Portland in Korea

Talk about a small world. One of the women who work at my school moved to Portland for two years to get her master’s degree from Portland State University. I never thought I would move over 5000 miles across the globe to run into someone who knows about Saturday Market, Powells, or Widmer. This is something that Mrs. Park have bonded over numerous times in the teacher’s lounge. This past weekend, Mrs. Park invited Eric and I to Jirisan, a mountain resort, so we could meet her family and her friend, Marie, who also studied at PSU.

When Mrs. Park and her husband picked us up on Saturday afternoon, Eric and I were greeted by the faces of Mrs. Park’s twin boys. They were sitting in the back seat, at full attention, waiting to see what we looked like. And true to Korean children’s form, once Eric and I said hello, the boys immediately looked away and didn’t talk to us. However, this would all change as the day went on. Eric and I spent a lot of time with the boys talking to them about school and sports. By the end of the weekend one of the boys, Sa Young, was attached to my hip.



Jirisan is located about 1.5 hours east of Gwangju and is the second highest peak in South Korea. Our hotel was located at the bottom of a valley created by the surrounding mountains. From our hotel balcony, we were greeted with an immense view of Jiri Mountain. However, from where we were staying we could not get a full view of Jiri mountain because part of it was covered by a wall of clouds. On Saturday night, Marie and Mrs. Park cooked a feast for ten. There we indulged in good wine, good food, and good company. The six adults of the group reminisced about our favorite Portland spots while the kids wandered in and out, asking permission to watch TV and to use the computer.


The next morning we all woke up early so we could get a head start on conquering Jiri Mountain. We left the hotel around 9 and found ourselves at our starting point by 10 am. The next two hours would be filled with sore legs, tired cries from children, and breath taking views. When Eric and I reached the top, we were undoubtedly tired, but we were in awe of the panoramic views which lay in front of us. In one direction we could see mountains rise and fall as the mountain range stretched out in the distance. In the other direction we could only see a wall of clouds. At an elevation of 1507 meters, we literally found ourselves among the clouds. Words cannot accurately express the beauty of the land and cloudscape which lay before us.



After making our way back down to the car, we were all exhausted. Mrs. Park, Eric, I, and her two boys fell asleep in the car until we reached Namwon, our lunch time destination. After refueling on bibimbap, kimchi, jigae and green tea we were all awake and ready for the ride home. By the time Eric and I were dropped off on Sunday night we were exhausted. My legs were tired and my hips were sore, but I couldn’t help but smile about it all. Walking down a Portland themed memory lane created a Korean evening filled with smiles, good stories, and plenty of laughs!

Teacher's Day

One of the biggest differences I notice teaching in Korea is the amount of respect and the level of recognition teachers receive here. In Korea, the teaching profession is seen as an honorable position and even has a special particle associated with the Korean word teacher to showcase this. May 15 in Korea is Teacher’s Day. Teacher’s Day is when students and their parents write letters, cards, or send gifts to their teachers to show their appreciation. Usually when this day falls during the week, teachers will receive the day off.

This year Teacher’s Day fell on a Saturday so my co-workers and I did not get a weekday off of work. However, to my surprise when I came to work on the following Monday my desk draws were filled with cards and trinkets from my students. To be honest I was surprised to find anything at all. It’s not that I thought my students hated me, but I know how hard it must be for them to write an entire letter in English. I know the letters I received were carefully written, making sure to form the letters just right and to make sure there were no spelling mistakes. Many of the letters I received were randomly filled with the English phrases my students have mastered such as: today is favorite day, I love you Dana teacher, nice to meet you, how are you, etc. All of these made me smile, and I don’t think I will get rid of them anytime soon.

Here are some of the letters which my students wrote to me:

The Sights of Seoul

Last weekend Eric and I were fortunate enough to have a long weekend due to Buddha’s birthday. To take advantage of this extra day we decided to spend the weekend in Seoul. There we were able to visit and stay with two good friends from Portland, Ian and Leslie, who teach in after school academies.

