A Trip South through Korea

In the end of  January we had a very long week end for the Lunar New Year.  I rented a car for part of the time and went on a trip down the west side of the peninsula and back up the center.  I have not had the chance to see the east part yet, but I hope to this summer. 

I tried to leave on one afternoon, but after four hours, I had not gone past Seoul.  It took me that long to get about 15 miles.  I decided to return home and leave early in the morning.  That turned out to be a much better idea.  I left at about 5:30 in the morning and by ten o’clock, I was well down the western side of the peninsula. 

Traveling by car in Korea is much different from traveling in the US.   Most of the roads are toll roads.  You have to pause every so often and pay a toll.  The toll gates funnel down and then when they expand again, there is no easy merging.  You just sort of have to barge in front of cars and keep one foot on the break in case someone barges in front of you.  Blinkers are seldom employed here.  People just assume that you will turn or not.  Also, city driving is so strange.  There are many places where U turns are indicated and it is the only way to get where you are going.  There are flashing red and blue lights that look like the light bar from a police car along the side of the road.  Police cars here also have their lights flashing all the time.  You know when they are going to stop you by the siren.  The lights along the road are there to get people to slow down, but people don’t slow down because they are used to the lights.   Driving is an exciting experience here.  Even parking is fascinating.  People squeeze into tiny parking spaces and sometimes they park on sidewalks or on the side of the street (not the shoulder).

There are rest plazas very often on the Korean highways.  When you stop at the plaza, they have nice restroom facilities, and they have shops.   There is almost always a coffee shop of some sort.  They also have an outdoor bbq grill where they make grilled squid on a stick.  Yes, they grill the entire squid and people line up to purchase them.  There is a street food stall where they sell various street foods like compressed fish on a stick with a broth, a type of rice pasta in spicy sauce you eat with tooth picks, hotdogs that are breaded like corn dogs, sweet cakes of various other types.

This is a rest stop on the toll road.

A woman grilling squid at a rest stop.

The highways in Korea have many tunnels that go straight through the mountains.  In the US we usually go around the mountains and over them but not straight through them.  When I mention the fact of the unusual amount of tunnels, people just shrug and say, “We need them in case North Korea drops bombs.   Where else should we go?”

Coming up on a tunnel

The trip down the coast was fun.  The towns have blue and green roofs and red houses.  It is so different from other places I have been where the houses are built to blend in to the nature around them.  Here people seem to be building the houses to stand out from the surroundings. 

I saw fields and farms.  It was great!  I felt so at home among the area and people that I could relate to.  I kept stopping and checking out the soil and trying to guess what all was grown in the different areas.  The countryside was not as rural as many places I have been, but it was such a difference from the area of Paju where I live.  The area I live in is a suburb of Seoul and there are so many people here. 

Some buildings with colorful roofs.

A field in rural area.

I went to the city of Gwangju in the southern part of the state.  The city has had its share of Korean history including an uprising of the citizens against the military resulting in a huge national cemetery.  There is also a famous mountain there that has much historical significance.  I drove up the side of the mountain and saw some beautiful things there as well as an up close look at some burial mounds.  Koreans used to bury people in large dome shaped mounds.  It is fascinating.  Some of the burial mounds were from hundreds of years ago.

A view from the road.

A more modern cemetery.

The trip was good, but being in the winter, it began to snow in the evening.  It also got dark early so my visibility got very bad.  I would love to see some of the area at a better time of the year to appreciate the scenery.  I understand that the water on the east coast is much better than the weather on the west side as well. 

Taiwan Flowers

This will be mostly photos of flowers from Taiwan.  Flower from Korea another post.

This one may not be easily found in the taxonomy.  It is a "Heather Rose"

