Wandering Aimlessly in South Korea

Passing Time

2009-04-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been almost a year since we left Korea. In an effort to keep in touch with friends and family, I've decided to continue the blog with clever and witty writing about our lives. Well, maybe just writing.

A quick summary of our lives over the last year since we left South Korean soil: We went to Hawaii (unbelievable), I got a job in Global Trade, Ryan got a job as a special education teacher and is coaching, we bought a house - Well, actually we did all of that in the first month after we got back. Since then, we've been enjoying life, appreciating spending time with friends and family even more than before.

The main things we've taken from Korea are a new appreciation for my life here and a greater understanding of that part of the world. I feel lucky and truly blessed when I think about where Ryan and I started and where we are now. More to come . . .

Jamaica has been good to us

2008-05-31T00:16:00.000-07:00

When Ryan and I came to Korea, we joined a fitness center called Jamaica Fitness. Because gym memberships in Korea can cost around $1000/year, we opted to join for six months. Gyms also tend to close unexpectedly leaving people hundreds of dollars out. Our gym membership was due to expire at the end of February, but we weren't sure when. So, we decided we would continue to go to the gym until they stopped us. We went in February, and March and April and May . . . and now it's June and they have never said anything to us. Everyday we scan our membership cards and everyday the people at the front desk just smile at us and let us through. We're not sure if it is a glitch in the system or if they don't speak enough English to tell us our membership is expired so they keep letting us go through. Either way, it's saved us about $600 so no complaints here. I love Jamaica!

Mmm, Smell that Fresh Air

2008-05-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

Weather forecast today from Weather.com:
St. Louis: 75 F Partly Cloudy
Honolulu: 78 F Sunny
Boulder, CO: 65 F Sunny
Seoul: 81 F Widespread Dust

Ruff, ruff, ahhhhhhh

2008-05-28T20:23:00.001-07:00

Ryan and I watch the dogs on the rooftop next to us when they're playing. The other morning we were watching the 3 dogs playing with each other. They looked so happy.

A little while later, we noticed the owners were on the rooftop and one of the dogs was really still. He suddenly lit a torch and started burning the dog . . . but the dog didn't move. He flipped the dog over to do the same on the other side. As he flipped the dog over, we saw that the dog was completely stiff. He was puppy meat for another Korean soup. It was awful.

Sun, Sand, & Still in Korea

2008-05-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend in Busan. Busan is a city in the south of Korea on the coast. It has beautiful beaches and plenty of things to do. We went to the aquarium, hung out on the beach, went for a hike, visited the APEC 2005 building, went on a cruise, watched fireworks and visited some ancient tombs. We also stayed in an awesome hotel with real beds and a shower room that doubles as a sauna with a jacuzzi tub.

I'm glad we went to Busan because it changed my perceptions of Koreans. Most of the people on the streets in Seoul are rude. They try to run into you, elbow you, kick you, push you, slam doors on you and beat you down with their oversized purses and bags. They stop in the middle of a crowded street and look at you like you're crazy for trying to walk around them. They are also heavily involved with cell phones, video games, books and anything that keeps them from actually paying attention to people around them while they're walking.

Busan was different though. The people were very kind. They were polite and opened doors for people. We even had Koreans stop to ask us if we were lost or needed help finding anything. The atmosphere was peaceful and calm. If I ever come back to Korea, I'm going to Busan.

Teacher's Day

2008-05-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

May 15th is Teacher's Day in Korea. My students brought me flowers, chocolates, tea and body lotion. They also took me out for dessert and coffee in my last class. Ryan's students . . . well, Ryan's students bought him a can of orange juice from the vending machine after he made them feel guilty for not bringing him anything.

Have Another

2008-04-29T00:46:00.001-07:00

The other night, I had a student walk in late to class. Well, actually he stumbled in an hour late and ran into my desk where he knocked everything over. His face was bright red and his eyes were watery. He was SMASHED!!!

He is normally one of my best students in my Intermediate Business class. He is in his 40s and always wears a suit to class.

The other students were laughing at his pathetic state. He then decided he wanted to make a speech and stood up in front of the classroom to explain his company and their products. He stumbled over his words but his English was surprisingly good considering his situation. Ten minutes later, he took a seat and was ready for me to continue class. The rest of class was still laughing and making fun of him. As I attempted to continue class, he continued to giggle at everything I said. I don't think most teachers have to deal with this problem.

