Catching up!

Image via Wikipedia

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.

 

That’s it for now.  Cheers from Kimchiland.

And it’s the double digits!

Image by _maracuja via Flickr

99 days before I leave Korea!  Wow!  I am still a little culture shocked and now it’s almost time to go!  Since my time here in Kimchiland is running out I thought it good to make a list of the things I still wanted to do and see.  Unfortunately I did not get so see as much of Korea as I planned to but saving up all my money kind of hindered weekend travel excursions.  Before I get on that plane in Incheon I definitely want to go to Seoul one more time.  I also want to go back to Busan and experience the city.  I’ve only been to the beach!  And then I would like to go back to Gyongju and see everything this time around.  Lastly I want to visit a ski resort and fall on my ass trying to ski!  I cannot believe there are less than a hundred days left.  In retrospect time has just flown by!  Now to make the most of the remaining months here in Korea!

Cheers from Kimchiland!

Going to the Beach

This past weekend we went to the beach!  I think monsoon season has left the peninsula and that means only one thing, no more rain on weekends.  Every time we wanted to go to Busan this summer it has rained.  So when te weekend promised good weather we didn’t really have a choice.  We got lucky as a friend of a friend offered up her apartment to us in Busan.  So early saturday morning we took the oh so great KTX to Busan.  In no time we were at the beach and having a beer at a nice little beach bar called BLowfish at Song Jeong Beach.  We were not in the mood for the chaos of Haeundae Beach and decided on this smaller beach.  I just want to add that I still love Busan!  Most definitely my favorite Korean city!  Anyhow, after lunch we headed for the sand and got a ‘parasol’ and a beach mat.  And that is were I spent my saturday.  Just chilling on the beach.  I was tempted to go swim because it was very very hot in the sun but there was something holding me back.  I know it’s retarded but I  am a little grossed out by Korean waters.  I mean the people spit everywhere on land so heaven knows what they do in the water.  So I ended up taking an extremely cold shower in a container next to the beach for 1000 won at the end of the day.    Even though I didn’t swim I had an awesome time and would go there every weekend if i could.  there’s just something about the sea that does it for me.  And I miss the sea.  I’ve gotten used to living so close to the beach that it’s frustrating to so far away now!

My day at the beach wasn’t completely useless, I made quite a few observations.  As in my previous Busan post I made a few observations of Korean culture.  My day at the beach I learned some new and interesting things about Korean BEACH culture.

Koreans hate the sun.  In fact I think they fear it.  In their culture, as opposed to our own, it’s not sexy to be tanned.  The whiter and lighter the better.  Where we have tan cans they have bleach can’s!  So obviously everybody is under a beach umbrella.  In their quest to stay white they go to the beach fully clothed.  It was like going to the beach in Dubai, Saudi Arabia.  No bikinis!  Also something that I have gathered from my time here in kimchiland is that showing cleavage is a big no-no!  It was very entertaining to see hoards of people in the water fully clothed.

Koreans live in apartments.  Korea was once known as the land of the morning calm but is now known as the land of the high rise building.  Due to their apartment living not many people have access to swimming pools.  Thus many Koreans can’t swim.  So at all the beaches you will find yellow inflatable tubes.  And everybody has one.  Luckily the Korean ocean is very calm which allows for floating around in a tube.

There are also very strict limits in the water.  You are only allowed to go so deep.  If you cross the line the life guard on his jet ski will blow his whistle in your face.  It’s as if the lochness monster has moved to the sea of Japan (the East sea) and lurks behind the ‘safe zone’

Another thing that I found very strange was these loud speakers at the beach with a lady announcing something every now and again.  now this was really annoying since she woke me every time!  I have no idea what she is saying but it must be important since she is doing 4 times every hour!

But the strangest thing of all was when the clock hit 6.30pm the lifeguards went totally crazy and all the Koreans rushed out of the water.  I thought the Lochness monster crossed over into the ‘safe zone’.  But no it didn’t.  No more swimming after 7.  Can you believe it?  I have never witnessed anything like that before.

