LCI's First Ever Halloween Spirit Week!

WHAT- A- BLAST! LCI's first ever Spirit Week was exciting, but quite exhausting! There were a number of factors that played into it all. By the afternoon breaks on Friday, all the teachers had their head of their desks to rest for a short five minutes before putting a smile back on their face to teach until 6:30pm. It was such a fun week for the Kindergartners who experienced the fun dress up days that we (the teachers) also enjoyed when we were young...and not so young if you had dress up days until senior year of high school, like me! All of the staff thought it was so disappointing for the elementary students (as young as 1st grade) who didn't get to participate in Spirit Week, but often saw all of us teachers dressed the part. I must remind you though, of the constant pressure students have to learn, learn, learn here, so it just wasn't an option for them according to our Korean staff who we begged to let them participate. Regardless, it was a blast for everyone, including the elementary students, who really enjoyed seeing the teachers dressed up every day! The Spirit Week dress up days were as follows:

Monday- Pajama Day!
Tuesday- Crazy Hair Day!
Wednesday- Backwards Day!
Thursday- Sports Day!
Friday- Halloween Dress up!

Those were the exciting parts of the week...now for the exhausting. As I mentioned two months ago when I arrived, many parents were very worried about the amount of time we were here before we came to school to see their kids as a "quarantine" against the Swine Flu. Well, that worry has continued to escalate quite rapidly since then and is at it's peak about now as a few Koreans have died from it, there are a number of cases in schools, the medical field predicted it would reach it's peak around October/November, and the biggest announcement that the Korean government was thinking about closing all schools in the country for 2-3 weeks to prevent any rapid outbreaks! Well, that didn't happen. But, many schools are closing for a minimum of three days to a week due to the amount of students dropping schools for up to a month making classes sizes little to no students and the number of parents calling to complain about their concerns. On top of all this panic, our head supervisor was gone the entire week due to her mother being seriously ill, and my (as well as a handful of other teachers) supervisor, Katie, was in and out all week as she just found out she is pregnant and has been advised to rest with the amount of stress around the school. That means we were left with two supervisors doing four people's work load. Although we all felt tired, we can't complain compared to the exhaustion that Rebbecca and Michelle (supervisors) showed by Friday. At this point, LCI has had no "serious patients" but has decided to close down for one week. The staff now has an unexpected but much needed nine day break (Oct. 31st-Nov. 8th) to enjoy!

As exciting as that is, for now, we have lost a week's pay and the options for making that time up are LESS THAN THRILLING. One of the teachers said, "If we have to work five, six day weeks (Saturdays) in a row, someone REALLY will die!" So that option has been eliminated and talk of taking winter break days away has been mentioned, but won't slide either with all teachers having vacation flights booked months ago. However, everyone is excited for the break and rushed home to look up inexpensive flights to warm places near by. Britney, Shauna, and I have booked a flight to visit Taiwan from Sunday to Saturday. Some other teachers mentioned travels to Thailand and the Philippines. From the sound of it, everyone is going to have a blast and hopefully take the time off to get some well needed rest. At least that's what the three of us plan to do as we lay around the beaches for five days! :)

A wonderful weekend!

I'm sorry that MN decided to skip fall this year, but Korea certainly did not! This past weekend, I headed to the gym on Friday night and decided to stay in and rest as Britney and I were heading out for a hike on Saturday to see the fall leaves change. It was great to get a good nights rest and an even better morning when I woke up on Saturday to Kimmy (my best friend from college) and her parents on Skype. I haven't talked to her for more than 10 minutes here and there since I got here two months ago. We talked for over at hour! It was SO wonderful, but needless to say, our departure time for a hike in Seoul had been quite delayed. Instead, we decided to venture back to the area where we took our LCI students on the "morning stroll"...aka mountain hike! We left around 1:30pm and started up a 5.6km trek around 2:00pm. Ms. Cross Country (Britney) and I have really enjoyed working out, but have both been struggling to run more than 20 minutes without being breathless. We thought a nice hike would be a little easier on the lungs, but ten minutes into the hike proved otherwise when we both found ourselves wheezing! I've been feeling ok for the most part, while Britney has been on and off meds since she got her. However, we would like to think part of our breathing issues could be due to the air pollution here. We're both hoping we adjust sooner than later and the exercise that used to be pretty effortless will get a bit easier with time.

