I'm sorry I haven't addressed this until now and I hope you weren't too worried about me. I guess I'm still forming my opinions and trying to decide how I feel about everything.
First, please know that I am fine. As I am still single and the master of my own destiny, my first priority in Korea is ME. Please know that I will always act in such a way as to ensure my personal safety and well being. For the time being, I feel like it is of no personal risk to stay here and go on with life as normal.
With that being said, I know there is a lot about the tension on the Korean peninsula in the news at home. While it is true that this is the first actual fire exchange since the armistice happened, it is not the first time North Korea has acted in a threatening manner toward South Korea. Maybe living in a country that has technically been at war for over 50 years with North Korea has jaded South Koreans, but everyone I have interacted with in the days following the attack has assured me that there is nothing to worry about. Both countries have so much to lose if they were to enter a war with each other, so it really isn't in their best interests to start anything.
Today at the Thanksgiving gathering I attended (which was SO great...more on that in the next post!), I overheard a conversation about the current situation between two of the older men in the group. One of them said he has a friend in the Army here that told him that if North Korea tried anything in the way of waging war, the U.S. Army has missiles pointed at North Korea that they would not hesitate to use. So, if something were to happen, it would be short and sweet, according to Todd's Army pal.
Friday was the last day of school for one of the exchange students from the Philippines because her parents were so nervous about what is going on here that they decided to send her home much earlier than originally planned. As she was saying goodbye to all of the teachers, Hyunjoo was trying to convince her to stay. The teachers all found it a bit foolish that her parents were making her leave so suddenly because they think a bigger deal is being made out of this than is necessary.
Last night, I registered myself with the U.S. State Department so if anything goes awry here, I will be contacted via e-mail and cell phone that I need to evacuate the country. I also listed my parents as emergency contacts, so they will be notified if something should happen to me. Until any such warning happens, I am staying put. I really believe that my school has my best interest at heart. They will not keep me here if it becomes too dangerous.
So, to make a long story longer, you shouldn't be worried about me. I know you're seeing a lot on the news, but, from what I can tell based on some of the stories I've read and videos I've watched, things are being a bit exaggerated and the situation here, while perhaps tense among people holding different political beliefs, is truly business as usual for most people.
I appreciate your thoughts, concern and correspondence and I apologize if my failure to post anything about this situation had you worried in the least. I'm continuing to do well and enjoy my time here and I don't foresee that changing in the near future.
Love from Korea!
11.28.2010
11.25.2010
Just Another Thursday....
If I had been in America today, I would likely be in Texas with my parents, aunt, uncles and cousin preparing a feast and enjoying the company. But, since I'm in Korea, today was just another day.
I tried to explain what we eat for Thanksgiving during Morning English. After a perplexed expression on Chan Yang's face when I described a traditional Thanksgiving menu, I resorted to calling a turkey a very large chicken, and stuffing soggy-ish baked bread and other spices, traditionally cooked inside the turkey. I'm pretty sure I didn't leave their mouths watering...
Today was the Vice Principal's birthday, so there were two cakes on which to munch during the day and many random song sessions. He is such a jolly man with a smile often planted from ear to ear (except when he studies English in my class, when his face is very determined). One of the other teachers took this opportunity to snap several pictures, including one of the Vice Principal, her and me holding up the requisite peace signs. I hope she e-mails it to me...it's a classic! As I was leaving school, I had the following exchange:
Vice Principal: Good job today! (in reference to interviews, which are touched upon later in this post)
Noelle: Thanks! Happy Birthday, again. Do you have any big plans for tonight?
Vice Principal: No big plan. Small plan.
(holds up thumb and index finger to indicate a small size - and giggles)
During lunch, a gospel band who played at the academic high school's chapel service joined us. They were from a nearby arts university and I heard their show was AWESOME. One brave soul, a very cute boy adorned in khakis and a bow tie, sat by all of the foreign teachers. He reveled in the chance to show off his English skills. He even sang us some Jason Mraz. He was quite a character and he really livened up an already delightful lunch crew.
I gave the same exam all day long and by the end of the day, I had grown tired of the pictures I had selected for the exam. I am so glad I finished testing the first years today so that I only have one exam (for second years) left tomorrow. For the last class of the day, who I tested yesterday, I prepared a culture lesson. I taught them how to do four very American line dances - the Cupid Shuffle, the Cha Cha Slide, the Macarena, and the Electric Slide. I am so upset with myself for not having my camera with me. The girls were soooo cute and funny as they perfected their line dancing skills. I thought maybe they would think the lesson was lame, but they kept asking for more. I love it when a lesson goes like that.
After school, Dionne and I interviewed two students who are applying to study abroad in Australia next year. Both students were excellent candidates and it was fun to hear them talk about their strengths and what they hope to glean from their experience. We have some determined young women in our school and it is refreshing to listen to their ideas, hopes and plans for the future.
As Thanksgiving Day nears its end in Korean time, and I eat my dinner of sauteed tofu in mustard sauce and seaweed wrapped rice, I am taking time to reflect on the many things for which I am thankful, including but not limited to:
This short list doesn't begin to represent everything for which I am thankful, but I hit the biggies, so I feel it's sufficient. Here's hoping that your Thanksgiving is full of cherished moments and memories, good food, good company,and the start to a wonderful holiday season. I miss you all and think of you often!
I tried to explain what we eat for Thanksgiving during Morning English. After a perplexed expression on Chan Yang's face when I described a traditional Thanksgiving menu, I resorted to calling a turkey a very large chicken, and stuffing soggy-ish baked bread and other spices, traditionally cooked inside the turkey. I'm pretty sure I didn't leave their mouths watering...
Today was the Vice Principal's birthday, so there were two cakes on which to munch during the day and many random song sessions. He is such a jolly man with a smile often planted from ear to ear (except when he studies English in my class, when his face is very determined). One of the other teachers took this opportunity to snap several pictures, including one of the Vice Principal, her and me holding up the requisite peace signs. I hope she e-mails it to me...it's a classic! As I was leaving school, I had the following exchange:
Vice Principal: Good job today! (in reference to interviews, which are touched upon later in this post)
Noelle: Thanks! Happy Birthday, again. Do you have any big plans for tonight?
Vice Principal: No big plan. Small plan.
(holds up thumb and index finger to indicate a small size - and giggles)
During lunch, a gospel band who played at the academic high school's chapel service joined us. They were from a nearby arts university and I heard their show was AWESOME. One brave soul, a very cute boy adorned in khakis and a bow tie, sat by all of the foreign teachers. He reveled in the chance to show off his English skills. He even sang us some Jason Mraz. He was quite a character and he really livened up an already delightful lunch crew.
I gave the same exam all day long and by the end of the day, I had grown tired of the pictures I had selected for the exam. I am so glad I finished testing the first years today so that I only have one exam (for second years) left tomorrow. For the last class of the day, who I tested yesterday, I prepared a culture lesson. I taught them how to do four very American line dances - the Cupid Shuffle, the Cha Cha Slide, the Macarena, and the Electric Slide. I am so upset with myself for not having my camera with me. The girls were soooo cute and funny as they perfected their line dancing skills. I thought maybe they would think the lesson was lame, but they kept asking for more. I love it when a lesson goes like that.
After school, Dionne and I interviewed two students who are applying to study abroad in Australia next year. Both students were excellent candidates and it was fun to hear them talk about their strengths and what they hope to glean from their experience. We have some determined young women in our school and it is refreshing to listen to their ideas, hopes and plans for the future.
As Thanksgiving Day nears its end in Korean time, and I eat my dinner of sauteed tofu in mustard sauce and seaweed wrapped rice, I am taking time to reflect on the many things for which I am thankful, including but not limited to:
- an amazing family, both nuclear and extended - being this far away is hard, but weekly skype dates, heartwarming snail mail and e-mail updates make it feel like the distance is much smaller. Your continued interest and support in this Korean adventure means the world to me and not a day passes that I don't remind myself of how lucky I am to have you all cheering me on, stateside.
- loyal friends - being away from all of you is also real tough, but, like my family, you've been far more diligent about keeping in touch that I could have hoped for in my wildest dreams. Random pieces of mail, e-mails, and FB communications serve as a reminder of how lucky I am to have surrounded myself with some of the best friends a gal could ask for.
- a great school / job environment - accepting a job halfway around the world with little to no information about what's awaiting you is scary, but I think it's safe to say that I've hit the jackpot. I couldn't ask for a better teaching environment, better students (I only have two consistent problems out of 277 students - pretty sweet odds!), and great fellow teachers. Literally, the only frustrations I have are a result of cultural differences, which would be present at any and all schools, and the frustrations are so minute that they don't even count...
- the wonderful people I have met thus far - I have been quite fortunate to find great people with whom to spend time. I think they are a huge reason for my continued comfort and ease in being here.
- a clear head - since my arrival in Korea, many things have come to make very clear sense to me. Thanks to extensive soul searching, I have come closer to figuring out who I am. Though it's a lifelong process, it's nice to have an idea who I am and feel good about it. Clear thinking can be such a relief.
- technology - whether it's skype, my ipod, cell phone, computer, internet, public transportation, or ATM machines, the comfort I experience on a daily basis is directly related to modern technology. I hate to think that I am dependent on technologies to be comfortable, or even function, but without these simple machines and applications, being here would be much more of a trial than it is.
This short list doesn't begin to represent everything for which I am thankful, but I hit the biggies, so I feel it's sufficient. Here's hoping that your Thanksgiving is full of cherished moments and memories, good food, good company,and the start to a wonderful holiday season. I miss you all and think of you often!
11.23.2010
Teacher Appreciation Dinner
Dinner was crazy, but not in the way I expected...
First, we all loaded up in a bus. Yes, a bus. Driven by the restaurant's proprietor. We drove for probably 10 or 15 minutes in a direction I have never ventured. We ended our journey in the middle of nowhere. Traditional countryside type stuff.
We walked into a small cement room with six stone tables and plastic patio chairs. Each table was set with three sets of five different side dishes and three baskets of lettuce wraps. The tables also had two green bottles, which I thought were soju, but turned out to be cider. which is the general name Koreans use for 7-UP / Sprite / lemon lime soda. In the middle of each table was a stone cook top and under each table was a wood burning fire. Table by table, the couple who ran the restaurant brought out platters of duck, potato, and white and green onion, which got thrown onto the cook top. Three different times, the man smothered our food with more and more green onions. Since Dionne is a vegetarian, they cooked a special meal for her as well, which she shared with those of us who sat at her table. They brought her a potato pancake, special acorn jelly dressed with carrots, seaweed and a vinaigrette dressing and a bowl of very spicy kimchi and tofu soup. We all ate together, talking amongst ourselves. I wish I would have had my camera with me to capture the environment. Everyone was happily talking and eating with one another. Dining in Korea, especially with other Koreans is a jolly affair, to say the least. At one point, the other four teachers at our table had to leave for some reason, so we moved to another table. By that time, it was time for the rice. The ajumma doing the cooking slung a bunch of rice and other vegetables (mostly seaweed and green onion from what I could taste) onto the cook top to cook in the duck fat. It was literally the best fried rice I have ever tasted. The girls at the table were so glad to see that I was enjoying the food and kept encouraging me to eat more and more. So, I did.
