My Feet Are Killing Me

Yup, they are. Last night Scranton and I went down to the waterfront park to check out the view of the Dolsand Bridge then to Odongdo to see what the island has to offer. After the journey down the 768 meter long (no feet here) causeway we got to the island and could hear the music from the fountains. The fountains are one of the main attractions on Odongdo. Almost like a mini Bellagio, these fountains were synced to music. Except these ones were colored. We arrived only a few songs before the fountains shut off for the night but what we did hear was really nice. Mostly some classical stuff. The last song of the night, however, was We Will Rock You. That made my night. Unfortunately We Are the Champions did not follow.


When the fountains shut off, we went in search of the barefoot walking path. This was probably one of the most interesting things I've seen here yet. all the way up the hill on the shoulder of the normal walking path there was this small lane with rocks of varrying sizes and different "obstacles" (wooden pegs, cement triangles) to walk on. The idea is that by stimulating different areas on your feet, you contribute to the overall wellness of a corresponding organ or part of your body. The trek up the hill was foot torture. The smaller rocks were very pointy and the cement triangles were way to thin to walk on painlessly. We felt great relief when we got to the top. From the top you could go to the lighthouse (which was closed), the Cave of Dragon (which we figured was too dangerous for night time), or the sunrise viewing place. We chose option number 3. After winding down the path we got to a big cement platform right on the water where in the morning, you can see the sun rise over the water. Koreans are really big on that. It really reminded me of the Sea Wall back home. It was time to go when some huge bug crawled on my foot...we were still barefoot from the walking path.


The trek back over the causeway with our newly tired feet was less than awesome. Then came the half mile walk before we were able to find a taxi, which we thanked graciously for driving us home at 11:05. On the way off Odongdo we saw a staircase that led up a cliffy hillside to a little pavilion that overlooked Odongdo to one side, and Yeosu downtown from another. Our feet couldn't handle the journey so we went home.

The theme for this weekend has been

climbing. I honestly can't remember the last time I climbed this much in a two day period. In the end tho, I saw some pretty spectacular things that you can only reach by climbing.

On Saturday a bunch of us went up to Gurye, about an hour's train ride from Yeosu. We were going to see a waterfall that was supposed to be pretty cool. Too bad we were there in the wrong season. Our waterfall was actually a little trickle of water that dribbled down from a cliff. The cliff however, was spectacular. After hiking the dry riverbed and scaling rocks we finally came to the end where the fall was supposed to be. There was literally a wall of rock that went straigt up. It was awesome. We also saw some rock climbers at the waterfall. This was no had grip stuff. I'm talking clips hammered straight into the rock. I wish I had the skill to climb a 50 foot vertical rock face.
On the way down we found the trail that we were supposed to take. It made the trek 10 times easier walking down a trail instead of climbing all up and down rocks. At the start of the trail there was a little restaurant with some dogs. One of the dogs was a brown and black dachsund mix that I wanted to take. It was still a puppy, it could've fit in my backpack haha. After the hike we went to Suncheon for some Outback Steakhouse. As much as I like the healthy spicy Korean food, it was phenomenal to eat some greasy fatty cheese fries. Sometimes you just need something unhealthy.

This morning we made the journey to Dolsan Island to go to the Hyangiram Buddhist Hermatige for the sunrise. My co-teacher said that Hyangiram was one of the top 3 places in Korea to watch the sun rise over the water. I met everyone at 4:15am for the 45 minute scooter trip to the hermitage. I really need to get a scooter ASAP. Its convenient to walk to nearby places in Yeosu-dong and I am getting more and more familiar with the bus routes, but there are some places that are just more accessable by scooter or motorbike. It would be nice to just be able to go down to Odongdo or the beach without having to wait for the right bus or pay for a cab. Geoff is selling his bike when he leaves, but thats a month away. By then it'll almost be November. I want to have enough time with the bike before it gets too cold to ride. Enough about transportation. Back to the sunrise.

