Tuesday with Jasmine

Tuesday morning began nice and early when I met my Korean friend Jasmine at the subway station near the University area of town. We had arranged to meet there for our usual Tuesday/Thursday Korean lesson. Jasmine had kindly offered to take me to the cell phone store to help me set up my cell phone however I won’t be able to do that until I get my ARC (Alien Residency Card), which hopefully will be in later this week.

We found a little café and went in to begin our lesson. Jasmine is a wonderful teacher; she is very patient and she has excellent English so she can explain things very well. I feel slightly bad because I told her I’d help her with her English, but it’s almost perfect to begin with (whereas my Korean is pretty much non-existent, so she has way more to improve in me!)

While we were in the café there was music playing in the background. I was so surprised to hear German in the tune. I thought that perhaps I was going on a language overload and that my brain was playing tricks on me, but alas the artist was saying “Ich Liebe Dich, Vergiss Mich Nicht” (I love you, don’t forget me). How random is that?!?!? I had to laugh as I explained it to Jasmine who probably thought I’d lost my marbles due to the fact that I was so excited when I heard another language I could understand.

My Korean lessons are going very well. I’ve managed to memorize most of the alphabet symbols, so now I can start sounding words out. I’m surprised how easy it has been to learn to read (not that I do it that well yet, but it’s a start). I think that the most difficult task will be memorizing the words so that I actually know what they mean when I say or read them. My goal is to be able to have a conversation in about 6 months… people seem a little wary when I tell them that, but we’ll see.

After that café, Jasmine took me to the post office and gave me the tour of how to mail letters in Korea. You may seem it sounds like a very simple task, but let me tell you that even the most simple of tasks can be challenging when there’s a complete language barrier and cultural differences.

We continued on our way until we found Jasmine’s favourite café. Her boyfriend is studying to be an architect and he designed this café and Jasmine helped to decorate it. It was very charming inside. One thing I like about Korea is that things are very different—all of the cafes are unique.

In this café, we had a very delicious Korean dessert (for lunch!). It was called Gua-Il-Bing-Su which translates literally to fruit with ice dessert. It was a huge bowl that was filled with shaved frozen milk in the bottom. Over the frozen milk shavings were cut up strawberries, bananas, kiwis, nuts, vanilla ice cream and sweet red bean rice cake. It was served with a small pitcher of milk which you pour over top and then stir everything up. It was delicious!!! That day happened to be a little chilly, so I’d recommend eating it in warmer weather but it was really tasty—I’ll definitely be buying it again.

After our lunch and chat, we headed towards work. My day of teaching was very weird. For some reason, the kids were all really poorly behaved (like all of my 6 classes for the day!). I don’t know why they all behaved so badly, but it was very odd. They lacked attention, they spoke when they weren’t supposed to, they didn’t listen…..

At one point nearing the end of the day, I put chapstick on my lips. The girls were very interested in what kind of chapstick Teacher has, so I allowed them to smell it, but gave strict instructions for them not to touch it because that would put germs on it. Then the boys were interested (of course this is more interesting than doing their schoolwork) so the chapstick got passed around. I turned my back for one second and a boy named Justin was putting it all over his lips (he was about 13—he should know better!). I guess I should know better too—don’t trust kids with anything that has the possibility to go wrong. All of the girls screamed that now my chapstick was full of germs—probably true; I don’t need any more help getting sick. Oh well, it was a learning experience.

The highlight was when Justin said “Teacher, my lips are tingly!!”—the chapstick had peppermint oil in it and he was shocked by the sensation. Haha—he liked it!

One nice thing happened the other day…

I was in the restaurant eating dinner very close to the school when one of my students and his mom came in. I said a quick hello and then went back to my dinner and book. A little while later my student came up to me and said in his broken English “Teacher, you don’t have to buy dinner when done—my mom buyed for you”. How sweet I thought! I sent a thank you home with him because his mother had already left the restaurant, but I thought that was a very nice gesture.

Destination Daejeon

Saturday morning bright and early I met Dorrial and Amanda and we took the subway to the bus station in Busan. From there we took a 40 minute bus ride to Masan. This is where my friends from the flight (Nicole and Ross) currently live. They invited us to spend the weekend with them in their hometown from their teaching contract last year: Daejeon. The bus ride to Daejeon took an additional three hours, but the bus was fairly comfortable (apart from being scorching hot inside).

