My two-year stint in South Korea is coming to a close. I had no idea that the decision I made to move to Asia would change my life so completely. But now this particular experience is nearing the end. I have no idea what the future will bring, but I'm so completely content with the choices I've made to get to this point.
It's not always been easy, at times it's been beyond difficult and I didn't think I was going to make it through. In the end, I did, in fact, make it through and I couldn't be happier with what I've seen, what I've learned, the people I've met, the roads I've traveled and the journeys I've been on.
I leave this weekend for a three-week trip to visit my friends in Australia and to visit my best friend in New Zealand. I'm so incredibly excited for so many reasons. I get to return to my beloved Australia and see people I haven't seen since I lived there 8 years ago (Crap!) and be around the Western culture again after 2 years. I'm beyond words excited about seeing my best friend in New Zealand. We call each other HLPs, Heterosexual Life Partners. She's truly one of the most amazing people I've ever met and it's been over 4 years since we've seen each other. It's remarkable though, no matter how much time has passed since we've seen each other or how long we go between chats, we always pick right up where we left off. I can completely be myself with her and I'm safe. She and I have been through so many things individually and together. I trust her with my life and I'm beyond thrilled to finally get to see and talk with her again. It's going to be amazing.
I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally make an international trip while living in Korea. I know that sounds incredibly spoiled, I live in a foreign country for god's sake, but so many of my travel plans that I made for this incredible journey have not come to fruition. I know that's life, but it's hard to work toward a goal and see everyone around you get to zip off to foreign destinations while you sit at home. I know I'm being unreasonable and quite selfish. My plans and dreams are just too big for my wallet, but I've made my choices which I must live with.
Given how horrible the economy is and how many people are struggling (and the fact that I'll be unemployed in a matter of weeks), I'm so thankful for the experiences I've had.
All that being said, this experience has been all-enveloping and I'm looking forward to looking outward for the first time in quite some time. It's time to re-introduce myself to the outside world; the world outside the Korean peninsula. It will be a beautiful, humbling and reflective time.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Break Me Offa Piece a That!
A recent comment made by one of my Jinju friends got me thinking about how much foreigners spend and are willing to spend on little bits of home.
My friend spent the equivalent of $8 on a small jar of peanut butter. I haven't bought peanut butter in awhile, but I used to quite frequently last year. Nutella is a super-splurge at about $13 a jar. I do, however, buy parmasan cheese, which is over $5 for the smallest bottle available, 85 grams. Some things we're just willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for.
Don't get me started on cheese. I miss cheese so incredibly much, it's actually quite ridiculous. I had the opportunity once to go to Costco in Busan (yes, Korea has Costco, which is a journey in itself) and I bought pretty much nothing but cheese and then promptly ate it all within about a two-week time period. If one can find cheese in a store in Korea, it's very small and VERY expensive, but sooooo worth it.
Us foreigners definitely miss home and most things within it and we're willing to do many a thing, including spending our hard-earned Won, to get a little piece of home.
My friend spent the equivalent of $8 on a small jar of peanut butter. I haven't bought peanut butter in awhile, but I used to quite frequently last year. Nutella is a super-splurge at about $13 a jar. I do, however, buy parmasan cheese, which is over $5 for the smallest bottle available, 85 grams. Some things we're just willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for.
Don't get me started on cheese. I miss cheese so incredibly much, it's actually quite ridiculous. I had the opportunity once to go to Costco in Busan (yes, Korea has Costco, which is a journey in itself) and I bought pretty much nothing but cheese and then promptly ate it all within about a two-week time period. If one can find cheese in a store in Korea, it's very small and VERY expensive, but sooooo worth it.
Us foreigners definitely miss home and most things within it and we're willing to do many a thing, including spending our hard-earned Won, to get a little piece of home.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Happy Chuseok (추석)!!!
It's already that time of year again for Chuseok. Crazy. Time has flown by this year.
Happy 추석, everyone!!!!!
Chuseok is basically the American equivalent of Thanksgiving and Memorial Day all wrapped into one 2 to 3-day holiday. Families get together and the women make a huge feast and the men sit around and watch television. The similarities between East and West are so obvious sometimes. On one of the days, families visit their ancestor’s burial sites and bow to the mounds of earth where their loved ones are buried.
Last year for Chuseok my friend, Lucy, and I decided to go on a hiking trip. We wanted to hike Seoraksan (Snow Peak Mountain), which is a famous and very big mountain in South Korea. We did little planning and decided to leave our city quite early to try to combat the heavy Chuseok traffic. We left Dangjin at about 7 a.m. and had to take a bus to Seoul and then another bus to Sokcho, which is on the northeast coast of South Korea and then once we got to Sokcho we had to take another bus to the base of Seoraksan. By the time we got there it was about 2 p.m.
On the bus ride from Seoul to Sokcho, we had been having very colorful conversations about many not-so-polite subjects. I had been telling Lucy about this TV show I had watched which had to do with strange ways to die. In one of the episodes one of the people who died was a woman who used a carrot for something quite graphic and consequently died due to a sharp edge of the carrot. We were talking about various subjects on this very long bus ride and, assuming like dumbasses, that we were the only ones within earshot who could speak English, we didn’t think anything of it. Then the person in front of me on the bus put his seatback in the reclining position and his head was practically in my lap. I very audibly told my friend how annoyed I get when people in front of me on planes or busses put their seats all the way back to which they’re practically laying on top of me. I’m tall as it is and traveling is always uncomfortable, but then when you get a jackass who has no regard for anyone else puts his or her seat back it makes everything that much more uncomfortable. My friend and I discussed this topic at length while Seemingly Native Korean Guy in front of me had his head in my crotch.
We stopped at a rest area at one point and when Lucy and I got back on the bus we could hear two men speaking English in the back of the bus. Ever since coming to Korea, I’ve noticed I have bat-like hearing ability for anyone speaking English. It was like a heat-sensing device and I immediately homed in on the guys speaking English and when one of them came to sit down in his designated seat (there is assigned seating in Korean busses) he sat directly in front of me and turned out to be the head-in-my-crotch guy. Shit.
Turns out head-in-my-crotch guy was an Asian American who, obviously, spoke perfect English. My friend and I snapped our heads to look at each other, both registered what had happened and then died in fits of laughter. Oops. Note to self, don’t assume just because someone is Asian it means they don’t speak English. But the guy did continue to leave his seat all the way back so I don’t feel that bad about bad-mouthing him.
When we finally arrived in Sokcho, Lucy and I desperately had to pee. Bus station bathrooms are pretty sketchy no matter where you are, but when you’re in a small South Korean town, bus station bathrooms are one of the foulest places you will encounter. I’m so thankful I got a rabies booster before arriving in Korea. Most of the toilets were squatters (where the toilet is in the floor and one must “squat” over the toilet in order to use it). I hate squatters and I was waiting ever so patiently for the one toilet that wasn’t a squatter. When that toilet became available I rushed in not paying attention to any of my surroundings. Colossal mistake.
When I sat down I got a very rude awakening. The toilet had, apparently, become clogged and filled with water and in my rush to pee I didn’t notice any of this and I sat on a toilet that was full of water up to the toilet seat. I certainly wasn’t expecting this and I let out a little yelp and then wracked my brain for the last time I had a tetanus shot. So epic fail on the bathroom excursion. I was so disgusted and my friend couldn’t stop giggling about it for the rest of the day. I wanted to disinfect my entire body, but there was no time for such frivolous pursuits.
Lucy had forgotten a sweatshirt and it was becoming quite chilly so we set off to find a department store that was open so she could buy one. During Chuseok everything shuts down for 2 or 3 days. We walked by a few clothing shops, but absolutely NOTHING was open. We tried to find a Lottemart, Home Plus or EMart, but alas our search was fruitless. She was just going to have to make due.
When we finally caught the bus to the trailhead of Seoroksan it was getting quite late and we vastly underestimated the time it would take us to hike the mountain. We stopped at the small grocery store area and bought a couple bottles of water, a can of nuts and a few other small things. We then purchased ajumma hats, which look absolutely ridiculous – they shield your entire face – we thought it would be funny. Then we set out on our journey. We really only thought it would take a few hours to get up the mountain and back down.
We met an older man who was hiking with his wife, son and his son’s family. The man spoke very good English and him and his family kept us company for awhile on the hike up the mountain. He and his entire family were very friendly. We eventually parted ways and made our way up the beautiful peak.
It was nearly fall and a few of the trees were beginning to show the rusty red, muted yellow and amber of autumn. There were grey jagged rocks poking out from the evergreen and leafy trees and it was truly a beautiful hike. When you live in and travel among the very industrialized areas of Korea you forget that Korea truly is a beautiful country and can be breathtaking at times.
Sometimes it can be very odd hiking in Korea, though. There is many a paved pathway and there were many staircases throughout the hike. I’m not used to such amenities back in the States. But we passed many a stream, waterfalls and water pools. I’ve heard rumors about the government building a gondola to the highest peak at Seoraksan too, which is something I sincerely hope they don’t do. You really lose so much of the experience by ruining it with a 20-minute gondola to the top of a mountain.
As we made our way up the trail the faces we saw on their way down became less and less foreign and more and more Korean. Turns out most of the foreigners we saw at the trailhead weren’t planning on making the climb. When we did run into people on the trail their faces went from shocked surprise at seeing our white faces, then huge smiles spread across their faces and then we got a fist-pump in the air with a scream of “fighting!” “Fighting!” is the quintessential Korean battle cry. We say “fighting” for so many things here. Koreans say “fighting” against their enemies to the death: Japan, they say “fighting” when they’re playing at the World Cup, we say “fighting” when hiking up mountains, we say “fighting” when having pictures taken and I even hear “fighting” in commercials here. “Fighting” is a term used so frequently in Korea. The appearance of being strong must always be exuded no matter the circumstance. I can’t even begin to count how many times I heard or said “fighting!” on that hike up and down Seoraksan.
The hike was difficult and we had no idea how far the hike actually was. Evening was fast approaching and we really hadn’t planned to be on the mountain at night. We had no overnight gear and Lucy didn’t have anything warm to wear. Such an epic fail in the planning department. We knew there were a couple shelters on the mountain and we had already passed the first one so we were trying to make it to the second one for the night. We stopped on the side of the trail to eat a small bit of the food we had left and we ran into a few men who were on their way down. They weren’t Korean and ended up being from the Philippines. They had been on their way to the second shelter as well and informed us that it was full. They were headed back down to the first shelter. They suggested we join them and we had no better option; we took them up on it.
So we all hiked back down to the first shelter and thankfully there was room for all of us. Lucy and I were freezing at this point and huddled under the blankets issued to us when we checked into the shelter. We took stock of what sustenance we had left. We had about a half bottle of water, half a can of peanuts, a small bag of chips and some cookies. We decided to ration them until tomorrow afternoon when we could get to the second shelter where we heard there was food for sale. Did I mention epic fail in the planning department? It’s a wonder I’ve survived as long as I have with the stupid shit I do sometimes.
We ran into the Philippino boys and they invited us to eat with them. I’m convinced these boys literally saved our lives. They were nothing but awesome from the time we met them until today. While we were waiting for dinner another foreigner arrived at the shelter. She was a fellow American English teacher in Korea. She shared what food she had with us and then disappeared and came back with more food. We asked her where her magic re-supply of food came from. She looked at us like the morons that we were and said there was a small shop at the main office of the shelter.
“What?!?! We can BUY food here?!” we exclaimed. Complete idiots.
Eventually it was time for dinner and our new bunk buddy and supplier of all things nutritious (tunafish and chocolate pies) joined us with the Philippino boys for a meal of vegetables, fruit and ramen. It was the best meal ever, especially when the prospect of rationing a half bottle of water, half a can of peanuts, a small bag of chips and some cookies between two people was our food option for the next 12 hours. The Philipino boys were amazing, welcoming and so generous. Apparently they had been planning this trip for several months. Oops. We are ridiculous morons.
We were sharing cooking space on a little porch with several Koreans who were very loudly enjoying themselves with every bottle of soju they consumed. At one point, a Korean man came over to our group and began drunkenly practicing his English and asking us many questions. He wanted to know who we were, what we were doing in Korea and what we were doing hiking Seoraksan. He was quite a chatty little man and very, very drunk. He talked to us for what seemed like hours. The whole time he was talking to us, he had an entire dinner roll in his cheek and kept spitting little bits of roll out of his mouth. He used to live in California, he told us, and during one of his stories about his job Lucy said, "Oh, California, that sounds nice," and then just out of nowhere he screamed, “FUUUUUCK YOOOUUUU!” All of us were completely caught off guard and the surprise made us all burst into fits of laughter. Apparently he didn't like California.
