Well, it's certainly been a long time since I last posted on this blog. It's already fast approaching the end of my first year here in Korea and I still feel like I arrived almost yesterday.
Where do I even begin on where I am these days? Life in Korea is still it's unusually fast paced culture filled with food, fun, indulgence, and teaching. Living in the city of Seoul has definitely been a crazy life for me compared to the slow, chill suburbs of Orange County. I think a lot of that can be attributed to the nature of city life. Everyone is on the move, people have got places to go and things to do. It's sort of that "If you can't keep up, get out of the way" mentality with most folks here. And if you don't, well you'll probably be pushed out of the way regardless by some ahjumma. Haha
I guess the biggest difference for me these days is the weekly routine that has developed when no major holiday or trip has been planned. The weekdays consist of waking up early, going to school, teaching my babies, and then going home, making dinner, doing some errands, and sleeping. It's a simple routine, but I've learned to be even more domestic than usual. These days, I'm so tired from working and from the lack of sleep that it's nice to just lay at home and sleep after a full day. When the weekend approaches, it's time to break out of the anti-social mode and experience life in the city. However, the consequences of that is the inability to fully recover from the tiredness of work and get proper sleep. "Take a rest" as the Koreans say ... Yet, I find myself taking rests at the strangest times or getting comments like "You look so tired these days". I think the funniest comment is when my Korean friends ask if I'm wearing make up. My response: "No, no I'm not. Those are just my dark circles. Thanks."
Korea has been quite the adventure for me though. I may complain at times, but the reality is ... I like it here a lot. As my year approaches it's final months, I'm left with decision of should I stay or should I go. Well, about a week ago, I made the decision to stay. It's been something that's been on my mind for a while - probably since the day I landed in Korea. Would I stay longer than a year? The possibility always leaned toward yes, but I just didn't want to tell people because what if things changed. However, I've taken official steps to renewing my contract. Now, it's not 100% guaranteed yet since I'm still in the process, but at least I have some idea or direction as to where next year will take me. I really feel like I've only made a small dent in what I wanted to do here in Korea. I'm still itching to explore more of Asia. So far, I've been blessed with the time to venture off to Japan and Thailand, but I seem to have planted a seed within me that wants to see more. I also want to explore more of Korea. It was so different when I first arrived here ... everything was new and everything was spectacular. It's not that it's not anymore. I think what happens when you "live" somewhere as opposed to "studying" or "traveling" there is that you get comfortable. You develop your own routine and sometimes the daily sight seeings, the appreciation for what's around you, it all kind of slips by because it all of sudden feels so normal. So, I definitely want to see more of Korea ... do more, learn more, and really take advantage of the limited time I'm here for, etc. I just think that it's taken one year for me to become acclimated ... in fact, I'm still acclimating because it hasn't fully been one year yet haha. But after that, in one more year, I think I can pull from this experience more and feel fully satisfied. Frankly speaking, I'm just not ready to leave yet.
Hmm ... I guess to briefly update on how things are in Korea - All I can say is that things are good. I really enjoy my school. My coteachers this semester are wonderful people and, dare I say it, even better than the ones that I had last semester. I feel like my role at school as expanded and communication and collaboration has exponentiated significantly for the better. My English skills may be degrading, but at least I enjoy what I'm doing. My rapport with the students is good ... I honestly really like my 6th graders so much this year. They are my cuties who have grown up so much that it's almost scary. While they may make me mad at times, I'm honestly glad to have them as my students than anyone else. It's to the point where I'm really trying to learn their names and be somewhat more of a significant person in their educational life ... which is almost an impossible task, but everyday I make what I think of as progress and that makes the connection with them a little bit stronger. Right now, it's spring here in Korea. It's amazing how much weather can affect how you feel about a place. Honestly, the cold harsh winter here made me want to die - but it's finally shifted and has been significantly warm. Sometimes, a little bit too warm which scares me for it's a prelude to the blazing summer to come. In terms of people here, I've definitely met a good amount of people. It's interesting to see who's come and who's gone in my time here and to see which relationships have stood the test of time. Being abroad, I've just realized that many people come from different places and that even the simplest of things may be the hardest thing to understand. But I'm proud of the friendships I've made and the friendships I've kept (whether new or those continuing from America) and those who I have kept up with truly mean a lot to me even if at this point in our life we are all busy.
Aw ... America. One thing that keeps popping up in my mind is do I miss home? And the answer is, a ton. I'm actually a bit surprised at myself since I didn't think I would miss it that much, but I do miss home a lot. I think being away from my close friends, the college lifestyle, and my family has taken it's toll on me at different points during my stay here in Korea. And choosing not to go home during times of vacation has definitely left a hole that is looking to filled soon. Now, in no way do I mean I want to leave Korea for good - but there always things you miss. If this whole renewal thing goes through, then I will be back in the states for a short visit. I can't wait. I've already set up a mental bucket list of things I want to do, places I want to visit, and people I want to see. It will be an amazingly refreshing break for me to spend time in places with people I love and have missed.
Anywhoo ... that's all for now :) I'll be taking a trip to Busan this weekend so maybe the next update will be about that. Who knows!
P.S. I had to update/proof this so many times and I know it's still not perfect ... my English skills are literally fading everyday!!!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
October 2009..unfinished
NOTE: I completely forgot I drafted this post and never finished it -_-...this was written sometime in December...obviously my goal of finishing the last few months before the new years came failed -_-
From now on I'll be updating by topics instead of chronologically because I'm obviously not very good at keeping up to date ^^; sorry~
I'll be updating again soon :) until then!
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Blogging right now in an attempt to stay awake O_O. Let's say staying up until 3:30 AM watching Korean dramas was not a good choice (but I can't help it...my coteacher did it before too!)
Since my attempt to get updated before the new month came failed...I'm going to try and at least recap on the last couple months before the new year comes...that's feasible...right??
Anywho, October!
Not much happened the first week in terms of school. It was a short week because of the upcoming Chuseok holiday (the Korean Thanksgiving). On Tuesday I went to Kangnam for the first time to meet up with Matty for dinner. The next day I brought my school these boxes of these walnut pastries filled with red bean to celebrate my first pay check. They seemed to like it so I was happy :). Later in the day my principal apparently went out and bought me this huge box of these traditional korean cookies (I'm really not used to getting all these kind of mini present/food presents but...it is very tasty and very kind ^^)
The Thursday before the Chuseok weekend (which my friend and I had planned a trip to go out of Seoul to Gyeongju the former capital during the Shilla period) my friend and I decided to go out for a night of fun before our trip. We started out in Sinchon for dinner but before that stopping by this place where she had gone to this language exchange bar years ago. Turns out it was still there so we talked to one of the people working with the company that hosted the events for it. After getting information on the language exchange bar we headed out for some dinner and drinks. And as expected afterwards we headed over to Hongdae to dive into the club scene there...we ended up staying there until past 4 am (keep in mind we had to depart early the next morning).
I'm suprised we were able to wake up in time the next morning!! After getting only a couple hours of sleep my friend and I met up again and taxi-ed over to seoul station to catch our bus. We grabbed some snacks for the bus but my stomach was not up for it. We both were knocked out for most of the 3 hour bus ride there, still feeling groggy from the night before.
