The Border

A few weekends ago,  I finally made it to the DMZ for a tour. Sandra and I were up in Seoul for a big gay mixer event that she helped organize, and thought we'd take advantage of our time there to visit the border.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the tour. Many of my friends have been there, as it's one of the 'Things To Do" while here, but no one had raved about it, and my expectations weren't very high. However, our tour guides were knowledgeable and engaging and looking across to North Korea felt much more real than I thought it would.

We took the KTX up from Busan on Friday night and checked into a "Love Motel" around 11:15pm. We woke up at 6:30 the next morning and took a cab to the Lotte Hotel, a fancy place in the city center. Here we were picked up by the tourbus. At a second location, we transferred to a bigger tourbus and from there we drove straight north to the military post, Camp Bonifas.

We transferred there to a military bus, and the tour was taken over by military personnel, who checked our passports. We we saw a slideshow of the history of the DMZ, and a had a briefing by a fast talking, mumbling American soldier who Sandra and I both had a hard time understanding at times.

Afterwards we headed to the Joint Security Area where we were able to walk into the blue buildings that straddle the border. Inside we took pictures and were allowed "cross over" into North Korea. Photo-taking was very limited throughout the tour, especially with respect to South Korean buildings and scenery. They didn't want to risk any information leaking to the other side, whether it be about the layout of their operation or the identity of soldiers stationed there.The number of cameras pointed at the border line was astonishing. On every building and every bush, there are cameras recording 24/7. We saw a few North Korean soldiers walking by, and also a few with binoculars who were watching us.

Guarding the door to North Korea.

We also visited the Freedom House which was built to host reunions between families divided by the boundary. Unfortunately, it has not yet been used for that purpose.

The border runs right through the middle of these blue buildings, cutting them in half .

The little white posts mark the border. Beyond them is North Korea.

Empty propaganda village with 160 meter tall flagpole to entice South Korean defectors over to the other side.

Bridge of No Return which crosses the Military Demarcation Line (border) and was used for prisoner exchanges during the Korean War. 

Sandra admires some touristy photos we got taken at the gift shop. You stand in front of a blue screen and the computer projects pictures of DMZ landmarks behind you. We didn't notice until afterwards that Sandra's coat is the same color as the blue screen, and as a result she is just a floating head in all the pictures!! 

All in all, highly recommended! I'm glad I got there before I left!

Speech Contest

Last week grades 3 to 6 participated in an English speech contest. I was, of course, unaware of it until the day before I was meant to judge it, and so I was surprised at the amount of work the students had put into it! Clearly, they had had time to prepare and so must have known about it much earlier.

Thursday we judged 3rd and 4th grade, and then the 5th and 6th graders competed Friday afternoon. Unfortunately I only had my camera with me on the first day, so my pictures are limited to the younger students.

Each of the 4 English teachers, myself included, got a copy of the speeches and a little grading rubric to fill out for each one. The grading categories included "Perfection & Content," "Pronunciation & Intonation," and "Confidence & Attitude." Personally, I had a hard time deciding how many points to give each of them in the "Perfection" category, especially because most of the students had memorized stories rather than writing their own speech. Ms An gave me a tip before they started that I should just decide who is 1st, 2nd, 3rd and then fill in the points later! I thought this was crazy, but there were no breaks between speeches and it was soon clear that I would not have time to think about the points! In the end, I don't think I contributed much to the final decision of who was "best" but I was really stunned by the abilities of my youngest students. They all memorized at least a page of English text and some of them were really entertaining!

"City mouse and country mouse"

3rd and 4th grade participants

(You can tell who got help from their parents, though! Those cheaters!)

This student won the 3rd grade category. I have no idea where she got the banner from but her mom was hovering out in the hallway with her nose pressed up against the window for the whole speech. 

I really wanted these students to win because they were so dang adorable. They reenacted a summary of the Little Mermaid and then sang this song in closing. Too cute! (Also, I was shocked they told the original version of the story where the mermaid has to kill the prince in the end or else turn into foam! Telling such a dark fairy tale and then following it up with this song was a brilliant juxtaposition that was probably lost on them...)

