Erika's Korea Blog

Driving in Korea

2010-07-30T09:16:00.003+09:00

I never gave much credence to the stereotype that Asians are bad drivers, but after 2 years in Korea I've changed my mind. Koreans are the WORST drivers. This is not just my opinion, it is supported facts; Korea is number 1 in OECD countries for car fatalities and for child deaths by traffic accident.

Traffic laws are treated as guidelines. Drivers often run red lines, merge/ change lanes without looking, drive up on the sidewalk, don't stop until the last second and then slam on the brakes, and in general seem completely oblivious to the other cars and people around them. Practically every time I'm on the expressway I see sometime type of accident. Just the other day I was with a coteacher and a car started to drift into our lane nearly hitting us. Even though the driver saw us swerve to avoid being hit, she didn't alter her path and continued to drive down the middle of 2 lanes. Another time my coteacher and I were driving down a one way street, at the other end of the street a car pulled out and started driving towards us (I don't who was driving the wrong way because cars were parked in both directions along the side of the street). Both drivers saw the other car but continued to drive down the street as if nothing was there. They then acted surprised when they couldn't pass each other and created a situation that took 15 minutes to get out of. All I could think while watching them try to back out and maneuver around each other was "What the hell did you think was going to happen?!"

In November this past year, a Korean woman passed the written portion of the driving exam on her 950th attempt. Her first failed attempt was April 13, 2005. She proceeded to take the test every weekday after that, spending over $4,000 USD in application fees, until she finally passed in November 2009. After 949 attempts you'd think she would ace it, but no she got a 60 out of 100, the minimum passing score. Basically, she is a complete idiot and in my opinion should never be allowed to drive (she still has to pass the behind the wheel portion). This would never happen in America because (at least in Wisconsin) you can only take the same test 5 times within a one- year period. Even more shocking is how Korean people view her; they admire her resilience, tenacity, determination, and perseverance.
Her story isn't the exception to the rule either. It took a man 5 years and 271 tries before he passed. He was illiterate and had to take the verbal exam (I'm not sure how I feel about someone who can't read being able to drive), but apparently "he had [a] good memory and could remember and then analyze his mistakes." This man couldn't read and was able to figure it out before a literate woman, so she is an even bigger idiot than I initially thought. She could win an award for being the dumbest person in the world, but Koreans admire her. Most kids back home can get at least a 50% on the written test before even taking drivers ed. I realize that I might get blasted for my harsh criticism of this woman. Korean's have the right to admire her if they want, but there is no excuse for failing a test 949 time so I will mock and ridicule her complete and utter ineptitude.

I might view all this as more of an annoyance and be less infuriated and disgusted by it all if weren't for two incidences that happened to me a couple of months ago...

The first incident was with one of my 3rd grade classes. The bell rang, the students came in and sat down. There are always a few stragglers so I pointed to the first open seat and asked "Where is he?" The boy next to the open seat looked around the room nervously but didn't say anything; they usually say "late," "sick," or "bad student" when I ask where someone is. Irritated, I asked again and still the boy said nothing. The Korean teacher then shouted at the boy to tell her where the missing student was. They talked for a couple of minutes and she turned to me and said "He died last night." Shocked and feeling like an ass for getting irritated at the kids for not answering, I asked her what happened. She said, "His hogwon bus ran over his head." Now I was horrified.
Later in the day I got the full story from some other students. After his hogwon bus dropped him off, he was goofing around with some of his friends on the sidewalk. Somehow he fell into the street. The students yelled at the bus driver to stop but he didn't listen to them and ran over the boy with the front tires. He paid no attention to the bump which other students on the bus felt, ignored the increasingly desperate pleas of the students on the street, and continued to drive off crushing the boy's scull under the back tires. Then he finally stopped, the boy was already dead.
The school's response to this horrific incident furthered my anger. They did nothing. Despite the administration knowing about the boy's death before school started, they made no attempt to notify the teachers. Every class the students went to that the day the teacher probably asked where the boy was and in every class the students had to explain how he had died. Numerous students were on the street and witnessed their classmate and friend die or where on the bus and felt him being run over. All the teachers I talked to commented on how traumatic it must have been for the students and agreed that it will be extremely difficult for them to get over. Yet no grief counselors were brought in and no help was offered to the students (both would have happened in the States). It was business as usual at school.

The second incident happened about a month after my student was killed. I was waiting for the bus in the morning when I heard a blood curdling scream. I looked down the street and saw a middle school student (not one of mine) had just been hit by a car; he was literally knocked out of his shoes, and was lying in the middle of the street. The car that hit him was long gone. People were staring at him, cars were driving around him, but no one was helping him. I ignored my instinct to help him because for one, I was actually pretty far away and assumed one of the 50 plus people around him would help and two, with my very limited Korean I knew there was little I could do to help. After a couple of minutes an adjossi on the corner, offering no assistance, yelled at the boy to get out of the middle of the street. The boy struggled to get up but immediately collapsed, one of his legs was obviously broken; he tried to drag himself to the curb. Finally a woman went out to help him and then a taxi pulled up beside him to shield him from the other traffic. When my bus drove pass him I could see his cloths were pretty much shredded, he was cut all over, his leg was in an unnatural looking position, and his face and the front of his shirt were cover in blood.

Accidents like this are by no means uncommon either. In the 2 years I've been here I know of 6 people (including the 2 above) who were hit by a car. Three of them died, they were all children.

Two other examples of bad driving (no death)

Desk Warming...

2010-07-26T14:24:00.002+09:00

Desk warming- when native speaking English teachers are made to come to school during summer/ winter vacation even though there are no classes or students

I will be desk warming for the next 2 weeks. Since I am not renewing my contract this year, I used most of my vacation days during winter and don't have the bonus two weeks that come with renewing which means I get 9 days of desk warming. Compared to some people I'm lucky; I only have to be at school from 8:30- 12:30 instead of all day. Our contracts don't explicitly say we have to come to school during vacations so it is at the discretion of the school to decided what to do the with the native English teacher during that time. I have some work to keep me busy during this time; however, by this Friday (if not earlier) I will have finished all of it and will still have 4 days (16 hours) of time to kill at school next week.
Desk warming sucks!

Thailand, Cambodia, and Thailand

2010-07-22T15:54:00.003+09:00

**I was really lazy about doing this and kept procrastinating because writing/ summarizing everything was getting annoying. So I'm just posting pictures with some comments. There will be more posts in the next few days because there are things I was going to write about but didn't because I wanted to finish my travel posts first.**

Like most people teaching English abroad, I love to travel and experience different cultures. Thus Febuary, a month I never particularly cared for became my favorite month in Korea because there is no school and it is when I can explore the world. Last year, I went to the Philippines and Hong Kong for 2 weeks. This year I spent an amazing 3 weeks in Thailand and Cambodia and took over 600 pictures. I have broken my trip up into 3 different posts to make it easier for me to write and posted them in reverse chronological order so it reads in chronological order.

Enjoy :)

Thailand I: Bangkok

"Free a Bird Scam"- Tourist pay to free one of the birds, what they don't know is the birds are trained and will fly back to the owner.

A couple of temples we saw before going to the Grand Palace:

Big Buddha

Everything is covered in gold and jewels

I don't know why there is blood coming from his mouth.

The Grand Palace:

Allie and me! One of the most annoying things about the Grand Palace is that there are so many people it makes taking a pictures near impossible.

Ton Sai Krabi- The Beach!

Long boats we took from Ao Nang to Ton Sai

Ton Sai is know for its limestone cliffs and rock formations; rock climbing is the most popular activity on the beach.

Base jumper jumping from the cliff on the beach.

Everyday a group of climbers would climb the cliff on the beach. At 6:00pm they would base jump down on to the beach.

We went deep water soloing one afternoon. Deep water soloing "is a form of rock climbing that relies solely upon the presence of water at the base of a climb to protect against injury."

It was amazing and I want to do it again!

Secluded beach where we ate lunch.

Last dinner in Ton Sai

Bangkok again

The Reclining Buddha and Temple

The Reclining Buddha is exactly what is sounds like, a huge Buddha lying on its side.

Cambodia

2010-07-22T15:53:00.003+09:00

After Thailand, I flew to Phnom Penh and stayed lake- side at the Grand View Guesthouse ($5/ night). The official Cambodian currency is the Riel; however, the US dollar is the more commonly used and change is given in Riel. Often dubbed a "worthless currency" the Riel can not be exchanged outside Cambodia. Unfortunately the Grand View's view is not very grand because the lake is being filled in. The strip of sand behind the houses used to be the lake. My first night I went on a mini tour of the nightlife in P.P with a fellow Grand View lodger. My second day in P.P. I was feeling a little tired and under the weather so I hung around the guesthouse, watched "The Killing Fields" and booked my bus ticket to Siem Reap for the next day. "The Killing Fields" is played every night at the Grand View while the Cambodian employees work around the guest; I couldn't help but wonder how the they felt about constantly being reminding of the atrocities their families suffered.

The following day I rode the bus to Siem Reap and stayed at #10 Lodge House ($7/ night). The next morning I took a Tuk-tuk tour of Angkor Wat. The experience of seeing it for the first time put me in full on tourist mode so most of my pictures are "tourist pictures" (just like in Thailand) which admittedly aren't very good. I was in complete awe of it and am hoping to return, if for no other reason to get better pictures.

Angkor Wat:

In the evening I returned to Ankgor Wat with a couple of people from my guesthouse to see the sunset; it was over crowded and not that impressive. I returned to P.P. the next day and stayed riverside at the Okay Guesthouse ($6/night). The Okay Guesthouse posts 2 signs in every room; they provide some insight into Cambodian culture and the social problems.

My first day back in P.P. I toured the strip by the river but my second was much more meaningful as I visited the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng. Instead of going into detail explaining these two places I've provided links because I believe they do a better job and I could write pages about them. I'll simply provide some pictures with brief explanations. I've been to the Holocaust Museum a couple times but it pales in comparison to these to places. Warning some of these images are quite graphic and disturbing.

The Killing Fields: the site where countless people were buried by the Khmer Rouge.

Signs describe what happened at certain sites and the bones of victims have been excavated.

Bodies are buried all over the site. The most disturbing and shocking aspect of it all was the tufts of black clothing (the Khmer Rouge uniform) and bone fragments peeking through the designated walk ways. Every step you took you were aware you were stepping on the remains of a Khmer Rouge victim.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21): The Khmer Rouge Prison

Of the estimated 17,000 prisoner, only 12 are known to survive.

Before being turned into a prison, Tuol Sleng was a high school

A standard room where a prisoner was held; the photograph on the wall was taken by a journalist accompanying the Vietnamese troops who discovered the prison. The Khmer Rouge fled when they learned the Vietnamese troops where making their way to P.P. They made no effort to hid their crimes and left the remaining prisoners to rot or die.

Similar to the Nazi, the Khmer Rouge kept meticulous records or their inmates. A small selections of the intake photos is on display in one of the rooms.

After the somber and depressing experience of the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng, I needed something a little lighter so I embarked on a walking tour of the city. My first stop was the Russian Market, a place where you can find anything.

From there I walked to the Central Market and then back to the river side where I met a group of Aussies on vacation. I spent the night out with them, which resulted in a minor hangover and a mad dash to the airport to catch my flight back to Bangkok.

A lot of people I talked to don't like Cambodia. They say it's dirty and poor, and think once you've seen Ankor Wat there is nothing else to do; however, I loved my time there and and am planning to return this fall.

Thailand II

2010-07-22T15:06:00.006+09:00

I headed north to Chiang Mai when I got back from Cambodia. One of my first days in Chiang Mai the two girls I was sharing a room with I went to see a temple up on hill (a really big hill).

Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep:

View from the top

My favorite part of my trip to Chiang Mai was the day I went to the Elephant Nature Park. The park is for rescued and distressed elephants so there are not elephant rides or tricks. Instead, visitors (volunteers) help feed and bathe the elephants.

