This past Saturday I was finally able to make it out to Seoul for the first time!!
In this story though, the good comes with the bad as well. I might have gotten my first true taste of culture shock, ironically in one of the more internationalized cities in Korea (how did I get through Jeonju, reputed as one of the most classically Korean cities, without any odd encounters!!). The train was actually great and the ride there was fantastic. I expected the trip to last close to an hour, but it really only took us about half that. Low expectations for travel turned into a rather pleasant surprise.
The five of us who came into Seoul that day happened to all have a pretty late night on Friday, so we were all lacking some energy. We did however run into some friends we hadn't seen since orientation, and that gave us a second wind of sorts.
The only tourist-y thing we did that day was to visit the N. Seoul Tower (it is incredible!! I'll have some photos on fbook soon but there are some tagged of me already). The bus driver was incredibly cranky though and was yelling pretty harshly at us in Korean to be quiet; we had a friend with us who speaks fluent Korean who was able to act as translator. He was actually on a rant for the duration of the whole bus ride up the hill, going on about how foreigner tourists are terrible. It is worth noting that he picked an interesting form of employment considering his disdain for us (a bus driver on a route of probably the biggest tourist attraction in Seoul). But!, we were in the wrong and we pretty much quieted down when we figured out he was aiming his rant at us. No big deal, we moved on quietly and forgot about it for a while.
The tower was amazing by the way, and it purports to have the best view from a bathroom in the world, and I believe it!! I bought some postcards along the way as well. Outside of my friend Joe, we all skipped out on the adjoining teddy bear museum. It was strange that the TB museum was more than going into Seoul tower, but only later did I find out it was Korea's history via teddy bears, complete with breakdancing TB's (a return visit is in order!!). We made our way down the hill, onto a new bus with a much gentler driver and into the subway....
but then!! A friend of mine named Ramsey actually got caught in the subway door as it was closing. We had to pry the thing open, and it ended up closing on him twice with the first one landing on his neck. Although it was a pretty scary event, we did end up getting the door open and him in without tooooo much trouble. However, enter Rant #2: An older Korean gentleman was reaaaaaaaaaaaallly not happy that we caused this scene and proceeded to go on a fairly mean spirited rant about how we should have split up and had some people wait for the next train. This would have actually been a fine idea if any of us knew where we were going (if you are lost in a big city, don't split up!!). He gave us some means looks along the way and gave us all a stink-eye. This one was a little bit more frustrating because our predicament had no adverse effects on anyone else and we delayed the train's departure by about 20 seconds tops. I was well aware coming into Korea of the power of age, but I let a little Americana slip out anyway. I didn't fight the 75 year old man and I certainly didn't say anything to him either, but I maintained eye contact with him until he looked away when his gaze came my way (I regret this a little now, because I have been so good about falling into Korean etiquette, but it happened and I can't go back in time). A lot of our frustration really came from remembering the experience on the bus. Most of us tried to keep to ourselves but we were yelled at anyway.
Luckily, a decent dinner put us back in tiptop shape. Let's fast forward a few hours because not much happened from here to there, outside of us deciding to catch the first train back in the morning (5:30 AM) rather than the last train out at night (10:30 PM) - bad idea! We ended up at a dance club for a while but were through with that by 2 PM and had some time to kill.
Time to kill.... enter me getting hit by a car!!
And I will say that I have only played it up because the actual story pales in comparison to the technical translation. We were walking down to a convenience store down a narrow road when a car came up behind us and happened to clip me in the side. I bounced off of it like a pinball and was about 1000x more confused than I was injured. It didn't hurt, but it really caught me off guard. In all actuality, I probably would have destroyed the tiny car before the car destroyed me, but I can now check that off my to-do list - getting hit by a car! I actually happened to have to walk next to the car, which was already doing about 2 MPH, for a good block or so, which is as every bit awkward as you might imagine!
