First Jjimjilbang (찜질방) Experience

I was fortunate enough to have four days off of teaching and decided to have an extended stay in Seoul. I got in on Wednesday night and stayed with my friend Dustin. On Thursday, I met up with two of my former students and had lunch at Buddha's Belly in Itaewon. They have a pretty good lunch menu and tasty Thai food. Minah and Jinsoo had never had Thai food before and they both enjoyed their selections. I had a massage appointment at Healing Hands and while I was being pampered (fully body, hot stone and paraffin foot treatment for only 70,000W!) they explored Itaewon. After my massage they took me to Samcheong-dong, it is near the largest palace in Seoul (Gyeongbokgung) and it is an artsy area with a lot of really neat art galleries and quaint coffee shops. Definitely a place I'd like to explore again.

Once we finished checking out a few of the galleries, we headed to my old neighborhood to go to Lotte Jjimjilbang. A jjimjilbang is a Korean public bathhouse. It is gender segregated in some parts and communal in others. When you get into the jjimjilbang you pay the attendant about 7,000W and they hand you a slip of paper with your locker number, a few towels and the jjimjilbang uniform. Once inside, you place your shoes in a small cabinet and then head to the locker room. It's best to shower before heading into the pools and/or the sauna areas. So, you strip down, head to the shower area which is also where the pools are. They are filled with all different temperatures of water and you can move from pool to pool or stay in one. If you decide to head to the resting area/saunas you put your uniform on (shorts and a t-shirt) and grab one of your towels and head out. The saunas vary in temperature too. We started in one that was 174 degrees Fahrenheit! Immediately after, we headed to the ice room at a cool 23 degrees. We didn't have a whole lot of time as I was meeting a friend for dinner, but it was a nice first experience and I can't wait to go back!

On Saturday night, Dustin and I saw Eclipse and it was pretty good. I can't wait to finish the Twilight books now though because I can't wait for the next movie to find out what happens!

Three Weeks In...

It seems my lack of blogging has put me near the end of my first three weeks of teaching. As I'm only teaching for six weeks this makes it a pivotal point in my return to Korea. This time around I am teaching college freshman who are finishing their English requirement. Thankfully I've been blessed by the higher level students, but I will admit, it has still been quite challenging as only half the class really understands the daily conversations and tasks. With that said, it will be interesting to see what the next three weeks will bring as I will also be balancing a 3 credit course, 3 hours, 4 days a week. It should prove interesting, but of course, I'm always up for a challenge.

Life in Daejeon is a bit more laid back than life in Seoul, but not without its unique eccentricities of course. I actually prefer the pace here to the pace in Seoul however, I do like that I know my way around Seoul, know how to get places and was privileged to live in a prime location. Woosong is hectic. I say that with some restraint as I've had some problems with things here, but at the same time, it is more me adjusting to Korean life again. Having previously been to Korea I know that things do not always happen the way they are supposed to or even in a fashion that I am accustom to. With that said, it has been, once again, a learning experience on my part. I am so blessed with this opportunity once again and I'm trying to make the most of it.

My days in Daejeon are filled with teaching, hiking and once again devouring delicious Korean food. I try to eat kimchi daily as I missed it more than I eve knew. I also try to eat something different everyday, not necessarily something new, but different at least. Below are a few pictures from the past few weeks.
















Daejeon as seen from my hike















Uma Park, about a mile from my apartment

Welcome to Daejeon + Thankful Thursday

On June 6th, I left for Korea. Again. This time a two month stint in Daejeon, which pales in comparison to my previous 13 months in Seoul. I spent the first two days in Seoul and on June 9th, made my way to Daejeon. Daejeon is about an hour southwest of Seoul by the high-speed KTX train or about 2 hours by normal train. I'm sharing an apartment with my friend Sarah and it is quite nice. Daejeon is smaller than Seoul, but not small by any means. 1.5 million people occupy this city and while it's subway system is a one liner at the moment, extensive bus and train systems are in effect. I spent my 25th birthday here with Sarah and Jenna and then headed to Seoul for the weekend. Not a whole lot to report yet. I will recap my first week teaching at a later date (probably tomorrow)

Thankful Thursday
This wonderful opportunity to be back in Korea

Turning 25 a week ago

Getting to visit BIS, my old school in Seoul

Amazing Korean food

Round Two

I leave for Korea on June 6th! I land in the land of the Morning Calm at 5pm on June 7th. Watch out Korea, I'm coming back!

