Bad News

It's been a rough couple of days here in Korea. Yesterday was a horrible day at work after management told us we would all be losing an hour of our 1.5 hour of daily prep time. This is technically legal according to our contract, but a real low blow. I couldn't imagine teaching 5 classes in a row in the afternoon/evening after teaching all morning. Yikes. So after surviving a stressful and toxically negative environment yesterday, we got the new schedule today and it turns out that only a few people will be losing prep time, and I am not one of them. So that turned out to be good news. In other news, however, South Korea's ex-president jumped off a cliff to his death after facing corruption charges, North Korea tested a nuclear bomb, and a bunch of English teachers have been quarantined for swine flu (my apologies to the pork industry). On top of that, one of my students accidentally jabbed a marker in my eye, resulting in a gross and painful bloody eyeball. The kids scream when they look at me. I started crying when it happened, it hurt so bad. Hopefully it will look and feel better tomorrow. 

Even with all these happenings, I am feeling good and settled and taking life one moment at a time. My latest project is finding some kind of workout routine in my apartment. I bought some weights tonight and very awkwardly carried them back to my apartment. I better use the darn things. I just hope I can be motivated without my dear Body Pump. Does anyone know of any great online workout videos? Also, if there's any great new music that I'm missing out on, please fill me in. My ipod is my constant companion, so I'm always looking for new tunes or podcasts to listen to on my walk to work and long subway rides. 

I'm off to rest my eyeball. 

Teacher's Day

Yesterday was Teacher's Day here in Korea, and let me tell you, they know how to treat their teachers here. As a teacher back home, I didn't even know when Teacher Appreciation Day is, and I can't remember ever getting anything for it. But here, it's a different story. It all started on Tuesday when I got a $100 gift certificate to a fancy department store from ONE kid. Then when the kids came in yesterday morning, they poured into the teacher's office with homemade cards that all say I love you, thank you for teaching me, etc. Pretty cute. I had been hearing about outrageous Teacher's day gifts since I got here, so I didn't know quite what to expect but I have to admit I was a little disappointed with just the cards. I know that sounds so greedy but I had heard of getting crazy things like Louis Vitton bags (not that I care about a Louis Vitton bag).  But THEN I got another $100 gift certificate to the same store from the whole class, and then to top it all off, my other class sang to me, gave me yet another $100 gift certificate! This is craziness! $300! I guess I'm teaching at the right place, because I heard there is a law that public school teachers can't get any gifts over $30. Hogwans are the place to be! We can be bought. Just kidding. But I won't be able to help thinking of my dear kinders when I wear the new shoes I'm going to buy. I love Teacher's Day! 

Sindo, Sido, Modo

Yesterday my friend Alissa and I set out on a journey to three islands off the west coast of Seoul. I had read that it was a good place to get out of the city and enjoy a safe, peaceful bike ride, so I really built it up in my head and was really excited for it. I need to stop doing that. 

After 2 hours on the subway, three bus rides and two separate ferries, we finally arrived at the place where you can rent the bikes. There was a cute little old man there, and we got the ricketiest old bikes you can imagine for 2 bucks for an hour.  We hopped on and slowly made our way down the road, where I saw maybe three cars the entire time. At one point, the not-so-bike-savvy Alissa called out to me, "Uh, is your bike making a lot of noise?" It was, in fact, and I soon found out that the gears didn't work at all, so we had to walk our bikes up any little hill. Turns out biking isn't as fun without gears. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful day and very peaceful and quiet out on the islands. They were connected by bridges, so that was cool to bike across the mud flats and see the Yellow Sea. The ferry rides were also entertaining: the Koreans like to feed the seagulls chips from their hands, so the birds are constantly swooping and overhead. It was a tad frightening at times. A little girl shared a chip with me so I could join in the fun, but I preferred to to just throw it up and see the crazy birds catch it. Pretty impressive. 

So, all in all, it was a good adventure, but not one that I would do again. Six hours of transportation for one hour on the island, riding a bike with no gears. The things I do to get a little nature in my life!  

I've come a long way

Tonight after work I thought I'd try something new for dinner, so I stopped into a restaurant that  I know has a English menu, and ordered "noodles with vegetables". Doesn't sound too exciting, I know, but it's the type of thing I look for in this meat rich country. I thought I was trying something new, but it turns out that this was exactly the dish I got on my first night in Seoul, when I had to meet my boss in my scared and jet-lagged state. At that time, I couldn't even choke it down and wanted to cry. And now, here I am enjoying it! Well, before I enjoyed it, the waiter asked me if he could mix it with his hand, and I sat there staring at his bare hand, horrified, before he clarified that he would get a glove. So I sat there while he rifled through my big plate of noodles with his gloved hand. It was awkward. 

Children's Day

Today was a big day: one of the very few weekdays that I don't have to work. I didn't really have anything big planned, except that I wanted to do something outside. May 5 actually really snuck up on me. I can't believe it's here and gone.