Then when the sunset everybody got fireworks from the family mart.  And they were shooting them all over the place.  No rules , nothing.  It was a bit strange.  I’ve always been afraid of fireworks and I blame/thank my parents for that.  They instilled images of people whose hands got blown of or even died because of fireworks at a very young age.  So I’m not fond of handling them.  I love looking at fireworks from a distance but I don’t like playing with them!  But here there are absolutely no concern whatsoever for the dangers of fireworks.  Kids handle them.  People fire them in crowds.  It was mayhem.  When one my friends decided to shoot fireworks on the beach I positioned myself at a safe distance!  Absolutely crazy.

Even though Korean beach culture in a millions miles away from our beach culture I had a wonderful day filled with laughs and fun.  I just want to go back there!

Cheers from Kimchiland

One night in Bangkok and the world is your oyster

I’m back in Kimchiland after 12 glorious days away and sitting in an empty school Thailand feels like a dream that I woke up from too soon!  Thailand was amazing and it was the best time of my life.  And that I got to share it with my family was even more special!

Our wonderful adventure started on Thursday the 5th of August when we had to wake up at 6 AM.  Getting all our baggage ready, we had to be at the Seobu Bus terminal at 7 to catch our bus to the airport.  When we got there we noticed that the Bus was only going to Gimhae the town and not directly to Gimhae the Airport just outside Busan.  So we quickly ran to the subway and got on the train to Dong Daegu station where we knew of a bus going directly to the

airport.  In half an hour we were there and got our tickets for the 9 AM bus to Gimhae airport.  Just after 10 AM we were in Busan and had to wait until 11 AM to check in.  Before we knew it we where in Beijing where we had 5 hours to kill before our connecting flight to Bangkok!  Now this was my first time to enter a communist country (even though we didn’t actually leave the airport) and I have to admit that all the official looking people did scare me a little.  But once we got through immigration Beijing airport was fun.  There were m

ore than enough shops to keep us busy.  Finally we heard our Boarding call and off course it was on the other side of the terminal with signs informing us that it is a 10 minute walk to our gate.  We made and finally the excitement sets in.  I am just over 4 hours away from seeing my parents and the gloriusness that is Bangkok!

Bangkok greeted us with a bustling airport as thousands of tourists scatter around like ants.  The line at customs was long and my anticipation made the wait even longer.  No matter where you go  in the world immigration officials are the unfriendliest people of all.  I can understand this because it must suck to see thousands of tourists everyday excited about what awaits them while the little immigration booth is your final destination every time!

As we passed through the arrivals hall we were greeted by a very friendly Thai man with a little poster that read CHRISTOFFEL DE WIT – NICOLA JACOBS.

In all the places I have been around the world I have never been one of those nameboard people.  So this was a first.  And even though Thailand is probably the one of the easiest country’s in the world to backpack I am glad we chose the alternative route.  There was no hagling with a taxi driver or worrying about where the hell will I spend the night (this is how I travelled both Egypt and Malawi – just pitching up and taking it from there).  In less than an hour we arrived at the oh so fancy Eastin Hotel and Spa, got our key and waited while our luggage made it to our room.  We were on the 25th floor and my parents stayed on the 29th floor.  They already arrived in Bangkok and where waiting for us in their room.  As I knocked on their door a sense of relief came over me and it was as if the hardships and cultural shock’s (yes, multiple) of the past six months all went away.  It was great to see my folks and we chatted and exchanged gifts.  We went to bed at 3 that morning and had to wake up super early to make the most of our 24 hours in Bangkok.

