Pushy Seoul

A group of people from my program have been taking Korean language classes in Seoul for five weeks now. They invited me along this past Saturday and with the class costing 1,000 won (less than a dollar) per class, I'm planning on a weekly trip to Seoul -- which is fine by me. I like Seoul; in a city of ten million, there's millions of things to see and do. And there are millions of people to gawk at.

There is also something neat about the fact that I was born in Seoul. It's one of those odd feelings that I can only describe as romantic. It's poetic but more straight cut than poetry. It doesn't feel like "I've come to the mothership" or anything like that. It's simply Seoul, the city and culture I was born into. 

After class, a few of us decided to go to the big fireworks show right outside the Yeouido subway station. With themed segements representing different countries - France and Cananda being two of them - the fireworks supposedly lasted for over an hour. My favorite part was the festival food. There were whole chickens rotisserie-style for 6,000 won, fried everything, and corn on the cob that tasted like the kernels were infused with rice. Rice is a main dish in Korea, but I don't know how they did that to the corn. Once the fireworks started, I really enjoyed watching the general reaction. It was as if the Koreans had never seen fireworks before. I mean, there were kids rightfully freaking out (one boy sitting on his dad's shoulders was pounding his little fists on his dad's head over and over in his excitement). But there were adults talking quickly in Korean with intermitant booming, imitating the fireworks. It was adorable. 

That being said, THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE. As one is in a different country, I'm glad I went. But I may just avoid major events like that in Seoul ever again. Or just make plans to spend the night and wait out the crowd. Walking into the festival grounds was an experience because the sheer number of people really got to me. Got to me in the sense that wow, there are a shit ton of people in this world, and I'm walking with ALL of them. It was like we were folllowing Moses into the promised land. Everyone heading for the same place. But getting home was a nightmare. We thought we would be fine leaving after the first segment of fireworks. And it might have been okay had the subway traffic been more organized and less pushy. 

I'm not sure if Seoul thought this fireworks festival was going to draw far less people than it did, but there needed to be a team of police dedicated to subway traffic control. It honestly would have been as simple as having a police "bouncer" outside the subway entrance to regulate the number of people going into the station. But they didn't and it was literally a suffocating experience. It took over a hour to get through a space that normally would have taken a few minutes. It wasn't the time that made me so angry but the pushing. We got down there, and there was no turning around. Koreans just shoving us into the crowd. It was completely unnecessary and excalated the situation into a trampling news-like story. There were families with really young kids that I was genuinely scared for. The kids were just wailing because it was so hot and they were getting pushed into -- it was not okay.

It changed my perspective a little bit about Koreans as a people. They are reasonable and polite; however, that experience was stupid. It made me recognize the selfishness and desperation that resides in all people when trying to catch a late night subway.  

I was trying to imagine if this would've happened in Paris or NYC, the other two cities I've been to with subways. It could most definitely. But would people push and shove like that? I can only hope not. 

First Trip to Seoul

Figuring out the bus from Icheon to Seoul was probably the most frustrating experience I've had so far. It was the most frustrating because I let myself get angry at the language barrier. The Icheon Bus Terminal is completely in Korean. The "English" website for the Terminal is most useless. The English help line was asking for my reservation number and when I said I just needed to buy a ticket, the girl said, "Oh. Sorry." Hang up. The tellers don't speak English and I was counting on friendly Koreans to help me. But as my friend from my program later pointed out, not everyone had the day off and a lot of people were probably heading to work and in a less helpful mood.

But there was this one girl. In her twenties. Pink sweater and looking like she might speak English. I'm like, "Oh yeah, she's the one to save the day." I could not have been any more wrong. She was SO rude. I just wanted to rip that pink sweater to pieces. It was a Scarlet O'Hara moment if I've ever had one. 

One eye-opening fb convo with the previous native English teacher later, I realized that all I needed to do was take any bus to Seoul; then, the subway would take me where I needed to go (duh). I'd been focusing too much on the specifics. So, I bought a ticket and honestly didn't know if I got on the right bus. But I did. And then I hiked up a mountain. It was a fantastic day. Subway love. 

