Oh, Susannah

This post won’t be nearly as funny as the last post, but I think that is going to be hard to top!

Last week my co-teacher told me we were going to be having another staff dinner. I immediately started thinking of the food again, and wondered what is going to happen this time. Luckily, the principal told me we were having a chicken soup. So at least I knew there wouldn’t be another dog/duck fiasco!

I was told that the restaurant was close to downtown so when we started driving out of town I was a little confused. Then I noticed we are along the coast of the island and there was a huge fence with three sets of barbed wire. We continued driving, then went through a roadblock where the soldier asked where we were going and checked the driver’s license. My co-teacher then pointed to the mountains and shore on the other side of the river and said, “North Korea.” Well that explains it. Although it didn’t look any different from any other landmass, it was still very strange just to be looking at North Korea.

So when I wasn’t staring at North Korea on the drive to the restaurant, my co-teacher kept talking about this chicken soup and how when you eat it you take the tree out and do not eat the tree. He then asked if I had any food allergies. I said no. But he still kept saying don’t eat the tree and then scratching his skin as to tell me this “tree” in my food would make me break out. When we got into the restaurant it turned out my co-teacher was being literal. In the huge pot of soup were small tree limbs. It’s apparently very good, but makes everyone have an allergic reaction so everyone who eats it takes this pill before hand to keep from breaking out. My co-teacher and I didn’t eat the tree-soup but instead had a spicy, chicken soup with potatoes. It was very good, and luckily this time, there was no confusion about what I was eating.

During dinner, several teachers were trying to talk to me even though, they know about as much English as I do Korean. But they did say, “Alabama, right?” I nodded yes and smiled. Then they started humming a song. No, it wasn’t “Sweet Home Alabama,” but it did sound a lot like “Dixie.” So I nodded yes, and smiled again. Then I realized they were humming “Oh, Susannah.” I sang the few lyrics I knew. They immediately started clapping and the whole table at once looked our way. One man, who had a lot of soju started singing it in Korean and then told me to sing it in English. I sang the small part I knew and he immediately yelled for the principal. Then the principal instructed me to sing it to the whole place. Well when the principal says jump you say how high. So I sang “Oh, Susannah” in front of the restaurant and then got a round of applause. I guess those norabang visits are starting to pay off after all!

Dog On It

Last night we had this big school presentation and parents' day and afterward all the teachers and parents and some students went to dinner. My principal was worried about me getting home late, so he told me to call Beth and tell her to join us.

We sat through the presentation and they introduced us both, ("John and John's wife"), and then we loaded up in the school bus and went to the some restaurant in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Beth was getting worried that she'd have to eat cold fish again, but when we walked in, we saw barbecue pits and smelled something delicious, and I could tell Beth was relieved.

We sat and my principal immediately ordered soju and they passed it around and we all had a celebratory shot. (The kids had "shots" of cider.)

Then my co-teacher pointed to the meat and said, "John, guess what this is."

I said, "Beef?"

"No."

"Pork?"

"No."

I swallowed hard. "Dog?"

He grinned and nodded. I looked over at Beth, and I could see the color drain from her face. Well, I'm here, I thought. Might as well try it.

As it cooked, my co-teacher said, "Have you had this before?" I said "No" and he told me it's softer than pork. I smiled and nodded and some other teachers passed Beth a bowl of very good chicken. When the meat browned, I watched the cutest little girl grab a piece with chop sticks and eat it, and I thought, How bad could it be?

My co-teacher showed me how to eat it, by putting a piece in lettuce with some other sauce and rice, and wrapping the whole thing up and eating it sort of like a mini burrito. I did just that, and I have to admit, it was pretty tasty.

Then my co-teacher looked at Beth and said, "I don't think you like this?"

Beth closed her eyes and shook her head and just then, somehow, my co-teacher sensed something and said, "Wait. This isn't dog. It's duck. Quack quack."

And I fell over laughing.

Teach Your Children Well

I know we posted a blog on our second day of teaching but I thought I would update everyone on the teaching situation now.

