Cab Rides and Konglish

Sometimes I wish I were more culturally Korean.  Not just because I live here, but because I think Konglish (Korean-English) is so endearing.

Anyway, on to the story.

I have parcel forwarding back in the States so I can still order things from Amazon (my weakness).  I don’t get much because shipping is ridiculous and I can usually find what I want or something similar here.  Not this time.  I brought this special water bottle with me that filters the water as it goes from the bottle to your mouth.  I really like it...it keeps me drinking fresh, good-tasting water without creating a lot of trash/stuff for recycling.  So, I was on the subway and an old lady knocked it out of my backpack and even though the bottle was fine, the mouthpiece rolled all over the subway floor.  I thought “damn, now that can never go back in my mouth.”

Because, really, that is just gross.

After hunting high and low for a replacement, I bowed to the inevitable and decided to buy a whole new bottle.  So, I made an Amazon order.

The Amazon order went perfectly.  The parcel forwarding was textbook.  However, apparently, Fed Ex does not deliver this far into Korea and my package was turned over to a contract company.  The contract company does not leave packages unattended (not that I am complaining there) but also does not leave a “missed you” card either.  Therein lies the problem.

So, I check with Fed Ex and get the whole they don’t deliver here thing.  They give the the name of the company and the address where I can go pick it up.  Uh, none of the other “foreigners” here know where it is...they just have packages sent to their schools, which is brilliant and I am going to remember this for next time...and the best I could get otherwise is it is near the boys’ middle school.  Ok.  The boys’ middle school is a 20-ish minute walk from my school, so I think I will just walk that way after school and get my stuff.

WRONG!

It gets dark so early here in the winter and cold.  Any, I walk the area around the boys’ middle school for 2 and a half hours in the dark and cold trying to decipher Hangul into the name of the company.  I eventually gave up...I was cold, tired and had been hauling around 250 essays I needed to grade.  I went home and made a new plan.  I would write out the address in Hangul and take a cab.

WRONG!

So, the address that Fed Ex gave me was wrong.

However, the nicest older Korean man just happened to be my cabbie.  He had very limited English and I have very limited Korean.  With a little help from GPS and 114 (that is the Korean version of 411) we managed to get to a place that looked like it handles freight.  So, I start to get out of the taxi and he asks if I will need to go back to Jincheon, or rather “you return Jincheon?”  I say yes...well, I say “de” which is Korean for yes...and he says “I stay here then.”  He was going to wait on me so I could get back!  How unbelievably kind!

I started for the door that we parked in front of and the next thing I know he has hopped out of the cab and is motioning for me to follow him to another door.  I am so glad he did!  The people inside had no clue what we were trying to do even with him telling them in Korean we were picking up a package.  We finally figure out we are still at the wrong place and the place I need to go to is in the next building.

SUCCESS!

With no further drama I finally get my package!  And I am back in the taxi headed for home...or the supermarket near my apartment, since it is the most recognizable landmark near there.

I had a lovely conversation with the cabbie on the ride back.  He asked my name and how old I was.  Told me his wife is Vietnamese.  Asked where I am from...told him mi-guk (American) and he asked “Ca-na-da?” and I said “no, USA.”  The he asked why I was in Jincheon...was I English seong-sam-nim (teacher).  “De, Jincheon go deung hakyo (Jincheon High School).  We laughed a little because my “Hangul mal”...or my Korean is bad.  When he dropped me off he gave me his business card and told me I could call him directly the next time I needed a taxi.

EPIK 365 Day 65: Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!  So, we've been doing lessons on Thanksgiving, but mostly on what we are thankful for in our lives.  My students made "hand turkeys" and wrote a short paragraph on why they are thankful for these things.  I will try to write a full-length blog about it over the weekend.  Anyway, I decided to post all the turkeys in my classroom…the students love it!  They love to come in a look for theirs on the wall and read what other students have written…plus it makes my room nice and colorful!

EPIK 365 Day 64: Magpie in the Sky...

Another magpie…really, I am developing a strong liking for these birds.  This one didn't speak to me, but I did manage to snap a quick picture as he flew away.

EPIK 365 Day 63: Random Chinese Characters

I see random Chinese characters all the time…because before Hangul, Koreans used Chinese characters.  Anyway, the Southern South Korean girl who studied Mandarin at the University in me finds them oddly comforting (even if I don't always know what they mean).

