I'm home!!! Just as I left Korea, I am still feeling every emotion in the book. The exhaustion from jet lag has set in and I can barely keep my eyes open at times. However, being back is wonderful and confusing at the same time. I am experiencing more of a culture-shock at home then I did when I first arrived in Korea. I want to apologize for such a late post on my trip home. I have been so busy running around and preparing for family gatherings and attempting to organize my life, that I have not been able to write a justified blog, but here it goes.
I left the last post Thursday afternoon. After that I continued my packing and met with friends for one last cheeky drink outside the GS convienence store. Then, I attempted sleep and was successful for about 3 hours. I woke up at 4:30am and spent the next 2 and a half hours packing, reflecting on my year, and walking around my apartment. It still had not hit me that I would be leaving the DongMokKohl forever! At 7am I was off to the airport via taxi, then bus. When I arrived at the airport, I had to wait one hour for the desk to open. Upon that time, I met a wonderful couple from Korea. The husband was an Alabama-American and the wife was Korean. They told me all about their children living in California and how they were going to the states for two weeks to visit family. He is stationed in Korea through the military and had been living in Korea for the past 25 years. Finally, it was time to check-in. I was able to snag a first-class ticket to Japan and an economy-plus ticket to Chicago for only $130!! It was absolutely worth it! Economy-plus is offered by United Airlines and it basically means more leg room. I was comfortable during the flight and could fully stretch out, which was worth the money.
Japan was a pretty cool country (from what I could tell in the airport) but I knew that Korea was the right choice for me verses Japan. I got the feeling that the culture in Japan would have been to materialistic and judgemental based on the airport experience. The workers in the airport stahls, were unfriendly and walked around like they were better. Of course, the actual country experience could be different, but I am just happy than I chose Korea instead! After the 12 hour flight from Japan to Chicago (which felt like 3 days), I was so happy to be back on American soil, but only at first. I got through customs and had quickly had my first taste in a year of the American girls. There was this girl, probably in her early 20s, who was directing people to the ticket counter and she had too much attitude for her own good. She yelled at a man in a wheelchair for getting to close to her, and she seemed extremely bothered by people asking her questions. After that, I thought "hmmmm, how many more months til I go back to Korea??" I was immediatley shocked by the blunt, brash, and aggressiveness towards complete strangers in Chicago. Of course, I had to remind my self that this is Chicago! One of the largest cities in America, and people are generally unfriendly in big cities. I was so happy to leave the Chicago airport and finally get to Michigan.
On the plane to Michigan, I had another bad experience. I sat infront of this 12 year old kid and his dad. The boy was so mean to his father and saying, "Dad! Why isn't the plane moving! Make it move dad! God! I am so bored! Dad! Do something!" And the dad just sat there so whimpy and said "Well son, the pilot is working on it. We'll move when we move." I wanted to turn around and tell this boy to stop acting like a baby and to be respectful of his dad and the people around him. We all had to tolerate is attitude and his snottiness. That is something that you would never see in Korea. Children being so disrespectful to their parents, especially in a public place.
After arriving in Grand Rapids, I practically ran to my parents and knocked anyone in my path, out of my way. I was greated by my mommy and daddy and we all cried for about 5 minutes. It was a huge feeling of relief to finally hug them after a year. Next, we went to Wendy's!! Finally, I had a delcious Wendy's hamburger. I was enjoying every bit, until I sunddenly felt ill from consuming it so quickly haha! Then, we went to the train station and picked up my sister. Seeing her was great and we cried again! Next, we went home and I saw my doggies. They were so confused as if to say "I think I know who you are, but I'm going to wag my tail because you might be a new person." After that, I walked around my house, discovering the changes and familiarizing myself with home again.
The next three days were spent getting used to life in America and discovering the old life I used to live. As I said before, I am in more of a culture shock being home then I was in Korea. When I went to Korea, I wasn't as surprised by the life because I was expecting it to be different. Many things surprised me, but I accepted them and adapted to them. Being home, I was expecting to immdediatley fall back into my element of the lifestyle, but it is just so hard. For example, the culture of people is shocking. How people behave confuses me. In Korea, strangers will speak to you like you are a family member, but here, strangers speak to you formally and with as little personal information as possible. Being able to understand every conversation around me is freaky. I really don't like it! I like sitting at a restaurant, not being to understand most of what's going on around me, and being in my own world of English :) Also, I am so surprised at how fat most people are. I am not trying to be mean, but I never understood the "obesity problem" in America until now. Young people, my age or younger, are just huge! In Korea, if you saw someone overweight, you noticed it and sympathized with them. Being fat in Korea, is extremely rare, but here it seems the norm. The most shocking thing about being home, is white people. I have not been around this many white people of all ages in a year and it's so so so so so weird!! Going out in public, I feel like I am in foreign country, not my home. The shock may wear-off, but for now I am very uncomfortable in public. Being in my home, I am so happy and I feel like I was only gone for a month, not a year. I fell right back into the routine of using my shower, sleeping in my bed, watching T.V., using the washer/dryer and dishwasher. I feel so comfortable in an American home!! And I love it!!
These next six months, will be a wonderful time at home. I am so happy with the timing of everything. I get to be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, my Dad's birthday, and my parent's 35th wedding anniversary. I will probably get used to this lifestyle again, but shortly after, it'll be time to return to Korea! I am already planning my next adventure to the Land of the Morning Calm and I can't wait! To say that I feel comfortable in Korea, is strange. I never thought I was comfortable there, but after being home I realize that the lifestyle of Korea goes well with my personality. There are things I will never get used to there (example: being stared at all the time) but I adapted myself to those things, and appreciated the things I enjoyed (example: food, culture, and convienence).
To anyone who is considering a year in Korea, my reccomendation is DO IT! But first, evaluate yourself. Are you looking for a new experience? Are you okay with being out of your element and lifestyle? Are you okay with leaving everyone and everything you know for a year? If your answer is "yes" or even "maybe" to these questions, then I suggest you take the leap and prepare yourself for a year you won't regret. I have been through some hard times in Korea. I lost two family members during my year, had an explosive eye infection, went through an attack from North Korea, the Tsunami in Japan, and a break-in at my apartment. If I can say "I have no regrets about my year, and I am unbelievably happy about this experience," then I know that other people will have a great year and enjoy it just as much as I did. The lessons I learned and the values I gained about my personality, work-ethic, and relationships are things I will keep with my forever. This was truly a life-changing experience.
I suppose it is time to officially conclude this blog for the time being. I have so much enjoyed writing this, and I know that I can look back on my year and remember it in great detail thanks to these posts. To my handful of readers :), thank you for your comments, support, and interest. I have enjoyed getting to know many people from all over the world through this blog. In about six months, I will start up this blog again, and start the second chapter in A Year in My Seoul. I hope you have enjoyed reading and walking through this amazing journey with me. Now, it is time for me to have another journey, of discovering the things I took for granted or didn't notice before about home. I became a new person during this year, and I learned to bascially be an adult, especially in Korea. Now it's time to apply those lessons and enjoy my time with family and friends.I am looking forward to having new experiences, adapting to my former life, and making new memories...Especially in Michigan.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
The Day Before, Life Goes On...
Rush, Rush, Rush...Pack, Pack, Pack....Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye...If you want the paraphrased version of my week, well there it is! However, I am going to share my last two days and conclude at the point that I am at right now.
Tuesday I went to work, and I met the teacher that will be replacing me. I was so nervous because this person will be taking all my classes and will be a big part of my student's education and lives. Now, some may say that I can be a tad bit controlling (hey gimme a break!:), but all I thought was "pssh, this person can't handle my job" or "they won't love my kids they way I did!" So, I met the teacher and he seemed very nice and opened-minded, but also nervous about starting this job. I ended up training him, getting to know his experience, and I was so happy that he was a truly down-to-earth young guy. He interacted with the kids, played games, made them laugh, and was just an awesome replacement! I felt so good about leaving after that because I know that he will develop a great relationship with the students. I also realized, that as much as I love these kids, it is time to move on for me and for them. For the three years they have been in school, they have seen teachers come and go. Now, it was my time to go and to leave them with a teacher that will continue the work that I put in this last year.
Tuesday night, I went to Seoul and met with my namja-chingu (a.k.a. boyfriend) and had dinner with him one last time. He is going to Australia for 6 months and I will be in America for 6 months. At the end of February, we will meet in Ilsan and I'll start a new job. Anway, so we met for dinner and I was doing really well at holding it together! Then, he said he had to go back to Ilsan to meet his family and I started crying :( It was the type of crying that you can't talk and if you do, it'll be high-pitched and squeaky. So I just cried. We ended up parting at the subway and I cried the whole way home. I am going to miss him so much, but ever since we started dating almost one year ago, he has been talking about Australia. I am so proud of him and happy that he is going to have this experience!
Wednesday was my last day at ECC. I just tried not to think about it, because I still had a job to do and I wanted to do it well until the very end. However, the kids were coming up to me and hugging me and saying "Teacher don't go!" So, it was a bit hard to ignore my leaving. After lunch, I had a snack party with my Fabre class and then went to my Edison class and had a snack party with them. Edison made me a big card that had pictures and notes form the kids on it. I was so special and I can't wait to show my family and friends! As we were sitting there, the last period of the day, Fabre walks in with cards for me. My Korean partner teachers gave me flowers and the kids sang to me. I started crying and hugged all my students. Then it was time to go home and I took my Edison babies to the bus one last time. I cried again, of course :) and said my last goodbye. But, as I said before they will have a great time with the new teacher and I will have a great time at home! Elementary was very nice. My Post-Kindy class were all so sad and they brought a cake and orange juice and we had a party. After school ended, I stayed awhile and cleaned up my desk and said my goodbyes to the Korean teachers. Bittersweet is an understatment!
Wednesday night, I went out to Galbi, or Korean barbaque, with the teachers and had my last taste of that delicious meal. It is just big slabs of pork on an open bbq at your table. The best part is all the side dishes of vegetables, soups, and rice! Yummy! After dinner, we went to the chicken restaurant and had a few beers. I was just so exhausted mentally and physically that I had a hard time enjoying a night of celebration. But, I did get to see a lot of people and say my goodbyes. I like having closure and that means saying goodbye, even if it's difficult to do.
Thursday, I woke up bright and early and started my final tasks of leaving Korea. I packed most of my stuff and realized I don't have as much as I thought I did! Awesome! :) I went to the bank and sent all my money home and closed my account. That was a moment that set into reality I was leaving, they cut up my bank card! I was shocked when the cut it and got a little emotional! After the bank, I walked home and, oh surprise, cried again haha. It's just unbelievable to me, that I have survived a year in this country. This is the place that has become my home and now I'm leaving it. But the plus side is that I am leaving this temporary home, to go to my real home!!! I just went and had lunch in a kimbap-nara and oh boy it was good! I had the cheesy-donggasuh, which is deep-friend pork and rice. Not the healthiest of meals, but it's worth it! Now, I am sitting in a PC bong, or computer room, writing this message. Soon, I will be off to my home to finish my packing.
In two days, I will be sitting in my parent's kitchen, writing my final blog of this year in Korea. It has been happy, sad, stressful, exciting, difficult, enjoyable, and any other emotion you can think of. I will never regret my decision to come here, and I will remember this year for the rest of my life. The lessons I have learned about myself and what I can apply to my future, will be with me forever. See you all soon!!!