Wedding Bells

2008-04-16T02:27:00.000-07:00

We attended our first Korean wedding. It started somewhat normal with the groom in a suit and then the bride in a big white dress walking down the aisle. After that, it became interesting. No one in the audience really paid attention to what was going on. There were lots of conversations going on and people walking around and walking in and out of the room. The groom read a poem that he wrote and then the parents gave them advice. A lady kept going up to the bride to pat her forehead but the bride kept turning her head away and looked pissed off about it. There wasn't a minister but there was a guy with a microphone to the side. Then there was some live music. Afterwards, the guy with microphone told the groom to kiss the bride. The bride refused the kiss and then they were married. We were ushered into a big cafeteria with tons of food and beer (It was 11am). The bride and the groom changed into their traditional clothes, han bok, and greeted their guests while we ate. By noon, everything was over and it was time to leave.

My best friend, Megan, is getting married in 3 months in the U.S. I think I'll enjoy that wedding A LOT more.

Yeah . . . I'm going to need you to go ahead and come in on Saturday

2008-04-06T01:59:00.000-07:00

I felt like Peter in Office Space this week. I had this horrible feeling all week that my director was going to tell me I have to work Saturdays this month. So I tried to avoid him all week and spend as little time near him as possible. I thought it was working until I walked into work on Friday afternoon and my name was on the Saturday schedule. Apparently, no speaking was required.

I keep telling him to hire more business teachers but maybe the English isn't translating well.

Ryan Bought Me Flowers!

2008-03-31T04:37:00.001-07:00

They came from an old lady in the subway. He haggled her down to almost nothing. She didn't know what hit her.

A New Breed of Bums

2008-03-31T04:19:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, Ryan and I walked by a beggar on the street. We've grown quite accustomed to this in the busy areas of the city. He was dressed in the shabby clothes with his face partially hidden. There was nothing out of the ordinary until his cell phone started to ring. When he pulled out his cell phone to answer the call, we noticed that his phone was nicer than our phone. No doubt he had a camera, MP3 player, games and television on his state-of-the-art phone. I wondered how he paid for the phone or the monthly bill. He must be doing pretty well as a bum. I half expected him to suddenly pull out the automatic remote to his BMW to unlock the doors and head home after his busy day at work.

Achoo! Blahhhhhhh!

2008-03-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

The flu has been going around the teachers at YBM. Unfortunately, our management is not smart enough to give us sick days. If we are sick, they deduct pay from our salary. Therefore, everyone who is sick still comes to work to share their symptoms. What started as one person with the flu has affected the entire office.

The flu hit me on Monday. I missed my first class but I was too hard-headed to miss more. So I went to class, dizzy, light-headed, with a fever and a stomachache. Part of me hopes the flu hits the management or at least the students complain about their near-dead teachers pathetically attempting to teach as they curl up in a ball under the desk. Would it be so much to ask for a few sick days?

What Are the Chances?

2008-03-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

Since I've known Ryan, there have been two concerts that he endlessly talks about. The first one is the Garth Brooks concert. One of his goals is to see Garth in concert again which is difficult because Garth had retired from traveling and performing. Coincidentally, less than a month after we left Missouri, Garth announced a concert in Kansas City, MO. Ryan just stopped sulking about not going to see Garth when another concert was announced in Missouri: Jimmy Buffett.

Ryan talks about Jimmy Buffett concerts with such love and admiration. I even had the opportunity to go a Buffett concert with Ryan a few years ago in Chicago. He was counting down the days again until Jimmy's next concert. We were just informed recently that Buffett is performing in St. Louis in April. What are the chances? Ryan's two favorite performers come to Missouri within a few months when we're in Korea.

Yellow Dust

2008-03-05T00:47:00.000-08:00

In Korea, there are four seasons: Summer, Autumn, Winter & Yellow Dust. The yellow dust season is somewhat similar to Spring in the U.S. The winds start to change which bring in the warmer air. Unfortunately, Korea is in close proximity with China and so when the winds change, they start to blow from China. This means that all of the yellow sand, toxins and pollution blow into Korea from China. The sky actually takes on the color of a grayish yellow. This is a sensitive subject in Korean-Chinese relations.

On average, 200 Koreans die each year as a result of the yellow dust and 2 million Koreans get sick from the toxins. Many people choose to wear surgical masks to avoid breathing the toxic air. On Monday, every elementary school & kindegarten in the South of the country was closed due to the dangerous air. Seoul wasn't hit so hard and so Ryan and I still had to work. As great as a day off would be, I would prefer the Chinese toxic air to stay out of the city.

West Coast Swing

2008-03-01T17:21:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I signed up to take an 9 hour swing dance lesson on Saturday. The instructors were from California and so we jumped at the opportunity to do something fun in English. West Coast swing is a little different from your typical swing and has a little more hip-hop style to it. One of our teachers at YBM, Hanna, also came with us.

I was surprised when we first got there because the only other students were Korean and they were all real dancers. The teachers, Jordan & Tatiyana, were nice enough. We stuck through the first two hours and picked up some basic skills but then Ryan took off. Hanna and I hung on through until the end. We were getting really good, although a lot of the guys had really sweaty hands and were a little "too" into it.