When we finally calmed down the Philippino boys began to apologize to us on behalf of the crazy Tourette’s-suffering Korean drunkard. The boys were rather religious and thought the outburst would have offended our delicate sensibilities.
The crazy drunk Korean eventually left us and we all decided it was time for bed. We said our goodnights to the Philippino boys and thanked them effusely for the meal and headed to our little wooden cubbyhole in the shelter. It was quite cold and both Lucy and I were wearing all the clothes we had with us and we had the fleece blankets issued to us when we arrived at the shelter. It was a cold night with little sleep, especially with the drunkard Koreans yelling and singing all night long.
We got up early and wanted to get an early start. When we were leaving the Philippino boys were out on the deck getting their things together and making breakfast. They offered us breakfast, but we decided to make our way up the mountain instead. We said our goodbyes and expressed our undying gratitude to the boys for saving our lives and made our way up the rest of the mountain. Our bunkmate, Kelsey, the American English teacher we met the previous night, joined us for part of the hike, but eventually we parted ways.
We didn’t see any more foreigners for quite awhile. We made our way up the mountain and ran into Koreans making their way down and we came upon the same reactions each time. Surprise, happiness and “fighting!” Many of the Koreans offered us snacks along the way. We got crackers, chocolate, nuts, so many things. Koreans can be so welcoming and generous. At one point, Lucy and I ran into two Korean women making their way down. One of the women spoke very good English and she gave us chocolate and then she asked, “Do you ever wonder who makes these beautiful places like Seoroksan?”
Are you freaking kidding me?! I even run into the Bible beaters on the side of a bloody mountain. Lucy and I gave each other quick glances and then I said, “Uhh, sure,” to the woman and then she pulled out pamphlets on the belief of God and she went on a shpeal about the Lord and how we should be thankful for having nature. I can’t seem to escape the religious fanatics. Thanks for the chocolate and have a lovely hike down, but we should be moving on. It was nice to meet you. Blah, blah, blah. Eventually she let us go and Lucy and I continued on.
We were almost to the second shelter and we passed a line of several older Koreans and they all did the rubbing their arms and pretending they were cold action at Lucy because she was wearing a T-shirt. She turned to me and said, “I think I’m getting hypothermia and all the Koreans thing I’m a frozen moron.”
We took a break and happened to see a foreigner in the midst. We began chatting with him and it turned out he was from Russia and working for a company in Korea. He loaned Lucy a sweatshirt he had and continued hiking with us. So many people saved us from dying of our own stupidity on this trip.
Eventually he went ahead of us because we were moving at a snail’s pace. Lucy and I made it to the second shelter, which was ridiculously close to the summit of the peak. We stopped at the shelter and had a bowl of rice and some water and then continued to the peak.
The Russian dude, Ivan, was relaxing on some rocks as we made our way up the last bit to the summit. He had already made it to the summit, but walked the rest of the way with us. We made it to the top and we were so excited!!! We actually made it despite our ridiculousness, stupidity and atrocious lack of planning! There were hordes of Koreans lounging around eating and drinking beer and soju. The three of us waited our turn to have our picture taken at the peak and the Koreans were so excited to see us and many a “fighting!” was heard. We didn’t spend too much time at the peak. We looked around at the valley below us and relaxed a little bit, but eventually made our way down the opposite side we came up.
The opposite side was extremely steep and painful to walk down. Ivan ran down and then would wait for us at various resting points. There was one point in the trail where we ran into some foreigners heading up. I was so momentarily surprised to see a white face that I wasn’t paying attention to the trail and I tripped on a tree root and fell straight down. I was sandwiched between Ivan and Lucy on the trail and my fall was so slow it was literally like it was happening in slow motion and I fell flat on my face facing down the trail. I had my backpack on and it slid on top of my head due to the gravitational pull and Ivan came to my aid and I was laughing hysterically at myself and he said, “Oh my God! Are you ok?! What just happened?” I hear Lucy behind me and she is literally laughing her ass off and I look back at her and she’s pointing at me and laughing hysterically. She then was able to breathe and said, “Oh yeah, are you ok?” God, epic fail. I don’t even know what happened, but it was ridiculous.
I checked for injuries and recovered somewhat quickly hoping no others had seen the ridiculousness that was me falling face down on the trail. Korean hikers were passing us on the way up and they were giving me disgusted sneers and some were laughing at me. I could hear Lucy still unable to stifle the laughter behind me as we continued down the trail. Awesome. So glad that particular memory was not captured on film.
The hike down was obviously much quicker, but my kneecaps began to feel like they were separating from my body. It became increasingly more painful to continue the descent. My hiking became hobbling and I had to take frequent stops so my legs didn't collapse. I'm such a badass.
Lucy and I stopped at a small pool near the end of the hike and took a dip in the water to rest our sore feet. We caught up with Ivan there who was doing the same and the three of us hung out in the water for a bit.
Eventually we decided to continue on the path down and I had to keep holding on to trees on the way down because my knees were crapping out. We ran into some Korean men along the trail, who were also headed down, and they kept encouraging us. "So close! Almost there! Fighting!"
We made if off the mountain safely and in one piece, despite our complete idiocy and it was a fantastic way to experience one of Korea's more beautiful settings. We were definitely walking funny for a few days afterward, however.
Happy 추석, everyone!!!!!
Chuseok is basically the American equivalent of Thanksgiving and Memorial Day all wrapped into one 2 to 3-day holiday. Families get together and the women make a huge feast and the men sit around and watch television. The similarities between East and West are so obvious sometimes. On one of the days, families visit their ancestor’s burial sites and bow to the mounds of earth where their loved ones are buried.
Last year for Chuseok my friend, Lucy, and I decided to go on a hiking trip. We wanted to hike Seoraksan (Snow Peak Mountain), which is a famous and very big mountain in South Korea. We did little planning and decided to leave our city quite early to try to combat the heavy Chuseok traffic. We left Dangjin at about 7 a.m. and had to take a bus to Seoul and then another bus to Sokcho, which is on the northeast coast of South Korea and then once we got to Sokcho we had to take another bus to the base of Seoraksan. By the time we got there it was about 2 p.m.
On the bus ride from Seoul to Sokcho, we had been having very colorful conversations about many not-so-polite subjects. I had been telling Lucy about this TV show I had watched which had to do with strange ways to die. In one of the episodes one of the people who died was a woman who used a carrot for something quite graphic and consequently died due to a sharp edge of the carrot. We were talking about various subjects on this very long bus ride and, assuming like dumbasses, that we were the only ones within earshot who could speak English, we didn’t think anything of it. Then the person in front of me on the bus put his seatback in the reclining position and his head was practically in my lap. I very audibly told my friend how annoyed I get when people in front of me on planes or busses put their seats all the way back to which they’re practically laying on top of me. I’m tall as it is and traveling is always uncomfortable, but then when you get a jackass who has no regard for anyone else puts his or her seat back it makes everything that much more uncomfortable. My friend and I discussed this topic at length while Seemingly Native Korean Guy in front of me had his head in my crotch.
We stopped at a rest area at one point and when Lucy and I got back on the bus we could hear two men speaking English in the back of the bus. Ever since coming to Korea, I’ve noticed I have bat-like hearing ability for anyone speaking English. It was like a heat-sensing device and I immediately homed in on the guys speaking English and when one of them came to sit down in his designated seat (there is assigned seating in Korean busses) he sat directly in front of me and turned out to be the head-in-my-crotch guy. Shit.
Turns out head-in-my-crotch guy was an Asian American who, obviously, spoke perfect English. My friend and I snapped our heads to look at each other, both registered what had happened and then died in fits of laughter. Oops. Note to self, don’t assume just because someone is Asian it means they don’t speak English. But the guy did continue to leave his seat all the way back so I don’t feel that bad about bad-mouthing him.
When we finally arrived in Sokcho, Lucy and I desperately had to pee. Bus station bathrooms are pretty sketchy no matter where you are, but when you’re in a small South Korean town, bus station bathrooms are one of the foulest places you will encounter. I’m so thankful I got a rabies booster before arriving in Korea. Most of the toilets were squatters (where the toilet is in the floor and one must “squat” over the toilet in order to use it). I hate squatters and I was waiting ever so patiently for the one toilet that wasn’t a squatter. When that toilet became available I rushed in not paying attention to any of my surroundings. Colossal mistake.
When I sat down I got a very rude awakening. The toilet had, apparently, become clogged and filled with water and in my rush to pee I didn’t notice any of this and I sat on a toilet that was full of water up to the toilet seat. I certainly wasn’t expecting this and I let out a little yelp and then wracked my brain for the last time I had a tetanus shot. So epic fail on the bathroom excursion. I was so disgusted and my friend couldn’t stop giggling about it for the rest of the day. I wanted to disinfect my entire body, but there was no time for such frivolous pursuits.
Lucy had forgotten a sweatshirt and it was becoming quite chilly so we set off to find a department store that was open so she could buy one. During Chuseok everything shuts down for 2 or 3 days. We walked by a few clothing shops, but absolutely NOTHING was open. We tried to find a Lottemart, Home Plus or EMart, but alas our search was fruitless. She was just going to have to make due.
When we finally caught the bus to the trailhead of Seoroksan it was getting quite late and we vastly underestimated the time it would take us to hike the mountain. We stopped at the small grocery store area and bought a couple bottles of water, a can of nuts and a few other small things. We then purchased ajumma hats, which look absolutely ridiculous – they shield your entire face – we thought it would be funny. Then we set out on our journey. We really only thought it would take a few hours to get up the mountain and back down.
 |
| At the beginning of our hike with the ridiculous ajumma hats. |
Seoroksan is in the extreme northeast corner of the South Korean peninsula. It is in Gangwon-do province and the countries 3rd-highest peak Daecheong-bong (Great Green Peak) is located within the Seoraksan National Park. Daecheong-bong is 1,708 meters (about 5,600 feet) high and it was our goal for the weekend. Seoraksan National Park is the second-largest land-based national park in South Korea and is 373 square kilometers (about 144 square miles).
We started up the mountain all sorts of excited and there were tons of people there, which we didn’t really expect because most Koreans stay home for the Chuseok holiday. The weather was a bit overcast and, in some areas, it rained a little bit, but that felt lovely. We made our way up the mountain and met many people along the way. We were taking pictures and I noticed a family speaking a language other than Korean or English. It was Spanish! I was so excited! I yelled, “That’s a language I understand!” and they all looked at me with frozen half-smiles and laughing lightly and a bit awkwardly. It’s been awhile since I’ve heard Spanish and I get really excited when I understand what someone is saying these days. We met an older man who was hiking with his wife, son and his son’s family. The man spoke very good English and him and his family kept us company for awhile on the hike up the mountain. He and his entire family were very friendly. We eventually parted ways and made our way up the beautiful peak.
It was nearly fall and a few of the trees were beginning to show the rusty red, muted yellow and amber of autumn. There were grey jagged rocks poking out from the evergreen and leafy trees and it was truly a beautiful hike. When you live in and travel among the very industrialized areas of Korea you forget that Korea truly is a beautiful country and can be breathtaking at times.
Sometimes it can be very odd hiking in Korea, though. There is many a paved pathway and there were many staircases throughout the hike. I’m not used to such amenities back in the States. But we passed many a stream, waterfalls and water pools. I’ve heard rumors about the government building a gondola to the highest peak at Seoraksan too, which is something I sincerely hope they don’t do. You really lose so much of the experience by ruining it with a 20-minute gondola to the top of a mountain.
As we made our way up the trail the faces we saw on their way down became less and less foreign and more and more Korean. Turns out most of the foreigners we saw at the trailhead weren’t planning on making the climb. When we did run into people on the trail their faces went from shocked surprise at seeing our white faces, then huge smiles spread across their faces and then we got a fist-pump in the air with a scream of “fighting!” “Fighting!” is the quintessential Korean battle cry. We say “fighting” for so many things here. Koreans say “fighting” against their enemies to the death: Japan, they say “fighting” when they’re playing at the World Cup, we say “fighting” when hiking up mountains, we say “fighting” when having pictures taken and I even hear “fighting” in commercials here. “Fighting” is a term used so frequently in Korea. The appearance of being strong must always be exuded no matter the circumstance. I can’t even begin to count how many times I heard or said “fighting!” on that hike up and down Seoraksan.
The hike was difficult and we had no idea how far the hike actually was. Evening was fast approaching and we really hadn’t planned to be on the mountain at night. We had no overnight gear and Lucy didn’t have anything warm to wear. Such an epic fail in the planning department. We knew there were a couple shelters on the mountain and we had already passed the first one so we were trying to make it to the second one for the night. We stopped on the side of the trail to eat a small bit of the food we had left and we ran into a few men who were on their way down. They weren’t Korean and ended up being from the Philippines. They had been on their way to the second shelter as well and informed us that it was full. They were headed back down to the first shelter. They suggested we join them and we had no better option; we took them up on it.