Tuesday I went to work, and I met the teacher that will be replacing me. I was so nervous because this person will be taking all my classes and will be a big part of my student's education and lives. Now, some may say that I can be a tad bit controlling (hey gimme a break!:), but all I thought was "pssh, this person can't handle my job" or "they won't love my kids they way I did!" So, I met the teacher and he seemed very nice and opened-minded, but also nervous about starting this job. I ended up training him, getting to know his experience, and I was so happy that he was a truly down-to-earth young guy. He interacted with the kids, played games, made them laugh, and was just an awesome replacement! I felt so good about leaving after that because I know that he will develop a great relationship with the students. I also realized, that as much as I love these kids, it is time to move on for me and for them. For the three years they have been in school, they have seen teachers come and go. Now, it was my time to go and to leave them with a teacher that will continue the work that I put in this last year.
Tuesday night, I went to Seoul and met with my namja-chingu (a.k.a. boyfriend) and had dinner with him one last time. He is going to Australia for 6 months and I will be in America for 6 months. At the end of February, we will meet in Ilsan and I'll start a new job. Anway, so we met for dinner and I was doing really well at holding it together! Then, he said he had to go back to Ilsan to meet his family and I started crying :( It was the type of crying that you can't talk and if you do, it'll be high-pitched and squeaky. So I just cried. We ended up parting at the subway and I cried the whole way home. I am going to miss him so much, but ever since we started dating almost one year ago, he has been talking about Australia. I am so proud of him and happy that he is going to have this experience!
Wednesday was my last day at ECC. I just tried not to think about it, because I still had a job to do and I wanted to do it well until the very end. However, the kids were coming up to me and hugging me and saying "Teacher don't go!" So, it was a bit hard to ignore my leaving. After lunch, I had a snack party with my Fabre class and then went to my Edison class and had a snack party with them. Edison made me a big card that had pictures and notes form the kids on it. I was so special and I can't wait to show my family and friends! As we were sitting there, the last period of the day, Fabre walks in with cards for me. My Korean partner teachers gave me flowers and the kids sang to me. I started crying and hugged all my students. Then it was time to go home and I took my Edison babies to the bus one last time. I cried again, of course :) and said my last goodbye. But, as I said before they will have a great time with the new teacher and I will have a great time at home! Elementary was very nice. My Post-Kindy class were all so sad and they brought a cake and orange juice and we had a party. After school ended, I stayed awhile and cleaned up my desk and said my goodbyes to the Korean teachers. Bittersweet is an understatment!
Wednesday night, I went out to Galbi, or Korean barbaque, with the teachers and had my last taste of that delicious meal. It is just big slabs of pork on an open bbq at your table. The best part is all the side dishes of vegetables, soups, and rice! Yummy! After dinner, we went to the chicken restaurant and had a few beers. I was just so exhausted mentally and physically that I had a hard time enjoying a night of celebration. But, I did get to see a lot of people and say my goodbyes. I like having closure and that means saying goodbye, even if it's difficult to do.
Thursday, I woke up bright and early and started my final tasks of leaving Korea. I packed most of my stuff and realized I don't have as much as I thought I did! Awesome! :) I went to the bank and sent all my money home and closed my account. That was a moment that set into reality I was leaving, they cut up my bank card! I was shocked when the cut it and got a little emotional! After the bank, I walked home and, oh surprise, cried again haha. It's just unbelievable to me, that I have survived a year in this country. This is the place that has become my home and now I'm leaving it. But the plus side is that I am leaving this temporary home, to go to my real home!!! I just went and had lunch in a kimbap-nara and oh boy it was good! I had the cheesy-donggasuh, which is deep-friend pork and rice. Not the healthiest of meals, but it's worth it! Now, I am sitting in a PC bong, or computer room, writing this message. Soon, I will be off to my home to finish my packing.
In two days, I will be sitting in my parent's kitchen, writing my final blog of this year in Korea. It has been happy, sad, stressful, exciting, difficult, enjoyable, and any other emotion you can think of. I will never regret my decision to come here, and I will remember this year for the rest of my life. The lessons I have learned about myself and what I can apply to my future, will be with me forever. See you all soon!!!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Unofficial Official List: Part 2
Almost one year ago, I made two lists on my blog. The first was all the things I would miss about home, the other was all the things I loved about Korea. Now it is time to reverse those lists and add many new things that I have discovered that I loved and missed since being in Korea! Here we go:
*Things I will miss about Korea:
-My Friends - I can't believe that I was able to come to a foreign country and meet so many people just like me. People who wanted an adventure and to experience another culture. I will miss all my "chingus!"
-Kimbap Naras - These amazing "Ma and Pa" restaurants that serve delicious Korean food. You could spend about $3 or $4 dollars and be so full and not finish your food!They are everywhere too!
-Norebangs - Or "song rooms." I love me some Karaokee!!
-Underground shopping - Next year, I will not bring any clothes and just go shopping in the underground for cheap, yet good quality clothing!
-Transportation - I wasn't a fan of buses and subways before Korea, but thinking about the money I saved on a car and gas is incredible! And the system is so easy to understand!
-Taxis - A taxi ride around town can cost under $5! Yes Please!
-Korean Children - Wow! They are cute!!!
-The Convienence of Everything! - Whether it's the internet company, the locksmith, the doctor, the pharmacy, or even the police, you make a phone call and they are there within 15 minutes! There is no ridiculous waiting period for anything!
-Diaso - A high-quality dollar store that sells just about ANYTHING!
-Korean Snacks - the food is regulated so strictly by the government, that even the chips and cookies are healthy and delicious! If I eat cookies at home, the way I do in Korea, I'll be huge in a month!
-Korean Food - I need to find Kimchi ASAP!
-My Students - I never thought that I would love a child this much, that wasn't mine, until I met these kids. I am going to miss them so much, but I am so happy that I was able to be apart of their education and lives. I will never forget them!
*Things I will love about being home:
-Family, Friends, Pets, blah blah blah - it goes without saying, yeah??
-Driving - I am so scared, but so excited to try driving again. My parents already told me that they are taking me to the high school parking lot to practice before I hit the road :)
-Carpet - I haven't felt carpet in over a year!
-Clothes Dryer - YES!!! No more mold on my clothes or waiting two days for my clothes to dry!
-A Real Shower - I'm just sick of my bathroom being wet EVERYWHERE!
-Speaking English to Strangers - I have not spoken to someone I didn't know in over a year. I haven't been able to ask where things are at a store, or ask for directions.
-Not Being Stared At - It was flattering at first, now it's just plain annoying and rude!
-T.V. - I have started to understand Korean and have enjoyed watching Korean T.V. but I miss my shows and getting super excited about how magical "Dancing With The Stars" is with my mom :)
There is probably so much that I am missing from both lists, but these are the things that have come to mind! I am currently in the middle of my last day at ECC! I have to go and say goodbye to my students and the tears are coming! Two days and I'll be on an airplane home to my beautiful Michigan!
*Things I will miss about Korea:
-My Friends - I can't believe that I was able to come to a foreign country and meet so many people just like me. People who wanted an adventure and to experience another culture. I will miss all my "chingus!"
-Kimbap Naras - These amazing "Ma and Pa" restaurants that serve delicious Korean food. You could spend about $3 or $4 dollars and be so full and not finish your food!They are everywhere too!
-Norebangs - Or "song rooms." I love me some Karaokee!!
-Underground shopping - Next year, I will not bring any clothes and just go shopping in the underground for cheap, yet good quality clothing!
-Transportation - I wasn't a fan of buses and subways before Korea, but thinking about the money I saved on a car and gas is incredible! And the system is so easy to understand!
-Taxis - A taxi ride around town can cost under $5! Yes Please!
-Korean Children - Wow! They are cute!!!
-The Convienence of Everything! - Whether it's the internet company, the locksmith, the doctor, the pharmacy, or even the police, you make a phone call and they are there within 15 minutes! There is no ridiculous waiting period for anything!
-Diaso - A high-quality dollar store that sells just about ANYTHING!
-Korean Snacks - the food is regulated so strictly by the government, that even the chips and cookies are healthy and delicious! If I eat cookies at home, the way I do in Korea, I'll be huge in a month!
-Korean Food - I need to find Kimchi ASAP!
-My Students - I never thought that I would love a child this much, that wasn't mine, until I met these kids. I am going to miss them so much, but I am so happy that I was able to be apart of their education and lives. I will never forget them!
*Things I will love about being home:
-Family, Friends, Pets, blah blah blah - it goes without saying, yeah??
-Driving - I am so scared, but so excited to try driving again. My parents already told me that they are taking me to the high school parking lot to practice before I hit the road :)
-Carpet - I haven't felt carpet in over a year!
-Clothes Dryer - YES!!! No more mold on my clothes or waiting two days for my clothes to dry!
-A Real Shower - I'm just sick of my bathroom being wet EVERYWHERE!
-Speaking English to Strangers - I have not spoken to someone I didn't know in over a year. I haven't been able to ask where things are at a store, or ask for directions.
-Not Being Stared At - It was flattering at first, now it's just plain annoying and rude!
-T.V. - I have started to understand Korean and have enjoyed watching Korean T.V. but I miss my shows and getting super excited about how magical "Dancing With The Stars" is with my mom :)
There is probably so much that I am missing from both lists, but these are the things that have come to mind! I am currently in the middle of my last day at ECC! I have to go and say goodbye to my students and the tears are coming! Two days and I'll be on an airplane home to my beautiful Michigan!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The End is Near!
The phrase "I can't believe..." has been typed in almost every blog entry this year haha! Why? Because I honestly can't believe all that has happened! My year in Korea is quickly coming to an end and it's hard processing all that is going on. I am so excited (and ready) to go home, but at the same time, I have to say goodbye to so many people and my students. First, I have to deal with the sad part, to get to the happy part, but I know it'll be worth it! I am so excited to see my parents, sister, family and friends, that I am jumping around like a child and planning all the great things I am going to do with them!
Update on life: In the past month, I have been spending it just winding down my Korean life and preparing myself for home. People have asked me if I have been visiting places and sight-seeing before I leave, and my answer is "no." I did all the touristy things in my first couple of months. For me, this isn't about leaving a country and trying to squeeze in as much culture as possible, it's about leaving the place that I have made my home. Instead, I have been packing my stuff, getting rid of thing I don't want, and spending time with my friends. I am ready to start the next phase of being home! But, as said before, that means saying good-bye and it's alwasys so hard!
I finally told my students that I was leaving. This is how it went...
Me: "Okay kids, what month comes next?"
Students: "September!"
Me:"Good job! Now, when September comes, Mallory Teacher is going to go back to America and you will have a new teacher!"
Students: "Why Teacher?!"
Me: "Because I miss my family and they miss me."
Students: "Okay teacher, go see Mommy and Daddy."
*Then My Little Prince Eric sits and thinks really hard about something and says...
Eric: "So Teacher go to America in September, and come back October?"
*I start to whimper and say...