Vacation Pictures Coming Soon

2010-03-18T17:43:00.003+09:00

In February, I embarked on an epic trip to Thailand and Cambodia. I am in the process of going through the pictures and writing an entry about the trip but it has proved to be more time consuming than expected. It will undoubtably be my longest post ever.
But my trip was fabulous and I promise more pictures to come soon!

Lost MacBook- A Plea for Help

2010-03-06T15:39:00.002+09:00

I got an email yesterday asking for help from someone who had their laptop stolen. Since I would be lost without my MacBook I'm doing what I can to help. So for anyone living in Seoul if you know anything about this please leave a comment or contact Kyle at k.j.derosa@gmail.com.

Thanks

Description:

White Macbook 13.3 inch plastic

There are two dents on the right hand corners of the keyboard.

It was lost at Mike's Cabin in Shinchon between the hour of 12 am and 3:15 am on Friday night- Saturday morning (March 5-6)

It was taken out of a bag against the wall next to the DJ booth.

Winter Camp! Superheroes!!! (and how I really feel about teaching)

2010-01-26T19:01:00.004+09:00

I love teaching winter and summer camp. The classes are small, the students are well behaved and want to learn, I'm able teach fun material that the students and I enjoy, there are no pesky co-teachers watching over me and constantly interrupting, and I'm done by noon.

This past week the students had to create a superhero and write a short paragraph describing their superhero. We then glued all the superheroes and descriptions onto poster-board. Here is what they came up with (the 1st graders writing is much better than the 2nd graders).

First Graders:

Second Graders:

(Click on the pictures to see a larger version and read what the kids wrote)

I really enjoy teaching English camps, but teaching ESL for a year and a half has taught me one thing (well for the purpose of this post one thing), I am not passionate about teaching and could never do it as a full time as a career. I really get into the camps, but the day- to- day is for the most part mind numbing. I don't have the patience for disrespectful students. I don't care enough about the students; if they don't want to be there than I'd rather them not be there. I admire teachers for their enthusiasm, their hard work, and constant effort, but I don't know how they can get excited for something they've already done a dozen times. I simply don't have what it takes to be a teacher. I get bored too easily. After your first year, once you learned the curriculum and made your lesson plans, you're done. You just do the same thing the next year (maybe you modify the lesson a little) and the next year and the next year. "Real" teachers have told me there is more to it and that it is intellectually stimulating, but I don't get it.
For me, right now, teaching allows me to make/ save more money than I could back home and travel, so I put up with all the crap. That is not to say it's all terrible; there are good days, fun classes, and students that I like. However, there are also students I'd love to throw out the window and classes that I dread. But despite all my bitching, I don't regret coming here, nor do I regret re- signing for a 2nd year. Korea and Seoul are interesting and it's a great experience, but after August 24th I don't know if I ever want to step in a classroom again.

Vice Guide to North Korea (and other hells)

2010-01-25T17:41:00.005+09:00

Vice Magazine/ TV do a travel show in which their correspondents travel to some of the worst places in the world; places you would never want to go and place you can not go to. I came across the Vice Guide to North Korea a while ago and have been meaning to post since then. It's kind of long but worth watching and informative. Here's the link if it's taking too long to load: VG to NK Part 1/3

Vice Guide to North Korea Part 1 of 3

Vice Guide to North Korea Part 2 of 3

Vice Guide to North Korea Part 3 of 3

I decided to check out the newest Vice Guide, Liberia, while I was on the site. All I have to say is WOW, I never thought North Korea could look so appealing.
VIce Guide to Liberia

Christmas & Winter in Korea, Plus My School Gets a Face Lift

2010-01-19T20:51:00.011+09:00

Christmas
Christmas in Korea... Last Christmas eve, I taught a regular day of classes and spent the evening on the subway going to sign up for a Korean class. On Christmas day, I went out with other foreigners for a Christmas dinner, but that was it. It didn't feel like Christmas, but I didn't feel like I missed out on Christmas because the absence of Christmas trees, lights, decorations, music, etc... made it feel like just another day.

This year however, I went home for Christmas. I don't care if Christmas has become too commercialized or lost its true meaning (I'm not religious so the true meaning was always lost on me), I prefer Christmas in the States. I like the decorations, I like decorating cookies (for about 20 min) and I like getting together with family/ friends and eating and drinking and talking. Admittedly, I was still a little jet- lagged Christmas eve so I spent the majority of the night laying on the couch with my cousin, but it was still more enjoyable than my Christmas last year.

Winter

Wisconsin has a lot of snow; it's one of the things I love about the state. (How can you not like snow?) Seoul on the other hand gets very little snow. It snowed once last year (picture on the right), about 1/2 an inch and it melted by noon. The massive snow storms and blizzards I'm used to and love don't happen in Seoul... that is until this year. I thought I'd go home and get my snow fix, I did. However, during my leave home, Seoul experienced the heaviest snowfall in 70 years and more snow than I got back home. I was more than a little peeved about this, but at least I returned before it all melted and had a chance to see it.

(Snow covering the entrance to school)

My School Gets a Facelift

The inside of my school looks like a dump; I've mentioned this before but never elaborated on it. There is no janitorial staff except for a couple of old women who push a broom up and down the hallway every now and then, but they never mop. Despite what my co-teachers say, I know they don't mop, because last year I saw a teacher guiding a student with a bloody nose to the bathroom, leaving a trail of blood drops in their wake. I must have made a horrified and disgusted face because only after the teacher saw me did he offer the kid a tissue from his pocket. The trail of dried blood stayed there for about 3 weeks; the amount of time it took to wear off. Students are in charge of cleaning the classrooms, which is a joke. And the walls are filthy; scribblings, scuff marks, shoe prints and grim cover them. My school is a model/ test school (all teachers have their own classrooms) meaning tour groups from other schools are constantly coming through, so I've always wondered why the school doesn't care more about how it looks. Apparently someone does care because the entire school is getting a much needed new coat of paint.

1/2 way done... notice how dirty the bottom of the wall is, and that's in a stairwell that gets little use.

And the finished product...

"Your Totally Stimulating Blog Bores Me"... to paraphrase Ashley. Well I Hope This Somewhat Interests You

2009-12-06T19:03:00.005+09:00

Yes I have not updated my blog in a very long time, but there is a reason for that. I decided to take advantage of the cheap health care in Korea and get invisalign. I have been extremely happy with my treatment, but paying for it, in addition to sending money home every month has left me with very very little disposable income. Consequently, I have not been doing much. However from here on out, and after Christmas that will change because my treatment will be over.

Here is something I recently learned and found interesting... ummm unusual.

Pregnancy in Korea

Not too long ago Christine and I were talking about what it is like for Korean women to be pregnant and different Korean customs. The other night I had dinner with some of the my co- teachers; they confirmed and elaborated on these peculiar (to a westerner) customs.

1. Once a women becomes pregnant she ceases normal activity or begins to limit it, especially the closer she gets to birth. One example was riding the subway. When Koreans see a pregnant woman on the subway they are surprised and think its bad and unsafe; she should be in a car. I said "Really? That's odd because the subway it a lot safer than a car." I didn't get a response to that comment

2. After giving birth, women usually stay in a special hospital for new mothers for up to a month to give their "shocked" bodies time to recover. In this hospital they do and move very little.

3. They don't shower after giving birth. Traditionally, they would go a month without showering. Now it's at least 1 week (but I think it's kind of looked down on if you only go 1 week). Two of the women I was eating with have children. One of them boasted she didn't shower for 15 days after giving birth (I cringed). The second one scoffed and said she didn't shower for 21 days (I chocked on my soup).

4. All they eat is seaweed soup for a month. The seaweed soup in Korea is good, I like it but it's not very filling and I can't imagine it's very nutritious. Again, the first woman told me she ate seaweed soup 3 times a day; the second woman scoffed and said she ate it 4-5 times a day.

They then asked me what do women in America do? I told them it depends on the woman but most work up until they give birth. They have their baby at the hospital and are released about 24 hours later. Then they go home on maternity leave and take care of the baby and do whatever they want.

They asked me about what the new mothers eat. I said "I don't know, whatever they feel like eating. If they are breast feeding they might avoid some foods like spicy stuff but otherwise I'm pretty sure they eat what they want."

And they absolutely shower or take a bath. I don't know what it's like to have a baby, but it seems like a pretty messy and sweaty ordeal... I can't imagine not showering after that.

So there is a short little insight into pregnancy culture in Korea. And I will resume posting more frequently from here on out :)

"How Do I Get To Dr. Fish?"

2009-10-03T13:16:00.007+09:00

Ever since I posted about my trip to Dr. Fish people have been asking me how to get there. I will do my best to explain. If you know your way around Hongdae you should have no problem finding it; if not it may be a little tricky.

Go out exit 5 at Hongdae (sometimes called Hongik University)

Walk STRAIGHT until you get a "busy" street. Take a LEFT up the street.

Keep going STRAIGHT until you get to "Eoulmadang Gil" the street that leads to the main shopping street in Hongdae. If you are unfamiliar with the area walk up the right side of the street there will be a small street sign marking it.

Go RIGHT down that street.

You're going to have to go STRAIGHT for a while. It you know the intersection where Zen is, you're going to have keep going for a while after that. Although stopping at Zen before hand for a few drinks isn't a bad idea.

So keep going STRAIGHT, Dr. Fish will be on your Left and is on the 8th floor (90% sure it's the 8th).

There is a Dr. Fish sign outside the building so keep looking up every now and then. It is across the street from a Luxury Noraebang, but if you are familiar with Hongdae probably not the luxury Noraebang you're thinking of, it's further down.

**UPDATE- The Hongdae Dr. Fish may no longer exist. I tried to go there in February and it wasn't open and it looked as though it moved. There is supposedly one in Gangnam, but I don't know if this is true or where it is.**

The map below gives you some idea of Hongdae station, exit 5, and where you'll need to turn left. Play with it a bit and it might help some more.

View Larger Map

Swine Flu Paranoia Annoying and Ruining My Plans

2009-09-27T11:29:00.007+09:00

The swine flu scare in Korea is really starting to annoy me. I enjoyed it when it I received an extra week off after my visit home, but now it's just getting out of hand. Kids have their temperature checked with an ear thermometer before they can enter school, which I guess isn't that big of a deal. I'd really complain if I had to get tested too. However, I think it's a little unsanitary because they don't change the probe cover (I'm not even sure there is one on the thermometer). Instead, the guy testing the kids wipes off the ear piece every now and then with his bare hands.

The ridiculous thing is despite all their efforts to prevent the spread of swine flu, the majority of Koreans seem to have no idea how disease is spread or how to limit the spread. Some of their habits are simply disgusting and have bothered me since I arrived.

There is rarely soap in the bathroom and when soap is provided nobody bothers to wash their hands. The one towel hanging on the wall to dry your hands is the same towel teachers use to wipe their mouth after brushing their teeth.... I have a bottle of sanitary spray at my desk that I use. In addition, no body covers their mouth when they cough or sneeze. And spitting is a culturally accepted habit. Spit covers the hallway floor at school. To protect myself I don't let my students touch any of my pens, pencils, or other supplies, and when I see a kid coughing, sneezing, and wheezing I make sure to keep a good distance between us.

Even more irritating is the cancelation of all up coming festivals! There was suppose to be a big firework show in Seoul last weekend, canceled. The JinJu lantern festival I was planning on going to in 2 weeks, canceled. The Andong Mask Festival, Oman Muscat Festival, Kimchi Festival, etc... all canceled! Ironically the subway is still open, if they were really that scared I'd think they would close the subway (that would be really inconvenient and suck though). The festivals are outside in open air, the subway is a closed confined car where the germs just hang in the air and circulate.

Thanks a lot Korea for ruining all my plans and taking away my last chance to experience these things.

The Crazy Hierarchy of Korea

2009-09-19T16:54:00.009+09:00

Confucianism is the core of Korean society and as such the hierarchy is alive and strong in Korea. Simply put, it is men before women and the old before the young, so if you're an old Korean man you're basically infallible. In reality, the hierarchy is much more involved (probably even more so than I realize); your place is determined by different factors such as age, job, status, salary (yes they will ask you how much money you make), where you went to school, if you are married or single, etc... When Koreans meet each other for the first time they ask each other a barrage of questions in an effort to identify the alpha. I've heard this behavior compared to that of dogs who sniff each others butts to determine who the dominant dog is.

