Procrastination

           So last night Rachel, John (our Canadian co-teacher), and I decided that it was a time to celebrate our good fortune. We had been a little strapped for cash and asked our employer for a small advance.  They not only came through, but came through in style.  We managed to get twice what we had asked for and had it within 2 days.  Little did we know that what was a harmless night out after work, became a series of sad observations about the condition of Korea. 

           So when last we left our heroes they were boarding the subway to famous Iteawon.  I have written about this place before and many of you out there in “internet-land” know of it well.  With a stash of cash in our pockets and a destination in mind, we went to the famous Wolfhound Pub.  Instantly we all felt like we had come home.  Delicious beer, perfectly cooked burgers, Caesar salads, and bangers and mash graced our table and were quickly devoured. 

           Ok, so all good right?  It’s what happened next is where our story gets interesting.  So we were very tired and didn’t feel like taking the subway home.  After making the decision to find a cab we then waited for nearly 20 minutes as taxi after taxi drove past us.  One going so far as to slow down, lower his window, hear where I wanted to go, and drive off.  John had an even worse experience trying to get a cab.  He managed to get one to stop.  The driver then said that it was going to cost him x4 the normal rate to get where we wanted to go. 

           Now it wasn’t all rejection and disappointment.  Across the street from where we were waiting we saw our first drunken businessman.  I had commented to Rachel before how prevalent the alcoholism is in this country, but she was more than shocked to see a man literally fall over drunk on the side of the street, then picked up by his buddies and thrown into a taxi.  Apparently we are a worse choice than someone who might literally vomit all over your cab. 

           And speaking of vomit.  So after being rejected and an attempted fleecing we thought that we might still have enough time to grab the last train back home.  With luck and fortune on our side we dashed through the ticket machine, down the many, many, many flights of stairs, and got on the last couple of trains home.  Now here comes the vomit part.  As I said alcoholism is quite large here.  When we boarded the first train we found a whole row of seats that were empty.  With cat-like reflexes, I managed to pull Rachel away in time, from stepping foot first in a pool that covered the floor near the empty row of seats.  With a little close comfort though we all managed to grab a few seats far and away from the offending space.  Now the funny part about this was we found another offending pool on the second train we had to board.  Rachel could only turn to me and ask “really?” in a voice that was as much amused surprise as it was horror.

           Ok so we got home all safe and sound, and promptly passed out.  After all we had work the next day.  It isn’t as if I am wasting valuable time at work to blog a story about finding rude cabbies and vomit on the subway. 

Dreaming of Disneyland 

I had a whole different idea of things to write about this week, but then Rachel and I did some walking around today, and I decided to write this instead. 

Disneyland doesn’t sell the childhood dreams or experiences; it sells the idea of childhood dreams.  Just like some casinos in Las Vegas.  One in particular has a whole section that made up to look like Venice, complete with gondola boats, and Starbucks.  What brought all this to mind was a single moment while I was waiting outside the bathroom for Rachel to emerge.  This was while we were at the COEX mall.  We had heard that this place was a veritable temple to consumerism.  We were curious and looking for something cheap for lunch.  What we found was a collection of restaurants, shops, and bizarre attractions that could only be found in Dead Rising (My sincere apologies for those of you who don’t get the reference).  While waiting for Rachel, I found a little coffee/tea shop that was the perfect facsimile of a small country cottage coffee shop.  Aged wood floors, strategically scuffed tables, and even cushions with wear and tear to complete the image of the perfect little place to sit down and read a book.  Never mind the fact that not 10ft out the door is a Korean mega mall.  The whole point to all this is that this little coffee shop didn’t just want to sell me coffee, but the idea of a small country coffee shop.

I’ve seen a lot of places like that coffee shop around the country.  Even some of the more familiar places around town just come off as facades of places from home.  Yesterday we decided to splurge a little and go to Outback steakhouse.  Something as simple as a hamburger wasn’t so simple.  I remembered from my last trip to Korea, that there were some accommodations to local taste that needed to be made, however when a burger that doesn’t say that it comes with sweet and sour sauce, and for some reason, comes covered in sweet and sour sauce, we are once again reminded that we are not in Michigan.  These places don’t have the actual experience that we had at home but the idea of them.  Now it isn’t so bad, so long as we try and remember that it isn’t the real thing but a Disney-like recreation. 

Now that my strange reflective piece is out of the way, back to talking about the rest of the week.  The school is getting stranger and stranger.  Rachel and I are convinced that we got a bad draw for schools.  It isn’t all bad, but some things that I have seen on how this school is managed are strange.  Our boss is a nice person, or at least she’s all smiles and kind words, but there is something very passive aggressive about her.  We had our first round of observations this week.  Her advice and observations belied a complete lack of understanding of how students actually learn.  I have come to understand that she is an administrator that has the step by step play book to the class and she follows it step by step.  Never mind that there are student’s whose abilities or attention will vary.  They all learn the same way and at the same speed, with no time for questions or cultivating genuine interest and enthusiasm.

