Advertisement
Published: August 9th 2008
The First Few Days I'm on my own in Seoul and all know how to say is An-nyeong-ha-se-yo! I thought for sure after a 12 hour delay at the airport in Atlanta and arriving at 5AM I would be on my own and have to figure things out for myself once I arrived. After retrieving my backpack (thats right all I took was my backpack and a small carry on) I see a sign waiting for me- GEORGE BALAREZO. Incredible!! The shuttle driver waited a full 12 hours for me in his van curbside just to take me to my apartment. Wow, I couldnt believe he sat there for that long waiting for me, we had trouble communicating with one another but I could tell he was obviously very, very tired and I felt bad that he waited that long for me.
Hmm, I wonder whats next. I figured there would be no way anyone from the school will be waiting for me this late at night. Much to my surprise, my counselor was right there at the corner adjacent to my apartment waiting for my arrival. "How long have you been waiting for me?" I had to ask.
Her response: "Oh, I have been in your apartment cleaning for 7 hours and checking on your flight status." Wow!! I couldnt believe it!! What a warm welcome to South Korea- the country that will be my home over the next year. Indeed, these first few moments gave me an excellent impression of this country and its people.
That morning I slept for only four hours as the combination of blinding sunlight piercing through my windows and shear the excitement of being on foreign soil overcame my lack of sleep over the past two days. I grabbed my first meal- a bi bim bap with two different sides of Kim Chi for $4 USD at the one of many restaurants less than a 5 minute walk from my apartment. Luckily, the restaurant had plenty of food photos so all I had to do was point my big index finger at the grub. "I could really get used to eating this kind of food every single day" I thought as I made quick work of the bap.
My next task- find a map of my neighborhood from the many travel agencies along my street so I could go check
out the surrounding areas of Songpa. This required much more effort than simply pointing to a picture on the wall. The two phrases of "hello" and "thank you" that I can speak in Korean would not help me much this time as the lady I was communicating with did not speak a word of English. We went back and forth for about 30 minutes trying to figure out what we were trying to say to one another. Finally, she called her friend who spoke some English on the phone and she translated for us and I was on my way.
The rest of my Sunday in the Land Of The Morning Calm consisted of checking out the Olympic Park (very impressive-see photos) and all its bizarre artwork. I walked around for a few hours before taking a nap on one of the many park benches in the shade as it was a perfect day in the greenest area of Seoul. On my way back I heard my first words of English that day as a kid rode by on his bike and exclaimed "hello teacher!!" at the top of his lungs (why he did not guess something else like
Korean Pop Star is beyond me).
The next three days consisted of 10 hour days of training at my school while trying not to fall asleep from 13 hours of jetlag. I observed several classes and had a crash course in the YES Youngdo curriculum before teaching my first class that Thursday.
My counselors Michelle and Sue Ah took me to a restaurant that served us a plethora of duck meat to celebrate the completion of my training and help me get energized for my first day of teaching. Just when I thought after rounds of honey flavored duck, roasted duck and duck in some sort of mouth watering spicy sauce- they served us another plate and another plate. Wow, this was the best meal I had in a VERY long time!!
Teaching and My Students My first day of teaching went pretty smoothly as the classes at Youngdo only consist of about 5-12 students who are attending the privately run English Academy in addition to their regular school hours. Naturally, keeping some of them awake is quite a chore as we cover literature and grammar rules for the 2-3 hour long classes. Things went much
Olympic Park
This is where I go running every morning!smoother than I ever imagined my first day and was looking forward to building solid relationships with my students.
Study, study and more study- I have quickly learned that this is what a kid's life is all about in South Korea as many of my students attend several other academies in addition to their standard public school hours (all with an end goal of being accepted into a top University). "What did you do this weekend?" I always ask my kids. Their reply is always the same either "study" or "play video games" (I now understand why half of my foreign classmates in graduate school were from South Korea). I am amazed by the amount of homework I am required to assign them which is usually the following for each class that meets 2-3 times per week-
-reading about 5-10 pages of a story in English
-answering workbook comprehension question on the literature
-several pages of grammar exercises out of a textbook
-writing lists of about 20 vocabulary words 3-5 times each in English
-writing 4 five paragraph essays per month (this is for practice for the TOSEL exams which they start practicing
for at about 5th grade or younger)
My classes are videotaped on CCTV and often parents come in to watch their kid's English speaking ability live on camera to make sure they are improving at an acceptable rate.
