Hi Everyone,
I know I’ve missed the Sunday deadline again, but I was super busy on Monday catching up. First, thanks for sending me postcards and cards! They made me smile! It also makes me look bad since I still haven’t been to a post office in Korea- I know I’m totally lame. However, I do have high hopes for sending out Christmas cards from Korea- we’ll see if it happens :)
I was super busy in Monday because I spent 4 days in Seoul (a long weekend) on a mini-vacation of sorts. I had Wednesday and Thursday off because of the national testing in Korea. The KSAT happened on Thursday, our school was a designated testing site, so I could not even be in the building on Thursday. I had Wednesday off because of some meeting being held about the testing. Wednesday I spent in Daegu just relaxing and trying to do some work. I took off for Seoul on Thursday morning.
Just an FYI- on the national test day, the military grounds all flights (so the noise won’t disturb the test taking students), ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks are on standby to transport tardy students to the test, and some other crazy things happen. Wednesday I dropped by the school to do some grading and saw students from other schools just coming by the school to look at the building where they would be testing (and taking pictures with their cell phones of course). If you think about it, it has to be the single most important day in most Korean students’ lives. It is the first and most important factor in where they will go to university. A good university means a good job and in most cases even a good significant other. No wonder most high schoolers spend 12 hours a day studying.
Back to my travels in Seoul- I successfully bought a KTX (fast) ticket up to Seoul and made it to Seoul in a little under 2 hours. I got there sooner than I intended to check in, but decided to head to where I was staying anyways. I booked three nights at a guesthouse of sorts in Seoul called Koroot. I didn’t know what to expect, but it is super cool. It’s a place where Korean adoptees can stay and it’s super cheap. It’s designed so people can stay for extended periods of time to learn about Korea, learn Korean, or even do a birth family search. I met two Norwegians, a guy from Denmark, two women from France, a woman from Australia, a guy from Sweden, and another woman from America. It was really interesting listening to their stories and getting to meet people from all over the world. Plus, Koroot is a cool place- there’s a kitchen so you can cook, they provide breakfast and will even make you lunch. There’s a t.v., laundry room, and computer. It’s a really great idea and I’m glad it’s around.
So after checking in and getting lunch (which was great!) I left to go site see. I went to a palace near Koroot- it was super pretty. Then I went to see a prison that was used during Japanese occupation- not the most uplifting thing, but really interesting historically speaking. I had lots of time so I decided to have dinner in Itaewon (the foreigner district) and got REAL Indian food!!! Following my fabulous dinner I went to a famous shopping area- they were putting up Christmas displays!!! (See the video below!) It was early, but I decided to head back and ended up talking to some people staying in Koroot for awhile.
Friday morning I woke up and made myself toast with CHUNKY peanut butter *cough* it really was exciting. I got ready and then went out and visited Seoul tower and walked around Namsan park and the Korean Contemporary Art Museum. The park was gorgeous- a lot of the leaves are still on trees and there was really beautiful foliage. Friday night there was a Fulbright forum- a place where researchers get to present a little about what they are doing. It was a great place to meet other people and there was dinner! (Seriously, why do all my comments revolve around food?!) The forum was presented by a woman who is a dancer and has created her own 10 steps to strengthen a particular muscle in dancers (and consequently singers). It was a little odd- but interesting nonetheless. If you’re interested check out Maureen Flemming.
Saturday I woke up and met some friends in Insadong and then we walked to the U.S. Ambassador’s residence for our Thanksgiving lunch! The residence is really nice and built in a traditional Korean style, not American style. We got to meet the ambassador and his wife, along with other people who work at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. Apparently it was the third year they hosted ETAs- it was a really nice gathering and the food was good- catered by some place on the American base. I had turkey, stuffing and yams!!!
Afterwards I had the meeting for the program where I am taking 5 high school students up to Seoul. It turns out that there isn’t much planning at all, which is cool. Really I feel like I’m along for the ride. We’re going to visit some cool places and get to hear a lot about international affairs. I think my students are really going to enjoy it. Saturday night I bummed around seeing different people which was a lot of fun.
Sunday I ended up going to church- an English speaking service in Seoul- which was okay. It was a larger service than the one in Daegu, which was cool, and the music was good.
I left Seoul on Sunday night and when I got home my host parents seemed really happy to see me- which was nice.
