In Seoul for the Holiday, Before My Hellish Winter Camp Starts On Monday

메리 크리스마스!!!! ^___^

Koreans Have Just As Much Political Incorrectness When It Comes to Portraying Foreign Native Indigenous Cultures They Don't Understand...

Family, Dumplings, Sneaky Cousins, and Expensive Dresses

So due to my students' final exams, I had this week off for the most part. I decided it was time to see family in Cheongju, as I haven't actually seen them since before my summer vacation. Time is flying in a way that I can't even explain, so it's no surprise that that much time had passed since my last visit.

Seeing family in Cheongju, I will admit, stresses me out very much, mainly due to the language barrier. I'm a person who tends to avoid awkward situations like the plague, and so being the awkward hypochondriac that I am, this is generally not a completely pleasant experience.

However to my great surprise, my Korean skills have definitely improved since I last saw my grandparents. In general I can't understand old people when they talk to me, Korean or American for that matter. So one can imagine that when old people talk to me in Korean, my brain simply wants to explode. But this time, my grandparents would say something to me, and instead of mini explosions happening, I could actually understand them and answer them back. This greatly surprised and delighted my grandfather.

I got to see my cousin "Paul" and his older sister on Tuesday night. As we were watching cartoons together, "Paul" and I both decided that we wanted to eat chocolate cake. "Paul" said that he wanted to go for a "케이크 산책," or in English, it would translate to a "cake walk." My grandmother handed over the equivalent of about 8 dollars, and sent us on our way. I don't know my way around the neighborhood so I was at the mercy of "Paul." We went to 2 bakeries before we found the proper cake, and then after finding our $5 dessert, he started to walk away from the apartment. I asked him if he was sure he knew what he was doing, but he was quite confident in his directional skills. I was freezing my butt off, and wasn't terribly pleased with this. Then suddenly his eyes lit up when he saw a particular stationary store. He bolted for the store and used the rest of our grandmother's money to buy some popular trading cards. It was then that I realized I had been had. When we got home my grandma wanted her change and so asked "Paul" how much the cake cost, and "Paul" replied with a coy, "모르겠어..." or "I don't know...." My grandma knew exactly what happened and scolded him for abusing my lack of knowledge of the area. Ahhh "Paul," you sneaky devil.

Later that night and for several hours the next morning, I helped my family make 만두, or dumplings. Amazed, I watched my one-armed grandma somehow finely dice

scallions as she sat on the floor. (as a note: when Koreans make large batches of food, they usually plunker down on the floor, as counter space is quite limited) My cousins couldn't make them very well, but of course they tried. After cooking them, my aunt and grandma would make fun of the semi-retarded looking dumplings that "Paul" made. Cruel, but amusing nonetheless. Mine looked pretty awful at first too, but I eventually got the hang of it. See the picture below as proof.

On Wednesday I spent most of the day with my mom. She too made dumplings in the morning with me, as we sat around watching terrible daytime Korean television. Then she mysteriously left in the middle of the day (well mysterious for me, b/c I'm sure she told me, I probably just didn't hear or understand her, something I do with my American mom too, sorry moms!) Anyway, she came back in the evening and took me to the downtown area. She was determined to buy me something and this stressed me out to no end. We walked around a department store, where everything was at least 200,000W (so like around $200), and she would ask me if I liked this or that. A lot of dresses in Korea are absolutely hideous in my opinion so I felt the pressure growing after each time I said I didn't like anything on the racks of the various brand booths. Finally I saw something that wasn't hideous, if not mildly pleasing to my tastes and my mom forced me to try it on. I figured it was as good as it was going to get, and so my mom dropped 240,000W on a wool jumper. Then we awkwardly ate dinner together (she is a tight-lipped women, unlike my aunts), and she told me that maybe my sister will study in the USA in the future. I hope she doesn't entrust complete responsibility on me (something that I do worry about), but I do think it would be a good experience for my sister to study abroad.

When we got back home, my mom told me to try the dress on for my grandma (family behavior is so universal), and my grandma smiled as I sauntered out of the bedroom and said she bet that I look just like the manikin. We said goodnight, and my mom left the next morning well before I woke up. My grandma handed me a fist full of cash, told me that my grandfather insisted, gave me a big strong one-armed hug, and then saw me off in a taxi cab.

Students Watching an Educational Propaganda Video Against North Korea (as required by the South Korean government)

Getting Better At Differentiating Between Asians

I came to Korea thinking that all Asians look the same.* And then recently I've begun noticing that when I see the backs of students' heads while riding the bus, recognition will occur. Just by the backs of their heads! All the boys have nearly the same style hair (as there is a mandatory school hair length rule), they all have the same color hair, and wear the exact same uniform. I don't know how it's possible, but it happens. I'll look at the back of one student's head, and think ahhh, yes, you are in my high level class, Kim something, and I like the students that sit at your table. Or I'll see another, and think, oh you are a little bastard. Ok, maybe this isn't impressive to you Americans at home, but I am quite impressed with myself.

*If you are wondering if this is self-hatred of some sort, no, it's just an after-effect of being raised around mainly white folk.

