Job Security

Yes, we WILL be returning home next year.

Phobia

Before leaving the US for Korea, some people were very vocal in reminding us "that's not the good ol' USA over there.  Watch each other's back.  Keep your money in your underwear."  Apparently it is common international knowledge that anyone who is not white will rob anyone who is white.  Although I know we need to be careful and not flash our overly stuffed American wallets at the locals, I also know that I feel much safer in Yeongju, South Korea than I do in Greenville, South Carolina.  How's that for culture shock?  Jessica and I have felt quite at ease here.  Rarely do I worry if she walks by herself somewhere after dark, even if it involves some of the lesser lit city streets.  Even though many people stare, they don't often speak.  Nor have we ever been bothered.  People just go about their business.

However, I have developed one very legitimate fear.  Not of people.  Not of octopus.  Not even of the old ladies who brazenly cut in line at the grocery store.  (Note to future travelers in Korea: DO NOT question their line cutting practices unless you want to die.)  I'm afraid of the toilets.  Yes, the toilets.  Well not so much the toilet itself, but the act of using the toilets.  Why?  Again, we're not in the 'good ol' USA' anymore.  The majority of toilets here are of the squat version, meaning there's a hole in the ground.  Nothing to sit on.

For 3 months this paralyzing fear has kept me from using the facilities at school.  I have refused to do anything that involves more than a urinal.  That all changed for me last week.  I decided that I needed to overcome this fear.  I'm a grown man.  I'm taller than everyone else here.  Apparently my beard means I've got more testosterone than all the other men at school.  If they can do it, so can I.

Upon entering the stall with truck loads of determination, I stare at the hole for a few minutes, not exactly sure what to do.  My first though was that I can't afford for my pants to touch anything, or rather anything touch my pants.  I don't keep a spare in my desk.  So the pants come off.  As I hang them on the stall door, I begin to imagine everything that could go wrong in this situation.  The principal's office is right outside the bathroom. What if the toilet overflows?  What if I fall and can't reach my pants?  What if I'm so excited for overcoming my fear that I forget to put my pants back on after I'm done.  On top of all this, there's no heat in the bathroom.  No heat + no pants = cold.

I'll save you the details and simply say that I was successful.  I'm a brand new man.  The old ladies still scare me though.

Not Really Sure

When Jessica and I attempted to visit Sobaek National Park in Punggi one Sunday afternoon, we missed our exit point from the bus.  Once we realized, the bus driver was kind enough to stop and let us off to walk back to town.  Along the way we walked past these...

Lotte World

For some time I have considered changing the address to my blog.  The title The Tallest People in Korea began as a joke before Jessica and I left the far West for the far East.  I'm 6 feet, 6 inches tall.  Jessica is average height.  Naturally the jokes and speculation came as we prepared to leave.  "I bet they've never seen anybody as tall as you."  "You're gonna scare those little kids."  "Well if Asian people are that short, I bet kindergarten children are only like a foot tall."  I've learned that on average Asian people are indeed short.  I haven't seen anyone taller than me yet.  But this is not a land of pygmies or hobbit size folk.  The bigger cities we visited such as Seoul and Daegu generally contain Koreans with above average height.  Above the average stereotypical height that is.  So naturally I sometimes feel the need to explain my title.  I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm so ignorant as to believe I'm really the tallest person in an entire country.  I have already taken it upon myself to issue a blanket apology to all Koreans because of the joking I hear often about Asians mixing up their R's and L's.

                                   

I had a change of heart because I now understand why this happens.  At least in the Korean language, the same letter (ㄹ) can be pronounced as either an R or an L.  It is somewhat the same obstacle one may run into when learning the letter C in English.  It can either be used as a "cup" sound or a "cease" sound.  Language is a tough thing to tackle.  All this to say I'm a bit more sensitive and understanding about differences that were once humorous when I lived in America.  Until now.

Yesterday Jessica and I took a bus up to Seoul with two of our friends to visit Lotte World.  Lotte is a huge company in Korea.  There are Lotte cinemas.  Lotte marts.  Nine story Lotte department stores.  Lotteria fast food.  Last night I even saw a skyscraper with the logo Lotte Castle on top of it.  Lotte is everywhere.  Now, we have experienced Lotte World, an amusement park in the middle of Seoul.  It reminded me of Disney World, but on a much smaller scale.  There was an indoor area with roller coasters, a stage for musical shows, an ice skating rink, etc.  Outside was called the Magic Island.  After crossing over a moat we walked through a castle, very similar to Cinderella's, and came out at more roller coasters.  Bigger roller coasters.  Jessica and I love these kinds of rides.  We went straight for the biggest, most adrenaline pumping ride we saw.  It was cold, and the line was long, but we didn't mind the wait.  This ride was worth it.  For close to an hour we watched other people riding as the cars sped by on the track right beside where the line formed.  Every time people flew past us screaming, our hearts pumped a little faster.  As we neared the boarding area, I made eye contact with one of the Lotte World employees.  She started walking in our direction carrying a long metal stick.  I noticed markings on it, used to measure little children and then ruin their whole day by telling them they are too short to ride.  She stopped in front of us.  "Tall!  Bery bery dangerous."

Since arriving in Korea many people have informed me that I'm very tall.  They will pass us on the sidewalk and without fail we'll hear the words beautiful and very tall.  Apparently these are the only two adjectives taught in Korean schools for describing the foreigners.  

She kept standing there looking at me as if I was supposed to respond.  Wait.  Am I being kicked off this ride?

Long story short, I didn't get to ride the roller coaster.  I watched from the side as Jessica rode in the front car.  I've seen short children denied entrance to a roller coaster.  I've seen fat people exit as the shoulder harness would not come all the way down.  But being too tall to ride?  (sigh...) Only in Asia.

Picture of the Week

This is a shot I took at Lotte World in Seoul earlier today.  I call it Whipped.

Snow...finally

Finally got our first real snow fall in Yeongju.  We were losing hope of having a white Christmas.  But things are looking up.

Update...

Sorry for the delay in posting.  Here's a quick one.

• I have begun to study Korean.  So far, I've learned the alphabet which uses different characters (햐 ㅣㅑ더랜ㄷ......etc.)  This means I can sound out words, but I still have no idea what most of the words mean.  Learning Korean is much different than learning Spanish in high school.  Given that English and Spanish use the same letters, I should have picked it up so easily.  Ahhh....wasted time.
• Only one more week until winter break begins.  Contrary to popular belief, winter break does not mean I actually get a break...well at least not a huge one.  We will have English camp for the students (half days of nothing but English class) for 3 weeks.  After that I'll get the last week of January and the first week of February off.
• First significant snowfall today!
• Jessica and I are traveling to Beijing for a week at the end of January.  (MC....thats in China).
• Headed to Lotte World in Seoul on Sunday.  It's an amusement park.  We're going with Jessica's two friends from Dunkin' Donuts, Hyun and Gahae.  Should be fun.  And cold.

