Dog House W/ Patio

Random Points

It's officially been one month since I left the United States today. Here are a few quick thoughts that perhaps I haven't been able to write yet:

- This weekend will be the Independence Day and Canada Day celebration. I'll be leaving for Gimhae on Friday after work to meet Dave. It's also his birthday Saturday. Expect a post covering my first Independence Day outside of the US.

- I also celebrated my fourth year out of back surgery this month. Knowing that I'm in South Korea for it has added an interesting introspect to that fact, but I won't bore you with that. Just know that my back says hello and that he's doing fine.

- While I'm on the surgery kick… My wisdom teeth sockets are healing nicely although they do get rice stuck in them every once and awhile.

- Thanks for all the comments; it makes me feel like you all actually give a damn. Trust me, that means a hell of a lot to man on the other side of the world.

- I'm going to start breaking out the video camera soon to capture some of the more… 'you have to see it' moments. Example: the 2 network channels devoted to covering people play the 90's hit computer game Star Craft against each other (yes, they have commentators and newscasts after each game)!

Hope you all enjoy the 4th, kick back an American brew for me, and blow something up.

My First Korean Beach Party

This weekend Dave and I decided to have a beach party. Well, it was more like a get together on the beach, but a good time nonetheless. The cast of characters: Dave, Dara, Less, three Korean teachers, and myself. I tried to convince other people to drop their plans but no one did. So we just had a good old fashioned sing along time at Ilsan Beach instead.

Dara, a young Irishman that seems to bring a good time wherever he goes, hauled out his guitar and commenced to dazzle us with his repertoire of songs. He was a busker (read: street musician) back in Dublin but don't let that fool you: the kid has talent. So needless to say we were having a blast just relaxing on the beach as Koreans advanced us cautiously and usually sat around for a song or two. Anything for free English exposure. The night progressed well until Dara announced that somewhere along the line he lost his wallet. We searched the beach for a good forty minutes but came up short. To my knowledge it's still missing. We ended up at a restaurant when the sun came up amid a heated political discussion that ended in us being asked to leave because we were too loud for the other patrons. By other patrons I mean two hung-over Korean men that didn't want to hear our views on American politics. C'est la vie.

Despite it all Dave and I made it back to my apartment to take a much needed and deserved sleep. Waking up to instant coffee we threw on Team America: World Police just for amusement as Independence Day is around the corner (and Dave's birthday, too). All in all a good weekend that seems to have come right before the rainy season officially starts. By rainy season I mean it drizzles about non-stop for three weeks and then its back to normal.

Amusing side note: fireworks are legal here, and people tend to take advantage of that fact… especially at the beach… and we especially did as well.

Pictures for your amusement:

Dave on the roof of a building dubbed "The Pisser." Note the Haeundae shipping yards in the background. Its the largest ship building complex in the world. Impressive and scary to see.

Me on "The Pisser." A little bit more picturesque.

Dara taking a break from playing to rail on the English like a good Irish boy.

Less (Canadian) and one of the teachers. The Koreans love showing the peace symbol. Now if they would stop staring....

A Coney Island-like theme emanates from Ilsan Beach. There are more batting cages here than I've seen in America and I still can't hit a ball. This is one of Dave trying not to crack me with his follow through. (He missed the pitch, by the way).

Just sitting out maxing, relaxing all cool and shooting some soju outside of the mul... Sorry I had to. Mul means water (pronounced "Mool") Soju is a vile vile drink that's cheap and tends to escalate any situation... and never for the better.

I'm telling you, they shoot these thing off non-stop. You'd think they know how to aim them, but no. My advice, keep your head up and remember to stop, drop, and roll.

