Here I Stand

I had a few reservations regarding our end of the semester teacher's trip. After all, I'm the only foreign, non-Korean speaking teacher at the school, so these gatherings require some effort. This time around, my co teacher would not be attending because she had to take care of her children. She gave me the option to attend the trip or remain at school for the day - anti-social and alone. Despite my slight fear of the prospect of 12 hours of incomprehension, I refused to peg myself as the outsider and decided to attend.

For no apparent reason except bad luck, I couldn't sleep at all the night before the trip. I arrived at school hot, sweaty, tired, and unenthused. Nevertheless I was early and my poor start to the day declined further when I turned my key in the classroom door and it snapped off in the lock. Great...

At 10 am I boarded the bus and sat next to one of the teachers on my floor who speaks English very well. Song Hwa is a kind and very beautiful wife and mother in her thirties and I enjoy speaking with her, but I was mainly happy that the teachers didn't just avoid me so they wouldn't have to speak in English the whole ride. When the bus set off, bottles of Korean wine were immediately opened. Korean adults can be a bit like high school students - Summer vacation wooo!

Two hours later we arrived at the ferry which would take us across the Han River to Nami Island. Ropes swung high atop a bungee tower and motorboats skimmed across the river towing massive yellow inflatables which flapped like kites in the breeze. Mountains rolled on the horizon like waves of soft green forest beneath the afternoon sun as the ferry made the short crossing.

Sunshine and a soft breeze graced us with their presence as I explored the island with Song Hwa and Jong Hwi, a tall and lovely teacher who strikes me as regal but always entertains me with the latest gossip. There were footpaths lined with tall pines snaking all over the small island and we followed them leisurely until it was time to catch the ferry back to the mainland.

The next stop was the somewhat random "Le Petit France" - a small group of buildings built to look like French villas and housing tributes to various aspects of french culture. I couldn't quite figure out what was going on or why the melodies to Beatles songs were playing on all the speakers but we were atop a hill and there was a lovely view of the river and mountains. Unfortunately I had forgotten to charge my camera and only managed to take a few photos. I did however pose in countless pictures with the other teachers, most in front of a statue of the storybook character "Le Petit Prince" and they've assured me they will email me copies.

At this point I was near exhaustion and we headed to a restaurant for what would be one of the best meals I have ever had the fortune of eating. After discovering that the restaurant we were supposed to go to was closed, we walked towards the shore and stopped at a small outdoor patio to enjoy a dinner of fresh eel.

The sun sunk low against the sky and the air grew thick with mist as plates of salmon sashimi arrived at the tables. We ate the fish slices wrapped in lettuce leaves with fresh ginger and an array of vegetables. Next came the eel. It was grilled in brown sugar and melted as soon as it reached your mouth, every bite tasting better than the last. I thought I couldn't eat anymore but steaming pots of spicy soup arrived brimming with shellfish and vegetables. My skin flushed as I ate spoonfuls of the spicy liquid, warming me as the air cooled and the night mist rolled in over the moonstone river.

Finally there were slices of fresh watermelon and small cups of coffee to go around. We finished our meal and were drawn silently to the shore of the river. The mountains were layers of tissue in cerulean, cobalt, slate and steel. They melted into the soft night air and multiplied to infinity in the glassy river surface. I stood silently a long while and remembered what it is so easy to forget in the city, that I am here, in the land of the morning calm, experiencing life and beauty as I have never known it before. And though the mist obscured my vision, turning the world to watercolor, I felt I could see clearer than I've been able to in a while. I remembered why I came here and what I've been missing and made a silent promise to return.

I live in Korea and this is what I do...

I act Korean while riding carnival rides at Mud Festival

I hang with the locals

I make new friends

I drink and bike.

I eat lunch on the floor and drink Cass-uh after a long bike ride with the girls

I dominate wheelbarrow races... okay so maybe I lose them

I put the A in Athlete (along with the rest of the A Team)

I Tug-o-War

I haven't updated in a while... I like to think this is because I am busy and not because I am lazy... or because I have become obsessed with watching episodes of The Tudors and True Blood online...

In any case, I still love my life. I even still sometimes randomly yell out "I love my life!" when the mood strikes me. Even the torrential downpours that have begun this week can't dampen my spirits. The school semester is over and I'm spending the week watching Harry Potter over and over and over while preparing for summer camp. Not exactly ingredients for stress. I'll only be working half days during the summer and then I get two weeks vacation in August, so yes, life is good.

The warm, and up until recently, reasonably dry weather has made my friends and I more determined to get out and have fun. It seems like most expats around here have the same idea. Two weekends ago, on the fourth of July, a friend of ours threw a sports day. We made teams and competed in some ridiculous relay races. My team, the A team, performed pretty badly aside from a few glorious victories. We did have the best outfits though, which I think is more important.

This past weekend was the Boryeong Mud Festival. Picture this: a huge crowd of foreigners, a beach, mud pits, mud slides and booze... I think you get the picture. It was tons of fun, but unfortunately due to the aforementioned mud I was too afraid to bring my camera out... sad. Rest assured I did end up muddied from head to toe and I did beat up some people.

There are more exciting things to come... a Manchester United vs Seoul football game... river rafting and bungee jumping (finally)... a music festival... and just general madness in the city. Whoever said "the real world" is no fun was obviously living in the wrong one.

I learn something new every day

Word for word from my 5th grade Teacher's Guide Text book (spelling and grammar mistakes included)

Cultural Tips

The culture of exclamation

Western people show exclamation even over trifles. This phenomenon isn't found an oriental culture that appreciates people who control their feeling and taciturn. We can usually see Americans who are moved so easily by things that Koreans aren't effected by. This means they are accustomed to expressing feeling freely and frankly.

In western culture, they start a conversation about the weather when they meet someone for the first time: 'It's a lovely day, isn't it?'. This is referenced to the inclement weather in England. (!!!!! priceless)

The people who live in an area with nice weather like Korea aren't touched by this kind of thing but Englishman can be impressed.


Ummm nice weather like Korea? I'm pretty sure this isn't the tropics and today it's dark, cloudy, and rainy out. Guess I need to be more in control of my feelings and taciturn. Maybe tomorrow will be sunny so I can be impressed.

It Came From Outer Space

After nearly a month in Korea I am finally a legal and registered resident (for one year). My Alien Registration Card arrived a timely one day before pay day so that I could open a bank account and actually get some cash tomorrow. More importantly, I can finally get a cell phone! No more, "Meet me at Exit 3 of Itaewon Station at 10:30..." and stressing out about getting there on time.

I am pretty psyched about becoming an alien. It helps to explain a lot of the strange stares I get on the subway. I can also now blame all my eccentricities and mistakes on being an alien.

No, no it's not weird. Let me explain. You see, I'm an alien...

I even have the card to prove it.

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...

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...