

Eventually, Tony and Jenny join the game. The other students acutally helped Tony find the first match. Jenny finds the second match and they are arm in arm for the rest of the class - which by this point is a whole five minutes. *awwwwwww* They are now officially my cutest class. We'll see how long the Tony love lasts.

Hospital

2005-10-20T04:02:00.000+09:00

It's been a while since I rapped at ya. Things are starting to settle in here and a routein is developing. I've returned to that lazy college lifestyle of staying up way to late for no reason, sleeping in, stumbling to class around 3pm and drinking too much on the weekends. You even need to watch for puke when walking around after 9pm. Just like living in the dorms. Unlike college, I'm actually making money and there's NO HOMEWORK :)

I've had some sort of cold since I got here. It appears I'm not the only one. Some teachers say they were sick for the first four months! New environment? New germs? Pollution? I don't know. I'm putting off going to the hospital to see a doctor based on other experiences. Doctors speak limited English. I know in a lot of smaller countries they don't have the money to translate text books, so a lot of professionals HAVE to learn English to get a degree. My friend went in for a kidney infection and explained this to the doctor. He looked in her throat and said 'tonsilitis'. She adamently disagreed with him, but in the end, went and got her medicine for 'tonsilitis' which cleared things up.

Another reason I'm avoiding the doctor is the medicine. Some teachers have done in with the flu and got a shot in the ass plus 15 pills to take everyday. They admit they felt much better, but had no idea what they were taking.

Well, if my throat gets any worses... I'm braving it. I don't want to miss school and lose out on my attendence bonus.

I can't believe they are showing Kill Bill on tv at 11am. Maybe it's ok because she's killing lots of Japanese?

D O G

2005-10-10T07:20:00.000+09:00

They really do eat dog in Korea. But, you're not going to find it hanging in some meat shop or accidently order it at a restaurant. I asked some of my students what they thought about eating dog meat and the answers ranged from "It's delicious! We eat it at Chue-sok" or "NO teacher! Puppies!" It seems that their attitudes towards eating dog depends on their families.

These days, the dog restaurants are found on the outskirts of town. So, to find one, you'd have to go out of your way. Attitudes towards eating dog are so strong that often taxi drivers won't take you to a restaurant that serves it. Once inside a restaurant that serves dog, it's just like any other Korean restaurant. You take off your shoes, sit on a little mat, order a couple bottles of soju and attempt to read a menu entirely in Korean.

From what I've been told, they serve dog two different ways. One, is roasted and the other is in a stew. My companions in this adventure were two Canadians, two were Irish and another American. Typical tourists. No idea what to order. None of us had done this before. Attempting words from the incredibly handy Lonely Planet Korean Phrasebook, we were interrupted by a business man who spoke perfect English asking if he could help us. How lucky! The only English I ever hear from Koreans outside of work is "Hello!" and occasionally "How are you!" followed by lots of giggling. He helped us order one leg for $100! By far, the most expensive Korean meal I've encountered.

Like any Korean meal, they bring out loads of side dishes. Pickled garlic,spam, egg, kimchi, something that looked like grass. They brought out the dog meat whole and cut it in front of us [I really could have done without that]. Then they put it on top of boiling water to further steam the meat. Like most meat served in Korea, it had a lot of fat. Dog is a dark meat that smells like turkey or chicken and tastes like well done beef. I don't think any of us would have said it's delicious. Not bad, but I'm not a fan or dark meat or beef. We didn't finish all the meat, there's just something weird about it. Koreans say it's an aphrodisiac, good for your skin and very healthy. But I think they say that about a lot of food here. Eel is supposed to be good for male stamina. Eel soup smeels like furniture varnish.

The night, of course, ended for me at O'Briens with a nice basket of potato wedges. And as usual, the only movie on Tv in English this afternoon is Volcano.

At the Noribang

2005-10-05T15:06:00.000+09:00

Wow... oh man... really... what can I say?
Went over [or in my case through] the mountain to a small coastal town called Jinhea with some friends. Had the usual night out in Korea. Started out with samgyopsal* and soju* at a local restraunt. Visited the local foreigner bar before checking out a trendy Korean bar. It's very trendy for restaurants and bars to print menu items in English. This bar offered a 'Burbon Cock' on the menu. Many were ordered followed by many jokes only 13 year olds and drunks can appreciate. The Koreans were none the wiser.