Taiwan

     In August, I took a trip to Taiwan.  I was able to stay with my friend Elaine.  Every time Elaine tries to remind me about how long we have been friends, I tell her just to say it has been a long time and let it go.  Otherwise we have to remember how old we are getting!
     The flight to Taiwan was very good.  I cleaned my apartment before I left and found I had a rotten egg!  (Lourens and Ulandi, the South African teachers, found a rotten egg the other day.  They said they had asked their mother how they would know if an egg was rotten and their mothers said, "You will know."  My mother told me that too some time ago.)  Yes, if it is rotten, "You WILL know!"
     When I got checked in at the airline, I was very hungry and needed to get some food.  I went to one of the fast food chains here Lotteria.  A very nice man let me sit down at his table to eat.  He was so kind and I didn't have to eat standing up.
     I got to Taiwan very late at night.  Elaine and her mother picked me up from the airport.  I slept well and in on the first day there, Elaine's mom took me on her motorbike to a restaurant where we ate beef noodles.  Then we went to the National museum.  I found the museum very interesting. Elaine's mom made sure we went on a tour with an English speaking tour guide.  He was very funny and informative.  He was so knowledgeable about his subject that he Got through the brass and some of the jade and that was all that he had time for.  Two of the most famous exhibits are 1. A jade carved cabbage and 2. a stone that looks like a piece of pork.  I found it fascinating that two most famous exhibits were of food!
     When we went to the gift shop, I found a pretty scarf.  I asked the sales man for it.  He said,"It is not silk."  I said that it was fine, I just thought it was pretty.  He said,"It's not silk.  It is cheaper, but it is polyester.  It isn't silk."  I said that was ok, but he reminded me, "It's not silk."  Finally I realized I couldn't buy the scarf.  He just was not going to let me leave with something he considered inferior in spite of how pretty it was.  Oh, well, I didn't get the "not silk" scarf after all.
     The architecture is very interesting in Taiwan.  It is a blend of Asian and western architecture.  I am more accustomed to the Seoul area of Korea where most of the buildings are modern.  They have been built since the Korean war and in a western style.  In Taiwan though, there is a very big mix of styles to the buildings.

Taipei 101 (famous building)

Back street in Taipei

Food at night market

     Elaine, her mom, and sister took me to the night market in Taipei.  It is very famous and I got to see and smell so many things.  I saw quite a few strange things to eat there.  Elaine and her sister let me taste some beef rib stew, stinky tofu, iced milk tea, several different buns, some cake like desserts and more.  I did not try the duck tongues, various organs, or other such delicacies.  I did get a cotton candy shaped like a duck.  Elaine's nephews got one shaped like a minion.  Some places the market smelled of waffles, other places of spices, or even clothing, then there were places that smelled of a mixture of a sewer and a butcher shop.  It was quite overwhelming.

Duck Cotton Candy and Elaine's nephew

     On Saturday, we went to a market in the morning.  I bought some passion fruit, some dragon fruit, and some pineapple.  Elaine's sister bought some mangoes.     Elaine's mom cut up the fruit for us at home.  I was enjoying the delicious sweetness, but Elaine's nephews preferred the squid their grandmother gave them.

Fruit at market

Dragon fruit and passion fruit

The boys preferred squid

     We went shopping in some of the more expensive mall areas in Taipei.  The malls were fascinating.  The stores have an entire floor that is a food court, but it is nothing like the food courts in the US.  Also when you buy food there, they put it on actual dishes, not disposable paper.  Some of the food is made by chefs.  I got to see and taste so many things there.  It is nice to have a friend who knows so well what you like.  I also got to see how some of the soup dumplings that I love are made.  I watched the people preparing them.  My mother would be very good at making them.



We went to a Costco.  I was amazed at how many US brands there are.  In Korea I can't find so many things.  I was tempted to buy so many things.  Elaine was amazed at me, but I tried to explain, "These cheese flavored chips are not sweet!  No sugar on everything!  Look real toothpaste!  Macaroni and Cheese!  Actual Macaroni and Cheese!"  She just didn't understand.  Also, the culture even in Costco is so different.  People line up in looooong lines for samples.  They get testy if someone tries to cut in.  When we got food at Costco, Elaine's mom and nephews staked out a table until the occupants left so we could claim a spot to sit.  The carts next to the tables were three deep.  So different than I am used to.    
     We went to the Taipei zoo.  We rode a cable car to the top of a hill where the entrance to the zoo is located.  Then we walked down the mountain through the zoo to the exit. The flowers in Taiwan are beautiful.  I enjoyed not just the animals, but the flowers.  I think they thought I was odd taking photos of the flowers.
     We ate at an all you can eat hot pot for the evening meal.  The waiters brought us beef, seafood and more.  They thought I disliked the spicy half of the hot pot.  I like spicy food, but I don't like coagulated blood and organs much that were simmering in the spicy half.  The all you could eat included desserts.  I had panna cotta, and Hagan Daz ice cream, as well as fruits.

Pastries in Department store

Dessert stall with only cream puffs. (This photo is for Tom)

    Elaine's mom took me on a walk through their neighborhood.  They live in a very nice neighborhood and there is a wall that has plants growing on it.   It is similar to the "living wall" on the Carver Farm in Jefferson City.  I guess when there is so much city, they try to incorporate plants as much as possible.

Wall of ferns

     I enjoyed my time in Taiwan and was sad not to spend more time with Elaine.  It was just not enough.  The summer vacation, however was very short, not even an entire work week off, just from Thursday then back to work on Wednesday.

Escalator at the Taipei airport.  (Shortest in world?  This photo is for Juanita.)

Wall of plants in Taipei airport.

