Teacher, I Have a Baby?

Last week I visited my old co-teacher, Heeson's first grade class. The kids were all so interested in me and would not stop staring at me, so she allowed them to ask me some questions. One little girl raised her hand and said "teacher, I have a baby?" I just had to giggle and so did the rest of the class and my co-teacher. Then Heeson said "You mean, do you have a baby?" and the little girl looked at her like 'yah, that's what I just said'. It was adorable.

One of my new co-teachers, Mrs. Han, invited me to dinner on Friday night. Her good friend, Jeanie, is also an English teacher at another public school in Seongnam and works with a foreign teacher, Jennifer, so we all made plans to have dinner together. Before Jeanie and Jennifer arrived, Mrs. Han told me about how her and Jeanie met and could not say enough good things about her. Hearing her kind words about and love for her best friend suddenly made me really miss my best friends. It was actually really touching because she was talking about how they both worked really hard to learn English in order to become English teachers. Both of their 'dreams' came true this year when they were each selected for English positions in their schools. It's amazing to me that some people sacrifice so much and work so hard to learn English when I was lucky enough to be born in an English speaking country. It is definitely something I take for granted and hearing peoples' stories and experiences with learning English really make me appreciate my good fortune in being a native English speaker, as cheesy as it may sound.

Dinner was great. Mrs. Han and Jeanie picked a 'fusion' Korean restaurant for our meal. It's funny when they say 'fusion' because it is not fusion at all, but really just traditional Korean foods. I tried some new tastes and even ate jelly fish! It was chewy and had a kick to it because it was covered with wasabi. We had really good conversation that ranged from Korean culture to American politics and even farts. I never thought I would have a conversation with a Korean woman about farting, but it happened and I was dying of laughter. Jeanie is hilarious and was making a lot of jokes. I had a really enjoyable time with them at dinner and we made plans to get facial massages together sometime soon.

Later on that night I met up with my friends and we all went out to Hongdae for 'club night'. Let's just say I won't be doing that again. The clubs were crazy busy and the lines outside went on forever because about 10 clubs offer a wrist band deal where you can pay around $20 and go to any of your choice all night. Minus all the crowds and pushing it was a fun night.

the girls before our night out

Saturday night Sean took me out to dinner and drinks to celebrate my 6th month anniversary in Korea. We ate the best steak I have had in over 6 months and we even got cooked veggies like green beans and asparagus, which are rare here. We also had some of the tastiest mushroom soup ever served in a bread bowl (Panera style). Yum. After dinner we went to Wara Wara bar for drinks. It is Sean's favorite drink spot in Bundang because they mix fresh fruit cocktails at your seats. You can choose from a variety of fruits such as strawberry, pineapple, etc. They bring it to your table with a little blender and a pitcher and mix it right there for you. We tried the strawberry and fresh honey this time. Double Yum.

yummy drinks at Wara Wara

Sunday Sean and I did a little shopping at COEX in the afternoon and some Korean BBQ for dinner rounded out my weekend.

posing with Korea's golden girl, Kim Yu-Na

Nike's ads featuring Kim Yu-Na

I hope you all had a great weekend as well. It seems that spring is juuuuuust around the corner! ^ ^

Namaste

March Madness

March madness is not just a bunch of college basketball games, but the weather we have been having in Korea lately. Snow instead of rain and yellow dust instead of sunshine. It was snowing like crazy yesterday evening. Snow. On March 22. Why??

outside my apartment

snow in late March!

Yesterday one my fifth grade students asked me, "teacher, do you love me?" I was taken back by the question and somewhat speechless for a moment thinking of an appropriate response. I didn't really know what to say and then finally I replied "I don't love you, but I like you." Then he turned around, pointed to another student, and said "do you love her?" At which point I realized he was cunningly quoting a K-pop song, "Brown Eyed Girls" by Abracadabra.

