The cold hard truth

Gangsta pose at Youngung-sa

Here I am again.  Apologizing again.  It’s been a while since I updated you all.  I’m sorry.  But, we’re still alive and kicking (and screaming) here.  I hate to disappoint you but I’m actually not going to be personally updating you.  Instead, I’m going to share with you the sentiments that we’ve been feeling here recently through my friend Samantha’s blog.  She’s a great writer and rather than trying to outdo her (which I’m not sure I could since she’s pretty much said everything I would) I’ll just point you in her direction.

Recently, Korea has been wearing us thin.  Actually, I should say it’s been wearing me thin.  I don’t want to speak for Colin although, it’s been getting to him a bit as well.  He’s not happy about witnessing the best sports year of his life from across the world and away from his friends and family (who are infinitely better fans than me).

All geared up for zip-lining

Before you read this post though, I do want to preface it by saying that we did recently have a really fantastic weekend with our friends here.  And, before that, Colin’s friends Alex and Stupe visited which was also great.  And, this Sunday, Colin’s parents are visiting.  We’re so excited that the week has seemed to fly by – always a good thing!! So, even though this post I’m gonna share with you is – honestly – about how crappy Korea is (right now).  We have obviously had some good times and have things still to look forward to.  But sometimes . . .  well, I’ll just let you read about it here.

It’s Good For Your Health

Here’s how my Thursday morning as a Native English Teacher started.

Co-teacher: Can you please greet the students and ask them about the weather at the beginning of class?

Me: Sure, no problem.

Co-teacher: It’s radioactive raining nowadays.  We can teach the students how to say radioactive today.

Co-teacher smiles while saying this and sips her tea.

Me:  . . . You want me to ask the students about the weather and tell them how to say radioactive??

Co-teacher: Yeah, and ask them about the date and how to spell Thursday.

Co-teacher walks away, leaving me standing alone to absorb the ridiculousness of this request.

With the situation worsening in Japan, Korea has recently become “concerned” with the possibility of radiation coming into the country.  I put the word concerned in quotes because, as depicted above, many Koreans have a strange way of showing their concern for the situation.

Because of this, it’s been difficult to judge the severity of the situation.  Korean news outlets have said that although the recent wind and rainstorm may have carried radiation into parts of South Korea, the levels are too low to pose any threats.   However, many Koreans are very distrustful of the Korean government and so don’t trust much of what is stated in the media.  To further confuse us; there have been reports from foreign news media saying that Korea could be exposed to radiation and should take precautions.

For Koreans, those precautions so far consist of wearing hospital masks and eating a lot of seaweed and kimchi (of course).

Now, this post isn’t meant to make any of you worry.  I’ve been checking the U.S. embassy site often and they have yet to issue any kind of statement or warning regarding the risk of radiation exposure here.  This post is just me sharing another crazy Koreanism: their ideas about health.

For example:

I can’t even count how many times I’ve been told by a Korean that I should eat kimchi because “it’s good for your health.”  I can’t say that all Koreans like kimchi but I can say those who don’t are often ostracized for it.  The crazy thing: due to a diet of salty fermented food, stomach cancer is the most common cancer among Koreans.  Clearly, kimchi is not “good for your health.”

When we arrived here in August we saw many Koreans walking around outside with umbrellas, sun visors, or in some extreme cases wearing long sleeves and pants to ensure that every inch of their skin was covered.  We thought this was really strange since it was swelteringly humid, and not at all raining.  But, many Koreans believe that sun in bad for their skin.  This coincides with their social view of beauty and pale white skin.  The crazy thing: millions of Korean women (and men) use harmful skin whitening creams that leave their faces shades lighter than their necks and often pock-marked because the creams are acid based.  Definitely not pretty.

I’ve experienced several other examples of Korean ideas of what is healthy and what is not.  And, I know that we American’s are not the most healthy of people (understatement) either but it does seem a little strange that so many Koreans can be so concerned about their health and yet so cavalier about something like radiation exposure, cancer, or any number of other actual health risks.  Needless to say, I’ll be keeping a close watch on the situation in Japan and I won’t be eating kimchi anytime soon.

