The whole of Hwacheon county is covered in ice. There are rivers and lakes of ice tucked away in valleys between the mountains. Koreans are walking on the rivers. They are walking on the lakes. They are hosting the Hwacheon Ice Fishing Festival. Hwacheon is apparently famous in Korea for its frozen lakes and rivers and it is also famous for the Sancheneo mountain trout that scurry about beneath the surface of these rivers. Every January thousands of Koreans flock to Hwacheon for the ice festival for their chance to go fishing (and do many other winter activities) on the 150m wide river that meanders through the town of Hwacheon.
Natalie and I went to the festival on Saturday and boy was it busy. We thought we would arrive early to avoid as many crowds as we could but even at 9:30am the river was jam packed with people trying to catch themselves a mountain trout. Quite a spectacle.
First of all Natalie wanted to go ice skating. The ice skating event was right at the far end of the festival which gave us the chance to walk around a little before we hit the ice. There were snow sculptures everywhere, giant penguins and igloos, polar bears and ice castles. There was one ice castle which you could walk inside which the Koreans found especially amusing. There were go karts on ice, bobsledding, tubing and tonnes of other freezing activities which you could partake in if you were indeed crazy enough.
I attempted to ice skate and when I say attempted I mean I slid the skates on tried to stand up and promptly decided I’d give it a miss. I instead followed Natalie around the rink which was sort of unnerving as you could hear ice cracking beneath your feet and at times you could see right through the ice beneath you to the bottom of the river. No accidents to report however and I believe Natalie was satisfied that she got the opportunity to do some skating. She only fell over once.
After this we proceeded to get our tickets to go fishing and we spent about an hour sat at our holes with our hooks submerged underneath the ice. Around 50 minutes in I finally caught a fish which was incredibly satisfying. I pulled him up through my hole and un-hooked him and got Natalie to take a photo for me. I thought it best not to name the fish as I was going to eat him. It was annoying at times when you could see fish swimming past your hook but I’m glad I actually got the chance to catch one.
We then proceeded to the barbeque area where you can grill your catch and eat it with chopsticks. It tasted delicious and you can’t get fresher than that can you?
We had a fantastic time at the ice festival and I would recommend it, despite it being bitterly cold we both had a fantastic day out. We depart for Tokyo tomorrow so won’t be updating the blog until I get back, but rest assured I’ll have a nice long post for you to read when I do get around to it.
Wish me luck.
Monday, 16 January 2012
Monday, 9 January 2012
Snip and Snap
Coex Mall is Asia’s largest underground shopping mall. Having shopping malls underground seems to be a theme across the whole country and I can only assume across the whole of Asia. It is located in the Gangnam district of Seoul and covers over 85,000 square metres of floor space. It houses hundreds of shops, a sixteen screen multi-plex cinema, two giant food courts, a giant bookstore, an aquarium, a kimchi museum, a computer games tournament room and three hair salons. I got my haircut this weekend and I’d like to share the experience with you.
I walked around Coex for about half an hour before deciding upon Satin Hair (what looked like a chain hair salon) in Coex Mall. I walked in and greeted the staff behind the counter, asking them if it was possible to have my haircut. They said that would be fine and directed me to the waiting area. I just figured I’d roll with the punches as there was no way I was going to be communicating in English. It was clear from the outset that they weren’t confident enough with their English to hold a conversation with me. Suits me fine, I always dreaded having to converse with my barber.
The salon was one of the largest I had ever been in. They had at least 30 different seats lined up in front of mirrors. It was a stylish joint and if I didn’t know any better I might have assumed that this hair cut would set me back a few bob. My jacket was taken and put in a locker and I was directed by a young Korean girl over to have my hair washed. With nothing but hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate with she led me into the seat, pulled my head back over the wash basin and proceeded to wash my hair for me. This has always freaked me out. I’m used to having a dry cut but I was rolling with the punches so I laid back and pretended to enjoy the rather violent hair scrub I was receiving. Afterwards the Korean dried my hair and led me to one of the thirty seats lined up in front of mirrors.
I was handed a book full of several different hairstyles. The book had every Korean hairstyle you could possibly imagine photographed and displayed on its pages. I found one western hairstyle sported by a fifty something George Clooney look alike. It was pretty much the length I desired and as the hair dresser and her assistant approached I pointed to this style. The book was taken away and the haircut began. She was good. She snipped and snapped away whilst her assistant brushed any hair that fell onto my face off with a sponge. She was adamant that my head look directly forwards, as every time I tilted it slightly she would adjust it straight back to where it was. She snipped away for about fifteen minutes. She made sure no stray hair was left un-cut. This was probably the best hair cutting experience I’ve ever had and I don’t know how my hairdresser back home is ever going to live up to it. I was offered another shampoo once she was finished which I declined, and I was also offered some wax which I also declined as I like to style my own mop but never the less I was very impressed and expected to pay highly for the service. I walked over to the counter and was handed my jacket and then I was told the price.
20,000 won.
That’s great, I thought. That’s about ten pounds for the best hair experience of my life, and I came out of that Salon feeling classy and cool, very happy with my new haircut.
