Getting My Suwon (Archives: 2007-2010)

New Blog!

2011-12-13T09:08:00.001+09:00

Hi Folks!
In case you're wondering what the hell I've been doing with my life since leaving Korea (super sad face- I miss Suwon!) you can check out my new blog:

Cooking With Craic

I hope you're all doing well and enjoying all that Suwon has to offer!

Much Love,

Janine

The End... of many things.

2010-03-24T02:58:00.003+09:00

Well, readers, it certainly has been awhile since I last posted on this Godforsaken blog, and while I hinted that something was keeping me quite busy, I never got into full details. I'm not entirely sure I am still able to, but let's give it a shot!

So several, long months ago, I was asked to write a guide to Seoul for high end (aka, not those teaching ESL- although I'm sure there are plenty classy teachers out there!)expatriates for Expat Infodesk (dot com). I foolishly (?) agreed, thinking it would take a month, at most, for me to bring the world up-to-date on the wonderful city of Seoul (a city I have never resided in) and educate those in the process of/thinking about moving to the city from abroad. Mainly from Western countries.

It turns out, what I though would take a month ended up taking about six. Seoul has turned out to be the most impossible city in the world to obtain correct information on. Income tax? Shipping your car? As a lowly teacher, these are things I have never really thought about. And it took me six months to find the best answers to questions like these. It was hard. I am finished, though, and I am glad.

But in the meantime, having taken up this task, my time in Korea has also come to an end. A permanent one. Patrick and I are finished in Korea and won't be coming back- at least not as teachers- anymore. We both want to start (in Pat's case, restart) our careers. Korea was a wonderful place to get some perspective on my life. I'll never forget my experiences there, and will never forget the amazing people I've met who I'll remain friends with forever. In short, I really love Korea. I'll always miss it. But I am happy with my memories and am ready to move on!

I'll miss this blog, too! This was my first one, and I will never cease to be amazed with the fact that people read- and what's more- ENJOYED this blog. You're all great. Take care, and many happy returns. I hope Korea (and particularly, Suwon) is as good to you as it was to me.

As promised, here are the pictures from my last weekend in Busan. We had a great time! We stayed in the Haeundae area (no tsunami warnings, but we were only allowed to swim in a tiny little area). Since it was September, we were practically the only people on the beach since beach season is officially over after August (even if it's still boiling hot and the water is lovely!). We sunbathed a bit, partied a bit, swam a bit, and took in the gorgeous surroundings. Say what you want about Busan, but Haeundae continues to be my favourite Korean beach... aside from Hamdeok in Jeju-do, of course. Enjoy the pics! And... thanks for reading.

xo

Just stunning.

Sara and Sophie, catching some of summer's final rays!

Pat was clearly enjoying himself...

The pasty ones stayed under the umbrella.

And I figured I got enough sun in SE Asia, so I stayed under too.

Love!

Blogging Hiatus

2009-09-07T11:36:00.001+09:00

Hey ya'll.

If you're wondering when the hell I'm going to start blogging regularly, I'm sorry to disappoint! Actually, I have a bit of an online project on the go that's taking up a lot of my time... I'll tell you about it when it's finished ;)

Until next time...

Oh! I went to Busan this past weekend. It was lovely. I'll defs post about that as soon as I can. In the meantime: go to Busan. I love that city (it keeps me coming back...).

Suwon is so eighteenth century...

2009-09-03T09:50:00.003+09:00

New cities are popping up all around Korea, and that's nothing new here. Imagine this happening in Canada!

"Oh, by the way, the government has decided to build a new city here... next to the old one."

It just doesn't register, right? I mean, let's not even go down the philosophical road of how exactly one builds an entire city... sure, you can build buildings- apartments, commercial areas, parks can be landscaped... but to build a city... one usually assumes that people would be the first necessity. But it's not. You're wrong. We're all wrong. Because Koreans build cities first, and then the people come. They rent buildings for their businesses, they decide to move there because it's sexier than the old city... it just works. I doubt this would have the same results in Canada.

I live in a relatively (relative in Western terms) new city. Sure, I live in Suwon. Suwon is really effing old. But I live in a new city in Suwon. I live in Yeongtong... Suwon. Are you confused? I was when it was first explained to me, as well. Yeongtong wasn't really around 20 years ago, and today it's the "coolest" place in Suwon (again, speaking relatively). It has the hippest bars and restaurants, the nicest apartment highrises, and the highest concentration of hagwons and other educational institutes, which also means lots of foreigners. Oh, and we house the majority of Samsung workers from the headquarters... which is located just down the road.

But Yeongtong can step aside- it is not the cool city it once was. People are getting bored. They need a little more pizazz. Enter new Gwanggyo City!

