Daily Grind

I should write a blog. It's Tuesday evening, and I'm sitting at Starbucks drinking Chai. Writing (another long over due) blog seemed like a good idea.
I've been meaning to write about my day to day life here in Korea. I think I haven't written about it previously, because to me, it is mundane. It is the everyday ordinary. Then I thought, to the folks back home, perhaps it could be interesting because, while it is the everyday ordinary, it's the everyday ordinary in Asia, which is not the everday ordinary in North America. Though, I must say, it bears a striking resemblance. (Take the sitting in Starbucks drinking chai, for example)
I spend the first hour of my day getting up, drinking coffee, reading some Scripture (this is a new thing for me, and I thoroughly enjoy it) and generally mentally preparing myself for the day to come. Working with 6 and 7 year olds sucks the energy right out of me, but I've found with this morning routine in which I actually have some time to myself, a buffer if you will, it's not been so draining. It may actually have made me a better teacher.
Once I get to work, my Korean co-teacher and I go over the lesson plan for the day. My co-teachers's name is Genie. They all pick English names that they use at the school. Her Korean name is Hae-Yoon, which is really fun for using to replace "Hey Jude," and singing loudly. Genie is among my favorite people in Korea. We often eat dinner together after work and talk about further dreams of our lives. Here's a picture of Genie eating her first bite ever in her life of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I got them at the little foriegner store a few subway stops away called "I Love Cookie." I can also get Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and Guiness. It's a good little store. :)

After teaching preschool (which is really more like Kindergarten as the kids are around 6 years old) all the teachers eat lunch in the classrooms with their students. (Though for the last few days, I've had the mornings off, because preschool has been cancelled due to little children turning into piggys) Generally, it's pretty good. Everyday we have a sort of soup, rice, and kimchi. I'm starting to be a little worried about what I will do when I don't have kimchi provided for me at every meal. Koreans eat kimchi and rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I haven't started eating it for breakfast...yet. But I have it with lunch at school and no matter how cheap a restuarant we go to, kimchi is placed before us as an appetizer. My friend pointed out the perks of globalization, as HyVee back in Sioux Falls has canned kimchi. It is, of course, subpar to the real stuff, but it's a start.
After lunch, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have a planning period, which is usually spent next door at the coffee shop, grading, planning, reading, or chatting with co-workers. Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach afternoon preschool. Tuesdays I teach art and Thursdays I teach science. (Apparently my school, SLP, did not get the memo that my brain does not process even the simplest of science experiments) Here are some pictures of where I work.

This is the front desk, which I see right when I walk in.

This is one of the hallways. The other one is blue.

Here's a picture of my (usually) favorite class.

In the evenings, I usually get some dinner with co-workers(at about US 4$ a meal), or dink around on the internet. There's a pub not to far from my house where I sometimes play pool. On Wednesdays, I go to church in the coffee shop my church runs just 3 subway stops away from my house. Friday nights I help out with the youth group there. Weekends involve coffee (at the particular Starbucks I'm currently sitting in) lunch at our favorite resturant. I always eat kimchibokkembap...kimchi fried rice. Or Bibimbap...rice with veggies and this red pepper paste that is is a lot of Korean food. Sometimes I make my way into central Seoul and see the sights.

So there's a basic rundown of my daily life. Not so different from my life back home. Actually, just the other day my Korean friend asked me "Isn't is scary living in another country?" And while yes, sometimes it can be intimidating or frustrating, being able to get myself around and get what I want, there's something really satisfying in it. Generally, I like it.

Love to everyone back home. Feel free to come visit. I promise I'll take you somewhere cooler than Starbucks

It's come to my attention how very American I am.
I talk to loud. I talk to fast. I laugh to loud and without covering my mouth. I walk to fast.

In my intercultural studies class, we talked about how we are slaves to our own cultures. No matter how long we live in another culture, we still still be where we came from. I'm seeing now how true that is.

The word "assimilation" entered my mind last night. I hadn't thought of it since I had been here. Prior to that, when I heard that word I always pictured the Sudanese women in Sioux Falls who picked up a box of tampons and turned it round and round, trying to figure out what they were. Assimilation was for the foriegners. Those with long robes and names that I couldn't pronounce.

Now, I'm the foriegner.

I'm the one with the name no one can pronouce.

Actually, they do a really good job, but that's because everyone here has studied English since they were 5.

