Wandering Seoul

The Hungry Herbivore

2009-07-07T10:44:00.003+09:00

This is my new blog:

http://thehungryherbivore.blogspot.com/

Go there.

http://thehungryherbivore.blogspot.com/

Wandering Soul

2006-09-29T13:20:00.000+09:00

http://anotherwanderingsoul.blogspot.com

Farewell

2006-09-03T23:34:00.000+09:00

Bambi Class

I fly out of Seoul and in to Kuala Lumpur in exactly 12 hours and it still hasn't hit me yet. I've been homeless this weekend (not very out of the ordinary though really) but Kaleigh and Tom are nice enough to let me crash on their couch last night and tonight. The last couple weeks have been busy with planning, packing, saying goodbyes and a temple retreat at Hwagyesa last weekend. I'm sad to leave the youngsters but I've had a great year with them and will never forget them.

Wendy

I wonder if Andy will ever draw with a color besides green or if Ali will ever lose the cute but confused look she always wears? Will Will stop giving himself hickeys? Will Andy get over his fear of buses and pirates with huge fake heads? I wonder if George will continue to eat anything and everything he encounters on the floor/in the bathroom/in his nose? How long will Kitty Class say "G'day mate" to the new teacher every morning? Will they remember me?

Kitty Class

Sally

Ali

After my last day I packed my room up, shipped some stuff home and now everything that's coming with me fits in a big backpack. It's a weird feeling knowing that I'll be jobless for an indeterminate amount of time. Weird but good though. So now I'm off! I'll keep the updates coming if I can. Farewell.

Destination: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei & Thailand

Korean marketing genius

2006-08-31T09:07:00.001+09:00

The chain New York Hotdog and Coffee just opened up by my school. You know, because coffee and hot dogs go so well together... At least men made from 100% beef like the combination. I'll pass.

Home away from home

2006-08-27T22:09:00.000+09:00

I forgot about this bar I saw on Jeju. I tried to go in but it was dark and deserted with trash piled up in the stairwell and it looked like it had recently been closed down. Too bad, I could only look in through the windows at Kansas...

Fruit lady

2006-08-21T18:35:00.000+09:00

While I waited for a friend outside an exit at Dongdaemun station I watched this old lady pile and re-pile her grapes and nectarines. She had a skinny long cigarette hanging out of her mouth and she smoked it all (and the next one five minutes later) without ever taking it from her mouth. The ash grew long and kept falling on her shirt. The grapes were delicious and much cheaper than buying from the supermarket. Peel the skins off to eat the grapes Korean style. Yum!

Some more Jeju island pics..

2006-08-20T20:41:00.000+09:00

Hyeopjae beach

I sat on the rocks where the waves met the fall here.

Sunrise Peak

Oedolgae rock and a new haircut.

Jeju Island: Part 2, Loveland

2006-08-19T09:44:00.000+09:00

***Warning: this post is NOT work safe***

In Amsterdam, I wouldn't have batted an eye. California or New York? Not surprised a bit. But Korea? I am seriously still shocked.

On Jeju I couldn't believe how many random museums the island boasts, including an African Museum, a Chocolate Museum, a Cinema Museum, a Tangerine Museum, and Miniature Land. Wanting a more relaxing vacation and not having the slightest desire to see a midget Eiffel Tower or learn about Africa while in Korea, I decided to skip them all and head for the beach. Then at the beach one day I heard from some fellow travelers that I should stop by Loveland. They assured me I would not leave disappointed.

So my last Friday night on the island I made my way to Loveland and paid my 7,000 won admission to see what all the fuss was about. Holy penises! I was absolutely shocked that such a place could exist in this country! I thought I had stepped into the twilight zone. I mean this is Korea, where if I even have an accidental exposed strip of skin showing on my midriff, a random stranger (usually a well-intentioned ajumma) will tug my shirt down for me and cover up the offensive show of skin.

Penis-shaped arrows on the concrete sidewalk directed visitors on this outdoor tour of the flesh, which began with a statue of a naked woman on all fours in quite a provocative position. Young couples giggled as they shyly observed the several different and complex positions the exhibitionist statues were modeling for the usually conservative Korean people. Many were less shy though and went up to pose with the statues, grabbing an ass cheek or a breast with one hand and doing the obligatory peace sign with the other.

After walking past the giant tile-mosaic penis (how funny would that look in Miniature Land?), I went into the small museum of random sex-themed things. On the walls, there were around 20 color photographs of the same couple engaged in a series of different coital positions. An older man was getting within inches of each one, squinting his eyes and wrinkling his forehead, wearing an expression of both curiosity and amazement. I could almost hear him thinking, "Why didn't I ever think of that?" And then there was the peep show box, which featured a collage of Hustler-worthy photographs, that even I was embarrassed to be seen looking at. Moving on, I walked by glass cases full of vibrators, blow-up dolls, S & M paraphernalia and condoms.

As I walked back outside I saw a crowd gathering and lights and cameras being assembled and put into position. I asked someone nearby what was happening and was told there would be nude models coming out soon for a local artist to paint. "Very special event", someone told me, as they excitedly looked on. Sure enough, a few minutes later a masked man and woman walked out wearing white and black sheets respectively. Eventually, after several poses that left the models progressively exposed, they were both completely nude as the artist furiously painted on. He finished the show by painting a splash of black directly across their naked bodies.

As I left Loveland, I walked by several more statues doing unthinkable things and a car that rocked and emitted shouts of ecstasy every few seconds. I walked out into the Korea I know feeling strangely displaced.

Book Review: Tales from the Expat Harem

2006-08-17T14:08:00.000+09:00

I reviewed this book for Rolf Pott's Vagablogging website this month. Rolf and I met last year in Kansas (his home state also) at a book reading of his at Watermark. He has a great website for travelers and I would highly recommend his book, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, to anyone thinking of traveling the world (or anyone sick of living in a cubicle 40 hours a week). The book and the person are both an inspiration to me-- my teaching in Korea can also be partially attributed to meeting Rolf (he taught for 2 years in Busan). Thanks Rolf!

Here's an excerpt of the review of Tales from the Expat Harem...

As a self-proclaimed travel freak currently teaching English in Korea, I love venturing into new places and letting the unknown surroundings stimulate my senses. I am particularly curious to hear how other travelers experience different countries, especially when it involves other equally adventurous females traveling solo.

Tales from the Expat Harem, an anthology of modern travel writing about Turkey, includes stories that span four decades, contributed by 29 women from around the world, the majority being from America. The tales are told from many drastically different perspectives with entrepreneurs, archaeologists, Peace Corps volunteers, missionaries, English teachers and women marrying into the Turkish culture -- to name a few -- offering their personal and often intimate accounts of the Turkey they have come to know and love. The topics throughout this anthology range from the hamam or Turkish bath, marriage rituals, tales of the bazaar, song and dance, and Turkish superstitions.

Click here to read the complete review.

The Americanization of Zach

2006-08-10T08:29:00.000+09:00

8 year old Zach (named after my younger brother), started in my class two weeks ago after moving back to Korea after 2 years in Eugene, Oregon. I took him and the rest of the class for ice cream the other day and three teenage girls came and sat down (within hearing distance) at a table a couple feet from ours. Zach takes one look at one of the slightly overweight girls and says to me matter-of-factly, "Aly Teacher, she's real fat!". I proceeded to tell him that he needs to keep those sort of comments to himself and what he did was extremely rude. He replied, "It's okay Teacher, she doesn't speak American!". Time to bust that myth of his before he gets in trouble. Unfortunately though, I've encountered many expats, GI's and travelers that share Zach's belief that most Koreans don't speak English and therefore proceed to have disrespectful conversations any time or place. I've seen it too many times to deny it. The truth is that most Koreans understand at least some English, especially in Seoul. And even if they don't understand English, it's quite obvious when you're being talked about on the subway by a group of foreigners. Let's hope Zach has learned his lesson and doesn't get beat up by the next teenage girl he calls a chunk.

Jeju island: Part 1

2006-08-08T21:38:00.000+09:00

Five star accomodation

Jungmun beach (you can see our lifeguard stand if you look close)

I'm back from Jeju island to find the rainy season has abruptly ended. July was constant rain, everyday almost without fail. The forecast for August seems to be hot, hot, hot and humid. This summer weather makes me feel like I'm back home again. Unless I'm in the classroom, I'm usually wearing a constant sweat bead moustache and my clothes are drenched. I wake up now before 7 not to the light of the sun like before but to the HEAT of the sun.

The weather on Jeju was perfect beach weather everyday. The only respite from the heat in the weather was a refreshing short summer storm on Saturday. Overall, the trip was a good one, although not exactly relaxing. I traveled all around the island, sleeping every night in a different place including several saunas, a lifeguard stand on the beach, a home stay with a Korean family, and a couchsurfing couch.

The first night John met me at the airport with Sonny, who drove us to his house in Jeju City where his wife Maggie had dinner waiting for us (at 10:00 pm), complete with pumpkin from their garden followed with watermelon. John had met Sonny on a beach and Sonny had insisted that we do a homestay for a night. Sonny was a funny character whom I began to refer to as 'The King of Idioms'. He must have spent some serious time studying books devoted to English idioms, as he seriously had one for every situation. Their bookshelves were full of English learning books and many of the classics in English. After we went to our room-- a mattress on the floor surrounded with a much needed mosquito net-- I found a book called 'Sexy English' on the book shelf. We were shocked at some of the slang words included and couldn't quite imagine Sonny studying and memorizing them. We were dying trying not to wake our hosts up with our laughter when we came to the section on mispronunciation, complete with drawings for mistakes such as, "I put some clean shits on the bed", "The audience crapped for a long time after the concert", and "Rots of ruck on your coming erection" (Lots of luck on your coming election)!

The next day Sonny and Maggie had planned out a complete itinerary for the day with visits to places such as Miniature World, the Chocolate Museum and a green tea farm. I told Sonny that honestly we didn't care much for seeing any museums and would just love to go to the beach.(Other random museums Jeju boasts are the Africa Museum, Cinema Museum, and Tangerine Museum.) He was obviously relieved about the suggestion and we all piled in the van, along with their 25 year old son, Chance, for the beach. Twice on the way, we went the wrong way on the street, making John feel right at home. At one of the three beaches we went to, John and I gave Sonny and Chance a swimming lesson. Later, thinking the 20 minute swimming lesson was sufficient enough, Sonny swam out to the deep part where John and I were floating around and I had to drag him back to safety. My lifeguard training actually came in handy again!

Saturday night Sonny and Maggie dropped us off at a bus stop where we caught a bus to Jungmun beach. (Sonny secretly told John to take me to a romantic beach and had spent much time telling us how perfect of a "couple" we were. Koreans don't seem to understand the concept of platonic male/female friendships. It was amusing though nonetheless.) John and I had a grand time swimming after dark, burying each other in the sand and then sleeping in the lifeguard stand on the beach. Unfortunately for John, I stole the sleeping bag in my sleep (I swear I don't remember!) and he froze all night. The mosquitoes got revenge on me for him though: I woke up with 24-- I counted-- mosquito bites only on my legs. John had 2.

After John woke me up at 6 am I walked up to the Hyatt looking like a barefoot and homeless child to brush my teeth and get some water. On my way, I was teased by the most delicious looking brunch ever-- watermelon, oranges, bananas, omletes, potatoes, waffles, juices-- and I was starving. We played on the beach for a few hours until our growling stomachs couldn't take it anymore-- there was a serious lack of food on this beach. John shouted my breakfast at the Hyatt and we ate until we could barely move, taking advantage of the gourmet food and air conditioning. It was delicious...

Heuksando and Hongdo islands

2006-07-29T09:25:00.000+09:00

Heuksan-do fisherman

Last Friday I met Hilly at the train station after his adventurous week in Japan and Busan and then we hopped on the earliest KTX to Mokpo. It wasn't a planned trip (as usual); neither of us knew where we were going until we actually bought the ticket. Because of this lack of planning, Hilly went from Busan to Seoul to Mokpo all in one day. (Look at a map and you'll see how ridiculous this travel route is.) Before our train left, we stocked up on picnic supplies for the 3 hour journey. We got in around 11 pm and stayed at a sauna. As we were leaving in the morning a Korean guy started speaking in Spanish to us, which was very weird. My Spanish has gone downhill since I started learning Korean and now whenever I try to speak it, Korean always ends up replacing the Spanish words I can't remember. Finally, I found someone who understands and appreciates my Spanean!

We missed to ferry to our intended destination of Hongdo by 10 minutes so instead we jumped on a ferry to Heuksando, which is about 20 km East of Hongdo (and a 2 hour ferry ride from Mokpo). From Heuksando we were planning on catching a ferry to Hongdo. Once on Heuksando, we had about four hours before the ferry left for Hongdo so our first mission was to find a beach. I asked a fisherman if we were walking towards the beach. We thought he told us that he would take us to the beach on his fishing boat. He stopped and picked up his wife, daughter, a few of their friends around the same age as us, and a couple blocks of small frozen fish (imported from China) and we were off. About 15 minutes later we landed at a (beach-free) floating fishing/oyster farm with a small shack aboard a floating dock. The surrounding view was vibrant green hilly islands to one side and dark, partially fog-covered ones one the other. One of the friends spoke English quite fluently so luckily we didn't have a communication barrier.

The floating fishing farm

After a brief tour around the swaying maze of the fish farm with our new friends everyone began to fish for lunch. It seems a bit like cheating to me-- seriously, they're trapped in cages already. Instead of fishing, I sat on the edge and dangled my feet in the water in hopes of spotting some of the huge sunset-pink jellyfish I saw when I went to Ulleungdo. I was in luck, but unfortunately that meant no swimming after lunch. I'm absolutely fascinated by the jellyfish, I could watch them for hours...

After awhile we all gathered on the dock and lunch was thrown together in a matter of minutes. In one moment, an unfortunate fish flapping in a bucket jumps out the open dock scaring the girls, in the next, he is on the table, chopped up into bite size pieces. Out translater said that a fish like that usually costs around 60,000 won/kilo. Hilly said it tasted pretty average. Along with the fish, there was also rice, kimchi, more kimchi, kim (dried seaweed), soju and raspberry wine, followed with watermelon.

Our new friends

After lunch Hilly and I were craving a swim but the fisherman's daughter so eloquently said, "You swim, you die. Maybe." That settles that, no swimming with the giant jellyfish. During lunch we were convinced to stay on Heuksando island for the night instead of going to Hongdo (there's nothing to do there at night, they said). We agreed and accepted their invitation to stay at their house. We took the boat back to the main island around 4 pm and while they all went to visit Grandfather, Hilly and were dropped off at a sad looking beach for some exploring on our own. We walked on a trail off the road that led to a clearing in the woods that had a couple of the grass mound graves and lots of interesting little things--catterpillars, butterflies, flowers, berries and bugs-- to look at. We walked out the other side of the clearing and past a woman in her garden who gave us very strange looks and said something we didn't understand. The path then led us through the small village where we were announced to the rest of the gardeners by another woman who spotted us and yelled, "Waygook, waygook! (foreigner, foreigner!)".

We met up with our friends later and after a driving tour of the island, we went back to the house for a lovely dinner followed by a birthday party and a midnight ramyeon fest before crashing for the evening. The next morning we all ate breakfast together, promised to meet up sometime in the future (besides the parents, everyone lived in Kwangju), and then walked to the ferry terminal together, where Hilly and I boarded for Hongdo.

Hongdo means "red rock island" and it is supposed to be fairly similar to Ulluengdo island off the West coast. Shortly after arriving, we walked past a young girl and her parents. Her parents then said something to the girl to the effect of, "Go show the strange foreigners around the island. Off you go, hurry up, they're waiting!" We then got a tour of the exciting sights from an eight year old perspective. She was a talker, barely stopping for breath and seemingly unaware that we understood only a fraction of what she was saying. She showed us mostly bugs and plants and spiders but also the local hangout for the stray cats. We bought her ice cream as payment for the impromptu tour.

The only way to fully experience and see the island is to take a boat around to view the rock formations. Koreans, I have noticed, love to find and name rock formations that look like something else. Because the boat tour we took was in Korean, we couldn't tell what formations we were looking at, but they were pointing out countless rocks that looked just like rocks to us. It was fun though.

Hongdo island

Afterwards, we took the 2 hour ferry back to Mokpo and then the 3 hour KTX back up to Seoul.

On my way to Jeju

2006-07-28T19:30:00.000+09:00

Catterpillar on Hongdo island

I have 23 minutes before my plane boards for Jeju island for a 10 day vacation! (I love the free internet at the airports in Korea!) If everything goes as planned I won't be online much until I'm back home... Buh bye!

Mud photos hit the Korea Times

2006-07-26T19:22:00.000+09:00

A couple of my photos from the Boryeong mud fest came out in the Korea Times today via Annie (the author of the article) whom I met at Hwagyesa. Click here to see the online version. The ladies I'm getting muddy with below are Heather and Lauren.

Aly Young, left, and friends show off their mud wardrobes.

A child plays in a mud pool at the Poryong Mud Fest. The festival ran for three days beginning July 15. /Courtesy of Aly Young

Heuksando and Hongdo islands

2006-07-25T09:18:00.000+09:00

A Lesson Learned or What Not to do When Your Student Breaks an Arm

2006-07-21T08:57:00.000+09:00

This is Ben. Last week I was giving oral tests to this class individually in the hallway while the rest of the class was doing work in their books in the classroom. (In fact though, they were running around and breaking things.) I went in the room and called for Ben to come out in the hall for his test. He was crying and he's usually not a crier but I didn't think much of it.

Me- What's wrong?
Ben- My arm.
Me- Are you okay?
Ben- I'm okay. Small ouch. (said with a pained look on his face)
Me- Okay then, number one: Is this a pencil?
Ben- (tear) Sniffle, sniffle.
Me-Do you want to go see the desk teacher?
Ben- NOOOO!!! Please no desk teacher. I'm okay. Small ouch.
Me- Alright, you're okay. Give me your hands let's shake it out. (I take both his hands and shake his arms)
Ben- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

The desk teacher then came over and asked Ben to bend his arm for her. It did not look right. Ben was then promptly sent to the hospital. Tough kid though. Yesterday he was back in class and I acted out the story (playing Ben and myself) to the class about how Ben broke his arm and said it was a "small ouch" and then his wicked teacher violently shook his arms. They were in hysterics. I bought Ben (and the rest of the class) dokboki and apologized for the shaking episode. I also threatened to break his other arm if he kept talking throughout class. The other kids thought that was really funny. This class is warped. It's the same one that collectively told me a that student had been run over by a truck and died after he missed two classes.

So, what did I learn from this? First, don't trust 8 year olds unattended in a room even for a mere five minutes. Second, check for broken bones BEFORE shaking limbs!

Boryeong Mudfest 2006

2006-07-18T14:16:00.000+09:00

The cutest kids ever. I wanted to kidnap them.

So adorable!

The Mudfest is the biggest Festival of the year in Korea and this year it happened to fall on a three day weekend. Three days of sun, mud, sand, waves and rain. Oh yeah, and a bit of beer. Ahhh, the weekend, you really can't beat it.

This weekend was very different from my typical weekend away from the city. One of the main reasons (besides the mud) was because of all the foreigners here. Boryeong is a relatively small city with only about 10 foreigners, but for this festival, foreigners swarm to the city. It was probably an equal match of Koreans to foreigners, with hundreds of people gathered on the beach. It's amazing how many people you come to know after a year of living in one place. The foreign community in Korea seems to endlessly be connected in strange and unexpected ways that sometimes will only become known once you throw everyone together on a beach.

