Pictures are worth a thousand words

I will try to post some pictures tomorrow. Dirk, send me an e-mail to remind me.

Idong E-Mart Adventure

This was originally an e-mail to my friend Marie, but she laughed so hard I decided to post it here.

I went to E-mart to get some new bedding because it occurred to me that one set of sheets and no dryer might not be a great idea. I find my way to the bedding aisle and start looking for the cutest (read least expensive and ugly) sheets I can find. I find a cute set, but the fitted sheet is only a super single (American full) and my bed is a regular single. So I wave down a clerk and ask, hands in the air miming a search, "Single?" The clerk looks at me as if I am a martian and goes to get a different clerk. I repeat the action a few more times until I get the king of the E-mart clerks (crowned, I suspect, for his mastery of a few English words), who motions for me to follow him and says, "Discount." Pleased that I am being taken to the secret cheap stash I follow him. He leads me to the escalator, grabs my cart and sticks it on. "Where is my cart going? Why are we going upstairs? Why can't I speak more Korean?" I wonder. We get upstairs and he leads me to the check out. "Check out!" He proclaims proudly. "Aniyo. Not done," state I. "Check out!" "But I am not done yet." "Check out!" "Need more stuff." "Wait." The clerk leaves and comes back with the store manager who looks at me with a kind face and a smile and says, "Check out!" "Aniyo. Not done. Need more stuff." "You need more shopping?" Oh thank god I think, "Yes. Downstairs." "You leave cart here." And after a month in Korea I finally did it. I asked a Korean, "Why?!?!" Silence in the E-mart. Koreans just don't ask why. "We give you new cart." "I need this cart. Need to match things. I will take cart." "Oooohhh... this clerk with assist with the rest of your shopping." "I am ok. I will go alone." "He will help you." Sigh, "Good bye!" I run back to the escalator with my hard won cart of bedding, get back on and think I am free... until I turn around and see the clerk following me. "I assist you." "I am ok, good bye!" I then escape into the car product aisle until I think I am free. I finish the rest of my shopping and an hour later I am at check out. I am rung up, hand over my card, and start loading my stuff into my cart, wondering how I am going to get everything outside and into a cab. Then I notice my card isn't being handed back to me and the clerk is waiving down the store manager. Oh, did I mention that among my purchases were two pillows? This is important later. I am starting to worry that something is wrong with my card, but I am being allowed to load my cart so I don't think about it too much. Finally my card is handed back to me and the store manager asks me to follow him. "Sigh," think I. I follow the store manager to customer service where I am asked to wait another moment, so I spend that time staring at my cart trying to come up with the best way to carry everything. Two minutes later the manager returns with two giant pillows, "We are very sorry we did not have the single sheet you wanted so much. Please accept our apologies and these excellent pillows." Out loud I proclaim, "Oh! Kam-sa-mida! Kam-sa-mida! So kind!" In my head I think, "Well how the fuck am I supposed to carry these fucking things??? WHY?!?!?!?!?!" So I take the pillows, manage to get my stuff out of the store and into a cab through sheer force of will, and eventually made it home. The moral is, if you come to visit I now have extra pillows for you to sleep on. And that is what happened when I went to the Idong E-mart.

Tomorrow is Friday!

Hurrah, the earth did that nifty spinny axis thing, and tomorrow is once again Friday. I am a little worried, I am going to be an old lady, and call it an early evening tomorrow, as Marty and I are planning to do some sight seeing in Gyeongju Saturday and he says I need to be up and ready to depart at 8am. On a Saturday. 8.A.M. That's fine though. I will get my culture on and see wondrous sights. Like a temple or something.

Over the last week or so I have been learning a lot. I have learned that tiny Korean children will ask anything, like "Do you have a boyfriend?" "No." "Do you have a girlfriend?" "Ummmmm, what? No. I don't, wait, is that what you meant to say?" I have a perfect accent... according to the teachers I can barely understand sometimes, and when every one around you is speaking Korean, you can use that time to think about the best way to arrange your socks. Korean dance clubs are the silliest place on earth (more on that in a moment), and lighthouse museums are never interesting. Oh yeah, I also learned that cocoon is foul. Never eat cocoon.

