A-A-Adorable

 

"J is for Jaguar" *rawr*

New year promises of more cute art projects for the 2nd graders!

Birthday Suits Me

I could not (and would not) have a planned a more poetic way to spend my 25th birthday but in my birthday suit at a jjimjibang, or Korean-style spa. There was something quite liberating about it -- somewhere between bath time with my sister when we were kids and skinny-dipping at the lake with friends. 

Jjimjibangs are public bath houses where yes, you strip down to the nude and enjoy the hot-water baths, cold-water baths, saunas, massages, body scrubs, and more. Open 24 hours, it's a great cheap alternative to a hotel or hostel, costing around 12,000won (less than $12) for an overnight stay. Leaving your shoes behind in the shoe lockers, you get a wrist-band key for a locker that also acts as a credit card of sorts inside the facility, a pair of pajamas, and two hand towels. The changing rooms and public bath area is gender specific and at Dragon Hill Spa, one of the famed jjimjibangs in Seoul, the entrances are in separate areas of the building (to avoid a terrible, terrible mix up).

stack o' pajamas

I had brought my swim suit I suppose with the intention of wearing it. Even the threat of an ahhgumma yelling at me for not being naked didn't phase me. But once I got into the environment, I was just like, whatever. When in a jjimjibang, it's not weird. Dragon Hill had around six different hot tub pools, all held at different temperatures and some with massaging jets, two saunas, and the body scrubs I had heard about in America. Scrubbed pink with my dead skin all around me, my skin has never been softer (except perhaps on my actual birth-day).

After the baths, we got dressed in our pajamas and headed to the main area, where we could hang out with our guy friends. Jjimjibangs are a culture of their own -- complete with snack stands, small shops, yoga classes, an arcade, a fitness center, an outdoor heated pool, and a floor labelled on the elevator as "horse riding." I'm not sure if that was a "bad" translation, if there were actual horses on that floor, or if "horse riding" is something else (I have a feeling I'm missing a joke here haha).

The designated sleeping areas at Dragon Hill were all three: "women only," "men only," and co-ed. Bringing a small pillow (NECK PILLOW YAY!) is encouraged, and if you're lucky, you can snag a sleeping mat and/or blanket. One of my friends and I chose a co-ed sleeping room because it was a bit more airy than the others we had scoped out. We grabbed a spot on the heated floor and said our good nights. Probably one of the strangest experiences I've had yet in Korea was waking up next to a Korean man. Good times, good times lol.

That was the end of my birthday night. We started out with tacos & makgeolitas!

Me & Ashley
with our makgeolitas & beanies!

I had been craving so called "urban tacos" since my first visit to Itaewon in October, so for my birthday, we hit up the cool Vatos Tacos, Sinsa location. Great atmosphere, great staff, and great food fusions, including kimchi fries, galbi & baja fish tacos, nutella nachos, and the ever important makgeolita -- a mix between the popular, fermented, and alcoholic Korean rice drink called makgeolli 막걸리 and a margarita -- mango (delicious) was the flavor I got; I was very happy about it. And for ordering the makgeolitas, free beanies!!! 

Birthday shopping, birthday tacos, birthday alcohol, birthday GIANT barrel of beer, birthday fruit platter, birthday body scrub, and birthday waking up next to a Korean man. Perfect 25th birthday!!

Millie Bodger

Our family dog Bodger died on a Tuesday. She's dead and is never coming back because she can't come back. She's gone. I'm incredibly sad, heartbroken.

Her full name was Millie Bodger. She, among all the things a good dog does for a family, inspired the term "bodging for apples." Searching for something by way of intuition, smell, and curiosity. 

Millie Bodger {2008 - 2013}

The things I love about Korea

You may have heard that I wear winter extremely well. Scarves, hats, mittens, and yes, folks, I bought my first pair of leg warmers. I know, I know; you'll just have to get over how adorable this '80's baby looks. I love that Korea has put me in a situation at work that I can really wear my winter gear to its fullest. I love winter and now I am able to enjoy its chill inside and out. The cold allows me to enjoy the warm moments -- the warm copies from the copier machine, the warmth of having thirty-some bodies in a classroom, hot soup at lunch, and boiling water from the water cooler for my afternoon cup of joe. The sun, too. It's all very primal. I love it. 

