Can You Spot the Foreigner?

Neulpureun Elementary teachers and staff 2010

Namaste

Life is a Balancing Act

Everything in life is a balancing act. We have to balance our careers with our families. Our friends with our relationships. Our head with our heart. Our faith with our doubts. We have to balance eating what we want with exercise. We balance our dreams and our realities. We balance our finances and checkbooks. We balance work and play. We balance our wants and our needs.

One of the hardest things I have found to balance while living abroad is missing life at home with enjoying life in the present. It is always hard because things like holidays, memories, hardships, and joys make me really miss my family and friends at home (and around the world) dearly. It is easy also because my new friends and experiences are beginning to really fulfill my life in the present. Sometimes I catch myself thinking "what would my life be like if I were at home?" It is of course an unavoidable thought; we all do it no matter where we may be, we wonder what life would be like if we were somewhere else. But I have to stop and remind myself that I am not at home. I am here in a foreign land that as strange as it may be is becoming more and more familiar all the time and feeling more and more like home with each passing day.

We all have our own ideas of what home is, but to me home is a place and/or a group of people that you carry in your heart. Even though I consider Korea my home of sorts in the present, I feel like I have lots of different homes in different senses. Crown Point, Indiana will forever be the home of my childhood. Valparaiso, Indiana is the home of my teenage and post college years. Bloomington, Indiana is the home of the best years of my life. Kenya will always feel like home to me in Africa. My family and friends will always be my home wherever they may be. I am doing my best to keep in touch as much as possible and I know it is difficult because of schedules, time changes, and life in general, but I just want you all the know that I love and miss you wherever you may be and think of you more than you know.

Namaste

Dye, Not Die

Students in Korea who attend Hagwons, or private academies, are given English names, much like the names we (Americans) received in Spanish or German class. In an attempt to learn some of my students' English names, I have been asking them to write their English names along with their Korean names on their papers. I was walking around today looking at their names and I noticed one little boy wrote 'Atom'. I am sure he meant 'Adam', but I give him mad credit for phonetically trying to sound out the word. Too cute.

I found a PowerPoint presentation about Easter to show some of my students last week. There was a page about dying Easter eggs. In every single class students starting pretending like they were choking themselves, shooting their neighbor, falling over in their chairs, essentially 'dying' at the mention of the word "dye". This spurred a short impromptu lesson about homophones.

Sean and I tried a little Korean noodles place by my apartment for lunch on Saturday. The noodles were served in a big bowl as a kind of soup with broth and clams. They had some of the best mandu (dumplings) that I have had here. It was messy, but delicious!

a staple in a Korean diet, kimchi

Korean noodles and clams

in Korea it's ok to slurp your noodles!

Saturday night I met some friends for a pillow fight in Seoul. Apparently there are pillow fights in different cities across the world that all take place on April 3. Kind of cool that I took part in one of them. I was a little skeptical of people actually showing up, one, and two, actually fighting with pillows. But alas, as you can see from the pictures below, it happened. It was fun watching all these foreigners (and some Koreans) beat each other with pillows until the feathers came out. After everyone had exhausted their pillows and we had exhausted a batch of Jello-shots, a few of us headed to a BBQ place for dinner. Afterwards we hit up some random carnival games and hookah in Gangnam. I surprised myself at the shooting game by hitting almost every single target. Sean says it's because I'm American and we supposedly 'love our guns', but I just think I'm that good! ^ ^

pillow fight!

BBQ and Jello shots

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and blessed Easter holiday. As I have mentioned time and time again, it is always difficult being away from family and friends on holidays. I really missed my family celebration this year. It also made me miss my grandfather thinking about how he used to put old coins in some of our eggs during our egg hunt. Because I couldn't spend the holiday with my real family, I spent it with my Bundang family. Sean, Sara, Aly, and I woke up super early on Sunday morning to catch what we thought was an English Easter service. It turned out to be solely in Korean, but we got a bit of translation using head-sets. The service was held at Suwon World Cup Stadium. I couldn't believe how many people were there and what a huge ordeal they made out of the Easter service. There were all kinds of performers and singers including a crazy tae-kwon-do group, a saxophonist, and various children's praise groups. The best part was that they actually got a Korean pop group, U-KISS, to perform at the service. We got to see a free K-pop show! (Well two songs.) Check out their website here: http://www.u-kiss.co.kr/

performance at the Easter service

U-KISS

Easter din din

After the service, Sara, Aly, and I went shopping for Easter dinner. Jen and Becca joined us at Sara's place and we all cooked and prepared our meal together. It was so yummy. We had roast chicken, veggies, garlic bread, two kinds of mashed potatoes, alfredo pasta, and of course, wine. We sat on Sara's floor like an indoor picnic and enjoyed our little feast. After dinner we walked to Cold Stone for dessert and finished off the night with some Sex and the City and girl chat. Overall a fabulous Easter Sunday.

“Maybe mistakes are what make our fate... without them what would shape our lives? Maybe if we had never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love, have babies, or be who we are. After all, things change. So do cities. People come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart... and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away.”

-Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City

Namaste

Sharing is Caring

One thing I have noticed here in Korea is that most people drive "neutral" color cars. You really don't see many red, green, or heaven forbid, yellow, cars on the roads. About 90% of the cars I see are silver and some are black. I was wondering out loud about this the other day and my co-worker told me she thinks it is because most people buy foreign cars and then it is harder to sell them in a few years if they are painted a strange color. Interesting.

Something I really admire about Korean people is their innate sense of community. They learn from an early age that (for lack of a better cheesy phrase) "sharing is caring". The idea that something belongs to everyone is ingrained into their tiny heads and therefore, carried on throughout their lives. This is one of the major differences I have noticed between American and Korean culture. In America we are born into a family where something is yours, his, hers, etc. The word "mine" is often one of the first words a child can speak. This idea of 'mine and yours' is carried on throughout our lives. We earn our own money, order our own meals, use our own things, and we proudly express what we own ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying this is a bad thing. Americans should be proud that we live in a country where we are afforded our own things and we should be proud of the things that we work hard for. It is just different in Korea. A prime example of Korean sharing takes place at the table. Food is served and eaten in a community style where everyone digs in and shares the plates. Alcohol is often poured into the same glass and shared among friends. Another example of community that I see on a daily basis is at school. My students are always sharing their school supplies with one another. I know this may seem trivial, but if I had asked one of my students in my class last year to share an eraser with a neighboring student he or she may have looked at me in disgust. In my classes here, if a student is lacking anything, someone is always willing to share. Sometimes there are up to 4 or 5 students sharing an eraser. I love to see it. There are constant examples of a strong sense of community all around me and I really praise this culture for their lack of "mine".

There is one second grade boy I see gliding through the hallway all the time acting like an Olympic speed skater by sliding on his indoor shoes with one foot in front of the other and one arm behind his back while swinging the other arm back and forth. It just makes me smile every time I see him. Who knows, maybe we've got the next Korean gold metalist here at Neulpureun...

Happy April!

Namaste

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