I just got yelled at for using the gym in my apartment past 10pm. It was 10:02. And I didn't even know the gym closed at 10 because I can't read all of the signs that are in Korean. I am also using the term "gym" loosely, as there are about 3 sets of free weights and only 1 of the 3 treadmills actually works...but hey, at least it's free!
Okay, so before I start on the possible ways I might experience my death in Korea, I want to tell you about the only barefoot marathon in the WORLD! I had to get up at 5:30am to catch a bus out of the city, which I still can't believe I was able to do considering I had spent the past...let's say 30 hours...drinking. Lucky for me I got to sleep on the free bus for two hours. Double lucky for me is that foreigners got the whole shebang without having to spend a single won! By "whole shebang" I am referring to: the bus, a beautiful marathon set in the mountains with soft sand covering a winding path through the trees, a piece of paper with my footprints on it, a magic show, a performance by the B Boys (a sweet group of break-dancing Korean hotties), rice cakes, a choco pie, two bottles of soju, a medal for completing the 5k barefoot...I'm going to say "run" since that sounds a hell of a lot cooler than what I really did, a show by the most awesome dance/cheerleading squad I have ever seen (complete with whistles, congo costumes, and extravagant arm flailing), and three totally hot Korean chicks dressed in school girl outfits playing the electric violin, cello, and keyboard to famous classical music. I walked away with a since of pride for participating in the only barefoot festival in the world, and a sunburn.
Now for the gloom and doom.
5) Death by Yellow Dust. Duh.
4) Death by Taxi . The taxi drivers here are insane. Once, I was in a taxi with Jen; I was in the front and she was in the back (sucka) and this guy was driving at what felt like 100mph on the highway. I guess I can't really be sure how fast it was since I don't know the conversion for kilometers per hour, but trust me it was a hell of a lot faster than any other car I have ever been in.* At one point he swerved and Jen went flying across the backseat and slammed her head on the window and thought she had a concussion. The driver didn't even notice. Taxi drivers also have a tendency to ignore all traffic laws. They are viewed more as a suggestion, especially red lights. Meghan told me that a Korean friend of hers was driving her home and was stopped at a red light and then said, "Hey look! I'm a taxi driver!!" and gunned it through the intersection. Not only might I die crashing inside of a cab, I would not put it past me to get hit by one on the street. I am trying to be more observing of my surroundings to avoid that situation.
*The only exception might be riding in Tom's BMW when we were in high school and he thought he was cool. Don't worry, Thomas Baldwin Gribble. You are STILL cool.
3) Death by Dehydration due to Laziness. Don't judge. The tap water here is not exactly the safest water to drink, so I have to buy bottled. Or at least I had to buy bottled before I found out I have a water cooler on the 5th floor of my building. However, I am on the 2nd floor. That's a lot of stairs, people. Especially when the bar bug is hitting you hard from staying out until 7am that morning. It's not like there isn't an elevator, because there is. That's where the laziness comes in. Like I said, don't judge.
2) Death by Intoxication On or Around the Subway. I put this high up on the list because it really might just happen to me. I am a clumsy, clumsy person. Clumsy + Drunk + Open train track = Death, don't you think? I definitely do. Not to mention that the subway is closed from 12am to 5am. So if you want to save money on a death cab, you have to wait until at least 5am to get on the subway, which means you're gonna be totally tanked. Being drunk on the subway is also dangerous because of the sleep factor. If I fall asleep on the subway (which, thankfully, has only happened once so far) then I am sure someone will mistake me for a Russian prostitute and probably kidnap me. This is considering the fact that I am mistaken for a Russian prostitute when I am awake and fully clothed. Thus, I figure it will happen to a more severe extent when I am sleeping on my coat with my hair all a mess and my shoes half on during the daytime when all the Koreans are on their way to work. Sorry, Mom. At least you raised me to be smart enough to sleep on top of my purse so that no one will steal it.