Anyway...Britney and I hiked for about 45 minutes when we came to a funny plateau on the mountain. There was an array of things for people resting from their hike to do: rings, parallel bars, the standard exercise equipment, over sized hula hoops, some funny tire contraptions to stretch your back, and even bench press weights! A little odd to say the least, but we took our rest and continued on our way. Much different from when I lived in upstate NY for a summer, we saw MANY more Koreans hiking than I saw people in NY. Everyone here does it from ladies my grandmothers age to toddlers! I even saw one of my kindergarten students out with his dad. It was really nice to see so many people taking advantage of the beautiful area they live in. As we continued on our hike, we saw a beautiful peak and both said, "How do we get there? That's where we want to go!" Little did we know that at 4:30pm, that's where we would end up! A fairly easy hike from the beginning turned into a fairly intense rock climb at the end.

It was all worth it! Two and a half hours later we sat on the top boulder of a beautiful mountain overlooking many color changing leaves and the city we live in. It was also instantly when we reached our rest point that a generous Korean pulled out his 2 liter water bottle filled with Makgeolli (Korean rice wine) and his little paper cups and began pouring us a drink. He also handed over a fish stick (like beef jerky, but fish...not good)! Out of respect I took a piece and ate a bite only to gulp an entire glass of the wine immediately after. In return Britney and I shared with him the trail mix we had brought with. He took a few pictures for us, we relaxed, and before we knew it he pulled out a can of Carona beer! We didn't know how good of an idea it was to be drinking on the top of a mountain after a two and a half hour hike and little food/energy left in us...who knew how fast the alcohol would hit us before we were rolling down the mountain?! We avoided opening it, but gladly did when he pulled out a second can for himself and initiated the toast. We could have sat their forever drinking with the generous Korean (who spoke no English), but eventually decided we best head down before we got stuck on the mountain at sun set.

Shortly after we headed back down, another Korean gentleman seemed to appear on our right out of no where! He immediately asked if we were teaching English. Of course, after we responded yes, we ended up walking the entire way down with him. He asked all about us and our experience here, told us about his four years living in the US as a reporter, and insisted he was so grateful to talk to us because his English was so poor. He gave us an example of Korean's trouble with pronunciations when he said a word that I understood as "piñata" when he was actually saying "vineyard" (yup, don't know where I got that one from) and he said most Koreans say as "vine yard" (two separate words). It was actually quite humorous, but in general, he spoke very understandable English. When we got to the point where we though we had to split to go back on our same path, we turned around to see a woman not far behind us. He looked back at her, giggled, and then turned to us saying, "Oh..that's my wife!" It was too funny...he left his wife to come practice his English with us! At that point, he promised us that his way down was much shorter than the way we came and promised to help us get back by bus. At this point, it was 5:30pm and with the sun sure to set soon, we followed him the rest of the way. Without our bus passes or the correct money, he kindly paid for us to come home with him. As we sat next to his wife and him, his wife began talking. He translated for us. My wife said, "It is good for me to speak with you to practice my English....but it is sure BORING for her!" Oh the dear lady! She knew what it meant for her husband to practice his English with us, so she let him walk ahead with us the entire way! Had we known she was behind us, we at least would have waited for her to walk along with us while we talked. To top it off, in this overpopulated country of Korea, he ended up living in the high rise apartments right behind ours. So, he literally walked us home. He also offered to take Britney and hiking up the most popular mountain in Seoul next weekend for the peak of the leaves changing! I know you're not going to like this uncle Bob, but we exchanged numbers with him because we couldn't pass up the offer. If he calls, we can't say no! We did also offer to answer any questions he has about the meaning and pronunciation of English words as he said he reads lots of English articles and is very particular about understanding them and saying the words correctly. I might be a bit naive, but I didn't see the harm! He was so kind in helping us that day, that I couldn't say no to him. Besides...if it weren't for him, Britney and I might still be on that mountain!

