ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END

All good things come to an end…including my blogging career (ha). It’s been a great year in Korea. I’ve learned a lot, done some awesome things and met some wonderful people. Seoul has been my home for a year and I’ll be sad to say goodbye considering I’m not sure if I’ll ever be back.

However, I’m REALLY excited for my next step. In 3 days I’ll be leaving to travel around Southeast Asia for two months. I’m traveling with four friends to China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and India…truly an opportunity of a lifetime.

To those of you who actually read this blog, thanks to those in Korea who have contributed to this being an awesome year and thanks to those in the states who make coming home, worth it. Can’t wait to share stories and catch up in person. See you state-side on September 16^th!

KIDS SAY THE DARNEST THINGS

Working with children is always interesting because kids have no filter. It’s hilarious to hear what kids think and they will always give you an honest opinion. These humorous comments are even more frequent when you are trying to teach a kid a foreign language. Everyday we share our amusing incidents of the day among the teachers in the teachers lounge. Here are some of the highlights and photos and stories of the kids who have supplied us with humor this past year:

-Upon coming back from break time, I had a student approach me and point to another kid and say, “teacher, he defecate the poop”. Ironically enough, this kid also happened to be wearing a t-shirt that said, “Not everyone can be cool and sexy”.

-When asked if they knew any famous female politicians, one student raised his hand. Meaning to say Hillary Clinton, he instead said, “Helen Keller”. Helen Keller for President! Woo!

-We were discussing rhyming in class so the students took it upon themselves to try to rhyme with my name. For whatever reason, they took particular liking to “F” and therefore, called me Faggy teacher the rest of the class. Not wanting to even dabble in this conversation, I let it slide.

-When learning the vocabulary word “breed” (yes, TERRIBLE word to be teaching) a student wrote a sentence that said “I breed with my mom”. Unless you live in the deep south, WRONG.

-A student pointed to one of my coworker’s thighs and said, “teacher, (pointing to her thigh) like Beyonce” and then broke in to the “Single Ladies” dance.

-On the topic of American eating habits, one kid said, “Americans eat 7 hamburgers a day, it’s true…I saw!” Spoken by this rather chubby (and cute) Korean kid named James.

-When a student was irritatingly pulling on my arm to get my attention, she suddenly stopped and pointed at my arm hair and said, “Teacher, like animal”. Gee thanks.

It’s been really fun working with these kids over the past year and I will definitely miss (most of) them when I leave in ONE WEEK!

WORLD CUP

Seoul has caught the world cup fever and the city has been decked out in red the past two weeks. Embarrassingly enough, I don’t recall having ever previously watched a world cup game in my life. However, with the excitement surrounding the city, it’s hard not to join in. I took the opportunity to be a huge poser and bought myself a Park Ji Sung shirt. Woo!

Korea’s mega stars, Kim Yuna and Big Bang joined forces to make this Korean world cup fight song that has been playing NONSTOP since the world cup started (and secretly, I love it).

대한민국 and Go USA!

THE BIG BANG

All over Korea, there are rooms you can rent out for various activities. In Korean, the word “bang” means room. You can find these different bangs all over the city:

The PC Bang-Essentially a computer and video arcade room. Frequented by starcraft playing Koreans of all ages.

The DVD Bang- A private room one can rent out to watch movies with friends or significant others. Often used by teenage couples seeking privacy from their parents.

 

Noraebang- A private karaoke room that can hold up to 15 people where you can choose among various Korean or western songs. Going to a noraebang is a common activity for friends, families and even business partners. We’ve really enjoyed the noraebang….especially after a few drinks. Here’s a clip from one of our noraebang escapades. There’s nothing like ending your night with a little Alanis Morissette:

Screen Golf Room-Golf in Korea is very expensive due to the lack of space and flat land available for gold courses. Therefore, screen golf rooms are all the rage. Read HERE for more information.

Last, and perhaps the most famous bang of all, Big Bang.  Big Bang is a beloved Korean pop group. Just for fun, here’s one of their music videos:

FOOT FETISH

Koreans are all about the feet. First, walking down the streets of Seoul you will see that most women dress very well and everyone wears heals…AT ALL TIMES. I have spotted women wearing heals climbing mountains and I have seen women wearing heals walking on the track. Ridiculous? Maybe…

To meet the demand for high heels there are shoe shops everywhere, particularly in the subway. Subway shopping is awesome! You can find any sort of shoe you need for cheap prices. The only problem is that the largest shoe size the shops carry is a woman’s size 7.5. Luckily, I just fit into a 7.5 so I’ll be saving some room in my suitcase for a few shoe souvenirs.