I wondered all weekend what the reaction would be from the people at school and I entered the office this morning to applause. “very good,” “very handsome,” “awwwww, amazing,” “new style?” I’m assuming they liked my haircut but what must have they thought of what I walked around with before? I mean sure it got out of hand a little bit towards the end there but, really? The students were equally as impressed with my new style, they were touching it and shouting about it and were delighted by the sight of it. A rather surreal experience if there ever was one. Who would have thought that a trim would garnish me with so much attention? I’ll be sure to go back again.
I walked around Coex for about half an hour before deciding upon Satin Hair (what looked like a chain hair salon) in Coex Mall. I walked in and greeted the staff behind the counter, asking them if it was possible to have my haircut. They said that would be fine and directed me to the waiting area. I just figured I’d roll with the punches as there was no way I was going to be communicating in English. It was clear from the outset that they weren’t confident enough with their English to hold a conversation with me. Suits me fine, I always dreaded having to converse with my barber.
The salon was one of the largest I had ever been in. They had at least 30 different seats lined up in front of mirrors. It was a stylish joint and if I didn’t know any better I might have assumed that this hair cut would set me back a few bob. My jacket was taken and put in a locker and I was directed by a young Korean girl over to have my hair washed. With nothing but hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate with she led me into the seat, pulled my head back over the wash basin and proceeded to wash my hair for me. This has always freaked me out. I’m used to having a dry cut but I was rolling with the punches so I laid back and pretended to enjoy the rather violent hair scrub I was receiving. Afterwards the Korean dried my hair and led me to one of the thirty seats lined up in front of mirrors.
I was handed a book full of several different hairstyles. The book had every Korean hairstyle you could possibly imagine photographed and displayed on its pages. I found one western hairstyle sported by a fifty something George Clooney look alike. It was pretty much the length I desired and as the hair dresser and her assistant approached I pointed to this style. The book was taken away and the haircut began. She was good. She snipped and snapped away whilst her assistant brushed any hair that fell onto my face off with a sponge. She was adamant that my head look directly forwards, as every time I tilted it slightly she would adjust it straight back to where it was. She snipped away for about fifteen minutes. She made sure no stray hair was left un-cut. This was probably the best hair cutting experience I’ve ever had and I don’t know how my hairdresser back home is ever going to live up to it. I was offered another shampoo once she was finished which I declined, and I was also offered some wax which I also declined as I like to style my own mop but never the less I was very impressed and expected to pay highly for the service. I walked over to the counter and was handed my jacket and then I was told the price.
20,000 won.
That’s great, I thought. That’s about ten pounds for the best hair experience of my life, and I came out of that Salon feeling classy and cool, very happy with my new haircut.
I wondered all weekend what the reaction would be from the people at school and I entered the office this morning to applause. “very good,” “very handsome,” “awwwww, amazing,” “new style?” I’m assuming they liked my haircut but what must have they thought of what I walked around with before? I mean sure it got out of hand a little bit towards the end there but, really? The students were equally as impressed with my new style, they were touching it and shouting about it and were delighted by the sight of it. A rather surreal experience if there ever was one. Who would have thought that a trim would garnish me with so much attention? I’ll be sure to go back again.
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Some Like It Hoth
My stomach disapproved of my weekend. It started on Friday. Lunch had been preferably decent all week (the school had been ordering in from restaurants in town). However, on Friday I was given the choice between pig stomach soup and spicy beef. I was told that the pig stomach soup was a little spicy but the spicy beef was stupidly spicy. I opted for the spicy beef because let’s face it; pig stomach soup sounds horrendous. The very idea of it reminded me of the tripe soup I mistakenly ate in Romania. I’ll never forgive a certain Scottish friend of mine for sitting and watching me devour it without informing me about what it was that I was actually eating. Yes, Alex, I am talking about you!
Lunch rolled around and I was the only one in the whole school who had opted for the spicy beef. Everybody was staring at me as I took my first sips. Ji-Sung one of my favourite 4th Grade kids turned to me, waving his hand in front of his mouth he asked, “teacher teacher mouth fire?” I couldn't make myself look like I couldn't handle it. “No!” I replied. “Very tasty.” It was one of the hottest things I have ever tasted and I made myself eat the whole thing. My students and co-workers knew it as well. My face was probably red and I could feel my eyes watering and my nose running. Indeed, it was tasty, but boy oh boy were my bowels in for a treat.
Dinner time rolled around and its Friday night so naturally we go out to eat. It was Nathanael, Russell and I who decided it would be a fantastic idea to go to the Chinese restaurant. They have amazing mandu, great noodles and amazing spicy chicken. The chicken is tolerable on a spice scale and amazing on a taste scale and Nathanael and I shared a plate. I also ordered myself a nice seafood soup. You call that seafood soup? It was even spicier than the spicy beef I had eaten at lunch time and once more I felt obligated to eat what I had ordered. Goodness me. We spent the night having drinks with Ben as it was his Birthday the previous day and departed to bed reasonably early.
Morning broke. Literally. I went to the bathroom three times within the space of half an hour. It was my own fault, I suppose. Surly I will learn my lesson. For lunch I had my weekly chicken burger from the Mom's Touch chicken sandwich take away in town, with a side order of the best fries you've ever tasted. Surly this will help. Some solid food with no spice. Brilliant. Wait, it’s not exactly the healthiest... oh god... oh no...