To address the scooter issue: consider me looking for a good deal for next month after I get paid. This ought to be amusing...

public opinion poll

So, do I get a scooter/ motrobike while I'm here? That's question. Your answers will determine the outcome.

things to consider:

1. It will probably set me back about $400 or so.
2. I may be able to find a buyer at the end of my contract.
3. It will save me $ in the long run
4. Who wants to see cross-country photos of Korea?
5. I don't need any license specifications.
6. Do I sound sold already?
7. How is a scooter and a fat chick alike?
8. They're fun to ride but you don't want your friends to see you doing it.
9. Its not my joke, thank ---- for that one!

and the polls open...... now.

the small things...

Now that I've been here for over two weeks I feel that I can relay some of the details that make life in Korea very amusing. It's because of these things that I laugh often while walking down the street, working, or sitting in my apartment. It's also these things that make me realize where I'm at and where I was giving me a better appreciation for both. While this isn't nearly a comprehensive list, it should paint a good picture for you. So try to imagine experiencing these things on a daily basis and you might get an inkling what it's like living here.

Everything is roughly one-third smaller than in the States. The people, the cars, the streets, the hallways, the beds, and from what I've heard even the condoms. This puts a westerner like myself in an amusing situation no matter where I go. I cannot tell you the number of times I've hit my head on a doorway or squeezed through the foot traffic on my way to work.

Every time I go out to eat the server brings me (and only me, as I'm the only wayguk) a fork. This has led me to believe that there is only one fork in every restaurant especially designated for me. Now when I go out to eat with my Korean teachers I ask, “Where's 'my' fork?” They don't seem to get a kick out of it. Perhaps its because they know how insulting it would be if they sat down at a restaurant in America and the server brought them out chopsticks.

The food isn't so bad. Since I'm allergic to seafood it has limited some of my options. I've eaten a fair variety that all has the same five flavors. Some of the dishes I've had have very unique textures though. One egg derived meal felt like I was sucking down hot gelatin. Very different. The Korean people seem to think that they have the spiciest food on Earth, which is not the case. Often they will tell me not to eat something because it is 'too spicy.' Of course I then eat it and laugh at their definition of 'spicy.' I think somewhere down the line westerners once told their Korean hosts that they didn't like the food because it was too spicy to be polite. It was just too rude to say, “Your food tastes like fermented cabbage.” Which, by the way, is the most popular side dish here known as gimchi. No, I've not eaten dog yet. Yet.

The garbage man can. What seemed like a nice perk in the beginning has turned into my one loathsome complaint about my apartment. The garbage man comes around every day in his truck to pick up the trash. Which means that there is no need for garbage cans as you can place your trash outside your building on your way to work. Handy, right? But what I've come to realize is that the garbage truck plays (rather: blares) a little song as it drives under my window every morning at 8 that repeats the Korean equivalent to 'Bring out your trash, I'm coming to take it away!' Or something like that. It is the most annoying song ever. Add 8am into the equation and it's a damn good thing that they don't allow firearms in this country.

The Stare. This is perhaps the best/ worst part of Korea. As you can imagine I don't quite look like everyone else here. Anywhere I go I am stared at as if they cannot believe what they are seeing. At first it was a bit flattering but has since turned into a minor annoyance. From what I hear the next step is 'Major Annoyance' and then 'Ignore-ence.' Can't wait. Mostly children will stop in their tracks and look at you like you have lobsters crawling out of your ears (Christmas Story anyone?). The ajummas (grandparents) will do this as well but they have a bit more respect in their eyes. The teen to middle age group is the worst. They look at you like you've crawled up from the sewers and are poised to trounce their family. Some even go so far as to say a “Hello,” or “What's your name?” as it is the only English they know. God help them if you answer them. I've picked up the Korean phrase for, “There's a Foreigner!” (which I hear often as I'm walking through town). To which I've learned to say back in Korean, “There's a Korean!” with a shocked look on my face. They don't know what to do, its great.

Some pics to feed the masses

These are the regular looks I get when I'm working.

One of my students, the kid always smiles.

This kid has better English skills than me.

Okay, so Korean women don't like to have their picture taken. So of course, I take candid photos which usually puts my co-workers into quite a state. To smooth things over I deleted the pictures and then took this picture of myself being an idiot (and got one of the teachers in the shot while I was at it... heh heh heh).

