Say Kimchi

2006-07-23T23:45:00.000+09:00

This man invited me to join them. While we waited, he told me about his son who lives in Baltimore.

2006-07-23T23:44:00.000+09:00

While wandering the streets of my neighborhood the other day, I came across a small park one block off the main street. There were a bunch of older Koreans engaged in fierce game of croquette. When the grandmas sent the balls away, they hit them clear across the court, a good 200 meters. Here harbaji is resting and fanning himself while waiting for his turn.

2006-07-23T23:41:00.000+09:00

On the last day of or Spring semester, we had a market day for the kids. They could use dollars they had earned (for doing homework, good grades, etc) to buy pencils, accessories and small toys. I taught my students the terms for bargaining. But by the end of the day, it was clear that I could use some tips from them for getting the best deals possilbe. This is Christie, Sara, Jenny, Beauty, Cindy and our director, Soo.

2006-07-23T23:37:00.000+09:00

Goryeoung has an annual mud festival. this involves mud slides, mud pits, mud obstacle courses, mudmodeling, mud painting, and even mud wine. Needless to say its quite messy and probably aimed more at foreingers than Koreans. We certainly out numbered the locals anyhow. This year, it happened during one of the typhoons, but that didn't stop fun.

2006-07-23T23:32:00.000+09:00

In June, David and I went backpacking in Jirisan, Korea's oldest National Park. At the end of the trip, we were waiting for the local bus to take us to the nearest town to catch another bus home. An older Korean man drove by and offered us a ride. He hiked 20 k in one day, we hiked 15 k over two. I guess all that experience pays off.

2006-07-23T23:27:00.000+09:00

These are the sea cliffs near Busan Maritime University. I am halfway up the rock, and Corey is belaying. What a view from the top!

2006-07-23T23:26:00.000+09:00

One day while hiking, I saw a tradional Shamanistic ritual taking place on the coast. Notice the pig head, colored flags, dried fish and pot of rice. The part that I saw involved the participant being lightly hit with dried fish and coored flags. Then rice was eaten, a shot of soju drank, and the rest poured on the rocks. I hope they were cured.

2006-07-23T23:23:00.000+09:00

At the end of May, I went to the Green Tea Festival in Hadong with just about every foreinger in Busan. Brent graciously exchanged some webdevelopment work he had done for the governor for a couple buses cart us foreigners around in. Thanks Brent!

2006-07-23T23:19:00.000+09:00

Here are some campaigners for one of the Municipal elections in Korea. They have a great system here: set finances, two weeks to campaign, and the whole country gets the day off on election day. Depending on the candidates image, he either has responsible looking matrons bowing to passersby, or dancing girls with electioneered popsongs riding around on trucks.

2006-07-23T23:17:00.000+09:00

King for a day. Jake was carried in on a palanquin.

2006-07-23T23:16:00.000+09:00

Kyun and Jake got married at the end of May in a traditional Korean ceremony. Here is Kyung Ah in hanbok. Her headpiece weighed 10 pounds.

2006-07-23T23:14:00.000+09:00

Fans at the University.

2006-07-23T23:13:00.000+09:00

The Saha crew watched the game at nearby Dong-A University.

2006-07-23T23:12:00.001+09:00

More fans at the Korea vs Togo game

2006-07-23T23:12:00.000+09:00

Fans at the Korea vs Togo game

2006-07-23T23:11:00.000+09:00

Ferry to Jeju. There is no assigned seeating. Just really large platforms where the goal is to claim as much personal space as possible.

2006-07-23T23:10:00.000+09:00

Waterfall on Jeju Island- the Hawaii of Korea

2006-07-23T23:08:00.000+09:00

Celebrating Korea's third World Cup match in the Westin Chosin- the same hotel Bush stayed when he was here for APEC.

Kimchi Ajuma

2006-07-23T23:06:00.000+09:00

kimchi ajuma

This is the local market. This stall sells just about twenty different kinds of kimchi. Next to her is a woman who makes tofu. I buy most of my fruit and vegtables here. Most of the men and women who work the stalls are very friendly. They're usually pretty excited to see a foreigner in the market, as opposed to the supermarkets. So they usually throw in a little something extra.

Stuck in the 80's

2006-05-18T00:42:00.000+09:00

Korea is in love with the 80's. This is demonstated by numerous women's fashion: side ponytails, ruffled skirts, excessive layers...

Perhaps it is most evident in the fabulous aray of quality programming. Currently, I have my choice between the following quality shows:

Miami Vice
A Team
Knight Rider
Dallas
McGyevor

This makes me especially greatful for "Sex in the City".

Mountain Bank

2006-05-10T23:19:00.000+09:00

So I started rockclimbing in Korea. At first I was a little disconcerted because in the gyms its mostly all bouldering. Coming from Colorado where people are trying to get as much altitude as possible (they actually have a marathon up Pikes Peak) I didn't quite know what to do with bouldering around in circles always 6-24 inches from the ground. But after a few visits to the gym, I got the hang of it.

One of the interesting things about bouldering is that it is very liberating for someone with a fear of heights: if you fall, you merely step down. Consequently, I started climbing on things I probably would have never tried at home, and have been pretty successful. That the beauty of travel, there are new spaces to explore and new ways to explore them as long as you are open to the possibilities.

So with that, here is a picture of me on the overhang at Mountain Bank.

The overhang at Mountain Bank

2006-04-27T20:50:00.000+09:00

So Korea has had its ups and downs. Last week was the real low point. After experiencing some general angriness about people consistently bumbing into me and my boss randomly changing policies aand clases and not telling any of the staff until we do it wrong, I hit an unusual low.

It came as I was walking home from the grocery store with two friends. Now I always considered the sidewalk the safest place for a pedestrian to be. But, you know, I've been wrong in my life. Along come two cabs who hop the curb, race each other down the sidewalk (heading towards us) and hop back off the curb just after the light. I assume this was not a police chase, merely an effort to bipass the line of five cars in front of them. Who really knows.

