Feeling like a celebrity

Today is one of those days that I am amazed where I am. The question of how did this happen? has been a regular question. Never did I believe that I would have the chance to travel Asia, let alone live here. It just kind of.. worked out.This is the most amazing and also the hardest adventure of my life. Luckily the longer that I'm here the more I love it here and am happy to be here. Right now I have the constant wish to share this experience with the people that I love. Hence my blog. And hence my constant nudging to get Zack to join me for a couple months.
I climbed a large hill by my house today and am currently surrounded by trees and sitting on a square wooden platform encircling a tree. I'm not sure the purpose of this place other than quiet contemplation. This is what I will use it for. I look out at trees and through the trees is a high rise apartment building. Behind this building is an even taller hill. Coincidentally there is a gym on top of this hill, which makes me laugh. You're telling me I have to climb this hill to then go and work out? Step one: Climb the huge hill without dying.
Step two: Possibly join the gym.

Yesterday I discovered how mountainous and breathtaking Korea is. Some friends and I took an hour long bus ride from Mokpo to Jindo island for the Miracle Sea Parting Festival that celebrates the time of year that the tides change and create a path from Jindo Island to another island maybe half a mile away. Along the way is where I discovered Korea's landscape. Since I live on the coast there's a immense array of small islands off shore of the mainland. The below pictures from the bus doesn't do it justice.
Some things that I learned today about bathrooms in the countryside. Some bathrooms have toilet paper outside of the stalls, so you had better know what number you're about to make to avoid the walk of shame to retrieve more paper. I'm just grateful I looked around the stall before doing my business and realizing there was no paper!
And #2, some bathrooms simply don't have toilet paper (or soap) at all. In this case, I went to a convenience store and bought some tissues. Lesson: always have hand sanitizer and tissues in your purse when traveling Korea.

The festival was so fun, and FULL of foreigners. Interaction with foreigners is something that I still wonder about. Since I just got here, anytime I see a non-Korean I get excited.  When I first got here I would say something or smile to foreigners I saw, quickly to realize that I'm the weirdo. As my friends here say, you aren't going to be friends with every English speaking person. That is not a reasonable expectation back home and is not going to happen here. It seems to be the same as home that you meet people through friends and activities, not randomly going up to someone at a bus terminal. Still, its already feeling weird to hear so much English in one place. 

The sea parting festival was so amazing! We bought these stylish boots to wear since there are lots of puddles and mud across the 'sea road'. They had a performance of western dancers in their 'global village' which was interesting to watch. In addition there were a lot of native Korean dances and singing in the streets. An old man in his traditional costume even grabbed my hand and dragged me to the dance floor to dance. I would have danced longer if I wasn't following 7 people who did not seem to notice I was being dragged away! 

What can I say. I'm a celebrity. 

I was also asked my a middle eastern or northern African-looking man to take a picture with me. My friends said its because I have blonde hair. 

My friends say that when you first get here the staring will drive you crazy. I'm still getting used to it, because it's still weird to get so much attention!

Anyway, enjoy the pictures. 

The grossest thing I've seen so far... silkworms. Yes, to eat. No, I did not try them.

Potato spirals on a stick in a cheesy powder.

 The sea path

Someone gave me these three fish to release into the ocean.

 Releasing my fish into the muddy water.. Honestly a little concerned that they still died..

 The sea before the parting. It is to that island in the distance that we walked. 

The parting!

                                    

Until next time. Love you all for reading :)

Say "Kimchi"! (insert peace sign)

I am sitting in my room watching the movie Julie and Julia, which also happens to be one of the last movies I watched in the states. Korean TV is very similar to American TV except for that there is always something in English to watch, which is not something you would see in the states. For such a small country, the entertainment industry is huge. They have their Korea soap operas, reality TV shows, documentaries, cooking shows, MTV style shows etc. It's very impressive for such a small country.

Observation for the week: they are very beauty conscious. Plastic surgery is very big here, especially getting the double eyelid surgery. I am very against plastic surgery so its hard to accept but when putting it in perspective, I am from the Midwest where it is rare to see anything more than an occasional Botox or breast lift procedure. If I lived in California it might be less surprising to see. Medical procedures are much cheaper here too. 

