Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Things that can only happen to me...
Catching Up
Monday, 1 June 2009
Homesick
Monsoon season is approaching...I'm not quite sure what to expect, other than torrential down pours! I hope my wellies are on their way...(mother)? As I write this I'm hearing thunder-the first of which I've heard since I arrived here, in January. Spring and Summer in Seoul are proving to be wonderful time-It's been a while since I've experienced real seasons, as oppossed to the back and forth that Nashville experiences during the Winter/Spring time. In my neighborhood there are open markets everyday and everyone is out until late at nite; enjoying as much as they can of the beautiful weather, before it becomes so humid, it's unbearable. The humidity, here, is supposed to be much worse than what I'm even used to, having come from the South! Wherever there's an open market, there are mounds and mounds of garlic. I've never seen so many stalks/cloves of garlic before-it's crazy! And since the warm weather is here, I've been wearing my Summer clothes, which have prompted more stares, than I was receiving before. It's not that they don't approve of my apperal (although, they may not be used to the bright colors I wear) but rather they love my white skin. It's really weird. Koreans love white skin and all I can think about is how I'm going to lay out the first opportunity I get. My Korean friend has told me that I shouldn't lay out, because my white skin is so beautiful. Thanks, but I'd rather get my tan, during the Summer. Here in Korea, and I may have explained this before, white skin is associated with wealth; whereas tan skin is associated with the working (farming) class. They put whitening cream in everything here, so they can appear lighter skinned than they really are.
I can honestly say that I feel completely adjusted to Korea. I've found so many foreign markets that I can buy imported (western) foods. I've even discovered that one of the foreign bookstores here, will allow you to subscribe to American magazines, so they can be delivered to my address here! The other foreign teachers, and myself, disoverd an EMart (like Target) just down the road from us, that doesn't require us to take a bus and can be easily walked to and the cab ride there/back is super cheap! Life is good, but I miss everyone at home terribly! Anyone up for a trip to S. Korea?
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Rants
I'm not sure if it's the fact that I'm on the other side of the world or if it's the blatant fact that the American government is in ruins, but I've become enthralled in politics. I miss it, actually. I haven't actually missed politics since I came home from D.C. and the players decided to become partisan protagonists' with their own agendas, but nonetheless, the train wreck that has become our country captivates me. I know that seems harsh, but what happened to the country our Founding Father's fought so gallantly to establish? Obviously the world has changed quite a bit since the mid to late 18th century, but aren't the ideals, supposedly, supposed to be the same? Aren't we supposed to be "the Greatest Country" in the world? Did we not fight for the Bill of Rights? As I read the news, I cringe as I see that little by little each and everyone one of our rights is being threatened. It seems as though the livelihood of the American people is being threatened with an out of control budget and the "left" feeling threatened to the point that they're proposing and backing legislation that could threaten the free speech rights of those that don't agree with the current administration. I wonder too, does everyone think that allowing the government to have so much control, over everything, will actually solve anything? The government has a hard enough time over-sighting the government, let alone, making sure that it can be a health care provider too. The governments bailing out corporations, lending establishments, with money, they don't have, so they're in a sense do the exact same thing that the previously mentioned enterprises engaged in, and yet because they're the government, it's okay-there's irony for you. Why can't we as American citizens, understand that for the government to work efficiently it has to work at the local level and then the state level. The federal government exists only at the leisure of the states. Why is it too, that the American people refuse to get involved, whether it's voting or volunteering, and yet are so quick to blame the government for not solving their problems. This democracy was founded on the basic concept of community and everyone participating. I'm not a fan of Hilary, and this is maybe one of the most over-quoted phrases of the 1990s but "it (does) take a village". The concept of community participation is what democracy is all about, not just voting but for all aspects of life. If we can't effectively keep our communities together and teach our children how to participate, how do we expect our country to survive? I'm part of the small percentage of people that feels our country is heading in the wrong direction. I'm anxious to get back to the States. While I'm enjoying my time abroad I feel completely useless during this heightened political time-we have a new POTUS and a democratic majority in Congress. I want to get involved but am obviously at a loss, and yet, while I wish I were there to get involved and participate more, I'm glad I'm in another country, so that I can avoid our country's messy politics. I think I feel that way because I'm scared of where the U.S. is headed. One more thing... Why do we, American people, put up with the medias tactics of scaring us into believing the world is coming to an end (okay maybe not that extreme, but close enough) due to a flu bug? And while it may be a threatening virus, the CDC has stated that it's treatable via the same drugs that are used when treating a normal flu virus. Why do we stand for this outrageous melancholy to invade or headlines and TV’s? I realize that a lot of people are completely unaware of this nice little ability; we have, called common sense, but start using it! Wash your hands and stop buying into the hype!