Slippers, school lunch forever, and snacks. I adore the slippers my students wear. I can't help but feel how awesome a school full of kids, running around in slippers, is. It's a comforting culture, trading outdoor for inside shoes. One my fourth grade students has this pair -- monkey faces. They crack me up; I can't help but like him the best because of those slippers. So darn cute. And the slippers extend to teachers as well. It thrills me, wearing slippers at work. This absolutely trumps the joy I felt when I would slip on my crocs for work at the bagel shop (BIG deal). 

I'm still in a love affair with school lunch, because, sometimes, it's what gets me through a rough morning of teaching excitable monsters. It's about more than eating food; it's about nourishment. Factor in the school being so cold, it is about survival, feeding the body and soul. Soul food. Spontaneous pizza. Yesterday I was called down to the teachers' room for Domino's pizza. Snacks are the best at school because I get to try new foods (rice cakes, fruit I've never heard of) but also because of spontaneous pizza, oranges, and tea. 

Food in general is a good time for me in Korea. I like Korean cuisine. I went to market day, which happens twice a month in Icheon, with my co-teacher a couple weeks back, and my oh my, such a vibrant atmosphere. My co moved at lighting speed through the stalls, speaking about the different foods and making suggestions on what to buy. I love shopping and having conversations with her -- she's one of the smartest and funniest people I know.

The bars of soap in public bathrooms are laughable to an American foreigner because they are incredibly clever. First off, it's lucky to find soap in a public bathroom, and when it's bar soap, it just about makes my day. Extended on a metal bar, it floats in the air waiting for you to furbish those dirty hands. I smile mischievously every time I use one -- something about it being such a good idea (think about the life span of a bar of soap and how much less messy it is than liquid soap) and the Koreans, even though they fund the bar soap on a metal bar, not even knowing how brilliant it is. Best kept secret in Korea if you ask me. 

I love seeing an elderly Korean woman outside shoveling snow. I love seeing that old Korean man sprint across the street, not worried about falling and breaking a hip. And as much as I hate how crass and rude ahhgummas can be, I admit I love that they treat the world so brutally. I love hiking up mountains, out of breath, only to be passed by Koreans who are obviously a hundred years old, jammin out to music on their walkmans. I love seeing that life and vitality in people I can't help but think saw the last of the dinosaurs. Crinkled and wise, it motivates me and makes me excited for the wrinkles.  

Overall, I like my life in Korea. I like the song my laundry machine plays when the load is clean. I like floor heating and how fast my electric tea pot boils water. I like the walk to school with the mountains and farmland. I like slowly learning a new language, which lets me read snippets of the signs and posters around me. Hangul really is a beautiful writing system, the characters and strokes. I am happy and that's the thing I love most about Korea: that living here gives me so much perspective on the small things as well as the big, macro, philosophical things. It's great for me because I'm consantly thinking about impact, points of. 

Grinds My Gears

Every day life is different in Korea. Was expected and I like filtering frustrations into learning opportunities. Sometimes I feel that in doing so, I'm molding and broadening my worldview. Other times, it's just the realization that we are different. People and societies and traffic laws are simply different. There's not much more than that hard truth for certain things. 

Still, what really grind my gears: everything and anything I say gets amplified and thrown back at me in some way or other. 

"I like hiking." I am glad I put this out there. It gave me a chance to learn the walking route to school and connect with some of the other teachers. However, it has also resulted in many unexpected and assuming situations, including some very aggressive hand-holding, which as an introvert is difficult. I'm a flexible person but I admit these extra encounters can be exhausting for my social skills. And at least three times a day, I'm asked, "Morning walking?" by various teachers. Yes, I walk to school every day. It's ludicrous what an arbitrary statement, "I like hiking," is back home when compared to how it has fared in Korea.

"My mom's a pastor," when asked if I was a Christian. Religion is not as private a matter as it is in the States I was warned, but I really wish I had known the consequences of my answer. I was open and honest about my religious experiences, and though I understand that its not considered prying in Korea, I was probed. My words opened a flood gate of visits from various people from the Principal's church at school and some guilting tactics including, "Your mom is sad you don't go to church" and "I was like you; I was wild and irresponsible." Nope. 