So guys, we're all feeling good right? It’s New Years Eve, we've had some drinks, where shall we go for dinner? Dak Galbi gets suggested by someone who hadn't had the bowel movements I had been having all weekend and off we trotted. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dak Galbi and the new restaurant in town is brilliant, but more spicy food? When will it end? Half way through the proceedings I skip merrily to the bathroom to find a squat toilet (one of the first I had encountered in town). I dart home to try and make it to the bathroom before I implode. Shoes on, out of the restaurant, slide over the ice, round the corner, past the Hopkido gym, turn right at GS25, past the chicken take away restaurant that I’ve never been to, onto the hill, up the hill, over more ice, past the church, round the corner, up the drive, through the gate, over the snow, through the front door, up the stairs, along the corridors, type in the code, through the door, onto the toilet, relax. That's the last spicy meal I eat in a week!
Nathanael went to the Buddhist temple to literally ring in the new year, but that sounded a little authoritarian to me and I much preferred the dingy Bukowskiesque bar than the camaraderie of a meaningful celebration of something that is utterly meaningless. To the bar we went, that is, Russell, Ben and I, and I was content to not drink stupendous amounts of beer or soju. We exchanged pleasantries and talked about our respective years and toasted the clock as is expected. Then the Koreans came. Soju. Beer. Soju. More soju. Flavoured soju. Beer. Clink. Clank. Before you know it Koreans have managed to get you drunk yet again but that's ok. I had nothing to do the next day and I didn't end up getting home until about 5am. Sunday was full of further toilet based issues but come Monday morning I was feeling fantastic. That's a weekend my bowels will never forget.
Lunch rolled around and I was the only one in the whole school who had opted for the spicy beef. Everybody was staring at me as I took my first sips. Ji-Sung one of my favourite 4th Grade kids turned to me, waving his hand in front of his mouth he asked, “teacher teacher mouth fire?” I couldn't make myself look like I couldn't handle it. “No!” I replied. “Very tasty.” It was one of the hottest things I have ever tasted and I made myself eat the whole thing. My students and co-workers knew it as well. My face was probably red and I could feel my eyes watering and my nose running. Indeed, it was tasty, but boy oh boy were my bowels in for a treat.
Dinner time rolled around and its Friday night so naturally we go out to eat. It was Nathanael, Russell and I who decided it would be a fantastic idea to go to the Chinese restaurant. They have amazing mandu, great noodles and amazing spicy chicken. The chicken is tolerable on a spice scale and amazing on a taste scale and Nathanael and I shared a plate. I also ordered myself a nice seafood soup. You call that seafood soup? It was even spicier than the spicy beef I had eaten at lunch time and once more I felt obligated to eat what I had ordered. Goodness me. We spent the night having drinks with Ben as it was his Birthday the previous day and departed to bed reasonably early.
Morning broke. Literally. I went to the bathroom three times within the space of half an hour. It was my own fault, I suppose. Surly I will learn my lesson. For lunch I had my weekly chicken burger from the Mom's Touch chicken sandwich take away in town, with a side order of the best fries you've ever tasted. Surly this will help. Some solid food with no spice. Brilliant. Wait, it’s not exactly the healthiest... oh god... oh no...
So guys, we're all feeling good right? It’s New Years Eve, we've had some drinks, where shall we go for dinner? Dak Galbi gets suggested by someone who hadn't had the bowel movements I had been having all weekend and off we trotted. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dak Galbi and the new restaurant in town is brilliant, but more spicy food? When will it end? Half way through the proceedings I skip merrily to the bathroom to find a squat toilet (one of the first I had encountered in town). I dart home to try and make it to the bathroom before I implode. Shoes on, out of the restaurant, slide over the ice, round the corner, past the Hopkido gym, turn right at GS25, past the chicken take away restaurant that I’ve never been to, onto the hill, up the hill, over more ice, past the church, round the corner, up the drive, through the gate, over the snow, through the front door, up the stairs, along the corridors, type in the code, through the door, onto the toilet, relax. That's the last spicy meal I eat in a week!
Nathanael went to the Buddhist temple to literally ring in the new year, but that sounded a little authoritarian to me and I much preferred the dingy Bukowskiesque bar than the camaraderie of a meaningful celebration of something that is utterly meaningless. To the bar we went, that is, Russell, Ben and I, and I was content to not drink stupendous amounts of beer or soju. We exchanged pleasantries and talked about our respective years and toasted the clock as is expected. Then the Koreans came. Soju. Beer. Soju. More soju. Flavoured soju. Beer. Clink. Clank. Before you know it Koreans have managed to get you drunk yet again but that's ok. I had nothing to do the next day and I didn't end up getting home until about 5am. Sunday was full of further toilet based issues but come Monday morning I was feeling fantastic. That's a weekend my bowels will never forget.
Monday, 26 December 2011
Further Cultural Reflections From South Korea
I've decided to list some of the amazingly good ideas that have come out of South Korea. They are mostly small and simple things that I think some Western countries could get away with implementing to improve on their culture. There are also plenty of negative things that I could list here but for now we'll stick to some of the more positive things that are prevalent in this culture.
