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Entry 34: Rockin' Around No Christmas Tree

It was strange waking up in Korea, let alone it was strange waking up in Korea on Christmas day in Korea. It was a different feeling to be away from my nuclear family on my favorite holiday of the year. Even last year, which was most likely the most miserable Christmas of all time because I had caught the flu and was bed ridden the entire day, still felt like Christmas. Don't misunderstand me though, it was a great weekend, but it just failed to feel like Christmas.

I did get to spend Christmas with a family, just not my own. It was a blessing to say the least to be able to meet Eunice's Grandmother, Aunt, Uncle, other Uncle, and cousin in one weekend full of food, laughter, and GoStop. To the best that I can tell, the weekend was an overall sucess and I definitely enjoyed the company. I must have gained 5 kilos, just due to the constant eating of AMAZING food. Her family showed me great hosipitality, and I think that I can explain it by emphasizing one aspect of the trip: the FOOD. Christmas Eve, they took us out to her Uncle's restaurant where we ate some pretty awesome, high-quality, 상겹살. Christmas morning we had bread (Korea has the best bread, it is heavenly), coffee, roll cake, and milk. It was good stuff, but it was just getting us ready for lunch. We went out to eat sushi at one of those restaurants where you pick your food from a conveyor belt. It was impressive. I was able to be witness and experience the glory of eunice's grandma's 비삔밥, it was the most majestic combination of taste that I can remember. Lol. It was pretty awesome. The motto "in order for the whole to be good, each ingredient has to taste good on its own" seemed to rock my world. Their hospitality was wonderful and made my weekend that much more fun.

But it was bitersweet. I tried calling my family the day after Christmas here in Korea which is Christmas day back in the states, but due to bad cell phone connection, my lack of an internet connection, failure for me to check my email to get the phone number to my grandmother's house back in LA, I was unable to contact my family... on my most cherished holiday. I tried calling early this morning, but still no answer. I have work, so I am not sure when the next time will be for me to be able to contact my family. Being thousands of miles away is a drag during the holidays.

But I had Eunice. The sweetest part of the entire weekend was being able to do the things that we've been wanting to do for a long time, the boring things. There was a lot of down time being at her grandmother's house, and so we spent a lot of that time watching "Dexter", a pretty ingenious TV show, and going to watch movies together like Sherlock Holmes. We spent lots of times just walking around random shopping malls, sitting in coffee shops, eating good food, and just being ourselves. We played some GoStop which was pretty fun, even though I wasn't being a very good student (but in my defence I was tired and just wanted to start playing and learn from the playing, but I was being a bad student). It was fun riding the subway for literally HOURS together, laughing at the silly faces that we both make unintentionally and the most RANDOM people on the subway. The games of scrabble (Eunice LOVES scrabble) we played in random places on our iPods is going to be a part of the long list of memories that I have of my time here in Korea. It was nice having at least one loved one during the holidays.

No Christmas tree this year, but that's okay. It's about being with the one's you love.

Entry 33: Abroad

4 of my closest friends went out of the US this fall and embarked on their own "abroad" experience.

Sue went to Prague
Julie went to Spain
Tae went to Switzerland
Grace went to Korea

It is amazing that our time is coming to a close. I may not be able to speak for the others, but I know that during my time away from the US, there were times where I was excruciatingly homesick, times where I was pumped to be living a new life, times where I would just sit and think of what next semester holds now that I have a semester abroad under my belt.


During the start of my journey I made a list. Let's take a look.

Things that I am assuming will be missed once I am in Korea (not in any significant order):

• family- I got to see my dad a few times in Korea. Skyped with them more frequently in Korea than I did back in Texas. I miss them, but just as much as I do when I'm in college. The holidays do suck when you don't have any family around.
  
• friends- This one is a big yes. There were times when, I would just sit alone in my room and it would be completely silent. That was not last year. Last year I lived with 3 close friends, and I don't think that our house was ever really "quiet". Our class just had a crazy webcam reunion, where we all got on and saw each other. Although I wasn't able to join the festivities for long (they talked to each other for over 2 hours. They love each other very much). I can't wait to go back and see these crazy people. They are my favorite.
  
