I'm a foreigner!

 this is a celebration pagoda, used for New Year's Eve celebrations

my homestay dad told me that this must be a funeral.  the white dresses are a sign of mourning.  they must wear these for three days when a loved one passes away.

Yesterday, I took the subway to a enormous bookstore to try to find a text for my class of a little older children.  The administrator wants me to teach conversational English, not so much grammar.  They actually have books for that...who knew?  I spent literally hours poring over these books.  Some of the books were in Korean, with a few English words.  Some are structure mainly for CD listening.  After spending a lot of time in the section with Korean texts, some English, I wandered toward the register to checkout.  On my way, I passed the "Foreign Book" section.  Ahhh, English books.  I found what I was looking for in the Foreign Book Section.  So funny to think of myself as a foreigner. 


My cousin, Audrey, who is an ESL teacher, recommended that I find one that teaches plurals with -s endings, and past tenses with -ed endings.  At dinner I explained to my homestay family what I was looking for and they told me that in Korean, plural words do not have -s endings, and sometimes words are inferred plural because of the words used prior (i.e., many book).  


So I took advantage of being in a new area to wander around.  There are huge shopping areas everywhere, and this area was no exception.  It's called Insadong.  The shops were nice though, nice ceramics, nice handmade paper (hanjim), beautiful jewelry.  The one thing that is plentiful and very poor quality is shoes.  There was a truck parked at the end of one block that had shoes displayed,  It looked like a "roach coach" turned shoe store.  As I was looking closer, I realized they were brand name knock-offs.  They had Addida shoes--with the three stripes, but spelled slightly wrong!  lol


On my way back to the subway (still carrying a bag full of books...my shoulder wasn't very happy), I passed by a buddhist temple.  People were coming and going and I could hear chanting.  I wandered over, removed my shoes before entering the building (of course), and went inside.  It was mostly women.  There is a place to get a cushion to kneel on and most people had one.  I was going to be there briefly, so I just knelt on the floor.  At the front of the room were three large gold buddahs.  The ceiling was covered with what looked like paper flowers...what a beautiful room.  I took my pictures, hoping not to offend people, and then quickly exited.  The monks all wear gray traditional Korean garb.  I passed many shops selling these gray hanboks (the K is silent...pronounced han bow).

the shoes outside the temple

the temple

inside the temple

ceiling of the temple

smiling buddah (the one on the right)

Food of the Day:  I had nothing too exotic today, but finally gave in and got a Dunkin Donut...it was calling my name.  Korea has nearly every American restaurant chain you can imagine.  On the DMZ tour, at one of the stops, there was a Popeye's.  There are all the Yum Brand stores (KFC, Pizza Hut, although I haven't seen any Taco Bells).  There are TGIFridays (looks like kids and families like that one), Outback Steakhouse, 7-11 (I know it's not a restaurant, but an American name, nonetheless).  


Yesterday, I was sure it was Friday when I woke up.  Alas, today is Friday.  My homestay mom, Angela, said we might be able to go to Wonju this weekend.  It's about an hour drive.  I'm excited about to see the city of my birth.  I showed her pictures of Wonju that my dad took back in the day, and she said those buildings probably don't exist anymore.  Wonju is a big, new, modern city now.  That would be awesome if we could find even one of those old buildings.  We'll see.

DMZ

Dorasan Station

Me posing with a reluctant soldierFreedom bell, bridge and wall

Yesterday, I took a tour of the DMZ. It's about an hour ride from Seoul, I got picked up about 8:30 am, not a problem since I've been waking up around 4 am. It was a small bus and there was a Japanese family, a family from Indonesia, two guys who are working in Shanghai but are originally from Mexico, a guy from France in Seoul on business, a guy from Australia here on a long weekend from Hong Kong where he is working. So it was quite an eclectic mix!

We had to take our passports for the security checks. Our names and passport numbers and nationality had to be filled out on a paper and presented at the check points. There were lots of rules...you can take pictures here, but not there, you can go into the tunnel, but no pictures. You can ride on the bus, but no pictures. You can take pictures before the yellow line, but not after. Pretty crazy.

We stopped at an observatory where there is a rooftop area where you can see the military fences with the razor wire on top. You can see the lookout points where armed guards are still stationed. At that observatory, there are several memorials, and the most interesting, in my opinion, the Freedom Bell. At the end of the Korean war, representatives from the countries who fought brought their weapons to this place where they were melted down into a bell. It's symbolism was moving. There is also a Freedom Wall, where pieces of rock from 85 different battlefields were brought together to build a wall. I'm so grateful for the freedom that we enjoy in America.

