Sick

Hello again,

              It's 6am on a Monday morning here in Korea, and i've been up all night, sick. Fever, runny nose, the works. If you know me very well from back home, you know that typically, my immune system just goes to town on anything that comes its way. Normally, I'll get sick once, maybe twice a year. I was really sick in January, but that was the first time I had had more than a cold since the beginning of college. I have now been in Korea nine weeks, and this is probably the fourth or fifth time that i've been fairly sick. What i'm pretty sure of is the fact that my co-scholars from abroad are, in some part, experiencing the same thing. It could be adapting to the new environment, yes, or maybe the stress of living abroad, sure, but I really don't think so. In reality, what causes this, especially for the unprepared foreigner, is the attitude towards sickness. People here are sick way more often that people back home, fact. Sick days do not exist, for teachers or students. If you are able to move, in any way, you must show up. This work ethic is amazing for productivity and competition, yes. However, the counter-effect is that you have 3rd graders coughing up a lung, or two, in the middle of class, and within three or four days the entire class is miserable.

               To help matters along, it is not customary to cover you mouth when you sneeze or cough. This one suprised me because you'll see people walking around with masks and gloves on (meaning they are the one's that are sick, usually), and they will uncover their mask, sneeze openly, and then put the mask back on. On friday, a 5th grader, while looking over my computer at something, sneezed on me. For me, if I just unloaded on someone, I would be beyond embarrassed, and I would apologize frantically. But, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and not even an apology was needed.

               I also think that the culture, to some extent, has aspects that help the transferring of sickness. Korea is a peninsula, a small peninsula at that. There are about fifty million people in an area the size of Indiana. This means that people naturally live close together. Apartment buildings are the overwhelming majority of housing, even for the most well off members of society. Also, being a communal culture, everything is shared. At meals, you all take from the plates, soups, etc, regardless of current health status. And just because you are sick doesn't mean you can't talk in very close proximity to someone, i've noticed this on many occassions, personally. This is all oppossed to the American cultural idea of, "This is my space, don't mess with it. Don't touch my food, don't look through my wallet everytime it's sitting around, etc..." Neither culture is better than the other, just different. In fact, many people consider the american ideas to be very individualistic and not based enough on the bettering of the community. Whatever. Like I said, neither way is better, but I get sick here, a lot. 

               While i'm on the topic, let me discuss something that I have yet to get accustomed to in any way. In Gwangyang, there is a hospital, a large hospital, with hearts all around its name. We foreigners affectionately refer to this building as the "love hospital".  It's just a normal hosptial. Anyway, look down at the picture posted below. Being near this hospital, I see this all of the time. In all of Korea, you can never be forced to stay in bed while in the hosptial. In fact, regardless of if you are released or not, you have free reign over, well, the world. The first time I saw this, in Seoul, I thought, "O geez, this guy must be mental. Someone must be out searching frantically for him." However, it is not uncommon to see someone covered in bandages, carrying their IV, sitting outside of the hosptial, smoking a cigarette. Or, while eating dinner, noticing a family eating with one person at the table that has a cart full of machines, oxygen, IVs, the whole getup. If I am one day in the hosptial in Korea, I'm sure i'll enjoy being able to go out to the bar with my friends just after surgery, but until then, i'll still look twice every time I see it. 

Seoul, Lotte World, Soccer, and more...

Where to start?

Two weekends ago, just after my last post, my friends and I made a trip to Seoul for the three day weekend. We had Monday off because of the Korean Independence Day, and there were some birthdays that weekend, so we decided to hit the city. We got a bus up on Saturday and proceeded to walk around for over an hour asking for prices at different hotels. Finally, we found one for a reasonable price in Sinchon, just outside of central Seoul. We went out that night for a nice dinner, which was a much needed change from spaghetti and ham sandwiches I had been making back home. Let me just say this: Overall, Korean food is ok. After spending time in Europe, and having a mother who can really cook, I’ve seen what I believe are some of the tastiest, most extreme creations that can be made with what God has put on this earth. However, Koreans definitely do chicken right. If you go to a “Chicken and Beer” place anywhere in the country basically, you can get an array of different flavors and sauces, and enough chicken to feed four or five people, for just under $15.