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Too much running?
Easter Sunday
Korea Club Nite #3,4
Korean Club Nite #4 was another trip to the booking club and this is significant, only for the fact that Amanda, one of the other foreign teachers I work with (and she's from TN), and I went to the booking club (same one we've been to previously) on our own, without a Korean chaperone. We're either incredibly stupid or we've adjusted well. It's probably more that we were incredibly stupid, but hey, we made it out alive and made some new Korean friends (girls, at that). It's probably not too often that girls leave the booking club having gotten other girls numbers...? They only wanted us for language exchange. Either way the nite was a success!
When all else fails, you just have to come to terms with the fact that "It's Korea".
Korean Club Nite #2
Thursday, 19 March 2009
A few weeks ago, I started my hunt for limes and lime juice, all because of a bad margarita. My search for citrus was heightened when the guy I'm dating, Kirin, informed me that he'd never had tequila before. Naturally, I took it upon myself to find limes and tequila, as to fully educate him...I have thus far, only been successful in finding limes, and finding those was a feat in and of itself. On the other side of Seoul, near Itaewon, there is a small market, that ironically enough is named Hanam Market (ironic because I live in a city called Hanam City and I had to travel and hour plus to get to this market). The market is not easily distinguishable and is actually in the basement of a Volvo dealership. Upon arriving in Itaewon, where our (my friend Amanda, from TN and me) search began we had difficulty communicating with some of the locals. We ended up in a cab, with a cab driver who spoke zero English and was ready to boot us out of the car as soon as he realized we couldn't speak Korean. I tried to tell him Hanam Market, but he seemed confused and didn't know what we were talking about. I had been told that the market was near the Volvo dealership, so I wrote down Volvo and he immediatley knew what I was talking about. We arrived to find the Hanam Market in the basement of the Volvo dealership; it's only distinguishing feature being a weathered awning that resembled something like Hanam Market. As we decended to the the market I felt like we were about to enter some kind of black market, where goods and services were exchanged illegally and that maybe my pursuit of limes wasn't a good idea. At the bottom, though, it was completely normal (me and my imagination...lol). There was one corner of the market that has a huge amount of American items-everything from Crest toothpaste to Swanson broth. Another corner contained a deli counter, with fresh cheese (a luxery in this part of the world) and then a regular grocery, with the prize we had been seeking....LIMES!!! I found limes, in Seoul, and was so proud of myself! Of course, you really have to want the limes, because they aren't cheap...I purchased 4 limes total and it cost me almost 10,000 won (approximately $10, give or take a few bucks). So, now I've had limes for about 2 or 3 weeks and I can't locate any tequila. They have some tequila here, but to properly have a good tequila experience, you want to take good tequila. My new mission is to find Patron. I'm having a hard time...I've been given a few leads and come close, but everytime, I come home empty handed. I know it's here, I just can't seem to get my hands on a bottle...
New experiences in Seoul...well, here in Seoul, they apparently haven't joined the 21st century and upgraded all of their commodes to normal commodes. There are still (many) restrooms, here, that are basically just a porcelan pot in the floor (yes, that means squatting). Yours Truly had the unfortunate experience of having to use one, recently. Obviously, I was a woman in need, otherwise I would have waited...but that was not the case. While my personal needs were met and the experience was a success (you know what I mean) unfortunately, the subway card I had in my back pocket did not fair as well. After I'd stood up and flushed the pot in the floor, I noticed my subway card swirling to its fate. Under no circumstances was I reaching in and grabbing the card-ewwwww! I was not happy...I'd literally lost 15,000 won down the drain! Ughhhh!!! So after a few choice words I recovered and have vowed to never again utilize the public restrooms of Seoul.
