Duster

Duster. The word seems innocent enough. UNTIL you are a newbie to the area and you're at Mad Max. In which case, it involves three shots of liquor and three shots of beer (including Guinness). Also known as The Gus Train; Gus is the owner's son. Yikes.

Last night (Friday) my work had a Welcoming Party. The owner of my school took all the teachers out to dinner, Korean BBQ. I thought I was pretty flexible. But I had a difficult time sitting crossed legged for an extended period. I'll need to practice. After dinner, we went to sing Karaoke. My supervisor used to be a professional opera singer. He lived in Germany for 10 years singing and after last night, I know why. His voice is amazing. It was great fun and all the teachers, myself included, took turns singing. Everyone was singing semi-serious songs, so I tried to put some fun into the room. I sang "Good Bye Earl" by the Dixie Chicks and "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin haha. 

After karaoke, I met up with some western teachers at Mad Max. That's when the Duster sealed my fate. I only took two shots of liquor and two shots of beer. There were thirsty people at my table who were happy to take the other shots for me.

Turns out the construction continues on Saturdays. Ibuprofen please.

Feminism, Coffee and H1N1

Today was a very full day. First, I was told that I am responsible for all of the writing and speaking classes for all of the students at KKW. Sweet. Unfortunately, this afternoon while making Halloween masks with the little ones, I caught one of the girls saying "Yep!" "Yep Yep Yep!" In an effort to make them laugh I did the same thing, "Yep! Yep yep yep yep!" They were laughing but before I knew it, they were all saying, "Yep." Uh Oh. So while trying to continue the funny game, I had to work a small lesson in the correct way to answer a question is, yes, NOT, yep.

Second, I'm thoroughly enjoying the instant coffee mixes my school has. It's a single serving powder packet with coffee, sugar, and cream all mixed in. Just add hot water and it's amazing.

Third, we discussed the mandatory military service for korean men.  I was very impressed when one high school girl said, "Women have the children, and do everything. It's the least boys can do. They don't do anything." She then looked up the word for sanitary napkin and said that with all that women have to deal with, it's the least they can do. I was very impressed with two things: her English in being able to communicate about such a personal issue, and two, being so ready to give a strong opinion on the issue. Pretty awesome discussion.

Fourth, many of the local elementary and middle schools are closed this week because of the H1N1 (also known as, "the new plu"). My students have all had to write their thoughts on this and what they would do if they were principal of a school. It's split about 50-50 with whether or not closing school for a week is a good idea.

Last- Halloween Party tomorrow!!! Yippeee. We're having a Halloween party for the younger/elementary students. We'll be decorating the school, having a small "market" for the kids to do some "shopping" (which I'll be in charge of), and watching the film, Up! They gave me a black cat mask to wear tomorrow, but from what I've gathered so far, I think I'm the only teacher who is wearing any sort of costume. Interesting...

Oh, sidenote- walked by the local McDonald's today and there was a kid in a hospital gown, attached to an IV, smoking a cigarette. Korea is like the meca for people-watching.

Apt pics

Here's my kitchen and bathroom... once I get "settled in" I will post some better pics. The full size fridge is great and once I really scrub the cabinets, etc it's not a bad size space to cook. There is a small gap, on the left side, between the counter and the wall- any ideas of what to put there? It's kind of nasty right now... As for the bathroom, it's what it is. Toilet, sink, shower (sort of)... does the job!

This is the view out of my front door. All of the apartment doors are exterior and in the middle of the apt complex is a playground. I've noticed most apt complexes have some variation of a playground and sitting areas (wooden gazebos with benches). The kids in Korea are so busy with school and activities that I have only seen kids playing on the weekend. But I'm also not here from 2-10 every day, so what do I know?

Early Rising

Last night I went to Mad Max, a western-style bar liked by foreign teachers in the area. As soon as I walked in it was reverse culture shock. After going a week without seeing any foreigners, I was amazed at twenty foreign teachers all in one place. The bar was fun and it was nice to chat with other people in similiar situations, and while everyone had their stories, so far no one has encountered the cockroach/bed bug combo during the first week. I like to think of myself as a pioneer in dealing with high stress situations (flying for 18 years then given an infested living space... I'm doing my part for science). Overall, it was great to meet some other teachers in my area and I'm looking forward to more outings and stories.