Last weekend a bunch of the westerners went out on Saturday night. I bought a sword with flashy lights and sound effects on the beach. I think I will name it Discolabur. I love the sword and if my classes are good, I might bring it in for them to play with. Probably not though, as that would mean sharing, and I don't want to share the sword. That was the first highlight of the evening. The next was when we left the beach and eventually ended up at the worlds weirdest dance club. Here is how a Pohang disco seems to work: You walk into a giant ballroom fitted out with high walled circular booths. You are led to a booth by an usher. You sit down in your booth/room. Then the dj says something and everyone gets up to go to the dance floor. The girls dance on one side, the boys on the other, as if it were middle school. The songs are constantly interrupted by the djs who will actually stop the music to talk. You dance for about 10 minutes and then the dj tells everyone to sit down. You go back to your booth and as if by magic there is fruit and drink waiting for you. You rest for about 5 minutes and then it is time to dance again. Oh, and everyone seems to know the same dance moves to each song, giving the whole thing a weird teen flick feel. Oh!!! AND I started a new Korean dance move. Ha! I am truly a dancing queen. Normally, I would rather just sit at a bar and talk to my friends, but this place was totally worth it, as it was nuts.

I am going to get in my way back machine and mention Friday night for a bit. Friday night was cocoon eating night. It was totally disgusting, like eating crunchy bile. Pre-cocoon, I went out with the teachers at my school. I was driven into the woods, where I thought I would surely die, fed a traditional meal of meat cooked on the table and shoved into various leaves, (really good), and soju. After we all went to nori ban (like karaoke) where I lost all respect for myself and sang Karma Chameleon. Yeah, that happened. Luckily, as with the night following, I managed to impress my coworkers with my mad dance skills. I think this must be the Korean version of the footloose town and they have never seen dancing before. Anyhow, now they call me Dancing Queen and I sort of love them for it.

Ok, now we jump forward in time (sorry, I am exhausted so this is going to be stream of conscious style) to Sunday. I got home on Sunday morning around 4:30 am. My co-teacher and her husband came over at noon to hang a bar in my closet. Next thing I knew I was in their car and we were going for sushi. That's cool, I like sushi AND free lunch. After lunch my co-teacher says, "We are going to Sunrise Park, call Marty, he can come too." "Oh dear, I am being kidnapped, but at least Marty will be along for the ride," thought I. We swing by the beach, get Marty, and off we go up a windy and nausea inducing road. Thankfully the scenery was worth the trip, and we got to see the first place the sun rises on New Year's day. It was gorgeous. And I thought all I was getting that day was a new rod for my closet. Thanks Korea and all your dynamism.

There is more to write, but I was out late at an expat meeting last night and I am ready to go home, watch some Legend of the Seeker (almost always on, and always in English.) and go to bed.

Dynamic Korea in Action

"Chyennipur, you have a very important meeting with they 3rd grade teachers at 2pm, please go now. I will follow."
I enter the 3rd grade teacher room, a tumble weed blows by, a teacher is asleep on the couch. "Chyennipur, where is every.. Oh! We must not wake teacher. I will call and find out where others are." I sit and look at a children's costume catologue whilst contemplating my halloween costume.
"We meet with 4th grade teachers first."
Meeting with 4th grade teachers = not understanding anything but my name and the number 1.

Tenticle Stew

Still obsessed with my lunch today, I have composed a poem to immortalize it.

Oh tentacle stew, I adore you
A mystery of squidgy white, spicy red, and purple curly suckers
You pull me into your depths as I frantically fight to swallow you down
Your enigma of flavors keeps you fresh in my mind and mouth all day
What are you, tentacle stew?

Wow, I think maybe I should stop, as this is becoming less an ode to lunch are more a letter to penthouse.

