WWW(10)- Happy New Year

With 2011 rolling on in, I just wanted to wish you a 새해 복 많이 받으세요
Korean pronunciation: saehae bok manhi baduseyo
English meaning (in case you haven't picked up on it already): Happy New Year!

This saying translates directly into "Hope you receive a lot of new year's blessings".

FF(14)- Christianity Prevails

After two weeks of blank faces and lack of responses from my children I’ve come to the realization that Christmas in Korea and very different than Christmas in America.  But this comes to a surprise to me as the largest religion in South Korea is Christian.

Fact: According to the 2007 Census, of those practicing a religion, 29.2% of South Koreans are Christian.  Of those 29.2%, 18.3% are Protestant and 10.9% are Roman Catholic.  Coming in second, 22.8% of South Koreans are Buddhist, a religion introduced to Korea in 372 AD.  And this is in a country where temples are some of the most visited and eye-catching attractions.

In a CBS interactive, it was determined that since the late 1980s, Roman Catholicism has been the quickest growing denomination on the peninsula.  Perhaps this shift was influenced by the thousands of American soldiers posted in South Korea.  Or maybe it was just to counter their foe, North Korea, who finds pride in arresting and torturing Christian missionaries. 

Some of you might remember the news surrounding Aijalon Gomes, North Korea’s latest Christian play toy and young man, who interestingly held the same position as me- as a GEPIK English Teacher
.
And you might have heard about the South’s latest border attraction- a 100ft tall Christmas tree 100 foot Christmas tree at the DMZ, with carolers blasting Christmas music towards the Christian-less North.

Either way, its always beautiful flying into South Korea, as hundreds of crosses stand tall, blaring their red lights above the country, protecting her.

메리 크리스마스!

WWW (9)- Merry Christmas!

I.LOVE.CHRISTMAS. The holiday cheer.  The mistletoe. The music.  The egg nog.  The Presents. The movies. The Vacations.  Family.  Friends.  It’s really just the best time of the year.

So since I’ve been teaching Christmas for the past two weeks to my children, I’ll continue the streak and teach you all some terms.  You know, just incase you spend a Christmas in Korea.  I mean, this is my second Korean Christmas, so you never know!

Korean: 메리 크리스마스

Korean Pronunciation: me-ri kuh-ri-suh-ma-suh (say it fast- it sounds just like Merry Christmas)
English meaning: Merry Christmas

Korean: 크리스마스 트리

Korean Pronunciation: ku-ri-suh-ma-suh tuh-ri

English meaning: Christmas Tree

Korean: 양밀 (스타킹)

Korean Pronunciation: yong-mil (suh-ta-king)

English meaning: Stocking

Korean: 선물

Korean Pronunciation: sun-mool

English meaning: Present

Korean: 숯

Korean Pronunciation: sooch, but somehow the "ch" is suppose to sound like "t", so basically its "soot"

English meaning: Coal

Korean: 굴뚝

Korean Pronunciation: kool-dook

English meaning: Chimney

And although I don’t teach the little ones, most Native English Teachers do teach those who still believe, so I thought this cartoon was just too hilarious to not include it.

Most Koreans live in an apartment; hence the, "house is no...
my is 'partment... chimney no"  So adorable!

Nanta is Coming to Town

Nope.  No spelling errors there.  While, Santa is (or should I say better be) coming to town, Nanta came to Songtan.  Nanta, a world renowned South Korean musical, captures what every 2 year-old knows how to do best- making music out of kitchen utensils.  Solely relying on knives, Tupperware, and other standard Korean cooking appliances, the cast of Nanta will leave every member of the audience in awe. 

Where to begin to describe it… It’s like Jackie Chan meet STOMP, on stage, equipped with knives and brooms, banging on drums, and tossing food in the air.  A child’s dream- fighting, drumming, and excessive food fighting. 



Cutting food or making music?  Or BOTH!



Traditional Korean drums replaced with water tubs and frying pans.

Knives bang on cutting boards, cabbage flies through the air, tensions raised with the addition of a new cook, and water jugs become drums for a traditional Korean drum performance.

With a mixture of dancing, music, cooking, audience participation, and lack of Korean words, this musical was beyond enjoyable.  How many people have seen a Broadway musical based exclusively around kitchen utensils?  I’ll be the first to admit, that I don’t believe that one even exists back in the States.