When we finally arrived in Daejeon Nicole and Ross were expert tour guides because they knew the city like the back of their hands. We started off at an old heritage site. There were quite a few of the old Korean style houses and a nice playing field for children. Here we met up with Ross’ friend Bart. Bart was taking a photography class and had an assignment where he had to incorporate random colour into a scene. He brought along strawberries and we began placing them in rocks and on trees etc. I got the idea then to skewer them on the bare branches of a tree and take pictures. While we were doing this we noticed that quite a few Koreans were watching us out of the corners of their eyes like “what are those crazy foreigners doing?!?” After we finished taking photos we left the strawberries on the branches thinking that it would be a nice snack for the birds. Well as soon as we walked away, a bunch of Koreans crowded around our decorated tree and began taking pictures too… it was so funny! I’m sure they had no idea why they were taking pictures—just that it was something crazy that a white person did, and that was reason enough.

A random observation about Daejeon was the reactions we received from local people. Daejeon is not a huge city (compared to Busan and Seoul) so they do not see as many white people. When we would walk around, kids and teens would come up to us shouting ‘hi’ and giving us high-fives. When we would make contact or respond to them, they would scream in delight. It was so weird—it felt like I was a celebrity just because I was white. They would follow us and take pictures with the group—very different from the group. I never understand why people said that you would feel very different being a white person until this weekend. People are not as crazy over foreigners in Busan because there are so many of us. It was definitely an experience!

After the heritage site, we went and had a delicious Korean lunch. I have found several dishes that I really enjoy. This one is a beef stew with bean sprouts, onions and mushrooms. Things here are served BOILING hot—Literally, they are served in a stone dish and it is heated so highly that it rapidly boils (with large bubbles) for about 5 minutes after they set it on your table. It’s very delicious but you have to wait a while before you can eat it.

Next came shopping—we went into quite a large mall with many different stores. One of the most interesting things was looking in the furniture department. They sell beds here that are completely solid (no mattress). Instead it is like stone that has a digital heater so it can be set to the desired temperature. Due to the fact that many Koreans prefer to sleep on the floor, this is a happy medium; it’s actually a bed, but it’s as hard as a floor. There were couches that had the same concept (see picture)—I don’t know how comfy that would be, but I guess if it’s how you were brought up it might just be the norm.

We also looked for shoes and Ross was kind enough to find a pair of crocs that he thought would fit me. Sizes are much smaller in Korea so it’s pretty exciting when you find something big!

We also went into an arcade where I tried a 4D ride—very exciting. And I shot my first pellet gun. Apparently I’ve got skills—I managed to get all but two targets in about 60 shots—it was very satisfying.

Later we went to the convenience store and bought some drinks. You can get a bottle of soju or rice wine (called Moccoli) from the convenience store for about a dollar—very cheap! We sat outside with a few more friends and chatted and drank on a picnic table.

In the evening we went to a hookah bar that was underground. It was like nothing I’ve seen before. There were no lights, it was purly lit by candles. In the centre of the room there was a rectangular pond of water that was illuminated by candles that were dripping over with wax. Every table had cushions around it and you would remove your shoes and sit on the floor. There was great music playing and we ordered fabulous tasting Peach Soju drinks.

After that, we headed to Yellow Cab which is a bar where a band would be playing. The members of the band were actually friends of Nicole and Ross. They were great! They played mainly covers but sounded excellent. It was very therapeutic to be in a place hearing music in English and being surrounded by people who look like you. It was a great night filled with drinks, music and dancing.

At about 3am we left the bar and headed to a new venue. THE NORIBANG!!! A noribang is a type of karaoke room that is privately rented out by a group of people. It is very popular in Korea and I’ve been told it’s loads of fun—this was my first time. We had a blast. Although we were slightly tired, it was a great experience. The room had a few couches a table and disco lights. The flat screen TV displayed the words to a song (there were thousands to choose from) and two people could sing in microphones while another could accent with a tambourine. At the end, the TV would tell you how ‘well’ you sang.

On the way out, it was crazy how much the streets were littered. Apparently every night, people throw thousands of advertisements around for various things and every morning, old ladies are paid to pick them up. Why? You might ask. Well the theory is that it creates jobs for the old ladies. If you ask me, it's a waste and a huge pollutant... but I'm here to observe, not to judge (at least that's what I've been trying to tell myself).