After too many Burbon Cocks, we headed to the Noribang. A Noribang is basically a karaoke bar. Instead of being on a stage in front of an entire bar, you have your own private room. They provide you with a couple microphones [with cute little microphone covers as to not spread germs] and tambourines. They typically have a large [sometimes random] selection of songs in English. Of course they serve alcohol and food [Koreans think it's rude to drink without eating]. Time can easily disappear in the Noribang. Don't worry, they turn off the machine when they want you out.

When you've at enough of the Noribang, the walk back to your love hotel* might be a good time to practice all that Korean you've been learning. ANNYOUG HASEYO! The koreans seem to find that entertaining.

End of story... Basically, if you go out in Korea, expect to drink way too much and end up at a Noribang. And plan on spending the next day being completely useless and ordering pizza from the place that speaks English.

* Samgyopsal = thick cuts of bacon cooked in front of you on a hot plate. Typically served with various sides like Kimchi and octopus. Popular with foreigners, but definetly not healthy.

* Soju = Korean drink of choice served with dinner. Supposedly makes people crazy. I find it's like doing a shot of vodka. Koreans don't like to see the Soju shot glass empty - which is probably what leads to the craziness.

* Love hotels = In Korea, children don't move out of their parents house until they get married. This doesn't mean they wait until they are 30 to have sex. They go to a love hotel [hence the name]. Love hotels are EVERYWHERE and typically clean and cheap. You can find them for about $30/night. However, don't be surprised to find condoms, porn on channel 80, round beds and mirrors in interesting places.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

2005-10-03T07:46:00.000+09:00

Tired of feeling white? Being stared at? Having children point to you and say "miguk?" No worries. There is an escape (besides your cramped apartment that stinks of the kimchi your neighbors are preparing in mass quantites). For over two years now O'Briens Irish Bar and Restaurant has been serving as a santuary for all whities in Changwon. The clientelle are mostly English teachers from Canada, the UK or the US. In fact, the bar's owner previously worked for the same school I'm currently teaching at. There are also a lot of western engineers who frequent the pub - some only in town for a week, some have been in Korea for years. Overall, it's a friendly atmosphere and most importantly, you don't feel like you're in Korea. Sure, there are Koreans working at the bar and there's there are always a few Koreans drinking, but most of them speak English well. If not, the've only come for the freak show.

It's easy to get sucked in to a life revolving around O'Briens. There's a Darts League on Monday nights. Wednesday the lads play footie, Thursday is poker night (as is Saturday) and Sunday there are soccer games in Busan. Also, most people become friends with the owner - giving even more reason to go there and stay there... way too long... and drink way too much.

It's a great community and no westerner here has any reason to feel lonely (unless perhaps you're a recovering alcoholic). After a month in Changwon, I always see someone I know at O'Briens.

Prior to O'Briens, the only western bar in Changwon was IP, or International Pub. O'Briens can be a little heavy on the pocketbook - especially if you're wanting western beer. IP is a nice change of scenery and pretty much the same clientelle. However, beware of the White Dog.

One thing I really don't like about Korea are the squatters! All buildings have public toilets, but they are typically filthy and not western and will not have toilet paper. A great solution when out at O'Briens or IP is the International Hotel. Cleaner than my bathroom at home and western toilets. Ahhhh.... And the employees don't seem to mind you coming in just to use the toilets - maybe it's because I'm white?

Check out the O'Briens website, I've added it to the sidebar! There's even a chat so you can find out what's happening.

WORK

2005-09-28T03:17:00.000+09:00

So far, the work schedule is not too bad. MWF are the long days. Classes start at 3pm and end at 9pm. Most teachers have 7-8 forty-minute classes on those days. Tu and Th are my favorite! We only have 3-4 classes on those days and they start later. This gives me the entire day on Tu and Th to do whatever. Grocery shop at E-mart, recover from a hangover. The only thing that really sucks about my schedule are the Saturday classes. Being one of the 'new' teachers, I've been stuck with Saturday classes for the first 3 months. It's only three hours starting at 3pm, but the students really don't want to be there. Six day weeks do cramp the traveling plans, but maybe it's best to start - don't really have the money to travel weekends right now. We also recieve a Saturday 'bonus' of about $100 on our paychecks. I really shouldn't complain.

