After a very long day traveling back from Beppu to Seoul, I left Korea on the 27th. Happily.

On the 25th, I woke up early and got the 4:00am train to Fukuoka City. The train wasn't a bullet train, but instead reminded me of one the Amtrak train I sometimes take from Chicago to Macomb, IL. It was hard to sleep in however, and so I gave up trying to snooze. Instead I planned my last 36 hours in Seoul. (And, as I am writing this retroactively, was key to such an amazing time in Hong Dae, near Hong Gik University.)

Once in Fukuoka City, I had to get to Hakata Port. I had three hours to do so, but thought it would be best to get going right away. I found the bus to Fukuoka City (the bus stop hidden next to a Starbucks), plus two new friends, both teaching English in Busan. Adam was from St. Louis, MO and Jacob was from somewhere in Germany. They had missed the hydrofoil ferry the day before because of weather, and were hoping to get back to Busan that day. They certainly earned the "good luck" by giving me a few quick tips on getting through customs.

There were 250 people waiting at the port, from the prior day's canceled ferries. But, I did have a reservation, and got on the 9:30am. I was happy to leave the packed port, but sad for my new friends, who would be waiting most of the day at best. The ferry ride this time was very bumpy. I have been on several small diving boats in the past that really beat this, but there are only 200 people on this ferry, and it still seemed small. After 3 hours we finally arrived in Busan.

Ahh, Korea! It felt like home!

In Busan I jumped on a shuttle bus to the train station and sat down. For about 90 cents the shuttle would take you to the train station. I was planning on taking the local subway train to the Bus station. A nice guy from Toronto joined on this short journey. He taught in Hiroshima, and was in Seoul to see some friends (and I suspect, gambling. He mentioned it several times.) So, we got off at the train station and he suggested I look at the cost of a train. It did save 2 hours of travel time. It was only $5 more, so I "splurged" for it. I could think of plenty of nice things to do in that two hours once I had this backpack stored somewhere. :)

Next... Adventures in Seoul!

Last Day in Japan

Well, today is the last day in Japan.

I've spent the last two days in Beppu City, soaking in the onsen, getting a mud bath, and a little bit of shopping at the 100 yen shop. Yesterday, I spent the day with my dorm roommate in the onsen, for lunch, then coffee. Tomomi showed me where to go, how to do it and why. It's been a wonderfully relaxing few days that couldn't have come any sooner.

So tomorrow I'm taking off at 3:00am for the 2 hour Shinkansen out of Beppu City to Fukuoka, then waiting 3 hours and getting on the ferry to Busan. From Busan I will immediately take the bus to Seoul. Tomorrow night I will be in Seoul. I am meeting up with some of the Teaching Assistants from the DeliEnglish Camp for drinks and then I will spend the day in Hong-Dae, near Hong-gik University looking for a few more souvenirs. On Wednesday I will probably spend a half day in Seoul, but leave for the airport at about noon, for a 3:00pm flight to San Francisco.

Soon I will be back home! I'm so excited about getting home, back to the Rocky Mountains, back to my wonderful boyfriend, and back to my lovely condo. All the comforts of home...

Hangin' in Hiroshima

What I’ve always known as a tragic place is now a gorgeous, modern city with a message. All of the cities I’ve been to in Japan have been well-kept neighborhoods, with brilliantly friendly people, and enough sights to keep the schedule full.

Anyhow, Hiroshima was lively, for sure. They’re drinking scene was in full-swing, but I was drinking tea on the particular night I was there. Even in a bar, I could feel the vibrant urban culture. So much for small town tranquility. Which is not to say that we (Americans) are forgiven for what we did to an entire city, nearly 63 years ago. Instead, most people who learned I was American calmly suggested that the US should stop making and testing nuclear weapons. But this isn’t my agenda. As any diplomatic person does, I see both sides to that story.

The Peace Park and Museum are an afternoon of history; the true and sometimes rough history of the WW where we did drop a bomb in Hiroshima and the graphic suffering of the people. However, there was just enough of the graphic details of the effects of radiation to get the point. No propoganda. The message the Museum and Park provide are that 6 countries, US, Russia, France, China, UK, and most recently, North Korea, need to stop using and testing nukes. A burning torch symbolizes this wish, burning in the Peace Park until the last warhead is safely destroyed.

With that said, I also visited the Miyajima Island, with the Torii Gates. Fantastic trip. When you are done playing with the deer that roam this island and interact, take a look at the small town, and fall in love with it. You'll see little ladies carving wood on the doorstep, deer tearing apart paper and eating it, seafood stacked on seafood for sale in steaming piles, little orange Torii gates to bring home and break in your suitcase, plus lots of cooking supplies ready to bring home. Seasonings, bottles of Saki, Shochu and wine line the streets begging to be part of your next late night.