• steak (since I hear that red meat is rare and expensive)- I each just as much meat in Korea. I've had a steak, and in general, food is decently priced in Korea. You don't pay tip or tax on meals. So if the menu says something is 5,000 won, then you just pull out a 5,000 bill. Done, no change, no jingling metal, just that bill passed on. It's quick, clean, and cheap. I can get full off of 3 dollars in Korea, in a restaurant. That's unlikely to ever happen in the states, unless you go to Taco Bell.
  
• my guitars (I'm not sure if I will be able to bring it on the plane)- I miss my electric. I miss my acoustic since it left me a month ago. :( This was quite true. but I was able to write a song. So its not all a failure.
  
• being in a reasonable similar time zone- eh, the time zone issue wasn't THAT big of a deal. I am a morning person, so when I wake up, I am able to talk to all the people back home at a reasonable time.
  
• mexican food- :(, I do miss good mexican food.....
  
• my car- When I go home, I'm going to just drive. Anywhere. I miss driving SO MUCH. I'm scared I have forgotten how to drive.
  
• TEXAS FOOTBALL (it gets caps, just deal)- Thank God for Justin Tv.
  
• IM football- I miss playing football on Saturdays. I'll be calling people to play. People better come out.
  

While I'm at it, here is a list of things that I am looking forward too about Korea:

• Authentic Korean food- My favorite kind of food in the world.
  
• Cheap Korean food- The same dish in Korea is usually 50% cheaper than in the states, depending on what you get, because of tip, tax, and just the fact that Korean food is common.
  
• Buying a pair of glasses- done. Ray Bans. I love em.
  
• Buying a nice coat- Bought a jacket... my dad brought a coat from back home.
  
• Taking pictures- Pictures have slowed down since I started to teach, but I've taken a few... hundred.
  
• Making new friends- Done. I love em. (mostly girls... but its all good)
  
• Getting a clean slate- Done. It helped me realize who I am to a greater extent.
  
• Teaching little kids- Done. I came, I saw, I conquered! I'm sure these kids learned something.
  
• Improving my Korean- Done. It was bound to happen since I'm living here and interacting with mostly native Korean speakers (and having to meet family friends, who speak primarily korean)
• Running- FAIL. I went out running a half dozen times. It's WAYYYY too cold now. But I could have run much more
  
• Hiking- Done. Teachers took me out and we climbed a mountain.
  
• Learning more about myself, in the context of a new country- Done. I learned a lot about myself. Unlike the common belief, I was able to live alone and thrive. I weaned myself off of the need for other people and really refined my self identity. I'm still marred with issues and problems, but this trip was necessary for me to learn a whole new side of myself.

I pretty much completed my list. Now its time to enjoy the rest of the month and do all the things I would have never dreamed of doing. The beginning of my journey was intense, the end is going to be just as intense.

Entry 32: December

I know that it has been quite some time since my last post, and I probably have lost a considerable amount of readers because of the lack of consistency (according to J Lee, only three people read my blog, so I guess that means that there are 2 of you left).

Update: This Thanksgiving was most random Thanksgiving that I have ever had in my life, and hopefully ever will. I had a great dinner with Grace, Ahyoung, and Michelle at some buffet. It was nice just to sit down and just enjoy myself at a table full of food and company.

Last Friday I had dinner with my teachers where we ate loads of pork and just had a good time laughing and talking to each other (I've built up some decent relationships with the teachers so these times are awkward). They are all great people. It is funny though, how when I see them outside of school or outside of class, its like I am interacting with completely different people. I would say especially the 1st grade teacher. During class she rarely speaks to me and sometimes I feel like I'm getting the cold shoulder, but as soon as we are out of class she is all smiles and even gives me the occasional high five.

Today we had another dinner, but this time the school invited some other people (they were teachers who taught the electives for the after school program, but they didn't come every day like I did, so I never rarely would see them). It was a good dinner and it was nice not having to be in the spot light. It was also interesting how I had become a "regular" in the teachers circle. I knew this was the case as the vice principal went to the after school teachers and said "see you on _____" the certain day, and he turned to me and said something along the lines of "I'm going to beat you in ping pong tomorrow".

Today is December 1. This date doesn't really mean much on its own, except for the fact that it marks the beginning of December which in my minds marks Christmas season, BUT what it does do is give me a reference point as to when Eunice is coming to Korea. 16 more days. 16 more days. 16 more days...

