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Korea Year 2 - Month 2...Beijing, Day 2

2010-02-12T16:22:00.004+09:00

Hi guys!
I decided to finish 2009 before the end of February... Wish me luck!

BEIJING – DAY TWO

I woke a tad later than Robert and his roommate who were enjoying a light breakfast and a replay of a TV awards show by the time I ventured to the restroom. The awards were the equivalent of the Emmys and it appeared all of the media glitterati were present. I was surprised at how most of the actresses were so mildly dressed, (a bit fragile-looking actually), as my first impression of girls in Beijing was how sensible and sturdy they looked on the streets of the city. (Far fewer miniskirts and stilettos than Seoul…maybe the Chinese girls are just able to walk better since they’re wearing sneakers?) But the most striking distinction during the awards was the sight of men in ceremonial military uniform in the front rows of the awards auditorium. It reminded me of the last performance scene in The Sound of Music.

After pondering the incongruity of militaristic influence and free artistic expression over slices of breakfast toast, I wanted to hit a couple of tourist areas in the center of town. ; ) The subway stops nearest Tiananmen were closed for the holiday weekend to avoid jamming the trains. Having been the site of The Party’s anniversary celebrations the night before, the parade floats were left there on display for the public to view. I thought it would be fun to brave the crowds so we headed down to check out the ~~aftermath~~ action.

Here I was thinking that braving Namdaemun Market in Seoul on a weekend in spring time was bad. (Ok, actually, it is.) But Tiananmen Square, the veritable center of the capital of the most populous country on earth during the middle of an 8-day national vacation? Boys and girls, that’s the definition of crowded and locals + provincial tourists = amusing.

We approached the Square from the south (all ancient entrances in Beijing face south) and I was surprised by wide assortment of stores in a (obviously new) shopping area that led up to Tiananmen. There were a few brands such as Giordano and Uniqlo that I’ve grown accustomed to seeing all over Korea, (though neither are actually Korean companies), and the typical American retail colonization—re: Starbucks. I was quite envious to see H&M, one of my favorite clothing stores as well since the one in Seoul doesn’t open until March 2010. :(

[Side note: I was absolutely GREEN with envy when I saw a big, bright shiny IKEA on the way to town from the airport. Why? Why? WHY doesn’t Korea have IKEA when both Japan and non-free market China have it?! Huh? ]

I also saw this sign along the way and had fun thinking up various interpretations for each symbol…

Inside a pedestrian tunnel on the edge of Tiananmen, I ran into a little trouble with the authorities. In my defense, I didn’t actually realize they were “real” authorities. Whereas in Korea, uniforms have a reasonable range of variety, ie. there would be no legitimate reason for confusing a parking attendant with a police officer, in Beijing the lines are not so clear.

Beijing uniforms seemed to range from, inspired by military, to Wait, that guy’s not military?, to That’s a police uniform?, to My bad! You actually work for The Party. o_O Folks in the most seemingly asinine positions, ie. security in the shopping area, would have on what appeared to my untrained eye as full military regalia. (Furthermore, I’ve generally found the Seoul riot police to be about as cuddly as can be and have gotten them to pose for photos with us! lol.)

So there I am, a tourist attempting to document the peculiarities of my trip. A line up of soldiers (or not) seemed like a nice addition to my photo collection. I position myself to get the best possible line of focus despite the other seemingly Chinese folks in my way taking photos. In my peripheral vision, a couple of the photo takers scurry away. I adjust my camera for a horizontal shot and am ~~accosted~~ greeted with the sound of English: NO PHOTOS! Huh?

A guy in street clothes waves a pretty aggressive “get lost” in front of me. I’m confused until I noticed he was carrying an umbrella. And there’s no rain in sight. And I remember this. No need to ask me twice! I got back on my way and was pretty relieved that was the end of it. (As I’m sure Robert was…I think I made his blood pressure rise a little!)

When we finally made it through the crowds to the other side of the street, it seemed like the perfect time for an “I was here” photo since there was an entryway with a ridiculously large photo of Chairman Mao above it. [It’s a bit harder to find photos of “The Greater Leader” these days than in the past and who knows…one day he may not be around at all. ;) ] Lots of folks were taking photos with and without the Chairman in the background. The spot was pretty popular…a little too much so.

I handed my camera off to a passerby to get a picture of me and Robert together. On the guy’s second photo attempt, another guy runs up behind me and Robert while his girlfriend takes a picture! By the time I realize what’s happening, the first guy realizes I’m done posing with Robert and asks if I can pose with his girlfriend! Uh, ok.

That seemed to inspire a couple of other out-of-towners…This is my chance! Wait ‘til the folks back in see this! A group of girls asked for a photo…then another guy. There’s a reason I’m not a supermodel, people! Aside from my stunningly average looks, I don’t like having my picture taken. lol.

In the corner of my eye, I could see a few more people gathering their courage. While keeping my pageant girl smile I blurted, “Robert, after this one I’m gonna run! You better get ready!” As soon as I heard, “Ok, thank you,” I pulled a one-legged 180° spin and started my best bob and weave maneuver through the crowd until I got outside the cluster. It was terribly juvenile, but it worked!

You may or may not already be aware that China is the Texas of East Asia… everything’s just bigger there! Tiananmen Gate is HUGE…like “How did they build that thing before construction cranes were invented?” kind of huge. It was impossible for me to get a photo of the entire gate with my little point-and-shoot camera.

Inside the gate, the actual square was sectioned off. All the parade floats were there as were a few thousand people. We opted to walk on the side street rather than endure crowding and cramping. The weather was surprisingly warm and I was super grateful for the little boy hawking bottles of water. I was merely amused by all the other street sellers hustling plastic “gold” medals and miniature Chinese flags. It was so blatantly nationalistic, it felt ‘overdone’…

After having our fill of Tiananmen Square, we began looking for the fastest route out of the area and on to less crowded streets. When we reached the back gate of the area, we found out that in true militaristic style, all foot traffic was being directed such that we’d have to hoof it about a mile or so out of the way. :( Fortunately, the walk was picturesque and shady. : )

All along the path there were more street sellers entreating us to buy medals and flags. While I had scoffed at such a notion just 4.5 hours earlier, the visual barrage of thousands of Chinese flags had worn my resistance thin. There are flags everywhere around the square…and the medals, when I was finally able to see one up close, I realized they were commemorating The Party’s 60^th Anniversary…it seemed oddly appropriate…timely at least…certainly something I wouldn’t find anywhere else. Like a little kid at a county fair, I wanted what everybody else was carrying!

The Chinese flag was easy enough…1 Chinese yuan and they all looked the same. The medals on the other hand…some had red accents, some jade green. Others were all gold. Red was definitely the order of the day. By the time I decided to buy one, they were all gone! Vendor after vendor said they were sold out.

After walking for some time, we finally reached the main street where public transport was available. A teenage boy yelled out to us as we passed. Clenched in his fist were several gold medals with red accents. Robert, ever-patiently coddling my whims, asked if I still wanted one. “How much is it?” I asked. Robert approached the kid to inquire. [It might be appropriate at this point to make mention of the fact that Beijing is a city requiring street smarts. Every other person you meet’s got a hustle they’re hoping you’ll fall for and money is typically the goal.]

Judging by the sharp tone of words that passed between them—although my making such judgment while listening to Chinese is slightly suspect—I guessed the kid was asking too much. As it turned out, he was asking WAY too much…20 Chinese dollars if I remember correctly! “Are you serious?!?” I blurted. The kid had his game face on though. If he detected any sort of horror / disbelief / anger in my voice, he didn’t let on. I supposed he figured I was a stingy wench of a tourist considering the exchange rate but I figured he was pretty selfish to consider raking someone over the coals when they hadn’t even done anything to him!

In the end, Robert got him down to the going rate (5 yuan) and I got my shiny little trinket. I remember walking away thinking, “The gall of that kid!” But also thinking that I can’t say I wouldn’t try the same thing if I were in his position…Americans mean dollar signs I guess…

After all the excitement, we got back to Robert’s side of town for dinner. We stopped at (what I was told was) a pretty typical Beijing style restaurant. Y’all, the menu was huge. HUGE!!! Like, for no reason and under no circumstances does a menu ever need to be that big! It was a cross between a scrapbook and a high school yearbook. No lie. There were pages upon pages of photos categorized by ingredients: chicken, beef, seafood, vegetables, rice, noodles…it went on and on. Robert asked what I wanted but I made him pick. My brain started hurting after the first 10 pages!

We agreed on some thin pork slices, to be eaten with flour wraps, sliced eggplant in sauce, dumplings and real Beijing 炸酱面 noodles. (In Korea, it’s known as 자짱면and made a bit differently.) As you’re probably thinking at the moment, that sounds like a lot of food. It was! I was SO full. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it to our evening activity…salsa dancing!!!

Months and months before I went to Beijing, I saw this video a friend had posted on her Facebook page showing a Chinese guy killing some Cuban style (Casino) salsa. (I mean, seriously, watch the video at least to the part where he throws off his jacket, ok?) Being the super-nerd / Google-stalker that I am, I found out the guy in the video has a dance school in Beijing, and determined that I would visit there whenever I got to visit the city.

The dance school is called Casa de David, after the owner’s English (or should that be Spanish?) name. He and his sister Queenie run the school and club. I loved how it had this earthy, “Dirty Dancing” feel. Not because the dancing was “dirty” but because the place was all about dancing, unlike the fru-fru place I went to in Gangnam (Seoul) that seemed like a dance competition incubator. *boo!* I mean, you know you’re at the real deal when there’s a permanent conga rig in the corner. In fact David, the owner, played the congas during part of our lesson. He also speaks Spanish since he studied in Cuba where he picked up his dance skills before moving back to China.

Even though David didn’t teach it himself, the dance lesson turned out to be a lot of fun. The lesson was on Columbian (Cali) style salsa [video], which I wouldn’t have had the nerve to try under other circumstances. Cali style is impossibly fast for someone like myself with two left feet. I often joke that I dance really well…by myself. It’s only when I have a partner that trouble begins! Fortunately, the instructor kept things really basic for us.

I was surprised to find that pretty much everybody at the studio spoke English. While the lesson was conducted in Mandarin, when the teacher corrected me she spoke English as did the other students when we were partnered together. In the end, I lost my fear of Columbian salsa. I don’t see myself winning a championship any time soon, but I’d definitely take another class if the chance arose. Truth be told, I enjoyed myself so much, I wanted to set up shop right next door so I could dance every night! :D

David’s sister Queenie was such a darling, she nearly begged me to visit again on Monday night. I truly wished I had had the time. Regardless, she, her brother and their dance studio made my night—a night that started months prior with a video from an American friend of a Cuban show with a Chinese guy that I watched in Korea. The world felt really small that night…in a good way. :)

Despite all the fun I was having, we left the salsa club early to visit with one of Robert’s good friends, a German-Japanese guy—yes, since you were wondering, he was good-looking—who was having a birthday party.

Robert’s friend lived in a hutong, a traditional Beijing neighborhood made up of a bunch of connected single-story houses with little courtyards. The evening was fabulously balmy and when we arrived, everyone was lounging about in the courtyard. I hadn’t been around so many Europeans since the two summers I spent at Choate in high school. If I recall correctly, there were two French girls, an Argentinean by way of Spain, a guy from Denmark on vacation, at least one other German apart from the host, and I want to say, someone from Holland, or Sweden, or that other extremely Nordic country I can’t recall at the moment…

They were so…uh, European. I mean, I assume other people like ABBA just as much, but geez…lol! And there was lots of wine. And singing…to ABBA. (It was a miracle the neighbors didn’t throw their dirty dishwater over the courtyard wall.) J All in all though, I had a bang up time. I even got Robert to indulge in a bit of ridiculous dancing after the fancy struck several of the rest of us.

Sometime after midnight, I gave up trying to stay up, and decided to make the trek back to Robert’s side of town. I had enjoyed a fabulously full day, and like a typical tourist, had scheduled one just as full for the day to come…

...to be continued.

Miss you guys! Love & Hugs. ^__^

-t.

Year 2 - Month 2...October 1st

2010-02-12T01:32:00.002+09:00

Long time, no email! Besides all the distractions the end of the semester / end of the year can bring, I got a little too detailed with my recollections of October. That being the case, this entire email is only my recollection of October 1st and it's quite a doozy. Still, the best is yet to come...

OCTOBER 1^ST

As I alluded in my last letter, October started with a bang.

October 2 – 4 was Korea’s thanksgiving holiday known as Chuseok. Because of that, I had a 4-day weekend. Since China is pretty high on my “Must See” list and I now have a friend there, (met him when he was studying in Seoul last year), I figured October was the perfect time. So I’ve been told, Beijing is even colder than Seoul during winter and there was no way I was trying to find out first hand! So October, (or summer vacation) was my only choice and summer seemed too long a wait.

October 1 was the last day of exams for our girls which meant a much welcomed half-day! After school, I met up with another teacher to donate a couple of bags of unneeded clothing that had made the journey from my old place to the new one. We chatted about our holiday plans, she showed me a spot in our neighborhood to get eyelash extensions (more on that in the next letter) and wished me safe travel.

Next on my agenda, was a task I wasn’t looking forward to. After promising my building management that my dog Peppero would no longer “be a problem” I was messaging/texting half the people I knew in Seoul for advice. Another dog owner suggested debarking. “You could get that awful surgery they did to my dog,” were her exact words. Do note the words “awful” and “they.” Her dog was also a rescue but the culpability was not her own. She had rescued the poor creature from “them.”

When visiting the animal rescue, I had happened across the most adorable little Maltese. When a volunteer and I approached his cage for a little playtime, we appeared to be convulsing. His little head was bobbing back and his torso shook ever so slightly. “Aww, he’s scared,” she said but after watching for a few more seconds, I realized, “He’s barking.” We both watched him closely. His little body made all the motions but there was absolutely no sound. It was pretty pitiful. After taking him out of his cage, he proved to be quite the little yapper…non-stop head bobbing! As odd as it was, I resolved in my mind that it was a better such a dog endure the indignity of being voiceless rather than be sent down “the long walk through the one way door” (as it was referred to in Lady and the Tramp).

Peppero on the other hand, is not “such a dog.” I had chosen her from over 100 dogs at the shelter precisely because she was so dang quiet but still playful! I had never heard her bark. (Even when she got her shots, the technician mentioned he couldn’t believe she didn’t yelp!)

The thought of debarking a dog that didn’t even bark seemed a whole range of words from unfair to cruel. In the end, I had only 30 minutes to make a decision.

I headed off to the vets office with Peppero in hand (ok, bag). Fortunately, the nearest vet and a couple of his staff members speak basic English (although I’m not sure how ‘basic’ the word tracheotomy is! Gotta love Asia…) The vet looked Peppero over. He noted her stitches from spaying appeared to be healing nicely. He explained the debarking procedure was pretty standardized outpatient work that would only take 10 minutes. “We will cut the vocal chords,” he said. I’m pretty sure my face glazed over at that point. I had just had my dog’s uterus removed and we’re gonna slit her throat…great. I was feeling like a great big jerk. He assured me that the procedure was the only guarantee since she was howling rather than barking and howling can’t be stopped with a training collar the way barking can. “In Korea, it is normal,” he said and gave me a little pep talk about the necessities of such operations while living in close quarters. He told me there would be no blood and at that point, I felt I had no choice. Too many things, (my afternoon flight, for instance), depended on a quick resolution. I arranged for surgery, stitch removal, bathing/grooming and four days of boarding. After pre-paying (!), I ran home to finish packing and wash my hair.

I had already limited myself to three outfits for the weekend and as a sufferer of ‘Chronic Over-packing Disorder,’ I was pretty proud of myself. Three outfits and only two pairs of shoes was a veritable tour de force. I consoled myself with the thought of additional shopping to make up the shortfall. ^^ All that was left before departure was the little issue of washing my hair. Unfortunately, this must be conducted with consistent attention to established ritual.

My hair is sometimes fragile and Korea’s hard water has done it no favors. Shampoo must be followed with by a deep conditioner, then leave-in conditioners, and a silicone-based smoother, (yes, plural), one of which has to be activated by heat (blow drying). On the best of days, I can get it done in 1.5 hours. If I take my time, more like two. If I flat iron it…add an hour…Knowing that I’d neither have the time or the tools to undertake the process on (yet another) foreign soil, I determined to get it done before my flight.

When I finally left my apartment for the airport, I had a partially damp head of hair, about 1-and-a-half hours before boarding and a 30-minute ride to the airport. Things were looking…impossible.

I was absolutely torn…express bus, subway or taxi? I stood at the curb outside my apartment running scenario after scenario through my head. I was paralyzed by the possibilities, none of which were sure. I opted for a taxi AND the express bus. I was too jittery to fuss with the subway and figured the bus would save me some cash for the latter part of the trip. My taxi got caught in traffic, of course! The 15-minute drive to the express bus station went more like 20 minutes and the extra moments felt like an eternity. I did some unnecessary walking while struggling to find right waiting area at the bus depot and by the time the bus pulled up, I was ready to collapse into one of the few remaining seats and relax.

Fortunately the 30-minute ride went without a hitch. After arriving at the airport, I bulldozed my way down the aisle past the other passengers and plowed into the expanse that is Inchon International. After a moment’s hesitation, I accosted an airline associate to ask where the Air China desk was.

When I got to the desk, the four airline reps chatted playfully with each other like they were on break. I got directly in front of the counter and said, “Excuse me,” then received a "do you need something?" glance from one of the girls—not the face I want to see at that moment.

“I need to check in for the 545,” I blurted. “It’s been delayed. You should have come earlier. Normally our desk closes at 430,” Uh, thanks for the lecture. “Can I make it?” “It’s not boarding until 630.” “Ok, thanks.”

My mind was so frenzied that while her answer was clearly a “yes,” my brain hadn’t yet absorbed how much time I had left (about 1.5 hours until boarding). What I did know was that I wanted very much to get settled in near my departure gate and unwind. As lightly as I believed I had packed, my luggage was deemed too heavy for carry-on. I relinquished my bag and proceeded to the security gate with the very sensible plan to grab some food and hit an ATM when I got to my departure concourse.

As par the course for Inchon Airport, I got through security pretty quickly. I eagerly hopped on the shuttle to the international departure concourse not knowing I might as well have taken a ride on Willy Wonka’s paddle boat. First stop, Lotteria, a fast food join dedicated to Asian-flavored McDonaldization of food. They have these French fries in a bag with your choice of cheese, onion, or garlic flowered powder. Totally disgusting—totally addictive. I was in just the mood for a dose.

As I headed to the counter to order, I noticed a few stickers plastered over several menu items. The little kids working there did their best to explain to me in their best English that yes, there really aren’t any french fries…or onion rings…or the #3 combos. At this point, I had to will my mind to stop thinking because NOTHING that came to mind at that moment was “noble or pure or lovely.” A burger joint without fries?! It was Candid Camera without the laugh track.

At a loss for what to eat, decided to tackle task #2, get some cash to exchange when I get to Beijing. I stopped by a money exchange window run by my bank and asked to get some money. “Can I use my card to get some money?” “No. You can’t do that.” Uh, ok. Just another disappointment among many… “Ok. Where’s an ATM?” “There’s no ATM here.” Wow…just wow. “There’s no ATM here? Is there one somewhere else? Where can I get money?” “There’s no ATM in this area.” “Wait? Like this whole concourse? The international area?” “Yes. There is no ATM.”

OH MY GOD.

I left the counter and did everything short of blanking out to keep myself from snapping. (The bulletproof glass is there for a reason!) I checked the concourse map to make sure she wasn’t mistaken. 업서요. Nothing. Nada. I decided to head back to the front of the airport.

A few things you should know to understand the foolishness that soon occurred: I had 3,000 won in my purse…AKA $3. Korean debit/ATM cards issued to “foreigners” generally do not work overseas. It’s been covered here, here, and here. (We can’t get bank loans either.) I have two Korean bank accounts, one I use for daily expenses—it’s where my employer puts my paycheck—and another that I use for savings and to send money to the US. For some reason or another, the debit card for my second account will work overseas but the first—the money pot—doesn’t.