Me: "Ummm, No Eric....*the rest of the conversation was inaudible*
It was so hard to say good-bye to my students, because they don't fully understand what "good-bye" means. I just hope that they like and enjoy their new teacher as much as they liked me! I have asked all the teachers to take care of them for me and to send me pictures of course!
In five days I will be on an airplane and I can't believe it's already here! One year ago, I wrote "I can't believe I'm here" and now it's "I can't believe it's over!" WOW!!!
Update on life: In the past month, I have been spending it just winding down my Korean life and preparing myself for home. People have asked me if I have been visiting places and sight-seeing before I leave, and my answer is "no." I did all the touristy things in my first couple of months. For me, this isn't about leaving a country and trying to squeeze in as much culture as possible, it's about leaving the place that I have made my home. Instead, I have been packing my stuff, getting rid of thing I don't want, and spending time with my friends. I am ready to start the next phase of being home! But, as said before, that means saying good-bye and it's alwasys so hard!
I finally told my students that I was leaving. This is how it went...
Me: "Okay kids, what month comes next?"
Students: "September!"
Me:"Good job! Now, when September comes, Mallory Teacher is going to go back to America and you will have a new teacher!"
Students: "Why Teacher?!"
Me: "Because I miss my family and they miss me."
Students: "Okay teacher, go see Mommy and Daddy."
*Then My Little Prince Eric sits and thinks really hard about something and says...
Eric: "So Teacher go to America in September, and come back October?"
*I start to whimper and say...
Me: "Ummm, No Eric....*the rest of the conversation was inaudible*
It was so hard to say good-bye to my students, because they don't fully understand what "good-bye" means. I just hope that they like and enjoy their new teacher as much as they liked me! I have asked all the teachers to take care of them for me and to send me pictures of course!
In five days I will be on an airplane and I can't believe it's already here! One year ago, I wrote "I can't believe I'm here" and now it's "I can't believe it's over!" WOW!!!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Summer Vacation: Part 1
Our vacation from school for one week started on a sad note. We said goodbye to our Foreign Teacher Supervisor and my good friend. He was leaving Korea after being here for 18 months. We had a final chicken&beer night at the local chicken restaurant and said our goodbyes on the next morning which was the first day of vacation. After saying goodbye, I headed for the subway to get to the airport to get to Jeju Island!!! Jeju is a beautiful island between Korea and Japan, that is tropical and gorgeous. I was ready to relax and enjoy the sun!!
Immediately upon arriving in Jeju, we started a very busy and detailed guided tour of Jeju. We went to an arboretum of Jeju agriculture, an Asian-themed circus, an underground cave, a glass-sculpture park, a Jeju Island history museum, a black sand beach, and much more! I can't pick which part was my favorite because we did so much and saw so many great things. I was really happy with the tour and can't believe how inexpensive everything was.
We did many great things and the vacation was a lot of fun, but a few moments are worth sharing with everyone. One thing I never thought I would see in my life happened in Jeju Island. We were in the bus and stopped near a mountain side. I look out the window and a large herd of wild horses come into view and start eating grass on the side of the mountain. I was amazed at how large and beautiful these animals were. I was so amazed that I forgot to take a picture :) Another thing I never thought I would do happened in Jeju. We were at an actual village of Jeju Island where people lived and we were learning about the customs of the village. The tour guide goes around and puts this grain-like substance in our hands and tells us that it is very healthy to eat and people in this village eat it everyday. Come to find out that it is dried horse placenta! I was very freaked out, but I figured "hey, if these people eat it everyday, then I can eat it just one time." So, bottoms up! It wasn't that bad actually. The really bad part was just thinking about what you were eating. Another thing I ate in Jeju was Sushami, which is raw fish and vegetables. I wasn't that bad, but I'm not a huge fan of fish.
After we were in Jeju for three days, we hopped on a plane and went to Busan which is a beach city in Korea. We ended up spending a day on the beach along with 500,000 other people. That was the estimated number from the Korean government. It was so packed and all you could see was a sea of umbrellas and the first 50 feet of the water was only people packed together. Busan was a fun city, but the amount of people was unbelievable. I did have a nice time, just laying down and resting on a beach after three days of non-stop Jeju touring. It was a great way to end my vacation. But, my vacation wasn't over because I still had three days until school started!! I was ready to sleep, relax, and prepare my mind and body for school. However, relaxing and sleeping would be the last thing I would do for the rest of my vacation.....
Immediately upon arriving in Jeju, we started a very busy and detailed guided tour of Jeju. We went to an arboretum of Jeju agriculture, an Asian-themed circus, an underground cave, a glass-sculpture park, a Jeju Island history museum, a black sand beach, and much more! I can't pick which part was my favorite because we did so much and saw so many great things. I was really happy with the tour and can't believe how inexpensive everything was.
We did many great things and the vacation was a lot of fun, but a few moments are worth sharing with everyone. One thing I never thought I would see in my life happened in Jeju Island. We were in the bus and stopped near a mountain side. I look out the window and a large herd of wild horses come into view and start eating grass on the side of the mountain. I was amazed at how large and beautiful these animals were. I was so amazed that I forgot to take a picture :) Another thing I never thought I would do happened in Jeju. We were at an actual village of Jeju Island where people lived and we were learning about the customs of the village. The tour guide goes around and puts this grain-like substance in our hands and tells us that it is very healthy to eat and people in this village eat it everyday. Come to find out that it is dried horse placenta! I was very freaked out, but I figured "hey, if these people eat it everyday, then I can eat it just one time." So, bottoms up! It wasn't that bad actually. The really bad part was just thinking about what you were eating. Another thing I ate in Jeju was Sushami, which is raw fish and vegetables. I wasn't that bad, but I'm not a huge fan of fish.
After we were in Jeju for three days, we hopped on a plane and went to Busan which is a beach city in Korea. We ended up spending a day on the beach along with 500,000 other people. That was the estimated number from the Korean government. It was so packed and all you could see was a sea of umbrellas and the first 50 feet of the water was only people packed together. Busan was a fun city, but the amount of people was unbelievable. I did have a nice time, just laying down and resting on a beach after three days of non-stop Jeju touring. It was a great way to end my vacation. But, my vacation wasn't over because I still had three days until school started!! I was ready to sleep, relax, and prepare my mind and body for school. However, relaxing and sleeping would be the last thing I would do for the rest of my vacation.....
Summer Vacation: Part 2
After my glorious four day vacation in paradise, I was ready to come home and spend the next three days of vacation just relaxing. I was also going to start my packing for when I leave next month and go back home! We left Busan at around 5:30pm and arrived in Seoul at around 10pm on Sunday night. I was ready to go home, shower, start some laundry and get into my nice and comfortable bed. I got to my apartment at around midnight and couldn't believe what I saw. My apartment door was unlocked, the windows were open, and my room and roommate's rooms were completely destroyed. My roommate had left for vacation on Friday afternoon and sometime between then and this moment, we had been robbed.
I had never been this shocked in my life, and I was shaking so badly that I could barely make a phone call. I had a friend call the police and called the only other teacher that was home from vacation. The police came within five minutes and did a thorough search of the apartment. They asked questions, looked around, and called the detectives. The detectives fingerprinted, footprinted, and took photos of the bedrooms and apartment. They worked and are still working very diligently on the case and I hope they know how much I appreciate their efforts.
I don't want to go into the details about how it happened, what was stolen, etc. What I do want to say is that I just can't believe this happened and I am so crushed that something like this had to happen at all. I know that what was taken is just stuff and that stuff can be replaced. What makes me the most upset is how violated I feel. I am in a foreign country, a place that is not my home and that I will never feel completely comfortable in. I have worked so hard to make my little room in Korea, my own space that is just mine and I feel safe in. Now, I don't have that. I have a space, that some stranger came into, destroyed, and left with my most valuable possessions. I have no sense of security in my apartment anymore and that's what hurts the most. I love Korea and I am so excited to return to a different city, but it's sad that my first year here has to end on such a bad note.
So, to wrap up this lovely vacation story: I went from paradise to hell in a matter of moments. Now, more than ever, I am ready to get out of Uijeongbu, out of DongMokKohl, and home to my wonderful family and friends who I miss so much. People have asked me "Do you want to leave Korea early after the break in?" My answer is NO! I have two reasons to stay: my adorable kids, and my equally adorable boyfriend :) Other than that, I am ready to go! Less than four weeks, and I will be writing my final post from the kitchen of my parent's house!!
I had never been this shocked in my life, and I was shaking so badly that I could barely make a phone call. I had a friend call the police and called the only other teacher that was home from vacation. The police came within five minutes and did a thorough search of the apartment. They asked questions, looked around, and called the detectives. The detectives fingerprinted, footprinted, and took photos of the bedrooms and apartment. They worked and are still working very diligently on the case and I hope they know how much I appreciate their efforts.
I don't want to go into the details about how it happened, what was stolen, etc. What I do want to say is that I just can't believe this happened and I am so crushed that something like this had to happen at all. I know that what was taken is just stuff and that stuff can be replaced. What makes me the most upset is how violated I feel. I am in a foreign country, a place that is not my home and that I will never feel completely comfortable in. I have worked so hard to make my little room in Korea, my own space that is just mine and I feel safe in. Now, I don't have that. I have a space, that some stranger came into, destroyed, and left with my most valuable possessions. I have no sense of security in my apartment anymore and that's what hurts the most. I love Korea and I am so excited to return to a different city, but it's sad that my first year here has to end on such a bad note.
So, to wrap up this lovely vacation story: I went from paradise to hell in a matter of moments. Now, more than ever, I am ready to get out of Uijeongbu, out of DongMokKohl, and home to my wonderful family and friends who I miss so much. People have asked me "Do you want to leave Korea early after the break in?" My answer is NO! I have two reasons to stay: my adorable kids, and my equally adorable boyfriend :) Other than that, I am ready to go! Less than four weeks, and I will be writing my final post from the kitchen of my parent's house!!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Gettin Down and Dirrrty....MudFest!
This past weekend, I went to Boryeong City which is on the west coast of Korea. The reason for the visit was to celebrate the annual MudFest. This is a festival that centers around a special mud that is found on the Boryeong beach off the coast of The Yellow Sea. The old belief is that this mud is great for your skin and health. Now, I am totally up for a mud wrap at a spa or cleansing my skin with natural products, but this festival was a little bit about the mud and more about the drinking on the beach. It is also a time for almost every foreigner in Korea, to gather and have what can only be described as a post-college drunken haze. Neither of which, I was prepared for....
We left at 7am on Saturday morning, to meet the tour group in Yangje. We arrived in Yangje at 8:30 and were off on the big tour bus by 9am. The ride to Boryeong was 3 hours. When we arrived, It was pouring down rain and the pension/hotel wouldn't let us check-in until 2pm. We had to walk around the festival with all our bags in the rain. Once we got into the room, we changed and get ready to get dirty in the mud! The moment we walked out of the pension, the sky became clear and it was beautiful for the rest of the weekend.
The festival was held right on the beach and it was only a 5 minute walk from our pension. We got to the festival and immediately lathered ourselves in mud. The actual mud is in a field about 5 miles down from the festival site. So, they have big trucks that ship the mud in and dump it into tubs for people to put on themselves. Or if you were in our group, have mud fights and splash each other. There were slides and obstacle courses for people to go on, but the lines were so long that it wasn't worth it. You could also mud wrestle in either a pool of mud or a pool of water to clean off. We opted for the beach and the sea instead. This beach was so clean and the water was a perfect temperature. For some reason, the water makes me feel like a kid again and I love splashing around and doing flips in the water!
