After witnessing Maren's strong command of Vietnamese, I was quite inspired to try my hand at learning Korean. Usually when I get inspired to try something new, it quickly passes when the next inspiration comes along. This, however, was more important than most of my short lived schemes. While I have gotten along quite nicely here only knowing how to say hello, thank you and the names of my favorite foods and activities, not to mention not being able to read Korean, it was high time that I delved a little deeper into the culture, especially since I've decided to stay for (at least) another year.
A few days after proclaiming my desire to learn Korean to Jill, we ran into my friend Tara walking down the street. She told me that a teacher at her school had approached her about giving English lessons to her college age daughter. Tara politely declined (though many native teachers do give lessons on the side, it is really illegal and could result in deportation if it is discovered), but said she would ask around to see if any of her friends were interested. When Tara asked me if I would be interested in doing the lessons, I thought it was just the ticket to learning Korean - a language exchange. I proposed this idea to Tara, saying that while I wouldn't be comfortable giving her friend English lessons and receiving compensation for said lessons, I would be more than willing to meet with her in a setting where we could speak English and she could teach me some Korean too.
A couple of weeks later, I received a Facebook message from Tara with Yeeseul's phone number, saying she was really excited by my proposition and wanted to set up a meeting right away. I texted Yeeseul and we agreed to meet at a coffee shop. We sat there for a little over an hour, talking and sizing each other up. Yeeseul is 24 (in Korean age - probably closer to 22 or 23 with the difference in the way Korean's calculate their age) and is attending graduate school in Sports Medicine with a focus on Physical Therapy. She hopes to spend some time working for a hospital or clinic in the US so she wants to brush up on and become more comfortable with her English. Also, she has several friends who attend universities in the US and when she talks to them online, she can't understand their internet lingo and slang, so she's especially interested in acronyms like lol and omg and typical American college student slang. For my half of the language exchange agreement, I am compiling a list of acronyms and slang terms to share with her and explain. She makes a list of anything her friends say that she doesn't understand and I explain them to her. (If you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to share them with me...)
I feel a little cheap about the lessons because of our agreement. Basically, the way she practices English is by teaching me Korean using English. Because of this, I try to throw in impromptu English tid bits during the Korean lessons so that she feels like she's learning something new too. I guess it is good practice for her English to be teaching me about her native language using her second language, but I still feel bad (it's part of my nature - if I didn't feel bad about something during the course of the day, I'd worry about myself :) )
Originally, Yeeseul wanted to meet two or three times each week, but now that she has secured a part time job at an English academy that will occupy her most week nights from 5:00 until 10:00 pm, we have decided to meet on Sunday mornings. We meet at the organic coffee shop called Brown Story that Jill and I discovered on one of our walks around Gwangju. The shop owner is starting to recognize us and it's fun to be a regular customer somewhere beside my duk boki stand in E-Mart.
Our first meeting was (predictably) a little awkward but now that we've grown more familiar with each other and met a couple more times, we've become good friends. I genuinely look forward to our meetings, not only because she is a great teacher, but it's fun to have a Korean friend! She's so sweet and we have a great time together. One night we were so engrossed in our conversation and lesson that three and a half hours passed without us even realizing how long we'd been talking. Our conversations remind me of conversations with my best pals at home - sometimes serious, sometimes funny, and always comfortable. We talk about Korean culture, college life (she asked me if my sorority was like Legally Blond - I carefully explained the similarities and glaring differences) American culture and we laugh as I fumble to relate Korean pronunciation to English sounds. She also laughs at the faces I make when I fumble through sounding out words. She is, in a word, delightful.
P.S. I can now read Korean, albeit quite slowly, but I can also tell I'm improving. The language makes soooo much sense. It's fun to be able to read menus and not have to mime the specifics of what I want to order and to be able to read the station names on the screens in the subway without having to wait for the English to appear. My next project is conquering the numbers. Because they use different numbers to refer to money, dates, phone numbers and minutes of time (numbers derived from Chinese) than for counting things, age and the hours of time (pure Korean numbers), I have to learn almost twice as many...EEK. But, I've made some real intense flashcards and I'm getting a (slow) handle on them. HOORAY.
Also, this week marks me being here for six months! I can't believe how quickly the time has passed! Sometimes it feels like I just got here and other times it feels like I've been here for years. My apartment feels more like home and less like temporary housing and everything becomes more and more second nature each day. One year (and sometimes two years!) just doesn't seem like enough time to fully experience all that Korea has to offer.
Stay tuned for two editions of Spring Break escapades, just as soon as I get the pictures from Diane - my camera had a minor malfunction, but now we're back in business... just in time for the new school year to start :)
2.27.2011
2.09.2011
Words to Live By... And other musings.
For some reason, (I think because I don't have a bedside lamp and I can't be bothered to walk to the lamp store to pick one out, nor can I be bothered to get out of my cozy warm nest to turn out the overhead light in my bedroom once I'm done reading for the night) I've started listening to NPR podcasts as I fall asleep at night. Lately, it's been Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me - The NPR News Quiz, which is, by the way, delightfully clever and amusing. Check it out.
Anyway, Dick Van Dyke was on the particular episode to which I was listening last night and he sang the lyrics to the theme song of his longtime television show and those lyrics got me thinking.
Now for a whole slew of stream-of-consciousness style thoughts on a myriad of subjects:
Either today or tomorrow, it will be announced which teachers will be selected to be homeroom teachers. I suspect this is the reasoning behind many of the male teachers gathering around my desk neighbor's desk and whispering new developments. It looks to me that they're gossiping like school girls and the sight warms my heart.
We had fresh strawberries at lunch. They were sooo sweet and delicious. I hope I can find a friendly man selling bags of strawberries off the back of a flat bed truck so I can enjoy them at home. They're so spendy from the grocery store, and those back-of-the-truck produce men are much friendlier for my wallet. :)
We just had church to wish the third graders well before graduation. This is the first time I've seen most of them since December. I should preface this by saying that my school prohibits the girls from altering their appearance in any way (no makeup, jewelry (except watches), and no hair dye). In true rebellious teenager fashion, many of them decided to stick it to the man. Instead of coming to their last day of school drunk or hungover like many of my high school classmates, they did the most drastic thing it seems Korean culture allows - dying your hair orange, gold (in an attempt to achieve California blond, I suspect), kool-aid red, etc. Dionne hit the nail on the head when she described them looking like a forest of trees baring their fall colors. I guess I don't have much to say about it since I, too, pulled a shock value dye job when I was their age. Let's not forget the day I turned from blond to almost black in a matter of 20 or so minutes. EEK. Just another piece of proof that teenagers aren't really that different across cultures...
This week is the last week of the school year. I've taught three classes all week. Here's why: No third graders, no afternoon class Monday through Wednesday and no classes Thursday (graduation) or Friday (the remaining students meet their new homeroom teachers). Bonkers? Yes. It's fun to be in the school atmosphere again, but I must confess that I miss the student interaction... I'm looking forward to the new school year, except that whole lesson planning part. That part is the things of which headaches are made. Lucky for me, Dionne stumbled across a huge stash of English curriculum books from previous Morning English programs and Mr. Shin showed us a couple of books from his private stash. The ideas are forming, now it's just a matter of those ideas translating into lessons. The cycle begins. Nice.
On a semi-related note, it feels funny to be starting a new school year in March. Generally, I associate new school years with warmth, fall colors, new backpacks, clean notebooks and freshly sharpened pencils. The last three, I can produce. The first two just might take some getting used to. But, if there's one thing I have learned to be during the almost six months I've been here (isn't that c.r.a.z.y.??), it's adaptable, sometimes with a capital A.
P.S. Today is my mom's birthday!!! Today Kris turns 60. She's a pretty young 60, and she and Bob are taking Sun City West by storm. Huzzah! Play a round of golf and eat some pesto today! Hooray!
Anyway, Dick Van Dyke was on the particular episode to which I was listening last night and he sang the lyrics to the theme song of his longtime television show and those lyrics got me thinking.
So you think that you've got trouble,Aren't those just the most splendid theme song lyrics?
Well trouble's a bubble.
So tell ol' Mr. Trouble to get lost.
Why not hold your head up high
And stop cryin',
Start tryin'
And don't forget to keep your fingers crossed.
When you find the joy of living
Is loving and giving.
You'll be there when the winning dice are tossed.
A smile is just a frown
That's turned upside down.
So, smile and that frown'll get lost.
And, don't forget to keep your fingers crossed.
Now for a whole slew of stream-of-consciousness style thoughts on a myriad of subjects:
Either today or tomorrow, it will be announced which teachers will be selected to be homeroom teachers. I suspect this is the reasoning behind many of the male teachers gathering around my desk neighbor's desk and whispering new developments. It looks to me that they're gossiping like school girls and the sight warms my heart.
