My favorite day in Korea, so far...

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.

A few quick, and very random, thoughts...

-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...

My first term is in the bag

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!

My first Korean baseball game - KBO

Last Friday night some students invited another teacher and me to go to a baseball game with them.  I've been wanting to got to one since the season started a few weeks ago but the right time hadn't presented itself, so I was eager to go.  There is a stadium in the neighboring town, Incheon, that is home to the SK Wyverns.  I had to look up a wyvern to understand what we were dealing with here.  Evidently, it's a legendary winged creature with a dragon's head, reptilian body, two legs (sometimes none) and a barbed tail.  The description sounds much more fierce than the actual logo...

 Doing my best 'Korean' pose

We got to the game very early, which made my sports-loving soul very happy.  The Wyverns have been to the last 6 Korean Series, and won 3 of those.  They were playing the Kia Tigers, who are like the Yankees of Korean baseball, having won 10 titles overall which is 4 ahead of the next in line.  We walked in just as the gates were opening up which allowed us to watch the teams warm up and take batting practice.  Each team is allowed to have 2 foreigners on the roster, and with our early arrival I took the opportunity to go talk to a KIA player warming up in the outfield.  

Me in the blue sweatshirt talking to Henry Sosa

It was a great idea really, because it netted me this...

Official KBO ball at my first game, score!

It ended up being a really cold night.  It was about 48 degrees and extremely windy so the crowd was about half of what I expected.  But that didn't stop them from living up to the reputation of the Korean baseball fan!  These people are awesome.  In America, MLB players have a song of their choice that will play when they are coming up to bat.  In the KBO, the fans have a specific chant that they do for each player when he is coming up to bat.  It is LOUD.  And everyone; kids, teenagers, adults, inebriated adults, and grandparents all get in on the action.  

The video starts with the SK fans on the other side of the stadium losing their minds chanting for their hitter, and ends with the KIA fans around me losing their minds over a double play.  It's probably the best example I have of what a half-full stadium of crazy, freezing fans are all about.  

It was a great game.  KIA went out to a 4-0 lead before SK came back to keep it interesting at 4-3.  But KIA was too strong and held on for the victory in the opener of the weekend series.  I had some great company too, which was the best part of it all.  

I'll be going to plenty more games over the summer.  There are a few stadiums within a 45 minute subway ride from my house and since the season is just starting I'll have a lot of opportunities.  One of the best things about going to a game in Korea is that you can bring in your own food and beer!  So one more than one occasion, when my students are with me, I'll be picking up a 6-pack and headed out the the ballgame.  As any good American should.

KBL Finals and Attack Birds

Last weekend I really needed to get some rest.  I didn't.  

Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) - Korean BBQ is simply amazing

American pitchers just seem small now

Yes, we were many soju (소주) bottles into the night

Look closely you'll see what it did to one of Ireland's finest

And this was just my Friday night.  It is crazy how meeting up for dinner can turn into a cab ride home at 3am and wondering why you ordered that last round (last two rounds) (ok, last three).  I met some friends in Mokdong and we had a great time.  It mainly consisted of eating a lot of Korean food, despite what the pictures may show.  I could probably eat Korean BBQ 4 nights a week.  Before I got here I read numerous reports that it was the favorite Korean food of many westerners, but I guess I had to have it myself to really understand.  

On Saturday, after sleeping until 11am, I met my friend, Micah, for Game 1 of the Korean Basketball League finals in Jamsil, which is part of Seoul.  One of his students had given him some 'VIP tickets'.  In Korea, VIP doesn't always mean something special, so I didn't know what to expect.  However, we were straight up VIP!  As we were handing our tickets to the cute girl at the gate, she looked at us and said in just about perfect English, "Wow, these are good seats!"  We found our way to the front row on the baseline and enjoyed watching the SK Knights and Ulsan Mobis play quite an entertaining game.  SK was up nearly the entire game before Mobis made a huge comeback in the fourth quarter, taking their first lead with 1:30 left in the game, and holding on to win Game 1.  

Tipoff

Korean cheerleaders!!!

Itaewon (aka foreigner central)

Enjoying some mojitos with my crew after the game

On Sunday I spent the day with some students exploring parts of Korea I'd never seen.  Another teacher, David, and I joined our students Nicole, Kelly, Victoria and Jen and went to visit a couple of islands off the coast of Incheon.  We saw both Daebu Island and Jebu Island.  It was pretty cold and windy so getting in the water was out of the question, but we were able to cover a lot of ground and see a lot.  We also ate some pretty good seafood.  Yes, you read that correctly...I ate seafood and I liked it.  At first, I was just trying to be polite and eat what was offered to me. But then I liked one of the dishes quite a bit.  I sure do wish I could remember what it was!  I'll have to check with my students so that if I'm ever eating seafood again I can just order that dish. 

My first view of the Yellow Sea 

The beach on Daebu Island

Jebu Island waters

Being attacked by seagulls on Jebu Island

About 5 feet above my head

My island hopping crew

Overall, it was a great weekend.  Of course, I was pretty busy so I didn't get much rest at all.  I've been exhausted this week so far, but I only have a day and a half left teaching before I get another weekend.  We only have next week until the end of our first term, and we'll have a 5-day break before the next term starts.  I think a weekend of relax and just studying some Korean is in order.

Long days and busy weekends

I don't have a lot to post, but it has been two weeks since I updated the blog and I know an email from my mother requesting an update is imminent so here I am.

The school that I work for has two-month terms and I'm only two weeks away from finishing my first term with them.  My schedule will change every term, depending on need, but this term I've been starting at 10am and finishing at 9:30pm.  I have a huge break in the middle of the day, but my late classes prevent me from being able to do anything social during the week.  My last few weekends haven't been as adventurous as the first bunch when I arrived in Korea.  I guess that means I'm really starting to settle in.

The best part of our training weekend

Two weeks ago all the teachers that work for my school (40 locations around Korea) all gathered in the countryside for a training weekend.  It was fun to meet people from all over Korea, and of course great to see the group from my orientation.  Last weekend was mostly spent studying Korean.  This is a really hard language to learn.  I've picked up little bits and pieces here and there, but I've mostly been focusing on my pronunciation and ability to read Hangul (The Korean alphabet).  I now have the ability to read, albeit slowly, and just need to work on understanding what it is that I'm reading.  I do know how to order a green tea latte though!  

My office 

A few streets over, on a quiet Saturday morning

My apartment building, I'm on floor 12 of 15

In the park across the street

Also in the park.  Wish I knew what this said

Spring time is now officially here.  People kept telling me it was already springtime, but they were telling me that while we were bundled up in 30 degree weather so I didn't believe them.  But now we're getting cool mornings and nights, with awesome 60 degree afternoons.  The cherry blossoms are gorgeous to look at all over the park.  I'm lucky to live right across the street from a large park, so I get plenty of time to hang out outdoors during my daily 4-hour break from class in the afternoon.  A sore knee is preventing me from getting out and hiking this weekend, but it will be a priority for me in the coming weeks.  Hopefully after that I'll have more to talk about and more interesting pictures to share.  Now to go enjoy some 맥주 and 소주.