Fast food and restaurant delivery services are a huge deal here and they are very professional. You can call up pretty much any fast food chain or restaurant (not just fast food restaurants, any restaurant) and order anything you like. They will deliver it to your door (or wherever it is you may be) for no extra charge. They will deliver the food with all the cutlery and utensils you will need to eat it and then they will come back an hour or so later and take away all of the dirty plates and mess. This is brilliant. This is also how we've been eating lunch at school since school broke up for winter. Great!
There is a service whereby if you are drunk and you have taken your car with you to the bar, you can pay somebody to drive your car home for you followed by a colleague on a motorbike who will give the driver a ride back to the office once you are home and safe. How very convenient and a great way to deter drink driving accidents.
Whilst the buses may not always be efficient and are often crowded they can take you anywhere in Korea. You can visit a very small rural town and not have to worry about how you will get home.
Free stuff! You get free stuff with everything. I once bought some lip balm and got some free hand cream. I bought a can of Guinness and got a free Guinness glass. There are free things attached to boxes on nearly everything you buy, sometimes the product you're given for free will be more expensive than the product you’re buying. It's nice.
Banking has never been easier (if you can get to a bank during opening hours) you can pretty much do everything you need to do via a cash point. You can withdraw money, pay your bills, and transfer money very easily and efficiently. Paying bills this way is fantastic, and if you are late to pay a bill you will not be cut off, they will simply transfer the money over to your next month's bill. Free of worry and hassle.
There are buttons on tables in restaurants. If you press the button, a waiter or waitress is with you in seconds. Easy.
There are lockers everywhere. There are lockers in subway stations and at supermarkets so if you have a lot to carry and need to stop off somewhere for 100 – 500 won (25p) you can leave your luggage or shopping bags in a safe place and come to get them later.
Internet. Oh the internet. I downloaded a 4GB file yesterday. It took 15 minutes. The internet is fast, super fast, the fastest in the world. It is also up there with the cheapest in the world. I pay about 15 to 20 pounds a month for my internet, which is so fast that I never have to wait long for anything.
How do you cut your meat? With a knife? Why? Use scissors. Just sayin'.
If you have a T-Card you can use it on the tube, on the train, on the bus and in a taxi and it will be nearly a third of the price. Anyone can buy a T-card and you can top it up at any subway station. Taxi’s and public transport are both stupidly cheap. To get from one end of Seoul to the other it will cost about 1 pound and 50 pence. A bus journey to Seoul is about 5 pounds from where I live. That’s two hours on a very comfortable coach with luggage storage.
Universal phone chargers. You can buy a phone charger. No matter what phone you have. It will charge it. There are also phone chargers in most major public transport hubs so if you’re running late and your phone has died, you can plug it in and make a call, for free.
Over the counter birth control for about 4 pounds. Not that I've ever needed it myself, but you don't need a prescription here. Safety first, right?
Try and pick my lock. I dare you. Oh wait, I have a secret 6 digit code. So if I lose my key? It doesn’t matter. There is no key to lose. The key is in my head. Not that anyone is going to break in here as South Korea has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. There are reasons for this and to be fair I would rather have the higher crime rate than trade in my individual freedoms, but it works here in Korea.
Posting things anywhere costs next to nothing. I sent a letter back to the UK and it cost me about 75p.
So that’s just a few little advantages of living here in Korea, they are many disadvantages and I’ll talk about them another time. Merry Christmas by the way. Nathanael and I cooked Christmas dinner yesterday and it went down a treat. Camps have started now and work is not stressful at all, my classes are simple and fun and I get to come to work at a later time. Badda bing, badda boom. Goodbye.
Fast food and restaurant delivery services are a huge deal here and they are very professional. You can call up pretty much any fast food chain or restaurant (not just fast food restaurants, any restaurant) and order anything you like. They will deliver it to your door (or wherever it is you may be) for no extra charge. They will deliver the food with all the cutlery and utensils you will need to eat it and then they will come back an hour or so later and take away all of the dirty plates and mess. This is brilliant. This is also how we've been eating lunch at school since school broke up for winter. Great!
There is a service whereby if you are drunk and you have taken your car with you to the bar, you can pay somebody to drive your car home for you followed by a colleague on a motorbike who will give the driver a ride back to the office once you are home and safe. How very convenient and a great way to deter drink driving accidents.
Whilst the buses may not always be efficient and are often crowded they can take you anywhere in Korea. You can visit a very small rural town and not have to worry about how you will get home.
Free stuff! You get free stuff with everything. I once bought some lip balm and got some free hand cream. I bought a can of Guinness and got a free Guinness glass. There are free things attached to boxes on nearly everything you buy, sometimes the product you're given for free will be more expensive than the product you’re buying. It's nice.
Banking has never been easier (if you can get to a bank during opening hours) you can pretty much do everything you need to do via a cash point. You can withdraw money, pay your bills, and transfer money very easily and efficiently. Paying bills this way is fantastic, and if you are late to pay a bill you will not be cut off, they will simply transfer the money over to your next month's bill. Free of worry and hassle.