"I don't have a laptop," when asked why I was staying late to finish a powerpoint. For a while I thought I might score a new computer for my apartment out of this -- my co-teacher said she thought that that was part of the contract: the school would provide a laptop computer. Tie a string on my finger, I should bring that up again. A couple of weeks later I'm opening my bank account, and I tell my co-teacher that I want online or Internet banking so I can transfer money home. "Why do you need that?? You don't have a computer! You don't need Internet banking," my co-teacher shoots back at me. She was visibly annoyed and dramatic, yes, I felt a bit betrayed. She speaks English so well that I had started letting my guard down around her. I still think she thinks it was a waste of time, but I did explain that STUDENT LOANS. 

"I'm from Wisconsin; it's very cold there." This came up just today, which has inspired this post. My co-teacher bursts through the classroom doors and exclaims, "I wish you were from Hawaii." Apparently, the Principal, in coherence with Korea's obsession with conserving energy, argued that we could save energy by not heating the English room, because I don't need it, "I'm from Wisconsin." Foot in my mouth, I've been freezing my ass off for the past month because I said that it's cold in Wisconsin? A couple of things here: first, you could conserve a boat load of energy by keeping the doors to the school closed instead of gaping open for winter to blow through the hallways and classrooms. Second, arrrrggggg. 

I like to say that that's Korea. And it has been but there's a second language at play here. My thoughts are that what can be understood is taken to heart. Everything I say that can be understood even on the smallest level by the teachers and other staff at my school has such importance. Any hint of information is used for every "relevant" matter. And they listen to me. A sure sign that they care about me; I recognize that. Still, heat the English room please.

Stick Day

Stick Day and my school's English Festival fell on the same day this year. Stick Day or, November 11th (11-11) was described to me as Korea's very own Valentine's Day. Stick candy, or pepero, is the star of Stick Day -- "smooth chocolate attached to the fragrant biscuit."

I mistook the boxes and boxes of this stick candy at school for part of the English Festival festivities, and dare I say it was good planning that the two collided onto the same day (haha, planning in Korea). But the kids' moods were sugar-happy for the English Festival, which had been a hugely stressful two week process for me and my co-teacher.

So thank you, tasteless biscuit sticks dipped in chocolate. And Happy Korean Valentine's Day, all. I <3 you.

What a day: Walking, Talking, and an Unexpected Party

**This post is from a while back, early October -- got lost in the muddle of things. It's all about housecleaning today :D

Refreshed from the holiday (i.e. day off from school), I got tons of lesson planning done and I got to listen to and watch, through the window, the students at Doam practice a dance for the upcoming sports day. Who I presume was the phy ed teacher chanted into the loudspeaker as the kids danced their hearts out to a Korean song that belongs in a Wes Anderson film. It was so fun. The kids were loving being outside and I couldn't help but root for run through after run through; I could've listened to the sounds of sports day practice all day.

After lunch, Sin Hyeon Gyeong asked if I wanted to go for a walk. We walked around the school grounds, including the playground. Students were playing soccer, swinging, jumping on equipment, riding bikes, and chattering away. I told Sin Hyeon Gyeong that I wished I could go back to elementary school. We laughed about getting older -- queasy stomachs after swinging and "mom" worries. She has two boys so her mom worries are real, mine just sympathetic and about my little brothers. But her attitude about those worries are right on. She told me, "I tell them to be safe. If you want to climb high into a tree, take the time to get down." She is the coolest. 

We also talked about Hangul and King Sejong. He was a good king, a good man, and he invented a writing and reading system that works. Korea has an illiteracy rate that is essentially zero. That stat was particularly astounding to me when I first learned about it. I'm not exactly sure why, but I could better understand why it was perfect to take a day off from school to celebrate. To celebrate Hangul, what it means to and what it gives to the Korean people, and to honor a good king who was also a good man. The pride runs deep in Korea. I greatly love and admire that.

