God is Having a Good Time

After our school hike, we came back down and went to dinner at a grill restaurant. At grill restaurants they give you a big platter of meat and you get to cook it yourself at your table. There are lots of different types in Korea - this one specialized in pork so we had ham and samgyeopsal.
This is samgyeopsal - thick-slab bacon. It's not my favorite.

There were about 20 toasts during dinner. I'm not sure if we were actually celebrating anything in particular. Yeong Deuk was explaining that in Korea, people don't drink alone. So, there are lots of toasts so everyone drinks together, which fosters group belonging and harmony. That said, we drank a lot of mokolri and soju.

There are many Korean drinking customs. You leave your cup half full when you don't want more to drink because when your cup is empty, another person must refill it. It is considered rude to refill your own cup or to pour or accept alcohol with only one hand. And once two people have poured for each other, they have a toast and drink together. However, these rules are flexible. Especially as people drink more, it seems. After I was about four drinks in, Mr. Shin refilled my quarter-full cup and said "welcome to Korea."

It was funny to see about three quarters of the teaching staff stumbling out of the restaurant.

There was an after-party at a pub in Yeongdeungpo. Everyone was invited but I think there is a tacit understanding that only men go. And me, because I am a novelty. I'm told there is always an afterparty in Korea. You must accept the invitation, then quiety slip away during the trip to the second party if you don't want to go. But since I am tall, blonde and foreign, it is hard to quietly slip away. I dragged Kyeong along with me, though, to avoid complete awkwardness.

So, me, Kyeong and at least half the of the male teaching staff had some beers. They told me they actually have a name for their little club. They call it the Silver Bells. They told me this is an underwear brand in Korea (then, of course, asked what brand of underwear I was wearing).

After about an hour, my principal decided I must see Seonyu Island, and I must see it tonight. There is also a tacit understanding that you cannot refuse the principal. So, me, Kyeong, the principal, and two other teachers went to Seonyoo Island.
Here is us on the island. Awkward.

We went to a cafe on the island and ate Patbingsu.
Patbingsu is shaved ice topped with sweetened red bean paste, candied rice cakes and fruit. It might sound a little strange but I really enjoy it.

While we were eating, my principal told me how the first part of our school's name means 'God,' and the second part means 'to have a good time.' So, I teach at God is Having a Good Time Middle School.


This morning, Mr. Shin brought me saltines, rice cakes and a cup of coffee. I couldn't tell if this was for Chuseok or because he thought I might have a hangover.

Midterm Hiking Trip

It is midterms this week so the kids take their tests and then leave early. After school yesterday, all the teachers at my school went on a hike to a Buddhist temple on Buksan Mountain.

Kyeong, Yeong Deuk and I hiked up together.

During the hike, we stopped and had kimchi (because it is Korea and every meal must be accompanied by kimchi) and mokolri, which is an unrefined rice wine. It's fizzy, opaque white and very sweet - it's sort of like alcoholic soda.
Traditionally, it is served in a wooden bowl like this, which was how we drank it later for dinner.

But we just used paper cups for the hike (unfortunately, this photo is a little overexposed but we are toasting).

We finally reached the top and took a rest. Sorry, America, I perpetuated unflattering stereotypes about westerners - I was sweating like a dog. (Actually, dogs don't sweat but the point is, I was very sweaty; like, 'kind of looked like I'd gone swimming' sweaty).

The Buddhist temple was very beautiful and it is still in use so it is very well maintained. Some friends wanted to do a temple stay sometime, so on the hike up I was asking Yeon Deuk about it. He told me that if we go, we must eat only vegetarian, go to sleep at nine p.m., then wake up at six a.m. and bow 3000 times to the Buddha. So, I was feeling lukewarm about temple stays but it was so serene and beautiful there that I still might consider it.

Above the main temple is a shrine with a carving in a huge boulder of the Buddha on a lotus. In order to get there, you must a very tall stairway.
I sprinted up the stairs because I like getting painful things out of the way quickly. And I thought I could use the exercise. Mr. Yang, the PE teacher, was very impressed with me.

My principal told me after that the stairway has 108 steps. This is significant in Buddhism because it is said there are 108 fears and anxieties in life. So, as you climb the stairs, with each step you are supposed to release an anxiety. Buddhism is very poetic. Although, after watching Mr. Shin collapse in exhaustion on reaching the top, I wonder if it isn't just that people are too tired to be anxious when they get to the top.

