Marlon Rando's...

Thought I'd throw in some random photos from my time so far here in SK. Enjoy~

So this is what women do in the bathroom, according to the store across the street. This restroom is for men to relieve themselves and women to fix their faces. Nope, no sexual discriminations there....

~A produce stand right down the street...gotta support the local fare

This is my first meal of my trip, on Asiana Airlines. Probably the best flight I've ever had. Zoning out with some Ambien and waking up to apple filled pancakes, fresh fruit, yogurt, croissant, and coffee? I bow down.

This was my first actual meal in Korea. I went to a place called E-Mart across the way from the apartment complex. It's not really a Wal-Mart comparison, because it isn't as big and is much nicer. All the food is put into display cases and you pick what you want from there, and then they make it to order. I picked something that looked like chicken, but was actually squid. Since I didn't know a lick of Korean, I had to take a picture of it and show the woman at the counter. I must say though, chicken or squid, it was tasty.

I REALLY need to get a new camera.....

A couple weeks ago I lost my camera at a school park. We had decided to go there to sit in the soccer field and have a beer or two. It turned into a case of beer and a couple bottles of soju. There were a couple people running around the track and we were giving them the hand-off with dixie cups of beer instead of water, marathon style. Anyways, after that bout of debauchery, we all seemed to make it home, except for my camera. Awesome.

I have been to one of the strangest places I've ever encountered in my life this weekend. I'm kicking myself now for losing that camera. I will try my best to describe what has indefinitely scarred me for life.

Daniel (Bravo) and I decided to hit up the herbal market Saturday morning. I'd seen it advertised on an old tourist subway map. It was about an hour away by train in a little town called Jegi-Dong. Considering we got the idea to go here from a tourist map, I expected to see a foreigner or two, but we were the only ones I saw all day.

Just like any other open air market in Korea, it was crowded. Thousands of people milling the streets, motorcycles flying down the sidewalks, the old ladies not even flinching. The air smelled like fresh tea or raw fish, depending on which isle you were walking down. There were hundreds of vendors boasting their offerings. If the vendors aren't yelling out their prices, they're taking a nap in the middle of the chaos. I had to laugh a couple times. With all the people and noises and smells, these ladies were able to pass out among their vegetables and sacks of rice.

Being an herbal market, and not foreigner friendly (nothing in English), we really had to smell things and look closely to figure out what we were being offered. Dried flowers and peppers, tree barks, roots, raw ginseng and garlic, dried sunflowers bigger than I ever saw in the midwest..... The strangest thing we saw were bags of live bees. Bees. Live bees. Huge bees. Craziness. There were large pieces of the honeycomb inside and 50 or so gigantic bees crawling about inside. I wish I could have asked what the purpose of buying the bags might have been. Collect your own honey? Bee sting therapy? Either way it was cool to see.

While we were wandering the fish market, we came across two giant tanks. Squid, sting ray, shark, octopus, huuuuge fish. I feel right at home with that, because markets like that are all over Korea. But these two tanks were filled with something I don't see often. One was filled with turtles. They were really big and swimming around, the spotting on their shells was something I'd never seen before. They were cool to see, but meh, turtles are common. The other was almost to the brim with hundreds of frogs in it. Not dead. Just sitting there, not hopping away. If you're a frog leg connoissuer, you can pick up a little bucket and take your pick. I'd never seen so many frogs in one spot at the same time.

Among the fresh fruits and produce, there is a big part of the market for all things meat. I've been contemplating vegetarianism since I moved here and now I'm pretty sure meat is no longer an option for me. There were butcher stands galore. Whole carcasses were lined up and you could pick the cut of meat or bone you desired. Seeing the pig heads, chicken heads, and huge raw bones was a little stomach turning, but I know it's my own fault. I eat meat, I shouldn't be scared to see what it looks like before it's formed into a patty and put onto my bun. I kept walking, taking it all in.