We had fresh strawberries at lunch. They were sooo sweet and delicious. I hope I can find a friendly man selling bags of strawberries off the back of a flat bed truck so I can enjoy them at home. They're so spendy from the grocery store, and those back-of-the-truck produce men are much friendlier for my wallet. :)
We just had church to wish the third graders well before graduation. This is the first time I've seen most of them since December. I should preface this by saying that my school prohibits the girls from altering their appearance in any way (no makeup, jewelry (except watches), and no hair dye). In true rebellious teenager fashion, many of them decided to stick it to the man. Instead of coming to their last day of school drunk or hungover like many of my high school classmates, they did the most drastic thing it seems Korean culture allows - dying your hair orange, gold (in an attempt to achieve California blond, I suspect), kool-aid red, etc. Dionne hit the nail on the head when she described them looking like a forest of trees baring their fall colors. I guess I don't have much to say about it since I, too, pulled a shock value dye job when I was their age. Let's not forget the day I turned from blond to almost black in a matter of 20 or so minutes. EEK. Just another piece of proof that teenagers aren't really that different across cultures...
This week is the last week of the school year. I've taught three classes all week. Here's why: No third graders, no afternoon class Monday through Wednesday and no classes Thursday (graduation) or Friday (the remaining students meet their new homeroom teachers). Bonkers? Yes. It's fun to be in the school atmosphere again, but I must confess that I miss the student interaction... I'm looking forward to the new school year, except that whole lesson planning part. That part is the things of which headaches are made. Lucky for me, Dionne stumbled across a huge stash of English curriculum books from previous Morning English programs and Mr. Shin showed us a couple of books from his private stash. The ideas are forming, now it's just a matter of those ideas translating into lessons. The cycle begins. Nice.
On a semi-related note, it feels funny to be starting a new school year in March. Generally, I associate new school years with warmth, fall colors, new backpacks, clean notebooks and freshly sharpened pencils. The last three, I can produce. The first two just might take some getting used to. But, if there's one thing I have learned to be during the almost six months I've been here (isn't that c.r.a.z.y.??), it's adaptable, sometimes with a capital A.
P.S. Today is my mom's birthday!!! Today Kris turns 60. She's a pretty young 60, and she and Bob are taking Sun City West by storm. Huzzah! Play a round of golf and eat some pesto today! Hooray!
2.07.2011
Jill in Korea - Vol. 3: Winter Camp
It is 1:37 pm on Monday. This is my first real day at school since December. I taught one class today (and by taught, I mean helped facilitate a game with Dionne to a group of 36 giddy second graders). 'Twas delightful. This week is the last week of the school year and thus, shortened days for the students, no expectations in the classroom except laid back fun and no extras. This leaves me lots of time. If I were in the business of planning ahead, this would be the perfect time to plan my lessons for the ensuing school year. But, we all know that's not my style, so instead I'm spending my time reading blogs, catching up on happenings at home via Facebook and e-mails, reading the pile of snail mail that was delivered to my desk after lunch, and drinking tea from a borrowed paper cup since I forgot my tumbler at home. What a life I lead.
Behold - the last of the catch-up blogs, which also (sadly) means the last of the awesome photo documentary a la Jill (I'll try to be better, I pinkie swear!):
Since the bulk of what I do here is teaching, that was what I was most excited to share with Jill. I was excited to show her around the school. have her meet my co-workers and experience firsthand my purpose in this country. Jill was a more than willing participant and she fit right in. Everyone loved her!
Before school each day, Chan Yang ordered lunch for delivery at the school. This was perfect because not only did it give Jill a chance to try several different types of Korean food, but it was free! It was fun to share a daily meal with Jonah, Mr. Shin and Chan Yang.
All of the students who attended our two week Winter Camp were new students to us and will be some of the incoming first year students. We tried to create a fun environment for them and I think they enjoyed themselves... The first day was spent creating name tags and playing ice breakers like Two Truths and a Lie and untangling a human knot. One girl sat next to Jill and told her all about her pet hamster. They were fast pals. The next day was devoted to teaching (read: reviewing, since these girls seemed to be ahead of the curve) past tense and playing a quick game of Pass the Paper. Wednesday was present tense day. The girls created personal ads, as did Jill and I. I should have written down some of the posters' contents - they were adorable. The next day was future tense and we tried to play the famed elementary bus game of M.A.S.H. to predict their futures, but it didn't work out quite like I had hoped... Oh well. Much of this camp was trial and error with little time to fix the things that didn't work out well...
The last day of the week, we played a revised version of the BOMB game and baked chocolate chip cookies. I measured out the ingredients and they mixed the dough. It was fun to watch the girls cook. Unfortunately, our toaster oven situation proved disastrous given my oven's apparent and surprising inability to bake a proper cookie. Almost immediately upon inserting the cookies into the oven, it produced billows of smoke, a foul smell and instantaneously burnt (albeit gooey and delicious) cookie dough. Rats. Despite my oven's malfunction, Dionne's oven prevailed and slowly produced enough cookies for each students to enjoy one. Jill and I tried to teach Chan Yang the wonders of eating cookie dough. He was not a convert. As I poured the horrid amount of sugar into the girls' bowls for them to mix, Chan Yang explained that we were making American Style cookies. That distinction didn't stop Jill and I from ingesting cookie dough at any possible moment. That is, after all, the best part of baking cookies, in my humble opinion.
Jill's last day of camp was Monday. We had the girls create their own categories for Charades and spent the remainder of the class time playing Charades. The girls were pretty good and really creative. It was fun to watch them forced out of their comfort zone. Once each of the girls had a chance to act out the contents of their card, each of the teachers took a turn, including Chan Yang. Awesome.
The girls were sad to hear that Jill would be leaving and I'm sure she will be the topic of many a question at the beginning of the new school year. At the end of the day, the principal (who had come to school that day for this express purpose only) invited us into her office for tea, cookies and a chat. She was so appreciative of Jill spending time at our school and extended an invitation for her to return anytime. Then, to all of our amazement, she, the vice principal and Mr. Shin presented Jill with gifts of appreciation, including our school's clock (which was also given to all of the teachers as a Christmas gift) and a beautiful handmade traditional Korean mirror. Jill was taken quite by surprise.
The girls were sad the next day at camp when they realized Jill really wasn't coming back, but they soldiered on. The rest of the week was pretty no big deal...until Friday. We created a list of challenges for the girls to complete, some using English that they had learned over the week and others making the girls perform random tasks that Dionne and I thought would be fun (or at the very least funny). We had them put together puzzles made from pictures of Justin Bieber photo spreads from Tiger Beat magazine that Jill brought, sing songs, whistle with a mouthful of crackers, unwrap chocolate wearing oven mits, and tell stories using flashcards, among other things. My absolute favorite task was having them make another team a fruit salad with some pretty nasty condiments and then eating the salad that was concocted for them by another team. Some teams were ruthless, making their fruit salad super spicy with mustard, pepper paste and vinegar. Other teams were super sweet to each other, asking each other what they wanted in their salads. It was, surprisingly, a pretty true testament of their personalities and character.
Winter Camp got me pretty jazzed for the upcoming school year. More than that, however, getting the chance to share this chunk of my life with Jill was pretty dang special and I'm so thankful that she would take time out to come to Korea to visit! Seriously, words cannot accurately describe how delightful it was to have her here! It was just the taste of home, kinship, pure joy and uncensored laughter that I had (unbeknownst to me) been craving. Thanks, again, for the magical time pal!
Behold - the last of the catch-up blogs, which also (sadly) means the last of the awesome photo documentary a la Jill (I'll try to be better, I pinkie swear!):
Since the bulk of what I do here is teaching, that was what I was most excited to share with Jill. I was excited to show her around the school. have her meet my co-workers and experience firsthand my purpose in this country. Jill was a more than willing participant and she fit right in. Everyone loved her!
Before school each day, Chan Yang ordered lunch for delivery at the school. This was perfect because not only did it give Jill a chance to try several different types of Korean food, but it was free! It was fun to share a daily meal with Jonah, Mr. Shin and Chan Yang.
