I have a sweet tooth, period. Some people complain that some things are too sweet, to which I reply, "Impossible!" When I make chocolate chip cookies, I use milk chocolate, not that bittersweet or semisweet stuff you're "supposed" to bake with. Bittersweet? Semisweet? Liking those is like saying you only like to be mildly happy, or that you like your weather partially sunny with scattered showers.
I know you don't care to read about my culinary opinions, but I promise there's a point to all of this. For the first several months of being in Korea, though I was having a good time, the thought of coming home always had a 100% sweet taste in my mind, and I counted the months. But as I have had fantastic weekend after fantastic weekend, and more importantly, as I have developed meaningful relationships these last couple of months, the thought of coming home in less than two months leaves a bittersweet taste in my mind, and I don't find it enjoyable! I am still excited to return home, see friends and family (and dog) whom I love, be in the city which I love, eat the foods I love, and hopefully start a job that I'll love. And then I think about the people I love here, and how badly I don't want to leave them, and there's that bitter taste.
I've had great friends in Pohang for almost my entire experience here, I always knew I would not enjoy saying goodbye to them, yet I never dreaded my inevitable departure. But something is changing... Maybe it's that I am on the home stretch, and it's hitting me that the end is nigh. But I occasionally get emotional thinking about the goodbyes I have to make soon, and it's not what I expected to feel.
Many people here have told me that I will come home and regret not staying in Pohang, and will likely return for another year. I can understand why they would believe that, since it happens oh so often. Though as much as I am not looking forward to saying goodbye, I do still feel it's the right thing for me to return home and begin the next chapter.
So here I am with seven weeks left in this country. I think about the things I have done, and the things I have yet to do here. I know that if I departed right now, having left certain things undone, I would have no regrets, because I know I've made great use of my time here. But since I still have seven weeks, I'll make the most of them! I'm planning a trip to Seoraksan, Korea's most beautiful national park. I'll spend my birthday weekend at Korea's annual Mud Festival, where I will be rolling around in mud, playing mud games with all of my closest friends. I still have more rock climbing to do with Mary, Courtney, and whoever else can join. And who knows what else, maybe see a Korean baseball game, or explore the city of Daegu. I still have time and a sense of adventure, so as far as I'm concerned, the world is my oyster for these last 7 weeks!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Spoiled by More Fantastic Weekends
As I mentioned in my previous post, the weekends have been full of adventures, and things haven't slowed down since my last entry. Recently, I made another rock climbing trip on a mountain outside of Ulsan. Three friends and I woke up early and drove our motorcycles/scooters 2 hours south to the top of a scenic mountain which contained a rock face with over 100 climbing routes. We had a blast of course, and conversed with some Korean climbers who shared their food with us and invited us to join them on future climbing expeditions. I am thrilled to be able to climb real rocks after a year of climbing in gyms!
We also continue to have incredible beach days. Recently, a volleyball net has been installed on the beach, and the foreigner community can't get enough of it! We had a news crew filming us playing a couple weekends ago, and the city business bureau asked my friend to organize a city-sponsored volleyball tournament to promote beach activity! So on Saturday June 9, three friends and I will be competing, and winning, the volleyball tournament!
Last weekend was a 3-day weekend to celebrate Buddha's birthday. A friend of mine coordinated a trip down to Yeosu, on the southern coast of Korea, to visit the World Expo and surrounding areas. 7 friends and I took a bus first to Busan, where we had about 5 hours to kill before catching our next bus to Yeosu. So I got to explore Busan for the first time. We took cabs up to an old fortress on a mountain and walked around for most of that time. We got to see some old buildings that looked like old mansions or small palaces. It was such a treat seeing old buildings that weren't temples, because frankly, the temples all kind of look the same. (I'll post pictures below)
We arrived into Yeosu in the late afternoon. We found a small island close to the Expo and walked a bridge to get there. We ended up spending most of the evening on that island, walking the paths and sitting on the rocky cliffs by the shore, toasting the world with any positive thought that came to our minds.
Around 10pm, we headed back into town to find a place to sleep. We knew it would be hard to find a motel with the Expo going on, so we hoped to sleep at a jimjilbong (a large bathhouse that is a common place for people to sleep). Unfortunately, the one jimjilbong in town filled up while we were trying to get in, so we split up to look for a motel. We found one motel room, and tried to fit all 8 of us. We were woken up around midnight to the hotel manager knocking on the door, who realized we had a lot more than 2 people sleeping in there. At first we were worried he would kick us out, without refunding our money, and we'd really struggle to find a place to sleep. But because the people of Yeosu are apparently the kindest people in Korea, the man let us stay for a minimal additional fee, and then brought us extra blankets, toothbrushes, and a large bottle of water! This was just one of several examples of the people of Yeosu being incredibly kind towards us.
The next morning, we ventured to the World Expo. This year's theme was conservation of the oceans, and every country present provided information about their roles with the ocean. Most countries did a great job of making me want to visit, and some countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, and Angola had highly entertaining musical performances, but only one country (United Arab Emirates) mentioned anything about their roles with conserving their marine habitats. All the other countries just seemed to brag about how much fish they catch and trade with the world. All in all, I had a lot of fun with my friends there, but the event itself was slightly underwhelming.