When we finally arrived in Gyeongju we grabbed some info on city tours from the information desk and then made our way to our hostel. I've only stayed in a couple of hostels in my life ...but this hostel in Korea was by farrrr shadier and way dirtier! We decided since we already paid for the first night we would just stay there for one night and try to find another place the next day. We headed out to find some sambap for lunch which ended up taking us much longer to find than expected. After much wandering around we finally found a place which was family owned (so cute..their kids were playing in the restaurant and the baby kept crawling over close to our table <3). After lunch we headed back to the hostel for a nap (still exhausted from the night before). After some rest we got up and headed out by bus to Bomun Lake Resort which was suppose to put on a free cultural show. We watched some traditional instrument playing and some traditional dances. When the show finished we grabbed some dinner then made our way back to the hostel to turn in early (we had stopped by a hotel near the hostel and it turns out that the hotel [which was very cute and clean] costs only 4000 won more per person each night...definitely worth it for such an upgrade!).
The first night trying to find a place for dinner was when I really noticed how different of a city Seoul is compared to other cities in South Korea. Before we headed out we had asked the owner of the hostel where a good place to eat was and he had told us there would be lots of restaurants in that area. When we arrived there it was mostly dimmly lit streets with just a few eateries sprinkled around the street. Compare this to Seoul where everything is densely packed together with all the buildings having multiple floors all filled with different types of restaurants and stores. It was also much quieter here - the lake resort was a big tourist area yet it was pretty quiet aside from a few cars zooming down the streets. In Seoul it feels like there are people awake and about all the time - the city is always lit with people and LED lights.
The next morning we woke up early to go to the hotel to check in and shower. After getting ready we decided it would be easier to take the city tour so we hoped on the bus and went on our way. We visited many of the main sites (tombs, temples, the observatory, etc..look at my fb pictures for the exact locations!) and it took the majority of the day. A side story: So, we went on the tour on the actual day of Chuseok and on the tour a really kind lady with her family would share some of the traditional foods eaten on Chuseok with us (for example songpyeon). It was really sweet of her...I'm not sure if I've blogged about this already but if I have I'm going to talk about it again because it's something that I really love about Korea..this sense of community (I'm not really sure if community is the right word I'm looking for but I'll use it for now). The fact that others who may not know you well are concerned for your well-being and are just very giving. I'm not sure if I'm making sense but just simple gestures make me feel not so alone here (which I of course appreciate).
After getting back from our tour we explored downtown for a bit and then headed back to our hotel. We grabbed a late dinner of ramen and kimbap and then turned in for the night.
From now on I'll be updating by topics instead of chronologically because I'm obviously not very good at keeping up to date ^^; sorry~
I'll be updating again soon :) until then!
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Blogging right now in an attempt to stay awake O_O. Let's say staying up until 3:30 AM watching Korean dramas was not a good choice (but I can't help it...my coteacher did it before too!)
Since my attempt to get updated before the new month came failed...I'm going to try and at least recap on the last couple months before the new year comes...that's feasible...right??
Anywho, October!
Not much happened the first week in terms of school. It was a short week because of the upcoming Chuseok holiday (the Korean Thanksgiving). On Tuesday I went to Kangnam for the first time to meet up with Matty for dinner. The next day I brought my school these boxes of these walnut pastries filled with red bean to celebrate my first pay check. They seemed to like it so I was happy :). Later in the day my principal apparently went out and bought me this huge box of these traditional korean cookies (I'm really not used to getting all these kind of mini present/food presents but...it is very tasty and very kind ^^)
The Thursday before the Chuseok weekend (which my friend and I had planned a trip to go out of Seoul to Gyeongju the former capital during the Shilla period) my friend and I decided to go out for a night of fun before our trip. We started out in Sinchon for dinner but before that stopping by this place where she had gone to this language exchange bar years ago. Turns out it was still there so we talked to one of the people working with the company that hosted the events for it. After getting information on the language exchange bar we headed out for some dinner and drinks. And as expected afterwards we headed over to Hongdae to dive into the club scene there...we ended up staying there until past 4 am (keep in mind we had to depart early the next morning).
I'm suprised we were able to wake up in time the next morning!! After getting only a couple hours of sleep my friend and I met up again and taxi-ed over to seoul station to catch our bus. We grabbed some snacks for the bus but my stomach was not up for it. We both were knocked out for most of the 3 hour bus ride there, still feeling groggy from the night before.
When we finally arrived in Gyeongju we grabbed some info on city tours from the information desk and then made our way to our hostel. I've only stayed in a couple of hostels in my life ...but this hostel in Korea was by farrrr shadier and way dirtier! We decided since we already paid for the first night we would just stay there for one night and try to find another place the next day. We headed out to find some sambap for lunch which ended up taking us much longer to find than expected. After much wandering around we finally found a place which was family owned (so cute..their kids were playing in the restaurant and the baby kept crawling over close to our table <3). After lunch we headed back to the hostel for a nap (still exhausted from the night before). After some rest we got up and headed out by bus to Bomun Lake Resort which was suppose to put on a free cultural show. We watched some traditional instrument playing and some traditional dances. When the show finished we grabbed some dinner then made our way back to the hostel to turn in early (we had stopped by a hotel near the hostel and it turns out that the hotel [which was very cute and clean] costs only 4000 won more per person each night...definitely worth it for such an upgrade!).
The first night trying to find a place for dinner was when I really noticed how different of a city Seoul is compared to other cities in South Korea. Before we headed out we had asked the owner of the hostel where a good place to eat was and he had told us there would be lots of restaurants in that area. When we arrived there it was mostly dimmly lit streets with just a few eateries sprinkled around the street. Compare this to Seoul where everything is densely packed together with all the buildings having multiple floors all filled with different types of restaurants and stores. It was also much quieter here - the lake resort was a big tourist area yet it was pretty quiet aside from a few cars zooming down the streets. In Seoul it feels like there are people awake and about all the time - the city is always lit with people and LED lights.
The next morning we woke up early to go to the hotel to check in and shower. After getting ready we decided it would be easier to take the city tour so we hoped on the bus and went on our way. We visited many of the main sites (tombs, temples, the observatory, etc..look at my fb pictures for the exact locations!) and it took the majority of the day. A side story: So, we went on the tour on the actual day of Chuseok and on the tour a really kind lady with her family would share some of the traditional foods eaten on Chuseok with us (for example songpyeon). It was really sweet of her...I'm not sure if I've blogged about this already but if I have I'm going to talk about it again because it's something that I really love about Korea..this sense of community (I'm not really sure if community is the right word I'm looking for but I'll use it for now). The fact that others who may not know you well are concerned for your well-being and are just very giving. I'm not sure if I'm making sense but just simple gestures make me feel not so alone here (which I of course appreciate).
After getting back from our tour we explored downtown for a bit and then headed back to our hotel. We grabbed a late dinner of ramen and kimbap and then turned in for the night.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
September 2009
I realize I haven't updated in almost a month...even after saying I would update more. Thanks Brad for calling me a liar and making me feel bad ^^ just kidding!
So..where did I leave off?
Ah the next week was my first week of actual teaching! I helped create a simple lesson plan which included me giving an introduction of myself to each class. The lesson was relatively simple so the first few classes went smoothly (plus my novelty as a foreigner was still in play so most of the kids were well behaved).
On Wednesday I ventured into Hongdae to try and find a nice box of gift chocolates because it was my coteachers birthday the next day. You would think that something simple like that would be easy to find...but it's not!
