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Published: August 9th 2007
Korean dress
Traditional dress, now only used for special occasions.Sorry it has taken me so long to get this going. I’ve been jetlagged and, really, I don’t know where to start, but here goes…
I’m here, but I’m not really blown away at being in Korea. I keep waiting for it to hit me. Maybe it’s because I started work so quickly and my job is in English. Maybe I just haven’t found enough time to really be in Korea, but here I am and what blows me away is that it feels all too normal.
Arriving
The first day I got here, they wanted to show me around the school and give me an orientation. I saw the school and met a few of the other teachers and told the director that any information given to me would not be retained. They sent someone out with me to the convenience store and bought me some basic food, then to my apartment to bring in my bags. I tried to unpack, but wound up sleeping for 13 hours. I had to work the next day so there was no question that I needed the sleep. Fortunately, I got here later in the day. One teacher of the other new teachers arrived in the morning and the put him to work that day!
My Apartment
My apartment seems to be about the same size as my storage unit in the States. I was shocked at first, but actually, the size has grown on me and I’m glad I don’t have the space to accumulate anything new. It’s a breeze to clean up and nothing is too far away. The place was furnished with the basic (rock hard) bed, table, chairs, closet, TV/DVD, mini-kitchen, etc. I have a washing machine that I also use as my hamper on a little “back porch” which I can also use for storage and drying clothes. Everything here is set up to be energy and space efficient. The floor is heated which is nice. The place is so small and being on the second floor, I’ve hardly had to use the heat at all! The water is on a flash heat system, which means it’s heated as the water comes out. This means that I don’t have to pay to heat a full water heater all of the time and I never run out of hot water. The showerhead comes off the bathroom sink, which is the worst part of the whole place. I can live with it.
The General Environs
Upon arriving in Seoul, I noticed how clean and quiet the airport is. Everything moved efficiently. Although it’s still there, chaos is held at bay for the public eye. This is not what I remember about arriving here when I was a child, but that was a lifetime ago. The hour long drive from the airport to Pyeongchon (the suburb of Seoul where I live) showed vast apartment complexes of Lego-like 10 - 15 story cement buildings. Korea is in such a hurry to modernize and provide housing for the 22 million people in the metropolitan area that they forgot to add in any kind of aesthetic character to their buildings. There are parks here, but few trees. I wouldn’t call this place pretty from what I’ve seen so far. I’m excited about getting a chance to see the countryside where I’m hoping to see the old character of Korea… and lots-o-trees.
I did ride the subway, which was interesting. Almost all of the signs are in Korean except for the station names, so I did a lot of guessing about where I was supposed to go. The subway itself is fast, efficient, and crowded. I can’t imagine the pollution and traffic Seoul would have without the subway system.
The Koreans
The Koreans from what I’ve seen so far are a generous, friendly people. While I was riding the subway, I noticed an older lady holding a baby. At one stop, another woman took the baby, said thank you and got off. I thought they knew each other, but now I’m not so sure. After shopping, I got on the bus home with way to many bags. A woman sitting in the seat took a couple of my bags and put them on her lap. It felt odd to let her do that, but it was such a sweet gesture. It seems that the Koreans have a lot of these kind gestures, which to an American like me, seem pleasantly surprising. Americans can be kind and generous, but in a much different way.
Koreans are also, in my opinion, trained to be workaholics from an early age. I am teaching elementary school kids in a tutorial school called a hagwan which they attend after their regular school is finished. This hagwan is basically considered their second school and they attend until 5 pm… when another set of slightly older elementary school kids come in. After they get out from our school, I wouldn’t be surprised if they go to other private tutorials and lessons. It is not uncommon to see high school students getting off the bus to go to hagwan classes at 11 pm or later. They have me working from 9 AM to 7:30 PM. I get to go home at 6:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
They may be very educated and hard working, but they don’t work efficiently. They spend a lot of time being busy running around, getting very little done. Everything is based on a hierarchical system, so you can’t really tell your higher ups a better way to get things done.
I’ve also noticed that people here are up until late. Stores don’t close until 10 PM and things are still bustling at midnight. On the other hand, nothing seems to be open at 9 AM. They like their nightlife here.
Food
There is no doubt that the Koreans love their meat and hot spice. It is going to be extremely difficult to maintain any kind of strict vegan diet here. They sprinkle meat and eggs on the vegetable dishes. I can eat a few things here. There is a dish called
bibimbap that is just rice and vegetables if you ask for it without the egg. I have been enjoying fruits that usually are considered exotic and imported such as cumquats, Asian pears, and persimmons.
The Koreans love to eat out so restaurants are fairly cheap; unfortunately, the there’s not much for me to eat in these places. I have heard about vegetarian restaurants in Seoul, but it’s going to take a while to get to them, because downtown Seoul is 45 minutes away on the subway.
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Jonathan
non-member comment
Interesting...
I feel like I've had quite a few of the same experiences as you... specifically that I live one building over from you. See you this Sunday for the temple visit