feistytraveler2

Temple Visit

2008-08-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

My final week in Korea, I had an opportunity to go on an extended temple visit. Formal temple stays are generally arranged on the weekends here, and I just haven't had an entire weekend free in quite a while. So, I cobbled together some time, bent the program rules a little, and went to a visit a gorgeous temple outside Paju.
I took a train, to a cab, to a bus, to get there. But the serenity and the nature there were worth the trip. The temple stay program that they run there focuses on meditation and rest (temples offer slightly different experiences). I don't think that you have to be a Buddhist, (or a 1970s American folk singer :) ) to appreciate the positive aspects to the practice of meditation. Myself, I found it a great place for personal reflection.
I tried to let go of some of the petty irritations that cropped up as I finished up my tenure in Korea, and to just focus on the values that I want to cultivate in myself. There are 4 that I am trying to nurture. That is a private topic to me, but here I will share some of the beautiful nature that makes Korea's mountains so perfect for spiritual reflection.

Taegeukgi Time

2008-08-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

In my last 2 weeks in Korea, I am trying to visit some of the places where I've never quite managed to go. So, on a recent rainy morning I stopped into the National Museum of Korea. I had heard that the museum was Korea's version of the Smithsonian mixed with the Met.
In the main hallway, I found an impressive ten story pagoda. Many Korean couples snapped photos of themselves with the pagoda in the background. Ah, young love in Korea! :)
I particularly wanted to visit the museum this August, as the museum has scheduled a special exhibit to commemorate the 60Th Anniversary of the Republic of Korea. The exhibit is called "Symbol of Korea, Taegeukgi." The Taegeuk is the red and blue swirl symbol, which can also be called the "Supreme Ultimate Pattern," and looks to the under-educated Western eye a little like the yin-yang symbol surrounded by four matching patterns. The current exhibit of Taegeukgi flags and artifacts runs until November 19, 2008. The exhibit fills one of the museums halls, and there is some English language signage. I definitely came away from it having learned that the symbol goes much farther back in Korean history than I'd realized. The national flag of the Joseon dynasty , which was declared on 3/6/83, bore the symbol.
The Museum offers another major exhibit hall (which is now showing art and artifacts of ancient Persia), several halls of Korean historical documents, and an interesting historical map room. The higher floors feature art from other Asian countries, they are not the largest collections I've ever seen, but there are a few nice pieces. For me a room of sculptures and furniture acquired from Myanmar (Burma) by a Japanese collector stood out. If you are a history buff, the National Museum of Korea is an interesting way to spend three or four hours.

Who says feminism can't be an f-in riot?

2008-08-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

I love it when imaginative four year olds turn out to be persistently hilarious performers! :)
This is the case with a friend of mine from nursery school who has followed the hard, cold, seventh-floor-walk-up in Brooklyn path of becoming a successful actress and stand-up comedian in New York City without ever compromising her own irrepressible personality. And then created a creative venue to help other women do the same. Julie Goldman rocks...
Check her out at...
http://offensivewomen.com

Lotus Flower Garden

2008-08-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

August is the time for the Lotus to bloom in Korea. Recently, we went on a "stroll" to a Lotus flower garden with some members of our hiking club. We took a long, meandering bus ride out to a rural section of Gyeonggi province. The are was named Semiwon, which the hiking club director says "means to purify your mind seeing water" or "get beautiful mind in seeing flowers." The park was quite lovely, as it is located at the merging point of two rivers: the Nam Han river and Bukhan river.
We got off the bus and walked through the town through an organic food fair. Two young Korean salesgirls, aged about 7 and 9, called after us in their elementary level English to "come eat [their] toe-mate-oes! "
The park was green, blooming, and gorgeous. There were large fountains built to resemble traditional Korean ceramic vases. The bright, unique lotus flowers were worth the trip. As in many other scenic spots here, there were also young Korean Romeos photographing their young Juliets with flowers. After about an hour it started to pour, so we took refuge in the greenhouse. There is a professor in our hiking club who knows many Korean legends. He found one red bloom in the greenhouse and told me this story:
On that red flower, the bloom and leaves never come out of the ground at the same time. The flower is thus named after a beautiful Korean lady who fell in love with a pious Buddhist monk. He loved her,too, but had committed to a life without women, so they could not be together. The lady became miserable and died soon after of a broken heart. The monk lived on to meditate on his sadness. The bright red petals of the flower represent the beautiful woman. Then the petals die and fall away and the leaves, representing the monk, come out of the ground separately. The petals and leaves can never bloom together, just like the lady and the monk.
...Sad saga! I will post a picture of the flower he mentioned.
After taking just a few shots, my camera battery died out (bummer). So I borrowed my boyfriend's camera a to snap a few pictures. Here are some pictures that he and I (the better ones are his, truth be told) took that day.

Leap of Faith

2008-08-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

In ten mere days I fly out of Korea! Ten days-where does the time go? Times when I miss my family, like this past weekend, creek by ever so slowly. Times when I am traveling with friends or teaching more enthusiastic kids fly by...

I was very excited to see my boyfriend, but I had a bit of a hard time returning from Laos. That is why I keep writing about it. The country captured my imagination. The Lao people were so relaxed and friendly. Historians estimate that the USA dropped more bombs during the "secret war" in Laos than we did in all of World War II, yet everyone there welcomes a well-intentioned traveler from any nation. I met few people who seemed really well off, yet no one seemed obsessed with brands and materialism like you see in the city of Seoul. I did meet one family at the airport on my way out of the country who appeared to be wealthy. They were flying to Bangkok for the family business, and wore obviously expensive jewelry. Their cute daughter approached me and so we spoke for a few minutes. They were very down-to-earth and friendly. The wife did not do the up-down visual examination of my clothes, shoes, jewelery, and body type that some of the snobby, noveau-riche Korean women do in Gangnam.
But my time left here in Seoul is fleeting. Soon after my return from Laos and then English camp, movers came. My boyfriend's company generously hires the Asian Tigers moving company to pack and ship the belongings of employees and dependants back to America. We decided that I narrowly qualify as a "common law" spouse, so I came with my stuff, too. It is all going to the same house (gulp), anyway. I tried to pare down my things,selling, giving away, and recycling all that I could. I did keep two binders of EFL materials just in case we ever end up living in Thailand. That's the germ of an idea we have for the future.
While traveling, I have really been trying to fight against the tyranny of ownership. Due to my love for change, hatred for high rents, and past tendency to chose the wrong man as a potential partner, I've moved many times since college. Eight times, I believe, counting moves to cheaper apartments within the same areas of Somerville/Cambridge (Mass). Packing up this past week, I was amazed by all the stuff I'd acquired! The first year I really tried not to accumulate anything, keeping my apartment sparse. This year I relaxed and indulged in a few more luxuries like a nicer hair dryer, a Scrabble game, a jewelery box, but I believed that I'd given most of these things away by moving day. I still have so much random STUFF. Does it breed in the night? Also, I have made it a point not to buy as much clothing as I would at home, particularly because I have lost weight here that I may regain when I return, with joy and zeal, to the American bread and potatoes diet. (Imagine the stretch marks! Damn.) Yet, when it came down to rolling my sweaters and shirts up into my battered suitcases, I really did (and do)own a lot of clothes.
I only brought or bought a few expensive items here-my leather jacket, the designer dress I bought for my father's wedding, my interview/funeral suit (Irish-catholic mothers tell you to be prepared for a funeral at any time), my summer suit (wedding suit),and a small Korean Ceylon vase. My boyfriend has invested in four good quality pieces of art and porcelain by Korean and Chinese craftsmen for his (soon to be our) house, but it didn't seem like much spread out over an apartment. He also has two suits for his job and a custom made tux he bought for my father's wedding, all of which came at a price. As we packed, we filled out the insurance forms for the movers. American businesses tell you not to under-estimate as things do at times get broken or ruined shipping to and from Asia, so we rounded up a little on each dollar. However, rounding aside, when we added it all up on a spreadsheet the belongings that we own together were valued at $22,222. Isn't that surreal (and lucky)? According to the US department of State 2007 statistics, the per capita income of people in Laos is $710. Yes, that would be seven hundred, not even thousand. What an insane disparity!
Theoretically, my cool boyfriend and I are getting married. When my last attempt at cohabitation fell apart under the strain of personality differences, opposing schedules, long-term financial worries, and his intense job stress, I promised myself I'd never move in with another man without a ring on my finger. The second year of that relationship felt like an audition for marriage, we both knew I wanted a family and I was never quite sure if I'd make the cut. And then when his job spiraled out of control (not his fault), he started to act more and more controlling with me (um, yeah, his fault). So I bailed. Thank God. But when many of your friends have 2.3 cute children peeking out at you daily from their Facebooook pages, ending up 33, broke, childless, and alone renting your friend's basement suhuuuuuuuucks. In the age of on-line social networking, it also feels like breakups are more public. Yet I knew even then that I was very lucky to have that generous friend with a basement, and my supportive family, to fall back on. Many women don't.
...So here I am, looking at Cohabitation-Take Two. The partners couldn't BE more different! Experience has given me some perspective, and much better taste. :) Trusting people has never been very easy for me, but sound realtionships demand trust. I've become less passive and more realistic about love. And I've decided to leave the past where it belongs...in the past! I have tried to be very clear with my partner about what I need, without being too demanding. We have some temperamental differences-so I have tried to be clear with him that I can be impatient and grumpy. By nature, I am a daydreamer and a little disorganized. I am 36 now (shh!) so that is unlikely to change much. I have shipped everything I own to our soon to be home. I just today sent out change of address notices to all my friends,colleagues, and many members of my large Irish-American family. The wheels of change are turning. Can I guarantee our success together? Honestly, there are no sure bets in modern relationships. Divorce abounds. Neither men nor women are necessarily bad, but both can be short-sighted and weak. All love demands some small amount of risk-taking.
However, I have a good feeling about this love. If you never take any risks, you never grow. I have decided to trust my instincts. Cross your fingers for us.

River Boat Reverie

2008-08-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

The highlight of my recent trip to Laos was an open topped, long-tail boat trip down the Nam Tha River towards the Mekong. My friend Mairi and I hired a Green Discovery Tours guide and two boatmen to take us on this adventure. A breeze along the river broke the intense heat. Banana tree leaves bent towards the water as the strong current pushed us along. I realized that I had seen this type of scene before-boats pulling away from the small town landing towards the lush trees and jungle along a remote river-but that no film or travel show had quite captured the intensity and size of the towering green trees. Also, Western movies often depict a remote river with a sense of foreboding and danger. But all we saw was beauty and all we felt was appreciation. The further away we journeyed from the town, the more animals traversed the river bank.
Laos is much more ethnically diverse than Korea. Our guide took us to three villages along the river route, and we met three different types of Lao Theong ("upland Lao" or Hill) people. According to our guide, we met people from the Khamu, Lamet, and Thai Dam or, Black Thai ethnic groups. The upland Lao peoples have generally had a lower standard of living than their richer neighbors to the south, the Lowland Lao. In the Khamu village, we saw grandmothers caring for many children, while their mothers went off to work in the forests or on the newly thriving rubber plantations. There is a bit of a battle brewing in Northern Laos-between the people who see the region's future lying in conservation and ecotourism, and between the government officers who are pushing the idea of developing rubber plantations. The Chinese will pay good money for rubber in the short-term. Of course, ecotourism is a better plan for the long-term. If the rubber promoters win out, the Nam Tha river region will look very, very different ten years from now.
The village children looked thinner than the children in the towns, and some had discoloration around their eyes. In the Khamu village, a friendly craftswoman presented us with welcome gifts (handmade embroidered purses) and then attempted to sell us some of the handmade paper she creates. I felt bad that I could not purchase any, but the money changing places only give out large bills, and the paper cost less than a dollar. I was traveling on a budget, and I did not want to haggle with so poor a family over change. Traditionally, they have had bilateral inheritance patterns in Laos. Even if rural Lao women can inherit some of the family land, they still seem to have very difficult lives.
Back on the river, bird songs echoed. The water itself was a brown-green with strong currents pushing fallen tree branches ahead. At one point we passed a happy group of children diving from a large tree into the river to cool off. They were very happy to practice the few words of English that they knew, calling "Hello?" and "OK? OK!" after us as we rode by.
We stopped for a quick lunch on a rock by the riverside. Our guide spread out a banana leaf as a picnic cloth. Then he laid out balls of sticky rice wrapped in what appeared to be grape leaves-one leaf full of rice for each person. Then he laid down the main dishes-a spicy pork and vegetable dish, mixed vegetable dish, and some rice cakes. We washed our hands, and then broke off chunks of the sticky rice. We dunked it right into the pork and vegetable dishes to sop up the sauce and meat-as if they were biscuits. A few minutes into the lunch two large brown pigs and a family of chickens sauntered towards us, intrigued by the smell. One pig tried to nuzzle his way into our lunch-but one of the boat man scared him off. The chicks pecked at the ground around us for stray grains of rice. The pigs didn't go far, but waited in the nearby bushes to see if we would leave any scraps.
In the afternoon, as the sun rose to it's highest point, the heat and humidity did start to get to me. I drank a lot of water, my stomach still started to get queasy. Nevertheless, I was sad when we left the arching trees behind us and floated towards the boat landing.

Olympic Baseball Quagmire

2008-08-15T03:09:00.000-07:00

Non-sequitor of the week...
What happened to the US Olympic baseball team?? Hmm? The South Koreans kicked our behinds! Where was the American pitching? Where were the dramatic mid-air catches? Some of the American batters didn't even start running right after they hit the ball...I know it's mid-season for the pros and all, but really, the US has better players to offer. Where were the young stars, the Red Sox of tomorrow?
I have been told that Americans introduced baseball to South Korea as a sport during the Korean war, if this is true it is a little sad to see us so soundly beaten at , literally, our own game. Baseball IS supposed to be our "national pastime," isn't it?
The South Koreans played superior batters, that's all there is to it! After a while, it was painful to watch, even while eating ice cream in my boyfriend's sweet air conditioning.
I have one word for the US baseball coaching staff:
L-A-M-E.
OK, enough ranting, now back to my recent adventure travels...

Spots I liked in Vientiane

2008-08-12T01:12:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, I had the good fortune to visit Laos with my friend Mairi.
...If you can stand the heat and intense humidity, the friendly people and unique blend of cultures create an exotic but relaxed mood. Everyone is welcome, from any foreign land, despite Laos' war-torn history. I began and ended my trip in the capital, Vientiane, which boasts a blend of several architectural styles. Some of my favorite moments were:
1. Two excellent meals with friends at Makphet restaurant. You'd never know it from the yummy specials (like beef tips marinated in Lao whisky), but Makphet is a non-profit organization staffed by teachers and former street children from the capital's poorest neighborhoods.
2.Taking a break from the heat at fruit market stalls along the banks of the Mekong River.
3. Stealing quiet reflection at Wat That Luang Neua, the temple to the North of Pha That Luang (the "world precious sacred stupa"). I visited early in the morning, before the heat, and the large groups of French tourists, arrived.
4. Watching local children play in the fountain near my guesthouse on a warm,and unusually dry, night.
5. Haggling a vendor down to a decent price (at least, decent for a foreigner)on some vivid textiles.
6. Munching on heavenly croissants for about forty cents at the Scandinavian Bakery! I went back several days in a row! Flaky! Buttery! Can this bakery send a baking instructor to Korea?
...And some good chats with my pal Mairi during our mid-day "siesta breaks" at Mali Namphu Guest House.

Are Expats in Korea Just Bit**ing?

2008-08-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog to direct you to an interesting (if self-referential) discussion happening on the Internet and in the Korean Media considering foreign bloggers in Korea. Some of us have irked the Korean netizens, who have expressed that Ex-pat blogs in Korea are too damn negative.
Do we Ex-pats (who tend to all get lumped together as "foreigners", even though we represent different nationalities, genders, cultures, and languages) have a right to express our opinions of South Korea, even when we may not be fluent in Korean, and thus may not understand the culture well? Is the tone of our writing in blogs really what angers some Korean blog readers?
I am away from Seoul teaching at a camp, and only have night time computer access, so I don't really have time to give this issue the consideration it deserves.
However, I am intruiged and would like to say a few quick things on this issue, as I find this discussion fascinating.
1. A blog is an outlet-for creativity, for frustration, for questioning. It can be an outlet for ideas Ex-pats may lack the Korean skills to say out loud, and for feelings Ex-pats may lack the courage to say out loud.
2. Ex-pats are responsible for their own tone. If Ex-pats genuinely spew hate about South Koreans as a group, they shouldn't be surprised to get hateful comments in return.
3. However, Ex-pats are indeed foreign-which mean they think differently. Some Ex-pats here come from cultures where freedom of expression is very highly prized-so what a Korean may see as mean spirited criticism of their beloved country, a foreigner may see as merely independent thought. Which has been particularly emphasized in several Western countries since the 1960s.
4. Even blogs with pretty well-written political commentary can lapse into a diary- like style. You can't take them too seriously! :) Sarcasm and black humor abound in Ex-pat blogs all over Asia. The Marmot's Hole, for example, is a well written and well sourced Ex-pat blog in Korea. Yet even that blogger will post the occasional picture of a pretty Korean chick in a short skirt. I could care less about those pictures, but the writer's obviously interested in such photos, and heck, it's HIS blog. I just surf away from it.
5a. We foreigners should probably try to lead with a disclaimer: even if one studies Korean, or has been here a long time, if one didn't grow up here, one is still somewhat of a foreigner.

HOWEVER.....................
5b. It is my personal, non-expert, terrible-at-Korean, opinion that Korea can only strengthened by more free expression. Even expression by foreigners, who might be less educated on the culture, but nonetheless inter-act with it. The "Hermit Kingdom" days are over-and for the better. South Korea has built an impressive, modern power out of the ashes of war in a short span of years. I admire that. And modern, free powers should embrace free expression. There are even certain issues, such as inter-racial dating, the inside view (and myriad problems) of the Hagwon language academy system, or even Western thoughts on the best places to grab a great brunch in Seoul, where the ex-pats, beyond all their whiny complaints, have a kernel of knowledge to offer. :)
Even if they finish blog posts with a run-on sentence. :)

For some other good thoughts on this issue I suggest the blog "Ask A Korean!" which can be found at http://askakorean.blogspot.com

Favorite Jeju Spots

2008-07-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

We took in Jeju quickly, but some of my favorite spots were...
1. The stream in the forested section of Hallasan.
2. The second, sandier beach we visited (I'll check the name for you)
3. The cave we visited.

Jeju Part 2-Windy Hallasan

2008-07-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, I still wasn't feeling quite like myself. But God Jeju is a pretty place. And how could I go all the way to Jeju without hiking Hallasan? The other members of my hiking club has said it was quite beautiful there. And Steve had arranged such a wonderful trip. My mind wanted to hike, but my body just wasn't quite cooperating. When I can't decide what to do, I tend to listen to my heart. This has an uneven success rate. :) On Saturday,listening to my heart meant taking a Tylenol and hitting the trail...

One funny thing about Jeju are all the isolated pockets of weather. It was sunny on our side of the island, but cooler and foggier at the base of Hallasan. We'd rented a car, and Steve really enjoyed driving. He was and is also quite infatuated (still) with the "Navi" GPS system. (Yes, engineers love new technological gadgets, it's true! ) So, with the help of our new GPS guide, we were soon at the base of the mountain and ready to go.

Unfortunately, they were doing conservation and construction at the crater at the very highest peak. So the paths were closed off before hikes could reach the lake, which I have heard is quite stunning.On the up side, this meant that the paths were very uncrowded. After spending so much time jam packed into the Line 1 train in July, the quiet, empty path felt like such a blessing. The wooded section of the path, with winding streams and bright blue wild flowers, looked peaceful. Hallasan is known for Roe deer , but there are also several types of pretty birds and small animals, including minks.

Hiking on volcanic rock feels unique. Oddly shaped chunks lay here and there, and the rounder pieces were pushed together on the path. Of course I also added my volcanic rock to several tall rock piles (shamanism-when on Hallsan, do as the Hallasanians do...) honored the mountain, and made a wish. What if the shamanism practitioners know something that I don't?

By the time we reached the top of the open path, we had hiked into a new weather front. Rain and high winds whipped in. Mists covered the fields, cliffs, and falls that I had read about. We stopped nears the top of the open path for ramen, coffee, and, quite randomly, beef jerky. We of course took photos looking sweaty and proud! (In Korea, all events are documented by digital photos. Even when high winds make me look like Medusa!)

But by the time we started down the path again, the mists would roll out for a few minutes, then whip back in when the high winds changed. I caught a quick glimpse of some of the fields on the way down. The weather and trail closing were not ideal. But I really needed a brake from the crowds and pace of Seoul. Looming, quiet, fragrant Hallsan was a good respite.

Jeju Jaunt-Friday

2008-07-21T03:35:00.000-07:00

Exhausted yet excited, I hurried to Gimpo airport Friday night for a quick jaunt to Jeju do. My boyfriend and I have tried to get air tickets there twice before-the flights were always full-but the third time was, for us, really a charm. My very generous boyfriend got a deal on a weekend package including airfare and hotel through his travel agent. I might have been wary to fly tiny Hansung airlines otherwise, but WowKorea Tour usually makes good recommendations. The small plane looked a little Casablanca-ish sitting out there on the tarmac, and I hadsome Value Jet turbulence flashbacks during take off, but all in all the flight was fine.

I was really wrung out like a sponge by Friday night. For me, a lot of feeling goes into the end of a school year while teaching abroad-changes, goodbyes, gambles that payed off, travel plans, and the occasional missed opportunity-both educational and personal. It will take me some time to process all the quick decisions I've had to make this year. So, location wise, part of me just wanted to lie in bed and recoup...

that is, until we landed on Jeju island. A wall of warmth hit us coming out of the airport and my excitement started to build. It took us a few minutes to find out rental car, but once we did, and hit the road, I knew I was in for a great weekend.

The package that my boyfriend got included 2 nights at the very snazzy KAL (Korean Air Lines) hotel. Ocean view room, no less. I've included a photo showing our view.

I'm moving on up.... :)

Sisyphus Gets a New Gig

2008-07-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

Why are these children smiling?

As you'll remember, the Greek Sisyphus was a king who had the bad luck to be cursed to roll a huge boulder up a tall hillside, only to watch it roll down again, and to repeat this oh-so-scintillating task forever. Not a fun afterlife, as after-lives go. :)

On my worst days, teaching out at the rice paddy school this year, I have felt a little like Sisyphus. Only, my boulder has tended to be interactive learning activities that get omitted for being too "messy" and English CD-Roms that decide not to play on Tuesdays. I have pushed my lesson plans forward, only to watch them tumble down again...

But, no more! Some of the kids did well, most of the kids had fun, and, most importantly, all of the kids are done. Done. Finished. "Fin-ish-ee" as the students say.

Why am I smiling?

I finished.

I made it.

Perhaps just 'cause I'm stubborn.

I did it. :)

Nationalism...Can you dance to it?