What stands out in my mind when I think about Seoul is its size. The city alone is home to 10.5 million people, but if you include the metro area the population jumps to 24.4 million people. This city is easily the biggest city I have ever been to. Knowing this, Eric and I decided to get an early start by catching the 6am bus out of Gwangju on Friday. We arrived in Seoul around 10 am and after dropping our backpack of at Ian and Leslie’s we dove head first into our nonstop run around town. Over the course of the next 48 hours this is what we accomplished:

Seoul Tower
The first stop on our list, Seoul Tower is built atop a hill in Namsan Park. The tower stands at 237 meters in height. Since the tower is built on a hill top, a cable car has been built to shuttle visitors back and forth. However, due to the holiday weekend the wait for a cable car was around 2 hours. Eric and I decided that we would walk to the tower. What we did not know was a walk would quickly turn into a climb. To get to the base of Seoul Tower Eric and I climbed 1.5km of stairs! Our legs were burning halfway through, but we were determined to make it to the top. To further add to this experience it was around 82 degrees and humid. However, it was all worth it when we finally stepped off the tower’s elevator. The views from the top were colossal. It is only from the tower top that one is really able to see just how big and expansive Seoul really is.


Myeongdong/Downtown
After climbing back down the 1.5 kilometers of stairs, we made our way through Seoul’s downtown and Myeongdong, Seoul’s popular shopping district. The streets of downtown were lined with glimmering and towering skyscrapers on either side. The street level of these skyscrapers housed the likes of Prada, Chanel, Gucci, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Dior. Downtown Seoul oozes decadence. Everything from the high-end shops, designer duds, and the flashy sky towers attracts a very small and exclusive clientele list.

After snapping some shows of the architecture, Eric and I wandered over to Myeongdong. Myeongdong is a pedestrian free for all. The edges of the streets are lined with a variety of retail shops while the streets are flooded with foot traffic. There were so many people wandering the streets that Eric and I felt like cattle being herded from the street’s start to end. Despite having little wiggle room there is something about a fast-paced and high density population city life that I find attractive.

Itaewon
After our afternoon explorations we went to the foreigner’s district, Itaewon, with Ian and Leslie for dinner. Most of Seoul’s international population lives in this area. It is located next to the US Army base and English is heard often. In Itaewon the four of us decide to treat ourselves to a western meal. We settled on the Wolfhound, an Irish Pub, where we ate the likes of fish n’ chips, BLT’s, and cheeseburgers. We also paired our meals with a pint of Kilkenny, a dark Irish beer. I must say, fish n’ chips has never tasted so good! After dinner we made our way to an Australian bar where I had a hefty class of chardonnay, my first glass of wine since moving here, and Eric had a pint of Guinness.

Insadong and Gyeongbok Palace
On Saturday morning Ian and Leslie decided to take us to Insadong. It is a long street which specializes in selling traditional, handmade Korean goods. If you are a tourist or visitor this is the perfect place to buy some cultural pieces. We found everything: ceremonial masks, traditional drums, artwork, and high-end tea. Eric and I decided that we would not buy anything than for money saving purposes. However, we do intend to go back before we leave Korea.

After Insadong, the four of us made our way to Gyeongbok Palace. Gyeonbok Palace was built by and became the royal home for the Chosun Dynasty, a lineage of Kings who ruled Korea for 500 years. However, everything there is a recreation. The reason for this is when the Japanese colonized Korea in the 1900s they burnt the original structures; an act which must have been devastating for the Korean people. In the 1980s Gyeongbok Palace was rebuilt and is now open for visitors and tourists to view. The courtyards, landscaping, and details are majestic. Nothing was overlooked and no detail was spared. Despite this being a recreation, it still gives off a majestic and royal feel.

Hongdae
On Saturday night we went out for drinks in Hongdae, a popular university district. The first bar on our list was Castle Praha. It is a huge building which has been renovated, both inside and out, to look like a Prague Castle in the 1700s. There were crests, shields, and woodwork galore! As a bonus they brew three of their own beers there: a pilsner, a red ale, and a dunkel. After Castle Praha we went to Margarita Splash, a bar specializing in to-go drinks. In Korea, you can drink anywhere you please and Margarita splash enables this. You can buy a large drink and take it to go. We refrained from leaving the bar, but the festive cup did make drinking the pineapple margarita a little more enjoyable!

Noryangjin Fish Market
The last stop of our weekend was the Noryangjin fish market. It is smaller than the fish market in Busan, but the selection of fish is still the same. Eric and I love aquariums, so we thought why not go to the market and see some fish. It is always an interesting experience, for the eyes and nose, to walk up and down the aisles.


By the time Monday came around we were not ready to go back to work. The weekend left us exhausted. It was all worth it though to spend time with some old friends and to explore a new city! Sorry for the long post!