After our fill of getting muddy, we went back to the pension and got ready for dinner. We had pizza and chicken at a restaurant and then went out to explore the city at night. Boryeong is a small beach city, that is definitely not prepared for as many people that showed up for the weekend. Everything was packed or sold out. The people I went with wanted to go out to the clubs/bars, but I went home and rested. It was tiring getting muddy and playing in the water!
The next morning, everyone was passed out from a fun night, but I woke up at 8am. So, I went on an adventure to the beach and took pictures of the festival before it got busy again. It was very hot and sunny before 10am, so it was time to go swimming! I ended up getting muddy one last time, which led to a paparazzi moment. I was with my friend's girlfriend who is Korean and we started a mud fight. Immediately, we had six photographers from the festival take multiple pictures of us. I was really skeptical, but they said that they want pictures of Koreans and foreigners interacting and bonding at the mudfest. Maybe next year our picture will be on the brouchure!!
At 3pm, it was time to clean off the mud and get back on the bus. I arrived at my apartment at 8:30pm and realized how exhausted I was from the fun weekend. Mudfest was great and I recommend it to anyone who will be in Korea next year. It is definitely something to experience!
Other than the dirty weekend, school is going great. We are preparing ourselves for vacation starting next week. That means we have to get everything done before Wednesday and then Thursday I will be on a plane to Jeju Island! I am so excited to get back on the beach! Six weeks from tomorrow will be my last day at ECC. I can't believe how fast this is going and how much more I have left to do!
The Rommie and I after our first mudding
Playing in the mud water
Hanging with the gals
We left at 7am on Saturday morning, to meet the tour group in Yangje. We arrived in Yangje at 8:30 and were off on the big tour bus by 9am. The ride to Boryeong was 3 hours. When we arrived, It was pouring down rain and the pension/hotel wouldn't let us check-in until 2pm. We had to walk around the festival with all our bags in the rain. Once we got into the room, we changed and get ready to get dirty in the mud! The moment we walked out of the pension, the sky became clear and it was beautiful for the rest of the weekend.
The festival was held right on the beach and it was only a 5 minute walk from our pension. We got to the festival and immediately lathered ourselves in mud. The actual mud is in a field about 5 miles down from the festival site. So, they have big trucks that ship the mud in and dump it into tubs for people to put on themselves. Or if you were in our group, have mud fights and splash each other. There were slides and obstacle courses for people to go on, but the lines were so long that it wasn't worth it. You could also mud wrestle in either a pool of mud or a pool of water to clean off. We opted for the beach and the sea instead. This beach was so clean and the water was a perfect temperature. For some reason, the water makes me feel like a kid again and I love splashing around and doing flips in the water!
After our fill of getting muddy, we went back to the pension and got ready for dinner. We had pizza and chicken at a restaurant and then went out to explore the city at night. Boryeong is a small beach city, that is definitely not prepared for as many people that showed up for the weekend. Everything was packed or sold out. The people I went with wanted to go out to the clubs/bars, but I went home and rested. It was tiring getting muddy and playing in the water!
The next morning, everyone was passed out from a fun night, but I woke up at 8am. So, I went on an adventure to the beach and took pictures of the festival before it got busy again. It was very hot and sunny before 10am, so it was time to go swimming! I ended up getting muddy one last time, which led to a paparazzi moment. I was with my friend's girlfriend who is Korean and we started a mud fight. Immediately, we had six photographers from the festival take multiple pictures of us. I was really skeptical, but they said that they want pictures of Koreans and foreigners interacting and bonding at the mudfest. Maybe next year our picture will be on the brouchure!!
At 3pm, it was time to clean off the mud and get back on the bus. I arrived at my apartment at 8:30pm and realized how exhausted I was from the fun weekend. Mudfest was great and I recommend it to anyone who will be in Korea next year. It is definitely something to experience!
Other than the dirty weekend, school is going great. We are preparing ourselves for vacation starting next week. That means we have to get everything done before Wednesday and then Thursday I will be on a plane to Jeju Island! I am so excited to get back on the beach! Six weeks from tomorrow will be my last day at ECC. I can't believe how fast this is going and how much more I have left to do!
The Rommie and I after our first mudding
Playing in the mud water
Hanging with the gals
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Busy as a Bee!
June has just flown by! I can't believe this coming Friday will be the first day of July. It feels as though I was dancing in the streets of Seoul, ringing in the new year just last month. The quickness of time is mostly attributed to how busy life has been recently!
For the past month we have been preparing for a special day at ECC. It was open-class day, where the parents would come in and watch their child's class. Since I teach the seven year old classes, we had a more special open-class to prepare for. We did a play about hospitals and the different types of clinics and doctors. It was very fun for the kids and they were so good with the amount of time we spent practicing scripts. On the day of the hospital play, we were all very nervous. All our hard work was boiling down to this moment. I had two classes performing a play. The first class, called Fabre class, have only been studying English for 6 months. They knew all their lines and are always a very loud and entertaining class. The second class, called Edison class, have been studying for 3 years and are extremely fluent in English. They also knew their lines, but they are more quiet and well-behaved. Fabre class was up first and I was expecting loud voices and excitment. They ended up not making a sound, forgetting their lines, and refusing to speak after I whispered the lines in their ears. It was very difficult to get them excited about anything. These poor kids were so nervous in front of their parents and I felt like I had let my partner teacher down. But, we all realized in the end, that they were nervous and I played off the flop of the play as best as I could!
After Fabre class, I was expecting Edison class to go just as badly. The script was much harder for them, because they are more advanced students. Also, the are usually very quiet. Edison class went infront of their parents and were amazing! They remembered all their lines, spoke very loudly, and were very excited during the whole play. I was so proud of them, I bought them ice cream and candy before they went home on Friday. I should have guessed that Edison would do so well because they have been doing plays and open-classes infront of their parents for three years now. This was Fabre's first time speaking English infront of a big group. Overall, the plays went very well and the parents loved it. The kids had so much fun, but I know we are all happy to be done with open-classes.
Apart from those fun-times, my birthday was last Friday and I had a very special day thanks to my co-workers and students. My kindergarten kids made me special cards and gave them to me as a surprise. I spoiled them with candy and played a game with them. My elementary kids were very funny for my birthday. I walked into my last lesson of the day and the kids jumped out from under the table and started singing "Happy Birthday." After school, I had a dinner with some of the teachers and then went out to Uijeongbu and drank the ever famous Korean Soju. We went to a norebang (again! It's becoming an obsession) and we sang our hearts out until the early morning. I wanted to do an all-out birthday celebration in Seoul, but most of the teachers couldn't make it, so we moved it to the next weekend.
Before my second birthday celebration, we were invited to a 1st birthday party for the daughter of my Korean partner teacher. It was at this amazing world buffet in Gangnam. There was gourmet food from all over the world. The choices were endless. We ate ourselves silly and watched the traditional Korean birthday events. The main event was a very common Korean tradition. The baby, on their first birthday, is presented with different items that represent different career goals and aspiration. The baby then chooses an item and that is the path of the child's life. In the modern era, this tradition is just for traditional purpose, but at one time this was how parents decided the future of their children. All the guests had to put their name into a glass that had the name of one of the items. I choose to put my name in the glass that said "pencil" because Linda (my partner teacher) is a teacher and it would be fitting that her daughter become a teacher too. The baby was then presented with a tray that had the items. The items were a pencil for teacher, money for a business person, gavel for a lawyer, stethoscope for a doctor, string for a long life, and paintbrush for creativity. When it was time for the baby to pick, everyone was very quiet and watched her every move. It didn't take long for her to decide and she quickly grabbed the pencil! I was very excited because my guess was right! I was very happy to attend this birthday party because it's just another thing I can add to my list of cultural experiences. My partner teacher was so happy to have the foreign teachers attend as well!
I have been so very busy with all aspects of my life! I am constantly on the go and barely taking a second to just sit and relax. I wonder how different my life will be once I return to America. I could keep myself busy, but I also have the option to just sit and do nothing for a while. I think I will take the second choice, at least for a couple of week! My weeks in Korea are down to the single digits! I keep going up and down with my emotions about leaving. I am soooo happy to go home and see everyone and be in a place where I can talk to whoever I please and I won't be stared at, but I am also so sad to leave this amazing country. As I have learned from these last two weeks, you can't stop time so I might as well enjoy every moment!
My students with the birthday cards they made for me
Singing a few classics on my birthday with Sarah Teacher
Preparing the birthday girl for the "Path of Life" choice.
For the past month we have been preparing for a special day at ECC. It was open-class day, where the parents would come in and watch their child's class. Since I teach the seven year old classes, we had a more special open-class to prepare for. We did a play about hospitals and the different types of clinics and doctors. It was very fun for the kids and they were so good with the amount of time we spent practicing scripts. On the day of the hospital play, we were all very nervous. All our hard work was boiling down to this moment. I had two classes performing a play. The first class, called Fabre class, have only been studying English for 6 months. They knew all their lines and are always a very loud and entertaining class. The second class, called Edison class, have been studying for 3 years and are extremely fluent in English. They also knew their lines, but they are more quiet and well-behaved. Fabre class was up first and I was expecting loud voices and excitment. They ended up not making a sound, forgetting their lines, and refusing to speak after I whispered the lines in their ears. It was very difficult to get them excited about anything. These poor kids were so nervous in front of their parents and I felt like I had let my partner teacher down. But, we all realized in the end, that they were nervous and I played off the flop of the play as best as I could!
After Fabre class, I was expecting Edison class to go just as badly. The script was much harder for them, because they are more advanced students. Also, the are usually very quiet. Edison class went infront of their parents and were amazing! They remembered all their lines, spoke very loudly, and were very excited during the whole play. I was so proud of them, I bought them ice cream and candy before they went home on Friday. I should have guessed that Edison would do so well because they have been doing plays and open-classes infront of their parents for three years now. This was Fabre's first time speaking English infront of a big group. Overall, the plays went very well and the parents loved it. The kids had so much fun, but I know we are all happy to be done with open-classes.
Apart from those fun-times, my birthday was last Friday and I had a very special day thanks to my co-workers and students. My kindergarten kids made me special cards and gave them to me as a surprise. I spoiled them with candy and played a game with them. My elementary kids were very funny for my birthday. I walked into my last lesson of the day and the kids jumped out from under the table and started singing "Happy Birthday." After school, I had a dinner with some of the teachers and then went out to Uijeongbu and drank the ever famous Korean Soju. We went to a norebang (again! It's becoming an obsession) and we sang our hearts out until the early morning. I wanted to do an all-out birthday celebration in Seoul, but most of the teachers couldn't make it, so we moved it to the next weekend.