On a side note, I was blown away by how many Americans there were that night! We were in Hongdae-Seoul, a huuuuuge place for foreigners, but there were times where the English speakers outnumbered the Koreans. It was less than ideal, because I have really enjoyed being one of the few Americans engulfed in a sea of Koreans.
All in all, it wasn't my ideal trip to Seoul, but I'd put the odds on favorite that I might be back as soon as next week. I know it is an amazing place, I think I might have just gotten less than an amazing experience (though the car thing was actually a pro, not a con). I should probably add that despite the few crazy events, it all pales in comparison to how amazing this country and how much neat stuff there is around me. I am sure I will get a decent share of both good and bad throughout my year, but I will say that the good outnumbers it 10 to 1.
I'm out!! G'night everyone!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
I've Got a Confession!!
Let me preface this post by saying that throughout all my McDonald's eating years, I had never experienced the Big Mac (Whaaaaaaaaaaat!?? Yes, it's true).
I have actually been eating there a lot more than I would have hoped for. I maybe catch it for a meal every other day, causing me great shame. I do need to go back to my first point in my defense however. I contest that my new-found reliance on McD's has less to do with American tendencies than it does with the realization that I love Big Mac's. It is just ill timing that I discover this while in a different country. The Big Mac is the only non-Korean altered item on the menu, so I got it at my lowest, but it turns out that I love it. I firmly believe that if I lived in the States I would still be on a huge McDonald's kick. Anyway! I thought I'd toss that out there and have a little fun with it before I got onto the next post about getting hit by a car!!!
I have actually been eating there a lot more than I would have hoped for. I maybe catch it for a meal every other day, causing me great shame. I do need to go back to my first point in my defense however. I contest that my new-found reliance on McD's has less to do with American tendencies than it does with the realization that I love Big Mac's. It is just ill timing that I discover this while in a different country. The Big Mac is the only non-Korean altered item on the menu, so I got it at my lowest, but it turns out that I love it. I firmly believe that if I lived in the States I would still be on a huge McDonald's kick. Anyway! I thought I'd toss that out there and have a little fun with it before I got onto the next post about getting hit by a car!!!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Mailing Address
I am using my school's mailing address:
Incheon Hae Song Elementary
Evan W. Daniel
9-27 Songdo-Don, Yeon'su-Gu, Incheon
South Korea
as far as postage goes, I have no clue. By the way, I am posting off the internet I just got in my apartment, hooray!
Incheon Hae Song Elementary
Evan W. Daniel
9-27 Songdo-Don, Yeon'su-Gu, Incheon
South Korea
as far as postage goes, I have no clue. By the way, I am posting off the internet I just got in my apartment, hooray!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Living Conditions
A quick note to where I am living and how I am doing it!! My
apartment, which initially seemed to be the one bad aspect of my
EPIK experience, has become almost endearing with time. It is not the
biggest (though not the smallest I've seen either!!), and I possess no
air conditioning or internet (I get my fridge in about an hour
though!), but it has grown on me a bit and with the windows open and a
pretty decent fan I picked up, I can handle the warm conditions. It
will be winter soon enough anyway, though then I will be dealing with
heating issues!! I hear, though, that the Koreans use a floor heating
method that is actually quite convenient and well thought out.
Apparently the steam and temperature is used from hot water to heat
the floor above yours, so I should be able to make it through the
winter OK. I am actually rather excited about it, since being from
Texas I could use a little variety.
I live north in my neighborhood, and caught a big break by living off
of the Woninjae subway station, so I don't have much of a commute and
I can travel pretty easily from place to place. I have friends who
have 30 minute bus rides/walks just to get to the subway, so I
definitely caught a break. I am about 6 stops south of main downtown
nightlife, and 4 or so north of my school, so I can't complain.
I forgot to mention something! My camera broke, so the pictures have
stalled, but I have a backup plan up and running so hopefully I will
have access to some pictures from my travels sooner rather than later.
