Being thankful with what'cha got...

Thanksgiving in Korea, for some reason, does not always go as smoothly as in the States. First of all, nobody has a clue what a turkey even is around here. Secondly, ovens are few and far between. And there aren't any cranberries. And our bosses could care less if it is a big holiday in the States, we had to work a full day. Regardless of these minor setbacks, we had a hell'ova Thanksgiving. A roast baked in a toaster oven, Minnesota mashed potatoes (which tasted a lot like California mashed potatoes), stove-topped stuffing with few seasonings, a bachelor's steamed veggies (which, being one of the only things he's ever cooked besides Mac & Cheese, did not include any seasonings, but was just plain carrots and cauliflower), some Kiwi pork (which is not the fruit, but pork made by a New Zealander), ridiculously overpriced cheese, lots of cheap wine, and a really cool group of folks from all over the world. What more could ya' ask for?
That said, we missed watching football, stuffing ourselves with turkey, taking a nap, and hanging out with family.
How was your Thanksgiving?

Jinjilbongs: Gettin' Naked with the Locals

If Ryan and I could live in a country with all the best aspects of the places we travel, we would definitely institute the siesta from Spain and those little enchiladas from Nicaragua, but right now, my number one pick is the Jinjilbong: Korean bath houses. Just about every Korean frequents the bath house at least once a week. Men and women are separated, given baggy clothes to wear after they bathe, and then everyone gets naked and gets real clean!! It's amazing! Why don't we have this in the states?
If you aren't sold yet, let me elaborate: first you head into the shower and bath room where you scrub yourself clean, brush your teeth, wash your hair, etc, etc. Then you head over to the various baths--warm, hot, really hot, cold, massage tub, dumping-water-on-your-head tub; each bath with different medicinal additions: mugwort, jade, charcoal, salt. After you are done scrubbing and soaking you can sit in various saunas and steam rooms, then put on the clothes they've given you and enjoy the restaurants, internet cafe, play room, gym, massage chairs, real massages and more saunas. Once you've had your fill, take a nap on one of the coed floors, or go to the single gender sleeping room where everything is dark and warm and you can sleep on a pad with a sort-or-pillow. When I say, take a nap on the floor, I mean: take a nap anywhere on the floor. There are folks passed out on the floor by the water cooler. Men face-up, mouths-open in the children's play room. It's a little weird, but you've got to understand, you have never been so relaxed as you are after spending an hour and a half soaking in the jade bath. Trust me, you could sleep anywhere.
Yes, you do have to be naked, but when everyone else around you is doing it, why not? It's great to be uninhibited. I don't get anymore stares than is normal here (which is a few), but for the most part, it's very comfortable. There's the two old ajumas (older, married and respected women) scrubbing eachother down with exfoliating cloths, the girls splashing around in the cold pool, and the teenage girls washing their hair in the shower. They're all there. Bet you're wishing you were too...

p.s. sorry no photos to offer. you understand.

