Getting Drunk With Your (Host) Mom

OK, so much has happened in the past couple days that I don't even know where to begin. First

of all, drinking with your host family and their friends is a great way to lubricate things. I mean,everything is great...but it's still hard living with a family that speaks a completely foreign language, acts in different ways, has different customs, and yet wants to make you feel like part of the family. That last part is crucial, because the Chaong family (spelling? I only know theHangul) has been so welcoming and accommodating that I only want to study Korean so I can express my gratitude to them.

But let me back up just a little bit. Thursday was out "D-Day" if you will, in which all the ETAs were shoved in front of their respective school representatives, given a meet-and-greet luncheon and then shipped off to who-the-hell-knows-where to enjoy the rest of the year. Ok, so that description didn't come off so well, but it's pretty apt nonetheless. Basically Iate lunch with my two co-teachers and vice-principle, and then shipped off for Mokpo (about a 4 hour

drive, say Athens to Cleveland with a couple stops). This really wasn't so bad, since one of myco-teachers speaks pretty good English. Well, I get to Mokpo around 7 and apparently I'mtreated to their favorite restaurant = a ton of raw fish, fish stew, sauces, noodle dishes, et---pretty much heaven. I wish I could explain more of the details, but that would take a book, so let's just saythat they awkward moment of getting to know the people that you're going to live live for the next year was made much easier by the fact that they're extremely kind, accommodating, and actually a lot of fun. On that last note, I'll mention that my host mom is a fireball; she loves to get out, travel, exercise (apparently running a 10k soon, which if you know Korean women, is fairly unusual), and get out and do things.

In any case, dinner was fantastic--pretty much exactly what I was looking for in Mokpo and I haven't been disappointed since. Also, the next day (...Friday?) was pretty much a whirlwind. We managed to go shopping, tour my school (both my host-parents work there by the way),

open a bank account, and get a new cell phone. I wouldn't normally do half those things in

America...where I can speak the language and actually ask questions like "how many minutes are in included in the contract." To summarize the afternoon, just imagine the most ridiculous

and complicated game of charades known to man, with a little Pictionary mixed in for good measure. I was so swamped by the proceedings that I think I actually fell asleep in front of the bank worker...in my defense we were there for over an hour while she figured out how to open an account with my A-3 (diplomatic/military) visa. Regardless, I was actually asleep by by 9:30 P.M. or so.

That's probably for good measure though, since I had to get up and go fishing with the fam at 4:30. Yes, fishing. I went fishing in the East Chinese Sea for 6 hours today (see pictures). It was great, except I got a horrendous tan-line mid-way through my forearm (If the bicep tan line is a farmer's tan, what do you call this?...sounds like a bad joke, but I actually don't know the answer). Basically the brother in law (literally) caught like 30 fish and I didn't catch a damn thing. It was hot, sweaty, and monotonous....but I wouldn't have it any other way. If nothing

else, it was an adventure because every damn thing he pulled out of the ocean does't exist back home, much of which looked like it came straight out of a story book---you remember that long flying thing from the Neverending Story, yea, there's a fish that looks just like that...and he caught it, twice. Anyway, to bring the past few days full circle, I went out with my host family and some long-lost-friends to that same (raw fish) restaurant tonight. Of course the old army buddy (of the host dad) likes to drink, but the dad doesn't... so long story short I go shot for shot with the host mom and some guy I still don't know his name; He's from Chungjoo If you care to know, and I'm invited to their home so let's make it a party. Basically, my host mom loves to have a good time (and the dad, not so much, though he's an extremely nice and loving guy) so I guess she has a party buddy. Anyway, it was a blast listing to their (translated) conversations and piecing together the cultural idiosyncrasies (see: throwing around 10,000 won bills to the kids before you leave, just ask me if you're interested). I won't waste any more of your time, but to give you an another idea: just now the host mom just walks out in her pajamas to thaw out some cuttlefish (I honestly can't name all the weird shit I've eaten now), mildly startled when she sees me getting a glass of water...she then asks me if I wan't any more beer. I'm OK for the night but, of course, what goes better with cuttlefish-thawing than beer? So she helps herself. Should be an interesting year. I'll leave you on that.

