Being in Korea has brought so many amazing and different moments. There have been the moments where I think "I'm on the next plane out of here..." and there have been the moments that have been named the "We love South Korea" moments. In all of these, I have been slowly discovering what it means to be alive and dive into the unknown.
This video of of people feeding rice cakes to enormous Koi in a pond at Duryu Park here in Daegu. It was such a fun experience watching these kids and adults feeding the fish. It was so relaxing and we quickly became involved when a little girl and her dad offered us a rice cake to feed the fish. It was relaxing and amazing. It was a beautiful day and definately a "We love South Korea" moment.
currently listen to: SHINee, Ring Ding Dong (K pop!)
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
observations part 1
Here are a few observations I have made in my short time here so far-
1. Traffic is out of control and I would never dare to drive here.
2. Traffic laws apparently do not apply to those who drive scooters.
3. The kids here go to bed at 12:00AM and wake up around 7:00AM (I would have died at my desk by third grade).
4. The Koreans love cell phones. Not only is there a cell phone store on every block, I have seen children as young as seven with a cell phone.
5. The favorite method of selling things is using a loud speaker/megaphone of some type to make sure everyone knows what you are selling and that you are selling it.
6. Everything advertised on TV involves some type of song and dance and lots of sex appeal.
7. There is rarely soap in the restrooms and if there is, it is bar soap. However, there is hand sanitizer everywhere, so clearly that makes everything better.
8. It is not rude to stare at people who look different (for example, us).
9. If you see something at E Mart that you want, you better buy it because it won't be in the same place next time, or it may just be gone (popcorn!).
10. You just put your garbage out by a light pole in front of your building and garbage bags are apparently an expensive luxury.
Surely I will have a hundred more lists, but this is a decent start.
currently listening to: Lots of Fiona Apple.
1. Traffic is out of control and I would never dare to drive here.
2. Traffic laws apparently do not apply to those who drive scooters.
3. The kids here go to bed at 12:00AM and wake up around 7:00AM (I would have died at my desk by third grade).
4. The Koreans love cell phones. Not only is there a cell phone store on every block, I have seen children as young as seven with a cell phone.
5. The favorite method of selling things is using a loud speaker/megaphone of some type to make sure everyone knows what you are selling and that you are selling it.
6. Everything advertised on TV involves some type of song and dance and lots of sex appeal.
7. There is rarely soap in the restrooms and if there is, it is bar soap. However, there is hand sanitizer everywhere, so clearly that makes everything better.
8. It is not rude to stare at people who look different (for example, us).
9. If you see something at E Mart that you want, you better buy it because it won't be in the same place next time, or it may just be gone (popcorn!).
10. You just put your garbage out by a light pole in front of your building and garbage bags are apparently an expensive luxury.
Surely I will have a hundred more lists, but this is a decent start.
currently listening to: Lots of Fiona Apple.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Korean food coma
It's funny how quickly you can adjust to something new. While we have only been here about four weeks, I feel like a seasoned pro. However, there are still thousands of things to be seen and to do. My goal for the next few weeks is to explore all of what Daegu has to offer. There are amazing mountains with beautiful trails, temples, and views that overlook the entire city. There are parts of the city that have bike trails, a lake, and amazing restaurants (so we hear anyway). A weekend is not enough time to do hardly anything it seems. While we have been getting a late start most Saturdays, it is time to make our quick weekends count. I feel like getting on a bus and seeing where it takes us.
This weekend was mostly eaten up by an open house at our school. However, our director did treat us to a traditional Korean lunch afterwards. It was amazing and I have never seen so much food in my life. The entire table was covered with a hundred tiny dishes and each was filled with little tidbits of something different. From fried fish and blue crabs to tiny peppers and bean sprouts, there was so much to try. The bulgogi was hot and amazing, and we had perfect purple rice that was made into a soup in a hot stone pot. We sat on the floor with all of our coworkers and enjoyed an awesome meal and definitely had a little bonding time. It was a real treat and I look forward to more meals like that.
Everything is communal on a Korean table, so you don't have your own plate. It seems that in a country paralyzed by fear of the swine flu it wouldn't be that way, but it is. You just stick your chopsticks into each dish, grabbing a bite of everything. That takes some time to adjust to, but you get over it pretty quickly. It is a great way to eat, it encourages quite a bit of conversation. I love Korean food and it is so filling I typically fall into a "Korean food coma" afterwards. I have learned to appreciate a good food coma, it soothes the soul.
