09 November 2010
Guest Post Two-I fell in love with South Korea.
And I will be aiming to blog in the next week or so, so keep your eyes peeled.
Update: Click here
09 September 2010
Guest Post-Eternal Singleton: Catch 22.
My guest post will go up tomorrow, and I will update this post with a link when it’s up.
Update: Click here
25 June 2009
Reverse Culture Shock Two.
I think that when you are away from your home country for a long period of time you tend to idealise it and compare it favourably with what you see around you, particularly in light of scattered nationalistic claims about how Korea is “number one” at something. (This mainly comes from the students, children or adults. However since I am usually the target for the crazies on public transport I did hear my fair share of stories). But when you arrive home you step through Customs at the airport and the reality of it all shatters the rose tinted glasses that made going home so exciting. Ok maybe it wasn’t that bad, but when I arrived back in Oxfordshire me and my Mum spent three hours in a hospital waiting room only to be rudely dismissed by some arrogant nurse who had never heard of a “high ankle sprain” (try using google then) and wasn’t interested in my x-rays because “we use computers now, this isn’t like E.R.” (Surprisingly I figured that out due to the lack of American accents, the fact my pain was real, oh and the fact I am not a total idiot). My ankle still isn’t 100 percent but the pain is nearly gone and I am no longer on a crutch, but I was hoping for some answers, and I was saddened by the lack of care that was shown.
Although life in Korea quickly became routine it doesn’t change the fact that it was different enough to maintain an element of excitement that I don’t get being back at home. Familiarity is not a bad thing, not by any stretch, and I don’t feel out of place at home, I just worry that all the changes that have happened to me will fall away at the wayside because of old habits and because the simple things (like having a conversation, ordering food) are no longer such a challenge. To be sure I have already been to London, Edinburgh,Glasgow, Barcelona and Brighton and made some more amazing memories (and you faithful blog reader are probably shaking your head at the computer screen and thinking that I need help, I probably do) since I have been back, and I am off to Dublin and South East Asia in the next couple of months, but that doesn’t explain the funk I have found myself trying to climb out of. By all accounts I should be bursting with excitement and anticipation of what has been and what’s to come, especially with a trip to see my favourite South African 친구 happening at some point in 2009, but the truth of it all is that being back home has made my own uncertainty about my future more noticeable. I can no longer use the “I will figure it out when I get home” excuse that allowed me to procrastinate while I was in South Korea, and I have reached a point where I want some solid direction in my life.
Maybe it’s because my money is slipping away faster than you can say “Do you want cashback?” Perhaps the fact it’s impossible to get signal on my mobile despite the fact I practically live next to a mobile phone mast/poorly disguised tree is driving me bonkers. Certainly the fact that the BNP and UKIP had successes at the European elections is leaving me disillusioned. Having my fringe butchered by a hairdresser for three times the price I paid for a hair cut in Korea didn’t leave me feeling warm and fuzzy about being home. But I think that my uncertainty and confusion is the key reason I have been in such a funk. Those age old questions that badger you during a period of change have been badgering me during this period of change. What am I doing with my life? What should I do next? When will I figure out what I want? Why is Big Brother still on? Why does the British public revel so much in destroying people through the media? Why do people insist on wearing flip-flops the minute the sun comes out?Being given simple patronising instructions from everyday machines such as ATMs (hide your PIN number…damn, that’s where I have been going wrong…) is definitely not inspiring me to greatness. Watching an entire generation communicate through facebook isn’t exactly soul cheering either, if I wanted to know the mundane details of your life I would simply ask, or I would stalk you.
I have not been taken over entirely by some self-loathing hatred for everything, honest. There are some things I love about being back, spending time my family and friends for starters. Buying books in charity shops (it’s the simple pleasures!). The weird and wonderful city that is Brighton. The sheer range of delicious foods and treats. Cider that isn’t 7UP. Having more than one room to live in. Baths. Sofas. Pub gardens. Watching the sunset over a field as a passenger in a car.