Foods

The Shellfish Place

This was amazing. This shellfsh restaurant is just a few blocks from my apartment. It was "rammed" when we got there, because it's a very popular local place. Split six ways, it was only about 9,000 won ($8.00) for the whole meal, which included soup, cheese and corn (pictured above), and the pile of shellfish, shrimp, and octopus (also pictured above). Can't figure out the cheese and corn. 

Market Area just off Walking Street 

This is a view of the "market" area on walking street. Jam packed with Koreans on plastic chairs at 11:00PM on a week night. It's a really great place to get Korean eats. 

Ddeokbokki (쫄볶이) -- pounded rice

My new co-teacher and I were returning from Suwon and she spontaneously stoped at two different food stands. First, we ate these really delicious meat buns, called mandu (dumplings), which were a familiar tasty. No picture because I scarfed them down. Steamed, they don't look like much - they're this pasty white color - but do they ever pack the flavor. I think they come in chicken and beef and are Western-texture friendly. At the second stop we got ddeokbokki (쫄볶이) pictured above. Really popular in Korea, whole restaurants are dedicated to making only this dish. I believe it's some kind of pounded rice. Packaged to-go and eaten with noodles and a glass of milk handy, I enjoyed it. 

Lightbulbs, Icheon, & Ceramics

It was such a high buying lightbulbs. I just got home from school via walking with the science teacher (yes, no more heart-wrenching, panic attack morning bus rides for me) and having received my settlement money, my stomach was full of freshly made stir fry. Plus, my "kitchen" is now the brightest part of my apartment. 

This past weekend was chill but a lot of fun. I met some of the other expats at the local "foreigner" bar on Friday. Turns out there's a small community of about thirty of us in Icheon. It's nice to know there are English-speaking friends around. And there was talk of having a barbeque one of these weekends, which I am ALL ABOUT. 

It's a mixed group of people; there's a strong Wisconsin presence woooo (which is how I got introduced -- thanks, Jessica!) as well as people from South Africa, California, and the UK. The guy from the UK, no lie, looks like Daniel Radcliffe's (aka Harry Potter's) twin. I've been crushing pretty hard on that accent. Since most of them (or all of them) have been in Icheon for a year and a half, it's been really helpful just hanging out with them and seeing how they order food and buy things (if you don't know what a food is called in Korean, just make the English word sound Korean: waffle cone = wah-pple cone). And hearing about their experiences has been hilarious. 

The Ceramics Festival started this past weekend, and wow. I have found my happy place in Icheon. The Ceramics Village, or Ceramia, which is either part of Seolbong Park or right next to it, has grounds that are simple, playful, and elegant. Located "where the mountain and water meet," it's a really breathtaking area. The style, look, and feel of Ceramia does remind me a bit of my home in Wisconsin with ceramic sculptures and art pieces incorporated into the landscape and the numerous walking trails. It's a very honest and intuitive design. I like it a lot.

Complete with everything you could need, including convenience stores, several performance stages, a traditional tea house, The Modern Ceramics Museum, The Icheon City Museum, art studios (glassblowing, ceramics), and the biggests kilns I have ever seen (whole firing rooms), Ceramia truly is a kind of utopia. 

Sitting amongst the ceramics

Painted details

A pottery mascot -- that little guy in the green was flipping out. He was running around the pot, laughing, screeching. Probably one of the funniest-cutest moments in Korea thus far.

Food tents are more like food restaurants -- real classy, real nice. These woman are making some sort of Korean pancake (jeon).

Kids lining up to have a go with the hammer at what I thought was rice

Resting at the "top" of the hill, near the Modern Ceramics Museum

Archive Room -- really fun design with the hanging books

One of my favorite, though not unseen, exhibitions -- pop & advertising culture done in ceramics

The lunches are good!

