North Korea Needs a Time-Out

Things are a little tense in South Korea. They lost a former president to suicide this week and of course, North Korea is being ridiculous. I am fine. North Korea is definitely on my mind, but it is not something that I am going to lose sleep over. If things progressively get worse, I may have to make some decisions. Until then, I will be living life to the fullest and enjoying my time here. I am optimistic. It's hard not to be here. South Koreans are not fazed by the conflict. It has been going on far too long. So, maybe I am being naive, but I am choosing to be that way until action needs to be taken. I am happy. That is enough right now. <3

xoxo

Can't Feel My Toes

This weekend I got to know Buddha a little better. I went with 5 other friends/new friends to a "temple stay" at Hwa Gye Sa International Zen Center and monastery. It took about 45 minutes by subway and bus to reach our destination. It was surrounded by for forest and it was right next to a small mountain. I went into it with no expectations because I had no clue what I was getting myself into. We arrived at 2 pm Saturday afternoon. We got out room assignments and our fabulous brown vest that we had to wear all weekend. The vest reminded me of something I would wear if I worked at Walmart. It was awesome. We had an introduction meeting with our "master" (head monk of the monastery) who told us what our schedule would be like and taught us how to do three bows. The significance of bowing is 1. respect and 2. releasing all of our "junk" from inside of us (worldly thoughts/worries) and dropping them to the ground. After we headed to the mountain for a hike, which is used as a meditation tool. The monks are very healthy- eat well and exercise everyday.

Dianne, Brittney, and I Checking out the nice view on the hike. AMAZING.  

The sanctuary was so packed Sunday afternoon that people had to chant/bow outside.


Rock piles of wishes/prayers/thoughts.


Our "master". A pretty sweet guy. 
After the hike, we headed to dinner. It was so good! They served my favorite Korean meal- Bibimbop. It is rice (bop), veggies (mushrooms, carrots, lettuce, etc), spicy sauce, egg, and seaweed, YUMMM. Apparently, that is their typical menu because we ended up having it at every meal. (YES!)





A monk ringing the drum signifying the beginning of the evening sessions of chanting and meditation.


After dinner, we headed up to the meditation room for two, 30 minute blocks of meditation with a 10 minute break in between for us visitors. Before we entered and left the room, we had to bow our heads to these gold statues of Buddha. Then we choose a mat to sit on and waited for the session to begin. We sat on pillows and had to have our legs crossed and create an egg shape with our hands. I couldn't move my legs when we were finished. It was painful. After meditation, we headed to the sanctuary place (I have no clue what it was called) for chanting and bowing. Again the room was filled with TONS of gold Buddhas. It was kinda creepy. The ceiling was filled with lotust lanterns. The lotust is a very important symbol in Buddhism due to it's difficult blooming process. The flower itself blooms in mud, thus it has to have the perfect conditions . If people are able to have a lotust flower bloom in their own lives, it means they have reached Enlightenment. They have somehow made it through the dark, thick mud of humanity to become an "Enlightened one". After the wonders of chanting were over, we had a short discussion about our sessions and then went to bed at 9:00. I haven't gone to bed that early since junior high. We were woken up at 3:00 AM for 45 minutes of meditation, which included bowing 108 times. Yes, 108 times. I tried to keep up, but these monks were machines. I think all of us foreigners maybe did half the amount. I couldn't feel my legs when we were finished. Pleasant. NOT. Oh, and when I say bowing, I do not mean bowing my head. We bowed with our WHOLE body-standing up, then going down to our knees, then putting hands and head on the mat, and then getting up using only your legs. IT WAS SOOOOOO HARD. The monks must have fabulous legs. I am sooo sore right now. PLUS, try doing that at 3:45 AM. We then headed to the sanctuary for more chanting and bowing. You can imagine how thrilled I was when I realized I was going to have to bow MORE. Pain.
We ended the morning at 6:00 AM with breakfast and cleaning of the temple grounds. Then we all took a nap and missed our last 30 minute session of meditation, which we all wanted to go to but our bodies were not cooperating.





Many of you may be wondering why I would go on a "temple stay" when I claim to be a Christian. Well, I believe that is it really important to be educated and learn about other cultures other than my own. Many people in Korea and the world practice Buddhism and I wanted to be more informed about it and try to understand it. Also, I wanted to be able to tell my future students about my experiences in Asia and this is part of Asian culture. When I was participating in the activities of meditation and bowing, I was not picturing Buddha as I was bowing but of my own God. Jesus. Also, I only observed the chanting. They were speaking in Korean, so it was very difficult to participate nor did I really want to.

