The Whole World is the Same

My second week at school went a lot better once I started drinking coffee again. The past month I got by fine with just tea, but that was only because I had absolutely nothing to do with my life. I need a lot of energy to keep up with the kids every morning, so caffeine is a must. Koreans mostly drink nasty instant coffee with creamer and sugar already mixed in. I was not having that, so I managed to find black instant coffee, which while still kind of gross, does the trick. I have to put at least two packets in each cup to make it even resemble real coffee, however.

Friday was class election day, so all the kids were ridiculously roudy. I teach 5th and 6th grades on Fridays and I nearly lost my voice by the end of the day from yelling over them. Luckily we were only doing fun things like a Little Mermaid role play and a country game, so I managed to keep their attention. I was a little sad because I didn't get any candy for White Day. White Day was on Saturday and it is a lot like Valentine's Day, only bigger. In Korea, on V-day women buy candy for the men they like and on White Day the men have to reciprocate. Apparently nobody loves me. Oh well.

Friday night I went out with some people who live in my neighborhood. It was great to finally meet other teachers in Sanbon. A lot of them live in my building and have been in Korea for at least a year. They had a lot of good advice for me, the best one being an introduction to yogurt soju, which, if you know my yogurt loving ways, I obviously am obsessed with. It's clear, comes in a pitcher, contains two bottles of soju, and tastes exactly like a drinkable yogurt. Oh heavenly! They also showed me the elusive Pirate Bar that I had read all about before I came here but couldn't find. It wasn't as exciting as I imagined, but they serve beer in ice glasses which you then throw at a target on the wall. The ice smashes and if you hit the target you win free drinks. I'm all for smashing things and free stuff so I'm a fan.

On Saturday afternoon there was a huge St. Paddy's Day celebration in Seoul. I met Maddy and we spent the afternoon enjoying Irish music, free Guinness, and a whole bunch of cool Westerners. We had a really great time - a great time that extended from noon until 6 am the next morning. I ended up falling asleep on the subway ride home and waking up every so often because I hit my head on the metal pole behind me. Luckily I didn't miss my stop and managed to climb into bed by 7:30.

I slept it all off this afternoon and now its back to work for another week. I'm crossing my fingers that my alien registration card comes in the mail this week so that I can open a bank account and get a cell phone. I managed to pass my medical exam even with my hearing impairment, and I made it to the dreaded immigration office, so once my card arrives I will officially be a resident of South Korea for the next year. I've got absolutely no problem with a year of this...

Konglish of the Week

They gave us these drinks for dessert at school. Drinking it brought me back to my childhood on the farm...

FYI

I am starting a new support group called "I didn't know I was disabled until I took my Korean Medical Exam"

If you or a loved one can relate to this experience, please contact me. So far, we are a two person group...

Let's Talk About Kimchi, Baby

While the number one question students ask me is undoubtedly, "Do you have a boyfriend?", "Do you like kimchi?" runs a close second. Korea loves its kimchi and its fairly easy to see why.

Kimchi is made from mixing and fermenting vegetables with garlic, red pepper, vinegar and salt. The most common version is made with cabbage, but kimchi can be made with many other ingredients such as radishes or green onions. The result is a spicy super food regularly named as one of the healthiest foods in the world.

Koreans eat kimchi at nearly every meal, and it has been a staple of their diet for centuries. It is believed that the consumption of this food aids digestion and boosts immunity. Indeed, studies have shown lowered cholesterol, improved intestinal health, essential vitamins and minerals, and live probiotics are just a few of kimchi's considerable charms.

If you are going to enjoy kimchi, you better like your food with a lot of garlic and a lot of spice. Luckily for me, I can never have enough of either, so naturally, kimchi and I get along perfectly. Plus, the Polish side of me is all about anything pickled/fermented and anything with cabbage. At every Korean meal you'll be served kimchi and I for one would never turn it down. I think my students and my body will approve.

Livin the Dream

It's five o'clock on Friday afternoon, and after a long hard day of facebook, it's time to let loose. I pack a bag and head to the subway station to catch the train to Bucheon to visit Lacy. I haven't seen Lacy in a whole week, which after being glued at the hip in Thailand feels like an eternity. I can't wait to talk about our week, but mostly I'm just excited to see her new Asian haircut.

This is my first time using the subway, so I'm really hoping I won't get lost. It turns out the Seoul Subway System is awesome. All of the signs and announcements are in both Korean and English and everything is set up pretty logically. Plus, my stop is on a really convenient line. The language thing is pretty huge, because unlike Thailand nobody in Korea seems to speak any English. They also cannot comprehend that someone could be unable to speak Korean, so even after you try to explain that you can't understand them, a Korean will continue on with an enthusiastic five minute monologue while you smile and nod helplessly.