I had no french fries, no money, and now, no time. I jumped into a nearby elevator and headed back downstairs the way I had come. When I got downstairs and attempted to wait for the shuttle, an airport employee intercepted me. I don’t remember what he said, but he did everything short of shove me back in the elevator!

I told him that I needed to get to an ATM. He told me I couldn’t leave. I told him I live in Korea. I showed him my resident ID. He insisted that I go back upstairs to the information desk. I was between a rock and a hard place, tears and explosion. I went back upstairs and found the information desk. It was the least informational moment of my day. Let the meltdown begin! I had images of an impoverished self eating ramen all weekend or even worse—not shopping! God why?!

I moseyed on over to the info desk and explained to the staff member so beautifully attired in her pinkish hanbok that I needed to go back to the front of the airport and use an ATM. *blank stare* “You can’t leave this area.” Riiiiiight. That’s “Scenario A” and I’m trynna make a move to “Scenario B.”

“I don’t have any money. I need to get some money.” “But you can’t leave this area.” “I live here.” I pulled out my Resident ID. “I live here and I need to go to an ATM. There are no ATMs here.” Naturally, a staff member nearby wanted in on the action.

“Don’t you have a credit card?” he asked with a sliver of mock innocence mixed with incredulity. And I’m thinking, what are you, the anti-Dave Ramsey?!

I went into my briefest explanation of Korean’s banking restrictions on foreign nationals and the fact that I had tested my debit card in The Philippines previously. The blood in veins was rising to my neck and I was milliseconds away from becoming “that” person who’s talking a little too loud and a little to forcefully NOT to be taken away by security.

When the staff finally understood what I was saying, (or realized I wasn’t backing down…not sure which), the hanbok lady told me I might miss my flight. “I don’t care. I’m not going without any money,” I blurted as I held back hysterical tears.

In my peripheral vision, I could see a clock indicating there was one hour before my flight’s departure. I called the friend with whom I’d missed my Philippine flight. “What is it with you and airports?” she asked. I still don’t know the answer to that one. lol.

Fast forward 15 minutes and “someone” still hasn’t arrived. I’m as antsy as can be. I inquire and am assured “the person is coming.” I figure the airport has some super secret passage ways (in addition to the speedy shuttle train) that can get me where I need to go. Another five minutes slip by before a Korean Air staffer arrives in her impeccable uniform. [The Korean Air Girls (KAG) are always impeccable.]

The Information staff briefs her. I glance at the clock and tell the KAG my flight leaves at 630. “Will we be able to make it?” In answer, she says, “Come on,” and breaks into a jog toward the elevator. I thanked her for escorting me and we proceeded in silence.

When we reached the next concourse, the KAG broke out the long-distance marathon pace. In heels. In heels! In addition to the guilt I felt at putting someone else through an airport sprint fest, I felt terribly inadequate as a woman. I had on sneakers and could barely keep up. Did I mention Korean girls don’t sweat? They don’t. AND their hair always stays in place. Crazy.

So there I am, my new dog about to undergo the knife, I’ve got $3 in my pocket and I’m chasing the embodiment of picture-perfect femininity through the airport in pursuit of a relaxing weekend. What’s a girl to do? I used my cellphone to make a call to Beijing while running across those George Jetson escalator floor thingies.

“Robert? I dunno if I’m gonna make my flight.” “Hello? Where are you?” “Running through the airport.” It was very much like the scene in Home Alone right before the “KEVIN” moment where the family is running with complete abandon oblivious to what they’re leaving behind.

Somewhere mid-stride—was it Concourse A, B, C, or D?—I had the realization that this was only a four day weekend and if I made the plane I’d be eating dinner in Beijing. If I didn’t, I’d have lost my hostel reservation for the weekend, half-a-day’s vacation, AND have to hightail it 45 minutes back to my apartment. Then, lo and behold—was it the voice of God?—the light bulb above my head turned on…you have money in your American account. (DUH!) The resolve to continue my cross-airport marathon diminished faster than the fig tree on the road to Bethany. O…M…G…

As I was rolling the details over in my mind, the KAG slowed her roll and turned to me. “You will not be able to take your flight.” I battered her with a quick succession of questions: “What time is it? When’s the next flight? How far are we from the ATM?” I don’t think she had formed the answers before I blurted out, “I wanna go back.” Despite her impeccable KAG customer service training, her face said she hoped I was joking. “I wanna take my flight! I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath—God knows what she was thinking! lol—and off we went.

We RAN all the way back to the international wing of the airport which was more exercise than I’d had in months…no doubt, scaring a few people as we blew by. Naturally, as one would expect in a situation where time is of the essence, my plane was parked at the very last gate of the hall. By the time the gate was in sight, I had a side cramp, was wheezing and breaking a nasty sweat! The KAG showed no physical signs of distress other than her perfectly-formed hair bow taking a slight dip.

I made the flight by the sheer skin of my teeth. I was the last passenger and presumably looked like the poster child for swine flu with a clearly above-normal temperature and a mucus-laden cough. I wouldn’t have wanted to sit next to me! Fortunately, my nearest seatmate knocked out pretty early so I didn’t have to feel guilty.

*****

My two-hour flight went without a hitch. Beijing is an hour behind Seoul so I gained some time as well.^^ My buddy Robert (Zhengyu) was darling enough to come all the way across town to meet me. The Beijing airport is ginormous. I always say Inchon Airport is big ‘for no reason’ and Beijing is that plus one! I was really glad I didn’t have to navigate it alone. As it so happened, my arrival date coincided with the "democratic dictatorship's" celebration of 60 years of glorious rule, as it were.

If you watched the Olympics last summer, you already know, China does it big. Every TV at the airport was tuned to coverage of the parade and performances in Tiananmen Square. Even on TV, the enormity of the production was apparent. I was only able to catch a few glimpses on my way out of the airport.

It took close to an hour to reach Robert’s neighborhood. We took an express train then two subway trains. He lives in a nice area of town full of new residential and retail developments. Despite missing the big parade, on the way to dinner, we were able to catch a few fireworks in the distance. It was a nice touch to my first night in China. We stopped at a small family-owned spot and got a really amazing plate of vegetables and another of tenderized seasoned beef. YUMMY! It was nice to eat something different that tasted so good. ^^

One of Robert’s roommates was gone for the weekend, so I accepted his offer to crash at their place. His other roommate was a Russian girl who spoke more Chinese than English. She was nice but naturally, we couldn’t talk too much. I had a comfy bunk laden with extra bedding from Robert’s brief stint as a hostel owner (before "democratic dictatorship" intervention on his location). I contemplated how many ‘toursity’ things I could fit in the next four days, then fell into a much earned sleep.

To be continued...

Miss you guys! Love & Hugs. ^__^

-t.

Year 2 - Month 1

2009-11-03T21:00:00.024+09:00

September began with quite a literal blur...
Like I mentioned in my last letter, I returned to school on the heels of a pink eye infection and stumbled through the week's lesson plans. I hadn't taken the time to prepare lessons before I left for vacation and out of haste, when I returned, I had mistakenly planned a lesson from the wrong book! It was a bumpy ride to say the least.

I had done my best to set up my new apartment and found myself constantly cycling between home and local superstores for miscellaneous items. When the weekend came, I was quite content to stay home on Saturday and attempt to out rest my fatigue. I met up with an old friend for dinner and considered that my "event" for the day. On Sunday, I returned to the small Baptist church I had been attending (SIBC) to meet up with old friends. The vast majority of folks who had attended the church last year had completed their teaching contracts and returned home. I greeted the family that had hosted the Sunday lunches/prayer group then spent the rest of the day lesson planning.

The second week of the month passed much like the first, save the fact that I now had a bicycle by which I could explore my new neighborhood. I don't think I had ridden a bike in at least 15 years or so and I found I enjoyed it as much as I did when I had Huffy bike. ^ ^

The second weekend I met up at an upscale buffet for a friend's birthday on Saturday night (and had a little incident with missing the last train home and wandering the streets after 12am looking for an ATM to get cab fare). The weekend was otherwise mild. The new express subway made it possible to visit Sarang Community Church, a friend in LA had recommended--(thanks Monica!)--since the previously 1hr 45min trip is now only 30mins. It's one of the larger Korean churches in the city and they hold three English services every Sunday. I enjoyed the service. It was interesting visiting a majority Korean church for a change...

After work, I took the time to do something I had been contemplating for a while...sign up for Chinese classes! Some of you may know about my self-study in Mandarin and my interest in China. (I'm actually sitting in a Beijing Starbucks as I write this.) Despite that, I have yet to take a Chinese class. One of the community centers in Seoul offers classes for only $10 each 3-month session!

While I was signing up, the community center volunteer noted my inability to fill out the form written in Korean and suggested I sign up for Korean classes that begin just before the Chinese ones. I tried to decline, considering I've taken three months of Korean and judging by my speaking ability, it isn't doing me much good. In the end, I agreed to the beginning class which means I'll be suffering through five chapters introducing the Korean alphabet again...*sigh* If I still can't fill out a basic questionnaire after this one, I quit! lol.

Since last year when my Pomeranian ran away in the States, I had gotten it into my head that I wanted to get another dog...in Korea. I had also made up my mind to adopt a rescue dog. I have never seen so many purebred dogs in a pound until I got here!

The second weekend of the month, I visited a rescue to meet dogs that were up for adoption but didn't "click" with any of them. Since I had a half day Thursday of the following week, I took it on myself to visit one of the largest Korean animal shelters in the area and see what dogs are available. An hour-and-a-half subway ride, a 30-min bus ride, a bunny trail down a partially gravel side road--which I'm pretty sure provided some very old people their entertainment for the day--I arrived at the shelter. The staff looked shocked to see me as none of them spoke English.

After visiting all the dogs, as heartbreaking as it was, I narrowed myself down to two, an adorable Yorkie mix who looked like a miniature Benji and a brown poodle that was so happy at a few moments out of her cage, she bounced around like a little lamb! I was assured a Seoul veterinarian would examine the two dogs and transfer them to his shop so that I wouldn't need to repeat the long trek to the shelter. The rest of the week, I kept thinking about the two little dogs and wondering which I would end up with.

On Saturday, I headed across town to the vet's office. I quickly discovered the cute, previously mild-mannered Yorkie mix was a little bully as he challenged every male dog he encountered! He refused to walk consistently on a least and barked at every other thing in sight. He was a great dog...for someone else!

The poodle was just as pleasant and even-tempered as she had been on first meeting. She adjusted to my walking style on leash after only a few minutes. The choice was easy. I named her Choco Peppero after the Korean candy sticks and made plans to bring her home the following Saturday after she was spayed.

With exams beginning the last full week of the month, time flew by quickly. The weekend brought a goodbye to another friend returning to the States after the end of her contract. Her employer had scheduled her departing flight just 12 hours after the end of her last working shift, so there wasn't much time for goodbyes! A group of us met up for some salsa dancing then headed off to a jjimjilbang (찜질방).

After a year in Korea, I still hadn't been to one of the public bath houses. Those of you know me well are probably familiar with my general distaste for public nakedness. It's not you. It's me. I find it a larger violation of my personal (visual) space than I'm generally willing to permit. In addition, given the Korean public-at-large's propensity for disregarding boundaries of personal space and staring, "get naked with staring, space-violating strangers" wasn't exactly on my 'Life List' (nor was "naked with friends.")

All that is to say, I was still wavering on the experience when we stepped on the jjimjilbang premises around 3am. (The baths are open 24 hours and people sleep over.) One of the other girls was a first-timer as well so we kept motivating each other to go through the experience.

To answer the big questions: yes, the bathing areas are single-sex; yes, children are permitted; no, they don't use chlorine; and no, I was neither the only black person nor the only non-Korean. (When we arrived, half the people were foreign.)

Fortunately, 3am isn't exactly prime bath time so the facility wasn't anything close to crowded. Fortunately, my mind slows down a bit after 2am so my thoughts about hygiene and closet lesbians and peeping toms couldn't fully materialize between my concerns over where I had last lain the two little hand towels that I was supposed to dry off with later.

It was an interesting experience. I can't say that I'm "a believer" now because I already know I'd get crazy in a space like that with more than 10 or so folks inside. And, only one person has to stare at me and/or say something inappropriate before I snap. With that in mind, I think I'll stop while I'm ahead. :D

After the jjimjilbang, everyone said their goodbyes, my friend headed off to the airport, and I went home to sleep. After a mere 3 hours, I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the vet where Peppero was waiting. WAY too much money later, me and my furry sidekick headed onto the subway to meet up with friends in Incheon for the Annual B-Boy competition. I had heard about the competition from some folks who went last year and were pretty impressed. The event featured dance crews from Europe, North America and Asia.

Keeping a dog in a carrier when she's been in a cage for at least a month is not a fun task. Getting to the park was quite a relief. Incheon has a "City Festival" going on through the end of the October. Vendors of all sorts are set up near the entrance to Incheon's Central Park. Peppero was quite a hit with little kids as she pranced by. She has a bouncy gait and thankfully isn't bothered by squeals of "mong mong!" or the rough sort of petting the 2-feet tall set tend to give. :)

When I finally reached the display area of the park, I was barred entry because of my sidekick! You can imagine the flash of emotions that rushed over me after just having gotten my dog and traveled over 1 hour by subway! The boy at the ticket counter did his best to communicate the reason with his limited English but in the end he walked me over to...the Pet Check.

Yes, boys and girls, the Pet Check is exactly like a Coat Check, sans coats. It was inside a small air-conditioned trailer with an attendant and cages for about 20 or so small dogs and the service is completely free! I was quite surprised, relieved, and disappointed---surprised by the fact that the city had been so thoughtful toward pet owners, relieved that I wouldn't have to miss the competition and disappointed that Peppero and I were being separated after a mere 2.5 hours together! With a heavy heart, I headed of to join my pals.

The competition was really cool. Most of you know how much I like dance (despite being a mediocre dancer myself) and these teams were insanely good! By the time I arrived, the competition was well into the final rounds. A Russian team, some guys from New York and a Japanese team were left.

The boys from New York had no chance against the Japanese team. Break dancing originated in New York but it doesn’t live there anymore! The NY team was a full head taller than their counterparts, a fact that severely undermined their ability to do the kind of precise acrobatic moves that have become standard fare.

The battle between the Russians and the Japanese was pure electricity. (vids here) Their styles were quite different and each seemed to up the ante at every turn. The Japanese guys ended up taking the title through questionable technique. Their dancing was superior but they also violated the team boundary line and were accidentally—-if you can call 3 incidences accidental—-dropping small hand towels at the end of their turns. It was a distraction at the least and at worst, a hazard for the other team who had to dance in the same space.

In between rounds, there were some top notch performances as well. A Korean break dance crew did an interpretive dance. (I know the words interpretive and break dance don’t typically go together but trust me, it was awesome!) A couple of guys from Europe did a weird / scary / cool Cirque-du-Soleil type piece that was amazing.

After the competition, I caught up with my buddies and convinced them to hang around for the fireworks / multimedia / water show that closes out each evening at during the ‘Incheon Festival’. It was definitely worth viewing. There were also pyrotechnics and what looked like human holograms projected onto streams of water. Cool stuff!

Afterwards, the 5 of us + dog squeezed into one taxi for the 30 minute drive home. Back in Seoul, we had some “king samgapsal” (barbequed pork) and Peppero enjoyed nibbling at the bones.

I spent Sunday morning convalescing at home. I was surprised to discover that Korean couriers not only deliver on Saturday (which was how I was woken up the previous day) but also Sunday! I received the last of a series of items to decorate my apartment: a rug and what I thought was going to be a couch. What I actually received on Sunday was four cushion covers!

I had previously been patting myself on the back for placing several orders on GMarket (Korea’s Amazon.com) by myself. I had received several items without a hitch and somehow managed to take phone calls in Korean confirming delivery. You can imagine my disappointment as I’m waiting for a cute little floor pillow 'couch set' to complete my living room décor and I receive a small square box!

I had misunderstood the item listing…the covers themselves where 70 Korean ‘dollars’…the actual cushions were an additional 50! I don’t know when I might have to move again and $120 worth of pillows doesn’t exactly sound like it'll have a good resale value!

Sunday evening, I met up with a couple of girlfriends for the Heritage Mass Choir’s monthly worship service.

[During one of the months I had neglected to write updates, a friend’s friend who was visiting from the States asked us if we’d seen the Korean choir “that sings black gospel.” Negative. I would definitely remember something like that!

So, being the Google Diva/’online stalker’ that I am, it didn’t take me very long to find them. I happened upon this video and emailed the guy who posted it. I asked where there church was and if the choir sang every Sunday. He responded the next day saying that they were all from different churches and got together once a month for a worship service. The next one would be that weekend. Score! What he hadn’t mentioned was that they were recording for their new album and DVD! My first experience with the Heritage Choir was pleasantly surreal. The seven of us who attended were all black Americans and they were quite happy to see us! lol.]

The Heritage Choir members definitely have some of the best voices in Korea. (vid here) So long as I’m in town, I won’t miss their service. It’s rare to see Koreans worship so freely since most of the churches here range from conservative to uber conservative. (Um yeah, not a wide range.)

After Sunday’s service, I was happy to pick up a copy of the new CD/DVD so I could look for me and my friends in the audience shots. (We’re in there! ^^)

On Monday, I tried to head off to work and Peppero was in a panic. They say dogs have the mental capacity of a two-year-old and having worked in a preschool, that sounds about right...the fact that she had food, water, a doggie bed and plenty of room to prance around meant NOTHING if she was going to be left alone forever—-as she perceived it anyway.

It wasn’t long before building management called my school--(I had missed the call to my cell)--and a third-hand message made it back to me via my primary co-teacher. I was on freak out status! [When I had mentioned to her in passing that I was getting a dog, she had said no pets were allowed in my building as per the lease (that I totally couldn’t read since it was in Korean). Peppero was already waiting for me at the vet's office at that point...oops!]

I was completely tense and prepping myself for a showdown with my building. But as with so many other things in Korea, the conclusion differed from my expectation. I stopped by my building office to check on another issue and was told, “Your dog was really loud. The neighbors were angry,” followed by a tsk tsk.

I apologized. Surprised at the laissez-faire response, I asked them to send my apologies to the neighbors and let them know that my dog wouldn’t be a problem after September 30. The manager took it in, nodded, and that was that.

I had forgotten I was in the land of “contract as guideline” rather than “contract as law.” Up until now, that fact had worked against me, but I’m glad this one worked in my favor. The first few days of October were Chuseok, Korea’s thanksgiving celebration. I had promised to solve the problem before then. I had a lot of planning to do...

Here’s the preview of October 1:
Taryn finishes a half day at school and leaves to the joyful sound of “Happy Chuseok” spoken in the halls. She meets a fellow teacher to make a clothing donation then dashes home to get Peppero to the vet. She has to complete a consultation on major surgery and be at Incheon International Airport by 345pm. It’s 115 and her clothes are still all over the place, as are her emotions...

Miss you guys. Talk to you soon.

Love and hugs,
-t.

Korea Reflections: a Prologue

2009-09-03T20:52:00.000+09:00

I began this letter during my 14-hour flight from Atlanta to Seoul. While driving to the airport earlier today, I felt a mix of sadness and anticipation of the unknown very similar to my emotions upon leaving one year ago.

This time around, I have a nice apartment to look forward to and a clear sense of what is expected of me in the classroom. I’m fairly well acquainted with where to shop and hang out and have several friends returning to teach this year. While the year will inevitably be filled with surprises, I am very much in the position of a sophomore returning to a year at college.

I bring with me, in addition to overweight checked baggage, a stronger appreciation for home and the uniqueness of America’s cultural and political makeup. The Hampton Roads area of Virginia where I grew up is beautifully diverse with interracial families of every blend a growing norm. I appreciate the existence of 50 enormous states, (well, maybe 40 big ones), and the diverse geography and endless opportunity because of it. I’m not particularly fond of “state’s rights” mostly because of how ridiculously different laws—and eventually culture—become from state to state and keep places like Louisiana and Connecticut seeming like they’re in entirely different countries. Still, the strength of regionalism gives the US much of its cultural ‘flavor.’

