Last weekend we had a little bit of a long weekend so I met some friends in Seoul for the night. My friends from Cheongju and Wonju came into town, as well as a new friend from Busan. We decided to rent a private room in Itaewon so that we could have a great night out and not have to worry about traveling home in the middle of the night.
Micah had the great idea to visit Seodaemun Prison and play tourists for the afternoon before the recklessness commenced. By far one of the most enjoyable aspects of being in Korea has been learning about the country's long and painful history. It gives you an understanding of how hard the people of this country have worked to make it to the point where they are today. USA's history is at best about 500 years. Korea is close to 5,000 years. Quite a bit of that time has been spent trying to get the invading Japanese the hell out of here. In 1908, while occupied by Japan, the Japanese built Seodaemun (at that time called Gyeongseong Gamok) to house Korean independence fighters. And when I say house, I really mean brainwash, torture and kill.
Modern-day Seoul built up outside the prison walls
Korean Independence Fighters
During the tour of the prison, there were examples of how the Korean prisoners were tortured. Some of it was crazy to think about. Water torture, mental torture, sticks under your fingernails, unspeakable things done to the female prisoners, and a crazy box filled with inward-pointing spikes that Japanese guards would shake while prisoners were kept inside.
I was already aware of the purpose of the prison, and understood some of the things that took place there, but as soon as we walked in the doors I was overcome with a somber feeling. It was eye-opening and considering this prison was used less than 70 years ago, it's simply amazing to see where this country is today.
We were really lucky to meet our new friend, Lana, who was volunteering at the prison as a guide. Her English was terrific and she really helped us understand the magnitude of what we were experiencing. I had a great time learning even more about my new home away from home, and I look forward to being able to continue to learn more.
The last few weeks have been up and down for me. As you may have gathered from my last post, there was a bit of homesickness and feeling really out of place. But luckily I've met a lot of amazing people here who keep me busy and having fun. The month of June went by really quickly it seems. I've experienced a lot in that time, including attending my first Korean wedding, seeing my first movie in Korea, going to a noreabang for the first time, my first church service in Korea, a few baseball games, my first trip close to the border of N Korea, a trip to the Korea War Memorial, learning first-hand about Korean dating culture, and another term of teaching is in the books.
My first ever taste of duck
The countryside of Korea, one of my favorite places
One of the most popular things to do in Korea is to go to a noraebang. It's basically karaoke in a private room. You rent the room for a while, then you and your friends get to act a fool singing and dancing. I had a conversation last night with a Korean friend who told me that for a period of a few years, he went to a noraebang every...single...day. Sometimes more than once. A lot of people see it as a great stress-reliever. For people like me who are vocally challenged, it can create unnecessary stress!
At the noraebang!
I've really grown to love going to the baseball games in Korea. While the baseball is maybe a step below what we're used to back in the U.S., the crowds at the games here bring their A-game and they bring it from start to finish. MLB crowds have nothing on these people.
If you need me on a Friday night, this is where I am
No idea who these people are, get out of my picture!
I got invited to a wedding a few weeks ago which was also a great experience. A lot of what they do is very similar to an American wedding, but with more traditions and culture interjected. My favorite part was when the couple took time during the ceremony to walk down to each of their parents and pay their respects and give thanks. I am now used to seeing people bow as a way to show respect, but until this day I'd never seen a full, get on your knees and go down to the floor bow. It was really amazing to see.
The couple paying their respects to his parents
The mother of the bride in traditional clothing
The Korea War Memorial was a great experience. Throughout Korea's nearly 5000 year history, they've endured a lot of war. It was quite an eye opener to see how much this country has gone through to get where they are today.
And, of course, there has been plenty of random shenanigans with my friends. This weekend I got to spend a lot of time with my good friends from Ireland and Oregon. It was Debra's birthday so we got to celebrate her and make a lot of random friends on the streets of Itaewon.
I've previously experienced something similar to this before. See, in early 2008 I decided to quit my job in Texas, put all of my belongings in storage, pack up my car and dog, and head west for....well, I'm not quite sure where I was going or what I was looking for. But that experience taught me one of the most valuable lessons I've ever learned. Follow your heart.
In late 2007, I'd been working at my company in Texas for close to 5 years, and was feeling quite restless. I didn't understand the feeling at the time, but looking back there was a battle happening between my head and my heart. I now understand all the lies that our heads can tell us; shaping our thoughts, creating our insecurities, and ultimately suffocating our lives with fear. But alas, I somehow mustered the courage to leave behind my comfort zone. Some little known facts about my road trip...1) It took me three days longer to leave than most people thought. I said I was leaving, and then got scared, so I camped out at Frank's apartment for 3 extra days before I finally got on the road. 2) I needed to get gas less than 45 minutes from home. It took me about 30 minutes to leave the gas station after filling up the tank. It took me that long to decide whether to continue west or turn back and just go home. 3 months later I was renting an apartment in Colorado for what would turn out to be one of the best decisions of my life. If you're interested, you can see a little bit about my journey here.
About this time last year the same feelings of restlessness were starting to resurface. Only this time I could identify it and understand that some difficult decisions were coming. But don't you think that some of the hardest decisions we have to make lead to some of the best results we can experience? Once again, I had to ignore the fear and anxiety of being in a completely new place, only this time half-way across the world in a country where I don't know the language or culture. It's been a steep learning curve, but thanks to my previous experience I think I've handled it like a champ.