The principal, who was at the next table, was having an passionate discussion with the rest of her table about being the opposite of a vegetarian. She leaned over and asked me:
Principal: Noelle Teacher. What is opposite vegetarian?
Noelle: Hmm... Probably carnivore. But, that means they only eat meat. Like a dinosaur.
(My whole table laughs...presumably over the dinosaur example, but I'm still not sure.)
Noelle: If you're talking about you, you'd say omnivore because you eat plants and meat.
Principal: Omnivore. Thank you very much Noelle Teacher.
(Not two minutes later)
Principal: Noelle Teacher. What you call me?
Noelle: Omnivore.
Principal: How you spell?
Noelle: o-m-n-i-v-o-r-e
Principal: Ah. Thank you very much.
She turns to her table and says, in English, "I om-ni-vore. O-M-N-I-V-ORE
(Whole table laughs)
Next, the restaurateurs brought out a small basket with several little shriveled fruits. I warily took one because they looked a little rotten and no one at the table had ever had one before. They turned out to taste exactly like kiwis, only much smaller - like bite size. Interesting and so tasty.
Then, when we were all done eating, we hopped back on the bus and the restaurant's owner drove us back to school. Delightful, delightful (and free!) meal! A night well spent, I'd say.
First, we all loaded up in a bus. Yes, a bus. Driven by the restaurant's proprietor. We drove for probably 10 or 15 minutes in a direction I have never ventured. We ended our journey in the middle of nowhere. Traditional countryside type stuff.
We walked into a small cement room with six stone tables and plastic patio chairs. Each table was set with three sets of five different side dishes and three baskets of lettuce wraps. The tables also had two green bottles, which I thought were soju, but turned out to be cider. which is the general name Koreans use for 7-UP / Sprite / lemon lime soda. In the middle of each table was a stone cook top and under each table was a wood burning fire. Table by table, the couple who ran the restaurant brought out platters of duck, potato, and white and green onion, which got thrown onto the cook top. Three different times, the man smothered our food with more and more green onions. Since Dionne is a vegetarian, they cooked a special meal for her as well, which she shared with those of us who sat at her table. They brought her a potato pancake, special acorn jelly dressed with carrots, seaweed and a vinaigrette dressing and a bowl of very spicy kimchi and tofu soup. We all ate together, talking amongst ourselves. I wish I would have had my camera with me to capture the environment. Everyone was happily talking and eating with one another. Dining in Korea, especially with other Koreans is a jolly affair, to say the least. At one point, the other four teachers at our table had to leave for some reason, so we moved to another table. By that time, it was time for the rice. The ajumma doing the cooking slung a bunch of rice and other vegetables (mostly seaweed and green onion from what I could taste) onto the cook top to cook in the duck fat. It was literally the best fried rice I have ever tasted. The girls at the table were so glad to see that I was enjoying the food and kept encouraging me to eat more and more. So, I did.
The principal, who was at the next table, was having an passionate discussion with the rest of her table about being the opposite of a vegetarian. She leaned over and asked me:
Principal: Noelle Teacher. What is opposite vegetarian?
Noelle: Hmm... Probably carnivore. But, that means they only eat meat. Like a dinosaur.
(My whole table laughs...presumably over the dinosaur example, but I'm still not sure.)
Noelle: If you're talking about you, you'd say omnivore because you eat plants and meat.
Principal: Omnivore. Thank you very much Noelle Teacher.
(Not two minutes later)
Principal: Noelle Teacher. What you call me?
Noelle: Omnivore.
Principal: How you spell?
Noelle: o-m-n-i-v-o-r-e
Principal: Ah. Thank you very much.
She turns to her table and says, in English, "I om-ni-vore. O-M-N-I-V-ORE
(Whole table laughs)
Next, the restaurateurs brought out a small basket with several little shriveled fruits. I warily took one because they looked a little rotten and no one at the table had ever had one before. They turned out to taste exactly like kiwis, only much smaller - like bite size. Interesting and so tasty.
Then, when we were all done eating, we hopped back on the bus and the restaurant's owner drove us back to school. Delightful, delightful (and free!) meal! A night well spent, I'd say.
Lazy Days
Because Thursday felt like a Saturday, it was a little strange to have two days off following an easy Friday. Diane and I opted to meet in Insadong, a neighborhood filled with traditional tea shops and souvenirs. There are also a lot of art galleries in the area, not to mention some real good food :) We'd been to the area before (on the day of the crazy fireworks festival) but hadn't done much exploring off the beaten path. That was our goal for the day, and we accomplished it to some extent.
We ended up eating in the same restaurant that we had discovered last time, but vowed to order different food. So, we did, if by different, you mean the same type of food, but slightly different ingredients. We know what we like, I guess. We found ourselves eating kimchi and laver (seaweed) pancake and spicy shellfish/seafood dok buki. Both were amazing as well as the accompanying side dishes of kimchi, and cold glass noodles. There were a couple of other side dishes that we opted to skip out on (the only one I remember was pea pods surrounded by anchovies - I ate one pea pod to just make sure I wouldn't like the accompanying anchovy taste).
After a successful round of Christmas shopping, we found ourselves ready for some tea. We wandered into a basement cafe to find that the place was literally empty. We couldn't really walk in and leave when the proprietors had seen and welcomed us to their place, so we reluctantly sat down on the sofas that served as booths. The place was cute enough and very comfortable, but we tend to stray away from places that have no one else in them. And, since it was in a basement, the place smelled real musty. We decided to make the most of the experience and ordered our drinks. I ordered cherry tea, thinking it would be a nice herbal tea with a mild flavor. What arrived minutes later was literally hot kool-aid. No joke. But, it tasted good enough so I drank it as Diane and I tried to play Jenga. The cafe had a stash of board games and Jenga seemed to be the best choice among them, however many of blocks were not willing to budge, which made for a lackluster game. All in all, the place and experience was pretty funny, but I think you had to be there to fully appreciate it :)
After more wandering around, we happened upon a small group of shops that resembled a mall, but made up of small boutiques instead of chain stores. In the middle of the venue, there was a large gathering of people. After observing for a few moments, Diane and I realized that a popular paste company (they make pepper paste, soybean paste, fermented bean paste, etc. all of which are heavily used to flavor Korean cuisine) was giving away free tubs of soybean paste. People waited in line for their free tub for an extensive amount of time and I'm pretty sure Diane and I spent just as much time watching them from the floors above. We love people watching and this event provided some quality material.
We've seen several groups offering Free Hugs in many of the touristy areas and Saturday in Insadong was no exception. We saw two group of Free Huggers holding their signs in hopes of spreading warm fuzzies. I love the statement Free Hugs make and often try to take artsy-ish pictures of them. As we were walking through the streets, we saw a group of Free Huggers. A couple of British guys walking behind us also saw the Free Huggers and we overheard the following conversation from which we both got a good chuckle:
(Imagine, if you will, their British accents, which made it even funnier)
Guy 1: What is the point of them giving free hugs anyway?
Guy 2: They're trying to spread goodwill or something.
Guy 1: It sounds more like a chance at a free grope if you ask me.
We figured that we had seen all we wanted of Insadong so we headed to the nearby neighborhood of Myeong Dong (it was time, since we hadn't been there for a whole two weeks!) to scout out some dinner. We both agreed that we need to start exploring different neighborhoods than the ones in our comfort zone, but we were so close and we knew we would find some really good food. We were right. We ended up eating in a restaurant called School Food which serves the same types of food as school lunches, but with much better flavors. We ordered cheese ramen, bulgogi mari (basically, beef kimbap) and mandu. When our food arrived minutes later (service here is lightning fast!), I literally started giggling like a school girl at the sight of the ramen. It was a bowl of ramen in the usual red soup, and the cheese component of the cheese ramen was literally what appeared to be a Kraft single floating on top. It looked a little sad, but as we dug in, we didn't regret our ordering decision one bit. Somehow, the flavors combined to taste exactly like nacho cheese. YUM. While we enjoyed our meal, we also enjoyed the musical stylings of the hostess's itunes mix. She played a bunch of popular American songs to which Diane and I sang along to every song with great gusto as we enjoyed our school food. We made sure to tell her how much we loved her music selections as we paid for our meal.
Sunday was a lazy, lazy day, just the way I like it. Nothing special to report, other than skyping with the folks and one of my best pals, Ruth. Both were enjoyable experiences.
Yesterday was such an easy day... I'm not really clear on the details, but the third year students spend the mornings this week preparing for another test of some sort and then have the afternoons off, so no third year classes this week. So, I taught one class yesterday, in which I gave an exam, and had to the rest of the day to work at my desk. I finished another TEFL lesson and got in some quality Facebook time.
Today I didn't teach any classes because the first and second year students had a mock SAT test. I've gotten a lot done today - another TEFL lesson, writing the first years' test, prepping for all of the tests, planning part of winter camp (ten lessons right in the middle of winter vacation for the incoming first year students) and planning the teacher's class tomorrow. I also made an awesome mix on itunes of my favorite 100 songs from movie soundtracks. Like I said, real productive :)
Tonight there is a teacher's dinner for the whole staff at some restaurant in town. I've been told the menu involves duck, which I've also been told is very healthy, just like everything else Koreans eat. I love that everything they eat has a specific health purpose and that they are not shy about telling you what each food does for your body. I'm sure funny stories will ensue because of the combination of their colorful personalities and copious amounts of adult beverages. Raucous laughter can be heard routinely from the office at any point throughout the school day, so I can only imagine what happens over a free dinner. Stay tuned for the hilarity.
While you all celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, I'll be testing first year students over contractions, comparisons and synonyms, antonyms and homonyms. Then, after school I'm interviewing about eight students to help select who among them gets to study abroad in Australia. I'm excited to talk to them about what they hope to glean from such an experience. I admire them for having the courage to study abroad at such a young age. This school offers its students some really cool opportunities! Then, on Saturday, I'll spend the day at a Thanksgiving gathering at Dionne's apartment with her family and several of their friends from church, complete with all of the traditional Thanksgiving fare. This will be the first turkey I've eaten in almost four years, so that will be a little different :)
We ended up eating in the same restaurant that we had discovered last time, but vowed to order different food. So, we did, if by different, you mean the same type of food, but slightly different ingredients. We know what we like, I guess. We found ourselves eating kimchi and laver (seaweed) pancake and spicy shellfish/seafood dok buki. Both were amazing as well as the accompanying side dishes of kimchi, and cold glass noodles. There were a couple of other side dishes that we opted to skip out on (the only one I remember was pea pods surrounded by anchovies - I ate one pea pod to just make sure I wouldn't like the accompanying anchovy taste).
