Ahn nyeong from... Seoul!

I recently re-read my last post and laughed at my certainty for leaving Korea. The yearning for change was met with a giant whirlwind that swiftly picked me up and has yet to spit me out. But did I leave Korea? No. Well at least not yet.

I am not settled and for a long while, nor was I grounded. But luckily, after a much needed, restful Sunday filled with a whole lot of reflecting and introspection, I seem to have found something strong and sturdy to hang onto. It comes from within myself and despite this crazy vortex that is life, I have regained some stability, something that can be difficult to grasp when you are not settled.

So what's been going on lately? Here are some highlights!

Last month, I celebrated my last day of two years teaching at a public school in Anyang City. Some 900 students at this school will remain in my heart forever. 

Literally that same day, I moved from Anyang City to Sangdo, Seoul to teach university students at Chungang University. 

This is my old apartment. Empty. 

This is the neighborhood surrounding Chungang University. Feels wonderful experiencing campus life again, especially with a different perspective. 

Cake on the roof at my friend, Barbie's, brunch party.

I celebrated Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) by making Songpyeon, a traditional Korean rice cake. 

Welcoming Fall with a bike ride along the Han River. 

HI Seoul Festival- The neon is people hanging from the City Hall building while fireworks are released from the roof. Only in Korea, I tell ya... and I mean that in the best of ways. 

Ridge Climbing at Bukhan Mountain. Feeling pretty tough! 

I met Shannon in Gangreung City for some Gangreung (not to be confused with Gangnam) style type action. Not pictured- belting our hearts out to 90's music, including Alanis Morisette, at a singing room. We documented it with sound clips not pictures and if you're lucky, we sent you one! 

Hiking at Dobong Mountain- Fall is my favorite time in the states and also my favorite time in Korea. But in the two places, the season is completely different. Here, it's marked by bright blue skies, perfectly seen from the top of Seoul's mountains. 

My current status in Seoul is temporary and I have big news to share about the future! But it's getting late, so I'll have to come back for another post later. Til' then, byebye bloggie world. 

Still Alive!

Who’s the worst blogger in the world? ::Raises hand:: This girl! Time in Korea is a funny concept in that it moves really fast. In fact, everything in Korea happens at super speed- driving, eating, walking, grocery store lines (I like this one), etc. Well, I feel like it’s been moving even faster than usual lately and I think it’s because spring brought wonderful weather and now summer is bringing even more. Talk about being spoiled…

I’m also within the final stretch of my 2 years teaching in Korea. I’m finding myself worrying that each hike I take, each food I eat, each person I see…down to every last action that make up my days, weeks and months, could be the last. But realistically, I know this isn’t the case. Sure I have just 2 months left until the end of my contract and I leave the country, but it won’t be a final goodbye. It can’t be.  I won’t let it be. When exactly I will return, I do not know, but indeed it will happen. Korea embraced me and in return, I made it my second home. Someday I will return. But at the moment, I need change and it's a yearning that I can feel all the way to the core. Change, inspiration and growth. 

For now, I’m going to make the most of what little time remains before my departure. And while I’m crazy excited for the return to my first home (like really, really, crazy excited), I’m not going to let that get in the way of experiencing every last thing Korea throws at me this summer.

I promise for some spring and summer adventure updates in the near (let's hope) future, but for now I leave you with a great tune by The Head and the Heart and some amazing comics by my fabulous students.

The Flaming Lips Embrace Seoul and Oregonians Unite!

The week passed and the highly anticipated Friday finally came. The day was special because my best friend from home (and an English teacher in Daegu) headed up for a weekend visit. The time together was much needed. Next to my mom, she knows me better than anyone else in the world. So, for two days, I felt more grounded than I have in a long time. She gets me, and I get her, so together everything just feels natural. I've met amazing people here in South Korea, but there is something extremely comforting in being past the "getting to know one another" phase and being able to jump into conversation about absolutely anything. Or do absolutely anything and not give a rats butt about what the other thinks because you know they don't care.