And unfortunately, while Nanta has staged in 18 different countries, it seems as if its American dream has come to an end.  Opening on Broadway in March 2004 and ending a short 17 months later, Nanta, or commonly referred to as Cookin in English, has veered back to the Korean audience. 

While my words fall short to explain this experience, I highly encourage you, if ever in Korea, to book reservations for this unique musical performance, as although only a musical, it brings to life the culture and customs of Korean cooking and society in a mere 90 minutes.  Perhaps you can urge them to one day take the stage again on Broadway.  If that’s the case, order an extra ticket for me- I’ll be sitting in the front row.

Video Advertisement of Nanta

FFF (13)- Cinderella Story

I think its fair to say, especially since I usually hit up the petite section in most shopping stores, that I'm a petite person.  Welp, if you want a confidence down-grade, then head on over to Korea. 

Believe it or not, my 5’5” (on a good day) stature is apparently too tall for their pants.  On multiple occasions, at multiple stores, I’ve found myself putting on pants that just so happened to become cropped the second they hit my legs.  I don’t get it.  I really don’t.  Some of my students are taller than me.  Where the hell do they shop then?  Why don’t Korean pants fit me?  I literally have no explanation for this.

This gal, who normally fits into 0-2 or x-small, suddenly enlarged to a medium.  O.V.E.R.N.I.G.H.T.   Woof.  Thank you Korea for extending your compliments to your foreigners.  I mean really, it’s not their fault that her citizens are blessed with such immaculate, tiny genes.  Maybe they should spread the wealth to the U.S.  God knows we need a reduction in our obesity stats.

And shoes are a whole nother story.  Thank goodness my mother blessed me with American small feet, but luckily, average to large Korean sized feet.  Most foreigners have a tough time finding shoes here, but when they do, man, its like finding the glass slipper.  The saying “If the shoe fits” takes on a literal meaning here in Korea. 

I’d say, shopping in Korea is anything but a Cinderella Story, so when the opportunity ensues, you must pounce on it.  Unless of course freezing your tush off was on the bucket list, then let the occasion pass.

Needless to say, Cinderella would be single if she lived in Korea.

Opseyo means "not be present/not exist"

Note 1: I could go on for days about Korean clothes/shopping/fashion, so I'm sure you'll find more on this blog down the road.
Note 2:  All of these cartoons are from a Facebook group "ROKetship" so I obviously can't take credit for them, but they definitely describe the story so well!

WWW (8)- Shopping

It’s getting cold here!  And obviously two suitcases didn’t suffice in the whole it’s below zero degrees department, so I’ve been in dire need of some shopping.  Just in case you ever need to indulge in a shopping spree, here are some terms to help ya out!

Sizes:

Korean: 스몰

Korean pronunciation: suh mol

English meaning: Small

Korean: 미디엄

Korean pronunciation: mi di awm

English meaning: Medium

Korean: 라지

Korean pronunciation: ra ji

English meaning: Large

To ask how much something is:

Korean: 얼마예요

Korean pronunciation: ol ma ye yo

English meaning: How much is it?

The best saying, especially on the streets and in the markets:

Korean: 각아주세요

Korean pronunciation: ggak ka ju se yo

English meaning: Please give me a discount.

If you say this, correctly that is, first they will be amazed and second they will give you the discount, just on the principle that you spoke their language.  Needless to say, its quite useful!

And if you're lucky, you'll get service-ee, otherwise known as freebees!

Cheaters Go to Hell

Alright.  I’m doing it- I’m giving in and writing about a subject that most readers never want to encounter more than they are forced to- exams.  There’s definitely something to be said about this cruel (for both the students and teachers) time here in Korea.  And as much as this blog is written for those back home, it’s also a testament to everything I’ve done while in this foreign country, which I will undoubtedly look back upon in 10 years and be so satisfied with the hours that I spent poured over the keyboard.

Having a type-A personality, I was highly disappointed if my grades fell anything short of an A.  Honestly, there were definitely times in college when I was frustrated because if I hadn’t botched that one homework sheet I would have gotten an A, but instead I earned an A-.  Whomp Whomp.  But no joke.  I wanted As, and only As, even in classes where students literally failed, not just once, but twice. 