All of the students who attended our two week Winter Camp were new students to us and will be some of the incoming first year students. We tried to create a fun environment for them and I think they enjoyed themselves... The first day was spent creating name tags and playing ice breakers like Two Truths and a Lie and untangling a human knot. One girl sat next to Jill and told her all about her pet hamster. They were fast pals. The next day was devoted to teaching (read: reviewing, since these girls seemed to be ahead of the curve) past tense and playing a quick game of Pass the Paper. Wednesday was present tense day. The girls created personal ads, as did Jill and I. I should have written down some of the posters' contents - they were adorable. The next day was future tense and we tried to play the famed elementary bus game of M.A.S.H. to predict their futures, but it didn't work out quite like I had hoped... Oh well. Much of this camp was trial and error with little time to fix the things that didn't work out well...
 |
| These two were a hoot. |
 |
| My, what diligent listening skills they are displaying... |
 |
| Giggling during the Bomb game later in the week. These girls were such sweeties! |
The last day of the week, we played a revised version of the BOMB game and baked chocolate chip cookies. I measured out the ingredients and they mixed the dough. It was fun to watch the girls cook. Unfortunately, our toaster oven situation proved disastrous given my oven's apparent and surprising inability to bake a proper cookie. Almost immediately upon inserting the cookies into the oven, it produced billows of smoke, a foul smell and instantaneously burnt (albeit gooey and delicious) cookie dough. Rats. Despite my oven's malfunction, Dionne's oven prevailed and slowly produced enough cookies for each students to enjoy one. Jill and I tried to teach Chan Yang the wonders of eating cookie dough. He was not a convert. As I poured the horrid amount of sugar into the girls' bowls for them to mix, Chan Yang explained that we were making American Style cookies. That distinction didn't stop Jill and I from ingesting cookie dough at any possible moment. That is, after all, the best part of baking cookies, in my humble opinion.
 |
| Cutting chocolate for our cookies |
 |
| This girl was one vigorous mixing machine. Wow. |
 |
| The other table hard at work - they were so cute to watch! |
Jill's last day of camp was Monday. We had the girls create their own categories for Charades and spent the remainder of the class time playing Charades. The girls were pretty good and really creative. It was fun to watch them forced out of their comfort zone. Once each of the girls had a chance to act out the contents of their card, each of the teachers took a turn, including Chan Yang. Awesome.
 |
| Chan Yang acting out his card while Dionne tries to figure out what he's doing with his hands |
The girls were sad to hear that Jill would be leaving and I'm sure she will be the topic of many a question at the beginning of the new school year. At the end of the day, the principal (who had come to school that day for this express purpose only) invited us into her office for tea, cookies and a chat. She was so appreciative of Jill spending time at our school and extended an invitation for her to return anytime. Then, to all of our amazement, she, the vice principal and Mr. Shin presented Jill with gifts of appreciation, including our school's clock (which was also given to all of the teachers as a Christmas gift) and a beautiful handmade traditional Korean mirror. Jill was taken quite by surprise.
 |
| Tea in the Principal's office |
 |
| Most of the campers and all of the teachers. I like to think a good time was had by all... |
The girls were sad the next day at camp when they realized Jill really wasn't coming back, but they soldiered on. The rest of the week was pretty no big deal...until Friday. We created a list of challenges for the girls to complete, some using English that they had learned over the week and others making the girls perform random tasks that Dionne and I thought would be fun (or at the very least funny). We had them put together puzzles made from pictures of Justin Bieber photo spreads from Tiger Beat magazine that Jill brought, sing songs, whistle with a mouthful of crackers, unwrap chocolate wearing oven mits, and tell stories using flashcards, among other things. My absolute favorite task was having them make another team a fruit salad with some pretty nasty condiments and then eating the salad that was concocted for them by another team. Some teams were ruthless, making their fruit salad super spicy with mustard, pepper paste and vinegar. Other teams were super sweet to each other, asking each other what they wanted in their salads. It was, surprisingly, a pretty true testament of their personalities and character.
Winter Camp got me pretty jazzed for the upcoming school year. More than that, however, getting the chance to share this chunk of my life with Jill was pretty dang special and I'm so thankful that she would take time out to come to Korea to visit! Seriously, words cannot accurately describe how delightful it was to have her here! It was just the taste of home, kinship, pure joy and uncensored laughter that I had (unbeknownst to me) been craving. Thanks, again, for the magical time pal!
2.06.2011
Jill in Korea - Vol. 2: DMZ-ing, Hongdae-ing, Jimjilbang-ing
Diane, Jill and I awoke at the ripe time of 5:20 am in order to ensure that we left the hostel promptly at 6 am so as to arrive at the USO by 7:00. We arrived to the USO right on time after wandering around looking for a place to buy breakfast. They are very strict about providing the correct documents in order to partake in the tour (you MUST present either a passport or valid military i.d.) and one guy from the group in front of us was unable to board the bus because he didn't bring his passport. They don't mess around on this tour. There's even a dress code!
The bus ride from the USO in Seoul to the DMZ was about an hour and a half. The DMZ tour is comprised of several components. First, we arrived at Camp Bonifas which is the United Nations Command post (it was known as Camp Kitty Hawk and Camp Liberty Bell before it was renamed in 1986 to commemorate a captain killed in a now infamous ax murder on the part of North Korean soldiers). Upon arrival at Camp Bonifas, we were joined by an American soldier who would serve as our tour guide for the first half or so of the tour. He was really intense, and rightfully so given the circumstances, but his lack of emotion and his cold demeanor took a little getting used to, especially given the bubbly personality of our USO tour guide. We were made to sign an agreement that we wouldn't talk to, gesture toward or engage in any sort of verbal or non verbal communication with any North Korean soldiers or even in the direction of North Korea. We were also under strict orders not to take pictures unless we were specifically told it was allowed. Once we had all signed the agreement, we sat through a 20 minute presentation explaining the events that established the DMZ and the reasons for the present day high security environment of Camp Bonifas.
Following the presentation, we were taken to the Joint Security Area (JSA). This area is where the Armistice Agreement of 1953 (the agreement that ended the war in a ceasefire) is enforced by both sides. There are two big gorgeous buildings on either side of four blue buildings that are divided in half by small cement slabs. The cement slabs mark the border between North and South Korean territory at the JSA. As we stood outside the South Korean side looking across to the North Korean building, we were informed that this was the critical time not to make any gestures of any kind toward North Korea. Why? Because we were being filmed and photographed by North Korea in an attempt to score some propaganda or to capture footage of someone important who may or may not be part of our tour group. It was eerie to be aware that we were being photographed simply because we were standing on a specific side of a cement slab. There was a lone soldier standing guard outside the North Korean building across the way and I couldn't help but wonder if he believed in what he was doing and what his country and government stand for or if he secretly wished he could be on the other side. North Korean men are made to serve 10 years in the military while women serve four years (if I remember correctly...). It's so strange to think about how backwards North Korea seems and how together South Korea is given their close proximity and mutually nightmarish past.
After a spiel about the buildings between the two larger buildings and the antics of North Korean soldiers, we were ushered into one of the blue buildings. This building is where officials from North and South Korea and different members of the U.N. coalition have negotiation talks. This is also where tourists are able to step foot into North Korean territory. This room is under especially tight security since it is accessible to both sides. In the building with us were three South Korean soldiers who were at the ready to rip someone's head off at any sign of necessity. They were real intense dudes and we were told we could take pictures with / of them but under no circumstances were we to touch them. Pretty intense stuff.
For the remainder of the tour, we were shuttled around on a bus with the American soldier pointing out and explaining points of interest and the stories behind them. We went to two different lookout points where we could see North Korea, their propaganda village and a factory compound. We also drove past the Bridge of No Return which is the sight of a POW exchange following the 1953 armistice agreement where soldiers from both sides were brought to the bridge and told to choose on which side of the bridge they wanted to live. The catch was that they were never allowed to change their mind and return to the other side, hence the name of the bridge. In an instant, these soldiers were made to choose whether they wanted to return to their families in the north and a guarantee of life under a repressive government or if they wanted to live in a free, probably prosperous nation, but never see their family again. That's a pretty loaded decision to be making.
After we parted ways with our soldier guide, our USO guide took us to another spot of interest. North Korea dug several tunnels into South Korea so that in the event of a North Korean invasion, several thousand troops would be able to secretly access South Korea in a matter of hours. Four such tunnels have been discovered and there are rumored to be about 17 in total. One of the tunnels has been excavated so that tourists can go inside and explore it, seeing for themselves how it would work for North Korean soldiers to venture through to the South. We were given helmets and walked at a steep incline for the distance of a 20 story building laid on its side. Once we reached the tunnel, we had to hunch our backs to keep from hitting our heads on the rock ceiling. The tunnel went on for quite a while and at the end of the point to which tourists have access, we were able to look through a small peephole to North Korean territory. The endpoint of our access to the tunnel was clearly marked with barbed wire, signs and a surveillance camera. The area to which we were able to walk was only one third of the length of the tunnel. The second third is filled with live land mines to discourage any North Koreans from putting the tunnel to use. Yowza. On the way into and out of the tunnel, Jill wondered aloud why we had to wear helmets. Just as she made her remark, my back started to get a little tight, so I straightened it out as much as I could without being able to fully stand up. Almost instantaneously after she uttered her comment, a nasty noise could be heard: the sound of contact between the rock ceiling and my helmet. I hit my head at least 10 times throughout the course of the tunnel hike. I now have a deep appreciation for those helmets.