Merry Christmas.

Pictures

Here's a sample of Jessica's photo collection.  These were all taken within the past two weeks in Yeongju, Punggi, and Daegu.  Hope you enjoy.

This is what it will look like if North Korea decides to nuke the South.

Front drive of Dongyang University in Punggi.

Students playing pick-up basketball at Dongyang University.

Us.

I took this one.

Tracks.

This is my favorite one.  Jessica captured the sun perfectly.

At our favorite coffee shop.  I've never had foam like this guy makes it.  

Chair and alleyway.

Buddhist temples in Korea have long used the symbol seen here on the door.  Koreans are quick to tell you that Hitler stole and perverted their symbol.

Lions

First snow in Yeongju.

Daegu.

Conversation

When you're a foreign English teacher, sometimes it seems that you are given an impossible job description.  The recurring thing that I hear most from other teachers is that each person's respective principal or school board requires that he or she teach "conversation."  What exactly does that mean?  You'll be hard pressed to find a clear explanation of this requirement.  Especially when you ask those that sneak it into the contract.  It is much the same as asking when you're vacation time will be.  "Ummm......I don't know yet."  When is the semester over?  "Ummm.....I don't know yet."   Will all of my classes meet today?  "Ummm....I don't know yet."  Sound outlandish?  Welcome to EPIK (English Program in Korea).  Better known as the public school system. 

Conversation.  Teach someone to have a conversation.  To converse.  Maybe I should teach them words first.  Then they'll have a better shot at the aformentioned "conversation."  And what exactly is it that we should be discussing?  Baseball?  Politics?  Kim Jong-il's extremely high sideburns?  Needless to say I've been at quite a loss for the past 3 months as to what exactly I'm supposed to be doing.  Until last week...

I have finally realized (I think) what it means for me to be a conversation specialist.  It's not every day that these children get to interact with a real, living, breathing, white American that speaks English.  From me they get to hear correct pronunciation, correct sentence structure, and correct syllable stresses.  I'm here for them to practice and interact with. 

Today my fourth grade class spent 40 min answering the question "What grade are you in?"  

And they're paying me for this?

Picture of the Week

This is the first of a regular installment of the ...in Korea blog.  I want to use these pictures to capture some of the day to day life of the people we see about town every day.

On this particular day, Jessica and I were taking the long scenic route to Homeplus for groceries.  We noticed an unusual sound, at least unusual for Yeongju, and most likely Korea in general, coming from a convenience store.  I looked in the window and saw this man, probably the proprietor, sitting in between the beer cooler and racks of dried squid.  Right in the middle of the store.  We walked in to watch and listen.  His demeanor told me he was a very kind man, happy that we had stopped by.  Jessica did her best to ask him if she could take his picture.  He smiled and obliged.  As he continued to play what sounded like an old Baptist hymn, we snapped a few photos, listened for a minute, thanked the nice man, and went on our way.  I still wish that I had bought something...the squid didn't look that bad.

Who are you?

One of the most rewarding things for a writer is to know that people are taking a moment to read.  Whether the audience loves it or hates it, at least eyes are viewing what the author has put effort into.  A very cool feature that Blogger provides is a page when the author signs in that allows him or her to view the number of times the blog has been read and where the readers are located.  So far, readers from 14 different countries have viewed this blog.  Canada, South Korea, United States, Netherlands, England, Ecuador, Vietnam, Malaysia, Russia, Japan, Germany, Australia, Denmark, and Mexico.  Wow.  I wanted to take an opportunity in this post to thank all those that are reading.  I also want to get to know you all.  It would be great to swap stories of the often awkward, confusing, and hilarious experience of foreign travel.  I assume most of you outside the US are English teachers.  Maybe not.    What ever it is you're out there doing, I'd love to hear about it.  Thanks!

Hope to hear from you soon.

3 months

I feel the need to do this every month around this time.  Jessica and I have been in Yeongju for 3 months now.  We have had many opportunities to learn.  Learn about the culture.  Learn about each other.  Learn that its not a good idea to bite each other's head off when we're frustrated because we are each the only person the other has.    We've also learned to just roll with it when the principal wants to hold your hand on a social outing.

One of the best experiences we have had has been with the people we have met and formed relationships with.  I have heard from several different people that Korean's have a lot of heart.  They will go out of their way to help, especially when you're white and obviously confused and not from around here.  There was that random teenage couple who walked with us across town to point out where the bus stop was, and made sure we understood what bus to get on and what time it was coming.  There was that man in Seoul who helped us get a taxi when the subway stopped running at midnight on the line we needed.  And that time at Field Day at my school when the vice principal invited me to join him under his tent for grapes and rice cakes.  My two co-teachers have been extremely helpful in so many respects.  Sophy helped us get adjusted when we arrived.  She left school one day to help when Jessica was at home alone and the washing machine delivery men arrived.  She also made kimchi for me to take home.  Susie took me to the doctor both times when I was sick.  She is always quick to answer the phone when we need a translator for the taxi driver or cashier.    When I went to the doctor this week for my tonsillitis, they gave me a prescription, which I thought was a receipt.  Mrs. Kim, Jessica's direct supervisor, offered to go with us to the doctor for another examination just to make sure we understood what was going on.  She didn't have to.  She was just being motherly.  And it meant a lot to us.

In these three months, which have flown by rather quickly, we have had the opportunity to live together.  We did get married before leaving the US, so this is a bit obvious, but hear me out.  Jessica and I have had an opportunity that most married couples don't have the benefit of.  When a young boyfriend and girlfriend become husband and wife, they generally spend a week at some exotic location.  Then they go back home to a house or apartment full of new blenders, bed linens, and fine china.  Mom is generally just a phone call away and a night out with the girls or guys provides for a little stress reliever or sorts.  Friends are there to distract from that annoying little tick you never knew she had.  Life for us after marriage has been a little different.  After our wedding (which we put together in 27 days) we enjoyed a one night honeymoon in a downtown Greenville hotel.  Both of us had quit our jobs before the wedding in preparation for the move East.  My visa ended up taking two weeks to process.  So we just got married and we've got no money (literally) and we've got nothing to do for two weeks.  On Sept. 11 we board a plane, leaving behind everything familiar.  We can't ask where the bathroom is.  We can't read simple road signs.  We don't even know where we can buy toilet paper.  These are just a few of the things that would have contributed to a ticking time bomb for some couples.  Not us.  Like I said earlier, this was an opportunity, not a problem.  These three months have been the best three months of my life.  Jessica and I, who were best friends before, have now become even better friends.  We have had the opportunity to live life together, unhindered by the "honeymoon phase" crutch.  We've experienced real life.  Frustrating life.  Disoriented and un-understandable life.

We know where we're headed.  We know who we are and who we want to be.  Life will shoot more serious arrows at us, but we'll be OK.  We've been given an opportunity for a little practice.  9 more months?  That's nothin'.