I suppose I wouldn’t be as biased of her, should we be teaching a different subject, or she have mastery of the language.  Now I am not the greatest speller in the world, but when she accuses me of having poor spelling, but actually means handwriting, I tend to dismiss any criticisms she may have.  It isn’t as if there is anyone in the company, save for the other teachers or one of the secretaries, who have any proficiency with English…   The strange part is when we are handed memos and notes in Korean and we are expected to understand what they say.  One such in particular was when we were brought into the school computer lab, and given a short presentation demo, on how to update the company’s web page with the student’s homework.  If there had been dual instruction in English and Korean I wouldn’t have a problem with it.  But No, we were given a few English comments that didn’t really help. 

                Now I have a basic grasp of the language, and I know a good amount of survival language, but I can’t read the memos that our director writes on the glass walls to save myself.  Our third foreign teacher has no ability with the language, and it is almost a blessing.  He has developed an attitude of “meh” that is almost a boon.  Because the staff knows that he has no ability with the language, they know that nothing that they have to say will be understood.  The tragedy of it is that I think that this will discourage learning the language.  Why add more responsibility than you have to? 

                Ok so back to more fun stuff.  We have been foraging further and further out of the comfort zone of our small area, to more interesting places.  We have finally gotten some photos taken and will have them up soon.  As soon as we start getting paid then we can start spending more time with the local bars and social spots.  More adventures to come.  

My Kingdom for a Camera

Friday

So the first week has come and gone.  The first weekend has also passed us by.  Friday night was a promised meal by the company bosses of delicious strips of pork and soju.  Now dear readers for those of you who have not had the pleasure of going out drinking with your Korean boss, it is something that either should be avoided or repeated as often as possible.  Somewhere in between the 3^rd time throwing up safely back at the apartment I thought avoid.  But when I thought about how delicious the pork was and how I could moderate the amount of soju shots in the beer I was drinking, left hope for repeating. 

Saturday

This was something that I had been looking forward to since I saw Liz and Andy at the airport.  We met up near the Hongik University (an area filled with young students, artists, and other such non-conformist Koreans) Rachel and I were treated to a delicious cheeseburger, avoiding something that Andy calls Barcraft.  We talked and complained to sympathetic ears, talking of months gone by and so on and so forth.  This reunion was cut short only by fatigue and cold tolerance.  Now I don’t remember it being so cold here the last time I lived in Korea.  I remember is getting cold, but never this cold, this late in the season.  Maybe Seoul is just that much colder than Busan. 

Sunday

Now some of you who know me well know that I am a walker.  I’ll walk to Ann Arbor, or I’ll walk to the other side of Busan for a sandwich.  Well today was completely different.  It was halfway across Seoul and it was a kebob.  Iteawon as it turns out is only 2 ½ hours walk away from our apartment.  Now the one thing that I have said about my long walks is that it isn’t the destination itself per say, but what I find along the way that makes these walks awesome.  Somehow during this walk I found 12 embassies to countries that I didn’t think would have embassies here like Serbia, Bolivia, and Belgium.   Fantastic parks dotted the mountains sides the mountain sides, and I found the Ben Hur Hotel (which looked pretty fancy).

One thing that was consistent through out this weekend was that Rachel and I swore that we would take either of our cameras and take photos to share.  Somehow both of us forgot and we ended up with no images.  But we swear that there will be some up soon. 

Stay tuned  

First Impressions

So I think that I am going to start making short little essays about what has been happening here in South Korea.  I suppose that the main purpose here is to make something that will document the various adventures that Rachel and I are having while on our 1^st Asian tour. 

So a lot has happened since last we left our heroes.  After leaving the pub and the farewell feast, Rachel and I managed to get somewhere around 3 hours before moving on to the airport.  I will say this about our travel times.  Singapore Air is an amazing airline.  If ever, dear readers, you find the occasion to fly and Singapore is an option, you won’t be disappointed. 

Now as many of you know I have always had a problem with sleeping on planes.  This was no exception.  After 9 hours or so I was ready to get off the plane.  But no, I had to endure another 3 hours.  However on a cute note, because Rachel and I managed to get a whole row to ourselves she got to curl up on 2 seats, using my leg as a head rest, catching some much needed sleep for herself.  Andy and Liz are wonderful people and were waiting for us just outside immigration to say hello and.

After a long taxi ride from the airport, we reached our new apartment.  First impressions?  I was disappointed with how small it was.  Now I am no stranger to Korean apartments and living on this side of the ocean, however for a couple’s living, this place is tiny.  Now I was aware that we were not going to have things like toilet paper or other basic things, but when we found out that we didn’t have any pillows, blankets, or a bed large enough for the both of us is when I started to get upset.  The miscommunications, errors, and everything else have once again started to come up with our second bed arriving Wednesday, no wait Friday, I mean tomorrow. 

Now my previous venture was more free formed, there was a staff that was supportive and open to new ideas.  What we have come face to face with is a staff whose English is shaky, requirement for using webpages in Korean, and Non-English directions.  This curriculum is so structured that it’s almost overbearing.  Our day starts at 2 and ends at 10, and on average we teach somewhere around 5-6 classes a day.  Unfortunately every class has a different book; at a different level, with different students, and each have different goals. 

If that wasn’t confusing enough, we have a lot of trouble clarifying anything.  Now don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all bad.  There is a KFC one floor down from us, so Rachel is happy that she can get snacks whenever she wants.  The epic sized E-Mart down the street from us has anything and everything that we could ever possibly need.  And the weekend is looking better and better with friends and familiar faces.