All in all, a great weekend! I hope all is well back in the states and everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Eat extra stuffing for me…it’s my favorite!!!
Love you and miss you all!
-me :)
P.S. Sorry you have to tilt your head to see this video! And I posted all the pictures in the album labeled Seoul. I tried to be artsy with some of the pics and I even took a series of doors.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Some more cultural experiences in my travels...
Hi All,
I feel like I've forgotten to blog about a lot of things that have happened. Mostly surrounding different cultural experiences within the last month or so. I'm going to correct that now.
This Sunday my host parents took me to two weddings. I did not know about these until Sat. night around 11:00pm when we were drinking beer and I was eating fish/squid jerky (ick). But my host parents invited me and excited about a new opportunity I said, "yes". So, I woke up on Sunday and my host parents told me to get ready- I didn't know what to wear so I pointed to a suit and my host om shook her head "yes". And off we go- we walk to a nearby subway stop and take the subway across Daegu to the wedding site also known as, "Wedding Castle". Which is a huge tacky wedding hall. Think of happily ever after and such- a Disney wedding essentially. Now, Korean wedding halls are interesting because there are literally weddings booked back to back- which means the place is crowded with tons of people- plus most wedding halls have more than one wedding going on at one time (in different rooms). We literally stayed at the wedding less than 5 minutes. Enough to watch the bride and groom walk down the isle- after they made their entrance on a carriage apartatus that was on tracks suspended on the ceiling! I'm not too sure why we didn't stay longer- I don't htink my host parents knew them all that well. Almost like they were boliged to go an show their faces and give a gift. But, we did manage to eat at the buffet- which is a really interesting experience. Instead of a nice reception hall- there is a buffet area for the whole wedding venue, which means you eat at a cafeteria like place with evryone else who there for the other weddings. Very informal and interesting- the food wasn't all that good either. Now, as I mentioned before, there were two weddings- I only thought we were goign to one, but at lunch my host parents announced that there was "another wedding". So, we hoped into a cab and went to another wedding. We didn't even stay to watch any of the ceremony, but dropped off ou gift, said heloo to a few people and came back home. I have a feeling that if my host parents actually knew these people well we would have stayed longer. Oh, the second wedding hall was a lot more understated and nicer than the first one. Much more traditional. I wish I had pictures, but I think my host mom deleted them off her camera. :(
Another cultural experience I forgot to blog about is a funeral I went to. One of the first year teachers at my school had her father pass away. I think it's tradition for the co-workers to pay their respects- so I went with my co-teacher and other teachers to the funeral home. I'm pretty sure the funeral home was attached to the hospital- like in another wing or something. As we were driving my co-teacher was explaining how it is tradition to bow twice to the person who died and once to their family members. This isn't just a bow, but a full bow to the floor. He explained that Christians usually do not participate in this, but bow their heads instead. Since he's a Christian, he said he'd just do a head bow and tht I should do the same- because I am a Christian and because he didn't want me to offend anyone with a sloppy bow. So we went into the building and went into a room that was reserved for this family. We took off our shoes and went in and bowed to the father- there was a picture- I didn't see a casket or anything. Then the family members (sons) came in and we bowed to them. Then we we went to another little room where we ate some food and talked to the teacher from our school. All in all, it was a somber event, like in the states. The women were dressed in blakc honbok (the Korean traditional dress) and the men were in black suits. Everyone also gave 3,000 won ($3.00) in an envelope to the family. I'm not sure what the money goes toward, but I'm guessing the ceremony.
The third cultural event I forgot to mention was the fact that my host brother had his black belt testing. I kept asking him when it was, but he didn't know until the night before. He tol dme the testing was at 9:30- so I made sure I was up and left the houe with him. I thought it was strange that his parents didn't come, but clearly something was lost in translation. The testing wasn't at 9:30, he had to be at his gym at 9:30 to get ready! I had to hang around for like an hour and a half waiting for kids to get ready. Then, the testing wasn't at my host bros' gym, it was at an elementary school like 20 minutes away. Which means, I got to sit in the very back of a tae kwon do van with like 9 little kids! Note: Tae kwon do vans can be seen all over Korea. Generally each tae kwon do gym has a van that they drive kids around with. I never want to be in one again! The testing went well- it turns out that they test all the kids at one time from many different schools- there must have been like 50 schools- no joke!!! The test wasn't that difficult, but my host bro did well. We're still waiting for his belt.