Seonusan with Korea on the Rocks

2006-02-22T21:50:00.001+09:00

So I started climbing in the gym a couple weeks ago with Dara, with the goal of eventually climbing outside. Dara told me about a website called Korea on the Rocks. I was so excited to find outdoorsy people in Korea, I quickly became addicted, checking the forums before and after school and occasional on breaks at work.

One day I saw a post about an upcoming "Meet and Greet" for all people interested in climbing in Korea. It was on the opposite side of the country with a bunch of people I had never met, this coupled with my mediocre climbing skills was enough to turn most people away. The draw: a Mexican potluck and banana pancakes and coffee by campfire in the morning. Perhaps I was feelig a bit homesick, but this trip was perhaps the best thing I had seen since I first visited the Gecko in Seoul. Now, to find someone to go with....

I approached my climbing partners, my girlfriends and anyone who might be even remotely interested. I was already to give up when I recieved a personal invite from "Sonia". On Friday, I figured if it was something I was still talking about after a week, I probably really wanted to go. So the next morning, I hopped on a bus to who -knows-where armed with a backpack and directions in English, and Korean in the event I got lost.

It was probably the best decision I had made sine coming to Korea. I was initially met by flabbergasted park ranger who was adamant that it was too cold to camp and pointed out the hostel and cheap hotel nearby (multiple times) while walking me to the camp site. (For the record, it was extremely cold, and no tent is warm enough when snow is predicted for the following morning.)

Next, I walked up the trail and encountered my first group of foreigners with the only frisbee I'd seen in 6 months. After the frisbee nearly collided with the the high-heel clad feet of young Korean ("Waayyyyyyyyy!!!!") we decided to take our game to a larger field near the campsite. Here we encountered one of the most fascinating Korean men I have ever met. His clothes were somewhere between a clown and a hippy. If it weren't for his colorfully patched pants, handknit sweater and tiedied hat, from his nature one would have presumed he had just walked down from the monastery in the mountains.

He had never seen a frsbee before and was very intrigued by the group of us throwing it around. We invited him to play, and at first it wobbled and landed in the middle of the circle, every time. But each time one of us through it, he watched our every movement and practiced with the concentration of a monk. After an hour, he mastered not only the backhand, but also a the flick. In the end, we took pictures, gave him the frisbee and exchanged emails. He had nothing to offer us in return other than cigarettes.

Since the sun was setting, we headed back to the camp ground and waited for the other climbers to return. That night, I finally got my wish for ruby slippers as I was magically transported back to Boulder, Colorado and all its finest: veggie fajitas with real cheese, Avery Red Point Ale, hurricanes and beads in honor of mardi gras (ok not quite Colorado...), and to top it off, a roaring campfire.

Since I had missed the the camping season last summer, I passed up my spot in the minbak for a tent that was guarenteed to be warm. No tent is really warm enough when snow is expected the following morning, but sometimes the experience is worth it. The next morning, before heading out to climb, the mysterious Sonia made lattes with Vail coffee (Ok its the yuppy side of Boulder)while the the banana pancakes were cooking.

Campfire at the Meet and Greet

UMMMMMmmmm... banana pancakes!

Climbing in Seonusan

The climbing was fabulous and a bit magical with little snow flurries coming down. To top off the weekend, I got a ride back to the train station in "Pancho the Pacas". A recently purchased van, whose former owner was a Korean art student, which explains the murals covering every surface. As bluegrass streamed from the Ipod, we were entertained by the looks coming at the colorful van full of foreigners. The children loved it, the adults....

Me, Melanie and Pedro

In the end, the ruby slippers landed me back in Busan but with a whole new cohort of travel partners and friends. Pays to travel, I guess....

Climbing in Korea

2006-02-22T21:50:00.000+09:00

Because Koreans celebrate both the Lunar and the Solar New Year, I've had two opportunities to create New Year Resolutions. Like most people in most years, these focused on health and happiness. So naturally, what better way to accomplish this than by immersing myself in an outdoor community. In Korea, this translates into rockclimbing. But, like most things in Korea its easier said than done, and takes a few attempts and lots of planning before anything pans out.

So after a couple weeks of research- looking on the internet, talking to some folks, having my Korean coworkers look on the internet, and making a few calls_ we came up with a list of possibilities and set a date for a Wednesday morning. The day before, I made sure to cross my "t"s and dot my "i"s, and called to make sure the the gym actually existed, the directions I had were mostly correct, and the gym would be open when we got there. It seemed everything was in order. The directions were correct and we could climb any time. I was optimistic things would work out for this innaugural excursion....

So Dara and I met in the subway station, grabbed some coffee and headed out for the treasure hunt, map in hand, "X" marks the spot. After wandering around for 45 minutes in and out of small alleyways, we finally handed the map with Korean directions to a man working at the florists. He looked at the map, spun it around, looked some more, and started off across the street, leading us through more empty alleyways, past resturanuts that weren't yet open, apartments that had been abandoned for the days work, and bars that had just emptied their trash from the last nights patrons. For all the gyms I had been to (actually quite a number for the relative novice that I am) I couldn't quite picture a rock wall in this neighborhood.

Eventually, one alleyway lead to a narrower alleyway, and tucked in between two old houses was the sign reading Busan Climbers. Much to our chagrine... it was closed. I figured after checking and double checking, we would have succeeded. I didn't know whether to chalk it up to "saving face" on the part of my coworker, or more motivation to learn the language. However, we would persevere and ty again on Friday.

This time Dara had written down directions to a closer gym that was recommended by a foreigner. It was rated "easy to find". The directions read something like "Take the subway exit across from immigration #5(?), a turn left at the bank. Pass the police station, and right around the corner is Mountain Bank." Well it turns out there are three different exits across from Immigration, none of which ar #5. When we exited the station, there was just about one branch of each Korean bank (and some foreign banks) on the street. So much for good directions.

After another 45 minutes of wandering, we found the gym. A success after only two attempts is really pretty good odds. The people were really nice, even gave us a bit of instruction. I'm looking forward to climbing outside in a couple weeks. I think I'll start my research now.

