Canned Bugs

Well hello there. I'm am writing with a better attitude and more positive outlook on life. It's funny how getting rid of anger in your heart (or at least trying) makes everything better. There is no news yet on my Grandpa's condition, but he is surrounded by people who love him- in thoughts, prayers, in person, in spirit, and via phone contraptions. I am currently sipping on some mediocre mango juice that was given to me last night from a Korean man at my neighborhood mini mart. He asked where I was from, why I was here, and my age. Apparently from those crucial facts, he decided that I needed some mango juice in my life. I thanked him, bowed, and left the store. As I was leaving, he said that he would see me tomorrow. I thought that was funny being I had never seen him before and he was just a random man in the store. It's just a guess, but I am assuming that he had a few shots of soju (Korean liquor that goes down like water). Hmm.. I think I should take advantage of my "American celebrity status" and go to more expensive places and casually mention that I am an American. I will keep you posted on my schemes.


Random thoughts of the week/ encounters... Be excited

- There are many beggars near the subway stations and in the more touristy areas. The beggars are usually physically handicapped or they are "faking it" to make more money. Some lay on platforms that have wheels on the bottom and they move themselves with their arms- scooting around a certain area. They have half of their legs covered and feet with some sort of fabric or rubber covering. They are trying to make it seem like they have no feet. Apparently, it used to be a common practice to cut off people's feet if they were handicapped, so others would be more likely to give more money or help them. I see this man near my subway station everyday and I always used to feel so bad for him, until I found out that he was an impostor. I tutor early in the morning and take the subway. I saw him setting up his "station" and he was WALKING. Yes, he has feet! I was so angry when I saw him and I wanted to go chew him out so badly, but I knew he wouldn't understand what I was saying. Grrr...

- Korean women wear shorts year-round. They like to sport tights/leggings under them.
- Korean women make me look like a slob, even on my best day. They wear heels EVERYWHERE. Some even wear them hiking. Stupid. They are dressed up almost daily.
- I rarely see old people with gray/white hair. I think they all get their hair dyed or have some sort of secret that I am unaware of.
- Some major cosmetic surgeries here are lightening of the skin, eye surgery to make the eyes appear rounder, and narrowing of the face and nose. Also, the usual one's that are common in the US- lipo, implants, etc.
- Korean people are very superstitious. The number 4 is an unlucky number here. In Chinese characters it means death, so Koreans try to avoid it at all costs. Many buildings use the letter H for the number 4. Imagine my confusion when I was trying to find the 4th floor in the elevator a few months ago. Also, they do not keep a room fan on throughout the night. All fans (so I've heard) have an automatic shut off. They believe that if it is kept on through out the night, they will be sucked out the window or into the fan. Yes, very strange.
-It's not strange to see men and women holding hands or locking arms with their friends of the same sex. They are very touchy-feely people.
- Even toddlers know that it is respectful to bow and do it. SO cute.
- I have a class of 3rd graders that gives me Korean language tests and sadly, I usually fail. I would love to take some classes, but none are offered when I am available.
- I want to somehow steal Koreans metabolism. Many eat awful food, but somehow stay freakin tiny! The only way I could be that small is to stop eating all together. Considering that I just finished breakfast and I am already thinking about what I will be having for lunch, I don't think that is in the cards for me.
- I was grocery shopping yesterday and saw that they sell canned bugs. They look like fatty grubs or meal worms. GROSSSSSSSS.
- Koreans are crazy about the WBC (World Baseball Classic). They were so PISSED that Korea lost to Japan. Due to Korea's long conflicting history with Japan, Korea always wants to be bigger and better than Japan. I was telling the business men this morning that I'm guessing the majority of the American people are unaware of the baseball league/championship and the fact that we lost to Japan this past week. Almost everyone follows it here and it has been the major topic of conversation among my students. Some even watched it in school!


Alrighty. That's enough for now. I am headed to a cherry blossom festival this weekend and it is supposed to be beautiful! Spring has arrived in Seoul and it is wonderful. Flowers are starting to bloom. I can't wait for summer! Hope the weather is warming up for you as well.


xoxo

Hello, Korean Father.

yo. yo. Hope you are all having a great week. I started the new school year this week. I have a few classes that are the same, but the majority of my classes are full of new students. I still have most of my favorite classes. I have a few of my kindergartners from last year's class, which is strange to say being I had them last week. ha. My new kindergartners are SO cute. I will take some pictures of them soon. They know pretty much ZERO English. They can say their name and write it. It is going to be very challenging, but fun. I am going to have to learn some more Korean words just to get by with the kindies.

There is this little hole-in-the-wall convenience store in my neighborhood. I stop there for the essentials- chips, chocolate, and other healthy goodies. For some reason, the owner of the shop reminds me of my dad. Yes, he is Korean and does not have ANY gray hair (sorry, dad), but there is just something about him that says, "Hi, I'm Dale Schwartz's Korean Twin." Yesterday, I was buying some goodies and he decided to give me a box of 4 Coca Cola glasses. There were not many words exchanged being we cannot understand each other, but there was a feeling of respect. I was completely blown away by his gift and felt very grateful. I don't really need any glasses, but they will be my new favorite items in my apartment (AKA the box) because they were given out of love. I thanked him (Kamsamida) and bowed. I do a lot of bowing in this country. It is the ultimate sign of respect. I may bow out of habit when I come home, so please do not think you are a king/queen. However, feel free to bow to me whenever you would like. :) So, I left the store with a huge smile on my face and my hand in my bag of chips. If you were wondering, they were delicious.