Korean students carry their pencils, erasers, rulers, etc. in a pencil case. I don't know if there is some kind of law that says you must carry a pencil case, but every single student owns one. They keep them on their desks and they often catch my eye as I am walking around the classroom. Most of them have really ridiculous English phrases written on them. I have no idea who makes these things or where they get these words from, but they are totally silly. I will give you an idea of a few examples of some I have seen. "Your heart and my heart are friends." "We love the earth together. Let's make it better." "Let's fly up." Basically I just smile and chuckle to myself when I read them. Along with pencil case phrases Korean students wear sweatshirts, hats, and bags that also have English words on them. Sometimes they are really silly as well. A girl in my class today was wearing an over-sized sweater that read "happy kitty" on it. Other times they are totally inappropriate for school/their age. Last semester one of my 6th grade students wore a baseball hat that said "drunken" on it. The other day I saw a student's backpack with pictures of hearts, panda bears, and some English phrases about alcohol including "alcohol is my soul mate". Not kidding. I am going to go out on a limb here and assume they don't really understand what these things say when they buy them and wear them to school, but who knows. As long as the principals and teachers don't speak or read English, it doesn't really matter, right?

I feel like a celebrity at school lately and I kind of love it. For some reason the students really seem to notice me more this semester and are way less shy about saying hello and talking with me. I walk down the hallway and students are saying hello and bowing left and right. I am constantly walking through the hallway saying "hello, hello, hi, hello, hi, how are you, hello, good morning.........." and that is just in one 5 minute walk to class. One of the things that I have missed the most from teaching in the states is the personal relationship I built with my students. I am finally beginning to feel like that is happening in Korea and it feels really good.

Namaste

I've Learned

Today marks my 6th month anniversary in Korea. 6 months ago I arrived in this foreign land all alone with lots of hopes and anxieties. 6 months ago I began my adventure without many facts, but lots pre-conceived notions. 6 months ago I had a lot to learn.

Here are some things I've learned since September 22, 2009:

• When Koreans say "maybe" it does not mean maybe. It always means yes. Example: what was said: "Maybe the photographer will be here at 2 o'clock to take your photo." what was meant. "Be there at 2 and not a minute after."
• The number 4 is associated with death. The Korean word is based on a Chinese character that means 'death'. This causes some anxiety and fear about the number 4. Many building elevators will not read "4" for the 4th floor because of bad luck (similar to the number 13 in America), but an "F" instead. Funny enough, I live on the "F" floor.
• Koreans always wash their hands before a meal. They never use their hands to touch the food, though. They use chopsticks and a spoon. Koreans never wash their hands before snacking on things like rice cakes or fruit. They always use their hands to touch these foods. Hm.
• Korean people believe in something called 'fan death'. They think that if you leave a fan on while you are sleeping you will wake up.... dead. Don't believe me? Google it.
• Koreans eat seaweed soup each year on their birthday.
• The first birthday celebration is the most important. People throw extravagant parties to celebrate their baby's big day. It is actually the baby's second birthday; however, because Koreans start counting age one when you are born. I am 26 in Korean age. Ugh.
• Do not cross the street without looking both ways, even when there is a green walk sign flashing. Korean drivers have no concern for pedestrians.
• If you are male and you are carrying a murse, (man-purse) it does not mean you are gay.
• Koreans use toilet paper instead of paper towel for everything. It does not weird them out because the Korean word for toilet paper does not mean "toilet" in Korean. Therefore they use it to wipe up spills, for napkins, and of course for bathroom duties too.
• My clothes will never be soft here because I do not have a dryer to use. Most Koreans do not own a dryer. Or an oven.
• Koreans love indoor plants. They are everywhere. Some apartments even have their whole porch covered in plants.
• Do not wear skimpy 'club clothes' on the subway or you will be asked if you are Russian, i.e. a prostitute.
• It is not a morning in Korea without seeing a pile of vomit somewhere on the street or sidewalk. "Too much soju" isn't reserved for weekends only, but any night of the week.
• Soju breath is a real thing. If you are lucky enough to be taking public transportation at a certain time of night you will literally be breathing in soju fumes.
• Red means hot.
• If you choose to eat your breakfast while walking down the street, you will be stared at. Basically if you do anything that's socially acceptable in America, you will be stared at.
• Make sure your socks are clean and don't have any holes.
• If you don't separate your garbage the security man will rip it open and do it for you. Or he will hunt for a receipt with your name on it and fine you.
• Korea has an extremely respectful culture, but Korean people are severely lacking manners.
• Things don't always go the way you've planned.
• Sometimes you have to swallow the bad with the good.
• You will be a lot happier if you learn to be flexible and not sweat all the small stuff.
• If you follow your heart, you can never go wrong.

