Top 10 List

Well, I’ve been here for 10 months. I think it’s time to share with you the reason for staying yet another year in this wonderful country.

10. Hiking. There are so many beautiful places to go hiking whether it’s in Seoul or around the country. Due to my bout with illness in the fall I missed two hikes, but aim to visit Bukhansan and Seoraksan in the Spring.

9. Ondol Heat System. Imagine your feet are never cold. In the dead of winter, you come home, take off your shoes, take off your socks and your feet are nice and toasty warm. No more jewelry falling down the heating vents, no more is there a need to lean over the vent to get warm. Just lie down on the floor because the whole thing is heated!!!

8. Restaurants. They’re not trying to take you for all your money – just the chain restaurants from America. You can get a full meal complete with the main dish and endless side dishes for around $5! And the food is good for you. And it tastes good too! It’s a Christmas miracle!

7. Public Transportation. So convenient and relatively inexpensive. The subway trains can take you anywhere you need to go in the city. The bus routes are laid out pretty well too. Although, the bus can be its own amusement park ride at times…as my Aunt Sue would say, “Hang on to your pantyhose!” No, really…hang on to something. The buses are all stick shifts and some of the drivers are…well…fascinating as to how and where they obtained a drivers license.

6. My Korean Tutor…he’s cute. Enough said.

5. Street Food Vendors. Hotteok is amazing. It’s a pancake with brown sugary deliciousness inside. And then there’s shawarma for a late night snack. And Tteokbokki. And kabobs. And it’s cheap – I know you’ll like that Dad.

4. Going to the movies. For one, you don’t pay an arm and a leg for concessions. You can get a “couples” package that includes 2 sodas and a huge popcorn for under $7. And…the best part…you get to pick your seats before getting into the theatre. So no more lineups for Harry Potter afraid that you won’t be able to sit with the rest of your crew. No more fights over the back rows and you are no longer forced to sit in the front row if you are late. You have a seat reserved! It’s fantastic! Why don’t they do that in the States?

3. Health care. It’s affordable and medicine too doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg. Now making an appointment with a non-English speaking receptionist might be a challenge but who cares? Typically 3-5 days of medicine will cost around $5 (unless you get an inhaler or U.S. drug – then it’s very expensive (but not as expensive as the States).

2. Korean Dramas. I have spent many happy hours watching Korean Dramas on the internet. Check out KimchiDrama.net and watch Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Dr. Champ, Boys Over Flowers, and Athena (the newest one). Yes, some of it may be a little cheesy, but it’s nice to dive into another world for a while…or a long while.

1. My kids. The kids I teach are just so cute. Even when they’re bad, and not listening, and talking because they’re trying to tattle on each other, and picking their noses until they bleed, and attempting to punch the boy across the room because that boy said that the other boy has a crush on a girl in the classroom, I still just love them. And when you can teach them something and they actually learn it, it’s amazing. I’m truly happy teaching these kids even on my worst day.

So those are the basics of why I’m staying here. Now I could think of a few more, but perhaps I’ll save that for next year’s list ;)

Hotel MizMedi

It’s September. The leaves are changing color indicating that Fall is coming just around the corner. Where did summer go? And why have I started coughing? Hmm…must take more vitamin C.
A couple of weeks pass and it’s time for Chuseok and a 6 day vacation! My friend, RJ, and his friend stop in Korea for a brief 2 day visit and I proceed to take them to the hottest tourist spots in Seoul…which is almost impossible in 2 days. As we’re walking down from Namsan Tower, I start to realize that my cough and my overall health are not up to par. I part with my friends, and head for home.
It’s just a cold, right? I stop by a pharmacy the next day and pick up some cough medicine. By Thursday, I have not left the house and keep thinking that if I just rest a little more, everything will be alright. Friday rolls around and it’s time for everyone to get back to work. Except for me.
“Danny will pick you up to take you to the clinic,” Jane, the Head Teacher at my hagwon, did not want me to go alone after hearing my voice on the phone.
Danny knocks on the door. “Oh, my. Did you eat lunch?” I turn my head indicating no. “I’ll be right back.” I feel weak and so tired.
He comes back 20 minutes later with water and porridge. “We will leave for the hospital at 1:30, OK?”
He leaves to take care of some other business and I attend to making my lunch. Thirty minutes later, Danny arrives and so have hives on my arms from the porridge. Why did I have to eat the seafood porridge, first?
We make it to the hospital. First, I have to register with the desk on the second floor. Then we see the doctor on the first floor. I need a chest x-ray and a few other tests. We go to the third floor…blood work. Now to the fourth floor, chest x-ray. Then in for an EKG or one of the heart tests…the contraption looked positively medieval – like in the Pit of Despair in the movie The Princess Bride. Yes, it freaked me out. Our last stop was the ER where I received an IV of fun fluids which I’m sure were packed with vitamins and other helpful “stuff.” Danny tells me that I will need to stay in the ER for an hour and he leaves for about 30 minutes.
I’m supposed to rest. And how, exactly, am I supposed to rest? I have been coughing through the night for weeks now and they want me to lay completely flat on the hospital bed. I try…unsuccessfully.
Danny returns. “You have pneumonia. You will need to stay in the hospital for one week.” He shows me his cell phone in case he said the illness name incorrectly.
I stare at the phone hoping that he is wrong. “What!!????!!! Am I going to get fired?” Why that was my initial response, I’ll never know.
“They are setting up your room right now. It will be on the 5th floor.”
My mind is reeling. What have I done? How could I get this sick?
Danny and I take the elevator to the 5th floor. They give me my wrist band (which I will keep forever). They take my medical history – which is quite comical as the nurse speaks just a little bit of English. She asks when my first period was; which I told her. Her eyes became as big as saucers. “No, no. Sorry, sorry. When was your last period?” Te he he…
After already being poked twice by needles that day, she needs to put in another IV, but there is now a problem. My bracelets from Spain are in the way. I couldn’t get them to glide over my hands. “You can cut them.” As the words fell from my lips I could barely hold back the tears. Danny saw and said “They must be very special.” They only cost 2 euros, but I had been wearing the bracelets since I bought them in Spain. They were special, because they reminded me of how I even ended up in Korea. The nurse cut them off and gave them to me. I threw them away despite the fact that I loved them dearly. I thought that I shouldn’t be so attached to “things” anymore and I don’t regret throwing them in the trash to this day.
After the IV was inserted, and a few other shots injected both intravenously and in my arms, and one in my butt (or as the nurse referred to it – muscular), Danny made sure all was well, and then headed for home. I will forever be grateful to Danny, our General Manager, who stayed by my side for almost 6 hours while I was tested, poked, and dragged all over the hospital. If he would not have been there, I would have been a complete disaster.
Now, I was alone, in a hospital, where English is definitely NOT the primary language.
An hour passes and Jane arrives with some things from home. How mortifying that my boss has seen my underpants!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! She is delighted to tell me that even though I forgot to mention it, she has brought my face lotion. This is not a necessity, but by the fourth day I was certainly glad to have it. We talked for a little bit, and then she left and again, I was alone.
The first night I did nothing but cough. I was so nervous to keep the other patients in the room awake. Nurses kept coming in and checking on my temperature and IV every two hours. It’s always lovely to get a shot in your butt at 1 in the morning to help reduce your fever, right?
At 4 in the morning, the woman who was next to me came right in front of my curtain and said “Excuse me! Excuse me!” She brought me tea to help soothe my throat and it was a lovely gesture.
The next day I had another visitor, Soo, one of my teaching partners at the school, and her husband. She brought me some vitamin C drinks, a sandwich, and a delicious cinnamon latte. She was worried about the food…oh, the food.
You are served three meals a day at MizMedi hospital (as I’m sure is typical everywhere else). All three meals include soup, rice, and then some other main dish. Yes, rice three times a day. And usually fish in the morning…but I had had an allergic reaction to seafood when I tried the porridge Danny had brought me. So two more times after the porridge, I also had hives again. Yay!
The second night I hardly got any sleep. I did not want to wake the others so I coughed into my comforter hoping to stifle the sound. I stayed up most of the night and again had to receive another “muscular” shot to reduce my fever.
Day three brought a couple of visitors including my friend King, and Pastoral Assistant Jang from my church and my friend Bebhinn, who stayed to watch one of my favorite Korean TV shows with me. The time spent with Bebhinn was one of my favorites. When we watched the TV show, both her and I could laugh at the show despite the fact that we had no clue what was being said. A woman in a bed two spots down was watching the show as well with some members of her family, and would laugh at the same times. We seemed to take notice of each other and appreciate how we all loved the show together.
Despite the fact that I had kind and lovely visitors that day, the third night was the absolute worst. My fever had returned again and I had to get yet another shot in the ass. Right before the shot was to enter my “muscular” my body convulsed into a coughing fit. The nurse did not wait for me to finish, and jabbed the needle into my skin causing me to yelp like a small puppy. OUCH!!!!! I started to cry. The nurse left after apologizing and tears continued to flow.
I was feeling absolutely awful and worst of all lonely. I understood that the conditions made it impossible for my family to be here but I missed them dearly and wished someone could be with me. More than anyone, I wanted my brother there, because I knew he could make me laugh no matter how bad I was feeling. When I started to lose hope, I said prayers for my friends and family. And then I prayed for all of my students. I started to get sleepy, and I finally closed my eyes to rest.
Monday morning, the phone rang. It was my mother’s voice and boy was it LOUD!!! “Marybeth!!!! It’s MOM!!! We got through!!!” I can only imagine how the ears of the poor people at the desk are probably still ringing. I talked to my parents for a bit and then went back to sleep.
After the third night, I decided it was time to do something outside of my small area. I grabbed my laptop after dinner and headed for the wi-fi zone. It was time to watch some episodes of my favorite Korean drama, Sungkyunkwan Scandal. So, from that night forward, every night after my dinner of rice and soup and whatever else, I would watch my show. The nurses, started to learn where to find me when they needed to give me medicine and check on me and a few of them and I were able to talk about the show I was watching in regards to which actor was (is) the cutest.
I started to get settled at the hospital and created a routine. 7 a.m. Breakfast. Then go to get a chest x-ray or go back to sleep. 9:00a.m. doctor visit. 9:30a.m. Unit’s call. Sleep some more. Then read. 12 p.m. Lunch! Read. Read. Read. 6 p.m. Dinner. Check the internet and watch Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I ended up reading 3 books that week too.
During the middle of the week, the nurse told me that I again had a fever. She said she would wait an hour before giving me a shot to see if it would go down. I decided not to panic, and instead grabbed my ipod from the nightstand and listened to classical music to relax, hoping that the beautiful, soothing music would somehow help reduce my fever. When the nurse came back, to my surprise and hers, my temperature had gone back to normal! Yay!
The rest of the week was met with more shots, a hand that became extremely fat due to the IV, luckily two showers, and a few more visitors – Brittany (who came twice), Gordon, Kelly, and the Korean teachers - Kelly, Stephanie, Esther, and Jenny.
After being in the hospital for 9 days, I finally checked out.
When I returned to teaching, it was wonderful to see the look on my students’ faces. I couldn’t believe how excited they were, especially my afternoon kids – they wanted to know everything!
Doctor Lee and the nurses on the fifth floor at MizMedi took very good care of their patient in bed four in room 508. And while I never hope to repeat this visit, I will never forget my stay at the Korean hospital.