Anywho, the next day after school was over we had a little party in my 5th grade coteachers room to celebrate. We have had many little parties..("Diana come, it's so-and-so's birthday..we're going to have a party" "Diana come, one of the teachers just got married/engaged so they bought everyone pizza" "Diana come, it's friday...we're going to have a party") which mostly consists of us eating food (we've had pizza, cupcakes, a cake made out of rice cakes, ddukbokki, mandu, juices...soda...oh so much eating) and talking (mostly the other teachers talking in Korean...until the coteachers start talking to me about Kdramas or Kstars haha)
That was pretty much the finish to my first week - schoolwise anyway. On Friday I headed out with my friend again to Hongdae area (I don't remember what we did exactly but most likely another night dancing until the wee hours of the morning).
Saturday my friends and I got together to check out Yonsei University's festival called Yongojon in Sinchon! It was really fun and exciting to be around the area because the students have sooo much pride and school spirit! Basically during the day time Yonsei University plays different sports games with their rival school Korea University (? I think that's their rival...I don't really remember exactly but their school color is red haha). At night the students put on their school color (Blue for Yonsei, Red for Korea University) and in large groups they plague the streets of Sinchon going to restaurants and bars demanding free food and drinks. They sing, dance and chant their school's songs in the streets and even have mocking chants for their rivals. It was cute watching how into it they all were and all the different chants and games they knew.
My group headed to a bar for some drinks - we ended up staying there for a while and then heading out to the Yonsei campus. There we watched a performance (by who? I have no idea.) and had some free beer. Once the crowd dispursed we mingled a bit with a group of study abroad students from Germany. Afterwards we left campus to go to this bar called Mike's Cabin? which we hung out with mostly NSET - we eventually left because it was getting too crowded and we were hungry so we grabbed some food and then called it a night
Sunday I had dinner with my orientation roommate in Myeongdong. Myeongdong is known for its great shopping so of course we had to do a little shopping before dinner! There are many different shops here, mostly Korean brand clothes like WhoAU (Korean abercrombie), Basic House or Korean make up stores like The Face Shop and Missha. There is also a huge Lotte department store that spans 3 buildings! Our first stop was the Forever 21! If you don't know...back in the states I pretty much buy all my clothes from Forever because thats the only place I can really afford. Unfortunately the clothes at the Forever21 here are really expensive! Well, not super super pricey but definitely more expensive than in the states - and they sell a lot of old clothes that were in stores in the states a couple months ago. Strange isn't it? In any case after some shopping we wandered around to find some food and ended up grabbing some jjimdduk (sp?) which is a dish with chopped chicken, spicy soy sauce and glass noodles mmm! one of my favorite korean dishes :)
The next couple of nights after school was over was spent going to various places near by to eat..Mr. Pizza (korean style pizza with sweet potato mousse filled crust! sounds strange but it's amazing! for those of you in California I hear there's one in LA..you should try it. ^^) and Baskin Robins! No ice cream here does not taste the same as the Baskin Robins back at home (even in these chain restraunts I find the food here is different, not in a bad way but just different. Mostly it has an artifically sweeter taste to it I think...but I kind of like it and have long gotten used to it by now ^^).
I did finally get my cell phone this week after almsot a month of being without one! I was so excited...you never realize how dependent you are on your cellphone to communicate with others until you're stripped of the privledge. It is a simple Cyon Ice cream phone (you can youtube it for the cute and catchy CF with Kim Tae Hee) in white!
My coteachers and I wandered around to the various cellphone stores around our school after lunch and finally decided to stay with LG's service. They gave me the phone for free and the standard 30,000 won sign up fee (to be paid in 3 monthly installments of 10,000 won). I pay a base fee of 13,000 won per month and then from then its about 100 won per minute of airtime use and 20 won per text. They also gave me a cute cell strap, extra battery, plastic cover and two different kind of battery chargers for free ^^ (or "service" as they refer to it in Korea)
I did however, have to sign up for another bank account because my Hana bank account (which I signed up for through orientation) was created with my passport number and I needed to use a bank with my ARC number. But it turned out to be a good thing because I use my second bank account as a savings account (as to not tempt myself to blow all of my salary on clothes and debaucherous nights out). Other than the hassle of trying to find another bank I had fun walking around with my teachers (we had ice cream together too ^^).
On Friday of this week I met up with some friends for dinner in Namdaemun (it is also known for it's shopping but more geared towards an older crowd. They have a lot of traditional items here as well). Part of Namdaemun is actually burned down - supposidely some drunk man tried to burn the whole place down and now they're rebuilding that area. Afterwards we headed over to Myeong-dong for some shopping and then headed home.
This was actually the first time I caught the last subway home! I was walking with my friend and it was getting close to midnight but I didn't really think much of it because I figured it wasn't too late and there are so many trains that always run (subways close here by midnight and a bit earlier on weekends). As we were walking we heard an overhead announcement in Korean and I jokingly told my friend 'that's the message saying we're screwed' and then...of course all of a sudden all the people around us started running because yes that was the call for the last train. So we ran too needless to say and caught the last train home ^^
The next day was...ASIA SONG FESTIVAL!!! Yes, I'm obsessed with Kpop. This concert had many stars from all across Asia including Korean pop stars...SNSD, 2NE1, Big Bang andddd my favorite...SUPER JUNIOR! Yes, I was very very very VERY excited. We ended up getting over to the Seoul world cup stadium much later than expected and headed all the way back to the end of the line. But, it was madness so we ended up just running and joining a crowd walking into the stadium. In the end it didn't matter much because if you were not in the standing area you could not really see any of the performers on stage very well, you had to watch the big screen. But all in all it was still really fun! My first Kpop concert in Korea so of course I had to buy a fan light stick (if you watch performances of kpop artist many of their fans will hold these light sticks matching the color of the group their supporting and they'll wave the stick in the beat to their songs).
And yes if you were wondering...when Super Junior came on I did go a little crazy. Probably screaming much more frantically than the elementary school girls there. OH which reminds me! I ran into my students at the concert haha it was so cute they recognized me and called to me because I probably wouldn't have recognized them at that time ^^;;.
The next day I went up to N Seoul Tower! We ended up accidently hiking up Namsan mountain for a bit because we went the wrong way but after a super steep hike up a hill we finally made it to the tower! We first went to the teddy bear museum (yes a museum of all teddy bears! telling the story of Seoul! how cute right?!) and I had a cute overload. Everything is so adorable in Korea. Afterwards we took the elevator up to the top of the tower. You actually can't go outside of the tower but the view from inside is still beautiful! You can see all the city lights and have a panoramic view of Seoul. At the bottom of the tower there is a light project going on but we didn't get to see it in action unfortunately (because we wanted to make sure we caught the subway home).
Phew...are you getting tired of reading without pictures? I apologize ^^;; I will try to add some pictures once I get caught up (I know I keep saying this...they're not empty promises I really do want to blog more! There are so many good moments I want to share with all of you! I'm mostly blogging about my adventures exploring Seoul rather than my school experiences because I wrote down what I did around the city but not in school)
Anywho! So finally the last week of September!! Monday I went to COEX mall to meet up with Matty (it is the stop between us). COEX mall is freaking huge. It has an aquarium, department stores, lots of eating places and even a kimchi museum! We wanted to check out the museum but it was closed that day :(. We ended up just shopping a bit and grabbing some dinner. Tuesday I went out to dinner again and Wednesday some friends and I headed to City Hall to sign up for some free Korean language classes.
Side bar!: English-Korean classes with 1st grade teachers
Some of the 1st grade teachers kindly offered to help teach me Korean to help me better acclimate to living in Korea. My coteacher bought me a self study book and the other teachers have given me a first graders text book and have been helping me learn useful phrases and practice pronucation. I'm also helping them with their English because they're interested in improving their speaking skills. They've been really kind and helpful - one of the teachers even bought me a bunch of stuff I wanted for my apartment! They really take care of me and it's so nice to have people to talk to and I can ask for help from :).
