Do Koreans ever think?

Koreans are really very nice, simple, sweet, adorable people, but sometimes I often wonder if they use much common sense. Seeing the way mothers carry their young infants straddled to their back, wrapped up by a blanket as support just cracks me up. I'm constantly watching mothers "hoist up" (adjust) their babies that are strapped on their backs held in merely by a blanket that is pulled down around the baby's bottom and that wraps up around the baby's back. It's just hilarious for me to see these poor little babies flailing around, looking like smushed bugs (frogs) that are stuck to their mother's back. It amazes me to see the poor little baby's head dangling off to one side as the mother puts on hand on the back of the baby's back (bottom) hoping that the baby doesn't bump into the door that the mother is walking through. It just doesn't seem like a very safe or efficient way to carry your child. I also am amazed to see how the mother's pull an entire blanket over the baby's body when it is raining out. The poor baby is completely covered by this blanket and has virtually no air coming in. This seems dangerous and cruel to me (maybe because I am slightly claustrophobic and get uncomfortable in small spaces). Other things I've seen that seem to lack common sense is the mother who gets into the front seat of the car with her baby still strapped to her back!!! I kid you not, I've seen a woman driving around with he baby pinned against the back of the car seat smushed against the mom's back and the car seat.
I've also seen 4-5 year old children sitting on the front seat (lap) of their parent, right in front of the steering wheel, with NO seat belt on!!!! Does anyone else see a potential problem with this? The craziest (stupidest) one of seen like like was a father riding his motorbike with TWO of his sons in front of him on his lap. The older, 4-5 year old boy was on the seat in front of him and the younger son, 2-3 was sitting in a milk crate type seat in front of his brother, touching the handlebars. Sometimes I can't believe the actions and behaviors of the Koreans.
Other cultural differences that I've noticed here include: While I was down by the river one evening, I saw this one young couple walking along the grass and then all of a sudden stop in front of something lying on the ground. I didn't know what it was, and thought maybe they were going to bend over & pick it up; but instead I saw the girl bend over and tie the shoelace of her boyfriend. He obviously had nothing wrong with him that would prevent him from tying his own shoe, but elected to have his girlfriend do it for him. How do you think that would go over these days in America? It's just a little old fashioned over here in that the women serves the man entirely over here.
The other funny thing that happened by the river that night was, I saw a young middle school girl blatantly throw a food wrapper on the ground. When I pointed to her, and said "garbage" (attempted to say it) in Korean... she looked confused, saw me pointing, picked it up, looked at me, (saw that I was a foreigner) and randomly said, "What time is it?" I laughed inside and said , "It's 7:15" That is one of the canned, pre-rehearsed English phrases that all Korean students learn. I can have a conversation with any middle school student as long as I stick to the "script" of "How are you? Where are you from? What time is it? How's the weather? Do you like apples? Sorry I can't! and the ever popular "What's This?" Any attempt at speaking English outside this box, and you might as well be speaking to a Martian. Good luck trying to improvise, they have no creative imagination to think outside the box. I actually am beginning to think that I speak better Korean (more practical) than they speak English. They definitely know more words than I do; but I can actually get around, and communicate what I need to convey with the very little broken Korean that I've learned here so far. It's all good and fun I guess, because they are in Korea and have really no need to speak practical English yet. It just makes me laugh about the "in the box" cookie-cutter way in which English is taught here. It's a very impractical methodology as far as I can tell. Oh, well, but it is providing a much needed job opening for native English teachers like myself. The lowest qualified college graduate back home can be a superstar here in Korea. That's why many people come here for one year, and they end up staying for 3-5+ years. It's so fascinating to me.
OK that's enough of my critical view for one night; until next time, have a good night.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Home from Busan

So last Sunday my buddy Rich and I were on the subway making our way to Busan Station to get the train back to Miryang. We had a good time at our Salsa dance class in Changwon the night before, then we commuted to Busan for a fun rooftop birthday party for some girl we didn't even know, but were invited anyway. We had a great time partying there, and afterwards went to dance at Club Foxy. We partied until 4am, when we then headed to Mc'D's for some food before finding a place to sleep. We elected for our usual, favorite spot (which is the $7/night sauna/spa/sleeping room) I tell you, these places are DEFINITELY the best things to ever happen to Korea, by far!!!!

