Inside the Goldfish Bowl

I’m the only blonde girl in this city (that I've seen so far) so I do stand out and having people touch my hair and tell me that I’m pretty is an everyday occurrence.`  I have children come up to me all the time wanting to play with my hair and there is one little boy in my hagwon who is obsessed with me.  He says that my hair is gold and considering the reaction that I get around this city, maybe it's a fitting name for something that seems to be such a valuable commodity.  I don't do much with my hair here.  I did buy some hairspray (and received free stuff) but I've only used it twice and I prefer to let my hair go au natural: wild and wavy.  

To some extent, I now understand how zoo animals feel.  Everyone goes to the zoo and thy not only want to see the animal but they want to watch any type of reaction from the poor caged animal.  Similarly, everyone wants to see how I react in situations.  It’s not their fault.  We all have that innate curiousity. I’m one of the worst people and I’m usually very obvious about looking and commenting but being on the receiving end is very new to me especially on such a mass scale.  On a daily basis, I get the people reacting in a type of way that basically says, “Oh look, the foreigner is trying to cross the street.  Oh, here comes a car that’s zooming towards her on the sidewalk.  Hmmm, let’s all giggle at her as she leaps out of the car’s path.” Yes, this has actually happened.  Discussing the driving skills or lack thereof is for another blog, preferably a video one but I will state that driving on the sidewalks is a regular occurrence.  Hey, who needs a road when there’s a paved sidewalk that’s faster?  

Not to say that it’s always this obvious.  The spectators (as I like to call them) are usually trying to be oh-so-inconspicuous while watching me.  It took me awhile to catch on that they do stare at me even when they don’t seem to be staring at me.  They actually do this subtle side-eye thing so that they aren’t watching you head-on but I’ve been told by the Korean and old-timer (been here 9 years) teachers that this is their way of checking me out.  But often times they just bluntly stare at me while I walk down the street or sit down to eat.  I think I prefer the obvious stares. 

I’ve actually come to a point that this is fun for me.  Every time I walk down the street I pretend that I’m on a catwalk.  I pose at the crosswalk lights and rock my walk to the sound of the music (iPod of course).  Let me tell you, this makes my day.  Some people like to give themselves pep talks to start their morning but I prefer a morning strut down the street to start my day off fashionably with a little catwalk action. 


Don't worry though, I'm too goofy to be taking my "celebrity" status seriously.  On the other hand, whoever said that blondes have more fun definitely must have lived in Korea...

Kimbop With Kelly

This was one of my first meals in a little kimbop shop near my hagwon.  This meal was highly anticipated after my mandatory poke, prod, and check-up at the hospital that was needed for my alien registration approval.  I paid 80,000 for the priveledge of having someone glance into my mouth, doing a colour blind test, a quick vision test, urine test, being x-rayed, getting weighed and measured (bust included, why was that necessary?), and having blood drawn (it left a nasty bruise).  The travel time and wait were the most time-consuming part of the process.  The actual check-up took  all of 20 minutes and during that time, they shoved me from one station to another in maximum efficiency.  Thankfully, my Korean co-worker, Kelly, came with me and translated everything so that the process took very little time.  Afterwards, we decided to walk back to the hagwon instead of hailing a taxi and thus began our bonding time.

Thinking back to that day, I realized that I am a very lucky person to have such amazing co-workers.  At our hagwon, we aren't just a business but we are a quirky, interracial family.  I consider Kelly to be my best Korean friend in this city.  She is kind, generous, and accepts me for all of my craziness.  I've pulled her out of her shell to teach her the western way and she has helped me along in my Korean experience.  I'll have many stories about our friendship later on but I should go back to my time in the Kimbop shop.

Kimbop is a Korean traditional food that is similar to sushi but don't let any Korean hear you compare the two.  According to Koreans, Kimbop is uniquely theirs and they are very proud of this delicious dish.   Kimbop is stuffed with egg, ham, carrot, and other veggies and wrapped in rice and seaweed paper but unlike sushi, it is not made with fish or served with soy sauce or wasabi.  Nonetheless, it is mashita (delicious!!!).  We also had ttoekbokki, a meal made with rice cake and spicy sauce. We ate ours with ramen noodles that were covered in cheese with a side of tofu soup and rice.  Additionally, no meal would be complete without our kimchi, egg, and peppers.

The meal was huge for the two of us but we did manage to polish it off despite our non-stop chatter.  Kelly and I giggled as I struggled to pick up tofu with my metal chopsticks (slippery stuff) and she finally resorted feeding me like a momma bird by telling me to open up as she put food in my mouth.  I've discovered that this is a very common practice.  Oftentimes, I will come to work to have random food shoved in my mouth while co-workers assure me that it is mashita.  Anyways, Kelly was the first to carry out this Korean practice with me and I'll always remember that day.  Ever since that day, she and I are have been on many adventures where I never fail to shock her in some way and she always concludes our outings by stating that I am "so fun."  This is one of the best compliments I can receive from my usually reserved Korean friend...

