Hold me to it. Sometimes that helps.
요즘, 나는 축복입니다.
2010년 3월 14일 일요일
2010년 1월 3일 일요일
Eastbound and Up!
Me being a jerk and taking a picture of an old lady bending over. Great shot though.
Ok I'm going to move very quickly with this one. I've been doing a lot of reading recently, by Gene Wolfe who is a VERY good author, and so my own pride with my writing is temporarily disabled out of fugacious shame of my own abilities to write. It too shall pass though.
On New Year's Day I took a bus at 2:10 to Yeosu. Yeosu is in the same direction that Boseong is, but an hour and a half more east. It lies in a bit of a gulf, surrounded by islands and a clear view deep into the waters that lead into Japan. As you'll hear about I once received a job offer here, and I turned it down to come to Mokpo. Wikipedia and general Internet word-of-mouth should have done a better job at describing the city, because it is an amazing place to see. The city is spread into different sections, with each having its own seclusion by way of mountains or hills that separate and hide the other portions. These all are connected by roads, but along these roads there are remnants of an older Korea, with older housing and older roads. I was able to navigate this divide by walking around, a lot, in Yeosu. Well worth it though.
I got there at 5:30 on Friday, and I was able to direct a taxi to a downtown portion of the city. I ate dinner and found a Korean girl to attempt a conversation with for an hour or so. After we finished I went to the obvious hotel district (they had one called "Ben Hur" motel; awesome) and found a room for 40,000 won and stayed the night. I woke up the next day, and after walking around the city and admiring it all (Yeosu receives a year-round pleasant climate because of its location) I headed for the water. I was even able to shed my coat, which lately had always been a foolish idea. This is about the time when all of this happened. Enjoy. :D
On the 14th and 15th of this month I don't teach, and I'm planning to take another trip. But I don't know where yet. I'm thinking of heading somewhere to the northeast, into the mountains. I've researched about the area and I have a lot of interest in traveling there. And I think I'll do just that. Enjoy, and I'll be sure to update this blog as or as not as consistently as I've been inclined to do.
Peace to you,
Anthony
2009년 10월 9일 금요일
Summoning, Storm, and Static
Saturday, October 10th, approximately 11:34 am
I really don't know if some things are meant to be popular or admired here sometimes. I'm watching some strange channel on T.V. that is looping music videos of some Korean bands. The song I'm watching now is called "Only Lonely Glory", by a band, literally, called Bump of Chicken. I don't know if there was some mistake in the translation of that one, but, Bump of Chicken have a killer sound. The song before this was called "Happy Sad", and the video was basically a Korean girl who looked like Etta James and En Vogue, dancing around a city, and again I think somebody misinterpreted the definitions of those two words, happy and sad, because the video was her dancing around a black man straight out of, literally again, 1980s Chicago. He strummed an electric guitar and wore a purple suede hat, with a feather. And that was the video for "Happy Sad".
The next one is better. It's called "dousitekimiosukininattesimattangdarou?", obviously a very straightforward and simple name that doesn't need further explanation. And I didn't miss a letter. It's really called that, and I suppose you could Google it.
I'm learning more about how to eat out, and that many sit-down-on-the-ground establishments' menus average around 5,000 won a meal. These are usually served with kimchi, of course, and other vegetables (?) alongside the entree itself. Today I put on some sandals and walked around my part of the city, making mental notes of the services or items each shop offered for future reference. I came across a place that served items called Colpops. I've heard of these before, and Colpops are actually a reward at the academy I teach for good-behaving students. They collect coupons, and once they acquire 25 they're given a golden coupon, which is good for one Colpop at this place which resides in the building next to ours. A Colpop, as you can see in this picture I found which describes the item perfectly, is chicken nuggets and coke.
The chicken nuggets, which are very small, are stored in the peak compartment while your coke is stored in the belly. You eat the food, and drink the coke. Kids love it, I liked it, and apparently it's the "snack of the future" from South Korea. Does this or does this not sound like both something America should already have, and this?
There's a show on T.V. too called Magic World. It's hosted by an English-speaking white guy who rivals Richard Simmons in unabashed flamboyance but not in his red afro, and a Korean lady who I'm not quite sure the white guy understands, and his responses may well be scripted and he might be playing me for a fool. It's a kids show, and I wonder if this was the show Wonder Showzen was modeled after.