Sick

• Went to the Ears, Nose, Throat clinic yesterday.  They say I've got Tonsillitis.  Got some medicine and a shot in the buttocks.  Ouch.
• Going back today for the doctor to check up on my progress.  I don't feel that much better, so I'm curious if I have Strep Throat instead.  
• Sorry, more interesting posts to come.

Sunday

I wonder if other travelers feel the same way.  It's quite disappointing.  I came to South Korea for one reason.  To teach English?  No.  My job is simply a means to an income.  I came here to have an adventure.  To feel different.  To experience life in a different way.  To see things I've never seen before.  I would be lying if I said Mr. Banaszak's 7th grade English class had nothing to do with the fact that I often wonder what the stars look like from the other side of the world, or what it feels like to breath the air after finding my way out of Mirkwood.  Jessica is a good wife.  She will often go along with my compulsive behavior because I constantly want to take a different route across town to Homeplus.  I have a need to see what else is out there, to have an adventure.  I'm like an addict.  Curse you Bilbo.

Often times Jessica and I will go out for groceries and spot a narrow alleyway winding through cramped houses.  We always take a detour to see what lies at the other end of the path.  It's just so fascinating to us.  And so it is most disappointing when I cannot conjure up the feeling that I really am 12,000 miles from home.  In all honesty, probably 96% of our time here has felt like we are living in any random city in America.  Sure, I've never seen so many Asian people or octopus vendors in my life.  I don't use forks anymore, and it will take some getting used to when we return home and once again understand everything that everyone is saying.  But all this considered, I rarely feel like I'm somewhere different.

Yesterday Jessica and I were exploring Punggi (Poon-gee), the next town over from Yeongju.  We were attempting to go to Sobaek National Park but we did not exit the bus at the right time.  Regardless, the day was not wasted.  We were standing on a hill in front of Dongyang University overlooking the town and the surrounding mountains.  The wind blew across my face and the afternoon sun was in my eyes.  For a moment, probably no more than 3 seconds, I felt it.  We were travelers for that instant.  We were exploring the Orient.  I tried my best to hold on.  But it was gone, escaped from my feeble and disoriented attempt to hold it.

So this is now my aim in this season of life...to get what I came here for.

Weekend update 3.0

I call this piece Weekend in Bullet Points.

• Friday: Went to Susie's house for dinner.  Ralph picked us up at the apartment and we rode across the river.  Ate a traditional Vietnamese meal.  According to 2010 cables leaked from an anonymous source, we liked the meal but not Vietnamese people.
• Saturday: Bought a new computer.  The carbon dating on our current laptop concluded that it is approximately 2 billion years old.
• Sunday:  While waiting to board a bus to Sobaek National Park, a man insisted on having a conversation with us in Korean.  Please stay tuned for the next WikiLeaks cable that will state that the two white people at the bus stop are not responding because they don't speak Korean.

Kindergarten

Yesterday was Thursday, also known as Kindergarten Day.  My favorite.  My co-teacher wasn't feeling well so I went solo.  They've gotten used to me.  There shouldn't be that frenzy of excitment that comes with something new.  This will be OK. 

Anyone laughing yet?

I had planned to make paper-mache snowmen, teach them the letter S, and do a little coloring.  Sounds simple enough.  All was going semi-well.  The children have rarely, if ever, seen a man with a beard.  Korean men don't (can't?) grow hair on their face.  My beard is somewhat of a novelty here.  Several of the little boys couldn't stand it anymore and decided they just had to touch it.  It's RED for crying out loud...what a treat on this otherwise dull Thursday morning.  I thought I would make this fun by snapping at them as if I would bite when they put their little finger out to feel.  They thought this was the most hilarious and exciting thing ever.  So of course everyone else had to try it.  After about 4 or 5 had their fun, it was one of the smaller boy's turn.  He was beaming from ear to ear.  He approaches.  Finger out.  Inching closer. 

I snap.  He's not fast enough. 

At least half of his finger was in my mouth when my teeth came together.  Yes, I bit him.  There was a look on his face of confusion, disappointment.  He wanted to cry but everyone else was laughing.  I thought he would jump and pull back his finger like the rest.  His reaction time was a little slow.  He won't try that again.

Strange Thing about Korea #74

I'm having trouble finding the words to describe these pictures in downtown Yeongju.  I think I'll just let them speak for themselves. Apparently Korean couples are known to coordinate their unmentionables from time to time.  At least a number of retailers think so.

Part 2 of 2

My dad spent much of his childhood in Hendersonville, NC where a number of his relatives still reside.  He does not see them as often as he would like, but he will be there every year around this time, no matter what.  Mr. and Mrs. John R. Hollingsworth are buried in a cemetery on Hwy 64 leading out of Hendersonville towards Brevard.  Every year at Christmas my family loads up the Lincoln Town Car and treks north toward Hendersonville with two goals in mind.  Number one: we place a Christmas wreath on the graves of my late grandparents.  I never knew my dad's parents, but I enjoy visiting the cemetery and allowing my dad the opportunity to reminisce.  After that is said and done, we make our way to the Carl Sandburg National Historic Site.  My mom's dream is to have the ultimate family experience...and by "ultimate family experience" I mean live on a mountain in southern Virginia with her entire extended family including three sons named John Boy, Jim Bob, and Shemp, or whatever their names were.  In short, she never misses an opportunity to fashion together a "memory", as she likes to call them.  She is giddy for a week leading up to the Christmas trip to the Carl Sandburg home.  Once there, we (grown adults) pile out of the car and are each handed a zip-lock sandwich bag containing bird seed and several red ribbons.  My mom is smiling from ear to ear.  This is her moment.  With our collective pride left in the car, my dad, my two brothers, and myself (again, grown adults) step onto the nature trail leading into the forest.  Our goal: to find a little Christmas tree, decorate it with the aforementioned ribbons, and scatter the bird seed on the ground.  We all (excluding my mom) try to find a tree off the trail.  Way off the trail.  This way no passersby will spot us.  Once the lucky tree is located, we all survey the surrounding area to make certain that we're alone.  Then we begin, decorating as quickly as possible to avoid ridicule of any strangers who may see us. 

Everyone is out of ribbons.  Bird seed is scattered.  Then it happens.  (Let me state for the record: I'm NOT making this up.  I don't think anyone could make this up.)  My mom begins to sing.  Every year.  She sings We Wish You a Merry Christmas.  To whom is she singing you may be wondering?  To us?  No.  Christmas caroling to the other people who may be passing by?  Nope.  She is singing to the little forest animals who are hiding nearby watching us decorate.  Usually my brothers or even my dad try to hurry everyone along after the seed is scattered because we all know what is about to happen.  But it never fails.  Not once since we were little boys.  My brothers and I look at each other and then back at the ground.  Is this really happening? 

This is our tradition.  Our memory.  I wouldn't miss it for the world...unless of course I'm on the other side of the world.  Like I said: maybe, just maybe, Jessica lucked out this year.  But I love to remind her that she can't avoid it forever.  There's always next year.