The night ended at 4:30am (Sunday morning) after our (Britney, London, and I) first night out in Seoul and a long and expensive cab ride home. The driver clearly didn't understand where we were going, so about 20 minutes past where we thought we should have been, we ended up calling the FREE ENGLISH TRANSLATION number posted on his window. At 65,000 won, he ended up clearing the meter, turning around to get us home, and charging us only 45,000 won, which is still more than the 39,000 anyone has ever paid to get home from Seoul in a cab. However, we made it home and all felt bad that he lost quite a bit of money that night.

The next morning, or afternoon I should say, since I woke up at 2:00pm, we headed to an American restaurant called Butterfinger Pancakes...doesn't the name just tell you right away it's going to be delicious?! For a high price, we got a high stack of the most amazing pancakes, rosemary seasoned breakfast potatoes, and an overstuffed omelet. We ate until we couldn't take another bite, all leaving (with regret) food on the plate. It absolutely cured any American homesickness we were feeling at the time. That evening, I talked to mom and dad for an hour and was in bed by 11pm to rest up for LCI's first ever spirit week- look out for pictures of that on my next blog. It really was a wonderful weekend!

Good Friends...New and Old!

What a busy week! On top of the usual weekly grading of spelling tests and essay along with journal reports about each Kindergarten student, we had a lot more work. Our classrooms are soon to be judged for our creative artistic ability in decorating for Halloween. Teachers have literally gone all out to make their classrooms as SPOOKY as possible before the festivities begin Halloween week. Just like elementary school, we will have a dress up week including: pajama day (my favorite in elementary school), crazy hair day, sports day, backwards day, and of course, Halloween costumes! I never thought of myself as too creative, but I think I did quite a good job on my room! There are scary spiders crawling around all my walls, ghosts flying around the ceiling, Christine Teacher witch and her student witches lingering around the board, a cauldron of creepy eyeballs with BAD STUDENTS brewing, and a path of my Kindergarten students walking through the woods to get their Halloween candy at a haunted house! You can about imagine how long this all took. As well as the decorating that consumed all my spare time this week, we also had to create our monthly test that is coming up again soon. Friday was a breeze as my morning was spent celebrating Kevin's birthday. Again...tons of presents and food: spaghetti, fried chicken, pizza, cookies, Korean rice cakes, chocolate cake, fruit, juice...at least the birthday boy didn't throw up this time! PLEASE look at the cute comb over and Kevin's birthday suit...absolutely adorable!Needless to say, my week flew by again!

We had a special visitor in Korea for a short time...Britney's dad! Exactly 30 years ago, he was teaching English in Japan and will be returning as a special teacher for a short time. He stopped here to visit Britney and see the area before heading back to the school he taught at. He treated Shauna, myself, and Britney to a delicious duck Galbi and wine dinner on Friday...thanks Tom! Saturday, I took the day to rest...sleeping in, working out, responding to emails, and making an EXCITING Saturday night trip to E-Mart (another Walmart/Target type store). My best purchase was a cute down winter coat for only 30,000 won (about $27)! I knew I didn't need to waste the room in my luggage to bring one when you can get them for such great prices here...I got lucky!

Today, was such a fun day! Last time Shauna and I attended the International Lutheran Church for our first time, it took us an hour and forty five minutes to get there between the bus and subway. On our way home, I happened to recognize a different Suji numbered bus at the same stop we got off at for the Rent musical, only a few blocks from the church! So, today I ventured on my own and got to church in less than an hour! The service was so great filled with MANY of my favorite traditional hymns (Shine Jesus Shine, You who Dwell in the Shelter of the Lord, I the Lord of Sea and Sky) and a baptism of a beautiful little Korean girl (maybe about three years old). I don't know what it was about today that brought me to tears so many times during the service, but it was wonderful. Maybe it was that I hadn't seen a baptism in a while, but welcoming a new beautiful child into the family of Christ was especially moving for me today. I may have been a little creepy taking pictures, but it was so neat! The greatest part came after the service though...the traditional LUTHERAN POTLUCK! I was supposed to be meeting friends for lunch, but couldn't pass it up! We played a fun game to get to know the congregation members and then the feast began! By the time I sat down, the only open seat was at a table with three Korean men...one a doctor from Suwon near me, one who got his masters at the U of M, and the other who sang a beautiful solo in church and has been to St. Paul twice...small world! They all spoke great English and were SO fun to socialize with. The International Lutheran Church is a WONDERFUL community that I am so glad to now be a part of!

