Hello, hello. Its friday. Its 4:27pm and 5:00pm couldn't come any sooner. I am ready to be done with this week. Its been a fine week. I'm just ready for the weekend. This evening myself, a Korean friend, and another American teacher are going to see SATC 2!!!! Ahh, I am so excited. Tonight is opening night in Korea. It will be interesting to see if it will be crowded or now. Eugene, my Korean friend, said that young woman love it so it might be which would be fun. I saw SATC 1 in Uganda with all a bunch of PCVs, we got dressed up like the characters. Super fun. Super cheesy! It was wonderful.
Tonight is also the start of the World Cup!!!! Ahhhh I'm so excited for that too. Go South Africa!! I'm pulling for them to go all the way. We can do it. There is so much World Cup fever here. I love it. Koreans are really excited about it. Its so great to see they enthusiastic about something. Tomorrow we are going to this big cultural festival called Danoje and then we are going to watch the first Korean match in the streets of Gangnueg. Should be fun and memorable.
Its nice to be busy. I can't believe I am actually going to be in America in 8 days. Who would have ever thought? Not me. But I'm feeling really good about it. I am so thankful I will be able to be with my family. We are going to spend some time at the farm my grandparents lived at when we were kids. Its not really a livestock farm. Its just this beautiful place of peace on the river with acres of fruit trees, a quiet creek and a playful pond. I have so many wonderful memories from there. It will be a healing time for my family I think. I'm so glad I will be with them.
I hope you all have a great weekend. Cheer for South Africa in the Cup!!! Ngiyabonga (thank you in Zulu)!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
pictures galore
We have put all our pictures on snapfish.com so you can access them whenever you want. You can use our username: stubbsmatt85@gmail.com and our password is photos. Once you get into the home page, click on "go to photos" in the recent album box and then "view all by date" on the left hand side. Enjoy! We will keep adding to them regularly.
an unexpected hike
This Saturday, we took the train to Taebek. Its a beautiful little town hidden in the mountains west of us. The trains here are incredible. Cheap, wonderful, convenient. We could have just taken the 1.5 hour train there and back and I would have been happy. I love trains. The route was beautiful and when we arrives we found the town just as great. We planned to have a relaxing day, exploring this town. But after asking for some advice from the tourist center, they directed us to the mountain to see a beautiful shaman altar. So we took the bus and started our hike just in time for a downpour. Matt wanted to keep walking, I did not! By the time we found shelter in a coal museum, we were soaked! Boo... We looked around the museum for about an hour while the storm passed. Once we headed back to the hiking trail, Matt realized that there were two paths to the altar. We were on the path that took 7.4 kms to get there and there as another sign saying to took 4.3 kms.. Oh man! We almost made such a mistake! Great job Matt!! We got on the right path and started walking again. And we kept walking, and walking, and walking, and walking....for what seemed like forever. Straight up the mountain. No zig-zagging business here. We were exhausted. We almost didn't make it. But 3 hours later we did. It was worth it. On the top of the mountain there was the shaman altar and a Buddhist temple. Sitting there listening to their prayers and chants while looking out over the mountain range incredible.
We had done all this walking and climbing business on no food. So we were starving and excited to eat! We got down the mountain and saw our bus (that comes only once an hour) pulling into the lot. Oh no. We were going to miss the bus, then we wouldn't eat, then we would miss our train....this was not going to happen. So I started sprinting down the hill to catch the bus. I have never ran so fast in my life. Hahaha, Matt said he thought my legs were going to fall off. They didn't but I looked like a lunatic because as the empty bus was pulling out to leave I was screaming "WAIT, WAIT!!!" and waving my arms frantically. He saw me. He stopped. We made it. Thank God. We would have been deserted if not. Then we went to a beef restaurant. We were so excited to eat and so excited to eat beef because Taebek is know for cheap, delicious beef - something that is super expensive in the rest of Korea. So we order and enjoyed. It was so good. They even brought us this raw beef and pear side dish for free (we looked hungry, haha). So we go to pay for what we thought would be a 29,000 won meal (something more expensive than we usually eat) and she gave us a bill for 53,000 won -------NOOOOOOOO! Duped again but the Korean meal system! We thought that the meal was 25,000 for two -- nope, its was 25,000 for one! Terrible. Nothing we could do about it and it was delicious. We'll know better for next time. All in all, it was a great day
We had done all this walking and climbing business on no food. So we were starving and excited to eat! We got down the mountain and saw our bus (that comes only once an hour) pulling into the lot. Oh no. We were going to miss the bus, then we wouldn't eat, then we would miss our train....this was not going to happen. So I started sprinting down the hill to catch the bus. I have never ran so fast in my life. Hahaha, Matt said he thought my legs were going to fall off. They didn't but I looked like a lunatic because as the empty bus was pulling out to leave I was screaming "WAIT, WAIT!!!" and waving my arms frantically. He saw me. He stopped. We made it. Thank God. We would have been deserted if not. Then we went to a beef restaurant. We were so excited to eat and so excited to eat beef because Taebek is know for cheap, delicious beef - something that is super expensive in the rest of Korea. So we order and enjoyed. It was so good. They even brought us this raw beef and pear side dish for free (we looked hungry, haha). So we go to pay for what we thought would be a 29,000 won meal (something more expensive than we usually eat) and she gave us a bill for 53,000 won -------NOOOOOOOO! Duped again but the Korean meal system! We thought that the meal was 25,000 for two -- nope, its was 25,000 for one! Terrible. Nothing we could do about it and it was delicious. We'll know better for next time. All in all, it was a great day
mini memorial service and baby fish eggs
Last week, my grandmother (Betty Duley) passed away. She had had a long battle with Parkinsons and it was her time to pass on. It was so hard not to be home with the family at a time like this, but thanks to phone access and skype I was able to say goodbye to her over the phone and talk to the family after she passed on. The blessings of technology. Thankfully I will be able to come home to celebrate her life with my family at her memorial service. I am so thankful. I will be home June 19-26th. She was an incredible woman that lead a selfless and dedicated life for justice. She is such a role model in my life. I'm lucky to call her grandmother. Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers over the next few weeks.