Which brings me to another point. I like Korea. I like living here and I like the people. But, my God am I glad I'm not Korean. Every senior in high school is trying to get into Harvard or another outstanding American university. Girls must do whatever it takes to be as thin as possible, and the health books point to this as well. Standards for body image and social status are off the charts, and understandably, there is a relatively high suicide rate.
While I value my family incredibly highly, I reserve the right to date and marry who ever I chose, regardless of ethnicity or social status. Those in Korea who are not fortunate enough to have this opportunity will marry someone mom and dad find suitable then sleep around on the side while the significant other ignores it, is blind to it, or simply pretends it doesn't happen.

There are "Love Motels," all over the place. These are places which are for the very reason you will guess based on their name. Motels for gettin' it on where only you, your partner, and the dude (or chic I suppose) who checks you in will know you are there. Oh, and the parking attendant. As the "lucky" couple pulls into their coital destination, they need not fear that Aunt Kim-Yung will pass by, see thier car and report them to spouse, parents, or community members. No, fortunately for them, there are large drapery type things hanging above the entrance to the parking garage, conviently blocking ones view from car make, model, and license plate. In the photo, you can't see the drapery covered entrance, but when I went to take a photo the man sitting there looked like he might get up and chase me away, but as you can see, there are lots of little buildings surrounding it, and with name like "Motel Feel," well, you get the idea.

Also, the two most obnoxious things about South Korea
1. Very few public garbage cans
2. The cars are the same color-White, Silver/Grey, Black. Korea is all about conformity, and frankly, that just drives me nuts.

But all that aside, I like Korea. All the above was written from an outsider's perspective who has only witnessed three months of a culture a few millenia old. There are positives for certain. Children respect thier parents (though maybe too much for my liking, going back to 30 year olds who will marry unhappily to please mama and pop). The food is delicious (mashisoyo in Korean). And Koreans share everything! Children share thier snacks without being told, or ever being asked by a friend. They just give thier stuff away! (Which comes in really handy when students bring candy to school and pile it up in my hands) My two coworkers shared a boiled potato! No matter how small, it's broken and shared and I think that's really beautiful and the point where I hope my assimilation begins.


Ok, all for now.


PS-Watch out for the motorbike drivers on the sidewalk.

The Beauty in Language Barriers

Okay, so it's obviously been way too long between blogs. My apologies. I'll try to do at least one blog every week or two. I'm so busy! I'm way busier than I ever was at home! It's crazy! I'll start with the language barrier, as it's fresh in my mind due to the events of this evening. Other subjects such as simlarities, differences, and general reactions will follow at a later time. Not two months later, I promise.

Language Barriers-As frustrating as they often are and can be, I have to say there is a bit of beauty embedded within them. I noticed this when I visited Finland as well. Over broken grammar and slaughtered words, somehow the point gets across on both parties' sides. This happened most recently this evening, when my co-worker Hannah and I went to the convience store for some post musicing snacks.
Hannah plays violin. The problem with playing violin in Korea is that noise becomes a factor when the majority of the population, English teachers included, lives in apartments. As it happens, Hannah and I live next to a church with what I have deduced to have a fairly active youth group. There are always Korean teenagers playing ping pong, basketball, and musical instruments. Fortunatly, Hannah is a clever character and decided to ask if she could practice her violin in the room in which we always see the kids hanging out in. (There are glass doors to the building that we walk by, hence the visual knowledge). As I was walking home from church this evening, I glanced down and saw Hannah sawing away through the glass doors. Admittedly, seeing all the teenagers jamming out and playing games always makes me want to hang out with them. Hannah was my in. (There is nothing like working with pre-schoolers to make me miss teenagers) I walked in a began talking with her, and some of the kids (high schoolers will now be referred to as "kids") said hi and chatted a bit. Now, having left my guitar and mandolin in the good ol' USA, I have really been jonesing for some frets. So I asked who the guitars belonged to, asked if I could play, and for the next hour and a half or so I dinked around and sat with what I presume to be a big stupid grin plastered on my face as my fingers revisited the strings of a guitar. There has been an incredible lack of music in my life in Korea, recorded, live, and my own, and that 90 minutes elated me. I'm still on a bit of a high.
The youth pastor came in to lock up, and I took advantage of talking about youth ministry as well as some common worship songs. A few weeks ago, as I was walking outside, I heard the worship band of this church playing a David Crowder Song. The lyrics were in Korean, but I recognized the melody, and that in it self was a beautiful thing. His English was broken, but we understood each other, sang a bit of a common song in our respective languages.
Back to the convience store. As I said, we had just finished playing our stringed instruments and were in need of nourishment of the snack persuasion. We went to the convience store on our block, the GS25, (which shall herein be lovingly referred to as "the GS") and some folks from the church recognized us and said "hi!" Even if they speak not a single word of English outside of "Hi", Koreans generally greet us (white folks) with a warm "Hi!" One of the kids was there as well as bid us goodnight as he left. (Sidenote-walking into the GS is always such a pleasant experience as when the door opens it doesn't ding like most gas stations back home. Rather, it plays the tune of "It's a Small World," or other commonly known songs that I can't think of at the moment)
The girl at the cash register, whom I've seen several times before but never talked to, was wearing a necklace with a wooden cross. She said something in Korean and Hannah and I looked at each other and shrugged, having no idea what she said. I pointed to her necklack and gave a thumbs up. She said something again, then said, JeJus something and pointed to her heart I think, which was really sweet. Then she said "My uncle (something in Korean)" Hannah and I shrugged again, but then I said "Pastor! I bet her uncle is a pastor!" By this time she was looking up a word in her electronic dictionary, handed to us and there on the screen was "pastor." Her uncle is indeed a pastor. Between context and, even more so, just being human, we understand one another and I think that's a really beautiful thing.