In contrast, I have a better understanding of life in a small country and the limits such a situation impose. With regards to economic strength and general safety (crime rates), Korea is one of the top countries in the world and yet, there’s still a very palpable sense of limitation (some of it voluntary) in contrast to the showy excess of the middle class back home.

I hadn’t realized until this vacation home how fond Americans are of multiples and not just Jon & Kate Plus Eight. :) I can’t remember the last time I was bombarded with so many numerical signs imploring the logic of multiple purchases of the same thing: 5 for $15. 2 for $20. Buy one, get one free. Buy one, second one ½ off. I would be lying if I implied I were anything less than committed to the cult of multiples. (Naturally, the multi cult can be found in Korea as well but it tends to manifest itself in “sets” which are worth their own paragraph…some other time.) And stuff? This article gives a tiny bit of historical information on Americans’ love affair with storing stuff…just one more mindset I’m glad to say my Korea experience has helped me curb.

On an unrelated note: I am desperately envious of Korea’s bathroom stalls. Is there any legitimate reason to make eye contact with a perfect stranger while squatting over a public toilet? I think not. Yet this scenario is repeated 1000 times a minute all over America because bathroom stalls always have gaps in between their connecting pieces. The situation is so common, I neglect to take notice anymore. In fact, I’d be down right shocked to find a toilet stall in America that offers complete privacy as I most was when I first arrived in Korea. (A few of you may remember my momentous toilet photo from my first trip to Incheon airport. Not only did the door shut all the way, there was a platform to store personal items and a “courtesy bell” for those given to impolitely loud toilet usage. That’s what’s up!

My three weeks in the States went by WAY too fast. It took three days to get my mind back in American mode and even without trips to Connecticut or California, I felt I didn’t have enough time just to sit with people. I still regret how little time I spent in Nashville. There were a few folks I didn’t see at all. (And a few places I didn’t eat. lol) It’s hard to realize how many little roots you put down in a place until you up and leave it.

As I finish this letter, I’ve been back in Seoul for two weeks. The first was a “quarantine” week lest any of us foreign peoples bring Swine Flu back from our foreign homelands. I was SUPER stoked to have a week to set up my new apartment! I didn’t actually stay in my apartment but I mostly stayed in my new neighborhood. ;) As it turned out, I needed the week more than I would have liked…I came down with a nasty case of pink eye again. Unfortunately, this time around I had the light sensitivity of a vampire…not cool! I am thankful to say I’ve fully recovered and am back to my contacts-wearing self.

At some point, I’ll send out the “film festival booklet version” of the final four months of last year but I can’t promise too much since there’s a few interesting things on the horizon for the upcoming months already. :)

I’m praying that this year will be even better than last. I’m also praying for strategies to get through the winter season without the depression too much cold and too many hours of darkness so easily bring. I feel 80% sure that this will be my last year in Korea so I really want to spend my time wisely. I’m looking forward to what in the world else this experience will bring.

Love & Hugs,

-t.

Kickin' It Pinoy Style

2009-06-21T15:11:00.028+09:00

Dear readers, remember that vacation I had WAY back at the beginning of the year? Well, here's Part I of the adventure…

Kicking It Pinoy Style

My trip to the Philippines began on an amusing note in Korea. After getting to the airport with enough time to spare, my friend and I proceeded to grab some breakfast at the nearest café to our gate. Unfortunately, the staff didn’t speak English very well and my friend was having difficulty translating “Can you toast my bagel?” Eventually, the cashier figured it out, then proceeded to take 15 minutes to get the thing toasted. I’ve worked at a commercial bakery before, 15 minutes is a crazy long toasting and in trying-to-catch-a-plane time 15 minutes is an eternity.

Too bad for us, we were flying Hong Kong based airline Cathay Pacific, the first airline I’ve encountered that lists the “board before” time in oversized numbers on their boarding pass. Let me break that down for you non-frequent fliers…every other airline I’ve ever flown lists the time planes begin boarding on the pass. That’s when you show up with a grimace on your face and wait your turn to get in line.

Those being the case, imagine our confusion when my friend and I arrived at the gate a mere 5 minutes after the time on our boarding pass. The plane was parked at the gate. How in the world did they get everyone on the plane so fast? I thought. We approached the check-in kiosk and attempted to board.

“We are finished boarding,” the stewardess stated in the unnaturally pleasant tone of voice all Asian airline stewardesses seem to master.

“But the pass says 740,” I protested.

“Yes. You should board before this time,” she replied with a smile. “Didn’t you hear the announcement?”

Obviously not.

It was at this moment a stout, uniformed Korean woman with walkie-talkie in hand approached. After exchanging staccatoed speech with the stewardess, she turned to us.

“Where were you? Why are you late?”

“We were right around the corner,” my friend responded.

“Didn’t you hear the announcement?”

“Why are we even having this conversation?” I said to her. Because I’m 30. And I didn’t pay several hundred dollars for a plane ticket in order to entertain inconsequential questions.

Cathay Pacific’s method guarantees that they will lay the smackdown on slowpokes. Show up before the time listed or else you too may miss your flight. While we didn’t react as badly as this woman, I kind of wish we did so I’d have more to write about. ;)

We came to the boarding area for our ‘replacement flight’ quite early. While we were lounging around, we were approached by a survey taker from the Korea Tourism Board. A bit after convincing the guy that yes, we live here, he took a seat next to my friend and tried to chat us up. By the time he dropped, “How old are you?”—a typical first-meeting question in Korea—I knew we were his break time entertainment. He plied us with the usual, “How do you like it here?” “Do you eat the food?” etc., then somehow, the conversation flipped to his interest in black American literature and he says that Roots is his favorite book.

Pause.

Naturally, we’re both thinking this is the new pickup line around town. (I mean, I don’t even know any black folks who say Roots is their favorite book.) Whether this was before or after he slipped in a comment about “cool Korean guys like me,” I don’t recall, but I was impressed dude knew his stuff. He was dropping titles like The Color Purple, Invisible Man, and political theorists like W.E.B. DuBuois and Malcom X. If he was gaming, he was on point. Unfortunately, there was no time to test him on the dance floor to see if he’d done ALL his homework. he he…

Soon it was time for us to board. He followed us to the gate and gave us each the Tourism Board key chains we would have gotten for completing the survey. Cute!

The Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong was pleasantly uneventful. They know how to bring it! Our flight was only 3 hours but we still got a tasty little meal along the way. Likewise, on the 2 hour flight from Hong Kong to Manila, we were fed remarkably edible food again. To think, back home they’re charging $7 for convenience store quality sandwiches when folks in Asia are getting piping hot meals in the time it takes to fly from Nashville to Washington, DC. *sigh*

Because we had missed our flight, we arrived at the Manila airport significantly later than we initially anticipated. Still, we made it through immigration without incident and having been forewarned, hopped into an "airport-approved" metered taxi.

Our host for the first night was a law student at De La Salle University in Malate, Manila. He was our couch surfing connection via my adventurous traveling companion. It’s only one night, I told myself before agreeing. And dear God, am I ever glad it was!

When my friend had told me some guy in Manila agreed to have us over I thought everything was gravy. No need to interrupt our other host for a few sleeping hours since we were headed off to Boracay island the next morning anyhow. My friend told me the guy’s profile mentioned he had a maid which I thought was superb. Not only would we 1) not have to stay alone with some random guy we met off the internet, 2) we wouldn’t have to worry about actually doing anything since household help was available, and 3) I also figured he must have a little money since he could afford a maid while he was still in school and all. Ha. Ha. And Ha.

Some of you may have heard me gripe about the size of my “apartment” in Seoul. In this case, the word “apartment” most certainly deserves quotation marks since my ENTIRE living space is the size of my bedroom in my last apartment and my last apartment was the smallest one I'd ever lived in. I only bring it up because this guy’s place was SMALLER than my place in Seoul.

Let that marinate before we continue.

So my friend and I are in our airport-approved taxi and the guy can’t find the building. We drive in a loop around the university on the street where the apartment building should be but after passing the same two Starbucks 3.5 times, we let him know we’ll get out and give it a walk. Now, for those of you who haven’t been to Malate, it’s not the sort of place that looks like you’d want to walk about haplessly. Think a random block in Queens, NY, Itaewon in Seoul, East Nashville, or Downtown Norfolk. Sure, other people are out doing their thing, but you don’t wanna be wandering around there with a piece of luggage and a face that says, “I’m not from here.”

But there the two of us were, doing just that. We rolled up to the neighborhood Starbucks and after a moment’s quandary, I volunteered to ask the nearest local to use their cellphone since there weren’t any payphones in sight. I chose a guy who appeared to be sitting alone, took a deep breath, and rolled myself and my little luggage over.

“Hi. Uh, could I use your cellphone?”

No response. This is the Philippines. I know you understand English dude!

“Why?”

Did he just say that?! Does he not see my luggage or does he really think I’m doing this for personal amusement? By this time, a couple of girls came to the table with lattés.

“We’re supposed to be staying with my friend but we can’t call him because our cell phones don’t work here…we live in Korea."

“Where does he live?” Clearly, this was this guy's late evening entertainment.

“In Cruz Towers,” my friend finally chimed in.

“Oh,” said one of the girls. “It’s right there.” Finally, someone with sense…although not enough to explain “right there” without further prodding.

After soliciting proper directions (and not getting to borrow a phone!) we began trodding a construction-ridden patch of sidewalk. After verifying our location with one of the security guards, we had arrived.

Now, imagine for a moment, a door opening to a narrow rectangular space about two arm widths wide and oh, 1.75 Toyota Camrys long. That’s what we were working with. And we were greeted with not two faces, but three! Dear God! At least the inauguration’s on, I thought. So, I suppose, counting Barack Obama on TV, we were greeted by four faces…

Our host invited us inside and introduced the two girls who were with him. The older was his maid and the younger, his girlfriend. I can’t really say he “showed us around” since it was WAY to small to have an “around” but he acquainted us with the space. He explained that the bed was for my friend and I. “I hope it’s ok,” he said. I assured him that it was. I was far more concerned about where he and the maid were sleeping and wondering when his girlfriend was gonna roll out since the room was clearly beyond capacity with two people in it.

Our host asked if we were hungry and despite our assurances that nothing more than a small bite to eat was even remotely necessary, he ordered the maid to cook us dinner...at 11:30 p.m. We managed to scarf down a few bites while we watched the bazillion people in Washington, DC cheering at the inauguration. The situation was surreal. I could hardly wrap my mind around the fact that I was watching one of the most historic moments in US history from thousands of miles away. The dreams of so many Americans were being realized through the first black president in a moment when I myself was fulfilling a personal dream of visiting the Philippines—major and minor moments all at once.

The answer to the girlfriend question became clear soon enough. After we had changed into pajamas, and climbed onto the bed, our host pulled out a sleeping mat from underneath the bed. His girlfriend started to make herself comfortable. Something moderately intelligible like, “Hope you don’t mind if she stays,” rolled out of his mouth. Actually, I’d much rather she didn’t but I’m not actually in a position to make demands at the moment…

Sometime after the maid finished washing the dishes and cleaning the small kitchen, we finally settled in to sleep around 2 a.m. Having watched President Obama be sworn in, I fell asleep in awe of history being made and the circumstances of my travel. I woke up to a new day.

Korea - Month 7

2009-05-31T09:38:00.001+09:00

Korea - Month 7

After hitting the 6-month mark, I felt like a new recruit who had made it through Basic Training. March was the end of Winter Break and the start of a new school year. All my teacher friends were back in town from various jaunts around the globe and there was a general sense of, "If we made it through the first half, we can make it through this half." People had already begun to discuss whether or not they would renew contracts for another year.

My biggest concern at the beginning of March was not the new batch of freshmen we were about to require but turning the ripe (stale?) old age of 31! Can you say, "Was. Not. Looking. Forward. To. It."?

Actually, let me backtrack. I hadn't given much consideration to turning 31 at all. Some of you who've had the (mis)fortune(?) of being around me the last few years before I turned the corner into the non-refundable land of adulthood may recall my minor obsession with mentally preparing myself for the "BIG 3-OH" as I like to call it. I had been on a perpetual countdown since age 26. I truly believed that the worst thing that could happen to a person was to face the blank slate of adulthood consumed by a sense of only mediocre preparedness. What does that even mean...

Right. So, with four years of 30-preparedness under my belt, I got all dressed up, invited a few friends and threw myself a "BIG 3-OH" party. The party wasn't exactly "big" but the cake was yummy and I was surrounded by good friends. It was turning 30-years-old that helped me make the decision to 1) study film writing with Act One in Hollywood and 2) spend some time living overseas. All was well.

Then came 2009 and the year, 31. I guess this is what happens to girls who are obsessed with weddings who never give marriage a second thought...reality sticker shock! Like, you don't just have a wedding and "get" a husband, you have to be a wife. As much as I had no problem with being 30, rolling a 1 up behind that 3 adds a feeling of permanence I hadn't anticipated in the least. True, I never believed all this "30 is the new 20" foolishness and what-have-you---that's the same madness that has Madonna's old, wannabe tail rocking a leotard on the cover of her album when she should be raising the babies she shoulda had about a decade ago---but neither did I expect to ever be "one of those people" who dreaded aging. Ok, enough with the intro...

On my actual birthday (a Thursday), I enjoyed a few hand-selected snacks sent by my family and proudly put the birthday cards on my desk, which was a first. (I'm generally 'anti-personal affects' in my workspace. Furthermore, I typically don't care for cards. A few of you have heard me harp on this. $5 for a card? I'll take cash, thanks!) I was so shocked to see that my niece had written "Auntie Taryn" on her envelope. It was the first time I had ever seen her handwriting! I was definitely on old lady status when I felt tears form in my eyes as I opened it. After work, I kept things low-key and grabbed a coffee with a friend.

Through the powers of Facebook, I had set up a little event to celebrate the following Saturday and invited a few friends. A few of those friends invited a couple of friends and in the end, about 20 of us got together for dinner. I had intended to eat at a Western style bar/grill place called Uncle29 (no relation to "Uncle Tom", I assure you) but the friend coordinating that aspect of the evening got confused about the date and time. The night of, realizing we had a few more folks than originally anticipated, and no guarantees about seating, we headed over to a Turkish restaurant called Pasha. I had never been there but it was a great choice. Definitely grown and sexy ;) reasonably priced, and plenty of room for everyone.

After eating, we headed over to a bar lounge to eat the cute little birthday cake a couple of the guys had picked up. One of the coolest things about Korea is how seriously they take cakes out here! I mentioned Christmas cakes before but it's as if a really cute cake really is the perfect accessory to festive evening. (That's not to imply that they taste the way they look, or at least the way they look to an American, but the presentation is first class!) Each cake comes with it's own plastic knife and birthday candle which is just...perfect.

So, after eating my perfect cake, most of us headed out to a popular little night spot in Gangnam called NB (Noise Basement) which is supposedly owned by the founder of one of Korea's most popular record labels. It was crowded. Ridiculously crowded. Like, does-firecode-even-exist-out-here? crowded. Despite paying so much to get in, I refused to stay more than a 30 feet from an exit for longer than five minutes or so. In the end, a few of us ended up staying out until the subway started running again (530am). My friend Julie and I rode across town for some really yummy french toast then called it a 'morning' around 830 am. I hadn't pulled an all-nighter like that in...at least 10 years! (And comments like that are what remind me exactly how old I am...)

The week after my birthday, I met up with Bohee, one of the girls I befriended at L'abri. She's an undergrad at Yonsei University, fairly fluent in English AND French (geez, I feel like a slacker!), and a really sweet girl. We hadn't seen each other since January. Since she wasn't able to attend my birthday festivities, she brought me a little piece of cake to celebrate after dinner. So cute! It was quite tasty. We snacked at a student-run cafe near her university where they serve "Delicious" cookies. ; ) It was quite nice.

On to sticker shock...

Since I've been in Korea, I'd been wanting to go to one of the various language exchanges around Seoul. Typically, folks get together and chat over snacks and drinks. It's a good chance to meet people and if you have enough vocabulary, get a little language practice in. The weekend after my birthday, a friend and I decided to give it a try. We headed off to the exchange headed by Hana Cafe in Sinchon, an area situated near three major universities. Hana Cafe is pretty well developed with groups for English, Japanese, and Chinese for Korean speakers and a dedicated meeting space.

I hung around in the English language area for a bit then inquired about the Chinese group. After being shown to the meeting area, I was relieved to discover the leader spoke English since what little Mandarin vocabulary I know seemed to disappear the moment I was asked to introduce myself! Only six months in Korea and I'd quickly gone from 对, 对 to 네, 네. I choked out a pitiful attempt at introduction and was warmly welcomed by other folks who were there. After a bit, one of the coordinators forced us to pose for photos "for the website" again. (If I had a 1,000 won for every time I've been in a promo photo...) I excused myself shortly thereafter and bounced back down to the English language exchange.

I was only sitting for a minute or two before a different coordinator pulled me aside and asked what I was doing "tomorrow". Probably sensing the cartoon question mark hovering above my forehead, he quickly followed up with, "Do you wanna be on TV?" Affirmative! My vanity rarely allows me to refuse an opportunity to feel important, how ever ridiculous it may be. Sweet! I thought. Korea goal #77 completed! Now if I could just find Daniel Henney...

After the language exchange, I joined some of the other folks for some "Round 2" snacks and beverages. I learned a few useful phrases like, "Do you want to die?!" and taught them a few of increasing intensity as well. Ah, the joys of sharing...

The next day, I was greeting two strangers--a cute little Japanese girl, a tall brown-haired boy--and a blond fellow who was in my teacher training back in August. Our driver was a youngish Korean girl who I assume was a production assistant for the TV station. The five of us hopped into her vehicle, a late-model white sedan designed for four. Our driver spoke virtually no English. The Japanese girl spoke little Korean and even less English! Fortunately, the brown-haired boy was some sort of Japanese/Korean Studies major, so he handled all the translating. After believing we were headed to a location somewhere in Seoul, we were totally surprised to discover we were on a one-and-half to two-hour drive deep into the surrounding province! Details, details...

We chattered away until we reached the city limits. By then, the monotony of the ride took its toll and we found ourselves drifting in and out of sleep. Somewhere along the way, we all happened to be awake again. Our driver explained that we were fairly near our destination. A short time after that revelation, we got into a car accident!

I remember seeing a car stopped in the fast lane. I remember bracing myself and I remember the driver screaming, throwing on the brakes, and running straight into the back of the "stopped" vehicle! When I saw the car, I was certain we were going to hit it, so I'm not sure why she didn't attempt to swerve. (Maybe she doesn't drive on the highway very often?)

At any rate, the cars were banged up pretty bad (as modern cars are known to do at the slightest bump) but there was no blood, no bruises. Naturally, we all suffered a bit of a shock but were terribly grateful to have been awake rather than sleeping at the time it occurred! Thank God. Because I wasn't wearing my seatbelt, I managed to sprain my thumb, my ankle and my knee from sliding into the back of the passenger's seat. Our driver was SO apologetic and nearly in tears. We each assured her we were well, endured the typical emergency staff Q&A, then transferred to a minivan that took us to our destination.

After enduring both surprise and shock, we were a little less than 'fresh' upon arrival. We had been told we were going to taste makkoli, Korean rice wine, and that we were. Our destination was a makkoli factory! We were greeted warmly upon arrival as the staff and videographer had been waiting for us and were obviously worried. After another round of assurances that everyone was fine---even the fellow that bumped his forehead had no bruise---we received a tour of the factory. With a little "reality TV" staging, we were taped as we greeted the factory owner and received a tour of the facilities. The owner was a vibrant middle-aged woman who had lived in New York City for some time and her English was quite excellent. Naturally, she was quite proud of the her creation and also curious to hear an outside perspective.