Full Moon Festival

2006-02-22T21:49:00.001+09:00

Korea has many traditions for the first full moon of the Lunar New Year. One is to drink wine all day: it "makes beautiful ears", aka good hearing. Another is to eat walcuts all day, which keeps tumors away. The third, and my favorite, is to fly a kite.

For the Full Moon Festival, I was invited by the buddhist group to join in a traditional kite flying contest on Haeundae Beach. It was one of the most beautiful days I had seen in months. Blue sky, and weather so warm, you only needed a sweater. After signing in with the Buddhist group they gave me my kite. The appropriate age range for this kite was 4-7 years old. Appartently, I looked like a novice. I later learned how exactly true this was.

In Korea, kite flying takes on a whole new meaning. The adjushis really get into it. Later that night I was watching a 60 year old man fly a kite over a bonfire. It was a whole body work out for him. Somehow he managed to keep the kite floating parallel to the ground but 400 meters away from him. He leaned in and out of the wind, letting out and retracting string with the competance and dexterity of.. well, aman with 60 years of kite flying experience. Needless to say, I was a novice.

In Korea, kite flying is a sport. For competitions, they coat the string with glass powder. Then the kites battle it out to see who can fly the highest and stay up the longest. I was happy enough to let all the string out a watch my kite sail on the breeze, that is until some overzealous competitor cut my string and fell into the ocean. I think its somewhere near Thailand now.

The competition was quite a spectator sport. Imagine hundreds of people staring at the dozens of kites int he sky. The anouncer was something akin to the soccer announcer on Univision and other Spanish language stations. He gave play by play actions, got the crowd riled up when two kites got close to one another, and cheered on the winner as one floated to the grouund and the other continued to soar. When the competition got really tense, women started drumming and singing, the crowd oohed and ahhed. It was intense.

The Buddhists say that when you fly the kite, your troubles are swept away on the wind. I agree. At one point when my kite fell and I was running to save it, my camera fell from my pocket, into the sand and perhaps was buried. I might have been concerned, I might have been heartbroken, but I that day the wind swept my troubles away. So I apologize, no pictures for awhile, but I hope a few good stories.

Christmas

2005-12-17T16:47:00.000+09:00

It is Christmas time in Korea. I have recieved numerous emails from friends inquiring "what is it like" to be in Asia during this Holiday season, asking what I will teach my children about western Christmas and how I will spend the holiday myself.

Christmas, like most western concepts, has invaded Korea. In the last census, 20% of the population was Christian. I'm sure it has grown by now, regardless, this number is not indicative of the expansiveness of this holiday in such a Confuscist society.

Walking back to the hogwon after dinner the other night, I saw the glow of Christmas lights up the street. At the time, I had no idea what it is was, but the warmth of the glow enticed me up a hill I had never visited. And to my baffled understanding, yes of course, those Christmas lights belonged to a church. In the past few days, Christmas trees have appeared in shop windows, Starbucks began playing Christmas tunes and offering "holiday" treats, and the Body Shop offers special Christmas gift wrap. Perhaps the western stores know of no other marketing techniques or perhaps this is commercialism, globalization and ethnocentrism at work.

This lead me to start asking my students if they would be celebrating Christmas and if so, how? "Of course!" was the first reply. Knowing this paricular girl's favorite hobby was playing Christian music on the piano, I decided I would ask some more students, hopefully those from other religous traditions and illicitingly a less predictable response. My extremely unscientific survey lead to the answer that "everyone" in Korea celebrates Christmas, even those who aren't Christian. I wonder what Chrisitian's think of this: is it a way to whett the interest of those who are searching, or is it a travesty that their fundamental holiday has ben co-opted as a western cultural "shop holiday"? (I welcome your responses as comments on the website.)

Since most of my children have been in English academies for a year or more, they have a good concept of many western Christmas traditions: they know Jingle Bells and Santa Claus, and Christmas Trees and Christmas lights. Since this week is finals, I will probably have them make Christmas Cards or ornaments when they finish their tests. For the older students, we might read or watch the Grinch. And I will probably give them candy- candy canes, if I can find them. But I am finding there is little to teach them about the holiday.

For myself, I will join the Korean ski club at Muju moutain. I hear their is a light show of expert skiers coming down the moutain with torches. I also predict that my Christmas Eve will be spent in the Nori Bang. I'm still working on my "number 18" song, but for this occasion, I'm sure "White Christmas" will be appropriate.

On that note, Happy Holidays, whatever your tradition!

Korean Women

2005-12-15T04:08:00.000+09:00

So I work at an amazing Hogwon. The Korean women I have met are completely willing and excited to show me all Korea has to offer. I often find myself in unexpected situations learning Korean customs, culture and inside jokes that are shared between friends and university students. From drinking etiquette to drinking games, cultural insights to personality insights, these women exhibit a sensitivity to human nature that is unparelled to anything I have experiences in western culture.

Unfortunatley it happens that in the next month, three of my Korean coworkers will be leaving for various reasons. As I try to embrace the change that occurs, I recognize that Ewha ALS will never be the same.

It was just the other day, we were looking over text books for the upcoming winter term and us girls bonded over what phrenology (the study of bumps as character traits in people's heads) had in store for us. After perusing a section of one text book dealing with the subject, we began feeling each others bumps, determining who had the largest "love" bump (Anne), the largest "independance" bump (me), and the largest crater of self determination (Joo), we collapsed into a fit of giggles acknowledging, that indeed this was incredibly indicative of our personalities and situations.

This is how I find myself paying tribute to these incredible women at 4:00 in the morning. Acknowledging the fact that this community will be disrupted in a few short weeks, I left the warmth of my house to brave the cold Korean night to meet my friend at a nearby university bar. As much as I should stay in and rest to cure my cold, I feel that my time with these women is so limited, that I must entertain every oppurtunity to commune with them. For every oppurtunity offers a new insite into how the world is percieved and life in general.

