30 days in Korea.

It's been 30 days since I came to Seoul. The days go by so quickly. I spend very little time at home, spending time with friends touring around the city when I am not teaching. Since I am not here often, I haven't been good about updating my blog. I will try to do a recap of the past 2 weeks...

The weather has been very nice lately. Spring has sprung in Seoul. There are nicely landscaped areas and potted spring flowers everywhere. The yellow dust from Mongolia is bad at times and the air quality is definitely poor. No wonder so many walk around with the respiratory masks. I picked up a cold or managed to lose my voice for about a week. It was interesting trying to teach without a voice. The kids thought it was hilarious. My voice is still a little rough, but at least I can talk now. It will be nice to have a normal speaking voice back.

We have been taking walks around various areas in Seoul. Photo walks to capture gardens, historic sights and just the general vibe of Seoul. A few of us have DSLRs so we are paparazzi'd out when we're together. There are many interesting points of interest here. I really enjoy the people and faces of Seoul. Observing the fashion is really cool. One of my favorite sightings are the couples who dress alike. They wear the same shirt, same socks, same shoes or have the same look from head to toe. I have started to collect photos of look-a-like couples in love.

M and T had a welcome party for the new participants in the HOLT program one evening. My friend C from DC had just arrived in Seoul and joined us. He is living here indefinitely. We went to Itaewon to walk around and visited the many shops geared toward foreigners. The prices were so inflated in this area. Quite ridiculous. It is really funny when you walk in Itaewon because there are foreigners everywhere. You think, "Oh hey!" but they see you and think Korean Korean. Its like we're all incognito.

A few Saturdays ago, we went to Olympic Park in the Jamsil area. The day was gorgeous and we enjoyed a very nice picnic with the group. Each of us brought a little something, but some had exerted more effort. In particular, C made these amazing pancakes that were thin like crepes. She brought ham, cheese, bananas and Nutella. They were quite tasty. S and M brought a lovely cheesecake and K brought pizza. M's friend brought a football to toss around. A football is not a common sight here, so everyone was staring at the passing of the ball. I love to throw the football, so I was so happy! A park policeman came to us while we were throwing and said that we couldn't throw the ball because it was hard and it could accidentally hit some innocent bystander, child or old lady. We were crushed. A while after he left, the guys resumed throwing. K stepped in to throw the ball and what did she do?? she threw it into the calf of a woman passing by. GAME OFF! The woman was not happy. Understandably so.

After spending time walking through Olympic Park, we went to CoEx and to the Bongeunesa temple. The temple was so tranquil and beautiful. The azaleas were abundant with blooms in fuschia and white. Hundreds of lotus lanterns were draped overhead. The temple had an entire wall of golden Buddha statues which was remarkable. To the side of the temple stood a gigantic Buddha statue.

Tuesday, May 4th, I taught at two childcare centers. My first center was having a Children's Day celebration so I didn't actually teach. We went down to the recreation room and watched a performance of young adults who played the bells and xylophones. The children were so adorable singing to each tune. Na Ha invited me to a live taping of "Open Concert" at KBS studios. Her friend had received tickets and could not attend. The concert took place in a seated concert hall with many large cameras. They had 12 cameras going during the show since it was family month here in Korea. There is a good chance we will be on the show when it airs next week. I had left my DSLR camera at home because the ticket said no cameras allowed. I snuck in my small pocket camera and while we waited for the show I saw so many around me with their DSLRs. I was sooo bummed. The show is a concert with many genres of music, something for all ages. There were some middle aged singers who are famous in Korea, but I don't remember their names. It reminded me of music that my parents would listen to back in the 60s-70s. Then...K-pop (Korean Pop) extraordinaire and idol, Rain performed and the crowd went absolutely wild! I was close enough to throw a football to him. It was definitely quite a sight! Na Ha was screaming like a little girl. We were so excited. I had no voice, so I couldn't make a peep. :( After Rain came Hyori Lee. The crowd went wild again. She is the bad girl of K-pop and very popular. The show went from Hyori's "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" to women singing Traditional folk songs in hanbok Korean dress. There were a few additional acts that went on including a children's group who sang tunes from the Sound of Music but in Korean. It was a fantastic night.

