Seoul Searching

Eventually we felt ready to venture outside of our immediate area, and decided to go to E Mart, which we had heard so much about. E MART is a giant supermarket/ taste testing haven. Most of the food was unfamiliar, so we adopted for the policy of "point and try". It's not always the best policy, by the way. I'm afraid to say we still have not mastered the check out line either. We have both learned how to ask "How much?", but it is all in vain since neither of us ever understands their response, so it's always a wad of cash handed over and fingers crossed that we're not going to be completely ripped off. Once we'd finished our shopping we realized there was no way we could get all of our things on the bus, so we hailed a taxi. An easy task right? As soon as we got in the taxi, Ian and I looked at the driver, looked at each other, and that's when it hit us. How were we going to get home? We still weren't exactly sure how to get back to our house, and we certainly weren't sure how to get that across to the driver in Korean. This was when a new tradition began - phoning Mia, my head teacher, telling her the problem, and having her speak to whomever we needed her to. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful we are for that.

Korean subways are interesting places. They are very nice actually. New ones are built practically everyday, and they are clean and innovative. They are also well prepared for emergencies. Every few meters there are glass cases full of gas masks in all varieties. There is only one oxygen tank though, so I wonder who gets that. I guess its supposed to make us feel more secure, but really it's just a reminder that it's there for a reason. A very unsettling reason. One other interesting thing in not only the subways, but located absolutely EVERYWHERE are mirrors. Oh the vanity!!! It is shocking. You know how you see those people pretending to look in store windows, but you know they're really looking at their reflection? (Okay, I admit I do that sometimes) Well, you never see that here because it is SO socially acceptable to openly admire yourself anywhere that everyone does it, everywhere, all the time. The thing is, no one uses just any old glossy surface because, getting back to my point, there are mirrors located EVERYWHERE! I mean every 5 meters of this city, a full length mirror is set up. They are in the most random spots, and there is always someone in front of one. The scummiest alley way will have a mirror, the back of bathroom stall doors have mirrors on them, so you can do your make-up while doing your business. What finally made me think, "This is getting out of hand", was when Ian and I were hiking through the forest, I mean, in the middle of no where, and suddenly came face to face with ourselves.

Ian and I spent our next few weekends playing tourist. We visited the National museum, and an ancient palace. Finally we organized with some other teachers to actually make our way out of Seoul and head to the beach. Sorry, I should say the "beach". We enthusiastically boarded the bus to the beach, ready for a day of fun in the sun. As we sat chatting excitedly about our day ahead, a man in front of us turned around and told us to be quiet. We were already talking at a reasonable level for public transport, but brought it down to a whisper just to appease him. Within two minutes, he turned around again angrily, and that is when we realized he didn't want us to just be quiet, he didn't want us talking....at all. Our friend Michael who's lived here for awhile now, casually said, "Oh yeah, you're not really supposed to talk on public transport here." Uhh, right. We stopped talking, but the next two hours were anything but silent, as we were serenaded the rest of the way by the loud guttural gurgles of Korean men clearing their sinuses. You see, that IS acceptable on public transport.

We've discovered that mucous sucking men on buses aren't the only ones who can be unfriendly. Surprisingly, our fellow foreigners can also be downright rude. Since Ian and I have both traveled quite a bit, we're used to meeting and talking with other travelers. After-all, we're all away from home, all basically going through the same things. So naturally when Ian and I see other foreigners our initial instinct is to say, "Hello". Maybe it's weird because in the end we are still strangers, but we're strangers obviously not in our own country. So imagine our surprise when repeatedly being snubbed by other foreigners. What's the deal? I think it may be a complete cycle because as time goes by, I find myself more and more hesitant to acknowledge other foreigners based on growing experiences, but Ian views this as a challenge. He will go out of his way to make any rude foreigner feel like a jerk, by practically cornering them and pointedly saying "Hello!" Oh Ian, always out to make the world a better place.

Well, that's the update for now!