It’s likely I will do my PGCE this year, a couple of hundred miles from home. But all the hoops that I have to jump through is making my application disheartening and it’s not been made easy by the fact I applied so late in the academic year. As a career I am still not convinced that teaching is for me, some of that is because I doubt my abilities. However, a rational side of me just wants to be sure I am making the right decision before spending another year in what might ultimately be the wrong direction. You can never be entirely sure where your choices will take you. Admittedly I am getting really good at settling into new and distant places. Hopefully in a couple of months I will look back at this and wonder what I was going on about,
18 May 2009
Reverse Culture Shock
I have come away from Korea with much more conservative taste in clothing. It’s considered unseemly in Korea to show your shoulders and chest area, though admittedly there are seemingly no qualms about showing the tops of your thighs. Prior to coming to Korea I spent most of my time in strappy tops, even in winter, but now I feel exposed if I am not covered up. It was refreshing to be able to put half my wardrobe in the charity bins, thanks to healthier eating (yes, I do miss Kimchi) and (from when I had two good ankles) lots of walking, but I am surprised at how my taste in clothing has changed. Newsflash, South Korea has turned me into an old lady prone to saying “cover yourself before you catch swine flu” and “you’ll have someone’s eyes out with those.”
The colours seem to be more vivid here, particularly all the greens, even the grey sky seems more vivid. But then again architecturally, much of modern South Korea is as dull as an evening with Ken Barlow-who is still the stud of Coronation Street apparently. I think the colours may seem more bright because England is a lot flatter than Korea, and everywhere I look there are bright gardens, something that apartment building laden Korea severely lacks. Being away has really made me appreciate just how beautiful the United Kingdom can be from the wide open green spaces, to the old intricate architecture. I definitely prefer houses to towering apartment blocks which to me can feel constricting and imposing. But I didn’t realise how much I liked being able to see mountains where ever I was in South Korea. As I have said before on this blog, I am a writing contradiction, I like flat green spaces, but I also like mountains. Perhaps this is the reason why the transition seems so difficult, I don’t know what I want from life at the moment and coming back my feelings weren’t as clear cut as I was expecting them to be.
One thing that is clear cut is the expense. The vast majority of things are more expensive here, a fact that I already knew but that doesn’t make parting with the money any easier. Shelling out £40 for a return train journey knowing that £10 would have got me a similar amount of time on a train in Korea, and on a train with more leg room and more comfortable seats as well, is not making me feel all warm and gooey inside about the UK. Admittedly I didn’t save as much as I was hoping to, but I don’t regret any of the travelling that I did while I was over there. I think a second year in the same country would enable you to save more. Nevertheless I am still of the frame of mind that there is so much more to see on this planet, and if I had spent longer in Korea the novelty would have worn off, and I would have developed itchy feet. Besides there is only so long a girl can go without roast potatoes.
23 April 2009
What I Am Not Going To Miss......
Number one on my list of things I am not going to miss is Christina. If I had a Christmas card list it’s fairly safe to assume that Christina wouldn’t be on it. To be honest, with the schedule changes and constant academy glitches I can almost write that off as bad management and poor organisational skills, but with my ankle injury she has outright lied to me.
괜찮 아요? 아니 a million times over!
On 2nd April I went back to the hospital to get a new prescription of painkillers, but this time I was taken by Soon and April two of my adult students. My doctor was the one who had barely glanced at me at the previous appointments. So imagine my surprise when he opened his mouth and spoke English to me. I know that I am the foreigner here and in order to make my own life easier I should have learnt more Korean, but surely his job would have been easier if he had spoken English to me in the first place. Since thanks to Christina and her “mistranslations” I didn’t walk on my ankle when I should have, I didn’t have any physical therapy, and I didn’t have pain medication and anti-inflammatory drugs. I have no idea why Christina “mistranslated” these things to me, and despite the fact she is potentially the best Korean at English in Hongseong I am under no inclination to have a discussion with her about it. Sure, it was a step in the right direction when I started getting the right treatment, and it turns out my googling was correct-it is a high ankle sprain, but all this could have possibly been avoided if the doctor had catered to his patient rather than his pride, and Christina had spared a second of her time to ensure her commodity (me) was healthy and mobile.
