So this is it! This is my last post from Korea. What an amazingly hectic journey it has been! Wow! Throughout my blog there has been major ups and downs, funny moments and sad ones. My year in Korea as a Native English teacher at a middle school has been many things, put all together it was stupendously f’in amazing! Korea you taught me so much about life, about people and about myself. As I am writing this my heart is overcome with emotion because for a year this has been my home. My friends became my family. That’s whats making it so hard to leave this place. The relationships that we built in trying to decipher this crazy place are ones that are not easily lost! To my Epiker friends, you guys made my experience truly memorable.
Wow! I can’t believe that this is my final week in Korea! What a blast it has been! Tomorrow is my last day at my school en then on Saturday is goodbye Korea. This past week I have had and still get many panic attacks about packing everything and seeing everyone! It’s hectic! But amidst all this craziness I still had time to reflect. Coming to Korea was something that I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time and I am still amazed at how quickly the time has flown by! Korea is the third country I have lived in and by far the most challenging. But all in all it was a fantastic year.
I was placed at a, how would the Koreans put it, ‘notorious’ school in a very poor area. My area and middle school has been referred to as the Harlem of Daegu. So yes teaching at one of the worst schools in Daegu was, let my put it this way, challenging. I wanted to give up. I wanted to pack my bags and go home. But I didn’t. I stuck through. And that to me is a great accomplishment! Yes you might think how hard can it be to teach English to some of the most intelligent people on the planet, and in one of the best education systems in the world. Well, I experienced another side that spectrum. The majority of my students will not go to High school. My school has one of the lowest academic ratings in the whole city and the kids’ behaviors attest to that! My year started off pretty bad with the whole apartment saga, and then one of the students threatened another teacher with a knife. Not the best introduction i’d say! I mention these things because I’m giving myself a pat on the shoulder. Well done, you did great! And I did. I was a great teacher and the kids (well most of them) really loved me. It was tough, really tough, but I made it through and now I am a stronger person. I grew so much this year and that my friends, as MasterCard would say, is priceless. I learned so much about myself and what I can accomplish. I managed to live in a country where I don’t speak the language, am not to fond of the local cuisine and had my issues with the whole culture shock. But I managed, no in fact I flourished. Even so that I started to get really fond of Korea! Not that I would want to live here permanently but Korea definitely has it’s up sides! And there are so many things that I will miss dearly!
To my co-teacher I would like to say thank you. She stuck by me and was always there when I needed her. To all my new and amazing friends, damn, I’m gonna miss each and everyone of you so much. It’s amazing how close you can get to someone when you are all experiencing the exact same thing. If not for all my Epiker friends I would not have made it through this year! And then to my school I would like to say, so long suckers!!!!!!!!!! I will definitely be doing cartwheels in my heart tomorrow when I leave the Faksan behind! But I will wipe a hypothetical tear (i’m not much of a crier) when I board that Singapore Airlines flight on Saturday!
Korea, even with our love hate relationship I will never forget you or what I have learned this year. It has truly been one of the greatest years of my life and I will cherish this experience forever. To my fellow Epikers who decided to stay behind, good luck and enjoy every minute. Before you know it your time here in Kimchiland will be over! To the other Epikers returning to their ‘normal’ lives, the best of luck to you and I wish you all great success (Borat voice) upon all your future endeavours.
Korea, you made me laugh, you made me cry, you me scream and you made me jump! I will never forget you!
Kimchi, to you I want to say, you can suck it! I never want to see, smell or taste your ugly face ever again!
Cheers from Kimchiland! It’s been good, real good!
217 km of the east coast of Korea there are these two small islands, more like two big rocks. At first glance these rocks might seem insignificant even unimposing! But these two volcanic rock formations are far more impressive than you could ever imagine. Without any real value these rocks can easily be a symbol and representation of the Korean culture. The Koreans call these rocks Dokdo and claim it as theirs. The Japanese call them Takashima and also claims the sovereignty of the rocks. The rest of the world calls these two rocks the Laincourt Rocks and really can’t be bothered who they belong to.
There is an ongoing dispute (among many others) between South Korea and Japan over the sovereignty of the rocks. Although for all practical reasons the rocks belong to South Korea as they have 2 Koreans who permanently live on the islands. Also there is a rotation of about 40 people (police officers, light house operators and other random folks) who lives on the islands. South Korea has set up 2 cell phone towers, a helicopter pad and a giant South Korean flag that can be seen from the sky! So the island belongs to Korea, get over it. But Japan does not want to retract their claims of the rocks and that infuriates Koreans even more. I completely get this because Korea has a lot of anger in them for all the wrongdoings by the Japanese in the past. Koreans really suffered under Japanese colonialism, so much so that it was forbidden to speak Korean on the streets. So I completely get their frustration when Japan continues to claim soemthing (even if it is a pair insiginificant rocks in the middle of the ocean). But instead of just accepting the fact that Dokdo belongs to Korea in their hearts and move on, Koreans get very obnoxious and heated up whenever the topic is raised. Like I wrote in a earlier post, one of my students actually threw me with her pen after I joked about Dokdo belonging to Japan. Pictures of Dokdo is everywhere. If you are in Korea and you read this, start looking out for these idyllic rocks. On cars and buses bumper stickers that read (in English) Dokdo is ours, Giant stickers on restaurant windows, giant framed pictures in the subway stations. Dokdo is everywhere. Almost like in a dictatorship where the face of the leader is absolutely everywhere. In fact Dokdo dictates so much of Korean thinking. They get so passionate about something so ridiculous. They get offended so easily by these rocks that they turn to violence. They lose all rational thinking capabilities when Dokdo is mentioned. It’s frightening.
During my vacation in Malaysia I met the nicest Korean couple. They are both from Seoul and work as tour guides (the guy is actually a Korean tour guide in Malaysia). And as the conversation jumped from one thing to another it quickly ended up at Dokdo. The girl soon told me that it is my task and responsibility to tell everyone I meet that Dokdo belongs to Korea. Because people need to know this. I didn’t know what to say. So I just smiled and changed the topic. But that’s how they think. They think if the whole world agrees with them that these two useless rocks belongs to them and not Japan that it will make any difference. I’m sure the starving children in Sudan and the political prisoners in Iran are really concerned about this. The Koreans are so high on Dokdo juice, there are even ‘dokdo riders’. People going around the world spreading the Dokdo message. Yes Dokso is pivotal to our existence.