Sometimes we just do fun things too like talk about Korean men/their husbands and shopping~ or we'll have cooking days! They taught me how to make ddukbokki! I really enjoy my time with them...but I'm sad one of the teachers is leaving in January for a year in the states :(. If you can't tell I'm growing quite attached to the teachers here at my school. They make me feel like I'm not alone here. Like I said before I couldn't imagine being at another school.
Anywho! Back to City Hall and signing up for classes. It turns out that the class with absolutely no Korean background conflicts with my work schedule so I had to opt out of taking classes until I have studied enough to pass the first couple classes. We had dinner at Omurice (which is delicious!) and then headed back home.
Thursday I'm not sure why but my friend and I decided to grab some fried chicken and drinks so we ended up having delicious Hotsun (fried chicken made for women) and cocktail soju! It was a delicious and fun Thursday night to say the least haha
The next day some of the teachers took me out for dinner and drinking to celebrate my first month in Seoul! It was fun drinking around my place and after they left and I went back home I planned to go out but my friend and I ended up staying in because I didn't feel well (don't worry it wasn't from the drinking!)
The last weekend of September I spent mostly in Incheon where there was a global fair happening and the R-16 Bboy competition! We spent most of the time wandering and exploring the fair grounds rather than at the actual competition but we came for the last battle which was exciting. Afterwards we took pictures with the teams and wandered around for some fair food. On Sunday we came back to Incheon for the hiphop concert (with Drunken Tiger - korean hip hop legend! I used to listen to him when I was in middle school that's how old he is. and Epik High!) again another free concert! Well sort of, the previous day we got in for free to the fair but on Sunday we had to pay like 5,000 won or something? Still very cheap to be so close to them and to see the concert!
Phewwww! So that was my September in Seoul ^^ and seeing as I'm at school right now and about to head home soon I won't start on October yet...but it will come soon! For a preview lets just say October was filled with disease, drama and dates haha
Until the next post~ Hope you're all staying healthy, happy and warm ^^
So..where did I leave off?
Ah the next week was my first week of actual teaching! I helped create a simple lesson plan which included me giving an introduction of myself to each class. The lesson was relatively simple so the first few classes went smoothly (plus my novelty as a foreigner was still in play so most of the kids were well behaved).
On Wednesday I ventured into Hongdae to try and find a nice box of gift chocolates because it was my coteachers birthday the next day. You would think that something simple like that would be easy to find...but it's not!
Anywho, the next day after school was over we had a little party in my 5th grade coteachers room to celebrate. We have had many little parties..("Diana come, it's so-and-so's birthday..we're going to have a party" "Diana come, one of the teachers just got married/engaged so they bought everyone pizza" "Diana come, it's friday...we're going to have a party") which mostly consists of us eating food (we've had pizza, cupcakes, a cake made out of rice cakes, ddukbokki, mandu, juices...soda...oh so much eating) and talking (mostly the other teachers talking in Korean...until the coteachers start talking to me about Kdramas or Kstars haha)
That was pretty much the finish to my first week - schoolwise anyway. On Friday I headed out with my friend again to Hongdae area (I don't remember what we did exactly but most likely another night dancing until the wee hours of the morning).
Saturday my friends and I got together to check out Yonsei University's festival called Yongojon in Sinchon! It was really fun and exciting to be around the area because the students have sooo much pride and school spirit! Basically during the day time Yonsei University plays different sports games with their rival school Korea University (? I think that's their rival...I don't really remember exactly but their school color is red haha). At night the students put on their school color (Blue for Yonsei, Red for Korea University) and in large groups they plague the streets of Sinchon going to restaurants and bars demanding free food and drinks. They sing, dance and chant their school's songs in the streets and even have mocking chants for their rivals. It was cute watching how into it they all were and all the different chants and games they knew.
My group headed to a bar for some drinks - we ended up staying there for a while and then heading out to the Yonsei campus. There we watched a performance (by who? I have no idea.) and had some free beer. Once the crowd dispursed we mingled a bit with a group of study abroad students from Germany. Afterwards we left campus to go to this bar called Mike's Cabin? which we hung out with mostly NSET - we eventually left because it was getting too crowded and we were hungry so we grabbed some food and then called it a night
Sunday I had dinner with my orientation roommate in Myeongdong. Myeongdong is known for its great shopping so of course we had to do a little shopping before dinner! There are many different shops here, mostly Korean brand clothes like WhoAU (Korean abercrombie), Basic House or Korean make up stores like The Face Shop and Missha. There is also a huge Lotte department store that spans 3 buildings! Our first stop was the Forever 21! If you don't know...back in the states I pretty much buy all my clothes from Forever because thats the only place I can really afford. Unfortunately the clothes at the Forever21 here are really expensive! Well, not super super pricey but definitely more expensive than in the states - and they sell a lot of old clothes that were in stores in the states a couple months ago. Strange isn't it? In any case after some shopping we wandered around to find some food and ended up grabbing some jjimdduk (sp?) which is a dish with chopped chicken, spicy soy sauce and glass noodles mmm! one of my favorite korean dishes :)
The next couple of nights after school was over was spent going to various places near by to eat..Mr. Pizza (korean style pizza with sweet potato mousse filled crust! sounds strange but it's amazing! for those of you in California I hear there's one in LA..you should try it. ^^) and Baskin Robins! No ice cream here does not taste the same as the Baskin Robins back at home (even in these chain restraunts I find the food here is different, not in a bad way but just different. Mostly it has an artifically sweeter taste to it I think...but I kind of like it and have long gotten used to it by now ^^).
I did finally get my cell phone this week after almsot a month of being without one! I was so excited...you never realize how dependent you are on your cellphone to communicate with others until you're stripped of the privledge. It is a simple Cyon Ice cream phone (you can youtube it for the cute and catchy CF with Kim Tae Hee) in white!
My coteachers and I wandered around to the various cellphone stores around our school after lunch and finally decided to stay with LG's service. They gave me the phone for free and the standard 30,000 won sign up fee (to be paid in 3 monthly installments of 10,000 won). I pay a base fee of 13,000 won per month and then from then its about 100 won per minute of airtime use and 20 won per text. They also gave me a cute cell strap, extra battery, plastic cover and two different kind of battery chargers for free ^^ (or "service" as they refer to it in Korea)
I did however, have to sign up for another bank account because my Hana bank account (which I signed up for through orientation) was created with my passport number and I needed to use a bank with my ARC number. But it turned out to be a good thing because I use my second bank account as a savings account (as to not tempt myself to blow all of my salary on clothes and debaucherous nights out). Other than the hassle of trying to find another bank I had fun walking around with my teachers (we had ice cream together too ^^).
On Friday of this week I met up with some friends for dinner in Namdaemun (it is also known for it's shopping but more geared towards an older crowd. They have a lot of traditional items here as well). Part of Namdaemun is actually burned down - supposidely some drunk man tried to burn the whole place down and now they're rebuilding that area. Afterwards we headed over to Myeong-dong for some shopping and then headed home.