At home in Pohang

I arrived in Pohang on Friday to an empty apartment and a very nice, if slightly over bearing co-teacher. I couldn't move into my apartment right away because it was sans bed, which I think I took harder than I should have because I was just so tired and out of sorts. After seeing my new place and dropping my stuff off at the co-teacher's apartment I accompanied her to a teacher's retirement ceremony. I felt like bizarro Jenn there. Very quiet, introverted, and fighting back the urge to cry. All I wanted to do was hide in bed and be silent. I felt like I was being watched the whole dinner, and no one spoke to me because they were nervous about their English. After the dinner my co-teacher took me back to her place, where she was kind enough to let me use her bedroom... of course she also sent me to bed around 9:45 at night. Sure, I wanted to go to bed, but, as my parents can attest to, I do not enjoy being told what to do, especially when it comes to bed times. I dutifully went to bed though, and instantly started texting everyone I knew. I guess my messages were rather dire sounding, because I got 3 or 4 calls in the morning, to check in on me. Thanks new friends!

The next morning my co-teacher made me a traditional western breakfast of yellow curry (very good, but I question her sources) and we went out to clean my apartment. Fun Fact: Cleaning a Korean apartment with helpers is better than cleaning an American apartment. I don't know why, but it is. After the housework it was time to buy stuff with which to fill the house. I was a little worried because I couldn't get a straight answer on when my bed would arrive, and I was desperate for some alone time. Luckily for everyone involved, when we returned to my place with the supplies my bed had been delivered along with an enormous computer desk. I also have a bigger washing machine than my mother, a huge fridge and microwave, and a movable stove. I don't think anyone measured my kitchen before ordering the appliances, but I don't mind. I will fill the fridge with diet Pepsi (cheaper than Coke here) and delicious fizzy apple juice.

Seeing that my bed had arrived, my co-teacher and her husband went home. I was a little relieved because I could relax and not be on my best behavior all the time. I started to unpack, but then got distracted by watching videos on my computer. I was feeling much better about my decision to come here, especially when the monks in the temple next door to me started chanting and beating their little drum thing. I love the fact that I can look out one of my windows (that's right, I have windows plural. I had to move all the way to Korea to get them, but now they are MINE) and see a temple and the greenest side of a mountain ever. It kind of kicks the train station's ass. I think I am the only tenant in the building, so it is really quiet at night, and my friend Marty is within walking distance, so I think I really lucked out with the housing situation.

After the shaky start I am finding my footing. I am feeling more comfortable around my co-teacher, she is bossy, but seems to have my best interests at heart and is constantly feeding me. I appear to be making a good impression on the other teachers and admin staff at the school, and I managed to find the super market. Now all I have to do is get through my first day of teaching tomorrow.

Packing Up

I am completely exhausted and my stuff has magically expanded and will no longer fit in my soccer bag. I think a curse was put on it. I have no idea how I will fit everything back in and get it on the bus to take it to my new province tomorrow. I will be working at an elementary school in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, which is right on the beach, has a steel mill, and a soccer team call the Steelers, just like Pittsburgh. I am pretty happy with my assignment, especially since I found out that my friend with be joining me in the city. Hurrah.

This week has been intense. Meeting new people, having the "What is your name? Where are you from?" conversations over and over again reminds me of freshman year. We even live in dorms here and have a curfew. I feel like I am 18. I don't really mind though. I am enjoying the fact that I get to be here, it is pretty surreal.

I should really write some of the highlights of the week down, like the temple and village we visited, but it is 2:18 am and I should go to bed so I don't miss the bus out of here in the morning. Also, I think my luggage is expanding again, and I need to put a stop to it.

PS: I am not sure when I will have internet access again, but as soon as I do I will update with actual information about my time here.

The Journey

This will be my second full day in Korea. If already feels like I have been here a week. The journey began with a 3:30am wake up at (totally awesome) Jeni's place. A 4:45 drive to the airport, and then an ocean of confusion. It occurred to me that I had no idea what I was doing when I got to the airport, but when has that ever stopped me? The first flight, from PDX to SFO was uneventful, except for the insane overweight baggage charge. That was a small price to pay to get here though.

I was happy to have a long lay over in SFO. I did not have a chance to visit home before taking off, so it was nice to breath some Bay Area air. I spent the majority of my time on the phone and trying to pick out other teachers at the gate. Lucky for me I found a few. I felt much calmer once I knew there would be other teachers on the plane and they were just as nervous as me.

