Teens are the same in every country

Korea has VERY high standards for their students of all ages. Many start attending kindergarten at the age of 4. Starting in first grade they begin to attend a 학원 (hagwon; private after school schools) for all sorts of subjects. English, Math, Piano, etc. Anyways.... you get the idea that Korean kids need have a lot to do.

I found myself wondering many things: Do they have free time? If so what do they do? Are they so tired that they just sleep?

Well, on Saturday I was pleased to find out that teenagers around the world need time to relax. (Maybe this should have been an obvious thing, but I had not witnessed until this day.) I went with a friend to this place with rock pools to swim in.

While there we saw a few groups of teenage boys there just hanging out. I didn't think much of it at first, but then I began to think about how their school work. I wondered why they weren't at home studying or doing something academic as many students do on the weekends. Here were these high school boys swimming, smoking cigarettes, and drinking beer. Wow! It reminds of American high school life. Teens getting away from their parents for a few hours to feel rebellious and relax. 

This was so refreshing to see, because from an outsider perspective it seems that all Korean students do is work, work, work. It was kind of a wake up call to me that said, "Britta, remember what it was like to be a teenager? These people are teens now and want to do the same things."

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Well, the rest of my weekend was quite eventful. We went to see a waterfall near these rock swimming pools. On Sunday I went to Tongyeong, a coastal city, with my Korean friend Christopher (Chiho) for some fun.

Tongyeong

Tomorrow is July 1st.... WOW!

A citizen of the world

After nearly 9 months in Korea, it is time to decide what my next venture will be in my life. The first questions many expats in Korea have asked me is "Will you stay another year in Korea?" My initial reaction to this question was sure, why not, but after much more thought and consideration I realized that teaching English is not my thing. Yes, my job is not too hard and the kids are wonderful but it doesn't satisfy my heart and soul.

The next question most expats here would ask is "Well, are you gonna spend some time traveling after you finish your contract?"
My gut reaction is YES I WANT TO TRAVEL!!!! I was lucky to travel to Thailand over my winter vacation, but I recall that one of the reasons I wanted to come to Korea was to travel around Asia more easily. I also spent much time debating whether I thought I would travel or just go home for a bit. Finally, I realized that the traveling (in small or large capacities) truly makes me happy. I am beginning to plan some SE Asian travels for when I am finished with my contract (Sept. 14). My tentative plan is to travel for 2 months and then head home. We will see about the destinations after I figure out costs/budget, but I filled with joy and butterflies just thinking about this new journey :)

Perhaps not the most informative blog, but I want to just share my thoughts about my life here is East Asia.

Also, I realized I have not done a Korea food blog. This will be soon to come!!!

Cobbers in Korea

In May, thanks to Buddha's birthday, we had a long weekend. I traveled up to Seoul to attend the Seoul Jazz Festival and to visit with some Cobbers.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a 'Cobber' is I should fill you in. My university mascot was a cob of corn named Kernel Cobb, so thus our name was the Concordia Cobbers. 

I knew that there were other Cobbers teaching in Korea, but this was the first time we were able to get together. I have been blessed with many new, beautiful friends in Korea, but there is nothing like interacting with people you have known for longer than a few months AND people who share that Concordia bond.

We spent 3 bliss filled days in Seoul with excellent music, food, and of course company. This mini-vacation reminded me of how special it was to attend a school that emphasized being globally engaged citizens. Across the Pacific one year after graduation we were able to meet and immediately connect. Wow! I know some people are happy to have friends from the same state/country here in Korea but these are people whom graduated from the same small, liberal arts school in Minnesota. :) It still blows my mind!

Kate, Stefan, Me, Ellen

Cobber Rings '12

This also made me think about all of the Cobbers around the world right now that I know! People whom are living out the mission statement and upholding the love of learning that Concordia instilled in us. Again, Wow!

"The purpose of Concordia College is to influence the affairs of the world by sending into society thoughtful and informed men and women dedicated to the Christian life."

Soli Deo Gloria

An island and 3/4

This past weekend we escaped to the an island called Bijindo. It is amazing how easily you can escape here in Korea. They offer a variety of landscapes to get you out of the city rush and into the island life... :) It seems that Koreans are constantly working and often they forget to take a rest. OR when they do take a rest they spend their entire weekend doing so just before heading back into another hectic work week. Since I have been a part of this Korean work ethic (working 9-7:30 everyday), it was time for a weekend of relaxation. 

