the world of the buddha

The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion...If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism. —Albert Einstein

My Korean friend Amy is a Buddhist. She invited me to do a temple stay with her last weekend. I jumped at the opportunity, because I knew going with her would be a more authentic experience than a huge group of foreigners thing at a temple in Seoul. The farther south you go, the fewer English speakers there will be. Which is why my memories from that weekend involve a lot of freaked out Koreans mouthing “waeguk” and doing double takes on their middle-of-nowhere front porches as they saw me ride past in buses and taxis. The temple was pretty remote, it took a lot of effort to get there.

We went to Daeheungsa temple, nestled among tree-saturated mountains in the southwestern limits of the country. I found myself praying to a chubby guy made of bronze, in an intense form of bowing that involved touching my head, both elbows and both knees to the ground, then standing straight up again. Repeated 108 times. One. Hundred. Eight. It's a beautiful thing, but painful. There's a venerating part where you flip your palms up, giving Buddha a place to stand on either side of your head. After around bow number 75, my sweat accumulating on the silky pillow, my heart beating in my ears, I'm pretty sure I could feel him there. And it was incredible to get into the rhythm, to forget everything but the cool night air, a blurry flicker of lanterns, the haunting sound of monks chanting, the reverberant bells fading into nothing.

The evening after the bows, after eating a modest dinner of rice and vegetables and soup, after washing the dishes to earn my keep, the world's coolest monk invited us to drink tea with him and stay the night at his home on the top of the mountain. His name was Moeon. He wore monk clothes and screamed inner peace (or was it indifference?). Monks are pretty stolid creatures, I expected that. I did not in my wildest dreams expect what happened next. Moeon had not only a cell phone, but an SUV, which he wordlessly herded us into for a steep ride through the forest.

His house and guesthouse were built in traditional style. The steps leading from the guesthouse to his made perfect seats for stargazing. And the stars were everywhere in the unfathomably dark sky of the mountaintop. I couldn't take my eyes off of them. I also couldn't get over the fact I was drinking tea humbly poured for me by a man who devoted his whole life to enlightenment.

“You have the most amazing view of the night sky. Do you ever look at the stars?”

“Yes.” He could speak some English, but he was speaking Korean now, with Amy translating.

“What do you think about when you look at them?” I had to know.

A seriousness washed over his eyes behind the Ghandi glasses. His answer: “What's your name?”

Wait, did something get lost in translation? “Um, Amanda.”

“Amanda? Amanda? Do you know your name?” It seemed really important that I should firmly acknowledge my own name.

“Yes, Amanda!” Wait, is this a trick question? “Amanda? I'm... Amanda.”

“What was your name before you were born?” Oh, I get it, this is some kind of riddle. “What will your name be after you die?” He was speaking quickly, as though this were now some commonplace sentiment, as though I'd asked him about beansprouts. Amy was translating rapidly, and I was trying to look him in the eyes and hang on every word he said, because in that moment he looked so solemn and wise. He pointed to the heavens. And I was reminded of the little joke he made as the SUV pulled to a stop after our bumpy ride. “Welcome to heaven,” he'd said. Do they even have heaven in this religion?

But looking up at the stars framed against his roof, that curve so familiar after ten months, I understood his answer. It was such a scary feeling, imagining the immensity of time and the universe, my tiny place in it, and then looking up and it being right there, like looking into the mouth of a merciless monster, all those stars like teeth, and at the same time, strangely enough, the feeling of meeting a celebrity, someone I'd seen so often in pictures, but never in real life. I never see the stars. And now I know they're terrifying, especially on a cold night at the age of twenty-three.

The next morning was spent hiking to the top of a mountain called Duryusan, to a shrine so intimate in its simplicity—an earthy floor of sanded wood, unpainted beams, delicate paper shutters on wooden grids—where I meditated with my friend near an ancient Buddha engraved in a massive stone. I let go of a lot of things up there, sitting with my legs barely crossed on a soft gray pillow, the breeze carrying the smell of incense and autumn, birds chirping. Nature. This is all we were ever meant to hear and to feel.