Over the last few weeks, my life has settled down and I've become very comfortable here in Seoul. The school year, here is in full swing, and every day the children are learning more and more English. It's really amazing how quickly they learn and how great it is for them to finally understand the words that I am saying to them! And while I love my job, I find that running is a really great stress release and I can gather my thoughts and process my feelings of homesickness and (sometimes) lonliness and escape the busyness of this city. I have literally been running all of the place. From my house to the nearest subway station it's anywhere from 7-10 miles and Olympic Park is around 3.5 miles around. Both are great runs and not only do I feel better emotionally and mentally but also physically. It can be very taxing living in a different country with such a blatant language barrier between you and your next door neighbor or even the grocery store clerk.
This past Monday I was surprised with a promotion! I am now "head teacher"! I'm excited but unsure about the position. I'm not sure, really, what my responsibilities now entail, and so I have feelings of apprension and hoping that I can live up to the expectations that have placed upon me. I excited about the challenge and really feel like this is just the beginning of a really great year!
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
School Days
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Olympic Park and the Upcoming Week
It's Friday, here in Seoul, and tonite the first of the remaining 5 teachers will be arriving. I'm excited to finally have some other English speakers around (in my building) but I'm not looking forward to playing tour guide. I'm settled, I have friends and plans and I hate running errands; especially in Seoul, where you can never find a seat on the bus or metro (because it's always so freakin' busy) and you have to stand in line for everything and then whatever you buy you have to carry back with you-I will never again complain about going to Kroger or Target and having to grocery shop and then have to unload from the car-there is perspective everywhere-I'm experiencing it on a daily basis. I mean, I've already run my errands for the week; I've already fought through the masses of Koreans, who would very easily push you in front of an oncoming bus just so they could be first in line to get on the bus (it's very much like being in 1st grade and fighting over who's going to be line leader to go to recess). It's exhausting. However, I am completely aware that I've been here for 3 weeks and that if the situation was reversed I'd be forever grateful to the person that showed me around and helped me get settled; so with that said, my attitude is that of a servant's heart and I am looking forward (kind of) to helping out the newbies and getting to know them...on Sunday (they arrive Saturday sometime)-Saturday nite I have date number 2 with the nice Korean boy I went out with last week....!
Lemon Margaritas...?
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Valentine's Weekend
On Sunday, I was finally able to make it to the foreigner church. It's about an hour away, but there isn't one much closer, so it works. The church has a presbyterian background and it welcomes people from all nationalities and countries to worship. The same girls I had joined for Bible study last week also attend here. The church's name is Youngnak-IWE (International Worship in English). Pastor Bill Majors is the head pastor and I was finally able to meet him, after exchanging several emails. Interestingly enough, his daughter is at Vandy, studying elementary education. The service was very contemporary and I enjoyed it. There are only about 150 members of IWE, so it's a little bit smaller than what I'm used to but it was still very enjoyable. After, I joined the girls from my Bible study and few others for dinner. We went to traditional Korean restaurant and ate really spicy food-it was delicious! Overall, the weekend was great! I feel like I'm making friends and I'm starting to adjust and acclimate, to being, here well.
