Our bags got lost on the way to Vietnam. And so we had an immediate introduction to Vietnamese service. After Chinese airport staff, who responded to questions like middle-schoolers being assigned homework, it was a pleasure to discover that this loss of baggage would be no trouble at all. They started making calls before we’d even reached the desk and located the bags before we’d finished the form. Our stuff was delivered to the hotel in a few hours. We definitely weren’t in Korea anymore.
The first thing Lacey and I noticed on the taxi to the hotel was the quiet. It felt like it should be loud – there are so many motorcycles and scooters that the cars are like rolling boulders in a fast-moving stream, and they use their little ‘pim-pim’ horns with an almost Italian regularity - but instead it was calm and, frankly, soothing. Traffic in Vietnam continued to fascinate for the whole week, and we never did see an accident. It became clear pretty quickly that, for all the apparent chaos, everyone pays an awful lot of attention to each other. While I never got comfortable with crossing the roads, riding on the back of a motorcycle felt surprisingly safe, especially when remembering Korean taxi rides. And the constant ‘pim-pim’ starts to seem polite after a while.
The second thing I noticed on the way into Saigon was that this was a considerably poorer country than Korea. The infrastructure was crumbling, with cables hung in the most haphazard way imaginable, and the people weren’t all using shiny phones and wearing brand-new clothes. Honestly, I think I would have noticed the poverty less if I hadn’t just left a country where wealth, and the show of wealth, is so important. But after trying to spend money all week, and finding that we still had half our Vietnamese dong on the last day, you couldn’t really avoid noticing that you’ve magically become a rich person. (And don’t worry, Lacey and I dug deep, and we shopped in the local markets until that money was gone.)
Like most good days, that first day ended with food. The French may not have always been popular in Vietnam, but damn they helped out with the food. It seems like these people liked good food before the French anyway, but it can’t hurt now can it? Our first meal in Saigon was at a little Indian restaurant where we were introduced to salted tea, tried our damnedest to spend more than 10 bucks each, and rolled out of there just about as happy as clams.
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Monday, 25 October 2010
Lies, damned lies and statistics
Since leaving Korea:
Number of days: 44
Number of countries: 4
(Vietnam, Scotland, USA and (very briefly) Canada)
Number of modes of transport: 9
(taxi, bus, plane, train, boat, bike, bus, subway, car)
Number of flights: 7
Number of flights almost missed: 3
(Of which, 1 was very much our fault...)
Number of places slept overnight (not including transport): 17
Of which, 3 were hotels/hostels
Number of lactase tablets consumed: 25 and counting
Amount of delicious non-Korean food eaten: about an extra 5 pounds worth
Number of times I've marveled at how every coffee shop has soy milk: 100s
Amount of time since it became clear that I'm now 'unemployed' rather than 'on vacation': 2 weeks
Frequency of checking for emails from recruiters: 10 times a day
Level of excitedness about finally seeing the parents tomorrow: very high
Level of sadness about leaving PA: a little too high to think about
It's been too good a vacation/unemployment to sit down and write anything, but that just means I have a lot of stories to remember and scribble down before the grog chases them all away.
Number of days: 44
Number of countries: 4
(Vietnam, Scotland, USA and (very briefly) Canada)
Number of modes of transport: 9
(taxi, bus, plane, train, boat, bike, bus, subway, car)
Number of flights: 7
Number of flights almost missed: 3
(Of which, 1 was very much our fault...)
Number of places slept overnight (not including transport): 17
Of which, 3 were hotels/hostels
Number of lactase tablets consumed: 25 and counting
Amount of delicious non-Korean food eaten: about an extra 5 pounds worth
Number of times I've marveled at how every coffee shop has soy milk: 100s
Amount of time since it became clear that I'm now 'unemployed' rather than 'on vacation': 2 weeks
Frequency of checking for emails from recruiters: 10 times a day
Level of excitedness about finally seeing the parents tomorrow: very high
Level of sadness about leaving PA: a little too high to think about
It's been too good a vacation/unemployment to sit down and write anything, but that just means I have a lot of stories to remember and scribble down before the grog chases them all away.