So we all hiked back down to the first shelter and thankfully there was room for all of us. Lucy and I were freezing at this point and huddled under the blankets issued to us when we checked into the shelter. We took stock of what sustenance we had left. We had about a half bottle of water, half a can of peanuts, a small bag of chips and some cookies. We decided to ration them until tomorrow afternoon when we could get to the second shelter where we heard there was food for sale. Did I mention epic fail in the planning department? It’s a wonder I’ve survived as long as I have with the stupid shit I do sometimes.
We ran into the Philippino boys and they invited us to eat with them. I’m convinced these boys literally saved our lives. They were nothing but awesome from the time we met them until today. While we were waiting for dinner another foreigner arrived at the shelter. She was a fellow American English teacher in Korea. She shared what food she had with us and then disappeared and came back with more food. We asked her where her magic re-supply of food came from. She looked at us like the morons that we were and said there was a small shop at the main office of the shelter.
“What?!?! We can BUY food here?!” we exclaimed. Complete idiots.
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| The Philippino boys who saved our lives!!!!!! |
We were sharing cooking space on a little porch with several Koreans who were very loudly enjoying themselves with every bottle of soju they consumed. At one point, a Korean man came over to our group and began drunkenly practicing his English and asking us many questions. He wanted to know who we were, what we were doing in Korea and what we were doing hiking Seoraksan. He was quite a chatty little man and very, very drunk. He talked to us for what seemed like hours. The whole time he was talking to us, he had an entire dinner roll in his cheek and kept spitting little bits of roll out of his mouth. He used to live in California, he told us, and during one of his stories about his job Lucy said, "Oh, California, that sounds nice," and then just out of nowhere he screamed, “FUUUUUCK YOOOUUUU!” All of us were completely caught off guard and the surprise made us all burst into fits of laughter. Apparently he didn't like California.
When we finally calmed down the Philippino boys began to apologize to us on behalf of the crazy Tourette’s-suffering Korean drunkard. The boys were rather religious and thought the outburst would have offended our delicate sensibilities.
The crazy drunk Korean eventually left us and we all decided it was time for bed. We said our goodnights to the Philippino boys and thanked them effusely for the meal and headed to our little wooden cubbyhole in the shelter. It was quite cold and both Lucy and I were wearing all the clothes we had with us and we had the fleece blankets issued to us when we arrived at the shelter. It was a cold night with little sleep, especially with the drunkard Koreans yelling and singing all night long.
We got up early and wanted to get an early start. When we were leaving the Philippino boys were out on the deck getting their things together and making breakfast. They offered us breakfast, but we decided to make our way up the mountain instead. We said our goodbyes and expressed our undying gratitude to the boys for saving our lives and made our way up the rest of the mountain. Our bunkmate, Kelsey, the American English teacher we met the previous night, joined us for part of the hike, but eventually we parted ways.
We didn’t see any more foreigners for quite awhile. We made our way up the mountain and ran into Koreans making their way down and we came upon the same reactions each time. Surprise, happiness and “fighting!” Many of the Koreans offered us snacks along the way. We got crackers, chocolate, nuts, so many things. Koreans can be so welcoming and generous. At one point, Lucy and I ran into two Korean women making their way down. One of the women spoke very good English and she gave us chocolate and then she asked, “Do you ever wonder who makes these beautiful places like Seoroksan?”
Are you freaking kidding me?! I even run into the Bible beaters on the side of a bloody mountain. Lucy and I gave each other quick glances and then I said, “Uhh, sure,” to the woman and then she pulled out pamphlets on the belief of God and she went on a shpeal about the Lord and how we should be thankful for having nature. I can’t seem to escape the religious fanatics. Thanks for the chocolate and have a lovely hike down, but we should be moving on. It was nice to meet you. Blah, blah, blah. Eventually she let us go and Lucy and I continued on.
We were almost to the second shelter and we passed a line of several older Koreans and they all did the rubbing their arms and pretending they were cold action at Lucy because she was wearing a T-shirt. She turned to me and said, “I think I’m getting hypothermia and all the Koreans thing I’m a frozen moron.”
We took a break and happened to see a foreigner in the midst. We began chatting with him and it turned out he was from Russia and working for a company in Korea. He loaned Lucy a sweatshirt he had and continued hiking with us. So many people saved us from dying of our own stupidity on this trip.
Eventually he went ahead of us because we were moving at a snail’s pace. Lucy and I made it to the second shelter, which was ridiculously close to the summit of the peak. We stopped at the shelter and had a bowl of rice and some water and then continued to the peak.
The Russian dude, Ivan, was relaxing on some rocks as we made our way up the last bit to the summit. He had already made it to the summit, but walked the rest of the way with us. We made it to the top and we were so excited!!! We actually made it despite our ridiculousness, stupidity and atrocious lack of planning! There were hordes of Koreans lounging around eating and drinking beer and soju. The three of us waited our turn to have our picture taken at the peak and the Koreans were so excited to see us and many a “fighting!” was heard. We didn’t spend too much time at the peak. We looked around at the valley below us and relaxed a little bit, but eventually made our way down the opposite side we came up.
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| We made it!!! |
I checked for injuries and recovered somewhat quickly hoping no others had seen the ridiculousness that was me falling face down on the trail. Korean hikers were passing us on the way up and they were giving me disgusted sneers and some were laughing at me. I could hear Lucy still unable to stifle the laughter behind me as we continued down the trail. Awesome. So glad that particular memory was not captured on film.
The hike down was obviously much quicker, but my kneecaps began to feel like they were separating from my body. It became increasingly more painful to continue the descent. My hiking became hobbling and I had to take frequent stops so my legs didn't collapse. I'm such a badass.
Lucy and I stopped at a small pool near the end of the hike and took a dip in the water to rest our sore feet. We caught up with Ivan there who was doing the same and the three of us hung out in the water for a bit.
Eventually we decided to continue on the path down and I had to keep holding on to trees on the way down because my knees were crapping out. We ran into some Korean men along the trail, who were also headed down, and they kept encouraging us. "So close! Almost there! Fighting!"
We made if off the mountain safely and in one piece, despite our complete idiocy and it was a fantastic way to experience one of Korea's more beautiful settings. We were definitely walking funny for a few days afterward, however.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Roadtrippin' With My Foodies
I recently went on a spur of the moment roadtrip to an island south of Jinju. Two of my friends (one of whom had just purchased a car) and I decided to head out of town for a little island camping and basking in the sun while the summer season was high.
When we got to Geoje-do it took us a little while to find the beach we were looking for, but with broken Korean and the help of some lovely ajosshies pointing us in the right direction, we finally found our way.
When we got to the beach there was a full-blown company party occurring and all sorts of tents were set up on wooden platforms. The camping tents were set up under overhead tents. Koreans have a very skewed idea of camping.
We set up our tent on the actual ground and headed to the water. There were a few adolescent boys that were basically beach patrol and they were quite concerned for our safety. We were 3 women and clearly not able to take care of ourselves, according to them. In broken English and with the aid of a Smartphone dictionary they informed us that a typhoon was coming and we were going to die (as they made a slitting motion across their necks) if we stayed at the beach. We assured them we were going to be fine, but they were adament we were going to die. We told them if the weather got too bad we would run to the safety of the car. They came back to us three different times to warn us of the danger.
We were sharing the beach with a group of men working for some nondescript Korean company and all their families; lots of noise and children and alcohol was a-flowin'. Oddly EVERYONE exited the water at about the same time, approximately 7 p.m. Koreans are deathly afraid of the ocean so you frequently see them with full life-preserving gear on and they hug the shore like it's their only chance of living a long, happy life. Quite a sight.
My ladies and I jumped into the water at about 7:30 or 8 p.m. and we were swimming around and splashing, having a grand time. Then one of the super-excitable beach patrol boys came full-on running out of his little shack by the beach and screamed at us to get out of the water like Jaws was behind us. He said the beach was closed from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. and we could come back in the morning.
Are you frickin' serious?
My friend piped up, "Do you own this beach?"
He, of course, said no, but said it was very dangerous to swim after 7 p.m.
Bloody hell.
I swear Korea is afraid of absolutely everything. I certainly wouldn't trust the little she-boy lifeguards to save my life if I was in trouble anyway. They weigh about as much as my left pinky toe.
After a bit more frolicking in the water we begrudgingly got out of the water so as not to give the she-boy a heart attack.
Who closes a damn beach just because a clock hits 7 p.m.? Weird.
After some time had passed and the little adolescent water-nazis had retired to their shack by the sea, the three of us crept out to the water, stopping statue-like when we heard anything from the shack and then swam out to sea. It was lovely and the perfect temperature.
There was a little fishing boat hanging out in the water with nothing to do, so I took it upon myself to swim out to see it and say hi.
After a less than graceful entry into the boat I got pretty cut up from the fiberglass contraption, which was rather painful, but funny. The girls followed me into the boat and we had an enjoyable time chillin' in the fishing boat. One of my friends was convinced we were drifting out to sea, despite the fact that the boat was anchored and we weren't going anywhere. Of course, she was also convinced their were sharks in the water, so her judgement can't really be trusted.
We made the decision to head back to the beach and myself and shark girl were still in the boat. She looked at me and asked which one of us was jumping off the boat next. She asked our other friend, who was already in the water, if there were any sharks in the water and of course there were none. She looked at me wondering who was going next and I asked her, "Do you really want to be the last one off the boat?" She got this look of terror in her eyes and exclaimed, "Fuck no!" and promptly belly-flopped into the shark-free sea.
There was no typhoon that made us "die!" At one point, there was a bit of wind, but then it went away and a tiny bit of sprinkling, but that left after about 10 minutes. It's funny, nobody else got the "Die!" message and the beach patrol only seemed to warn us about the non-existant typhoon. Curious.
On our drive home the next day, the three of us talked about all the food we missed from home for 45 straight minutes, almost the entire duration of the trip. We discussed restaurants, meals we used to make and all the ingredients we miss. We talked about food for so long and then we got depressed and we couldn't even eat to drown our food-missing depression.
I'm going to gain so much weight when I get home.
When we got to Geoje-do it took us a little while to find the beach we were looking for, but with broken Korean and the help of some lovely ajosshies pointing us in the right direction, we finally found our way.
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| The beach where a typhoon was supposedly going to kill us. That's the fun little fishing boat we swam out to. |
We set up our tent on the actual ground and headed to the water. There were a few adolescent boys that were basically beach patrol and they were quite concerned for our safety. We were 3 women and clearly not able to take care of ourselves, according to them. In broken English and with the aid of a Smartphone dictionary they informed us that a typhoon was coming and we were going to die (as they made a slitting motion across their necks) if we stayed at the beach. We assured them we were going to be fine, but they were adament we were going to die. We told them if the weather got too bad we would run to the safety of the car. They came back to us three different times to warn us of the danger.
We were sharing the beach with a group of men working for some nondescript Korean company and all their families; lots of noise and children and alcohol was a-flowin'. Oddly EVERYONE exited the water at about the same time, approximately 7 p.m. Koreans are deathly afraid of the ocean so you frequently see them with full life-preserving gear on and they hug the shore like it's their only chance of living a long, happy life. Quite a sight.
My ladies and I jumped into the water at about 7:30 or 8 p.m. and we were swimming around and splashing, having a grand time. Then one of the super-excitable beach patrol boys came full-on running out of his little shack by the beach and screamed at us to get out of the water like Jaws was behind us. He said the beach was closed from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. and we could come back in the morning.
Are you frickin' serious?
My friend piped up, "Do you own this beach?"
He, of course, said no, but said it was very dangerous to swim after 7 p.m.
Bloody hell.
I swear Korea is afraid of absolutely everything. I certainly wouldn't trust the little she-boy lifeguards to save my life if I was in trouble anyway. They weigh about as much as my left pinky toe.
After a bit more frolicking in the water we begrudgingly got out of the water so as not to give the she-boy a heart attack.
Who closes a damn beach just because a clock hits 7 p.m.? Weird.
After some time had passed and the little adolescent water-nazis had retired to their shack by the sea, the three of us crept out to the water, stopping statue-like when we heard anything from the shack and then swam out to sea. It was lovely and the perfect temperature.
There was a little fishing boat hanging out in the water with nothing to do, so I took it upon myself to swim out to see it and say hi.
