Under the Umbrella Tree

Summer time in Korea is always the most entertaining season for foreigners living and working in this wondrous country. Mostly though, it is a season which enables us to enjoy all Korea has to offer - touring its beautiful islands, beaches and cities. Two weeks ago, about 300 foreigners from around the country got together and pulled off an all day/night beach party on Wando, about 2 hours south of Gwangju. We camped out on the beach and drank until the sun came up... or until we were passed out on the sand waking up with red skin and a horrible headache. The rising sun definitely didn't stop us.

We were lucky to get such gorgeous weather since apparently typhoons have been said to transpire during Korea's rainy season. What I've come to notice however, after living in this country for almost a year and a half now is that Koreans tend to over exaggerate certain aspects of their lifestyle. For example, there are no such things as 'clinics' or a 'doctor's office'. Rather, if one is feeling under the weather, or is just in need of a checkup they must go directly to the hospital. From my Western perspective, going to the hospital sounds so much more hostile than going to visit your local doctor. My Korean friend recently told me he spent 5 days in the hostpital. Naturally, I was shocked and worried by this, thinking something pretty devastating must have happened to him. I later found out he checked himself in because he was stressed.

Moving on...

So you would think because of Korea's annual 'rainy season' they would be used to the wet weather and thus be able to easily distinguish between heavy rainfall and a monsoon. Well that is not exactly the case. This past weekend a monsoon was apparently brewing and all that really emerged were dark clouds and... wait for it... RAIN! It was nothing out of the ordinary. Korean's though, were more than prepared for the rainfall which could be seen through their overt use of umbrellas. I seriously believe that Korea is the one country in the world that utilizes umbrellas for every single season. Come rain or shine, wind or hail, Korean people will have an umbrella in hand. I find it quite amusing, to witness the vast transformation of people walking casually in the streets one second, to the sidewalks covered in umbrellas the next, when a drop of rain falls from the sky. Umbrellas are decent sized objects... where do they hide them?? It's almost as though they have a secret compartment where they keep their umbrellas and us foreigners didn't get the memo. Being the tall Westerner that I am, I have learned to be extra diligent when using an umbrella in the crowded streets. Apparently there are unwritten umbrella rules one must follow to successfully arrive at their destination, dry and unharmed. I will attempt to write them out for you:

1. When you feel a slight drop of water hit your skin, IMMEDIATELY release your umbrella holding it above your head.

2. When walking down a busy street, you must relentlessly alternate the umbrella between your right and left hands depending on which side pedestrians pass you by.

3. You must also frequently raise and lower your umbrella in order not to collide with a strangers umbrella. *This is probably the most important rule.

4. Keep your eyes peeled for 'couple' umbrella holders. These umbrellas tend to be much larger, rounder and more hazardous to the general public.

5. Lastly, when you enter a store or restaurant with your umbrella, you must deposit it in the suitable umbrella bin, and on your way out, be careful not to 'mistakenly' pick up a nicer, prettier, more efficient umbrella because... that's just rude.

It's never really fun to travel during rainy season but there is so much to see and do, a little bit of rain never hurt anybody! Last weekend some friends and I bussed to Seoul to send off our good friend Aaron who was leaving Korea after two and a half years. As you would expect, we got him pretty drunk and had a ridiculously fun night out on the town. Seoul is literally a city that never sleeps. Bars and clubs are opened until wee hours into the morning and last call simply doesn't exist. With that being said, the next morning was a complete write off for all of us and bussing back three and a half hours to Gwangju seemed less and less appealing. The idea of getting a flight back was brought to our attention (as a joke) but after some inquiring, four of us decided to go ahead and book seats. It was so worth it! After 27 minutes in the air and a free glass of orange juice later, we arrived back to our home away from home.

Seoul is always an adventure for us 'country folk' but it is definitely nice to return back to our quaint life here in Gwangju. I suppose there are obvious differences living in Gwangju opposed to Seoul - an overpopulated metropolitan city. I tend to treat my visits to Seoul as a trip back into Western society. I go there with a big appetite, low expectations and fewer morals. When the city wakes up, us foreigners have left our mark and nothing is forgotten...hazy, but not forgotten. I did however, forget where I left my umbrella. Oh well.

