FFF (10)- Being Thankful

Fact:  One would think with the tensions rising here in South Korea, that I'd want to get the heck out of here without more ado; however, I'm not ready to leave so those damn North Koreans better settle down.

And with Thanksgiving in the air, I've realized that I have so many things to be thankful for while here in Korea.  With that said, here are all of the reasons I'm thankful to be in a potential war zone.

I am thankful for:

My little piece of America.  Having Brandon here has been more than a blessing.  Not only do I have an amazing person to come home to at night, but he and the military has provided a lovely pad with 3 bedrooms and more space than I know what to do with.  Furthermore, they’ve provided an abundance of American food, so those little cravings that all the other teachers have, I'm lucky enough to fulfill them whenever necessary.

The friends I've made here.  We’re all in the same bucket.  We all miss our friends and family, crave cheese, wish we fit into Korean clothes, and need someone to vent to every now and again.  Thank God we’ve got each other.  Whether it’s a romantic meeting on a bridge, a late night bubble bath, or a disastrous hike up the tallest mountain in the whole entire world, there’s nothing that will bond people closer together than isolation on a peninsula with an unruly Northern neighbor.  I realize how blessed I’ve been to meet all of these people who will truly come and go all too soon, but I promise that I’ll hold up my end of staying in touch.

My co-teachers. Although sometimes frustrated with their lack of warning (such as today when, with one hour left of my work week, my co-teacher retracted the fact that she didn't want me to review with the first graders next week.  Instead, I've been asked to compile a review session, in one hour, for first period Monday...), they are amazing teachers, who speak nearly perfect English.  I’m thankful that I don’t have to interpret what they’re saying on a daily basis and that I don’t have to eat lunch in the bathroom.

Everyone back home. Thanks for sending your love and concern.  I miss you all dearly and I promise that I'm safe.  I have Brandon and his military intel to keep safe from any North Korean antics.  If something does happen, I’m on the second plane out of Korea.  Also, don't listen to the news stations back home- they exaggerate everything.  No one here is freaking out- life is going on like normal.  Once/IF they do, I'll let ya know!

For a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Although it is quite possible to endure such a job in your later years, most would say it’s nearly impossible.  With a family and a life established in one place, it’s rare to find anyone over the age of 30 here.  I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to take a break in between schools (Elon and nursing school), and teach my least favorite subject in school (but shh… my students don’t need to know that!). 

The chance to travel.  With winter vacation rapidly approaching, I’m getting super excited to venture through Asia.  I’ll keep you posted on my travels and hopefully be able to share some amazing stories with pictures to depict the adventures.

My readers.  Of course I have to be cliché for a minute and thank my readers.  Honestly, as much as I don’t notice it now, when I have all of these accounts to browse through in my later years, I’ll be so relieved that I had a few faithful readers to encourage me to posting new adventures.

And for some simple things that typically go amiss throughout your day:

-SKYPE!

-that I’ve steered clear of all crazy Korean drivers and have not been hit by one yet

-my cheap lunch (about $2 a day)

-the adorable Korean children that stop to say hi just because I have curly, blonde hair, and round, blue eye

-the adorable Korean children

-fleece-lined tights

-Kimchi jiggae (my favorite Korean meal)

-an amazing transportation system

-sticky rice

-the DMZ

-our heat fan!!!

-my English/Korean dictionary (my life savor)

-blogs

-my blackberry (not having one here in Korea has made me appreciate the technology of the crackberry)

THANK YOU AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

WWW (4)- Thanksgiving Phrases

In light of the fattest day of the year, I’d like to share some typical Thanksgiving Day phrases… in Korean.

Whilst sitting around, watching football, enjoying your standard American traditions, and smelling that lovely, golden brown turkey roasting in the oven, you might feel like saying:

Korean: 배고파요

Korean pronunciation: pae go pa yo

English meaning:  I’m starving!

If a dish really fancys you, just shout out this phrase (who knows, they might pass you more in your direction):

Korean: 이거맛있요

Korean pronunciation: i go ma shiss o yo

English meaning:  I love this dish!