Walk through all of this without spending a yen, and you’ll come to the Torii Gates. A wonderful eyeful of splendid orange paint, given as a blessing (and protection). Walk even more and you’ll find a trailhead to Mt. Misen. 1/8th of the way up and you’ll come to a ropeway that, for 1000 yen, will carry you to the top of the mountain. It’s pricey, but after climbing that mountain, it was all I could do to reach for that 1000 and relax on the way down. The trail was quiet, birds chirping to make it more perfect, and it was green the entire way up!

Absolutely lovely.

The JR Pass works on the ferry out, so that’s one cost you won’t need to worry about.
After all this I managed to find my way to the train station a bit early to get on to the next destination, Beppu City.

Leaving Tokyo

I left Tokyo today. It was hard to leave, because Tokyo was, for me, the perfect city. It’s fun, it’s clean (spotless in places) and the subways managed excellently, and even still the people in Tokyo are generally very sweet. Don’t even try to say that about New York City. Anyhow, it's hard to leave.

I’m headed to Hiroshima, on the bullet train. I will only be in Hiroshima for one night, and most of the day tomorrow to see the Peace Park, the A-Bomb Dome, the A-Bomb Museum, and Miyajima Gates. I’m staying at J-Hoppers from a recommendation from Claire and Jackie. Once I get some photos I’ll be posting those, too.

After Hiroshima, I will again board the bullet train for Beppu City, for 2 wonderful days of the hot springs. On Monday morning (very early) I will again board a train for Fukuoka, to take the ferry to Busan, South Korea, and immediately jump on a train bound for Seoul. After a day’s rest in Seoul, I finally board a plane to San Francisco, and then to Denver. I’m ready to come back home!

Internet Cafes in Tokyo - the new hotel?

On one of the nights, I spent the night in an Internet café! Don't freak out though. What you and I think of as Internet cafes in the US are far different from what an Internet café is in Tokyo. They are indeed dark, but they are for everyone, and particularly, they are for women who miss the last train and aren't allowed in capsule hotels. We scouted out several of these cafes, not so much to find a place to sleep, but to explore the cultural contrast. Me, Jackie, Claire and Kim all visited the local internet cafes for one-hour, two-hours, and even three-hours of time in these cafes where we all spent time writing email, on Facebook, and booking rooms at the next night's hostel.

The café I spent a night in was in downtown Shibuya (Gran Cyper Café), and Jackie and I both checked in at about 1:30am. The very helpful ladies charged us in advance for 6 hours of time. We are then sent to small cubicles with about 5 x 5 feet of floor space. The floor is raised, with a padded surface and something like a stadium seat pad with backing, and a small pillow. Your door is only 3 feet high flush with the top of your cube, and a 2ft gap at the bottom. The sections are separated into ladies only and general, so we picked the ladies only. For 6 hours of time in the cube, the flat rate is 1200 yen, or about $11.50. Not bad for a night’s sleep and time to check email (and post to blog!) Included in the fee is free coffee, juice, ice cream, tea, and various other machine-made hot drinks.

Sleeping in this café wasn’t easy, but not because I didn’t feel safe. It was too short. I had already seen who slept in the cubes next to me, only because I’m tall enough to glance over the doors of the cubes. Women in business suits working, girls with shopping bags who’d missed the last train at midnight, and one or two Harajuku girls. Not prostitutes, drug addicts or the like. It doesn't matter what you think of internet cafes in China, and the US. These places are for everyone willing, and they are definitely a second choice after a capsule hotel. After all, it’s not exactly the most comfortable place to stay.

As a note, we did find a capsule hotel that accepts women. Didn't make it though. Called "Capsule Inn" this place has an entire floor dedicated to women, and even conference rooms for women traveling and doing business.

You’re required to leave your shoes outside the cubicle, and from what I could tell, all of the 20 cubicles were full. It’s not luxury, but I saw exactly how it works perfectly for many women (and men) in Tokyo. It’s also expected that you will be sleeping and showering (yes, there are showers) so it’s all perfectly natural to look like you’ve just woken up.

In the morning, Jackie and I met in the lobby area for coffee, and left very early to go see the Tskuiji Fish Market. The best time to be at the market is 5-7am, so we were right on time.

As if there aren’t enough crazy, different things to do in Tokyo, that’s just one more.

Sleeping in a cubby

On Tuesday I moved accommodations to another hostel called the Ace Inn. The Ace Inn was different than other hostels I’ve stayed in while here. It basically boasted the necessities: bed, shower, wireless, and location. It was just two stops off of Shinjuku Station, which is one of the main hubs for getting around. Two stops from Shinjuku Station sits the neighborhood Shibuya, where I ended up spending quite a bit of time.

The beds are like cubbies. Stacked two high, the interiors have a clean wood-look veneer to them, a small light, a shelf, and an electrical outlet. Throughout the 10 story high building is wireless internet, although at times shaky, mostly very good. Most capsule hotels in Tokyo do not allow women to check in, although I did find one that had a floor for women-only, and an attached spa. It, however, was a bit expensive for what it was. These had the feel of a capsule, but a bit less compartmentalized.