Part of the tour we were taken to a train station that is no longer operational. For a short time it was the train station from North Korea to South Korea. Relations have soured so the train no longer runs and this huge station essentially sits empty and is used only for tourists. I did get a passport stamp from North Korea (not on my passport), but on a train ticket.

Our guide explained about the war and how it came to establishing the DMZ (demilitarized zone). As I'm not a good historian, you'll have to read about it, but it is so strange to see the remnants of battle, up close and personal.

Another stop on our tour was at the Third Tunnel. Apparently the military leader of North Korea, still trying to invade South Korea, heard about the tunnels that were dug in Vietnam, and decided he could do that too. We were told that South Korean prisoners of war were used to dig the tunnels through the granite. In total, four tunnels were found, and they believe that more were probably started, but only four have been found. We were able to walk to the bottom of the tunnel where there are heavy metal barriers installed now. There is a lot of water in the tunnel...they have tried to divert it so you don't get totally wet, and there are rubberized walkways so you don't slip. Everyone has to wear a hard hat to go into the tunnel. We were joking about having to wear it, until we were in the tunnel, and you have to walk bent over. Several of us hit our helmets on things at least once. So, they weren't just to add to the dramatic effect. The tunnel went down 356'...which was a brisk walk. There are areas highlighted to show where the dynamite was put into the granite to blast it out. It was hard to imagine having to dig the tunnel out...it was so long. In an effort to disguise what they were doing, the North Koreans put coal dust on the walls, to make an excuse for digging the tunnel if they were found out.

At that same stop there was a video presentation. Of note was the fact that the DMZ has become a nature habitat of sorts. It's basically untouched now, because no one can go into this area, so wildlife has come back in abundance. The only thing about that is that this area is full of land mines still. We were warned not to step off the paved walkways. There were danger warnings around the entire perimeter. I guess some of the wildlife will be killed if landmines are set off, but the birds and little critters are probably fine.

A small amusement park was built at the observatory where we stopped. We all thought that was strange, in this area where the military is so apparent, to have an amusement park. The guide explained that people from the North and South are allowed to use the park, so they can come there to visit each other. The parking lot was full!

Also rolled into our DMZ tour was a stop at the amethyst factory. No one was sure why or how that got into the mix. It was the largest manufacturer of amethysts int he country. The stones were beautiful and much darker than the amethysts I'm used to seeing. They explained it's because of the mineral content of the soil that the stones get so dark...almost black in some cases. Very pretty. No, I didn't get any.

I was dropped off at Itaewon, so I could take the subway back home. Itaewon is the center of Seoul and where the US Army bases are. As I walked down the street, lined with vendors and filled with shopped, it was easy to see the Americans. It's funny, I could see them, but they couldn't see me. It's a funny feeling. I'm not sure if this is where my dad was stationed back in the 60s, and I couldn't really see any of the base...just the rooftops of the buildings. There were tall walls around the base, which is basically in the middle of a busy city. Strange location, to be sure.

(note:  this post somehow didn't get posted.  it was from Sunday, April 4)

Right Place at the Right Time...and misc. musings

Our lives are full of these types of occasions, where we find ourselves in the right place at the right time.  I've definitely had my share of right place/right time incidents.  


I was being born in the right place (Korea), at the right time (when Johnny and Elaine were looking to adopt a Korean baby).  We were looking to buy an inn just as the former owners were deciding to put their inn up for sale.  I heard about the Holt Homecoming Program, just as they started taking new applications.  I was able to use a canceled airfare to pay nearly all of my fare for Korea. So, these are just a few of the wonderful things that have happened to me.  My glass is certainly half full, not half empty.


I was having a discussion with my homestay folks this evening, and they were talking about living in Africa for four years, talked about Mathias' sister who is still in North Korea, and how difficult her life is there.  I talked about Aunt MaryAnn and her experiences in CAR.  I guess I'm just feeling very thankful for where I am and the life I have, and the wonderful people in it.


Ok...back to the reality show (so to speak).


I was introduced to the three places where I will be teaching English.  Two of the places are daycare centers where the children are quite young...4, 5 and 6.  At the first place, I will be teaching two days of 30-minute sessions, three classes.  At the second place, I will be teaching two days of 20-minute classes, six classes.  I think the timing at the second school will greatly diminish my ability to effectively teach them anything.  The third place is an after school daycare center where the children range in age from 6-8, approximately.  They come to this place after school while their parents work.  They receive help (encouragement) with their homework, play games outside, get fed dinner, and now will will get English lessons. 