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Catch up

     Well,  the last month has been very eventful to say the least!  I met some other foreigners here near my apartment.  They work as English teachers at other schools.  So many of them I would never have gotten to know in the US as we do not hang out in the same circles.  It is so interesting how you can meet people.
      One of the people I met was a guy named Jefferson from Colorado.  He was working in a school that was very difficult to say the least.  His working conditions were very stressful.  He was one of only three teachers that spoke English at his school.  One of the other two teachers got tuberculosis.  Then there was Jeff and one other English teacher for all of the students.  Jeff got sick and ended up in the hospital.  He got sick with other symptoms and returned to the hospital.  The doctors never had a definitive diagnosis.  He was in the hospital for two weeks without anyone who spoke English and the administrators of his school were pressuring him to return to work.  When he got out of the hospital, he was restricted to his home and school by the school administrators.  He never fully recovered from his illness and eventually he decided to leave.  He left the beginning of September.
     Our school too has been going through some changes.  One of the afternoon teachers left the beginning of September and we got a new teacher.  The other foreign teacher in the afternoon finished his contract and left last week.  We have another new afternoon teacher.  The two other foreign teachers from South Africa that work in the mornings on my schedule are going to leave this Friday.  They needed to return home before their contract was finished.  I am so sad to see them go.  Now I will be the only foreign teacher at the school that will not leave within a month and a half period.  The entire dynamic of the school will change.
     We also got new students in most of my classes this past month.  I had to get their books, schedules, speeches,  etc.  They have to get used to me and I need to get used to them.  It is a challenge.  Every time I think things will settle down, they just get a bit more chaotic.
     In the morning classes, we had a field trip, to a dinosaur museum.  The students loved it.  We had a Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) celebration and break.  (I spent almost the entire break sleeping and catching up on cleaning and laundry.)  A speech competition that the mothers attended, and two days of taking photos.  This may not sound like a lot, but believe me, it was sooooooooo busy.  I tried very hard to not be stressed out.  Every time I thought that I understood the schedule and what was expected of me, it changed at the last minute, literally the last minute.
      Today I just want to cry.  Please pray for me.

A School Day

I walk about 5 minutes to school in the morning depending on the traffic lights.  My school is on the 8th floor of a building with 10 floors of offices and 2 basement floors of parking.  I arrive around 9 am.  I greet which ever teacher is present and go to my classroom.

In class, i set out 4 baskets and turn on the lights and computer.  I then go to the teachers' room and get my books and papers ready.  I also change my shoes into my indoor shoes.  I am often one of the first in and so say hello to everyone as they arrive.

At around 9:30 the teachers (me included) make our way to the classrooms as the students begin to arrive.  The students put their homework and letters from/to mom in the baskets.  They put their lunch kit and backpacks in cubby holes.  They hang up their jackets umbrellas or whatever and change into their indoor shoes.


At around 9:45 we line up and walk to a common room where the class 'helper' for the day asks each student, "What do you want?"  The response is supposed to be:
1. "May I go to the bathroom?"
2. "May I drink some water please?"
3. "I don't need anything."
Even though we have been doing this for months now, the response sometimes is:
1. "May I drink some bathroom please?"
2. "May I mumble mumble mumble?"
3. "I don't know anything!"  (this one is sometimes true!)
The proper response from the 'helper' is, "Yes you may." or "Line up please."  This ritual is repeated for all 6 preschool classes every 40 minutes throughout the morning.

My second class in line

Here is where the days get exciting.  We then have class...........no no no, On Monday's it is etiquette class, unless the gym teacher has a Wednesday conflict or Stacy teacher has a conflict or someone forgot or........Then etiquette class is Wednesday, Tuesday or not at all.  Maybe we have something else change the schedule......  Anyway you get the picture.......  The schedule changes  CONSTANTLY and at the drop of a hat.

If it is my class, we return to the classroom where we have circle time.  There is a space at the back of the classroom where shoes are not permitted.  We sit and talk about the date, weather and we may read a story or use flash cards.  (My class also used to water our seedlings.  In science they planted seeds in pots one week.  My classroom is the only one where the plants survived.  I think I was the only teacher who actually watered them.  We actually had to re pot them at one point.)

My Homeroom class in April.  Notice no shoes on this part of the floor.

After circle time, the children put on their shoes and return to their seats.  I then proceed to teach them phonics, some math concepts etc.  At 10:30 another class period begins. At 11:10 we have snack.  The snacks may be a red bean filled bun, fruit, a cup of juice or even grape tomatoes.  Sometimes we have yogurt or soybean milk for snack.  (By the way the saying "Knowledge is knowing that tomatoes are a fruit.  Wisdom is knowing not to put them in a fruit salad." Was not invented in Korea.  Here they put tomatoes in the fruit salad!)