School Festival Day

Today we had a festival at school for the students and their parents. I'd known about it, or at least the idea of it, since last week, but of course the details were fuzzy until the day-of.

All week I've been asking questions. "What will happen?" "What time will it start?" "Until when?" "Do we have class?" My coworkers were frustratingly vague, as is their usual way. Somehow, even after close to 2 years here I never believe them when they say they don't know. Surely they must know something. It makes sense that I don't know what's going on, but don't they get the schedule emailed to them? Don't they want to know?? Even this morning when I asked Ms An if we would have class today, she just deadpanned, "Maybe."

"...So should I prepare the whiteboard?" I wondered.

"No."

Hahahaha. I frantically got my materials together just in case, but in the end she was right.

This morning each class performed dances and songs for their parents. The classrooms were all decorated in balloons and banners and the desks were shoved out into the hall leaving the chairs for audience seating. A few songs were performed as a group but afterwards each classroom held its own talent show to display individual students' special skills. Some of the students did a magic show or played an instrument. Others sang, danced or put on mini plays. Meanwhile, the parents sat in the back taking pictures and shouting words of encouragement. 

After I got my work done in the morning, I walked around peeking into the different classes. It felt like some massive carnival variety show: in this room girls were singing, in this one, a taekwondo performance with students breaking boards, in the next class an elaborate card trick was underway with enthusiastic audience participation. The hallway became the "backstage" area as students ran around changing into costumes and getting their props ready.

I snapped some pictures.

Fifth graders getting ready in the hall.

Sixth grade performance.

Sixth grade rendition of "Gangnam Style." 

Traditional drummers.

Ribbon dancers

Fourth graders: Yu-jun, Ga-eun, Da-yeong, and I can't remember the name of the one in back! 

Later after the shows, we all headed outside to watch a performance by a professional dance troupe. There was traditional drum music and dancers in brightly colored costumes. It was chilly but the sun was out and it was nice to get some fresh air.

The ribbon dancers are always my favorite, though it makes my neck hurt to watch them. Their special headdress has a long ribbon attached to a spinner and when they turn or move their head the ribbon swings around in a big circle. It's hands-free ribbon dancing!

The dancers jump around, drumming, and all the while their head never stops circling, like a never-ending neck warm up. Wow!

All in all the day was great, weather was perfect and I was happy for the mid-week break!

Here's a video of the fifth graders song:

And here's a tiny clip of the swinging-ribbon-head drummers. I ran out of space on my memory card after that!

Chuseok Holiday and visitors

This weekend is Chuseok, a sort of Korean Thanksgiving holiday spent with family. I've got a 5 day weekend and even better, I've got visitors!

Sam and Nick experience the Korean subway system.

Sam and Nick flew in to Korea on Thursday night late and they'll be visiting for close to two weeks! I'm psyched to have the time off and the opportunity to show them around.

This morning we visited Yeonggung Temple, by the sea. 

Big Buddha 

There was a line of Chinese zodiac statues. Here's Nick next to his, the dog. 

Sam is the sheep.  

Dragon! Woo! Go Dragon!

The temple was beautiful and so peaceful. It was nice to get out of the city and take it all in. Later we stopped by the beach and visited the Busan Aquarium.

glowing jellies 

The Great Hammerhead Frozen in TIME!!

Anyway, should be a fun week! Stay tuned!

Summer Hiatus

But I'm back! At least I'm back for a hot second to let you know what you've been missing!

I planned and taught a two week summer English day-camp for some of my students.

The fifth and sixth grade got to make their own superheroes!  

I spent time posing with various cute mascots around Busan and Seoul. This is for the Yeosu World Expo that I never went to. 

These two were advertising for a new Berry Ice Cream shop? 

I ate a lot of ice cream....

Supported the local baseball team. Go Giants!

Appreciated Korean signage. 

What are we selling again? Who cares! It's great!

I played a lot of Gaelic Football. 

This is Sandra and her muscly legs. Look at her race past the opponents!

