Traditional Times

Moon River has been sort of a big part of my life here in Asia. Well, perhaps that’s an overstatement. But for a song that I never heard in the states, it comes up quite frequently; most recently in the Audrey Hepburn movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and through a rousing rendition during the holiday party piano concert, but more humorously at Noribang with Korean teachers. One of my male co teachers enjoys his tenor abilities in belting out Moon River. However, Moon River comes out “moon liver” due to the difficultly of minimal pairs. Did I mention I love Audrey Hebpurn?


Anyhow, headed north today to see a traditional city-a national treasure. Debates ensued over ideas such as required quantitative research methods courses at smith, and whether eggs consumption can really be anti vegetarian practice or merely vegan.

The Japanese weather channel has been off with regards to the forecast and those cute snowmen they keep predicting never seem to come our way. It was quite chilly up north despite only being a ½ hour away from Sendai. I saw some beautiful temples and a harbor that rendered memories of Hingham. Now I must say, I have heard the argument that it is wrong to make comparisions between locations because each place has such a unique character, to compare would be to dismiss said unique characteristics. But I must argue against such an opinion because when in unfamiliar territory it is only natural and understandable to make sense of it within a context that is familiar. Now that’s not to say you should dismiss difference, or worse live in an area and not be constantly reassessing its landscape and space as it pertains to you. But to be initially struck by a landscape and become either nostalgic or relate it to prior experience is only natural. I digress-there were beautiful winter tree’s blossoming and the weather was perfect and sunny. I only wished I could have participated in Asian culture a little bit more by whipping out my tripod so that Yum’s and I could have our pictures together. Alas, there was no tripod present which resulted in awkward 1 person pictures.
I beg you not to take offense if you are a fan of the so called one person tourist shot, but I find them to be extremely awkward, and the individual never looks natural-well unless it’s a candid, that’s a different story. We made our way to two temples and I found myself more frustrated than ever, not being able to take pictures within the temple. Although I understand the reasoning, the artwork and craftsmanship was so breathtaking, I only wanted to be able to have some tangible memory of it.

There were also deep caves carved into a mountain with stairways built in the stone. Needless to say, I wished I could have explored, but the gate clearly marked it as gaurded territory.


I contemplated using the foreigner card-I mean let's be honest there were no signs saying do not enter in english. But, similar to the train station earlier that afternoon, you can only use the foreigner card when situations are unclear. Stepping over fences and exiting the train station for diet coke without paying readmittince doesn't fly anywhere---especially, when you are traveling in the company of a citizen of said country where you are considered a foreigner. So, I entertained myself by looking at the wildly artistic and trippy statues instead.





The second temple had a shrine that apparently, if you pray and leave money, will bring you good fortune with relationships. As one who reads their horiscope frequently, though half-heartedly believing, I figured what the hell. The whole money deal had me feeling as though I were about to get gypped, as one might who say, uses the psychic hotline? But, it was a temple, and spiritual-so I figured it was worth it. Nonetheless, if my love life is not fulfilling, I blame JAPAN. They are pretty well covered since the idea is, you should die feeling fulfilled in your relationships. I am sure when I die, I will have feel fulfilled hopefully-I guess that’s where the money came in handy. We also came across this aged tree that was over 700 years old. It was amazing.







We briefly toyed with the idea of visiting the aquarium.




I am not sure if it was the gay whale outside that made it seem so appealing, or the penguins. Either way, noises echoing from inside sounded like there was a whale named wily ready to be freed. And we figured we best steer clear should he break through, like the scary scene in the movie where the tank breaks and the children go running. Now that’s a conversation all of it’s own-can we talk about the Free willy soundtrack and a New Kids on the Block comeback as NKOTB! WOW.

Following an unsuccessful search for traditional lanterns that didn’t have a souvenir store feel, we hoped on the Jrail and headed home. Oh, so many cute children sleeping after a long day of touristy events. They looked so peaceful! That is until the train stopped…and the realities if parenting a whiny child following naps became clear.

The day was fantastic and topped off in perfect fashion. ROBOCON! Yes the competition where the science squad from your high school competes to make the most succusful robot fulfill tasks and navigate obsticle courses.Perhaps what was so interesting about Japan’s coverage of ROBOCON was the panel of analysts and newscasters in the studio reporting. You would have thought it was ESPN during a super bowl event. They hypothesized winners, analyzed strategies, and gave public interest stories about the teams competing. Needless to say, things got tense at the end-but my team came out on top. Yumi was pretty disappointed, since my team was the most attractive by far. She feared it would give nerds across the world-reinforced ideas that the attractive person always comes out on top. Myself on the other hand, I begged to argue it could only give the community more attention in a good way; that is breaking down stereotypes.

Now if only I could straighten out my Thailand ticket situation. I don’t understand how an email following a price quote that states “I am looking for something LESS expensive” could result in an email with a new quote that is 200 dollars higher. But I also suppose I still haven’t figured out how my ticket to Bali increased by 100 dollars in 2 hours. Here’s to being lost in translation at my wallets expense. Cheers from Japan-it’s new years eve. Wild times ahead.

Japanese Jazzercise?

The thing about Jazz sqaures, I have realized -is that they are an international phenomenon.ﾊﾊYes, that`s right I did jazz squares at my Japanese aerobics workout and it was FANTASTIC.ﾊﾊIf only I could find a gym like this in Korea.ﾊﾊAlso-I have come to the realization that to become an aerobics instructor, you might actually have to be predisposed to the occupation.ﾊﾊHave scientists studied the DNA composition of workout instructors? Because I think the research may be fruitful. Workout instructors seem share the same tendencies across the world.ﾊﾊThey`re all a little bit crazy-i think for the most part in a good way.ﾊﾊThey share the same facial expressions and the pep transcends language-let me tell you.ﾊﾊMy aerobics instructor reminded me of my gym teacher Ms. B.ﾊﾊShe was insanely tiny, and perhaps too fit for her own good.ﾊﾊAnyhow unlike my gym in Korea,which I abandoned, literally leaving my sneakers and ever thing after one month, I like the gym culture here.ﾊﾊI think the Korean gym attempted to call me about the sneakers; I was too embarrassed to pick up the phone.ﾊﾊBut the gym here reminded me of Smith`s pristine workout facilities-with squash courts and all!!! Though I must admit the relaxation room and jimjilbang-esque steam room sauna area were where it was at forﾊﾊme following two morning aerobics classes and an hour on the machines.ﾊﾊOh what a luxury not to be confined by a rigid gender structure which prohibits women from lifting more than 2k weights.ﾊﾊTake that Korea I took the 8K weights today and I LOVED IT.ﾊﾊﾊﾊﾊ

lessons from japan

Lauryn:"i would beg to argue that satisfaction, s/m, samurais do not mean the same thing"
Morning Mt: "ahhh the 3 S's!!!

Utterly lost in translation

Japanese jots

Things were looking good from the get go regarding my travels east towards Japan. No, I take that back. Until I arrived in Tokyo, things were a bit rocky. I must admit, I delved right back into old habits of packing too much. I have cut down packing for my weekend excursions to a small shopping bag. But the overwhelming task of packing for both winter and summer seasons was daunting and resulted in a 20 kilo bag-40.4 pounds. I hopped on a plane around 4 and arrived a tad bit late to Seoul. I booked it to the international terminal, which included a lot of wayward wondering, lost and confused as to which terminal would reach the shuttle. Needless to say, I couldn’t find the shuttle and was forced to walk approximately a mile both on and off the people mover contraptions through the subway. Arriving at the Japanese Airlines desk profusely sweaty and uncomfortable, I-for the first time, was thrilled to be checking a bag. Things start looking up from here. I hopped on the plane and was pleasantly surprised at the wonderful meal they served. Yes, here is when I realized for the first time that I LOVE JAPAN. Come on, when do you get good airline food? Good airline food is a sure sign of great things to follow. After sipping my COMPLIMENTARY glass of wine, I napped briefly before touching ground in Tokyo.