To compliment your (hopefully) exquisite chef:

Korean: 맛있 었어요

Korean pronunciation: ma shiss awss o yo

English meaning:  That was delicious!

And of course, the number one phrase used shorting following dinner and during the “tryptophan is setting in and I’m gonna need a nap” phase:

Korean: 많이먹었습니다

Korean pronunciation: ma nee maw gawt serm ni da

English meaning:  I’m full!

If you feeling like being daring and eccentric, shout out these phrases in front of your family.  Your parents might start to wonder where you picked up on Korean (and perhaps why), just answer that you’re planning a visit within the next few weeks.  More likely than not, they’ll freak out due to North Korea’s lovely display of armor this past week.  (No worries, as of yet, we’re all safe and sound down here in Pyeongtaek).

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Parental (Outta)Control

From last week’s Word of the Week Wednesdays and Fun Fact Friday, you’ve probably already guessed that Brandon’s 엄마 and 아빠 were able to pay a much anticipated visit to South Korea.

As the arrival of his parents quickly approached, my co-teachers began asking “Do you know them?” and “Are you nervous to meet them?”  Little did they know, I’ve known the Bailas since the womb, so suffice it to say that, no I was not nervous to meet them.  In fact, we were counting down the days, cleaning the apartment, buying extra food; you know the usual routine when your parents come to visit. 

The brave souls that they were, hopped on a bus straight from Incheon and made their way to Korea’s Americanized sector of Seoul, Itaewon (where we dominated Halloween).  Groggy from the 1 hour plane flight and slightly car sick from the reckless foreign transportation, we decided to designate Friday night as a “mild” night. 

But anyone who has ever visited Itaewon knows that these things just don’t exist.  “Mild” refers to not booting your brains out on the streets of Seoul, while Ajoshi sips his soju and points and laughs.  In other words, yes, we stilled headed out to the bars, stayed up till circa 2 am and no, we did not black out, nor did anyone vom. 

And again, as you read last week, we paid a visit to the DMZ.  To our dismay, the weather was rather crappy and visibility was lacking.  However, we did get to travel (at a 90°, ajimma style angle) through one of the four tunnels that the North Koreans built following the armistice.  Assuming that you’ve read the last couple of blogs, I’ll keep the DMZ short and move onto the next shenanigans.

Following a much needed nap, Bear and Joyce were ready to party… and that we did.  With a 100,000 won tab in hand (thank you Halloween), things got pretty wild.  In fact, Bear and Brandon stayed out till nearly 4, despite the laundry list of tourist attractions to be visited the next day.

The next morning, slightly… drained, our laundry list was cut in half.  Changdeokgung Palace, in the center of Seoul, houses a secret garden and is a lovers’ lane.  The scenery is beyond gorgeous and a couple’s photography heaven.  From here we ventured to the largest fish market in Seoul.

Although several times I thought I was going to breakout in hives and have the worst allergic reaction thus far in my 3 year fish allergy escapade, we were AMAZED at the enormity of the fish, the market, the variety of fish, and the on-the-spot slaying.  Talk about fresh.

Following the whirlwind of a weekend, I was off to school, while Bear, Joyce, and Brandon headed down SE to a city known as the “outdoor museum” due to the rich history that has been preserved through the hundreds of years.

Upon their return, the former teacher, Joyce got to put her skills to use.  After teaching “Music” to my first graders, the 3 stooges joined me in teaching my afterschool class.  With a “never-ending” story and Joyce’s magical drawing skills, the kids were glued to the board and probably the best behaved I’ve ever seen them.  Joyce, you should probably come back and help me with all my classes?

Our time began winding down, but the fun continued to flood the streets, like Kimchi and Soju in a Korean restaurant.  Which, speaking of, come Saturday came Itaewon, which obviously means more antics.  Sight seeing during the day and frolicking at night.

A visit to the Seoul Tower allowed for cultural awareness with a traditional Korean performance, but also allotted for dismal moods, as Brandon and I noticed that our love lock was no where to be found.  Someone had moved it, and I was not happy about it.  Hmmph.

