AUGH! I just wrote a whole final blog entry from this side of the world and I lost it! It's just another sign that it's time for me to leave.

Yes, that's right, my time here in S. Korea is coming to a close. I haven't written a blog entry since July 7th which tells you that I've either become lazy or very busy with summertime fun/travels. I guess I'd say a bit of both. I wish I could've written more about my life and times here in SK, but I also enjoyed not having a computer as a major part of my life for awhile. Also, this means that you'll just have to take me out for dinner (*hint* *hint*) if you want to find out more about what went on over here.

 I've had many farewells so far. The 3 most notable (due to size) would be my farewell on Saturday night, my Tae Kwon Do farewell and my school dinner, which will be tonight. For my last big night in Gugal, me and all my waeguk (foreigner) friends ate Korean barbecue, struggled to get through toasts (*ahem* Katie Brown!) and sang our hearts out at norea bang (karaoke). It was a great time to see all the people who have been a part of my life here, whether it big or small. I wish them all the best. Last night was my last TKD practice. We took a series of hilarious pictures and afterwards went out with the two Master's and Laura for a small meal. I will really miss Master Kim and Master Hwang, they are genuinely great guys and super funny to boot. Tonight's dinner will be tuna sushi, or so I'm told.

Today the kindergarten children gave me a farewell book. I was surprisingly composed. I believe this was due to the fact that I will be returning tomorrow to help celebrate Ellie's (kinde kid) birthday. I couldn't say no! The other students are experiencing a range of emotions upon saying goodbye. Many are sad, some are happy...others have no clue what we're telling them. Go figure.

My plane leaves at 10:05 am on Thursday morning. I will be on the "airport limo" (big bus) at 5:30 am...ick. Katie, Stef and Brittany will be at my place to enjoy our last few hours together on Wed. night cuz we all know I won't be sleeping. I'm barely even packed. *ugh* I'm not sure if my friend John, who's ben my "kept man" for the past week plus will still be around or not...he's back for an additional year here in Korea. It's been nice having him around to sort of wind up my time here with someone who understands, to have a piece of home to make the adjustment easier, and to fill up my time so I'm not thinking about all I have yet to do.

I could wax on and on eloquently (or not) about my time here. I'll save you all the pain. To sum it up, I must say "it's been an experience of a lifetime." I've learned what I love. I've learned what I don't love. I've learned whom I love. I've learned who doesn't love me. I've learned it's all about Love. I've made the most of my time here and did things I never thought possible. I also learned that with tenacity and an adventurous spirit, along with good people at your side or to back you up, you can do things you never knew you could.

Was it difficult? Yes. Was it worth it? Most definitely. Would I do it again? For sure. Will I do it again? Umm...probably not, at least not here. But then again, I also learned never to say never.....

Anyeongheegysaeyo Korea. Canada, here I come!

Due to the Korean/lunar calendar...I will have to turn 30...TWICE! As if, who does that?!? On July 4th (Independence of the Womb Day), it was my 29th (or 30th) birthday. Yikes. I got lots of fun gifts from the students like earrings, travel mug, sunscreen, phone bling, and random offerings of candy. Many students drew me adorable cards which hurt my heart a little, not cuz they were so cute, but because the English written on them so was poor. (Are you paying attention in class?!?) During the start of the 5:00 period, Katie came and told me there was "an emergency" in another room thatrequired my attention. She took me into the auditorium in which 2 of the older classes had decorated with loads of balloons and were waiting for me in the dark. They, along with Katie, Uhuru and the Korea teachers threw me surprise party! there was pizza, cola, cake, snacks, and gifts. It was very, very sweet! They had been planning it for about 1 week, so I knew something was up, but not to that scale! The way we handled it with the staff was to make the kids promise they would only speak in English if they could give up class time, but that didn't happen, of course. It was a fun class and a great surprise!

 

That night I was going to go out and have dinner with some friends, but I stayed at home with my fever of 101...not fun at all. This weekend however, we're getting a big group of people together and I, along with a few other brave souls, will be bungee jumping! I figured turning 29 was scary so I'd counter it by doing something even scarier! There is a nice park about 30 mins away from me with a lake, bike rentals, trails, etc. We'll have picnic, jump, and carry on into the evening, I'm sure. Good times, good times.

Up until today, I've never had a conversation with the students regarding North Korea. I've found this somewhat odd in my time here, seeing as we live only about 2-2.5 hours from the border. South Korean students have made it very clear to me that they think Japan is "naughty" or "bad" and China is "dirty" and I should never buy products made in China. After having gone on the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) Tour two weekends ago (more on that later) and reading up on Korean history, I can understand why people here say so little about North Korea. However today...

 

Jane, a 10 year-old Korean student of mine, shot out of her seat (not unusal) in the middle of class and started saying, "Bokhan, Teacher, Bokhan!" I wasn't in Korean thinking mode, so I didn't catch on right away that she was saying "North Korea" to me. So, she grabbed a marker of mine and drew a very good map of Korea on the white board. She then split it down the middle (38' parallel), labeled it "North" (bok)  and "South" (nam) and then drew a big missle on the north side of the map. From there, she very excitedly drew Seoul with large arrows going to it from the missle and then said "Explosion! Boom!" After that she drew Yongin, the area in which we live, about 1 hour south of Seoul and drew arrows to it too. "If Seoul explodes, Yongin too!" Her classmate, Judy, was nodding her head in agreement. Not sensing any real fear from them, I asked who had told them about the missles, their fathers? They said yes, "And the news, tv!"