After an hour bus ride and an hour ferry we arrived on the island of Bijindo. Nearly 60 foreigners from Changwon (my hometown) filed off the ferry and directly onto the beach. We all set up our tents on the beach and proceeded to enjoy a perfect May day. Now for all my dear friends family back in the Minnesota/North Dakota area, I realize that your spring has been a late coming thing but here in Korea spring is in full swing.

The next 24 hours were filled with sun, soju (Korean rice liquor very similar to vodka), and sand. Away from the sounds and demands of a bustling metropolis we were able to sit and contemplate things other than work. It also provided us with the opportunity to continue and strengthen this community that Changwon boasts. I will admit that sometimes it is quite easy to take it for granted, but this weekend reminded me of how much I appreciate community. During the night when we were all sitting around the fire, I just sat to simply take in the view of all these fantastic people from across the globe taking time to just be. 

Rosemary and me taking in the sun.

On another note I have been in Korea for 8 months. 8 MONTHS!!!!! This means I am 2/3 finished with my contract and now I really need to begin a serious thought about what I will do after I finish my job here. I have spent countless hours and discussion on this topic and I am still clueless. I would definitely welcome any prayers, positive vibes, or supportive thoughts. I guess I will just have to open my heart and my ears to where I am being called to next.

Until next time...

Springtime Weekend Getaways

Today (April 15, 2013) is my 7 month anniversary in Korea. WOW! Each week and month it keeps getting better and it is hard to believe that I am over halfway finished with this contract. 

Spring has definitely sprung here in Korea and it is something to marvel at. All of a sudden the weather warms and green begins to appear around you with what seems to be no effort. The cherry blossoms were something that I really enjoyed to see, because I don't believe I have ever seen so many in one place back in the midwest. In Jinhae, the town next door, they have a cherry blossom festival, which was a wonder to see. A small group of my friends and I biked to Jinhae. It was a great way to take in the spring weather and to get some exercise on the 15km ride. The cherry blossoms seemed to go on forever creating a canopy of soft pink petals. 

I have been fortunate to make some great Korean friends who are around my age. Fred (Seung Hun) and Daniel (Chang Hee) are two guys I met back in October at the lantern festival in Jinju. Now Fred has moved to Busan to work on his masters at a university there. Daniel is still in Jinju finishing his last year of university. These guys are loads of fun and we always have lots of laughs when we are together. Over one weekend I spent a day in Busan with Fred and a day in Jinju with Daniel. Although we all weren't together, it still proved to be an excellent visit in both cities.

Jinju water reservior. L-R Jeffrey (Wooseung), Daniel, Me

I celebrated Easter/spring in a unique way this year. Each spring the people of India celebrate Holi Hai. This celebration is spring and the coming summer. During this festival people throw colored powder at each other and dance the day away. Some Indian expats put together a festival to be held at a beach in Busan. I went with a group of friends from Changwon and we had a great time on Easter Sunday celebrating spring and new life!

Tristan and me at the Holi Hai festival

Most recently I traveled to the city of Boseong to their historic and famous green tea fields. These tea fields have been cultivated since around 600 AD and   were certified organic in 2005. This field is not the only on in the area, but the largest and oldest. I was lucky enough to spend the day with the lovely Sarah Perraton, a wonderful British gal. It was her last weekend in Korea and this was on her Korea bucket list, so we did it!

Sarah and myself at the lovely tea fields.

Just with the spring weather, weekends are quickly filling up with little adventures and I will be sure to keep you all posted about the fun trips!

Gyeongju is Korea

For lunar new year I traveled to Gyeongju with 3 lovely ladies. Gyeongju is a very historic city with many temples, royal burial mounds/tombs, and the home to the Silla dynasty capital. Instead of boring you with the details, this time I will let my pictures to the talking. Enjoy!

(L to R) Me, Christie, Rosemary

Kirstin and Rosemary

Christie

Royal Tombs

Tea time with the monk

Pagoda at the National Museum in Gyeongju

Anapji pond

Happy Lunar New Year from Gyeongju, South Korea!

Saying Goodbye

Something you learn as an expat is that people are always coming and going.

Recently I had to say goodbye to two of my good friends here. Jan and Rika. Jan is a German engineering Masters student who was here for an engineering internship. We became friends almost instantly (mainly because I wanted someone to speak German with... HA!). He turned out to be the brother I never had, because he always pushed my buttons but still cared for me. Rika is a lovely South African woman whom I always had a good time with.

When you arrive and make friends, you assume they will be your friends the whole time you are here. Slowly you begin to realize that everyone arrives at different times, which means they also will leave at different times. This life of constant change was a little odd to me at first, but then I realized that we are all here for different reasons. There is, however, one reason that seems to perpetuate most expats and that is the desire to travel. Many people come to or leave Korea for many fabulous far off lands filled with adventure and new cultures to immerse their souls into. I also have this desire, and now have come to terms with the fact that people do leave and it's alright. My college senior self one year ago would have greatly differed from this opinion.