I read on Wikipedia that when Japan announced that one or other day will be known as Takashima day Koreans went nuts. They protested in front of the japanese embassy. They decapitated pheasants, one man lit himself on fire and a woman actually cut off her fingers. This all for two volcanic rocks in the middle of the ocean. To make matters worse, these people have probably never even been to Dokdo because it is ridiculously expensive to go there! Another thing that can be seen during these protests are Koreans eating the Japanese flag. In Korea it is illegal to burn a country’s flag, so here they eat the flags to show their disrespect.
But Dokdo is Korea and Korea is Dokdo. Everything that those two rocks symbolizes is a perfect representation of the Korean way of thinking and their culture. They have a very troubled history and it is a continuous fight to leave their mark!
Today, exactly one year ago I boarded a plane for Korea. I can vividly remember everything that went through my mind as I said my goodbyes and drove to the airport! How I took everything in that 15 minute drive because I knew it will be a while before I see my beautiful country again! Okay okay the drive to the airport is not very scenic but still. We went to the airport something like 4 or 5 hours before our flight because the sitting at home, waiting to leave would’ve made me crazy. So like pulling of a band-aid I said my goodbyes and just left.
Now it’s one year later, and I must admit that I had the most amazing year of my life! It has been a non stop adventure, and even though things got a little monotonous towards the end I will never forget this experience! Today I packed my boxes so that they can be shipped home. It finally sunk in that I will be leaving Korea in very soon. What makes this even more daunting is that I have absolute no plan for the future! But now I am taking it one day at a time and will make the most of my last remaining days here in Kimchiland!
I am bored! I am not complaining that I am bored, I’m just merely mentioning. It’s that time of year again when all the kids and teachers are on vacation. But because I am a contract worker for the Korean government I get to deskwarm! In order not to loose my mind am keeping myself busy.
I got an email with the title “you know you grew up in the 90’s if …” and I immediately thought it is one of those annoying emails where you had to send it to 15 people and then you will go to heaven or something. But as I read the email I felt very nostalgic about my childhood, and it reminded me of a world that does not exist anymore. Yes I’m a tad melodramatic and even thought the 90.s only ended 10 years ago, so much has changed!
So I will highlight some of my favorite parts of the email and what it was like growing up in the 90’s!
YOU KNOW YOU GREW UP IN THE 90’S IF:
You remember collecting Tazo’s
I sure can. During break time at primary school we went nuts with these. You only got one in a packet of chips and I knew there are some kids that had like hundred! I was in awe of them!
You remember watching Kiddeo, Pumpkin Patch and Zet.
You remember when it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons
In the days before cartoon network came to our shores we only had M-net. And KTV’s saturday morning cartoons were the best!
You remember reading Goosebumps!
Sure do, I think I read all of them!
If you ever got a Zoo Biscuit in your lunch box!
Not only Zoo Biscuits but also bite size super C’s or Melrose cheese!
If you listened to the radio all day long just to record your favorite song:
We are definitely the last generation to use these! I can remember a time before mp3’s and Cd’s took over. I still had an original Walkman!
If you ever watched Full House or The Dinosaurs TV show:
You knew that Kimberley, the pink power ranger, and Tommy, the green power ranger, were meant to be together.
my favorite was always Jason the red one!
You remember holy moleys
If you haven’t always had a computer, and it was cool to have internet. Windows 95 was the best:
We only got a computer in 96 and maybe internet only after the millennium turned!
Sesame street was actually Sesame street and not Takalani Sesame:
I don’t think I have ever watched Takelani, but i sure kan remember Sesamie!
If you know all Roxette songs!
If you collected trolls:
I don’t know if I collected them but I know my sisters and I had a few of them!
You know the Macarena:
Still do!
If you ever danced to Sexy Eyes:
This was one of the biggest songs in South Africa. Every single teenager knew the word and whenever it came up spontaneously burst into dancing! Brings back great memories especially the awkward school dances!
Growing up in the 90’s was super awesome and even though I would have preferred to have grown up in the 80’s, the 90’s in my eyes can be seen as the last simple generation. We grew up without Facebook and internet and even cellphones. TV was just becoming main stream in South Africa. We still had a normal childhood! Those were the days!
So the Chinese celebrate their own new year. It’s based on the lunar calendar. Korea also celebrates this Lunar new year, and that meant that I had three days off just after my winter vacation. Now being so close to China I thought it would be excellent to ring in the Chinese new year in China. I booked my ticket and went through the motions to secure a Chinese visa for the second time. Since I already went to Beijing in September, Shanghai was next on my list. I got my ticket for super cheap, half the price of my ticket to Beijing and the flight from Korea to Shanghai was very empty. I had all 6 Emergence exit seats all to myself! I arrived in Shanghai and everywhere I looked there were people. Millions and millions of people. But it’s to be expected of the most populous city in the most populous country in the world! I navigated my way on the super over crowded subways to my hostel, and as I got off at East Nanjing road station I can remember my first glimpse at the Pearl tower. I was super excited to be in this world city. I quickly dropped by bag at the hostel and started exploring. I walked the entire length of the Bund, went on a very boring and money wasting sightseeing tunnel ride to the other side of the river. I explored Pudong and took in the marvel of all the skyscrapers. As it started to get dark I made my way back to the bund and took in the famous Shanghai illuminated skyline. But even though it was new years eve the place was very deserted. Where are the people? Where are the tourists? I went back to the hostel to try and find out if there will be any celebrations or parades for the new. Apparently not. Families get together and shoot fireworks, but it’s all done at home. So coming to Shanghai for Chinese new year was not going to be what I imagined it to be. At around 11:45 pm I strolled back to the bund and waited for the new year to announce itself. There were fireworks everywhere and more people arrived. But midnight came and went without a spectacular fireworks display. Yes there were many fireworks but more random than anything else. That was also my cue to head indoors as the crazy fireworks being lit up in the streets was a definite safety hazard.