Sunday, October 11th, 1:33 pm
Something is really funny about something I just did. And I can’t say what unfortunately. I wonder if it'd be the kind of mistake or question that really was hilarious in this last where I, with a translation, would laugh too. I walked again across the city to Yudalsan Mountain in the last 45 minutes and went a considerably longer way than the time before, considering I left at noon I had a lot more time to spend in the sun before nightfall. And so, I found myself passing by a small café that had an older man outside excited to see me and greet me and invite me inside to eat. I was planning to get a small meal before I headed up the mountain anyway so this worked out and I walked in, and I’m sitting in a booth now that looks over a large part of the city. When I sat down, though, I figured I’d try to order something I know and THEN take the plunge I normally do when gazing into a menu of completely unreliable symbols.
My question was, “Do you have coffee?”.
Something was maniacally funny about this and he immediately starting laughing. He then told a coworker who was walking by. She laughed harder. In the booth next to me, a younger couple who apparently too have no sympathy or soul for the confused foreigner, also laughed. And you know I don’t believe it was the kind of thing that was malicious in any way but I definitely asked the wrong question, and I do not have my coffee now. I’m waiting for whatever I ordered, a 6,000 won “item” that could be anything from a mistakenly ordered alcoholic drink to a bowl of raw eel and rice. Those are the rules of menu roulette and I’ve cognitively accepted this truth weeks ago. It’s 1:57 in the afternoon now. I’m going to enjoy this meal and then head up the mountain. And remember folks and friends: Be infinitely confident in your own skin, because we are all talking meat.
And the kind man who originally mocked my question did, minutes later, bring me my coffee. In fact he bought it outside at a coffee vending machine - and these are awesome by the way. They serve a particular kind called "milk coffee" which is just too tasty for a first-hand attempt by me to contaminate it to describe it.
Sunday, October 11th, 6:28 pm
It was quite a long but an immensely fruitful day. I'm just now sitting down at my apartment and I'm going to give a lengthy recap of the events since the Cafe Incident, which I've coined as such and have garnished with capitol spelling. That meal turned out to be very good but I can't say what I ate other than the obvious kimchi and the rice. These are the kinds of meals you can get in many many places for around 5,000 won, which really is an amazing deal considering too that there are no tips in Korea. No tips at all.
After the cafe I walked over to a small shop and bought a bottle of water and paid the man 600 won for it. The opening steps to the somewhat intimidating climb are a great introduction to the mountain itself, and up the steps to the first plateau you come across many engravings and statues that describe Korean history in this area, and more notably Mokpo's role in that history. Unfortunately a lot of the writing describing the monuments are written in Korean.
I do know, as you'll see in this picture, that this particular monument is a large rock with the engraving of a popular Mokpo song called "Mokpo's Tears", describing the grueling enslavement of Japanese occupiers many years ago.
Knowing that it's likely a very sensitive historic point of interest I'm going to say this next part in a style that I'll call "aforementioned preemptive beforehand apologetic". The woman singing the song, that repeats every hour in all hours of the day, sounds almost similar to whoever voiced the singing bush on The Three Amigos. And to be honest the song seemed very "happy" even though I know for a fact the lyrics describe occupation from ruthless invaders and the struggles and deaths, even, endured by Koreans. Anyway, the left part of my face was a smirk and the right was reverent.
These pictures were taken as I went up.
There are markers that tell you in meters how high you've traveled and where you're currently at. The summit is 850 meters, and you start at around 40 meters. So, for a 810 meter climb, you're traveling vertically about a half mile. It's a pretty solid hike to the very top.
This picture here is of the formation of rocks off the main path where I had my encounter last weekend with a bee sent directly from the lower bastions of hell to hover playfully near my leg with its stinger exposed and dripping with intent to end my life and expose my female shrill I'd inevitably shout if the hornet were to strike me.
I've included a picture of the Giant Asian Hornet (actual name), the instigator of my new bee phobia.
I made my way to the summit and surprisingly passed by a few English-speaking people. Most were from Canada, one was from New York. I gave my emphatic introduction which is very honest considering I don't see too many people who aren't Korean nowadays. I chatted with a few groups who were either making their way down the mountain or up it. It's very good to meet new people this way, and we all have similar motives to be here, generally speaking.
When I reached the summit I took a few minutes to admire the view and introspectively retreat to myself. And you know a lot of these moments I prefer to keep to myself, but I don't see a lot of harm in relaying it to those of you who are reading this, and describing some premium details of this journey here. The view was absolutely exotic and gave me chills the same way the San Juan Islands do in Washington, or a beach does when the sun is shooting its very last light across the sky and turning that sky an eerie red, or when you're listening to your favorite song and simultaneously feeling euphoric about your life and what you've done and what you're doing, and knowing that although things aren't perfect you're trying your best to make them that way.