North Korea Business

So if you're reading this, I'm sure you've read about what's been happening in the past 8 hours between North Korea and South Korea concerning the island of Yeonpyeong (연병도). Don't worry please. This incident will probably not escalate, but in the event that something does happen, I will let you know.

I first found out at 4pm (local time) from my club class students. They asked to use my computer so that they could read what was going on. I wasn't sure what the appropriate thing to do was, so we ended up discussing the issue while making x-mas decorations for my classroom... A strange combination, yes. Though it seemed to calm them down. We discussed the possibility of the two Koreas uniting, and 5 out of the 7 students present expressed their opinion of not wanting it to happen. Their reasoning was that they didn't want South Korea's economy to absorb the poor nation that North Korea is (though they didn't state their thoughts quite like that, but that was the gist of it). Definitely an interesting afternoon... Hopefully things will get taken care of in the least violent way possible....

The Hunt for Plastic Surgery Ads

So on the art side of things, I've decided to start making collages, you know, just to get some crazy ideas flowing. And since I'm in Korea, I wanted to pull imagery from only Korean things, and see what they become under the guide of my westernized eye. And speaking of westernized eyes, one thing present among the mass of imagery here that has caught this eye is the prevalence of plastic surgery ads.

However, they are strange b/c there is this clear divide between what is a good nose, eye, arm, etc and a bad nose, eye, arm, etc. There is clearly a universal standard in Korea, but unfortunately the people themselves are only particulars, hence the great success of plastic surgeons. They're also strange b/c the ads are just these very raw comparisons of flesh, good flesh and bad flesh. So visually I think they're quite intriguing.

Ok, so in order to make these collages, I set up some parameters to make it a game of sorts.

1.) There will be 2 main figures in the piece.
2.) I must use at least one image from a plastic surgery ad.
3.) I am not allowed to pencil in lines and then ink them over later. Every line must be fresh and not premeditated. If I screw up, so be it.
4.) There must be a title.

So I asked my host mom for assistance in acquiring such ads. And she pulled through yesterday while her youngest daughter received her unwanted hair cut. As 유경 got her hair trimmed, my host mom and I poured through old magazines that the hair dresser had saved, and cut out as many ads as we could find. My host mom would turn to me and say, "How about these eyes? Do you like these eyes?" And I would reply with a zealous, "Ooo! Yes! Cut those eyes out please!" We would go back and forth like this, replacing eyes with noses, ears, breasts, and other body parts. By the time 유경 jumped out of her chair to show us her hair, we had cut out quite the stack of body parts and altered faces. I was thrilled.

The Gravity of a Different Type of Mass (m), collage and pen & ink on paper

As of recently, I've finally begun to focus on art stuff more consistently, so if you're curious about how drawing and the whatnot is going, I'll be posting images here as I go along.

Lastest Girl's Generation Song, "Hoot"

Don't ask me what the title means, b/c I don't quite understand it myself. The music vid has a Korean James Bond theme to it. And of course, the girls are all hot... though I still can't tell them apart... aishhhh.

New Shoes!

I went shopping with my coteacher and her mom yesterday, and in the process, found these cute and surprisingly comfortable shoes at ABC Mart. Yay for having my size... in another store, so they are shipping them to my apartment. Even in Korea I have somewhat small feet! Aish....

A Field Day Like No Other (well unless you're in Korea!)

A couple of weeks ago my school had its annual Field Day. Field Day in Korean middle schools is amazing, beats American middle school field days any day. Each homeroom class dresses up in ridiculous costumes and all classes can watch the individual sports events as they happen. Students and teachers make signs and cheers which they use to encourage their teammates. Below are some examples of the various dress.

Apparently the Supermen/girls were a bunch of Clark Kents and Linda Langs, b/c they didn't want their identity known, hence covering up their faces.


I ran into this group of boys as they were preparing to go outside. Their entire class dressed up in matching pajamas. Girls in pink and boys in blue. They too did not want their identities revealed.


This is one of my favorite second grade boys (equivalent 8th grade in the USA). He belonged to the pajama team, but halfway through he shed his pajamas and traded them for poop that he could wear on his head.



The class I was cheering for was class #9. They all wore bunny ears and painted bunny noses and whiskers on their faces. They attacked my face too. This is me and their homeroom teacher, one of my favorite English teachers at the school.

Does this student's shirt say, "Gaudi Picasso Mania?" Why, yes it does!!!!!!!


Some of my boys are quite large, which I didn't realize until I saw this picture of us together. Yikes!!!

So the various activities that students competed in included (but were not limited to): tug of war, relay races, three legged races (though a crazy version), soccer, jump rope, and something called a "boat race." Below you can see the giant classes of 35 students compete in tug of war. They are smart and give the students gloves to use. Sometimes it amazes me just how practical Koreans can be.


I did my part by yelling at class #9, to get them to pull harder. By now I am quite good at yelling at students. Though I was yelling in English, so they probably didn't understand me. However they won first place out 11 classes, so I'd like to thing I did something to help with that.


Now earlier I mentioned something called a "boat race." If you are anything like me, you are probably wondering, what the heck is a "boat race?" Well it's a class relay race that involves 4 students at a time, but their legs are tied to one other. One of the third grade classes dressed up in full animal suits, so it boggles my mind how they managed to play sports all day like that, let alone finish the "boat race." Needless to say, it was quite the experience, this Korean middle school Field Day.