The next day all of China embarked on the main sights of Shanghai and being squashed was basically the theme for the remainder of my time in Shanghai. Being Chinese new year many establishments were closed thus making things a lot less interesting. An itinerary that was supposed to keep me busy for two days could not even keep me occupied for one whole day. I’ve seen all major Shanghai sights in my first day and a half and I had two more days to kill. That;s when I realised that Shanghai over Chinese new year and 4 days there was not the best decision. But I tried to make the most of it and got really creative with my sightseeing. In the end the crowds triumphed over me and I decided to just get coffee and read my book for a whole afternoon! The rest of my time in Shanghai was very low-key.
Shanghai did not leave a great impression on me but I don;t think it’s the city, it’s just the timing of my visit. Although I must admit that the Shanghainese are some of the rudest people I have ever come across. This is in complete contrast with the folks from Beijing! I also found that the Shanghainese to be somewhat on the gross side. Spitting and puking more than average, kids urinating ON the sidewalks and so on! They are also very short! I read that in the guidebook that the Shanghainese are very short, but they are all really tiny! It got super angry when a very short guy, probably 19 or so, tried to pick pocket me. Now I am very street smart when I travel and know where to carry what. But on a quiet street on my way back to my hostel I decided to put my ipod in. Waiting at a crossing with about for other people I suddenly felt a hand reach into my coat’s pocket. I casually look to my side and saw that this little Shanghai midget is trying to grab my ipod. Not only did I feel his hand in my pocket but also the bloody thing is connected to my ears. I grab his arm and shove him very hard backwards. I shout at him and curse him only to be looked at as if I am the jerk! What an idiot. If someone is twice your size in width and in height do not attempt to pick pocket him and fail. You will come second my friend! So when I think of Shanghai I think of that idiot!!!
All in all I would not want to go back to Shanghai!
On our way from one temple to another our Tuk-Tuk driver casually asks if we’d be interested to visit the Cambodian Land mine museum. Seeing that we needed a break from temples anyhow we said yes. Very nonchalantly we strolled into the museum taking pictures of the workers/volunteers cleaning and rearranging the land mine display in the courtyard.
I started reading all the descriptions under the pictures on the wall and sadness struck my core. Asian history is rarely covered in our curriculum so all I knew about the Vietnam war was that America fought Vietnam because there were communists and they didn’t like it. I didn’t even think about the fact that the Vietnam war had a large effect on Cambodia. Together with the many civil and regional wars, Cambodia is in fact a war torn country. Something I did not know. Apart from different political groups in Cambodia raging war against each other, The US, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan all played a part in tearing Cambodia up.
It’s shattering to realize that around 35 people are killed a month, every month, due to the aftermath of all Cambodia’s wars. I read on wikipedia that one out of every 275 people have lost a limb. That is shocking. In the museum I read that there are well over 3 million undetonated land mines in Cambodia. These mines are everywhere – in the countryside, in villages, in the jungles. All Cambodian guidebooks actually warn you that you should be very careful whenever you travel off the beaten track.
Cambodia is one of those places that every traveller has to go to before they die. It’s a mystical magical place that can rub shoulders with the ancient wonders of Egypt. Unfortunately the 1000 year old temples are the only remarkable thing about Cambodia.
The major temples of Angkor are all located near the town of Siem Reap. If not for the temples Seam reap would just be another Cambodian village. Siem Reap is the rest stop for all tourists exploring the temples, and unfortunately that’s all you experience. Just thousands of tourists, from backpackers to package tourists, roaming the streets. There is no real feel of Cambodia or Cambodian culture. everything feels a bit fabricated.
Even with some of the most spectacular sites in the world, Cambodia is a very poor country and poverty lurks around every corner. Coming from a country where poverty is a daily issue, I have become somewhat immune to it. I know this sounds very selfish and arrogant but if you are faced with something everyday you tend to get used to it. But this year in Korea took my away from the reality of seeing beggars on the street and people living in shanty towns. Seeing people suffering after such a long time really broke my heart. Little kids begging for food and people missing limbs going around with a sign asking for some help was just horrible. It’s horrible that people have to live like that. We gave what we could. As with any poor country in Asia, I guess, a tourist is a walking talking shiny dollar sign and that is exactly how we were treated. Apart from the staff at our hotel I found general Cambodians to be very rude. They would stick a smile on their faces when they are trying to sell you something or convince you that you need to take a ride in their tuk-tuk. But after the sixth”no thank you” that smile quickly goes away and is replaced with a look of disgust. When they shouting out prices of things in the market they sound like whiney 3 year olds. All of them. The sounds of ‘one dollah’ coming at you from all directions was a little unnerving. So I came to the conclusion that Seam Reap is just a stopover, a resting place, somewhere to recuperate and regain your strength for the next day’s tomb raiding.
Also it’s important never to be in a place for longer that is required. It is possible to take most of the important sights in Siem Reap in 3 days. We had a total of 5 days and it felt a little long. But nonetheless I had a great time and it was magical to walk and climb inside the temples. There is just something about walking in a 1000 year old structure that is difficult to put into words. It’s just amazing.
I happened to have my birthday in Cambodia and although it’s very exotic and everything I missed celebrating my birthday with my friends. But that doesn’t mean that my birthday wasn’t awesome. I was treated to a helicopter ride/flight (I don’t know which one) around the magical Angkor Wat. It was truly magical and something I will cherish for the rest of my life!
Cambodia was great and right up there with the awesomeness I experienced in Egypt!
Malyasia was probably the last place I thought I would be going this year. But as I started looking into places to go for my Winter break Malaysia kept creeping up! Adding that the flight tickets there were also the cheapest of all South east Asian destinations, it really was a no brainer. Malaysia is tropical, located very close to the equator, just what I needed to escape the freezing Korean winter. I really did not know what to expect from Malaysia and in a way I think that is what made the place so amazing!