First Love

Rose walked into the classroom. I said hello…but he simply gazed. And gazed. And gazed. And then a smile broke. You could tell. It was written all over his face. For weeks he had been hugging Sally, holding her hand, and sharing his colored pencils with her. But that all came to an end. Rose, the new student, had arrived.

Louis smiled and waved and continued to say “Hello Rose!” And when she finally responded with a smile and giggle, he was beside himself. I’ve seen crushes take place in the classroom this year, but this was like a soap opera in the making.

As class began, Louis became a VERY active participant in class. He wanted to be first. He wanted to win. But most of all, he wanted Rose to notice. Louis is usually last to raise his hand, first to get out of his seat when not necessary, and always doing cute things that should make you mad but just make you laugh instead. Like today for example, when he ran around the room with the toy trident Edison had brought to school for Halloween (and forgot to take home) pretending to slash everyone and making sounds with the manliest voice he could muster. But on the day Rose arrived, not only did he keep up his comedy act, he also tried to be a model student.

Of course Rose was overwhelmed by Orange Class’ outstanding kindness to her that day. I was so proud as they all helped her to change her shoes, find her locker, and help her with the classroom songs and command rhymes that we do each day. I hardly had to help her with anything. But this angered Louis. Rose was paying attention to all of the other students. He wanted the attention from Rose.

As she became adjusted to the classroom, her little voice would comment or answer a question here and there. Louis continued to rest his chin in his hands with a big grin on his face staring only in her direction.

When it came time to complete workbook pages, his usual desire to sit there and stare into space turned into a desire to do a good job and finish his work. Rose needed a little bit of assistance to finish her pages. Upon seeing this, Louis yelled from across the room, “You can do it Rose!”

But then storybook time came. And all hell broke loose! The students who are sitting the best are welcomed first to the reading mat. Since it was Rose’s first day, she was one of the first students to come to the mat. Of course, everyone wanted to sit by her. Louis began to panic. You could tell what was going on inside his brain…Oh no! Oh no! Everybody wants to sit by her! Teacher, call on me! Call on me!!!!! But it was too late. May and Sally had already seized the day by telling Rose they wanted to sit by her. The damage was done.

As Louis came to the mat, he asked May to move over. Then Sally. He turned and looked at me like a crazed student who had just lost his cheat sheet for the calculus exam. And then…the tears came. I tried to help. I did the best I could as a teacher. “May or Sally, would you mind moving over just a bit? Louis really wants to sit by Rose today.” And then, “Louis you can sit next to her tomorrow. Could you sit here today?” The tears kept flowing. Manners Teacher was in the room. She picked up Louis and carried him out of the classroom. There was no way to get him to move. He wouldn't sit anywhere else. As he was whisked away outside the classroom to have a chat with Manners Teacher, he looked back to see his true love, for that day, smiling and giggling with the girls.

A few minutes later Louis came back to the room. Eyes dry and a small smile peeking through what he tried to make a frown. He took a sad seat on the mat, away from Rose, and listened to the end of the story.

I don’t know what happened after that. It was my turn to leave for the day.
Days later, Louis has returned his focus to Sally. But I will never forget the day he first saw Rose. It kind of makes me wonder how I felt and what I did when I saw my first crush…

Jump In

Sometimes the best decisions are made on an impulse. I joined these meetup groups for a reason, so what am I doing? I pressed the RSVP “Yes” button without hesitation and that was that. I’ve just signed myself up for a whitewater rafting and river trekking trip. But what is river trekking? I am embarrassed to admit that I actually had to look it up on wikipedia. Luckily, my intuition was right. Now to get some gear.

After purchasing a pair of hybrid water/hiking shoes (that I actually had considered buying in the states a year ago), I was ready to go as I walked out of exit 1 at Ab Gu Jeong station. A light rain drizzled and the sky was filled with clouds, but I was leaving Seoul for the weekend in search of a recharge and no amount of rain could change my upbeat attitude.

After boarding the bus, I realize there are many people who know one another. I don’t know anyone. What am I doing? Slight moment of social anxiety creeps into my brain but immediately subsides as I ask to sit next to a single traveler. We end up talking for most of the bus ride talking about life back home and in Seoul.

A few hours later, the bus pulls in to the river rafting parking lot and I am pumped! We are told in broken English to make 6 lines of 8 people and it is quite a mess trying to organize 45+ people. We work it out and are given our guides. My guide is crazy. I’m immediately reminded of Charlie, the rafting guide who for two years in a row, entertained and barreled his way through the Lower and Upper Gauley in West Virginia with some of my closest friends on board. It’s going to be a great ride!

We head towards the river as the men of our crew carry the raft while the ladies and guide hold hands. How cute. We reach the water and are basically told we’re the renegade boat by our guide. You know, the boat that splashes everyone to no end and is super sneaky. Wha ha ha ha. We soak in the river for a minute to get used to the water (in case we fall out) and hop in the raft.

Throughout the ride, we shout “Soju” for each row as instructed by our guide and can’t help but laugh at the hilarity of it all. We sneak up and splash other boats both part of our group and not and start to form a bond. The guide, who later reveals himself as “Navigation,” begins to speak more English as the raft heads downriver. At the important moments, he tells our accidental translator, Lindsay, that the upcoming rapid is important and we have to listen to him. We trust him with our lives which is quite a feat in the grand scheme of things, isn’t it?