 I spent the morning skyping with my parents and Monica, which was much needed and wonderful. Then I got out the old Lonely Planet Seoul and looked up some walking tours. I chose the one called Shamanist Hillside Walk. Sounds nice, right? And I thought it would be a good place to go today because everyone was going to be out and about with their children, probably not looking at shrines. So I set out on my little walking tour. I felt a little like I was on the Amazing Race, because I just had the directions in the book which said "go up the alley" but you have to guess which little stairway or winding path counts as the alley. It was also really hot and I was sweaty and getting lost, but I started over a few times and finally found my way. All for nothing. The guidebook described all sorts of cool-sounding temples and said "you can sense the ancient atmosphere" in the area. Well, it was during this little walk that I came to the inevitable conclusion that I have been trying to put off since I arrived: Seoul is ugly. There, I said it. For those of you who've seen my pictures, you've probably already thought this to yourself. I am trying very hard to see the beauty here, but it was near impossible this afternoon. The temple was surrounded by trash and rubble and overrun with pigeons that kind of freaked me out. The walk provided a great view of the city, which means forests of highrises shrouded in smog. Ugh I know I'm being negative but there is just no way around this ugliness. The refrigerator was the kicker. It really gave me an "ancient" feeling. Maybe I should just be annoyed with Lonely Planet's description. Disappointing to say the least. But it wasn't without a few interesting sights. I did see a couple people chanting and doing some sort of bowing/kneeling/standing ritual in front of the "Zen Rock", and I watched an old woman throw an entire pot of soup (including a whole chicken) on the mountainside to feed the pigeons. No wonder they're crazy up there. 

This walk was right next to a small mountain, so I thought I would check it out, but after lots of walking around a few entrances, it appeared that the mountain was closed for the day. Disappointing once again, especially because I when I got to the bottom, I saw people at the top! I don't know how they got up there...

Don't worry, my day gets better from here. After some bibimbap, I brought out my new friend the ugly bike. I rode over to Olympic Park, managed not to hit anyone or anything on the way, and found an excellent bike path through the park and to the Han River. Although it's a stretch to call it beautiful, there are some very nice parts and everything is SO green, which makes my heart happy. I was also happy to see that the path had a bike lane and a pedestrian lane. Unfortunately, Koreans don't so much abide by it. They were walking all over that bike lane. But then I didn't feel bad when I was biking on the walking part. When in Rome...

So I biked for a couple hours in the beautiful evening and it was good for my seoul. =) And now, the best part is I only have a 3 day week ahead of me!

I know, I know, I know

It's been a while. I don't really even have a good excuse. I could lie and say I've been really busy, but that's just not the truth. I think that's what's kept me from blogging. I felt like I didn't have much to say. But now that I sit here and think back over the past few weeks, I don't know where to begin. 

I've been here over two months now, and things are feeling pretty settled in. I never thought it would happen, but I am feeling used to the long hours at work. When I come back home and get a teaching job, I am not going to know what to do with myself with all that free time! I dearly love my kindergarten students, which take the most energy but the least prep. My afternoon classes (1st, 3rd and 4th grade classes) are also fun and pretty laid back. I have 12 students in each class, so classroom management consists of an occasional stern look. Pretty nice. The drawbacks of the job are the hours, of course, and the lack of room for creativity in the lessons. The curriculum is all planned out, and you have to stick to it, so there's not a lot of time for anything outside of checking homework and working in the book. I try my best to sneak in a game every once in a while, but it's tricky. In a way, it makes me long for my days at St. Helena when I could teach whatever I wanted. The grass is always greener!

My weekends have been spent exploring and shopping (now that I actually have money!!) around Seoul. A few weeks ago I hiked up to Seoul Tower, which is a big communications tower and tourist attraction. When I told my co-workers I walked up, they were all like, "You know there's a tram, right?" Yes, I did know that, but I chose to walk. I need all the exercise I can get these days and I thought it would be cool to walk up all the steps. I walked up behind a girl in high heels. I just don't understand why you would hike up a mountain in heels. Korean girls are crazy with the shoes. Anyway, the view was pretty amazing. The city basically goes in all directions as far as the eye can see. I guess I chose a good day for it, because there wasn't much smog and it was a clear day. I'll post pictures soon.  Other than the view, it was cool to see the hundreds of locks locked to the fence. I guess lovebirds come to the top together, attach a lock to the fence, and then throw the key over the edge, to represent their eternal love. It made me sad that I couldn't read Korean, because I wanted to read the cheesy things written on the locks. Maybe I'll go back when I get myself a Korean boyfriend. Doubtful. But it would be nice, considering the men carry their girlfriends' purses around here...

I have been eating a lot of bibimbap, which is a delicious and vegetarian dish of rice, veggies, seaweed, red pepper paste, and a fried egg on top. Lately I've been trying a different restaurant every night, trying to find the best bibimbap on my walk home. I'm wondering when I will get sick of it. It hasn't happened yet, but I should probably branch out to something else soon. 