I am largely exempt from this hierarchy because I'm a foreigner. I am status-less in Korea. I'm not Korean, I am an outsider who does not fit into their system so I simply have no status. The way I'm treated ranges from- respectful- respectful indifference- indifference- invisible. And I am more than okay with that! Sure I might miss out on some perks by not being part of Korean society but I think the benefits (i.e. NOT being part of Korean society) far outweighs the perks.

I mentioned in my last post that I have a new co-teacher Christine, who I adore. But, the minute I met her and started talking to her I knew they (the school and other English teachers) were going to screw her over. She's Korean so she fits into their world and the clincher is her position was pretty much equal to mine, her title is "English Conversation Expert," she is not a "real" teacher.

So last week when one of my co-teachers informed me that on Wednesday we (all the English teachers) would leave immediately after classes finished at 3:10 to go have dinner meeting and discuss issues relating to the English department. I nodded, smiled, dutifully marked it on my desk calendar, and was thankful that at least this time Christine would be there because I HATE these "meetings" and there is no way to get out of them. I loath these meetings because:

1. Who the hell is hungry for dinner at 3:30 pm?

2. We usually go to some hack westernized restaurant with awful food. It usually has buffet or "set menu" which is cheaper if you get there before 4 or 4:30. I looked at the prices, it's not much cheaper. Not that price should matter, because the school is footing the bill and I have a feeling when an all male department goes out they rack up quite a large bill with all the soju, Cass, and Hite they drink (oh but I forgot they're men, they can do what they want)

3. They only speak Korean, except for on occasion when one looks over to translate some utterly useless piece of information (like the time one of them explained to me that Ms. Q has been on a diet so Ms. Z made a joke and asked her if she has saved a lot of money now since she doesn't have to buy so much food hahahahahahaha) I used the names Ms. Q and Ms. Z because I couldn't be bothered to actually remember who they were actually talking about.

4. They don't discuss anything related to English (trust me I can tell)

5. I spend the evening (late afternoon) sitting in a corner, picking at the edible bits of food, rebutting attempts to put more food on my plate by the other teachers, smiling/ nodding every now and then, and pretending I don't know when they are talking about me.

And here comes hierarchy....

We get to VIPS, the "amazing" Western style buffet place and sit down, Christine and I sit down at one of the ends of the table. Ms.L is at the center of the table leading as usual. I notice that Christine is unusually quiet (I have a feeling she "knows her place") but she does look at me to tell me she has no idea what they are talking about either at one point. Later she turns to me and tells me that Ms. L is the alpha, the woman across from her is the second, and the woman at the other end of the table is third. Ms. L being the alpha, obviously; the woman across from her being second, I could see that; the woman at the end of the table, who happened to be Eunmi the co-teacher who has taken care of me and helped me being third, uh-uh, no way, I don't see it, I told her. "She is, trust me" Christine said. The evening dragged on, Christine explained to me how whenever a couple of the teachers started talking about something Ms.L would cut in and change the subject.... etc...

And here comes the crazy hierarchy....

(All of this I know only because Christine briefly translated it to me in bits)

One of the older teachers, lets call her teacher A, at the end of the table was wondering how old Christine was. Teacher A asked teacher B, because teacher B is younger than teacher A. Teacher B asked teacher C (again, C is younger than B), finally teacher C asked Christine how old she was. Christine told Teacher C her age. The woman said "Hmmm, I'm a year older than you" and passed the message back up the chain.

Why didn't the first teacher just ask Christine (Christine sarcastically asked me this too)? Because that would have been breaking ranks. Christine is the newest and the youngest and therefore is at the bottom of the totem pole.

Later, Ms.L just laid in to Christine, now I'm not sure if she was actually being rude or mean or if that's just the way she talks because she does have a tendency to talk like a drill sergeant to those "under" her. Among the many stupid things she said was come the new year Christine would be taking over Eunmi's duties regarding me. This decision could be a logical one considering Christine speaks better English, is closer to my age, and we already get along well but it isn't logical at all. I've been there longer than Christine, I was the one who helped Christine when she first got there because no one else would, so at this point the things I need help with/ the duties my co-teacher currently performs are things Christine doesn't know how to do. Christine agrees it makes no sense. The teachers also talked about a few other "problems" or "issues" they were having and the solution to each one was "it's okay, Christine can just do it." There was even a moment when they were considering an alternative to something before one of the part-time teachers piped in "Why doesn't Christine just do it?" I went home with a headache and thankful I was not part of the Korean hierarchy.

The next day at work I noticed I subtle change in Eunmi; she was still the sweet and caring woman I've gotten to know and who's taken care of me for the past year but yet she was different. I observed her and realized Christine was right about Eunmi being the third alpha. All it took was Christine, with Christine at the school Eunmi is no longer the youngest or newest English teacher so she could step up.

Since Christine has arrived everything has been great because I finally I have someone to talk to and who is basically in the same boat as me, but it has also been CRAZY because of the complete power restructuring that is going on. Everyday Christine tells me about another task requested of her or work expected of her and all I can do is shake my head, feel bad (really bad for her), and be glad I wasn't born into this system.

**The hierarchy is beginning to fade with the younger generation, which is part of the reason I think Christine has been a little caught off guard by it but it is still firmly up held by the older generation**

2 Weeks Home, Swine Flu/ Quarantine, Panty Thieves and a New Co-Teacher

2009-08-27T15:27:00.017+09:00

As per my contract with SMOE, I went home for a lovely 2 weeks before starting my new contract. It was great to be home, relax, see friends and family, and be away from Seoul. I went Up North, had big family dinners, cooked out, tail-gated, went to a Brewer's game and did everything I can't do in Seoul. Two weeks wasn't long enough and I wasn't ready to leave. I don't regret my decision to renew for another year but I would have liked to stay another week or two.

While I didn't get to spend an extra week back home, I did receive a 1 week "home quarantine" when I got back to Seoul. SMOE was worried the foreign teachers would bring Swine Flu back to Korea and infect all the little kiddies; so all the teachers who left Korea for vacation weren't allowed back at school until 1 week after we returned. We were all more than happy to comply. Home quarantine means exactly what it sounds like, we were advised to stay at home and not go out unless absolutely necessary...

Unfortunately upon my return to Seoul and the commencement of my home quarantine I confirmed a suspicion that started while at home; I had been robbed! The stolen goods- my panties (specifically the dark colored ones). I seemed to be running low on underwear during my stay at home. I swore I packed at least one for everyday, but I figured I must have forgot to pack some or left some sitting out in my apartment. Back in my Seoul apartment, I was unpacking and remembered my panty quandary. I ran to my dresser to see if they were in there, they weren't. I dumped the contents of my laundry basket on the floor to see if they were in there, they weren't. That is when I looked up at the folded pile of pale colored panties next to my suitcase and realized the disturbing truth. At some point en route to Chicago, someone went through my luggage and stole my dark panties!!! I don't even know what to say about that; I'm at a complete loss for words.

The night before I returned to school Eunmi called to inform me the schedule had changed and they hired another co-teacher. I couldn't even feign excitement at this news so it was good thing she told this over Skype chat. The schedule change proved to be as big a disappointment as I expected. I used to have first period free everyday except Tuesdays, now I teach first period everyday and most days have classes back to back. The new co-teacher however, is the best thing to ever happen to me at Gong Hang Middle School! Even better than my awesome new English classroom. She is my age, has a far superior command of the English language than some of my other co-teachers, is really nice, and shares my views about a lot of work related things. Plus, I finally have someone to talk to.

I have sat alone in either my classroom or office during my free periods and lunch (I won't touch the school lunch food) for the last year. Now, I share my office with Christine and actually have someone to talk to (someone I want to talk to). The combination of having one year under the belt and knowing the ropes a little better, my new English classroom, and Christine make me feel very positive about this upcoming year.

** Side note/ a look at how FUBAR things really are sometimes- Christine isn't really a "member" of my office. There are 4 desks in my office other than mine; however, no one is every there because all the teachers stay in their classrooms. The second day of classes I had with Christine she asked me where I go/ should she go during times like homeroom. Beyond confused, I asked her what she meant. She informed me she didn't have her own classroom and the school hadn't given her an office so at various times of the day she had no where to go and was left to wander the halls carrying her stuff. I told her that was crazy and no one was ever in my office so she should come there. A day or two later she got a key to the office from one of the other teachers and now has a desk to use, but it has been made clear Christine is borrowing this desk and it still belongs to the other teacher.

11 Months and 11 Days

2009-08-03T00:20:00.005+09:00

Eleven months and 11 days ago I de-boarded a plane at Incheon International Airport and since then Seoul has been my home. I can't believe the year is almost over, but years seem to get shorter and shorter the older I get.

Eunmi pointed out to me the other day upon realizing I have been here for almost a year, "Ohhhh, now you've experienced the wonder of four seasons." Right... because growing up in Milwaukee WI I had never experienced them before.

Here is a real list of some of the things I've experienced here for the first time:

having fish eat the dead skin cells off my feet
eating silk worms
drinking outside a 7-11 (or any convenience store)
freezing my garbage (food waste)- it sounds gross, it is gross, but if you don't freeze it it smells and attracts critters
norae bang
having people staring at me all the time
squat toilets (I saw them in Japan but never had to use one, so far I've only had to use 1 here but am not a fan)
leaving all the hall windows open at school in the middle of winter/ turning on the air conditioner and then opening a window (the teacher who does this drives me crazy because I spend half the class re-closing the windows she opens)
eating chicken feet
living in a 1 room officetel
having super fast, kick ass internet
cheap taxi/ good public transportation
having a job that for the most part is enjoyable and easy, has a tax free salary, provides and pays for my housing, and has lots of vacation time
uncomfortably surviving 80+ degree days with 90% humidity
people talking about you in front of you. I'm not an idiot; I know what 미국 (American) and 외국인 (foreigner) mean. I also know my name, so when I hear you say it in conversation I know you're talking about me.
seeing grown business men (in their suits) passed out next to a pile of their own vomit in the subway or on the street
seeing the same men passed out next to a building with their pants around their ankles because they went to relieve themselves and passed out midstream
people spitting everywhere
being told that there are 6 continents but no one being able to name them
at least once a week looking at my one of my co-teachers and having absolutely no idea what she is talking about
having people ask me "Do you know Dok-do?" Yes I know Dok-do, but I really don't care about it.
아줌마 (adjummas- a certain type of older Korean women) who push/ shove their way through the subway, stand in the middle of pedestrian traffic blocking everyone with out moving, and basically seem blind to everyone around them. Well blind to everyone until you get in their way and then they'll knock you down
assigned seats at the movie theater

In spite of the headaches and frustrations that come with living in Korea as a foreigner, I renewed my contract and have 385 more days of Korean "fun."

I'm famous in Korea!

2009-07-13T19:43:00.005+09:00

A few friends and I went to a food festival in Jeonju in September. We stayed in a traditional village, ate bibimbap (Jeonju's speciality), were taught how to do the traditional "mask dance," made kimchi, and pretty much experienced a bunch of other traditional Korean stuff. The whole time we were there photographers taking pictures of us- the foreigners; it got a little annoying but for the most part we were good sports about it and thought it was funny that our pictures would end up in some Korean newspaper. However, I was caught completely off guard by a text I received last week that said "just saw your face on a poster at jamsil. did you have fun at a bibimbap festival?" A few texts later and I confirmed it was probably me. A couple of days later I was on my was to the Jamsil subway station to find my poster and snap a couple of pictures with my cell phone.

Oh, and by the way this poster is huge!

