การผจญภัยในประเทศไทย- A Thai Adventure!

Sometimes, living in the Korea, it is easy to forget just how far away from home I am. Everything is so modern and built up, that most streets in Bucheon or Seoul could just as easily be a street in Boston or Hartford.

The street outside my apartment

However, as soon as you step off the plane in Bangkok, you know you are somewhere new and different. The heat was the first thing that hit me. During the summer, 90-degree days are nothing special, but after months of heavy coats, scarves and mittens, it is easy to forget what heat and humidity feel like. But, oh how quickly you are reminded!

Everything in Bangkok is different: the food, the people, the weather, the buildings- EVERYTHING. On the cab ride to my hotel, I caught my first glimpse of the spectacles to come.

On my first night, I arrived just in time to get to my hotel, take a look around and have some amazing Thai street food. I had Pad Thai and a spring roll. It cost me just under 1.50 USD and it was amazing! (Full disclosure- I had this for dinner every night)

I ate my dinner walking up and down Khaosan Rd, which is the local backpacker hotspot. My hotel was on this street, and while usually I try to stay away from night life when I am traveling alone- in hindsight I am glad I chose this location because it is very well known centrally located, making it a good spot to call home base.

Khaosan Road at Dusk

Stay tuned for the recap of the rest of the trip!

Tourist Saturday: A Trip to the North..Almost

When one is in South Korea, one of the (many) interesting things to do is take a trip to the border between North and South Korea for a tour of the DeMilitarized Zone or, as most people call it, the DMZ. 


It just so happened that a group of people was heading up north on Saturday- so it was the perfect opportunity to get my butt out of my apartment and see the most heavily militarized border in the world. 

Lunch

 After lunch, the tour began, and we started with a trip into the 3rd tunnel. No photos were allowed inside, but I can tell you- it was interesting and unsettling. So far, the South has found 4 tunnels that the North has built as possible attack routes South. Each tunnel leads straight to Seoul and are large enough for about 100,000 troops to go through in an hour. And, in addition to the 4 tunnels already found, the South thinks there might be as many as 15 tunnels that have not been discovered yet. Like I said, interesting and unsettling.

The best picture of North Korea I could get

After the 3rd tunnel, we watched a documentary, and looked at through a brief museum about the DMZ and the probable construction of the tunnels, and then we headed to the observatory. Just beyond those viewers is North Korea. You can see the North Korean flag flying high (literally, it is very high- the flag pole was purposely built so the flag would fly higher than the South Korean flag that is adjacent) and at the base of the pole is a little town. However, it is not really a town- we were told that the buildings we can see from the south side are all vacant- built to portray the image of a thriving and growing population. Not so.

Anyway, the reason you can't see all this in the picture is because visitors are not allowed to take pictures any closer to the edge than this one is. The southern military is afraid that some defense secrets will get captured on film and all will be lost, so no one can take photos where you can actually see anything. However, I am an American tourist, so naturally, I tried to take a picture where we weren't supposed to. There was only one guard watching us, so I thought it would be easy! I waited until he turned around, snapped my picture, and thought all was well. But, when I turned around, there he was! He took my camera, deleted my picture, and handed it back to me. Rats. I swear the man had eyes in the back of his head. 

I told you- I'm a tourist. It's fine.

Next stop: North Korea

All in all, it was a very interesting trip. Although, there is another tour you can pay for that takes you deeper into the DMZ- to the Joint Security Area, or JSA. This is where the actual border is, and there are buildings used for inter nation talks that are technically on both North and South Korean soil. This tour is more expensive, but it's on the list nonetheless.

Now, I must retire as I have a flight to BANGKOK in the morning. I live a tough life. Don't feel too sorry for me.

Kristmas in Korea

So, I was actually trying to stay away from the Christmas spirit a little bit this year. Don’t get me wrong- I love me some good carols and a well decked hall, but being so far away from home and traditions and a crackling fire was making me a little bit blue.  Korea is not nearly as Christmas Crazy as the states, so it was actually pretty easy to avoid the Christmas countdown and focus on getting acclimated to my new surroundings. However, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day just happened to fall on the weekend this year, so I turned Christmas Day into a tourist Sunday/ make new friends day/ help those who go without day (read: my new friend planned the whole day and I followed her around).

I started the day by taking the train into Seoul to go ice-skating in Seoul Square. The square happens to be right next to one of the palaces, and again, when I got off the train, I was treated to a guard changing ceremony! Except this time I saw the whole thing, not just the end. 