I Can't Wait Until I Have a Real Studio Again Someday...

An American Uncle in Seoul....

Find the American Teacher! ㅋㅋㅋ

My School-Day Schedule

My schedule in Korea is drastically different from the one I had in the States (in both times and consistency). I am like clockwork during the week, so to give you an idea, here it is what my daily routine looks like:

5:15am - get up
5:15-6:45am - drink "coffee" and draw
6:45-7:40am - get ready for school
8am - arrive at school
8-5pm - school craziness
5:30pm - arrive home*
6:30pm - dinner (rice of course)
8pm - exercise (not everyday, I'm not that disciplined) or read
10pm - go to bed

*on Tuesdays I leave school and go straight to the orphanage where I volunteer. I stay there until 8pm and then relax with the other teachers who volunteer.

Chuseok Drama

Apparently my sense is good in Korea. During Chuseok I was a little worried about my host family b/c I hadn't really heard from them, normally I would've gotten a text message from them saying that they got to Seoul ok. The thought of a potential car accident occurring passed through my mind briefly. They drove from Gumi to Seoul to see family for the holidays, and with all the traffic and stress of the holidays, car accidents seemed to me very likely to happen.

They just got back, and they actually did get into a car accident on the way to Seoul. Luckily everyone is relatively fine. My host mom hit a guardrail b/c there was a new road added to the highway, but her GPS system wasn't aware of it. So it told her to go down a road that wasn't yet open, and before it was too late she realized and attempted to brake but ended up hitting the guard rail. She got cut from the seatbelt, however the airbag prevented her from smashing into the steering wheel. Unfortunately the girls in the back weren't wearing seat belts, so they got a little bruised, but thank god nothing worse occurred. Safety is definitely one of those areas that Korea as a whole society need to work on, everything from car safety to construction areas to some aspects of healthcare.

My host mom jokingly told me that she'd like to go to Heaven someday, but that it's hard to get to apparently.

To Reassure Those At Home I Haven't Changed

My host family will be coming back from Seoul in less than an hour. I really must get my room cleaned or else my host mom will freak out... Yes, that is my bed... aish...

Chuseok

So this week, Tues through Thurs, is Chuseok, the Korean version of Thanksgiving. I resisted at first, b/c I wanted to just rest a bit from all the hustle and bustle of school, but I eventually decided I should see family. After all, that is why I stayed another year here. I thought I would just visit Cheongju to see my grandparents and maybe my mom and aunt that live there. But things never go as I intend them.

I was told that I would go to Cheonan, where my aunt (the youngest aunt) would pick me up and bring me to Seosan where she lives. Then we would go to Cheongju the next day to visit. And then I would go on my merry way. That's not exactly what happened.

As I was riding the train to Cheonan, I got a text saying that some man instead would pick me up. This said man then texted me and told me to meet him outside the station and to use the underground passageway to get to an intersection. He would be in a black car and gave me the license plate number. This is all in Korean mind you. So I thought great, I have to find a man I don't know in a city I don't know. Aish.

I miraculously found him (my Korean sense is good). We then had to wait for his wife who was coming to Cheonan from Seoul via bus. So we sat around in a coffee shop. I assumed it would be the standard awkward interaction, but to my surprise it wasn't so bad. I still had no idea who he was or how he was related to me, but I figured I would find that out in time. That just seems to be the case usually.

His wife finally arrived, and we all drove back to Seosan. I wasn't sure what his wife was like, at first I thought she was going to be mean. She's really tall, and she was dressed nicely, and had a hardened expression on her face. Luckily I found out later that she is an awesome person.

I passed out once I was in the car, hoping that I would indeed arrive at my aunt's house when I woke up. I mean, from one perspective it all seemed a little strange. Finding a man on the side of the road in a black car with his fancy looking wife, and just driving off. Luckily we did arrive in Seosan, and I saw my aunt's shining smiling face when they got out of the elevator of a very nice apartment building.

At this time it was well after midnight. Instead of going to bed though, we ate a giant meal of rice, duck, and various side dishes. It was delicious. Oh and some alcohol. It was like a combination of wine and moonshine. I discovered as we ate, that the mysterious man is the brother of my aunt's husband. He was an English literature major (though he claimed he hates English), and is now a fire fighter. I don't think he's still fighting fires, his rank is high and he's in charge of training and education. His English is decent and he's a funny guy. There was another brother of my uncle there too, who also has decent enough English. He studied Chinese, and is now a salary man of sorts. The fancy looking wife is a head nurse, who works in the maternity department of her hospital. As I chatted with them over the course of a couple of days, I discovered that they are all really cool people. Really smart, open-minded, and hilarious. We finally went to bed around 2am.