1) Death by Bridges. I mentioned my fear of bridges to my 72-year-old BFF and he replied with "There are twenty-seven bridges in Seoul that cross the Han River". It also came up during my Korean lesson in which Bobbie informed me that "A couple of years ago one of the bridges collapsed and a lot of people died". Thanks guys, for giving me nightmares for the rest of the year, and probably my life. It is bad enough flying off a bridge and being trapped in a car, but I only travel over these bridges on a bus or on a subway car. I also have to go over the river to get to any place cool in Seoul, so I am going back and forth all the time. You can imagine how sure I am that I am going to die in the Han River. Except that I might not meet my end in the Han River, since I have decided to bungee jump off a bridge over a different river next weekend. Why would I do that if I am so afraid of bridges? I guess I am hoping to conquer my fear, though I am pretty sure that I might just cry and pee my pants.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Thoughts on Snack Time
I stepped outside today to find the weather cold and rainy. Good thing I was armed with a sweet hand-me-down rainbow umbrella that was given to me by my 72-year-old Korean best friend. That's right, Mr. Peter is my best friend and the father of my boss. He is employed by the school to take care of the Native (that's me). He does a great job. He refers to himself as my "tour guide" and takes me to do all the fun stuff like pay bills and go to the doctor. His interests include his lovely wife, hiking, and drinking tea (but only if it is served at the correct temperature...I have received an impromptu lesson on how to do this properly when he showed up at my apartment unexpectedly one morning to bring me the aforementioned umbrella). He also likes to bring me little gifts, such as a planner and some instant rice; the planner because I accidentally almost missed a meeting with my boss, and the rice because he noticed I didn't eat a lot of it at lunch and thought I should probably work it more seriously into my diet. That said, he takes care of me and I am grateful to have such a caring bestie on this side of the globe.
That was not supposed to be the topic of this post, I think I might have gotten a little carried away. I just really love my rainbow umbrella. BUT NOT AS MUCH AS I LOVE SNACK TIME!! You see, on Tuesdays and Thursdays the kids are in class for two hours straight, and they get really hungry. I know this because around the same time everyday they all start chanting in unison "Teacher, hungry!" and rubbing their bellies and pretending like they are dying and fall on the floor. They can be really dramatic sometimes...this same phenomenon takes place when they get a paper cut...the slightest bit of blood and they totally freak out. Anyway, the time always comes when the receptionist shows up with a tray full of goodies! And what kinds of goodies would those be, you ask? Weird Asian goodies that I find completely disgusting, of course!
It's bad enough that I teach a speaking class and the kids repeat everything I say (in some of the classes they have figured out it is really funny to repeat EVERYTHING I say, in which case I get them with the old "I'm an idiot" trick, which I think is extra funny since they don't know what idiot means) but when they are talking with their mouths full of whatever horrible smelling treat the director has blessed my classroom with that day, it makes me more than a little nauseous. I know it's cold outside, but I'm opening the window.
For the first few weeks, I tried not to let snack time distract the kids too much. But when week after week I couldn't figure out what it was they were eating, I started to ask. One of the mystery treats looked something like string cheese. I was jealous at first, until I found out that they were eating room-temperature sausages. Then there was this one thing that looked like a big flat piece of crunchy bread. One day a student offered me part of his. I asked "What is it?" and he paused, and then replied "cookie". I smelled it, and it did NOT smell like a cookie. So I asked another student who replied "fish". Hmm. That's a little far off from cookie. So then I asked the class and they all decided that it was a "fish cookie". I decided to be brave, and then almost immediately regretted that decision. Quite possibly the nastiest thing I have ever had in my mouth...wait...correction- the nastiest thing that has EVER been in my mouth would be the cooked bug I ate at the cherry blossom festival two weeks ago. It looked (and tasted) like a small cockroach. I would not have done that either, but I couldn't have been shown up by Meghan's mom. Wow, she is such a badass. Anyway, snack time is really really awful and I dread it everyday.
