goodness

I spent my first day at the middle school I will be at once a week. I LOVE this place! It is tiny and super rural but so awesome! My classes had about 10 kids in each, there were only three classes total, and I see them every week. The teachers were VERY nice, and the kids were talking to other teachers about having fun in my class before I even left the building.

They dedicated the new library today, so there were lots of officals in the building, and there was a little "showing off the native teacher" going on after the ceremony, which was fine, but at the reception, I was seated at a table with local officals, the head teacher of the school, and my co-teacher. And they told me to try the kimchee on pork. Now, so far I have managed to avoid having to eat straight-up kimchee - I've had what I am pretty sure was a soup with it in it, but not full-on out-of-the-dish-on-the-table willingly. And with an audience, there was no getting around it without being totally rude.

And it wasn't horrible!

Now, I'm not going to be seeking it out - I still think it looks and smells horrible, and it didn't actually taste good but I will no longer feel like I have to avoid it completely.

In other food-related news, meat is REALLY expensive here. I am so desperate for protein that I've been eating a ton of tuna, and every time I open a can, I keep thinking it is the greatest thing I've ever eaten.

A snapshot of mood swings

Yesterday was a good day - lots of time with kids, and some classes really cracked me up (there are now MANY Korean middle school girls who have crushes on my nephew from the pictures I showed when I talked about my family) and afterschool I played in the highly competitive teachers' "sports day" volleyball game. Last week I wasn't able to play due to internet acquisition issues, so today was the first time. Being the tallest woman in town has its advantages. I played well enough to earn respect, but not so well that the "good" players were embarrassed. My principal was impressed, they are moving me to "attacker" position (here, they don't rotate. they also can kick the ball. who knew?), and I garnered a lot of goodwill by trying.

After, I had water delivery started in my apartment. The water here is not drinkable, and people even recommend cooking and brushing teeth with filtered water. The delivery serivce is less expensive then buying or renting a filter, and the dispenser it comes with can be plugged in to provide either hot or cold water. I unplugged it because I'm cheap like that and it seems wasteful for the amount I would use it, but it's kind of cool nonetheless.

And at the gym, I ran 5k for the first time in weeks. It was on the treadmill and it was hot, but afterwards I remembered why I love running. After running and lifting legs reasonably hard, I felt at peace. Like hitting a reset button. Oh, and I found brown rice at the market.

All in all, a very nice day. I felt like I'm starting to build at least the foundations for a life here.

Today was a low. It started out pretty great - my classes went well, the kids made me laugh, and students are coming up to me to ask little questions and try to get my attention all the time - I am trailed by middle school students calling out, "Je-she-ka!! Hi!! Hello! Je-she-ka Teacher!! Hello!" But the afternoon was spent watching an older woman dominate the hell out of the other women in my workshop at the elementary school and issues with my school reimbursing my flight and giving me the relocation money outlined in my contract, (I was told that the person responsible for making the payment had said I would get it, "sooner or later" - WTF??! are you kidding me?!) and feeling like the social order here is near to impossible for me to navigate, or at least manipulate to my liking. I am a youngish unmarried woman, which means basically I have no status, but I'm a foreigner, which means I don't have to play by all their rules. I'm in a grey area, and I'm just not sure what I really can and cannot do. Which eventually led to me crumpling like a house of cards.

So much of the time I feel like I am on the edge of good or bad and I just don't know onto which side I'll fall.

exercise

This morning, I tried to find the path that another teacher in my school insisted was close and fairly flat. What he neglected to mention was that "close" is about a 10-15 minute walk straight uphill (not a gentle slope at all). I think it would be great on the weekends, but for a regular morning run, it just takes too long to get there. Not long after I found the trail (which is rolling but run-able for the most part) I had to turn around in order to get home in time to get ready for school, and the road down was too steep to run. It is frustrating, and I'm struggling to find a place to train for a 10k. I'll try going the other direction from m apartment tomorrow, which I think will be a more gentle grade (though it ends with a fairly long uphill haul). Even the treadmills at my gym are stuck at a higher incline than I would prefer, plus 1)it is a treadmill, and 2) really hot. The 10 minutes on a slight incline at the gym in Yeosu was the best run I've had in weeks, which, as it is a treadmill and I hate them, should tell you something.