SO, What I learned.... Errr... MORE confused about...It was A LOT...

- Buddhism is filled with MANY rituals that I don't quite understand nor see how they are important. Although, some may say the same things of Christianity.
- People give sacrificial gifts to Buddha, but I don't understand the significance. He is a not a God to them nor does he have any power. Buddhism is about finding Enlightenment inside yourselves, yet they bow to statues of Buddha that have nothing to do with reaching their own Enlightenment inside themselves. It seems like a waste to me. I hope they use all of the fruit and other foods that are offered to Buddha.
- Our "master" was very careful not to give us to much insight or information about things because it was our responsibility to find the answers inside ourselves. He did not want to sway us from reaching our own Enlightenment. One of his students was trying to find an answer to an ancient riddle-like story. The "master" wouldn't tell her the answer and it took her 2 YEARS to get it right. How frustrating! I am glad that I have a Teacher who will give me the answers and I don't have to rely on my own genius self for them.
- Monks are very welcoming, generous, and loving people. I think they could do a lot of good within this world if they left the monastery more often. Meditating for 9 hours a day isn't helping feed starving children or cleaning up our Earth.
- I have new sense of thankfulness. I am thankful for my faith and religion. I am thankful that I do not have to rely on myself to reach Enlightenment because I am far too selfish and too human to ever get to that place. I am thankful that I am never alone in my fight on this Earth.
- There was a quote inside the meditation room that said something like " In the 24 hours of each day, I will not make anything." I don't understand the meaning or what "making" is referring to, but I am thankful that I am able to use my mind, and use it hopefully for good. I make mistakes daily, but I know that I am forgiven. phew.
- Basically, I now have more questions than answers about Buddhism, so I need to read up on it.

Overall, I had a wonderful weekend full of learning. I am so glad that I went. I was a peaceful and self-awakening weekend. I will probably be sore for a few days, but at least I will have rock-hard, toned legs for a few days. Also, I have a greater appreciation for Buddhism, it's culture, and it's people.

yahhooo.

ps. I can feel my toes now.

Be Sweet

So, I had my first "I strongly dislike Korea" experience this week. On Monday, a 5th grade student of mine told me he was having a bad day because his mother slapped him. He completely caught me off guard and I didn't really know what to say. I asked him why, and he said it was due to a bad grade on his grammar test. He got a B. My heart broke for him. I told him he was a good student, not to give up, and that I was sorry that happened. I couldn't believe that a mother would completely overact about a B. Geesh. There was nothing that I could do about the situation. There are no procedures to follow or anyone to call and report to. Korea is advanced in many ways, but when it comes to family matters, all hands are tied. I was talking to my friends about the situation and they couldn't believe that this was my first time hearing about children getting abused by parents due to bad grades. Apparently, public schools have been sending letters home with students discouraging parents' harsh punishments and intense pressure on students. They believe that there is large correlation between the pressure students face and with the suicide rate, which Korea ranks as 8th largest in the world. Speaking of death, my students are always talking about death in class. I'm not sure if that is a common topic of discussion for all students in elementary school, but it is here. If a student is absent from class and the class doesn't know why, they tell me that he or she has died and then they laugh about it. I think it is really strange.

Since I began teaching, I never realized how important it is for children to get positive encouragement from their parents,siblings, teachers, and loved ones. Sure, we all enjoy encouragement, but these kids THRIVE off of it. When I read their diaries, they always write about how someone said they did a great job in academics or activities. They will write a full page about happy they feel and how they are going to keep trying hard. Kids don't need the latest toys or electronics. Yes, they have a blast playing with them for a while, but what they need is free of cost. The things that really matter to them is feeling loved and encouraged. Please remember that when you are with your child or someone else's. Have you told them today how important they are and how you are proud of their accomplishments with the ABC's or on their effort in math? Do it. Spend time with them. You never know, your small, simple words of encouragement may be their next diary entry. It could be the
highlight of their week, month, year, or lifetime.



A mom with her children at a museum. Showing them how to draw.
xoxo

Are You There People? It's Me, Megan.

Hellllooo. Hope all is well with you! It has been a busy few weeks here. We got a new teacher at my school last week, which is really exciting! Her name is Patty and she is from New York. She is really cool! Yeah for new friends! She lives in my building as well. We have been hanging out a lot and I've been showing her the ropes in Seoul. It's kinda fun being on the other side of things- not being the lost, new person. Although, I have gotten her lost with my fabulous sense of direction. haha. It's weird to think that I have been here almost 7 months and I am not new anymore. Wowsers. I have been meeting a lot more people in the recent. It seems like people are coming out from hiding after a long winter or something. I am definitely loving it here even more. Spring/summer always makes things better. BUT I miss you all terribly.