P.S. I know I've neglected this blog the last month or so, but that's all about to change my friends. I have updates coming soon about Target Field, running and of course, more KOREA!!!

Korea...Again?

I have decided to spend my summer in Korea. I will be in Deajeon (대전) at Woosong University. I'll be there from about June 5 until August 10-ish. Not only will I be taking a class (supposed to be two, but I'm already in Vocabulary Acquisition so I'll take 3 credits of thesis), but I will also be teaching listening and speaking classes to Korean students studying for the TOEIC. I currently teach listening and speaking at St. Cloud State University so this should be a nice and relatively harmless transition. I won't be working with the little ones like I did in 2008-2009, but I'm still looking forward to spending yet another summer in the Land of the Morning Calm.

2009 Reflection and 2010 Outlook

Yes this is about 21 days late, but I'd like to reflect on things that went well and not so well in 2009 and also look forward to what 2010 may bring.

So...2009...
I spent the first 8 months of it in Korea
Teaching, traveling, making friends, eating DELICIOUS food and growing.
I rang in the New Year in downtown Seoul with presumably millions of Koreans.
China in May, climbed the Great Wall, ate sticky strawberries and haggled.
Marked a year in Korea in July and celebrated a month later in Thailand,
The most beautiful place I've ever visited.
Flew home to my family and fought jet lag for about a month.
Started my master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language,
Quickly started teaching again, adjusted to America and made new friends.
Lost my grandfather...I'm lucky to have had 24 of his 85 years.
Met a wonderful man and am planning on spending the rest of my life with him.
Had Thanksgiving dinner with my family...ahhhh, turkey, cranberries, lefse!
Finished the semester with a decent GPA and a research paper I'm proud of.
Celebrated Christmas with my family and enjoyed every moment.
Racked up eight 5Ks and a few PRs...best decision I've ever made...running is FUN!

And...2010...
Rang in the New Year with an amazing man.
Started a second semester of graduate work and
Decided for now that I will forgo my teaching license.
For the first time in a long time, I am incredibly happy.
May be headed overseas to teach...UAE, Saudi Arabia, Korea again...
May stay state side and pursue a Ph.D.
Hopefully and probably getting hitched to that amazing man.
Training for a half-marathon (a full will have to wait, I think, until 2011)
And keeping up with the 5Ks and eventually, 10Ks (soon!!!).
And whatever else may find me in 2010, I am ready for it...good or bad.

Farewell Korea

I've gone over what I wanted to write for a "farewell blog" time and time again, but somehow it never seems to stay with me long enough to write it down. To say Korea has been an amazing opportunity is an understatement. I'm not sure a word actually exists to describe this past year of learning, teaching and growing. It's been surreal at points, unbelievable and devastating all at the same time. My expectations have been far surpassed and my knowledge of Korea has increased by 200%. I never thought I'd be in Korea teaching English and I doubt anyone would have even expected it from me, the habitual mind changer. A year in one place and I'd have to stay? I did it! And I want to shout that from my rooftop to the city that bustles below the haze of pollution and ever present neon lights.

Still, the question remains: what do I write to sum up a year of living, teaching and learning in Korea? A list of things I'll miss? A well thought out essay style piece of blogging? Nothing? Theoretically, this should be my longest piece of blogging, a summation of a year in Korea. So here goes.

