Korea Life Blog 5 -- Dongnimmun

Yesterday, I decided I needed to get out more. So I got on the train and traveled to the far Northwest side of Seoul. A friend told me of some areas that had more old-fashioned or traditional style buildings, so I wanted to check it out. However, what I found was much different from what I was planning for, but it was an interesting and fulfilling journey.

I went on Line 3 to Dongnimmun (Metro map). From there I was planning on walking to Anguk from there and see many things on the way. Mind you, I saw many things~ but I didn't make it to Anguk the way I planned. :)

At Dongnimmun I was able to see the Independence Memorial Park (Seodaemun Independence Park). It is like a small park, or walk-through museum about the Japanese invasion in Korea and the ways the Japanese tortured the Koreans. It is very interesting with many recreations of events and areas, if a little one-sided.



When I left there, I started walking toward the next stop toward Anguk, but I was distracted by a large mountain... and I decided I wanted to test it out. So I crossed the street and started to make my way through the winding streets and steep inclines. In about an hour, I found myself on a mountain. Around that time, I also realized that I hadn't eaten for more than 24 hours (because I'd forgotten dinner and breakfast and still hadn't had lunch) and I had no water or anything to drink. Basically, my blood sugar was getting low and I was sweaty, miserable, and unwilling to turn around and not reach my goal! However, in another hour, I had to give up and start looking for a way down. Eventually I was somewhat lost, but not totally. There were always the random army boys posted to keep watch around the mountain if I needed them, but I was determined to go it alone.

So, eventually I found a path leading down and took a short break on a large rock overlooking the local town. Then after going off the path, or on a little used path, I came upon an abandoned apartment building that I decided to explore.

However, my findings were rather disturbing to a small town person like me. Even though it's an abandoned building with broken glass and no windows or doors in place... but there in the bottom apartment, someone was still living in it. Not only that, but there were many children's things lying about. Imagining what it is like to grow up there, or to go to school without being able to take friends home....

It bothers me that here in Korea, if it isn't new, it's old, and if it's old, it's no good. My Korean friend lives in a building that was built in 2004-2005. I said it's nice, he said 'No way. It's an old building. I really want to live somewhere new.'
What will happen when this tiny country runs out of space to put their new buildings? Will they finally take down the old abandoned ones and rebuild there? And what will happen to the people who live there?

This is why I hate cities. This is why I am such a country girl, I guess. I know how to make sense about land!

Anyways, I freaked out my friends on accident, by texting that I couldn't hang out with them because I was "lost on a mountain" without thinking. After that, I received a call from a worried friend asking if there was someone nearby I could give the phone to. So when I made it down the mountain, past the abandoned buildings I went into a convenience store and handed the phone to the owner. I was then placed on a bus with great care as the man told the driver that I was a lost person who needed to get to the subway. I was then dropped off at the stop near the subway, where the bus driver proceeded to honk for my attention and point me to the right entrance. They were all very nice and helpful, and it made me feel guilty that I had troubled them. However, it's always nice to find good people who are so willing to go out of their way to help a crazy “lost” foreigner.

So, in the end, it was an adventure and a good learning experience.

Korea Life Blog 4 -- Cell Phone!

I meant to write this sooner, but a friend was having a crisis... and now many people are talking to me, so let's see what we get.

So where to begin? Starting from the last post: I still haven't made it to the post office, mainly because I was running out of money, but I know where it is now. Since my school has FINALLY paid me back for the ticket (which is a whole different area of problems) I should be able to make it there this week. I also found the 'special' trash bags that I need after trying out about 6 different convenience stores. Stefanie helped me, and the first one she walked into had them. It was so small I didn't see it before. haha.
I had to pay $100 to extend my TEFL, but now I have another 3 months, so it should be no problem. I'm getting used not being able to rely on my work. My co-workers are nice, but they have been so busy and stressed about their own work.
I visited the Japanese Hagwon, and went for my "free" class ^^. It was hard! haha. Because the default language is Korean and I don't understand it, I couldn't quite keep up. So I will study my Japanese more before I go back. But they were really nice and I really want to study there.
I also found the closest place for the 'free' Korean classes.... but I can't make it to the class for beginners because I work too late on those days. So I need to find another one.