It was Buddha's bday a couple weeks ago and I went to a temple near my house to check out all the lanterns. It was beautiful. The pictures don't do it justice. People who practice Buddhism, treat Buddha's bday as Christians would for Christmas.









It was teacher's day here on Friday. It. Was. Awesome! It was like Christmas. I got tons of flowers, nylons (strange), body spray, cute cards, food,lotion, and a very generous gift certificate to OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE. Yahoo. Honestly, my favorite gifts were the cards from students saying they loved me. That is why I am a teacher- to make a difference. I hope that is why people are teachers and if not, maybe they need to pick a new profession.

Did you know....

- A plastic surgeon/ dermatologist came up to me in the subway last week, pointed to my freckles, and started speaking Korean to me. After a few minutes of trying to communicate with each other and not understanding what he was saying, the man next to me turned to me and said, " He wants to change your face." AKA laser off your freckles. I was pissed. Who does that?? I kindly said no and smiled (the fakest smile in the history of the world), while saying curse words in my head. grrr. Thankfully, I am not 13 or I would be scarred for life. Please, be nice to the speckled folk.
- while shopping for shoes this past weekend, I realized I have a bigger size than almost all of the stores sell. Just call me "Big Foot". Welcome to Asia.
- Korea celebrates "Parents' Day". They used to only celebrate "Mother's Day", but 15 years ago the fathers got angry that they weren't being recognized, so they combined the day for both parents.
- Korean daughters are very much pressured by their families to "live the dream". Daughters are very likely to do everything their parents tell them and it's very rare for them to disobey their wishes. For example, career choices, traveling, education, etc. Remember, Korean children live with their parents/family until they marry. I would be a bad Korean daughter.
- Koreans DO NOT want to be tan. They purchase face/skin products to whiten their skin.
- My first grade students asked me if I had freckles on my butt. After I stopped laughing hysterically, I told them not to worry about it.
- I bought a guitar last week. I went with my friend Christina to a park to play around with my new toy. I took it out of the bag and was trying to figure out how to put the strap on. I noticed the all these old men were surrounding us. I asked Christina why they were staring at us and before she could answer, I realized they were waiting for the concert to begin. My concert. After I almost peed myself from laughing, I quickly put the guitar away. The men left.
- I met someone from Golden Valley, MN this past weekend. I knew exactly where she lived. It was was very strange. Small world.

I have some news that I really DO NOT want to admit, but I must. I have been secretly enjoying kimchi for the last couple months. I wanted to tell you, but I felt ashamed. I bashed it and swore I would never enjoy it, but my taste buds changed. I couldn't help it. I am really sorry. Forgive me.

I NEED YOUR HELP. I am wanting to volunteer in November (1-2 weeks), somewhere in Asia (close to Korea), before I leave Korea. If any of you know anyone or have any ideas, please contact me. I will go anywhere, money permitting of course. Thanks. "Here I am, send me."
megan.schwartz09@gmail.com

I miss you all. Think of you always. Let's chat soon.

xoxo Megs

ps. Does anyone still read this blog???

Doin it like Moses, Korean style.

The starfish wanted to say "hi". ps. I did not put them there.

yo, yo . I hope you all had wonderful week! It is a short week for me, because I don't have school on Friday (Korean Labor Day). I am going to buy a guitar tomorrow. I have always wanted to play, but I never had the time or patience to do it. Now I have the time, but we will see if I have the patience. Hmm... I will let you know. I know a few people who play here, so I am hoping they will feel like helping a musically challenged human. Yes, I am human. Maybe I will shock everyone and be an amazing player. Then I will call up Kenny Chesney or John Mayer (we are very close) and tell them to add me to their band. That sounds wonderful. Maybe I do have a plan after Korea...