If only they had drink service in the cubbies...

Shibuya

Since meeting back up with Jackie, Claire and Kim I have spent a good amount of time singing karaoke and staying up way too late. But these girls are a ton of fun.

Before meeting up with them I was on the hunt for a good karaoke bar. There are plenty, but I wanted the *Lost in Translation* experience, so I headed to Shibuya for some of the night lights and excitement. I found both.

On Friday, I met up with the girls. We arranged through Facebook to meet at the Hachiko Exit, a famous exit named after a dog. The dog apparently was owned by a Japanese man, and the dog would come to the train station everyday at 530 to meet his owner. When the man died the dog continued to return to the station every day at 530 for 10 more years, until the dog died. The loyalty of this dog, named Hachiko is the story behind the name of the exit and the statue of the dog. It is a frequented meeting spot in Shibuya.

So, we met at the Hachiko statue. Jack and the girls were coming in from Kyoto that night, and we were meeting up with her friend Kevin. Jackie sent me a photo of him, but I didnt look at it before I left that day and ended up asking any male who looked British, if he was waiting for Jackie. On the 2nd try, it was him. So we chatted until Jackie`s blonde headed popped from the sea of black hair.

We headed to dinner at an amazing local cuisine restaurant where, for 2000 yen (about $20) you can drink all you want. This was a recipe for disaster, but we still ended up having a ball. We headed to an Irish bar and left the karaoke for the next night.

I posted photos of Shibuya on Flickr. Have a look!

Tuned into Tokyo

I love the city. I feel more at home with 10 kinds of ramen restaurants simmering soy sauce and the chefs shouting Japanese welcome messages while you walk by. I love the escalators, metal structures, elevators, and even the throngs of black wool coats warming the white collars. I love flashing green stick people that let me know when it's safe to cross, and dodging bicylists. I love convenience stores every 25 steps and 10 stories of mysterious flashing Kanji messages, with some English thrown in here and there in the neon madness. Tokyo is more like home than a small town shrine, that's for sure. Don't get me wrong, I loved the temples. But you can easily over-do it, while the same subway station seems different everytime I'm there. New people. New conversations, even new fashion tips walking the underground runways. Yep, I love the city.

I think I'm just a sucker for convenience and Tokyo IS convenient for checking out the fanny-pack clad tourist attractions along with the high end shopping and quirky small shops tucked into the alleys. The subways system is quicker and further-reaching than the trains in Seoul. One suggestion, though. Tokyo's subway lines need to merge into one company, because you constantly have to pay for new tickets when you change lines. Annoying, but I guess it does allow you to compare all three.

1st night: the first night I hung out in Asakusa, close to where I'm staying. I'm staying at K's House Hostel, and it's very clean. So, I went out with the idea to have "train sushi" and sure enough, I did. I talked to a couple from Japan for an hour. They were fun, and they ate everything. They loved the roe, and the fried shrimp heads...Ewww.

1st day: The next day I headed to Shinjuku, and took a visit to the Metropolitian Government Building to have a look from 45 stories above Tokyo. I couldn't get any good shots because I brought the wrong lens. But I went to the tourism office to get a complete booklet on seeing the sights. It has helped quite a bit (although I forgot it today, and got a bit lost!) Later I headed to the Tokyo Tower and DID get some amazing shots of the city.

2nd night: Found a bar called "Bar Plastic Barbie" to sing karaoke and listen to 80s music. Stayed there all night. :) In the morning, me and two new friends (two friendly Japanese fellows, who spoke English with a slight irish accent...) to the Tskuiji Fish Market. Had the famously fresh sushi, which was pretty yum. Except for sea urchin. Don't even bother. Yucky.

Next: Adventures in Shubuya!

Fuji-san

After Fuji I headed to Kawakuchi-ko City, the city where hard core climbers go to take the bus to the first station on the track to climb this mountain affectionately called "Fuji-san". I took the Shinkansen and shot right into the Mishima stop. Got off the train and jumped aboard a bus. Now, normally it takes 2 hours and one transfer to get to Kawakuchi-ko City from the Mishima stop. But in this case it took 3 hours, because it started to snow very hard and the bus needed chains and traffic was very bad, and so on...

But finally I arrived. I asked the woman a the bus station counter to call the hostel for a pickup, since the bus arrived so late. A guy came up behind me and said: "are you going to K's house?" and I was. He said he'd just called them. Later I found out that that was "K" himself. (K's House is a small group of hostels in Japan.)

The room was comfy as always.


The next morning I woke up and took a walk on to the bridge to see "Fuji San" and I did. It's really an amazing mountain with your bare eyes. A little doggie followed me around while I chased the views. I took a cable car up to the top of a much smaller mountain nearby to get some really close up shots and got the newest photos in Flickr. Click on the "Japan Photos" on the right to see them all. I also found traces of other hikers; this snowman was still fresh.

