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

Thanks, But No Thanks

It's funny that after living in Korea for 1 year and 6 months, there are still new experiences and random occurrences which completely redefine what I thought I had understood about Korean culture. For example, there are some days I obviously get frustrated with the language barrier and other obstacles a Westerner might face in a foreign country. My selfish North American mind wants to blame "the other" even though I am living in THEIR country and can barely even speak the language.  There will be days, however where its hard to bare even going grocery shopping because god forbid they moved the bread section, my 15 minute shopping trip just turned into an evening out. I still have to hold my breath in a cab and am also unsure of why there are no garbage cans around the city, just piles of trash left on the corners of the sidewalk. They have no reason to cater to my needs but seeing English once in a while or anything remotely familiar, like a stop sign, is obviously comforting.

On the other hand, Koreans are probably the most generous and kind human beings I have ever met. They may not be able to speak English perfectly, or understand sarcasm, or follow traffic regulations, or serve authentic Western food... but they try their best. I found out recently from my Korean friend, that if you want to purchase something for a discounted price (even if there is no sale at the time) all you need to do is ask! You literally only need to say (in Korean) "Kiki Jusayeo" and your wish is their command. I didn't believe her at first so when I was out shopping last weekend, I tried it for myself. I'm not sure if the Korean storekeeper was just impressed with my Korean vocabulary, or if he just got a kick out of my request, but nevertheless, it worked and I saved $10 on a nice, new sweater. He was entertained by a naive, curly haired Westerner try to speak Korean, and I got a discount. We both left satisfied.

Another example proving Korean's stable generosity is seen at restaurants where typically Western customers are treated exceptionally well. Most Korean restaurants are equipped with coffee vending machines where, for 100 won (10 cents) you obtain a small paper cup filled with the sweetest, milkiest coffee you've ever tasted in your life. Koreans may be talented at manufacturing cars, or growing white rice but they can not make coffee. That is a fact. I sometimes drink this coffee as a dessert since its sweet taste compliments a hot and spicy Korean meal. Almost every time I decide to indulge in this liquid dessert, a restaurant worker will beat me to the machine, using his or her own pocket change to buy me a paper-cupped coffee. It's a small gesture but is nevertheless appreciated.

The other day I walked into a convenience store to grab the usual; a beer, some soju and a box of dried noodles (convenience stores differ greatly from what we know as convenient stores in North America). Anyways, as I approached the counter to pay, I noticed a shiny new box of cigarettes nicely placed on an elevated stand for decoration. Or so I thought. The storekeeper saw me eyeing the shiny object and asked me (in broken English and hand gestures) if I wanted one. 'Wanted a cigarette?' I thought. 'Just like that? For free?' I understand cigarettes in Korea are less than a fraction of the price for cigarettes at home but since I DO NOT SMOKE (mom & dad) I kindly declined. This package of cigarettes was for smokers to 'test out'. Kind of like those free food samples you can get at Costco! Although the only difference is this free sample can potentially lead to lung cancer and heart disease; a small sausage roll would probably just fuel your taste buds. I thought it was extremely odd to offer free samples of cigarettes but I've come to learn that Korea does things... differently. Thanks, but no thanks.

Convenient stores in Korea are found on virtually every street corner, beside every office building and across the street from every apartment complex. They are your booze stop, your TV dinner, your toiletry shop and are even used as a sit down bar. You can find almost anything inside these very convenient stores (including dried squid and rice cakes, catering to its own) and people can utilize them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are extremely versatile, one day going in to buy a bottle of water and the next purchasing body wash, a toothbrush and canned tuna. But its dubious, eclectic ambience is what makes these stores so unique and completely different to Westernized convenience stores. Never would I expect a fun night out to include "mini stop drinking" but in Korea, convenient stores are common hubs for people to eat, drink and socialize.

I've come to notice something peculiar that would only occur while living in a foreign country. Back home, when you spend time grocery shopping, going to the cinema or whatever it may be, you don't typically arrive home with the shopkeeper or ticket stub breaker-person's number in your cell phone. Am I wrong? Situations like these seem to occur all too often in Korea and I think I know why.

A few days ago I went to HomePlus (equivalent to Wal Mart) hoping I could scan and email a few documents. This is not a typical sales inquiry, but they decided to make an exception, being the kind people that they are. They could have easily said no but instead, the manager from the top floor was called to assist me in my endeavor. After all the docs were scanned and sent out, the food manager and I were walking around the department store and I was using him as my personal shopping cart. He was excited to be practicing the little English he remembered from University and was eager to help me with anything else I needed. At the end of the day, numbers were exchanged (well on his part at least) and along with my eggs and orange juice, I made a new friend at the grocery store.

I remember when I first got to Korea and signed up for a phone contract, the woman behind the counter started questioning me (what I assumed to be routine questions for the contract) until I was asked if I like Korean food and if I would want to go out and eat with her sometime. I have a gut feeling that if I wasn't a visual minority whose native language happened to be English, these employees wouldn't be so inclined. But I don't mind. I'm here to teach English... even if I do end up working after hours.