These children have the reputation of being difficult to teach and wild.  The teacher that is there now is moving to a different position, but he has finally connected with them and they are learning.  The administrator of that center asked me to find a textbook for them...very basic English learning...so they will have a more structured curriculum.  So, I get to go to a large bookstore here to try to find something that will work for me.  


Food for the Day:  I tried galbitang...beef soup.  It is made with beef (with the bone) and it has the clear noodles in it (which are super slippery and difficult to catch...I asked for a "po-ku" - fork).  When you order an item, it is always brought with the small side dishes.  Today I got a small side of julienned potatoes with sesame...very tasty.  I added them to the soup.  There was also a small bowl of soy sauce (I added that to the soup), two kinds of kimchee...one with radish, one with cabbage (I did not add these to the soup), and spring onion with red pepper sauce (I added that to the soup).  It was very tasty (mas i ta).  

Ms. Seol, on our visit today, said she wanted to buy me a fish cake.  "Oh, that's ok...no fish, please."  She laughed, and said...it's ok.  Uh oh.  Maybe she didn't understand??  Well, she gets these cakes at a street vendor and they are almost like a donut with a sweet red bean filling, very delicious.  Why are they called fish cakes?  They are fish shaped. I was very relieved.  We got five for 1,000 KRW ($1 equivalent), and we each ate two...I gave the remaining one to one of the school administrators.  She in turn gave me a tangerine (Korean like to reciprocate whenever they receive gifts).


Homestay News:  When I told Angela and Mathias about my lunch, they thought it was really funny that I added those things to my soup.  She said they are normally eaten separately.  I asked her if that was wrong for me to add them (if it offended someone).  She said no, you can do whatever you want to your soup.


For dinner she served a warm kimchee with mackerel.  I explained that I was forced to eat mackerel patties (and salmon patties) as a young child and have bad memories of it.  LOL  I took one bite (no fish in the bite).  The kimchee was nice warm, but it had a fishy flavor.  I skipped the little fishes.  She serves salad nearly every night and includes white sesame leaves, which have a very interesting (good) flavor.  She also served raw veggies (carrots, cucumbers, white radish), spinach soup in a miso-style broth, with tofu.  Everything is "good for health."


For dessert, she brought out the candied walnuts that I brought for them, and served them with what looked like a rice krispie treat.  Only, this rice krispie treat was SUPER hard and VERY crunchy.  It was a bit of a surprise when I first bit into it.

Did I also mention she makes homemade yogurt and homemade strawberry jam, that we eat for breakfast.  This morning, she added a "drinking vinegar" to her yogurt, for flavor.  She had me taste it before she ate the rest.  It was a pleasant plum flavor.  Apparently, they add prunes to the vinegar and it's not as strong as our vinegars.  And, she pointed out, vinegar is "good for health."



My bedroom doesn't have a mirror.  They had a boy, so I guess, it never occurred to them that if they got a female guest, she would need a mirror.  There is a mirror in the bathroom, but no electrical outlet.  So, on my travels today I went searching and found a mirror.  Kinda funny.  Oh, and the sinks in the house are very low.  The sink in the bathroom doesn't event come to the top of my leg.  The kitchen sink is a little taller, but I must still bend over to help wash dishes.  Thankfully, there are only three of us, so not many things to wash.


I start teaching on Monday, so I will have more stories about that to come.  We are a day ahead of the US...so tomorrow begins our weekend.  Have a wonderful weekend.

Korean Potpourri

dinner the first night of my homestay

"little fishes", one of the dishes, served at every meal (found out it is little anchovies)

picture of my homestay house

from the garden looking out to the gate at the sidewalk

my room

I don't know if Koreans use potpourri, but here are just some observations about Korea so far, a little bit of this and a little bit of that:

• Today I spent over four hours trying to get my F4 visa. Go here, get a form, go there, get more forms, go see this person, see that person, get this, get that, pay fees, pay more fees. Oy. I guess government red tape is the same everywhere!

• I'm directionally challenged, so I got a bit turned around today on my way to InKas, an organization that will rent a cellphone to me while I am here. I arrived at their office at 12:05 pm, and it was closed (for lunch) until 1 pm. Arrrrggghhh!
  
  
• The Paris Cafe doesn't really have Parisian-style food or coffee. For instance, they sell hot dogs in pastry, not exactly a bon appetit kind of meal, I think.
  
  
• Motorcycles and scooters are allowed on the sidewalks. I think it's more of a self-preservation thing for them, but watch out pedestrians!
  
