Trip to Sokcho

market time!

1st restaurant we ate at

Students throwing spinning tops

my first grade girls :)

teachers :)

other teachers :) (plus drivers)

night club...ARABIAN NIGHT

appetizer

our private charter bus on the right

aquarium

This past week and weekend were quite action-packed. During the week, my uncle came to visit me, the school had a small market, and I had a demo class in front of parents.

The school market was quite amusing as I watched children trade in their goods the day before for item tickets. With these item tickets, the students purchased goods that other students brought. As I watched the children huddling over the ping pong tables with the goods, I could only smile. I remember similar market events at my school where an imitation market would be in session. The students were all smiling and fighting over hats, books, soap, toothpaste, clothes, toys, pencil cases, and videos (VHS videocassettes). At the end of the market session, I saw a boy reluctantly take the last clothing item, a Von Dutch hat. Only a few years ago, Von Dutch was a very popular item in the states as well as in Korea, but now a Von Dutch hat is a left-over item at a student market in the countryside. Quite amusing as it reveals the capricious and fickle tastes that we have.

During the weekend, I went on a trip to Sokcho with the school faculty. Supposedly the trip was supposed to be an instructional workshop for teaching; however, we all knew it would simply be a time for the teachers to have some fun together. Right after school on Friday (my classes were cancelled), we took a charter bus to Sokcho. Stopping by a condo we had rented, we dropped off our stuff before heading to a sushi restaurant. As expected, 3 hours later, bottles of soju and beer were on the floor and all the teachers were hugging and talking to each other. I was on the receiving end on many lectures on Korean history, the beauty of Korean culture, and the blood bond I have with Korea. Older male faculty members who I usually never speak with were sharing their desire to be younger so that they could show me Korea and introduce me to all their friends. They also shared many things about how much they like me and how my parents raised me very well. This was a bit strange coming from men who don't speak to me very much in school. Anyways, after a quite sentimental and embracing dinner, we all headed to a night club. Now, this night club is not a hip-hop blasting, under 30 zone. Arabian nights (the name of the club) housed lots of 아저씨 and 아줌마. It was very amusing to dance with all the teachers under disco lights. I even slow danced with the kindergarten teacher (she had shared with me before the trip that she had never gone to a night club and had never slow danced with anyone). There was one noteworthy event that happened in the night club; one of the DJs stripped in front of the dancing floor to his crystal-laden underwear. All the 아줌마 were clapping and hooting in approval; I could only look away in shame. In the wee hours of the morning we headed back to the condo, and the principal, vice-principal, and other male teachers brought me into their room to listen to them talk about random things over fried chicken and more drinks. Somehow, I was able to return to my room and sleep on the floor. The sleep was not very peaceful, as teachers would walk in at random times in the morning for a quick nap before returning to their rooms to play cards and drink some more. At 8AM, we headed to a restaurant that served Korean hang-over soup and then went to the condo to have a "workshop." We all sat around a table for 2 hours sharing our teaching experiences, which was quite difficult for me because I didn't really know how to communicate all I felt to the teachers. They repeatedly asked me to tell them the best way to learn English, but I couldn't give a straight answer because I don't believe there's any strict pattern or guideline to learn English. Learning a language is different for everyone, depending on their learning styles and backgrounds. However, I did share that the key for me in learning a language is to have fun and to have someone instill in me the confidence to continue instead of constantly pointing out mistakes and shortcomings while practicing. My emphasis on independent learning (developing the seed of interest on your own time) seemed to be a bit foreign to the other teachers, which I can understand because many of Korea's students don't seem to have their own private time after endless hours spent in private academies and school. Regardless, I did like the teaching workshop at the condo. Later we stopped by an aquarium and another seafood restaurant before heading back to Jangpyeong.

Yippity-do-daw

Starting up...

it's him!