Last weekend I went to a southern island called Jindo, which is connected to Korea by bridge. It was a quick weekend- overnight bus Friday night, arrived at about 430 am, and left Sunday afternoon. We had a hotel reserved but when we called to get the exact location, they told us that they gave our room away. In a panic, we called a few other hotels from our handy tourist info and luckily someone answered. Most of the places around Korea close at night. The people who work there live there as well, so they don't stay open to answer phone calls from desperate foreigners. We ended up staying at this youth hostel next to the festival- perfect location. Our room included blankets and a mat to sleep on. Yes, I paid to sleep on the floor. I don't know how Koreans do it. Some Koreans chose to sleep on the floor, especially older people. The younger generations mostly sleep on beds. One of my businessmen students sleeps on the floor every night at home- by choice. Strange. My back was killing me by the end of the weekend. Anyways, Jindo was having the 'Parting of the Seas Festival'. Yes, doin it like Moses. That's how I roll. For two days, Three times a year, the sea literally parts and you can walk to a nearby island. We didn't quite make it to the island due to the tides raising and not wanting to swim back to the beach. There was starfish EVERYWHERE. It was pretty cool. I think I saved at least 20 starfish from death-by-human-feet. I'm sure they were thankful by my heroic acts.



My group of friends I went with!



People were gathering seaweed and cutting it from the sea, being the tides were so low. They were also digging for clams, mussels, and other creatures.

Korean woman who was clearly very "smart". Her boyfriend/husband looked very annoyed. Check out her high heels.


Being silly.

chillin. Searching for seaweed and other unknown creatures.


Doin it like Moses, Korean style.

Korean grandmas being super cute. I want to steal one and bring her home. The statue represents the legend behind the parting of the seas. "According to the legend, an old lady, who was left alone after all the Jindo villagers took shelter in Modo (nearby island) when dangerous tigers showed up in Jindo, eagerly prayed to the Sea God hoping to meet her family again, and the Sea God listened to her prayer and parted the sea, granting her wish."


My first Korean mullet experience. SO hot.

Korean grandmas are known here for the HUMUNGOUS visors and elaborate hiking gear. They would fit in with the Colorado fashion.


Future Christmas card.


Well, my weekend has begun. It's Buddha's bday on Sunday, so I will be headed to a temple to see the celebrations. Have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy. Relax. Take your vitamins. Don't kiss strangers who look like they have the flu. love. xoxo

ps. My friend Reuben left this week and is headed back to MN to work at Youth Works this summer. Nan and Paul, if you're reading this, we (Brittney and I) think you should "find" a reason to fire him so he comes back quicker. K. thanks. Sorry, Reuben. Not. :)

6th month Anniversary. Awwww.

My neighborhood!

Hello! I have been slacking on this lately, sorry. Well, the cherry blossoms have completely disappeared here in Korea. They were beautiful! It crazy how time flies. I went to another cherry blossom festival here in Seoul! It was really cool. Somehow, the trees here appear to change colors at night- almost like lights were shining on them or that they were decorated with lights...hmmm... I wonder how that happens. Nature is so mysterious. ;) Here a few pics!



Even dogs with diapers need to see the cherry blossoms...






I had a day off a weekish ago and I went to the west coast of Korea and spent the day at the beach. It was so relaxing and a great change of scenery. It took about 3 hours to get there, so didn't have much time. We ate an interesting lunch of unknown creatures that the little town was known for. When they are ready to eat, the clam looking ones open up on their own. Strange. I am not a fan of rubbery textured creatures, so I was pretty proud of myself for eating it. I think the wine helped. ha. I felted really awful as the creatures were cooking because the were still alive. The seafood that you eat in Korea is usually VERY fresh. There are tanks outside the restaurant that are filled with crazy creatures- some that you would wonder how ANYONE would ever think of eating. The view from the beach was not clear during the day due to the yellow dust that is in the air these days. It is some sort of pollen from China that blows here every spring. I think it is almost gone, thankfully. You could feel it in the air. I acquired allergies here, which I have never had in my life. Some people where face masks here to avoid the dust. I'm a tough guy, so I don't need it.





Today, I have officially been in Korea 6 months! I can't believe how fast time has passed. I have done a lot of things that I never dreamed that I would do, EVER! Actually, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would live in Korea. It wasn't that I didn't think it was possible, it just never crossed my mind. I have talked with my friends a lot here about this ride that we are on and none of us ever thought that we would do this. I am so grateful for this experience. I wouldn't change a single thing about these last 6 months, although I wish I didn't have to miss out on all of your lives back home. One of my closest friends got married yesterday- my first friend in my group of friends and I was so bummed that I missed it. Love you, Claire.

I have a lot of exciting things to do in the next 6 months here in Korea and Asia- I can't wait!!! I'm going to do my best to live in the moment and enjoy my time here.

I hope you are all well. I just read about the Swine flu that is going around-scary. Be careful. Take your vitamins.

Did you know...