Some monks were sweeping the steps that led from their hermitage up to the temple. With one of their homemade brooms, Amy encouraged me to sweep for them as a way of saying thanks. We fed their dog some treats, bowed (bowing to everyone all weekend was pretty awesome, by the way) and made our way back down the mountain. After a jjimjilbang-syle shower, which involved hand washing my monk clothes on an old school washboard, after the bows and the hikes, the questions and the thinking, I felt, um, purified.

busan

Last weekend I finally went to Busan. That's another major thing I can tick off the list. I had a feeling the work week after vacation would be rough, so I knew I wanted to go to Busan this weekend to kind of extend my vacation. Not to sound modest or anything, but that was an awesome idea. Ed was planning to meet his family there that weekend, so I tagged along with him. They were great people and it ended up being a really stress free weekend since I totally just mooched off their plans.

Busan is the second largest city in Korea. It's a beach town all the way on the other end of the country. Patrick and Alex loved it so much they decided to move there for their second year in Korea. Needless to say, another year with them would be amazing. I went to get a feel for the town I may call home for all of 2010. I completely understand why they fell in love with the place. For such a large city, it somehow manages to be quite lovely. I never felt as rushed and stressed as I sometimes can in Seoul. And even though I knew I was still in Korea (home sweet home), I felt like I was in a foreign place.

We went to Haeundae beach, which was pretty breathtaking at first glance. There were tiny, cragged rocks in the distance and houses built onto the side of small mountains. It was adorable. And I got the sense living near the water again would be good for my soul like it was when I lived near Emerald Isle.

We checked out the fish market, which was something I'd been looking forward to ever since I cracked open my first Korean guidebook and discovered that's what Korea is all about. The seafood was so fresh, I never knew mass death could look so beautiful. It was fascinating to be around all those indifferent vendors to whom chopping off fish heads and pulling out guts is the unremarkable everyday. We ate a fish snack and some deadly blowfish along the glistening waterfront. Half a dozen old Korean men walked by, stuck their nose in the take away box and nodded their approval. Brave foreigners! Anyway, the fish snack we got was the freshest seafood I've ever had (and I'm from Maryland!). The last big thing we did was a walk around the gorgeous Beomeosa Temple, which was a perfectly relaxing end to a relaxing weekend.

I need to vent a little. I've been feeling horrible lately about December. I keep hoping to wake up one day soon as the old Mandy who didn't think much past my next meal. If I just extend my contract I can go back to being that girl for at least a few more months. With that logic in mind, I'd kind of narrowed it down to either staying in Dongtan or moving to Busan. I was seriously hoping going to Busan would make my decision easier, but it didn't really help.

I think I fell in love with the place. The question is, do I want to move there knowing I'd eventually take its novelty for granted? It's like that quote from Lost in Translation, "Let's never come back here again, because it will never be as much fun." I'm also weary about finding a good enough school. So, despite how much I loved the city, on the train ride home I only felt defeated. I'm still no closer to making a decision... tune in next time.

home

Ryan and Corey did so much during their short stay here. Their very first day they ventured out to the Hwaeseong Fortress. I stayed with them for a while, but had to leave early to go to work. They miraculously found their way back to Dongtan, and I came home to find them passed out on their makeshift beds on my floor (somehow we all squeezed into my tiny apartment for a week).

The next day I didn't have to work until late in the afternoon, so I spent almost the whole day with them at the Folk Village. I hadn't been there since winter when everything was covered in snow. I was so grateful to have the whole day with them there. We had a blast. That's really the best place to take visitors in Korea.