Busan, Korea's Ninja 모기 (mogi/ mosquitoes) & the Cure to the 모기 Bite

2009-06-20T16:52:00.009+09:00

The other week I had no classes Monday- Wednesday because the students were on field trips visiting different parts of Korea, and Thursday was a school holiday. Normally I would still have to come to school Monday- Wednesday to prep for classes, screw around on the internet and wait until noon when I'm allowed to leave. However, this time a miraculous thing happened. At around 5pm on Friday I got a call from my Eunmi (my co-teacher), she informed me the principal decided that the teachers who were not away on field trips did NOT have to come to school and could instead work from home. She said she would bring over the necessary forms I needed to sign around 9pm, which kind of blew my plans for the evening but I didn't really care because I had a 6 day weekend!!!
Now, had I known about this earlier I probably would have booked myself a little trip somewhere (even though it is technically against the rules to leave the country when you are suppose to be "working from home"). Without much time to plan, I decided to head south to Busan and relax on the beach. My friend Donna lives down there so I gave her a call to see if I could stay with her and then hopped on the next KTX headed to Busan.
Busan is the second largest city in Korea and the largest port city. It provides tourists with many attractions: beaches, museums, temples, an aquarium, and various street markets to name a few. However, the only thing I was interested in was the beach; I'll go back another time and see the rest. I needed a break and just wanted to relax. I spent my time at Hyundae Beach, Busan's best and most popular beach.

The beach was exactly what I needed, I laid out with nothing to worry about and got a little color. On my second to last day I returned from the beach and noticed two small bites on my arm; however, I wasn't sure if there were from the beach or if I had them before. They didn't itch so I didn't care, but later in the night they began itching and getting redder. The next morning I woke up and noticed they had expanded to about an inch in diameter (no joke, no exaggeration) and really itched.
I'd been warned about the Korean ninja 모기, they attack at night, you rarely see them, they never die (I saw one in the elevator in the middle of January) and occasionally you'll hear them buzz in your ear as you sleep. The ninja 모기 attacked quite a few people at orientation, leaving huge nasty welts to prove it; however, I wasn't bothered by the mosquitos at orientation nor any other mosquito in Korea. I figure my reaction was a fluke, tried not to itch them, and didn't give them a second thought.
When I got home from Busan, I was changing and spotted 11 little red bites on my legs and three more on my other arm. Fuck, I thought, the ninja 모기 were hiding at Donna's and ambushed me during the night. I was still optimistic though, they were small and didn't itch, but as the night went on they grew and began to itch.
The next morning they were big and incredibly itchy, the original 2 on my arm were even bigger, red, swollen, and rather unattractive. I packed my anti- itch cream, took an antihistamine and headed to school. By the end of the day I was ready to chew off my leg. I looked around my office for something to save me or to amputate my leg with and spotted the water cooler. I remembered reading online that putting hot water, not hot enough to burn you, but as hot as you can possibly tolerate, on mosquito bites helps relieve the itching. I tried it and was shocked, it actually worked. Unfortunately I couldn't drop trou and treat the ones on my high, but once I got home I threw a pot of water on the stove and waited until it was just about boiling. I dipped the corner of a towel in the water and began frying the bites. I don't know how but the hot water stops the itching for about 3 hours. I repeated this 3 or 4 times before I went to bed. The next morning I woke and was amazed to see the bite were nothing but little red dots and they didn't itch anymore and haven't itched since.
Now if you don't believe me about the evilness or voracity of the Korean mosquito, google "Korean mosquito" and read all the other blogs about them.

Chuncheon International Mime Festival

2009-06-13T17:09:00.005+09:00

I escaped Seoul to attend the Chuncheon International Mime Festival the other weekend. Chuncheon city is a about 2 hours east of Seoul in Gangwon and has been holding a mime festival since 1989. Originally called the Korea Mime Festival, the event changed its name to the Chuncheon International Mime Festival in 1994 when performers from America and Japan joined. Since I find clowns to be a little creepy, a mime festival isn't something that I would usually be drawn to, but it was a chance to get out of Seoul, do something different, and the weather was perfect so I was excited.

I left early and Tasha joined me an hour into the ride (she works in a little town outside of Seoul). We arrived a little after 12:00 only to discover nothing had started yet so we went and got some lunch.

The restaurant didn't have a menu or at least not one that was offer to us, instead we were promptly (somewhat promptly, the Koreans who arrived after us got served before us) brought steaming bowls of beef ribs. The meal was both satisfying and filling and only cost 6,000W (less than $5USD).

Things still weren't in full swing when we returned to the festival so we stopped by the arts and crafts table and made ourself hats for the day. Initially we had the table to ourselves, but slowly more and more children began to show up. I expected to be fighting for supplies and elbowed out of the way by the swarms kids, what I didn't expect it to be fighting or elbowed by their parents. Unlike the arts and crafts tables at festivals in the States, which are dominated by children, caked in spilled glue and covered in paper scraps and uncapped markers, this arts and crafts table was run by the parents and was fast and efficient. I've mentioned before how appearance is very important in Korea and apparently this extends children's hats made out of inverted popcorn buckets. Heaven forbid a kid walk around in an imperfect hat that looks like it was made by child. It was ridiculous.

After hat making we encountered our first "performers"...

I have no idea what they were doing.

The other performers were significantly more talented...

In the end, I didn't see very many actual mimes, which was okay with me. We had a wonderful dinner of Chuncheon's specialty dak galbi (닭갈비), which is a spicy chicken dish cooked in a large pan at your table. Got a room at a love motel*, had a few drinks on the roof, and left the next morning.

*Love motel are cheap and abundant in Korea. They're called "love motels" because they are frequented by people looking for a little privacy and will charge about half their per night fee for a couple of hours. They are nicer, safer, and cleaner than motels back home and they usually have vending machines in the hallways that sell "toys"

Spring- ish in Seoul

2009-06-07T17:18:00.014+09:00

I've been falling behind on posting for a while and when I fall behind I start feeling overwhelmed and begin to avoid it all together. Post ideas pop into my head but I don't write about them because I feel like I have to write other things first.... So I've decided to write one massive post covering some of the last few months and then start posting more regularly again to avoid this situation in the future.

Here is a recap of some the fun I had this spring!

DR. FISH--->Fish, Feet, & Dead Skin Cells (3 of My Least Favorite Things)

I find the above 3 things disgusting!

1- Fish: I have had numerous bad/ dramatic experiences with fish and while I will on occasion eat fish (I'm VERY picky about what fish I eat) I would rather avoid the aquatic animal in its animated form all together.

2- Feet: Feet are gross. I don't really like mine but I tolerate them because they are mine and they serve a purpose. However, I hate people touching my feet. I have trouble getting pedicures because someone touching my feet makes me squirm and when I look at the manicurist all I can think is "You poor woman, having to touch nasty feet all day." But worse than my feet are other people's feet! Except for babies, everybody has gross feet and I do not want to touch them and I do not want to be touched by them. (Ironically I love shoes, but that is probably because they cover feet and make them look pretty).

3- Dead Skin: Yes, I know everyone has it but there are lotions and exfoliants to help combat it. The small microscopic flakes we shed everyday that provide food and sustenance from the billions of dust mites living around us are not what bother me. It is the big visible chunks of dead skin that repulse me, for example finger nail clippings. I think nail biting it one of the most appalling habits (definitely in the top 5) and here is why: after the biter has gnawed off a chunk of flesh from his body he has two choice, eat the flesh (yummm, I guess he'll never go hungry), or spit it out (how hygienic). All nail biting spitters make the same sound, it's something like this "pstpstpstpstpst." That sound alone is enough to make me cringe.

Despite the above 3 facts, I could not wait to visit Dr. Fish, which I did earlier this spring.

Dr. Fish is a cafe that serves tea and various other drinks (there are actually quite a few alcoholic options offered) in additional to small snacks. What makes Dr. Fish so special and unique is while relaxing with your cup of Earl Gray (or in my case a Black Russia) small fish eat the dead skin cells off your feet.

Why did I want to go to Dr. Fish? 1- The experience! 2- If I wanted to try this back home it would cost an arm and a leg.

The Doctor Fish Experience:

Rob and I decided to give it a try after our last Korean class. The first thing you have to do at Dr. Fish is wash your feet; it makes sense, I wash fruit before I eat it.

After washing your feet, you move to the pools. The pools have a glass table over them so you can watch the fish eat your feet, while you eat the complimentary scone and mixed nuts.

The fish do not hurt, they only eat dead skin cells. Most people say it tickles at first but then you get used to it and relax. I was initally shocked by how it felt...

...and never really got used to the feel. Rob enjoyed it and had no problem with it though.

Even though it freaked me out a bit, it was fun, cheap (I believe it's free as long as you purchase something, there may be a small charge but there is no time limit), a great experience, and something I'd recommend and may even try again.

Eating Out At Doorei

Not too long ago Jamie and I when to a little restaurant called Doorei. Doorei is a traditional restaurant that serves palace food from the Joseon Dynasty (1932-1919) in Insadong Seoul. Their menu changes seasonally and uses only the freshest produce. I had the good fortunate of eating there because my uncle introduced me to his friend and owner Sook hee, Jamie got to come along as my guest. Sook hee has owned Doorei for about 18 years, which is significant; signs that brag "Since 2003" are not uncommon in Seoul. Sook hee was a wonderfully accommodating and gracious host and the food she served us was amazing. It was hands down the best food I've had in Korea and some of the best food I've ever had period.

The service was impeccable. Jamie and I had our own private room

that could have easily sat at least 20 more people. A waiter/ waitress or Sook hee checked on us regularly to make sure everything was to our liking. Sook hee also took the time to sit down and chat with us for a while, which was very kind of her, especially considering it was a Friday night and I'm sure they

were busy.

As I said the food was outstanding, unfortunately for the most part I have no idea what we ate. I can't tell you what is in the follow pictures but I assure you it was delicious (the pictures are only a small sampling of what we ate, there were many courses).

Eating in our private room

Me, Sook hee, and Jamie

Jamie and me outside Doorei

School Life

Teaching is a little easier this year; I attribute this to two factors one, it's the start of a new school year, it's not halfway through the year like when I arrived and two, I have more experience. My new pimped out classroom helps a little too. This week Thursday (second period to be exact), I will be having an "observed" class. Which means certain higher ups from SMOE and some Korean teachers who specialized in English education will come to my class, observe my teaching style, and grade me. Luckily they are coming to one of my better classes but I'm still nervous.

It's only been warm for a couple of months but twice already a bird has flown into the school

(that I know of)!!! The first time I was leaving school and a group of girls were standing awkwardly in a circle around the stairs. As I approached I realized that there was a bird sitting by the stairs. At first I thought it was injured and couldn't fly, then one of the girls threw something at it and took off circling above our heads. The bird landed on the other side of the hallway and I had an awful realization, "Fuck, I'm the adult in this situation." So much for bookin' it and saying good luck girls like I so wanted to. I told the girls to go get me a big box so I could put it over the bird and catch it that way, they came back with something smaller than a shoebox. Then I told them to go get a big sheet or towel, they came back with a tee-shirt that would fit a 7 year old. Finally a male teacher showed up and somehow used the petite shirt to grab and free the bird.

The second bird was in my classroom by my computer. I didn't even see it until I walked over and all of sudden the little guy flew out the window (this one was much smaller).

Seriously, put some damn screens up!

Could you find Burundi on a world map?

2009-05-05T16:05:00.004+09:00

I would like to think that I have a decent grasp on geography, and I really should considering how much I like to travel and that I look at the world map on my wall quite often. However, after playing this little game I realized that I'm not as good as I would like to be. I have no problem with Central/ South America, Western Europe, or Asia, but some of Africa, parts of Eastern Europe, and parts of the Middle East kill me every time.

Test your knowledge!!!

http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/worldmap/worldmap.html

K-Pop Update! (and a Couple of Other Crazy Videos Related to Korea)

2009-04-28T09:54:00.011+09:00

It's been a while since I posted any new K-pop songs so now I have some catching up to do. I've put this in order of popularity.
NUMBER 1: Big Bang- Lollipop
Oh Big Bang, I know few girls who aren't in love with you. In fact a fellow teacher recently made an excellant observation, "I love how K-Pop is able to turn American female college grads into tweeners..." Yes, well the allure of TOP and G-Dragon is hard to resist.