The sun was out on Saturday and by 2 pm I had a bright red splotchy sunburn all over. I put on sunscreen damn it! Maybe the mud interacting with it made it ineffective. By the next morning I also had several mosquito bites to go along with my burn. I think the jimjilbang I stayed at was breeding mosquitoes in an unused sauna room. Back to the beach though. There was lots of frolicking in mud, going down the mudslide, and then wrestling in the mud pit. Then also there was swimming in the ocean. Playing in the waves almost brought back childhood memories I would have had had I grown up by the ocean. It felt nostalgic anyways. I realized this weekend that I suck at swimming in the ocean no matter how much fun I have. I just didn't grow up with it, I don't understand the waves. Oh, I will someday (soon) but for now I'm still that awkward Midwesterner not knowing quite what to do in the ocean. This naivety of the waves led to my being pulled under for awhile, disoriented, and swallowing a nose full of salty water and losing my favorite blue bandana (impermanence, I tell myself). Either way it was fun and I didn't drown.

A great weekend overall, if not a bit exhausting.

2006-07-14T08:38:00.000+09:00

Dewy leaf in North Korea

Without just one nest

A bird can call the world home

Life is your career

-Chuck Palahniuk

North Korea

2006-07-12T08:34:00.000+09:00

We left late Friday night on 2 buses with a total of 89 people with Adventure Korea. I think we got to the South Korean immigration office around 7:30 am and then the North Korean immigration around 9:00 am but it's all real fuzzy because I apparently took too many of these little orange pills from Kaleigh in an attempt to get some sleep on the bus. I passed out hard. When I woke up I could barely walk or comprehend what people were saying to me. I heard what they were saying but then I forgot about 2 seconds later. Luckily it wore off not too long after we arrived.

As we were driving through immigration and then on to Geumgangsan mountains, photographs were not allowed and soldiers were standing along the road holding red flags ready to alert for backup if need be. Everyone had to wear an identification card around your neck at all times or be subject to a fine. North Koreans are easily identified because of their lack of these cards and also the addition of a small red pin worn above their heart bearing a portrait of the senior Kim. (Another sign that you are probably from the South was the presence of a shirt with Konglish or inappropriate English. Somehow I doubt the guy I saw with a "FUCK ME" shirt on was a North Korean...)

The weather all weekend was overcast and very foggy, especially up in the mountains on the hikes both days. That meant no amazing views from the top but at least we weren't hiking in the heat. The fog hung in the air constantly and gave the mountains more of an eerie feel. The "town square" (if it could be called that) was strange also. It felt like you had just walked into a huge movie set. There were hardly any cars and the mountains surrounding it were like a giant 360 backdrop. There was a Family Mart (accepting US dollars and South Korean won) and a big souvenir building, a few restaurants, a couple hotels and a dome performance hall where we saw an acrobatics show on Saturday afternoon.

The Geumgangsan town square

We stayed at the Geumgangsan hotel. It was the nicest place I've stayed at since I've been in Korea. A definite step up from my usual random weekend accommodation usually consisting of a piece of hard floor or ground. We had an end room so we got lucky with a balcony looking into the mountains. We were looking over the balcony as the sky was darkening and mist droplets were sticking to our arms and I realized one reason it seemed so surreal was the silence. Or not silence, but lack of city sounds: traffic noises, loud speakers and all the other sounds I've grown accustomed to from living in the city. It was only cicadas, a dog barking and other outdoor sounds.

We had some beers and then some North Korean whiskey (disgusting) and had ourselves a once-in-a-lifetime North Korean party. We found out later that we drank the hotel completely out of beer. I still managed to go to bed before midnight but was found early in the morning sleepwalking around the halls. I always seem to do that whenever I'm sleeping in hotels. Or maybe I do it at my apartment also but there's just not anyone around to tell me about it in the morning. I went back to bed like a robot and don't remember it at all.

It was a good trip. A weird trip. Like it was all just a big show. Starting with the overly friendly North Korean greeters once we walked through customs and continuing on all weekend. It would be interesting to spend some time in North Korea and actually be able to make it past the surface of things. Probably not possible for me, but at least an intriguing thought.

North Korea post coming soon...

2006-07-11T09:03:00.000+09:00

Three Extremes

2006-07-07T08:42:00.000+09:00

Last night after some kimchi jiggae for me and mandu ramyeon for Hilly we went to a DVD bang (private movie room) for a cheap night out. We had both seen Oldboy by director Park Chan Wook and wanted to see another movie by him, Sympathy for Mr. Vengenace. I was told that the translation of this in Korean was 'Monster' (or rather, 'Monsutuh') so I asked if they had it and we went right in without my usual long period of indecisiveness with movie selections.

What we actually had got was Three Extremes (the Korean on the front said 'Monster'), which is a trilogy of short horror films, one Japanese, one Chinese, and one Korean, the last being directed by Park Chan Wook. In the end I wasn't disappointed at all that we didn't get the movie we were expecting.

In 'Box' by Japanese director Takashi Miike a woman is haunted by her twin sister's ghost. Park Chan Wook's film 'Cut' is about a Korean director who is held hostage and terrorized along with his wife in his own home by a psychotic extra.

'Dumplings' (from Hong Kong director, Fruit Chan) was the most disturbing and disgusting. The main character, in a quest for beauty in hopes to gain affection from her cheating husband, goes to a woman who makes "the most expensive dumplings". The reason they're expensive: They're make from aborted fetuses. I am not exaggerating when I say this was disgusting. And the crunchy chewing sound that goes along with every fountain-of-youth-meal is equally grotesque. Eating mandu will never be the same for me.

Along the same lines, I had never heard of placentophagy (yes, there really is a word for "eating the placenta after childbirth") until I moved to Korea. I was reading a translated Korean fiction book not long ago where the main character ran an abortion clinic and sold the placentas to women in the neighborhood who ate it for health and beauty reasons. I was shocked. I hope this truly is fiction that is not based on fact but I have my doubts. Some of the Korean superstitions about certain foods (and other typically inedible things) and the benefits they provide are absolutely ridiculous.

For now I'm off to work and then later tonight I'll be on a bus bound for North Korea. Peace.

Happy July 4 from North Korea

2006-07-04T19:59:00.000+09:00

***Updated***

Flower and bee on Sunday walking to Hwagyesa

Early this morning (the 4th in the U.S.) North Korea, in a symbolic gesture to the U.S., test fired six missiles including one long-range missile that failed in flight. This is the second time North Korea has tested long range missiles, the first one being back in 1998.

Wednesday night Hilly comes and then on Friday we're actually going to North Korea along with a few other friends. I didn't even know this was possible for Americans without spending thousands of dollars. But apparently a trip to Guemgangsan (Diamond Mountain) is possible for Americans and even South Koreans through travel companies at a fairly reasonable price considering the destination (350,000 won). I started The Two Koreas last weekend and am trying to finish it by Friday, having postponed reading it for months for no good reason other than it's intimidating thickness.

In other news, a psycho Korean woman at my school was fired today! Good news for everyone. The foreign teachers are going out tonight to celebrate. The school will soon be safe for young children and foreigners. I just realized today is the Fourth of July. Weird. No 'Blow up the Backyard Party' at Joe's for the first time in several years. Besides what I already mentioned, my day was quite normal. My 6 year old students sang the lyrics to that song I hear everywhere here, "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Don't you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?", and danced along with it. It was hilarious. I think the song was on a commercial or something. Douglas licked my ear. George pissed his pants. Yeah, a pretty normal day. No fireworks tonight, but I will drink a beer to celebrate the holiday!

Wandering on soon

2006-06-30T08:31:00.000+09:00

Only 8 more weeks of teaching (plus one week of vacation) left before I'm on the road again. It's amazing how fast a year can pass by without even realizing it. It has been fun (and continues to be fun) but my feet are itching to start moving again. I don't have much longer to wait. Four days after my contract is over I'm on a plane bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A friend from Malaysia whom I met at university in Australia (has it really been three years?) lives in KL and has invited me to come visit. The planning for this trip is still in it's infancy, but I thought I would make KL my home base and then travel around Malaysia and Thailand for September, October and November. (If anyone out there has any beautiful, mysterious, or exciting hidden destinations in either of these countries, please send me an email about it!) I now need to pay for my plane tickets, get insurance (World Nomads) and do all those other necessary but boring tasks. The fun part for me is packing my bag, but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. I just sent most of my belongings back to Kansas with Barbara so everything I own here in Korea can now fit into my large backpack and a small carry-on suitcase (which I'll probably mail home soon).

In the meantime, I still have a lot to look forward to in my last couple months here. I have a friend from Australia coming to visit next week for a month. We always have exciting adventures together so I'm expecting nothing less on this visit. (Be afraid Hilly, be very afraid!)In July, I have a three day weekend and a week-long paid vacation starts the last week.

So, when am I going home? Hmm... Good question, although I don't consider it a pressing one. I honestly don't know. I do know that it most likely won't be for at least another year though. But I do have an old lady (aka "Granny") in the mountains of Colorado whom I promised an extended visit to and also a mountain there that I promised myself I would climb. Wandering around the world internationally has sparked my interest in exploring the U.S. so at some point I would also like to Kerouac around the States to the many places I haven't yet seen.

Speaking of all this travel, a phone conversation yesterday with an operator made me realize what a global world we're living in. Yesterday at 7:00 in the morning I called the U.S. 1-800 number for Expedia and spoke with a man located in the Philippines (time zone one hour ahead of Korea). I was buying a ticket from Korea and he asked where I was calling from. When we were finished he told me to, "have a nice night!".

2006-06-29T19:08:00.000+09:00

"The world only exists in your eyes. You can

make it as big or as small as you want."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Muuido and Silmido islands

2006-06-27T18:20:00.000+09:00

Hanagae beach on Muuido

After the World Cup game ended (around 7:30 am) I had some dukboki for breakfast and then caught the subway to Incheon and then a bus, a taxi and then a ferry to Muuido island. Then I crashed on the beach. On an island with no plans--that's the life. Saturday I laid out on the beach with my book until the sun started to hide behind clouds in the late afternoon. I found a minbak back in the woods that was 20,000 won with a friendly group of guys from Incheon sitting out front drinking soju and cooking samgapsal. I sat with them for awhile and chatted and played sam-youk-gu (3-6-9) in Korean and then gong gong chil bang (007 bang). I went to bed early to recover from the World Cup madness. They stayed up until 4 am.

Guys from Incheon staying at the same minbak

View of Muuido from Silmido

Sunday morning when the tide was low I walked over to Silmido island. Silmido was a training location for a group of soldiers trained to assassinate Kim Il-Sung in the 1960's and also the location of the movie, Silmido, based on those events. I walked along the rocky beach, sat on a large rock and watched two fishermen for awhile. They caught a couple fish and then I watched one of them skin them and cut them into bite-sized pieces of fresh sushi, which they then sat down to eat with soju. They called me down from my rock and tried to get me to eat a bite of raw fish. I declined, but at their insistence I took a shot of soju with them instead.

I walked back over to Muuido before the tide covered up the passway between the islands and slept, read and relaxed on the beach until around 3 pm when I started to make my way back to Seoul. Barbara and I had dinner at Everest and then we went to two plays at a small theatre in Hyewha, 'This is a Play' and 'Never Swim Alone'. After the plays were over, Barbara and I ran through the rain to the subway. She's catching a flight tonight back to Kansas...I can't believe how fast that month went! It's been fun...

Korea vs. Switzerland- 4 am Saturday

2006-06-26T14:03:00.000+09:00

Nori Bar pre-game party

City Hall

Korea played Switzerland at 4:00 am on Saturday morning and I went to City Hall with Barbara and Heather (for a second sleepless night in a row after watching Australia play Friday at 4 am). To kill some time before the game we went to Nori Bar in Shinchon, which I haven't been to in ages! It was still the same good time as always only with new faces due to the ever-changing cycle of teachers.

We cabbed it to City Hall from Nori and got there a bit after 3 am. The crowds were unbelievable! Swarms of people were seriously never-ending, all wearing red and most with glowing devil horns on their heads. We started several chants of, "Tae-han-min-guk!", with our noise-makers to the delight of the crowds and, "Oh, Pilsung Korea...". The last time I had slept was Wednesday night so I was only running on adrenaline once the game started. We found a spot and shortly after the game started my adrenaline rush ended and I intermittently fell asleep while I was sitting up with a guy banging a drum next to me. I can seriously sleep anywhere. I saw some of the game though... Korea lost 2-0 so everyone was looking down once the sun was up. Good times though anyways.

Red Devil

City Hall

Sun through the trees

2006-06-22T14:54:00.000+09:00

"The present gives us simultaneously the illusion that is exceptional and the illusion that it is eternal. Of course it is neither of these, but rather a recurrent and usually minor ambush of space and time where, like it or not, we must close ranks and fight. It teaches us nothing of importance, except that its grime and confusion are the fabric of living time; that no analysis of past time or projection of future time should ignore its prying demands and grudging allowances."

-Robert Grudin, from Time and the Art of Living

More pictures of Songnisan National Park

2006-06-21T21:42:00.000+09:00

At Boepjusa temple

Giant bronze Buddha at Boepjusa temple

Biro sanjang, where I stayed the night (in the small cabin on the left).

My hiking buddy, Mr. Kim

Sanchae bibimbap

Am I a kid?

2006-06-21T07:54:00.000+09:00

I like Abby's Book Nook in Itaewon not only because of all the used English books there but also because Abby, the self-assertive and adorable Korean-American daughter of the owner, never fails to give me a laugh. The first time she was there, I walked in and began browsing at a shelf near the front counter where her and her mother were sitting. I waved at her and she gave me a perplexed look and asked, "Are you a kid?"

I answered, "No...I'm not a kid. Are you a kid?"

To which she replied, with a serious look on her face, "I am a kid, but if you're not one, then why are you so short?"

On another occasion, I overheard her approach a 50-something man who was reading with a cup of coffee and ask if he wanted to play chess. He seemed somewhat uncomfortable with children and told her he didn't know how. "That's okay, it's easy!", she said as she set up the board, "What color do you want?" As I continued to search for the perfect book, I would hear overhear comments from Abby to the silent man, such as, "I can't believe you made that move! You should have..."

The last time I went to Abby's was to kill some time before meeting some friends for dinner. After a few minutes Abby came up and asked if she could draw a picture of me to add to her collection of masterpieces on the walls. I told her I only have five minutes. "I can do fast ones too," she told me as she plopped down on a red velvet chair and had me to take a seat across from her.

Well it seems she can...

Songnisan National Park

2006-06-19T22:46:00.000+09:00

***I have more pictures to post but they wouldn't load. Later.***

I love beams of light when you can see air particles floating around...

I spent Friday night in Suwon and then ended up at Suwon train station Saturday morning deciding where to go. I was going to randomly buy a ticket but I wanted go some place I hadn't yet visited so I briefly consulted my Lonely Planet and chose a KTX ticket to Daejeon, where I would take a bus to Songnisan National Park. According to LP, Songnisan means "remote from the mundane world mountains".

I love trains. I wouldn't mind taking a train trip for an entire day only to end up where I began. I don't mind bus trips either but trains are definitely my favorite. After my late start and then train/taxi/bus journey I finally arrived around 3:30 pm at Songnisan bus terminal.

As I walked towards the entrance of the Beopjusa temple I walked by a path of yellow ocher pebbles that you are supposed to walk on bare foot. I decided against it when I read this on the sign at the beginning: "It is good for festered wounds, athlete's foot and eczema..." Disgusting. I'll pass on festered wound pus-coated pebbles, thanks. I almost changed my mind though when I read that the yellow ocher, "can prevent various adult diseases such as old age..." Amazing, the possibilities for the remainder of my life now seem endless and... attainable!

I walked around Beopjusa temple and saw the giant bronze Buddha that was built after a previous giant stone Buddha began to deteriorate. After some time spent at Beopjusa I began up the trail, my destination being a mountain hut I noticed in the Lonely Planet where I was planning to spend the night. I followed two Buddhist nuns up a trail that led to a hermitage and then went back to the split in the road and took the right hand side towards the mountain hut. I stopped along the way and had dinner at one of the mountain places where amazing amounts of supplies are carried up on A-frame carriers by hunched-over men and women. It was a delicious meal of sanchae bibimbap, kimchi, cold cucumber soup, and these yummy peanuts in some sort of sticky maple syrypy-like sauce.

I got to the mountain hut, which was surprisingly nice looking. A woman came up and offered me a glass of water and a growth stunted banana. She said (I thought) sa cheon won (4,000 won) for the night (breakfast included!) but then after I was pulled out the third crinkled note and went for the coins she started saying, No, no! Sa man won (40,000)! Not good, not good at all since I only had 12,000 won on me. She asked for my travel guide and I pulled out an my 2001 Lonely Planet (I had lent Barb my more recent Moon Guide for her week trip to Busan). She yelled at me for having an old book and showed me the new Lonely Planet guide that clearly lists the price for her father's privately owned sanjang. No sleeping squished up in a big unheated room with a bunch of strangers here! Private rooms, ondol heating, showers and free breakfast (no wonder it was free) all for the price of 40,000 won per room. She laughed at me and said, "30,000 won discount, you tell all your friends to stay!" So here is the promised plug: If you're going to Songnisan, stay at Biro sanjang for a great room and even greater hospitality! (30,000 W Monday-Thurs, 40,000 Fri/Sat.)

The owners daughter knocked on my room around 9 pm and invited me to come out to the fire they had just built. I came out and shared a beer with a couple other hikers. They were 30 years old, had gone to university together and both majored in philosophy. They were cooking samgapsal and couldn't understand why I wouldn't eat it (who doesn't love pork?). A very choppy lesson on Seoul/Busan language differences, a couple shots of soju and some kimchi later I headed to my very comfortable and private bedroom for the night.

The next morning as I was getting ready to leave a Korean man asked if he could hike with me to the top. He ended up being my hiking buddy for the entire day. His name is Mr. Kim, he's 50 years old (but looks closer to 30), a bank manager, and has a 21 year old son and a wife who doesn't like to hike. If I was quiet too long he would say, "Say something!", like he was either uncomfortable with silence or wanting to practice his English language skills.

It was a fun day. Mr. Kim and I had an ice cream for breakfast and then before even 11 am we had an impromptu picnic of kimbap and Cass with a friendly ajumma going the opposite way. Ice cream, kimpab and beer: breakfast of champions! When I heard maekju (beer) in their conversation I thought I had mistaken it for miekju (chewy candy). I used to wonder why my students talked about beer so much.

The hiking was good on Songnisan. We made it to the top of some rock, I saw a freakish squirrel and then we went back down the "not-common way". On the way down we saw three foreigners going up and Mr. Kim got excited and told me to talk to them. "Hello," I said.

"Hi," they responded.

"Where were they from?!" Mr. Kim wanted to know. I started laughing and he didn't know why.

Freaky squirrel

A weird observation I get from Korean people is that I have "a very small face and small features." They seem to be fascinated with the smallness and I get comments about it fairly often. For some reason my face must have shrunk this weekend because I heard it from about 10 different people on Sunday. It makes me think of these really old shrunken heads I saw in a museum in fifth grade that were decapitated and filled with hot sand. Their faces were perfectly proportioned and their eyes were sewn shut. Creepy. But I digress.