An American Girls Guide to Korean Club Nite:
When we arrived at the club, on Friday evening, I wasn't sure what to expect. My Korean friends kept trying to prep me for something but I couldn't understand what it was they were getting at. They kept referring to going to a guys table and needing to come back to our table when I was finished. They kept stressing this and I kept thinking and trying to tell them that I was all too familiar with how clubs work. But what they were trying to tell me didn't even come close to preparing me for the nite that was to come. After enjoying the new movie "He's Just Not That Into You", Helen, Bonnie and myself made our way to a Korean club. They had given me the option of going to the more American style club in Itaewon, but I thought, how bad could the Korean club be...? I was thinking techno type music and bad karaoke... It was that and so much more! When we arrived at this particular club, I was just trying to take it all in without gawking. We were seated on the upper level, of the club, where I had a birds-eye view of everthing. From where we sat I could see the stage in front of us, the dance floor immediately in front of the stage and then the rest of the floor was covered with tables. Above us was a beautiful domed ceiling, it looked like we were at a ballroom in a hotel and I felt like I was at prom! On the stage was the house band, singing and dancing in Korean and putting on the cutest show. People were dancing, we had great service at our table (fruit and Cass beer-the local stuff) and then all of the sudden I'm being pulled from my seat... Not to dance, but what Helen and Bonnie had been attempting to prepare me for. The servers or attendants at the club scout out potential interested girls for men at tables and in private rooms. The attendants grab you, drag you to a table or room and then deposit you there so that you can sit and talk to a man or men. Helen, thankfully, came with me, but it was a very weird experience. I was taken at least 3 different times to 3 differnt rooms before we settled in one room with 3 nice gentlemen. Before settling I found the entire act completely disturbing, archaic even. I mean to drag a woman to meet with men, who had sent after her, all because they wouldn't come and introduce themselves in person and to really not give the woman any explanation as to where she was going and who these men were; it was very weird and if that attendant had grabbed me one more time, he would have regretted it. But this is Korea and I was told, that this was Korean culutre and this was how it was done. Korean clubs are not only for meeting men. Had we been able to leave out table we would have been dancing and I doubt we would have been wisked away. I never felt unsafe, but maybe a little unsettled, I mean, to be grabbed and dragged to a room or a table with men I didn't know is a little peculiar. All in all, I had a wonderful time and met some very nice people.
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Sunday was another adventure out. I met up with my director, Helen, and another teacher I work with, Bonnie, to go to a different mall-Coex Mall (near the World Trade Center)-to find an Apple Store. I was in luck, they have an Apple store here, so I was able to find another converter for my Mac (that was exciting for me-it's the little things)! Then, Helen and Bonnie took me to the Korean Kingdom and museum, where I was able to get a crash course in Korean history, in about an hour. I have a ton of pictures, but am having trouble getting them on my compter (I'm not really sure how to work the camera-it's new-I've just been lazy). I will have them up as soon as I can... Later that evening, after having been all over Seoul (or so it seemed) we went to Hongik University area and walked for a bit. This area of town is full of college students (obviously) and very trendy and up and coming. It was fun and lively. We found a Japanese restaurant and had dinner and I was finally able to try Soju. Soju, for those of you who do not know, is a traditional Korean beverage (with a very high alchohol content) made from rice and other grains. We dined on soju and some other Japanese dishes and had a wonderful day!
This past week has been normal. I've been out most nites, going to one of the nearest subway stations, so that I can run errands or grab a bite. Work is going well too. I'm getting prepared for the upcoming school year...I have to plan the social studies curriculum for the entire school and that means that some of my lessons will have to be differentiated to fit the needs of each age group-there's a lot of preparation and research involved. On Wednesday I was finally able to hook up with some American girls, all here teaching as well. One of the girls, Sharon, holds a Bible study at her apartment. I met them through the pastor at one of the big English speaking churches, here, Youngnak Church (http://iwe.youngnak.net/) and hope to attend this Sunday. This weekend should be fun and eventful...I have a girls nite out tonite, with Helen and Bonnie. We're going to see "He's just not that into you" and then dinner and dancing at the Korean club-I'm excited! Saturday is up in the air but I'm sure I'll venture out...although I'm coming dangerously close to screaming at the masses of Koreans here-individually they're very nice, respectful and polite, but as a group, they have safety and strength in numbers and are rude and ugly and don't even get me started on the bus drivers! UGH!!! Sunday I'm hoping to attend the Youngnak Church and meet up with my new friends.
I was telling the girls I met, the other evening at Bible study, that I don't regret coming, and that I haven't felt that I've made a mistake, I miss everyone tremendously, but I feel like I've made the right decision and things are going to get better. I'm opitimistic about what the future hold and honestly I'm really excited! I can't wait to see what happens in the next few weeks or months, I kind of want to rush ahead and see what's going to happen, but I keep telling myself to slow down and enjoy the moment that I'm in because life flies by and if I don't stop to appreciate where I am and savor what's around me I'll regret it. Happy Valentine's Day!!!