After a successful round of Christmas shopping, we found ourselves ready for some tea. We wandered into a basement cafe to find that the place was literally empty. We couldn't really walk in and leave when the proprietors had seen and welcomed us to their place, so we reluctantly sat down on the sofas that served as booths. The place was cute enough and very comfortable, but we tend to stray away from places that have no one else in them. And, since it was in a basement, the place smelled real musty. We decided to make the most of the experience and ordered our drinks. I ordered cherry tea, thinking it would be a nice herbal tea with a mild flavor. What arrived minutes later was literally hot kool-aid. No joke. But, it tasted good enough so I drank it as Diane and I tried to play Jenga. The cafe had a stash of board games and Jenga seemed to be the best choice among them, however many of blocks were not willing to budge, which made for a lackluster game. All in all, the place and experience was pretty funny, but I think you had to be there to fully appreciate it :)
After more wandering around, we happened upon a small group of shops that resembled a mall, but made up of small boutiques instead of chain stores. In the middle of the venue, there was a large gathering of people. After observing for a few moments, Diane and I realized that a popular paste company (they make pepper paste, soybean paste, fermented bean paste, etc. all of which are heavily used to flavor Korean cuisine) was giving away free tubs of soybean paste. People waited in line for their free tub for an extensive amount of time and I'm pretty sure Diane and I spent just as much time watching them from the floors above. We love people watching and this event provided some quality material.
We've seen several groups offering Free Hugs in many of the touristy areas and Saturday in Insadong was no exception. We saw two group of Free Huggers holding their signs in hopes of spreading warm fuzzies. I love the statement Free Hugs make and often try to take artsy-ish pictures of them. As we were walking through the streets, we saw a group of Free Huggers. A couple of British guys walking behind us also saw the Free Huggers and we overheard the following conversation from which we both got a good chuckle:
(Imagine, if you will, their British accents, which made it even funnier)
Guy 1: What is the point of them giving free hugs anyway?
Guy 2: They're trying to spread goodwill or something.
Guy 1: It sounds more like a chance at a free grope if you ask me.
We figured that we had seen all we wanted of Insadong so we headed to the nearby neighborhood of Myeong Dong (it was time, since we hadn't been there for a whole two weeks!) to scout out some dinner. We both agreed that we need to start exploring different neighborhoods than the ones in our comfort zone, but we were so close and we knew we would find some really good food. We were right. We ended up eating in a restaurant called School Food which serves the same types of food as school lunches, but with much better flavors. We ordered cheese ramen, bulgogi mari (basically, beef kimbap) and mandu. When our food arrived minutes later (service here is lightning fast!), I literally started giggling like a school girl at the sight of the ramen. It was a bowl of ramen in the usual red soup, and the cheese component of the cheese ramen was literally what appeared to be a Kraft single floating on top. It looked a little sad, but as we dug in, we didn't regret our ordering decision one bit. Somehow, the flavors combined to taste exactly like nacho cheese. YUM. While we enjoyed our meal, we also enjoyed the musical stylings of the hostess's itunes mix. She played a bunch of popular American songs to which Diane and I sang along to every song with great gusto as we enjoyed our school food. We made sure to tell her how much we loved her music selections as we paid for our meal.
Sunday was a lazy, lazy day, just the way I like it. Nothing special to report, other than skyping with the folks and one of my best pals, Ruth. Both were enjoyable experiences.
Yesterday was such an easy day... I'm not really clear on the details, but the third year students spend the mornings this week preparing for another test of some sort and then have the afternoons off, so no third year classes this week. So, I taught one class yesterday, in which I gave an exam, and had to the rest of the day to work at my desk. I finished another TEFL lesson and got in some quality Facebook time.
Today I didn't teach any classes because the first and second year students had a mock SAT test. I've gotten a lot done today - another TEFL lesson, writing the first years' test, prepping for all of the tests, planning part of winter camp (ten lessons right in the middle of winter vacation for the incoming first year students) and planning the teacher's class tomorrow. I also made an awesome mix on itunes of my favorite 100 songs from movie soundtracks. Like I said, real productive :)
Tonight there is a teacher's dinner for the whole staff at some restaurant in town. I've been told the menu involves duck, which I've also been told is very healthy, just like everything else Koreans eat. I love that everything they eat has a specific health purpose and that they are not shy about telling you what each food does for your body. I'm sure funny stories will ensue because of the combination of their colorful personalities and copious amounts of adult beverages. Raucous laughter can be heard routinely from the office at any point throughout the school day, so I can only imagine what happens over a free dinner. Stay tuned for the hilarity.
While you all celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, I'll be testing first year students over contractions, comparisons and synonyms, antonyms and homonyms. Then, after school I'm interviewing about eight students to help select who among them gets to study abroad in Australia. I'm excited to talk to them about what they hope to glean from such an experience. I admire them for having the courage to study abroad at such a young age. This school offers its students some really cool opportunities! Then, on Saturday, I'll spend the day at a Thanksgiving gathering at Dionne's apartment with her family and several of their friends from church, complete with all of the traditional Thanksgiving fare. This will be the first turkey I've eaten in almost four years, so that will be a little different :)
11.21.2010
Bongeunsa Temple
As I've written before, Thursday was the day that all Korean third year high school students take their university entrance exams. This means the culmination of years (literally) of studying and one of the most stressful days of their life. For me, it meant a nice day off spent with Diane in Seoul.
We have come to joke that the Lonely Planet Travel Guide for Seoul has become our bible of sorts. Only, we often get annoyed at its lack of clear directions and have come to take its suggestions with a grain of salt. Sometimes, it leads us astray, but other times it does offer up some legit information. A couple of weeks ago, I was thumbing through the book when I came across a temple that offers foreigners a guided tour with other activities on Thursdays. CSAT Day was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this situation, so that was the main event on the day's agenda. We met at COEX Mall, which was across the street from the temple and had a delightful meal of Japanese Korean fusion. After a quick trip to Bandi and Luni's (the Korean version of Barnes and Noble), Diane and I set out to find the temple. LP (I've taken to referring to things in acronyms... I'm not sure how I feel about this new habit...) told us to leave COEX at exit 5 and according to the map, walk toward the Inter Continental Hotel. After walking a good ten blocks or so, we didn't see any signs of the temple, so we made a right turn. After a good amount of walking in this direction, there was still no sign of the temple. We made another right turn and saw the temple on our left. Across the street from COEX. Like I said, LP gives some sketchy directions...
For 10,000 won (less than $10), we purchased our admission to the foreigner templestay. This package consisted of a 50 minute temple tour, a traditional tea ceremony, a lesson in zen meditation from a monk and making lotus flowers. NICE. The tour didn't begin for about 40 minutes, so Diane and I explored a little. Here is what we saw:
The grounds were beautiful, full of life and even more full of people! It was first established in 794 A.D., so the modern cityscape of Seoul has really grown up around it, especially within the last 15 years or so. The temple's location is literally across the street from where the G20 conference was held last week. It was mind blowing to be in this space where it seems as though time has stopped. When you are in the temple, you are surrounded by ornate buildings, nature and you feel a sort of spiritual connection. But, if you look up and out beyond the temple grounds, you see skyscrapers. The juxtaposition was really interesting to me.
As Diane and I explored, we walked up a set of steps to find hundreds of people gathered all around, praying. We stood, quietly watching them pray for a couple of minutes, and it sounds odd to say, but I was so enamored by watching people of another religion experience their faith. It didn't feel invasive, but rather that they were open to experiencing their faith in a completely exposed environment, without even realizing others were around. For me, it was a moment of intense introspection among complete strangers. My faith has always been a pretty private thing for me, especially prayer, but being able to observe others praying in a manner I have never experienced was eye opening in many ways. I also couldn't believe how many people were praying. It was almost 2:00 in the afternoon, so the volume of people and the length of their stay was a little confusing to me. This would be explained later.
Later, as I was waiting for Diane to emerge from the bathroom, a woman approached me. She asked if I was German (of all Western nationalities...weird, since, I technically, AM, German, ancestrally, anyway). I told her I was American and she asked what I thought of Buddhism. I confessed that I didn't know much about it, but as a Christian, I found it really interesting. She began to tell me what she thought of Buddhism, about her thoughts that it is more of a philosophy than a religion. I wasn't really sure where she was going with this, whether she was criticizing Buddhism for that or just explaining. Later, this, too, would make much more sense to me.
Next, we gathered at the temple's entrance to begin the tour portion of our templestay. Before the tour guide began her spiel, she explained that, since it was the day of the college entrance exams, the parents of students taking the exam spent the entire day praying for them. At any given time over the nearly 10 hour testing period (the test begins at 8:40 am and ends at 6:05 pm), the parents and other loved ones of exam takers were praying continuously for successful exam performances by their students. When the students took breaks, the people praying also took breaks. This biz is taken seriously, and rightfully so, as this day is the biggest day in their 17 year old lives. They spend years studying for this exam, studying from 7:00 am until midnight or later on school nights AND weekends. Given the diligence with which they study, and the importance this exam holds for their future, I can understand their families spending the day praying for them. It was different to see them in action though. The meaning of this exam became very real as I watched the prayers. Their diligence and commitment was both touching, as their level of support was evident, and mind boggling. In the days following the exam, I realized how much stock is put into this exam. Education is so different here, because as Toni mused at lunch on Friday, they are rooted in the ancient Confucian tradition of education, but are trying to compete for a top spot on the 21st century's world stage. That's a lot of pressure for anyone to handle.
The second bit of information the tour guide shared before the tour began was that our tour would be joined by an Australian film crew who would tape the entire experience for their travel show Coxy's Big Break. If you're interested, check them out on YouTube. So, this kid will appear on an Australian travel show at some point. I hope I didn't do too many awkward things in their footage, but let's be honest, it wouldn't be a day in my life if I didn't do something awkward at some point....it's just part of my charm :)
The tour was pretty straightforward with the guide taking us around the grounds with a focus on Buddhist thought and history. She explained that Buddhists don't adhere to a higher spiritual being like many other religions, but rather use the teachings of Buddha to show them the path to spiritual enlightenment. Meditation is important as well as living life in adherence to Buddha's teachings. It could be viewed as both religion and philosophy. Very interesting stuff! Normally, we would have gone into the various buildings, but that would not happen on this particular day so as not to disturb the prayers of the temple's guests on this important day. Because I didn't know much about Buddhism before this tour, it was interesting to hear the tour guide's explanation of Buddhist thought. Here are some pictures from the temple grounds:
Following the tour, we took part in a traditional tea ceremony. We sipped a couple of different types of tea and ate traditional accompaniment snacks as we chatted with a couple from near Seattle who were there to help celebrate a close family friend's wedding. Next, we learned the art of zen meditation from a monk. We did several stretches before we assumed the meditation position and they were all stretches with which I was quite familiar given my high school sports experience. I knew that would come in handy at some point :) though, my jeans were not exactly conducive to getting in a solid stretch. I also had a little trouble with the full bow, which requires you to go from standing to crouching on the ground while balancing on your toes. I fell. Diane and I tried not to laugh, but I failed. I've put it behind me. I enjoyed the meditation, but I had trouble concentrating on breathing with all of the new things I had just learned during the tour on my mind. Last, we made lotus flowers out of brightly colored paper. The women who were supervising our craft time were real quick to jump in and help with the glue sticks.
