In Socialist Vietnam, Motorbikes Swerve for You

I finished my stint at winter camp on a Tuesday.  MT and I accompanied the students to the English language library in Mugeodong before eating a lavish meal and finishing the afternoon at a noraebang.  Most of these students, even the most eager to learn English, seemed a little shy and reserved in class.  Singing karaoke at a noraebang, however?  I got to hear them belt out song after song, and my quietest boy even rapped.  I was floored. 

I met with Jun in Samsandong later that evening and picked up a few last minute necessities for my trip.  As it turns out, finding any kind of suncream less than SPF50 in South Korea is a difficult task.  I personally wanted to skip the sunblock and let myself fry in the tropical sun, but merely mentioning that to my Korean boyfriend brought on a vehement lecture on the importance of healthy skin and the dangers of equatorial sun exposure.  Eventually, I bought the suncream, deciding that it was better to err on the side of caution.  (Also: I've been experiencing a lot of "skin trouble," as several Koreans have pointed out to me on more than one occasion.  I don't know if it's pollution or bad tap water or something else, but I've had a lot of breakouts since moving here.  In the past month, I've seen a huge improvement, and I think I owe this to abstaining from tap water and from the skin serum that Jun's mom made for me.  I have no idea what she put in it, but it works.  In conclusion, I decided I'd rather have pale, clear skin than burned, troubled skin). 

I didn't want to say goodbye to Jun, but I was getting exhausted and I knew I needed to run a bunch of errands and pack the next morning so I got on the bus around 10:00 and went straight to bed in Daundong.  The following morning, I torpedoed through my to-do list, printing the correct size passport photo for my Vietnamese visa, shipping off a package of Korean goods and Japanese souvenirs to my family in Minnesota, cleaning out my fridge, packing everything into my new suitcase, taking out the trash, etc.  Finally, around noon I donned my backpack and dragged my suitcase all the way to school, where I had agreed to meet Gloria. 

We took a shuttle to the airport in Busan and arrived before the check in desk even opened.  With loads of time to kill, we had a leisurely meal and settled into a free wifi zone.  About an hour later, we checked in for our flight and were informed that there was a slight delay; our flight to Shanghai would board at 6:45 instead of departing at 5:30.  I didn't like waiting around at the airport; I think I was experiencing the pre-flight blues: that terrible feeling you get when you think too much about who or what you don't want to leave behind, and how your mortality becomes that much more tangible when you step onto an airplane.  At any rate, around 6:20 I suggested to Gloria that we go through security and get to our gate.  As we were on the escalator leading towards the security checkpoint, her ears perked up at an announcement, "I think it just said my name."
"But how many Kims are there in Korea?  We have another 25 minutes before we board."
"Yes," she admitted, "and the announcement said Gate 8, not 5."  (Our tickets instructed us to report to Gate 5 at 6:45).  Shrugging it off, we continued to the security check.  Out of nowhere, a Korean flight attendant ran up to Gloria, speaking rapidly in Korean.  "We need to go, now, Rosa, Gate 8!"  Gloria sped through security and ran towards the far end of the terminal.  I followed after her, breaking the keychain on my backpack in the process.  When I reached the gate, the flight attendants urged me inside.  We found out seats on the plane (which was quite empty) and looked at each other in confusion.  The handsome Chinese flight attendant came over to our seats and asked if there was a problem.  "Why are we leaving now?  Our tickets say we don't board until 6:45."  He could offer us no explanation, and simply suggested that we relax and "take a rest."

The plane took up by 6:40 and we shrugged it off, feeling relieved that we'd made our flight.  It was just a short trip to Shanghai, and I slept for most of the very cold layover.  Our flight to Ho Chi Minh City arrived around 1:30 Thursday morning, 3:30 in Korea.  Obtaining my entry visa took over an hour, so by the time Gloria and I reached our hotel (which her friend S had kindly reserved for us), we were both exhausted.