All in all, the videotaping lasted about two hours after which we were invited to snack on kimchi and handmade tofu while polishing off the fresh makkoli used during the shoot. The VJ asked each of us to write our names and ages on a piece of paper (for his records?) It was in that moment I got sticker shock. I wrote down my name then wrote 30 next to it. I wrote 30, not because I forgot about my birthday the week before---y'all old folks know that happens after a certain age---but because it was the first time I had to write my new age. It was the first time I was about to see a number higher than 30 next to my name. In just a matter of days, I had passed the point of no return. I had become The Man, become "anyone"...as in "Don't trust anyone over 30!" All these thoughts had brought me to that moment of panic in mere seconds. Likewise, I awkwardly attempted to right the wrong I had become.

"That's not right," I blurted. "I'm not 30." Oh, the idiocy... The VJ didn't speak much English but that wasn't beyond his understanding. "Actually, I'm one year older."

"It's ok," he answered and explained that our ages wouldn't appear on TV. I listened to the translation of his reply with relief as I sorted through my mini identity crisis in my mind. Before leaving, we were each handed a 2-liter case of makkoli and that was that. We were headed back to Seoul and the program segment was scheduled to air the following Friday. (You can watch it here!)

At the time, I hadn't realized my ankle was sprained so despite the accident, I agreed to meet my friend Julie in Gangnam once again for a night on the town. She had gotten on a VIP list for Club Eden, one of the more expensive night spots in town (30k won cover, cocktails starting at 25k won) and insisted that we not mope about on White Day, aka Valentine's Day part two. The place only warrants mentioning for two things: 1) How many beautiful / perfect-looking people there were there, 2) how for one brief moment, the vibe in the club reminded me quite a bit of church.

Let me explain.

I live in the westernmost neighborhood in Seoul. Go any further west, and you're out in the next province (county). My neighborhood is made up of common folks and a lot of young families. People of such constitution simply get dressed in the morning. They usually match, (but not always), don't spend a whole lot on clothes and typically choose functional shoes over super hot fashions. In truth, I have no complaints about it at all. Seeing as how American style basically equates to "underdressed" in Korea, I don't have to worry about standing out too much in my 'hood. The other side of the coin is Gangnam/Apgujeong. Some of the folks at Club Eden looked like they spend their lunch money on plastic surgery. (Apparently they spend a lot on lunch....)

At several points, the crowd in the club could've been mistaken for a casting call...just swanky enough, beautiful enough, similar--yet slightly different--enough to fill some fashion or film director's portfolio. For the most part, ladies and fellas were dressed in their finest and most flattering. The more expensive the better. Yes, people who wear shades indoors irk me, but when you pay that much for them, why not? I was clearly, unmistakably, out of my element which I suppose is how I ended up in 'sociologist mode' coming up with conclusion #2.

Club Eden, and places like it, are church for people who don't go to church. Now, depending on your church experiences, (or lack therof), this may require a great deal of explaining. So here goes...

Imagine with me a black box theater, bare with only a standard set of lights hanging from the ceiling. Add a slightly raised platform to serve as a stage. Voila! You're now in a "post-evangelical" or "emergent" church. Those of you in Nashville are like, "Oh yeah, I have been to one of those," or you're presently attending one. (New Song folks!) For those of you with the church frame of reference, imagine the lights on the side panels during worship. (Everyone else, think back to your high school musical and upgrade the light kit it by 5 - 10 years. Now, imagine the audience, jumping up into a spontaneous call for an ovation, and never sitting back down. Some people genuinely want to be standing and the rest are standing because everyone else is standing...) On the church reference, think of an Emergent church worship service...hands in the air, a few people who can't stop bouncing around. A few people who can't stop looking around at the people bouncing around. A couple sitting awkwardly in the corner trying to remember why they came...

And the music. In either case, it's guaranteed to be loud. One is more likely to have a drum kit than the other, but at any rate, the room's speakers will be put to full use. Everyone's attention is drawn to the source of the music. Even the distracted attendees can't help but glance toward it at some point or another. The actors, the worship leader...the DJ.

The DJ is trying to get the crowd hyped, trying to get them to participate in the experience he's presenting. He's highly visible up on the platform yet dwarfed by the influence the music asserts over his audience. And there they are, hands in the air, bouncing up and down--some in a hypnotic like state--expending energy with abandon, believing momentarily that whatever happened before this very moment, no longer matters. The energy in the room compels them to continue. They come, week after week, dressed in their finest and most flattering, because well, where else do they have to go? Where else should they devote their weekend spending money than some place that makes them feel they matter, if only for sake of affording to be there?

As to what worthwhile conclusions can be made of "Techno DJ as Worship Leader" I don't know. (Andy Hunter is the only guy I'm aware of who can legitimately double as both.) But the visual image of the club that night is seared into my mind as one of a common yearning yet to be fully articulated.

The following week, I had fully intended to participate in the Seoul Players' 24-Hour Theater festival. Quite similar to the 48-Hour Film Festival I participated in a couple of years back, participants are teamed up to write, direct and perform a play created within the 24-hour parameter of the production. Required genres, props and starting lines are assigned so the challenge is to be as creative as possible within the assigned limitations.

So, like I said, I fully intended to participate in the event. It's no big deal but I thought it would be good to write something and see it produced immediately since I hadn’t been doing much writing.

In the end, my "let's catch up" dinner with my friend Ruth went a bit longer than anticipated and I was a bit too tuckered out to take on a room of strangers--artistic ones at that. ; ) I thoroughly enjoyed my ginourmous plate of fish and chips instead.

The last weekend of the month, I attended Seoul Fashion Week. Since finding out that the ‘average joe’ or ‘jane’ could get tickets to shows last season, I put all my Seoul pals on alert and spread the word. I set up a group on Facebook and invited everybody I could think of to attend the events.

Even so, I didn’t have the stamina to go through the hassle of buying tickets in advance…since the ticket website was entirely in Korean. I had plans to attend shows on Saturday and Sunday. At the worst, if Saturday’s shows were sold out, I figured I’d pick up tickets for Sunday while I was there. No big deal. He he. Yeah, right.

Before I even leave my house to start the 1.5 hour train ride, I get a phone call from a friend saying that a friend’s friend went down to the event location and was told that all the shows were sold out…Saturday and Sunday. I hesitated for a bit but decided that since I’d put my face and name on an event that went out to 70 people or so and committed to pick up tickets for a couple of close friends, I really ought to haul across town and verify what was going on for myself.

When I arrived, I discovered that tickets were indeed sold out for Saturday night which the girls at the ticket window reiterated as they pointed to the sign taped to the glass. Naturally, I then inquired about buying tickets for Sunday at which point I was told that they weren’t “available.” Since ‘available’ and ‘sold out’ are two different things, I probed a bit more. After 2 or 3 minutes of playing Guess the Missing Word with the staff—their English was better than what little Korean I understand, but still left much to be desired—I was directed to someone a bit more fluent in the buyer’s area of the facility.

This fellow, who was a bit of a toughie with a walkie-talkie and whatnot, told me that yes, tickets were still available for Sunday but that they would have to be purchased on Sunday…unless they were purchased online instead…but the online service wasn’t working. *sigh*

After 1.5 hours of three different trains, that was not what I wanted to hear.

While I was having ‘a moment’, I ran into none other but the Seoul Fashion Report author (Michael) making his rounds and taking photos of Fashion Week attendees. I told him about my little situation. He told me to hang with him for a bit then head back to the press room for some refreshments.

While chatting with one of his photo subjects, another black girl walked over. She was pretty, statuesque, and wearing the most perfect little black hat with a half veil. These were first (proper) introductions for all of us as she and Michael recognized one another from Facebook and she remembered my photo from there as well.

She explained to both of us that she had fallen into the good fortunate of a Buyer’s Pass. Korea is a society based on appearances and she certainly fit the part. I explained to her my ticketless state and she insisted I stick with her for the rest of the evening.

Along with another friend, we spent some down time in the Press Room then headed off to the last show of the day. I went from ticketless to VIP seats at Fashion Week for a second season in a row!

The HaSangBeg show was a bit interesting, if more for the hype surrounding him than the fashion. A random celebrity (I couldn’t see) got mobbed before the show even began and someone else was mobbed at the end. The show also featured at least one of the members of the boy band Shinee for whom HaSangBeg is official designer.

On Sunday, a couple of girlfriends and I plodded out an early to pick up tickets. Unfortunately, “early” turned out to be so late, we weren’t able to make church AND lunch. As one might imagine, our desire for food was the winner in that contest…

In then end, even our plans suffered. We had lunch at Uncle 29 but by the time we finished and trucked it back to the fashion venue, we were 5 minutes late. Apparently, fashions shows started beginning on time at that very moment because we were not only locked out, the show had already started! When we entered the foyer, it was on the big screen. There is a first time for everything and unfortunately, it’s not always convenient…

In other firsts, I couldn’t get into the press room! As in, “No, we don’t care who you’re with, who you know, or that you were in here yesterday because we don’t understand what you’re telling us in English anyway…NO.” That was a bit embarrassing (? Frustrating? Deflating?) after the VIP treatment a mere 18 hours earlier. It was just one more thing to take in stride I guess.

I ended up enjoying one of the shows I had ‘standing’ tickets for even more than the one where I had VIP seating. The designer, Lee Doii, used a Brazilian theme. All of the outfits were glittery and colorful! Definitely the kind of stuff I could see myself wearing if the opportunity arose.

While chatting it up with some friends, we were interviewed by a reporter for Fashion Insight, a local news magazine. Initially she appeared to be curious about who we were and why we were there…then she whipped out a notebook! We were a multi-national/-ethnic brew at the moment so I imagine she was able to get whatever angle she was looking for. Again, moments like that are what major-metro life is all about!

The month of April ended with desperate hopes for some spring weather! We had gotten some hopeful glimpses but nothing near the high temperatures I’m accustomed to after so many years in the American South. Still, hopefulness is a good endnote for any month. ^__^

Love & Hugs,

-t.

Korea - Month 6

2009-04-15T19:28:00.017+09:00

Herein lies the long delayed update on February 2009...

Korea - Month 6

February wasn’t nearly as eventful as March but it definitely foreshadowed positive changes on the horizon.

The first weekend of the month, I accepted an invitation to a birthday dinner of a fellow I had met at a mutual friend’s going away party. I partially accepted because everyone attending was 30 or over. It’s a rare weekend in Seoul when I’m not one of the oldest folks in my crew!

We met up at a little Thai-fusion restaurant for overpriced, mediocre food—but interesting company. Our host was Pakistani and had invited a mix of friends and coworkers: Koreans, other desis, a Chinese friend, another African American girl and myself. I was highly amused by an Indian American by-way-of Trinidad who initially told us his “ancestral homeland” was Brooklyn in a clipped “New Yawk” accent.

The idea of traveling an hour into town for dinner (or some other random activity) with relative strangers has become a bimonthly ritual it seems. It’s not something I wouldn’t have done back in the States. (Lunch in NYC B.Fugly ladies?) But it’s something I hadn’t done with any noticeable frequency. Part of my draw to life in one of the largest metro areas in the world is the opportunity to meet interesting people and have new experiences.

Still, with all the extra time on my hands, and so many friends having February as vacation time rather than January, the month seemed to drag on and on. On a positive note, I was pretty healthy. I made it back from the Philippines with only some minor peeling from light sunburn and was back to school for Winter Camp. My school doesn’t actually do overnight camps—thank God!—just three weeks of class sessions. For me, that meant a 90-minute class with 2nd graders (juniors) and a 1-hour with my 1st graders (sophomores) after which, I could leave school at 12:30 p.m. I had no complaints about that!

My winter camp classes were VERY small. About 12 – 15 girls had signed up for each class and eight was the most who ever showed up! Because of that, it was much easier to give the girls individual attention and use creative lesson plans that would be more difficult in a larger class setting. At the end of each week, the girls interviewed “a foreigner” using the vocabulary we had been learning in class. (Thanks to my sister Ashley, and friends Kanya and Bianca!) The last class of the session, I talked about popular American dances and taught the girls the dances of their choice. (Salsa and Cotton-Eyed Joe, even though I was rooting for the Electric Slide!)

For Valentine’s Day, I organized a ‘Friends Night Out.’ After enduring the unflinching assault on my singleness that is Christmas-in-Korea, I wasn’t going to sit idly by while Valentine’s Day made an attack. A group of us headed out to All American Diner—nothing like comfort food for…well, comfort—and a night of dancing at a nearby salsa/meringue bar.

[I should note that I was terribly disappointed at the lack of love I saw on V-Day. Perhaps it’s because some marketing genius divided the days of love into one for girls to give guys gifts (Feb. 14) and one for guys to return the favor (Mar. 14)?]

Despite our motley crew, the evening of dancing was fun. After brushing up on my basic steps via YouTube, I got to play expert to my less skilled friends. (a sad sight, I must admit…) Most of all, it was nice to proactively address a situation that could have been needlessly depressing with good friends and great food.

Since February was still quite cold, I had promised myself to get in a weekend of snowboarding at one of the bigger resorts before the season was over. At the same time, since my last boarding trip, I had been experiencing a little tinge of pain in my chest whenever I contracted the muscles in my back. Because of my track record with nasty spills, I thought it would be smart to check it out before throwing myself down a mountain again.

Since this was my first time traversing the Korean medical field alone, I travelled a bit out of my way to an “international clinic” at Yonsei, one of Korea’s best universities. It was also my first experience at a teaching hospital. I remember hearing stories from folks back in Nashville who’d been subjected to some of Vanderbilt’s less experienced medical students and always made it a point to avoid having my body used as a classroom. As with so many other experiences since I’ve moved to Seoul, I bit the bullet and went for it.

My two interns were very nice girls, cute and pleasant. Not at all jaded and bitter like one too many doctors I’ve had the misfortune of visiting in the past. Then again, they aren’t exactly doctors, yet either. lol. After asking me a random series of questions, several of which I’m sure weren’t on their standard questionnaire, (but hey, they were nice). I got the usual abdomen poking and it was suggested that I get an x-ray to determine if indeed, I had a fracture of some kind in my sternum (not my rib as I had supposed).

To cut to the chase—skipping the amusing conversation I had with the 24-year-old intern about how she married one of the instructors the year before (!) and her genuine disbelief that I didn’t have a boyfriend (lol, again?)—it was decided that I may indeed have a hairline fracture in my sternum but since the professor needed to verify the x-ray was in some professorish meeting, the girls are like, “Uh, just don’t cause any additional injury. Your results will be available on Monday.” *grrr* That was the end of my snowboard season. I just couldn’t convince myself that snowboarding on Saturday, results on Monday was a good plan. For the record, on Monday, I was told “everything’s fine.” Since I still have an occasional pang, I’m guessing that was the “everything’s-fine-‘cause-there’s-nothing-we-can-do” fine as opposed to “picture-of-perfect-health” fine since one’s sternum has to heal on its own.

On the last weekend of the month, a friend and I headed out to a book release party for the first volume of The Seoul Fashion Report, which was created by an acquaintance of mine, a well-known expat blogger in Korea. The event was interesting, not only because I ran into a former coworker’s high school friend there (Arika --> Oscar), but because of the assortment of people who came through the brunch. The Report is written in both Korean and English and the crowd was equally diverse including a couple of designers and models. As it so happened, in such a small space, a Korean fellow joined my friend and I at our table. When we finally exchanged names, I discovered we had been intending to meet for a while!

He had read my short script for Chocolate Kimchi when it was forwarded to him by his friend (author of the Report) and had sent me fabulously thorough notes. Seriously. I definitely owed him coffee considering that we had never met. So there we were as “fate” would have it, finally sitting across the table from each other.

We talked briefly about his time as an English teacher through the Fulbright program, his graduate studies in film at Columbia University, and his current work at a local film production company in Seoul. We shared the frustrations of working writers who aren’t yet—for one reason or another—working on our “own stuff” and what that “stuff” might be when it comes to fruition. All in all, a fabulous 2.5-hour chat that my friend Julie had to sit through. I don’t feel too bad. Who doesn’t like to hear people talk about the film industry? The less you know, the more glamorous it is! (Also, for those in the know, he was 1st AD on this independent desi flick.)

Speaking of glamour, February was the first month the “economic crisis” really threatened to put a cramp in my style. Not only had the exchange rate reached PAINFUL record highs, prices on the most random things began to creep higher. Most probably at detriment to my health, I had gotten in the habit of buying a white bread and fried/scrambled egg sandwich with honey mustard Monday through Friday from a street vendor on my way to work. I would stop by a street vendor near the subway and pick one up for 1000 won (which is pretty much $1 in Korean currency). One sleepy morning on my way to Happy Tummy Land, I stumbled upon a sign that read 토스트 (toast) 1200!

Nooo! I thought. That’s two extra coins in my pocket. That’s a hassle. That’s 5 sandwiches for the price of 6!!! And this, from the “toast” ajumma? She’s just as kind as can be! How could she do this to me? I wondered. Yet for many weeks, I had been wondering how in the world she was making a living off $1 sandwiches in the first place.

Should it then have been any great surprise when my hair salon tried to up their price by 10,000 won? Hair salons (at least ones that cater to black clientele) are notorious for randomized pricing. Walk in when the hair dresser is low on rent money and your price might be a little more than you had budgeted. Is your hair longer than average? It’ll cost you. Shorter than average? That might be extra too!

Regardless, I was royally pissed when a stylist (and I use that word loosely) at the salon I’ve been going to since I moved here quoted me 70,000 for a service that I had been paying 60,000 for and other people I know only pay 50,000 for! When I asked why the price was higher, she said “because of the exchange rate” but if I paid in American dollars it would only be $50. WTH?!? I don’t even get paid in American dollars. How the heck am I supposed to pay her in American dollars? After telling her that was crazy because I get paid in won, I paid with my visa card and posted about my experience online. Passive-aggressive perhaps, but what’s done is done!

Anyhoo, my month ended with an attack of “acute sinitus”. Had I not googled it, I would’ve thought the doctor made it up. Basically, they should just call it “Attack Sinuses” because your sinuses attack the rest of your upper body by making your throat itch, sending thick snot out of your nose, and trying to choke you to death in your sleep. NOT COOL. Fortunately, the worst of it hit after Winter Camp was finished and I had no more public speaking to do. I was able to visit an English speaking ear-nose-throat specialist in my neighborhood who was remarkably kind about sticking two different foreign objects up my nostrils each of the three times I had to visit him.

Despite my inability to breath and/or speak properly, I managed to sign up for (relatively) free Korean classes which—due to overcrowding—I would begin in April rather than March. Still, with no more 11-hour school days in sight, the idea of participating in a regularly scheduled extracurricular activity, regardless of start date, was cause for happy thoughts. I would be turning 31 next month but at least I’d have something to look forward to! :D

Korea - Month 5

2009-02-26T18:40:00.021+09:00

Korea - Month 5

Act Two ended in the depths of despair, leaving the audience to wonder whether our heroine would really be ok in the end. Let us rejoin her journey...

ACT THREE

After missing out on celebrating New Year's Eve, I convinced a friend to trek (45 mins) across town with me to the All-American Diner in Itaewon for a good breakfast since I hadn't yet been able to usher the New Year in properly. I had the best french toast EVER. (Seriously, it's not just the deprivation talking!) And then I got that sad feeling that comes after eating something really, really, good that you know you probably won't have again. :(

The same buddy agreed to go snowboarding with me since I thought it might lift my mood. Snowboarding is the only "sport" in which I have any interest in participating, probably because there's no competition in which case I don't have to worry about my nerdy self being pummeled mercilessly, but I digress...

We headed out to a little place called BearsTown early Saturday Morning. Shout out to the resort for providing free shuttle buses from Seoul! In the wee hours of the morning, we hopped onto the bus, slept for 2 hours and arrived in time to take advantage of a full day ticket (9a-430p).