Urban Adventures, Part 2

After schmoozing with the ambassador and a gentle night on the town (I found a great Germanmicrobrew in Seoul by the way, which made the trip worth it in itself) we woke up bright andearly and headed North to the DMZ. I didn't realize it before, but there are actually several tourist sites along the DMZ that you can check out--yet we got to tour the Panmunjom site, the quintessential image that most of you have probably seen (check out thepicture with the blue buildings). Native Koreans are not allowed on base here...for apparent"escape" reasons, and yet the tension between both sides hangs in the air heavier than the Korean humidity. Also, the dress code is enforced to the tee because, as they say, the N.Koreans will gladly take pictures of raggedy"gangster" clothing (their words, not mine) and useit as propaganda. We were shuttled around different points and got to spend a few minutes in the long rectangular building that straddles the border. If you walk across the center line, which of course I did (with the other side's door locked), you officially enterN. Korea--so I crossed off one more bullet from my bucket list this past weekend. It's a little nerve-wracking imagining some soldiers busting in through the door and carrying us off to the great beyond (which actually happened to a S.Korean guard scanning the room a few years back, though he was able to fight them off and get back to safety). If you look closely at my picture, you can see one of the N. Korean guards checking on us with us binocs.

After perusing some of the more touristy parts of the DMZ (secret N. Korean attack tunnels, railroads going nowhere,etc) outside ofthe military base, we headed back to Seoul to paintthe

town red. This time I headed over the the Hongdae area in Northwest part of town--straddled by Hongik, Yonsei, and a few more universities. This district definitely caters to the college crowd, and it's amazing just how many people turn out to party. The place, not unlike other districts in Seoul, is just packed to the brim with shops, bars, clubs, and any number of restaurants. I think Papa Gorilla takes the cake

for the sketchiest white-boy club, though (Don't go here, seriously), but kudos to David and his bucket, literally, of long island ice tea.

Needless to say Saturday night consumed pretty much all of Sunday morning, but I still got to check out a couple of the market districts and one of the old palaces later in the afternoon (check out the pictures). Again, I'm still amazed at the sheer number of people in this place--24

million to be exact--all of whom are out and about, shopping, shooting the shit or checking out the sites. We also had our Korean Language Class graduation at Korea University (basically the Harvard/Yale/Princeton/whatever of Korea) which included "class presentations." This is another one of those uniquely Korean things that's completely lost in translation to me. Another example is banners--they have massive, elaborate, banners for every conceivable event--and another is the class presentation: something like a capstone skit that everyone does. It's not so weird in and of itself, I am just curious as to how routine and, to some extent, integral these things are to Korean life. In any case, if you look hard enough online you can probably find a video of me strutting my moves to Korean K-pop--I'll leave you on that note.

Urban Adventures, Part 1

I know it's been a while since the last post, but I've been away in Seoul for a few days. I will post a couple times today trying to recap/remember all the nonsense from this past weekend.

We left Geosan bright and early Friday morning and made the 2-3 hour bus ride to Seoul. Again, it's nice hanging out with everybody--but this cattle barge style of traveling is starting to wear me down a bit...and I am greatlylooking forward to Mokpo next week (scratch that, THIS weekend). In any case, we got to Seoul around 11 on a (nearly) empty stomach so the first thingI look for is the spiciest, most alive food I can find. Okay, so I wasn't actually looking for spicy food, or anything alive for that matter, but that's exactly what I ordered at a lovely squid restaurant in downtown Seoul. As an aside, the vast majority of restaurants here specialize in one specific type of food: squid, bbq, monkey (ok maybe, maybe not, but I wouldn't put it past them) instead of the typical big box American joint with a huge menu). But back to the mainpoint, I am at a squid restaurant, so what better to order than squid bibimbap and a plate of live, wriggling, screaming for life squid. In all honesty they weren't screaming for life, at least not that I could hear, but they sure as hell made every attempt to latch onto my cheek before diving down my throat. To be specific, they were not actually "alive," just fresh cut tentacles that wriggle and gasp around for an hour after you cut them off. Also, I can see how people die eating these dishes: if you don't chew enough you might find a tentacle wriggling around in youresophagus. Regardless, I washed it all down with a hot and ridiculously spicy (see: Gochujang) bowl of squid bibimbap. *Ahh* each day is an adventure.

