KOREA Day 54

Fri, June 19, 2009 at 11:59pm

Classes continue to get easier as month two progresses. The articles I select and the topics I introduce for discussion improve each day. Daily reading of The Korea Herald helps greatly with this effort. Also, in each class the students have agreed to prepare presentations, and they seem to enjoy this. Memorable presentations this month include the ever popular Kimchi, Green Tea Production in Southwestern Korea, Makgeolli (Korean rice wine, 20-25% alcohol), Current Conflicts between Japan and Korea, and select others. While the students may be nervous speaking in front of the class, they all agree the presentations help overcome their hesitation and become better speakers. Many have pulled me aside afterwards to thank me for this. We have also introduced new business ideas an prepared sample business plans in class for discussion purposes. It's fun to see the students become so involved. One of their ideas, to sell coffee, tea, and ramen noodles atop SuriSan, is actually a fantastic idea. Someone, of course, would need to hire a sherpa to trek the product and water for preparation up the mountain, but there is currently no competition, no license is required, and the numbers we generated demonstrate low product cost and strong profits.

The conflict with my hagwon appears to have been officially resolved. The school has agreed to provide me with National Health Insurance and Korean Pension, though I have yet to sign insurance or pension documents, and I wonder if the school is disheartened by my persistence with this issue. In exchange for this, I have agreed to deduct two days salary from my next paycheck to cover the two days I was absent during my sickness. Remember, they had to hire a substitute teacher to cover my classes one day, while James merged our classes the second day. It is a small concession on my part toward our agreement, and a minor contribution toward a positive relationship with the school. I truly hope this matter is behind me so I may concentrate on other tasks. I trust the school feels the same.

Sadly, I did not have the mouthwatering steak dinner I so hoped to enjoy this week. I could not bring myself to pay 30,000+ Won for a questionable piece of meat with an uncertain cooking temperature. Plus, early dinner with James before class was not the time or the company to drop this kind of money. Sorry James. Steak dinner will have to wait for another night, preferably spent with a beautiful Korean woman and bottle of red wine. Other memorable meals this week; relaxing dinner after class Monday with Monica (fellow Korean teacher - Week V Review), solo "working" lunch at the Indian restaurant Wednesday, Thursday night barbeque (samgyopsal) before class with James, as well as multiple trips to Dunkin Donuts for morning breakfast and Baskin Robbins for late night ice cream. All delicious or ma-shi it-tta (Korean).

Other activities this week include; accompanying Tiann to Anyang for Tuesday night meeting with two Korean girls. Anyang is a neighboring town only two subway stops away, or 10 minute bus ride, or 5,000 Won taxi ride. I was his wingman, and the four of us visited the NoraeBang until 2am. Both Korean girls were hairdressers, and it was obvious they were more into us as exotic foreigners than as individuals. Regardless, it was fun.

B.H. helped me locate a tailor so I could have a pair of pants adjusted. I have lost weight since my arrival in Korea and the pants were about two inches too big in the waistline. The weight loss; I attribute some to regular exercise, but mostly my diet. Since students are always eager to learn differences between the U.S. and Korea, popular discussion in class is the major difference between Korean and American foods. The biggest difference I can explain; Korean foods do not use cheese, use very little dairy, and other than rice and noodles, there are few carbohydrates. No breads, no sandwiches, no potatoes. Most foods are relatively healthy, are cooked in little oil, and prominently feature many fresh vegetables and a wealth of spices. Koreans, in general, do not like greasy or oily foods. As an example, Korean pizza contains little cheese. Korean pizza also contains a bunch of really weird toppings not worth mentioning.

Another observation: Koreans really are terrible drivers. I have witnessed several insane driving acts, including numerous bus rides from hell, and taxi drivers with little to no regard for adherence to traffic laws. I always make sure to wear my seat belt whenever I ride in a car, and hold on firmly during bus rides. It's the only way. Strangely, children do not sit in child seats in this country. Instead, they sit on parents laps in the front seat, sometimes the drivers seat, or are piled on top of one another in the backseat. I am not exaggerating. It's stupid. Fortunately, I have yet to witness an accident, but I'm sure they happen. They must.

There are also thousands of scooters piloted by suicidal Koreans delivering noodles, pizza, fried chicken, McDonalds, and other food items. This is perhaps the craziest example or horrific driving. They are literally everywhere and have no absolutely no regard for traffic laws or signals. They will jump curbs and ride past you at breakneck speeds on the sidewalks. They stop briefly at intersections, then dart out into traffic. It's insane. I was told the Korean noodle they carry gets soggy after only ten minutes so they must rush to deliver. While this excuse may hold true for the noodle, I am not convinced of it's relevancy for the pizza, fried chicken, and McDonalds. Either way, I find myself wanting a part time job as a delivery driver. I think it would be great fun!

No classes this weekend, and apparently, Monsoon Season in Korea has officially begun. I have been told this brings frequent afternoon rains and the famous hot, humid summer weather. Per the current weather forecast, this may wreak havoc on my weekend plans, though, similar to other weekends, I plan on catching up on lost sleep. This past week, especially with the sudden rise in temperature and humidity, I find myself increasingly tired. Example; Thursday night I received only four hours sleep, which is average for me, and Friday afternoon I took three naps totaling an additional five hours. This left me fully charged for Friday night activities, and Saturday, I hope to return to Seoul and visit a museum or art gallery with U-Jin and her boyfriend. Sunday morning hashing is always a possibility, though if anything like past weekends, I may decide to sleep instead.

Cheers! (Gun-ba)