I commend these women for their inate strength and intimacy which goes unachnowledged by most of the world. They each posses incredible strength to deal with the Confuscist system that they are born into, that immediately places men (all men, regarless of character) as superior to these amazing women. Consequently, creating the ultimate role of women as caretaker of both the husband and the children.

In the words of Joo- "In this country it is best to be born a man." I have opinions on that, but will reserve them for future postings. Now I would like to celebrate the strength and beauty of these women. Their perseverance and their ability to read the character of people they have met briefly is uncanny and incomprabrable to anything I have seen before. It is through Korean women that I have discovered many of the complexities of Korean culture, learned Holgul and have had some of the most amazing experiences that me make feel completely at home in that I'm-part-of-the-family sort of way that Korea creates.

It is the ajuma on the subway that places my head on her shoulder so I can sleep; it is the young woman on the subway who offers me half a sweetpotato because it all she can do to cheer the sad looking woman next to her; it is the woman who dances salsa with me on break because it is the release we crave from the exceptionally loud children we teach; and it is the amazing and beautifully talented Korean woman who ensures that the foreigner feels at home in the country that she is just as much a foreigner in.

It is these women and the experiences they offer which lead me to being awake at 4:00 in the morning paying tribute to them. Tonight Joo called me about a dinner with some other Koreans on Sunday night. She was at her friend Geyoung's bar and invited me over. It was already 11:00, and I know that when Joo invites me out, it is never an early night, but I can forgo my run the next day for the oppurtunity that this offers. (Because in Korea, I have made it a point to embrace all oppurtunities presented to me.)

My efforts, as always, pay off. And again tonight, a new insight, I am reminded of the gifts my culture and family have granted me. As a westerner, my parents could offer me money or freedom. My parents chose freedom, which afforded me the oppurtunity to explore my world and to make my own journey and decisons. The more I explore, the more I recognize that this is a gift more precious than any inheritance. Early in "The Alchemist", the father offers the shepard two gold coins to start his way on a life long journey to find his desitiny. The father states that "he had hoped these would be part of his inheritance". I posit that the adventure and knowledge they lead to are his inhertance. Without these coins, the Alchemist would not have started on his journey, which inevitably becomes his life's work.

On my own life's journey, I am blessed with the oppurtunity to travel the world and to interact with these beautiful Korean women. They posess a strength and sensitivity to beauty that may be considered common place in Korea, but this inate depth is rare in the Western world. In a few short months, they have instilled in me a new way of seeing the world. As the lotus blossoms from the mud, these women create beauty out of the abismally few rights they have in this deeply patriarchal, confuscist society. They have my deepest respect, both for their persistent strength and beauty and also for the lightness and abundance through which they conduct their lives.

2005-12-07T02:07:00.000+09:00

Ya'all are way to happy for 5:30 in the morning.

2005-12-07T02:06:00.000+09:00

No Zach, that's my snowboard.

2005-12-07T02:05:00.000+09:00

Vail, Colorado or YongPyong, South Korea?

2005-12-07T02:04:00.000+09:00

Christina, Joo and me

Snowboarding at YongPyong

2005-12-07T00:48:00.000+09:00

That's right, snowboarding. Some of you may be thinking I've become a knuckle dragger, others that I'm now 20% sexier, and still a few more who are telling me "never say never". I prefer to think of snowboarding as a piece of my Korean alter ego- the Wonderwoman to my Colorado Princess Diana.

Last Tuesday, Joo invited us to go with a Korean ski club to YongPyong, one of Koreas most famous resorts. After what I thought was a miscommunication, I learned that we would leave Busan at 11:00 pm on Saturday, arrive in YongPyong at 5:00 am Sunday, and start skiing. The bus would leave again at 5:00 om that night.

It consistently amazes me how much Koreans can pack into a day (some kids attend 20 different academies during the week, other kids have had private English tutoring, play tennis and finesh their homework all before they go to school, and then there's the Korean soccer team that plays every morning at 6:00 am). But a twelve hour ski day after an over night bus ride seemed like a new extreme. And perhaps, for that reason alone, I had to accept the invitation.

So after a little research, I realized that resort was only 17% open and that lessons were included with the price of the trip. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to try snowboarding again. My last adventure on a snowboard was seven years ago with an ex-boyfriend. My only memory was carving turns, catching an edge, and flying three feet through the air before face planting, spread eagled with freshly broken sun glasses, and the wind knocked out of me. I believe the first words out of my mouth once I recovered my breath were: "get this this thing off me" (you can insert the explictives where you feel appropriate). I swore never to do it again. But when Korea hands me oppurtunities, I have to take them. And it had been a few years since I'd picked up a new sport....

So Saturday night, we met the other club members near Pusan National University and boarded the bus. Even though I had slept little the night before and avoided caffeine, catching some ZZZZs on the bus was a pointless endeavor. When I finally started to drift off, the bus stopped. Determined to keep sleeping, I stubbornly pulled the hood of my sweater over my eyes and laid there... until Joo told me I had to get off the bus or miss breakfast.

An hour later, we had gotten our rental gear, arrived at the resort, changed and sat waiting for our lessons. It was just after 6:30.

At 7:00, we hiked the hill and the snowboard lessons began as the sun rose over the hills east of Yong Pyong. At one point I turned to take some pictures, when the instructor called me back to the group, one of my fellow classmates told him to give me a break, that I was a tourist. (I assume this is what she said. It was all in Korean and everyone laughed.)

The lesson, conducted all in Korean, with some charades and Kenglish "OKs" and "stops" for my benefit, was actually the best snowboarding lesson I ever took. The first few runs had me pendalum-ing across the mountain. Then all of the sudden, the instructor commanded us to do turns. We held our arms straight out to our sides and rotated them forward and backward, watching the tips of our fingers. Watching other people go down the hill, all I could think was "there's no way". I was missing some key steps, such as what to do with my edges so I don't face plant. But to my utter and complete amazement, I was immediately connecting turns all the way down the mountain.