So, on Sunday, while we were on the subway, a Korean man helped us figure out where we needed to go to catch a train to Miryang. He asked me where I was from, and I said, "New York, America." He asked me what I'm doing in Korea & where I was living. I said I was an English teacher in Miryang and he said, "Oh I have a friend teaching English in Miryang, he's name is Darren!!" I said "What??? Who?? Darren? I'm Darren!!" He actually made me think/wonder for a second whether there was another English teacher in Miryang named Darren. It turns out that I met this man when I was in Seoul with Flo attending the Sunday night evening session of the Landmark Forum!!! He apparently didn't recognize me ( I guess all foreigners (white people) probably all look the same to him huh? just the way we tend to think that all Asian people look the same). I obviously did not remember/recognize him as well either. We quickly realized that it was ME that met him in Feb in Seoul. We had a good laugh and shared a drink together at the train station. He was coming back from a friend's wedding that he went down for earlier that day; He took the 2 hour 45 min train ride down from Seoul in the morning, went to the wedding (apparently very dull & boring in Korea) and then was taking the KTX (bullet train) back to Seoul. He had to buy a standing room only ticket on the way home because there were no more seats available on the train. He told us a little bit about the quick, rapid, non-eventful weddings that take place here in Korea and the standard amount of money that one gives as a gift. I thought this would be a personal preference (issue), but he freely told that everyone gives 50,000 Won ($50), as a standard wedding gift. He then went on the explain, that if you aren't really that close with the person, than it's OK to give 30,000 Won ($30) as a gift. This seems like a far less amount than what we Americans typically tend to give for gifts at weddings these days.
We asked him if he was married and he went on the explain a very strange (by Western standards) scenario. He said that he is/was married, but his wife decided to move out on him after one week of being married. So, for the past 3 years he has been technically married "on paper" but in reality lives a life alone, as a single man. This was odd & a bit sad to hear from him. Evidently there is a HUGE negative stigmatism attached to being divorced in Korea these days. Being a very conservative, old-fashioned society, I guess it's socially unacceptable to be divorced here. I know of couples who haven't lived together for 3-5 years, are, for all intensive purposes, separated, "divorced" but are still legally married because of was society would think if they said they actually were divorced. Again, to me, this is another example of the highly suppressed, pressurized environment in which the Koreans are forced to live today. Even as we are well into the first part of 21st century, Koreans are still living a quiet, conservative, reserved, prim, proper life as folks in America did back in the 1940s & 1950s. It really is a cute, sweet, innocent way of life here. A friend of mine from NJ who has been living in working in Asia for the past 7 years said, "Korea is the MOST Asian country in all of Asia" I guess he meant the most traditional, conservative, Eastern of all Asia countries. I did notice right away how much more Western Japan is than Korea. Everything seems so much more modern, trendy, and hip over there. What I really liked about Japan was the individuality of the people. They were all unique in their self-expression, their dress, their demeanor, and overall state of mind. They are not afraid to "be themselves", whereas in Korea, it's a very much "follow the crowd" mentality. No uniqueness here; Everyone looks the same, dresses the same, smells the same (very very clean by the way), all have same, old fashioned "bowl" haircuts; very few people have perms, curly, or colored hair here. And tattoos are very strange to Koreans. Forget about trying to be accepted if you are a gay person in Korea. You might as well be a leper because the idea is so foreign to them.

I do really admire & appreciate the "one for all & all for one" spirit that exists here though. Someone (a Korean) was explaining to me that because Korea has very few foreigners living here, they all feel as if they are all brothers and sisters (one family) amongst themselves, and show lots of closeness & affection towards each other. That's why in Korean customs, they are share food from the same plate (plates), eat from the same soup bowl, use the same cup for drinking from the water cooler, etc. That's why Korean women have no problem scrubbing the back of strange sitting next to them in the sauna. There is no uncomfortable, awkwardness that exists among the Koreans because it's as if they are all brothers & sisters living as one brotherhood amongst themselves. Whereas in America, we don't have this dynamic; Because our country is a virtuous potpourri (melting pot) of many races, nations, religions, etc, we tend be a little less open (touchy feely) with our communication among our fellow Americans. That's why I really love going to these Saunas here to see the pure love, openness, connection & bonding that takes place between a father and son; grandfather & grandson, Uncle & nephew, etc. it's just so special & precious to witness and see this. I also really loved being at a co-ed Spa this past Monday May 5th for Children's Day. Seeing so many families there with their cute lil children running around screaming, playing, eating ice cream, etc. was absolutely ADORABLE. I often find myself reaching for my camera when I'm in the Sauna, on the train, or anywhere else where I am around cute, little Korean children. They are all just so precious, sweet, innocent, excited, happy people. Plus they always pay me extra attention to me being a "waygook" (foreigner). I get to make friends and start a new "fan club" everywhere I go. I will have to posting pics of these cute Korean babies on my FLICKR site soon.
I find it interesting to learn that Koreans find Westerner babies to be so so cute, because of their big, wide eyes, milk white skin, etc. At the same time I find myself being so attracted to the sweet, cute, adorable beauty of the Korean infant. My one buddy Phil, from Houston, TX says he thinks the best feature of the Korean women are their "almond shaped" eyes. This is so funny because many Korean women don't like the shape of their eyes and they actually go get surgery done on their eyelids to make them look more Western. I've actually seen some very poorly done operations where their eyes look like playdough. It's really quite amusing to me when you think about the fact that us Westerners are trying to become darker by tanning, removing hair from our bodies, etc. While at the same time, Koreans (Asians) are trying to stay out of the sun, because they think having white skin is sexy, and being yellow (dark) skinned is not attractive. It makes me wonder if people can ever be happy/comfortable where they are. It seems as if so many people are trying to be MORE ....of one thing (i.e. patient), BETTER... of something else (i.e. better communicator) or DIFFERENT at another thing (i.e. different hair, body, etc). I know that I am guilty of this myself. I am always looking to improve, to excel, to gain that extra edge, etc. Why can't we just be happy with where we are now? So many of us are unfortunately controlled by wanting to "look good" or to avoid "looking bad". I know that this is an area that I experience a lot of. I think it's natural for human beings to want to "look good" to "fit in" "be liked". Why can't we all just be happy & comfortable where we are now, in our own bodies, with our faults, our own blemishes and shortcomings? I think as we get older we gradually learn to become independent of the opinions of others, not take things so personally anymore, and we learn to love and accept ourselves, warts & all. I think that is one of the best parts of growing older, wiser, and gaining precious life experience.