Following our emergence from the tunnel, Jill asked our USO tour guide, a Korean college student, what her opinion was on the subject of reunification between the North and South. Her answer was a bit astounding. Basically, she said that of course in a perfect world, everyone wants reunification. But, reunification isn't just that easy. When you take two areas of similar geographic area, one that is underdeveloped, poverty stricken and barren, and one that is industrialized, modern and quite prosperous, it becomes the responsibility of the South to build up the North. Our tour guide said that while reunification sounds like a nice idea in theory, she wasn't so sure she wanted to foot the bill. What we found so interesting about this response was her pure honesty. Jill pointed out to us that many Americans hold the same sentiment when dealing with problems on the home front - poverty, hunger, welfare, etc., but only the boldest people are willing to admit their gut instinct for not wanting to tackle issues - they don't think it's their responsibility to pay for it. No one really wants to admit that they don't want to pay for other people to live better lives. It doesn't sound politically correct and while there are plenty of people who could care less about being PC, there are also plenty of people who bend over backwards to remain PC at all times. Rarely do you hear Koreans say something that isn't PC. And yet, this young woman said, without batting an eyebrow, that it wasn't her deal. The next Monday at school, my principal and I were talking about our trip to the DMZ and she and I had a fascinating two minute conversation about the situation. She said she would love to see reunification but it's not that easy. Many more resources, manpower and development go into reunification than simply breaking down the border and throwing some money to the North. What would reunification mean for Korea in the short term as well as the long term? Would they lose footing on the world stage because they would have to (to some extent) change their focus from production to rebuilding? Would it be worth the inevitable sacrifices? If you want to enter into a perplexing conversation, ask a Korean their feelings on reunification. It's astounding stuff.
After a quick lunch, we made a trip to the optimist side of the reunification situation: a train station that is all set to function once the border between the two Koreas is open. This train station is fully functioning and would open up travel not only all over the Korean peninsula but also between Europe and Asia. The only thing it needs is for North Korea to be open. It's bonkers to me that they would build such an expensive symbol of optimism. It just illustrates the paradox between the pro and con arguments for reunification. Despite the logical and practical arguments for reunification, of course the ultimate goal is to reunite, no matter the cost.
After a rather intense afternoon of mind boggling political issues, we did a little shopping for our night on the town in Hongdae (a neighborhood in Seoul that is a popular nightlife destination for Koreans and foreigners alike, also the same neighborhood as our hostel). Diane had not originally planned to go out with us after the DMZ, but after some persuasive arguments, Jill convinced her that she should stay in town and go out with us. Maria would also be joining us and none of us had properly packed for a clubbing situation, so we hit up our old standby, Forever 21, for some appropriate attire. After a delightful time getting ready to go out, including a raucous photo shoot, we left the hostel at almost 11:00 in search of a hearty dinner.
We arrived at our restaurant of choice, ordered our food and drinks and had an awesome dinner - full of laughs, meaningful toasts, good food and bonding with the restaurateur. By the end of the meal, we were ready to move the party to a noraebong (Korean style karaoke where each group has their own private room rather than singing in front of the whole bar - quite popular with all ages). We still had half a bottle of soju on our hands so we decided to share with the handsome Korean gentlemen at the table next to us. We all took the shot in unison and they thanked us from afar, showing little interest in talking to us. Satisfied with our bold move and delicious meal, we asked our server where we could find the nearest noraebong. We smuggled our own makgali (Korean rice wine - super smooth and very low alcohol content) into the noraebong and got down to business singing and having a merry time.
Within 10 minutes, there was a knock on the door. We were surprised to see the three men from the restaurant standing outside the door to our noraebong room. We still aren't sure how they found us, but we weren't too concerned about that. We invited them in and, despite the language barrier, had a good time singing and talking. We found out they were tattoo artists (what are the odds? Many Koreans still find tattoos distasteful and until the last couple of years, the only place in which to get a tattoo was at a doctor's office or an army base - oh times, they are a changin'!). After a sincere inquiry as to how much her desired tattoo would cost, one of the guys offered to give Maria a tattoo - FOR FREE. We were all astounded at this generous offer, as were the other two guys and we made him sign several pieces of paper vouching that he was serious about his promise and would make good on the offer later. We also took a picture for Maria to use as reminder when she went in for the tattoo. Once our time at the noraebong was over, they took us to a couple of clubs. We had a good time dancing and taking in the Hongdae nightlife experience. We awoke the next morning (read: afternoon) and recounted the evening. We were still baffled that we so randomly met Korean tattoo artists and had such a good time with them. Maria was quite serious about getting this free tattoo so Jill and I set out with her in search of the shop so she could remind them of their agreement. After much rigmarole, we were greeted by one of the guys and led to their shop. They did indeed remember their agreement with Maria and there are plans in the works to make good on their promise. No worries, Mom and Dad - no new tattoos for this kid, though after seeing their work, I am confident that they would do a good job. :)
Jill and I had a pretty low key Sunday, ordering pizza, recounting our weekend and hanging out. The next day was Jill's last day in Korea as she was due to fly out on Tuesday. We decided to spend her last night in Korea experiencing one of the most Korean things a foreigner can do - a trip to the public bath.
We met Maria and set out for a jimjilbang (the Korean term for public bath) that Hyunjoo had recommended to me. We walked in to the building and were greeted by Koreans of all ages. For a Monday night, I was surprised to see how busy the place was. We paid 8,000 won (a little more than $5), were given our jimjilbang outfits (matching orange shirts and shorts - the biggest size they offered since we're foreigners) and instructed to put our shoes in provided lockers. We were escorted up to the second floor because we obviously had no idea where to go and were shown the layout. The second floor was the women's bath and changing area. This is where we disrobed, took the preliminary shower and took a nice long soak in one of several hot tubs set to varying temperatures. Did I mention that this is all done stark naked? I was surprised at how comfortable I was in a sea of naked Korean women. It had been awhile since using public showers in high school, but that was what it felt like, with four hot tubs and a sauna thrown in... All around us, friends were talking as if they were in a coffee shop, mothers were washing the backs of their daughters and old ladies walked around like they owned the place. As odd as it may sound, it was a beautiful environment. Koreans are not as outwardly affectionate with their children as many Americans seem to be, but seeing mothers and daughters of all ages bathing each other was a more intimate look into the intricacies of Korean culture. It wasn't uncomfortable as I had worried it might be. It seems so natural that people would enjoy a trip to the spa with their family and friends. Not only did a soak in the hot tubs refresh us at our long night on the town, but it was awesome (and not in the generic overused-by-teenagers sense of the word) to experience this beautifully intimate portrait of Korean life. The beauty didn't stop there.
The third floor was comprised of about six saunas, all set to different temperatures and with different minerals present. (The other floors housed the men's bath area, a restaurant and an outdoor pool that was obviously closed due to the currently frigid climate.) Since the sauna floor was co-ed, we wore our provided outfits. As soon as we entered the sauna floor, a couple of old men expressed their positive impressions of our bravery in attending a jimjilbang and our ability to withstand the heat of the saunas. Despite our language barriers, they were obviously impressed by our presence in the sauna and our unabashed willingness to talk to them. Oh Korea. We spent a good amount of time in each of the saunas, including one that was set so high that not only did you need a mat with which to sit in it, but there was also a woman stationed at the door to open and close it for the people entering and leaving that particular sauna. It was in this sauna that Maria saw one of her students. Her student was so embarrassed to have seen Maria in a jimjilbang (that had been one of my major concerns - running into a student or teacher on the second floor! EEK!) but both Maria and the girl's mom assured her that is was no big deal. We also spent some time in the common area between the saunas which included a snack bar, nooks for sleeping and an area in the middle for lazing about reading, talking or looking deep into the eyes of your significant other. It was fun to observe the family dynamics present in this common area (and the saunas) as well as the ways teenage couples interacted with each other. After feeling appropriately cleansed (I haven't sweat that much in a REAL long time!), we took one last shower and dip in the hot tubs before emerging from the jimjilbang with a new lease on life, and new insight into Korean culture.
The bus ride from the USO in Seoul to the DMZ was about an hour and a half. The DMZ tour is comprised of several components. First, we arrived at Camp Bonifas which is the United Nations Command post (it was known as Camp Kitty Hawk and Camp Liberty Bell before it was renamed in 1986 to commemorate a captain killed in a now infamous ax murder on the part of North Korean soldiers). Upon arrival at Camp Bonifas, we were joined by an American soldier who would serve as our tour guide for the first half or so of the tour. He was really intense, and rightfully so given the circumstances, but his lack of emotion and his cold demeanor took a little getting used to, especially given the bubbly personality of our USO tour guide. We were made to sign an agreement that we wouldn't talk to, gesture toward or engage in any sort of verbal or non verbal communication with any North Korean soldiers or even in the direction of North Korea. We were also under strict orders not to take pictures unless we were specifically told it was allowed. Once we had all signed the agreement, we sat through a 20 minute presentation explaining the events that established the DMZ and the reasons for the present day high security environment of Camp Bonifas.