Well, next we sat through a 2 hour talk on the medical details of our fellowship with Dr. Linton of Severance Hospital (the only foreigner licensed to practice medicine in Korea, actually, and someone I hope to get an internship with this winter). Of course I am intrigued by pretty much ever gritty medical detail he has to say--while everyone else is probably falling asleep--but in

all seriousness this man was hilarious. He's there giving us a talk on STDs, vaccines, etc, but it

was really more of a stand up routine on Korean and American culture. Dr. Linton is the chief of the International Wing at Severance (the biggest hospital in Korea), he's fully caucasian (but his family has been here for over a hundred years in some form or another), he's trained both in Korea and in the States and married a Korean woman. Long story short, he's in this ambiguous position--at the top of his game--where he can make fun of both cultures and himself and still make a good impression. I don't know why I was so intrigued, but hopefully the internship will work out this winter and I can spend some more time at Severance.

To cap off the evening all the ETAs got to hang out at the ambassador's place for pool party (see: American Food). I was just thrilled to get some fresh fruit, beef that didn't cost me $50, and lounge around without a cultural workshop or word-memorizing binge. I also randomly

found myself next to the ambassador for dinner (see the picture) and really enjoyed the conversation. It's another one of those deals where, at least at first, everyone is a little bit nervous or uptight wondering how to act around the "biggest" persona in the room, but I preferred to treat her (the ambassador is a she, Kathleen Stevens) as just another person--I mean, last time I checked, she was. In any case, I maintain all the formalities, the respect, manners, etc. but it was as nice talking about U.S.-East Asian relations as it was her cycling interests and traveling around Korea. Needless to say it was a good experience.

Well, this is plenty for this post, but I'll be back on later with a few more details on the weekend.

The Final Hurrah

Sorry for the delay since the last post, but I finally have something exciting to note: Korean Language Class = Over. I mean, I like having gone to class, having learned the material, but sitting there for four hours every day and actually learning gets a bit arduous. However, today we had out 3 hour final composed of reading, writing, andconversational Korean. I feel pretty good about it, I knew all the questions except for one--apparently I don't, or at least didn't, know how to say "I am hungry" in Korean. I should know this, seriously. This is like the first thing I should have learned after coming here. Oh well, the rest of the test was great. I successfully maneuvered my way through a conversation with my Korean teacher covering the likes of: where are you from?, what didyou do yesterday?, oh! how was that, etc, etc. I weaved in couple future tenses and random verbiage to make it look like I studied, and all was well. Ialso had to work through a "scenario" with another student, buying specific groceries in the supermarket. Ending up with this scenario was just luck, though, because I have been playing around with this story line for several weeks: I mean, the learning curve for buying Kimbap and beer whipped me into shape in no time. Needless to say, we'll all be headed out to celebrate tonight...errr...to re-enact the scenarios from this morning.

Last weekend I made it over theCheongju to see Inception and grab some good, non-cafeteria food. If you haven't seen the movie, do it--refreshingly novel plot line, good acting, and something I might call the Matrix of this decade. Also, if you haven't been to a Korean restaurant lately, do it. I discovered two more things I love: seafood stews and the 녹차 라태. The former you can get in pretty much any Korean, Korean-American, Korean-Korean restaurant of note. But only here in Korea can you geta hot bowl of fresh octopus, clams, mussels, noodles, abalone and various vegetables for $5--and Cheongju isn't even on the coast (but then again, Korea is pretty small, so that's like saying Portland is a landlocked city). The second love is just the green tea latte. I admit, this isn't really that special--but it's damn delicious.