And remember the Cheonggyecheon stream that was once a trashcan for the entirety of Seoul’s populace?  Well, this just so happened to be the place of the Lantern Festival (pictures have already been posted).  Although once a symbol of filth and grime, this festival showed off Seoul’s true colors.  It was absolutely gorgeous and I couldn’t think of a better way to send Bear and Joyce off.

Well obviously other than another visit to Itaewon’s night life.  With one last night in order, drinks were shared and memories were once again made.  We’ve missed them since their departure, but it was enjoyable to have them visit and join in on the outta control Korean lifestyle.

FFF (9)- DMZ Facts

Amid the visit of Brandon's parents (엄마 and 아빠) came the ever so "dangerous" and much anticipated visit to the DMZ.  Although the DMZ is located only 44 kilometers north of Seoul, a visit to the DMZ is actually quite pricey, as you must be on an organized tour to view the sought after land. 

With mentioning the DMZ, it would be shameful if I failed to mention the history behind the 38^th parallel, especially as most Americans are ignorant to the rich history behind this precious land.

In 1911, with Japan lurching over Korea by means of a small ocean way, the undersized, military occupied Korea was forced to submit to the ever growing, economically thriving Japanese government.  Although treacherous, the strong-willed Koreans survived through the Japanese occupation, which lasted until 1945.

There is no irony between the end of World War II, with America’s domination of Japan by means of the one and only Atomic Bomb, and the end of the Japanese occupation in Korea.  Following the war, the victorious Allies, Russia and the U.S., rewarded themselves with taking a piece of “Japan”- Korea.  Split at the 38^th parallel, Russia received the north and the U.S. the south. 

But let’s not forget the tantalizing Cold War.  Beginning in 1948, as tensions between the once allies grew, Korea was officially split into North and South Korea.  As the Soviets became greedy, the USSR and North Korea attacked the South on June 25, 1950.  With American forces behind them the South was able to rally and eventually push the North back to its current position, at the 38^th parallel.

Beginning on July 27^th, 1953 an armistice was signed between the North and the South.  The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was formed, with 2 kilometers on either side of the border forbidding weapons.  This “no man's land” is a well protected area, in which nearly no Koreans live.  South Korea actually rewards its citizens, such as no taxes, if they chose to inhabit this region, although only 250 residents have taken their country up on this ever so inviting enticement.

Progression of the Korean War. (Wikipedia)

Alright, enough with the history lesson.  Throughout the morning, our lovely tour guide shared a wealth of Korean fun facts, which I immediately made mental notes of, just to share with my faithful readers!

Fact:  Korea is the only divided nation in the world today.

Fact: The DMZ is a natural reserve, particularly for many endangered species, such as the Red-crowned Crane, White-naped crane, Korean Tiger, Amur leopard and Asiatic black bear.

Fact:  A railway was built between North Korea and South Korea to unify the two countries.  However, come opening day, after hours of labor and millions of dollars spent, the North changed their minds- one of many teases that has floated south over the past 57 years.

Fact- Cheonggyecheon, small stream that intersects a portion of Seoul, was once a trashcan for its residents.  So the president decided to place a concert slab over the stream in an attempt to prevent littering.  However, when the current Korean president, Lee Myung Bak, was the mayor of Seoul, he decided to unveil the stream, to, ironically, make the city more appealing to the eyes.  This stream was the center of the Lantern Festival that we attended with Brandon’s 엄마 and  아빠.

Fact:  South Korea really wants unification; however, the north is too stubborn and needs to get their heads out of their bootays to realize that without South Korea and the rest of the world, they will all probably die of starvation (there may be some opinion in that fact… you decide).

WWW (5)- Mom and Dad

Since last week’s words of the week Wednesday was a tad bit lengthy, I’ll keep this one short.

Due to the lovely and much anticipated visit from Brandon’s parents, this week we’ll learn “mom” and “dad”.

Korean: 엄마

Korean Pronunciation: om-ma

Meaning: Mom

Korean: 아빠

Korean Pronunciation: ap-pa

Meaning: Dad

Try calling your parents these names this week.  See how much it catches them off guard!