While I’m on the topic, I’ll dive a bit deeper in. My personal opinion of Korean food. Ready? Ok, here it goes: Koreans like spicy things. In fact, if you find a meal that doesn’t have ground up red peppers all over it, remember the name so you can order it later. The food that appears at every single meal, no matter what, is Kimchi. It is basically cabbage that has been sitting for some time and then is coated in, well, red pepper sauce. It has a very strong smell and everyone makes it somewhat different, although to the untrained tongue, it’s hard to tell the difference. I eat lots of soups here. On the traditional menu, I would say that over half of the items are some kind of soup served with a side of rice and of course kimchi and other small items. There are Korean BBQ places, where you get served raw meat and then cook it over a small grill in the middle of the table, which is usually really delicious. Those are always great options for a good meal out. Rice is typical; it is usually at every meal in some form. Also, fish is very popular. In fact, when I walk out of my apartment, I smell fish. Fish is everywhere, and even at the supermarkets, where we would see tons of different steaks, ribs, meats, etc, there are a variety of different fish. It makes sense considering this is a peninsula. It takes some getting used to. I love fish, don’t get me wrong, but for me it is more of a once in a while kind of food. I love trout, but I wouldn’t eat it every day. Here, seafood is the way to go, especially for snacks. Example: A few days ago I went to the cinema with some of my Korean co-workers. I sat down with my coke and buttered popcorn. They sat down with their coke and fried squid. We were both equally happy. I tried the squid, and although it wasn’t bad, in my opinion: 1. It doesn’t go with coke. 2. It doesn’t belong in a theatre. But that’s just me, of course. Ok, and to wrap up my quick opinion of Korean food… The only thing that bugs me is that at most meals outside of restaurants, you never drink during the meal. Water comes after the meal. In fact, you don’t even have a cup. So, I, the soft tongued, dehydrated foreigner slowly begin to shed small little tears while eating spicy fish, rice, and kimchi, waiting desperately for the cup of water. I finally got over the fear of committing cultural taboo and I just bring bottles of water with me to school every day for lunch. No one seems to care, although sometimes they point at the water and chuckle a bit. But they know why it’s there.

Kimchi

Ok, back on topic. We are in Seoul, we have just had dinner. We head back to the hotel, get dressed nicely, and head to Hungdae, one of the livelier parts of town. We met up with some friends from, surprisingly enough, Group 6, our beloved group from orientation. If you haven’t noticed a trend already, we usually move as a pack, taking over small cities as we go. Again, at least twelve or so of us met up in Seoul. We found them at a small pub in Seoul and the night began there and ended in some other pub after a few epic games of darts, pool, and of course, music and dancing.

The next day will go down in Korean history as one of the greatest days of all time.

          We slowly got up the next morning, got some food (pizza to be more specific), and got ready for an epic day out. That afternoon, all 12 of us took off in search of “Lotte World”, the famous indoor amusement park there in Seoul. “Lotte” is the name of a company here in Korea that is somewhat like “Wal-Mart” back in the US. They have huge department stores, but it doesn’t stop there. They have “Lotteria”, the restaurant, “Lotte-Mart”, the massive stores, “Lotte Cinemas”, “Lotte Insurance Providers”, you name it. I feel like Lotte owns a lot of Korea, just because it’s everywhere. So yes, as any large conglomerate should, Lotte has its own “Lotte World”. You know? Like “Disney World”, except, just, “Lotte”. We definitely need a “Wal-Mart World” back home, just an idea.

          Story Time: While on the subway to lotte world, all 12 of us are sitting down, in this very "public" subway, talking about whatever. Now, one thing I'm beginning to notice is that Koreans never speak while in motion. Let me explain: On subways, buses, escalators, moving sidewalks, playground slides, or anything that can be called 'public transportation' really, no one ever speaks. Maybe slight whispers here and there, but for the most part, people don't make noise. I don't know if it is being respectful of those around them or maybe the fact that the way buses drive here puts everyone on edge, waiting for an accident at any moment. Either way, when I am with my western friends on any public transportation, we feel like the obnoxious ones because we are simply talking. So, we are all on this subway, chatting way. We aren't playing soccer, or having a screaming contest, we are just talking. Then, this guy from the other end of the subway leans out and yells very loudly our direction. Our friend who speaks korean told us that he had basically told us to 'shut up' but in a really rude sense, almost like 'shut the #$@# up'. When she told us this, we were shocked. We lean out and respond with, "I'm sorry. Is this your subway?" He was obviously super upset that we were speaking in public, and we weren't about to stop speaking, I mean, we had things to discuss. So, as he is leaving the subway, apparently he says some pretty nasty / racist stuff, things that back home would end up in some sort of brawl, who knows. That was a pretty hot topic for the evening, wondering how someone could justify telling a bunch of people they don't know to shutup in a public place. Our only conclusion was that this guy just didn't like foreigners and he was having a bad day. It is true that soldiers, especially in Seoul, have caused some trouble over the years and have ruined some people's view of Americans.