Following the presentation, we were taken to the Joint Security Area (JSA). This area is where the Armistice Agreement of 1953 (the agreement that ended the war in a ceasefire) is enforced by both sides. There are two big gorgeous buildings on either side of four blue buildings that are divided in half by small cement slabs. The cement slabs mark the border between North and South Korean territory at the JSA. As we stood outside the South Korean side looking across to the North Korean building, we were informed that this was the critical time not to make any gestures of any kind toward North Korea. Why? Because we were being filmed and photographed by North Korea in an attempt to score some propaganda or to capture footage of someone important who may or may not be part of our tour group. It was eerie to be aware that we were being photographed simply because we were standing on a specific side of a cement slab. There was a lone soldier standing guard outside the North Korean building across the way and I couldn't help but wonder if he believed in what he was doing and what his country and government stand for or if he secretly wished he could be on the other side. North Korean men are made to serve 10 years in the military while women serve four years (if I remember correctly...). It's so strange to think about how backwards North Korea seems and how together South Korea is given their close proximity and mutually nightmarish past.
After a spiel about the buildings between the two larger buildings and the antics of North Korean soldiers, we were ushered into one of the blue buildings. This building is where officials from North and South Korea and different members of the U.N. coalition have negotiation talks. This is also where tourists are able to step foot into North Korean territory. This room is under especially tight security since it is accessible to both sides. In the building with us were three South Korean soldiers who were at the ready to rip someone's head off at any sign of necessity. They were real intense dudes and we were told we could take pictures with / of them but under no circumstances were we to touch them. Pretty intense stuff.
 |
| That small sidewalk halfway between that patch of snow is what separates North and South Korea at this particular area |
 |
| The North Korean soldier - I wish I knew what he thought about all day... |
 |
| South Korean soldier inside the negotiation room |
For the remainder of the tour, we were shuttled around on a bus with the American soldier pointing out and explaining points of interest and the stories behind them. We went to two different lookout points where we could see North Korea, their propaganda village and a factory compound. We also drove past the Bridge of No Return which is the sight of a POW exchange following the 1953 armistice agreement where soldiers from both sides were brought to the bridge and told to choose on which side of the bridge they wanted to live. The catch was that they were never allowed to change their mind and return to the other side, hence the name of the bridge. In an instant, these soldiers were made to choose whether they wanted to return to their families in the north and a guarantee of life under a repressive government or if they wanted to live in a free, probably prosperous nation, but never see their family again. That's a pretty loaded decision to be making.
 |
| The Bridge of No Return |
 |
| North Korea - If you look at a picture of the DMZ and the surrounding area of a couple of km radius, you can distinctly tell where the line is because of the difference in lush plants and trees. It's mind blowing. |
 |
| There are still land mines strewn about in the DMZ |
Following our emergence from the tunnel, Jill asked our USO tour guide, a Korean college student, what her opinion was on the subject of reunification between the North and South. Her answer was a bit astounding. Basically, she said that of course in a perfect world, everyone wants reunification. But, reunification isn't just that easy. When you take two areas of similar geographic area, one that is underdeveloped, poverty stricken and barren, and one that is industrialized, modern and quite prosperous, it becomes the responsibility of the South to build up the North. Our tour guide said that while reunification sounds like a nice idea in theory, she wasn't so sure she wanted to foot the bill. What we found so interesting about this response was her pure honesty. Jill pointed out to us that many Americans hold the same sentiment when dealing with problems on the home front - poverty, hunger, welfare, etc., but only the boldest people are willing to admit their gut instinct for not wanting to tackle issues - they don't think it's their responsibility to pay for it. No one really wants to admit that they don't want to pay for other people to live better lives. It doesn't sound politically correct and while there are plenty of people who could care less about being PC, there are also plenty of people who bend over backwards to remain PC at all times. Rarely do you hear Koreans say something that isn't PC. And yet, this young woman said, without batting an eyebrow, that it wasn't her deal. The next Monday at school, my principal and I were talking about our trip to the DMZ and she and I had a fascinating two minute conversation about the situation. She said she would love to see reunification but it's not that easy. Many more resources, manpower and development go into reunification than simply breaking down the border and throwing some money to the North. What would reunification mean for Korea in the short term as well as the long term? Would they lose footing on the world stage because they would have to (to some extent) change their focus from production to rebuilding? Would it be worth the inevitable sacrifices? If you want to enter into a perplexing conversation, ask a Korean their feelings on reunification. It's astounding stuff.
After a quick lunch, we made a trip to the optimist side of the reunification situation: a train station that is all set to function once the border between the two Koreas is open. This train station is fully functioning and would open up travel not only all over the Korean peninsula but also between Europe and Asia. The only thing it needs is for North Korea to be open. It's bonkers to me that they would build such an expensive symbol of optimism. It just illustrates the paradox between the pro and con arguments for reunification. Despite the logical and practical arguments for reunification, of course the ultimate goal is to reunite, no matter the cost.
After a rather intense afternoon of mind boggling political issues, we did a little shopping for our night on the town in Hongdae (a neighborhood in Seoul that is a popular nightlife destination for Koreans and foreigners alike, also the same neighborhood as our hostel). Diane had not originally planned to go out with us after the DMZ, but after some persuasive arguments, Jill convinced her that she should stay in town and go out with us. Maria would also be joining us and none of us had properly packed for a clubbing situation, so we hit up our old standby, Forever 21, for some appropriate attire. After a delightful time getting ready to go out, including a raucous photo shoot, we left the hostel at almost 11:00 in search of a hearty dinner.
 |
| Watch out Hongdae - four ladies on the prowl... |
We arrived at our restaurant of choice, ordered our food and drinks and had an awesome dinner - full of laughs, meaningful toasts, good food and bonding with the restaurateur. By the end of the meal, we were ready to move the party to a noraebong (Korean style karaoke where each group has their own private room rather than singing in front of the whole bar - quite popular with all ages). We still had half a bottle of soju on our hands so we decided to share with the handsome Korean gentlemen at the table next to us. We all took the shot in unison and they thanked us from afar, showing little interest in talking to us. Satisfied with our bold move and delicious meal, we asked our server where we could find the nearest noraebong. We smuggled our own makgali (Korean rice wine - super smooth and very low alcohol content) into the noraebong and got down to business singing and having a merry time.
Within 10 minutes, there was a knock on the door. We were surprised to see the three men from the restaurant standing outside the door to our noraebong room. We still aren't sure how they found us, but we weren't too concerned about that. We invited them in and, despite the language barrier, had a good time singing and talking. We found out they were tattoo artists (what are the odds? Many Koreans still find tattoos distasteful and until the last couple of years, the only place in which to get a tattoo was at a doctor's office or an army base - oh times, they are a changin'!). After a sincere inquiry as to how much her desired tattoo would cost, one of the guys offered to give Maria a tattoo - FOR FREE. We were all astounded at this generous offer, as were the other two guys and we made him sign several pieces of paper vouching that he was serious about his promise and would make good on the offer later. We also took a picture for Maria to use as reminder when she went in for the tattoo. Once our time at the noraebong was over, they took us to a couple of clubs. We had a good time dancing and taking in the Hongdae nightlife experience. We awoke the next morning (read: afternoon) and recounted the evening. We were still baffled that we so randomly met Korean tattoo artists and had such a good time with them. Maria was quite serious about getting this free tattoo so Jill and I set out with her in search of the shop so she could remind them of their agreement. After much rigmarole, we were greeted by one of the guys and led to their shop. They did indeed remember their agreement with Maria and there are plans in the works to make good on their promise. No worries, Mom and Dad - no new tattoos for this kid, though after seeing their work, I am confident that they would do a good job. :)
 |
| Proof. |
 |
| Jill and our new Korean pals... |
We met Maria and set out for a jimjilbang (the Korean term for public bath) that Hyunjoo had recommended to me. We walked in to the building and were greeted by Koreans of all ages. For a Monday night, I was surprised to see how busy the place was. We paid 8,000 won (a little more than $5), were given our jimjilbang outfits (matching orange shirts and shorts - the biggest size they offered since we're foreigners) and instructed to put our shoes in provided lockers. We were escorted up to the second floor because we obviously had no idea where to go and were shown the layout. The second floor was the women's bath and changing area. This is where we disrobed, took the preliminary shower and took a nice long soak in one of several hot tubs set to varying temperatures. Did I mention that this is all done stark naked? I was surprised at how comfortable I was in a sea of naked Korean women. It had been awhile since using public showers in high school, but that was what it felt like, with four hot tubs and a sauna thrown in... All around us, friends were talking as if they were in a coffee shop, mothers were washing the backs of their daughters and old ladies walked around like they owned the place. As odd as it may sound, it was a beautiful environment. Koreans are not as outwardly affectionate with their children as many Americans seem to be, but seeing mothers and daughters of all ages bathing each other was a more intimate look into the intricacies of Korean culture. It wasn't uncomfortable as I had worried it might be. It seems so natural that people would enjoy a trip to the spa with their family and friends. Not only did a soak in the hot tubs refresh us at our long night on the town, but it was awesome (and not in the generic overused-by-teenagers sense of the word) to experience this beautifully intimate portrait of Korean life. The beauty didn't stop there.