FFF (8)- Pepero Day

Yesterday, Pepero Day, might be one of the best holidays ever invented.  It’s literally heaven for any sweet tooth, chocolate loving, energetic child and big eyed, foreign English teacher.  Pepero Day, celebrated on “11/11” (ship il/ship il), is quite similar to Valentine’s Day in the United States.  Like Valentine’s Day, couples exchange gifts, including chocolates. 

However, quite unlike the U.S., if you’re single, there’s no need to feel completely alienated.  So no moping around for all those single ladies.  In addition to couples exchanging treats, friends will trade with each other and even with their most favorite teachers, especially the sole foreigner J  

How thoughtful of the Koreans to be so inclusive!

빼빼로 (Pepero) a candy stick (basically cookie dipped in chocolate, aka heaven) is produced by the one and only Lotte, a company that basically dominates all realms of Korea.  On Pepero Day, these stick candies are exchanged due to their similar appearance to the number 1.

According to one source, Pepero Day originated in Busan, a city in south east Korea, in 1994, when a group of middle school females exchanged 빼빼로 sticks, wishing their friends to grow as tall and skinny as a빼빼로. 

But it is also thought that Lotte Confectionary started the tradition, as sales sky rocket on this day.  My theory is that there’s no holiday between Chuseok and Christmas (if they even practice Christianity), so someone decided to insinuate a little holiday in the middle.  The real answer, the world may never know.

Although, apparently 빼빼로 sticks aren’t the only things exchanged.  According to a source on Wikipedia, “some teachers have encouraged children to exchange healthy snacks to combat obesity.” 

All I have to say to this bull honky is that a) obesity flat out does not exist in Korea (take two glances at the 33% of Americans who waddle through our streets and then maybe they’ll stop complaining about obesity) and b) they don’t even celebrate Halloween, so let the poor children swap sweets for once!  Not to mention, this means 빼빼로 for me!

Needless to say, I got my fair share of Pepero yesterday.  In fact, I found yol boxes of 빼빼로 sitting on my desk throughout the day, all from some of my favorite students (yes I have favorites, but no, I won’t admit that to their faces!).  Some even wrote adorable notes, really making me feel loved:



Sorry that this one came out sideways.  It's normal before

uploading but then switches when you upload.

Anyway, it reads: "To Alex.  Hi teacher Alex.  Im Hoje.  I

give you Pepero Almond.  I hope you're not alergic to almond.

Actually I'm not good at english...  So I'm writing this letter

with my friend's help.  Bye!"



 

And for those of you that are wondering, Valentine’s Day is still observed here in Korea.  But of course, as always, there’s a slight variation- for Korean Valentine’s Day, only females give their boyfriends, fiancés, husbands, what-have-you chocolate. 

But don’t worry ladies; we’ve got our only special day.  On March 14 (ship sa) the men are allowed to release all of those suppressed feelings without their buddies heckling them.  Even giving gifts is permitted!  Of course I made sure that my afterschool children told Brandon about this day!

W(s)WW 4- Numbers

I’m kind of violating my own blog by a) posting a multitude of words in one post, but it would be kind of weird and ineffective if I just posted one number and b) posting Word of the Week Wednesdays on a Thursday, but thanks to the power of owning the blog and controlling when things are posted, only the truly faithful would have noticed this. 

So in this blog I will teach you how to count in Korean.  While the number system is actually pretty easy to learn and totally makes sense, there’s also a little trick- there are TWO counting systems in Korean.  Have no fear, I will break these down as simply as possible.

Pure Korean (Native) Numbers:

Rule 1: Used for counting age and physical objects (with the exception of money), and ONLY the hour for time.

Rule 2: Only use Pure Korean numbers through 99, then switch to Sino-Korean.

Rule 3: The first four numbers change when they come before a noun.  To change the first four numbers, you drop the last sound.  Hanaà Han; Dulà Du; Setà Seh; Netà Neh

Rule 4: To form the numbers 11-99 follow this pattern:

20 + 7 = 27

Seumun + ilgop = seumun il gop

In other words, just add the two words together.