Bongpyeong

candy advertisements

Sunday morning I took another trip to Bongpyeong, my neighboring town. This time I hiked up a small mountain and explored a cultural center dedicated to a famous Korean writer, Lee Hyo-seok. Afterwards, purchased some groceries and then waited at the bus stop. An old farmer called me over and asked me to carry his newly purchased tools on the bus and to his home. With little else planned, I agreed. As we got off the bus, he told about Bongpyeong and how it used to be. Visiting Seoul was a rare and dangerous trip since it took over 4 days to walk over the mountains of Gangwon-do. As he told me about the old trips he had taken and hardships he had endured, we walked through the local outdoor market that opens every couple weeks. Walking past stalls of steaming street food, fish baskets, and shoe racks, I realzied that this was the reality of my father's childhood. Growing up on a farm in pre-industrialized South Korea, my father's hardships were the same as the ones of the farmer I had helped.

Being in Korea has engendered a rapid growth of respect for my parents as well as my childhood teachers. I cannot fathom the courage and daring it took for my parents to leave their friends and family to live in a country where the culture and the people were completely foreign. My father was managing a growing business in Korea when he decided to appease my mother's demands to move to the states. As grateful as I am to my parents for having moved to the states, I am forever in debt to the sacrifices that made. In all of this, I am only scraping the surface of how much gratitude and wonder I have towards my parents.

As far as teachers go, I can remember many instances when I carried disdain towards certain teachers because I thought they had a grudge against me. Now, put in the role of an elementary school teacher, I am much more emphathetic. Day after day, I must be conscious of every decision I make in case a students feels alienated. However, there are instances when a student feels as though I am picking on or neglecting him/her. When this happens I see myself as that student thinking that the teacher doesn't like me. In actuality, this is by no means the case, ever! Misunderstanding is certain; especially when I teach a class in mostly a language that few of the students comprehend. Despite this reality, I make an effort every day to give some type of positive feedback towards each student through setting up situations in which they succeed. The issue is that so many of these students are deathly afraid of making mistakes. Since there is so much emphasis on getting questions correct, the students refrain from answering if they are not certain about their answer. When I congratulate a student for being wrong, I make sure to emphasize to my classes that being wrong is good as long as you try and learn from your mistake. many students are catching on and volunteering more often; nevertheless, it is difficult because all their other classes emphasize on being 100% correct. Well, I can only focus on what I can do and pray for everything else.

Hot Water, 1-2 graders, and Little boys peeking

The other day the water pipe to my town broke. So what happened? No running water for most of the day. No brushing my teeth in the morning, no flushing the toilet, and definitely no showers. Once the water pipe was fixed, I was told that my home's hot water supply was unavailable because the heater was overused. Keep in mind that where I am living is extremely cold (with snow as evidence). It was a pretty cold and dry experience. Running water is definitely a blessing.

School:
The best part of my day is after lunch and I go outside to the school's playground. The 1st graders rush to be the first one to hold my hand as they enjoy watching me struggle to get through the mini jungle gym and push them on the swings. Outside of the classroom, all the students are awesome because they're energy is directed towards having fun instead of trying to cause the most havoc in class. That special half hour after lunch is my time to rejuvenate and prepare for the war that will be raged during my after-school classes. Of course I'm exagerating by saying war...but it's close.

Another interesting facet of my day is that when I am in the bathroom taking a leak, my urinal is often surrounded by some of my 3-4 graders. It is very awkward because I am in a vulnerable state knowing that they are constantly peeking into my urinal. Afterwards, I push them away, but it happens again, day after day. I guess I don't blame them for being curious about a foreigner, but I do value my privacy.

Anyways, the weekend is coming up...yay!

A weekend of cooking

the different doughs we used....

the mixture we put into the dumplings

Should've taken pictures of the final product...but was too busy eating...