Kyoto

I stopped in Kyoto on my way to Tokyo today and stayed.

Wow. And, wow. I just looked through my photos and I know it's the content I have within the city boundaries to grant me such excellent photos. I visited the Kyoto Tower, the Heian Shrine today, along with the Fushimi Inari Shrine for a look at the sights to be had in the gorgeous boundaries of Kyoto.

I have photos waiting to be uploaded, but the signal here is awful.

I did get a grip on my itinerary, and I am sure I'll make a stop in Hakone, to soak up the water of the "onsen" or Japanese public bath. Of course, I'll let you know!

Bullet Trains

Leaving Nagasaki today, I finally got the chance to ride one of the Shinkansen or “bullet trains” that Japan is known for. After a 3-hour long ride, I’m still shaking a bit. Never have I ridden public transportation with the same intensity; these trains go fast!! They can go up to 287 mph when traveling long distances, like the leg between Osaka and Tokyo.

It takes some getting used to, experiencing the train disappear into one of the hundreds of tunnels (with just a mild amount of claustrophobia.) I’m giddy about this Japan journey, and even more excited that I’ll be able to ride the bullet train again through Tokyo, then back down to Fukuoka again. I will also go to Hakone (near Mt. Fuji) I can’t wait!

In the meantime, there’s plenty to see between Tokyo, Fuji, Hiroshima and Kyoto.

I've got to say that the JR pass, for anyone considering, it's worth it. It's worth the money alone because you pass by cars and can't see the people driving them. Weeeeee!

Nagasaki

We arrived in Nagasaki on the 4th, late in the afternoon. I had booked the ryokan just the night before, and we did have a little bit of difficulty finding anything at all. The only features we gave up in this last minute booking were internet and proximity. We were a bit far away from the sights, but it turned out okay because there was a tram that shuttled the four of us to the Glover Gardens. Absolutely gorgeous!

I was only in Nagasaki for a day, but I managed to make most of the sights you shouldn't miss. I missed the Peace Park and museum, but I may head down there and to Beppu in two weeks for a short visit before I head back to the states.

Fukuoka City, Japan

It's monday night, and I'm sitting in a traditional guesthouse in Fukuoka, Japan. There's a nice heater at my feet, warming my toes from being outside all day. I've got a sip of green tea next to me, and in an hour I'm about to go to Canal City for some fresh seafood. Yes, it's lowkey, but I love it!

Fukuoka City has been called "San Francisco" of Japan because it's a major port for seafood for the southern coast of Japan. The weather is still very chilly, but it's far warmer than it was in South Korea.

On Saturday, I brought along 3 teachers with me on my excursion to Japan, who were also planning on spending some time here. We boarded a bus and rode to Busan, where we stayed one night. The next morning we awoke to get to the Ferry port, and boarded a hydrofoil ferry to Fukuoka, Japan. It was raining when we arrived, so we started some laundry and played cards for a few hours at our new home - a traditonal guest house, or ryokan.

Our beds are futons, and we all share a huge room where the flooring is straw mats. There is a Buddhist blessing written on the wall, still the accomodations have conveniences like a refridgerator, hair dryer, laundry, and TV. Clair called the bed this morning the "bed of dreams" as we all slept like babies. Literally we fell asleep during a late Buddhist ceremony, in the room down the hall. There are shelves with ancient artifacts in the corridors of the ryokan, watched closely by high tech cameras. There is room for public bathing, as well as private rooms to take a bath in. At $30 a night, you can't beat it.

Exploring Seoul, finding Japan

Since we did the performances and the camp has finished, I've been able to explore more of Seoul, and South Korea. In particular, I've explored the tourist areas, the hiking, the shopping in Gangnam, the clubs near Hongik University, and a little of InsaDong, a district known for it's advertising and sales industries. I did a little shopping today, and found quite a few finds and spent less than 40,000 won, or about $40.

Tomorrow will be another adventure. Me, Jackie, Kim, and Claire will take a bus to Busan to find our way to a luxury hostel. Yes, LUXURY! This place offers free internet, laundry, dinner, breakfast, shuttles, and hand massages. Whoo hoo!

On Sunday morning we will board the ferry to Fukuoka, Japan. This will begin our days of traveling in Japan by railway. Today, I bought a 21 day JR Pass to get around Japan. It was about $540, but includes all subways, busses, and pretty much all public transportation in Japan. I will be with this girl-crew until Tuesday, the 5th. Then I'll head to Kyoto on my own, Hakone for sights of Mt. Fuji, and finally meeting up with some friends in Tokyo on the 7th. In that 2-3 days I'm planning on finishing my self-taught exploration of my new camera, reading a 600 page Japanese novel I just started, and basically just living the last month down. I've been in 4th and 5th gear since December 30th and it's about time I get some extra rest and some exercise!