Part 1 of 2

We waited as patiently as possible.  In my book, the Christmas season DOES NOT begin until the day after Thanksgiving.  I don't care what the decision makers at Haywood Mall say.  We did listen to a little Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but that is the only concession I allowed us.  In Yeongju, South Korea Thanksgiving Day was like any other day.  We both got up earlier than we'd like.  We both went to work.  We both had regular classes.  Jessica told the little girl to either stop picking her nose or eat the boogers.  I dealt with that little punk in the third grade.  The usual stuff.  So when Thursday evening finally rolled around, the fact that it was now morally acceptable to transition to Christmas mode did not automatically become apparent to me.  We were on a regular trip to Homeplus when we saw the aisles of Christmas decorations.  And it hit me: IT'S TIME!  No more waiting.  Green light.  We bought our little Christmas tree, a couple strings of lights, and headed home to decorate.

It's now Sunday, and Jessica and I are putting the Christmas ornaments, garland, and star on the tree.  We decided to make homemade ornaments this year, not because we had to, but because we want to...and because we are both crafty creative people.  We took our bottle cap collection and attached hemp string to each one to make ornaments.  This is by far my favorite tree I've ever had.  But I started thinking while we were decorating about all of the Christmas traditions that we'll miss this year, and with this being our first Christmas as husband and wife, the thought of being so far from home is especially heavy on my heart.  Not sad, just very apparent.  I won't get to attend the annual Christmas party at Jessica's uncle Calvin's house.  She looks forward to it every year.  Jessica won't get to meet my cousins for the first time at our annual Christmas Eve get-together that has been growing with new children every time.  We both won't get to experience the busyness that comes with being married and having to attend multiple Christmas dinners and parties on the same day, and eating way too much at each stop.  This is an excellent way to experience our first year together as a married couple, and we'll learn many valuable lessons having no one to depend on but each other, but it's just not the same.  Perhaps most dissappointing of all, Jessica will miss the annual Hollingsworth trip up the mountain to Hendersonville, NC.  Or maybe, just maybe, she lucked out this year.  Let me explain....

Black Friday

This is a picture from earlier this evening.  Hyewon and Jiwon really enjoy playing on our bed because they've never seen one raised up off the ground.  The two sisters belong to Susie, one of my co-teachers.  They came over for dinner tonight with Sophy, my other co-teacher.  I invited the special Ed teacher, Ralph (the English name i gave him) but he had to cancel this afternoon.  It would have been nice to have another dude to talk about dude things with.  but his English isn't the greatest, so it probably wouldn't have made a difference.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'll note that we are very thankful for the friends we've made in Korea.  My co-teachers have made this transition super easy.  They've gone out of their way on numerous occasions to make sure everything was going well for us.

For all of you that have been waiting in suspense to see where we're living, here you go.  The small room with the couch and Christmas tree was a storage and laundry room, but we removed the doors and expanded our little studio apartment with a sitting room.  We're so excited to have a Christmas tree, even if its no bigger than Charlie Brown's.  All of our ornaments are going to be homemade with hemp, bottle caps, and a hot glue gun.

Headed to Daegu (Starbucks) tomorrow.

Thursday

Life has gone on as usual here in South Korea.  I understand that North Korea presents a serious situation, but we are honestly very unconcerned about yesterday's events....unconcerned about our safety that is.  The shelling took place on Yeonpyeong Island, near the disputed Yellow Sea border between the two Koreas.  The island is approximately 75 miles off the shoreline of Incheon, which is about an hour's drive away from Seoul.  Once arriving in Seoul, it would take 2.5 hours to get to Yeongju by bus.  All that to say that we're a long way from there.  We're also shielded by mountains in every direction.  We're fine.  We wouldn't even know anything had happened if we hadn't seen the American media outlets.  Like I said, its a serious situation, but the folks at home are probably more spooked by the news than we are.  But don't worry, we'll leave should it become necessary.

Now that that's out of the way, we can move on to Thanksgiving, or lack there of.  Today is Thursday, but it's just another day here.  We had planned to go visit the DMZ this coming weekend, but obviously we changed our minds.  I think we'll go to Daegu instead and enjoy Starbucks again.

This afternoon.

Check out this article concerning this afternoon's attack on South Korea.  We're not that close to where this took place, but we'll keep an eye on it none the less.

Lost in Translation

One of the frustrating things about living in another country is that no one can understand you.  One of the best things about living in another country is that no one can understand you.  Jessica and I have experienced so many moments of confusion and disappointment because what we are trying to accomplish cannot happen for some reason we do not understand.  As I mentioned in another post, we have tried to purchase various items at Homeplus on multiple occassions, and our efforts have gone for naught.  The last time this happened, we had a grocery cart full of items, over 100,000 Won (more than $100).  We bought chicken, cereal, make-up, toilet paper, coffee, an alarm clock, etc.  But for some reason, the cashier would not let us purchase two pillows for our couch.  To this day I still have no clue what the problem was.  She tried to explain, and we tried to explain that we wanted to buy them, but in the end we left with no pillows.  Life would be so much easier if we could understand what people are saying here.  On the flipside, this lapse in communication skills affords us the opportunity to speak freely when we otherwise wouldn't.  Last Saturday at the grocery store, an old lady blatantly cut in line in front of us at the checkout.  It was a long line.  There was no mistaking that we were standing there with our basket of groceries.  Jessica and I freely joked out loud about how we'd love to karate chop that old lady between the eyes, or hold her head under the water in one of the many octopus tanks we pass.  No one knew what we were saying (I hope).  At least no one reacted.  This is one of the pleasures of a culture that speaks another language.  In my classroom yesterday, I was teaching third graders.  I was having a hard time quieting them on this particular day.  They usually aren't this difficult.  The class calmed, except for one particular student.  When my patience ran dry, I looked the boy directly in the eyes and said with as much sincerity as was possible, "if you don't shut up, I'm gonna break your arm."  Nothing.  Blank stares.  I felt better though.

Sunday

We woke up today to a text sent to both of our phones that said "Will you come to church today at 11:30?  If you come, you will get a gift."  Not entirely sure what to make of the text, we decided not to go.  I don't think either one of us were necessarily thrilled about the church to begin with.  We were excited about finding an English speaking group there, and were excited that it was so close to our apartment, but not the actual "church."  The text message confirmed our thoughts that we would not return, and seek other options.  A little later in the morning we listened to a sermon from Brushy Creek, the church we had been attending back at home.  So we will continue to search.

We finally got out of the apartment some time not long after noon.  It has been a very nice day in Yeongju.  Comfortable weather, sort of like Fall at home....not cold, but not hot.  Walked through a market close by and explored some of the narrow pathways that lead through "neighborhoods".  The houses in Yeongju are packed in tightly with no room for cars to pull up to the front door and unload groceries.  I like that.  Even though there are many cars and morning traffic scares me to death when I walk to the bus stop, I still get the feeling that this is a "pedestrian friendly" town.  When I say "pedestrian friendly" I mean that in the same way as New York City.  There are millions of cars and taxis that fill up the Manhattan streets every second of the day, but so many people walk and use public transportation.  This is something that I enjoy.