Next, Diane and I ventured back over to COEX to visit the aquarium housed there. We thought it might have some obvious aquarium fixtures, but we were so excited to see their extensive display! Aside from the normal fish on display, there were also otters, beavers, penguins AND MANATEES! So freaking cool! I've never been so enthralled to watch an animal eat romaine lettuce in my life.
For dinner, we indulged in some Korean pizza. Korean pizza is different from American pizza because they put corn on it. Every variety, no matter what. Corn. I honestly really enjoy Korean pizza and find nothing wrong with the corn, but I could see where pizza purists get a little thrown off.
What a great way to spend a day off! I did feel bad the next day at school, though, when all of the Korean teachers were tired and sore from standing in one place all day as they supervised the exams. I've read that the teachers who supervise the exams have a pretty crap day. They have to go to a different school to make sure that no cheating goes on , but they cannot move for much of the day because if a student gets a low score and accuses a supervising teacher of distracting them, thus being the cause for their poor performance, it could have serious consequences for their career. I guess it pays to be the foreign teacher...
We have come to joke that the Lonely Planet Travel Guide for Seoul has become our bible of sorts. Only, we often get annoyed at its lack of clear directions and have come to take its suggestions with a grain of salt. Sometimes, it leads us astray, but other times it does offer up some legit information. A couple of weeks ago, I was thumbing through the book when I came across a temple that offers foreigners a guided tour with other activities on Thursdays. CSAT Day was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this situation, so that was the main event on the day's agenda. We met at COEX Mall, which was across the street from the temple and had a delightful meal of Japanese Korean fusion. After a quick trip to Bandi and Luni's (the Korean version of Barnes and Noble), Diane and I set out to find the temple. LP (I've taken to referring to things in acronyms... I'm not sure how I feel about this new habit...) told us to leave COEX at exit 5 and according to the map, walk toward the Inter Continental Hotel. After walking a good ten blocks or so, we didn't see any signs of the temple, so we made a right turn. After a good amount of walking in this direction, there was still no sign of the temple. We made another right turn and saw the temple on our left. Across the street from COEX. Like I said, LP gives some sketchy directions...
For 10,000 won (less than $10), we purchased our admission to the foreigner templestay. This package consisted of a 50 minute temple tour, a traditional tea ceremony, a lesson in zen meditation from a monk and making lotus flowers. NICE. The tour didn't begin for about 40 minutes, so Diane and I explored a little. Here is what we saw:
 |
| Inside the entrance to the temple |
 |
| Temple doors |
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| Beautiful flowers everywhere! |
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| A look back at the entrance from inside the temple gates |
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| The temple is in the same neighborhood as Seoul's World Trade Center |
The grounds were beautiful, full of life and even more full of people! It was first established in 794 A.D., so the modern cityscape of Seoul has really grown up around it, especially within the last 15 years or so. The temple's location is literally across the street from where the G20 conference was held last week. It was mind blowing to be in this space where it seems as though time has stopped. When you are in the temple, you are surrounded by ornate buildings, nature and you feel a sort of spiritual connection. But, if you look up and out beyond the temple grounds, you see skyscrapers. The juxtaposition was really interesting to me.
As Diane and I explored, we walked up a set of steps to find hundreds of people gathered all around, praying. We stood, quietly watching them pray for a couple of minutes, and it sounds odd to say, but I was so enamored by watching people of another religion experience their faith. It didn't feel invasive, but rather that they were open to experiencing their faith in a completely exposed environment, without even realizing others were around. For me, it was a moment of intense introspection among complete strangers. My faith has always been a pretty private thing for me, especially prayer, but being able to observe others praying in a manner I have never experienced was eye opening in many ways. I also couldn't believe how many people were praying. It was almost 2:00 in the afternoon, so the volume of people and the length of their stay was a little confusing to me. This would be explained later.
Later, as I was waiting for Diane to emerge from the bathroom, a woman approached me. She asked if I was German (of all Western nationalities...weird, since, I technically, AM, German, ancestrally, anyway). I told her I was American and she asked what I thought of Buddhism. I confessed that I didn't know much about it, but as a Christian, I found it really interesting. She began to tell me what she thought of Buddhism, about her thoughts that it is more of a philosophy than a religion. I wasn't really sure where she was going with this, whether she was criticizing Buddhism for that or just explaining. Later, this, too, would make much more sense to me.
Next, we gathered at the temple's entrance to begin the tour portion of our templestay. Before the tour guide began her spiel, she explained that, since it was the day of the college entrance exams, the parents of students taking the exam spent the entire day praying for them. At any given time over the nearly 10 hour testing period (the test begins at 8:40 am and ends at 6:05 pm), the parents and other loved ones of exam takers were praying continuously for successful exam performances by their students. When the students took breaks, the people praying also took breaks. This biz is taken seriously, and rightfully so, as this day is the biggest day in their 17 year old lives. They spend years studying for this exam, studying from 7:00 am until midnight or later on school nights AND weekends. Given the diligence with which they study, and the importance this exam holds for their future, I can understand their families spending the day praying for them. It was different to see them in action though. The meaning of this exam became very real as I watched the prayers. Their diligence and commitment was both touching, as their level of support was evident, and mind boggling. In the days following the exam, I realized how much stock is put into this exam. Education is so different here, because as Toni mused at lunch on Friday, they are rooted in the ancient Confucian tradition of education, but are trying to compete for a top spot on the 21st century's world stage. That's a lot of pressure for anyone to handle.
The second bit of information the tour guide shared before the tour began was that our tour would be joined by an Australian film crew who would tape the entire experience for their travel show Coxy's Big Break. If you're interested, check them out on YouTube. So, this kid will appear on an Australian travel show at some point. I hope I didn't do too many awkward things in their footage, but let's be honest, it wouldn't be a day in my life if I didn't do something awkward at some point....it's just part of my charm :)
The tour was pretty straightforward with the guide taking us around the grounds with a focus on Buddhist thought and history. She explained that Buddhists don't adhere to a higher spiritual being like many other religions, but rather use the teachings of Buddha to show them the path to spiritual enlightenment. Meditation is important as well as living life in adherence to Buddha's teachings. It could be viewed as both religion and philosophy. Very interesting stuff! Normally, we would have gone into the various buildings, but that would not happen on this particular day so as not to disturb the prayers of the temple's guests on this important day. Because I didn't know much about Buddhism before this tour, it was interesting to hear the tour guide's explanation of Buddhist thought. Here are some pictures from the temple grounds:
 |
| There are instruments in this building that signify different types of worship |
 |
| This offers only a glimpse as to how many people were there praying |
 |
| Inside another one of the temple's buildings |
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| Another prayer spot |
Following the tour, we took part in a traditional tea ceremony. We sipped a couple of different types of tea and ate traditional accompaniment snacks as we chatted with a couple from near Seattle who were there to help celebrate a close family friend's wedding. Next, we learned the art of zen meditation from a monk. We did several stretches before we assumed the meditation position and they were all stretches with which I was quite familiar given my high school sports experience. I knew that would come in handy at some point :) though, my jeans were not exactly conducive to getting in a solid stretch. I also had a little trouble with the full bow, which requires you to go from standing to crouching on the ground while balancing on your toes. I fell. Diane and I tried not to laugh, but I failed. I've put it behind me. I enjoyed the meditation, but I had trouble concentrating on breathing with all of the new things I had just learned during the tour on my mind. Last, we made lotus flowers out of brightly colored paper. The women who were supervising our craft time were real quick to jump in and help with the glue sticks.
Next, Diane and I ventured back over to COEX to visit the aquarium housed there. We thought it might have some obvious aquarium fixtures, but we were so excited to see their extensive display! Aside from the normal fish on display, there were also otters, beavers, penguins AND MANATEES! So freaking cool! I've never been so enthralled to watch an animal eat romaine lettuce in my life.
For dinner, we indulged in some Korean pizza. Korean pizza is different from American pizza because they put corn on it. Every variety, no matter what. Corn. I honestly really enjoy Korean pizza and find nothing wrong with the corn, but I could see where pizza purists get a little thrown off.
What a great way to spend a day off! I did feel bad the next day at school, though, when all of the Korean teachers were tired and sore from standing in one place all day as they supervised the exams. I've read that the teachers who supervise the exams have a pretty crap day. They have to go to a different school to make sure that no cheating goes on , but they cannot move for much of the day because if a student gets a low score and accuses a supervising teacher of distracting them, thus being the cause for their poor performance, it could have serious consequences for their career. I guess it pays to be the foreign teacher...
11.19.2010
Almost a week later...
Since I'm lazy, I'm just now getting around to blogging about last weekend. Here are the highlights:
Diane and I met in Hyehwa in an attempt to find a craft store I had read about in the neighborhood. I want to teach my students to make the friendship bracelets that I was constantly making as a kid, so I've been on the hunt for embroidery floss. The directions to the store seemed simple enough. Get out of the subway and walk toward Baskin Robbins. The store should have been about 10 stores past my beloved ice cream shop. As Diane and I followed these straightforward directions, we came upon a shoe store instead. The shop was nowhere to be found. When I got home that night, I returned to the blog I had read about the store and realized it had been written in 2008. Oops. The store turnover here is crazy sometimes. My embroidery floss mission remains un-accomplished.
Then, we had a tasty lunch at an awesome restaurant near the would-be location of the craft shop. We were attracted to the restaurant because of the caricature of a man giving a thumbs-up sign (always a good sign in my book :) ) and when we entered the second floor restaurant, we knew we had made a good choice. It was packed with Koreans and we managed to snag the last free table. I was told by someone that if a restaurant is completely empty and no Koreans are eating there, it's probably jank. On the flip side, if there are a ton of Koreans in the restaurant, you know it will be an enjoyable meal. Diane flagged down a server and ordered a meal even though we had no idea what we would be receiving. There were about five items on a board mounted on the wall and the first item on the menu was also posted on flags and banners ALL over the restaurant. That's the dish we ordered, along with some mandu and rice. Literally five minutes later, we received our food. It was a spicy soup with cabbage, onions, octopus, mussels and pork with a bunch of noodles in the bottom. It was AMAZING. Here's a picture Diane took of our meal:
After our culinary adventures, we headed to Gangnam to embark on round two of fish pedicures. I convinced Diane to try the big guys this time. Oh. Man. Those guys are bonkers! I stole these pictures from Diane as her camera is more fish friendly.
So, the little fish kind of tickle a little, but it mostly feels like they're swimming around you. Not the case with the big guys. You can actually feel their teeth eating your skin. It doesn't hurt but it does feel like mild pinching. I had forgotten just how ticklish the bottoms of my feet can be. Feeling these fish on the bottom of my feet was too much for me to handle, so I firmly planted my feet at the bottom of the fish pool. I could handle them on my ankles and legs, but the bottoms of my feet were too much. As a result, I didn't reap the benefits of smooth feet since I refused access to those little dudes. Oh well. Diane had similar feelings, but since she's shorter than me, it was harder for her to evade the tickles. She did her fair share of grimacing and squealing during our 20 minutes experience. It was certainly an experience to remember!