Who would have thought being a kid was so stressful? Makes me appreciate being able to enjoy the luxuries of the playground, neighborhood friends and swimming classes that my childhood consisted of (thanks Mom and Dad). With all the pressure these kids deal with, it is no surprise that self esteem and confidence is a big issue with them. For example, during one class I assigned them the essay topic of "three things you would like to change about the world." During our brainstorming session I gave them examples like "cure cancer" or "stop world hunger" and expected to receive similar ideas for their response. However, an overwhelming number stated they would like to "change the way their face looks of be pretty or handsome" or change themselves in some way. Sad. All I can do is give them as much positive encouragement as possible in hopes that they will one day have a better attitude.
My Life in Seoul
Coming to Seoul provides me with my first experience of living in a large city (and large it is- the third largest metropolitan city in the world) and I have been loving every moment. Whatever your interest, whatever you want to do- it is all here. An average day during the week consists of waking up at about 8-9AM, leisurely cooking breakfast in my apartment while getting myself syked up to jog or work out in the Olympic Park (there are outdoor exercise machines at the park that you can use for free- no wonder why Koreans are in such good shape) or along the Han River. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I play basketball at a court that is a five minute walk from my apartment with a friend. That leaves me two hours to read or study Korean, eat and get ready for work before teaching from 2PM-10PM during the week.
The weekends in the city are always great! I will usually hang out with friends and go out on the town on Friday and Saturday nights to one of the many nightlife zones. Sometimes I find myself out until 7AM as the bars dont close
until the sun starts rising and the birds start chirping- I have been trying to cut back on this lately so I can take full advantage of the next day.
I have been attending some free Korean classes put on by a volunteer student organization at a local university. Classes are an hour subway commute (no problem this gives me extra time to read or study- much better than driving!!) each way so this often takes up my whole Saturday afternoon. As fascinating as the language is, I often leave with a big headache after two hours of going over grammar rules and contorting my mouth in ways that I never thought possible in order to make a sound. After attending classes for about six weeks and practicing with the millions of Koreans I am surrounded by everyday, the language is just starting to sink in. I hope to be able to hold a conversation in the local tongue by the end of the year.
Each weekend I go to at least one section of the city I have not seen or do something I have never done before. Some interesting places I've seen-
Bongeunsa Buddhist Temples-
temples originally founded in 794 right in the middle of Samseong- one of Seoul's main central business districts. Fires destroyed most of the buildings in 1939 and other parts of the temples were destroyed during the Korean war. Successful renovations have rejuvenated its beauty over the years (see pictures). The temple is also known for overnight or weekend stays where those interested can live the life of a monk for a few days. Very impressive and provides a stark contrast the Seoul's skyline!
Deoksugung (Palace of Virtual Longevity)- This villa became a palace in 1593 when King Seojo moved here because all of Seoul's other palaces had been destroyed during Japanese invasions. Despite two kings being crowned here- it remained a secondary palace. The changing of the royal guard occurs here everyday as guards dressed in traditional clothing bring to life the pageantry of the Joseon dynasty that ruled Korea for over 500 years.
Insadong- one of the few places in Seoul that have retained an atmosphere of the past. The narrow alleys are crowded with more a plethora of art galleries, as well as traditional tea shops and small restaurants. This traffic free area is the place
to go for Korean souveniers. It is here where I had one of the most amazing teas ever- dew tea-upon slowly sipping the tea you taste nothing but then when you swallow the liquid an explosion of sweet fruit tasting flavor enters your mouth. Awesome!
Korean National Museum- probably the largest museum in Korea. It contains a very impressive pagoda in the central hallway and has abundance of exhibits. One could probably spend a few days in here. I spent about 3 hours walking through the corridors learning about Korean history before I reached my daily museum threshold. I want to return here periodically to expand my knowledge on Korean history.
Myeong-dong- a very dynamic zone of central downtown that is supposed to be one of the leading fashion centres of Seoul. This area is always very crowded with people that are looking to fill the many multi-story cafes and restaurants. This is the site of a language exchange group I have been attending (again with the goal of one day being able to hold a conversation in Korean- at a 6 story high Starbucks) and provides an overwhelming experience for all senses. Street food fills the alleyways
as vendors yell at you in Korean trying to get you to buy their goods. Often a stage is setup here next to the subway station as Seoul's next prospective pop stars display their talent on the microphone.