On Saturday I tried to squeeze in as much touristy stuff as I could, which I now regret. The boys and I were so exhausted and grumpy from public transportation, walking, and being lost all day. The day started out well. We took the bus to Gangnam, ate breakfast, and went to a little cafe with Dr. Fish. The fish freaked me out, but the boys enjoyed having their feet nibbled.

From Gangnam we went to the palace. Not much to say there. I don't think the boys were impressed after I told them it wasn't the original palace, that the real one had been destroyed and rebuilt many times. I was never too impressed with the big palace. I like the smaller with the secret garden better. I kind of wish we'd done that one instead.

We hopped from touristy place to touristy place. Seodaemun Prison (which was cool as ever). Namdaemun market. Cheonggye stream. Eventually we ended up at a cute little guest house in Insadong, the traditional part of town. I was lucky to find a cheap place in such a great location. There was a shared bathroom, kitchen, and living space, but we had a private room with three beds.

On Sunday we took it easy. We were all tired and only wanted to relax. We took in a view of Seoul from atop the 63 Building. Then we made our way to COEX Mall, where we played board games for a few hours in a little board game shop. There were small groups of friends just sitting around ordering up different games from a menu, playing, and ordering another. Such an awesome way to spend a few hours. At one point Corey even asked, "Why don't we have these at home?"

Then we watched Transformers 2 together on the big screen - just like old times at home, only with Korean subtitles. We ate dinner at On the Border, but the boys couldn't appreciate how much Western restaurants cost. The awesomeness of Mexican food in Korea was lost on them.

Ultimately, I was really tired at the end of their visit from speaking so much Korean. I'm so used to relying on my friends to share the task of communicating with people here. With my brothers I was the only one who knew any Korean, so I was in charge of everything. But it was worth it. At times the boys expected me to know more Korean than I do, but I think in the end they saw just how difficult foreigner life can be.

The boys didn't get to see everything I'd hoped, but they had quite an adventure. I wish they could have stayed longer. I miss them terribly. As I watched them ride away on the airport bus at the end of their visit, my heart sank knowing I wouldn't see them again for six months. My heart is still pretty sunk.

On a happy note, I booked a ticket to Beijing today. I'm definitely going! The flight was incredibly cheap, but the tourist visa for Americans is extremely expensive. It's three times as much as for visitors from any other country. The Chinese hate us.

And guess what? It just so happens my dad will also be in Beijing for the first few days of my vacation on one of his work trips. The timing couldn't be better. This means I'm going to see the Great Wall of China with my dad! So, although saying goodbye to my brothers made me so homesick this week, knowing I'll see Dad in seven weeks makes everything okay.

villages

A couple weekends ago I went camping and rock climbing outside a teeny-tiny, remote Korean village called Wonju, east of Seoul. Just me and T and two guys who also teach in our town. We took a train to the nearest station. And from there a cab took us through a maze of run-down single-story homes and businesses to the park's entrance.

When we arrived I noticed the layout was really simple: just a few minboks, snack shops and restaurants lined up at the top of a hill along a road that ran parallel to the river, which in turn ran parallel to the face of the cliff. The cliff was what everyone came there for, and the snaking of ropes was a constant as climbers maneuvered up set routes at the base of the cliff. Most impressive were the climbers doing multi-pitches - route after route, climbing several stories high, all the way to the top of the cliff.

The site was enveloped by steep rocks and small, tree-covered mountains. There were campsites available along the wide and shallow river, and we slept by the sandy banks. Four of us shared a two person tent! There were basic facilities for campers provided for free. Very basic. It was the very definition of rural, so squatting toilets were the only option. I was forced use them for the first time, after somehow avoiding them for the first six months.

My friend T is gradually becoming an expert climber, and she introduced me to the sport. We found a group of foreigners that T either knew from a previous climbing trip, or quickly befriended. They let us take turns borrowing their rope and a pair of climbing shoes. The route she chose for me to climb was pretty easy, limestone with plenty of footholds and deep finger pockets.