I have a membership at a small, poorly equip ed gym near my house, but when my month runs out I will probably pay a little more to join the bigger one that is an equal distance, but which looks huge and includes a korean-style sauna (basically, public baths). I'll get a day pass soon to check it out. I'd like to find a treadmill without as much incline and regular sized barbells. While I'm not at the point where I'm lifting enough to max out the plates at my little gym, having to use the shorter 10k bars throws off my balance, and I'm hoping that in a larger gym I can be at least a little less of a freak show. While I still expect to be stronger than the women, I hope that at least there will be more men who are stronger than I am which I hope will decrease my freak factor.

It is interesting to note that in the States, it was the middle-aged gym regulars who were nice and supportive and the young guys who were threatened and sometimes rude. Here, it is the opposite.

phones and teaching

I have a cell phone # now, and a sexy little black camera phone that was on-sale and can be programed to run in English!!! Also, it seems that they allowed me to have at least some sort of a contract - not that I actually understand it - and so between being able to use outgoing calls in Korea through my phone and outgoing overseas through skype, I'm actually connected!! To people in the outside world. Incoming calls are free. I also have an address!!

If you want either, I'm more than happy to send via email. Let me know.

Today was my first day with students. It went reasonably well, and by the third class, went pretty smoothly. I will be teaching this lesson for another two weeks - I really should document the difference between this lesson and what I teach the Friday after next. I found out that I have access to the English Lab for all my classes, which includes a huge tv and lots of stuff I don't know how to work, and a sort of little lounge. I need to see what the internet connectivity is like up there - if it is wired, I'm going to settle in up there a bit more. The teachers I worked with today were very complementary, and in the teacher's workshop after, one insisted to some of the teachers from the other schools that I was very good, which was nice and not at all necessary.

The English department took me out to lunch at a resturant with a beautiful view of whatever bay we are near, which was lovely and nice and a lot of fun. I really would like to be able to explore this area more than I can with just the bus, taxis and walking. The neighborhood I live in is pretty far away from Gwangyang City, so it is a pain to get in and out via public transportation. But I am saying this after never having lived somewhere where I HAD to use public transportation, so maybe I just really suck at it. Trying to learn while not being able to read or speak is bordering on the absurd.

Seeing friends this weekend was nice, and while I really am starting to like my school, my neighborhood, and the inside of my apartment, the transportation thing seems like it is my greatest issue at this point.

Yeosu

of the good:
+ being able to call home
+ wonderful home-cooked food
+ friends
+ friends who donate old cellphones
+ deadlifts
+ honest feedback
+ ordering on-line and splitting international shipping
+ bit torrent (*swoon*)

Of the bad:
- pace of public transportation
- not being as strong as I thought (when forced to use good form)
- headaches

The good most assuredly outweighs the bad.

I'm at a friend's in Yeosu, a nearby town. It should be noted that I have never lived someplace without a car and so when it comes to public transportation, I'm not well versed. When the directions aren't in Enlish and I'm sounding out city names like a first grader, well, let's just say mistakes were made in getting here, but I believe I've learned from them and this evenings return trip will go a bit more smoothly (fingers crossed), as will next weekend's return for a boat trip another person in my program is organizing.

Terri planned and orchestrated an amazing meal (vegetables!! that weren't pickled!), Brandon corrected my form at the gym and didn't complain too much about my exessive whining at having to go down in weight for correct form in squats, and I did reasonably well at deadlifting. I now have bit torrent on my computer (and I know how to use it!), an episode of "Real Time with Bill Mahar" waiting for me to watch tonight, and a used cell phone so I can set up basic phone service. Things are good.

I finally was able to look at a map online a couple of days ago in order to get a better idea of where I am in relationship to the surrounding area. My little nighborhood is fairly far out and it is kind of a pain to get out and around, but I think part of that has more to do with my feelings of lack of mobility do to lack of a vehicle and lack of familiarity with public transportation. MOM don't read the rest of this paragraph The suggestions of learning to ride a motorcycle or getting a car are fairly tempting right now, and while both are comparatively cheap to acquire here, I just don't know if they are worth the investment in the long run. We'll see. (and because I know you didn't listen to me, no Mom, I haven't been on a motorcycle, and yes I said you said I wasn't allowed.)

I'm feeling a lot better than I was a few days ago. There are still a lot of things I need to do to really feel like I'm settled in and at home here, but I'm getting much closer.

When the teacher who picked me up in Gwangju dropped me off in my apartment, she said something like, "this is poor people's apartment building. Lock your doors." And while from the outside, I'm assuredly living in the low-income housing complex, the other night I was walking to take out the trash (an amazingly complicated procedure, I might add, but that is a story for another time) and heard someone practicing piano. Every night about the same time, I can hear it, and it is coming from the third or fourth floor at the other end of my building. I live in a walk-up. Someone had to love that piano enough to get it up at least three flights of steps. This cannot be too bad a place to be.

drums and Gamagol Village

drum.jpg
Originally uploaded by recklesswater.