My first week of school:

Was stressful. This was technically a training week so I had someone with me for most classes. My schedule is PACKED. We are short a teacher due to issues with her obtaining paperwork so we all have extra classes to teach. I have about 2 hours a day of preparation and 6 hours of classes. The girls said that previously they taught maybe 3-4 hours a day with the remainder of time as prep. I have been going in early and staying late already to make sure I feel prepared. I am also the kind of person that needs to feel prepared to feel confident. I am working this weekend and I will likely go in early tomorrow morning. I can't wait for the new teacher to arrive, but it sounds like we might have at least a month of this crazy schedule. 

Tomorrow is my first day teaching alone and needless to see I am nervous. 

The kids are adorable though. I teach 2 5's classes, an intensive 7 class (basically means the parents pay more for longer english lessons), a regular 7's class and 2 elementary age classes (9-10 years old). I was able to give English names to the 5 year old classes, which was fun. Now the challenge is getting them to understand what their English name is. 

Korean knowledge for the day: When a child is born, they are already considered 1 years old. They still have birthdays, but it means that the kids I teach are a year younger in American standards. So the 5's classes are actually 4 years old in America. THEY ARE SO YOUNG!

It is nice to stay busy though because it keeps me distracted and therefore less homesick. 

The one with the little red glasses I named Louie and he is about a head shorter than all the kids. I want to take him home with me

I also learned that if you say "Kimchi" to the kids, they will automatically strike a pose.

I have walked around the city a lot more. I'm starting to orient myself better. I found a map of Mokpo, which helped a lot and have been going out anytime someone else is. I am not confident enough to go by myself. But hey, it hasn't even been 2 weeks. I admit, I feel like I've been here for months already... Everyone I meet though says the time goes really fast once you get in a rhythm. I'm waiting for that to happen...

Yesterday we took a taxi to Yuldasan Mountain. The main forms of transportation if you don't have a car are buses, taxis, and walking. Yuldasan was about a 45 minute walk so we took a taxi- about $7. Taxis are cheap. I will repeat though- Korean drivers are crazy. They seriously do whatever they want. Its something you get used to because it somehow seems to work. The girls who have lived here longer say they have never seen a car accident. Another fact: Pedestrians do not have the right of way. 

Yuldasan mountain is the biggest mountain in Mokpo and takes about 30 minutes to climb to the top. From there you can see all of Mokpo. 

 Today I walked by the ocean too.

Finally, for everyone's entertainment I show you the passport picture that I had to take here when I first arrived. I didn't realize I was supposed to bring a passport picture for my alien registration card so I was taken to a portrait studio where they photoshopped my face to make me look like someone else. He made my eyes bigger, shoulders smaller, whitened my teeth and made my face smaller. He messed up my right eye too... It's really not very good.

(note the shadow is from me. I took a picture of the picture.) 

Party like a K-Pop star

I can't believe it hasn't yet been a week since I left. When I'm alone I think about what I was doing a week ago today, which is still events back home. I am looking forward to the passing time to make this transition easier. Being alone makes me homesick. But being with others out in Mokpo is exciting.
Therefore, I need to stay busy.
The girls I work with are wonderful and very supportive since they've been new here too. Two of the girls who have been here for a year are leaving in a week. They are the most confident in the city so I am a little anxious about them leaving. A girl who has been here for 2 years is leaving in April. I will be picking her brain while she's here!
The six of us teachers plus some other foreigners in Mokpo went out for a going away party for the two girls leaving. These girls are fun. We started off at a restaurant that serves fresh "makkoli" which is a Korean rice wine served cold and in a tea kettle that resembles milk at first look  (the yellow cup in the forefront of the picture). It does not taste like milk. The meal was nearly entirely seafood. The traditional assortment of sides including kimchi, clams, soup, seaweed, spinach, bean sprouts, potatoes, and acorns. The acorns were very good except for the fact that we all were stabbing at it with metal chopsticks to get them open. I'm not sure if it was worth the effort.
We ate a seafood pancake. I ate a small octopus tentacle on its own that was tough to chew and an odd texture. It was good when I ate with the pancake though. We ate tofu with beef and seafood kimchi as well as a main entree.

After the restaurant we headed to a so-called western bar called "Dios". I guess this is a spot that many foreigners visit. I learned here that the main foreigners  in Mokpo are either English teachers or dockworkers who are here a couple months at a time. I was quickly warned about them.


