The not-so ugly duckling of Asia

I sometimes feel completely out of touch with reality living in Korea. Going on an 8 day vacation to a random Asian country, coming back and then leaving again on an overnight ski trip the following weekend makes me feel like I'm living a lavish lifestyle. That I have all this dispensable cash and barely any "real life" expenses. If this isn't the ideal life, I don't know what is! And now you know why just 1 year isn't long enough.

Most of my friends here are starting their third year contracts and don't have any concrete plans of leaving any time soon. As for me, 2 years I think is a good amount of time to really become acquainted with another culture, learn from it, grow and have memorable experiences. In the past 2 years living in Gwangju, South Korea, I've tried new foods, learned how to read Hangul, made incredible lifelong friendships and realized I do not want to be a teacher.

Our crew skiing in Muju

So with under a month and a half left and no plans to come back, I can only imagine what 2012 has in store for me. As most of you know, I welcomed in the New Year in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei. What you probably don't know is that midnight was spent on the side of a busy freeway standing on top of a pillar in the middle of the road. It's actually more exciting than it sounds and ended with a "suite" upgrade, VIP service at a club and a delicious free breakfast the next morning. Let me start from the beginning...

Adam and I had decided to celebrate New Year’s in the up and coming city of Taipei. The reason I say 'up and coming' is because Taipei was previously known as the ugly duckling of Asia. Many tourists seemed uninterested, merely passing through its wonderous regions. Recently, a few of my friends travelled to Taiwan and came back to Korea with astounding stories and jaw dropping pictures. I then made sure to include Taiwan on my to-go list before leaving Asia for good.

My first impression of Taiwan was that of a traditional country struggling to be modern. There were old deteriorating buildings alongside new cars and expensive shops. I loved the unique ambience of the city and the night life was bustling with markets, street food vendors and small art exhibits.

A traditional market game

I was excited to try new food and experience all Taiwan had to offer; whatever that may be. I wasn't too familiar with Taiwanese culture but I knew geographically it was close to China. Consequently, our first meal consisted of dumplings, fried turnip cake and shrimp. Dim Sum (Chinese breakfast) is one of my favorite meals to eat in Toronto so I could only imagine how much more fresh and delicious it would be having an authentic chef prepare the food in its country of origin.

Not only was I pleasantly surprised by the mouth-watering cuisine but the service and local Taiwanese community was exceptionally kind. Hagling with taxi drivers is one thing. Hagling with taxi drivers in English, is another. Many a times we had friendly locals extend a hand and help translate or make sure we weren't getting ripped off. The typical frustrations one faces when travelling through a foreign country were almost completely eroded and replaced with feelings of comfort and stability. The amicable locals went so far as to offer us rides to our desired destinations.

My first experience hitch hiking was natural and easy. Waiting for a cab near a busy freeway, Adam and I thought it could be fun to test our luck, hitching a free ride. About 2 minutes later a friendly stranger in a minivan who spoke no English signaled for us to come on board. Adam sat cramped in the back between crates of eggs and jugs of milk while I was sitting comfortably up front. We finally arrived safely at our destination; a beautiful hot springs in the country side. We bathed with locals (shower cap and all) and enjoyed a breath taking view of a mountainous backdrop.

The evening ended at a traditional Taiwanese restaurant choosing random meat and vegetables from a menu that looked more like a Latin tome. English was nowhere to be found in this quaint country side village and knowing minimal to no Mandarin made things more difficult. We pointed to a picture that looked familiar enough and hoped to god we weren't about to indulge in any sort of domesticated animal meat! To be sure, there was Adam on one side of the table moo-ing like a cow and I had my elbows bent, hands at my side trying to mimic a chicken. The waitress smiled politely and walked away. "Crazy foreigners" I'm sure I heard her murmur. Our melodramatic performance left us feeling defeated but dinner ended up being pleasantly appetizing.

"Meat" stu ???

