Turkey day... not so much

We have finally passed our first holiday while in Korea, and though we miss home, it has made us realize we are comfortable with the fact that we live here. Unlike tradition back home, Thanksgiving was just another day for us. We went to work in the morning and prepared a large spread of food for dinner which consisted of steak, mashed potatoes, and a miriad of vegetable dishes. There was one thing of note to make the day more special than any other oridinary day: Cheesecake from our neighborhood bakery topped off by a candle and some confetti guns (I think they thought it was for a birthday party). After the cake it did feel special, pretty special.
Since Thanksgiving we have done a little exploring in the area where we live. We have found a boulder in our area to practice climbing in a pretty nice secluded hiking trail. We have also met up with a couple of other english teachers, who have since shown us where a Thai and Vietnamese restaurant are in our little town.
Last Saturday night we got to experience somthing that we were both craving in our lives, a little bit of culture and diversity. Our new friends took us to the Thai restaurant where we were able to drink good beer, and eat amazingly authentic Thai food.
The entrance into the restuarant crept on you like a dream. The walls all at once were washed in a transient, sunset palor of light and pastel furniture; a very beautiful assortment when finally realized all at once. Relying on the knowledge of our newly befriended teachers, we were treated to an incredibly spicy Thai seafood soup, accompanied by sticky rice and green curry. If that wasn't enough, the local inhabitants, who were all Thai, were kind enough to sing to us some Karoke, doing it so well it became impossible to distinguish whether or not it was a person or a recording artist singing, until they had a few more beers.
We no longer hesitate as much with our senses as to what we are seeing. It was with a smile and a pure moment of laughter that we embraced where we were as being a good thing, rather than looking at it like another crazy adventure we would soon rather forget. The pleasures were simple: food, people, song. But in the undertone of it there was something significant, a feeling of being at peace with where we were, like we were fortunate to be there, to be here, doing what we are doing. And...we were even fortunate enough to find a "World Mart," which is really just a place where they sell slightly better beer and quaker oats (for 17.00 bucks!!!). I think were getting the hang of it here. Now we spend most of our time trying to find the ingredients that were used in our food. We haven't had much luck, but Tofu aint too bad. Oh, but we were fortunate enough to score some burgers and fries this week, but in comparison to IN & OUT, I'm afraid it pales overwhelmingly. Gotta give em credit for trying.

The Provinces Of Heaven and Hell

We never considered or even gave much thought toward how we would feel about visiting the American districts in Seoul. We had made a habit of finding ourselves as the only white people anywhere to be seen, and were suddenly feeling ill prepared toward how we would relate to seeing legions of Caucasians and confused travelers again.

Our destination was Itaewon, a highly popular district widely reputed among locals as the place where all the foreigners go. This fact had us feeling a bit weary of the area and what we would see. The only grounds for relating to other foreigners we have had is the premise that we both are either white, or obviously enough, not Korean. Besides raising our eyebrows at one another or awkwardly waving, we haven't conversed much with many other people of our own heritage. Not that its a problem in any way, but what we tended to forget was that certain types of travelers you see abroad tend to make you blush a bit at being American. Upon seeing multitudes of bright eyed blondes and gelled hair, we entered the district with an immediate distrust of its charm and authenticity.

We found that Itaewon truly preserves Korea's slogan, "Land of the Morning Calm." Vendors have yet to open before noon, the general inhabitants are fighting off their hangovers, and the Korean mistresses don't dress to impress until under the neon veil of night. The general attractions were merely corporate fast food chains and restaurants. For the homesick westerner it was a haven, but for the thirsty traveler it was nothing more than foreign fraud. It was hard at one point to even recognize where we were. We sat down to lunch eating Arabic food, observing three Indian men walking down the street who bumped into a very culturally confused white man with his rented Korean, next to a bistro whose patio was filled with more white people than a life boat on the Titanic. Perhaps it was because we weren't prepared for what we were seeing, but even in the presence of other Americans, we didn't feel any kind of attachment or even fondness for the place. It felt a bit like driving through Vegas, never quite being sure how to feel about what your seeing, other than the notion it can't be good. The majority of people there carried no desire to leave with a heightened understanding of culture, but merely the best imitation Loius Vuitton purse. If its any indication that we can't even spell that brand right, Itaewon felt like hell. Insadong brought us into the light.

A short distance from one of Seoul's remarkable palaces, which we were lucky enough to walk through for about 75 cents (1,000 won), lies the neighborhood of Insadong. Bedecked with cobblestone streets, tea shops, calligraphy studios, and fine art, it seemed appropriate to find ourselves caught in a rain after having been through such a drought of culture. Seeming to persevere its ambiance with a likening to European architecture and aesthetic, we were fortunate enough to find ourselves trying some of Korea's infamous tea, while shifting through a parade of colorful umbrellas, couples, and the personal efforts of vendors. No, we were not the only Americans here either. There were other tourists, but the whole atmosphere was happier and healthier in comparison to Itaewon. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the nice little art shops and tea houses as much as they were enjoying just walking in the rain with their friends and loved ones.

