Giving Thanks

Today was Thanksgiving out here in Seosan, and relaying this fact to a classroom of Koreans created about as much impact as a marshmallow landing on a cloud. The general reaction seemed to be one of apprehension, as most assumed I would be assigning extra homework. Fortunately for them I did not, but I did do my damnedest to convey the essentials of my favorite holiday. In a nutshell, families get together, they eat turkey, which is like a giant chicken that makes you sleepy, they watch American football, and then they have a good long nap. The next day they wake up, wipe the crumbs off their bloated bellies, and proceed to go shopping. I think they got the idea.  Even though I’m thousands of miles from home, there is still plenty to be grateful for. Here, in no particular order, are a few of the reasons I’m saying thanks this year; my year in Seosan, South Korea.

• Heated floors and heavy blankets
• A cupboard full of medicine I brought from home that I’ve never had to use
• High-speed Internet
• The sauna
• Reruns of English programming that have allowed me to almost memorize the entire script to “Kindergarten Cop”
• Soju that’s cheaper than water
• Rice fields, green hills, and clean air
• Employers that treat me like family
• The classes that actually ask my permission to speak Korean
• A 25-hour work week
• Living life without car
• Being forced to learn how to use chopsticks
• Electronic dart boards
• Kimchi
• The Chicken Lady and Mama Burger
• Galbi, Shabu-Shabu, Booda-Jee-Gae, Nakshi-Dup-Bap, Bi-Bim-Bap, Galbi Tang, and pretty much any other Korean dish ever made
• Barack Obama winning the election
• Amazing friends, who are the real reason this journey has been so amazing
• The little dot on my map that marks Seattle
• And most importantly, my family who is waiting for me there when I get home

Related Listening: “Give Thanks and Praise” – Bob Marley

Dance Dance Evolution

It’s amazing how funny nature can be when it’s set to the right music.  Here are few that have helped me through some dark times (read: Wednesdays).

Go Shorty.

Get Low.

Smooth Seal

Michael Jackson is pretty popular with the animal kingdom. They must not read the news.

Not technically real animals, but still awesome

Wake Up Call

Lately I’ve been playing a game I like to call the “What-The-Hell-Did-I-Just-Buy” game. The rules are simple. Go into a grocery or convenience store and purchase something that you have absolutely no idea of what’s inside the packaging and then eat said item. Sometimes the results are quite pleasant, like the time I ended up with some sort of tofu sausage. Sometimes the results are disappointing, like a week ago when I ended up with what could only be described as “squid tenders.” Then there’s “Ya” – a product which bills itself as some sort of magical “wakey potion.” Back in my day we used to call that a cup of coffee with a little bit of JD in it, but out here, it’s far less exciting. The actual product tastes like Sprite mixed with cinnamon and cloves, which may be why it says “Take Your Chance” on the label. Though I think they were actually shooting for something snazzier like “Seize the Day,” they ended up with a tag line that’s far more foreboding but unquestionably more accurate. Drinking this stuff is a risk, especially for anyone who values the future use of their taste buds. The drink is supposed to be some sort of energy elixir, but as far as I could tell the effects last for about 15 minutes, right about the time the sugar kick wears off and the headache sets in. The only positive aspect about this product is the fact that it’s called a potion and has a bottle that looks like it came right out a Zelda level. Seriously, there are not enough potions on the market right now.

So the next time you find yourself a little bored with your same old shopping routine, head on down to the foreign foods sections of your local grocer, and have yourself a game of “What-The-Hell-Did-I-Just-Buy,” or WTHDIJB as the kids are calling it these days. It sure beats eating oatmeal again.

Related Listening: “Wake Up” – Arcade Fire

City People

Here’s a shot I took in a Seoul metro station as a friend and I waited for a train this weekend. It’s pictures like this make that me thankful I live in a small town like Seosan. Seoul is a remarkable city, but the constant crush of people, the smog, and the utter lack of green space can really be a drag. Sure Seosan might not have all the flash and amenities of a big city, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for with charm. Living in a small town really gives you the opportunity to get to know the character of a place and its people. While at first I had many reservations that I picked the countryside over the city life, after 8 months here, I can safely say that I made the right decision. Plus, Seosan is a growing city. Case in point: it’s now home to it’s very own Dunkin Donuts! This is big event out here. There are still lines out the door and around the corner a week after its grand opening. And you know what they say: where there are donuts, there is development.

Legalese

Yesterday’s topic of discussion with my sixth graders revolved around occupations. After going over a few definitions and examples, we got to the part where I asked them what their parents did for a living. Almost all the kids said their fathers were “company men” (whatever that means) and their mothers were housewives. That seems to be the bland standard out here in Seosan. Eventually, a student named Alvin asked me what my parents did for work. I told him my mother is a first grade teacher and my father is a lawyer. Upon hearing this statement Alvin’s face lit up and his eyes grew wide with excitement. “Teecha! Teecha!” he piped loudly through his heavy accent. “When I grow up I want to be a liar too.”