A good day had by all on Songnisan mountain. Or at least me. Mr. Kim finally learned the difference between "clergy" and "clerk" and what it means to "have a short fuse". (I have a long fuse, he said.) I said goodbye to Mr. Kim (who stopped by a convenient store and then stuffed 2 beers in my backpack) and then walked to the bus terminal.

I hitched a ride on a charter bus full of a very enthusiastic Seoul hiking club. I had met some of them at a rest area on the mountain and they said they were going to Sadang station, which is 20 minutes from my apartment. They offered me a ride on their bus. Sweet. Nice people. Good weekend.

Another sunset from a bus.

World Cup Red Devil's

2006-06-16T07:50:00.000+09:00

For those of you out there living on another planet or America the soccer World Cup is going on right now in Germany and South Korea is OBSESSED. I'm seeing red. Everywhere. The first Korea match was on Tuesday night against Togo. All week my students have been all geared out in their red shirts, bandannas, and devil horns in support of their team. (Supporters for the Korean team have been given the nickname 'Red Devils'.)

The first game I watched was on Monday night, Australia vs. Japan. I watched the game at Beer Valley while sharing a pitcher of beer with some co-workers. The Koreans in the bar went wild with cheers every time Australia scored. I know zilch about soccer, but I think the Australian coach used to be a coach for Korea...? Anyways, let's hope this is where the cheers where originating from and they weren't just "beat Japan" cheers, but I'm not convinced.

On Tuesday in class my students were all excited about staying up late to watch Korea's first match against Togo. In my afternoon class we played the telephone game (or Chinese whispers) and I started it out by whispering to the first kid, "Togo is the best soccer team in the world!" Wow, they really didn't like that very much! You should have seen the fantastic reaction I got! I didn't feel too bad about picking on their team after what they told me at the beginning of class...

Timmy had been absent for the last two classes and I asked the class if he was sick or if they knew where he was. Dorothy dramatically started telling me, "Timmy, ummm, he was... bicycle. Riding. Street, ummm... Car... CRASH!!" With the hand motions to go with it.

"Timmy die," The class told me.

I ran out to the desk teacher and asked her if Timmy had been run over by a car and killed. Her eyes got wide and she ran into the class and inquired. After 30 seconds of explanation by the students, the desk teacher railed into them and then turned to me and said, "Liars," before slamming the door, disturbed by the deceitful little midgets. As was I.

They became "Togo boys and girls" for the rest of class. They didn't like that very much. Maybe they won't lie about their classmates getting RUN OVER anymore now.

That night I stayed home and watched the game from my room. (I know, I know. I'll watch the next one at a more festive location.) The commentary was in Korean and I got bored before the first half was even over so I turned the volume down and read with the TV on. It turned out to be perfect this way: Every time Korea was close to scoring, I could hear the cheers on the street get progressively louder and know to look in time to see the highlights of the game. You should have heard the commotion from the street when Korea scored! Cheers, screams, clapping, horns honking, and no doubt soju glasses clinking behind it all. I put the TV on mute so I could hear the jubilation live. It was great. So Korea won and all the Koreans were delighted and honked their horns in tune to a soccer cheer all night long as they drove down the street right outside my window.

Lazy weekend

2006-06-15T14:45:00.000+09:00

Beautiful. What the weather was not like last weekend.

This picture is from Bukhansan National Park in northeast Seoul on a Sunday a few weeks ago when the city looked fake and dreamlike without the usually compulsory layer of dull smog/fog/yellow dust draping itself over the Seoul skyline. Unlike the beautiful weather we had that day, last weekend was overcast and rainy. It was especially rainy on Saturday when Barbara and I had planned on going from Incheon to Muiido island for some beach-time and an island party later in the evening.

We went to Incheon despite the drab sky, hoping it would brighten up by the time we arrived. The sky was still dark when we got off the subway in Incheon so we stopped for lunch in China Town, where I ordered of the "vegetarian" menu. I was shocked to find such a thing in Korea but the excitement was short-lived when I received my lovely "vegetarian" rice dish with small cubes of ham impossibly mingling with the rice.

We came out of the restaurant and the sky looked long overdue for a storm. Lightening and thunder had already started and all that was missing was the rain, which came down in sheets minutes before we reached shelter. We huddled under a small umbrella under a tree while the fattest rain drops to ever piss down on Korea (since I've been here) continued to find their way, via the wind, under our half-ass shelter. We braved it for a taxi when we noticed a pause in the downpour but we soon discovered the sky was merely catching her breath for an even stronger bout of rain. We were drenched by the time we pulled the collapsed umbrella into the taxi and settled into our puddles on the seat. At least the taxi driver found it amusing.

Barbara and I dried out in a DVD bang where we proceeded to watch three movies, pig out on junk food, and disagree on which movies to watch. We ended up watching Silmido, Requiem for a Dream, and Alfie. My laziest Saturday in Korea ended up being lots of fun. Leaving a dark room where you've been watching the highlights of other people's lives play across a screen all day does leave you feeling kind of displaced though.

After our movie/food fest we went to a salt water sauna near Yonnan pier to soak and relax after a stressful day of doing nothing. We slept (as usual when sleeping at a sauna) on the floor in a room full of sprawling Koreans with blocks of wood for pillows. It wasn't quite what Barbara was expecting in terms of the sleeping arrangements and I don't know if she'll do it again but she made it through one night at least.

Sunday wasn't as bad but it was still overcast and rain drizzled down periodically throughout the day. We went to Hwagyesa and made it in time for two of the mediation sessions and then a dharma talk by Bo Haeng Sunim. He's the damned funniest monk I've ever met!

After the temple I met a couple friends for dinner at Everest for some Nepalese/Tibetan/Indian food and then a walk along the Cheongyecheon stream.

Here's to better weather this upcoming weekend.

2006-06-12T14:29:00.000+09:00

"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not in Kansas anymore...

2006-06-11T22:42:00.000+09:00

Barb and I at Soraksan

Remembrance Day

2006-06-10T08:06:00.000+09:00

Tuesday was a holiday so I took the chance to show Barbara around Seoul a bit. We started in Insadong by going to eat vegetarian temple food at Sanchon. Afterwards we walked to Tapgol Park and hung out with the old men in the gazebo. One man was telling us how he was born in Pyongyang and was separated from his family during the Korean war. He fought in the war and showed us a scar on his leg where he was hit with a bullet. He said he doesn't know what happened to his parents or even if they are alive still. Similar conversations happen all the time to keep me acutely aware that the war is not over.

After Tapgol Park we walked around Insadong some more, taking time to stop into the Old Teashop, where small birds fly around inside. After tea, we went to Dongnimmun station and walked up Mt. Ingwansan. We sat on a rock above Seonbawi with a view of the city below us and the sun setting behind us. We continued up further and stopped to look around and realized a shaman mourning ceremony was going on right next to us. A woman was chanting and sobbing uncontrollably as she threw the clothes of her deceased loved one into a fire.

The fortress wall and hazy view of Seoul

Sun setting behind Mt. Ingwansan

Sleeping under the stars at Soraksan

2006-06-08T22:12:00.000+09:00

As you can clearly see from the picture above, Soraksan was just as beautiful as it has been in the previous two seasons and this time I got to enjoy it with Barbara, who came all the way from Kansas to visit for a month! We left Friday night right after class and caught a bus to Yangyang in order to enter Soraksan via Osaek from the south side, which was a new route for me. The bus dropped us off at a small stop after dark with no chance of making it to Osaek for the night (unless we wanted to pay for a cab). We walked around until we found a minbak to sleep for the night.

The next morning we took what would end up being our last shower before 60 hours of shower-free mountain-climbing, stream-drinking and outdoor-living. We walked through Osaek and tasted the mineral water in the stream and went to a very small Buddhist temple before heading on our way to South Korea's third highest peak, Daechangbong. We walked at a leisurely pace and took several breaks to enjoy the scenery and catch our breath. It was an exhausting, but very beautiful hike.

We continued past Daechangbong and near sunset ended up at a mountain hut in the middle of the mountains with a several hour hike either way to get back to civilization. We collapsed at a picnic table shared with other Koreans, and Barb and I finally relaxed now that our long day of hiking was over and we had made it to our destination for the night. Too early for relaxing though, as I learned a minute later when went to pay for two spaces on the wood floor in the hut and found out they were all booked up. I've previously stayed in two other huts on Soraksan and didn't even consider we would encounter a problem with availability. To put it quite simply, we were screwed and the man in charge wouldn't succumb to our pleading and offer us even a blanket or a spot on the bathroom floor.

It wouldn't have been so bad if we would have had sleeping bags, a tent, or jackets, but needless to say, we didn't. We tried not to think about it as we ate our dinner, which was a mistake. We should have been scouting out a place to sleep for the night. When the darkness had completely enveloped us it stirred Barbara up and she went storming off to the man in charge who spoke no English. I just waited, expecting her to come back even more pissed off. To my surprise, five minutes later she walked up with a smile and 2 musty smelling, slightly damp blankets that would offer us protection for the night. Now that we had blankets to ward off the cold I was actually excited about the prospect of sleeping under the stars deep in the mountains! Barbara didn't share my enthusiasm but that didn't stop her from hysterically laughing with me at our situation on a few occasions before bed.

When it was time for bed (which was very early after a full day of hiking) we found a nice slab of concrete on the side of the cabin that offered us a short ledge of protection on one side. We put all of our clothes on, wrapped sarongs around us, put one of the blankets down as a pad and one as a blanket and curled up together for warmth. We slept like that all night, turning together whenever the concrete digging into our shoulders and hips began to bother one of us. I woke up at one point and saw the sky filled with stars. Nothing quite beats the ceiling provided when sleeping outside...

Paragliding in Korea

2006-06-05T19:45:00.000+09:00

Ben, right before he flew into a tree on the side of the mountain.

Last Tuesday night, the night before the Election Day holiday, I took a bus to Dangjin in hopes of going on a paragliding trip the next day with Ben if the weather cooperated. The weather seemed perfect when we woke up at 6:30 am; we arrived at Pyeongtaek bus station by 8:45 am and a member of the paragliding group was waiting in his car to pick us up. We pulled in to Danyang, the base camp for our final destination of Sobaeksan National Park, around 11:30 am.

Most of the people on the trip were members of the paragliding group and had previously jumped before. I had never been and was hoping to do a tandem jump with "Teacher". After watching everyone practice and then one by one jump off (including the one other person I could fully communicate with) I got my chance. Teacher called me over to the edge and started outfitting me for the jump. I nearly could have fit two of my heads into the helmet.

I was patiently awaiting some rudimentary instruction of some sort to be translated through a combination of elementary English, hand signals, and basic Korean that I could understand. A good breeze comes and Teacher catches it with the parachute, bringing the huge tandem contraption into the air. "Front-a, front-a!", he yells, as I'm trying to figure out if I should run or stay still.

Before I had time to mentally prepare, we were off, but it was no smooth sailing yet. Teacher was a bit frantic, yelling at me to do something with my hands but I had no idea where to put them. I tried a couple different places, which were confirmed as wrong by the incomprehensible shouts of Teacher. Finally my hands were right but now he was yelling for me to sit down, "Anja, anja!". I thought I was sitting down but apparently I wasn't far enough back in the bucket seat attached to my pack.

At last, I could relax and enjoy the view. My adrenaline was pumping, mostly because I thought I was going to be the cause of a tandem crash into the beautiful but unforgivable trees and rocks below. Thankfully I wasn't so I could catch my breath and enjoy the ride down. It was very similar to skydiving after you open the chute: turning in circles, catching the wind, feeling weightless.

We were in the air around 7 minutes when we started to get close to the river below. We did one more big 360 over it and started heading towards the rock covered edge. Fast. I thought we would do one more loop before landing but now the small boulders were fast approaching and I had no control. I could only await my fate and hope for the best.

I was in front and hit first. The parachute went in front of us and pulled us on our stomachs, Teacher on top of me, dragging us in the rocks for a couple seconds. We came to a stop and I spit out the chalky dirt that had flown into my mouth. I came out with a couple scratches and a ripped shirt but no serious injuries.

"Good jump. Bad land," Teacher said. I agree, it was an amazing jump! I'm glad I had the opportunity to do it once before I left the country. Some advice for anyone considering paragliding in Korea: If you're a thrill seeker and want to really send the adrenaline pumping through your body, do a tandem jump with someone who doesn't speak your language with absolutely no prior instruction.

Everyone came back up for one more jump. I read and took a nap in the sun. When I woke up I thought everyone had jumped and for a minute I thought I would have to go around asking if anyone knew where a waygook, "Teacher", and some girl who went by "Ugly Dog" were. Learning Korean names is not a strong point of mine.

Me with Teacher, not knowing what the hell I'm doing...

Ben's successful first jump of the day.

3,000 bows

2006-06-02T09:27:00.000+09:00

Early Saturday evening I somehow found myself walking sans umbrella through light rain and rumbling thunder on the road to Hwagyesa. I was sitting on the steps out front when Bo Haeng Sunim drove up and asked me what I was doing here. I said truthfully, "I don't know."

"Good Answer," he replied, "Take your backpack to room 1-3. Be upstairs for 6:00."

By chance, I happened upon the last Saturday of the month, the day of every month when 3,000 bows are done from 9:00 pm- 3:30 am. I didn't realize this until Bo Haeng Sunim mentioned it, once I arrived I assumed I would do meditation, chanting and bowing on the regular Kyol Che schedule. Nothing crazy like 3,000 bows without any mental preparation.

At 6:00 I went upstairs for chanting and then at 7:00 for one hour of sitting. The hour felt like two and at the end I thought I was going to fall asleep. I had an hour before bowing to rest but I couldn't sleep so I layed down and wondered if I shouldn't just stay in my room.

Of course, I didn't. What follows is my (perhaps overly dramatic) experience of 3,000 bows.

Around 100 people came to the temple for bowing that night. We were in the main Buddha hall on the 3rd floor of the temple. A monk at the front keeps count by hitting a stick before each bow. Kwan Seum Bosal is continually being chanted. The 6 1/2 hours is split into 6 sessions with short breaks in between and a 30 minute break at the halfway point.

8 bows- I lost count of bows. Everything hereafter is an estimate.

20 bows- This isn't so bad.

180 bows- I look at the clock for the first time and think the glowing red 9:17 must be a joke. I was expecting it to be closer to 9:40.

300 bows- The robe and pants I was given to wear are hot and slightly itchy. I look around jealously at everyone in a T-shirt. Sweat is starting to bead up and roll down my neck and forehead. Some hot drops fall with me as I bow down and I watch them soak into the pink cushion. They also go into my eyes, salty and burning, making my vision a blur. A drop is perched atop my nose, teasing me for several bows until it falls to it's death. I wipe my forehead and after the next bow leave four fingerprints behind. Why didn't I bring my water bottle?

400 bows- I'm right next to a door and I want to kiss the woman who finally opens it to let in a breeze. The rain is still falling lightly and lightening flashes intermittently bringing me back to the moment.

Lots of thinking during the first period. What am I doing on Sunday night? What am I doing on Election Day Wednesday? What do I need to do before my friend arrives on Wednesday from Kansas? What am I doing after I leave Korea? Do I need a visa for Malaysia? My Lonely Planet Malaysia will be here next week! I have to start researching. I only have 3 months left before I leave! I can't believe how fast it has gone. That means only 13 more weekends! Holy shit, most of them are going to be out-of-town, that means only a couple more weekends in Seoul! What should I do on my week vacation in August? Jeju-do maybe... And on and on and on... Incessant interlinking thoughts, many that aren't fit for a temple or this blog.

700 bows- I notice a small blister on my left middle finger from pushing off the wood floor as I stand up.

800 bows- My legs have become as sturdy as ramyeon. Which, by the way, sounds delicious since I didn't eat dinner tonight.

900 bows- The blister breaks open. I try to start bowing without using my hands for support, which is how I should have been doing it from the start.

1500 bows- I close my eyes for the first time and start chanting Kwan Seum Bosal. My thinking has slowed down considerably and I forget about my legs hurting.

At the halfway point we get a 30 minute break. Someone brings rice cakes in (the red bean kind that misleadingly look like brownies) and there is a huge container of some sort of sweet tea that everyone drinks out of bowls. I walk downstairs to my room and my legs are involuntarily shaking. At 12:30 am we start up again.

Somewhere during the last three periods I started to have what I would call auditory hallucinations-- The chant "Kwan Seum Bosal" morphed into something about time (endless time, pointless time?) for about 30 minutes and then something with "cross skull" in it. If I focused on it, I could bring Kwan Seum Bosal back, but I didn't really care either way by that point. My thinking had dramatically slowed down during the last half. In order to finish I had to exert all my energy towards the bows with hardly anything left for any thinking.

3000 bows- The three clacks at almost 3:30 am signaled the end. I hobbled down the stairs and to my room to crash.

Sunday I could hardly walk. At one point while I was sleeping Sunday night I woke up and it took me a complete minute to turn over to my stomach. Reasons and reflections on 3,000 bows will come later. No time now. I'm going to Soraksan tonight after class with Barb, who came all the way from Kansas to see me!

2006-05-30T14:33:00.000+09:00

Virgil James Bieniek

Jun. 28, 1981- May. 30, 1997

Gone from our sight, but never our memories----

Gone from our touch, but never our hearts.

2006-05-24T23:20:00.000+09:00

"I believe in nothing, everything is sacred. I believe in everything, nothing is sacred."

-Tom Robbins

Dangjin

2006-05-23T20:58:00.000+09:00

The dog hair-dying fad has reached Dangjin

This weekend I went to Dangjin where my friend Ben lives, located an hour an a half bus ride southwest of Suwon. Around 120,000 people live in Dangjin county but it's a cowtown compared to Seoul. There are only 4 English teachers living in the city and there is a definitely a more curious vibe from the people than you get living in Seoul or Anyang.

What is there to do in a small town in Korea? Well in this particular town, probably not unlike many small towns in America, it involves BB guns, roman candles and beer. I was starting to get nostalgic memories of being back in Kansas at the Ranch... We also went to the market on Saturday where I saw freshly slaughtered pigs being thrown out the back of a truck and then chopped into pieces for sale, something I can happily say I've never before seen.

The most entertaining thing about Dangjin was walking around and watching the wide-eyed and sometimes horrified expressions on the faces of passing children when 6' 2" scraggly-bearded, long curly-haired Ben passed into their field of vision. These kids rarely see foreigners and Ben doesn't exactly blend into a crowd. Sometimes the middle school kids would run up and shout, "Jesus, Jesus!", or something about his beard or his height before running away. The younger ones would just stare with intense curiosity unless Ben caught them, in which case they would quickly avert their eyes and turn away.

At the market in Dangjin

Squid at the market in Dangjin

New photos

2006-05-19T14:32:00.000+09:00

I forgot my memory card last weekend when I went to DoekJeokdo island but I bought a cheap disposable camera before I left Incheon. I love the convenience of my digital camera and the instant gratification it provides but it was actually fun to only have one shot and not know how it turned out until later. It was exciting picking up the film yesterday (even though the 27 shot camera was crap and only gave me 17). I found out you can get a CD made even from disposable cameras, how fun! So I just posted new pics below on the Doekjeokdo post.