Well, this first big goodbye went alright and I know it is just the first of many.

Here is the group having a farewell toast at my apartment.

Halfway

6 months. 6 whole months. This is how long I have been in Korea right now and I cannot even believe it. To think that my contract is half over and that I have truly established a life here. Recently I find that I often "forget" that I am in Korea. Obviously I do know that I live here, however, it now has become my regular life and seems quite comfortable most of the time. I have established friends in and outside of my city, taken a vacation to Thailand, traveled around Korea, and made an attempt to learn the language. 

I feel this halfway point is a good time for reflection on my time here and to begin thinking beyond Korea (if I do leave.) I cannot begin to tell you how many new foods you try without question when living in another country. Sometimes I ask and other times I just say ok and eat it because that's what's for dinner. Ha! I have been able to meet  people and make from friends from across the globe, especially Germany. I never dreamed that moving to Korea would provide with a good opportunity to practice my German but it has and I am thankful for that. I also have been doing alright at learning Korean. Here is where my conversation skills can go for now: Hello, goodbye, Where are you from?, What is you job?, What is your name?, I would like this, How much does that cost?, Ordering food, Using this and that, random classroom vocabulary, and a few other things. Now this may not seem like much, but I am quite happy of my accomplishment thus far and will continue to study Korean. Lastly, being here has only add fuel to my passion of travel and other cultures. I hear stories from other expats about their travels all over the world and I am instantly inspired to plan my new adventure, job, or trip.

After Korea. What a thought! I do love being in Korea, however I miss teaching music and being immersed in it each day. On the other hand, my students at this school are awesome and I enjoy teaching them..... but I am teaching them English. Then my mind wandered to the thought of working as a music teacher at an International school, but most of them require 2 years experience, which I do not have yet. This leaves me with about 3 options: renew my contract with my school and stay another year, leave Korea to travel for a bit/go home and return to a new job in another city in Korea, or just go home sub until I can find a teaching job. Since I am not keen on settling in the USA just yet, I believe one of the first two options will be the most likely. With that, I don't have to notify my current job about renewing until I have 3 months left on my contract. Right now I have not a clue which one I will pick.... and that's just fine with me.

Let's go to Masan

About two weeks ago there was an open mic night with some local foreigners playing and my friends and I decided to go. It was in the neighboring city, Masan, which is just a city bus ride away. That Saturday night we hopped onto the bus for what should have been a pretty typical ride.... but it was just the beginning.

When we first got on the bus it was quite full of people headed to Masan, but it was Saturday night and most likely people have places to go and things to do, as we did. We sat by each other and chatted as the bus continued on it's path. Once we got into Masan, we started to pay a little more attention, but still thought we continue our conversation. However, once the last Korean got off the bus we realized we might have missed our stop because we were talking. Never the less, we waited on the bus to see if our stop came around.

Finally, the bus pulls off onto this little poorly lit road and into a parking lot. The driver proceeds to park the bus and open the door for us to exit. I instantly thought... ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Here we are outside the edge of town, without a clue of how to get where we are going and he is about to end his shift driving the bus. AHHHHHHH!!!! I talk frantically with my friends as to what we should do now. In about 10 seconds we decide we need to try to talk to this bus driver with what little Korean we know. I approach the bus driver and say the name of the place we are wanting to be at and then asking him where it is. All he says is "yes." He then turns the bus back on and starts to drive..... somewhere.

At this point we realize he is going to drive us to where we need be to, like a taxi driver EXCEPT we had a whole city bus to ourselves. My friends and I felt so thankful and relived that we had such a nice driver who would just take us there without questions. But then we got worried again because he got onto the highway, when we believed we should just be heading back into town. Our next thought was 'We are 4 beautiful women in our early 20s at the will of this Korean man driving a city bus on the highway on a Saturday night.' What is going on?

Luckily, Korea is an extremely safe place. I do not exaggerate when I say that you can walk home at any hour of the night/morning and it is safe. Walking alone, with people, or riding a bus to Masan... HA! I pulled up the GPS on my phone to see where we were headed, and then we realized he is driving us after his shift is over. He HAD to take the highway because he was not a his regular route and could not pick up other passengers. At this point we have probably been on the bus for about an hour, but finally we approach the city and our stop near the University in Masan. We all let out a sigh of relief at this point, because if we were Koreans.... there is no way he would have done this. In this case, being a foreigner was a positive because he acted as our personal bus driver and got us to our destination safely.

