Highs and Lows

Here are some "highs" and "lows" regarding how things are going since I arrived in Korea. It has already been 17 days since I arrived...

Highs

Teaching - Teaching is improving. Last week I had some really tough days where I felt completely overwhelmed by students talking in class and not listening to my directions. These feelings of frustration were further compounded by the language barrier (as illustrated in a previous post entitled "Born"). More about the language barrier under "lows"... Most of my students are incredibly bright and eager to learn. They amaze me by how much they can absorb and remember. Memorization is the largest component of the curriculum so the students spend a lot of time copying and repeating. Most of them work very hard and both they and I look forward to Fridays when each class takes a spelling test and then we play a game to review what we learned that week.

I know I am technically not supposed to have favorites but there's certainly a reason someone coined the phrase "teacher's pet." In my M/W/F 2:30 class of first and second graders there is one little girl, Suk-Hee, who is absolutely precious. Not only is she incredibly smart, she is melt-your-heart sweet. She is always saying things like, "Teacher, you have beautiful eyes." Maybe it's a bit pathetic that the praises of a 6-year-old make me so happy, but, alas, perhaps that's what being alone in a foreign country does to you... As if the compliments weren't enough, her habitual gift-giving solidifies her position as "teacher's pet" (not that I have one but, you know, hypothetically). Today she brought me a tiny bouquet of flowers she picked for me as well as some candy. Last week she brought me a rice cake which she said her mom made. Being a teachers sure has its perks...

Food - MMMmmm I love Korean food. So far I have pretty much loved everything I have tasted. I've tried a lot so far - I'm going to do a whole post on food sometime soon because there is a lot to talk about. Unfortunately, as much as I love the food, I'm afraid the food does not seem to love me, as further explained in "Lows"...

Subway - The subway is clean, easy to navigate, and incredibly convenient. Thankfully my apt. is about 2 minutes walk from the nearest subway station. Although Seoul is only about a 5 minute drive away from where I live, a subway ride to most of the places I would want to go in Seoul is anywhere between 30 min - 1.5 hours. However, when riding the subway it never feels that long. I think that's because you're stopping and walking and changing trains, etc. It goes very quickly.

Shopping - I cannot express how awesome the shopping is here. From huge, expensive department stores, to quaint little shops, to pushy street vendors, there are so many places to browse (and ways to spend your hard-earned Won!). Today I discovered how to haggle....accidentally. I was looking at a black jacket at a vendor stand on the street this afternoon. It has been chilly here but not yet cold enough for my winter coat. The price was 29,000 Won (USD $30 approx.). That seemed reasonable to me but when I checked my bag I only had 20,000 Won. I gestured to the woman to show her the bills so she would know I did not have enough money and I said, "I can come back later." Of course she didn't understand me. In fact, she though I was haggling. So she nodded and took the money and handed me the coat. And that is how I haggled for the first time in a Korean market. Completely by accident. At least now I know there is wiggle room when it comes to vendor pricing. And I got a nice jacket for about $20!

City Life - I love it! I love the busy-ness, the people everywhere, how things stay open all night, and how there are always cars at the intersection below my building. For some strange reason being around so much activity is comforting to me. At the same time, it can be very lonely to be in such a crowded place and not know anyone. But still, I love the fast-paced lifestyle, I love walking so much, I love the street vendors and the subway and having everything so close by.

Lows

Food - My mouth likes it but my tummy does not. I think it's the gochujang - the red pepper paste that is in everything here. I have never eaten so much spicy food in my life. I really didn't like spicy food at all before I came here - I always went for the mild buffalo wings and then smothered them in blue cheese so as to mask the spicy taste. But here, I don't have too much of a choice. The combination of my commitment to eat every thing placed in front of me while here and the fact that nearly all Korean food is spicy, has pretty much ensured that I have eaten more spicy food in the last 17 days than in my entire life time.

Fish - It seems like nearly everything here tastes, smells, or looks like fish. Even desserts....Bungeo-ppang is a Korean dessert which is molded in the shape of a carp. Also, the other day I bought a bag of potato chips because they seemed "safe". Turned out they were squid flavored. There is little that compares with the experience of biting into what ought to taste like salty potatoes and having your mouth filled with the taste of SQUID. There are also tanks everywhere on the sidewalks with live crabs, fish, octopus, squid, eels, etc. The smell is everywhere too. I am starting to get used to it though. I like fish but I don't like how everything here is flavored with fish.

Language Barrier - This is definitely the worst part so far. I have never been so motivated to learn a language. It's completely different than being in a class and being told to learn it. Not only will I be able to practice Korean as I learn it, it will make my life SO much easier. I hate not being able to talk to anyone and not being able to read any signs or menus or books!