The lesson ended at 7:30 and then there was free dancing. Hanna and I went to grab some food and when we returned, it felt like we were walking into the scene from "Dirty Dancing" when the main character walks downstairs and sees how all of the workers really dance. Our swing dance classmates were throwing each other around and flipping each other. We tried to show them up but our dance experience includes ballet and club dancing. We finally admitted defeat to the swing, salsa, ballroom dancing experts and took a seat and watched the pros.

Almost Normal

2008-02-25T00:49:00.000-08:00

We spent part of our weekend at my brother's apartment. Kevin and his fiance, Monica, are in Tokyo and they had graciously offered to let us crash at their palace. Compared to our one room accommodation, they're equipped with luxuries like 2 bedrooms and a huge living room with an oven in the kitchen (i baked cookies and banana nut bread this weekend!), a bathtub in the bathroom and a private deck. They also have the ability to control their own heat and water temperature. They live like royalty compared to us. They're also in walking distance of great restaurants (non-Korean) and a shopping district. There are many non-Koreans in their area which is nice because we don't get stared at everywhere we walk.

It was definitely a nice change and a good break from living in a box. For example, when Ryan got grumpy I could go to another room and shut the door. What a luxury!

Holiday Madness

2008-02-20T05:53:00.000-08:00

In Korea, Valentine's Day is solely for the men. The women are supposed to get their man some chocolate while the women receive nothing. March 14th is "White Day" which is the day when the men must give the women sweet candy. I'm looking forward to this holiday. There's also a holiday for the single people on April 14th. This day is called "Black Day" and single people are supposed to eat black noodles with their single friends. I've noticed that every month, there is a holiday that is somehow related to food.

On a side note, the 6ft tall lighted Christmas tree is still on display outside the 7-11 down from our apartment. Should I tell them that the holidays are over?

Lunar New Year

2008-02-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

We took a short hiatus from blog writing during the Lunar New Year. We had a 5 day break which was heaven. We spent a few days at the Seoul Grand Hyatt. We slept in a real bed on a real mattress. We enjoyed luxuries like TV, chairs and ice.

We spent one night ice skating on the outdoor rink behind the hotel. We had a beautiful view of the city and river. All and all it was a great mini vacation. We did make one mistake by eating at the Terrace Restaurant. We walked into what we believed to be the cheapest restaurant. We proceeded to our table where the drink menu showed $9 beers and $12-$34 glasses of wine. We indulged in the buffet which was stacked with chicken, fish, beef, pasta, fruit, vegetables, ice cream, cake, pie, cookies, etc . . . it was delicious. When we got the bill though I think we both threw up a little in our mouths. It was one of the most expensive meals I've ever eaten. Oh well, here's to living it up in Korea.

Swimming With Piranhas

2008-01-29T02:48:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, Ryan and I met Kevin and Monica for dinner at an awesome Mexican restaurant. After the big meal, we walked around the area when Monica spotted a sign that said "Doctor Fish" on the seventh floor of one of the highrise buildings. Kevin and Monica got very excited which should have been our first clue that this place would be interesting.

We ascended the seven floors step by step. As we reached the 7th floor, Kevin tried to block our view from the inevitable. As we walked in the door we were instructed to remove our shoes. This actually isn't all that strange in a Korean restaurant. As we were led to our seats, the waitress began to explain something about a foot bath and fish and oil and I looked at her with a blank face. What is she talking about? Kevin explained after she left.

We were served tea/beer/coffee and cake and then led to foot baths where we washed our feet. We then followed the group to the middle of the restaurant where there was a huge pool with little fish. As we lowered our feet into the water, the fish swam to our feet. They began to suck all of the dry skin off of our feet. Apparently it's therapeutic. They tickled at first, but before we knew it, we had 30 fish sucking at our feet. (Well, except for Kevin, I think he maxed out at about 5 fish . . . he couldn't handle it). It was crazy! Only in Korea . . . and Turkey & Japan, apparently.

I Don't Want Your Socks!

2008-01-25T00:09:00.000-08:00

Every night this week we've been stopped on the street outside our subway station at about 10:30 pm by the same two people. As soon as they see us, they run over and start reading from a card . . . "Hello, I am a student from Mongolia, I am having trouble paying for school and I would like to sell you some socks. 3 for $10. Will you help me pay for school?"

The strange thing is that hundreds of people walk out of our subway station every minute but they always zone in on us. They don't realize how many times they have stopped us. One night they followed us very close to our apartment so we took a few extra laps around the block so they couldn't follow us home. I'm not entirely convinced that they're even students or that they're from Mongolia. I'm going to start speaking French or Pig Latin next time.