I hadn't been snowboarding in over a year but several months of public transport had done me good. My legs were quite a bit stronger than they when I lived as a victim of suburban sprawl. My boarding skill improved in a matter of hours. I enjoyed the chance to be outside the city breathing fresh air polluted only by the sound of cheesy pop music filtering through the resort's speakers.

I returned to Seoul and the numbness I had abandoned for the day.

I have this annoying habit of thinking myself a completely unique individual, unplagued by all the idiosyncrasies and weakness that beset mere mortals. And so, it was in this state of discontented hubris that I found myself in tears on the subway for no apparent reason at all. I was filled, to the deepest depths of my soul, with a desire for home.

Some of you are now thinking, "Oh! How awful. We miss you too," and therein lies the rub. You’re scattered all around the country, a couple of you in far corners of the globe yourselves! Where is "home"? I'm not sure but I certainly wanted to be there---East Coast, West Coast, Dirty South---even New England would have seemed comforting during those dark days. I had internally assigned myself two weeks to "return to normal," knowing that if I remained in such a state, I wouldn’t be fit to teach when vacation ended.

The final days of the semester slowly dragged on until January 5th. I spent the first day of vacation sleeping, kept a promise to spend the 7th with a coworker, slept through most of the 8th, then woke up Friday morning, threw some things in my luggage and headed off to L'abri. [L'abri history here.] I was fortunate to have planned the visit far before I knew how desperately I would need it.

I traveled the four hours by bus uneventfully. Though no one on my bus appeared to speak English, I was able to communicate my stop to the driver. When the bus finally stopped at a small countryside bus shelter, I hesitated. "Yangyang!" the driver said, impatiently indicating the name of my desired stop. Oh, Lawd! I thought as I hopped down into crisp winter air. I grabbed my luggage, the bus sped off, and I stood for a moment in solitary confusion. By the grace of God, a taxi was idling nearby. I called L'abri and one of the workers was able to give the man directions.

Gangwando province is beautiful. The ocean parallels much of the highway and there are mountains in every other direction. I felt a bit more relaxed once I was in the taxi. The slow pace of the countryside had already begun to quiet my soul.

I arrived at L'abri during "work time" so the house was quite quiet. Actually, "house" probably isn't the right word as the place invokes the word "chalet." With only 11 inhabitants spread far and wide at the moment, I was invited inside by one of the staff and told to rest until dinner. Naturally, I was a bit nervous about meeting the other students especially having been told they were anticipating my arrival! L'abri is a study center but a loosely structured one. I had no idea what to expect.

I don't remember what we ate that first meal, but I do recall awkwardly attempting to introduce myself in Korean---my feeble attempt was well-received---and I remember trying to recall everyone else's names, as the sound of Korean names is still a bit of a challenge. The next few days were filled with study---Christian worldview, art, social issues, God & film, the Bible. My own reading was the book Hidden Art by Edith Schaeffer.

The book absolutely revolutionized my thinking. How can I, the unknown, "unsuccessful" artist, bring the fullness of God's glory into the activities of my daily life? Often I've felt that only a finished book or screenplay stamped with the approval of others is the sole worthwhile marker of my worth. I found in Hidden Art, and in the way of life at L'abri, the worth in little things, small details that I had not previously considered of any value. It was in this unique atmosphere that the cloud over my heart and mind began to lift.

By the end of the week, I did not want to go back to Seoul. While I have no idea how long I could realistically enjoy life at such a slow pace, I knew that I would be leaving the first place I had felt fully at home since I'd been in Korea---no small matter in light of the darkness I had been fighting before I left the city. I simply had to trust God to carry me and sustain me despite my unchanged circumstances.

I came back to Seoul after seven days and threw my thoughts into planning an adventure of sorts. Initially, I had intended to use the money from my overtime classes to pay off one of my credit cards. After realizing that my mental health was on the line, I made the decision to book a vacation to the Philippines before I left for L'abri. I knew I needed a break from Korea. I also knew that if I were to visit the States, I would probably not return to finish my contract.

My trip to the Philippines deserves a chapter unto itself to offer the level of detail it deserves (next email! or read about a friend's trip here). For the purposes of this narrative, I can say only that the trip was a godsend. The beauty of Boracay Island and its people, many mired in considerable poverty, was both a breath of fresh air and a reality check. My depression had a tinge of self-pity that was grossly undeserved. I also experienced a few moments on the island that caused me to hold my integrity up to the light of my actions, only to discover the two did not match up with my perceived self image---the person I believe myself to be, or perhaps more accurately, wish myself to be. The time I spent in Manila was likewise a glimpse into several realities I had previously only known in theory. My stay there was a display of contrasts, a time of both discomfort and great ease. (More on that later...)

I returned to Korea relaxed (my stomach pains had subsided) and contemplative. At the time of my return, I had six days to prepare for my winter camp lessons since I had refused to do so throughout the rest of my vacation. With fear and trepidation I made a feeble attempt at planning, feeling that whatever magic has sustained me last semester was gone. And I think it is. I was running on my own motivation. These days, I'm definitely receiving "my daily bread." Please don't ask about next Monday's lesson plan. I'll know what it is when God reveals it! :)

I'll wrap this one up in the next email...then on to Month 6!

Love and hugs,

-t.

Korea - Month 4

2009-02-14T11:41:00.017+09:00

This update would've come sooner but I didn't want to spoil everyone else's holiday spirit. lol!

December 2008

Even as December began, I was looking forward to the end of the semester (January). Being at work for 11-hours a day, 4 days a week was wearing me down pretty badly. December was the beginning of the REALLY cold weather. Seoul had a couple of light snowfalls. I had given up wearing anything other than a calf-length down coat.

Most of the month found me in some state of compromised health. Even when I was healthy, I felt as if I simply between ailments. Sometime in November I woke up with a sharp stomach pain that brought me to tears. In addition, I was plagued by severe nausea. While I absolutely appreciate how cheap the government-provided health care is here---I'm talking less than $10 for a doctor's visit---when the doctor pokes you a few times in the abdomen---"Does this hurt...Does this hurt...Does this hurt?" "Yikes! That's exactly where I told you..."---It doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the medical profession. I'm thinking an acupuncturist could have hooked me up better than the 20 or so pills that the doctor prescribed. Also ironic is the fact that all those pills were to be taken in 1 week's time. So basically, after pushing mercilessly on my abdomen, and confirming, through the translation of my older male coworker that I did not have diarrhea, the doctor determined that these 2.5 pills three times a day was the cure...unless of course they didn't work, in which case I was to return to the office.

In December, I was at a doctor's office again having again been awakened by pain. This fellow spoke a bit of English. "Acid Refluxuh" he said, and prescribed about 30 pills! I'm planning to see an acupuncturist soon...

On and off, I had been visiting a friend's church in downtown Seoul about an hour from my place. There's a really nice military couple at her church with a large apartment. They typically open their home after service and provide lunch for whoever wants to come. The Sunday of Christmas, they hosted a small Christmas party with a gift exchange. It was so...American! White Elephant style with gift snatching and all that! I had quite a bit of fun. It was the only Christmas party I attended this year.

I had Christmas Eve dinner with a group of expats, mostly likewise lamenting their distance from home and family. It was better than lamenting alone..and the 'blackened fish' was pretty good.

This was the first time (in all my 30 years!) that I hadn't spent Christmas with family. My tradition is to spend Christmas Eve through New Year's with them in Virginia. To make matters worse, Christmas is treated like a hyped up Valentine's Day out here...not exactly a happy scene for a 30-year-old single.

Rather than mope around my microscopic living space, I recruited a couple of girlfriends to go to a Dr. Fish cafe with me. If you are unawares, "Dr. Fish" are little scavengers about the size of large goldfish that eat dead skin. If I couldn't have a normal Christmas, I was certainly going to shoot for something interesting. You can check out a short vid of my experience here if you haven't already seen it. I think the experience was worth the 1-hour wait!

For Christmas dinner, I met up with some folks at a Mexican place and chowed down. It was more unique than the Christmas I spent at TGI Friday's. Definitely, different.

After working through Thanksgiving, I wasn't at all looking forward to working the day after Christmas. Still, Christmas fell on Thursday and we were right back to work on Friday. Another small highlight in the midst of dreariness was my December 26th lesson plan. I assigned my two 10th grade classes to "Interview a Native English Speaker." We called my sisters and my friend Joia by webcam. (Thanks girls!) The classes enjoyed the surprise and I enjoyed talking to family and friends while they were still celebrating Christmas.

While I was feeling less than positive about my Christmas experience, one really wonderful thing happened without my realizing it at the time...

Anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE Christmas. Even though I live alone, I put up a Christmas wreath and a 6 ft. Christmas tree every year, some years, even a stocking. My dog has a little Christmas down vest and I generally make it a point to expand my Christmas music collection by a cd or two each year. Christmas in America is so fabulously seasonal. Its start is marked by Thanksgiving and it's end is marked by the New Year. It is well established and orderly. There are even unwritten rules. Positive references to Jesus are 'permitted' in public spaces and even ardent atheists talk about being kind and doing good things for the poor. People suddenly care about "peace and goodwill to all men." You don't expect to go into a store during "the Christmas Season" and hear a song about people "smacking them hos", we save that sort of thing for January 3. This sense of order is one of the few left in America and it has been a comfort to me throughout my entire life.

For much the rest of the world, this just is not so. To Christians in Korea, Christmas is another chance (obligation?) to go to church for an extended service, sing a few hymns, and pray for a really long time. For everyone else, it's a chance to line Mariah Carey's pocket with royalty money because she wrote the best Christmas date song ever: "All I Want for Christmas Is You," (if she never made another song she could live off her Christmas check from Korea), and walk around with their current boyfriend/girlfriend in matching accessories while lugging around a Christmas cake.

Without Thanksgiving, there's no definitive start to the season. Likewise, January 1, is only a small New Year's celebration, as opposed to Chinese New Year in Jan. or Feb., so there's no proper end to Christmas. (I've seriously seen Christmas trees and decorations up through February out here.) Likewise, viewing Christmas as a date night means there's no reason not to blast whack club remixes to booty rap songs while people are getting their shop on.

I think initially, it was a form of defense against my sensibilities being assaulted by the lack of "Christmas decorum" but I began listening to Christmas music the week of Thanksgiving and didn't stop. Even in February, I'm still rocking "Joy to the World." (None of that Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer stuff...real Christmas songs.) Somewhere in the midst of my sadness, Press 'play' now...
I heard the lyrics to "O Holy Night" as if for the first time..."a thrill of hope / the weary world rejoices." Boy, did I need hope. And boy, was I weary! As you probably know, the song goes on to say, "for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn'...the night when Christ was born."

That level of impact can't be contained in "a season." I never realized how much of my believed appreciation of Christmas was inseparable from Christmas wreaths, candy canes, and "presents under the tree." Ever so slowly, a painfully fresh perspective seeped into my consciousness. It is one that I will carry with me the rest of my days.

My Korean American neighbor whom I had befriended at the airport bailed on the Korea experience an entire two days after the end of her school's semester (December 28). She left with a hasty goodbye for the comforts of balmy Orange County, California. I headed back to school the following day for the perfunctory end-of-the-school-year half days and found myself once again, sick...on New Year's Eve.

I brought in the New Year without a moment's time for reflection or preparation. Lying in bed with a slight fever and sinus headache, I watched on TV as performers and an overflowing audience celebrated downtown in City Hall Park. I stayed awake long enough to see the bell ringing ceremony then fell into a fitful, congested sleep, unexcited about what the new year would bring and dreading work on January 2.

END ACT TWO.

[January soon to follow.]

Re: Being Black in the Kimchiland

2008-12-27T02:12:00.007+09:00

So, The Korean did a post to answer questions about black folks working in Korea. Granted, I've been here less than a year but I felt it was pretty much on point. I was a bit disappointed that the post descended from the topic at hand to something that some weird, trolly white guy wanted to talk about (the flaws of Korean nationalism) as it always does whenever a topic concerning black folks is brought up in a "non-black" forum. This same guy--as per the course--suggests that 'people of color' should avoid Korea in favor of China or Japan. Korea might be an awful place for a bunch of reasons but not in particular for being black...

Here's my full length response to the post since I only left a truncated version there:

[Can we delete all the 'angry white man' comments already?]

Back to the topic at hand...

Dear reader,
Have you been black all your life?

If you answered "Yes", to the above question, you are indeed prepared to face 'racism' in Korea!

What you will experience in Korea is not much different--and in my personal opinion--less annoying, than what you would experience in the United States. Unfortunately, guys like Scott are living and working in Korea, and they've brought all their baggage with them.

Still, unless you're from a multicultural mixing pot like SoCal, NYC or The Bay, you're probably used to guys like him. (Otherwise, you may want to read Expat Jane's post on Ugly Americans to get up to speed.) For the most part, racism isn't what you should be worried about, it's the culture clash you'll have with your employers that might wear you down...

If in fact you do speak a little Korean, people will probably look at you like you have two heads before they break into applause or something equally silly. I once exchanged names with a Korean guy at a club and spoke a few basic phrases (nice to meet you, etc.) and he flat out kissed me. Granted I think he had taken in a fair share of liquid courage before that...but you get the point. Korean Koreans are AMAZED that any non-Korean can speak the language at all. (Perhaps this is because of 'racialized thinking'.) So your efforts will not go unnoticed.

So basically being black, people will have it in the back of their heads that you can sing, dance, play basketball and maybe even rap. (Is that new?) I've been earnestly asked about all of the aforementioned except for rapping...and that was in New England! I'm far less annoyed with ignorant Koreans than ignorant white folks in the US because being in the US, there's no excuse. I don't like playing 'black ambassador' when I'm in my home country. Here, that's to be expected.

As for work options, I'm only aware of one black person in Korea who scored a pretty prominent position at a Korean company, Leslie Benfield who works for KOTRA doing editing. She's fully bilingual. She was on the 'Foreign Beauties' show for quite a while and was made a spokesperson for friendship with North Korea or something or other. At the same time, I've met an Indian guy out here who's an engineer and a Singaporean Chinese guy working in international shipping logistics. I'm not sure whether or not they're employed at Korean companies but those random jobs do exist for those who are qualified.

lol Yeochin to working on Saturdays. My school made up for it by asking me to do afterschool classes 4 days a week. Now that my fragile, American body is run down from 10 weeks of 11-hour days, everyone's freaking out over my "health." he he. Even though it sounded crazy to begin with, I was real cool about it when I first got here. One nasty flu and stomach ulcer symptoms later, I think they'll take my request for fewer hours more seriously next semester.

I won't sugarcoat the fact that more than one friend who works with young kids has had to endure "gorilla," "brown=poop," or "black=ugly" comments. (In none of the incidents was it directed towards the teacher.) At the same time, the little brats have been apologetic when confronted. I remind myself that this is coming from a country of kids who regularly call each other "monkey" and variations of poop are used as 'cute' pet names. Before the US elections, a friend asked one of her elementary students, "Why would you like John McCain to win the election?" to which he answered to her face, "Because I hate black people," and walked off. Well, hot damn! Was that kid raised by David Duke? Those moments do suck. Still, there's nothing about that mindset particularly unique to Korea. I'd more expect to hear something like that in the States.

As for me, when you're out here doing the expat thing, people always ask, "How long are you gonna stay?" At this point, my answer is as long as it's fun. As long as I find the idosyncracies of Korea amusing, it's worth me being this far away from home. When that seriously changes, I'm out. I wouldn't recommend raising brown babies here but neither would I recommend New England or the Deep South. So everything is absolutely relative. This is the piece of the globe I should be inhabiting at this time.

Korea - Month 3

2008-12-06T12:40:00.008+09:00

[This is another letter sent home...]

So, this is late October/November...

One nice thing about being in Seoul is not having to be badgered by Halloween.
I've never been much of a fan. I'm sure my distaste began courtesy of my fire-and-brimstone preschool/elementary school years but I can say with confidence it was sealed by face paint. I HATE face paint. I can't wear it. I remember inadvertently scratching through it as a kid and then the feeling of utter dismay specifically caused by ruining a $3 cat nose and whiskers that wouldn't be paid for twice... My face is hella sensitive. Cheap makeup and even some expensive makeup brushes cause my face to itch.

And the masks weren't any better. Do they still make those cheap masks with the eye slits that permit NO peripheral vision and have the extra thin elastic around the back? Oh, the 80's...Then there's the fact that I don't like candy. Not very much anyway. Do you know any other kids that still had Halloween candy left the next time Halloween came around? Probably not... And as a grown-up, the highlight of not feeling guilty about trick-or-treaters is definitely a plus. So yeah, not having to 'celebrate' Halloween was kinda cool.

Another thing I'm absolutely NOT missing is Daylight Savings Time. Who came up with that? There’s nothing nice about overriding the body’s naturally ability to prepare for winter!

In world news, I haven't met a Korean yet who was unhappy about Obama winning the election. It was weird being out of the country for such a historic election. I went down to little function thrown by Democrats Abroad and met a few other Americans who were really cool. On my way home election night I was stopped in the subway by a guy who looked about my age. He asked if I was American then told me, "Congratulations." And added something about Obama being "very good" for America then went on his merry way. It was quite cute. Little moments like that are always interesting. At the same time, if Obama sets limits on the Korean Free Trade Agreement I'll probably be fleeing the country. It's Korea's bread and butter and I have a feeling the reaction would a bit worse than the whole beef thing...

As far as film stuff, I finally got connected with my Act One mentor. He's a story analyst and he's done some stuff for Disney. I'm pretty psyched about having a pro look over my stuff, even if it does freak me out! I feel so...unworthy. lol. I'm sure it'll all be ok in the end but you know how sensitive we artists are. ;)

Also, in the building behind me, there's a girl who studied cinematography in the States. She moved out here a week after me and wants to shoot some stuff while she's here. We had dinner together a couple of weeks ago and I came up with a short film called, Chocolate Kimchi. I finished the first draft and am just waiting on notes from a few friends. Hopefully we'll shoot in Jan/Feb during our schools' winter breaks. I've met a few other artists out here. A girl at the Democrats thing is a documentarian from the States working on a project out here for a couple of months. One of the other guys there is a photographer working on a book. The leader of my Bible study at church worked in set design for 10 years in Toronto before moving to Seoul and another girl in our study was a production assistant back in LA before moving out here. I'm excited about putting some stuff together, especially being able to exploit some of the unique scenery and situations out here in Asia. Who knows what will come together...

Thanksgiving out here consisted of my usually-long workday, and a 1-hr train ride to have dinner with friends across town. A couple at my friend’s church definitely has the gift of hospitality. There were about 20 people at their apartment when I arrived! I really needed that fellowship time. I hadn’t been homesick until I did my lesson plan on Thanksgiving. I was in the middle of teaching one day when it hit, which sucked pretty hard. It’s also worth mentioning that Christmas is basically a supped-up Valentine’s Day out here. One of my student’s answer to, “Why is Christmas your favorite holiday?” was “Because I can go on a date with my boyfriend!” *sigh* We have Thursday off but have to go back into work on Friday. I’m still debating if I’ll be “sick.” lol.

A few of you might be interested to know I visited the EveryNation church in Seoul the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I’ll shamelessly admit it was at the invite of another teacher who mentioned they were hosting a Thanksgiving dinner. It was good that we went with someone who had already been there because I don’t know that I would have found it by myself. The service was in both Korean and English. I met a quite a few South Africans and a boy from Nashville (born and raised at that!). The SAs and I got into a rather convoluted discussion about what it means to be ‘colored’ as opposed to ‘black’. I quite prefer the American style of categorizing people by appearance. It’s shallow but quite a bit less confusing.