I thought I'd also include a few random pictures from this last week (thanks Olenka), including my depiction on what Ohio is famous for: Corn, of course. That's also the Ipad in action, so I better get used to that stance for the coming year. The other mystery photos are from class and Kimbap Chonju (the bibimbap special). Also, this weekend--the LAST or orientation--should be a blast, so expect plenty of pictures. On Friday we head to the ambassador's residence for a pool part and *Gasp* American food. Then we're off to the DMZ, some free time in Seoul, and finally a "graduation" ceremony. Oh the times they are a-changin'

The Dirty Truth

So this orientation is finally winding down and I am definitely ready to say goodbye. On one hand, I'm gonna miss hanging out with all the other ETAs, going out, traveling in our little sphere, etc--but I won't miss the daily4 hours of Korean language on top of 3 hours of "Cultural Workshops." I mean, it's all good stuff, relavent to my stay here, but after even 2 hours of deciphering questions and explanations in Korean, I'm ready to stick my head in the sand. Getting to Mokpo will give me some much needed purpose, a breath of (literally) fresh air and, despite the work schedule, some much needed freedom about how to spend my time.

On the flip side though, life is pretty good right now. I get my daily dose of amazing food (I even like the Jungwon cafeteria food, strange, right?) and just hitting ol' Goesan for a night on the town is a highly regarded diversion. I mean, the town has basically nothing except a few "HOFs" (bar/restaurant joints), a couple mini-marts, and the Kimbap Chonju (literally, "Kimbap Heaven"). And here's the secret to Korea: you buy the right things and you spend no money at all, you buy the wrong things and you're broken overnight. Exhibit A is the $4 dollar apple, exhibit B is the $1 sushi roll (made FRESH right in front of you). So with that in mind, my nightly routine if I'm not feeling too adventurous is to grab some kimbap with a few ETAs, then walk right next door to the Family Mart and partake in the enjoyment of a few beverages. There's something highly satisfying about standing in front of the "Family" Mart drinking and joking around (remember, open-container laws are pretty much non-existent in Korea and I haven't seen a single cop in this town since I arrived). Better yet, I was standing out there last night with a couple guys and the owner rolls out to say hello--I figure he's shooing us off his stoop, but he was actually asking, no...summoning us to come inside because it's "too hot." Well, this place is like 20x20 feet inside, literally just a mini-mart, but I'm more than happy to take the imbibing indoors. I'll leave the interpretation up to you, but just say that drinking here doesn't have the same connotation that it does in the States. I guess that explains why businessmen, even teachers, regularly go out until 4-5 on weekdays and even show up to work drunk (not that drunkenness at work is a common problem, but you get the idea). This country will never cease to amaze me.

Southern Love

The verdict is in. In t-minus 2 weeks I'm headed down to sunny Mokpo to spend the rest of my 12 months in Korea (I'm just showing you some random pictures from Korea since I haven't actually been there yet). It's hard to find a lot of detailed information on the town, but it's about a quarter million people, situated on the Southwest coast (COAST = SEAFOOD!)--a sort of modern fishing and shipping town. To be honest, this is exactly what I was looking for. In my Placement Preference Survey I put Mokpo down as the "type of town" that I might like to go to...low and behold that's where I'm headed; the God's must be pleased. Sure, it would be fun to hang out in Busan, or Daegu, etc forthe year. But Mokpo has everything I need, including 3--count 'em, 3--western bars (apparently for all the Eastern Europeans working in the shipping yards, an airport with domestic flights, and even ferries headed down to Jeju and over to Busan. Best of all though: fresh seafood. Apparently the town specialty is live octopus, I can't wait for that one, but I'll be plenty happy with whatever catch rolls in on the boats every evening.

I also have a few notes on the school I'll be teaching at: Mokpo Joongang High School (check out http://mokpojoongang.hs.kr/ if you're in the mood to read Korean or just want to check out the pictures). It's a private school with only ~450 students. That means class sizes 25-30 instead of the 40+ I'd get in the big cities. As far as I can tell, it's some sort of vocational school--not necessarily wood shop an auto repair, but judging by the faculty list it looks more like computer design, ship building, and plenty of business classes. It seems to be a feeder to the shipping industry. That may or may not bode well for the students' English abilities, but I'm excited either way. Oh yea, and there are 5 other ETAs in the city with me, along with 8 or so more in the province (like an hour by bus to the next major city). As I mentioned, I can take a ferry straight to Jeju Island, and Seoul is about 4hours, a straight shot by express bus. However things turn out, I think I'll have a great time getting to know the city and the area--small enough keep that laid back atmosphere yet plenty big to provide all the great restaurants and amenities that I'll want in the coming year.