Today as I was walking around with the crew, I jumped into a coffee shop and struck up conversation with one of the other coffee lovers in the Pascucci Coffee House. He said some of the same advice David's been giving me all along: Japan is much different from Korea. But I'm going to leave what he mentioned a secret, until I get there. No use in creating gossip clouds where they aren't due.

So, that's what I have planned for the next few days. Any suggestions on an itinerary? I'd love to hear 'em!

Camp is done!

The Delicious English camp is now finished, and it couldn't have come any sooner. We finished our last two days with two days of dancing and performances from the kids. My kids did an episode of American Idol, and they performed beyond my expectations. These kids are motivated!

After all the kids were done, all of us teachers performed "We are Family" for the parents of the students. As I mentioned before, Koreans love western culture, particularly American culture and they really responded to our performance! I got a ton of photos from Monday and Tuesday. Check out the photos on Flickr for some shots of me and some fo the other teachers dancing our fannies off.

Week in Review

This week was a week of testing, grading, reviewing,and practicing. It was the last week of the camp. Students were tested on their new English comprehension skills in American culture, writing, math, science, and history. Once the two days of testing were through, we hurried to have the papers graded. Then, we reviewed each student's performance overall and wrote candid and extensive reviews on each of them. This week I've also realized that I'll miss these kids a ton.

Over the last week or so I've also learned a bit more Korean. My instruction comes from some of the best teachers around: 5th graders! I've learned how to say "Be quiet!" and "Stop doing that!" and "No hitting!" and "I'm sorry." Somehow hearing me learn and try to say these words and sounds that they do so easily makes them really motivated to listen closer when we're talking in English. It's crazy how children have sophisticated learning skills by craving a learning dialogue. They want to teach in order to learn. And it makes perfect sense.

On Monday and Tuesday each of my classes will be performing on a mock "American Idol" show where they will sing in a huge auditorium...in English. I'm the show host of their production and together we show their parents how much English the've learned in the Delicious English Camp. There's a video in store, so I'll post it when I get a copy.

As for today, it's Sunday. Beautiful Sunday. My only day off each week. However, starting on Tuesday at 5:00pm, I'll be on a different agenda. First of all, the recruiting company is taking the 4 of us to dinner and paying us (we get paid in the end) and once that's done I'll be on the road for Seoul.

Starting in Seoul, I'll be staying at a "Hanok" (meaning traditional home) in Seoul for at least 2 days. Then I'll take a bus to Busan, where I will take a ferry to Japan. Once I'm in the border of Japan I'll get a JR (Japan Railways) pass and begin a tour in the bullet train. Starting in Hiroshima (2 days) and Kyoto (3 days) and Hakone (1 day) and Tokyo (5 days). I'm working out the details to possibly go to Okinawa and extend my trip by 1 week. I'll be traveling for part of that time with 3 other teachers from this winter camp.

And, of course, lots of pictures to follow. I can't even imagine this trip without a camera. :)

Snowfights!

Yong-In City got yet another snowstorm this morning. I walked to work in the slush remaining from the night's storm, and the snowfall continued through the day. At lunch the kids and I had a terrific snowfight and I managed to completely pelt Anderson in the face with snow, and he was tickled by this. Another student, Peter attacked me with a snowball just after taking the photo.

Anyhow, those and tonight's dinner photos are posted on Flickr. As if those of you in Denver haven't seen enough snow.... Enjoy! :)

Trip to the Spa

I've just discovered that there is a spa in the building where I live, and a trip to the spa was exactly what all of the teachers needed on Friday evening. So, we all went packing our bathing suits, and flip flops and feelin' ready for the hot sauna.

We weren't ready at all.

This spa, which is typical in Korea, was a beautiful haven of saunas, bathing, pools, and more saunas. Here's a trip through the spa.

Check in at the front. It's 6000 won, or about 6 dollars. You get a frumpy pink outfit, a tiny towel, a scrubber, and a key. Then you go around the corner to a room where you lock away your shoes. Then you proceed to the women's locker room. Turn another corner and you find a locker room and another desk. Give these ladies your key and they provide you with a full size locker key bracelet. Find your locker, and strip. Now you're ready!

Wearing nothing but the key bracelet, you soon get over the fact that you don't have your skivvies. Then, find your way to the beautiful sauna and spa room. Take a shower and then hit the pools. We tried each one, and they getting hotter and hotter, (and colder and colder!!) Yep, everyone is still naked and you are too. If you weren't you'd feel way out of place. There are pools that are freezing cold and other pools that have steam rising out of them.

After soaking for an hour, head to the sauna or steam room. You'll be sitting in there with some very hardcore sauna chicks, but after that, grab that scrubber mitt they gave you.