A lot of people were there to spend the weekend rock climbing. All of the routes were occupied, and while people waited their turn, it was fun to watch other climbers and cheer them on. Despite the popularity of this park, it still always felt completely secluded and was not at all crowded.

Rock climbing - real rock climbing, not the kind you do on a fake wall - was instantly something I knew I loved. Getting to the top was challenging as hell, but looking down with that sense of accomplishment was exhilarating. I'm considering whether to get the proper shoes and a harness so I can do it again while I'm here. It's popular here in Korea.



There was a two-story, sit-on-the-floor style restaurant a short distance from the campsite. We made the trek and had a nice dinner on the top floor with other foreigners we'd met. The night ended with an outdoor, rave-esque noraebang with a group of middle-aged Koreans wearing glow necklaces. Then, drinking North Korean soju around the campfire on the beach. T had been saving the soju for a special occasion ever since she purchased it on the DMZ trip.

In the middle of the night, I made friends with a Korean kid whose face I didn't see, but who shouted questions to me from across the river then waited to decode my English before asking more and more. It all came back to me the next morning when, to my surprise, a chubby Korean boy passed me on the pavement and asked, "Are you Amanda?" After racking my brain, I told him, "Oh yea! Nice to finally meet you!"

Thanks to soju, I was not feeling well the next day. Luckily the boys asked around and found a man who spoke some English, and who helped them order a large batch of chicken soup from one of the restaurants. (Much later, I found out this dish is called samgyetang.) As we waited for T to finish up a climb, the boys and I walked barefoot in the stone-lined river to a short waterfall that spanned the entire length of the river. Afterwards, I lay on the sand and closed my eyes for a couple of hours. The rest of the waeguk slowly trickled over to join me after a while.

We hitched a ride to the train station from someone we met in the park. I was really grateful, as there was no chance of finding a taxi and it would have been a long walk. T lucked out and got a ticket for the last available seat on the train. So I wouldn't have to stand the whole ride north, in desperate, very broken Korean I convinced the ticket woman to check for last-minute cancellations. But still with no luck, I said goodbye to Wonju and headed home.

In more recent news, Ryan and Corey are going to be in Korea tomorrow! They're on the long plane ride over as I type this. My apartment is spotless in anticipation of their arrival and the inevitable mess that will ensue.

unstuck in time

I spent so much money on shoes this weekend. Alex brought me to a place in Itaewon that has imported plus-size clothes and shoes. Row upon row of shoes that actually fit my feet! It was glorious. I've never paid so much for shoes in my life, but it was worth it - I'd been wearing the same shoes for five months!

Itaewon is always interesting. I haven't been in that part of Seoul since my newbie days, back in blog entry two or three ;) It's right outside an Army base, so it's swarming with Americans and other foreigners. There was a small foreign goods store just like in Songtan, with groceries from home. But Itaewon is better than Songtan, because it has its own used (and new) English bookstore called What The Book, and it has tons of restaurants to choose from. I had Thai food that night for the first time since I got here - it had been way too long.

Everytime I stay for a while in one of the expat areas I always really enjoy the homecoming feeling I get. But at the same time, I'm always grateful I get to leave, because it reminds me of the negative aspects of home and the reasons I left in the first place. I was glad to have Dongtan and real Korean people to come home to. Seoul Koreans are a special brand, it's hard to describe.

Yesterday I went to the National Museum of Korea. I loved loved loved it. The building and grounds are gorgeous and dramatic. There were times I felt like I stepped back in Korean time, especially while wandering through the pagoda garden. We only had time to see a couple exhibits, it would take several trips to see every exhibit of the museum's three floors.

I already want to go back, and I wish I'd visited sooner. It would have given me a different appreciation for this country if I had known its history. As an American I don't know what it feels like to belong to such a sophisticated past. Korea has old roots, which are hard to see today outside the walls of the museum. Past Korea, so in touch with nature, and with its superstitions and traditions, must have been a magical time to be alive. Like a fairy tale, dragons and monsters were real.