I had a phenmonal, if cold day (over lunch Joo asked if I was feeling OK, and mentioned that she didn't think it was normal to have purple lips while sitting inside, ummm... probably not). I made it off the bunny slope even and dragged Joo with me, who was having her first day of skiing.

Back on the bus we exclaimed what a wonderful day it was, the need to do it again, and promptly fell asleep. I have continued to sleep for the past two days. But this week is Muju and I will do it all over again.

Kids and Teaching

2005-12-01T00:41:00.000+09:00

I was a little worried about my children today. In the beginning, I thought the whole class had been abducted by aliens. There is one class that is particularly challenging. When I first met them, I think I refered to one or two of them as the spawn of Satan. They were the ring leaders in getting the whole class riled up and out of control. For this one particular class, I would spend a day 20 minutes preparing and its only a 40 minute class.

Well today, I walked into the class, armed with all of my games, tricks, and yoga mantras that I could remember. We were reading a little four page book about a rabbit birthday party. To my astonishment, the kids kept wanting to read. They were volunteeing even! I was floored. One kid would read and another would say teacher "me next" and the next would say "Roy then me, teacher", and then another would say "Roy then Owen then me, teacher". Wow! I kept thinking, I really turned some kind of corner here. I knew that Joon had recently stepped down as one ring leader when I sttarted giving him more responsibility (Thanks Phoebe) and ever since Owen developed crush on Gina, he has been acting on his best behavoiur. But this kind of participation was unheard of!

Then it finally occurred to me... they weren't volunteering to read, they were verbally lining up to be the next ones to leave the class to use the bathroom or get water or goof off for a minute or two. Ahhh, whatever works.

Running in Saha

2005-11-30T23:56:00.000+09:00

The Chinese doctor told me that in order to improve my circulation, I should go running everyday. Up until now, I had been kind of a hit and miss runner in Busan. I would run when I felt like I needed more adventure in my life and play volleyball when I wanted a less challenging sport. Let me explain...

Running in Saha is like nothing else I have seen. I would classify it somewhere between the running portion of the XTerra triathalon and the Bay Breakers in San Francisco, minus the naked people of course (although if I extended my route slightly, I could window shop in Hadan). I compare it to San Fransico's Bay to Breakers because you can't escape the hills, cars are parked haphazardly and there's always spectators (especially when anything involves westerners.)

However, a run is Saha is no easy jaunt around the park and consequently, the intensity is much more akin to the XTerra. Koreans are used to living with so many people, that they are constantly bumping into people (picture a pin ball machine, especially if you have places to go). So in between dodging delivery men on scooters, women selling fruit on blankets on the side of the street and throngs of high school students huddled around the food vendors, there are ordinary pedestrians who are intently focused on their own destinations. In order to keep a consistent pace, this requires that the runner consistenly leaps over the concrete blocks that divide the walking area from the driving area and any new obstacles that find there way into the street or sidewalk, such as racks of clothing and sale items "that have fallen off the truck".

Additionally, there's alot of construction happening in Saha right now. Saha is one of the older areas of Busan, so it is playing catch up in alot of ways. Currently, the city is in the process of building a lot of sidwalks and putting in some new sewer or drainage systems. A couple weeks after I first got here, I went for a run one Saturday afternoon. I have never seen such chaos as I saw that day. The Saha Public Works department was in the process of installing a sidewalk on one of the busier roads up the hill to where all the new apartment buildings are being constructed. So consequently, they had taken over the area where the new sidewalk would go. This meant that all the Ajumas who normally sit next to the building selling persimmons and cabbage or shucking clams and sorting green onions, had now moved out into the street. The had spread out their wares on their blankets, taking up a car's width of space. This meant that the cars had to park further out as well. So now the narrow two lane road was reduced to a narrow one way road with traffic still flowing (?) in both directions. Meanwhile, since there were no sidewalks, the scooter delivery men had moved from the sidewalks into the streets and were diligently dodging both the pedestrians and the cars. The pedestrians, having no where else to walk, were also in the street. A few people had gotten fed up with the whole thing and were walking on the sand where bricks were to be laid to create the new side walk (this is also where I chose to conduct my run). When this happened, the construction men, just kind of threw up their hands and waited for the chaos to clear before resuming work. That's efficiency for you, eh?

Another time I was running my little loop and there was a man who was in the process of rebuilding his second story patio. He was using his energy in the most effiecient way. Instead of carrying loads of concrete down stairs in a bucket or wheel barrow, he would wait until it was clear down below and just chuck 'em off the patio down to the sidewalk below. Don't worry mom, he stopped while I was running past.

Other construction has also afforded mud pits, heavy equipment obstacles, and cliff like precipices. Running has become a fullfledged contact sport, intense enough for even the biggest adrenaline junkie. Who needs the challenges of mountain biking when just as much adrenaline is created through an ordinary, run of the mill jog?

Meeting Daft Punk

2005-11-28T00:56:00.000+09:00

So last weekend, I finally made it up to Seoul. Seoul is a phenomenal city. Parts of it even reminded of Paris- beautiful, wide, tree-lined streets, amazing shopping and part of the Parisian musical scene had even come to visit.

Our first night out, we went to have some delicious western food in Itaewon and initialy intended an early night. Well, as things often do in Korea, the night spiralled in an alternate direction. A quick jaunt to the salsa club, lead us to some Germans, who then lead us to Hongick University. As the night progresed, it became clear that we were meant to end up at M2 to cut a rug to some techno(?) grooves.

My musical tastes usually lean more towards accoustic/folk/roots music- Ben Harper, Rusted Root, Wilco... Needless to say I know very little about the difference between techno and house, garage and drum and base and even less about the groups who produce these tunes. Never the less, anything with a beat, I can dance to.

Once inside the club, I noticed multiple advertisements for the following nights act. However, I assumed that since Seoul is such a big city, there would be no reason for me to make a repeat appearance at this particular club, so I conveniently ignored the posters and the poster children.