Stone Age

2008-01-24T01:33:00.000-08:00

January 24th - Christmas lights and Christmas trees are still in every major restaurant and retail shop. Is it like that in the States? I can't remember anymore . . .

On a side note, my laptop is now at the repairman. We are looking at 6 days without internet, phone, movies, etc. We drowned our sorrows today with Sbarro's pizza and Smoothie King.

That's Huge!

2008-01-23T01:17:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I have grown accustomed to the smaller portion sizes in Korea. The soda cans hold about 9 oz of soda and all the restaurant meals are significantly smaller than the U.S. We visited an international grocery store and were shocked to see the usual American 12 oz cans of soda. In our eagerness to have a little piece of home, I purchased a Root Beer and Ryan chose the coveted Dr. Pepper.

As we began to drink, we noticed the cans seemed gigantic! We finished about half of the can and realized we couldn't drink anymore. We were defeated. We threw away the cans with half the precious sugar drink still in there. I feel a little ashamed as an American that I can no longer sit down and drink a full 12 oz soda can.

Kimchi Mondu

2008-01-23T01:09:00.000-08:00

I constantly long for food back in the old U.S. Every now and then I'll have a craving for something that I can't find here. But, there is one food in Korea that I have grown quite addicted to. It's not the sweet rice cakes (good, have the consistency of bread dough covered in powdered sugar), Suneday (dried pig intestines), Dok bolki (rice rolls in spicy sauce), kimbap (rice& veggies wrapped in seaweed-still good), shrimp & prawn pizza or any of the other various local grub. My addiction to Korean food lies in the kimchi mondu. Even after I return to the U.S., I have a feeling I will crave this food. Even with my limited knowledge of the Korean language, I have ensured that I know enough words to order this tasty food from the street vendors or local restaurants. It's a bargain at 2,500won for a box - roughly $2.50. I can eat the stuff at any time of day and sometimes I wake up with a craving for it. Yum! Anyway, off to dinner . . .

He Can Cook!

2008-01-21T18:24:00.000-08:00

We're now entering our six month in Korea and Ryan has seemed to finally find the kitchen this week. He has cooked two meals this week which is more than he has cooked the first 5 months. I don't want to jinx it but it's a rather exciting thing for me. He's in the kitchen right now watching his chicken cook and congratulating himself. It's really cute.

Winter in Korea

2008-01-19T06:33:00.000-08:00

For the past two months, we have worn scarves, ear muffs, gloves, hats, heavy coats, long underwear, tights, long socks and occasionally face masks when we have left the apartment. I'm not sure if it's because it's colder here than St. Louis or if it's because we have to spend so much more time outside walking. In the U.S. we can pull up our car next to the door or into the garage and spend minimal time outside. Here, we have to walk everywhere. I can't wait for spring.

Additionally, I used to mistakingly consider shorts and mini skirts as seasonal attire. Apparently, I am wrong as Korean girls continue to wear shorts and mini skirts with tights and boots, even as the temperatures creep towards negative digits. My error.

Down For the Count

2008-01-18T19:47:00.000-08:00

My computer is officially out of service. Every time I try to turn it on, it decides it wants to stay off. I have had the computer for a year and a half. The warranty was only for a year so I'm left out high and dry. Do companies know how to make products so that they make it just past the warranty? As I was a student of Marketing in my undergraduate days, I do think this is a good method to ensure that you maintain customers. I had no complaints about my Apple for its entire life. I never had one virus or even an error message. And now I am addicted to my macbook so of course, if it is unrepairable, my next purchase will be an Apple. It makes me a little sick how aware I am of these marketing strategies and yet I remain a victim.

Unfortunately, my computer was our only phone, internet, CD player, DVD player/television, weather channel, and it has all of my pictures on it. It provided hours of entertainment. Now, I just have Ryan. While we are in the midst of deciding what to do, we have been keeping ourselves entertained with the dogs that live on the roofs next to us. One of the roofs has over ten dogs on it at all times. There are two big dogs and 3 1 yr old labs and then 5 or 6 new puppies that are always playing. It's not quite as entertaining as my laptop, but it will do for now.

Precious Sleep

2008-01-17T04:38:00.001-08:00

I assumed with our new schedules that we would be able to keep up with our blog more and keep in better touch with friends and family. After all, we aren't waking up at 5am anymore to arrive at school in time for our 6:30am classes. However, the 9+ hours of sleep we're getting has left us with less time. After all, we have to be at school for 8 hours, commute time can take up to an hour and our workout and shower time takes up the rest of our day. We agreed to work Saturdays this month for overtime with the misconception that we would have too much time on our hands. However, our mood during our waking time is much improved.

On a side note, it's January 17th and everywhere we go still has Christmas trees, Santas and Christmas lights up. I think they're confused.