Random Korean Happenings

The coolest thing happened a few weeks ago when I was at school in the morning sending an email to my friend Ken in NY. He emailed me back on his Blackberry saying that he was having dinner at a Korean restaurant in NYC at the very moment I emailed him (9am for me is 8pm in NY). I immediately replied back with several useful Korean phrases to say while in the restaurant. Things like: "mul juseyo" (water please)
"mek ju juseyo" (beer please) "ma shi sa yo" (delicious) Thank you, good bye, etc. He emailed me back thanking him for the quick crash course in Korean phrases, and I just smiled thinking how wonderfully amazing and great the world in which we live in is now due to technology & the internet. Especially the internet. My top favorite sites have become: www.wikipedia.org the most amazing online encyclopedia where you can look up virtually anything and get a quick, thorough, historical, and factual overview. Everything from the story of Jesus and how Christianity was formed to Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, info on books, movies, actors. The Korean War, countries, biographies, etc. I love the way it's laid out in a succinct, biographical, report-like manner. I also love www.dictionary.com which helps me learn many new words that I come across from doing the crosswords in the book that Flo gave me. The internet (google) also helps "assist" me in looking up certain clues that I'm stuck on. Like this one "Best Picture of 1970" starts with a "P". I was helpless here, so I looked it up and discovered it was......anybody care to guess??? (6 letters)............PATTON. I love the fun investigative process I'm using to look up facts, figures, people, movies, music, words, etc. on the internet. The other most favorite site of mine nowadays is: www.youtube.com You can watch virtually any music video of any song ever made; watch clips from movies, TV shows, funny bloopers, cartoons, inspirational and touching speeches, etc. Just go to this site and type in any thing you have a desire to see, watch, or listen to. Simply amazing.

I've really been enjoying Korea here lately. Because of the nice, beautiful spring like weather, I've been able to ride my bike to school in the mornings each day which takes me about 10-15 min. often times I find myself passing the slow moving cars & buses that are stuck in traffic on the main road that runs through town. Dan (my neighbor from UK) also rides his bike to school as well.

I had a fun, random occurrence this past Sunday in Busan.....

Today we had a GREAT Sports Day!

Today was such an awesome fun day of being outside in the gorgeous, warm, sunny, spring like day! All the elementary schools from Miryang gathered inside the soccer/track & field stadium for one full day of sports events & competitions. There were 5 middle schools and 5 elementary schools that came to cheer and show their school spirit for their fellow classmates. When I first arrived at 11am, the principal of my school invited me to sit down and eat/drink with him and the other male principals, administrators. They poured me a beer, ate some rice cakes and tomatoes. Later I went up to the stands to join the other teachers and students who were baking in the warm sun. They all looked so cute in their color-coordinated outfits, waving their colored bottles (noise makers) in the air. Each school had a different theme, style, and music routine that they cheered to. The events these kids participated in were AMAZING. They had the relay race, 100 meter dash, long jump (into a long sand pit), high jump, shot put, etc. I was so impressed with the quality and caliber of the kids participation as well as the professional grade equipment they used. The stadium is very nice and was built in 2001 to prepare for the 2002 FIFA World Cup that was hosted by Korea & Japan.
One thing I found surprising was how many people (both students & teachers) complained of how hot it was. To me, it was a beautiful, crisp, bright, sunny, spring-like day (probably 70 degrees). To me, if was refreshing to be out in the sun, getting some color on my face and arms, etc. But to see these teachers bundled up, wearing gloves, hats, towels, scarfs, hoods, etc. was hillarious to me. The Korean women can't stand the sun (they love white skin) and will cover every inch of their body to block out the sun. The funniest was seeing this teacher with a black North Face jacket, with the hood pulled tightly over her head, and her hands tucked back under the long sleeves of the jacket. I laughed at her and asked her, faceticiously, if she were cold.
This is actually one of the first things I can honestly say I've seen Koreans (esp. teachers) complain about. Because it's a very suppressed society, I notice that many people don't raise their voice, balk, or speak their mind at anything that occurs. They just very politely accept things as they come, bear & grin any task that is asked of them. I personally thinks this leads to a culture of very suppressed people, who push down their feelings, bite their lip, and just do what they are told like good little soldier boys & girls. In America, they (the administration) wouldn't be able to get away with half this stuff. I had actually been wondering recently if their was 'anything' that the Koreans would vocally complain about (speak up for). I have not really much complaining, bickering, or resentment from any of the Koreans since I've been here. This once again, is attributed to the vast cultural differences btw. Korea and many western countries like the US. So it was kind of amusing for me to hear the vocal, whiny, grumpy complaints about how "uncomfortably hot" it was. If they are complaining this much about it being 70-75 degrees, clear, breezy, etc. what are they going to be like in June, July & August when it's stifling hot, humid and in the 90's? They will just complain more, or stay inside with the air conditioning on.
This discovery actually made me chuckle a bit, because of all the possible things that most westerners would tend to complain about back home (school administration, meetings, schedules, paperwork, projects, the Koreans instead tend to put their focus, frustration, and complaints into something they have absolutely NO CONTROL over like the weather. This cracks me up!! My friend Christina said it perfectly:
"they complain about the weather because nobody has control over it so they're not hurting anyone or wont get in trouble by complaining"

