KOREA Day 3

Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 6:22 PM

So I hope I am somewhat adjusted to the time difference and caught up on my sleep after a full day here in The East. We are 13 hours ahead of Eastern Time Zone here, and yes, we did cross the International Date Line somewhere over the Pacific. I continue to be the proverbial fish out of water, simply speaking, but it's not as bad as it seems. People glance at you as if to size you up then look away. I was told they are accustomed to foreigners because we are so close to Seoul. Apparently, it is different in the countryside, where they stare curiously at you as a foreigner.

After sending my first email late Monday night, I was treated to a Korean sit down dinner with the head of the school (my boss) and three other staff members, including the other American instructor, James from New Hampshire. By sit down dinner, I mean just that. Shoes are left just outside the dining area (not at the front door, as I made the mistake of doing) and we sat or kneeled on pillows while eating. Large dishes of kimchi and pickled radish were provided for the host to cut with scissors and serve to us. A bubbling pork stew was served (very good) along with another beef stew and platter of pork cutlets. Red bean paste (see below) and other red pepper sauces accompany the pork. I later learned that my favorite cutlets were pigs ears, which has a slightly rubbery texture similar to squid. The other cuts were unfortunately all fatty, which I did not like, and were somewhat bland considering everything else on the table was most flavorful and spicy.

I unpacked and settled into my new digs yesterday. This included two trips to E-Mart (Korean Wal-Mart) which is only two walking blocks away. It's similar to a large department store with multiple floors and a variety of items; anything from clothes, healthcare items, groceries, home furnishings, and large containers of live seafood. Biggest difference, aside from the obvious, is you pay coins to use a shopping cart. Baskets are complimentary. After two hours and $75,000 Won, I now have groceries for the apartment along with paper towels, toilet paper, soap, green tea, a 6pk of Heineken, bottle of Soju, and several large plastic containers to store my clothes, as there are no drawers and the closet only holds hanging items. Prices are somewhat comparable to the US, if you figure $1.00 USD is roughly equal to $1,200 Korean Won. (Eg. large mandarin orange juice $1,200 Won, bananas $3,000 Won, 5pk of apples $3,000 Won, 6pk breakfast bars $2,500 Won, 24pk of toilet paper $10,000 Won). One of the best parts of the E-Mart experience was hearing a Korean interpretation of Cypress Hill's "Insane in the Membrane". Good stuff for a laugh..

Yesterday I walked the streets of Sanbon. Its a nice town, perhaps the size of downtown Ann Arbor, with a nice public street mall and a busy feel to it. Mountains appear to surround the town on at least two sides, and the streets are hilly once outside the immediate central business district (maybe 20 square blocks?) of the downtown. Large apartment towers and residences are located on the fringe of the downtown. There are numerous outdoor parks with gymnasium and work out equipment. One park featured a short obstacle trail, similar to that at an outdoor store for testing hiking shoes or at a Hummer dealership, with small stones and logs impacted in the concrete. There are also two large parks with athletic fields: soccer, tennis & squash courts, and a running track. Finding a tennis partner would be nice. Otherwise, I plan to maximize use of the running tracks. Batting cages are one block away from the apartment, and a golf driving range is perhaps 0.5 mile located next to the larger running track. While the batting cages are affordable, it is my understanding golf is a hobby for the wealthy in Korea.

Last night I sat in on an English class at the school. It was a level 4 class with level 6 being the highest. Tonight I will sit in on 2 classes (level 4 & 5) and Friday is my first day teaching. I will be teaching the higher level classes; primarily levels 5 & 6. We have text books and lesson plans to follow. Despite this, and the fact that everyone tells me it is easy, I cannot help but feel nervous to start teaching. Stay tuned for hilarious teaching stories...

After class last night, I ventured outside for a stroll and stumbled upon a Korean bar. Imagine that.. I ordered a Korean beer from the bartender (pretty Korean girl age 26) who then asked if I would like to order two? I quickly learned she was asking me to buy her a beer, which I, of course, did, and we enjoyed conversing the next hour together. Her English is broken but we communicated okay. She taught me several Korean words and asked me questions about the US. Most pleased to announce I can now order a glass of water (mul) and beer (mak ju) in Korean. I wish I could announce that she came back to my place after this, but will have to save this announcement for a later time.

Bad news: Yesterday I also learned the electricity voltage is different than the US. Unfortunately, my iPod dock/speaker was the teaching instrument for this painful lesson. Good news; it was not the laptop or iPod itself.. Unfortunately, both batteries will soon be depleted, and I must educate myself on whatever is necessary for conversion before I attempt to recharge. I now understand I need to purchase a voltage converter? If this is not correct, I will gladly accept any suggestions for this troublesome difficulty, but please hurry. The apartment is desperate for some music.

Today I enjoyed my first Korean BBQ with my English teaching partner, James. He bought, which is the custom in Korea for the person who suggests or invites going out. We had thinly sliced pork cuts with raw onions and garlic cloves grilled at our table on a propane stove by us . Side dishes of pickled radish and kimchi accompany this, along with an amazing spicy red bean paste for dipping and lettuce leaves for making wraps. The pork, especially when charred, is reminiscent of bacon. (Hope I don't catch the swine flu). The flavorful red bean paste, I cannot get enough of. James tells me he sometimes puts this on pizza, which after enjoying, doesn't seem as bad as it may sound. Similar to the fine Korean BBQ experience in Chicago three weeks ago, this was a great meal.

More good stories soon. This afternoon I ran 4 miles at the larger of the two area tracks and I continue to read the teachers manual to my new textbook. Other than this, I am slowly getting adjusted to Korean life.