This does not do Ulsan Justice, but it gives you an idea of the skyline and air quality. This is from the roof of my school. One cool difference from the States- most public buildings leave their roof doors open, so you can see the city from just about anywhere if you're willing to climb some steps.

A quick pic of my usual dinner. The mother of one of the students comes in to study English when I teach my Director. In return she has made dinner for her son, the Director's kids, and myself everynight I've worked. Free meal... sweet.

Here we go

Hello everyone that's found this site. I hope that you all are in good health and aren't wondering if I've been hit by a crazy Korean motor scooter. Well, I have but that's another story.

I've been in South Korea for about ten days now. In an effort to catch up, make your own flashback sounds/gestures now.....

My flight from Chicago to Seoul was fairly uneventful. I slept most of the way so that I could properly adjust my body for the first night. I arrived at Seoul, went through customs without a hitch and checked my baggage for my domestic flight. This would be the last time I saw a western face for forty-eight hours.

I arrived in Busan and was hesitantly greeted by Heyya, Winny, and Wonny (my Korean connection). I say hesitantly because they weren't expecting me to have a beard. On the drive to Ulsan (my future home) I was delicately asked if I shave. This means, “Shave that thing off your face if you want to teach here.” I met my director, a woman about forty who speaks no English. She showed me my new place and through a series of gestures and ticking noises was able to show me how the water heater worked. She gave me her cell phone so I could call her in the morning. Apparently I was to start right away.

After waking at an ungodly hour because my body refused to believe it wasn't two in the afternoon I walked around my new neighborhood and took in South Korea in the daylight. It was right about this time I started wondering, “What the hell have you done?” Nonetheless, I called my director after unpacking and was whisked away to the school I teach at. We took care of some business, getting an alien registration card (that's right, I'm an alien), new bank account, some food for the apartment, and various other errands. I was left to my own devices for the remainder of the evening, as I was fading out from jet lag. The next day was strikingly similar. It was about three days in did I realize I hadn't seen any westerners, nor had a conversation where that didn't leave me feeling like butter spread over too much toast. Anxiety set in. Depression reared its ugly head. And for about four hours I was waiting for my new Northern Neighbors to come screaming over the 38th parallel. But they didn't. And I snapped out of it. That was the extent of my culture shock. (I actually wrote a little something about that time, but have decided not to include it for public viewing).

I finally met some other westerners the next day that are teachers at sister schools of mine. I've since hung out with a few of them and we all seem to get along fine. The first weekend I took a bus out to Gimhae where Dave works. For those of you wondering, Dave is a friend of mine from Cary. I've known him since I was a toddler. As you can imagine that was a blast. I met more people there and had good time overall.

My first week of teaching was very interesting. I've discovered that my purpose here in South Korea is not to teach, per se, but to entertain the kids. I tried teaching with the materials they gave me (which were horrendous) and the director and other teachers asked that I be more cheerful. So I pepped it up a bit but that still wasn't what they were looking for. I asked what I should do and was quickly told that I should play games with the kids. So that's my new job description, “Play games with the kids, make them laugh!” Yes, I'm a clown. Thank you, thank you.

This was perhaps the biggest blow yet. I've had a lot of time to reflect on why it is I'm here. I came here because I didn't know what I was doing with my life. I had a lot of very positive things going for me back in Utah but I still felt like I was drifting. I needed some perspective. I needed my life handed to me on a plate for inspection. So after coming here with intent to teach, and then being denied that, I've started to get the idea that perhaps what I really want to do is teach. I've always looked at teaching as something I could do but not really something I wanted to do. Now I see that I've taken for granted my experiences and that perhaps going back to school upon re-entry to the states would be a good idea.

So that's about where I'm at right now. I hope that helps. I apologize that I haven't been in better contact with a lot of you. I now have an internet connection and a cell phone. Once I get the details of how you can call me from the US I'll post that information. I will try to keep this site up to date, so check often.

cheers,

ryan