Sun, May 24, 2009 at 6:00pm
This week started out well and Monday was a great day. My new immigration card arrived so I am now legal to teach in Korea and receive Korean health care benefits. Yeah! Care package #1 also arrived from the U.S. so I'm rockin' mac & cheese, instant oatmeal, and microwave popcorn in the apartment. In addition to western food items, I received a full-size bath towel to replace the smaller hand towel I had been using. A most welcome addition. Thank you Mom!
Tuesday morning my alarm did not sound, and I was ten minutes late for class. Not a big deal, but not how I like to begin my day. My alarm; I have no clue why it did this, but it seems to be working fine now. (as if I am making this up) Other classes this week went well, and I am forging good relationships with nearly all my students. In fact, I very much enjoy my classes and I often look forward to discussion with the students.
I watched my first American movie in Korea on Wednesday; Star Trek. I'm not certain if it was the overall experience, including Korean subtitles at the bottom of the screen, or the movie itself, but it was great! James and I went between morning and afternoon classes, for a price of only 7,000 Won, and snuck snacks and beverages in to the theaters. There are no previews and the seats do not recline in the theater, but at 1:15pm the theater is damn near empty. Also, Korean theaters are assigned seating when you purchase your ticket. Seriously.
I received my first Korean haircut early this week, and I'm incredibly pleased this did not turn out half as bad as I had imagined it might. Actually, it's a damn fine haircut, especially when you consider the barber and I could not communicate at all, aside from small hand gestures relating to the length and style of my haircut. James, my teaching partner at the school, mistakenly asked for the "sport cut" last week and was butchered, marine-style. This mistake, I was careful to avoid. Cost of haircut; only 5,000 Won.
James, I recently learned, volunteers some Saturdays teaching English to North Korean refugees in Seoul. I remain very impressed by this, and he provided me with a great article from the February 2009 National Geographic magazine featuring the place he volunteers and some of the refugees who managed to escape. It's a good story and makes you realize just how good we have it compared to others in this world. Check it out:
B.H. continues to impress me with his friendship and generosity. After class Thursday, he presented me with a book entitled "Living in Seoul; An Urban Survival Guide for English-speakers". What a great thing. I believe he is of Buddhist persuasion, thus explaining his kindness and generosity, though he denies any type of religious affiliation. The book is published by the Seoul Global Center, a one-stop resource center for foreigners in Seoul, I guess, and seems most informative.
My students failed to show for class Friday morning, so I had a solo breakfast, watched a Korean drama on the TV in the restaurant, and practiced my Korean. Breakfast was a broth based soup with vegetables and a cooked egg, side of rice, kimchi, and pickled radish. Not your typical American breakfast, but still good. I do very much miss the greasy American breakfast I love so much; coffee, eggs, hash browns, bacon, and reading the morning paper. Mostly, I miss the company these breakfasts are most memorably shared with; whether it was an afternoon breakfast with roommates/friends in Toledo, recovering after a long night with friends in Chicago, Sam's No. 3 with Jay in Denver, or casual conversation with Dad at the Monroe Street Diner. All fond memories.
After class Friday night I went to NaNa Bar with James to visit a former student of his, who bartends there. Her English name is Kay and she is attractive. Her Korean friend, Yun-a, who was also there, is very attractive. I'm not entirely sure, but I think, and hope, the four of us are making plans to hang out again soon and perhaps do dinner or something. I later ran into Alvin (Week II Review) and we headed to the Pirate Bar together. I was saddened to learn that Marcus's mother passed away earlier this week so he had to fly home to the U.S. Hopefully he will return to Sanbon in a week or so. Friday night I was forced to behave, and proudly, I made it to class on time Saturday. The four students and I had casual conversation and we also read and discussed an article from the L.A. Times on Green Tea production in Southwestern Korea. It's another good article and makes for good class material. They are a good group, ages 30-50, and seem to enjoy our time together during the three and a half hour class period.