Arriving in KL we were greeted with humidity. It was easy enough to get a bus into the city from where we took a taxi to China town. We hadn’t made any hotel reservations for Malaysia. Once we got to China town we looked at about two or three different cheap hotels before settling on one decent enough. We wasted no time and went about exploring the city. We took the hop on hop off bus as this would take us to the city’s main sites. KL was amazing and everywhere I went I was amazed by how green and lush the vegetation was in the city. There were many mosques and older buildings that transpired you to a time of sultans and flying carpets. Everywhere we went there were these traditional Indian eateries were the locals ate. It was easy enough to decipher the malay menu and indulge in the Indian goodness. If nothing else Malaysia is definitely a food destination. I fell in love with Kuala Lumpur, the scenery, the people, the vibe, the trees – just everything! One thing that I immedietly noticed was the friendliness of the people. Everywhere we went people wanted to talk to us and smiled at us. It was strange experiencing this, especially coming from Korea where this is not common practice. But what made Malaysia even more memorable was the fact that these people were genuine. In many South East Asian countries (or poorer countries) people usually are very friendly but it’s with an agenda. They want your money, to them you are just a big walking dollar sign. But in Malaysia we never got that impression. The people were genuinely friendly, they didn’t want to sell us anything or take us on a tuk-tuk, nothing. It was great.
Kuala Lumpur’s multi-cultural population adds to the splendor of the city. The mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian groups makes Malaysia a melting pot of Asia. From the architecture to the food these influences are visible everywerhe you go. Kuala Lumpur is definitely among my top 10 World cities!
From Kuala Lumpur we set out to the UNESCO world heritage city Malacca about two hours south of the capital. Malacca is great with Dutch and Portuguese architecture and a very small but vibrant China town. The main sights of Malacca are all concentrated in the town square area so it wasn’t too hard to see everything in one day. So that same evening we returned to the bus station to catch a 7 hour bus ride to Lumut, north of Kuala Lumpur.
We arrived in Lumut freezing at 4am. The AC on the bus was set at the minimum temperature and we soon realized that all forms of public transport were freezing! It seemed like we were the only people awake in Lumut and just sat on a little bench to wait for the ferry at 7am. I venutered a little donw the street and spotted a little restaurant/shop down the street. We had a cup of the most fowl tasting coffee at this little place until it was time to board the ferry for Pangkor Island. The lonely planet described Pangkor Island as the girl next door of islands and it truly is. Very queiet with limited cars on the island we had a blast. We spent our three days chilling on the beach. We even had a small island all to ourselves for a full day! It was great! One of the days we rented a scooter and explored the island on our own. It was really hard for us to leave Pangkor Island but we knew we wanted to more of Malaysia. So back on the mainland we took a bus to Butterworth where we would catch the ferry for Penang Island. Georgetown is described as the mecca of backpacker destinations. We arrived on Penang on the day of the Hindu festival Thaipusam, so finding a place to sleep proved to more difficult than anywhere in Malaysia. After seeing some of the most horrible places I’ve ever seen (literally beds separated by office dividers) we found something suitable and affordable. We wanted to take the Ferry to Langkawi the following morning but could only get seats for the day after so we had an extra day on Penang. Penang truly is the food Island as I had some of the most delicious Indian food here. Restaurants and local eateries are everywhere. Gerogetown is also a UNESCO world heritage city and everywhere you go you are surrounded by history. Georgetown is really pretty and it has a certain charm to it that I don’t think you can experience anywhere else. Our time in Penang quickly ran out so it was time to head to Langkawi by ferry.
Langkawi is a collection of 99 islands and it is truly beautiful. I was really hesitant to visit Langkawi because from everything I read about it on the Internet it sounded like a Malaysian Phuket. But due to the Monsoon season on the east coast we we had no choice but to visit Langkawi. And contrary to what I’ve read Langkawi was nothing like Phuket. It still felt like Malaysia and not just a cluster of tourists. Among the Europeans and other backpackers there were many locals as well. We spent another three days on Langkawi and once again just relaxed. One of the days we took an excursion to Palau Island where we snorkeled and saw some of the most beautiful tropical fish. We also swam with black tip reef sharks and it was an amazing experience. We ended our Malaysian trip in style by taking a sunset dinner cruise on a yacht. After our yacht trip we went to the airport for our flight back to Kuala Lumpur. We got into KL at midnight and our flight to Cambodia was at 6AM so we decided to just sleep at the airport!
Malaysia is one of my favourite countries and definitely in my top 5. It’s an ideal holiday destination where you still get a feel of the people and not just feel like a tourist among thousands of other tourists like Thailand. The people are some of the friendliest and warmest people I have ever come across and the culture is amazing. The food is so great that being back in Korea is so hard because nothing can compare to it!
Malaysia, what a wonderful place! I will definitely go back one day!
I will kick of 2011 with a post on my weekend trip to Pohang.
It’s a new year, and even though the 2010 gave way to 2011 without a real break these past three weeks have been great. Christmas was wonderful and new years weekend was just as enjoyable. We ventured down to busan to count in the new year, and even though we literally froze our butts off it was a great party. It was my first trip outside of Daegu since September and I needed a scenery change really bad. We had an amazing time. Being a large city we spent a lot of time on the subways navigating our way underground between the places we wanted to go. It was all a bit exhausting. So since our time here in Kimchiland is running out faster than you can say Kimchi we decided to make another weekend trip to the coastal city of Pohang. Why go to Pohang? Well, to get away from it all.