We caught a bus to the nearby town of Suncheon that night to avoid the madness of finding a motel again. This time, we were successful in finding a jimjilbong to stay in. This was my first time in a jimjilbong, which I'm glad I finally had, since it's such a staple of Korean culture. It was a large building with a men's bathing room, women's bathing room, and a large co-ed common room where people sleep on floor pads. My guy friends and I were commenting, as we were soaking naked together in a pool, that a bathhouse would probably never work in America, since our society is so uncomfortable with showing our naked bodies to strangers, and even to our close friends. In Korea, however, this is nothing embarrassing or awkward.
Monday morning, we took a bus to the Sucheon Bay Ecological Park, which was located at a marshland. We walked along wooden walkways, winding through the tall grass of the marshes. It was a pleasant and peaceful experience. We then took a path up to the top of a mountain where we enjoyed hazy views of the marshes and nearby rice fields. While on the top of that mountain, we noticed a sign that said "Beach 4km", so like a moth to a flame we were drawn to the beach. We didn't realize that the trail became somewhat vague, and that the beach would not be sandy but muddy. On the way, I ended up sticking my whole foot into the mud, and then my friend Mary fell thigh-deep into the mud. We proceeded to wipe mud on our faces like tribal folks, and continue on our trek to the beach. Because of the mud, we realized we REALLY needed to find this beach to be able to wash off before catching a bus back home.
After walking along a very muddy coastline, we finally found a pier that we walked to the end of and jumped into the water. It was pretty mucky water, and several Koreans tried telling us not to get in the water, but we needed that mud washed off our bodies! I would normally listen to words of caution by locals, but since most Koreans don't know how to swim, I figured I could take their warnings with a grain of salt.
From there, we returned to the bus station and headed home. It was a long weekend of a lot of hiking, riding in buses, bonding with great friends, and sleeping communally. As I write this 24 hours later, I still feel completely wiped out and ready for a good, full night's sleep!
And in a few more days, the next adventure begins: The Busan Sand Festival, camping, and climbing on the coast!
We also continue to have incredible beach days. Recently, a volleyball net has been installed on the beach, and the foreigner community can't get enough of it! We had a news crew filming us playing a couple weekends ago, and the city business bureau asked my friend to organize a city-sponsored volleyball tournament to promote beach activity! So on Saturday June 9, three friends and I will be competing, and winning, the volleyball tournament!
Last weekend was a 3-day weekend to celebrate Buddha's birthday. A friend of mine coordinated a trip down to Yeosu, on the southern coast of Korea, to visit the World Expo and surrounding areas. 7 friends and I took a bus first to Busan, where we had about 5 hours to kill before catching our next bus to Yeosu. So I got to explore Busan for the first time. We took cabs up to an old fortress on a mountain and walked around for most of that time. We got to see some old buildings that looked like old mansions or small palaces. It was such a treat seeing old buildings that weren't temples, because frankly, the temples all kind of look the same. (I'll post pictures below)
We arrived into Yeosu in the late afternoon. We found a small island close to the Expo and walked a bridge to get there. We ended up spending most of the evening on that island, walking the paths and sitting on the rocky cliffs by the shore, toasting the world with any positive thought that came to our minds.
Around 10pm, we headed back into town to find a place to sleep. We knew it would be hard to find a motel with the Expo going on, so we hoped to sleep at a jimjilbong (a large bathhouse that is a common place for people to sleep). Unfortunately, the one jimjilbong in town filled up while we were trying to get in, so we split up to look for a motel. We found one motel room, and tried to fit all 8 of us. We were woken up around midnight to the hotel manager knocking on the door, who realized we had a lot more than 2 people sleeping in there. At first we were worried he would kick us out, without refunding our money, and we'd really struggle to find a place to sleep. But because the people of Yeosu are apparently the kindest people in Korea, the man let us stay for a minimal additional fee, and then brought us extra blankets, toothbrushes, and a large bottle of water! This was just one of several examples of the people of Yeosu being incredibly kind towards us.
The next morning, we ventured to the World Expo. This year's theme was conservation of the oceans, and every country present provided information about their roles with the ocean. Most countries did a great job of making me want to visit, and some countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, and Angola had highly entertaining musical performances, but only one country (United Arab Emirates) mentioned anything about their roles with conserving their marine habitats. All the other countries just seemed to brag about how much fish they catch and trade with the world. All in all, I had a lot of fun with my friends there, but the event itself was slightly underwhelming.
We caught a bus to the nearby town of Suncheon that night to avoid the madness of finding a motel again. This time, we were successful in finding a jimjilbong to stay in. This was my first time in a jimjilbong, which I'm glad I finally had, since it's such a staple of Korean culture. It was a large building with a men's bathing room, women's bathing room, and a large co-ed common room where people sleep on floor pads. My guy friends and I were commenting, as we were soaking naked together in a pool, that a bathhouse would probably never work in America, since our society is so uncomfortable with showing our naked bodies to strangers, and even to our close friends. In Korea, however, this is nothing embarrassing or awkward.
Monday morning, we took a bus to the Sucheon Bay Ecological Park, which was located at a marshland. We walked along wooden walkways, winding through the tall grass of the marshes. It was a pleasant and peaceful experience. We then took a path up to the top of a mountain where we enjoyed hazy views of the marshes and nearby rice fields. While on the top of that mountain, we noticed a sign that said "Beach 4km", so like a moth to a flame we were drawn to the beach. We didn't realize that the trail became somewhat vague, and that the beach would not be sandy but muddy. On the way, I ended up sticking my whole foot into the mud, and then my friend Mary fell thigh-deep into the mud. We proceeded to wipe mud on our faces like tribal folks, and continue on our trek to the beach. Because of the mud, we realized we REALLY needed to find this beach to be able to wash off before catching a bus back home.