That doesn't mean I haven't had my moments of self-doubt and second guessing. It's pretty well known that expats can experience a kind of euphoria when they first arrive in their new country. I'd been told and read that the early months were like a 'honeymoon' phase. Then sometime after that you can experience a low period. Things that were exciting and new become frustrating and confusing. I can attest to the fact that this is an inevitable part of moving abroad. I now officially feel like the vacation is over, and this is now my home. I'm frustrated that I can't speak the language. I'm annoyed that I can't find simple things like ibuprofen, taco seasoning, and deli meats like I could back home. I'm irritated that I can't understand the culture fully.
Although the last few weeks have been a struggle for me emotionally, I can take great comfort in the fact that I know I am here for a reason. I know that I will learn an incredible amount about myself and a new country and culture. I fully understand that this will be a passing phase and that I will look back on it and smile in the near future. I can find solace in knowing that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. Because I followed my heart...
The last few weeks in Korea have been absolutely amazing. Some of the reasons I'm about to tell you about on here, and others I'll have to save for when we're catching up over a beer someday. I feel like I'm really in a bit of a groove lately. I've been meeting a lot of new, awesome friends, learning a lot about the culture and history of Korea, and even made a trip to the Korean 'countryside' to catch up with my Irish friends.
It's now been over 3 months since I first got to Korea, and I'm as happy with my decision now as I've been to date. Teaching is going really, really well for me. I feel like my classes respond well to me and that I'm able to build good rapport with all of my students. I've been hanging out with a new group of Korean friends the last month, and they are all crazy fun to spend time with. Maybe even one in particular, haha. A few weeks ago I headed out with my new-found friends for a day of Korean culture and history. We started by visiting Bukchon Hanok Village. A hanok (한옥) is a traditional Korean-style house, dating to before the Korean War. There simply aren't many of these left since nearly all of Seoul was destroyed in the War. So I really felt like I was stepping back in time a bit.
An interesting contrast with Seoul in the background
After we spent a good chunk of the day walking through the neighborhood and exploring old-style Korea, we moved on to Gyeonbok Palace (경복궁) which is located very close to Bukchon. I'd been to this palace before, actually my second day in Korea, but it was quite a bit different seeing all of the foliage filled out since the first time was during winter. I got really lucky because they were having a reenactment of a royal ceremony while we were there. I was with four Korean friends, none of which had ever seen this special performance before.
My awesome tour guides for the day!
After the palace we went to an area called Insadong (인사동), which is another traditional Korean area filled with shops and restaurants. We ate some traditional Korean food and drank a traditional Korean drink called makgeolli (막걸리). It's a delicious wheat/rice based wine. Micah and Michelle were in the area and decided to join us around the time the makgeolli was ordered, which I find to be suspicious and terrific timing.
Overall, this was probably my favorite day since I've been in Korea. I got a chance to see and experience a lot of culture, and best of all I had great company all day. This same group is getting together this weekend, and we'll do our best to recreate the experience. I hope we can manage to pull it off.
-Texting, or any written, non-verbal communication for that matter, can sometimes be very hard. We don't get the luxury of someone's tone of voice, facial expressions or gestures. We have to do our best not to read into things too much.
It's even more difficult when you are texting with someone who speaks another language. It's taken to another level when you are trying to figure out if the Korean girl you are texting with is flirting with you. Or not...
-We sometimes choose music just for the sound of it. The lyrics and the artist aren't as important. This, to me, is the definition of 99% of pop-music. Get a good producer, make the song sound catchy, and you've got something people will listen to.
This is true even in Korea. I have heard some of the dirtiest, most hardcore rap I've ever heard in my life while walking past a ladies' clothing store on the way to work. If any of their customers could understand the lyrics to these songs, there might be a riot. But hey, at least the beat is good...
-Being that I'm in a new country and don't know a lot of people, I think it's understandable to look for a common bond I might have with someone and try to use that as a way to make a connection. Considering how many MLB hats I see while walking around, I thought for sure I could always just strike up a conversation about baseball.
Turns out, close to all of the people walking around this country with a MLB hat on have no clue who the team is. Or that they're wearing the hat of a baseball team at all. If they are wearing a Rangers hat, you can bet their name starts with a T. Wearing a Red Sox hat, name starts with a B. Braves hat, you get the idea...
Last week I finished my first term teaching English in Korea! My school does two-month long terms, and one of the awesome things about the end of each term is that we get a TERM BREAK!!!! That was maybe one too many exclamation points, but it was a much needed 5-day weekend. I had all these grand ideas of jetting off to some country for my first term break, but due to lack of scheduling ahead, hot and rainy weather in Thailand, and a strong desire to save money, I decided to just hang around Seoul and get some rest.
So now that I'm two months into this whole teaching thing, I feel like I have a better idea of whether or not I am going to enjoy it. And I can honestly tell you, I freaking love it. I don't know if there's anything else I'd rather be doing at this time in my life than teaching. (Not true-I'd rather be a PGA player making stacks on stacks, but you get the idea) My students have been awesome.
My level 2 class celebrating at the coffee shop
Level 1 demanded individual pictures, ha!
My all-day club (These four study English 7hrs/day!)
Level 3 students (Gina looking gangsta on the far left)
My attempt to get my junior students to pose for a picture
This one sums up my juniors!
They are so kind to me, and have studied very hard. It's very rewarding to see their improvement in just a two month span of time. I'm really enjoying teaching my adult classes a bit more than my junior classes, but I'm glad I have the opportunity to do both. Last Friday was our last day of the term, and some of my students gave me awesome gifts. Yay for perks of being a teacher!
Traditional Korean Cakes
A sketch one of my students did of me!
Another insanely talented student did this of Gracie and I!
We're two days into our next term now, and I feel just as excited about it as I did two months ago. Only now I have some idea of what I'm doing. I'm teaching a little bit higher level classes, which is going to challenge my own grammar skills, but I'm excited about the level of conversation we'll now be having. I think I'll stick with this teaching thing for a while!