Sino-Korean Numbers:

Rule 1: Used for phone numbers, counting money, the date, and ONLY the minutes for time.

Rule 2: Putting together Sino-Korean numbers is very easy

20 + 2 = 22

ee ship + ee = ee ship ee

So if you want to look at it mathematically (which I know is usually not most people’s favorite subject), but it breaks it down quite easily, then:

2 x 10 = 10  (Multiply for the tens position)

ee x ship = ee ship

20 + 2 = 22  (Add for the ones position)

ee ship ee

Now that I’ve broken it down, it actually looks like a lot of rules, but in reality I promise it’s quite simple.  And honestly, the Pure Korean numbers are the harder ones, and you don’t really use them unless you’re buying train tickets.  But it’s not like you’ve got 25 kids to purchase for, so usually it’s only dugeh, or if the parents come to visit then negeh.

And to give a perfect example with both, let’s tell time.  It is currently 9:46, so in Korean this would translate as ahop shi (literally 9 hours) sah ship yok bun  (literally 4 “times” 10 “plus” 6 minutes).  Good luck and let me know if there’s any confusion!

FFF (7)- Ms. Jangdang

Fact:  Each fall, every school has their own school festival.

Fact 2:  Asians are amazing artists.

There’s really nothing to compare this to in the United States, so I’ll do my best.  It’s not like field day and it’s not just a talent show, in fact, it’s more of a combination of the two.  In the morning the children play carnival-esk games, sell a random assortment of items, and indulge in the all of the most fattening foods that could possibly exist in Korea. 

And after teaching for the past 69 days, I’ve finally been able to truly see my students’ talents.  Set up around the school are the children’s artwork from the past semester.  Let me be the first to tell you that that whole stereotype about Asians being good at art, well it’s TRUE!!

I felt like a proud mom walking through the hallways, observing their gift for all the hues of art: painting, sketching, sculpting, pottery, literally everything.  I would grab the closest person and brag “Look at what my child did!”  Okay, maybe not, but I surely felt like it.

Following the excitement of the morning activities, we piled into buses and headed to the nearest amphitheater for the talent show.  And might I add that I use that word loosely.  Although adorable, I need to figure out how to politely tell my children that their talents need to be kept to a pen and paper.  Singing and dancing just didn’t quite make it into their gene pool.

However, it’s not like I can brag.  Ask anyone who knows me, singing didn’t exactly get passed down to me either.  But my vice principal didn’t believe me.

It all began about a month ago.  Shortly after beating a child to the point of tears and a lovely, rainbow bruise, my vice principal paid me a brief visit.  Stick still in hand, he kindly “asked” (I prefer the word told, but I’m partial) me to sing at the school festival.  Immediately my first response was “Ah-ni-yo, Ah-no-yo”.  But of course he didn’t settle for this.

For the next ten minutes I tried to convince him that singing wasn’t exactly my forte.  But to no avail, I failed.  “Ah-ni-yo” somehow changed to “nee”.  Ugh, that damn beating stick.

As requested, I would be able to choose my own song and practice.  Well thank you for being so kind and giving me that option.  So for the next two weeks I lost sleep over which song to chose.  “Hmm… which song doesn’t make me sound that bad?”  And quite obviously I couldn’t come up with a sangle (single in South twang) song.

My agony must have been written all over my face, as my co-teachers noticed that somehow I seemed a little tense about the school festival.  So I blurted out my worries and they immediately empathized with me.  To make a long story short, I eventually wiggled my way out of that conundrum and just ended up singing with all the other teachers.  WHEW.  Singing will officially be kept to norebangs and cars, with windows down and the music wayyy up.

Following the talent show, we were greeted by a horde of males dressed as females, in pursuit of the Ms. Jangdang title.  Now this was nothing like Ms. America, where the contestants are asked a series of questions and greet the audience with their talents.  Instead these boys, girls, its, whatever you would like to call them, danced to K-Pop (Korean Pop) songs, imitating the sexual moves performed by typically female artists.