I watched while I waited, and then the skating began! It was great to get these feet into skates again, I even did a twirl or two. (My friend has also worked at a special needs summer camp- so I was only able to fit the twirls in when I was not gabbing my mouth off about Camp Huntington. Sorry friend! When I get going I just can’t stop…)

Then we ventured to a place called Myeongdong, which is a big shopping area in Seoul (complete with a Forever 21, Gap, and Uniqlo). Let me tell you, if you ever have a desire to feel like part of a herd of cattle, go to Myeongdong on Christmas day. Christams is something of a couple’s holiday here in Korea, and it seems that  Myeongdong is THE PLACE to take your significant other. I don’t know why, but its what happens. It was very, very crowded, but still fun since we had a great meal and did some great people watching (and people pushing).

Then we headed to the main event: giving back to those who go without. My friend is active in a local volunteer group and was nice enough to invite me along to help spread the cheer. We worked with a local church, going door-to-door to pass out boxes of food and toiletries to people living in the flop houses of Seoul. The buildings consist of dozens of 3 meter by 3 meter rooms, each inhabited by one person. There is a communal bathroom, and very little heat or ventilation.  That being said, the people that we saw all were all in high spirits and seemed to be glad to get a knock on the door. We went around in small groups, and in my group there was one other American girl and two Koreans (handy for translation purposes).

From elderly couples to young professionals, middle-aged housewives and even young children- people from all walks of life came out to deliver the merriment. Everyone was great- but the kids were amazing! The houses we were visiting were not nice, and I thought that some of the people we met looked a little scary (poor hygiene so bad teeth etc) but these kids had no fear! They walked up to each door and delivered the packages like champions. If they are our future leaders, then I say things are looking up.

So, all in all, I had a great Kristmas. A little bit of winter, a great meal, remembering the important things in life, and of course, continuing to spread my wings and explore in this little place called South Korea.

ChungDahm April

Working hard!

I think it is high time for a full classroom update. What does the school look like? How many classes do you have? How old are your students? What are they like? Stay tuned!

What did I tell you?

My first week, I observed classes for about two days. The way things are done is a little different than how we learned in training, so I needed to change the way I thought about the class structure. Basically, every class has three sections: reading, writing and speaking. In training, we learned how to teach every one of these sections because there are some branches where the native teachers do teach all three. However, at most branches, mine included, the native teachers teach some combination of the reading and speaking section, and bilingual teachers do a combination of reading and writing (depending on the level). So, the first couple of days at school I was trying to make sense of the classes that I would be teaching and how they combined with the lessons of the bilingual teachers.

As for my actual classes, they run on a Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday, and Tuesday/ Thursday schedule. I have the same kids on MWF and another set of kids on TTh. ChungDahm is an umbrella institute that covers loads of different class types, ages and subjects. I was hired by ChungDahm April, which is the name of the English institute that serves the younger students. We go from preschool age through about sixth grade equivalent. I have at least one class in every age level except for the youngest ones. All in all, my students are pretty well behaved. Admittedly, an icy glare or threat is sometimes needed for the more rambunctious boys, but they usually respond pretty quickly to it.

Characters.

All in all, I have really been enjoying my time in the classroom so far. I have been thinking back to what I learned in training, and deciding what works for me and what doesn’t. And, of course, getting to know all of my students has been great. Some of these kids are such characters- it is hilarious to hear what they come up with. Someday soon I will do a post consisting of solely student quotes. So, like, get psyched for that.

Tourist Saturday

The Grand Entrance

So as things at work and home become a bit more normal- I decided to start what I hope will be a weekly event: Tourist Saturday! Please, please- withhold your excitement for just a moment while I explain.

You see, my schedule here is Korea is not what I would call taxing. I don’t have to be at work until 1:30 pm on most days, which leaves plenty of time for sight seeing in the morning, right?! Wrong. It leaves plenty of time for me to explore just how lazy one person can be: verdict? Pretty darn lazy.

SO- I instituted tourist Saturday as a way to get myself out to see just what this country has to show me. Up first?

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Changing of the guard

The biggest palace of the Joseon Dynasty, this palace burnt down during the Japanese invasion, and was rebuilt in the late 1800s. And let me just say…WOW. I have never seen anything like it. Every detail down to the adornments on the banisters and the chimneys looks thought out and extremely well executed.

As I was exiting the train station, I could hear drum beats and scurried out to see what was going on. It just so happens that I arrived just as a changing of the guard ceremony was concluding, so I caught the very end of it. Lucky me!

The ceiling of the Throne Room with a dragon- the symbol of the King

Also quite coincidentally, when I arrived there was a free English language tour starting, so I jumped on that and got a much more in depth look at the palace than I would have otherwise. It was mostly outside, and it was COLD (Ballet flats and cropped jeans were a bad idea…), but still incredibly enjoyable. We walked all around the grounds and looked at all of the different buildings, the King’s throne room, his bedroom, the Queen’s bedroom, the King’s Mother’s suite, the concubines quarters, and even the gardens- to which my tour guide said, ‘In the spring this garden is very beautiful with flowers and blossoms, but right now you will have to use your imagination and come back in the spring.’ Thank you tour guide- SEE YOU THEN.