Here is a picture of the Buddha.

The man next to me is my principal. I am kind of scared of him. But he invited me to his daughter's wedding!

Personal Space

Eric and I had dinner in Idae last week, which is the area around Ewha Women's University.
We saw this sign for a bar. It has no relevance to anything. I just liked that they have a picture of a drunk pint of beer chugging soju.

Teaching school here, I'm struck by the different comfort levels with touching and personal space, displayed by students and teachers alike. Last week, two students in my class started having a head fight, which consists of pushing your foreheads together as hard as you can until one person gives. Of course, boys fight everywhere, but the head fight, where their faces are in about 1/2 inch of each others, looks very odd from the outside. Eric and I get a lot of askance glances when we do it in public.

Later that day, one of my students fell asleep in my class (this happens pretty frequently; all the kids stay up until ridiculous hours studying). So, my co-teacher for that class, Yeong Deuk, started giving this kid a really aggressive back massage. All I could think was, 'wow, this would never fly in the U.S.'

My School & Yeoinaru

Since Eric posted a bunch of photos of his super awesome high school, I thought I should put up a few of my middle school as well.
Here's my school. Most Korean schools have a big dirt field instead of a lawn. I guess it's easier to maintain. Also, many of the teachers park there so it's easier to not have a lawn.

It is L-shaped; here is the view of the other wing. My office is on the very end in the "English Plaza."

My school also has a back courtyard which is very pretty. This seems to be where the teachers take smoke breaks during lunch.

This past weekend was more relaxed. After going to Itaewon, the foreigner neighborhood (Eric needed to by shoes and it is the only place that carries size 10 and above),we went to a park at Yeoinaru that looks out over the Han River.

The park faces north, toward the center of Seoul. You can see the mountains by Eric's apartment in the distance.

Eric was a little put out with my camera-taking skills.

That is about it, so I'll leave you with this picture from Insadong at a free soju-tasting event.
The one on the far right is George Wahington.

College Land

Thanks to rowing, I was on a different time schedule in college. Even after I stopped, I still woke up early every morning. Since everyone else in college stayed up until 3 a.m. and woke up at 11, I often left out of synch.

But, I thought, once we're out in the real world, I won't have to adjust.

Ironically, the entire country of Korea is on college time. The drinking culture here (which is 7 days a week until at least 1 a.m., if the bar downstairs from me is anything to go off of) fosters going to sleep late and waking up late. I understand now why Korea is know as the 'land of the morning calm.'

I tried to buy some milk before work a few days ago but the only things open before 9 a.m. are tiny mini-marts full of Pocky and instant meals. Bakery employees give me odd looks when I come to peruse their empty shelves at 7. Dunkin' Donuts doesn't even open until 8.

I can see why so many new college graduates enjoy Korea - it's a very gentle transition into the real world. The post-baccalaureate program of Korea. I could have the college experience I missed out on during college. Should I be getting on board with late nights and alcoholism?

Can I Have Your Number?

I have a phone! It is beautiful. Eric and I got matching ones (they were the cheapest).

Now that I have one, I realize that Koreans don't, as a country, love cell phone charms. Phones here come with universal adapters, which you can hook onto your phone. Then, should you drain the battery watching television on the subway (and generally about half the subway car is people watching TV), you can stop by your local convenience store for a recharge. Nice.

Visiting Namsan Tower or We Are Disgusting

Last Saturday, Kyeong Ran and the head teacher at out school, Mr. Shin, invited Eric and me to Namsan Tower. It is a huge tower on one of the taller hills in Seoul, and it has a 360 degree observation deck, so you can see the entire city.
This is Namsan Tower, looking up from the base. We had to take a tram up the hill to get to here first.


Here are Eric and me standing on Mongmyeoksan Beacon Tower, located at the foot of Namsan Tower. In the 19th century, the smoke stacks on Mongmyeoksan (which we are standing next to) were lit up to warn of attacks.

Lots of couples put locks on the chain-link fence that surrounds the base of Namsan Tower as a symbol that their love will last forever. Kyeong insisted that we buy a lock from the gift shop since it is tradition. I suspect she just likes taking lots of cheesy couple shots of us.

Proof positive.


Here is our lock. Aren't we too cute?