There's a lot of opportunity here for edifying ambiance to make its way into you and allow you to appreciate yourself, and life, and other people, while acknowledging the sometimes overpowering stress that is common and growing in this world, in our lives. See there's an alternative and very passionate truth I keep with me relating to this, and coming here to Korea has in even two weeks confirmed that truth to me, that life is beautiful and so much of our disdain for it comes from how we attribute events, people, and our own thoughts. Thankfully in the same way our love of life can also be translated as such. It's the people we keep around us and the goals we keep that make the experience worth it. I like how DMX puts it: "To live, is to suffer. To survive, that's to find meaning in the suffering". I think it's important to occasionally inject meaning into the experience if you feel you're simply passing days.
I listened to a few songs and wrote a few words down and then I packed up my things, headed down the mountain. I went a different way than before, and eventually found myself on some sort of triple black-diamond expert trail that had a lot of high-difficulty traversing elements that pretty much obligated me to create a mental note to buy some highly needed hiking boots. They'd grip the ground better because at least three times I almost slipped right onto the backside of myself.
There's a Buddhist Temple that sits in the center of the mountain at the bottom towards its 100 meter mark on the ground. If you're a clean freak it's highly possible you're a closet Buddhist because these people keep their things minty, and from high enough it's looks like a business model a company might show at a board meeting. At the bottom I walked along the road, and was again shown extraordinary generosity from the Korean people. A few times on the way up the mountain I came across a young family that was taking pictures, and I one time was asked and another time offered to take a picture of them. I did, and they passed me by on the road and stopped the car, and gave me some frozen milkshake snack. It was an incredibly nice gesture and it had me smiling as they drove away. It had me smiling too twenty minutes later when I passed by a small food shop and locked eyes with a pretty cute Korean girl. She gave an obvious smile, and about twenty steps after I passed the shop I kicked myself, and turned around. She spoke pretty good English and we had a few words to each other. Her name was (well it still is, and in fact I always wonder why people might put 'was' in this scenario in writing; are name changes this imminent?) ... Her name is Choe im Jeong. She was nice, so I told her we should talk again. She agreed, and she told me to come back next Saturday to the same place and see her again. She's a student here in Mokpo at a university, and her weeks apparently are quite busy.
I walked through my part of town a different way and was relieved and proud of myself to easily find my apartment. I'm recognizing a lot of places in this area now, and I know where to go to buy a lot of things locally. This is a high achievement for two weeks in a completely foreign country, city, town. I walked in, surrendered to a chair, and I wrote this.
Stay classy, everyone.
I really don't know if some things are meant to be popular or admired here sometimes. I'm watching some strange channel on T.V. that is looping music videos of some Korean bands. The song I'm watching now is called "Only Lonely Glory", by a band, literally, called Bump of Chicken. I don't know if there was some mistake in the translation of that one, but, Bump of Chicken have a killer sound. The song before this was called "Happy Sad", and the video was basically a Korean girl who looked like Etta James and En Vogue, dancing around a city, and again I think somebody misinterpreted the definitions of those two words, happy and sad, because the video was her dancing around a black man straight out of, literally again, 1980s Chicago. He strummed an electric guitar and wore a purple suede hat, with a feather. And that was the video for "Happy Sad".
The next one is better. It's called "dousitekimiosukininattesimattangdarou?", obviously a very straightforward and simple name that doesn't need further explanation. And I didn't miss a letter. It's really called that, and I suppose you could Google it.
I'm learning more about how to eat out, and that many sit-down-on-the-ground establishments' menus average around 5,000 won a meal. These are usually served with kimchi, of course, and other vegetables (?) alongside the entree itself. Today I put on some sandals and walked around my part of the city, making mental notes of the services or items each shop offered for future reference. I came across a place that served items called Colpops. I've heard of these before, and Colpops are actually a reward at the academy I teach for good-behaving students. They collect coupons, and once they acquire 25 they're given a golden coupon, which is good for one Colpop at this place which resides in the building next to ours. A Colpop, as you can see in this picture I found which describes the item perfectly, is chicken nuggets and coke.