These cities always look cool in the blueprints, but they are pretty much the same as any "new " Korean city. In any case, I'm interested to see how this one turns out. I drive by the construction site every day on my way to work. The best thing about this new city, in my opinion, is that it might take over the area of Woncheon Amusement Park- a place I still have nightmares about.

Anyway, this new city will be located in Northern Suwon, near Ajou University and, of course, Gwanggyosan- every Suwonite's (?) Suwonian's (?) favourite hiking spot. Stay tuned...

Some of my Favourite Konglish Fails:

2009-08-28T13:41:00.006+09:00

If you're a foreigner living in Korea, chances are you have enjoyed the Asian phenomena known as "Effed Up English". Am I right? I know I have...

As my time in Korea gets shorter and shorter, this blog has turned from a "gotta inform newcomers" kind of thing, to a "gotta make sure I don't forget this" kind of thing. Sorry, I'm being selfish. I'll make it up to you all later... maybe. If I feel like it.

One of my favourite things about Korea is the hilarious tee shirts you randomly find with botched English written all over it. Some are grammatically incorrect, but cute all the same, while some are just plain offensive. The best part of this whole genre is, usually, that the wearer has *no idea* what their tee shirts say. English is just plain sexy- does it even matter?

I have a few shirts myself, that I just couldn't resist buying. One has a picture of an angel and a cat holding hands- very cutesy- on top, and on the bottom it has explicit gangsta rap lyrics. Very explicit. Another has a picture of doughnuts on the front with the words "Who am very delicious" written on it. On the back it says "dognut poisoning".

This phenomena is not just limited to tee shirts, though- oh no. If you've read some of my earliest posts (back when I was sent into giggling fits by any kind of broken English) you'll see restaurant signs, bar signs, even boxes full of "cacktail napkins". It never stops being funny.

My favourite these days, though, is something I've noticed my entire time in Korea, but never blogged about it or even said anything until recently. It's so perfect, so fitting, so obviously true, I can't believe the Korean people have gone through with it. Of course, I'm talking about the names of their gas stations.

There are one or two with regular names- like SK or GS or whatever- but I'm not interested in those. The gas stations I'm talking about are called "EnClean" (unclean) and S-Oil (soil). Who thought of these names? Did someone from Greenpeace infiltrate the Korean gas companies and name them as some lame act of revenge? Like, "the joke's on you guys, your gas stations are dirty", etc. etc.?

I'm just not sure how they could have knowingly given themselves such names. It's hilarious. I chuckle every time I pass a gas station. It's actually one of the first things I noticed when I was driving to Suwon from the airport on my first day in Korea. "Why would they make themselves sound like dirt?", I remember thinking...

Maybe they just aren't in denial about what they're doing to the environment...

That's my weekly rant. Thanks for reading! Here's one of the worst tee shirts found yet. My friend Michelle found this guy at a palace in Seoul and he had no idea what it meant. Could a shirt possibly be more inherently racist? I think not.

Cute.

2009-08-27T10:13:00.002+09:00

The girls at Yeongbok are always up to something, and my coworkers are always kept busy judging pieces of art or their school work (competitiveness is a huge asset in this country). This week the girls put homemade dolls on display! They will go to disadvantaged girls in poverty stricken countries, via UNICEF. Pretty nice of them, huh? Well, that's just how my students are...

I'm beginning to notice a trend here: students work and work, and I always end up reaping the benefits. They clean my coffee cup, empty my garbage basket, erase and wash my blackboards, set up the AV stuff for my computer... and make cute dolls for me to play with on my break. Hmmm.

Retirement Parties in Korea; I didn't get the "formal" memo.

2009-08-25T10:24:00.003+09:00

Yesterday was the final day of work for the Principal of Yeongbok Girl's High School. A man who I have said "hello" to once, "nice to meet you" once and, now, I can add "congratulations" to that very short list of personal exchanges.

I was told there would be a dinner, but didn't think much of it. I thought it would be like every other staff party: held at a restaurant with lots of soju, speeches and noraebang, but I wasn't told exactly how important retirements in Korea are (depending on how important you are, of course).

First of all, it was not just the retirement party for our Principal, but also for our head librarian. The two men had worked together at Yeongbok for thirty years, but they had also gone to university together, so are quite close after all this time. The party was a joint party, held at a fancy wedding hall, and their wives were dressed to the nines in their hanbok. I was wearing what I wore to school, my hair was a mess, I wasn't wearing any make up... I basically looked a disaster. This didn't stop the Principal from wanting to be seen with me, though, and I stood, smile frozen on my lips, as the photographers snapped photo after photo.

I stayed for several speeches and then left early as I had prior engagements- again, I didn't think it was such a big deal...

In any case, thirty years of committed work in one school is something worth celebrating, right?