This is from last week at Gamagol Village. We were inside because of the rain, so it was wicked loud. (50+ people, 2 different kind of drums and these handheld cymbal-like things.)

More pictures

Here are a couple more little pictures from my apartment.

When I got here Monday, I read this as a message from the guy who was here before:

Now I just think it is sorta cute.

And I love finding hearts in places. These are in the plaster of my living room wall (there is another little patch of them further along the wall, too):


And a picture from the first floor teachers' room:

Apartment

I probably should have taken more "before" pictures, because as barren as it is right now, it was MUCH WORSE a few days ago. I think the guy before lived in the bed room and used the others just for storage or something. Which I understand, as the bedroom is the bigest room in the apartment, but whatever.

View of the front door. I'm thinking about moving that shelving unit into the bedroom for more storage there, where if I put it under the window, plants would get more light.

Living room. The sliding doors lead to the balcony where my clothes drying racks live.

My bedroom. The wardrobe has been shifted so that it faces the door. The bars are because my apartment is on the first floor.

Kitchen. The door leads to a back balcony where the washer is.

The dining room, I guess? I don't know. If I had craft-y stuff like a sewing machine, it would be for that. But as it is? Who knows.

food

I actually almost sorta cooked tonight!

The guy who was here before left rice in a sealed container - the kind that has some sort of wild or whole grain rice and turns kind of purple (I know it wasn't bugs - they had it at one of the restaurants we went to last week) and after extensive examination for bugs or ick of any sort, I tested out the rice cooker. Rice and spicy tomato tuna, and then a little more rice with tony chacher's on it. So.Good.

I realize that dumping rice and water into a pot and opening a can of tuna doesn't really count as cooking, but considering that before I was just eating the tuna out of the can and having some coco puffs (actually, on the box they have "cocoaballs," - which reminded me of the South Park "Salty Chocolate Balls" song. Can you believe they let me teach children?), I'm a damn site closer.

Tonight, I'm saving the cocoaballs for desert

hike

hike
Originally uploaded by recklesswater.

This isn't the greatest picture of me ever, but I look happy. Right now, I feel that way too. This was from the Temple/Hike last week (wow, was it only a week ago? Hh.) and is after I went a few kilometers up and back (oohh, lookit, she's using metric!!)

and there was joy!

Finally!! Internet at home!! And there was singing and dancing and tears of joy.

Okay, not really, but I am really, really happy.

Of course, now 99% of the people I would want to talk to are asleep. But still!! Internet!! At home!!

And after this weekend, I'll have a cell phone, too!! Like a real person and everything!!

Last night, I noticed that one of the bakeries near my house had french bread. After a disappointing roll/cookie bakery experience, I was a little hesitant. After some charades of "sweet" (me pointing to the cakes) and "NOT sweet?" (pointing to the bread) the shopkeeper and I determined that it was bread that was not sweet, something that is rather rare from what I can gather. I'm at the point where I'm actually fantasizing about whole wheat tortillas or multi-grain bread, and at least having not-sweet bread was something. And it was cheap and good.

Things overall are good. The sun is out and it isn't horribly humid - I have my hopes that my laundry will actually dry (though I haven't yet figured out how to make the washer do a cycle that is less than an hour) and it is beautiful outside. I feel like I'm starting to settle in at least a bit, and while I'm still frustrated by basic things (like how I can manage to get the boiler to let me have a hot shower one day but not the next) they are manageable frustrations.

I just got a message that they will be at my apartment to set up internet tonight at about 5. This is a beautiful thing. Also, one of the teachers told me where there was a trail very near my house that can either be a hike up the mountain or a flat run around it. I am unspeakably pleased by this. I'm trading explanations of idioms and slang for maps and bus schedules from him, and I think he is the head of the English department. It works out well for both of us, though I fear he is going to pick up an awful lot of American slang, as I find it almost impossible to not to use "awesome" or "cool" as interjections, in addition to the rest of the stuff that I say without thinking.

volleyball and food

I have been asked to play volleyball as part of the teachers' sports day today after school.

Please let me not look too foolish. I thought at first this was a friendly type of game, but it seems to be quite competitive. I can sort of play - as in, I can usually hit the ball back over the net and my students in New Mexico liked having me on their team - but even though I am tall, that doesn't mean I'm GOOD. Ugh.