Before my second birthday celebration, we were invited to a 1st birthday party for the daughter of my Korean partner teacher. It was at this amazing world buffet in Gangnam. There was gourmet food from all over the world. The choices were endless. We ate ourselves silly and watched the traditional Korean birthday events. The main event was a very common Korean tradition. The baby, on their first birthday, is presented with different items that represent different career goals and aspiration. The baby then chooses an item and that is the path of the child's life. In the modern era, this tradition is just for traditional purpose, but at one time this was how parents decided the future of their children. All the guests had to put their name into a glass that had the name of one of the items. I choose to put my name in the glass that said "pencil" because Linda (my partner teacher) is a teacher and it would be fitting that her daughter become a teacher too. The baby was then presented with a tray that had the items. The items were a pencil for teacher, money for a business person, gavel for a lawyer, stethoscope for a doctor, string for a long life, and paintbrush for creativity. When it was time for the baby to pick, everyone was very quiet and watched her every move. It didn't take long for her to decide and she quickly grabbed the pencil! I was very excited because my guess was right! I was very happy to attend this birthday party because it's just another thing I can add to my list of cultural experiences. My partner teacher was so happy to have the foreign teachers attend as well!
I have been so very busy with all aspects of my life! I am constantly on the go and barely taking a second to just sit and relax. I wonder how different my life will be once I return to America. I could keep myself busy, but I also have the option to just sit and do nothing for a while. I think I will take the second choice, at least for a couple of week! My weeks in Korea are down to the single digits! I keep going up and down with my emotions about leaving. I am soooo happy to go home and see everyone and be in a place where I can talk to whoever I please and I won't be stared at, but I am also so sad to leave this amazing country. As I have learned from these last two weeks, you can't stop time so I might as well enjoy every moment!
My students with the birthday cards they made for me
Singing a few classics on my birthday with Sarah Teacher
Preparing the birthday girl for the "Path of Life" choice.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
From the Park to the Forest
As comfortable as I've been getting used to Korea, I am starting to realize that my time here is rapidly coming to an end. Before I know it, I'll be packing my bags and running towards my family at the airport. With this thought, I've been trying to take in as much of Korea as I can. I am trying to have at least one Korean adventure every weekend. Luckily with school, I get to go on some pretty awesome field trips. Even though the words "field trip" at school are associated with stress, screaming children, puking children, and long bus rides. Still, they can be quite enjoyable!
The last field trip we went on was to the Children's Grand Park near Gangnam. The bus ride wasn't too long and I kept my sanity by sitting next to my favorite little guy named Eric :) I've nicknamed him "My Little Prince." We arrived at the park and it was packed with other schools, but I was able to take my students around a folk village and zoo. The animals were from all over the world and they were very active as well. The kids had so much fun! Despite the fact that it was very hot, we were able to find a nice shaded area for lunch. After lunch, the foreign teachers had to leave to go teach elementary, but the time at the park was very special.
Two weekends ago, I went to the Forest Research Institute near Seoul. It was an amazing arboretum filled with over 2300 species of plants. It doesn't sound that cool, but being there was very nice to see. There was also a museum with different types of trees, herbs, and grains that are grown in Korea. The best part about this adventure was realizing how different the world is. Not only in terms of culture, but agriculture as well. Again, it was a very hot day, but that is becoming a common occurrence now that summer has hit!
Today, I went to Yangju, which is only four subway stops from me. My plan was to find Jangheung Art Park. This has been only list of things to see for months now. When I got to Yangju, there was no map (like there usually is at the stations). There was a pamphlet that told about all the places to see in Yangju, but no directions on how to get there. I found a bus stop and decided to just get on the bus and see where that takes me. Well, the bus took me on 40 minute ride, with no sign of any tourist attraction. The bus driver asked me where I was going and I just shook my head and said back to the station. He laughed at me and stopped at a convienence store. He said that I would be back at the station after his lunch break. I went into the store, bought a water, played with the store owners puppy :), and got back on the bus. I returned to the station and went home. It was a failed adventure and only on my way back to the station did I realize that the art park was in the other direction from where I started. Epic Fail!
As far as my social life in Korea is concerned, the number of teachers who leave before I do is dwindling down. Only two more! One at the end of June, the other at the end of July, and then me. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by! I'm so sad to leave this place because I have created such an amazing life, with amazing people, but the happy thought is that I get to come home and see my family and all my wonderful friends. My hope is to return to Korea, and continue and improve the relationships I have started here, not only with people, but with the country itself.
My birthday is next weekend, and I plan on a big celebration in Seoul with my best chingus! Hope all is well in Michigan! Much love! Love, Mal
My students at the Children's Grand Park
Outside of the Forest Research Institute
The last field trip we went on was to the Children's Grand Park near Gangnam. The bus ride wasn't too long and I kept my sanity by sitting next to my favorite little guy named Eric :) I've nicknamed him "My Little Prince." We arrived at the park and it was packed with other schools, but I was able to take my students around a folk village and zoo. The animals were from all over the world and they were very active as well. The kids had so much fun! Despite the fact that it was very hot, we were able to find a nice shaded area for lunch. After lunch, the foreign teachers had to leave to go teach elementary, but the time at the park was very special.
Two weekends ago, I went to the Forest Research Institute near Seoul. It was an amazing arboretum filled with over 2300 species of plants. It doesn't sound that cool, but being there was very nice to see. There was also a museum with different types of trees, herbs, and grains that are grown in Korea. The best part about this adventure was realizing how different the world is. Not only in terms of culture, but agriculture as well. Again, it was a very hot day, but that is becoming a common occurrence now that summer has hit!
Today, I went to Yangju, which is only four subway stops from me. My plan was to find Jangheung Art Park. This has been only list of things to see for months now. When I got to Yangju, there was no map (like there usually is at the stations). There was a pamphlet that told about all the places to see in Yangju, but no directions on how to get there. I found a bus stop and decided to just get on the bus and see where that takes me. Well, the bus took me on 40 minute ride, with no sign of any tourist attraction. The bus driver asked me where I was going and I just shook my head and said back to the station. He laughed at me and stopped at a convienence store. He said that I would be back at the station after his lunch break. I went into the store, bought a water, played with the store owners puppy :), and got back on the bus. I returned to the station and went home. It was a failed adventure and only on my way back to the station did I realize that the art park was in the other direction from where I started. Epic Fail!
As far as my social life in Korea is concerned, the number of teachers who leave before I do is dwindling down. Only two more! One at the end of June, the other at the end of July, and then me. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by! I'm so sad to leave this place because I have created such an amazing life, with amazing people, but the happy thought is that I get to come home and see my family and all my wonderful friends. My hope is to return to Korea, and continue and improve the relationships I have started here, not only with people, but with the country itself.
My birthday is next weekend, and I plan on a big celebration in Seoul with my best chingus! Hope all is well in Michigan! Much love! Love, Mal
My students at the Children's Grand Park
Outside of the Forest Research Institute
Saturday, May 28, 2011
The DMZ in All It's Glory
I was very fortunate to be able to see the DMZ this month. We had to sign up in advance and the price is usually around 90,000 won. However, a special price was running at this certain time and it only cost 42,000 won. The money pays for the bus to and from the DMZ. Also, we are given a traditional Korean lunch at a village outside of the DMZ.
The trip started at 7:30am. We had to take the subway into Seoul to meet up with the bus and other tourists at 9:30am. Once we were on the bus, we had a quick 1 hour ride to the "Freedom Bridge" site. This is the bridge that once connected the two Koreas and also the bridge that refugees once used to escape North Korea. Prior to arriving at the bridge, our bus was stopped and a soldier came on the bus to check everyone's passports. I was a little frightened but it went by quickly without any problems. After the bridge, we went to the village and had our lunch. This village is were only a few hundred people live and they are exempted from taxes and military service. However, they are not allowed to leave the village. They are mostly farming families in this area.
It was always a little scary because when we would get off the bus the tour guides and military would say "Don't wonder too far and stay with the group!" Sure, I'm just going to go wondering around the DMZ by myself. I might be blonde, but I'm not a complete idiot!
After our lunch, we went to the site of the third tunnel. "The Tunnels" are four tunnels created by North Korea and discovered by South Korea. The starting points are at various places in the North and all connect into Seoul. They were created for a surprise attack during and after the Korean War. There are believed to be 20 more undiscovered tunnels. We were allowed to go into the third tunnel, but no pictures could be taken. We had to wear hard-hats and it was very cramped. The tunnel itself, is 700 meters below the earth's surface, so we had to go down a tunnel to get to the actual tunnel. It was quite a workout!
After the tunnel, we looked around the museum dedicated to the tunnels and at the beautiful garden outside. The garden had traditional Korean statues and structures. When I took a closer look at the fence though, it said "MINE" with a skull on it. That took away the beauty of the garden! But I had no time to worry because it was back on the bus and off to the observation deck into North Korea!
When we arrived, everyone was very excited because this is what the big tour was leading up to! We were actually going to see North Korea! When we got to the deck, we discovered this big yellow line that was the "Photo Line." We could not go past the line to take pictures and if we did our cameras would be taken and searched. The reason for this is if the pictures got into the hands of the North Korean military, than they could see the advantage point that South Korea has from the observation deck. The actual view wasn't great. It was a little foggy and we just saw mountains and trees. The only interesting thing was on either side of the actual line seperating the countries is two massive flags. One for the South and one for the North. But of course, I couldn't take a picture of that!
The final stop was to Dorasan Station. Basically, this is the biggest waste of money ever spent. It is a station that was built in the DMZ for the HOPE that one day it will be the first station a subway will go through to North Korea. A train goes to and from this station only once a week and it's for the Korean military. The tagline for Dorasan is "Not the last station from the South, but the first station to the North." I don't see that happening anytime soon and I think it might be time to ask for your money back! We got to go on the platform and look at the tracks that "may one day" lead to North Korea. It was the most boring part of the trip, which was fine with me because we were all dead-tired!
Seeing the DMZ was really great! I learned a ton about the Korean War and got to see a great part of history. I hope to have more experiences like this during my time remaining time in Korea. Only 3 more months!
On a happy note, I want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful sister! She is lucky to be at home with our parents on her special day, and I can't wait to see all of them very soon!
The trip started at 7:30am. We had to take the subway into Seoul to meet up with the bus and other tourists at 9:30am. Once we were on the bus, we had a quick 1 hour ride to the "Freedom Bridge" site. This is the bridge that once connected the two Koreas and also the bridge that refugees once used to escape North Korea. Prior to arriving at the bridge, our bus was stopped and a soldier came on the bus to check everyone's passports. I was a little frightened but it went by quickly without any problems. After the bridge, we went to the village and had our lunch. This village is were only a few hundred people live and they are exempted from taxes and military service. However, they are not allowed to leave the village. They are mostly farming families in this area.
It was always a little scary because when we would get off the bus the tour guides and military would say "Don't wonder too far and stay with the group!" Sure, I'm just going to go wondering around the DMZ by myself. I might be blonde, but I'm not a complete idiot!
After our lunch, we went to the site of the third tunnel. "The Tunnels" are four tunnels created by North Korea and discovered by South Korea. The starting points are at various places in the North and all connect into Seoul. They were created for a surprise attack during and after the Korean War. There are believed to be 20 more undiscovered tunnels. We were allowed to go into the third tunnel, but no pictures could be taken. We had to wear hard-hats and it was very cramped. The tunnel itself, is 700 meters below the earth's surface, so we had to go down a tunnel to get to the actual tunnel. It was quite a workout!