- I got head butted on my back by a granny who wanted me to move out of her way while I was waiting for a crosswalk sign to turn green.
- During holidays, it is customary for your family to visit your husband's family first and spend the most time there. Basically, the wife's family gets the shaft. Lame...or wonderful if your wife's family is rather annoying.
- Of few of my businessman students had a wild evening out last week and the oldest student,50ish, passed out during class. It was hilarious and tried so hard not to laugh.
- One of my 4th grade students pointed to his middle finger and told me that he knows what it means and then proceeded to say it. I had to turn around and compose myself- put on a serious face and then scold him. Geez... teaching cute, clueless kids is so hard sometimes.
- My middle schoolers gave me a test to see if I was a psycho path. Apparently, I passed and I am a full-fledged psychopath. I like to remind them daily. Sadly, they aren't afraid of me.
- It is common for most Koreans to begin dating in college, because they don't have time to date in highschool- too much studying.
- It is common for a couple to invite 4 of their single friends (2 girls and 2 guys) to dinner, sort of like a blind date. At the end of the "date" the females will write the name of the guy that they like on a piece of paper and then they will start dating if the feeling is mutual. I guess there used to be a popular dating show that followed those rules and it has been adopted into the Korean dating culture. strange.

You Ate WHAT!!!!!

Hello! I have been without my computer for the past week, which has completely sucked! I never realized how dependent I am on it these days. It's my only source to the outside world- phone, tv, news,etc. So, I hope all of you have been well. We found out that my gpa's cancer has not spread, so they will be removing a portion of his ear and he SHOULD be CANCER-FREE!!!! :) woohhooo. He is quite the fighter. Thanks for all your prayers. He said that he could feel them.

Last weekend I went south to a cherry blossom festival. Apparently, it is one of the largest in the world. We took an overnight bus Friday night and arrived in Jinhae around 5:00 am- southern coast. We hadn't made any arrangements for a hotel, so we ended up walking around for a good hour or two before we found something that was available. As much as I love adventures and living in the moment, I do not enjoy walking around at 5:00 AM looking for a place to sleep. Brittney and I talked about how we felt we were having deja vu- simular to our unpleasant sleeping experience in Tokyo. However, this time we were not alone and we were only followers, not leaders. Phew. The festival was a lot of fun. I felt like I was on vacation, which was greatly needed. The blossoms were beautiful, but my favorite part was being in the harbor and smelling sea air. AMAZING. It has been about 4 years since I have been along the coast. The harbor was filled with old navy ships and the navy base was right next to the harbor. I saw a lot of cute navy boys in their uniforms. Oooolala. Now I know how my gpa hooked my grandma. ha.


The Jinhae experience was very.. interesting. I had a great time! I tried food that I never thought I would eat, EVER! I was pressured to try octopus. When I say octopus, I mean octopus that was still moving. It's like how chickens still run around with their heads cut off (gross)- octupus do the same thing, but with their tentacles. It was very amusing. Thankfully, I washed it down with a shot of Soju. The Korean alcohol of choice. ha. I have attached a video for your viewing pleasure. The piece I ate was very small, but it still counts. I was terrified. There wasn't much flavor, but the texture was awful. You have to chew it really well before you swallow, or otherwise the tentacles can attach and stick to you. People have actually died from eating it so fresh and choking. ha. I'm a badass. I also ate stinky tofu soup! It was really stinky but SO good! The old woman (in her 70's/80's) said her soup was famous. She goes to the mountains and gathers wild vegetables that she makes into side dishes. It was so good!




Click on video. I look and sound like goon. I was really afraid and finally gave into the pressure. Beware. Don't judge me. I guess you can, if you want.


Octopus!!!


Creatures unknown. The mussels were delicious!




My friend Brittney and Dianne at the pier.




Ahhh... I told you couples like to wear matching clothes. haha. I love it!


Yes, here is proof that Koreans DO eat bugs. grody.


ahhh how cute.












Ohh la la. They were calling me.










So, it was a great trip! I have made a few decisions about my future plans. I will be leaving Korea Nov 13ish and then I will be traveling for about 5 weeks in Southeast Asia with my friend Brittney and possibly others. I'm currently trying to get Brad Pitt to join us, but he isn't sure if it will work with his schedule. We are planning on going to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. We have A LOT of planning and research ahead of us and I can't wait!! I'm so excited! I'm not sure where I will go after that, but i'm sure it will come to me..eventually. If you have any advice, jobs, traveling advice/tips, Easter candy (ahhh I am CRAVING it) or anything else that would be beneficial, please pass it along.


I will be posting another blog ASAP. I am almost caught up! Love you all! :)

xoxo

ps. Grandpa- the navy pics are for you. :)