The attention grabber above is the second crazy naked guy I've seen in Seoul. The streets were packed in Insadong on Sunday and this guy was walking towards me parting the sea of walkers like he was on fire. Korean boyfriends rushed to shield their girlfriend's virgin eyes and cameras clicked. From what I gathered, he was a religious extremist preaching to the crowds. He had three thick cross-shaped scars on his abdomen and chest.

Okay, gotta run! I have two more classes and then I'm outta here... Going to some country town for the night southwest of here.

Everyday Earthday

2006-05-18T14:40:00.000+09:00

Sunday in Insadong I saw a crowd gathered around this guy painting green designs straight on to the T-shirts people were wearing. His name is Hoseob Yoon, he is an environmentalist and an artist. As the paint was soaking through to my leg from the leaves he was painting on my pants, he told me his paints are all natural and to prove it he took a lick from his paint-covered finger. I think he will be in Insadong every Sunday throughout summer. He's an interesting character and it's entertaining to watch him paint (or be painted).

2006-05-18T14:26:00.000+09:00

"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this."

Henry David Thoreau

Doekjoekdo

2006-05-16T23:01:00.000+09:00

DoekJoekdo- Seopori beach

Last Friday night I took the subway to Incheon and relaxed the night away at a salt water sauna. Saturday morning I went to the Yeonun Ferry terminal and without checking times beforehand luckily made one of the only two ferries to Deokjeokdo island leaving at 8:45 am. A group of Korean men sitting in front of me were forcing shots of soju on one another the entire length of the trip, which they used to wash down kimbap and dried squid. Ah, the smell (or thought) of soju in the morning. There's nothing quite like it.

The trip took about an hour and as I stepped off the ferry a loud eccentric ajumma directed the only other foreigners and myself to the bus bound for Seopori beach. From our conversation on the bus it was soon made clear that she was wanting our business for her minbak (room rented in her house). From the bus she linked arms with me (the others had escaped) and nearly dragged me the short walk to a minbak despite my protests. She was quite a character, a feisty old country lady who only seemed to know one word of English, "Okay!" Everything I said I received an exuberant, "Okay!" in reply. She asked more than I had or wanted to spend for the room and I had to turn her down much to her disappointment.

I walked along the beach, endlessly fascinated by it in a way only a landlocked girl from Kansas could ever relate to. For lunch I had spicy kimchi jiggae and then went for a nap on the beach to sleep off my lunch in the sun. Some kids playing in the sand on the nearly deserted beach woke me up after I was sufficiently rested.

I decided to take a hike up to the highest peak on the island. On my way towards the trail the crazy lady crossed my path and changed direction to walk with me. Along the way we passed her house, which was different from the other room she offered earlier, and she said I could stay for 20,000 Won plus rice for dinner. Deal. I dropped off some stuff and continued on my hike.

Most trails in Korea are very clearly marked and well-traveled. This one was
uncharacteristically faint and as my mind wandered, so did my feet, straight off the path. My over-active imagination conjured up the path every once in awhile but I'm quite sure it was never really there. It wasn't so bad going up without a path, besides the unforgiving thorn bushes and sticky spiders webs that were attracted to my face.

The peak was a great view of the island with a cool breeze all to myself that I enjoyed by standing on the highest rock, arms spread, and head towards the sky. I stayed up there sitting on the rock for awhile and then looked for the trail back down. I saw a trail going down the opposite side and an arrow pointing towards the side I just came up written in hangul. I thought it must have said "trail this way" but after about 2 minutes down that way I decided it definitely said "NO TRAIL HERE".

The way down was a bitch. It was as if Mother Nature had taken the top layer off the forest floor, shaken it up, threw it down, covered it with a layer of dead leaves, leaving it perfectly unstable for a girl alone in the woods. Plus, every tree I went to grab for support after stepping on one of the wobbly boulders was inevitably dead and of no use for any supporting. I sent more than one boulder thundering down the hill leading me to wonder what would happen if one injured me and left me alone for a(n) night/week/indeterminable amount of time. I went sliding down a couple times, thorn bushes giving me a couple of good cuts.

Eventually, of course, I made it out and back to crazy lady's house. She had dinner ready and waiting for me at the table in her kitchen. We sat on the floor and ate fresh vegetables, mushrooms, kimchi and rice and a pot of some animal that I politely declined. Her cat strolled by and she pointed and said, "Koyangi", telling me the Korean word for "cat". I said, "Yonga, 'CAT'". She points to her pet and excitedly says, "Cata, Cata!" while presumably laughing at the joy of learning a new word. She was a funny old lady who talked to me throughout dinner while I answered at every pause with an "okay".

After dinner she says, "Copi, sauna", and sent me to on my way for... Coffee at a sauna? I have no idea what the hell she was talking about but I went for a walk anyways. I met some other foreigners on the island who all seemed to be eating at the same small restaurant and we decided to gather on the beach for a bonfire after sunset.

No matter the season, beaches in Korea are always full of fireworks and Saturday night was no exception. It got cold once the sun set but the fire was warm and the soju made it warmer. There will certainly be more bonfires on the beach before I leave Korea. Doekjoekdo is a perfect island getaway from Seoul, but some advice for anyone planning the trip: Bring enough money for the ferry ride back, there are no ATM's on the island...

Working in the garden.

Gazebo at the top.

View from the top. Seopori beach and my minbak are below.

Going back down through this. In sandals.

Teacher's Day

2006-05-15T20:10:00.000+09:00

Today was Teacher's Day but they made us go to work. If they wanted to really show us how much we're appreciated they should have given us the day off but that's just my irrelevant opinion. Most of the students brought gifts and cards, my absolute favorite being the card from Sebastian's mom that's pictured above:

To: Aly Teacher
It does as a favor
the Sebastian pretty,
from thank you.
Please plentifully pretty
Sebastian and teach carefully
like now.
Sebastian said "I love Aly teacher
Aly teacher Good!"
Congratulations for teacher's Day. Good luck!!
-Sebastian's Mom

Wow. That's poetry if I've ever heard it. I finally managed to twist my tongue around those strategically placed delicately written words and I still don't comprehend it. It's deep, real deep. I've always thought Sebastian had a bit of genius hiding underneath that uber-trendy curly perm of his and now I have the document to back it up. Tears of joy (laughter) I cried as I opened up the chic box the card was attached to to find a silver bowl to hold...Candy? Potpourri? The rest of my weird gifts?

Today is the perfect occasion to discuss the differences of gift giving in this country. Not so much when or how the gift is given but what is actually considered appropriate to give someone you do not know personally (I'm talking about the parents here). I got hair conditioning spray from Melody. A huge tacky, sparkly (but nonetheless, expensive) watch from Mark. And Lancome liquid eyeliner from Tony. Eyeliner. I'm serious here. I don't wear eyeliner now, but there was a time (in my oh-so-distant past) that I did and I don't think I'm out of line to say that eyeliner is a frickin' weird gift. From a best friend, maybe, but that's even pushing it. Other similarly strange gifts that I've seen at the school include: foundation, pantyhose, feminine man scarves, and underwear. The good intention is definitely there and these items are usually on the expensive side but to me it's so strange sending such personal things as gifts.

Besides the few unusual and several unfunctional gifts I received, I also got a few very nice ones that will actually be used. Among those include Aveda hand creme from Sophia, some other undoubtedly expensive lotion from Andy, and seaweed and rice soap from Tony. The most humble gift was an origami flower made by Jay and a homemade card that said, "I love you Aly Teacher!" Now that says Happy Teacher's Day far better than any eyeliner ever could.

Storytelling

2006-05-12T09:23:00.000+09:00

In my afternoon classes at the end of class I've started telling the students stories about something (anything) that happened to me recently. It's a really good way for them to practice their English conversational skills-- during the story they always have plenty of questions about vocabulary they don't understand or other questions about the story. Besides being a great learning tool, the students love hearing them and I get to be a complete drama queen and reenact exciting moments in the story.

Not surprisingly, the more suffering I endure in the story, the more the students want to hear more. They absolutely love to hear about me in embarassing situations or about me getting hurt. The more bruises to authenticate the details, the better.

The first story I told them was about what was supposed to be an uneventful trip to the grocery store on my bicycle before class. It wouldn't have been story-worthy if I had the skill or the coordination to ride a bike with a bag of groceries dangling off each of the handle bars, but I don't. I did alright weaving through all the school children and people on their way to work who were unknowningly taking up the entire bike path. (I'm very appreciative my bike came with a bell, I haven't yet mastered how to say in Korean, Coming up behind you, move it or lose it!)

I was almost home, I made it within mere meters of my apartment building, but when I braked to stop and swung my legs over the bike the imbalance of the groceries caused me and my bike to topple over. Hard. Damn it was good fall and no one was even there to laugh at me. I have several bruises to back that one up and so did my produce. At least something good came out of it, the kids absolutely loved hearing about it!

My student's favorite story though is definitely from two weekends ago when got locked out of a friends apartment. (Now imagine me telling this really slowly, using overly simplistic words and lots of acting out with my hands.) I had gone out in Hyewha with a couple new friends to a fun bar. (I start dancing and singing for the kids.)

Relatively early in the night I decide I'm too tired to stay any longer and decide to catch a cab back to my friends house. (yawn.) I fall asleep in the cab and wake up at her apartment. (I lay down on the table and start snoring, jerk awake, and then pay the imaginary cab driver.) I go up the 12 flights in an elevator (ding!) and start searching my pockets for her key that she entrusted to me. Coins, chapstick, ticket stub...no key! I had on cargo pants and searched every one of the several pockets before literally freaking out. I scream at the top of my lungs as I throw everything from my pockets on to the floor (at this point I was saying some four letter words best left out in the youngster version). I uselessly pounded on the door and fell to a heap at the bottom of it.

I wouldn't have freaked out so much but I left my backpack in my friend's apartment, along with my money, my handphone, my phone numbers, and my jacket. So I was completely helpless. And I didn't know the area at all. I went downstairs and asked the apartment security guy and he shook his head and waved his hand back and forth, which translated quite clearly to me as, "you're screwed."

So I went back up to the twelfth floor and after a few tears I picked up my coins and chapstick and layed down on the COLD, HARD floor. I had a T-shirt on and I was freezing. I tucked my arms into my shirt and tried to go to sleep. A couple times I woke up to the sound of my handphone ringing. The rest of the time I was in and out of sleep. (This is all being acted out in front of the classroom door.) It was on of the coldest nights I've spent in a long time. I won't be forgetting it soon.

I woke up and went outside and the sun was up. It was 5:45 am and I tried a different (friendly) security guard this time who called someone and told me to go back up to the room and wait. A locksmith finally came and 30 minutes and 30,000 won later I was happily asleep on a soft couch under 2 very thick blankets.

The kids loved it. Like I said before, the more suffering, the better. It could have been much worse, but then again, it can always be worse no matter what the situation.

Typical George

2006-05-11T14:07:00.000+09:00

Gyeryeongsan mountains

2006-05-09T22:16:00.000+09:00

Peak at Gyeryeongsan

On Friday I went hiking at the sacred mountains of Gyeryongsan in Chungcheongnam-do province near Daejeon. It has been long believed that the Gyeryong mountains emanate a very strong mystical energy. Because of this many Buddhists, shamans, Christians and others have built temples, shrines and churches here.

The bus dropped me off near Donghaksa temple. The outside speakers at the small convenience store near the bus stop were ironically playing 'Jingle Bell Rock' (which managed to lodge itself into my head for the remainder of the day). I walked to the temple and stopped there to have a look at the Buddha's birthday festivities.

Bathing baby Buddha at Donghaksa

Donghaksa

A family with two young kids adopted me for lunch at the temple, beckoning me to follow them to a suitable spot on the grass for a lunch of bibimbap. After bibimbab we had tomatoes, bananas and melons and I smiled as they took pictures of me with their hand phones individually with every member of the family. After thanking them for their hospitality I moved on to the trail. I hiked towards Nammaetap, a set of "brother-sister" pagodas, and then towards Gapsa temple. I sidetracked the trail to Gapsa for awhile to climb some steep stairs to a peak with a view. It was worth it.

The trail from the peak to Gapsa was far less crowded than the earlier trail I had been on. A middle aged Korean man and I were going the same pace for a while and he asked me where I was going (in Korean). I told him Gapsa and he replied, "Same, same," (a phrase that every English teacher here has certainly heard hundreds of times in the classroom). "Together," he said. Without looking for one, I found myself a hiking companion. He hardly spoke English and every time I would say something in Korean it would send him into an amused fit of the giggles. We made our way mostly in silence through the brilliant green trees, eventually making a short stop at a small temple for him to do bows.

Playing Korean chess

Right before Gapsa he asked me if I wanted to stop at a small teashop alongside a stream and surrounded by trees off to the left of the trail. Of course I did. The only tea I recognized in hangul was omijacha (5 tastes tea) and he ordered two cold cups of it. As we were resting and savoring the tea I told him I was planning on going to Yeoseong and asked if there was a bus. He said there wasn't and a taxi would cost 50,000 Won. I started doing the motions for hitchhiking, trying to ask him if he thought it would be alright. (I assumed most people were going to Daejeon from Gyeryeongsan and Yeoseong is directly in the middle so I thought it would be a relatively easy task.) His look clearly said: You poor thing, how have you survived this long alone in this country without someone holding your hand the entire time? Not the reaction I was going for but I should have expected it.

After our tea we walked by the temple and out to the main parking lot. He asked around and to his relief more than mine, found out there was a bus to Yeoseong in one hour. He found out how much the fare was and then, ignoring my refusal, stuffed the small amount in my backpack, perhaps in hopes I would completely abandon the dangerous idea of hitchhiking.

Too much food

I ate dinner and read (Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami) while I waited for the bus, not really knowing what I was in for for the night. When I got off the stop in Yeoseong I caught a taxi to Jakwangsa temple where a friend was staying for the night. We watched a dharma talk and then had a chat with a monk before retiring for the evening.

I had a room to myself that night and slept with the windows open, the fresh mountain air reminding me of Colorado at the cabin. The smell of rain and the sound of the moktok woke me up early to Saturday morning. And the weekends only just begun.

Konglish sighting in Gangnam

2006-05-04T16:45:00.000+09:00

Who doesn't feel happy when they eat their friends?

This shirt provided a few laughs in Gangnam a couple weeks ago. For now, it's the weekend already and I'm on my way out the door to catch a train out of town. But tomorrow... Happy Buddha's Birthday, Children's Day, Cinco De Mayo, and most importantly, my Dad's birthday! Love you Dad!

Yeoido island cherry blossom hunt

2006-05-03T20:33:00.000+09:00

Yeoido "island" is in the middle of the Han river and home to Seoul's financial district, the 63 Building and supposedly one of the best spots in Seoul to enjoy the cherry blossoms in the spring. Saturday morning I made my way to Yeoido for the second time in a week. The first (and only) other time I went was on a field trip to the 63 Building with ten 4 year olds in my care. Saturday on Yeoido was far more relaxing without the mandatory head counts every 2 minutes, crying little ones, and rushing through a hot and overcrowded aquarium.

I started my search for cherry blossoms at Yeoido park. The park is home to an ecological forest, three ponds, a bicycle track, bike and skate rentals, and many perfect picnic spots that were being taken advantage of. The sun was shining and I decided to postpone my hunt for awhile while I enjoyed the weather under a tree behind the Kind Sejong statue.

After searching the entire park and then walking towards the National Assembly and then back again to the park I had only spotted a couple scattered cherry blossom trees, certainly not what everyone had been talking about. I was walking back through the park to the subway when I saw a large crowd gathered on the large rectangular basketball/skate area. There was a stage set up and people wearing sashes and carrying signs. It seemed to be a rally or protest for something. I saw a few men wearing white robes with long beards and also a few monks wandering amongst the crowd.

The parade of protest

I asked a woman what was going on but lack of common language prevented a complete explanation. Five minutes later the same woman came running up to me and pointed at her hand phone, "Englishe!" She said. A man on his hand phone came up to explain what the event was for.

He said that the Korean government has stopped recognizing acupuncture as a legitimate practice and is trying to disestablish the practice throughout Korea. The acupuncturist community throughout Korea is very upset about the governments new stance and organized a rally to gain support for the long held tradition, which they believe to be very beneficial and natural.

I told him I had never had acupuncture done and asked him what it was like. His face lit up and he yelled for a woman to come over to us. "You very lucky today," he said. "Many acupuncture masters are gathered here. She is one of best! Where do you have problem area?"

I shrugged and told him I didn't know of any specific problems. With her hands holding my wrist and then neck she did a diagnosis. She said I have circulation problems and also a slight problem with my liver and heart (could it possibly be from the Hoegaarden and hookah from the previous night..?).

She proceeded to stick several small square bandaids on my hands that had miniature needles attached. Then came the larger needles that were stuck in my chest, stomach, lower back, behind the knees, and the scariest but also the one with the least feeling, in the top of my head.

Making a diagnosis

Overall, it was a very quick and relatively painless process. I can't comment on the effectiveness because I have no idea how to tell, but I'm almost certain it did no harm. As far as I'm concerned (and I know absolutely nothing about acupuncture) the Korean government should leave the acupuncturists alone. If the people getting acupuncture believe it works, then it probably does. After all, the whole world is only in your mind...

The acupuncture master

I never found the cherry blossoms on Yeoido. Maybe the blossoms had already gone. Maybe I didn't go to the right park. It doesn't really matter though, it's all about what was found along the way.

Buddha's 2,550th Birthday

2006-05-02T20:52:00.000+09:00

Dongdaemun Stadium ceremony

Buddha's birthday is celebrated this Friday, May 5th but the biggest even took place Sunday night in the form of a huge parade marching from Dongdaemun Stadium to Jogyesa temple near Insadong. I went to Hwagyesa beforehand and listened to Hyon Gak Sunim give a dharma talk on war. His talk centered around something Seung Sahn Sunim said, "Ending war not possible, also not necessary (italics mine)." The talk was insightful and entertaining, full of the dramatic silences, Konglish phrases and repeats of his favorite stories that are characteristic of Hyon Gak Sunim. As a reply to a question about teaching and learning (after the first misunderstood answer of a long silence), Hyon Gak Sunim tried a more blatant approach, yelling as loud as possible something to the man along the lines of, "WHAT DO YOU WANT TO LEARN?! TELL ME! WHAT...DO...YOU...WANT...TO...LEARN?! EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW, YOU ALREADY HAVE RIGHT NOW!" There's one more reason to love Hyon Gak Sunim's dharma talks.

I asked Hyon Gak Sunim a question regarding his book, 'From Harvard to Hwagyesa', which is written only in Korean, without an English translation available. Perhaps I am being naive, but I am honestly curious why he wrote his book after listening to his dharma teachings. I realize it's only a teaching tool (all words are bullshit, right?), but then why not translate it into bullshit English as well?

"Why did you write a book and why only in Korean?" I asked.

He wittily answered, "To answer your first question, I wrote it for you. And only in Korean so you cannot read it." Laughter from the audience, and then, "Writing the book was mistake." And that was it. So now I know... sort of.

Click here to see a video clip of the parade.

After the dharma talk we all took the bus and then the subway to Dongdaemun Stadium where a ceremony was held before the parade that involved lots of showing off of elaborate robes and gowns, lanterns and dances.

