Anyung,
Well I had quite the adventure to Costco today. So I thought I'd head out early today to try and search out Costco before work. Here is the map the Costco provided on their website; not very helpful and completely not to any scale. So by using this map I aimlessly walked around for about an hour and back tracked at least twice.
Eventually I got fed up and decided to just take a cab there because I was wasting so much time. As we headed there I kept thinking to myself there is no way I could have walked there on my own. We went over a river, under some train tracks and about 3 miles from the subway stop we arrived.
Once inside the Costco it was pretty amazing. So many of the comforts of home I could find here: cereal, turkey, trail mix, pasta, steak and the list goes on. The things I took for granted could now can all be found in this MEGA store. And man was it crazy, imagine Costco back in the U.S. on a Saturday afternoon but replace all the people with pushy Korean moms aimlessly walking around. I'm not sure what it is but Koreans do not watch where they are walking, at ALL! They are either on there cell phones, reading or just plain staring at the sky.
Other then the hour of being lost it was a great trip and one that will be done many times in the future. Hope all is well.
~Sunny
Anyung,
So I've come to the realization that my blogs are way too long and need to shortened. I've never really written a blog, so bare with me. It took me reading other people's blogs to figure out the most efficient way to relay my message. So in the future I will try to keep them brief and include more pictures, I'm learning. Check back in a couple days.
~Sunny
Anyung,
So I had a great experience this last weekend and today. I finally met up with my family, more specifically my aunt(my mom's side), uncle and two cousins. It was great seeing a somewhat familiar face. I say this because my aunt is so much like my mom, both tough little ladies. It was a pretty easy transition too because my cousin and uncle both speak English pretty well. I really forgot how supportive family is in the Korean culture. I'm not sure if many of you know but family is #1 here in Korea.
It's interesting, Mindy wanted to do a community newsletter in one of her classes so she began by introducing the concept of a community, but this pretty much flew over their heads. Which may surprise many of you but remember in Korean your family is your community. But other then the support my aunt has been working hard to set me up right. I finally got a cell phone, which is pretty much an extra appendage here. There so important that many people are unwilling to associate with anyone that doesn't have one. The funny things is that I thought American's had a problem with cell phones, but we're just a drop in the bucket compared to Koreans. People use their phones for everything and everywhere. I see people on a regular basis watching TV on their cell phones while riding the subway, UNDGERGROUND!
Other then the cell phone my aunt has been setting me up with food, basic household supplies and getting my Visa. I'm so grateful that I have family here, I can't imagine how difficult it is for people who know nobody here. Going through all this with my family has just alleviated so much stress. Well I hope all is well and make sure you tell the people close to you that you love them because you never know when you may need their support.
~Sunny
Anyung,
So on Sunday, Mindy and I went to Dongdaemun, which is the shopping captial of Seoul. It was an interesting experience, to say the least. The area we walked around was very similar to an open-air or flee market back in the states. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera that day so I used the pictures that Mindy took, which will be posted soon. The most interesting part for me, was how department stores are set up here. So we went into one called Doota, which I think was 8 stories tall, pretty small floors though. But instead of having one super store like Macy's or Mervyn's there were small independent stores. It was fascinating because each was selling their own product but they were organized by type on each floor.
From Dongdaemun we walked up to Cheonggyecheon along the stream that runs through the city (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheonggyecheon). Luckily we just so happened to end up there while the Hi Seoul Festival was going on. So there were a lot of people in the area, and also a live band. I'm actually hoping to go back during the night time because I hear the lights are pretty amazing.
From there we headed home; it was a long day of walking. But I'm really enjoying not having a car. As some of you may know and some may not, my car was in pretty bad shape before I left. It was constantly draining what little budget I had. I also hear that gas is nearing $4, ouch. Well in comparison that's not to bad, gas in Korea is about $1.89 a liter and there are 3.78 liters in a gallon that's about $7.15 a gallon.
On Monday we went to a part of Seoul called Itaewon. It can pretty much be described as where all the foreigners go. I was amazed at how many foreigners were walking around, because there usually pretty rare. So if any of you come and visit you will definitely stick out. But I guess near Itaewon there are a couple of military bases which attracts all the foreigners to the bars. It was somewhat interesting but not really what I came to Korea,
to see. I've been told that you either like Itaewon because it reminds you of home, or you really don't. I'm pretty sure I fall in the second category. Well we made Monday a pretty short day because it's the last 3 day weekend for a long while.
I apologize that I haven't posted the pictures from this blog yet but my card reader for my camera is in Seoul right now so I don't really have access to it. But I'm hoping to start my life in Seoul real soon.
~Sunny
Anyung,
Let me start off by saying Thank God, I went to school in the U.S. Since I've started my job, I've learned a lot about the Korean school system. It's funny I always assumed that Korea had an education system far superior to ours, but believe me I was strongly mistaken. However that doesn't mean that the students aren't intelligent, they just are in a different way. The education system here is based on centuries of tradition so change has been put on the back burner.