After spending 5 days in beautiful Kenting (the very south of the island) we were headed back to Taipei. We had one last hotel to check into before leaving for Gwangju the next morning on the first of January. A simple error in rooms, ended with a huge upgrade to a family sized suite. Naturally, we invited our 2 friends over to enjoy the perks of a classy suite, equipped with a mini kitchen and massage chair. The 4 of us downed some cocktails and then hopped in a cab. Next stop was Taipei building 101, famous for its annual fireworks display at midnight.

The beach in Kenting

Taipei 101

Our poor time management skills and a few too many rum and cokes lead us to a packed highway with stationary traffic. At 11:58pm the tower was visible from our current location but arriving there in 2 minutes was wishful thinking. We paid the cab fee and stood with other hopeless pedestrians in the middle of the highway trying to get a glimpse of the lit up sky. It probably wasn't an ideal situation but another adventure nonetheless.

The streets of downtown Taipei were jam-packed with locals and Westerners, street food vendors and shop owners all bonding together over the catch phrase, "Happy new year". The crowds outside were electric as were the club-goers inside. We managed to find a local bar with free entry, complimentary champagne and friendly locals who shared their VIP booth with us. 2012 was already proving to be a good one. We were enjoying the ride.

Satisfied with the money still abundant in our wallets, we decided to treat ourselves the next morning to a full western style breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, potatoes and everything else greasy and delicious. 50 minutes later and still no food in our bellies, the manager assured us our meals would be on the house and I don't think scrambled eggs have ever tasted so good.

The eclectic cuisine, vibrant night markets, beautiful nature reserves and friendly locals make Taiwan a unique and exciting vacation spot for tourists of all ages. Taiwan, once criticized for its ugly duckling status has truly blossomed into a dynamic and exceptional country.

Write more soon!

Signing off,

Gillian Teacha x

Kids

It made me laugh today, walking into my classroom and seeing my students completely fixated on their cell phones, IPhones, IPads, mini computers and so forth. I remember when I was in high school our teachers would yell at us for having our oversized cell phones out on our desks. Nowadays, I’m yelling at my students telling them to put away their IPads, computers, smart phones and camera phones. After thinking about what I just ordered, it felt sort of like I was living in the future. Living in Asia especially, these kids come to class with new technological devices I never knew existed! The first 5 minutes of class typically go something like this:

“Johnny, stop texting on your phone! Sara, don’t play angry birds in class! Clifford, I can see your IPad under your desk, put it away!! Jenny, stop showing Cindy pictures on your IPod and Sam take your earphones out of your ears!!!!!!!!! Really people? COME ON!”

Sometimes when I’ve finished a lesson with 5 minutes to spare, I’ll tell them they have ‘Free time’. Instead of gossiping with their neighbor or standing up for a much needed stretch, each and every student becomes individually confined to the perimeter of their desks, tuned out of reality and into the virtual space that is moving screens, flying birds and K-Pop. I suppose I'd really be no different if I were a student but from my "teacher" perspective, it's pretty entertaining to observe.

I put teacher in quotations because I cannot render myself a teacher without any of the necessary qualifications or degrees. Yes, I did graduate from University... but that's as far as it goes. Most of the time (and I believe this goes for most foreigners teaching English in Korea) we are simply glorified baby sitters. I've walked into class many a times and have been shocked with the site before me. Students literally jumping on top of desks, doing cart-wheels down the aisle and making farting noises with parts of their bodies I never knew could make that sound.

As technologically advanced as they are, I still have a few students who bring comic books and oragami to school which I can't help but smile at. Rather than tossing paper airplanes around, these innovative kids design paper boats, flowers, artifacts and other creative art forms. Yet another encounter that solidifies the setting of my workplace; Asia. Since I've obviously never been a teacher and only taught in Korea, I have no idea how Western students behave or what the classroom etiquette would entail. It would definitely be strange to hear and understand what all the kids around you are saying. I've become very good at tuning my students out completely. Hm. Okay... let me rephrase. I am able to abstain from listening to my students conversations in class since I can't understand them. I have however, become an expert at charades!