After walking along a very muddy coastline, we finally found a pier that we walked to the end of and jumped into the water. It was pretty mucky water, and several Koreans tried telling us not to get in the water, but we needed that mud washed off our bodies! I would normally listen to words of caution by locals, but since most Koreans don't know how to swim, I figured I could take their warnings with a grain of salt.
From there, we returned to the bus station and headed home. It was a long weekend of a lot of hiking, riding in buses, bonding with great friends, and sleeping communally. As I write this 24 hours later, I still feel completely wiped out and ready for a good, full night's sleep!
And in a few more days, the next adventure begins: The Busan Sand Festival, camping, and climbing on the coast!
The Fortress in Busan
The Island in Yeosu
The World Expo
Ukrainian Jugglers on Stilts at the Expo
Cambodian Musicians at the Expo
The Marshes in Sucheon
Rock Climbing in Ulsan
My Great Friend and Co-Worker Mike
My Great Friend and Usual Climbing Buddy Courtney
My Great Friend Usual Climbing Buddy Mary
Monday, May 7, 2012
With the arrival of spring, the possession of a scooter, and the blessing of great friends, my last few weekends have been blissful and memorable, to say the least. As I have mentioned previously, winter was just dreary. Despite the almost constant blue skies we had, the sub-freezing temperatures kept everyone in the comforts of their home or in the comforts of their favorite smoke-filled bars where everyone knows their name. I've not been one to normally suffer from seasonal affective disorder (or SAD), but winter was just a drag!
Luckily seasonal affective disorder goes both ways, and now that the previously dead landscape has undergone a major facelift with the most vibrant shades of green, complimented with the whites and pinks of cherry blossoms, nothing seems as bad as it did a few months ago. Top that off with friends willing to adventure around Korea, and I've got fantastic weekends! It's like in the Brady Bunch, how nothing seemed to get that family down, probably because the kids had 5 other fun-loving siblings to live with and a kick-ass maid who saved them from any responsibility around the house. That's how I feel in the current season. It's like spring is my Alice, and my friends are my rad Brady siblings. Oh, and I have a scooter, too!
Gyeongju, which is the next major town from Pohang, and the former capital of Korea, holds a cherry blossom festival every year when the beautiful trees are in bloom. My friends and I had heard so much hype about this festival that we absolutely had to experience it! So a few weeks ago, two good friends and I decided it'd be fun to drive out to Gyeongju on a Saturday afternoon, camp for the night, and visit the cherry blossom festival the next day. We had never camped in Korea, but were told that we could set up camp on any open plot of land. So we loaded up our scooters with a tent, stove, and other camping supplies, and drove in the direction of Gyeongju. I figured finding an open plot of land would be easy as pie, since there is so much countryside surrounding the region. What I hadn't anticipated was the fact that most of the countryside is occupied by farms. None of us felt comfortable setting up camp on someone's property, so we spent a good amount of time exploring and searching for a nice, unoccupied plot. We found a trail that we took our scooters down, and ended up in a nice, grassy field full of grass mounds. And these grass mounds had headstones on them. And we realized we were in an old graveyard. We were afraid it might be a bit insensitive of us to set up camp where other people's loved ones have been laid to rest, but the sun was setting, and we were growing impatient, and getting cold. So after a quick inspection of the grounds and finding that we were quite alone out there, we decided to just pitch the tent and hope we don't get in trouble (and hope for no zombie apocalypse). It ended up being a terribly cold and uncomfortable night with the three of us crammed inside a tent clearly made for two, but it was a worthwhile experience, and now I can say I have spent a night in a graveyard.
The next morning, we packed up our scooters and headed into town for the cherry blossom festival. What we came to realize was that it wasn't so much a festival as it was a bunch of people coming from all over Korea to gaze at the glory of Gyeongju's countless cherry blossom trees. (I will now refer to it as a "festival", due to the fact that it was only a festival by title and nothing else). There was a fairgrounds-type location, where most people were gathered, but no festivities or food tents or entertainers were present. So we strolled around the "festival", eating occasional greasy foods and enjoying the beauty surrounding us. We quickly grew tired of the crowds and decided it'd be better to enjoy the cherry blossoms from the road on our drive home. We took a long way home through the mountains where the wind blew cherry blossom petals like it was snowing with clear blue skies.
Last weekend was one that never stopped being happy. It began Friday night with a gathering of great friends at the beach in Pohang which is right in the heart of the city. A man had set up a mobile karaoke trailer at the beach, and many middle-aged Koreans were dancing and singing on the boardwalk where we were gathered. A few friends and I started dancing to the music off to the side, and the other dancers quickly grabbed us and pulled us into the center of their musical party. I ended up dancing with some ladies at least 30 years my senior, and I had a blast. I was then asked to sing a song, so I sang "My Girl" and busted out what few motown dance moves I knew. When the song ended, the karaoke host played "Dancing Queen" and asked me to sing it. I hardly knew that song, so luckily a friend joined me and sang the parts that were unfamiliar to me. My group of friends ended up singing at least a half-dozen songs and stayed there on the boardwalk until about 3:30am.