The rest of the night was spent eating and talking. We had a craving for Western food, so when we stumbled upon a restaurant called Burger Hunter, it seemed like a natural choice. I had my first Philly Steak in years (literally) and it was delicious. Then, we went to Favorite D* for dessert. This is a dessert cafe brought to us by our pals at Baskin Robbins. The first floor is like a regular Baskin Robbins and caters to the take out crowd. The next floor (on the third floor of a building overlooking the bustling boulevard below) is a proper cafe. Diane and I were quickly seated by a nice man and ordered a piece of chocolate pistachio ice cream cake and two scoops of gelato (cream cheese and chocolate hazelnut). Both were delightful. I love dessert.
I can't remember if I've written about this yet, but I keep seeing Koreans that remind me of people at home. I saw a man that looked like the Korean version of my 4th Ave. neighbor Wayne on the subway. I've seen people that look like friends from college and Hyunjoo reminds me of Vicky Anderson in about five different ways, including but not limited to, her looks, personality, and proficiency in music (she's a very talented Soprano, teaches the music classes at our school and is the director of Rejoice Singers, which is our school's select choir). Our server at Favorite D* looked so familiar to me and I couldn't figure out why. Then, about half an hour into our stay at this cafe, I realized our server was a perfect Korean doppelganger of Neil Patrick Harris of Doogie Hauser, M.D. and How I Met Your Mother fame. So weird. Diane and I spent a couple of hours in this cafe talking about everything. It was a great, great night with a great friend!
Monday was a half day and I only taught (and by taught, I mean played a sweet word game) one class. So easy. Then, in the afternoon, we interviewed incoming students. The whole process reminded me a lot of Formal Recruitment. I was in a room with another Korean teacher. One by one, girls came into the room. First, they talked to the Korean teacher, then they crossed the faux barrier that had been created by potted plants and came to speak to me. I asked them a series of questions to try to determine their English level. I had about two minute conversations with them for almost two hours. I was only supposed to make a notation if their English was exceptional, which was the case for about 10 students. It was pretty fun and I enjoyed it. The school also provided me with a plate of goodies and the girls came around twice offering me cups of tea. I hadn't eaten much from my goody plate since the interviews took place almost immediately after lunch. As soon as I was told my time was done, three girls rushed into the room to clean up after me. Their eyes lit up as they saw my goody plate almost fully intact. They began grabbing the few candy bars and stuffing them in their pockets. I chuckled at their actions and they smiled back at me, putting their fingers to their mouths asking me not to say anything to anyone. Don't worry, girls. That will be our little secret :)
I went to E-Mart Monday night for dok buki. I hadn't been to the stand in over a week, so when I approached the stand, they all smiled and waved to me. The woman who speaks English really well greeted me warmly saying that it had been a long time since they'd seen me. Maybe I go a little too often, but it's so tasty and their reception of me is so enjoyable! I took it home with me rather than eating it at a table in E-Mart since I had forgotten my book. The man who seems to be in charge of the stand threw in the most freshly fried vegetables and he gave me an extra dumpling for free. "Service," he said with a huge smile as he held up the dumpling before tossing it into my bag. What a guy.
Wednesday was also a half day, but this time, I got to leave at noon. I only taught one class this day too and then did about a 20 minute lesson with the teachers. I usually teach a third year class right before lunch, but because this was the day before their big college entrance exams, they spent that period with their homeroom teachers for a bit of a pep talk before they left for their exams. With about ten minutes left in the day, the student council and many of the teachers lined the front hallway of the school and sent off the third year students with hoots, hollers and raucous clapping. The girls were so funny. They ran down the stairs, acting embarrassed and covering their faces. I know many of the students were crazy nervous about this test. I was not surprised at the idea of the girls being nervous for the exam, but their level of anxiety did surprise me. Some girls were crying the day before and I have seen some girls crying at school today. Some have told me they are sad because of their performance, but I think they are just so exhausted from all of the studying and preparing that they are mentally drained. I certainly do not miss that part of going to school!
Wednesday night, I ventured to Seoul to meet Emily and Richard for dinner. It was so nice to see them again after almost a month! We got chicken wings (I can't get enough chicken wings...they were one of the only meat dished I missed during my stint as a vegetarian) and enjoyed a couple of beers over great conversation. 'Twas a great night!
Yesterday, there was no school because of the SATs so Diane and I met in Seoul to take advantage of our day off. I'll write a separate post about our day. For now, I'll just say it was amazing, powerful and enlightening. Stay tuned.
Today is a full day of teaching, but Dionne and I feel sorry for the third years and their stress levels, so we're showing them a movie (Princess Diaries) in lieu of making them speak English. They all go crazy when Mandy Moore and her dirty little boyfriend kiss in the hallway and especially when she blows a bubbles with her gum and he bites the bubble. You'd think something seriously juicy was happening on screen. Yowza. Showing the movie means that I only really teach two classes today, plus I get to watch the first 45 minutes of a great movie twice. Pretty sweet deal.
Diane and I met in Hyehwa in an attempt to find a craft store I had read about in the neighborhood. I want to teach my students to make the friendship bracelets that I was constantly making as a kid, so I've been on the hunt for embroidery floss. The directions to the store seemed simple enough. Get out of the subway and walk toward Baskin Robbins. The store should have been about 10 stores past my beloved ice cream shop. As Diane and I followed these straightforward directions, we came upon a shoe store instead. The shop was nowhere to be found. When I got home that night, I returned to the blog I had read about the store and realized it had been written in 2008. Oops. The store turnover here is crazy sometimes. My embroidery floss mission remains un-accomplished.
Then, we had a tasty lunch at an awesome restaurant near the would-be location of the craft shop. We were attracted to the restaurant because of the caricature of a man giving a thumbs-up sign (always a good sign in my book :) ) and when we entered the second floor restaurant, we knew we had made a good choice. It was packed with Koreans and we managed to snag the last free table. I was told by someone that if a restaurant is completely empty and no Koreans are eating there, it's probably jank. On the flip side, if there are a ton of Koreans in the restaurant, you know it will be an enjoyable meal. Diane flagged down a server and ordered a meal even though we had no idea what we would be receiving. There were about five items on a board mounted on the wall and the first item on the menu was also posted on flags and banners ALL over the restaurant. That's the dish we ordered, along with some mandu and rice. Literally five minutes later, we received our food. It was a spicy soup with cabbage, onions, octopus, mussels and pork with a bunch of noodles in the bottom. It was AMAZING. Here's a picture Diane took of our meal:
 |
| Yum. This is making me hungry. right. now. |
After our culinary adventures, we headed to Gangnam to embark on round two of fish pedicures. I convinced Diane to try the big guys this time. Oh. Man. Those guys are bonkers! I stole these pictures from Diane as her camera is more fish friendly.
So, the little fish kind of tickle a little, but it mostly feels like they're swimming around you. Not the case with the big guys. You can actually feel their teeth eating your skin. It doesn't hurt but it does feel like mild pinching. I had forgotten just how ticklish the bottoms of my feet can be. Feeling these fish on the bottom of my feet was too much for me to handle, so I firmly planted my feet at the bottom of the fish pool. I could handle them on my ankles and legs, but the bottoms of my feet were too much. As a result, I didn't reap the benefits of smooth feet since I refused access to those little dudes. Oh well. Diane had similar feelings, but since she's shorter than me, it was harder for her to evade the tickles. She did her fair share of grimacing and squealing during our 20 minutes experience. It was certainly an experience to remember!
The rest of the night was spent eating and talking. We had a craving for Western food, so when we stumbled upon a restaurant called Burger Hunter, it seemed like a natural choice. I had my first Philly Steak in years (literally) and it was delicious. Then, we went to Favorite D* for dessert. This is a dessert cafe brought to us by our pals at Baskin Robbins. The first floor is like a regular Baskin Robbins and caters to the take out crowd. The next floor (on the third floor of a building overlooking the bustling boulevard below) is a proper cafe. Diane and I were quickly seated by a nice man and ordered a piece of chocolate pistachio ice cream cake and two scoops of gelato (cream cheese and chocolate hazelnut). Both were delightful. I love dessert.
I can't remember if I've written about this yet, but I keep seeing Koreans that remind me of people at home. I saw a man that looked like the Korean version of my 4th Ave. neighbor Wayne on the subway. I've seen people that look like friends from college and Hyunjoo reminds me of Vicky Anderson in about five different ways, including but not limited to, her looks, personality, and proficiency in music (she's a very talented Soprano, teaches the music classes at our school and is the director of Rejoice Singers, which is our school's select choir). Our server at Favorite D* looked so familiar to me and I couldn't figure out why. Then, about half an hour into our stay at this cafe, I realized our server was a perfect Korean doppelganger of Neil Patrick Harris of Doogie Hauser, M.D. and How I Met Your Mother fame. So weird. Diane and I spent a couple of hours in this cafe talking about everything. It was a great, great night with a great friend!
Monday was a half day and I only taught (and by taught, I mean played a sweet word game) one class. So easy. Then, in the afternoon, we interviewed incoming students. The whole process reminded me a lot of Formal Recruitment. I was in a room with another Korean teacher. One by one, girls came into the room. First, they talked to the Korean teacher, then they crossed the faux barrier that had been created by potted plants and came to speak to me. I asked them a series of questions to try to determine their English level. I had about two minute conversations with them for almost two hours. I was only supposed to make a notation if their English was exceptional, which was the case for about 10 students. It was pretty fun and I enjoyed it. The school also provided me with a plate of goodies and the girls came around twice offering me cups of tea. I hadn't eaten much from my goody plate since the interviews took place almost immediately after lunch. As soon as I was told my time was done, three girls rushed into the room to clean up after me. Their eyes lit up as they saw my goody plate almost fully intact. They began grabbing the few candy bars and stuffing them in their pockets. I chuckled at their actions and they smiled back at me, putting their fingers to their mouths asking me not to say anything to anyone. Don't worry, girls. That will be our little secret :)
I went to E-Mart Monday night for dok buki. I hadn't been to the stand in over a week, so when I approached the stand, they all smiled and waved to me. The woman who speaks English really well greeted me warmly saying that it had been a long time since they'd seen me. Maybe I go a little too often, but it's so tasty and their reception of me is so enjoyable! I took it home with me rather than eating it at a table in E-Mart since I had forgotten my book. The man who seems to be in charge of the stand threw in the most freshly fried vegetables and he gave me an extra dumpling for free. "Service," he said with a huge smile as he held up the dumpling before tossing it into my bag. What a guy.
Wednesday was also a half day, but this time, I got to leave at noon. I only taught one class this day too and then did about a 20 minute lesson with the teachers. I usually teach a third year class right before lunch, but because this was the day before their big college entrance exams, they spent that period with their homeroom teachers for a bit of a pep talk before they left for their exams. With about ten minutes left in the day, the student council and many of the teachers lined the front hallway of the school and sent off the third year students with hoots, hollers and raucous clapping. The girls were so funny. They ran down the stairs, acting embarrassed and covering their faces. I know many of the students were crazy nervous about this test. I was not surprised at the idea of the girls being nervous for the exam, but their level of anxiety did surprise me. Some girls were crying the day before and I have seen some girls crying at school today. Some have told me they are sad because of their performance, but I think they are just so exhausted from all of the studying and preparing that they are mentally drained. I certainly do not miss that part of going to school!