What I find most interesting though and what I truly love about this country is that they are not trying to be something they're not. Korean's do things their own way and are not majorly influenced by their neighboring countries. They even have their own Korean style chopsticks, diner food, cheap soju and various explanations for Korean cuisine and medicine which they say help with arthritis or reduce stress. Apparently eating dog helps develop a man's stamina, just like kimchi cures cancer. Riight.

All that being said, it's true Korea may lack some veracity, garbage cans and stop signs but it is made up for in kindness and generosity.

"As beautiful as simplicity is, it can become a tradition that stands in the way of exploration".
-Laura Nyro

Here are some pics of the past few weeks and the end of summer:

Over Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) some friends and I were invited to a ranch to go horsebackriding and spend the night

The Bamboo Forest in Damyang

Our last big camping trip of the summer

Write more soon!

Miss you all.

Signing off,

Gillian Teacha xx

Penis? Penis!

I have to say, this summer has probably been the most exciting, ludicrous summer I've ever experienced in my life. In the past 2 months I've travelled to new countries, visited new cities around Korea, went on a 4 day road trip to the East coast and covered my entire body in mud at a festival. I did all of this and still (physically) managed to make it to work monday morning.

Mudfest!

Mud wrestling at mudfest. Things got VERY messy!

Spent the weekend in Busan and started drinking/dancing with an Ajuma (old Korean drunk woman)

At the beach in Busan, the waves were so massive we werent allowed in the water

Last weekend was another one of Korea's long weekends that us foreigners don't question just smile and happily accept. My good friend Lokhee and her husband invited Adam and I on a 3 night, 4 day road trip down the east coast of Korea. I haven't had many opportunities to drive in a car with friends. The bus system in Korea is so comfortable and efficient, most people use buses as their primary mode of transportation. Nevertheless, it's always fun planning a road trip and living in a foreign country makes it more challenging to figure out directions and abide by Korean traffic regulations (or lack of).

Consequently, we realized it is nearly impossible to get a speeding ticket in Korea. You seriously have to go out of your way to get pulled over and Korean law enforcement make it pretty difficult. About every couple of miles there is a yellow sign on the side of the highway warning drivers they are approaching the next speeding camera. And if for some reason you happen to miss the luminous signal, another sign exposes itself upon arrival at the surveyed area. Drivers essentially slow down for the next minute or until their license can no longer be seen by big brother. So basically, if you ever do get a speeding ticket in Korea, you more than likely deserved it!

The trip took 7 hours to drive from Gwangju but the sights were beautiful along the way. We packed our child sized tents into the trunk of their car, along with some mekju (beer), wine and various other necessities and headed off to beach number one. We camped on 2 different beaches but managed to visit 4 altogether; each one unique and beautiful in its own way.

One common trend I've noticed about Korean beaches is that Korean people love their umbrellas, tubes and banana boats. Simply relaxing on a beach and getting some sun is not on their itineraries. However, as the sun descended, beach goers packed their things and left an empty beach for the 4 of us to enjoy.

This was only the second time I've travelled with a Korean friend around Korea and I forgot how much of a treat it is! We were able to do things incomprehensible to us foreigners who don't speak the language. Mostly simple things like ordering food, asking for directions and easily finding our way around a Korean grocery store. Lokhee even ordered us pizza and chicken to the beach when the sun was shining and we were too lazy to get off our lazy asses. Her and Anthony brought along a small grill so we were able to cook an authentic Korean dinner consisting of pork, lettuce leaves, garlic, rice and bean paste. It was delicious!

So after 3 days of sleeping on the sand and snorkeling around the east sea, we were all feeling pretty stiff. That being said, we decided it was fitting to visit an outdoor museum called Love Land or better known as Penis Park. This was probably the most bizarre park I've ever stepped foot on and I would highly recommend it for some awkward moments and a good laugh. What I found most humorous about this penis park other than the array of penises, is its blatant contradiction to Korean culture. Sex is very taboo in Asia, so for Koreans to exploit it in a family oriented environment seems pretty hilarious if you ask me. We walked by families and children who were old enough to know exactly what was going on and that's just awkward for everyone! Family outings are always a nice idea but seriously, is it really necessary to go to a penis park with your grandmother, uncle and cousin? I'm sure there are other ways to spend quality time with your family that doesn't involve dodging ceramic cocks in a park. I mean, can you even imagine what a family photo shoot would sound like?

Mother: Okay sweetheart, get infront of the large penis for a picture.
Distressed child: Which one?
Mother: The big black one one.
Distressed child: This one?
Mother: No, no the circumsized one! Hmm.. move a little to the side just under the right testicle!
Distressed child: Better?
Mother: Perfect.

We could have been a lot more daring/inappropriate with the pictures, but thought we'd keep it somewhat classy. After 3 days of perfect weather and a hilarious afternoon in a penis park, it was hard to leave. We all sat, erect in the car trying not to fall asleep after very minimal sleep. We attempted to penetrate the mystery of this penis park and fathom its obscure existence but I suppose some things are better left limp or untouched. hehe. Okay I'm done.

Beginning our road trip!

They built a ship/hotel on a mountain and it became a big tourist spot

This was our view each morning!

"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today" - James Deam

Write more soon!

Signing off,

Gillian Teacha