One Month Anniversary for One

This is a message that I sent one of my best friends the other week.  I thought I would share it because it shows a more personal side of me and what I’ve been going through.  I’m a very extroverted person and even though I’ve become comfortable with spending time by myself, it is sometimes difficult to cope when everyone else has their own lives and I spend 10 hours a day alone at least 5 days a week.  I can’t wait for the weekends because I can see my GI friends or hit up the local club to talk to other foreigners. 

I do love it here in Korea and I accept that I’m going to have a lonely day once in awhile and I accept that this time is meant for personal growth but my first breaking point was last week.  It was my one month anniversary of being in Korea and it was the most emotional day I’ve had since I’ve landed. ended up bursting into tears in the teacher’s lounge when a co-worker asked me how my day had been going.  At that point, I was frustrated with my oversized and rowdy class that has children at two drastically different language levels.  I missed having someone to do activities with or talk to at a deeper emotional level than the obligatory “how’s your day going?”

So here’s a brief (considering what I felt like writing) letter that I sent:

I've been trying really hard to stay positive and see the fun in everything but living alone, eating alone, and spending all of my free time alone is starting to wear me out. The novelty is wearing off.   Also, I've been having trouble with my one class so that has me frustrated and a little emotional. And just not having anyone to talk to about anything serious or personal. It just makes me miss everyone. That's why I'm always on facebook and chatting with people. I get almost no English interaction over here. 

I saw a foreigner the other day in my neighbourhood and I was so excited! I was excited to the point that I think I originally scared him into talking to me. He was friendly and talked to me and he told me that he knows how it feels like. He lived in Gunsan for a few years before moving back to the states but he said he never would have survived being by himself here (he lived on the base. He's an ex GI and is just visiting with his wife but he was so nice to talk to me for so long just because he could see that I desperately needed that kind of interaction. 

I still haven't met any other teachers that are friendly and want to go out. The GIs are always busy but I went to dinner with one the other day and it was terrible. He was tired and boring and we barely talked. It was soooo uncomfortable. All I want is to have people to talk to and go out for dinner with. And for the most part, I'm not even sure I can be friends with most GIs because very few are interested in remaining platonic.

And then it snowed yesterday. I thought I would hate it snowing but it just made me miss Canada. So it was just a really emotional day, thanks for listening…

Koalas and Pandas and Me, Oh My!

Koala bears, me, and panda bears

We just did a zoo unit in class and my students are a creative little bunch.  They always fill my board with drawings about whatever we learn that day.  They were confused about what a koala bear was until one of my "genius" students decided to pull a pictionary moment to provide some more clarity.  We also watched youtube videos of my favourite animal, the panda bear, in all of its cuteness!  This class is so much fun and super cute.  They all clamour for the marker and beg me to play "teacher for a minute" where I give them control over the class for one minute and I act like a student.  I was bundled up that day with sweaters, leggings, and a scarf...do you think it's a good likeness of me?

Am I A Real Teacher?

Now that's a question that I've been asking myself.  I don't have a teaching degree but I have various forms of teaching experience including tutoring and working as an university teaching assistant.  And yet, I don't feel qualified to call myself a teacher.

I was thrown into this environment after half a day of observing a korean teacher and am now expected to teach, control, and connect with 8 classes of students.  They range from age 10-22 and I swear that Korea's infestation of sugared treats must be influencing the children's behaviour somehow.  Either that or they're just naturally crazy!  I have seen them climb the walls!  Literally!!!!  They hang out the screenless windows, jump off of desks, and crawl up the walls by standing on ledges.  I think that padded walls would be a great investment for the school.  If not for the children's safety, then to provide an appropriate setting for myself after I crack.

I love the children.  Most of them.  There are a few that try my patience and make me realize that when I was in school, I was the worst child ever!  I am sincerely sorry to every teacher that I mouthed off, disrespected, or those that cried because of me.  It makes me what to be a better teacher and really connect with my students without resorting to bribery (we'll see how long that lasts).  It makes me appreciate all of the fantastic teachers that I had in my life!

Teaching english is easy in some ways and mind-blowingly difficult in others.  I have to tailor my vocabulary, pace of speech, and even my accent depending on the age of the child, what they have already been taught, and who has taught them in the past.  Even though it kills me to say this, I am thankful that the American accent is very similar to the Canadian accent.  Most of the children have been exposed to American media and teachers and are used to their form of speech.  I have learned to say zeee instead of zed and have learned to choose my words very carefully and use mountains of synonyms on a daily basis.