Wednesday night, I ventured to Seoul to meet Emily and Richard for dinner. It was so nice to see them again after almost a month! We got chicken wings (I can't get enough chicken wings...they were one of the only meat dished I missed during my stint as a vegetarian) and enjoyed a couple of beers over great conversation. 'Twas a great night!
Yesterday, there was no school because of the SATs so Diane and I met in Seoul to take advantage of our day off. I'll write a separate post about our day. For now, I'll just say it was amazing, powerful and enlightening. Stay tuned.
Today is a full day of teaching, but Dionne and I feel sorry for the third years and their stress levels, so we're showing them a movie (Princess Diaries) in lieu of making them speak English. They all go crazy when Mandy Moore and her dirty little boyfriend kiss in the hallway and especially when she blows a bubbles with her gum and he bites the bubble. You'd think something seriously juicy was happening on screen. Yowza. Showing the movie means that I only really teach two classes today, plus I get to watch the first 45 minutes of a great movie twice. Pretty sweet deal.
11.12.2010
Christmas Music
The longer I take to write this post, the more Christmas music I hear. For some reason, my Contemporary Folk Music shuffle list contains much of my Christmas music. Weird. Anyway, there's nothing like a couple of random Christmas songs popping into my itunes mix to put me a in chipper mood. I was already in a good mood because today was great. Aside from the first half of yesterday, it was a great week, so I can't complain. Here's the lowdown:
I don't remember much from Tuesday... pretty unremarkable, I guess. Good lunch, I do remember that, though I don't remember what we ate. I discovered the grocery store down the street from me that was being remodeled has now opened and boy did I take full advantage. Almost $12 and two heaping bags of groceries later, I was in business. The food I cook here is super random and doesn't really make sense to explain, but rest assure that I'm eating. I doubt you were worried :)
Wednesday was awesome. First. I found out my friend Jill is visiting me in January!!!!!!! I finally got a straight (ish) answer from Mr. Shin about winter English camp and Jill got the dates for when she has to report to her new fancy job with the Air Force, so our Asian Adventure travel plans are sort of set, more than they previously were, anyway. Now, we're trying to plan a short side trip to Vietnam to visit a friend from high school (hopefully) or Thailand (as a backup plan in case Vietnam doesn't work out). Sooooo jazzed! I also found out that Baby Plueger is a boy. Hooray! Now I know what color to buy (or which colors NOT to buy) when I spoil the little tyke. He better put his reading glasses on because many books are coming his way. My lessons went well on Wednesday too. Most days, even if my lessons are lame, I really enjoy my students and their adorable personalities.
Yesterday morning, I was in a bit of a funk. I messed up in Morning English a couple of times, and had terrible reception to my morning lessons when I expected them to be eating out of the palm of my hand. I have come to realize which classes I will come away from in a bad mood, but these classes were a bit of a surprise. I don't like those kinds of surprises. Then, just as I was descending into the pits of frustration, I talked to two pals from home via Facebook chat AND had an awesome lunch. Both of these things put me on the right side of the day and from then on, I was unsinkable. Lunch was seconds worthy (duk boki!!!) and the afternoon went MUCH more smoothly.
When lunch time rolled around today, I was pretty hungry, so when the smell of fish wafted my way in the lunch line, disappointment fell across my face. I love fish. Correction: I love Bob's fish. The fish here comes with bones (and sometimes bodies) included and the way it smells makes me think it would be better to just be hungry. So, when I approached the food and saw my favorite kimchi, marinated tofu, odang (fishcake) and the traditional odang soup (which is basically water and onions, but somehow, it tastes SOOO good!), I was so relieved to find the makings of an awesome lunch. Also, the lunch lady randomly served me the odang and soup. You rarely see the lunch ladies unless they are refilling the food, but one woman stayed behind and actually served me my food. It was kind of awkward, but I appreciated the gesture. She was a sweet woman. This just added to goodness and excitement of the unexpectedly tasty lunch. I do like these kinds of surprises.
The last 40 minutes of school today were bonkers. Right in the middle of playing the review game with an awesome group of second years, the bell rang. To end class. Twenty minutes early. For a teachers meeting. That we didn't know about. Later, I was approached by a couple of worried second years who hurriedly asked to borrow a black marker and a ruler. I have no idea what they were for, but I obliged. It seemed like a real big deal. I still don't know what the deal was, but I encountered a similar situation in Dionne's office minutes later. She was a better boy scout than me. She had three black markers whereas I only had one. A few minutes later, I had the following exchange with Mr. Shin and Hyunjoo:
Hyunjoo: Oh. Noelle. Have you heard about Monday?
Noelle: ...Yes. I only teach the first half of the day.
Hyunjoo: And then, I think you and Dionne are gonna interview new students.
Noelle: WHAAA? For real? Are you serious?
Mr. Shin: Yes. Monday.
Hyunjoo: We talk about it and decide you do good job.
Noelle: Uh...Ok. Do I need to prepare questions?
Mr. Shin: No, no. (waving hands) You just sit and speak. We give you questions.
Noelle: (breathes serious sigh of relief) Oh. Nice.
Mr. Shin: Then you go home early Wednesday. And, no school for you Thursday. Give you nice break.
Noelle: (literally) SWEEET! I mean, that sounds good.
I was real baffled at the idea that I had a role in the selection of new students. Like, my class counts for 5% of one of their core classes, but they'll let me interview future students? What kind of sense does that make? Then, I realized that I was just the messenger of the English language, the token foreigner. Thank God there will be a member of the (Korean) English faculty on hand to do the real work. This was almost too much pressure for me!
Then, back in my office, I had the following exchange with my pal and star student, the Principal:
Principal: (frantically waving goodbye to me) See you Monday Noelle Teacher!
Noelle: Yes, yes. See you Monday. Have a nice weekend.
Principal: Nice weekend. Yes. You too. You know about next week?
Noelle: Yes. Monday and Wednesday, half days and no school on Thursday.
Principal: Who say you? (shakes head) Who tell you? (bewildered look) Which is correct?
Noelle: Who TOLD you?
Principal: Who tell you?
Noelle: Mr. Shin and Hyunjoo.
Principal: Ah. yes. Easy week for Noelle Teacher.
Korean teacher who is listening to our conversation: Easy week for you. Hard week for me. I stand all day.
Then, I felt guilty. Sort of.
Then, on my walk home, two middle school students approached me:
Student 1: Hello Teacher!
Noelle: Hi! I like your ear muffs.
Students 2: What about this? (points to her BRIGHT RED scarf that is so thick it almost covers her face)
Noelle: Beautiful. It looks wa-! (I got cut off in the middle of the word warm)
Student 1: You are beautiful. (both students violently giggle)
Noelle: Oh. Thank you!
Students: Ok. Bye. (both students furiously wave)
The students follow close behind me with two other students who joined them.
Student 2: Oh Teacher. Shoes. Cute.
Noelle: Thanks!
Student 1: PINK. You. (points me up and down) Fashionista.
Noelle: Whoa. Thank you!
Then, the toothless ajumma who goes through my garbage started yelling in my direction after I said hello to her. The middle school girls tried to translate what she was saying to me, which amounted to telling me that Toni (my neighbor) wasn't parked in her usual spot. I'm not sure why she wanted to tell me that so badly, but she was real animated in trying to relay this impossibly important message to me. I guess I'm a little flattered that she wanted to talk to me though...
Off to shave my legs. Sorry, Heather. No Shave November doesn't fly with the fish pedicure lady who will have to rinse my legs tomorrow.
I don't remember much from Tuesday... pretty unremarkable, I guess. Good lunch, I do remember that, though I don't remember what we ate. I discovered the grocery store down the street from me that was being remodeled has now opened and boy did I take full advantage. Almost $12 and two heaping bags of groceries later, I was in business. The food I cook here is super random and doesn't really make sense to explain, but rest assure that I'm eating. I doubt you were worried :)
Wednesday was awesome. First. I found out my friend Jill is visiting me in January!!!!!!! I finally got a straight (ish) answer from Mr. Shin about winter English camp and Jill got the dates for when she has to report to her new fancy job with the Air Force, so our Asian Adventure travel plans are sort of set, more than they previously were, anyway. Now, we're trying to plan a short side trip to Vietnam to visit a friend from high school (hopefully) or Thailand (as a backup plan in case Vietnam doesn't work out). Sooooo jazzed! I also found out that Baby Plueger is a boy. Hooray! Now I know what color to buy (or which colors NOT to buy) when I spoil the little tyke. He better put his reading glasses on because many books are coming his way. My lessons went well on Wednesday too. Most days, even if my lessons are lame, I really enjoy my students and their adorable personalities.
Yesterday morning, I was in a bit of a funk. I messed up in Morning English a couple of times, and had terrible reception to my morning lessons when I expected them to be eating out of the palm of my hand. I have come to realize which classes I will come away from in a bad mood, but these classes were a bit of a surprise. I don't like those kinds of surprises. Then, just as I was descending into the pits of frustration, I talked to two pals from home via Facebook chat AND had an awesome lunch. Both of these things put me on the right side of the day and from then on, I was unsinkable. Lunch was seconds worthy (duk boki!!!) and the afternoon went MUCH more smoothly.
When lunch time rolled around today, I was pretty hungry, so when the smell of fish wafted my way in the lunch line, disappointment fell across my face. I love fish. Correction: I love Bob's fish. The fish here comes with bones (and sometimes bodies) included and the way it smells makes me think it would be better to just be hungry. So, when I approached the food and saw my favorite kimchi, marinated tofu, odang (fishcake) and the traditional odang soup (which is basically water and onions, but somehow, it tastes SOOO good!), I was so relieved to find the makings of an awesome lunch. Also, the lunch lady randomly served me the odang and soup. You rarely see the lunch ladies unless they are refilling the food, but one woman stayed behind and actually served me my food. It was kind of awkward, but I appreciated the gesture. She was a sweet woman. This just added to goodness and excitement of the unexpectedly tasty lunch. I do like these kinds of surprises.
The last 40 minutes of school today were bonkers. Right in the middle of playing the review game with an awesome group of second years, the bell rang. To end class. Twenty minutes early. For a teachers meeting. That we didn't know about. Later, I was approached by a couple of worried second years who hurriedly asked to borrow a black marker and a ruler. I have no idea what they were for, but I obliged. It seemed like a real big deal. I still don't know what the deal was, but I encountered a similar situation in Dionne's office minutes later. She was a better boy scout than me. She had three black markers whereas I only had one. A few minutes later, I had the following exchange with Mr. Shin and Hyunjoo:
Hyunjoo: Oh. Noelle. Have you heard about Monday?
Noelle: ...Yes. I only teach the first half of the day.
Hyunjoo: And then, I think you and Dionne are gonna interview new students.