A little funny story that I know my grandma would appreciate is this: After my grandma passed, I wanted to have a little memorial service of my own since I wasn't going home for a while and its important to grieve when you're grieving. So Matt and I collected some wildflowers and let them out into the sea. It was a beautiful and funny because they just wouldn't go - haha the waves were too big, but eventually they did after me pulling up my pant legs and drudging into the ice cold water to release them after the waves crashed onto the shore. It was great. Then we went to dinner (covered in sand). We were excited because we have now learned the language well enough to read. Once we read, we can sometimes figure out what it means..most of the time not, but reading is a start! Anyways, we go to this restaurant, find a table and begin to read. Now keep in mind how quick you can read the menu in the States... fast.. it doesn't take you long. Well for us we have to sound out each syllable of 도부몰 - we have to change each sound, then try to remember if we know what it means....for the whole menu. Anyways it takes awhile. Well the phrase above - I knew was tofu stew but I didn't know the last part. So we thought - let's get it, we know at least half of it. So it comes, a firey red tofu stew (just want we thought we had ordered - perfect!!). We were so proud. Then Matt starts to serve it and we notice fish under the tofu - awesome, an added bonus!! Then we see lots of fish eggs ---- soooooo many fish eggs. Apparently, we ordered a Korean delicacy pregnant fish full of babies in tofu stew - SURPRISE! Neither of us had ever caviar so that was quite an experience. It was surprisingly good. Would I get it again? Maybe not. But Matt thought it was awesome. Haha, I guess I feel bad about eat a pregnant fish and her little babies.. yikes. Anyways, I thought my grandma would have laughed so hard about this little memorial service. It was a good day.
A little funny story that I know my grandma would appreciate is this: After my grandma passed, I wanted to have a little memorial service of my own since I wasn't going home for a while and its important to grieve when you're grieving. So Matt and I collected some wildflowers and let them out into the sea. It was a beautiful and funny because they just wouldn't go - haha the waves were too big, but eventually they did after me pulling up my pant legs and drudging into the ice cold water to release them after the waves crashed onto the shore. It was great. Then we went to dinner (covered in sand). We were excited because we have now learned the language well enough to read. Once we read, we can sometimes figure out what it means..most of the time not, but reading is a start! Anyways, we go to this restaurant, find a table and begin to read. Now keep in mind how quick you can read the menu in the States... fast.. it doesn't take you long. Well for us we have to sound out each syllable of 도부몰 - we have to change each sound, then try to remember if we know what it means....for the whole menu. Anyways it takes awhile. Well the phrase above - I knew was tofu stew but I didn't know the last part. So we thought - let's get it, we know at least half of it. So it comes, a firey red tofu stew (just want we thought we had ordered - perfect!!). We were so proud. Then Matt starts to serve it and we notice fish under the tofu - awesome, an added bonus!! Then we see lots of fish eggs ---- soooooo many fish eggs. Apparently, we ordered a Korean delicacy pregnant fish full of babies in tofu stew - SURPRISE! Neither of us had ever caviar so that was quite an experience. It was surprisingly good. Would I get it again? Maybe not. But Matt thought it was awesome. Haha, I guess I feel bad about eat a pregnant fish and her little babies.. yikes. Anyways, I thought my grandma would have laughed so hard about this little memorial service. It was a good day.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
nothing to do
here at the high school the 1st and 2nd year students are on a class trip to jeju island that started on tuesday. i only teach 1st and 2nd year students so im sitting around pretending to study korean while i watch arrested development. such a great show and i was lucky enough to find all three seasons on the pc in my room thanks to the teacher i replaced. the epik teachers in donghae have started korean lessons which is cool. the teacher is kind of serious about learning korean but with grammar and other things. i was kind of hoping for important vocabulary and phrases. whatever its nice that we have a free class to help us with korean. i have a student that comes to my classroom every day during lunch to tell me that my first name is the same a wwe wrestler, matt hardy. it was funny at first, but now its like 20 mins of him asking me questions that dont make sense on google translate. most of them revolving around wrestling. its amazing how cold its been this week. i swear yesterday it was only 45 degrees max all day.