Pohang is a small city on the east coast of Korea, famous for crab and POSCO, the second largest steel manufacturer in the world. There’s not much to see or do in Pohang but that was not the objective of the weekend. We wanted to go somewhere where we could just relax. Pohang rose to the challenge! Driving into Pohang we noticed a lot of snow. Much more than had fallen in Daegu a few days earlier. A day or two before we arrived Pohang experienced two days of snowfall which accumulated around 15 inches of the white stuff. That’s the most snow I’ve seen in any urban area ever! We quickly found our way downtown and booked into a nice centrally located motel. We ventured into the streets of Pohang and immediately noticed that somethings different. We could immediately feel that we were not in Daegu anymore. Although the scenery in Korea hardly changes from place to place there was just something we could not pin down. The people. Even though Pohang is a small city with a very small foreigner community, we weren’t faced with uncomfortable glares and deer-headlight looks from the Koreans. It is as if they didn’t even notice us. My dear friend Diane immediately called it out and said it is as if the people in Pohang are a lot more progressive than their counterparts in Daegu. How is this even possible. Daegu is the third largest city in this bustling country and even claims to be the fashion capital of Korea. Daegu is a very conservative city and I have come to the conclusion that many of the Daegunites cling on to an ‘old Korea’. Like the pan-Africanists would say Korea for the Koreans! I realize that it is completely different to live in a city as opposed to just visiting it, especially just for a weekend, but this weekend away made me experience a sence of liberation that I have not yet felt in Korea. The people are super friendly and kind. They help us without scurrying away when they notice the Waygooks. The amount of english speaking Koreans was astounding, especially considering the size of Pohang compared to Daegu. All in all it was wonderful.
The friendly vibe and the 15 inches of snow made for a awesome weekend. We walked on a beach with snow. Truly a rare sight and one I will not forget very soon! Even though my Korea clock is ticking super fast now there is still so much I want to see and experience. Pohang was a great and fresh way to start of this new year and a great memory to add to my Korea chapter.
Wow, it’s the last day of the year. It is now exactly 3:01 PM (Korean time) and I am still at work. Even though there are no kids am I expected to sit here and deskwarm! not the ideal place to be on New Years Eve but what can you do. It’s crazy to think that another year has passed, so quickly, as if time is on fast forward or something. But this is not only just the end of a year but also the end of a decade. The first decade of the new millennium. 2010. What a symbol those four number have been! How much they represented. How many stories can they tell. 2010 was all in all a great year. I started my first real full time job (in another country). I am glad that I only have two months left at this job because to be honest I really dislike teaching. That could a new years resolution – find a job that you enjoy!
This year started off great. I counted in 2010 on a Namibian beach with a bottle of bubbly in my hands! Then shortly after that I ventured up to Mozambique and had a great time there. I wrote my final honors exams and passed (phew) and thus go my honors degree in Information Science. The next adventure was the much anticipated journey to Kimchiland. It was a shock! A big one! It took me a while to adjust to life here in Kimchiland and to be honest i don’t think i will ever be able to fully adjust. My Korean chapter started off with a horror story. The first 4 months I just wanted to pack up and go. But that’s Korea for you, so much of your experience here is out of your controll. Your school, co teacher, apartment, area, all of that plays a big p[art in how you will experience this country. Even though I got screwed over with most of the above mentioned, I still managed to have a great time. In the end the possitive over shadows the negative. I made some amazing new friends from all around the globe. I learned so many things about myself and how to cope with certain things.
I also got the opportunity to travel to Thailand and China which was great. I have experienced the hottest, most huid, most uncomfortable summer of my entire life. I saw snow and plenty of it! this is great. But this is also the coldest place I have ever lived. I can not believe that place can have such extreme climates. This was also the first time in my life that I lived in a place that is under constant threat of attack. Where military and evacuation drills are part of daily life. This is all a bit strange. I learned that you do not have to speak a language to survive in another country. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish without the language, but is the same breath it’s amazing how much frustration the language barrier brings.
2010 Was a good year that I will cherish forever. It was my Korea year and I will think back on this year with great memories. It’s imposible to name good thing I experienced this year, but I know that I have grown as a person and I have learned so much about myself and what I am capable of!
Good bey 2010! Cheers from Kimchiland, see you guys next year!
It’s supposed to be the best day of the year. A day where friends and family get together and have a great time together. As an expat, I dreaded this day. I love Christmas and celebrate it with more enthusiasm than some of Santa’s elves. But being far away from home and not able to enjoy this festive time with my family placed a great damper on my mood. There was only one way out of this sticky situation and that was to embrace the festive season like never before. Even though most asian countries don’t celebrate Christmas, Korea has more than enough Christians to make this day a public holiday. The consumerist train didn’t waste anytime as Christmas means only one thing in Korea and that is money. And money I did spend!
Daegu was decorated beautifully this holiday season and it was so festive to be in this Christmas surroundings. Almost all the stores all over the city had Christmas trees and played Christmas music and had Christmas special offers. People bought Christmas decorations and everywhere you went Christmas was in the air. that was truly great. Even though I sometimes had to remind myself that it is almost Christmas due to the weather. I am not used to a cold Christmas. This was the first time in my life that I experienced a winter Christmas and even though it is nice and cozy I prefer the summer version!
Even though Koreans celebrate Christmas it is done very differently that what I am used to. If you are christian you will go to church on Christmas morning. Christmas is mostly celebrated on a commercial level as a romantic holiday here in Korea, a sort of second (or third) valentines day if u will. Couples go out and get something good to eat and then exchange gifts. Kind of misses the point, but who’s judging. Christmas to us is a day of family, of thanksgiving and a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Even though the Christmas experience was different here, Korea was still very festive during this Christmas season and I think December was my favourite month here in Kimchiland! It was great. It was a little bit annoying to work on Christmas eve but that did not spoil my fun. After work Nicola and I went downtown and took in the Christmas spirit. People were very festive and it was great. We had a delicious dinner and went all out! After dinner we walked around and took some more pictures. We went home eventually because it was freezing. At home we finally opened up our gifts and had some delicious Dunkin Donuts Christmas cake. It was great! On Christmas day we had a fabulous dinner with our closest friends here in Daegu and as per Christmas tradition, completely overindulged!
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All in all my Korean Christmas was great, not ideal, but great!