On Friday, Shannon and I shopped around Namdaemun and Myeongdong, but who shops on an empty stomach?

"MEEEEOOOOWWWW!" A young boy started mimicking our cat noises.

Jake (from Oregon and teaching in Anyang) and Chris (from Oregon and teaching in Jeonju) joined for an Oregonians Gathering. Jake was in graduate school with Shannon and I and Chris, in high school with us. One time Chris saved my life, but I must not share details...

A little pre-Flaming Lips celebrating.

Despite a little confusion on both our taxi driver's and our part, Chris, Shannon and I finally arrive at AX Hall.

He loves bubbles.

We are actually watching The Flaming Lips IN SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA. It still feels surreal.

Of course.

Feeling the music.

Hardly a shortage of confetti!

And guess what? The lead singer, Wayne, has an Oregon sticker on his guitar. He's not even from Oregon, so go us :)

Absolutely enchanting environment.

There was definitely a chicken.

*#%^&@*(%#@

And some BBQ to end the perfect night.

Stayed in Happy Guesthouse Hostel off of Beotigogae
Station, Exit 1. *****

For breakfast and pre-departure.

For some really great photographs of the show, click here.

Put your whole body in, put your whole body out.

I have a cold, a red face and a couple pimples on my face. So what? Generally I always have a red face and a couple pimples on my face. But today someone at work kept asking, "Are you OK?" And I kept responding, "Yes, I am OK." I'm not sure what else they wanted me to say. Did I feel 100%? No. But I am always OK. So finally they said, "I'm just wondering because you have pimples and a red face. Ironically, I had just looked in mirror this morning and thought to myself how much better my complexion was getting since my earliest weeks.
This sounds rude to anyone living in America, but I'm pretty sure she genuinely felt concerned for my health. Earlier in the morning, I had told her I have a cold and certainly must have seemed low on energy. People in Korea are dead honest when it comes to appearance and rarely does it seem people get offended by these straight forward comments. I, on the other hand, was offended, but new right away it was a cultural difference and tried by best to roll with the punches. I took some time to myself and decided that I seriously need to grow some thicker skin. Shortly after realizing thick skin doesn't grow over night and honestly, I don't know that's even what I need, I watched the last 4th grade class of the week "put their whole body in" during the hokey pokey dance. They think this is the greatest thing to do since Dak-ji (Korean pogs) and I think it's the greatest thing to watch. Their bodies squirm all over the place, they giggle uncontrollably, and i got to switch my negative mood off like a light switch.
For other reasons besides the above-mentioned comment, the day was a difficult one (mainly related to communication boundaries). Here in South Korea, there are difficult days and there are easy days. But it is important to recognize that even during difficult days, there are positive moments and those easy days, well they are all the more valuable after a difficult one.
After school, I walked out of the building, took in a deep breath of crisp fall air, put my headphones on (just so happened "Soul Meets Body," by Death Cab for Cuties was on the iPod), and looked upward, something I sometimes forget to do when walking through the city. Everything looked so big and I felt so small and, for some reason, this was a comforting feeling, one that I ever so much needed.

Found yet another path home from school.

Tomorrow, I will conquer Mt. Bukan. You can be certain that photos will follow shortly. And if you want to see the funniest thing under the sun, then click here.

Insomnia

I was a fool to think it wouldn't affect me here. To be honest, I'd love insomnia if it weren't for the exhausted feeling that dominates the days. But at night, I love staying awake; I'd rather remain conscious permanently. If I didn't get tired (nor look like a zombie), I wouldn't even attempt the sleep. Especially here in a new country, I'd like to have more time and therefore, less night and less sleep.

Oh beautiful Anyang fall. 

Plotting my winter break adventure...I'll remain quiet so to not get my hopes up ;)

Sundae Adventure

Sundae- pig intestine stuffed with blood clot, noodles
and vegetables served with liver and lung. Also pictured
is Duk Bok Ki. 