I sat in a long line for immigration, and thoughts of Jennifer Guglielmo’s class Critical race theory and Post colonial thought came racing into my mind. The concepts of borders, and defined territories that mark people as either belonging or “other,” were rendered. I mean besides the obvious arguments, why do we need borders? Because really, borders simply discriminate against the marginalized and provide opportunity to the privileged.

I exited the airport and attempted to board the bus towards Tokyo. That is after I exchanged my money. I gave the teller 300,000 won (300 dollars) and awaited my yen. Needless to say, I was surprised, confused, and feeling played when I received a mere 3 bills in return. Apparently 10,000 yen-the 100-dollar equivalent is frequently used. I had heard Japan was expensive, but nothing could reaffirm such a belief better than the fact that people walk around with 100 dollar bills and it’s no big deal. So with 3 bills to my name, I set off.

My transportation experience was the first time I realized I was no longer in Korea. It also made me realize that despite the fact that I put down my Korean language ability, I am more proficient than I think when it comes to small conversation in attempting to get what I want. I couldn’t communicate that I didn’t know where to buy the bus ticket to the bus driver and just laughed at the idea of starting all over again with regards to language. In fact, I had never experienced this type of feeling in Korea since orientation was a slow transition into Korean life. And by the time I needed to communicate needs from people I was deep into Korean language class, or had the assistance of my peers.

I arrived at the Imperial hotel and was instantly in awe of the beauty. I met Yumi and her mother in their room-which was spectacular and put the hotel in “lost in translation” to shame. Thanks Frank for the amazing architecture. Yes, that’s right Frank Loyyd Wright designed the hotel. After 2 magnificent meals thanks to room service, we hit the road to head to Sendai. Got my JRAIL pass and bento box lunch and we were off. Sendai is so lovely; city streets lined with trees and beautiful parks. The fashion here is absolutely amazing as well. I thought Korean style was hip but I can’t even pay attention to where I am walking because everyone looks like a rock star. It must be hard to actually be a rock star here, seriously-I don’t see what could set them apart from the hip kids walking down the street.

Met Yum’s friend Tico and we all set off to the department store to purchase some last minute presents for the wild bingo game that was to ensue later in the evening. It was this afternoon, that I found DIET COKE. Yes diet coke, not coke light or any alternate. Real, delicious diet coke. After nearly having a heart attack in the store, I quenched a thirst that has lasted almost 6 months. Let me tell you, I just can’t get enough. Yes, I am drinking one as I write.

Guests arrived for the holiday party around 6 pm and a rousing game of bingo ensued. I learned how to count in Japanese and even won a prize. The group of people couldn’t have been better. A mix of Yum’s friends and her parents friends created a perfect atmosphere. Though I must admit, the “social security group” as they liked to call themselves were a lot more comical than our crew. After a piano concert by “chestnut” the nickname for one of yum’s friends, the young crew headed out to hit up a party.

We knocked on the door and much to my surprise the host opened the door wearing traditional clothes from around the world-which he had collected from his travels. His name was Asayama, which means Morning Mountain. For those of you who know me, this name has ties to my past. I didn’t know this at the time, but once I found out-boy did things make sense. Partygoers came from Japan, America, Nepal, Korea and the conversation that ensued was some of the most intellectually stimulating and engaging talk I have had while abroad. So many different perspectives, it was amazingly fantastic. This party reaffirmed an idea I have been bouncing around. That is, the idea that I am not ready to go back to the states and settle down into a job just yet. Instead, I think I need to keep traveling, meeting new people, and living a life unfamiliar to me. It is so stimulating, I think I would be selling myself short, to go back to familiarity and security just yet. The challenge is great and makes me understand notions of this global community much more.

Following a 4am arrival home, we slept late, moseyed around and played with the various massage apparatuses at our disposal-the body massage chair is my favorite. We wandered the streets of Sendai and I marveled at the stores and amazing fashion all around me. After watching a traditional Japanese history drama, yes, they are as popular here as in Korea, we bounced to meet up with Tiko, Zen and crew for karaoke. Another reason Japan is rad, George Michael Freedom 90 is available, which leads to a bigger concept-that is, the karaoke selection is more extensive than any noribang I have been to in Korea. Must say, if I have to be away from Family on the holidays, no better way to pass the time than a solid few hours of karaoke.

And so it’s Christmas day. I like being able to flush toilet paper, though I keep searching for the bin to dispose of it the way I have become accustomed. I enjoy the heated seats on the toilets. The bike culture is amazing here. The lock is built into the bike so there are no need for excess locks. I am still acclimating to cars driving on the opposite side of the road, and the fact that the taxi doors pop open for you. I catch myself thinking questions in Korean and my brief interjections of Korean infused English don’t really make any sense. I miss the spice in my soup. But I love kimonos and making up new pneumonic devices for Japanese words. For instance nice to meet you-hagime mashite- I think haguma (stop) mashida (drinking) in Korean. Because you would stop drinking in order to introduce yourself to someone. Oh if my language crew were here, we could study Japanese over sake. Things are wild here in Japan. The thought has crossed my mind to just stay. But alas I have to Bali to Bali.

Goodbye Korea Weekend

This past weekend marked the last weekend I will spend in Jeju for almost two months. It's hard to believe my winter vacation is already here, but I am certainly not complaining. I must admit, the weekend started off a bit rocky, due to the horrendous disaster of a movie entitled "The Holiday." One might be lured in by the "rom com's" advertisements. I mean if Jack Black is a main character, I'm a guaranteed viewer. Yet the previews were unbelievably misleading. One would think Jack Black was a lead. In total, I think he would account for approximately 10% of the film-might I add the only 10%of the film worth watching. Atrocious dialog, lame humor and in congruent character development had me seriously contemplating a walk out. But alas, I was tired and sitting was more enjoyable than bearing the cold weather outdoors.
The evening's events could only get better. We hopped in a Taxi, Emerald, Kate and myself-to hit up modern times. Modern Times has been this romanticized, built up dream bar; a Korean Microbrew that wouldn't let you down. Unfortunately, the last two weeks in America consisted of frequent trips to the Dirty Truth sampling the worlds BEST beer one pint at a time. Sampling all 40 beers on tap was both a proud and Delicious accomplishment, yet set me up for failure living in a nation with beer that resembles the taste of natty light. Compared to OB and Hite, PBR is a delectable beer filled with rich flavor and hop-i-ness. Now don't get me wrong, PBR was a college staple but by no means a local micro brew. Modern times did come through as was promised. Whether the beer was actually good, or whether it was a matter of commission to the beer I have been consuming is besides the point. The ale had taste. And for that I was happy. Kate "forgot her phone" which prompted us to stay for a second round. This round proved delightfully entertaining as did our first round with Jen, Sarah P and Jen's co teachers. Jen's co teacher's knew more about American Pop culture than I did. But not for long thanks to Angela serratore's package with trashy gossip magazines.* During the second round, we were pursued by a table of young guys from Seoul. When they asked us to join their party, Kate took the lead and regretfully declined saying we hadn't seen each other in a long time and needed to catch up. He understood but returned 20 minutes refusing to deny his persistent tendencies. We regretfully declined once again and made the excuse that I was very sad and needed consoling. I attempted to make my eyes water for affect. When the round of drinks hit our table though, we were at a loss. Unable to drink the plentiful amount of mekju that appeared on our table, Kate brought the beers over to the men's table and worked her magic. She explained that not only had I just had my heart broken and really needed some alone time with friends to process, my cat had died as well. Maybe the cat thing was over the top but it worked. Learning of this, my acting days came back into action and necessary too. Our new acquaintance tried to give me a pep talk about love and romance and that "this guy was no good." After thanking him for his advice and with a depressed look upon my face we walked out solemnly. The girls slept over and our day was followed by a shopping expedition for final holiday gifts.