After school, I had sort of an unexpected party. Two days before the holiday, I was finally able to walk "home" with the second grade teacher. We had made plans to do this during my first week of school after she discovered I liked hiking and that we lived in the same area. She speaks some English (quite well) but with my lack of knowing Korean, our conversation was limited yet pleasant. We talked about the upcoming holiday, hiking (at Bukhansan and Mount Yongmun), and the various "things" around us. She would point to something and say what is was in Korean and then I'd say what it was in English. When we made it to her house, she generously invited me inside and we ate dinner -- water kimchi, kimchi, rice, and soup (delicious).

This successful walk and talk led to a visit to my apartment. I knew for sure that it was going to be the second grade teacher and the President of the school. Now, this is something that would have made me mildly uncomfortable in America -- having such a respected teacher and the President of the school coming over to my house. But being in Korea, I'm like, "Come on down!! You're the next visitor to my tiny apartment!" Totally unfazed. It wasn't until we arrived at my apartment that I realized two other teachers from my school would also be joining us -- for a small church service. Five people. In my apartment. Again, bring it on, Korea.

However unexpected, it was a great experience. We sang a hymn, they asked me where my English Bible was (um, in America), and they brought traditional house-warming gifts of tissues, laundry detergent, and bottled grape juice. The President showed us pictures of her sister's family, who live in America, and they enjoyed looking at the pictures I have taped to the walls. We went out for dinner at a place just up the street from my apartment. Rice, fish, kimchi, soup, rice water, and loads of other Korean side dishes I can't name. As we were saying out fare-thee-wells, I was asked about my hip size, which I think may translate into a shopping excursion one of these days. Who knows haha. 

What a day. Full of company and honest conversation. 

Hiking Times -- Mt. Yongmun

This hike was a while back, but it remains fresh in my mind:

The commute to Mount Yongmun was nervous and long. Past the regular subway line, the rail is less predictable and less frequent. After three hours, I was prematurely exhausted and ready to turn around. But with friends waiting and the growing need to hike, I found my way. The moment I stepped off the bus, the last leg of the trip, it was all worth it. 

Leading up to the moutain and temples is a small village, is how I can best describe it. Restaurants that open up into the street, shops brimming with small gifts, and food carts selling typical Korean fried goodness and meat sticks greet the eye. It was so colorful and pleasing to alll my senses. Lanterns lined the path up to the main attraction: the temples and some 1,500 year old Gingko tree, the oldest and largest in Korea. 

The hike was challenging and thus, the dinner afterwards was that much more delicious. I had the staple Korean dish called bibimbap 비빔밥. Served in a bowl, rice, various vegetables, and a protein sit side-by-side and are topped with a poached egg. Mix-it yourself and bottomless chili paste later, pure happiness. 

Flowers arranged in the shape of the Gingko tree leaf

Whale Win

Successful whale project:

Cute whale pod

Lazy Sunday & New Downloads

Well, it's Sunday: slept in until 8:30am, read in bed until 11, cleaned the bathroom, grilled up a garlic-jam-grilled cheese sammy, simmered a mixture on the stove to drown the fruit flies (milk sugar, pepper, & dish soap), ironed candle wax out of a pair of jeans, did some laundry, hung said laundry, took a nap, and "looked" over lesson plans for the upcoming week. Yet alas, I never get as much done as I want. I always have such high hopes for the weekend -- but meh, the weekend is supposed to be chill, right?

Downloaded a couple of new songs -- big fan of Bastille and Justin Timberlake right now. Read this article on Buzzfeed about wear-to-work sweatshirts and I come home from Itaewon with four new "sweatshirts" I can wear to work. Pretty cute stuff and each only cost me 5,000 won (less than 5 dollars). I love Korean-made clothes. Cheap and made for my Asian frame. 

"Project Free TV" came up this weekend when talking to friends about the new "Scandal" season (Kerry Washington and Fitz love). My sister is a huge fan and I know that a lot of people use it but I hate what it stands for. And that name makes me cringe. The entitlement and lack of respect. I dunno, there's a lot of work that goes into every second of every TV show, movie, music video... into visual media. The number of people, too, behind every project is huge. I think it's mostly the name that bothers me. TV scheduling and revenue isn't part of my expertise; it's just a general feeling I have. That's why when I'm ready, I don't mind paying for a couple new songs on iTunes or paying for a movie ticket to watch a movie the way filmmakers imagined it.