It's the end of my first full week of school, and I'm finally feeling like I've at least caught up with the slowest runner in the pack. I still have tons to learn about not necessary managing a classroom but definitely some of that combined with knowing how to engage a classroom. It's been a sprint right from the start with open classes and knowing that my co-teacher Moonee would be leaving (leaving tomorrow actually) to be a mother : )

I've already experienced the last-second changes of the Korean school systems with classes being switched and cancelled and appointments being pushed back, pushed forward, and put back on the dime. The students call me "teacher" and love to wave and shout, "Hello!" to me in the hallways. School lunches actually aren't that bad -- I know that the quality is much lower than what one gets at a restaurant and in a Korean home, but all the fresh vegetables and a variety of sides at every meal is something I've started to really enjoy and look forward to. And I do feel like a regular Clark, eating rice every day.

Ah and all the fruit I've eaten in Korea - grapes, plums, and little oranges - SO GOOD. Bursting with flavor and given to me randomly and unexpectedly at school. It's a real treat. I also get a small carton of milk every morning, deducted enthusiastically from my paycheck. 

I made a powerpoint before I left Wisconsin to introduce myself. I included pictures of my family, Bucky-themed Wisconsin, and my hobbies. It's proved really nice to have, especially that one time I thought a teacher had invited me to her house for dinner because she saw I liked hiking. It'd be about an hour walk or hike from Doam Elementary to my apartment and her home. I thought maybe it was a right of passage but Moonee's reaction when I told her what I thought told me I was wrong. And yep, nope. Walk together and go to separate homes. We laugh about the miscommunication, though for different reasons I think.

The level of English in each class varies sometimes drastically from student to student. But overall, I have been quite surprised at how much they know and understand. It's really impressive. One of the little second grade girls asked me, "How are you feeling today?" Another student in the fifth grade class asked me, "Teacher, you said you are from Wisconsin? I lived in Colorado." 

Teaching in an elementary school is different and new. I love the organizational challenge of teaching six different grades, some of which are made up of two classes. Like decorating for Christmas, it's stressful. But once I get everything set-up, hung, and the lights work, hopefully, it'll have the power to stand up to the energy and laughs of the students. 

The Walking City

I feel lucky being placed where I am. It's a stereotypical feeling, but I think the city of Icheon and Doam Elementary itself serves my personality and needs well. It's true that Icheon has proved to be quite the walking city. I love that I'm seven minutes away from downtown Icheon, near the shopping district, as well as Icheon's biggest park, Seolbong Park. 

One view of Seolbongho Lake in Seolbong Park

Roughly the size of Madison, Wisconsin (200,000), Icheon is known for its ceramics, to-die-for rice, and hot springs. I could potentially spend a day at the spa and then hit the potter's wheel and throw a pot (I've actually read about such day-packages). My kind of day, my kind of life. 

Arriving right before the holiday worked out wonderfully. I got a little lonely because the city (at least where I was) cleared out for Chuseok. Moonee said that all the teachers were extremely worried about me -- there just weren't a lot of people around if I needed help. And food. As I was finishing my first meal in Korea at a traditional Korean Restaurant on my arrival day, the co-teacher said, "This is your last supper." He was making a joke. Many restaurants and shops were closed over the holiday, which started the day after.

My first-last supper. Intense in the best way.

But I survived, and I explored. Taking everything in and absorbing all the landmarks to help my navigation system was important. Putting myself in those horribly impossible but somehow workable language barrier situations - ordering coffee, explaining to the Koreans who assume I speak Korean that I don't (Mee ah hahm nee dah. Ah nyoe Korean. American **points to chest**), asking bus drivers about their stops, and buying T-money (a bus pass essentially) - was a good way to forget inhibitions and simply go about my days. The language can only get easier and boy, can Korea get any prettier?

My first view of Korea outside the airport, through the car window.

Not looking my best and brightened in post -- Outside the Korean restaurant where I ate my first Korean meal.

A look down Walking Street -- I like the circle made by the sewer top, entrance, lid (?)

Landscape art -- It took me getting closer to figure out what "they" were...

Potter's wheel and really beautiful ceramic pots

View of the city from Seolbong Park -- I really liked all the blue roofs.

Near the entrance of Ceramia (Seolbong Park) -- Where the mountain and water meet.