 My goal when we return home is to continue this habit of transporting myself without the use of a car.  I know Greenville isn't designed to cater to the walker, but its a worthy goal.  We're healthier from all the exercise we get.  We're able to save more money without spending our entire paycheck on gas, insurance, oil, etc.  It's just a better lifestyle.

Included in this post are several pictures from our day about town.  The first is a pathway between houses.  Next is what we refer to as the "fish market" near our house.  The vendors sell much more than fish, but there's enough fish there to smell your way to it if you're lost.  Third is another alley way leading into a group of houses right in the middle of town.  We've had a good time exploring these narrow passages.  They are one of the things that really give me the feeling of being on the other side of the world.  It's odd to me that I don't always feel like i'm so far from home.  There are so many of the same modern conveniences and familiar businesses.  I actually have to make an effort to feel like I'm in a completely different country on a completely different continent.  Odd.  Following that picture is the Fish Market again.  Jessica tried to snap a few shots of the lady and her octopus buckets.  We're never sure if people mind us taking pictures of their goods.  The last picture is a from a balcony we were able to climb to while we were wondering through the houses.

Learnin'

Ga-Hae, Hyun, and Jessica

We had a great time last night with Jessica's two new friends from Dunkin' Donuts.  The menu consisted of ham and cheese omelettes and chips....all eaten with chopsticks.  One thing that I really like about young Koreans is that they are eager to learn English.  Hyun (center of picture) even brought her English study book.  We have a Korean language book as well, so after eating we learned new words and phrases in the other's language while enjoying various drinks...just one example of the wild parties at the Hollingsworth household.  Last week Jessica and I had the random conversation of regretting things we haven't done.  We're both in agreement that coming to live in Korea was one of the best decisions we've ever made.  We miss home, but this experience is one that we could never get if we didn't leave everything we've ever known and traveled to the other side of the world.  Along those same lines, I realized that if I don't make it a point to take a part of this experience back to the US with me, I will definitely regret it.  That was the day I decided to learn the language.  Up until this point I really had no desire to learn Korean.  I'll have no use for it at home.  There's one Korean restaurant in Greenville, but I've never been.  I don't run into any Korean people (that I know of) on the streets of Greenville.  If I learn to speak Korean I'll simply forget it when we return for lack of use.  What's the point?  However, I came to the realization that this entire year will be a waste if I don't do what it is we came here to do...experience life in a way we never have.  Learning a language is not an easy process, but it can be an exciting one.  I have by no means learned to be conversational, but I have at least learned to not be socially awkward.  I can say hello and goodbye.  I can say please and thank you.  I can order coffee, with milk, and ask a shopkeeper how much a particular item costs.  There's a little more, but these are the phrases that have been most helpful so far.  So we'll see where this little journey takes us.

Saturday

its been a pretty uneventful Saturday so far.  we had planned to visit Sobaek National Park which is very close by, but opted for sleeping in.  very wise decision.  did a little grocery shopping.  cleaned.  we've got a couple of guests coming over tonight for dinner...two of jessica's new friends that work at Dunkin' Donuts.  they've never had omelettes so thats what i'm cooking.  thats all folks.

Kim Jong-Un

Those poor North Koreans just can't seem to catch a break.

English For Life newsletter

the school where i took the TESOL certification course, English For Life, sends out a monthly newsletter.  This month they included an email interview i did about my experiences with kindergarten children in Korea.  of course there was some editing for the newsletter, but my original responses made me smile when i wrote them.  here you go.  enjoy.

During the course of the month-long intensive TESOL training in Greenville, SC last summer, we spent a few days covering everyone's favorite topic: the antichrist.  Or children, whatever you want to call it.  Specifically children that 1) do not speak your language, 2) have no desire to learn your language, and 3) really don't even know what a language is or that others exist.  The instructor for this particular section of our course asked what each person had learned after the lesson.  My answer to the class was crystal clear: I DO NOT want to teach children. So, as fate would have it, I signed a 12 month contract that obligates me to spend the entire working week teaching English to the above referenced "children".  Children are very cute, especially when they are from other cultures.  I have even caught myself thinking "I'd like to have a few of my own one day."  However, the truth is that they will eat you alive if you turn your back for even a second.  For the first few weeks I dreaded going to my classes.  To make matters worse, my Korean co-teachers would not be joining me in the classroom.  They had their own classes to teach.  So there I was, alone with 15 Korean five year olds who think I'm crazy because the words coming out of my mouth sound like gibberish.  Apparently they interpreted this as a green light to tear my classroom apart.  Then one day the realization came to me that if I don't figure out how to deal with my current situation, it will be a very long and miserable year.  I began to ask myself what children enjoy doing.  They like to be loud.  They like to run around.  They like to color.  How could I combine these three activities into an educational 40 minutes?  And then the light bulb came on.  I created a game that involved yelling, running, and colors.  We went outside where I had cut out big letters spelling different colors and tacked them to trees.  I also had made big flash cards with four different colors on them.  I managed to get the children into a group and then I held up a color flash card.  I yelled the color as loud as I could.  Their eyes lit up and they yelled the color as well.  Then I ran to the tree with the color.  They followed.  This was all the instruction that was needed.  When I held up the next color flash card, they hesitated for a second and then yelled the color and ran to the next tree.  We did this for 30 minutes.  Here's what I learned:

1) When working with small children, no activity is too simple.
2) Incorporate what children do best: yell, run, color.
3) Even though an activity seems simple and repetitive, it is actually reinforcing the target material.  Children need repetition for understanding.
4) When a child falls down and starts crying, just give it a minute, he'll get over it.

and then it hit me....

when we arrived in Korea, everyone looked the same.  black hair.  fair to semi-dark skin.  narrow eyes.  they were short.  somebody made a killing selling sandals.  the feeling was compounded when i began teaching.  i had classrooms full of small Asian clones.  the first morning that i was going to ride to school with a fellow teacher, i was secretly anxious as i stood at the appointed space on the sidewalk.  would i remember what he looked like?  i mean, I've been working with this guy for about a week, but for the life of me i couldn't recall his face in my mind.  i resigned myself to the hope that he would know who i was.  six feet.  six inches.  white.  red beard.  i stand out in a crowd.  and then time passed and i began to notice subtle differences in each person's appearance.  its amazing how different each person's eyes are.  contrary to popular western stereotypes, not all Asians have the same "slanted" eyes.  some of my students are quiet.  some of my students are participatory.  some of my students are class clowns.  with most of my students, i know to what point they will try to push my patience, and consequently where to counter-act their pushing.  over two months I've gotten to know 100+ little Korean personalities.  and today it hit me: I don't know any of their names.  learning 100+ little Korean names at the beginning of our stay here was too much to even think about.  now, i really want to be able to call them something.  but i can't.