On a lighter note, the cherry blossoms are blooming here and it’s feeling like Spring more and more! Hopefully, my next post will be full of stunning blossoming trees . . .

Colin goes to the Doctor (in Korea!)

Hey there, here’s another post for you guys.  I think I’m on a roll here.  I’ve been posting more frequently than ever!  Ok, ok, I know these last two posts haven’t actually been written by me but I did post them – that’s something right??  Well anyway, Colin is going to share with you his experience at the ENT here in Korea.  I have yet to experience Korean doctors for myself (hoping I can leave Korea saying the same) but I hear they are pretty crazy.  So, here’s Colin’s perspective.  Enjoy!

Hey everyone! It’s Colin here finally writing another blog post all by myself! Buckle your seat belts…

After reading the title you may think that I had a bad ass injury doing something stupid awesome here in Korea. Nope, no I didn’t. I had plugged up ears….

Ok now that you are all done laughing, it actually really sucked. Over the course of about 4 days I had my ears got more and more plugged up. By the 4^th day when I woke up I couldn’t hear anything (except the sounds of inside my head). And, by then it started to hurt. Stupid bleeping Q-Tips! I’m done with them. My ears were starting to hurt pretty badly so I got some info from friends about a good doctor that spoke English. Here is my totally awesome story of the brief visit:

I was just looking for some ear drops to deal with my problem. Simple right? No. They don’t sell those without a prescription here in Korea. In America I could grab a box of that stuff right next to the Cheetos! But I digress. When Kristen and I walked into the building with only 15 minutes before closing we weren’t sure what to expect. It was a little shocking to see a good eight or so people waiting in the lobby. I handed the receptionist my alien registration card and rather easily got my name put on the waiting list. The waiting list screen also doubled as a slide show for what I can only describe as super close up pictures of vaginas… yup. Vaginas. Granted they were probably the insides of ears and mouths considering this was an ear nose and throat doctor’s office, but I swear there were some vaginas mixed in there. Kristen and I had a good time playing the classic game “Is it a Vagina or something else?”

Once my name was called I was brought into the doctor’s room. He spoke good enough English to communicate with me and he asked me to hold a little camera up into my ears. A little odd was the fact that the camera broadcast onto TV directly in front of me. It was disgusting! I was repeatedly told my ears were healthy looking however. Well if healthy ears mean I can’t hear out of them then I want sick ears! Am I right?

I was assuming I would get some ear drops right then and there, but instead the doctor told me to step back into this other room and he would clean my ears right now. This is the Korea I’ve been hearing about! I laid down on a table and he brought out a whole toolkit of sharp instruments. Everything from long ass needles to a machine that literally sucks out crap from inside my head. He then went to town. Both the bladed needles and the machine hurt a little. I was actually a tad worried that he was scraping my ear drum too hard. I can’t fix it if it breaks! I don’t know how much school these doctors have to go to here in Korea. I mean I know they know what they’re doing, but it still is a little scary when you actually feel them scraping away at what feels like your brain. What’s totally cool is that at the same time he was somehow making me cough. Cough while he had a blade 6 inches into my head! He warned me that whatever he was doing might make my throat tickle, but I was not prepared. I know it is all connected in there, but I am still baffled at how he made me cough by going through my ears. This guy clearly knows black magic.

And these damn ear drops he gave me! The doctor first put a couple drops in my ears and told me this might make me a little dizzy. I thought nothing of it. Maybe it was his way of joking. Holy hell did it ever make me dizzy! By the 3^rd set of drops I was spinning like mad. I have never been spinning like that sober. It was exactly like I was 10 beers too many drunk, but I wasn’t! I couldn’t focus on anything and absolutely couldn’t close my eyes. Thinking about not throwing up actually kept my mind off of the slight pain he was causing me with the scraping so it worked out great. It also kept my embarrassment to a minimum, as he was handing all my black ear gunk to his fairly attractive younger female assistant. She probably does this 20 times a day and she still busted out a crinkled nose look once or twice. I tried to make a funny by agreeing with her face gestures and said “gross huh?” but the doctor again chimed in with “no this is healthy.”