Gangnam- a very dynamic and crowded nightlife area with endless street food, amazing (but expensive) restaurants, norabong rooms, bars and nightclubs. A great area to go out on the town that is always lit up by neon signs that are so typical of Korea.
My Unintentional Brush with the US Beef Protests The first few days of my arrival I saw quite a few images of violence on TV in a language I did not understand that I knew was some place in Korea but did not think much of it. The first weekend I arrived I decided I would go explore the city a bit and venture out of Songpa to check out some temples and traditional Korean neighborhoods. Upon getting off the subway I begin to see blocked off roads and police with riot gear (see pictures). I did not know what was going on at this time and kept walking around the area
doing some site seeing. Suddenly the streets were filled with busloads of police pushing people off of the streets making them reroute their walking paths. "What are the chances that I end up in the exact area I have been seeing on TV?" I thought to myself. As I kept walking I could see large crowds of people in the streets PEACEFULLY protesting. I had no idea what all the ruckus was about until I was informed by a couple of girls standing next to me who just happened to speak English. "They are protesting against US beef," I was informed. So gave me the rundown that people were upset at President Lee for importing US beef which is thought to be contaminated with Mad Cow Disease. "HHMMM this is probably not the best place for an American to hang out," I thought to myself. Luckily I was wearing my Guatemalan "Gallo Cerveza" T shirt so perhaps people thought twice about where the big white guy was from. "Where are you from?" they finally asked after telling me all about the protests. "I am from the United States," I responded. Then we all burst out into a huge fit of
laughter-"HaHaHa!!" I am glad they had such a great sense of humor about the situation. They ended up showing me around and took me to their favorite tea shop. It is funny how one can make friends in the most unlikely of situations! We passed by here at night as well and people were now having their "candle light vigils" and luckily all was still peaceful.
Experiences With Korean People In Seoul My experience with Korean people has been a great one so far. They have been very helpful and go way out of their way for you. Here are a few examples-
-The first few days I was here I asked someone for directions in the Jamsil subway station (one of the biggest underground stations in Seoul) and luckily he spoke enough English to help point me in the right direction. So I began my trek to catch the train and after 15 minutes of walking in the crowded underground tunnels I see someone running up to me from behind out of breath. "I told you to go the wrong way," said the same guy that had given me directions 15 minutes ago
as he tried to catch his breath. "Your train is back that way," he said as he began to walk me to the correct path. "Wow, that is so awesome that a stranger went so out of their way for me," I thought. Little things like this really make a big impression on me in the first few days in a new country.
-Before I purchased a phone my friend Hae Lim and I met up for lunch (which we set up entirely through email). Somehow there was a mix up as to the subway station we were going to meet at through an email miscommunication. Anyway, she ended up driving her car back and forth from one subway station to another in order to meet me for lunch while sitting through Seoul traffic and finally picked me up. My new friend really scored some points with me by doing this and added more credibility to my positive impression about the people of Seoul.
-As mentioned before, my school counsler Michelle waited up for me to arrive at 5AM after a 12 hour flight delay and spent 7 hours cleaning my apartment and waiting for my arrival. Great
first impression upon arrival to South Korea!
I have also had some humorous experiences here in the first few weeks-
- while walking to work one day and minding my own business, a 80 year old Korean man came up to me and started yelling "You are very handsome!!" This really caught me off guard and I just said thank you and "you are very handsome too." I got a good laugh out of this one.
-my kids in class always pet my arms because they think it is very exotic for a man to have hair on their arms. This was a surprise at first but now I am used to feeling like a showcase exhibit at the zoo.
-I blow a whistle (so I never lose my voice) and make my students do pushups if they are messing around in class. I figure this will help them get some more oxygen pumping to their brains and will specifically help all the boys when they do their mandatory military service after high school (HAHAHA, I could probably never get away with this in the States). The other day I ate a Twix bar while they
did their pushups, HAHA I am laughing as I type this!! How easily amused I am!
Anyway, this is an overview of my life in Seoul right now. There is so much more to tell, but I'll save it for next time. Until then, chal ga!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.14s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0713s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
HaeKyung
non-member comment
Nice posting
I had a good laugh reading your posting. Iam a native Korean from Seoul and very much amazed by your insight on my hometown. Not so many visitors get to learn to cherish life in Seoul - so crowded, expensive, and polluted. Hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Seoul. Your students are very lucky to have you!