After a less than graceful entry into the boat I got pretty cut up from the fiberglass contraption, which was rather painful, but funny. The girls followed me into the boat and we had an enjoyable time chillin' in the fishing boat. One of my friends was convinced we were drifting out to sea, despite the fact that the boat was anchored and we weren't going anywhere. Of course, she was also convinced their were sharks in the water, so her judgement can't really be trusted.
We made the decision to head back to the beach and myself and shark girl were still in the boat. She looked at me and asked which one of us was jumping off the boat next. She asked our other friend, who was already in the water, if there were any sharks in the water and of course there were none. She looked at me wondering who was going next and I asked her, "Do you really want to be the last one off the boat?" She got this look of terror in her eyes and exclaimed, "Fuck no!" and promptly belly-flopped into the shark-free sea.
There was no typhoon that made us "die!" At one point, there was a bit of wind, but then it went away and a tiny bit of sprinkling, but that left after about 10 minutes. It's funny, nobody else got the "Die!" message and the beach patrol only seemed to warn us about the non-existant typhoon. Curious.
On our drive home the next day, the three of us talked about all the food we missed from home for 45 straight minutes, almost the entire duration of the trip. We discussed restaurants, meals we used to make and all the ingredients we miss. We talked about food for so long and then we got depressed and we couldn't even eat to drown our food-missing depression.
I'm going to gain so much weight when I get home.
Monday, August 22, 2011
The Real World? Not so much
I was told people my age had something significant and traumatizing happen to them in their life to get them to Korea. People our age are running from something.
I've worked with people in their late 50s and 60s in this country and met a handful in that age range. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this, but I just wonder what got these people to the point where they left their entire families behind: children, grandchildren, friends, etc. to come to South Korea to work with children. It just blows my mind and many of them have no intention of returning to the U.S. or wherever they came from. Granted, given the current state of the United States and the ridiculous government, I can't really blame them for not wanting to return.
When talking to many people around my age who do come abroad to teach and live, I do sense a certain undercurrent of a troubled past or something significant happening to them that forced them to run away. The majority of teachers here, and the new teachers arriving daily, are fresh out of university and are just here for an adventure. Many of them are trustfund babies and just thought it would be fun to party it up in a different country and travel. However, the ones my age are looking to forget something or a few are looking to pay down monstrous amounts of debt accumulated through years of higher education, but most are looking for a little of both. There are a token few who are just wanderers and nothing more (and obviously also end up being trustfund babies).
The beauty and abominable nature of Korea is that it's not reality for foreigners. We're here, for the most part, for a short amount of time. It's like a year-long holiday. Nobody knows us here, nobody knows anything about our past or where we came from. Essentially we can get lost in this place and it's ok. We can party like rockstars when we're not at school and we can drown all that we feel or don't want to feel with endless socializing and cheap alcohol.
Relationships and dating are not normal in Korea. It's the absolute twilight zone when it comes to dating and relating to people. You have foreign men who know full well that they wouldn't be given a second glance in their home countries, but in Korea subservient Korean girls fall at their feet hoping for the distinction of dating a foreign man. You have Korean men who have completely different cultural ideas about the responsibilities and role of girlfriends and spouses. Or you have the lovely last group of men, the members of the military. Dating someone in the military is just a whole different can of worms that I just don't want to get into. And these are our options in Korea as foreign women. Dating is not dating in Korea. It's not normal and it's unlike anything I've ever experienced in my life. I'm definitely looking forward to leave that aspect of Korea behind.
I do often wonder if those people who have trouble in their souls and pasts ever do figure out what it is they're looking for here. I can't help but think there is probably no real resolution due to the endless numbing in the waegook way of life of drinking excessively. Bars don't close in Korea and drinking EVERYWHERE is completely acceptable. Open container laws don't exist here. I could drink on the steps of a police station at 8 a.m. if I wanted to and nothing would happen to me.
That being said, I have met some really great people here and I've had some amazing experiences here that I will never forget, but I'm definitely looking forward to a little taste of real life. Granted, as soon as I get back to that real life I might be ready to leave again. Such is the nature of a restless and mercurial soul.
I've worked with people in their late 50s and 60s in this country and met a handful in that age range. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this, but I just wonder what got these people to the point where they left their entire families behind: children, grandchildren, friends, etc. to come to South Korea to work with children. It just blows my mind and many of them have no intention of returning to the U.S. or wherever they came from. Granted, given the current state of the United States and the ridiculous government, I can't really blame them for not wanting to return.
When talking to many people around my age who do come abroad to teach and live, I do sense a certain undercurrent of a troubled past or something significant happening to them that forced them to run away. The majority of teachers here, and the new teachers arriving daily, are fresh out of university and are just here for an adventure. Many of them are trustfund babies and just thought it would be fun to party it up in a different country and travel. However, the ones my age are looking to forget something or a few are looking to pay down monstrous amounts of debt accumulated through years of higher education, but most are looking for a little of both. There are a token few who are just wanderers and nothing more (and obviously also end up being trustfund babies).
The beauty and abominable nature of Korea is that it's not reality for foreigners. We're here, for the most part, for a short amount of time. It's like a year-long holiday. Nobody knows us here, nobody knows anything about our past or where we came from. Essentially we can get lost in this place and it's ok. We can party like rockstars when we're not at school and we can drown all that we feel or don't want to feel with endless socializing and cheap alcohol.
Relationships and dating are not normal in Korea. It's the absolute twilight zone when it comes to dating and relating to people. You have foreign men who know full well that they wouldn't be given a second glance in their home countries, but in Korea subservient Korean girls fall at their feet hoping for the distinction of dating a foreign man. You have Korean men who have completely different cultural ideas about the responsibilities and role of girlfriends and spouses. Or you have the lovely last group of men, the members of the military. Dating someone in the military is just a whole different can of worms that I just don't want to get into. And these are our options in Korea as foreign women. Dating is not dating in Korea. It's not normal and it's unlike anything I've ever experienced in my life. I'm definitely looking forward to leave that aspect of Korea behind.
I do often wonder if those people who have trouble in their souls and pasts ever do figure out what it is they're looking for here. I can't help but think there is probably no real resolution due to the endless numbing in the waegook way of life of drinking excessively. Bars don't close in Korea and drinking EVERYWHERE is completely acceptable. Open container laws don't exist here. I could drink on the steps of a police station at 8 a.m. if I wanted to and nothing would happen to me.
That being said, I have met some really great people here and I've had some amazing experiences here that I will never forget, but I'm definitely looking forward to a little taste of real life. Granted, as soon as I get back to that real life I might be ready to leave again. Such is the nature of a restless and mercurial soul.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Hey! Haven't You Heard?? Korea has FOUR Distinct Seasons!
Koreans are freakishly proud of the fact that they have "four distinct seasons."
They are absolutely convinced that they are the onnnnnnnnllllllllllly country in the whole, wide world that has four seasons and it's near impossible to convince them otherwise. It's super awesome.
For those who don't know me well, that's sarcasm.
They are absolutely convinced that they are the onnnnnnnnllllllllllly country in the whole, wide world that has four seasons and it's near impossible to convince them otherwise. It's super awesome.
For those who don't know me well, that's sarcasm.
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| This super-green number was taken near the base. Those are greenhouses next to the rice fields and due to the highly uncomfortable monsoon season, crops grow quite well and are so green and beautiful. |
There is a fellow English teacher from the States who taught in the same city as me last year and he sums Korea up in 5 seasons. There is the Yellow Dust Season (thanks China), the Monsoon Season (perpetual pruney skin and moldy walls), Typhoon Season (super windy good times), Too Bloody Hot to Do Anything Season (my personal favorite, natch) and Too F*&%ing Cold to Leave Your Apartment Season (reeeaaallly good times when listening to whiney Southerners who've never seen snow).
I get that Koreans are extremely proud of their country, culture and pretty much anything to do with themselves, but really? Do they really need to be excessively proud of their "four seasons" and adamantly convinced they are the only country in all the land that has four supposed seasons? Seems like an odd thing to be so intransigently proud of.
Friday, July 22, 2011
The Final Stretch
I have less than four months to go before I'll be back home in America.
I'm not sure how to feel about that. On one hand, I'm RIDICULOUSLY excited to go home. By the time I land on American soil I will have been gone for more than two years. I'm so excited to see my friends and family; I can't even explain how much I'm looking forward to going home. And I'm so, so, SO excited to see my dog! Two years is a very long time to be away from your dog. That's about 14 people years! I doubt he'll even remember me. Gah! I can't wait to see my puppy!
Although I'm very much looking forward to going home, I still feel like I need to really enjoy and digest my last few months here. I feel like I might be rushing through to get everything organized for re-entering the U.S. that I won't be able to look around and enjoy this place. I feel like, these days, I'm moving too fast and rushing toward the finish. I know I'm going to really regret that when I get home. I just want to stop and take a look around and really be here; taste, touch, feel, smell all that I can.
The truth is, it's so easy to get upset about so many things in this country and to get frustrated when things don't go the way I think they should, but I'm going to miss so many things about this country and this culture. I've learned so much here and I just hope I can remember all the wonderful experiences I had here. It's definitely not been all great, the She Devil experience was particularly grand, but I can definitely say without a doubt that I'm so glad I made the choice to do this.
I'm already getting nervous about the question I know I will get from everyone when I get home, "So, how was Korea?" How can I possibly answer that question after having spent two years of my life in a completely foreign country? There's so much to tell and I won't even know where to start. I feel like this experience won't fully sink in for me until years down the road. This experience has been so massive and literally other-worldly that I can't possibly encapsulate it in one conversation or even a string of conversations. I'm honestly having mini-panic attacks just thinking about going home and trying to explain this. What am I going to say? "Ummm, great. Crazy. Wonderful. Beautiful. Insane." I don't know how to explain it fairly and thoroughly.
I'm not sure how to feel about that. On one hand, I'm RIDICULOUSLY excited to go home. By the time I land on American soil I will have been gone for more than two years. I'm so excited to see my friends and family; I can't even explain how much I'm looking forward to going home. And I'm so, so, SO excited to see my dog! Two years is a very long time to be away from your dog. That's about 14 people years! I doubt he'll even remember me. Gah! I can't wait to see my puppy!
Although I'm very much looking forward to going home, I still feel like I need to really enjoy and digest my last few months here. I feel like I might be rushing through to get everything organized for re-entering the U.S. that I won't be able to look around and enjoy this place. I feel like, these days, I'm moving too fast and rushing toward the finish. I know I'm going to really regret that when I get home. I just want to stop and take a look around and really be here; taste, touch, feel, smell all that I can.
The truth is, it's so easy to get upset about so many things in this country and to get frustrated when things don't go the way I think they should, but I'm going to miss so many things about this country and this culture. I've learned so much here and I just hope I can remember all the wonderful experiences I had here. It's definitely not been all great, the She Devil experience was particularly grand, but I can definitely say without a doubt that I'm so glad I made the choice to do this.
I'm already getting nervous about the question I know I will get from everyone when I get home, "So, how was Korea?" How can I possibly answer that question after having spent two years of my life in a completely foreign country? There's so much to tell and I won't even know where to start. I feel like this experience won't fully sink in for me until years down the road. This experience has been so massive and literally other-worldly that I can't possibly encapsulate it in one conversation or even a string of conversations. I'm honestly having mini-panic attacks just thinking about going home and trying to explain this. What am I going to say? "Ummm, great. Crazy. Wonderful. Beautiful. Insane." I don't know how to explain it fairly and thoroughly.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Growing Pains
South Korea is a very interesting place with very interesting people.
It was essentially a third-world country prior to the Korean War. An armistice was signed over 50 years ago, which ended the war but doesn't mean peace between North and South Korea. The Korean War effectively bombed Korea back into the Stone Age and both countries have been experiencing significant growing pains since.
North Korea is still destitute, with its' people chronically poor and starving, but South Korea has become one of the world's powers. South Korea is currently in the top 20 world economies. They are far ahead in technology and it seems pretty much everyone owns at least one smart phone and countless other electronic devices.
Military service is mandatory for Korean men due to the threat just north of the lower half of the Korean peninsula and, my students say, because the Korean people never again want to be put in the position they were in nearly 60 years ago when they were attacked by the North Koreans, not to mention the Japanese attacks. The Korean people are a very proud people and their culture and heritage is everything to them.
In the same vein, education is of the utmost importance to the South Korean people. With knowledge (or at least high scores in standardized tests) there is power. There is a wide and obvious clash between the older generations and the modern Korean.
Taking a stroll down the street on any given day, I can see Halmoni (grandmother) and Harabujee (grandfather) squatting by their crops of the day, making whatever money they can. Meanwhile, a mucky-muck suit speedwalks by while speaking rapid-fire into his cellphone and simultaneously consulting his smartphone for the latest e-mails. Most Koreans have multiple cell phones.