The best part of the night was going to a Korean karaoke bar, or a no-rae-bong. A group can rent individual rooms so luckily this is not like doing karaoke at an American bar making a fool of yourself in front of strangers. Instead you just make a fool out of yourself in front of friends- and for me newly formed friends. You are allowed to bring your own food and drinks making this a cheap, fun night. 

The karaoke screens all had videos with what I imagine are Korean K-Pop stars. They aren't actually singing the songs, but making a dramatic music video of sorts. If you don't know K-Pop, let me give you a preview. 

Best of "2014" K Pop videos

Being here, I wish I appreciated girly looking men more. Not unattractive.. but I miss the burly chest and facial hair already. 

Until next time. Signing off. 

And... I have arrived

I have arrived in Korea. This week has been a complete whirlwind of emotions and new experiences. I am running on so many bouts of adrenaline followed by crashes. The 14 hour time difference is tough to get used to.
My Korean experience began on the 14 hour plane ride from Chicago. The flight attendants were in bright blue or white shirts and/or pants that are reminiscent of 1950s American attendants. The plane itself was not necessarily better or worse than an American plane but the service was far beyond what you would see on a long plane to Europe. Two good, hot meals with 3 options each, wine with the meal and many serving of drinks throughout the flight. The time difference was so confusing that I never know what meal I was eating. What time is is? Is this breakfast, lunch or dinner?
Miscommunications with the girl I was supposed to meet at the airport led to me getting the last bus ticket out of Incheon Int. Airport to Gwangju, a larger city about an hour outside of Mokpo where I am living.
I arrived in Mokpo at 2:30 am Korean time. Let me see figure this out for you all:
Left Indianapolis at 9:30 am Tuesday morning EST. I arrived in Korea on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 pm, which would be Wednesday morning at 2 am EST. I got to Mokpo at 2:30 am Korean time which is then noon on Wednesday EST. I WAS UP FOR TOO LONG! I got 4 hours of sleep that first night and then went to work at 10 am to complete my medical test in order to get my alien registration card.
Let's talk about this medical test and the observations from my first days in Korea.
My supervisor, the other new girl and I went to the hospital to complete the examination. We had a urine test, a blood test, chest X ray, dental screening, eye exam, hearing exam, blood pressure taken and weight/height. Koreans appear to be paranoid about disease, although there are some interesting observations in comparing them to American practices. Outside the hospital was a man in hospital pajamas standing next to his IV drip and smoking a cigarette. This was a frequent sight. Hey, at least they're not smoking inside.
The X ray test asked me to stand behind a curtain, take off my bra and shirt put on the one shirt that was available for everyone receiving an Xray (pants were also included, although thank goodness I did not need to use these!) The urine was taken in cups with no lids and placed in a basket with other people's. (In case you wondering, I am healthy enough to pass their strict medical testing. I am officially staying in Korea. )
Another observation: Koreans are crazy drivers! They drive fast, park anywhere they can fit and stop last minute at stop lights (which makes me wonder if they would just as easily plow right through if there are no other cars). there appear to be virtually no sidewalks, but Koreans are accustomed to slowing down quickly if you, as a pedestrian, are in the way. I asked one of the teachers if there are a lot of accidents here and she said no. "Everyone is a bad driver, so it just kind of works". The way Koreans drive also reflects in behaviors in the stores and on the street. People crowd into elevators and streets and have no problem getting very close to you. "excuse me" is therefore not said with
every bump of an arm. I'm okay with this. Its refreshing to not say excuse me for every little thing.
 
 They have also told me that this is an incredibly safe country with virtually no crime. Koreans will return objects back to you if you loose them. I have heard a couple stories of forgetting cell phones in a taxi and actually getting them back. The girls say that you can walk at night without issue. What a concept. I would never walk alone at night in America.

I'm sure I have a million and one more things to talk about. For now I need to catch up on jet lag.

good night, and enjoy the pictures.

Airplane food with directions on how to make Bibimbap

tomato pasta 

cloudy day flying into Incheon airport

My school EG Child- notice it says "EG Child English School. Genius School "

View of my apartment. the school is the building on the left. It is a 10 second walk to work...

The art classroom

This is pork with sausage, mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Nearly every Korea meal appears to come with at least 4 sides. This assortment includes a salad, soup, Korean pancake and three types of Kimchi. 

All this can be wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Directions: roll into a ball and stuff in mouth.