There are buttons on tables in restaurants. If you press the button, a waiter or waitress is with you in seconds. Easy.
There are lockers everywhere. There are lockers in subway stations and at supermarkets so if you have a lot to carry and need to stop off somewhere for 100 – 500 won (25p) you can leave your luggage or shopping bags in a safe place and come to get them later.
Internet. Oh the internet. I downloaded a 4GB file yesterday. It took 15 minutes. The internet is fast, super fast, the fastest in the world. It is also up there with the cheapest in the world. I pay about 15 to 20 pounds a month for my internet, which is so fast that I never have to wait long for anything.
How do you cut your meat? With a knife? Why? Use scissors. Just sayin'.
If you have a T-Card you can use it on the tube, on the train, on the bus and in a taxi and it will be nearly a third of the price. Anyone can buy a T-card and you can top it up at any subway station. Taxi’s and public transport are both stupidly cheap. To get from one end of Seoul to the other it will cost about 1 pound and 50 pence. A bus journey to Seoul is about 5 pounds from where I live. That’s two hours on a very comfortable coach with luggage storage.
Universal phone chargers. You can buy a phone charger. No matter what phone you have. It will charge it. There are also phone chargers in most major public transport hubs so if you’re running late and your phone has died, you can plug it in and make a call, for free.
Over the counter birth control for about 4 pounds. Not that I've ever needed it myself, but you don't need a prescription here. Safety first, right?
Try and pick my lock. I dare you. Oh wait, I have a secret 6 digit code. So if I lose my key? It doesn’t matter. There is no key to lose. The key is in my head. Not that anyone is going to break in here as South Korea has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. There are reasons for this and to be fair I would rather have the higher crime rate than trade in my individual freedoms, but it works here in Korea.
Posting things anywhere costs next to nothing. I sent a letter back to the UK and it cost me about 75p.
So that’s just a few little advantages of living here in Korea, they are many disadvantages and I’ll talk about them another time. Merry Christmas by the way. Nathanael and I cooked Christmas dinner yesterday and it went down a treat. Camps have started now and work is not stressful at all, my classes are simple and fun and I get to come to work at a later time. Badda bing, badda boom. Goodbye.
Thursday, 22 December 2011
Making a Difference
All of the teachers were supposed to be going to Samcheok this weekend for a celebratory end of year getaway, however, what with the recent goings on in the North this was cancelled and instead we were taken to lunch and dinner and some things happened which I’d like to share with you all.
I didn’t really know what to expect from school today but low and behold all of my lessons were cancelled and I spent the day planning my winter camps (I left my USB at school I hope it will survive the night). We went for lunch in Damok (where my school is) and had a kimchi and meat soup which was actually amazing. This only went on for about half an hour and there was no soju involved so I was a pretty happy customer.
At 5 we left for Chuncheon (roughly an hour away) to have dinner. I rode with Mr. Chen (the man who always tries to get me drunk). He’s a good guy and en route he taught me some Korean and through broken ‘Konglish’ we talked about what its like living in a foreign country. He likes to call me his brother and I have no idea why. He says he likes me because I have a positive attitude towards life. Ha! He ought to read my novel! He told me he learnt English himself and although his pronunciation is off he’s done pretty well.
We arrived at the beef restaurant and I have to admit it was the best Korean food I have ever tasted. Anyway, I sat opposite my vice principle, next to him the principle, my co-teacher on one side of me and Mr. Chen on the other. The whole school was in attendance along with some of the teachers kids (who also go to our school). Toasts were given and we started to eat. I went over to my principle and poured him some soju on two occasions. On the second he pulled my co-teacher over to translate (he speaks no English). My principle told me that if I ever have a problem (any problem) I should go to him and he will sort it out for me, no problem. He also said I am doing well at learning Korean culture. The second time he complemented me was when I got back from the bathroom. On my way back through the restaurant I stopped off at the kids table and played with them for 20 minutes or so, I even got a second grader to spell some words in English (her choice not mine), when I got back to the table the principle gave my a huge thumbs up and shook my hand telling me I was doing a very good job. Brilliant. Maybe this whole going out with the school thing isn’t so bad after all?
Upon leaving, the 2nd Grade teacher (who I always thought disliked me for some reason) approached me and thanked me for hanging out with the kids and all that jazz. Again this made me feel great and really made me feel like I’ve been making a difference in these kids lives.
You know when the kids are bored. You know when they are switched off. Luckily this is a rarity in my classes. It’s nights like this, when I get to spend time with my kids outside of school that I realise how positive the kids are towards me. They talk English with me, try and get me to read them stories and play games, they joke around with me and teach me silly Korean phrases. It’s hard to describe but the kids really make this job worthwhile, and even if its sometimes tough to break through language and culture barriers with the other teachers at work, those kids make it mean something. I’m glad I came here.
Good night.
I didn’t really know what to expect from school today but low and behold all of my lessons were cancelled and I spent the day planning my winter camps (I left my USB at school I hope it will survive the night). We went for lunch in Damok (where my school is) and had a kimchi and meat soup which was actually amazing. This only went on for about half an hour and there was no soju involved so I was a pretty happy customer.