NUMBER 2: Super Junior- Sorry
This song is unbelievable catchy but I really wish they would stop putting "Sorry" in so many songs. My students aren't sincere when they say "Sorry," they are simply quoting a song and being insolent little punks.

NUMBER 3: Son Dambi- Saturday Night

NUMBER 4: Davichi- 8282
I like this song but I find the video a little disturbing, even more disturbing than the Big Bang video where the girl kills her boyfriend with a pineapple.

NUMBER 5: Girls Generation- Gee
This song was more popular about a month or two ago.

NUMBER 6: Kara- Honey

One of the main differences between Korea and the U.S. is that in the states we put importance on the individual rather than the group, while in Korea the group is more important than the individual. One of my students who has spent a considerable amount of time living abroad summed it up quite nicely, "In Korea it's all about the 'we' but in America it's all about 'I'" Maybe that is why I have never seen team work like this before... The really amazing part is this is all done with their clothes, not cards.
http://tvpot.daum.net/clip/ClipView.do?clipid=14920161&focus=11&range=0&diff=0&ref=best&nil_no=31636&t__nil_entertainment=img&nil_id=4
(Sorry I couldn't find a way to embed this video.)

And lastly, I have always heard terrible things about South East Asian prisons but this doesn't seem too bad...

My New Classroom and Spring in Korea

2009-04-14T22:55:00.005+09:00

My classroom last year was a dump. I never posted pictures of it because it was depressing, run down, and in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint and a good scrubbing. However, Seoul is dumping a ton of money into English education so now I am now blessed with a remodeled deluxe English classroom. My new classroom is clean, bright and modern. There is an English library, 6 computers for the students to use, and a 70in flat screen, HD, touch screen TV. The TV alone retails for something like $25,000.

Spring has also finally arrived! The cherry blossoms are blooming and its been in the 70s. Aside from the yellow dust it is wonderful.

MY STUDENTS HAVE THEIR OWN BLOG!!!

2009-04-09T17:36:00.002+09:00

My after school class now has a blog of their own, Erika's English Genius Superstars. They will be posting their assignments and projects from the class. Please comment to help them practice their English (all comments will be held pending approval by me, I don't want any inappropraite comments to get through).
FYI: The two boys who comment on how happy to participate in my class did that on their own; I did not tell them to write that.

Not Cool NK

2009-04-05T12:38:00.003+09:00

Earlier this morning, about an hour ago, North Korea launched the long range rocket it said is carrying a satellite in what is being called a "provocative act." This is going to be an interesting week.

More Philippines & Hong Kong Pictures

2009-03-28T16:15:00.007+09:00

Lindsay is an amazing photographer and has a very nice camera. Here are some of her pictures from the trip.

Philippines and Hong Kong

2009-03-22T22:52:00.027+09:00

I’m way behind on my updating because ever since I got back from vacation my Internet access has been limited, after six months in Korea I've finally been forced out of necessity to start paying for my own internet. I have a lot of up dating to do but I’m going to start with the most important, my vacation!
The Philippines and Hong Kong were amazing. I fell in love with the Philippine (as did Lindsay) and cannot wait to go back there sometime. I could have spent months exploring the rest of the country.

Banaue Rice Terraces
When we arrived in the Philippines we immediately headed north to Banaue to see the Rice Terraces
They are over 2000 years old and are referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

We did the "Viewpoint" tour which is actually made up of 4 different points over looking the valley.

Along the way there were some elderly people dressed traditional clothing. In exchange for a few cents tourist are permitted to take their photo.

Skulls for protection around a traditional house/hut.

This little boy was so cute, we spent at least 45 minutes with him and his grandma. When we were leaving I gave him the 50 peso (about $1USD) he is rubbing on his face and clutching in his little fist. The average salary of people we met was between 100-150 peso a day (no more than $3USD a day).

Small village of less than 100 people.

Puerto Princesa
Leo "the Kid," one of the local guys who worked at our hotel and showed us around.
One of the things I found so nice and refreshing about the Philippines was how open and accepting they are of homosexuality.
The boardwalk
El Nido
Getting to El Nido from Puerto is a bit of a trek but worth it

There's lots of good island hopping.

Port Barton
El Nido was nice but we thought Port Barton was much better and really wished we could have stayed there longer.
Port Barton only has electricity between 6pm and midnight, generators are used during the other hours but aren't dependable.
The generator broke at both Judy's Kitchen and the beach houses we were staying in.

Judy's Kitchen- the nicest people and the best food at amazing prices.

Some local kids and their grandma

Hong Kong
The skyline and the "Batman building"

Tian Tan Buddha or Big Buddha on Lantau IslandIt is the largest seated outdoor bronze Buddha

Graduation

2009-02-08T15:46:00.017+09:00

My 3rd grade (9th grades in the US) graduated this past week. After having 4 weeks of "winter vacation/ break" the students returned to school for a week, actually only Monday- Wednesday with graduation on Thursday. There was no teaching being done during this time.
On Monday morning I was told there would be no classes, the students left around noon and I spent the day in my office. On Tuesday classes were reduced to 30 minutes; I showed Atlantis with Korean subtitles to my first graders and cancelled class for the 3rd graders because neither they nor the co- teacher wanted to be there. On Wednesday I was still getting over jet-lag from my 5 days back in the States and for the first time overslept (I called in). I missed my morning classes and to my surprise no one cared; I guess my co- teachers are as capable of pressing play as I am. Thursday was graduation, the ceremony was to my relief brief and afterwards I posed for pictures with my students. The students now have 3 weeks of "spring vacation/ break" before they return for the start of the new school year.

The logic behind having the students return for a week to graduate is beyond me. I don't know why they don't have graduation at the end of the semester and have an uninterrupted 2 months off. I've questioned both my co- teachers and students about this but they fail to see why I think returning for a week is pointless. Without fail they all say it is because first they have "winter break" and then "spring break," if they didn't come back for a week they would lose "spring break." Does it really matter what you call it if in the end you get the same amount of time off? I've given up trying to understand it and ultimately don't care because I can't complain about having 4 weeks off and then another 3.

And now a sampling of the graduation pictures...

o-o-o-ok

For anyone who things all Asians (including Koreans) are short notice how even with me in heels the boys are still towering over me.

It's All For You Steve... More 이효리 (Lee Hyori) and a Little 비 (Rain)

2009-01-15T15:10:00.008+09:00

This post is dedicated to you Steve so you better enjoy it. Oh and I expect you to drop it like its hot for me when I come home!
You Go Girl

Hey Mr. Big

Shall We Dance?

Hey Girl

But lets not forget the King of K- Pop, 비 (Rain) with a little Rainism

외국인 (foreigner) Christmas Dinner and New Years Eve

2009-01-02T13:30:00.007+09:00

CHRISTMAS

Christmas in Korea is a little depressing. They have no Christmas spirit and really don't celebrate it, which is odd considering there is a church on every corner. There are a few restaurants that cater to foreigners and serve Christmas dinner so that is where I went Christmas day. It was a pretty good buffet, it included wine but compared to the delicious meal mom and Mary prepare for Christmas it was awful.

It actually tasted better than it looks

Substitute Korean Christmas Family

NEW YEARS EVE

We went to dinner at an Indian restaurant.

Then City Hall for the Ringing of the Bell

The police were out in full force.

MY APARTMENT!!!!

2008-12-30T12:45:00.029+09:00

I am at long last posting pictures of my apartment (a lot of pictures). I would have done so earlier but there were some problems in the beginning, which I won't go into because they are too disgusting. I was quite perturbed by the condition of the unit; I knew discussing it and hearing peoples reactions would only exacerbate my feelings about the situation so I opted not to discuss it at all. The problems are resolved, I finally got all my furniture (desk, computer chair, and 2 stools) and for the most part things are as good as they are going to get.

This is my building, Airview 21.

I'm going to preface the photos of the interior of my apartment by saying: I loved, LOVED my old apartment in Riverwest and this place pales in comparison, but hey this is Korea and you have to make do with what you get. I would never rent this place back home but I'm not back home, I'm in Korea so this is my home...

This is the view from my door way...

This is my kitchen...

This my counter where I eat, but wait...

it pulls out to make room for a guest.

This is my main living space and awesome murphy bed.

This is the view from my window...

This is my bathroom, it is my least favorite part of my apartment so this is all I'm going to show...

Oh yeah, one last picture. This one is for Mary, can you see what is on my door???? :)

It Just Got a Little Easier and a Little Harder

2008-12-29T22:06:00.002+09:00

The semester is finally over and I start my winter camps next week...

Things have gotten a little easier because I booked my winter vacation a few weeks ago (11 days in the Philippines then 3 days in Hong Kong) and now I have something to look forward to; however, it's a little harder now because I just can't wait to leave!!

Google image search: "Palawan" and get ready to be jealous :)

The Beginning of the Updates... A Flash Back in Time

2008-12-20T14:25:00.014+09:00

Okay so I have some massive updating to do. I’m going to post these events in chronological order; however, I hope this goes with out explanation but, as I keep posting they will appear in reverse chronological order. Part of the reason I didn’t write about them earlier is I uploaded pictures from them to Facebook and so it kind of felt like I’d already told that story.
For the first event we are going way back in time to the beginning of October (I know, I know, I’m really behind on some things).

Early in October a birthday event was held for 3 of the SMOE teachers in Gangnam (the rich classy area of Seoul), at least 20- 30 people showed up. The plan was dinner first and then clubbing. I skipped dinner but showed up at the restaurant in time to share a couple bottles of wine before the mass exodus of teachers all promising to meet up in a couple hours outside club Harlem. So with a couple hours to kill we did one of my favorite things, find a convenience store, buy a couple bottles of soju and park ourselves outside. Next this convenience store there was a punching bag game; after depositing a couple 100W the bag dropped, you punched it and it register your score/ strength. Games like this (I’ve also seen a kick the soccer ball game) are commonly found outside club areas because the more people drink the more they seem to play. We were no different and found the game immensely entertaining.

Surprisingly, everyone actually showed up at Harlem at the designated time (unheard of) but we found out there was a 20,000W (~$20) cover. Some people were willing to pay but others were. Everyone broke off into small groups and went their own ways.
I went off with Jamie, Taryn, and Mike and we met some random koreans...

Meeting the random Koreans...Soon after Jamie left, but not before leaving us with some German guy she met in a bar when she went to the bathroom. He was here on vaction and his English was good so he stuck with us and we started walking. Along the way we met 3 Swedish girls who were in Seoul on vacation for a few days. We discovered that they hadn't been to a norae bang yet and informed them that their trip would not be complete with a norae bang experience. So we found the nearest norae bang and got a room. This was by far the highlight of my night, the girls were hilarious.
The braids (girl in the middle) are a little cliche but I love them.

This is how great the Swedish girls were:

The girls couldn't stay for long because they had to wake up early the next morning to do some sight seeing, so just the 4 us of were left. We stuck around a little longer but eventually our time ran out and we left. It was around 4am, Taryn took a cab home (she lived close by), I'm not sure what happened to the German guy, but Mike and I decided to wait it out until the subway reopened at 6am. We found another 7- 11 and sat outside drinking soju and water until it was time to go.

I haven't abandoned blogging...

2008-12-19T16:50:00.007+09:00

The semester is ending and I've been really busy preparing for my winter camp. I have to create the curriculum, text, workbook, everything. I have some great stories and updates coming soon but until then here is a little something to keep you entertained . It's made by a couple of other teachers here (I don't know them).
How to Dance K Pop Style

They are not exaggerating about how often these songs come up in class.

I was with my after school class the other day and was a little tired so I leaned on the desk with my elbows and propped my head up on the back of my left palm, my right arm was up and my fingers tips were touching framing my face with a V. It took about 2 seconds for one of the girls to notice my position, start giggling, and whispering to her friend; I was unintentionally doing the Wonder Girls "I'm So Hot" dance.