Also, I've realized that no matter what time I go to bed at night (2am, 3am, 4am), the construction across the street always starts at 7am. And unfortunately it appears to be the framework for a very large structure, so this could be months. Ahhh. deep breaths!

Dangerous Minds- Korea Style

So today I was feeling very Michelle Pfeiffer-esque. "There are no victims in this classroom!" Ahh, Dangerous Minds... a classic. While my older students are by no means troubled, in gangs, or bringing weapons to the classroom, they are staring at me with blank faces and even more frequently messing around on their cell phones. They appear to be listening but I have absolutely no idea if they are processing anything. Being that I'm the only foreign teacher at the Institute, I'm responsible for all discussion-based classes and most writing classes. Discussion classes are awesome when students participate freely. They are downright painful when the only reaction I get from the students are yawns. But I"ll focus on the positives:

I learned some interesting things in two of my older discussion classes tonight. Pepero Day is November 11! According to wikipedia, it's similiar to Valentine's Day where Pepero (a tall, thin, cookie) are bought in bulk and given to special people in your life. My students however said the CEO of Pepero made up the special day because they wanted to sell more (they're brilliant and learning at a young age the power of marketing).

Also, when we discussed music (in a small class of three teenage boys), they informed me that a very rich politician who ran in the Presidential election two years ago, now has albums out. He has apparently decided that politics weren't for him but that making music is his passion (every student I brought this up to, laughed and said the man is crazy!) One of my students has a BIG crush on a girl from the popular group, Girl's Generation.



On a side note- it finally happened today. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but today was the day. I got McDonald's for lunch. I know I know. What the heck was I thinking. I was in E Mart buying more bug killing chemicals (and probably many of my brain cells as well) and I saw them, the Golden Arches. Couldn't resist. Plus they had mini McFlurries for 1,700 won. Oh, and the school secretary brought in fresh bread, peanut butter and strawberry jam for a snack for the teachers. It was western food like woah today. 

Family bonding and Canadians

My Korean family is wonderful! My cousin In June (not pictured) met me at my apt and we took the subway in Seoul to meet up with my Aunt Kum's sister and brother (and her brother's daughter... all pictured).

We went to a Chinese restaurant (first meal in Korea, go figure) and consumed lots of soju. I'm convinced this 68 yr-old woman can drink anyone under the table. She also did not stop speaking the entire night and when I complimented her ring, she tried to give it to me. I had my cousin (the 13 yr-old) sneak it back into her purse. After the soju we went to my relative's restaurant. It's a great, somewhat western-style place with booths as seating. They specialize in chicken dishes and I'm pumped to go back. After kicking back a couple beers (Cass) we headed next door to the Noreabong (small karaoke rooms) for more beers and lots of Korean and English singing. The next day, In June and his family took me back to my area to buy a cell phone (!!!) and pick up any odds and ends I needed for my apt.

Sunday and Monday night I slept at my Canadian friend Jana's. I was fearing a bed bug issue at my apt, and she graciously allowed me to crash at her place. Insta-friend is basically what happened and I am so thankful. It took about an hr to get to her place from mine, but well worth it for the clean apt and good chats. We had a pizza party the first night (Hawaiian... 5,900 won for a large!) We are heading to Seoul on Saturday to celebrate halloween (costumes via the dollar store) and party with some of Jana's buddies.

First Teaching Day!

(Also, typed previously but was only able to post today)

Day two/first teaching day

So the battle continues, although I think I’ve convinced the little buggers that I won’t be cooking any yummy food for them to munch on and they should just be on their way.

I spent the day wandering through Yeonsu- found some neat areas that I would like to visit again when I get settled in. found the bars!! Also wandered into multiple stores looking for a phone card so I could use the phone booth. The booths have KT written on them so when I spotted a building with those exact letters I thought I hit a jackpot. 3 out of the four women working didn’t speak English, then they told me they don’t sell the cards. The booths don’t have any place for money, only a card. Finally the English-speaking employee said they had an old one they could sell me. Pulled out of a random drawer, 10,000 won. I’ve been able to use it to call home and Chase for a decent amount of time so it turned out to be a great deal.