Finally we boarded Singapore Airline headed to Korea. It was the longest flight I had ever been on, but I was pleased to see we had our choice of free movies and television shows, as well as various plugs and adaptors, so we could plug in our own stuff. I have never been on such a technologically advanced airplane. I watched Watchmen FINALLY (note to Polly, they blurred it out.) and ate kimchee (as did the whole plane. 12 hours of kimchee smell, something I must get used to.) Then tried to sleep. The problem is that I really only dozed. for an hour or two. Apparently my sleeping pill was no match for my excitement.

We landed around 5:45 Korean time, but there were so many teachers getting it the same day, my group didn't get to get on a bus to make the 3.5 hour trip to Jenjeu University (where our orientation is being held) until after 10pm. We didn't reach the University until after about 2am. Then we had to check in, get room assignments, and wind down a little. I ended up going to bed around 3:30, and got up at 7am that same morning. None of this a complaint, simply a statement of fact. I was running on so much adrenalin and eagerness to get started, I really was having fun.

Wednesday was our first full day here. We had some meetings, took a tour of the campus, and started really meeting each other. My worry that I wouldn't meet anyone nice was quickly banished as I realized everyone here equals awesome. I have been meeting people from all over the English speaking world which is amazing, and we have been having some fun with accents. My favorite conversation from yesterday went like this:
"Do you like Bic?"
"Like the pen?"
"Are you guys talking about biros?"
"What? No, the singer, Bic!"
"That's the name of a pen."
"No, like Odelay!"
"BECK!! Yes, I love Beck."
"That's what I said! Bic!"
This was between a New Zealander, some English people and me. It was all very amusing.

Last night we also had a welcome ceremony and dinner. The ceremony was great, we heard some speeches, saw traditional drumming, traditional fan dancing, and a protracted version of the Korean form of opera. At the dinner I made it a point to try everything I didn't recognize, consisting mostly of funny colored fried things and weird gelatinous rectangles. I also ate jelly fish, yum(ish).

The rest of our meals have been a mix of Korean and their idea of western food. The best thing I saw was french fries for breakfast yesterday a long with zucchini soup. There is of course kimchee at every meal.

I have explored around the campus a bit, going with some new found friends to a local bar, and a convenience store where there are tables set up in the back to drink your purchases and play cards. I can't wait to see what else is out there.

Today so far has been learning to set up a Korean Bank account, learning a bit about culture shock, and getting the medical exam. The exam was a trip. Everything was incredibly organized as they moved us quickly down the line, checking our height, weight, vision, hearing, blood, urine, and chest (as in x-ray.) It reminded me of the old Donald Duck cartoon, when he was getting an army physical. I was in and out in about 45 minutes. Take note American health care system! Another fun health care fact: They make us take our temperature every day and write it down, to make sure we don't have swine flu.

Later today I will be heading off to survival Korean class and a Korean movie. I really want to learn more Korean so that I can figure out what it is I am eating from the convenience stores. At least most of their food has pictures.... or at least a little cartoon creature who seems to be enjoying whatever it is inside the package.

Once I get the internet set up on my personal computer I will be updating more often. Until then, over and out!

Me Teach English? That's Unpossible!

My first blog post. Less than a week before I leave. Eeek! As I prepare to move to South Korea I am feeling a mixture of excitement, fear, and a little bit of nausea. I call it excearsea. I am currently sitting in my incredibly empty yet messy apartment wondering if I will ever be done in time. I sold my couch and card table, got rid of the desk top, got to spend some time with my awesome family and friends, and now all that is left is for me to stop procrastinating by writing blog posts and finish packing. I think I need a helper monkey.

I can't wait to finish all the packing hoopla and get on that plane. I am ready to go out there and actually use my degree for once. For one year at least I will be doing something I love, which is more than a lot of people get to say.

Alright, I better stop for now. Emily is going to come by later and pick up some stuff to hold me (for which I am extremely thankful.)

Bye for now! I promise these posts will become more interesting once I am out of this apartment and am actually doing something worth writing about!