I still met my friends for lunch, but didn't eat...000ps! Today I met Zeb, an OLD friend from college, who just arrive a week ago today. I also met and NEW friend, Sarah, a girl who I had been connected with through other mutual friends. Don't get me wrong, I love all the people I have been hanging around with so far, but it was so nice to meet up with more friends. We had lunch in Itaewon (the foreign district), found the English book store, and then I took them to the very fun, artsy area called Insadong. Then we headed back to Itaewon for dinner at a delicious Thai restaurant, and I picked up mom and dad's Christmas present that I bought earlier and didn't want to lug around all day. After all the shopping today, I must admit, I have some buyers remorse, but I did get most of my Christmas shopping done...thank goodness! The best part though was certainly the time spent with wonderful friends in my new home that I have grown to love!

I saw North Korea- DMZ!

I saw North Korea today! There is a group called Adventure Korea that organizes many trips around South Korea to the most popular tourist attractions. Today, I took my first trip with the group, visiting the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. We stopped at several different DMZ locations and had a few siting areas. Since it would be hard to summarize in my own words the significance of all the places we stopped, I am going to simply provide you with the information in the tour pamphlet. That way you'll get an idea of the places we saw today.

First stop: Imjingak
Imjingak is as far as civilians can go to the North by themselves without permission. Imjingak was built to console those who had to leave their homes in the North.
It has Manngbaedan, an altar where those who cannot go back to their homes get together and pray for their ancestors on the New Years day or Chusok, Korean Thanksgiving day.
The Peace Bell was placed in the New Millenium 2000 for wishing peace and unification between the two Koreas. In addition, you can walk on the Freedom Bridge, the discontinued Kyongui Line, where the sign says, “The train wants to run". The Freedom Bridge was also used to exchange the prisoners after the Korean War, so its been called "Freedom Bridge." The suspended Kyongui Line will be reconnected within 2001.
*This was a beautiful place- see my pictures on the side. This is where we got permission to enter the DMZ with our passports. Also fun, we saw marathon runners finishing right near the site as we left!

*We entered the DMZ escorted by South Korean military men who rode on our buses with their LARGE guns strapped across their back...a bit intense, but VERY COOL! They dropped us off at a location where we ate a traditional Korean lunch (not so good) before heading to The 3rd Tunnel.

Second Stop: The 3rd Tunnel (out of four currently found)
The 3rd tunnel was first discovered in 1978 and was dug by North Korea to infiltrate into the south. It is 2m in width, 2m in height, 1,635m in length, and 435m from MDL. Visitors descend about 300 meters at a 14∼15 degree angle before reaching the North Korean infiltration tunnel, which is 73 meters below the surface. Its almost like 25∼30 stories building. The floor of the tunnel (interception & infiltration tunnel) is covered with rubber mats and the wall with charcoal which was applied to give some possibility to the North Korean claim that the tunnel was part of an abandoned mine. This tunnel would allow about 10,000 armed or 30,000 unarmed soldiers to invade Seoul within one hour.
*My favorite stop next to actually seeing North Korea. We watched a short documentary, visited a museum, and then venture DEEP into the 3rd tunnel (many more are said to be undiscovered). The walk down into the tunnel was so STEEP you had to brace yourself from running down, which you can also imagine was also quite the hike back up, but so worth it!

Third Stop: Dora Observatory
This allows visitors to get a view both of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)and of the Kesung city, the second largest city of North Korea. You can also see a "Propaganda village" Kijongdong designed to give visitors the impression the North Korea is a prosperous nation. Visitors can see the Daesungdong, freedom village of South Korea. The village has got some benefit from the government such as free of tax, exemption of Military service.
Also visible from the observatory is a head of train, which used to run between the North and South Korea. The National Ministry of Defense built it in 1986.
*Obviously this was the most exciting part of the trip! We couldn't take pictures past a photo line to protect any military strategies of South Korea. The telescopes gave an incredibly close view of the North Korean cities. It was unreal to be that physically close to a place so opposite from the world we live in.