At 5 we left for Chuncheon (roughly an hour away) to have dinner. I rode with Mr. Chen (the man who always tries to get me drunk). He’s a good guy and en route he taught me some Korean and through broken ‘Konglish’ we talked about what its like living in a foreign country. He likes to call me his brother and I have no idea why. He says he likes me because I have a positive attitude towards life. Ha! He ought to read my novel! He told me he learnt English himself and although his pronunciation is off he’s done pretty well.
We arrived at the beef restaurant and I have to admit it was the best Korean food I have ever tasted. Anyway, I sat opposite my vice principle, next to him the principle, my co-teacher on one side of me and Mr. Chen on the other. The whole school was in attendance along with some of the teachers kids (who also go to our school). Toasts were given and we started to eat. I went over to my principle and poured him some soju on two occasions. On the second he pulled my co-teacher over to translate (he speaks no English). My principle told me that if I ever have a problem (any problem) I should go to him and he will sort it out for me, no problem. He also said I am doing well at learning Korean culture. The second time he complemented me was when I got back from the bathroom. On my way back through the restaurant I stopped off at the kids table and played with them for 20 minutes or so, I even got a second grader to spell some words in English (her choice not mine), when I got back to the table the principle gave my a huge thumbs up and shook my hand telling me I was doing a very good job. Brilliant. Maybe this whole going out with the school thing isn’t so bad after all?
Upon leaving, the 2nd Grade teacher (who I always thought disliked me for some reason) approached me and thanked me for hanging out with the kids and all that jazz. Again this made me feel great and really made me feel like I’ve been making a difference in these kids lives.
You know when the kids are bored. You know when they are switched off. Luckily this is a rarity in my classes. It’s nights like this, when I get to spend time with my kids outside of school that I realise how positive the kids are towards me. They talk English with me, try and get me to read them stories and play games, they joke around with me and teach me silly Korean phrases. It’s hard to describe but the kids really make this job worthwhile, and even if its sometimes tough to break through language and culture barriers with the other teachers at work, those kids make it mean something. I’m glad I came here.
Good night.
Monday, 19 December 2011
The Death of The Dear Leader
Shock spread quickly through the office at noon today. They are still talking about it. I don’t understand what they are saying but every other sentence I hear the name Kim Jong Il.
Before we get onto that I can’t write a blog today without mentioning Christopher. I was deeply saddened on Friday to hear that my hero and idol, Christopher Hitchens had died at age 62. I learnt more from Christopher Hitchens through his writing and public speeches than I learnt from any other author, speaker or public intellectual. I will always remember what he taught me through his writing: Don't let anyone else do your thinking for you. Follow your principles to the end. Don't flinch from the truth. Repeat until the last ounce of strength drains from your body. On Friday I raised my glass to the Hitch and had an evening of debate and Hitchslap viewing with my friends. I wonder what Christopher Hitchens would have written today had he been alive to hear of the news of the death of North Korea’s ‘dear leader’ Kim Jong Il.
On hearing the news it is important to remember a few facts about the Kim family and their totalitarian dictatorship. Do remember that Kim Jong Il was head of the armed forces of North Korea and was in charge of the state but was not head of state. The head of state is and remains Kim Jong Il’s dead father Kim Il Sung. You might call it a necrocrasy. Kim Jong ils system was a phenomenon of the very extreme right. It was based on a totalitarian "military first" mobilization, and was maintained by slave labour and fear mongering. The whole regime was instilled on an ideology of the most unapologetic racism and xenophobia. It is an absurd situation and I could never begin to describe the feelings and emotions that Koreans on both sides of the border are feeling today. Never has the relationship between North and South been more uncertain. It is hard to tell what my co-workers are thinking at the best of times, today, is no exception.
It is certainly an interesting time to be living 12 kilometres south of the border (DMZ). There are so many issues at play that I could never (with my limited knowledge of the situation) begin to describe. I am told by my second grade co-teacher that South Korea is now in an ‘emergency state’. I’m not quite sure what this means but I’m fairly convinced it is not as dramatic as it sounds. Simply put, nobody knows what will happen next. North Korea will certainly be mourning the passing of their dear leader for many weeks before new leader Kim Jong Un will really take control of the country. I suppose we had better hope he is not trigger happy.
So, what are some scenarios that could play out here? Well, I can speculate again with my limited knowledge. Never has there been a better time for the South to invade the North. This will most certainly not happen. The South will remain uncertain about the new leader of the country and only time will tell how the new leader of the country will wield his power. One thing you can be certain of is that defences on at least the South Korean side will be heightened. Time can only tell if Kim Jung Un will be open to negotiations regarding a many number of issues that are at play in this area of the world.
Kim Jong Un has been groomed by his father and his grandfathers state proper gander for many years (it is assumed he is in his late twenties). He will be well aware of the power struggle that could easily take place over the coming months. What if other successors or advisors do not want Kim Jong Un to be the leader? Nuclear instability is certainly a worry for many commentators on the subject. Unfortunately there are a seldom few facts about the most isolated country in the world and the truth is nobody knows what is going to happen next. Kim Jong Uns father was certainly keen to build up the countries nuclear arsenal and would frequently call South Korea a puppet to the Western superpowers.