Success, money, power, appearance and, interestingly enough, traditional values are crucial. It's a difficult world to fit in as a modern Korean. There is constant pressure to succeed while still trying to follow the Confucian ideals that Korea was founded on. I'm so glad I get a hall pass when it comes to living in this world.
Unfortunately with all this constant pressure comes points of breaking down. I'm constantly navigating through the H-A-M-M-E-R-E-D men stumbling along the streets and sidewalks starting at 7 p.m. every night. It's a given to go out with your boss and co-workers every night after work and drink to near black-out stage (or as Koreans call it "cutting the film"). I encounter it daily. I'm convinced Koreans just don't have livers. There's no way a person can consume that amount of alcohol every single night and live. It's amazing and South Korea has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world. I see men who are highly respected CEOs of companies or majors (or higher ranking) in the Air Force by day who turn into belligerent drunks by night, fighting with peers and subordinates.
There was a recent report in one of the English-language newspapers in Korea stating a high-level companyman was cited for entertaining his clients with trips to hostess rooms, which is a polite way of saying the man took his clients out for nights on the town with prostitutes using company funds. Alcoholism and adultery are a way for over-worked and over-stressed men to cope. However, women in the workforce aren't allowed to act in such a manner. They have to find their own way through the stress and pressure for perfection.
Another effect of the pressure and growing pains within the Korean society is suicide. South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Students, teachers, entertainers, parents and politicians killing themselves is a usual, daily occurrence here. It's frightening how common suicide is in Korea. A politician committed suicide because his brother allegedly brought shame on the family. Suicide is a way to rectify wrongs. The politician wanted to clear his family's name and right the supposed wrong. Suicide is, obviously, also a way to escape a life of too much pressure and difficulties.
Counseling is seen as a taboo here and, although Korea recognizes suicide as a growing and serious problem, there doesn't seem to be any way for them to combat it at the present time. All these problems are growing and I fear for the future of Korea. This is a beautiful country, with beautiful people and I hope there is a healthy way to confront problems as they arise.
It was essentially a third-world country prior to the Korean War. An armistice was signed over 50 years ago, which ended the war but doesn't mean peace between North and South Korea. The Korean War effectively bombed Korea back into the Stone Age and both countries have been experiencing significant growing pains since.
North Korea is still destitute, with its' people chronically poor and starving, but South Korea has become one of the world's powers. South Korea is currently in the top 20 world economies. They are far ahead in technology and it seems pretty much everyone owns at least one smart phone and countless other electronic devices.
Military service is mandatory for Korean men due to the threat just north of the lower half of the Korean peninsula and, my students say, because the Korean people never again want to be put in the position they were in nearly 60 years ago when they were attacked by the North Koreans, not to mention the Japanese attacks. The Korean people are a very proud people and their culture and heritage is everything to them.
In the same vein, education is of the utmost importance to the South Korean people. With knowledge (or at least high scores in standardized tests) there is power. There is a wide and obvious clash between the older generations and the modern Korean.
Taking a stroll down the street on any given day, I can see Halmoni (grandmother) and Harabujee (grandfather) squatting by their crops of the day, making whatever money they can. Meanwhile, a mucky-muck suit speedwalks by while speaking rapid-fire into his cellphone and simultaneously consulting his smartphone for the latest e-mails. Most Koreans have multiple cell phones.
Success, money, power, appearance and, interestingly enough, traditional values are crucial. It's a difficult world to fit in as a modern Korean. There is constant pressure to succeed while still trying to follow the Confucian ideals that Korea was founded on. I'm so glad I get a hall pass when it comes to living in this world.
Unfortunately with all this constant pressure comes points of breaking down. I'm constantly navigating through the H-A-M-M-E-R-E-D men stumbling along the streets and sidewalks starting at 7 p.m. every night. It's a given to go out with your boss and co-workers every night after work and drink to near black-out stage (or as Koreans call it "cutting the film"). I encounter it daily. I'm convinced Koreans just don't have livers. There's no way a person can consume that amount of alcohol every single night and live. It's amazing and South Korea has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world. I see men who are highly respected CEOs of companies or majors (or higher ranking) in the Air Force by day who turn into belligerent drunks by night, fighting with peers and subordinates.
There was a recent report in one of the English-language newspapers in Korea stating a high-level companyman was cited for entertaining his clients with trips to hostess rooms, which is a polite way of saying the man took his clients out for nights on the town with prostitutes using company funds. Alcoholism and adultery are a way for over-worked and over-stressed men to cope. However, women in the workforce aren't allowed to act in such a manner. They have to find their own way through the stress and pressure for perfection.
Another effect of the pressure and growing pains within the Korean society is suicide. South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Students, teachers, entertainers, parents and politicians killing themselves is a usual, daily occurrence here. It's frightening how common suicide is in Korea. A politician committed suicide because his brother allegedly brought shame on the family. Suicide is a way to rectify wrongs. The politician wanted to clear his family's name and right the supposed wrong. Suicide is, obviously, also a way to escape a life of too much pressure and difficulties.
Counseling is seen as a taboo here and, although Korea recognizes suicide as a growing and serious problem, there doesn't seem to be any way for them to combat it at the present time. All these problems are growing and I fear for the future of Korea. This is a beautiful country, with beautiful people and I hope there is a healthy way to confront problems as they arise.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Couple Attire
Koreans have an interesting habit of wanting the world to know they're in a relationship.
There is a strange phenomenon in Korea known as "couple shirts". They can strike at any time in the strangest of circumstances and locations.
Couple shirts are tank tops, T-shirts or sweatshirts that match exactly and the men and women in coupledom where these tops in public to let the world know they are together forever. Awww, how cute.
Why in the world this occurs and the rest of us have to be assaulted with it is completely beyond me, but many things in this lovely country baffle me.
At least it entertains the foreigners in Korea and we frequently buy it as a gag gift or for our friends back home.
Ahhh, Korea how I love you so.
There is a strange phenomenon in Korea known as "couple shirts". They can strike at any time in the strangest of circumstances and locations.
Couple shirts are tank tops, T-shirts or sweatshirts that match exactly and the men and women in coupledom where these tops in public to let the world know they are together forever. Awww, how cute.
Why in the world this occurs and the rest of us have to be assaulted with it is completely beyond me, but many things in this lovely country baffle me.
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| Couple shirts are all the rage in Korea. You guys look stupid. But at least everyone knows you're a couple and that seems to be very important. |
There's also couple's underwear. Once again, the point of this completely baffles me. It's advertised on mannequins in many a storefront and I can't put my finger on the point of couple's underwear. It's not like it's used like the couple's shirts, which sole purpose is so that other people know that you and the other person are an item. Koreans tend to be fairly modest, so the likelihood of them walking the streets in their couple's underwear is pretty slim.
By the time you get down to your skivvies nobody cares what they look like on, they just want to see them on the floor, so I don't really get the point in these particular items of clothing. The really strange part of both these fashions seems not to embarrass either party. Baffling. At least it entertains the foreigners in Korea and we frequently buy it as a gag gift or for our friends back home.
Ahhh, Korea how I love you so.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Getting Hitched in Korea
In Korea, a person is not considered an adult until they're married and a person lives with their parents until they get married. While living at home, parents do absolutely everything for their children: cooking, cleaning, paying for everything. I'm still not sure how this actually prepares a person for adulthood, but the Koreans appear to swear by it.
One of my current students doesn't eat unless his wife makes him food. He said his daughter is sick at the moment, so his wife has been busy tending to his sick daughter and therefore, he's missed breakfast. I ask him why he doesn't feed himself. He said he doesn't know how. The man is 34 years old. Bloody hell. What would he do if his mother and wife were not around to take care of his every need?
The marrying age for women is usually 24-28. An unmarried woman over the age of 29 is disastrous and sets up a woman for certain perpetual solitude. However, 29 is considered to be a bad age to get married. Older or more traditional Koreans say bad things happen at the age of 29. According to one of my former students, who had to rush to get married before she turned 29, Koreans who are 29 may lose their money, get in an accident or have bad health, so marriage is discouraged at that age.
I'm constantly asked how old I am. Age is extremely important in this culture. It allows each in the party to see where they stand with each other and how they're supposed to talk to and treat each other. When my students, or someone I'm just meeting, ask how old I am, find out I'm 29 in Western age and 31 in Korean age, they always ask if I'm married. When I tell them I'm not, they gasp and ask why not.
Marriage, more often than not, seems to be a business deal in Korea. Blind date set-ups are the way to meet and get married in Korea. Most married people I've met have met there spouses in this manner. Many of those who meet, get engaged and then married do this entire process within a matter of months, too. It's actually quite remarkable how fast Koreans can pull a wedding together.
Extreme importance is placed on a potential spouses occupation and the status of the persons family. I was told when students are going through school there are posters on the walls of the school telling girls to study hard so they can go to a good university and meet a handsome and successful man, get married and have high prestige. Money is everything, but that's true of most cultures it seems.
Once a woman gets married and gets pregnant, she is automatically expected to quit her job. Women stay home with their children while men go to work. In many cases, men work in different cities from where their family lives. So, frequently, families are together on the weekends and the fathers go back to work during the week.
I had one student recently go on at length about how it's important that he be the head of the household, because that's what the Bible said to do. He said he's in charge and, in the beginning of their marriage, his wife tried to be head of the household, but he showed her the Bible and "the Bible said women need to do what men say." So if she yells, he continued about his wife, she will apologize and say she wants to be more like the women in the Bible.
"I think it's the natural way of things and I will teach my daughters to be like that with their husbands, too," he said.
It took everything in my power to keep my mouth shut.
Another student in that same class said there is a Korean proverb that states: if a woman is allowed to speak her mind than the family will fail.
Ha! Wow.
I think it's pretty safe to say I won't be marrying any Koreans.
One of my current students doesn't eat unless his wife makes him food. He said his daughter is sick at the moment, so his wife has been busy tending to his sick daughter and therefore, he's missed breakfast. I ask him why he doesn't feed himself. He said he doesn't know how. The man is 34 years old. Bloody hell. What would he do if his mother and wife were not around to take care of his every need?
The marrying age for women is usually 24-28. An unmarried woman over the age of 29 is disastrous and sets up a woman for certain perpetual solitude. However, 29 is considered to be a bad age to get married. Older or more traditional Koreans say bad things happen at the age of 29. According to one of my former students, who had to rush to get married before she turned 29, Koreans who are 29 may lose their money, get in an accident or have bad health, so marriage is discouraged at that age.
I'm constantly asked how old I am. Age is extremely important in this culture. It allows each in the party to see where they stand with each other and how they're supposed to talk to and treat each other. When my students, or someone I'm just meeting, ask how old I am, find out I'm 29 in Western age and 31 in Korean age, they always ask if I'm married. When I tell them I'm not, they gasp and ask why not.
Marriage, more often than not, seems to be a business deal in Korea. Blind date set-ups are the way to meet and get married in Korea. Most married people I've met have met there spouses in this manner. Many of those who meet, get engaged and then married do this entire process within a matter of months, too. It's actually quite remarkable how fast Koreans can pull a wedding together.
Extreme importance is placed on a potential spouses occupation and the status of the persons family. I was told when students are going through school there are posters on the walls of the school telling girls to study hard so they can go to a good university and meet a handsome and successful man, get married and have high prestige. Money is everything, but that's true of most cultures it seems.
Once a woman gets married and gets pregnant, she is automatically expected to quit her job. Women stay home with their children while men go to work. In many cases, men work in different cities from where their family lives. So, frequently, families are together on the weekends and the fathers go back to work during the week.
I had one student recently go on at length about how it's important that he be the head of the household, because that's what the Bible said to do. He said he's in charge and, in the beginning of their marriage, his wife tried to be head of the household, but he showed her the Bible and "the Bible said women need to do what men say." So if she yells, he continued about his wife, she will apologize and say she wants to be more like the women in the Bible.
"I think it's the natural way of things and I will teach my daughters to be like that with their husbands, too," he said.
It took everything in my power to keep my mouth shut.
Another student in that same class said there is a Korean proverb that states: if a woman is allowed to speak her mind than the family will fail.
Ha! Wow.
I think it's pretty safe to say I won't be marrying any Koreans.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Simmer Down, Boys.
I work with four other foreign teachers on base. There is one man, three other female teachers and me. We were recently told we need to be careful how we dress on base. None of us dress inappropriately. We wear shirts covering our shoulders, our boobs are always covered and skirts definitely go past our knees. I would think this would all be considered kosher.
