The people

You told me before I left that I would meet amazing people, that I would learn about how people lived elsewhere and that it would be a great experience. It's not that I didn't believe you, but I guess I didn't understand the impact or the importance this would have. This is part one of the People series.

Above is one of my afternoon students, Sarah. Before class everyday, she and her friends come to say hi while I'm preparing. They always ask "how are you, Teacher?" and sometimes even share some of their candy with me.



Yuria is head teacher, and she works so hard, always rushing around yet never complaining. She has gone out of her way to make me feel at home here.



My littlest ones. I will have these kids the whole year. They are 4 Korean age, 3 western age. A very challenging group, but I have a feeling that will make it even more rewarding in the end.



Also a tough crowd, my 6 year olds (5 western age). These are two of seven that I will have all year as well. The lady on the left is...very active shall I say (notice the bandaid on the forehead). They're all so cute though, in their own way.

Sometimes I get a bit stressed at the thought of starting another day...all the yelling, the noise, the crazyness of working with kids, and I imagine working at an office somewhere, where it would be 9 to 5 and quiet. Then I realize that in the noise and the chaos there is a lot of laughter. The kids are so happy, and that is really nice to be around. It certainly isn't boring :)

All of the sudden

This morning was one of those mornings I just couldn't get into work mode. I kept forgetting I had to get ready to start the day, and instead my mind wandered with thoughts on this and that. As I ate my peanut butter toast I started to really wonder what I could do with this experience in terms of my creative/art life. One of the things I wanted to do when I came to Korea was to gain a different perspective, and use it as inspiration for my painting.

I decided that when I got to work I would ask some of the Korean teachers if they knew of anywhere in the city where one could take painting or pottery classes, or anything traditionally Korean. It turns out there's a traditional black and while pottery place right here in Chilgok, within walking distance of the school. I got her to right down the name of the place so that I can recognize the sign, and this week I'm going to see if anyone there is willing to teach a foreigner (trying to not get my hopes up because that might be a problem). I'm really starting to get excited about learning something knew and something Korean, though.

I think those are cherry blossoms. They surprised me on my walk to work, seeming to have bloomed overnight.




These kids work hard. Nine fifteen am and they're doing a work out, and some of them are at our school taking English classes until ten at night. I love seeing their bright purple outfits on a sunny morning.



I've mentioned that a lot (most) of my furniture is from the street. This is how I find it sometimes, actually in the street. This chair mysteriously appeared about four days ago. I decided to take a picture of it before it was finally collected by someone...



But it seemed to just stay there as the days passed. People just walk around it.



Here it is at night, same spot. I confess, at this point I actually started to look at it and decided I liked it better than one of the chairs I have now (also from the street) so I took it home. I wonder how long it would have stayed there...there's a little stool across the street from my place that has been sitting in the road for almost two weeks.



Another thing I get a kick out of is the parking. Koreans seem to be a lot less anal about where and in what direction you park. It seems you can park just about anywhere you want.



Including right on the sidewalk.

I hope you're having a nice Tuesday evening/morning :)

My pad

Finally, what you've all been waiting for. Dum da da dum... photos of my place! They're a little dark, but they'll give you an idea:



This is my table where I hope to create a little reading and eating area. The table cloth isn't really my style, but I'm pretty happy with how it cheers the place up with its floweryness. I'm surprised at how difficult it was to find, and I paid more than I should have. I justified it by reminding myself that I could easily have spent that much money on a couple coffees or eating out. Plus it makes a huge difference in my living environment, right? It's funny the things that are easy to find here and the things that aren't. If I had been looking for a fancy lace cleanex box cover, no problem. An apron or padded underwear, no problem. But a table cloth, that's a challenge.
It looks a little barren there now, but I think a painting above the table and a stack of books will help.




I found some frames at the dollar store,


My coffee bar. I covered a space heater with a piece of plywood and fabric I brought from home. It helps to have another surface, and all my coffee and tea things are easy to get at.