Up on the observation deck, each window has the names of different cities that, when looking out that window, you are pointing directly toward.
Here are Eric and me in front of the San Francisco/Los Angeles window. We were very excited.

Finally, here are Kyeong and Mr. Shin.
Don't they look nice? They are nice. Super nice. And very responsible. They keep me from getting lost and wandering into North Korea.

English Club

My co-teacher, Kyeong-Ran, approached me last week about ideas for the English club I would be running. So, I gave her a list of things I like to do that we could relate to English - cooking, creative writing, etc. Of these options, she chose the one item I put on the list as filler - English drama club.

Talking to her later, I found out it was actually our new principal that wanted me to do drama club. Apparently, he is very excited and "has a lot of ideas for plays." I'm concerned.

I don't dislike theatre. I think Shakespeare is great, I enjoyed Death of a Salesman and A Raisin in the Sun. There was even a time in my life when I went to drama camp in the summer and was greatly concerned about emoting and vocal projection. But ever since 8th grade, when Patricia Bass got the part of Alice in Alice in Wonderland and I was cast as a flower #3, my enjoyment of acting has soured. She was petite and looked uncannily like the Disney version of Alice but I was the better actress! Just ask my mother.

So, I guess I'd better figure out what I'm going to do before next Friday.

My First Week and Dental Hygiene

I'm very excited because I bought a travel toothbrush today. All of the other teachers go to the bathroom to brush their teeth after lunch and I've felt very left out until now. I don't think Koreans are really into dental hygiene. It has more to do with the fact that kimchi is a smell that sticks with you.

If my cafeteria is anything to go off of, a traditional Korean meal consists of rice, often mixed with other grains, soup, some kind of vegetable and a curry-like dish. I got excited yesterday because, in addition to the above, they had some kind of fried oblong food. With ketchup! So, I took a big bite only to realize it was a deep-fried and breaded hot dog. Boo.

Why do Koreans love hot dogs so much? They treat them as the 4th meat after beef, pork and chicken. In addition to serving them the traditional American way, they slice them up and sautee them with vegetables or throw them into soups. I like to be adventurous and try new foods, but that's just a bad surprise.

For my ice breaker activity I am having all my classes make name cards. I told my first class 'write your name' and ended up with a bunch of name cards written in hangul. So, for the next class I said 'write your name in English' and half of the name cards had actual English names like 'Frank' and 'Jennifer.' The idea of giving them English names has always weirded me out - it seems vaguely imperialistic and culturocentric. So, I told my advanced 1st year class ''write the name you want me to call you in class.' I got 'Bush,' 'Obama,' 'Smart Boy,' and 'Asshole.'
I should have just made a slideshow.

First Day of Teaching

Today was my first day of actual teaching. And it wasn't that bad! By the fourth time of giving exactly the same lesson, it's pretty easy to just glide though.

My principal approached me today and offered to take me out to lunch for bulgogi sometime. He told me I should eat a lot so I don't become ill. In general, Koreans seem to want to shove as much food down my throat as possible. But, who can really complain about extra packages of cookies?

I haven't had the chance to take photos of my school or my neighborhood, so here's a photo of a three-story Dunkin' Donuts.

My Awesome Pad

So far, I am really enjoying my tiny apartment. I live in Yeongdeungpo area, which is just south of the Han River.

(Here's a link to a handy map if you need a visualization)

Here is a picture of my room:

As you can see from my clothes rack, Korea is pretty much devoid of dryers. It seems space is at such a premium that Koreans combine things you never would have thought to combine. For instance, my washing machine is also a stove. Or, my bathroom:
Behold, the toilet shower. Brilliant.

Stereotypes

I lied, I'm not posting photos of my apartment yet. I still haven't finished unpacking after 4 days.

My co-teacher told me yesterday as we were driving to get me registered at the immigration office that I am 'very like an American. And very not.' I look like a stereotypical American - blonde, tall, blue eyes - but I act very polite and dress conservatively. Hah. I will take that as a compliment, since I agree with her about a lot of Americans.

The view of Americans here makes me a little distressed, though. I think the combination of media and the fact that 33.3% of Americans that come here are total weirdos gives Koreans a very skewed view of the United States.

On an unrelated side note, today at lunch I had Ojingeochae Bokkeum, stir-fried dried squid. So good!
(photo courtesy of My Korean Kitchen)