Holy Moly Batman!

I was blown away by the annual Seoul Lantern Festival! For the past few weeks, the Cheonggyecheon Stream was taken over by lanterns.

I found the map above, online. It would have been handy to have while we walked along the stream to better explain the shift in themes.

This leaflet gives more information about the event.

This is Haechi, Seoul's mascot.

Majeongyo covered in red lanterns. This is the first bridge along the lantern path.

Two examples from the Lights of Seoul portion.

An incredible two story tall lantern!

What would the Seoul Lantern Festival be without a two story tall lantern of Taekwondo V robot?

Or Superman lantern?

We can't forget about the Batman lantern!

5 of 10 Essentials

One of my friends posted what she thought were ten essentials to survive Korea. I thought I'd share the ten things that have gotten me through transitioning into a new culture. I am posting the first five to make it a shorter post.

1. An Open Mind

This is one essential to surviving ANYTHING! I came to Korea fresh out of university. I spoke no Korean and knew very little about Korea. I didn't have low expectations, but I came with the mindset that anything is possible and that there are going to be uncomfortable moments. There are a lot of areas I have had to keep my mind open about.

The first is respect. I have met a few folks who complain about working, living, and experiencing Korea. These folks have come to associate Korea with negative feelings, which then translate into disrespect. I am by no means going to bend over backwards to please a random ajashi or ajuma (아저씨 and 아줌마 are respectful terms for married older man and woman, age is a big deal in Korea), but I am going to respect the fact that things are done differently in Korea. This is something I have accepted, and do what I can to follow the way it is done here while doing what I feel is right.

The second is jumping into something new and uncomfortable. I have had many new experiences. Sometimes they are positively memorable, others very awkward and would rather forget. For example: being berated on the subway by an irritated, drunk ajashi because our English was annoying him. I have learned to let these awkward occurrences roll off my back like water and chalk them up to life experiences.

The third is food. I LOVE KOREAN CUISINE!! I can’t get enough of the spiciness. I think I am addicted. The methodology of eating and cooking in Korea is to share, cook fast, and enjoy the company. There are the usual Korean must haves once you have stepped off the plane: kimchi (fermented, spicy cabbage leaves), kimbap (if a sushi roll and a sandwich had a love affair, this would be their illegitimate love child), mandu (dumplings filled with all different types of ingredients), the many different types of soup, noodles, and of course Korean bar-b-que (galbi/걸비,samgipsal/삼겹살, dalk galbi/닭갈비).

There also are many dishes that have violently churned my stomach. Here is a short-list of stomach roller-coasters I have to try, just to say that I’ve eaten the weirdest foods Korea has to offer: raw, still wriggling octopus tentacles; chicken feet; weird little snail bugs; and dog (I know a lot of people are against this, I just want to see what the hype is all about).

2. Patience

This one goes hand in hand with keeping an open mind. Understanding that I am not going to automatically understand Korea as a Korean would (actually I don’t believe I will ever reach that level of understanding, but I can try to get as close as possible). This has been a feeling that I have come to unwillingly accept. There are instances where students or Korean friends have trouble understanding my English. Then I realize I have been speaking to fast and must slow down and annunciate.

3. Friends

I was lucky enough to have a cousin already living in Seoul. I have been taken to incredible hidden culinary treasures. Foreigners that have been in Korea for a year or two can guide you through uncertainties and bullshit. Having Korean friends will open your eyes to cultural differences and new experiences. Having both can make your life a lot easier while adjusting.

4. Toiletries

Bring DO 4 the BO! Koreans do not sweat like we do in the West. Unless you go to Itaewon, it’s going to be very difficult to find deodorant and toothpaste. Bring what you can from home. I learned the hard way that western deodorant costs $9 a stick. Korean toothpaste is ok (there is a green tea kind that I like), but it is nowhere close to the level of strength the toothpaste back home provides. Also, some Korean toothpaste brands have sugar in them. There are also sunscreens, lotions, and cosmetics that have whitening agents in them. I am white enough; I do NOT need to bleach my skin!

5. Sleep

It’s a no brainer: sleep is good for you. When you move to the second most populated metropolitan city in the world, there are a LOT of distractions within arms reach. I have had to learn how to budget time for sleep and save the fun for the next weekend. Especially when you teach a nine 5 year olds, sleep is a must or else they will drain you dry. I never considered how much attention little kids need.

Three Tidbits of Truth

1. Fact: when you teach children, you no longer are a kid.

2. You know you are in a foreign country when: stranger's pets stare at you too.

3. Fact: there are five different levels of respect for how to say 'thank you' in Korean. They are in the following order, level 4 being the most formal and level 0 the most informal.

-Level 4: 감사합니다 (gam saap ni da) When in doubt, always use this.

-Level 3: 감사해요 (gam sa ae yoh)

-Level 2: 고맙습니다 (goh map sub ni da)

-Level 1: 고마워요 (goh ma waa yoh)

-Level 0: 고마워 (goh ma waa) NEVER, EVER say this to an elder.

11.11.11

Happy Pepero Day!! Today is a made up holiday invented by the Pepero company to market their products. They are basically little crispy bread sticks dipped in chocolate. This holiday is what Valentine's Day is in the United States.

New Month, New Priorities

September has ended, I am awake! My October song has come and gone. November has come. With this new month I have decided I need new priorities and a game plan.

1. Blog at least once a week

2. Do more exploring in and around Seoul

3. More food and restaurant blogging

4. Get a digital point and shoot camera

I teach the cutest kids!!

I teach the cutest kids on Earth!! Here are some pictures from a group birthday party we had at school and one of my kindy classes afterwards.

These students are from one of my 5 year old classes (they're 6 years old Korean age). The two on the far left had a birthday in September so their class preformed a dance to "Skidamarink".