A Pretty Nice Little Saturday

2009-08-24T09:13:00.002+09:00

Let me start by saying how much I enjoy Korean food. When I first arrived in Korea over two years ago, it took me longer than the average person to get used to Korean food. Maybe this is because I'm a country girl who comes from a place where the most exotic food you can get is Canadian Chinese buffet. Maybe because I had yet to wrap my mind around the concept of eating seaweed as a snack, or marinated roots (aside from the obvious root of choice in Canada, the potato). Or maybe, it's because I had never travelled abroad before coming to Korea. In any case, I think it took about six months for me to really begin to enjoy and look forward to eating Korean food- even galbi (a foreigner's lifeblood in Korea). You know what I really think it was? Sesame oil. We never use sesame oil in our food back home, so it took me awhile to get used to the strong aroma and flavour.

Anyway, what's past is past. I love Korean food. But that doesn't mean I don't miss food from home immensely. I missed lobster season for nearly the third time this year, which is a special time of year for any Cape Bretoner. My Mom's pizza has been calling my name for months now (I just can't get my dough to taste like hers, even though I use the same recipe), and during the summer I can't help but miss the nightly beer and BBQ on the deck with my Dad. Maybe I just miss my family...

I like to go to Itaewon to eat, sometimes, is the point I'm trying to get at. Sorry for going so off topic. Usually it's a Mexican food fix that needs delivering, but sometimes I like to go for some Italian or the fare at Wolfhound's Irish Pub. I knew that there was a Greek restaurant somewhere, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out exactly where it was. We tried to find it last year for my birthday dinner but never thought to venture out behind the Hamilton Hotel (where, duh, all the great restaurants are located) and it wasn't until I ventured out to Scrooge's Pub with the rugby people that I finally found it. Santorini's!

Alternately, I could have just gone to Seoul Eats and read their review. It would have told me exactly where to go. Such a great website; why am I always forgetting to check it out for restaurant reviews?

This tiny place can easily be missed, except for the massive sign and it's excellent reputation among foreigners and Koreans alike for fantastic and authentic Greek fare (did I mention Greek is my second favourite ethnic food? Right after Indian...). The prices are a bit high, with the average entree coming in at around 19,000 won, but the house wine is nice and they give you extremely large portions. You definitely get what you pay for. The souvlaki is pretty much heaven on a plate. And the tzatziki! Ohhhh, the tzatziki.

That was my Saturday, and it was bliss. After dinner we went to the Bungalow where we drank the equivalent of six drinks each... for free! They were having a bit of an anniversary, I think. After enjoying the cocktails we went home, full and happy. I could probably eat at Santorini's seven days a week and never tire of the place. The next time I go, I'm splurging for dessert, and I suggest you do the same...

If you don't like feminist rants, avoid this post.

2009-08-21T11:01:00.006+09:00

There's something that's been burning away in my mind for ages now, and I think if I don't write about it I'll soon explode. There's been a lot of talk lately in the Korean expat blogosphere about the popular Korean TV show "Chatting with the Beauties". In this show, foreign women from all over the world converse in Korean with Korean men. They tend to talk about cultural differences between foreigners and Koreans and what it's like being a foreigner in Korea.

One episode in particular, where the girls were talking about their opinions of the way foreign men in Korea behave, has been blogged about by some male expats in Korea, who have complained about the unfairness of their accusations and the stereotypical views people have of foreign men living in Korea.

Some of the girls made comments referring to how men who aren't especially popular back home come to Korea and, suddenly being surrounded by beautiful Korean women, act like they're cock of the walk. Another few women discussed how tall foreign men, in Korea, were equivalent to gods in the eyes of Korean women.

Perhaps this is due to my feminist inclinations, and perhaps I'm just sad that the foreign expat blogoshpere in Korea in generally male dominated, but, while I don't necessarily feel that the women on this show need backing up, I do have a few things to say on the matter.

1. People have this view of foriegn men for a reason. It doesn't matter if you're the nicest guy in the world, or if you treat your Korean girlfriend like you would any girlfriend in your home country. The fact of the matter is, your predecessors (and a large portion of your peers) are the reason this stereotype exists, no matter how unfair you feel it is. I understand that the media has had a large hand in creating this stereotype. All I can say to this is, welcome to a woman's world. And buck up.

2. I know (not speculating- I know these people and hear them talk) so many guys who date Korean women like it's a sport. Guys think that Western women may simply be "jealous" that men from their own countries go for Korean women, but in general we simply feel bad for them. I have a great boyfriend. He's supportive and smart. I'm not jealous of a Korean woman who, usually unkowingly (either because of cultural differences or because they haven't- and won't- be dating for long), is dating a complete asshole. Again, this DOES NOT AT ALL MEAN that I think all Western men behave this way. I know plenty amazing guys who I've become close with- some of them have great Korean girlfriends or wives, some are single and some are dating other foreigners.