2008-07-15T03:02:00.000-07:00

So, South Korea probably owns the island/islets of Dokdo.
Koreans say that historical maps mention the island, and heck, they are their maps... Why mention this now? Because Dokdo pride runs deep in South Korea, and just as the beef furor dies down, Dokdo fever rises up....But, if you're not from Asia, or an Asian Studies major at Columbia, you might be wondering, where the hell is Dokdo, anyway? Dokdo is small island nestled in what we Westerners would call the The Liancourt Rocks. And these, to quote my friends at Wikipedia.com...."are a group of small islets in the...East Sea. (Not, let the Wikipedia authors be reminded, the "Sea of Japan.") But back to the islands..."Sovereignty over the islands is disputed between Japan and South Korea.[1] South Korea has controlled them since after the Second World War.[2]The islets are also known as Dokdo (or Tokto) (독도/獨島, literally "solitary island") in Korean and as Takeshima (竹島, Takeshima? , literally "bamboo island") in Japanese.[3]The Liancourt Rocks comprise two main islets and 35 smaller rocks. Their total surface is 187,450 square metres and their highest elevation is 169 metres.[4] They are currently inhabited by 2 permanent Korean citizens, Kim Seong-do (김성도) and Kim Shin-yeol (김신열), a small Korean police detachment, administrative personnel and lighthouse staff.[5]Korea administers the islands as part of Ulleung County, North Gyeongsang Province. Koreans prize Dokdo, as far as I can tell...for the varied, high quality marine life, the unique birds ,the fishing rights to yummy tasting seafood, the "natural beauty" of the volcanic rock...and because they got them back from those mean, nasty land-grubbers of the 1930s and 1940s...the Japanese. But how big a deal could these small islets be? Um, in Seoul, a very big deal. Why? Well...As an Irish-American, I can understand an ages old territorial dispute building momentum over time (As late as the 1990s, in certain pubs in South Boston, Northern Ireland did not seem to exist). Land that has possibly been stolen or compromised away (I am not taking sides on that one) is easy to romanticize. Still, Dokdo's small size and rocky terrain makes it easy for a foreigner, standing on the outside, to wonder what all the fuss is about. Very few people (like 3, if you include the lighthouse keeper) actually live there on a given day. Is it the fishing rights? Or just the symbolic value of the area that matters? It is unfortunate that they didn't just attempt to settle the matter at the close of World War II in the Treaty Of San Francisco. Now that Japan has listed Dokdo as Japanese territory in their recent textbooks, Dokdo-love is trendier than I've ever seen it. From t-shirts to pencils to you-tube slide shows; inventive South Koreans espouse Dokdo pride. The most entertaining response to the Japanese claims to Dokdo that I have seen is the Hip Hop Song D.O.K.D.O...which I attempt to link to here....
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=aX5NWYrLM0Q&feature=related
Caveat: As I only understand a small amount of Korean I CAN NOT PROMISE THAT IT DOES NOT CONTAIN LANGUAGE THAT LISTENERS WHO UNDERSTAND KOREAN AND JAPANESE WELL MIGHT FIND OFFENSIVE. It might. (I'm just a poor, struggling foreigner. Don't make mean comments on my blog.)
As I watch his Hip Hop Video, I wonder.... Can the power of music solve an age old conflict? Probably not, but it dos have a good beat. :)

Blame Teen Prostitution on Homosexuality? Why Not?

2008-07-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

I don't really have time to blog right now, but I can't pass up commenting on this scary yet classic story. This news story was translated into English by the generally reliable folks at the "Korea Beat" website. When faced with undeniable evidence of a shaming problem in society, the Korean media often seeks to blame the outsiders. Like blaming the poor. Or the foreigners. Oh wait, no foreigners involved? Blame the gay community. But wait, isn't this news story really about pedophiles enticing young men? And isn't homosexuality very separate and different from pedophilia? YES! Of course, yes. In the real world, yes.
But in the face-saving, image spinning world of the Korean mainstream press? Maybe not. See for yourself...

Check out " this Seoul Shinmun report on a recent investigation of teen prostitution. This (biased) report argues that "an increasing number of teens are entering prostitution after becoming interested in homosexuality...:"
They go on to write that "...a study has found a poisonous inclination towards prostitution due to interest in (gay) sex rather than for simply raising money for living or entertainment.
The 청소년보호중앙점검단, a part of the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs, reported on the 10th the results of its three-month (April to June) investigation of teen prostitution and also that 36 teens and 17 sexual minorities had been arrested.
There is shock over this investigation being the first to uncover cases of teen boys engaging in prostitution with grown men. Of the 36 teens arrested for prostitution 12, or 33.3%, of them were male students. A representative from the police said, “this investigation is the first to find many such clear cases.”
16-year old Oh, a second-year high school student living in Cheolsan-dong in the city of Gwanmyeong, engaged in 30 acts of prostitution in his home with men he met through Internet chatting. 17-year old Song, a third-year high school student from Yeonsu-dong in Incheon, engaged in over 10 acts with men in motels. Another 16-year old named Seong performed three similar acts with a man in his 40s met through Internet chatting in exchange for a pack of cigarettes each time. Most of them, investigators found, had not had any particular difficulty in their school lives.
The Central Inspection Bureau announced, “these boys who engaged in prostitution experienced several cases of poisoning and sought treatment.”
When female students enter prostitution it tends to be for earning money for living or entertainment. And finding them in the 14 to 16 age group is uncommon. 16-year old female student Choi of Namdong-gu, Incheon, engaged in no fewer than 70 acts of prostitution. 14-year old Lee, a third-degree mentally disabled female student who had disappeared, engaged in many acts of prostitution with a man met through Internet chatting who lured her into living with him.
Police have arrested 17 men including 32-year old musical actor Mr. Yeo, 38-year old golf instructor Mr. Lee, 22-year old soldier Mr. Mun."
Maybe it's just me, but aren't they trying to blame the victims here? the TEENAGE (i.e. underage) victims?
The way I read this article, this problem certainly MUST somehow be the fault of the teen boys, of the gay community, or some other outcast group...
Scary.

Three Pheasant Mountain

2008-07-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Despite the heat, we hopped a bus on Saturday to Wonju and hiked up to enjoy the clean air and a few small animals (wildlife? in Korea? Chinca!)....It was hot as Hades, but we pushed ourselves hard (stairs, ropes, and more stairs!), and had a great time! :)

Enough of Compromise

2008-07-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

These sweet faces were the only thing keeping me going this week. Honestly, I hate to whine and say "ooh-poor me" when major banks are crashing in the USA, food costs are worrying families, and new tensions are simmering about the tourist shooting in North Korea, but it's too f-in hot. "Aju-touhyoh." Or however I would spell "so-f-in-hot-that-I-will-bludgeon-the-next-pushy-commuter-who-rubs-their-sweaty-armpit-in-my-face-on-Line-1"...it's that kind of hot. But of course I didn't mean that literally. :) Not lil' ole me.:) But, I am from the Northeast. I can't get used to this climate! Lately, I arrive at school exhausted from the heat and the crowds. And the day hasn't even started yet. :( In fact, I don't really think my Korean colleagues can understand how hard it is for someone from a cooler climate to adapt to the summer here. A Canadian whom I know said the same thing to me. I read that an elementary school student in Seoul collapsed recently due to heat exhaustion. Sad. On the positive side, school will end before the worst of the weather is due to hit in August, Praise God!

At school, everyone is tired. My colleagues are tired. The students are tired. And I am tired. Worn down. The students have already taken their exams, including their English class exam, yet English lesson forge on. A lot of teachers, in many countries, not just here, will admit that kids don't retain much from the last two weeks of school. Their brains leap ahead to summer as the temperatures rise. So, I am trying to keep it light and fun. Throw a little English review in with a game and or an English video on a related theme for the second half of class. My brain is pretty fried though, and our classroom resources (and my ancient PC) are limited, so I am frankly just not pushing myself to do anything too amazing. Since July 4th, when the humidity hit ridiculous levels, English class is what it is. Unfortunately, teaching fatigue and the high heat also have some people at my school acting cranky. Heck, I'm cranky, too.

I'm also tired of the minefield of "Maybe." Let me give you an example of how the word "maybe" means different things to me, An American, than it does to a few of my Korean colleagues... One recent example of having a coworker tell me on Monday that "maybe" something (like a standardized test) will happen instead of English soon, and then that having that same co-worker act all annoyed when I show up to teach the next day. In English, maybe implies "maybe, but maybe not...be prepared for both alternatives" and I am not sure this subtly is understood by everyone at my school.

I am also annoyed by this point by English department co-workers who refuse to delegate work to me and then complain to me about how oh so much work they have to do. If you need to control every centimeter of your workload and won't delegate when appropriate,I am starting to think that you shouldn't have the right to complain on and on about it in the staff room! If you make your own bed, then you get to lie in it...

OK, enough with the bitterness. Many of co-wrokers are wonderful and tried to stand by me when I got sick this spring. My school could be worse. I am sure that at least one of my co-workers is annoyed by me and the different working style I bring to my school.

I am not cheerful every day (in America, it is not a young woman's duty to be cheerful). My too-small desk is cluttered by Korean standards. I improvise in class if the lesson plan isn't working instead of pushing it through to the bitter (boring?) end. I am tired first thing in the morning after a long, hot, packed commute. And, worst,I sometimes do not retain information imparted to me during the five minutes (say 10:40-10:45) I have to hurry and lug my English materials from one building to another.

But honestly, you know what? I don't feel bad about not being super-teacher. I have done the best I can in a challenging situation with very little consistent guidance. Thousands of miles from home. For example, my poor memory annoys me, too, but when given the oppurtunity, I write things down. I can't do this when I'm hurrying by with books, CD/roms and games as the roving minstrel of English! I have suggested a proper department meeting at a desk with a pad and pen many times. Yet it rarely happens. (Sometimes it feels like I am just supposed to compromise 100% of the time, no one else is, because I'm the Western outsider. Oye.)

Also, foreigners are, by definition, just different. I am different, my replacement will be different. That is part of the reason Korean schools hire us Westerners in the first place. I don't mean to spew too much bile, but that's honestly how I feel.

Yet, two WONDERFUL things have helped me hold it together. :)

1.My co-teacher and I have started giving out small rewards (little prize bags I made with goodies I purchased myself from E-mart) to the students who have participated the most in English Speaking Class. It is nice to honor the kids who have really put in the time and the effort all semester. I don't love spending my own money on school supplies, but in this case, the students have earned it! :)

Also, the end is in sight. I finally got a ticket home! I had to lay out the cash (and in fact borrow a speck from a friend to cover part of it), and my school will reimburse me. They didn't confirm this until the last minute which is, to be as charitable as I can be selecting an adjective, very , very gosh darned...let's just say typical. But, now the ticket is bought. I know I can go home on 8/30!! Praise the Lord! :)

I have enjoyed most of my travels here, but two years away from home is a long time. A looong time. A friend of mine told me this week after having a beer that she doesn't think that Koreans who haven't lived abroad (lived, not vacationed, not traveled, not "studied" in Down Under for a mere 2 months) can really understand the compromises Westerners make in living so many miles from friends and family in a radically different culture. The trade-offs we've had to make. I think that's very true.

But soon, sweetly soon, my destination will be...home! :)

Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

2008-07-04T23:03:00.000-07:00

OK, so spent 7/4 throwing "America's Birthday" parties for approx. 150 students. Roving room to room as the minstrel of English with baked goods...Yeah, that was perhaps an overly-ambitious idea on my part. :) But at least they loved the video I found of the 4th of July fireworks display at Disney World. I have been teaching them for almost one calendar year, and with a few of the quiet kids, "fireworks" is the first word I've heard them utter with any confidence!

So, now I am wicked f-in tired, as we say in Boston.

Mad Cow Mess

2008-07-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

There's more dissent brewing in Seoul...and more danger?
Protesters are still staging candlelit vigils against Lee Myung-bak and his conservative government. Protesters are still clashing with police. But now, it seems like more people are getting hurt. What do they need to control the situation?
The clergy? Um, I don't know if that's the answer....For a brief, very superficial update on events in Seoul: Lee Myung-Bak's government is importing the US beef and there are lots news segments on TV about government inspectors looking at the beef at concluding that it is, indeed, safe. Yet many average people are still angry. But, life goes on, and it seems that people outside of Seoul have stopped protesting.
BUT, the people who are still protesting against the government have staged more intense, and occasionally, violent protests. Issues are intertwining:trade groups at candlelight vigils against the Lee government are protesting everything from Beef importation, to worker's rights, to health care regulations. So the government, and the young recruits drafted onto the police force, have "clamped down." And citizens have started getting hurt. One obnoxious (or drunk?) man in the crowd provokes a police man-and things can turn ugly pretty fast.
The Korean papers even reported that a 25 year old American citizen just watching a rally was accidentally hurt by police last week. Police moved to "subdue" some rowdy protesters and the poor guy accidentally got hit in the face and body by a riot police shield (readers note-maybe the week when Internet headlines read "Protests Get Violent" is not the time to stand around and watch the protests, OK?). Amnesty International issued a statement saying that they would assign a researcher to look into recent police violence against protesters in South Korea. A.I. is concerned. Hmm. That's never a good sign....
Yet, die hard groups like the "People's Countermeasure Council Against Mad Cow Disease" show no signs of giving up yet. So, who's next to jump into the fray? The Clergy.
I was away this past weekend, so I am still catching up on the news. And to be one hundred percent honest, so many issues are involved in the candlelit vigils now that it's getting a little hard for a foreigner to follow. But apparently, some clergy members recently held "emergency masses" in support of the protesters' right to speak out against the government. Also, the Korea Times reports that "members of the Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice" are going on a hunger strike in a tent in front of Seoul City Hall "...demanding renegotiation of the beef deal between Seoul and Washington." Buddhist groups are also protesting. The involvement of Christian groups may put some extra pressure on the government: President Lee-Myung Bak presents himself as an active Christian, and he remains an elder of Somang Presbyterian Church in Seoul.
So, in with the diehards, the thugs, the riot police, the trade unions, and the clergy....there may soon be...the foreigners?? There is reputedly going to be a protest against the current protests...i.e. a protest in FAVOR of the US-ROK free trade agreement and against the most radical folks, like the members of the "People's Countermeasure Council Against Mad Cow Disease" this upcoming weekend. Two words: Oye vaye. Who knows how much of a real protest it will be and how much is just an Internet tempest in a teapot.
IMHO:the last thing Americans need is even one or two Americans getting hurt (by cops, by opposing protesters) at an anti-demonstration demonstration. Or even if they are in reality Canadians, or English people at said anti-protest protest, W20,000 says that the Korean language papers will allege that they are Americans...
So, I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with the Seoul rallies. And Seoul counter-rallies. And rallies against the counter-rallies. Have a headache yet? :)
Near city hall in Seoul, it could be a long, confusing summer...
All this political turmoil makes me want some Korean "pop-ping-su," or yummy sweet bean and fruit ice slush. It's a cross between slush and fruit salad. I'm not sure I spelled that right, but pop ping su rocks! :)

Return to Rainy Daejeon

2008-06-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

Why return to Daejeon? There's more to experience there than you'd think. ..

I needed a break. My boyfriend is on a mission to visit every province before we leave Korea in late August, and I am always up to get out of hot, humid Seoul on the weekend. So, we hopped on the Saemul this past Saturday and headed to Daejeon (or Taejeon-depending on your transliteration). He'd never seen it. We stashed our stuff in a locker, and hopped on the subway. We explored around town a little bit, and I noticed several large churches and a big store selling Christian merchandise. Later, I saw signs for Korea's Baptist Theological Seminary, which is apparently located in Daejeon. We also saw a a lot of ads for various research centers and universities. Daejeon is known for research and development and has been called "the Silicon Valley of Korea" in the media. Daejeon has a sizable population, but compared to the breadth and international flair of Seoul, Daejeon can start to feel more like a big town than a city. But, it's an an interesting town, anyway.

It was too rainy to hike, so we headed over to the park and the National Science Museum. Since the EXPO was held in Daejeon in the 90s, the city set aside some nice parks and outdoor pavilion areas. The National Science Museum has several sections, some are more hands-on, and seem better geared towards children. Then some areas are newer and geared more towards adults. The planetarium was cool, and of course had a display about the Korean female astronaut. There even seemed to be a class going on in a "learning center" (could it be a a museum hagwon?) inside one section of the museum. We were quite the hit with the throng of children we met in the center of the museum. I get the feeling that men with shaved heads aren't common there (there are fewer US military personnel near there) -as several of the younger kids became very curious and or freaked out that my boyfriend has no hair on his head. I really liked the very cool steel scupltures outside (see photos above), they dominated over the museum entrance...towering above you like animal warriors mixed with Transformers.

My boyfriend wanted to take a city bus tour to get the lay of the land. Since it seemed preferable to tromping around in the rain, I agreed. For only W2,000 (like $2 USD) we saw the touristy highlights of Daejeon. The tour took us to several small museums which seemed recently built (the small Korean Heritage museum seemed brand new and every exhibit was well translated) . At the currency museum, which was not as boring as the name implies, I learned that the ancientChinese were the first to use paper money. Ancient China really was quite remarkable-I have to say. They are up there with the ancient Egyptians as innovators, in my book. There was also a small but interesting display of money from the Japanese colonial period. There was one understated plaque on the wall mentioning the "confusion" of the Japanese occupation-the Japanese were printing their own currency in Korea, but a few Korean nationalists and intellectuals were refusing to recognize it or utilize it. They continued to try to use the older, Korean money. Even then, money and politics walked hand and hand.

On the bus tour, we met a nice Korean guy who was a volunteer guide for the disabled. He was leading several disabled young people around the city on the tour. (The tour was a good choice for a small group of youths with motor delays on a rainy day, as the tour bus could take them close to the museum entrance and cut out extra walking.) The young people in this group seemed fascinated by us. They asked us a lot of questions (via their guides' translations) and laughed at our answers. Their guide impressed me. He looked about 23. He said that he'd never studied English, but had worked hard to learn a little bit from the media and from a Canadian ex-pat friend. His speaking fluency was much better than that of some of the homeroom teachers whom I know. I think it was because he was confident and curious. His grammar was not perfect, but he always got his point across. He told us about his city, the good and bad neighborhoods, and his family (he was less helpful about places to get a good meal). He told us stories of his army days. As he had just finished his mandatory army service with the police force, he had interesting things to say about the recent beef protests. He talked about working for days at a time without sleep-if the protests went on all night-he and his fellow police recruits worked all night. He said that some people said mean things to the young police recruits, and a few men tried to push them or spit on them. However, many families smiled at the young policemen , thanked them, sand gave them rice cakes and candy. Upon completion of his mandatory service, he decided not to continue with a career in law enforcement. He was looking for a job in another field. Sweet guy.

Now, another great part of tour buses in Korea are the sound systems. Like most of the tour buses I've taken at teacher trainings, this bus also had a noribang (karioke) machine and small monitor. While waiting for some slow going members of the tour, the driver started singing. It was funny when the bus driver asked my boyfriend and I to sing, because Steve will rarely consent to singing in public! Usually I really need to relax with a few beers first...:) In fact, Steve turned about three shades of crimson while holding the mic. It was too early in the day for Queen, so we picked an easy song and sang Ben E. King's Stand By Me. In general, my boyfriend tends to prefer organized tours, and during a longer visit to a new city, I tend to prefer to explore on my own...but for a brief visit I do see the value of a tour.

After the tour, we checked into our hotel in the Yosung district. I was excited to go to the spa, but by then it was late and my tummy was growling. I was craving galbi, but unsure of a good place to get some that wasn't too fatty. No one on the bus tour had offered any good restaurant suggestions. So we walked around for a while, and found a mellow place for "fusion" food and beer.

On Sunday, the weather still wasn't dry enough for a pleasant hike (and the trails would have been muddy). So, we opted for a lazy morning at the spa. Praise God. We went to the spa at the Riviera Hotel. It cost 12,000, but that's where we are staying (Steve splurged, we were living it up! ) so we got in for 6,000. It is newer and cleaner and more modern in layout than the spa at the yusoung spa hotel next door, which I visited last year. The best part of it was that on a misty Sunday morning it was almost completely empty! Woohoo! :) I enjoyed all the relaxation of the spa experience without having to be naked in front of too many skinny, less hairy Korean chicks! A win-win all around, I think. :) I also recommend the saunas at the Riviera spa. There is an herb sauna, a sage sauna, and a "Finland Sauna" (I know that Finland is not an adjective, but, hey, they tried). The herb sauna intrigued me, but the air was so, so pungent in there, as if the entire Crabtree and Evelyn shop at the mall has exploded in your face, that I could barely get in the door. Not happening. So, I enjoyed the Finland sauna instead. I liked it because it wasn't too small and cramped (small, overly heated saunas have a coffin-like feel, if you ask me) , and the temperature was posted on a digital sign above the door, so I knew what to expect inside. The famed hot spring waters of the yusoung hot springs followed. I had my choice of three tubs, cold, hot and bubbly, and uncomfortably hot. I have heard people say that the hot spring water improves your circulation and is good for your skin, I don't know about the truth in any that but it can soothe a ragged spirit. It was extra wonderful to have the tubs more or less to myself! :)

We were so relaxed that after our separate male/female spa experiences we took an extra nap together in our room. Laziness rules! :) The patience demanded by the end of the school year can sometimes really drain me (patience may be a virtue, but it's one I don't have!). Myself, I have wondered if the universe really intended children to attend school when it is ninety degrees or more? Can they actually retain anything in this heat? But I digress again.... My point is that I needed to rest and recoup. And a relaxing sauna followed by a hot, bubbling tub of hot spring water helped me do so. :)

Then we hopped a swift KTX and were back in the steamy city in no time....

Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

2008-06-28T23:29:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been a bit of a grumpy one, I admit it, and have enjoyed pointing out some of the differences between the Korean and American cultures that I find slightly annoying. I've been here two years. I might need a vacation...
BUT today I am relishing my laziness as I lie, and lie, and continue to lie in calming waters of the Yusung spa...Soon I'll be off to the relaxing "Finland Sauna."
Whatever complaints one has about Korea, they got this sauna/spa culture deal right!