6 months later I really feel as though Korea is my home of sorts. Believe me- there are many times that I still feel as foreign as a mermaid with blue hair, but more often than not my life here is comfortable and I forget that I'm "in Korea". I have been so blessed to make new friends, experience wonderful things, teach children (whether they want to learn or not is irrelevant), and find happiness in a place far from home. 6 months have come and gone before I could say 'kimchi', but there are still 6 months to go. I plan on taking advantage of each and every day I have left here. I urge you to do the same where ever you are in the world. Let's "carpe diem" or as my friend Mandy sings "take time to look up".

Namaste

Soju and Irish Jigs

Yesterday I attended the Seoul St. Patrick's Day Festival. It was nothing to rival Chicago's craziness and green river, but I had a blast, nonetheless. There was Guiness, Korean leprechauns, live music, dancing, a parade, and more. Though the March weather did not hold up and I froze my butt off in the 40 degree weather, it was worth it. Our celebration continued well into the afternoon and evening leading us to several different bars. After about 12 hours my friends and I decided to call it a night.

St. Patrick's Festival

we love free stuff

Jen and I with a leprechaun

the parade

we found green beer!

drinking some green beer with Lydia and Mya

green tongues

I had a fantastic time celebrating an Irish holiday as an American in Korea.

Namaste

Thought-Provoking Travel Lit.

"The destination was not really the point. The true desire was to get away- to go..."

"The clouds usher in tranquility. Below us are enemies and colleagues, the sites of our terrors and our griefs, all of them now infinitesimal, mere scratches on the earth."

"What we find exotic abroad may be what we hunger for in vain at home."

"Among all the places that we go to but don't look at properly or that leave us indifferent, a few occasionally stand out with an impact that overwhelms us and forces us to take heed. They possess a quality that might clumsily be called beauty. This may not involve prettiness nor any of the obvious features that guidebooks associate with beauty spots; having recourse to the word might be just another way of saying we like a place."

-Alain de Botton-

The Art of Travel

Namaste

Luck of the Irish

Happy St. Patty's Day to all my fellow Irish blooded people around the world! I showed my students a PowerPoint about St. Patrick's Day today and more than half of them had never even heard of the holiday. I was more than happy to share the love!

Missin the windy city today......

*photo from Wikipedia

Namaste

White Weekend

One of the first things I noticed right away when I came to Korea was the large amount of couples surrounding me at all times. There were couples on the subway, streets, stores, restaurants, at the movies, etc, etc. Obviously there are couples everyone you go in the world, but it seemed like every Korean I saw was in a 'couple'. Korean couples are quite humorous to watch. Often times they are wearing matching outfits. Sometimes it's a jacket or sweatshirt. Sometimes it's a baseball hat. 9 times out of 10 the guy is carrying the girl's purse for her. Not kidding. This is just common behavior here. Lots of times couples are fighting and Korean girls are putting their pouting faces to the test. I always see couples play fighting as well; hitting, kicking, and generally bugging each other just playfully. My favorite scene is when one member of a couple is leaving another, especially at the bus or subway stop. The goodbyes are so dramatic you would think they were auditioning for a soap opera. They are also usually accompanied by a wave-and-follow walk (or run) along side the road or subway.