Seoul Discoveries

Throughout the next few weeks we found out that we are living in the second richest area in Seoul. Pretty much every person owns two Mercedes, oh, except for us. We don't have one. We don't even have bicycles. Actually, we don't even have proper walking shoes! We also discovered many things Korea provides for us. Things like padded sidewalks - all the sidewalks are covered in recycled tire. Great to jog on, and non-slip when it rains. Why don't they have these everywhere?! Unfortunately, at intersections the rubber is rimmed with marble so when you're going at a good pace on the sidewalk, as soon as you hit an intersection you find your feet flying out from under you. Okay, so not everything is fully thought through. 

Besides rubber sidewalk, some other VERY cool inventions that exist in Korea that Ian and I feel should be mandatory in other countries include: Traffic directing robots. Arrows on crosswalks going one way, and beside it going the other way so that people don't run into each other when crossing the road. No one really follows them, but its a good idea anyway. Doorbells on each table in a restaurant for service. They come when you need them, and they're not bothering you when you don't. Numbered seating in movie theaters. Choose your seats, and come when the movie starts. No line-up. Brilliant. Special stands placed at entrances that you stick your wet umbrellas into and it instantly wraps your umbrella in a plastic bag. Genius. One invention that we still think is great, but can pose a major problem for the new-comer is floor heating. When Ian and I first arrived in Korea, we learned that we had to turn the hot water heater on in order to get, well...hot water. Unfortunately, the button for it was on a contraption on the wall, which happened to have about 10 other buttons on it, all explaining themselves...in Korean. We figured out how to turn on the hot water, but with hot water also came a VERY hot floor. In the dead of summer, the last thing you need is floor heating. This dilemma plagued us for weeks, until finally one day I couldn't stand it anymore and stubbornly tried every combination of buttons on and off in order to save not only our energy bill, but what was left of our sanity.

The culture shock was setting in nicely, and continued right into our first day in a shopping mall. One Saturday morning, Ian and I went to a plaza nearby and walked up to the door of a department store. The doors were closed and standing on the other side of them were four women slowly bowing up and down, up and down, up and down. Who were they bowing to? There was no one around. As we watched, it started to look really creepy. We asked each other, "Are they robots?" I walked forward to take a closer look. I reached out to open the department store door, and met eyes with one of the robots. Her expression changed to what I can only described as panic. Instantly a security guard was at my side, sternly informing us that the department store wasn't open yet. Ian and I looked around and saw that a large group of people were standing outside waiting. We had just march right by them and right up to the door to open it. We had just ruined their perfectly timed, totally flawless, morning ritual. A few minutes later, with one final bow, the robot women stepped forward with large plastic smiles and opened the doors. A mad rush ensued, and the women resumed their creepy, perfectly timed bowing ritual. What is this scary little world we have now found ourselves living in? **Shudder**

Seoul Food

Being that Ian's birthday was the week we arrived, I had to jump into action quickly. As it turned out, the teachers at my school were all really nice, so I coaxed as many as I could to come out for our first Friday night. A group of us went out to a Korean restaurant. Ian and I had our first real introduction to Korea's national dish, kimchi, which is fermented chili cabbage. It wasn't love at first taste, although usually it isn't for the first time taster. But eventually it is said that against all odds, and wills, the flavor of fermented cabbage starts to haunt you until one day it becomes a full on craving. Then you're hooked. Its almost like an initiation. Once you can stand the taste of kimchi, you can truly make it in this country. Sort of like how kissing a fish in Newfoundland makes you an official Newfy. Well, sort of. With the kimchi came soju, the national drink. Its a very cheap rice alcohol that will knock the wind out of you if you're not careful.

Eating in a Korean restaurant is an experience all on its own. There are what seems like hundreds of side dishes served with every meal, and there is no point trying to finish any one of them, as they get refilled instantly. At the end of each meal, there is alway a table full of uneaten food that is left behind. Since doggy bags do not exist in this country, it is painful leaving so much food behind, knowing how good it would be for lunch tomorrow. No wonder South Korea is considered one of the most wasteful countries. It is SO true.

In Korea, meals are eaten communally, so if there is something you want to eat, you have to be aware that everyone else has free reign over it as well. This irritates Ian so much that for awhile, he was boycotting dinners out at Korean restaurants altogether. However, this really evolved from the fact that Ian is incapable of using chopsticks, and Koreans have, well lets say a very 'healthy' appetite. In fact, it's down right jaw dropping to watch them eat. Such little people can ingest SO MUCH food and AGGRESSIVELY! Many an injury is suffered by getting in the way of flying chopsticks scrambling to get the last piece of sweet and sour pork. So while all the food is devoured at breakneck speed, Ian is left struggling to pick up his first piece of chicken. Poor guy, he almost starved his first week here.

