Travelbliss

I can’t believe two weeks in Korea has gone by.  I still don’t think I’ve processed it all.  The novelty of Korea has definitely worn off, but I am still enjoying my time. 

This week, I was called hip-hop hair by my students.  I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  This country has a long way to go in regards racial equality.  What I have noticed in my short time here, is that there are no social injustices in this country.  Everyone is the same.  Everyone has the same heritage, same background, and are all pure blooded Koreans.  No one is treated differently, because there are no differences amongst the people.  I feel that this will change soon, with more foreigners entering the country to teach and work with Hyundai.  I have met quite a few foreign men who have married Korean women.  With more foreigners in the country, I’m sure that is bound to happen more and more.  The appearance of the Korean population will be drastically changed within a decade.   

For the most part, my students are awesome.  I really enjoy teaching.  I never thought I would really enjoy the job or be good at it.  As quite a surprise to me, teaching has come to me naturally.  I guess all of my previous work with children has paid off.  I have successfully tricked the children into learning.. it’s great!  In one class, a student commented that all we did in class was play games.  This is true, we did play several games, but the class spoke in English the entire time, which is the point of the class.  I love it!  

However, It isn’t the ideal teaching situation.  I don’t have my own classroom, I have so many classes that i don’t know if I’ll ever learn all of my student’s names, and I don’t get paid for prep time.  On the up side, I don’t give out homework or tests, I only teach each class for 50 minutes, and I get to be the cool teacher for the kids.  Creates a balance I suppose.  

In a taxi last night, I had a strange broken English conversation with my taxi driver.  We talked about Obama.  It’s so great to me that even all the way over here in South Korea, people want Obama to be the president.  People are also very aware of how terrible George Bush is as a president.  I think the whole world is looking forward to the change a new presidency will give our nation.  

The crisis on Wall Street has affected me drastically.  I have been very observant of the changes in the stock market since my arrival.  I have paid more attention than I think i would have in the states.  The saying in South Korea is: “If America catches a cold, South Korea sneezes.” Or something to that affect.  The value of the won has dropped dramatically in my short time here.  I had intended on sending a lot of money home to pay off debt, but to change over the won to the dollar is pitiful at best.  I really hope things get better over there soon so that I can get back on track with my savings plan.   

I didn’t go hiking this week, because I was not feeling very well.  I’ve been stuffy for the past few days.  The one cool thing I did do this week was have a bonfire.  It seems there are no rules in Korea.  My group of friends and I picked up random pieces of wood we found and burnt them on the beach.  No one attempted to stop us.  It was nice to have a bonfire, it felt like being back at home.  

I hope you are all doing well out there.  I’m dong pretty great.  Life is good, I’m just taking it one day at a time.  Feel free to write me, I have quite a bit of down time.  

Love
Me

Bonfire at Ilsan Beach

I finished my first full week in Korea.

It has had its highs and lows. I am adjusting to people staring at me, pointing, calling me Weygugi (foreigner), and being unable to communicate with 95% of the people here. In the classes the children stare at me, none of them have seen a black person before. I was asked by one of the Korean instructors to explain my hair to her class. I refused. I’ve been struggling with how to react. At first, i was upset and frustrated and angry, but now I’m taking it all in stride. I am becoming more aware of how behind this society is when it comes to different cultures and diversity. Essentially, I am here to help broaden the worldview of the native people of Korea. I am taking my roll as Ambassador of Black people very seriously. For the most part, a lot of these people will never leave this peninsula, so I will be their only experience with a person of color. I want to show them how beautiful my culture is. If I can erase the stereotypes and broaden the perception of one Korean, my mission will be accomplished. I plan to use my classroom as an opportunity to show the positivity of Black culture. I am going to use positive music and poetry from Black authors to show my classes a different perspective of Black culture. Most of them only have exposure to what is on American television and movies here (think Boys in the Hood and 50 cent). Don’t get me wrong, It’s not all bad here. I don’t mean to sound negative, but that is one major part of my life here in Korea. I am very aware of the fact that I am Black. I am more conscious of my skin color, nappy hair, and weight than I ever have been in my life.

On a brighter note, I have met some pretty great people. I went out Friday and Saturday night and experienced night life in Ulsan. Friday night, we went to a traditional Korean club. It was fun and hilarious at the same time. I went with two of the teachers here and other foreigners who teach near our school. Here, there is a dj/singer/dancer/stripper in each club. He is on the stage as the DJ then he stops for a minute and becomes a singer/dancer and in the end he strips down to his chonies. It’s great! Hilarious! Dance music is played for about 20 minutes, then slow jams come on (which is the cue for everyone to take a break, get a drink, and chat), then dance music again. Clubs don’t close until after 5 a.m. Also, what I noticed, Koreans are a little more reserved when it comes to dating. Boys and girls don’t go to clubs together. The girls are escorted around to tables where there are men and if they think they’re cute they sit down. It’s similar to speed dating. I found it all quite entertaining. I had a great time with the friends I made.

On Saturday night I went to a foreigners bar. There were a lot of new teachers there looking to make friends. I met people there from all around the world. Today, Sunday, I went hiking with one of the teachers at my school, Caroline. She is really a sweet woman. We hiked to the local store here, which took about an hour. I saw a beautiful side of Korea that made up for the bad parts of the week. When we came back, I saw a Black woman walking down the street. She is the first Black person I have seen since I arrived in Korea. I flagged her down and we talked for a bit. Turns out we are neighbors. I got her info and we’re going to go to dinner this week. I didn’t realize how starved I am for the company of someone that looks like me. It is comforting to know that I’m not the only one here, she’s really sweet and I look forward to getting to know her.

I start teaching this week on my own, I’m sure that will be a whole new set of adventures I added pictures of my hike today.

Thanks for reading,

Hiking in Ulsan Take 1

Today I arrived in Ulsan, the province where I will be spending the majority of this next year.  It’s very beautiful and a lot less polluted than Incheon and Seoul.  I am very thankful for that.  It’s amazing the small comforts from home that I miss like: the trash man, and the general regulations that America has.  There are no rules about pollution, littering, driving, and food safety.  Living in this country will give me a greater appreciation for America.  

Don’t get me wrong, so far I have really enjoyed myself.  I am trying not to get overwhelmed and just take it one day at a time.  The language barrier is amazingly difficult, luckily the people in this area are used to seeing foreigners so they know some English.  I have picked up a lot of Korean very quickly!  You have to adjust when you want to eat I guess  I plan on taking a Korean class once I get a little more settled.  They have language exchanges here at the local university where you can go and learn Korean with a native student who wants to practice their English.