January News

Week XXXVIII

Thursday, January 21, 2010

It's a new year, filled with new promises and new opportunities. The first year in Korea ended faster than it began, and all continues to go well. I have no regrets.

As of January 1, I have approximately 17 weeks remaining in Korea, and I am confident this time will go remarkably fast. Reflecting back, I accomplished so much during my first year, yet there is so much left to do in only a few weeks time.

January classes have brought new students into my life. They are all an impressive bunch, and January has also brought the return of many former students who, for one reason or another, took a break from their English studies in November and December. I am still one class short of the full eight class load, as I have been since November, due mostly to low enrollment at the school. But I am not complaining. Attendance is also low, as I have had many classes this month with only one student, sometimes none who showed.

I am teaching a vacation class this month and next, filled with approximately ten students from high school and university, who are on their six week "winter break." It's a great class and we have lots of fun together. Their English level is lower than most other classes, but their youthful energy is recognized in the classroom.

Monday, January 4th and Tuesday, January 5th brought the heaviest snowfall to Seoul in sixty years. The six to seven inches of snow caused major traffic congestion in Seoul, cancelled several schools, except mine, and was a great conversation piece. As far as I was concerned, it made the Korean winter official. I was surprised to learn that Seoul did not experience this type of snowfall often, especially since the winter temperatures are so very consistent with the Midwestern United States.

Regarding winter temperatures, early to mid January was extremely, even bitterly cold at times. Temperatures hovered around 0 degrees Celsius (30 degrees Fahrenheit) during most days, and plummeted well below the subzero level on most nights. The coldest temperatures I observed in Sanbon were -20 degrees Celsius or just below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. It's a moist climate, so it's bone chilling, and I also learned that temperatures in Sanbon are usually a few degrees colder than other areas of Seoul because of the mountains. Damn!

My apartment, unfortunately, still features the incredible 15-20 degree Fahrenheit difference between the main living area/bedroom and the kitchen. Seriously; a difference of only ten feet and separated by a sliding glass door. On extreme nights, the kitchen temperature, courtesy of my remote temperature sensor, reads below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, while the bedroom remains at around 70 Fahrenheit. This is not the most alarming part of the story, however. Ice has repeatedly formed on the inside of the kitchen windows. Large chunks of ice are found each morning, which melt during the day and create a pool of water on the windowsill and kitchen floor by mid-afternoon. I informed my Landlord, and apparently, there is nothing that can be done about it, so at this time, it remains an amusing aspect of my life in Korea. See photo below.

The record snowfall made for ideal ski conditions at the Korean resorts, which, according to some reports, are experiencing high attendance. I experienced these conditions for myself last weekend, when Gemma and I visited Konjiam Ski Resort in Eastern Gyeonggi-do. Konjiam (www.konjiamresort.co.kr) is a new resort, opening its doors in December 2008, and also establishing a 7,000 per day maximum occupancy limit, the first of its kind in Korea.

There are thirteen runs serviced by five chair lifts, and the views from the top of the mountain offers generous views of the surrounding mountains. The facilities are all new with modern, high-speed chair lifts and electronic ticket scanners. Conditions were near perfect the day we visited Konjiam and the slopes were well groomed with a generous base. By late afternoon, the snow quality was still good, and there was no ice to be found on the face of the mountain.

I found the lift ticket prices to be average to slightly expensive, comparable with American prices; 70,000 Won for the day from 9am until 430pm. Snowboard and boot rental was an additional 30,000 Won. The most accommodating service, however, is the free shuttle bus to and from Sanbon.

Gemma did fantastic for her first time on a snowboard. She fell only a couple times, nothing major, and by day's end she was making it down the mountain well on her own. Check out the video at www.flickr.com/ethansparrow.

That's the latest news from Korea. Stay tuned for more adventure. Only 14 weeks to go!