EPIK 365 Day 62: "No-Bone Chicken"

One of my students described it as "no bone chicken" and I love that, so that is what I am calling is from now on.  This is from the chicken house (yes, I know that means something completely different in America) just across the street from my apartment.  It's actually very good and just about the closest we have to fast food here.

EPIK 365 Day 61: Homemade Kimchi

Mrs. Next Door made me homemade kimchi!  And she knows that I like the radish variety best…she's been so nice this whole time.  I was supposed to go make it with her, but I was still grading performance tests. :(

EPIK 365 Day 60: Grading

Spending the weekend grading by First Grade students' performance tests…can't complain…I rarely have to take work home and I love reading what they have to say.

EPIK 365 Day 59: Bathroom Vending Machine

Ok, even stateside I have a slight fixation with things they have for you to buy in public bathrooms…in the States, it's usually contraceptive devices or *ahem* similar items…in Korea it is toilet paper and wet wipes (and well, contraception…because, safety first, I suppose).

EPIK 365 Day 58: Shiny and Pretty

If you don't believe me when I say I am drowning in the land of cute here's some proof.  Everything is shiny and pretty…and cute!  Serious cuteness overload!

EPIK 365 Day 57: Korean Donuts

Inside a Korean Dunkin' Donuts…I like going into "global" chain stores because I love seeing how different cultures make things their own.  Like the Green Tea and Red Bean Paste filled donuts.

(Korean) Deserted Island Game

Last week I decided to play the “deserted island” game with my classes.  I designed it to be a little hard for them (i.e., I used a few big words and required them to justify their choices of survivors and supplies).  I did this on purpose so that they would have to ask me questions…some my students are still quite shy, so sometimes it takes quite a bit of work on my part to get them to talk to me.  Secondly, I wanted to see how these kids think...Korean kids don’t get a lot of say in their lives, so I wanted to see what decisions they would make if there was no “right” or “wrong” answer, just what they want as long as they could explain their choices.

I am blown away by some of the things my students came up with.

Some were funny.  Like asking if the fishing pole was made in China...because if it was made it China it was no good and they would be better off choosing something else.  Or asking to take 1 extra item because they really wanted the teddy bear to hug at night.  But still not as good as the student that asked if the island is a wi-fi zone because then the cell phone would be a practical item to save.

But more than that was the caring and compassionate answers some of the students gave about which survivors they would take to the island.  Several groups (we did this in groups to help with speaking) saved the entire family of three because they felt it would not be right to separate them.  Some only saved the Daughter because she was so young and deserved the chance to live out her life.  Many groups saved the nurse and/or doctor to healing the survivors, or took the nurse and not the doctor because the doctor is actually a plastic surgeon.  Other students chose to save the Minister because he could bring hope and comfort to the other survivors.  One group chose to save the Curator even though she has cancer because they felt sympathy for her.  One group chose the disabled Professor who had developed an HIV antibody because he would be important to a lot of people who are sick.  

However, the most extraordinary answer was the group that decided to leave the strongest survivors behind because they thought they would have a chance on their own.  Instead they took the survivors they felt might be a burden to the others.  So unbelievably moving!

Really, I have some fantastic students.

EPIK 365 Day 56: Teachers' Volleyball Game

The teachers here play volleyball against teachers from other schools...great way to relax, burn some energy, and meet with collegues.  The male teachers got together to practice and invited the female teachers to watch.

EPIK 365 Day 55: First Snow!

First snow in Korea!  Getting a little more excited about it..still don't know if it is worth being this cold, though.

Some of my kids out playing soccer in the snow!

The Buddhist temple near school in the first snow!

EPIK 365 Day 54: The New Hair

I'm not really good at making selfies, but this one turned out alright.  You can see my new hair (and read previous blog entry).

My First Korean Haircut...or How I Unintentionally Got a Perm

In all honesty, I needed a haircut before I left the States 2.5 months ago.  I was just too busy pre-departure and once I got here I kept putting it off citing language barriers, not knowing what I wanted, whatever excuse was convenient.

So, the dirty little secret is: I don’t like going for hair things...some people think they are relaxing and love feeling pampered/fussed over...I think trips to the salon are terrifying, stressful and, more often than not, borderline disasters.  Usually, I am a “wash and go” girl...I usually don’t even dry my hair.  I digress, anyway, my hair was looking pretty scraggly, so I decided to bite the proverbial bullet and get my first Korean haircut.