There really hasn't been anything to update on (except maybe the fact that I can touch my toes, almost do the splits, and I've gotten pretty good at ping pong), so I'll just leave the fun stories till after Eunice comes. I plan on making this one of those trips that I will always look back on. I've already gone through the "Korea is AWESOME" phase. I've gone through the "Korea sucks" phase. I've gone through the "Eh, Korea isn't that bad" phase. And I think I'm somewhere in the "Korea is cool, but I just want to go home now" phase. I hope that when Eunice gets here, we can both enjoy the "I don't want to leave Korea" phase so that it would just be that much more fun.

Ok, thats it for now, My blog is boring.... crap....  so much for making a blog showing how exciting my trip to Korea is. (its not that exciting...)

Entry 31: My Guitar and Me

Uh oh,

My Dad is here in Korea (for the second time), but this time, he's going to China for a week and then going back to the states, so not much time to spend with him (it is going to be one lonely Thanksgiving). The uh-oh, is, he is taking back my lover (no, he isn't taking back eunice...), MY GUITAR!

So, this next week is dedicated to my guitar. I will miss it (my acoustic guitar has no gender, and has no name. I've tried naming it, but it always fails. BUT! my electric guitar's name is Lani. just fyi) very very much.

It's time for some guitar lovin', finger burnin', and just some good ole' fashioned fun. My neighbors are going to hate me.

One week to show my guitar that I love it. awesomenessssss

Entry 30: Ping Pong

I stood up from my desk and gathered my things. I was going to miss the bus if I didn't hurry. As I said goodbye to the vice-principal of the school, he asked me if I wanted to stay for a bit and play ping-pong. I was in a pretty bad mood and I just wanted to go home and get some rest, so I tried to politely decline, but he insisted, and so I stayed at the school. It would be the first time I would play ping-pong in Korea.

4 years earlier:
My family moved from the wonderful state of California to the last place on earth I saw myself living: TEXAS. The place where there were more cattle than people, the place where people still wore cowboy hats and cowboy boots, where the mode of transportation to work was either by truck or by horse. I had some pretty bad misconceptions of Texas, but with that in mind, my Korean family spent most of our first HOT summer in Texas indoors.
We set up a ping-pong table in our family room, and would play for hours at a time. My sisters don't play ping-pong, I mean, they might tell you they play ping-pong... but they don't play ping-pong (table tennis for those people who find me saying ping-pong to be too childish, but I say who cares, its like adding the word "ultimate" to frisbee, just makes a recreation sport a bit more competitive). This time during my first summer in Texas is where I learned how to really play ping-pong. Being able to slice my forehand and backhand, learning how to lob and do a drop shot, I learned how to play offensively and defensively, and I learned the little tricks that make ping-pong so interesting (different spins and whatnot). Stereotypical Asian thing to do? Heck yeah.

The teachers set up the table in the auditorium, gave me the only two sided paddle that was available (Korean's like to play with the one sided ping pong paddle. Its the Asian style. I play with the English style.) We start to just rally for fun and they are all above average. Even the vice-principal who is about 45 and a smoker seems to be really into it, and I can tell that they are measuring my up as a ping-pong player, the same way that the measured me up as a kickball player.

1 month earlier:
We took the day off of work to go hike up a mountain. The head teacher (the teacher who covers for any sick teachers, deals with the administrative side of things, and basically is the third in command. Principal, vice principal, head teacher) brought shots of soju up the mountain and although I dislike soju, being on top of the mountain with all the teachers, I just took the shot and shouted with them, whatever it was they were shouting. When we got back to the bottom, the restaurant told us that our food would not be ready for another hour or so. Subsequently, we went to an open field and played kickball with a soccer ball. Just imagine in your head for a moment a group of adults playing kick ball. For me, it evokes memories of church picnics where adults become children. I laughed as the principal demanded that the pitcher (the bus driver) roll the ball slower and as the 2nd grade teacher yelled "POUL!!!" (foul) as the vice-principal looked him dead in the eyes and said "PAIR!" (fair). It was like I was watching the kids from my summer job. It's always fun seeing adults get into sports and just lose the "adult" facade. They all just wanted to have some fun. It was nice to see the lighter side of the teachers.

