Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
It's a good thing...
...that I like kimchi, because it comes with every meal. Mainly I eat in the student dining hall (cafeteria, or "mess hall" as I've come to think of it) because it is cheap, and though the meals are well-balanced, they are becoming monotonous (rice, soup, kimchi, two meat or fish-based dishes, one veggie-based dish). Still, they get me through the day and are fairly tasty. So far the only thing I haven't been able to eat was the anchovy stuff.
...that I got here early, because I already know the basics of how to get around, how to get a power adapter, the easy way to get to the classroom building, where to buy water, etc. I met some other faculty today at the opening ceremony of the program, many of whom came in yesterday or Saturday. They are still jet lagged and have no idea what to do or where to go. I have to say the program isn't doing a great job of orienting the faculty. We had to ask for the same handouts the students received, and for our own tour of campus (at high noon in the heat of the day, I might add).
...that I have my own washing machine, because I'm easily going through two outfits a day with this intense humidity and heat.
...that I enjoy exploring, because after all, isn't that what traveling is all about?
...that I live alone, because I would go nuts with a roommate on top of jet lag and culture shock. So far my culture shock has been minimal, but I've noticed on this trip and my last trip to Korea that it comes sooner than my first time here, perhaps because I've already been through it (honeymoon stage is pretty much over). However, I also know how to recognize its symptoms, and I know better than to take it too seriously. This enables me to brush off a lot of the disorientation and relish the small victories. It's always very good to come back to my room, crank up the aircon, and just chill out by myself when I feel a wave of irritability coming on.
...that I love Korea! I am very happy here and I'm excited for class to begin tomorrow.
...that I got here early, because I already know the basics of how to get around, how to get a power adapter, the easy way to get to the classroom building, where to buy water, etc. I met some other faculty today at the opening ceremony of the program, many of whom came in yesterday or Saturday. They are still jet lagged and have no idea what to do or where to go. I have to say the program isn't doing a great job of orienting the faculty. We had to ask for the same handouts the students received, and for our own tour of campus (at high noon in the heat of the day, I might add).
...that I have my own washing machine, because I'm easily going through two outfits a day with this intense humidity and heat.
...that I enjoy exploring, because after all, isn't that what traveling is all about?
...that I live alone, because I would go nuts with a roommate on top of jet lag and culture shock. So far my culture shock has been minimal, but I've noticed on this trip and my last trip to Korea that it comes sooner than my first time here, perhaps because I've already been through it (honeymoon stage is pretty much over). However, I also know how to recognize its symptoms, and I know better than to take it too seriously. This enables me to brush off a lot of the disorientation and relish the small victories. It's always very good to come back to my room, crank up the aircon, and just chill out by myself when I feel a wave of irritability coming on.
...that I love Korea! I am very happy here and I'm excited for class to begin tomorrow.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Three Time's a Charm
Day 3 in Korea. Most of my basic living needs are now met. I have internet access, albeit somewhat unstable, I have tasty things in the cupboard, cool drinks in the fridge, shampoo and body wash in the shower, and I know how to work my washing machine.
A few observations:
- My tiny command of the Korean language has come back to me easily. I was able to ask if I could pay for something with a credit card, for instance. I would really love to take a Korean language class, if they'll let me. I can easily read the alphabet, though my vocabulary is shockingly tiny, and my grammar is hideously deformed.
- This being my third time, I am able to take on the roll of oeguk (foreigner) with aplomb. This means I'm not so highly frustrated by the things that require more thought and assistance than they do back home, such as how to operate the washing machine and how to buy meal tickets. For example, yesterday I bought 2 meal tickets worth 2000 KRW (less than $2). Breakfast was only 2000 KRW, and somehow I got in my head that lunch would be more. I gestured to the cafeteria ajuma (lady) with my two meal tickets, and she tapped the ticket box for me to put them in. I did. Then realized by the time I got to my table that ALL meals are only 2000 KRW, and I'd just paid for two meals. I ate lunch with three brand new friends, two Koreans, and asked the guy to help me get my ticket back. He was astounded at how I could've made such a mistake. This is typical - a Korean can't imagine why a oeguk would do such a stupid thing. I had to explain to him that in the U.S., lunch would probably cost more than breakfast, and I thought the ajuma had gestured for me to put two tickets in the box. I wasn't offended at his questioning my sanity, because I've lived here before. Ahhh...Korea.