After a seamless one hour ride, I arrive at Bucheon Station and meet Lacy. When we get to her apartment we proceed to drink two bottles of red wine and chatter incessantly. I haven't spoken to a native English speaker all week, so “I have too many words in my head.” Lacy has no cups, so we drink our wine out of plastic Popsicle makers (yes, the girl doesn't own a single cup, yet managed to buy Popsicle makers...). We also make some really delicious curried tofu and rice.

All of a sudden, we look up and realize it is now 1:30 am and we haven't even left the apartment. Should we go to sleep? Never! It's off to the expat bar we go! After wandering around lost in the cold for ten minutes we hop a cab and make it to Rhythm and Blues bar, only its in Konglish and says something like, Rhythm and Rooz...ah Korea. I meet some of Lacy's friends, and friends of friends and we play some darts. Everyone is talking and laughing and suddenly I am starving. Lacy's eyes are half closed and I ask her if she wants to get something to eat. I'm wondering why I'm hungry until I realize that its about 5:30 am. We head to a Korean restaurant for some bibimbap (Korean rice with veggies...so good!) and manage to order some food with the help of a new friend. By the end of the meal Lacy is trying to use the table as a pillow, so I figure its time to take her home. The sun is on its way up as we enter her apartment.

We did have plans to meet some friends in Seoul at 2 pm the next day to have lunch and explore, but we wake up at 1:30 and immediately discard such a crazy idea. Instead we lay around until 4, get ready to go out, and then head back to the subway. Tonight at 7 we are meeting everyone from our group in Thailand for Mexican food in Itaewon. I tried several times to get my beloved chips and salsa in Thailand, but always ended up with some sort of wonton chips and chili sauce (gross!) so I'm really hoping for better luck in Seoul. Lucky me, the food is yummy and they have actual corn tortilla chips and guacamole. It's really fun to see everyone again, and also strange because we are all fully clothed (and grumbling about the cold). I also enjoy seeing cheese again for the first time in six weeks. I learned a really fun fact at dinner (thanks Kel!) - salsa is actually the Korean word for throw up. You'd think that would put a damper on my salsa feast, but you'd be wrong.

After dinner some Soju (Korean alcoholic beverage of choice) juice boxes are broken out and we head to a bar for a drink before hopping the subway to meet some of Maddy's friends in Hongdae. Lucky us, drinks are 2000 won off until midnight! Better drink two... We manage to make it in time to meet her friends and then we head to a club for some dancing. I order another drink and magically, I get two! Lucky me, its two for one! I think you can see a pattern developing here (I officially love Seoul). Did I mention what I paid for my two drinks? Three bucks. We spend the night dancing, taking pictures of ourselves (of course) and randomly yelling out “I love my life!” Then of course when it is a suitably early hour we go in search of Korean food. This time we literally scour the city for vegetarian food. Everyone tells us no, but I think they are just misunderstanding us on purpose. The 50th restaurant finally has something we can eat and we order up a small feast. After, we are exhausted by eating and faced with a predicament... the subway doesn't open until 6 am, we have a few hours to kill. And that is where the Korean sauna rears its magical head.

For the equivalent of 6 bucks we gain entrance into a 24 hour sauna complete with hot tubs, showers, saunas, and... A NAP ROOM! We put on the hilarious sauna outfits, have some good naked fun in the hot tub (why there are middle aged Korean women at the sauna at 4 am I just don't get...) then grab a mat, stretch out on the heated floor and pass out. At 8 am, a very adamant Korean woman wakes us up and we head out the door with our first weekend in Seoul behind us. It's official: we are living the dream.

A Typical Day

Let's go through my extremely strenuous work schedule:

8:25 - roll out of my apartment

8:40 - arrive at school

9:00 - 12:00 - teach 3 or 4 forty minute classes to 3rd-6th graders

12:00 - 1:00 - eat delicious Korean lunch in the teacher's lounge

1:00 - 4:40 - spend about ten minutes on lesson plans then sit in front of space heater, drink green tea, and play on the Internet until its time to go home

go to gym, read/watch TV shows on Internet, cook dinner

Highlights/Lowlights: First Week of Work

Highlights

• Moving in to my first real apartment and the first place that has been my very own. Also, finding it fully stocked thanks to the previous teacher (alarm clock, hair dryer, toiletries, cleaning supplies, kitchen supplies, books, DVDs, etc.) I really love being up on the 15th floor, the view from my window, and the cozy size which is perfect for me.
• 
  
• Meeting my co-teacher, who could not be sweeter. She has been so helpful while I adjust to my new life, bringing me to the hospital for my medical exam (this was a low light) and even insisting that I walk home with her after the first day so she could give me some traditional medicine her brother (who's a doctor) gave her to help cure my cold. The poor thing often struggles to understand me when I forget to speak slowly, but she is so patient and its so easy to work with her.
  