Koreans celebrate Valentine's Day in a special way. February 14 is still the Hallmark holiday over here, but there is a twist. Girlfriends give their boyfriends presents (usually chocolates) on Valentine's Day. Then when March 14 (White Day) rolls around it is the boyfriends' turn to reciprocate. The guys usually buy their girlfriends chocolates or some kind of gift in return. There is even a 'singles' holiday (Black Day), although it does not sound like much fun to me. On April 14, single people in Korea eat a kind of black bean noodle called jjajangmyun and celebrate their freedom? Or cry into their sauce? I have no idea. Hopefully it is accompanied by friends and lots of soju.

I was lucky enough to celebrate White Day this year with my boyfriend, Sean. We kind of celebrated on both days this weekend.

On Saturday we went into Seoul and did a little shopping in Myeong-dong. Afterwards Sean took me to the Cheonggyecheon stream. It is a man-made stream of water that runs through the busy downtown area. It's really cute and surrounded by walking paths on either side. Lots of couples come to the stream on dates to take a stroll. Very romantical.

view from the street

Cheonggyecheon stream

Sean and I

lights at night

We came back to Bundang and Sean took me to dinner at a great little Italian restaurant where they film lots of Korean TV shows and movies.

Sunday afternoon we caught a ride into Seoul to meet some friends for a soccer game. The FC Seoul team was playing another Korean team at the World Cup Stadium. When we arrived the line for tickets was literally halfway around the stadium and we wondered how we were ever going to get in. It actually ended up moving quickly and we were inside before we knew it. The game was not very exciting, but I had a good time catching up with friends, drinking warm beers, and playing with these free blow-up clapping things they gave us to cheer with.

World Cup Stadium

FC Seoul game

the girls at the game

Sean and I at the game

Namaste

We Live On

Sometimes it seems like my life in Korea creates many highs and lows for me. I'm not going to lie, some days are hard. Not because I miss home and want to leave or anything, but because my job and daily life in general can cause some major frustrations. Some days are amazing and those are the days I look forward to and try to focus on. Today has been one of those days.

I am very pleased to report that my semester is off to a fantastic start. I have three new co-teachers. Two of them speak very good English and it is easy to work with them. One does not really speak English very well at all (don't even let me get into the "why did they hire her to teach English then?!" rant because I have no idea) and it can be difficult to communicate with her. I have one more extra class a week and I will also be teaching an English class for first and second grade teachers twice a week. I am teaching grades 4, 5, and 6 once again.

The first day with sixth grade I was preparing for the worst. When I walked down the sixth grade hallway and heard not a peep and saw the students in their seats through the windows, I almost had a heart attack. I could not believe it was the same hallway as one month ago. The fifth and sixth grade students have been well behaved and attentive so far. I really pray that it stays this way. (At least until October 6.) The fourth grade students are adorable. I love them. It was my first time to meet them and teach them this week and last. Some of the students I taught in winter camp, but most I had never seen before. It was so cute because when they saw me it was a succession of "ohhs and ahhhs" and they were really excited. It brought a big smile to my face.

The little girl I wrote about a couple months ago who always said hello to me in the hallway was in my class today. I realized that she must have some kind of learning disability. She was sitting in her seat, blurting things out at the wrong times. During my lesson she was cutting up something in her book instead of paying attention to me. No one seemed to pay attention to her and my co-teacher brushed her off and just let her do her own thing. It was actually kind of sad. The way that learning disabled students are treated here is far different from home and can be quite upsetting. I won't get into this today because I vowed to stayed on a positive note, but I will write about it at a later time.