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Monday, 2 February 2009
On a completely different note, I didn't bring any electricity outlet converters (I thought that I could get them here) I found some here, but they don't quite work as well as I thought they would. Apparently instead of converting from 110 to 220? the converters I found convert from 110 to 240? so there's a small risk and maybe even a good chance that I could fry whatever I have plugged in and maybe even set a small fire; all because I needed to plug in my gameboy DS. If CNN is reporting a power outage and city burning outside of Seoul be rest assured that it was me desperate to charge and play brain games on my DS. I'm just kidding of course, so now I'm in search, once again, for electricity converter thingys so I can plug in the rest of my gadgets-that's this weekends adventure.
Sunday, 1 February 2009
Today has been a hard day. The cable guy was supposed to show today, but did not…again. After waiting most of the morning for the cable guy I decided to take the bus into Seoul (Cheoungho). Of course, before leaving for my adventure, all was not smooth sailing. I neglected to go to the bank yesterday to exchange currency because I assumed that the bank would be open, until noon, on Saturday. I assumed wrong. The bank is not open at all on the weekend, which made it pretty much impossible for me to exchange currency. No worries, I have won to get me through the weekend, but I wanted to have a little cushion. On a positive note, it forced me to budget (not a word I like to use very often….but…). What made today hard wasn’t the fact that I couldn’t exchange currency or even the cable guy not showing up, but rather me feeling so isolated from the world I left behind. As I rode into Seoul, I couldn’t help but wonder what everyone else was doing and if I’d be doing it with them…? I wanted so badly to have a friend with me to experience this new city and new culture and I became really sad. I was listening to my iPod and a song would come on that would be peppy and cheer me up but then a song would come on that would remind me of home or how alone I am here. I am lonely. This feeling will pass as I meet new people, and hopefully once my Internet connection is established in my apartment; and I know that I am not alone, but still, it’s hard not to feel lonely when you are on the other side of the world alone. There are quite a few differences that I’ve picked up on, between Koreans and Americans. Koreans are very busy they have places to go and are in a hurry to get there and very unapologetic about it. As I walked the streets of Seoul, today, people were brushing past me and bumping into me with no regard for me at all. I am very cautious of others and tend to be far too polite at times, when I’m in public; no one even batted an eye though, when I’d say, “excuse me” to people as I approached or bumped into them. Also, Koreans take there jobs very seriously. It doesn’t matter what their position is, whether it be the parking attendant at the parking garage or the server at the T.G.I. Fridays (yes they have one here and yes I was happy to eat American food, even if it was Friday’s, which I don’t particularly like). Whether these individuals are content in their positions, I have no idea, but they did come across as proud of the work they were doing. I don’t think I can say the same for workers, of any profession in America. I’m not insinuating that American workers don’t take pride in their work or take their positions seriously, I think though some employment positions are looked down upon and here it does not resonate the same.
This afternoon, before I went to T.G.I. Fridays, I had gone down to the school that I work at, to hop online so that I could check my email and email my parents. Upon arriving, I found my director, Helen, at the school working and she offered to go to a movie. She, along with another teacher we work with, took me to a part of Seoul (Jamsil, I believe) where there was a huge mall (Lott Plaza) and movie theater. The mall was housed in this huge high-rise that resembled the Mall of America inside. There was an ice skating rink, and more or less a theme park inside. I would have taken pictures but the offer to go the movie was so last minute, I didn’t have time to grab my camera from my apartment. The shops were one on top of another; very different from what our malls look like-big stores with plenty of room to walk around-they were very small with tables, in front, displaying sale items and such. The number of people was astounding as well-kind of like a tax free weekend at Opry Mills but 5 times worse-people going every which way with no concern as to who they run into. While I wasn’t crazy about the amount of people that descended upon Lott Plaza, I was pleased to find several American stores-Starbucks, McDonalds, KFC, Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme! I had no idea that Krispy Kreme was so international! While we were at Lott Plaza, Helen was able to take me to the bookstore, which had an extensive foreign book section and I was able to buy some books. If I can’t watch television and/or get online, I might as well read. Earlier today, I was walking through Cheongho and was really down, I even started crying and was saying a little prayer, for strength, that I’d be able to get through this weekend (at the time it was looking quite grim) and within 2 hours I had plans to see a movie. I am so thankful that my prayer was answered! Since arriving, not even a week ago, today has been the most trying day. And while a few hours ago, I was sad and not quite sure how to cope, everything turned around and I ended up having a pretty good day!...the only thing that would make my weekend complete would be if I could figure out how to make the washing machine work (all of the words and settings are in Korean)!