The ride ends and while we never navigated through class 5 rapids, I am extremely satisfied and elated. Our group of 45 loads back on to the bus and we head to our lodging for the evening.

The pension is gorgeous! We have it all to ourselves and it’s nestled amongst the mountains. We make dinner including fajitas, cheeseburgers, and Korean bbq and end up playing a few games into the night. I retire around 11:30 to my space on the floor – which is quite a common accommodation in Korea – and awake the next morning to a beautiful blue sky…at 6:30am. YUCK!!!

Three hours later…it’s back on the bus for day 2’s activities. Rumor had it that we were all going to jump off a bridge…ha ha ha!

We get to the start of our path and after a brief (very brief) stretch, I start walking. The hill starts to get steep. It doesn’t flatten out very often. Am I this out of shape? I push forward. My new friend Sandy, is slowing her pace too. Trucks full of Korean men and women pass us…is this a sign? Are we nuts to be climbing this? We continue uphill for the first hour of the trek. The incline is much more than I thought it would be. Three times I think, “should I give up?” But how can I give up? I am no wimp.

At these moments, I start to dig into my arsenal of encouragement. I think back to 8th grade and Mr. Crumell and reading the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling. Keep going Mb! Keep going! I even think about Billy Blanks at the end of the hellacious TaeBo workout. Oh dear. Either way, it helps and I keep going. Just when I think that I’m not going to go any further, Sandy comes up alongside me and tells me to keep going. I push forward and five minutes later, we’re at the top! Hooray!

Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the bottom of the hill and at the bridge. People are already jumping off. Am I going to do this? The courageous side of me urges me to go. The fearful, trapped side of me holds me back. Sandy asks, “are you going to jump?”
My mind clears. “If I’m going to do this, I’m just going to walk over to that bridge, climb over the railing and jump, as if it’s one fluid movement.”
And that, with the exception of double-checking where exactly to jump (because there were shallow points), is exactly what I did.
I scream at the top of my lungs. There’s no reason to scream, but it feels like an amazing release. I break through the surface of the water and I feel rejuvenated. Imagine the voice of Borat running through your brain saying “Great success! I like!”

The journey continues down the river as we all stumble our way for the next 4 hours over slippery rocks and through trails where only feet have walked. I swim, and climb, and jump, and slide, and walk some more. Towards the end of the trek, five women have grouped together and we start to anticipate the end. We follow a team of Korean men and women and after a few miscommunications, make our way to the final stretch. When we reach the end, we all shout for joy…and then run for dry clothing and food.

While I cannot say this was the greatest weekend of my life; I can say, without a doubt, that it marks a significant turning point. This trip was a great adventure…and I know, after this experience, that there are many more adventures to come here in Korea.

They're watching you!

It’s been a few months. Classes are moving along and the weeks are going by incredibly fast. Before things really get fired up, I figure it’s now time to look back on the early moments that I will forever remember and now can actually laugh at.

You see, every parent of a student at my school is able to watch their child live via a video camera placed in the classroom. Being monitored can be a bit of a frustrating business as you never know what the parent is looking for in regards to the learning environment. In my experience over the past few months, I’ve discovered that having high expectations on a seemingly perfect lesson plan can sometimes result in panic, disappointment and eventual hilarity.

Here are some of the highlights:

Preschool – very first monitoring.
Eleven bright students have just finished singing and dancing one of the many tunes they know in month 2. It’s time to sit down and get ready for storybook time.
Rule #1 – never change the seating arrangement on the day you’re being monitored.
Three children (whom we’ll call A, B, and C) are being monitored in this class, so they are seated together to be in perfect view of the camera. Horrible idea. The kids sit down. Student A decides to start rubbing Student B’s head. “A!!! Please stop rubbing B’s head!” Repeat. Repeat. Student B’s hair is sticking up. What fun! Student A continues to rub Student B’s head to create static electricity. “A!!!! Stop!!!” Then Student C starts laughing hysterically and refuses to sit down. Other children are yelling at Student A and Student C (the troublemakers in the class)…”Students A & C! Be quiet and listen to the teacher!!!” In walks Manner’s Teacher – my savior. She speaks a little native language and the kids become well-behaved students…I however, receive several bad ratings that stick with me for the rest of the day.


Preschool – round 2, different class.
Everything is going swimmingly. The kids have sung and danced and are listening to the teacher. It’s now time to read our storybook. The students are supposed to repeat the phrase after me. Silence. Crap. “Let’s try that again.” Silence…again. We keep moving forward. “Teachor, story bad.” Lovely. But at least they’re speaking English right?

Hi Kids – Level 1. Afternoon program.
This class is WILD!!!! They’re actually a lot of fun once tamed. As you can probably guess, this was not the day of control. One student in particular decides to talk and repeat everything I say for the entire class. There’s not much I can do.
The lesson continues and the kids cannot handle the conversation activity in pairs. I have to stop it 1 minute in and change it to a more controlled activity…BORING.
Then out of nowhere my hyper active student gets up and starts running around the classroom like a mad man. “NO STARS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK!!!!” “Teacher why?” Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh…

Overall, things have improved over time. There are still some classes that don’t go as well as I would like but I’m starting to figure out what makes the kids more participatory in class and more willing to listen. Some days can be very long but other days you have these moments of greatness where a preschooler may shout “Pegasus” for his p-word or a student may give you a complete sentence without any teacher instruction. I try to remember these good moments whenever I’m having a rough day in class…and then I take away all of my students’ stars…wha ha ha ha ha ha.

Bouncing Back. Phase 1. DJ Fest

Three days have passed since the intervention. It’s Saturday but more importantly, it’s DJ Fest Day! I’m ready to dance. I’ve been waiting a long time to cut loose and dance like it’s my job. Dancing is what makes me tick and I can’t wait to get there.

Most of my fellow co-workers are attending the festival so we all meet downstairs our apartment complex to leave together. We pile into taxicabs and make our way to Han River Park. Many of us have backpacks full of food to take into the festival to save a little dough once inside.

About 15 minutes later, we arrive! But a few members of our party are not here, so we wait outside the entrance until the lost crew arrives. Then, disaster strikes. No food or drinks allowed inside the festival!!! So I guess the dozens of cookies I have packed into a lunch box will have to be consumed quickly. We eat what we can, attempt to conceal what we can, and I start giving cookies to others who are eating, or shall I say others who had the same brilliant idea, around us. Sharing is caring, right?

We pack up our stuff and head into the festival. Our bags are searched and not only are the security people discarding food and drinks, but precious Altoids, Aleve, and other random things. I admit that it’s a good precaution to discard the Aleve – either for safety or legal concerns, but Altoids?

I make it through the line and feel somewhat scandalous…I was able to sneak about 6 cookies and 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in…wha ha ha ha! Does this make me a villain now? I just couldn’t let it go to waste.

Anyways – we set up a base camp near the main stage and set off to explore. There are many vendors to visit and my co-worker Bebhinn and I waste no time with the boring ones. We head straight to the big tent. Inside is a Dance Dance Revolution game so of course, we have to play! Best part of all…it’s free! The music playing inside the tent is so loud we can’t hear the music on the video game so we end up doing poorly. But all is well, stepping side to side and back and forth only represents a small percentage of our dance repertoire.

We both leave the tent feeling pumped and ready to participate in more activities and end up coming across the tattoo parlor tent. Ten minutes later I emerge with my new tattoo of a dragon who I decide to name Frank. (Don’t worry Mom, it’s fake.) We show off our tattoos and decide to explore some more.

For the next hour or so, I end up wandering around meeting up with different co-workers and discover that Brittany has been using her hula hoop to meet new friends. Elya has gotten a gigantic tattoo on her arm, and Jesse has painted his face with a huge mustache and black mask covering his eyes. There are so many cool things to do here and have I mentioned the music? Perhaps I should save that for later.

I head to the make-up vendor and receive a makeover. She asks me what I would like and I tell her to just make me look “hot.” Well, as you can tell from the picture she and I had very different ideas of what that meant, but I actually end up liking the makeup quite well. It goes along with my tattoo and outfit for the day and I am happy!

I meet up with Bebhinn again and we decide to head to another stage that has more vendors surrounding it. In this area, my FAVORITE area, I have jems glued to my face to enhance the eye makeup, make a button with my name spelled in Hangeul, get a Polaroid picture taken for free with my buddy, play the djembe drum, and have I mentioned dance like it’s my job yet?