 

And you didn't think kids these days knew anything about politics...!

 

Hmmm...maybe it's a good thing I'm coming home soon...?

 

At 4:30 pm this afternoon, I looked out the window and thought I had lost about 5 hours...it was almost completely black outside. Rainy season has begun. I think I'm about to discover what it means to "rain so hard, it looks like it's coming up" as the rain here was once described to me. Katie and I just snuck into our apartments laddened with our grocery bags in the nick of time yesterday before a torrential downpour began. We have also too many times this week looked at each other and questioned if either of us had remembered to bring an umbrella to work that day. I think my usan (umbrella) is going to have to be my permanent accessory for the next few weeks. Usually rainy season happens in July/August and it ranges from 2-6 weeks, depending on if you are speaking to a Korean or a forienger. I've been told that "they" are forecasting an early season this year and say it will be finished by the end of June. We'll see if Korean meterologists are better than Canadian ones!

I felt that I would share the following thoughts on feminine beauty as described to me over a course of several conversation by a Korean male. I will not disclose the name of my source for a variety of reasons. Here are a few thoughts:

 

1) Korean women are more beautiful than Japanese and Chinese women (and other women as well) because "they are very fahionable and wear nice makeup". Now...I will grant that they seem to take great pains in how they look, wearing high heels at all times (including while hiking and camping, no lie), primping thmeselves extensively in any reflective surface and accessorizing every part of their being to the max. But to call them fashionalbe, well, that is entirely up to the eye of the beholder. Also to say that the makeup is nice/beautiful...layers of too pale foundation and metallic eye shadow, is also being called into question.

 

2) "Korean women remain thin because they wish to be fashionable and the clothes sold in Korea is very small." True dat. There are really only 3 sizes here in Korea...4,5,6...I'm not sure what these mean measurement-wise, but to me it means, small, smaller, smallest.

 

3) One day, while wearing my new "skinny jeans" that I had my mother send to me, this same person stopped dead in his tracks (probably cuz he's used to seeing me wearing baggy clothes) and told me I "looked wonderful!" I thanked him and he continued saying, "You look wonderful because you look thin! Maybe when you go back to your country you will be more popular!" He also decided that he wanted to compliment Katie and told her that she "lost half her face" since coming to Korea. It's great knowing that two average-sized Canadian must've looked like blimps upon arrival.

For those of you who were dying to know how my Tae Kwon Do test this past Friday went...I passed! That's right...I'm now a "Noran Ddi" (Yellow Belt). I can actually hear and respond to the Korean commands now and rarely fall on my butt while performing at kick! I'm still a bit pertrified when I have to use another student to leap over...but I'll ease into that with time...maybe...

Katie and I went to see our first Korean baseball game, two Saturdays ago. Our student told us the best team in Korea is the "Kia Tigers". We were fortunate enough to catch them at the Jamsil Sport Complex, which was used in the 1988 Summer Olympics, now home of the "LG Twins".

 

We thought we'd root for Kia, but as it turns out, we were sitting on the LG side. Unlike North American sporting events, in which the fans are dispersed throughout the stadium, all the fans of one team sit on the same side of the stadium.

 

In the both bleachers, there is a raised platform in which a male "Cheermaster" and 4 cheerleaders, in combinations with big drum players and crazy mascots, whip the fans into a frenzy. The wave will not even continue all the way around the stadium but starts and stops with the fans of each team. It's like high school all over again! Everyone has air-filled clappers and seem to know the same chants/songs for their teams. I enjoy this part of the Korean culture in that the adults are not "above" getting excited and singing along, as I often feel adults at home are. Katie and I didn't know the chants, but amused ourselves by making up English translations to them. I've since had my students teach me a few of the Korea words for my next game. Despite the good seats we had behind home plate for a mere 10,000 won (pprox. $12), we will be sitting in the bleachers next time cuz that's where the real fun is! 

 

Before going to the game, Katie and I had some fun at the batting cages. Everyone around us seemed quite amused to see to foreign girls in the cages and pulled out their cels phones to take pictures of us, geesh. We also were able to tour some of the Olympic grounds and snap photos in from of the main stadium.

 

How's the food you ask? Not the same as back home, not a single good ball park frank, elephant ear or soft pretzel to be had. We made due with a "Couple Combo" from Bugu King (translation, "Burger King).

 

The level of play was fanatastic and I enjoyed watching the speed of the pitches flash on the jumbotron in kilometres rather than in miles. It took me a second to realize the difference and the first time I read "140" on the scoreboard, I was floored! Then I noticed the "km" behind the numbers and my world made sense again (even for a mere second).

 

It was a great day to see the game, the weather was clear and the crowd was fantastic. We're definitely going again!

On Sunday, April 30th, the streets of downtown Seoul were jam-packed with Koreans and foriengers alike partaking in all the street festivals and grand parade in honour of the brith of Buddha. I have never seen so many people in one place at the same time before!!! The meanest of whom are the little, old women with their pointy elbows and no desire to be nice when trying to get through the crowd!