The next day, a good friend and I drove out to a very small town 40km NW of Pohang for some rock climbing and camping. We found out about a rock out there that has several climbing routes for us to enjoy, along with a good camping spot right next to it. So we loaded up our scooters once again with all our camping gear and found the rock. Though I have been frequently climbing in rock gyms, I hadn't climbed real rocks since I was in high school. And a whole new set of challenges and fears overcame me while climbing this rock. On real rocks, you have to search for where to place your hands and feet, it's not perfectly clear where to go. And what's hard is trusting that you can grip the small ledges available to you. Having always struggled with a fear of heights, my biggest challenge was not having the strength or skill to climb these rocks but finding the strength to push through my fear. Luckily my friend was very patient with me and guided me through it all.
On Sunday, after camping and doing some morning climbing, we packed up our gear and headed back into Pohang. Some friends of ours were heading to a nice beach north of the city, so we met up with them there for a relaxed afternoon in the sand. After a delicious thai dinner, four of us went to a fancy coffee shop for some cheesecake and a round of our favorite board game Settlers of Catan (when I say favorite, I mean it's our sick addiction). No weekend, no matter how fun and adventurous, can feel complete without a round of Settlers.
More wonderful activities have filled other recent weekends, such as beach parties, hiking around waterfalls, and paintball. But I feel I've written enough for now. I only have 2 and a half months left here. Though I'll be happy to be back home in Portland with my family and friends (and dog!), I still have a lot I want to do here in Korea with my friends who I am not eager to say goodbye to.
Luckily seasonal affective disorder goes both ways, and now that the previously dead landscape has undergone a major facelift with the most vibrant shades of green, complimented with the whites and pinks of cherry blossoms, nothing seems as bad as it did a few months ago. Top that off with friends willing to adventure around Korea, and I've got fantastic weekends! It's like in the Brady Bunch, how nothing seemed to get that family down, probably because the kids had 5 other fun-loving siblings to live with and a kick-ass maid who saved them from any responsibility around the house. That's how I feel in the current season. It's like spring is my Alice, and my friends are my rad Brady siblings. Oh, and I have a scooter, too!
Gyeongju, which is the next major town from Pohang, and the former capital of Korea, holds a cherry blossom festival every year when the beautiful trees are in bloom. My friends and I had heard so much hype about this festival that we absolutely had to experience it! So a few weeks ago, two good friends and I decided it'd be fun to drive out to Gyeongju on a Saturday afternoon, camp for the night, and visit the cherry blossom festival the next day. We had never camped in Korea, but were told that we could set up camp on any open plot of land. So we loaded up our scooters with a tent, stove, and other camping supplies, and drove in the direction of Gyeongju. I figured finding an open plot of land would be easy as pie, since there is so much countryside surrounding the region. What I hadn't anticipated was the fact that most of the countryside is occupied by farms. None of us felt comfortable setting up camp on someone's property, so we spent a good amount of time exploring and searching for a nice, unoccupied plot. We found a trail that we took our scooters down, and ended up in a nice, grassy field full of grass mounds. And these grass mounds had headstones on them. And we realized we were in an old graveyard. We were afraid it might be a bit insensitive of us to set up camp where other people's loved ones have been laid to rest, but the sun was setting, and we were growing impatient, and getting cold. So after a quick inspection of the grounds and finding that we were quite alone out there, we decided to just pitch the tent and hope we don't get in trouble (and hope for no zombie apocalypse). It ended up being a terribly cold and uncomfortable night with the three of us crammed inside a tent clearly made for two, but it was a worthwhile experience, and now I can say I have spent a night in a graveyard.
The next morning, we packed up our scooters and headed into town for the cherry blossom festival. What we came to realize was that it wasn't so much a festival as it was a bunch of people coming from all over Korea to gaze at the glory of Gyeongju's countless cherry blossom trees. (I will now refer to it as a "festival", due to the fact that it was only a festival by title and nothing else). There was a fairgrounds-type location, where most people were gathered, but no festivities or food tents or entertainers were present. So we strolled around the "festival", eating occasional greasy foods and enjoying the beauty surrounding us. We quickly grew tired of the crowds and decided it'd be better to enjoy the cherry blossoms from the road on our drive home. We took a long way home through the mountains where the wind blew cherry blossom petals like it was snowing with clear blue skies.
Last weekend was one that never stopped being happy. It began Friday night with a gathering of great friends at the beach in Pohang which is right in the heart of the city. A man had set up a mobile karaoke trailer at the beach, and many middle-aged Koreans were dancing and singing on the boardwalk where we were gathered. A few friends and I started dancing to the music off to the side, and the other dancers quickly grabbed us and pulled us into the center of their musical party. I ended up dancing with some ladies at least 30 years my senior, and I had a blast. I was then asked to sing a song, so I sang "My Girl" and busted out what few motown dance moves I knew. When the song ended, the karaoke host played "Dancing Queen" and asked me to sing it. I hardly knew that song, so luckily a friend joined me and sang the parts that were unfamiliar to me. My group of friends ended up singing at least a half-dozen songs and stayed there on the boardwalk until about 3:30am.