Recent Thoughts

2008-06-22T23:15:00.000-07:00

As much as I am tempted to write about hair color (I saw four young Korean women with blond hair in the trendy Hongdae area on Saturday afternoon! Not one or two rebels-but FOUR Korean fashionistas! Wow!) since I myself went brunette (er, um, again) on Sunday...
Or I could write about the delicious eggplant I savored at Greek Joy, a wonderful Greek eatery (worth the higher W20-30,000 per 5 course set meal prices) we discovered with hiking friends this weekend, located right near the station and the park in the same Hongdae area. The happy chef visited Greece several times and even screens travel DVDs that make you want to pack a backpack and go tomorrow...Greek Joy restaurant-Can you say YUM?
But, I digress. Again. :)
Today I have decided to write about a more serious topic. Isolation.Why am I thinking about isolation? Let me explain. When one travels to a foreign country-it is hard to gage the friendliness of one's colleagues and the attitude of one's neighbors at first. At first, most people are friendly. And if they want something from you-people are definitely friendly. But if you need them, will they be there?
I feel very blessed that I have met a few people here in Korea upon whom I know I can depend. Not everyone does. I was lucky! :)A sad story came up in the news last week about an American teacher who died alone at the young age of 31. Scary. Then a friend of mine moved to another country to work for a school that seemed wonderful-until the boss revealed her true colors. That's when one separates the party friends from the true friends.
Consider this news item: 31 year old foreign teacher (31!) dies alone in his one bedroom apartment. The newspaper story of the (just) 31 year old teacher who passed away has spawned some gallows humor among single ex-pats...in my opinion, this is because it hits a nerve. A single ex-pat in a small (sometimes tiny) apartment can really feel all on their own. Unless they start dating a Korean, at the end of the day, when trouble hits, they are often alone. A-L-O-N-E. Why? Some Korean people feel shy or intimidated living near foreigners who seem so different. Some foreigners are also used to living in Western style homes, apartments, or (among the just arrived "newbie" crowd) university dorms. These Western-style buildings are sometimes less crowded and have thicker walls. So, some Western teachers may behave in a way that seems appropriate to them, playing music and having friends/lovers over, but their behavior seems "too loud" or inappropriate to Korean neighbors. Then, of course there is the language gap. So the two groups sometimes stay apart from each other.
I am reprinting a website summation of the sad news story here. In my opinion, this young guy dying alone so suddenly deserves at least five minutes of our attention. Poor guy. ***************************************************************************************
"Via the Chosun Ilbo newspaper comes news that an American English teacher has died in (under?) somewhat mysterious circumstances... At approximately 9 am on the 20Th, 31-year old American English instructor "T" was found dead in the teacher’s one-room apartment in Eoyang-dong, Iksan City, in Jeollabuk-do. Police are investigating.The neighbor who alerted police said, “there had been a strange smell coming out for several days and finally I called the police.” Korean Police announced, “at the time of the discovery of the body the front door was locked, and the body was lying on the floor with no external injuries,” and are attempting to ascertain the circumstances of death by interviewing the employees of the hagwon (English academy)where T was working."
**************************************************************************************
On a much happier note, I am busy making travel plans for my vacation time. Yay! Since my school administrator won't let me leave early, I have some plans brewing for an interesting trip... :)

Hasty Headlines?

2008-06-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

I read an article on the Korea Times homepage entitled, "Obama Has Bad Impression of Korea." It confused me, because it then went on to explain Obama's position on just one issue-the FTA with Korea. Obama has recently commented that he opposes the FTA with Korea because he believes it is a bad deal for American workers. First of all, I remind the Korea Times folks that he's trying to get elected. (American auto workers vote, and not all of them like to see Hyundai outselling Ford in certain parts of the USA.) But, that election year timing aside, the only issue the article focused on was Obama's stance on free trade. How does that one issue constitute an "impression of Korea?"
The Korea Times sometimes run good, insightful articles. That wasn't one of them. When they introduce newer American politicians to a Korean and ex-pat audience, they should not oversimplify.
Just my full of personal bias opinion. :)
OK, back to correcting papers!

Expats for Obama

2008-06-18T23:54:00.000-07:00

No matter where you live, if you are interested in helping the Obama campaign succeed, they are interested in you. Last night I had the pleasure to attend a Democrats Abroad reception which featured discussion of registering ROK expats and a short talk by Miriam Saprio (a policy advisor and member of the Obama campaign's Finance Committee). The wine reception preceding the event was a little smaller and seemed to me a little more business-oriented than I'd expected. I was a tad under-dressed and a tad under prepared for such a networking opportunity. (Despite my willingness to spout opinions in writing, I can be a bit shy in person). But, I located a few of my business cards, drank a glass of wine, and forced myself to get to know the other folks in the room. I need to resurrect my rusty networking skills a.s.a.p, if I'm going to find a job in the fall. There might not be a recruiter holding my hand like there was in the ROK. And then, just when I opened up and started getting to know folks, the Villa Sortino's staff called us into the dining room for an excellent dinner. (You can never go wrong with Sortino's-yum!:) The short description for those stuffed mushrooms=mouth watering.)
But enough about me. Back to the Obama Campaign. Miriam Sapiro gave a relaxed, informative talk about the many strengths and current challenges of the Obama campaign. Fundraising for the remainder of the primary season is one of those challenges. I had forgotten about this issue, but there are still two separate funding pools-one for the primary season and one for the general election. Some campaign donors specifically earmark funds for the general election campaign against the Republican candidate-and no one can touch that money-even if it would really, really help the campaign- until AFTER the democratic convention. So Obama could benefit from volunteers and donations NOW. McCain is campaigning now, and Obama needs to be doing the same.
I was struck by Ms. Sapiro's speech because she was clear, informative and pleasant, even while jet-lagged. :). But what really struck me about it was that she was not slick. Back in my college days when I was a Poli-Sci major and campaign volunteer in NYC, I met a lot of slick political types. They had MPP and MIA degrees and they acted like they knew better than you. You could tell from their arrogance. Then later, when I became involved in various feminist causes, I met the political left's version of slick -the slick idealist. There was nothing slick about Ms. Sapiro. She could work a room and remember every one's name (now that is a skill I envy!) but she was genuine. She genuinely believes America needs Barak Obama to bring about crucial changes. And, while I'm perched up here on my political soapbox, so do I.
No matter where you live, if you're a US citizen or legal permanent resident, you can get involved in the Obama campaign. You can register voters. You can raise and or donate funds. The web site below is a good place to start:
http://abroad.barackobama.com/page/content/aafohome
I don't mean to preach, but I don't enjoy watching my country going to "hell in a hand basket." I'm not sure how you put hell in a hand basket, but it's bad. The USA needs real change. Democratic Change. I'm getting involved. You can, too.

All the Best to Matt Lamers

2008-06-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot going on in Seoul lately. In the midst of all it, I have been trying to stay positive. Of course, it is not always easy to do so. I would like to mention the sad story of an attack on a memeber of the staff of the poular English language paper, the Korean Herald. I mention it not to portray Seoul negatively, as there are many sweet and genrous people in Seoul. I mention it because I am very impressed by the maturity and positive attitude of Matt Lamers. It is very easy to grow cynical and isolated in a foreign country with vast cultural differences. Kudos to Matt Lamers that he can separate a few isolated aggressors from an entire, foreign culture.
Matt Lamers was attacked by three young men and slashed with a beer bottle in Hongdae (an area of full of university students, hofs (bars), and dance clubs) last weekend. Since Mr. Lamers is the best source of what happened, here is an excerpt from the first person account he wrote and posted on a local message board about it. He writes...
"The unprovoked attack took place around midnight in a park in Hongdae. And there were three attackers...My colleague and I were sitting on a park bench talking amongst ourselves, not loudly, when a trio of college-aged men sat across from us and said: “I speak English. Are you ready to die? We are going to kill you tonight.” They said that a few times and we ignored them completely. It’s not the first time someone had told me they planned to kill me; we assumed it was just drunk kids and thought they’d go away if we didn’t pay them any attention. But then the talker got up and came at me -- I stood up -- and he pushed me. I pushed him back. After he got up and brushed himself off, he grabbed a beer bottle, smashed it, and lunged at me. I moved my arm up reflexively and got a bottle jammed straight into my forearm arm. Then the three of them ran like hell. I was bleeding profusely and I am certain my colleague did the right thing in helping me out instead of chasing them down. It all happened in a matter of under five minutes. It took three taxis to get to a hospital, and when we got there they said I needed surgery and they didn’t have a surgeon on duty, so they sent us in an ambulance to another hospital. The muscle in my forearm was almost cut in half and after surgery it took 42 stitches to seal it up. Why didn’t I call the police and why do I feel lucky? Simple. I could have easily been killed but I am relatively fine now. I feel lucky. I only missed two days of work and the stitches are already out. I didn’t call the police because I wasn’t sober at the time, and we all know that most of the police in Korea are useless. Also, there is close to a zero percent chance that the three men could be caught. In reading over this message board, however, I was thinking it over and I decided to contact the police. Some of you made some really good points, and I think that in a situation like this, it is the right thing to do to tell the police. I do not want to set a bad example for other expats in Korea. We all have our opinions of the police here, nevertheless, they have a job they are expected to do -- and the moment we do not expect them to protect us from injustices, there is no hope at all. And that will lead to a hopelessly cynical life. If expats do not report crimes committed against them, especially those committed on the grounds of racism, there is no hope for change. Not reporting crimes makes it impossible to facilitate change because if people do not report crimes to the police -- just because they think the police will do nothing -- the police will only ever do nothing because there will never be any pressure from media or society for them to act. Justice and the police in Korea need to change, and if crimes go unreported, agents of change will blocked from making progress. Some personal thoughts: Although it was completely unprovoked, blatant racism, it was an isolated incident. I know some will disagree with me on this point, but to each his own. Korea is not a racist country, at least compared to Canada (where I’m from). What happened to me could have happened to anyone, in any country, so there is no reason to get ourselves worked up about it. I am not angry. I do not I hold “Korea” responsible. I do not hold any grudges (except for the attackers). It may or may not have been related to the beef protests. But who knows? Be careful, play safe, and if you find yourself in a situation like I was, the most important thing to protect is your health. And report it to the police (when you feel it is safe for you to do so). Consider reporting it to the media. We all have our different priorities. Mine is my and my family’s health and safety. Let’s keep the discourse respectable. Let’s not generalize when it’s unnecessary. Cynicism blocks progress."
Well written. It is east to get cynical in the face of the recent protests, but I think Mr. Lamers finishes on the right note.
A few crazy people, or violent people, don't represent a nation. Progress can be slow, but I hope it will come.

Is American Backlash Inevitable?

2008-06-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

Let's get this straight: I like Korea. If I didn't, I would have left when creepy men started knocking on the door of my apartment (see previous post, "Red Hair District.") But for every two or three friendly, generous, open minded people one meets in 2008, it seems that one can now find a traditionalist, or a Nationalist, expressing frustration with North American influence on their country. And maybe they have reason for doing so-maybe the Starbucks-ification of the local village is not so great. Koreans should protect their unique culture, of course.
BUT-words are powerful. CNN and the Internet rapidly spread Korean people's words everywhere. I am not surprised to read on-line and hear from friends back home that some Americans are reacting negatively to the anti-Lee and anti-FTA protests in Seoul. The average American citizen does not speak Korean (they speak English and or Spanish), but they can interpret signs with pictures of deranged cows with American flags on them.
I read on two websites today that the intelligent, Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama addressed the early Korean anti-FTA protests in a comment at a campaign rally in May. (His comments should be understood in light of the fact that any Democratic candidate needs the support of American labor unions and farmers to get elected, but they are also objectively interesting.) And he, Obama, is the unabashedly more LIBERAL candidate! If this is what he is saying, imagine what the more conservative, free-market adoring J. McCain might say....
Mr. Obama reportedly said...
“You can’t get beef into Japan and Korea, even though, obviously, we [the U.S.A] have the highest safety standards of anybody, but they don’t want to have that competition from U.S. producers,” Mr. Obama said last month in a speech to farmers in South Dakota.
Some may disagree about the standards, but my point here is not the reality of the standards, but how Americans perceive them. Americans back home seem to see the beef issue as much ado about little.
Then last week, near Detroit, Obama reportedly argued that “if South Korea is selling hundreds of thousands of cars to the United States and we can only sell less than 5,000 in South Korea, something is wrong.”
I hear that line about cars from my fellow Americans a lot lately. A lot. Frankly, I have thought it myself. The media image of Korean protectionism could be bad for Hyundai. American consumers are fickle. Saturn's cars are just as affordable. Koreans are free to express their rage over the FTA. I applaud free speech openly expressed. Koreans just might not like the free speech they get back...

Editorial note:I heard a scary rumor that a very zealous, female, anti-FTA Korean Internet crusader was listing the full names and workplaces of foreign bloggers who have written blog entries disagreeing with the recent anti-Lee and anti-F.T.A. protests in some way. Reportedly, this Korean woman is encouraging Korean citizens to contact the employers of these foreign bloggers and complain about them, just because the foreign workers (sometimes they are teachers) support the US stance on the FTA. I really hope that this rumor isn't 100% true. That story sounds an awful lot like a witch hunt to me. I am still moved by the generosity and diligence of many of the Korean people whom I know. If this woman has really started this anti-blogger campaign, she makes herself look closed minded and mean spirited. She also could harm the image of her fellow Koreans. Americans read blogs and social networking sites, too, in huge numbers.
P.S. I learned a few hours later that the source of that rumor among ex-pats was a blog entry by blogger "Brian In Jeollanam-do." He writes that...
"I've attracted the ire of Korean netizen bullies.
This morning a couple Korean blogs have started linking to me as well as the "Candlegirls" cafe. The Candlegirls site links to me as a "촛불시위를 비하하는 외국인강사." Another blog, in an entry called "광우병 촛불집회를 비하하는 외국인," has posted my name, blog, and Facebook page, as well as the information of the Gwangju News, and has reposted the article I wrote in this month's issue. It also includes the name, school, and contact information of my editor, and has directed readers to email our employers. I'll copy and paste what they wrote in case the link changes."
Unfortunately, the Korrean net bully who wrote about him did so in Korean. So I could really only understand about 40% of what was written. As I get older, my thirst for knowledge is SO hampered by my crappy third language acquisition skills! (Plus, in my time off, I'm lazy.)

Sunny Sunyudo

2008-06-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

Just take a train ride away from all the crowds, the heat, and the politics of Seoul and find the port of Gunsan. Board a ferry, bustling or ramshackle, and transport yourself to the relaxing sandy beaches of Sunyudo. Twenty minutes biking the shoreline, or walking barefoot in the wet sand, can counter-act several hours of commuting on sweaty subways with pushy Seoul businessmen...

We weren't able to get two round trip tickets to Jejudo this past weekend (and, alas, we can't move there), so this is exactly what we did. We didn't make our plans until the last minute, so we ended up on the slow train to Gunsan station. It was a nice, relaxing ride. I was feeling very Seouled-out, as this time of year the heat and the crowds bother me more. I felkt my stress level decline as we left the station. Also, my boyfriend has the travel Scrabble game, so I was able to relish the moment when I actually beat him on board the train! (This may never happen again; he plays a strategic game. But just this once: I won! :) )

Once there, we checked into our hotel. Our Korean friend helped us find it-the humorously named Ritz-Plaza (if both names are taken-just combine them! :) ) Now that we've made the trip, I'd recommend staying in one of the cute, small pensions (guest houses) on Sunyudo itself, but the hotel was still very nice. Also, it had a good, clean bathroom with a nice bathtub!! This can be a rare find here. There was a fancy function hall at that hotel that hosted a few weddings while we stayed there-so there was also good people-watching. Women in pretty hanboks and cute children running by in fancy clothes. :)

We got directions from the front desk and jumped on the next modern ferry to the island. It was a newer, well appointed boat. We took anti-sea sickness medicine, so we got a little drowsy, but neither of us threw up. (That's always good! :))

As the train had taken longer than we'd expected, we could only stay on the island for a few hours in the afternoon. Still, it was a gorgeous day. The weather cooperated, the sand lay softly beneath our bare feet, and the locals negotiated with us about the price of renting a bicycle-built-for-two. The beaches weren't very crowded, but we did see a few groups of older Koreans who seemed to be clamming (or digging for crabs? or Octopus?) on the beach, and filling up buckets and plastic bags with their catch. We also passed a friendly trio of Koreans hunting for wild herbs in the underbrush by the side of the beach road. Biking was a fun way to get around the island, which was just big enough to stay interesting.

On the creaky, older ferry on the way back to Gunsan city, there were about a dozen "Airmen," (although some of them were young women, so I don't know why one doesn't say "Airpeople?" Militray tradition? I don't know). Most of them were pleasant and respectful. A few of them were obviously in their 20's, and acting a little loud and drunken, since they probably spent the day on the beach, and are usually stuck on Kunsan Air Base. The three rowdy ones were climbing the ladder to the top of the pilot house, and sleeping on the life jackets, which didn't look so safe, or give the Air Force such a great image with the local Koreans. But the rest of the "Airmen" were nice, well tanned, and well behaved. We spoke to one guy (30ish, with a wedding ring on) about local restaurants. He was very nice and respectful.
One cute Korean grandmother sitting next to me, gave me a bunch of cherry tomatoes. She was sharing with her family, so she shared with me, too. Very sweet of her! :) I felt bad that I had no food to share with her. As the boat was docking, another Korean man asked us where we were from. When he heard that we were American, he was proud to point out that he had worked for the US Embassy in Seoul before he retired to Busan. When I travel with my boyfriend, who is in his forties but doesn't really have the stereotypical crew cut military style of haircut and wardrobe, I notice that people are often curious to find out what he is doing here in the ROK.

Saturday night, we took a leisurely stroll around the lake near our hotel, and watched the local fishermen catch fish. Then we happened upon a traditional Korean music festival on an outdoor stage. Randomly, it was sponsored by the Gunsan area YMCA/YWCA. :). We were starving, and heard that the Ritz-Plaza had a good menu, so we played it safe and just ate at the hotel. It was nothing exceptional, but they allowed us to eat outside on the patio, and that was a lovely thing to do on a warm, less buggy night.

Sunday morning, we didn't really have time to get back out to the island. So, we visited a park by the river and took in the Gunsan Migratory Bird Observatory. I'm no ornithologist, and the birds tend to migrate from colder Russia to relatively warm Korea in the fall, but it was a pretty place to stroll around on a sunny Sunday morning. They had a fun, tropical bird habitat set up inside a greenhouse, with smaller uncaged birds flying free. The larger birds, like the Macaw and the parrots were still in cages. My boyfriend spent a good five minutes trying to get the parrot to parrot him-in any language. The very lively Macaw did a better job repeating sounds, I thought.

I don't think they are native to Korea-but the observatory also had a "mountain bird" habitat set up inside a dome outside. They featured two gorgeous peacocks. We also completed our mandatory tourist photo-op with the local mascot. In the case of the observatory the mascots were two giant, plastic migratory bids dressed in Korean hanbok. Unique, anyway! :)

At the end of our leisurely visit, we had to find our way back to the train station. We saw a bus stop, but couldn't get our hands on a schedule. So we asked the ticket booth man (in our best Konglish) to do us a favor and call us a taxi. He agreed, but something must have been lost in translation, as a while went by and nothing occurred. By that time, it was probably too late to take a bus. So, we approached a second ticket booth employee about calling a taxi. This man was very agreeable and instantly understood. He called right away, but it was Sunday, and he was told no taxi was willing to come out to the bird observatory (it was just outside the town). I started to get worried about the time. So, I showed him my train ticket and tried to ask him if there was any other way we could get to the station in time fort our train. He looked at my ticket, repeated the time, and went back into the ticket booth. Then he very generously unlocked his car and offered to drive us to the station. :) This kind of generosity can be rare in American cities nowadays, unfortunately. He even refused to take any money for gas, which is ridiculously expensive here now. The sweet man drove us quickly to the station, we thanked him profusely, and we made it onto the train on time. I was impressed by the pleasant people of Gunsan. :)

If you are ever in Korea with a weekend to spare, I suggest a trip to Sunyudo.

(Posted here are some pictures from our recent trip to Sunyudo....Now who's that young, sprightly babe on the bike?)

Megastars!

2008-06-15T01:59:00.000-07:00

If you get a chance to see the Blue Man Group's 2008 "Megastar Wold Tour"-go. Don't worry about the prices-here in Seoul tickets cost quite a bit-but they were worth every penny. I lucked out and attended the concert as a birthday gift with a small group of friends.
The Megastar tour pairs the curious,surrealistic Blue Men (and their multi-media explorations) with a high energy rock band. It will make you want to play Babba O'Riley on the PVC right along with them... One standout at the recent Seoul shows was the fantastic, female vocalist Andrian Hartley. She could really belt out a tune and stay in character!
The show has come a long was since Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink developed it at the Astor Place Theater. (Sorry, Angie, Blue Man Group has performed in Berlin-but the originators of the show are American-not German.)
The full band, rocking guitarists, and humorous mocking of the trappings of modern rock bands contrasted to the stark, original show I saw in Boston years ago. But that's why they are worth a second look-and listen. They also customized the show well to the local audience-offering a full audio-visual program in Korean, and inviting audience members (some of whom, for example, one young Korean woman, were mortified)up on stage to introduce cast members. And bonus-every single audience member in Seoul was given the CD and the DVD of the show. (Or at least, I think everyone got them. The front section did.)
Blue Man Group has expanded into lots of little projects-scoring a TV show for cable, performing in commercials-but their re-invigorated live show still energizes an audience, no matter what language they speak.

The Anniversary and Anti-FTA Protests

2008-06-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

Korean President Lee M.B. might want to take the temperature in Seoul. It's hot, hot, hot, and getting hotter.
Tuesday night, June 10th, a million Koreans flooded the streets of Seoul to express displeasure with their elected government and the hastily passed F.T.A. with the USA. A similar, if smaller, protest occurred in the major port city, Busan, simultaneously. The protest also marked the anniversary of the 1987 protest againgst then dictator Chun Doo-wah and his attempts to hand-pick his own sucessor. Within the charged atmospere of those 1987 anti-dictatoship protests, a university student reportedly died. Happily, the recent protests against President Lee M.B. and the F.T.A. with the USA have generally been non-violent.
What they have led to seems to be a war of words and perceptions. Slogans and images are flying. Serious Koreans are pictured on the Korean nightly news holding up signs that read (oddly, in Konglish, the Korean-English hybrid of choice) "Lee Meung Bak" (in Korean) ...OUT (in English)! Myriad Cabinet officers have tried to resign to take responsibility for the US beef import/export deal that acted as a lightning rod for all the antipathy against President Lee. I read that an agricultural minister even tried to apologize to the throng at the demonstration Tuesday night. But he was greeted with such intense calls of "traitor," that he seemed to become frightened, and he left the protest area.
The protesters at the most recent string of May-June demonstrations are definitely challenging President Lee M.B. and his cabinet, who are seen by the average Korean as wealthy autocrats who remain out of touch with the common people. High School and university students are a vital and large component of the protests. Many people disapprove of the president. Once you get beyond that point, opinions start to vary a little bit and various media outlets portray the broader opinions of the protests in very different ways. The English language papers, based in Seoul,often describe the protesters as expressing anti-US beef import slogans and broader anti-American sentiments. The Korean nightly news (which was prohibited from presenting both sides of the 1987 protest due to government censorship), according to my Korean friends, portrays the problems at issue as broader. Young Koreans are demanding more imput into, and control over, food safety regulations on imported foods, or "food sovereignty." Average Koreans are also demanding that the government recognize their "people power" or rights to consult with their elected officials before important decisions, such as Free Trade Agteements with foreign powers, are made. In my personal opinion, food sovereignty and democratic rights are both valid issues that Koreans need to explore with their elected officials.
Professor John Eperjesi wrote an impassioned defense of the Korean protesters in the English language paper The Korea Times this week. He presents a convincing argument for food sovereignty: the Koreans just want control over their food as it effects their health. They want to import food without harmful chemicals. Good for them. They want to import beef from younger cows that carries no risk of Mad Cow Disease. And therein lies the rub, of course.
Unfortunately, some of the early protests, and the e-mails and internet chats students and young people used to publicize them, spread some rumors and pseudo-science. All kinds of claims were made and the opinions of certain Korean and Korean-American "scientists" (some of whom later denied being involved) concerning the likliehood of Mad Cow disease occurring in American cows in 2008 were frequently cited. Claims were also made by a few Korean-Americans about the opinions of the "American Public" on the low standards used to judge US beef (see my previous posts for my opinion of one person claiming to speak for ALL Americans.Annoying!)
This pseoudo-science, and it's repetition on radio and talk shows in Korea, did not go over well with American diplomats. In fact, from what I've been told by my Ex-pat friends,it did not go over well with a lot of American businessmen, engineers, and scientists who do business in Seoul. Many foreign science teachers and English teachers teaching in the Seoul area also started to express annoyance. In my humble opinion, it is the repetion of this pseoudo-science about the liklihood of humans catching Mad Cow Disease and related disorders in 2008 that led a few expats to describe the protests in the English media here as mass "hysteria."
Were the protesters really hsyterical? Generally, no. Not from what I've seen and read. However, certain protests and anti-FTA websites originating here in the Seoul area have given an outlet to more extreme protectionist and anti-American activists. Whoever handed the microphone to the man who advocated the boycott of ALL American companies in Korea at a recent protest was not really thinking clearly. That one over-zealous man was not just anti-Lee, he seemed anti-American.But of course he is just one crazy guy getting his fifteen seconds of fame. The protesters, as they exercize their democratic rights, need to be careful not to legitimize such extremists.
In addition, the protesters would be wise to distance themselves from some of the more protectionist groups and politicians who are active in Seoul. Testing the safety of imported food as much as possible is one issue. Health is an important value in Korean culture. Health and "well being" seem to concern Koreans in every age group. Keeping the ratio of exports to imports low is a totally separate issue. I recently had dinner with some American businessmen and engineers in their 40s. They reported perceiveing a truly protectionist business climate in Seoul these days. Korea wants to be an exporter on the world stage. In trade, as in personal relationships, it "takes two to tango." Recently, an expat blogger in Korea wrote about it well-in trade, as in love, he wrote "trust is at the center of every relationship...Koreans don't trust their government...or the US." Koreans can't expect to exports cars and electronics to the US on a grand scale without making minor concessions on what they will import. I am NOT saying these concessions have to be made on the beef. They just have to be made somewhere. I see trade relationships around me at my school all day long. In the schoolyard out my window, no one wants to play with the kids who won't play fair.
There will reportedly be more protests on June 13th, the anniversary of the day that US soldiers accidentially ran over two Korean middle-school students with an armored vehicle. That event was a horrible tragedy and I can understand why dsome people would still harbor some anger. However, Americans in general are of course not to blame for one isolated accident.
I myself hope that the food sovereignty protests can keep their focus narrow and advocate specific, democratic reforms instead of giving way and crumbling into mass stages for nationalism and protectionsim.