I've updated my previous post about the after school party "Faith Revived" by adding a video of my students doing the Wonder Girls "Nobody" dance for me (I would have added it before but I had a poor internet connection and it was taking forever).

Also Rain is BIG, really really BIG. Maybe this will help illustrate how BIG.

Stephen vs. Rain

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Stephen vs. Rain

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Number 1 most influential person in the world!!!!
If Stephen vs. Rain doesn't load properly just click the link next to the Comedy Central logo

Faith Revived

2008-12-02T17:12:00.011+09:00

I (as well as many of my fellow native english teachers) have been struggling with the poor behavior of my students. In general, a lot of them are bad and I was preparing to write a post detailing how bad they (don't worry that post is still coming). However, last week something happened that made me have a change of heart.

The one thing that keeps me somewhat sane and from hating all the kids is my after- school class. I've talked about them before and they are by far the highlight of my day. I look forward to their class and we always have fun. They're really great kids and I like all of them, last Friday they blew me away. As a class they got together, planned, and threw me a party! for no reason. It was the cutest and sweetest thing any of the kids have done since I've been here.

They bought food, set up the tables, decorated the classroom (wrote my name on the chalk board and drew all over it), and made me a sign that said Erika with a heart after it (Min- ju made the sign).

When I walked in they sang a little song that went "Congratulations, congratulations..." They lifted my spirits and made me feel much better about what I was doing.
The next class (our last) Min-ju, my favorite and the star of the class, said "We have no more class but we'll always be Erika's teenagers." Awwwww.

I started my new after- school class this week and they also seem like a good bunch but I doubt they will top "Erika's Teenagers."

**NOTE: I posted the above picture because it's a cute shot with all of "Erika's Teenagers." However, I hate the picture because I think I look like I've gained weight. The only thing that reassured me was when my students saw the picture they all said it didn't look like me because the person in picture was fat (wow) and I was not. In Korea they tell it how it is, if you are overweight they will tell you, so I felt a little better.**

Paeng and Min-Ju do Nobody but You

K-POP!

2008-11-10T17:21:00.003+09:00

Most people know I love (in a twisted way) all things pop culture. And the Korean pop music scene has not let me down. Pop music from the U.S. is funny but for some reason I get a little more pleasure from this stuff.
Warning- Koreans are big fans of the 1+ minute intro to a music video.

Big Bang:
These boys are huge!!! The girls love them, "very hansom." I knew their song "Haru Haru" before I even knew who they were. The English subtitles on this video can be distracting but try to pay attention to the story line, it's rather unexpected...

This other video by Big Bang is for "Lies," I'm pretty sure it came out before "Haru Haru" but it sounds similar and has a slightly more desturbing story line. I will never look at pineapple the same again...