The chicken nuggets, which are very small, are stored in the peak compartment while your coke is stored in the belly. You eat the food, and drink the coke. Kids love it, I liked it, and apparently it's the "snack of the future" from South Korea. Does this or does this not sound like both something America should already have, and this?
There's a show on T.V. too called Magic World. It's hosted by an English-speaking white guy who rivals Richard Simmons in unabashed flamboyance but not in his red afro, and a Korean lady who I'm not quite sure the white guy understands, and his responses may well be scripted and he might be playing me for a fool. It's a kids show, and I wonder if this was the show Wonder Showzen was modeled after.
Sunday, October 11th, 1:33 pm
Something is really funny about something I just did. And I can’t say what unfortunately. I wonder if it'd be the kind of mistake or question that really was hilarious in this last where I, with a translation, would laugh too. I walked again across the city to Yudalsan Mountain in the last 45 minutes and went a considerably longer way than the time before, considering I left at noon I had a lot more time to spend in the sun before nightfall. And so, I found myself passing by a small café that had an older man outside excited to see me and greet me and invite me inside to eat. I was planning to get a small meal before I headed up the mountain anyway so this worked out and I walked in, and I’m sitting in a booth now that looks over a large part of the city. When I sat down, though, I figured I’d try to order something I know and THEN take the plunge I normally do when gazing into a menu of completely unreliable symbols.
My question was, “Do you have coffee?”.
Something was maniacally funny about this and he immediately starting laughing. He then told a coworker who was walking by. She laughed harder. In the booth next to me, a younger couple who apparently too have no sympathy or soul for the confused foreigner, also laughed. And you know I don’t believe it was the kind of thing that was malicious in any way but I definitely asked the wrong question, and I do not have my coffee now. I’m waiting for whatever I ordered, a 6,000 won “item” that could be anything from a mistakenly ordered alcoholic drink to a bowl of raw eel and rice. Those are the rules of menu roulette and I’ve cognitively accepted this truth weeks ago. It’s 1:57 in the afternoon now. I’m going to enjoy this meal and then head up the mountain. And remember folks and friends: Be infinitely confident in your own skin, because we are all talking meat.
And the kind man who originally mocked my question did, minutes later, bring me my coffee. In fact he bought it outside at a coffee vending machine - and these are awesome by the way. They serve a particular kind called "milk coffee" which is just too tasty for a first-hand attempt by me to contaminate it to describe it.
Sunday, October 11th, 6:28 pm
It was quite a long but an immensely fruitful day. I'm just now sitting down at my apartment and I'm going to give a lengthy recap of the events since the Cafe Incident, which I've coined as such and have garnished with capitol spelling. That meal turned out to be very good but I can't say what I ate other than the obvious kimchi and the rice. These are the kinds of meals you can get in many many places for around 5,000 won, which really is an amazing deal considering too that there are no tips in Korea. No tips at all.
After the cafe I walked over to a small shop and bought a bottle of water and paid the man 600 won for it. The opening steps to the somewhat intimidating climb are a great introduction to the mountain itself, and up the steps to the first plateau you come across many engravings and statues that describe Korean history in this area, and more notably Mokpo's role in that history. Unfortunately a lot of the writing describing the monuments are written in Korean.
I do know, as you'll see in this picture, that this particular monument is a large rock with the engraving of a popular Mokpo song called "Mokpo's Tears", describing the grueling enslavement of Japanese occupiers many years ago.
Knowing that it's likely a very sensitive historic point of interest I'm going to say this next part in a style that I'll call "aforementioned preemptive beforehand apologetic". The woman singing the song, that repeats every hour in all hours of the day, sounds almost similar to whoever voiced the singing bush on The Three Amigos. And to be honest the song seemed very "happy" even though I know for a fact the lyrics describe occupation from ruthless invaders and the struggles and deaths, even, endured by Koreans. Anyway, the left part of my face was a smirk and the right was reverent.
These pictures were taken as I went up.
There are markers that tell you in meters how high you've traveled and where you're currently at. The summit is 850 meters, and you start at around 40 meters. So, for a 810 meter climb, you're traveling vertically about a half mile. It's a pretty solid hike to the very top.
This picture here is of the formation of rocks off the main path where I had my encounter last weekend with a bee sent directly from the lower bastions of hell to hover playfully near my leg with its stinger exposed and dripping with intent to end my life and expose my female shrill I'd inevitably shout if the hornet were to strike me.
I've included a picture of the Giant Asian Hornet (actual name), the instigator of my new bee phobia.