Once we got to Hyangiram we had to walk up a wicked steep hill before we got to the entrance. Good thing I walk up such a steep slope everyday for school. From the entrance we had to climb 291 steps to the top of the hermitage. These were not your ordinary steps. Some of them were pretty steep. The first 100 or so were like a normal staircase. After that, things got tricky. The trail got progressively more narrow. At one point we were walking in this natural rock tunnel/fissure where there was less than 5 inches between me and the rock on either side. When the leg workout of the century was done we found ourselves looking over the Eastern horizon on a ledge with a small temple and a standing statue of Buddha. We got there at about 5:40 so we parked it on a rock and waited till the sun came up at 6:14. Man was it worth the wait. I have seen experienced few things in my life that rival the rising of the sun over the East Sea to the sound of Buddhist chants in the background. It was awe inspiring.

We kicked around Hyangiram for a bit after sunrise to see the hermitage in the daylight. The wole place had a turtle motif. Many of the rocks had lines and textures that made them look like turtle shells. At the bottom of the mountain, the village was situated on a rocky outcropping that looked like a turtle's head sticking out into the water. It was a pretty cool place. I bought a bracelet with an Ohm and a carving of my Chinese zodiac, a tiger. When I went to put it on, the bead with the carvings opened to reveal a little gold Buddha. It was 7000 won well spent. The walk down from the hermitage was just as epic as the way up. Instead of taking the stairs, we took the back way which was a path but no stairs, just a hill. At the bottom, the village of Impo was just waking up. Vendors were making their kimchi and people were buying fresh produce to use for the day's meals. It was probably the most authentic thing I've seen since coming here.

When I got home at 8am, I felt like what I had just seen took place days ago. Its strange how time and daylight can change your perception on things. After my naps (yes multiple) I ran some errands around town to get some things, mostly groceries, for my place. I also picked up my bus ticket to Incheon Airport. My bus leaves in just about an hour from now. At the marktet I tried to find some sheets for my spare bed. And by spare bed I mean traditional Korean sleeping mat. Koreans apparantly don't use sheets so a comforter will have to do. At least I can plug in the mat and turn up the temperature. I also found the elusive Shinae. I took the bus to the market, turned a corner, and found myself on cobblestone streets with shops (some big names, North Face, Puma...etc) and cafes. I explored a bit and when I got to the other side of Shinae, I was at the Jinnamgwan. Nice!. I see the Jinnamgwan every day from school but never up close. There's something humbling about being next so something that has existed for hundreds of years.

Time to pack my bag for Incheon and pick up Scranton!

Whats your blood type?

New thing I learned this week: Koreans can tell your personality by your blood type. Much like astrology. I find that fascinating. One of my students asked my blood type one day, I told him, but I was really confused and asked him why. The whole class tried to explain to me that you can tell how a person is by knowing their blood type. I was blown away. Type A people are the "farmers". Conservative, introverted, stubborn and uptight. Type B people are "hunters". Creative, optimistic, self centered and irresponsible. Type B males are the least desirable and have earned the "player" stereotype. AB are the humanists. Controlled, rational, critical, and unforgiving. Lastly, type O people are the "warriors". Ambitious, robust, ruthless, and vain.

The idea that personality transfers through blood makes sense to me, but I don't necessarily agree with what I am. I am O+ and I feel in no way like a warrior. This is just the korea4expats.com explanation, so I'm sure that a more in depth resource would give better insight.

In other news, some of my students crack me up, and others amaze me. This week's lesson is about travel and going to New York City. At the end of the lesson I have them take out a piece of paper, draw a picture of someplace they want to travel, and write 5 sentences why they want to go there. I saw a lot of Japans, New Yorks, and Frances, but some of them really surprised me. One student wanted to go to the US to see some colleges. Harvard, MIT, typical good schools. His last sentence however was "I want to see Ray's college and his hometown". I thought that was really cool. Another wanted to go to North Korea, because to him both Koreas are one people and one day they will be united again. Some that really surprised me were Norway and The Netherlands. Skiing in Norway and The Netherlands to look at the beautiful scenery. It really brought to light how little I know about other countries' world views. Even in less than a month, teaching has led me to learn so much.

Remember that feast I ate my first week?

Well tonight's was a million times better. One of the students in first grade's parents own a seafood restaurant. Tonight they treated all of the teachers to an enormous seafood feast. This ain't no second rate sushi dinner. The spread tonight was a 5 course seafood extravaganza. First course, sashimi appetizers. There was sea squirt (sliced up but not quite dead yet), octopus, conch, sea snail, sea urchin, scallop, and 3 or 4 other types of fish all sliced up and RAW. Out front of the restaurant there was a wall of fish tanks where minutes before I ate it, my dinner was swimming around. As fresh as can be.