All of my students know this history, it's in their blood like the fourth of July is in mine. But Koreans have had a place to call home for so much longer than us Americans. In general I've just always envied people who grew up in one place, only read the morning paper over one kitchen table, fallen asleep to the moon climbing across one bedroom window. I envy Koreans in the same way - to have something so constant, memories of home with a physical place to settle.

Every month my older students write three essays. I pick the topics and I try to make them something the kids will be interested to write about. But lately I pick topics more so I'll have fun reading them. Some of my favorite ideas are things like, "How would you survive at the end of the world?" and "What would you do on a deserted island?" The last essay this month was, "Where/when would you go if you had a time machine?" Those essays have been fun for them to write I think, and equally fun for me to read. And they've got me thinking, obviously. Maybe I don't really want to travel in trains and planes, maybe what I really want is a round-trip ticket for a time machine. Maybe I've been watching too many movies.

jjimjilbang

Yesterday I went to a bath house (jjimjilbang). It was amazingly relaxing. You can't go alone your first time, you'd have no idea what to do. Thankfully I have Alex. She brought me and two other girls, and showed us the ropes.

First we paid and each got a bracelet with our locker key, two tiny towels, one T-shirt, and a pair of shorts. It was really cheap (6,000 won / $6) considering you can stay as long as you want and there's so much to do.

Then we went to the locker/dressing room. It was similar to locker rooms at a pool in the states, in that women are walking around naked or half dressed. It was different because it was decorated with ornate mirrors and chandeliers. In the dressing room were rows of stations with everything you could need for getting ready to leave: fans, blowdryers, lotion, q-tips, combs and brushes. There was also a little shop to buy toiletries and things to scrub off dead skin. One of the main purposes of the baths seem to be to get all your dead skin off.

In the next room were the baths and showers. The showers were lined up on the right wall, with those ornate mirrors hanging at each one. The baths were in the center. There were hot baths, cold ones, baths with jacuzzi jets, some with little waterfalls, most lined with tile, and one lined with wood. On the left wall were saunas. In the back of the room was where the scrubbing happens. There are sink stations where you can scrub yourself in a mirror and there are scrub tables were you can pay to have someone else scrub you, which is what I did.

The initial shock of seeing a huge room full of naked women wore off pretty soon, but not completely. (It wore off completely after the scrub, which I'll get to in a bit.) It helped to look around and see all the kids there with their mothers and grandmothers. It made me realize these women had been coming to the bath houses their whole lives, week after week for years and years, so the nudity was probably nothing to them. I tried to get in their mindset.

Alex told me the order of things. It is: shower, bath, scrub, shower, bath, go upstairs to the hot rooms.

That's basically what we did in the fewest words possible. We had to shower to get clean before going into the baths. The baths are just like skinny dipping in a hot tub. Very relaxing. We paid for the scrubs ($15) and waited for our number to be called. There was a space by the scrub tables where you can lie on marble slabs and rest your head on one of those wooden neck pillows the Egyptians are buried with. We went back and forth from doing that and sitting around in the sauna while we waited. It was a practice in staying the right temperature. When it got too hot in the sauna I would get a drink in the dressing room and lie on the marble. Back and forth, or soak in the baths some more.

Finally it was scrub time. There were three massage-like tables lined up. The woman scrubbing me was wearing underwear, but the scrubbing women can be naked too. I don't know Korean, so she had to just nudge, pull, move me, and throw in the occasional grunt. I started out on my back, turned to either side, and ended up on my stomach. She scrubbed every inch of my skin. The only dead skin left on my entire body was on my face, which is literally the only part that isn't scrubbed.