In hysterics throughout the entire show, I could only image what was passing through the conservative minds of my principal and vice principal.  Not to mention, someone really should have instructed the contestants that spreading your legs in a skirt reveals your goodies.  Regardless, the show allowed for an unexpected ab workout.

In the end, “ah-ni-yo” actually worked out for the best of all worlds and I got to see a whole new side of my children.  Whether it be gifted or slightly embarrassing, as a male or “female”, I’m still proud to call them my children and brag about their talents.

American Indians Dominate Korea

Sorry that I’ve been slightly lacking on the posts recently, as it has been seriously hectic here.  I am taking full advantage of all of my time here in Korea and have been traveling every weekend.

Just to brief you on the weekend before last, a few friends and I decided to sign up for an organized trip to Jurwangsan and Andong Hahoe Village.  An overnight bus ride resulted in a lack of sleep and bruised knees from the loud giant in front of us.  Saturday brought absolutely gorgeous scenery- everything from mountains, to waterfalls, to caves. 

Following dinner, a few beers and drinking games built friendships and provided for a dead sleep, which was completely necessary since folk villages do not have beds and require 8 people to sleep slammed together.

 

A mask dance and trip to a “meat town” allotted for a nearly midnight arrival Sunday night.  Overall the trip was great, but as my friend Ali put it we were “avoiding loud talkers” all weekend.   Needless to say, we’ve figured out her name and will not be attending anymore trips she’s signed up for!

Now for the good part- Halloween weekend.  Although Koreans do not celebrate Halloween, as most Asian countries do not, Itaewon celebrates Halloween.  Thank you Yongsan Garrison, for being strategically placed in the middle of Seoul. 

As some of you may know, Brandon has been an Indian for the past 8 years, so of course for our first Halloween together, I figured I might as well join.  So $50 later, I was “Pocahottie”.

However, Pocahottie wasn’t the only one joining the Chief- five others later, we had a tribe.  And The Tribe came to dominate Seoul.  And that we did.

Decorated in brown attire, feathers, and war paint, we put ourselves in good contention for some winnings.  So we hopped in a cab and traveled to Itaewon to take over our first bar. 

Imagine yourself as a cab driver, who has never celebrated Halloween, nor has anyone you’ve ever known.  You drive off the highway and immediately get flagged by 3 half-naked Americans, hollering “Ahh-ya-ya-yaaa”, on just another typically bitter cold October night.  Your night just jumped from standard to quite anomalous. It was quite priceless to say the least. (I’ll try posting the video of us getting into a cab because this is quite possibly the best thing ever).

In an attempt to describe what we were, Kate whips out the handy-dandy Korean cell phone, all of which are equipped with a Korean-English dictionary.  “What does American Indian translate into Korean?... A-mer-i-can-In-di-an.  Oh American Indian.”  Well that was convenient. 

The bars were packed wall-to-wall with costumes, some Americans, and some brave Koreans.  The best costumes of the night were definitely ka-wi-ba-wi-bo (rock, paper, scissors), an escapee (basically a person walking around the streets with an IV, because lets be honest, this happens all too frequently in Korea), and of course the Indian Tribe.

Which brings me, quite conveniently, to the fact that we rolled in some cash on Halloween night.  At Sam Ryan’s (yes, this is an American bar) we opportunely marched in right in the middle of the costume contest.  Although we lost the couples contest to two guys (weird?), I got pushed on stage come “The Least Dressed Female” contest.  Don’t worry Mom and Dad, I was actually pretty clothed and Brandon was there to punch anyone’s lights out who attempted any moves.  “Least Dressed Female”- CHECK.  100,000 won bar tab in the pocket!  So come next weekend, the bar tabs on me!

Beyond excited, we stumbled back to Wolfhounds, where we had been nominated for the Group Contest.   And of course, Best Group- CHECK.  With first place, we won a nice little sum of 450,000 won (basically $450).

And I thought I loved Halloween in college.  Come real world and I’ve discovered that there’s money involved!  An excuse to dress up and money… I LOVE HALLOWEEN!