If nothing else, I will look like I am trying, which hopefully will make up for the fact that I am going to be bringing lunch most days instead of eating in the cafeteria. I have a hard time seeing the whole fish on my plate or meat I cannot identify. And while I like the soup to an extent, I can't do it every day. Besides, so far there have been grapes and treats in the teacher's room every day and I have been strongly encouraged to try and taste, which I've done (my stock phrase is "which is your favorite?" and then try that one. So far it has worked out well). I like most of the dok (sticky rice cakes) I've tried. For those of you who know about my texture issues, this is a HUGE thing.

ETA: No volleyball, because trying to set up the internet for my apartment to FOREVER. They wouldn't let me set it up in my name, so I had to have my co-teacher put it in her name. Had we known this, I could have started this process several days ago. But it is ordered, and there is a chance that it will be installed today.

I found a gym near my house. It is small and not particularly well equipped, but serviceable, and they guy who runs (maybe owns?) is actually pretty knowledgeable and corrected my from in a couple of places. When I went last night, it was a little uncomfortable (how was I to know that the 10k bar on the bench press would flip like that when I took off the plate?) but this morning, it was nice. And he put my name in English next to the place for "my" locker key. It is open from 6am-midnight. Rock.

Also, there is a small yarn store on my walk to and from school. I haven't been able to go inside yet, but at least there is one. There is a plant store near my apartment, the guy at the corner market understood my charades when looking for an umbrella this morning, and the tuna comes in a pop-top can (good, as I was lacking a can opener). While a few nights ago i was very upset and wondering what the heck I have done, I now feel a lot more positive and like I am actually able to form a life here.

Oh, and I finished a sweater last night.

I have had multiple incidents of bleach abuse in the past, and at one time had to put myself on bleach time-out. The more things change, the more they stay the same, and as I was trying to find the best place to hang my clothes drying rack (a rather futile attempt at the moment...) I dropped the full rack on the floor, and only later realized that I may not have rinsed the bleach off very well. A tee-shirt and one of my favorite skirts are now "arty" I guess, but whatever. Maybe I'll embroider or something. In the words of Tim Gunn, I'll make it work.

When I walked into the teacher's room, everyone said "good morning" to me in English, and looked very pleased when I replied in Korean. Things are okay.

Well, I have an alien card, I made a good impression by trying to eat Korean lunch with teachers and students, I've opened a bank account, and my co-teacher is calling about getting internet set up. I had a melt down in the immigration office when they said that the card would take two days to get, as I can't get reimbursed for my flight or my relocation allowance or start internet service until I open a bank account, and I can't get the account until I get the card. I have no idea what is wrong with me. But at least my melt downs are in the form of being blatantly on the brink of tears instead of being angry or something. They were able to get the card taken care of in 25 minutes, I think mostly to keep from having to see me cry. While I won't have internet tonight ("but you should have tomorrow!") at least I know that things are in motion. And there is enough need for cleaning that I should be reasonably busy tonight, anyway.

Also, I have re-entry stamp on my passport, so I am free to move about the world.

The bank account went as smoothly as possible, I guess. It is really hard to talk about specific details when there are both problems with content and communication. The woman at the bank was actually pretty good at being able to understand what I needed, and the account is at a bank that can do wire transfers and which has a branch in my neighborhood (Gwangyeong-dong - though I will have to go into town to do the transfers)and which is not horribly far via taxi.

Having to depend on someone else for a lot of basic things is hard, particulalry when things aren't going at the pace I would like them to. I know it sounds stupid, but not having internet at home makes me feel even more disconnected and strange, and right now I could really use a big dose of normal - whatever that may be here. Also, my co-teacher is supposed to point out a gym to me today, and so hopefully I'll be able to go tonight. I'm feeling kind of out of it, and a little bit of the sads, and I'm thinking that the gym will help. Tomorrow, I'll run, even if I have to do it on the cobblestone sidewalks. I just need something to perk me up a little.

I've started to attack the filth in the apartment, and think that I have at least a start on getting rid of the mildew in the bathroom. It has moved into at least liveable at this point.

It is kind of funny - even in Korea I'm teaching in a lower-income area. Some things are just meant to be, I guess.

The rest of this week, it seems that I have time to prepare and adjust. So, I'll be online on aim or msn in what will be evening for most of you. Though the basic version of Trillian doesn't have a spell check (and therefore all bets are off in regards to spelling...) I would love the chance to talk, even if just through text, with people with whom I don't have to think about every word. If you need the usernames, let me know.