Perhaps I should start with the catalyst to the dance extravaganza. It all begins with an African drum circle. There are about 30 djembe drums open to anyone who wants to sit in on the circle. I begin to play the drum remembering the techniques from my lesson a few years ago. Other members of our group have found their way over and start to play as well. A crowd starts to form around the circle and I decide to get up to offer my drum to another person wanting to play. I walk over to a few members of our group who have decided to watch and then realize that the man leading the drum circle wants people to dance. I am not bashful in this situation and burst to the front. I start to dance recalling the moves from Dunuya Drum and Dance back home and the leader breaks into a huge smile. A group of Korean women come to the front and start following what I’m doing. It is here in this moment that I am, for the first time in a while, unbelievably happy.

I continue to dance for a bit and am handed a tambourine. Sweet! I dance a little bit longer and then decide that it’s time to start listening to the DJs. The drum circle has gotten me revved up for more dancing and it’s time to unleash the dancer in me even more.

Again, with my partner in crime, Bebhinn, we head over to the stage and listen to one of the best DJs I’ve ever heard. He plays music both new and old; songs that I warmed up to at cheerleading camp in high school; songs that are hits today; and songs that just make you want to dance…of course. A few others from our group end up coming over and we dance for what seems like hours. In reality it is probably only two hours, but it is fabulous nonetheless.

A new act comes onto the stage and we decide to head to the main stage where our base camp is and where hundreds of people have gathered to watch and listen. I spend a few minutes talking to our group and find out the activities in which they have participated. Still pumped up by the previous DJ, I head up towards the front of the main stage alone to dance a bit more. Video cameramen are roaming around and just as one makes his way towards my area, a young Korean man comes up to me and we start mimicking each other’s dance moves. It’s quite comical (or maybe I just think it is) and the next thing I know, there is a video cameraman recording us. So, somewhere there is footage of me dancing with a random stranger and having one of the greatest nights in Seoul so far.

It is amazing to look around and see so many people dancing and enjoying the music. And for me, what’s more, is that I am starting to feel like myself. I’m starting to bounce back and once again, dance is the major factor in the equation.

The Reality of it All...

WARNING: THIS IS MY REALITY THAT WAS A FEW WEEKS AGO. WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ IS NOT LIGHT-HEARTED.

I’ve been in Korea for a couple of months. Life is well…life. I’ve been sick with one thing or the other. I miss the people who really know me, but I wish they were here. I don’t want to go home, but something just isn’t right here.

Reality hits me. I’m 30 years old, single, and working at a job where most of the co-workers are under the age of 26. Am I too old for this? Am I ever going to get married? Do I like what I’m doing? I’ve been monitored by parents and lately my ratings have not been very good. I’m sinking. I love my kids, but it’s overwhelming when you feel like you’re inadequate at your job. I’m not exercising and at night I watch several episodes of Criminal Minds, NCIS, and Castle. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all good shows but they’re constantly riddled with twisted murderers and young women who have been slain. I’m sinking to a new low emotionally. My social life is something to laugh about. I decline invitations out and am not making plans of my own. I’m used to having people over, being the ring leader for making plans, being the independent woman that I was in the U.S. and Barcelona. Where is that woman?

Holy crap. I’m depressed and the thoughts racing through my brain are not happy ones. But I can’t tell anyone. Those at home will probably just tell me to come home or somehow I’ll end up feeling worse. The people here are nice, but they don’t know me and I am beginning to feel that they don’t even like me.

Then the crying at night begins. I cry myself to sleep feeling pitiful and crying myself to sleep that there is no more left for me in this life. That I have failed – miserably. I start to watch Disney cartoon movies hoping they’ll make me feel better. The Little Mermaid and The Princess and the Frog are supposed to make me happy – I love those movies. But they are based on the concept that every distraught women will end up with their prince. In my life I’ve experienced no such prince – at least in a romantic sense.

It is important that I tell you this, dear reader, because it’s who I am at this particular moment in time. I’m 30 years old, living in what feels to be a concrete jungle, surrounded by people I hardly know, walking in a sea of people who don’t speak my language on a daily basis, and feeling inadequate in both a personal and professional sense. I am struggling to find the positive.

The weekend approaches and I talk to two friends from home. Towards the end of our conversation I begin tell them how I’ve been feeling. They are concerned and want to talk about it in greater detail. However, I end up running out of time with them as I have finally made plans with a couple of people to go to Seoul Tower. The trip to the Tower helps a bit as I was able to be around nature but it’s only a temporary relief.

A few days later, I decide to go to dinner with two girls from work. I begin to tell them what I’m feeling. I don’t ever want people to feel sorry for me. I’m just not like that. I just want to explain what’s happening so they know.

The evening gets better. I feel better having told someone in Seoul what’s going on. And it’s nice not to have to keep everything in all the time. We go to a pub to play darts and hang out and I start to feel happier. We board the subway that will take us home and that’s when it hits again.

A situation between an elderly man and me ignites a fire in one of the girls I am with and she lets me have it. I didn’t understand but somehow I have hurt her feelings everyday at work. How this all started, I am not entirely sure. I never intend to be malicious and hurt someone’s feelings and I have no idea what I am saying to hurt her feelings. I will not go into further details, but know that at this point, I feel as though I have no friends in Seoul and I reach the ultimate low.

I decide that at this point, there is no way to rectify the situation tonight. I have tried to understand and have not been given examples to become enlightened. How can I fix something if I don’t know how I am hurting a person? So, I separate myself from the other two and try to resolve the problem as best I can. I send a text to a co-worker to try to make some changes to help the girl who is angry with me.

The train pulls into the station and I quickly make my way back to my apartment. I want to be alone. I see co-workers sitting around a table outside and decide to go around the long way to get to the apartment building entrance. I reach my apartment floor and there are two people outside – one whom I just texted. Crap. I just want to be alone. Then the other two I was with earlier arrive at my door. There’s no escaping.

I go to my door. I am fine. Please leave me alone. I just want to be alone right now. They tell me I’m being irrational and that something is wrong. Something has been wrong for a while, they say. Please for god’s sake just leave me alone. I tell them they wouldn’t understand. They’re not my close friends. I really just wanted to call one of my friends from home, but for some reason I don’t say this. I open my door and they try to force their way in. I get the door closed and lock it. I try to fire up my computer. Then I remember…someone out there knows my code. CRAP!!! There are beeping noises. The door opens. I try to close it begging them to leave me alone.

I start to give in. I tell them how I feel about things. I think I would’ve reached this point no matter what city. This point has been building for a while. This moment has been approaching since I left Europe, maybe even before then.

That night, four women came into my apartment and listened to all of my pain, my thoughts, what I’ve been living with, who I was before, and who I am now. It was a big release. That night wasn’t the end of my depression, but the start of a new attitude towards life as a woman in her 30s. That night 4 friends left my apartment, and I am forever grateful.

If you are going through anything remotely similar to what I am feeling, know you are not alone. Know that it IS better to talk to someone about it rather than keeping it in. And know that your life will always have meaning and purpose, especially in your darkest hour.

Cherry Blossom Festival

It's Saturday. The weather is a bit gray but I need to get out of my apartment. I've been feeling a bit down lately and am not sure exactly how to pinpoint the reason for my funk. Take action woman!

Hooray! A group is heading to the Cherry Blossom Festival on Yeouido Island (inside the city of Seoul). So I grab my camera and head for the subway.

Eight of us emerge from the subway station and first make a stop at National Assembly taking in the beautiful dome at the top of the building. We quickly grab some pictures and head for the lane that is lined with hundreds of cherry trees.

People are everywhere taking in the trees and contemporary art pieces that mostly contain real flowers. My favorite piece consists of pairs of jeans that have flowers planted inside them (check out the picture).

Along the lane, a Korean man stops me, asks where I'm from and says "this is the most beautiful place in the world." I wonder where he's been and yet marvel at how proud he is of where he's from. How many people in the world feel the same as he does? Do you feel the same about where you're from?

We continue our walk taking pictures and observing the scenery and all of the couples who are wearing matching outfits. It's a big deal here. If you're in a relationship, it's cool to be seen wearing matching shirts, coordinating pants and skirt - or sometimes the same pants and even the same shoes! Many couples exchange matching rings too.