Now, I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that snack time is also one of my favorite times of the day. Sharing. The kids are so happy and willing to share with one another and it can be truly amazing to watch. For example, one of my students does not like the "fish cookie" (smart kid) so every time they get one, he works very hard to break it into seven equal pieces and gives one to each of the other students in the classroom. The first time he did this I tried not to cry. Another day each student got a little cup full of what looked like spicy fruit loops. One of the kids accidentally knocked his entire cup on the floor. Without hesitation, each of the other kids took a little handful from their cup and put it in his until his cup was full again. This time, I think a tear squirted out. And yet a different day, one of the students was absent, so there was an extra snack and drink. Instead of fighting over who would get two, they all decided that I should get the snack because I didn't have one.
Koreans are, in general, more worried about the group as a whole than they are about themselves. This doesn't happen just at snack time with my students, I also witnessed it over and over during the Easter egg hunt when students were giving their extra eggs to the kids that didn't find any. At the risk of sounding sappy...wouldn't the world be a better place if we took this simple concept and applied it more directly to our actions everyday? Sharing. Think about it.
Up Next: The Top Five Things That Might Kill Me In Korea
That was not supposed to be the topic of this post, I think I might have gotten a little carried away. I just really love my rainbow umbrella. BUT NOT AS MUCH AS I LOVE SNACK TIME!! You see, on Tuesdays and Thursdays the kids are in class for two hours straight, and they get really hungry. I know this because around the same time everyday they all start chanting in unison "Teacher, hungry!" and rubbing their bellies and pretending like they are dying and fall on the floor. They can be really dramatic sometimes...this same phenomenon takes place when they get a paper cut...the slightest bit of blood and they totally freak out. Anyway, the time always comes when the receptionist shows up with a tray full of goodies! And what kinds of goodies would those be, you ask? Weird Asian goodies that I find completely disgusting, of course!
It's bad enough that I teach a speaking class and the kids repeat everything I say (in some of the classes they have figured out it is really funny to repeat EVERYTHING I say, in which case I get them with the old "I'm an idiot" trick, which I think is extra funny since they don't know what idiot means) but when they are talking with their mouths full of whatever horrible smelling treat the director has blessed my classroom with that day, it makes me more than a little nauseous. I know it's cold outside, but I'm opening the window.
For the first few weeks, I tried not to let snack time distract the kids too much. But when week after week I couldn't figure out what it was they were eating, I started to ask. One of the mystery treats looked something like string cheese. I was jealous at first, until I found out that they were eating room-temperature sausages. Then there was this one thing that looked like a big flat piece of crunchy bread. One day a student offered me part of his. I asked "What is it?" and he paused, and then replied "cookie". I smelled it, and it did NOT smell like a cookie. So I asked another student who replied "fish". Hmm. That's a little far off from cookie. So then I asked the class and they all decided that it was a "fish cookie". I decided to be brave, and then almost immediately regretted that decision. Quite possibly the nastiest thing I have ever had in my mouth...wait...correction- the nastiest thing that has EVER been in my mouth would be the cooked bug I ate at the cherry blossom festival two weeks ago. It looked (and tasted) like a small cockroach. I would not have done that either, but I couldn't have been shown up by Meghan's mom. Wow, she is such a badass. Anyway, snack time is really really awful and I dread it everyday.
Now, I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that snack time is also one of my favorite times of the day. Sharing. The kids are so happy and willing to share with one another and it can be truly amazing to watch. For example, one of my students does not like the "fish cookie" (smart kid) so every time they get one, he works very hard to break it into seven equal pieces and gives one to each of the other students in the classroom. The first time he did this I tried not to cry. Another day each student got a little cup full of what looked like spicy fruit loops. One of the kids accidentally knocked his entire cup on the floor. Without hesitation, each of the other kids took a little handful from their cup and put it in his until his cup was full again. This time, I think a tear squirted out. And yet a different day, one of the students was absent, so there was an extra snack and drink. Instead of fighting over who would get two, they all decided that I should get the snack because I didn't have one.
Koreans are, in general, more worried about the group as a whole than they are about themselves. This doesn't happen just at snack time with my students, I also witnessed it over and over during the Easter egg hunt when students were giving their extra eggs to the kids that didn't find any. At the risk of sounding sappy...wouldn't the world be a better place if we took this simple concept and applied it more directly to our actions everyday? Sharing. Think about it.