Well after a few turns on the dance foor, Adrienne turns to me, and pointing to two western guys behind me, says that they are "the djs" and I should go talk to them. I wasn't really sure what she was talking about, since, as evidenced by the pounding base, there was clearly a dj on stage. But as a loyal friend I went over and said hello to the two unassuming guys. (One looked like Marc "Froloff" and the the other about the same size and stature but with a mullet.)

"Are you the djs?" I asked "Froloff" Yes. "Where are you from?" France. "How long have you been in Korea?" Just tonight. "How long will you stay?" We leave tommorrow. "Do you like Korea?" etc... Nice guys, good chat, but as usual dancing takes presidence at clubs, so I left and rejoined the other patrons on the dance floor.

The next morning, I read in Seoul's version of "Time Out" that Daft Punk was playing at M2 that night and tickets were 35,000 won. Adreinne was really interested in seeing them, but clueless me had no idea who they were, and didn't really feel like spending the money. "They were the djs last night," she says. "No they're playing tonight," I tell her. "No those were the djs you met last night," she says. "Huh?" it was morning, I was still a little slow. "The guys you met who said they were the djs... That's Daft Punk. You met the DJs. You should have gotten us on the guest list." Hmmm.. I guess I should have.

In case your wondering, Daft Punk are the guys who spin the "Around the World" song. Fairly apropo.

Chinese medicine

2005-11-24T00:28:00.000+09:00

I went to the Chinese doctor last week. Part of me was just curious what he would say and part of me wanted him to cure some of the psychosomatic stress symptoms of living in another country.

So Zach and I met Jina, one of my Korean coworkers, one Thursday morning to go visit Su's husband. Su, my boss, is married to one of Korea's premier Chinese doctors. He is often on tv.

Since this was only a checkup for Zach and I, we had to do some initial diagnostic tests. When it was my turn, I was sat in a chair and given two metal wands to hold while a strap was placed around my head (I presume it was to read brain waves?). As the machine ticked back and forth, filling out graphs, changing ink pens and marking checks, I was told not to talk. I felt like I was taking the GRE or the ACT and my fate lied in the printout of this test.

For the next test I was told to lie on a bed. Then was given a series of colored rings to hold while the doctor performed a strength test. It was determined that I am "black" which means I have a strong stomach and pancreas but very weak kidneys.

This perscription came with a diet (which disqualified me from eating just about everything I had eaten, loved, and thought was healthy since coming to Korea): no honey; no spicy food; no salty food; no chiles; no crab; no chiken, duck, goat or dog (OK, so I haven't really ate or loved these last two); no green onions, no oranges, and no curry, cinamon or ginger.

It appears the only thing I can eat is a Korean type of Sundae called pa bin su, which is shaved ice, sweet red beans, fruit and sweetened milk. I think this is nearly the equivalent of an American doctor telling me that in order to alleviate stress, I can only eat icecream. Not so bad afterall.

Soju: traditional Korean drink or the cause and solution to all expats' problems

2005-11-24T00:00:00.000+09:00

The neighborhood I live in is called Saha. It is a quiet little place. By that I'm not refering to the consistent decimbel level, more that there are less than 15 foreigners in the surrounding four subway stops. This requires us to make our own entertainment. It has lead us on adventures to meet He, the proprietor of Espresso Fusion, and her boyfriend Ha, numerous local bars, night hikes and an investigation into the roots of one of our favorite Korean drinks...soju.

Soju: traditional drink or the cause and solution to all expats' problems.

Soju, made from fermented sweet potatoes, is similar to vodka, with the alcohol content similar to wine. Don't let this fool you, as every English teacher in Korea has undoubtedly met "the soju monster" at least once during their stint here. There's alot of folklore, and expatlore, surrounding soju. I for one, think there are drugs in soju, of course this is all heresay.

C1 (the Clean One), Busan's local brand, claims it is good for your health. As of 2000, they produced a "Renewal" Soju and in 2004 the introduced their "Wellbeing" soju to the market. They market various sizes depending on your activity level: For leisure (fishing, climbing and touring), for the "heavy user" and for making fruit liquor. Truely, this is an all purpose drink.

Many a college student has invented a soju drinking game. Most of them revolve around the little tab that's left when you unscrew the top. Lisa, a coworker, plays by spinning the top and whoever the tab is pointing at has to drink. Dara, a Canadian whose been in Korea for awhile, taught me that you flick the tab, whoever knocks it off, the previous person has to drink. And Alice, a coworker of a friend, adds another level- if you don't want to drink, you can give your shot away, but this requires you to "pay the piper" so to speak. This last version has resulted in dance offs and makeshift Nori Bangs.

Zach and I found ourselves in front of the computer tonight while working on our blogs, sharing some soju and wondering if their were tours of the soju factory in nearby Gimhae. Which begs the question: would this be the true Korean experience or only an expats dream?

APEC

2005-11-15T00:42:00.000+09:00

The Asian Pacific Economic Conference is convening in Busan this week. Since all of the leaders of all of the countries that touch the Pacific Ocean are in Busan, security is a little tight. This has meant a) no beach volleyball, b)Taunya can not see her Russian boyfriend as no one is let in out of customs, and d) there are numerous cultural activities around.(This also means that no known activists have been let into Korea for the past three weeks, buts that's another story.)

Today I went with Zach to check out some of the cultural activities. I had heard that there was supposed to be traditional dance and music at the park at Youngdu San Park. I had tried to see them the day before, but not much was happening yet, just some antique farming equipment on display. So I dragged Zach with me to Nampodong to try to get some pics (and run some errands in the market)since I had left my camera at home the day before.

It turned out to be a fabulous morning. It was clear and sunny and mostly warm. So after losing and then finding our way out of Gukje market, we climbed the steps to the park and were greated with many aspects of traditional culture:

Hulling rice

some Korean antiques.

Traditional Korean games

traditional Korean games,

Ajushi pounding rice cake

and since no event is complete without rice cake, the oppurtunity to make traditional staple.