Second course was a huge plate of the main course sashimi. I think it was flounder but I'm not 100% sure. All of the meat on the plate definitely came from the same fish, but it was interesting to feel the differences in texture between the cuts. Some were silky smooth, some were more toothsome, and at one end of the plate there were the "most delicious parts" as according to my teachers. I'm willing to guess that they were from the cheek of the fish. Alongside the sashimi was a basket of cabbage leaves. You were supposed to dip the fish in your soy/wasabi mixture, put some red bean paste in there, maybe a slice of raw garlic if you're feeling adventurous, roll it up, make a toast, swig some soju, and stuff it in your mouth. That little bite of seafood goodness had so many textures and tastes. Crunchy cabage, silky fish, creamy, sweet, and spicy red bean paste, spicy wasabi, salty soy, and sour lemon from the platter. It was a symphony for my mouth.

Third course was some cooked shrimp, a roasted fish, cooked conch, sliced pork, and a soup with broad noodles, seaweed, and these little clam type things. The hosts were extremely generous and at every chance would pick the tastiest morsels for me to try. Even though we they didn't speak English, the smile, head nod, and thumbs up screamed "this is very good, please try some".

Up next was crab tempura, squid tempura and fried shrimp, and deok. Deok are traditional Korean rice cakes. Not the round puffy rice cakes we're used to in America, but chewy, gummy, sticky logs or balls. The ones we had were stuffed with sweet red beans, fried, and coated in sesame seeds. I can't even describe how good they were.

Lastly came the soup and rice. Koreans eat rice like Americans eat dessert. The soup was a savory fish soup that you spooned into your rice bowl. I can still taste it almost an hour and a half later. The hosts were so gracious, and every time they went to fill my drink, they supported their right hand with their left, a sign of respect. I'm not used to being shown respect by Korean adults. In Confucian society teachers are held in the highest regard. But I always thought my being a foreigner trumped the teacher thing and put me last in line for respect.

Tonight was also another glimpse into the complicated web of social hierarchy. Each teacher knew exactly where they stood in comparison to one another. I just assumed (correctly because I was the youngest) that I was at the bottom and was always on the lookout for empty soju glasses to refill. On the converse, since it is impolite to fill your own cup, everyone is on the lookout for your glass. It was kind of fun to fill other people's drinks and in turn have mine refilled. I even taught the Koreans the Mexican "arriba, abajo, al centro, y dentro" toast. It was great.

As stressful as I thought this dinner was going to be (remember the samgyeopsal episode), it turned out great. Even thought I didn't know what everyone was saying, you can still understand that everyone is having a good time. And that in itself is one of the most comforting, reassuring things in the world.

Heart and Seoul

This weekend I made my first (of hopefully many) trips to Seoul. The city was awesome. My experience...not so much. I decided on Friday night just before midnight that I was going to go up with Katie and Steph and meet Geoff there. The train we were taking left at 5:20am. What time did I wake up? 9am. By the time I boarded my train at 10:30am, they were already there. I arrived at Yongsan station at 3pm. Everyone was in Myeong-dong doing some shopping. As stressful as it was, I liked navigating the Seoul metro. I feel like if I can figure out a Korean railway about 243626 times more complicated than the T in Boston, I'm doing alright.

After an hour of wandering around Myeong-dong (none of us knew were we were so we just wandered around) we were finally able to meet up. Myeong-dong was a pretty cool place. It reminded me of Quincy Market except waaaaay bigger. There were a lot of western shops, street vendors, and street performers. There was even a restaurant called "Kraze Burger". Nothing can top the one in 'gansett tho.