I am not going to miss the hospital. I have made eight trips to the hospital since I tripped over, and one time I left with a burn on my leg from the hot packs I was being treated with during the physical therapy. Aside from been scarred, I had the pleasure of being told my injury would recover more quickly if I lost weight, because I am “too heavy” apparently. I am sure my slow recovery time has nothing to do with Charlie neglecting to tell me not to walk on it at all after my first visit. I am sure my slow recovery time has nothing to do with my ankle being sat on by a 14 year old. I am sure my slow recovery time has nothing to do with lack of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs for the first month. I know I didn’t help matters with my refusal to let this injury slow me down completely, and also the fact I fell over on the train and landed on my ankle definitely didn’t do me any favours, but I reject the notion that my weight is an issue. For starters, I have lost a lot weight since I arrived in
As so many of my blog entries may have suggested I am not a huge fan of all the schedule changes I have had to put with. You may have picked up on this, I have tried to be subtle. To be sure, it’s a very nice feeling when the kids are visibly saddened by the news that they don’t have my class, but the amount of large minute changes that occur is astounding. Just one example, last Friday my manager told me three of my classes were cancelled and I could go home after dinner, and just as I was walking out the door one of the classes was back on. This all took place in under 15 minutes. Unlike Christina at least the current manager sometimes tries to offer an explanation. However, the whole set-up is made awkward by the fact many of the students seem to have a better grasp of English then he does. In some ways I worry that this year may have had a detrimental effect on my work ethic. Time wasted making worksheets and planning activities for classes that never take place does decrease the time I am willing to spend preparing. More crucially, I get no say in who goes in what class and when I do make a suggestion it’s more often than not ignored, leaving me with a group of students who can have a high level conversation and a couple of students who can barely answer what they had for lunch (Rice, kimchi, soup) or dinner the previous night (wait for it….rice, kimchi and soup!).
One thing I am definitely not going to miss is the religious awakenings that occur from time to time-usually early in the morning. As in being woken up by religious people who try to “enlighten” me and are seemingly not deterred by the fact I don’t speak Korean. No fear, we have an Engrishee pamphlet here somewhere. Some of you are probably wondering why I still answer my door after all the hassle I had with Mr “no-key” Landlord, but in
I am not going to miss the celebrity status that comes with being a 외국인 (foreigner) in Korea. Of course I am going to miss the perks, especially “service” and the freebies on the train when someone wants to try out their English. But I not going to miss being stared at everywhere I go. I am not going to miss the ignorance, or the assumption that I am an American or a Russian. (Being asked if you are Russian in
The amazement that I can handle spicy food or use chopsticks can wear a bit thin after a while. But being told that because Koreans use chopsticks they are better at doing things with their hands was a concept I found difficult to stomach. Apparently it makes them good hairdressers. I have some students that suggest otherwise. There is a bit of a
I am not going to miss the shuffling sound of the black and white flip-flops or “slippers” on the tarmac.
I am definitely not going to miss the spitting…..
But as I was writing this list I realised that the list of things I am going to miss is much longer, and in many ways more substantial. Don’t worry, I am not planning on caving into my students requests for me to stay out here, I am just glad to be leaving while I still like the place.
08 April 2009
What I am Going Miss.....
I have been excited about the fact I am going home soon since January. According to my calendar it looks like the countdown started when I had 14 weeks left, and today I have less than 3. In a mere 20 days I will be boarding a plane and heading home with a bag full of memories and a head filled with mixed emotions.