However, one of our Korean co-workers said he knows none of us dress scandalously, but just put ourselves in the shoes of the soldiers. He said just imagine being stuck on a military base for excessive amounts of time and not being able to socialize or interact with women and then we, the Western women, waltz up and it makes the men a little crazy. Haha! Poor little guys.
The Korean co-worker went on to explain that all of us Western teachers are "well-endowed" and Korean men aren't used to being around such, uhhh, voluptousness. Apparently some of the soldiers were marching by when we were walking to school and it caused quite a stir among the boys. There was tripping and rubbernecking, which caused the superiors to get a little ticked off.
We've been told that the wives on base are also having a problem with the way we look. I'm not entirely sure what us Western chicks can do about this. I'm thinking I should duct tape my boobs to my chest and maybe they can tunnel us a passageway from our apartments to the school, so we don't actually have to be seen by anyone.
The usage of toilet paper has increased on base, we were informed. I guess the boys have been spending some quality time with, ahem, themselves. Life in Korea has been oh-so-interesting.
I frequently go running outside on base because I'm not allowed to use the gyms on base because I'm a woman. I run in tank tops because it's bloody hot and humid here. My Korean co-worker asked that I not run during the day and, instead, run at night so as not to cause a ruckus among the soldiers and get them over-excited. I couldn't help but laugh at his request, the ridiculousness of it all is so comical to me. But obviously I will abide, I don't want anymore ogling than I already get and I certainly don't want an even more severe shortage of toilet paper on base.
However, one of our Korean co-workers said he knows none of us dress scandalously, but just put ourselves in the shoes of the soldiers. He said just imagine being stuck on a military base for excessive amounts of time and not being able to socialize or interact with women and then we, the Western women, waltz up and it makes the men a little crazy. Haha! Poor little guys.
The Korean co-worker went on to explain that all of us Western teachers are "well-endowed" and Korean men aren't used to being around such, uhhh, voluptousness. Apparently some of the soldiers were marching by when we were walking to school and it caused quite a stir among the boys. There was tripping and rubbernecking, which caused the superiors to get a little ticked off.
We've been told that the wives on base are also having a problem with the way we look. I'm not entirely sure what us Western chicks can do about this. I'm thinking I should duct tape my boobs to my chest and maybe they can tunnel us a passageway from our apartments to the school, so we don't actually have to be seen by anyone.
The usage of toilet paper has increased on base, we were informed. I guess the boys have been spending some quality time with, ahem, themselves. Life in Korea has been oh-so-interesting.
I frequently go running outside on base because I'm not allowed to use the gyms on base because I'm a woman. I run in tank tops because it's bloody hot and humid here. My Korean co-worker asked that I not run during the day and, instead, run at night so as not to cause a ruckus among the soldiers and get them over-excited. I couldn't help but laugh at his request, the ridiculousness of it all is so comical to me. But obviously I will abide, I don't want anymore ogling than I already get and I certainly don't want an even more severe shortage of toilet paper on base.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Best students in the world
I have the best students in the world.
They take care of me when I'm sick; calling me to check on me, driving to the store to buy me medicine and being overall very concerned for my well-being.
They make me laugh on a regular basis and want to hang out as frequently as possible.
I'm, at times, a horrific insomniac and, unfortunately, they can always tell when I haven't slept well the previous evening. They are so concerned for me and offer remedies for my sleep malady. I tell them this is something I've been dealing with forever and I'll be fine. It's always worse when I have something on my mind and need to get through or process something. They don't want to hear any of my excuses.
One of my students recently told me that my heart is in my brain and I feel things deeply and passionately and that's why I can't sleep.
I've had another student email me audio tracks he uses when he can't sleep. Apparently my sleeping habits are of great concern to my students, but it's so sweet that they want so desperately to help me.
I know no matter what my problem I can always contact my former or current students and they will drop everything to help me. It's a very comforting feeling, especially being so far from home.
One student, who is heading to the U.S. for one year, told me that we must keep in touch with each other because when his son is in high school or university (his son is currently 4 years old) he wants his son to meet me and do a homestay with me. He told me he would love me to show his son "My America." He said he believed his son would be well-taken care of and truly shown what is great about America. Awwww! I told him I would love that and I was so excited, then I rattled off all the cool things I would show him and I got really excited. Now I have to wait at least a dozen years for his son to become old enough.
It's impossible to explain the people of Korea and their culture in short blog excerpts, but they truly are beautiful, wonderful, warm people. They want so desperately to help and make one feel welcome and learn about the lives of foreigners. They can be so helpful and the way my Korean friends have explained Korean culture to me makes me truly appreciate their world, of which I've only scratched the surface.
I've had another student email me audio tracks he uses when he can't sleep. Apparently my sleeping habits are of great concern to my students, but it's so sweet that they want so desperately to help me.
I know no matter what my problem I can always contact my former or current students and they will drop everything to help me. It's a very comforting feeling, especially being so far from home.
One student, who is heading to the U.S. for one year, told me that we must keep in touch with each other because when his son is in high school or university (his son is currently 4 years old) he wants his son to meet me and do a homestay with me. He told me he would love me to show his son "My America." He said he believed his son would be well-taken care of and truly shown what is great about America. Awwww! I told him I would love that and I was so excited, then I rattled off all the cool things I would show him and I got really excited. Now I have to wait at least a dozen years for his son to become old enough.
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| Dinner with some of my students! |
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Polar Bear Freedom Party
This particular night happened a long time ago in Korea. It was one of my first nights in South Korea and it was epic.
I had been invited by one of the fellow Dangjinites, one I hadn't actually met yet, to a group night out at the batting cages. There were supposed to be tons of foreign teachers there from not only Dangjin, but other areas in the province, as well.
I didn't know anybody when I got to the meeting place, but everyone was really friendly and, peculiarly, they were all wearing crazy hats. Little did I know, crazy hats are a common theme. Lucky for me, one of the ladies brought some extra bunny ears so I sported those for the night.
I met up with some people I'd met the night before and attempted very poorly to hit super fast baseballs flying at my head and, of course, the consumption of alcohol also began to take place.
A group of three Korean men came over to me and the other women I was talking to and claimed that they were English teachers in one of the local schools. They attempted to impress us with their pseudo-stellar English skills and one guy kept referrring to me as "Jessica" and asking me for my number. I said, "No, my name is Erika." His response, "Ok, Jessica, number so you can come over."
He spent a ridiculous amount of time telling me that his kindergarten-age child would love me and I should come over to his apartment to talk to and play with his son.
"You come to my house, Jessica, so beautiful. Play with my son. My wife will not mind."
"Umm, it's Erika," I say.
"Ok, Jessica, come over."
"Umm, I don't think your wife would like that too much," I say.
"Ok, Jessica, you come over. My wife not home."
"Uhhh, yeah, I don't think so," I respond.
I then tried to escape and hide in the bathroom, but the freak was standing outside the bathroom waiting for me. Luckily one of my friends realized how distressed I was becoming and came to my rescue and finally the guy left, but not until he made sure I knew I was more than welcome at his home to play with his son anytime.
"Jessica, see you soon! Come over!"
There was plenty of testosterone running through the men in the group, as they were all kicking the crap out of the punching bag game, kicking soccer balls and slamming baseballs. All of us girls were enjoying lovely adult beverages.
When the boys finally got bored, we all made our way down to Saeyugi, a local hof, that eventually became named 'Old Faithful' because we always, undoubtedly ended up there.
The hof was pretty busy and then about 20-25 foreigners showed up and took over one side of the hof. More beer was flowing and the Honorable Members of the Dangjin Committee were named. The night began to turn ridiculous as more soju and maekju was consumed. The owner and staff of Saeyugi became less and less impressed with us, especially when one of the girls got on a table and then two of the guys jumped on top of her. Chairs were knocked over, bottles were broken. Good times all around for us, but not so much for the Koreans in the crowd.
There is a giant stuffed polar bear statue at the entrance of Saeyugi and as we were finally paying our bill to move on to the next stop, one of the girls in the group decided it would be a great idea to grab the bear and ran off with it. I was watching her and I knew what she was thinking and it was like the whole thing happened in slow motion. I could tell her brain was targeting the polar bear, processing what it would take to run off with it and then she put the plan into action and off she went with the polar bear out the door and down the stairs. I couldn't do anything but just stand there and awkwardly laugh.
When the rest of us had gotten down to the street she was standing there with the polar bear body in her arms and the poor polar bear's head had fallen off in the scuffle, so the poor polar bear's head was rolling around on the sidewalk. She tried to fix it by slapping the head back on and putting a giant hat on it. Yeah, didn't work, the head just kept rolling off.
The owner of the restaurant was not impressed. And a famous quote occurred following the incident that night, "Shit man, I think that polar bear gave me a rash!"
The polar bear and his head were returned to the livid restaurant owner (the polar bear actually was missing from the restaurant when we finally decided it was safe to return months later, but then finally made an appearance again with his head bolted back on) and we went on to another drinking establishment called Boobi Boobi.
Boobi Boobi in Korea refers to dancing and the way young men and women try to cop a feelski while their dancing. Basically Boobi Boobi is dirty dancing. We got a couple private tables enshrouded in curtains. More alcohol was flowing, the Korean drinking games began and became increasingly louder and a few members of the Honorable Members of the Dangjin Committee began passing out at the table. It was shaping up to be a good night and by this point it was about 5 in the morning.
I had to meet some friends, that were smart enough to go home hours ago, at the bus station at about 7 a.m. to go to Seoul. So naturally I decided around 5:30 a.m. it was probably a good idea to call it a night.
A group of three Korean men came over to me and the other women I was talking to and claimed that they were English teachers in one of the local schools. They attempted to impress us with their pseudo-stellar English skills and one guy kept referrring to me as "Jessica" and asking me for my number. I said, "No, my name is Erika." His response, "Ok, Jessica, number so you can come over."
He spent a ridiculous amount of time telling me that his kindergarten-age child would love me and I should come over to his apartment to talk to and play with his son.
"You come to my house, Jessica, so beautiful. Play with my son. My wife will not mind."
"Umm, it's Erika," I say.
"Ok, Jessica, come over."
"Umm, I don't think your wife would like that too much," I say.
"Ok, Jessica, you come over. My wife not home."
"Uhhh, yeah, I don't think so," I respond.
I then tried to escape and hide in the bathroom, but the freak was standing outside the bathroom waiting for me. Luckily one of my friends realized how distressed I was becoming and came to my rescue and finally the guy left, but not until he made sure I knew I was more than welcome at his home to play with his son anytime.
"Jessica, see you soon! Come over!"
There was plenty of testosterone running through the men in the group, as they were all kicking the crap out of the punching bag game, kicking soccer balls and slamming baseballs. All of us girls were enjoying lovely adult beverages.
When the boys finally got bored, we all made our way down to Saeyugi, a local hof, that eventually became named 'Old Faithful' because we always, undoubtedly ended up there.
The hof was pretty busy and then about 20-25 foreigners showed up and took over one side of the hof. More beer was flowing and the Honorable Members of the Dangjin Committee were named. The night began to turn ridiculous as more soju and maekju was consumed. The owner and staff of Saeyugi became less and less impressed with us, especially when one of the girls got on a table and then two of the guys jumped on top of her. Chairs were knocked over, bottles were broken. Good times all around for us, but not so much for the Koreans in the crowd.
There is a giant stuffed polar bear statue at the entrance of Saeyugi and as we were finally paying our bill to move on to the next stop, one of the girls in the group decided it would be a great idea to grab the bear and ran off with it. I was watching her and I knew what she was thinking and it was like the whole thing happened in slow motion. I could tell her brain was targeting the polar bear, processing what it would take to run off with it and then she put the plan into action and off she went with the polar bear out the door and down the stairs. I couldn't do anything but just stand there and awkwardly laugh.
When the rest of us had gotten down to the street she was standing there with the polar bear body in her arms and the poor polar bear's head had fallen off in the scuffle, so the poor polar bear's head was rolling around on the sidewalk. She tried to fix it by slapping the head back on and putting a giant hat on it. Yeah, didn't work, the head just kept rolling off.
The owner of the restaurant was not impressed. And a famous quote occurred following the incident that night, "Shit man, I think that polar bear gave me a rash!"
The polar bear and his head were returned to the livid restaurant owner (the polar bear actually was missing from the restaurant when we finally decided it was safe to return months later, but then finally made an appearance again with his head bolted back on) and we went on to another drinking establishment called Boobi Boobi.
I had to meet some friends, that were smart enough to go home hours ago, at the bus station at about 7 a.m. to go to Seoul. So naturally I decided around 5:30 a.m. it was probably a good idea to call it a night.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Birth Control Mumbo Jumbo
The issue of reproductive rights and women's sexuality in South Korea is a very interesting subject.