Once Friday finally comes to the rescue, the absolute last thing I want to do on my weekend is spend time around little kids who can't speak English (which are all children in Korea). So essentially, kids are off limits when it comes to my 2 days off a week. Unfortunately since we are a visible minority in this country, it's pretty hard to avoid those awkward conversations that parents push their offspring to have with us. For example, while I was waiting for the bus last Friday night, I noticed a young boy (maybe 8 or 9 years old) pacing in front of me. I saw his lips moving but naturally, I tuned him out. I then spotted what appeared to be his overly-excited mother staring at me, then at her terrified son, urging him with hand gestures to go and talk to me. I knew if I took out my earphones, a very slow paced, awkward conversation would have taken place that might have sounded something like this:

Me: Hello. How are you?
Terrified boy: I'm fine thank you, and you?
Me: I'm good.

(long pause)

Terrified boy: Where are you live?
Me: I'm from C-A-N-A-D-A.
Terrified boy: (awkward laugh) What is your name?
Me: My name is G-I-L-L-I-A-N.
Terrified boy: HUH?!
Me: (ignoring his uncertainty) What is your name?

(Question/answer period goes on for another 10 minutes and the parent is glad to see the money spent on private English lessons are paying off).
But instead of subjecting myself to another mind-numbing conversation, my earphones remained in the base of my earlobes until my designated bus arrived at the stop. Some may think that is rude, I frankly just don't give a shit.

Most children in Korea attend 4 or 5 Hagwons (private schools) after their normal elementary school day. This means they typically don't arrive home until 10 or 11pm. What I noticed differs greatly in this country opposed to Canada, is the encompassing feeling of safety I have when walking around, alone at night. Let me attempt to paint a picture for you:

It's 3am and you are walking home from the bar. The absence of motor vehicles and other comforting distractions make your walk home erie and distressing. You walk past dark alley ways (the ones your parents told you to stay away from) and see 5 intoxicated Korean men talking outside of a shop. You walk a little farther and pass a 24 hour 711 where suddenly 6 rowdy teenagers run out chasing each other down the street.

In North America or in any Western country, these scenarios would typically be the prologue of a dangerous or threatening horror story. In Korea however, particularly Gwangju they absolutely are not. The drunk Korean men are probably too scared to face the wrath of their sober wives and thus decided to continue drinking all throughout the night. The middle school students most likely just finished studying for an exam and are high on sugar and caffeine. In other words, nothing to be worried about. When a car slows down beside you as you are walking down the street, don't fret, they are probably just admiring your foreign-ness and feel the need to analyze and observe. If anything, these Koreans are probably more scared of you, with your light colored hair and obscure language. These mundane situations don't prove true for other, more populated cities in South Korea. Im sure if you are walking home from the bar late at night in Seoul, and a car is following close behind you, you are more likely than not, about to be abducted.

This past weekend I actually travelled to Seoul to celebrate Suzy's 24th birthday with her. We had a great 2 days that were filled with pottery making, delicious food and lots of alcohol. Here are some pics of the weekend.

Started off the day right with some mamosas on the bus

Only a week and a half until I leave for Taiwan! Am counting down the HOURS!

Miss you all!

"Live for today, because yesterday is over and tomorrow may never come".

Signing off,

Gillian Teacher x

Imitation; the highest form of flattery

Picture this: 200 foreigners walking the packed streets of downtown Gwangju, already a spectacle in itself, dressed as Frankensteins, pedo bears, angels, pirates and zombies on just any other night in a Korean person's eyes. Halloween is not really celebrated or even recognized in Korea so for any Korean person who happened to be downtown that night, they were probably horrified to find themselves drinking a beer next to dead Hitler, or worse, waiting in line for the bathroom behind Kim Jung Il.

It's no secret that some of these costumes were arguably offensive to certain groups of people, but I don't think that was anyone's intention. Personally, I enjoyed getting photographed stabbing Hitler to death, as did my friend dressed as the Korean military shooting Kim Jung Il through the heart. In my opinion, they were all hilarious satires, glorified mockeries, if you will, that shouldn't have been taken too seriously.