          After taking a subway to the “Lotte Supertower”, we realized that finding this mysterious indoor park would be a bit complicated. Seeing as it’s indoors you can’t just look for the roller coasters like you do back home. After walking through the oversized supermarket asking for the nearest roller coaster, we were finally directed the right way. We walked past all of the electronic stores, clothing shops, restaurants, food vendors, (all of this in one massive building by the way), perfume suppliers, and other thing you find at a department store. Then, we turn a corner to see the entrance to “Lotte World”. When I found out the tickets were $30, I was not happy. I mean, who pays $30 to go to an indoor amusement park? Actually, who goes to an indoor amusement park? I mean, what is that? Seeing as we had come all that way, and despite some believes, we are only on this planet once, I bought the ticket. As I went up the escalator, my eyes were opened, to the awesomeness (yup, word) that is “Lotte World”. Not only is this place incredibly huge, but the amount of lights, rides, and attractions that they pack this place full of is mind blowing. We rode log flumes, pirate ships, this that take you up over the roof, make you look at Seoul, and then plunge you down faster than gravity. We rode roller coasters, watched Koreans sing N-Sync, ate a not so New York like New York hotdog, and then finished the night by ice skating on an olympic-sized, well maintained ice rink in the middle of this amusement park while watching and dancing / falling to a live performance of YMCA, with a Korean accent. Overall, this place was awesome and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. I hear there is another place in Seoul that is supposedly better, so I’ll make sure to visit that one and tell you guys about it at some point during my stay here. That evening, we ate dinner at about 12:30am because the park closed at 11pm. The next morning, we all split ways, heading back to our cities to start another week at school.

         We started school on Tuesday because of the long weekend, so last week felt very short. We had our Wednesday night game of volleyball with the school staff, I finally joined a gym just down the street from me, and then I got recruited to play soccer for a team here in Gwangyang. Next story begins, now:

          After playing with the expats from my city, I began going to the fields more to just play around with whoever was out there. Apparently, that weekend, the largest tournament of the year was coming up for the province. Teams from all around get together to have one weekend of total soccer. The winner walks away with a trophy, a flag to keep for a year, and quite a bit of cash. A team in the area, one of the better ones around, was interested in having me play because of my age. The tournament allows a certain amount of players from each age group to avoid teams getting a bunch of 20 year olds and just going to town. You are allowed 2 players 22 and under, then 2 players 22 to 26, and so on. So, on Friday, I went to practice with this team. At first, it was a bit frustrating not being able to communicate at all on the field. Actually, even at the end it was still frustrating. They are good, very good. Apparently a few of the players played pro for some time but had to quit due to injuries or families. So ya, I did well at practice, but I was not only the new player, but the deaf / mute one.

          The next day, I got up and headed to the stadium. I get there at 10am, thinking I’m early, and all of the teams are lined up on the field, and the mayor of the city is giving a speech from the podium. I guess I missed that memo. Anyway, they come to me after the ceremony and say, “First game, 12:30.” They invite me to a quick lunch and we go eat. As we are eating, noon rolls around and I’m looking at my phone saying, “hey, shouldn’t we go to the field?” They respond by saying, “First game at 2:30, don’t worry”. Ok, now 2 oclock comes and we are still sitting around, not warming up. Game is at 3:30, oops. Nope, it’s actually at 4:30. Ok, so finally we get out on the practice field and we are stretching, kicking, warming up. By this time I’m frustrated that I wasted basically an entire day sitting around waiting to play. It gets better… We go to line up for the opening ceremony (you line up, bow, shake hands, etc) and we are the only ones on the field. Everyone leaves and starts going to the parking lot. I’m looking around going, “what is happening?” Someone comes to me and says, “Other team, no come this year. We play 2^nd round tomorrow”. At that, I take my jersey off, and walk away. My friends sitting in the stands waiting for the game to start are just as confused as I am. So ya, my first Korean soccer experience didn’t go so well. The fact that the other team was never there, and no one thought to mention that was crazy to me, but only to me, which was also crazy to me.