I went to this new-ish looking salon.  It is near the bus station so I have seen it a couple of times since I have been here.  I actually went in once with a friend with the intention of getting my hair cut then, but I balked.  Anyway, so I went with the mindset that, come hell or high water, my hair was getting cut.  A couple of members of the staff actually remembered me from when I was there waiting on my friend, and one actually spoke a fair amount of English...so I relaxed a little and decided that if anyone could do a good haircut on me it was going to be my fellow Koreans.

So, I place my hair in their capable hands and it takes the woman literally 10 minutes to get my hair into a nice cut that is still long (ok, I hate short hair on myself, so keeping it long-ish is a big deal).  Then, before I can shake off the loose hair trimmings the chemist (that is what I am going to call him) wheels his cart over by my chair and starts smearing stuff on my hair.  I tell myself that it is one of those hair mask thingies (I told you I am hair care challenged) and let it happen.  So, this happens a few times and when I catch his eye in the mirror he points to the magazine in my lap and says “we are doing this.”

Panic begins to set it...the girl on the cover has blonde hair!  Before I can form a coherent thought about being a blonde Korean he leads me back to get the stuff washed out.

Ok, the hair stuff is washed out...I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and my hair is still black, so I try to relax, but instead of sitting me down in a styling chair they take me to a chair off to the side.  I think, maybe I am just going to wait here when they start rolling my hair up onto the hair octopus-thing.  It is this crazy Medusa-looking thing they they roll my hair on and plug me in before I can process what is going on.

I am getting ready to freak out for real, when the cutest little Korean girl comes over and looks at me.  She must have been 2 or 3...cute as a button...and she proceeds to grin at me and giggle...because, lets face it, I look ridiculous.  She wanders back over a few times and for some reason it distracts me enough to keep me from gnawing myself free and running into the streets. 

Finally, the lady comes over, and begins to free me from the hair octopus.  But then she places this bed pan looking thing on my shoulders and squirts some smelly gunk on my head.  I have been here for hours already...what it world is going on with my head...at this point my hair as received more attention in one afternoon than it has in the past year...maybe even 2 or 3 years.

After the smelly stuff sits, they wash my hair again (this is my third hair washing of the afternoon) and finally take me to a styling chair.  Two (yes, two) people arm themselves with hair dryers.  The chemist tells me that my hair has a “natural elegance” but assures me that this will be even better.  In less than 10 minutes my hair is styled into these gorgeous waves.  It looks damn good, if I do say so...a bit more “Kpop star” and less “girl who can’t be bothered to use a hair dryer.”  It’s different than my normal hair, but not dramatically so...I am still entirely recognizable as myself, just a bit more fancy.

EPIK 365 Day 53: Sunset at School

The lovely sunset as I walk home from school.

EPIK 365 Day 52: Shoes

Oh, dear...I am quite a few days behind on this!  :(

Anyway, shoes.  In case you don't know, generally...and I mean in the most general way possible...Koreans change their shoes when going from indoors to outdoors and vice versa.  These are some of my students' shoes...I really like this because the shoes are so colorful.  Students spend most of their time in uniforms so shoes tend to be the only place they have to express any individuality.

EPIK 365 Day 51: Nature Trail

There is a very nice running track near my school…it runs from Jincheon all the way out into the country.  I didn't walk the entire trail, but I plan to once it warms up.

EPIK 365 Day 50: Computer Keyboard

So, my school desktop computer keyboard.  I am spoiled as a Mac-girl…I can just change the language setting with one click and type away in the romanization of the words and the right characters (usually) show up.  But I school I use that key to the right of the space bar and then have to choose the key with the right character on it.  It's a little more tricky since the character is not necessarily on the letter with the corresponding phonetic sound.  Like the one on letter "S"…that character is actually a phonetic "N" sound.

Korean Fire Drill

Ok, so, this is not a car game you play after a few too many at the frat party.  (I’m looking at you, Chinese Fire Drill...or Chinese Freeze Tag...whatever you call it.)

Anyway.

We had a fire drill today at school.  Mrs. Next Door came to tell me first thing this morning...she said she didn’t want me to be alarmed when it happened.  Ok, that’s weird...I have been in fire drills before...but I play along and thank her and say it would have scared me.  Then another co-teacher told me it was happening, but more so I knew why he was leaving the class alone with me (because he had to get ready to be a firefighter...so I am getting a little more curious...do teachers put out the fire themselves?  Because, in that case, I would be next to useless.)  Then yet another co-teacher comes to tell me that my next class would be cancelled because that is when the fire drill will take place, it will take up most of the class time, and I would need to leave the building and go out to the field with everyone else.  I said ok, and I would just follow the class down the hall out the building.