When I look out the window of the teacher's room, I see a huge green hill that goes almost straight up. There are trees that look like crepe myrtle, and kids playing in the hallways sound about the same anywhere. People have been very kind, and if this is harder than I had hoped, it is not nearly as bad as it could be.

Updating from a PC room in Gwangyang. I have an apartment, but no internet at home yet. Hopefully that changes soon. I should be able to apply for my alien resident card tomorrow, and hopefully get a bank account right away, so that should change tomorrow, I hope. I have no idea when I will actually be teaching, what schools (if more than this one) I will be teaching at, and really, not sure how to get to school from my apartment (my co-teacher is in the same complex, and is supposed to stop by tonight, so hopefully more of this kind of stuff can be outlined then.)

I was meet by an English teacher and the schools "inspector" today at the hotel. We dropped the inspector off in Suncheon on our way here, and I went to the school, where I met the pricipal and vice principal, was given a desk in the teacher's room, and talked with the principal for a while. They dropped me off in my apartment, and while not particularly clean, it is larger than I expected. I think I looked upset about not having internet, but after a lot of time on cell phones, it was determined that I needed the bank account first, so nothing could be done. There is a gym being constructed fairly close to my apartment, so that will be nice.

I haven't figured out where to run in the nearby area - all concrete sidewalks in the immediate area - but hopefully my co-teacher will be able to help with that later today. I'm going to stop by a store to get some basics, taxi home and start cleaning.

I'm tired and overwhelmed.


On a good note, I have been told I'm beautiful more often today than I ever have before. I guess blue eyes and a smile take you pretty far.

ugh

Minor food poisoning. Not pleasant, but not overwhelmingly horrible - I've had worse, and at least this only lasted about 12 hours.

Still a little iffy, but at least water and toast is staying down. I have an idea that perhaps just scooping the egg out of the bipimbap wasn't enough - at least that is the food that even thinking about makes my stomach roll.

Today we head out to our towns and apartments, and I am looking forward to learning more and starting to get started. Also, being able to select and choose my own food. Oatmeal and eggs (that are fully cooked) sounds really good to me right now. Hopefully the internet will be connected in my apartment (but I'm not counting on it) and it will be nice to have some alone time.

More temple pictures

temple entrance.jpg
Originally uploaded by recklesswater.

These are some more pictures from the temple visit a couple days ago. The colors were so amazingly vivid, and these pictures don't really give them justice.

100_0803.JPG
Originally uploaded by recklesswater.

100_0804.JPG
Originally uploaded by recklesswater.

teaching

Today was the last day of presentations for the orientation. Tomorrow is a visit downtown, and on Monday we head to our schools.

We finally started to talk about actually teaching today - how shocking! I was reminded that I actually know what to do for the actual job part of this whole expereience, at least from a theory standpoint. While I will most likely have to reduce the level, the basic "how to plan a lesson" concept is there, and it was nice to be reminded that what I know about good teaching will still hold true. Not that I thought it wouldn't, but I just needed an "oh yeah, I'm not too bad at this" kind of reminder.

It's hard to talk about how I'm feeling or dealing with everything that is going on because there is so much up and down to this adjustment. This is hard, but not a lot harder than I thought it would be, and not more than I can deal with. Tonight was good. There are some really, really wonderful people, and walking through downtown Gwangju I ran into five people I knew. Out of the group of us talking in the street, four are going to be pretty close to where I'll be living. This totally balances out the folks who are like nails on a chalkboard.

And the not having a co-teacher here today isn't the end of the world. Rolling with the punches and all. I have friends here - and friends of friends - who have been through this (including many who have done this through this program) who will help make sure I know what I need to do and how to go about getting it done, and while I don't have as much information as I might like, I need to get used to not having what I want when I want it.

Breathing. It will be fine.

Today I ran a little more than three miles, and I'm getting better at dealing with the hills and all. The concrete is hard on my knees, but nothing that can't be managed, though I'm holding off on any long runs until I get a little more settled, I think. At the gym the other day, I lifted 85 kg for sets. Crappy, barely full-depth squats, but nonetheless, 85 is a lot of kilos! (that translates into a little more than 187lbs, which is a lot of lbs. and a rather big chunk greater than 100% of bodyweight at this point) I'm not thinking I'm ready for that all the time, but DANG. Also, I'm almost done with a sweater I've been working on. There is at least a little more than culture shock and jet lag and orientation sessions going on.