3. I think some men believe that they treat women equally, but just don't realize that they are still stereotyping women and generalizing them in the same way that they are complaining about being generalized themselves. It's very easy to say "I treat my girlfriend with respect" and "I treat my girlfriend much better than a Korean guy would", but even that doesn't change the fact that you're STILL grouping all Korean women (and all Western women, if you're listening to the likes of "Chatting with the Beauties") together.

4. In complete truth, I've experienced every stereotype that these women talked about on TV. They were asked for their opinion, and they gave it. Maybe my own answers wouldn't have been very different. Some of the blog posts I've read have been very hypocritical in the respect that they said very similar things about Western women when critiquing the episode. In truth, it all sounded chauvnistic to me.

5. Get over it, guys. It's no walk in the park being a foriegn woman in Korea, either. When you start getting asked if you're a Russian prostitute every time you get in a cab, or get dragged to a love motel by a Korean man you were chatting with at a club (because, to many Korean men, no really means yes), or you have dealt with rape or being assaulted (as several of my female friends were last year) then maybe I'll take your complaints seriously.

I know this is a touchy subject, but you brought it up first. Let's keep the criticisms tasteful, ok? My Mom reads this blog.

Love, Janine

It's Raining

2009-08-20T13:21:00.002+09:00

And thundering... and today is my first day back at regular work hours (read: getting up at 6:30 AM instead of 9 AM). I don't like today. I don't like my students today or anybody, for that matter. I'm in a very bad mood (read: tired).

Hazy Summer Days...

2009-08-14T11:42:00.002+09:00

I'm so happy it's Friday!

Sometimes I forget how close Suwon is to the ocean. On certain Spring, Summer and Autumn days, when I'm walking down the street or up the hill to get to school, I get the faintest whiff of the ocean on the breeze. I love it.

The city feels inland, and it is, but it isn't more than a 30 minute drive to the ocean and there are few mountains between us and the coast. It's easy to forget things when you live in a bubble, I guess.

It's also that time of year: monsoon season is over, giving way to hot and extremely humid weather. At least it's sunny almost every day! The big kicker is that it's also the time of year that those godforsaken cicadas come out of the ground and start partying in the trees.

I first arrived in Korea two years ago, at the end of July. When I heard these bugs for the first time I was frightened, thinking something was wrong with the power lines. The bugs make a very electrical sound- and it's so loud, so unnatural!

Now I'm used to them and even welcome their singing. When I climb the hill to my school every morning it feels like I'm walking through the jungle (heat and noise wise). It helps that the founder of Yeongbok was a great nature lover and made sure the school was completely surrounded by gardens and trees- we even have squash and lettuce growing in the flower gardens!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend- I'm headed to the beach! No Great Whites, please.

Summer Holidays in Sunny Jeju-do!

2009-08-12T14:05:00.007+09:00

Sometimes monsoon season gets the best of you. You're tired and grumpy because, let's face it, no one wants to get out of bed when it's grey and dreary outside. Your tan that you've been able to maintain since your trip to Southeast Asia is now fading to a dull beige. You want to enjoy the outdoors but you simply can't. and you're getting cabin fever from being inside all day.

Enter summer vacation and the beautiful island of Jeju-do!

Note* "Do" in Korean, means both island and province. Jeju-do is an island (Jeju-do) annnd a province (Jejudo). Maybe it's the other way around... help me out here, people.

Anyways, it doesn't matter. The point is, I was feeling dreadful for weeks and needed a beach holiday *pronto*. So did some of my friends, although Patrick thought he would have to go to Japan and didn't accompany me.

I hate airplanes... like, a lot. It's a phobia of mine. So I didn't even consider taking the much easier and not-too-expensive option of simply flying to Jeju, which you should all probably do. I took the bus at some ungodly hour to the port city of Mokpo, and then took the ferry to Jeju, which took an entire day of travelling- made much worse by a monsoon which hit the path of the ship on the way and resulted in everyone around me (minus myself) puking ramyeon into little paper bags. Yuck!

On a sunny day, I assure you, the boat is a lot of fun!

The next day I met two of my friends at the airport and we spend our first day enjoying the scenery (the monsoon had been replaced with beautiful, glorious sunshine). We went to Udo (Cow) Island off the East coast of Jeju and rented some bikes. We did a little sight seeing and hung out on the beach, but we didn't go swimming because the water on that side of the island was freeeeeeeezing.

We found a nice motel near Hamdeok Beach and we spent the next few days using this area as our home base. There was a great little restaurant run by a Korean family, and the mother used to live in the States. She spoke excellent English and she made us "American" breakfasts every morning- bless her. She also made great cheeseburgers.

We used a taxi to get around, since it wasn't very expensive between the three and then four, and five of us (our friend, Elaine, arrived the next morning and our friend, Jeff, arrived later that evening) to share. Generally speaking, if you're going to Jeju alone, you're best bet is to a) rent a scooter (fun!) or, b) use to bus system, which isn't hard to figure out. There's basically one route around the whole island.