 

I went with a group of friends, Katie (Vancouver Island), Mary (Halifax), Brit (Virgina), Stef (Indiana), Ruth (Virginia) and Tea (Germany) and ran into or met up with several other foreingers that we have met in our time here in Korea. We were able to make our very own lotus lanterns with the help of some friendly, elderly Koreans. We also got our faces painted with little lotus flowers, made rubbings of ancient text, created lotus postcards, played traditional games, watched traditional dance, and viewed arts and crafts, clothing and much, much more down a bustling street in front of the largest Buddhist temple in Korea, Jogyesa Temple. I got a few great shots of the monks walking around with their camcorders, Nikes and Raybans.

 

The highlight of the day was when evening fell. A parade, which lasted over 2.5 hours and boasted more than 100,000 lanterns of all colours, shapes and sizes ran from Dongdaemun Stadium to Jogyesa Temple...approx. 3 kms in length(?). Despite the movement and dark conditions and the hordes of people pushing on me, I managed to get some good shots of the nighttime parade to show you just how fantastic this parade was. There were many people from other countries participating in the parade too and a real sense of unity as a concert broke out the end in which some famous pop-stars performed on the stage admist some super loud music and big pyrotechnics. I didn't manage to stay until the end of the festivities where there is an explosion of lotus flower petals, as I had quite a distance to travel home and needed to beat the masses, but I stayed longer than most. It was definitely a great experience!

 

View the following website for more information on this spectacular event: http://english.tour2korea.com/03Sightseeing/TravelSpot/travelspot_read.asp?konum=subm1_1&kosm=m3_6&oid=2208

 

Why the Lotus Flower?

The Lotus Flower is a well known symbol of Buddhism. This flower has two meanings. First, the lotus flower blossoms in mud ponds, but it is not tainted and keeps its purity always. It is like Buddha and Bodhisattvas, who lived in the world but remained pure. Second, it bears a flower and fruit at the same time. It reflects the law of cause and effect. Therefore, when Buddhists act in everyday life, they keep in mind that their actions are followed by results. (Source: http://www.tour2korea.com).

 

Thanks to the advancement of technology I was able to log on to the University of Windsor's website today at 1:01 pm (South Korean time) to check the status of my application to their Education Program. I blissfully read the word " ADMITTED" in the status field.

 

This means I will be attending Teacher's College (an old term still used in Windsor) at the start of September 2006. I planned for this before coming to Korea making sure that my contract was clear that I was leaving at the end of August...and now I'm making good on it!

 

Teaching is something that I've always wanted to do and I honestly I think is something that I'm meant to do. I look forward to moulding young minds in the very near future! (Does that thought scare you too?)

 

***squeals***

Last week I went on a field trip with the kindergarten students to the STM (Samsung Transportation Museum). IT is located in one tiny portion of "Everland", which is Korea's biggest Amusement Park...smaller than Disney World, bigger than Disneyland, I'm told. It turns out that the ideal way to have a field trip in Korea is to drag the children from one photo opt to another, forget about teaching them anything(1), then stuff your face with kimbap (an essential Korean food, sorta like a sushi roll) and let the wild children run free in a cement parking lot. Whippty-doo. I was looking forward to see what this country would constitue as a transportation museum, coming from the Automotive Capital of of Canada, but alas, I didn't get a great look. I do have some photos to post that I managed to snapped before getting rushed to the next photo spot. It turns out, after doing my own investigation, that the entire museum was Mr. Samsung's personal vehilce collection...nice! If I haven't written about this before, there are basically three companies/families that own this country, Samsung, Lotte and LG.

 

I probably shouldn't even be writing a blog entry right now. I've had a miserable week. My foot is still sore and I'm sick AGAIN! Only those who come to live here from other countries can completely understand what happens to your sinuses over here. I'm also a bit miffed about the last-minute-appearance-is-everything-logic-free way of "teaching" or rather, "doing business". I'm just not in a good spot, as you are probably be able to read. I think I'm just getting anxious about this Monday/Tuesday as I will finally be able to know if I've been accepted to U of Windsor's Education program or not. I would rather be told "no" than be put on the wait list...but I have a feeling that waiting is what I'll be doing. UGH.

 

My next blog entry will be about the U of W's decision to happily (or not) accept me in the Education program! Stay tuned...

 

 

Based on the reaction I get from the students and even older Koreans alike, one would think that they've never seen anyone place a pencil behind her ear. For those of you who have worked with me in the past, you can probably recall that I would normally have a pencil or pen tucked behind my ear. By doing so, I was always assured of having something to write with, and didn't have to lug around a notebook or make sure my pants or skirts had pockets in them. When the children see me with a pencil behind my ear, they squeal and laugh, point and many times mimic me proudly. My boss even tells me that I look "very cute" when I do that. Sometimes parents visiting the school will point to their ears when I walk by...I don't know what the big deal is...*shrug*. The other day in class, Paul, one of the students I've had for several months pointed to his ear, pointed at me and said, "Susan Teacher..." I was in a bit of bad mood as it was the last class of a long day and I sighed and said, "Yes, Paul, there is a pencil behind my ear, that's what I do." He smiled and turned his head to one side and asked me, "Is that, ummm, trademark?!" I had to laugh at him for first knowing that word and then using it in such a way. Sometimes I wonder if the students will remember me when I'm gone...now I know, whenever they see a person with a pencil tucked behind his or her, they will think of me. *Tear*