- Hair coloring is back in Korea. During my first year here from 02-03, everyone colored their hair red or blond. Three years ago, the "natural look" was in, so everyone had their natural black hair, and girls wore it long and wavy with very pale makeup. Now, I'm seeing red highlights and more dramatic makeup. I rather like the current style.
- The current shoe style for women is really sexy. I wish I could wear those high wedge heels. Gone are the metallics that were prevalent 3 years ago (and of course I have a pair of metallic sandals because the States are always a year or two behind Asian styles).
- Although I've been here before, I am still charmed by many things all over again, such as the national habit of walking briskly in the early evening in the parks and streets. That kind of regular exercise is so healthy, and the infrastructure here really supports it (see my previous post about the cool exercise park across the street). The cold drinks! So many, so cheap, so unique! I love the small chilled coffee drinks that are like .40 (yes, that's 40 cents). Multi-floored department stores that include a grocery store - shopping carts that lock onto the flat escalators between floors. The oil change place in the garage of said department store - get your lube done while you go grocery shopping!
- The World Cup. Of course this place is nuts for soccer, and S. Korea has advanced, which means this city will be in spasm tomorrow night from 11 p.m. on. I plan to go to Itaewon to hang with a friend and watch the game. I'm not a regular soccer fan, but it's hard not to get caught up in the fever here.
Time for dinner. It's a good thing I love Korean food, because there's no eggs or cereal option for breakfast. Kimchi, rice, meat, fish, veggie. For breakfast! Don't worry I have yogurt in my fridge, as well as fruit and buckwheat tea.
Day three a success - tomorrow is the tour of Seoul City. I'm looking forward to it, as I've not seen a lot of Seoul in past visits.
A few observations:
- My tiny command of the Korean language has come back to me easily. I was able to ask if I could pay for something with a credit card, for instance. I would really love to take a Korean language class, if they'll let me. I can easily read the alphabet, though my vocabulary is shockingly tiny, and my grammar is hideously deformed.
- This being my third time, I am able to take on the roll of oeguk (foreigner) with aplomb. This means I'm not so highly frustrated by the things that require more thought and assistance than they do back home, such as how to operate the washing machine and how to buy meal tickets. For example, yesterday I bought 2 meal tickets worth 2000 KRW (less than $2). Breakfast was only 2000 KRW, and somehow I got in my head that lunch would be more. I gestured to the cafeteria ajuma (lady) with my two meal tickets, and she tapped the ticket box for me to put them in. I did. Then realized by the time I got to my table that ALL meals are only 2000 KRW, and I'd just paid for two meals. I ate lunch with three brand new friends, two Koreans, and asked the guy to help me get my ticket back. He was astounded at how I could've made such a mistake. This is typical - a Korean can't imagine why a oeguk would do such a stupid thing. I had to explain to him that in the U.S., lunch would probably cost more than breakfast, and I thought the ajuma had gestured for me to put two tickets in the box. I wasn't offended at his questioning my sanity, because I've lived here before. Ahhh...Korea.
- Hair coloring is back in Korea. During my first year here from 02-03, everyone colored their hair red or blond. Three years ago, the "natural look" was in, so everyone had their natural black hair, and girls wore it long and wavy with very pale makeup. Now, I'm seeing red highlights and more dramatic makeup. I rather like the current style.
- The current shoe style for women is really sexy. I wish I could wear those high wedge heels. Gone are the metallics that were prevalent 3 years ago (and of course I have a pair of metallic sandals because the States are always a year or two behind Asian styles).