After the tunnel, we looked around the museum dedicated to the tunnels and at the beautiful garden outside. The garden had traditional Korean statues and structures. When I took a closer look at the fence though, it said "MINE" with a skull on it. That took away the beauty of the garden! But I had no time to worry because it was back on the bus and off to the observation deck into North Korea!
When we arrived, everyone was very excited because this is what the big tour was leading up to! We were actually going to see North Korea! When we got to the deck, we discovered this big yellow line that was the "Photo Line." We could not go past the line to take pictures and if we did our cameras would be taken and searched. The reason for this is if the pictures got into the hands of the North Korean military, than they could see the advantage point that South Korea has from the observation deck. The actual view wasn't great. It was a little foggy and we just saw mountains and trees. The only interesting thing was on either side of the actual line seperating the countries is two massive flags. One for the South and one for the North. But of course, I couldn't take a picture of that!
The final stop was to Dorasan Station. Basically, this is the biggest waste of money ever spent. It is a station that was built in the DMZ for the HOPE that one day it will be the first station a subway will go through to North Korea. A train goes to and from this station only once a week and it's for the Korean military. The tagline for Dorasan is "Not the last station from the South, but the first station to the North." I don't see that happening anytime soon and I think it might be time to ask for your money back! We got to go on the platform and look at the tracks that "may one day" lead to North Korea. It was the most boring part of the trip, which was fine with me because we were all dead-tired!
Seeing the DMZ was really great! I learned a ton about the Korean War and got to see a great part of history. I hope to have more experiences like this during my time remaining time in Korea. Only 3 more months!
On a happy note, I want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful sister! She is lucky to be at home with our parents on her special day, and I can't wait to see all of them very soon!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Buddha's Birthday
This weekend was a time of celebration all over Korea. It was Buddha's Birthday and it is a huge holiday for the country. Almost every school (except for private academys) had Thursday thru Tuesday off for the holiday. Thursday of last week, was Children's Day. A day to celebrate kids, buy them presents, and take them to a rowdy amusement park. I went to a wonderful festival for Children's Day in Ilsan. It was the Flower Festival and the entire park was covered in flowers and displays. It was a beautiful day and I had a great time! Then it was back to school on Friday.
On Saturday, a group of teachers and I went to go see the Lantern Festival, which is the celebration for Buddha's birthday. Before heading into Seoul, we stopped in Itaewon for a Western meal. I remembered seeing a restaurant called The All-American Diner and I promised the teachers a real breakfast like back home. Well, I forgot where it was and we walked around for about 30 minutes. Luckily, we started talking to a Korean couple from America and they pointed us in the right direction. It was so worth it! We all had breakfast at 1:00pm. I had eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, and hashbrowns with a big barrell of coke to top it all off! It was wonderful! Except that it cost about $15. At IHOP it would have only cost about $8! But I will make the sacrifice for a little taste of home.
After brunch, we went into Seoul to the Lantern Festival. It was unbelievable how many lanterns filled the city. Every street corner and store had a lantern hung up and the colors were incredible. We ended up going to a temple and observed many people praying and bowing to Buddha. After the temple and walking around the city, we stood on the streets of Seoul and watched the Lantern Parade through the city. The best part was seeing the hundreds of monks walking through the street with their offerings for Buddha. There were many floats in the parade and every float was a huge lantern. The parade lasted for two hours and when it finished it was 9:00pm. We decided to head home after a long day of being tourists.
As for my daily life in Korea, I have been working alot and actually enjoying myself at work. I feel like I am so used to this job that it just comes naturally now. Rarely do I have a surprise or get scolded at for not doing something because I am on top of my game! My friends are great and I have been bonding well with the new teachers. It's amazing how fast you become friends with people here, but us foreigners have got to stick together! I made the stupid mistake of joining a gym and now I feel obligated to go. 6am work-outs here I come! The Summer weather has started and that means humidity, rain, and poofy hair :( Also, Korea has the awful season called "yellow dust." It's when the pollution from China drifts down with the wind and creates a yellow dust in the air. The level of danger changes daily, but small children, the elderyly, and sick people should stay inside if it's at a high level. It causes phlem and people get coughs, etc. It should only last for a month, so hopefully it'll be gone for my Birthday! I don't want to be sick! Have a good day friends and family! Love you all!
The Ceiling of Lanterns
Inside the Temple
On Saturday, a group of teachers and I went to go see the Lantern Festival, which is the celebration for Buddha's birthday. Before heading into Seoul, we stopped in Itaewon for a Western meal. I remembered seeing a restaurant called The All-American Diner and I promised the teachers a real breakfast like back home. Well, I forgot where it was and we walked around for about 30 minutes. Luckily, we started talking to a Korean couple from America and they pointed us in the right direction. It was so worth it! We all had breakfast at 1:00pm. I had eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, and hashbrowns with a big barrell of coke to top it all off! It was wonderful! Except that it cost about $15. At IHOP it would have only cost about $8! But I will make the sacrifice for a little taste of home.
After brunch, we went into Seoul to the Lantern Festival. It was unbelievable how many lanterns filled the city. Every street corner and store had a lantern hung up and the colors were incredible. We ended up going to a temple and observed many people praying and bowing to Buddha. After the temple and walking around the city, we stood on the streets of Seoul and watched the Lantern Parade through the city. The best part was seeing the hundreds of monks walking through the street with their offerings for Buddha. There were many floats in the parade and every float was a huge lantern. The parade lasted for two hours and when it finished it was 9:00pm. We decided to head home after a long day of being tourists.
As for my daily life in Korea, I have been working alot and actually enjoying myself at work. I feel like I am so used to this job that it just comes naturally now. Rarely do I have a surprise or get scolded at for not doing something because I am on top of my game! My friends are great and I have been bonding well with the new teachers. It's amazing how fast you become friends with people here, but us foreigners have got to stick together! I made the stupid mistake of joining a gym and now I feel obligated to go. 6am work-outs here I come! The Summer weather has started and that means humidity, rain, and poofy hair :( Also, Korea has the awful season called "yellow dust." It's when the pollution from China drifts down with the wind and creates a yellow dust in the air. The level of danger changes daily, but small children, the elderyly, and sick people should stay inside if it's at a high level. It causes phlem and people get coughs, etc. It should only last for a month, so hopefully it'll be gone for my Birthday! I don't want to be sick! Have a good day friends and family! Love you all!
The Ceiling of Lanterns
Inside the Temple
Friday, May 6, 2011
It's So Hard to Say Goodbye....
The realization of this job has finally hit. When I was preparing to leave for Korea, I was so sad to leave all my friends and family back home. I didn't realize that I would come to Korea and make a new set of friends and have a "family away from home." It is unbelievalbe how close you can become with people in just a few months. It's amazing how you can develop a community of people you can rely on. This job has a constant turn-over and people are always leaving and new people are always arriving. I was very fortunate to have gone the first six months of my contract without losing any of my friends, but now the cycle has started. This weekend, we said goodbye to a very beloved teacher at ECC. He was an awesome person who always made the best out of any situation and he will truly be missed! I told myself I wasn't going to cry, but I had a wimper the day he left. We all did! But like I said, the cycle has started and at the end of June another teacher leaves and then another in the end of July. A month after that, I leave and I can't believe my year will be over!
Apart from having to say goodbye to my friends and fellow co-workers, I will be devestated when I have to say goodbye to my students. I absolutely adore these kids, especially my kindergarteners. They make my days better and put a big smile on my face! I wish I could see them grow more, but this job and lifestyle is a cycle that must keep moving. I think that four months from now, when I am packing my bags for home, I will feel as though my time is up and I need to move on from Uijeongbu and ECC. I was talking about this with a fellow foreigner and said that ECC has been a great place to have a first time contract. I have learned so much about Korea, private schools, and myself. This has been a challenging year, but a great one at that.
As I said before, we said goodbye to a teacher this weekend and it was his goal to leave Korea with a BANG! We celebrated his departure with the norebang and a trip into Seoul. By the end of the weekend, I was happy to see him go for the fact that I would never have to party like that again for awhile! The weather is finally getting warm enough to go without a jacket, but since this is Korea I will probably be sweating buckets in the humidity by next week. Korea is the land of extreme temperatures. It's either too cold or too hot and no in-between. Oh well, I'd rather be sweating my ass off than having it freeze off! Also, the rain has started and it just makes me feel so lazy. It's 11 o'clock on a Friday night and due to the rain, I am in my pajamas, in my bed about to fall asleep. I hope everything is going great back home! Miss you all and love you!
Apart from having to say goodbye to my friends and fellow co-workers, I will be devestated when I have to say goodbye to my students. I absolutely adore these kids, especially my kindergarteners. They make my days better and put a big smile on my face! I wish I could see them grow more, but this job and lifestyle is a cycle that must keep moving. I think that four months from now, when I am packing my bags for home, I will feel as though my time is up and I need to move on from Uijeongbu and ECC. I was talking about this with a fellow foreigner and said that ECC has been a great place to have a first time contract. I have learned so much about Korea, private schools, and myself. This has been a challenging year, but a great one at that.
As I said before, we said goodbye to a teacher this weekend and it was his goal to leave Korea with a BANG! We celebrated his departure with the norebang and a trip into Seoul. By the end of the weekend, I was happy to see him go for the fact that I would never have to party like that again for awhile! The weather is finally getting warm enough to go without a jacket, but since this is Korea I will probably be sweating buckets in the humidity by next week. Korea is the land of extreme temperatures. It's either too cold or too hot and no in-between. Oh well, I'd rather be sweating my ass off than having it freeze off! Also, the rain has started and it just makes me feel so lazy. It's 11 o'clock on a Friday night and due to the rain, I am in my pajamas, in my bed about to fall asleep. I hope everything is going great back home! Miss you all and love you!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
The Snowball Effect
Over a month since the last post, and I have a very good reason! At school, we just finish a huge two day event for the parents. It was called "Market Play" and we simulated a little town for the kids to go through with there parents. They went to the bank and got money from a little ATM, bought schools supplies at a market, and went to a cafe and ordered food. The play itself was only two hours, each day, but the preparation took a month. We had to make all the props, powerpoints, and teach the students chants and songs. We ended up staying at school until about 10:00pm on many nights. It was a mess to make, but a success in the end. The parents loved it and complimented the teachers on all their hard work.
However, I feel as though I am having a snowball effect with work because now it's on to the next task. This new task being another parent's day next month. There usually isn't two parent's days so close together, but for some reason there is now. We are making a hospital play. This one is an actual play were the kids will have scripts and costumes. I have already started preparing for it and feeling slightly overwhelmed. I was pretty sad after market play because I usually have this great feeling of relief, but not this time. The pressure is starting again, but I'm trying to take it day by day!
Other than school, my social life (or what's left of it) is going good. I had a chance to go to a Cherry Blossom Festival last weekend and it was so amazing. The trees looked like they were covered in fluffy, white snow and the amount of people there was insane! Speaking of snow, sorry Michigan! :( Mother nature just likes messing with you! The weather has been very consistent here. For the past month, it has been gradually getting warmer and it's been in the upper 60s.
Well I am very tired and ready to sleep until that awful thing called an alarm wakes me up. Good night everyone!