I went to the parade thinking I would be watching from the sidelines but during the ceremony at the stadium I was given a flag (along with several other foreigners, Koreans, monks and nuns from Hwagyesa) to carry in the parade, to represent Seoul International Zen Center. Hwagyesa was towards the end of the procession and it went for about 2 hours. I met a few people throughout the day who frequent the temple, including a nun-in-training from Texas named Wan San (sp?) who originally came to Korea to teach English and a Korean girl named JY who has lived abroad for the last 16 years and says she's probably more of a foreigner than I am.

Throughout the parade I had some interesting conversations all the while feeling like somewhat of a celebrity marching past the cheering, waving, photo-snapping and smiling crowd. It was definitely the biggest event I've been to in Korea and I didn't even witness it all from my moving post near the end. That's the sacrifice you make when you take part in the festivities, but it was a small price to pay, I must say.

Hwagyesa marching

Smiling nun

Look familiar...?

2006-05-02T20:33:00.000+09:00

I wrote about this ad from KScene (an English magazine in Seoul targeted towards expats) in this post from October. Since then, the ad has caused quite an uproar from some Canadians that are seriously lacking a sense of humor. Quite a few people took the ad seriously and failed to notice the obviously satirical nature of the article. The Korea Herald wrote an article about it which only added to the fury of certain oversensitive Canucks. Strange enough, it came out on the same page as the article I wrote in the Herald on Hwagyesa...

Canadians banned from group for cultural understanding
An organization that promotes cultural understanding and brings together people from different nations is open for anyone in Seoul to join. Anyone that is, except Canadians. In a classified ad in KScene, a free biweekly magazine, World Class describes itself as a group that "brings together all nationalities to discuss world issues and break down cultural barriers and prejudices."Breaking down the prejudices, however, doesn't extend to all countries. "No Canadians please," the ad continues.When contacted by a Korea Herald reporter by e-mail, the organizer of the group, Bernard Carleton, elaborated further, "The thing is, CANADIANS ARE SCUM! They are self-loving, welfare supporting, over taxing, work ethic hating scum!!! They are not welcome in our group."Anyone who would like to join the meetings with Carleton in order to break down prejudices, dissolve stereotypes and have an enhanced understanding of people from other countries can contact him at: cbicsmd@yahoo.com

After several complaints, KScene removed the article, apologized and now says they will no longer print offensive ads.

Carthartidae revealed the (much suspected) inside scoop:

The truth was revealed to me by a (Canadian) friend who was, in fact, the "Bernard Carlton" mentioned in the original KH piece. According to him, the real organizer of the club was a (Canadian) friend of his, a person I've met a few times. He came up with the idea as a joke while chatting with friends over drinks at the Three Alley Pub in Itaewon. He scribbled out the ad and decided to send it in to KScene for shits and giggles.

In the latest (and probably last) turn of events, someone sent the article to Jay Leno and it appeared in an April episode of the Tonight Show. Who would have thought it would end up there? And now with all of that said, ENOUGH!

The Name Game

2006-04-26T21:11:00.000+09:00

In Gunsan, trees are flowering, sky is blue.

Friday night I got on a bus out of Seoul on my way to Heungcheonsa, a temple 3 hours south of Seoul in Gunsan. I arrived to Gunsan by 9:30 pm and spent the night at a jimjilbang. The circumstances behind this weekend trip were unusual. Through the far-reaching connections the internet has provided, I was informed recently that there was another woman in Korea that shares the same given name as me. She has since abandoned her English name and was recently ordained as a Buddhist nun, and is now known as Soen Joon Sunim. She has a blog at One Robe, One Bowl and an introduction can be found here. She is 26, from Colorado and is one of the most amazing people I have met in Korea (or elsewhere for that matter).

When I first arrived at the temple Saturday morning after meeting Soen Joon Sunim, we spent some time making lotus lanterns for Buddha's birthday (May 5th). While watching me separate the delicate leaves of paper, one of the sunims said I must have made lanterns before in a previous life and my past karma had brought me to Korea in this life. Quite an interesting thought.

Afterwards, I followed Soen Joon Sunim into the main hall and struggled to follow along while she chanted. How she has managed to memorize it all in Korean is beyond me, but even without understanding all of the words, it was beautiful.

The day began as overcast and drab but after lunch the clouds were gone and the sun was shining. A perfect day. For lunch we had tofu, vegetables and a fresh cilantro salad that will not be soon forgotten (I never see cilantro in Seoul and I seriously miss it). After lunch, we walked along the park trail that was sprinkled with cherry blossom petals and sporadically lined with flowers.

After our walk, Soen Joon Sunim spent the next few hours studying and I walked back up to the park alone and found a peaceful sunny spot, surrounded with cherry blossoms and overlooking downtown. The best naps for me are always outside and always on a sunny day. With a slight breeze blowing, the conditions were perfect and I took full advantage. When I woke up my mind was clear and refreshed and I did some catching up in my journal, which had been neglected for far too long.

After dinner I took off to Boryeong with a tentative plan to meet Soen Joon Sunim and some of the other nuns at Buddha's birthday parade next Sunday in Seoul.

Formerly known as Amanda Young... times two

Sunset from a bus

2006-04-25T14:49:00.000+09:00

...more from this weekend to come soon.

Random subway encounters

2006-04-20T17:51:00.000+09:00

Ninety percent of the time my head is buried in a book on the subway but sometimes I would rather sit and just be aware of my surroundings. During these times it never fails that a either a foreigner walks in and sits down next to me or the Korean next to me starts up a conversation. I've met some very friendly and also some very... interesting people on the trip north from anyone's.

When the train is full and I have the better part of an hour I usually go to the back of the last car and sit on the floor by the wall. (It's much easier to read sitting down.) I always get strange looks from everyone (especially the old men who often offer their own seat) but sometimes I even prefer to sit on the floor even when there are open seats.

Last Saturday I was sitting on the floor reading a book and a group of about 8 middle school students were standing and sitting in the chairs around me. One of them said "hi" in English and I said "hello" back in Korean to them. They all ended up sitting around me and asking me questions. As soon as they found out I was from America the most burning question they had was if everyone in America is fat. I told them that no, everyone is not fat but yes, America does have a serious problem with obesity and Korea will soon join the in the ranks if McDonald's and KFC openings continue at the same rate. We continued talking about fat Americans (they were obsessed) and then what Korean food I liked until we came to my stop. Then one of the girls linked arms with me and asked me (with her best puppy dog face) to stay on the train with them until their stop. They were all still waving as the train pulled away. Even though I spend several hours each weekday surrounded by kids, I can't seem to get enough of them.

A couple months ago I was at a bar in Itaewon and from across the room I spotted...my hair twin. Before that moment I didn't know such a person existed but as soon as I saw the nearly identical hairdo I was instantly convinced. I went up and introduced myself and the striking similarities were noted immediately by both parties. The kicker, he is a 26 year old gay man! Anyways, I got on the subway a few weeks later and he was sitting right across from me. And this was in Anyang! Weird.

A few weeks ago on a Friday night an older foreigner sat down beside me and within a few minutes started up a conversation by saying that all the Koreans sitting around us were "just like monkeys" and "all they care about is money". He said that he's originally from Australia but grew up in eastern Europe and is now a plastic surgeon working on a 5-year contract for Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières). Does Korea really needs more plastic surgery, I ask. I thought MSF was established to provide healthcare in war-ravaged and developing countries.

The man, Sebastian, says that he is here to provide breast implants to women who have had mastectomy surgery. I'm not disputing that women who have lost one or both breasts to cancer would feel much more confident and secure after plastic surgery, but aren't there more, um... urgent, life-threatening matters going on in the world? I don't understand. He also told me how out of control the plastic surgery craze is getting in Korea and that kids getting "eye jobs" to make their eyes bigger is becoming ridiculously common. What a sad, sad world when a child feels he or she must go under the knife to be accepted by their media-hypnotized, narcissistic peers. The amount of plastic surgery here is incredible. Walking around in Apkujeong, one in every few shops seems to be a plastic surgery clinic. I've heard of young Korean women who get a job for the sole purpose of getting cosmetic surgery with the money they make. Ridiculous!

I could go on about other interesting people on the subway I've met but that's enough rambling for this post...

Bonguensa Temple

2006-04-18T18:03:00.000+09:00

Pagoda and lanterns at Bongeunsa temple

On Saturday I took my broken iPod to the COEX Apple store where after short inspection, the technician on duty proceeded to suck in air through his teeth and shake his head slowly back and forth. Not a good sign. It would be 200,000 Won ($200) to fix it if it's even possible. Admittedly, I shed a couple tears. But only a couple. Then I got over it and decided that it was a sign that I needed to lighten my load. What I won't get over quite so fast is the loss of my Pimsleur Korean lessons.

After leaving the COEX chaos behind I walked to Bonguensa Temple. Within minutes of passing through the gate two Korean men offered me coffee, rice cakes and a chat on a circle of wooden stumps. One of the men was complaining that about being thirty-seven and single. He spontaneously screamed at the top of his lungs in broken English, "ALL I WANT IS WIFE!!!" I laughed and jokingly asked him why he didn't shave his head and become a monk so he would no longer have the need to be unhappy about not finding a wife. He said he doesn't even like monks. After talking for awhile about marriage, the weather in Kansas, and Hyon Gak Sunim I went on my way to walk around the temple.

I'm not sure the story on this guy at Bongeunsa but notice the wire and lightbulb revealed underneath the thin layer of paper skin.

The cherry blossom trees in Seoul are amazing. As I was walking down from the trees behind the Buddha I stopped to admire some nearby white-blossomed trees. A silver-haired Korean woman stopped to do the same. She started telling me about the trees and how they "snow" petals down in the spring. Just as she said this a breeze came up and shook loose a showering of white petals from the sun splayed tree above us.

Buddha statue at Bongeunsa

Black Day

2006-04-18T13:57:00.000+09:00

Jajangmyeon or black noodles

Friday (April 14) was Black Day, which is the day when everyone who didn't get anything for Valentine's Day or White Day, goes out and eats black noodles. (In Korea, Valentine's Day is a day for girlfriends to give gifts to their boyfriends and White Day (March 14) is for boyfriends to give the gifts.) I didn't give or get anything either previous holiday so I went out and tried Jajangmyeon for the first time. It's noodles and vegetables in a black bean sauce and it was much better than I was expecting (black noodles kept reminding me of black pudding).

2006-04-17T18:19:00.000+09:00

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved,desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars..."

-Jack Kerouac, "On the
Road"

Soju: the devil dressed in green

2006-04-14T14:42:00.000+09:00

Adam, Heather, Maria and I

I woke up this morning with my head pouding from the simultaneous killer headache and a bad eighties tune that's been rolling around the tunnels of my subconscious since the noreabang the night before. As I was mentally searching for memories that were completely obliterated by that little green bottle of poison, I stepped out of bed and noticed a couple bruises, inevitably from my self-acknowledged clumsiness combined with the effects of alcohol. I would like to reiterate that soju is the devil. I usually don't touch the stuff but at staff dinners it's nearly impossible. The boss or a Korean co-worker pours a shot and gives it to you in front of everyone. If you refuse, to some, it's the equivalent of refusing their friendship. And I thought the days of peer pressure were long gone for me. Then I moved to Korea.

Does our boss have these dinners on school nights because he finds pleasure in watching us suffer through the day surrounded by swarms of noisy children? I hope not, but sometimes I wonder.

A typical staff dinner for my school goes like this: We go to a kalbi restaurant and sit Korean-style, on the floor usually taking up the entire restaurant. Mound after mound of raw flesh is then brought out and thrown on the grills on the table. I eat lettuce, rice and red pepper paste, a meal (or lack thereof) which only fuels the soju fire.

The Korean barbecue is a long process. Round after round of meat, soup and side dishes are brought out along with the never-ending supply of beer, soju and becksaju. Mr. Park, the owner of the school, typically comes around after round #1 of of food to give the ceremonial soju bomb (a soju shot dropped in a glass of beer) to initiate the new teachers into his school. Then the shots start flowing for everyone. And like I said before, you can't refuse a shot from your Korean boss, now can you?

Mr. Park on the left and Tab pointing to the soju bottle

I have not ever taken part in or witnessed this sort of social drinking with co-workers and bosses before in America. The most ridiculous things happen at staff dinners and the next day at work it's back to normal for the Koreans. It's definitely a different drinking culture here. It's socially acceptable to be belligerently drunk here (unless you're a woman, that is), even in front of your employer.

Almost anything is forgiven and forgotten the next day. It's like it didn't even happen. Like the time a foreigner got wasted and fell asleep with her head in my bosses lap at the noreabang. Once one of the Korean teachers got so drunk she couldn't go home to her parents house (despite the fact she is 27 years old) so she passed out on my couch. Or the funniest one, when a guy at my school woke up in his boxers at 4:30 am near the subway with no recollection of how he got there or where his pants were.

We always go to a noreabang (karaoke room) after dinner but I usually only last a few songs before the soju sleep wave hits me and I stumble home and pass out (usually around 10 pm). The noreabangs are usually in the basement of some random building a few blocks away from my apartment and luckily I have a good sense of direction when my consciousness has long departed for other worlds.

In any case, it's always a good time had by all. Maybe as a warped psychological experiment on work environment and alcohol-induced social relationships, elementary school's back home (Earhart?) should try it out and see what sorts of bonds are formed and what repressed emotions are released by the wicked memory-snatching genie inside that little green bottle.

Flesh eaters

Yellow dust weekend

2006-04-11T21:28:00.000+09:00

Yellow dust over Cheongyechoen stream

Palace near Gwanghwamun station

On Saturday the air was thick with yellow dust and correspondingly the SARS masks were in full effect. I wandered around the Dongdaemun markets for hours searching for nothing in particular. You can buy nearly anything at at Dongdaemun market: books, clothes, accessories, medicine, tools, toys, pets, plants, herbs, food, sports equipment, makeup, stationary, fabric, leather goods, shoes, buttons, wedding supplies, ginseng products, and a whole lot of random crap. One of the most interesting finds came in the form of a Korean man selling toys. As soon as he saw me he started spewing out random Elvis facts and told me he had memorized 100 Elvis songs and then proceeded to sing a few for me. Quite a friendly fella he was.

Saturday night I went to a birthday party and didn't end up going to sleep (for a meager couple hours) until the sun was nearly up. It was definitely good fun had by all complete with food, drinks, games and laughs.

Not wanting to let a perfectly good day go to waste for the reason of insufficient sleep I pulled myself out of bed reasonably early considering what time I fell asleep. I went up Inwangsan with a friend and we enjoyed the weather from the top of the city. Storm clouds started forming in late afternoon that reminded me of home. As far as violent weather goes, for me, nothing beats the greenish-yellow tint in the sky, the smell of tornado weather, the calm before the storm and mom yelling at us all to come to the basement. I'll definitely miss Kansas tornado weather but Korea is transforming into quite a beautiful city in the spring (besides the yellow dust).

From Ingwansan, we walked towards Insadong and ended up at a palace near Gwanghwamun station. It was different from most palaces I've been to because we were nearly the only ones there. After the palace we went to play ping-pong and I got schooled by a Korean man. Maybe it's a sign I need to renew my membership to the ping-pong hall next door.

Monday was gone in a breeze (after nearly falling asleep in my afternoon classes) and I recovered from my long weekend with a well-deserved 12-hour sleep on Monday night.

Toy markets at Dongdaemun

2006-04-07T18:16:00.000+09:00

"Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words "make" and "stay" become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free. "

-Tom Robbins

Books, books, books

2006-04-06T18:07:00.000+09:00

With subway reading and rarely watching TV I've been flying through the books. There is no doubt I will be taking more books than shirts with me when I leave Korea to travel in September so in the past couple weeks I've been devouring the biggest and heaviest books first, leaving the smaller (but no less significant) ones for the road. I just finished Jitterbug Perfume and am now on Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas and I don't want it to end. I think I would marry Tom Robbins based solely on his way with words, despite his grandfatherly age and my disinclination towards marriage if the proposal was available for the taking. I also just finished Good as Gold by Joseph Heller. It was entertaining (after the first quarter) but definitely not in the same realm as his Catch 22 or Something Happened. (Heller himself says, "When I read something saying I've not done anything as good as Catch-22 I'm tempted to reply, 'Who has?'" ) My co-worker lent me a couple of David Sedaris books (Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim) in the past couple weeks. They were quick, light reads with both books divided into short self-deprecating stories, well suited for noisy subway trips. I found myself laughing out loud more than once, which provoked strange sideways looks from fellow commuters. Books I'm in the midst of include: No Logo by Naomi Klein , The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell by Aldous Huxley, Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot. Books, books, books, I love 'em.

***
I've received a couple emails regarding the hot pink Porno by Irvine Welsh displayed in the picture. No, I have not yet read it but I will soon. It's the sequel to Trainspotting, the story written in phonetic Scottish accent and slang, which I found at a used book store last year in Edinburgh. (Funny enough, my dad found Trainspotting on my bookshelf not long ago and started reading it. After the first chapter and a few quick looks through other equally shocking ones, he abandoned it and most likely started wondering what wide array of drugs his eldest daughter is, or was, on. Sorry dad!)

The young and the crazy

2006-04-05T22:54:00.000+09:00

Kitty Class: Sally, Melody, Will, Wendy, Sebastian, and Andy

Time is flying and life is good. This week I'm averaging more days sleeping in Seoul than in my own bed. There's always a birthday party (last night), going away party or a bachelorette party (last Saturday) to be had. Last weekend I finally made my way to Napi, the hookah bar in Hongdae after an unsuccessful search last time and will be going back soon to try a different fruity flavor of tobacco.

Hmmm... What else have I been up to? I went to the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett in Insadong on Sunday night. It was entertaining and also the perfect way to extend the weekend as much as possible before the inevitable Monday morning. Unexpectedly, after the play I also witnessed two (possibly homeless) Koreans having sex in an alley right off a main street. That was quite a risque scene, especially for Korea.

From the classroom, my new kids are getting more manageable each week but nonetheless I still tend to feel like an overpaid babysitter at least twice daily during my morning classes. Those feelings usually manifest themselves when I see my class crawling up the stairs to go to lunch and when the unfortunate child of the day (there's always one) approaches me with urine soaked pants. Fortunately for me (but not the deskteacher), cleaning up after these accidents is not my job. It's a good thing they're cute. Yesterday my class was trailing after me in a game of Follow-the-Leader when something wet fell on my sandaled foot. The first in line, Will, decided it would be fun to see how far he could get his saliva to hang from his mouth without losing it. Needless to say, he lost it.

60 seconds in the life of an English teacher. Watch this video by clicking here. This is my Monday through Friday afternoon class. My class is rarely like this... although the students are always sugar-high crazy and very talkative and they do have the tendency to get out of control occasionally. Notice Howie in the taekwondo outfit being pulled off the table and Austin's ventriloquist act.

Oz and poo

2006-03-31T08:56:00.000+09:00

Wizard of Oz in Korean. Click here to see a video.

Each month we usually go on a field trip with our morning kids to somewhere in Seoul. This month instead of a field trip we watched a puppet show of the Wizard of Oz at the school. The Korean version left me a bit confused, although it has been since highschool since I've seen it all the way through (albeit watched on mute and paired up with the Dark Side of the Moon). Even so, I remember Dorothy as a brunette and the ruby slippers as red, not silver. I'm baffled by a dramatic battle scene with some laser light creature and I have no idea who a few of the recurring characters were.