Wando Beach

Suzy and I at the Green Tea Plantation in Boson

Aaron's goodbye dinner in Seoul which quickly turned sleazy

We began requesting music and had a dance party in the restaurant

Aaron and I sexy dancing

Preparing to board our flight back to Gwangju

"Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans" John Lennon

Write more soon!

Signing off,

Gillian Teacha



Couple Set, Love Trends

It's funny living in a foreign country for so long, your once narrow minded definition of "normal" starts to unravel and you kind of lose a sense of normality. Of course, each culture has its own set of rules and standards and it's only natural to compare ones foreign culture with your own. However after time you start to forget what you used to think was "acceptable" or "unacceptable", "reasonable" or "unreasonable" and find yourself questioning the random and mundane obstacles you face every day. It's really the little things that make me stop and think, "is this normal?" "Do they do this at home?" How soon we forget.

Just the other day I learned that if you press the wrong floor in an elevator all you need to do is simply press it once more and, vola! The light behind the number fades and you've saved yourself a good 4.2 seconds. Necessary? Probably not. Efficient? Most definitely.

Efficiency seems to be the common trend in Korean life. Even their architecture is designed in such a way to accommodate Korea's abundant population while not taking up too much space in their small country. Almost every office building, school, hair salon, grocery store, bar and restaurant is shared and divided floor by floor. Grocery stores here are stories high and shopping carts are engineered to fit perfectly in the ridges of the flat escalator to ensure your eggs arrive safely to the next level.

My school and workplace is on the forth level of a four story building and walking up the stairs, I pass a restaurant, a hair salon and a bank. If I felt like it, I could technically teach a day's work, change my hairstyle and then pay off any outstanding bills without even stepping outside once. I suppose you can say Korea really gives the saying, 'killing two birds with one stone' a whole new meaning.

It's hard to remember my first impressions of this unique country but one of the first memories I can recall was stepping off the plane merely 2 years ago and seeing a couple dressed the same head to toe. I tried to come up with an explanation for this bizarre sight, maybe they were part of a tour group or part of the same family and didn't want to get lost. But after only a few months I figured out this absurdity was really as absurd as I thought. Couples actually enjoy and are somewhat praised for dressing the exact same in public. Their uniform proves to others that they are 'going steady' and are taking their relationship to a whole new level. Now I'm sure this has come up in previous blogs but I just want reiterate how truly hilarious this notion of 'couple sets' really is. Since most Korean people live with their families until they tie the knot, couples are typically living apart. This means couple set couples actually have to PLAN AHEAD! I can only imagine how that conversation would go: (of course it is translated for your convenience)

[Phone rings]
Male Couple Set: Hello?
Female CS: Hi sweetheart. I miss you.
Male CS: I miss you too. Can I see you this afternoon?
Female CS: Yes. I can meet you downtown after I visit my Grandparents.
Male CS: Great! What are you feeling today? Stripes? Polka dots? A pastel, perhaps?
Female CS: Hmmmmmm. You look best in pastel but I think vertical stripes really elongate my mid section.
Male CS: Alright then. How about we wear our skinny blue jeans with the purple and white striped Tee?
Female CS: That's perfect! But what about our shoes?
Male CS: Let's kick the black Nike high tops!
Female CS: Can't wait! People will totally envy us!

So there you have it. What I would assume to be a typical phone conversation had between two willing participants in Korea's strange yet endearing love trend. But I am still left pondering... whose idea was this in the first place? Did one couple randomly decide to dress identical and others followed? Was there a magazine layout featuring couples dressed the same which then assimilated into reality?

Trends in Korea are pretty aggressive considering this is such a homogeneous society. Walking into my staff room the other day I was greeted by 5 of my co workers who apparently all had appointments with their optometrists that morning. I've worked here for 3 months now and not one staff member has whipped out a pair of glasses. But this day, each one of them was sporting a pair of thick black frames minus the lenses. I apparently didn't get the memo!

Whatever the case may be, Korea's efficient trend setters, engineers, designers, and general consumers all help mold this country into a perfect target for foreigners to lovingly mock yet try to understand. But maybe trying to understand them is a waste of time. Perhaps our curiosity is what's deterring our willingness to just accept or conform. Or maybe, the jokes on us.........??

Some Korean guys sporting the black framed trend

Nah! I don't think so!


Write more soon!

"In order to keep anything cultural, logical, or ideological, you have to reinvent the reality of it"
- Ani Difranco

With love,

Signing off,

Gillian Teacher xx