You'd think I was going to a gala opening on Saturday evening. After buying a hip little Korean dress I went and got my hair done. Not cut, simply washed and dried. Now as most of you know, this is not my style-that is pampering myself. But for 8 dollars they would wash dry and do my hair so I couldn't resist. We ended up hitting up this party at a gallery with a random group of foreigners and local folks. it was fun-even though I was not familiar with most of the individuals at the party, it was nice to finally be involved in some social event on the island extending beyond Fulbright. Falling asleep that night was horrendous. The winds were so strong, the windows were banging uncontrollably. I woke up multiple times to an odd odd dream of travels and men breaking into my hotel it was so odd. Fortunately I was able to sleep late and get a good rest for the funky jazz concert we hit up at 이다 that night. The quintet was fantastic, though I wondered why they keyboardist couldn't stick to the basics and play a non synthesized piano. A few times, I found myself thinking "this music sounds like music I would hear in a department store. Nonetheless, the trumpet player rocked and most of their beats were rad.

Following a thrilling weekend, I am inundated with items to pack. I received a 30 lb package from the family including presents. My when I told my students I had a dig box, one boy yelled "beateboxeu? Beateboxeu Lauryn!" "No no" I said, "big box I have a big box." Amidst piles of clothing I attemtpt to make some sense of what to bring.


So I am off. Following a laid back week of work and a killer meal at the Indian food restaurant bagdad-I hop on the plane to Japan. Now, I just need to maintain my yoga routine while abroad. I use the term quite loosely since my 1 hour yoga routine last night was accompanied by a riveting episode of SVU. The meditation has gone by the wayside.

I apologize in advance to those folks who have commented on how frequently
I post. I think it might be few and far between from here on out. I am leaving the macbook home-yes I haven't been sleeping alone for quite some time, my macbook is frequently the baby spoon in a passionate affair in Korea. But we are taking a break. Going our separate ways to see if we can live without eachother. It will be a true test-to see if i can still live an independent and healthy life. Something tells me I will come across a computer with internet along the way, so keep in touch. Esp. Jan 7th since it is quite possible i may be alone on my birthday. PEACE OUT annyunghaseyo, ja-ne. much love and have a magnificant holiday.


*Yes Angela, I will take your advice and cut out the pictures of celebrities and pretend they are a photo album of all my friends. My students have asked me if I have met Johnny depp before so this concept, though absurd, would not be too far fetched.

It's not what you think from the URL

http://www.goodmagazine.com/section/Features/Sleeping_with_Strangers


Once again, my infatuation with the meaning and function of online forums, is getting coverage in the news. Each day, I contemplate a bit more seriously, disregarding all academic and career goals, with the sole purpose of engaging in a thorough sociological analysis of online communities. Or, perhaps my addiction has just gone too far and I can rationalize my love of the facebook with academic intentions.

Lost: 6 degrees of separation

So if your bored or procrasinating, you might be interested in this experiment. It ties in with one of my big interests-on-line communities and the impact of networking through these forums. Basically it's like 6 degrees of separation but it's a game. have fun and good luck.

www.lost.eu/fc42

Seoul stories

I hop on a plane an average of two times per month these days. One might think that I would become more accustomed to flying. Yet as I get on the plane more frequently, I can't help but question the fact that the probability of getting in a plane crash is higher and higher each and every boarding pass. Not really, but in all seriousness, I wish I could shake my fear of turbulence. Each time the plane gets rocky I say, "this is it, we're going down."

I headed off to Seoul this weekend to get things accomplished. Prior to departure our indulgence in American cuisine began. I never thought I would crave pizza hut, and perhaps it is simply the spectacular service of pizza hut over here in Korea, but wow can I say delicious. My trip taught me some important lessons. Primarily that health care in Korea is frustrating since you have to front all of the money for your hospital bills even with extensive health insurance. So, 400 dollars later and a trip to the women's cancer clinic (not exactly a place you ever want to visit, but esp. in Korea and away from home), I AM FINE. I delighted in this fact by indulging in Mexican at Chois taco's. Pretty good for Korean Mexican food. It's no Anna's taqueria, but really-what is?

I also want to take the time to thank the honest vendor peddling pirated dvd's . Here in Korea, who wouldn't jump on the opportunity to purchase a $5 pirated copy of Borat? Fortunately the man told me no, it is a bad copy. At least he can take pride in an honest aspect of his dishonest business.

In fact now that I am into the acknowledgements, I should thank the rad owner of 이다 for recommending some hip beats. 이다 is the local bar that inspires me to not only own a bar of my own, but take up interior decorating as well. It is fantastic. And dad, the owner LOVES the Red Sox-paraphanalia on the walls and sometimes he wears the sweatshirt or hat. Want to see what we can do about getting him some memrobilia? I sort of promised him one night I could get him anything he wants. He told me he'd get back to me. But I digress, Windy City is a Korean funk band. And oh my god, they are funky. Provided a fantastic soundtrack for adventures of all kinds.*Thank you home plus and my portable speakers.

Some chill kids approached us on the train, and we proceeded to engage in what was an awkwardly long conversation without saying more than 10 words. The usual, "where are you from?" "Where are you going?" Now in America, were a group of guys to ask where I was going around 7pm in the evening I might be very tentative to give any information. But in Korea, it is harmless and is one of the few ways to potentially make acquaintances. Clearly they were getting off 1 stop before us and hitting up Hongdae. I knew they were cool. We all left the conversation seemingly dissatisfied with the outcome; no one left with new friends and no one practiced any new language skills.

As we wandered through the streets of Hongdae, arguably the hippest area around, we came across the most wild character I've seen in a while. We bestowed upon him the name/title makoli man. A name that is both accurate in description yet also conveys a superhero type quality. As his title suggests, he peddles bottles of makoli to customers on the street, from his cardboard cart. For 3-4 dollars you can get a bottle of makoli (rice wine)* here's to open container in Korea. Now I hardly needed a botle of makoli, but a cup seemed delightful. I scampered through the crowds, to not only purchase a delectable drink, but also see this character live in person. We caught up and I asked for a cup. The man was confused at first or drunk, hell I think both. But I believe his business would skyrocket in profit if he were to move towards a 1 dollar cup of makoli versus 4 dollar bottle. The way I figure, 1 bottle=2.30-3.00 wholesale. Retail- 4.00. A bottle contains perhaps 10 cups worth of liquid. Up the profits, sell individual cups makoli man! We conversed briefly about this marketing/profit building scheme, but language...well like always- it went nowhere. I found more hippy hobo folk at a store selling beautiful goods I would be likely to find at music festivals in upstate new york. They sat chillin on the floor and I wondered to myself, where are you folks in Jeju?

Sunday was low key. Going to Seoul basically means indulging in glutenous habits familiar to America. Tacos, burgers, hell I even frequented a Starbucks simply because of familiarity. It is truly astonishing how people*ie. me- so adverse to these companies in the states along with concepts of globalization, can trump all of their morals with the one action like the consumption of something familiar. My students told one of my co=teachers, "Lauryn teacher reaaaaally likes Dunkin Donuts." Other than my dunkin donuts habits however, I live on an island where i do delight in Korean cuisine all the time, not only by default but by choice. Yes, this is my attempt to rationalize and defend myself and my actions.

We traveled to Insadong and went to the Andy Warhol exhibit again. Then hit the airport. I walked through the metal detector and set it off. It was one of those situations where the paranoid part of me thought, "what could i possibly have on me? Someone must have planted something!" My head was setting the detector off. It was ridiculous. To make matters worse they almost searched my bag because objects seemed questionable. Alex told the security people I was dangerous. In Korea, they either didn't understand, or thought this was humorous. Try that one on TSA personnel in the states, and I would have been arrested. Needless to say I got through fine. Without a search too.

misguided mathematician

So today is the high school entrance exam. Similar to the college entrance exam, the traffic was insane this morning. Yes, police guiding cars into the school driveways, excessive honking, and absurd maneuvers by all drivers. But my question for you is this. On the days of the college and high school entrance exams, the only students going to school are the third graders of middle and high school respectively. Now, everyday the school and public roads are equip for accommodating traffic for all three grades at these schools. So why on days when there is only one grade in attendance, are the roads a madhouse? Now I admit I have never been strong at math, but if only one grade out of three is attending a particular school on a certain day, shouldn't there be a 3rd of the amount of traffic?

Get your tamborines folks, noribang awaits!