Clean Clothes Saga

On Saturday, I took a mighty adventure and went to Home Plus (=Walmart) by myself. My mission was to find laundry detergent. After wandering through the store, I found the aisle that I thought looked correct. As I stood there staring at bottles with words I couldn't understand, an employee woman came up to me and said ...... well, I have no idea what she said. I shook my head and quickly went to another aisle. However, by the process of aimless wandering, I stumbled upon something that made my heart begin to sing....COFFEE!!! Andrea, if you are reading this, I can't thank you enough for that french press mug you gave to me. I use it every day. No joke. Every day. My co-workers in all of their kindness gave me a gift bag full of goodies upon my arrival, including these instant coffee packages. While I by no means wish to diminish their heartfelt gift and am incredibly thankful to them, non instant coffee that is not more sugar than actual coffee is quite literally a god-send. I'm fairly certain the children will like me much better with this discovery as well.
So, though I was escstatic to find coffee, I still had no laundry detergent. So I made my way back to that aisle (a few times) and the same lady came up to me again and pointed to a sale sign. I could see that it was 50% off. So finally I held my shirt out a bit and rubbed it, asking "for clothes?" She nodded yes. What kind of detergent was it? I have no idea, but after putzing around for nearly an hour, the fact that it was for clothes was all I needed to hear....well, that and 50% off. I took my coffee, detergent, and apples that I decided would be my breakfast for the week to the check out. Ahn-yong-hah-sayo to the clerk. (Hello) The amount owed was on the screen. I handed it to her. She gave me change. She said something else I didn't understand, but I'm pretty sure it was "do you want a bag?" so I shook my head no. Gam-sam-needah (Thank You) to the clerk and from the clerk to me. Success!!
I came home.
I stared blankly down at the washing machine.
How the hell do I work my washer!?!
I pushed some buttons. It lit up. I closed the lid. A few minutes later I return to check on what I think should be a successful washing. The minutes had not counted down. There was no water in it. The clothes remained dirty and dry in my foriegn machine.
(Tonight...3 nights later, my coworker has shown me what to do, and I now have clean clothes drying on the rack in the kitchen.)
Clean clothes at last!

The First 48 Hours

Well, I've arrived safely. I got in around 5:30pm Wednesday night (Seoul Time...3:30am Wednesday Central time). Customs and whatnot was easy. I was picked up at the airport and within 2 hours of landing, I arrived at the school that I'll be working at. I was greeted very warmly, surrounded by the teachers who will be my co-workers. They gave me a gift bag filled with coffee, tea, tissues, crackers, cookies, and even peanut butter (which is very hard to find), jelly and bread. They are all very nice.
I slept like a rock that first night. Then, Thursday, I rested throughout the morning, and then went to the hospital for routine check up. They are really concerned about Swine Flu here, and I can't blame them, with so many people crammed into such a small place. Though honestly, the area I am in is not packed like I thought it would be. Traffic is pretty constant, but the sidewalks are not crowded at all. And I'm so thankful that my apartment building is off the main road, and it's really quiet!
Last evening, a coworker took me to Home Plus (like walmart) so I was able to get a few necessities. Then we had dinner. The two of us ate for around $4 USD and I was full! Then jet lag set in again and I was asleep by 9:30.
Today, Friday, I woke up a little before 6am and couldn't get back to sleep. I watched a bit of TV and quickly learned that there are not the same restrictions as home. Not that I was expecting there to be, but I was surprised to see topless women. It was one of those hidden camera shows, and I think it was Russian. They would play pranks on unsuspecting passers-by, and one of them was set in a supermarket. The woman was pretending to demonstrate the good effects of laundry detergent. She had the people squirt her shirt with various liquids, then stripped it off to put it in the soapy water. The men smirked. The women tried to make her put it back on. :)
I decided I'd had enough TV (there are 3 or 4 English Channels) and I couldn't get back to sleep so I decided to go for a walk. I'm noticing it's only the older folks who stare, for the most part.
There is a river in front of the school, with a river walk following it. It's so green and really a pretty walk. There are so many trees! There were ducks in the river and bright butterflies, and this large bird that's black and white and noisy! (No, it's not a penguin)
Tonight, I'll have dinner again, and tomorrow I'm off to Seoul for the first time. I'm looking forward to it.
Once I have internet in my apartment, I'll be able to use my computer and put up pictures and talk on Skype and whatnot. For now, I'm using the computer at the school. Everyone is really nice and really helping me adjust and find what I need. I'll enjoy the weekend, and then start observing classes on Monday. The kids are really cute and I'm excited to get to know them.
Ok...all for now.