Talking smack in Korean

Bethie and I split up for the weekend. She headed to a mountain outside of Seoul, while I went on a hike with a few of the guys from work, including our two Korean bosses. Here in Korea there is still a pretty strong separation of genders, so it's pretty common for a bunch of guys from work to hang out and for the ladies to do their own thing as well. In the States we often see couples or mixed groups. Here, there's a lot of groups of just men or women, all usually around the same age.
So off we went, hiking up a beautiful mountain with a Buddhist Temple at the peak set as our destination. When we first started to hike, our bosses took off, almost running. All of us Americans were like "Wha?!" After about a minute I turned to Tony, an ex-wrestler (who is in awesome shape) from Minnisota and said, "I can't go like this the whole way, I'm not going to make it." He said, "me neither." At that point our bosses, Mr. Jung and Mr. Park, turned around and started laughing at us. They just wanted to mess with us. "Oh, it's on now."
At the top was a really nice Buddhist Temple with a service going. Quite interesting to watch. Lots of folks, we were told, make the hikes up the mountains on the weekends to pray or meditate for a while. These were all normal looking people along with monks. The monk's chants were projected on a loudspeaker, so it felt very serene and spiritual. That was until we found a small sign in the back. It was a label of an historical site, written in English and Korean, that said that in this spot two rocks took the shapes of the male and female genitalia and represent reproduction. So just out of view of the service going on, and with the chanting in the background, I very respectfully whispered to the guys, "Hey, you gotta come help me find some rocks that look like a penis and vagina!" The cool thing was, our Korean bosses thought it was hilarious. Here we were, 2 older Koreans and a few young white guys, wandering around the backyard of a Buddhist temple, with chanting in the background, looking for rocks that looked like genitals. When we couldn't find the female we were starting to wonder if the monks that found these rocks had been abstinent for a little too long. But finally, "Ahhhh!" I hear, which is the Korean version of "Aha." My boss had found it. We all high fived, giggled a little, and were on our way.
A little later, we found a little perch and set up to eat. Mr. Park brought out a tupperwear with some nice sandwiches, kimbap, which is like Korean Sushi, some wine, chopsticks, napkins, plastic cups, the whole setup. I said something like, "Wow Mr. Park, this is really nice. Did you make it?" Seemingly harmless, but immediatly he turned pretty red with embarrassement, and Mr. Jung burst out into uncontrolable laughter. None of the Americans understood what was really going on. Mr. Jung, in his laughter, said something to Mr. Park in Korean, and then told us "Men don't do that in Korea." He went on to tell us that men in Korea, especially from their generation, don't even go into the kitchen because "that's the women's job." Men go to work, women work at home. That's the way it is. He also told us that asking quesitons like that is how men banter with eachother. Mr. Jung thought it was so funny becuase we were surrounded by a bunch of other male hikers, and they also laughed when they heard a young white guy capping on his boss. Mr. Park said that he didn't feel disrespected, he just didn't see it coming. That's right Mr. Park. Take that.
Monday morning, as Beth and I had just arrived at school and were unloading our lunches, Mr. Park came to greet us. In broken English, "Good morning. Oh, that looks like a very nice lunch you have there Beth. Did Ryan make it for you?" He looked at me, smirked, and walked into his office.
It is so on.
-Ryan

seeing democracy in action just isn't the same from across the pacific: a partisan post

I really underestimated how sad it would be to be out of the country for the election. I mean, don't get me wrong, it has been the most inspiring and memorable experience of my political life, but that is exactly why seeing democracy in action from across the ocean just isn't the same. I think I totally underestimated how affecting the election would be because I'm a cynic when it comes to our political system. I was really scared that Obama would lose and we'd have another 8 years of the same policies, so I was kind of expecting to never want to come back to the states ever again and thought I would be laughing at everyone who was still stuck there with another 8 years of republican leadership.

So, as it turns out, the jokes on me. This is perhaps the first time in my life (but hopefully not the last) that I am proud of my country and want to go home to celebrate with my fellow Americans. I'm pretty sure I will never be running for a national office, or married to anyone doing so, so I'm not afraid to say that. Anyway, I was so excited that I wanted to have people down in the streets knocking pots and pans together like they did in DC and San Francisco and NY and everywhere. Instead, everyone went about their business and the Americans here gave eachother high fives and got drunk. Not the same. I wished for a moment that I was teaching English in Kenya. How awesome would that have been?

Missing you all. And missing America a bit more than expected.
love,
beth

What I'd do for a Rubicon burger...

We've been doing a lot of wandering (and wondering) lately. In such a big city, it's easy to get a little lonely and do a lot of thinking. Most people that have been in Korea for bit say that you hit a bit of a slump after a couple of months or so, and I think that I may be hitting it. I think I realized it the other day when I was hanging out with one of the teachers from our school, an Afrikaner fellow from South Africa named Stephan. We were watching the Colbert Report, and I was trying to explain to him why it was so damn funny. But he didn't get it at all. He didn't understand most of the punchlines, let alone the little nuances that make Colbert so funny. It made me kind of miss home--my friends and family and, well, Americans that get other American's humor.
I don't want to give the impression that I'm depressed or sad. We've both made a bunch of pretty good friends and are really enjoying our time here. I guess I'm just trying to say that I miss burritos and the Rubicon and brewing beer and Sargeant's coffee and the farm and our porch and the people we love.
-Ryan

Feel Your Imagenation at Seoul Tower

I realized that Ryan didn't post all the really awesome pictures from the top of N'Seoul Tower, a needle-like structure that sits on top of a large wooded hill in the middle of Seoul. From the lookout deck you realize just how remarkably massive Seoul is. The brochure, however, is not so awe-inspiring. You'd think one of the most popular attractions in Seoul would have had a native English speaker check their copy. Feel Your Imagenation at Seoul Tower? N'Seoul Tower's Events: A Joyful Happiness? These are the little things that I love to discover every day. Regardless of the spelling mishaps, it was a breathtaking view.