With only four hours of sleep my first impressions of Bangkok in daylight was a bit blurry.  It’s only after a cup of decent coffee and a full farmhouse breakfast at the hotel that Bangkok came into focus.  Just outside of our hotel a long line of taxis waited to bullshit tourists and taking them for a ride – literrally and figuratively.  After multiple taxi dismissals we finally found a very nice driver that was willing to switch on the meter.  We wanted to go to the Grand Palace first but he recommended that we take a boat along the canals to the grand palace.  obviously some sort of commission awaited him when he dropped us off at the port.  But we didn’t mind because in our half an hour taxi ride through little side streets of Bangkok he told us about the political unrests of a few months back and how he drove around with his gun ready at hand.  He told us that Thai people didn’t want the monarchy anymore and would prefer to have a republic.  interesting enough he always generalised his opinions to those of the Thai people as bad mouthing the king or the monarchy can lead to your death!  At the port we haggled a bit to get a better deal.  We skipped out on the “optional” excursions included in the tour as visiting a snake farm is not that enthralling if you come from South Africa.  I guess what sets us apart from other western travelers is that we have monkeys and crocodiles and elephants and all sorts of wild animals in our back yard basically.  So the novelty of these siting’s have worn off.  We thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride and it is a spectacular way to take in Bangkok’s precious sites away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  It was amazing to see how these people lived along the river, and how clean it was.  Although Bangkok is run down and very rustic in some places it’s generally very clean.  Much cleaner than any Korean city I’ve ever been in!

At the Grand Palace port we walked through this little market where vendors sell all sorts of everything at very inflated prices (i found out later).  The grand Palace complex is surrounded by a grotesque white wall and finding the entrance was a bit tricky as we walked in the wrong direction.  After deciding to backtrack a bit we were confronted by loads of taxi and tuk-tuk drivers all informing us that the Palace is closed and will only open again at two.  They do this so that you will agree to go on one of the many excursions they offer.  We found out from a taxi driver later that day, that the commission these tuk-tuk drivers get from taking tourists to random jewelry factories or something of that kind is much more than the fare they charge you.  Luckily a little research beforehand warned me about this and we finally found the main entrance.  The palace was open and ready for us.  There is a strict dress code at the palace which caused us to wear jeans and sneakers in the heat of summer – little did we know that there is a separate area where you can actually rent appropriate clothing.  Nicola wore tights and seeing that those weren’t allowed she quickly rented a sharong type skirt.  After returning the skirt she actually got her money back.

There were hoards of tourists and the palace reminded me of a lavish department store sale.  But even with thousands of snap happy tourists (like myself) the beauty and splendor of the Palace took my breath away.  The two hours we spent there was amazing and if it had been a little cooler we could have easily spent much longer taking in the beauty that is the Grand Palace.  From here we struggled once again to get a metered taxi but eventually we got one that took us back to our hotel.  We decided to cool off in the swimming pool on the 10th floor, had a drink and took in the view!  Bangkok is any shoppers’ heaven and even though 24 hours in this magical city does not allow a decent shopping spree we headed to a close by electronics market.  Since I accidentally took the wrong memory stick for one of my cameras in Korea I bought one for dirt cheap!  Given enough time and money I could do some serious damage in this city.  After about an hour of browsing we headed to our hotel, and just in time as the daily thunderstorm was about to hit.  Back at the hotel we showered and had a wonderful buffet dinner at our hotel.  The restaurant in the hotel is situated right next to a busy highway and the view of hundreds of cars speeding by at night-time is magnificent.

After dinner we headed to Skypark, which is the second tallest building in Bangkok.  We wanted to have a drink at the lavish skybar which is on the top floor but once again Nicola failed to meet the dress code.  The skybar is on the 60-something floor but we were only allowed to enter the 56th floor bar which is just as breathtaking and lavish.  There we enjoyed very pricey cocktails and took in this fascinating city from a birdseye view.

After a full day of Bangkok’ing we were exhausted and it was time to hit the sack and get some rest before flying to Phuket the following day.

Phuket adventures coming soon.