But most recently, and perhaps most importantly... 

I spent two weeks on a beach in the Philippines...

...with my best friend. 

Still having a great time in the ROK. 

Seoraksan or Get Off That Damn Computer and Go Outside!

Sandra and I spent an amazing weekend hiking around Seoraksan National Park. If you're in Korea, and you get a chance, I highly recommend this trip. I've heard the most popular time to go is in the fall to see the changing leaves but the lush green forests were a sight to see as well. Sandra says, in autumn, all the hikes take twice as long because everyone's constantly stopping to take pictures. 

Traveling from Busan was about a 6 hour bus ride up the coast, so we did it overnight and arrived to Sokcho at 4 am. Then we waited around for an hour and a half, watching the sun come up over the ocean and waiting for the local buses to start running. We caught the first bus of the day out to the park, a 30 minute ride.

It was a 3-day weekend for Buddha's birthday and I expected it to be crowded with Korean hiking enthusiasts (there are many!), but it was refreshingly empty. Living in the city, even in a city full of natural beauty, like Busan, it's easy to get bogged down with work and social activities. I can go weeks running from one obligation to the next, never stopping to appreciate it. Sometimes I just need to get away.

Well this is exactly what I did this weekend, and it was fantastic. It felt like a mini-vacation. Walking around, all I could do was gape at the beautiful landscape and climb up rocky trails, focusing on hauling my body up over rockpiles. It was so refreshing to sit out in the sun on a big boulder and eat sandwiches, watching the stream trickle down a nearby rock face. A much needed break at a place I hope to visit again!

There were lanterns up for Buddha's birthday.

Explorers! 

some tiny people for some perspective

We walked all day, and left the park just after sunset. 

Fresh Air and Social Obligations

In public school this year, I've noticed the staff organise a lot of events together. Last year, in the private school, I met my boss and coworkers for lunch only one time for my going away but now it seems like every other week there's some school dinner planned.

Last week, the students had a midterm test and so my classes were canceled. The principal organized a mandatory hike for the school staff following the exams. We worked in the morning, but after lunch gathered in front of the school in comfortable clothing to carpool to the mountain. In Korea, they take hiking seriously, and I was a little nervous about the seriousness of this one. They certainly looked serious about it, in their hiking pants and visors. I wore loose-fitting jeans and a sweatshirt because I don’t own hiking-specific attire and shorts would’ve been inappropriate.

waiting to leave

The mountain was just a short ride away – you can actually see it from our school. We split into two groups planning to meet further up the mountain for a break. I walked along and chatted with my co-teachers. Min-hye and Ms Yang had not been prepared for the trip because they normally taught a class in the afternoon. The class was canceled last minute and they came along reluctantly. It was very warm out and humid and my worries about trekking up a mountain with hiking experts faded as soon as we set off. The pace was a crawl but it was a beautiful day and I was grateful to be outside instead of in front of my computer screen.

When we made it to the meet-up point, the principal and vice principal were drinking makoli (a traditional Korean rice-wine) at a nearby food stand as the others filled up their water bottles. As I chatted with Choi, I heard, “waygookin” [Korean for “foreigner”] and a chuckle and before I knew it I was being pulled away by the arm and led into the foodstand. The principal was sitting down and I was nervous as I always am in front of him because he is greatly respected and there are probably 100 different ways I could be unknowingly offensive. The VP gave me an empty makoli bowl and I held it politely with two hands and avoided eye-contact as he poured me a drink. Then it was full to the brim and they all waited expectantly for me to drink. I took a sip and smiled politely. “It’s good?” they all wanted to know. “Yes, yes, it’s delicious,” I said. But of course they’d all finished and I was encouraged to drink quickly. I chugged the bowl of fizzy fermented rice wine and tried not to let my eyes water too much.

the foodstand

a fourth grade teacher downs the last of his makoli

We were off again! My coteachers laughed at me having drunk the wine and Choi said good naturedly that I would have a headache afterward and that I should drink plenty of water and “Breathe in, breathe out.” I was fine and the slow plod up the hill wasn’t difficult. My coteachers let me in on a secret, “The first strategy is to stay at the back of the group,” they said. “The principal is going to the top, but we don’t want to.” We hung back and let about 15 teachers who were walking with the principal pull ahead. We reached a fork in the trail and let the them round the corner headed for the peak… and then we took the other route! “We’ll meet them at the restaurant,” Ms An said. I didn’t mind one bit!