We left Myeong-dong in search of dinner. For that we headed to Itaewon, the foreigner hangout in Seoul. Itaewon was pretty much "Little America". Almost every sign was in English, and there were foreigners EVERYWHERE. In about 5 minutes I saw more foreigners than are in all of Yeosu. Geoff, Katie, and Steph had already rented a room in a love motel by the time I arrived. I didn't fell like spending 40,000 won for a room, so I went to look for a hostel. There was one right off the same metro line that Itaewon was on, so I opted for that. Little did I know that it took half an hour to get there. The area my hostel was in was right near Hongik University, which has the best art program in Korea. It was an awesome area. A ton of bars, restaurants and shops all over the place. The streets were like Barlow Circle on the first day of Greek Week...except nobody got runover. It took me close to 40 minutes to find my hostel because the sign was maybe 8 inches x 5 inches hanging on a poorly lit brick building. I checked in (I took the last bed) then went back to Itaewon. We chilled at Bricx, a hookah bar with wicked dirty drink names (I'm Cumming, Fuck Me Dirty...etc) then went to a Canadian bar for some beers. I had to leave early to make the last train, which I missed so I ended up taking a cab. By that point I was pretty pissed. It seemed like all I did all day was run around looking for people and commuting between Itaewon and Hongik U. There was more commuting and searching than actually hanging out with my friends.

Sunday morning was better tho. I got up at around 9 to make the most of the day (I didn't know when everyone else was waking up). By 9:45 I was back in Itaewon and exploring the neighborhood as everyone was setting up shop. I grabbed breakfast at Paris Baguette and waited for everyone my friends to get moving. We met at a starbucks and started our day. Around Itaewon we checked out an English bookstore (closed) and a Foreign food store (wicked expensive). The bookstore is aparantly really on top of their game in sending books to anywhere in Korea for a reasonable price. I might have to look into that.

When we were done with Itaewon we took a taxi to the Changdeokgung. Changdeokgung was a palace built by the Jeoson dynasty in 1405. This place was HUGE. Unlike western castles, Korean palaces aren't one huge structure. Changdeokgung was spread out over a huge area. Each building strategically placed in the most harmonious part of the topography. Being as big as it was, only 30% of the original palace still stands. Much of it was burned in the Japanese invasion of 1592, and again in a fire in 1917. I still can't get over the fact that I'm seeing buildings that are at least 200 years older than anything I've seen in America. This is no Rome, Greece, or Egypt, but still, the history here is incredible.

By the time we were done with Changdeokgung it was 2pm and time to catch the bus home. 5 hours later I was glad to be back in Yeosu. Not too long after getting back I found out some pretty awesome news. Best news I've heard since bing in Korea I think. On Monday September 21st, JEN SCRANTON LANDS IN KOREA TO VISIT FOR A WEEK!!!!!!!! Whats better is that the 21st is my school's birthday so I don't have to go in, which means that I can meet her at the airport! Great success! I can't even wait. The only sucky thing is that I have to work T-F, then on M-W that she's here. I'm in the process of making a list of things to do/see around Yeosu for when I'm at school. But don't worry, as soon as the 5pm bell rings I'm getting home asap for some quality rage time.

There are some things...

...that are constant even over a language and culture barrier. Things such as a head nod for "this is a good night" to a person sitting on a park bench. Or a gracious smile for a meal well cooked. Its amazing the power that nonverbal communication holds. With no words it is still possible to convey a variety of emotions.

A few posts ago I was talking about being a little homesick and culture shocked. The problem with that mentality is that I was only thinking about what Korea ISN'T. There are so many things that Korea IS.

First and foremost, right now, Korea is my home. Now that I've started to embrace that, things have been easier. I've made friends here. I've become a regular at Bob Kim, a local restaurant where I'm greeted with a friendly face and a familiar wave. At home everyone has their familiar hang outs. Be it the Mews for pint night or just the Mini Stop for a drink. Home has a certain comfort. The familiarity of one's surroundings. The security to walk alone at night. Both of which I've found in Yeosu. Kimchi is becoming a taste that I can differentiate. Fresh vs. aged. I can now tell my co-teachers that this kimchi was probably made yesterday, or this kimchi must be a few days old. They love it.

Home has familiar faces. I go to LSG and I don't have to feel like the new guy anymore. Granted there are people that I haven't been introduced to, I can move about the bar and talk to an assortment of people, without being attached to someone's side. Today I got my cell phone. No more waiting with my facebook chat window open for someone to tell me what the plans are. Calls and texts are so much more convenient, and now I won't miss out on something because nobody is not near their computer to invite me. On a not so profound sidenote, Korean cell phones are pretty cool. They all have Korean-English dictionaries. My phone even lets me real time video message people. Internationally too!