However, I feel as though I am having a snowball effect with work because now it's on to the next task. This new task being another parent's day next month. There usually isn't two parent's days so close together, but for some reason there is now. We are making a hospital play. This one is an actual play were the kids will have scripts and costumes. I have already started preparing for it and feeling slightly overwhelmed. I was pretty sad after market play because I usually have this great feeling of relief, but not this time. The pressure is starting again, but I'm trying to take it day by day!
Other than school, my social life (or what's left of it) is going good. I had a chance to go to a Cherry Blossom Festival last weekend and it was so amazing. The trees looked like they were covered in fluffy, white snow and the amount of people there was insane! Speaking of snow, sorry Michigan! :( Mother nature just likes messing with you! The weather has been very consistent here. For the past month, it has been gradually getting warmer and it's been in the upper 60s.
Well I am very tired and ready to sleep until that awful thing called an alarm wakes me up. Good night everyone!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Cheese and Noodle Chronicles
This weekend, a large group of foreigners and I went to the Inter-Continental Hotel in Seoul. The hotel offers a buffet every Saturday for 30,000 won ($30) that consists of side dishes and alcohol. The best part of the buffet is the AMAZING selection of cheeses. For those that don't know, Korea does not have real cheese. They have the make-shift cheese like Kraft Singles, but other than that cheese is hard to come by. You could go to Costco and pay a fortune for a block of cheese, or go to the local grocery store and spend about $20 for a small container, but basically NO CHEESE! I ate about 3 plates of cheese and fruit (also expensive). Most of the other foreigners came for the large selection of all-you-can-drink wine, champagne, beer, and sangria, but I came for the cheese! It's safe to say that I ate my $30 worth!
Also this weekend, the weather finally became enjoyable. We were outside in long-sleeved shirts and not freezing our bums off! The snow is entirely melted and the cherry blossoms should be blossoming in the coming weeks!
An interesting thing happened today at the grocery store. I would like to share this with you because Korea is notorious for being kind and hospitable, but it's to prove that crappy people are everywhere in this world. I was with some of the other teachers and we were debating our future in noodles (because the noodle section is an entire aisle of choices) when this woman, maybe in her late 20s or early 30s, starts mocking us by repeating everything we say in a snotty voice. Now, I'm not sure if she was perhaps mentally challenged and didn't understand the concept of ears and that we can hear with them or if she didn't understand that we can in fact speak fluent English, but she was blatantly insulting us. We were not being loud or rude to anyone else, but we were simply examing the endless options of noodles ahead of us. I just wonder what goes on in the brains of people who would behave this way? One theory is that she is so ignorant of other people that she feels the need to put us down to make herself feel more superior. My other theory is that she is simply a huge B**CH. I can't decide which theory to go with, but I'm going to say it's a combination of both.
Even with that unfortunate incident, I do have to say that I encounter more good people than bad in Korea. It is really sad when things like that happen though. If I had just been visiting Korea for a week or so and something like that had happened, I would have a really bad impression of this country. Fortunatley, I've had plenty of time to meet some very cool people and make better assumptions about the rest of the country. Another sad thing is how ignorant people really are. Not just in Korea, but everywhere. This is the 21st century. We have more technology in this world than we know what to do with. Clearly, we can watch the news, go online, communicate with people across the globe and yet people still believe they are the only ones in this world. People still believe that their way is the right way and every other way is wrong. Many things in Korea are different. The way people talk to each other, the way people drive, the way people eat, etc. is all different. Does that mean it's wrong because I do it differently? No. Does it mean that I'm wrong for eating with my elbows off the table? No. Is it wrong that I abide the traffic lights when driving a car and Koreans don't? No. My final thought (I promise I'm almost finished ranting) is that if everyone in the world did things the exact same way, than what the hell am I doing in Korea? Why would I travel 6,000 miles and live away from everyone I know and love to go to a country that was exactly like the one I left?! The world would be "un-explorable" (not a word, but I'm making it one) if we all spoke the same language, drove on the same side of the rode, and all ate our food extremely loudly. Half the experience of taking this job is getting to learn a new culture! And despite the occassional b**tch, I'm loving every moment of it!
Also this weekend, the weather finally became enjoyable. We were outside in long-sleeved shirts and not freezing our bums off! The snow is entirely melted and the cherry blossoms should be blossoming in the coming weeks!
An interesting thing happened today at the grocery store. I would like to share this with you because Korea is notorious for being kind and hospitable, but it's to prove that crappy people are everywhere in this world. I was with some of the other teachers and we were debating our future in noodles (because the noodle section is an entire aisle of choices) when this woman, maybe in her late 20s or early 30s, starts mocking us by repeating everything we say in a snotty voice. Now, I'm not sure if she was perhaps mentally challenged and didn't understand the concept of ears and that we can hear with them or if she didn't understand that we can in fact speak fluent English, but she was blatantly insulting us. We were not being loud or rude to anyone else, but we were simply examing the endless options of noodles ahead of us. I just wonder what goes on in the brains of people who would behave this way? One theory is that she is so ignorant of other people that she feels the need to put us down to make herself feel more superior. My other theory is that she is simply a huge B**CH. I can't decide which theory to go with, but I'm going to say it's a combination of both.
Even with that unfortunate incident, I do have to say that I encounter more good people than bad in Korea. It is really sad when things like that happen though. If I had just been visiting Korea for a week or so and something like that had happened, I would have a really bad impression of this country. Fortunatley, I've had plenty of time to meet some very cool people and make better assumptions about the rest of the country. Another sad thing is how ignorant people really are. Not just in Korea, but everywhere. This is the 21st century. We have more technology in this world than we know what to do with. Clearly, we can watch the news, go online, communicate with people across the globe and yet people still believe they are the only ones in this world. People still believe that their way is the right way and every other way is wrong. Many things in Korea are different. The way people talk to each other, the way people drive, the way people eat, etc. is all different. Does that mean it's wrong because I do it differently? No. Does it mean that I'm wrong for eating with my elbows off the table? No. Is it wrong that I abide the traffic lights when driving a car and Koreans don't? No. My final thought (I promise I'm almost finished ranting) is that if everyone in the world did things the exact same way, than what the hell am I doing in Korea? Why would I travel 6,000 miles and live away from everyone I know and love to go to a country that was exactly like the one I left?! The world would be "un-explorable" (not a word, but I'm making it one) if we all spoke the same language, drove on the same side of the rode, and all ate our food extremely loudly. Half the experience of taking this job is getting to learn a new culture! And despite the occassional b**tch, I'm loving every moment of it!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Over the Hump
I can't believe I actually get to say that I am already half-way done with my year in Korea! February 25th marked my six months upon arriving. Where has the time gone! I told everyone that time would fly and I would be home before you know it and here we are over the hump!
Time is an interesting thing though. Especially time in Korea. In one way, I want to say "Wow, I've already been in Korea six months! I'm already half way done with my contract! I can't believe it!" But on the other hand I want to say "It's ONLY been six months! I'm ONLY half way done with my contract! I can't believe it!" In a way time flies and I can remember so vividly my first night in Korea and the feeling of being awe-struck by a new place. In another way, I feel like I have been here for years and I am so comfortable with this new way of life. It feels like it has been such a long time and I have become fairly comfortable with this way of life, that I have almost forgotten the differences from home. My philosophy is that time feels so slow because it was the winter season and I stayed home alot during the months of December-March. Now that spring is coming, I think I will venture out more and spend my weekends exploring new places in Korea. I have a list of all the things I need to do before leaving:
-Go to Busan. This is a very popular beach city in the very south of South Korea.
-Do a temple stay. You can actually go and spend the night in a temple!
-Go to Cheongdam Dong. High end shopping!
-Jang Heung Art Park.
-Han River boat tour.
-Lotte World. Korea's version of Disney World.
-The Peace Museum in Soyosan Mountain.
-Go to Jeju Island. An island between Korea and Japan.
The list will keep growing, but those are the things I need to do in six months! So far in Korea I have been to a palace, a folk village, the War Museum, Seoul Tower, and other places. I've got alot more exploring to do though!
Update on school: The graduation went very well. When it's all said and done, there isn't much to stress about. The hours leading up to graduation were chaos, but afterwards was calm and no one had a second thought about it. The wedding I attended the previous weekend was very cool and very different from home! We showed up to the wedding hall and it was just this big building that pumped out wedding after wedding. On five of the seven floors there was always a wedding going on and they were so well planned down the very minute. We showed up at 1:58 and the wedding started right at 2:00. The bride walked down the aisle, bowed to her groom, they listened to a guy speak for 10 minutes in Korean, then bowed to their parents, and walked back down the aisle. There was no exchanging of vows, exchanging of rings, or kiss at the end. As for the reception, it was not a private party with just the weddiing guests, but rather a public party with all the wedding guests of every wedding that happened at the hall that day. We walked into a massive banquet room with a very large buffet. We ate, drank a Pepsi, saw the bride and groom for a split second, and left by 4:00pm. The overall feeling of a Korean wedding is how impersonal it was. There were no video montages, no pictures of the bride and groom anywhere, no toasts from family members or friends...just nothing. It was sit and watch a man blabber in Korean, go eat from a very odd array of food, and leave. BOOM: In and Out of a wedding in 2 hours. I do have to say though, the bride looked absolutely beautiful and they had alot of family and friends who came to be apart of their special day.
I hope all is well at home with my family and friends. I hope the snow melts soon and you have nice spring weather in no time! Love, Mal
The Bride's Family - The poor groom only had three family members there!
The massive buffet!
The bride and groom came to thank everyone for coming in Korean traditional hanboks.
Time is an interesting thing though. Especially time in Korea. In one way, I want to say "Wow, I've already been in Korea six months! I'm already half way done with my contract! I can't believe it!" But on the other hand I want to say "It's ONLY been six months! I'm ONLY half way done with my contract! I can't believe it!" In a way time flies and I can remember so vividly my first night in Korea and the feeling of being awe-struck by a new place. In another way, I feel like I have been here for years and I am so comfortable with this new way of life. It feels like it has been such a long time and I have become fairly comfortable with this way of life, that I have almost forgotten the differences from home. My philosophy is that time feels so slow because it was the winter season and I stayed home alot during the months of December-March. Now that spring is coming, I think I will venture out more and spend my weekends exploring new places in Korea. I have a list of all the things I need to do before leaving:
-Go to Busan. This is a very popular beach city in the very south of South Korea.
-Do a temple stay. You can actually go and spend the night in a temple!
-Go to Cheongdam Dong. High end shopping!
-Jang Heung Art Park.
-Han River boat tour.
-Lotte World. Korea's version of Disney World.
-The Peace Museum in Soyosan Mountain.
-Go to Jeju Island. An island between Korea and Japan.
The list will keep growing, but those are the things I need to do in six months! So far in Korea I have been to a palace, a folk village, the War Museum, Seoul Tower, and other places. I've got alot more exploring to do though!