On December 10th, a group of some of the closest people in my life made a decision to come to korea. Come May, over 14 of my dear friends will *hopefully be on a plane heading towards the asian continent. So, Jen M, Jen P, Kelly M, C-rex, Ayla, K-(hippy)rose, Louisa, Eunji (June), Ingrid, China, Marissa, Rosei, Dara and Rachel-the coolest noribang in Hondae awaits our arrival. Get your singing boots ready.

Spicy Soup: a lunch time catastrophe

I approach the food while waiting, usually patiently, in the teachers line at the cafeteria. I say patiently but it is usually with much anticipation for what awaits me. Many days, the food in the cafeteria is pretty good, unbelievably delicious compared to the meals they call food at U.S. cafeterias. But there are the days when I stare a fish right in it's eye and that's supposed to be my meal. The only thing separating me from the fish itself is the thinly spread breaded/fried batter. And these are the days I have to stratagize food placement so it looks like I have covered all my basis and am eating enough for my colleagues to be content.

But it's the days when I get the spicy soup that worries the most. Oh the spicy soup. It is delicious. However, depending on the way you consume the soup has great affect on your comfort eating. Many times one quick inhale of the soup is all it takes to make your eyes water uncontrollably and send you into a coughing spasm sure to catch the attention of every teacher at your table. You try to stay calm, discrete, and make it seem completely coincidental. But there's no denying it, the soup's spice tickled you throat the wrong way . At the time, the most appropriate thing to do, since we do not drink beverages during lunch but rather after, is to go for another sip of the soup. Utilizing the liquid as though it were a substitute for water. Although more times then not this complicates matters, usually sending you into your second coughing fit of the meal. If anyone has successfully found a way to tackle the spicy soup, please share the secret and save us this lunchtime embarrassment. Because every time I see the spicy soup in the line I think to myself "this time will be different" but it never is.

fashion mishaps in the ROK

Korea is indeed quite fashionable. In general, while walking down the main street, I'm in awe of most of the outfits I see. It's like I'm constantly turning pages in a fashion magazine.

So tell me this. In a country with great style, how in the hell did a fashion statement reminiscent of the Walker Texas Ranger era*, ever make its way into Korean schools?




*if it wasn't already apparent notice the bolo tie

photo courtesy of barney teacher

why life is good in the ROK

I originally instated Korean Fashion Fridays because a trend in my Korean lifestyle emerged. Buy clothes on Thursday, proceed to wear said clothes on Friday. Comments from students generally consisted of "teacher-bashion good," or "good style." These compliments humored me. So, I made an executive decision to move said Korean fashion Fridays to Mondays. Mondays are the bane of my existence. The mnemonic device we developed for the Korean word for Monday always holds true. "월요일" pronounced like woyoil, made us think of warriors. Yes, yes you are a warrior if you can get up on Monday Morning. On Mondays, all of my classes are quite difficult-which is gently put to say the least. But for my first class of the day, Korean Fashion Monday has already been a hit. I even got "Teacher beutibul." After asking what they wanted from me-they said nothing. AMAZING.

My good mood could also be due in part to the following schedule for the upcoming month:
As of Wednesday I am on vacation from the 7th-12th. Korean students work too hard in my opinion, but I do benefit tremendously from their strenuous exam schedule.

Following Exams, my classes will watch a movie to round out the year. I validate this lazy teacher decision by banking on a great resource us Cultural Ambassadors have to offer; to share American cultural experiences with students. How many of you can honestly say you didn't watch a movie the week before winter vaca? That's right. Just showing them how it's done in the states.

As I write this, the heat fan, which has been strategically placed next to my desk, keeps my body warm. This is a luxury now, but I could see it potentially becoming a burden-yes it's that warm. And the fact that one of the heaters has an actual fire burning inside is quite disconcerting-I mean I always thought you were told not to have open flames in a confined space for a reason. But for now, as long as I don't die from carbon monoxide posioning, it keeps me smiling.

And needless to say the 17 day countdown until my flight takes of to Japan isn't getting me down that's for sure. 오마이가드 유미
하고 로렌= 그래시.
Oh did I mention the Bisque has made it's presence known in the ROK? Culinary cuisine will never be the same. Soo delicious.

Skype

Dear Random Skype Callers,
Sometimes, as I putter away on my computer, my skype pops up and a moment of anticipation fills my body. Who could it be? The fam? Late night drunken ramblings from friends? People wanting to merely catch up? It's a wonderful feeling. I agree skype is the greatest tool for staying in touch. The catch with"staying in touch" however, is that the statement insinuates that you were in touch to begin with. But some people just do not understand the limitations of such a program. Just because skype is connected to your computer does not mean it is acceptable to call me at anytime of the day. Hell, it's not acceptable for you to call me at all. I don't know about you, but I have rarely-aka NEVER, just browsed the white pages and started making phone calls to talk to random people. This is not my space-this is a telephone service. So Zhenggukown, I am sorry I didn't pick up your call, but talking to strangers at 130 in the morning just wasn't appealing this evening. I suggest you hit up an Internet community of your choice or find a chat room. Whatever suits your needs, but don't call me on the phone-because it's a big letdown when it's not the people I love and care about.

Sincerely,
lauryn

verb conjugations

We are working on the past tense at Ara Middle School these days. Hopefully our efforts will pay off and students will stop yelling "play computer game" and "go to P.C. Bang!" when responding to the question "What did you do last weekend?"

Many of my students struggle with-Take.

"No, no" I say "TOKE, is not the conjugation for take...but really good try."

the secret life of korean men: an addendum

The phenomenon continues-fellow E.T.A. finds unit in English textbook devoted to the unanswered question "where is my father":



a part of the lesson-

One day our father just left the house.

We had no idea where he was going or what he was doing.

My brother thought he might be going to work, but I told him that could not be true.

“Why?” he asked. “Well,” I told him, “it’s too late to be going to work. It’s almost 11pm.”

He told me I must be right because I’m older and smarter.

Then he asked me a question that really confused me: What does our father do?

I realized immediately that I have never known what my father did.

I went to my mother and asked her if she knew why our father left. She didn’t know either,
even though he had just asked her for some money and went out the door.

The next morning my father was nowhere to be seen.

I usually get a ride to school from him, but his car wasn’t in front of our house.

I was forced to walk to school and I was punished for being late.

Now, at school, I wasn’t worried about my father, but angry that he just left without telling us where he was going.

My friend Marie told me I should be worried, because he might be hurt.

On my way home, I thought to myself, “What if my father never returns?”

Well, everything turned out fine in the end.

When I came home, my father was just watching the news like nothing happened.

Wreath Debate Update

So for those of you not following the wreath debate in Co. -that is whether a Peace wreath displayed for the holiday season was merely decoration, an anti war protest or the sign of Satan has ended. The wreath does not have to come down and hundreds of people called to support the victim of this absurd debate-willing to aid her in paying the 1000$ fine so that she would keep the wreath hanging until following Christmas Day in protest.

smoke tales

Korea is a health conscious society. And in turn, its citizens are very healthy on average. It is a fairly apparent fact when you see hordes of women power walking at all hours of the day, early morning intense badminton games and accessible trails for all abilities. Not to mention the diet is for the most part, with the exception of fried mandu, samgeopsal and hotok (likek fried dough with maple syrup in the middle), very healthy. So it comes as a surprise that there is so much smoking in this country. It feels like flashback 1986. Not only is smoking acceptable in hotel rooms and restaurants, teachers light up at school. Now I am not talking about the occasional teacher who sneaks off to the woods or a dark corner in the back of the school to indulge in their secret taboo habit. No, I am talking about just smoking in the teacher's room. Why not, right? We have beer in the fridge. The copy room is also a hit for the smoking inclined. I mean at this point I expected that All Korean air flights would have the smoking sign off and it would be free territory. So it's one thing to indulge in a bad habit once and a while, but what takes the cake of irony today folks, is the athletic smoking break. These particular breaks take part during oram marathons, or strenuous hikes of Halla Mt. That's right, don't take a look at that water table Old man. Take out that pack of your long, skinny Virginia Slims* and puff away. It will rejuvenate your heart and lungs.