Once he was done I had to lay there an extra five minutes before being able to stand up. Again so effing dizzy! But that was that! My ears were better than new. I swear I am actually hearing sounds differently now. In fact my keyboard sounds different to me. He scraped my ears clean! And how much did this cost me? A doctor’s visit plus two ear scrapings? Only $7! Amazing. The stories about the hospitals and doctors here in Korea are all true. The buildings and rooms don’t look as nice or seem quite as clean as back home. But if you can close your eyes and not think about that, they pump you full of crap and fix you quickly. Super quickly. And it’s dirt cheap which is why every Korean at the sign of the first sniffle will go to the hospital. Ridiculous? Yes. But with prices this cheap why not? Plus the pharmacies don’t seem to sell as much. Hospitals might be the only option. I definitely don’t always love Korea, but when Korea is good, it’s usually great.

 

A Mother’s Perspective

So, as I mentioned in my last post – which was yesterday, look at me go! – my mom recently travelled farther than she’s ever travelled before to Korea to visit little old me.  Her stay in Korea lasted just twelve short days and while she was here I got to see Korea in a new light.  Well, ok it wasn’t exactly a new light but it was a forgotten light.  And, it couldn’t have come at a better or more needed time (Thanks Mom!).  Needless to say, it was amazing to have my mom here and I relished the opportunity to show her both the sites and my everyday (ho hum) life here.  So, without further ado, here, in her own words, is my mom’s take on her Korean vacation.  Enjoy!

Me and my mom. Ahhhhh.

My trip to South Korea was the experience of a lifetime.  Not only did I get to spend time with Kristen (I missed her so much), but I was totally captivated by all the sites and culture of South Korea.  I made lots of fun new friends and got to visit with other young people I missed (Courtney, Colin, and Syd).

I thought it was interesting that their world map looked a little different from the one I’m used to looking at in the USA.  However, Kristen’s school did put Eugene on their map (I thought that was pretty cool).

A new world perspective.

Konglish!

The young kids in South Korea are very sweet.  They are very excited about speaking English and will do this randomly on the street to anyone who looks American.  They are very friendly.

Little old ladies rule in South Korea.  Always give up unassigned seats on buses or subways to any little old lady who is standing.  Expect to be pushed (shoved in some cases) out of their way.  They may alter their path so you are in the way.  However, some of them can be very sweet.  Its just not obvious which ones are sweet, so its best to get out of the way of all little old ladies.  We could probably learn some things about respecting elders from the South Koreans.

Favorite things about my trip:

Watching Kristen at school was definitely a favorite for me.  I am so proud of her.

Me, doing my thing.

The food was absolutely wonderful.

We had this meal at least 3 times. It's so good!

Beef shabu shabu was my favorite.  Shabu means swish, which is what you do with the meat in the broth.  I liked this so much, I had it three times.

I was able to do some pretty memorable things.

Determined to try everything, mom eats seaweed and anchovies.

She's making that face because there were fish nibbling her feet.

There was so much history and so much modern technology all in the same place.  I saw some really beautiful sites.

Daegu as seen from Woobang Tower (boasted by Korea to be the tallest tower although I'm not sure how accurate that is.)

Youngung-sa ("Sa" means temple).

We were even able to find my uncle’s name at the Korean War Memorial

I really enjoyed meeting everyone.  I had so much fun and everyone was really wonderful.

Mom fitting in nicely.

It was the best trip ever!

(Sorry Kris, I trimmed down the pictures as much as I could.)

For more pictures from my mom’s vacation click here and here. Oh, and what do you think of the new format?  I was getting bored with the old one.

Dancing in the Street

Like hundreds billions of bloggers before me and just as many or more who will come after me, I apologize for every time that I’ve had the intention to share an experience or funny thought with you only to have it promptly vanish from my mental “to-do” list as soon as I walk through my apartment door.

Since my last post there have been several great and worthy things that I could have and meant to post here for you to experience vicariously.  For example, my mom recently flew across the ocean, took a car, and then a train to come and visit this place I’ve called home with both pride and reluctance (and a little spite sometimes).  Her account of her visit along with many (many) pictures will follow.