Korean spa culture includes scrubbing your skin vigorously for at least an hour. This little mitt they provide you with eventually takes off all this crap from your skin. Layers of skin continue to slough off. A kind woman sat down with me to show me how to use these tiny sinks and I stayed for the entire time she did, which was a little over an hour. Think about taking a shower for that long! Anyhow, the scrubbing feels wonderful (like finally getting that itch in the middle of your back) and your skin is amazingly smooth afterwards.

Once you've gone back to the locker, put on the crazy unflattering outfit and head to the common room. There's almost everything you can imagine in this place. More pools for your feel, saunas, salt room saunas, charcoals saunas, even a an freezer you can sit in like a sauna. This common room has yoga studio, TV, movies, ice cream, sushi and even beer, plus little cubby holes to sleep in if you're ready for a nap. On the way out I spotted someone getting a treatment of some kind with hot cups suctioned to her back. Later I learned that this is supposed to get rid of impurities in your skin.

Heading back to the main room is hard after being in this haven for nearly 3 hours. It's so relaxing! But just as I was about to step out the door into the elevator, I spotted an enourmous gym....

There's nothing even close to this place in the US, and I think that's really too bad. There's something very soothing about it. You'll be the first to hear about it when I go back...soon!

What is DMZ?

Tomorrow I'm going to the DMZ, also known as the N. Korea and S. Korea DeMilitarized Zone. This is the buffer zone between North and South Korea that's got a few good snapshots and alot of talk behind it.

Other than a fake city looming on N. Korean territory and a wide line of soldiers who you are not supposed to look at, this is a crossing point for N. and S. Korea. Supposedly no South Koreans are allowed into North Korea. Anyhow, we are headed here tomorrow to see the political sights and to further explore some of this nation we've been working in. Next post: A trip to the Spa!

Tasty!

I've made a habit of checking my email before each class, and I teach 7 classes a day, at 45 minutes each. Anyhow, in between classes I got an email from my Dad who has a new dog. He sent me a photo of my mom holding the dog and he was asking for a name.

So I'm standing there, checking my email in the class I was just about to teach, while the boys are still playing Nintendo DS and the girls are drawing with colored chalk on the board. I put up the photo of that unnamed dog and my mom, and asked the class in the first few official minutes ... to name the dog. I thought it would be cute. Well, I was right it WAS cute. But it was also very wierd if you've been following my blogs in the last few days.

Anyhow, so the kids came up with three names. Since the dog was a boy, they gave the names Max, Digger, and ... Tasty. Yes, as in "Tasty Dog". I had to ask at this point: "Do you eat dog?"

The result was sort of astounding. Not only had every child in the classroom eaten it (even the night before) but these 4th graders have been told it's good for their development. A little research and I found out that dog meat is acclaimed for it's effect on "stamina" (shall we call it) for men. Okay, fine. (Okay, GROSS!)

Anyhow, on this particular day I was teaching Venn Diagrams for writing, and not 12 hours before I'd planned a lesson comparing dogs and cows. If you've ever used a Venn Diagram, you know they look like two circles that intersect. They are used in writing as a type of mind-map of sorts for comparing categories before writing a comparison/contrast essay or in math for set theory.

So, the kids insisted that I place traits such as "eaten" in the middle category rather than in just the cow category. Yes. Anyhow, I did get home this evening and do some research and find out that eating dog in South Korea is actually illegal (as of the Seoul Olympics, read: political move) to protect the reputation of Korea. But 100% of my students eat dog on a regular basis! And lets not talk about how man dogs you see roaming the streets here. Let's just say that in 2 full weeks here I have seen about 3 dogs on walks or with their owner, and NO strays. Anyhow, I realize you may be as uncomfortable about this as I am, but I certainly have been rethinking meat while I'm here.

On better news, the students are doing very well!

Halfway!

Well, we are officially halfway through the month, and the kids have showed clear signs of improvement in their English skills, mostly in their verbal skills. I also got a gift from one of my students: mittens that look like bear gloves. I love them!

Today we celebrated Halloween to show the Korean kids what this western holiday is all about. They loved the candy, the extra games, and the costumes of course. It was interesting having Halloween in January; I've never realized how much of the Halloween spirit is in fall. Mid-Winter is just different. But all in all today was an energetic day at the Delicious English Camp.

I just found out that the other S. Korea camp was set to be in Busan, Korea which is the port to all the ferries to Japan! I was excited about that, because I'm thinking I'd love to do this again (for just a month) and Busan would be the perfect place to see more of Asia. From where we are here in Young-in, it's an hour to Seoul, and 3 to Busan, so there are no weekend ferry trips. But I could see that happening in a port city like Busan, with ferries to China and Japan.

I just bought a pint of strawberries for $8. I did it because they looked amazing and I'm really missing some tastes from home, although I'm also beginning to enjoy kimchee quite a bit. We have it with almost every meal in school.

Seoul at Night

If you're wondering what there is to do in Seoul other than shop the markets, just wait until the night falls. We did and discovered exactly how wild Seoul gets on a Saturday night.