Like Derek said, the most stressful part is getting to and from school. We apparently have been late getting to the bus stop the past two mornings. The bus that runs at 8:00 takes us right to downtown and that leaves me with a 10-minute walk and Derek with about 20-minute walk. But the past two mornings we got to the stop at 8:05 and that bus takes us to the terminal, which adds an extra 10 minutes to our morning commute. Derek had to take cabs the past two mornings just to make it to school on time.

Yesterday I was informed that we had parents’ day at school and I had to dress formally. So, this morning I am wearing a black dress, tights, and my stilettos. Did I mention that I love that we don’t wear shoes in school! My feet would have hurt all day if I didn’t get to take off the high heels. It’s also so funny to see adults in suits and dresses but also in slippers!

Working with the students has been great for both of us so far. But, we’re still new to the school so I don’t know if the kids will think we are so cool and exciting in six months. The kids here have no fear and will ask all kinds of questions. During my first week, I had a student ask if I was married, is he handsome, and do we make babies. One girl asked if my wedding rings were real and how much did they cost. At lunch today, two kindergartners asked whether I dye my hair or not, because it is so light! And one of the fifth grade girls came up to me and said I had a beautiful voice. Well that was a first; it must be the southern accent!

Overall the students have been great. You do have some problem students but the majority of them have been well behaved. I did have to take a 3rd graders phone away during class (I don’t think he likes me anymore). You also have the students that like to be the center of attention and say things way too loud or with a funny voice just to get attention. But, I can’t blame them, how many times can you repeat. “Hi, I’m Minsu. Nice to meet you.” Without going crazy!

Here are some pictures of my 3rd grade class.

Eastbound and Out

The weekdays are actually kind of stressful. Teaching the students is one thing, but getting to work (bus rides, cabs, and walking and God help you if it’s raining or snowing) and the lesson planning times are enough to make anyone’s blood pressure spike.

For instance, I just found out that I have to have all the after school class lessons planned out for the semester by this upcoming week. I also found out that I am in charge of splitting up all the students I see by their English skill levels. So there will be Level 1 (the lowest level, for students who can barely say hello), Level 2 (still a low level, but these students can maybe say “How are you?”), Level 3 (midlevel), and Level 4 (the students who spent time abroad and can hold a conversation with me).

They assured me there’s no pressure, and that I have some time, but it’s quite the task.

So when it comes to the weekends, we’ve actually been cutting loose. We’ve been going out every chance we get, to Incheon and Seoul and soon we’ll venture to other parts of the country, and it’s great to unwind and not think for a while about the intricacies of determining whether a student is a Level 2 or Level 3.

We left the island Friday night for Bupyeong again. This time, we caught the bus and it only took about two hours. Not too bad; I listened to lots of music and Beth and I watched an episode of “House.” We met our friends in front of the Lotte Mart - a giant department store that sells everything from produce to electronics to furniture – and we headed straight for the Star Wars bar. (Yes, you read that right.)

Then we found a bar that was just called Miller Time, where they serve Miller Genuine Draft in large glasses, before going to a bar called Wild Bills, a western-style joint with pool tables and dart boards and filled with Westerners.

In Wild Bills we met a guy from New Zealand who spent four years in Alabama and said the Heart of Dixie is his favorite place on Earth and that’s where he wants to settle down. He had lived on the “south side of Birmingham” and knew all about Montgomery (not Wetumpka), Mobile, and Gulf Shores.

The next day, we all woke up and decided to go to Seoul to meet more friends who were already there. We took the train to City Hall and then on to Itaewon, the foreigners district of Seoul, a place where Canadian sports bars are across the street from Japanese restaurants and German beer halls.

There was this kind of oscillation among the group, excitement about the prospect of buying familiar foods and goods, and disappointment that it could have been any city block in America or Canada and that’s not why we’re here.

Then it was off to Hongdae, a bright neon testament to all things entertainment, and our new favorite place in Korea (so far). They have just as much western stuff as Itaewon without losing the Korean flair. There are shops and boutiques and street vendors, countless bars and lounges, and restaurants serving every kind of food you can want. Street performances pop up spontaneously, and crowds gather and clap and cheer.