I agree completely with this statement. Christina is doing so great great by the way. She is taking Salsa dance classes with us on Saturday night's and she has also been taking Korean classes each week. She's so good now, that she actually writes a summary (journal) of what she did for the day in Korean!!! Wow, I was so impressed to see that she actually writes full sentences, thoughts, ideas, etc. in Korean. I'm excited because I can write Florinda's and my name in Korean. But to actually write full, complete sentences, wow, you go girl!!

New Semester Brings Lots of Changes at Milju in Miryang

Well it's been a long time since I've written and I have so much to share with everyone. Let me first start by saying how wonderful it was to have Flo come out here and spend her 2 week vacation with me. We really did have a magical, fun, and adventurous time together. It was fun to be able to show her around my town, go to my school, play volleyball with all the teachers ("nice bodyline" they would say to Flo), go hiking, singing in Nore Bang (Karaoke Room), bowling, etc. Two things Flo forgot to mention was going to Bugok Hawaii, a "beautiful" (kinda old) resort area that contains many bubbling hot natural springs. The water here is so therapeutic and rich in minerals, that I could feel the smoothness of the minerals on my skin the second I dipped my hand in. It felt like soaking in an Epsom Salt hot bath. We enjoyed the amenities of the indoor/outdoor co-ed Jungle Spa sauna where we enjoyed the lush surroundings of bamboo tree, palm trees, etc. We saw part of the acrobatic dance show and enjoyed a delicious pork BBQ dinner.
The other exciting thing I took Flo to was Dr. Fish (fishee in Konglish). This is a place at Home Plus (Target type store) where you can dip your feet in one of three different pools that contain these "very hungry" silver fish that will nibble at your feet, ankles, toes, EVERYWHERE!!!! After 20 minutes of getting this constant tickling sensation, you dry your feet off and enjoy your pristine, dead-skin free feet (the fish supposedly eat the dead skin off your feet). This is a wild experience only to be found in Korea as far as I know. Flo was brave, and made it though 20 minutes worth (we went twice b/c we didn't bring the camera the first time hehe).

2008 School Semester Update:

So now that the New School Year started on March 3rd, there has been lots & lots of changes since we broke for winter break back in December. First of all my main co-teacher, Sunny, who was responsible for picking me up, getting me settled in with a cell phone, bank account, etc. got transferred to another school. There is a law in Korea which prevents teachers from staying at any one school for more than 5 years. This caused a great deal of shuffling amongst many teachers & administrators. The vice-principal left (he got promoted to Principal at another school). The 1st Grade teacher got switched to the 6th Grade, while the other 1st Grade teacher (Moonlight) left Korea, sold her house, took her two young boys, and her husband and moved to China! She got hired to teach English at a school in China. Moonlight had been at Milju Elementary for 5 years and had to switch schools, so she took this opportunity to transfer her & her entire family to China. This is the typical, last minute, running around routine that is very common in Korea. I didn't know who my new co-teacher would be until one week before the semester. Mintzi taught 4th Grade last year, and is now the full-time English teacher with me. And since the gym teacher married the 6th Grade teacher, they both couldn't stay at Milju because there is a rule (whether unwritten or not) that "says" a married couple can't teach/work at the same school; so she transferred to another school down the road. But the craziest off season move (in my opinion) was the Music teacher (a very talented, musically gifted woman) who was asked (told/forced) to become the Science teacher. Can you believe that?? To go from teaching music, (a very creative, right-brained, artsy, imaginative, feeling based subject) to Science (a very left-brained, a very logical, detailed oriented, fact-based subject) seems complete wild, extreme, and unfathomable. They are at two completely different ends of the spectrum!! But this is the way it works at all elementary schools here. Any teacher is (should be) qualified to teach any subject and any grade level. My co-teacher now, had no idea that she was going to selected to teach English with me and she was surprised when they picked her b/c she felt that her English wasn't that strong. This is what I find so remarkable about these Koreans. They are so creative & resourceful, and willing to jump right in and help out wherever needed. For example did you know that a few years back when the Korean government was in a financial crisis, the Korean citizens VOLUNTARILY collected money to donate & give to help out the government. Can you believe that?? This is the strong, patriotic, nationalistic fervor many Koreans are proud to live by. Also during the 2005 APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Conf) the city Busan asked the citizens to please refrain from driving their cars on alternating days. They used an odd/even system based on people's license plate; WOW!!!