Last Wednesday I didn't see a step at a restaurant. I thought it was just one step down, but it was really two small steps to the ground, the place to which I fell, after catching my heel and really wrenching my foot to the left and then to the right. (The stairs/ground in S. Korea are very treacherous as this is now my FOURTH fall!) I popped up immediately, extremely embarassed as all the patrons, staff and my friends surrounded me. I could feel it swelling up like a watermelon as I walked onto the elevator, as we were just calling it a night, and I hung my head a cursed beneath my breath. The very first thought through my head was..."NOOOOOOOO! I have to test tomorrow night for my yellow belt!" I hobbled to the corner store, bought some ice and fell asleep with a cold pack on my foot.

 

The next morning the swelling was still there and the bruises were beginning. I had to call Katie to come help me walk to work. Our local Dunkin Donuts ladies asked what was wrong with me on our stop in for our much needed morning java. It was nice that they were concerned. At 3 pm I went with Julie, one of the Korean staff to get it checked out at a nearby clinic. Two tries later, we finally arrived at the one with the x-ray machine. A kindly, elderly doctor with minimal English checked out my foot and had me get an x-ray. It turns out that I sprained the ligaments and he told me, heat/ice and elevate and go to phsyiotherapy. I asked if I need a tensure bandage, crutches or medication (for the pain) and he said none of these were necessary. Well, I was right mad that I didn't get the three things that would make me feel better, so I dragged myself to the pharmacy, pantomined my fall and purchased some Ibeprofun (spelling?) and a bandage. That night I called Grant, my brother-in-law, who is a phsyiotherapist back home and he told me I got extrememly good advice! Begrudingly, I got up early and went to the clinic and had the most torterous/delicious treatment on a tiny, little Korean hospital bed. Heat pack, ultrasound, hand massage, then paddle massage which made my toes twitch involuntarily...strange feeling.

 

That night I sheepishly walked with a huge pout on my face down to my tae kwon do gym. It usually takes me only 5 minutes to walk there, this time it took me 22. I was in so much pain by time I got there that I was almost in tears when Master Kim came out to look at me with a disappointed look on his face. He then asked me if I was going to test next week. Um no...I'm off for about 2-4 weeks *sigh*. At this point he told me not to worry and that I could test as soon as I was better. He asked if I trusted him to do a traditional Korean treatment for my foot. "It's a little bit hot," he said. I responded, "Ok???" as I thought it was going to be some sort of salve or something. I pulled up my pant leg and gingerly took off my sock and Master Kim stuck about 7 small, metal discs onto my leg from my knee to my toe and around my big bruise. There were tiny wicks on each disc which he proceeded to light on fire. The whole class ran over to see what was happen to the tall, foreign girl's leg and they kept asking me, "Are you ok?" The smoke smelled a bit off but nothing was really happening. I was later told that this is called geum and that it is to help with my circulation as I had "bad blood" in my foot. All of a sudden, the disc near my knee began to BURN. I pointed to it and said it was really, really hot. Master Kim rubbed his hands together and said, "Oh! This is the good part!" Then turned his head to the side, paused, held his hand up and counted down very slowly from 5 before thankfully pulling the disc off. One at a time, each disc began to burn and each time, Master Kim would pause, count down slowly from 5, then pull them off. By the end of it, I had screamed once or twice and had tiny little red marks on my leg, which went away about 30 mins later. I can't tell you if it helped or if it hurt. *shrug*

 

By time I walked home, I was biting my jacket to stop screaming from the pain. I haven't been babying it...I've been putting pressure on it, but keeping it elevated as much as possible and icing it when I can. There are many beautiful shades of green, blue and purple going on too. I hope within another week, I'll be back in class to test for my yellow belt.

 

And you know why this happened? Just one night prior to my fall I was telling someone that I hadn't fallen in a long while in Korea. "I guess I've found my Korean legs!" I quipped. Guess again, Tarcia, guess again.

A natural yet now hazardous phenomenon has been detected for the first time this year in S. Korea. "Yellow Dust Season" has begun. I swore I would never wear the masks that I see the Korean people wearing to prevent from spreading colds and I think even to stop the effects of the pollution, but after reading these few articles...I just might invest in one. I'm told I will be able to see the yellow dust (which blows in from China) hanging in the air and breathing in at times will sting. Many people suffer from respitory sickness and eye diseases at this time of year. I've read articles talking about wearing long clothing, washing hands and face upon entering houses, and wearing glasses rather than contact lenses. I wonder if my last bout of laryngitis has anything to do with this...?!?

 

 

 

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200504/kt2005040715435668040.htm (last year's article)

 

Anyways, I tell you how it goes.

Ok. I have been holding off in writing an entire entry on Korean washrooms and their apparent love for bedits but I can stand it no longer! Here are a few tales of the experiences I have had or the insane things I have been witness too:

 

1) Squat Potties: Unfortunately, there too many stories to share here. I know these are supposedly more hygenic than "regular" toilets...but they are a pain in the butt...literally. I have thankfully learned that when you are in a public washroom in a place like the subway or train station, if you look in enough stalls your chances of finding a western-styled toilet are good. The floor around these potties is usually very wet and the hooks to hold your purse/bag on the doors are often times wobbly, at best. These are especially annoying to use when your legs are sore from TKD class and/or the lock is not working well.