The only good note is that with no more moving around (airport to
orientation to placement), nothing is really going anywhere. I have
been looking for a camera repair shop, so I am hoping to deal with
this problem quickly!
I have actually typed out all 4 of these new posts consecutively, so
at this point I can't tell if I have fingers or not. I think I might
leave off here! Today was actually the second anniversary of my
school, so I already have a day off, hence being at a PC Bang at 4:00
PM my time!!
I am thinking about you all always, and I would love to hear from you all!!
apartment, which initially seemed to be the one bad aspect of my
EPIK experience, has become almost endearing with time. It is not the
biggest (though not the smallest I've seen either!!), and I possess no
air conditioning or internet (I get my fridge in about an hour
though!), but it has grown on me a bit and with the windows open and a
pretty decent fan I picked up, I can handle the warm conditions. It
will be winter soon enough anyway, though then I will be dealing with
heating issues!! I hear, though, that the Koreans use a floor heating
method that is actually quite convenient and well thought out.
Apparently the steam and temperature is used from hot water to heat
the floor above yours, so I should be able to make it through the
winter OK. I am actually rather excited about it, since being from
Texas I could use a little variety.
I live north in my neighborhood, and caught a big break by living off
of the Woninjae subway station, so I don't have much of a commute and
I can travel pretty easily from place to place. I have friends who
have 30 minute bus rides/walks just to get to the subway, so I
definitely caught a break. I am about 6 stops south of main downtown
nightlife, and 4 or so north of my school, so I can't complain.
I forgot to mention something! My camera broke, so the pictures have
stalled, but I have a backup plan up and running so hopefully I will
have access to some pictures from my travels sooner rather than later.
The only good note is that with no more moving around (airport to
orientation to placement), nothing is really going anywhere. I have
been looking for a camera repair shop, so I am hoping to deal with
this problem quickly!
I have actually typed out all 4 of these new posts consecutively, so
at this point I can't tell if I have fingers or not. I think I might
leave off here! Today was actually the second anniversary of my
school, so I already have a day off, hence being at a PC Bang at 4:00
PM my time!!
I am thinking about you all always, and I would love to hear from you all!!
The Nitty Gritty
It's time we get to the stuff about my new school and where I am
living. There was a little bit of false advertisement going on in
Songdo, and while I thought about some legal recourse, I think I might
have to let it slide. Let me say that it is a BEAUTIFUL area, with a
lot going on and some serious resources at it's disposal. However, on
the brochure for "Visit Incheon," about half of it was dedicated to my
area where the land of robots and excellence unite! The problem is
that most of the buildings and attractions on the brochure have not
yet been built. They are timing it on a project for 2020, with a huge
portion to be completed by 2014 (In time for the Asia Games, being
held in Incheon). So while even the construction is magnificent
(along with how quickly they do it), it isn't quite all the brochure
chalked it up to be.
At the same time, I wouldn't trade it for any other area in Incheon.
The school is fantastic, and is as close to being an "international
school" as it can get without actually being one. I am the 5th
"native teacher" (born-English-speaking teacher) at the school,
something no other EPIK'er can boast. The other 4 have all been in
the area and teaching at the school for about 5-8 months. They are
really great people from all over the States (GA, OH, OK and MI). I
actually just had a BBQ with them last night (I got to eat some
fantastic BBQ sauce, which I had gone too long without). Funny side
note: I invited my friend Anthony from LA to the BBQ but in text
messaging on a Korean phone, there is no "q" key, so I had to settle
for BBCUE.