Another great experience Colin and I recently had was our recent excursion to

Ryan on his 28th Brithday

Woobang Land for our friend Ryan’s 28^th birthday.  Woobang Land is Daegu’s musement park and, I have to say, for being a relatively small park, it’s pretty great.  Fully equipped with a Viking (pirate?) Ship ride, three great roller coasters, “rost” (consensus is that they meant “roast”) buttered cuttle fish stands, and a KFC, what more could you ask for on a sunny Saturday??  Did you say churros?? Heck yeah, they have those too!

"rost" buttered cuttlefish

an amusing sign at the amusement park.

 

Gotta love the Viking Ship!

 

The only roller coaster Colin would ride.

But, here is what finally brought me to my computer today.  The thing that compelled me to finally share all these other things with you happened while I was walking home from dinner this evening.  Skipping (not literally, but almost) along while “Save the Last Dance for Me” by the wonderful Michael Buble drowned out all the noises around me I watched as two of my students practiced some fancy footwork ahead of me.

Their side steps fell perfectly in time with Michael’s tune and I was mesmerized by the coincident that brought a huge smile to my face.  This small little experience was the perfect cap to an already good day.  And, I just wanted to share that with you because lately I think I (and most of my friends) have forgotten that a day in Korea can be a good day.  An actual good day.  Now, I have documented proof.

White, Sparkling, and Treacherous.

I wrote this post yesterday at school with the intention of posting last night at home so I could add some pictures.  Needless to say, I forgot to do that.  So, in order to prevent this post from being lost and wasted I’m posting it now sans pics.  Hope it’s still enjoyable for all of you who are visually inclined like me.

Day three of snow covered everything.  After about a two week heat wave, I woke up Monday morning and thought I was imagining things when I saw snowflakes through our window.  Colin laughed at me and said, “It’s not snowing. You can’t see that it’s snowing outside.”  A quick description of our window: two large frosted sliding glass panes with little one inch lines of clear glass dividing the pane into three sections.  It was through the little one inch sections that I could make out the snow falling.  I guess I can see why Colin thought it was ridiculous for me to be able to see that it was snowing.  But, I could.  And, it was.  And, it continued to snow all day long.

It must have been snowing the entire night too because I could see a generous layer of white covering everything when I stood looking out the window.  I like snow.  I think it’s beautiful.  All white and sparkling, it makes everything look soft and clean.  And, there’s nothing quite like making the first imprints in a fresh patch of snow.  But, snow in Korea is a different kind of experience altogether.  It’s still white and sparkling.  I still love finding untouched snow and being the first to make an impression.  It’s the days following that are treacherous and difficult.

In the U.S. (at least in most places – excluding the Pacific Northwest) when it snows huge snow plows immediately take to the streets pushing the snow aside, allowing cars and buses to travel safely.  Salt or gravel is poured on streets, sidewalks, stairs, any surface where people may trod, to prevent anyone from suing slipping.  These measures alone make the event of snow easier to manage and enjoy.  And, accept for the obvious occasions like the debilitating winter blizzards in the Northeast, Midwest, and Europe, people are able to get to and from without too much hassle.  Heck, if there is a hassle, sometimes you’re lucky and work or school gets cancelled.  And, we all love a snow day!

Korea does none of this.

The roads don’t get plowed.  Instead they become ice covered death traps for both cars and pedestrians.  Sidewalks tend to be in the same condition generally because sidewalks and roads here are the same.  A slippery, treacherous, uneven surface that is sure to leave an enormous, long lasting bruise on impact.  Buses and cars become nearly useless and people can be seen en mass slipping and sliding their way along to wherever it is they have to go.  I use “have” specifically because nothing closes due to weather here.  I shared with my students pictures of Oregon and Idaho covered in snow earlier this winter and when I told them that many students didn’t have to go to school on account of “all that white stuff,” they were shocked.  Some of them even cried at the unfairness of it all.  Seriously.

That’s where we are now.  Day three, and it’s icy, slick, and dangerous outside.  These conditions are terrible when you have to walk everywhere and you have no food in your house.  So, wish us good luck and sure footing.  Especially Colin since he has to walk much farther to school than I do.  I’m hoping for another heat wave.