Being a biology major is a full time commitment, to say the least.  Surrounded by cut-throat, pre-med students, my type-A personality got completely caught up in the lifestyle.  However, regardless of the pressure to perform, come test time, I never cheated.  Unlike some students, it just isn’t in my nature.  But I understand, if school isn’t your priority and squeezing by is, even if that requires cheating, then fine, I’m not going to call the police… I’m just not going to join you.

Anyway... while cheating in the U.S. is as casual as sweatpants, cheating in Korea is as restricted as crossing the DMZ.  During these dreaded, sleepless 3 days, my students take anywhere between 10-12 written exams, calculating out to 3-4 exams a day!  But they literally take exams in every subject- Korean, English, Science, Math, Chinese Characters, GYM, ART- literally every subject.

While most students struggle to finish their English, Korean, and Math exams, it takes circa 20 minutes to finish gym and art, followed by a nice little nap on their desks.  Yep, you guessed it, they can’t leave after they finish.  As there are positives and negatives to every situation, it sucks that they can’t prepare for one of their next 3 exams, but then again they’re also forced to think about their test and have a full 45 minutes to make any necessary changes.

And forget about cheating.  Mission Impossible Part 4: Cheating on a Korean Exam.  In each classroom there are 2 monitors- one in the front and one in the back.  Each desk is arranged in a single, straight line, with the closest person more than an arm’s reach away.  Furthermore, in a room with 5 rows, 3 rows consist of one grade, while the other 2 consist of another grade, in alternating fashion.

Oh and they must write in pen.  But what if they make a mistake?  Well just crossing it out is considered cheating, so the monitor must stamp/sign their mistake, noting that the student crossed out the information during the 45 minute test period.

And we can’t forget about the time that one answer sheet was found on the floor at the end of the day.  Which obviously meant that a) all of the teachers were scolded and b) the students almost had to retake a new version of the exam.  Three hundred kids retaking an exam because one child forgot to hand in their answer sheet… I see no logic.  But its part of their system in preventing cheating.

But what if a student is caught cheating?  Accompanied by a big, fat zero, you are scolding in front of all the teachers, beaten, embarrassed, and potentially forced to attend classes at the Wee Center (a counseling center for naughty children).

One would think students would avoid cheating as much as they avoid the sun, but some audacious students still have that urge to write notes in their pencil case, on their shoes, or put a nice little cheat sheet in their desk.  But, more likely than not, they will get caught cheating.  YIKES!

FFF(12)- First Snow

Some of you may have already seen this, but since not all of my readers have facebook and I don’t expect those on facebook to be stalking my every move, I thought I would share this wintery fun fact on the blog.

With the snow, came knowledge: Whoever you are with during the first snow is suppose to be the love of your life/soul mate.

So obbbbbviously the first snow takes place while at school.  And obbbbbviously one of my hormonal, 14-year-old boys decides that this is the time to confess his love for me.

Remember when you were 14?  You were probably quite awkward… I know I was… its just that stage in life that we all come to accept 5-10 years later.

Well, this love confession screamed I’m an awkward 14-year-old and this is my first time telling a woman that I love her.

During one of our 10 minute intervals between classes, I was quickly drifting through the drafty, unheated hallway, warming my hands in my pockets and fully anticipating the heater in the teachers’ room, when one of my 2^nd graders (equivalent to American 8^th grader) stops me just short of the doorway.  “Teacher here”, as he reaches out, takes my hand and plops a snowball in my hand.

And let me tell you, snowball is a generous term for this freezing cold object.  I’d definitely describe it more as a ball of ice, which, obviously, immediately began to melt in my hand.

“Well… thank you… What do you want me to do with it?”

“Teacher, keep it forever.  Put it in the freezer.  We are together on our first snow!  We are soul mates.”

“Oh, yes of course… Now go to your classroom.”  Upon which time, I immediately ran to the bathroom and dumped the melting, cold thing into the sink and ran straight to the teachers’ room, avoiding any other students and making a b-line for the heater.

And of course, when it snowed later this week… and every time I see him now… “Teacher, remember?  First snow, teacher!  First snow!” 

Oh how could I forget?  Although cold, it was quite adorable and a piece of knowledge stemmed from the moment.  Let’s just hope that it doesn’t lead to me “breaking” his heart.