This past weekend I spent time in my small town to relax and enjoy a couple of days with no school. Saturday morning the kindergarten teacher picked me up and took me to her house for a day of learning to make Korean food. We ended making dumplings from scratch, and I spent 3 hours spreading out the dough with a rolling pin and cutting and pieces to put in the mixture. I also squeezed out the water in the smelly tofu so that it could go in the mix which we inserted into the dumplings. I had romanticized the day by imagining splendid smells and laughter. Instead, it was hours of manual labor and sore legs from sitting down so long. However, the dumplings were certainly delicious! The kindergarten teacher’s husband came from Seoul (he works there during the week) and steamed a couple chickens, so we enjoyed a meal of chicken stew, dumplings, and random side dishes. During the afternoon, the 6th grade teacher came by as well as a couple of my students who live in the neighborhood. I learned that the 6th grade teacher had married her husband 4 months after meeting one another at church. Other random things were discussed as well, such as the name of a Korean alcoholic drink called 백세주which supposedly refers to the health benefit from drinking it. In the evening, we had a bonfire outside and roasted up some chestnuts. I regret not taking some pictures. The kindergarten teacher’s house is right by the river and is surrounded by mountains. Quite an awesome location. Well, after spending hours cooking, talking, watching television, and snacking, I was dropped off at home at around 10pm with a bag filled with a container with soup, some dumplings I had made, and fresh kimchi that I enjoyed during lunch.

The next day I woke up and took a bus to the neighboring town, Bongpyeong, in order to buy some cereal (my town’s market has the same bland cereal so I take a bus to get different cereals). As I was walking through the town, a random grandfather-like farmer called me over and started talking to me about some bicycles that were left on his farm. He asked if I was a high school student, and when I said no, he continued to tell me what he wanted to say. Basically some high school students left bicycles on his farm and he wanted me to tell him what to do about it...either I go to the high school and tell them to get their bikes or give him advice. I told him that I wasn’t from the town, so I would have no idea who the owners of the bikes were. After that interesting episode, purchased my cereal and then took the bus back to my town. The rest of the afternoon was spent listening to John Piper, watching UFC 105, exercising at my school’s playground, and playing with some neighborhood dogs. Tomorrow marks another week at Jangpyeong Elementary School.

With only a little over a month left, I am going to make a conscious effort to spend as much time with my students as possible. Going to school early, playing with them, and helping around school. Through all of this, I cannot depend on my own strength. Lord, let your will be done.

Peppero Day, Dog Stew, Broken Buses, and Wanting to Stay

the biggest peppero box...

dog stew :)

a small collection of peppero on my desk

In Korea, November 11th is officially Peppero Day. My students explained to me that since the date is 11/11, the number 1s next to each other look like peppero. Makes sense, kinda. I don't remember having a Snickers Day or Whatchamecallit Day, but no bitter feelings haha. Anyways, the day before the infamous day, my students made me promise to bring them peppero. So, I made a 15 min. trip to the closest supermarket to buy a stack of peppero boxes. The next day at school, I was ambused by cases of peppero, home-made and store bought, along with special super-long peppero sticks. I am officially sick of peppero. For my after-school classes, I gave out Twix bars, explaining that these bars were American Peppero. The kids loved it ^_^

Monday evening I went to a Korean medicinal clinic for herbal medicine and then went to eat roasted duck with the kindergarten teacher and her daughter. At the medicinal clinic (the kindergarten teacher wanted to take me because I sweat a lot when we eat hot things) I was poked around by the doctor and then diagnosed with a weak stomach (I already knew this). So now I will be consuming a herbal tonic 3 times a day. After the clinic, the place we went to eat at was attached to a duck farm and there is usually a wait of 2 hours to eat there on the weekends. The meat was extremely delicious and we conversed about booking a movie theater (apparently there are movie theaters with bed-like seats that you can book), going to Lotte World, real estate prices, and the opening of a new middle school nearby. Overall, an enjoyable evening.

On Wednesday evenings I volunteer my services to my town's local church to teach English to the youth. In exchange, I am served dinner along with the students I teach. Well, it started as a cordial matter from 5 to around 8. But suddenly, the pastor is now telling me to stay until 10. Now, I am conflicted. First, I am extremely tired after being at school for over 6 hours. Second, I really want to help the high school students; however, the pastor is making me set aside an hour primarily for the elementary students and keeps telling me to focus on them. Third, my focus is the elementary students at my school, and if I am tired the next day, lessons do not go so well. In order to encourage me to spend more time there, the pastor tells me that God is using me. The issue is that by 8, I always have a headache from the day so I don't know how good I will be afterwards if I am just grumpy. Since I am very much an introvert, I treasure my moments alone because it allows me to recharge. Being at school and then the church classes is fun, but extremely draining. I have a week to decide what I'm going to do.