Wednesday was a national holiday in Korea, Children's Day. Since we had off from work, we spent the day out and about. We started at Gwanghwamun. We took numerous photos of the children frolicking in the fountain, toured the museum for King Sejong and went to Cheongyecheon stream. It seemed like summer time in Korea with the large number of people who were out. We were fortunate to have a beautiful day to enjoy. After the stream, we went to City Hall to meet L's friend E who had just arrived in Korea for a visit. We went to Deoksugung Palace nearby then over to Insadong to view the handicrafts. Insadong is a great area for traditional handicrafts and souvenirs from Korea. You can find many studios for pottery, calligraphy and artwork. In the eve, we went to a bar called Woodstock in the Hongdae area. At this bar, you can write your song requests on a piece of paper and the bartender will play them for you.

Friday evening, we went to Dongdaemun to a restaurant called Uzbekistan. The area of this restaurant has many Russians. We were quite a large party of about 20 people. The restaurant was quite small, so we had to squeeze into the armed benches. The food was tasty. Lots of beef, lamb, french fries, fried chicken tenders, dumplings, samsas and Russian beer which was numbered by level of alcohol content. A table of Korean business men behind us was quite rowdy and had had their share of number 9 beers and vodka. They were breaking glasses left and right. I do not think the restaurant staff was very happy about this. One of the red faced Korean men came to our table speaking to us about how happy he was for world peace and being about allies. He went on and on, trying to make a point, but he was lost in his drunkenness. We think he thought we were Russian. He said he was going to pay for half of our bill. When it came time to pay the check, the men were gone and we paid the full amount, bummer.

Saturday, we went for brunch in Itaewon to an American Restaurant that serves traditional breakfasts and burgers as well as many other American food. After brunch, we came back to my homestay to relax and watch K-pop videos. That evening we met for dinner with a different group of friends and went to a few spots in Hongdae.

Sunday, we went to the Seoul Friendship Day Festival in the City Hall area. This festival was an International food festival with music and dance performances on a side stage. It was nice to see a lot of diversity amongst the typically all Korean society. We tasted some foods from various countries and picked up some living in Korea guides and what not from the informational booths. In the eve, some of us went to dinner with the Executive VP of HOLT and other HOLT affiliates and companions. It was a nice dinner in Itaewon. A traditional Korean meal with what I swear was 30 courses. The dinner took forever... Mostly vegetables, greens, kimchi, white fish, grilled fish, abalone, snail, soups, chicken and more. We met a Korean Korean adoptee who volunteers her translation services to adoptees. She told us about how many Korean children who were adopted by Korean families are not treated as family. They are treated like servants to the family and are not given opportunities that a blood relative would have. They are not sent to school. Their parents do not provide money or buy them things. It was interesting to hear her experience. She is friends with a jewelry designer who owns a booth at Dongdaemun. She offered to take me there to meet her friend and help me purchase beads. She also has connections with the script writer at KBS for the show I am waiting to hear from. She said she would talk to them about me and try to help me get on the show sooner. Another gentleman who joined was the PD (Producer) for a KBS show. He invited us to the Music Bank show, which is a K-pop performance show where the top artists perform and the audience votes for who they like best. He had requested we contact him with our email, photo, phone number. He is also trying to assist me with my appearance on TV. I am so happy to have met so many wonderful people here. All who are very compassionate and willing to help a complete stranger. It is really nice to form these relationships in a foreign land. An update to the Music Bank invite, Mr. H said he cannot invite us on Friday because he does not have a translator available. I do not know why he needed a translator for us to attend the show, but oh well... We will be able to attend a future taping.

It's been 30 days since I came to Seoul. The days go by so quickly. I spend very little time at home, spending time with friends, touring around the city when I am not teaching. Since I am not here often, I haven't been good about updating my blog. I will try to do a recap of the past 2 weeks...

The weather has been very nice lately. Spring has sprung in Seoul. There are nicely landscaped areas and potted spring flowers everywhere. The yellow dust from Mongolia is bad at times and the air quality is definitely poor. No wonder so many walk around with the respiratory masks. I picked up a cold or managed to lose my voice for about a week. It was interesting trying to teach without a voice. The kids thought it was hilarious. My voice is still a little rough, but at least I can talk now. It will be nice to have a normal speaking voice back.