Okay- a quick update on things that happened this week. Nothing new really happened. Although I did get to go to Pohang this Saturday and see my friend Alison, which was great! I'll post pictures soon. I also have some funny pictures, video of Korean teachers singing the Carpenter's song, "top of the world" for the singing contest at our school! SOOOO funny! I'm heading up to Seoul this weekend for some sightseeing and a Thanksgiving dinner athte Embassy. I'm super excited for turkey and some time by myself.
One more exciting piece of news, I/my school was selected for the Alumni Youth Partnership Program in January, which means I finally have some solid winter break plans! AYPP is going to let me take 5 students from my high school to Seoul for 6 days where they will learn about domestic and international affairs (mainly Korea-US realtions). It's super exciting for the students because a. they get out of class and b. the entire program is in English. I have to interview students today for the program, since I can only take 5 :( Still trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my break- I'm still hoping for the Embassy internship!!!
AH! One MORE thing- please check out www.dong-moonhs.blogspot.com This is where my students will be posting their blogs! Actually- I think I might have to do most of the left work, but we'll see! Exciting stuff all around! I'll let you all know when you can hear them!
-me :)
I feel like I've forgotten to blog about a lot of things that have happened. Mostly surrounding different cultural experiences within the last month or so. I'm going to correct that now.
This Sunday my host parents took me to two weddings. I did not know about these until Sat. night around 11:00pm when we were drinking beer and I was eating fish/squid jerky (ick). But my host parents invited me and excited about a new opportunity I said, "yes". So, I woke up on Sunday and my host parents told me to get ready- I didn't know what to wear so I pointed to a suit and my host om shook her head "yes". And off we go- we walk to a nearby subway stop and take the subway across Daegu to the wedding site also known as, "Wedding Castle". Which is a huge tacky wedding hall. Think of happily ever after and such- a Disney wedding essentially. Now, Korean wedding halls are interesting because there are literally weddings booked back to back- which means the place is crowded with tons of people- plus most wedding halls have more than one wedding going on at one time (in different rooms). We literally stayed at the wedding less than 5 minutes. Enough to watch the bride and groom walk down the isle- after they made their entrance on a carriage apartatus that was on tracks suspended on the ceiling! I'm not too sure why we didn't stay longer- I don't htink my host parents knew them all that well. Almost like they were boliged to go an show their faces and give a gift. But, we did manage to eat at the buffet- which is a really interesting experience. Instead of a nice reception hall- there is a buffet area for the whole wedding venue, which means you eat at a cafeteria like place with evryone else who there for the other weddings. Very informal and interesting- the food wasn't all that good either. Now, as I mentioned before, there were two weddings- I only thought we were goign to one, but at lunch my host parents announced that there was "another wedding". So, we hoped into a cab and went to another wedding. We didn't even stay to watch any of the ceremony, but dropped off ou gift, said heloo to a few people and came back home. I have a feeling that if my host parents actually knew these people well we would have stayed longer. Oh, the second wedding hall was a lot more understated and nicer than the first one. Much more traditional. I wish I had pictures, but I think my host mom deleted them off her camera. :(
Another cultural experience I forgot to blog about is a funeral I went to. One of the first year teachers at my school had her father pass away. I think it's tradition for the co-workers to pay their respects- so I went with my co-teacher and other teachers to the funeral home. I'm pretty sure the funeral home was attached to the hospital- like in another wing or something. As we were driving my co-teacher was explaining how it is tradition to bow twice to the person who died and once to their family members. This isn't just a bow, but a full bow to the floor. He explained that Christians usually do not participate in this, but bow their heads instead. Since he's a Christian, he said he'd just do a head bow and tht I should do the same- because I am a Christian and because he didn't want me to offend anyone with a sloppy bow. So we went into the building and went into a room that was reserved for this family. We took off our shoes and went in and bowed to the father- there was a picture- I didn't see a casket or anything. Then the family members (sons) came in and we bowed to them. Then we we went to another little room where we ate some food and talked to the teacher from our school. All in all, it was a somber event, like in the states. The women were dressed in blakc honbok (the Korean traditional dress) and the men were in black suits. Everyone also gave 3,000 won ($3.00) in an envelope to the family. I'm not sure what the money goes toward, but I'm guessing the ceremony.