Hamdeok beach was amazing- full of people, sure, but it was surrounded by beautiful, green hillsides and the water was nice and shallow a long way out. Very wavey, as well, so it was fun to play in the water.

We got some sunburns, ate some "doongdedji", otherwise known as the famous Jeju specialty, poop pig (they weren't cooked with poop, of course, but historically the pigs in Jeju would live under the outhouses and... well... eat shit). Putting the poop thing aside, the pork was very high quality and some of the most delicious samgyupsal (and other mysterious pig pieces) I have ever eaten. We also spent a lot of time sitting outside convenience stores, drinking beer and having a laugh.

Vacations are necessary, aren't they? And I think teachers, above all other professions, need a nice, long holiday to de-stress. Not that I'm a real teacher, I'm thinking more about my Mom. Imagine doing this for 30 years... I don't think so!

Beautiful Hamdeok!

Palm trees galore...

The very crowded beach...

Enjoying some conversation, beer and ramyeon with Jeff... and fireworks...

Night out with the girls in Jeju-si (Jeju City).

Sara and Sophie, agonizingly waiting for their cheeseburgers to arrive. We were so hungry.

Checking out our pics from Udo.

Being silly, waiting for my dinner.

Our gorgeous boat ride back from Udo.

Sophie and Sara on the ferry- we were watching some giant jellyfish in the water. They were fricken huge!

I love my pink bike!

Udo Island Beach

Biking around Udo...

Our awesome, retro bikes.

Udo Beach, from the ferry.

Sara and Songsan Ilchulbong, the famous extinct volcano crater.

Sophie et Moi

Songsan Ferry Terminal

Touch Rugby in Seoul

2009-08-12T12:23:00.002+09:00

Well, the Suwon Stormers are happily making their way through their second season of Touch Rugby in Korea. Two weekends ago, they played their second tournament of the season and came away with the Plate once again!

Note* If you're dumb about rugby, like me, then you should know that the Plate is for the team that wins the losers round... or something. In any case, they won some cash that bought many beers later that night at Scrooge's in Itaewon.

Next weekend the boys (and Sara) should be hosting their own tournament in Suwon! Hopefully they get a good turnout, but I know that even if they don't everyone will have a good time.

Over the past year I've looked on as bonds were formed between the different teams from different regions (mostly expat, but some Korean!). Touch rugby has been a great way to bring the international community together, and while the Stormers and their posse are all, mostly, young and largely unattached, it's really great to see the other team's out with their families- even watching the little expat kids play tough rugby with each other. Hell- even the Mom's are learning how to play (one gave me a black eye last year during my one and only attempt at playing )

In a way, I look forward to these tournies as much as the team, just because I know some good, old fashioned rowdy fun is going to occur at any time. And the BBQ is always welcome- and the kebabs!

Hope to see you all during the rest of this season!

Itaewon: Getting Classier by the Day

2009-08-10T15:41:00.002+09:00

A few Saturdays ago (after the rugby team won another plate... more on that later...) we went to Itaewon for food and foreign comforts. Because even though I've always said that Itaewon is dingy and creepy and full of the worst kind of foriegners, you can't beat this area for international (authentic) food and drinks. The jjimjilbang is ok, too.

So the rugby team were fairly muddy and needed a wash before we watched the match between New Zealand and South Africa at Scrooge's (again, more on that later...), so we went to the jjimjilbang where the guys (and Sara) soaked their weary bones and Sophie and I napped in the common room. Then we went to Pancho's, an Itaewon staple, for some Mexican food (personally, I prefer Taco Amigo for authentic and delicious Mexican food in Itaewon). After Pancho's, realizing we still had hours before the game started, we went in search of a place with good ambiance and a large selection of cocktails.

If you head to the backstreet behind the Hamilton Hotel, a new world will be opened up before your eyes. No longer seedy, this Itaewon backstreet boasts world class international wine and cuisine and it's all reasonably priced... for world class cuisine, that is.

We settled in at an interesting and cozy spot known as the Bungalow. They are known here for having a sandy floor, making your stay much like an evening on the beach. They are also well known for their cocktails, so it was the perfect place for us.

I will say this: they make a great cosmopolitan. You should go.

Janine Teacher's New Class

2009-08-06T13:14:00.003+09:00

I say all the time how cool my students are, and how much work they have to do every day, right?

Well, right now it's "summer vacation".

During "summer vacation", which lasts from July 22nd to August 20th, the students continue to attend classes. Usually, they have to stay at the school until around 10PM, but during "summer vacation" they get to leave around 9 PM- amazing!

During "summer vacation" the girls take classes with their regular teachers for extra help or to make up for a bad grade. They also take part in special classes, like the one I'm teaching right now about essay writing.