Last Stop: Dorasan Station
Dorasan Station is the northernmost station of the South Korea which is 700m distant from the southern boundary line of DMZ, the civil control zone. Since US president Bush visited Dorasan Station on February 20, 2002, it has come into spotlight internationally. Dorasan Station, the unfinished station of the north-south Korean reconciliation was opened on February 12, 2002. The milestones of Dorasan Station (205km to Pyeongyang, 56km to Seoul) imply the reality of the division between two Koreans and a future of hope and expectation. Because Dorasan Station is the northernmost station of the South Korea in the southern boundary line, Dorasan Station will play the role of customs and entry for Chinese and Russian people and goods as well as the North Koreans, if the Gyeongui Line Railroad connection is completed and the traffic is possible between the two Koreans. Also, Dorasan Station contains the historical meaning as a symbolic place of the division between two Koreans and a gateway of the south-north exchange.
*This was an eerie place to end as you walk into a train/bus station expecting there to be people everywhere. The only people here are tourists.

Overall, a great Korean Adventure!

The LOVE of a FAMILY is life's greatest BLESSING

As if traveling abroad isn't exciting enough, what makes it an even more special and unique experience for me is that the country I decided to teach in happens to be the home of family. I knew being away from my family was going to be one of the toughest things about my year abroad, especially during the holidays. Last Christmas, my Uncle Bob (my dad's younger brother) and Aunt Shina (from Korea) told us that they would be leaving in February for South Korea. They would be living in Jeonju for 10 months while my uncle taught on a Fulbright position at a local university. At the time, I had no idea I would be joining them.

In February when they left, I applied to teach abroad. There are many countries that hire foreigners to teach English, but when I accepted the position in South Korea, I realized that I would have the chance to learn about the culture of someone in my family as well as spend time with them while I was there! What's even cooler is that I will have spent more time with them in South Korea in just a few short months than I do at home. I am lucky if I see them once a year as they live half way across the US in Virginia.

Last weekend, our school had a four day break (TH-Sun) for one of Korean's most important holidays called Chusok (similar to our Thanksgiving). On Wednesday, our students wore traditional Korean clothing (Hanbok) to school and made the traditional Chusok food called Songpyeon. They are small glutinous rice cakes with different kinds of sweet or semi-sweet fillings, such as sesame seeds and honey, sweet red bean paste, and chestnut paste. They look terrible, but are one of my favorite foods here! It was SUCH a fun day at school, and the children looked absolutely ADORABLE!

Last weekend was also the third time I got to see my uncle since I arrived less than two months and the first time I got to see my aunt. They invited me and any friends to stay with them in Jeonju (famous for its food, especially, my favorite, Bibinbop) for the Holiday break. I was so happy to have Britney and Shauna join me for the weekend. We left Suji around noon on Thursday, headed to the Suwon bus station, and arrived in Jeonju around 3:30pm after the nearly three hour bus ride. My uncle already had plans for us that afternoon. First, we stopped at the apartment to drop off our bags, and have snack time #1. Then, he took us too see a traditional Korean village and the original gate to the city, a beautiful Cathedral, the Chosun era royal grounds, and a gorgeous summer temple on a hill, which we saw all lit up after dark! We went home for a delicious Korean chicken dinner, made by my aunt Shina, and went for a nice walk together to a park with a bridge over water that was supposed to be brightly lit. Sadly, we missed the lights, but it was still a wonderful end to the evening! We returned home for snack time #2, right before bed.

On Friday, we slept in and woke up to a pancake breakfast made by uncle Bob. MMMMM...as much as I love the Korean food, American food is always a treat here! We left the house for the day around noon and started with a hike up Martyr’s Mountain. Our first stop at the start of the hike was Dong-go Sa, a Korean temple with the biggest Buddha I've ever seen! We made our way up and stopped at a beautiful church in the side of the mountain for a lunch of Kimbop (what I would describe as fake Sushi). We were also given homemade Songpyeon by two kind Korean women who had their share. We came to the first peak, took some pictures, and decided to head for another summit that we could see as we still had time for more. We never did find the one we were looking for, but we had a great day hike seeing some beautiful sites. After, we visited two more traditional temples and were given our second batch of homemade Songpyeon! Our last plan for the day was to find one of the famous Jeonju Bibinbop restaurants. After a long walk, we were unsuccessful at finding any of them open as it was the night before Chusok. Instead, we found a pork Galbi (also one of my favorites) restaurant that hit the spot after the long day. I was set on seeing the light on the bridge we visited the night before, so we walked back again only for them not to be on AGAIN as it was too windy. However, we enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee in the cute pagoda on the bridge. Of course, we returned home to an evening of cards and Snack #3, right before bed.