The next day, a good friend and I drove out to a very small town 40km NW of Pohang for some rock climbing and camping. We found out about a rock out there that has several climbing routes for us to enjoy, along with a good camping spot right next to it. So we loaded up our scooters once again with all our camping gear and found the rock. Though I have been frequently climbing in rock gyms, I hadn't climbed real rocks since I was in high school. And a whole new set of challenges and fears overcame me while climbing this rock. On real rocks, you have to search for where to place your hands and feet, it's not perfectly clear where to go. And what's hard is trusting that you can grip the small ledges available to you. Having always struggled with a fear of heights, my biggest challenge was not having the strength or skill to climb these rocks but finding the strength to push through my fear. Luckily my friend was very patient with me and guided me through it all.
On Sunday, after camping and doing some morning climbing, we packed up our gear and headed back into Pohang. Some friends of ours were heading to a nice beach north of the city, so we met up with them there for a relaxed afternoon in the sand. After a delicious thai dinner, four of us went to a fancy coffee shop for some cheesecake and a round of our favorite board game Settlers of Catan (when I say favorite, I mean it's our sick addiction). No weekend, no matter how fun and adventurous, can feel complete without a round of Settlers.
More wonderful activities have filled other recent weekends, such as beach parties, hiking around waterfalls, and paintball. But I feel I've written enough for now. I only have 2 and a half months left here. Though I'll be happy to be back home in Portland with my family and friends (and dog!), I still have a lot I want to do here in Korea with my friends who I am not eager to say goodbye to.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Being Foreign in Korea
Being a white, straight, educated male in the U.S. means I've always been part of the majority or dominant culture. Being a white anything in Korea means I'm waygook (foreign), and very much a minority in a very homogenous society. For the most part, I am used to being different here, but a few recent events have made me think about being waygook in Korea.
Last weekend's beautiful, warm weather brought many of us to the beach for a day of games. We started with a full game of co-ed baseball. Within one inning, I realized we had attracted quite the audience of Koreans watching us with such enthusiasm and interest. They cheered after good plays, high-fived us after homeruns, and took many photos. I would understand this kind of interest in us if we were in a country where baseball is not played, but it and soccer are probably the two most popular sports here. So I came to the conclusion that Koreans just love to watch waygookens (foreigners) do anything. I won't try to determine why or what they must think, but after that baseball game, I did realize I have noticed we get a lot of attention from locals while doing any number of things.
Later that day, I was hitting a volleyball around with two female friends who were both wearing bikinis. A man walked up to us with a camera explaining he was with a news agency and asked to take photos of us hitting the volleyball. We told him it was fine, but thought it was funny since our volleyball skills were horrible that day! The next day, those two friends found one of the photos published in an article online. The photo only showed the two of them with a caption saying something along the lines of "Warm weather brought foreigners in bikinis to the beach." It confirmed our suspicions that it wasn't volleyball that attracted the photographer to us.
And speaking of photos, most waygookens, including myself, have the occasional experiences of random Koreans, usually in their teens or twenties, asking to have their picture taken with us. We don't know these people, and they never want to talk or get to know us. They just want us in a photo with them. We often joke that being waygook is like being a celebrity. We just get used to strangers excitedly saying hello to us or asking to take photos with us. By now, I never find it weird, nor do I hesitate to say hello back and pose handsomely with a peace sign in their photos. I'm sure when I return to the States I'll yearn for attention from the general public and wonder why I'm not getting it!
There are usually pros and cons to any situation. And being a waygooken also has its drawbacks. To me, the most prominent drawback is that any time I am in public, I am an ambassador for foreigners, and I feel tremendous pressure to represent "my people" in the most positive way possible. And that's a lot of pressure! And it's not like I wish I could be a buffoon in public without disgracing the waygook community. But sometimes being foreign means not knowing the norms, and I feel especially disgraceful when my friends and I are yelled at for unintentionally doing something wrong. I worry that they see us being disrespectful to their norms and assume all waygookens are just like us. And I think I have every right to believe that, since it happens in my own culture in the States. How often do Americans see someone of a certain ethnicity doing something "wrong" and pin that wrongdoing on the person's entire cultural group? It happens in America, the most culturally diverse country in the world. So in Korea, one of the least diverse countries, I can only imagine and fear the judgement made about all foreigners based on the actions of a few.
Sometimes I feel like I should provide Koreans with a culture shock, like taking my shirt off at the beach or a park on a warm day (while most Koreans enjoy warm days with long pants and full sleeves). I like to do some things that are against the grain while not being disrespectful, but rather entertaining and interesting. However, I often remind myself that I am an invited guest in this country. And like a guest in someone's home, I should be conscious of what's considered polite and impolite, even if it's weird to me. And I should always be conscious that when I am in public, many eyes are on me because I'm clearly different.
I don't want to temporarily dismiss my own culture while I'm here, and I do feel like most Koreans could use some exposure to other cultures. But I still want to respect their culture, and practice a healthy balance of mine and theirs.
Last weekend's beautiful, warm weather brought many of us to the beach for a day of games. We started with a full game of co-ed baseball. Within one inning, I realized we had attracted quite the audience of Koreans watching us with such enthusiasm and interest. They cheered after good plays, high-fived us after homeruns, and took many photos. I would understand this kind of interest in us if we were in a country where baseball is not played, but it and soccer are probably the two most popular sports here. So I came to the conclusion that Koreans just love to watch waygookens (foreigners) do anything. I won't try to determine why or what they must think, but after that baseball game, I did realize I have noticed we get a lot of attention from locals while doing any number of things.