While I feel bad for the girls and their lack of a real summer vacation, I'm really enjoying this class. They picked 30 of the smartest girls to take it, they had to write an application form in order to be admitted and then they split them up into two 15 student classes. I teach them about different kinds of essays and how to appropriately express themselves in English (without using the ubiquitous electronic pocket dictionary).

Yesterday, I split the girls up into five groups of three. I gave them a random newspaper headline and told them to write me a story, as a group, about the headline and then present it to the class. Some of their stories were quite funny, and I don't think they would mind if I shared them with you!

Headline: Mother Goose, a Fixture at London's Public Gardens, Dies of Old Age:

Story:

Once upon a time, there one goose couple in the London. This couple was famous for sincere loving each other. One day, this lovely couple bore a female goose. She was named after "Mother Goose" because she did a great job. What do you think the great job was?

When she (Mother Goose) was two years old, she fell in love with a handsome goose which was known for F4 (Janine's note* F4 is a famous group of handsome Korean men on TV- the girl's are all crazy about them). They were married and, after a year, Mother Goose couple stood on their own feet.

They laid seven eggs on the tree, which was symbol at London. One day, the cute goslings were hatched, Mother Goose couple went out to find food for their babies. Suddenly, a fire broke out near their nest and their seven eggs were in risk. The people, hearing this situation, came out the nest. They tried to put down the fire, but they couldn't. At the moment, Mother Goose couple came out and spout water in their mouths.

The fire put out. The people clapped and applauded them.

(Janine's note* at this point in the class I told them they had one minute to finish- these girls were just getting started! They could have written this story into a novel.)

By the way, the wonderful goose died yesterday. We won't forget her love for babies.

The End

This one was my favourite, but there were four other strong efforts- including a story about a girl named Janine who went to Harvard but, even though Harvard guaranteed their grads jobs once they graduated, she couldn't get a job so she sued Harvard for $70,000.00.

Another was about a famous fish who was a popular TV personality in Britain. He died.

Meet Crumbly Biscuits!

2009-08-06T12:03:00.003+09:00

You might think I'm pretty much a cat person, but this is simply not true.

I love dogs. Big, cuddly, playful dogs. I don't really like small dogs. I like cats, which are small animals. Why would I need a small dog when I can have a cat that's a lot more quiet, clean and soft?

Crumbles has changed my life a little. He's a poodle, but he's not just any poodle. He belongs to my friends Elaine and Patrick. He has been with them since he was a puppy, and you can tell he's been raised by Westerners!

Almost every Korean dog lover will tell you that Maltese or Poodles are the best breeds for a pet. If you live in an apartment, as most Koreans do, you simply don't have room for a big Golden Retriever (although I've met one in Yeongtong- his owners must have a very big place). And Koreans generally hate cats- they are considered evil theives in Korean culture and folklore, so it's uncommon to find a cat in a Korean home.

When you go to the puppy shop (or the Animal Shelter in Cheonan- where everyone should go!) you don't see too many big dogs, either. It's just a Korean thing. So of course. when they went dog shopping, Crumbles was the obvious choice. I had to admit, the first time I saw him, he is very cute... much cuter than other poodles, which chocolate brown fur and a devil-may-care attitude.

Over the past few months, Crumbles has proven himself as an excellent dog. An awesome dog. Ok, I friggin love Crumbles. Everyone loves Crumbles. When we go to the park, he terroroizes the other dogs (generally forced into submission by their owners and therefore timid) and runs around in what his parents call his "happy circles". He's pretty great, and I thought I'd share him with the world. Go Crumbles!

My friend Sophie loves him too. We like to steal him from his parents every now and then.

Here he is with Elaine (mom) and Patrick (dad) on Canada Day.

Cute, cuddly and playful- what more can a dog lover want?

Happy 200th Post!

2009-07-24T11:57:00.000+09:00

This isn't much of a post, since blogger won't let me upload any pictures lately, but I thought I'd brag a little bit.

Because today is Friday. It's a beautiful, sunny day, and my vacation starts tomorrow.

And my boss is letting me leave at 3:30.

Oh... and I didn't have to come into work until 10 AM.

Just another few reasons why working at a public school rocks.

Brain Malfunctioning

2009-07-23T11:59:00.000+09:00

Blogger is being strange right now... I'll post later.

Going to Cambodia anytime soon? Check this place out.

2009-07-16T09:38:00.004+09:00

You won't regret it!

When Pat and I were in Southeast Asia, we had some great opportunities to meet new people and try new things. However, the social highlight of our trip had to be the orphanage we volunteered with while in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

This orphanage is an interesting place. It's run by a man named Mr. Samith and his wife. The children here are not up for adoption- many still have at least one parent living- but their families cannot afford to take care of them, so they are sent to Mr. Samith.

He and Mrs. Samith treat the children like their own kids. The kids fight and squabble and cry, and are just like any other bunch of brothers and sisters. Their ages range from 2 to 18, and their main goals are education oriented.