We stayed there until about 5am and then decided to call it quits—it was a thrilling first Noribang experience. Outside it was raining and we hadn’t booked anywhere to stay for the night. Because it was pretty much morning anyways we decided to head back to the bus station and take the first bus home. Once we got there however it was wet and cold. We made the decision to head to the nearest McDonalds for coffee and brekky—a great way to start the day!

After a very nutritious Egg McMuffin, we decided to take the train back to Busan. 5 hours later I was home—and very tired. I was happy it was Sunday and that I would get a chance to have a long afternoon nap. Overall it was an excellent weekend—many “Korean” experiences.

Hiking Geumjeongsanseong Fortress

Saturday was a beautiful day in Busan. With the entire day off, 3 friends and I decided to take an adventure to Geumjeongsanseong Fortress. After a rocky start of not being able to find one another (due mainly to the fact that I don’t have a cell phone yet…), we met up on a random street corner and went on our way to the Subway station.

Once we arrived Oncheonjang, we set out to find the wonderful cable car that would take us up the mountain (I was definitely not going to hike up…. It would probably take a couple days…). Arriving in this part of the city reminded me again of how big it is. I have only become familiar with a VERY, VERY small percentage of the surroundings and attractions in Busan, I can’t wait to explore more.

Arriving at the top of the mountain made me so thankful that there was a cable car. Looking out at the city below was amazing! It looks so different from North America in the fact that the entire city is built upwards… there is very little green space (if any)… it is purely a concrete jungle.

Being in the mountain was a nice oasis- the air was fresh, you could hear birds, people were very dispersed, and you could just really connect with nature. It was great!

I was told previously that Koreans love hiking, but this experience really reinforced that. Many of the Koreans had the full get-up completed with hiking poles and sporty gloves that grip the pole handles. At first, I thought that was slight overkill, but after I hiked for an hour or so, I wish I had the poles for stability. At various points, I would look over the edge and see everything VERY far down…. It’s important to know what you’re doing from that high of an altitude.

Dispersed around the mountain was a very large fortress. I can’t remember when it dated back to, but it was very old. The entire fortress was MASSIVE. We hiked for just over 3 hours and we only made it to the south gate. It was stunning though, I hope to go back sometime soon.

Later that evening I went out with people from work to have a Bulgogi meal-- which is basically Korean BBQ. We ordered mainly pork and duck, which were both smoked and then we would place them on a small grill that was fitted into the middle of the table. Once they were adequately cooked, you would place them in a leaf of lettuce with some kimchi or onions and eat up. It was quite delicious (although I’m still not a lover of Kimchi… that stuff is intense!).

After the meal we headed to a foreigners bar and had some beer and mingled. It was a great way to meet some new people and get to know the one’s I work with a little better. I was surprised to learn that some of the foreigners have been here for 6 or 7 years… it says a lot about the culture and working conditions in Busan.

The more I think about it, the more I realize what an amazing opportunity this job is. I get a nice, furnished apartment- rent free, round trip airfare, I’m pretty much living on the beach and I get to meet interesting people and learn about a new culture… and I get paid for it… no wonder why people stay!

The following morning I was a little ‘slow’ from my night before so I had a chill day. I slept in, then went to the beach and read a book. I had another exciting experience when ordering lunch… I just pointed to something--- it was decent although I’m still not sure what it was. I walked for a bit and then got lost… that was slightly scary. When all of the signs are in Korean, it’s difficult to remember if you’ve seen them before because they don’t register with me, so I was walking around aimlessly for quite some time, but eventually I figured it out.

The week so far has been pretty good. Tuesday was difficult for me because many of my kids were misbehaving. It made me question whether teaching is the right occupation for me because I had to settle my overwhelming urge to knock them out.

The other unfortunate situation currently is that my boys have discovered that flipping their eyelids back makes me scream. Last week, a boy did it for the first time and I shrieked (I totally wasn’t expecting it, and it grossed me out). Well it seems that the good news has travelled fast about how to gross out Laura Teacher because many of them are now doing it—yay! Hopefully they will find a new hobby soon.