last weekend was buddhas birthday and we visited gyeongju city. its an old city that was the capital during the silla dynasty (i dont know the dates you can check them). we went to the bulguksa temple and sokkuram grotto on friday. the temple was amazing and big. it was covered with lanterns and people. the sokkuram is incredible. the grotto is open for the public to walk around in only one day a year which is buddhas birthday. the rest of the year you can see it but only through a glass window. we were very lucky. to stay in gyeongju we used couch surfers and a got a free room from a professor at the university there. we also got free tour guides which were the professor's students who he told to help us while we stayed. it was really nice of them and they were a great crew. saturday and sunday were alright it rained all day both days. we did our best with ponchos and umbrellas to visit the national museum and ancient tombs in tumuli park. on the way to gyeongju we got a ride from an english teacher but on the way home we took the bus. the car ride 3 hours. the bus ride 6 hours. i think we must have stopped on the bus about 30 times on the way home to let people off. it was well, frustrating. im glad we werent in a hurry. all in all it was a really good weekend.
tonight we are going to chuncheon for the international mime festival. i know what youre thinking mimes? well its supposed to be a badass party fun time gala that goes literally all night, so suck on that. if not it will be cool to see everyone stuck in imaginary boxes or getting caught by giant hooks. anyway should be fun.
until next time.
last weekend was buddhas birthday and we visited gyeongju city. its an old city that was the capital during the silla dynasty (i dont know the dates you can check them). we went to the bulguksa temple and sokkuram grotto on friday. the temple was amazing and big. it was covered with lanterns and people. the sokkuram is incredible. the grotto is open for the public to walk around in only one day a year which is buddhas birthday. the rest of the year you can see it but only through a glass window. we were very lucky. to stay in gyeongju we used couch surfers and a got a free room from a professor at the university there. we also got free tour guides which were the professor's students who he told to help us while we stayed. it was really nice of them and they were a great crew. saturday and sunday were alright it rained all day both days. we did our best with ponchos and umbrellas to visit the national museum and ancient tombs in tumuli park. on the way to gyeongju we got a ride from an english teacher but on the way home we took the bus. the car ride 3 hours. the bus ride 6 hours. i think we must have stopped on the bus about 30 times on the way home to let people off. it was well, frustrating. im glad we werent in a hurry. all in all it was a really good weekend.
tonight we are going to chuncheon for the international mime festival. i know what youre thinking mimes? well its supposed to be a badass party fun time gala that goes literally all night, so suck on that. if not it will be cool to see everyone stuck in imaginary boxes or getting caught by giant hooks. anyway should be fun.
until next time.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
a wonderful weekend.
we didn't have much planned this weekend so we decided to take the bus 20 minutes south and explore a small seaside town, samcheok. the verdict: its adorable. cleaner and quainter than donghae, it has a charming feel to it.
we spent too much money on dunkin' donuts coffee, discovered delicous street side waffles filled with strawberry butter and honey, happened upon a monument for fallen soliders, it was a beautiful park on top of a small hill, a peaceful place full of solitude, we sat and listened to the wind blowing through the leaves with the warm spring sun on our faces. it was one of those moments you're just happy to be alive. to see the seasons change, to be able to experience love and happiness and find the beauty in the small things. then we climbed down to the riverside and worked out, well joked around, on the public work out equipment. its pretty incredible how serious koreans take personal health. in most city parks, there is public work out equipment that people come and use during their evening exercise.
we ended the day at the jukseoru. no one knows the date that this building was constructed but there was poem written about it in the 12th century so it had to built before that. the building is in a beautiful park surrounded by bamboo trees and flowers. it was such a peaceful day.
yesterday, i found out one of my dear friends is in the hospital. stephanie has had cancer for two years now. a few months ago, it reached her lymph nodes but she was still strong. she was admitted in the iccu over the weekend. please pray for her. she an incredible mother of three and is set to get married in october. its so hard not to be with her right now. it was a gorgeous day. it had to be a least 70 degrees. so it was nice to shed the sadness outside. we spent a lazy day on a hill over looking the east sea with a picnic, music and girly magazines sent by my stepmom.