Monday, 18 October 2010
My Top Five Koreans
In no particuar order...
Angela - My most adorable student who was the hardest not to steal. The one who worries about me thinking she prays to pop idols and apologizes to my skin when I have sunburn. She's just the sweetest-natured child I've ever seen.
The guy that works in the convenience store downstairs from Lacey's apartment - Unfortunately I don't know his name, but that dude is awesome. He's really old and I think if I'd met him at the start of the year I wouldn't have realised how nice he is because he pretty much doesn't speak to me or Lacey, but he's far from grumpy and he's just a really nice guy. Just the sort of fella that makes an excellent granddad.
Peter - This kid is the archetypal middle-schooler except that he's way smarter than he ever wants to let on. His great dream in life is to sleep for a week, he hates every subject at school and his hobby is 'hanging out' (I told him months ago that only little kids say 'play with friends' so he never EVER says that now.) He, and the rest of 'Brave' class, tortured me pretty much every lesson and even though I had fun in that class, I was convinced they didn't like me. Then on my leaving night, their Korean teacher told me they thought I was 'so cute' and they would tease me because I got so embarrassed. Silly me thinking I was being a hard ass.
Sang-Ah - I sat next to Sang-Ah almost all year, and for most of that time I thought her name was 'Sang-Hwa', what with that being printed in large letters above her desk. But mis-pronunciation aside, she was a great desk-buddy and we had some enlightening chats about things like whether you can 'wear' a backpack and how to deal with our shared class that just wouldn't do their homework. (The class did come around eventually after repeated threats and detentions.) In my last week, she gave me a leather bracelet that I've been wearing ever since. She's the kind of person that makes me miss Koreans a lot.
Kris - Lacey's boss is just about the funniest, smartest and most Korean woman I met all year. She never did let us pay for dinner, and she was always helpful in detangling Korean culture queries. Almost every time I saw her for one of those raucous dinners, someone had a 'Why do Koreans...?' question. Almost every time, she would hesitate and be surprised that this was even peculiar to us. And almost every time we would all leave with a little more understanding than we started with, or at least a funny story.
And a special mention has to go to my mothers' class. For the whole year I taught a small group of the students' mothers and I learned at least as much as they did. Even though the grammar we covered was pretty basic, it seems like we must have touched on every topic, and their lack of prudishness made for lively discussions. I'll never forget how nice it was to have a whole set of surrogate mothers when I was so far from my own.
Koreans. I sure do miss those guys.
Angela - My most adorable student who was the hardest not to steal. The one who worries about me thinking she prays to pop idols and apologizes to my skin when I have sunburn. She's just the sweetest-natured child I've ever seen.
The guy that works in the convenience store downstairs from Lacey's apartment - Unfortunately I don't know his name, but that dude is awesome. He's really old and I think if I'd met him at the start of the year I wouldn't have realised how nice he is because he pretty much doesn't speak to me or Lacey, but he's far from grumpy and he's just a really nice guy. Just the sort of fella that makes an excellent granddad.
Peter - This kid is the archetypal middle-schooler except that he's way smarter than he ever wants to let on. His great dream in life is to sleep for a week, he hates every subject at school and his hobby is 'hanging out' (I told him months ago that only little kids say 'play with friends' so he never EVER says that now.) He, and the rest of 'Brave' class, tortured me pretty much every lesson and even though I had fun in that class, I was convinced they didn't like me. Then on my leaving night, their Korean teacher told me they thought I was 'so cute' and they would tease me because I got so embarrassed. Silly me thinking I was being a hard ass.
Sang-Ah - I sat next to Sang-Ah almost all year, and for most of that time I thought her name was 'Sang-Hwa', what with that being printed in large letters above her desk. But mis-pronunciation aside, she was a great desk-buddy and we had some enlightening chats about things like whether you can 'wear' a backpack and how to deal with our shared class that just wouldn't do their homework. (The class did come around eventually after repeated threats and detentions.) In my last week, she gave me a leather bracelet that I've been wearing ever since. She's the kind of person that makes me miss Koreans a lot.