It's amazing the stress these students go through on a daily basis. So from a very young age ~5 students attend public school just like in the U.S. but also attend private after school classes known as Hagwons. Here is a link that gives a good description of what they entail.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagwon) So students regularly go to a number of hagwons, usually one for each subject. That means that students may go to school from 8 am to as late as 8 or 9 pm, depending on their age. Pretty crazy! Homework is also given in a ridiculous amount, from my experience about 3-6 pages from each class. So not only are these students going to school for 12 hrs but also must go home and complete the homework assignments. I must say though, you can't really sneeze at their work ethic. I wish all my students back at home had half the determination of the students here.
But let me make one thing very clear; just because a student is able to complete hundreds and hundreds of practice book pages doesn't necessarily make them smart. It's a matter of quantity versus quality. In Korean quantity is a huge part of the education system, students are expected to complete these pages. However this leaves very little time for the quality aspect. I've noticed that imagination, creativity, independent and critical thinking are skills that the students miss out on, and it's really sad. I believe that if we combined both the Korean and American education system we may have something worthwhile. But it's difficult to convince people here that change can be a good thing.
The other aspect of education that I've had struggles with is Hagwons. From my limited knowledge I've deducted that Hagwons are not schools their businesses. Their main focus is monetary rather then education. This is one reason why there looked down upon, because it's all about the mighty Won (Korean currency). Which has been very difficult for me, because I definitely didn't go into education for the money. Also the business is very secretive; little or no information is passed down, so most employees are left in the dark. The teachers at the schools are usually overworked beyond the terms of their contracts, but since the school holds your Visa there isn't much that can be done. However it seems that everyone in Korea is constantly working. From what I've gathered vacations are a rarity in this country.
Well enough griping, let's move onto more positive possibilities. It seems the school I'm working with has a lot of great opportunities for me. I was surprised to find out, that at the school in Anyang I have the most teaching experience. Most of the people that come here are right out of college or in search of a calling, so a teaching credential or teaching experience is far and few between. But with my background there transferring me to a brand new school in Seoul. At the school I'll see the process from the ground up; I'll be working with people to develop a curriculum for new incoming teachers and students. It should be a great and challenging experience and hopefully I can make some changes along the way.
Well I hope this gives you a little idea in what I've been dealing with through this last week. I apologize that this installment includes so much griping but I had to get it out somewhere. I'll be sure to make the next few blogs more cheerful, but you gotta take the good with the bad. I hope all is well.
~Sunny
Anyung,
So Monday was amazing. Normally I would be working, but it was a national holiday, Children's Day. With how hard they work the kids here I'm glad there's a day for them to let loose. So Mindy and I decided to take the subway and travel to Seoul today. What I realized right off the bat is how amazingly clean and efficient the subway system is here. I've been on subways in New York and San Francisco and they don't even come close to the one's in Seoul. We never had to wait longer then 5 mins for a subway and they run incredibly smooth. Also all the signs are both in Korean and English so we had no trouble at all. I'm pretty surprised by how westernized Korea is.
The first area we visited was Gangnam, which is the area I will be living in and it was amazing. From what I've read Gangnam is a very affluent area of Seoul and that was pretty evident. The way people dress and all the high end shopping it really reminded me of New York. So I'm pretty happy about the location, but I haven't seen my apartment yet. Either way I'm really glad that I will be there rather then in Anyang.
After walking around in awe for a while we traveled north across the river to an area that our liason recommended, but wow it was a completely different world. I'm thinking that we may have gone to the worng area cause it was nothing like what we had expected. This was a much older part of Seoul, population and infrastructure. We actually only spent a short time here because the smog was so bad I had trouble breathing. So we traveled back towards Gangnam but visited Seoul National University.
Apparently because of children's day they had some huge fair at the school. We sat at the stadium there and watched all the kids and their parents playing on the fields and it was a pretty amazing site. I was pretty amazed how involved the parent's were in all of these activities. I feel that in the U.S. most adults feel too old or mature to do many of the things these Korean parents were doing. And man were these kids happy!
From there Mindy and I decided to go grab some lunch. And man was this an adventure. So we saw this restaurant that had an open grill out on all the tables, which in my experience usually means Galbi (a delicious marinated beef). But man was I totally mistaken. So since I can't read and write Korean, I had no idea what was on the menu. But with my very limited Korean I understood that she was suggesting a dish, which I thought was Galbi. Well when they brought out the food I realized that it was pig intestine and beef mixed with onions, garlic and chives. So the waitress just started cutting it all up and cooking it in front of us. The girl I was with, Mindy, doesn't really eat red meat, but she claimed the beef right off the bat. So I was left with the intestine, and I must say it wasn't the worse thing I've eaten. The flavor wasn't bad it was just the super chewy texture that made it odd. I felt like I was eating rubber tubbing. Well I knew that I was gonna have some interesting eating experiences here and that was my first. And the worst part was that the lunch cost $30, but at least I have this story.