Up Next: The Top Five Things That Might Kill Me In Korea
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Teaching "Englishee"
Lucky. That would be the best word to describe the job I landed here in Korea. I work for a hagwon, which is a private English institution that the kids attend after their regular school hours. This means that I work from 1:30-9:00pm (thus sleeping from 3am-noon) Monday-Friday. The name of my school is the Korea Herald School, which is owned by an English newspaper that runs in Seoul. Other than the name, I have found no significant connection between the two.
Basics: I teach two kindergarten classes, six elementary school classes, and four middle school classes. I plan from 1:30-3:00 and then teach forty minute classes until 9:00. For each class, I have a book, as well as corresponding flashcards and tapes for each lesson. I get one forty minute break.
The one thing that is great and that sucks about my job is that I am the only native English speaker at my school...which is not very common. This means I work only with Koreans. Compared to most of the other English teachers here, this gives me extra drawbacks and advantages. Here they are:
Good Thing #1: I am spoiled rotten like an egg that's been left in the sun for way too long (please forgive the bad analogy, but Easter is just around the river bend and I have egg hunts on my mind). Mainly, this pertains to my apartment. I will write a blog on my apartment, but basically they hooked me up in more ways than one, so you'll hear about that later. Aside from my place, my Vice Director treats me like I am her long lost daughter (this could be because she is pregnant with her first child, but I am pretending it's because she loves me); she brings me food to school nearly everyday. Homemade kimchi. Cookies. Triangle gimbap. One day, it was this immaculate sandwich complete with cut-off crust. She also washes my sheets and brings me new blankets once a week. What a gem.
Good Thing #2: I am the only native speaker because my school is teeny tiny. My smallest class has three kids, and my biggest class has ten. This makes my job so incredibly easy. Coming from a place where I was teaching classes of 25-30, this is a piece-of-cake. I already know every kid by name, and I pretty much have the personalities down as well. I am also slowly finding out that I....gulp....like kids. I know, I know, I never thought those words would come out of my mouth either, but Korean kids are just so damn cute! They way they get so excited and say "I love my dog!" just melts my heart.
Bad Thing #1: I am the only person there that actually speaks English properly and with a wide vocabulary. At work, it is my Director, Roy, his wife and Vice-Director, Erica, my two fellow (and rockin') Korean teachers Bobbie and Elly, and our receptionist, Lynn. Erica's English is the best, she actually went to KU for a couple of years...which might have something to do with her convincing her husband to hire their first female teacher, ever. Next comes Elly, who has also spent time in the States and we can hold a decent conversation. Then Bobbie, who is giving me Korean lessons once a week (I can read!! Too bad I can never understand what I am reading). Roy comes in a lagging fourth and is always asking me the most stupid/hilarious questions and I am constantly finishing his sentences because he has a hard time thinking of the right word to say. Last is Lynn. She doesn't speak English. This gets pretty funny between the two of us because we both really want to talk to each other, but that only ever gets accomplished with an interpreter. However, she just began studying English and since I just began learning Korean, my hope is that we can have a conversation without a third party intervention by next March. Wait, what was my point? Oh yes. They all speak Korean all the time and I never have any idea what is going on.
Bad Thing #2: There is no one to cover me if I get sick. Which has already happened and my bosses had to teach my classes. Ever since I had to miss two days of work because of the laryngitis, Roy has made it more than a little obvious that he thinks I am lazy. Great. I mean, if we are being honest here, I am pretty lazy, but he shouldn't have seen through me already! In reality, however, I do really care if I am doing a good job or not, and it genuinely bothers me that he thinks I am not making an effort. Yeah, it's my fault I'm allergic to yellow dust. Maybe I should teach him the word "empathy".
There are about a million funny stories I could tell about work, but I will leave you with just a few select conversations, for now.
In my first grade class, the kids get a new book. We are learning the names of the characters in the book. Annie, Joe, Kate, Chris. Then we come to the token black kid.
Moris, Jimmy, and Nancy, in unison: "OBAMA!"
*Keep in mind, these are six-year-old Koreans. There is a lot to be said about the quality of education American children are getting compared to that of Korean children.