I made my way to the summit and surprisingly passed by a few English-speaking people. Most were from Canada, one was from New York. I gave my emphatic introduction which is very honest considering I don't see too many people who aren't Korean nowadays. I chatted with a few groups who were either making their way down the mountain or up it. It's very good to meet new people this way, and we all have similar motives to be here, generally speaking.
When I reached the summit I took a few minutes to admire the view and introspectively retreat to myself. And you know a lot of these moments I prefer to keep to myself, but I don't see a lot of harm in relaying it to those of you who are reading this, and describing some premium details of this journey here. The view was absolutely exotic and gave me chills the same way the San Juan Islands do in Washington, or a beach does when the sun is shooting its very last light across the sky and turning that sky an eerie red, or when you're listening to your favorite song and simultaneously feeling euphoric about your life and what you've done and what you're doing, and knowing that although things aren't perfect you're trying your best to make them that way.
There's a lot of opportunity here for edifying ambiance to make its way into you and allow you to appreciate yourself, and life, and other people, while acknowledging the sometimes overpowering stress that is common and growing in this world, in our lives. See there's an alternative and very passionate truth I keep with me relating to this, and coming here to Korea has in even two weeks confirmed that truth to me, that life is beautiful and so much of our disdain for it comes from how we attribute events, people, and our own thoughts. Thankfully in the same way our love of life can also be translated as such. It's the people we keep around us and the goals we keep that make the experience worth it. I like how DMX puts it: "To live, is to suffer. To survive, that's to find meaning in the suffering". I think it's important to occasionally inject meaning into the experience if you feel you're simply passing days.
I listened to a few songs and wrote a few words down and then I packed up my things, headed down the mountain. I went a different way than before, and eventually found myself on some sort of triple black-diamond expert trail that had a lot of high-difficulty traversing elements that pretty much obligated me to create a mental note to buy some highly needed hiking boots. They'd grip the ground better because at least three times I almost slipped right onto the backside of myself.
There's a Buddhist Temple that sits in the center of the mountain at the bottom towards its 100 meter mark on the ground. If you're a clean freak it's highly possible you're a closet Buddhist because these people keep their things minty, and from high enough it's looks like a business model a company might show at a board meeting. At the bottom I walked along the road, and was again shown extraordinary generosity from the Korean people. A few times on the way up the mountain I came across a young family that was taking pictures, and I one time was asked and another time offered to take a picture of them. I did, and they passed me by on the road and stopped the car, and gave me some frozen milkshake snack. It was an incredibly nice gesture and it had me smiling as they drove away. It had me smiling too twenty minutes later when I passed by a small food shop and locked eyes with a pretty cute Korean girl. She gave an obvious smile, and about twenty steps after I passed the shop I kicked myself, and turned around. She spoke pretty good English and we had a few words to each other. Her name was (well it still is, and in fact I always wonder why people might put 'was' in this scenario in writing; are name changes this imminent?) ... Her name is Choe im Jeong. She was nice, so I told her we should talk again. She agreed, and she told me to come back next Saturday to the same place and see her again. She's a student here in Mokpo at a university, and her weeks apparently are quite busy.
I walked through my part of town a different way and was relieved and proud of myself to easily find my apartment. I'm recognizing a lot of places in this area now, and I know where to go to buy a lot of things locally. This is a high achievement for two weeks in a completely foreign country, city, town. I walked in, surrendered to a chair, and I wrote this.
Stay classy, everyone.
2009년 10월 6일 화요일
374 words
I swear I don’t mean to do this, but I find myself with good intention curiously seeking out new things within the schedule I possess now, which yields a small amount of legitimate free time, and probably spending too much money. I’ll be just fine but these restaurants I, technically, if two trips merit a technicality, now frequent, are always priced about 10 or 13 dollars a meal. And I know for a fact that Hugh and Kathryn toured me thoroughly through the area and highlighted many spots that charge only 5 or 6 dollars for a meal. I’m polite, for the most part, but if I try a sample at Costco and I really don’t like the food or have any intention of buying it I don’t stick around to hear the, forced, sales pitch from the agitated 43-year-old woman wearing both a hairnet and an obvious scowl of occupational disdain. I thank them and move on. My dear sister Lindsay, then, would be quite an opposite in this regard. I credit my mother for raising us in generosity, which presents many more opportunities to live happier lives than the alternative.