This weekend was mostly eaten up by an open house at our school. However, our director did treat us to a traditional Korean lunch afterwards. It was amazing and I have never seen so much food in my life. The entire table was covered with a hundred tiny dishes and each was filled with little tidbits of something different. From fried fish and blue crabs to tiny peppers and bean sprouts, there was so much to try. The bulgogi was hot and amazing, and we had perfect purple rice that was made into a soup in a hot stone pot. We sat on the floor with all of our coworkers and enjoyed an awesome meal and definitely had a little bonding time. It was a real treat and I look forward to more meals like that.
Everything is communal on a Korean table, so you don't have your own plate. It seems that in a country paralyzed by fear of the swine flu it wouldn't be that way, but it is. You just stick your chopsticks into each dish, grabbing a bite of everything. That takes some time to adjust to, but you get over it pretty quickly. It is a great way to eat, it encourages quite a bit of conversation. I love Korean food and it is so filling I typically fall into a "Korean food coma" afterwards. I have learned to appreciate a good food coma, it soothes the soul.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Miles away
So, living in Daegu has been surprisingly easy so far. Exploring our neighborhood was cake. And, with a little help from our fellow teachers, heading downtown on the bus was a skill we mastered after one trip. Corinne and I have taken to walking the streets and just taking crazy turns and walking down random streets, only to end up knowing exactly where we are still. We are careful to make note of landmarks and pay lots of attention to the direction we are headed. So with that approach, we have headed out face first into Daegu. Of course, I wouldn't recommend this much exploring for the directionally challenged, or in other Korean cities which may not be as easy to navigate. So I would use your best judgment if exploring Korea!
Waiting to get the internet in our apartments has felt like decades. Without the internet on my laptop, I feel completely disconnected from the world. I have no idea what is going on in the news or what the weather is like back home. While we have time at school to check Facebook on the little kids’ computers, it isn’t enough time to catch up on all the gossip and my favorite TV shows (which I am miserably behind on). In order to have the internet and a bank account here, you have to be a resident alien. That requires a medical exam. The medical exam was definitely an experience I won’t soon forget.
There are so many things that happen everyday that I want to tell everyone. From the littlest things like how cute all the little cars are that speed around, to huge things like the fact I ate a silkworm last night (probably won't do that again...) and the fact that we are planning a Christmas trip to Jeju Island. I am trying to settle into teaching, and it isn't easy by any means. Not that I ever thought for a minute that teaching was an easy job, it is just not the type of job I am used to. There is no immediate gratification, or any solid proof of the work you have done. So I feel like I am running uphill all day, screaming through a blue medical mask that makes me sound like the teachers from Charlie Brown. However, the kids are adorable, and I mean adorable.
They say the funniest things and put the most hilarious sentences together and draw adorable pictures of stuff. Today I asked the youngest kids if they liked ketchup; they said yes, but that they liked chocolate ketchup the best (referring to chocolate syrup but they assumed that ketchup was the consistency, not the name of the product). So those times are priceless.
Currently listening to: Where the Streets Have No Name, U2.
Waiting to get the internet in our apartments has felt like decades. Without the internet on my laptop, I feel completely disconnected from the world. I have no idea what is going on in the news or what the weather is like back home. While we have time at school to check Facebook on the little kids’ computers, it isn’t enough time to catch up on all the gossip and my favorite TV shows (which I am miserably behind on). In order to have the internet and a bank account here, you have to be a resident alien. That requires a medical exam. The medical exam was definitely an experience I won’t soon forget.
There are so many things that happen everyday that I want to tell everyone. From the littlest things like how cute all the little cars are that speed around, to huge things like the fact I ate a silkworm last night (probably won't do that again...) and the fact that we are planning a Christmas trip to Jeju Island. I am trying to settle into teaching, and it isn't easy by any means. Not that I ever thought for a minute that teaching was an easy job, it is just not the type of job I am used to. There is no immediate gratification, or any solid proof of the work you have done. So I feel like I am running uphill all day, screaming through a blue medical mask that makes me sound like the teachers from Charlie Brown. However, the kids are adorable, and I mean adorable.
