Korean Chocolate

One thing Korea has that China didn't - delicious, delicous chocolate. And I mean good, dark chocolate. Available for cheap. Everywhere. The only really good chocolate I managed to find in China was Russian... available only in Russia-town. To be fair, I am staying in Seoul and where I stayed in China wasn't exactly a huge hub.... So anyways, I am in trouble. Who wouldn't want to end every evening with a few pieces of chocolate and a big glass of milk?

Hm... gym or chocolate?

Dance Studio

Today on a bus to an English Musical with my school, I spotted a Dance Studio advertising "poppin and lockin" class.

HAHAHAHAHA.

Maybe I should take a few classes. Wouldn't that be sweet if I returned home a professional popper and locker?

Just a thought...

Pub Golf

Okay, this picture is from the first weekend I was here. We had a "pub golf" tournament. For those who've never done it, the basic gist is to drink 4 drinks at each bar ("hole") to get par. For each 4 more your team drinks, you get one under par. There are special holes, like the drop shots - which basically meant you lie on the floor and have a shot dropped into your mouth from a height.

If you're still reading and thinking, "That doesn't sound like a very smart or good idea." You're right. It's not. In fact, perhaps, one of the dumber things I've done!

No-one ever claimed rugby players...or Kiwis were smart (wink wink).

An Illiterate Literate

What's it like in a land where you don't speak the language or read it? Oddly, I didn't have this problem in China, although I did have my lovely interpreters to help me out. Anyways, for some reason, I am finding buying Korean products particularly hard to navigate. Unless the brand is something that I recognize, it is very hard to tell what is actually in the box or bottle or bag you are purchasing.

Yesterday I tried to buy some dumplings - thinking they would be a good thing to have on hand when I get home late from work or the gym and don't feel like cooking much. ANyways, I thought I'd be safe with a package with a steak on the front. They've gotta be beef, right?

Wrong. I just cooked up a bowl and they're some weird noodles, an eggy mixture, and some kinda gross, tough pieces of meat.

I've also yet to figure out where garbage goes in my building. Today I went and explored the three basements, but couldn't find a garbage bin in sight. Before I take out the garbage, however, I need to buy some special garbage bags. No problem, right?

I spent about 10 minutes in the supermarket, walking up and down aisles. I finally found a section that seemed to have plastic bags. After much deliberation I went with a small box that looked promising. When I finally got home and happily pulled one out of the box (yes! time to finally take the garbage out!) turned out I'd bought a box of plastic gloves. What am I going to do with those!?

I think I'd better start studying Korean...

Intersection Guy

So in the main intersection by my house on weekday mornings there is this little guy - all of 5 feet tall - with a little hat and a whistle and gloves. He directs traffic, although the traffic lights are perfectly functional.

Anyways, I've only seen him once, but it pretty much made my week. He gets so into his job, flailing his arms about like wings, he madly blows his whistle and flaps one hand for the cars turning and one for cars going straight. The rises up onto his tippy-toes and glides backwards, and then shoots forwards, making motions like he is playing a flute. At one point, he moon-walked back across the intersection.

At this point, two things amaze me. One, that he doesn't get runover, and two, that the other people standing around me weren't laughing hysterically like I wanted to be.

You Can Call Me "Hilary Teacher"

So as of Thursday of last week, I am no longer Hilary. I am now "Hilary Teacher." All day long, I hear "Hello Hilary Teacher" being screamed down the halls. Little kids hang off of my arm. My voice is hoarse from yelling. I am sick from the little vectors. Kids are constantly coming to me in tears, "Pinky told me my singing is bad."... "Hilary Teacher, Kyle is crying because Evan stole his colour pencils." Yeah so I finally get how hard it is to be a teacher. Props to all the teachers out there.

On the other hand, it is not as bad as I thought. I have a lot of material provided for me.. and spend the rest of my time making up little worksheets for people to do. My genius idea this week was to draw two blank faces and let the kids colour them in. It went so well, until the kids started all drawing each other and putting hearts around them. I ended up with one kid in tears and having to kick another out of class. Fun times.

Korean kids are super quick to get upset, and very out of control. Doesn't help that since we're not a real school, so we have no real way of disciplining the kids - case in point, one little boy wouldn't stop shooting me with a toy machine gun. When I kicked him out, I could still hear him making machine gun sounds at me. Another little girl learned the words "sexy" and "passion" from TV, and spent the whole class pulling her sweater down over her shoulders at the boys and saying "sexy", and drawing "sexy pictures". I had to stop myself from laughing.

South Korean Adventure Begins...

After a panicked packing, I sat on a flight to South Korea, questioning the intelligence of my decision. I spent a good part of my 15 hours of travel feeling sad, small and lonely. Once I landed in Korea, I was much too tired to feel anything except tiredness - I was picked up at the airport and whisked off to my school. There I met with Sean (the bilingual director/teacher) and 'President' from my school. We went out for dinner - to make a long story short, my apartment wasn't ready so I had to move in with two Aussies for the first 5 days of my stay.

I spent the first two days observing the all-star teacher, Chris, who'd been at the school for 4 years and all the kids and other teachers seemed to love. It was good to see they way he taught, but kinda bad because it meant I also took over his schedule which is something like 138 hours a month (my contract's for 120), so I'll be making mad overtime, but burnt out.

First impressions of Korea?

1) I was pretty underwhelmed when I arrived.. but not in a bad way. I compare this to my trip to China which was completely overwhelming in size, noise, colour, etc. when we arrived. Korea is Asian and foreign but very clean and modern seeming - and despite being crowded is not nearly as crowded as China. However this could also be because I am used to living in an Asian environment...
2) Koreans are hard workers. The amount of hours they put in is nothing like I would ever do.
3) Koreans REALLY like their kimchi...and I mean REALLY.
4) While technology is very advanced here, sometimes communication is not. Took a week and a bit to get a phone installed and when it finally was, they installed a phone that didn't work. Also, my washing machine was put in and nestled against the wall without the hoses hooked up.
5) Korea is possibly the most Confucious place left on earth. Kids and adults alike will solve small or major problems with a game of rock-paper-scissors. Kids here are quick to get destroyed if someone wins a game or ends up with more points. Over the course of a class, I give out stars, but must sneakily finda way for everyone in the class to tie by the end or there will be a catastrophe of tears and upset.
6) I will lose my voice from yelling in about a week, I'm sure of it.
7) Sometimes kicking kids out of class is really satisfying.
8) Kids have no qualms about groping and touching me.
9) The Korean language is the hardest language to learn that I've ever tried. After a week here, I've only managed to pick up "Yes, no, thank you, hello and good bye".