**Moris and Jimmy now refer to themselves as "Obama 1" and "Obama 2" in class. I find this quite humorous.
I am in the middle of class, when I hear Roy knocking frantically on my door and waving me into the hallway.
Roy: "I would not have stopped your class, but there is an emergency."
Me: "Okay..."
He proceeds to show me a worksheet with a picture of a frog on it, that has a word bubble saying "Rib-it".
Roy: "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!?!"
Me: "Rib-it, rib-it. It's what a frog says. Dogs say 'Ruff, ruff'. Frogs say 'Rib-it, rib-it.'"
Roy: "Oh. Thank you."
*In retrospect, the dog example might not have been the best one to use. In Korea, dogs say "mung, mung" and frogs say "carol, carol".
I am in my favorite class. It has four fifteen year old girls.
Me: "If I am describing myself, I tell how I look. I have blond hair, I have green eyes..."
Diane: "Teacher! Green eyes?" She looks at them closely. "Lenses?"
Me: "No, they are real."
Diane: "Teacher! These real?" She points to her eyelashes.
Me: "Yes, they are called eyelashes. They are real."
Diane: "Teacher! These real?" She grabs her boobs.
Me: "Yes, they are real."
Diane: "Oh Teacher, me envy!"
Well I have to get back to rubbing the only two won that I have left together. Payday is only 8 days away and I'm splurging on Mexican.
Basics: I teach two kindergarten classes, six elementary school classes, and four middle school classes. I plan from 1:30-3:00 and then teach forty minute classes until 9:00. For each class, I have a book, as well as corresponding flashcards and tapes for each lesson. I get one forty minute break.
The one thing that is great and that sucks about my job is that I am the only native English speaker at my school...which is not very common. This means I work only with Koreans. Compared to most of the other English teachers here, this gives me extra drawbacks and advantages. Here they are:
Good Thing #1: I am spoiled rotten like an egg that's been left in the sun for way too long (please forgive the bad analogy, but Easter is just around the river bend and I have egg hunts on my mind). Mainly, this pertains to my apartment. I will write a blog on my apartment, but basically they hooked me up in more ways than one, so you'll hear about that later. Aside from my place, my Vice Director treats me like I am her long lost daughter (this could be because she is pregnant with her first child, but I am pretending it's because she loves me); she brings me food to school nearly everyday. Homemade kimchi. Cookies. Triangle gimbap. One day, it was this immaculate sandwich complete with cut-off crust. She also washes my sheets and brings me new blankets once a week. What a gem.
Good Thing #2: I am the only native speaker because my school is teeny tiny. My smallest class has three kids, and my biggest class has ten. This makes my job so incredibly easy. Coming from a place where I was teaching classes of 25-30, this is a piece-of-cake. I already know every kid by name, and I pretty much have the personalities down as well. I am also slowly finding out that I....gulp....like kids. I know, I know, I never thought those words would come out of my mouth either, but Korean kids are just so damn cute! They way they get so excited and say "I love my dog!" just melts my heart.
Bad Thing #1: I am the only person there that actually speaks English properly and with a wide vocabulary. At work, it is my Director, Roy, his wife and Vice-Director, Erica, my two fellow (and rockin') Korean teachers Bobbie and Elly, and our receptionist, Lynn. Erica's English is the best, she actually went to KU for a couple of years...which might have something to do with her convincing her husband to hire their first female teacher, ever. Next comes Elly, who has also spent time in the States and we can hold a decent conversation. Then Bobbie, who is giving me Korean lessons once a week (I can read!! Too bad I can never understand what I am reading). Roy comes in a lagging fourth and is always asking me the most stupid/hilarious questions and I am constantly finishing his sentences because he has a hard time thinking of the right word to say. Last is Lynn. She doesn't speak English. This gets pretty funny between the two of us because we both really want to talk to each other, but that only ever gets accomplished with an interpreter. However, she just began studying English and since I just began learning Korean, my hope is that we can have a conversation without a third party intervention by next March. Wait, what was my point? Oh yes. They all speak Korean all the time and I never have any idea what is going on.