As my aunt and I settled in (we both slept on the floor in the same room), I discovered another piece to my family's history. I found out that my grandfather was actually married twice, and that only my Seosan aunt, and Cheongju aunt, and my mom share the same mother (so my one-armed grandma). I had wondered why I really only saw these two aunts. And then I discovered that my grandfather was essentially married to the two wives at the same time, living in the same house... Apparently with his first wife, after their fifth girl, he (or maybe them, I don't know), decided he needed a son and so brought my grandma into the picture. Though she ended up having 3 more girls. Wife number one had 2 more children, I one of them finally being a boy. After he brought my grandma into the picture, both wives had his children, apparently in alternating fashion as the diagram my aunt drew seemed to depict. And then my grandma lost her arm at age 33, after my Seosan aunt was born. At that point it was almost 3am, I still had more questions, but I was all Koreaned-out, so we went to bed.

The next day my aunt, my uncle, and the fire fighter decided to take me mountain hiking. It's typhoon season, so it was a little rainy, and the mountains were covered in fog. Apparently there's an amazing view from the top summit, but all we could see was white. I took some photos with my new phone. After I took a picture of my uncle and his brother, they told me that if I show this photo to American women, then they will all flock to Korea. They tried to look as manly as possible. I thought it was very cute.

As I scrambled up rocks, I worried about coming back down again. It had rained, I was only wearing Sauconys and I don't really climb down rocks. So the trek down was definitely interesting.

My uncle and the fire fighter told me more about their family. They said that there were no heavy drinkers, no gamblers, no one with serious problems really. They said that they just like to hang out and talk a lot. But they reassured me that they were not boring. They asked me if I have a religion, and seeing as this is always a precarious topic to approach, I hesitatingly said no. And their response was, "Religion is a chain around man's heart." Not the reaction I was expecting. They said that they believed in humanism. Over the course of the few days I was there, more philosophical conversation was discussed. It was a nice change to the conversation that usually has taken place here in Korea.

The usual topics of conversation involve my ability to use chopsticks, my liking of spicy food, "traditional" Korean things, and other such banal subjects. I generally hate small talk in the US, I really hate small talk in Korea. Oh and they also told me that my grandfather used to hunt wild pigs in the mountains with just a spear... hmm...

Three hours later we went back home. There was more eating and drinking and chatting. I found out that my mom wasn't feeling well b/c she's been overworked. My mom's restaurant was featured on a television program recently, and so people from all over have been coming to eat there. And something was said about maybe her husband hanging around, so needless to say, me visiting Cheongju was knocked off the list.

As we sat around, I got to chat more with the fire fighter's wife. She is really nice, really smart, and beautiful. He lucked out. Though she lucked out too, b/c he does a lot of the cooking and cleaning around the house, something that Korean men are notoriously known for not doing. Apparently he's also a match maker.

At one point, my aunt put out frozen blackberries for us to eat. The fire fighter's wife told me that they are good for increasing sexual energy. And then with perfect timing, my uncle said that he and my aunt don't need to eat them. And they raised their arms as in triumph. My aunt started to laugh hysterically. They seem to have a really good relationship. They're always teasing each other, helping each other out, and chatting with one another. It makes me happy, especially in Korea, to know that happily married couples do exist here.

The next day we did a very short Chuseok ceremony, thanking ancestors for what we have now. Usually a table of food is laid out for ancestors past, and there's a lot of bowing involved. This is what the table looks like:


After lunch my aunt, the non firefighter brother and I sat around and chatted. His English is really good, and so I was trying to tell them more about what I have done and what I want to do. They are definitely open minded Koreans. They are supportive of my decision to ditch science for art. We discussed science politics briefly and the brother said that he's heard the same thing before from a friend who used to be in physics. They asked me why I had originally wanted to go to Korea. They asked me about my future plans. They said they were happy that I am brave enough to do what I want and not stick with convention, and that my aunt said she didn't really adopt this way of living until her 40s. I really want them to be able to get to know me as a person, and so I'm happy we had this conversation. I told them the more I learn about my family, the more I think that I was blessed with some good DNA. They said I must have good parents in the USA, and that I was given a good combination of nature and nurture. I agreed with them.

Later that day I was sent on my way back to Gumi. At that point, despite there being some English in the air, my brain hurt from all the Korean. My aunt is an intense (but cheerful) person, and so she speaks Korean to me very fast, and gets in real close. One of the brothers made fun of her for doing that and said if someone talked like that to him, he wouldn't understand either. I'm happy I ended up visiting them instead of just lounging around my apartment.

While We're on the Subject of Peppers

I was in Busan 부산 a few weeks ago for the first time. It's located on the eastern southern side of Korea. It's known for its amazing beaches (see picture below, 해운대) and fresh fish.


While walking around trying to find some good raw fish, we stumbled across a tank of spoon worms (urechis unicintus, or in Korean, 개불), that Koreans eat raw. And they look like... well, I'll let you decide what.

My Cousin Paul

Sorry it's been awhile since writing, I have been overwhelmed with lesson planning! Ok, so I want to start with a funny story about my cousin, "Paul," who I saw before my trip back to the USA this past summer. To recap, "Paul" is my 5 year old cousin who speaks the best English so far in my Korean family (well, other than me of course, hehe).