Thursday evening I went out for dog stew with the kindergarten teacher, 6th grade teacher, and her husband. The meat was definitely interesting; tender yet flavorless. Supposedly, eating dog meat gives you endurance in bed, so lots of guys love eating dog stew. I admit, the soup itself was quite delicious, but I probably won't be jumping at the next chance to eat some dog meat.

Friday morning I woke up at 6:30 to head to Wonju in order to visit the Korea Exchange Bank. After eating street dumplings and doing some currency exchange, I caught a bus back to my town in order to make in time for school. On the highway, 5 km away from my town, the bus broke down. The fact that the bus broke down was fine; things like that happen...come on, the law of entropy. However, what got on my nerves was the constant complaining of everyone on the bus. A emergency bus was coming in 15 minutes, but everyone continued to complain. The girl in front of me kept saying she was pissed off and she must have called 15 of her 오빠s to tell them how cold and alone she was on a broken bus. Give me a break. The 아주마s were pissed off at the driver (how was it his fault?) and were thinking of calling a cab (come on, just wait 15 minutes). Anyways, whether here or in the states, people are the same: persistent in complaining.

Wanting to stay:
Monday morning before I entered the school building I gave a call to my father to ask him how he was doing. As we talked, my first and second graders began to accumulate around me, trying to understand what was coming out of my mouth. They deciphered that I told my dad I would be coming home in December and would arrive on a Sunday morning at LAX. Immediately I began to be interrogated by my students. Would I be leaving for good in December? Where does my dad live? Will you be back next year? We really want to be in your after-school English program next year (the Korean school year starts in February and ends in December…makes a lot of sense). Later during my 5th and 6th grade class the 5th grade students asked to make sure that I would be their teacher next year before they graduate. In order to avoid the question, I refrained from answering.

After the questioning and playing with the students, I headed up to my classroom burdened by what had just happened. I forgot about it, but after school when I arrived home I couldn’t help but think more about what had happened. I came to Korea for a couple reasons: impact and inspire the children in the countryside to pursue their dreams, understand the society where my parents come from, and enjoy a break from formal academia. As the months have passed, many relationships have developed that have caused me to be attached. Attached to my school, my town, my children, my co-teachers, everything. It seems as though my contract here is ending just when I have settled and formed ties into the community. Have I made an impact? Right now I wish my present situation can be frozen in time…that I could have the same students, work at the same school, converse with the same teachers, and live in the same community. All of us know that this is not possible. Even if I stayed, things would change. With our childhoods as evidence, people come in and out of our lives, and situations we look back on as ideal were just part of our normal life in the past (family dinners, playing with siblings, buying video games with friends, etc.) However, at this present moment I am at the transition. Soon I will be back in the states, returning to what I considered my normal life. Sometimes I grow weary of my desire to venture outside of my comfort zone. The reason is that once I return, nothing is the same. The same comfort zone that brought me satisfaction in the past no longer can satisfy. So, do I believe it would be better to be naïve to what I’ve seen? Of course not.

The other night I was eating dinner with the kindergarten teacher, the 6th grade teacher, and the 6th grade teacher’s husband. As we conversed, we eventually came to the topic of where we would be in a few years. From my perspective, I had just come to Jangpyeong, so everything that was in place seems like it was always that way and always will be. However, to the residents and members of this community, change is expected and continual (just like back at home). As a visitor I am naïve to this change because after my snapshot of the community, I will be returning to my hometown in the states. Regardless, I learned of the plans of the teachers moving on, selling their houses, moving to different communities, and more. Content in my current situation, I grew restless with the realization that soon Jangpyeong will be different from the Jangpyeong I know in only a few years.