Unsurprisingly, my annoyingly consistent body clock woke me hours before I wanted to get up.  Eventually, I rolled out of bed and looked around.  This was a luxurious hotel room.  I hadn't noticed when we arrived, but in the morning light I realized that Vietnam offers a lot more bang for the buck.  Nice.

Around noon, (after I indulged in a delicious--free--breakfast and a nice conversation with the Australian concierge), Gloria's best friend S, (who is Korean but lives in Vietnam with her Chinese husband and toddler son), came to pick us up from the hotel, as we would be staying with her for our visit to Vietnam.  By this time, it was time for lunch, so S brought us to eat beef pho: a noodle soup whose flavor is greatly enhanced by lime juice.

My mouth is watering as I type this and remember... I need to find a Vietnamese restaurant in Ulsan, stat.

I immediately liked S; she struck me as naturally kind and nurturing, and it was fun to see Gloria interact with her best friend.  They've known each other since middle school and, apparently, spent more time during their teenage years in the company of one another than with their families.  After lunch we went to a Vietnamese coffee shop until it was time for S to pick up her son from preschool. (In retrospect, this initial trip to the coffee shop marked the beginning of Gloria's love affair with Vietnamese coffee).  The area of HCMC where S lives is an upscale, largely expatriate community, and her building complex housed not only her son's preschool, but also a number of salons, spas, and massage parlors.  S suggested that Gloria and I get massages and we happily agreed.  I'd never had a professional massage before (though the massages Torrie, Kelly, and I traded in Europe were probably as good as professional) so it was a new and relaxing experience for me.  In fact, it was a perfect post-travel day activity.

That evening, S brought her son, Gloria, and me to District 1 in HCMC (the downtown area) for dinner.  We took a taxi to get there... I can honestly say that I have never seen so many motorbikes in my life.  According to the tour guide I met a few days later, only the very, very rich in Vietnam own cars.  For average folks, the tax required for cars is simply too high.  The vehicle of choice, then, is the motorbike.

A word on crossing the street: While researching Vietnam, I came across this advice on Trip Advisor: “It is a skill and somehow only for the brave. Just walk steadily with confidence toward the other side. The drivers will know how to avoid you, do not try to avoid them and even confuse them about your direction.”  That didn't sound appealing to me and I didn't even recall that snippet until I was directly faced with mortobike traffic.  Despite near certainty that I would lose my life, I quickly learned that this method is standard procedure and followed suit.

Gloria and I insisted on paying for dinner, even though S protested.  It was the least we could do for her, considering that she was hosting the two of us while caring for her son.  (Her husband was in Hong Kong for a business trip).  S led the way as we walked from the restaurant to a tourist agency, which proved to be a chaotic excursion with a toddler, stroller, and the nighttime motorbike traffic.  Still, I managed to snap several good photos and we all made it to our destination in one piece.  Gloria and I selected a two day, one night tour to the Mekong River Delta, with an overnight stay in a 4 star hotel.  Altogether, the whole thing cost less than $50.  (Again, Vietnam offers a whole lotta bang for your buck!).  The trip left early the next morning, so after booking we all piled into a taxi and returned to S's apartment to pack and sleep.

I think the Mekong River Delta trip merits its own post, so I will publish this now and continue with the saga of my vacation in further entries.

Monument to Thich Quang Duc, the Vietnamese monk who publically lit himself on fire and burned to death in 1963 to protest the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government.  As he was burning, he never broke his seated lotus position.  His body was re-cremated twice, but his heart would not burn.  He is venerated among Buddhists for his sacrifice.

Life, Holidays, and the Pursuit of Blogging

안냥하새요!

It's my first day back at school after the holiday break, and I have a lot to write about.  Hopefully, I'll be here more often in the future; sorry for the long absence.