Next, please.

2008-01-17T04:32:00.000-08:00

My brother took us to this crazy sushi restaurant. When you walk in, the sushi chefs are all standing in the middle of the restaurant and they're supposed to yell something at you . . . but I think the sight of 4 non-Koreans threw them off a little and they just kind of stared.

The best part about this restaurant is that all of the food is on a conveyor belt that circles around to all of the tables. If you see something you want, you just take it off and eat it. You can try anything from sushi to shrimp to chicken to ice cream to mystery food. It's just passing by as you eat your meal.

At the end of the meal, the waiters count up the number of plates and you pay based on how much you eat. Each plate has a different color so if you grabbed a yellow plate, it costs $1 and if you took a black plate, it's $10.

I think all food should be served on a conveyor belt. It was so cool.

Zzzzz

2008-01-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

We received new schedules for the month of January! We are no longer working from 6:30am until 10pm. Our first classes now begin at 2pm. We have gone from sleeping on average 3 hours a night to sleeping 10 hours at night. We are welcoming this happy change.

Christmas Eve

2007-12-23T23:37:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas Eve and we're working . . . 6:30am until 10pm. They just don't get it here. Happily though, after work it's off to Kevin's for some family time.

Toasty Bums!

2007-12-20T01:30:00.000-08:00

You know that horrible feeling when it's so cold outside and you go to use the restroom and you sit down on a freezing cold toilet seat? Do you ever think, "They should invent something to help with this problem."

Well believe it or not, Korea has done something to solve this problem. We have heated toilet seats at work! It's awesome! Sometimes I just go in there and sit down to warm up because it feels so good. Our apartment doesn't offer the same luxury but we spend more time at work anyway. I'm going to look into this invention when we go back home. It comes complete with a key pad to control temperature. It has other buttons too but I don't know what they do because it's all in Korean.

Christmas All Around

2007-11-28T21:11:00.000-08:00

Koreans don't typically celebrate Christmas. Christmas is a national holiday but most people give it the same amount of attention as any other day off. However, the strange thing about Seoul right now is the massive amounts of Christmas decorations everywhere. Every store, mall, restaurant, cafe and corporate building at least has a Christmas tree and garland with small reindeer and some of the bigger buildings are decked out in lights and decorations. The building next to our school has officially gone overboard and is beginning to look gawdy. One of my students works in a 40 floor building that is covered from top to bottom in garland. She was complaining that they can't see out the windows anymore. No one seems to really understand why they decorate for a holiday that has little significance in their country. My students have told me that the businesses do it because other businesses do it and nobody knows why but they have to outdo their neighbors by making the displays bigger every year. I have to admit, I enjoy the decorations but I'm not sure that is the common perception.

Last Day of the Session

2007-11-28T21:06:00.000-08:00

I love the last day of each session! We are free to do whatever we want with our classes. Last night, both of my classes suggested that we go out and celebrate. So my business writing class took me out for coffee and dessert and my advanced conversation class took me out for drinks and appetizers. The evening culminated with all of the teachers going out together for . . . you guessed it, more drinks. I woke up with a little headache this morning but the night was worth it.

Congratulations Kevin & Monica!

2007-11-25T18:14:00.000-08:00

My brother proposed to his girlfriend on Saturday night in Seoul! He convinced her they were going to the symphony and he took her to get her hair and nails done. After dinner at a nice Italian restaurant, he led her to a cafe that he had completely rented out. He had 1000 candles lit and rose petals everywhere. He played a movie for her that was a collection of pictures of them. He proposed with a beautiful ring. He also hired a photographer to take pictures of them all dressed up.

I have to say I was really impressed with his elaborate proposal. Nice work, Kevin. And I'm so happy to have Monica in the family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T22:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our family and friends! You're all in our thoughts and prayers. We spent the holiday working. Apparently, Koreans don't recognize the American Thanksgiving. Weirdos! Who wouldn't want to celebrate turkey, pumpkin pie and football? Okay, I'm drooling a little bit.

We did manage to enjoy some turkey. We went to Quizno's and ordered turkey sandwiches. We also stopped by the bakery for a little dessert. It was definitely a Thanksgiving to remember.

Legal? I Think Not.

2007-11-19T23:03:00.000-08:00

We don't exactly have a great teachers' room. It's in the basement floor of our building. We each have our own desk which is about 2 feet by 3 feet. The room includes a copier which jams everyday and runs out of toner twice a week. We also have 2 computers to share among 30 teachers. Neither of the computers have Microsoft Word on them. The internet is the slowest internet I've come across in Seoul. We have a cheap $50 HP printer that doesn't always want to print. It broke 3 weeks ago and instead of buying a new one, the school called the HP repair guy who took 2 weeks to fit us into his schedule. We went 2 weeks without a printer. We also have a small book shelf with the books we are supposed to use for teaching.