After dinner, we hit a few bars and a norebang, which is a private karaoke room complete with a huge screen, two microphones, a stage, free ice cream and beer, and a box of instruments to suit ones needs. No wonder norebangs are so popular over here. They are the greatest things since.....well, I can't really think of a single thing to compare them to. That's pretty much the running theme with everything we've encountered here so far. It only gets better!

Korea's Heart and Seoul

Our flight to Seoul was a complete blur. We have been on so many planes this year, that they're all starting to blend into one memory. We arrived on a beautiful day. As apprehensive as we were, we kept our smiles on, and tried to think good thoughts, as our bus from the airport drove into a grey Lego city, where each cookie cutter building had a giant number stamped on it. I imagine it is the only way anyone would be able to find their home.

Miriam, my director, met us when our bus arrived in Bundang. As we approached our area where we would be living, the scenery greatly improved. The buildings melted away, to reveal big, beautiful mountains surrounding us. I tried to look for street names, but like parking spaces, they don't really exist. "Parking" here means stopping your car anywhere, and just leaving it there, whether it be completely on the road, halfway around a turn at an intersection, on the sidewalk, or directly across our front door, which has been the case every day so far.

Finally, we arrived at our new apartment/closet, whichever way you look at it. It was everything they had said it would be. A fully furnished apartment. What they forgot to mention was that we could stand in the middle of the room and ALMOST touch all four walls. After south east Asia, the fact that we had our own bathroom (which is nearly half of our apartment), running hot water, and an actual washing machine was enough to make us barely notice the things that were lacking. ie. space. In fact, we were pleased to discover that we didn't even have to get out of bed to reach anything we needed from inside the fridge. However, I might say I was a bit surprised when in the bathroom I turned on the tap to brush my teeth, and had the shower head above the sink erupt to life and attack me with freezing water. You're probably wondering who in their right mind would install a shower head above a bathroom sink. We are still asking that question. Another surprise was our computer table which is really just a tray that slides out from under the television on the T.V. stand. So while I work on the computer, Ian can watch the top two inches of the T.V. screen. It's perfect. We spent the weekend unpacking and trying to rearrange furniture to create a bit more space. We ended up rotating it around the room until everything ended up exactly where it started. We'll get used to it right?

We also explored our area and I soon decided Bundang is one of the most beautiful places I have lived. It has a very European feel, with tree lined streets and tall thin apartments. Also, We're in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains and forest. We can't really ask for much more.

Monday morning we were woken by what sounded like an announcement echoing through the streets. We understood nothing except for a man's urgent voice booming from a loud speaker. Omigosh, we were being attacked by North Korea! What else could it be? Bleary-eyed, we stumbled to the window to find out what the emergency was. A man in a truck full of tomatoes was cruising down the street, obviously DESPERATE to sell them. Yeesh! So if North Korea actually does attack, what will THAT announcement be like? It didn't take us long to realize Koreans LOVE megaphones. Our first shopping experience was...an experience. As we walked through the isles of dried squid and pickled pigs feet we were serenaded by a man with a megaphone, who seemed to be following us. Maybe it's that phenomenon where he knew we didn't understand, and thought it would help to speak louder. Not sure. Either way he took it too far. The longer we stayed, the louder it seemed to get, until, with grocery bags flying, we were running for the door. Yes, shopping, as it turns out is an excruciating experience, especially for the eardrums. I've decided the next time I go to the grocery store, I'm bringing my own megaphone so I can follow him around, and at full volume, ask for his help.

My first day of school went well....for me anyway. I don't know about my kids. I was nervous as anything since I've never stood in front of a classroom before. I have eight different classes teaching listening, speaking and writing to children ages 5-16. In general the kids are good. My school is called a Hagwon which is actually an after-school English school. Education is taken very seriously here, so by the time the kids come to our school in the afternoon, they've already been in school all day. When some of them finish up at 9pm at night, the majority go on to yet, ANOTHER school for something else. It actually seems cruel, but I guess that's one of the many cultural things we'll have to get used to.