koreans, for the most part, do not like to get tan. all the girls today have commented on my brown face. they definitely think pale is prettier. well they can just wait because i definitely like to be golden brown in the summertime, haha.
we spent too much money on dunkin' donuts coffee, discovered delicous street side waffles filled with strawberry butter and honey, happened upon a monument for fallen soliders, it was a beautiful park on top of a small hill, a peaceful place full of solitude, we sat and listened to the wind blowing through the leaves with the warm spring sun on our faces. it was one of those moments you're just happy to be alive. to see the seasons change, to be able to experience love and happiness and find the beauty in the small things. then we climbed down to the riverside and worked out, well joked around, on the public work out equipment. its pretty incredible how serious koreans take personal health. in most city parks, there is public work out equipment that people come and use during their evening exercise.
we ended the day at the jukseoru. no one knows the date that this building was constructed but there was poem written about it in the 12th century so it had to built before that. the building is in a beautiful park surrounded by bamboo trees and flowers. it was such a peaceful day.
yesterday, i found out one of my dear friends is in the hospital. stephanie has had cancer for two years now. a few months ago, it reached her lymph nodes but she was still strong. she was admitted in the iccu over the weekend. please pray for her. she an incredible mother of three and is set to get married in october. its so hard not to be with her right now. it was a gorgeous day. it had to be a least 70 degrees. so it was nice to shed the sadness outside. we spent a lazy day on a hill over looking the east sea with a picnic, music and girly magazines sent by my stepmom.
koreans, for the most part, do not like to get tan. all the girls today have commented on my brown face. they definitely think pale is prettier. well they can just wait because i definitely like to be golden brown in the summertime, haha.
birthdays abroad
it seemed april was destined to be a birthday month. in my elementary schools, i have to follow the national curriculum. i can add to it with additional games and activities but i have to teach from the book. i think some teachers wouldn't like this, but for me with the amount of lessons i have to write per week, its nice to have a starting point. a framework to plan with. all this is said because, my lesson for grade 3, 4 and 6 was birthdays: how old are you? happy birthday! when is your birthday? lots of fun lessons! so while teaching the lesson, the students quickly learned my birthday was around the corner and began planning.
i love being at small schools, because i know all my students. maybe not their names -- their names are so hard. man, i feel proud when i get their names right. but i know their faces and their personalities. i feel really fortunate for that.
my students at changho got really excited about my birthday. the week before my 4th grade class, a class with a grand total of 10 children, started to get the details right. this class is incredible smart. my lessons are always too easy for them and i think it bores them. honestly, i didn't even think they liked my class at all. but the week before my bday, we spent the first 10 minutes of class reviewing the facts: how do you spell 'hannah-teachers' name, how old are you going to be? (28 in korean age), do you like chocolate or white cake? very important details.
on thursday (the 22nd) of the next week, the buzz around the school was hannah-teacher's birthday was saturday. because we had just learned birthdays, they all excitedly used english to say happy birthday. we had just learned the birthday song so there was lots of singing in the library (thats where my classes meet).
thursday after school, a little 3rd grader (one of the cutest) came in and quickly took her place at the white board and began to write. she wrote an entire letter, then smiled and left. the only problem was it was all in korean. i could make out hannah-teacher (하 나 선생) but that was it. there is one 5th grader, siah, that is incredible at english. she has such a passion to learn. i have been tutoring her at lunch time everyday. the next morning i found siah and asked her to translate the letter. it went a little like this: "hannah-teacher i love you, hannah-teacher happy birthday. happy birthday hannah-teacher. i love you......" what a great way to start my birthday weekend. the rest of the day, i was showered with gifts of sweets.
then it was time for my 4th grade class. the students had been running around all day with markers and colored paper, slyly smiling and whispering as they passed my classroom - they were definitely planning something. the bell rang and in they walked singing happy birthday holding a candle-lite cake and presents. it was the sweetest thing. they were so proud. we had a full on birthday party. they each wrote birthday letters in english and glued them on to this beautiful poster board they covered with handmade oragami, beautiful. one of the boys bought in 28 crossiants (for my 28th birthday) - 8 kids consumed them all in 40 minutes as we watched the simpson's espisode when mj sings happy birthday lisa - i thought it was appropiate.
it was the best birthday party. this week, siah brought in her gift for me. it was incredible. it was this old beautiful jewerly case that is from the jongsain dynasty. she wrote an incredible letter explaining its importance. so kind.
for the rest of my bday weekend, we went out in gangneug and you can read the remaining story from matt's entry.
it was a perfect korean birthday. when else will i have two suprise birthday parties and go hiking up a mountain completely hungover with korean children climbing on my back. here's to hoping 26 is as great as 25.