*it's true-old korean men frequently smoke the longest thinnest cigarettes known to man kind-aka V1rginia Slims. Rafiq Ahmed on the other hand prefers to be called Uncle Dunhill.

reality check

Today I received an e-mail from the Fulbright coordinator regarding return flights at the end of our contract. She needs to know when, and where I will fly post July 1st. This really puts things in perspective. First of all, how quickly the year is flying by and secondly-the reality that I need to go somewhere when I go back to the states- When will I leave and where will I go-who wants a visitor? I guess I needn't worry too much-perhaps i should solidify my flight to bali first.

What has the world come to?

By ROBERT WELLER, AP

DENVER (Nov. 26) - A homeowners association in southwestern Colorado has threatened to fine a resident $25 a day until she removes a Christmas wreath with a peace sign that some say is an anti-Iraq war protest or a symbol of Satan.

Some residents who have complained have children serving in Iraq, said Bob Kearns, president of the Loma Linda Homeowners Association in Pagosa Springs. He said some residents have also believed it was a symbol of Satan. Three or four residents complained, he said.

"Somebody could put up signs that say drop bombs on Iraq. If you let one go up you have to let them all go up," he said in a telephone interview Sunday.

Lisa Jensen said she wasn't thinking of the war when she hung the wreath. She said, "Peace is way bigger than not being at war. This is a spiritual thing."

Jensen, a past association president, calculates the fines will cost her about $1,000, and doubts they will be able to make her pay. But she said she's not going to take it down until after Christmas.

"Now that it has come to this I feel I can't get bullied," she said. "What if they don't like my Santa Claus."

The association in this 200-home subdivision 270 miles southwest of Denver has sent a letter to her saying that residents were offended by the sign and the board "will not allow signs, flags etc. that can be considered divisive."

The subdivision's rules say no signs, billboards or advertising are permitted without the consent of the architectural control committee.

Kearns ordered the committee to require Jensen to remove the wreath, but members refused after concluding that it was merely a seasonal symbol that didn't say anything. Kearns fired all five committee members.


Peace associated with satan? I think we have gone a bit too far when the concept of peace is offensive. Come now.

In other news. Bird Flu was detected in SoKo today. Run for the hills*note sarcasm.

I realized I was in Korea today-as if that realization hadn't occured to me before. Anyhow, I was on the phone with Matt conversing as normal and he ordered a coffee at Starbucks. The whole process was so quick and non-chalant. He didn't have to repeat himself, it wasn't an ordeal. It's always the small things. And I felt like I spoke a lot of English here.

my cell phone died so i just stayed out

I continue to have this reoccurring dream that has me wondering its significance. I dream on a fairly regular basis that I am walking around my home stay with shoes on. Usually high healed shoes. No one seems to notice at the time but then it dawns on me when i am in the solitude of my own room, that I am committing a horrible cultural faux pas. Clearly, i am paranoid about my cultural awareness and my actions. My dreams are always so telling regarding my state of mind.

Drank Sangria, played pool, hit up a traditional tea house, a dukbolki party as well as a noribang and board game bang. Overall this weekend was lovely. Hit up Eda-a hip bar on Friday night. Dad, you would be happy with my choice, although this pennant didn't fit the decor whatsoever, the owners had some Red Sox pride hanging for everyone to see. The craftsmanship showed through as the walls were constructed so artfully. Best of James Brown provided the soundtrack to our sangria and nachos. Seeing Checha-nacho on the menu immediately peaked our interest. However when the waiter brought out a plate of 6 saltine crackers with cheese and cucumber we were miffed. Now that would have been a lost in translation moment if I have ever experienced one, but eventually the anju we ordered arrived. The owners are hip , young and artsy. The wife has transcended the traditional fashion binary; Aguma versus young trendy style. In fact she has redefined aguma as hot and wears fun traditional aguma clothing in a fashionable way. We will hit up some concerts there in the next few weeks. Then I got a lesson in pool. I am determined to become a pool shark and hustle money when i get back to the states-yes high aspirations for this fubrighter.

Saturday we hit up a traditional tea house. We attempted to convey our desires for the five taste tea I kept saying "O" since that is how you say 5. But what we ended up with was nothing we had intended on. It took a while for me to warm up to it, but by the end of the pot, I enjoyed my cup. The tea house did not compare to our insadong tea house, and the instrumental versions of popular soundtrack songs and Broadway hits were a distraction for good conversation. The play list included but was not limited to instrumental versions of Mariah Carey, Barry Manilo, Whitney Houston, James Taylor, Barbara Streisand with an intermittent Andrew Loyd Weber ballad and On My Own from Les Miserables. I still delighted in a good time with some delicious fried duk.

Alex made friends with a rad and hippied out vintage clothing store owner who is going to aid in his purchasing of clothing that actually fit. Mr. Kim gave him a free sweater and said "I just want to be your friend. give me a call 3 days before you come and I will get some clothes for you. you like vintage?" He was the first Korean guy whose facial hair and hair length in general compared to Alex's. needless to say a big score on many levels; there were even kickin beats in the store.

In Korea there are a plethora of "bangs." Bang is Korean for room. You got your PC room, DVD room, singing room and board game room-just to name a few. We hit up 2 of these bangs. The board game bang provides a space for friends to get together and play boardgames. We opted for a classic game of monopoly. I have to apologize since my gloating got to be a bit much-i did end the game with an astounding 5000+ dollars 4 railroads both utility companies and a few monopolies. I can't even count the number of times i landed on free parking-thus receiving 800 dollars here and there.

The concept of board game bangs are interesting to me. Despite the collective identity so frequently associated with Koreans, the home is a interesting space. For the most part males and females do not enter homes of the opposite sex unless they are engaged. It seems like the home is a private space. Since there is such thing as a board game bang, one can infer that such an activity doesn't exist within that sphere. Instead friends opt to go to a neutral space to do such an activity. Now DVD bangs are a different story. The connotation with DVD bangs is simply a space for couples to go since they are unable to engage with each other in the home. Needless to say they are a scandalous locale. nonetheless, I go frequently and nothing scandalous occurs. Typically on days when I am so tired and I want some English in my life from films that are not "Big Mama 2" or Bringin Down the House-my host family's movie style preference.

We met up with the crew to celebrate Jen M Anderson's birthday. We had a dukbolki party accompanied by mekju, soju, and the obligatory Korean cake. These cake packages are brilliant. A box with handles, which you will regularly see being carried by a group of friends down in city hall. Additionally these cakes come with candles in the package, matches along with a knife. So practical and as with so many other Korean ways, so....efficient. We delighted in conversation about American celebrities prompted by the most recent edition of US weekly courtesy of Jen's parents. We also marveled at the fact that we have all become addicted to US television; catching each other up on the most recent episodes of lost, Grey's anatomy and my favorites-Weeds. The most interesting part of these conversations is the fact that it was a general consensus that none of us were television watchers in the states. Go figure.

We hit up our second bang-the noribang and promptly had a ridiculous 2 hours of the most absurd song list ever. One of Alex's students made the comment last week "I think you must have a lot of girlfriends." Well here's a thanks to him for allowing 7 girls to sing to their hearts content material such as-time after time, Desiree and jewel. I mean there was some guns and roses and after a trip to the bathroom i came back to a group sing a long to desperado.

I'm ready for vacation. I need a change of pace. I need....Bali...and Yumi Aikawa. But for now, I will embrace the warmth of my heated bed.

7:45 pitch black outside
low 50's high chance of rain.

"Lauryn we will go out."

"OK where will we go" I said out loud, half already knowing the answer.
"We will go and ride bikes with Suwaun."
Of course we will go ride bikes on this freezing cold, pitch black, late November evening. I mean it isn't 11 pm like last time, but I think the temperature makes up for the earlier departure time.