I stayed at my grandparents' house to see family before taking my US getaway, and my grandmother happened to be babysitting Paul that evening. I chatted with Paul about the usual things, dinosaurs, farts, and all the animals he knows. Oh and spinning tops. Can't forget about those. So at one point I wanted to take a picture with him, but he wouldn't sit still. Then I tried to take just his picture, and he decided it would be funny to pose and on the count of three attempt to flash my camera, either with his naked torso or his, uh, tiny pepper. However once he got into the flashing mode, it didn't stop. We all sat down to eat dinner and he was still running around with his tiny Korean pepper hanging out of his pants, and my poor one armed grandma was getting pretty annoyed. My Korean isn't great, and I definitely cannot understand old people when they speak Korean. However at the dinner table, my grandmother yelled at my cousin, and all I could make out was, "cousin!!!", "penis!!!", "don't do that!!!" Aish.

Good Bye America, See You Again in a Year!

Three and a half weeks passed far more quickly than I ever could have imagined. It's time to say good bye to my country again, as I leave for Korea tomorrow, Thursday, at 9am from Logan. This departure will be different from that of a year ago, less exciting and more sad, though less anxious and more purposeful. Over the past year, I have come to appreciate you (my country) more, so I look forward to coming back for good next summer. Until then, good bye America!!! I will miss you!

Coming Home For A Bit

I'm waiting at Incheon Airport now, and should be arriving in Boston in about 24.5 hours. I can't wait to see everyone!!!^^ Korea, 다녀겠습니다!!!!

How I Know It's Time to Come Home

I came home today and my host mom handed me a pill to take. She said that every spring her family takes this medicine. I asked her what it was and why she felt the need to take it every spring. I looked up the active drug, flubendazole, and what I found was information for an anthelmintic.... or in laymen's terms, a drug used to expel parasites from the body. So I said, "Greeeeaaaaaat," and popped the pill. I'm just hoping that I don't wake up in the middle of the night to a scary scary scary number 2. Yes, it's time to come home. It's definitely official, I miss you America.

2NE1's "Follow Me" Music Video

All I have to say is Asian girls, Lady Gaga style, Star Troopers and POWER!!!

My Flyback Date and Time

So it's official, I will be flying into Logan Airport on July 19th at roughly 9pm. If anyone wants to meet for a beer that night, I will be in great need of one (especially after flying for almost 18 hours.... Seoul to Tokyo, Tokyo to LA, LA to Boston..... ugh....). I will be in the area until August 12, when I fly out again to go back to Korea for one more year. I promise I will stay in the USA after my second year is up!!!! Really!!!!!

Students' Thoughts on War

To Nicole
Hello. Nicole. :-)
Teacher, I think Korea is dangerous now.
Because, North Korea was killed ours peoples.
So, South Korea was angried.
I am scared. Because maybe, South Korea and North Korea
start a war. I want to live in without war
world.
Wars were made peoples hurts.
So I don't like wars.ㅠㅠ

Another student wrote:

Yesterday, north korea readied war. so, naver popular chart
one is 북한 전쟁 선포. So I very worried. and I want to live.
if started war, I will steal the supermarket! Therefore, I must surivie!

Lee Hyori (이효리)'s "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"

Lee Hyori as a hot party alien with poor taste in clothing? Um, yes, yes, and yes.

Just for fun, here is the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Dick Van Dyke.^^

All Three Moms Met

This past Monday my biological mom came to Gumi to visit, and so met my host mom in person, and even my migook mom (migook means American) via gmail video chat. It was nice, my Korean mom said thank you to my parents for raising me well, and my American family assured them that it was a pleasure (though I think they forgot about the teenage years in saying that, hehe, ah well it's better that way^^).

My host mom and Korean mom chatted the whole day, and so b/c my host mom's English is better than my Korean, I got to learn more about my family. I guess my mom was saying how her heart was very heavy since giving me up, b/c she was always worried about how I would grow up. But now that I met her, her heart has been freed so to speak, her great burden has been lifted b/c she doesn't have to worry anymore.

Also, apparently my grandfather didn't actually know about my story until last year. My grandmother knew, but b/c of my grandfather's somewhat strict personality, he was never informed about my mother's pregnancy. Though my mom emphasized that both of my grandparents really really like me, so I need to get over to Cheongju again soon to visit them. And apparently, my grandfather still has a lot of questions for Doug, hehe.

I also learned more about my grandmother's story. She lost her arm specifically in ddok-making equipment. (ddok is Korean rice cake, similar to the Japanese mochi) In order to grind the rice really finely, dangerous equipment is used, and so I guess my grandmother had a slip-up and lost her arm in the process. Strange that I've had an affinity to amputees since college...

So yes, the day I've been dreaming of since I was a little girl has come true. My Korean past and American upbringing has come crashing together. And I even gained a third mom in the process (my host mom). As my American mom puts it, when it comes to family, it's either been feast or famine.

Jeonju International Film Festival

So this past weekend I was lucky enough to catch some of the Jeonju International Film Festival (aka JIFF). I only got to see 7 movies, but I was pretty happy with what I saw. On Friday night I saw Francis Ford Coppola's new film, "Tetro." On Saturday throughout the course of the day I saw three films, including a Japanese film that I would definitely recommend, "Viyon no tsuma."