This weekend did wonders for my homesickness. Its not so much that I want to be back home with my friends as it is I want my friends to be here with me to experience all my adventures. Friday night I happened to run into a group of my Korean co-teachers. They invited me out to grab a drink. Not wanting to sound rude by declining, I said yes. Plus I knew that Korean custom dictated that "he who invites, pays" so...free drink. It was cool to learn the intricate custom of offering the glass to everyone in decending order of age/status. Being the youngest and lowest status, I had to fill the glasses (holding the bottle with 2 hands to show respect) to every one of my co-teachers. My glass was then filled by the teacher with the highest status, as I held it with both hands (once again, respect). When it came time to make a toast, I surprised and impressed them by saying "Konbae!" which means "Cheers!". This won me a lot of brownie points.

What happened next is true for both Friday and Saturday nights, with one exception...Friday night started at the Mini Stop, while on Saturday we went Bowling. Stop #2 on both nights was LSG. Its definitely bad news when you order a drink and the bartender starts pouring the liquor and says "say when". At about 3am we headed out for some late night kimbap (think a sushi roll but instead of fish, a few vegetables, some egg, and some ham), then went to noraebang. After singing our lungs out at noraebang we took a cab home. Its more economical to stay out till 5am than to go home at 2. Cabs are considerably more expensive during late night hours. If you wait till 5am, you are simply making the "early morning commute" and thus your fare is back down to normal.

With all of this, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can't compare Yeosu to Narragansett, because the two are considerably different. I just have to accept Yeosu for being my home for the next year (maybe longer) and everything that comes with it. Great (sometimes disgusting) food, awesome people, late nights, early mornings, and the adventure of a lifetime.

Korea is so...

Convenient.

It could just be the fact that I live in a city, but regardless, its a convenient city. There are way more mom and pop establishments here. And I like that. Stateside it was all to easy to hop in the car and go to Wal-Mart, the mall, or wherever else I needed to go to get all the things I needed in one quick stop. Here, its different. Sure I can grab a cab to E-Mart or Lotte Mart, but why would I if there is a little shop just a 5 minute walk from my apartment? Take today for example. I had to get a new pair of flip flops because mine broke the other night when I was out and about. When I got out of school I went down to the shoe shop about 1000 yards from my apartment and found myself a new pair. The other night I went exploring and found a little market that sells coffee milk, a bakery for those sweet kicks, and a bunch of little restaurants that are sure to have cheap delicious food. All of these places were less than a 10 minute walk from where I live.

I love not having my car here. Yes it is difficult to get certain places and yeah cab fares add up, but i just don't like driving. Even if I did have a car, I know I'd only use it as a last resort. A motor bike or scooter is a different story. They're far more economical (fuelwise) and they cost less upfront than a car. I'll still be able to get everywhere I want to go as well as bring people/things with me. Once my next paycheck comes in I'm gonna start browsing around.

Life in the classroom is going great too. This week, my students are listening to Shattered by O.A.R. and filling in the blanks on a lyrics sheet. They love listening to the music and almost every class has asked me to play the song an extra time (in addition to the 3 times they already heard it) just so they could sing along. I'm also starting to learn their English names. Just like how in Spanish class in middle school we all picked Spanish names (I was Raul), my students pick English names. I have a lot of Daniels, Peters, and Henrys. A few picked less generic names like Morgan and Logan. One of my third years picked Jason. But not just regular Jason, he writes Jason Statham on all of his papers.

Since one of the Korean English teachers is going to a conference for the next six months and won't be able to teach, we got a new teacher! She's Korean, but her English is awesome and she's a lot younger than the other teachers. Its great to have someone to eat lunch with and talk to thats closer to my age.

Life as a D list celebrity continues on, I still get stared at and talked to on the side of the road, but i'm getting used to it. Today however, was a little different. As I was walking back from the shoe store about 15 of my students got dropped off at the bus stop near my apartment. As I crossed the streat all I could hear was "TEACHER!!!!! TEACHER!!!!!!!" and saw them all jumping and waving at me.

I think tonight I'm going to venture down to Shinae (town center) to see the waterfront and see the Dolsan Bridge lit up.

Pictures to follow.