KOREA Week IX Review

Tues, June 30, 2009 at 11:39pm

Nothing major to report from from last week. I did more laundry, cleaned my apartment, exercised, and otherwise fought the humidity that has settled upon the land. It's brutal, but nothing unlike Northern Ohio this time of year. I have been trying to regulate my sleep schedule by avoiding afternoon naps whenever possible. Last week, I napped only Monday and Tuesday, and remained awake throughout the day Wednesday and Thursday. Frequent trips to Starbucks and lots of green tea assisted with this effort. Surprisingly, however, I still cannot fall asleep before 1am at the earliest. It really sucks, but at least I am starting to accept this as part of my life in Korea.

Classes continue to go well. The students are all great, and I have asked them for their feedback on the classes. Almost all agree they do not like the textbook and everyone prefers open dialogue in class. Additionally, since many students often complain about not having the opportunity to speak English outside the classroom, we have started meeting for coffee and relaxed conversation in a non-classroom setting, usually Starbucks or Hollys Coffee. Also, some students have asked for my help with their English resumes, job applications, and most recently, a college entrance essay. I, of course, am happy to help and pleased they ask me for assistance.

Another student from Business English class, Geon Woo, treated me to lunch on Monday and introduced me to his family. He and his wife lived in Boston for many years and both speak English very well. He says they may return to the U.S. as his book publishing/distribution company continues to grow. Interestingly enough, their daughter was born in the U.S., thus making her a citizen of the U.S. with all the added benefits. Both Geon Woo and his wife have offered to help me learn Korean, and suggested we meet every Monday for lunch. Not a bad offer, which, I will probably accept.

Friday - no school so I slept until almost 3pm and later traveled with U-Jin and her boyfriend to Insadong, traditional Korean neighborhood in North Seoul. There are many art galleries and tea houses located in Insadong, surrounded by numerous stores selling traditional Korean goods at cheap prices. This is a great place to purchase Korean gifts for family and friends back home, so I will definitely be returning soon. We also visited a really cool knife/sword gallery located in the basement of a building in Insadong. (www.knifegallery.co.kr) On display were countless pieces of medieval weaponry, samurai swords, movie relics, every type of knife imaginable, as well as modern-day military equipment and commando gear for sale. Most cool. Admission price only 1,000 Won.

After the knife gallery and spicy pork dinner in Insadong, I traveled to Itaewon, American neighborhood of Seoul, for Friday night hashing. The group met around 8pm at a popular ex-pat bar, and once assembled, we ran the steep hills and back alleys surrounding Itaewon. There were six of us running all out, dodging people, cars, scooters, and each other. Great fun accompanied by some amazing views of the Soeul skyline all lit up at night. The best part of the run, however, was the final 1km dash through an area of Itaewon appropriately named "Hooker Hill". Here, friendly women wearing next-to-nothing lingerie loiter in front of back alley bars and practically drag you into their establishments for, "just one drink" or so they claim. Unconfirmed rumor has it, lonely men can receive oral servicing for a mere 50,000 Won, and just about anything else for 100,000+ Won. Unfortunately, if this is a bargain, I will never know.

Saturday - I slept until 11am and met new friend Gemma (pronounced "Jemma") for 12pm hiking date. I was introduced to Gemma through my contact at the Sanbon Library, Park So Young, and this is the second time we have hung out together. She is 33 years Korean age, unmarried (which is rare for a Korean girl her age), and is an English teacher at a local hagwon. Saturday was a beautiful sunny day, and we enjoyed the view from atop SuriSan while she helped me with my Korean studies. The afternoon with Gemma was enjoyable, the hiking was good, and we had naeng-myeon dinner together after the hike. Naeng-myeon is a seasonal dish made with cold beef broth, thin buckwheat noodles, sliced pear, sliced cucumber, and hard boiled egg. It's rather delicious, especially on a hot day. Later this week, Gemma and I have lunch plans with Park So Young prior to my Thursday class at the library.

Sunday morning - I returned to Seoul for 11am hashing. We met in Nambu, a neighborhood in Southeastern Seoul, and one hour train ride from Sanbon. Sunday was the 500th hash celebration of the Southside group, so we were treated to a rigorous one hour run through hilly neighborhoods and semi-mountainous terrain. The weather was most humid so I was sweating profusely throughout the run and the hours following the trek. After the hash, several of the group taxied to a bar in Itaewon for beers and nachos. Most surprising part of the day, however, were the two Americans smoking a joint outside on the patio. I have read that marijuana is illegal in Korea, punishable by visa revocation and deportation, but apparently it's anything goes in Itaewon!

Next weekend I am scheduled to travel to Boryeong with the hashing group for the infamous Korean Mud Festival. (http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=580007) All the Korean tour books insist this is one of the best yearly festivals, and a must for foreign visitors. Traveling with the hashing group provides cheap accommodations and some decent folk to hang with.

Other happenings this week:

The free internet connection in my apartment continues to get progressively worse. This is most unsettling for what is considered to be the most wired country in the world. Bullshit, if you ask me. So, I continue to spend my days at Starbucks or other wi-fi (pronounced "we-fee") venues in Sanbon. I will most likely end up purchasing some type of monthly service for perhaps 30,000 Won/month to avoid the mounting frustrations and increasing Starbucks allowance.

I have been studying hangul, and currently, I have learned approximately twenty of forty characters in the Korean alphabet. Included in my repertoire is the Korean version of the ABC song, "Ga, na, da, la, ma, ba,sa, ah, ja, cha, ka, ta, pa, ha." I am almost certain to get a laugh from any Korean if they hear me singing this. It's also fun to try and pronounce Korean words using my understanding of these twenty characters. Last week, students took me to a bookstore and helped me select a set of children's flashcards and a children's hangul writing book to aid my efforts. Soon, I be fluent. Or so I hope.

My chopstick skills have become quite good, and I'm pleased to announce I have become a connoisseur of kimchi. Apparently, there are over 180 different types of kimchi, and as near as I can tell, kimchi refers to any type of pickled and/or fermented vegetable. The most famous type, of course, is the fermented cabbage with garlic, salt, and spicy red pepper. Sometimes this is served as large leaves of cabbage that are cut with scissors at the table by the waitress or dinner host. Other types include pickled radish, cucumber, beets, and a variety of other vegetables. At least one type of kimchi is served with every meal and is always served cold. Koreans truly believe that kimchi is good for health, contains many vitamins and fibers, and regular doses will help prevent illness. I have also read reports that suggest kimchi is one of the world's healthiest foods, and is proven to help prevent cancer, in addition to providing up to 80% of daily vitamin C consumption. Crazy. Some of the cheaper restaurants may serve kimchi that is grown and imported from China, and most Koreans do not care for this. I'm not entirely sure, but I think I may be able to tell the difference, and if correct, I agree with the Koreans. Chinese kimchi is bitter and has a heavy vinegar taste to it. Not good.

That's it for now. More stories later this week.