My first Christmas in Korea was my first Christmas ever spent away from my family. I didn't expect to get so homesick around the holidays, but the day before Christmas Eve was rough. I cried. I missed my siblings and parents and extended family.  I missed what Sufjan Stevens calls "that creepy Christmas feeling." Despite pretty lights and posters plastered in Paris Baguette featuring Jun Ji Hyun in a festive Santa hat, Ulsan didn't feel particularly Christmassey. Moreover, as a Minnesotan, the glaring absence of snow didn't help matters.

Soo looking cute by the lights at Upsquare

Soo and me after shopping in Samsandong

However, Christmas is also Jun's birthday. So, we had a celebration of our own and Skyped with my family on Christmas morning, which was Christmas Eve in Minnesota. We had dinner at our favorite little restaurant in Seongnamdong and enjoyed the relatively warm weather. My family sent me a package with more gifts and goodies than I could have hoped for which arrived a few days later. That definitely helped me feel less homesick.

Christmas-Birthday cake

Being the hopeless romantic I am, I whipped up this surprise for Jun's birthday/Christmas.  It says "saranghae," which means "I love you."

The 26th of December was the school festival, so although it was annoying to go into work the day after Christmas, I enjoyed seeing my colleagues and students perform their talents. It was especially good to see some of the soul-crushingly apathetic students (at least for my class) apply themselves in other areas. I was really impressed to see three of the boys get really into their singing performance of Kim Tae Woo's "사랑 비."   I felt better knowing that, even if they don't care about English, they might care about developing other skills. Thank God for the popularity of K-Pop.

Lights at the Lotte Hotel in Ulsan

New Year's ball in Seoul

From Jun

A few hours after the school festival, Jun and I went up to Seoul to stay with his mom and get a few things we would need for our upcoming trip to Japan.  (Both of us had January 2nd off, so with New Year's day being a holiday and falling on a Thursday, we were able to go abroad together).  We spent four days in and around Tokyo and Yokohama and visited my friend Tiearra and her fiance Ryan, who live near the naval base there.  Tiearra and I have known each other since the days of college poetry readings and heated discussions in literature courses.  (If a friend sticks with you through your obsessive crush on Dmitri Karamazov, you know they're in it for the long haul!).

At the Haneda airport

Along the way to the Ghibli Museum

Looking at this picture makes me hungry.

Yokohama

 

Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo

Ryan and Tiearra in Odaiba

We didn't actually get back to Ulsan until 5:30am on January 5th, and I had to be at work for English camp by 8:30.  It was a little rough, but I had a new batch of students and they were all delightful to teach during the 3 weeks of camp.  Actually, teaching camp classes proved to be very light and fun.  We focused on conversational English which was fun and very flexible in how and what we chose to discuss.  I'm looking forward to having all these students in my class next semester.

I turned 24 on Friday, January 9th (even though, by Korean standards, I've been 25 since the New Year).  MT and my students threw me a little surprise party and wrote me some sweet notes in English.  I was touched.  Later that night, Mikaela came over and we had a girls night and slumber party, which was really special to me since she's leaving Korea soon... I'm going to miss her a lot.  I think saying goodbye might be one of the hardest parts of expatriate life, and I'm still so new to this kind of life.  (I'm sure I'll have more thoughts on the matter in a later post).

My surprise birthday party with my students

After I finished teaching camp, I was finally allowed to take my winter vacation.  A word on vacation as a teacher in Korea...