My class had fun during lunch before my lesson, playing London Bridges.

Hiking: Korean style

Hiking is a big deal in Korea. Or at least in Seoul (especially because you can ride the subway to the entrance of the national park). Typically it's all the ajimas and abojis (older women and men) who go hiking. We accidently took the advanced trek up and no joke, we had 50 and 60 year olds passing us on the hike up.

Anyways, if you are in Korea you must go hiking!! It is an experience all in its own. The entrance to Mt. Dobong is like Dinsey World. You must navigate your way through tons of shops vending hiking clothes, hiking poles, hiking backpacks, hiking gloves, hiking hats, and anything else you can imagine. All the Koreans headed to the mountain wear the same brands, same backpacks, same boots, and carry the same hiking poles. We felt underdressed hiking in t-shirts, gym shorts, and tennis shoes. It's an all day event, so obviously you bring food and drinks, but they're not what we're use to in America. Kimbap is a must:

It's the Korean take on sushi. It is rice, some kind of protein, and veggies all wrapped up in seaweed. It's usually served at picnics or outdoor events. Makkoli is another stapple:

It's Korean rice wine. You're supposed to freeze it and by the time you reach the summit it's cold and ready to drink. Basically after you reach the summit you go find a small patch to sit, eat, and get drunk. The post lunch hike down is very interesting.

Sorry for being lame....NEW UPDATE

Hey yall!! Here are some photos from my hike up 도봉산 Dobong Mountain.

This is the view of the mountain about half way up.

View from the summit.

Me at the summit. I'm by no means claustrophobic or afraid of heights, but being on a tiny leveled area with many Koreans squeezing by you (some of them drunk), I just wanted to get down and away from there.

Cool rock formation with a random Korean dude who climbed to the top freehand.

Awesome view of Seoul. I'm facing south....and YES you guessed it, North Korea is to my back. Dobong Nation park forms much of the border between North and South Korea.

Statues at one of the Buddhist temples on the mountain.

This is how I felt on the way down =D

Seoul Subway

The public transit system in Seoul is FANTASTIC!! All the signs and maps are in Hangul (Koran), Mandarin, Japanese, and English (in that order). The loudspeakers even come on in the train to tell passengers the name of the stop and what side the doors are opening on. The fares are pretty cheap and you can go as far as about 1 hour outside of Seoul proper to suburban satellite cities by subway.

All the subway cars and stations that I've been in are extremely clean. Like ridiculously clutter-free. I have noticed elderly aged men and women walking through the subway cars picking up newspapers left behind and/or picking up trash. I'm not sure how the system works, but I have also noticed that a rider will stop reading his newspaper and hand it to one of these house elf-esk collectors. I wonder what that's all about.

The subway etiquette is also very interesting. In a metropolitan area that serves 29.5 million people, riders are shockingly polite. It really shows how Seoulites are conscious of their neighbors. Except for the usual push or nudge from an ajima (or older married Korean woman) I have found: riders keep their headphones at a reasonable volume, they cover their mouthes and lower their volume when talking on the phone, board and de-board the sleek subway cars in a rushed yet orderly fashion, and during rush hours, they pack themselves in little lines between the seats; similar to sardines. Another thing I've noticed is the amount of riders who are watching TV on there phones. Usually they have a small needle like antenna projecting out receiving a signal. Although they are watching TV, I have never been bothered by their screens, volume, or antenna. I can just say that I would NEVER observe any of this behavior in the US!!

The only complaint I have is the schedule. The subway is up and running quite early, but....they stop running at midnight Monday-Thursday and Friday-Sunday the last train is usually at 11:30pm. This schedule really makes no sense at all because there are bars, clubs, and restaurants that stay open until 2am or 3am or even until 10am! Kind of counterintuitive, but I guess it's an excuse to stay out partying until at least 5:30am.

Korea

So, I have finally settled in at my apartment in Seoul and have found some time to write a quick post.

The flight was a non stop shot from Dulles International Airport to Incheon International Airport. I was surprised to find that the fourteen hour adventure was painless. Korean Air is most definitely the way to fly!! Besides the two meals that are included in your ticket price (which I might add is ridiculously high, oh well....lucky for me my job paid for it) they bring you hot towels, lots of snacks, you have access to fairly recent movies on a small screen in front of you, they give you complementary access to headphones and a blanket. After I arrived, I had to pass Immigration and then claim my luggage downstairs. The carousel took forever, but eventually my bags rolled out of the conveyor's mouth. Unfortunately, one of my rum bottles had shattered soaking my bag and bathing it in an alcoholic cologne. Luckily the dogs standing by Customs didn't react, or else I would have had some explaining to do....jeje.

After passing through the glass and metal box that is Incheon International Airport, I had to buy a bus ticket and call my boss. That was much easier than I thought. I just had to ask at information where I bought tickets and when the next bus was leaving. The guy told me everything in perfect English. I was lucky enough to mention to my aisle-mate, on the plane, that I had to call my boss and he gave me some change to use a public pay phone. It was a great introduction to how friendly Koreans are when you ask for help. After calling my boss and informing her that I was on my way, I stood outside with four overly packed bags. The baggage handlers teased me about my bag smelling like "wine".

Anywho....the bus ride turned into a 2 hour long crawl through rush hour. Bringing my grand total to 24 hours awake. My boss and the school's manager brought me to my motel (the teacher I replaced was still moving out). It was actually a very clean and put together place, except that I later found out it was a "Love Motel". These wonderfully discrete establishments provide refugee to cheating spouses and their lovers or unwed couples a place to share some time in private. Now don't get me wrong, the place was great!! I was under the impression that walls were supposed to be thicker once I moved out of off campus housing.

That's it for now, it's very late in Seoul.