The third floor was comprised of about six saunas, all set to different temperatures and with different minerals present. (The other floors housed the men's bath area, a restaurant and an outdoor pool that was obviously closed due to the currently frigid climate.) Since the sauna floor was co-ed, we wore our provided outfits. As soon as we entered the sauna floor, a couple of old men expressed their positive impressions of our bravery in attending a jimjilbang and our ability to withstand the heat of the saunas. Despite our language barriers, they were obviously impressed by our presence in the sauna and our unabashed willingness to talk to them. Oh Korea. We spent a good amount of time in each of the saunas, including one that was set so high that not only did you need a mat with which to sit in it, but there was also a woman stationed at the door to open and close it for the people entering and leaving that particular sauna. It was in this sauna that Maria saw one of her students. Her student was so embarrassed to have seen Maria in a jimjilbang (that had been one of my major concerns - running into a student or teacher on the second floor! EEK!) but both Maria and the girl's mom assured her that is was no big deal. We also spent some time in the common area between the saunas which included a snack bar, nooks for sleeping and an area in the middle for lazing about reading, talking or looking deep into the eyes of your significant other. It was fun to observe the family dynamics present in this common area (and the saunas) as well as the ways teenage couples interacted with each other. After feeling appropriately cleansed (I haven't sweat that much in a REAL long time!), we took one last shower and dip in the hot tubs before emerging from the jimjilbang with a new lease on life, and new insight into Korean culture.
2.05.2011
Jill in Korea - Vol. 1: Monday - Friday
Jill's visit to Korea was so epic (or maybe my writing about it is so long winded :) ) that it warrants three separate posts - here's the first one.
We got back to Seoul after a smooth-ish flight situation (nothing happened that made us miss flights and we received all of our luggage, so I chalk it up to success!). To make a long, boring story short, I would advise my dear readers to avoid flying through China, unless, of course, you are visiting China, in which case you wouldn't encounter the problems we did. By the time we got through customs and claimed our baggage, it was about 10 pm. This didn't worry me, since it doesn't seem too late, right? Wrong. We missed the last bus back to Gwangju. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been that big of deal, but we had to be at school the next day at 11 am and the last thing I wanted to do was sleep in an airport to catch a 6 am bus. Instead, we opted for a taxi. It cost more than I'm willing to admit, but it was totally worth it when you factor in the comfort of being home, the curbside drop off and the travel time that was cut in half.
Here is a break down of what our week consisted, minus Winter Camp which warrants its own post:
Monday: We were tuckered out from our trip, travels and teaching so we decided to take it easy. We went to E-Mart to visit my duk boki pals for dinner. We split an order of duk boki and Jill also saw a skewer of vegetable, rice cake and what I'll call sausage, though I'm pretty sure it was not in fact sausage. This skewer was bathing in a very spicy sauce, but we weren't afraid. We weren't afraid, that is, until we took a bite from the skewer. That is the first time since I've been in Korea that I felt as though I was a fire breathing dragon. Wowza. The rest of the evening was spent shopping for food at E-Mart since my cupboards were bare and watching movies.
Tuesday: Jonah (Dionne's son who helped at Winter Camp) is an avid photographer, so Jill and Jonah talked shop during the school day. Jonah told Jill about a camera lens he found in the famed Yongsan Electronics Market for real cheap. Jill's ears perked up at the sound of acquiring cheap camera equipment, so we set off for some deals. I had never been there before so I had no idea where we were going once we got to the area of town. Jonah gave Jill directions, but we got confused and just ended up wandering around. This market is huge, as in, 20 buildings housing over 5,000 shops. Jill had decided before we got there that she probably wouldn't purchase anything so our adventure became a night of wandering aimlessly, taking in Jill's first taste of Seoul. We stumbled upon a street of bootleg dvd tents and bought five dvds for roughly $7.50. Not too shabby. We had a very Korean dinner of soup and sides before coming home to watch our movies.
Wednesday: We ventured to Gangnam so Jill could experience the famed fish pedicure. We sipped our obligatory lattes while we tried to plan our weekend adventure. As this was my first hot drink at the Dr. Fish Cafe, I was pleasantly surprised to find their affinity for latte art! All I could master in my days as a barista was an ill-fated accidental heart, so these works of art were particularly impressive to me.
After our lattes, we headed over to the fish tanks. Since I've blogged extensively about fish pedicures in the past (see: here and here), I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Let's just say, Jill is a giggler.
After the fish finished their business (Jill could honestly feel a difference :) ) and we did a little bit of shopping, we stopped for dinner. We went to a place that looked really busy, which is an indicator that it serves good food. We sat down and tried to order what we thought everyone else had, which looked really good. After perusing the menu, we made what we thought was a delightful choice. We also ordered beer. Since I don't drink that often, I forgot that the beer here is served in huge bottles that usually serve two or three people. We ordered two bottles. We got a funny look from the waitress, but she brought out two bottles nonetheless. When she arrived at our table, she had another kid with her. They saw the look on our faces when we saw the size of the beer bottles, had a quick discussion between them and took one of the bottles away as they opened the other one. Many minutes later, after many other customers who were seated after us had been served, we still hadn't received our food. We soon understood why. In Korea, many restaurants make their specialty dish in very large quantities so that they can serve it pretty much on demand. Apparently, not only had we failed to order what everyone else was eating, but we also managed to order a dish that they don't often make because they actually had to cook our meal rather than merely dish it up like that of what everyone else had ordered. Oops. Whatever it was that we ordered (stir fried veggies, spam (!) and other meat...probably pork) was not a hot commodity, but it sure did taste good!
Next, we hit up my favorite dessert cafe. We ordered some sort of cheesecake ice cream and a piece of cake to share. What we received was definitely not cheesecake flavored, but rather some sort of chocolate fudge situation. We decided not to make a fuss and just eat it. A few minutes later, the server guy came over with our cheesecake ice cream in tow. He assured us that the chocolate ice cream was merely a sample. Sure it was, buddy. :)
On the way back to the subway station, we decided to try out one of the media poles that are stationed every hundred feet or so. These are the poles that give directions, news and weather reports and take pictures that can then be e-mailed to those who partake. Of course, we did.
Thursday: Since we had a very big weekend planned, we decided to stay in Gwangju Thursday afternoon and night. We made a trip to the post office because we both had letters to mail and then we walked around the market and random side streets. We happened upon what is now my favorite Gwangju cafe, a small, trendy hole in the wall called Brown Story that sells organic coffee, makes delightful lattes and serves lemon water. I'm in love. On the way to the post office, we had run in to my friend Tara and invited her and her fiance Joe to join us for dinner at our favorite shabu shabu restaurant. Tara and Joe are planning to spend some time volunteering in Chile before starting a tour business in New Zealand. Since Jill studied in Chile for six months, it was a perfect time for them to chat. We had a great dinner with great conversation.
Friday: That morning before camp, we booked beds in the Yellow Submarine Seoul Guesthouse 2.0, a hostel in a neighborhood known for its nightlife. While there were several hostels in the neighborhood, I've always been a sucker for a good gimmick, thus making the Yellow Submarine the obvious choice. We chose correctly. About a 10 minute walk from the subway, it was in a quiet area, but close to everything we needed. I highly recommend it! Anyway, once we dropped our stuff off at the Yellow Submarine, we hopped back on the subway to meet Diane and Maria in Myeongdong. Before we met Diane, Maria, Jill and I grabbed some street food to tie us over until after the show we were about to see.
We had plans to attend the famed NANTA! show. (NANTA! is similar to Stomp!, but uses cooking utensils instead of industrial materials.) It also involved audience participation. In addition to claps, cheering and stomping, twice during the show, the cast came out to the audience to choose people to come do things on stage. At one such point during the show, I was chosen to come up on stage along with an older man to try the soup they had just concocted. Since the plot of the show is that the cooks are preparing food for a wedding banquet, they use these two people as the couple for whose wedding they are preparing the meal. At the end of our time on stage, they made us walk arm in arm downstage while they threw rice at us. Jill illegally took pictures of this monstrosity:
As the show ended, they projected our picture on a large screen at the back of the stage. As we walked out of the theater, I was handed a keepsake photo of my onstage experience. Delightful. The show itself was quite fun and entertaining! We really enjoyed it!
Our final stop for the night was dinner. We enjoyed a dinner of chicken galbi which is chicken, vegetables and rice cakes all stir fried with some spicy sauce. Then, they fry rice once the rest of the food is gone. So good! We made plans for the next night before we parted ways with Maria. We called it an early night because we had to be at the USO at 7:00 am sharp for our tour of the DMZ. Stay tuned for the rest of the story...
