I just survived my first typhoon! Well, actually it didn't really hit Busan, and I think there was one in New Zealand when I was there, but, it was still kind of exciting. My windows shook halfway through the night. There were a few times I wondered if they would stand up to the wind. I was probably the only one who was excited about the storm, heehee!
The weather has been pretty mild so far. This makes me feel frustrated at my self for not going hiking. However, I have been doing some pretty fun things instead. Last weekend a group of friends and I participated in the annual Busan Scavenger Hunt in which foreigners and a few Koreans dress up in costumes and run around Busan making asses of themselves. It was pretty fun, but I think my team got less interested in the challenges, and more interested in taking it easy.
I went to Seoul a few weeks ago. I met my friend Chris there with a friend of his. I really like the city's cultural diversity as compared to Busan. The city is huge. I wouldn't want to live there, but I'd love to visit again. We went to a lot of markets, and drank many beverages of the adult variety. We stayed at a jjimjilbang, a Korean spa. For about five to twelve bucks a night you can sleep in a small cozy cubby hole. I hadn't slept that well in a long time! It's super dark and quiet, unlike my apartment across the street from a train station. Plus you get to wake up and soak in a hot tub. Sometimes they are natural mineral hot springs. Ooolala! There are lots of other amenities available that I hope to explore next time I go to a jjimjilbang. On Sunday I met up with my fiber arts professor from college. I had a really good time. She told me about a bojagi symposium that happens every year in Korea. I hope I get to make it while I'm here! Bojagi are traditional Korean wrapping cloths. For more info, see this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bojagi
Today I went to Costco which is almost exactly like Costco in the States. The differences? For one, if you don't go to Costco on the weekend, there are more samples in Korea. Delicious samples. Seriously, every isle. Cheese, cereal, vitamins, lotion... everything. Awesome. The products are also a bit different. You won't find a liter of worcestershire sauce here either. Nor will you find three gallons of green cake icing. And we haven't been able to find blue cheese yet. Another difference? If you purchase a membership in Korea in costs 35,000 won, or less than $35. Poop nuggets: I bought mine before I left the U.S. were it's $20 more.
I'm also pretty sure the Costco here gets a lot busier than the one I'm used to going to in Portland. If you think about it, in Korea there are far more people using the single Busan Costco, than people using the one in Portland. Busan is a much bigger city. Also, there are five Costcos in the greater Portland area. People act differently here in crowded areas. It seems like chaos to most Westerners. Last time I went I was super worried that I was going to run over a free-ranging toddler with by cart. People also get a little aggressive about the samples. Someone almost snatched a sample right out of my hand. People were literally lined up 15 deep to get steak samples. (And I mean 'literally' in the literal sense. Which is how you use the word 'literally.' Grumble grumble.)
But there are some things that are still the same; it's giant, the products come giant huge quantities, and the hot dog is still a bad idea.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
I've been in Busan for a bit over a week now. I am so excited to be in Korea! Everyone I've met has been helpful in helping me settle in to my new job and my new apartment. I finally have good internet access, and can plug my laptop in, so I can now get down to blogging.
What to write about first?
I really like my job. The little kids are adorable. One of my classes is doing art and science projects with four and five year-olds. (They are five and six in Korea, because in Korea you are one when you are born.) My other classes are strictly English classes. I'm of course still getting the hang of teaching, and probably will be for the next month or two. The school I work for makes teaching easier by providing a complete lesson plan and materials. The teacher I replaced did a great job setting me up to be prepared.
I only have one challenging class so far. They are a group of twelve year-olds who do not want to do the work, and lack confidence in their English speaking skills. They are bright kids for the most part, and relatively well-behaved, but they are totally disengaged. Most Korean kids are in school literally all day, and these guys are my last class, which begins around seven thirty. When I get them they are tired and ready to go home. Mostly they just stare at me blankly while I ask them questions to which I get no reply. There is one girl out of eight who does her homework and participates in class. With the younger kids there is a reward program for behaving and doing homework, but there is nothing in place for the older middle school aged kids. Time to buy some candy I guess.
I work with about twelve other women. That's five other foreign women and seven Korean women. Oh yeah, there's one male Korean teacher, but we never see him because he gets his own office. (Bogus, right? But it is a male-dominated culture.) I have my own desk. I feel so professional!
The neighborhood I'm living in is called Hwamyeong. It's a pretty low-key neighborhood, and kind of far away from downtown Busan. There are convenient stores everywhere, at least one on every block. They sell relatively healthy, cheap snacks, like gim bop (similar to sushi, but no raw fish) beer, and they sell bottles of soju for a dollar. Soju is a popular Korean liquor made from rice. Think really really strong sake. I like it, but not everyone does. It is pretty common to see groups of Korean men sitting at tables outside of the corner store drinking beer and soju.
The food is so so so good. Since I have my own place now I can cook. I am going to make my own gim bop and some other things. I am thinking that the cheapest and healthiest way to eat here in Korea will be to eat and cook like a Korean. Here is a Korean cooking website I *love*
www.maangchi.com
Speaking of, I am going to watch Maangchi cook up some amazing dishes. I'll write more soon.
Love yas!
What to write about first?
I really like my job. The little kids are adorable. One of my classes is doing art and science projects with four and five year-olds. (They are five and six in Korea, because in Korea you are one when you are born.) My other classes are strictly English classes. I'm of course still getting the hang of teaching, and probably will be for the next month or two. The school I work for makes teaching easier by providing a complete lesson plan and materials. The teacher I replaced did a great job setting me up to be prepared.
I only have one challenging class so far. They are a group of twelve year-olds who do not want to do the work, and lack confidence in their English speaking skills. They are bright kids for the most part, and relatively well-behaved, but they are totally disengaged. Most Korean kids are in school literally all day, and these guys are my last class, which begins around seven thirty. When I get them they are tired and ready to go home. Mostly they just stare at me blankly while I ask them questions to which I get no reply. There is one girl out of eight who does her homework and participates in class. With the younger kids there is a reward program for behaving and doing homework, but there is nothing in place for the older middle school aged kids. Time to buy some candy I guess.
I work with about twelve other women. That's five other foreign women and seven Korean women. Oh yeah, there's one male Korean teacher, but we never see him because he gets his own office. (Bogus, right? But it is a male-dominated culture.) I have my own desk. I feel so professional!
The neighborhood I'm living in is called Hwamyeong. It's a pretty low-key neighborhood, and kind of far away from downtown Busan. There are convenient stores everywhere, at least one on every block. They sell relatively healthy, cheap snacks, like gim bop (similar to sushi, but no raw fish) beer, and they sell bottles of soju for a dollar. Soju is a popular Korean liquor made from rice. Think really really strong sake. I like it, but not everyone does. It is pretty common to see groups of Korean men sitting at tables outside of the corner store drinking beer and soju.
The food is so so so good. Since I have my own place now I can cook. I am going to make my own gim bop and some other things. I am thinking that the cheapest and healthiest way to eat here in Korea will be to eat and cook like a Korean. Here is a Korean cooking website I *love*
www.maangchi.com
Speaking of, I am going to watch Maangchi cook up some amazing dishes. I'll write more soon.
Love yas!
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