Tell me then how I’ve forgotten this appropriate coldness and, once I step into an establishment, I shed all defenses and force myself to order something – even when the menu starts at 10,000 won, and I was looking to spend half of that. There isn’t anything particularly daunting about these places, and tonight it was the same as before when I had my first showcasing of my deteriorating shell for strict sternness against rhetorical situations involving food and the exchange of my money for it. I’ve become polite, which shouldn’t be in my nature at all for an American and I'm likely spooking the natives. But I suppose this is the price I must pay in a new culture I don’t have experience with, where a ‘no thanks’ after entering a restaurant or store may be a direct affront to them, their family, the Republic of Korea, and strangely the members of the 1989 Denver Broncos.
But the food was the truth, and tasted exactly like chicken, because it was chicken. They also included a coke. 13,000 won was a fair trade.2009년 10월 1일 목요일
An unusual exhale
I sit here in my home, in exhaustion and accomplishment. I don't believe I've experienced, in my entire life, the feelings that I have right now. I am alone, on a squeaky chair typing away in a room without shoes on, still wearing my dress shirt and khakis from the day, but now two buttons are loosened and the tie is on the couch. It's that familiar scene where a man stumbles in from a long day of work and finally has at least a temporary rest. But my version, where I am now in Mokpo, South Korea, feels completely different, and it's an acknowledging mindset I now hold. I acknowledge the absolute chaos that was this last week, and I acknowledge the importance and timing of my decision to come here to begin with. In this last week, since my last post on this blog, I have been involved in an absolute whirlwind of activity, and the term is used appropriately. Kathryn and Hugh, who I owe much to at this point, did their very best, and succeeded greatly, in breaking me in and giving me a very intuitive introduction to the culture, people, food, language, and lifestyle that I now assume. I could never speak for another teacher who went abroad, and I don't know their initial experiences in dealing with the changes involved in making the trip. I can't, but I can speak for mine, and I am obligated to thank Kathryn and Hugh for their support in only four short days, to this unorthodox endeavor I'm attempting. Honestly, Kathryn and Hugh, you are a truly remarkable pair and even though our friendships were short-lived (as far as nearness is concerned), you need to know that your friendships and help came at the most important time. This decision to come to Mokpo has been the biggest in my life. Your help has been invaluable, and I love you both for that. You two are going to have a freaking blast over these next months, and naturally part of me is jealous. But I belong here now, and I'll get to all of that wild extensive traveling at another time in my life. Kathryn and Hugh, you two are incredible. Good luck with everything. And the apartment is a dream, by the way. And yes Hugh, I'll likely need to consult the apartment guide to accomplish laundry.
I realize that right now I'm in an unusual hypnotic state, and I'm allowing for the sake of the moment my mind to return to where I was just one year ago, and then one month ago, and then one week ago. There's been a lot of change of me in this last year and those close to me know of the change. I'm still the same person but there has been change, and I'm very thankful and blessed to be able to come here and take myself into the next chapter of this change. I miss my family incredibly, and I imagine it will affect me in idle moments and linger for a while. But you all need to know, I do this for you in many ways, and I'm so fortunate to have the opportunity to be apart of your lives. I can't explain it more than that, but you all carry me in my thoughts, and your individual examples are the greatest spectacles I've witnessed in my life. Words are not meant to express my love for you all.
Mokpo is my home now, and it was confirmed the minute I came into town - although my first moments in Mokpo were in an exhaustive dream-state that I barely recall. But, the pictures and things I've read about the city were stuck in my mind for months, and as I come across areas and locations that I've seen and heard about, the surreal feelings unsurprisingly manifest. And they are not intimidating or strange, but very comforting and assuring. I belong here and I will continue to prove to myself that.
Ms. Yoon, my boss and the academy's director, gave me a gift tonight I didn't expect. This weekend is a Korean holiday called Chuseok, or Thanksgiving. In shopping centers, stores, and even 7-11s (yes they have 7-11s here), there are gift sets you can purchase for people. It's a very giving season and it's a great time to experience Korea because of it. After work today, which was my first official day, Ms. Yoon gave me a bag with a Chuseok gift inside. She's a very stern woman, but she's fair, and still very nice. Obviously, she's concerned about my ability to continue the sort of teaching that Kathryn and Hugh carried out. The shoes I'm filling are huge. In some ways I'm now the face of the academy, as an American, English speaker. Not all academies have a native English-speaking teacher to promote. This particular one has had them, and with me, they'll continue to have one. But I'm now the only one, along with my Korean teacher peers who also speak English. They do not speak it fluently although it's very easy to carry a conversation with them. So there is quite a large amount of pressure on me. But after today, I am confident it can be done.