Another sign of respect is to take and give things with two hands, especially to someone who is older than you. Or you can use one hand, but you should be touching that arm with your other hand. For example, take chips from someone using your right hand and at the same time, your left hand should be touching your right arm. Confusing, I know.

For lunch today, I ate acorns. They were ground up and made into a brown jelly- it looked like jello, but had a harder consistency. It was ok- not great. The whole time I was eating it, I was picturing squirrels and how pissed they must be that we stole their acorns. Maybe South Koreans should stop worrying about the North and make sure that the squirrels aren't going to retaliate against them. hmmm...

I gave up everything celebrity gossip for Lent. It's not going so well. I have almost cheated by accident SO many times. I have a few websites that I USED to go to frequently (perezhilton/ people) and it's automatic to look them up when I am on my computer. I have never followed through with "giving things up" before, because I usually quit and tell myself that I don't have to do it being I'm not Catholic. We'll see... Oh no. Now I have to do it being I have made it public. Crap.

It's MARCH!!

Hellllllooooo. I hope you Minnesotans are enjoying your fresh spring snow. ha. I'm actually a LITTLE jealous. I don't think we will be getting a big snow here. The weather has taken a turn towards spring, which is making me VERY happy. A new season makes for new adventures and time to soak in the sun (you all better use sunscreen). However, I am going to soak up some of the last traces of winter and go snow boarding this coming weekend. I haven't done it since I was in 5th grade(?) during Ski Jammers (ski lessons extravaganza every Sat) and tried for an hour or so. It didn't end well. Out of frustration for my lack of awesome skills, I took off my board and walked down the hill. I haven't tried it since, but
i think Korea will be the perfect destination to be awful at something. For some reason, I have never-ending patience here. I think it's due to the fact that I am frequently lost or confused about something, so EVERYTHING takes longer. ha. I'm not sure how great the boarding will be, but I will probably be on the bunny hill and falling on my butt the majority of the day. It's all artificial snow and I'm pretty sure the mountains are more like really big hills- nothing compared to the beautiful mountains of Colorado. Anyways, I am pretty pumped and a tad nervous. If you have any tips, please pass them along.

This weekend, I went to this place called Nami Island which is on the Han River. It was pretty hilarious and odd. Supposedly, this island gained it's independence from Korea 2 years ago. I think it was more of a touristy place than anything. I guess they used to film a soap opera there. lame. They were having a festival for foreigners for the next 2 weekends, so we thought it was the perfect time to go. Plus, it was free entry for foreigners. The website said to bring your passport for proof of our "foreigner status", but got there and realized our faces gave us away. Who woulda thunk it? We got to the island and we were immediately being filmed and interviewed about the Nami experience. It was so strange. We were practically the only foreigners there. The island seemed like a small state fair in the middle of nature. I saw random bunnies that were clearly not native wild bunnies. I think the "Nami people" must have dropped off some random animals from the pet store to make it more of an animal friendly island. weird. I think it would have been better if we went during spring when everything wasn't brown and dead looking.


did you know...


-Squid, Pumpkin, sweet potato, red beans, and corn are staples in food here. If I don't know what something is, it's likely to be one of those. Have I mentioned that I HATE SQUID? I can't escape it. I walk 10 feet and I see it.
- One of the first things you would ask a potential boyfriend of girlfriend is what he/she blood type is. Strange. I guess O is the best. B is the worst. I am bloodtype A, which is an ok type. Apparently being Type "A" means that I am timid. hmmmm...
Koreans also love you if you have a narrow face, a skinny and long nose, round eyes, and very white skin. Basically, they love people who do not look Korean. It's very sad. Most Koreans, like some Americans, are very self absorbed. They are constantly looking at themselves in mirrors or anywhere they have a reflection, and taking picture of themselves on their phones. It's very funny. I can't tell you how many people I see on the subway just staring at themselves in their pocket mirrors, MEN and WOMEN. ha.
- I saw a couple wearing matching bunny ears.
- I saw an old grandma wearing a black hat with neon pink letters that said 'PIMP'. I'm guessing she doesn't know what pimp means.
- I got a card from one of my kindies, Christine, that said " Thank you for being my teacher. I liked learning in your class. I love you." I think there is a still a puddle near my desk where my heart melted. Those 3 sentences made all the bad days worth it.
- One of my alchy adult students' Bruce, (who named himself after Bruce Lee and I like to call "suck up") decided he needed to tell me that he was going to use the toilet for about 10 minutes. Apparently the alcohol from the night before was ready to leave his body. Gross. I love hearing these things at 745 a.m. It makes the beginning of class interesting and I get to laugh to myself or out loud for a good minute or two.
- I was eating a tofu/seafood soup the other day and had to remove a few disgusting things: fish brain, squid tentacles, and whole shrimp- head and legs still attached. Just another day of eating food in Korea. Inspecting my food is very important.
-You know your in Korea when a little child runs up to get a sample of sardines and eats it like candy. GROSS.
-Most, if not all koreans live with their parents until they get married. Thank God it's not like that in the US. My parents could be stuck with me until I'm 40 or worse...FOREVER! ha.