In an effort to enjoy the westside of town where I live, some friends and I went out to a little club in our area to see Crown J perform. (Why yes, he is the aforementioned face of FUBU Korea.) The show was entertaining. He only did five songs but it was interesting being in such a Korean club. Usually, where we go out there are lots of other non-Koreans. This time, I only saw one other ‘foreigner’. All the DJs were dancers. It was quite fascinating. They would put on a song, hype it up on the mic, and then bust a move! No joke they were doing total pop-star choreography. I hope they got paid extra for that…

I’ve been working on a little list of Korea pros and cons:
Things that are awesome:
- Korean fried chicken
I don’t know how they do it, but it’s ALWAYS crispy!
- street food!
I love to eat while I walk. (Classy, I know.) Multitasking makes me feel good. In Seoul, somebody’s selling something in every nook and cranny. In fact, I suppose it’s possible to eat constantly while walking from one location to another…
- cheap restaurants
I’ll get off food in a second…eating Korean food is fairly cheap here. I can get a fresh cooked meal for $5 or $6 bucks…downstairs. There’s restaurants on the first floor of my building. Why should I cook in my tiny excuse for a bedroom when I can feed myself “for less than $10 a day…”
- living in a major metro
Many of the people I meet here are well-traveled through one means or another. I’ve also been meeting quite a few polyglots <----word for the week. Also, I like the randomness of the really big open markets like Namdaemun. It has a feel somewhere between China and New York. People are always rolling up carts and unloading stuff for sale. (Including the Louis Vuitton bag I plan to buy before I leave.) Come back in a few hours and they’re gone. Lol. - public transportation
As much as driving is cool, having the option of not driving is even cooler.
- being mistaken for ‘important’
I know, I know. Those of you who truly love me are thinking, but you are important! Thank you. I appreciate your concern for my self-esteem... In another update I mentioned being mistakenly ushered into the VIP line at Fashion Week. At the Crown J show, the DJ stopped to ask me and only me, “Where are you from?” Hilarious! Does it really matter? Carry on please... I’ve been personally congratulated for Obama’s win, interviewed by college students and photographed for some girl’s ‘street fashion’ project, none of which would happen in the States.

Things I miss:
- sweet potato pie
Dream on dreamer, dream on. You can’t get one north of the Mason-Dixon or west of the Mississippi either…
- cotton balls
I assure you, you won't miss them until you can't get them. Anywhere.
- my hair dryer
How am I supposed to do a deep conditioning or roller set, huh? Huh? I’ve only seen two salons in three months that even have dome style driers.
- Paul Mitchell
If you were unawares, Mr. Mitchell makes some of the best hair products ever…
- Mexican & Thai food!
Dear God, I traveled 45 minutes across town for a $19 enchilada combo plate. Tip not included. I never realized how food-spoiled I am until now…
- having a car
It’s not that I want to drive in Seoul (it’s absolute madness out here) but it’d be nice to have the option on weekends when I’m high-tailing it to the last train at 1230pm to get back to the boondocks where I live…
- products with cocoa butter
And all the brown people said, “Amen.”

And of course, I miss you guys!

I’m not looking forward to Seoul’s harsh winter but hopefully, I’ll be getting some good snowboarding in!

Love and hugs,
-t.

Up in da club...

2008-12-02T21:02:00.001+09:00

I’m trying to remember why in the world I haven’t blogged about the goofy night I had when I went to see Epik High last month. Can’t think of a good reason, so here goes…

The band was playing at a little place called CatchLight down in Hongdae. We got there around 930—FAR too early for a club in Seoul—which meant we had to wait outside until they actually opened the club around 1030 or so.

Problem #1. While standing in line to get into the club, I saw two of my students! Can I get a “damn?!” Is that not every teacher’s nightmare? Fortunately, neither of my companions was sippin’ on soju, which on so many other occasions has been the case…

Problem #2. Because of the line that formed around the club, we were a little worried about being able to get in. The girls I came with had a hook up for free entry through a club rat they had met a week or so before. Sensibly, I wanted to wait and see what her powers of persuasion were before paying $15 but after repeated prodding from the other two, I paid to get in. Thirty minutes later when the “friend” arrives, security waves me past and offers a hand stamp…but I’ve already paid. *boo*

In Seoul, night goes into the morning since the clubs don’t ever really close which means that in the interest of business, main artists don’t start playing until around 1230 or later. That being the case, I experienced several bouts of boredom with a little dancing in between. The girls I came with like to drink. One of them is the girl you see at parties walking around and talking illogically who will also try to argue you down when you tell her she’s drunk and doesn’t make sense. The other is the type that constantly makes you ask, “Is she drunk?” because you’re never really quite sure if it’s her or the alcohol talking. Our hostess for the evening—Club Rat—was a cute Korean girl who had spent some years living in the States. She’s one of those party girls who lives for male attention and is more than willing to flaunt herself to get it. Alcohol only enables her madness.

The situation was compromised on so many levels…

First of all, I would like to acknowledge all the wannbe thugs in Korea. They are far too plentiful in Seoul. Interestingly enough, Epik High is far more a pop-hop band than hip-hop. (I mean, come on guys. They rap over techno!) Still, their concert attracted a couple of dudes in sideways baseball caps and bandanas around their necks. WTH? Do not get it twisted. These fellas know all the words to the rap songs (but don’t speak English). And they’ll throw a Westside up in a hot minute.

So up until the performance, the little bit of dancing I did do was remarkably engaging for said thugs. I’m not one for the limelight so I found the extra attention when I and “the other black girl” (my friend) hit the dance floor was a little annoying.

Problem #3 A friend called. He was across town but had promised to come hang out in Hongdae. So I'm waiting for this fool to show up and he's still having a good time across town. In the process, I miss the magic moment when my companions are whisked upstairs to meet the band. *BOOOOO* I'm not a total groupie (in this case anyway). I'm mostly intrigued by the frontman's Masters in Creative Writing from Standford. I mean, seriously, Can we be friends? I also read in an interview where he said he wished he had studied film instead/in addition? to what he's doing presently. *sigh*

Somewhere in the wee hours of the morning after said friend had come and gone--I think it was about 4 a.m.--my feet were KILLING me. I only wore 1" heels but I had been on them for about 8 hours at that point. The club had a few tables downstairs near the bar in the non-VIP area so I decided to plop my grown behind down to wait for the kids to be ready to leave.

A few minutes pass and I put my feet up in the seat opposite me. At this point I should mention that I had just been to the salon the day before and gotten a touch up and black rinse. My hair was looking silky smooth and jet black. (Just how I like it!) That being the case, about 10 minutes after I had gotten comfy, some guy walks up to me from behind, puts his hands on my shoulders and leans in so his tummy is resting on my head. I'm like, WTH?!? I leaned my head back with my best WTH? expression plastered across my face. Dear God, the look on that dude's face was priceless!!! He was all, "Oh, soree! Soree!" He said his friend had been there. I couldn't help but laugh. Dude was hella awkward!

So, lo and behold 10-minutes later, the same shiznit happens! A dude rolls up from behind and does the hands on the shoulder thing. I offer the same WTH? expression. He looks genuinely shocked in the way that slightly drunk people are when things don't go quite right. Dude is like, "Soree. Soree." Then dude flips the script, "Beautiful! Beautiful!" At this point, I was EXTREMELY ready to go. As I'm pulling out my phone to see where my girls are. How about this fool grabs my phone and calls himself while I'm beating him on the arm and trying to get my phone back!!!! *straight foolishness!* He looked so proud of himself too...

At this point I stand up from the chair and make a fatal mistake. I ask, "And who ARE you?" in my most sarcastic tone. *Note to self: sarcasm does NOT translate.* Dude says his name, I have no idea what he says. I give a weak smile and say nice to meet you as I attempt to walk off. (Note the word "attempt.") After that, it's, "Beautiful! Beautiful" and then, I got MOUTHED! (Note the word "mouthed.") It would be improper to use the word "kiss" as that has romantic connotations and alludes to a level of technique that was not employed in said action. That was my third, WTH?!? of the evening which should probably be upgraded to a WTF?!? Dude then proceeded to lock me into a rib crushing (no joke) bear hug after which I believe he was expecting another mouthing. I don't even think I said anything though I'm quite sure I had my completely horrified face on in full effect. I was trying to push him away but he wasn't getting the point. Maybe he imagined I was moving my hand toward his neck for a romantic embrace. Actually, I was going for his trachea. The trachea is always effective when a normal push doesn't quite communicate the desired meaning. He finally got the point.

I was super extremely ready to go at that point...

Fortunately, that particular evening didn't have any more bootlegness worth describing. Well, there were a couple more niggling details but I don't have the energy to recount them.

I suppose I'm just trying to figure out why it is that random dudes will seriously think that exchanging names is enough to think they deserve some lovin'!

Korea, The Second Month

2008-11-13T10:36:00.005+09:00

Ok, so it's been two+ months, right? This email is long overdue since it mostly covers October. Furthermore, it's obscenely long. Consider it gross overcompensation...

In the last few weeks, Seoul has really started to feel like home and that's not entirely positive. I've once again gotten into a work-home rut! I'm trying to think of some inexpensive hobbies to take up. For one thing I'd like to hang out with more Koreans since I'm like, you know, in Korea. Secondly, I'm quite prone to winter depression and I need to stay active.

Since my last email, I had my first "back to America" farewell, endured a noisy parade outside my apt window, went hiking (halfway) up a mountain, was 'interviewed' by some college kids in a bookstore, went to a hip-hop dance battle, my first ever runway show, my first K-pop concert (Epik High) and endured my first Cold War era emergency drill. Those are just the interesting things. Repeatedly sitting on the subway for WAY too long and occasionally taking the wrong bus don't really warrant discussion and hyperlinks...

A recent unfortunate discovery is that being a foreign girl in Seoul is a bit like being the one French exchange chick in high school...having an accent and being from the 'land of love' aren't necessarily the most positive things...

On a more worthy topic, at the moment I feel pulled between two churches. The one, Jubilee, is a bit more my speed---high emphasis on the arts, modern music, lots of singles--the other, Seoul International Baptist Church, has more families, a bit of an older, more settled crowd, and a smaller congregation. The main attraction is that several girls my age I've become friends with go there and a couple they know usually has them over for lunch after service. (The value of home-cooked American food cannot be underestimated due to my present circumstances!)

Bactracking on other things, the parade outside my window was for the holiday where a bear and a tiger in a cave created Korea. (No, I don't know either.) I'm not so much into details but it's like the 4th of July sans fireworks and wonderfully noisy instruments. There's a park down my street where they had performances and activities for kids. They also had scarecrows on display, some of which were...scary.

I was co-opted in to hiking by a coworker who suggested that several of us go "walking" around the Blue House (where the president lives). 'How lovely,' I thought. 'A little sightseeing!' If I were asked the same thing this month, I would have known better. Hiking is Korea's national pastime! So, "walking" actually turned out to be hiking and those of you who know me well know I'm not usually up for such things. Overall it was alright. I made it...most of the way. One of my coworkers is absolutely enamored with mountains--I'm an ocean girl myself--and after getting to what I thought was the top, she asked us if we wanted to keep going. I kid you not, when she pointed out the rest of the trail, it looked like a left-over portion of the Great Wall of China! Part of the area is made up of old military stations. (We could hear the soldiers training and saw a few on our way back down.) I definitely had to pass on that one. Just looking at it made me tired!

The bookstore interview was something I had read about before getting to Korea. Apparently, some professors assign their students an "Interview a Foreigner" assignment and the most 'foreign' looking foreigner wins. :) My (white) friend Nicole and I got interviewed at one of the bookstores in town and within 5 minutes ran into three Korean Americans we knew who had obviously slipped under the radar...

One thing a lot of people don't know about Korea is how much they LOVE hip-hop. I mean Americans love hip-hop. If you were unawares, before I left the States there was a promo on The Golf Channel that used hip-hop and it wasn't even featuring Tiger Woods. ;) Still, Koreans don't have any particular reason to love hip-hop...but they do. As I've been told, there's a hip-hop dance battle happening somewhere in Seoul every weekend. I randomly found out about one through one of the other 400-some English teachers that came this semester. We had only been in town 4 weeks and he was already in the finals for a competition! What surprised me most is how many girls were in the contest. Unfortunately for them, they didn't do it like in the States and have a separate women's category and the judges seemed crazy biased for the guys' style. The judges didn't seem particularly interested in showmanship either. Heck, the judges were whack. Anyways, I posted a few low-quality videos on vimeo that I was able to take with my camera.

So, onto my brush with the fashion world...much like many other major metros, Seoul has its own fashion week. I know, I know. You haven't heard of it but that's what makes it so pleasantly special and private, ok? I had it into my head to do something totally different and decided to head down to a show since the tickets were $7. (Seriously?) I had chosen the one designer I wanted to see and planned to head out after visiting the Baptist church. After hearing about it, one of my friends decided she'd like to come to. Great.

So there we are on the subway, riding an hour across town to see a runway show, something neither of us had ever done. We finally get to the venue, see all the people milling about, know that it's 15 minutes until showtime and go inside to find tickets. When we get inside, we see this tremendous line and have no idea where to go. After asking the big bouncer looking guy, "Where do we buy tickets?" he ushered us into the shortest line leading to the show area. So we stand there...for about 30 seconds. Just long enough for me to take in that the people standing in front of us and filing past us look like fashion insiders, those assistant-y types...Devil Wears Prada and all that. As flattering as it was to be mistaken for VIPs, I decided that rather than get punked by the even bigger bouncer at the head of the line, I would make a spring for assistance. I found a really helpful girl in the press area who spoke English. She lead us to the ticket window only to find out there were NO tickets left. None. Like, wait, did I really ride an hour on the crappy subway to hear you say that? Naturally, I couldn't let that lie. I was too tired not to be American in that moment. "Are you sure? Is there anything you can do? This is the only show I wanted to see! There's only two of us. Can we just stand in the back?"

At that moment, a dapper looking man in my peripheral vision stepped forward, pulling a small white envelope from his blazer pocket. "I have two tickets," he said as he flicked his cigarette and stamped it on the ground. I'm sure my eyes lit up like a kid. He handed us two tickets with shiny gold "VIP" seals and introduced himself as Julien from Fashion Inside magazine and asked how we knew about JuYoung's designs. Very, very cool. It was another one of those, "Thanks God!" thumbs up moments.

I'll spare details about the designs or the seating arrangements but I will mention that I saw one of my favorite Korean celebrities...Crown J! So, back to the "Korea loves hip-hop theme," Crown J is somewhat of a 'Fresh Prince' in the hip-hop world out here...highly visible but not nearly as hardcore as he plays around to be. He's one of the celebs on a reality show out here and also the spokesman for FUBU Korea. (Why are you laughing? Yes, people still wear FUBU...in Asia. Don't hate.)

In other music events, I went to check out Epik High's performance with some friends. They're more pop-hop than hip-hop but they put out some interesting compositions. The front man Tablo has a master's in creative writing from Stanford so that's always been a point of fascination for me. That, and the fact that he looks like a 12-year-old boy when he's 28. The show was good but I have no additional plans to spend wee hours of the morning in a hip-hop club as one of two black girls when all the boys have had a bit too much 'liquid-courage.' *Annoying silliness ensues...*

Last but not least, this letter would not be complete without mentioning the emergency drill. As it is, we always forget that Korea is in a cold war of sorts. That being the case, the threat of attack is always immanent. Now, during the course of my one week orientation, they told us all sorts of useful things about Korea like the whole bit with separating the trash, etc. but no one, not a single, solitary soul mentioned the emergency drills! For the love of God, they happen every month! It might be nice to know that before you're out walking the street by yourself one afternoon and hear tornado sirens---at least that's what I thought they were---going off!

So there I am, on my way to find Costco (yep, that one) when I hear the sirens and an announcement. I'm not one to panic easily. I look around and all my Korean compatriots are going about their merry way, so I do the same. Then I get to an intersection and notice a few workers in neon yellow jackets holding up traffic. A few folks have stopped on the sidewalk to look at the spectacle. "Hmm, interesting," I thought and kept parlaying down the sidewalk. I was doing perfectly well until I tried to pass one of the workers...a middle-aged woman who appeared horrified that I was walking down the street so nonchalantly. She said something then ushered me into an open doorway with the 'grandmother arm prod/shove'---if you've been here, you know what I'm talking about---and I was surprised to find several other 'victims' already standing inside. It wasn't until a few weeks later that I remembered to ask my coworkers what all the fuss was about and they told me that this was a monthly occurrence. The reason I hadn't had this exciting experience my first month in country was because of the Chuseok holiday. Apparently, they're set for the 15th of every month which means I'm due for another one this Saturday. *whoopdie do!*

Well, those are the highlights for the moment. I hope everyone is doing well and taking in all the uncertainty at this moment of American history in stride. I miss you guys. If you're thinking about visiting, don't think twice. Just come out! My air mattress is waiting for you. :)

Love and hugs,
-t.

A one-armed lady and korean boys

2008-10-15T19:14:00.007+09:00

The comment on my last post and discussions with a couple other girls in my neighborhood really got me thinking about dating in Korea. "Should I even bother?" is quite the question of the hour!

Those who've followed me for a while know that I'm open to entering a serious relationship and getting married. In fact, that's pretty much what I'm looking for. I don't mind having friends of the opposite gender--as long as they're drama-free--but the likelyhood of that being the case among my peers gets slimmer and slimmer as I continue to age. If they were drama-free they'd be married. lol!

While I'm on the topic of married men, I was recounting k-dating horror #1 (Minwoo, aka Project Pat) to a couple of friends when one reels out the, "Let me tell you what happened to us last weekend..."

[Before we go there, this would be an appropriate time to point out that Project Pat actually had the balls to text me the next day. Instead of, "When can we get together so I can give you back your money?" this fool texts, "did you have a good time at the club?" The hell I did! I almost had to borrow money from my homegirl for the cover charge! I really need to let it go. I do...]

My girls headed down to a techno place called Jane's Groove. It caters to the English-speaking crowd in Hongdae. They're having a good time, dancing however one dances to techno, when they meet this Korean dude and his friend. Dude went to undergrad overseas. His English was good and he seemed friendly. No problem.

Some point as the night progressed and additional intoxicating beverages were consumed, everyone stepped outside for a breath of fresh air. Friend 1 admired dude's scooter--very nice, very vintage. Dude proceeds to say how his girlfriend...well, wife, has one that matches it. WTH?! He and his homeboy were chatting my girls up ALL night! Whatevs right? No harm. No foul.

Well, they're pretty much over dude but he's all, "Come on, let's go get some coffee," a fairly reasonable late night/wee-hours-of-the-morning request. With a, "If you're paying," thrown out, off they went.

And things went downhill. Sometime in the next few minutes, "Do you girls wanna go to a hotel?" was said out loud, in public. Whaaaa??? The conversation wasn't even going in that direction...until then! Yes, my girl did check him about his wife and his drunk tail was all confused like, How did you know? ROFL!!! Then he pulls a desperate, "You could just come back and chill with us." (Acutally, it might have been the wingman that threw that one in. Either way...) My girls are like, WTF? Seriously?! Dude was mad bold and tried to defend himself with, "It's Korea. You know how it is." Lawd! Lawd, y'all! People like him are KILLING it for the decent ones. Killing it. Beatin' it dead in the street with a 2x4 on a cold winter's day in front of a hospital and no one's calling for help.

Dudes like that make Future Ex-Boyfriend seem like an angel! Then there's the one cutie at my school who majored in English and is, of course, married. It hurts my feelings. I seriously hear Shy Guy everytime I see him. *sigh* It will be alright though cause it has to. How does this relate to one-armed ladies? Not very well other than both things have been on my mind...

Considering the size and population of Seoul, there should be a lot more homeless beggar-type people out and about than there are. I don't know where they're all hiding out but occasionally they make an appearance and it's a jarringly third-world like experience. As most of my readers know, first-world beggars are quite a problem. For the love of God, they have entitlement issues. Like, "Hello, I live in a freaking first world country, OF COURSE you should give me a dollar!" Anyone else ever been cussed out by a homeless guy? Raise your hand. Heck, that vibe caught up with me all the way in Baja Mexico. It's royally annoying.