Cheers from ‘a not as nice as Thailand’ Kimchiland!

Preparation

So I have been doing research on teaching English in the east since last year and what I could gather Korea and Taiwan was the two best options.  I had difficulty locating information specific to South Africans as the English teaching market is flooded by Americans and Canadians.  And we Saffa’s are just different from those from the northern hemisphere.  Our culture and approach to life is just different.  Blog after blog after blog it dawned on me that Korea would be my best option.  Nicola and I even conducted a little experiment on facebook to help us decide between Korea and Taiwan.  We assigned both Korea and Taiwan a different color and made our statements that people had to choose one of these colors.  Although we only received about 20 responses before one of my friends spoiled the experiment by stating that she thought Korea was the best option the outcome of the experiment was KOREA!!!  So now in the final months before our departure I can truly say that I am well prepared for what lays ahead in 2010.  It’s a pity that we are going to miss the World Cup (well not really, I mean have you been to Jo’burg lately – its roadworks everywhere and building bridges and stadiums and and and (which is not a bad thing as its good for SA) its chaos), it’s not every day such a big events comes to South Africa.

In preparing for Korea I really searched for some South Africans in Korea and read up on their experiences.  Thanks to Facebook I stumbled upon the South Africans in Korea group (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2309967428&ref=ts) which has assisted me in so many ways.  The members of this group were always very eager to answer all of my question and I truly feel that the South Africans in Korea is truly a close knit community.   Hey maybe one of these days we could have a little Cape Town or Jo’burg town in the heart of Seoul.  That would be weird though.  Can you imagine a shebeen, corner café with fish and chips and a king pie, or even better a chicken licken.  Maybe someday!  Anyway back to the preparation, I came across a blog called SafKorea (http://safkorea.wordpress.com/) which has truly been an excellent resource.  The blogger (who since left Korea) has truly been amazing in posting all relevant information on his blog like how we Saffa’s are exempt from paying pension and tax to how to obtain the tax clearance certificate from the oh so greedy SARS!!!  My endless strolls through the digital passage ways of the internet led me to some other blogs that really gave me an idea of how certain Saffa’s experience the Korean culture! (oh and since I’m not in Korea yet I have no idea if South Africans refer to themselves as Saffas, but while I was living in the UK Saffa’s was our nickname).  Reading through these blogs really helped me in getting my mindset right for this endeavor because culture shock here I come!  Since I had to pack my bags for a whole year’s worth of stuff, I know that it is almost impossible to fit everything you need in just 20 kilos.  I learned this the hard way since I lived somewhat as a hobo those first three months in England! Luckily Emirates has a 30kg capacity, although University was too good for me so my clothes are all a size bigger now since then!  My recruiter advised me to let my parents ship most of my summer clothes to Korea once I get a confirmed address, as this will make the packing just such as easier task.  Apparently, and I will still confirm this, but you can ship a 20 kg package to Korea for about R500.  And that’s not too bad as buying new clothes and shoes of 20kg’s will be way more that just 500 bokke!  So I think I’ll ship my summer clothes, and by the time it reaches Korea it will be Spring and a nice way to say okay you may go to the beach now!

I think it is very important to embark on something like Korea consciously and fully prepared.  There is nothing that will truly prepare me for that moment I set foot on Korean soil but having a great knowledge on what lies ahead can only be beneficial!  Google is our friend and it should be used to learn as much as possible.  I mean I am very picky when it comes to food, and I am brutally honest when I say that the Korean dishes frighten me a wee bit, but hey try everything at least once, and then you spit! Ha ha! Anyway from my research I learned that Co-op has a lot of more familiar foods so at least I won’t go hungry, although a rice diet might do me some good!

Anyway the moral of the story is to be prepared.  As everything that I have learned over the past year from Korea might be completely irrelevant once I finally get there, but at least I can embark on this journey knowingly on what lays ahead and calm my s(e)oul!

Christo 😉