- Although I've been here before, I am still charmed by many things all over again, such as the national habit of walking briskly in the early evening in the parks and streets. That kind of regular exercise is so healthy, and the infrastructure here really supports it (see my previous post about the cool exercise park across the street). The cold drinks! So many, so cheap, so unique! I love the small chilled coffee drinks that are like .40 (yes, that's 40 cents). Multi-floored department stores that include a grocery store - shopping carts that lock onto the flat escalators between floors. The oil change place in the garage of said department store - get your lube done while you go grocery shopping!
- The World Cup. Of course this place is nuts for soccer, and S. Korea has advanced, which means this city will be in spasm tomorrow night from 11 p.m. on. I plan to go to Itaewon to hang with a friend and watch the game. I'm not a regular soccer fan, but it's hard not to get caught up in the fever here.
Time for dinner. It's a good thing I love Korean food, because there's no eggs or cereal option for breakfast. Kimchi, rice, meat, fish, veggie. For breakfast! Don't worry I have yogurt in my fridge, as well as fruit and buckwheat tea.
Day three a success - tomorrow is the tour of Seoul City. I'm looking forward to it, as I've not seen a lot of Seoul in past visits.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Settling In
Good morning, Korea! I managed to hold off on going to sleep until around 8:30 p.m. last night. Woke up around midnight, took some Nyquil tabs, slept until 5:00 a.m. Not a bad night's sleep for my first night here. Still feeling a bit logy, but that's par for the course with a 13-hour time difference. (I've changed the date stamp on this blog to match local time in Seoul, so you can more or less figure out when I am operating.)
My room is sweet. I will get some photos up here if and when I can figure out how to do that (see next paragraph). I have a large bathroom with a roomy shower stall and a washing machine for clothes - very convenient. The kitchen is eat-in with a little hot plate stove top, tiny fridge, and TV (which I haven't turned on yet). The armoire is in the kitchen area since the bedroom has 2 twin beds (larger than American-sized twin beds) and two desks that run the length of one wall with hutches that reach the ceiling. I am enjoying these desks - lots of space to organize stuff and have room for teaching work as well as writing work. Oh, and there's aircon in both rooms, which is extremely fortunate. The view from the windows is of campus - green and landscaped up a hill. Very pretty. The only downside to the view is that there's a parking garage exit down there, and every time a car leaves a buzzer goes off. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to get much use at night (or else my earplugs blocked it out as I was sleeping).
I have no idea what's on tap for today (which is Thursday, BTW). I believe more students are arriving, so I might just have a day to chill out by myself. I'm trying to get the showrunners here to allow me wifi access. There is a computer in the room, but it's all in Hangul and there's no way for me to Skype here, which is a serious bummer. I am hoping they will allow me the wifi access. It'll make my life simpler if I can do everything from my own laptop. I also need an adapter so I can plug my computer in. I haven't been able to charge anything up because I have no adapters - that was supposed to happen yesterday and didn't. Ah well, with luck it'll happen today. I'd like to use my time to get some writing done today since I don't have any responsibilities.
I now have 9 students enrolled in my class. 4 Americans, 5 Koreans. I'm hoping for one more between now and Monday so that I have an even number of students - always makes pair work easier when there's a not a group of 3 taking longer than everyone else. There's an opening ceremony/orientation on Monday, then actual classes begin on Tuesday. I am so pleased that I gave myself a couple extra days to get acclimated before I have to teach! Pat on the back.
Last evening I went for a walk in this lovely walking/biking trail that's just across the street from campus. It lines a river tributary and is located directly under an elevated freeway. I think Seoul did a fantastic job of utilizing this space and making it so fresh and green. They even have classical music piped through! The place was busy with walkers and cyclists - clearly it gets a lot of use. Not a homeless person in sight - which is what most Americans would expect to see in a park by the river under a freeway, right? That's not to say there aren't any homeless, but I didn't see any. Mainly older Koreans out for their evening stroll, and some younger people on bikes both sleek and casual. It was a great way to end the day and get myself really ready for sleep. I'm going to shoot for evening walks there every day.