My bathroom, with its nice ceiling. The shower is in the corner up there, and works pretty well.






I like these doors.



I found this in the garbage pile across the street a couple of weeks ago, and dragged it home. I'm not sure if I'll end up getting cable or not, so I might get rid of the tv and put a nice vase or something on top instead (that would mean those ugly cords would be gone too). There is a little drawer at the bottom that opens, and I found little bits of rice in there.

I hope you're all having a nice weekend :)

A kind of solitude

My language exchange partner asked to reschedule our meeting today, so I decided to explore the area a bit more. Actually, I had an ulterior motive, which was to find a table cloth or something that could serve as a table cloth. I scored a table yesterday and I'm working on a drawing/eating-toast-in-the-morning/nice-place-to-put-a-potted-plant spot in the apartment. Anyway, I did find a table cloth and even got a slight discount. I had a nice walk and didn't get lost :)
This is the first Saturday I've been here that I haven't had plans to go out with anyone, my first solid day without somewhere to be or someone to be with. I realized how much I depend on being busy to take my mind off of being alone. This is so odd because I've always enjoyed being alone and doing things by myself. The kind of solitude you look forward to, to just do your own thing, has always been a big part of my life. There's a difference between loneliness and solitude and I think I'm finally starting to move from one to the other.



More and more, I appreciate certain aspects of Korean culture. Friendship and loyalty are highly valued, and reflected in daily life. Even my older, tougher students are not ashamed to hug one another, and many (both guys and girls) will walk arm in arm. I have already witnessed numerous times, two business men casually carrying a drunken friend between them down the street.

The girls in the photo above eventually came over to talk to me while I sat on the bench. They introduced themselves and told me with total sincerity that they thought I was beautiful. They asked my age and where I was from ("Ohhhh, oooooo....CANADA!") and whether I could speak Korean. I told them I could only say two or three words, and they were completely impressed ("SO smart!") even though they themselves could speak ten times as much English as I could Korean.



Now I'm off to take a nap.

The other side of the world

Here I am in South Korea, literally on the other side of the world. I planned and planned for this but never could have prepared myself for the impact this has had on me already. I arrived February 25, but just had my internet hooked up in my apartment yesterday, which is why I haven't updated sooner; in a way I'm almost glad I wasn't able to post here when I first arrived, because I was such a mess and I think much of what I would have had to say was a bit on the dreary side.

Luckily there are some really nice foreign teachers here who have kept me busy, and the Korean teachers have also been very kind. Most of all, my friends and my family have been amazing with their support and encouragement. I realize how lucky I am to have these people who love me! I think I surprised myself at how badly I was handling the situation ( I had read lots of blogs written by foreign teachers in Korea who seemed just fine and apparently had little problem adjusting and figured that's how it would be with me) and I know I wouldn't have gotten through the first week without all the support. I imagined it to be difficult around the two or three month mark, when life got a little mundane, but I didn't anticipate the shock to be so intense at the beginning.

I'm still finding it difficult sometimes to imagine being here a year. I go back and forth between seeing the big picture and feeling like a year is so fleeting in the context of the rest of my life, and feeling completely overwhelmed at the days and months ahead. Everyday things are changing and I notice different things about my new environment, and in one day I can go through a whole spectrum of emotions.

The days at work go by quickly and are a bit hectic, which is good. At home I've been keeping busy reading and writing letters, and sprucing up my apartment with garbage pile finds (a desk, a chair, a tv cabinet and an end table so far!). I actually like my apartment quite a bit, with its heated floors and pink wallpaper :) I'm planning on setting up a space to paint when I get paid, and I've got some yarn to keep me going until then (thanks Emily!).

Here are a few pictures of my neighbourhood and of Apsan Park where we hiked last weekend.


Seomun Market














People gather at this spot on the mountain to hoola hoop,







I hope everyone at home is well, and talk to you soon :)