Haeshindang Park

In Korea, of all places, there is a penis-themed park. I would say "phallus," but that is further from the truth.

In the fishing town of Samchoek, there is a legend about a young virgin that died at sea, and an ensuing spell of bad fishing. Logically, the people figured she was bitter cause she died without getting any, so they made her all sorts of huge penis sculptures to appease her.

And of course after that they had better luck.

What this means for me is that I had a number of good reasons to take a trip to the East Coast to enjoy the beach and to stare at huge...penises.

Four months

So it's now June 14th. I arrived here on February 21st, meaning I've lived in South Korea about 4 months.

It's crazy to think that so much time has passed, but it makes sense. It's now muggy and hot outside instead of freeezing cold. I know how to navigate the subway, the money system, and daily life competently. I no longer find pickled cabbage strange.

Long, busy days make weeks fly by, and relaxing weekends or those packed full of adventures still pass by equally quickly.

I'm at the point where I am no longer pleasantly surprised by the everyday differences of this place compared to the one I identify with as my home. I miss my family, friends, and having it easy to meet people with whom I can easily communicate with.

My greatest frustration is not one of homesickness or loneliness, though. I am fed up with my job. It's sometimes hard to realize I'll be doing this for another 8 months and that 1/3rd of the way through still has 2/3rds of the way left. Oh, Hagwons

Everything in Korea is so damn cute. And/Or ridiculous

A fair amount of people in Korea own dogs, but since I've been here, I've seen under a dozen that are bigger than a Beagle. Is it a question of space? Or is it that dog owners take sick pride in dolling up their little companion so much that it becomes an accessory?

I haven't seen a dog without a sweater, costume, or some type of dog-adapted person clothes. Booties are definitely about fashion over function. I have seen several dogs with dyed hair (pink and orange are the most popular, even for male dogs), hair dos (clips, pigtails, etc.), and hair sparkling hair accessories.

I'm not sure if all this makes me like little dogs even less or just a bit more...

Cutie Kids

I have fallen in love with my students! Even the difficult ones are growing on me more and more. Each kid has such a personality! It is very exciting to watch their language abilities improve and to watch their friendships grow.

Some people have complained that teaching preschool in South Korea is more like being a daycare worker rather than a school teacher. I must admit that I enjoy the added responsibility. As a result of caring for them, they also care for me! Everyday, I get more hugs than I could ever ask for.

The weater outside is frightful

So, I figured by the first week of March or so, the weather wouldn't be so wintery here. Of course, that ended up NOT being true. Many of the teachers at my school are Canadian and are very dissappointed to learn that their sometimes intensely cold homes are enjoying t-shirt weather while we are being snowed and sleeted upon.

Two mornings ago, I awoke to snow-covered roof tops, thick clouds of smoke rising from the Daewoo factory smokestacks, and a biting cold outside my window. I ended up splitting a five minute cab ride with two other girls for the journey to school.

Most people don't have yards here, but many do have rooves where they hang laundry, and sometimes grow plants or smoke cigarrettes. By the end of the day, the snowless rooftops gave the illusion that the snow had melted, but it was really just because everyone had shoveled them!

Another cold day today, but at least the sun is out!!

Traffic

Last night as I was eating my dumplings for dinner in my apartment, I tuned in to watch some Korean TV. THe progression of segments on TV is something quite comfusing and bemusing; because I don't understand the soundtrack, every program and clip that follows seems especially random to me. I was watching what I thought would be pop stars in some sort of game show, but then the program took a turn for the worse. There were about five story lines in a row that were staged skits about children not paying attention as they crossed the road. They all ended up bloody and on the pavement, presumably dead from getting hit by a car. The surprizing thing was that I found myself continuing to watch even after the first few grusome scenarios. Ugh.

But the warning is worthwhile, I think. Crossing the road certainly feels dangerous. Hardly anyone ever J walks, and perhaps this is for good measure more so than it is being a good citizen.

No one signals.

A short ride in a cab nearly makes you sick from the jerky stop and go motion.

It never seems that cars will stop in time when the lights change, but usually, they do.

Take for another example my walk home from school today. The signal showed a green man walking-a sign it was time to cross. We began to cross, even before a motorcycle came to a complete stop. He ended up just about a foot away from the lady in front of me when he finally ceased movement. Then, when I made my way across one part of the intersection and turned to wait for the signal to cross the other, the motorcycle came up behind us-now on the sidewalk-just as normally as could be. He was apparently waiting for the pedestrian signal to cross onto the other street and rejoin traffic! WTF? What i want to know is how he made it from the right hand side of the street all the way across (his left across both directions of traffic) to the sidewalk!?!!!!

Then of course, you have our director, who simply runs out in front of a speeding Audi, sticking out her arm, with her palm warning the car to stop! That's what the gesture means, so for her it is safe to trot into traffic. For me, I remain a little more wary. I've seen the bloody kids on TV.

I have the black lung

Since I have arrived here, it seems that I've taken up smoking. I haven't, actually, bu everyone smokes, and there aren't many places at ALL that are non-smoking. You can smoke in the PC bang (the internet gaming rooms), the stairwells, at the tables in restaurants, and where ever you like. Funny thing is that most of the other teachers who began at the same time as me said they used to be "occasional smokers," but now they all smoke all the time because cigarettes are cheap and there isn't anyone else telling them not to.

At least I have started walking to school wearing a Hello Kitty face mask. I figure it is the least I can do. The air is polluted indoors and out, but it might be a bit out of place if I wore the mask to the bars and clubs. Hahhhhhaaaaaa.

:P

Sitting in the PC 방

apparently i have been to lame to have made another post before this one, my first blog entry since arriving to south korea nearly a week ago.

the flight went surprisingly smoooooothly, and, as recommended, i lasted the entire 12 hours without napping. i made two friends on the plane, and today we actually met up to explore Itaewon, an area of Seoul with lots of foreigners.

of course, the airline left my bags in LAX, but i got them about a day and a half later. i was well-prepared considering the contents of my carry-on, but my extra t-shirt made a very poor job drying me off after my much-needed shower.

on the plus side, two of three other teachers that shared the same nauseating cab ride with me (people drive like drunks here) had to stay in a hotel for a whole week. i got to move right in...and begin cleaning away all the schmutz the next day.
Now it is awesome, very clean, and even complete with a bonzai tree and cactus!

training went on all week, and i live within a 15 minute walk from the school where i am teaching. however, the first day, me one other new teacher that lives in my building managed to get VERY lost. But we did discover the sweet areas around our neighborhood. When others went exploring later in the week, they took nearly the same walk we did by accident. Ha!

I anticipate enjoying my school. It is very cute above all else. More seriously, it has a very good reputation and has been open for much longer than many Haegwons (English school businesses). Many of the old teachers that are leaving i had the pleasure of meeting and going out with. They are sweethearts and are sad at having to leave. It's strange to think what it will be like to think back to this first week when i will be returning home, too.

Even stranger is the food. Actually it isn't very strange. I am very proud of my belly for enjoying foreign food so tolerantly, even when it contains lots of hot chili powder, salt, pork fat, and sea creatures.

Going out to eat hasn't failed to be exciting yet. At one Korean BBQ restaurant, where i went with four other new foreign teachers, a lady seriously asked us if we were Russian prostitutes. I don't think she believed us when we laughed and said "no," some of us mildly insulted. Since that day, I've noticed more Korean babble directed towards me, ending in "Russ-ga?" ANYOOOOOO!