Mounting Protest and Rigid Contracts

2008-06-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

How do I stay positive when my heart and the citizens around me protest?

Well, the protest against the F.T.A. with the USA continues, as you know. Many of my Korean co-workers and friends say that these demonstrations are really protests against President Lee and his cabinet full of "rich men." However, the possible importation of US beef is still a hot button issue here. Even if they can get it into the country, there has been soooo much misinformation about the health risks it could create, that no Koreans would buy it. (Maybe the USA should stick with importing American wine-I read on a government website that American wine is selling well here!) There was a large protest near City Hall this past Saturday and I heard a rumor that there will be another one on June 10th. The Korean president's popularity is at an absolute low. I myself have no problem with the freedom of assembly and free speech.
Some of the protests have given a podium to some more extreme nationalists ,though, and that can be a little annoying. A few of them are just over-the-top. A few Korean-American individuals have also claimed to speak for the "American public, " and that to me seems unwise. America is a very, very big place. Many different opinions are voiced there. What do I think? Well, I would like to go "on the record," as it were, about the rumors that American consumers have stopped buying US beef because of safety concerns. I emailed a group of Americans whom I know. I wanted to find out if there was some big anti-beef campaign at home that I had somehow missed. Some of the people I e-mailed were too busy to get back to me. However, within the group of those who did, who eat meat regularly, people did NOT report that the average American consumer has stopped purchasing US beef because of safety concerns. Of course, there are vegetarians. And people who purchase ONLY organic foods-including organic meat-all the time (due to the price of organic food in the USA, these would usually be families with more money!). But none of my friends reported a big change in American consumer behavior.
I have also heard reports of the Seoul police using force against peaceful protesters. This would be bad. However, I have not seen that with my own eyes. I got an e-mail from the US embassy last Thursday or Friday (around Korean Memorial Day) urging American citizens to stay away from the protest areas-just in case. I don't know if that is just a case of "C.Y.A," or if the embassy people perceive a real threat of brawls.
In the midst of this issue, I am trying to remain positive about my remaining months in Korea. I took a pretty hike on a mountain outside Suwon on Saturday(I'll try to post a picture later). I had fun going out with a few pals on Saturday and Sunday. But, honestly, I am a little annoyed with my contract situation. If you think Korea is the best place ever and you are 100% happy with organizational structure here, you might want to stop reading now.
Complaint corner: I am finished, 100% finished with all my teaching responsibilities by August 15th. TWO of my cousins are getting married in Canada in August. I also have tons of things to do once I get back to the USA as I myself am moving out of New England (I will eventually end up in San Francisco, but there are trips out of the country planned in there). Now my contract says I am under obligation to my school until 8/31. I understand that I signed this piece of paper. However, I was just informed that my school will be closed in the month of August. So, after my summer camp for the town, I have nothing to do. Nothing. Nada. Yet, I must stay in Korea, doing nothing, from 8/15-8/31. No one will pay for a return ticket for me before 8/31. Even though I will not be working, I must "fulfill the exact terms of my contract," and sit around in Korea from 8/15-8/31. We are not even discussing severance pay here. I requested to leave after all my work was done, and let them know I understood that the severance pay would be pro-rated. I was hoping to sneak into one of the two family weddings this summer. Nope. I can't even get the return ticket purchased for me, which is basically part of my salary,unless I stay until the last day of my contract period. Apparently, teachers in my town left early last year and "there were some problems." Gee, thanks. How is that my fault? So, I will be sitting around in my apartment from 8/15-8/31. And the town will pay a full month's rent on my apartment (which they might not have to do if I left by 8/15). How very logical... and very flexible...And very annoying!!!
A P.S.-After I wrote this post, and let my annoyance cool a little, a friend here in Korea made a valid point. It may be that my town, and not my school, is paying both my severance pay and my airline ticket. So, the school might not be able to really negotiate. The money, even though it is supposedly from my "salary," might not exist yet, or it might be being used for something else. If this is the case, I don't blame my school, and all my school staff had to do was explain that to me.

Red Hair District

2008-06-06T01:47:00.000-07:00

I have reddish hair. Usually, it is reddish brown. Last month I was deeply engaged in reading In Style magazine (English language magazines-they're like heroin!), and didn't notice that my stylist selected a tone little darker than usual. Until it was too late. So, my now hair is red.
And, in case you were wondering, I am NOT a Russian prostitute. I am not from Russia. Or the Ukraine. Or even Eastern Europe. "Are you from Russia?" is an opening line skeevy (a.k.a. sleazy), fifty something Korean men use to find out if women accept money for sex. This line of conversation also tends to reveal that they are willing to PAY for sex. Or looking to buy a wife-which is different, but also kind of gross. Since my hair color became a little brighter, I have been getting this question, "Are you from Russia?" more than usual. This is a common theme here. I heard that a t-shirt company here even makes a sarcastic t-shirt that reads "I am not a Russian woman" in Korean characters. (Can you imagine if you actually WERE a Russian woman engaged in some other legal, innocent business in Asia? They would get harassed all the time, I bet. It would stink to be them!) The men who ask if I, and my friends, are Russian, always have wedding rings on their hands. Lovely.
The only real, live Russian prostitute I ever met in Korea approached a group of people I was with at a dance club. She wanted to now if any of the gentlemen in our small group, or in fact the couples, wanted to "party" with her. She acted like she was on something, possibly E, but there is no way to confirm that. She had blonde hair and dark roots.
A teacher I know in my small suburb South of Seoul reports that she lives in area where it is easy to identify several "working girls," from various countries, hanging out by the subway station. Yet the Korean government reports that they have effectively erased prostitution in Korea. The press reports that the only "problem areas" are near US military bases. There's a "barber shop" in my apartment building with a bed inside, and a very, very friendly "hair staylist" from SouthEast Asia. Sometimes late at night, men knock on my door. Sometimes they are looking for my drunken neighbor, who had a little problem finding his own apartment for a while. But some of the late night callers also seem lost looking for the "barber shop." This makes me feel very safe in my apartment, doesn't it? It got so bad at one point that I just packed up and went to sleep on my boyfriend's couch for a while.
A friend suggested I literally put a sign on my door announcing in Hangul that I am not the prostitute in the building-to ward off any lost Johns (or Kims, or Parks, or Lees). I thought she was kidding. She was serious. In the end I actually did it for a while, figuring it couldn't hurt. How prepostorous is that?
(If I can find a photo of it, I will post it here.)
Prostitution in Korea?
Erased my ass.

More "Ya goo"

2008-06-03T00:12:00.000-07:00

A few more fun moments from our $6 baseball game...Did I mention that the Korean word for baseball is pronounced something like "ya goo?"

"America's Game?"

2008-06-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

We Americans like to see baseball as "our" game. There are, of course, myriad Blue Jay fans (see bluejays.mlb.com)who would disagree! Baseball has also taken Japan by storm. But there is no arguing with the zeal of Red Sox Nation in my hometown. I don't like sports. I just love my Red Sox. Even angry American adolescents in high school gym class can be cajoled into a baseball game. Heck, they made a cheesy romantic comedy about it (Jimmy Fallon only gets a girl like Drew Barrymore in the movies though, guys, sorry). The Red Sox are like a collective first love-when it was bad it was terrible (when they lose, they lose all the way), but when it was good it was AMAZING. So the romance never completely wears off-despite years, miles, trades, crazy ticket prices, and even tarnished, shorn heroes (like Damon) traded to the devil (a.k.a New York).
Here in the ROK, sports are a family affair. Shiny-suit businessmen meet up with their families outside the park. Football is the real fever-the third graders shooting goals outside my school at 8am swear they'll be the next Korean to make the Manchester United Squad. Or they'll die trying. First love, right?
Back to baseball. This past Friday night, I had the opportunity to check out a Woori Heroes vs. Lotte Giants game in Mokdong. As many of my readers know, I had health issues in May, so dropping into the game for a few hours was my first "night out" in a bit. Steve was happy to see me off his couch! :) The tickets cost an amazing $6-$12! Not exactly Fenway prices!
Mulit-million dollar Lotte corp. does everything big, from their stores, to their cinemas, to their fast food chains. Their team is well organized and well supported. I have seen Doosan Bears games before and still have a soft spot for that team and their fans. But it was fun to check out the Woori Tobacco Heroes at their recently established home stadium...
The Lotte Giants were winning when we arrived, and their fans dominated the stadium at first, even though they weren't the "home team." The Giants' five singing, dancing, chanting cheerleaders (yes, sigh, baseball cheerleaders) greeted every play with a choreographed song routine! No tune was off limits-from the Christian song "Rivers Of Bablyon" to the American patriotic anthem Battle Hymn of the Republic-everything was rewritten to be about Lotte, Lotte, Lotte, Lotte! I kept waiting for the "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know" Lotte Giants' song-but it appears that they left that song alone, at least! :)
The Giants started strong, they had some foreign wringers and made some early dramatic plays. Their fielding wasn't very good, though-and the Woori Heroes' slow and steady base hits wore them down over the course of the night.
The park was more modest than the Doosan Bears' stadium-but the fans sucked down Cass and spicy ramen, of course (is there any occasion in Korean where one doesn't eat ramen noodles?). Steve also got us a box of barbecue chicken from the chicken cart by the entrance. It was yummy but a tad too spicy for my still recovering tummy.
My favorite moment came in the 8th inning when the fans lit up sparklers-it was fun, festive, and spirited! Go Heroes! It was also burning bright-burning, burning inside enclosed areas even! Creative planning, but maybe not so safe! :)
In the end, the home team Heroes won. It was a great, cheap way to spend a warm evening,and a few Korean little boys felt the love.

Azalea Mountain

2008-05-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took a much needed hiking trip out to Soaebaksan. The area's azalea festival was that week and delicate pink blossoms lined the trail. I was still a little sick, and the hike was a bit of a physical challenge. It was wonderful to be in nature with friends, though. Getting out of the city is good for the spirit...

Victory for Process, if not Science

2008-05-21T23:27:00.000-07:00

I have been down with the flu, but unless you live on Neptune, or are very wrapped up in the American Idol Finale, you have no doubt heard that the beef issue has been resolved for now. Those protestors in tents can go home now.
The way my American eyes see it is as follows:
1. It's a small victory for the democratic process. The public outcry over the deal hastily made by leaders reminds us all that leaders work FOR the people, not above the people. Leaders should have consulted their constituents further before jumping into a revised trade pact. (Editorial Note: My president, Bush, and especially his evil henchman, CHENEY, could stand reminding of this. You work for the voters. Not the other way around.)
President Lee admitted as much with his recent public apology. The papers describe his statements as follows:
"The government lacked efforts to seek sufficient understanding and collect opinions from the people," Lee said during a nationally televised address. "I humbly accept the point that the government neglected to fathom the people's mind. I feel sorry."
So, good job voters and angry teens, you organized, and made yourselves heard. Remember that process next time some big environmental issue comes up, ok? :)
2. Obviously, it is a victory for Korean farmers and cattle owners, who can continue to sell their beef without fears of losing out to a "lower quality" product. The cows outside my school, however, don't look any more or less excited. Pretty much they look languid. Australian cattle companies, who now mark their beef products with a sticker that says "Australian Beef-clean and Safe," also win out. I am sure that it is clean and safe. It is just ridiculously expensive. Hamburgers aren't supposed to cost 10,000 won to make, "mate."
3. Unfortunately, it may in the end be a loss for science. There is no mad cow disease in American beef right now. I saw on-line that they found ecoli germs (spelling?) in a few boxes of processed beef products in certain American states like Massachusetts, and that certain types of processed beef products were thus recalled in those specific places. E-coli is e-scary. Certainly. But it's different from mad cow disease. So, nope, as far as I've read, no mad cow.
Yahoo is reporting that a Korean TV show host said that Koreans are more susceptible to mad cow related illnesses that Westerners. I'm no geneticist, but that sounds like a crock of...well, cow poop.
Enough for now...I have to go make some 20,000 won meatloaf! :)

Here Comes The Sun?

2008-05-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

The President of South Korea campaigned on taking a tougher stance towards North Korea. It seemed to be one of his selling points with older voters, from what my friend's say.
However, reading some of his recent comments, it almost sounds like he is shifting his position. In speeches this weekend, he sounded more like his predecessor, and what I know of the "Sunshine Policy." Consider these quotes...

The President said, ``...South Korea is ready to help North Korea change and move toward openness.'' Reporters in the ROK press noted that this is exactly like "something Kim Dae-jung, the architect of the Sunshine Policy of engaging with North Korea, had reiterated during his presidency."
According to the English language papers, President Lee "also said the two Koreas should move from confrontation to co-existence" and from hostile relations to "reconciliation."
Interesting.
Rhetoric and Policy are different of course (just ask Bush).
We'll see what happens...

Expat Loss

2008-05-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

Well, today I am going to ignore some of the larger issues here and get personal. It's the anniversary of the Kwangju Uprising, there are some interesting things happening on the Beef export issue, and the well-intentioned but burdensome new E-2visa rules continue to create drama for EFL teachers in Korea.
But you know what? This morning, I don't give a rat's _ _ _.I'm sad. A friend of mine lost her grandfather last week and this week I endured a loss of my own. That has me thinking about how one processes loss a little differently miles away from family and friends.
On the one hand, you can dodge rituals that don't work for you. If you're not a fan of funerals, or half-assed superficial expressions of sympathy from near strangers, you can avoid them. No one epects you to follow through with Western traditions or coping mechanisms. You can keep your mouth shut and just go with the flow, which can be kind of nice.
On the other hand, you're a million miles away from your Gina. "Gina" is my nickname for everyone's coolest pal. You know that person right, that one friend from way back, maybe high school, maybe college, who knows you well and always just knows what to SAY when the shite hits the fan? Gina was the first person you called when your first adult relationship, or your engagement (or maybe even your marriage), plunged like the Titanic. Gina has pictures of you with braces in an orange prom dress, but she would never post them on Facebook. Gina would never say, "I told you so." Gina has helped you move. When someone dies, or something bad happens, it's good to be able to track Gina, or whoever that friend may be, down. Buy that person a coffee, or a beer, and just hang out in the knowledge that bad things happen in life.Even if you're nice, and you planned ahead, and you flossed your teeth. Bad things happen.
When bad things happen in a foreign land, you are surrounded by newer people,new thoughts, new options, new perspectives. Intellectually, new perspectives are very interesting. Some of these new options might seem better; they might fit your personality better. But they might not.
I like Korea. I have learned from living here. But emotionally, I'd trade a new perspective for ten minutes with my old pal, "Gina" in a heartbeat.

Mad Cow and Me -2008

2008-05-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

Want to piss people off?
Mess with their food.
For my readers back-home, here's a quick, lay-woman's update on the American beef import brouhaha broiling right now in Seoul.
Last month, South Korean and American politicians rubbed a sore spot. South Korean officials relaxed their ban on American beef imports, initiated in the Mad Cow panic of 2003, perhaps in hopes of striking a more favorable trade deal with the USA. According to political reporters at the Washington Post, "the beef issue has been a major irritant in relations between the allies and threatened the prospects for approving a wider trade agreement, one of the main items on the agenda of a summit meeting that started in Washington [in April] between South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and President Bush...Although the beef issue was not directly related to the trade pact, some U.S. lawmakers had insisted that it needed to be resolved before they could back the deal. Lawmakers in both countries have yet to approve the pact, which was negotiated last year. South Korea's Agriculture Ministry agreed that revived Beef imports were expected to begin in mid-May and to expand in stages. "

So, while everyone was arguing about US beef, I went to the USA and ate a lot of it. A LOT of it. I ate steak three times in one week. No one there breathed a peep about Mad cow disease, there was nothing in the US media about it. I went to an American grocery store with a large butcher shop (aw, American grocery stores! The grandeur!)and they weren't posting any signs about meat safety or advertising organic beef on special, like places did back in 2003 when the American public expressed safety concerns.
So what is up with all this anger over American beef? I will report some of the dribs and drabs of public opinion here. (Editorial note: I don't trust the American government, either. A lot of Americans don't. That's why President Bush has some of the lowest American public approval ratings EVER.)

Here are some bare bones details, according to the AP, about the Beef import deal that is making so many people angry:
Seoul will first allow the importation of U.S. beef from cattle younger than 30 months, including those cuts with bones. Younger cows are believed to be at less risk for mad cow disease. "Beef from older cattle will also be cleared for importation after the United States strengthens its controls on feed to reduce the chances of infection," the Agricultural ministry has said. But, right now, concerns still exist about this older cattle and the feed they are given...

It's when we get to these "older cattle" that the story even impacted my little school in the rice paddy. Even my co-workers, who generally keep their politics out of school, expressed concern. I had to ask them "What are you talking about?" as I could only understand every fifth word in Korean, but since they kept saying "Migook" in a negative tone, in a conversation they chose to have in front of an American (I was sitting right there eating my ham and cheese on rye) I wanted to know. They complained, as a group, in a long conversation, that Lee will import "old cow." My coworker with pretty good English described this "old cow" as "bad meat quality." Huh. So then a rather socially awkward translation occurred. My co-workers complained that this "old cow" is bad and it does not eat good feed.One said something in Korean to the tune of Americans don't eat this old cow (Note-I don't think that's true, I think Americans do, but I need to verify that.)It took me a while to understand what meaning they were attaching to "old" ("old" as in age? "old" as in "sell-by" date?), but later I learned more about the issue and figued it out. My co-teacher tried to say that the anger being expressed in the conversation was not directed at America, but at President Lee, who is not standing up for Koreans and trying to get them better beef or a better deal.They feel that President Lee shouldn't trust the American government so much.
This weekend, I was supposed to go on a hiking trip, but the timing didn't work out. As it is a long weekend, I was disappointed. My boyfriend also has to work the holiday at his American company, so that stinks (they get Jesus' birthday off, but not Buddha's? What kind of bias is THAT?!Kind of kidding-but still, that's lame).So, instead we regrouped, spent some time in nature, and went to the HiSeoul festival.

Enroute to the enthusiastic, brightly lit concert on Saturday, we stumbled upon one of several recent protest against US beef imports and other government policies.
We saw many people there, of all ages. Families, working men, students. Some had prepared placards. A few held obviously Socialist linked signs-and wore t-shirts with the the clenched red fist used as a symbol of the International Socialist Worker organization. (I noticed them because they, despite being Korean, managed to look just as frenzied-rigid-yet-earnest as the International Socialist Worker folks I saw at anti-war rallies at Columbia Unviersity in the 1990s. I wanted to ask them, "Hey, didn't I see you burning a flag near Times Square?" But hey, Socialism endures for a reason, it resonates for some, and they have a right to their opinion, too). It was a very large crowd. Banners posted from lightposts to the small stage area urged, in two languages, "Impeach Lee" and "No Lee. No Bush. No US Beef." There were even a few young students in cow costumes, who looked somewhat comical :). But in a large crowd they did stand out and get your attention. I missed the "act" of the costumed cows on the stage as I tried to ask a college-age rally participant, in my dismal Korean, what it was about. I figured he would probably speak a little English from school and be able to explain a little. But there were many, many riot police on hand (I saw at least four police buses there)and they were trying to move us, and a another couple coming the other way on the sidewalk past; trying to clear the sidewalk for pedestrian travel near the concert and shopping areas.
I read today that the protest was student-inspired. But not just the university students participated, the high school students did, too. The Korean press reports that Korean high school students are campaigning actively against president Lee, his education policies, and now his importation of US Beef.
Bae-Ji Sook of the Korea times writes that:
"More than 12,000 people participated in candlelit vigils on Friday and Saturday ― an estimated 60 percent of the participants were middle and high school students.
The youngsters expressed their ideas on leaflets, paper masks and other protest tools. They led the rally calmly with no physical or verbal violence.
Under the law, any one aged above 19 is given the right to vote in elections. Last December, 54.2 percent of those voted in the presidential election.
...These days the underage students are leading the online world to vent their anger against U.S. beef imports. Their rationale is that they will be forced to eat American beef at school cafeterias."
Statistics about the attendance at political rallies are infamously unreliable, and it would be convenient if only young people, non-voters who are easy to dismiss,opposed Lee. I saw plenty of adults there. But it is interesting that students left the PC bong (internet cafe) and lit a candle to oppose their president. (American teens could use some more of that energy, in my opinion!)
So, that's my take on the issue from greater Seoul. And, since this is my personal, self-absorbed,possibly reactionery, chick navel-gazing corner of the blog-sphere, I'm going to give my own opinion:
1. As a patriotic American I believe that it is often smart NOT to trust the Bush government. The protesters have a point there.
2. It is important to try to monitor what's in the food you eat. Some chemials and pesticides are bad for you. "BGH" hormones might be bad (probably are), and that is used in some, but not all, American cows.Some Americans try to avoid eating or drinking any cow-related products from farms using BGH, and some New England dairy farmer's group want to ban them (but dairy is a separate issue).
Some Americans, who have more money, spend the extra on organic beef. It is over-priced but some American swear it is worth it to know what goes into it. I have eaten it and it certainly tastes good and fresh.
3. Some Americans just chose not to eat beef AT ALL. Cattle farms eat up miles of land. Beef leaves a big carbon footprint. (They are right. I am weak; I really like beef.:))
4.But honestly mad cow disease is NOT a big deal on American farms right now. I am not part of some "Western imperialist conspiracy" (apologies to one particular xenophobic Korean blogger), I would admit there was a big mad cow problem if there was one. US beef in 2008 is just standard quality US beef. US consumers are eating it. It might have some chemicals in it, unless it meets the certified organic standards (the US state of California has pretty good ones.)But it's not going to kill you. So all these pictures of cows with steam coming out of their heads and glowing, red eyes kind of make me smile.
5. To sum up: there are lots of valid reasons to urge Lee not to kiss Bush's ass. America's involved in an unwinnable war. We're not doing enough to protect the environment. Some of our companies want to capture the Asian market at any cost. But, our cows?
Really, they're not our biggest problem...