Even though it was a great break from class on a Friday, Wizard of Oz didn't quite live up to last month's field trip to the Human Body Museum at the COEX. We walked through the mouth and slid down the throat of a giant, plastic human. We got up close and personal with the heart, lungs, liver and intestines and listened to a presentation given by the spleen. We played with massive, undigested plastic donuts, pizza and fruit in the stomach. We walked out the other side into a room with mysterious brown piles of what I soon realized to be excrement. I looked up at the exit and realized we had just unknowingly walked through the bowels and exited out a massive asshole into a room full of enormous piles of plastic shit (I'm not making this up, my batteries were dead or else I would have the visual proof). None of the Korean teachers or students seemed to consider this was anything but normal but all of the foriegn teachers were looking around with baffled faces that said, "Seriously, is this for real?"

2006-03-30T14:37:00.000+09:00

"Faithful to our instructions, we lived like pilgrims [with only the usual linen haversack on our backs] and made no use of those contrivances which spring into existence in a world deluded by money, number and time, and which drain life of its content."

-Hermann Hesse, 1877-1962

Korea Herald article

2006-03-28T20:25:00.001+09:00

Bell at Hwagyesa temple

The Korea Herald must find writers hard to come by these days because today they published a story I wrote along with the above picture:

Far from the madding crowd
By Aly Young

In Korea, there is an abundance of Buddhist temples to explore, but as a foreigner wanting to experience Buddhist meditation and Dharma talks in English without doing a temple stay there are limited options.

However, during my first month in Korea I was lucky enough to stumble into the Seoul International Zen Center located at Hwagyesa temple in northeast Seoul.

Every Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. foreigners and Koreans alike can sit and meditate together in 30 minute periods, each separated by 10 minutes of walking meditation. At 3 p.m. a Dharma talk is given in English, usually with consideration that there will be newcomers to Buddhism in the audience.

The temple was founded in 1523 by Master Shinwol and burned down in 1618, then rebuilt the following year. It fell into disrepair and was repaired in the late 19th century. It now houses several famous statues, including a carving of the Bodhisattva Kstitigarbha as well as two urns donated by the Queen Consort of King Honjong.

I found Hwagyesa temple 5 months ago and have since been to many Sunday meditation sittings, Dharma talks and even a weekend of "Kyol Che" with the monks where I woke at 3:30 a.m. and participated in chanting, bowing and 9 hours of meditation each day.

Kyol Che translates into 'Tight Dharma' and refers to a 90-day summer and winter meditation retreat when monks spend the majority of each day meditating.

It was a very new experience to have such intense, disciplined introspection. When I thought about long periods of meditation before that weekend I had imagined a rather undeviating experience of sitting and merely clearing my mind. The roller coaster of thoughts and emotions I actually experienced was very far from that preconceived idea.

In the beginning I went to the temple out of curiosity. I continue to go because of the all-encompassing question that Buddhism has sparked within me: What am I?

The chaos of the city melts away within the serene confines of Hwagyesa Temple, despite it being just a short walk from the crowded streets of Seoul.

When I walk through the temple gate on Sam Gak mountain I feel detached from the city. A stream runs alongside the path to the temple, which leads to one of the entrances to Bukhansan National Park right before coming to the Main Buddha Hall.

The meditation period begins with the hollow wooden beating of the chugpi. I sit propped up on a pillow in the half-lotus position and begin letting the thoughts and emotions collected in a week of teaching kindergartners and a lifetime full of attachments drift away.

Pursuing meditation has admittedly not been an easy undertaking, but the more I do it the easier it becomes.

The Dharma talk that follows is usually an hour long followed by questions from the audience.

On this particular weekend the room was crowded in anticipation of hearing the inspiring and entertaining words of Hyon Gak Sumin, the guiding teacher for Hwagyesa.

He was born into a large Catholic family in New Jersey, graduated from Yale and received his Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard. He decided to become a monk after meeting Zen Master Seung Sahn (the founder of the Seoul International Zen Center) at Harvard, and has since written the bestseller "Man Haeng: From Harvard to Hwa Gye Sah Temple" and translated several of Sahn's English-language works into Korean.

The Dharma talk was unscripted and interactive, and many times drew laughter from the audience. Questions of innocence and evil, cartoons and killing and the impermanence of everything were all discussed. At one point Buddhism was even related to The Matrix.

Hyon Gak Sunim answered many questions with a simple, "shut your mouth," and at one point had a confused questioner come up to where he was sitting in order to hit him with his wooden stick.

However he was not being rude, he simply wanted the questioners to to use their "don't know minds," to clear their minds of preconceptions.

Besides being a very entertaining and passionate speaker, Hyon Gak Sunim has a very important message behind his words that cannot be taught through just his speaking.

To get to Hwagyesa take subway line 4 to Suyu station and go out exit 3. Take bus 2 to Hwagyesa stop. From there it's a 5 minute walk up the mountain.

For more information visit www.seoulzen.org.

Fortunes and dreams

2006-03-27T05:36:00.000+09:00

Shrine on Ingwansan Mt.

I've wanted to get my fortune told by one of the mysterious white-bearded, palm reading mystics near Insadong since I first saw them but I haven't been able to find one who speaks English. Oftentimes I've found that if I have a fascination towards something or someone it's not necessary to go out of my way to pursue it because it usually finds me, sometimes in the most unsuspecting places.

On Saturday I followed a sign in an alley in Insadong to a place which translates into 'Meditation and tea'. I like both so I decided to go inside and check it out. I ordered a cup of hot, red 'omicha', or five-tastes tea to stimulate all my taste buds with it's salty, sweet, bitter, tart, and peppery flavor. I was getting settled in on my cushion on the floor with my book in hand when a Korean man dressed in robes who worked there came and sat at my table. He asked if he could do a body constitution reading for me. He said he wouldn't charge me because I was a foreigner and his English wasn't very good. I didn't know what I was in for but I of course agreed.

He started off by asking my birth date and time (January 15, 1981; 9:30 am). He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then began telling me about the five elements and something about metaphysics. He said I was the 'Earth' element and went on to tell me many things about me, some of which I found to be very far off from the truth. He told me I'm uncomfortable with change; In reality I'm uncomfortable with routine. He also said I have problems trusting people, which I disagree with (if anything, I have the opposite problem). He told me that I have good concentration, strong principles, my best seasons are spring and summer. He said weak areas on my body include my neck and my ankles. After telling him I was a vegetarian, he tried to persuade me that I need to "eat flesh" for nourishment for my body. One particularly random thing he said was, "cheating boyfriends are attracted to you."

He asked me if I had any questions and I asked him about sleep and dreams and told him I've always had very vivid, strange dreams. He said (and I completely disagree) that people dream because we have unsolved problems that we're trying to work out in our heads. He asked me to give an example of one of my dreams and I told him the first one that came to mind:

(A guy comes up to me and starts talking to me and for the first couple minutes I amazingly fail to realize that he has two heads. One of them is not a functioning head and cannot be removed because a major artery is connecting them and an operation would be deadly. Almost as strange as having two heads-- the "dead head" has a shoe shoved completely into the mouth and has somehow morphed into being part of the head. As I looked at this guy I knew that the "dead head" was once his only head and functioned normally until there was a terrible accident with the shoe. The new normal looking head was a clone of the other one and was actually grown on the neck of this man. We walked for awhile and I was surprisingly not very disturbed at all talking to a two headed man... it seemed almost normal. )

Afterwards he said, "Your dreams, not small problem. Big problem." He told me to start eating sour foods such as grapes and oranges to help with this "problem". Overall, it was interesting and I'm happy to have randomly found my way into the tea shop with the fortune tellers.

New bike, Mormonism & George

2006-03-24T08:58:00.000+09:00

George

I've been busy this week and I can't believe it's already the weekend (after 5 hours of teaching today). Last Sunday night I bought a bike (yippee!!!) and I've been enjoying riding all over Anyang on it since. I've decided that listening to the iPod, answering the phone and riding the bike is a bad idea. This is when multitasking turns deadly. Luckily, for the sake of my life (but not at all good on any other aspect) my iPod decided to die yesterday. All I see is a file with an exclamation mark when I try to turn it on. I'm so sad, I can't begin to explain how much that sucks. Oh well, that's life. Hopefully I can get it fixed at the COEX iPod store. On a positive note, my phone now works after nearly a month with the speaker being broken. I couldn't hear anyone but they could hear me. It led to some interesting one-sided conversations and I am very grateful to have my speaker capabilities back. (So, I don't even know if you answered your phone or not, but if so, this is Aly and I can't hear you...)

Last night I invited my cousin Jamie (Elder Patel) and his companion, Elder Zabriski over for dinner. They're not allowed to be in the same room alone with a female so I also invited my co-worker Jamie to join us. I made curry and we sat around and chatted about the family back home for awhile and then after dinner the conversation turned to religion (as of course it would with missionaries). While I have respect for my cousin and believe he truly believes what he is doing is right, I think Mormonism is about on par with Scientology as far as whacked out religions go. (Speaking of Scientology, check out the recent South Park episode about Scientology and Tom Cruise, 'Trapped in the Closet'. Funny stuff.) I personally don't think Mormonism is much crazier than other religions, it's just a relatively new religion and therefore easier to question it's authenticity. (I could go on for hours with questions relating to that but don't worry, I won't.) I don't respect or appreciate the ban on information (books and media deemed inappropriate, which the Church says are "evil", but in reality are conflicting to the teachings) for the members of the Church of Latter day Saints. But, while I personally think it's insane, millions of others disagree. Last night I had a dream I was stuck in a world full of Mormons, it was the worst nightmare I've had in awhile. I woke up at 4:30 am and couldn't fall back asleep for an hour.

Enough religion for one post. The picture above is of George, a kid that transferred to my class last week. He is disgusting! He is the only student I have that constantly repulses me in so many ways. Where to start...? First, his fingers are always in his nose. Sometimes he eats what he finds, other times he decides to wipe it on the clothes of another student. I give him a tissue and force him to use it and then he eats it. Yes, he eats the snot-filled tissue. He eats anything, including but not limited to: the plastic part on his colored pencils, his glasses, the stickers I give him, paper cups, random items found on the floor, balloons, coloring paper. I give him candy and he throws the candy away in favor of eating the wrapper. The other day he was chewing on a deflated balloon (the Korean teachers wouldn't let me take it away). Every couple minutes it would fall on to the floor and he would pick it right back up and continue chewing on it. He let a couple other students have a chew and then every once in awhile he would take it out of his mouth and wring the saliva out into a puddle on the floor. A couple days ago he called me over to him with the sole purpose of having me watch him blow a huge blob of green snot out of his nose and then let it slide down to his mouth. And he did it with a smile. Ewww...and with those thoughts fresh in my head, it's time to eat breakfast.

***

By request, here's a link to the South Park episode, "All About Mormons"

St. Patrick's Day

2006-03-19T22:47:00.000+09:00

Austin, Mark and some green milk

I love holidays. Especially when they fall on a Friday and involve turning typically boring colored food and drinks green. I gave all my classes green milk and cookies today to celebrate. After morning class, Will yakked all over the floor and two Korean teachers freaked out at the sight of the kryptonite vomit. They were about to call an ambulance when the other students explained that Aly teacher had given them green milk. Green milk? Why on earth would she do that, they wondered. I explained St. Patrick's Day to them but all I kept getting in response from them and my students was, "Patrick, Patrick? Who is this Patrick and why does he like green so much?"

As the day progressed, I moved from green milk to green beer on an evening out with a reunited elementary school classmate, Miles and a university friend of his. Miles will soon be studying Korean full time at Yonsei University. This weekend him and one of his friends inspired me to start studying Korean more seriously. We'll see how it goes. Today I met a man who works at the Spanish Embassy and I asked him if he spoke Korean. He said he's not going to bother to learn it because he's here for such a short time...3 years! That's crazy talk. I'm here for 5 more months and consider it worthy to learn as much as I can before I go. He thought I was crazy.

A St. Patrick's Day card and shamrock bookmark from Jasmine

Moon view

2006-03-17T19:38:00.000+09:00

New Bambi Class

2006-03-17T19:21:00.000+09:00

My old Kitty class has graduated to Bambi class (minus Deborah, Stella and Andrew). I have them for my first class of the day for phonics. William only looks cute and innocent, he can be a terror at times.

Front row: Tracy, William & Danny. Back row: Jay, Amy, Ali & James.

Tracy

New view, new class

2006-03-15T09:09:00.000+09:00

Sunrise from my new window

Instead of waking up in a pitch black room, never knowing what time it is, I now wake with the sun every morning. I love my new room! I now hear the constant hum of traffic, occasional horns, loud speakers and the rush of students leaving class and congregating on the sidewalk every night at 10:30 pm. I know what time the sun rises and sets and what the weather is like when I wake up. A window (especially an entire wall of a window) makes me feel much less like the cave dweller I felt like for my first six months.

Sally and Wendy

The new Kitty Class. Front Row: Sally, Douglas and Andy. Back row: Sebastian, Melody, Wendy, Tony and Will

My new classroom unfortunately does not have a window, but it's okay because my kids have all my attention anyway. My new class is the youngest class in the school and they are true beginners to English. I ended up naming only two of my morning students (Douglas and Will named after two friends back home); The other names were changed by parents after the first day of class (Bonnie was changed to Sally, Echo to Melody). But I did get to name a few students in my afternoon classes. I named Phyllis after my Mom's middle name, Taylor (for a girl) after the name I would have been given had I been born a boy, and Graeme after a friend in Scotland.

My new class is cute but has been a lot of work. I'm thankful that I didn't start out as a new teacher with this class because I would have gone crazy. They each have the attention span of a gnat and it was hard getting some of them used to me. Melody would cry and scream if she was left in the room alone with me. She is now okay with leaving the door open and she even (gasp!) looked me in the eyes on Tuesday and said good morning! Although she did pinch me yesterday when I tried to teach her that the color wheel should include more colors that just green.

Douglas cried the entire first week but has recently decided that laying on the floor by the door suits him better (ignoring me completely). The rest of the students all seem to really like me and it's been fun working with new students for a change. I still have my old Kitty class (now Bambi class) for one hour of phonics each day and I'm happy about that. Having completely new students to English it will be interesting for me to see how much they progress by the end of August and in the process to see if I am actually educating these young minds or I should give up teaching altogether!

Different forms of chanting

2006-03-14T20:05:00.000+09:00

This is a video. Click here to view.

It had just started to mist when I arrived in Shinchon on Friday night. As I was walking towards Nori Bar I stumbled upon crowds of Yonsei University students gathered into circles yelling and jumping up and down. When asked what was going on the only reply I got was, "Chanting! Join us!". I did for awhile but it was impossible to know what was going on. Perhaps now I can relate more to my new students when they listen to me sing English songs to them and I expect them to join in. I'll remember that. After I had my share of chanting I headed into Nori Bar to meet friends for cheap beer, good music and dancing.

Nori Bar in Shinchon

On Sunday I went to Hwagyesa and participated in an altogether different form of chanting that didn't involve soju or beer.

Bell at Hwagyesa

2006-03-13T09:50:00.000+09:00

"The little experience of life I've had has taught me that no one owns anything, that everything is an illusion-- and that applies to material as well as spiritual things. Anyone who has lost something they thought was theirs forever (as has happened often enough to me already) finally comes to realize that nothing really belongs to them."

-from Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

Metrosexual man purses?

2006-03-09T19:41:00.000+09:00

Man purse sighting on the subway in Seoul

This is something you would be hard-pressed to find in America: a man holding a purse. In Korea, I see it everyday. At first I thought there was some sort of man purse phenomenon in Asia that I was unaware of (although that may account for a percentage of these sightings). After further inspection I noticed that the men were actually carrying their girlfriends purses. How romantic...in the weird, metrosexual sort of way.

I am trying my hardest to imagine a scene in America which involves a man carrying his girlfriends purse. Maybe on a deserted alley in the middle of the night? Maybe... if she had no means to carry it herself. But I doubt it. Maybe if she was dying. But then again, who cares about a purse when your girlfriend is dying? I just can't conjure up the image of a steak-eating, beer-drinking, football-watching man, carrying a purse, ever. (I should also say that I don't think you would see too many non steak-eating, beer-drinking, and football watching men in America carrying their girlfriend's purses either.)

I shouldn't be too surprised by this trend because in Korea, metrosexualism seems to be the look right now. Not only do they carry purses, but I think they borrow their girlfriend's clothes (in particular, anything pink, purple or flowered) and take their bi-weekly hair appointments. These metrosexual men dress, gel, moisturize, file and accessorize in hopes of resembling the latest Korean pop star. They spot their reflection in a shop window or a subway mirror and spend more time looking at themselves than a insecure teenage girl, except they're doing in front of hundreds of people!

The most surprising aspect is the number of these pretty boys who have a girlfriend hanging off one arm (while a purse occupies the other). It's strange how much Korea has embraced the metrosexual fashion considering how anti-gay Korea is (in general). Maybe metrosexual is the next best thing for Korean men who are repressing their true sexuality because of their disapproving culture. Or maybe a pink shirt is just a pink shirt and carrying your girlfriends purse is just that.

Enigmatic time-management logic

2006-03-07T14:24:00.000+09:00

I walked downstairs at the hagwan this morning to see a huge pile of wall clocks on a table in the hall. I assumed they were being synchronized. I stepped into the office to learn our director has called an impromptu meeting.

To summarize:

"We got a complaint from one parent about too much game-playing in class. Some of you have bad time-management skills. Because of this, I have removed all clocks from your classrooms. I will be removing the clock from the teachers room also. No handphones allowed in class. If I see one you will be fired on the spot. If your time-management skills continue to suck, you will be fired. If you don't want to work hard at this school you can turn in your notice because we don't want you here anyway."

I guess it's time for Aly teacher to buy a watch.

Better than a Saturday movie, this is life

2006-03-06T19:07:00.001+09:00

The weekend was an interesting one with the fun starting Friday night and not ending until late Sunday. The weather gave me the impression that winter is finally over, but we'll see what happens. On account of the good weather and a long day with nothing planned, I decided to walk without a destination and see what I would encounter.

I think I was somewhere around Samgakji station when I came upon a street I dubbed 'Prosthetic Limb Lane' after the dozen or so shops with legs, feet, arms, hands, and fingers eerily displayed in the windows. I have no idea how all these businesses survive unless there is an excessive number of limbless people in Seoul. It's certainly not everyday you get to see more than one assortment of mingled, dusty plastic limbs. Some were strangely lifelike while others looked like props straight out of a horror movie.

When I got to Seoul Station I sat on a bench in the sun and stayed quite awhile. The diverse crowd that congregates outside makes it a very interesting place to sit and watch how people interact. There are the homeless men usually drunk on soju who make the occasional request for money when the bottle gets low. There are also the Christian missionaries, some singing, some preaching on a microphone and some walking around attempting to proselytize anyone who crosses their path. Continuously walking through this slightly fluctuating crowd are people going to and from the subway, the department store and LotteMart.

On this particular day there was also man in a business suit with a top hat who kept doing dramatic taekwando moves while talking to himself.