There are definitely a few things I had to get used to as the new semester started in March (new school year for Koreans). The 6th graders from last have graduated and are down the block at the Middle School where Ken (English teacher from Liverpool) tells me kids are well behaved & good in class, speak English well, etc. But he says the only problem with my kids are that they are ALWAYS asking for candy: "Teacha, teacha, candy please!" I can't imagine why they would say that....ooops ooops, sorry Ken. I guess I spoiled them a little too much during my first 6 months here.
Let's see, what other changes can I tell you about....Oh yes, how can I forget one of the most exciting changes (at least for me anyway) is that we got NEW silver metal lunch trays in the cafeteria. What's really exciting is that these new trays have SIX slots for food whereas the old one only had FIVE slots!!! I'm telling you, that was one of the biggest highlights of the new semester. And extra serving of some yummy, savory, Korean dish for me to enjoy each day! Yippee!! I'm proud to say that I'm still wiping my tray clean each day when it comes to school lunches.
The 3rd graders (2nd graders from last year) are now being introduced to English for the first in their public school careers, and needless to say, it's a real trip!! So so basic, simple stupid stuff like: "Hello Zeeto, Hi Julie" "Bye-bye Minsu, good bye Mina" Lots of cute little songs and chants to keep the kids attention. The basic goal in 3rd & 4th grade is to get these kids EXCITED to learn English. And from the looks (reactions) of my children, I'd say I'm accomplishing that task quite successfully. Like another English teacher said, "I can't believe they pay me for doing this!" Karri from Canada says the secret to teaching elementary school, is to not be embarrassed to act like a little (a big) kid. To jump up & down, making funny faces, gestures, body postures, etc. the wilder, the sillier, the better. I can't agree more with Karri; 3rd & 4th grade kids are my absolute FAVORITE grades because I feel totally at peace, comfortable, and fully self-expressed and in my element with these students. They are so young, impressionable and are so pure & innocent. They are has concerned about "looking good" as the 5th & 6th graders are. Because of my experience here in Korea & the time I spent substituting in NJ, I have decided I want to obtain y Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education (K-6). This is shocking for me to actually want to go into elementary education b/c of my horrific experience back home. My very day substituting was a nightmarish, experience. These wild, little, crazy 8 year old 3rd graders ran me ragged for the entire day. I was so shell shocked, that I began to wonder whether I was getting my "payback" (paying my karma) for all the many times times I spent torturing my substitute teachers when I was in school.
But now that I've been working work young elementary kids for so long, I really feel as if I am finally finding my calling in life. It's just so clear to me that this is what I'm here for. I'm finally discovering the gifts the God has given me, and am open cultivating the gifts that God has blessed me with.
The expereinces that I incur everyday at school are a true miracle, blessing, and treat for me. Everything from from the kids yelling my name, saying hello to me from the classroom windows, to having one boy grab my hand, hug me, and jump into my arms, wrapping his arms around me while he is suspended in mid air. Today I had several students come to my desk and say: "Darren, teacher, I love you". They don't really know what it means, but it's nice to hear. Than, last week I had a young lil 2nd grader, smile at me, say hello, and then stick his MIDDLE FINGER in the air at me!!! I smiled back, a bit in shock, and said "Don't do that!!" (haji ma!!! in Korean) I just had to walk away shaking my head & smiling at just what had happened. You definitely can't take things too seriously when dealing with these kids, esp when they have no idea what it means, and are just copying what they see on TV.

I'm also excited to report that because of this new dance move that I've been mimicking from one of the hot new Korean pop bands, I've gained even more increased fame & popularity, esp. among the girls. The song is called, "Baby one more time" by Jewelry and they do this one move move where you wave your right arm up and over towards your left and until your two index fingers touch. I'm getting many requests from my students asking me to sing this song & do the little dance move. It works really well after we finish the "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes" song. They all put their hands over their mouths and gigglein awe. It really doesn't take much to impress Koreans (esp the kids).

Message from Flo

A Visitor's View of Sparkling South Korea (that's actually one of the country's slogans)

After two very smooth flights, including a short and sweet reunion at the SFO airport, I arrived in Seoul! In true comedic form, Darren was waiting for me with a big welcome sign at the wrong gate entry. Luckily I sat next to a very friendly Korean (Mr. Park #1) who let me use his cell phone to find Darren! Needless to say, it was a good first impression of the Korean personality: warm, generous and helpful.

We spent the next four days exploring Seoul. We hit a lot of the major tourist attractions:

1. Gyeongbokgung Palace: Full of ornate, traditional Korean color and architecture. We checked out the National Museum within it and saw the colorful changing of the guards-like ceremony. I took way too many pictures of these guys, but I thought it was awesome to figuratively take a step back in time (like 700 years ago). This palace was part of the Joseon Dynasty and thanks to these folks Seoul became the capital city.