UPDATE: I wrote this post at about 9:30 in the morning here and now it’s 1:30 in the afternoon and I’ve just gotten back from lunch with my school.  Although it’s still pretty cold outside, it’s sunny and warm enough to have melted away much of the snow and ice!  Maybe that heat wave is starting already (fingers crossed).

UPDATE: Last night it started raining and it wasn’t frozen over when I walked to work this morning.  Still, keep those fingers crossed since it’s supposed to snow again tomorrow.

Top five Vietnamese experiences

We just got back from our weeklong adventure in Vietnam. I say “adventure” purposefully because this wasn’t exactly the vacation it should have been. But, it was an adventure and it was an experience that both Colin and I are happy to have had. So, alright. Here are our top five experiences:

5. Beware of scams and idealisms

When visiting Vietnam, I would advise you to be cautiously wary of people. For the most part, Vietnamese people are very nice and welcoming. But, it seems, in Hanoi (or other big tourist destinations) they are not above taking advantage of people. I tend to be a trusting person up front. I usually believe that if you are mistrustful or overly cynical about people you’re more likely to have bad experiences. Vietnam proved me wrong from the beginning. Here are the mistakes I made:

Mistake A: I waited until the last minute to work out the transportation details with our hotel. Because of this, I didn’t know how to recognize who would be taking us to our hotel from the airport and so we were taken to a different hotel and scammed out of about $75 (just for our taxi ride)

Mistake B: I assumed that because I gave the man at the information counter the number of my hotel, he called my hotel. But, he didn’t. He called a different hotel and he, along with our cab driver, and the man who met us at the hotel we were taken to were likely all in cahoots.

Mistake C: I assumed that the man who met us at “our hotel” worked there. Pretty sure now that he didn’t since the hotel we booked never had any record of us showing up at their hotel or any other hotel affiliated with them.

From this experience I’ve learned that when traveling to other countries winging it isn’t always the best. Colin and I both agree that our vacation to Vietnam wasn’t the greatest but we’re definitely happy we went. And, there were some really great experiences and sites. Overall, it was a good trip. But I’ll definitely be more cautious and a little less trusting next time.

In the end, once we figured out we were being scammed and got to what we thought was our hotel (there are two unaffiliated Time Hotels in Hanoi), our stay at the Time Hotel was a good one and our booking at the other Time Hotel where we were originally meant to stay was refunded entirely and they waived the “no show” fee for us. So, I would like to say that if you ever travel to Hanoi, The Time Hotel is a great place to stay (either one of them).

4. Embracing the noise.
I am certainly not an experienced world traveler by any stretch of the phrase. But, Hanoi is the noisiest most chaotic place I’ve ever been. Cars, people, and hundreds of motor-bikes all sharing the same road space, dart here and there dodging each other like players in a treacherous dance. The cacophony of horns can almost be described as musical – if you close your eyes real tight and imagine with all your might. I’m surprised to say that I find it all frustrating, terrifying, and intoxicating

3. OMG . . . it’s so cheap!

The exchange rate in Vietnam is 19,500 dong (hee hee.  Yes, I know I’m a child but that word is just funny.) to $1. That being said:

Five nights for two in a decent hotel in a great location = $125

Dinner for two including an appetizer and drinks = $8

City bus ticket = $0.15

One delicious baguette from the street vendor on the corner = $0.05

One amazing cup of rich black Vietnamese coffee = $0.25

As you can see, it was pretty amazing!

2. The food is incredible

Once we made it to the hotel we actually booked thought we actually booked we went exploring for some dinner. Now, originally, we were looking for something a little more Western since our previous meals had been predominately Vietnamese and not exactly fulfilling for Colin. However, we stumbled into a busy little Vietnamese restaurant and found ourselves the most delicious dinner ever! Well, the most delicious dinner I’ve ever had – I think it may have been one of the most delicious meals Colin’s ever had. And, as stated above, our entire meal was about $8. It doesn’t get much better than that.

1. Halong Bay baby!

By far our favorite experience in Vietnam has got to be Halong Bay! Also known as the “Descending Dragon Bay,” our guide for the trip told us about the legend of the bay.

Apparently, the gods sent a family of dragons to help the Vietnamese fight the invading Chinese. As the dragons arrived at the bay, they began to spit out jewels  which turned into small islands as they hit the water allowing the people to form a wall against the Chinese.