          The next day, I came out, and we did play. The team was good, very good, but again, not ever playing with them or being able to communicate with them was frustrating. I did alright, but considering the amount of players they have (more than enough) and the quality of players, I felt like having someone who has no knowledge of Korean was just a hassle. But, they wanted me to play, so I did. We ended up placing 2^nd in the tournament after a 2-0 loss in the final match. They had the award ceremony and one of these days they are all going out for a really nice dinner with the award money from 2^nd place. Also, that weekend, Gio came down from Boseung and we went to a party at San Antonio’s, a Spanish owned bar in Suncheon. It definitely felt like a Spanish place, with the décor, the environment, and Jose, the owner. I definitely plan to be a regular at this place.

          What else is new? Well, at the party, I met some people who do latin dancing in Suncheon. I was really excited to hear that, and they invited me out dancing with them. So, last night (Thursday), I took a bus to Suncheon and met them at this small dance studio in Suncheon. What a blast! There were maybe 25 people there in total, but the place was small enough to make it feel just right. Everyone besides us was Korean, and everyone was very good. They played Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Cha Cha, you name it. It was good to finally get some quality dancing in, and now I have something to look forward to every Thursday night.

         

          How about school? School is going well, very well. The kids are great, and although the “new teacher” status is wearing off, if I continue to throw new things at them, they continue to stay at least semi-interested. Here, I’ll take you through each grade:

1^st: I have seven awesome students. This class is really easy because, well, they are entertained by everything. I do a dance with them, and they are thrilled. Sing a song, they love it. Play tic tac toe, they are enthralled.

2nd: I have seven students as well. The smart kid in the school (at least at English) is in 2^nd grade. He’s a pain in the @#!, but his English is amazing for never having had any English friends or lived abroad. The class itself is pretty good, and I use a lot of the same material from 1^st grade, I just have to make it detailed or they can get bored.

3^rd: They guys can give me issues. I have ten of them, but the levels of English are so varied. Some of them are fairly good, and a few of them are totally lost. So, when I pass out worksheets, 3 of them are done in 5 minutes, and 4 of them don’t have anything written down yet. Also, the difficult stuff I give the older kids is too difficult, and the stuff from 1^st and 2^nd is too easy, so planning for them can be a little troublesome at times, but nothing too bad.

4^th: 4^th grade is surprisingly good, considering they are about the same level as 3^rd. There are only 6 of them, and 4 of them are really good students. Those 4 pressure the other 2 into getting their work done because they want to finish their work and play games.

5^th: This is my favorite grade. There are 9 of them, and they are a very dynamic class. 7 of those 9 play soccer with me every day, and because of that, they think I’m awesome. And for some reason, the entire class is obsessed with Barcelona FC, my favorite soccer / football team, so when they found that out, they again, flipped out. They usually catch on to the games very quickly, get their work done, and then we watch youtube videos as a reward. There is one girl in this class who is probably my best student overall. She not only does her work fast and well, but she will ask questions about it instead of just sitting around and waiting for everyone else to finish. And, she kicks all the guy’s butts at lunchtime soccer, and they get frustrated.

6^th: There are only 5 of these guys, 2 girls and 3 boys. They are easy to handle and stay not hard to get interested. I can talk to them and they maybe get about 50% of what I’m saying if I speak super slowly, and then the rest I can make motions or draw pictures and they understand. I enjoy this class because it fits the stereotypes so well. The two girls are super quiet and sassy. The three guys are loud and beat each other up. When we play games, the girls always win, by a lot. And then on worksheets, the guys will get stuck and ask the girls for help. Maybe half the time, the girls laugh and say, “no”. This class is great, though, and it’s a good change of pace from the younger kids.

          This week, the three older grades are watching the movie, “The Sandlot”. Today, Friday, we are having Coke Floats and eating popcorn while watching the movie. Originally, it was going to be rootbeer floats, but finding rootbeer here is basically impossible. The kids have to write down every name they hear throughout the movie, and then they have to say / write something about the movie at the end.

          Actually, just finished watching the movie, and it was great. The kids loved it, and the coke floats were a hit. Now, for the weekend. Tonight, Gio is coming in, and in the morning we leave for Daegu for a K-Pop concert. Then, Sunday, we have a soccer game here in Gwangyang followed by a cookout with the team. So, this should be a good weekend and i'm definitely looking forward to it.

Until next time!