2. Namdaemun Market: We loved walking around this bustling, traditional market. They sold everything from Laver (dried seaweed) to fake designer bags. Hot foods, clothing for all, houseware, shoeware, knickknacks, stuff you don't even know you need or want, and so on and so forth. I loved just watching the people and taking in what seemed like a very average day in the lives of the hustling locals.

3. Myeong-Dong: We stayed at Mr. Park's Guest House (yes, that's Mr. Park #2) where I was introduced to the Korean customs of removing shoes before entering rooms, drinking lots of green tea from convenient hot water dispensers (everyone has one, even hotel rooms and saunas have them) and taking showers in plastic slippers.

4. Seoul Tower: Darren and I took a very late night stroll up to the tower, knowing we wouldn't make it on time. It turned out to be one of my favorite moments. Nothing like a midnight hike up a long hill... We actually encountered a few ambitious Koreans, doing what I assume were intense training regimens. Who knows, they impressed me, though, especially the midnight runners. The next night, we actually made it to the Tower and enjoyed the spectacular views. Apparently, on a really clear night, you can see as far north as North Korea.

5. Korean War Museum: I was a little sick by this point, but Darren was stoked about this museum. His great enthusiasm propelled the day. We spent most of the visit learning about the Korean War, watching interesting video footage and listening to our audio guide. There were also other sections dedicated to dynastic wars and such. I was a bit embarrassed to have known so little about the Korean war. We could have spent more time there, but we stayed until it closed.

6. Itaewon: We stayed at another guest house, motel-ish. This is a slightly seedier, more western, more club-ish part of Seoul. We ate at a nice Thai restaurant where the manager bought us dessert. He was impressed that Darren was teaching me the Korean alphabet. Darren was fearless at asking questions about the pronunciation and definition of certain words.

7. Our traditional Korean home stay! Sleeping on heated floors was actually comfy. We stayed here after my first night at a Jim Jil Bang. It's like an over night sauna, bath-house. Hard to describe, really, but so cheap and relaxing. I joined the other Korean women and just relaxed, enjoying the different pools. Going from hot to cold and then jumping in the steam room or the sauna. I loved watching the women preen each other. It was so communal. Westerners have managed to make spa treatments very private and very expensive. I really enjoyed the Korean sensibility that taking care of your skin and your stress is part of a healthy well-being. And it wasn't expensive at all. We've gone backwards in the arena of health and well-being in the States. Enough said. And after my relaxing, I was given a set of shorts and a tee and I would go to the communal sauna area to meet Darren. Here we could sleep on the floor, or buy some food, or enjoy some massage chairs, or go on the internet, or read, or even watch TV, if it wasn't too late. We took advantage of the saunas.

We took the train back to Darren's home in Miryang. Here we visited many Buddhist temples. This proved to be wonderful because every temple was on a hill, so a nice trek was always part of the plan. We actually went on a three hour hike in Pychungsa, a nearby mountain. Here I met a lot of Darren's international teacher-friends. But even more impressively, I met his Korean buds, who exercised their hospitality and generosity by taking us out to dinner on many occasions, cheering us with soju and coca-cola to future reunions and Darren (very handsome boy, as they liked to call him. They wanted me to be sure I knew about these qualities before I left!) Even though both parties couldn't speak either enough English or Korean to be fully understood, we communicated beautifully. Eating dinner with them always proved endearing and entertaining! A lot of guessing, a lot of physical expression goes a long way.

On to Busan! We spent a couple days in bustling Busan. One night at a cheap love motel (which sounds like it might be sketchy, but was actually very nice and accommodating) and one night at a very high end hotel, the Westin Chosun. Darren treated me big time here. We went out dancing, dinner, played a little blackjack at a casino in a shopping mall! It was a very high end shopping mall! I just watched Darren win $175...his winnings were enough excitement for me! We went on to the aquarium, we got our picture taken by some very eager Jehovah's Witnesses, we strolled Haeundae beach... We had a lot of fun.

Alright, some quick highlights:

On Korean food:

It was all excellent, in my opinion. Kimbap, kimchi, bulgogi, korean pizza, cold noodle soup, galbi and on and on. I loved all the veggies and the BBQs. The sesame leaves, and sesame paste and hot peppers and fresh garlic and quail eggs... It was always interesting and tasty to me, but as Darren says: "sometimes you just have a craving for pasta and burgers". I was only there for 15 days, after all...

On Korean compliments:

"So beautiful", all of the elementary school kids liked to say this to me. Ego boosting as this may have been the first 30 times, it lost its meaning after a while.

"Best couple", cute teenaged girls told us this at a bus stop.

"You look alike", apparently looking alike is a good thing because we heard this a lot.

On Korean logic:

"She has big eyes. Good vision", seriously, someone said this about my eyes.

On the Korean alphabet:

Konglish. Many words I read on store fronts were actually English words spelled out with the Korean alphabet. My favorite ah-ha moment was deciphering Ma-ra-ton Luh-ning = Marathon Running. I must have looked like a western fool, jumping for joy that I read this out loud and got it with Darren. Konglish, indeed. I called Darren a master in Konglish!