A closer look at the stunning paintwork

Tourist Saturday Part Deux

After I was finished at the palace, I experienced my only fail of the day.  I wanted to go to a place called Insadong, which is a pretty large market place of antiques, souvenirs and street food, a very touristy thing to do- however I couldn’t find it. I went to the right metro stop, and got out at the right exit, but no luck. I concluded that it was either to cold or too late in the day for anyone to be out, but one of my coworkers told me today that you have to find one specific street in the area, which I obviously failed at finding. Another time! I have a year to figure it out!

Tourist Saturday Part Tres

I was feeling a little bit of that ‘everyone at home is heading home for the holidays for family and good food and I am alone in a foreign country’ ache, so I decided to get out there and see what kind of holiday cheer I could scare up. I was more successful than I ever could have imagined- for on the very day that I wanted to be out and about in Seoul, a local international choir was having their annual ‘Handel’s Messiah’ concert with a special pre concert from the children of the Seoul International School. Lucky! I didn’t get any great pictures of the performance, but it was excellent. A great choir with a great orchestra. I got chills during ‘For unto us a child is born’ and, of course, the ‘Hallelujah chorus.’

All in all it was a great day. I got out, I saw things, and got a little more acquainted with this new country I call home.

Parade O' Police

PS : While I was walking around Seoul, I kept seeing huge numbers of police officers in full on riot gear marching around the city. At the time I thought it very strange as there were no protests going on, but in retrospect, I wonder if they had gotten news of Kim Jong Il's passing. The South Korean government has been put on alert, and I hope no future Tourist Saturday plans get ruined...

Training and Beyond

Something happened. Somehow, I blinked my eyes and November became December. When November went, it took the States, Thanksgiving, and my week of training with it.

Training was not nearly as ghastly as I feared. Before I left, I tried to do a little bit of research on the training itself, and received shocking results. There is one story in particular published online where a man recounts his story of being that 'tricked' into training for the wrong section, failed due to lack of preparation and was forced to return home. Now that I have experienced training and know a little more about the company, I can say that this story is complete poppycock. The fact is, this is a business, and it costs a lot to train new recruits. It ends up costing the company a lot of money if they pay to put someone through training who doesn’t end up in a classroom the next week. LOGIC! However, the ‘me’ that was reading this before I left was not being logical. I was worried sick.

However, once I met my roommate, some of the other trainees and all the trainers, my fears immediately subsided. Actually, I found training pretty enjoyable for the most part.  Of course it was difficult, as we had a lot of material to master in just one week, but I found that I really enjoyed learning effective teaching methods and how to manage a classroom (who has two thumbs and it a total nerd- this guy).

The market inside a subway car 

(Side note: One of the best parts of training was having to take the subway to and from it everyday. I love taking public transportation in a new city- actually, in any city. The subway stations in Seoul actually look more like malls. There are mazes of shops and fast food places. There is even a station with a food market inside a stationary train. Neat!)

Once training was over, I made my way 30 minutes outside of Seoul, to Bucheon, where I will be living for the year. First, I arrived at the school where I met some of the other teachers and sat in on some classes. I felt like the shiny new toy on Christmas day because almost as soon as I stepped foot in the school, I was surrounded by a mob of kids smiling and waving and marveling at my humongous, red, polka dotted luggage.

The night lights of Bucheon

So far, there is a lot to remember- like which class is on which lesson, when to collect and hand back workbooks and homework, and when to grade the homework that is done online. It is hard trying to decide if your kids actually understand you or are just nodding and smiling at you because they know they should. But, like any other job I have ever had, it is just tough learning it all at the beginning. In a month or so, I will be a pro.

And so, after all of the struggle of filling out paperwork and getting a visa and working through training, I have made it. I will henceforth be known as 'Elizabeth Teacher.'

New Place, New Purse

Before I left Seoul, I did some thing a little bit silly. I bought a purse that I certainly do not need. But it is beautiful, classic, and has the added bonus of a hidden little detail just for me.

Sometimes, when one comes to a new place, it is important to find things that make you smile, and this purse certainly does that. It is something that I can, of course, use and enjoy while I am here. But, it is also something I will take home and remember as the first thing I bought during my time in Asia. I am a sucker for that kind of thing. I want to be able to look around my future home and see breadcrumbs from the places I have been. I want to display my life and travels on my walls, in the food I make, and, of course, in my closet.

And the little detail just for me? Open the inside, and there is a little patch that says:

                        “Wherever you go, I will follow”

That sold me. It is a little bit of poetry for me to carry around, and that makes me smile.