After two hours of a pretty enjoyable time of playing ping-pong, they asked me to play with them everyday, or at least that's what I thought they said (my korean still isn't that great, but I'm pretty sure my mentor teacher said something about 매일의 핑퐁 (탁구) 하자). We had a fun time laughing and it was funny receiving high fives from my head teacher when we played doubles, and my vice-principal gave me this weird kind of fist bump every time we scored ("NICE SHAAHT!" [double fist bump!]). I must admit, it made me a bit homesick, and made me miss my mom and my dad. They were the best ping-pong buddies that anyone could ask for. My mom with her cute side step shuffle, and she hops around with her game face on. When she makes a nice shot or a slam, she usually jumps in the air like a little girl and shouts and laughs. My dad with his "you and your mother play, and I'll play the winner. Don't expect to beat me, either of you." Of course he learned to say this jokingly because me and my mom would have some pretty intense games as he watched TV while we played. When he would play the winner, he would always add in the remark "oh son, you've gotten better! BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH." or something like "Your mother has always been good at ping-pong. AHA!" as he slams the ball while lifting one of his feet in the air behind him. It was always funny seeing my dad slam the ball. My little sister coming in, laughing her head off as she tries to learn how to play and our dog freaking out because the whole family (minus Jennifer who was in California when most of our ping-pong playing occured) was shouting and laughing.




To say the least, I miss my family. They are pretty amazing. You should get to know them. I know that I miss them a lot. And although like every family we have our problems, my family is pretty close and healthy.


I'm excited to bring my girlfriend to meet them once I get back to the States.
But did I tell you? I have to am going to meet her side of the family (not her nuclear family, but her extended family) here in Korea, and spend Christmas with them. I need to really work on my Korean... dangit.

Entry 29: Halfway there

It has been 86 days since I've been in Korea and 76 more days till my departure.

I ask myself the question, "is the second half of the trip going to be better than the first half?", and the answer that I come up with is an interesting one. "Unlikely, but just wait and see, that's the fun of it."

The first half of my trip consisted mostly of orientation. Although it has already passed the point where I have been teaching little kids longer than I have been learning how to teach kids, I still can feel the dread in my body when I saw the ridiculous schedule of the oh-so-infamous Kyung Hee Orientation.

With that being said, I will never forget the people and the interesting adventures that were so easy to embark on such as my trip to 동대문 or even the sheer novelty of my first weekend in Korea.

Even the actual orientation wasn't as bad as I made it sound to be in my previous posts, because it actually did make teaching a bit easier, knowing that what I am doing is pretty much what everyone else is doing. I will remember what it was like, the air a mix of the clean breeze and of cigarette smoke, as we all sat watching the college soccer games as we wait in-between our classes.

I remember what it was like teaching my very first class and the butterflies in my stomach helped me to conjure up a lesson plan on the spot.

I wont soon forget what it was like to be plunged into isolation and eventually becoming comfortable with long periods of time to myself.

But with all this being said, I'm excited for the second half of my trip.

I have 6 weeks of teaching left during the normal school days. and Seven days of winter camp. It should be easy enough to accomplish, and I am content to know that I have taught these kids a lot about the English language.

I also look forward to being reunited with friends from back home, starting sometime in mid-December. It will be nice to be able to hang out with friends that I usually see SUPER STRESSED OUT during finals time, in a very relaxed state of being (LOL, I think I'm talking about June not being at PCL but instead at Red Mango. I swear its going to be like seeing two completely different people).  It will be nice since I have the entire month of January as vacation to just hang out with friends.

I also look forward to spending some quality time with my girlfriend! Eunice is coming to Korea to visit her family (who wants me to join them for the holidays, talk about pressure....) and hopefully the two of us will be able to do all the fun couply things that people do when in Korea. I was talking to a friend and she basically said "everything in Korea is much more fun when you are in a couple. Subway rides no longer are tiresome, bus stops are cozy, coffee shops are little getaways, walking isn't a chore, etc.etc.". That was slightly paraphrased, but you get her point.

Connecting with the point above, Eunice and I booked the same flight back home. January 12th. Which actually worked out really well, since that was the earliest day that my school was going to let me go home, and since it was the day that Eunice decided to book home anyways. Thankfully we called the airlines and made sure to get seats next to each other. Cross your fingers guys, I think the second half of the trip might be even BETTER than the first half.

I'm also looking forward to this friday, Jubilee's Men's Retreat. It should be good. I'll be sure to write a post about it later.




So here I go!