Kris - Lacey's boss is just about the funniest, smartest and most Korean woman I met all year. She never did let us pay for dinner, and she was always helpful in detangling Korean culture queries. Almost every time I saw her for one of those raucous dinners, someone had a 'Why do Koreans...?' question. Almost every time, she would hesitate and be surprised that this was even peculiar to us. And almost every time we would all leave with a little more understanding than we started with, or at least a funny story.
And a special mention has to go to my mothers' class. For the whole year I taught a small group of the students' mothers and I learned at least as much as they did. Even though the grammar we covered was pretty basic, it seems like we must have touched on every topic, and their lack of prudishness made for lively discussions. I'll never forget how nice it was to have a whole set of surrogate mothers when I was so far from my own.
Koreans. I sure do miss those guys.
Monday, 6 September 2010
Middle School Dating Project
My rowdiest middle-schoolers learned two important phrases yesterday: "too good to be true" and "creepy". I actually made them write down the second one as it was the only appropriate description for the listening in their textbook. The listening being an introduction from a dating website. I just couldn't resist getting them to write their own introductions. Here are some of the best:
HelloMy name is owen. I don't smoke, I don't drink alcole. My hobbies is play computer game. My dream is PCroom CEO. I amgood my. My school is Siji.Hi. Let me introduce myself. I'm Korean. I'm in 1 grade in Gosan Middle School.My hobbies are playing computer games, and hang out with my friends.Of course, I don't smoke and I exercise each day to stay in shape.I like school. Because my friends are in school and I can play with my friends and study together.I don't drink, I don't take bad drugs. I like my friends.And, sometime play sports with my friends.My favorite subject is nothing.My hates subject is all thing.I like baseball.I'm waiting for your reply.(This child understood you can lie on a dating website...)Hi, let me introduce yourself.I am Korean. I'm 27 years old and single.I graduated from a Harvard University.I have big house in New York.I have much money.In my house, I have zoo, park, big PC rooms, high tower, restaurants.And I have very big company.I'm president of my company.HelloMy name is Nam Hyun WooI don't smoke and don't drinkAnd I am good boy not bad boyMy hobbies are listening to music and playing exercise.I'm studen't and I'm don't spend money. I'm usually person.And My dream is middle school PE teacher.Let's start enjoying time togethergood byeRandom (Random is his English name. I always meant to change it, but it suits him so well.)Hi, let me introduce myself. I'm Korean. I'm 14 years old and single.My hobby is listening to music.I like dance music.Of course, I don't smoke and drink alcohol.I'm speak English. I can play piano.I'm middle school student.I like doing many thing together.I like clothes and shopping.Hi Let's me introduce myself. I'm Korean and I am one grade middle school.My hobbies are listening the musicI'm student so, I don't smoke and I don't drink soju.I don't have dream.I have family. I have glasses.I like spagetti and cola!!!!!!!!!I have bug. I will have new cell phone.It will be good.
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Last Nite
I will never leave cupboard doors open again. It's been a bad habit for years but after a good bash on the head and spending lord knows how long laying on the bathroom floor, I think the lesson might stick now.
But that was just the end of the last epic Saturday of Year One. The day started incredibly early – 10:30am! - with a catch-up class at the YMCA. After a couple of missed lessons, we had some extra practice to do, but for once we made it on time. As it was the last lesson of the semester, only half the time was for study. The rest of the class time was spent learning how to make 송편(song-pyeon: sweet rice dumplings traditionally eaten at Chuseok). It's pretty much like playing with play-doh, with all the mess and fun that implies. Apparently if you can make beautiful song-pyeon, you will have beautiful children, so we're all a little worried about our teacher's first-born. Even though it wasn't strictly class time, the three of us actually kept speaking Korean pretty much the whole time. It really brought home how far we've come from those first few weeks when remembering how to say 'thank you' was a struggle.