  
• All the sidewalks are made of the interlocking pavers. Initially, this seems like a good idea, as you can repair an area without pulling up the entire sidewalk, however, as the ground moves, tree roots grow, etc. the sidewalks are no longer level. In fact, they have rises and dips everywhere. If you're gawking around, like I am, it's really easy to stumble or nearly stumble. If anyone is watching me, I'm sure they must think I'm very uncoordinated.
  
  
• It's funny, but nearly every store plays English music. I guess it's too difficult to dub all the music into Korean...but it seems funny to me.
  
  
• Everyone seems really helpful and are quite tolerant of the people who can't speak their language.
  
  
• The wine selection in Korea is pretty bleak.
  
  
• Washers are prevalent. Dryers are rare...I guess they take too much electricity and folks just opt not to buy them, or if they have them, they don't use them.
  
  
• Love the ondol heating. The heat (via a boiler) is run through the concrete floors...and radiates up through the room. My feet are never cold! The homestay where I am can heat specific rooms, and not heat others...very efficient, but when I leave my room, it's pretty chilly.
  
  
• I went to the World Cup Stadium today. It's a huge, impressive stadium. I think it was used in 2002 for the World Cup (that's soccer for you non-soccer fans) competition. They have tuned the bottom floor into a huge megamarket, with food and household goods. I just thought that was funny...a huge stadium, now a supermarket.
  
  

I am really enjoying my stay and the challenges it brings. Tomorrow I go to visit several different schools. I'm not sure if it's more of an interview or just a visit. Thanks to my cousin, Audrey, I will be prepared with wonderful flash cards for my classes. I also volunteered to help in the office at the Holt's Post Adoption Services on Fridays. They desperately need more hands, and I'm happy to offer mine while they are in Korea. Goodnight.

Dining Adventures

my homestay "mom" Angela

barley bibimbap...yum

sides

octopus soup

Dining in Korea is definitely an adventure. First of all, not all of the restaurants have English translations on the menus. Secondly, many of the restaurants do not have any English speakers. Thirdly, my lack of Korean combined with numbers 1 and 2, make it a very interesting experience.

The other night, another adoptee and I went out for dinner. We saw a place that was busy, which is always a good sign, so we went there. Some places you have to remove your shoes, this is not one of them. We walked in, were greeted courteously, as you always are anywhere you go. She said something and motioned to the tables and then turned away. We took that as sit anywhere. When we found a table that was clean, the server came over, turned over the large grill that was in the middle of the table, and then turned on the fire underneath it. She picked up the small menu and asked us what we wanted...or at least that's what we assume she said. We were both stumbling around with our translation books trying to figure out what we wanted. She was not very patient, turned our fire off under the grill and walked away.

After motioning to her several times, she returned to our table. We decided we wanted to order beef and chicken. We asked her in Korean...and she said, "No, only pig." OK. Pig is good. She pointed to a tray of "pig" that looked like pieces of bacon all rolled up and displayed on a tray. She brought us a tray and it turned out to be frozen pork strips...bacon-like, not smokey flavored. It cooked fast. There was a bar where you could go get vegetables to cook on the grill with the pig. We got pickled onion, shredded onion and bean sprouts, chili paste, kimchee (of course), and sliced garlic cloves. We put that on the grill all together and it was delicious. The server brought us a bowl of rice (to share), and some small sides. One looked like salad, so I took a chopstick pile and put it into my mouth, only to discover it was onion. Oh well...bad breath ensued! The people next to us got a bowl of chopped meat, which came to the table boiling, and was served with lettuce leaves. We ordered one of those as well. It was really delicious and nicely seasoned...very messy to eat, as all the broth ran out of the lettuce leaves. There were also the clear noodles in the bottom of the bowl. We didn't want to know what kind of meat that was...it tasted good though.

The server brought the check and it was a grand total of 9,000 won ($9 equivalent). Wow...all that for only $9. It's a very social place...many large groups there. I'll do that again.

Today, my home stay mom took me to a local restaurant near their home. We had to remove our shoes when we entered...they have shelves for you to put them by the door. Everyone is walking around in socks (better not be hiding holes in your socks). Angela ordered for us. They brought us a small bibimbap...which was like a salad with barley, bok choy, and a small amount of lettuce. To eat it you add red pepper sauce and stir all the ingredients together. It was delicious. Angela also ordered a soup and she was talking about their homemade pasta. The noodles were just like the homemade noodles I love in chicken soup...big and thick and chewy. However, the soup was nothing like chicken soup. It was a clear broth with a few jalapenos floating in it and, are you ready for this, octupus! When the bowl arrived (large bowl, about 12" wide), she picked up tongs, which are on every table, and scissors, also on every table, and proceeded to snip off all the tentacles.