Our director came to our teachers' room to make an announcement. Our teachers' room doesn't have the right permits to be a teachers' room so it's actually illegal that we are down there. So we spent this morning hiding all of our books and re-arranging the desks to make the room not look like a teachers' room. A few teachers were trying to protest because this isn't the first time our school has revealed that they're doing something shady. For the time being, we have no place to go at school but our classrooms. Our director told us that we just need to "hang around" but not at our desks for the next week while the school puts in the proper paperwork. Meanwhile, inspectors are coming to look at the building and when they come, we can't say anything about the teachers' room in the basement. When I first started working at the school, this would have amazed me . . . but it's starting to be just another ordinary day.

The First Snow

2007-11-19T05:55:00.000-08:00

Simultaneously, 3 of my students received text messages and checked their cell phones in class tonight. One of them screamed, "It's snowing!" It's tradition to call family and friends on the first snow. They all jumped up and ran to the window.

The snow was beautiful. Enormous white flakes were falling from the sky. For a minute the city looked so peaceful. Then about ten minutes later, the snow turned to icy rain and we could hear horns honking and tires screeching. It's not exactly the sledding, snowmen and snowball fights snows that I remember. My happy memories turned into thoughts of the cold, slushy wet walk home after class and the crowded subway. Luckily, Ryan swiped someone's umbrella so we stayed dry most of our walk. Winter in Korea is a officially here.

1 point Cane, 0 points crazy stalker

2007-11-16T20:34:00.000-08:00

When I was walking to class the other day, I was stopped by a Korean man on the 4th floor of our building. He started asking me questions which led to asking me on a date. He wasn't deterred when I explained that I was married. He continued to demand my phone number which I don't know anyway because Korean cell phone numbers have like 11 numbers. When I asked him who his teacher was, I learned that he didn't even attend the institute but he saw me outside and was waiting outside my classroom. He was physically blocking my path to class until I accepted his phone number. I reported the incident to my director who referred to the man as a "f#@*er" in conversation with Ryan.

Cane, our director, took the phone number from me and called the man. He explained that he was with YBM security and that they caught him on camera and his picture is now posted all over the school. They also have identified him with his name and number and if he comes too close to the school, YBM will pursue legal action. The man begged Cane not to take legal action and promised to stay away from the school. He explained that he was just looking for a friend. Cane didn't hang up the phone until he was sure that the man had crapped his pants. I'm liking our new director more and more.

The Notorious Noraebongs

2007-11-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I ventured into Itaewon a few weeks back to check out an International festival. The festival focused mainly around food and so it didn't hold much interest for us aside from the gigantic pig snout that seemed to be popular and the biggest stack of sliced mystery meet I have ever seen. There was a stage set up with mostly Korean girls in miniskirts and gogo boots who were unsuccessfully trying to sing American pop songs. It was really more frightening than anything else.

Kevin and Monica took us off the main road to an area commonly referred to as "Hooker Hill." While most of the hookers were inside the buildings, they occasionally popped their heads outside the door to persuade lonely gentlemen to join them for a "party." The hookers are at first difficult to distinguish from the regular girls because the common style in Korea among girls are the "barely there" shorts and skirts anyway.

Kevin recommended we find a noraebong. A noraebong is a karaoke room in Korea. So, let me tell you, we weren't exactly enthusiastic to go. My only memories of Karaoke are picnics at my Dad's work and Tiffany's 21st birthday . . . and neither of them made me a contender for American Idol. However, after much persuasion, Kevin convinced us to take a try at karaoke. After all, there were all 4 of us and no one else would ever hear or know (well, except now that I'm writing it in the blog). To my surprise, the noraebongs are much better designed than the karaoke bars in the U.S. Each group at the noraebong gets their own private room. The music is also playing too loud for anyone to actually hear how bad you are at singing. It was almost enjoyable to scream into a microphone at the top of my lungs. What a way to relieve stress!

While I won't go to a karaoke bar in the U.S., I did enjoy myself, possibly too much. Next time Kevin makes this suggestions, I won't resist quite as much. The highlight of the night would probably have to be Kevin and my rendition of Eminem's "Real Slim Shady." You might not think so by looking at me, but I am a true ghetto rapper at heart.

Seoul Land

2007-10-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

Imagine Six Flags . . . roller coasters, rides, log flumes, games, fried food and ice cream. Now remove all the screaming children and drunk overweight people in bikinis with mullets and rat tails and replace them with children dressed in slacks and sweater vests and women dressed in sweaters, skirts and high heels . . . tada, you have Seoul Land.

