moon pie magic

The other night I was walking home around 10 p.m.  I came to this really busy intersection that I had to cross, but I have quickly learnt not to trust cross walks or any moving vehicle in Korea.  At this particular intersection cars push out into the intersection, w/ no one really giving a care who has the right of way.  It is kind of like a 4 way stop, but they don't have stop signs here.  :)   Just 4 busy intersections coming together into pure madness and everyone wanting to go first.  So, trying to cross this street with 4 intersections to worry about, 10 p.m. Friday night and seeing many, many drunk Korean men along my walk--I was a little nervous.

I stood at this intersection for about 3+ minutes waiting for it to be clear on all four corners before I would brave this Korean street.  Finally, a drunk man pulls himself up off the ground comes over to me and "demonstrates" how to cross a street in Korea!  He walks out into traffic, holding his hands up, gesturing for the cars to stop (and they do) and marches across the street and then marches back for good measure!  It's pretty bad when you can exasperate a drunk man.  During his "demonstration" I teeth-grittingly walked across the street with him and happily made it to the other side.  Probably not my smartest move.

This next story I already emailed out to most of you, because it tickled me so much when it happened.  So please forgive the redundancy and the fact that I copied and pasted straight from the email!

I was at this restaurant that I buy my Kimbap from and the son who works there had a phone that can translate languages via speech or writing.  There is one particular item that goes in Kimbap that I think is downright ugly and I don't know what it is, so I always ask them to leave it out.  It looks like fat marinated in soy sauce.

Anyway, he puts the phone up to my mouth and wants me to say something in English to show me his phone can translate and since we were talking about the ingredients and it was decided that the "weird" stuff was actually smooshed up and re-shaped fish (yeah, still uck).  So I say, "I thought it was pig back-fat" into the phone.   He is looking at it with a confused-smirk on his face. So I look at it and the English version captured, "Hi, I think this is Pig Farts"        LOL!!   Ohhh Lost in translations are Soooooo much fun!  Finally, we got it sorted out and they were relieved to know I thought it was animal fat and not pig farts.  :)

I actually went to this place this evening, for my nightly kimbap fix.  The people who own it are absolutely delightful and they have inspired me to resume my korean language practice.  Even though our communication is very difficult, I can tell what sincerily nice people they are.  They always say such kind things to me and truly make every visit there magic.  I took a picture of their menu, because I know they sell more than Kimbap, but I can't read what it is.  I will take this photo to one of my Korean friends who is fluent in English for translation, so I can branch out.  I think when I visit next, I will just ask for something they think I'll like and see what I get.  Here are a couple of pictures of their menu that hang on the wall.

Today I finished off the first of three summer camps.  They are long days filled with non-stop activities, games, and being a drill sergeant when the need arises, which you can imagine is a lot given the age (10-12) and the fact that they can pretty much say whatever they want around me and chances are quite high that I won't understand any of it!  :)    I have started tricking them into thinking that I might be on to them.  When kids are plotting or saying things they shouldn't say, they have no control over that guilty, questioning look they'll throw in your direction, 'just to make sure' you didn't hear or see what they are doing.  One nice thing about most body language is that it is universal!  So I give them my best, "Ohhhh you better not even think about it mister" look and like clock-work they give me a sheepish smile and say sorry.    Goodness knows what sort of schemes I am putting a stop to, but given their age it can be anything from a wedgy to stealing candy out of your treat stash.

Today in celebration of the last day I got the most awesome surprise from a few of my kids.  This morning when they came in they were plotting something in the corner, but from their body language I ascertained it was positive "scheming" that was taking place because they had sincerely happy smiles on their faces and a few of them looked at me with really excited expressions.    Anyway, a little while later, during break I went to fill up my water bottle in the hallway and there were kids trying to get into the boys bathroom, but it was barricaded shut.  It turns out the 3-little plotters from earlier locked themselves in there.  About 5 minutes later they bring my surprise into the classroom, which was the most AWESOME moon-pie cake EVER, complete w/ edible chocolate "candle" type sticks on top.  It just about made me cry.  They sang me happy birthday too!  (My Birthday is in February)

From there they, of course, wanted to eat it immediately, because,,,,well,,, it is always a good idea to eat heaps of chocolate at 10 a.m.!  The kids wouldn't eat any of it, until I ate some first, because that is part of the culture of Korea (the oldest person always takes the first bite, before anyone else can/should eat).   Given the fact that this was put together in the boys bathroom, I really had no intention of eating any of it!  I mean, these bathrooms are GROSS!  There is no soap, toilet paper, hand towels or even warm water.  Nor does anyone clean these bathrooms EVER.  They smell horrible, and should be out-lawed!    But, I digress, I braved a "candle stick", and they were satisfied and dived into the rest with a fury that only kids mixed with chocolate can create and they never noticed that I ate nothing more.       Can I just say it again??? I LOVE MY KIDS!!     They rock.  That's all there is to it. 