Well I know that many of you have been asking for pictures so I broke down and took a bunch while I was out. Here is the link to the long awaited photos. Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/sunny.bae
~Sunny
Anyung,
So I'm pretty new to the blogging world, but it seems this is the best way for me to reach most of you. I want to start off by saying thank you for all your support and positive e-mails. If I haven't replied I apologize but it's been pretty shocking for me to be here. So here is a little background of my current situation. I'm currently in Pyeongchon which is in Anyang, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anyang,_Gyeonggi) which is a "suburb" of Seoul. This is not my permanent home for the year. I'm actually only here until Tuesday, when I travel to Gangnam-gu (http://wiki.galbijim.com/Gangnam-gu), which is in Seoul. This is where I will be for the year. They are currently building a new school where I will be the first teacher. So for the last couple of days I've been trying to acclimate to the time change and culture.
So my arrival was a major shock, even more then I had expected. The studio I'm currently in is only about 350 sq ft, so pretty small. I'm hoping that my permanent residence is a lot bigger and more modern. Apparently Anyang is not as modernized and, up and coming as described by wikipedia, what a surpise huh? So after spending some time here in Anyang I'm pretty happy to be going to Gangnam.
I've met a couple to people so far in my stay. A support provider (Justin) who has been in Korea for about 18 months and also a new teacher (Mindy) from Idaho. So interestingly enough the last couple of days have actually been very American. On Saturday we spent a good portion of the day walking around Pyenongchon getting a tour. And your not going to believe what we had for lunch, PIZZA! I couldn't believe it, and it was actually really good. But I guess most pizza in Korea is bad; the dough is really thick and they pile on the cheese. And you would not believe the toppings they offer here, it's pretty ridiculous. Well later on that night we actually went out and saw Iron Man, haha. And to top it all off we had fried chicken for dinner. So my first day in Korea was pretty much what I may have done at home. Following the dinner we did go out to a couple of bars, and man were they interesting. One of the bars was a western theme so that was pretty crazy; a picture of Clint Eastwood on the door. They also had a flame show and bar tending tricks, a bad version of Korean "Cocktails."
Fortunately today Mindy and I got away from American culture and had some Korean food for lunch. This was Mindy's first time trying Korean food so it made for an adventure. And man I really realized today how little Korean I actually know and understand. Not being able to read any signs or menus has been pretty difficult. I pretty much walk around blindly. We finally found a place near the school, that had pictures we could identify. So I used the little Korean I knew to order us some food. It was pretty good, but the amazing part was how cheap it was. Cost of living here in Anyang is nothing compared to what inflation has caused in California. Our entire lunch which would have been plenty of food for three people cost only $7. So I'm looking forward to saving a lot of $$$. Other then that it's been pretty simple.
A few other things I have noticed that many of you will find interesting. While I was flipping through the channels I noticed one that had two people playing the computer game Starcraft. And if you know what this game is, you probably understand how religiously they play it here. I couldn't believe they have an entire channel dedicated to this game, and I mean 24/7 haha. The other thing that was surprising is the number of pizza and fried chicken joints here. When I last came in 1998 I hadn't noticed any of these places but just walking through in the last couple of days I must have seen at least 30 pizza places and 20 fried chicken restaurants. This was especially bizarre, since I had been telling everyone that Korean people don't eat chicken, but I was completely mistaken. Other restaurants I've seen: KFC, of course McDonalds, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, Chili's, Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins, and even a hot dog stand. Fortunately I don't plan on eating at any of these restaurants. Other then food the only other shock has been the showers. So in the U.S. we are all used to having a shower completly separate from the rest of the bathroom. In Korean apparently that is a large waste of space. So what they have done is eliminated the shower and made the entire room into a shower. There is a shower head on the wall and the entire room is used. I know this may sound pretty obscure and crazy but that is what I have been dealing with. I will make sure to take some pictures and send them over the blog which may clear up this concept.
I hope this has given you a little picture of my experience so far. I will try my best to blog as much as possible but I figure once I'm teaching I'll have less and less time. Hope all is well, and please send me updates on your lives. Remember nothing is too boring for me to read.
~Sunny
Once inside the Costco it was pretty amazing. So many of the comforts of home I could find here: cereal, turkey, trail mix, pasta, steak and the list goes on. The things I took for granted could now can all be found in this MEGA store. And man was it crazy, imagine Costco back in the U.S. on a Saturday afternoon but replace all the people with pushy Korean moms aimlessly walking around. I'm not sure what it is but Koreans do not watch where they are walking, at ALL! They are either on there cell phones, reading or just plain staring at the sky.
