The good, the bad, and the Korean

I thought this week I would just give a few musings of life in Korea, as well as show a few pictures of things going on in.  Let us begin with the musings...

I knew that coming to Korea would mean some awesome experiences but also some true challenges.  I guess that is true of life in general, regardless where you go and what you do.  I think the interesting part is what I find myself struggling with... for instance, I thought the language barrier would be the most frustrating part of being in Korea.  And for sure it's difficult.  I do wish I could talk to my students or read street signs.  Yet in my day to day life I have developed enough "survival Korean" phrases or at least have developed a pattern with certain stores and places that I can basically communicate that I want that cup of coffee or the purple yarn on the left or an order of tuna kimbap.  Instead what I have found the most frustrating on a day to day basis are things like not having a clothes dryer or being freezing cold in my classroom or the sweetness of all tomato sauces (whether that is on pizza or the pasta sauce they sell at the grocery store) or not being able to drive.  I have definitely taken for granted certain conveniences and brands in Canada. 

Another interesting thing is the relationships I have with the people I work with.  I mentioned in my last post that I found the "honeymoon period" of teaching to be over.  This is still true.  As it is with any job, you seem to have a certain grace period and then the bar is risen of expectations.  And really and truly I appreciate the challenge in my job.  I like having projects to work on that are difficult and I like trying to think of creative ways to teach prepositions or phonics.  What is more challenging, however, is understanding how to work with my fellow colleagues.  I'm finding it really interesting to decipher if a certain challenge is due to a cultural barrier, language difference, or personality clash.  Sometimes it's a combination of all three!

This past week I was told that of the 22 classes I teach every week, 18 of them are going to be split between me and my co-teacher, so I will now solo teach most of what I do in a week.  The only classes that Jenny and I will co-teach will be grades 1 and 2 (two classes of each).  This can be a daunting thought. What it means, for example,  is that when I have a classroom of 5th graders who really only speak Korean, I have no Korean translator.  It really challenges me to explain lessons and thoughts as simply as possible.  Sometimes when I think I have explained something as simple as I possibly can and the students still do not understand instructions, I have to come at the problem from a different direction.  I have to make better use of visual aids and examples.  It really challenges me to be more creative than I would be if Jenny was there with me for every class ready to communicate in Korean.

Another fascinating aspect of being in Korea is the obsession I am seeing in the Korean English teachers toward their weight.  I have heard every single one of the women complain that they are too fat, they need to lose weight, they wish they had a six pack, or they should stop eating.  This is a daily occurrence.  It is fascinating because they are all so little!  Moreover... I have been complimented many times on my small face.  MY SMALL FACE!!!!  One woman at the knitting shop even told me in broken English that she liked my pretty little head!!!!!  I have NEVER been told I have a small head!!!!!  In fact if they knew half the time I purchase hats in the men's section in Canada I doubt they could say that!  But it's just their cultural perspective.  They see themselves as having large faces and heads and always, permanently overweight and they see this white girl (me) as having a smaller face with big eyes.  I may be white, and I may have big eyes, but the rest... well... lets just say it's fascinating!

I feel so blessed in Boeun with the friends I have already made.  Whether it's walking to the gym with Laura or going out with Angela or having a games night at Chris and Betty's (who continue to be awesome neighbours!!)... I'm having a great time!  Even though I definitely did NOT win playing Apples to Apples on Friday night.  Today (Sunday) I even went to church with Julie in Choengju!  It was wonderful to first of all be at church and great to be there with someone from my town.  Julie was the person who I replaced at Samsan Elementary School who is back in Boeun teaching at another school.  She's definitely great to have around because if I have any questions regarding the school, she's actually been there!  Such a great help to have that insight available.

Speaking of the gym, I thought I'd show a couple pictures of what the gym I go to looks like (at least the outside).  The gym is in a fairly new building that has a work out room, a pool, outside fields, an outside track and other things like a ping pong playing room (where I'm a little intimidated to go... even though, thanks to James, I have had experience at a ping pong club before...).  The walk to the gym from my house is around 10-15 minutes, plus up a crazy steep staircase that provides a crazy warm up before a work out and a place where I cling to the railing for dear life when I'm done working out and I precariously make my way down...

 I realize this photo does not adequately depict... but seriously that is one steep staircase!!

 One of the fields at the sports centre.  Plus you can see that the leaves are changing!  I love fall...

 This from the top of the staircase... a different view of my town, Boeun.

 The gym!  And the arena/track/field area.  The main building where the work out room and pool is up on the left.  It's a fairly new facility!  Really nice and clean.

I think the question that is asked of me most consistently from home is what the food is like in Korea.  So I thought I'd start taking more photos of what I'm eating to give you a sense of what the local cuisine is like.  Monday through Friday I have traditional Korean food for lunches in the cafeteria but in the evenings I have a variety of things.  Sometimes I cook for myself, sometimes I get take out, and sometimes I go out with some of the other foreign teachers.  This past week I had food from a "Traditional Korean Porridge Restaurant."  It's basically a kind of rice porridge/stew/soup that you can have cooked with a variety of things like vegetables, beef, seafood, seaweed, etc...  I had the veggie kind.  Also, you get a few sides, like kimchi (of course!), this other hot thing made of radishes and red pepper stuff, some beef that tasted like it was marinated with teriyaki sauce and this other side that I have no idea what it was... so I avoided it.

 Take out!

 All piled in there...

My feast!  I even ate the kimchi!  

You have to understand that I don't dislike kimchi, it's just that kimchi is served every day at lunch and with every Korean meal you will ever have.  In fact I found out that most of the teachers eat it at pretty much every meal in the day, including breakfast.  That blows me away!  Considering my breakfast pretty much is toast (with peanut butter), yogurt, maybe fruit, and coffee everyday.  No kimchi.  And I don't think that's something that is going to change... no matter how long I am in Korea...

Hope that shows you all a bit more of my life in Boeun!