The third cultural event I forgot to mention was the fact that my host brother had his black belt testing. I kept asking him when it was, but he didn't know until the night before. He tol dme the testing was at 9:30- so I made sure I was up and left the houe with him. I thought it was strange that his parents didn't come, but clearly something was lost in translation. The testing wasn't at 9:30, he had to be at his gym at 9:30 to get ready! I had to hang around for like an hour and a half waiting for kids to get ready. Then, the testing wasn't at my host bros' gym, it was at an elementary school like 20 minutes away. Which means, I got to sit in the very back of a tae kwon do van with like 9 little kids! Note: Tae kwon do vans can be seen all over Korea. Generally each tae kwon do gym has a van that they drive kids around with. I never want to be in one again! The testing went well- it turns out that they test all the kids at one time from many different schools- there must have been like 50 schools- no joke!!! The test wasn't that difficult, but my host bro did well. We're still waiting for his belt.
Okay- a quick update on things that happened this week. Nothing new really happened. Although I did get to go to Pohang this Saturday and see my friend Alison, which was great! I'll post pictures soon. I also have some funny pictures, video of Korean teachers singing the Carpenter's song, "top of the world" for the singing contest at our school! SOOOO funny! I'm heading up to Seoul this weekend for some sightseeing and a Thanksgiving dinner athte Embassy. I'm super excited for turkey and some time by myself.
One more exciting piece of news, I/my school was selected for the Alumni Youth Partnership Program in January, which means I finally have some solid winter break plans! AYPP is going to let me take 5 students from my high school to Seoul for 6 days where they will learn about domestic and international affairs (mainly Korea-US realtions). It's super exciting for the students because a. they get out of class and b. the entire program is in English. I have to interview students today for the program, since I can only take 5 :( Still trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my break- I'm still hoping for the Embassy internship!!!
AH! One MORE thing- please check out www.dong-moonhs.blogspot.com This is where my students will be posting their blogs! Actually- I think I might have to do most of the left work, but we'll see! Exciting stuff all around! I'll let you all know when you can hear them!
-me :)
Sunday, November 4, 2007
4 months!
Hi all,
I really had a nice relaxing weekend- which is what I needed since I'm
trying to get over bronchitis- ick! I went to the hospital twice last
week and got antibiotics...I just hope it works, because I only got
the antibiotics for three days each time- so I had a day in between
when I wasn't taking them. But I think I'm finally beginning to
actually feel better. Friday at the hospital (which really means
doctors) I had my sinuses cleaned out- which is gross, but I'm gonna
explain anyways. They take this long (6-8 inches), metal, thin suction thing and
stick it down your nose and suck up all the stuff. I didn't
understand at first, but then I realized what she was going to do and
I was horrified. There wasn't much I could do to stop her at that
point, thankfully it didn't hurt. But it was one of the weirdest
things I've ever experienced.
Friday night was fun- I went to a movie with one of the Korean
teachers at my school. I really like this particular teacher because
she's really with it and speaks English almost fluently- she studied
in the states. We went and saw Once- an Irish rock musical. It is an
Indie film- and I honestly can't say I'd recommend you see it. The
music is really good- I liked the music a lot, but the movie itself
was a bit painful to watch. At first the film was shaky and the story
drawn out and not very good- but if you have a chance to listen to
the soundtrack, you should.
Saturday I hung around and then went to a girl's spa night- one of the
women from church was hosting it. She actually teaches for the
Department of Defense Schools here, which is interesting. She has the
sweetest apartment ever!!! I'm not even joking- it's a 5 bedroom
apartment on the top (27th) floor of the building (she lives by
herself). It has a spectacular view- she was able to buy a whole
bunch of American snacks from the base- which was a treat. I ate a
bunch and felt really icky. But we also had chili- which was kinda
crazy, with real sour cream and cheese! (Clearly, I'm in another
country.) We watched Rent, there are some musical fans, and Step Up.
We had manicures and just hung out- it was really nice, because it was
the first time I've gotten to hang out with these women from church.
Of course I'm the youngest, but there is one girl who's 23- most women
are around 30. Some are even married- which is cool. I ended up
spending the night- sleeping on a real mattress. And then had eggs
and pancakes for breakfast!!! The first time since I've been here!
(Notice how all my news revolves around food.)