I’ve been living off of breakfast bars since I got here... after seeing the roach fest 2k9 I lost my appetite.

Started teaching today! I'm the sole foreign teacher at Kim Kyoung Won Institute!

I took my list of complaints to the school and my korean “uncle”, who looks like he could be the head of the Korean mob, called and complained to the school (aka bitched them out and probably put a hit on their future offspring). The classes are only 40-50 min so they go fairly quick and it’s all levels which is fun. My first class was two 5-yr olds and my last class was three 15-yr olds. Enjoyed them all. It’s going to be a lot of work adapting different teaching methods for each age level.

It’s a Tylenol pm sort of night. Catch ya on the flip side.

Arrival

(I typed this the first night, but just today got internet in my place to post it)

Day 1= the first 48

12:53AM, Thurs Oct 21

I’m in the middle of a battle between who lives in this apartment. Me or the extended cockroach family. I guess because my extended relatives came to visit they also felt it necessary to have a family reunion.

I’m not quite sure how I’m going to sleep tonight, but between the large amounts of Raid that I’ve used during the battle and my lack of sleep, I will pass out or OD on the fumes. Whichever comes first is fine with me as long as I don’t wake up kissing a roach.

To backtrack-

Flight from pitt-san fran was great. I sat in between an elderly German couple and when I asked the woman if she would like to switch seats so that she could sit next to her husband she said, ‘no we see enough of each other” haha the couple is easily in their 70’s and super active. Traveling all over the world, they currently live in Lake Tahoe, going skiing and hiking. Truly inspirational ppl. They both waved huge good byes to me when we parted ways in cali… even though I didn’t really know them, I felt the urge to hug them and get all their contact info. But I didn’t.

Flight part 2- san fran to incheon/seoul. 12 hours, give or take. Sat next to an elderly Korean man who didn’t speak a lick of English and a woman in her mid-thirties, a career counselor for the us army. We were both excited to be living in korea for a year so through out the flight we practiced the few phrases we knew, and briefed each other on what Korean customs we should be aware of. The woman next to her was a Korean woman in her 50’s and she was very excited to talk to us. The only movies were: night at the museum 2, something about a train/hostage situation 123, and transformers 2. I watched all three. Twice.

I was picked up at the airport by my Korean brother. He worked for the recruiting company, but he looked and dressed like my real life brother, Dylan. He was a couple of minutes late but was still nonetheless excited to show me the sign that said “Welcome Taylor K Baker” and the map he drew for me which showed were my apt and school are and what is surrounding them. Very thoughtful. He drove me to the school but not before telling me that my picture was bleh, and that I was more beautiful in person. Everyone at the school said the same- after 20 some hours of traveling that was the best thing I could have heard.

My extended relatives (kum’s brother and his daughter, and kum’s nephew) met me at the language institute/hagwon. We sat there for a while then the five of us, including my manager/the counselor at the academy, walked to my apt. that’s what shit went down. The apartment is fine in size but I’m used to state college apts where the landlords suck ya dry if you don’t clean before you leave. Who knows when the last person left, but they did make sure to leave clothes hanging in the closet, various food items, dirty dishes in the sink, and a whole pack of cockroaches roaming the kitchen and walls. I’ve dealt with roaches before in state college- one of the hazards of apartment-living. But it was the combo of dirty dishes/underwear strewn about and roaches that really made my stomach sink and my mind go, get me the f outta here. But I had to keep my cool, I didn’t want to insult my Korean relatives or new boss so I just simply said, what do we do to get rid of them? Korean dads to the rescue!

We went to e-mart which is basically an even bigger, more expensive wal mart. Kum’s brother offered to buy me whatever I needed which is awesome but then I was worrying about the prices because I didn’t want to take advantage. The bed dressings took about 20 minutes to finally decide. Sheets and comforters are not cheap and I was really trying to avoid giving my new Korean uncle a heart attack at the register. We went back and forth between obnoxious pink sale comforters and decent looking pricier ones. I ended up with a red sheet, blue comforter, and a pillow case with red and blue. The bedding from the previous owner is here, however, I’m going to seriously cleanse everything before even letting it get near my bed. I will use it as extra cushion but none of it will touch my body.