 

2) Smoking Room: As it is "impolite" for Korean women to smoke in public, they go into the washrooms to smoke. This defeats the purpose of going into a washroom to "freshen up" when you come out 2 mintues later smelling like a pack of cigarettes...gross! Perhaps this is why if there is a window in the washroom it is open and therefore freezing cold!!!

 

3) Garbage Cans:  Apparently, Koreans do not flush their toilet paper. Next to each toilet is an overfilled garbage can with folded toilet paper...GROSS! Also slopped near these garbage cans are many pairs of nylons and false eyelashes. I didn't think there were that many drag queens in this country...?

 

4) Unisex Washrooms: The first time I found out that some public washrooms can be unisex was my second visit to a norae bang (Karaoke Room). The ladies pointed down the hallway for me and my friends waited. Everyone wonder why I came back so quickly with a puzzled look on my face. The only washroom I found had a male/female sign outside of it and a guy using a urinal. The ladies nodded their approval to me...I held it.

 

The second time I came acorss a unisex washroom was yet another visit to a norae bang. This time however, there was no holding it in. The horrible thing about this  one was...it had two urinals and two squat potties on a raised platform (huh?) without floor-lengthed doors. One potty had been destroyed by a previous patron, so I said a quick prayer that I would be the only one in there and dashed into the other stall to find no toilet paper...grrrrrr! I ran downstairs to the room to get my emergency tissue, which I now always carry with me, when my coworker, Greg (the Korean infrastrcture manager, aged 40-something) asked in his broken English if I was going to go to the washroom, as he was on his way too. I shook my head, gave him a Korean "aniyo" and then waited for him to return to the room before making my second attempt to use the loo. This time, the place was all mine, I had my tissue and I got out before anyone else could follow me in! I should've just went with Melony on the hunt for a real toilet in the nearby buildings!

 

There is a place called "Cheers" near our school which we meet some of the local foreigners at sometimes. This place too has a unisex washroom, but we keep our eye out for one another to see if the coast is clear before using it. Oy!

 

5) Bars of Soap: Rarely, if ever, you will find a soap dispenser in a Korean public washroom. If you do find soap, you will find a bar of soap, which looks like it needs to be cleaned itself. Sometimes you will find a bar of soap stuck upright on a long, metal pole which pivots. You can spin the soap as you work your hand on it...it's always blue and smells funny.

 

6) Cold Water: 99% of the time, the water is COLD. Perhaps this is why 75% of the Korean women don't wash their hands after using the washroom. *ugh*

 

7) Toilet Paper: Always, always, always carry tissue with you when traveling in S. Korea. It's a 50-50 chance that you will find toilet paper in the stalls. Sometimes there is one huge dispenser inside a restaurant on the way to the washroom, or just outside the two washrooms, or just hanging outside one of the stalls. You must keep a constant watch for this giant dispenser...nothing is more annyoing than digging into the emergency pack just because you missed seeing it!

 

8) Dryers: Again, dryers are rarities. Even more rare are paper towels. Sometimes, in smaller establishments, like my hagwon (private school), there will be a shared towel hanging up. And people thought the rolls of towels at TBQ in Windsor were gross. A few times I have come across "Ultraviolet" hand dryers. I'm not sure if Koreans think this is the waterless way to clean their hands or what. I tried it, after washing...didn't notice a difference.

 

9) Public Bedits: I have only seen one public bedit in the washroom at an "Outback Steakhouse" of all places. Does anyone else understand why this freaked me out?!? All the buttons were in Korean...but even so, there was no way I was going to attempt to use this thing!

 

10) Bedit Infomercial: I am sharing this horrible tale because I have been subjected to this henious informerical on numerous occasions...

 

Ah, it's Friday...my week is almost complete...you will have to wait to read about the Bedit Informercial...the suspense!

 

 

There are many "manners" as Master Kim (my Tae Kwon Do instructor) refers to them, that I and the other foreign students in the TKD class have yet to learn. Last night I learned a few:

 

1) Even if you are just observing the class, you need to stand and salute the flag at the start and end of class.

Master Kim spoke this out the side of his mouth without turning his head to Laura, another foreigner taking the class who was just observing last night..."Please stand up! It is manner!"

 

2) If you are a spectator and you get stomped on (several times...*groan*) by those students sparring, the biggest (read: "biggest boned") kid will inevitably use you as a landing mat but will come over to you immediately, after rolling around like a turtle on his back, and bow very low to you with a very embarassed and apologetic look on his face.

 

3) When leaving the dojang (gym) and the Gwanjangnim (Master) or one of the Sahbumnim (Instructors) are nearby, you must be sure to say goodbye and bow to them. Laura and I got in trouble for this one together. "Why do you not say goodbye to your Masters? It is manner!" We usually say goodnight, I guess we didn't this time...oops!

 

4) It is ok to use children as jumping blocks...it will improve your aim.

 

5) It is ok to make me jump continuously until I think I'm going to lose my dinner...no mercy for the white belt!