Of Weddings and Wardrobes

2008-05-06T23:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we did fly back home for the big wedding. Everyone got all dressed up and looked real swanky. The ceremony was brief with Celtic touches. The piper-a great touch-managed to sound Irish without making the event feel like a cop's funeral. The bride and groom got their relaxed, mature, jazz-infused (no young children allowed) special night. And, luckily for me, everyone liked my boyfriend.
Not that I was really, sincerely, worried that they wouldn't like him -he's very likable. In Korea,more people like him than like me (I'm fun and kind but a little cranky, you see). So, the family liking the boyfriend is crucial. Also, after some of the guys I've dated, it's good that no one met him and said, "Oh (deadly pause). He's um...nice." No one wants their boyfriend grudgingly described as "Um, nice." Everyone knows what that means. That's polite Irish-American speak for, "this man's an ass who'll break your heart, but I'm too Catholic and well behaved to tell you straight out..."
So, my boyfriend was not just nice. Pardon my gushing, but they said he was "funny," and "sweet" and "gallant" (he is), and "smart" and "good at fixing cameras." Sometimes ex-pat dating decisions are made realtive to the ex-pat social scene. So, since the dating pickings can be slim (!!) for a size eight White girl in Korea, it's also validating to know that I'm not the only one who thinks I lucked out and snagged a good guy. :) Relative to any country's dating pool!
In general, the wedding exhausted me, and made me miss my family anew, but it was amazing to see them. It also reinforced what I already knew: I lucked out and got two wonderful, sarcastic sisters in the family lottery. My sisters rock.
There's a lot of activities I still want to do in Korea, like music festivals and mountain climbing trips, but a part of my heart looks forward to August when I can see my sisters again. Four months left on my contract...time to get out the Lonely Planet and plan those must-do adventures!

Culture Tease

2008-04-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

A short trip home is like a slow-dance with a married man. You just get comfortable, swaying with the rhythm, and your anticipation starts to build. Then, poof, it's over, and you're left alone in the glare as the lights come up. Last week I took a harried, hurried, glorious trip to Boston for my father's wedding. I haven't lived there in years-and yet it still makes me feel nostalgic, jealous, and proud. The funny thing I noticed on this trip is how my body and my mind have adapted to certain realities in Korea. Living in Korean culture for two years made the customs of Boston, even in the places I can't help but love, seem strange.

The term "culture shock" was introduced for the first time in 1954 by Kalvero Oberg. A Canadian anthropologist born of European ex-pat parents, he used the words to describe the confusion and disorientation travelers and immigrants feel in radically different environments. He was an interesting, well traveled guy, and his later ideas on the various stages of cultural adaption are worth a glance if you ever have the time. (I wish I'd read them when I moved In my aging apartment in Nowon-gu!) I guess the strangeness I felt returning to my hometown was a reverse culture shock of sorts.

Things that seemed strange:

1. The many inches of space between people walking on the sidewalk, even in the crowded shopping district.

2. Seeing so many non-Asian people

3.Reading signs automatically as we walked-without trying

4. Over-hearing English, Haitian Creole, and a little Spanish

5. Smelling the sea in certain areas, when the wind picked up

6. Cabbies speaking my language well, knowing exactly where to go, and how to avoid traffic

7. Being surrounded by women of all heights, shapes and sizes!

8. Straining to calculate a "good tip" for good service

9. Variety

10. The high guy buying smokes in the 7-11. I looked at his glazed eyes, his rocking body, and heard his odd speech. It took me a long minute to process what the hell was wrong with him. Then I remembered-people can get drugs in Boston. It seemed so foreign.

There was so little time, but I did take my boat-fiend boyfriend on a Duck tour in one of those WWII era amphibious landing boats. While out guide, a retired Coastie with a wonderfully harsh Dorchester accent, hammed it up and amplified the entertaining aspects of local history, I got to relax and to see some of the city from the Charles. (The guy did a good job actually. Cheesy jokes aside, he knew his local lore.) It was an exciting-family filled weekend, full of the in-jokes and catching up. I was curious to meet my boyfriend's sister and see if they were a like. Even in my jet-lag and nostalgia haze, I wanted his family to like me, of course. I wasn't worried about my family liking him. He's an easy going guy-most people like him. :)

I snuck in three quick trips to American stores, and scored comfortable, well made shoes at the Rockport store. (There is one in Seoul-in Itaewon. It is just small and obscenely expensive.) The flats I bought were on-sale, but the clerk had no idea how much more I was willing to pay for shoes that didn't pinch in on my feet! I love the Rockport company's domestic selection and prices.

Later, I bought every John Freida product sold at CVS and marveled aloud at non-whitening make-up. The morning of the wedding, before everyone checked in to the hotel, Steve and I stole away to the downtown location of Shaw's supermarket. When I lived in Boston, I would have thought it a "yuppie store" and thought the various enthnic and sweet foods it sold too expensive. I had a long list of spices, powdered soups, dips, and Western cookies that my freinds and I wanted.

The store over-stimulated me! I wanted every Balance Bar, every Fantastic organic soup mix, a basket of of Petite Ecolier cookies; I imagined a cart full of SmartFood and Cape Cod potato chips. I'm exaggerating, of course-but I did seriously wonder how many Goya products I could carry in the extra, empty tote bag I'd brought to fill with food. My boyfriend and I share a love of food, and even he seemed tempted to while away precious wedding-day minutes staring lovingly at the cold cuts aisle. We prioritized lighter items that would be easier to carry, and had to go leave before we found the French Onion soup mix. My American relatives complained that rice is getting too expensive back home, but after Seoul, the prices on spices and sweets seemed low. Compared to the speciality markets serving foreigners in Seoul everything seemed so cheap!

Time flew by too quickly.

Torch Tactics

2008-04-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I missed the Olympic Torch relay in Seoul due to my whirlwind trip home (more on that later when my jet lag clears). Now I'm back getting oriented, updated, and organized. Sounds like I missed some interesting events!
The Korean media's take on what happened here during the torch relay goes differently than I would have expected. Despite the general law and order stance of most Koreans, I would have expected more organized, chanting, marching, singing protest by Korean college students against Beijing. In their own way, college students here are just as opinionated as college students in North America. From what I hear, there were some pro-Tibet and anti-Beijing (it's different) protesters. However: it was the pro-China protesters who really got out of hand. Were they really unprovoked? I wonder: do they feel that China is being overly vilified abroad?
For friends back home, I am going to reprint some of the coverage of the protests from the most popular English language paper in Seoul.
* Disclaimer-Note to North American readers*
It is my personal opinion that the Korean press sometimes spins incidents so that "foreigners," which would include Chinese students, seem more to blame in any ugly incident than the Korean nationals. Disorderly conduct by Koreans seems to get minimized by authorities and some of the reporters who cover them. This is NOT true of every Korean journalist, and not every foreigner in Korea shares my opinion.You have a right to your opinion, I have a right to mine.
It is still an interesting article...
************************************************************************************
"Seoul Slams Chinese Torch Relay Violence"

The government yesterday expressed "strong regret" over the violence by Chinese demonstrators during Sunday's Olympic torch relay in Seoul.
Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon delivered the message of regret to Chinese Ambassador to Seoul Ning Fukui during a meeting at his office. "Ambassador Ning visited the ministry to thank us for the tight security measures for the torch relay," a ministry official said. "We showed him police reports on violence caused by some young Chinese people and expressed strong regret." Talking to reporters after the meeting, the ambassador sought to contain the fallout from the incident.
"What I want to stress is that Chinese people, especially Chinese students here, have good feelings about South Koreans," Ning said. "(I) will continue efforts not to damage the public sentiment of both nations. I think it requires joint efforts by the two governments."
On Sunday, more than 6,000 Chinese students studying here (in Seoul) rallied in support of the torch relay for the Beijing Olympics in August. As the (Chinese) students scuffled with South Korean anti-Beijing demonstrators along the streets in parts of Seoul, they were seen throwing rocks, chunks of wood, water bottles and drinks cans at the crowd.
During the process, a journalist and a police officer were hit on the head with a weapon carried and thrown by pro-Chinese supporters. Four people, including a Chinese student hurling a stone at other protesters, were arrested yesterday for disrupting the relay, police said. As the news of the violent protest spread nationwide, Korean citizens fumed with anger.
"The Chinese should be very ashamed of what happened yesterday and what has been happening so far," said Kang Shin-ho, 27, a Seoul citizen. "Since there were thousands of South Korean police already on site to protect the torch throughout the relay, there was no reason for any violence, and it is also against the Olympic spirit."
A 39-year-old company official who wished to be identified only by his family name Kim, said the Chinese should have respected the law of the country they were in, which stresses non-violent protests. "
-reprinted from an article written by Cho Ji-hyun

I'm Going To America

2008-04-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

Three and a half more days until..."PERSONAL SPACE"....seeing my wacky and sweet family...trying on shirts without ruffles...decent burritos...using big words and sarcasm and being understood...shoes without street-walker type heels (sorry, but it's true)...well cooked steaks...HBO...I can't wait!

Wild Boys? Duran Duran Charms Seoul

2008-04-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

Like every other nice Catholic girl in America in 1985, I coveted John Taylor. Had the "Tiger Beat" photo ripped out and stuck lovingly in my notebook...admit it, you did, too...He , and specifically his blond rocker locks, captured our imagination...I got a chance to see Duran Duran this week, and get a glimpse of how the pretty boys of rock are aging...John can still play a funky bassline but can he still make a woman squeal?
Once he leans back and starts playing, the answer is yes. Simon still struts around with a lot of cheesy bravado, which reviews have described as everything from "sexual tension" to "hamminess" to "dorkiness." Simon is still flashy pretty; he must have good hair and make up people helping him with that. One can see why he has fans among women and men who appreciate that look.
..more later...
Well, I'm back to give the boys another five minutes of my thoughts. The concert was a fun and unique experience that gave a much needed pick-me-up to my intense work week. It started out in typical expat fashion...we got confused. Our tickets said "Olympic Stadium" and we asked a Korean friend for directions. We arrived in the area earlier, stopped for a snack, and smiled, thinking to ourselves that we were organized and cosmopolitan. Ah, nope. :)
There was the crowded Olympic baseball stadium...(Go Doosan Bears!) There were some young foreigners milling about. But where was all the noise and excitement of the concert? Um, 20 minutes away by cab-oops! With the help of the parking attendant, and a nice Canadian teacher who admitted he'd made the same mistake, we figured out our error and we were eventually in a cab and off to "Olympic Park Stadium." It was a little annoying, but Steve stayed in good spirits and put up with my crankiness as we rushed to the new venue. In the end, all was good. We found our seats, which were good, and we only missed one Duran Duran Song.
We opted for seats over the dance floor as it was a school night and thought we might be tired. I noticed a contrast between stadium shows here and stadium shows back home-in the USA if the band is any good most of the the fans eventually stand up and dance. Even in the "good seats." A few excited Korean women in our section stood up to dance during the fun classic "Hungry Like The Wolf" (#2 in DD's set), and stadium staff actually came up to them to tell them to sit down. Bo-ring!
I would say that the crowd was 65% enthralled female. A few big groups of 25-35ish Western English teachers in the cheap seats, and more Korean couples and friends in our area. There was, of course, no "contact high" this being Korea. Behind me sat a Western, white 40ish businessman in his work clothes who was obviously trying to impress his demure Korean date throughout the show. He made an annoyed comment when I was one of the excited fans who got up to dance during the infectious percussion solos in "The Reflex." Live a little, buddy. We're reliving our youth here, ok? Simon has been using the same "Playing That Fucking Base, John" (sorry, younger blog readers) joke since 2005, apparently, but the Seoul crowd really DID need a little loosening up at first, so it was amusing in context.By the end of the show, the bass lines and campy crowd banter of the band got most of our section dancing. My favorite fan was the married woman, who looked about 45, in a stereotypically "ajumma" outfit and severe make-up, who threw her head back and rocked out during the encore, "Rio."
Another crowd note: both the women and the men seemed genuinely enthralled with Nick Rhodes. Is it the androgynous look? The computer generated techno-beats? The I-book product placement on his keyboards riser? He's a good keyboard player, and engineers their slick sound well. But, he looks exactly the same as he did 20 years ago. Exactly. A little on the Ziggy Stardust creepy side, but with a mischievous smile. Why is he so popular here?
Now, here's the crucial question: How do the pretty boys sound after all these years?
The melodies were still pretty, too. I'm loyal to people I like, including musicians. So, I have seen my share of reunion shows and aging solo artists reinventing themselves. Sting stands in a class by himself. But other bands often look so terrible it's distracting, or took such bad care of themselves that they sound like hell on wheels. Simon, John, Nick, and Andy have never been half as poetic as John, Paul, George and Ringo. Nor as intense and inventive as Led Zepplin or The Who. But the pop that they do, they do it well. And Simon can still hit the notes. The Reflex stood out as a great performance by everyone. My boyfriend really likes that song, so I was glad he got to hear it. Their White Lines cover stayed funky but sounded 100% Durani, and the younger Koreans in the crowd screamed their approval (do they understand it's about coke?). Red carpet massacre, their new showpiece, was a bit of a different sound, but decent. They sold the song Skin Divers well and it had a good beat-that's one's interesting and I'd love to see the lyrics to see if it's about what I think it's about. There was a moment of bad audio/ speaker feedback during "Ordinary World," but Simon adapted. He still, from where we sat, sounded as if he stayed on pitch. Going in, I wasn't sure they could still pull off the slow-dance melodrama of "Save A Prayer" at their age, but they did. And we sang along.
I really needed to lose myself in a little music after a week of school politics and loud drunks in my Officetel building. Steve found just the right concert for my mood. Fun music can last if it doesn't try to be something it's not. And I'm still a Duran Duran fan. Just like all the soccer moms. :)

Beyond Tolerance

2008-04-15T00:24:00.001-07:00

Well, here we are in week 2, and my co-teacher is still out sick. I don't fault her, the poor woman's in the hospital trying to take care of herself and her future baby. It's just frustrating that it is happening...AGAIN this semester. The co-teachers change, but things seem to stay the same.
So, I am back to mime, and translation, and occasional Konglish just to get through the material to practice the key phrases correctly (not my ideal!!). All the translation, on top of a regular school day, is, frankly exhausting. There are also the few older boys who are testing the situation. If there's no co-teacher, can they act up? Well, they can try. But then they hold books over their head...when in Rome, do what the Romans do.
I think that there is a place beyond tolerance of a bad situation that is no one's fault. I guess it's resignation. It's an exhausting locale. :(

Spring Fling

2008-04-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

It is spring in the Seoul area, and in spring, the mind turns to...cherry blossom festivals? Well, at least it seems to around here. This past weekend my boyfriend and I beats the crowds to Yeouido and took a stroll around the island.
We saw gorgeous flowers, families on picnics, and mooching geese...

It was a gorgeous sunny day. The sunlight has been non-stop...except the holiday we had off for elections! Murphy's law!

And speaking of the Murphys...I am blessed with a large, talented Irish family. Particularly on my mother's side, many of my relatives have inherited the musical, story-telling, or painting talents of my beloved grandparents, Dr. Tom and Patsy. These talents were recently put to good use to celebrate the 60th birthday of my lovely Aunt Cookie (a.k.a. Angela). Although I couldn't attend the parity in Canada, I was able to watch my Uncle Bill's tribute video to his sister. If you like fiddle or Celtic music, check it out at youtube.com under the name "Cookie's jig" by Windwalk52. It's a fun song (note: the viewing/listening experience is best enjoyed while sipping a Canadian or Irish beer!) :)

Enjoy....

How Joel and Ethan Started?

2008-04-07T22:11:00.001-07:00

Recently, I saw two disconcerting but intriguing films. The first was the Coen brother's award-winning "No Country For Old Men." Despite the intense violence and unrelenting creepiness of Javier Bardem in his retro bowl haircut, I was riveted. Themes of revenge and life hinging on mere chance got me musing.
I later watched a second, less polished film. Though less stylish, my young nephew's first youtube.com video (under the tag name goatyboy88), the grimly titled "pollys geting killed with mighty beans" remains the disquieting, misspelled work of siblings with a unique vision...

Marvelous Meals in Seoul

2008-04-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

Want to impress your date with a special Fusion dinner in Seoul?
Here's a list of some of my favorite Fusion and Western restaraunts, priced for special occasions only.

1. Romantic Italian:
Ahndamiro in Insadong has wonderful pasta dishes, medium sized but high quality steaks, and a cozy astmosphere. In this case, the adage that "you get what you pay for," is true.
2. Perfect Presentation:
Tribeca in Kangnam, which my boyfriend and I discovered accidentially, gets high marks for design and excellent food quality. Elements of Nouvelle Cuisine are mixed with Japanese Fusion in a fun, funky modern atmosphere. The "set menus," several of which are named for Manhattan areas, live up to the hype. Australian and American ingreadients are mixed with Korean spices, vegetables and Japanese sauces. My Australian steak served Japanese style became the best dish I've eaten in a long time. I look forward to trying the French duck breast with wasabi sometime in the future. Note: Go prepared. The meal thrilled us, but the wine and cocktails prices frightened this middle-class Boston girl a litle.
3. European Flair:
The European brew houses in Kangnam generate a lot of buzz. But for a change of pace in food, I really enjoyed Barlin in the Somerset hotel in Insadong. It may not be the perfect place to bring a petite, health conscious lady who likes to eat light on a date. But if your date actually savors a meal, the sauasages and authentic sauerkraut hit the mark. Also, this daughter of Erin loves anywhere that serves fresh, creamy mashed potatoes.
4. Comfy Brunch:
Sujis has a strong repuation for a reason-large servings of good tasting comfort food. The eggs are enjoyable, if not unique. An expat I met here swears by their pancakes, and I have to agree that they stood out. Unfortunately, it is hard to get a table on a Sunday. Also, I called in advance about a holiday-and the woman laughed at me for asking. Literally.
5. Worth the wait:
On Easter I enjoyed the Eggs Benedict at Toque Dinner Han-gaginjin (spelling?). It took the chef a little longer to stir the freshly made Bernaise sauce, but the resulting effect made my mouth water. One word: yum.
6. Dependable Thai:
Ok, maybe it won't impress a certain kind of date, those upwardly mobile, hair flipping types, but who wants to date a woman who's just after your wallet, anyway?
So, if she actually likes a relaxed, good meal-everything at Buddha's Belly in Itaewon is always good. And you can get a table.
7. Best Indian restaraunt in Seoul? Best Vietnamese eatery?
These titles are still up for grabs. In my opinion, as there are several excellent places. I'll save this decsion for another time...
I need to go eat. :)

The "F" Word

2008-04-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Meaning the future, or course.
It's out there,looming,whether we like it or not. Even if we'd rather just ignore it and watch another downloaded, stellar episode of "the Wire." Or maybe just make some mandu for a snack, or just keep playing Scrabulous on-line...Or maybe just call...but, I digress.
Some thirtysomethings have this future planning thing down. They have five year plans, or ten year plans, or until their kids die of old age plans. I noticed in my twenties that Higher powers, The National Weather Service, and the IRS tended to mock the plans that I made. So, I have been sticking to the immediate future mostly. When I have the guts. Now, what was I trying to focus on? Oh, yeah, the future. The Future. Specifically, my future. Yep, it's churning towards me at a rapid rate. So, what am I doing about it?
Well: I know that there are FOUR THINGS I want in my future, in no particular order:
1. Writing. I've been doing it since I was eight years old and hopefully (:) ) I've improved a little bit with time. At least I've deleted all the unicorns and friendship pins. Currently, I am editing up some of my work and getting it out there to people who can shape, publish, or promote it. This, as any aspiring scribe knows, is an on-going process. On it goes.
2. My love. My boyfriend and I had one of those long, question-packed conversations about the future. Like your average American guy, conversations about the future make him look like he wants to throw up. (But before any bitter American men who fled the American woman in search of a better (milder?) model leave me harsh comments about women wanting to much...) I note, for the record, that no ultimatums were used by either party. It was not an argument. It was a conversation. I've grown up a little, learned a little, and chosen my partner better since the last time I tried to have one of those romantic "future" oriented discussions.
3. An English speaking country. I work at a great school, but it's just time. My new, adorable co-worker, six months out of teaching school, is so sweet and tries so very hard to communicate with me. And I have no idea what she is saying-ever! The fault in this is of course half mine, but the start of English in her classroom is a funny time. She tries very hard to make encouraging or helpful remarks to the students about English. Or she comes to me to borrow a stapler, and my Korean is so poor it takes me ten minutes to understand-oops! On the other extreme, even in my good little school, I work with the one older, male teacher who still thinks it's appropriate to make fun of "foreigners" in general (and we have two at my school now) in the English office. (Dude, if you're going to make those kind of "jokes" at least move it out of our assigned work space! :) ). Many people here are very patient with foreigners like myself in our pathetic attempts to butcher, I mean learn, their very different language. Unfortunately, today I had to co-exist the one guy who treats my language difficulties as an indication that I'm stupid. I won't miss his type.
4. Adopting a dog. The crazy, yappy puppy I adopted last year was a little high-maintenance, but getting a nice older dog from a shelter or teacher going over-sees sounds great to me. It does to my boyfriend, too. :) So, it's not exactly a blue print, but it's a start. I can start looking for jobs where I can do more writing.I can work with my boyfriend on making housing decisions in North America. I'll get there in time.

Paved Paradise?

2008-03-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

It seems to my foreign eyes and ears that South Korean President Lee Myung-bak would like to shift the paradigm that you can't be seen as both pro-business and pro-conservation. Like me, he says he loves Korea's beautiful mountains. I hope that he does. He inherits a country with some strong, important, and widely enforced environemntal laws. Everyone composts (and woe, woe to the foreigner who forgets to compost in front of the neighbors!) Yet he IS, after all, "The Bulldozer" known for his large construction projects.
This past week President Lee was in the news promoting two new projects he says will help the environment. He spoke Friday encouraging South Korea to help with forestation prohects in North Korea, as they can only benefit the entire peninsula, which could re-unify, in the long-run. The English language news services report that Lee encouraged "cooperation," in forestation efforts as it will "...help conserve our land," and "help make environmental protection a national value." Ignoring the thorny re-unification issue for the time being, it is hard to argue with a government official who wants to plant trees. Trees are good. Just ask the Lorax.
Then his environmental policies got a little lost in translation. The English papers report that Lee is also promoting a cross-country canal project to, in the words of one reporter, "clean contaminated river water." Hmm. Am I missing something? I am not an expert in either water purification or South Korean politics, but I don't reallly understand how moving water around in a canal makes it cleaner. Don't boats travel on canals? Don't they use fuel? Will the canal be a protected area? I need to research his proposal further, but it brings up a few questions right off the bat.