Initially the scrubbing hurts. It feels like someone scraping you with sandpaper. She scrubbed so hard I thought I would start bleeding. But after a while I got used to it and it felt very relaxing. I closed my eyes and could almost have fallen asleep. It felt like it lasted for about 30 minutes, although I have no idea if it was much shorter or longer. When I opened my eyes for the first time to flip over I saw my dead skin lying on the table in little chunks or pellets. She threw warm water over me and the table a few times during the scrub to rinse me and the table off. I literally laughed out loud when she scrubbed the bottom of my feet. There was no way I could hold it in.

I have no doubt that every bit of dead skin was removed from my body. After the scrub she gave me a very quick facial with some liquid. Then she gave me what I guess could be called a massage. All of a sudden I heard this loud popping and felt myself being slapped all over my back, from my feet all the way up to my shoulders.

When we were getting ready to leave a group of girls started following us and throwing buckets of water on us. Everywhere we go we stand out and the bathhouse was no exception.

We showered and met up with Patrick, Alex's boyfriend, who went alone to the men's baths. Upstairs is unisex, and everyone is wearing the same shorts and T-shirt. There are a bunch of things upstairs: a cafeteria where you sit at low tables on the floor, a computer room (PC bang), and the hot rooms. We grabbed a little something to eat in the cafeteria before heading to the hot rooms.

The hot rooms were pretty damn cool. A bunch of families are just chilling out in front of a TV in a common area. There are massage chairs you can pay like a dollar for. Around the common area are these globes or domes with little doors. It's a bit like what hobbits live in. Inside are floors covered in smooth stones which are then covered in linen cloths. You can lie down and rest your head on pillows and sweat and sweat. There was sweat coming out of pores I don't think sweat has ever come out of, pores I didn't know I had. We played cards, but it became hard to concentrate with all the sweating. We eventually ended up in the cold room, which is essentially an igloo in all ways that count. It was half globe-shaped like the hot rooms, only instead of being in a furnace we were now in a freezer. You just sit on logs and carve your initials into the ice walls.

When it was time to leave I didn't want to go. I have never been more relaxed in my life. Korean people may work really hard, but they relax even harder. If that makes sense.

My dad turned 45 today. Happy birthday, Dad! I love you.

culture so far

Culture shock. After graduation I felt a culture shock transitioning from college life to the real world. I wasn't ready for that yet. I think the perfect medicine for an unexpected dose of culture shock is a planned dose of it. That's why I came here. There are so many reasons I came here.

I came here to try new things, I came here to get something out of my system. I came here to figure something out, but I don't really know what that something is. One day it will just click. That's the hope.

Anyway, back to culture shock. From the very begining and still today the biggest difference is the language. On my walk to work through Central Park--the large park in the middle of town with tennis courts, skateboarding ramps, a soccer field, a mini golf course, public restrooms, etc--I usually listen to my mp3 player. The thing I noticed about this is it makes Korea look very much like an American town (that is, if my eyes ignore the Korean writing on all the signs). It is essentially a human thing: retired men and women playing golf, little boys kicking the ball around with their dad, angsty teens skateboarding in their grungy clothes and helmets, middle-aged friends playing tennis on their lunch break.

The English lyrics to the songs on my mp3 player drown out the Korean being shouted, and I don't know the language of course but I'm pretty sure it's just things like, "Goal" or "I beat you" or "Whoa, that was a great shot, man!"

The point is, a lot of Korea is pretty familiar. But there is this ongoing list in my head of the differences.

* People spit really loudly and publicly, even pretty young women.

* About every tenth person I see is wearing a face mask, like the ones doctors wear in surgery. It is a courtesy to others, to prevent spreading illness. Or so I hear. Even a couple of my students wear one.

* Most people live in apartments. Single houses are rare. It's smart, because it's a small country and they're using as little space as possible. My town is overwhelmed with very tall apartment complexes. Each one is its own little neighborhood, with guards at the gate and shops for the residents. My apartment is in a small building, though, and I have a bunch of little shops and restaurants nearby. So I get a different Korean experience from most of the families in Dongtan, I think.