We got back to Seoul after a smooth-ish flight situation (nothing happened that made us miss flights and we received all of our luggage, so I chalk it up to success!). To make a long, boring story short, I would advise my dear readers to avoid flying through China, unless, of course, you are visiting China, in which case you wouldn't encounter the problems we did. By the time we got through customs and claimed our baggage, it was about 10 pm. This didn't worry me, since it doesn't seem too late, right? Wrong. We missed the last bus back to Gwangju. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been that big of deal, but we had to be at school the next day at 11 am and the last thing I wanted to do was sleep in an airport to catch a 6 am bus. Instead, we opted for a taxi. It cost more than I'm willing to admit, but it was totally worth it when you factor in the comfort of being home, the curbside drop off and the travel time that was cut in half.
Here is a break down of what our week consisted, minus Winter Camp which warrants its own post:
Monday: We were tuckered out from our trip, travels and teaching so we decided to take it easy. We went to E-Mart to visit my duk boki pals for dinner. We split an order of duk boki and Jill also saw a skewer of vegetable, rice cake and what I'll call sausage, though I'm pretty sure it was not in fact sausage. This skewer was bathing in a very spicy sauce, but we weren't afraid. We weren't afraid, that is, until we took a bite from the skewer. That is the first time since I've been in Korea that I felt as though I was a fire breathing dragon. Wowza. The rest of the evening was spent shopping for food at E-Mart since my cupboards were bare and watching movies.
Tuesday: Jonah (Dionne's son who helped at Winter Camp) is an avid photographer, so Jill and Jonah talked shop during the school day. Jonah told Jill about a camera lens he found in the famed Yongsan Electronics Market for real cheap. Jill's ears perked up at the sound of acquiring cheap camera equipment, so we set off for some deals. I had never been there before so I had no idea where we were going once we got to the area of town. Jonah gave Jill directions, but we got confused and just ended up wandering around. This market is huge, as in, 20 buildings housing over 5,000 shops. Jill had decided before we got there that she probably wouldn't purchase anything so our adventure became a night of wandering aimlessly, taking in Jill's first taste of Seoul. We stumbled upon a street of bootleg dvd tents and bought five dvds for roughly $7.50. Not too shabby. We had a very Korean dinner of soup and sides before coming home to watch our movies.
Wednesday: We ventured to Gangnam so Jill could experience the famed fish pedicure. We sipped our obligatory lattes while we tried to plan our weekend adventure. As this was my first hot drink at the Dr. Fish Cafe, I was pleasantly surprised to find their affinity for latte art! All I could master in my days as a barista was an ill-fated accidental heart, so these works of art were particularly impressive to me.
After our lattes, we headed over to the fish tanks. Since I've blogged extensively about fish pedicures in the past (see: here and here), I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Let's just say, Jill is a giggler.
 |
| The fish - doin' work. |
Next, we hit up my favorite dessert cafe. We ordered some sort of cheesecake ice cream and a piece of cake to share. What we received was definitely not cheesecake flavored, but rather some sort of chocolate fudge situation. We decided not to make a fuss and just eat it. A few minutes later, the server guy came over with our cheesecake ice cream in tow. He assured us that the chocolate ice cream was merely a sample. Sure it was, buddy. :)
On the way back to the subway station, we decided to try out one of the media poles that are stationed every hundred feet or so. These are the poles that give directions, news and weather reports and take pictures that can then be e-mailed to those who partake. Of course, we did.
 |
| E-mailing our picture to Jill... |
 |
| The shabu shabu spread |
 |
| Jill ate a corndog that was fried with french fries in the batter. Awesome. |
 |
| Duk boki (for Maria) and a plate of cabbage and mandu (for me). Amazing. |
We had plans to attend the famed NANTA! show. (NANTA! is similar to Stomp!, but uses cooking utensils instead of industrial materials.) It also involved audience participation. In addition to claps, cheering and stomping, twice during the show, the cast came out to the audience to choose people to come do things on stage. At one such point during the show, I was chosen to come up on stage along with an older man to try the soup they had just concocted. Since the plot of the show is that the cooks are preparing food for a wedding banquet, they use these two people as the couple for whose wedding they are preparing the meal. At the end of our time on stage, they made us walk arm in arm downstage while they threw rice at us. Jill illegally took pictures of this monstrosity:
 |
| eating soup with my new husband :) |
Our final stop for the night was dinner. We enjoyed a dinner of chicken galbi which is chicken, vegetables and rice cakes all stir fried with some spicy sauce. Then, they fry rice once the rest of the food is gone. So good! We made plans for the next night before we parted ways with Maria. We called it an early night because we had to be at the USO at 7:00 am sharp for our tour of the DMZ. Stay tuned for the rest of the story...
 |
| Jill and Diane imitating Korean picture taking culture |
 |
| The whole group |
2.02.2011
Vietnam: Hoi An - Coats, Dresses and Shoes - Holy Cow!
I am so lazy and for that, I apologize. Here's the third and final post about our Vietnamese escapades, then I'll move on to Jill's time in Korea. Since Winter Camp finished, I've had two weeks off with no plans, thus little about which to blog... I teach next week and then have two more weeks off for Spring Break before the new semester / school year starts. The amount of time I get off is almost embarrassing to admit. Almost. Anyway, back to Vietnam:
After a very reluctant goodbye to Su, we boarded a van to take us to the train station. We had some time to kill before our train left so we walked around looking for a suitable (read: warm) restaurant. We walked into a place that had literally just opened a few days before. It felt cold and we were reluctant to stay when a European couple eating there assured us it was good and safe. They had eaten there for lunch the day before and when they hadn't gotten sick from the food, they kept coming back. This night was their third trip back to the same restaurant. I was appreciative for the advice but I was a little baffled that they were being pretty adventurous in visiting Vietnam, but refused to eat anywhere but this one restaurant. To each their own, I guess... The restaurant turned out to be pretty legit except for one thing. They seemed to have a one song playlist of their favorite Kenny G song and they played it over and over and over again. Jill gave serious thought to playing d.j. and changing the song since the laptop was sitting, unmanned, at the next table, but it never happened and we endured the saxophone stylings of Kenny G for a few songs more. That song will never be the same...
We arrived back in Hanoi at about 5:30 the next morning and went back to Maren's room to shower, regroup and pack for our next adventure. Around noon, we flew to Da Non, a city in the south that was important during the American War (as the Vietnamese call it). Who were we kidding though? We weren't in that part of the country to visit war related sites. We were there to shop! We didn't waste any time getting ourselves a taxi to Hoi An, a city about 20 minutes away that is known for its myriad of tailors and custom made clothing at cheap prices. Since it's fairly difficult to find clothes here that properly fit me, aside from the occasional weird fitting sweatshirt with incorrect or amusing English phrasing and American style clothes from Forever 21, I was pretty excited to add a few pieces to my wardrobe.
So, basically, our time in Hoi An consisted of walking through the streets and wandering into any shops that caught our eye. Once you've walked into a shop and show a suitable amount of interest in a certain example piece or a fabric, the shop worker approaches you to talk about what you want to have made. Once you agree on a price (most of the time, they start out at a higher price and you are expected to barter down), they take your measurements and choices in fabric, piping, stitching, etc., until you've worked out all of the details for whatever it is you're having made. This is where it gets dangerous. By the time you've a discussed your piece at length, you have an idea in your head as to what it will look like and how it will fit you. Since it's being custom tailored to your body, you have every expectation for a perfect, flattering fit. With this idealistic picture in your mind, you gladly plunk down the 45-50% deposit and agree on a time to come back when your garment will be finished, or at least ready for the initial fitting. Some things we had more luck with than others... For example, my coat was perfect the first time, but I attribute that to my request for extra room since I have a habit of wearing at least three layers at all times and I have little to no shape to my body. I had pants made that took two fittings and a dress that took three and was down to the wire for when we had to leave town to catch our plane back to Hanoi. Jill and Maren had similar experiences of triumph and frustration. We discovered just how different our bodies are from Vietnamese bodies with their subtle mistakes in tailoring...
What is really crazy to me is how this whole process works from design to delivery; The customer makes an order with the shop worker. That shop worker takes extensive notes as to the details of the order. They have several couriers that ride motorbikes between the shop and where the tailors actually work. The garment is constructed off site somewhere, often overnight. The next day, your garment is delivered back to the shop. You try it on and the shop worker makes alteration marks (x's and dashes) on the garment with colored chalk. No notes taken. Then, the garment gets sent back to the actual tailor. So, the customer has no direct contact with the person who is actually constructing and making alterations to the garment. They never see first hand the form for which they are making this garment and rely solely on the measurements taken by the shop worker. And, seemingly miraculously, many of the garments turn out well, albeit after several go between trips for alterations. They've obviously got this business down to a science and almost a month later, it continues to baffle me. Jill and I had leather boots made and I literally told the shop worker that they were a little loose. That's it. Just a little loose. No measurements, no feeling where my foot was in the shoe. The next day, I tried them on again and they were perfect. I do not understand.