My principal is an English enthusiast and we have already had a few
impromptu English lessons. The school has about 4 floors and caters
to grades 1-6. The school is set up in a "U" fashion with one of the
prongs making up grades 1, 3, and 5 by floors with the other prong
making up grades 2, 4, and 6. In the middle there is a variety of buildings:
Teacher's room, a Music room, Science room, English center, and a
couple other centers. I love just about everything about it, and have
had an unparalleled welcome. I have felt like the new member of a
large, warm family. I have spent the week observing my classes, and
am fortunate enough to only have one co-teacher, which means that I
will be working alongside my main co-teacher who has had the grand
responsibility of getting everything set up for me. Ms. Lim, my
co-teacher, has been fantastic and I don't know if I can ever repay
her. I am in her debt. We will be seeing the 4th grade and 3rd grade
classes once a week, and 5th and 6th graders twice a week (each grade
has 3 classes). While observing has been an education experience, I
am excited to get to teaching!!
On a side note - Just yesterday I purchased indoor slippers, rendering
the pairs of dress shoes I painstakingly brought across the world
rather useless. In fact, before the ones I bought yesterday (they
are Van's knock offs, so it definitely fits my style!), I was using
guest open toe slip ons. I consider myself quite the fashionable man,
so being forced to wear dress pants, shirt and tie along with open toe
sandals was like making me walk on fire. New work slippers moved up
the list: past getting my refrigerator, internet and TV pretty quickly,
settling ever so slightly behind breathing air and eating food in
terms of priorities.
Before I end this post, I just want to tell all my loved ones one more
time that I am getting treated far better than I deserve, and am so
incredibly grateful for this opportunity so far.
living. There was a little bit of false advertisement going on in
Songdo, and while I thought about some legal recourse, I think I might
have to let it slide. Let me say that it is a BEAUTIFUL area, with a
lot going on and some serious resources at it's disposal. However, on
the brochure for "Visit Incheon," about half of it was dedicated to my
area where the land of robots and excellence unite! The problem is
that most of the buildings and attractions on the brochure have not
yet been built. They are timing it on a project for 2020, with a huge
portion to be completed by 2014 (In time for the Asia Games, being
held in Incheon). So while even the construction is magnificent
(along with how quickly they do it), it isn't quite all the brochure
chalked it up to be.
At the same time, I wouldn't trade it for any other area in Incheon.
The school is fantastic, and is as close to being an "international
school" as it can get without actually being one. I am the 5th
"native teacher" (born-English-speaking teacher) at the school,
something no other EPIK'er can boast. The other 4 have all been in
the area and teaching at the school for about 5-8 months. They are
really great people from all over the States (GA, OH, OK and MI). I
actually just had a BBQ with them last night (I got to eat some
fantastic BBQ sauce, which I had gone too long without). Funny side
note: I invited my friend Anthony from LA to the BBQ but in text
messaging on a Korean phone, there is no "q" key, so I had to settle
for BBCUE.
My principal is an English enthusiast and we have already had a few
impromptu English lessons. The school has about 4 floors and caters
to grades 1-6. The school is set up in a "U" fashion with one of the
prongs making up grades 1, 3, and 5 by floors with the other prong
making up grades 2, 4, and 6. In the middle there is a variety of buildings:
Teacher's room, a Music room, Science room, English center, and a
couple other centers. I love just about everything about it, and have
had an unparalleled welcome. I have felt like the new member of a
large, warm family. I have spent the week observing my classes, and
am fortunate enough to only have one co-teacher, which means that I
will be working alongside my main co-teacher who has had the grand
responsibility of getting everything set up for me. Ms. Lim, my
co-teacher, has been fantastic and I don't know if I can ever repay
her. I am in her debt. We will be seeing the 4th grade and 3rd grade
classes once a week, and 5th and 6th graders twice a week (each grade
has 3 classes). While observing has been an education experience, I
am excited to get to teaching!!
On a side note - Just yesterday I purchased indoor slippers, rendering
the pairs of dress shoes I painstakingly brought across the world
rather useless. In fact, before the ones I bought yesterday (they
are Van's knock offs, so it definitely fits my style!), I was using
guest open toe slip ons. I consider myself quite the fashionable man,
so being forced to wear dress pants, shirt and tie along with open toe
sandals was like making me walk on fire. New work slippers moved up
the list: past getting my refrigerator, internet and TV pretty quickly,
settling ever so slightly behind breathing air and eating food in
terms of priorities.