* Girls hold hands in public, which is not so weird to see. The weird thing to see is boys holding hands in public. Being gay is so much more frowned upon here than in the states, yet friendship PDA between boys is perfectly cool.

* It seems obvious but people really do bow and use two hands to give and take things from me. It's a sign of respect and I think I might be offended when I go back home and it stops happening.

They're small differences that I'm already starting to take for granted. And after the initial jolt to my system I won't really notice them again until I go back home. That's when I'll feel them in the form of reverse culture shock. It's what I'm looking forward to, and going back home to experience it is another reason I came here.

I somehow sprained or pulled something in my foot and in my knee. I went to the pharmacy to get ace bandages and the man who works there spoke perfect English. It was the first time a stranger has spoken such perfect English like that since I got here and I wanted to give him a big hug and even possibly a kiss. It's amazing to me how connected I feel just to my language.

I figured out how to take the bus to and from work. The bus stop is close to my apartment and even closer to the school. I might never walk to work again, even after my leg gets better. I'm taking it easy for the next few days, and I'll probably stay close to home this weekend and not do much walking. It sucks I'm down for the count only three weekends in, but I do have a whole year to go exploring. There's a long weekend coming up, I'll be making big plans for that. I think I'll go into Seoul and do tons of touristy things and maybe stay in one of the cheap places called "love motels." I'm sure you can figure out how it got that name.

seoul

I don't want to write much about teaching. It's work and I don't want to think about work when I'm not there. I'll just say the first day teaching was really hard, but it has gotten easier and less overwhelming since then. And according to everyone it will continue to get even easier once I get the hang of it and get organized. This week after work I mostly went out with my coworkers to unwind. I like my schedule, working from 1-8 Monday through Thursday and from 3-10 on Fridays. The kids are nice for the most part. I get a lot of blank stares when I ask them to do things, but I guess that just comes with the job, right?

Yesterday I went into Seoul. Overall I really love Seoul, it's like the Korean London. One major difference is that while London smells like urine, Korea smells like rotten seafood garbage! Ok, so here are the pictures. I'm experimenting with the best way to post them. And by best I mean fastest. I wish I could make a slideshow to make them easier to look at, but I guess this has to do for now. I'm only posting a few because I'm exhausted and want to watch the movies I downloaded.

I didn't go into the city alone as planned, I went with a teacher I met here who works at a school near mine. I was glad to have someone showing me around for my first time because I think it would have been too confusing by myself.

I met him at the subway station and it was about an hour ride into Seoul. We ate lunch, then went on a tour of Changdeokgung Palace. It was a really pretty place, but I want to go back to see how pretty it is in spring. The only way you can see the palace is by a guided tour, and there was an English-speaking tour guide who was pretty good. It was a really cold day, the tour was outdoors and pointed out the many buildings that sprawl across the area within the palace walls.

After the palace we got out of the cold and got some hot tea in the cutest little cafe. We went to Insadong, which is a quaint artsy area of the city. There are a bunch of little art galleries in that district and we checked one out. Then we met up with a bunch of other teachers and went to bars in Itaewon and Hongdae, which is where all the foreigners and military guys hang out. It was weird to hear so many people speaking English and really weird to see so many people that looked like me again. Those parts of town are like little America.

waeguk

"Waeguk" is how Koreans say foreigner. It's what they call anyone like me who stands out in a crowd. The description below of Korean culture was included in my welcome packet from the school. In my experience so far it has proven to be dead-on. The people here seemed so rude when I was walking around in E-Mart (Korea's Wal Mart), and at first I assumed they were treating me like crap because I was a foreigner. Knowing they treat everyone like this, though, is a small comfort. I just tell myself Koreans are like New Yorkers and it helps me deal since I kind of like that New York attitude.