I AM CONNECTED

Oh my goodness, let the celebrations commence. Obviously, not having internet at my apartment in the country with the fastest connection wasn't the end of the world. I communicated just fine by working the free wifi spots on Walking Street, the shopping district in downtown Icehon, or, for the Madisonians, the "State Street" of Icheon. But it was being told, "Your internet and cable are all set," that drove me absolutely insane. "WHY WON'T YOU WORK" was a blanket statement between my excursions out in the beautiful city of Icheon.

I am proud to say, with the help of screen shots and email/fb advice from my dad and sister, I now have wifi in my apartment and a better knowledge of how it all works. It's in the air. 

Here's how I did it.

Happy Chuseok, or Thanksgiving, Weekend!

I already have my first day of school under my belt and am enjoying a five-day weekend. The three-day holiday Chuseok, or Harvest Moon Festival, is comparable to American Thanksgiving. The Koreans honor their ancestors and I read, eat crescent-shaped rice cakes. My co-teacher Moonee wished me a happy Thanksgiving weekend as she headed off to Seoul. I hope to get a chance to ask her more about her Chuseok holiday next week, but we have a very busy next few days at school.

I felt good about my first day of school. Moonee picked me up from my apartment and orientated me a bit, showing me the bus stop I will normally take to school and where I can buy my basic groceries. My school Doam Elementary is a rural school with about 220 students. The building itself is really beautiful -- lots of surrounding trees, open air, and color. There was a group of kids playing soccer on the big, dirt playground (the favorite sport Moonee tells me), which leads to the main entrance of the school. Right at the entrance are the shoe lockers where we changed into our "indoor shoes." Koreans traditionally (and modernly) do a lot of activites on the floor, including sleeping and eating. It is a respectful and logical way.

My classroom is right across the hall from the music room, which I think is just fantastic. I enjoyed some enthusiastic and loud singing throughout my first day. Moonee and I each have our own desks and our classroom is equipped with the biggest touch screen TV I have ever seen (I'm bringing my measuring tape next week) and a really neat "virtual studio." I didn't have time to ask Moonee about the virtual studio, but I assume it's some sort of green room the kids can perform in.

I sort of co-taught but more observed one fourth grade class and two sixth grade classes. The energy and welcoming was really amazing -- I'm excited and also a little intimidated to teach. Moonee assured me I just need to be active and loud to succeed. The President of the school is all about English; she really believes in the kids learning English and feels having a a native English-speaking teacher is key to the kids' success in learning it.

My meeting with the President, Vice President, and Head Teacher of the school was so nice. The President doesn't speak much English but she prepared a short welcoming speech that her son wrote for her. She told me how glad she was to have me here and that her sister works in North Carolina. Moonee told me that her son also works in the States as an English teacher. It was really sweet and succeeded on the welcoming front. I think teaching at Doam Elementary will be an extremely positive experience.

Lunch happens around noon. The teachers and students eat in the same cafeteria, which is in a seperate building from the classrooms. My metal lunch tray was heavily piled with rice with specks of beans, kimchi, a cold noodle-vegetable combo, hot soup, and some sort of brown-sauced protein dish. Eat your kinchi, eat your kimchi. That's what was engrained in my head in my weeks of preparation for Korea. This is one front I know I failed. I tried and wanted to, but my stomach has been upset since before I left for Korea. I thought it was nerves, but I dunno -- it's a little bug I think because even the food I brought with me doesn't swallow well. I made the decision not to throw up and just be judged for not eating my kimchi. I felt like that would be the least disrespectful of the two options. My plan is to force eat these next five days and get my stomach back in order. 

After scooping my uneaten food into my soup bowl and emptying it into the trash can, Monee and I returned to our clasroom where we went over some things for next week.Next week, on Tuesday, my third day of school, we will be having open class. For open class, the President of our school and teachers from ten different schools will come and observe our classes. Bam! Let's do this teaching thing. I'm not too nervous, because it is the perfect opportunity to do and show off what I came here to do: teach. And my time at Creative Learning Preschool has given me the confidence to know it's going to be okay. We teach from a book and I observed first-hand how Moonee teaches and what the students are used to doing.