weekend update

the day count in korea is officially 2 months....as of nov. 12.  we arrived here sept. 12.  two months have passed, but it really doesn't feel as long.  we're happy here.  both of us are staying busy.  we've gotten into a few routines.  every wednesday we have dinner with my two co-teachers, their kids, and whoever else happens to be there.  last week the office manager at school was there with her two sons.  its a lot of fun.  we're really happy about the relationships we've built/are building with the koreans.  they have been very hospitable, and have made this transition for us very easy and comfortable.  Jessica has also made a friend.  We frequent Dunkin Donuts quite often and have gotten to know the manager and one of the employees, Hyun Kwack.  Jessica and Hyun had lunch this week and are getting together with one of the other girls from DD's this evening for dinner at their apartment.  I was a bit worried about not getting involved with the "locals" here but we've been able to meet some really nice people who want to be our friends.  We have also been invited to a musical by one of the student's parents this afternoon.  we're not sure yet what "musical" means in korea but we're up for the adventure.  other than that, we're just relaxing over the weekend.

cold

we bought big coats lastnight in preparation for the coming winter...and just in time.  this morning while walking to the bus stop i had to pull my hood up as the wind was quite strong.  the skies were blue and clear but there was snow on the mountains surrounding town.  jessica and i have been looking forward to seeing snow that lasts more than 24 hours.  but now i'm realizing what we had forgotten.  snow = cold.  and cold = colds.  and colds = no fun for anybody.  but we'll learn how to manage and stay warm.  at least it'll be a white christmas. 

I have only one class today.  we have standardized testing at school in the morning, so i'll just have my one afternoon 2nd grade class.  then no class tomorrow or friday.  this is the easiest money i've ever made.

update...

i just noticed its been a week since my last post.  sorry.  here's the past week's highlight reel:

- Jessica went to the doctor last week.  she isn't on my insurance yet.  what did the visit and small procedure sans insurance cost us?  one (1) bag of homemade korean rice cakes.  you're turn mr. president.
- Yesterday was a sort of multi-cultural day at school.  given the fact that i'm basically Mr. Multi-culture at my school, it would make sense that some part of the day's festivities would involve me, or at least the english center.  nope.  classes cancelled.  i'm not complaining though.
- One of my Korean co-teachers in the English center came over for dinner with her two little girls (2yrs and 4yrs) wednesday night.  Had fun.  pics on Jessica's Facebook.
- Taking a trip to Daegu tomorrow.  "Luke, you must travel to the Daegu system."  That's from Gabe...wish i could claim that bit of wit.
- I'm up to four cups of coffee per morning.
- We found a church.  and all this time its been a 60 second walk from our apartment.  1st Pres. Yeongju.  there's an english Bible study on sunday mornings and the small group of about 8 is trying to get together an english worship service.  we're really excited about that. 
- Thats really about it.  not much to report.  we'll put up some pics from Daegu after the weekend.

another sample...

Below is a sample from another story i'm writing, A Lesson in Life:  ...from a kindergarten point of view.

I came to Korea to teach English.  Teacher.  Not student.  I was placed in Buseok Elementary School.  Buseok is a little community on the outskirts of Yeongju.  The morning and afternoon drives through the valley of apple farms and rice fields are a writer's dreamland of inspiration.  Especially in the harvest season.  Autumn is something special in Korea.  The rice fields produce a color display that puts the early November Appalachian foliage to shame.  The Gingko trees that line the two-lane highway between Yeongju and Buseok yield leaves of pure gold, unmatched by the old Bradford Pear that used to stand in my parent's yard.  Each day when I see the old women, clad in gloves, rubber boots, and large-brimmed hats, who have no concept of the term "retirement", stretching on the side of the road in preparation to pick apples, rice, grapes, or whatever the day's harvest may be, I can't help but think "there's a story."  Children stand waiting at the end of a long dirt road for the school bus to take them away.  They must have something to say about their adventures in the fields surrounding the small traditional Asian house behind them in the distance.

But the school never fails to remain in its place, and I arrive just as I've always done every day before.  I have a desk.  I have a computer.  I have a classroom and my own personal heater.  I have Facebook and email.  The previous twenty-five minutes do not exist.  It's as if I'm waking  up from a dream that I immediately forget.

JMH

still confused....part ll

as happens often when teaching children, somebody starts crying.  usually its me, but sometimes its the students.  and at first glance its apparently for no good reason.  probably something trivial like little girl A "borrowed" little girl B's Pokemon pencil.  yesterday in my 2nd grade class, a little boy was crying and judging from his facial expressions he was upset with another boy.  he kept saying something in between sobs and sniffs, but of course i'm clueless as to what's going on.  its time to start class.  everyone is listening intently to whats going on, so i obviously can't start the lesson.  i go next door to my co-teacher's classroom to get some interpretation.  she talks to them, then turns to me and laughs...i knew it was something stupid.  apparently one of the boys had taken the crying boy's cards (sort of like trading/game cards with robots and things like that on them) and flushed it down the toilet at recess.  even on the other side of the world, that's the kind of catastrophe that can bring a little boy's world crashing down.

still confused

we've been here close to two months now.  life is normal.  we get up.  we go to work. we come home. we chill for a while, and we go to bed.  its a predictable day actually.  i hate that, but at the same time its nice and familiar.  no suprises.  there are a few things however, that still confuse me to no end.  for instance, my 4th period class did not show up today.  i don't know why.  this isn't the first time, and i'm certain it won't be the last.  i'm confused as to why this happens and i'm not informed.  don't get me wrong, i'm not complaining.  i only have a few more ounces of patience to go around.  but i'm confused.  another example was last saturday night when jessica and i were at homeplus.  we had a cart full of groceries and a few miscellanious items...two couch pillows to be exact.  when it came our turn to check out, for some reason we couldn't by the pillows.  again, this isn't the first time, and i'm certain it won't be the last.  the cashier repeated the same phrase in korean multiple times, each time making zero sense to either of us (we don't speak korean....somebody please tell her).  apparently she was stating the reason that we couldn't buy the pillows, but i haven't the slightest idea why.  seemed like a normal business transaction to me.  a third example of korean life that has me stumped is the toilet system.  and by toilet system, i mean there are no toilets.  there are holes in the ground that flush, but squatting is involved.  in my experience when you add bowel movements, squatting, and pants around the ankles, the result is one less pair of pants.  its a very precise art that i haven't mastered yet. 



don't worry, i still have all of the pants i came to korea with...plus one.

excerpt....

Below is an excerpt from a short story I'm currently working on.  Please have a read and make some comments if you'd like.