OK, so all of you that know me are groaning already, knowing how I am feeling about all of this preparation. Angela served me a bowl, served herself a bowl, and then I was faced with what to do. I think, despite my trying not to make a face, I was looking rather forlorn. She asked me if I liked it, and I said I don't normally eat octopus. Further probing and my final answer was, it's not that bad. She laughed and said, that means you don't like it. Anyway, I ate two tentacles, enjoyed the noodles, there were also two pieces of potato in the soup. Yippie.

Boy did I feel old after lunch was over. I'm not used to sitting on the floor with my legs under a low table while I eat. So, my joints were kinda creaky once I got up. I'm so thankful for tables and chairs, of any height!

As I have many more days to enjoy Korea, I'm sure I'll have many more stories. Bon Appetit!

Shopping Mall Fun

This is one big fish!

Yesterday I was supposed to meet another adoptee who is from Houston and we were going to go to lunch. I rode the subway to the spot and waited. She was running late, so we didn't connect, but I still wandered into the e-Mart. Not sure what the "e" stands for, but what a place. It's funny but she was commenting on when she's meeting new people it's difficult because we blend in...not like in the States where if we'd have shown up at the mall, we would have been the only Asians. The only way I don't blend is that neither of my coats that I brought with me are black...one is light blue, the other is lime green. They definitely stand out.

The mall is at least seven stories tall. When you first walk in it looks like a normal department store. It's not until you start walking around that you realize that it's almost like a flea market with lots of individual vendors set up. Each of them follows you around to "help" which is always uncomfortable. I figured out a way to put an end to that...just ask them questions in English...they shake their heads and back off. LOL It worked in most cases.

There was an information desk and I was looking for something specific. The girl (I say girl, because everyone looks soooo young, including her!) spoke English and suggested I go to a different floor. So, onto the elevator and down two levels, and I stepped into the Korean version of Trader Joe's or Costco! It was a huge supermarket with everything you could possibly imagine. There were ladies standing at nearly every aisle giving samples of foods. There was a huge produce section, people jostling about getting what they wanted. There was the requisite meat section too with lots of fish on display...some of it smoked, some of it alive, some of it frozen. And the picture above is of the huge fish on a table in the same place as the other ladies were giving samples. No one was sampling it, but I'd never seen such a big fish at a grocery store before.

Their shopping baskets are strange too...they roll sideways. It's the weirdest thing. Lots of families shopping together, it seemed, and like Costco, everyone was going for the samples. I got some yogurt (for breakfast or snack), some bananas and a small box of brownies. I say small because once I got it home, I realized the brownies were individually wrapped, and there were only four of them, each only about 1 1/2" square. I was obligated to eat more than one immediately. The yogurt flavors all seem fine except concord grape coco. I was curious last night so I opened it. It was grape flavored, and had some sort of chewy thing in the yogurt, bleah. I'll try to give that one away. LOL

I didn't make it to any of the other floors of shopping, but I imagine I will wander back another day. On the ground floor was a McDonalds! It was the busiest most crowded McDonalds I've ever seen. The lines were at least six people deep, and at least six lines wide. They have fun things like shrimp burgers, bulgogi burgers (bulgogi is bbq beef), shanghai chicken (which is our spicy chicken, I think). I got my usual cheeseburger and fry. Their ketchup tastes funny...too sweet. The cheeseburger was just a regular, American cheeseburger. Yay.

So, back to the guest house, to put away my yogurt, and then I wandered over to the Hongdae shopping area, where on Saturdays they have sidewalk sales. It reminded me of the Strand (if you're from Texas), or the streets of New Orleans, or a super busy Lincoln Park area (if you're from Chicago). It's near Hongik University, so there are lots of student-aged people, and lots of shoe shops, clothing stores, karaoke bars (very popular here), restaurants, etc. And most buildings have stores/restaurants up at least two or three stories. So you can imagine the congestion. It was fun to walk around and be an observer. Whenever you step into a shop, you are always greeted with an "ann yong has eyo", which is hello/good morning/good evening, and a mouthful! Some of the shops are no larger than the shed in our back yard.

Well, today I am going to the DMZ on a tour. It was definitely on my "list" of things to do while I am here. I'm going as part of a "tour," as you cannot go by yourself. We have to bring our passports for a security check. There will be an audio portion, a tour of Tunnel #3, etc., so a report and more pictures to come.

Here are a few more pictures

You'll note that English isn't always translated well here

live crabs for sale on the sidewalk in a tank

guards in traditional garb at royal palace

more guards