Then I went to church yesterday and after had dinner and gelato with some
of the people and women's Bible study. I really like the women, which
is exciting because I've been looking for fellowship for awhile. I
don't necessarily like the sermons at church. However, I do like the worship at
church- so that's cool- fellowship and worship I guess isn't a bad
reason to go to church.
So, four months have gone by and although I am missing family, friends, and familiar things- like Boulder and driving my car, I am having a good time. Everytime a new month begins it makes me reflect and evaluate how I'm spending my time in Korea and how I feel about it. Last month I reflected upon how I hadn't made any Korean friends, Korean language study was really hard, that I didn't have any fellowship, and I wasn't sure where to apply for jobs and such next year.
This month things have changed. I have made one Korean friend, another aspiring English teacher in Korea and I have started to do things with teachers at school- I think some of them count as friends. I passed my Korean test (80%!) and I really like some of the people at church, which equals fellowship. Hopefully it also means friends, as some of the foreigners will be here the entire time I'm here. I still don't have clear direction for where I'll apply for jobs and such next year, but realize that I don't have to think about that immediately- which is comforting.
Hope everyone is dong well at home, please let me know what's happening!
-me :)
I really had a nice relaxing weekend- which is what I needed since I'm
trying to get over bronchitis- ick! I went to the hospital twice last
week and got antibiotics...I just hope it works, because I only got
the antibiotics for three days each time- so I had a day in between
when I wasn't taking them. But I think I'm finally beginning to
actually feel better. Friday at the hospital (which really means
doctors) I had my sinuses cleaned out- which is gross, but I'm gonna
explain anyways. They take this long (6-8 inches), metal, thin suction thing and
stick it down your nose and suck up all the stuff. I didn't
understand at first, but then I realized what she was going to do and
I was horrified. There wasn't much I could do to stop her at that
point, thankfully it didn't hurt. But it was one of the weirdest
things I've ever experienced.
Friday night was fun- I went to a movie with one of the Korean
teachers at my school. I really like this particular teacher because
she's really with it and speaks English almost fluently- she studied
in the states. We went and saw Once- an Irish rock musical. It is an
Indie film- and I honestly can't say I'd recommend you see it. The
music is really good- I liked the music a lot, but the movie itself
was a bit painful to watch. At first the film was shaky and the story
drawn out and not very good- but if you have a chance to listen to
the soundtrack, you should.
Saturday I hung around and then went to a girl's spa night- one of the
women from church was hosting it. She actually teaches for the
Department of Defense Schools here, which is interesting. She has the
sweetest apartment ever!!! I'm not even joking- it's a 5 bedroom
apartment on the top (27th) floor of the building (she lives by
herself). It has a spectacular view- she was able to buy a whole
bunch of American snacks from the base- which was a treat. I ate a
bunch and felt really icky. But we also had chili- which was kinda
crazy, with real sour cream and cheese! (Clearly, I'm in another
country.) We watched Rent, there are some musical fans, and Step Up.
We had manicures and just hung out- it was really nice, because it was
the first time I've gotten to hang out with these women from church.
Of course I'm the youngest, but there is one girl who's 23- most women
are around 30. Some are even married- which is cool. I ended up
spending the night- sleeping on a real mattress. And then had eggs
and pancakes for breakfast!!! The first time since I've been here!
(Notice how all my news revolves around food.)
Then I went to church yesterday and after had dinner and gelato with some
of the people and women's Bible study. I really like the women, which
is exciting because I've been looking for fellowship for awhile. I
don't necessarily like the sermons at church. However, I do like the worship at
church- so that's cool- fellowship and worship I guess isn't a bad
reason to go to church.
So, four months have gone by and although I am missing family, friends, and familiar things- like Boulder and driving my car, I am having a good time. Everytime a new month begins it makes me reflect and evaluate how I'm spending my time in Korea and how I feel about it. Last month I reflected upon how I hadn't made any Korean friends, Korean language study was really hard, that I didn't have any fellowship, and I wasn't sure where to apply for jobs and such next year.
This month things have changed. I have made one Korean friend, another aspiring English teacher in Korea and I have started to do things with teachers at school- I think some of them count as friends. I passed my Korean test (80%!) and I really like some of the people at church, which equals fellowship. Hopefully it also means friends, as some of the foreigners will be here the entire time I'm here. I still don't have clear direction for where I'll apply for jobs and such next year, but realize that I don't have to think about that immediately- which is comforting.
Hope everyone is dong well at home, please let me know what's happening!
-me :)
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