Then I saw one cultural difference in Korea that I just don't understand and never will. Inbetween stands, there was a small butcher shop. Baby goats stood in one big cage, and underneath it was another cage of medium sized white dogs. They looked a little like golden retrievers, but were probably muts. I thought for a second "awwww puppies!" and then that quickly dissipated and I realized they too, were on the chopping block. In the display case next to the pig hooves was a whole skinned, roasted dog. I didn't look at the whole thing. I wouldn't have looked in the first place, but it took a few seconds for the images to register. In Korea, some people eat dog. It isn't a popular choice, but if you look hard (or stumble down the wrong market road), you can find it. The dog's feet were the part that really mad me sick. It made me think of my old dog back home. When I was younger I used to smell his feet sometimes. Odd, but hey, so was I. They always smelled like cut grass and gym shoes. Seeing this dog's feet skinned and roasted, I just couldn't imagine who would have the heart to hurt an animal like that. Especially an animal that just wants to be thrown a ball or curl up in your lap. Then I looked back at the cage of dogs. They were all huddled up one on top of the other, sleeping, or trying to sleep. Did they know they were next? Did they see it happen to others? My Korean friend Lee tells me eating dog is something only the old people do. I hope this is something that dies out with their generation.

Overall, this was an amazing way to take in some Korean culture first hand. The sights, the smells, both good and bad, were eye opening and memorable. We bought some dried fruit, fresh apples, and nuts. Pretty safe choices, but seeing the dog kinda ruined my appetite for the rest of the day/my life.

Now....about getting a new camera....

Cheers

Don't Be a Menace to South Korea...while drinking your Soju in the hood?

Excuse my incredibly tacky title....I couldn't help myself. If you're unaware, "Don't Be a Menace to South Central, While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood" is a really terrible movie about the violence on the south side. The end.

When people started to get wind of my traveling to Korea, a lot of people voiced their concerns for my safety. Like my first post mentions, getting abducted into a windowless van to be sold into sex slavery was definitely on the table. Well, let's set the record straight, shall we?

I'm dumbfounded at the utter lack of crime in Korea. If getting punched in a drunken bar fight is the most common crime in this country, I think they deserve some sort of award/ribbon/something dipped in bronze.

Students carry exacto knives in their pencil cases. When I saw a student take hers out, I almost fainted. When she explained to me that most students carry them, and THEN saw alllll of the students take theirs out....well its an image I'll likely soon not forget. However, it did make me realize that not everyone looks at a sharp object and thinks brutal massacre. Korean students use these knives on the daily, instead of scissors. I'm warming up the best I can.

One of my western friends has even lost his wallet TWICE in downtown Seoul (much much bigger than Chicago) and each time, his wallet was mailed back to him, money/credit cards intact. Complete strangers are more inclined to go out of their way to return your belongings than use them for their own good. Koreans take such pride in what they have and who they represent, that tipping a taxi driver 10 cents or 10 dollars will piss him off. In a lot of ways, living amongst Koreans makes me feel like I was living amongst heathens in midwest America.

Even the birds are friendly!.....in the amusement park anyways.

Car theft, house burglaries, purse snatching, homicide, the works....these crimes are so few that I get laughed at by other Koreans when I talk about being scared to take the subway at night. The most crime I've seen is probably two Aussie bros getting into an argument over so and so's girlfriend at a bar.

I am not saying, however, that nothing bad goes down in SK. There is a lot of identity theft from what I hear. Also petty crimes, like pick-pocketing still happen in touristy areas. But I think most cities have the same problem.

So, in my opinion. South Korea= 1 USA= -100 in the crime department.

Just giving my insights...

Cheers

Working the J-O-B

I work for a private academy in Mokdong, South Korea. Private schools are referred to as "hagwons". Every teacher will have a different experience, and I've heard my fair share of horror stories. Thankfully, I haven't been stuck in such a bad situation. My school's name is Fortian English School. There are 3 branches of the school, I work in the newest school. The building itself is very nice. It's brand new and looks shockingly stylish and modern for a school. It looks more like an upscale law firm than a place where "THE CAT RAN UP AND DOWN THE TREE" is shouted on the regular.