i love being at small schools, because i know all my students. maybe not their names -- their names are so hard. man, i feel proud when i get their names right. but i know their faces and their personalities. i feel really fortunate for that.
my students at changho got really excited about my birthday. the week before my 4th grade class, a class with a grand total of 10 children, started to get the details right. this class is incredible smart. my lessons are always too easy for them and i think it bores them. honestly, i didn't even think they liked my class at all. but the week before my bday, we spent the first 10 minutes of class reviewing the facts: how do you spell 'hannah-teachers' name, how old are you going to be? (28 in korean age), do you like chocolate or white cake? very important details.
on thursday (the 22nd) of the next week, the buzz around the school was hannah-teacher's birthday was saturday. because we had just learned birthdays, they all excitedly used english to say happy birthday. we had just learned the birthday song so there was lots of singing in the library (thats where my classes meet).
thursday after school, a little 3rd grader (one of the cutest) came in and quickly took her place at the white board and began to write. she wrote an entire letter, then smiled and left. the only problem was it was all in korean. i could make out hannah-teacher (하 나 선생) but that was it. there is one 5th grader, siah, that is incredible at english. she has such a passion to learn. i have been tutoring her at lunch time everyday. the next morning i found siah and asked her to translate the letter. it went a little like this: "hannah-teacher i love you, hannah-teacher happy birthday. happy birthday hannah-teacher. i love you......" what a great way to start my birthday weekend. the rest of the day, i was showered with gifts of sweets.
then it was time for my 4th grade class. the students had been running around all day with markers and colored paper, slyly smiling and whispering as they passed my classroom - they were definitely planning something. the bell rang and in they walked singing happy birthday holding a candle-lite cake and presents. it was the sweetest thing. they were so proud. we had a full on birthday party. they each wrote birthday letters in english and glued them on to this beautiful poster board they covered with handmade oragami, beautiful. one of the boys bought in 28 crossiants (for my 28th birthday) - 8 kids consumed them all in 40 minutes as we watched the simpson's espisode when mj sings happy birthday lisa - i thought it was appropiate.
it was the best birthday party. this week, siah brought in her gift for me. it was incredible. it was this old beautiful jewerly case that is from the jongsain dynasty. she wrote an incredible letter explaining its importance. so kind.
for the rest of my bday weekend, we went out in gangneug and you can read the remaining story from matt's entry.
it was a perfect korean birthday. when else will i have two suprise birthday parties and go hiking up a mountain completely hungover with korean children climbing on my back. here's to hoping 26 is as great as 25.
Monday, April 26, 2010
news and stuff
it has been a while so updates for everyone!
this past weekend hannah celebrated her birthday. we traveled to gangneung a larger city just 40 mins north of us. we met up with some westerners from orientation and went to a couple of bars. the first bar had eightybizzillion beers which was awesome. i got a grolsch pop top and hannah a peach something or other. then we marched over to this amazing little bar and by little i mean the size of extended astro van. it was incredible though the bar owner/tender spoke awesome english and played awesome music. I walked in and the pixies rendition of hear comes your man was playing, so i felt good about the place instantly. we didnt stay too long. we left and went to a bar pretty much for foreigners called the warehouse. it was fun because we got to dance and hangout with some western people, but it was also strange. you just kind of felt like you werent in south korea anymore when you were in the bar. i think that everyone needs sometime with something familiar everyonce and a while. it seems like some people go there every weekend though, which kind of ruins this amazing opportunity you have to explore and be adventurous in a new country. anyway i think in the right doses these western bars are fun.
we stayed friday night in a hotel for pretty cheap. we both might have had a little too much to drink and by might i mean definitely. we were both extra hungover saturday morning when hannah gets a call from one of the mothers of her students at one of her elementary schools. it turns out to be the same mother that invited us to the church day kids celebration thing, but we didnt know who it was at the time. hannah coould kind of make out her broken english and understood that there was a birthday party happening at 12:30 that might or might not be specifically for her. (one of her classes on friday threw her an amazing bday party, but ill let her tell you that story). anyway its around 11:30 and we are 40 mins away so we hustle to the bus terminal and get back to donghae to find the party. we do. it turns out its the birthday of this kind of community center the woman works at haha. but it was cool free food and cake and hanging out with crazy kids. there was this little boy/girl (im not sure which) who was going around throwing ballons and rolling their eyes back in there head when they attacked you. it was pretty much the funniest thing ive ever seen. we have pictures that i promise we will post soon haha. so after we finish that we had planned on going to mureung valley for a picnic. mureung valley is a beautiful valley just south of donghae http://dhtour.go.kr/eng/CMSView.php?pid=450. we mention to the woman that we have to leave because of these plans. she then asks if we can go with her family and someone elses family. part of us wants to go with them but the hungover part just wants to do a short hike and eat sandwiches. well ofcourse we cant say no so we went with them and it was really fun minus the extra long hike. we hung out with some of the kids that came and it was great to make friends with a korean family.
