One Month, finally a tourist

Ah! First month in Seoul is complete. I’ve had many laughs, getting lost, loving and hating my job, and the kids. It’s nice to live in a big city and be able to enjoy all the modern conviences, and finally have a cell phone! And take the subway everywhere, I’m making my lil studio apartment (ok it’s the size of a dorm room!) my own room, since the previous tenant left a bit of decoration pieces, which were nice, so I didn’t have to look at bare walls.

For the past five days Mark came and visited me, its kind of fun to be able to say that I’m the first teacher of the new teachers to have a visitor and I’m definitely enjoying having someone here from back home, talk about things from the past. I finally got a chance to do the touristy stuff in Seoul, as I didn’t want to do it alone. This weekend Mark and I’ve seen COEX, the largest shopping mall in Korea (complete with an aquarium, conference center, huge foot court, doctors offices, and a bank, and its own subway stop.) The Myeoun-dong Fashion District, Cheonggyecheon (the river walk around Han River), Insa-dong traditional Culture Street (complete with every type of touristy vendor waiting to rip off unexpecting tourist. Its better to shop in the subways for good deals) Gyeongbor Palace (impressive and soo peaceful), Korean National Folk Museum, Changdeokgong Palace (Have to go back to the gardens in the spring/summer), and Techno Mark (a 3 story building full of electronics from cell phones, mp3, small appliances, computers).

This past weekend showed me I really need work on my Korean! It’s embarrassing to not be able to answer back in Korea, or figure out how much I owe someone. At least 20 minutes at day is my goal!

On Saturday I found myself wanting to buy shoes, but my normal size 8 American shoes is size 250 in Korean. As always, I’m too large for the Korean stores, they stop making shoe at size 245! Most stores have shoes to 240.. I went to three very high-end stores in Myeoun-dong thinking they would have many size available: nope! I finally bought some shinny plastic shoes for 19,000 W (like $14) that will last me maybe 3 months. It’s a bit depressing to be so ‘large’ at a 5’8, size 8 in Korea. I’d lost weight when I moved home, but now I have gained it all back. Mmm need to hit the gym more and no snacking!

Yesterday I went to the gym at 7:20am and it was empty, awesome! It felt great to work out, be able to use any machine I want, and shower in peace. (I still get my best showers at my gym. My apartment water has two temperatures: Ice cold and burning hot! I’m gradually getting use to it, or maybe my showers are getting shorter and shorter!)

Pictures

I've uploaded some pictures on Flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36424084@N02/

And Photobucket: http://s591.photobucket.com/albums/ss351/ktfacet/

I'll write descriptions and a story behind them soon :)

First week down, 51 to go!

So far the two things that have left their biggest impression on me was taking an hour to join the gym, and watching the kindergarten graduation.

With the help of four Korean translators, my fellow teacher, Gordon and I got signed up for the Jamaican gym. After an hour of signing up, I got on their measuring system, and was told that I was fat by Korean standards (I could have told them that one). But still, Americans don’t join gyms to be told that they are fat. Oh well, such is life J. The building itself is amazing, located on the 13th floor, above department stores, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts, it has a crazy view of the city at night. I’ll try and take a picture of the nightlife that’s scene from the windows. The gym’s here are cheap, for one year membership its $21 a month, and for 3 months its $35! Granted square footage is still super expensive so the gym is smaller then an American gym, but what isn’t? (My kitchen is 2 x 3’!) I’ve been to the gym twice now, both in the later evenings and have been the token westerner girl. I’m hoping to see another one soon, but I’m not pressing my luck on it. There was only one western guy there also.. mmm so this is what its like being the minority.

The Korean kindergarten graduation was 10:30-2:30, for less than 60 kids! All of the parents took off work to attend their children’s English class graduation, and it was a show. The kids had been memorizing the songs, poems, and plays for over a month. They played out Beauty and the Best, Lady Chongyoun, The Little Bear.. ect. It was an amazing production that ended with all of the schoolteachers (new and old) on the stage dancing to “Dancing Queen”.

I feel like my Korean has gotten worst since coming, all I’ve been saying is Hello and Thank you.. I’ve definite have to start studying, just so I can understand what is being said to me at a restaurant. Soo.. today I’ll look for a language exchange partner, whom I can help with their English and my Korean.

I start teaching classes on Monday! All of my classes are full, with 12 students each. Most of the classes have had english class before, so it'll be easier to communicate and instruct them. All morning I'll be hanging out with 7 year olds (american age 5), it'll be a fun but a struggle to get them to learn english and to adapt to an american. I've heard that most of the korean kids have never been around westerners so for the first couple of weeks half of them will be afraide to talk with me. So I'll be instruding, "Stella", to them. Stella is a huge hippo puppet with a skirt and bright pink lipstick. :)

The world of Seoul aka my tiny 4 block radius.

I’ve found myself living in on of the largest cities in the world, next to the 5th largest subway station in the city. An you say crowds, neon lights, fish smells, formally dressed workers for businessmen to gym workers. The Koreas have the best customer service I’ve ever seen. With my fellow teachers’ nonexistent Korean, we try to communicate with writing and hand gestures. We pay in big bills, because we don’t know our number’s yet. We struggle with taking off our shoes in each other’s homes, gym lockers, and some restaurants. We wave back to bus loads of giggling, waving school girls. And try not to say hi if we seen other westerner in an elevator. We get stocked in the subway by the retired generations of Koreans (who stand in subway stations, socializing, people watching, and listening to random musicians) they try out their English on us, ask where we are from, and assume we are students. We refuse to wear gym uniforms, believing that we are individuals and out grew uniforms in the 7th grade. Koreans take comfort in dressing the same and being in a communal society. We are told to eat rice w/ large spoons, give and receive money with two hands extended. And get stared at where ever we go, even though we are in the capitol city.