The Bermuda Triangle...ha ha

Halloween night is the perfect excuse for anyone to throw a party. It's the perfect excuse to dress up as a sexy seductive house maid and not be called names for it. And it's the perfect night to stand out in a crowd, especially one which is occupied by hand held mirrors, whitening cream and blemish control pads. In other words, most Koreans would probably quiver from the very thought of dressing indecently which makes us Westerners want to cross the line even more. We are already used to being stared at on a daily basis. We're used to being pointed at, blatantly talked about and feeling like the odd one out. Koreans, for the most part, already think us foreigner's are from a different planet, so why not prove them...right!

Last weekend my friends and I survived another ridiculous night out in Gwangju as we celebrated three different birthdays. Jo, Chuck and Adam's birthdays all fall around the same 2 weeks in November so they came to the mutual decision to just throw one big birthday bash. The three birthday kids decided to randomly dress up in furry animal costumes (2 weeks after Halloween) proving once again that we have no shame. Also, with Movember in its third week, Chuck looked like a creepy, pedophile version of the lion in Wizard of Oz. It was seriously uncomfortable for everyone.

I find I'm always able to be more myself if I have at least one other foreign friend amongst a group of Koreans. Unfortunately for me, I'm the only native English teacher at my workplace so it's only natural that I would run into various misunderstandings or try to overcome difficult language barriers.

Going out for staff dinners about once a month typically involve a ridiculous amount of Korean food, unlimited beer and soju and small talk. Mostly though, I find myself objectively listening to Korean conversations clinging onto any which word that seems remotely familiar and then create fictional dialogues in my mind to keep me entertained. My Korean vocabulary is not at all sophisticated so I also depend a lot on nonverbal communication in order to analyze the tone of dinner. For example, near the end of the night or when my boss's cheeks are a bright shade of pink and there is talk of  going to a singing room, he stands up and gives a speech to the staff (all in Korean of course). So while everyone is sitting, focused on my boss at the end of the table, I am staring at my coworkers assessing their facial expressions so I can mock them just the same. It's something I've picked up after truly feeling like the foreigner that I am. It's actually not as easy as it may sound, keeping eye contact with the speaker while quickly scanning the crowd for smiles or frowns or maybe even looks of disgust. Every breath, a quiet giggle or a short sigh from the person next to me can say so much about whatever it is in the world my boss is talking about. It's just now up to me to make it look like I understand or appear like I care. Don't they say imitation is the highest form of flatery?

My bosses wife handing out shots of soju

A few of my co workers

My boss about to down his beer

Even if we can't understand eachother... alcohol makes it easier!

Wrtie more soon!

Miss you all.

Signing off,

Gillian Teacha x
 

HOT Kimchi

The leaves are finally starting to turn, the humidity has passed, tans have faded and the air feels cool and crisp. It is now autumn in South Korea, my second favorite season in this country (beach season being my first). Gwangju has transformed into a colorful, fascinating city displayng not only its natural beauty but also its delectable cuisine, hosting the annual kimchi festival this past weekend.

Before arriving in Korea I had never really been introduced to kimchi, let alone tasted the fermented vegetable. And now, almost 2 years later, it has become a necessary stable in my diet. To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of kimchi my first few months here but I knew if I wanted to make any Korean friends or not be seen as an outcast (not like my curly hair didn't allow for that already) I had to at least try and enjoy the spicy cabbage.

Foreigner's say it takes about 6 months living in this country to actually start eating kimchi by choice and 6 months until you start to find Korean men or women attractive (if you didn't already). I did begin eating kimchi on the regular but as for the sexy Korean men, I never really grew a liking for the homogenous black hair, language barrier and jeans tighter than mine. After 6 months, to me, the kimchi was still hotter!

On Saturday, some friends and I went to check out the kimchi festival and see what all the hype was about. It ended up being a pretty fun and tasty experience. For 5,000 won (about $5) we were able to actually make our own kimchi and try different kinds of kimchi with various spices, vegetables and seafood from all over South Korea.