Next up was a trip to the hairdressers to get my burgeoning mullet under control. I've been going to the same girl for almost the whole year, and while she barely speaks English (“Me English little,” as she puts it) we've managed to communicate pretty well, and this time I finally had the nerve to speak Korean to her. It was great to actually be able to talk to her without making her nervous about her English (which, like almost every Korean girl I've met, is considerably better than she thinks). And I do love how she makes me look like a member of a K-pop boyband.
After a few more errands, and a quick stop home to freshen up (walking around all day in this heat doesn't exactly leave you feeling clean), we headed back into town for dinner at our favorite Korean traditional restaurant. Neither Lacey nor I had really remembered to organize anything about our last weekend, but we managed to round up a few of Daegu's finest for a feast. With appetites satisfied, we moved on to Organ Bar, where we parked up in a corner for the next few hours. The air-con was broken, which is less than ideal in a basement bar, but the superb music and good chat more than made up for that. After an hour or so, a group of around 50 brand new EPIK teachers trooped on in, completely drowning out our tunes and generally taking over the whole bar. Our table quickly turned into a group of grumpy old-timers staring at and judging the newbies. It was just like freshers' week all over again. Look at them all trying so hard to impress each other! And ordering imported beer! And tipping the bar staff! We judged and we felt superior and we remembered what it was like to be bowled over by Korea and, when they left, we bid them a cheery farewell.
When we were finally ready to leave Organ, the two girls at the bar stopped us to say that the Sigur Ros song I'd requested was coming up next and we HAD to wait for it. It being a 10 minute track, we had ample time to chat with them. I asked the owner if he remembered when my parents came in, and passed on their thanks for the music being so perfect that night. He not only remembered, but the girls knew about it too – and they all thought it was awesome that my parents had danced in their bar. Excited though I am about Busan, that bar is one I will miss.
After a quick stop at another bar to catch up with some other folk, six of us wrapped up the night at a norae bang. We went to my favorite one, the one we almost always go to. They give you so much extra time that its nearly impossible to stay until the 'hour' finally runs down. Within two songs I'd jumped up on the sofa and adopted the rock-stance necessary to the singing of power ballads. The streetlight people were there, Lisa Loeb made a surprise appearance, and frankly I don't think Bonnie Tyler ever sounded so good.
So, pretty much a perfect day. And one with a lesson: close the damn cupboard door!
Next up was a trip to the hairdressers to get my burgeoning mullet under control. I've been going to the same girl for almost the whole year, and while she barely speaks English (“Me English little,” as she puts it) we've managed to communicate pretty well, and this time I finally had the nerve to speak Korean to her. It was great to actually be able to talk to her without making her nervous about her English (which, like almost every Korean girl I've met, is considerably better than she thinks). And I do love how she makes me look like a member of a K-pop boyband.
After a few more errands, and a quick stop home to freshen up (walking around all day in this heat doesn't exactly leave you feeling clean), we headed back into town for dinner at our favorite Korean traditional restaurant. Neither Lacey nor I had really remembered to organize anything about our last weekend, but we managed to round up a few of Daegu's finest for a feast. With appetites satisfied, we moved on to Organ Bar, where we parked up in a corner for the next few hours. The air-con was broken, which is less than ideal in a basement bar, but the superb music and good chat more than made up for that. After an hour or so, a group of around 50 brand new EPIK teachers trooped on in, completely drowning out our tunes and generally taking over the whole bar. Our table quickly turned into a group of grumpy old-timers staring at and judging the newbies. It was just like freshers' week all over again. Look at them all trying so hard to impress each other! And ordering imported beer! And tipping the bar staff! We judged and we felt superior and we remembered what it was like to be bowled over by Korea and, when they left, we bid them a cheery farewell.