In this last week, you probably wouldn't believe the amount of Korean whispers circulating through the academy about the "new teacher", the person who would be replacing Hugh-Teacher and Kathryn-Teacher. I got the sense that the majority were optimistic and curious but I'm pretty sure a small portion were slightly angry. Hugh and Kathryn, truly, are loved by their students, and they deserve it all. And so you can imagine my feelings this week while I witnessed their adoration, and then sincere grief when Hugh and Kathryn left. I saw probably five students cry, and heard maybe six of many that had no remark about their sadness of their departure. These are great kids and they really developed a bond with Kathryn and Hugh. So this week, as I've been sitting in on classes and saying my hellos and how are yous they've been very curious. And today was the first real test of my aptitude for the position not only for the school but for the children as their new, American, blond-haired replacement teacher. Lindsay, thank you so much for the conversation this morning. It gave me a huge boost, and I love you so much.
To summarize the experience, I can say it went very well. The students were able to interact with me and I was able to learn more about them. I even was able to lash out, shortly, at a few students who were causing trouble, and I found the role, which really is completely new to me, as very natural, and the students immediately respected it and corrected themselves. Altogether I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I even asked one student "How are you today?" to which she replied, "I am happy because new teacher is handsome". I blushed.
I don't want to stop writing but I should. I feel very fortunate right now, in ways that I've never felt my entire life. I think now I'll cook a bunch of food that I bought at the market that is written completely in Korean, and use some of the canola oil that Ms. Yoon gave me for Chuseok. I'm having an absolute blast, and life feels very much in my control. And it feels very good.
I love you all.
Anthony
2009년 9월 28일 월요일
Renewal
I'm writing this inaugural entry at 7:47am my time. I think the first thing I'll be getting used to, among many things, is knowing that I'm almost a day ahead of all of you. It's 3:47pm (Pacific Time) in the afternoon there. Sixteen hours ahead.
I'm up this early because I just completed my very first random act - I'm very proud about most of my random acts by the way. I'll give it a lengthy preamble.
Last night at about 7:30pm I went outside to call for a taxi, with a piece of paper I was instructed to give to him or her. It read, "Please take me to a 7-11 and a rice wine bar". Here's a very, very fun fact about Korean cities: there aren't exactly street signs here, at least for directions. It's a very new, western concept, to mark streets with signs and establish directions that way. They rely, much more, on landmarks, and points of interest, to find a location. So apparently, where I wanted to go was near both of these. So after flagging down a taxi (they're plentiful here, and to wave one down you extend your arm at waist-level and pretty much fondle the air) I hopped in, said "An-yong ah sayo" (hello) and he started speaking quickly. I said "ka jew sayo" (please take me to...) and handed him the note. He nodded, and sped off.
Taxis move quickly and recklessly here.
Kathryn was waiting for me outside the destination and promptly paid him, and handed me the remainder of Korean won. One dollar of American currency (USD) is roughly 1,000 KRW (Korean won). Right now I have about 40,000 won on me. We're going to the bank tomorrow so I can cash in the rest of my American money.
We went upstairs and I was introduced to my boss, Ms. Yoon. She was a very nice lady, and the night I arrived here I met her husband, Mr. Ban. In Korea, last names among spouses are not shared. I also met "Grace" and "Jane", two other teachers in the school I'm working for. They, however, are Korean-English teachers, and I strongly suspect their real identities are not as simple as "Grace" or "Jane". We toured the school, which took only about three minutes. It's not very big at all, and occupies only a single floor of an eight-story building. The top floor is a Hof (bar).
We said goodbye to Jane, Grace, and Ms. Yoon, and proceeded into downtown by foot to a restaurant by a name I can't remember. It was a sit-on-the-floor establishment, which was very cool if you consider intermittent leg naps as fascinating. Keep in mind that the entire time we were out, Kathryn and Hugh were filling me in on societal norms, customs, not to touch the button near a crosswalk because they're made for blind people and you'll be laughed at, and how it's expected you never pour your own drink, or hold a drink with one hand when yours is being poured. We had water, Hite (Korean beer), and Soju (rice wine) to drink. They explained that while pouring a drink it's customary to hold the container with one hand while your other hand touches your own shoulder. The closer to the heart, the more you like, or love, the person. So, we each had our turn in pouring drinks so I could learn these rules. And for drinks of the rice wine, the eldest always have their glasses held the highest. Age is important here, as is respect. Seems to be a complete escape from America.