I think the best thing about Hongdae is the realization that it will be an easy day trip for us. It’s only one subway stop down from Sinchon, where the bus from Ganghwa heads every 15 minutes.

Resident Alien

Beth and I are now official alien residents of the Republic of Korea. We received our Alien Registration Cards, which will help us retain and naviagte a number of services like banking, cable television, Internet, and cell phones. No pics, I just thought it was pretty cool.

The Sound Of Music

On Saturday we met some friends in Incheon, the city directly adjacent to our little island. Technically, Ganghwa-do is within Incheon’s city limits, but it’s about a two-hour bus ride from here to there, and it feels like another world entirely.

The plan was to meet everyone in Bupyeong, an area of Incheon renowned for its nightlife and shopping. It’s a district full of neon and crowds and street food, and it’s a central location for the others who got placed in the more urban areas. So we woke up and tried to catch the direct bus to Bupyeong, but we missed it, and, as we were already running late and didn’t want to miss everyone at the assigned time (we would never be able to catch up with them if that happened – we still don’t have cell phones), we had to take a cab. A 60 dollar cab ride.

The cab ride was kind of interesting. We were able to say, “Bupyeong bus terminal” to the driver, and he tried his best to find it on his GPS, but after a while, he spoke some Korean to us and we realized he was saying, “There is no Bupyeong bus terminal.” Beth had her handy phrase book and said, “Bupyeong yeok,” (“Bupyeong Station”), and he grinned and turned around.

We got there in just under an hour, which was nice, but that was because he ignored all speed limits, traffic laws and basic safety. Watching the meter keep rising to 60,000 won was kind of disappointing. But hey, we’ll know better next time.

Like I said, Bupyeong is very crowded, with people filing in and out of the myriad shops and bars and cafes. The streets are very narrow, and colorful signs loom over you as you walk, inviting you to eat and drink and spend more money.

But that’s nothing compared to the underground shopping area, a hot, confined hallway with a wall of bodies all looking for good deals on knock-off brands. I didn’t like it much, but it’s kind of unavoidable, because sometimes it’s the only way you can cross the busy streets above.

After exploring for a little while, we were all very hungry, so we ate a traditional Korean meal of barbecued pork and kimchi and rice and soup and, of course, beer.

Then we went to some weird little place where they served desserts and wine. They had a buffet with free ice cream and soft drinks, but they expected you to order something, so we ordered some sangria-like drinks, wine with soda water and filled with bits of fruit. Most everyone was impressed with the décor, all flowers and fake cherry blossom trees with the branches hanging over the tables.

After a while, we decided to take the train to downtown Incheon, to see Korea’s only Chinatown. It was a long train ride and we ended up taking the wrong one at one point, but we got there eventually, right at dusk when all the red paper lanterns were lit and the lights from the various shops and Chinese restaurants flooded the street.

We ate a very good Chinese meal, with crab meat soup and garlic chicken and octopus and a few shots of soju before heading out to the noraebang.

The nine of us sang for hours, belting out classics like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Thriller,” and, of course, “Don’t Stop Believing.” The noraebang is an interesting concept in Korea. It’s the place where Koreans can let loose, drinking and singing badly to Korean and Western songs in front of their peers. It’s apparently something they do with gusto, and we all fit right in. I think you can tell a lot about people in those “song rooms,” what kind of music they like and how similar interests progress from there and how some people who may have been too shy to speak much at first open up when doing their rendition of their favorite song.

That ended the night, for the most part, and Beth took plenty of pictures as always, so check them out below.

Back To School

So the first day was pretty uneventful for the both of us. Derek and I both woke up with butterflies in our stomachs and then once we got to school it was like, “Why did we get worked up about this?” The students, teachers and the principals have all been very nice and welcoming. When the students see us in the hallway they bow or wave and say hello then run off giggling. Both of our schools have English-only classrooms and we spent the majority of our day in the room by ourselves on the computer. Lunch was very good: fruit, soup, meat and, of course, rice and kimchi. It’s so healthy when you think of the school lunches back home.