We were a group of 7, and it was a bit difficult scoring any of the swank spots in one of the snug Korean food clubs. Eventually we did, and it was well worth the extra time scoping out the University food scene. The cozy architecture and warm food were the perfect way to start an all-nighter.

Not without some surprises, however.

We parked it in a heated tent adjecent to a restaurant, where the server set down two fresh 3000cc pitchers of beer on the table along with a spread of typical Korean appetizer food. Most restaurants here offer little appetizers for free, which is usually a random assortment nuts, edamame, gherkins, or corn puffs.

In this case, we got peanuts and edamame, both delicious. We then added a storm of courses including seafood stew with octopus, egg and fish egg omlette, spicy sausage and vegetable medley, and finally some kind of meat skewers. This is where it got interesting.

The skewers appeared to be beef, but after a few bites everyone realized that this indeed was not beef. Nicole, who has lived in Africa and Mongolia, insisted that it was a kind of rodent; it could have been marmot, or ferret. Others insisted it was, yep, dog. A quick whiff of the skewers after tasting them and we realized it could be anything. More curious than devastated, I called the chef over and pointed to the Korean word for beef in my Korea Guidebook. He shook his head and nodded when I pointed at chicken. It definitely was not chicken. I then pointed at dog, and he almost laughed. Instead he looked stern. Koreans do frequently eat dog, but I don't think they'd serve it in the city, but rather in the country where imports would be expensive and luxury. I also think it's a bit of an insult in this country. Korean restaurants are fully aware that Westerners are not comfortable eating dog.

Anyhow, it ended up that we never discovered what it was. Claire, from Wales, is bound and determined to believe it was dog, but I'm not sold on that.

After the meal and the complimentary dessert salad, we took off across the market to a club called Tin Pan 2. The dancing crowd was energetic and we stayed for a good hour before moving on to a less crowded club across the street.

At Club # 2, the music was more hip-hop and less dance. After Samantha began to show the signs of having had way to much in her glass, we moved on to give her a break. It turned out she was already beyond repair for that night, and we sent her home in a cab.

At this point it's about 2:30 am and we headed to an underground club whose owner, Andrew knew. After we're waved in past the 15 dollar cover, we're the newest guests in a beautiful wide open room with plenty of space to dance. Although it's location was discreet (the entrance was in an alley) the place was full of great college bogey, a marvelous strobe light setup and robot nachos. We stayed here for the rest of the evening dancing the dog off. :)

There is definitely a population of Korean men who seem to pine after American and English women. Although they are very kind, they only know enough English to ask your name, where you are from, and tell you that "You look like model".

You could tell that we've all been cooped for too long in classrooms, as we all hit the town high energy and never really slowed down. It's been a while since I've lost track of time until 5:00am, but it was perfect. Everyone was in a terrific spirit and we even saw two of our teachers begin a love affair. ..

At 5:00 am the subway lines open up again, but we weren't having that. Although the subway system is very safe, Me, Emily, and Byrony split a cab fare home, which cost about 50,000 won, or about 55 dollars.

Well worth it.

Texas is doing well!

A few of you asked early on what company I got this position through. The recruiting agency was Good Day Korea. The organization that runs the education programs is Deli English Camp (It's translation to Korean is something like: Delicious English Camp, and their tag line is Feed Your Education. Interesting, right?

From their website I found photos of my class, Texas.


We had a meeting yesterday where the camp organizers let us know that the students are saying that Chris' math class and my writing class are their hardest subjects. So, today we played Pictionary for the entire class! Hey I'd rather play games too! So we indulged in a little fun for most of the day.

Texas has been doing very well. First we went over basic narrative writing, followed by how to write instructions (I asked them to bring a recipes), and then on to descriptive writing using metaphors. I think it's this section that's getting them.

When I first saw their writing, I realized immediately that they do need help in grammar. Most of them get the tenses all wrong, and leave out "at" and "the" regularly. Some students are frustratingly off and some students are stunning.

Karaoke on a Wednesday

Hello!

If you've ever seen "Lost in Translation" you know the the excitement I'm about to share with you. Singing karaoke in a small room with less than 10 people is the way to feel like you're really in popular Asia.

:) So tonight was Jackie's birth day and to celebrate we went to a karaoke bar. We sang everything short of Prince. In the end, I ended up singing him, too.

I apologize I'm not in the photos more. But I was holding the camera!

I posted some photos.

A day in Seoul

I'm such a bum!

I've been meaning to type here for a few days now, and I missed it really. It's sort of comforting to let a quiet laptop know what I've been doing and to watch this piece of metal hooked up to the Internet pass the word.

I'm doing great!

Before I tell you what happened this weekend, I want to tell you what happened tonight.