A woman stops Meghan and asks to take a picture of her. She has no idea why. This happens here. If you're a foreigner, people will stop and stare and sometimes get right in your face just to have a look. We discover that the reason why she asked for a picture with Meghan is because of her porcelain skin and fiery red hair. The woman then decides she wants a picture with Meghan, Kelly, and I. Giggling takes place and we politely oblige. Only in Asia.

We continue walking down the pretty lane and near the end of the festival, I notice a tiny girl who is walking with her parents. She is so cute! I smile at her and wave. She smiles. Then her mother tells her to say hello in Korean and bow. "Annyeonghaseyo!" She takes an extreme bow and stays down for an extra second or two and comes back up. I giggle and do the same. She bows again. This goes on for a couple of minutes and the rest of the crew starts to take notice of the girl. She is adorable!

I wave goodbye to my new, tiny friend and decide it's time for me to head back to my place. Today has helped to lift the gray cloud surrounding my mood, but for some reason I'm still not back to me. Maybe I'm finally experiencing culture shock. Maybe I'm not. Maybe this is just me succumbing to the feelings that come with mediocre weather and a lack of exercise. Whatever this funk is, it feels like something that can't be resolved with one visit to a festival or a bag of peanut m&ms. Well, maybe a big bag of peanut m&ms would help...

The Right Eye Catastrophe

The school day is over. I walk out of the building and feel the wind come rushing through my hair. It's one of those supermodel moments where your hair is flowing in the right direction and you feel like you could end up on the cover of Vogue. A second passes and then it hits..."AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" My right eye feels like a pebble the size of a pea has just flown into it. Tears follow. Supermodel moment has ended. Disaster has struck.

It's happened before. Wearing rigid gas permeable contacts has always been a bit tricky. I can get all decked out for a night on the town and then take two steps outside and a little bit of wind causes running mascara and a new hairdo reminiscent of a bird's nest. Yikes! At least this latest wind terror happened after school.

The tears continue as I ride the bus back to my apartment. People are staring but I'm not sure if it's because I'm a waguk or because I'm crying. At home, I decide to take my contacts out and wear my glasses for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, the eye discomfort continues even without the contacts. Oh dear. It takes hours for me to fall asleep. 4 hours later....

I wake up, look in the mirror and...AHHHHH!!! I look awful. My eye is completely red and I will probably scare the children at school. I attempt to put in my contacts. Stupid idea. Well, I guess I'll wear my glasses today.

I see the head teacher and she says "you better concern about your eye. I will have Danny take you to the doctor today." The preschoolers' parents are coming soon and I don't want to look like a scary monster when they come in.
I head to my classes. The preschoolers laugh and point at me. Ha ha! Teacher looks funny! Later in the day my older kids ask "why teacher why?" I explain using big gestures. They laugh. It's soooo funny.

The school day ends and Danny, the General Manager, who was also the man who met me at the hotel on my first day in Korea, asks me to follow him to the eye doctor. I have no idea how much this visit will cost and am slightly concerned. We reach the office. They have a sign about contacts that lists RGP so I point when they ask if I wear contacts (or at least I think they ask this). We are directed to sit down.

30 seconds later we are called into the doctor's office. I sit down. The helper pushes my face forward into the eye magnifying machine and the doctor looks. He pauses and asks Danny a few questions in Korean. Danny turns to me.
"Have you had this problem before?"
"No."
"He thinks you had this before yesterday."
Then the doctor speaks.
"You have a...a...a....scratch on your...." He pulls out a picture of the eye.
I respond "cornea?"
"Yes! And behind the eye is....is....is...inframed."
"It's inflamed?"
"Yes! Which is caused by the...the...scratch. No contacts for week. And I prescribe... antibiotics to take..." He ponders. "6 times a day. You come back in two days."

Lovely. He says a few things to Danny and we head back to the check-in counter.
"How much will this cost Danny?"
"I think 200,000 won."
That's $200! Oh crap. So much for saving money in Korea. I tell Danny that I am not carrying that much money on me today so he covers it. Then I see that he is only handing over 1,000 won bills.
"Danny, how much did it cost?"
"3,700 won."
I begin to laugh. He laughs nervously. "I have 3700 won."
That's about $3.50 in the U.S.
We head downstairs to pick up the prescriptions. The pharmacist speaks English but tells Danny how I should take the medicine in Korean.
Danny turns to me..."Take these pills each day. Make sure to eat before taking. These drops go in six times a day. Wait 5 minutes, flush and put in these drops."
Ok. So I now have 3 mystery pills in each pack (there are 6 packs) and 2 bottles of mysterious drops to put in my eye. Grand total: about $5.00. I LOVE KOREAN HEALTH CARE!!!

I begin the rounds of drops and pills and return with Danny to the eye doctor 2 days later.
"The eye is getting better. Come back on Monday."
After I get out of the eye examination chair I am pulled by the helper to another chair. She tilts my head back and drops eye drops in both of my eyes. I am freaking out! Then she turns on a heat lamp and says "5 minutes."
"Danny...what's happening?" Did they just give me the drops that make your eyes dilate? I'm supposed to meet a friend for dinner and a blind person walking through the subway of Seoul is not the smartest idea.
The helper says "therapy." Then she speaks Korean to Danny.
"The drops and lamp are heat therapy for yellow dust."
"Ah."
5 minutes pass.

We head downstairs for more medication.
I ask the pharmacist to confirm how I am supposed to take each medication.
"No. No. Take the pills three times a day!" Whatever the pills are I should be taking them three times a day, not just once. Oops.

I continue the medication. My eye feels better and is no longer an alarming shade of red.
Monday arrives and I decide that since it's what I think will be the final check-up, I can go on my own. I arrive at the check-in desk. "Marybet?"
"Yes."
The ladies look for Danny. Slight concern appears on their faces.
They gesture for me to sit down. 3 minutes later I am again sitting in the eye examination chair.
The doctor speaks. "Your eye is healed. When you come in first time your eye had scratch." I think he practiced some English over the weekend. Impressive. "Now, no scratch. Drops....4 times a day. No pills. And I write new prescription. Come back Thursday."
"Will I be able to wear my contacts again or do I need new ones?"
"No new but not until next Tuesday."

I pay at the counter and say good-bye in Korean. Hooray! I didn't need Danny to translate!

I visit the pharmacist and she asks "how were you able to speak with the doctor?"
"With hand gestures and very little English. He speaks a bit of English too though."
She nods, hands me my new prescription and says good-bye and have a good day! She's a cool pharmacist.

Again, I continue the meds and drops. On Thursday, I finally head back for my last visit.
The girls at the counter giggle when I ask "How are you today?"
One responds, "Fine?" She looks at me like that might not be the right word.
"That's perfect!" She is happy.

The doctor is happy today. "Your eye is healed. No more antibiotics but continue drops for.... for....7 days."

I check out. My eye is healed! I don't need new contacts. And in total I paid around $40 for 4 visits, 3 eye drop medications, and 6 days worth of pills 3 times a day. I say good-bye and thank you to my pharmacist friend. She wishes me luck and to visit her sometime.

I must say the cost of health care here is pretty good. It kind of makes you wonder, why is it so expensive in the U.S.? Hmm...

Solo Trip

Classes have started. My first week is now under my belt and while everyday seems to be an up and down rollercoaster of good classes and not necessarily good classes, my emotional state is in a constant downward funk. I am starting to feel trapped and constantly surrounded by people. I like who I work with, but there is a part of me that needs to feel independence. I'm going to the same places so exploration is at a standstill and I'm not taking charge of what I want and need to do to get me back to feeling like me.

Enough! My apartment doesn't even feel like me. So it's time to start rearranging. The first day in Seoul, Meghan and Amanda took Kelly and I to Insadong to walk around. I remembered seeing things that I really liked and decide that after work I'm heading down there on my own.

I get directions from Meghan and head to Balsan station. The subway is quiet for the most part so I put on my headphones and listen to some music. A little bit of Greensky, the Ragbirds, Rilo Kiley, and the cast from Glee help set the tone for the evening. Station Jongno 3 approaches and I get off the subway and look for the correct exit. Insadong - exit 5. Hooray!