I feel like I say this on pretty much a daily basis, but Korea is such a place of contradictions. Women can buy birth control pills over-the-counter in Korea and it's ridiculously cheap; it's about $6 for a month's supply. However, buying birth control creates such a stigma and looks of complete disgust that Korean women don't purchase the very necessary and beyond-words-helpful drug.
Therefore, birth control pills are not used and the use of condoms in this country is pretty much non-existant from what I've been told. The use of DVD-bangs (movie rooms and "bang" is pronounced "bong" in Korean, although "bang" works quite well in this particular case) are widely used as a nice little home-away-from-home when kids these days go out for a quick date night while still living with mom and dad.
Consequently, the percentage of unplanned pregnancies, according to 1999 statistics, is about 25 percent.
I couldn't find any updated statistics of abortions in South Korea following 1999. According to the Truth and Reconciliation for the Adoption Community of Korea website, as of July 8, 2009 abortion is allowed in South Korea up to 24 weeks of pregnancy only in these cases: sexual assault or incest, if there is a danger to the mother's health, if there is a hereditary disease in the family or a contagious disease, such as AIDs or hepatitis. All other abortions are illegal.
Hmmm, given these facts I would think buying birth control by a young woman or females of certain ages would be a reason to celebrate. These women would be making the conscious decision to not get knocked up and, as far as I'm concerned, that's a damn good decision. I realize the obvious: perhaps people should not be having sex? But we all know that's not ever going to happen no matter who you are or which oppresive environment you live in. If people want to get it on, they're going to find a way to do it.
I have a friend in Korea who was having some adverse reactions to some birth control she was taking and needed to see a doctor. She asked a Korean woman to go to the doctor with her to try to explain her symptoms to the non-English speaking doctor. When my friend mentioned to the Korean woman that she suspected her medical problems were due to the birth control she was taking the Korean woman completely lost it. She went on a huge rant about how my friend had no business taking birth control and shouldn't be doing something for "some man" and she was disgusted. Keep in mind my friend is in HER FRIGGIN' 30s and has been dating her boyfriend for quite some time and regardless of this information, it's none of the woman's damn business if a woman decides to make the educated decision to be on birth control. Baaaah!
The Korean woman then went on to tell my friend that under no circumstances should she tell the doctor she's on birth control because the doctor will judge her and it will not be a secret, everyone will know that she's on birth control and having sex. Bloody hell! So much for doctor/patient confidentiality.
Unfortunately appearances are everything in this culture, therefore if someone is seen purchasing birth control or condoms violent judgements will be passed to the point of ostracization. It's unfortunate that in an environment where methods of safe sex and birth control are readily available that more men, women, boys and girls are not taught that it's an acceptable way to take care of oneself and lauded for their responsibility.
Unfortunately appearances are everything in this culture, therefore if someone is seen purchasing birth control or condoms violent judgements will be passed to the point of ostracization. It's unfortunate that in an environment where methods of safe sex and birth control are readily available that more men, women, boys and girls are not taught that it's an acceptable way to take care of oneself and lauded for their responsibility.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Earth is Angry
There have been so many natural disasters lately. I'm convinced there is something to the 2012 end of the world theory.
Perhaps I'm just paying more attention as I've gotten older, but there seems to be a much higher frequency of earthquakes, floods and landslides. Haiti, Australia, New Zealand and now Japan. And then there was the crazy story of birds falling dead from the sky and dead fish floating along lakes and rivers with no plausible explanation. What the hell is going on?
The Earth is angry.
We felt nothing during the Japanese earthquake and we were completely unaffected by the tsunami, however I was anxiously on the phone with my sister and one of my best friends, who both live in Hawaii. I feel pretty damn lucky that I'm pretty well-protected in the peninsula of Korea. And I'm so thankful my sister and my friend and her family were completely unscathed.
I had been planning a trip to Japan just a few days earlier. I had almost booked a ferry to Fukuoka. Aftershocks and fear of radiation poisoning are ongoing and I'm not sure when Japan, if ever, will be back to its' pre-earthquake and tsunami glory days.
One of my co-workers had just returned from taking her GRE in Tokyo within days of the earthquake.
People are still missing and thousands upon thousands have perished from this horrendous natural disaster. It really makes me wonder what's next?
There was some interesting commentary from my students, as well. Most were extremely sympathetic to the Japanese people who died, lost their loved ones and had their entire world turned upside down.
But one student in particular said the Japanese people deserved what happened to them because of what they did to Korea. I understand why there is so much anger toward the Japanese, but I also feel that the people who deserve the anger are no longer with us and innocent people most definitely don't deserve the horrific reality of their lives right now.
I hope the people of Japan can recover and try to rebuild their lives as quickly as possible and know that the rest of the world feels for them, emphathizes with them and is sending nothing but healing and positive thoughts their way.
The Earth is angry.
We felt nothing during the Japanese earthquake and we were completely unaffected by the tsunami, however I was anxiously on the phone with my sister and one of my best friends, who both live in Hawaii. I feel pretty damn lucky that I'm pretty well-protected in the peninsula of Korea. And I'm so thankful my sister and my friend and her family were completely unscathed.
I had been planning a trip to Japan just a few days earlier. I had almost booked a ferry to Fukuoka. Aftershocks and fear of radiation poisoning are ongoing and I'm not sure when Japan, if ever, will be back to its' pre-earthquake and tsunami glory days.
One of my co-workers had just returned from taking her GRE in Tokyo within days of the earthquake.
People are still missing and thousands upon thousands have perished from this horrendous natural disaster. It really makes me wonder what's next?
There was some interesting commentary from my students, as well. Most were extremely sympathetic to the Japanese people who died, lost their loved ones and had their entire world turned upside down.
But one student in particular said the Japanese people deserved what happened to them because of what they did to Korea. I understand why there is so much anger toward the Japanese, but I also feel that the people who deserve the anger are no longer with us and innocent people most definitely don't deserve the horrific reality of their lives right now.
I hope the people of Japan can recover and try to rebuild their lives as quickly as possible and know that the rest of the world feels for them, emphathizes with them and is sending nothing but healing and positive thoughts their way.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
I'm Not Fat, I'm Just Big Boned!
Sometimes this place does wonders for my ego and sometimes it makes me feel like dirt. One of my students told me that my face was looking thinner. He then told me that I should stay in Korea because then I "would get thin and stay thin."
Thanks, buddy.
I told him that I actually eat much better at home in the States than I do in Korea. My eating habits are pretty atrocious in Korea. I do eat Korean food quite a bit, but not as much as I should. I tend to eat a hell of a lot more salads at home and salads aren't really commonly found in Korea.
My students are convinced that all Americans are obese. Telling them this is not the case falls on deaf ears. Granted, there is a huge percentage of over-weight people in the U.S. and other Western countries, but not everyone lives an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle.
I often hear, "Oh! Beautiful! Eyes so big!" It's nice to hear the word "beautiful" come out of Koreans mouths when they see me. However, I'm getting quite a complex in this country. I appreciate the kind words, but the "You're too big" comments I really feel could be kept to a minimum. I guess it goes both ways.
Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive and need to just deal with the cultural differences in a more "take it with a grain of salt" manner. I've been here for about a year and a half. I need to just deal with the fact that I'm made larger than Koreans and there's nothing I can do about it.
Perhaps it's time to just accept my "big" body and move on. But that is so much easier said than done, especially when I easily weigh more and am taller than the vast majority of the MEN. At least the light hair and green eyes are a commodity here.
Friday, March 4, 2011
What's Black, White & Silver?
Cars in Korea only come in three colors: white, black and silver. Everywhere I look, there are only white, black and silver cars. I have no idea how Koreans identify their vehicles at car parks and on the street. It kinda blows my mind a little.
Once in a blue moon I will see a red or blue car, but these experiences are very few and far between. I asked my students about this phenomenon. They said Koreans, as a whole, are very modest and don't really like to draw attention to themselves. They think of themselves as one unit, rather than individuals and their vehicles reflect that idea.
My students told me there used to be a law that members of the military were only allowed to purchase Korean-made vehicles, so as to foster country pride and solidarity. That makes sense, but I still feel like a person should have a choice if they're spending their own money.
They also told me they were absolutely forbidden from owning red cars because, statistically speaking, red cars were more dangerous, according to the Korean government. The military didn't want to deal with any of their soldiers getting into accidents. These rules don't apply anymore, but it's still an unspoken rule that it's best to purchase a vehicle from a Korean brand.
I suppose these reasons make sense once one begins to start thinking like a Korean, but still, how does one find their car after a day of shopping???
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
I Only Have Eyes For You... and You and You and You....
One of my students, ToTo, is a very sensitive soul. He's constantly talking about all the loves and near-loves in his life. Every story he tells somehow either centers around a woman or his quest for women. He's also very emotional. He's never broken down into tears, but one can see that he clearly feels things very deeply.
He once told a story about a woman he dated, whom he loved very much and wanted to marry but his mother didn't approve. Every time it rains, he says, he thinks of this woman.
ToTo has had many loves in his life and he speaks very highly of all his experiences. He was once very popular with the ladies, he said. He has an attractive face, he says, and his smile is magnetic. One woman told him once not to smile at her "because she wouldn't be able to control herself." ToTo also says his crow's feet are also quite captivating. ToTo certainly doesn't lack self-confidence and modesty isn't his strong point, but he's highly entertaining.
Meanwhile, when ToTo is relaying another one of his stories centered around the women in his life, another student, Zealot, whips out his smart phone and manages to find some music to play in the background as a soundtrack for ToTo's stories. While ToTo is near tears about the woman he met for mere seconds at E-Mart, Zealot's smart phone is emitting a love ballad or some sappy elevator music. It sends the rest of us into fits of laughter, but poor ToTo doesn't always find the humor in it.
Needless to say, my students and my classes never allow for a dull moment.
He once told a story about a woman he dated, whom he loved very much and wanted to marry but his mother didn't approve. Every time it rains, he says, he thinks of this woman.
ToTo has had many loves in his life and he speaks very highly of all his experiences. He was once very popular with the ladies, he said. He has an attractive face, he says, and his smile is magnetic. One woman told him once not to smile at her "because she wouldn't be able to control herself." ToTo also says his crow's feet are also quite captivating. ToTo certainly doesn't lack self-confidence and modesty isn't his strong point, but he's highly entertaining.
Meanwhile, when ToTo is relaying another one of his stories centered around the women in his life, another student, Zealot, whips out his smart phone and manages to find some music to play in the background as a soundtrack for ToTo's stories. While ToTo is near tears about the woman he met for mere seconds at E-Mart, Zealot's smart phone is emitting a love ballad or some sappy elevator music. It sends the rest of us into fits of laughter, but poor ToTo doesn't always find the humor in it.
Needless to say, my students and my classes never allow for a dull moment.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Happiness
My life kicks ass.
And I couldn't be happier doing what I'm doing and living where I'm living. Life is good. I'm living a life others have only absently dreamed about and I couldn't be more pleased with the decisions I've made to get me here.
And I couldn't be happier doing what I'm doing and living where I'm living. Life is good. I'm living a life others have only absently dreamed about and I couldn't be more pleased with the decisions I've made to get me here.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Don't Go Changin'!
Plastic surgery is very prevalent in South Korea. The Korean culture holds appearances in very high regard and, consequently, many people alter their looks to achieve what they deem as a more attractive look. Looks are extremely important to the Korean people and getting a job often is dependent upon your appearance. Koreans are extremely image-conscious and image truly is everything here.
The most popular form of plastic surgery in South Korea is blepharoplasty, double-eyelid surgery. I'd never even heard of this form of plastic surgery until I came here. Many Koreans have had the procedure performed and many have also had a rhinoplasty, or nose job. They seek a taller, thinner nose and more "Western"-looking eyes.
From the research I've done, over 75 percent of Koreans, both men and women, have had at least one cosmetic surgery procedure done. That pretty much blows my mind.
One of my adult students last year told me that many Koreans equate Western people to power and money, so Koreans then want to emulate that "ideal", thinking it's powerful. She told me that many Koreans change the appearance of their faces to more closely match the European face, with double eyelids, paler skin and higher, thinner noses.
This concept is so strange to me considering most of the people I know think Asians are absolutely stunning, myself included.
Also, many Koreans use pricey, magical facial creams and potions that bleach their skin to make it lighter. Those that can afford it will also have their skin chemically treated to become lighter. One of my male Korean friends had one of those creams and one of my Western friends put it on her face thinking it was regular moisturizer until her skin started burning. She asked my friend what it was and he said it was a bleaching cream. She ran to the sink to wash her face off. The poor girl would have had a translucent face.