When we weren't talking to tailors, we enjoyed the city. There is a small body of water that runs through the town where you can hire old ladies to paddle you around in small canoes. We figured the only way to do this right was if we wore rice hats at the same time. Our time in Hoi An was the only time it rained during the whole trip, which, in my book, was super lucky. I would have been miserable in Sapa if it had rained! So, each day in Hoi An, it rained in varying degrees of intensity. The day we took the boat ride, it was raining fairly hard. My moccasins turned my feet brown from the water if that tells you anything... Behold, our boat experience.
We enjoyed some delightful meals in Hoi An as well. Between being fatigued from our shopping excursions, braving the rain and being hungry, some pretty random things happened while we were eating. We also shared some great conversations and funny stories. I will treasure those meals for many moons.
Above: Two examples of our dining situations.
Left: Vietnamese coffee. The coffee cup houses the sweetened and condensed milk and the coffee sits in the metal contraption above the cup. The coffee slowly drips through holes in the metal deal until your coffee has brewed. The whole process take about 10 minutes. Amazing.
Right: Jill ordered coconut juice. I thought it would come out in a glass just like all of the other juices we had ordered over the course of the trip. When the waitress came out carrying this huge coconut, I lost my cool. I laughed really loud and for a long time, causing an unnecessary scene. The wait staff seemed to get a kick out it though, so I guess no harm, no foul. Maybe you had to be there...
Jill also spent a pretty good amount of time taking artsy shots of the various colors, people and random objects found on the streets of Hoi An. Some examples of her fine work:
Funny story: I had two button down shirts made at a shop. I happened to have been wearing my favorite button down shirt that day and the lady thought it fit me well and offered to make my new shirts exact copies of the shirt I was wearing. This sounded like a splendid idea to me so I gave her my shirt to take to the tailor. She gave me the shirt I am sporting in the photo above to wear while my original shirt was otherwise occupied. The shirt I gave them was white with a blue pinstripe. The shirt I borrowed was white with blue and red pinstripes. Throughout the day, I got several compliments on the shirt I borrowed from several random Vietnamese people. Apparently, a red pinstripe really flatters me...
Jill has started a custom of buying a painting from wherever her visits take her and Vietnam was no exception. One night, we were wandering around the streets and we came upon this shop with many amazing pieces of art. It turned out that it was owned by the cutest old man ever and all the paintings in the shop were done by him. Maren talked to him and found out that he was a soldier in the American War with the Southern Vietnamese army. We loved him and each bought a piece from him. This proved to me how much more full an experience can be when you know the local language. So cool! By the time we left with our paintings in tow, the man was smiling from ear to ear at the sales he made in a matter of 15 minutes. I guess we made each others' night.
By the end of the three days we spent in Hoi An, we were all exhausted. Evidence:
Thus ended our Vietnamese adventure. What a beautiful time we had. It was so great to be able to share such an exciting and unexpected experience with Jill and Maren. So many marvelous memories were made in such a short period, memories that I will cherish for a long, long time to come with two of the best travel pals for which a gal could hope!
After a very reluctant goodbye to Su, we boarded a van to take us to the train station. We had some time to kill before our train left so we walked around looking for a suitable (read: warm) restaurant. We walked into a place that had literally just opened a few days before. It felt cold and we were reluctant to stay when a European couple eating there assured us it was good and safe. They had eaten there for lunch the day before and when they hadn't gotten sick from the food, they kept coming back. This night was their third trip back to the same restaurant. I was appreciative for the advice but I was a little baffled that they were being pretty adventurous in visiting Vietnam, but refused to eat anywhere but this one restaurant. To each their own, I guess... The restaurant turned out to be pretty legit except for one thing. They seemed to have a one song playlist of their favorite Kenny G song and they played it over and over and over again. Jill gave serious thought to playing d.j. and changing the song since the laptop was sitting, unmanned, at the next table, but it never happened and we endured the saxophone stylings of Kenny G for a few songs more. That song will never be the same...
We arrived back in Hanoi at about 5:30 the next morning and went back to Maren's room to shower, regroup and pack for our next adventure. Around noon, we flew to Da Non, a city in the south that was important during the American War (as the Vietnamese call it). Who were we kidding though? We weren't in that part of the country to visit war related sites. We were there to shop! We didn't waste any time getting ourselves a taxi to Hoi An, a city about 20 minutes away that is known for its myriad of tailors and custom made clothing at cheap prices. Since it's fairly difficult to find clothes here that properly fit me, aside from the occasional weird fitting sweatshirt with incorrect or amusing English phrasing and American style clothes from Forever 21, I was pretty excited to add a few pieces to my wardrobe.
 |
| A typical tailor shop... many ideas from which to take inspiration |
What is really crazy to me is how this whole process works from design to delivery; The customer makes an order with the shop worker. That shop worker takes extensive notes as to the details of the order. They have several couriers that ride motorbikes between the shop and where the tailors actually work. The garment is constructed off site somewhere, often overnight. The next day, your garment is delivered back to the shop. You try it on and the shop worker makes alteration marks (x's and dashes) on the garment with colored chalk. No notes taken. Then, the garment gets sent back to the actual tailor. So, the customer has no direct contact with the person who is actually constructing and making alterations to the garment. They never see first hand the form for which they are making this garment and rely solely on the measurements taken by the shop worker. And, seemingly miraculously, many of the garments turn out well, albeit after several go between trips for alterations. They've obviously got this business down to a science and almost a month later, it continues to baffle me. Jill and I had leather boots made and I literally told the shop worker that they were a little loose. That's it. Just a little loose. No measurements, no feeling where my foot was in the shoe. The next day, I tried them on again and they were perfect. I do not understand.
 |
| Hoi An - so colorful, in more ways than one... |
When we weren't talking to tailors, we enjoyed the city. There is a small body of water that runs through the town where you can hire old ladies to paddle you around in small canoes. We figured the only way to do this right was if we wore rice hats at the same time. Our time in Hoi An was the only time it rained during the whole trip, which, in my book, was super lucky. I would have been miserable in Sapa if it had rained! So, each day in Hoi An, it rained in varying degrees of intensity. The day we took the boat ride, it was raining fairly hard. My moccasins turned my feet brown from the water if that tells you anything... Behold, our boat experience.
 |
| Our sea-faring captain. She kept touching my shoulder and telling me I was beautiful. She won my vote for best boat captain... |
 |
| Jilly enjoying the boat ride... and the rain. |
 |
| The whole group in our hats. In another picture that was taken, the boat lady put her hand under my chin. I do not know why. |
We enjoyed some delightful meals in Hoi An as well. Between being fatigued from our shopping excursions, braving the rain and being hungry, some pretty random things happened while we were eating. We also shared some great conversations and funny stories. I will treasure those meals for many moons.
Above: Two examples of our dining situations.
Left: Vietnamese coffee. The coffee cup houses the sweetened and condensed milk and the coffee sits in the metal contraption above the cup. The coffee slowly drips through holes in the metal deal until your coffee has brewed. The whole process take about 10 minutes. Amazing.
Right: Jill ordered coconut juice. I thought it would come out in a glass just like all of the other juices we had ordered over the course of the trip. When the waitress came out carrying this huge coconut, I lost my cool. I laughed really loud and for a long time, causing an unnecessary scene. The wait staff seemed to get a kick out it though, so I guess no harm, no foul. Maybe you had to be there...
Jill also spent a pretty good amount of time taking artsy shots of the various colors, people and random objects found on the streets of Hoi An. Some examples of her fine work:
| After lunch one day, a lady approached us and offered to take a picture with us if we paid her the rough equivalent of $0.10. Jill was all about it and definitely got our money's worth, shooting about five pictures in rapid succession. The lady threw in a complimentary rain poncho at the end, which was a good thing because Jill forgot her umbrella at the hotel the day it rained extra hard. |
 |
| Our picture and poncho pal |
 |
| A little group photo action... |
 |
| Obligatory jumping photo - our favorite pose! It only took about six tries to get this right... and two different Vietnamese shop workers to take it... |
 |
| Our favorite shop worker - we spent so much time in her shop waiting for alterations to be made that she started teaching Jill Vietnamese! |
 |
| My favorite group photo from the whole trip! |
 |
| Our artist pal and one of his beautiful creations |
By the end of the three days we spent in Hoi An, we were all exhausted. Evidence:
 |
| Maren and I fell asleep in exactly the same position - Jill stalked us. |
Thus ended our Vietnamese adventure. What a beautiful time we had. It was so great to be able to share such an exciting and unexpected experience with Jill and Maren. So many marvelous memories were made in such a short period, memories that I will cherish for a long, long time to come with two of the best travel pals for which a gal could hope!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)