Yes, for all it's faults, Cambodia is really putting a lot of emphasis on educating their children and these days, while it is quite common to see children out selling trinkets or begging for money, it is very much discouraged by the government and by the locals to buy from these children. Why? Easy. Because if the kids are making money, they won't go to school. And they need to go to school.

The kid's at Mr. Samith's orphanage want to learn. They're so eager. They're smart, and are fast learners. The orphanage is barely two years old, but in those two years, somehow, these kids have learned *a lot* of English. A lot.

It's not just the kids at the orphanage who benefit, though. The school that was specially built for the orphanage offers free English lessons to all of the children in the village (located just outside of Phnom Penh).

There are usually several volunteers teaching at the orphanage. Pat and I were pressed for time, but we managed a class with the kids and they were great! We had an excellent time! If you want to volunteer while you're travelling, you have some options:

You can stay at your guesthouse in Phnom Penh and hire a tuktuk every day (or rent a motorbike, if you know the way), or you can stay at the orphanage for as long as you like- for about 5 bucks a night you get accomodation plus all of your meals. Plus you get to play with the kids. Plus, when we were there, they had, like, five amazingly cute puppies to play with.

I think Mr. Samith is a pretty cool guy.

If you're interested in volunteering while you're travelling, or if you want to donate (the money goes directly to Mr. Samith and then goes toward the univeristy education for his oldest kids, as well as food and clothing costs) you can go to this website:

http://www.savechildreninasia.org/

You should not donate clothes, non-food supplies or toys because it makes the kids fight with each other (you have a nicer shirt than me, wah wah wah, etc.). So many of the orphanages in Cambodia are gimmicks, but this one is legit, so you should support it if you have the time. If you are in Cambodia, a bag of rice is always appreciated as a gift, but is not necessary if you plan to teach. They want your knowledge more than anything.

Lee may be the reason I became so smitten by this place. He is just the best kid ever. Always smiling, always laughing- and he really loves his teachers. He isn't the best student in the class, but he is definitely the happiest and the sweetest! I just adore him. And I plan to sponser his university education someday.

Pat and our students for the day! The girls are so, so smart. They pick up on things very, very quickly.

Me, Mr. Samith and the youngest of the kids. What a great, generous guy he is!

A Sunny Day During Monsoon Season

2009-07-16T08:44:00.008+09:00

And a field trip to boot!

Well... more like a camp for "1st Graders" (10th graders if you're a canuck). A few days ago the head of the language department at school asked me to prepare an hour long presentation for the girls about Canada. The only problem is, I have been teaching these girls for over a week now and they already know everything about Canada (what? they're fast learners). So what do I write about?

Well, ever since I started teaching here I have never been more aware of the differences between Canada and Korea. In a hagwon, you are slowly transitioned into Korean culture and mannerisms- it's almost like you don't even notice you're becoming acclimatized. In my new school, many of the students have never met a foreinger before. They're curious about what is normal in Canada- normal fashion, normal passtimes, normal behaviour... and the more I think about it, the more polar opposite the two countries appear! So strange how these things creep up on you.

Anyway, I made up a *very long* slide show describing the differences between Canada and Korea. Like Canada, Korea is automatically compared to the bigger countries surrounding it (Japan, China) by Westerners. Likewise, Canada is often considered the same as the US by Asians. It's been a great learning experience these past few weeks, let me tell you.

Here are a few of the materials I'm using in my presentation:

Korea's capital city- vibrant, crazy, awesome Seoul.

Laid back, chilled out, and, compared to Seoul, very tiny: Ottawa

Considered by many (but not by me) to be a national hero: Wayne Gretsky

Every girl in Korea looks up to figure skating champion Kim Yu Na. She's in a lot of commercials here. Like, all of them.

Korea's not-so-loveable president: Lee Myung Bak

Canada's not-so-loveable Prime Minister: Stevo Harper

Canada's "funny guy": Jim Carrey

Korea's "funny guy": No Hong Cheol (he's on every TV show known to man)

Canada's favourite (?) food: Poutine! Yum!

Korea's national food: Kimchi, obviously! Yum. Yummmmmmmm.

The Rockies in Canada...

And Bekdusan in Korea (note: although every Korean person considers Bekdusan the most beautiful and famous mountain in Korea, it is actually located in North Korea- therefore, the South Koreans cannot climb it. Although they would very much like to. Oh! Also, this is the famed mountain that the trickster himself, Kim Jong Il, told the people of North Korea he was born on. And there was an iceberg in the lake. And the night he was born, a bolt of lightning struck the iceberg and broke it in two. And that's why he's god. And the poor people of North Korea know better, but they have to agree with him. Gah!)

Ugh- we have Avril...

And Korea has Rain (비). Hey Korea... wanna switch? I love Rain.