Heading up the stairs I realize that at this point I'm more than likely going to need to ask someone for directions. I'm not afraid. This is good. I reach the top of the stairs and notice 2 foreigners. Perhaps they're looking for the same place I am. I ask. "Are you looking for Insadong?" Yes. Or should I say oui. They're French. They mumble something and I start to walk with them. Then I realize they don't know where they're going and they are trying to ignore me. This is why I didn't go to France when I was in Europe. Not all French people are mean but some of them can be very rude!

I see a woman standing behind a counter and say in my best Korean accent (or lack thereof) - "Insadong?" She points in the direction I just came from and says nothing. Lovely. So I walk back the other way passing the 2 French women and say politely, "Insadong is this way." They start to walk with me. I ask them twice if they are visiting or if they live here and they completely ignore me. How rude!

I begin to set my own pace and head for a dark underpass. It looks a bit sketchy so I look for someone to confirm that I'm heading in the correct direction. An old taxi cab driver is wiping his sweaty forehead after fixing his flat tire. He looks harmless so I ask "Insadong?" He smiles and starts making huge gestures like a referee at a football game and screams "STRAIGHT! STRAIGHT!" Why do we always talk louder, almost screaming, when we're talking to someone who does not speak our own language? It's almost as if we believe that yelling increases the other person's comprehension of the foreign mumbo jumbo falling from our lips. Regardless, I am propelled forward in the correct direction, or so I think.

I cross the road, come out of the dark tunnel and I have made it to Insadong! The shops are more than likely a tourist trap, but some of the items are beautiful and I feel like I'm in Saugatuck or South Haven back home - minus the water. Lots of tiny shops blanket the mostly pedestrian road and street vendors want nothing more than to sell you everything they have.

I must remember my mission to find things to decorate the apartment! Oh but that would be so cute on my niece! My mom would like this! Focus Mb focus! I purchase a pack of postcards. I wander some more and find this artist's shop that doesn't even have a real door - you have to walk through plastic - like the kind of plastic you would see covering an entry to the back part at a meat market. This is my kind of shop. Tiny, with a cute old man who is painting away. I purchase my first wall decoration and am I excited! The man smiles and in broken English tells me he is the painter of the piece I have chosen. That's what I like to hear!

I continue on to a few more stores and also purchase a paper lamp that is gorgeous. I just wonder how I will be able to get it back to the States someday, but for now, it doesn't matter.

The sky is growing darker and my stomach is starting to make alien noises. It's time to head home and eat some dinner. I pass a coffee shop and decide to get a latte for the ride home. So now I'm carrying my work bag, big shopping bag and a latte. I enter the Subway and board the train. With no open hands I sit down and am a bit uncomfortable. The man next to me taps my arm and points up. There's a luggage rack above. Cool. With my hands full I'm a bit crabobbled so I ask if he'll hold my coffee. He takes it with a bit of a giggle and I unload my stuff on the luggage rack.

The car of the train is particularly loud and my new friend does not like this at all. He says, "It's too loud. No talking on the train!" We chit chat for a bit about where he lives and where I'm from and his English seems to be at an intermediate level. He says he usually falls asleep on the train because it takes so long for him to get home. A lot of people fall asleep - sometimes you'll see a whole bench full of people sleeping. My transfer stop approaches, I say good bye to my new friend, and board the number 9 train me home. With my headphones in my ears, the sound of DeBussy's Claire de Lune spreads peace throughout my mind.

I needed to do this on my own. I needed to feel independence and navigate the subway on my own. While hours before my trip I was feeling trapped and in a funk, now I feel free and confident. I can't wait to discover more of this city. I can't wait to make this place my home.

The First Day

The first day of school is here. In the States more than any of the senses, I always associated the first day of school with a particular smell. Mostly the smell of morning dew and the fresh air as I walked to school in elementary and middle school. But on this first day, I don't notice the smells surrounding me. For one, my nose has not been able to sense smell since entering Korea. Secondly, it's not my first day as a student, but my first day ever as a pre-school and elementary teacher. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Meghan, Kelly, and I leave our apartment complex to get to the school earlier than our designated 9:10 start time. I want plenty of time to prep and hopefully calm my nerves.
9:40 approaches...quickly. Oh crap, here we go!

Liz is there to assist me. I had observed her the previous week to see how she managed her 6 year-old classroom. She is about to embark on a journey throughout southeast asia, but lucky for me, she has not yet left Korea and is there to help me with the first day.

Attendance. I look at the list for Mango class. All of the names are Korean names...duh! Of course they wouldn't have their English name listed yet. Liz saves the day and helps me call names. No one is crying in my class yet but you can hear other kids in the hallway shed tears of anxiety and pure fear. I say a quick one that there aren't any criers today. Next it's time to line up for a brief assembly in the Rainbow Room (aka multi-purpose room). So how do you tell 11 six year-olds who don't speak any English to line up? Hmm...answer: just say it and see what happens. I head towards the door. One girl knows what to do. Hooray! Despite the fact that it took 10 minutes to get everyone lined up, we still manage and I start to relax a bit.

We make our way down the hallway, fairly quietly might I add, and attend the assembly. When we get back to class, the real fun begins. Let's see what they know. They can say their abc's! The can count to 10! We sing a song. I dance around like a gumba - oh if my friends back home could see me now. The kids are into it. Mango class is over. Not too bad! On to Orange class!

Let me give you an idea of how the school is set up. Pre-school starts at 9:40 and dismisses at 2:20pm. In the morning, students have a Korean teacher and a Foreign teacher. So, I have two, first year, six year-old classes that last 80 minutes each. I start with Mango class, get a 10 minute break and change to Orange class teaching the same material to both. After lunchtime, the kids have one Korean teacher session and then an extra class - Cooking, Science, Phonics, Project Writing, or Art. In the afternoons, I get to teach art to first year students (mostly six year-olds). But on this first day (which is a Wednesday), I don't have afternoon pre-school.

As for my Korean teaching partner, I am very lucky to have Kelly. She is fabulous! It's nice to have a partnership where each person is there to help the other out and share "war" stories at the end of the day.

So I get to Orange class, go through the same motions of trying to assess their knowledge and do OK. Thanks again to Liz for helping me move things along and get the kids lined up for bathroom break. Orange class is a bit more difficult today as they like to speak Korean much more than the other class. All you can do in that situation is throw you hands up and say my Dad's favorite statement (not) - I don't know.

I still have 3 classes to teach after pre-school so I use my down time (from not having the afternoon pre-school classes) to plan. Two of my classes are first year students. And my final class is a 3rd year class. My desk turns into a preverbial dump. Oh I need to get organized. The teaching program for the afternoon classes have a Teacher's Resource Book, the Teacher's Book with lesson plans, and then a Student Book, Workbook, Homework Book (only for the Korean teacher), Phonics Book (1st year only) and Vocabulary Book. That's a lot of books.

Planning time flies by again and I head to my first afternoon class. These students have just had a full day at school and are now heading to English class. Some of them may have more classes such as taekwondo or piano lessons to attend after the time they spend at our school. Korean children sometimes stay up until one in the morning in order to finish their homework; then get up and do it all over again.

The head teacher helps me with attendance in my first class and then comes my favorite part. I get to give some of my students their English name! Hooray! I give them three options. Some of them can't decide so they are given a temporary name for the day. (One student later in the week selects Jerry - my dad's name.) The first class goes fairly well. The students know some English, but getting them to select the correct book is a bit difficult - the books are all gray so students keep grabbing the wrong one.

Now it's time for the second class (same level and material as the previous group). Oh dear. Lots of boys - they are around 7 or 8 years old. I again get to name a few students - and their behavior has certainly made them a perfect fit for their name. We start with "Hello! My name is ___________." No, your name is not Marybeth Teacha (Teacher). Then I get to Tom. MY NAME IS TOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! OK. We're 15 minutes into class and Tom is starting to say "GOOD-BYE TEACHAAAAAA!!!" Not yet Tom. He stops for a few minutes and then starts up again. The boys are getting antsy. It's getting close to the end of class. "GOOD-BYE TEACHAAAAAA!!!!" Wait 20 seconds. "GOOD-BYE TEACHAAAA!!!!" The bell rings. I dismiss the class. "GOOD-BYE TEACHAAAAA!!!!" All the way down the hallway. Good-bye Tom! Despite the constant good-byes, he's such a smart kid and I can't help but laugh to myself everytime he says "GOOD-BYE TEACHAAAA!!!" And trust me, it's been two and a half weeks and he still does it - just not as frequently.