At one point a Buddhist nun walked by and a drunk homeless man approached her. She gave him 1,000 won and kept walking. A minute later the homeless man is sharing a bottle of soju with his neighbors. When it was gone one homeless man from the group in a NY Yankees shirt came up to me and asked for money. I asked him why, and he said he was hungry. I said okay and his face lit up for a moment until I stood up and started walking to the convenience store. I motioned for him to follow me. I asked him what he wanted to eat-- ramyeon, kimbab, boiled eggs, a sandwich? He shakes his head and says, "Anio. Money," even after I tell him he can get anything he wants in the store to eat. He refuses and I go back to my bench in the sun. Five minutes later he comes back and politely asks for a sandwich. I obliged.

After a few minutes of scripture readings and questions about my spiritual beliefs, an unrelenting missionary told me I was going to "herr" (pronounced "hair"). He emphatically pointed towards the ground and spelled "H-E-R-R." Being a teacher in Asia, I'm accustomed to the L/R confusion with my students but this was a particularly funny situation, considering the context.

I was about to leave when I look over and see a man going psycho on the man with the microphone. Naked. He ripped the poster down with a picture of people who are burning in hell. (Maybe me in 50 years. Or tomorrow.) He picks up the metal stand and starts swinging it around. Naked. That was one of the oddest things I've seen in Korea so far.

If any Seoulites out there in the blogosphere are looking for free entertainment, head to Seoul Station on a Saturday afternoon, grab a seat and enjoy.

3 more reasons to be vegetarian in Korea...

2006-03-02T10:03:00.000+09:00

Toilet talk

2006-03-01T10:59:00.000+09:00

This post is appropriately dedicated to the faithful readers in the bathroom at Earhart...you know who you are.

Before I came to Korea I really didn't give much thought to the differences I would encounter in the bathrooms. A bathroom's a bathroom, right? Well... yes, but some of the bathrooms here I would definitely never come across in Kansas.

First, there's the squatting toilets as pictured above. I was freaked out about these when I first got here but now I don't think twice about them. Flushing the toilet with your foot is definitely more sanitary (not that I don't do that on ordinary toilets though). The other day I heard a couple female foreigners talking in a public bathroom in Seoul with only squatters, "There's no way in hell I'm using that thing! Let's go." I smiled to myself and wondered how long that would last.

As if public bathrooms in general aren't already disgusting enough, Koreans seem to think the toilet is the perfect place for a smoke. There are many conveniently installed ashtrays right next to the (usually nonexistent) toilet paper roll. Nothing quite like a simultaneous shit and a smoke, I guess. Baffling.

The area usually reserved for washing your hands is usually unfortunately right in front of a mirror. Not much hand washing going on with all that staring into the mirror. If anyone ever bothers to turn the water on, ice cold water is what will you will usually find.

Then there's the relatively frequent bathrooms where you're not supposed to flush toilet paper. There is usually an overflowing bin for used toilet paper. Yuck. I thought the ability of a toilet to digest toilet paper would be one of the most basic functions of a toilet. Nope, not in Korea.

Then there are the bidet toilets you find in some of the more posh areas and at saunas. A few months ago I had my first encounter with a bidet toilet in Korea. I was out with Korean friends at a bar in Apkujeong when I excused myself for the bathroom. When the time came to flush, I looked down at a panel on the side with about 30 different buttons written in hangul. I just wanted to flush the toilet.

I wasn't looking for pulsating, soft aerating, massaging or vibrating. I didn't want to push the button that heated the seat, massaged my ass or automatically closed the lid. And no, I didn't want a blow dry either. I just wanted to flush the damn toilet! Is that too much for a girl to ask?

There was only one toilet and now a line had formed right outside the door. I stood aside and decided on the button that most likely resembled a flush button. Wrong answer. A stream of water squirted out, missing me but going straight for my backpack, which is hanging on the hook of the door. I thought it would never end.

I involuntarily got misted with toilet water spraying off my backpack. The water was forming a puddle at the bottom of the door, which could be seen by all the Korean women patiently waiting. Screw it, the toilets not getting flushed. After the bombardment stopped, I walked out with my dripping backpack past several giggling Korean women. No more bidets for me, thanks.

Time of change

2006-02-24T18:16:00.000+09:00

The subway entrance near my apartment.

Today marks my 6 month anniversary in Korea! It was also graduation day for the kindergartners at the school. Tonight we will be celebrating with a staff kalbi dinner, which will no doubt include many soju bombs from the owner followed by a trip to a noreabang for some ludicrously drunk singing. No use fighting it, it's the Korean way.

My time in Korea will be equally divided by many factors taking place in the next week:

I am losing most of my current classes and will be the new teacher for the brand new 5 year olds. (That means I get to name them all! Suggestions welcome.)

I have a different work schedule and will no longer be working overtime. I now get an 1.5 hour break everyday!

My best friend and co-worker that I met here is leaving. It definitely won't be the same without her around...

Three new foreign teachers are arriving from Canada and the States. That's always interesting.

I'm moving out of my cave into a room with windows! I'm so excited! Unfortunately my new classrooms are all windowless so I will remain part-vampire during the daylight hours.

The weather is beginning to change to spring!

Since I only have 6 months in Korea left I've also begun to research several international job/volunteer/retreat options for my next adventure. That's the kind of research I like. If anyone has any ideas for me, send them my way! I have a couple semi-serious prospects but I'll say more when I know for sure. Who knows what could happen in 6 months for me? I tell myself to stay in the moment (and for the most part I do) but the travel itch is a strong one as many of you fellow travelers know...

For now, it's time to kick off the start to my almost-3 day weekend (I only work 3 hours in the afternoon on Monday!). Peace, I'm out.

Bubblegum Buddha

2006-02-21T21:17:00.000+09:00

This picture does not do justice to the sequined, birthday-frosting-pink gaudiness of the Buddha I saw Saturday when strolling around art museums near Anguk station.The Buddha suction-wrapped in a representation of modern materialism, bright and shiny but still wearing the sage smile of a Buddha.

Of all the paintings, photography and 3-D art I saw, this one caught my attention the most. At first because of the glittering, sacrilegious nature of the piece but after initial regard, because of the paradoxical balance that still exists between old and new Korea- in particular between the fast-increasing consumerism trends and the established ideas of Buddhism in Korea.

Seoul gives me the same feeling I get when looking at this statue on some days when transitioning back and forth so quickly between two extremes:

From brightly lit and always busy shop-lined streets to places such as the ancient and sacred temples where attachments are forsaken along the journey to enlightenment.

From the children whose mothers have permed and dyed their hair (and their dogs hair) to bald monks at Dharma talks.

From the overcrowded streets of Gangnam and Shinchon to the serene hermitages that can be found on many mountains surrounding the city.

From the hordes of women and men in Seoul who go to Apkujeong and believe they've found their fountain of youth in the unlikely form of a scalpel to the simple monks who live their lives in the mountains where the only reflection they glimpse is an occasional distorted one in a stream or lake.

The contrast can be overwhelming. There seems to be no middle ground. Consume, consume, consume, bigger, better, younger, newer, faster, more, more, more...

For now, I'm growing accustomed to the incongruousness of Seoul. I love living here and continue to find constant amusement in the "newness" of everything around me.

"Nothing is permanent."

-Buddhist teaching

The end of Open Party and ABBA

2006-02-20T22:29:00.000+09:00

Kitty Class: This is a video! Click here to view.

Gone are the daily ABBA wake-up calls that shook the walls and penetrated the peaceful silence of so many mornings! (Click here for the final Mamma Mia show. To more closely experience my perception of this song, have someone turn it on full volume for you while in a deep sleep.)

Last Thursday we finally had the Big Show that the students have been practicing and anticipating since November. The teachers and the kids alike get inordinate amount of pressure from the director to be perfect for the show. (A favorite quote from my director, "Yes, I do understand they are kids so they can't be perfect like us adults...")

Unfortunately, the primary goal for many Korean private school's is to be profitable. Education comes straggling in at a not-so-close second. The performance last week is a great source of pride and entertainment for the current students and parents but the ulterior purpose is as a marketing gimmick to attract new students to the school, hence the need for "perfection".

Nonetheless, although they weren't perfect, the kids were all very cute and did really well on stage. Especially Kitty Class. They are seriously the cutest kids I've ever seen! Kitty Class rendition of Yellow Submarine video to come soon...

Poetic Konglish

2006-02-16T11:18:00.000+09:00

"I was so happy when I knew that friend is very valuable mean."

-Konglish on a plastic plate in a sandwich shop

"Not to be able to offer you hot water. And so you never eat noodles. It's official rule in this airport."

-Sign on hot water machine at Incheon airport

"Hey June!! Didn't you see my panty and brassiere?
well... Is that yours? NO!
How about this one?
It's mine!! My underwear!!
why don't go to yes? yes? yes!! yes!
Let's go to yes!!!!"

-Sign on 'Yes' lingerie shop

Jeju island Fire Festival

2006-02-13T22:06:00.000+09:00

I love fire!!!

Last night I returned home from Jeju island extremely exhausted but very pleased with my experience on the "Hawaii of Korea". Why an island in winter? Besides the obvious, "why not?", my primary reason for taking a flight to an island for a mere 2-day weekend was none other than FIRE. It was the 10th annual Jeju Fire Festival and I have a pact with myself to learn how to throw fire before I'm 30 years old. (My fascination with fire-spinning started at a party thrown by an environmental college--yes, kegs and professors present-- in a valley in Asheville, North Carolina where Cedar Rose and her fire were the entertainment for the evening...but that's another story.)

We arrived early in the afternoon on Saturday to the charged festival atmosphere with a Korean twist: numerous barbecues going on, lots of soju drinking, Korean games, cactus candy, and delicious cinnamon tea, among other things. As the sun went down everyone converged around the main stage where my friend and I happened to stumble into VIP seats for Nanta followed by a traditional Korean dance performance. Although the shows were good, the biggest bonus for our upgraded seats came when we were handed bamboo torches as a massive fireworks show got underway. We then followed in a mob of other torch-carriers as we made our way to several constructions of wood and hay at the bottom of a huge hill and proceeded to light them on fire, which started the entire hill on fire.

For the next 30 minutes it was the closest I've ever come to feeling like I was in the middle of a war. The burning hill resembling a volcano, the fireworks, the burning ashes flying in my face and torn flags all contributed to this effect. All being played out with dramatic music blaring from speakers that seemed to be correlated with strong gusts of wind. (I realize the music wasn't very representative of a real war but in my mind it was, since my only experience with battle zones has been from movies.) It was something unlike anything I've ever seen or ever expected to see. A pyromaniacs dream turned reality. My brother would have gone crazy.

As the fires blazed on I spotted some kids throwing around metal cans on wire filled with hot ashes. I ran over, filled a can with ashes and was so excited at my first chance at fire-spinning I failed to notice the kid walking straight through my path of destruction. Fortunately, he ended up perfectly fine but there's nothing quite like a scalding hot can of hot ashes to the back though... I've said it before and I'll say it again, I AM SUCH A KLUTZ!!! I felt really horrible and vow to never forget the first rule of fire-spinning ever again. Besides my bad start, it was the most fun I've had with fire in a long time. My first fire-spinning was also documented by a Jeju news crew that thankfully started filming after "the incident".

My overall opinion of the weekend: Korean festivals rock.

The hill before...

...and after

Endless Sky becoming Koreanized?

2006-02-09T23:24:00.000+09:00

Last week I was given the Korean name "Young Hanul", which I was told translates in English as, "Endless Sky". I like it. It's simple at first, but yet at further thought it's unfathomable. Jiggam, nanun hanguk saram ida, or in English, "I am now Korean."

In reality, not even close, but it's interesting how much you assimilate to another culture the more time you spend emerged in it. The other day I was served a glass of water with ICE in it and it was like a foreign beverage to me. I find myself putting red pepper paste on everything and also eating excessive amounts of seaweed, kimchi and rice, all with chopsticks. I no longer write names in red pen or board marker (Red is the color reserved for the dead. I only had to make that mistake once in the classroom!). Instead of or accompanied with a "kamsamnida" I now bow as a sign of respect. I offer and accept money with both hands. I have abandoned the western "come here" finger motion for the inoffensive Asian way: palm and fingers facing down, moving hand back and forth, which when I first came I mistook for shooing away.

Undoubtedly, I have adapted in many other ways that I probably won't even realize until I leave Korea. Who knows, after a year I may feel more at home in Korea than in my own home country...

"Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why."

-Kurt
Vonnegut

**If anyone knows how to get Korean characters to show up in my posts would you please share with me?**

Freezing weather and Ping-Pong

2006-02-07T20:59:00.000+09:00

I had mistakenly thought the worst of winter was over. Then came last week, in particular last weekend when I wasn't inside the school protected from the freezing temperatures. These last few days have left me dreaming of green leaves, the smell of flowers, sandals and light jackets, and the energizing feeling of life that comes with the season of spring.

Alas... Until then I have to settle with freezing walks to the subway (but oh, how I appreciate the heated seats on the Seoul metro!), winter coats, long underwear, and the very taxing task of preparing 10 kindergartners to brace the cold. Imagine ten coats, hats and scarves, 20 mittens, usually at least one crying child and worst of all...the damn ZIPPERS that always manage to get stuck and then me in the middle trying to orchestrate the entire show... Let me reiterate my point: I will not be missing the winter coat season once spring rolls around.

"Yeah, we're cute. If only we knew how to put on our own coats..."

Consequently, I decided winter was the perfect time for me to join the ping-pong hall for a month and I've been going for the last two weeks. Ever since Christmas, circa 1990 when a ping-pong table showed up in our basement I've considered ping-pong the only "sport" I'm good at. Now that I'm in Korea I feel confident that it fully qualifies as a sport (not that I ever questioned that fact before). Koreans are decked out in Butterfly brand shirts, shorts, shoes and socks specifically designed for the ping-pong-er and they have serves that involve a series of intricate movements and violent foot-stompings. Plus, a few good games gets your heart rate racing and your shirt soaked in sweat. Sounds like a sport to me.

I was decent at ping-pong back home...How I loved to beat the boys at this game of eye-hand coordination (funny how my coordination fails me when walking though). Korea has since taught me that I know NOTHING about ping-pong. Most everything I thought I knew was wrong: my fronthand, my backhand, my serve and my returns. The Koreans I play with could play me blindfolded and left-handed and still manage to kick my ass without losing a sweat. They are GOOD. Luckily for me, some of that ass-kicking skill is starting to rub off and I think I've started to swing my paddle correctly and return the backhands with the right side of the paddle. I play my best when I'm not thinking of anything. The other games around me become background noise, I'm not concentrating on my technique and you only see the little white ball: rapid ping, pong, ping, pong, and I've entered into the ping-pong "zone".

It's been kind of embarrassing to play Koreans and I'm usually thankful for the language barrier (Although most of them have figured out how to say, "Private lesson", as in "You are in serious need...") I am looking forward to playing my Dad and brother to see if I'm up for the challenge of the "old man ping-pong skills" or facing my competitive little brother. Too bad Dad sold out and traded in for the much-inferior pool table (in my opinion), something I've yet to get over more than 4 years later...

*I apoligize to any readers who are not ping-pong fanatics and were completely bored with this entire post...I won't continue with the ping-pong theme from this point forward...*

From the classroom

2006-02-02T23:27:00.000+09:00

Sean, Sarah and Sam-I-am

Kitty and Bert Class have been continuing to practice 'Yellow Submarine' and 'Green Eggs and Ham' for the big "Open Party" night coming up later this month. I'll be relieved when Open Party is over and I can wake up to something other than children screaming Mamma Mia songs through the (extremely) thin walls that separate my room from the cafeteria. I just found out that the teachers will also be performing a song in Korean (and dance?)for the show. That should be interesting...

Last week Bernie and I were in the hallway and I was questioning her for the required bi-monthly oral test. She's answering the questions but distracted with something she has just pulled out of her pocket. Perhaps a toy? Maybe a piece of candy? Oh no, it was a long purple octopus tentacle. She was plucking off the little suction cups and eating them. I just laughed as I thought about how a teacher in the States would react in the same situation.

An impromptu lesson in subject-verb agreement: I was running with Bert Class to the bus for a field trip last week. I abruptly stop at the door to the bus and hold my hand up to signal them to stop. Sean holds his hand up palm-to-palm with mine and we both receive a shock of static electricity. Very E.T.-esque.

"Magic," I say. (A word that I use often in the classroom)

Sean screams, "Aly Teacher you is CRAZY!"

I explain, "No, Sean! Aly Teacher you ARE crazy!"

Lunar New Year's Holiday on Gangwha island

2006-02-01T22:41:00.000+09:00

Sunrise on Gangwha-do

Sunday was the first day of the Lunar New Year and everything was closed Monday, including hagwans, which meant I got a three day weekend. I started out on Saturday (later than planned) and made it to Incheon in time for lunch in China town. The rest of the weekend was spent on Gangwha and Sokmodo, islands which are off the West coast near Gimpo. Ganghwa island is around 300-square-kilometers and could potentially be navigated entirely by foot quite easily if time allowed.

Saturday night I stayed at a small sauna, at 7,000 Won being the ideal choice for a thrifty solo traveler. Maybe because this was a sauna frequented by more "country folks", but nonetheless, they allowed smoking inside. I can now tell you from experience that naked women who are smoking are not sexy no matter how romantic the idea may sound to some. I went in to the jimjilbang before I went to bed and it was HOT but I stayed for 10 minutes. It was a dark circular room with a concave ceiling, fire pits burning behind 2 doors and pine branches tied in a bundle releasing their fresh, pine scent. I fell asleep early after finishing Vonnegut's 'Cat's Cradle' and had fleeting dreams of Bokononism before waking with the sun. The next morning I went to step into the jimjilbang once more and and it was insanely hot. I got one foot in and it felt like my skin was melting. I stepped back out and saw stars for a few seconds before deciding painfully hot saunas are not for me.

After leaving the sauna I went to Jeongdeung-sa temple (founded in A.D. 381) and saw the main hall where the ceiling is agonizingly held up by strange indistinguishable human-animal figures. One story says a carpenter carved them to represent his unfaithful wife and to warn other women against infidelity.

I ate breakfast on a small street winding up to the entrance of the fortress at a place that had candles burning on top of huge heaping mounds of wax. They wouldn't accept money for my meal...I have no idea why not though because they couldn't speak any English. Maybe because I was their only customer and it was the first day of the Lunar New Year? I don't know but either way it was very friendly.

I was told that there was not a bus to my next destination on the island so I flagged a car down and got a ride from a nice couple from Suwon. From Oepo-ri harbor I caught a ferry to Seokmodo and met two foreigners who were teaching in Gimpo. We went to Bomunsa temple and then up to the 'Eyebrow rock Buddha', which is a Buddha image carved into the rock on the mountain. Afterwards we caught the ferry back to Ganghwa and took a bus to Hajeom to hike up Mt. Bongcheon. On a clear day from the top of the mountain you can see into North Korea. It wasn't a clear day so we had no chance of spotting the sign that says, "America go home" in hangul but we did see a vague dark outline of the mysterious place.

By the time we got back to the bottom I was rather exhausted from hiking the mountain with my pack on. Almost everything was closed for the holiday but we managed (without too much effort) to find an open bar to spend the majority of the evening at. I heard stories of teaching in Ghana and Shamanism in Ecuador that enticed me add yet more places to my "To Visit" list. (Incidentally, that same list has started to look more like a list of every country in the world) After experiencing the night life in Ghanhwa I slept on the floor of my new friends' yeogwan. Yet another fine weekend in Korea...