I work with 2 other western teachers (both Canadians,eh), and 4 Korean teachers. The western teachers have been great and we're always going out for dinner and drinks on the weekend. I'm thankful that everyone has been very nice and helpful. 2 of the Korean teachers are now pregnant, and if you know me, you would know how much that freaks me out. It's fun though, being able to talk to them about the female universal language that is pregnancy. My director is are really cool guy in his early 30's. He was born in Korea but spent most of his time in Australia, so he is very laid back and is a lot more comfortable to speak to than most other male directors. When he was younger, he was in a Korean pop band named (get this) "Bikini Party". How can you not love that???

I teach 8 40-55 minute classes a day, from 2:10pm- to 9:10pm. The ages of the kids range from 8-14 years old. When the kids want to enroll at Fortian, they must take a qualifying test which will determine what level they should start at. I can't believe how smart the kids are. It also pains me to know that most children start their school days at 8am and don't make it home until 10pm. For being in school that long, I'm shocked at how happy go lucky they seem to be in class. However, I have had students tell me they had a bad day because "teacher hit me" at school. Corporal punishment is still alive and well in Korea, so if you don't do well at work, be prepared to feel it. My class sizes are perfect, usually 6-8 per class. One of my classes has only 1 student (lucky guy...). In some schools, teachers are saddled up with over 30 kids per class. Nooooo thanks, buddy.

When it comes to how well behaved the kids are, it really depends on the teacher. I learned in my years of nanny experience, that you have to draw the line from the get go. So, I let them know I was fun, silly, a complete nut, but at the same time, try farting in my direction and you'll be standing in the corner with your arms above your head for the rest of class. Thankfully, it appears I've done a good job, because I haven't had any problems. One thing that the Korean boys just looooove to do to their peers and teachers (usually to the guys) is "dongchim" them. It literally means "perfect position". They put their hands together to form somewhat of a gun shape, and then jam their pointer fingers up your butt when you least expect it. To top it off they then ask you to smell their finger. Kids...aren't they precious????

There will be plenty to come about these little darlings, as well as photos! Halloween is just around the corner and I can't wait to scare the crap outta these kids :)

Cheers

Naksan Temple

"The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways. "

"What we think, we become. "

-the ways of Buddha

Since I first arrived in Korea 3 months ago, I've been wanting to go check out the temples. I heard they were some of the most beautiful in the world. I myself am not a Buddhist, however I admire their ways and the history. While on our trip to Naksan Beach, our local friend Lee told us of a temple just a short distance from our hotel. So, the last morning of our trip, a couple of us decided to make the hike up to the temple and check it out.

There were a lot of people there, being a Sunday and all. The temple is split up into various houses. Some are for historic value, others for praying, and of course, a monk's gotta sleep(barely), so their housing is on temple grounds.

The monks were really cool, even though I only saw them praying. I was trying to call these two kittens to come over to me, but I forgot these cats don't know the word "kitty" in English. A monk came out and said something I didn't understand and the cats came running to him. He had the magic touch I guess.

The temple is for the most part, self sufficient. They have a hand made irrigation system and grow crops on site. We saw a big line coming out of one of the houses and found out the monks offer free noodles. We stood in line and were served our bowl. I'm not sure if it was the monks, the free-nes of them, or what, but those noodles were life changing. So good. There was also fresh kimchi in the noodles, which is a nice surprise. For all the newbies to Korean cuisine, kimchi is formented cabbage with spicy sauce. It's the staple of the country. We sat at communal tables, enjoyed the food, then stood in line to wash our dishes with the rest of the people.

My favorite part of seeing this temple, was watching the monks chant, solemnly and continuously, as a steady flow of people went to pray. The temple itself was breath taking. The shrines, the lanterns, the size of it all was enough for me to tell myself not to do something stupid...like knock something over. Praying involves a lot of bowing, kneeling, and is very specific. I would have loved to had a video to show on here, but taping someone praying...just seemed too Western.