Now, fire drill time.  The bells are ringing and sirens are blaring...and there is freaking smoke in the hallway!  So, I head out the door, while putting on my coat, and stop to turn of the lights and close the door like I always do.  I hear “No, no, Teacher.  Teacher come.  Run, Teacher it is fire!”  Ok, it’s one of my students...he’s a bit of a class clown, but a good kid...so I smile and follow the students out of the building.

Ok, seriously, there is smoke in the hallway.  Apparently, they set off smoke bombs to simulate a real-ish fire situation so in case of a real fire the students don’t panic.

So, now we are out on the soccer field...in the cold...waiting.  I just follow the crowd, because, really, I have no idea where to go.  I look back at the school and see that they have brought out a fire hose and are actually spraying water on to the driveway.  Two more teachers are running (literally, running) carrying boxes of things (I still don’t know what they were carrying, I am assuming some sort of first aid supplies).  Then an ambulance drives up to the side of the field closest the school and 4 teachers load a stretcher into it and it drives off (I guess that its simulating an injury).  As soon as the ambulance drives off a fire truck pulls up and shoots water up over the school (I guess making sure the water will reach the highest point on the school).

They told me I could go back to my classroom but the students had to gather to listen to the Fire Marshall tell them what was good and bad about the drill.  And, honestly, it would not have done any good for me to stay and listen...even though I am working on it...I am only up to about 10 words of Korean.

If everything had not been so new and surprising I would have had the presence of mind to take pictures.  As it is, I was too stunned to think about it.

EPIK 365 Day 49: The Chungbuk-aneers!

I can't believe I haven't posted this picture yet!  This is my provincial intake group (minus one)…we all came into Chungbuk province in September.  And yes, I came up with the name myself.

EPIK 365 Day 48: Pepero

So, November 11th is a completely different "holiday" in Korea…it is Pepero day.  Because the little pepero sticks look like the ones in the date…it's CUTE people.  The build up can get kinda crazy (think about the the frenzy before "couples holidays" in the States)!  Anyway, you give pepero to your crush/significant others/people you like…and I didn't get one solitary box! :(  Sadness!  One student did stop me in the hallway and give me some out of her box because it was pepero day and I needed to have some…so sweet!

EPIK 365 Day 47: Food Analogy of My Life

The perfect food analogy of my life…kimbap and Coke…east and west….Korea and America.  Beautiful…and lunch for about $4.  Not bad at all.

EPIK 365 Day 46: Korean Beauty Haul

So, I am not a huge makeup person, but I did need to get a couple of things and thought I would give Korean products a try.  This whole haul was less that $35…not bad at all, and look at the free samples! I only paid for the 3 big items and the rest were samples.  I love that!

EPIK 365 Day 45: I Spy With My Little Eye...

….something pretty.  Walking up the hill I noticed that this little spider web caught the morning dew perfectly.  I had to stop to take the picture.

Also, is anyone reading these?

EPIK 365 Day 44: The Ramen Aisle

 In case, for any reason, you felt that Ramen noodles and Cup of Noodles are only meant for starving college students….think again.  This is the ramen aisle in the local grocery store.

EPIK 365 Day 43: Foggy Mornings

It has been insanely foggy the past few mornings…downright depressing, in fact.  This is the view from my school…usually I can see for miles from the top of the hill…now, can just make out the street below.

EPIK 365 Day 42: Fall Colors

Oh my goodness, autumn is gorgeous here!  This another little park a little ways away…one of my co-teachers took me.

EPIK 365 Day 41: Little Foods

"Little Foods" or side dishes.  No wonder I feel like I always eat so much at Korean meals!

Korea in the Rain

I have a confession to make...I hate Korea when it rains.  Ok, hate is a strong word....I thoroughly dislike it.

I mean, I LOVE Korea and I love the rain...and I don’t mind that I don’t have a car and have to walk around in the rain (in fact, walking in the rain is one of life’s little pleasures...to me anyway).  And in all honesty, here in the country, it’s not so bad, but I decided to take a little trip to the city on my day off...never mind a little rain.  

Oh. Dear. Lord.  