When we were finally ready to leave Organ, the two girls at the bar stopped us to say that the Sigur Ros song I'd requested was coming up next and we HAD to wait for it. It being a 10 minute track, we had ample time to chat with them. I asked the owner if he remembered when my parents came in, and passed on their thanks for the music being so perfect that night. He not only remembered, but the girls knew about it too – and they all thought it was awesome that my parents had danced in their bar. Excited though I am about Busan, that bar is one I will miss.
After a quick stop at another bar to catch up with some other folk, six of us wrapped up the night at a norae bang. We went to my favorite one, the one we almost always go to. They give you so much extra time that its nearly impossible to stay until the 'hour' finally runs down. Within two songs I'd jumped up on the sofa and adopted the rock-stance necessary to the singing of power ballads. The streetlight people were there, Lisa Loeb made a surprise appearance, and frankly I don't think Bonnie Tyler ever sounded so good.
So, pretty much a perfect day. And one with a lesson: close the damn cupboard door!
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Ch-ch-ch-ch-chaaaanges
Well after all that reflection on seasons coming round again, and feeling so at home in Korea, my school is now in a state of noisy upheaval. I should never really have expected things to stay the same for too long - that just isn't the Korean way.
The school has occupied a full 7-storey building up to now, but due to the ever-dropping number of students, we're moving into the top 3. That means that what was once the teacher's office and a small library now also contains the front desk and reading stations for the students. And some plants. They moved those up today, presumably to make us all feel better about things.
I have to say, at this late stage, I just can't get myself irritated about any of this disruption. I had to move my desk, but really that just forced me to organize some of the worksheets I was planning to take with me anyway. I now sit in Manager's Row with both the foreign and Korean managers right next to me, but that just means I pick up tidbits of information early. I'm terribly hungover today, but hey, that just means the kids get an easy time.
It's also pretty interesting being in close quarters with the admin staff. Of course teachers and desk staff had some contact before, when we need to order books or get pay slips, but we were separated by five floors. It was pretty funny the first couple of days when one of them was running about telling the workmen all about her vision of where things would miraculously fit. It was a little less funny the day there were cables draped everywhere and the workmen alternated between yelling at each other and drilling things. In all the chaos, one of them also dropped his cigarettes, which a child then started playing soccer with.
All in all, a pretty typical time in K-town. Now if I could just get hold of some coffee, today would be just peachy.
The school has occupied a full 7-storey building up to now, but due to the ever-dropping number of students, we're moving into the top 3. That means that what was once the teacher's office and a small library now also contains the front desk and reading stations for the students. And some plants. They moved those up today, presumably to make us all feel better about things.
I have to say, at this late stage, I just can't get myself irritated about any of this disruption. I had to move my desk, but really that just forced me to organize some of the worksheets I was planning to take with me anyway. I now sit in Manager's Row with both the foreign and Korean managers right next to me, but that just means I pick up tidbits of information early. I'm terribly hungover today, but hey, that just means the kids get an easy time.
It's also pretty interesting being in close quarters with the admin staff. Of course teachers and desk staff had some contact before, when we need to order books or get pay slips, but we were separated by five floors. It was pretty funny the first couple of days when one of them was running about telling the workmen all about her vision of where things would miraculously fit. It was a little less funny the day there were cables draped everywhere and the workmen alternated between yelling at each other and drilling things. In all the chaos, one of them also dropped his cigarettes, which a child then started playing soccer with.
All in all, a pretty typical time in K-town. Now if I could just get hold of some coffee, today would be just peachy.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Deadlines
Lacey and I will be in Vietnam in two weeks. My first year in Korea is almost over. It's finally started to sink in, and now that we've crossed the deadline*, I feel a lot calmer about it than I did a month ago. Only four more lessons with my favourite kids, but only three more to survive with the awful ones. Undoubtedly, saying goodbye to my students is the part that makes me feel saddest about leaving. On my worst days, those kids unfailingly lift my mood and remind me why I'm here. Even though English teaching involves a large dollop of theatre and acting, I feel more like myself in the classroom than in any other job I've had.