Goodbye food: kimchi, bulgogi and rice, donkas, curry and rice, mandu guk, kimchi mandu, dokkbokki, twigim, jjajagmeyon, ramyeon, kimchi jjigae, kimbap, bibimbap, samgyeopsal, omurice and so much more. Butterfinger Pancakes, On the Border and McDelivery. Goodbye shopping: COEX, Myeongdong, Dongdaemun, GMarket, Namdaemun, Yongsan (illegal DVD's!!) and subway stations. Goodbye efficent public transportation: subway (which seriously ROCKS), buses and cheap taxis. Goodbye fun stuff: affordable movies, Dr. Fish, photo booths, board game cafes, people watching at Subway, noraebang, baseball games, Hongdae and Gangnam. Goodbye cheap weekend getaways: Jinju, Jeonju, Samcheok, Busan, Damyang, Boseong, Boryeong and the DMZ. Farewell to my job: adorable children who love me unconditionally, a great boss who would help with anything, teaching and shaping young minds, crazy moments where I have to ask why I did this, funny things children say, steady and reliable income, friendly and fun co-workers, a nice place to live and a free gym. Goodbye inexpensive international travel: Japan, China and Thailand. Goodbye people: people shoving on the subway, people bumping in the street, people helping in every way they can even if they don't speak English, people bowing, people looking out for each other, people drunk in the street, people without umbrella manners, amazing bank man, people who I have grown to respect. Goodbye things I don't like: dried squid, fish flavored crackers, grubby kid hands, communication mishaps/lack of communication, surprise apartment visits, the exchange rate, yucky street smells, lack of central air and monsoon season. Goodbye convenience: transferring money via ATM, street food, ice cream in a bag, convenience stores everywhere, transportation everywhere and key less apartment entry. Farewell to things I love: my friends, cheap medications, affordable national health care, Korean food, ondol floors in the winter, my apartment, random acts of kindness, public transportation, cheap food, soju cocktails and bus travel. Goodbye to things I've grown accustom to: Korean beer, grubby kid hands, communication mishaps, soju, language barriers and overcrowding.

Monsoon

I remember when my knowledge of a monsoon being heavy rain was slightly debunked as being high winds (both are characteristics of monsoons) and I recall making sure everyone around me knew this fact. Since the beginning of July, Seoul and the rest of Korea has been getting pounded with rain. Our weekend trip to Mud Fest on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong was cut short due to the rain and wind. I don't remember the last day I actually saw the sun. While it hasn't rained everyday, it has been hazy and overcast for the entirety of the month. The nice thing about the rain is that it has often brought thunder and lightning, something I missed last year around this time. However, the rain has caused all sorts of problems with the Han River (the river that cuts Seoul in half). The river has flooded in various areas and has even flooded bridges that are used to cross the river. My walk to work often leaves my shoes soaking wet and me looking a little less put together. I like the rain though, it's not as humid and it's much cooler when it rains. I've been very satisfied with my Korean weather experience.

This blog post is actually rather short and uneventful, but since the rain has become a huge part of my daily commute, I thought I'd take the time to comment on it.

Work Frustrations

I think I'll start things with my favorite pastime...a countdown, or three. 17 days of teaching left, 24 days until Thailand and a mere 34 days until I touch down in America. I can't believe how fast time has flown by and how much I feel like I have accomplished, but also how much I have yet to accomplish. It's been crazy at work lately and while I didn't intend for this to be such a (probably) spiteful blog, it will almost certainly turn into that.

Let me start off by saying that overall my experience at BIS has been fabulous. I get paid on time, I live in a highly coveted location, I have a very nice apartment and I have an amazing boss who will do anything for me (and my co-workers). My students, for the most part are great and they have come a long way in the time I've taught them and I don't mind my working hours. So, what's the problem? Report cards. Seemingly pointless schedule/class changes. "Changing" the way I'm supposed to teach a certain class. Workload overload.

1. Report Cards- Yes, as a teacher in the States (which is what I aspire to be) I will have to do report cards so why am I complaining? It's the way we have to do the report cards, when I first arrived I was responsible for 5-7 classes (45 students) worth of report cards, just general commenting on their ability and possible a recap of the term. Now, I have to write report cards for 14 classes (roughly 100 students).

2. Seemingly pointless schedule/class changes-The schedule was changed due to some sort of scheduling conflict with the kids. Justified. However, what I find pointless is having us teach 6 classes in a row on Tuesday and Thursday while only having 4-5 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday when one of the T/TR classes has three yes, THREE students in it. Why couldn't they be added to one of the other T/TR classes of the same grade level? It's to challenge the students, while they aren't the same level, they are close enough and the class I teach (the same for both sections) is taught the same. Same material, same homework, same everything. I challenge both classes in the same way and I get the same results regardless of class. If this class of THREE were to be consolidated into the class of FIVE it would be a nice, well-rounded class with plenty of challenging material AND an extra break for teachers who already teach 34-35 classes a week...again, probably close to what I'd be teaching in the States, but a lot of English teachers in Korea teach anywhere from 15-25 classes and earn as much or more than I do.