It took ages for me to finally learn when I would be allowed to take my vacation.  It's a frustrating reality, but schedules in Korean schools are not set far ahead the way American school schedules are decided.  I had originally planned to go home to Minnesota for two weeks; I wanted to see my family and be with all five of my siblings before my brother Anthony left for medical school in Australia.  As circumstances would have it, though, I wasn't off work until after Anthony had left Minnesota.  And since my other siblings were going back to school and my parents were going back to work, there was no reason for me to travel to Minnesota, only to stay in the house while freezing my ass off and stuffing my face with stale Christmas cookies.  Instead, Gloria and I decided to travel together, and settled on spending 5 days in Vietnam and 5 days in Bali.  (Actually, Gloria is adamant that I don't mention that we traveled together to any of our colleagues, another weird symptom of Korean office politics.  Apparently, the less you share about your personal life, the better.  I think her thinking is that, if other teachers know we're close enough to take a trip together, they might want to come to me for dirt on her.  Since I'm never up on the subtleties of working dynamics since I don't understand Korean, I'm just going to go with the gag order and chalk it up to being a Korean thing I can't fully understand as a waygook).

I got back from my trip exactly 24 hours ago, and now I'm marveling that it came and went so fast.  I had an awesome time in both places and, while I could simply post pictures here, I think my vacation deserves a blog post of its own.  (My only hesitation to end this entry now is that I have been shamefully absent on my Europe blog, which has a number of unpublished fragments from my trip in May and June... but I'll make it my goal to produce a detailed, illustrated post about Vietnam and Bali by the end of the week).

I miss the sunshine and warmth of southeast Asia, but I'm happy to be home in Ulsan.  Jun came over to welcome me home yesterday and cooked me dinner.  It was sweet, and even moreso because it was completely unexpected.  (At the risk of sounding sappy, I will admit that I missed him very much while I was abroad).

I feels weird to be back at my desk at school, but it's nice to see my students and colleagues again.  I need to take a good rest when I get home so I will have the stamina to teach something fun and worthwhile, especially since I have only two weeks left with my 3rd graders!  They graduate soon and I'm feeling bittersweet about it...  I really want to give them some good memories of our class before they leave 다운중학교!

A Teacher's Diary

I have not been very present on this blog, but I've written quite a bit about my life as a teacher elsewhere.  I've put together some snippets of my experience as a middle school teacher in Ulsan.  I am sorely in need of a break but I'm very content to be working with teenagers.  I'm rarely bored!

September

That awkward moment when you hear a group of 14-year-old boys standing outside of your office rehearsing their English conversations with you, and the vocabulary includes "Hello, I love you, teacher..."

Just to prove that Korean students can be as naughty as children anywhere else: During a particularly terrible class session I had to write "NO HITTING" on the white board. I left it up for the rest of the afternoon. After my cleaners left the classroom upon dismissal, I found the "NO" had been erased and replaced with "Yes," so my board stated "Yes HITTING."  In spite of their talent at being pains in my ass, I love those little monsters.

October

Today I learned an important lesson: that I am not above bribery, and neither are my students. I brought candy as an incentive for participation, and I soon had students literally standing on their desks, holding up signs saying: "Teacher I don't have candy. You are beautiful woman. Please choose me. I love you" and "You are pretty girl. I'm Jeff. Choose me please" and "I love you. I'm Billy. You are beautiful beautiful beautiful beautiful girl."

Yes, they were sucking up, but I'm a sucker for flattery. Have I mentioned lately that I love my job?

Yesterday, I had a terrible class that made me cry out of frustration. Today, I had a class that clapped, "wow"ed, and said "I love you, Teacher." Teaching is a package deal, and I love it.

Yelling "야" in class to get my students' attention certainly worked, although I wasn't expecting them to laugh so hard at my attempt to speak Korean. Also: I had a student make the S-line gesture at me and give me a thumbs up saying, "Very sexy, Teacher!"

Never a dull moment at 다우중학교!

The class activity today is conversation and students are encouraged to ask me questions. I just had a student look me in the face and ask, "Teacher. How babies make?"  

Oh, adolescence.

I was just asked for my phone number twice, and once for my hand in marriage.

My student Amanda asked me "Which boy in this class is the most handsome?"  I declined to answer.  The fact that I'm only 8 years older than the third graders has seemed to blur the lines of propriety in many of the boys' minds.  I don't want to encourage that.