One more class to go...3rd year.
They speak English! We talk food. I'm so hungry! The kids are hungry too. We get through the lesson for the day and play a spelling game. The kids listen, raise their hands, are polite (for the most part), and most importantly are engaged in the lesson! These kids are my only students who are not in their first year of learning English. It's a great way to end the day every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

At the end of day one, I am excited to be teaching in Korea. I look forward to watching my students grow in their English speaking capabilities and hope that I will become a great teacher. But for now, what's for dinner? I'm hungry!

The Long Weekend - Part II

It's Sunday. The six of us have just finished a healthy breakfast of croissants, hot choco or coffee, and grabbed some additional food to take to the temple. Now it's time to get to the bus station.

Rollercoaster Ride

We figure out which bus to hop on and wait at the stop. A rather frantic bus pulls up and we attempt to get on not knowing how much the ride will cost. The driver is yelling at us to get on the bus quickly (we think). I'm the last one in line and he is attempting to shut the door. We have made him late! We figure out how much the ride will cost and pay. Then the ride of doom begins. We leave the city and begin winding through a somewhat picturesque hilly area. The bus driver is driving like a maniac and is taking hairpin turns at full speed. Our bodies are thrown from side to side in our seats. I am doubled over with laughter as I consider that he may end up tipping the bus if he continues at this rate. I am laughing too loudly and the americans are shushed by the driver who continues to smile. I do wonder what he was thinking.

About 40 minutes into our rollercoaster ride, the driver yells out Golgulsa!!!!! We must hurry and get off the bus. He points in the direction we should walk and says "2 kilometers!"

We cross the road (after the bus passes of course) and are slightly concerned about the direction we need to go. We could be potentially walking down the road to nowhere. Hmm...

But of course our trusty bus driver did not lead us astray and soon we approach the entrance to the temple grounds.

Temple Stay - Day 1

We check in and are given a brief overview of the schedule, expectations, and how to properly bow. There's a lot of bowing, so it's good to know how ahead of time. The males and females stay on separate floors and neither is allowed in the opposite sex's room. We'll be sleeping on the floor. Comfy. However the floor is heated (like most floors in Korea - their heating system is called ondul - I LOVE IT!!!!).

Our first activity is to make lotus flower paper lanterns for a night time ceremony honoring the first full moon of the year (they celebrate the lunar new year). Hooray for arts and crafts! Everyone's lantern looks completely different in terms of colors used and pattern and all are stunningly beautiful.

Around 3p.m. we take a brief break to watch a sunmudo demonstration. Sunmudo is a form of martial arts that we will learn on Monday. As we begin to climb up to the demonstration, we realize there are too many people and won't be able to see. So, we decide to climb up higher on the left side to get more of an aerial view...he he he. Let me emphasize, the climb up the hill to the demonstration area is a steep one. Very steep - this hill will be mentioned again. On the right side of the hill, if you look to the right, the stone statue of buddha from the sixth century is quite a climb farther up. You definitely do not want to lose your footing.

Next up, dinner time. You can only enter through the middle door if you are a mere human (not a monk or junior monk). You must eat everything on your plate - no matter how hot or bad the food is. I take small portions and lots of rice. The food isn't too bad but I am a little glad about the bagel that I had earlier.

Dinner ends so we grab our lanterns (with a wish for yourself attached) and load up onto a bus that takes us to the sea. We get to the beach and there are hundreds upon hundreds of lanterns lit on the sand. A huge fire burns brightly providing additional light for the ceremony and will be used to burn our lotus lanterns later. The moon is gorgeous, the lanterns provide quite an overwhelming ambience, and for a brief moment I am transported back in time to Sitges, Spain where 4 of us eating croissants and drinking coffee looked at each other and exclaimed what fortunate lives we have. I am very fortunate to be in Korea. To be in this moment and sharing it with new friends is amazing.

After the ceremony and burning our lanterns in the huge fire, we head back to the temple grounds and call it a night - it's only 9p.m. or so, but we are exhausted and have to be up at 4a.m.

Temple Stay - Day 2

The gong is ringing. Oh it's so early. I'm moving at the pace of a snail and have to climb that damn hill to get to the morning chanting service. Kelly and I brush our teeth and realize we have to haul butt to get to the temple. We break into a run. I am huffing and puffing up the treacherous hill. It's too early to run!!! We make it with only a couple of minutes to spare. Then the service begins. Stand up, sit down, bow, stand up, sit down, bow...things are getting splotchy. Is the room spinning? Am I having a religious experience? I hate cold sweating. Oooohhhh, I'm not feeling too good. Stand up, sit down, bow..stand up - the walls are closing in. I attempt to look back at Jen and Brittany and mouth "help." My knees buckle and I fall into the wall. Sweet. I'm going to faint. I try to collect myself and look back to our orientation lady. She points to the door and miraculously I stand up and run out the door. I really hope I don't have to do 3,000 bows because I had to leave. That's the punishment for monks who miss the service. Not a minute later Kelly comes flying out of the temple too. We're certainly a hot mess. Stupid hill!

We grab some water and at a certain point I tell myself to go back in. The service is over. Noooo!!!! But there's 15 minutes of meditation - sitting down. Hooray! After meditation, we climb up a little higher to start a meditative walk. I'm feeling better. Then it starts to rain. No walk. We go back to sleep for an hour, have breakfast, and nap some more.

Now it's time for sunmudo training. Our teacher is french and every time he says breath I think he's saying breast. I cannot laugh in this class! I maintain composure and attempt to complete the gumby-like stretches. My personal favorite involves sitting with your legs hip-distance apart. Using momentum twist your upper torso and dive to the floor so your torso is lying front side down while your legs and hips stay where they are (knees toward ceiling). French teacher comes and presses on my shoulders - ouch! Man I miss pilates! We learn one kick and one block and class is over. I may need a chiropractor but my alien card hasn't come in yet.

The next activity is to do 108 bows. 108 times kneeling, bowing (forehead to floor), and then standing up. Start again. Each of the 108 bows means something and we're given a list in English so we know what the Korean tape is saying. I bow to give thanks for my family. I bow to know that the universe flows through me. I bow to know that love is everywhere. And the list goes on...I lose track of which number we're on. I read faster. Maybe I read too far ahead. Concentrate on my favorite one...then it ends and I have one more to go. Blast!!! I thought I would get tired and my legs would give out, but I think that because you're focusing on the words and what they mean, the physical aspect doesn't seem so demanding. You will, however, certainly feel it the next day...and the next. And maybe, if you're lucky, you'll still be sore the next day.

Our final activity is to have tea with our french teacher and to ask him questions. A few questions are asked but it's primarily quiet. The stay comes to a close after lunch and it's time to head back to Seoul.

It's been a fabulous trip (minus the fainting part) but I can't wait to get back to work on the feng shui in my apartment and to learn more about the city in which I live.

The Long Weekend - Part I

With the first week of training under my belt, it was time to settle in for the first weekend in Seoul...well, not exactly. The previous Sunday..aka the first day in Korea...Meghan had mentioned spending the weekend at a buddhist temple. Sweet! What a way to start off my Korean adventure!
By Friday I was a bit hesitant to leave for the weekend as I had not even moved into my apartment yet. I had bags that needed to be unpacked and maybe it would be better to stay in town and get settled. But I had made the commitment and life is meant to be lived...bags can be unpacked later. And so let the great weekend begin!

Saturday. 5:38 a.m.
I'm freezing on the couch in Kelly's new apartment. I hear Meghan's voice outside on the street. Perfect! I'm not sleeping anyways so I get up, grab my bags and proceed to my new apartment just down the hall. (Meghan took Amanda to the airport - I moved in to Amanda's apartment.)
I open the door...hmm...it needs some work but perhaps I'll just make my bed and go back to sleep. For those of you who know me, Ms. Organization, this was the dumbest idea ever. After making my bed, those suitcases and backpack just seemed to be longing to get unpacked. Please unpack me. OK.
9a.m. - completely unpacked. Clothes stored. Furniture somewhat moved. Floor swept. Garbage heap created. Time to shower in order to be ready to leave for Gyeongju for the weekend.
There's a knock at the door. Plan foiled again! Meghan has stopped by to tell me she has decided not to come on the trip and I am bummed. At this point, there's no time left for a shower so I throw some clothes into my newly acquired backpack (thanks Amanda!) and head to the lobby.
Even though it would have been wonderful to have Meghan come along for the trip, our group now makes an even six. We take the subway and hop on the train with a few minutes to spare.
It will take 4 and a half hours to get to Gyeongju...plenty of time for a nap. So I sleep for a bit. Koreans are quite quiet on public transportation. Lovely. Later on in the journey Kelly and I strike up a conversation and are quickly given a piece of paper from a female in front of us. It says, "Please the volume down. Thank you!" Conversation halts. Time to nap some more.