Derek’s school had a banquet planned for him so after school my co-teacher took me to the apartment to inspect our new furniture. We finally have a bed, washer, dresser, fridge, pots and pans and most importantly—a fan (I can sleep again)! But then my co-teacher got a phone call and I was told I had to go to the banquet too. So we leave and go straight to the restaurant. I walk in to find Derek in the middle of 30-plus Korean adults, sitting “Indian-style” all drinking heavily. I sit down and immediately the Principal and Vice Principal welcome me and offer me a shot of soju. I accept so I don’t offend them and they laugh that I can drink it in one shot. Everyone watched as I picked up the chopsticks and began to eat. I was offered a fork, but turned it down. I need to learn sometime right! Apparently Derek and I have been using chopsticks wrong (you can’t pick them up with one hand and adjust their placement with the other, you can only use one hand). We spent the rest of the banquet with different people coming up to us offering us soju and in return, we offer them shots. (In Korea, it’s considered offensive to pour your own drink, so when they offered us shots, they expected us to return the favor.) One man, who obviously had many, many shots, kept calling me ElizabeTH, to emphasize that he can say his “th” unlike other Koreans. He also kept hugging Derek and calling him Dong-saeng or “little brother.” Then he insisted they do “Korean Idol.” See pictures below! The banquet was finally over and we were invited to go play billiards and drink but declined since we had just received all of our furniture and we wanted to clean and arrange everything. I asked my co-teacher about it today and found out that after they left the restaurant, they went to play billiards, went to a bar, went to a norabang (karaoke), then went to another bar and didn’t get home till 1am!

School was the same as the first day for both of us. We don’t start teaching till Monday. We left school at 2 today and went into Incheon (about an hour drive) to get our Alien Registration cards. They should be ready next week and once we receive them we can get cell phones, Internet and medical insurance. Our co-teachers took care of everything for us. I am really starting to warm up to our co-teachers. They are trying very hard and are doing a great job—they just don't know English. They spent the entire ride, asking us how to say things in English and why, and for what situations…i.e. If I am mad at a student I say…"Get out.” If I like the student I say…"You may leave now." “Close” can mean to shut something or distance from something. “Present” can be a gift or a time. The list goes on. We’ve never had to think about all this before, but when explaining it to our teachers we can see why English is so hard to learn. But, I guess that is what we’re here for.

Heart and Seoul

Apparently a music student lives in the apartment above us, or at least someone taking piano lessons. We’ve heard her/him practicing a few times, and s/he’s not bad; it doesn’t bother us or anything. In fact, the repetition is kind of soothing, and it can put you to sleep.

We kind of decided to go to Seoul on a whim. We have no furniture or television or anything, but we do have Internet, and we got invited by some friends over Facebook to tag along on their excursion for cell phones. We need cell phones too (we weren't able to get them anyways), and Seoul is a city I’ve wanted to visit for some time now, so we said “Why not?”

Anyway, the morning we set out, we heard the music student open her day with “Heart and Soul,” over and over and over again. Seemed like a fitting way to start our adventure.

We actually managed the bus system pretty well. Our little island home isn’t like Seoul or any of the other big cities in Korea, where many people can at least understand English. Nope, no one here knows a word of it, so the first big task was finding the right bus.

By some miracle, right after we sat down in the bus terminal waiting room, a bus pulled up with its stops written in English, and there it was: Sinchon, a bus terminal in the heart of Seoul, and our destination. We hopped on, the bus driver looked at me and said, “Odi?” (“Where?”), I stammered, “Sinchon,” he nodded, and we were off.

The bus ride wasn’t bad. Beth and I listened to our iPods and the trip only took about an hour. We agreed Seoul would be an easy day trip from our isolated island.

It’s kind of hard to put the rest of the trip into words: navigating the subway system, the cable car up to Seoul Tower, our endless walking in search of a decent hotel room, the Myeongdong shopping district, the food and drinks… and Beth took some amazing pics, so I’ll let those do the talking.