Later that day, I was hitting a volleyball around with two female friends who were both wearing bikinis. A man walked up to us with a camera explaining he was with a news agency and asked to take photos of us hitting the volleyball. We told him it was fine, but thought it was funny since our volleyball skills were horrible that day! The next day, those two friends found one of the photos published in an article online. The photo only showed the two of them with a caption saying something along the lines of "Warm weather brought foreigners in bikinis to the beach." It confirmed our suspicions that it wasn't volleyball that attracted the photographer to us.
And speaking of photos, most waygookens, including myself, have the occasional experiences of random Koreans, usually in their teens or twenties, asking to have their picture taken with us. We don't know these people, and they never want to talk or get to know us. They just want us in a photo with them. We often joke that being waygook is like being a celebrity. We just get used to strangers excitedly saying hello to us or asking to take photos with us. By now, I never find it weird, nor do I hesitate to say hello back and pose handsomely with a peace sign in their photos. I'm sure when I return to the States I'll yearn for attention from the general public and wonder why I'm not getting it!
There are usually pros and cons to any situation. And being a waygooken also has its drawbacks. To me, the most prominent drawback is that any time I am in public, I am an ambassador for foreigners, and I feel tremendous pressure to represent "my people" in the most positive way possible. And that's a lot of pressure! And it's not like I wish I could be a buffoon in public without disgracing the waygook community. But sometimes being foreign means not knowing the norms, and I feel especially disgraceful when my friends and I are yelled at for unintentionally doing something wrong. I worry that they see us being disrespectful to their norms and assume all waygookens are just like us. And I think I have every right to believe that, since it happens in my own culture in the States. How often do Americans see someone of a certain ethnicity doing something "wrong" and pin that wrongdoing on the person's entire cultural group? It happens in America, the most culturally diverse country in the world. So in Korea, one of the least diverse countries, I can only imagine and fear the judgement made about all foreigners based on the actions of a few.
Sometimes I feel like I should provide Koreans with a culture shock, like taking my shirt off at the beach or a park on a warm day (while most Koreans enjoy warm days with long pants and full sleeves). I like to do some things that are against the grain while not being disrespectful, but rather entertaining and interesting. However, I often remind myself that I am an invited guest in this country. And like a guest in someone's home, I should be conscious of what's considered polite and impolite, even if it's weird to me. And I should always be conscious that when I am in public, many eyes are on me because I'm clearly different.
I don't want to temporarily dismiss my own culture while I'm here, and I do feel like most Koreans could use some exposure to other cultures. But I still want to respect their culture, and practice a healthy balance of mine and theirs.
Update since my last...
I know my last blog painted a pretty dreary picture of my life at work. I appreciate all the great words of encouragement that were sent my way by friends and family. I thought I would write an update on how things are since I last posted.
Unfortunately, many aspects at work continue to be hard and unhappy. Our directors continue to try to add more to our workload, and are considering making us stay an extra 35 minutes every night (making it a 10.5 hr day). We will have a meeting on Tuesday, and all 5 of us English teachers plan on putting our foot down and taking a very firm stance on not extending our hours.
Fortunately, things with my difficult students have improved. My two kinders who used to drive me up the wall daily have gotten much better. They still need to improve a fair amount, but I'm thrilled about the progress they have made thus far. I can now give equal attention to all of my students. :-)
The best thing that has happened to me in the last few weeks has been springtime arriving! The last few weekends have had temperatures in the low 70s, the cherry blossoms have been blooming, we've been playing at the beach and finding any excuse to take joy rides on our scooters. My weekends have suddenly been packed with activities because the sunshine and warmth is waking people up out of their winter hibernation. It seems that during winter, the only thing most people can find to do is get drunk. I'm glad to see people partaking in other things nowadays!
Although it's depressing to think of another 3 and a half months at my job, I have spring and summer to look forward to, followed by a trip to probably Malaysia on my way home at the end of July. Good things are happening, and I have a lot to be grateful for.
Unfortunately, many aspects at work continue to be hard and unhappy. Our directors continue to try to add more to our workload, and are considering making us stay an extra 35 minutes every night (making it a 10.5 hr day). We will have a meeting on Tuesday, and all 5 of us English teachers plan on putting our foot down and taking a very firm stance on not extending our hours.
Fortunately, things with my difficult students have improved. My two kinders who used to drive me up the wall daily have gotten much better. They still need to improve a fair amount, but I'm thrilled about the progress they have made thus far. I can now give equal attention to all of my students. :-)
The best thing that has happened to me in the last few weeks has been springtime arriving! The last few weekends have had temperatures in the low 70s, the cherry blossoms have been blooming, we've been playing at the beach and finding any excuse to take joy rides on our scooters. My weekends have suddenly been packed with activities because the sunshine and warmth is waking people up out of their winter hibernation. It seems that during winter, the only thing most people can find to do is get drunk. I'm glad to see people partaking in other things nowadays!
Although it's depressing to think of another 3 and a half months at my job, I have spring and summer to look forward to, followed by a trip to probably Malaysia on my way home at the end of July. Good things are happening, and I have a lot to be grateful for.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
A Rough Patch
My life has undergone several changes lately. To be honest, these changes have made for a rough few weeks.
