The Ides of June

I've been remiss about blogging. Things have just gotten crazy busy the last two weeks with classes, more classes, and oddly enough, a semi-social life. To catch on the things I've been doing...

Namsan Tower

I said I would get to Namsan every 2 months or so, but I didn't count on me going at night. I basically avoid namsan at night because it's even more of a couple destination then than in the daytime! Thanks to a friend for making me go~~ it is rather pretty :)

Sports Day!

My school held it's annual sports day, which was on a Saturday (I never work Saturdays), but I came in just to see the students. Each class made their own shirts/costumes and rather than being sports events like we think of in the States, they were more like games. Unexpectedly, I was forced to join the tug-of-war. Lost both times >__<

National Museum of Korea

I've been trying to cut down my spending, since summer vacation is coming up and I need to save up~~among other things I need to pay for~~so I've been trying to go to things that are free. And the National Museum of Korea (permanent collection) is exactly that. I really enjoyed this museum because it takes you through the history of the peninsula--from the paleolithic to the Joseon Dynasty.

The historian in me was really pleased with this timeline. It showed the accomplishments of the Korean people set against those of both China and the West. It definitely peaked my interest, since I am, as a historian of the West, more familiar with the European course of history, to see Korean history display against the events I know so well.

Heart, Mind, & Seoul: 100 Days

After 3 months of officially living in Korea, a day that was commemorated by a bungee jump, I can actually say that I've built the foundation of a life here. Things are more familiar, I have daily/weekly routines, I can navigate the subways without a map, I get suggest areas for sightseeing/shopping/eating.

As busy as I am--I work monday through friday with korean class for 2 hours on monday, wednesday and every other friday--I also feel like my life is settling down, which is nice. It's nice because it means I'm not this frantic visitor who is trying to cram everything down into an itinerary. It means I have begun growing roots to this place. It means I've taken the steps in calling this place, this city, my home.

And yet.

It's strange because I also feel that as my life settles down, and to a certain extent, slows down, I find myself wanting to speed things back up again. What more can I do, I ask myself. What new adventure can I tackle this weekend? What else can I experience to make myself feel that newness--that fresh excitement--that I once felt when I first came to this amazing country? The more I settle in, the more I feel like I want to pull myself out of that comfortableness--to remind myself, perhaps, not to take this time for granted, and to make the most of everyday.

Because I can feel myself grow, well, not exactly lazy, but maybe just accustomed. I feel like I need to be more proactive about things. I used to plan out my weekends in advance, writing lists of places to go, things to see. These days I don't really plan for anything, and it doesn't bother me. There's still a lot I want to see and do, so I wonder why it is that I'm not being more proactive. Where is the art class I wanted to take? What about getting that conversation partner? The hiking trips? The cooking lessons?

Why am I content with idle days when there's so much out there!

So I've decided to become more proactive. This is a must. Because while it's nice to have roots here in Seoul, I can't also let time here slip by where I don't do anything/go anywhere.

Also, I think this will also help me as I go through this supposed second phase of living/teaching in korea. I think the "honeymoon" phase--where everything is shiny and new and amazing and mind-blowing and special and korea can do no wrong--is just about over. The next phase is characterized with the thought that Korea can only do wrong, and intense longing for home. Things have lost their luster, and you spiral into this homesick depression. Or so I've been told. I've spoken to some NETs (native english teachers) who have never experienced it and have been here for months/years.

The last thing I want to talk about for today is the fact that while being a foreigner in Korea can have its struggles, it also has its rewards. And the tight-knit, supportive group of foreigners--living in korea, not merely visiting--is one of them. I can't begin to explain how wonderful it is to have this network of people, how incredibly comforting it is to have people going through the same experience as you. We walk our individual paths, but we walk along with each other. And because it is so amazing, when its time to say goodbye, it's also amazingly sad.

That's the other thing about living in Korea, or I suppose, any other country. You're always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's great to have friends here, but the downside is that we're all so temporary. Our lives here are temporary and fleeting. It's like we live in this dream world where we play and exist only in the bounds where nothing is permanent or real. The reality, then, comes when we must part.

And it's horrible.

When someone talks about going home/leaving/not renewing their contract, we're immediately forced to acknowledge our own impermanence, our own temporary condition. It's like we're shadows living among the living, and we hate to think of just how shadowy we actually are.

And it applies to everything. Can I justify this purchase of a smart phone/couch/desk/chair, etc., knowing full well that I may not have that much time left? That one day I'll have to leave it/them behind? Is it worth it to buy? To make friendships? To invest emotional energy?

Because one day, someday soon, someday far, we'll stop being shadowy dreams and go back to our real lives in our real hometowns with our real jobs.

And Korea, this time, this experience---this will be the thing that will feel like a dream.

It's odd, knowing that I've been here for 3 months already. Time is flying by so fast. 3 months is 1/4th of my contract. I want to take hold of time, make it count, and commit it all to memory.

Seoul Randomness: 2

1. The yogurt here is not the spoonable kind. It's the pourable kind. But they try to pass it off as being spoonable by putting it in the little containers you'd usually use a spoon with. I kind of get disappointed, as I love the thicker consistency of spoonable yogurt.

2. Unless you are having a steak, you probably won't find a knife on the table here in Korea. However, you will find chopsticks and spoons-a-plenty. It's a Confucian practice not to have knives on the table.

3. You drink water (usually) after the meal. No many people take water with their meals on a general basis.

Founding Ceremony & Hemlines

About a week ago my school had its annual day to celebrate its founding. This meant that I got to see a wonderful ceremony which included an eerie voice recording of the school's founder and performances by the students. The choir sang, with the most adorable choreography which was compounded by the fact that some students forgot it and were doing the wrong move at the wrong time:) There were these other dance performances, and oh. em. gee. was is scandalous!