News will continue to roll in over the next few hours and in the half an hour it has taken me to write this the office is still buzzing over the news. I do not know how to react when they approach me and make dead hand gestures and repeat the name Kim Jong Il. Do I smile? Do I sound apologetic? Do I look afraid? I’m not sure how I’m supposed to react, but I’ve been gently smiling and nodding and letting them know that I have heard the news.
I like to think that Hitchens would be warmed to hear that a fascist dictator who brought pain and suffering to millions is dead. Yet, I do not know what he would have written, all I know is he would have written something. I’m saddened that I’ll never get the chance to read it. Whatever it may have been.
Before we get onto that I can’t write a blog today without mentioning Christopher. I was deeply saddened on Friday to hear that my hero and idol, Christopher Hitchens had died at age 62. I learnt more from Christopher Hitchens through his writing and public speeches than I learnt from any other author, speaker or public intellectual. I will always remember what he taught me through his writing: Don't let anyone else do your thinking for you. Follow your principles to the end. Don't flinch from the truth. Repeat until the last ounce of strength drains from your body. On Friday I raised my glass to the Hitch and had an evening of debate and Hitchslap viewing with my friends. I wonder what Christopher Hitchens would have written today had he been alive to hear of the news of the death of North Korea’s ‘dear leader’ Kim Jong Il.
On hearing the news it is important to remember a few facts about the Kim family and their totalitarian dictatorship. Do remember that Kim Jong Il was head of the armed forces of North Korea and was in charge of the state but was not head of state. The head of state is and remains Kim Jong Il’s dead father Kim Il Sung. You might call it a necrocrasy. Kim Jong ils system was a phenomenon of the very extreme right. It was based on a totalitarian "military first" mobilization, and was maintained by slave labour and fear mongering. The whole regime was instilled on an ideology of the most unapologetic racism and xenophobia. It is an absurd situation and I could never begin to describe the feelings and emotions that Koreans on both sides of the border are feeling today. Never has the relationship between North and South been more uncertain. It is hard to tell what my co-workers are thinking at the best of times, today, is no exception.
It is certainly an interesting time to be living 12 kilometres south of the border (DMZ). There are so many issues at play that I could never (with my limited knowledge of the situation) begin to describe. I am told by my second grade co-teacher that South Korea is now in an ‘emergency state’. I’m not quite sure what this means but I’m fairly convinced it is not as dramatic as it sounds. Simply put, nobody knows what will happen next. North Korea will certainly be mourning the passing of their dear leader for many weeks before new leader Kim Jong Un will really take control of the country. I suppose we had better hope he is not trigger happy.
So, what are some scenarios that could play out here? Well, I can speculate again with my limited knowledge. Never has there been a better time for the South to invade the North. This will most certainly not happen. The South will remain uncertain about the new leader of the country and only time will tell how the new leader of the country will wield his power. One thing you can be certain of is that defences on at least the South Korean side will be heightened. Time can only tell if Kim Jung Un will be open to negotiations regarding a many number of issues that are at play in this area of the world.
Kim Jong Un has been groomed by his father and his grandfathers state proper gander for many years (it is assumed he is in his late twenties). He will be well aware of the power struggle that could easily take place over the coming months. What if other successors or advisors do not want Kim Jong Un to be the leader? Nuclear instability is certainly a worry for many commentators on the subject. Unfortunately there are a seldom few facts about the most isolated country in the world and the truth is nobody knows what is going to happen next. Kim Jong Uns father was certainly keen to build up the countries nuclear arsenal and would frequently call South Korea a puppet to the Western superpowers.
News will continue to roll in over the next few hours and in the half an hour it has taken me to write this the office is still buzzing over the news. I do not know how to react when they approach me and make dead hand gestures and repeat the name Kim Jong Il. Do I smile? Do I sound apologetic? Do I look afraid? I’m not sure how I’m supposed to react, but I’ve been gently smiling and nodding and letting them know that I have heard the news.
I like to think that Hitchens would be warmed to hear that a fascist dictator who brought pain and suffering to millions is dead. Yet, I do not know what he would have written, all I know is he would have written something. I’m saddened that I’ll never get the chance to read it. Whatever it may have been.
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
If You're Bored Then You're Boring
It has been a strange few weeks here against the rural backdrop. I haven’t really left Sachang-ri for 4 weeks aside from going to school. I’ve been saving money which has been going well. I did get out of town twice and both occasions were for school related activities. The first was for an open class in Hwacheon. The purpose of which I have still yet to decipher. From what I can determine, I can only assume that the county like to spend a great deal of money on food for all of the teachers. We got taken out for lunch after the open class. An open class is like any normal class aside from the fact that every teacher in the county is invited to watch. This time a Hwacheon middle school teacher was giving a class on personalities. It followed the same structure of nearly every other ESL class I have seen as examples of effective teaching. I don’t buy it, and I think both us native teachers, the Korean teachers and the council all know there is a problem with ESL education in this country, but nobody really knows what to do about it. Their solution is to promote these workshops as open discussions about how to improve our teaching. They are not. They are like many other things in this education system, a waste of time.