Noelle: WHAAA? For real? Are you serious?
Mr. Shin: Yes. Monday.
Hyunjoo: We talk about it and decide you do good job.
Noelle: Uh...Ok. Do I need to prepare questions?
Mr. Shin: No, no. (waving hands) You just sit and speak. We give you questions.
Noelle: (breathes serious sigh of relief) Oh. Nice.
Mr. Shin: Then you go home early Wednesday. And, no school for you Thursday. Give you nice break.
Noelle: (literally) SWEEET! I mean, that sounds good.
I was real baffled at the idea that I had a role in the selection of new students. Like, my class counts for 5% of one of their core classes, but they'll let me interview future students? What kind of sense does that make? Then, I realized that I was just the messenger of the English language, the token foreigner. Thank God there will be a member of the (Korean) English faculty on hand to do the real work. This was almost too much pressure for me!
Then, back in my office, I had the following exchange with my pal and star student, the Principal:
Principal: (frantically waving goodbye to me) See you Monday Noelle Teacher!
Noelle: Yes, yes. See you Monday. Have a nice weekend.
Principal: Nice weekend. Yes. You too. You know about next week?
Noelle: Yes. Monday and Wednesday, half days and no school on Thursday.
Principal: Who say you? (shakes head) Who tell you? (bewildered look) Which is correct?
Noelle: Who TOLD you?
Principal: Who tell you?
Noelle: Mr. Shin and Hyunjoo.
Principal: Ah. yes. Easy week for Noelle Teacher.
Korean teacher who is listening to our conversation: Easy week for you. Hard week for me. I stand all day.
Then, I felt guilty. Sort of.
Then, on my walk home, two middle school students approached me:
Student 1: Hello Teacher!
Noelle: Hi! I like your ear muffs.
Students 2: What about this? (points to her BRIGHT RED scarf that is so thick it almost covers her face)
Noelle: Beautiful. It looks wa-! (I got cut off in the middle of the word warm)
Student 1: You are beautiful. (both students violently giggle)
Noelle: Oh. Thank you!
Students: Ok. Bye. (both students furiously wave)
The students follow close behind me with two other students who joined them.
Student 2: Oh Teacher. Shoes. Cute.
Noelle: Thanks!
Student 1: PINK. You. (points me up and down) Fashionista.
Noelle: Whoa. Thank you!
Then, the toothless ajumma who goes through my garbage started yelling in my direction after I said hello to her. The middle school girls tried to translate what she was saying to me, which amounted to telling me that Toni (my neighbor) wasn't parked in her usual spot. I'm not sure why she wanted to tell me that so badly, but she was real animated in trying to relay this impossibly important message to me. I guess I'm a little flattered that she wanted to talk to me though...
Off to shave my legs. Sorry, Heather. No Shave November doesn't fly with the fish pedicure lady who will have to rinse my legs tomorrow.
11.08.2010
Uneventful...Just the way I like it...
If I've learned one thing about living in Korea, it is this: there will never be a shortage of things for me to look at, be inspired by or make me laugh, just by looking at them. In the course of any given day (especially those spent in Seoul), I see sooo many things that are intriguing, hilarious, heartwarming and delightful that I couldn't begin to record them all. A small sample of the things I remember from this weekend:
Now for a recap of Saturday's events:
Diane's and my plans were foiled by the weather this weekend. We had planned to take a cruise on the Han River, which runs right through Seoul. But, as I arrived at our meeting place and noticed it was too foggy to see across the river, let alone see anything of note from the boat I called Diane and suggested a change of plans. We found ourselves in one of our old standbys: Myeong Dong. Our first order of business was to find something for lunch and when we saw this sign, we knew we were in business:
We wandered up to the second floor to find a delightful dok buki restaurant. Though it was different than the fare to which I have become accustomed at E-Mart, it was certainly tasty! We knew it had to be a legit restaurant when we found aprons to wear at our table. Nice. And, the food was served in Peter Rabbit bowls. Even if the food had tasted like junk, I would have been impressed by these two discoveries.
The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering in and out of shops, eating almost foot long ice cream cones (yogurt and strawberry twist for me!) and watching two ajumas fight (literally) in the middle of the street over a folding card table.
Honestly, the day was pretty uneventful, which is the way I like it. For dinner, we found a Japanese curry restaurant, and after a bit of a treasure hunt to find its entrance, we found ourselves seated in the window of the second floor building overlooking the bustling street below. The owner of the restaurant was the sweetest woman. She is from Silicone Valley, CA but comes back to Korea every couple of months to check on her restaurant, from what I understood. She was really interested in Diane's and my teaching experience and wanted to make sure that we were enjoying our time in Korea. She was a joy to talk to and you better believe we will be frequent visitors of her delightful restaurant.
After dinner, Diane and I made our way to the Seoul Lantern Festival. There were thousands of lanterns on display, some homemade by visitors of the festival and some sent from around the world. The lanterns were put out to symbolize hope and wishes for the future. Diane and I arrived well after it had gotten dark outside and the lanterns lit up the area beautifully. There were lots of people there but this crowd was much more manageable than the crazies at the Fireworks Festival. Here's a couple of lantern pictures for your enjoyment:
Nothing too exciting happened today. The semester is starting to wind down. This week I give final exams to the Level 3 students, next week's schedule is bananas (Monday and Wednesday are only morning classes, no classes whatsoever on Tuesday, no school on Thursday because of the Korean SAT tests, and a normal day on Friday). The week after that are my finals for Levels 1 and 2 and after that, it's a downhill slope toward Winter Break. Hooray!
- Two grown men laughing like school girls, walking arm in arm through the subway station
- Countless adorable children. Everywhere.
- Koreans with bleach blond hair. You know that's not real.
- Korean couples. They match their clothes, they share ipod ear buds and the men carry the women's purses. So weird. So awesome.
- Any and all ajumas (Korean middle aged women who have had children - they are frequently stereotyped here, and as much as I hate stereotypes, I have to admit that I have encountered more than a few who perpetuate the stereotype to a T. Many of them are really pushy and they cover their short permed haircut with huge obnoxious sun visors to keep their skin nice and white. They also often look they are about to hike to the top of a large peak, but they're mostly walking around town from what I gather...) Here's the perfect stereotypical gaggle of ajumas thanks to Google images:
Now for a recap of Saturday's events:
Diane's and my plans were foiled by the weather this weekend. We had planned to take a cruise on the Han River, which runs right through Seoul. But, as I arrived at our meeting place and noticed it was too foggy to see across the river, let alone see anything of note from the boat I called Diane and suggested a change of plans. We found ourselves in one of our old standbys: Myeong Dong. Our first order of business was to find something for lunch and when we saw this sign, we knew we were in business:
 |
| Reels you right in, eh? |
The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering in and out of shops, eating almost foot long ice cream cones (yogurt and strawberry twist for me!) and watching two ajumas fight (literally) in the middle of the street over a folding card table.
Honestly, the day was pretty uneventful, which is the way I like it. For dinner, we found a Japanese curry restaurant, and after a bit of a treasure hunt to find its entrance, we found ourselves seated in the window of the second floor building overlooking the bustling street below. The owner of the restaurant was the sweetest woman. She is from Silicone Valley, CA but comes back to Korea every couple of months to check on her restaurant, from what I understood. She was really interested in Diane's and my teaching experience and wanted to make sure that we were enjoying our time in Korea. She was a joy to talk to and you better believe we will be frequent visitors of her delightful restaurant.
After dinner, Diane and I made our way to the Seoul Lantern Festival. There were thousands of lanterns on display, some homemade by visitors of the festival and some sent from around the world. The lanterns were put out to symbolize hope and wishes for the future. Diane and I arrived well after it had gotten dark outside and the lanterns lit up the area beautifully. There were lots of people there but this crowd was much more manageable than the crazies at the Fireworks Festival. Here's a couple of lantern pictures for your enjoyment:
Nothing too exciting happened today. The semester is starting to wind down. This week I give final exams to the Level 3 students, next week's schedule is bananas (Monday and Wednesday are only morning classes, no classes whatsoever on Tuesday, no school on Thursday because of the Korean SAT tests, and a normal day on Friday). The week after that are my finals for Levels 1 and 2 and after that, it's a downhill slope toward Winter Break. Hooray!
11.05.2010
Real quick funny...
Just now in my 3rd year class, we were playing the review game for their exam next week. The scenario the two girls who always ask me to pray for them had to act out was a phone call where one of the girls calls someone for a ride to school. This is how it went:
Girl 1: Hello Mommy. Very cold. Please, ride to school.
Girl 2: No. I very busy. Walk.
I laughed so hard. Maybe you had to be there...
Before class, I got escorted by the same girls once again. One of the girls took my hand as we walked through the hallway. But, before we could proceed to class, we had to wait outside the bathroom so she could show her homeroom teacher that we were friends. I felt real awkward waiting for a teacher to exit the bathroom, but it seemed really important to her, so I didn't want to refuse her odd request...
Girl 1: Hello Mommy. Very cold. Please, ride to school.
Girl 2: No. I very busy. Walk.
I laughed so hard. Maybe you had to be there...
Before class, I got escorted by the same girls once again. One of the girls took my hand as we walked through the hallway. But, before we could proceed to class, we had to wait outside the bathroom so she could show her homeroom teacher that we were friends. I felt real awkward waiting for a teacher to exit the bathroom, but it seemed really important to her, so I didn't want to refuse her odd request...
11.03.2010
I, quite literally, LOL'ed today.
First, during Morning English, Chan Yang asked me what we do in America to stay warm when the weather starts to get cold . I was a little stumped. After a lot of thinking, I said that we wear warm clothes. Not exciting, I know, but I seriously couldn't think of anything out of the ordinary that we do to stay warm in the winter. Then, I decided to explain drinking hot chocolate as a child and how that always warmed me up after spending some time outside in the cold. He seemed unimpressed with that, so I added that we put marshmallows in the hot chocolate too. On air, I was trying to explain marshmallows because they don't sell them in bags here like they do at home. Suddenly, Chan Yang had an epiphany (that's for you, Dave!), and the following exchange happened:
Chan Yang: "Is that like the filling of choco pies?" (Choco pies are a Korean dessert exactly like Hostess Moon Pies.)
Me: "YES! Exactly like choco pies!"
Chan Yang took a moment to consider this and translate it into Korean. Then,...
Chan Yang: "Excuse me, but I think that is a bit unbelievable."
Who knew that putting marshmallows in our hot chocolate was such a crazy concept!
During my teacher class today, I was working on common classroom expressions. I was going over different ways to praise the students and one of the examples I gave was to say, "Well done!" The principal looked at me and said, "Yes. Well done. Same way I like my beef." It took me a little while to catch her joke, but you can imagine how hard I laughed when it finally clicked! She is so dang funny! Later this afternoon, Hyunjoo treated the entire staff to fried chicken because her choir won the gold prize (which, I think is second place, but I'm not sure...) in a competition last week. I was in my classroom because I don't come to staff meetings anymore since they are conducted in all Korean. Suddenly, Dionne arrived in my classroom to tell me I had to come downstairs to the meeting because they had chicken and they didn't want me to miss out on it. When I got downstairs, the principal had hoarded the better part of one of the boxes and saved it for me. She said, "One box. Four teachers. But, you my teacher, so you get own box!" I felt like such a fatty and I only ate three of the ten pieces she saved for me, but I felt very special that she would save me so much!