When we arrived, the singing and dnacing had not started yet. So after checking out the exhibits, we walked over to were they were serving free green tea to tourists. I had tried some on my previous jaunt, but this time we were met be four women wearing "hanbok" who invited us to join them for "kyubang darye". This particular ceremony is conducted by the wives of officials for friends and neighbors to show hospitality. Young women are taught virtue, ettiquette and how to be a porper lady through the tea ceremony. It is somewhat unusual for men to participate. (Zach you lucky man.)

Our hostess

The ceremony started as they welcomed us into the makeshift home. We took off our shoes and sat around the low table while our hostess prepared green tea and rice cake. After adding water to the leaves in a side handles tea pot, she presented us each with a small cup and saucer into whick she poured the tea. The cermeony is very precise and complicated. Many things go unnoticed, I'm sure, by the western eye.

When our hostess poured the tea, the cups were set in the middle of the table. She would not drink until we drank. Once we picked up the cup, we all held it at heart level and waited for the eldest guest to drink first.The cup was held in the middle of the palm of the left hand which was flat. The right hand was cupped around the tea cup with the finger nails hidden ( showing the finger nails is considered bad form) The tea is then drank with both hands, and then set back on the saucer in the middle of the table, where the hostess will replace it.

Kyubang Darye

Needles to say with all of these minute and elegant details, the generosity of our good humored hostess was tested as us ogres slowly learned the proper manner of receiving and drinking tea. Zach was chastised on holding his arms out like a chicken, while I mutated traditional cultures. In an effort to be culturally sensitive/aware, I was turning the appropriate twenty degrees away from the eldest member of the table. Did I mention that Korean culture is complicated multi-layered? Well in this display cultural acumen, I mistakenly showed my experience of Korean drinking culture. Apparently, you only turn away if you are drinking soju.

We must not have offended their sensibilities too much. At the end we were asked to sign a guest book and were interviewed by Arirang tv station.

Next, we went to check out the music and dance. The traditional dancers were dressed in white, red. yellow and blue. Their costumes are very vibrnat, but perhaps the most astonishing part of the act involves a long streamer attached to a hat. They spin the streamer to the beat of the music, occassionally changing directions. Its absolutely mesmerizing!

After the dancing came the wedding ceremony. The man was carried to the alter on the shoulders of two friends where he awaited his bride. The bride was then escorted by two women wearing "hanbok". On top of the alter were silver plates and bowls filled with fresh fruit and candles. The ceremony was officiated by a man in a brown robe. Unfortunately, it was in Korean and we had to leave before the translation. But there are a couple pictures so you can get an idea.

Pepero

2005-11-11T11:38:00.000+09:00

Happy Pepero!

Today is Pepero in South Korea. Pepero is similar to Valentine's Day. Shop windows are decorated with hearts and you give "pepero" to the special people in your life. "Pepero" means thin like a stick, and the treats given to your special people are chocolate covered stick cookies.

Stamina- or eating raw octapus

2005-11-11T10:29:00.000+09:00

Last night I went with a couple of my coworkers to experience one of Busan’s most unique delicacies- raw octapus. To the sushi lover, this may sound mundane, benign, boring even. But this was no ordinary meal, no this was an event.

Eating Korean style.

After work we met some friends in the Jagalchi fish market (Busan boasts one of the largest fresh fish markets in all of Asia, some say the largest) There are stalls and stalls of fish- fish in tanks, fish freshly filleted, fish ranging from strings like New Mexican ristras- Most of which I have never seen or heard of before. So after winding through the market, we enter a small resturant and head to the back where some of my coworkers have already made themselves at home.

On the table there are already numerous plates of raw fish, and a couple cooked varieties. Small crabs, mussels, raw oysters, conches, smoked fish, and what we all came tonight to feast on… live octopus. On one plate was a huge pile of baby octopus, freshly pulled from the tank, sliced and still moving. I kid you not. There’s a reason why Koreans think this stuff gives you stamina. It was filled with life and wiggling all over the place. Little bits and pieces of chopped up tentacles moving upwards towards air, pushing other pieces of tentacles off of it and squirming away from chopsticks ready to gobble them up. One might say it was a rawists dream.

The first plate was mostly dead when I got there, so there was very little movement. When the second plate arrived, it was a bit more of a challenge to eat. First, I had to catch it, which meant chasing it around the plate with my slippery metal chopsticks. Once I captured it, it would dig in for dear life with every suction cup it had left, as if it was screaming “NOOOOooooo, don’t eat me!” After extracting it from the plate and staring (at what was left of ) the little creature in the suction cup, I realized I would have this wiggly thing crawling around in my mouth. Not wanting to loose face, I stuffed it in my mouth and chewed promptly lest those little tentacles stick themselves to my cheeks or teeth in a last ditch effort for life.

October-November Korea 036

The next course of the meal was eel. This also appeared on a plate, freshly sashimied and ready to be stir fried. As our waitress turned up the heat, I thought the eel was going to jump of the plate. But after a few minutes, it settled down, recognizing the fact that its fate was to be cooked and served up along a side of kimchi.

It was all very delicious. I wouldn’t recommend trying this at home, but if you find yourself in Busan…..

Nori bang

2005-11-08T00:22:00.000+09:00

Nori bang, or karaoke, is huge in Korea. Koreans are naturally vocally inclined. Traditionally, fisherman, farmers, and other hardworking manual labor types would sing to alleviate the hardships of their jobs. I think this is the original basis of the Korean singing gene, which all Koreans seemed to be endowed with.

Since Koreans live in fairly small spaces, and live with their families typically until marriage, they often go to different rooms (or bangs) to hang out with friends or have dates. Intro the “nori bang” or singing rooms. Nori bangs are found through out Korea, in luxury hotels, Korean niteclubs and in independent establishments. Most serve beer, some serve whiskey.

Not being much of a public singer, other than when I’m in my car, I figured I would never hit the nori bang, and definately never sing in one. But if you meet enough Koreans, eventually you find your self crooning away at 5 in the morning.