• Starting to teach on my second day. The kids in Korea are so well behaved and so intelligent. The mornings fly by because all I really have to do is act out/draw vocab, play games, and play videos. When I walk to school in the mornings I don't have that, "ugh, I have to work" feeling. My days are so laid back. Teach in the morning, have a delicious Korean lunch with the other teachers, then relax/plan lessons all afternoon.
  
• Being able to walk anywhere in ten minutes or less. The grocery store/department store is next door (EMart, another highlight... they have EVERYTHING). My apartment is over a mall. Subway stop, five minutes away. Gym five minutes away. All the restaurants, coffee shops, and bars are just across the street and there is a nice park on the other side. No getting lost for me! And no expensive transportation costs
  

• Playing hangman with my sixth graders. They just adore the game and its so fun to see them so excited. There is nothing like a little competition and the promise of a sticker to get kids going.
• 
  
• Walking through the hallways and having all the kids yelling, "Hi!", "Hello, teacher!", "Brittany!" in their adorable accents. I don't know if its just in Korea or everywhere in general, but when did kids become so outgoing?
• 
  
• The principal taking the teachers out for a really nice traditional Korean lunch on the first day. We sat on heated floors and ate sticky rice wrapped up in these huge brown leaves, a spicy stew, and loads of side dishes. I sat between my co-teacher and the principal, and everyone tried out their English (they're good!) and worried about whether I'd be able to eat with chopsticks.
• 
  
• The space heater sitting directly next to my chair in my classroom... also buying a big thick sweater, which I basically wear everyday. Oh yeah, and being able to wear whatever I want to work, even jeans.

• My cost of living... which is basically nothing. No rent, no bills and everything is really cheap. Some examples of things I've bought. Korean lunch at an average restaurant: $3, Double package of tofu: $1, really nice new yoga mat $7, 3 month gym membership: $66

• Speaking of the gym... the fact that Korean gyms provide you with gym clothes (hilarious t-shirts and giant shorts) and towels which they wash for you!!! No need to own any work out clothes, and no need to wash them all the time.

Low lights

• The taxi driver who picked us up at the airport in a huge hurry and all annoyed because we didn't magically appear at the gate as soon as the flight landed (its called baggage and immigration!!). He played Mariah Carey music videos the whole way to my apartment and we couldn't figure out if they were for him or us. Apparently they were for me because once I got out he turned them off (or so I was told). I guess the videos were kind of a highlight...

• Arriving to work on my first day wearing my "teacher flats" and no socks only to discover all about "indoor shoes". In Korea you need to wear special shoes that have never been worn outside in schools and many other places. One of the teachers graciously gave me a pair of open toe indoor shoes to borrow, not noticing my bare feet. The hallways are not heated so within two minutes I had icicle feet. To make matters worse, at lunch time when we all went to get our shoes before going out, all of the teachers and my principal suddenly noticed my feet and thought it was hilarious. "Feet cold!" My principal was particularly amused. All I could do was shamefully explain that I had no idea about changing your shoes. Let's just say I'll never forget socks again, and I bought myself some comfy indoor shoes.

• Making the exact same mistake when I joined a gym and wore my gym shoes there. The owner wasn't quite as amused as my co-teachers were. You also need "indoor gym shoes" which you leave in the locker room. At first I was annoyed that I had to buy new shoes, but once I saw how cheap they were I was psyched, no need to go home and change before the gym, because everything you need is already there.

• Sitting through the first day teacher's meeting... in Korean. It went on for about a half an hour. I basically stared into space and tried not to look too awkward. When they all started joking and laughing towards the end, I couldn't even do the "join in and pretend you get it" because they all know I can't understand a word.

• Korean medical exams. You have to be examined to get your alien registration card, which you need to open a bank account and get a cell phone. It was very well organized and very fast but shuffling from room to room having blood drawn and x-rays taken is never a fun way to spend an afternoon. Also, I think I failed the hearing test... I sat in a booth and they said to press a button when I heard a noise. The beginning and end were fine but there was a long pause in the middle where I heard absolutely nothing. I don't think that's right...

• Remarking to my co-teacher, "Tomorrow is friday, the week is over!" and then having her explain to me that in Korea there is school on most Saturdays. Foreign teachers are the only ones who get every Saturday off. She didn't seem to mind, but I felt like a jerk. Obviously, they wouldn't attract many Western teachers with a six day work week (especially not me!) but it is pretty unfair.

• Missing my Thai peeps terribly... We spent every minute together for 5 weeks and now I have so much time to myself. At least I get to see them this weekend!