Coincidentially, the same weeek that President Lee was addressing Arbor Day and the canal project, I had an environmental adventure. My boyfriend and I set out this past Saturday to visit a small island off the coast of Ansan. We paged around in Lonely Planet, checked the Internet for some basic information, and figured we could find the island. After all, we've been here a while. My boyfriend used to be an Eagle Scout. If you need to find "true North" or decide which plants are eatable-he's your man. Perhaps we were arrogant. But we set out without directions nonetheless.
We got off the subway at the town's main stop, consulted a map of the town posted on the wall, and picked the direction that appeared to be closest to the ocean. On the map, it only looked like a mile or two away. Little did we know...
So, an hour later, there we were walking past factories and more factories.And then a few plants. A strange odor rose. A gas station loomed. And then look-another block of factories!We passed groups of Fillipino and Indian factory employees taking smoke breaks and waiting for the bus. Little beads of sweat started to break out on my boyfriend's brow. Damn, were we lost!
Forty minutes or so later, we found and followed a brownish trickle of water, a pathetic stream, towards the sea. I use the term "stream" loosely here. The water was murky, brown-grey and would have been at home in the Love Canal. Parking spaces and power lines stood adjacent to the stream,and a few feet later came the gates and parking structures connected to more factories. I started to get a headache from an intense chemical odor-it smelled like nail polish remover mixed with an undertaker's liquids. Brown smoke billowed out a nearby smokestack. Now, I KNOW I've never smelled a chemical odor that strong in the air before. "Whatever that smell is," my boyfriend said, "I know that's it's illeagal to emit that in the States."

Thinking about it after, I realized that whatever was leaching out of that smoke stack in Ansan is probably illeagal here, too. Environmental laws are only as strong as their enforcers. Not that my country is so great, either. There are also parts of the USA where companies flaunt their breaking of the Clean Air Act. Our oh-so short-sighted (oh, don't get me started!)President, George W., has taken all the teeth out of the E.P.A.!!
So, here is some unsolicited advice from an obnoxious "Way-gook:"
ROK, don't water down your Clean Air Laws. Don't "loosen environmental bans on building industrial complexes near water supply sources," as President Lee Myung-bak recently suggested. You have a beautiful country. Some decisions can't be un-made. See America as a cautionary tale. Protect what you have.

Chicken Little

2008-03-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

As a feminist, I am generally more concerned with the problem of the "glass ceiling" than the actual ceilings. But as some of you have heard, last Tuesday night around 6:30pm a piece of my ceiling crashed down. I shut the door, then my upstairs neighbor moved something, and there was a "thud" sound upstairs. Then came a "boom!" sound as the kitchen light fixture, the faux wood bar it sat on, and a small piece of the ceiling all crashed down onto the kitchen floor. The plastic covering the light fixture, as well as the long light bulb inside broke, and shards of plastic and glass went everywhere.Instinctively, I called out "Oh my God!" to my empty apartment. Thank God I wasn't standing in the kitchen section of my officetel (a.k.a. studio)!!

I cleaned up the glass. Then I pondered the small hole in my ceiling with two wires dangling out. I hoped my upstairs neighbors didn't have bugs. And then, I wondered how I would explain the situation to my apartment building staff in Korean. So, I out on some dish washing gloves and grabbed the light fixture as a visual aid. I went down to the door man/superintendent and tried to mime out the situation, inserting my pathetic pigeon Korean where appropriate. After about ten minutes of my riveting re0-enactments, He finally understood, he got out the phone book, pointed to an add for a repair man, and told me it would be W30,000.
Hmm, my pieces of my relatively new ceiling are falling down and I HAVE TO PAY FOR IT?? I think not!
So, I took my visual aid and went two doors down to the apartment complex manager's office. He frowned at me and looked rather displeased to see me hauling around my light fixture. I again resorted to live theater he couldn't follow it all (or wasn't trying) but he seemed to understand the "boom!,crash! and fall" parts of the drama. He shrugged. He took out his cell phone and said "hackyo" or school. Now, here's the issue, by that time it was about 7pm so of course no one was left at the school. I also have a new co-teacher, so, technically, my new colleague is the person responsible for any problems at my apartment. She had just started the day of the ceiling debacle, so she and I hadn't yet exchanged cell phone numbers, I tried my old co-teacher once out of desperation, but she didn't answer (it wasn't her job, anyway). So we went through the motions one more time e, with me trying to act out "apartment" and "fix" like he had to fix it. He nodded no, and again said "hackyo" school. Now, my school is the formal renter of my apartment, and sometimes I need their "permission" to have minor repairs done. So, I thought that might be the issue, but gain I could not reach anyone.
I did not have the phone numbers of any of my hiking club friends on me, and didn't really feel comfortable calling a Korean acquaintance at dinner time and, so finally, at a loss, I called Steve and asked for his secretary's number. I felt bad but she translated perfectly and helped me understand the problem. The problem was not that the apartment building needed permission to fix the ceiling. The problem was that the apartment builing refused to fix the ceiling. The apartment manager said that "the foreigner could have broken the ceiling." ME? Break the ceiling? How, exactly? Even on a step stool, I can't REACH the ceiling to break it!! After several questions the apartment manager finally sighed and said that the lease on the apartment stipulates that the building will not be responsible for any repairs in the unit rented to a foreigner, as I could cause damage. I could not tell if this was stinginess or xenophobia or an attempt to scam the American who doesn't know the lease system. Or, all three.
So,I returned to my apartment and stared at the hole in the ceiling and the two wires dangling from it. I ran into the doorman in the hallway and I looked so sad that he came to my apartment with a hammer and some duck tape, but when he saw the extent of the damage he shook his head, knowing he could not fix it. I started again at the wires. They weren't touching, so my boyfriend assured me that it would be ok and there wouldn't be a fire. I cooked dinner in the relative dark (a trickle of light shone in from the "bedroom" side of the studio). I washed the dishes in the relative dark, missing a clump oat two of broccoli soup. I started to think about my former apartment building in Nowon, and my neighbor who left food in the hallway. And the fat roaches that then began to scurry across said hallway. These weren't pleasant memories to re-live!That night I dreamt of big beetles and cockroaches crawling out of the hole in an endless stream...
Anyway, the next day my poor co-teacher had to call and argue with the apartment building all over again. Even though it is a relatively new building, and things shouldn't just fall down(!) off the ceiling, the apartment building manager still refused to help. The next day was a holiday and my school asked if I could just ignore the hole in my ceiling for 48 hours. I felt bad, but a clean, safe apartment is part of my salary. A clean safe apartment has an entire ceiling. I was supposed to have 5 friends over that night for wine and a Scrabble match, so I held firm. One night of cockroach dreams was enough, thanks.
I spent three hours waiting for a repairman after school. My guests were due to arrive at 7, and he came at 6:20. Just in the nick of time, he installed a smaller, cheaper light fixture on a metal rod. He covered the hole and incorporated the dangling wires. My giuests arrived late, so I had an entire 20 minutes to clean the dirt and ceiling dust the repairman left behind!
In the end, my ceiling did get fixed in time, and I didn't have to pay for it. All because I argued my case.
Moral: Don't accept the first "no" as an answer.

You taught me, all night long?

2008-03-18T23:49:00.000-07:00

Recently, the Seoul City Council floated a scary plan to allow private hagwon owners to keep offering English, math, and music classes basically all-night long. Hagwons in Seoul had asked for the freedom to offer later classes as a business freedom and a response to supposed "customer demand." The new presidemt is very pro-business...and so we teachers were all scared that it would pass. (There is intense competition for slots at the top Seoul universities. Thus Korean children's advocates also became concerned that parents, meaning well, might send high school students to study late at night, thereby robbing them of the sleep they need to maintain their health!)
Thankfully, this week, the Seoul City Council saw the insanity of letting children go to school past 10pm...See the article below for the full Story...
Seoul City Council Cancels All-Night Hagwon Plan

"The Seoul Metropolitan Council cancelled its plan to allow private cram schools or hagwons to stay open all night, Tuesday.
With the cancellation, cram schools' operating hours remain unchanged between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m..
``We reached an agreement that we need to maintain the regulations on the operating hours,'' a committee member said. ``We considered student's health as a key factor in the decision.''
The council originally sought to liberalize the operating hours of private tutoring institutes as many hagwon open until past midnight despite the rules. They pointed out that the lack of law enforcement officials also makes the rules virtually useless in practice.
But the council changed its position after strong protest from civic groups and parents. Even President Lee Myung-bak reacted negatively to the move.
Despite its succumbing to public protest, the city council still wants the issue to be discussed further at public hearings.
The council's educational committee last week passed a municipal ordinance to abolish limitations on business hours at private cram schools as part of deregulation to provide more freedom to private business sectors.
Parents raised concerns that the move would force students to study all night, resulting in health risks, as well as pose a threat to the public education system.
In the face of protests, the committee decided to put it to a vote. They voted for the amendment to the ordinance to restrict hagwon business hours to 10 p.m. Of 89 council members, 70 voted for the revised amendment and 19 against, according to the council.

Soupy Sales

2008-03-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

Hungry?
Korean Cuisine offers many rich, healthy soups and stews. Of course, to a foreigner like myself, soups can be rife with danger. A lot of unknown ingredients can float around in a brown or orange-tinged broth! The scariest being the infamous dog meat soup of course. But don't believe the hype-it is only consumed in certain eateries at certain times of the year. Recently, my co-workers treated me to a duck stew containing herbs from Korean traditional medicine. I have enjoyed many yummy varieties of duck in Korea and China, so I was game for a new treat. Then my bowl came-with a branch inside it?! There's the medicine plant, a helpful co-worker explained when I looked perplexed. I didn't realize the chef would throw the ENTIRE shrub-bark, leaves,roots and all in the stew pot to add flavor and nutrients!

Still, the search for some cold day comfort food does present challenges. I speak woefully little Korean and dislike most seafood. A blustery, end of winter day makes me crave Mom's Irish beef stew. NOT so easy to find in Gunpo. What soup is available? Even in a smaller town, one can usually find a variety of nutritious soups and stews to choose from....Choosing is the trick! Some chicken and pork soups, despite the innocent photos on the restaurant menu, mysteriously contain fish scales. Fish soup can contain eyeballs. I have been served this lovely brew,I kid you not! :( Some soups, while containing no fish per se, are cooked with a hint of fish oil. So these stews still taste "fishy" to a picky eater like me.

So far, my favorite Korean soup is filling, nutritious, and predictable. The leaders of my hiking club introduced me to it last winter. Vegetarian (clam free) and milder (less kimchi) versions can also be ordered at many eateries. I mispronounce it "soon-dubu...," yet usually people understand. Here's how to make it...

Soon Tubu Jjigae
(Korean spicy tofu stew)
Yield: 4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS and PREP. AMOUNT:
Oil- 2 tablespoons
Garlic- minced 2 tablespoons
Korean pepper powder- 1 tablespoon
Beef stock- 4 cups
Cabbage kimchi- shredded 1 cup (use less if you are a spice wimp, like me)
Soy sauce- 1 tablespoon
Soft tofu- cut into 1" cubes 4 cups (2 pounds)
Clams- chopped, with juice 1 cup (variation-some places will just throw one small clam in the bottom of each bowl)
Scallions- chopped 3-4
Sesame oil- 1 tablespoon
METHOD:
Basic Steps: Sauté → Simmer → Garnish
Heat the oil over medium flame in a clay hotpot or large saucepan. Add the garlic and pepper powder and saute until garlic just starts to brown.
Add the beef stock, kimchee and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until the kimchee softens.
Gently stir in the tofu and clams with their juice. Adjust seasoning with soy sauce and Korean pepper. Simmer another 5-10 minutes.
Sprinkle with scallions and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve piping hot in bowls with steamed rice.
Enjoy! :)
Still hungry?
Last week I also tried the popular "army soup" or (Former US President) "Johnson's Stew" that my boyfriend often has for lunch at the Nobu chain. After our hike last Saturday, some of us stopped into a restaurant where the "Private's soup" as they called it there, was the specialty. It contains several foods that would come in an American soldier's rations, such as Spam, Hot dogs, and salty ramen noodles, blended with ground meat, veggies, and traditional Korean spices. I was a little bit frightened by the pot full of processed foods when it came! However, as it simmered in front of me on the gas range on our table, it started to smell oddly tempting. (God only knows how much sodium is in that pot, though!) It even tasted yummy, in a unique way, as the Korean spices balanced out all the faux pork. My boyfriend, (the aspiring photo journalist?) snapped a photo of it and I will try to post that here later. So, while I enjoyed the army soup, and it has a storied history in the parts of South Korea borderng ROK and US army bases, I do not recommend it's consumption while bonding with a sweetie. That soup gives both parties a serious case of gas! :)

...And A Little More Action

2008-02-28T15:55:00.000-08:00

What does Elvis have in common with new South Korean president Lee Myung-Bak? Both want to talk less, do more, and get more satisfaction. The "Bulldozer" took over this week amid a flurry of promises to revive the world's thirteen largest economy. Never mind the ethics charges he already had to dodge. Ignore the icy response of the Pyongyang government. The Korean constitution guarantees Lee one term and he's going to make this country some money!
Not that they don't deserve it, South Koreans work hard. But the world economy, even to a lay observer like myself, does not always seem to be thriving. So, it will be interesting to see which battles President Lee chooses. First of all, his conservative party needs to win a majority of seats in parliament in April for the power balance to shift the right way to implement these reforms. I am no expert on South Korean politics, particularly since I can only consume the English language media, but it also seems to me that he's going to have to make a lot of changes. He himself stated, at his recent inauguration, “Although it is going to be difficult and painful, we must change much more and change much faster!” The 66-year-old conservative politician won a positive response from his audience estimated of an 60,000 people. Talking about change. Everyone here wants the increase in per capita income to $40,000 a year (in USD) that Lee boasts he can ensure. But this is an ancient, protectionist, tradition linked society. Even with all their flashy technology, their spirit of entrepreneurship, and their impressive attempts at bi-lingual education. This is still the land of the morning calm. Let's see how much average citizens and the dominant large corporations enjoy actually changing!
What does all this politics mean to little old me? I've been a meandering dreamer the last week, reading a novel and revising some short stories. I've heard that President Lee is going to "clean up" the English Teachibng industry (we can be a grungy lot, we're traveling :)), but I haven't given it much heed. I've taken some walks. I've gone to the vegetable market for fresh peppers and cooked chicken stew. I've snuggled with my boyfriend. Besides entering a few short story contests with monetary prizes, I haven't done much to improve my own personal economy. Then school started again.
Suddenly, like this country, it looks like I'm colliding with change. It's inescapable. I acquired a new co-teacher. Happily, she seems to have at least good English comprehension and adequate speaking skills! Yay! (Language skills become more apparent over time, and people in any country sometimes just nod and agree, but she does seem to understand.) However, I will have to adapt to her teaching style and team-teach more classes. My odd, uncivilized office-mate, the gym teacher who used to bark Korean orders at me (and bought his wife on-line like a CD from Amazon.com), fled the scene-Thank God! Eight, count them eight, older teachers left and were replaced with fresh blood. New students are registering, and so the school is even finally opening the new wing that they've been building for so long.
We're into the action!

My Chick Lit with an edge

2008-02-24T22:29:00.000-08:00

Recently, I read a frothy story on vacation that had been dubbed "Chick Lit." It was fun, but not much better than some of the stories my classmates had written in college. I thought, "I could do that." So, I made a stab at the dating story genre. My ending is a little dark, but I write out my negative feelings. I don't tend to write when I feel all sunny and happy inside-that's when I go dancing. :) I'm still revising this, so feedback on the story is most welcome!
********************************************************************************
"Pestilence"

Beetles devoured the bamboo, bit by bit. Business had to be dispatched. I folded my blue yoga mat and perched it against the wall at a forty-five degree angle. A soft bell chimed after three minutes and thirty-three seconds, and my coffee was ready. I padded into the kitchen in my hand-knit slippers and poured one-fifth of a cup of coffee into the beige coffee cup trimmed with flying dragons. I opened the window and listened. I measured two cups of Science Diet into Fog's bowl and waited for her green eyes to peer out from under the table. She meowed and marrowed at me. One minute later, "pffat!," the paper dropped onto the sun porch and four paws padded towards breakfast. It was my time to shower.

I stood at the Westbrook street bust stop each morning at exactly seven fifty-nine am. Clouds darted past the sun and I noticed the mild scent of lupins and cut grass. I wore my hair pushed back in a leather head band. I rubbed just a hint of shining balm on my lips. Gary had mocked my morning routine to the last. "Such alacrity...I am continually astounded by your pree-cission and deed-ication! " he smirked into his espresso, as he stood, still shirtless, in the half-lit kitchen.

To think that I had once found his arsenal of crossword puzzle words engaging. For a year and eighty-nine days, I ignored his morning snarky tone. I assumed that caffeine would swirl up into the darker reaches of his brain, set his neurons on fire, and soothe him. I'd even thought him appealing, with his wide shoulders. Early on, I'd sometimes stop, for just a moment, to kiss Gary's collarbone and finger the few tufts of hair on his dark chest, above his nipples. But his stare unwound me, strand by strand. On day ninety, I smoothed my damp bangs, pushed my headband back in line with my ears and replied, "Professionals who can pay the mortgage are expected to start early!"
"F--- you, Sandra!"
Four letters, expletive, beginning with "F." My lips folded upward into a slight grin. I called my lawyer that very day.
The bus chugged down Veranda street spewing greyish puffs of exhaust. I enjoyed the solid weight of my pen in my hand, even if I could go buy a Blackberry. I checked items off my neatly written list.
1.Morning meeting with Bower.
2. Print Coastal Med. stats.
3.E-mail report to Scarborough, cc: Jeff.
4.Gym.
5.Pick up dry cleaning.
6.Afternoon:FINISH GIBRALTAR PROPOSAL. I took my Bic pen and pressed it hard against the paper to underline my last sentence twice.
7. Buy Soy Milk.
The bus jerked to a stop, I grabbed my courier bag, and off I went.

The beetles devoured the bamboo, bit by bit. Mara never hovers by my desk. But, as I lugged my silk suit, shining in it's plastic case,from the elevator, the fragile fabric crinkling and folding with each step that I took, there she stood.

"Could you? Be? A Sally? Or maybe it's messy handwriting, but it looks like it says "Sally."...I mean, we don't have a Sally."
"What?" I draped the suit over the back of my chair. A single drop of sweat trickled down my temple.
"Are you Sally?"
"Er, ah, Mara. What do you mean? Can I help you with something?"
Mara shifted from foot to foot, as if weighing the envelope. "...If not, I do have that proposal to get out..."
She held up a thin, white envelope, bordered with red and blue diagonal stripes. "We got a letter for a Sally. Sally Quinn. Air mail."
I blushed. "From Where? I mean, oh, that's me. I mean it was me. Anyway, may I have it please?"
"Sure." She handed me the envelope and stood there expectantly.
"Thank you, Mara."
She remained rooted in the gray shag carpeting.
"Thank you, Mara."
As her sandals pad, padded back to the front desk I looked at the hastily scrawled return address. B. Diana. I turned the envelope over and ran one painted finger nail under the glued crease. Then stopped. Unobtrusive, piped in Vivaldi played softly. Fingers darted along key boards. Printers hummed. I plopped the envelope on the shelf above my desk, next to the photo of my smiling niece with a Goofy impersonator at Disneyland. I turned, picked up my suit gently, and walked to the hall closet to hang it up.

"How does selective memory apply to groceries?" I wondered, standing in the check-out line at Shaws.
How was it that I always remember the frozen yogurt but sometimes I forgot the whole wheat flour?
Counting, I glanced over my shoulder. Four, no five haggard housewives stood behind me in line. Two toddlers pointed at Snickers' bars and whined. No, it simply wasn't worth the time it would take to go back for the flour. I'd get it next time. I looked down at my cart, my pint of strawberry frozen yogurt, my pint of soy milk, my single stalk of broccoli, and of course my emergency Lean Cuisine stir fry meal.
"Monday night dinner for one." I thought, and sighed. The sound of the cash register drawer slamming shut alerted me that it is my turn to lay out my groceries on the belt.
"What will Brad be eating tonight?" I wondered.
"And with whom?"

I had received not just a letter. An AIR MAIL letter. The adjective gnawed at me as I sifted through the pages in my planner. Some people had gone on to Blackberries, but I liked the satisfaction of turning the page when all the tasks were completed. What could Brad want? Where was he going to, or, my breath caught in my throat, returning from? Was he all right? Was his mother in the hospital with pneumonia again? I looked down and noticed that my hand was twisting the spine of my planner just thinking about it. I took a deep breath. Then another one. I fished the letter out of my purse.

Brad Westmoreland
Apartment #1120
229 Daemi-dong
Nowon-gu, Seoul
R.O.K. 4085

Dear Sally,

How are you? Still have that crazy cat? I've been thinking about you. I'm over here in Seoul, writing for an Expat rag, The Grapevine. Suave, self important crap. Reviewing bars and rating best bands. Definitely NOT changing the world. Our style lacks your directness. But again, the job keeps me in soju and barbecue. It's too hot, it's dirty, but I meet lots of interesting people here. I still wear that Sox cap you gave me. Can you believe that it's been almost five years?
How long has it been, Sal? Claire's party? Do you still have that blue sweater?

We were so gone that night. I was, anyway. You and Claire were the drivers, maybe. You can't even get Shipyard over here, unfortunately. That night at Claire's, I'd definitely had one too many, Sal. I couldn't hear you, and what you were trying to tell me. I'd already sent my resumes out. I'd already started the wheels moving to come here. I couldn't hear you. I wasn't ready to hear. You know that, right?
Enough history. I need a favor, Sal. It's a Long shot, but you would be a really big help. You always came through.
Is it possible that you still have a key to my place? Do you still have that key organizer thing on the wall? That would be so great.
My Mom's still my landlord, but she's down in Florida full-time now; no renter this year. So the house is empty until she sells it off. Knowing her, that will be 2050! Who knows.
But you, you always were there, whatever anyone needed. I bet you wonder, why now? It's a long story. In short, my laptop crashed. It wasn't pretty. I lost all my scanned files, and so there are two documents I need a hard copy of a.s.a.p.. A few mementos I'd like while you're there. They're in a white shoe box in my old place. On the top shelf in the hall closet. A big box. From my Doc Martin's, I think. Can you help me out, Sal?
Too much to ask after the way I left? I know.
Come on, Sal. My email has’t changed.
And take care. Brad.

I sped off that bus, courier bag flap, flap, flapping against my side, and sprinted home. Heels and all.