I am returning to an awesome family and an incredible bunch of friends, but April is bittersweet for me because this chapter of The Adventures of Viro (Che Ji Yeon) and Jo (Jo Sun Jin) is coming to an end. Sure there will be plenty more chapters in the future, but for now there will be no more Shabu Shabu sessions, no chats until the early hours of the morning and no hobbling around the shops of Hongseong or Myeongdong. She will be heading back to
In some ways I am going to miss Seoul Hagwon. Not necessarily the schedule changes though. One good outcome of my injured ankle was that it generated the invite to have lunch everyday in the kindergarten. It has served as a sharp reminder of me just eleven months ago fresh off the plane, dropping food all over the place, and unable to believe how cute the kids are. While the last one still applies I have just about recovered from the jetlag and for the most part I have mastered the metal chopsticks. I have learnt so much this year, and seen a good portion of
Like I have said on numerous occasions, I am going to really miss my students, yes even the one who sat on my foot! My adult students have really grown on me (admittedly part of me resented having to give up my lovely lie-ins), and I will definitely miss the varied discussions that take place far too early for my frazzled brain. From car accidents, to alcohol blackouts, to test tube babies, they have definitely given me a small insight into Korean culture, and hopefully I have taught them a few things too. Last week they took me to Namunjae off the coast of my province and treated me to some very good food. As my next blog entry will show, they have also helped me out with my hospital appointments, and they ensure I get to the hagwon in the morning by picking me up on their way.
I am really going to miss Korean food. As well as the lunch in the kindergarten I also eat a Korean meal for dinner with the director of my hagwon, his nephew and the manager of the English academy. All of them wolf down their food before I get a chance to sit down, and the manager is under the impression that I just arrived in Korea, as he feels the need to describe the food to me before I eat it-and by describe I mean point to and say what it is, but specify that it’s Korean-“Korean fish,” “Korean soup,” “Korean mushroom” and so on. On the plus side many Koreans find the ability of “foreigners” to handle “spicy” food amazing, and are genuinely impressed if you like kimchi and can use chopsticks. I am going to miss the fact you can get restaurant food delivered for free to your door on actual plates which get collected an hour or so after-no need to wash, no need to tip. Most of all I am going to miss eating out and getting free food (thanks to Viro) or getting dessert as “service” (Canmore).
I am going to miss the train rides. I love train journeys, even the ones that lead to me getting insulted by sojued up old Korean mean. To be sure, there have been some delays (not that they show up on the boards), but the rail system here is cheap, easy and clean. If you don’t mind the stink of dried squid that is. My biggest complaint is that the last train back from Yongsan to Hongseong is at 8.20…which means a trip to
I am going to miss my crapartment, well the freedom that it represents, not so much the horrible smells that seep through the vents when anyone cooks in the building. Also, I am not going to miss the never-ending building work that has troubled my sleep since I arrived. Most importantly I am not going to miss the fear I feel when I approach my building thanks to the creep that harassed me back in January. But I am going to miss the fact it’s my own place, and I can do what I want when I want, including blaring my tunes at all hours of the day and night. I am going to miss the ondol (underfloor heating) which is a glorious idea and definitely made coming in from the snow welcoming. I am going to miss the fact everything is within hopping distance, though thanks to my ankle injury I have a new found appreciation for carpets in bathrooms, or at the very least railings.
I am going to miss Korean pop music and the fact the children remember the English lyrics better than they can remember the most simple of phrases. “I’m so sorry but I love you” (Big Bang). “Baby one more time” (Jewelry). “Nobody, nobody but you” “Tell me, tell me” (Wondergirls). “I gotta be a bad boy” (Rain). These are just some of the lyrics that plague every English classroom in
I am going to miss checking out Korean guys…there I said it! But I am happy that I have some Rain to keep me happy in the
I am kind of going to miss the obsession with mirrors. From what I have observed, if it doesn’t move it needs a mirror on it. Even mobile phones can serve as mirrors. In public bathrooms you can check yourself out as your use the toilet because more often than not there is a mirror on the stall door. I am fairly certain that the minute a girl reaches puberty in
As you can see I am going to miss so many aspects of my life in
07 April 2009
One foot in North Korea...
Not deterred by the fact Kim Jong-il was planning on flexing his isolated military muscles by launching a hotly contested missile/“communication satellite” four of us left Hongseong on the first train into Seoul. Not deterred by the fact I was on crutches and Jun had sat on my bad foot the day before the USO tour we joined two bus loads of people and made our way to the DMZ. It was worth every inflated won and I thoroughly recommend it if you are in the area.