We have been taking walks around various areas in Seoul. Photo walks to capture gardens, historic sights and just the general vibe of Seoul. A few of us have DSLRs so we are paparazzi'd out when we're together. There are many interesting points of interest here. I really enjoy the people and faces of Seoul. Observing the fashion is really cool. One of my favorite sightings are the couples who dress alike. They wear the same shirt, same socks, same shoes or have the same look from head to toe. I have started to collect photos of look-a-like couples in love.

On Friday the 7th, K, L and I picked up our F4 Visa/Alien Registration cards and went to the bank to open our bank account. It was a productive day of making our stay here very official. We felt like we became citizens that day. The F4 visa allows us to stay in Korea until 2013. We are allowed to exit and reenter during this time. We can live here basically as a citizen, have any job, pension, health care, etc. M and T had a welcome party for the new participants in the HOLT program one evening. My friend C from DC had just arrived in Seoul and joined us. He is living here indefinitely. We went to Itaewon to walk around and visited the many shops geared toward foreigners. The prices were so inflated in this area. Quite ridiculous. It is really funny when you walk in Itaewon because there are foreigners everywhere. You think, "Oh hey!" but they see you and think Korean Korean. Its like we're all incognito.

A few Saturdays ago, we went to Olympic Park in the Jamsil area. The day was gorgeous and we enjoyed a very nice picnic with the group. Each of us brought a little something, but some had exerted more effort. In particular, C made these amazing pancakes that were thin like crepes. She brought ham, cheese, bananas and Nutella. They were quite tasty. S and M brought a lovely cheesecake and K brought pizza. M's friend brought a football to toss around. A football is not a common sight here, so everyone was staring at the passing of the ball. I love to throw the football, so I was so happy! A park policeman came to us while we were throwing and said that we couldn't throw the ball because it was hard and it could accidentally hit some innocent bystander, child or old lady. We were crushed. A while after he left, the guys resumed throwing. K stepped in to throw the ball and what did she do?? she threw it into the calf of a woman passing by. GAME OFF! The woman was not happy. Understandably so.

After spending time walking through Olympic Park, we went to CoEx and to the Bongeunesa temple. The temple was so tranquil and beautiful. The azaleas were abundant with blooms in fuschia and white. Hundreds of lotus lanterns were draped overhead. The temple had an entire wall of golden Buddha statues which was remarkable. To the side of the temple stood a gigantic Buddha statue.

Tuesday, May 4th, I taught at two childcare centers. My first center was having a Children's Day celebration so I didn't actually teach. We went down to the recreation room and watched a performance of young adults who played the bells and xylophones. The children were so adorable singing to each tune. Na Ha invited me to a live taping of "Open Concert" at KBS studios. Her friend had received tickets and could not attend. The concert took place in a seated concert hall with many large cameras. They had 12 cameras going during the show since it was family month here in Korea. There is a good chance we will be on the show when it airs next week. I had left my DSLR camera at home because the ticket said no cameras allowed. I snuck in my small pocket camera and while we waited for the show I saw so many around me with their DSLRs. I was sooo bummed. The show is a concert with many genres of music, something for all ages. There were some middle aged singers who are famous in Korea, but I don't remember their names. It reminded me of music that my parents would listen to back in the 60s-70s. Then...K-pop (Korean Pop) extraordinaire and idol, Rain performed and the crowd went absolutely wild! I was close enough to throw a football to him. It was definitely quite a sight! Na Ha was screaming like a little girl. We were so excited. I had no voice, so I couldn't make a peep. :( After Rain came Hyori Lee. The crowd went wild again. She is the bad girl of K-pop and very popular. The show went from Hyori's "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" to women singing Traditional folk songs in hanbok Korean dress. There were a few additional acts that went on including a children's group who sang tunes from the Sound of Music but in Korean. It was a fantastic night.

Wednesday was a national holiday in Korea, Children's Day. Since we had off from work, we spent the day out and about. We started at Gwanghwamun. We took numerous photos of the children frolicking in the fountain, toured the museum for King Sejong and went to Cheongyecheon stream. It seemed like summer time in Korea with the large number of people who were out. We were fortunate to have a beautiful day to enjoy. After the stream, we went to City Hall to meet L's friend E who had just arrived in Korea for a visit. We went to Deoksugung Palace nearby then over to Insadong to view the handicrafts. Insadong is a great area for traditional handicrafts and souvenirs from Korea. You can find many studios for pottery, calligraphy and artwork. In the eve, we went to a bar called Woodstock in the Hongdae area. At this bar, you can write your song requests on a piece of paper and the bartender will play them for you.