The Wonder Girls:
For the past few weeks, I haven't gone a day without hearing this song ("Nobody") somewhere, being sung by someone. I also constantly catch the girls and boys doing the little hand dance moves. It's so freakin' catchy!

~~~Cultural Note- Korean bathroom are notorious for not having toilet-paper. I do not know a girl who does not carry some around with her for that reason.~~~
The Wonder Girls got in a bit of hot water earlier this year when they released their "So Hot" video...

I think a lot of the controversy (besides eroding Korean values) had to do with the fact the oldest Wonder Girl is only 20, two are 19 and the other two are 16 (raise your hand if you feel like a pedophile:)

Bi Rain:
Again he is huge, however I have no idea what is going on in the video for "I'm Coming" but it follows the J-Lo formula of dramatic entrance, music, chorus break so he can show case his dance moves and break it down, resume music, dramatic ending.

And "It's Raining"

U-Kiss:
I just saw this for the first time the other day. I have no idea if they are big or not but it was too funny not to include. My favorite parts are 1:07 when they transition into singing (woa did that catch me by surprise), around 3:12 when they break it down and my all time favorite line is at 3:33.

Americans vs. Koreans

2008-11-08T12:22:00.003+09:00

I teach 2 after-school classes, one of them is great and the kids are a lot of fun the other one is a bit of a struggle. The kids in the Monday/ Wednesday class have pretty good English, are funny, and talk a lot. The kids in the Thursday/ Friday class have okay English but it is like pulling teeth to get them to talk freely. They are shy and lack confidence. They will talk only if I give them time to write out their answers ahead of time; they can do this quickly so I know the problem is not that they don't know enough English. The activities I use in the first class fail miserably in the second.
This week we were working on describing people (appearance and personality). In my first class, I had a student pick a personality word, leave the classroom and then walk back in acting out/ demonstrating that personality, the other students had to guess what the personality was. There was no way I would be able to get the kids in my second class to do this. So instead I had them pick 3 words from the vocabulary list that best described them. Then I had them pick 3 words that best described Americans and 3 words that best described Koreans; I was really interested to see what they would say and thought I would share the results. Here are their responses...
AMERICANS:
- ambitious
- open minded (2 votes for this one)
- carefree
- extroverted
- individualistic
- self confident
- stubborn
- daring
- outgoing
- mature (I questioned this one)
- unfaithful* (see below)
KOREANS:
- creative (2 votes)
- loyal (3 votes)
- shy
- kind
- passionate
- devoted
- hot- tempered
- selfish

*unfaithful- When going over the vocabulary list I question the kids on some of the words to make sure they understand them and that the translation is correct.
I asked them about this word not because I thought they wouldn't understand the definition (how hard is it to understand cheating on your significant other) but because recently the highest Korean court upheld an adultery law that can send people to jail for having an extra marital affair. So I was really surprised when I asked the kids about the definition and they said not believing, or doesn't believe. I explained to them the other definition.
When the boy described Americans as unfaithful I asked him what he meant by that. He said stuff about the issue/ controversy over importing U.S. beef and Koreans receiving pink- slips and being fired (Goldman Sachs Group). Thus I don't think he meant that Americans are a bunch of adulterers but rather that they aren't trust worthy and you can't believe what they say.

Sports Day and My Students...

2008-10-30T20:03:00.016+09:00

It was Sports Day last week so in addition to getting leave at 1:00pm I was also able to take some pictures of my students and the festivities...

TUG OF WAR:

RELAY RACE:

RANDOM STUDENTS:

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T BEHAVE:

SOME OF MY STUDENTS (the ones I like):

This little boy is so cute. He's really small, hardly ever speaks and is so sweet.

This kid is actually kind of a punk but he's funny so I can't get too mad at him.

She's in my after school class and keeps me entertained along with her two guy friends. She calls one of them "Stupid" instead of using his name; as in I say "Where's the other boy?" and she says "Who? You mean Stupid?"

I've been told this boy has "problems;" however, he is a musical idiot savant and I often see his fingers fluttering under his desk practicing on an imaginary piano. He also stops by my office to say hello at least once a day.

This girl is also in my after- school class, is very smart, and has very good English. In our regular class the students had to work in small groups and come up with as many response to 3 questions as they could, the group with the most won. Her group was beat out by a few answers but she argued hers were better quality. Some of her response were: Why do you think should you study hard? "Because I'm not pretty (I told her she was). And "because I don't want to be a loser." What do you think is the most important thing to keep friends? "Not date their boyfriend or girlfriend."

The boy in the grey is punk but I like the one in red.

The two boys on the right are from one of my worst 1st grade class; I told the class if they could behave for just one class they would all get candy at the end, they were a little better but not good enough to get candy. The boy in the middle is one of the best students and I really enjoy him. His best friend the boy to the right is one of the worst, the kid can not shut up. However he has been a little better ever since I made him be my 'friend' one day and sit next to me up front and be my partner for the whole period.

Reduce to Debris- Haha!

2008-10-30T10:31:00.003+09:00

North Korea recently issued a statement threatening to turn South Korea into debris. "In a statement on Tuesday, the North hit out at what it called a "smear campaign" by South Korean activists who have been sending hundreds of thousands of anti-North Korean leaflets across the border attached to balloons." North Korean Military statement: "The puppet authorities had better bear in mind that the advanced pre-emptive strike of our own style will reduce everything opposed to the nation and reunification to debris, not just setting them on fire" (earlier this year they threatened to turn Korea into a "sea of fire"). I'm not too worried though because I did a google image search for debris and found...

That kind of looks like a lot of places around Banghwa, I doubt a little more debris wouldn't make much of a difference. Maybe if their threats weren't so overly dramatic they would be a little more effective; although "reduce to debris" and "turn into a sea of fire" do have a nice ring to them.
Seriously though, I've been told they issue threats like this every few months. Plus the only difference this time is that "analysts say the latest round of leaflets have touched a nerve by referring to a taboo subject - the health of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-il."
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2008/10/2008102854049888618.html

Yes, I know I have been slacking on updating and a better post with pictures of what I'm doing is coming soon.

A Haze of Pollution

2008-10-17T08:16:00.002+09:00

Last night it was a little hazy and the air didn't smell very fresh. When I woke up this morning and looked outside I was shocked/ disgusted by how hazy it was and how little visibility there was. I came to school and noticed that the mountains I can usually see in the distance are completely blocked out. The visibility stops about half the distance to the mountains.
I checked the air quality report online and today's air is classified as "unhealthy." So basically all the good I did by quiting smoking is being undone by all the polluted air I'm breathing in Korea.

Coffee Korea Style… It’s Defiantly Not Alterra

2008-10-10T09:26:00.006+09:00

I worked at Fiddleheads (which served Alterra) for over a year and never learned to like coffee but Korea has taught to appreciate coffee, sort of.

Korean coffee comes in single serving (Dixie Cup size) packs

with the cream and sugar already added.

Then you just add hot water...

and presto a scrumptious cup off hot sweet coffee.

Anyone who actually likes coffee finds this stuff vile but there is no alternative. Drip coffee is virtually non- existent; they served it at orientation, but it was translucent light brown, nothing like the opaque black liquid found in the states. I know Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts serve drip, but it is really expensive, more than in the US. So all you are left with are the little single serving packs of Maxim Mocha Gold Mild, yummy! (despite being called “mocha” there is unfortunately no chocolate in them)

The first few times I drank the stuff I was bouncing off the walls by the end of the day but now I can enjoy those little coffee packs that are 50% cream/ sugar with no nasty side effects.

NO TOUCHING!!!!!

2008-10-07T09:55:00.004+09:00

In the past when I've babysat I would have to tell young kids (5 or 6 years old) not to touch each other and to keep their hands to themselves; I never thought I would have to tell 14- 16 year old boys it. I probably yell "No Touching!" at least 4 times in every class. The boys are constantly touching each other. For 45 minutes there is never a second when one boy is not touching another. It is the most distracting and annoying thing. I know some homophobic western teachers are bothered by it because they think it has homoerotic undertones, but it doesn't it is just a culture difference. My co- teacher told me "it's how they play." However, I was a little shocked when I saw one boy walk up to another boy who was sleeping against the wall and lick his face. If I could go one day, hell one class without having to yell "No Touching!" I would be so happy.

Foreign Foods

2008-10-06T03:00:00.003+09:00

Like in most Asian countries, some of the food in Korea seems bizarre to Westerners; however, I decided before I came here I would attempt to keep an open mind and be willing to try anything put in front of me (I’m looking forward to the dog). I am happy to say so far I have been successful.

After dinner on Friday night, we were walking around when we saw some other teachers sitting outside at a restaurant. There were about 5 other teachers and 3 Koreans who worked with one of the teachers. We pulled up chairs and joined them; the Korean men bought us some beers (I had a few sips before a pawned it off on someone else). Sitting on the table in a bowl were things that at first glance looked like nuts, but upon closer inspection I immediately recognized them for what they really were, “beondegi.” I had heard about these little guys but this was my first time encountering.
Kelly said they weren’t that bad, but she lived in China for a year and also said the ones in China were much bigger. Mike said they were good, his only criticism was that they could use a little more salt, but Mike lived in Thailand for the last two years and is used to them. So I had to try them. I picked one up with my chopsticks and tossed it into my mouth while both Mike and Kelly stared at me waiting for a reaction. It was a little tough, more leathery than crunchy, with a kind of soft mushy inside and a bitter nutty flavor (more salt would have been an improvement). I swallowed it and took a big sip of beer.
Overall I would say “beondegi” or silkworms aren’t nearly as gross as I thought they would be. It is definitely a mind of matter issue and once you get over that it is a little easier. That being said, I’m still not going to go out of my way to eat them again. Below is a picture of them canned; mmmm don’t they look yummy?

After eating the silkworms, eating the dried squid was a piece of cake. It is surprisingly mild.

Kickin' Banghwa Style

2008-10-01T17:04:00.009+09:00

Since I’ve mentioned a few times how Banghwa is really cheap and defiantly not like other parts of Seoul, I figured I should follow it up with some proof.

Two Fridays ago, I was feeling lazy (I didn’t want to go anywhere that took effort) and Lindsay wanted to get out of the city so she came out to Bangwha to have dinner with Mike and me. She arrived around 7:30ish. I showed her my apartment while we waited for Mike to get back from showering. We went to dinner around 8:00ish at “Chicken Family Restaurant,” which is one of the many restaurants on the first floor of my building. The food was good, as was the soju.
Mike mentioned he wanted to go bowling and I remembered that everyday on my way to school I pass a building with a big bowling pin on the top of it. We communicated with a cab driver and learned that it was in walking distance, so we set off. I spotted the bowling pin beacon, we found the ally, and we went bowling. Mike won, his score beat Lindsay's and mine combined.

After bowling Lindsay really wanted to go sit outside the 7-11 and drink soju because she had never done it before. So we went to the 7-11, bought our soju, and sat at our usual table out front. It wasn’t long before some friendly Koreans, who spoke varying levels of English joined us.

The Korean guys had the great idea of going to noraebang (literally translated as singing room) to do karaoke. To our surprise, there is a noraebang in the basement of our 7-11 building. After doing karaoke for a while (I did not sing because I really can’t it would not be enjoyable for anyone), we split from the Korean guys, Mike went home to sleep, and Lindsay and were left sitting on a ledge outside my building. It was now around 5:30- 6ish am.

I looked across the street and saw one of the food tents; I was feeling a little hungry, as was Lindsay so we decided to give it a try and have a second dinner. The food tents are pseudo- restaurants that appear only at night under a tent, when it is warm the tent is open air but when it gets cold the plastic flaps on the sides are pulled down. They are not like street food carts because there is seating, a menu, a kitchen, and they never move locations. You sit on plastic chairs at plastic tables while the woman prepares your meal fresh on the scene in her kitchen that disappears when the sun come.
One of the other patrons of this fine establishment recommended his favorite dish to us, which we were happy to try since neither of us want to attempt to decipher the menu. What we got was one of the best meals I’ve had here. It was spicy pork served over a burner with some fresh veggies on the side.

The total cost for the whole night (2 dinners, bowling, soju at 7-11, and noraebang): around $20.

UPDATE:
Where is the Bangwha bowling alley/ how do I get there?
I will do my best to describe where the bowling alley is. Facing away from the park, you take a left at the main intersection by the NH Bank. Go straight and take a right at the next big intersection. The bowling alley is at the next big intersection. It is in the tall building near where the street splits and goes 2 ways. There used to be a bowling pin on top of the building and there was sometimes one out front. It says "Bowling" on the side on the building (볼링).

View Larger Map
Using the map above it is near where the car is towards the bottom of the map.
Hope that helps!

Answers to a lot of questions

2008-09-28T13:58:00.010+09:00

A lot of people have been wondering the same things and asking me the same questions so I thought I’d make it easy and answer most of them here.

Overall the students are MUCH better, that is not to say they are well behaved but they are manageable. This is probably due to the fact that I feel more confident in class and the newness of me has started to wear off.
My individual classes however vary depending on who my co- teacher is. The younger two teachers let me go by my lesson plan and let me do whatever fun game or activity I have planned. The older ones (one in particular) want me to read, and reread the dialogue from the book, and then have the students practice memorizing it (see passage at bottom of post). I hate those classes. My 2 after school classes are fun because they each only have 10 students and I am in complete control of the content.

I’ve been working on learning Korean and I’m getting decent at reading it (it’s not very hard). Speaking it is a whole different story. It is very hard for me to produce some of the sounds, I can usually get them but they do not come naturally. There is a really cute little girl who stops by my office almost everyday and talks to me, but for the life of me I cannot pronounce her name. There are also a few vowel sounds that are indistinguishable to me, on occasion I detect slight differences but most of the time (ㅔ and ㅐ / ㅖ and ㅒ) sound the same to me.

The food here is really good, grocery shopping is a little hard because I’m not sure what I’m buying a lot of the time. It is also really cheap to eat out; I go out to eat several times a week and rarely spend more than $6 and never spend more than $9. There are some things I miss. I hate to admit it but you can take the girl out of Wisconsin but you can’t take the Wisconsin out of the girl; I really miss cheese and ice cream.
---Thanks China for ensuring that I won't be getting either for a while and what I do find is going to be even more expensive than before. Also I'm pretty sure I consumed some melamine because I ate/ drank some of the products that tested positive for melamine in Korea. Plus the there are reports that some of the food imported from China that did not contain melamine did contain carcinogens.

Lastly, I am in SOUTH Korea; I cannot go to North Korea. I am by no means an expert or an authority on North Korea, but here is my attempt at a very brief overview. North Korea and South Korea are still technically at war; they have been since 1950. The peninsula is divided by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), also known as the 38th parallel. The founder and dictator of the North Korea, Kim Il- Sung, died in 1994 and was replaced by his son Kim Jung- Il; however, Kim Il- Sung is still technically the president and is referred to as the “Eternal President.” Kim Jung-Il’s health is in serious question right now. North Korea has a huge military, it estimated to be the fourth largest in the world. North Korea also has an atrocious human rights record. So no, I am not in North Korea, I am in South Korea. I forgive everyone who has asked where I am up to this point, I understand Korean history is not taught in school, but please don’t let it happen again. I’m getting sick of explaining the difference.

On a lighter note: The past week my first graders (7th grade) have been working on this passage:

Min- Su: Mike can you do me a favor?
Mike: Sure what is it?
Min- Su: I want foreign friends.
Mike: But you already have foreign friends.
Min- Su: Yes, but they are already in Korea.
Mike: You need a pen- pal don’t you?
Min- Su: A pen- pal? Yes. Can you find me one?
Mike: No problem. Give me a week.

I was able to write that from memory because I have read out loud it at least 50 times (about 20 of those were in 1 day). After I read it a bunch of times in class the students had to memorize it and then stand up and recite it in front of the class (I’ve heard that dialogue read at least 100 times). Some of the kids have a pretty good grasp on English and were able to alter it a little (I want money, I want a big house, I want candy…), they were kind of funny and at least they mixed it up a little. However, two boys reproduced a dialogue that was the hands down winner:

Min- Su: Mike can you do me a favor?
Mike: Sure what is it?
Min- Su: I want a beautiful wife.
Mike: But you already have Angelina Jolie.
Min- Su: Yes, but she is old.