Besides my homeroom class, I have a second preschool class I teach for 1 or 2 periods a day.  (It all depends on what else is going on.)  Lunch starts at 12:40 but we are to get the children prepared, hands washed, lunch kits opened, etc. at 12:35.  I eat lunch with my homeroom every other week. The students bring lunch trays and utensils (chopsticks and a spoon) to school every day.  Their mom washes the kits at night.  We serve the food prepared by the cook.  The food is usually rice, some sort of soup, a meat, a vegetable and kimchi.  A variation of that is served everyday.  I used to have the students come to me, but now I take the food to them.  (Too many times of having them sneeze in the food.)



After lunch the students brush their teeth at a long sink located in the hallway.  We have to check their toothbrush to be sure they cleaned all of the toothpaste off.  Then they play while I put their homework, notes to and from mom, DOE (daily oral expression) into their folders.  They put their lunch kit, and folder and any thing else into their backpack and place it on the back of their chairs.  On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, an afternoon teacher teaches them art, science, or a kind of math for 40 minutes while I get to do preparation for afternoon classes or for the next day.  On Wednesday and Friday, the homeroom class is still mine.....(I hate Wednesdays and Fridays......they are soooooo long and sooooo much to do and NO time to do anything!!!!)  OK, rant over.



At 2:30 I take the class to the gym where they sit in lines watching a movie waiting for their bus.  At about 2:45 when most of the buses have left, we teachers are dismissed.  I have until 3 pm to prepare for afternoon classes.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I teach afternoon classes until 6:10 pm.  On Tuesday and Thursday I teach until 4:20.  I then leave ASAP or stay until I get everything done.  I have had to stay until the school closes at 8 pm before. Then I was tired, grumpy and HUNGRY!  Afternoon classes are varied and filled with their own challenges.  Always something or someone to watch for or think about.

Well these are my "typical" school days.  We also have field trips about once a month, a singing contest in July, a speech contest in September, birthday parties once a month, market day, ice cream day, treasure hunt, and various other changes to the schedule.  I guess it is good they spring things on us last minute or we would be overwhelmed thinking about everything all at once.  I feel sorry for these children because they have school year round.  We had our summer break and it was only 4 days off school.  It was only 6 days including the weekend so not even one whole week!  Isn't it sad!

Short catch up

     It has been a very busy month.  In May, there are the holidays of Children's day (this one is a national holiday), parents day and teacher's day.  Yes more on the last later....  I got lots of stuff!  We also had our monthly field trip, birthday party and my class won best class of the month.  We also have had tests, student reviews, schedules to make, late arriving books, and many changes in plans to take into account.

     I have had another cold, a pulled muscle in my neck and a sore back.  Anyway, it has been quite a month here in Paju.  I have photos and more posts to put up as well as the anticipation of visiting a farm on our next field trip, yea!  Irene, (one of the teachers in charge) jokingly asked another of the teachers if he could milk a cow.  He hasn't but I hopefully will at least get a chance to see how they do it here.

     Thank you all so much for your continued prayers!  I really appreciate them.  I'll post more later.

Some Strange Snacks

I know that I comment on the food here several times but I am not finished with what I find fascinating.

When I first came to Korea and stayed in the hotel, there was corn tea in the hotel fridge.  I was told it was very good.  I tried it, but I think it is an acquired taste and is one I choose not to acquire any time soon.  Well, I also found there are corn popsicles.  The melon popsicles seem more normal but corn?  One of the other teachers told me he tried a sweet potato ice cream substance.  I asked him if it was good.  He said, "It tasted just like sweet potatoes.  I guess if you really like sweet potatoes you would really enjoy this."

Corn and melon popsicles

Another strange thing is the tendency to combine garlic with sweet.  I really cannot get used to this tendency.  And, OK, I know it is fashionable to combine several types of flavors, but why must there be sweet with everything savory?  Why can't we separate the two just sometimes?  

The fast food burger joint is interesting here too.  They have beef (well it pretends to be beef I am not sure what it really is but it isn't like US beef), chicken and shrimp burgers.  The shrimp burgers are ground shrimp like ground beef is.  They serve french fries, crab cakes, cheese sticks and squid rings on the side!  They even have burgers with hash-browns on the burgers. Even when going into a burger joint, you can't get the same food here as in the US.    

The pizzas here have much sweeter sauce than is usual in the US.  There is a good pizza here that is a gorgonzola cheese pizza, but they like to add mayonnaise to the top of it.  They also serve sweet potato pizza along with others.

When I go to somewhere to eat I just cannot have any expectation as to how it should taste.  OH for a bowl of macaroni and cheese!