Gyeongju & the Hostel

We arrive in Gyeongju and head to the Hanjin Hostel. Our host is quite friendly and funny. Apparently we have to come back 2 more times during the year because there is so much to do there. He shows us all to our shared room which is decorated to feel like home and has a huge pile of blankets in the corner. Then there's the bathroom. Well....the bathroom seemed like it was out of a scene from a horror film. Something scary could come out of the drain of the bathtub any minute! I should say though that if I do return to this city again I will stay at this very same hostel. The host truly made it worth the stay.
After getting situated it's time to find some food. Our host gives us a map with some restaurants and other sites to see on it. We're off! We stopp at the "Cheap Restaurant" for some Bulgolgi and I am extremely to finally eat a meal the traditional Korean way - on the floor - Hooray!
We decide to see some of the sites and visit Chonmachong Tomb (mind you it was completely dark outside by this point), the grocery store, and another convenience store. While this may seem boring, it became quite an adventure as we got a bit lost and it was also my first time in a grocery store. Looking at the different kinds of food was...interesting. Oh and by the way, don't try ionic drinks, they taste weird and I think may be the cause of the random twitches that I now suffer from...Just kidding.
Knowing that we're going to have to wake up early on Monday (mind you it's only Saturday night), we decide to head back to the hostel and call it a night. Indiana Jones is playing on TV...very nice. Time to sleep.

Sunday & the Sauna
It's now 9 a.m. I need a shower. But the bathroom might eat me. Jen mentions there is a nearby sauna and it's the equivalent to $4. I've never been to a Korean sauna, so I decide to pull up my big girl pants and give it a try. So the four girls head out. Keep in mind that I have just met them this week.
We get to the sauna, pay our dues, are given towels, and head up to the locker room. I thought the whole nudity thing would be weird, but in the end, it's really just women who need to take a shower and want to climb into a hot or cold tub or sit in the baking room (as I like to call them). I thought I would be self-conscious but I didn't have my glasses on or contacts in so even if someone was looking at me funny I couldn't see them. What's the big deal?
Mission accomplished - I am clean.

The girls head back to the hostel and pick up the remaining two boys in our party. It's time hop on a bus for Golgulsa...stay tuned.

School & The Physical

3 days have really flown by. Then again, they haven't.

It's strange...I've never been they type of person to wake up early in the morning, but for the past few days I can't seem to sleep in past 7am. Strange dreams ravage my brain from sobbing over a ruined so-called favorite shirt (that doesn't exist in my er..bags since I don't have a closet yet)to getting teleported back to the United States where there's a crazy maze that somehow turns into a Russian jail.
Perhaps the never-ending episodes of NCIS I have been watching here at night have had more of an impact than I thought. Hmm...I think I'll switch to some light reading tonight.


School.
Over the first few days, training has been pretty much what I expected including a general overview of the guidelines, observing different classes and even teaching a few classes of my own. It's been great watching the other teachers as everyone seems to have their own way of getting the kids engaged.

The school itself is adorable (on the inside - the outside can be very deceiving). So cute in fact, that I would love for my niece to attend school here. The kids are pretty amazing and are very accomplished. For example, elementary students go to regular school, come to our school and sometimes continue on to piano lessons, taekwondo, or whatever else the parent sees as a necessity for the child's life. It's reinforced my quest, once acclimated, to try to find some extracurricular activities of my own including taekwondo and Korean lessons. Stay tuned and feel free to badger me if I don't write about these very activities as this blog progresses.

So what are the kids' personalities like? Where do I begin? Perhaps I should tell you about some of the great moments.
Exhibit A.
After introducing myself to a class, the kids were supposed to say what their name was in return. When it came to her turn, this teeny tiny girl couldn't contain herself and laughed hysterically unable to say what her name was. I couldn't help but laugh hysterically myself - she was so cute.
Exhibit B.
Students were asked what they did over the weekend. One young pre-school girl responded that she had tried on her mom's bra (she said the Korean word which I didn't understand at first) and all the children giggled.

So today was my first day teaching and I was a bit rusty. It's strange when you walk onto someone else's turf and try to teach - it reminded me of some of the classes I taught in Barcelona but also reinforced that I love teaching. I can't wait to have my own classes - I'll be teaching primarily preschoolers - who are 5 in America but 6 in Korea (they consider pregnancy the first year) - and will have some additional classes in the afternoons. I'll write more about my classes when the new school year starts next week.

The Physical
Another exciting part of the week came today when Kelly and I were taken by the General Manger of our school, Danny, to get our physicals which is required in order to receive our Alien Resident Card - Hooray!!!! I'm going to be an alien! Now I know what you're thinking and you're right - a physical is not something to look forward to.
Interestingly enough, the physical was quite a process as we were basically lead through what resembled an assembly line at a manufacturing plant moving from floor to floor to have different tests conducted.
Chest x-ray, height, blood pressure, hearing, and color blindness on one floor.
Urine test and blood test on another. This was a bit scary for me. For one, in Korea some of the bathroom stalls do not have a toilet. Instead they have a squatter where you basically pee over a hole in the floor. I was too afraid I would pee all over my pants. I will try this concept at some point...but I'll probably be wearing a skirt or at least carry an extra pair of pants.
The blood test was just as freaky as I consistently faint due to a rapid drop in blood pressure. The woman who drew the blood was phenomenal! I hardly felt the needle and though I felt a bit woozy, I didn't actually faint. Great success!
After those tests, I discussed my medical history with, had my heart listened to, and eyes looked at by a doctor on the final floor we visited prior to leaving. It's always fun to talk about menstruation with a male doctor from a foreign country.

So that's where life is at right now. Trying to adjust, get familiar, and find myself again in a new country. I've come to realize that the unfamiliar and unknown are the best parts. Eventually I'll find my way.

The First Day - Post Nap

Eyes open.
It's 11:30am and I have been sleeping for about 3 and a half hours. Time to shower and get ready to meet a few of my fellow teachers.
At 12:30 the doorbell rings and it's Meghan. My lifeline to understanding the role I'm about to take on. Amanda, a seasoned veteran and Kelly, another new teacher complete the crew for the day's outing.

First, it's time for food. We find a small Korean restaurant and Amanda helps us order our first meal. In the US it would probably cost around $10 for the amount of food on the plate, but luckily it's only about $4.50. Very nice! And it's a fabulous pork dish which unfortunately at the time of posting I can't remember the name, it starts with a d. I try kimchi. Hmm...they say it's an acquired taste...time will tell.
Meghan and Amanda give Kelly and I a crash course in Korean living from how people react to North Americans to the school to nightlife. It's a lot of information, but it's great to know up front.

Next it's time to conquer the complex subway system. Google the Seoul Metropolitan Subway and you'll see what I mean. Luckily with my previous european adventure, I have some experience navigating the subway and with Meghan and Amanda's help, Kelly and I feel comfortable finding our way to the school tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed.

After riding the subway, we got off in an area with a small marketplace that was packed with people. As we perused the pedestrian avenue we were pulled aside by a news crew that wanted to film us answering questions about world conditions etc. We're not sure what station they work for but it seems pretty amazing that Kelly and I are in Korea for less than 24 hours and already making the news...he he he.

Other highlights from the walk include 4 guys entertaining us by explaining the process of turning honey into this hairlike material that is a wonderful snack. The process can be explained in English or Korean and each worker knows the speech so they even say it in unison and are quite charming. They know Meghan pretty well as they told her repeatedly that they love her.

The walk has come to an end and it's time to reconquer the subway, take a quick detour to see where the school is, and head back to the hotel.
At this point, I feel like it may not be that hard to adjust to the time difference as I am ready to head back to sleep at what seems to be a normal time. It's been a fantastic first day in Korea and I am more than excited to learn the streets, the language, and the people of this country.