Bad Thing #2: There is no one to cover me if I get sick. Which has already happened and my bosses had to teach my classes. Ever since I had to miss two days of work because of the laryngitis, Roy has made it more than a little obvious that he thinks I am lazy. Great. I mean, if we are being honest here, I am pretty lazy, but he shouldn't have seen through me already! In reality, however, I do really care if I am doing a good job or not, and it genuinely bothers me that he thinks I am not making an effort. Yeah, it's my fault I'm allergic to yellow dust. Maybe I should teach him the word "empathy".
There are about a million funny stories I could tell about work, but I will leave you with just a few select conversations, for now.
In my first grade class, the kids get a new book. We are learning the names of the characters in the book. Annie, Joe, Kate, Chris. Then we come to the token black kid.
Moris, Jimmy, and Nancy, in unison: "OBAMA!"
*Keep in mind, these are six-year-old Koreans. There is a lot to be said about the quality of education American children are getting compared to that of Korean children.
**Moris and Jimmy now refer to themselves as "Obama 1" and "Obama 2" in class. I find this quite humorous.
I am in the middle of class, when I hear Roy knocking frantically on my door and waving me into the hallway.
Roy: "I would not have stopped your class, but there is an emergency."
Me: "Okay..."
He proceeds to show me a worksheet with a picture of a frog on it, that has a word bubble saying "Rib-it".
Roy: "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!?!"
Me: "Rib-it, rib-it. It's what a frog says. Dogs say 'Ruff, ruff'. Frogs say 'Rib-it, rib-it.'"
Roy: "Oh. Thank you."
*In retrospect, the dog example might not have been the best one to use. In Korea, dogs say "mung, mung" and frogs say "carol, carol".
I am in my favorite class. It has four fifteen year old girls.
Me: "If I am describing myself, I tell how I look. I have blond hair, I have green eyes..."
Diane: "Teacher! Green eyes?" She looks at them closely. "Lenses?"
Me: "No, they are real."
Diane: "Teacher! These real?" She points to her eyelashes.
Me: "Yes, they are called eyelashes. They are real."
Diane: "Teacher! These real?" She grabs her boobs.
Me: "Yes, they are real."
Diane: "Oh Teacher, me envy!"
Well I have to get back to rubbing the only two won that I have left together. Payday is only 8 days away and I'm splurging on Mexican.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
First Impressions
I have already been in Seoul for one month, and am just now beginning my blog. If you know me, your first guess would be that I haven't started blogging yet because I am procrastinating. This is only partly true. I just got Internet in my apartment, and so begins the adventure.
Since I have already been here for a little while, I feel like I have a lot to write. Too much. So I decided that I will try to keep this first one simple and let you know what my general likes and dislikes of living in Korea are thus far.
LIKES
*I am starting with this to be optimistic, and this is in no particular order
**I will also include a "downside"to each of my likes, and an "upside" to each of my dislikes
1) Big city! I love, love, love living in a gigantic city. Many of my "likes" stem from the fact that a big city has a lot to offer. Downside: there are A LOT of people. Sometimes it is hard to just walk.
2) Great public transportation. This means I don't have to worry about driving my car. In fact, I don't think I should be allowed to drive at all and I think most of my friends and family would agree. It is much less expensive to run into someone on the subway than it is to crash into another car (or mailbox, or lamp post, or brick wall...am I forgetting anything?) and it is all in English which makes getting around that much easier. Taxis are also very cheap. This makes me happy. Downside: Taxi drivers do not speak English. I sometimes get lost.
3) Nightlife. Of course this is going to be on my list. As far as I can tell, nightlife in Korea basically has two gears: "intense" and "more intense". "Intense" refers to going to a bar where you can sit down, but there are lights of the strobe and laser variety, very loud music (often Korean pop...which deserves a whole blog in itself...), lots of smoke, and very drunk Koreans. "More Intense" refers to going to a club where you cannot sit down because of the mega dance party that is going on in the midst of the smoke machine while you try to yell "TEQUILA" to the bartender, who gives you a confused look until you pantomime taking a little shot, which inevitably turns into you doing the worm in the middle of a break dancing competition (thank you, Jen, for not letting me do that), lots of smoke, and very drunk Koreans. Downside: Intense nights mean intense hangovers.