The Power of Kimchi

Each morning, as I stumble into work, squinty eyed and weary, I pull up yahoo and facebook to get a jump start on my day. I tend to skip over the news section and see whose been missing me on the other side of the world, flipping through emails and messages from those back home.

However, today something caught my eye. An article on the yahoo.com homepage- "How to fight colds and flu: What works and what doesn't". Well, I tend to get sick come flu season, so I better check this out. While some of these ideas were quite practical (Do: Probiotics; Don’t do: Vitamin Water “Defense”), other ideas were quite interesting (Do: Vitamin D). As a biology major, this obviously caught my attention, so I plummeted full force into the article. Half way through probiotics, you’ll notice the staple food of Korea: Kimchi.

Your standard side dish of kimchi.

Although rumored to be quite distasteful, most foreigners adapt to the initially stringent taste of the spicy, pickled cabbage, and eventually find themselves enjoying the side dish at every meal (myself included). On the contrary, some never really develop a liking and tend to steer clear. However, as a rule (within my circle of friends), before departing the 대한민국 (tae han min guk, Republic of Korea) peninsula, you must devour a whole side dish of Kimchi in one sitting.

Perhaps, after reading this article, Kimchi might go down a little easier for those who disfavor the treat. Mentioned as a probiotic (a product that gives “good” bacteria to the body and helps fight off “bad” bacteria), Kimchi is referred to as a healthy food that can help ward off unwanted diseases and flu.

Upon mentioning this astonishing (as in, an American wrote this article but knows about the power of kimchi) news to my Korean co-teacher, she mentioned that Koreans, as well as some (Korean) scientists actually believe that Kimchi helped prevent that deadly SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) disease from catching like rapid fire on the Korean peninsula, quite unlike their westward neighbors, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

YES, the made a cartoon out of the power of kimchi.  Meet Kimchi Warrior

And here's Kimchi Warrior taking on the the Bird Flu, obviously kicking butt (if you're Korean, that is).

In more recent years, Kimchi was thought to have helped avert H1N1 from hastily stretching throughout the country.

But, where’s the evidence?  Currently, there’s none.  However, with the hype of the value and capability of their precious food, I’m willing to bet there’s some in the making.  Nonetheless, there’s no doubt that kimchi isn’t a powerful health food, but whether it’s strong enough to ward off pungent ailments, such as SARS and Swine flu… who knows?  

So maybe that Kimchi doesn’t taste so bad after all, eh?

For more information on this, just google “Kimchi and SARS” and you’ll get a vast amount of articles, all of which point to the fact that no, there is no scientific evidence that kimchi prevents SARS, but yes, every Korean will tell you that it does!

WWW (7)- Winter Terms

As it is nearly winter and it has snowed THREE times already, this southern gal has a few winter terms to share with you:

Korean: 겨울
Korean Pronunciation: kyeo-ul
English Meaning: Winter

Korean: 눈
Korean pronunciation: nun
English Meaning: Snow

Korean: 추워요
Korean pronunciation: chu waw yo
English Meaning: Cold

Korean: 진눈깨비
Korean pronunciation: jin nun kae bi
English Meaning: Sleet

And since I’ve slipped at every chance possible, I find that I might be investing in some new snow boots in the near future.

Korean: 부츠
Korean pronunciation: pu chuh
English Meaning: Boots

See Ya Later, Alligator

In Korea, there’s one thing that you can always expect- you will say goodbye to at least 10 people and more likely than not, never see them ever again.  This is actually quite depressing when you think about it… earlier I mentioned how close you inevitably become with all the other teachers, co-teachers, and military personnel here in Korea, so the thought of just saying 안녕히계세요 is quite… dismal.  But let me be the first to warn ya, its gonna happen!

Just the other week, my closest gal pal become unemployed and homeless all within 24 hours, but thankfully had a one-way ticket to SE Asia.  So really, what’s there to complain about?  Well, I’m going to complain- I only had a brief 3 months with her.  I mean really, Kate, who am I going to wake up in an abandoned hospital, take a walk of shame in my dress and heals, and open a pizza store at 11am with?  And who’s going to overflow my bathtub (and bathroom) with bubbles when the floor’s getting a tad bit too dirty?  Oh and who’s suppose to hold your hair back when it’s been a rough night and ajooshi is pointing and laughing all while throwing back two bottles of soju?  Yeah, you’re right, I probably can’t help you in that last department anyway.  But seriously?   Come back to Korea?