The Mayor of my city giving a speech before games begin

The teams lined up for the ceremony... oops

Salsa Dancing in Suncheon

My girl Diviya showing her skills! She's the one that showed me this place

San Mi, my co-teacher, with our first graders. Taken today

A game where they have to make the letter I say as a team

Definitely a "B"

4th Grade watching the Sandlot and eating coke floats 

Staff cookout. Grilled pork and tuna.

Hiking, Baseball, and Money

Since I last posted, quite a bit has happened and I've definitely gotten settled down a lot more here in Gwangyang. Let's start from the previous weekend. Two weekends ago, we heard about a get-together down on an island just off the coast of our province, Wando island.  On friday I met with some of my friends and we headed down to Wando. It was a three hour bus ride, but what was great was that because the event was so big, every time the bus stopped, more foreign english teachers boarded. We stayed the first night at our friends place in Wando. His co-teacher offered us his restaurant to sleep in and he had a sleeping mat for everyone. It was quite nice, although kind of strange. The next day we went to the beach for the event. Overall, there were about 200 foreigners there for the event, so basically the entire beach. Volleyball, beach soccer, grilling hotdogs, guitars, you name it. It was my first time at a beach in Korea, and it was beautiful. Check out some of the pictures below.  I brought my handy hammock and slept right there on the beach for the night. Overall, a great weekend!

That week I got to really get serious with teaching. I knew that the whole "new teacher" phase would be wearing off, so I had to come up with new material to keep things interesting. I continue to use youtube videos that I find to start off classes, and the kids really seem to enjoy that. It gets them to quiet down and look up front, which is the goal for the first minute or so of class. After that, i've been using material that i've come up with on my own, along with games from a site called www.waygook.org and another site called www.barryfunenglish.com. If you mix you up right, in 40 minutes you can have 3 minutes of youtube, 10 minutes of lesson, 25 minutes of a game based on that lesson, and then, depending on how the class went, you can just watch that video from the beginning of class again (usually it's something funny that they like) or you can play a quick game. 1st graders get 10 minutes to color and draw letters and such, and then older kids, like 6th graders, spend more time doing worksheets and covering material much faster. So I can take one lesson plan, adapt it to three different levels (1&2, 3&4, and 5&6), and be set for the day. It simplifies things, and so far the kids stay interested. A few days ago I decided to have a "cultural" day and taught the three oldest grades how to play paper football. It was an instant hit, and every once in a while I'll see kids playing between classes here and there.

This past weekend, I met up with some friends  from our group and we headed for the city of Gwangju, where we had our provinicial orientation. There, about 15 of us went to the Kia Tigers baseball game. Baseball in Korea is a big deal, so getting to go to a game was quite an event. Although the stadium is this city is smaller than most in Korea, the crowd was quite lively. I am told that if you go to a game in a larger city, it's the same thing but on a much larger scale. The next day, I headed back to Gwangyang to play soccer with the city team here. I wasn't quite sure where the stadium was in Gwangyang, so I looked it up online, only to find out it is legitimately right next to my apartment. I walk across the river, and there it is. In total, it is about a four minute walk. How I didn't find this before, I don't know. It was nice to meet the team, and I found a lot of cool guys that live just around me. Also, in the evenings now, I can go and run at the stadium, which has a nice track all the way around it. I look forward to playing with these guys on a regular basis, especially because they travel and play teams around Korea, so it would be a good opportunity to see other places as well.

In other news: I just received my first paycheck a few days ago, and man, was that needed. I finally got some stuff for my apartment and have more than just a matress now. Once everything is here, i'll post some pictures for you guys. I use a website called Gmartket, which is basically like a Korean version of amazon. The prices are insanely cheap, and they deliver whatever it is to your door. Not shipping, deliver. I'm expecting a futon here shortly, which will come in real handy.

Also, my school took me hiking a few days back. The hike was amazing, and the area around this city reminds me so much of North Carolina. The mountains aren't quite as tall, but with the small streams and the moutain lake near my school, it's very similar. We walked up to a temple built sometime around 1000AD i believe. Although the original was burnt by the Japanese sometime in the 20th century, it was immediately rebuilt in the exact same style. Check out some of the pictures below.

This weekend i'll be in Seoul for a friend's birthday, and then in a few weeks the Busan Fireworks Festival is going on, and we are all heading to the east coast for that. Be looking out for pictures from the fireworks, it is supposed to be incredible. Thanks for reading! 

Hiking with my school staff. Some of them anyway.

Me, on a rock.

The view from the temple.

A big gong.

Part of the housing at the temple.

The view of the area.

My co-workers.