My most exciting news is of my latest purchase: a bike! I have wanted a bike since the day I arrived here and saw that it didn't look too terribly dangerous (you can ride on the sidewalks here) and I finally got around to buying one yesterday. I asked my Korean teacher to write down how to ask for a used bike and how much it is, and I scouted out a little neighborhood bike shop on my way to school. The guy didn't speak any English, so I was glad I was armed with my handy notebook, and he pointed to four old bikes in the corner. Three of them had little itty bitty wheels, so I chose the one with normal sized wheels, rode it down the block and decided it was good enough for me. It was about 60 bucks and I'm pretty sure the guy told me I could bring it back it anything goes wrong with it. I felt like a bit of a menace as I rode it home; my purse kept falling off and smacking the tire and I got yelled at twice, but other than that I made it home and brought it up the elevator to its new home. I think I just have to remember that I am not on the street in Minneapolis, I am on the busy sidewalk in Seoul, and I can't go as fast as I want. I think that's why I got yelled at. That and I totally went right between two ladies without warning them. Woops! I need to remember to use my bell. They do that a lot here. 

So even though I am feeling settled in and have a boring old routine just like everybody else, there is still the occasional overwhelming feeling that I am in a very foreign place. Tonight at the grocery store (where they ground my coffee beans on the spot), I was wandering around and crossed paths with a girl who literally gasped when she saw my face. I'm hoping she was shocked to see the color of my eyes, rather than gasping at my overall hideousness. I guess I'll never know. Just another day in Korea.

This weekend I am headed to Everland, the big amusement park in Korea, with some co-workers. That should be interesting. And next Tuesday is Children's Day, a national holiday in which everyone gets the day off to spoil their kids. I don't have any plans for that yet, but I have to figure somewhere that kids won't be, because my days off are few and far between. I'm looking forward to it no matter what I do!

Happy Easter!

Well, it's my first holiday in Korea and I think it went pretty well. It doesn't feel like Easter, really, but I went to mass with some people and enjoyed a delicious American brunch afterwards. The weather here is gorgeous and feels almost summery to me. However, I have been warned by everyone I talk to that summer is horribly hot and humid and unbearable most of the time. So I am trying to savor every moment of this so-called spring weather before the summer humidity sets in. I went for a walk tonight in Olympic Park, which I am so thankful for. It's close enough to walk to from my apartment and provides a little respite from the city. It's still very busy, with everyone from ajummas (middle aged ladies) in visors and track suits, to young lovebirds in matching outfits, to crazy (in my opinion) girls in miniskirts and heels, walking around on the paths, taking in a bit of nature. 

Yesterday I had the opposite of an enjoyable nature walk. I was at a restaurant near the park in Seoul that is famous for its cherry blossoms, so after lunch a few of us followed the crowds to the park, in hopes of seeing some of the beautiful trees. Well, it turned out that there was basically one street along the Han River that was lined with the trees, and people were just following along in hoards, so close together that you could touch the person in front of and behind you. Not exactly a relaxing stroll. I'm so glad I went down south last weekend to Jinhae's Cherry Blossom Festival. It was beautiful and had a very quaint feeling. Every single street in the town was lined with the trees. It was also fabulous to have my friends Katie and Ross visiting from China! They were very impressed with South Korea and made me feel happy to be here. I can't wait to visit them soon in Shanghai!

When Katie was here, I had just past the one month mark, and she reminded me that that is kind of a milestone in my year here. Now I've been here six weeks and I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I am feeling really comfortable at work and starting to get more and more into teaching, trying my best to get through the curriculum while adding a little of my own flare, which can be a challenge. I enjoy my weekends immensely, even though I don't have much of a social life yet. It's just fun at this point to continue to explore the city and stumble upon random things. Last night I was walking home through a residential area, and I see what looks like a small office completely filled with flats of eggs, from floor to ceiling. Maybe it doesn't sound that weird, but it was a LOT of eggs, in the middle of a bunch of apartments. And then I thought, maybe the chickens live here. It was weird. 

I really wish I could find some people who are experiencing this all for the first time with me. It's great to meet new people, and I have met quite a few, but I have yet to find another newbie. For people who have been here even six months, every observation I make about Korea is old hat to them. It's hard to believe that will be me in a few short months, but for now, I just really want someone who I can be like, "I know! It's so crazy!" with, rather than, "Yep, that's how it is." Maybe I just need to sit down somewhere and watch for that bewildered look of the newbie foreigner. I think I still have it a bit, but it's getting better. Much better. I learned Hangul, the Korean alphabet! I use "learned" loosely, but I am starting to sound things out and it has opened up a whole new world. I think I am going to look into taking some free Korean classes. I love languages and it would make me feel so much more confident if I could understand a bit more than hello, thank you and give me one, please. 

I finally got a cell phone! I thought about getting a fancy-schmancy phone now that I'm making the big bucks, but it turned out to be too difficult to get a foreigner contract, so I got a used one and I'm just paying as I go. So if you want to call me, my number is 8210-8697-4554. Incoming calls are free for me, so call me anytime. Well, maybe not in the middle of the night, unless it's something really interesting. 

I should get going to bed. This has been long, and I feel that there's so much I didn't say. I guess it's impossible to say it all. You all just need to come visit and see for yourself! I love you all and I hope you are having a wonderful Easter!