This is something that was introduced to me by my friend/co-worker Katie. It allows you to see what other people think of yourself and what you've just made up about yourself in your mind. If you have a spare minute or two, check it out: http://kevan.org/johari?name=SuzinJain and make one for yourself! Being in Korea allows one to become very introspective...even the extroverts!

 

 

*NOTE: This entry is not for the squeamish, the "socially proper" (per Western customs) or for anyone afraid of their personal space being totally and completely invaded. No pictures accompany this entry.*

 

Anna and I went for a vacation to Busan, Korea's 2nd largest city on the southeast coast, during our Christmas break. We took the KTX train which is the high-speed train that hits speeds of 300/km hour! We got to see a bit of the countryside but sadly, the pollution is so great, much of it was hidden in a thick haze.

 

We stayed a hotel called "Commodore Hotel" or "Hotel Commodore". It took us about 20 times until the taxi driver understood what we meant. We took turns saying the name, slowly, loudly but eventually the cabbie took us to it when we showed him a picture of a pagoda in our book. The hotel is shaped like a giant pagoda in the heart of downtown, everyone knows it (especially Korean business men and their mistresses...a tidbit we learned while reading the Lonely Planet guide AFTER we checked in...yikes!). We enjoyed carpeting and a bathtub(!) the first time we've seen either in our time here.

 

Anna and I wanted to pamper ourselves so we looked into the spa packages. We were greatly perturbed when we found out that the hot tub at the hotel was for men only. (Come again?!?) Due to this, we decided to take our business elsewhere. Several spa places were advertisted in brochures in the hotel room and we ended up, with the help of a staff member, booking a luxury spa package (with a great discount) at a place which deals mostly with Japanese tourist. Here's how the evening went:

 

1) Picked up at the hotel by van with doilies on the seats from Spa at 6:00 p.m. sharp.

 

2) Dropped off at spa, placed in elevator...alone, and sent up to correct floor.

 

3) Greeted by the hostess, asked if we spoke Japanese (No), Korean (No). Anna offered German, this just got a laugh.

 

4) Provided small pink t-shirts and shorts, given a locker for our clothing and was told to get changed...no change rooms provided...this should've been my first clue to the remainder of the visit.

 

5) Sat and sweat in a very, very hot sauna for about 15-20 minutes. This room had hot rocks, dried lanvendar, and something that looked like straw...a fire hazard in the making.

 

6) Told by an older Korean lady to take off my bottoms via pantomime and forced to sit on a stool with a hole in it and some strange Burberry material on top. Beneath the hole was something like a steamer/hot plate. A tent-like sheet was placed over us, with only a place for our heads to pop through the top.  The lady put on a timer for 15 mins and walked away. Within 2 mintues I was almost in tears due to the excruciating pain my most private parts were receiving. I began to squirm and the lady just kept coming back and pointing at her groin. "Yuh...I get the point...make it stop!!!" Anna wasn't in pain for several minutes later but I was in tears of laughter when she began to stand up beneath the tent to get off of the stool. Mercifully, the lady came and unplugged the torture pots (there were some other names Anna and I gave these things, not suitable for this site) and pointed at the timer...5 minutes left. *groan* During the last 5 mintues, we were greeted with the show of two of the Korean staff stripping down and walking around the changing room. What was going to happen next?!?

 

7) Next, we were stripped down completely and thrust into a large shower/bath room, told to rinse off in the shower, then placed inside an oversized warm tub together. We sat there, not looking at each other below the neck, and trying not to look at the two workers scrubbing (and I mean scrubbing) themselves in front of us and dressing in lacy black bra and undies.

 

8) We exited the tub to lie down on massage tables. The worker then proceeded to place scrubbing mits on each of her hands and remove about 100 layers of dead skin off of my body. I was scrubbed and rubbed and in every place imaginable, put into several embarassing positions and risned off. I almost fell off the very slippery, soaped-up table a few times while turning...yikes! Oh, I forgot...I was slightly covered at this point...I had strips of cucumber on my face. Once that was completed, we did it all over again, for good measure. I was then oiled, massaged, slapped and had my hair washed.

 

9) We took our bright, pink, freshly scoured bodies and rinsed off again before being handed an extrememly small towel and ushered into the now full changing room. Several tiny Korean and Japenese women got an eyeful (or two) of the bountiful Canadians as we tried to get the most coverage from the post-it note sized towels until they ran to find us larger sized outfits.

 

10) Happily clothed, we walked into a room and were greeted by 2 women and 2 men. We proceeded to undergo a facial with a mask and massage while being blessed with the most heavenly foot/leg massages by the strong men and wooden tools. That could've lasted forever!!! My Korean man kept asking me, "Foot massag-ee, good?" to which I could only sigh a contented yes in response. He told me I was very beautiful, right before he picked my nose and cleaned my ears while removing the face mask. How humiliating. After that, he proceeded to stretch and bend my now limp body in ways I didn't know it could move.

 

11) To end the 2-hour adventure, we were given a cold tea drink back in the changing room and we shuttled  fresh and pink, relaxed and relieved, back to our hotel.

 

Moral of the story: Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

 

 

I can't believe I haven't written a blog entry about this yet! I've been taking Tae Kwon Do (TKD) lessons since the end of December. I am a white belt which sound impressive, but it translates to the very bottom rung...