Saturday afternoon I connected with B.H. for udon noodle lunch and we later hiked SuriSan. Typical of most Korean mountains, SuriSan is home to 4 Buddhist temples. We hiked perhaps 2-3 miles to a most beautiful temple located on the Western side of SuriSan, and furthest from Sanbon. The temple consisted of two larger buildings for religious purposes and several small buildings. Both the larger buildings are of wooden construction and are built with a view of the Southern slope of the mountain. Inside and out, they are very ornately decorated with vivid and most detailed paintings. There was chanting monk music playing over a speaker, and inside the temple were many lit candles along with inscribed pieces of paper hanging from the ceiling. B.H. told me families can write their names on the paper, and with a small donation, suspend the paper from the rafters to help bring peace and harmony to their families. There was a couple meditating inside one of the temples, so we were able to quietly observe them without disrupting their prayer service. It was all fascinating. Regrettably, I did not bring my camera this trip, which gives me a proper reason to return soon.
Many have probably learned of the tragic news which struck South Korea Saturday. The former South Korean President, Roh Moo-Hyun, leapt to his death off a mountain cliff near his home. He and his presidency were recently tarnished with news of corruption, and it was interesting to discuss this with B.H. during the long walk back from the temple. He told me that the fallen president was first viewed, and elected because of this, as a man of the people. He was more democratic in principle, and despite the recent allegations, committed to improving the lives of poorer Koreans and restoring ties with North Korea. (Both not a bad thing in my opinion) B.H. felt that, even if guilty, the money in question was not a large sum, and that he did not have strong relations with the media, which, ultimately, led to his fall from power and loss of popularity. I think that, despite the corruption charges, B.H. liked President Roh and was disappointed by his death.
Saturday night I met with three students from my Step 4 class for spicy chicken dinner and beers afterwards at WaWa Western Bar. It felt really good to spend time with and learn more about the students. They also provided me with honest feedback on the class, and suggestions for improving our classroom time and materials. Some have asked for my help with their writing skills, and have offered to bring in homework for me to review with them. I, in turn, have suggested we gather for coffee at Starbucks following class each week to spend more time in a relaxed setting outside the classroom. B.H.'s daughter is one of the students in this group, and we spent a good deal of time discussing her father. Apparently, he thinks very highly of me and enjoys our time together. She is a good girl, age 23, I think, and curiously, speaks English with little to no noticeable Korean accent, something, which she attributes to the large amounts of American television and movies she enjoys watching. I told her I would like to provide B.H with a gift for his generosity and asked her if she could help me with ideas for this. She, of course, told me this was not necessary, but later offered some suggestions. She also suggested I call him "hyung-nim", which is Korean for "older brother" but can also be used as an honorary title amongst friends. All in all, it was a nice night filled with good people, good food, cold beer, and great discussion. They were most appreciative for my time spent with them. In fact, they enjoyed this so much, they paid for everything and refused to allow me to contribute.
Late Saturday night, I called Alvin via Skype and we agreed to meet at the Pirate Bar for some darts. While I had every intention of making the trip to Seoul for Sunday morning hashing, this, unfortunately, did not happen again this week. In fact, my feet did not hit the floor of my apartment until well after 3pm Sunday. Bar darts at the Pirate Bar is partially to blame, though a large group of us later hit the Norae Bang at around 4am. Norae Bang is not a bar, but is actually a karaoke facility with several private rooms complete with large projection screen, U-shaped couch, tables, and a large book of music for us to peruse. Yes, after only four weeks in Korea, Ethan has visited the karaoke facility, and it was just like you can imagine. A group of 20-25 drunken Westerners singing their favorite songs from 4am-7am with little to no regard for the integrity of the performance or the song's actual lyrics. Despite this, it was an absolute blast. Oh, and I almost forgot, large, multi-colored wigs are provided for additional entertainment purposes.
I have made friends with a few of the group and I very much like them. Some are planning weekend trips to other Asian nations, and I hope to go with. We also discussed planning a camping/hiking trip somewhere in the Korean peninsula. It's all happening.
This weekend is Memorial Day in the U.S. and I truly wish I were spending it in Northern Michigan. Monday marks my four week anniversary in Korea and I'm pleased to announce I'm having a great time. The people are tremendous, the food is delicious, and the experience is most rewarding. In many ways, it's everything I imagined, and I'm delighted to be here.
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1 comment:
Funny thing - I distinctly remember watching Star Trek the Next Generation in Berlin, and it being a breakthrough for my German understanding. Glad to hear all is well.
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