Normally I wouldn't post a picture of my kids on a blog, but I think with the masks, it should be okay.  Today's theme was, "Holidays", so we went through the 3 funner holidays for kids (Halloween, Easter & Xmas).  We created Halloween costumes and we were going to go "trick or treating" but since the sugar-fest of moon pie cake just happened minutes prior to this activity, I decided to eliminate the trick or treating portion from today's agenda.  But, here is a fabulous group shot!



Something I am quickly learning in Korea is that the eco-system works fast.  I am such a Wyoming/Colorado person, that I have zero concept of what it is like to live in a humid/hot place that has lots and lots of bugs.  In both Wyo & CO it is so dry and there really aren't a lot of bugs, so you don't have to worry about an entire army of small insects appear in your kitchen at the first spill.  Here we have to seperate out our garbage, so all composte goes in one container, trash & glass/plastic go in their own etc (which I really do think is brilliant by the way).  The composte is a nightmare for me though.  If I leave it in the kitchen over night, out of nowhere bugs just multiply by the hundreds.  It hasn't taken me very long to up my standards of cleanliness in the kitchen by leaps and bounds.  I am now living in a climate that fruit flies appear out of thin air while I am making my morning fruit smoothy.  I have started refridgerating composte like cherry seeds and banana peels if I am not going to be able to take them outside immediately.  Ohhhhh the joys of living in a funky-humid place.  :)

Exactly 3 weeks from today Dan is coming for a visit.  21 days!  I am beyond excited to see him and although time seems to move fast here, for some reason since his arrival turned into 1 month away, time started moving impossibly slow.  I can't wait.  Can't wait. Can't wait. Can't wait. Can't wait.  It will be exactly 6 months since I left, almost to the day, so this will be the perfect reward for the half-way marker.

Tid Bits:

Saw a kid wearing a shirt that said, "Take me to the Strippers".  I just couldn't get myself to say anything.

When Koreans flash the Peace Sign they call it "V".  Most of them have not heard of the English word, "Peace".  They just do it all the time, for the cool factor.  I think a lot of their Pop Stars do it in photos, but they hold the "V" sign up by their eyes and make a bit of a demure looking face.

I have now received 2 Moon Pie cakes in Korea!  My first was on my actual birthday, which happened that first week I got here.  Now, that I have scored my second moon-pie cake on the other side of the country, I am guessing this must be common place here?  I will have to do a little digging on the subject of Moon Pie birthday cakes. Who knew moon pies even still existed?  Not me.

Koreans call any kind of food that is convienent, "Instant Food".  My kids tell me, when the topic is food, that their favorite food is, "instant food".  "Instant Food" is fast food, chips, hot dogs, ice cream bars, crackers, basically anything that you unwrap and eat.  Makes sense.

average korean night....

This is a ferris wheel that is about 3 times the size of a normal one, and it is on top of a building to boot, so you can imagine how high up you are.  This stands out throughout a lot of the city, so often time it is my navigation  marker.  Anyway, I rode it for the first time tonight, and it was a little scary, but a great deal of fun.  Not sure I would do it again though.  :)

The view.....

A merry-go-round on top of the building too.

This is at a graffiti ice-cream parlor.  There is literally graffiti all over the walls & windows.  The seats are benches that are hanging by the ropes that you see in this picture.

And this is the nasty desserts this place sells!  It is 2 kinds of chocoloate cereals, cocoa sprinkles, ice cream, kiwi, strawberries, bananas, cocoa & shaved ice in a bowel.  *Not for those faint of heart*

icecream & kimbap

I found the most amazing restaurant for all my 'take-out' needs.  It is a very small, mom and pop restaurant that is just around the corner from my apartment.  In fact, I have been walking past it on almost a daily basis and have never really noticed it before.  A lot of restaurants and stores around here are ran out of the front or lower-level of a family apartment.  They are very make-shift and often non-descript.  A lot of times you can't tell whether they are even open or not.   Anyway, I can get dinner here for just over $1 USD.   And it is super fresh, delicious and put together right in front of you.  Literally, right in front of you, because the kitchen and the dining area, are one and the same.   I love kimbap and this place makes the most amazing kimbap (it is basically a california roll, but has seaweed in it, ham , carmelized plant root, spinach, egg and a few other things that I can't identify.  In fact I am not even sure if it is spinach and egg:)). 

I have been going to this little restaurant every day for a week straight.  I love the people who work there too.  The other day i walked in and the son and mom were at one of the tables and the son was eating something out of a small plastic bag.  They exchanged a few words and then she takes the bag of food from him and literally takes the chopsticks right out of his hands and gives it to me to eat.  :)   The son I found out is 27 years old---I thought he was more like 17 though.  He tells me this is food for little kids, but he likes it because he is kind of a kid at heart (that is what I took from what he was trying to express).  So while they made my kimbap, I sat and ate her sons little kid snacks.  I love Korea.  It is such a sharing society.  One thing I have quickly learned is that if someone is offering to share their food, no matter how much you don't want it...or how it might seem strange to eat off of a strangers chopsticks--just do it and smile and say thank you.    It is just good manners here. 