sunday my coteacher got married and we went to the wedding. it was pretty much ass backwards of every american wedding hannah and i have ever been to. first we arrive with amazing number of other guests. i dont have a number but it was a lot. we get inside to go to the ceremony but the room is too small which is kind of strange. so we are escorted by my other helpful donghae commercial high school teachers upstairs to watch the wedding on the tv. yes thats right they have a camera crew recording it for the guests who dont get to watch it in person. we get up stairs only to find that everyone is eating already and some people are even leaving before the ceremony starts. its crazy. basically the ceremoney is broadcast on these giant screens but no one cares because there is tons of food of which you can eat as much as you want. the first ceremony is very western style wedding so nothing to exciting. we eat while watching and then we are told they have a 2nd ceremony which is the traditional korean wedding ceremony. we find where that ceremony is being held in this big building and watch it first hand. it was really great to see a tradition actually being used that has been around longer than america has existed. the traditional wear or hanbook is beautiful and very interesting. basically the ceremony is a lot of bowing and family coming in to great the couple and give them their congratulations and blessings. the family drink a couple of rice wine and eat a piece of food as part of the ceremony. three or four family members go in at a time in order of oldest to youngest. after that we greeted them and left for home. it was the fastest wedding ive ever been to. 1.5 hours haha. sunday night is pretty boring except the stealing of rocks from this construction for the bottom of the pot we are using to plant our vegetable garden. yeah boi tomatoes cucumbers yellow and red peppers.
alright well thats enough oh wait one more thing. my school has installed in the bathrooms a motion sensor activated music device that plays when you walk underneath it. im not sure which is more relaxing peeing or hearing beethoven whilst i pee.
later taters
this past weekend hannah celebrated her birthday. we traveled to gangneung a larger city just 40 mins north of us. we met up with some westerners from orientation and went to a couple of bars. the first bar had eightybizzillion beers which was awesome. i got a grolsch pop top and hannah a peach something or other. then we marched over to this amazing little bar and by little i mean the size of extended astro van. it was incredible though the bar owner/tender spoke awesome english and played awesome music. I walked in and the pixies rendition of hear comes your man was playing, so i felt good about the place instantly. we didnt stay too long. we left and went to a bar pretty much for foreigners called the warehouse. it was fun because we got to dance and hangout with some western people, but it was also strange. you just kind of felt like you werent in south korea anymore when you were in the bar. i think that everyone needs sometime with something familiar everyonce and a while. it seems like some people go there every weekend though, which kind of ruins this amazing opportunity you have to explore and be adventurous in a new country. anyway i think in the right doses these western bars are fun.
we stayed friday night in a hotel for pretty cheap. we both might have had a little too much to drink and by might i mean definitely. we were both extra hungover saturday morning when hannah gets a call from one of the mothers of her students at one of her elementary schools. it turns out to be the same mother that invited us to the church day kids celebration thing, but we didnt know who it was at the time. hannah coould kind of make out her broken english and understood that there was a birthday party happening at 12:30 that might or might not be specifically for her. (one of her classes on friday threw her an amazing bday party, but ill let her tell you that story). anyway its around 11:30 and we are 40 mins away so we hustle to the bus terminal and get back to donghae to find the party. we do. it turns out its the birthday of this kind of community center the woman works at haha. but it was cool free food and cake and hanging out with crazy kids. there was this little boy/girl (im not sure which) who was going around throwing ballons and rolling their eyes back in there head when they attacked you. it was pretty much the funniest thing ive ever seen. we have pictures that i promise we will post soon haha. so after we finish that we had planned on going to mureung valley for a picnic. mureung valley is a beautiful valley just south of donghae http://dhtour.go.kr/eng/CMSView.php?pid=450. we mention to the woman that we have to leave because of these plans. she then asks if we can go with her family and someone elses family. part of us wants to go with them but the hungover part just wants to do a short hike and eat sandwiches. well ofcourse we cant say no so we went with them and it was really fun minus the extra long hike. we hung out with some of the kids that came and it was great to make friends with a korean family.