On Saturday (CHUSOK!), we hopped on a bus to Gwangju (another hour and a half ride) to spend the day with Shina's family. I can't possibly describe to you the feelings I had when we opened the 17th floor elevator doors and had Shina's mother and sister jump out to give us such welcoming hugs. Then we turned the corner into the apartment (Shina's brother's place) filled with more smiling faces. They were truly excited to have us all there. We met her mother, younger sister and brother, their husband and wife, and their children. I've never fell in love so quickly. I couldn't believe I was really there spending such an important holiday with such a wonderful Korean family! I left family at home, met even more family in my new home, and was not alone for the holiday. It was indescribably special for me, and just the same for Britney and Shauna. How many other English teachers would have the chance to spend a holiday with a Korean family?

They immediately (and I mean IMMEDIATELY as in before I could even use the bathroom!) requested we sit down and begin eating the smorgasbord of food Shina's family had prepared. The long, floor table was filled from one end of the other...all for us as they had already eaten before we arrived. I was extremely nervous when I saw shells, a whole fish with eyes and sharp teeth grinning at me, and the numerous side dishes of Kimchi, etc. But, the second I began eating, I (and the others) could not stop for the next hour. Shina's sister noticed that the Japchap (noodles with vegetables and seasoned meet) was gone and said to her, "They really like that!" At this point, we were well past full, but she was already in the kitchen making more. We LITERALLY ate until we couldn't eat anymore! It was the most savory meal I have had since I arrived, as most homemade food is. While we were speaking English and her family Korean, I'm quite sure they knew how grateful we were to be there, and we understood how happy there were to have us.

Right after the meal, Shina's brother (and wife) and sister (and husband) took us to see the city's most noted site, the May 18th National Democracy Park, which Bob described as the Gettysburg of Korea. It was beautiful and very humbling. Then, we drove part way up Mudeung Mountain and stopped at a cozy little restaurant overlooking the city. We enjoyed Korean rice wine and a snack while watching the most beautiful sun set. Again, it was the perfect end to a PERFECT day! Before we headed back to Jeonju, we drove through the campus where Shina's brother works as a professor of design and where my uncle Bob also taught at many years ago just after him and Shina were married. As we were about to get a ride back to the bus station from Shina's sister-in-law, we exchanged hugs with everyone just as we had done hours earlier that day. When we got in the car to leave, Shina's sister was waving good bye and speaking to us in Korean. As we drove away, sad that the day was over, Shina told us that her sister was saying, "We are going to miss you." The people we had spent less than a day with were going to miss us, and boy were we going to miss them too. What an INCREDIBLE day! We made it home and spent another evening playing cards and enjoying snack time #4.

On Sunday, we woke up and made our second attempt at finding the famous Jeonju Bibinbop, and we successful at finding the place popular for foreigners. At this place, we were served more side dishes than I've ever had. The table was literally full before we even got our Bibinbop. When the food arrived, it was served in a stone bowl that was so hot, it fried the raw egg placed on top when you stirred it into the dish! It was definitely good, but I have to say that I like the Binibop back in Suji better! However, all Bibinbop is delicious to me, so it was well worth the experience. Uncle Bob told me I still had to go back and tell all the Korean staff it was, "the BEST Binbinbop I've ever had!" Sadly, our weekend had come to an end. We headed to the bus station around 12:30pm, only to find that there were no available buses until 4:30pm. So we headed back to the apartment for yet MORE FOOD until we headed back to Suji. What we realized is very much the same in Korea as in America when it comes to holidays is that 1) You're ALWAYS eating and 2) spending time with family is the best part about the holidays!

I have no doubt, this will be my most memorable event during my entire year in South Korea! Thank you, more than you'll ever know, for taking us in and sharing the wonderful Chusok weekend with us Uncle Bob and Aunt Shina. I love you!