At midnight I attended a screening of 3 more movies: a post apocalyptic anime that started out really interestingly and then got a little too fantasy-filled for me, a brutal masturbatory French zombie movie, and a fantastic Japanese horror movie from the seventies, filled with that bad but good seventies porno-like quality film, dreamy technicolor, and fantastic music. This last movie came on after 4am, and was in Japanese accompanied only by Korean subtitles, so needless to say, I had no idea what most of the dialog was. I would catch bits and pieces, but at 4 in the morning and 5 movies later, I couldn't handle it. To give you an idea, below is the trailer.

And on Sunday, I enjoyed another Japanese movie, "Bare Essence of Life." The main character was played perfectly. Below is the trailer.

I've Had This Girl's Generation Song Stuck in My Head All Day and Now You Can Too!

More Fabulous Writing

I have one student who writes the funniest things for his writing assigments. Here are a few examples:

My 3rd Diary
My favorite class is Nicole class among all subjects. Put your hands up! Oh. Sorry. I say "Ni," you say "cole." Do you know Chinese? Ni zia you zi cou run? I love badminton and Nicole, Let's play badminton later. I am a good player. Bye.

Dear Nicole~
Hi nicole. I respect you Nicole. I respected you Nicole, And I will respect you Nicole? Nicole class is always funny and educational. So I love this class. I will study hard all the times.

I read a lot of these each week, making correction after correction, but I am never let down by their content.

Not Sure Where This T-Shirt Came From, But I Bought it in Gwangju for 4 Bucks

A Lesson on Trans Fats

So during dinner with my host family, the topic of conversation managed to go to the words "transgender" and "translation." My older host sister was confusing the two. I explained how that it was natural, as the two words both contain the prefix "trans-," meaning to go across. I mentioned other words like: transfer and transportation. Then my host mom blurted out, "trans fats!" And I was like, yes! But to explain that I had to show them what a double bond was, so I used Yu-Gyeong's and my chopstick/spoon sets to demonstrated the difference between cis and trans bonds. Below you'll see a spoon trans bond below the ddok-bokki (떡볶이) and dumplings (만두). ㅋㅋㅋ

Thank you!!! 고마워요!!!!

Thank you to those who have donated money to KKOOM!!! It is greatly appreciated!!!!!!^^

I Don't Ask For Money Often, Soooooo.....

So since the fall, I have been volunteering at this fantastic orphanage in Gumi. Being adopted I feel that it's only natural to give back a little. A past ETA from several years ago really built a strong relationship between this orphanage and the ETA program. She also started an organization called KKOOM, which stands for Korean Kids & Orphanage Outreach Program (and in Korean the acronym means "dream").

And currently KKOOM is being offered a trial position on the Global Giving website, which highlights smaller charitable organizations. However, they must raise a total of $4,000 before April 26 in order to keep the spot. The money would be going specifically towards Korean orphans' English education. Remaining on Global Giving's website would greatly help publicize KKOOM's mission, and so far they have done a lot for the orphanage that I work at every week.

I've already donated, so if there are any friends out there who are willing to donate a minimum of $10, it would be greatly appreciated. It's super easy, you just have to follow this link. Thanks!!!!

This Has Nothing to Do With Korea and Everything to Do With Japan and the Tate Modern

So I just stumbled upon this video while searching for art stuff. Apparently Takashi Murakami made this video with Kirsten Dunst for the Tate Modern's show, "Pop Life: Art in a Material World," which showed Oct 1 through Jan 17, 2010. It hurt my head so much, that I had to post it... enjoy!

More Student Writing, in its Strangest Form and its Most Sincere

So now having had a couple weeks of writing assignments, I have received a full range of content from my high level 2nd graders: wombats, unrequited love, Antarctica, love letters, mock letters to parents apologizing for their childish behavior, love of meat, etc. However the following has been the most random so far:

In dream, I am Coca cola chairman, so I am very rich. I think that Coca cola's all officer know the way of make coca cola but they didn't know so I tell to them, but My Action follow to become bankrupt. WOW No. 1 is PePSI!!!*

*grammar and capitalization are all true to the original

I also run 3 club classes after school, with two separate leveled classes meeting twice a week and one reading club that meets on Wednesday (we're reading Alice in Wonderland). Today I met with my higher leveled students and we mainly worked on writing. I taught them the word "ideal," and then asked them to tell me what their ideal boyfriend/girlfriend would be like, in both personality and looks.

Most of my girls wrote about their prince charming, and then one boy casually dropped that he just may like guys more than girls. He began his paragraph saying that he hasn't really put much thought into girlfriends and then listed some things that would be nice. And then admitted that he may just like guys as much if not more than girls, and added that if he did have a boyfriend, tall and handsome would be good. Oh and smart. Smart would be perfect.

He's one of my most challenging, b/c he is both one of my smartest and one of my most aloof and enigmatic students. He stopped writing and so I asked him to keep writing, and that's when he told me his thoughts. He said that he didn't have any more thoughts on girlfriends b/c he sort of doesn't like girls and finds guys easier to get along with. So I asked him to tell me why. He wrote a couple more sentences and stated that maybe he was supposed to have been born a girl. There was something very sincere and casual about his writing, despite the structure still possessing that certain Korean awkwardness embedded in the grammar. And both his writing and the words that came from his mouth possessed an incredibly unapologetic and frank voice. I just hope that Korean society doesn't rip that from him. My heart goes out to this kid, I just hope he will find a way to be himself and live happily in a country as potentially unforgiving and unrelenting as Korea.