Thursday morning I met with a Korean girl whom I work with; her name is Jasmine. I had asked her if she knew anybody who was interested in a language exchange, and she had told me that she was interested herself… perfect! She showed me around the University area of town and then we had coffee and she began teaching me the basics of the Korean language. It’s slightly overwhelming, but I’m so glad that she’s helping me because I’m sure it will come in handy. She is very self conscious about her English, but I think it’s quite perfect—I feel like I’m getting the better end of the stick here, but hopefully I can help her a bit.

Tomorrow is Friday and I’m very excited for the week to be done. Saturday I will meet up with people I met on the flight to Korea—they live in a neighboring city, so I will bus there and then we will tour around together. I’m looking forward to it!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am perfectly safe and sound after all of the chaos and destruction in Japan. When the earthquake hit in Japan, we felt nothing here, thank God. It is absolutely horrible and my heart goes out to all those suffering in Japan. Thank you all for your emails and messages of concern—I feel very loved.

On a final note—does anyone know of a way to get rid of the smell of smoke??? My neighbor smokes and it comes in through the kitchen somehow. I open up the windows but it gets cold. I’ve got a scented candle, but it’s almost gone (have to search for one here now). I know that baking soda works in the fridge…. Think it would work on the counter???

Much love,

Laura

ps- I have a couple of videos on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0KpwqM0ZIs (hiking the mountain)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WDgjvXtsv0 (inside my classroom)

Medical Checkup

Tuesday morning began with an invite to my friend Nick’s apartment. With it being ‘pancake Tuesday’, he offered to make pancakes at his house. Nick is from England, so their version of pancakes are what we refer to as crepes. They were delicious! He is a very good cook (last week he made fajitas) and it was wonderful spending the morning together.

Later that afternoon I was picked up and taken to the local hospital for my health check. This is a standard procedure that is done with every foreign teacher. The school also recently hired a new Canadian teacher, his name is Alex and he came along as well. As Alex and I entered the hospital, we were overwhelmed with a strong smell of gas. This immediately made me wonder what I was getting myself into. It also didn’t look like the professional medical buildings we have back home… this one was slightly in shambles. Apparently the privately owned hospitals are beautiful, but they charge about 80,000 won for a medical check, whereas this one was less than 20,000 (just under $20 CDN).

Firstly, we went into a room where they tested our vision, hearing and then our BMI. The machine they used to do this was labeled “FATNESS MEASURING APPARATUS” (so lovely to think that my fatness is being checked!). This was all done out in the open, in front of about half a dozen people… there is no confidentiality here!

Next we went into an X-Ray lab for chest X-Rays. Again, it looked like more of a mechanic garage than a hospital. We were instructed to remove our tops and put on pink robes (see picture) and then took turns standing in front of the x-ray machine. There were no lead vests to put on while the other was getting the X-ray; but asking would have caused more confusion so I kept my mouth shut.

After that, we had to pee on sticks to do a urine analysis. I was shocked when I stepped into the washroom stall to find no toilet… just a hole in the floor that you squat over… nice!

Lastly we had blood work done. We entered a room with a sign on the front door with lots of Korean symbols, and then AIDS written in big letters…. Not the thing you want to see when you’re about to get needles poked into you. I’m figuring the Korean words were just other things they tested for and that this was not just an AIDS room.

The nurse took our blood and in front of us started putting different liquids into it and testing it against the white colour of her sleeve. It’s weird to see medical professionals doing their stuff out in the open like that- usually it’s behind closed doors in the lab. Apparently we’re both O blood type.

The rest of the day went smoothly; I went to school, taught and then came home and slept. During the night though there was a cat outside who was meowing like crazy… it woke me up and I felt so bad for it. Many of the cats here look quite bad- they don’t have tails anymore because they get into fights. It’s sad and it makes me miss my Meeka at home.

Today I was able to buy a shelf, fan, heater and desk light from a guy who was selling his things. It was a challenge bringing it home, but luckily a friend from work offered to help me. I feel like my apartment is FINALLY getting to where I want it to be.

One thing I miss from home: black tea! I’ve been looking everywhere for it but can’t find it anywhere. I didn’t think I’d miss it, but I’ve been craving it like crazy! Friday I go to Costco for the first time, so I’ll look for it there (fingers crossed).

I took a few more pics of some of my other kids at school… they’re so cute!

On a final note, I think I’m getting sick. I’ve been popping multivitamins, Cold FX and Vitamin C like crazy, but I don’t think it’s helping. Any advice????