Anyhoo, my first encounter with a beggar in Seoul was a man laying on the stairs of a subway with his head covered. I thought maybe he had passed out or something until I noticed his hands were out and cupped together. He had a few coins in them and that clued me in. More than half the time I've seen people begging, they were either blind, or missing limbs. So...when an old Korean lady came walking through the teacher's room the other day, I had no idea who she was. I had seen her come in and didn't pay much attention. At some point though, I was one of the few teachers left in the office. The little old lady comes up to me and speaks in her soft, polite-sounding voice. She told me her name then propped her little black duffle bag on my desk/chair and started pulling out socks. My brain went into overdrive!

Whenever people talk to me in Korean as if I should be understanding them it makes me panic because I'm the sort of person who really tries to make appropriate listening faces. This is virtually impossible when you don't know what the heck is going on! I probably ended up wearing my panic face. I hate it when that happens unintentionally. Seriously. It's embarrasing.

So there I am wearing my panic face when one of the grumpy male teachers (probably seeing the panic face and not wanting to offend "the foreigner") tells the ajumma I don't speak Korean but that doesn't stop her. She keeps doing her little presentation in the super polite voice while he bristles past in a huff. At this point I'm extra freaked out because I understood what he said, he seemed kind of rude which I didn't like, and socks keep coming out of that duffle bag like she borrowed it from Mary Poppins. Geez, I don't need any socks! I'm thinking as they keep pouring out of the bag then I'm like, well I kinda do...but I don't know what I want. And those 'flesh' ones are definitely not my color. *Auugggh!!!* And with that, I waved her away.

And in that moment, I noticed her arm---the one she wasn't using---the shaped sleeve of her blazer that was unnaturally round, hanging straight and...was empty. She slipped the socks back into the bag, bowed her head politely and off she went. In that moment, I felt like a big jerk. Heck, I still do.

I was unnecessarily annoyed and missed an opportunity to make someone's day.

AND...I'm blaming it all on the boys!!! If I hadn't been so preoccupied with the shallow, selfishness of others, I might have been in a more pleasant and readily giving mood. ; )

So back to the question...Should I even bother?

Of course!

I don't really need another pair of cheap socks but it would have given an old lady a moment of dignity and heck, maybe lunch for the day. She would've gotten a smile about the black foreigner girl who bought socks even though she couldn't speak Korean.

As for boys, I refuse to believe that this country is full of jerks. I have no problem however, believing that online sites are populated with them or that dance clubs are or even, that half of the guys who speak English here use it as a calling card for free booty. The same is true of American guys and I haven't quite given up on them yet.

I think of a French-Canadian girl out here and her cute Christian Korean husband and know that anything's possible even though tons of things are not likely!

And on that positive note, I leave you with the song that stopped me in my tracks at eMart. I was about to bust a slow dance by. my. self. After extensive googling, I found it: Good Love by Dynamic Duo with Kim Bumsoo rocking the vocals. I hope these lyrics are, shall we say, appropriate cause some of the babies heard me playing this in the classroom...

09. Good Love (Feat. BSK A.k.a 김범수).mp3 -

Love 'n Korea (cont'd)

2008-10-06T15:52:00.011+09:00

So, back to relationships out here in the Wild Wild East...

Being the adventurous girl that I am, I had signed up for a Korean penpal/dating site to test the waters shortly before I got here. That being the case, I decided I would meet up with a couple of the fellas this weekend. Personally, I wouldn't really consider this sort of thing "dates" because I'm psychologically unable to comprehend dating, but I digress. We met.

Sooo, on Saturday, I met up with a dude we'll call Minwoo. His real name was far less cool than that, but moving on...

Basically, I was meeting dude for a little "getting-to-know-you" dinner then going out to a club with friends. Dude is like, "Sure, let's meet up with your friends" BUT didn't have any cash. [Cultural note: In Korea, ATMs are only open until 11pm or so and the subways typically stop running at midnight...except on the weekend (!) when they stop even earlier.]

So, dude paid for dinner with a credit card and when we missed the last subway, he was like, "Do you have any cash?" *hold up! wait a minute!!!* Whaaa?! If I knew how to get where I was going myself I woulda considered leaving his ass behind and told him to call Tyrone. lol.

Then, on the way to the area we're supposed to meet everyone, he starts commenting about how many foreigners are there. He wanted to know exactly who was gonna be there and I assured him one of the girls was bringing her Korean friend and that a few people speak Korean...all this to get to the point where we're finally (1 hour later?) walking to the club and he looks like he's gonna pass out.

Soooo, being the considerate person that I am, I'm like, "Don't feel like you have to come. I understand." [His English isn't that great.] I'm trying to convince him it's all good either way. Finally, he's like, "Ok. Maybe next time," and it's all good. As I was returning the jacket he lent me, he's like, "Um, can I borrow $10?" NO LIE. *What the sam hizell?!?* Yes, this fool just asked if he could get some money to ride home AND, I gave it to him. At this point, I was just like, "whatever." The awkwardness was nauseously palpable.

In retrospect, I have a feeling he was thinking it was gonna end Sex in the City style. *Damn it Hollywood!!! And Snoop Dogg!!!* Basically, dude asked me to ride across freaking town to his subway stop. As I recall, initially when we were deciding when to meet, he had suggested 9 p.m. I didn't think too much of it because there's more folks out in my neighborhood at 9 then there are a 8 in the morning...but I mean, really? Seriously? If you're thinking of making a night of it, wouldn't you BRING SOME MONEY?!?! The primary reason I agreed to meet him in Sadang is because I thought his job was over there--and he had to work on Saturday--not for a whack booty call. *auuurrrghh*

There was definitely some random flirtatiousness which didn't cross the line or anything so it took me a while to process what went down and now I'm like BOOOO to online 'penpals' because the second situation was more disturbing...

Basically, there's very little I can do to describe the guy I met with on Sunday except to say that he was perfectly well-mannered, helped me with my Korean (study date, lol!), and drove an imported convertible. Did I mention he's a doctor? Totally positive traits yet, I had this weird feeling after we parted ways--a weird, very bad foreboding feeling. The last time I had this feeling I ended up dating a guy who refused to comprehend the meaning of "break up". He too had started off well-mannered and wasn't even as polished (or smart) as this guy...

Now, if I was the sort for random, sexual relationships, the second guy would definitely be on my radar. In fact, trying to explain how I felt about the situation to a fellow teacher here proved ridiculously useless. I feel like I've received a warning in my spirit, as we Pentecostals like to say, and I'm gonna go with it. I'm already plotting how to squirm out of meeting with this guy again even though he really seemed like a good teacher. (He's able to explain Korean concepts to me in English and he even knows a little Mandarin. *sigh*) At the same time, I'm reminded of a friend of mine who dated a guy long-distance for around a year, later found out he had two kids and years later, found out he was married. I'm definitely not up for that level of adventure during my stay.

Here's to smarter decisions and better people coming my way!

[Oh yes, as for the coworker that was in my mouth, he finally seems like he's over it. Which is a grand relief. That said, the other teacher in my hall nicknamed him "Future Ex-Boyfriend" which I thought was quite fitting for a situation you KNOW would never go anywhere!]

Korea - Week 3

2008-09-25T15:46:00.000+09:00

Korea

– Week 3

This week started off with a stunted attempt to go to church. I wanted to visit Yeoido Full Gospel Church an Assemblies of God congregation with the world’s largest membership. For no good reason, the church doesn’t have exact directions on their English website. I guess, like, you know, they’re the biggest so of course everybody knows where it is, right? Right. Cut to act three, even if they do know, they can’t explain it in English if you get off the wrong subway stop! I spent a few hours at Yeoido community park watching people enjoy the summer afternoon. Further attempts to resume next week…

My first week of a real teaching schedule was quite an adventure. I had my lesson plans for the 1^st and 2^nd grades (US 10th/11th) worked out pretty well so those classes went pretty smoothly. However, Monday was my first teachers’ class. Basically, most of the non-English teachers haven’t had to use English since college and they thought it would be fabulous if I led a conversation class for them…except they weren’t really ready for conversation. In an American classroom, you typically jump in and ask people to challenge themselves from day one. Until recently (and still only 50% of the time) that wasn’t the case in Korea. My “fun” lesson plan fell flat. I’ll have something boring for them next week. ; )

I only had three days of teaching the girls this week because of special activities on Thursday and Friday. I think in general, most of us in the West buy into Asian countries’ PR campaign about how well mannered and studious the kids are. This would be a good time to point out that I’ve never seen so many kids going god-knows-where all times of the night on public transport on a weeknight (except NYCity.) I had the misfortune of teaching one of my classes without my co-teacher and quickly discovered that students have no qualms about brushing their hair, chatting and texting during lessons! I’m still deciding if I’m more impressed at their gall or offended that my lesson wasn't keeping their attention…

Wednesday night, Liz and I met another teacher living in our building. He’s a (tall) Mexican kid from Chicago who in four days of living here already figured how to get rid of his trash! While this may be an issue of common sense in the States, Korea has an elaborate trash disposal system a step down from Japan’s, in which food, recyclables (categorized by type) and general trash have to be placed separately. This, in addition to purchasing approved trash bags!

Thursday was my school’s anniversary. For some reason in Korea, that’s a cause for celebration. The girls were off the hook for a day. Students from different programs came up with activity areas. Student art and sculptures were on display. Some classes sold snacks. I spent some “free-speaking” time with the English Club. Some art design students offered nail painting with detailed designs. Japanese class students had a Japanese area. The hospitality industry girls were acting as waitresses and mixing cocktails. Yup, cocktails. Our school is serious about the hospitality! We have a mock hotel reception area, bedroom, ballroom and cocktail bar. (See Exhibit A.)

All in all, it was a pretty wild day at school. The only American comparison I could think of is an afterprom party. I decided to go ahead and leave at 415 or so. From what I understand, I missed the dance team, cheerleaders and teachers’ performances! Maybe next year. lol!

Friday was physical fitness day. Anybody else remember those horrid Presidential Fitness Tests we had back in the day? Same concept except they only have to run 50 meters! Once again, I had no classes. I spent most of the day hanging out with one of my co-teachers and occasionally timing the girls as they did push-ups. Since it was the day before Chuseok, the most major Korean holiday all year, we had a half day.

My super cool thirty-something coworkers treated me to lunch at T.G.I. Friday’s (again!) Thank God I love that place…then off to the movies to see Mama Mia. I was beginning to get a sore throat but I still felt ok.

On Saturday, I traversed down to check out a palace and be touristy. It was…touristy. Basically, there were very old buildings. And a conservatory built in the 1800’s or so. The most interesting thing to me was observing how the modern city of Seoul has built up around the palace site. Directly across the street is a large private hospital. Around the corner are several convenience stores. The contrast was notable.

Other than that, I spent Saturday warding off a flu/cold combination and wishing I was out having fun! I’m (95%) better now but “I was sick” was pretty much my resounding refrain for “What did you do over the holiday?”

And on that note, I’ll wrap it up. ; ) More to come!

Love and hugs,

-taryn

Love'n Korea

2008-09-11T20:27:00.004+09:00

Ok, the truth is, I can’t really break it down like I want to in the emails I send to my parents and former coworkers. I mean, some stuff everybody doesn’t need to know cause it just sounds petty…or ghetto. Take your pick.

With that out of the way, I gotta admit, I haven’t felt homesick yet. People keep asking me if I’m homesick and I’m not. Not at all. I wish they would stop asking because it’s making me feel like some sort of social anomaly, an emotional handicap, a rootless nomad…all of which could possibly be true…so let’s stop talking about it already.

In other random news, I’m beginning to thing the words, “pretty”, “beautiful”, “sexy”, et al. have no meaning in Korea. Sorry, call me shallow but ain’t no way some of the folks I’ve heard called “beautiful” out here would get the same back home…myself included.

While I’m on the subject, it would be worth pointing out that the concept of “sexual harassment” hasn’t been introduced in my lovely land of residence. I’m not even mad about it. I’m hella amused. For some reason, nobody’s told the babies that yelling, “Teacha, sexi!” while complementary, isn’t really appropriate in the classroom. lol!

Also, every other native-born Korean I meet thinks they’re a personal matchmaking service. One way or another, they try to find out if you have a boyfriend and insist that they know the most decent, available guy that you should meet. This includes students.

Just today I got, “You should meet my middle school English teacher. He’s a very good guy.” and “My P.E. teacher likes you,”—which, unfortunately, is probably true. Lawd. Lawd. I’m not even trynna go there with workplace romance! Dude’s 39, which is already too much going on AND according to Mr. Paek (a.k.a. My Korean daddy), dude has a girlfriend!

Come on now! I’ma need him not to be in my mouth like he is. I’ve watched too many K-dramas and Bollywood films to know that a guy who offers to carry extremely light objects for you—light as in, 7 pieces of paper and a miniature shopping bag—is trying to do more than welcome you to the neighborhood. And he know he’s wrong cause when Mr. Paek stopped me in the hall, he conveniently dipped out!

Right, so Mr. Paek, rocks. He’s 50, hella old school and every now and again he drops some necessary knowledge, such as the girlfriend thing. He always asks whether or not I’ve eaten, whether or not I called my family, whether or not I have someone to go do this or that with me…He’s like my real dad only more willing to have a conversation. What’s not to like?

I’m digging the traditional culture and am SO glad my mom was pretty strict about enforcing the “respect your elders” thing with us. Thus far I’ve been able to avoid any major faux pas.

I’m daily amused or interested by something. We’ll see how long it lasts but for now, I’m just trying to make it to payday!

Blog Notes

2008-09-11T19:47:00.003+09:00

I had intended to start another blog once I actually got to Korea but I think this one will serve its purpose well enough.

Basically, there will be both the friendly letters that I send home to family and "what I really think" a.k.a. All The Things You Don't Feel Like Explaining To People Who Don't Get Your Sense of Humor and/or Don't Share Your Point of View.

Good times.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, shall we continue?

Korea - Day 14

2008-09-07T19:53:00.003+09:00

[This is a copy of an email I sent to family and friends back home.]

Korea - Day 14

Week two was pretty light. I'm SO fortunate to have a school where I was encouraged to do planning rather than be thrown into teaching on day one.

The first couple of days were filled with greeting: greeting the principal of my school and our sister school, greeting the other teachers, greeting the students, meeting the church pastor.

I also had to get a health check (as per government requirements). It was nothing physically invasive but answering, "Do you have any communicable diseases?" etc. when the little man who was asking the questions looked like he was embarrassed for me, was quite an experience.

So far, I've only eaten cafeteria food once and that only for posterity's sake. (I get the feeling the principal had something to do with that since he asked what I thought of it!) Every other day so far, one or more of my coworkers has taken me out and treated me. I think I'm going to owe a lot of people lunch when I get paid!

I'm still adjusting to my small living space but I'm hoping it'll teach me how not to accumulate useless stuff. Liz (the other teacher in my building) and I met up with a couple of other English teachers in our neighborhood for dinner a couple of times last week. One of the other girls is having a tough time with her head teacher and it reminded me how truly blessed I am.

On last Wednesday, Liz and I were invited to an orchestra concert by one of my coworkers. His daughter was performing. Unfortunately, what we thought would be a 1-hour subway ride turned into nearly two hours of transport! We were extremely late to the concert (45 minutes) and after watching the performance on monitors for 15 minutes, we decided to make our way home since it was already after 9pm! That's when things got interesting.

I should point out that our neighborhood is pretty calm for a major metropolis. We actually have tree-lined streets and a little park with hiking trails around the corner. Downtown Seoul is a completely different story. We transferred trains to one of the most central lines at around 1015pm and experienced rush hour traffic!

Liz and I missed the first two trains that came by because we chickened out. Basically, the train was like that video of rush hour Tokyo without the professional pushers. After the second train, we bolstered up, got near the front of the line and got shoved all the way into the train! We rode shoulder to shoulder with random strangers for 15-20 minutes before the train emptied out enough where we had some room. Still, we were standing up until our next transfer.

All in all, my second week in Korea was interesting but mostly uneventful. Shopping has been quite a challenge because of the language barrier and made worse by limited selection. Trying to stock my apartment with basic necessities feels like a part-time job most days. (At this point it would be appropriate to mention that after being so excited about my local KyoChon chicken, they did duly disappoint. Seriously, their chicken wings were winglets! I think they killed the little guys before they hit maturity. *sigh*)

My school has asked me to spend 4 of my working hours doing an afterschool English club in addition to 3 hours of teachers' conversation class. They're definitely trying to squeeze out every penny's worth of work from me. I feel like a one woman English academy! Various teachers randomly stop me in the hall to ask for correct pronunciation and grammar, no joke!

Next week (the week I'm writing this) is my first week of teaching so there'll be a few more interesting details then. Sometime between now and October 1, I'll be settled in [and begin to finish tackling my screenplay!]

Hope everyone's doing well.

Love and hugs,
-taryn

p.s. Just thought I'd include the photo of my bathroom for kicks. Yes, you too can wash clothes, take a shower and use the toilet all at the same time, courtesy of a connection from your sink---that is if the mildew and gaudy mirror decor don't attack you first! :p

Korea - Day 7

2008-08-31T19:42:00.002+09:00

[This is a copy of an email I sent to family and friends back home...]

Korea – Day 7

I finally got my apartment. I won't lie. It's ghetto. Fortunately, I've had worse accommodations so I'll be over it soon. It's basically a dorm room with a tiled area functioning as a bathroom.

The cool thing is my neighborhood. Downstairs there's a Dunkin Donuts, 7-11, KyoChon chicken shack. Up the street there's a park with a walking trail, badminton nets and exercise area. Last night there was an open air concert but I missed it because I went shopping at Nonghyup Hanaro Mart for groceries instead. The subway is one minute from our apartment door and the bus stop is maybe two minutes. There are some things I don't like but overall, my impression is favorable.

After I landed in Korea, I was whisked off to the Hyundai Learning Center where I and 200 other foreigner teachers were held ~~for training~~ captive for the week. The area is beautiful and had a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains. Being with English speakers all week was a bit more like being on a guided tour than actually experiencing Korea.

We had all sorts of training exercises and workshops about our future lives as public school conversation teachers. Most of it was useful. Some of it was actually interesting and engaging. The highlight was getting to meet other folks in the same position as newcomers to Korea soon to be immersed in the culture as full-time teachers.

With that in mind, I have to give testimony to a little miracle God performed. As some of you know, I missed my initial flight. I was scheduled to fly out of the states on August 23 and to arrive in Korea on August 24. Try as I might, I woke up later than intended the morning of my departure and was further slowed down by my precious mother who insisted that we stop along the way so she could give me some travel money. At 6 a.m. the line to check in was atrociously long. I was stuck behind a 20-person group booked on an international flight in addition to a few stray folks behind them.

I had only slept 2.5 hours the night before and was definitely cranky. I had been waiting nearly an hour and was next in line when a lady cut me. She parlayed right up to the front and was like, "Oh, I didn't know you were next." I didn't even get a chance to say anything because my mom and the lady behind me took her on. lol! Mind you, this was just minutes after another woman had attempted to storm the front of the line and got fussed out by some people that had been waiting since 5 a.m.

That said, miracle #1: vindication.
The lady that cut got checked in and was on her way a good 10-15 minutes before me. I tried to stay calm. I let her pass and figured everything would work itself out. When I finally got to the boarding area (after nearly losing my passport), who's standing there but Cut-in-Line Lady? The plane is parked but the walkway was pulled away. She and her daughter were trying to convince airline staff to let them on the plane. While they pretended not to see me, I couldn't help but chuckle. I was quite amused until I remembered that my luggage, like theirs, was on the plane…without me.

After calling my family back to the airport to pick me up and starting over the next day in the same outfit (eww!), I began my travels again, this time with the international portion booked on Korean Air rather than Delta. That was a mini-blessing in disguise. Korean Air stewardesses actually work for their money. They're so attentive it's mildly frightening.

Then comes miracle #2a: Having missed my flight the day before, my two pieces of luggage and 52-lb cardboard box made it Seoul at the same time I did. No delays. No problems.