Ah 봄 (Spring) is in the Air and Doug Has Some New Competition

So not only did I start teaching again this month, but the new school year has started. Unlike America, Korean schools start at the beginning of the year and end at the end of the year. Makes a lot of sense, right? I'm only teaching 2nd graders at the moment (so only a class of about 370 kids), so students that I had last year as first graders. And wow what a difference! Puberty is hitting hard and fast, most of my boy students are now taller than me and some of my babies from last semester are on their way towards become men (their voices are changing).

My class structure also changed, so now I'm teaching 3 different levels of classes (I'm so grateful that the school did this, it has made teaching infinitely easier). I give my highest level classes writing homework, just a simple diary entry or letter-style piece of writing, to get them to apply the grammar that they learn in their regular English classes. Well with my boys now changing and their English getting better, yesterday I received the following for one student's homework assignment:

Dear Nicole

Hello! My name is _______. Nice to meet you. I love you. Because you are my sunshine ~ (heart) Only you. Fall in love. Only you, only you. You are have boyfriend. Your boyfriend is me. and I love camera. I want to take a picture with you. thank you. see you next time. Because of you ~~~~~~ (heart)

- Korean student*


*identity protected for the sake of the frail teenage boy ego


Also, despite the raging teenage hormones, Korean students are still waaay more innocent and cute than their American counterparts. So in response, I told him he had good use of idioms and that I was too old for him. This shall be an interesting semester.

Great Success!

Ok, so I just had my first truly successful phone conversation with my mom, in Korean, and I understood almost everything!!! Woooo!!!! Baby steps, baby steps....

A Year of Kimchi May Have to Be Changed to Year(s) of Kimchi

For those back in the US who'd like to know, I am leaning heavily on renewing my grant for a second year. I have not yet accomplished what I've come here to do. My Korean language skills are still very much lacking, I'm just really beginning to get closer to my family, and my love for my students is greatly adding to this decision. However, if I do decide to stay another year, I will be back in the US for about a month in the summer, during which I will try to drink as much good Belgian beer and eat as much cured pork as possible before heading back.^^

T-ara on Music Bank

So this is the same song that I just previously posted, but as a performance on the show "Music Bank." Do I watch this show regularly with my host sisters? Um, yes.

T-Ara (티아라) - 너 때문에 미쳐 (I Go Crazy Because Of You)

My host sisters were just dancing around to this, so I figured I would post it. hehe. Enjoy!

Hongdae (홍대) at 5:30am on a Sunday Morning

Mmm, creepy foreigners, trash, and wasted Koreans... going back to Boston's nightlife shutting down at 2am will be difficult... hehe.

Catching Up, New Year's (설날) With the Family

So even more important than the calendar new year (Jan 1), the lunar new year (this year Feb 14) is a time where families all over Korea get together. During this time, Koreans eat 떡국 (rice cake soup), and upon eating it you gain another year (all Koreans turn another year together). The younger family members also perform 새배, which is a ceremonial bow that shows respect for one's living elders, and in return generally receive 새뱃돈, or money. I spent the new year with my biological family. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but when I first arrived in Cheongju I thought it was going to be a very disappointing holiday.

Korea is all about the patriarch, and so my mom had to spend time with her husband's family. Hence I didn't actually spend time with her at all (outside a chance run-in at the movie theater). My sister met me at the bus terminal, and she helped me get to my aunt's house (mother of "Paul," who's name I now know, 지현). My aunt owns a hagwon and a screen golf establishment, so she was busy with work. My sister couldn't stay and so it was just me, Paul, and my other cousin 지은 (second grade middle school girl) left at the house. I found out that my grandparents were in Seoul, I wouldn't be able to see my mom or sister at all over the weekend, and that I would be helping my aunt do work the next day on New Year's day. I was beginning to wonder why I left Seoul to be in Cheongju. It was then that I felt the pangs of realization that I am still a secret, potentially a burden, and still not really a part of the family.

However, my cousin ordered the most amazing fried chicken for dinner, so my 기분 felt a little better.^^ Then we ended up going out to he movie theater. Even though the movie was an expected disappointment, the time before and after the movie was a nice surprise. In the movie theater was an arcade and little mini noraebang boxes. So before the movie started, Paul sang "Mamma Mia" in his sweet little 5-year-old slightly lispy voice, all in English. I was so impressed! After the movie theater we all played arcade games together, something I haven't done in a long time. When we got back to the house 지은 told me she was very happy that we were closer now, and that she didn't feel so shy around me anymore. When I first met her she was terrified of me, though more for the reason that I am a 외국인 (foreigner) than simply a stranger. Paul too must be feeling more comfortable around me, b/c he flashed me and told me that it was his elephant. I told him it's a small elephant. I suppose perverseness runs in the blood.