4th Grade playing some paper football.

She's really good.

Kia Tigers game in Gwangju.

Everyone has these yellow things, makes for a good time!

Videos from Class

Here are some videos of my kids playing some of the games I came up with. The first video is 1st grade and the 2nd video is 5th grade.
Enjoy!

School and Birthday!

I just finished teaching my first week of classes here at Bonggang Elementary School. So far, it's going great. My first day was Monday, and I had three afterschool classes, starting at 1:30 and going 40 minutes each. I get 1st through 6th grade, but I only teach one at a time, either 2 or 3 times per week depending on the grade. For my fist class, I made a powerpoint introducing myself to the students. The kids here are super interested in your personal life, and if you show them a few things, they won't forget it. So, I showed them my family, some pictures of life back in the U.S., and some things that I enjoy doing. After that, I would say that I want to know about them, so ranging in difficult according to the grade, I would have the students write their names and some information. First grade wrote, "My name is", and sixth grade wrote that, along with a few things they enjoy doing and where exactly they are from. I originally was just going to use their Korean names, but the previous TaLK scholars gave them English names which they all knew very well, so I let them use those.

The kids are really great. I have between 6 and 10 students per grade, so it's not that bad to manage the classroom. I have a few really crazy ones, but with the help of my co-teacher, nothing has really gotten out of hand yet. I've taken pictures of everyone so that I can remember their name, and that seems to help. 46 students shouldn't be hard to remember within a couple of weeks. Today, I played soccer with the kids during their lunch break, which was a lot of fun. They are surprisingly organized for elementary students. In the U.S., I feel like it would just be an all out brawl. Here, they play outs, corners, and they balance the teams. Then, when I came to play, after they put me with a team, they said, "Teacher, no shoot, only pass", which is fair.  Some of the kids are actually pretty good, and they will play right up until the bell.

This week was great all around. It was Chusseok, which is the Korean thanksgiving holiday. So, from Friday until Wednesday there was no school. I went out to visit my friends in Boseung, which is about an hour from here. We had a great time. We went to the Tea Fields in Boseung, which are some of the best tea fields in the country. After two nights there, I came back to Gwangyang and a few friends came with me. My birthday was Monday, the actual day of Chusseok. Well, I get a call from my friends from the group (Group 6) saying that they are all (15 of them) on the train to my place, so to meet them at the train station. Sure enough, everyone showed up, and we had a great time walking around Suncheon and just hanging out.

On Sunday night, Gio and I made it to a Chunnam Dragons game. They are the pro soccer team in my city of Gwangyang. They play K-league, which is the highest level of soccer here in Korea. We actually got in free because someone we went with knew a guy that worked at the stadium. So, even though it was sort of raining, we went to the game and watched the dragons win 2 - 0! Great times. O, and because they don't really sell concessions at the games, you just bring in whatever you can carry. So people are brining in buckets of chicken, beer, whatever they can carry and just setting up. Overall, an awesome environment! On the 24th we are planning on making it to a baseball game in Gwangju, and we are expecting that to be a great time as well.

I've also gotten to know some of the foreigners in my area that have lived here a while. Some have been here for months, some for nearly a decade. They get together at local places and hang out some evening, and i've been lucky enough to be invited. They are a great group, and really informative about stuff here in the area. I look forward to spending time with them during my stay.

I'll try to keep up with the blog as much as I can. I've got some great stories I need to get up here. I'm going to take an afternoon soon and catch up with the stories, they just pile up on me. Until next time!

The City of Gwangyang at night

On top of the mountain at the green tea fields in Boseong

This is the view from my bus ride to school

My bus stop in front of the school

3rd Grade

2nd Grade

Students waiting for the bus home

Green Tea ice cream! So good.

A bunch of the original group 6 reunited!

The Chunnam Dragons

Pictures!

Just a few shots from the end of orientation and my place here in Gwangyang. Next week I will be posting a ton!

How to get into karaoke 101

At the Eco Park in Suncheon

The birthplace of a "fictional" Korean comic book character

Just outside of the Bamboo Forrest

Gio showing his respect

Me sweating on a rock

Traditional Korean meal

Noraebang the last night of orientation!