3. "Changing" the way I'm supposed to teach Trophies-Trophies is a reading class with stories, vocabulary, corresponding questions and a workbook. Since I started at BIS I have conducted my Trophies classes in a manner similar to this: 2 weeks on a story (2-4 classes depending on the grade level), day 1-introduce the reading and vocab, read story in class, assign workbook pages. day 2-talk about reading, read story in class, assign workbook pages and write vocabulary sentences. day 3-spelling test on vocabulary words, story map w/ summary (to identify important parts of the story), go over Think & Respond (questions in the book) assign reading and Think & Respond questions. day 4-workbook test and assign next reading. So, today my boss came in and told me that I need to "change" my approach to Trophies because "the students will learn better Engrishee if you change the Trophies teaching." How am I supposed to change it you ask? Well, apparently I'm supposed to spend 2 weeks on a story, assign vocab sentences, give a spelling test, assign summaries, assign reading and Think & Respond questions. I suppose I can change.

As my work frustrations mount, my excitement for Thailand and home also increase. I am sooooo thankful to have this job and I didn't want to complain because as I said, it's not a bad job, but I'm burned out and that's the source of the frustration. I need a vacation. Not having a decent break since the end of December can really wear a person out. I'm sure I'll look back on this blog entry in 4 months and think, "Hey, it wasn't that bad...and you miss it."

Dr. Fish and Baseball

This weekend was quite eventful, but also very relaxed. On Saturday, I met up with Sarah and some of her co-workers in Myeongdong (the ultra hip shopping area of Seoul) and tried to find something to wear for my upcoming birthday bash. After an unsuccessful venture, we met back up with her co-workers for a little lunch and then headed to a Dr. Fish Cafe. I've been to Dr. Fish before and this time was great, but not quite as thrilling as the first trip. Still, it was a lot of fun and I really needed some sort of attention to my feet. I love wearing sandals, but they do a number on my feet. The week before Thailand will be major pedicure time! Anyway, after Dr. Fish I headed to On the Border to have dinner with Ashley and Dani. I had a birthday coupon for some free queso so it made our weekly trip a bit different and a whole lot tastier!

Saturday I met up with Sarah again and we went to TechnoMart so she could buy a camera. After a successful hunt, we headed to Jamsil Sports Complex to see the Doosan Bears take on the Lotte Giants. The game was pretty good and the Giants won 1-0. It is so interesting to attend a baseball game in Korea because while it is similar to home, it is also very different. My favorite part is the cheering. Each team has their own cheers and each player also has some form of a cheer. It's really fun and I found myself rooting for the Giants tonight. We also witnessed a proposal, she said "yes" and a portion of the 6th inning stretch (yes, I wrote that correctly) was dedicated to panning to couples in the audience and telling them to kiss on the big screen. After successful runs of male/female couples, the videographer decided to see if two males would kiss. Korea is a rather homophobic society so this was something quite extraordinary. Not only did these males kiss, they kissed twice! I'm sure they were just friends, but it sure stirred up the audience...with cheers nonetheless. Hooray for Koreans at baseball games!

Life Update

I realized that my blog has tapered off in the past few months, but as my time in Korea comes to end I have found it difficult to squeeze in blog updating time. I have been in Korea for almost 11 months and I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It's incredible to think of all the things I've done, the things I've accomplished and the people I've met. However, I will not delve into those things now as I still have eight weeks left and don't plan on writing a "farewell" blog for quite sometime. The purpose of this entry is to update everyone on what I will be doing after Korea. I had thought about spending another year here, but I after much thought and consideration, I decided to apply to graduate school and try to get not only my master's, but also my teaching license. About three weeks ago, I was accepted to St. Cloud State University's MA in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) program. I chose to apply to this particular program because a) it's close to home b) it's rather inexpensive c) I can get an MA and a teaching license at the same time and d) I could apply and be admitted without a GRE score. I wasn't too concerned about being accepted as I did pretty well in undergrad and I have a bit of experience with the field already. What I was concerned about was the possibility of a Graduate Assistantship. The GA position is quite the jackpot. Not only would I get paid for 20 hours of work a week, but I would also have 8 of my graduate credits paid for. I received a year long position as a TA for college ESL classes and as long as my grades are good and I do a good job the first year, I can hopefully be awarded the same position next year. I have to be in St. Cloud by August 21st for orientation and classes start August 24th. It will be a whirlwind of activity before then as I settle back into the states and get adjusted to life as a college student once again.