VIP People Watching

I finally made it to Seoul this weekend for the first time. It seems odd waiting a month to go to the city with half the country's population, but good things come to those who wait...or something like that. On that note, this weekend was like a whirlwind club-and-run tour of the city. I took the bus in with some ETAs on Saturday and headed over to the Gangnam district, one of the more trendy and bar-studded parts of town.

It was pretty amazing actually, I've been to plenty of big cities but Seoul is like one giant billboard. It is like thousands of smaller Times Squares everywhere you go--lit up with colors I didn't know existed and in places I still wish I didn't. If I could read all the signs, I can just imagine them screaming "GROCERY STORE" and all sorts of otherwise boring names. Speaking of names though, we had two Jungwon students with us whose names were "Tree" (Namu in Korean) and Moon Kyong-rock; they were great guys, but I guess I felt left out because my name isn't an inanimate object.

Anyway, after grabbing kimbap and bibimbap in Gangnam we headed over to Club Mass around 11--one of the newer techno/trance spots in town. Normally I wouldn't head in so early, but I got roped into the VIP room (I mean, you have to live it up...just this once, I suppose) which came with a bottle of Macallan, some Grey Goose and the sexiest fruit plate this side of the DMZ. Well, scotch on the rocks went down plenty smooth and the vodka only reminded me of high school, so I soon graduated to random mixed drinks paid for by some guy with a job. The place started to fill up around 1 and by then I had drank enough courage to show the world my dance skills--and oh, I did just that. It was pretty great overall, If I die tomorrow I will have at least experienced the Seoul house/trance scene for all that it's worth. As for the details, the DJ and light show were spectacular; and I don't sweat very much but the dance floor (or anywhere outside the VIP room for that matter) was like the Korean monsoon.

Heading back to our ta

bleabout 4:30, all I could do was sit and bask in the glory of a soaked shirt, being an ostentatious, minority, and failed attempts on Korean women. At that point I just hung back with a couple

friends and embarked on a little VIP people watching--trying to decipher the range of personalities while I sit back and sober up a little bit (some others, not with us, were less fortunate--see the picture).

About 6:00 we headed outside, only to be graciously introduced to the sun we left behind Saturday evening--that's always a fun experience. After some 7-Eleven kimbap we headed over to the Jimjilbang (like an overnight sauna) to grab a couple hours of sleep. The Jimjilbang has to be the 2nd greatest thing I've found in Korea so far, I don't know what the first is yet but this one definitely fits in nicely at 2nd. Basically you pay your 8,000 won (like $7), hit up the shower, hot tubs, cold tubs, and my personal favorite: the lukewarm tub. After you've had your fill of all that, you can head to any number of room or saunas to grab a few minutes of sleep. I say minutes because that's about all you can put together at one time while sleeping on a hard tile/wood/pebble/or tweed mat floor before you wake up in pain: Compared to thick Americans, Koreans cannot possibly have any internal padding, and I'll never figure out how they're so good at sleeping on hard object. Also, imagine my surprise walking into a big auditorium at 7:00 in the morning and finding 50+ Koreans sleeping around in various nooks and crannies. The place also has a little restaurant, a drink shop, little massage chairs, a gym area, and a bunch of saunas at random temperatures where you can "sleep." I checked out the ice room, which felt pretty good after a long, sweaty night, and then finally got a few hours of sleep in one of the warmer saunas. On one hand I think these places could really catch on in the U.S. They're cheap as balls considering it's a place to sleep, relax, and even get a shower/workout (apparently some people will stay days, even weeks, at a time), but then again American are far too interested in personal space to spend a night with 50 randos all around.

We finally got up around 11:30, and out the door by 12, only to take on several grueling hours shuttling around the city and checking out some of the sights. I'll be spending a lot more time in Seoul in the coming months, and (I hope) in better physical condition, so expect a better report on some of the sights when the time comes. In any case though, I wanted to give you a taste of the city. Also, we find out our placements tomorrow--essentially where I'll be living, breathing, and teaching for the next 11 months--so expect an article on that when I get the chance.