Samantha, a gal from Sacramento, had a super rough day with her kids in the "New York" classroom, so her and I headed to find karaoke and a beer immediately after work. We did, and with it, we found a true gem in these parts: pizza! I can't tell you how nice it was to each a crusty wonder topped with random vegetables and cheese. It's heaven right now.

We didn't find karaoke. We did find the pizza and the beer, and she was just a doll to hang out with. Her stories of touring Europe in the last 3 months are too much, but they make me want to visit. I know, I know, I'm in Asia and that's what I'm doing right now. Yes I am. The other teachers here are amazing and each one of them has an interesting story to tell. With this being a one month position, we have a mixture of nomadic types: Jackie (from the UK) who's heading to Cambodia in March, and with whom I'll be going to Japan with; Kim (from Scotland) who also holds a ticket for Tokyo, and who surprises me daily with her wit; Andrew, an eager, funny guy (from the UK) who's got a diarming crush on my fellow American teacher from California; Claire, who literally tried to stop talking for 3 minutes on a dare and failed (from Wales); Bryony (from UK) who is sick with a kidney infection but who manages to bring over apples and conversation to my room at the perfect times; Chris, who's got a heart as bigger than the piles of rice I seem to eat every day; Nicole, who despite having a young class of kiddies manages to smile and enjoy every moment of it.

I think I missed a few. But they aren't reading. You are. I guess it's just been fabulous to get to know and share a bond with a few random people which has really given me warm thoughts towards strange people in a strange land. (But no, not that kind)

The teachers here literally save me sometimes. I'll miss it when I leave. :)

Right, I was going to tell you about this weekend.

All 11 of us headed to Seoul on a subway (an hour ride) to the Palace. It was breathtaking of course. However, the piece of the day (Sunday) that brought me that surreal feeling that you get when you're in a completely different country and nothing seems familiar... was in the market. The downtown Seoul market was a mixture of people, products, pastries, and urban paradise.

So far in Korea, I've seen literally hundreds of deep fat fryers on the sidewalk frying up everything you can imagine. Were you thinking sushi? Nope. I mean there's plenty of it here, but even more plenty is the variety of vegetables and meats you can order ala cart for a small price while walking the streets. I haven't yet had any, but I guess they fascinate me.

Okay, anyway Seoul market was surreal. We sampled fermented honey wrapped in 2000 strands of corn flour (not too sweet, not sweeter than a nice miso)

I also tried out my camera the entire day and into the night, if you'd have a look. The photos can be reached on the sidebar of this blog. Some of them really brought out the culture, and the ones that didn't you won't see with utmost respect to the art of editing bad work. It's a lovely camera. Enjoy!

A little Korean for ya

Words I've learned:

yes: ne
no: anio
thank you: Komapsumnida
hello: anniohaisayo (like saying "onion ha-say-o")

First Day!

Today I started the first day of teaching the winter camp. For not getting any orientation at all I think it went pretty well.

There are 12 teachers: 7 from the UK, one from Scotland and 4 from the United States. I've heard that US accents are more expensive, so that's why there are fewer of us. I don't quite get that yet, because I sure haven't seen any of their expense. They have put us up in very modern rooms, with very efficient showers and a location that's right in the middle of everything you'd want. They also do provide a stocked community kitchen and lunch at the school cafeteria, which is way better than what I've always known as cafeteria food.

I'm teaching writing. Some teachers have math, science, social studies/culture. I'm only envious of the "culture" teachers, whose textbooks are literally last month's Time magazine. The teaching part is dazzling. Some of their English is impeccable while some students are clearly straining very hard to speak and understand. Most students do understand basic language skills and all of the 5th and 6th graders can read proficiently. A few students have problems with long words, like "environment", "observatory"...

The classroom technology is closely updated, so today I showed the 4th graders how to use Google as a thesaurus. I literally got handed my lesson plan 10 minutes before the day started, so I had figure out the chapter as the students are reading it. Tonite I'm swearing to plan ahead just a bit. I both love and loath the process of "teaching" as revealed today. It's difficult and easy, but satisfying.

Each classroom is named after a US state. I got Texas. But the students are very clever, extremely bright, while being painfully shy of speaking. I have the oldest of all the grade levels: ages 11-16, with 75% of the students being 13-16. The 11 and 12 year old students aren't shy yet. They laugh and speak freely. The 13-16 year old girls are terrified of the boys (what a difference in focus 2 years has on otherwise motivated kids!) And, I already have a nickname by authority of the 4th graders: Rebeccasaurus. They think I'm abnormally tall, even though I insisted I'm just a little above average for a woman in the US. Still, it's too cute. Dennis, a 4th grade creative, drew a picture of exactly what an actual Rebeccasaurus would look like, and you'll be relieved to know that my dinasaur "other" still looks like a stegasaurus with hair and raptor wings.

The rest of the teachers are fabulous. We had breakfast, lunch and happy hour together with no struggle in conversation. With a long day behind all of us, and 26 long days ahead, there's no denying we have a common denominator.