On Korean pastimes:

Bowling, tea-time, volleyball, saunas, hiking, karaoke rooms, dvd rooms... We did them all. Like I said, fun, fun and more fun. It was a great vacation.

Darren was a great traveling partner. He navigated us through all the metro stops and train stops. He had his trusty and true Lonely Planet guide handy and ready for our many adventures. We managed to plan our days as they came and more often than not our days became jammed-packed with activity. His students were very polite, very respectful. They even called me teach-ah, even though I was merely visiting. All in all, a bunch of very welcoming, warm Koreans. It was a great traveling experience, while also being a bit of a home stay in the smaller city of Miryang. A fruitful combination, to say the least.

I know I am leaving stuff out, but this gives a good overview of our fun two weeks together. I highly recommend checking South Korea out. Darren would love the visit and now you have an idea on how well you'll be treated by the natives!

Whirlwind Travels

Well hello everyone!!!!

Right now I'm sitting at a computer in a lovely Sauna/Spa/Restaurant, resort-like paradise spot near Incheon Airport in Korea. I'm waiting the much anticipated arrival of my girlfriend Flo to arrive from her long day of traveling from Newark, NJ. I've been really enjoying my day here today. Just lounging around in the hot bath tubs, steam rooms, saunas, sleeping rooms, internet cafe, etc. They have everything from massage services, eating place, coed hot rooms to relax in; and a men's only sleeping room. Right now there are so many cute Korean boys & girls running around having fun, playing games on internet. Some of them are saying, "Hi, How are you? Nice to meet you!" Really cute & endearing.

So I just back from 4 days in Thailand. Thailand was OK. But due to the fact that I had to fly into Bangkok, it made the trip as little less than desirable... Bangkok is the MOST disgusting city I've ever been too. It is SO DIRTY, smelly, crowded, filled with people who are constantly "in your face" trying to sell you something or take you somewhere. The smells of garbage, urine, food, perfume, incense, etc. wafting through the air made for of most unpleasant scenario. The first night I arrived very late on Friday, I went to a restaurant for soup, salad, and a young coconut shake... It was decent, but apparently didn't agree with my stomach because I became sick and was vomiting all next morning. Also that first night while walking back to my room, I saw the BIGGEST, most MASSIVE sized rat ever stumbling through the street. I don't know if this Rat was left over from the 2008 "Year of the Rat" celebration of few weeks earlier, but it was a most disturbing & gross sight to see nonetheless.
Bangkok was hot, and lil humid & muggy, and just way to crowded, filthy....oh and did I mention dirty??? It had no appeal, no charm, no niceness about it whatsoever. The only thing I enjoyed was going to a HOT Yoga class and a very nice, modern, clean studio, then I stayed in that part of town, went to the park to see some trees & grass. I also enjoyed watching a few hundred people doing dance aerobics in the park along the lake. That was a crazy site to see. I stayed in the park, rested on the grass and did some reading. At 6pm everyone (all the Thai people) stood up and stood at attention for 5-7 minutes to honor the King. This is something they do everyday at 6 o'clock in Thailand. I was in no rush to go back to my hotel which was 2 blocks away from the "famous" Khao San Rd. that they always talk about in books & movies (The Beach, Miss Saigon, etc). To me I felt like I was in a third world country. A cross between India (Bombay), Mexico, Pakistan, Morocco, etc. I've never been to India, Pakistan, or Mexico, but to me it felt as if Bangkok could have been anyone of these poorer countries.
Later that night, I went to the BIG, HUGE, modern shopping mall where I bought a ticket to see American Gangster. I had already seen most of this movie from a bootleg DVD my neighbors had in Miryang. The movie was so so great to see again, esp. on the big screen!!! Denzel did such a great job playing Frank Lucas, legendary mob boss who ran Harlem & most of NYC with major drug trafficking back in the 1970's during the Vietnam War. They showed many, many coming attractions which tested my patience and then before they actual movie started, everyone in the movie theater stood up as they showed a picture of the King & Queen. This is evidently a BIG thing in Thailand, showing constant reverence and homage to the king. I felt like I was in the moving "Coming to America" with King Jaffy Joffer from Zamunda, Africa. (Did anyone see that movie with Eddie Murphy & Arsenio Hall?) It was a pretty funny movie.
The next day I met up with my friend Christina & we took a "tuk tuk" (crazy 3-wheeled) taxi like car over to the Grand Palace. This was the other only nice thing to do/see in Bangkok. This Palace looked like it was something out of the Wizard of Oz, with it's ornate, golden tiled facade, it's unique, colorful statues, buildings, etc. To me it was a cross btw. the Wizard of Oz, the Kremlin & Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory. It was so ornate & over the top that it seemed almost fake in a way. It is such a high (holy) place of worship that you must wear long pants (no shorts) and not have sleeveless top. They gave me a pair of long pants to wear over my shorts as to be able to enter the palace gate. They loan it to you for a 100 Baht deposit which you get back when you return it. Christina was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt & I was getting hot just looking at her. I had sandals, shorts, and a t-shirt. The Palace was nice, I really enjoyed going inside to view the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. That is one thing there is no shortage of in Thailand, Buddhas, temples, elephants, and pictures of the King. After being in Thailand, if I don't see another Temple or Buddha, I'd be fine.... It was also quite amazing to see how loved, revered, honored and praise the King of Thailand is. He's been on the Throne for over 61 years now, and is turning 80 years old this year. Literally on every corner (practically) you can see a picture of the King, sometimes with his wife (the Queen); but many times just of him (often times he's pictured with a camera around his neck (he must be an avid photographer).... I've seen Thai people driving in their cars and they would salute (with their hands in prayer position just under their nose) while driving by a picture of the King. At firs this was kinda odd to me that they would be so fanatical, but as time went on, I got a feeling that the maybe the King really is a great guy after all.
Anyway, after 2 nights in Bangkok, I was yearning to leave for destinations further south to head towards a beach. I took a 4 hour local bus to Hua Hin which is supposed to be the neatest, most tidy town in Thailand. So I was most looking forward this destination. Well, needless to say it was no bargain either (not like Boca Raton FL, Avalon, NJ or Sea Girt....) it was more like Point Pleasant or Seaside Heights....rather touristy, with lots of shops and overpriced restaurants. The only difference was that that had Thai Massage Parlors on every corner. Maybe that's a "new" untapped market for NY/NJ to tap into...these cheap as dirt Thai massage places where they charge you anywhere from $3-$9 for a 1 hour massage!!!! I got one the first night I was there in Hua Hin. I was ok, more like stretching & twisting than deep relaxation. The hotel I stayed at said it was apropos of Brighton Beach, very outdoorsy, open-air deck, right on the ocean. Again, it was OK, considering I paid only $10.50/night for a room that didn't have a flush toilet, and barley had a normal sink. I was kinda appalled at first with the shocking fact that I had to fill up a bucket (pail) of water to "flush" the debris down the toilet. This, coupled with the fact that their were tons of ants crawling around on the floor near my bed, didn't really give me feelings of "clean & tidy". But after 2 days, I got used to toilets that didn't flush, and going to the bathroom with no toilet paper and having to use water to wipe myself.... Needless to say I was most delighted to leave Bangkok at the grueling time of 1:40am. I now consider this cruel time departure to be harsh & crude. I barely slept on the flight, and just when I began to fall fast asleep, they turn all the lights FULL BLAST to serve us breakfast at 4:30 am....This is so unfair... To wake me up to serve my eggs, a muffin, fruit & yogurt....My eyes were burning, my head was aching, etc. When we landed at 6:45am Thai time (8:45am Korea time) I hopped a bus and went immediately to a Jim Jil Bang which I am now convinced is the GREATEST contribtution Korea haas given man/womankind!!!! Forget LG, Samsung, Kia, Daewoo, Hyundai, kimchi, bulgogi, etc....to me it's gotta be these 24 hour, open all night, all year, round the clock lil mini resort villages. To me at 8:45am it was a lil slice of paradise!!!!! I took a deliciously hot shower, soaked in a steaming hot tub/sauna & then changed into shorts & a t-shirt for a wonderful 3 hour power nap. There is something so relaxing, special & fun about being in one these place all day. With the internet, a restaurant, massage room, massage chairs, hot "green tea" & jade rooms, etc....You can make yourself very comfortable. They should have these places at every Holiday Inn in America. (another new idea that is sure to be very popular in America).