Beginning Goodbyes

Well, things are falling into place for the grand Asian adventure. My visa arrived, my plane ticked was reserved, and suddenly the fact that I'm soon going to be in Asia is becoming more real. Though honestly, it still really seems surreal, and I think that will continue even after I've set foot in South Korea. My plane ticked was secured yesterday. I don't have to pay for it, however. The school that I will be working for foots the bill. If I fail to complete the one year contract, then I have to pay it back. When my one year is completed, I have the option of renewing, otherwise they pay for my plane ticket home, plus one month of severance pay. While I'm there I get two weeks paid vacation, which I plan to use to further explore Asia. I'm really eager to get to Japan. I have a friend from high school who was an exchange student from Tokyo, so I'm planning on visiting her. However, it's only a 2 hour flight or so from Seoul to Tokyo, so that trip could even be made on one of the several long weekends I'll have due to Korea holidays. I'll be in a Southern suburb or Seoul called Seongnam City, but my particular area of that suburb is called Bundang, which is nearly considered its own city. From what my friends who have taught there have told me, it's pretty much the nicest neighborhood in all of South Korea. I will leave from Kansas City next Monday, June 15 (that's so soon!!) and fly to Minneapolis, where I have an overnight layover, which is fine, because I have a friend from high school who lives there that I will stay with. I leave at 7:45am Tuesday morning from Minneapolis and fly to Seattle, which I'm really excited about, because even though it's not a super long layover, I'll have enough time to hop off the plane, get picked up by my friend, have a very quick lunch and coffee (of course) with some Seattle friends, and get back to the aiport in time to leave Seattle Tuesday afternoon on an 11 hour flight to Seoul. Once I arrive at the airport in Seoul, I will have a ride waiting for me from the agency I have gone through to find my job. He will take me to the school I'm going to be working at, and then to my own apartment that comes fully furnished. After that, I'm sure I'll crash from jet lag and insane time changes. So for the last few weeks, I've been tooling around the midwest, trying to spend time with as many friends and family as possible. With the exception of Garrett, today was the first time I've had to say goodbye to family. Dad, Jami, Samantha, Tyler, Wyatt, and I spent the day playing games at Grandma and Grandpa's, which to me really was the perfect way to spend it. As grandpa said in another email, Sam and I and a friend of mine stayed there for a few nights earlier this week, so I went downstairs to do a quick run-through just before leaving. I walked into the wicker room, and there in the middle of the floor was a nice shiny penny.Honestly, I never really bought the penny thing to much, but in these last few months they have been turning up in ways that may be swaying my mind. Like I said, things have been falling into place for this whole crazy venture to begin, and well, finding the penny was kind of like the cherry on top of an already well topped sundae. I know this next year will be hard in so many ways, but the reward of the experience I believe is going to far outway the hardships.

People ask me if I'm afraid. Honestly, I feel like I should be far more afraid than I am. I feel like because I'm not terrified, the culture shock will be that much worse. I think it may be more overwhelming that I anticipate. Yet, this is something I've wanted to do for years.
A few months ago, as I was beginning to understand that I was infact going to go, I found a journal from nearly 4 years ago. As I was flipping through it, I found an entry in which I was debating between teaching English in Asia and going to seminary. I had written, "God, if there's a way to do them both at the same time, please show me." I almost fell off my bed. I don't think I actually expected to do them both at the same time. Yet, here I go. What a whirlwind adventure this will be.

By the way, Bundang, when pronounced correctly, sounds like Poondong (so far as I can tell)
Hence, a rhyming blog title. Enjoy.