Far From the Celebration

We celebrated last night at the result of history being made. Barack Obama became the first African American President in the history of the United States. We were lucky enough to catch his acceptance speech on our break between classes, and even with the Korean translator broadcasting over his voice, we were still inspired.

We went to a small, quiet pub or "HOF," as they call it here. Our hostess and server, quite possibly even our cook, sat idly watching the news and knitting in her chair, smiling smoothly at what she had to deem was a momentous and historic occasion. We could see that the world was rejoicing, and though we knew not everyone had the election go their way, even the skeptics seemed to be reassured by the command and intellect imbedded within Obama's voice.

Such an event did make us homesick, imagining ourselves intertwined with friends and like minds, cheering stranger after stranger at what we would have witnessed. But it is a thing of pride now to call ourselves Americans while in a foriegn country, for we feel a great sense of acheivement at how far our country has come. The entire image of America is now susceptable to change for the better. The world will be faced with the task of reassigning their opinions to more optimistic viewpoints on our behalfs.

The Beautiful News

Though the polls haven't officially closed yet, it appears that Barack Obama has become the new president of the United States. No longer will tears be shed at the frustration of not being able to understand why Americans refused to make the right decision. At last, the people back home must look like flowers! For what is right, for what is better, for what is necessary, we must congratulate one another on what we have accomplished. It will be a great honor to return home in the presence of such a president.

In Anticipation

GO OBAMA!!

We somehow forgot that children carry a myriad of little ailments. The majority of children we teach have yet to master the ancient technique of covering your mouth while you cough or sneeze. They do it openly, freely, and sometimes even passionately. One of our students even imitated a monster after sneezing and having snot come parading out of his nose. Of course the students thought it was a riot, and we have to admit that even we laughed a little. Now that we are sick, the humor of it has somewhat faded away.

Our plans for the weekend were to see Insadong and Itaewon, the two more alternative and traditional districts within the city of Seoul. Itaewon is basically the American district of Seoul, and is reputed to even have a Hooters. Guess it was a toss up between that or Chuckie Cheeses. But skanky restaurants aside, we both lacked the drive and health to visit either district and so were stuck with option B...Go and see what Koreans deemed LOTTE WORLD, their equivalent to the Mall of America.

We figure that any experience here has to be confronted with an open mind, being that so much of Korea orients its activities to one past time...Shopping! Thus it was with trepidation and a sense of defeat that we entered Lotte World; the halogen, concrete mecca of discount shopping, overpriced leather, and bad restaurants. But it wasn't all that bad.

Most of the day was spent people watching and marveling at how incredibly big the place was. There was everything from a theme park to an ice skating rink, including over six floors of merchandise, food, and other various things. It wasn't until we stumbled onto the gamers convention that we were able to really laugh at where we were.

For those of you who wouldn't have guessed it, video games are huge here. There is even a television station that runs two guys playing a computer game against each other, while another man announces the events like it was a WWF match. This runs twenty four hours a day. The anomaly is that these guys are celebrities, entertainers, a kind of new century athlete. In America we have shows about them, but they usually carry a theme like "Intervention," "Manchild Arrested in Development," and so on.

From the third floor we could see a complete fashion show with models dressed up as video game characters, who simulated everything from sword fights, karate moves, running from their pimps, and gunning down the bad guys. There was also an entire paparazzi there to photograph the show, a DJ, a man with a giant fog machine, and a predominantly male audience on standby waiting to actually order some of the costumes modeled. Adjacent to this there were about one to two hundred gaming booths where you simply just play video games. You are rewarded by making the effort to play in the mall, rather than on your couch, by being given a beautiful Korean girl bedecked in nearly nothing to stand next to you and root you on as you attempt to proceed to the next level...STUD! And to top it off, complimentary energy drinks in case you tire yourself out in the vigorous process of gaming. Being that it was too intense for us to even dare get close to, we decided ten minutes of marveling was good enough. With wide eyes and a box of hot chocolate mix, we decided to take our leave.

Every time we return home we seem to always smile at how fortunate we are to live in what is, in Korea, a quite place. Whether we have been conditioned or merely raised right to be impatient with excess is beyond either of us. LOTTE WORLD was nothing more than a challege of acceptance and tolerance. We aren't shoppers, but we aren't subject to be above going to see a giant mall and finding it interesting.

A Gift Well Received

Last night we were treated to a belated welcoming celebration. Knowing little about Korean customs besides what we have read in our outdated guide and etiquette books, we weren't quite sure what we should bring as an ice breaker or gesture of gratitude. When looking at what was customary to bring, our sources told us "a can of tuna."