Sunset on Gangwha-do

Ferry to Sokmodo island (west of Gangwha-do)

Shamans and pig heads on Mt. Inwangsan

2006-01-26T22:30:00.000+09:00

Last Saturday I hiked Mt. Inwangsan (from Dongnimun Station) past the construction zone and up to Guksadang, a shamanic shrine where shamans continue to perform rituals to this day. Seoul is home to millions of people, neon signs, noise and pollution, but it's nice to know that a short hike up a mountain can bring you to a different side of Seoul. One with a better view that is much less frequented by busy Seoulites. By the time I came to Guksadang the noise from the city had faded away and was replaced by a man inside the temple beginning to chant. It was quite a contrast to go so quickly from crowded subway to shaman chanting. From Guksadang I went up to Seonbawi (Zen rock) where mothers still come to pray for a son. From here I had a great view of the city from above including the Seoul fortress wall and the Seoul tower. When I walked further up the mountain I came to the natural springs and the ancient Buddha head rock carving and saw, hanging from a stick, what I first mistook for a bag of garbage. It actually was a pig's head stuck in a black garbage bag with only it's fake-looking ears hanging out the sides. I think it was a food offering for the spirits...shamanists believe that the dead still need food. After enjoying the view and the peace of quiet for awhile I walked back down the mountain alongside the Seoul fortress wall and back into the organized chaos of the city streets.

Click here to view video.

Shaman chanting at Guksadang Shrine on Inwangsan Mountain, Seoul.

Temporarily imprisoned in Seodaemun Prison

2006-01-24T04:52:00.000+09:00

Saturday I went to a prison near Dongnimmun station that the Japanese used during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) to imprison, torture and sometimes kill Koreans that were opposed to the invasion. It was much more graphic than I was expecting. The huge close-up picture of a tortured man's face will stay in my mind much longer than the many mannequins depicting various torture scenarios, due to the very real and very raw look of anguish on his face. Not that the mannequins weren't made to look very real within the several blocks of cells, complete with blood spattered on the walls and recordings of screaming and yelling voices. Not recommended for everyone.

There are a couple of solitary cells in one of the buildings that you can go in to experience for a moment (albeit under radically different circumstances) what life was like living in a 3X5 cell. I went in and shut the door behind me and tried to imagine this "room" being my home for an indeterminate amount of time. It was of course, impossible. I went to open the door and my luck for attracting improbable and unusual situations had struck again and I had unknowingly locked myself in the cell. I knew someone would eventually make their way into the building where I was (and of course they did) but the 20 minutes when I was waiting gave me a horrifying taste of what it must have been like for the Korean prisoners to live in this freezing cold and dark cave. After I realized the door was actually locked and there were no other voices in the building, I felt claustrophobic until I told myself I should feel lucky to be in this cell under these circumstances. I sat down and looked at the walls and ceiling. I was looking at the same walls and ceilings that past inhabitants must have unintentionally memorized. I believe a place has a personality that is altered by interactions with people and the experiences they have while there. This room was no exception.

Guitar-playing visitor in class

2006-01-20T18:22:00.000+09:00

John joined Kitty Class one day while he was here and the kids absolutely fell in love with him. They bombarded him with hugs and their unique American-Korean version of, "G'day mate!", as soon as he walked in the door. He taught them two new words: "guitar" and "pick", played songs for them and they loved it! Kitty Class all made cards before he came that were decorated with kangaroos, wallabies, strawberry ice cream and rainbows. We also performed Yellow Submarine for John as he played the guitar. It was fun to share with someone a glimpse into the my life of teaching children English as a second language in a foreign country. They ask about him everyday now.

John playing Yellow Submarine while Deborah and Ali dance (and Wally the Wallaby)

John and Kitty Class (that's William attacking John)

A card from Zack to John with wallabies (not kangaroos) to make him feel at home

25 in the Winter Soraksan Mountains

2006-01-18T19:55:00.000+09:00

On Friday the 13th, John and I caught a bus to Sokcho so we could do some winter hiking at Soraksan for his last weekend in Korea. We arrived at 2:30 am, went to a jimjilbang for few hours and then woke up for an early start. We went to Sunrise Park in Sokcho but the sun was hidden behind rain clouds that gave us the impression it would be a bitter cold day of hiking with wet and frozen clothes. Fortunately though, the drizzle eventually stopped around midday. I had never done any winter hiking before but once we strapped on rented metal spikes to our boots it was a quite exhilarating.

We made our way into the mountains and arrived at the hut where we would stay the night shortly before sunset. Nothing beats a cold beer after a long day of hiking. Especially when it's drank in a small shack surrounded by beautiful, snow-covered mountains and served to you by a friendly Korean man who keeps bringing oranges, chocolates and dried squid (I passed on the squid but John tried it for the first time). After our drink we were led to where we would be sleeping...a cold, hard wood floor with no heating or blankets. My cold breath came out as thick as clouds as I laughed and thought what an interesting night this would be. My anticipation was short-lived though;we were taken to a room over a fire pit after the reconsideration of our host. It was a small, 4-ft high room with only enough space to comfortably fit three people. We returned to the shack for a dinner of ramyeon, kimchi and a bottle of celebratory soju. John and I shared tales of our travels and occasionally toasted a shot of soju with the three other Koreans eating with us until it was lights-out at 9:00pm.

My 25th year on this Earth came quietly as I was sleeping deep in the mountains in a snow-covered hut far away from pollution, traffic, and the conveniences of modern society. I woke up on Sunday in between a good friend and a Korean woman and "25" didn't sound as bad as I thought it would. We raced back towards the base of the mountain, running down the ice-covered rocks and across slippery metal bridges (I had overcome my fear of downhill on ice after one day but also managed to forget that fear is a beneficial instinct that aids in survival) . Icicle branches were surrounding us as the sun started to peak over the mountain tops. Instantly, the ice started to melt and crack and we were caught under a shower of falling ice. The sun reflecting off the thousands of branches combined with the unexpected ice falling from the trees gave the mountains a mystical look and feel. We made it back to the base and had Soraksan wine that was made on the mountain with our lunch. It was like fresh squeezed grape juice with a kick. The perfect way to end a hike.

It was a weekend of firsts for me: first time winter hiking, first day of being 25 and my first time being chased by the cops before I left Sokcho. Yes, sorry Mom, I did say chased by the cops. It was the small offense of jaywalking that started the "situation" and I discovered that my instinct was to run. It wasn't that busy of a street, only a couple cars here and there. Unfortunately for me, a cop car was one of them. They drove by, turned their siren on and pointed at me with stern looks on their faces. I think it was the looks that caused me to run. They were not forgiving looks. I instantly thought of all that could go wrong if I stayed and waited for the car to turn around: the cops don't speak English, I don't have any ID, they take me to the police station and they can't find a translator, I get yelled at in Korean, I get a huge fine, I miss my bus back to Seoul, by the time I get out of the police station the buses are no longer running, I spend the night in the streets and have to take a bus back the next morning and end up missing work on Monday. And to make it worse, my friend from Australia has to endure this all with me.

Who knows what would have really happened. Maybe nothing. But I didn't feel like finding out so I yelled to John from the middle of the street, "I'm running!", and we took off in a mad dash until we found a small alley behind a hotel where we hid out and caught our breath for awhile. Nothing like a bit of adrenaline to add some excitement to your day. Damn! I feel like a 17 year old kid today... running down mountains and getting chased by the cops. Not such a bad way to feel on the day you're turning a quarter-century old!

DMZ: A Step Into the Divide

2006-01-17T19:28:00.000+09:00

It's been a non-stop whirlwind tour of Seoul and Soraksan starting last Friday night and finally ending last night when I fell asleep exhausted at 6:30pm and didn't wake for 12 hours. I didn't think it was possible to do so much in so little time, especially considering I was working the entire week, but I think John managed to get a good taste of Korean culture for such a short visit. We wasted no time and started his trip off with a tour of the DMZ and a step into North Korea.

We woke up at 5:15a on the 7th to go on the USO tour of the DMZ. We began our tour by signing a release that says our trip to Panmunjeom (the truce village between North and South Korea) "will entail entry into a hostile area and possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action". That statement alone let you know you were not on an ordinary tour. It was absolutely freezing at what has been called "the most dangerous place in the world", but I think the bitter cold weather of the day fit well with the aura of the place. It would be a completely different experience to go on a beautiful Spring day with birds singing and flowers blooming all around.

We passed through South Korea's Freedom House, which was built to host reunions between North and South Korean families, but has never been used for its intended purpose. On the North side is the building Panmungak, which in an act of one-upmanship was actually made taller than the Freedom House. Next we visited building T2, the small blue building that is situated in between the North and South, and set foot in the most isolated country in the world while South Korean soldiers guarded the North door. This is where occasional meetings take place between officials from both sides.

We were taken to the location of the 1976 ax murders where two U.S. soldiers were killed by North Korean soldiers while trying to cut down a tree that was obstructing the view from a UN post. After this incident, soldiers on both sides were no longer allowed on opposing sides at the DMZ. Near this site is the Bridge of No Return where prisoners of war from both sides were returned. If someone voluntarily chose to go to the North Korean side, there was no chance of return.

There are two villages located within the DMZ: Taesongdong in the South and Gijeongdong (ironically called "Peace Village" by North Korea) in the North. Gijeongdong is known as "Propaganda Village" in the South because it merely appears to be a modernistic village, while in reality only a few people reside there and there isn't even glass for windows on any of the buildings. From Checkpoint 3 we got a look into Propaganda Village, which is also the location of the world's tallest flagpole, erected after South Korea built a flagpole in Taesongdong. In another contest of "mine-is-bigger-than-yours-is", North Korea's flagpole is 160 meters high and the flag weighs about 270 kg (575 lbs.). It must be taken down when it rains because the flagpole cannot support the added weight of the wet flag. I thought it was funny that in the South Korean model of Propaganda Village the South Korean flag is the same size (or maybe even larger) than the North Korean flag. (Ha! But our flag is bigger in the model!)

We also went into the 3rd tunnel that was discovered in 1978 that was dug by North Korea with the supposed purpose of a surprise attack on Seoul. We put on hard hats and climbed in the 1,635 meter tunnel until we came to a small door leading to North Korea that was blocked with rolls of razor wire to block anyone from defecting to the other side.

Visiting the DMZ was definitely something I needed to do while living in Korea and it gave me visual images to link with the historical facts I've learned. But as I was told so bluntly tonight by a young Korean man, "You will never understand Korea's history. It's very deep and very personal." I agree and appreciate his statement but regardless, I will continue to learn all I can about the country I currently call home.

Blue T2 building in front of Panmungak building

The Bridge of No Return

South Korean soldier in front of Propaganda Village with the tall North Korean flagpole towering above all the buildings

2006-01-12T00:01:00.000+09:00

Sunset at Haeundae beach, Pusan on Boxing Day

Beomeosa Temple in Busan

Tongyeong harbor

Sunrise at Cheonghakdong a.k.a. "The Village of the Taoist Masters" on New Years Eve Day

Worldwide friends, beef-flavored caramel and CHARLIE

2006-01-06T19:36:00.000+09:00

Almost one year ago to the day I was arriving in Ireland to begin traveling around with a bunch of Aussies (and one unlucky Kiwi who heard a ridiculous amount of sheep jokes throughout the trip). Tonight one of them is coming to check out Korea for 10 days and I get to play Seoul tourguide when I'm not teaching. It should be a very busy 10 days considering how much there is to do in this massive city but we're going to try to see as much as possible. I already have the itinerary for the weekend booked full so there will be no recovering from the international flight by sleeping in tomorrow. Sleep when you're dead, right?

I had someone from Japan visit and stay with me yesterday. It was interesting talking about differences between Japan and Korea from a Japanese perspective. He said that most Japanese people don't know anything about Dokdo (Takeshima in Japan), which is surprising considering how passionate most Koreans are about the disputed island. He brought many packaged Japanese foods for me to try. I can now say I've tried beef flavored caramel. Yes, BEEF flavored. Imagine eating a chewy bouillon cube. Yum.

This week went by quick in the classroom. My dreaded 4:30 class has become tolerable and even fun. Maybe it's because their English has improved and they no longer look at me with blank stares whenever I talk. Maybe it's because I'm becoming a better teacher (let's hope). Or maybe it's just because Charlie wasn't in class today. Charlie's mother claims he's not out-of-control, he's just "a very curious child". She also dresses him in frilly little girl coats. I believe that fact alone makes her opinion null and void. I try to like him, I really do. But I can't say I don't appreciate the days Charlie doesn't make it to class. Harry, from the same class changed his name this week to "Tony" because his classmates kept calling him Harry Potter. I'm probably to blame for starting the Harry Potter nickname but what 8 year old boy doesn't want to be Harry Potter? How weird would that have been if I could have changed my name in grade school? Who knows what I would have been going by? There's a "Mac" in one of my classes that refused every name suggested and insisted on being named "Big Mac". He settled for Mac.

I'm going to meet John from Oz now at the subway station! It reminds me of my first day in Korea... what a strange place it was. How long ago that first day seems.

Incredible kindness of strangers

2006-01-04T20:06:00.000+09:00

As promised, a tale from the road...

An overwhelming theme I observed when traveling solo last week was the incredible kindness of strangers I encountered everywhere I turned. A true, big-hearted kindness that transcended language barriers and gave me more reason to believe in the inherent good intention of mankind. How refreshing!

In Tongyeong, on my way to the ferry terminal I met an old man on the bus who spoke about as much English as I spoke Korean (and that's not saying much). We walked together to the ferry terminal in an understandable silence. He walked with me until I reached the ticket counter where I bought a round trip ticket to a nearby island after finding out there wasn't a ferry going to my intended destination of Yeosu. I thanked him, we waved goodbye and I took off for my island cruise.

An hour and a half later when the ferry returned I walked out of the terminal to find my newly acquainted friend waiting for me with a car and his son for a driver. Hmm, he might be here to help me to the bus station so I can get to Yeosu. I did tell him I wanted to go there. How nice!Damn, I wish I spoke better Korean! Oh well, I'll just see what happens... He then says "tour Tongyeong?", so I throw my bag in the back seat and I'm off for a tour of the town with the locals. The old man obviously had great pride in his country and city and was going out of his way to share it with an outsider. We went first to the Tongyeong Fisheries Museum where we had a quick look at miniature constructions of Korean fishing boats, stuffed and plasticized sea creatures and some live fish in tanks and then we went back to the car where his son was waiting.

After the museum we drove down to the port to eat lunch. We were a very unlikely trio--an old man, his son in a wheelchair, and me-- walking through the fish markets in search of a kimbap restaurant. When we found one, a soju-intoxicated man joined our table and proceeded to have a one-sided conversation with me in Korean that lasted through lunch--he seemed to think I fully understood (maybe it was all the smiling and nodding that gave him that impression). After lunch we stopped at a temple for another quick walk-through on the way to the bus station.

There wasn't a single bus to Yeosu, my friend informed me. "Jinju?" he asked. Jinju, Jinju...what do I know about Jinju? It's North of here. I know next to nothing about it. Okay, sure, I say. Jinju it is! The old man then bought my ticket for me and refused to take my money. I didn't have time to argue about it though, my bus was leaving in a mere 8 minutes.

I rushed to my seat on the bus, sat down, relaxed and reflected upon the events of the day. An old man and his son devoted their entire afternoon to driving me around their town, showing off their small corner of the world... without even knowing so much as my name. Amazing.

Jinju eventually led me to Changhakdong, a.k.a. the Village of Taoist Masters, where I spent the night on the mountain. Story to come later though, I've rambled on too much already.

Couchsurfing and Toothaches

2006-01-02T19:10:00.000+09:00

A new year has come and it's back to work again today. Although I didn't really miss the school, it was really good to see Kitty Class-- they all ran up and hugged me, told me about their Christmas and how they are all six years old now. In Korea, everyone adds a year to their age on January 1 (Korean age is one year older than American age).

I started out my break last Saturday by taking the KTX train to Busan to arrive just in time for Christmas Eve. I showed up at Haeundae Beach and met Mayo, who let me crash on his couch for 4 nights and introduced me to the nightlife in Busan on a very atypical Christmas Eve in Korea. I met Mayo through www.couchsurfing.com, which has serious potential to be the adventurous budget backpackers best friend. To sum it up in a sentence, couchsurfing allows you to meet people from all over the world who are offering their couch (or extra bed, floor or broom closet) for travelers, and in return at some point you return the favor to another traveler. Think 'Pay It Forward', worldwide vagabond-style. I can only imagine what my mom was thinking when I called her on Christmas morning and told her I was sleeping on the couch of someone I only recently met *gasp* online. (Probably the same thing she was thinking when I called home from London earlier this year and whispered that I had lost my bag on the flight from Sevilla to London. Why was I whispering, she wanted to know? Because I don't want to wake up the people I met on the flight who invited me to stay on their couch for the night...but that's a whole other story.) Couchsurfing was great, Mayo was a very gracious host (and a great vegetarian cook also!), and Busan was fun. It was my first Christmas away from home and it was a day quite undistinguished from other non-holidays; I had to keep reminding myself throughout the day that it was Christmas.

My parents sent me a Christmas package the week before and I unceremoniously opened my stocking and presents directly after class on the day I got it. I couldn't help but open the wrapped books--I'm a huge book-nerd, what can I say? And after the books I thought I might as well open the others, it's not like I'll be home to open them on Xmas anyway...Smartwool socks! I love them and I was needing another pair of the greatest socks ever! Grandma's honey cookies were also a huge bonus. If I close my eyes while I'm eating one it almost feels like I'm in Kansas... Thanks Mom, Dad and Grandma! And thanks Granny for the money I will no doubt be putting towards books. You are all the greatest! I can't wait to try some of Tanya's soup recipes, I'll have to go out and find myself a cheap blender now.

From Busan I moved on West to the port town of Tongyeong, then up to Jinju, West to Hadong, Sangyesa, Changhakdong, back to Jinju and home to Seoul on Saturday. I inevitably amassed many tales from the road but will post more on them later... I have yet another cold and a frickin toothache that is sending me in a frantic search for an English speaking dentist. Preferably a dentist that doesn't use silver or gold fillings that are oh-so-common here in this country of rotting teeth. There is an undeniable overabundance of silver fillings in my school and the country. Okay, okay so not everyone has rotting teeth but it looks like many of my students were put to bed with bottles of sugar water and their parents have yet to discover the wonderful invention of the toothbrush. I've been told that parents in Korea don't spend much time or money on the first set of teeth because they eventually fall out and then they'll inherit a completely new set that can be properly taken care of. Correct me if I'm wrong though. Happy New Year to all! I wish everyone a year free of toothaches and colds and bosses that suck.

Where I work (1st & 2nd floor) and live (4th floor)

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-24T07:49:00.000+09:00

Vacation time, woohoo!!! I'm leaving for Busan today and probably won't be posting until after the 1st. Merry Xmas everyone!

A Christmas Poem:

Christ Climbed Down
by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Green Eggs and Ham

2005-12-20T21:48:00.000+09:00

In February we have 'Open Party' where all of the morning classes perform a play (or something similar) in front of an audience of parents. It's a huge event for the parents because they get to see their kids speaking English lines in a big performance complete with costumes, lights and choreography. Bert Class is my new class I just started last week and I decided for Open Party they could do Dr. Seuss's 'Green Eggs and Ham'. Today I made green eggs in our first class in hopes of getting them excited about the book and in order to do something besides sit in the classroom.