As we got off the bus, we just said thank you (in Korean) as many times as we could. We tried to think of other things to say, but that was the best thing we knew how to say in Korean. In the end we couldn't believe that actually happened and we got to our destination in one piece. I cannot begin to tell you how thankful we all were for that bus driver's kindness and understanding. Someone was definitely looking out for us that night.

Learning 한글 (Korean)

At first, learning Korean seems like a daunting task. You can tell it looks organized, and I am living in a country where millions of people use this as their means for communication. It's been four months since I arrived in Korea and I thought I would share a little about the language and my experience trying to learn it.

Korean is made of 24 characters. 10 vowels and 14 consonants. Lucky for me, Korean is a phonetic language which makes reading easy to do. When you compare it to the English alphabet, there are only a few sounds missing: b, v, f, z. It took me about 2 hours to learn the alphabet just by practicing with flashcards and reading all the signs outside. Reading comes slow, but I literally read all the little Korean words/signs that come my way. Do I know what I am reading... Not a clue, but it does make my reading skills faster.

Speaking Korean.

When I had just started Korean I was sure I would be able to learn quite quickly, but boy was I wrong. Anyone can repeat the simple phrases learned from a class, the web, or some language CD. BUT Korean sentence structure is almost completely opposite from English. In the sentence word order, you put the object/subject of the sentence first. Basically you end up talking like Yoda but in Korean.... For example, I would not say 'Where is the bathroom?', I would say 'Bathroom, is where?' If learning a new language isn't already hard enough, let's add talking like Yoda to the mix. Since Korean is so different from English, it almost makes sense that the word order should be 'backwards.'

Once a week I attend a Korean class for just over an hour. It is free, open to the public, AND they have one on one tutors. I am so thankful for these volunteers, because I can save a few won (Korean currency) and still learn the language. Also, I have met some wonderful foreigners and Koreans through this class. 남 미(Nami) has been a wonderful help. She is an English teacher at a local high school and such a sweetheart. She also reminds me a lot of my mom, which is a comforting feeling. On Christmas she was kind enough to invite me over!!! I did have Christmas plans already, but I was amazed at the kindness, since Christmas is a family holiday in Korea. (Mainly used for rest.)

After 4 months you might ask, well can she even speak Korean? I would answer 'Just a little bit.' My most successful use was recently in a cab. I wanted to go home after having dinner with some friends. I hailed a cab and got inside. After I sat down and said hello, I told him the name of my apartment building. He didn't see to recognize it, so I said it again. Still the driver looked confused. He pulled over and began to search for it on his GPS. As he was doing this, I noticed he was spelling it wrong and wouldn't be able to find it. Then I remembered.... Britta, you can correct his spelling in Korean, DO IT! So I did just that. Then on the search results for my apartment I read the one which was correct and he selected that as our destination. Because I was able to correct his spelling and read my apartment building name, CLEARLY I would be able to converse with him right? Well, that's what he thought. He proceeded to try and talk to me. I had to listen to his questions many times before I understood but it worked out something like this...

Cab driver: "Where are you from?"

Me :(looks confused while he repeats the question about 5 times.)

Me: (Finally, I understand.) I am American.

Cab: How long have you been in Korea?

Me: (Again.... confused looks until I understand.)

Me: I have been here 4 months.

Cab driver: Is this the building?

Me: (I understood this one right away.) Yes, right here.

When I exited the cab, I felt great! I had actually talked with a Korean all by myself. Was it the best or most stimulating conversation? Definitely not. But I felt so accomplished after.

Maybe in a couple more months, I can start asking the questions. But for now, this will have to suffice.

New Years in Thailand

After a one day "break" from work for Christmas, I was more than thrilled to have an entire week off of school for vacation. Also, it was the week of New Years which made it more exciting. Since we would have time to travel and go somewhere outside Korea, that is exactly what I did.

Thailand.

Before I came to Korea, I wasn't thinking Thailand, would be one of the places that would visit. I was really interested in going to Bali, Indonesia or perhaps traveling to visit another Cobber friend who is living abroad. A co-worker of mine had lived and worked in Thailand for a year as a teacher. When I was trying to think of a place to go, she recommended Thailand. I began doing some research and it seemed like a lovely place. Tropical weather, cheap food and accommodations, and the flights from Korea were cheaper than to other places.