Korea's Countryside

Living in one of Korea’s metropolitan areas, my eyes have become used to a lack of nature; my ears are used to the hum and drum of man’s machines; my hands are accustomed to the smooth texture of metal and glass. However, it is not all bad. For every major cityscape Korea has to offer, it has twice as much land filled with rolling hills, large trees, and winding rivers. These past few weekends Eric and I, along with a few of our friends, decided to leave city life behind and explore Korea’s country side.



The first stop on our list was the bamboo forest of Damyoung. Damyoung is about a 45 minute bus ride out of Gwangju. Damyoung is a small, country town filled with family farms, family stores, and one main road. After following the main street Eric, I, Jimmy, and Rachel made our way to the bamboo forest. The bamboo forest stretches from the banks of the river up the side of a small mountain. However, Korea’s park system has created user friendly trails that meander through the forest. The four of us followed the trails from waterfalls to tall pagodas. Even though it was a hot and sunny day when we visited the forest, the sun was rarely seen. The bamboo has grown so high, that when one walks the trails they are completely covered by the shadows of the stalks. After we finished hiking the trails we stopped off at a Kimbap Nara, a Korean fast food restaurant, to refuel. It was a delicious way to end the day.

The second stop on our countryside adventures was the Boseong Green Tea Plantation. Boseong is located an hour and a half south of Gwangju on the coast. The Boseong Green Tea Plantation is the largest tea plantation in all of Korea. The tea plants stretch for miles up and down the coastal mountainsides. It is truly a sight to behold. The mountainsides are filled with meticulously kept rows of vibrant green tea plants. Among these rows of plants are the workers who are harvesting the tea, May is the peak picking season, and the visitors who come to the plantation to take in the sights and tastes that Boseong has to offer.

Our friends and we decided to hike to the top of one of the plantation hills. After an endless amount of steep stairs we reached the top. From there, we could see a large portion of the plantation as well as the ocean. The view was breathtaking. The ocean was hazy and gray behind the bright mountain range. The view reminded me of how the Oregon Coast can look in the early hours of morning before the fog has had a chance to burn off. After taking in the mountain-top views we slowly made our way down to the Boseong tasting room. There we tasted freshly picked tea and sampled some green tea soft serve; both were refreshing.

Living in a dense city like Gwangju has made me miss my Northwest natural surroundings. However, when Eric and I do escape to the countryside we appreciate what nature has to offer more than we did when we were surrounded by it all the time. Since it will be a long time until I get to see Oregon again, I will let Korea’s countryside fill my need for trees, fresh air, and adventure.

Expect the Unexpected

When I first arrived for orientation everyone kept saying “Korea is dynamic.” I was never certain about what this meant, so whenever I heard the phrase I would simply smile and nod. However, as time continues to pass by I think I understand what the EPIK veterans and orientation leaders where trying to tell me. At my school, the translation for this phrase is “plans change frequently and fast, so expect the unexpected.” Plans can change within minutes, and being an English speaker often means I am not told about such changes in advance. Case and point my 8th grade speaking lesson today:

Class started as normal, with the usual squeals and daily greetings. I asked all of my students how they were and spent a good five minutes urging them to think of another adjective to use as a response other than ‘fine’. This is something we have been working on for a few weeks, and they are now comfortable coming up with a response on the spot. Each day, after the daily greetings, my co-teacher, Sue, and I jump into a listening activity followed by a speaking activity. Just as we had our students’ attention there was a knock at the door.

In walks one of the science teachers with a plastic bottle in her hand. As she is making her announcement, which I have no idea what about, she opens her bottle and begins handing out a small plastic strip to each girl. I have no idea what is going on, but the strips she is handing out resemble PH strips used to test pool water. Wanting to know exactly why our class has stopped, I ask Sue:

“What are those for?”
“They have to take a urine test.” Sue responds nonchalantly.
“What for?”
“To see if our students have diseases.”

What the heck! I have lines of students coming and going with their unused and used urine strips. What makes the situation all the more funny is I have a class of 39 girls, but the bathroom down the hall only has two stalls. So, as you can imagine, this testing of diseases is a slow process! By the time all the girls return, twenty minutes have passed by and I know I have to scrap my original plans for the day. We work on the listening activity and finish with four minutes left of class. To help pass the time, I decide I will tell them what we will do next class. Before I can get a word out, a hand shoots up and asks, “How do you call what we did earlier in English?” I know they are not talking about the listening activity.

“It is called a urine or pee test in English.” I write down the new words on the board to aid understanding. What makes this situation odd is that my response isn’t met with laughter or giggles, but rather all of my students are nodding and writing down the new vocabulary they just learned. Well at least now I know what “Korea is dynamic” means!