After the extremely lengthy shopping trip (buying things like dish washing liquid and clothes washing liquid are not easy with Korean men.. actually it was quite comical. You could tell neither of them had bought something like that in a while. Either their wives did it, or they used a different method to wash clothes. When we arrived back at my place we went into full roach attack. This is where the universal language of dad as insect killer was most beautiful. Both of them went into attack spraying everywhere and making little poison papers for the suckers to nibble on then die a peaceful death, hopefully not in my apt.

All in all, I didn’t think I would spend my first night with a can of Raid and a roll of toilet paper next to my bed. But things could be worse and I’m just thankful I had family to help me out with everything. I have NO idea what I would have done if I were left to deal with this minor (but totally huge) problem. I’m indebted to all of them for the rest of my life. I did give them shirts, Scotch Whisky, and Hershey’s chocolate so hopefully they aren’t too pissed at me.

6AM

Tossing and turning all night, keep staring at every wall in my place to see if I have a friend crawling around. So far, the bedroom area is doing OK. But even without that concern, I’m having a hard time sleeping. Sooo in typical Taylor behavior, I got up and did what calms me down. I cleaned and organized. Scrubbed the bathroom, hung up and folded clothes. (I’ll tackle the kitchen when I’m more mentally prepared for the disaster that is the kitchen which has been sitting untouched, and uncleaned, for who knows how long).

Destination: Korea

I received my flight itinerary! I'll be leaving Pittsburgh, PA at 8:30AM on Tuesday, then arriving in Incheon at 5:50PM on Wednesday. I only have one layover in San Francisco which is pretty sweet. Also, total flying time is about 18 hours... not too shabby. Rumor is there is free alcoholic beverages on the flight. Not sure about the meals, but free booze? Enough said. haha

Kum's family has offered to pick me up which is awesome, unfortunately it is already set that the school will be picking me up and taking me to the school and my new apartment. Hopefully I'll meet up with Kum's family soon after I get settled in.

On the packing note- I've found it's very difficult to pack for a year. I'll be pulling out all my extreme packing techniques.

"Waiter! This coffee tastes like mud." "Yes sir, it's fresh ground."

Visa Number!!

FINALLY, my visa number has been processed. I received an email this morning from the wonderful Johnny Ku with my visa number and official school information, Kim Gyeongwon's English School. I have an appt with the Korean Consulate in NYC tomorrow!

The recruiting/placement process

One of the first questions I get about teaching in Korea is, How? How does someone even begin the process to obtain a position teaching?

While I’m waiting for my visa, which seems to be a never-ending process, here’s a bit of info about the recruiting process to teach ESL in South Korea. I originally contacted and started the paperwork with Park English, the recruiting agency four of my friends used to get placement in Korea. They were originally great about getting back to me, but then contact just fizzled out. After numerous attempts to contact the agency, all unanswered, I decided Park English was not going to work for me. Thankfully, I enjoy talking to anyone and everyone about my plans, and so through my uncle I was connected to a woman teaching in Korea right now. She gave me the information for her recruiter, Johnny Ku, and he has been great. I know many people teaching abroad who have used different types of recruiters/placement agencies. I think it's an individual decision, but the best solution seems to come from following your gut with who you work with for this important decision.

Limbo

I’ve spent the past week in State College waiting for my visa to be processed in Korea before I can officially get my visa from the Korean Consulate in the U.S.

Saw Michael Moore’s new flick, Capitalism: A Love Story. I went mid-afternoon so the theatre was pretty quiet, but overall I thought the documentary was excellent. Disturbing at how incredibly screwed up our financial situation is, not to mention the government/wall street connections that got us to this point. It was an eye-opening film. It’s very easy, especially when visiting a place like Happy Valley, to live in a bubble where everything is fine. It’s easy to forget all the layoffs and foreclosures going on all through out the country. Even if someone is against Michael Moore, there is no doubt this film makes a person question the decisions being made by our government- especially financial decisions.  http://www.capitalismalovestory.com/

“Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints”

Today’s weather was amazing so I did something that I never did the entire five years I was here; I hiked Mt Nittany. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find a hiking partner, so I embarked solo. It’s an easy climb and everything is well-marked so I wasn’t too nervous to go by myself. I was aware of my surroundings the entire time and kept to the marked paths, plus the entire mountain has cell service which is a comfort.