I am finally starting to adjust to things here... I think. Some things are just too difficult, but maybe I can learn to ignore them... or I'll pretend to and then talk about it on here! haha

I am still annoyed by people who just stare me down wherever I go. I also get annoyed when my friends... I know they mean well... but they tell me that I'll get used to it, or worse "It didn't happen. Just ignore everything." I wish I could sometimes. But I don't want to close my eyes to the great things I can find just because there are a few (or many) idiots who think I am an escaped zoo creature. It actually bothers me more when they tell me to ignore it though. One day I was walking with two of my Korean friends. This old man was walking by and staring at me with his eyes wide open... he almost ran into one of my friends and he even craned his body to keep staring at me as he went around my friend. I asked "did you see that?" knowing there was no way to miss it... but no. This is Korea, so "it didn't happen". They tried to convince me they saw nothing.... It's too much. Another friend tried to tell me that "Koreans are shy". They aren't used to making eye contact, so they will be embarrassed if I look at them while they stare at me.... No way! They are not embarrassed at all. From the old people to the middle school kids (the younger ones too, but let's say they don't know any better) they will stare you down. O_O
However, I have had one person actually smile at me—a genuine smile. I was so happy. I smiled back and even remembered to say hello in Korean. :)
Also, the day of the Korea World Cup game, I wore a Korean jersey and had a Korean logo painted on my face.... Many people smiled at me that day! Some people said 'Hello' or 'Korea fighting!' to me. It was nice to "fit in" for once~ haha.

You also have to get used to the fact that you are a foreigner
. So many things are difficult. I finally got a bank account, and my bank card. And once my school reimbursed my ticket, I was able to get a phone. However, it is another feat. My co-worker was going to take me to where she got her phone, because the owner speaks English... but since the world cup is happening, she was too tired after staying up to watch the European teams play. So she gave me directions... very vague ones, and I went to look. I found only one store that I decided could have been it and went in.... yeah. I stood there for 20 minutes. They helped the people who came in at the same time as me; they helped the people who came in after me.... I was annoyed. After 20 minutes he must have decided I wasn't leaving, because he looked at me for the first time and said something in Korean that may have been 'I’ll help you next' or 'what do you need' from his intonation. Then he turned back to the other people... I left.

I went to meet some Korean friends of mine though and they helped me to find a good free phone and get a 2 year plan with SK. So I am all set. It's not the I-phone, but it's a nice phone, and free so I can't complain!

There is always more to come, but now I must sleep. Tomorrow is a long day, so I need to be well rested.
I really will try to get some more useful posts up soon, now that my stress level has gone down.

Korea Life Blog 3

All right, so it's been almost two weeks since I arrived and I still have no idea where most things are. To be more precise, I know I need special bags for my trash, but I have yet to find anywhere that will sell the little food bags. I have also learned not to rely on my hagwon (school) for any useful information. There seems to be an annoying theme to how questions work here:

If I ask the foreign teachers they tell me to ask the VP.
If I ask the VP he tells me to ask the foreign teachers.
If I've already asked one or the other, they direct me to the Korean teachers... none of whom live in the area, so they know nothing of relevance.
Basically, I've been calling on my American friend in Seoul, or my Korean friend in Jeongja (who is a boy and therefore knows nothing--Korean boys are completely dependent on their mothers for life), whenever I have questions. Basically, my friend in Seoul has still been the most useful friend and informant in Korea. I really don't think that only telling her how much I appreciate her at least 3 times every time we talk is enough.
So I will probably be posting more blogs about little things like how to take out the trash and using buses and trains as I go.

I still have yet to finish my TEFL course... sadly. However, I've found that the information from the course is helping me in teaching, and the teaching is helping me with the homework in the course. It's a symbiotic learning experience. Unfortunately, I will need to extend the course if I want to finish.

Today my Seoul friend, Stefanie, is coming down to help me with the bus system so that I can get to and from the local E-Mart. Yay! How sad is it that after two weeks I still haven't found anyone, but my friend in SEOUL, to tell me how to get to the supermarket... yeah.

I've started looking around more. I plan to take some of the free Korean classes of possible. Sadly most of them are in Seoul, but I don't think it will be a problem. I also found out there is a Hagwon to learn Japanese in the building I work at, and another for Chinese down the street. I think I will be able to find things to fill my schedule once I am more comfortable here. :)

In the meantime, I am still looking for the post office... I was given directions and followed them to no avail. Once I do I should be able to send out the trinkets I've bought. I can also send a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear Mugzy-bugz~~~~~ haha. Sorry, it will be late.

In the meantime, I'm just annoyed at my Hagwon for being so useless. They seriously don't tell us anything. They seem to expect us to know all and reprimand us when we do something wrong without knowing. For some reason I am annoyed at being treated like an idiot child just because I can't read their minds to know what they want and what I'm doing wrong. It just makes it hard to get things done in this kind of social environment. I'm surprised Korea doesn't fall apart.