They say the funniest things and put the most hilarious sentences together and draw adorable pictures of stuff. Today I asked the youngest kids if they liked ketchup; they said yes, but that they liked chocolate ketchup the best (referring to chocolate syrup but they assumed that ketchup was the consistency, not the name of the product). So those times are priceless.
Currently listening to: Where the Streets Have No Name, U2.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Not all who wander are lost
I am in Korea. I can't describe the feeling I had waking up that first morning. I looked around at my surroundings which were so different from everything I have ever known. It is hard to summarize our trip here so I'll do my best.
We flew to Seattle on one of the most turbulent flights I have ever been on. Once in Seattle, we had a six hour layover. We enjoyed our last moments on American soil before boarding the magnificent Korean Air 777. I can't explain how comfortable this flight was. The attendants were so efficent and nice. It was a 12 hour flight that felt like it went by in no time. We had our little tv screens with games, movies, music (you could make your own playlist!), and a map of where we were on the globe. We had good food, free wine (saving grace for the first few hours), and hot towels!
Our plane in Seattle
The moment we landed in Seoul (Incheon) I was in shock. That was a big moment. The airport was almost devoid of people so we quickly passed through immigration and the H1N1 checkpoint. We gathered our bags, threw them on a cart, and walked out into South Korea. We made some quick calls and emails to family and headed to buy bus tickets to Taegu. We bought them with ten minutes to get to the bus and call our school. Needless to say, we had to get on the bus without call the school first and Corinne had to call from the bus on her cell phone (not sure what that will run...). The five hour bus ride was a blur because I immediatley fell asleep.
So we made it to our apartments and we were promptly informed that we would be taken to the school at 9:30; mind you it was after midnight when we got in. No rest for us! The next day was a blur of giggling kids, instructions, lesson plans, and exhaustion. Our school is just a ten minute walk and we are already familar with it both during the day and at night. We can get to a few places, but this weekend is for exploring a few more blocks. We have picked up only a tiny bit of neccessary Korean and I hope to learn much more.
I will post many pictures and videos in the next few weeks!
annyonghi kyeseyo!
(Goodbye!)
We flew to Seattle on one of the most turbulent flights I have ever been on. Once in Seattle, we had a six hour layover. We enjoyed our last moments on American soil before boarding the magnificent Korean Air 777. I can't explain how comfortable this flight was. The attendants were so efficent and nice. It was a 12 hour flight that felt like it went by in no time. We had our little tv screens with games, movies, music (you could make your own playlist!), and a map of where we were on the globe. We had good food, free wine (saving grace for the first few hours), and hot towels!
Our plane in Seattle
The moment we landed in Seoul (Incheon) I was in shock. That was a big moment. The airport was almost devoid of people so we quickly passed through immigration and the H1N1 checkpoint. We gathered our bags, threw them on a cart, and walked out into South Korea. We made some quick calls and emails to family and headed to buy bus tickets to Taegu. We bought them with ten minutes to get to the bus and call our school. Needless to say, we had to get on the bus without call the school first and Corinne had to call from the bus on her cell phone (not sure what that will run...). The five hour bus ride was a blur because I immediatley fell asleep.
So we made it to our apartments and we were promptly informed that we would be taken to the school at 9:30; mind you it was after midnight when we got in. No rest for us! The next day was a blur of giggling kids, instructions, lesson plans, and exhaustion. Our school is just a ten minute walk and we are already familar with it both during the day and at night. We can get to a few places, but this weekend is for exploring a few more blocks. We have picked up only a tiny bit of neccessary Korean and I hope to learn much more.
I will post many pictures and videos in the next few weeks!
annyonghi kyeseyo!
(Goodbye!)
Monday, October 19, 2009
Leaving on a jet plane
Next Tuesday, we will be on our way to Seoul. It has been down to the wire of course. Our visa process didn't go smoothly. After Corinne and I each submitted two videos and had a various number of issues with those videos, they have cleared and our visas are being mailed tomorrow. So, like everything else, we will get our passports back barely in time to fly out. Hopefully...