For those who have climbed Mt Nittany, I took the 6-mile Blue Path. For those who haven’t, DO IT. It’s an easy hike and a Penn State tradition. http://www.hikemountnittany.com/

I only came across three couples during the 2 ½ hours I was hiking, but I ran into a thousand chipmunks. I could have sworn there was the same one hiking with me, so I started taking pictures when I could. Definitely not the same chipmunk- although, it would have been a sweet Disney-type moment if I had my own chipmunk to explore with.

All-in-all, having a great time in State College, even going to the PSU game this Saturday.  I’ll keep checking my email waiting for the visa and in the mean time I’m going to have fun doing fall activities in a place where autumn is absolutely amazing- Happy Valley.

The decision

It was a Thursday Happy Hour at the Erie Yacht Club were I celebrated my Quarter Century of being on this wonderful, although a bit battered, planet. I was excited to be 25 but even more, couldn’t believe I was getting “that old.”

To paint a larger picture of the scene, eight months prior to my birthday, I’d moved back to my hometown of Erie, PA from State College, home of Penn State University where I lived for a glorious, albeit slightly fuzzy, five years. I left Happy Valley with two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Journalism and Women’s studies, wonderful memories and stories of friends I will never forget (and what’s the cliché… nights I will never remember?) My move back to Erie was to be a temporary one, while I regrouped and figured out my next move. My new roommates were my parents and they graciously allowed me to take up space in the “lower level,” aka basement. For the eight months leading up to my insurance-lowering birthday, I worked part-time jobs including bartending at my uncle’s bar/restaurant, Sandbar. I had been accepted to graduate programs in Geography at Syracuse University and the University of Kentucky- both without funding. I was excited about being accepted into such prestigious programs, but with the high caliber of program/school, the applicants were just as high. My specific area of concentration was going to be a dual Master's program of Human Geography & Women's Studies (also called, Gender Studies). Being as our wonderful economy is just booming with promise, I felt it best to avoid adding to my student loan debt. I had to give my decision by June 1, and I declined both offers. I would still like to pursue a graduate degree with a gender focus, but I'm realizing that perhaps Geography isn't for me.

At this point (June), I had been living with my parents for a little more than six months. I felt a bit defeated about grad school, having spent hundreds of dollars and my priceless time on visiting schools and organizing applications to now be a bit lost. But, as any boat-loving Erieite knows, if we’re lucky we have three months to enjoy Lake Erie, so for the time being I was going to live the “retired life.”

During this time, my wonderful boyfriend, Chase, was able to obtain funding so he was moving ahead with the process. His passion for his program, Agronomy/turf science, was evident, so it doesn’t take long to figure out why a department would want him. I would be lying if I said there weren’t a few moments of jealousy, but he belonged in his program, while I was still trying to really figure out which program fit my ultimate goals.

So by my 25th birthday, I was officially in a rut. My “bedroom” in the lower level had pictures of me as a child and through out my high school years. In the nine months since I had been back, I went between, “wtf- how did I end up in this situation” and “free rent and food- sweet!” But I was getting antsy and quick; I knew if I didn’t make a move soon, I was going to lose it. The day before my 25th birthday, one of my dearest friends from Erie flew home after teaching English as a Second Language in South Korea. I had toyed with the idea, but discounted it after finding myself without a traveling companion. My friend shared stories and pictures from her year abroad as well as her confidence that I could do it alone. I started the process immediately, but not without trying to convince a few people to join me. Ultimately, I would have to do it alone. Thankfully, my Korean aunt has most of her extended family in Korea and they are more than ready to help me.

I hadn’t been out of the U.S. since 2006, when I traveled to Sri Lanka with a Penn State professor. I felt the itch to travel and all signs point to right now is THE TIME. With very few commitments (the dreaded student loans), I’m embarking on this journey in a matter of weeks.

"Be a Traveler, not a Tourist." -Magic Hat Brewing Company (cap quote)