I may have just permanently damaged my reputation by answering, "Teacher, when was your first kiss?"  

Do middle-schoolers ever think about anything else?

One of my students discarded the English name I gave him and renamed himself "Sexyboy."  Umm... sorry, kid, but I'm not calling you that.

Apple, Kristin, Kelly, me

Kelly, me, Judy, Apple

Daun-dong may have been branded "the sketchiest neighborhood" in Ulsan and, admittedly, I'm not thrilled to live in a moldy apartment... but I do love my neighborhood. On my way home from school this evening I ran into two of my students (who are very cute and very in love) on a date. I also ran into a group of four of my third grade boys, all of whom wished me a good weekend and one (who has given me plenty of headaches in class) made a heart with his arms and said, "Teacher, I love you!"

Sketchiness is a small price to pay for these moments.

November

So "William" (my student I named after the Bard and any number of English Romantic Poets) returned to my class after being suspended with a bigger crush on me than before. When I asked my students what they thought of a music video we watched together, he raised his hand. I called on him and he said, "Teacher." "Yes, William?" "Teacher. Beautiful. I love you."

"Thanks William, but what did you think of the music video?"

"Teacher is very, very beautiful." He proceeded to clap at this idea

I also overheard him ask my coteacher something in English, to which she responded, "It's 'Do you want to go on a date with me?'"

Oh dear...

This afternoon, my colleague informed me of the magical teachers' lounge with couches and beds for sleeping. How could I have worked at 다운중학교 for two and a half months without knowing about this?

Of course, this magical room is where I spent my sixth period.

Today, students were supposed to ask or answer a question.  William had a too-big grin on his face when I called on him: "Teacher!"  All the boys in his cluster were laughing.  

"Yes, William?"  "Teacher, do you have a boyfriend?"

I sighed.  I could either lie to placate him, inadvertently encouraging his crush on me, or I could inform the entire class of my recent news.  I chose the latter.  "Yes, William.  I do have a boyfriend."  William looked up with his sad, wide eyes before dropping his head onto his desk and exclaiming, "Teacher, I cry!"

"I'm sorry, William!  미안해.  But I'm too old for you!  I'm an ajumma to you.

At this point the whole class (who had been loudly reacting to their newly acquired information about my personal life) protested, "Oh no, no, Teacher!  You are not ajumma, you are girl!"

December

It's really sweet to see the schoolyard romances of my students. I have to stop myself from enveloping them into group hugs and exclaiming my happiness for their happiness... Somehow I don't think that would be a professional course of action. But they sure are adorable!

Teaching a lesson on Self-Esteem is really fun when your students feel good about themselves, but it's heartbreaking when your student turns in the "I Like Myself" worksheet you made and answered every question with "nothing.

That awkward moment when your student has a massive crush on you and you accidentally touch his butt...  Oh, dear.

I'm experiencing my first proper snowfall in Ulsan with my students. Life is simply beautiful.

"Dear Santa, my name is Roy.  This year I have been a little naughty.  Please give me a girlfriend because I'm lonely.  I will leave you my love on Christmas Eve!  Merry Christmas."

Love, Sweat, and Beer

It's been awhile since I last wrote, and a lot has transpired in that time.  I am stuck in my apartment for the time being, but the landlord did fix the water problem as well as the stove.  (Not that I'm letting him off the hook... the mold is as bad as ever, and when we came over to look at the water leak he was his rude, creeptastic self.  At one point, he hacked up a chunk of phlegm, spit it into his hand, and proceeded to just hold it there.  I was appalled).  Actually, the fact that he had my stove and water problem fixed was dampened by the fact that, when I returned home from work after giving the landlord my door code, I discovered that someone, repairman or landlord, had been all over my place.  I had wrapped some fairy lights around my banister railing, but whoever had been at my place had unwrapped all 20 meters of lights and taken them down.  My trash can was full of strange things, including a pair of shoes I'd never before laid eyes on.  I was disturbed that someone had been in my place.  I felt mildly violated, and very wary that my door code was no longer exclusively known to me.  (The code has since been changed, and I do feel safe now).