The thing I fear most of all is the blank faces of them staring at me after I've used every resource at my disposal.  It plunges me into a world of self-deprecation where I feel that I have failed at my job and failed my students.   While this feeling is short-lived, it is still a wake-up call that I have a lot to learn and that hopefully my research, lesson planning, and enthusiasm will get me through another week.  On a positive note, the adult students love me and specifically request me to be their teacher.  One of my students is broken-hearted that due to her work schedule, she switch classes for part of the week.  Maybe I am a good teacher after all...

SOS Please Someone Sext Me

An Example of Student Scrabble Time

Fridays are game day.  These kids study from 9am until 9pm so they need a break at some point during the week.  I extend this attitude towards my university students as well and they love me for it!  It was the second week with my class of adorable university girls when I broke out the scrabble board because it was such a big hit the week before.  My rules are that the words must be at least 3 letters (preferably 4), the students are allowed to use a dictionary, and that they have to use the word in a full sentence.  This setup provides an “educational” reason for playing games in the classroom. 

Well those girls definitely used those dictionaries.  They came up with words that I had never heard of including xylose and xylene.  We also introduced a new rule that stated you could layer letters on top of one another to create a new word.  For example, train could become plain.  Well one of the girls decided to layer an S where an N used to be. The result…Son became SOS and Next became Sext.  Well she found it in an online dictionary but the definition didn’t make sense to her so it was up to me to explain what this word meant.  The best I could come up with in simple English was that when you message someone on the phone this is called a text.  When a text is sent between lovers (a popular term over here) and involves anything to do with sex (and then I pointed to the core part of the word sext) then it is called a sext.  I continued on stating that this could be a message with words or pictures.  Very confused looks soon turned into shocked faces and rapid-fire Korean talk between the three of them.  And that was the end of the class.

Then came the fun part of telling my coworkers what had happened.  Of course the English teachers understood what had happened but the Korean teachers were confused and even more confused when they searched for the definition with their handy-dandy electric dictionary.  Apparently sext is a catholic ritual of some sort and the teachers weren’t catching on to the humour of the situation.  And so it was once again up to me to explain to my much senior, male coworker what sexting really meant.  In a country where I get minimal english interaction, I have to get my kicks anywhere possible. That means that it was awkward for him but hilarious for me!  My good friend Murphy has sent much worse my way in the past so nothing fazes me these days…

A Korean Winter Wonderland

This is Gunsan’s first snow fall.  I’ve been dreading the snow all month but when I actually saw that it was snowing outside my apartment I was ecstatic!!!!   I hung out of my window to reach out and touch the big, fluffy, Hollywood snowflakes!  The snow only stayed for a day but it was refreshing to see and it made me miss my beloved Canada.  I never thought that I would feel this way about snow.  It is shocking to have these emotions pop out of me.  

The snowfall beautified the city and it made me yearn for a friend to enjoy it with that day.  I wanted to catch snowflakes on my tongue, throw fistfuls of snow in the air, and dance in the streets.  I felt this incredible need to be childish and giggle with delight with someone who is loving life as much as I am.  Instead, I carried out these snowfall adventures solo (probably looking like the crazy foreigner) because everyone else was busy but I thoroughly enjoyed myself!  It’s been an emotional week (that post will come later) but the snow reminded me that even though I am alone in Korea, there are many people who love me back home in Canada.

An Bit of an Update

My new friends, Winny and Andy, have recently became engaged and announced that they will return to South Africa to get married next summer!  I'm so excited for them!!!

My Kettle-ness is Korean-like

I stumbled upon this blog entry from my first week in Korea.  I didn't know what I was in for when I wrote it but now I have a few stories that proves my survival guide to be accurate!

According to my survival guide, “the temperament of most Koreans can be likened to a kettle; that is, quick to come to a boil and quick to cool off.”  I might just fit in after all.  Drama of all sorts is apparently quite common on Korean streets.  My favourite story that this guide has to offer is of the taxi drivers poking each other through the windows of their vehicles.  

Apparently in a society where conservative dressing and a confident composure is the norm, so are the heated disputes and drunken quarrels on public streets.  It also says that foreigners should stay out of such exchanges. I’m thinking that I may have to tone down my own obnoxiousness and bite my tongue even more than usual.  Even though my own temperament may fit Korea fairly well, I must remember that I will be better off to approach such discourse with my head down and mouth closed.  