 

How did I come upon taking TKD lessons? Well, one night, while exploring the new neighbourhood with Katie and Uhuru, we saw a scrolling marquee that read in English, "If foreigners want to learn Tae Kwon Do, come here! Cost: FREE!" It turns out that Master Kim wants to practice his English and was offering free lessons in return. I haven't been able to go regularly as I started to go just before the Christmas break and then the month of January gets all turned upside down in S. Korea as the students are on holiday. During January, I was only able to attend a few classes with the Mom's Club (quite interesting) but have been going more frequently since the start of this week. I have met a few other foreigners by doing this and one night we all went out for Korean BBQ and gave each other Korean or English names, if we were without. If you befriend a Korean, you are treated with much hopsitality and the meal was all paid for. It was a great way for us to interact and help teach English as payment for the lessons.

 

Here are some highlights thus far:

1) Swimming in my Tae Kwon Do outfit for the first class. Thankfully it shrunk a bit after I washed it.

2) Learning to count to 10 in Korean (a must for testing) and other Korean commands and traditions.

3) Using the other students (kids from 12-15?) to LEAP over in various positions...the most frightening, the straddle...your aim must be perfect!!!

4) Crawling through the legs of 15 Korean women and getting swatted on my rear or ridden like a horse.

5) Breaking a board with a kick - CHA!!!

6) Being asked to do level testing this Saturday to get my yellow belt in a board breaking demonstration in front of the other students and their parents, but alas, I am attending another wedding on Saturday. Another time, soon I hope!

7) Learning Tae Kwon Do moves to a Korean traditional song. I was able to make use of these moves while going to Norea Bang (Karaoke) with my staff to amuse them. You could see the confused looks..."Why does this tall, white girl know this?!?"

8) Sparring.

9) Stupidly joining in the Mom's Club chant at the end as I thought I was supposed to, then getting laughed at when I hurled back from the circle when they asked if I was a mom.

10) Last but not least...kicking Master Hwang (second in command) during my 2nd class in the hand and making him bleed - oy! It turns out that I need to work on my hand/foot coordination.

 

TKD has turned out to be a great way to meet people (Korean and foreign alike), tone up (abs and legs...ouch!), gain flexibility (the Masters can do splits...gross!), learn Korean and relate to (and frighten) my students. :)

 

 

I've finally made my first visit to a "PC Bang" (translates to PC Room, aka Internet Cafe). It only costs 1,000 won/hour (approx. $1.15) but the downside is that you have to deal with the clouds of smoke and constant video game sounds, not to mention the frequent horking noise from a smoker....ugh. I usually have time during the day to respond to emails and to update my blog but January/Intensive semester is ridicuously busy. I just got over my second Korean cold...but it didn't take too much out of me, thankfully. I will slowly try to write entries to get you caught up on my time here, especially the holidays...

 

Last week I was given a Korean name by one of our older students, Jennifer. She gave me the choice of two names, but she definitely had her favourite in mind. My Korean name is 요리 (You-Ree) which means "glass". The other name was 바다 (Bah-Dah) which means "see". I like the meaning "see" better, but You-Ree sounds a bit like Susie and everyone to whom I've told my name has been very excited and said "it is a very beautiful, Korean name". I put the two names together when speaking to Jennifer about them, which made her laugh, as it makes me "See Glass"...so I think that is my full Korean name.

 

I'm very thankful that I live in the days of the Internet, digital cameras, blogs, emails and cheap long distance. There are some things, like Tim Horton's and my car that I miss, but those things can be substituted with other things, but friends and family can never be replaced. One day, just after New Years, I was terribly sick and I stayed at home (still on holidays from work) to get better...bad thing for me...thinking time! I got to thinking how happy I was that I made it through the holidays without being terribly homesick and how I had people to share the season with. However, I discovered that I had Christmas as a mark in my head to try to punch past and figured the rest would be easy sailing. Well, I realized that the sprint was over and I still had 8 more months to go. Today is my 3 month anniversary of my arrival in Korea. I can't believe it! The time has flown by, but when I think of everything I've done in that time and how long ago it feels since I was in Canada, it feels like an eternity. There are still so many things that I am looking forward to doing here that I know the rest of the time will fly past too.

 

CORRECTION TO THE ABOVE: 바다 (Bah-Dah) means "sea", not "see". I still like both of my Korean names together, as it now reads "Sea Glass". This is a very good metaphor for my life (now and continually) as I was once (or twice, hmmm...) told that I had some very rough edges. Sea Glass is rubbed smooth by the sand(s of time, how dramatic) and is turned into something that can be appreciated by others. :)

I have many things to write about including; my vacation to Busan, my trip to a spa (no pictures with this story!!!), my first visit to a famous Buddist temple, New Year's, etc. However...the month of January is the "Intensive" semester at school and my hours are extended, my work load is doubled and my prep time is all but taken away from me. I hope everyone is doing well and that you had a wonderful holiday season and that this new year is treating you well. I will write more soon.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(SOS)

Christmas has come and past and I survived it away from home. My strategy was to keep myself as busy as possible so I would not be able to think about being away from friends, family and turkey. Working up to an including the 23rd and again on the 26th helped bar against having "too much time to think".