Update on school: The graduation went very well. When it's all said and done, there isn't much to stress about. The hours leading up to graduation were chaos, but afterwards was calm and no one had a second thought about it. The wedding I attended the previous weekend was very cool and very different from home! We showed up to the wedding hall and it was just this big building that pumped out wedding after wedding. On five of the seven floors there was always a wedding going on and they were so well planned down the very minute. We showed up at 1:58 and the wedding started right at 2:00. The bride walked down the aisle, bowed to her groom, they listened to a guy speak for 10 minutes in Korean, then bowed to their parents, and walked back down the aisle. There was no exchanging of vows, exchanging of rings, or kiss at the end. As for the reception, it was not a private party with just the weddiing guests, but rather a public party with all the wedding guests of every wedding that happened at the hall that day. We walked into a massive banquet room with a very large buffet. We ate, drank a Pepsi, saw the bride and groom for a split second, and left by 4:00pm. The overall feeling of a Korean wedding is how impersonal it was. There were no video montages, no pictures of the bride and groom anywhere, no toasts from family members or friends...just nothing. It was sit and watch a man blabber in Korean, go eat from a very odd array of food, and leave. BOOM: In and Out of a wedding in 2 hours. I do have to say though, the bride looked absolutely beautiful and they had alot of family and friends who came to be apart of their special day.
I hope all is well at home with my family and friends. I hope the snow melts soon and you have nice spring weather in no time! Love, Mal
The Bride's Family - The poor groom only had three family members there!
The massive buffet!
The bride and groom came to thank everyone for coming in Korean traditional hanboks.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Homesickness is Upon Me
I made it almost six months without major homesickness spells. I realized that I truly wasn't missing convienences from home, appliances, food, or other amenities until recently. Sure, it sucks having to hang dry all my clothes. Yes, I wish I could shower in an actual shower instead of in the middle of the bathroom. And do I miss a furnace...Yes! However, I have been adjusting quite well and I take all the new experiences (even the unpleasant ones) as a learning opprotunity and a growth in a new culture. But, I got my first desperate craving for home and the beautiful land of America, land of the plenty. I wanted a Wendy's hamburger so bad that my mouth was watering. I figured "Hey they have Quiznos, Subway, TacoBell, and KFC here. They have to have a Wendy's." Apparently not. Way to go Wendy's. You didn't sell out like everyone else and join the international market.
But this got me thinking about all the other non-sentimental things I miss. First, I miss carpet! I have not walked on carpet in 6 months! Not in a store, at school, or anyone's home. Do they even sell carpet in Korea?! Also, I miss real potato chips. I'm talking about the really greasy ridged ones that go great with some french onion dip. The potato chips in Korea are paper thin and they don't leave grease on your fingers. That's not delicious! I want the grease! Speaking about food, I was in HomePlus the other day, and I found GoldFish crackers! I almost started crying out of joy! I bought a bag (which cost 5,000 won or $5) and ate them as slowly as possible, enjoying every bite!
I could go on and on about my homesickness. Of course, it goes without saying that I miss my family and friends, but I'm dealing with the seperation better than expected. Yes, I will get very sad from time to time, but I always remind myself that I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful family and great friends to actually miss!
Update on life...School is the same. Busy, busy, busy. Graduation is in two weeks and we are spending hours a day preparing for it. This weekend I will be going to a Korean wedding which is very exciting! Well, the marriage is between a Korean female and a Canadian male, but it's still a Korean wedding. The woman is a teacher at our school and she is finally marrying her boyfriend of six years. I'm excited to attend just to see what the similiarities and differences are between American and Korean weddings. Next week we have another vacation day. I'm not even sure what this holiday is, but all I know is I get to sleep-in and possibly go for a little adventure. Not sure where though haha :) Maybe up the mountain? Maybe to Seoul? Or maybe to Uijeongbu to check out the Spring collection of clothes I must buy? We'll see next week!
But this got me thinking about all the other non-sentimental things I miss. First, I miss carpet! I have not walked on carpet in 6 months! Not in a store, at school, or anyone's home. Do they even sell carpet in Korea?! Also, I miss real potato chips. I'm talking about the really greasy ridged ones that go great with some french onion dip. The potato chips in Korea are paper thin and they don't leave grease on your fingers. That's not delicious! I want the grease! Speaking about food, I was in HomePlus the other day, and I found GoldFish crackers! I almost started crying out of joy! I bought a bag (which cost 5,000 won or $5) and ate them as slowly as possible, enjoying every bite!
I could go on and on about my homesickness. Of course, it goes without saying that I miss my family and friends, but I'm dealing with the seperation better than expected. Yes, I will get very sad from time to time, but I always remind myself that I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful family and great friends to actually miss!
Update on life...School is the same. Busy, busy, busy. Graduation is in two weeks and we are spending hours a day preparing for it. This weekend I will be going to a Korean wedding which is very exciting! Well, the marriage is between a Korean female and a Canadian male, but it's still a Korean wedding. The woman is a teacher at our school and she is finally marrying her boyfriend of six years. I'm excited to attend just to see what the similiarities and differences are between American and Korean weddings. Next week we have another vacation day. I'm not even sure what this holiday is, but all I know is I get to sleep-in and possibly go for a little adventure. Not sure where though haha :) Maybe up the mountain? Maybe to Seoul? Or maybe to Uijeongbu to check out the Spring collection of clothes I must buy? We'll see next week!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Lu Lu Lu Lunar New Year
Dang, only the beginning of February and I'm on my second vacation this year! This week is the Lunar New Year holiday and apparently, one of the most celebrated holidays in Korea. We have 5 days off from "Ee She She" (ECC). This vacation creeped up on me because I didn't make any plans to go anywhere and now I'm stuck in Uijeongbu alone and bored. It's only the first day of break and I am already complaining! So far, I have gone to the dollar store and purchased 20,000 won in unnecessary things, organized boxes of junk, cleaned out my food cupboard, cleaned my bedroom, and did laundry. What am I possibly going to do for the next four days! I suppose I can venture out for a hike up the mountain or better yet, have an amazing adventure to Home Plus! Whooooaaa, Livin wild!
This month at ECC is going to be the busiest and most hectic month since I started working here. For many reasons and the most important being that the end of this month marks the end of the school year. Our 7 year old students will be graduating from Kindergarten and going off to Elementary school. And of course, graduation is an all out event that requires rehersal of scripts and memorizing songs and dances. This doesn't effect me so much, since I teach the 6 year old class, but the intensity and nervousness of graduation can be felt all over the school. Then next month starts the new school year which means some new students, new classes, major schedule changes and working late nights!
I've recently been bombarded with people writing about the snowstorm in Michigan. In a way, I'm kind of sad that I'm missing it. I have waited and waited for an actual STORM that cripples the city! No matter how much the news channels hype up the storms, Mother Nature never delievers. And NOW there is an actual winter crisis and I'm sitting in Korea in 45 degree weather, enjoying the sun and the start of spring. Oh wait, haha, not complaining anymore! Love you all! Stay safe 친구!
This month at ECC is going to be the busiest and most hectic month since I started working here. For many reasons and the most important being that the end of this month marks the end of the school year. Our 7 year old students will be graduating from Kindergarten and going off to Elementary school. And of course, graduation is an all out event that requires rehersal of scripts and memorizing songs and dances. This doesn't effect me so much, since I teach the 6 year old class, but the intensity and nervousness of graduation can be felt all over the school. Then next month starts the new school year which means some new students, new classes, major schedule changes and working late nights!
I've recently been bombarded with people writing about the snowstorm in Michigan. In a way, I'm kind of sad that I'm missing it. I have waited and waited for an actual STORM that cripples the city! No matter how much the news channels hype up the storms, Mother Nature never delievers. And NOW there is an actual winter crisis and I'm sitting in Korea in 45 degree weather, enjoying the sun and the start of spring. Oh wait, haha, not complaining anymore! Love you all! Stay safe 친구!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Buuurrrrr...It's Cold in Here!
The saddest part of my day, is when the thought of getting out of my bed is worse than being fired for my lateness. Mind you, I've never been late to work and I usually arrive 30 minutes before my first class. However, I have to hold back the tears as I take the first step out of my semi-warm bed in the morning.
Prior to my arrival in Korea, I researched the weather and converted the Celsius temperatures of the previous winter to Fahrenheit (yeaa Fahrenheit, What? I'm from Michigan!) Also, I looked at the amount of snow Korea received last year. I thought "Pssh, please, 10 inches of snow? That's the amount we get in just 3 hours in Michigan. Pssh, 18 degrees Fahrenheit? Ha! That's a warm day in Michigan." Well, let's just say that I either miscalculated or someone was lying because this is not 18 degrees! Two days ago, it was minus 11 degrees FAHRENHEIT, and that was during the day! It's hard to tell if the nights are worse because at this point, freezing is freezing. I don't mind the cold weather outside, it's when the cold weather comes into my home and invades my daily life. I can't wash dishes without wearing my winter coat and a hat. I can't brush my teeth without seeing my breath formulate. I can't do laundry without gloves on, and worst of all, I can't sit in my own living room because it's so cold! Yes we do have heat, but we never turn it on because it's ridiculously expensive. All the homes in Korea use floor heating and it's not worth the price of saving my toes to use the heat.
Okay, enough complaining! First off, My New Year's was incredible! We went to Seoul, did the big countdown in the street, lit off fireworks, danced with drunk Koreans outside the bar, and had a great time with friends! The best part about New Year's was spending it with great people. I have met so many wonderful people in Korea, and to be able to share New Year's with them was truly special. The New Year has been off to a great start! I have been super organized at work and more efficient than ever with my deadlines. I'm trying to be positive despite my frozen body beginning to go into winter depression mode. I'm making more attempts to take care of myself more effectively! Ohh wow, I sound like a self-help book. Anyway, I hope all my loved ones are having a good winter and you are staying safe and warm!
Prior to my arrival in Korea, I researched the weather and converted the Celsius temperatures of the previous winter to Fahrenheit (yeaa Fahrenheit, What? I'm from Michigan!) Also, I looked at the amount of snow Korea received last year. I thought "Pssh, please, 10 inches of snow? That's the amount we get in just 3 hours in Michigan. Pssh, 18 degrees Fahrenheit? Ha! That's a warm day in Michigan." Well, let's just say that I either miscalculated or someone was lying because this is not 18 degrees! Two days ago, it was minus 11 degrees FAHRENHEIT, and that was during the day! It's hard to tell if the nights are worse because at this point, freezing is freezing. I don't mind the cold weather outside, it's when the cold weather comes into my home and invades my daily life. I can't wash dishes without wearing my winter coat and a hat. I can't brush my teeth without seeing my breath formulate. I can't do laundry without gloves on, and worst of all, I can't sit in my own living room because it's so cold! Yes we do have heat, but we never turn it on because it's ridiculously expensive. All the homes in Korea use floor heating and it's not worth the price of saving my toes to use the heat.
Okay, enough complaining! First off, My New Year's was incredible! We went to Seoul, did the big countdown in the street, lit off fireworks, danced with drunk Koreans outside the bar, and had a great time with friends! The best part about New Year's was spending it with great people. I have met so many wonderful people in Korea, and to be able to share New Year's with them was truly special. The New Year has been off to a great start! I have been super organized at work and more efficient than ever with my deadlines. I'm trying to be positive despite my frozen body beginning to go into winter depression mode. I'm making more attempts to take care of myself more effectively! Ohh wow, I sound like a self-help book. Anyway, I hope all my loved ones are having a good winter and you are staying safe and warm!
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