My room, before I organized

The Start of my New Life in Korea

Since I last posted, quite a lot has happened. Let me quickly review what has happened, tell you where I am now, then fill you in with the in-between.  Ok, so, on Tuesday, we all got dressed up, dragged our heavy luggage downstairs, and prepared to meet our school staff, who would then drive us to our apartments and then our schools. That last hour where we were all waiting to go into the closing ceremony, we got a chance to finally say our goodbyes and realize that our orientation was completely over. We did have an amazing time the night before. Our coordinators got a Noraebang setup in our building and bought us cake, chicken, and pizza. It was a goodbye party and simaltaneously a welcome back party for our friend, Dan, who had to leave early the week prior due to an issue in the states. We sang, ate, and even watched the head of the provincial office of education (older lady) sing her heart out! It was a great time, really. So ya, we all walk into the closing ceremony, really nervous to be honest. Our name is called, we give a quick speach about ourselves, and then our school staff stands and we walk off stage to sit with them. Then, we ate a quick lunch, and headed off to our cities.

We were told a lot of things beforehand. Mostly things to make sure to do, and to be respectful and that sort of thing. Well, it all came in handy, sure. However, I wasn't prepared to be called, "handsome" so many times by male colleagues in one day. It was fine the first few times, but then you add detail and it gets a little strange. I got over it, though. My mentor teacher, So, is really nice. He is in his 20s and has only been teaching three years. His english is fairly good, and he tries really hard. On the way to our town, he was able to ask me some basic questions and tell me some of the things to expect. Our vice principal was driving, and he sure is a character. He didn't say much from the start, but there will be more on him later.

When we get to my apartment, I am given two options. We walk into the first apartment, and in that same step almost ran into the back wall. I looked around and was like, "Is the other one bigger?" He said no, but I wanted to see anyway. We went to the other building, and he was right. I still chose this building because it was cleaner. So, I am in a very small room. I mean, really small. My dorm at school was at least twice as big, and that is not an exaggeration. In that space I have a bathroom, a kitchen, and a washer. It has all the things you need, like AC, heat, a shower, a window, etc... All except a bed. I spent the first night flopped on the floor, but the second day they brought a matress in. It is about the same hardness as the floor, but it works for now. I'm getting a futon with my first paycheck, so that will definitely brighten my day. The shower is just an extension off of the faucet, and there is no curtain or anything. So, make sure everything is put away before showering because everything is getting soaked, not just you. The kitchen has a sink, a fridge, and a small stove. It does lack one thing, that is, a counter. I'm going to buy a table to actually put things on, which will come in handy. The washer is nice, but I have no dryer (most Koreans dont), so that means using my entire space to dry a load of clothes. These are mostly negative things, I know, but in reality it isn't that bad. I am DOWNTOWN. The city around me is pretty large, and just outside my door are bars, restaurants, and the bus stop to go to school. I figured the further downtown you are, the smaller the apartments. I've already done some major organizing and decorations, so it is feeling somewhat homely, but until I get some essentials, like a desk, table, couch, etc, it still feels like a box. I was planning on getting a kitten while I'm here, and take it home with me, but now i'm reconsidering thinking about how the cat would have no where to do anything.

My school is about half an hour from me by bus. The ride, once you get out of the city, is beautiful. We go around a lake with mountains in the background, and it looks like a scene from the Sound of Music. The school itself is small, very small. When I first arrived, I did what no man should do, I walked into the school with my shoes on. I was immediately stopped after maybe half a step, and I remember to take my shoes off. They gave me my own pair of slippers and I was on my way. I walked into the administration office, where many of the teachers were waiting to meet me. My mentor teacher is ok at english, which is great, but he cant translate a lot of conversation quickly.  So, I basically sat down and they talked about me, for a long time. Then, the awkward moment of the day, maybe month: First, know that the majority of the female teachers are young, maybe 20s, early 30s. My vice principal comes up to me and looks at all of the ladies in front of me and very loudly says, "Pick most pretty!". I look at him and say, "excuse me?" He repeats, "You pick most pretty". "Well, they are all beautiful." He says, "No, pick only one." The girls are looking at me like I could make or break their day. For the next minute or so I pretended I didn't understand his broken english, and he eventually gave up and laughed it off. I sat down, thanking God that I didn't have to answer that question. The extent of my conversation with anyone other than my mentor teacher on that first day was basically name, age, and "you are very handsome". Quick side note: That is totally common here. Today, I bought my cell phone, and the lady behind the desk told me at least three times that I am very handsome. Everyone says it, even same genders. Ok, so there was one moment where they got passed that, that was, when they realized I could read and write Korean. I wrote the correct pronunciation (or closest thing) of my name on the board in Korean, and they were really excited.