 

Korean's don't really celebrate Christmas. They make it a big deal for the children, and couples usually celebrate it together. The big thing to do on Christmas Eve is to go out for dinner and on the 25th, they usually go see a movie or go shopping. Having a Christmas cake seems to be another mainstay as the bakeries had piles and piles of boxes inside and outside of their shops and every other person walking down the street had a cake box in her hand.

 

I woke up early on Christmas Eve to head out with Katie in search of a post office in order to mail my gifts/cards home. I wanted to send them sooner but everything is an ordeal here, even simple tasks like mailing parcels. After going to two different cities and nearly falling off the bus I was finally able to ship everything off to Canada and get some food. (It's too scary to relate this tale, but thankfully a police office on the bus yelled at the driver to stop, otherwise, I might have been typing this with a broken hand or worst.) It's great being able to read the language better and we discovered the joy of cheese Ramen (I will bring this trick home with me!). Afterwards, we took our first trip to the nearby Walmart (yes, it's even here in Korea). Katie finally got some money from the school, so we had fun picking out items to make her apartment feel more like home. I bought some speakers for my iPod (ahhh, the gift of music) and a huge wheel of Colby cheese...yea cheese!!! While in the store, I heard someone say my name, but I shook my head and thought, "Nah! No one knows me here!" Then I turned around to see my Tae Kwon Do instructor and his family! (More on TKD to come.) Small world! We did more shopping back in Gugal to prepare for the Christmas Eve party at my place.

 

We had made reservations at our favourite restuarant, "Mama Mia's" for 6 pm. Originally, there was to be 9 of us for dinner, but it turned out to be just 4...me, Katie, Anna and Mary. We had a great dinner and walked the 200 paces it takes to get back to my place. In order to feel like a Korean, I purchased an ice crema cake from Baskin Robbins. This is the land of "free gift with purchase" and you will have to see my pictures to fully appreciate what I received upon buying this. As Uhuru and Oren were late in joining us, we decided to cut the cake in 4 and devour it ourselves. True to form, I was the last one to get a piece but the first one to finish it! Eventually, the guys got to my place and we watched "Polar Express" (which I find creepy) and "The Santa Clause" and ate snacks, etc. until close to 2 am. I called home at 1 am my time as everyone was together for Christmas Eve brunch. I got choked up when saying goodbye and Merry Christmas to Cherie (my sister) as she had the same tone in her voice as I did, the "am-I-really-saying-this-to-her-while-she's-on-the-other-side-of-the-world?" tone.

 

Sunday morning, we awoke to a Christmas miracle, the ground was covered in a beautiful blanket of white snow. I made a pancake breakfast for me, Anna and Katie. Anna and I also got another Christmas miracle as we waited no more than 5 mins for the bus to take us to church for Christmas service. We warmed up with Dunkin Donuts coffee before heading to service and had a wonderful time. Afterwards, we returned to my place to exchange gifts. She got me several nice things, but the one that excited me the most was a pink Wonder Woman hat...look at how geeked I am about it in my pictures! I also finally opened my gift from mom and dad which I managed to keep closed for 3-4 days. I got a pair of flannel pj's and candy, upon my request. After feasting on our Christmas pizza, we took a nap (my second ever in Korea!). Katie joined us to see a movie in Ori (about 20 mins away), but it was just after 6 pm and the next show we wanted to see was at 11:30 pm, so we opted to travel to Anna's where we watched "Finding Neverland". Before leaving Ori we had dinner at "Popeye's Chicken", as it was the closest thing to a turkey dinner we were going to get.

 

Long story short, I was very happy to have friends and a home church to be able to celebrate Christmas with and was very thankful to know that many of you were thinking of and praying for me while I was away from you during this holiday season. As my mom likes to point out, in a few short days, she will be able to say, "Susan is coming home later this year!". 

 

I wish that each of you had a wonderful Christmas and will have a blessed New Year to come!

For all you Canadians...take a look at what those in South Korea consider a heavy and paralyzing snowfall.

 

 

Hey - someone told me it'll be a brown Christmas in Calgary and a white one in Windsor this year? Huh?

No matter how often you tell the kindergarten students here to "STOP DOING THAT!!!" when you see them picking their noses, they will always do it. It is my goal to reform my own students, but I feel it is more like a lofty dream...like becoming the first person to live off of only sweets and cream pasta dishes and to never gain an ounce.

 

Case in point, the kindergarten students from my old campus and the Suwon campus came here yesterday morning for the dress rehearsal for the Christmas concert (to be held on Dec. 22nd). As we were all cramped in the dressing room, I looked over to see Andy digging in his nose. I was not surprised but somewhat saddened because only 1 foot behind him was a big box of tissue (a rarity here, usually it's a roll of toilet paper!). I yelled, "Andy, no! Stop doing that! Don't pick your nose! Use a tissue...yuck!!!" and pointed at the box while making a disgusted face. Andy immediately turned and dashed to the other end of the room and hid behind a low bookcase, but I could still see his eyes watching for me to chase him. I kept calling for him to return and after 30 seconds or so, he stood up with a contented look on his face and a very red, left nostril. Unfortunately for Andy, there was a huge, green booger hanging out of said nostril and I forced a tissue into his hand and made him blow. He did so and wiped his finger, only to hand me the used tissue when he was finished.

 

*SIGH*