OK now for a brighter update on my former trip to Japan. Now visiting Japan was a real treat, honor, and privilege. It was so nice, so modern (ultra-westernized), new, clean, professional, etc. It is a very "smart" country. Tokyoites are very hip, cool, chill, laid back people. They are very fashionable, sophisticated, unique, alive, dynamic & expressive people. This was honestly a breath of FRESH AIR for both Christina & I because Korea (in comparison) is SO SO quite, calm, reserved. So conservative, prim & proper, homogeneous, boring, dull, plain vanilla. Honestly to me, being in Korea in 2008 is like being in America in the 1960's. Things are just a lil slow, and old-fashioned here. I have not been to Seoul yet, but I'm hoping to see if it has a lil more flavor, color & self-expression than the rest of Korea. I will be spending 4 days here with Flo and will let you know.

But Tokyo was SO DYNAMIC, so metropolitan, very trendy, clean city. We went to the 5th Ave equivalent of Tokyo, visited lots of high-end shops, toured the Toyota & Sony rooms. Went to old Temples, museums, etc. Went to the downtown areas with all the glitzy neon & bustling crowds of people. Ate Soba noodles, tempura, sushi, crepes, etc & drank Sapporo, Asahi beer & warm Sake...... It was a very high-end city, classy & unique with some parts that resembled Paris. All in all Tokyo & Japan was an exquisite & enjoyable experience.

But with all this traveling I've been doing over the past 4 weekends, I'm definitely ready for a break and am looking forward to being able to staying home in my quite lil town of Miryang and not doing much of anything (except riding my bike around town, hanging out by the river, going to the local bath house, etc). So simple, fun, quiet & relaxing.