I have to admit when my brother, Kevin, compared Seoul Land to Six Flags, I had mixed feelings about going there. I love rollercoasters and rides, but unfortunately most of my Six Flags memories are of seeing men with bare chests and beer bellies hanging over denim cutoff shorts that are a few sizes too small, taking up two seats on roller coasters or spilling beer on their children.

Seoul Land was a blast. The lines were short, the people were considerate and sober and had all of their clothes on. The highlight of the trip would have to be the giant swing drop. We were strapped into harnesses and pulled up higher and higher . . . and higher. A little too high for comfort, but by the time we reached the top it was too late. We dropped. The first ten seconds felt like an absolute free fall. When I finally felt the tug from the harness and realized we reached the bottom, it was the most exhilarating feeling. We swung back and forth over Seoul Land and had a great view of the mountains. What an adrenaline rush. However, I have now lost any desire I ever had to go bungee jumping or skydiving.

The oddest thing would have to be the gigantic vinyl mountain. Thousands of feet of vinyl were stretched tight in the air. The vinyl was stretched into mountains and hills. Hundreds of children were just running up and down the hills. Kevin joined in and got a few of them to barrel roll down the hills with him. After his adventure on the vinyl and an entertaining attempt at "Dance, Dance, Revolution," Kevin and Ryan decided to prove their manhood by playing the game where they have to hit the target with the sledgehammer. Kevin won a key chain duck that had red lights on the sides of the head for his girlfriend, Monica. Ryan stepped up and won a 3-legged armadillo. The strange thing was the tag of the armadillo which read "100% assholes" I guess cotton is too expensive here.

Some Call it Cozy

2007-10-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

I hit my head on the wall again as I tried to sit down on the toilet. We need a bigger bathroom. Either that or foam walls.

You Will Respect My Authority!

2007-10-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Today my students brought food for class. One older gentleman and renowned plastic surgeon (he's written 10 books and given presentations in more than 50 countries) brought a selection of food and another girl brought small cakes and everything was placed on my desk. I reached to pass the food around and the plastic surgeon stopped me. He told me that the Teacher is the highest position in class and holds a title of great respect and so no student could select food or eat before the teacher eats.

Heehee. I tried my best to keep a straight face. I'm hardly teacher. I have had to learn more about the English language in the past two months that I've learned in 4 years of college. Honestly, what normal English speaker can explain the 12 English tenses without looking them up (such as the present continuous, present perfect and present conditional)?

It's still awesome to walk into a classroom and automatically have the attention and respect of 15 college students and business men who I can guarantee are probably a lot smarter than the teachers at my school. Solely because I was lucky enough to be born speaking a language that is now considered the global standard language, I am respected. This rocks!

I did question the importance of English in one of my classes. The students assured me that anytime they work abroad, which is the majority of the time because Korea is so small, they speak English. When they speak with Chinese suppliers, Italian customers and French subsidiaries, they always speak English. Kudos to America & England for forcing their wonderful language on the rest of the world.

Fashion in Korea?

2007-10-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

October 3rd.
Hello Everyone!!!
I just wanted to take some time to expand on the fashion trends in Korea. Well, there are none. It seems that Seoul, Korea is the Manhattan of New York. Anything and everything goes. There are of course some things that seem to be popular with certain Koreans. Popular footwear (men & women) seems to be "old school" Chuck Taylor's. All colors!! Also, for the men well, they seem to like man purses. Yea, they all have them. All styles, colors and name brands. Along with the man purses they also seem to take a liking to what women in the US call Capri pants. The pants that are to short to be "real" pants, yet to long to be considered shorts. Not flattering in an already vertically challenged society. On the other hand the females seem to favor the promiscuous stockings that stop just above the knee with shorts or mini skirts. Covering the back side with well the "bare" minimum of cloth. I really don't want to get into the hair styles, all I will say is black and bangs...lots of bangs. As for headgear, Major League Baseball caps seem to be a choice by many. Oakland, San Fran, Boston, and of course the New York crap teams just to name a few. I ask my students if they like the A's or the Giants and they look at me with a deer in the headlights face, sporting the MLB apparel while responding "huh, what's that", I just shake my head and respond "are you crazy? never mind" and move on with class. You see, Koreans will buy anything that deals with a "brand" from the US. Most don't really understand what they are buying. They just know that it is from the US so they buy it. For example, Annie and I were exploring our neighborhood last weekend and walked by a Korean teenager with his family and he was sporting a shirt that said " I'm Black and proud of it", all I could do was laugh. Not really sure what else to say about that. Speaking of style, business men love their silver business suits. Not grey, silver. It seems that the older they are the brighter the silver. I'm guessing to match the hair. Don't worry I will be sporting one soon. Gotta fit in!! Of course I am trying to take pictures for all to see. Coming soon I promise. Take care all.
Stay Safe
Ryan