They get so excited every time I come in there and it makes you feel pretty special in a land that is so foriegn.  It actually makes you feel like you have a place here and that you belong. I have only been going there for a week and it already seems like I have been going there for months.  I love how quickly people here welcome you and how quickly you are no longer a stranger.   Each time they ask me more and more personal questions.  Tonight when I went in it was "how old are you?" which is really important in Korean society so they know what their place is with you.  It also matters on who bows first and who bows the lowest and what the possible nature of the friendship might have the potential to be.  

The other day I went to home plus and ran into a few of my 6th grade girls.  They were besides themselves with excitement and instantly wanted to know where I was going.  I told them Homeplus (the wal-mart of korea) and then happily informed me that they would come with me.  They said, "christine teacher, we help you shop" and they proceeded to hook one of their arms in each one of mine and 3-people wide we proceeded to shop.  Afterwards they were hinting that "they were thirsty" (probably grateful we just did the "I'm hungry/thirsy lesson in class).   I told them I would treat them to a soda.  We get to the counter of a McDonalds type place inside of Home plus and naturally they see the icecream on the list and now they are no longer "thirsty" but very, undyingly hungry.  The kind of hunger that only icecream can heal. :)   So I bought them icecream and told them it was a secret.

Today, about 6 days after the fact, one of the girls comes up to me and says, "christine teacher, you remember?  min-ju and me?  we were at home plus".  I guess they were worried that I somehow forgot it.  It was kind of cute.  I was getting "knowing" looks from them in class earlier this week and I didn't react to it or acknowledge their knowing look, I guess they thought I didn't know who they were.  :)  

At lunch today, I was eating this meal in which you put a large leaf on your palm, put rice, a hot sauce, meat and whatever else is available to go into it.  It's delicious.  Actually, amazing might more adequately describe it.  I LOVE IT.  I think it is called Sam.    Anyway I was loading up the hot sauce on mine and a woman at the table seem really freaked out, and it caused her to get up from her spot about 5 seats over and come over to scold me, mostly in Korean.  I felt very foolish, as I knew I did something wrong, but I didn't know what it was, and everyone else, being fluent in Korean knew what I did wrong.  Anyway, through "Konglish" and gestures I figured out that the salt content of this sauce was out-of-control high.  She is the school nurse, so I will take her word for it.  I have noticed that I am drinking tons of water, but seem to have an unquenchable thirst and my lips are cracking lately and feel raw.   I love the sauces here, and apparently I have been eating enough salt, unknowingly, that could kill small animals.  Oddly, I am relieved to know why my thirst is out of control and my lips are about ready to fall off of my face.  Sneaky Korean, delicious, hot sauces!

This next week is the last week of the semester.  I honestly have no idea where the time has gone.  So happy to have survived!  Not only survived, but also loving it more and more all the time.  Even at my "bad school" I am starting to fall in love with a few of my classes and several of my students.  We have taken a long time to warm up to each other, but we have finally found our rhythm.  After our regular classes let out we will move into "summer camp" classes.  I will be teaching 3 differen summer camps at 3 different schools.  Fortunately these classes are pretty unstructured and they are supposed to be fun for the students.  So I will be teaching all about Halloween and doing facepainting, teaching Xmas songs, creating Super Hero movies and all sorts of other fun things.  Kind of looking forward to it.

At my main schools I have realized what I have been doing wrong as a teacher---which was "forcing" learning to happen.  I found myself really frustrated because the louder I talked and the more serious I became the less the students were interested in me and the less they respected me.  Over time, I have learned to take a step back and not "force" anything they aren't willing to learn.  The other big learning experience was, and don't be shocked here, they don't speak English.  So I was walking in, assuming that they knew a lot more than they did, talking to them like they understood what I was saying, which probably freaked them out and frustrated them.  I had to do a lot of, "putting myself in their shoes" and started using my daily interactions with everyone as a learning experience.  By that, I mean that each person I encounter, I can't understand what they heck they are saying if they are just talking to me, like I speak the same language.  But, when they break it down for me and use only 2 or 3 key words with lots of facial expressions and gestures, I can figure out 90% of what they are trying to communicate.  I know it seems like common sense, and it probably is, but I'm still learning a little something new every day.  I think after this year is over, I will be a lot more prepared to teach children if I decide to go down this path.  I will say that I am amazed at how many "conversations" I can have with people speaking 2 completely different languages.  Makes me realize how much more langague and learning is really about body language, facial expressions and intonations.