In the days of royalty and peasants in Korea, the royalty always had pale skin because they never spent any time outside working. However, the peasant farmers had very dark, tanned skin. Therefore the rich were pale and the poor were dark. Couple that with the idea of pale European-descendants seen as rich and powerful and the population of Korea works their hardest to make their skin as pale as possible.
I've also heard reports from some of my former students that some mothers begin encouraging their middle-school aged children to get plastic surgery and surgical procedures are given as gifts. I find that incredibly disturbing.
Unfortunately the U.S. has an incredibly high number of people that have had cosmetic surgeries also, but it just seems that 75 percent is a ridiculously high number of the population. According to my calculations, about 38 percent of Americans have had a cosmetic surgery procedure. I actually thought it would be a higher number.
The most disturbing report came from one of my former female students. She told me that women at some of the universities in Seoul had sold their organs to buy Chanel, Louis Vuitton, etc. purses and clothing. I certainly can't verify it, but when I asked some other friends about it they said they weren't in the least bit surprised.
Ummm, really?! Cutting up your body so you can buy a bag that will be out of fashion in a matter of months? I just think there's something disturbingly grotesque about that.
**** Even more disturbing: in the photo, the Korean woman is lying on American money, not even Korean Won. ****
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Dirty Pooh
I was chatting with some of my students the other day before the start of class and somehow the subject of Winnie the Pooh came up. I can't explain it, random subjects come up like that all the time.
One of the students said, "We think Pooh is dirty."
"You think Winnie the Pooh is dirty," I asked racking my brain for why on Earth they would think a cartoon character beloved by decades of children would be dirty. "Why?"
Their answer: "Because he doesn't wear pants," they said oh-so-seriously.
I threw my head back in a loud guffaw. They all looked at me quizzically unable to figure out what was so funny. I just left it at that and chocked it up to cultural differences.
One of the students said, "We think Pooh is dirty."
"You think Winnie the Pooh is dirty," I asked racking my brain for why on Earth they would think a cartoon character beloved by decades of children would be dirty. "Why?"
Their answer: "Because he doesn't wear pants," they said oh-so-seriously.
I threw my head back in a loud guffaw. They all looked at me quizzically unable to figure out what was so funny. I just left it at that and chocked it up to cultural differences.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Ajumma Yoga
I've been doing yoga off and on for a few years by myself, but I've never taken a proper class. A couple of my friends invited me to join them at a yoga class nearby. I was really looking forward to actually being part of a class and having a more consistent yoga schedule.
We had to walk about a half-hour to the class from base and when we got there ajummas were in our midst. I have a love/hate relationship with ajummas.
Technically "ajumma" means married woman, so that could encompass women anywhere between the ages of 18 to 120, but when I refer to an ajumma I speak of the crotchety, haggard old women that give me the stink-eye when I wear a tanktop to the gym, ask if I'm Russian or elbow me out of the way to get in front of the bus ticket window (even though I'm CLEARLY first in line).
Some ajummas can be quite pleasant though. They flash me a toothless grin when I bow and say, "Annyonghaseyo" on the street, give me a gul (tangerine) if they have an extra or pat my leg on a long bus ride and ask if I'm cold. At least I think that's what she said...
I wasn't sure how us meegooks would be received at the yoga class. But it was just good fun!
There were about 14 ajummas and 2 ajoshies (old men, but technically means "uncle") and all of them were dressed in whatever they wore that day. The ajoshies were wearing suits. Considering that Koreans wear special gym outfits and special hiking outfits I thought for sure there would be a special yoga outfit. Perhaps "day-wear" is the "yoga-wear" in Korea.
The class started simple enough. The instructor was obviously speaking in Korean so I made sure to watch the ajumaa next to me to figure out the cues for what I needed to do. I could hear giggles in the back row when poses were difficult and my friends and I snickered at each other when we weren't quite as flexible as we needed to be to get the poses correctly. At least everyone appeared to have a good sense of humor.
Soon enough it was dance time! I had no idea yoga classes consisted of dance time! The instructor cranked the K-Pop and led us on a finely choreographed routine that got the ajummas and ajoshies rockin' their hips. I could not stifle the laughter when I watched the two ajoshies in front of me attempting to swivel their hips despite their severe lack of rhythm, but the serious looks of determination and concentration on their faces made me question what they really thought their bodies were doing.
Then we got to some sort of expressive, interpretive dancing mode and I think the ajoshies thought they were trees swaying in the wind. It was kind of nice to see the usually uptight ajoshi just flowing with the music and "taaayin' in the winnn." But I still couldn't help but giggle.
We had to walk about a half-hour to the class from base and when we got there ajummas were in our midst. I have a love/hate relationship with ajummas.
Technically "ajumma" means married woman, so that could encompass women anywhere between the ages of 18 to 120, but when I refer to an ajumma I speak of the crotchety, haggard old women that give me the stink-eye when I wear a tanktop to the gym, ask if I'm Russian or elbow me out of the way to get in front of the bus ticket window (even though I'm CLEARLY first in line).
Some ajummas can be quite pleasant though. They flash me a toothless grin when I bow and say, "Annyonghaseyo" on the street, give me a gul (tangerine) if they have an extra or pat my leg on a long bus ride and ask if I'm cold. At least I think that's what she said...
I wasn't sure how us meegooks would be received at the yoga class. But it was just good fun!
There were about 14 ajummas and 2 ajoshies (old men, but technically means "uncle") and all of them were dressed in whatever they wore that day. The ajoshies were wearing suits. Considering that Koreans wear special gym outfits and special hiking outfits I thought for sure there would be a special yoga outfit. Perhaps "day-wear" is the "yoga-wear" in Korea.
The class started simple enough. The instructor was obviously speaking in Korean so I made sure to watch the ajumaa next to me to figure out the cues for what I needed to do. I could hear giggles in the back row when poses were difficult and my friends and I snickered at each other when we weren't quite as flexible as we needed to be to get the poses correctly. At least everyone appeared to have a good sense of humor.
Soon enough it was dance time! I had no idea yoga classes consisted of dance time! The instructor cranked the K-Pop and led us on a finely choreographed routine that got the ajummas and ajoshies rockin' their hips. I could not stifle the laughter when I watched the two ajoshies in front of me attempting to swivel their hips despite their severe lack of rhythm, but the serious looks of determination and concentration on their faces made me question what they really thought their bodies were doing.
Then we got to some sort of expressive, interpretive dancing mode and I think the ajoshies thought they were trees swaying in the wind. It was kind of nice to see the usually uptight ajoshi just flowing with the music and "taaayin' in the winnn." But I still couldn't help but giggle.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Korea, P.S. I love you
I'm in an extended love affair with the people of Korea.
I've experienced unbelievable levels of kindness in this country. Not being in a constant state of depression and vile hatred for another (pseudo) human being has allowed me to really see and experience this home so far away. The Korean people have shown me unbelievable and unceasing generosity and benevolence. It's a beautiful new sort of awakening.
Last year there were glimpses of this deeply needed grace bestowed upon me in many unlikely places; at the bus stop, at an outdoor food vendor, in a simple "annyonghaseyo" on the street. Perhaps it was around me more than I knew, but I was unable to get passed the fog my mind and eyes were in. It's amazing how one thing can change your perception of your entire reality.
I've had so many positive experiences with people in Korea. I've crossed some paths with truly beautiful people. While I was at the bus station, I met a young woman who was studying English at a local university and she saw that I was obviously a foreigner and she gave me a huge smile and asked where I was from. That happens frequently, people will approach me to strike up a conversation to practice their English. She was so sweet and asked me many questions about myself and what I was doing in Korea and what I thought of my experience so far. She apologized for her poor English skills. I told her her English was fantastic and to not get discouraged.
She was waiting for a bus to Seoul and the bus had arrived, but I still had about 30 more minutes before my bus arrived. I had noticed that she had made a stop at the vending machine before she came over to talk to me. As she was getting on her bus she handed me a can of aloe juice. I'm almost positive that wasn't originally meant for me, but she insisted I take it. I felt bad about taking her bus-time drink, but she was adament about giving me a gift as a thank you for talking to her and being patient with her English skills. I thanked her and she turned back from the bus steps, gave me a wave and smile goodbye.
While I was waiting for another bus to some other random location one of the bus drivers had some time between his routes and he decided to chat with me. He asked the standard questions: Where are you from? How long have you been here? What do you do? Do you like Korea? And he bought me some tea and sat with me while I waited for my bus. Then when my bus did finally arrive he talked to the bus driver and both bus drivers put my luggage in the storage area under the bus for me and made sure I got to my correct seat on the bus. Then the man waved goodbye and wished me a safe journey.
I don't think South Korea is the only place where there are kind people willing to help others, but I'm convinced there is a concentration of kind people in this country. I have stories of being elbowed by ajummas, but despite all the crappy things I've seen and experienced here, it still blows me away that there is so much kindness here, too.
I get constant invitations for dinners, lunches and rides to various places. If I need help with anything, I know help is just a phonecall away. It's like everyone (well, not everyone) is a freaking ambassador for the country. It's insane.
I feel blessed to cross paths with so many beautiful people and I'm so lucky to still be here.
I've experienced unbelievable levels of kindness in this country. Not being in a constant state of depression and vile hatred for another (pseudo) human being has allowed me to really see and experience this home so far away. The Korean people have shown me unbelievable and unceasing generosity and benevolence. It's a beautiful new sort of awakening.
Last year there were glimpses of this deeply needed grace bestowed upon me in many unlikely places; at the bus stop, at an outdoor food vendor, in a simple "annyonghaseyo" on the street. Perhaps it was around me more than I knew, but I was unable to get passed the fog my mind and eyes were in. It's amazing how one thing can change your perception of your entire reality.
I've had so many positive experiences with people in Korea. I've crossed some paths with truly beautiful people. While I was at the bus station, I met a young woman who was studying English at a local university and she saw that I was obviously a foreigner and she gave me a huge smile and asked where I was from. That happens frequently, people will approach me to strike up a conversation to practice their English. She was so sweet and asked me many questions about myself and what I was doing in Korea and what I thought of my experience so far. She apologized for her poor English skills. I told her her English was fantastic and to not get discouraged.
She was waiting for a bus to Seoul and the bus had arrived, but I still had about 30 more minutes before my bus arrived. I had noticed that she had made a stop at the vending machine before she came over to talk to me. As she was getting on her bus she handed me a can of aloe juice. I'm almost positive that wasn't originally meant for me, but she insisted I take it. I felt bad about taking her bus-time drink, but she was adament about giving me a gift as a thank you for talking to her and being patient with her English skills. I thanked her and she turned back from the bus steps, gave me a wave and smile goodbye.
While I was waiting for another bus to some other random location one of the bus drivers had some time between his routes and he decided to chat with me. He asked the standard questions: Where are you from? How long have you been here? What do you do? Do you like Korea? And he bought me some tea and sat with me while I waited for my bus. Then when my bus did finally arrive he talked to the bus driver and both bus drivers put my luggage in the storage area under the bus for me and made sure I got to my correct seat on the bus. Then the man waved goodbye and wished me a safe journey.
I don't think South Korea is the only place where there are kind people willing to help others, but I'm convinced there is a concentration of kind people in this country. I have stories of being elbowed by ajummas, but despite all the crappy things I've seen and experienced here, it still blows me away that there is so much kindness here, too.
I get constant invitations for dinners, lunches and rides to various places. If I need help with anything, I know help is just a phonecall away. It's like everyone (well, not everyone) is a freaking ambassador for the country. It's insane.
I feel blessed to cross paths with so many beautiful people and I'm so lucky to still be here.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Ahhhhhhh, it's the start of a new year, a new beginning! Happy 2011, everyone!
I'm very much looking forward to this fresh, shiny, new year. It's going to be fabulous!!
Last year was a little bumpy, a wee bit rough. I think it was that way for many people though.
This year is the year of the rabbit. Those born in the year of the rabbit are said to be creative, compassionate and sensitive. Rabbits are friendly, outgoing and prefer the company of others. Although I was not born in the year of the rabbit, I was born in the year of the rooster, I'm hoping to possess some of the rabbit's qualities in the coming year.
I'm ready for all that 2011 will bring me and I hope to walk through this next year with a clarity of mind and an openness that will allow me to learn much and gather all the knowledge and experience I can from the Korean culture and people I cross paths with.
I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish during my stay in Korea. Although I didn't quite check off the entire list by the end of my first year, I'm hoping to figure a few more things out by the end of my stay here in the Land of the Morning Calm.
I'm looking forward to what 2011 has in store for me and those I'm lucky to have in my life.
Happy New Year!
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