Also on the topic of feet, I recently went again with some friends to get a fish pedicure (yes, a FISH pedicure!). Basically, you submerge your feet into an aquarium and fish gnaw the dead skin off of your feet.

Those brown things...yup, they're fish. Perhaps a little unsanitary, but I think it’s pretty cool!

ON THE BORDER

Although I promised my family I wouldn’t head anywhere near North Korea, last weekend I broke my promise and made a trip to the border with the USO (sorry mom). For those of you who need a history refresher, the border between North and South Korea is called the DMZ, which is a strip of land that was set up to serve as a buffer between North and South Korea after the Korean War. It also happens to be one of the most heavily militarized borders in the world. This is necessary because North and South Korea are technically still at war. 

After WWII Korea was divided into two nations-the Soviet Union backed North Korea and the US supported South Korea. In 1950, war broke out between these two nations marking the start of the Korean War. The Korean War has been referred to in the United States as the “Forgotten War” so hopefully this blog post is taking you back to your high school world history course and helping you to remember.

Over the past 50 years there have been numerous incursions between North and South Korea, many of which we hear about from the media in the United States. The American media has appeared to utilize these incidents as opportunities to create an image of Korea as a treacherous place, however I have not experienced this to be an accurate portrayal of South Korea in the least. Many Koreans appear to be numb to the North Korean skirmishes, and rightfully so, considering this has been going on for the past 50 years. Many Koreans hope that one day the two countries will be able to have a peaceful relationship, but from what I’ve gathered, few want actual reunification. North Korea is so far behind South Korea socially, economically and technologically that reunification would mean major set backs for South Korea as a nation.

Now to be honest, I just made the DMZ sound way more intense than it actually was. No, I didn’t get dragged across the border, and no, I didn’t have to call upon Bill Clinton to come save me from a North Korean labor camp. In reality, the DMZ is a huge tourist sight complete with a corny documentary and a gift shop. However, the trip did provide some insightful information and provided a better perspective on the issue.

Since moving to Korea I’ve learned a lot more about North Korea and its relationship with South Korea. Due to North Korea’s isolation from the rest of the world, we can only infer what goes on within the border, which has served to foster curiosity.  Click HERE and HERE to read articles written about Kim Jong Il’s regime in North Korea. Also, if you’re interested in the topic, I would highly recommend watching Kimjonilia, which is a great documentary that discusses the curret propaganda and human rights issues within the country. Here’s a sneak peek:



It is incredible that things like this still happen in the world, let alone, a short distance north from where I currently live. I’m really interested to see what the future has in store for North and South Korea, but I guess only time will tell. 

LOVE SHACK

Because Seoul is so densely populated, its inhabitants have had to adjust to the limited space. These adjustments have concluded in establishments such as smaller apartments, digital golf and love motels. Although this blog post is a bit outdated, I feel it is necessary to explain the idea of a love motel. My first encounter with a Korean love motel just happened to be the first day I stepped foot in Korea. Unannounced to us, our school put us in a love motel for our first week of training. I stepped into my hotel room after 24 hours of traveling, feeling exhausted and feeling the jet lag. I flipped on the television and what was on? Porn. Hmm…

My initial thought-maybe this is what all hotels are like in Korea? As I investigated more of the room I found pink and blue toothbrushes with matching bathrobes, a box of condoms, tissues and mood lighting. Yup. Definitely not normal. After confronting my co-workers about my accommodation I learned that I was staying in a Korean love motel. 

After living in Korea for eight months I have found that love motels are everywhere. Love motels gained this nickname because they are frequented by young couples who want to escape the watchful eye of their parents and by adults looking for a little privacy, extramarital and otherwise. Anyone who has lived in Asia can tell you that there’s no such thing as privacy, even at home. Most Koreans live at home until they get married which presents…shall we say…obstacles to young couples. They charge at a rate per night and some per hour.

From a western perspective this may sound crude but in Asia it is a reality created from the lack of space and privacy.