Communicating with my co-workers can be trying. Some people speak English to me, but many cannot or choose not to speak English. This leaves me feeling like an outsider most of the time. I am used to it now and it doesn't really bother me that much. The only thing I really get frustrated about is when I hear my name in a conversation and unless someone feels gracious enough to translate for me, I have no idea what they are saying. Yesterday at lunch my co-teachers, some other co-workers, and I got into a conversation about my leaving next fall. They asked me what my plans were and I told them I wanted to pursue my masters degree or teach. They were like "no, don't leave- you are a good teacher and we will miss you." They complimented me on my organization, good control with my classes, and my ability to be open to the Korean culture. I felt like I had really been accepted by my co-workers and hearing them praise me as a teacher felt great.

I got way too overexcited the the other day when I found out that Gregory David Roberts is writing a sequel to his best seller, Shantaram. If you have not read this book and are not intimidated by 900+ pages, then do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy. NOW. There is something in this intriguing tale for everyone. His writing is beautiful and immensely impressive. It is hands down one of the best books I have ever picked up and I have been recommending it to friends since I first read it a few years ago. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with everything except tears.”

"If fate doesn't make you laugh, then you don't get the joke."

"Lovers find their way by insights and confidences; they are the stars they use to navigate the ocean of desire. And the brightest of those stars are the heartbreaks and sorrows. The most precious gift you can bring to your lover is your suffering."

"At first, when we truly love someone, our greatest fear is that the loved one will stop loving us. What we should fear and dread instead is that we won't stop loving them, even after they are dead and gone."

"Be true to love where ever you find it, and be true to yourself and everything that you really are."

"For this is what we do. Put one foot forward and then the other. Lift our eyes to the snarl and smile of the world once more. Think. Act. Feel. Add our little consequence to the tides of good and evil that flood and drain the world. Drag our shadowed crosses into the hope of another night. Push our brave hearts into the promise of a new day. With love: the passionate search for truth other than our own. With longing: the pure, ineffable yearning to be saved. For so long as fate keeps waiting, we live on. God help us. God forgive us. We live on."

Namaste

Herro Kitty

Korea boasts a wide variety of cafes in and around Seoul. Many are your typical cafes complete with an array of coffee drinks, desserts, and cushy seating with an ambiance perfect for a chat with your girlfriends or a quiet spot to write or read. Cafes at home don't have themes. At least not that I'm aware of. Some Korean cafes have taken the cafe theme concept and ran with it. I have written about the Dr. Fish cafe combining coffee drinks with pedicures performed by hungry little skin eating fish. The wedding cafe allows you to try on ridiculous wedding dresses and take tons of photos with your girlfriends (and sometimes guy friends). There are Internet cafes otherwise known as PC Bangs. There are also pet cafes where dogs or cats roam wild throughout the shop and are even known to jump onto your lap or even the table.

Some girlfriends and I checked out a cafe in Seoul yesterday that was dedicated to one highly popular cartoon character out of Japan. The Hello Kitty cafe in Hongdae is worth a visit. The shrine, I mean, cafe, was covered from head to toe in Hello Kitty decor. The outside of the cafe as well as the walls indoors were painted bright pink. Some of the walls had cut outs in the shape of Hello Kitty. There were Hello Kitty paintings on the walls. There was Hello Kitty memorabilia filling every available in of space inside of the place. The bathrooms were donned with Hello Kitty. The cakes were baked in the shape of Hello Kitty's face. The coffee drinks had Hello Kitty's face sprinkled on top. There was Hello Kitty silverware, plates, and cups. Even the water pitcher was Hello Kitty. It was any 6 year old girl's dream. Probably a larger dose of pinkness than any female should be allowed to take in for one day, but it was a fun experience. I just felt kinda bad for those guys in there who had to have been dragged in by their girlfriends. That's harsh.

Hello Kitty cafe in Hongdae

outside sign

inside the cafe

Sam and I

Hello, Kitty!

cute wall paintings

inside the ladies' bathroom

women's restroom

men's restroom

kitty coffees

Namaste