At the very top of this small mountain that the temple is on, there is a huge dedication to Buddha. It can be seen from most of the beach. There are beautiful flowers growing wild, that I'd never seen before, and the air is just saturated with the smell. Not to mention, the view was spectacular. Taking it all in really made me glad about my decision to come here. I do believe there is no place like home, but I also believe you have to travel to the ends of the Earth to truly appreciate what "home" means.

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. " - Buddha

Naksan Beach Trip

So, after missing a train, getting stuck in traffic, to only take a later train, and spend way too much on a cab ride, I finally arrived in Naksan.

Lee, my good Korean friend, happens to be the Sacagawea of navigation, so I owe my whole trip to his skills. Eleven of us met up to spend the weekend on the beach, minimizing our tan lines, and rejoicing in our ability to drink outside on the streets. There isn't an open container law here, so booze is cheap (maybe a dollar a beer) and the bars don't close. Really.

We stayed at a hotel just a short walk from the beach. To stay on the cheap side, we rented just the room. No beds, just mattress pads. Was it comfortable? My God, no. But we didn't spend too much time in there anyways. We spent our first night drinking on the beach, but by the time everyone arrived it was really late, so we just packed ourselves in like sardines on the floor and went to bed.

The next day, we grabbed our towels and went to soak in the sun. My favorite part about the beach are the vendors. Ice cream sundaes, fried chicken, fruit on a stick, cold drinks...all conveniently walking by you every 5 minutes. The chicken guy just walks the beach for hours yelling "FRIED CHICKEN!" like his life depends on it. When you do stop to purchase some chicken, or fruit or whatever, they will let you know, with confidence, that you are about to eat the best chicken/fruit/stewed squid on this side of the hemisphere. It's quite touching.

My least favorite part about the beach? Jellyfish. I think most of the ones I saw were dead, but either way, they can still sting you. We went swimming and I spent a good amount of that time praying I wouldn't get stung. The water was cool, but felt really good. There were lots of beautiful shells and the weather couldn't have been better. Not a bad way to start the trip.

Then we went to dinner. This is where things got interesting. We sat at a Last Supper'ish table and ordered up some sashimi and seafood soup. The seafood is as fresh as it gets. Most of what we order is grabbed out of a tank in the front of the restaurant, then prepared to your liking. It's amazing. What's not amazing is the surprises that can be found in one's bowl of seafood soup. Quote of the night became "there was a mouth, in my mouth". Delicious....

It's kind of hard to see, but that's the squids mouth, a fang really, that was in my mouth. Now, honestly, that's disgusting. I also found brains and an eye complete with socket. Talk about some good soup! It was a like a treasure hunt and the only treasure was grim and beckoning me towards vegetarianism.

All in all, it was a really good trip. Lots of beaching, lots of swimming, lots of not sleeping and drinking more than I should. We did take a trip to a Buddhist temple, but I'm going to make a different post out of that one. Loving the everyday surprises.

Oh Korea...I might be falling in love with your charms :)

Do I have a booger hanging out or something?

One thing that I'm finding hard to cope with is the constant staring. It's not oogling or perverted in the sense, it's more of a "where did you come from and where is your leader" type of thing. Living in South Korea is my first time living abroad, so I guess it's pretty standard. Back when I lived in Chicago, running to the 7/11 in my pajamas, sans makeup, in house slippers wasn't a big deal. Here though, beauty is the epitome of the daily regime. Women wear high heels EVERYWHERE, this includes sandy beaches, while power walking, and even in sweats. It's all about the merchandise, so plastic surgery is common as the cold and knock off designs are produced faster than a Big Mac. I have to bow down to these women, however, because even at the ripe ages of the mid 70's, they know how to strut. So back to whatever it is I was talking about, I don't exactly fit in. I wear cut offs, mocassins, am a foot taller than most. The staring is imminent, but I guess I don't go out of my way to blend in. All in all, I guess I'm feeling.....what would you call it....foreign. Imagine that.