Additionally, my guide suggests packing 3-4 months of painkillers.  Luckily, I packed a bottle of 500 units.  Do you think it’ll be enough?  Let’s come back to that question in a few month’s time but until then, let the betting begin…

Here Chicky Chicky

I know my posts are all over the place in regards to timeline and this one is completely random. I wrote it last week and am posting it now: 

I got home tonight at 2:30am and what do you know, that darn rooster is crowing again.  I don't mind him as an alarm clock but 2:30am???  I don’t know if this is a nightly occurrence anymore because I think I sleep though the majority of nighttime sounds nowadays. Unfortunately for Mr. Rooster, at this moment I’m trying to fall asleep but all I can think about is how I want to hunt down that rooster, kill it, and make myself some chicken cordon bleu.  Is that wrong?

Banshees in the Neighbourhood

My first week in Korea was an interesting experience but I must say that nothing has gotten under my skin like the crazy lady in the building across the alley.  On my fourth night in Korea I was woken up by a woman screaming.  The first thing that raced across my mind was “oh my gosh, someone is being murdered” but after about 30 seconds I realized that this was not the case.  I don’t care what language is being spoken, some things are easily translated just by tone.  I quickly deduced that she was furious at her husband and was verbally berating him.  I assume that it was because he came home drunk or something (very common here).  You’ve never heard insane female shrieking until you’ve heard this. This woman’s yelling started out like a normal angry tone and quickly turned raced up the scale into what I would think would be unintelligible shrieking to their Korean neighbours.  She went on for at least an hour!  Lights are on all over the building across the way so it was obvious that she had woken up half the neighbourhood but to my surprise no one was shouting at her to shut up or had called the police.  By the way, this was occurring at 4:00 in the morning. And my rooster starts his morning song at 7:00am so I was not a happy camper at this point.  Once again, I didn’t sleep much and went to work tired and cranky. 

Well that wasn’t the end of it.  The next night I was woken up once again.  This time it occurred at 5:30 in the morning and of course no one shouted back at her.  It was obvious that she was even angrier this time around.  I’m 90% sure that this woman was beating on her husband because after smacking sounds there was the whimper of this poor man that was probably begging her to calm down.  I’m not sure if police get called for domestic disturbances in this country but they probably should have been called.  This time around I opened up my window and screamed at her to “shut up and go to bed.”  It didn’t work.  In hindsight, I should have learned how to say it in Korean the day before.  I haven’t heard anything from her since that week but once again, I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve started sleeping through the noise or perhaps she decided to kick her husband out or seek out anger management classes.  

No wonder people think women are crazy!  They must have spent some time in my neighbourhood.  Just when I thought that I wouldn't be disturbed anymore, there was an incident at 1:00am the next week.  I don't know what was going on and I wasn't about to open the door to poke my head out and see.  That's saying a lot because I'm the type of person that is always listening in on the building drama in Canada.  I find it more entertaining than TV and I figure that if anything were to happen then I can give an accurate statement to the police.  Anyways, I woke up to another woman screaming and pounding on a door down the hallway.  It sounded like she was trying to get someone to come out and from what I could hear, it sounded like there was a man on the other side trying to calm her down.  Unfortunately for him, it didn't sound like he was lacking some skills in the negotiation department.  This woman just became angrier and angrier.  Eventually, I could hear the door open and another woman came out crying and trying to speak in between sobs.  Once again, I'm not sure of all the details but it was definitely not pleasant to listen to.  

I'm telling you, being around all of these events make it seem like I'm in the middle of a Korean soap opera (which are quite amusing).  So the new question is, what's a girl have to do to get some sleep around here?  Oh well, at least I can say that my neighbourhood isn’t boring…

F*** You

Well today’s class was interesting.   Guess what my students couldn’t wait to talk to me about.  All nine of them couldn’t wait to give me the finger and tell me that it meant F*** you.  Apparently, from what I could piece together between the shouting and hand gestures, was that a foreign student had taught them this at school today.  They had absolutely no understanding that this was something that you do not do towards a teacher.  So after scooping my jaw up off the floor, I tried to cover up my shock and downplay the “badness” of this behaviour.  They just thought that it meant that two people wanted to fight each other.  They were all hysterical with laughter to the point of tears and my boss was peering into the classroom to see what all the hooplah was about.  

I endured twenty minutes of them giving me finger in between fits of laughter.  It finally ended with me explaining to them that if they were to do that in an English school then they would be sent to the principal.  Then I had to explain what a principal was.  It kind of took the seriousness out of the situation.  To put things into perspective, this was the class where I confiscated three exacto knives last week because they love cutting things up and throwing them in class or carving into their books when they think I’m not looking.  They are an awesome group of kids but they are so rambunctious that I feel like I should be using a lasso to rope them in, hog tie them, and then gag them just so I can get some silence to teach.  I let them have their fun today because tomorrow they have a final test that has these poor kids stressed to the max and I just accepted this behaviour as proof that they were finally cracking under pressure.  

So that’s just a little peek into my classes.  Wait until you hear what scandalous phrase I had to explain to my university students…