Friday evening, we went to Dongdaemun to a restaurant called Uzbekistan. The area of this restaurant has many Russians. We were quite a large party of about 20 people. The restaurant was quite small, so we had to squeeze into the armed benches. The food was tasty. Lots of beef, lamb, french fries, fried chicken tenders, dumplings, samsas and Russian beer which was numbered by level of alcohol content. A table of Korean business men behind us was quite rowdy and had had their share of number 9 beers and vodka. They were breaking glasses left and right. I do not think the restaurant staff was very happy about this. One of the red faced Korean men came to our table speaking to us about how happy he was for world peace and being about allies. He went on and on, it trying to make a point, but he was lost in his drunkeness. We think he thought we were Russian. He said he was going to pay for half of our bill. When it came time to pay the check, the men were gone and we paid the full amount, bummer.

Saturday, we went for brunch in Itaewon to an American Restaurant that serves traditional breakfasts and burgers as well as many other American food. After brunch, we came back to my homestay to relax and watch K-pop videos. That evening we met for dinner with a different group of friends and went to a few spots in Hongdae.

Sunday, we went to the Seoul Friendship Day Festival in the City Hall area. This festival was an International food festival with music and dance performances on a side stage. It was nice to see a lot of diversity amongst the typically all Korean society. We tasted some foods from various countries and picked up some living in Korea guides and what not from the informational booths. In the eve, some of us went to dinner with the Executive VP of HOLT and other HOLT affiliates and companions. It was a nice dinner in Itaewon. A traditional Korean meal with what I swear was 30 courses. The dinner took forever... Mostly vegetables, greens, kimchi, white fish, grilled fish, abalone, snail, soups, chicken and more. We met a Korean Korean adoptee who volunteers her translation services to adoptees. She told us about how many Korean children who were adopted by Korean families are not treated as family. They are treated like servants to the family and are not given opportunities that a blood relative would have. They are not sent to school. Their parents do not provide money or buy them things. It was interesting to hear her experience. She is friends with a jewelry designer who owns a booth at Dongdaemun. She offered to take me there to meet her friend and help me purchase beads. She also has connections with the script writer at KBS for the show I am waiting to hear from. She said she would talk to them about me and try to help me get on the show sooner. Another gentleman who joined was the PD (Producer) for a KBS show. He invited us to the Music Bank show, which is a K-pop performance show where the top artists perform and the audience votes for who they like best. He had requested we contact him with our email, photo, phone number. He is also trying to assist me with my appearance on TV. I am so happy to have met so many wonderful people here. All who are very compassionate and willing to help a complete stranger. It is really nice to form these relationships in a foreign land. An update to the Music Bank invite, Mr. H said he cannot invite us on Friday because he does not have a translator available. I do not know why he needed a translator for us to attend the show, but oh well... We will be able to attend a future taping.

Monday, I met for lunch with L. We went for Chinese and ordered one too many dumpling plates. Usually they are 4 per plate, these were like 10. After we got our food, we realized the lady tried to talk us out of ordering them because it was just the two of us. Oops. I had a few hours to kill between lunch and teaching so I took a nap on a bench in a courtyard area at my school. I could hear jazz saxophone being played in a distance. My school is next to the World Cup Stadium which is pretty cool. After teaching, L met me and we went to World Cup Shopping mall at the stadium. L bought candy for her kids, I bought face wash. We met T for dinner at a Korean BBQ place, T and I shared a spicy beef dish that was so delicious. I had not had it before, but I loved it. I need to find out the name of it. Later, we met up with M at Garten Bier for a tall one. Boy were they tall! We ordered the double and she gave us the triple which was enormous. The table next to us was filled with about 12 young Korean girls. They had at least 3 each of the tall beers. They were quite lively indeed. M said he believed they were college freshman. Often, high school is so demanding and torturous, that freshman year is time for them to relax and party. Party, they did. It was quite entertaining to watch.