I'm also having trouble communicating to people that I'm still not used to being stared at 24/7, so unless I have an errand, a friend nearby, or some other distraction, I have no interest in going out just to be a circus animal. Yes, I will probably get used to it. No, it hasn't happened yet. Be patient, it's my choice whether I continue to live off convenience store food when there is no one to eat with me. :P

That is all for now. I hope to post some more information blogs soon. Later~

Korea Life Blog 2 -- Hongdae, Seoul

So, I lived through my first day teaching, and then some. It's not so bad. The main problem is that I am supposed to work from the book, such as, this month teach chapter 5 and 6. But the problem is that we have to review the same pages over and over and since the children are so young it becomes troublesome. In one of my classes, the children are basically done with the book, we just started the last chapter (each chapter is only about 5-10 pages of pictures). It has to last me ALL of June. I don't understand. Apparently they were moving through it too fast, but this class is five days a week and I have four weeks for chapter.
So, from this weekend, I will start bringing the books home to work on making more detailed lessons and more interesting activities. I am waiting until this weekend because I am still trying to figure out the schools system so I might understand better what I need to do.

In the meantime, I've been getting by pretty well. I've been relying on my friends a little too much I think, so I've been trying to figure things out on my own (what I can). I bought cereal and I get rice balls from the local convenience store, so that is breakfast. I eat what’s available at school and I eat whatever for dinner.
Koreans are serious about their recycling though. I have to buy a special trash bag for trash and another for food waste. Then recyclables can go in anything and they will sort it out. Apparently though, if you don't sort out the food and recyclables from the trash you can be fined 3 million won ($3,000). So it's something I will need to take seriously.

I went to Seoul last Saturday with my friend. It was interesting. We went window shopping and I bought some bling for my phone and key-chains. Then we went to Hongdae (the big party area) that night. We sat out in the park drinking with all the kids and then went to noraebang (karaoke) for a couple hours before eating again.... We were actually out all night, so I took the first train back home at 5:30a.m.

I learned the true side of Korea during my two trips to Seoul. Basically, Koreans have NO manners--they just don't exist here. They push, they shove, and they cut in line. Since it's hard to find trash cans they just

throw their trash on the ground wherever and the old people come out early to pick it up. I've also realized about 90% of Korean men and another 30% of the women smoke.

Because there is so much cigarette smoke here, I have had trouble. My throat has been really sore and my speaking hoarse. I feel annoyed all the time because of it. So I am thinking of just getting a face mask (the ones they always wear when they are sick or afraid of getting sick) and wearing it whenever I go out. Even though I was able to go karaoke last weekend, I could only sing four songs before my voice was gone. It's terrible. No wonder Koreans eat Halls cough drops like candy (they are actually sold as candy here…)

I've decided I'm really happy to be living outside of Seoul. I'm sad to be so far from most of my friends, but


the smoke levels here aren't as bad. So I feel like I can live here.

Among other things, Koreans are just strange. The adjumma (middle-aged/older women) have taken to drawing in their eyebrows in shades of blue and purple. Also, while the train is a great means of travel, when some adjussi (old man) sits next to you smelling like someone puked on him, then he breathes and you realize he was the one who puked... I thought I was going to be sick. I had to get up and move to the other side, which was rude, but it's Korea, so it's really kind of not. I don't understand really, but that's the way it is. It is also just the way it is when you take the last train home from Seoul, anything can be seen. I got off the train and the guy next to me wobbled straight to the wall and puked, then kept fumbling along. You would think someone would do or say something, but it's so common they just keep walking and think nothing of it. People are so strange. Maybe this is the sign that I’m a country girl?

Like Las Vegas, everywhere you go there are flyers and "business cards" for hookers on the ground and stuck to cars. Apparently there is noraebang in my building; however, I was advised by a Korean friend not to go. Why? Because it is the kind where you can invite women to "keep you company". This seems like such a nice place to live, but there is something like that? But it's normal here in Korea. Strange.

Everyone keeps telling me "You will get used to it", but I'm not sure I want to. Getting used to running into and shoving people without apologizing, throwing trash on the ground, smoke everywhere, people being drunk everywhere/all the time... who wants to "get used to it"?

At the same time, I'm not entirely unhappy. Those are really my main complaints. I'm not unhappy; it's just uncomfortable for me.

We'll see how it goes.