12 hours, 4 Cities, 3 Flights

After spending a week with Zana, Ryan, and Mom in Sacramento I toured the western seaboard airports. First with a flight to Portland were I missed a flight to Denver by 20 minutes because they said they would be an hour because of the Denver flight control. Off to Seattle I went, on the most delightful 40-minute flight! It was a sweet two hours to be in Washington again, I know that most people would be mad about missing a flight and having to take two extra flights to get to their destination, but I’m relishing it for some odd reason. I guess its because it’ll be the last time I’ll be in these airports for a least a year, which I makes me sad to think I wont be in Seattle for that long. Spending time in the airport lets me have the forced quite time, people watching, and all the opportunities of getting lost that I could crave.

I have five days till I leave! I want to see everyone in Denver before then, and take my parents out to eat Korean. My dad has never been, so it’ll be a fun experience.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve done a lot of things that I’ve wanted to do for a while. First, when Yoko came and visited me in the second week of January! It was so fun to have a visitor from the west coast (#1), and to be able to see Denver through new eyes. We went to the stock show, Breckenridge with Hyo-Jung and Kee Bea, and out on the 16th street mall in Denver. So much fun! Thanks Yoko! Then Mark came from Seattle and we went to the Denver Art Museum (#2), where much to his dismay, I started jumping up and down when we got to the Asian room. It was great to see some examples of Asian history, and it made my heart beat faster when I got to think that I was going to get the opportunity to live there. Amazing! Then Adrienne came out and we go to go snowshoeing (#3) (I’ve wanted to go for years!!) in Empire, CO. And went to delicious Italian pizza with the parents, and went to Garden of the Gods (#4) in Colorado Springs and ‘hiked’ around the beautiful red boulders with Hyo-Jung and Kee-Bea.
After a crazy weekend, I got on a plane to Sacramento and the next day was picked up by Aubrey and went sightseeing in Napa/Calstioga. That area is good for the soul, one day I’ll spend more time in the valley, and really absorb the goodness of it (and all the great wine!) We got to go the hot springs (#5) with her boyfriend, Neil. Zana picked me up and we drove to San Francisco, and went to Colt Tower (#6), where the light rain, smell of eucalyptus trees, with their peeling bark, and the Bay, brought me back to my time at MBA. It feels so long ago, but in reality it was only 5 years since I left Monterey Bay. ☹ I drove around San Fran for a bit, which I plan on not doing for a long time! My new plan for when I get back from Korea is to get a masters at a school in the Bay area, its so beautiful around there! I still want to go to Alcatraz Island, but only in the summer time. And now I’ve been to 4 cities in one day, and on 3 airplanes. Not that I’ve wanted todo this, but it’s a fun way to spend the day.

Three Days till the Long Drive

Maybe I’m dense, but it always takes a while before my decisions and their repercussions sink in. Seeking my roommates, Karen and Laura, move out this past weekend brought it to my attention that I’m moving to Denver in a week. There is still so much to do before I leave on Friday, but I’m mostly packed! It took 4 carloads to the Goodwill before I was able to pack all of my things. I’m still finding items that I can give away. If I’m not going to take it to Seoul, and it would take more to ship it then to purchase it later on then I’m getting rid of it.

Snow in hilly Seattle only comes a couple years, but the whole city halts and usually brings people out in groves walking to their favorite restaurant or coffee shop. This past snowstorm, on Sunday, had people wrapping chains in their tires, when there is less then 2 cm of snow on the ground! The usual snow deprived kids were wearing their warmest clothes, grabbing anything that had a smooth bottom to try to slide snow the roads and grassy parks. To my Colorado eyes it was a sad silent cry for more snow and desperation of the winter fun that rarely visits Seattle for more then 2 days per winter.

Karen and I stood out on McGraw watching cars trying to drive up the iced cobble stone road, half would make it but the unfortunate people who went to slow or had 2 wheel drive weren’t able to make it up the short steep hill. By mid afternoon the roads were clear, but many people stayed home on Monday morning because they were scared of the ice.

2 weeks to go

The tradition of blending mine and my sister’s in-laws families together on Thanksgiving is special, a few days out of everyone’s rat race to remember the reason of life and family.  This year was especially good, because I knew it was one of the last times I would see my family before I left for Korea.  I made the decision of spending a couple months in Denver, after much departing, calculations of rent vs staying at home, staying at Upper Crust, so off I flew to Seattle for 3 weeks.   

My laziness/unwillingness of not resetting my clocks in my room as reverted my body clock to its natural state: wake up before dawn! Ok, so your saying that in Seattle dawn is 7:4

5, but now I’m getting out of bed at 5:30 or 6! This has become useful time to pack, try to learn the Korean alphabet, or read the latest book I currently have my nose in.  The downside of this: I’m falling asleep by 9pm, so much for a social nightlife. 

Given that I have a less then a month left in Seattle, I’ve been actively pur

suing seeing my friends, 1 from Bremerton whose normal drive would be 1.3 hours turned into 2+ h

ours (thanks Hiedi!!). We dined on delicious tapas at Provence, France’s Entre Nous, and I finally got to try Ratatouille! The name as intrigued me for years, and it is rarely on American menus. It was all that I had thought it would be J.  

Heidi and I traveled from France to Italy on Saturday, visiting Dolce de Europe’s open house and I trying to purchase every type of chocolate dessert and Panetone (traditional bread for Christmas time) in the store.  Then off to Napoli’s Via Tribunali with Karen and Heidi, a pizzeria on Queen Anne that I’ve been meaning to go to for three years. I can say its the best representation of a Napoleon pizzerias in Seattle! And I rekindled my love for Limoncello, J.