My school decided to relocate across town in a more heavily populated area called I-dong. So we are now in a different campus, where everything is smaller. Smaller building, smaller classrooms, smaller teacher room, smaller computer lab, smaller library. It seems that everything about this new campus is a downgrade from our old campus.
On the topic of smaller, we also moved into new apartments in I-dong. It is exciting being in a neighborhood that has more going on (i.e. restaurants, cafes, etc.), but my new apartment is quite small. I’ve learned to make it work, but it was quite a depressing shock when I first moved in!
So with the new campus came a new school year (the Korean school year begins in March). My kinders graduated, and I now have a whole new group of kinders. I never realized how spoiled I was with my old kids until I received my new batch. I have a class of seven, which is a wonderfully low number! Unfortunately though, most of their English levels are considerably low (some can hardly read or make comprehendible sentences). I went from kinders who were spelling words like platypus and physical to students who are struggling to read words like play. Now of course I expected my new students to be at a lower level from my old students, since they are only just now beginning kindergarten, but half of my students are at a much lower English level than the curriculum is targeted for. (Our school is supposed to test students before enrollment, and if they don’t test high enough, they are not supposed to be enrolled. Lately, our school has been accepting anybody.)
On top of the academic struggle in my class, I have two students who have been stealing 90% of my attention with their bad behavior. Never have I ever had students who made my blood boil like these two! One student is one of the brightest in the class, but can not help but talk at all moments of the day (and often in Korean, which is a big no-no at Poly School). The other has the lowest English level in the class, and loves to say “Teacher I don’t know” at all moments, even when he does know, or is capable of knowing. He also loves to scream “Teacher I am ANGRY!”, even when he does not seem to be angry. And lately, he has been screaming “Teacher I am CRAZY!” In my mind, I sometimes think he may be right.
Teaching those two kids has been a real challenge and opportunity for me to practice exhibiting the utmost patience, as well as unconditional love for them, no matter how crazy they make me. When they are behaving well and doing good work, I shower them with the same praise I give my other students. And in those moments, they seem to love me. They grab my hand, they hug me, they are proud to show me their work. And I rub their back and let them know that I am so happy with them. And within minutes, the mood can go a full 180 degrees, and it’s all I can do not to scream. I have never had such a love-hate relationship with anyone in my life!
As if this wasn’t enough to deal with for now, our school has been making us work even harder than we have been. We work for ten hours a day, but we used to get breaks periodically throughout the day when we can nap, read a book, take a walk, and just recuperate. But now, they have us working throughout our breaks, doing lesson plans and grading. The overall mood at work is now that of misery. Nobody seemed thrilled about the job before the move, but now it’s as if everyone is counting the days until their contracts end.
By now you’re probably thinking that my life out here has turned into an utter mess. So here’s the part when I look on the bright side: I get the incredible honor of calling several quality individuals my friends. These are the people that help me keep my sanity, that make me laugh my troubles away, that are down for adventures and mellow afternoons playing board games.
People like Mike and Alisa, two co-workers of mine who’ve never been anything less than a great friend to me, who are the silver lining to working at Poly.
People like Mary and Courtney, who share in my passion for climbing, adventuring, and being ridiculously silly, and who are my biggest fans at open-mic night.
People like Pete, Dan, Grant, Joe and Nathan, who educate my ignorant American self on the incredible sport of soccer (football!), who are quick to welcome anyone to a night of laughs at the bars, who I’ve never felt any judgment from, only acceptance.
People like Andoni, who took me under his wing the second I stepped foot in Pohang, who went above and beyond to show me the ropes, introduce me to EVERYONE he knows, and got me familiarized with the city.
People like Sara and Sarah, who I will gladly sit with at a coffee shop any day and talk about life over a warm cup of whatever.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Graduation, Snow White, Saying Goodbye...
Yesterday, my kindergartners performed a live theatrical production of Snow White and the Six Dwarves. This was something we spent the last two months preparing (a very stressful two months!), and I’m happy to say that the play was a success, and it’s over! I now have tremendous respect and sympathy for any elementary school teacher who has to prepare young kids for plays every year.
When we were told in December that each kindergarten class would be performing a play for graduation, we were told we had to make sure the script allowed each student an equal amount of lines. In other words, there could be no main character, otherwise parents would get upset that the main character is not their child. My initial reaction was, Now how on Earth am I supposed to find a play with 9 equal characters?! After some careful thought, I decided on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and planned to give each dwarf many lines so Snow White would not steal the show.
We were also told that each play had to be 15 minutes long. That may not seem like a lot of time, but when it involves kindergartners memorizing 15 minutes worth of lines and stage movements, 15 minutes can seem like an irrational request! I wrote my script, with no clue how many pages 15 minutes should be, and decided it was long enough.
Now came the casting. I only had three girls (of 9 students total), and only one of them had the speech skills to be Snow White (the “not” main character). She has a lively personality and speaks with such clarity and poise. I knew she would nail the role. Then came the fun of casting each dwarf. Luckily, each of my students has personalities that already fill the personalities of the dwarves. My student who is consistently low-energy was Sleepy, my brilliant student was Doc, my student who never gets upset was Happy, my shy student was Bashful, my least hygienic student was Sneezy, my silliest student was Dopey (who also played Prince Charming), and my strong-willed student was Grumpy. It was almost as if my class was meant to perform this play! That left the last girl to play the Queen, a role that she does not personify, but I knew she’d like wearing a pretty dress and crown.