4) Food. I am diggin' the food. Sushi here is called gimbap, and I can get a roll for two dollars. I do this everyday at work. I am finding that there are very few Korean dishes that I do not like, the food is spicy and me likey. Downside: American food is hard to come by...especially my dear sweet tacos.
5) My job. If any of you know the complete and total nightmare that I had teaching in inner city St. Louis, consider this the complete and total opposite. The kids at Roosevelt killed me and I have died and gone to Korean teaching heaven. Bliss. I teach kindergarten to middle school (which is different here, my oldest kids are 16) and it is so fun and so easy. This subject will get its own blog in the near future. Downside: While I really like my coworkers, I am the only native English speaker at my school and it can get a little lonely when they are all speaking in Korean.
DISLIKES
1) I do not speak or read Korean. This obviously causes some problems.
Example #1: My boss has to do A LOT of interpreting for me, setting up a bank account, taking me to the doctor, getting my cell phone and Internet and so on. Either this makes me feel guilty that he has to spend so much time doing me special favors, or it makes me feel pissed off because it limits my independence...I am undecided which feeling is really going on here.
Example #2: I rely on pictures to buy everything. My fabric softener came in a blue bottle with a picture of a woman who looked like she was sniffing and saying "ahhh" with her arms outstretched in a sea of clouds. I got lucky. Two days ago I bought a bag of chips that had a picture of what looked like cheese puffs on it. When I opened it the cheese puffs were covered in this nasty yogurt and did not taste anything remotely close to even fake cheese. Not so lucky. There are many, many more instances where the language barrier has caused me some strife, this too will be confronted later. Upside: No one can understand what I am saying, ever. For instance, if I am on the subway with another English teacher, I can say "Oh my god, this homeless guy next to me smells so horrible, and look how dirty his hands are!" and he will never ever know.
2) Tiny water cups. At restaurants, the water cup that you get is about the size of a dixie cup. One drink. This irritates me to no end. And if you are lucky enough to be at a restaurant that has normal sized cups, they NEVER fill it to the top. "Three-fourths of the way will do" must be what they are thinking. It kills me. Upside: I can refill it myself and do not have to wait on a server.
3) Yellow dust. Wikipedia it. I have recently found out (after two trips to the doctor, two days off work, a horrible cold and laryngitis) that I am allergic to it. I now have a humidifier going constantly in my room and a pretty pink surgical mask that I am supposed to wear when I go outside. Good news is that it should be gone in a couple of months. Upside: There is NO upside to yellow dust.
4) Cold food. There is so much food here that would be so delicious if they would just serve it hot. Too many times have I been at a restaurant and said to myself "Wow, that little circle vegetable thing looks really good!" and then I take a bite and it is cold and gross. This includes nacho cheese. What a disappointment. Upside: The cold food does cancel out the spicy when you need it.
5) Korea smells weird. It comes in pockets, some places smell more than others. If I were a better writer, I would describe it for you...but then again if I could describe it perfectly, the mere process of your brain pretending to smell it might make you vom. Upside: I know I smell good since I am still fresh from America. However, I don't know if over time I will also become smelly.
I wish I could write more, but Sex and the City just came on in English on my Korean cable, and when that happens, you watch.
Since I have already been here for a little while, I feel like I have a lot to write. Too much. So I decided that I will try to keep this first one simple and let you know what my general likes and dislikes of living in Korea are thus far.
LIKES
*I am starting with this to be optimistic, and this is in no particular order
**I will also include a "downside"to each of my likes, and an "upside" to each of my dislikes
1) Big city! I love, love, love living in a gigantic city. Many of my "likes" stem from the fact that a big city has a lot to offer. Downside: there are A LOT of people. Sometimes it is hard to just walk.
2) Great public transportation. This means I don't have to worry about driving my car. In fact, I don't think I should be allowed to drive at all and I think most of my friends and family would agree. It is much less expensive to run into someone on the subway than it is to crash into another car (or mailbox, or lamp post, or brick wall...am I forgetting anything?) and it is all in English which makes getting around that much easier. Taxis are also very cheap. This makes me happy. Downside: Taxi drivers do not speak English. I sometimes get lost.