Before I end this post, I just want to tell all my loved ones one more
time that I am getting treated far better than I deserve, and am so
incredibly grateful for this opportunity so far.
Not the most important, but definitely the most recent...
Like the title indicates, this doesn't really fall into the grand
scheme of news, but it happened a bit ago and I am actually pretty
excited in a strange sort of way.
I have become quite the fan of Pepto Bismol pills since being in
Korea. I have had a few stomach aches as I adjust to the food (kim
chi may help with digestion but I can't handle it 3 times a day,
especially for breakfast, yuck!), but my dependence on them has
decreased with time. In fact, I haven't had to take one
since I have been in Incheon.
This is when the really good news shines through! Today, I had
McDonald's for the first time since being in Korea (first American
food since being here too!). However, I had to go back to the Pepto
for the resulting stomach ache. I think that means I am finally coming
around to the Korean style of food, since my system was not used to
dealing with a double burger, fries and a chocolate sundae. Hooray
for me!!
And by the way, it was so worth it!
scheme of news, but it happened a bit ago and I am actually pretty
excited in a strange sort of way.
I have become quite the fan of Pepto Bismol pills since being in
Korea. I have had a few stomach aches as I adjust to the food (kim
chi may help with digestion but I can't handle it 3 times a day,
especially for breakfast, yuck!), but my dependence on them has
decreased with time. In fact, I haven't had to take one
since I have been in Incheon.
This is when the really good news shines through! Today, I had
McDonald's for the first time since being in Korea (first American
food since being here too!). However, I had to go back to the Pepto
for the resulting stomach ache. I think that means I am finally coming
around to the Korean style of food, since my system was not used to
dealing with a double burger, fries and a chocolate sundae. Hooray
for me!!
And by the way, it was so worth it!
Sorry about the delay...
I haven't fallen off the map ya'll, but since I've been in my new
apartment I haven't had internet. I need to get my ARC (Alien
Registration Card) to apply for internet service, which I have already
done, so I am hoping that I might have it up and ready in the next
week or so - we shall see. The PC Bangs (internet cafes) I visit make
me sign into the blog in Korean, and I can barely do it in English so
I am a little lost there. In the meantime however, I will be posting
through my mom!
I wanted to thank everyone who has sent me a message while I have been
gone. I have been so happy to stay in contact with as many people as
possible. If you want to jump on the bandwagon, email me at
EWDaniel10@gmail.com; I would love to hear from you. Email, for now,
is probably the best way to keep in touch because the 14 hour time
jump makes it hard to sync schedules.
I have a few pieces of news but I'd rather divvy them up to make them
more readable and succinct.
But before I get on to the other posts, let me just say that I am
having a blast, and although there are a few frustrations in the way
of adjusting, it pales in comparison to the fun I am having and what I
am learning from being in a new place!!
apartment I haven't had internet. I need to get my ARC (Alien
Registration Card) to apply for internet service, which I have already
done, so I am hoping that I might have it up and ready in the next
week or so - we shall see. The PC Bangs (internet cafes) I visit make
me sign into the blog in Korean, and I can barely do it in English so
I am a little lost there. In the meantime however, I will be posting
through my mom!
I wanted to thank everyone who has sent me a message while I have been
gone. I have been so happy to stay in contact with as many people as
possible. If you want to jump on the bandwagon, email me at
EWDaniel10@gmail.com; I would love to hear from you. Email, for now,
is probably the best way to keep in touch because the 14 hour time
jump makes it hard to sync schedules.
I have a few pieces of news but I'd rather divvy them up to make them
more readable and succinct.
But before I get on to the other posts, let me just say that I am
having a blast, and although there are a few frustrations in the way
of adjusting, it pales in comparison to the fun I am having and what I
am learning from being in a new place!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)