Feel Free to Send American food

2007-09-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you who requested our address, it is more likely that we will receive mail at our school. Apartment landlords tend to slack when it comes to delivering mail to tenants. Here is our address at school:

Annie and Ryan Cross (Annie comes first)
YBM Si-sa Language Institute Yeoksam ELS
826-1 Yeoksam-dong, Kangnam-gu
Seoul 135-080, Korea

Safest Place in the World

2007-09-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Since we arrived in Seoul, everyone has been telling us this is the safest place in the world. I now officially agree. There's absolutely zero crime. Koreans tell horror stories of walking into convenience stores in the U.S. where they are able to purchase weapons from mace to what they refer to as Pirate Knives. The right to carry law in the States is also horrifying to them. In the month that we have been here, I do not think a single crime has been committed in this city of 15 million people. There are more attempted bank robberies in a day in the U.S. than South Korea has seen this decade.

In the subway, it is common to see people sleeping next to a pile of new purchases, all laid out for anyone to swipe. Usually a purse lays a few feet from the unsuspecting sleeper. Yet, everyone is left to themselves. The real crime is the old ladies here. In the U.S., I think of older women as kind and fun. My warning to you is that if you ever visit Seoul, do not cross the path of a lady over 60. They are mean, fiesty and know how to get physical. My biggest complaint is when I have to stand next to an old lady on the subway because she has a way of sticking her hip so far into your leg that you want to scream for mercy. It doesn't matter if these women are the last ones in line to enter an overcrowded subway train . . . they can and they will get on the train, taking out unsuspecting bystanders.

September 20th

2007-09-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

Day 21
We have safely arrived in Seoul. We appear to be a small minority here. Everywhere we go in the city and on the subway, we are met by wide eyes and open mouths. White people in Korea appear to be as common as elephants in Missouri.

The last American we saw before stepping out of the airport was Lance Armstrong. When we first walked out of customs, I naturally assumed all of the flowers, fans and photographers were for us. However, to my dismay, Ryan soon mentioned to me that Lance was about ten feet in front of us.

We stepped off the airport bus into the streets of Seoul carrying loads of luggage. We were let off on the busiest street in the 3rd most populated city in the world. It was a bitch. As we maneuvered our bags through the crowds, we took out people left and right. Luckily, most people are much shorter than us so we still had a good view of where we were headed.

We arrived 3 days before our first class. We received a two hour training session that consisted of talking about banking in Korea and dressing appropriately. For the whole teaching thing, we were kind of on our own. I think our own English has immensely approved in the first three weeks due to learning grammar as we teach. The only requirements to teach are to have a college degree, speak English and be white. Although, we seem to be very lucky in that we are teaching adult and college students instead of children.

We spent our first week living in a hotel. The room was so small that we could stand in the middle of the room and reach all 4 walls. Our bathroom consisted of a toilet and a showerhead that sprayed the toilet as we showered. I figured it would be the smallest bathroom I would ever shower in . . . until we moved into our apartment. Our apartment is 6 subway stops from work. We have a nice open room with a big window. We sleep on traditional Korean mats on the floor. It's not quite our mattress at home, but it gets the job done. We work from 6:30am until 10pm so we never have trouble sleeping. We would probably be able to sleep fine on the hardware floors.

In our second week of work, we had to work 6 days in a row. It made for an exhausting week and a short weekend. However, the Chuseok holiday starts tomorrow and we will have five days off. Chuseok is the equivalent of Thanksgiving in the U.S.

Eating has made for an interesting time. Luckily, we have many comforts of American restaurants such as Dunkin' Donuts, Pizza Hut, Outback, Bennigans, McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks, Baskin Robins, Cold Stone Creamery, you get the picture, all in walking distance. The grocery stores are a bit difficult because everything is in Korean. But we have been able to indentify Skippy Peanut Butter, Frosted Flakes, Skim Milk, Bread, Eggs and Cheese. We plan to visit the International Grocery Store this weekend where we have high hopes of finding granola bars, tortillas and deli meat.

We have also been fortunate enough to spend weekends with my brother, Kevin, and his girlfriend, Monica. They have helped us adapt to some of the Korean culture and introduced us to kimchi and bulgolgi. We have yet to come across the notorious puppy meat and I hope we never do. We also visited the batting cages here with Kevin and Monica but unfortunately I was unable to participate because the cages are only set up for right handers. Until recently, all children were forced to be right-handed, so left handers are only beginning to be seen in the area. In other words, I'm a freak here. I did kick Kevin's but on the hit the mole game next to the batting cages. My little payback for all of those Scrabble games. The weather has been pleasant aside from the occassional thick smog and the week of typhoons we experienced. Our first month is coming to its end. So far, so good.