My last day of work is July 24th and on the 25th I leave for Thailand. I will be spending 9 days between Bangkok and Phuket (with a side trip to Phi Phi Island) with my two favorite people in Korea. I'll be home August 4th and as much as I'd love to spend time with everyone I know, I will be spending time with my family and I am looking forward to every moment of it.

Bike Riding and Baseball Game

Being a beautiful weekend here in Seoul, Ashley, Dani and I wanted to take advantage of it and spend a lot of time outdoors. On Saturday morning we all met at our favorite lunch spot (On the Border) and planned a stellar weekend! After lunch we headed over to Olympic Park and took advantage of the bike rentals. We decided to get a bike for 4 people and we peddled that thing around Olympic Park two times! I have been to Olympic Park before, but I have never explored it in it's entirety. I was able to see all of the gymnasiums and the swimming pool complex as well as the various statues contained within the park. Saturday is a busy day at the park and people of all ages are riding bikes, running, rollerblading and lazying about in the grass. After bike riding we laid in the talking and reading and taking in the sights of the park. Children were having exercise classes and rollerbladers were falling while a group practiced their dancing moves. As the sun began to set we headed out towards Ashley's neck of the woods in Godeok. We had a delicious Pizza Hut dinner and headed to noraebang (or singing room). Generally we seek out a noraebang after a night out and have had a few drinks, but Dani and I convinced Ashley (who isn't a huge fan of singing in front of people) that noraebang can be just as fun sober as it can after a few drinks. We had a blast singing songs together and solo and the man running the noraebang even gave us a free 30 minutes! It was quite late after we finished and we all headed our separate directions.

Sunday we decided to check out a baseball game at the Jamsil Sports Complex (where Olympic Stadium is located). I really wanted to go to an LG Twins game because I'm a Minnesota Twins fan and I thought it would be fun to cheer on the Twins in Korea too. Luckily, the Twins had a 3 game series with the KIA Tigers this weekend and we were able to catch a game. We bought tickets for a mere 6,000W and ended up having pretty good seats in the outfield, between 1st and 2nd base. Baseball games in Korea are a bit different from games at home, but the affection for baseball and the teams is very much the same. One thing that struck me as odd, right away, was the lack of a seat number on our tickets. We bought the Yellow-Green tickets which meant we could sit anywhere within the Yellow OR Green sections. We chose Green because we were able to get 3 seats together and it was nice to sit in the outfield. Another difference is the fact that you can bring in anything you want to the ballpark. People had KFC, Burger King, whole Dominos pizzas and beer and snacks purchased outside the venue. Next time I go I'm bringing a picnic lunch/dinner like most of the Koreans did. Korean baseball is very noisy and the fans cheer on their teams with chants and banging on inter tubes. Each team has different chants and seemingly, each player has some sort of chant. We didn't stay for the whole game as Dani and Ashley aren't huge baseball fans and we were getting hungry. Next time I go I'll stay the whole time as I really do miss going to baseball games. When we left the LG Twins were trailing the KIA Tigers 3 to 1 and I'm not sure who ended up winning. Overall, it was a great weekend and I crossed two things off my to do list! Tomorrow is June, can you believe it? I've been here almost 11 months!

Eye Doctor Experience

This past weekend I decided to update my contact lenses as I hadn't been to the eye doctor since about September 2007. I also noticed a chunk out of my contact and a tear in the other. I decided to go to COEX because it is rather foreigner friendly and I had some other business to take care of (i.e. eat at On the Border). I chose Seokwang Optical because they didn't have tons of Gucci and Ray Ban advertisements in their store meaning they would probably be affordable. I was greeted by a very nice lady who told me an eye exam was free as long as I intended to make a purchase with them. Free? Seriously? Still skeptical, I took out my contacts and waited about 20 minutes for the doctor to check my eyes. A rather routine procedure, thankfully sans the glaucoma test. I got my contacts at a very reasonable 45,000W a box (luckily my eyes are both the same prescription). I went home after that thinking that I really wanted a new pair of glasses, mainly because my prescription was different and although I rarely wear glasses in public, I wanted the option. I was headed to see Angels and Demons so I decided to stop back in at the eye doctor to fulfill my glasses dream. First of all, the doctor who checked my eyes was probably the nicest/cutest little man ever. He didn't recognize me when I came back for glasses (I had changed my outfit and hairstyle) and was embarrassed by this so gave me a discount on the glasses. I ended up paying 100,000W for the frames and the lenses! The best deal I've ever received on my optical needs. After waiting a mere 40 minutes, I picked up my new glasses, had them fitted and received a free gift of face wash.