This was actually the first time I caught the last subway home! I was walking with my friend and it was getting close to midnight but I didn't really think much of it because I figured it wasn't too late and there are so many trains that always run (subways close here by midnight and a bit earlier on weekends). As we were walking we heard an overhead announcement in Korean and I jokingly told my friend 'that's the message saying we're screwed' and then...of course all of a sudden all the people around us started running because yes that was the call for the last train. So we ran too needless to say and caught the last train home ^^
The next day was...ASIA SONG FESTIVAL!!! Yes, I'm obsessed with Kpop. This concert had many stars from all across Asia including Korean pop stars...SNSD, 2NE1, Big Bang andddd my favorite...SUPER JUNIOR! Yes, I was very very very VERY excited. We ended up getting over to the Seoul world cup stadium much later than expected and headed all the way back to the end of the line. But, it was madness so we ended up just running and joining a crowd walking into the stadium. In the end it didn't matter much because if you were not in the standing area you could not really see any of the performers on stage very well, you had to watch the big screen. But all in all it was still really fun! My first Kpop concert in Korea so of course I had to buy a fan light stick (if you watch performances of kpop artist many of their fans will hold these light sticks matching the color of the group their supporting and they'll wave the stick in the beat to their songs).
And yes if you were wondering...when Super Junior came on I did go a little crazy. Probably screaming much more frantically than the elementary school girls there. OH which reminds me! I ran into my students at the concert haha it was so cute they recognized me and called to me because I probably wouldn't have recognized them at that time ^^;;.
The next day I went up to N Seoul Tower! We ended up accidently hiking up Namsan mountain for a bit because we went the wrong way but after a super steep hike up a hill we finally made it to the tower! We first went to the teddy bear museum (yes a museum of all teddy bears! telling the story of Seoul! how cute right?!) and I had a cute overload. Everything is so adorable in Korea. Afterwards we took the elevator up to the top of the tower. You actually can't go outside of the tower but the view from inside is still beautiful! You can see all the city lights and have a panoramic view of Seoul. At the bottom of the tower there is a light project going on but we didn't get to see it in action unfortunately (because we wanted to make sure we caught the subway home).
Phew...are you getting tired of reading without pictures? I apologize ^^;; I will try to add some pictures once I get caught up (I know I keep saying this...they're not empty promises I really do want to blog more! There are so many good moments I want to share with all of you! I'm mostly blogging about my adventures exploring Seoul rather than my school experiences because I wrote down what I did around the city but not in school)
Anywho! So finally the last week of September!! Monday I went to COEX mall to meet up with Matty (it is the stop between us). COEX mall is freaking huge. It has an aquarium, department stores, lots of eating places and even a kimchi museum! We wanted to check out the museum but it was closed that day :(. We ended up just shopping a bit and grabbing some dinner. Tuesday I went out to dinner again and Wednesday some friends and I headed to City Hall to sign up for some free Korean language classes.
Side bar!: English-Korean classes with 1st grade teachers
Some of the 1st grade teachers kindly offered to help teach me Korean to help me better acclimate to living in Korea. My coteacher bought me a self study book and the other teachers have given me a first graders text book and have been helping me learn useful phrases and practice pronucation. I'm also helping them with their English because they're interested in improving their speaking skills. They've been really kind and helpful - one of the teachers even bought me a bunch of stuff I wanted for my apartment! They really take care of me and it's so nice to have people to talk to and I can ask for help from :).
Sometimes we just do fun things too like talk about Korean men/their husbands and shopping~ or we'll have cooking days! They taught me how to make ddukbokki! I really enjoy my time with them...but I'm sad one of the teachers is leaving in January for a year in the states :(. If you can't tell I'm growing quite attached to the teachers here at my school. They make me feel like I'm not alone here. Like I said before I couldn't imagine being at another school.
Anywho! Back to City Hall and signing up for classes. It turns out that the class with absolutely no Korean background conflicts with my work schedule so I had to opt out of taking classes until I have studied enough to pass the first couple classes. We had dinner at Omurice (which is delicious!) and then headed back home.
Thursday I'm not sure why but my friend and I decided to grab some fried chicken and drinks so we ended up having delicious Hotsun (fried chicken made for women) and cocktail soju! It was a delicious and fun Thursday night to say the least haha
The next day some of the teachers took me out for dinner and drinking to celebrate my first month in Seoul! It was fun drinking around my place and after they left and I went back home I planned to go out but my friend and I ended up staying in because I didn't feel well (don't worry it wasn't from the drinking!)
The last weekend of September I spent mostly in Incheon where there was a global fair happening and the R-16 Bboy competition! We spent most of the time wandering and exploring the fair grounds rather than at the actual competition but we came for the last battle which was exciting. Afterwards we took pictures with the teams and wandered around for some fair food. On Sunday we came back to Incheon for the hiphop concert (with Drunken Tiger - korean hip hop legend! I used to listen to him when I was in middle school that's how old he is. and Epik High!) again another free concert! Well sort of, the previous day we got in for free to the fair but on Sunday we had to pay like 5,000 won or something? Still very cheap to be so close to them and to see the concert!
Phewwww! So that was my September in Seoul ^^ and seeing as I'm at school right now and about to head home soon I won't start on October yet...but it will come soon! For a preview lets just say October was filled with disease, drama and dates haha
Until the next post~ Hope you're all staying healthy, happy and warm ^^
Monday, October 26, 2009
ALIVE.
The blog lives! I'm so sorry for the lack of updates the past....2 months
It's not because there hasn't been anything to update about (trust me, there has been SO much going on!!) just finding the time to sit down and just write especially when you're already behind.
Anyway! Today I'll try to get as caught up as I can so bear with me for a long post (which I will try to edit later to include pictures..we'll see how that goes.)
WEEK 1:
The Sunday before my first day I spent recovering from the night before as well as doing a little home shopping. I decided to buy a cake for my school as a welcoming present (mocha cake from one of the many Paris Baguette stores here)..it barely fit into my fun sized refrigerator (think of those college style mini fridge). I also spent some of the night contemplating my self-introduction to the school (I was told I'd have to give a 5 minute introduction of myself to be video broadcasted to the school).
My first day I was super nervous! I didn't even know where my school was because my other coteacher whom I hadn't met yet was going to walk me over. I remember waking up early to get ready and finish my speech (because of my typical procrastinating ways). I met my second coteacher outside my building and we walked over to the school. She seemed very timid but very sweet - something that I've noticed with most Koreans is despite having some level of knowledge about the English language they usually do not feel comfortable using it (especially in front of native speakers) and will also deny any sort of proficiency (even when they speak the language fairly well).
I personally really relate to their reluctance to use a foreign language because I myself am so uncomfortable practicing/using Spanish (despite studying it for 6 years) and Vietnamese (being able to understand it and having been raised with that language in the home). Something that I'm really challenging myself is to break away from the comfort of using English only - I am trying to learn Korean right now (self study and some of the teachers are helping me study as well).
I think it's so important to have confidence with language because if you don't try and you're always too afraid to make mistakes you'll never learn (which is what I tell all my students so...I'm trying to live by it too)
Anywho, tangent. SO we walked over to school and made a bit of small talk just beginning to get to know one another - randomly I ran into a friend I met at orientation on the way to school (turns out his school is on the way to mine! and he lives quite close to me although I still haven't visited his place yet)
Arrived at school to find half of the place under construction. I'll be honest as most of the teachers have expressed to me our school is obviously not in a well off area. Almost all the students families are middle to low class in terms of SES - this is also important because it is a reflection of their education level. Those students who do not have the money cannot afford to go to "hagwons" or at least more rigorous/challenging hagwons. Hagwons are like supplementary classes or courses that students take after school and usually in another place (they're usually referred to as academies). I see students wandering around so late at night on weekdays because they start school at 8-9am in the morning and once they finish at public school they continue at their hagwon until around 10pm at night. I remember at UCI I took a class about international education standards as well as study ethics - really got a firsthand contrast from the way people value education here in comparison to the states.