The first time I went to Nori bang was on a Wednesday night a couple weeks after I arrived here. I was at a Korean niteclub with two of my women coworkers and the maitre’d lead us to a nori bang in the club where some engineers wanted company and entertainment. (This is another aspect of Korean cluture which I will share at a later time) At first I was aghast at the idea, and not much of an entertainer (my only contribution was the tambourine.) Thank god for Taunya, the drama major who belongs in a sequined dress entertaining for some old fashioned lounge lizards. I, thankfully, was relieved of any singing obligations.

My Nori Bang debut

I later made my debut in front of an entire bar in Seorak-dong. When Zach and I went to climb Mt. Seorak (Seoraksan) over Chuseok weekend, we wanted to embrace the local night life. This lead us to the Rainbow Room, a nori bang in one of the swankier resort hotels near the national park. After a few beers, and perhaps some soju, we made our debut. Our first number was a little something we like to call “Sweet Home Korea”. This song was such a success, that we were called back on to the stage for an encore performance. For this we chose “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. The crowd was so amazing, we bought the entire bar a round of drinks. (Un)fortunately, that consisted of the bar tender, Zach, and I.

Swee Child O' Mine

However, during our Saha debut, our “Sweet Child O’ Mine” scored a perfect hundred. I’m anticipating fame and fortune and will happily indulge any requests for autographs.

Teaching

2005-11-07T23:53:00.000+09:00

I made a kid cry today. When it happened part of me thought that I should mortified. Honestly though, it seemed the most ridiculous thing. See Koreans are perfectionists and finishers. They don’t do anything half hearted. They commit fully to whatever they do.

So today, the lesson plan for one of my classes called for an art project. We were studying toys (among other things) and one of the lessons was to make a toy robot. Well the kids were talking a lot, and kind of putzing around and not finishing very quickly. So at one point I told them they had two minutes left. Then five minutes later, I told them they had one minute left, then 30 seconds, and then I told them to put away the crayons.

Well one of my students (who actually happens to be one of my favorite kids) was not finished and very concerned about this. He started crying and asking for glue. I thought it wasn’t a big deal. They do all these art projects and promptly throw them away or leave them on the table for me to pick up. Honestly, the art projects are just messy and I have vowed a few times not to ever do them again. So when Ancemo started whining, at first I thought it was just a fit, and vowed to carry on and ignore it, (because that’s what you do when a kid throws a fit) and put all the supplies away. But then I realized that they were real tears and he had a snotty nose to boot.

Ancemo was the only kid not finished and the rest of the class was quickly turning into chaos: kids throwing paper, spilling glue, randomly beating on each other... It was definitely time to move on. So as I handed Ancemo the glue and tried to rally their attention for a game (the next item on the lesson plan) the bell rang. Ancemo left in tears, and my class was left in chaos. Another day in life of the hogwon teacher.

Kimchi

2005-11-02T01:20:00.000+09:00

Koreans are serious about kimchi*. They eat kimchi with every meal: breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are many different varietites of kimchi, some made with cabbage, some with cucumbers, others with horseradish. Often times there is more than one type of kimchi served at a meal. Each region has slightly different version: spicier, more sour, a little sweet. Kimchi coniseurs (mostly Korean) can detect the differences.

Kimchi even seeps into pop culture and communication. When Korean’s take pictures, they quip “Say Kimchi” just as us westerners would prompt “say cheese”.

Shortly after coming to Korea, I read in the Korean Herald that the head of North Korea had called a press conference to discuss the merits of kimchi. Recently, Arirang, the English language channel, reported that studies have shown that the lactic acid in kimchi can be affective at curing the bird flu (only in birds though, the rest of us would have to eat too much of it.)

My aunt once told me that her favorite cold remedy when she was in her 20s was a strong margarita and chips with really hot salsa, pretty apro pro as she lived in the San Diego area. Her explanation was that it contained the perfect ratio of sinus clearing spiciness, vitamin C, and tequila to make you not care. As the temperature has started to change here, more and more people are getting colds. So I think that if there were a Korean version of this remedy it would be some soju and with a side of kimchi.

Naming my blog after this cultural icon has two reasons: to let my parents know that I am alive and well and to share Korean culture with whoever is interested. So as the Korean culture and landscape unfold before your eyes, just imagine all us smiling tourists saying “kimchi”.

*Kimchi is a side dish, or garnish, made from cabbage, red chiles, and garlic.

Hiking

2005-10-30T01:25:00.000+09:00

One of the most amazing things about this city is that you can walk for 20 minutes and be in the middle of a forest. So after spending 3 hours playing with my new computer, I climbed the mountain.

I met Adrienne at the Spring, where we got some water and fish cookies for our hike and we set off. The hike starts by going up a winding road, which they are reconstructing, and then turns off into a dirt road, and suddenly you are in the middle of a forest with dozens of paths leading to surrounding mountains.

Fall has just come to Busan. The weather has just turned crisp and the leaves are starting to change to yellows and reds. The energy in the air is somewhere between the excitement of change and the need to hibernate.

Halfway up the hill, there was a break in the trees with the view overlooking the ocean. The sun was just beginning to set and the autumn air had already cast a golden tint over the landscape. In the distance, the pinky reflection of the sun on the ocean, the horizon disrupted only by the small islands just off the coast. I’ve said many times this month that October is the time to visit Korea.

On the way back down, I was struck by how utterly peaceful it was, even though I was in the middle of a city of 4.8 million people. Walking down the hill, the only sounds were of critters scuttling around on the fallen leaves and birds quietly twittering back and forth.

I passed a group of Korean hikers. The old man greeted me with “hello”, I bowed and answered “Anyung hayseo” and the older lady at the back squeezed my hand in passing. Koreans are a very physical people. They are honest and wear they’re hearts on their sleeves. If they like you, they let you know, and if they don’t, they also let me know. This hand squeeze was a thank you for enjoying the day with them in their country, in their custom.

Hiking is one of my favorite activities in Korea. Koreans are avid hikers and love to share their country side and favorite hobby with visitors. As such, it is one of the best ways to truly experience Korean culture and to commune with Korean people. I hope you enjoy the blog and find it entertaining, informing and even inspiring. Please share it with others and send me your thoughts on Korea.