Looking homeward from Seoul. Only 5,600 miles away.

Herrrooo! Can anybody here me up there?!

On Saturday we headed north to Ganghwado island, the northernmost tip of South Korea. We hiked to the highest point we could find, a nice little climb called Bongcheon-san, and looked to the north. We squinted to see as far as the air would let us, and in the distance, just past the Han River, we made out a small piece of the Axis of Evil: the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.
Our guidebook purported that on clear days, you can see a large billboard which reads, in impolite Korean, "America, go home!" And sometimes, if you're lucky, you can even hear a loudspeaker broadcasting propaganda about the good life in the North (Herrrroo!). Unfortunately for Kim Jong Il, his plan will never work. South Korea's air is too damn hazy to see across the Han most of the time. Blast, foiled again!!!
The town to the bottom left is Hajeom, a cute little farming town (although we did notice quite a few dog kennels there...hmmm...dog soup anyone?) If you look just to the right of the big mountain past Hajeom, you can see the slightest outline of a mountain. That, my friends, is Kim Jong Il's backyard. Can you just hear the propaganda?
A run down lookout tower. There were a lot of military bases in the towns on the way to the island, so North-South tensions are definitely felt in the area.
Beth and I doing what we do best, defending freedom. Go America!

Sight seein' in Seoul

It's been about a month, and we finally decided to do the tourist thing. We ventured into Seoul, the capitol, cameras and guidebooks in hand. As we got closer and closer to the tourist center--a beautiful mix of ancient palaces, modern government and business buildings, and hundreds of posh shops--we noticed more English, higher prices, and more and more foreigners. To tell you the truth, it was actually kind of nice to talk to people that understood you a little better, and to meet many people in a similar situation to your own. Don't get me wrong--I love being stared at by every set of eyes when I walk into a restaurant or when a store clerk laughs at the way I say something--it was just nice to see that we're not the only ones.
The areas of the city we enjoyed were quite beautiful. The city is a nice compromise between concrete and glass, and green trees and running water. A tour guide at the palace we visited, told us it's the Korean "Feng Shui" that makes the city so nice. It's probably true. I mean, we were in the heart of a city that has over 20 million people in it, and we really didn't feel suffocated. We were able to spend some time at Changdeokgung palace, where the royal family lived in the 19th century, and then we went on a nice walk up a nearby mountain to a lookout point over the city. Here are some pics.

This is a typical street in the neighborhood we wandered through. There were lots of street vendors, selling everything from binoculars and belt buckles to live squid.

Just look at how much fun I'm having!

This palace is famous for a large garden, called the Secret Garden, and this is the beginning of it. It is so beautiful right now with all the Japanese Maples turning colors for the fall. When the royal family lived here, you were only allowed into the Secret Garden by special permission of the king. One of the kings loved to fish, so he had this tiny little pond put in the palace and stocked the hell out of it. Sounds like something grandpa Chuck would do.

Do we look like tourists?

She's beautiful, isn't she? So is the building behind her. It was built by a prince as a place to keep his concubines.

Happy Holloween (Korean Edition)

Happy Halloween from Korea! While most of Korea spent the day unsuspecting, we threw a Halloween party at LCI Academy with our kindy classes. Each teacher had an activity in their room and all kindy students visited each room in stations. Here's a peek at the spooky happenings...

Neptune and Dean making felt pumpkins in Ryan's classroom. These boys are angelic.
Me with my class. Not so angelic, but very cute nonetheless. And looking very scary. Daniel (second from left), although he is holding a pitchfork, is Harry Potter and Kate kept covering her face with her cape like Count Dracula.
Hope, a truly wild child. Nothing else can be said, except that, as you can see, face painting was another activity.



And in my classroom...the Thriller dance. Too funny. As you might suspect, getting 4 and 5 year olds to do the Thriller dance had mixed results, but it's really cute nonetheless. I was a little scared of making somone cry watching the music video, so I only let them see segments. We tried to teach them the zombie-claw walk and the crouched zombie stomp, as I like to call them. Maybe you'll recognize it, maybe not. And, in case you haven't seen the video for a while, check it out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyJbIOZjS8), it's immortal.
love,
beth