That night, my mentor teacher took me out to dinner, which was really great. We had some traditional korean food, and just talked about the school. Before leaving, he told me, "Tomorrow is the day before school. It is a sports day. We all play volleyball, dress for sports." So, I got really excited and said, "no problem!" Well, the next day, I catch the 10am bus to school. I arrive, take my shoes off, walk inside, and find everyone at their desks, dressed completely formal. Here I am, in shorts, tall socks, and a workout shirt. Then, the mentor teacher says, "Hey, Seth, today you meet the principal!". He walks me over to the next office, where the older principal is sitting at her desk. I bow, say my hellos, and we talk for a brief moment. I walk away, completely embarrassed that it happened that way. I feel like we had been training for a month on how to meet and greet the principal of our school, and then I walk in like I stopped by on my way back from the gym. It gets better...

So, he then says, "today, you make lesson plans". I was like, "wait, what about volleyball?". "Tonight", he says. So, I sit down, and for some reason have to write a lesson plan for the entire year, and then choose a subject for each month. Ya, one subject per month. We talked for a little while, and I explained, "I can choose a subject, but I'm going to be as vague as possible and probably change it up, a month is a long time to cover one topic." It ended up working out, as I selected topics such as, Identity, cultures, foods of the world, etc. We then all took off for a formal lunch at the parent of one of my student's restaurant. So, again, everyone sits down for the nice meal, completely dressed up, and I walk in, looking like I was just at the gym. It was a great meal, and I saw two things I've never seen before. First, my vice principal takes a wooden chopstick, james it under the cap of a beer bottle, and pops it open. Then, a fellow teacher takes two bottles, puts one upside down so that the two caps are wedged together, and quickly prys them downwards, popping the cap off of both. I must say, I was impressed. We finished out meal, and drove back to the school. Finally, at 3pm, we go to play volleyball.

Now, I knew that Koreans like volleyball, but I wasn't expecting this. I'm in the gym hitting the ball around, and everyone starts coming in. They all have sports bags, nice ones. Then, one by one, everyone, from my vice principal to the 1st grade teacher, men and women, start putting on knee pads, wrapping their fingers in athletic tape, and stretching. That's when I got nervous. Sure, i've played volleyball, but this wasn't playing, this was serious. We had a "pregame assessment of new teacher's skills", and luckily, they were impressed and were happy that I was there to play. Then, a really great thing happens. Now, in volleyball, you normally rotate position after each possession swap. Well, not here. So, mentor teacher looks at me and says, "you play front, always. You tall." That is when I laughed, for a solid ten seconds or so. I'm not really short, but never have I been called tall. The games went on, and I did pretty well. Everyone was very impressive, and the games were intense. But, there was one major flaw to this whole event... After the first game, we all come off to the side to get some drinks. I walk over, expecting a lot of water bottles. There were a couple, yes. But, no one went for the water. Instead, they broke open the 12 packs of beer, and filled their cups. I looked, confused as to why someone would ever drink beer while playing sports. They offered me some, and I did drink like two drops to be nice, then I went and got a watter bottle. We played for 3 hours straight, and the whole time, between games, this was the routine. That was definitely a first for me, and I even grew up in the south.

The next day, which was today, I went to school early to be introduced to the school during the opening ceremony. I got to give my short speech to all of the students (super cute students!) and then worked on lesson plans the whole day. At 2pm, my co-teacher, Sa Saan Mi, came over to meet me. She was really nice, and together we went to the cell phone store to get a phone. I ended up buying a nice little phone for $50 and I pay, ummm, $13 a month. It will probably come out to about $20 a month because the amount of texts I get isn't much, but the overage charge on texts is $1.50 per 100 texts, so even then it's quite a deal. After that, we stopped at a sports store and I looked at the prices on a set of weights. Well, they wanted about $400 for three sets of dumbbells. I quickly walked out, totally surprised by that. I have yet to find a gym here, but I'm sure there is one around here somewhere.

Tonight, I made pasta to feel a little bit at home. It wasn't bad, and it was nice to change it up. In Korea, other than alcohol, is isn't normal to have water at meals. Well, considering everything is really spicy, this makes meals painful for me. Today, at lunch, I couldn't wait to finish my food so I could get some water. It's just something i'll have to get used to.

The next post will be some pictures I have taken. I haven't taken many at school yet because I want to get to know everyone before I start just snapping photos everywhere. Don't worry, those are coming soon.

Thanks for reading!