Yesterday, it was brought to our attention that our school will be starting Kindergarten classes in 2006. This bites for serveral reasons. First, it will greatly affect our schedules. Kindergarten students start around 9am, but this doesn't mean we finish around 3pm. Most likely, the two teachers who work these Kindergarten classes will have to work spilt shifts which kind of kills the entire day. Secondly, I've heard that Kindergarten classes are like high-price babysitting. These children know ZERO English. Kids that age need structure and activities. It's hard enough for me to explain activities to my 7-8 year olds, let alone 4-5 year olds who speak NO English.

Ok, ok... I shouldn't complain. Most ECC schools have Kindergarten classes. It's their biggest money maker. Also, I knew this was a possibility when I signed a contract with the school. I've been spoiled by starting at a slow time. We're also well under our hours right now. Like any employers, they want to get the most for their money.

Jumbo Bread

2005-09-21T03:00:00.000+09:00

One of my first days in Korea, our schools assistant took me to lunch at an Italian restaurant called Jino's. Supposedly the best Italian restaurant in Changwon and so far I'd agree with that. As one can imagine, being so far from Italy, the food is not authentically Italian - but what food outside Italy is? There was one item on the menu, however, that I had never heard of before called jumbo bread. We chose to order the lunch special which happens to come with the jumbo bread. Basically, jumbo bread is a small loaf of white bread with one end cut off. That end is covered with a HUGE lob of butter and honey, then warmed in an oven. The server brings this to the table vertical on a plate - honey/butter side up, takes two forks and mashes the insides of the bread into mush leaving the crust in tact. They result is a bit hard to describe, but it tastes like bread soaked in butter and honey. Try it at home kids!

Happy Chuesok!

2005-09-19T09:42:00.000+09:00

Today is Chu-Seok. Korean Thanksgiving day. One of the two largest holidays every year - the second being New Years. On Chu-Seok, you visit your family and if you're a woman, you do the cooking for your entire family. Lucky for me, I'm not a Korean woman so I will be spending the holiday doing nothing. My school has a four day holiday, however, I know a lot of Korean schools have less. Most foreign teachers have planned trips for the long weekend, but I had neither time or money for that. Maybe a day trip to Busan, if weather permits. It's not rainy season, but it has been raining quite a lot.

Kids are kids are kids are kids

2005-09-18T15:08:00.000+09:00

After literally being thrown into work, I finally have a grasp on what this teaching thing is about. Entertainment. Korean kids are no more better behaved or focused than any other children. Kids are kids. They go to school from 8am until around 3pm. Korean kids get out of Korean school and most of them have several after school activities. English academy, math academy, TKD, sports, piano, etc. Often, they don't get home until 10pm and then have to do homework. Their only free day is Sunday. Therefore, Sunday is not a good day to do any shopping unless you want to see loads of Koreans walking around, holding hands and eating at McDonalds.

My students range from 7-17 years old. All the younger students want to do is play. Color, cut, paste, sing songs, yell, and hit each other. The 10-12 are the best. They want to learn and understand enough English to joke around. The teenagers often don't want to be there. Especially the Saturday classes. They'd rather be anywhere than English academy and in return - you get attitude. Their parents pay a lot of money to send them to these academys, so it is a sacrifice for some families. They want to know they are getting the most out of their money. The trick is to entertain the kids in a way where they learn. No hangman or bingo every class. I still have a lot to learn in terms of what works best for me and the students, but it's only been two weeks.

All in all, it's a sweet gig. Not too many hours, no work to take home and everyone at my school seems to be chill.
However, all those germy little children have given me a cold. So, I will be spending my long weekend attached to a box of tissues.

Wake me up, we've landed!

2005-09-07T20:42:00.000+09:00

It's been one week since arriving in my new hometown of Changwon, S. Korean and it's difficult to put into words what I've experience thus far. Everything is new, yet familiar things pop up where you'd least expect it (such as the Outback Steakhouse downtown) Where to begin?