We also don't have much budget for extra materials (as far as I can see the school only pays for printer paper and ink for the printer - everything else the teachers supplement themselves...even colored construction paper and glue my coteacher buys for her class). There are many classrooms in Korea that are well equipped with touch screen TVs and lots of techy advancements but most of our classrooms just have a big screen TV and a microphone (which is more than enough to teach a class with so I can't complain)
Bottom line is that same as anywhere else lower SES usually means less education opportunities for students = but despite that they are generally really agreeable, cheerful and bright students (I dont think I would have been able to know the difference between the students who are very impoverish compared to the middle class students had my coteacher not pointed it out to me - at least in terms of their happiness and energy they bring to the class :) but I'll get into more of those stories later!)
Anyway back to the first day! So I was really nervous to have to give a speech in front of the school and for meeting all of the faculty, I didn't really know how I should go about introducing myself or what proper cultural protocol was...
My coteacher walked me into the administration office where I got to meet the principal and one of the vice principals (my school has a female principal and both a male and a female vice principal). They were very kind offering me coffee and asking me about myself (most of the conversation was translated through my coteacher). They were also very appreciative of the cake I brought :) yay!
After some time of being in the office they walked me over to where our video broadcast was going to be done. Looking back now I shouldn't have been as so nervous as I was considering most of the school would have not been able to understand me anyway. Basically the principal gave me an introduction (in Korean) and then I talked about myself (in English) and then my coteacher talked about me (in Korean). Oh! I forgot to mention that it was on my first day I found out that I am the first native English speaker the school has had (so a lot of the times administrative questions about my position aren't generally known right away which can be irritating at times but understandable).
After the announcement I was shown to my desk in the subject teacher's lounge..it was so cute because my coteacher had made little paper hearts with my name on it :) and placed them around my work area and on my books
I also had a ridiculous amount of food given to me the first day @_@. It started with my coteacher who walked me to school giving me a bottle of starbucks coffee, then the coffee from the vice principal in the morning..followed by my main coteacher giving me a sandwich and chocolate milk in case I hadn't had breakfast yet...to the cake i brought and some juice...along with a huge plate of grapes and apples @_@...keep in mind my day only lasted from 8:40 to about 12:40 x_x
Anyway after sitting at my desk for about 20 minutes the principal called us into her office (which is baller. if you watch Korean dramas think of when they're in like a boss/managers room and it has like the row of huge chairs that's what her office is like) to cut the cake and take pictures. It was a confusing time but a happy one haha they took wedding like poses with me cutting the cake and then after that gave me a plate of grapes and had me go back to the staff room.
That whole week I only had half days (because I was still on technical quarantine and wasn't allowed to teach classes...although I made no sense because if I were sick I could still contaminate the school by being there but sure haha I enjoyed the half days. H1N1 is a huge scare here and they're excessively precautious of it. To the extent that practically all public places will have a bottle of hand sanitizer, a good chunk of the population walk around with medical masks - many of these are even decorated with cute characters. Not going to lie, I have one too).
The kids were so adorable (and still are)! They don't do it as much now but for the first month or so kids would yell hello to me (even students who aren't my students haha)
But yes that was my first day (I have so much to write because I took notes on everything that happened :P)
The rest of the week was mostly exploring around my area when I got back and also little chores here and there (going to the bank to put money in my account, etc).
I did however have a random trip to Seodaemun that first Tuesday with a friend to go to the SMOE office to pick up paper work. We ended up not even needing to go but we decided to explore the area since we were already out. We found what we thought was a temple but it was actually a palace (closed). We wandered into an art exhibit/museum and then continued to the area outside the Seoul history museum. Because it wasn't free we walked over to this really nice bookstore and just browsed some of the books there (foreign books are sooo expensive here!). After that we grabbed some dinner and headed home :) it was a fun and adventurous night!
The other noteworthy event was on Friday I had my first Seoul shopping experience in Dongdaemun (huge shopping mall with floors packed with different sellers - this is a place where you can bargain with the seller) and then moved onto shopping/wandering in Edae in search of eyelash extensions which we ended up in Hongdae again for a night of dancing
Also that Sunday I had my first American chain food in Korea (burger king in sillim!) - it was...good but something was off about it? I think it was the bun. haha
Yep so that was my first week! Overall it was a very easy transition into the classroom (only half days the whole week so plenty of time to plan for the first lesson and then being able to observe classes on Friday to prep). It really helped that my coteacher and all the staff were very friendly and helpful - always making sure I was comfortable and had no problems (Most of the other NSET [Native Speaking English Teachers] had to go get their ARC [Alien Registration Card - like a state ID card] on their own but my coteacher did everything for me [took my picture, printed out the documents and even went to the immigration office on her own because she didnt want me to wait a long while]).
I'm grateful to be placed where I am and be working with the faculty and students that I have - I couldn't imagine being happier anywhere else or in any other situation :)
This is also taking much longer than anticipated so I'll continue to update about past events...(post most likely be this long because I won't have as many notes about what happened)
Again sorry for the lack of updates! THE BLOG IS A PRIORITY TO ME! I'll try to write more...yaksokay~ (i promise)
It's not because there hasn't been anything to update about (trust me, there has been SO much going on!!) just finding the time to sit down and just write especially when you're already behind.
Anyway! Today I'll try to get as caught up as I can so bear with me for a long post (which I will try to edit later to include pictures..we'll see how that goes.)
WEEK 1:
The Sunday before my first day I spent recovering from the night before as well as doing a little home shopping. I decided to buy a cake for my school as a welcoming present (mocha cake from one of the many Paris Baguette stores here)..it barely fit into my fun sized refrigerator (think of those college style mini fridge). I also spent some of the night contemplating my self-introduction to the school (I was told I'd have to give a 5 minute introduction of myself to be video broadcasted to the school).
My first day I was super nervous! I didn't even know where my school was because my other coteacher whom I hadn't met yet was going to walk me over. I remember waking up early to get ready and finish my speech (because of my typical procrastinating ways). I met my second coteacher outside my building and we walked over to the school. She seemed very timid but very sweet - something that I've noticed with most Koreans is despite having some level of knowledge about the English language they usually do not feel comfortable using it (especially in front of native speakers) and will also deny any sort of proficiency (even when they speak the language fairly well).
I personally really relate to their reluctance to use a foreign language because I myself am so uncomfortable practicing/using Spanish (despite studying it for 6 years) and Vietnamese (being able to understand it and having been raised with that language in the home). Something that I'm really challenging myself is to break away from the comfort of using English only - I am trying to learn Korean right now (self study and some of the teachers are helping me study as well).
I think it's so important to have confidence with language because if you don't try and you're always too afraid to make mistakes you'll never learn (which is what I tell all my students so...I'm trying to live by it too)
Anywho, tangent. SO we walked over to school and made a bit of small talk just beginning to get to know one another - randomly I ran into a friend I met at orientation on the way to school (turns out his school is on the way to mine! and he lives quite close to me although I still haven't visited his place yet)
Arrived at school to find half of the place under construction. I'll be honest as most of the teachers have expressed to me our school is obviously not in a well off area. Almost all the students families are middle to low class in terms of SES - this is also important because it is a reflection of their education level. Those students who do not have the money cannot afford to go to "hagwons" or at least more rigorous/challenging hagwons. Hagwons are like supplementary classes or courses that students take after school and usually in another place (they're usually referred to as academies). I see students wandering around so late at night on weekdays because they start school at 8-9am in the morning and once they finish at public school they continue at their hagwon until around 10pm at night. I remember at UCI I took a class about international education standards as well as study ethics - really got a firsthand contrast from the way people value education here in comparison to the states.