I’d like to say my students were thrilled about their roles, but at least half of them had major protests. The girl who played the queen was not ok being the enemy. Prince Charming was embarrassed about the kissing scene, especially after students teased him about it. Grumpy could not grasp the fact that his role was a funny role, and we were laughing at his lines, not at him. Doc thought his role was boring. After being so excited about how seemingly perfect these roles were, I started fearing that this play might not work out.
After a month of rehearsing and memorizing lines, one of my girls (the queen) dropped out of our school. This gave me no choice but to cast the only other girl (who was perfectly cast as Bashful) to play the queen. This worried me, because as mentioned before, this girl was the shyest student in all of kindergarten, and had the lowest speech skills. Could she pull off such an aggressive and scary role as the queen? I then had to fill in the role of Bashful, so I decided to get rid of Dopey (according to my kids, “Dopey is die.”), and have that student play Bashful. This was another unfitting match, since this boy is the silliest and farthest from shy in the class! Then again, it was an opportunity for him to take on a challenging acting role and perhaps earn himself an Academy Award.
My students quickly grew bored of practicing the play, especially the students who disliked their roles. But we had to practice frequently. Surprisingly, my students memorized their lines quickly, without me even telling them to start memorizing them. (Perhaps this is more evidence to back up the theory that children at their age have sponge brains and can learn anything quickly.) The challenge was getting my students to take the play seriously. Half of them would say their lines with silly, incomprehensible voices, or would say their lines with little to no enthusiasm, or would make jokes, or would say other kids’ lines, or would not pay attention to when it was their turn to speak, or would have side conversations with friends while rehearsing. You can imagine my frustration as these things occurred almost every time we practiced!
I tried drilling in their brains how important it was that we got everything right for the actual performance, but I also felt torn because on the inside, I knew that this should just be a fun experience for them, and it should not be as stressful as the parents and directors were making it. I hated that the parents seemed to care more about this play than their kids’ academic achievements or behavior in class. I struggled to find a balanced approach to getting them to take it seriously, but not stress them out so much that they feared the final performance.
So finally it was show time. The two other kindergarten teachers and myself spent two months worrying about this day, and at the same time couldn’t wait to get it over with. I just thought to myself, If my kids can just get through the play without forgetting many lines, falling on their faces, crying, or looking miserable, I’ll be satisfied. I’m proud to announce that I am more than satisfied with their performance. All lines were remembered, they spoke clearly and loudly (for the most part), parents laughed, and my kids appeared to be having a fun time. I even found myself having a good time, smiling and laughing while narrating. I was genuinely proud of my students, each and every one of them. I hugged them all, and felt overwhelming joy.
Then, sadness.
It occurred to me, this is graduation. After today, they are no longer my kinders. Most of them will continue coming to Poly School in the afternoons as 1st graders, and I may be able to continue teaching them, but it’ll be different. I feel differently about my kinders than I do for my afternoon elementary school classes. I see my kinders 5 hours a day, and I am their only teacher. They are my kids. And I really do love them.
After the graduation ceremony, the kids, parents, and teachers went upstairs to the classrooms for pictures. I stood at the back of the class while parents took photos of the students and me; some of the whole class, some of just me and individual students, some of the individual students, their mother and me, some of a few of the students and me, some of the individual students, my co-teacher and me. And it all happened in a whirlwind! I just stood there, putting my arm around whoever stood next to me and smiling. Some mothers even held my hand for the picture. I felt like a wax figure at Madam Touseau’s Wax Museum, just standing with the same pose and smile.
And as quickly as the students and mothers cycled through the various group photos, the mothers and students left, and before I knew it, my co-teacher Jane and I were standing alone in an empty, cleaned out classroom. The most disheartening thing about it was neither of us felt like we got to have a proper goodbye with the children. I wanted to tell them one last time how proud of them I was, how much I enjoyed being their teacher, how impressed I am with their English skills, and how much I will miss them.
What was upsetting to Jane and I was that very few of the parents took a few seconds to thank us. I understand that at least half of the mothers speak little to no English, but my co-teacher is fluent in both languages, and they didn’t think to say any final words to either of us. I felt entirely unacknowledged by some of them. One mother, who I see and say hi to frequently, bought Jane and I some nice chocolates, and another took us out to dinner that night, so at least we felt appreciated by a few of them.
So next week marks the start of a new chapter in my life in Pohang. I will have a new schedule of classes with new students. Poly School is also relocating to a campus across town, so we will spend the week getting the new school ready. We will also be moving to apartments on that side of town, so we’ll be busy packing, moving, and unpacking. This new neighborhood (called I-dong) has a lot more going on than our current one (called Jangseong-dong), so it will be nice having so many restaurants and fun things to do in our own hood. At the same time, we’re a little sad to leave our quiet neighborhood. There are a few establishments here that are dear to us, like a family-owned bakery that makes great wheat bread (something that is hard to find in Korea), our favorite galbi restaurant (Korean barbeque), and the only authentic American restaurant in Pohang, owned by a friend of ours. There are also friends that live very close that we will miss seeing frequently. But our new neighborhood is close to other great friends, so it’s all about trade-offs I suppose.
To see their performance of Snow White: http://youtu.be/RKjiEq39Dro
Until next time…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)