Miracle #2b is the kicker: After getting off the plane, making my way through customs and loading my luggage on a free—rental cost $3 in the US—rolling cart, a girl turns to me and asks, "Are you a teacher?" I guess my style doesn't really say 'military.' lol. She then asks, "Did you come with Footprints?" which is my recruiting company! With both questions answered, we agreed to stick together, since we were in the same boat.

The two of us clicked pretty well and we're only 2 years apart in age. During orientation week, we were just down the hall from one another and were worried that after becoming friends, our chances of being 'stationed' together out of 200 other teachers was quite slim. Fast forward to the end of the week, not only are we stationed in the same district, we were placed in the same building and our schools are across the street from each other!

Naturally, I had been preparing myself to go it alone and to face the mental and emotional exhaustion of trying to communicate far beyond my Korean language ability. As it so happens, my fellow teacher is Korean American and was SUCH a big help when we went shopping for home items yesterday. I'm really blessed to have a friend and language helper.

Miracle #3: I'm teaching at an all girls Christian school! I didn't know that there were single-sex public schools in Korea and I had certainly had no idea that public schools in Korea (heck anywhere) could be Christian! Having grown up with 2 sisters, if there's one thing I know, it's girls. I'm excited. All of the coworkers I've met so far are really nice. We have chapel on Wednesday mornings. And my classroom is AMAZING.

Next week I'll write about my first week at school. I've been told I won't have to do any teaching this week but I certainly want to be prepared for next week!

Love and hugs!
-taryn

Just landed!

2008-08-25T22:58:00.002+09:00

Just got to Korea today.

I have a week of orientation before school starts.

More info to follow!

Los Angeles: Day 24

2008-08-03T03:06:00.006+09:00

I've been in LA for a bit now taking a screenwriting program so I haven't had the energy to blog. That said, I'm reposting this email I sent to friends back in N'ville:

Hi everyone!

I'm sure you were absolutely (not!) holding your breath for my first update, but here it is anyhow. In the first 10 days here in California I:

* attended a 3-day retreat in Pacific Palisades (near Malibu)
* was outwalked by a woman who was at least 60 years old
* impressed an old Chinese man with my language skills
* rode the only "honor system" subway left in the free world
* took a Korean class
* went to a black megachurch (West Angeles C.O.G.I.C., Bishop Charles Blake)
* shopped at the infamous Trader Joe's
* bought groceries at a 99¢ Store
* saw Taming of the Shrew outdoors at the biggest Catholic Church ever
* had eight straight days of classes!

Today, I spent 10 hours in classes. Tomorrow, I will have 7 hours of screenwriting during the day, go to the Korean consulate on my lunch break and have 2 hours of Korean language class at night!

*****
Day 24
Since I took so long to send this out, I need to add a few more items:

* ate at a Korean chicken shack (KyoChon)
* discovered a love for public transit
* saw a French film at the super cool LACMA museum
* saw Wall*e at the Magic Johnson in Crenshaw
* took a Bikram Yoga class (105 degrees in the room folks!)
* have almost filled my Lollicup boba tea frequent buyer card. 2 more to go!
* got my visa for Korea
* had fried plantains twice in one week
* came home to a police chopper shining a spotlight across our street
* had my script idea chosen at a “pitch session” (out of 11 other stories)
* survived an earthquake from the 16th floor of a skyscraper!

Good times abound!
Of course I listed all of the most interesting things. Every day here has been interesting even if only because of the amazing teachers we have in our program. We heard from the writer of Will Smith’s new film Seven Pounds, a writer/producer for Home Improvement, a writer for 24, Lost and yes, the new Knight Rider. Next week we’ll hear from the writer of Déjà Vu (starring Denzel Washington) and today, I’m off to the Santa Monica pier.

It’s been fun but exhausting. I have 10 script pages due on Tuesday and I won’t have any notes to work with until Monday. I’ll watch the executive students pitch my story idea on Wednesday (hopefully, they won’t butcher it) and pitch a new story idea myself on Wednesday.

The Act One community is wonderful. It’s a very nurturing environment for developing writers and there are quite a few success stories from folks who’ve been through the program and stuck it out through the hard times here in Hollywood.

Until next time…
-t.

Let's Speak Korean AGAIN...

2008-06-13T08:41:00.005+09:00

Lawd, lawd! So here I am on the Arirang website trying to pull down some more episodes of Let's Speak Korean only to discover that the links no longer work. The website is still there but the videos are disabled. For two days I'm like, What the heck?! until I randomly search the pull down menu and see "Let's Speak Korean (Season 4)". Um, ok. I'm not sure why you need a new season to teach the same thing again or why that means the old season has to disappear...

Lisa Kelley is still the host but this season she's joined by Kim YoungChul, a really wacky comedian that I could sware I've seen before but don't remember where. In other news, it appears that this season will include a mini drama called "Homestay Story" and we all know I love me some drama! It's terribly corny but I'll probably remember the vocabulary better. Here's to starting over...again...

Spring Slow-dance?

2008-06-07T04:35:00.005+09:00

Y'all, Spring Waltz is SLOOOOOWWW.

I'm talking try-to-do-the-Running-Man-in-3-feet-of-water kind of slow.

It is so painful that after two episodes, even Daniel Henney can't keep me coming back for more.

Watching his 30-second Bean Pole commercials in repeat for an hour would be far less irritating.

*sigh*

My favorite:

My Boyfriend is Type B (2005)

2008-06-03T04:33:00.007+09:00

No. 1
This movie was weak.

No. 2
This movie was weak.

No. 3
Lee Dong Gun still looks like a Korean Lance Bass.

No. 4
This movie was weak.

The most interesting part of My Boyfriend is Type B is how LDG managed to look so innocent while being such an ass. My friend was dating a guy like that once. It took me a bit to realize what an absolute moocher he was. They broke up and got back together over and over for about a year or so before she gave him his walking papers. Like the character in the film, she hadn't really had a boyfriend before and she was a traditional Asian girl accustomed to doing whatever she was told to do.

That premise alone is enough for the movie not to resonate with me even if it had been a little better written. (There was hardly any conflict much like Seducing Mr. Perfect in which Daniel Henny was the only saving grace.) Characters who refuse to stand up for themselves always grate my nerves. If it wasn't for my inability to not watch something with Rain in it, I wouldn't have made it through Full House for precisely the same reason...

Dog's Tale

2008-05-27T03:16:00.005+09:00

Sooo, one of my major concerns about moving to Korea is not if but how I'm going to bring my dog along.

Sammy is a chunky 11.5-lb Pomeranian I got nearly six months ago from some foks on Craigslist advertising him under the heading "Free Pomeranian." Now, common sense says that any full-breed dog offered for free has either physical or mental problems. Sammy falls under the latter category. He's a "little off" but in a way that makes him all-the-more amusing.

Since I got him fixed, he hasn't bitten me viciously like he did in the past (2 times). He can still work himself up into a froth if he runs into an unneutered male dog while we're out and about but since that one stray dog bit him, he's been a little more cautious in picking fights. ;)

None of my friends/family can keep him for me since he's such a crackhead and at the same time, there's no guarantees as far as my living arrangements in Seoul are concerned. *sigh* He's gotten better since I've had him and I'm sure he'll get better the longer I keep him...

What am I gonna do with you Sammy?! :(

Morea K-Learning

2008-05-23T11:55:00.004+09:00

Sooo, the fact that I'm crazy busy isn't really encouraging me to spend more time studying Korean. The Survival Korean book is a little frustrating in that there's no transliteration at all. I can understand separating the romanization from the hangul but not offering it at all is quite a strain for an absolute beginner!

Even so, I've taken a liking to Arirang's Let's Speak Korean series from '07. Each segment is 10 minutes long and admittedly, 5 minutes of each is pretty much foolishness. Still, I suppose the relational elements help keep the learning lighthearted.

Hopefully I'll settle on a method soon enough. Until then, no worries. I have my SMOE interview on Sunday. If that goes well, I should be all set! *fingers crossed*

Rain-ing on Colbert

2008-05-12T03:22:00.002+09:00

So, if you haven't already heard, the promised danceoff between Stephen Colbert and Rain finally went down on TV last week. It was cheesy but fun. Colbert can't dance and Rain can't speak English. What more could we expect?

The first vid is a teaser preview from early in the show that mentions Speed Racer.

This is the segment where it all goes down:

Nice.

I wanna see the danceoff!!!

2008-04-25T08:08:00.003+09:00

It's that time of year again:
Time for Rain and Stephen Colbert to face off on the Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People list! Basically, the magazine editors compile a list and "the public" votes online for a second list. Basically, it's a popularity contest. I don't even know how Rain got on there, but he's not disappearing any time soon.

Last year Colbert made a video decrying his 2nd place status to a mere "pop star" and this year, he's squealing, "Oh my God, Rain knows who I am!" ROFL! [video below]

It all makes for some entertaining television. Let's just hope our boy has learned enough English to make an appearance on the Colbert Report.

Korea Sparkling!

2008-04-24T05:56:00.002+09:00

I don't know what else to say about this commercial other than. *Um, wow.* I really, really don't need my bathroom experience to be this exciting.

So much for understanding...

2008-04-17T06:09:00.003+09:00

After a few more episodes of SangDoo, I realized the sunsingyim bomb is getting dropped everywhere. The teacher is sunsingyim. The doctor is sunsingyim. The principal is sunsingyim. I'm just going to think of the word as meaning "honored person." Hopefully, sometime in the near future, I'll get to the bottom of it...

Then there's ajumma as a greeting, ajumma as an entreaty, ajumma as a title, ajumma as a description. I feel as if I've learned the two most useful words in Korean even though I couldn't properly define either one if I tried!

One more reason to watch K-drama

2008-04-12T01:44:00.009+09:00

So, in a moment of boredness, I hit up my old friend Crunchy Roll for a fix. Since I've already seen Full House, I decided on Bi's other drama, Sang Doo! Let's Go To School.

In addition to all the excitement of the drama's storyline: baby mamas and gigolos y'all!--I'm on episode 3 and this beats Full House hands down--I've discovered that even my nonchalant study of Korean has enabled me to understand a few words other than "yes" and "no."

The first is sunsingyim. I know I didn't spell that right but point being, in a Pimsleur Korean lesson, I heard the word used as a substitute for sir or ma'am as in, "Excuse me sir." (shile hamnida sunsingyim.) In the drama, I hear Bi screaming it to describe his long lost love's profession. SHE'S A TEACHER! Nice.

The second one that stood out was the highly fabled ajoshi and ajumma. I had heard mention of both as if they were distinct species but this was the first time I noticed either word being used to address someone. The first was ajoshi. One of the kids sees Bi in the hallway and addresses him as ajoshi. I'm like, Can he do that? I mean, dude's clearly under 30. I get ticked when little kids call me ma'am! Later, in an obligatory scene, Bi takes his love to a love motel where he addresses the woman in charge as "ajumma." It seemed much more appropriate on that occasion because the woman was obviously middle aged.

While I'm glad to know my soap opera watching has some value, I really wish I could shake the impression that Lee Dong Gun looks like this Lance Bass. It's both distracting and disconcerting.

Going with Footprints

2008-04-10T11:54:00.003+09:00

Soooo, I had my phone interview with Footprints today and all went well. I was accepted. *yeah!* The next step is to turn in two letters of reference (I already filled out the application) which will eventually be forwarded to SMOE.

I also found out today that I have to get my dog USDA veternarian certified before I can take him to Korea and it has to happen no more than 10 days before departure! At this point, I still don't know if I'll be in Nashville or back in Virginia at that time but finding out is definitely on my to-do list.

One more thing out of the way, one more thing added to the list...

Applying myself

2008-04-02T23:11:00.005+09:00

I formally submitted my application to Footprints yesterday. I feel a palpable sense of relief at having gotten that done!

So far, I've submitted

my resume and cover letter
a headshot in which my skin looks as soft as a baby's butt via a little Glamour treatment
and as a bonus, a completed copy of the SMOE teacher application.

The next step is to complete an interview with Footprints in which they'll decide whether or not to represent me. I don't anticipate any problems on that end but at the same time, I have no idea what to expect!

Also, I've decided that if for some reason I can't get a position with SMOE, I will consider GEPIK which is the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's program to recruit English teachers. Gyeonggi is the province directly encompassing the Seoul metro area. The only thing that prevents me from doing so is my fear of living in the country. I like to visit rural areas but I do not find joy in living there. I kid you not, living in the boondocks raises my anxiety level. Gyeonggi-do is a BIG province so there's no guarantees.

On the other hand, there's always Incheon, Seoul's less glamorous stepsibling. The two are connected by subway but Incheon is best known for lending its name to one of the highest rated airports in the world (and little else). I would consider Incheon a stronger second choice IF and only if I can avoid applying through EPIK, Korea's teacher recruiting program for the entire country. I need some kinda guarantee I'm not going to banished to farm land!

So much to think about. So much time to think about it!

Still 'surviving'

2008-03-30T06:33:00.005+09:00

Thusfar, Survival Korean is just ok. The first few segments on the alphabet were quite a bother because no one thought it helpful enough to seperate the audio into tracks or at least provide an audio marker in the track-that-never-ends to seperate them. So, on pages 30-31, there are 5 different audio segments which are stuffed away in the middle of a 16-minute track on the accompanying cd. I kid you not, it was so annoying, I used an audio editor and divided it into 20 different tracks. That way, I can easily go back to any particular section of consonents or vowels without having to fast forward or rewind like it's 1999.

My only other beef is the fact that there are lists of "Bonus Vocabulary" at the end of each chapter that are NOT on the cds. Folks, how much does it really cost to keep the talent in the studio a few more hours? Seriously.

On a positive note, this is the first Korean language material I've picked up that didn't start off by introducing the concept of kimchi or devoting more than a paragraph to the scientificness of the Korean alphabet and how smart and fabulous King Sejong was.

That said, I've got the alphabet about half memorized. I haven't been able to make any proper flash cards since my printer broke. In the meantime, I'll try not to devote too much brain power to what the heck is up with two different methods of counting--one of which is supposed to be based in Chinese but sounds NOTHING like Mandarin. What's up with that? Do they match with Cantonese or something? *sigh*

The Host (2006)

2008-03-24T23:03:00.006+09:00

I watched The Host (괴물) again with a friend who was seeing it for the first time. On the small screen at least, the movie isn't so much scary as it is intriguing. It offers a sort of backhanded social commentary about bureaucracy (and I think the writer was insulting the US but it was well-written so it seemed justified by the storyline).

Obviously since I've watched it more than once, I liked the film. In part, I wanted to watch it with a friend to see if the moments I found so amusing are just particular to me (the memorial scene) or if they might play the same way with a friend. [Conclusion: My sense of humor is universal, I just need more tests to solidify my conclusion. ;)]

As I understand it, the film is the highest grossing K-film to date, and after watching it, it's not hard to understand why. Everybody loves a good action flick and there's unexpected moments of comedy tucked throughout.

The little girl on the poster Ko Ah Seong (고아성) did an amazing job. Her performance seemed extremely natural--a tremendous feat considering she was facing off against a creature she couldn't actually see.

Watch this one with the lights out and the volume up. You'll have loads of fun. I promise!

Mission Possible: Kidnapping Granny K (2007)

2008-03-22T00:02:00.016+09:00

This movie is out of control! It is seriously ridiculous. I loved it!

I love pop culture in general and movies in particular. Entertainment serves as a barometer of a country's interest and humor, etc. After Full House (풀하우스) served as my gateway drug to K-pop heaven, I've been searching out new K-films to watch. This one was a great choice.

Mission Possible (권순분 여사 납치사건) tells the story of three sweet, gullible losers who decide to kidnap a rich old lady to pay off some debts surrounding some previous illegal activity. Naturally, this ajumma didn't get rich by being dumb. Chaos ensues. Eventually, everyone lives happily ever after.

Important things to note:

This is the second time I've seen Nah Moon Hee (나문희) beating the crap out of young people. (The first was My Name is Kim Sam Soon.) She's really good at it.
This little boy* (U Gun 유건) is just one more reason why older women go for younger men. Because there's no way a child could appreciate his level of beauty like a grown woman can. Recognize. He's got a serious Ashton Kutcher thing going on. Just call me Demi Moore.
I need to have a conversation with the special effects guy about how he got the heavy-set chick to look like Paul Bunyan. That don't make no kinda sense. Hilarious!
Surrealism is alive and well in Korean film.

Other than that, it's pretty entertaining and accessible. Buy a copy from YesAsia or check it out Crunchy Roll style like I did.

*No need to call the police. He's 25. Chill!

You know you're in trouble when Chinese starts to seem easy...

2008-03-19T10:11:00.003+09:00

...well, at least easier than Korean.

I don't think--actually, I'm pretty sure--that probably won't be true in the long run but I'm impatient with myself. Learning to hear the difference between 안녕(an-nyeong) and 아녕 (a-nyeong) or 안영 (an-yeong) for that matter, might take a good long while. It took me 3 months just to even hear the tones in Chinese. Telling them apart was another matter entirely. Even now, I'm still limited to about 200 Chinese words! *sigh*

I should stop panicking. There's two days left in my "week".

I'm a survivor...

2008-03-14T03:20:00.007+09:00

...or at least I will be according to this book:

While the cover irks me to no end--Who was the designer on this one? Weren't you the least bit perturbed about this pose? What's he doing with his hands? Were they supposed to be holding something?--it seems like a good enough place to start. I'm completely uninterested in starting off with anything academic because it's usually chapter nine or so before you learn how to say what it is you really want to say.

Also, I absolutely must take the opportunity to brag on Hanbooks.com because if you're going to pay way too much for an import + S&H, at the very least, it ought to be delivered fast. And it was! Lightening fast. I placed my order on Monday and it was in my mailbox on Wednesday. That's what I call service! Hanbooks makes the Good List.

You may, or more likely may not, recognize the author and "guy on the cover" Stephen Revere as host of one of the incarnations of Let's Speak Korean a ~~mini~~ microseries on the Korean state-funded channel Arirang. More recently, he did a similar series Traveler's Korean. Both programs seem pretty useful BUT being the nerd that I am, I prefer to sit down to more than 1 minute of instruction a session.

So, this week's (ok, week and a half) goal is for me to learn the Korean alphabet - Hangeul. Hopefully, by next week, I'll have figured out how to type it...

Specifically Seoul

2008-03-13T04:06:00.009+09:00

So, as the title of the blog says, I'm pre-sold on going to, not just Korea, but Seoul...specifically. I'm not so hot on small town America so I'm absolutely not down for living in small town "anywhere else". That being the case, and Google being my best friend, I've done a wee bit of research on getting a suitable teaching position.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), there are only four companies authorized to recruit native English-speaking teachers:

Footprints Recruiting Incorporated
•Contact Person: Ben Glickman, Director of Employer Relations
•E-mail: recruiting@footprintsrecruiting.com
•Website: http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com

Korea Connections
•Contact Person: Jay. M. Lee, Director of Employee Relations
•E-mail; jaymlee@koreaconnections.net
•Website: http://www.koreaconnections.net
•North American Office: Cindy Bond, Director of Employee Relations
E-mail: CindyB@KoreaConnections.net

WorknPlay Incorpotated
•Contact Person: Gloria Hwang, Recruiting Consultant
•E-mail: gloria@worknplay.co.kr
•Website: http://www.worknplay.co.kr

Woongjin TOS
•Contact Person: Clara Kim(Kim, Young Hee), Senior Officer
•E-mail: clara@wjtos.com
•Website: http://www.wjtos.com

Of the above, I believe Footprints has been in existence the longest. I sent "general info" emails to all the agencies almost a month ago and Will at Footprints was the only one that responded (and quickly!) Because of that, I plan to apply through them.

I'm going to take a big sigh and dive in!

The Beginning

2008-03-12T00:14:00.001+09:00

Seven days ago, I turned 30.

I committed to two things: 1) to live without fear and 2) to make conscious steps toward making my "life list" come true.

This blog will chronicle year one of that commitment, the year that I will accomplish goal #1: Use my passport and hopefully #2: Pay off my credit cards.

I'm going to teach English in Seoul, South Korea.