Two members of the Hongseong posse are relatively newbies to this weird and wonderful land, and I found myself on the defensive for some of the day. To be sure, I have had plenty of days when the first flight out of here wouldn’t have been soon enough, but I came here with an open mind, and I have strived to make the best out of what have been some challenging situations. Defending South Korea made me realise just how much this place has gotten under my skin, and it made me so glad that I came here. It also reminded me that if you want to pull something apart you are always going to find a loose thread. English teachers are easy to replace out here, and once you have come to terms with the fact that working in a hagwon is essentially well-paid glorified babysitting the more fun you will have with it. Life is too short to bitch about something you can change so easily. If you can’t take the kimchi- put the chopsticks down, get your arse off the floor and try teaching somewhere else. What can I say, pain makes me cranky....
Our first stop was for a briefing about the DMZ, and offered our first proper glimpse into North Korea. A yellow line on the ground signalled where we could and could not take pictures, though we did have to gently remind Killian of this fact! Apparently we were lucky in that the yellow dust from China didn’t obscure our view into the bleakness that is North Korea. The guide told us about the battle of the flagpoles. In the 1980s the South Korean government built a 328 ft flagpole, in response the North Koreans erected a 525 ft one. North Korea is the proud owner of the tallest flagpole in the world. I am sure that it was worth it. Next stop was a lunch break-bibimbap or bulgogi…at jacked up prices, but delicious all the same. Apparently my crutches served as a handy conversation piece, and an elderly American felt the need to ask me when I would be settling down and getting married, much to the chagrin of his wife and son.
The highlight of the tour was Panmunjeom which is home to the Joint Security Area, the only place where the North and the South actually connect. We entered Camp Bonifas (named after a U.S. Captain who was killed by North Korean soldiers during the Axe Murder Incident of 1976…over a tree) and our tour was taken over by the U.S. Army. We were given a lecture that skimmed over a few issues, but essentially outlined why this area is so significant. Then we had to sign waivers which reminded us that we were heading into a very unpredictable area, and could result in death or injury (bit late for that). We were driven to the JSA, where I was greeted by my favourite sport-stairs. The lift was out of order, but there was no way I was going to let stairs stand in my way. The Military Demarcation Line runs right through the centre of Panmunjeom, and the JSA was built smack bang on the middle of it. We were being watched by a North Korean soldier and reminded not to make any gestures towards him. It definitely made the atmosphere very tense. A feeling that was maintained until Killian tried to walk around the wrong side of a ROK (South Korean) soldier and got halted with some seriously cool taekwondo moves.
We then made our way into the Military Armistice Commission building, half of which was built on the North Korean side of the demarcation line. The picture above is of me and Viro on the North Korean with our fierce looking ROK soldier who gave Eugenia a fright after she accidentally put something on one of the tables and he leapt into action! Me and Viro were the last to leave the building, and as we made out way back down to the buses I managed to snap this picture…….
…..says it all!
We were then taken to a South Korea/US guard post, and we were afforded a closer look at Propaganda Village (a uninhabited village on the North side of the MDL, which until 2004 blared out North Korean messages-largely consisting of anti-Western propaganda). We were again reminded of the seriousness of the situation-surrounded by North Korean guard posts on three sides. As our U.S. Army tour bus made its way back to the original bus we passed the Bridge of No Return, which served as the port of exchange for POWs in 1953. It literally was the point of no return, once you crossed it into one country you couldn’t go back.
A sombre tour, but worth every won. As we made our way back into Seoul, and then onward to Hongseong if felt like we were returning from a foreign country, and in a way I guess we were. The bright lights and modernity of Seoul made the DMZ seems so much bleaker, and I can honestly say in the 11 months that I have been here I have never felt the tension between the North and South, even with this whole missile debacle. My thoughts were interrupted when I managed to fall over as we were trying to exit the train, again landing on my bad ankle. But I am glad that I managed to go, and hopefully my children won’t be able to-because all this would have stopped.