Koreans apparently hate the rain.

Everyone, and I mean just short of LITERALLY everyone, has an umbrella and when you are walking down the street they are not shy about smacking you in the face with the edge of the thing.  And heaven help you if you want to wait on the bus.  People will cram up under the pavilion like sardines in a can...like they are afraid they will all melt a la Wicked Witch of the West.  Should you survive that experience, board the bus, grab your “oh shit” handle and hold on because, well, just hold on.  Bus rides are usually “eventful” on a normal day, but thrown in a little rain and who needs to go to an amusement park.

But the city adventure wasn’t all bad.  It was my first “solo” trip in Korea, and I managed to get there and back with minimal trauma.  Didn’t actually buy the things I went to the city for (shoes and a purse, and let’s face it, I’m picky) but did get a few things that I wanted/needed...like a full sized towel!

So, here’s the kicker...ever since I got here, particularly to Jincheon, I have had a slight crisis in my “Korean-ness.”  So, I get that I came there “Ugly American”-style, little language/cultural knowledge, but part of that was intentional...I didn’t want to come with any “expectations” about my “motherland.”  I wanted to learn to “be” Korean while I am here.

I am comfortable, and even proud, that I am a Korean adoptee.  It is something that makes me unique.  But since coming to Korean, I have been asked if I am Chinese or Mongolian.  To be fair, some have asked if I am Korean, but usually those are other Korean-Americans.  So, all of this has lead to a small crisis in my “Korean-ness”...I mean, being a Korean-American adoptee was such a large part of my identity...what if it has all been a horrible lie?  I was really starting to question my being Korean since none of the native Koreans seem to think I “look Korean.”  (Which the truly tragic part of that was that my Kdrama fantasy of finding out I am a long-lost Korean princess was starting to look bleak...cause, you know, that was so realistic anyway.)

So, today, my first trip out without other “foreigners”, not one, but two people stopped and tried to speak to me in Korean.  I felt so flattered!  They think I am a real Korean!  Yay!  Makes me want to fly solo more often...I have never had that “part of the majority” feeling. Now just to work on my language skills..I can more or less read things (some take me a while), but I have no idea what it means when I do read them unless there happens to be random English or one of the few Chinese characters that I know there as well.  But baby steps, right?

Which brings me to another point.  Everyone else’s students say hello to them in public and I can barely get my kids to say hello to me in school.  I have a few good kids that always speak, but largely, most of them do not.  I am not ashamed to say that it hurts my feelings...just a little bit.  I mean, I know that I am new and that they are shy, but, especially the ones that shrink up and walk faster when they see me in town, kinda hurt my feelings.

This is not a complete tangent.  So, this whole “I just may look Korean after all” comes into major play here.  Another teacher pointed out that because I “look” Korean, this may keep my students from talking to me...they wouldn’t talk to actual Korean teachers in public, so it may be difficult to break down the mental barrier.  Time and patience, right?  That being said, I love my kids...some of them really have a “spark” and I really want to nurture that.  See?  Not a complete tangent.

EPIK 365 Day 40: Cheongju Traditional Market

Well, this place is fun!  You can see just about anything in these alleyways.  All kinds of food (including live fish) and any kind of merchandise you can sell.  We have a smaller version in Jincheon, but I haven't gone yet...soon, though!

EPIK 365 Day 39: Quothe the Raven?

Not quite...that's a magpie.  But we don't have those down South.  My Co-teacher says that hearing a magpie's call is lucky because it means that important or wanted guests are coming...and this one certainly spoke to me.

EPIK 365 Day 38: My Sweet Potato

Not that is not a pet name for my boyfriend...it is my actual sweet potato that I am sprouting.  My grandmother used to sprout them and I thought I would give it a try.  It is really starting to come along.

EPIK 365 Day 37: Happy Halloween!

Part of my Halloween lesson had my students make masks and come trick or treating at my classroom door.  Here are some of my good students, who followed the directions by wearing their masks and using the words "trick or treat."

EPIK 365 Day 36: Korean Cold Medicine

The weather change has been a little rough on me...had a bit of a cold this week, so I made a trip to the pharmacy to get cold medicine.  Luckily, the lady a the counter was quite good at charades and had enough English to tell me "2, 3 times a day."  Basic math tells me that is 2 pills every 8(-ish) hours.  The pills are a little expensive too...3,000 won is not quite 3 dollars, but there were only 6 doses in the box.