Apparently I am amusing. I really do not try to be funny, but yet you can not help but to laugh at me. I would love to take this as a compliment, something to be known for, ah he’s the funny guy, oh he always makes us laugh. You see the thing is I want to laugh with you, and not just you at me. One of my colleagues, who sits across from me in the office, greets me every morning with some laughter. I still don’t understand it. This particular colleague is also very noisy, in that he talks to himself, cleans his teeth permanently with his spit (loudly), he breathes like a rhino and coughs and sneezes without covering his mouth. I am forced to sit with my earphones on when I am in the office because if I have to listen to his sounds all day long I will lose my mind! Don’t get me wrong, I do not despise his, in fact I am very fond of hims as he has shown real interest in me. We have gone for coffee a few times and although his English is more limited than most he makes an effort. And I appreciate it! But the sounds, it’s just too much for to handle. And the laughter. Everyday when I take my sandwich out from my bag, he get’s a laughing fit. EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes I can understand that it must seem weird for him that someone can eat a sandwich everyday, but not so much where I come from. He will look at me and then the sandwich and the burst out in laughter, followed by “sanduhwichee”. this is very strange behaviour. I have gotten used to this and accept it as part of my daily routine, but it boggles my mind. The laughter isn’t limited to only my lunch. Nope my face is also very funny. I have a funny face. Yes I am bery punny! Now that it is winter and mostly below 0 in the mornings when I have to walk to school ma face is usually red and my clothing might suggest that I am an arctic explorer. I do what I have to prevent frostbite. Anyway as soon as I open the office door and I approach my desk I hear it. The laughter. the “ha ha ha” . I understand my face is red and that I have like 6 layers of clothing on but if you have seen me like this for 67 times it’s not funny anymore. the same in the summer, when I got to school in the mornings I was panting, sweating like a pig and waving my trusty fan all over the place. No that image might provoke some laughter, but still, after the 100th time. I am very funny. My being solely exist to amuse my dear colleague. Please stop laughing, it’s just not that funny!
It’s time to go. The year is getting too long and my nerves are on end! I know there is a first time for everything but I have never had to work during the holiday season. It sucks! For the first time in my life I am experiencing Christmas as a winter holiday and although Korea is very festive it just doesn’t feel like Christmas. Yes there are Christmas trees everywhere, and Christmas carols in every store, decorations and lights and santa hats – but it’s just not the same. Up until this weekend I was very ‘festive’ and excited about Christmas. I love Christmas and go absolutely nuts each Christmas time. But with only one week to go I am starting to get a little homesick. Usually this time of year I would be lounging around the swimming pool or going to the beach with my friends and family. And it’s been all good up until now. Now I just want to go home. I’m ready! I guess it’s just the end of year blues. Mark my words, this will be the last Christmas that I’m not home.
That’s right, this past Saturday I took part in an Amazing Race to raise money for an orphanage. It truly was an amazing experience. The race took place here in Daegu and we had to figure out clues about the different spots we should visit during the race. 17 teams of 4 participated. My team had 5 people though. We were dressed like Santa street workers and were named team Festive. So here is what went down at the Amazing Race – Daegu Edition.
We all met up downtown at Daegu Station, the two organizers explained everything to us as we practised kicking a happy sack 7 times to each other. At 1pm the whistle blew and we received our instructions. The first task, the happy sack challenge, was soon made easier to only 5 times and once completed we were off. The first thing we did was trying to figure out all the clues for our challenges. We soon realized that we would have to break up the race in two parts. We decided to first complete the tasks on the west side of downtown and then venture to the east side. The tasks that were situated in downtown we left for last as the finish line was a bar downtown (perfect way to end a race).
Here are the Clues we received: (In brackets the order and number on the map we completed the tasks)
AMAZING RACE
Guidelines:
– Missions can be completed in any order.
-You must take a photograph or video of your entire team at each location.
1. Holy-Roller Mision: This has been a place of worship in Daegu since 1886.
2. Park Ji-Sung Mission: On June 6th, 2002 the Red Devils faced off against Uncle Sam’s Army at this location.
3. Ajumma Mecca Mission: This is the largest market in Daegu.
4. Food Mission: Find and eat either 순 대 (Soon Dae) or 동 집 (Dong Jeep). Racist clause: You can not have a Korean member of your team eat this food.
5. Dancing mission: Record a choreographed dance at one of the following locations: Dong Daegu train station, the stage downtown near the McDonald’s an d Daebeq Department Store, or in a crowded subway car.
6. Viking Mission: Go to Soosung lake and ride the most unsafe amusement park ride you can find. (Hint: it looks like a viking ship). Take a video of your team doing this.
7. Speed game: Your team will receive a sealed letter at the beginning of the Amazing Race. You must find a random Korean person to read this to you. The letter has a secret word written on it. The Korean person will give you clues and you must guess what they are talking about within a minute.
8. If you live in daegu you might have been to this park at least once or perhaps did a sky jump close by. Find an attractive Ajumma wearing a visor and get a picture with her.
9. Find Daegu’s premier skater boy doing tricks at his hang out downtown.
10. Do your best Abbey Road recreation.
GOOD LUCK!
We knew where almost all the places were except we weren’t too sure of number 1 and 2. We decided to go to the furthest location west of Downtown and then work our way back.
Here is a map of Daegu and the order in which we the did the tasks.
1. We were off. Racing down the stairs towards the Daegu station subway looking like a bunch of enraged lunatics. The adrenalin was pumping and we were all very excited. We jumped on the subway and headed for Duryu park. We were on subway line 1 and needed to change to line 2.
Go team Festive Go!
2. At Duryu station we raced up the stairs and ran towards the park. We were a bit confused by the clue that read “find an attractive ajumma wearing a visor” . We were not sure if should just find a random one or if a specific one would be waiting for us at a certain location. Duryu park is huge and it would take us forever to cover the whole park. We chose to take a picture of a random Ajumma. But finding one was the hard part. We spent half an hour in the park scouting. We were rejected 3 times. They’re just not that willing to take a picture with a bunch of foreigners that look like Santa street cleaners. We were about to stage the picture when a very willing and friendly Ajumma came waddling along. We got the picture and raced back to the subway. Along the way we passed our friends who were in another team!