2010 was a big year for me.  Big, that is, in a "Hey mom and dad, I'm getting married and moving to the other side of the world" kind of way.  Some days I know for certain that I have been cursed with with an unyielding tug at my gut to run for far-away mountains, to see rivers and seas that I've never experienced, to drink coffee in a little shop somewhere in old Europe.  I remember as a child asking my dad as we drove on the interstate highway, "so if we keep driving and don't take any exits, where will we end up?"  I don't think he understood my question.  All I could see was open road with seemingly no end. I was too young to be concerned with such ideas.  Other boys my age were watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Saturday mornings.  I was exploring Iceland in the woods on the edge of my neighborhood.  I can't remember my dad's response, but it wasn't good enough.  I had to see for myself.


I now know that interstate 85 north disappears somewhere in Virginia near the Phillip Morris headquarters, complete with factory smoke stacks painted like cigarettes.  Lovely.  Its not quite the Misty Mountains or the Yellow Sea, but now I know.  I've made my trek.  I've seen with my own eyes.  The answer to my boyhood question was less than glamorous: giant Marlboro Reds.


And so I found myself, two weeks after marrying Jessica, 12,000 miles from home in a little country called South Korea.  I was an English teacher.  I was young, energetic, and ready to indoctrinate the locals.  Dr. H. Douglas Brown, professor of TESOL at San Francisco State University, author of multiple textbooks, and widely accepted as an authority on the subject, states that "short attention spans come into play when children have to deal with material that to them is useless, boring, or too difficult."  It would necessarily make sense to put me in a classroom with 15 Korean kindergarten children with no interpreter.  The moment Dr. Brown refers to above, at which the children are confronted with material that to them is useless, boring, and too difficult, coincidentally is the same moment I open my mouth.  The children were apparently expected to have the mental capacity to hear my English, sense and accept the lifelong importance of acquiring the language, mull over future international business dealings, and process the connection with their own language.  I might as well have been farting rhythmically to teach them the lesson.  It would have all sounded the same.

library...

one day Jessica and I happened upon the Yeongju public library when we were exploring a new route to the river.  we decided to go inside and have a look around.  it really wasn't much different than a library back at home, but at the same time felt extremely foreign.  it was an interesting experience.  this is a photo Jessica took inside...one of my favorites.

R. Kelly and the American Bad-ass.

the work week is almost over.  this makes me happy.  i had a huge success at school today.  every Thursday morning from 9:50-10:30 i teach English to kindergarten children.  remember poking ant hills when you were little?  that's what kindergarten is like.  needless to say i dread this morning of the week.  i honestly consider faking sick every week...its that bad.  but yesterday i got a bright idea: i thought up a game that teaches them colors and at the same time gets rid of that loathsome energy that they always seem to have.  i spent about 2 minutes in the classroom teaching them blue, red, green, and yellow.  then we went outside where i had already set up the activity.  i had cut out the letters for each color in the appropriate colored construction paper and tacked them to four different trees.  we got outside and i explained, with the help of my co-teacher, that when i held up the card for a color, the kids were to run to that tree.  so basically all we did for about 20 minutes was run from one tree to another....brilliant.

if you noticed my Facebook status, it said that last night I had the single most awkward night of my life.  here's the story....

the principal invited jessica, myself, my two korean co-english teachers, the manager of the english center, and the vice principal out for dinner.  my principal is one those men who loves his high position and looks down upon the rest of us unfortunate souls who aren't principals.  he loves to boast of his ability to speak Chinese (which i'm not convinced he can actually do), smokes at school, and loves to drink Soju (some type of korean liquor).  He also has a special knack for awkwardness.  after his 43rd shot of Soju, the principal decides its time to move on to the dinner after-party.  given that this is Korea, its a good bet that we'll end up at a karaoke bar.  it is also impolite to turn down an invitation to a social gathering.  so we exit the restaurant.  the principal is in a very good mood.  and then it happens....he takes my hand.  i thought he was just pulling me out of the way of an on-coming car as the city streets are very narrow here.  he would release me as soon as danger has passed.  but that doesn't happen.  instead he begins to walk...my hand still in his grip.

we had read before arriving in Korea that it is common for two men or two women to hold hands as they walk.  its nothing more than a sign of friendship.  however, i'm from South Carolina.

long story short, the principal and i walk the entire 10 minutes from the restaurant to the karaoke bar hand in hand, best buddies.  oh and i forgot to mention, we don't speak the same language, so there's awkward silence the entire way...the rest of the group lagged behind to watch and giggle.

so the evening ended with a little karaoke, beer, dried squid and peanuts.  lovely combination.  everyone sang but me.  i refused.  i had enough humiliation for the day.  jessica decided she would sing, but only if sophy and susie, the korean english teachers, would sing with her.  so all three went to the stage.  i tried my best to get jessica to pick American Bad-ass by Kid Rock, but they ended up singing R. Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly....priceless.

Update....

Sorry.  I've been sort of busy so i've neglected to give you updates from Korea.  its tuesday morning and my 2nd period class was cancelled for some reason.  As is usually the case, i'm clueless as to why my students are not here, but i'm enjoying it nonetheless.  This past weekend Jessica and I went to Seoul to spend a night for my birthday.  we rode the bus saturday morning.  when we arrived we made our way across the city on the subway to our guesthouse/hostel.  it was a very nice place, sort of like a college dorm, but we were able to get a private room instead of the larger community bunkbed style rooms.  after checking in, we went back out into the city and found an outback steakhouse and starbucks...a couple of very nice indulgences to celebrate my 29th.  we explored the city most of the night, then headed back to get some sleep around 12:30am.

the next day we got up and check out and caught the subway towards Gyeongbukgung (the palace you can see from our previous trip to Seoul in my FB pics).  We happened upon it at just the right time, as the Guard was changing.  After that we hit Starbucks again (for the 3rd time in less than 24 hrs).  The Starbucks in this area of town has to be my favorite of all time.  it was 4 stories high and the top floor was a rooftop patio overlooking the city.  we wanted to stay longer but had to catch the bus for the 2.5 hr ride home.

back at school on monday, i was teaching my students the new vocabulary words for the week.  one verb we were learning was "sit".  koreans pronounce the "s" as "sh", so i'm sure you can imagine what happened when i taught them the verb sit...12 children all yelling "shit! shit! shit!"   sorry if those words are offensive to some readers, and i don't normally use them, but i had to try my hardest not to laugh out loud at them in class.  it was even harder not to roll in the floor laughing when i told them "no", and they persisted with more urgency because for all they knew, they were pronouncing the word correctly, and were certain that i was mistaken in telling them they were wrong. 

so another week has begun, and i'm already counting down to the weekend.  so goes the 9 to 5.....

Friday...

1.  its friday!  one class down, three to go.  we'll stay in Yeongju tonight then catch an early bus to Seoul.  One of my co-teachers (Susie) was able to find a guest house for us in Seoul.  Almost everything was booked because its the weekend.  We got one of the last rooms available.  We'll post pictures of our weekend on Sunday or Monday.