When we arrived at Halong Bay, the sky was overcast and the bay was full of Oriental Junks. That’s what they call the boats. I felt a little silly when I thought of third Pirates of the Caribbean movie but that was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the bay. Once we met with our tour guide we all got on a little skipper boat that took us to the boat we’d be staying on for the next two days.

Despite the cool weather and misty-ness Halong Bay was quite possibly the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. From here on out, I’m going to let the pictures speak for me. Unfortunately, I’m not eloquent enough to adequately describe the beauty of this place. Even the pictures fail to do it justice.

For the rest of the pictures, which I know you’re dying to see you can visit Colin’s Window’s Live Photo Share  (he told me to make it really big and obvious) or if you’re on Facebook you can see them there.  Be sure to check them our wherever you can since I didn’t post even half of our pictures here.   Including pictures from our visit to “Surprising Cave” and most of our experiences in Hanoi.  Colin also has several videos to share!  Until next time!

How’d They Do That!?

This past Saturday Colin, Courtney, Ann, Ryan, and I braved the freezing cold weather and hauled ourselves to the Trick Art exhibit at the Exco center in Daegu.  All the pieces in the exhibit are two-dimensional optical illusions.  It was a blast and most of the pictures turned out awesome!  Hope you enjoy.

You can check out more pictures on Colin’s web album.  This is where you can find pictures and stuff from Colin (and sometimes me) so feel free to bookmark the link.  On Sunday, Colin and I set out for our winter vacation to Vietnam.  Pictures and details to follow!

 

Waiting

It’s Thursday January 12^th and although it’s after 10pm and I should be in bed (since I have a full day of desk warming ahead of me tomorrow) I’m up.  Waiting.  Six days ago, Colin (the one who keeps me sane here in Korea) left for the U.S. to watch the Ducks play Auburn in the NCAA National Championship Game.

For the last six days I’ve been watching musicals and chick flicks, listening to country music without my headphones, and sleeping in the middle of the bed – all the things I don’t get to do when he’s here.  For the last six days I’ve been doing all these things and telling myself how great it is.  But now, as I’m listening for the door to open, I’m admitting how much I missed him and how grateful I am that he’s in Korea with me.

I’ve said it many times before, I love all the wonderful, fantastic friends I’ve made here but even though it’s only been six days – which is not long at all – I’ve definitely felt someone missing.  And so, the last six days have seemed to drag on a bit.

I spent the afternoon cleaning up the apartment and doing laundry.  Had dinner with my girls.  Now, I’m waiting.  Any minute, he’s going to pull his bag through the door and I’m going to get me give him six days worth of a hug.

Never really counted myself as “one of those girls” but I guess Korea will bring out things you didn’t know you had in you.

Christmas in Korea

 

I’ve spent Christmas away from friends and family once before and it wasn’t a great experience.  In fact, it was a terrible, lonely experience and I will never forgive Target for making me work Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas. 

This year, my Christmas was spent in Korea – without my family (sadly) but with my great, fantastic, wonderful friends (and boyfriend).  And, although it was a little strange not to see my family and do all the things that we Americans do during Christmas, overall, it was a perfect Korean Christmas. 

Colin and I started out the day opening what we dubbed our “filler” gifts.  Both of us had gotten each other things that needed to be shipped so we also picked up some small, simple gifts so we would have something for each other to open on Christmas day.  Funnily enough, we both got each other essentially the same things – pens, coffee, and socks. 

Soon after opening our gifts, we headed to Subway for lunch and then off to meet everyone for an afternoon of ice skating!  All of us being novices, it’s quite surprising to be able to say that among the five of us, there were only two spills – me and Courtney.

After we were sufficiently numbed and satisfied with our ice skating experience the five of us headed downtown to enjoy some Starbucks hot cocoa (with soju for the guys).  We next set out on a mission to find a place to have our feet nibbled on my little fish.  I know it sounds disgusting but it was such a great experience – I would highly recommend you try it if you ever get the chance. 

We finally ended the evening with a Christmas dinner of club sandwiches, nachos, and taco salad.  Perfect.  As I said, it was a fantastic Korean Christmas.