Mike: You need Jessica Alba don’t you?
Min- Su: Jessica Alba? Yes. Can you find me one?
Mike: No problem. Give me a few years.

They did it all on their own, the only thing I corrected was their spelling of Angelina Jolie.

BIG Update

2008-09-22T22:57:00.008+09:00

It’s been hard to update without regular access to the internet, so here is one big update.

Our first weekend free after being on lock down at orientation most of the SMOE (Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education) teachers went out for drinks in Seoul. Bars and clubs are open all night in Seoul, but the subway and buses stop running at midnight, making it so you have no choice but to stay out all night. Well, actually you can still get a cab but they raise their prices after midnight (it was still only about a $13 cab ride back to my apartment though).

Two weekends ago was Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving. It is the celebration of the good harvest, a time to pay respect to ancestors, and the moon is said to be it’s brightest on that night. Eunmi, my co-teacher, took me to her in- laws house to experience it. I didn’t get as many good pictures as I would have liked because I felt awkward taking them while they were praying (even though Eunmi said it was okay).

After we ate Eunmi let me try on one of her old Hanboks, the tradition Korean garb. We took some pictures for fun and then she told me I could keep it! I wanted to bring a Hanbok back as a souvenir but since they are all custom made and expensive I never thought I would actually be able to.

Banghwa, where I am living is on the outskirts of Seoul (I'll post pictures later). The far outskirts, I am the last stop on the subway. So the atmosphere and vibe here is considerably different than in the center of Seoul, it has its pluses and minuses. There are more trees, the sidewalks are bigger, there is a nice park nearby, we are in walking distance to the Han River, the air is cleaner and there is mountain by the park with hiking trails. However, that description makes the area sound a little nicer than it really is; it is a poorer area, it is kind of dirty, and there isn’t a ton to do.
So most of the time (I would never do this back home don't judge me) we sit outside the 7-11 and drink soju. It’s not nearly as sleazy as it sounds, they have patio tables set up, but its not defiantly not classy. We have lots of fun. Plus a bottle of soju to only about $1 (that’s another great thing about this area it is really cheap) and we often meet very interesting people sitting there.

My Name is Erika and I Like Elephants

2008-09-12T11:32:00.002+09:00

I played the Name Game in class this week; each student had to say their name and something they liked that started with the first letter of their name. I didn't take into account how many Korean names start with Y, J, and S so there were a tons of Y- yellow, yoyo, and yogurt, J- juice, jam, jelly, and Jeju (a southern Korean island) and S- soccer, and swimming. There were a few original, surprising, and interesting ones though (most of them were from boys). In reality they probably aren't that funny but they helped make class bearable:

My name is Hyun- Su and I like head (this was the only girl, I'm sure she had no idea what the slang meaning was but I couldn't stop laughing).
My name is Dae- Gun and I like DDR (Dance Dance Revolution).
My name is Moon and I like money.
My name is Dan and I like disco.
My name is Woo- Lin and I like wine... or uuhhhh WHISKEY!
My name is Seo Tae- Jun and I like smoking.
My name is Gi- Young and I like gun.
My name is Bon-hwa and I like bikini. (What?) All bikini.
My name is Kyung- Soo and I like killing game.
My name is Sae- Hoon and I like sexy. (What?) Sexy everything.
My name is Seung and I like Smigel. (It took me forever to figure out what he was saying, my co- teacher had no clue but I just started giggling).

Getting "Sick" in Korea

2008-09-12T07:54:00.002+09:00

I planned on staying late after school on Thursday to get organized and do some lesson planning done; however, I began to get a headache so I decided to call it quits and head home. The putrid smell of pollution while I was waiting for the bus made it worse and the pain started to intensify every minute. I began dreaming about the big Sam’s Club size bottle of Advil waiting for me back at my apartment.
When I finally got back to my apartment my head hurt so much and I had to go to the bathroom so badly that I almost started crying because I couldn’t decide what to do first; go to the bathroom or dig through my bags and find the Advil (bathroom won, I didn’t know how long it would take to find the Advil). Tragically the Advil could not be found (I re-searched tonight, it’s gone), I’m betting one of the workers who were in my apartment while I was at orientation swiped it. I found 1 lonely Advil at the bottom of a little pillbox in my purse and devoured it.
As I lowered myself on to my bed I contemplated how fucked I was. This headache was quickly turning into a migraine and I didn’t bring any Imitrex because I hadn’t had a migraine in years. No sooner had my head hit the pillow than I was up again quickly tying my hair back so I could go puke, this was a bad migraine.
I decided I would make an attempt to go to the pharmacy, knowing full well that Korean pharmacies aren’t like your local Walgreen’s where you pick what you want and check out. In Korea you tell the pharmacist what is wrong and they give you what they want to. I thumbed through my Korean phrasebook (thanks Kristin), found the translation for “I have a headache” and dragged myself downstairs to the pharmacy. I pointed to the phrase, she nodded, I said migraine, Imitrex, and she shook her head no and sent me up stairs.
Upstairs in the doctor’s office (if that’s really what it was), I signed in by giving my name and birthday. I waited for 2 minutes and then was called back into the doctor’s office. Before he does anything I asked him how much is this going to cost because I don’t have my Alien Residence Card yet, he said not to worry it will be cheap (I worry). He takes my blood pressure and then asked me a few questions, again I tell him I have a migraine, I’ve had them before, I want Imitrex. At this point my migraine is starting to feel a little better (puking seems to be the best cure for a migraine) but I nearly burst into tears again when he tells that he doesn’t think I am suffering from a migraine. He doesn’t offer any alternative explanation for why my head it throbbing, noise is painful, and I just threw up; instead he prescribes me “Carol- F” (Ibuprofen and Arginine) and the dosage is 2 pills 3 TIMES A DAY FOR 5 DAYS. Yeah right! Why am I going to take pills in 5 days for a migraine I have now? I took the first two and I’m not taking the rest unless I get another headache.
On the positive side… Doctors visit= $11 and 5 days worth of pills (30 pills)= $8. Plus I don’t even have my health insurance here yet.

Ice Carving at Noon in July- Pointless

2008-09-09T13:35:00.003+09:00

I teach 19 classes a week, each consisting of at least 35 students. I see each class for 45 minutes once a week (some weeks I don't even see a few classes). That means I see over 700 students a week, which breaks down to a little over 1 minute for each student. I have to use a microphone in class to be heard over all the kids talking, they never shut up.
I find it hard to believe I am making a difference, having an impact or having any affect at all. I teach 7th and 9th graders who are incredibly naughty. Some of my co- teachers are strict and attempt to discipline them but the kids don't care. Today my co- teacher Lisa made one of the boys kneel in the corner facing the wall with his hands behind his back for 15 minutes. She pinched a few students on the back of the arm and kept telling kids to switch seats in an effort to break up the trouble makers. It didn't make a difference, by the end of the class the cacophony of kids yelling at one another had given me a headache.

I like my job but am starting to think they are wasting their money on me.

Sparkling Logic

2008-09-08T13:07:00.005+09:00

Recycling is huge in Korea. They recycle and sort everything, and you have to purchase special bags for your "general waste," I believe this link explains it but since I don't have sound on my computer at school I can't be sure. If you are caught breaking the garbage disposal rules there are hefty fines, the first offense is around $50, second $100, and third $200 (after the 3rd offense you are executed). So with all this recycling you would assume they are also conscious of how much waste they produce and try to limit it. Well that is not the case.
Everything is individually wrapped here. If you buy a box of crackers there are 4-8 mini packages of crackers inside the box. These mini packs are great for traveling but such a waste. Water coolers are ubiquitous (they are seriously everywhere there was one on the bus we took for orientation) and always accompanied by a stack of paper Dixie Cups. To make coffee they use the Dixie Cups and little single serving packs of instant coffee. If they would just package things together, use bigger plastic/ glass non- disposable cups/ mugs, and drink drip coffee their amount of waste would be drastically cut, but they don't. So keep recycling Korea you're going to need with the amount of waste you create.

FYI: Erika's awesome blog is going to be sans pictures until I get Internet access in my apartment or find a nice cafe with access.

Bulgogi Dinner with the Kims

2008-09-02T13:00:00.012+09:00

I went out to dinner the other night with Ms. Kim (the payroll secretary at school), her husband and adorable little daughter. We had bulgogi, which I believe just means beef so I'm not sure what the actual dish is called but it was amazing. The waitress brought several side dishes to the table to be shared, she placed a burner on the table, lit it and set a wok of vegetables, beef, and noodles in broth on the burner to cook.

After 10 minutes she returned, the noodles, mushrooms, and beef were cooked. She took a scissors and spoon and in a fury of motion stirred and cut up the contents. From then on it was self serve. It was delicious!!

The side dishes...

kimichi....

and sea cucumber (?).

The Kim's adorable daughter.

Koreans Are Part Camel!!!

2008-09-01T15:35:00.003+09:00

I’ve come to the conclusion that Koreans are part camel because I hardly ever see them drinking anything. I on the other hand always have a bottle of water with me and am constantly chugging from it.
I first noticed their camel like abilities at my welcome dinner. The customary hot tea was brought to the table in a little teapot with little teacups. I took my cue from my hosts and sipped my tea politely even though I really wanted to pour the whole teapot into my mouth (flying makes me extra dehydrated). Finally halfway through dinner Mr. Jeong asked if I would like some water with my dinner, I enthusiastically said yes please. He smiled and nodded, ordered me a jug of water, and said he had heard that Americans like to drink water with their meals. Actually, I think most people (most mammals) like to have water with their meals. At the end of dinner I noticed that I had finished my entire jug of water and all my tea, while my hosts barely finished their 1 little cup of tea.
The next day Eun-mi took me to meet the principal and the other head- teachers. In the meeting he asked if I would like something to drink, again I said yes please some water. They all chuckled and I was brought the tiniest water glass I have ever seen, it was a little bigger than a shot glass. After the meeting Eun-mi took me to buy my T- Money card (Seoul Metro Card) at a convenience store. I told her I was going to buy a bottle of water ($.75!) as well, she did the same but didn’t even make a dent in her bottle while my was gone by the time we got home.
I have never seen a teacher have a drink with their lunch; in fact I don’t even think drinks are offered at lunch. In the teachers break room and my office there is a water machine with a hot and cold tap to make coffee or tea. I’ve seen a few teachers make themselves coffee or tea but they make it in these stupid little paper Dixie cups. I honestly have no idea how they don’t shrivel up and die of dehydration.

I've finally moved into my permanent housing but still don't have internet there. I'm at orientation now so when I have a chance I'll update the blog with some of the more interesting pictures I have taken recently. Orientation has confirmed by belief that Koreans are part camel, there are no drinks available just stupid little Dixie Cup sized cups!

Korea and Koreans Are the Best, Everyone Else Should Give Up and Die

2008-08-28T16:48:00.007+09:00

Okay, that is a gross over statement and exaggeration but they do think very, very highly of themselves and their country.

The first night I arrived Eun-mi asked me if I knew anything about Korea, I said I have been researching it and trying to understand the culture. Her response was "Well did you know Korea won 13 medals in the olympics?" Ummm no I didn't and when you asked me if I knew anything about Korea I assumed you were referring to the culture and customs not trivial things like olympic medals (I didn't say that I just thought it). I realize for a small country like Korea 13 medals is a big accomplishment but it still seems strange that she would brag about 13 medals when the U.S. won 110.

The number one question I get asked is "Do you like Korean food?" I answer yes and inevitably they say "What about kimchi, do you like kimchi?" Yes I like kimchi. "But kimchi is spicy and Americans aren't used to spicy food. Korean food is very good and healthy but it is too spicy for Americans, most Americans can't eat it." It's not too spicy for me.

Eun- mi took me to E-Mart, a vast consumer wasteland multilevel mega- store, because I needed to buy a hair dryer. As we were walking up to it she told me E- Mart is like Wal-Mart but far superior. Wal- Mart came to Korea but failed and pulled out because Koreans didn't shop there because E-Mart is better. When I told her I don't shop at Wal- Mart and think it is an evil corporation her face fell a little and she was clearly disappointed.

It's good to have pride in one's country but they seem to take it to the extreme. I think America is a great country and I'm happy to be from there but I have no problem criticizing it or pointing out its flaws, Koreans (so far) seem incapable of doing this.

On a more positive note, I've finally seen a few foreigners around here and met one who lived in my building.

Out & About Around Town

2008-08-27T19:51:00.010+09:00

I spent a little time exploring today and took some pictures

Mirror mirror on the wall who's the finest of them all?...I'd heard how Koreans are extremely image conscious but am shocked by how many mirrors there are everywhere. Leaving my apartment building I pass 5. Then there are more mirrors randomly scattered throughout town and in other buildings.

Mmmmm, doesn't this food look delicious? Well it's fake, like high quality PlaySchool food. The fake food is placed in glass cases outside restaurants to entice customers. The prices are posted next to each entree so it is essentially the menu.

Surprisingly there are churches everywhere; however, they lack the architechure beauty of those found in Eurpoe or even American. They seem odd and out of place. I've never seen a church with a lit up billboard of Jesus, seems more like an ad you'd find in Time Square.

I found this odd but also ingenious, a pay as you go toilet. No more begging store owners to let you use their bathroom while walking to work or touring the city.

My office where I sat for over 3 hours today with nothing to do. My classes don't start for 2 weeks and there is only so long one can play around on the internet before it gets boring. Purgatory!

The view from my office. It is hard to see but there are 4 churches in the background, maybe tomorrow God will grant me a reprieve.

First Night and Day in Gangseo

2008-08-26T20:02:00.007+09:00

I am unexpectedly not at orientation; instead my school (co- teacher Eun-mi and vice principal Mr. Jeong) picked me up at the airport yesterday and informed me I would be going to the orientation next week. They told me we were going to go out to dinner, which was fine with me because I was starting to get hungry. After telling them many times, “Yes I like Korean food” they asked if I liked Japanese food and decided that we should eat at a Japanese restaurant.
We sat in the car outside two Japanese restaurants for about 10 minutes waiting for the head administrator Mr. Lee to come join us. When he showed up the V.P. and him stood outside the cars talking for another 10 minutes. At this point I was really hungry and temped to jump out of the car and go eat somewhere alone, obviously they weren’t informed I turn into a heinous beast when I get hungry. Finally the vice principal gets back in the car and tells me we are going to some Chinese restaurant (I just grinned and nodded).
The Chinese restaurant was just a 3-minute drive and ended up being one of the best and most interesting meals I’ve ever had. Mr. Jeong and Lee ordered a multi-course meal for us. The first course was a cold platter that had chilled pork, shrimp, pseudo- salami, fresh eel salad (delicious), and 100 years old duck egg. The duck egg is fermented and buried in the ground; it is black and gelatinous but does not taste nearly as intimidating as it looks. The second course was small vegetables stuffed fried chicken bites. This was followed by the sizzling seafood soup course. It was okay but I couldn’t identify everything in it and am still suspicious of some of the things. The fourth course was dim sum (beef or pork, I can’t remember) that was excellent. Fifth coleslaw with tempura shrimp; I normally find coleslaw boring but this was actually pretty good. Next was a spicy pork dish with “rolls.” Seventh course was the noodle course, I had a type of egg drop soup but Eun-mi had some type of noodles with a black sauce and bits of pork that she shared with me, both dishes were tasty. Finally the last course, desert was watermelon, which I did not eat because there was no way I could put another bite of food into my mouth. I ate more at that meal than I have ever ate at a single sitting in my entire life!

After dinner Mr. Lee and Eun-mi showed me my temporary housing “The Charmant”, it is a room (really really tiny, pocket people housing) with a mat on the floor to sleep on. The hallways remind me a prison. My permanent housing will be ready next week after orientation and I am going to make sure it is bigger.

Why I love Korean Air...

2008-08-26T01:12:00.006+09:00

1. Both my bags were overweight and the women told me it would be $50 a bag ($100 total), but I didn't get charged a dime. I also only waited 5 minutes at baggage claim to get my bags.

2. They have stewardesses, NOT flight attendants. My Women's Studies teachers be damned these stewardesses (all female staff) were great. They were attentive and courteous, plus I loved their uniforms: robin's egg blue silk tops, a scarf, robin's egg blue hair pin, and khaki skirts.

3. At every seat in the plane there is a bottle Jeju water, a fresh Korean Air blanket sealed in plastic (it feels more like a pashmina than those raw cut fleeces throws found on American airlines), a fresh sealed in plastic pillow, and a little robin's egg blue pouch. The pouch contained a pair of robin's egg blue socks to wear on the plane, an eye cover to help you sleep, and a mini toothbrush/ toothpaste.

4. The service and food. The stewardesses passed around warm moist towels before the meals and continued to pass orange juice, pineapple juice, and water through out the flight. The bimibap (first meal) was really good and the chicken entree (second meal) was also surprising good.

Coming Soon...

2008-08-14T01:49:00.001+09:00

I depart for Korea August 24th and will start posting shortly after that. Check back soon.