Well remember when your mother used to to tell you never to wander in parks after dark? My family in Korea doesn't seem to heed to these types of warnings, although I am starting to to think they should. We frolicked in the park and I made every effort to teach my ten year old host brother how to ride a bicycle once again. Needless to say teaching a child how to ride a bike is a task in itself without a language barrier. I utilized my minimal Korean skills and a lot of hand gestures, that is until this strange man appeared out of nowhere. He too was riding a bike and hopped off when he saw suwaun struggling. At first glance I thought to myself, "now here's just another example of the community aspect of Korean life." This man didn't need to help he could have kept going on his merry way. But he stopped with what seemed like good intentions. I didn't quite appreciate the aggressive approach he used when trying to teach bike riding skills but assumed he meant the best. That is, until he started asking Sungmi many questions about me, their family and where we lived. It didn't take the nunchi of a genius to realize this was an uncomfortable situation-and sungmi attempted at multiple times to leave the situation. After we made it explicitly clear the conversation was over, the man, disgruntled, proceeded to go over to a park bench-drink and go to bed. Don't let little ones get harassed at the park after dark by men like this. Even I was weirded out.

My host family, upon arrival back home decided we would play day spa. This included facemasks for the entire family and photo sessions. Just what I love to do take pictures in a facemask looking like zombies!! Facemasks. Well, I guess the Korean wannabe has to start somewhere.

seoul happenings

Traveled to Seoul this weekend to explore and more importantly have the most saught after meal of the year. Now I'll admit back in the states I took my thanksgiving dinner for granted; usually piling on some starches, the regular mashed potatoes, extra stuffing and a lot of rolls. For 10 of those years I denied the main dish of turkey due to veggie status. But my dear friends, after 4 1.2 months in Korea-my entire perspective has changed about this meal. It was one of the most glorious culinary experiences ever. My plate was piled high and i learned a lot about strategy for food placement when you want more than your plate can handle. We had the opportunity to spend this occasion at the ambassador's house. This makes two visits in 3 months. What I kept finding odd, was how comfortable and normal this all felt. I never really thought to myself "yea I'm just chillin,talking politics and bantering on with the ambassador to S. Korea in his house over our Thanksgiving dinner." I was unaware that both the Ambassador and his wife were from the Massachusetts area; Newton to be specific. Made for good conversation. It was also so enjoyable and great to see the other ETA's lookin snazzy in their Korean infused style.

Following the Ambassador's residence, we all mobilized for a night on the town. My past two trips to Seoul have been quite disappointing with regards to seeing the city I wanted to see. Our first adventure, a mere two weeks having been in Korea, consisted of wayward travelers unsure of the area and lacking knowledge of the hot spots. Well that, and the typhoon that hit hard that weekend put a damper on our adventuring. My second trip to Seoul was jam packed with things to do and the stress regarding moving to my placement made it a bit hard to bounce around with much enthusiasm. But this trip, oh this trip-it was the first time that I said-"hey I could really live here for another year." Hongdae specifically peaked my interest. Hongdae is near Hongik University-well known for it's strong arts program. In turn the community is a vibrant, artsy, and ultra fashionable crowd. Not to mention the area is hoppin with great things to do. We rallied the Fulbright troops and invaded-peacefully an amazingly hip hookah bar. In addition to the great company, one of the most phenomenal experiences that took place there was the precision on paying the bill. You know how it usually goes, people have a few drinks, one person is left collecting the money and the more people the bigger hassle this task ends up being. Somehow the magic of Kate Barney pulled through. Taking control of the situation, she figured out the financial matters in merely minutes, and collected accordingly. Things have never gone so smoothly when dealing with 45 twenty somethings at a bar. As per usual with the Fulbright crew, dancing ensued but lacking cover charges due to the workings of good friends in Seoul. Emerald met and was pursued by a member of the Korean basketball league...apparently he was insanely tall. And the best part of my evening was getting the chance to meet up with Sue Hahn! This beautiful girl made my weekend. Having the chance to catch up was so amazing. I only hope I get to see her a few more times before she heads back to the states.

Fried mandu and the variety of street foods I got to sample were great, but not as entertaining as my attempt to give directions to the taxi cab driver after a night at the club. "똑바로!!!!" I asserted after Alex had summoned the taxi to 요기요 (stop here). Clearly I was in the wrong just like I was in the wrong when the women at the mandu stand asked "do you think it is delicious" and I responded with "I only speak a little korean." My language skills are lacking-in both korean and English-like yesterday when I spelled vegetables wrong. I knew it looked funny but for the life of me I couldn't understand why.

<-----team Bali to Bali sans the lovely photographer Julienne

Sunday we hit up insadong market and had the opportunity to buy lots of fun trinkets to send home for the holidays. We also stumbled across the "Wake up Andy Warhol" exhibit at this mall. The concept was brilliant; utilize a seemingly public space such as an outdoor mall to exhibit and sell works by local artists. Utilizing the space itself, the mall was made into an instillation art piece. Here's one exhibit-->

After our exploration in the mall, a young girl, persuaded by her mother, approached Emerald. "What is your name?" Emerald responded and she followed it with the typical questions "where are you from?" Emerald then proceeded to ask this young girl "What is your name and where are you from?" She was as charming as could be and had quite a spark about her. She answered with great confidence "My name is Su Yeon (she jumped in the air and did a star jump as excited as could be)I am from korea (at this point she took her hands to her mouth and gestured as though she was eating Korea. also amazing) I WANT TO BE A DOCTOR OR A LAWER OR A COOK." At this point the precious dialog between Emerald and this little girl had attracted quite the crowd. I would say no less that 40 people gathered watching this little pea looking not even 6 years old speak fluent english with a beautiful blond American girl. It was hilarious.

Sue, Andrew, Alex, and myself caught up for some tea at a traditional tea house. It's like a hippie's haven (and no I did not mean to alliterate). Little dens with waterfalls and vegitation and the most peaceful music playing in the background. it made me wonder why I am not a tea drinker more often. I guess the environment really made it for me. Where is our traditional tea house Jeju WHERE?

Needless to say it was a wild and exciting and beautiful weekend. It made me realize how much more there is to Korea than Jeju. Although I love our island and all of it's natural beauty, there is something to say about the character and edge that a huge metropolitan city has to offer. Despite my newly peaked interest in staying in these parts for a year, they are merely thoughts coming from a country girl visiting the big city for what seemed like the first time. And hey, I'm sure San Fran could give me all I ever wanted from a city too.

Life defining exams

College Entrance Exam Today
More than 580,000 students will take the national college entrance exam at 971 schools across the nation today.
The College Scholastic Aptitude Test will take place from 8:40 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Students must enter the classrooms by 8:10 a.m.
To reduce traffic for exam-taking students, all government institutions and many workplaces plan to adjust their work schedules, starting at 10 a.m.
Subways will run more frequently between 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and a greater number of buses and taxis will be provided as well.
No parking will be allowed around or near the test sites, a 200-meter boundary, and cars will be prohibited from entering the boundary.
<---Students yesterday receive their registration tags for the College Scholastic Aptitude Test taking place today. [The Korea Herald] All measures are taken to minimize the inconvenience of students and enable them to concentrate on taking the test, government officials said.