Gwangju is a city in Korea known for its cuisine, so the kimchi fest brought chefs, food critics and hungry guests from around Korea (and Asia) to taste the best of the best. It did however, also bring a handful of camera hungry, foreigner-crazed Korean people who at every opportunity wanted to interview us, photograph us or just stare from a distance. There were camera crews and journalists at the festival waiting for their turn to ask us questions like, "What brings you to Korea? Do you like kimchi? and, most importantly, Who is your favorite Korean pop group?" All the interviews ended with a peace sign picture and everyone left satisfied (and maybe somewhat annoyed).

Getting suited up to make some kimchi

  

After being interviewed for a highschool project, we got a group shot

Trick art exhibit

After the festival we headed to an art museum where they were hosting a trick art exhibit. We spent about an hour walking around, got some good shots and called it a day. Plus, we needed to refrigerate our newly made kimchi so it stays good for a few weeks. Most Koreans actually have a kimchi fridge specifically for... you guessed it... kimchi. This is a pretty unnecessary object for most foreigners or anyone for that matter who doesn't buy kimchi in bulk. A friend of mine performed with her band at the kimchi festival last year and were awarded a kimchi refrigerator for placing second. Kimchi is obviously a huge marketable commodity here and in a way, defines Korean culture and its spicy cuisine.

All in all, Saturday ended up being a day filled with art, culture and lots and lots of kimchi. Little did I know, Sunday would turn out to be a day filled with car races, Indian food and lots and lots of luck. Consequently, the next day began around noon when Adam and I got picked up by our friends Lokhee and Anthony, to begin the hour drive to the Formula 1 races. The cheapest ticket for this high profile race was $160... or in other words, waay out of our budget! So, we decided to just take a drive down to Mokpo (the town where the races were being held) and test our luck.

This is another reason why I love Korea so much. For the most part, people are pretty laid back and maybe a little too trusting (at least in my North American mind). For example, I took the train for the first time 2 weeks ago and not once did anyone check my ticket. If I pay a smaller fare on the bus or forget to pay my bar tab, Korean people will generally leave it up to you to fix the problem. They most likely, wouldn't say a thing!

So we arrived at the race with no money, low expectations and high hopes. We got there just as the races began and were huddled around the back gate near a forest trying to peek in between bushes and fence to get a glimpse of a vehicle. The piercing noise and black vile car fumes confirmed our close proximity to the track but this just made us even more eager to be a part of the electric crowd inside. Not even 15 minutes of us loitering around the facility, a worker from the races asked us whether or not we had our tickets. We responded honestly and to our amazement she signaled for us to go ahead in and watch the race. This was probably best case scenario and something that would ONLY happen in Korea. We sat with the other paying fans (suckers) and even witnessed a crash (one car got side-swiped by the other making a right turn on the track). At the end of the race we tried our luck once more and walked straight into the Grand Stadium where we got to see the top 3 drivers stand humbly on the podium and get awarded their prize. The whole experience was pretty unbelievable!

It was a little too noisy for the little ones..

In the Grand stadium after the races

I assumed that once the summer weather retired, it would go down with the exciting, fun-filled weekends we've been having. Thankfully, that has not been the case. Two weekends ago a large group of us foreigners attended the Global Gathering music festival in Seoul. I don't have much to say on the topic since my memory is a bit hazy but alls I know is I came home in one piece... sort of. The DJ's played well into the night and for once, we were surrounded by an eclectic group of Koreans. We partied with hipsters, wanna-be rock stars, hippies and every other lame high school cliche.

On the train to Seoul...starting early

Our music fest crew

October thus far has been pretty amazing! It's cooled down quite a bit but has made my nightly sleeps that much more comfortable. My apartments lack of air conditioning was something I hope to never endure again! The rest of the month should still be satisfying with halloween to look forward to, a trip to Taiwan comming up, and kimchi to last me a lifetime!

Write more soon!

Miss you all.

Signing off,

Gillian Teacha x