Thursday, 29 January 2009
I ventured out today. I just wanted to see the streets and shops and what was out there. My school, where I’ll be teaching is about 2 blocks away. Before I left the States, I had been warned that there were smells that came from street vendors and merchants; smells would take some time getting used. I haven’t encountered anything out of the ordinary. The first smell that I encounter, when I walk out of my building is that of the city. It smells dirty, maybe even a hint of sewage and then I keep walking and smell fried food being cooked along the street by a vendor frying up some kind of pancake looking food. Also, you smell fresh fruit as you walk by the numerous fruit stands lining the sidewalks. Further down, fresh fish is out and ready to be sold and strung along lines-there’s nothing like the smell of an open fish market. The fish though are incredible! There are huge fish on display and some of the fish sellers have tanks full of fresh fish and eels and what looked like some kind of sea snakes? The people here are always in a hurry. It’s a very different dynamic, than that of Nashville. I suppose it’s to be expected, I mean I don’t exactly blend, due to my height, but everyone stares at me. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m tall and clearly American or if it’s because I’m wearing sunglasses? It’s sunny and I like my sunglasses. Everyone I’ve encountered has been friendly and very helpful when I’ve purchased items. They do have many if not most of the items I would purchase in America. They also have several Parisian bakeries here. I wanted to try something earlier, but I’m not really hungry. The smells haven’t bothered me, but I suspect that my nerves and my not knowing the language have made me wary of eating. There is plenty of food to be had, I just can’t read the language and have no idea what is being served. I have yet to find any American food in my neighborhood. I did, however, on the drive here last nite, see a Dunkin’ Donuts (Danielle, you know how I love Dunkin’ Donuts; oh, and there’s a Baskin Robins here too!) Also, I saw a Papa John’s and McDonalds. I know I’ll adjust in time. There is so much to take in! I’ve been trying to take pictures of the world around me but I almost feel intrusive doing so. It’s only Wednesday, I’ll work tomorrow and Friday and then I’ll probably be out exploring all weekend!
When I woke up this morning I looked out one of the small windows, in my apartment, and looked out at the street below me-businesses everywhere, restaurants, there’s a gym in the building across the street from my apartment and the gym is on the upper level directly across from my window. It’s a little weird to me being surrounded by all of this…I mean, I lived downtown in Nashville and still lived in a house; everything there is so spread out, whereas here, it’s just spread up!
Throughout my whole day, of traveling, I never felt that I’d made a terrible decision. When we landed in Seoul, I had anticipated feeling overwhelmed and extremely sad and a longing to get back to Nashville, but instead, I got up grabbed my carry-ons and made my way thru the masses to immigration and baggage claim. I think for that reason alone, I know that my trip here and my desire to embark on such a lofty adventure is confirmation that I’m where I’m supposed to be.
After arriving in Seoul, I was picked up and taken out to Hanam, where I will be living and working. The taxi driver was nice but I noticed some strange things while we were driving. I’m not sure what I expected the world outside of the airport to look like, but driving thru traffic and making our way through Seoul and onwards to Hanam, I didn’t feel like I was in a foreign city-I felt like I was driving through Dallas or LA! It’s only upon entering the city that you begin to feel as though you have entered another culture. There are lights everywhere! Businesses and restaurants are stacked one on top of each other, lining the streets. As we made our way closer to my neighborhood the traffic and the buildings become more congested. The city that I’m living in appears to be older and it looks as though the city of Hanam is trying to keep up with the demand to modernize without taking away from previous generations. There is construction everywhere!-fixing the roads, building new high-rises, wherever they think they can fit them. I wonder, only because I’ve only been in the city, whether there are suburbs of Hanam and Seoul or if everyone (families included) lives in high-rises? It’s a very different dynamic and culture that I am obviously accustomed to experiencing. The technology here, I can already see is way beyond that of what we have in the states. My taxi driver was able to watch crystal clear television on his navigational system, while he was driving me to my new apartment; and he was not the only driver on the road, watching television while driving!
Overall, since leaving Nashville, I’ve been exhausted, slightly swollen (I didn’t listen to my mom or Danielle) and extremely aware of my surroundings.