This week, with the second year students, I am doing an activity based on an MTV show called The Buried Life in which four Canadian guys travel around North America in a bus completing their list of 100 things they want to do before they die. Along the way, they help the random strangers they meet on the street complete their own life goals. It's a really inspiring show and I am a proud advocate and fan. So, for this class activity, after some introduction and explanation of the concept, I have them create a list of five things they want to do before they die and then they share them with the class. I hear many girls say they want to go to certain K-Pop groups' concerts or meet Korean celebrities. Many have said they want to help the poor and honor their parents and grandparents. A few have said they want to attend a good university and almost everybody has said they want to travel the world. One girl in particular sparked my attention when she said she wants to rob a bank. Uh oh.
Since my classes' exams are given in the next couple of weeks, I have started reviewing what will be on the exam. I have devised a game for reviewing that is quite popular among native teachers here. It's a powerpoint game where the students choose a shape, letter or number from the screen. Each shape, letter or number is linked to a question. They have to correctly answer the question or complete the task. Once they have done so, a picture appears on the screen. The picture could be a point value, or it could be one of the following four things with these consequences: a water gun (wipes out that team's accumulated points), a bomb (wipes out every team's points), a bandit (allows the team to steal 15 points from another team) or a recycle sign (allows that team to switch points with any other team). Today, I played the game with two teams. One team had 30 points and the other team had 15. The losing team answered their question and the recycle sign appeared. One of the girls was so excited to see that sign that she started singing "Jesus Loves Me" at the top of her lungs. I started laughing so hard that I had to take a few moments to compose myself (and write myself a note to remember to include this in my upcoming blog post :) ) before I could move on with the game.
Never a dull moment, that's for sure.
Chan Yang: "Is that like the filling of choco pies?" (Choco pies are a Korean dessert exactly like Hostess Moon Pies.)
Me: "YES! Exactly like choco pies!"
Chan Yang took a moment to consider this and translate it into Korean. Then,...
Chan Yang: "Excuse me, but I think that is a bit unbelievable."
Who knew that putting marshmallows in our hot chocolate was such a crazy concept!
During my teacher class today, I was working on common classroom expressions. I was going over different ways to praise the students and one of the examples I gave was to say, "Well done!" The principal looked at me and said, "Yes. Well done. Same way I like my beef." It took me a little while to catch her joke, but you can imagine how hard I laughed when it finally clicked! She is so dang funny! Later this afternoon, Hyunjoo treated the entire staff to fried chicken because her choir won the gold prize (which, I think is second place, but I'm not sure...) in a competition last week. I was in my classroom because I don't come to staff meetings anymore since they are conducted in all Korean. Suddenly, Dionne arrived in my classroom to tell me I had to come downstairs to the meeting because they had chicken and they didn't want me to miss out on it. When I got downstairs, the principal had hoarded the better part of one of the boxes and saved it for me. She said, "One box. Four teachers. But, you my teacher, so you get own box!" I felt like such a fatty and I only ate three of the ten pieces she saved for me, but I felt very special that she would save me so much!
This week, with the second year students, I am doing an activity based on an MTV show called The Buried Life in which four Canadian guys travel around North America in a bus completing their list of 100 things they want to do before they die. Along the way, they help the random strangers they meet on the street complete their own life goals. It's a really inspiring show and I am a proud advocate and fan. So, for this class activity, after some introduction and explanation of the concept, I have them create a list of five things they want to do before they die and then they share them with the class. I hear many girls say they want to go to certain K-Pop groups' concerts or meet Korean celebrities. Many have said they want to help the poor and honor their parents and grandparents. A few have said they want to attend a good university and almost everybody has said they want to travel the world. One girl in particular sparked my attention when she said she wants to rob a bank. Uh oh.
Since my classes' exams are given in the next couple of weeks, I have started reviewing what will be on the exam. I have devised a game for reviewing that is quite popular among native teachers here. It's a powerpoint game where the students choose a shape, letter or number from the screen. Each shape, letter or number is linked to a question. They have to correctly answer the question or complete the task. Once they have done so, a picture appears on the screen. The picture could be a point value, or it could be one of the following four things with these consequences: a water gun (wipes out that team's accumulated points), a bomb (wipes out every team's points), a bandit (allows the team to steal 15 points from another team) or a recycle sign (allows that team to switch points with any other team). Today, I played the game with two teams. One team had 30 points and the other team had 15. The losing team answered their question and the recycle sign appeared. One of the girls was so excited to see that sign that she started singing "Jesus Loves Me" at the top of her lungs. I started laughing so hard that I had to take a few moments to compose myself (and write myself a note to remember to include this in my upcoming blog post :) ) before I could move on with the game.
Never a dull moment, that's for sure.
11.01.2010
Ferrets and Five Floors of Pizza
Saturday was a great day. Diane and I planned to meet in our new favorite neighborhood. We're not sure what the neighborhood is actually called but we get off at a subway stop called Hyehwa, so that's what we call it. It's a university type neighborhood, so it's really interesting and eclectic. There are numerous places to eat, chill, people watch, relax and there are several little shops too. We've decided that if we don't have any concrete plans, we'll just hang out in this area. We. Love. It.
So, first, Diane had trouble catching a train that was headed for the right station (the trains on the outskirts of the city are complicated because they have different destinations despite leaving from common stations) so I hung out in a coffee shop, reading and sipping some Earl Gray, while I awaited her arrival. I finished the book I was reading: Little Bee by Chris Cleave. The synopsis on the back of the books says:
So, there you go. I'm heeding the book's request and not telling you anymore about the book other than urging you to read it because it truly is a magical story. It will make you think about things you've never considered before and will open your eyes to a whole world being lived right now, though oft overlooked. For those of you who need more convincing or want something from which to base your choice to read this book, some of the praise that has been published for the book calls it the next Three Cups of Tea. If that doesn't mean anything to you, you should also read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. Amazing. True. Inspiring. The end. While Little Bee is a novel, it is very well researched and based on real experiences. Amazing. Enough said. Moving on...
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed waiting for Diane and was grateful to myself (is that even possible?) for remembering to stash the book in my bag! As I was walking to meet Diane, I was stopped by a college age guy holding a ferret. He was trying to convince me to come to some stage production that was being put on that night, but I was so distracted (and weirded out!) by the ferret he held in his arms that I quickly waved him off, told him I'd see him later (yeah, right...) and basically ran away. I'm still getting used to people stopping me on the street purely because I am clearly foreign and they can practice their English. Flattering, yes. Still, a bit weird, double yes.
While wandering around looking for a restaurant that we read about in our Lonely Planet guide (that book has some great information, but Diane and I find their directions a bit lacking at times...) we grew tired of waiting. These girls were hungry. So, we settled on a cute pizza restaurant instead. We walked in the front door (at street level) and five floors later, we were seated on a floor reserved for parties of two. There were several trees adorning the room, arranged in such a way that they seems to be growing from the floor and through the ceiling. The pizza was good.
Next, we explored the neighborhood. A few of the gems we spotted:
The final discovery of the day: line 4's train seats (at least the one on which I sat) are heated! So weird, but surprisingly comfortable. I could get used to that long before I will ever get used to the heated toilet seats (yes, you read that correctly) that you sometimes find here. Such cultural differences!
So, first, Diane had trouble catching a train that was headed for the right station (the trains on the outskirts of the city are complicated because they have different destinations despite leaving from common stations) so I hung out in a coffee shop, reading and sipping some Earl Gray, while I awaited her arrival. I finished the book I was reading: Little Bee by Chris Cleave. The synopsis on the back of the books says:
We don't want to tell you what happens in this book
It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it.
Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it, so we'll just say this:
This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again-the story starts there. . . Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.
So, there you go. I'm heeding the book's request and not telling you anymore about the book other than urging you to read it because it truly is a magical story. It will make you think about things you've never considered before and will open your eyes to a whole world being lived right now, though oft overlooked. For those of you who need more convincing or want something from which to base your choice to read this book, some of the praise that has been published for the book calls it the next Three Cups of Tea. If that doesn't mean anything to you, you should also read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. Amazing. True. Inspiring. The end. While Little Bee is a novel, it is very well researched and based on real experiences. Amazing. Enough said. Moving on...
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed waiting for Diane and was grateful to myself (is that even possible?) for remembering to stash the book in my bag! As I was walking to meet Diane, I was stopped by a college age guy holding a ferret. He was trying to convince me to come to some stage production that was being put on that night, but I was so distracted (and weirded out!) by the ferret he held in his arms that I quickly waved him off, told him I'd see him later (yeah, right...) and basically ran away. I'm still getting used to people stopping me on the street purely because I am clearly foreign and they can practice their English. Flattering, yes. Still, a bit weird, double yes.
While wandering around looking for a restaurant that we read about in our Lonely Planet guide (that book has some great information, but Diane and I find their directions a bit lacking at times...) we grew tired of waiting. These girls were hungry. So, we settled on a cute pizza restaurant instead. We walked in the front door (at street level) and five floors later, we were seated on a floor reserved for parties of two. There were several trees adorning the room, arranged in such a way that they seems to be growing from the floor and through the ceiling. The pizza was good.
Next, we explored the neighborhood. A few of the gems we spotted:
- A sign advertising free lessons. We wondered what the free lessons were for, until, that is, we looked down and watched an overweight man working out on an elliptical machine. It looked like he was working out in a cage, like he was being featured to bring people into this gym. I am not adequately describing the sight and the picture I took is not worth posting. Trust me when I say it was truly bizarre.
- Free Hugs were out in full force. There was a line of three people in the middle of the street holding their Free Hugs signs. They had a colleague off the side taking pictures of any takers. I love the spectacle of free hugs. It almost seems like a social demonstration of some kind, but when it comes down to it, it's really just an anonymous public display of affection. I love how seemingly simple acts can be complicated at the same time. Amazing. And, mind boggling.
- We wandered into a delightful basement shop called Rainbow Stitch. This shop had all sorts of beach wear, but also carried a nice selection of vintage inspired and ironic English sweatshirts. One particular sweatshirt that caught my eye (and would have been mine had it not been for its unfortunate burnt orange color) had a novel written on the back. As I took the time to read what it said in its terribly broken English, I was flabbergasted. The sweatshirt was acknowledging that times are tough, especially with the recession, but that we should make the most of it and use the tough times to be inspired to achieve greatness. It was soooo deep, especially for the back of a sweatshirt, and the English was laughably terrible. If only it hadn't been that disgusting color.
The final discovery of the day: line 4's train seats (at least the one on which I sat) are heated! So weird, but surprisingly comfortable. I could get used to that long before I will ever get used to the heated toilet seats (yes, you read that correctly) that you sometimes find here. Such cultural differences!
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