Enough of the negative. The second trip was to a ski resort in Chuncheon with my school. I was asked to participate but after much deliberation I politely declined. I didn’t want to risk yet another knee injury and I don’t really see the point in these high risk sports. You know what kind of injuries you can get doing this stuff? Is it really worth it? I felt guilty for a time but I watched the kids learning to ski from the sidelines with several other teachers who were complaining about how bored they were. I don’t know why they all had to be there. However, much to the teacher’s surprise, I wasn’t bored. I quite like time to just sit and watch the world go by, so I had a fantastically relaxing day on the slopes. I got to mess about with the kids over lunch, there’s this one 2nd grader who loves poking me and calling me ugly. As long as he is using English, right?
I got a lift home that day from the school Taekwondo teacher who cordially invited me to join his Taekwondo club. I’m a sucker for being way too polite to people and it lands me in these awfully sticky situations. I don’t want to offend the guy, but, I don’t want to go to a Taekwondo class with children. I’m not a very sporty person as it is, especially when it involves any kind of violence. I also don’t want to do myself an injury. I just want to write my book, which I’ve finished by the way. Wink. Lot’s of editing to be done on it though. Anyway, I’m digressing. I now have to await the day when the Taekwondo teacher asks me if I’m going to join his class, you must always have excuses pre-prepared. I hope he understands that I don’t want to offend him but would rather not go. That brings me nicely back to the case against ‘boredom’. One of the reasons he invited me was because he thought I would be bored in the evenings as I’m in a small town in a country where I don’t speak the language and don’t have friends or family on call. The Taekwondo teacher told me about how he goes to India every year to teach Taekwondo (I think) and how he gets bored and lonely there. He said he understands how I feel. Erm, no you don’t. I don’t get bored or lonely, I actually quite enjoy the time I have alone to work on my creative bits and bobs. It reminded me of that old Barenaked Ladies line “if you’re bored then you’re boring.” I have plenty of friends here and we have a great time together, I get out of the house all the time and am never bored. It’s tough to explain that through Konglish and without breaking some kind of cultural sensitivity barrier. It doesn’t matter.
I found out my winter camp schedule today. I have it pretty easy. My camp runs for 3 weeks, my longest day is 3 hours, my shortest is 1 hour. I’m hoping it will be a fun time spent with the kids. I need to get planning some of the classes though, as of yet, I’ve got nothing. I'm going to start working on it tomorrow. I’m quite looking forward to the camps and then onto my winter vacation. Phew, time flies. I’ve been here for four months now.
I hope this blog didn’t sound too whiney. You’re lucky I didn’t write about K-Pop like I was going to. We’ll save that for next time.
Enough of the negative. The second trip was to a ski resort in Chuncheon with my school. I was asked to participate but after much deliberation I politely declined. I didn’t want to risk yet another knee injury and I don’t really see the point in these high risk sports. You know what kind of injuries you can get doing this stuff? Is it really worth it? I felt guilty for a time but I watched the kids learning to ski from the sidelines with several other teachers who were complaining about how bored they were. I don’t know why they all had to be there. However, much to the teacher’s surprise, I wasn’t bored. I quite like time to just sit and watch the world go by, so I had a fantastically relaxing day on the slopes. I got to mess about with the kids over lunch, there’s this one 2nd grader who loves poking me and calling me ugly. As long as he is using English, right?
I got a lift home that day from the school Taekwondo teacher who cordially invited me to join his Taekwondo club. I’m a sucker for being way too polite to people and it lands me in these awfully sticky situations. I don’t want to offend the guy, but, I don’t want to go to a Taekwondo class with children. I’m not a very sporty person as it is, especially when it involves any kind of violence. I also don’t want to do myself an injury. I just want to write my book, which I’ve finished by the way. Wink. Lot’s of editing to be done on it though. Anyway, I’m digressing. I now have to await the day when the Taekwondo teacher asks me if I’m going to join his class, you must always have excuses pre-prepared. I hope he understands that I don’t want to offend him but would rather not go. That brings me nicely back to the case against ‘boredom’. One of the reasons he invited me was because he thought I would be bored in the evenings as I’m in a small town in a country where I don’t speak the language and don’t have friends or family on call. The Taekwondo teacher told me about how he goes to India every year to teach Taekwondo (I think) and how he gets bored and lonely there. He said he understands how I feel. Erm, no you don’t. I don’t get bored or lonely, I actually quite enjoy the time I have alone to work on my creative bits and bobs. It reminded me of that old Barenaked Ladies line “if you’re bored then you’re boring.” I have plenty of friends here and we have a great time together, I get out of the house all the time and am never bored. It’s tough to explain that through Konglish and without breaking some kind of cultural sensitivity barrier. It doesn’t matter.
I found out my winter camp schedule today. I have it pretty easy. My camp runs for 3 weeks, my longest day is 3 hours, my shortest is 1 hour. I’m hoping it will be a fun time spent with the kids. I need to get planning some of the classes though, as of yet, I’ve got nothing. I'm going to start working on it tomorrow. I’m quite looking forward to the camps and then onto my winter vacation. Phew, time flies. I’ve been here for four months now.
I hope this blog didn’t sound too whiney. You’re lucky I didn’t write about K-Pop like I was going to. We’ll save that for next time.
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