Min-hye and Choi. We took a non-traditional path back down.

It was a really nice hike and we got to see a lot of flowers and trees. I mostly appreciated the time to get to know my coteachers a little better. Min-hye said we were lucky because last year the trip was a lot harder and everyone was sweating. Two hours later we were back down and ready to eat at the restaurant. I was informed that it was a “duck barbecue” restaurant, a detail that delighted me. Always happy to try something new!

We arrived to find a few others had already made it back but the principal had yet to join us. We would have to wait. Even on a normal school day, everyone must wait for the principal to start eating first, which is why we usually arrive late! It was only 4:45 but my stomach was growling. Everyone looked tired. He finally arrived a little after 5 and the waitstaff started bringing out the food. We had endless amounts of side dishes and finally big plates of raw duck slices. We cooked the meat on the little grill set into our table. Ms Yang added raw cloves of [peeled] garlic and kimchi to the fire as well. We all helped turn the meat and then helped ourselves. I watched the others to see how to eat. Duck, kimchi, onion and soybean paste were wrapped in lettuce making little green packages. (The chipmunk-cheek effect is a normal part of eating Korean barbeque.) We ate and ate and just when I thought we couldn’t possibly eat more, they brought out fresh trays of meat! When finally even that was finished, a waiter came by to take our orders for soup so Min-hye and I split a bowl of Naengmyeon, which is a cold wheat noodle soup. The noodles are long and chewy and need to be cut with scissors before eating to make them manageable. When it’s served, some of the tangy broth is still frozen in a sort of slush and there’s usually half of a hard-boiled egg sitting on top of the noodles. Delish! When that was finished, I felt I was going to explode, but luckily the dinner had come to an end.

Duck Barbecue restaurant!

our spread

However, there was still a matter of leaving, which for some reason always poses problems! As I said before, the principal commands a great deal of respect as the leader of the school. When Ms An led a group of women to stand up and head for the door, a loud “EAHHH!” was heard from the principal’s table and they all rushed to sit down smiling sheepishly. They all wanted to leave. It was 6:30 afterall- 2 hours later than we normally leave work. But the principal wouldn’t allow it. I joked to Ms An that she should sneak out on her hands and knees, and the next thing I knew she was crawling away from the table toward the door. The principal shouted something at her, and she stood up bowing a few times and murmuring lots of polite things I didn’t understand before slipping out. The other teachers looked longingly after her but didn’t dare move. A few minutes later, the principal and vice principal stood up to give closing speeches and release us from our obligations. Of course, our table felt too guilty to attempt another escape until after another table made it successfully. During the speeches, Choi leaned over to me and said, “Alice, we need another strategy.” I was confused but she explained that the vice principal wanted us to continue socializing at a nearby Norebang, or Karaoke room. What?! “I’m not going to that!” I said, and she agreed. She and Min-hye said we’d have to make an escape after dinner.

Me, Min-hye and Choi

Ms Yang and Ms An, post meal.

I thought they were joking but as soon as we left the room, they quickly put their shoes on and rushed outside. In the parkinglot Choi half ran to the street and I noticed about 10 other teachers giggling nervously as they raced to their cars. I asked Min-hye, “If he sees you, will you have to go?” and she just nodded and looked back toward the restaurant. Oh the social obligations of the Korean worker! I wanted to wait for Ms Jung, who would have been headed my direction, but decided I couldn’t risk being spotted by the principal and getting roped into another few hours of alcohol and karaoke! I ran away with Min-hye and Choi. As their bus approached, they asked what I’d do, and I said I might hide in my hood. Choi, joked, “You’ll be too obvious!” Luckily my bus was right behind and I didn’t have to test that strategy.