Passing cheering crowds as they enter examination halls, more than 549,000 students yesterday took the national college entrance exam.
At the main gate of Baihwa Girls' High School in Seoul, a crowd of schoolmates shouting "Go get it" gave the exam-takers coffee, chocolate bars, tangerines and some sticky rice candy - all for good luck.
This was a common scene at 971 schools across the nation where the exam was being held.
The annual College Scholastic Aptitude Test took place from 8:40 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.
The students, who seemed to be enjoying their final break before going into the school to take the "real thing," covered themselves up with thick coats and wrapped their necks with mufflers to brace the cold.
Students sit for the national college entrance exam at a high school in Seoul yesterday. [The Korea Herald]
Some students couldn't get the nervous look off their faces, while others threw last-minute smiles at the cheering crowd of younger students.
"It is kind of tiring to be out here so early in this chilly weather, but thinking that our schoolmates will score higher on their exams due to our cheering makes us forget that we're tired at all," said a sophomore at Sookmyung Girls' High School, who came with about 40 other fellow classmates.
Even coming here at 3 a.m. to ensure a good cheering spot was a little too late for some, according to students from Chungdam High School.
Students from Sangmoon High School said they have been securing the best spot for cheering by spending nights there ever since Monday.
"It's an eerie feeling coming to cheer this year because it makes me realize that I only have a year left for this life-defining exam. But I still hope the seniors will be able to push for their best scores in the exam today," said Kim Yoon-kyoung, a junior at Banpo High School.
To help transport the exam-takers, 8,505 police and 7,112 volunteers were on standby on the streets yesterday, according to the National Police Agency.
Students cheer for seniors taking the national college entrance exams yesterday at Pungmun Girls` High School in Seoul. [The Korea Herald]
Police motorcycles and emergency vehicles made sure students got to their destinations on time, while office hours at many workplaces were delayed till 10 a.m. to reduce traffic.
Out of the more than 580,000 students who applied to take the test, only about 549,000 students actually sat the exam, said the Education Ministry.
At some 18 schools in Seoul, students had to take the listening section again because of broadcasting disruptions, which caused a 10-minute delay, according to officials at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.
The subject areas covered by were largely similar to last year's, said Ahn Tae-in, a biological science professor at Seoul National University, who chaired the examiners' committee for the test.
"We presented questions which shouldn't trouble any student that kept up with their school curriculum," Ahn said.
He added that this year's exam had similar questions to those by EBS, a nonprofit educational broadcasting corporation.

By Cho Ji-hyun

This is the biggest day in every korean student's life. Might I add Korea is a no fly zone during the listening portion of the exam? Everything student's have worked for comes down to this one exam.

So think America, as we move towards a culture of standardization of education through the use of high stakes testing-can one test spur engaged and meaningful learning? Or does it merely create academically driven students lacking passion?

Radical politics 아니요-just equal rights

South Africa passed a bill approving same sex marriage. The National Assembly passed the bill 230-41. Check it. http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/11/14/safrica.gay.marriage.ap/index.html

America, I think it's time we follow their lead.

weekend mis-adventures

I wasn't quick to the ball on this one so I give credit to J. Alex Page in advance for his commentary on weekend events. He is cited appropriately.

Imagine Christopher Guest taking on Beauty Pageants. Sort of like the "Best in Show" of the pageant world. I basically found myself living out "Drop Dead Gorgeous" on the international stage. "ahnyonghasaaaayo. I believe in world peace kamsahamneeeedaaaa" echoed from the 52 participants in the 19th annual Miss University Pageant. I thought it was merely a farce when people made those comments with regards to the pageant interview section but on November 11th, I was proved wrong.

Immediately the World Miss University pageant became a parody of itself. There were botched awards where presenters never made it to the stage and events that were simply cut out of the lineup provided in our program. Perhaps though, it was the pageant soundtrack with music styling more appropriate for that X rated film I can find at my local family movie store her in Korea. No matter how you look at it, the combination of absurd events is noteworthy. Fist the illiterate MC Ricky Kim. His inability to read made us seriously question if his native language was indeed English-though his accent left no question. He was indeed a native speaker, and consequently that dumb. Although he announced the wrong contestant as a winner only to correct himself quickly, I believe his repetitive commentary and improvised comments such as "I was mesmerized by all that shaking" is what truly stuck out in my mind. And I should speak of the lack of members in the audience- yes we just might have been the only audience members not related to a contestant. From Miss Dominican Republic losing her top during a solo dance routine to Miss Lithuania's choreographed moves to a meatloaf medleyy infused with some Melissa Etheridge-the Miss University Pageant was insane. Tensions and stakes were high when it came to the "friendship" award and the "sincerity" award-which Ricky pronounced sincere-ity award. Not sure how the team of Miss Latvia singing "I'm a Big Girl in a Big World" while Miss Nepal did a back up dance and 'felt it necessary to use hand gestures to articulate more clearly what the message of the song meant"(page) could have lost the friendship award- as they were truly mesmerizing.
"Miss Nicaragua beat all the talented young women out in the 2006 World Miss University Contest. Yes, the woman whose traditional dress made her look like Xena The Warrior Princess or a good combination of a peacock and Vegas showgirl took home the prestigious title that of Miss University" (page).

I was so overwhelmed with the performance, well that, and the phallic and larger than life-size 빼빼로 bestowed upon me-that I flippin forgot my cellphone at the convention center. This must have been good karma working for us here because what ensued was worthy of our 4 1/2 hour viewing of the worst pageant on the face of the planet. Yes "we came back later that night to pick up a lost cell phone, only to discover that these "ambassadors of peace" were tanked on the dance floor, smoking cigarettes in the bathroom and telling each other how badly they needed sex"(page). Needless to say Alex and I were intrigued by their antics, too intrigued perhaps-but I was so appalled at their shenanigans that our quest to invite them out to party was stunted by their mindless chatter. I think Alex is a bit resentful.

Since I was out for an early morning horseback ride early Saturday, Sunday was the only chance to sleep in and damn it I was going to enjoy it. Needless to say, this resulted in a delayed departure towards Hallasan, but I wasn't complaining. With Alex's logic-and it seemed quite logical our trek should have been approximately 9km or 6 miles. "Having only daypacks, the weather being cold therefore not needing to hydrate as much, and being a group of 2 badass hikers, I figure the MINIMUM walking speed for us would be an average of 2 miles an hour. 6 miles at 2mph means 3 hours to summit. Now, assuming it would take that long down (which it wouldn't because of gravity on our side coming home and the fact that the other trails down are almost half the distance of our embarking point), we would need 6 hours of daylight to hike up and over. The island gets dark at 6pm these days. Therefore, we must organize and depart by 12pm."

After running into my co teacher-who has a tendency to give me mis-information we did finally realize that hikers who depart after 9 am cannot summit this mountain. Nonetheless we traversed those trails dawning some of the most fashionable hiking gear to hit Halla in decades. While leisurely enjoying our kimbab and lamien we were accousted by a ranger screaming (in Korean) that we must get down the mountain immediately. You'd think the inactive volcano was close to erupting. A good laugh got us going, and we lapped some of our fellow hikers. I mean there were hobbling girls with sprained ankles and Alex's last trip to Halla resulted in him coming across a man with one leg and a crutch doing the hike. We were not the one's to be worrying about here. But for some reason, we are always treated like the concept of hiking and mountains are both a novelty here in Korea. Many people informed me during my hike that I should be wearing hiking boots. When the trail is paved or covered by a wooden boardwalk for approximately 90% of the duration, I feel safe in my new kicks. needless to say the hike down was a breeze and beautiful-good conversation and even more material for blog entries.

navigating the social sphere: cross cultural engagement

1.Frequently my principal requests my presence in his office to enjoy coffee. This seems like a kind gesture, and believe me it is. Yet the one complication that lies in almost every social situation here in Korea is the language barrier. "Coppee" my principal says with his intonation forming a question? It's a struggle every time. I think to myself "oh the vending machine coffee what I would do for that vending machine coffee." But, in actuality I think about the realities of accepting such an offer. 5 minutes sitting in silence gulping the hot beverage so quickly I not only don't enjoy the drink but inflict physical pain on myself as well. Nonetheless, one should never turn down a request to sip coffee with the #1 guy at the 학교. And so I am forced to brainstorm ways to communicate with the man whom I can least communicate with at the school. The diologues consist of a lot of quincheniyo-Its ok and muliyo-I don't understand. I have abandoned chewoyo-which supposidly means it's good because apparently, it has come to my attention that I keep saying "it's cold" rather than "it's good."

2.This morning in the teacher's room I was browsing blogs, facebook and starting up my daily gchats when a rumble went down. Yes my friends, a rumble. Now the thing I have found about Korea is the fact that the passion and volume in one's voice does not necessarily insinuate anger or dissatisfaction, always. Clearly I have no clue as to the content of discussions, thus I'm frequently in the dark about goings on. It was a normal morning and all of a sudden the crashing sound on a ceramic pot crashing to the cement ground filled the room. I immediately assumed it was the wind until I watched a slew of teachers rush to the man's side in attempts to calm him down. That's right, the chinese teacher was upset and decided to take it out in the teacher's room. The beligerernt behavior involved him yelling and knocking things over. My first thought-is he still drunk from the evening before? Now that would have redefined my idea of Soju-man. My co teacher alerted me to the fact that he was dissatisfied with the Vice Principal which resulted in his outburst. Following his rage, all of the women quickly came together to clean up his mess. A grown man creates a mess and is coddled by these females-it was pretty frusterating to see. His rage didn't end either. When he arrived back in the room, he knocked over another ceramic pot. All the vegitation that beautified our space ruined by his bout of anger. Needless to say I was shocked, and utterly uncomfortable. He won me over a bit in the afternoon by giving me haagen dazs coffee ice cream, but still-what a scene. I don't think he would have been coming back to school if this were to happen in the states.