So as we’ve all encountered out goodbyes, Kate and I made a promise that, as I dropped her off at the airport bus, making sure she secured a spot on the right-hand side to wave bye, that this was “See ya Later.”

And not just one “see you later”, but if we’re ever in the same country, I have to see you on a bi-annual basis… MINIMUM.  Maybe I just made that up, but Kate, I WILL see you on a bi-annual basis, even if you are in California and I’m parked somewhere in the Deep South. 

But first things first.  Our first “See ya later” will transpire come vacation.  As you may recall, Brandon and I have tickets to Kuala Lumpur, Cambodia, and Vietnam and it just so happens that Kate is homeless in no place other than SE Asia.  So perhaps this wasn’t a coincidence, but with dreams of visiting the rich-history of Cambodia and Vietnam and Kuala Lumpur as the hub of the cheapest Asian airlines (AirAsia- so much love!), Kate and I will reunite for a short 3 days in KL.  Needless to say, I’m super excited!!!

And from there, there better be more “See ya later, Alligators”.  Not just with Kate, but with the other mates (yes, I do have Australian friends here) who are traveling, side-by-side, drink-by-drink, lesson-by-lesson, fear-by-fear, mountain-by-mountain, country-by-country, memory-by-memory, through this once in a lifetime (literally) journey.  I’m really bad at goodbye, so it’s “See ya later, Alligator”, or if you’re from Australia “Afterwhile, Crocodile” is ok too!


And for some background music, the rising country star, Johnny Bulford:

Johnny Bulford- See Ya Later Alligator

FFF (11) - Korean Adoptions

With the mention of someone dear to me adopting a Korean baby, I thought it would be totally appropriate to mention two facts about Korean adoption that I coincidently learned this past week (and 2 more).

Fact 1:  When Korean families adopt a Korean baby, they select a child that they believe will be very similar to the parents.  This includes making sure that the child’s blood type will match with those of the parents.  Now why would they go through such hassle?  Interestingly, and quite different than U.S. customs, in the Korean culture it is uncommon to tell others that you are adopting, as it is frowned upon.  Gossip Queens would have a riot.  Oh it would be a disaster.  Furthermore, the adopted children never even learn that they have been adopted.  Personally, I believe that this is a form of protection in the conservative Korean environment.  

Fact 2:  A single man or single woman is unable to adopt a child in Korea.  Koreans, however, believe that this is a bizarre and unethical law.  As the country is becoming less conservation, perhaps a shift to eliminate this law will be pushed.

Fact 3:  According to Wikipedia (the most reliable source ☺), Korea is the 5^th most commonly adopted from country.  Therefore, although it is frowned upon in their own country, it is accepted for foreigners to bless these children with a comfortable home and family life.

Fact 4:  If I had to adopt children, I would 100% adopt a Korean baby, as these children are DEFINITELY the most adorable children in the world.  Judge for yourself:

Korean Baby Singing Hey Jude

WWW (6)- Travel

Since vacations are rapidly approaching, I thought I'd enlighten you (and myself) with a little bit of travel vocab. 

Korean: 뵤
Korean Pronunciation: p'yo
English Meaning: Ticket
In a sentence: (베트남) 뵤주세요
Pronunciation of sentence: (Beh tuh nam) p'yo chu se yo.
English meaning of sentence: A ticket to (Vietnam), please.

Korean: 여행해요
Korean Pronunciation: yaw haeng hae yo
English Meaning: To Travel (v.)
In a sentence: 나는 (베트남, 캅보디아, 말레이시아)를 여행중입니다
Pronunciation of sentence: na nuhn (beh tuh nam, kam bo di ah, mal leh i si a) rul yaw haeng im ni da
English meaning of sentence: I am traveling to (Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia).

You guessed it... Brandon and I booked our tickets!  We're on our way to Malaysia, Cambodia, and Vietnam.  So far, our itinerary is looking like Kuala Lumpur, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi for 17 days!  If you can't tell, we're getting pretty excited! :)