I mean, okay, in Korea women can wear the shortest skirts/shorts ever, but if I as much as show my collarbones, I'm the slut. And apparently our school has no problem with girls wearing skirts super above the strict below-the-knees rule...as long as its for a performance. And it was totally fine to wear these backless dresses. And it was totally okay for them the chest pop, get low, thrust, and the like.

As I sat on the stands, in the section of teachers squeezed between students and the administrators on stage--including the two school representatives of Han Buddhism-- I wondered why no one else was bothered by this.

There's this notion that my students have, which I'm sure the teachers/adults have as well, that since public schools in the US don't have uniforms, that students can wear whatever they want. And that the hip thrusting they see in western movies/TV actually happens, and is common, at school. But the reality is that most public schools STILL have some sort of dress code, so that actually, no, we can't just wear whatever we want--and honestly, I've never, ever, in all my years of going to school in the states, seen a girl wear a skirt as short, or shorter, than a girl in korea. Oh right, and that hip thrusting dancing? Not in a high school, at least not in my high school. I cant say this confidently because I oversaw the pep rallies/student performances and everything was checked--from wardrobe, to song lyrics, to dance moves. I'm not saying it doesn't happens, but in clubs or dance halls, or I dunno, on the streets. Most definitely not in high schools ceremonies.

I'm not sure why there's this double standard. You reprimand students for hiking up their skirts after school hours, but then its totally okay for them to show so much skin for a dance performance in front of the whole school, the principals, and the administration. Is it simply because its a dance performance? Is it based off a notion that this is just how you do things, as modeled by the west? Is it approved because, hey, at least it's not as bad as how students in the west behave?

I'm not a prude, but considering how strict my school is--with everything--I was just surprised that that ish could fly.

Anyway, the ceremony was wrapped up by the school's cheer team. But definitely not the kind that comes to mind a la Bring it On but more like a spirit team/pep squad? No somersaults, not flips, no pyramids, no launching people into the air. More like a lot of arm movements, running around trying to get people to clap/be excited, and coordinated formations. Oh, and there were pom poms & like western--and by this I mean like cowboys western--inspired outfits which were super cute :)

Bungee Jump # 2: Success!

Today was Bungee Jump attempt #2. The verdict? SUCCESS!!

My friend Christina and I went to the park early and were one of the first people to get to jump today.

Christina, in her bungee getup.

I don't know what kind of face this was supposed to be...

And instead of me talking about it, why not just show you?

I was supposed to record my jump with my camera attached to my wrist...but for some reason it just gave out right before the jump!! I can't figure it out, but I imagine I must have hit a button or something just before leaping :(

It was amazing and awesome and terrifying. I wasn't afraid until I hit free fall. I'm not naturally afraid of heights, so being up there, I was the second person to go (the first of the first-timers) and even when I was standing at the edge, a cord strapped to my back, and the man telling me to "jump into the house" that was located at a distance, I felt no fear.

He counted down, and I jumped, not hesitating and feeling completely at ease.

It was only after I jumped, when I hit free fall and my stomach dropped, did I feel fear and panic. My friend Christina said that I was amazing quiet, until about mid way through my jump, when I started to scream like crazy ^__^ I think you must be sort of crazy to do something like bungee jump--willing jumping off an ledge far up off the ground, with nothing but the hope that the cord won't snap.

I know what plunging to my death feels like.

Also, everyone talks about the initial fall, but there's also the rebounding falls. You spring back up almost as high as you initially fell, then again, and again, each subsequently a smaller height, but you do lose your stomach quite a few times.

Needless to say, I was grateful that the man in boat below grabbed my foot and brought me to semi-solid ground. Knees/legs were definitely weak in the boat and they make you sit down while the paddle you back.

I really recommend going, there's nothing like the feeling of absolute free fall. It's exhilerating and I'd probably go again...although I'm not sure I could be as fearless as I was today, knowing what awaits me haha. Maybe next time I'll try bungee jumping from my ankles, instead of the sit in harness that I was in today.

Really happy that I went...and today of all days! But more on this in a bit :)

P.S. I hate the sound of my voice & all the heavy breathing I do. Sorry, dear readers, for creeping you out like that haha

For laughs

Recently, one of my students told me I look like Victoria, from f(x):



Personally, I don't think I look a thing like Victoria, and that is not meant as an insult, and in fact I'm honored, but she's definitely Chinese/has asian features, which I don't have. But I could see where the student was trying to go--both Victoria and I are foreigners working and living in Korea. It may also have to do with our hair. But ultimately the student was trying, at least I think, to make some sort of connection with our "foreign-ness."

But then that same student threw this in, and it didn't make sense to me at all. She said that after I REALLY REALLY look like Victoria, she said I also sort of look like Rihanna.



I couldn't help but laugh at the connection, because Victoria and Rihanna look nothing alike, and I don't look nearly as fabulous as either of them haha.

English Zoned.

A glimpse of where I teach, the ENGLISH ZONE.

In many schools in Seoul--if you teach outside of Seoul/Busan, it may be a different story--there is a designated English classroom known as the English Zone. I say "designated" because the school system in Korea differs from the west, in that usually students STAY in their classroom, while the TEACHERS move around---instead of Teachers staying in the classroom and STUDENTS moving from class to class.

But with an English Zone, students come to you. And it's exactly what it's name means, that within those walls, it's all English, all the time ^^.

The smart board. Many school's within Seoul have a SMART board/a touch screen of some sort that frees you from standing behind your desk/computer.