What is burdening me? I want to stay and make a longing impact; appeasing the desire for the students wanting me to stay to lead the English programs. However, all reason points to me returning to the states. Finishing school, regaining student status, and moving on with my life. Despite all the rational reasoning that points to me returning, I know that the faces of my students will never leave my mind or conscience. They have become a part of me. Jangpyeong has become a part of me. More than just a memory…

Random:
I purchased Barak Obama’s "Dreams from My Father" online and received it Monday. Tuesday evening I finished it, and loved it. I very much recommend it to all who are curious about who our president is, how it is like to have parents from another country, or just want to read a great novel-like autobiography.

Paragliding

I'm off!

Running off the mountain...

The hand that helped me win the only game I won that night after 20+ games of go-stop.

It's official now that I have the certificate!

Some friends waiting for their take-off.

Random rock park next to the paragliding base camp.

About to take-off...

The view I had from the top.

Going down the mountain...

Some friends...

Yay!!!

Say cheese!

Early Saturday morning I woke up to beautiful weather and the realization that I was going paragliding soon. Throughout the morning prior to going to Pyeongchang for paragliding, I received messages of late change of plans (missed bus, etc). The entire week spent planning and making reservations for the experience was definitely interesting. I must have called the paragliding center 6 or more times to reschedule our reservations. Regardless, Heidi, Angella, Hyung Bin, Niel, and I made it safely to the paragliding center. Expecting a training session prior to take-off, I was surprised to learn that we were to receive verbal training on the car up the mountain and were immediately put in our suits to take off. I was basically given 2 instructions. One, keep running off the mountain and don’t stop. Two, when you land, lift up your legs.
20 minutes after arriving at the center, I was literally running off a mountain attached to a parachute device and a certified glider. For the next 10 minutes, I was airborne, feeling the rush of wind against my face. Quietly, I gazed upon the city and mountains as we soared above making circles above the forest. When it came to landing, I lifted my legs up and hit the soft sand without any trouble. Strangely, there was no thrill to the experience…it was more like a very peaceful flight. Jet-skiing and tubing with my sister was much more heart-pumping. However, paragliding is a notch above parasailing. Overall, a very enjoyable experience.

Hyungbin caught a bus back to his city, so 4 of us went back to my town to enjoy odang and hodduk being sold at the street stalls. Niel went back to his town, and we met up with my roommate at Suwon, Steven. After eating sulungtang and drinking some makkoli we rested at my home. Deciding that it was too early, we caught a 8PM bus to Phoenix Park, the local ski resort that offers free bus rides from my town. At Phoenix Park we enjoyed the snow and an amazing arcade where every game costs 300-500 won (even Time Crisis). Around 11 we took a taxi back to my place and played go-stop until 2 in the morning. Strangely, in my small room we managed to all fit and sleep pretty comfortably. The next morning I made breakfast and they headed back to their respective cities.

Well, this weekend was definitely a blessing as new experiences with good friends were combined. Now, a new week will begin.

First Snow

I don't look too happy...but I am.

Snow!

Chilling with the little cousins.

This morning I woke up to a call from the kindergarten teacher telling me to look outside. I opened my door to a view of snow falling gently on the already white covered ground. Putting out my hand, I was met by a crisp snowflake on my hand. Snow is here!

Very random, but I just remembered my shopping experience last night. Walking back from the bus terminal, I saw a rack outside filled with winter clothes and a woman standing outside in the rain selling the clothes. I decided to go and buy a North Face vest (45,000 won) and something very countryside happened. The woman selling the clothes saw I had a bag filled with groceries, so she opened it and basically told me she was going to take some of my groceries because she gave me the vest at a discount. Taking my chocolate cookies and milk, she then told me to make sure I stay warm and helped me zip up my new padded vest. First, the seller takes my cookies. Second, dresses me up. Haha, I love it.

Over the weekend, I planned on going to Seoul to do some gift shopping, but was met up an intense day of rain. Like most of my plans, my planned day was forcibly altered, so I went to a jimjilbang to take a bath and enjoy some banana milk while reading comic books. After a couple of hours there, took the subway and a bus to my grandmother’s home. Ordered pizza and chicken for my younger cousins and me to eat while watching TV together. The next day, I ate lunch (roasted duck…yummy) with my cousin who is about to end his military service, and then headed back to my town.

I have to go to school now, so peace!