I highly recommend this place to anyone in Seoul if they need glasses or contact lenses. It's at COEX Mall across from Burger King and near the side entrance of Bandi and Luni's Bookstore. They have a wide selection of glasses and contacts and offer great prices.

Staying Healthy

I'm not one to be overly concerned with a flu outbreak, but as the world is becoming more and more worried, I too have been making sure I take the necessary precautions. However, I live in a country that does not believe in sick days and people go to work, school, out in public while they are sick. My kids don't miss school because they are ill, they miss if they are on vacation or busy with something else. The Korea Times reported Korea's first possible case of the swine flu earlier today. This person was on an airplane from Mexico so who knows how many people are infected. Koreans will undoubtedly begin donning the face masks, but this can only prevent them so much. Without proper hand washing (which, let me tell you, antibacterial hand soap isn't easy to come by) and other precautions the spread of disease is inevitable. I think about how many times I've taken public transportation and "high-fived" the hundreds of students I teach and I cringe knowing that I haven't been as germ-free as I generally like to be. The good news here is that I think my immune system is much better than it ever has been, but the people who have died so far aren't old people or children. I know that my students can and will come to school if they are sick, thus running the risk of infecting others. I also know that if I do get sick (with this virus or something else) I am not allowed to take the 2 sick days in my contract. It's a waiting game and we are all waiting to see if this blows over or becomes something huge. Stay healthy everyone!

Picnic in the Park

On Saturday morning I met Megan and Kay for a lovely picnic at Yeouido park. Spring has sprung in Seoul and the park was blooming and blossoming with flowers and activity. We got to the park rather early, but we had decided on a breakfast picnic anyway. We found a nice grove of trees and settled in for a morning of chit chat, people watching and soaking up the sun. A lot of people were out riding bikes, walking and jogging. It was fun to watch people fall of their bikes.

Here is a picture of our early morning feast. I made banana bread and mini quiches.

Later in the day, I went to Xanadu Travel to get my visa for China. I am leaving May 2nd and returning May 5th and right now the plan is Beijing-Great Wall-Xi'an-Beijing. I might just stay in Beijing, but I'm still not sure what I want to do. Finally, I met up with Ashley for lunch at On the Border and then we headed out to Itaewon for a night out with friends and finished the evening with a batch of chocolate chip cookies at 3am.

Jeonju

This weekend Ashley, Mikel, Dani and I went to Jeonju for a cultural experience. We decided to do a tour rather than venture out on our own because it was only 40,000W for the entire weekend. After a longer than expected bus ride (due to traffic) we arrived in Jeonju around noon. Let me start off by saying that this weekend was absolutely gorgeous. Clear blue skies, sunshine and temperatures in the low to mid 70s. Once we arrived we climbed a bit of a steep trail and ended up overlooking the Hannok (traditional Korean) Villages. We were greeted by beautiful cherry blossom trees and a gaggle of volunteer guides. The guides helped us through the activities of the day, shared meals with us and practiced their English. Most of them were college students, but a few elementary students joined the bunch. One girl in particular, Jenna, took a keen liking to me and we ended up being buddies by the end of the day.