I can now check off my third item from the top seven exotic dishes for foreigners because tonight I ate Sundae (순대). No, not an ice cream sundae, but pig intestine stuffed with animal blood clot, noodles, and vegetables. My Sundae dish was mixed with pig liver and pig lung with Duk Bok Ki on the side. It was more appetizing than it sounds, trust me. 

My friend that works at the neighborhood coffee shop and that is a Korea native (also the same friend that introduced me to beondaegi or silkworm larva) took me to the older, original downtown neighborhood of Anyang, Manan Gu. Dongan Gu, which resides toward the east of Anyang and is the newer, wealthier downtown neighborhood is where I live. I love both neighborhoods for different reasons. 

My neighborhood has smaller, somewhat traditional feeling outdoor markets, but they are nothing compared to Chungang Market, or Central Market, which we explored after our lovely meal. The labyrinth-like outdoor, but covered market could be the destination for the next skittles commercial. You have your red apples, yellow bananas, green lettuce, orange tangerines, purple grapes and then also scarves, sweaters, furniture, and prepared food all demonstrating just how beautiful the colors appear when mixed. I settled on some delicious apples.

Chungang or Central Market in Manan gu, Anyang, South Korea

After getting home, my friend texts me, "Be careful princess, that is a poison apple." Despite his English being rocky and my Korean being far from conversation level, we are still able to share some pretty comedic moments. Working as hard as we must for the other to understand makes the laughing response that much more satisfying. One of my goals coming to Korea has been to improve my ability to maintain friendships, something I felt I very much struggled with at home. So far, I think I'm making some pretty decent progress. 

Just another lemon tree.

Just one of "those days" that I think all expats in Korea experience. Blah, blah, you know...TGIF.

Outside the window @ school. I need some of this Vitamin D.

This video was used in a lesson today and I love it. I know it is pretty commonly used, but it was my first time seeing it today. Great for South Korea's Grade 5 "What are you doing?"
.
Hiking this weekend FOR SURE.

Aliiiiiive.

Damnit. I am alive, but posting from a PC Bang just does not feel right. I'm surrounded by young boys playing World of Warcraft, music with the course "I'm so bad," and pink hearts. Confused? Yeah, me too.

Quickly, though, I will share just how kind those around me have been. Yesterday, the battery to my key-less entry door went dead. For a good 15 minutes I thought I'd be homeless for the night. Obviously I came to my senses and realized I had two choices: 1. call my nearby native friend or 2. call my co-teacher. I opted for choice number one. He was out of the area and so he sent a friend that spoke a teensy bit of English. He communicated well with my doorman and together they decided to try attaching a battery to the battery of my door. This did not appear to work because never could I enter my pass-code, but randomly and by some unknown force of nature, my door just unlocked... WHEW! A major thank you goes out to Mr. Gu and his friend for spending a good 1.5 hours helping me.

A Second thank you goes out to a new teacher at my school by the name of Mr. Kim. He is subbing for a female on maternity leave. His desk is next to mine and he speaks some English. In a staff room dominated by Korean (expected), it does feel nice to be sitting next to someone that I can communicate with. Anyway, he has taken it upon himself to help me in finding a cord for my computer. Today, after school, he went to a Toshiba Service Center to pick up a cord that he had previously called about. After having unsuccessfully venturing to Seoul twice on the same mission, I was very grateful for his assistance.

When I get my laptop up and running, I will be sharing all of the wonderful things happening here in South Korea via images.

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM!

Back in the Game

Aside from meeting new people, the second best part of
orientation was learning Samul Nori, traditional percussion
music. We did not do the dance part, but learned
some pieces on the drums. Something about hitting the drum
with every bit of strength felt amazing.