We also don't have much budget for extra materials (as far as I can see the school only pays for printer paper and ink for the printer - everything else the teachers supplement themselves...even colored construction paper and glue my coteacher buys for her class). There are many classrooms in Korea that are well equipped with touch screen TVs and lots of techy advancements but most of our classrooms just have a big screen TV and a microphone (which is more than enough to teach a class with so I can't complain)
Bottom line is that same as anywhere else lower SES usually means less education opportunities for students = but despite that they are generally really agreeable, cheerful and bright students (I dont think I would have been able to know the difference between the students who are very impoverish compared to the middle class students had my coteacher not pointed it out to me - at least in terms of their happiness and energy they bring to the class :) but I'll get into more of those stories later!)
Anyway back to the first day! So I was really nervous to have to give a speech in front of the school and for meeting all of the faculty, I didn't really know how I should go about introducing myself or what proper cultural protocol was...
My coteacher walked me into the administration office where I got to meet the principal and one of the vice principals (my school has a female principal and both a male and a female vice principal). They were very kind offering me coffee and asking me about myself (most of the conversation was translated through my coteacher). They were also very appreciative of the cake I brought :) yay!
After some time of being in the office they walked me over to where our video broadcast was going to be done. Looking back now I shouldn't have been as so nervous as I was considering most of the school would have not been able to understand me anyway. Basically the principal gave me an introduction (in Korean) and then I talked about myself (in English) and then my coteacher talked about me (in Korean). Oh! I forgot to mention that it was on my first day I found out that I am the first native English speaker the school has had (so a lot of the times administrative questions about my position aren't generally known right away which can be irritating at times but understandable).
After the announcement I was shown to my desk in the subject teacher's lounge..it was so cute because my coteacher had made little paper hearts with my name on it :) and placed them around my work area and on my books
I also had a ridiculous amount of food given to me the first day @_@. It started with my coteacher who walked me to school giving me a bottle of starbucks coffee, then the coffee from the vice principal in the morning..followed by my main coteacher giving me a sandwich and chocolate milk in case I hadn't had breakfast yet...to the cake i brought and some juice...along with a huge plate of grapes and apples @_@...keep in mind my day only lasted from 8:40 to about 12:40 x_x
Anyway after sitting at my desk for about 20 minutes the principal called us into her office (which is baller. if you watch Korean dramas think of when they're in like a boss/managers room and it has like the row of huge chairs that's what her office is like) to cut the cake and take pictures. It was a confusing time but a happy one haha they took wedding like poses with me cutting the cake and then after that gave me a plate of grapes and had me go back to the staff room.
That whole week I only had half days (because I was still on technical quarantine and wasn't allowed to teach classes...although I made no sense because if I were sick I could still contaminate the school by being there but sure haha I enjoyed the half days. H1N1 is a huge scare here and they're excessively precautious of it. To the extent that practically all public places will have a bottle of hand sanitizer, a good chunk of the population walk around with medical masks - many of these are even decorated with cute characters. Not going to lie, I have one too).
The kids were so adorable (and still are)! They don't do it as much now but for the first month or so kids would yell hello to me (even students who aren't my students haha)
But yes that was my first day (I have so much to write because I took notes on everything that happened :P)
The rest of the week was mostly exploring around my area when I got back and also little chores here and there (going to the bank to put money in my account, etc).
I did however have a random trip to Seodaemun that first Tuesday with a friend to go to the SMOE office to pick up paper work. We ended up not even needing to go but we decided to explore the area since we were already out. We found what we thought was a temple but it was actually a palace (closed). We wandered into an art exhibit/museum and then continued to the area outside the Seoul history museum. Because it wasn't free we walked over to this really nice bookstore and just browsed some of the books there (foreign books are sooo expensive here!). After that we grabbed some dinner and headed home :) it was a fun and adventurous night!
The other noteworthy event was on Friday I had my first Seoul shopping experience in Dongdaemun (huge shopping mall with floors packed with different sellers - this is a place where you can bargain with the seller) and then moved onto shopping/wandering in Edae in search of eyelash extensions which we ended up in Hongdae again for a night of dancing
Also that Sunday I had my first American chain food in Korea (burger king in sillim!) - it was...good but something was off about it? I think it was the bun. haha
Yep so that was my first week! Overall it was a very easy transition into the classroom (only half days the whole week so plenty of time to plan for the first lesson and then being able to observe classes on Friday to prep). It really helped that my coteacher and all the staff were very friendly and helpful - always making sure I was comfortable and had no problems (Most of the other NSET [Native Speaking English Teachers] had to go get their ARC [Alien Registration Card - like a state ID card] on their own but my coteacher did everything for me [took my picture, printed out the documents and even went to the immigration office on her own because she didnt want me to wait a long while]).
I'm grateful to be placed where I am and be working with the faculty and students that I have - I couldn't imagine being happier anywhere else or in any other situation :)
This is also taking much longer than anticipated so I'll continue to update about past events...(post most likely be this long because I won't have as many notes about what happened)
Again sorry for the lack of updates! THE BLOG IS A PRIORITY TO ME! I'll try to write more...yaksokay~ (i promise)
Monday, October 19, 2009
Coffee Culture
Another delayed update. This blog is so neglected because of the busy busy lifestyles of foreign English teachers. I either feel really behind or things are just moving so fast-paced here that you never really have a moment to just sit, take a breaher, and reflect. I feel like so much has happened since I have been in Korea. I've done a fair (although I feel like I need to do more) amount of sight seeing, ate an abundance of different Korean food, met people both native and foreign, as well immersed myself in the never ending night life. It's all been good fun.
One particular find is the unique coffee culture here in Korea. Coffee is pretty big in Korea and as the saying goes, "you know you are in Korea when you are willing to pay more for your coffee than your actual meal." While it's sometimes a bit pricey, I really enjoy going to them and relaxing there. It gives you that much needed slow down from the hustle and bustle of the city. I find most to be super duper cute and fun.
One unique place I went to very recently was a place in Gangnam. I forgot it's name already - but Diana and I went there with one purpose. To find the feet eating fish. Whaaat?? Well, at this coffee place, you can enjoy a cup of joe and unlimited fresh baked bread and, after paying an additional two dollars, you can soak your feet in warm water where little fishies play.
I guess you can think of it as a type of special exfoliator for your feet. The fishies come swim to your feet and you start feeling a ticklish little poke all over. That ticklish feeling is the fish are actually eating the dead skin off your feet. Kind of weird right? It was. But I guess it worked. 20 minutes later, my feet felt softer than usual. However, that may have been from the 20 minutes being soaked in water.
It was fun though and probably the most unique coffee shop adventure I have experienced. Now don't get me wrong, most coffee shops aren't as special as this place - most are pretty ordinary. But this one is one that really comes to mind.
Now if you are interested in this Dr. Fish therapy, my only advice is if you are ticklish ... don't do it!
COFFEE!
fishies that eat your feet!
it was really weird.
like really weird haha!
One particular find is the unique coffee culture here in Korea. Coffee is pretty big in Korea and as the saying goes, "you know you are in Korea when you are willing to pay more for your coffee than your actual meal." While it's sometimes a bit pricey, I really enjoy going to them and relaxing there. It gives you that much needed slow down from the hustle and bustle of the city. I find most to be super duper cute and fun.