After we took in the view and snapped photos of the cherry blossoms we headed to our cooking class. We learned how to make traditional Jeonju bibimbap, which is a bit different from bibimbap in other parts of Korea and Jeonju claims to be the birthplace of the mixed rice and vegetable dish. We watched our instructor first and then we had a go of it. It was quite easy, but I realized a need for better chopping skills. I never knew how labor intensive bibimbap is, but the end result is quite tasty. We had quite a good time making our dishes and enjoying the fruits of our labor. After lunch we got a glimpse at a traditional wedding ceremony and the got the chance to walk around part of the village. Once our leisure time was finished we headed to Korean etiquette class where we got to dress up in traditional Korean hanboks. We learned that you should wrap it clockwise otherwise it could mean that you are a prostitute. We also learned the correct hairstyles for married and unmarried women. After dressing, we learned the proper bowing technique while wearing a hanbok and the two different bows used. When bowing to elders a more formal bow is used, but when bowing to peers the bow is modified a bit. I found this to be very interesting, but overall, the bibimbap making experience was the best! Once dinner rolled around we were treated to bean sprout and rice soup, it was quite delicious, but not as filling as we had hoped. After dinner we settled into our rooms in a traditional Hannok Village and we had a bit of free time before the musical performance. Once night fell we were treated to traditional Korean music courtesy of stringed instruments, a flute and a beautiful vocal performance. At intermission, we had green tea, rice cakes and various Korean snacks. It was a great way to spend an evening.

Sunday was a bit shorter, but we still managed to pack a lot of things into a short amount of time. We started the morning at a wine museum and then headed to a few souvenir shops. Jeonju is famous for it's paper products and I was tempted to buy a ton of paper, but refrained. After the shops we played a few games (tossing sticks into a bucket and the hoop thing where you have to keep it going without it falling over). At 11, we were escorted to a tea tent and shown how to properly prepare tea and how to behave during a ceremony. Mikel took the lead after our hostess showed us the ropes. The tea itself was delicious, but the experience was amazing. After we had tea we made flower rice cakes. Again, we had a gracious hostess who let me turn the second batch in the pan. These cakes are made from rice powder mixed with water, to create a dough, and then they are pan fried in sunflower oil. We added fresh flowers while they were frying and then they were dipped into a simple syrup. The end result was amazing! After this we had lunch (steamed pork, rice and a million side dishes) and then a few hours of free time which we used to check out a little arts and crafts market and enjoy the afternoon sun. This experience was truly the best I've had in a long time, possibly ever. I had the chance to partake in traditional Korean culture and I have never been so amazed by the people of Korea and Korea itself. I want to learn more and I feel like my last few months here are going to be jam packed with learning and more experiences.

The DMZ

A few weekends ago Lauren, Chris and I ventured to the demilitarized zone. This is the area between North and South Korea and it is heavily fortified. On the drive north barbed wire fences and camouflaged outposts lined the road. Some of the outposts were even maned with soldiers. Our first stop was the bridge at Imjingak, this is where the North returned some South Koreans and also where the families met after years of separation. At the furthest end (in South Korea) there was an altar filled with hopes, wishes and memories for those still in the North. The bridge was in the same area as a Peace Bell, a few monuments and a collection of rocks from battlefields around the world. Oddly enough, the rock from the Civil War was taken from the state of Nevada. Nevada became a state in 1864, near the end of the Civil War and as far as I know, no battles were fought there. The rocks were pretty cool though. Our second stop was the Reunification Village where we had lunch and Lauren and I got a bit adventurous as we ate tiny fish, eyes and all. After lunch we headed to the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel where we were able to trek through the long, musty tunnel. The climb up afterwards was not so fun, but it was quite interesting nonetheless. After the tunnel we headed to the Observation area where were were able to look into North Korea. We had to stand behind a line to take pictures of North Korea, but we were able to look into binoculars. Both Koreas have propaganda villages in the DMZ and North Korea flies a gigantic flag from atop their flagpole. The flag is so big and heavy that it doesn't really flap in the wind like a flag should. I heard that it cost around $100,000 to make that flag, not sure if that is correct, but I wouldn't doubt it. After the observation area we went to the Dorasan train station where trains leave weekly for Pyongyang. The station was very modern, brand new in fact, and it is the last stop in South Korea before hitting the North. We were able to stamp out passports and buy a ticket for the platform.

Changes

Although not 100% official by any means and given my track record with changing my mind a million times who knows but, I am planning on coming home in August. Financially speaking, this isn't the best move I could make, but education wise, it is. I really want to go back to school and get at the very least, my teaching certificate. However, since I have found an excellent program that would allow me to obtain my license and a master's in TESL, I want to start sooner rather than later. This also means that I need to take not only my GRE, but my PRAXIS. I can take the GRE in Korea, but with work and everything, I barely have the time to write in my blog let alone study for a test that could make or break me. I can't take the PRAXIS in Korea so I'd need to come home for a bit just to take that.