sunday my coteacher got married and we went to the wedding. it was pretty much ass backwards of every american wedding hannah and i have ever been to. first we arrive with amazing number of other guests. i dont have a number but it was a lot. we get inside to go to the ceremony but the room is too small which is kind of strange. so we are escorted by my other helpful donghae commercial high school teachers upstairs to watch the wedding on the tv. yes thats right they have a camera crew recording it for the guests who dont get to watch it in person. we get up stairs only to find that everyone is eating already and some people are even leaving before the ceremony starts. its crazy. basically the ceremoney is broadcast on these giant screens but no one cares because there is tons of food of which you can eat as much as you want. the first ceremony is very western style wedding so nothing to exciting. we eat while watching and then we are told they have a 2nd ceremony which is the traditional korean wedding ceremony. we find where that ceremony is being held in this big building and watch it first hand. it was really great to see a tradition actually being used that has been around longer than america has existed. the traditional wear or hanbook is beautiful and very interesting. basically the ceremony is a lot of bowing and family coming in to great the couple and give them their congratulations and blessings. the family drink a couple of rice wine and eat a piece of food as part of the ceremony. three or four family members go in at a time in order of oldest to youngest. after that we greeted them and left for home. it was the fastest wedding ive ever been to. 1.5 hours haha. sunday night is pretty boring except the stealing of rocks from this construction for the bottom of the pot we are using to plant our vegetable garden. yeah boi tomatoes cucumbers yellow and red peppers.
alright well thats enough oh wait one more thing. my school has installed in the bathrooms a motion sensor activated music device that plays when you walk underneath it. im not sure which is more relaxing peeing or hearing beethoven whilst i pee.
later taters
Monday, March 22, 2010
bali bali bali? i like mpola mpola better.
this weekend was so great. on saturday we went to the pseudo-birthday party/kids day at church. it was so wonderful to get to hang out with my students outside of the classroom and have fun with them. its all about building relationships and thats hard to do when you just see them in class and you are teaching them a language they do not understand. it was nice to slow down for a while and play silly games and laugh with kids that are full of laughter and love.
korea's catch phrase is bali bali bali - hurry hurry hurry. this is so very different from uganda's motto of mpola mpolay - slowly by slowly.
over the last month, i have seen koreans bali bali through life. they are on a mission and live life with distinct purpose. adults and kids a like. because we live in a small city, in an apartment complex, it is hard to get to know people. we have met some great teacher friends but they all live in a city 40 minutes away and commute to work so hanging out after hours is not possible. i am sure we will make friends but i was starting to get the feeling it wouldn't happen the same way it did in uganda - under a mango tree eating jackfruit at 2pm on tuesday. koreans are in too much of a hurry (just like we are in the states). matt said it best: their life and society are very economical. time is money.
but sunday my hope was renewed. we decided to take the afternoon to find the beach. we live so close to the east sea but because of the snow and rain, we hadn't had a chance to go exploring. so we started walking toward the water, we were stoped by railroad tracks and the korean coast guard so we kept walking south. we finally found it. beautiful blue green water, light by the beach, darker as the depth grew. a picture perfect sight with fishman casting their lines and pulling in their nets full of fresh fish. it was breathe-taking. this is why we came to korea.
after basking in the beauty for a while we thought we would try to reach the cliffs in the distance that looked like the perfect place to climb and watch the day go by. we found an underpass and thought we found the path, but no. instead we found friends dining together on makeshift tables of overturned milk cartoons with newspaper as table clothes, drinking soju and eating raw just caught fish. quickly we motioned we were sorry to intrude and began to turn. but they said "come, come" so as your read in matt's post we sat and were welcomed as dear friends. while our conversation was limited, their kindness was not. these koreans were not bali bali-ing through life. they were enjoying the journey, under the train tracks with the sunshine warming them. it was beautiful.
while i am not in uganda, i am in south korea, i still want to move through life mpola mpola so i can take it all in. i am so thankful to have found some koreans feel the same way.
it was a beautiful weekend.
korea's catch phrase is bali bali bali - hurry hurry hurry. this is so very different from uganda's motto of mpola mpolay - slowly by slowly.
over the last month, i have seen koreans bali bali through life. they are on a mission and live life with distinct purpose. adults and kids a like. because we live in a small city, in an apartment complex, it is hard to get to know people. we have met some great teacher friends but they all live in a city 40 minutes away and commute to work so hanging out after hours is not possible. i am sure we will make friends but i was starting to get the feeling it wouldn't happen the same way it did in uganda - under a mango tree eating jackfruit at 2pm on tuesday. koreans are in too much of a hurry (just like we are in the states). matt said it best: their life and society are very economical. time is money.
but sunday my hope was renewed. we decided to take the afternoon to find the beach. we live so close to the east sea but because of the snow and rain, we hadn't had a chance to go exploring. so we started walking toward the water, we were stoped by railroad tracks and the korean coast guard so we kept walking south. we finally found it. beautiful blue green water, light by the beach, darker as the depth grew. a picture perfect sight with fishman casting their lines and pulling in their nets full of fresh fish. it was breathe-taking. this is why we came to korea.