A willing Ajumma
3. In the subway Nicola realized that she lost her transport card so she quickly bought a new one. We raced down to the tracks and just missed the train. Bummer! So we had a few minutes before the next train would arrive so we worked out a little dance routine. We got our moves worked out and when the train came we did not waste any time. We got on, placed the Ipod and speaker on the floor, gave the camera to a random dude and we danced. Some people looked utterly confused by what we were doing and others just plain annoyed. But most of the people enjoyed it and took out their cellphones and took pictures of us. At the end of the dance we got a well deserved round of applause from spectators. And one lady even called for an encore.
4,5,6. We arrived at Seomun Market and raced up the stairs. By this time I was panting like a dog and sweating like a mine worker. And we weren’t even half way through yet. The way towards Seomun market was super crowded and it truly is an Ajumma Mecca. Not the place you would want to go to during a race. So we got to the main market area and quickly took a picture. We found these three young girls and ask them where we could find the food that we were supposed to eat. Obviously their lack of English and our lack of Korean caused great confusion so they just decided to take us to the food stand in the market. Once there we decided that they seemed nice enough and willing to help us. So we gave them the speed game letter. They read the instructions in Korean and we started the guessing game. We did it in 4 minutes but the language barrier should be taken into consideration. Most of the times we said the word but they did not hear it so we continued to guess. But is was great fun! After this we decided to do the food challenge. We discovered that the one dish is pigs blood intestine. Disgusting! I am so glad only one of us had to do this challenge and well done to Shana because I could not have stomached it! She took a few bites and we were off back to the subway. All the challenges on the West side of Daegu were completed.
Seomun Market!
Mmmm . . .Yummy!
7,8. We got on the Subway and we were headed to the World Cup Stadium. The Stadium is on the outskirts of Daegu and one of the last stops on the subway line. so we had time to catch our breaths. When we finally got to the subway stop for the stadium we found a deserted crossing a did our bestest Abbey Road impression. After that we raced to find a cab and speed towards the Stadium. Once there the cab driver was very nice to take a picture of us and drive us back to the subway.
9. This was our biggest mistake during the day. We did not realize that Soosung lake was so close to the World Cup Stadium, and if we took a cab from the Stadium to the lake it would have saved us a lot of time. But instead we traveled with the subway back to Bomeo station and from there took another cab to the lake. This killed us! Once we got to Soosung land/lake we discovered that the Viking ride was closed. there was another team there and they said they have been waiting for a while but nothing. So we reread the clue and it was pretty obvious that we had to do the viking ride, but what can you do. So we went on another ride. This ride was horrible as it shakes you around and you are not strapped in. Shana actually fell. Then it starts spinning. It was horrible!!!!! So after the ride and complaining about the injuries we gained from the it we were off again. We got into a cab and we headed downtown.
10. We discovered (with the help of Nicola’s Korean friend) that the Holy-roller task was a catholic church. the cab driver immediately knew where we wanted to go and even though we asked him to go very fast the roads were so congested. It’s really not a nice feeling to be in a race. anxious and stuck in traffic. we finally got to the catholic church took a picture and were off again.
11. I saw a many familiar buildings on our way to the church and i knew were close to downtown. We had no idea where the last challenge was but I had a feeling. The task was the skater boy one and I thought it was at the park opposite the Novotel. So we just started running in that direction from the cathedral. It was a long run. Nicola’s friend came through again and just as we got to the park she told us that the park we are looking for is just a bit further down. We finally got to the skater took a picture and where off again. We were done! All the challenges completed.
We knew we did not win, but we still wanted to finish with a bang! So we ran to the finish line. We came 6th, which is fine by me! It was great! And to top things off we won the best dance video. That’s right, our little number on the subways was a winner!
It was the most fun I’ve had in Daegu in all my 10 months here! Our fiends who won the race are also so from our neck of the woods so all in all the Ghetto dwellers took almost 50% of the prizes! Not bad!
Well done Team festive and thanks for an amazing race!!!!!!!
Korea – the land of the morning calm, where nothing can disturb this tranquility! …(crickets)…… uh yeah right. As with any developed country, Korea is noisy. No longer is this Asian a destination for calm and soothing vibes. Nope Korea’s many bustling city’s and it’s neverending desire to develop and prosper chucked the morning calm. Korea is very noisy. The population density is very high so you can imagine. Now these noises are fine, and being a city person myself the noise is not that bad! But there are other noises that drive me insane. seriously so much that I want to kill myself!
Chewing sounds. Koreans chew with their mouths open. I am yet to come across a Korean that eats with his/her mouth closed. And they chew very loudly. It’s quite disturbing. In fact it nauseates me! I literally want to puke. I can not even count how many times we have left a restaurant because of this. There is no way in heel I would ever be able to get used to this. And don’t get me started on gum in the subway. You would think that the loud subway noises and the announcements would drown out the chew sound, well guess again. Koreans love rice cakes and these little delicacies are chewy as hell. Combine that with the inability to silently and opening your mouth so wide I can see your tonsils and you will begin to understand my irritation level! It’s bad!
Another sound that pollutes Korea is that of the cough! Yes Koreans (men mostly) are chain smokers and they have a lot of phlegm. It’s gross. They spit everywhere. The men. The woman. The children. They all do it! and apart from the fact that every single street in Korea looks like a spit factory it’s the sound that is the worse. That sound that makes you realise that somewhere, someone is busy getting rid of a weeks worth of slime and guts. It’s utterly gross and makes me cover my ears!
The other sound has also got to do with snot and its gross. Koreans love to sniff. The suck their noses dry and it just makes me want to puke on the snot sucker!
These sounds are enough to send me to a mental institution and have never in my life ben so thankful for my ipod. If anyone ever asked me what is the most essential thing to bring to Kimchiland, I would say that it is your Ipod! Because without covering your ears and blasting dangerously high decibels into your ears, there is no way that you would survive the sounds of Korea.
It’s getting colder and colder here in Kimchiland. Last night as I walked home the first snow flurries fell. It is absolutely freezing. And to be honest if everything isn’t covered in white then this weather is just not worth it! The whole open the windows and switching on the heater thing is still going on. It is as if they have to either freeze to death or melt to death during the summer! We are looking for a balance people. An equilibrium! Oh well, what can you do.