Korea has taught me many things and one of those is that I REALLY want to be an ESL teacher. It is not only rewarding, but also fun and challenging. My dad always told me that I'd be a teacher, but I tried to defy that as long as I could. To some extent, I'm still trying to find something to do rather than teach. However, the more I think about my time in Korea and the other opportunities I've had for teaching, the happier I am. Education truly (and the lack there of) makes this world what it is. I am happy teaching and I can't wait to learn how to be a better teacher and I'm really excited to embark upon a new journey.

Something New

This week has been tiring, but pretty amazing. Last Friday I bid farewell to 3 of my co-workers and it was a bit sad. Working with people for 8 months in a pretty close knit community makes for fast friendships. It is always hard to say good-bye to people, but everyone has to move on at some point. If we all stayed in the same place forever life would be dull and not the adventure it is meant to be. My new co-workers are great. I feel like we have all instantly bonded with one another and I'll be honest, I was worried that things would not be as good as they had been. This week was crazy because of the adjustment period, new kindergarteners, new classes and general chaos. I do believe that the next 4 months are going to fly by incredibly fast and while I'm looking forward to also moving on, I have begun to contemplate staying with BIS for another year. I am blessed to have this job, I have a great apartment, a fantastic boss and I love my students. It'll be interesting to see (for me at least) what will happen over the next few months.

This afternoon I went with Chris and Lauren (my new co-workers, they are from Denver and just got married in October) to a meeting with our recruiters, Adventure Teaching. I was reluctant to go at first because Chris and Lauren had mentioned that it would be somewhat religion based and probably something like a bible study/group. I don't consider myself religious, but I have been thinking about things like religion for quite sometime now. However, I still didn't want to sit around and read passages and everything (my stereotype, sorry). I thought it would be what I call uber-Christian and not what I really wanted to get into. I still went though because I'll try just about anything. I was incredibly relieved when I discovered that many of the people there had the same frustrations I have about church and religion. The basis of the group was to introduce a Missio Community. I'm still in the research phases, but one of the main things about a Missio Community is community itself. Its having a group of people who will help you out, share ideas with you and just be there for you when you need it. Its about sharing our passions in life and bringing people together in various ways. I'm very excited for this new opportunity and phase of my life because like I said, I have been grappling with ideas of faith and religion. I don't want to step overboard just yet, but I do believe that God has been more prevalent in my life than I'd like to admit. This is new, uncharted territory for me and I can't wait to learn more about this and also become part of something I truly believe in.

Thoughts

For quite awhile now I have been thinking my experience in Korea is more like a study abroad trip than the start of a career. Somehow, I still can't shake this feeling. While I am completely comfortable in front of a classroom and have embraced Seoul as my home, I keep waiting for a report card to show up. I spend the weekends like I would if I were in college. Usually this means going out to a bar or a club or it may entail hanging out at COEX. I'm still confused as to what all of this means.

The more I think about the time I've had in Korea, the experiences, the people I've met, the more I can see how I have grown. While I've always considered myself independent and mature, it is now more prevalent. I've gone to Japan all by myself, wandered around the metropolis that is Seoul and relied on myself to make friends (this in contrast to the "Laura Factor" at Ole Miss...she introduced me to pretty much everyone I hung out with). I don't even know where to begin start when I think back on the past 8 months (yes, it has been 8 months). I still feel like I got off the plane and while I say this over and over again, I truly discover something new everyday. Today, for example, I discovered that vegetable fried rice really doesn't contain many vegetables (meaningless discovery at best, but still).

I am thankful I have kept this blog because I think I'd forget the things that make Korea MY Korea. The little things that seem pointless in the moment, but they all combine into something wonderful. Snipets of what my students say, poorly written English signs, strange smells from the gutters and constant progress. Korea is evolving as quickly and as tirelessly as I am. One of my favorite things to do is to ride the subway at night and cross the river. The bright lights reflecting off the murky water of the Han River remind me of Christmas lights in the window and this somehow comforts me. Every time I cross the river, in the bright florescent lights of the subway car, I am home. I never thought I'd be at home in such a large city, but now I can't imagine not being around the culture, the hustle and bustle and the never ending options Seoul has to offer.