So this week, there is lots to do. Lots. We have to make sure we pack all the things we are going to need. I will have to make some choices because of the weight and size limits on our luggage. We can only have two checked bags that have to be 62" or less in total size (width+length+height)and 50 lbs or less. Our carry on bags have to be less than 45" and less than 25 lbs. Packing for four seasons is likely going to be the biggest challenge yet. Bringing things like sheets, towels, coats, boots, shoes, work outfits, casual stuff, outdoor clothing and a hundred other things is going to be daunting. So all week Corinne and I are going to check with each other and plan things out to make sure we remind each other of the things we might be forgetting.
On another note, we had a little going away party with our friends. So many people came out which was amazing to me. We had a hat theme and everybody looked adorable. It was tough to think that it was going to be the last time I would see some of those who came for a year. However, the well wishes and the excitement for our trip were reassuring to hear. It is never easy to take a blind leap into something new, but I hope that we inspire others to do the same thing. While I can think of a thousand reasons to stay here in Montana, around everything and everyone I know, I can think of one reason not to for now. I need something else. Something bigger in my life that I get to learn from, grow with, and experience. I want to have exciting stories of world travels that I can share with others.
Elizabeth and I at the hat party :)
So my next entry will likely be from Daegu, South Korea. Wow.
Currently listening to: Leaving on a Jet Plane; Peter, Paul and Mary.
So this week, there is lots to do. Lots. We have to make sure we pack all the things we are going to need. I will have to make some choices because of the weight and size limits on our luggage. We can only have two checked bags that have to be 62" or less in total size (width+length+height)and 50 lbs or less. Our carry on bags have to be less than 45" and less than 25 lbs. Packing for four seasons is likely going to be the biggest challenge yet. Bringing things like sheets, towels, coats, boots, shoes, work outfits, casual stuff, outdoor clothing and a hundred other things is going to be daunting. So all week Corinne and I are going to check with each other and plan things out to make sure we remind each other of the things we might be forgetting.
On another note, we had a little going away party with our friends. So many people came out which was amazing to me. We had a hat theme and everybody looked adorable. It was tough to think that it was going to be the last time I would see some of those who came for a year. However, the well wishes and the excitement for our trip were reassuring to hear. It is never easy to take a blind leap into something new, but I hope that we inspire others to do the same thing. While I can think of a thousand reasons to stay here in Montana, around everything and everyone I know, I can think of one reason not to for now. I need something else. Something bigger in my life that I get to learn from, grow with, and experience. I want to have exciting stories of world travels that I can share with others.
Elizabeth and I at the hat party :)
So my next entry will likely be from Daegu, South Korea. Wow.
Currently listening to: Leaving on a Jet Plane; Peter, Paul and Mary.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
tick tock
I swear that yesterday was May and I was just beginning this process. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed, and how little time left there is. While it seemed like it was forever away, it is only a matter of days. This being said, we are still waiting on the Consulate in Seattle. I have sent them my video interview (which nobody will ever see except myself and the Consulate. It was embarassing). So we still have no exact departure date/time. This makes me a little nervous seeing as our friends and family really want to know!
With time going so quickly, it makes me wonder if time will pass this quickly once I leave. I assume that some days will fly, and others will drag. There will amazing days where I'm excited and ready for anything. There will also be days where I will probably just want to jump on the next plane out. Or I simply have no idea what to anticipate and the way I feel could be a total surprise. It is probably going to be the latter.
I am trying to enjoy my last weeks in Montana for a whole year. It is so bittersweet of course, which makes it hard to enjoy sometimes. There have been moments that I never wanted to end. The snow makes it that much harder because it is so beautiful and makes everything look perfect. All I know for sure is that I have an amazing place to return to, and that makes me feel so much better.
Sacajawea Peak, Bridger, Montana.
Currently Listening to: George Winston, Goodbye Montana,Part 2
With time going so quickly, it makes me wonder if time will pass this quickly once I leave. I assume that some days will fly, and others will drag. There will amazing days where I'm excited and ready for anything. There will also be days where I will probably just want to jump on the next plane out. Or I simply have no idea what to anticipate and the way I feel could be a total surprise. It is probably going to be the latter.
I am trying to enjoy my last weeks in Montana for a whole year. It is so bittersweet of course, which makes it hard to enjoy sometimes. There have been moments that I never wanted to end. The snow makes it that much harder because it is so beautiful and makes everything look perfect. All I know for sure is that I have an amazing place to return to, and that makes me feel so much better.
Sacajawea Peak, Bridger, Montana.
Currently Listening to: George Winston, Goodbye Montana,Part 2
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