About a month ago, Kaela and her coworker Connie and I went to the Onggi festival.  I spent both Friday and Saturday evening at Kaela's place, and we had a nice time, indulging in makkeli and girl talk.  After the festival, the three of us travelled to Busan for, what I had been told, was the most epic firework show in Korea.  Since the crowds at this event tend to be horrific, Kaela suggested that we view the show from the top of a mountain.  In theory, this plan was great.  In reality, the physical exertion was painful (four hours of mountain climbing will make anyone's ass hurt) but we didn't even get to where we needed to go.  (And the normal soreness of climbing was amplified by the fact that I was on my period).  We kept climbing and climbing, then suddenly we saw this:

 We kept climbing.  The barbed wire thickened.  The signs grew more ominous.

 Still, we were determined to reach our destination; we had come this far, how could we give up?  The trees were thick and the path was steep when we heard a booming Korean voice, magnified by some unseen speaker located somewhere above our path.  Since none of us understand Korean, we tentatively continued our trek.  Suddenly, the announcement changed into English, warning us that "This is a minefield!  Do not approach the area."

We hightailed it back the way we came.

Climbing down a mountain is much less exhausting than climbing up; climbing a down a mountain in the dark, though, can be mildly frightening.  By the time we reached sea level, night had officially fallen and it was nearly impossible to find a taxi to the underground station.  After the taxi took us to the train and the train took us to our stop, we emerged from the underground to find that the crowds were so congested that the police formed a seemingly endless human chain to keep more people from going to the beach.

We had no choice but to return to the underground.  We ended up near the water, but this beach was too far away from the firework show to offer any kind of view.  We opted to buy snacks and alcohol from the nearest convenience store and embraced the Korean freedom to drink in public.  We sat on the sandy beach, seeing approximately one firework from the distance. It had truly been an excursion of blood, sweat, and beer.  And the real entertainment turned out not to be the fireworks (which we all but missed) but the romantic antics of a young, college-aged Korean couple down the beach from us.  Yes, I felt like a pervert, but 1) they were doing it openly 2) nothing got past the level of chaste Korean drama (PG rating, tops) and 3) My acute awareness of my own singleness would not allow me to look away.

Couples culture in Korea is tangible.  It's normal to see people paired up, linking arms, holding hands, wearing matching outfits.  A few weeks ago I was waiting at a crosswalk in Samsan-dong and I noticed this young couple, probably just post-high school.  They were clearly in love with each other and when I saw them I was overwhelmed with a pure, empathetic happiness.  (It was the same kind of "happy for" I felt during one of my last weekends in Minnesota with my sister Greta.  We were driving down to Minneapolis and the night skyline was just coming into view.  The song "Boom Clap" was blaring on our radio and there was a couple, tattooed and decked out in leather, riding a motorcycle next to our car.  She had her arms around his waist but she spread and lifted her arms like she was flying...  Greta and I were just like, "You go!  Be happy!"  And honestly, it probably wasn't safe for me to be crying so many tears whilst operating a car on a freeway... but I was deeply happy for them and thankfully no accidents were caused on account of my sincerity).

I'm happy in Korea.  I wake up in the morning with a smile on my face.  I ardently believe that being in Korea is a gift, a true blessing, and I am infinitely thankful for my life.  Also, I have news of a more personal level that I can't not address here:

The day that the landlord and repairman came into my apartment was Halloween, and it was that evening, while I was wearing white, feathery angel wings, that I met my boyfriend.  He's Korean but he lived in my home state of Minnesota for a year as an exchange student.  (What are the odds of that?  Seriously).  Everything clicked, and my life in Korea somehow became even brighter.

Sometimes the best parts of life are the most unexpected.