During our first week, we discovered the forest across the street has about 50 different hiking trails, so we've been going on hikes every other day. What we discovered on the second day blew our minds. About a half hour down one of the trails we came across a clearing, and in it was a bunch of outdoor gym equipment! Free outdoor gym equipment under a canopy of trees, and it is very secluded. Imagine doing sit-ups, while birds fly around you. Its even better when I can get a squirrel to spot me.

I think we're gonna like it here. : )

Back to Australia

After weeks debating what to do once our Thailand visas had run out, we decided our best option was to go somewhere where we could use a computer without a per minute rate, sleep in a bed that hadn't been slept in by a thousand others, and as ridiculous as it sounds, relax for a few weeks, while getting our bearings and figuring out what our next move was. We felt the winds from the north stirring, so we allowed them to carry us back to the little island we had once inhabited. The island of Oz.

Ian's parents picked us up from the airport, and in a way it felt like we had never left. It always does feel that way though, doesn't it? We got right back into the groove of Australian life. I had almost forgot about the three Bs. Beer, Barbecue, and Bread. What? Something OTHER than stir-fried rice and cheap Thai whiskey? My system almost shut down. Before we had even put our bags down, the questions started rolling in. How long are you staying? Where are you going next? We weren't altogether sure ourselves, but we were aiming toward Korea in approximately three weeks. Although everyone was really supportive about the idea, undoubtedly, some were very surprised that Ian of all people would consider teaching in Korea for an entire year, and questioned how realistic we were being. "What if you don't like it out there?... A year is a long time." "How will you be able to teach English if you don't speak any Korean?" We definitely had the same doubts.

Within days the suits we had had made in Vietnam finally arrived. It became painfully clear what a bad idea it was to have gotten fitted for suits while trying to recover from hook-worm. Nothing came even close to buckling, buttoning or zipping up. Sigh...I blame it on the three Bs. Meanwhile, Ian's suits fit like a glove, of course, so it was only necessary for him to model them (just to be sure), while gloating about his freakish metabolism. No, no bitterness here.

The weeks flew by. We used computers, slept in proper beds, and ate as much bread as we could handle. Ian was able to work for a few weeks, which eased our minds a bit. From the moment we landed, our savings were under constant attack. How had we forgotten how incredibly expensive Australia is? While Ian worked, I spent days going through our thousands of pictures. Pretty much the most tedious thing I've ever done. It was a nice surprise to find out we were missing a bunch of photos that should have been on a CD we had had burned for us. Tip: Never let someone else burn your cards to CDs while in Asia. Apparently, they don't care whether they have burned your pictures or someone else's onto your disc. Lesson learned.

The highlight of our stay was a short trip up to Mt. Hothom to visit Ian's sister Maree, and her boyfriend Orm. Maree and Orm live in a little mud brick cottage that Orm's father had built decades ago. Although it lacked electricity and an indoor toilet, it made up for it in charm. We had a great time hiking,(Ian saw a bunch of platypus in the river next to their place) barbequing, and bonfiring. For two days Orm and Maree built up a bonfire the size of a house. They invited over their neighbors, who weren't exactly close by since Orm's driveway alone is 14 km long and is surrounded by remote kangaroo country. We found out pretty quickly that kangaroos were not the only creatures to inhabit the area. One of the first things Maree and Orm told us after we arrived, was about their resident bat. They told us so casually that I don't think it completely registered until we woke up that night to the sound of flapping wings only inches a above our heads. Around and around and around our room it flew, for what seemed like hours. It even let out the occasional squeak to let us know how appreciative it was for the audience. Odd, yet somehow it fit the atmosphere so well that we didn't really mind.

In the meantime my visa for Korea was supposed to be processing, but there were problems with transcripts, problems with photos, problems with passports, not to even mention all the red tape with Ian's visa. Weeks of frustration and uncertainty followed until all of a sudden everything was processed and we were instructed to board the next plane out of Melbourne. We were delayed almost a month, but were still almost panic-stricken when it was confirmed we were actually GOING! Some quick packing and even quicker good-byes, and we were back on a plane, off to start our next chapter.