So as month ten is almost over I am progressing in standing my ground here in Kimchiland. Koreans (in general) are not too welcoming or accepting of foreigners, so for us to be treated with a little dignity over here can sometimes be a battle! But nothing major to run home about. It’s just different. Get over it or get out. Or get even! I go for get even! On Monday night we went out for dinner for a friends birthday and on our way to the restaurant (in my neighbourhood) all of a sudden an old woman (Ajuma) shoves me out of the way. Now I know she cannot speak English and ask politely “excuse me” but there is no reason to shove me out of the way when there is more than enough room to pass. It’s ridiculous. So I retaliated and decided to through her with my gum! Unfortunately it only hit her shoe but it was good enough for me. Next time I’m aiming for the hair. That’s right you evil Ajuma’s – I’m fighting back!!!!
So this past week I have been reading in the Korean times and on an English teacher Forum that our jobs as Native English teachers might be in jeopardy here in Kimchiland. Yes tha’s right the government has developed a multi-million dollar robot to replace all english teachers. I guess it was only a matter of time before this happened in this high-tech asian country. And if this is at all feasible then go ahead, because ultimately the government will save money. Native English teachers are an expensive investment. Our flights are paid, we do not pay tax for the fist two years, we get housing, we get severance pay and half our medical aid is covered by the school. But can the robot really replace the person? Especially in such a personable field susch as teaching. But then again, the Korean English curriculum basically trains these kids as robots. They memorize instead of practice. And that is no way to learn a language. Oh well Goodluck to robot 2154458-998!
I really wanted to write about this but never got around to it. So it seems quite redundant to make an entry about it now but I don’t care, so here goes. The 11th of November was Veterans day in most parts of the world, but not here in South Korea. Oh no! The South Koreans spent their Thursday celebrating something completely different. Chocolate sticks on fact. Pepero’s. The 11th of November is Pepero day here and is basically something like Valentines day but with one big difference. It revolves around this one sweet called Pepero, made by one company named Lotte. For about two weeks before this day all the shops start decorating with giant hearts and symbols of love. If i can remember correctly I read somewhere that Lotte sells about 80% of all their Pepero’s in November. School students go crazy with this day as they bring boxes and boxes of Pepero’s to school and give it to their friends. Or boys to girls and vice versa. I have one issue with this day and that is there is no historical significance for the 11th of November to be celebrated as Pepero day. Nothing happened. No Legend or Myth or anything. Although Lotte denies that they forced this day into existence there is a rumor that two middle school girls exchanged Pepros on the 11th of November in Busan way back in 1994. And from there on out Pepero day has taken the nation by storm. As a teacher it’s a bonus tobe teaching on days like Pepero day because you will most defenitely be spoilt with one or two of these boxes. Well not me! Nope, when I got to school on the morning of the 11th almost the whole staff were outside the doors searching all the students. That’s right folks they confiscated all the Pepero’s. I have no idea why they did that, but my school took away their Pepero day.
Another thing that I failed to report about was the CSAT tests. All third grade High School students took this University entrance Exam two weeks ago and the whole country came to a standstill once again. Koreans value education more than any other country in the world I think. And they have to because almost all high school graduates end up going to varsity finding a decent job has become very hard. But it’s great! So on the day of the exams everything starts later. All schools start an hour later and some businesses start only at ten. No flights are allowed to land in Korea during the exam and everything must be quiet. Everyone goes to work later so that the roads won’t be crowded so that the students can get to their exam centers. Police cars escort students to the centers. It’s a national kerfuffel.
In Korean schools there are mentally handicapped students mixed in with the regular students. I wrote about this a few months ago. I still can’t understand why these students go to a regular school as they clearly have special needs. I have been strugling with a student grabbing my face and pulling my beard. The first time it happened I shoved the student’s arm away quite forcefully. When I got to teach that student this semester and realized that he is mentally handicapped. I am not sure what is wrong with him and apparently it’s hard to translate his ‘illness’ from Korean. To me, but I am no expert, he seems autistic. Now I have absolutely no experience with ‘Special Needs’ kids. In fact before I came to Korea I had absolutely no experience with kids whatsoever. The thing is I do not know how to respond and react to these special needs kids. The act out in class, start jumping up and down or would randomly just start screaming. There is no way for me to control them and as I have stated before my co-teacher is practically non existent. So now I ask you what do I do! These kids do not speak or understand a word of English and I am not trained to handle them. Hell I am not even trained to be a teacher. Special needs kids need people who are trained to work with them. I am not. This one kid in second grade (middle School) keeps on running up to me and pulls my beard. It is no longer an isolated incident and I do not know what to do about it. I have talked with two of my co-teachers about it and they just did nothing. So whenever he sees me he runs up to me and pulls my face. If I see him first I grab his arm but as soon as I let go he goes for the face again. This is starting to get me down. I feel helpless because I cannot do anything to stop him. First of all I don’t like it when the students touch me because I think it is inappropriate . Second of all when ever he grabs my beard he hurts me and thirdly he is dirty. I know kids aren’t spokesperson’s personal hygiene or anything but this kid in particular is just always dirty. So that annoys me even more when he touches my face. But most of all is that nothing is being done to bring this under control. Two days go I sat at my desk in the office when all of a sudden I just see this sudden movement from behind and then i feel my beard being pulled. obviously I reacted with a very loud NO! And all 80 eyes in the office were on me. I pointed my finger at the kid and said no to him like 5 times. No one did anything. After a while my co-teacher sitting next to tells me that I must understand that he is mentally challenged and that there is nothing that we can do about it. Seriously. Are you fucking kidding me! Anyhow I told her again that I think it is inappropriate for the student to touch me and someone has to talk to him about it. They did not! So today once again in the office in front of everybody the kid comes up to and grabs my face. In front of everybody. With absolutely no help from anybody. Nothing!
Cambodia is one of those places that every traveller has to go to before they die. It’s a mystical magical place that can rub shoulders with the ancient wonders of Egypt. Unfortunately the 1000 year old temples are the only remarkable thing about Cambodia.
Kimchi with Eish! 