Not sure what today holds, but here's to more adventure! I should be meeting up with a friend who lives in Seoul either tonight or tomorrow. Spend some time in Itaewon. Hopefully with charged camera battery by that point.
My room is sweet. I will get some photos up here if and when I can figure out how to do that (see next paragraph). I have a large bathroom with a roomy shower stall and a washing machine for clothes - very convenient. The kitchen is eat-in with a little hot plate stove top, tiny fridge, and TV (which I haven't turned on yet). The armoire is in the kitchen area since the bedroom has 2 twin beds (larger than American-sized twin beds) and two desks that run the length of one wall with hutches that reach the ceiling. I am enjoying these desks - lots of space to organize stuff and have room for teaching work as well as writing work. Oh, and there's aircon in both rooms, which is extremely fortunate. The view from the windows is of campus - green and landscaped up a hill. Very pretty. The only downside to the view is that there's a parking garage exit down there, and every time a car leaves a buzzer goes off. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to get much use at night (or else my earplugs blocked it out as I was sleeping).
I have no idea what's on tap for today (which is Thursday, BTW). I believe more students are arriving, so I might just have a day to chill out by myself. I'm trying to get the showrunners here to allow me wifi access. There is a computer in the room, but it's all in Hangul and there's no way for me to Skype here, which is a serious bummer. I am hoping they will allow me the wifi access. It'll make my life simpler if I can do everything from my own laptop. I also need an adapter so I can plug my computer in. I haven't been able to charge anything up because I have no adapters - that was supposed to happen yesterday and didn't. Ah well, with luck it'll happen today. I'd like to use my time to get some writing done today since I don't have any responsibilities.
I now have 9 students enrolled in my class. 4 Americans, 5 Koreans. I'm hoping for one more between now and Monday so that I have an even number of students - always makes pair work easier when there's a not a group of 3 taking longer than everyone else. There's an opening ceremony/orientation on Monday, then actual classes begin on Tuesday. I am so pleased that I gave myself a couple extra days to get acclimated before I have to teach! Pat on the back.
Last evening I went for a walk in this lovely walking/biking trail that's just across the street from campus. It lines a river tributary and is located directly under an elevated freeway. I think Seoul did a fantastic job of utilizing this space and making it so fresh and green. They even have classical music piped through! The place was busy with walkers and cyclists - clearly it gets a lot of use. Not a homeless person in sight - which is what most Americans would expect to see in a park by the river under a freeway, right? That's not to say there aren't any homeless, but I didn't see any. Mainly older Koreans out for their evening stroll, and some younger people on bikes both sleek and casual. It was a great way to end the day and get myself really ready for sleep. I'm going to shoot for evening walks there every day.
Not sure what today holds, but here's to more adventure! I should be meeting up with a friend who lives in Seoul either tonight or tomorrow. Spend some time in Itaewon. Hopefully with charged camera battery by that point.
Touch down
The Eagle has landed (again). I'm in Seoul, more or less in one piece, about to head to a discount department store with the students to pick up necessities, led by our fearless leader Chun.
I'm definitely jetlagged, definitely sleep deprived, and I left the U.S. with a cold, which has only hung on during transit. I'm hoping after a couple nights' rest it'll be gone. I don't want to start teaching on Monday with a cough.
It's great to be back, even in my present condition, and I'm deriving extra, vicarious thrill from the students' reactions to things so far. This being my third time in the country, I still have a period of adjustment, but I now realize how much I actually do "get" over here that a new-comer has yet to experience.
Will check in later with more detail once I'm back to normal (whatever that means).
I'm definitely jetlagged, definitely sleep deprived, and I left the U.S. with a cold, which has only hung on during transit. I'm hoping after a couple nights' rest it'll be gone. I don't want to start teaching on Monday with a cough.