So on new year's day my cousins went with my uncle to see his family and I went to my aunt's screen golf place. I helped her vacuum, all the while wondering why I was there. But after we were done I sat around and studied Korean vocabulary and ate fried 떡 with sesame oil. Eventually my aunt sat with me and as I tested myself with the Korean, she learned the English equivalents. It was some nice bonding time. We left around evening time and much to my delight my grandparents were back from Seoul. We went over to their apartment and made dumplings (만두) together, and I got to eat 떡국 (so I am now 28 Korean-years-old). My cousins and I did our 새배, wished our grandparents happy new year (새해 복 많이 받으세요!), and even received 새뱃돈.^^

On Monday my other aunt came to visit. She lives on the West side of Korea in 서산, south of Seoul. So she, my other aunt, my grandmother and I were lounging around in my aunt's room having girl talk so to speak. We ate oranges and dried persimmon. It felt really comfortable, even though I still couldn't understand everything they were saying. But my grandmother kept patting me on the head and telling me she was happy. I heart my one-armed grandma.

My 서산 aunt escorted me to the bus terminal. Before I left she tried to explain to me that my mom was really sad that she wasn't able to spend time with me. (so a lot of 마음에 아파요.) I told her I understood. Her eyes got teary and her speaking got faster. After hugging, I jumped on the bus and headed back to Seoul.

Do People Send Their Screen Printing Mishaps to Korea? Or Do Korean T-Shirt Companies Try to Copy English-Bearing Designs and Then Screw Them Up?

I wish I knew the answer to my question...

Corn Sand Ice Cream - 7/11

Yes, an ice cream sandwich with pieces of corn in it... made by 7/11... I won't say what it tasted like, I will leave that up to your imagination.^^

Doug Stars in Lost in Translation

Doug came to visit me last week and took off again this past Monday evening. It had been just over 6 months since I had seen him last (with g-video chat not counting). I dragged him all around Korea, having him meet my host family in Gumi, coteachers in Daegu, my biological family in Cheongju and ETA friends in Seoul. All in the span of a week.

When he first got to Korea, we took a bus from the Incheon Airport to Gumi. We stayed at a motel down the street from my host family's apartment. We ended up at a motel that was next to not one, not two, but three business clubs. And the name of the motel was "Motel Crystal." How could we not? It was 30,000W for the night (roughly 26USD), huge, and had this bizarre orange chair. Needless to say, we took one look at the chair and decided against even touching it.

The bed also had a giant mirror (dis)tastefully placed next to the bed...

The next day after breakfast with my host family, we met up with two coteachers in Daegu, where they brought us to a temple on a mountain in the rain, and then after ate a giant traditional Korean meal. Then we returned to Gumi, only to have a giant home-cooked meal made by my host mom. She admitted to me that when I first told her about Doug she was skeptical of the relationship due to our age gap, but after meeting him in person understood the relationship and approved. It's like I have gained 2 more mothers since coming to Korea.

Then we left for Cheongju the day after to meet up with my biological family. It was a little awkward at first, b/c it was just Doug, me, my mom, and grandparents. Doug doesn't speak much Korean, my mom is super reserved, and my family definitely does not speak English. We ended up watching Sumo wrestling together while we waited for other family members to arrive for dinner. Luckily my uncle brought his wife, who had more English ability. We drank ginseng soju after dinner and the mood was more comfortable. My uncle said he liked Doug (though both he and my aunt let out a surprised "ohhhhhhhhhh" when they found out his age), and tried to tell him that he had an asian face, which neither Doug nor I quite understood. The next morning it was just us and my grandparents. My grandmother told me that she thought well of Doug and that b/c he loved me she liked him. It was very sweet. She also patted him hard on the stomach when he said he was full. And he agrees, she's one strong one-armed lady.

We stayed in the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, which was a nice change from the usual love motels and hostels I'm used to staying in. No scary chairs, no giant mirrors, and the bathroom soap was even made by L'occitane. We spent our 3 1/2 days in Seoul doing touristy things, eating tons, and of course cuddling.

Doug even humored me by taking sticker pictures with me. Though he didn't play very nice and refused to look at the camera. Ah well. I love him for who he is, that is being difficult. But I have to give him credit for cramming Korean in his head before arriving (he learned how to read hanguel), sitting on the floor for hours at a time, and even trying fish dishes (he hates fish). And the impression he left with the Koreans in my life was overall very good. Everyone agreed, he's a keeper and that he can use chopsticks well.

Some Random Photos from Japan

This rabbit-headed mannequin was the display for the clothing store, Wonder Rocket, located in Harajuku and whose clothes I absolutely adored.

The vending machines were much like those in Korea, but more expensive. However they did have the addition of hot corn soup in a can. All I can say is delicious!!!

These mini statues were present at the cemetery where Steph's grandfather is buried. They are designated for children who have passed away.

Squid balls! Er, I mean takoyaki!!! Also, delicious!!!!

This was an amazing art show that we saw at the Mori Art Museum called "Medicine and Art." It had everything from Francis Crick's pencil drawing of DNA's structure to Matsui Fuyuko's haunting work on silk, Damien Hirst, Leonardo da Vinci, and Charles Grignon's engravings; with both past and contemporary artists' interpretation of the human body displayed side-by-side. It was definitely a show worth seeing.

On top of great art, the museum is also placed on the 53rd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, so one could get a fantastic view of Tokyo.

Lucky poop. I mean, what could be more lucky than golden poop?