I thought for a moment about correcting him, but then I let it pass. Alvin’s innocent mistake was my guilty pleasure.

The Times They Are A-Changing

My does the weather change fast out here in Korea. This is especially true considering I have no access to forecasts of any kind. One day you go out and the leaves are full of color and the air is clean and clear, and the next day it’s blistering cold and snowing. It’s like someone just flips a big weather switch or something and instantly everything changes. I’m told it’s only going to get colder, a fact I’m not looking forward to because my lips chap easily, so tender they are.

One odd pattern I’ve noticed out here is that locals seem particularly interested in the fact that their country has four distinct seasons. This topic of always seems to come up in my conversation classes, and when I tell people I’m from Seattle, one of the first questions they ask is how many seasons it has. For the record, it has two: the most gorgeous summers you have ever seen, followed by soul-crushingly long and dreary falls. I’m not sure why the topic of seasonal weather comes up so often but my theory is it’s an easy discussion to follow and you can never really be off topic with it. This in return is reassuring to language learners, who are always more willing to talk if they are comfortable with the subject matter. If that is indeed the case, let’s all hope this global warming thing gets taken care of. Imagine how boring it would if it was always 90 degrees and sunny. What would we have to talk about then?

[most of the snow melted by the time I took this picture this afteroon]

Related Listening: “Season Cycle” – XTC

Park Place

A new park recently opened up in Seosan. It’s right smack dab in the center of the city and its centerpiece is a huge man-made lake surrounded by trees and a walking course. It’s name? Lake Park. It actually reminds me a lot of Green Lake back in Seattle, except without all the overpriced coffee restaurants and annoying roller bladers. In other words, it’s pretty much perfect. Above is a picture I snapped one evening not too long ago.

Related Listening: “The Park” – Feist

Poladroid

Before there were digital cameras, there was the Polaroid. The (almost) instantaneous film burst onto the scene in 1947 and has been adored ever since for its ability to capture moments the way people like to remember them: a little warm and a whole lotta fuzzy. Unfortunately for nostalgia lovers, inevitable growth of digital photography overtook Polaroid, which in February announced that it would no longer produce film for its cameras. That’s where Poladroid comes in. With an interface that couldn’t be simpler, this little app accurately recreates the soft focus and slightly washed out colors that made Polaroid photos such a memorable product. Just drag your digital photo files into the little camera icon, and BOOM. It’s like you’re instantly transported back to the 1970s. Well, almost instantly. In a nice touch of authenticity, Poladroid actually makes you wait a minute or two before you can see the fully developed photo on your screen. That’s ok though. Sometimes the good things in life are worth the wait.

Here are some of my results:

My sister’s dog, Birdie

A man giving the peace sign

Walking to school

Graffiti in restaurant

Related Listening: “Hey Ya” – Outkast

Medicine Heads

Hankering for a tummy tuck? How about a triple bypass surgery? No? Maybe a hip-joint replacement is more your speed. If any of these medical procedures are on your to-do list, than why not consider booking a flight to Seoul and getting on the gurney in the Land of the Morning Calm. According to a recent article from the New York Times, South Korea is joining the ranks of Thailand, Singapore, and India in opening its borders to medical tourists searching for cheaper health coverage. By coming to Korea, foreign patients can get procedures done for a fraction of the cost, and in a fraction of the time that it would take in their home countries.

Sally Im, a Korean-American from Honolulu, recently traveled to Wooridul [Spine Hospital] for back surgery. After her husband paid two months’ worth of premiums — about $90 — on their arrival, a portion of Ms. Im’s medical bill was covered by the South Korean government. The couple ended up spending $3,200, rather than the $30,000 that her operation would have cost in the United States, Wooridul said.

Now generally I wouldn’t consider a vacation where the highlight of the trip is back surgery, but hey, you can’t argue with the savings. Read the full article here.

Type Face Typo

Wiz Emglish: You Never Get A Second Chance to Make a First Impression

My school recently purchased a shiny new Starex van to cart kids to and from their lessons. It’s fast. It’s quiet. And best yet it seats twelve comfortably. There’s just one problem: the paint job. In the director’s choice to go with the hip squiggly scribble typeface, she overlooked the fact that the “N” in “English” morphed into an unsightly “M” character. As if our hogwan’s name isn’t bad enough in the first place. Wiz English? Really? It sounds as if we simultaneously teach English and treat Irritable Bladder Syndrome or something. Now things are even worse. Walking up to the building today I could only hang my head in shame upon seeing our mangled new logo. Here we are trying to teach people English and we can’t even spell it right on our damn van. I gingerly broached the subject at a staff meeting today but I got the impression that the directors could really care less about the misspelling. All the kids thought the doodled new logo was totally rad, and most of the parents who pay their tuitions can’t read English anyway, so it’s a wash. Oh well. Proper spelling be damned. We’re still the best Emglish teachers in town!

Related Listening: “Misread” – Kings of Convenience