The food was great, and the kimchi was as spicy as I imagined it'd be. We had kimchi to start, followed by a deep-fried pork dish, and a "sweet and sour" sauce. This is not the pink goo thrown into your bags at 2:23am from Jack in the Box. It was a dark brown mixture with fresh vegetables and indigenous plants thrown in. It was incredibly good, and I believe I ate the majority of this at our table. We also had a noodle dish in another brown sauce, and it was also a very new and amazing tasting item. The problem with this is that we had these metal chopsticks that were flatter than chopsticks you or I might be used to. So it was harder to eat the noodles, and I didn't prefer to make a scene. Eventually I caught on to the dumb-American-exposing device and ate the food in victory, while many clapped and cried. An older Korean man sat next to me at one point and began to stare, apparently admiring the color of my hair and the pigmentation of my skin, and circular constitution of my eyes. Hugh was trying to speak with him, but his intentions were only to sit down and admire me for a minute. He gave us toothpicks and then he left.
We left there, and walked around the area. It's a very bright place, and even in a smaller city like Mokpo you will still see the lights and vibrancy. Hugh received his black belt recently in Tae Kwon Do and had to run over to the dojo to grab something. I told him, as I've told a few people back home, that learning a form of martial arts is a serious goal of mine while I'm here. He was excited to hear this, and spoke with his master and student peers about my interests. I think I'm going to meet them today, and I might get started pretty soon. When Hugh was gone Kathryn brought me up to where I'll be staying. It's their apartment currently, but it will be mine on Thursday morning. It's a small place, but I definitely liked it. Everything I need, essentially, is there. And it's about a five-minute walk to the school, which is perfect. We were talking about the job itself, and she assured me that once I develop the fundamental tasks as a teacher, it's very easy. She was saying that students sometimes say the most retarded things that she can't help but laugh at. In fact, Kathryn reminds me of Lindsay. She's very outgoing, very loud, and very funny. She said one time, while teaching phrases associated with a family setting, she asked one of her students "How many children will your wife have one day?", to which the boy responded, "My wife will have 500 children. And then she will die." It was exactly as hilarious as you can imagine it'd be.
We walked around more, and I stopped by a bakery to grab some snacking food for my motel here in Mokpo. All of this food looked amazing, and I settled on two cornbread rolls, a large sweet potato-raisin bread loaf, a tuna roll, and a "hot dog", although from the looks of the contents it seems to be a Korean knock-off. In fact I'm going to try it right now. One second.
Wow. That is an incredibly tasty item. It looks like it has salsa, cilantro, cheese, and mayonnaise on it? I'm sure I'm 100 percent wrong but that's what it looks like. It was a good buy. So, we picked up those items, and I was able to make my first transaction in Korea. There's one thing I should mention about the culture, which I absolutely love and consider a rarity of people in America: The people here are very nice. Crime, here, I'm told is almost nonexistent. Although alcohol abuse is a problem, even the drunks are friendly. We honestly saw two guys, sloshed and disorientated, emerge from a hof and literally fall into a street. And they didn't even get up quickly. They lay there, laughing, and eventually rose and continued to stumble across the crosswalk. Hugh looked at me and said "nothing like getting sloshed on a Monday night, eh". Hugh is English by the way.
They showed me to a point where I could walk home, and we said our goodbyes. It really isn't hard at all to navigate around this city. It's not small, but there are landmarks like the Yudal Mountain to consider as a compass. I have seen this mountain so many times while obsessing over Korea during the preceding months. Yesterday morning, my first morning here, I opened my motel window and realized my room is staring directly at it. It's not exactly a mountain, but it is a giant monument that overlooks the city. Hugh apparently hikes up it twice a week. I think I'm going to adopt the activity as well. I took a picture of this.
I woke up early today, by chance to be honest, and thought to myself, "I want to run around the city as the sun rises". And I did. I was gone for almost two hours. Opportunities as these were once only thoughts of mine that I'm now able to fully obtain for my own. There's a conservative aura about this place that I can't explain yet, but I'm already appreciating and enjoying it very much. This is my home now, and aside from the language barrier that I imagine I'll breach relatively soon, there is nothing stopping me from flourishing and learning from this journey, which I'm quickly seeing, knowingly now, as a wise decision. It does feel like home to me.
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