In America its easy...you bring beer. We haven't read any guide books on America, but if there is a section that entails what to bring to social gatherings, we are almost sure it would say beer. A can of tuna...customs and culture aside, if you met the people we work with, they would have the same reaction as I think any American would upon being given a can of tuna at a party..."What the F*@K is this!" Relying on our instincts, we decided not to be contingent upon the chicken of the sea, and did what our guts told us to do...we bought beer.

No one got drunk last night, but the beer was well received. It was funny to think that because of where we are, we seriously had to consider whether or not to buy beer or a can of tuna fish.

Someone needs to be editing some books.

More on More

We have finally ventured beyond the concrete curtains into what Koreans deem "the outdoors." For those that have not heard by phone or email, we have been befriended by a resident neighbor who goes by the name Ingdon, or so we think (in all honesty, we are not quite sure what his name is...we feel horrible about this in case anyone is wondering). He and his family were kind enough to take us hiking this past weekend, and from there the fun endured.

The trip started out well enough. Ingdon was kind enough to drive us a whole 10 kilometers to go hiking, which doesn't sound far, but the drive in actuality took 40 minutes. Whatever time we think it will take to get somewhere it usually takes about double the time we expected. We were happy enough to be along for the ride.

We started out on a dirt road, the first indication of a good hike, as any Montanan knows. Starting from the base we passed a great deal of little orchards and greenhouses for hot peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and mushrooms. The majority of produce around the region is grown locally, giving sprawl here a more benign definition. We even passed by a traditional style American home; white paint, blue shutters and all. It was reminiscent of rock creek in two ways: one in the aspect that Ingdon informed us that only rich people could afford property like that, and two, well, it was by a river and looked like a ranch. And then, lo and behold, we heard DOGS!!

Now this was a sad sight. There were obvious signs approaching what we were to see. Two dogs were chained up and obviously malnourished during the beginning of our hike. We passed by sadly and I think in some ways, understandingly. We have heard the rumors and they are true; Koreans eat dogs. But what we approached was a bit much...a dog farm. Normally we have no problem with farming edible animals...just not adorable, playful ones that we consider pets. But as Ingdon carelessly pointed at them like the meat bags they were while cordially saying, "We eat those," the hike resumed uninterrupted.

We can't really recognize any of the foliage, at least definitively. Awesome flowers, pretty trees, and really red leaves are about as far as we got. And wouldn't you know it, in true Montana fashion the weather went from sunny, to cold, to rainy in a matter of an hour or two. But what was truly aesthetic was what we got to do upon reaching the summit. At the end of the hike we found ourselves under a tree gently covered in rain, eating a traditional style of Korean food called "gim-bahp," rolled by Ingdons own mother, drinking warm coffee in the presence of people kind enough to share their day with us, who don't mind communicating with smiles. And for the first time, we felt like we were somewhere truly unique.

After a week

Depsite Jet lag, bad beer, and the unfamiliarities of language and food, Sally and I have found South Korea to be quite comfortable. There are mountains in all directions, dressed in foliage completely familiar in appearance yet ufamiliar in their identity, and though they pale in comparison to those seen in Montana, we consider ourselves fortunate enough to be in the presence of something familiar.

Adapting to the time change is definately taking the greatest toll on us thus far. There simply isn't enough green tea to keep you awake, and the only coffee you can find is instant coffee, which I think after countless tests, doesn't have caffine. But luckily in the entertainment front there are a few American tv stations that continually run an array of "Super Action" movies, because "action" movies just aren't extreme enough for the people here. Acccompanied by super action are any one of the romantic comedies starring Uma Thurman, Lindsay Lohan, or Hillary Duff. All sports viewing has been outsourced to Korean Soccer, who's announcers just under the Mexican announcers rank about second in auditorial excitement. Commercials and Korean music videos are an excellent source of comic relief. Most commericials never reach a plot Sally and I can comprehend. A man will be hiking through a scenic mountain range humming to himself when suddenly, a mcdonalds emblem flashes on the screen. BOOM! Commercial over. Ofcourse! He was thinkin Big Mac the entire time!

We haven't figured out how to reach the vast metrapolis that is Seoul, but have mustered up the gumption to walk to our local city of Gwangju, which packs a population just under 300,000 people. Most of the city was lost in translation, so the majority of our time was spent admiring what we couldn't comprehend and guessing what was what. We were fortunate enough to finally stumble upon a peoples market, where you can find anything from socks to squids. You could actually purchase both at the same stand if you wanted. We didn't yet see the infamous dogs and cats for sale, though we have heard the rumors that the bigger peoples markets around South Korea hold merchandise that proves a bit more challenging to the nerves. All in all, what we saw we expected: crazy drivers, colorful tents, scary looking food, and alot of people. Can't wait to see Seoul!






To our families and friends, we love you guys.