after basking in the beauty for a while we thought we would try to reach the cliffs in the distance that looked like the perfect place to climb and watch the day go by. we found an underpass and thought we found the path, but no. instead we found friends dining together on makeshift tables of overturned milk cartoons with newspaper as table clothes, drinking soju and eating raw just caught fish. quickly we motioned we were sorry to intrude and began to turn. but they said "come, come" so as your read in matt's post we sat and were welcomed as dear friends. while our conversation was limited, their kindness was not. these koreans were not bali bali-ing through life. they were enjoying the journey, under the train tracks with the sunshine warming them. it was beautiful.
while i am not in uganda, i am in south korea, i still want to move through life mpola mpola so i can take it all in. i am so thankful to have found some koreans feel the same way.
it was a beautiful weekend.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
the beach
yesterday (sunday) hannah and i went to the beach thats about 10 minute walk from our apt. the view is amazing and sea is beautiful and blue. we walked down the shore and noticed some guys fishing. it was cool we said hello and kept walking. there were more people fishing with nets a little further down. we walked past them and they waved us over. a group of friends/family had come out to the sea for a day of fishing and eating. it was awesome they demanded that we sit down and eat the raw fish they just caught with them. some of the men were a little drunk from soju so it was very funny. i was eating with a couple of men close to the shore and hannah walked over to the another group that gave her like three shots of soju and lots of fish. i eventually made my way over there. it was probably the coolest thing thats happened to me so far in korea. that was what hannah and i had been hoping would happen in korea. im at school now but we will post some pictures later. anyway for anyone coming to visit the beaches are super awesome.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
settling in
hey everyone, so we started this blog so everyone could see what was going on whenever they wanted. we have been in
orientation was great. we met a lot of nice people, learned a lot and felt semi-prepared to teach some kids a little english. we were told we would have a co-teacher each who would help us get settled and other team teachers who knew english that would be in the classroom with us while we were teaching. so that all sounds great.
our last day of training we get on a bus bound for our new home, the city of donghae. once we reached we would meet our co-teachers and be taken to our schools for a meet and greet with the school administrators. matt and i were placed in the same city limits but at different schools, totally fantastic. because we are at different schools we went with our individual co-teachers to our schools.
on the drive to my school, after initial greetings my co-teacher bluntly says "i just want you to know we didn't ask for you. our school doesn't need you. we have another native teacher. the board of education just gave you to us." what a welcome.
because there is already a native english speaking teacher (a woman from
then she said that they didn't have a place for me to live. oh man. it was quite a drive. i held it together and said that i was okay with staying at matt's place until they got everything figured out. long story, short. we spent the first few days at matt's place, then moved into this incredible penthouse in the sky ---- they gave me the principal’s old apartment which was literally a penthouse on the 19th floor overlooking the entire city and the east sea. we moved in on tuesday night. on wednesday afternoon, they told us we had to move out as soon as possible - the principal wanted it back. oh, it was such a mess. but now we are in a beautiful apartment that feels like home.
we have been in this final apartment for one week now. we'll post pictures soon. it’s great. we have a balcony with a gorgeous view of the east sea and live in a super fun neighborhood that doesn't see many foreigners so we are an anomaly – things are good!!
matt has an awesome school situation. i'm sure he will tell you more about it, but he is at donghae sango high school. its a technical school for kids that aren't going to college. the kids are a lot more relaxed but a lot of fun. the girls looooooove matt. he has a great co-teacher and two team teachers. he write one lesson plan a week for his students and then has conversation classes with teachers who want to improve their english. so fun! a perfect set up.
my teaching situation is a lot different. its a lot of work. i have to write 9 lesson plans a week all based on the national english curriculum and i have no co-teachers. for my middle school classes, i get to teach what i want which is fun. i am going to do a lot about team building and self esteem and just tie english into those themes.
my elementary schools are super little. each school has about 75 kids total. the kids are amazing!! my classes are between 10-21 students each. they are both in rural areas. mangsang elementary is across the street from this beautiful and famous beach and changho elementary is on the top of this mountain peninsula where you can see the east sea from any direction. the teachers are all super nice but of ten teachers only one knows english. it was a surprise. i am the only exposure to english they get. so there's a lot of pressure to teach them the national curriculum so they pass the end of the year english test. but i think i am getting the hang of it and soon i will fall into a routine for teaching and writing lesson plans for all these different grades.
again the kids are incredible. sooooo much fun! yesterday, i was invited to what i thought was a birthday party. last night, matt and i went out and bought a birthday present. we were so excited. all the day of friday, the kids were so excited that i was coming to this party. they kept telling me that there was going to pizza AND spaghetti!!
so today we show up, its not a birthday party. hahahaa. its kids day at a church but there was pizza and spaghetti. so many of my students were there and for two hours we played ridiculous games with these kids. it was a blast.
things are going well. the food is so spicy. i die a little more each day as i have to eat the food given to me. matt is in heaven. he could eat this food forever. we have eaten some crazy stuff - raw octopus (with brains intact), big fried insect larva, and lots of raw fish.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
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