My first impression inside Seol airport... CLEAN! I've never seen any high traffic building of that kind so incredibly clean. First impressions can also be decieving. I think Seol airport is the cleanest place I've encountered here thus far.

One main obvious difference is the way in which Koreans live. Since 70% of Korean is mountains, they've had no where to build but up. Most people live in relatively small apartments located in concrete high rises. These buildings are usually grouped together, with downtown containing most of the entertainment. The way to advertise what's inside the building is with brightly lit signs on the side of the buildings. For example, PC Room 5F. Handy for anyone speaking Korean, but for a westerner - this doesn't allow for window shopping!

A really good reason to learn Korean is FOOD. At a Korean restaurant, you can find lunch or dinner consisting of noodles and kimpap [sushi] for about $3.50 USD! These places will not have menus in English nor will they speak English. So if English is all you have... TGI Fridays :)

I am not alone

2005-08-25T06:10:00.000+09:00

It appears I'm not the first to attempt an online journal about living/teaching in Changwon. Some Irish bloke has already donit. He's a bit overdramatic and naive about some things, but that paves the way for a mysterious ending.
Explore the cliffhanger at
http://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/~melmoth/korea/index.html

7 Days and Counting....

2005-08-24T06:00:00.000+09:00

One week until I hop on Korean Air flight 36, direct from Atlanta, GA to Seol, S. Korea. Why Korea?????

I've been interested in teaching English in Asia for a long time. For most of that time I was thinking of Japan, which is probably the most westernized of all asian countries. Plus loads of my friends have lived there and have had nothing bad to say. My thoughts didn't turn to Korea until I'd been reqected from one Japan program [which will remain nameless]. Then, in a desperate attempt to find alternate programs in Japan that could accept me before the end of my lease in GA, I had a friend steal a teach abroad binder from UGA *muahahahahaha* [binder has been returned]. After several listed Japanese programs, they had a few programs listed in S. Korea. That got me thinking, "why not Korea"?

There are many horror stories to be found online, so I did a lot of research to find what I did and did not want out of a program. First of all, it's important to find a reputable program that Koreans have heard of. There appears to be loads of dodgy English schools in Korea - often changing their names and going bankrupt, leaving their teachers stranded. YBM is a very large company owned by CNN. Most Koreans will have heard of it. Being large, they have many locations all over Korea - some in big cities like Seol and Busan - some in relatively small cities like Changwon.

I also knew I didn't want to be the only foreign teacher at the school. The more foreigners you have, the more support. Each YMB ECC school has both English and Korean teachers.

Money also was a factor. Korean schools pay significantly more than schoolsin Japan. Why? Because they appear desperate for teachers. Besides my significantly higher salary, they also pay for my rent AND my air travel. Most programs in Japan make you pay for your ticket over and a portion of your rent. Living expences are also supposed to be a lot lower in Korea. However, it's also important not to nescessarily go with the program that offers the most money. Not all programs offer the security that YMB does. Independent English schools pop up everywhere - however, like any new business, many of them fail. YMB is part of such a large company that even if their schools are not making money - they have other companies that are. So, you WILL get paid!

Besides research, here's what I've done to prepare so far;

Obtained the Lonely Planet's book on Korea - as advised by YBM's website

Went to my local Travel Center and caught up on immunizations. I needed a tetanus/diptheria booster, hepatits A [and B is highly recommended] and typhoid. No immunizations are required, however after reading about the diseases I decided $200 in shots was worth the peace of mind.

Purchased the Klear textbooks on the Korean Language, or Han'gul. Studied it? Heh, no.

Stocked up on products I don't know if they'll carry [i.e. my favorite shampoo/conditioner, medication, feminine products]

Copied a few DVD/movies of American shows. Even in England I would miss American tv occasionally!

It's hard to prepare when there is still so much unknown. Will I have internet/cable in my apartment? Will I be able to buy books in English? What's the Korean equivalent of Doritos? Do they have Doritos in Korea? Will I be able to communicate with ANYONE when I don't speak Korean???
Here goes!