Also, I start teaching tomorrow so I haven't seen how the kids behave first hand, but I've spoken to a bunch of people by now about the education system and the Korean childhood and it's true that the kids take studying very seriously. The kids here go to school literally all day, first public school then private schools their parents have to pay a lot of money for. I'm teaching at one of these private schools. I've heard the public schools are so bad here that parents are forced to pay for private schools to make up for it. So anyway, after school the kids then stay up till midnight doing homework. This is not only expected, anything less is discouraged. I feel bad for the kids here, but it will be my job to make sure they have enough homework in my class to continue this perpetual cram sesh.

Korea is a very hierarchical society where one's age, sex and status have a major bearing on how others relate to you. As a Westerner, you will be immune from this sort of judgment to an extent, although Koreans who meet you will still want some information as to where on the social totem pole you fit. So questions such as "How old are you?", "Are you married?" and "What is your job?" are simply ways for Koreans to get a feeling of where in society you fit.

Koreans who have not been formally introduced to you will often ignore you and strangers will view you as a 'non-person'. This explains a lot of the pushing and shoving on the street, why Koreans will skip queues and why everyone from moped drivers to other pedestrians will behave as if you do not exist. Don't take it personally, though, as it happens to everyone.

The role of women in society is still stunted compared to the West. Women are still expected to raise the children and stay at home while the husband earns the money. Often women get less money for the same job as men, and Korea is still developing in terms of women's rights.

Society is very oriented around work and education. From an early age Koreans go to hagwon or grind schools on top of their regular education. Exhausting hours of study are a common feature of all young Koreans lives. It is vital for high school students to get into a good university as the university attended will affect the rest of their lives. There is definitely an 'old boy' network in Korea and the contacts made in university can prove very helpful in later years.

I feel myself gradually getting adjusted to being here. The fact that I have my own apartment with all my own things makes it easier, because it is like my sanctuary. I can listen to my own music here, all English lyrics. I can watch American TV shows and English-language movies and remember who I am. But always in the back of my mind I tell myself to push myself to try new things. So today when I went grocery shopping I mainly tried to stake out familiar foods, but I bought a few strange ones to try. And when I go to restaurants I try new foods without question. So far I've tried raw crab, duck, raw stingray, snails, squid. In fact, as I type this, who knows what animal(s) I'm eating for dinner in these odd yet delicious dumplings. Oh god, this is just my first week. What will this list look like in a month?

The internet has been my lifesaver this week. My friends and family are online when I need someone to talk to. My dad kept me company while I dealt with the deep-cut-in-my-foot crisis (still not healing as well as I'd like but not infected...yet). And Corey has achieved miracles with his tech advice via webcam. I'm 14 hours in the future but the internet is my ansible ;)

English speakers over here have also been life savers. I've met people from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Koreans fluent in English, and Americans from other states. As far as the other foreigners go, where we come from is different but we share this one big thing in common. They're all so different and interesting in their own ways. It's been a hell of a good time meeting all these new people.

I meant to go into the city alone this weekend to be a tourist in Seoul, tour and take pictures of a Korean palace, maybe check out an art gallery or one of the trendy neighborhoods. I had a little too much fun Friday night and spent most of Saturday recovering, but I promise myself I'll go to Seoul next weekend. I need to remind myself one of my main goals for this year is to see all the sites I want to see in Seoul, and also some major ones out of town. I have a whole year to do it in, but unlike when I lived in London I don't live so close to it all so I can probably only do one thing per weekend. One of the jobs of the people reading this blog is to push me to go be a tourist on weekends. Got that?

Ok, good. So tomorrow I'm teaching for the first time (did I mention that already?). I don't know what to expect but I've been getting "good lucks" from you all back home and so tomorrow I'll be grateful to know you're pulling for me. I also have a bit of a support system here, I've been getting tons of kind advice from veteran teachers.

I love all of you, I miss seeing your faces. But I'm having a blast and actually have two visitors to look forward to: Dad and Duwane! Alright, so now I'm off to relax before the big day. Peace!