3) Nightlife. Of course this is going to be on my list. As far as I can tell, nightlife in Korea basically has two gears: "intense" and "more intense". "Intense" refers to going to a bar where you can sit down, but there are lights of the strobe and laser variety, very loud music (often Korean pop...which deserves a whole blog in itself...), lots of smoke, and very drunk Koreans. "More Intense" refers to going to a club where you cannot sit down because of the mega dance party that is going on in the midst of the smoke machine while you try to yell "TEQUILA" to the bartender, who gives you a confused look until you pantomime taking a little shot, which inevitably turns into you doing the worm in the middle of a break dancing competition (thank you, Jen, for not letting me do that), lots of smoke, and very drunk Koreans. Downside: Intense nights mean intense hangovers.
4) Food. I am diggin' the food. Sushi here is called gimbap, and I can get a roll for two dollars. I do this everyday at work. I am finding that there are very few Korean dishes that I do not like, the food is spicy and me likey. Downside: American food is hard to come by...especially my dear sweet tacos.
5) My job. If any of you know the complete and total nightmare that I had teaching in inner city St. Louis, consider this the complete and total opposite. The kids at Roosevelt killed me and I have died and gone to Korean teaching heaven. Bliss. I teach kindergarten to middle school (which is different here, my oldest kids are 16) and it is so fun and so easy. This subject will get its own blog in the near future. Downside: While I really like my coworkers, I am the only native English speaker at my school and it can get a little lonely when they are all speaking in Korean.
DISLIKES
1) I do not speak or read Korean. This obviously causes some problems.
Example #1: My boss has to do A LOT of interpreting for me, setting up a bank account, taking me to the doctor, getting my cell phone and Internet and so on. Either this makes me feel guilty that he has to spend so much time doing me special favors, or it makes me feel pissed off because it limits my independence...I am undecided which feeling is really going on here.
Example #2: I rely on pictures to buy everything. My fabric softener came in a blue bottle with a picture of a woman who looked like she was sniffing and saying "ahhh" with her arms outstretched in a sea of clouds. I got lucky. Two days ago I bought a bag of chips that had a picture of what looked like cheese puffs on it. When I opened it the cheese puffs were covered in this nasty yogurt and did not taste anything remotely close to even fake cheese. Not so lucky. There are many, many more instances where the language barrier has caused me some strife, this too will be confronted later. Upside: No one can understand what I am saying, ever. For instance, if I am on the subway with another English teacher, I can say "Oh my god, this homeless guy next to me smells so horrible, and look how dirty his hands are!" and he will never ever know.
2) Tiny water cups. At restaurants, the water cup that you get is about the size of a dixie cup. One drink. This irritates me to no end. And if you are lucky enough to be at a restaurant that has normal sized cups, they NEVER fill it to the top. "Three-fourths of the way will do" must be what they are thinking. It kills me. Upside: I can refill it myself and do not have to wait on a server.
3) Yellow dust. Wikipedia it. I have recently found out (after two trips to the doctor, two days off work, a horrible cold and laryngitis) that I am allergic to it. I now have a humidifier going constantly in my room and a pretty pink surgical mask that I am supposed to wear when I go outside. Good news is that it should be gone in a couple of months. Upside: There is NO upside to yellow dust.
4) Cold food. There is so much food here that would be so delicious if they would just serve it hot. Too many times have I been at a restaurant and said to myself "Wow, that little circle vegetable thing looks really good!" and then I take a bite and it is cold and gross. This includes nacho cheese. What a disappointment. Upside: The cold food does cancel out the spicy when you need it.
5) Korea smells weird. It comes in pockets, some places smell more than others. If I were a better writer, I would describe it for you...but then again if I could describe it perfectly, the mere process of your brain pretending to smell it might make you vom. Upside: I know I smell good since I am still fresh from America. However, I don't know if over time I will also become smelly.
I wish I could write more, but Sex and the City just came on in English on my Korean cable, and when that happens, you watch.
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