I spent my week in Koh Chang, Trat, Thailand, an island just off the southeast coast. Also, this island is the largest island closest to Bangkok (which is where I would be flying into.) The day before my trip, I was with some friends in Seoul and nervous about traveling alone. Yes, I know I am quite outgoing and make friends easily BUT this would be traveling to a country I don't know and no one would be waiting for me when I arrived. My brain filled with questions: Is it safe to travel alone? What if I am robbed? Do they speak English? What will I do in Thailand? Where do I stay?

I arrived at the airport in Bangkok just before midnight on December 30th and was suddenly filled with excitement. I was  going to spend my winter vacation on an island in Thailand. WOW!!! It hit me what a blessing it was to first of all be traveling anywhere for a holiday. Secondly, I was not just traveling but from my life already living abroad. It's easy to forget how much I have to be thankful for when I am just doing the day-to-day work.

That night I needed somewhere cheap just to sleep for the night and then head out to the island tomorrow, so I ended heading to Koh Sahn road. Many people know this road for its cheap shopping and exciting night life. Lots of young foreigners come here over vacation and it was very exciting when I arrived. Even at 1:30am on a Sunday night, the street was FILLED with people, shopping stands, and loud music. Here I was with my backpack and still wearing  winter clothes from Korea. I just walked into the first hostel I saw and got a room. Spent the night there and headed out the next morning.

I took a cab to the east bus terminal in town to make my way to Koh Chang. I was informed that the bus ride would be 5 hours, but what I didn't expect was the rest of the journey to take all day. It went something like this... wait one hour for the bus, ride the bus for 5 hours, take a one hour cab to the ferry, take the ferry for one hour, take another one hour cab ride to the southside of the island where my guesthouse was. GAH! Needless to say, by the time I arrived it was New Years eve and I was exhausted and starving. Instead of being filled with excitement and counting down til midnight, I spent my finally eating some dinner around 10pm and then sleeping, because I knew I would need my energy for the next few days.

The first morning I woke up and was surprised to see the view, because when I arrived everything was dark so I didn't know what to expect to see. I enjoyed breakfast at my guest house with fresh fruit and fresh fruit juice. :) At 9am I had booked a trip to go snorkeling for the day with food and equipment included. All for less than $20!!! We travled to 4 different small islands and snorkeled. I had never gone snorkeling before so I was quite thrilled to stick my goggle underwater and see beautiful tropical fish swimming inches from my face.

Our first stop.

Stop number 2.

Stop 3. All the lifejackets floating are people from my group.

Our forth and final stop.

A few of the different snorkeling companies boats.

On the beach at our final stop.

The whole day was so much fun and filled with beautiful sites. These were places people saw in magazines or dreamt about. My eyes were on overload the whole trip, and it was fantastic.

For my next day, I decided to spend it relaxing at the beach and exploring the island some more. I began walking towards the rest of the island, hoping to catch these truck bed style taxis, but I wasn't seeing any. This was when I walked past a motorbike rental stand. A lot of people seemed to ride motorbikes all over Thailand. I stopped and talked to the woman there and she told me it was only 200 baht ($7) a day to rent a bike. So I signed a little paper and before I knew it, I was exploring the island on a motorbike. I had never driven one before, but they were automatic and had a helmet.... I figured it would all be fine. The hardest thing was driving on the left hand side of the road.

I visited 2 different beaches that day, which were both gorgeous. When I arrived at the beach, I put sunscreen on first. But it was so hot out.... that I am pretty sure it all just sweated right off. So I did end up with a little sunburn, but it was worth it to spend the day in such magnificent place. Following my beach time, I stopped to get a Thai massage in Thailand. How perfect!

My first stop on the motorbike.

White Sand Beach

White Sand Beach

Sunset at Lonely Beach.... this little guy decided to join me.

My third day started out similar with a trip to the beach to soak up the sun and the ocean. I first visited a Khlong Prao beach, which was fun and more quiet than the other beaches. This one felt like a true get away. I was able to enjoy a lovely beachside lunch followed by a visit to a Thai Buddhist temple. Finally, this afternoon I got to go and ride an elephant! I had been looking forward to this the whole trip and I was so excited. I had an hour ride through the forest/jungle of the island and it was so fun.

Almost to Khlong Prao Beach.

I almost forgot... I went to a fish spa where these little fish eat the dead skin off your feet and calves. It tickled a lot, but after my feet felt so nice!

I did it!! I rode an elephant.

Sadly, the next day I had to leave. I began the long trip back to Bangkok and eventually Korea. When I returned to Changwon, it was the first time I really felt like I was returning home. It has been a week since my return but it feels like forever. I am so blessed and thankful for these 4 months here. I cannot imagine what the next 8 have in store.

Happy New Year!