It's great to be back, even in my present condition, and I'm deriving extra, vicarious thrill from the students' reactions to things so far. This being my third time in the country, I still have a period of adjustment, but I now realize how much I actually do "get" over here that a new-comer has yet to experience.
Will check in later with more detail once I'm back to normal (whatever that means).
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
A little over a week to departure time. I am finally feeling on top of things enough to allow myself some excitement (as opposed to just nerves - there is a difference, you know).
Express mailed my passport and visa application on Thursday; expecting to get it back by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. This is what I'm telling myself, anyway.
The trial packing was successful. I may have to bring a production kit since one of the students couldn't come after all, and we have to get this thing to Korea one way or another. With luck, I'll have only one carry on, but if I have to bring two to accommodate the production kit, so be it.
This week I will finish creating my students' materials packet by Tuesday so I can photocopy them at work. Speaking of students, I have four students from the college I work for during the academic year, and four Korean students. Chances are I may have a couple more signed up before the first day of classes on June 28, but for the time being, I've got eight. A nice, round number.
Thankfully, I don't have to buy anything else. I've got all I need, with the exception of a couple protein bars for the bus ride into New York. Did you know that the worst thing about a five hour bus trip to NYC is the toilet? In Korea, long bus rides are broken up with frequent rest-stops at very well-appointed service areas. There is no need for a stinky blue toilet whose walls you don't watch to touch without latex gloves on.
Two weeks from today I will be in Seoul, trying to get on the right sleep cycle. How will it feel? What will my digs be like? Will I have a tub or a Korean-style shower stall bathroom? Is there a pool on campus so I can swim every morning? Will my severely compromised tolerance to alcohol be tested by soju on my first weekend in the country? So many questions. Answers forthcoming, so stay tuned.
Express mailed my passport and visa application on Thursday; expecting to get it back by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. This is what I'm telling myself, anyway.
The trial packing was successful. I may have to bring a production kit since one of the students couldn't come after all, and we have to get this thing to Korea one way or another. With luck, I'll have only one carry on, but if I have to bring two to accommodate the production kit, so be it.
This week I will finish creating my students' materials packet by Tuesday so I can photocopy them at work. Speaking of students, I have four students from the college I work for during the academic year, and four Korean students. Chances are I may have a couple more signed up before the first day of classes on June 28, but for the time being, I've got eight. A nice, round number.
Thankfully, I don't have to buy anything else. I've got all I need, with the exception of a couple protein bars for the bus ride into New York. Did you know that the worst thing about a five hour bus trip to NYC is the toilet? In Korea, long bus rides are broken up with frequent rest-stops at very well-appointed service areas. There is no need for a stinky blue toilet whose walls you don't watch to touch without latex gloves on.
Two weeks from today I will be in Seoul, trying to get on the right sleep cycle. How will it feel? What will my digs be like? Will I have a tub or a Korean-style shower stall bathroom? Is there a pool on campus so I can swim every morning? Will my severely compromised tolerance to alcohol be tested by soju on my first weekend in the country? So many questions. Answers forthcoming, so stay tuned.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
C-4: The work visa, not the explosive.
I awoke Monday morning to an email from my Korean employer in which I was informed I'd be needing a C-4 visa. This, 2 weeks before my plane leaves. I also received a bunch of paper work to fill out, which didn't turn out to be that difficult, but I am now waiting for a sealed contract from the university in order to apply for the visa. I am promised by the Korean Consulate that it will only take a day to process once they've received it.
And I am reminded of how things work in Korea: last minute. It's a good way to get re-acquainted with this manner of doing business, which doesn't always make sense to a Westerner, but which seems to work just fine in Korea.
The culture shock has already begun... but at least I know what I'm in for.
And I am reminded of how things work in Korea: last minute. It's a good way to get re-acquainted with this manner of doing business, which doesn't always make sense to a Westerner, but which seems to work just fine in Korea.
The culture shock has already begun... but at least I know what I'm in for.
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