Then my watch battery ran out. Which made me realized I hadn't printed out my monthly replenishing spread sheet and posted it on the bulletin board. And so, I have no idea how much time I spent circling the dense labyrinth of Bamboo at Wong's Floral. Narrow, serrated shoots of light green brushed the ceiling. Humming humidifiers coughed a steady stream of moisture into the air. Life sprouted.
"Easy grow," Mrs. Wong asserted.
"Even here in New England? " I persisted.
"Easy grow. Anyone does it."
"Do you know anything about pests? Tiny beetles, or maybe just beetle-like, insects chewing their way through the stalks? Or the shoots?" I asked, blushing.
"Water. Sun. Dirt. Rocks. Grow." Mrs. Lee's voice grew louder, as if I might be hard of hearing.
"Beetles? Pests? Insects?..." At her blank expression, I pointed to the ground and made a scurrying motion with my right hand. "Um...Bugs!"
Mrs. Wong called out in Chinese and a young woman in a faded t-shirt and jeans appeared and smiled at me expectantly.
"Um...Hi. I have some bamboo, and um....er..." I made the scurrying motion again with my hand. "...And bugs?"
The girls smile faded. " Do you know what type of bamboo you have? No? What's your average home temperature and duration of sunlight? Are you interested in traditional, organic remedies or chemical pesticides?"
I blushed. "I'm not sure."
"Listen, lady. You need to know what you want. It's not brain surgery."
I paused.
"No offense, but I have ninety pages to read and an outline to write for Comparative Civilization by tomorrow." The girl looked over at her mother, who's eyes were still shining, but who's brow was starting to furrow. "My name is Mae. Here's our card. Go home and look at your plants and call me back when you know what you want."
Reflexively I took a step back. "Ok."
The girl smiled at her mother. "And...um... Thank you for visiting Wong's floral."
The mother smiled.

I always enjoyed a quiet house. Even with Fog creeping around, you could hear the evening sounds. Crickets chirped in the yard. The breeze blew against the screen door. Marsh frogs croaked. Stray whoops echoed across the road from the Tuesday night games at the Little League park. The first few geese headed South. The faint horns blasted out of the Casino boat on it's churning way out towards Nova Scotia waters. Since I'd silenced the constant drone of Gary's CNN addiction, I was surprised to discover how much sound vibrated around our little house. My little house.

My cell phone squawked. At least my cousin Missy was still dependable. She called as I finished my evening stretches in the living room. I had to pass Brad's letter on the kitchen table to get to my cell phone. The red and blue striped glared at me from a top a pile of bills. I answered the phone, and held the receiver in place with my neck as I walked back into the living room. I blew out my jasmine candle and turned my attention to what Missy was saying.
"...about two more weeks. Who knew it was so hard to make baby?"
"That's good," I muttered, tracing patterns in the wood floor with my stockinged foot.
"It's real, good or not...Are you busy with work or something, Sandy? You have that far-off voice. What's up?"
"Not much, writing mediocre reports and killing my bamboo garden."
My stomach growled. How long since I'd eaten that yogurt?
"Hmm." Missy considered. " So how many plants are failing? Are we talking a planter by the window or an entire yard here?"
"It's just two little glass planter sets, In the dining room, on Grandma's china cabinet by the window."
" Two? In the brown dining room?"
"Yeah, two, in the dining room, only it's not brown. Tan, I mean, it was tan, but Gary painted that, I always hated it. So I pained it lavender a week after he left. Very girly. But let's NOT talk about Gary, ok?
It's not exactly an international crisis. I don't know why it bothers me so much."
"Well, I am on bed rest over here, Sandy. It's not like I have anything ELSE to do right now!" She forced a laugh.
"How are you and my future second cousin doing?"
"Fine. Only wouldn't he or she be your cousin once-removed? I always get that confused. What do you think?"
"Damned if I know. I have two master's degrees and I can't grow bamboo! Oh, and Brad wrote to me."
"What? Why? The Brad? Brad 'FALSE ALARM' BRAD?"
"Yes. 'False Alarm' Brad"
"What did he say?"
"What did he ever say?"
"Did he grow a pair and apologize for taking off on you?"
I paused and she continued.
"No, right?..Of course not. Of course he didn't. "
"Am I still in this conversation?"
"What does he want?"
"Why do you ask?"
"He's 'False Alarm Brad.' Contacting you after all this time. After he threw all his fear into a suitcase and slunk off to Japan. Oh yeah, I know him, he wants something."
"Korea, actually."
"I don't care if it was Mt. Everest. What does he want?"
I heard a loud beeping sound, a horn blare, and then smelled a rancid aroma wafted in from the kitchen. Two garbage men called to each other outside the window as they chucked my neighbor's trash into the back of a large green truck.
"He sounded nice. Concerned. Asked about me. Really."The smell, rotten eggs and burnt plastic, seemed overpowering.
"Focus, Sandy. I seem to remember a lot of throwing up, and cramps, and crying. Then there were expensive late night calls to me about peeing on a stick when this guy was no where to be found. No where. M.I.A. What does he want?"
"To say hello. And, well, to get some papers." I took a deep breath, forced my voice to sound brighter. "Some very important financial documents. Or he wouldn't have written and bothered me."
"Of course." Missy sniffed.
"Really," I breezed on. "His laptop crashed. He needs income documentation, uh-ax forms. Yes, tax forms...and he has a a deadline to get them in. His Mom moved and I'm the only person who still has a key to his house. He's in a bind and he honestly needs my help."
"His house? Didn't he live with his Mother?"
"Yes, but that's not the point. This time, he does honestly need my help."
Missy burped loudly. "Sorry, My body makes all kinds of unexpected sounds these days. If it's tax stuff, I guess you would know if it's important. I guess it's the nice to help him. Even that ass. Just do it quick and get out of there."
"Yea, easy and quick, just to be nice."
Missy signed. "Yeah, a nice person would help him."

A thick film of neglect clung to the stereo, the widescreen television, the edge of the bed's wooden headboard. My index finger traced a lower-case B in the dust on the bed. Piles of novels, hastily stacked from floor to ceilinig on makeshift board bookshelves, crowded the small bedroom. Two pillows lied at opposite ends of the bed. The blankets lay coiled at the bottom. I coughed,feeling faintly dizzy. Silence reigned.
"White shoebox on the top shelf in the hall closet. Easy and quick," I whispered to the room, and myself. "I have yoga at 10, and can even splurge on reflexology this week!"
I stopped at the small bathroom, which smelled faintly sweet and damp. In one corner, brown stains spread all though the grout between the green and blue tiles. Faded fish, more gray than gold, still swam across the shower curtain. I walked in and I remember the bugs . Beetles? No, it was ants. Ants, he had ants. Black ants crawling all over the floor. Coming in through the bathroom window, maybe? A steady stream of them, marching towards me, as I stood there, hands clenched on the cold porcelain of the toilet bowl, as orange fluid and white acid spewed out of my stomach though my mouth. Three nights in a row I knelt there, stooped over, vomit flying, landing in my bangs, on the floor, on the worn Dartmouth T-shirt of his that I wore. Three nights and he never came home. Or even called. There, with tile chafing, my knees, I rehearsed the speech I would give him when he finally came home with lilies for me. When he came home. If he came home. In the end, the ants were my only companions, a black column of witnesses to an egg that never grew.
I breathed a long, deep breath. I stretched my hands upward, over my head, and brought my palms together gently. I willed myself to empty my mind. I left the bathroom and counted the steps down the hall to the closet. One, three, five, seven,nine.
I pulled open the closet. I faced a jumble of shoes, aging sports equipment, a hockey bag, and a vacuum. Straining onto my tip toes, I arched my back and thrust my fingers towards the top shelf. I almost made it. So, I returned to the bedroom and I grabbed the milk crate Brad used as a night table. I overturned it, and matches, incense, a comb, and one ripped condom wrapper fell onto the floor. I laughed.
With faster strides, I stomped down the hall to the closet and stood on the crate. On the top shelf, I found a half empty can of tennis balls and a wide white shoes box. I grabbed the box, jumped down, and turned to go.
As I walked past the bathroom, my cell phone squawked. I put the box down, retrieved the phone from my jeans pocket, and stare blankly at the display screen. The screen displayed the number: 772-5422.
"5422?" I asked myself. "5422?" I wondered, this time aloud. Then I blushed, because I realized I was talking to myself again, here in Brad's, no, Brad's mother's empty house. Then slowly, I understood. Mrs. Wong. The florist. The bamboo that I was growing.
“The bamboo that I am growing, damn it,” I thought.

I walked into the bathroom, put down the box, and opened it. Indeed, I did find tax forms .The top form dated from five years ago. I riffled through receipts as well, for stationary and computer equipment. And one rolled up, faded Red Sox baseball cap, which I had given to Brad on his twenty-fourth birthday. My eyes darted back to the tax forms.
"Brad might actually need them..." I hesitated, thinking "A nice person would help him."
I counted again, fish on the shower curtain this time, one, three, five. My eyes scanned the mildew covered tiles. No tiny black witnesses. I stared hard at the toilet bowl. I exhaled.
Slowly and methodically, I tore up each eight-and-a-half-by-eleven inch tax form into sixteen equal sized pieces. I put the pieces into the toilet bowl and I pulled the dusty handle down. The water swirled and a hoarse croaking sound echoed in the room. Then my eyes started to tear up, I sneezed, and so I pushed the window open. A cool breeze floated in. I kicked the shoe box against the wall and the rolled up hat rolled out, forlorn.

I hummed softly as I walked down the driveway. My clenched shoulder muscles loosened and descended. I pulled the door open, and got into my used car. I put my key in the ignition, but then took it out again. I pulled my cell phone out and hit the button labeled * for the phone log.

"Hi Mae? This is Sally. I mean Sandy, with the bamboo. From yesterday?...Yes, well the indecisive one, right. Now I know what I want, even if it takes pesticide....Death. I want all the beetles dead. All the beetles…Whatever it takes."
I smiled.

Wii Bang-Wave of the Future!

2008-02-22T14:55:00.000-08:00

Last night my boyfriend and I went to a "Wine and Wii party." I was unabashedly in it for the wine and good company. My boyfriend's pal, his oil industry co-worker, has more charm and better taste in wine than the stereotypical "oil industry bad guy." But in terms of the gaming? I admit I feared for the worst. I pictured hunch back, pimply pre-teens straining over Atari and Nintendo alien killing games. I think that the last time I went to a party prominently featuring electronic gaming, Duran Duran was still on the Billboard charts! I think the fact that there was gaming also had something to do with the fact that I dated the Debate Team (not all at the same time, mind you). :)
However, I must say that even I became a gradual fan of the group games on the Nintendo Wii [it's pronounced "we"-ed]. The control isn't hard to maneuvre, even for a spaz like me, the motions are very similar to playing actual sports, and when you get groups involved it's a lot of fun. The host had made funny little avatars for each of us, or "mii"s, and they bobbled along through the games with somewhat realistic motions (although they sometimes only used one arm). We had a lot of fun with doubles tennis and bowling. One on one games are less social at a party, but if you were just hangng out at home the boxng was fun, too. My Wii tennis game is also a LOT, lot better than my actual tennis game! Maybe my Dad can settle for playing Wii tennis with me-since I could never keep up with him on a real court!
Korea has PC rooms and DVD rooms, where you can rent some private space away from your multi-generational roomates, and Gary hatched the idea for the Wii gaming room.
The Wii bang-if you can buy soju on site, I see the idea taking off!

Peer Editing Time

2008-02-20T23:45:00.001-08:00

"BIG IDEAS," or broad concepts, come to me quickly. What I lack in my writing sometimes is follow through, because my imagination has already moved on to the next broad concept! For example, I think to myself, "Wouldn't it be fun to write a story about the gaurds at the DMZ?" But, the next day, I consider, "Wouldn't it be neat to try to capture my small city from the point of view of a mail order bride from Vietnam?" And then I think, "Shouldn't I finish that story I started last year about a fifty-year old divorced ESL teacher?" In the meantime, I've thought a lot, but not written very much. My hobby is supposedly writing, an action verb. What I need to do is put that verb into action more!
So, this past month, I had so much time off that I decided I had NO excuses. My turtle was fed. My recycling was taken downstairs. My sweaters were washed. It was too gray, windy, and cold to go hiking. And so I wrote. And edited. And mentally insulted myself for the generally low quality writing (and horrendous spelling) apparent in my stories. And then, after a while, I ignored my inner critic and wrote some more stories.
So, I am happy to say, I have a few not-horrible stories to show for myself after all my time off this month. They might not be good per se, but they're not horrible. Now comes the really scary part-I've started sharing them with a few of my well-read friends to get helpful feedback. Luckily, I know some former English major or journalist types with editing experience. Hopefully they can help me whip these stories into shape. If I can get some decent drafts of the stories I am going to enter them in a few fiction contests in the States. Contests that, I most likely, will not win. But if I don't enter them, I will DEFINITELY not win them. So, I have to give it a shot. Between big ideas.

Heaven is a Free, Multi-lingual Bookstore

2008-02-17T22:55:00.000-08:00

Damn, do I love books. Love them. Love how they look, love the new paper smell, love all the delicious uncertainty of a novel's first sentence. So, I am going to try to note a writer or poet I'm reading once a month....

And this month, Susan Choi has won me over. I loved her multi-layered story American Woman, even though I hadn't heard much about it. In fact, I was only two the year most of the events framing the book took place (1974). In the book, Indiana born Choi tells the story of earnest Japanese-American anti-war activist Jenny Shimadada. But you don't need to be a fan of the nineteen seventies to want to know this woman and all her secrets. She weaves in and out of different worlds, nations, and "isms," always an outsider. There is a sudden, tense plot twist about the Patty Hearst kidnapping case, but in the end it's about this fascinatingly flawed, American character.
You've probably heard of Choi's first novel. She seems better known for that well reviewed story, The Foreign Student. I just started it and I am already taken in by the description of the Korean Father cleaning his books with a feather duster! :)
You can read Susan Choi's bio and find her book reviews via her publisher, HarperCollins.
I hope you are also having a winter full of good reads! I give away most of the books I acquire here, there's no space for them and it's fun to share. Hopefully by keeping a record I'll remember to promote a few good reads to my pals back home.

Wellbeing

2008-02-17T01:34:00.001-08:00

Wellbeing is a single buzzword. What is it is a buzzword for? Here it is a buzzword (or, it might be a "portmanteau," the new word I learned recently when consulting dictionary.com, but I'm not sure it qualifies!)in Korea. The concept of wellbeing is used to advertise everything from teas to yoga centers to cafes to cosmetics to sports. As I have mentioned, in the last three months I have had some adventures in healthcare here. I am not the healthiest gal and I have had my regular, on-going issues, like my regular thyroid blood-tests crop up. I grit my teeth and smile at the scam the doctors here have pulled on the populace: one must apparently see the doctors EVERY time one needs a renewal prescription, even for something small like thyroid pills....
Wellbeing for people here is also complicated by the pollution issue. The winds blow down from China! A lot of people here get recurring breathing problems from the pollution. With me, it is has been intensified allergies, sinus infections and ear infections. I often got ear infections as a child, and they have returned since I moved here. The traditional diet here IS very healthy though, and it is my own choice (and perhaps stubborness) that I don't eat more Korean food! In my defense, I do eat a lot of the yummy mushrooms!
I have been anxious recently (Who? Me, anxious? Never! :)) about the return of my oavarian cyst issue. But, on the upside, I finally saw really good doctor at Severance Hospital yesterday. The cross town trek was worth the long subway rides to meet a quality, FEMALE, gyn. doctor. Ok, Ok, no one likes to read about GYN issues, I know. But a good doctor is hard to find in any country! Also she's a doctor who isn't test happy, always looking to do one more test to charge on the National insurance. I am tempted to go on the Dave's ESL Korea board and sing her praises, only sometimes some of the posts on Dave's ESL Korea annoy me! So, if anyone reading this is looking for a skilled doctor with perfect English, book an appointment with Dr. Kwon at The Severance Hospital International Clinic. She's wonderful!
Wellbeing is still on my mind, today, Sunday because I feel like I am again getting an ear infection.I am also dizzy and gave a bit of the flu. I shouldbn't have stayed out so late on my wild friends' birthday! :) On the up side, it was an excuse to snuggle with Steve and watch THE WIRE! (I'm obsessed).
So, I am still learning how to keep myself healthy here.
Maybe there's something to all those kimchi health claims?
Maybe.
Can I stand the stuff? Unfortunatley, no. :)

Visiting The "Embroidery Of the Ocean"

2008-02-09T00:37:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend and I hopped a bus down to the port of Mokpo in Western Korea for the holiday weekend. We hoped to hike and explore the Western islands a bit. Because he is thoughtful, my boyfriend downloaded several episodes of my currrent obsession, HBO's "The Wire" to watch on our bus rides. (Beyond the fact that it is in English, hooray,the contrast between the gritty realism of "The Wire" and the games shows, talent contests, and melodramtic evening soap operas on Korean TV make it seem like a miracle in broadcasting! Plus, Lester Freamon just rocks!) We arrived in Mokpo and easily caught the local bus to our harbor-side motel. The older woman working at the many fish markets and restaurants all smiled up as Steve, tall and pale, walked past. Skate fish is the local speciality. Ew! Dried skate carcasses and skate skins, in the process of drying, surrounded us on all sides. Marine product twon, as one street billed itself, smelled suspiciously of fish guts! Can you say pungent?!
On Lunar New Year day, we hiked Yudal mountain. It is a Korean tradition to awake very early and climb the mountain in the dark to see the first sunrise of the new year from the summit (or some pragmatists, and drunks, just stay up all night drinking soju, and use the climb to sober up! :) ).
As we hiked that afternoon, we reached a lovely view of the bay beyond. Many mountains in Korea offer outside gyms, and this time we actually stopped to try a few of the excercise machines. We reached a rocky peak and saw the carvings of Buddha in the mountain side. Smart officials hung lights below the carvings and imposing peak, to give the mountain a special glow in the night sky. We also found a pretty botanical garden with winding paths of various types of matked plants. There were two latge green houses, public, open and ungaurded. That would never last in the USA-sadly-a pretty greenhouse left open for families to enjoy would surely be vandalised! One greenhouse boasted many orchid plants, a local specialty. In the springtime they will look gorgeous.
The next day we took the ferry out to the island of Heuksando to explorea and hike. At least, we thought we we'd boarded a ferry, when actually we'd stepped onto the HMS Vommit! At first I was very proud, thinking my Coastie father would be excited by all the nautocal terms I was exchanging with my beau, the naval afficianado. I even learned the "Six Degrees of Freedon" pitch, roll, etc....But pitch was the on ethat stuck in my head. Why, you ask? Because, boy, did that ferry start to pitch one we hit opne water. The boat shifted in a crazy-up-down cycle-updown-updown-and we were among the many to fall vistime to the vertical motion. The ride bore a strange resemblance to the pie-eating contest scene in the film Stand By Me.
After we landed, and eventually recovered, we did take a nice hike up a peak on the a spur branching off to one side of the island. I let Steve, with his boyscout skills, leadthe way and just enjoyed the sunshine and the views of the rocky coast. We did veer of course at one point and met up with some mellow cows, but they didn't mind us so we didn't mind them! Later, as we'd lost some time,we took a taxi to a stone pagoda promoted in the tourist materials. Near it there was a small stone peak adorned with some arrangements of shamanist stones. We climbed to the top and saw striking views of the other side of the island. Unfortunatley, they had piped in a looped CD playing the folk song "Heuksando Lady" over and over gain. While certainly appropriate for the location, the song grates on you after a while! I prefer to enjoy my nature without the soundtrack, thanks! By that point we didn't really have time to take a tour of some of the isalnds other scenic spots before sundown, but that was ok by me. The tours were expensive and I prefer not to be rushed from sight to sight and told where to take pictures! Saturday night on the island was quiet except for the one Hoff, whioch reminded me a bit of Cape Ann, Mass. bars. There were a few nice groups in there behaving fine, but there was also a young guy, dressed in casual clothes, looking of the right age and behvaior to be a local fisherman. He drank so much soju he couldn't find the stairs to go outside and throw up! Maybe a sleepy fishing town in the winter is a sleepy fishing town in the winter, no matter where you are! :)
The next day we returned to the mainland via the scary ferry. Luckily we'd taken some medicine and prepared. The trip was much better, a sleepy one, on allergy medicine! :) After a filling lunch we visited the National Maritime Museum of Korea.
(www.seamuse.go.kr). It was interesting to see the example of the Goreyo ship, found off Wando. This Wando Ship is one of the oldest Korean ships ever found. Traditional ceramics and ancient artifacts like bone dice were found on board. The shipwreck of a large Chinese trading ship was also particulary impressive. It is dubbed the Shinan ship due to the location of it's wreck. They even found a crate of black pepper on board that was mostly intact. It is a small museum but worth a visit. Steve and I were a big hit there and many people said hellow. One man stopped me to ask me several questions about myself and "your husband" (meaning Steve), and what we thought about Mokpo and Korean ships. he was very friendly in his own exceedingly direct way. In general, I found Mokpo and the islands a nice change of pace.
The bus ride home at the end of a holiday weekend wasn't as as I'd feared. Seoul traffic didn't live up to the hype, for once. Plus Steve and I were happy and did get to share one more episode of my favorite tv show on his Ipod.
I returned home to a bit of a problem, though. The electric lock on my door finally died. It has been sticking on and off for a month now, but when I told my rental office staff it was broken they just said it needed new batteries on the isnide of the lock. So, I bought all new batteries, and it still stuck, and STILL they said, "batteries" as ifd the silly foreign girl just didn't understand. Well, finally it stuck so hard the building door man couldn't open it after many tries, and we were forced to bring in a locksmith. I almost feel vindicated, I tried and tried to tell them it was broken. I almost feel vindicated. Then I feel concerned. The next question is: who is going to PAY THE BILL for the expensive new lock-me or the school?
We shall see...

p.s.-To check out my obsession, The Wire, check HBO show times or go to http://www.hbo.com/thewire.

Unique Ex-pat Humor

2008-02-05T02:29:00.000-08:00

If you enjoy a little silly adult humor, with a splice of odd, Asian cable tv footage thrown in... check out
YouTube.com: LastCallFilms - Mo Mang II.
Keith and co. are quite funny. In their own way. :)

Blogs I Eat Up Like Pocorn

2008-02-03T22:10:00.000-08:00

1. I Should Be Writing on murlafferty.com-We all should be writing. Amen.
2. KuwaitingforGodot.com-Jessica is hilarious!
3. For the factually inclined-Stevadoo'sblog here at blogspot. Ignore any girlfriend in nightgown videos-revenge is a dish best served cold. :)
4. And, for more views on Korea, some well informed ideas on Asian politics, and Korean vocabulary words of the day (as well as a few suave white guys waxing poetic on the msyteries of Korean women), select from the robust list at:
The Korean Blog List -- http://www.koreanbloglist.com.