Moonee and I were about to leave for the market when she said that there was a snack in the teacher's room, or teacher's lounge. First of all, cool. I got to (and get to) go into the teacher's room, a fantasy since my grade school days where I only got a peek into Joy Elementary's teacher lounge. I belong in the teacher's room. There were grapes that reminded me of the grapes growing on the vines in my backyard back in Wisconsin and plates full of mostly Korean rice cakes. There was also a rice-water drink. Sweet and refreshing. I then gave a little impromptu speech about my first day for all the staff. I said how happy I was to be here and that the kids were very energetic and asked how old I was and if I had a husband or boyfriend. To their (and my?) dismay, nope. No boyfriend. No husband either. I did tell them I have a dog named Bodger.

Overall, this is doable. My biggest culture shock so far has got to be the feelings of homesickness. The near-disastrous bus ride home felt normal (I've made a huge mistake) and the language barrier just covers my normal social awkwardness. In fact, I feel that I can communicate better here in Korea in the sense that they know I'm a foreigner. I don't worry so much about what I need to say -- I just take it all in. But I miss home in a way that surprised me. It's not that I wish I were home but that I had to say goodbye. Which is probably why I need to embrace my band roots of, "We never say goodbye, but see you real soon." Once I can get my internet working and I can finally skype with them, I think I can stop feeling so sad about saying goodbye. Like the Dinos, I'll be able to see that they are doing great, living life, and that I need to do the same.

So, Happy Chuseok, all!! I am thankful for all the support and well wishes from home. I am thankful for Moonee and all the teachers at Doam Elementary. I am thankful for this opportunity to speak loudly and be an English teacher. I am thankful that I was raised to work hard and that I learned that it's okay to play hard, too. "Fake it til you make it." "Shooting live." I am thankful for all my work experience that taught me small philosophies to live by to make it work.

Much love from Icheon, South Korea <3

Morning calm and a slight upset stomach

At Chicago O'Hare

Standing and waiting for the check-in line to open. I'm feeling... a good okay. I'm attributing the upset stomach to nervousness, over tiredness, and a general anxiety just to get on the plane. I'm enjoying having my bags packed, and I must say, 360 wheels is the way to go. It was love at first sight when I saw the superiority of 360 degree wheeled luggage when traveling to France. It's been quite a thrill so far.

Reached my gate and really thinking about how sad it was to say goodbye to my mom and my dad and my little brothers and my friends. How sad it was to leave Madison, my home for the past six years. As I get older, those kinds of transitions get more real and much harder.

But looking ahead, I am very excited. My expectations are that it will be very difficult. The language barrier, the different cultural expectations of me as an ESL teacher and a young woman of Korean descent. My main goal is to live my life. Yes, this is an adventure of sorts. It's a grand opportunity to make good, honest money and travel, travel, travel. But for the next year, it is my life. This is what I decided to do, not out of necessity to pay for rent while I go to school, but out of sheer desire. That pretty much scares the crap out of me, and the perfectionist in me fears it could be a mistake, but a mistake about what? A mistake that I won't like it? My fears prove to be extremely flimsy and that fact coupled with all the research and personal accounts of teaching experiences and general Korean living fills me with strength. Listening to a mash up of Sara Bareilles' Brave and Katy Perry's Roar helps a lot, too.

Moving On

Moving on takes its toll on the body. The extra words and hugs, the well-wishes and promises to stay in touch. It is exhausting. The mental exhaustion creates the physical exhaustion. And then I just feel sad.

Saying good-bye to the Dinos - the kids, the parents, and the teachers I got to know and love - was tough. Good-byes have always been a struggle for me. A struggle to know how I am supposed to be feeling. I tend to take the "work through it" route. My last day is just like any other day; it's not special and I shouldn't act or feel any differently. I look the other way. 

But when I get home, take off my shoes, and settle down to recharge, it always hits me. The weight and significance of every hug, card, and the extra words - how much I am going to miss being one of the Dino teachers. With this transition, I feel that I am different. Teaching at CLP changed me. I feel better prepared for life, however grand and general that may sound. The laughs about a silly cow falling out of a truck, the excitement about seeing (and hearing) birds on a walk, and the frustration with snow pants (snow pants are the worst) made me braver, stronger, and more determined, in my own life. That's why I can do this. Why I am able to move on to the next phase in life: South Korea.