Tuesday was my double school day of teaching. When I arrived to my first class, it was time for the fire drill. The children are instructed to put their hands over their nose and mouth and we went into the adjacent classroom where each child went one by one down the spiral playground slide which was off a little deck area outside the classroom. The process took quite a long time to evacuate the kids. My second class had a birthday celebration. KFC chicken tenders and a chocolate ganache cake from Tous Les Jours. It seems like all the cakes come from Tous Les Jours, I have not seen any cake similar to a traditional birthday cake with butter cream icing. I got to witness the party games and singing, but my time ended before the chicken and cake. In the evening, I went to dinner with M and L for samgyupsal (Pork belly Korean BBQ). We went to a cute Japanese place afterward for some kiwi soju cocktail and then to Chi-U.

Thankfully, I have been able to Skype with home the past few days. It is great to see their smiling faces. Brody is so precious as he crawls all over Sarah's laptop trying to get close to the screen. Tyler is always talking about Legos or Star Wars. He tells me, I gotta go do something, bye! I am so excited for Tyler to have started Tae Kwon Do classes. He seemed to like it for the most part it seems. He earned two black stripes on his white belt and they wrote his name in Korean on his belt. He is very excited to learn each colored belt. I think he associates it with earning new guys on Lego Star Wars on wii. It will be good for him to learn TKD for the many positive lessons it teaches as well as the physical activity.

For lunch and dinner, we eat out nearly everyday. Na Ha makes me breakfast every morning before I go to teach. My typical breakfast is scrambled egg sandwich with chopped green onions and a little cup of cherry tomatoes with soy milk or orange juice. She is very kind to make me breakfast. It is actually part of the home stay requirement that they serve us breakfast. The only thing is that the eggs sit out in the sun room area. They are never refrigerated. It is common practice in this house to leave food on the stove in its pot for days and just reheat it over and over. It can be vegetables, beef, whatever. Often juices, soy milk, kimchis or whatever side dish tupperware containers of food are left out overnight or through the day. I am not a fan! I mentioned I am a bit a of germophobe, so food sitting out, uncovered with meat broth or bits of meat is not good! NH said she is not like other housewives. I also wonder what the refrigerated life is of kimchi? Anyone know this? One morning, NH gave me kalbi (marinated short rib) and rice for breakfast. I said, wow you just made this this morning? She said, no my MIL made it for Jai Ik's birthday which was April 11. My stomach turned. L had meat for breakfast from her host family and while she was eating it, they told her it was dog. She was shocked and disgusted as a dog lover. Perhaps they could have mentioned it before hand. Needless to say, I am not appetized by eating here at home. Things are not kept the way I would keep them. Dishes are not cleaned thoroughly. I am often cringing while I eat, praying I will be well after eating. One day, NH's mom was here eating chapchae. She offered me some and I accepted. She dumped what she had been eating into a new bowl and reheated it in the microwave. Hmmm. I had to just eat it. If I do eat dinner at home with them, it is often rice that is left in the cooker for a few days, ramyeun or tonight it was curry. After dinner, I noticed some potato skins in the bathroom, so I wonder if they were peeled and washed in there. ugh...i guess this experience is like a person climbing a rock wall if they are afraid of heights or a person who fears snakes being put in a chamber with snakes. I will survive. It is not ideal, but it works. The benefits of the location, the personality and kindness of my host family outweigh the sanitary practices. So as I was saying, I eat out with friends everyday for lunch and dinner. It is pretty affordable here if you go to the right place. The challenge in eating out with our group is that some are vegetarian, some can't eat spicy. It is pretty limiting, because most everything is spicy and most everything has meat. I really love spicy food and meat, so its been a bummer not to be able to eat those foods very often. I also love Korean BBQ, so its fine.

I taught class today and came home for a nice nap. I had curry with my homestay dad while NH went to the drum station to play her lesson. She is working on learning Radiohead "Creep". Tomorrow, I teach in the morning and have a tentative lunch date with a friend. Next week, on the 20th, I will begin working with a Korean tutor one on one to learn Korean. I believe I will meet them two times per week. I am looking forward to having a language tutor. I start language school in a month. I hope to have some more Korean under my belt by then. I am learning a lot of Korean in the day to day. I am really trying to listen and take in as much as possible. I think the language is the most fundamental way of understanding. Without communication and understanding you gain very little. It takes patience, respect and an open mind. Being amongst Korean speakers at school, around town, at home is really helpful. Immersion is certainly the key. And you cannot learn if you don't try, even if you sound funny or don't speak perfectly.