2.  I finally got a cell phone.  its been over a month since i've had one so its an odd, yet familiar feeling. 

3.  all of the teachers at school have a wooden stick.  this is used for pointing the various things on the board.  mine is used for beating a hard surface to quiet my classroom.  yesterday my 6th graders would not stop chatting during the lesson.  its a small class so we were sitting in a circle.  i gave the floor one good whack with my stick.  it broke.  there were eight sets of eyes wide open and eight mouths shut.  there was silence as i glared and everyone heard the broken piece roll across the floor.  it was a priceless moment.

thursday...

its thursday.  thursday is kindergarten day.  my favorite.  kindergarten children have no reason to want to learn English.  they would rather pick their nose......which is exactly what they do.  in the month that we've been here, today was only the second time i've had to teach them.  it was two times too many.  I got a lot of help from my native co-teacher sophy.  actually she taught the class for me.  i got to observe how you teach children that small a foreign language.  and here's the secret: speak 99% of the time in their native language, korean, and 1% in the target language, english.  of course you see the problem.  oh well.  it is what it is. 

Jessica and I are going to Seoul this weekend for my birthday.  starbucks, english movie, outback (if we can find it.)  I'm excited.  i shaved my beard lastnight so maybe i can convince people its my 22nd birthday instead of my 29th. 

as i type this, there's a second grade student that walked into my classroom.  she's standing beside my desk and staring at me.  i asked her if she wanted a beer but i got no response.  maybe she doesn't understand me.

anyway, back to the update.  i'm going to try to relate a very funny story....at least i find it funny.  on monday when i went to the men's room outside of the administration office, all of the urinals apparently had some air built up in the pipes, or something like that.  they are also motion-sensored flushers.  so when i walk up to do what i gotta do, the motion sensor was triggered and it flushed as i was standing there.  not a problem, as this is what it usually does.  only this time, as i mentioned above, there is air in the pipes.  so the flush projected urinal water on my pants.  it was clean water though.  right.  so now every day after monday i've been paranoid about the explosive flushing.  so the routine is: approach the urinal, unzip, extract the equipment, begin to release muscle pressure......and it starts to flush.  i have gotten myself into the habit of jumping back at this moment.  let me remind you that at this moment the aforementioned equipment is getting some fresh air, and the bathroom is right outside of the principal's office.  so i'm sure you can imagine the scene when the toilet begins to flush (and i'm still paranoid about it splashing me), i'm about to release, and the door opens.......

1 month down, 11 (or more...) to go

today is october 11th.  we flew from Greenville on Saturday September 11 (the day that "pastor" in florida was going to burn the korans....anybody even remember that guy?).  we've adjusted well to life in Yeongju.  life is becoming normal.  Jessica has found some great ways to fill her time and i've become quite fond of kimchi.  our little apartment is very cozy.  who would have thought that we would be very happy and content with a studio? 

we've had trouble finding a good church...and one that speaks English.  I've decided to try one in the big cities, either Seoul to the north or Daegu to the south.  our plan, when we find the right one, is to make the trip (2hrs one way) one sunday every month for the fellowship.  the other three sundays we want to have a consistent Bible study and prayer time at home. 

Going to Seoul next weekend.  its my birthday!  we've learned there's a theatre playing English movies right beside the bus station in Seoul.  We'll probably stay overnight. 

In other news, the scissors in my desk at school have "Ms. Cheng" written on the handle.  I might be the only one who finds this funny...and i'm ok with that. 

sick....

i didn't feel altogether wonderful riding to school on Tuesday, but i thought it was because I stayed up too late the night before.  during my first two classes of the day, i slowing started feeling worse.  i barely touched my kimchi and fish-brain soup at lunch, and eventually ended up in the nurse's office.  she took my temperature and gave me some tylenol, and I slept through my afternoon classes on a little bed with Hello Kitty sheets.  I was freezing when i went see the nurse, wearing my sweater and gloves.  the beds are heated, so the nurse turned it on and i was out cold.   when i woke up an hour later, i was sweating, not from my fever, but from the boiling-lava-hot bed i was laying in.  so i stayed out from school today and i'll be back tomorrow.

in other news, we found out that there are Outback Steakhouses in Seoul.  I know where i'm going for my birthday in a couple of weeks!

trash and shoes...

the korean way of recycling and trash organization is puzzling to me.  we've asked multiple times but i'm still not sure, confident actually, that we're doing it incorrectly.  there are 3 different cans outside the apartment, all of which have food waste in them.  beside the cans are the government mandated green plastic bags for other waste.  however, there is always food in the bags.  i just don't understand what goes where.  therefore, we have resorted to taking our trash out under the cover of darkness.  lastnight i went out after midnight with our full trash bags so as to avoid any glares or people explaining to me (in korean) that my empty box of moon pies does not go in the same bag as uneaten Kimchi cassarole, and at the same time the apple cores and the mountain dew bottle should be bagged together.

at school, everyone removes their shoes in the front lobby and slips into sandals provided in little cubby holes.  all of the teachers have their own sandals except for me.  i just wear the ones provided for guests.  i've managed to find one pair that is big enough for my feet.  all of the other pairs that i sometimes get stuck with are too small...for little asian feet.  i started wondering today, when i had to select the smaller shoe option, who keeps taking the big set.  apparently there are asian people with inordinately large feet.  you know what they say about big feet....well....i'm in asia....nevermind.

Asian Beatles....

I got my hair cut.  I can't remember when the last time was.  So I was understandably a bit nervous.  I always hate getting my hair cut...its too traumatic.  So Jessica and I walked downtown and studied two different options....one was a salon for men.  inside were younger women cutting hair.  they looked like they knew what they were doing.  the second option was two doors down, a salon with mostly women customers, and stylish looking women stylists.  given that this was my first haircut in the eastern hemisphere, I opted for option #2...the stylish looking women.  they couldn't mess this up too bad.  20 min later, I looked like a cross between an Asian school girl and Paul McCartney (circa. 1963).


Yesterday Jessica and I were walking around town taking a few photographs, just being lazy.  We had been out for a while and were headed back to the apartment.  We had noticed a broken chair on the curb.  Koreans, at least the ones in Yeongju, leave their trash on the curb for pickup.  Occasionally we have scored some really cool things people have thrown out (table, mirror, etc.).  Normally we wait for nightfall to retrieve the items we spotted during the day, just to make sure that they are indeed trash.  Yesterday, there was no mistaking that this particular BROKEN chair was somebody's garbage.  So I told Jessica that we should just go ahead and carry it home.  Hesitation.  After some gentle persuading, Jessica made a move for the chair.  Not 3 1/2 seconds later some elderly Korean woman is shouting at us.  We both looked at each other.  (Side note: What i don't understand about some people here is that when it is obvious even to a deaf and blind person that we don't understand what someone is saying, they continue to speak Korean, as if we'll eventually get it.)  Long story short, we were stealing her chair, her BROKEN chair sitting on the curb next to the trash bags....well, one of us was stealing it.  so Jessica put it down and we went on our way.


Homeplus sells ninja swords and nun-chucks...in the sporting goods section.