Chinese Women's Stories

2008-02-03T03:29:00.001-08:00

So many images, smells, and sounds arrested and beguiled me on our trip through China. There are some final sights and sounds I would like to record. But, in the end, it may be the stories I saw and heard of Chinese women that I will remember the most vividly.
At the Temple of Heaven, my favorite tourist site in Beijing, I walked through rows of tranquil trees many Chinese women were never permitted to see. There, before those holy altars, where the past emporers prayed for good harvests, a feeling of peace pervades. Seen from the air, the atlars or temple buildings in the park are round and their bases are square. The construction was based upon the ancient Chinese belief that Heaven is round and the Earth is square. We visited the temple on a sunny day before the crowds. We stood on the 5 meter high round altar, which was originally constructed in 1530 (and later rebuilt) in white marble in three tiers. The acoustics of the circular structure causes one's voice to carry. A fellow visitor (from India) told me that wishes whispered from the very center of circle are more likely to come true-so I took my turn standing in the center and wishing. My wish? I can't tell! :) Just past the altar there stands a curved "echo wall;" it is known for it's accoustic properties. I stood at one side of the wall and softly said hellow to my boyfriend, and he could hear me loud and clear several feet away at the edge of the curved wall! The most picturesque structure on the site would have to be the hall of Prayers for Good Harvests. Gorgeous, the temple hall stands a top a three tiered marble terrace and boasts a triple-eaved umbrella roof. Four central pillars inside symbolize the four seasons. Twelve others form a ring around the outside. They curiosuly support the ceiling without nails or cement (For further comment upon this point, see the Lonely Planet Beijing City Guide). Although the common Chinese woman was not allowed into that building for year upon years, it still stands out in my memory.
At the tail end of our trip, we were fortunate to travel to Xi'an to see the impressive Terra Cotta warriors from the Qin Dynasty. They were certainly worth the trip. Whether built out of ambition or narcissism, the thousands of tall, detailed ceramic soldiers, some holding actual functional weapons, comprised just one part of the mausoleum of Emporer Qin Shihuang. Several sites we saw in China claimed to be the 8th wonder of the world. Apparently, there is no verification process, no researching by earstwhile geeks from Wikipedia, needed to make this claim. However, of the "wonders" we saw, the huge historical and archeological significance of the Terra Cotta Warriors led me to see them as the most wonderful. For some good photos and more factual information on our trip to Xi'an consult Steveadoo's blog on blogger.
My mind was intruiged by the terra Cotta Warriors. But then I couldn't breathe! The pollution caught up with us there. A stroll outside of more than twenty minutes would aggravate my allergies. The brownish gray air would, after a while, cause my eyes to start watering and my nose to feel stuffy. Do children in Xi'an color the sky in their drawings with gray and brown crayons? Imagine growing up in a city with so much air pollution that foul smelling air is the only air that you've ever known!

As we prepared to leave China, two women's stories stuck in my mind. One is a famous and tragic story, one is a quiet anecdote with a happy ending. Nestled deep inside the Forbidden city is a simple hole in the ground known as Concubine Zhen's well. Women go there and leave flowers. Zhen fe Jing was imprisioned by the formidable Cixi, and later thrown down this lonely well for refusing to give up her loyalty to her ousted emporer (he started the "100 days reform" movement and payed for it with his freedom, obviously the reform movement did not go well-it only lasted 100 days!). Later Zhen's sister built her a small shrine near the well. Visitors still value Concubine Zhen's well as a symbol of this woman's love, loyalty, and determination. For more facts on the sad tale of Concubine Zhen, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Concubine_Zhen.

Another story, less famous, reminded me how lucky I am to be a modern American woman. Our guide, B., did a great job taking us to important sites, providing historical background, and helping us find more authentic local dumpling houses to enjoy. As the days went by, we also got to know him and he started to explain his life and the lives of his friends and neighbors. He and my boyfriend Steve got to be friends. Steve is a mellow guy and it seems that everyone likes Steve! :) When I asked about family life in Beijing, he told us a story about a neighbor of his who jumped through many hoops to make a decision I could easily decide to make. The family had one child, our guide explained, but then the woman became pregnant again. The woman wanted a second child, a sibling for her child, very badly. It was a very stressful situation for the family due to the one-child policy in over-populated China. However, our guide's neighbor was lucky because she had attended elementary school with a boy who grew up to be a local government official. The neighbor woman and her husband went to see the local government official (with a gift) to renew old ties. Later her husband took the official out for dinner a few times and convinced the official to write a letter to the local hospital condoning the woman's wish to carry (and not terminate) her second pregnancy. The hospital agreed to treat the woman and deliver her baby. The woman's husband had to go to a government office with a letter of support from the local official, and later had to pay a large fine for having a second child. However, with the support of the local government official, the family encountered no further problems. They had a beautiful second daughter who grew to become an honors student. The neighbor woman had been lucky.
My guide took no sides, did not tell the story to criticize his government, but rather related the story in a matter of fact manner. I can't verify that it's 100% true. But the details really struck me. The discsussion around freedom of Choice in America sometimes gets narrowed in the media to the freedom to decide NOT have a child, when certainly the freedom to elect to HAVE a child is just as important. Over population remains a valid issue, and I am not going to argue here that anyone needs to have large families. (I, myself, have been thinking I'd someday like to adopt a baby who's already on the planet.) But I feel very glad to live in a country where the government can't dicate to me the size of any family I might elect to build.

I Digress...

2008-01-29T19:38:00.000-08:00

I promise I will finish writing about the excitement of China. But there are a few things I want to get off my chest today!

You Know You Teach in South Korea When...
1. A Sweet Potato Latte after dinner starts to sound logical.
2. You have been hit by a delivery man on a scooter at least once.
3. Only two of your fellow foreign teachers actually plans to teach when they go home.
4. You know that the barbershop on the third floor isn't just a barbershop.
5. The Internet has become a lifeline.
6. You feel that kernels of corn go on any food at any time. As long as pickles come as a side dish!
7. The "English Speaking Teller" at your bank does not, in fact speak English, but he can read it if you write your requests down.
8. Anyone old enough to remember the Korean war is super nice to you!
9. You begin to feel that you need, and not just want, frequent manicures, no matter what your gender.
10. You aren't sure what to be when you grow up! :)

Seeing Korea With New Eyes? -part 2

2008-01-28T23:18:00.000-08:00

I wanted to love the Forbidden City. The nine tiny dragons on the edge of the rooftops. The huge stone slabs, floated from Northern China on rivers and carried miles by workers, that were fashioned by deft craftsmen into stunning reliefs. The huge, sapphire (as well as the sparkling emeralds and rubies) displayed in the Hall of Treasures. The ancient stories and philosophies that had dictated the many palaces construction. The opulence that impressed us, enfolded us, yet that never made us feel the Yankee disdain that I'd felt at walking through the gaudier parts of Versailles in Paris. The serene rock gardens and dragon mosaics placed throughout the Forbidden City spoke to the spiritual role that the emporer seemed to play in Chinese society before the communist revolution there. Yet the riches of the emporer were not meant for the eyes of the common man, no less the common woman!
I felt the sheer weight of the Chinese emporer in Asian history. Certainly the final emporer, going from running the country, if only at a ceremonial level, to working as a gardener, lived a fascinating life! And beauty abounded-from the halls for visiting with foreign dignitaries, to the myriad chambers of gorgeous sandalwood. The rare, perfectly carved wood, was more in demand, more "valuable than gold," as our Guide, B. kept reminding us. It struck me a city of a thousand stories, and there was no way that we could learn them in one day. Even with a knowledgable guide, our visit felt rushed. Unfortunately, we were also dogged by omnipresent tour groups! One large Chinese tour group, striding around in matching red baseball caps, was especially hard to shake. The chase became almost comical. :) Also, one supposedly impressive pavillion was closed for renovations so that it would be in perfect shape for the influx of touisits expected for the Summer Olympics.
So, from what I'd read in my beloved Lonely Planet Guide, and the stunning Speilberg film I'd seen, I wanted to love the Forbidden City.
However, The Temple of Heaven attracted me in a way that the Forbidden City didn't. One never knows.

Seeing Korea With New Eyes-part I

2008-01-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

It's bittersweet to be back in Korea. Nice to have the comforts of "home," but I miss the varied, well spiced Cantonese food and exciting sights I enjoyed on my recent trip to China.
The contrasts and energy of Beijing won me over right away. Truth be told, I flew out of Incheon tired and a bit dispirited. Also, my growing ovarian cyst had been causing me occasional discomfort in December. Bless my beau Steve's heart, he created a wonderful Christmas celebration (that man can COOK!). But the second Christmas in a row away from my sisters, parents, and high energy nephews and niece saddened me.

Then the positive momentum of Beijing hit me! This is China's time, and Beijing know it!! From our first day, when we ate yummy lamb from North-west China, and went to see the Dowager's Summer Palace in the biting wind, Beijing awakened my dulled senses. No more grey buildings. No more faces whitened by make-up. No more pork, pork, pork....For example, consider the Summer Palace.The emperor built it for his mother. It's not as ancient as some of the other palaces and temples in Beijing, but it's on a pretty lake. It boasts it's own mini-opera house and a rugged hill side temple.We enjoyed it despite the cold! A gorgeous temple stands behind it, positioned on a man-made hill facing the lake for ideal Feng Shui (spelling?) harmony. There was a distinct air of peace at the temple. It had been ravaged by the "Western Allies," with gold details and ceremonial ceramic Buddha's heads taken by English navy sailors as souvenirs. In Korea, Buddhist temples were, historically, often looted by the Japanese invaders. It felt awkward that, this time, the aggressors defiling the temples were white men, British and french sailors supported by American munitions an supplies....

Ancient tradition and frenetic construction met our eyes simultaneously as we drove through Beijing with our guide. Frankly, I would never have hired a guide had Steve not suggested it on the recommendation of some veteran traveler friends. I usually like to go my own, left of center way, armed with my Lonely Planet guide book. But, this time, I must say that splurging on the expense of an experienced Chinese speaking guide to Beijing (he was one of the managers of our travel agency) was worth it. As you, the reader, can tell from my barrage of run-on sentences, so much was occurring around us that Barry, our guide, helped us select which experiences to focus on in our limited time in the city to get the most for our money...

Now that I actually have the energy and drive to revive my blog, I have a lot of idea that I want to express! So, don't worry, there will be more details about my trip to China forthcoming in a few days. Thanks for reading...

2007-10-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

"Hey everybody!

Buy this book! It's really great! There are essays in there from the most distinguished authors on the planet.

http://www.jstwrite.com/index_files/Page2844.htm"

-Guest Blogger Dr. Stevil

Scenes of Gunpo

2007-10-21T04:55:00.000-07:00

Today we walked on nearby Surisan and tooled around in Sanbon, the closest shopping square.

My New Home Town

2007-10-21T04:47:00.001-07:00

Here's my Officetel building and my nearby produce market...

Un-hustle and Un-Bustle

2007-10-21T03:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a wonderful, restful lazy Sunday. I just stepped back from the movement and restless hustle of life lately. Thank God! :)
North Korea was an amazing place, surprisingly pretty, but it meant a weekend spent mostly on the bus.
Then this week miscomunication hung in the air like a haze... It felt particularly acute this week somehow. The days blended into a rolling, evolving, meeting and class that were scheduled, cancelled, and then uncancelled. No one knows when my Christmas vacation days will be, exactly, so I can't plan a trip. Steve and I and friends want to go to China and take this amazing opportunity to see the Great Wall and explore. I went into school and asked cheerfully and modestly one morning this week about the timing oif my vacaction, and left the room more confused than when I entered it. Multiple options were discussed, but the school administrators wouldn't approve any one schedule. Including weekends, I get three weeks off in January, they just won't commit to which three weeks. It is an amazing blessing to get this vacation time at all. However, as the calendar days tick by and the timing of the vacation day issue does not resolve itself, I have begun to get annoyed!! I cannot plan a trip, or save to buy an air ticket to China, without a schedule. Basically, I am going to literally pay for the school's disorganization, in the for of a higher priced air ticket. Grr. :(
Then Thursday was a really good classroom day. Several classes, particularly the higher level third grade and sixth grade classes are really starting to challenge theselves and speak more, it's exciting. However, then Friday morning was the old "Who's on First" scene to the extreme! Ready for confusion? Mr. K., the teacher who cannot speak ANY English who is subbing for my co-teacher during her maternity leave came and told me at 4:30 on Thursday, when I had already made work/prepared for the next day that English classes were cancelled Friday morning for a school race, "unless rain." Philosophical issues aside (sports are more important than learning English?) Friday's classes turned into a logistical quagmire.
Then, Friday morning, of course, it rained. So, I prepared to teach, but when I saw athletic equipement in the halls I went, five minutes before school on Friday, and asked the fifth and sixth grade teachers about the schedule. The teachers said "cancel 5 and 6." But the sixth grade teachers said "no cancel 6th grade."Later, when I showed up with my books and a newly made game and worksheets to teach sixth grade English to some very confused teachers and students, I wondered what was happening. One sixth grade teacher tried to tell me it was fifth grade time (in half English). But by then I thought that all fifth grade English was "cancelled," and had announced that to all the students. Ridiculously confused yet? I certainly was. It turns out of course that the teachers I spoke to confused the English word "cancel' with the Englsih word "switch." they had just wanted to switch classes, but couldn't comunicate that.
Although the meaning of the miscommunication eventualy bore itself out, I spent a lot of time on Friday feeling frustrated and isolated!! Where is the English speaking co-teacher a foreign teacher is supposed to have to guide and support them? I felt trampled by the school staff, their lack of support, and there unrealistic assumtpions about how many new Hangul words I can learn/retain a week. Communication is a two way street, but it feels ironic sometimes that they say they want to be "welcoming," to me and "help" the students learn English, but then most of teacher's themselves seem to me to be making little effort to learn more or communicate in English.
Yes, Friday was definitely NOT a high point in my year so far.
So...this weekend I tried to take it easy, stay local, and look at the things around me that are available and interesting in my new Korean hometown. School is a great challenge, greater than I expected, frankly,and the school staff keep hurling the proverbial ball of communication back into my court all the time. All I can do is make the best of that. And get creative but realistic, and quickly. This year is not going to be as flexible and as much of a learning experience in creative teaching as I'd hoped. But I am sure going to learn about communication and self-advocacy. I have to just to stay afloat.
At any rate, I took some wonderful time to myself Friday night and realized that I am I am lucky to have a safe, cozy corner of the universe to live in and a wonderful boyfriend to come visit me. Saturday night plans were ever changing, but in the end we tried the new Korean b-b-q place that opened on my street. We were quite the curiousity item in there, particularly as Steve is bald (very few Korean men are bald except for monks). The place is clean and yummy and the two of us enjoyed as generous portion of BEEF galbi and veggies, plus beer, for about US $12! Score!
So, life here in Gunpo is never boring, and never unchallenging.

2007-10-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

My school on School Sports Day...

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

2007-10-03T04:32:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for not being on here in forever! I've been busy waiting. And trying to get this blog to open in English, as opposed to Korean, when I visit the PC bang. And waiting:
In September I waited for:
1. My Airfare reimbursement (3 weeks)
2. My moving allowance (2.5 weeks after I'd moved
3. Steve to get back from his business trip to Africa (that waiting stank)
4. Home internet service to be installed
5. The former occupant of my Officetel to retrieve his belongings and recycle the random stuff he left in the corner
6. The #6 purple bus to take me to the subway station across the rice paddy field from my school
7. My first pay check-which went to last years' teacher, by mistake !!!!!!!!!!!! (AAH!)
8. My alien registration card to come in the mail (STILL waiting!)
9. Being assigned a night children's English class at city hall.
10. Attendance lists so I am not calling little Su-Jin "Su-Jeoung," and vice versa...
11. Myself to wrap my head around my schedule and get a clue.
My schedule is starting to make sense, the kids names are still a mystery, and a clue? Well, I have hope anyway!

Five Day Training Fiesta

2007-09-16T03:12:00.000-07:00

Week two I was spirited away to the outskirts of Suwon for a 5 day training. It was a nice hotel in a tranquil place, but it felt a bit like being transplanted into summer camp, just when my officetel started to feel more like home. The large "resort" near a lake boasted a garden terrace and a well groomed golf course. Good, if one golfed.
They placed us four to a room to accomodate our large group of approx. 190 "Native speaker"English elementary school teachers from all over the province. I arrived last and slept on a small twin bed between a Canadian teacher and a Scottish teacher. Thus my sleep was often interrupted and I felt a bit like the inside parts of a sausage, or "sausag-ee" as the Koreans call it! :)
The training was mostly positive. The timing was a bit annoying, though. I promised Steve I would book plans for the upcoming 4 day Chuseok break, but this proved too difficult to do while at the conference. The resort offered only TWO computers for a 600 person resort. Apparently the hotel assumed that you'd bring your own laptop, but we teachers all assumed more would be provided. I was also deluged with e-mails and text messages from hiking club about a weekend long trip Steve and I are taking with in October. Their requests for documents and deposit payments were hard to cover as I had difficulty just getting on the computers in my time off.
Within the five days of payed training, there were some endkless lectures, BUT, there were also three days of very helpful information on class activities and inter-cultural communication. And lots of great web resouces, which are crucial because the textbooks here are pretty DULLLLLLL... Many of the best ideas came from my fellow new teachers. We shared silly stories and confusing situations in our new nieghborhoods. I realized how sheltered I'd been in the "faux Korea" of my relatively Westernized area of Seoul last year!! There were three abrasive American men there on their first travels abroad, so there were definitely two public moments when one could see all the Americans who weren't speaking (including me) blush and sink lower in their seats. Oye. Then there was the American guy who traveled there with all of his moneey in Korea AND his credit cards in one wallet, no money belt, no bank account yet, no back up funds. Of course the poor idiot got his wallet stolen by someone at the hotel. I felt bad for him, but he was openly mocked by some for his total lack of common sense. Poor loser.
It as a big group of mostly twenty-something Canadians and I felt a bit shy, believe it or not. There was a lot of small talk, which is sometimes interesting and sometimes boring. I forces myself to sit with different groups, and di click with a few folks.There was way more diversity than I'd seen at Poly School conventions, though. I was pleased to meet light-skinned blacks from the UK , Korean-Americans, and a bi-racial man with an Indian last name. It's a credit to our province that they don't see all "Native English Speakers" as blue-eyed blondes like some schools in Korea do. In the end my more mellow roomates turned out to be cool, I went out to the local bar once or twice and I met four cool people from my city. One grew up right near my cousin Missy; small world. All the folks in my area exchanged emails and I plan to invite them to a little brunch that I am planning when I get myself organized in October.
By Friday we were all tired but a few friendships were budding and we'd started a website for ourselves which wil be great for sharing lesson plans and connecting with folks once the winter hits and it's harder to meet people outside whether hiking mountains or going to local events.

Officetel Life

2007-09-16T02:47:00.000-07:00

Week one I tried to unpack and improve upon my modest Officetel. The former occupant's belongings were my first problem. He moved on the subway and couldn't carry all his stuff, which stinks for him, but then he left a pile of stuff and a fridge full of food and made it stink for me. :( Hanging the curtain rod also became unrgent as the sun blasted in through the window at 5:30am. Good morning sleepy teacher! I tried to hang it with nails, it fell down. I went to the store and asked gfor screws and the clerk just shrugged at me, uncomprehending. I jerry-rigged it with duck tape; down it crashed. In streamed the early morning sun. Finally, I drew a diagram and marched back to the E-mart for the gosh darned screws.
It was a confusing week, but I tried to take it with a sense of humor. The shelves in my apartment are much too high for me, and they were designed and built by Koreans for Koreans. Hmm. I decided that they must have a sense if humor, as well. :) Steve wasd planning a business trip, then he wasn't, and then he was again. School rushed by, a stream of connections and miscommunications. Mrs. L. asked sweetly, "Did the students at Poly School UNDERSTAND your American accent?" Meaning, what, exactly? (My "American" accent? There's only one?)
I struggled with the CD rom system (which I am supposd to use in most lessons) at school, and with getting my internet set up at home. It seemed like right after my warm reunion with Steve he was off again, leaving me alone in my white bathrobe in his exectutive apartment. Then ther monsoons returned in earnest. The 80 or so Korean words that I know didn't fit into enough correct sentences to get around well in my neighborhood. One night as it poured rain, I couldn't have my favorite fried chicken delivered from the local Kochon Chicken, because I couldn't correctly pronounce the name of my street in Korean. Such is life in the Korean suburbs without the buffer of Korean helpers.
Then, thankfully I did have a fun night out on the town with my hillarious pal Angi. She has had her own joys and misadventures, and just laughing over a beer and stories, IN ENGLISH, restored me. School tires me out but socializing with fellow foreigners is key to defeating isolation.

The First Day of School

2007-09-16T02:22:00.000-07:00

I arrived early, in my snazzy outfit, full of eager zest. Excited students smiled and waved- "Hello! Hi! Sunsangiiimmmmm! Hi!." :) Rumors spread quickly through the school that I was a lady and small girl after small girl peeked into my shared office to confirm these reports.
Mrs. L, my sweet and very pregnant co-teacher smiled at me over her great expanse of belly. She let me into my office and tried to explain my schedule, and the change that had already been made since she's printed out my schedule fifteen minutes earlier. I had a little post-flight cold and she spoke in a quiet, low voice, out of habit or shyness, I wasn't sure which. I strained to hear her. She alluded to lesson formats that I must already know, having spoken to the former foreign teacher. I wondered if he's told me enough. I had to ask her to repeat herself, louder, please, twice. She smiled, and tried to explain it to me in different words in the same quiet tone. I couldn't quite hear her, but I believe that she apologized that her English was not better. I complimented her English. Ah, inter-cultural communication...
The day was a blur of smiling children. Another surprise: I will not, in fact get my own unshared classroom and I will be roaming to other rooms most of the time. So much for the seating plan ideas I'd prepared! Every classroom was different, and had a different vibe. In class, we mostly met each other and played name games. I stuck to basics like the date and the weather. English and shyness levels varied widely, to understate it! Being chosen as teacher's helper for the day was either their biggest honor or worst nightmare! Giving stickers to the best participants was a big hit, though. Darn it, hardly any of them had chosen English names, so I have at least 12 Jun or Jin based names!! What can I do? Bless the Soyoung's because at least that's a unique name of a former high school classmate who I'll be able to remember.
Most of my fellow teachers seemed caring and supportive. Two are young and fun and really tried to help. One used good English to back me up. And, one guy left the room entirely for half my lesson, without telling me where he was going. Um,.er, that's not supposed to happen. Then there was the scary old school guy with the hitting baton. I had heard that corporal punishment still happens in some schools, but that didn't prepare me for the "Whack!" sound of his baton hitting a boys thigh durinmg English class! Scary! I was glad I only had to be in that classroom two hours a week.

Setting In

2007-09-16T02:14:00.000-07:00

After an endless flight and unexpected delays...I finally arrived in Seoul late Friday night. Steve was there to meet me at the airport, which was sweet and practical as my delay had annulled my plans to meet him. My nice driver helped with my huge bags and drove us South of the city. We did not turn into exactly the neighborhood I had been told about and was thus expecting, but drove further away from the Hofs (bars) and excitement of Sanbon station to the quieter Gunpo station area. Hmm, interesting...We fumbled with the electronic lock (no keys to misplace! :)) and peered in. Yay! I was relieved at the size of my officetel. Not palatial, by any means, but a few feet larger, and cleaner, than I had expected. One wrinkle was that the former tenant Phil, left a big pile of stuff in the corner of the Officetel. A large chair, an excercise machine, and heavy dumbells. He left a note saying that he would be back fior them. Hmm again. I crumpled into bed and slept for many hours...

by P