3.Is it a cultural phenomenon that when accepting a ride you should never assume that the front seat is for taking? Is the idea that the front seat is off limits EVEN if there are only two passageners something no one alerted me to? As I accepted a ride home from a fellow teacher the past afternoon he made his way to my side of the vehicle and opened the back door. I assumed he was placing some of his materials in the back seat. Then I watched him straighten the seat up. I looked confused, then he looked confused. I gestured towards both doors inquiring "which one do I get in?" He looked more perplexed. Without further questions I simply hopped in the back seat-awkwardly. This individual driving me home I fondly refer to as my coffee date lover. His name stems from his frequent invitations to coffee-next to the water fountain that is, in the 교모실. There is a buzz regarding my relationship status and his seemingly joking pursuit of me provides much humor for fellow teachers. Why was I sitting in the back seat? I felt like he was my taxi driver. I even yogio-yed him when I arrived at my house, I nearly took out my wallet to pay as well. So odd. Is this common? Someone? Make the awkwardness go away.

Did I mention my coffee date lover who drove me home was also the man with the outburst? Way to win a girl over...create mayhem in the teachers room and break things. keep the haagen dazs but loose the violence.

Life before 8 am

Today just may be one of those days...you know the ones where everything is just a bit more frustrating. I'm sure it's in part due to the changing of seasons. That, and the fact that my plane tickets for winter break are far more expensive than I had ever imagined. Some of the situations that occurred before 8 am...

1. It is approximately 45 degrees in the morning. In our daily carpool, why can't we turn on the heater in the car and put the windows up? This feeling of shivering uncontrollably made me realize that it will not pass until around march of next year. In Korea, we do not use heaters frequently. Therefore, my winter coat will come in handy while teaching the children. You know that feeling after standing outside for a long time and longing for the moment you can hop into a heated car or building? That feeling will never come for me. It reminds me of the long walks from far lot to Hingham High school. I knew that after the treacherous walk there was indeed heat at the end of my journey. One minor difference, in Korea when I reach my destination i know heat will never greet me.

2. Mom and Dad I love you dearly-but sending ramen to Korea is like sending Guinness to Ireland. This country serves the Korean equivalent "lamien" in restaurants as meals. It is everywhere. Nonetheless, the beautiful jacket will aid in curbing the issues stated in #1.

3. Co-teacher: your sisters are very beautiful. They have different face than you. Your face is like a circle and their face is more how do you say
Me: oval?
Co-teacher: yes oval. But now I look at you, your face is different. When I first saw a picture of you, you looked very strong and enthusiastic. Like you could do anything. They look very pretty like ladies. I think maybe many boys would like them.

4. More electronic voting systems and frequent voter intimidation cited in the states.

But in more uplifting news-Deval Patrick is the first Black Gov. of Massachusetts-first dem in 16 years. Liberal just the way I like'em. And, as the polls close the blue and red maps are popping up on CNN. Go blue!

Jeju Halloween: a party of epic proportions

Friday could not have arrived quick enough; that is-the day the first and hopefully annual Jeju Halloween commenced in Jungmun. After weeks of planning and bargaining with my poor Korean skills, the fruits of our labor paid off. And within hours 20+ ETA's would descend on our island-to rock it, in good taste of course and with behavior becoming of a cultural ambassador.

We settled into our cozy pension and delighted in delicious garlic bread Mama Sus ordered for the crew. We had a wonderful samgyeopsal meal and our waiter informed us that the pork we were eating came from a pig that had been killed not 5 hours before. Local food I tell you, it's everywhere. Following dinner, a majority of the group met up at the family mart for old times sake. A few drinks were had and then it was back to the pension.

Due to the excessive number of cell phones with alarm clocks set for early morning wake up calls, Saturday proved no differently. We emerged out of bed at the very reasonable hour of 9 only to see torrential downpours. Now occasionally it rains in Jeju, but the rain has been scarce following monsoon/typhoon season. Why now, when we had guests banking on outdoor adventures? Not letting the rain get us down, we rallied the troops and made the best western breakfast I have ever had... since I was in America. Complete with eggs, cereal, toast, pancakes, home fries (potatos) and REAL coffee. Now, whenever I feel the craving to go to a diner-which frequently happens, I know I can just rent a pension and cook for myself.

The rain subsided and we ventured out, showing our guests different spots on the island. Our crew went to Jungmun where I was hand fed freshly made kimchi by agumas at a local store. Colleen and Traci proceeded to go swimming- clearly they were the only swimmers with the exception of the haenyou (diving agumas). Yes, there was swimming on November 4th-although from what i hear there was snow in Seoul today. Things are sure different on our island. Following a quick emart trip, we finished our costumes, got decked out (aka I straightened my hair and put on makeup), and hit up Hayundae Garden for the best damn marinated galbi ever. Here my friends, is an example of how small Jeju really is. Rafiq called to ask where we would eat so that his host family could drive him and fellow etas there. He no sooner told his host mother the location and she said it was her brother in law's restaurant. Of course it was. The entire group was picked up by a driver from the restaurant and transported there as a complimentary service. Because here in Korea, many restaurants have an unspoken designated driver system for their patrons. Either a car service will pick you up, or you can call a taxi service to pick you up following dinner plans. 2 drivers arrive, one drives you home and the other drives your car home. If there is going to be excessive drinking, at least the institutions can do is be proactive and responsible for their patrons! Back to the point at hand-the driver informed us that the owner's daughter was one of Alex's students. And Gretchen's host mom knew the owner of the pension. I wonder if the owners of any of the yogwans are our student's parents-the reality is, they probably are.

We ate a lot, and got sentimental with our toasts. But the party really began after our shuttle ride back to the hotel. With costumes ranging from Zoolander, the facebook, Korean students, kimchi, kim jun gil, soju man, diving ajumas to eloise, we were bound to have a good time. We started a parade down to the beach-decked out in costume. Mind you this is in a country that does not celebrate Halloween. This is particularly interesting because we came upon a large event letting out from the International Convention center. Picture this-27 Americans dressed up in absurd costumes all in a procession down the road. When they are met with the influx of people letting out from the event no one even blinks an eye at any of them. Needless to say we felt affirmed that everything would be well from that moment on. Debauchery ensued on the beach. Lots of banter, dancing, bonfires and the loss of one particular robot costume to the ocean. Some swimming also went down in the evening-the individuals taking part will remain nameless. Using my taxi hailing skills we did not need to trek all the way back to the pension on foot. Rafiq almost slept in bed with us, dosing off with comments about bingo games that he certainly did not play. Hamburgers were consumed from the local family mart and wild knocking on doors looking for keys actually left in freezer drawers preceded a somewhat early slumber.

The next morning people departed early and we set off towards seogwipo. Unable to find a taxi or any other means of transportation, we hailed down a truck to let us hitch a ride in the bed of their truck. Once again, more support for the title of my memoirs: Random cars with strangers. Not only did they give us a free ride, they gave us oranges too. We thought we may have been used for slave labor since tangerine picking season had just begun. We finished the day with not one but 2 movies at the dvd bang. Seriously, The terminal is the most ridiculous movie ever. How could Steven Spielberg go from directing films like Schindler's List to this piece of crap. Talk about character/story development inconsistencies. Nonetheless, it was great. I was tired, i needed to rest and I got to with my favorite people-we could have watched honey and I would have been content-well no not really mmm perhaps.

I couldn't ask for a better life or better people to spend my days with. We are so fortunate.
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