Since I've extended my contract by one month, I'm now seeing the same part of the year as when I first arrived. Apples are back in season, as are the thick-skinned purple grapes, and the cicadas are loud, but back down to tolerable levels (for a couple of weeks they were loud enough to hurt your ears and drown out all conversation.) We've been watching a lot of 'River Cottage' recently, which is a pleasant but frustrating experience when living in a small urban apartment, but it makes me think that Koreans really are pretty good at living 'in tune with the seasons', as Hugh would say. Their seasonal customs are a little more rigid than we Westerners are used to, but they do make a lot of sense. I don't personally understand passing up on the delicious 'samgyetang' during cooler weather, but it is nice that the supermarket changes its vegetable display regularly.
Something else I've noticed: speaking Korean really has made the last few months a LOT easier. Taxi drivers understand directions better, I can ask for help in shops and explain my weird dietary needs in restaurants, signs are no longer a mystery. It has without doubt been the biggest help in adjusting to life as an expat. I'm going to miss studying it back home, and I'm sure that finding a decent class/tutor next year will be high on the list of things to do.
Also, the food situation has improved with time. I still don't like seaweed, though I can handle it mixed into food, and frankly I'm unlikely to ever come around on squid and octopus, but tofu and spiciness are both pretty much non-issues now. Figuring out how to cook at home has been really important too: Korean cuisine is healthy, but wherever you are, restaurants aren't going to be the best place for healthy eating. Oh, and vegan ramen. That's important too :)
I had thought that by this point in the year I'd be desperate to be out of here, but I'm really not. I'm excited about Vietnam, eating non-Korean food and, most importantly, about catching up with people I've failed to email regularly, but I'm also really happy that I'm coming back. Korea's well and truly under my skin, and I'm anticipating major kimchi cravings by the time I get back here.
*I just finished a book set in Niagara Falls, and the 'deadline' was the point in the river at which the current is so strong, going over the falls is unavoidable. Can't find a link to say if it's real or not though!
Since I've extended my contract by one month, I'm now seeing the same part of the year as when I first arrived. Apples are back in season, as are the thick-skinned purple grapes, and the cicadas are loud, but back down to tolerable levels (for a couple of weeks they were loud enough to hurt your ears and drown out all conversation.) We've been watching a lot of 'River Cottage' recently, which is a pleasant but frustrating experience when living in a small urban apartment, but it makes me think that Koreans really are pretty good at living 'in tune with the seasons', as Hugh would say. Their seasonal customs are a little more rigid than we Westerners are used to, but they do make a lot of sense. I don't personally understand passing up on the delicious 'samgyetang' during cooler weather, but it is nice that the supermarket changes its vegetable display regularly.
Something else I've noticed: speaking Korean really has made the last few months a LOT easier. Taxi drivers understand directions better, I can ask for help in shops and explain my weird dietary needs in restaurants, signs are no longer a mystery. It has without doubt been the biggest help in adjusting to life as an expat. I'm going to miss studying it back home, and I'm sure that finding a decent class/tutor next year will be high on the list of things to do.
Also, the food situation has improved with time. I still don't like seaweed, though I can handle it mixed into food, and frankly I'm unlikely to ever come around on squid and octopus, but tofu and spiciness are both pretty much non-issues now. Figuring out how to cook at home has been really important too: Korean cuisine is healthy, but wherever you are, restaurants aren't going to be the best place for healthy eating. Oh, and vegan ramen. That's important too :)
I had thought that by this point in the year I'd be desperate to be out of here, but I'm really not. I'm excited about Vietnam, eating non-Korean food and, most importantly, about catching up with people I've failed to email regularly, but I'm also really happy that I'm coming back. Korea's well and truly under my skin, and I'm anticipating major kimchi cravings by the time I get back here.
*I just finished a book set in Niagara Falls, and the 'deadline' was the point in the river at which the current is so strong, going over the falls is unavoidable. Can't find a link to say if it's real or not though!
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