GEPIK orientation came and went. My feelings about the experience are mixed, but overall, I'd say the majority of it was positive. It amazed me to see such a diverse group of English speakers together in one place. If Koreans at all have difficulty putting a finger on key characteristics of Americans (although there were a few English, New Zealand and Canadian citizens present), it's because the ones here are all so very different. And not just minor differences, but it is those with extreme personalities that have the courage and desire to make their way to another country. I immediately clicked with my roommate and the girls next door to us. We were able to assume a mixture of professionalism and fun, which was difficult for the many teachers that found themselves shit faced in the evening, only to have to wake up at 6:30ish in the morning. Call me square, but I cherish this experience and my reputation as an educator far too much to put myself in those shoes.

New friends from GEPIK orientation. 

When I got home (woah, feels weird to say that), my computer charger exploded and I was also out of minutes on my temporary pre-paid cell phone given to me by my recruiter. I felt totally cut off from all communication with everyone and quite lonely/home sick/on the verge of a breakdown. The next day was no better, I got to school and just had a very rough day. It was nothing that students, teacher or myself did, but just this huge communication barrier that I felt existed. Co-teaching with three teachers, all with very different teaching styles and varying levels of English, seemed impossible. Even closer to the breakdown, like literally about to start crying in the middle of the city, a lady out of no where said hello (Ahn nyeong) to me. It was very comforting and helped me in keeping in my tears. Later, I began a mission to find the post office. I asked about four people for directions, searched for about an hour and finally I found it. While the search was starting to break me down again, the feeling of successfully finding it built me up again. I needed as much strength as possible because after the post-office came E-mart (the giant local store) where I knocked over an entire stack of Kleenex boxes...great. An nearby employee appeared upset, but helped me pick them up. After saying sorry (Mian Ham Nee Dah) in Korean, she seemed a little less annoyed with me.

Yesterday I finally received my alien registration card and so I was able to get a cell phone and a bank account (WHEW). Oh yea, and my phone has an antenna and TV capability... I have also found a few nearby PC Bangs (computer rooms). I am feeling much better and now have the weekend to re-gather myself. For those of you at home, I hope you are not worried about me after reading this post. Yes, I had some of those difficult days that I'm sure everyone must experience when moving to a new country, but I am still very much in love with my experience. I wish I could upload some of my photos for everyone to see, but that will have to wait until I get my hands on a new computer power cord. Now I'm off to explore Seoul!

Sunday is Fun Day in Anyang.

I know that I am getting settled in because everything that seemed larger and more overwhelming than comprehendible no longer intimidates me. Neighborhoods that, at first, seemed impossible to navigate feel much smaller and clearly organized. I now know where everything is located at the local store, I can find the two nearby subway stations, and I finally understand my buildings garbage and recycling. It’s so funny how impossible it is to imagine the way in which things will fall into place until they just do. And sometimes it still takes time to realize that those things have fallen into place. As things fall in to place, all I need to do is maintain a healthy balance of ownership and flexibility in all series of events.

Me, Jake, Shannon, and Jeff: goodbyes as the subway. 

Shannon and Jeff paid a visit to Anyang this weekend, which partially cured my minor homesickness starting to brew. We had a lot of fun celebrating Jake’s Birthday, but, of course, it felt too short. One day they will return and before that, I will visit them in Daegu.

Tomorrow, I leave my settling world in Anyang and travel to the city of Anseong for GEPIK orientation. It seems weird for me to have orientation after having already started teaching and having a week of holiday, but I am also excited to head out on my own. I cannot express how amazing it is to have a best friend nearby, but I think it will also be wonderful to take in the country and its people solo for a bit few days. Jakes orientation won't be until the second half of the week because he teaches high school.

At orientation, I also hope to meet new people. I have been meeting some around Anyang when going out, but I’m finding it difficult to establish sincere relationships with those that I meet. It isn’t just here that I have struggled with this, but now is the time that I must test my ability to overcome this weakness, open up and ready myself for close friendships. Obviously not all relationships will progress into close friendships, but there can certainly be no self sabotaging...

And today I will share a few photos from my Sunday, a day that the people of Anyang were out to play.

Anyang Central Park

Street closed down and the mini-cars roam

Cotton Candy Man

Up to the street market