One unique place I went to very recently was a place in Gangnam. I forgot it's name already - but Diana and I went there with one purpose. To find the feet eating fish. Whaaat?? Well, at this coffee place, you can enjoy a cup of joe and unlimited fresh baked bread and, after paying an additional two dollars, you can soak your feet in warm water where little fishies play.
I guess you can think of it as a type of special exfoliator for your feet. The fishies come swim to your feet and you start feeling a ticklish little poke all over. That ticklish feeling is the fish are actually eating the dead skin off your feet. Kind of weird right? It was. But I guess it worked. 20 minutes later, my feet felt softer than usual. However, that may have been from the 20 minutes being soaked in water.
It was fun though and probably the most unique coffee shop adventure I have experienced. Now don't get me wrong, most coffee shops aren't as special as this place - most are pretty ordinary. But this one is one that really comes to mind.
Now if you are interested in this Dr. Fish therapy, my only advice is if you are ticklish ... don't do it!
COFFEE!
fishies that eat your feet!
it was really weird.
like really weird haha!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
1 month in Korea
It's been about 1 month since I arrived in this country. I must say, it doesn't feel like that at all. I feel like I arrived yesterday. One thing I notice about this country is how global it is. It's so fascinating to see how many foreigners come here, to hear about their walks in life and why they are here now. I really like it. I've met handful of people from across the globe that I would have never met back home.
It's definitely refreshing to be able to find that one connection that makes communication here easier. That connection is English. My friend Ashley told me that it is luxury for Koreans to be able to speak English. In some ways, it's like a privilege I never realized. But even though it's a luxury for Koreans, there are some road blocks along the way for foreigners. Being in a country where your home language isn't the main language can be so difficult. During the week, I definitely notice how easy it is to be silenced from the communication pool if I'm not around Koreans who speak English or around other foreigners. I think because I'm Asian that some Koreans may mistake me for being able to know the language so they approach me and talk to me if they need help for directions or are looking for a particular place. This usually happens when I'm around the subway. I feel bad having to say "Oh I'm not Korean" in English and seeing their confused expressions as they walk away. It's moments like those where I really wish I knew the language. But with that, I've definitely taken an interest in trying to learn it. I'm in the beginning stages and who knows how much I'll be able to get. Currently, I'm learning how to read, which hasn't been too difficult - I just don't know what over 98% of what I read is haha.
This month has been a lot of learning and taken a lot of patience to adjust and go with the flow. I don't think you can really know what patience is until you've actually been here.
Another thing I wonder about is how my English speaking is going to change through the course of the year. Since I'm teaching English as a second language, the pace in which I speak to Koreans is much much much slower than how I would normally carry on a conversation. I enunciate more and find myself saying sentences I wouldn't really say to another native English speaker. While not normal, as a daily practice it's more and more becoming normalized for me to talk like that. To slow down, repeat myself, stutter through sentences is becoming a habit. I still think I talk too fast for most of the Korean teachers and students to really understand me.
But anyway, Korea has been absolutely amazing! I truly am glad that I am here right now soaking in every moment. Within this month, I've experienced the never ending night life, bartering at the shopping districts, seeing a fabulous Asia music concert (KPOP <3) for free, a global bboy competition, noraebang, and visiting local tourist spots around the area I live in. I definitely want to do more toursity things here. I plan to spend my Korean thanksgiving, Chuseok, going around the city and seeing what's around. If possible, I'd also like to travel to Busan - but that's very tentative due to time, travel, and money. I'm more than likely going to stay in Seoul for my 5 day weekend. Yep, 5 days!! So exciting! I shall post some pictures of things I've done soon!
It's definitely refreshing to be able to find that one connection that makes communication here easier. That connection is English. My friend Ashley told me that it is luxury for Koreans to be able to speak English. In some ways, it's like a privilege I never realized. But even though it's a luxury for Koreans, there are some road blocks along the way for foreigners. Being in a country where your home language isn't the main language can be so difficult. During the week, I definitely notice how easy it is to be silenced from the communication pool if I'm not around Koreans who speak English or around other foreigners. I think because I'm Asian that some Koreans may mistake me for being able to know the language so they approach me and talk to me if they need help for directions or are looking for a particular place. This usually happens when I'm around the subway. I feel bad having to say "Oh I'm not Korean" in English and seeing their confused expressions as they walk away. It's moments like those where I really wish I knew the language. But with that, I've definitely taken an interest in trying to learn it. I'm in the beginning stages and who knows how much I'll be able to get. Currently, I'm learning how to read, which hasn't been too difficult - I just don't know what over 98% of what I read is haha.
This month has been a lot of learning and taken a lot of patience to adjust and go with the flow. I don't think you can really know what patience is until you've actually been here.
Another thing I wonder about is how my English speaking is going to change through the course of the year. Since I'm teaching English as a second language, the pace in which I speak to Koreans is much much much slower than how I would normally carry on a conversation. I enunciate more and find myself saying sentences I wouldn't really say to another native English speaker. While not normal, as a daily practice it's more and more becoming normalized for me to talk like that. To slow down, repeat myself, stutter through sentences is becoming a habit. I still think I talk too fast for most of the Korean teachers and students to really understand me.
But anyway, Korea has been absolutely amazing! I truly am glad that I am here right now soaking in every moment. Within this month, I've experienced the never ending night life, bartering at the shopping districts, seeing a fabulous Asia music concert (KPOP <3) for free, a global bboy competition, noraebang, and visiting local tourist spots around the area I live in. I definitely want to do more toursity things here. I plan to spend my Korean thanksgiving, Chuseok, going around the city and seeing what's around. If possible, I'd also like to travel to Busan - but that's very tentative due to time, travel, and money. I'm more than likely going to stay in Seoul for my 5 day weekend. Yep, 5 days!! So exciting! I shall post some pictures of things I've done soon!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Oh, the things I miss
Maybe it's just one of those days. I think it is. There are certain things I'm starting to realize that I really miss. One of those things was living the life an RA in Mesa Court.
Don't get me wrong, I love being in Korea right now and I wouldn't want to change that at all. I've learned a lot in my short time here and I'm continuing to learn more as I go.
I think I just hit a point though where I knew I would eventually be. My RA experience was definitely a challenging and tough position. When it was over, I felt relieved, happy, and appreciative of a chance to be "stress" free. No more duty. No more paper work. No more proramming. But now, I realize how much I miss it. I miss those 66 beautiful faces I saw everyday. I miss being a walk away from those RAs who I knew I could lean on.
We are all on our separate paths now, doing our own thing - making the next chapter in our lives. I hope everyone is doing well and you all know that I truly miss you! Mesa love '08-'09 <3
P.S. A Korea update will come soon. Things have just been suuuper busy, but in a good way :)
Don't get me wrong, I love being in Korea right now and I wouldn't want to change that at all. I've learned a lot in my short time here and I'm continuing to learn more as I go.
I think I just hit a point though where I knew I would eventually be. My RA experience was definitely a challenging and tough position. When it was over, I felt relieved, happy, and appreciative of a chance to be "stress" free. No more duty. No more paper work. No more proramming. But now, I realize how much I miss it. I miss those 66 beautiful faces I saw everyday. I miss being a walk away from those RAs who I knew I could lean on.
We are all on our separate paths now, doing our own thing - making the next chapter in our lives. I hope everyone is doing well and you all know that I truly miss you! Mesa love '08-'09 <3
P.S. A Korea update will come soon. Things have just been suuuper busy, but in a good way :)
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