Finally! Korea's badass national animal!

...And then there's Canada's beaver. *Cough, cough*

High School is Tough in Korea

2009-07-15T10:26:00.002+09:00

It's funny how, after two years, I still find myself in new situations regarding Korean culture. I mean, when you get used to the place, you find yourself adapting to the culture here and you don't really notice that it's a different culture at all(except when baring your soul to another foriegner).

That's why I was surprised when, thinking I finally had it all figured out, I took a job at a Korean public high school. Let me tell you, friends, this is nothing like working at a hagwon. Hagwons are so westernized compared to public schools!

At a public school, you are expected to behave much more formally- especially around your boss and your senior teachers. You cannot refuse certain things, such as a shot of soju after having one shot too many or, in my case, agreeing to model the new school uniforms (how embarassing).

The students, too, have a harder time at school than Western students. Well, I knew that. What I didn't know was the extent to which these teenagers are worked. It's overwhelming! They stay at school until 10 PM- after the vast majority of teachers have gone home- to do something they call "self study". They have large amounts of homework every night and their exams are impossibly difficult (yesterday the senior classes had a provincial English exam, and the readings were so vague even I wasn't sure about some answers). The workload is equal or larger than an average university student's in Canada.

On top of all the work they do, the girl's here have to wear uniforms (they don't like their uniforms- they are always asking me what I think of them), which, really, I don't think is such a terrible thing. What I find strange is that, even though they are already wearing uniforms, they also have to have similar haircuts. This means that with the uniforms and haircuts it has been extremely easy for me to mix up names and faces... again; embarassing.

There are certain teachers at the school whose "extra cirricular" activity is to make sure the girl's are following appearance protocol at all times. They need to verbally abuse the girl's if their hair is an inch longer than it should be. The teacher's don't necessary like doing this, but rules are rules- and high school in Korea is nothing if not a rule oriented environment. If the rules were forsaken, education would be thrown out the window!

I shy away from the questions the girls have about high school students in Canada. It's too painful for them to hear about the freedom and "rights" that students enjoy (a little too liberally, if you ask me) in Canada. Instead, I tell them about the drugs many students ruin their lives with and the many students who have no dreams or ambitions in Canadian public schools. That makes the girls feel much better, because despite all the rules, regulations and the heavy workload they must endure during high school, every one of these girls has a dream. Every one of them is ambitious, and every girl in my school will go to university.

I was recently going over some application forms for a special writing class I will teach during summer vacation (indeed, the students don't even get vacation- they still come to school every day). Many girls applied for this class, and as a written submission they all wrote about their hopes and dreams for their future. I'll tell you this: not one girl wrote about hoping to be a houswife someday. There were several girls who wanted to be diplomats, there were several who wanted to be school teachers or university professors, there were several who wanted to be bureaucrats- I'm talking ambition here! Some of their applications brought tears to my eyes, and they are still so eager to learn more!

That's Korea for you. No one in this country can rest until they feel they have done their utmost in any given area. Hair dressers will spend hours on your hair until they have done it right. People working at McDonald's make the neatest burgers I have seen anywhere in the world. And my students work their butts off to acheive their goals.

I think they've got a heads up on Canada with this one. Let's all be a little more strict than necessary with our kids (but maybe leave their hair alone).

Introducing...

2009-07-14T13:30:00.002+09:00

Bad Miss Kitteh.

Her mom looked after Somi and Ha Jin while Pat and I were travelling, and now we're returning the favour.

Miss Kitteh like tuna flavoured treats, hiding under the bed, and getting into fights with the other cats at approximately 5 AM, a mere hour before my normal wake up time. In her defense, the "other two" enjoy doing this just as much as she.

All in all, I like her. Once you have two cats a third just blends right into the woodwork. Plus, Miss Kitteh has a hilarious, high pitched meow.

I just realized that I've been posting a little too much about cats these days. This is the last one- promise.

Smoky Robinson bores Miss Kitteh to tears. The only time she perked up during the entire memorial (you know who's I'm talking about) was when Usher sang to the coffin.

Some are simply too pure for this world...

2009-07-10T14:30:00.003+09:00

Last Sunday night, I heard a strange sound outside my apartment window.

I went outside to investigate, and found three Korean men in a driveway- one, holding a box. I wasn't sure where the sound was coming from as it seemed all around me. It was very loud.

"고 양 이? (Cat?)" I asked one of the men. He nodded and pointed to the box in the hands of his friend.

I peeked inside and saw the two smallest kittens I had ever seen. They were crying for their dead Mommy. I threw aside reason and took the box from the grateful men, who explained that nobody would care for them in their apartment building. I knew I couldn't take them to my apartment- my two, fully grown, very jealous cats were having a hard time adjusting to a new addition already (I am caring for a friend's cat while she is in America). They don't like new additions. They would probably kill the kittens if they had a chance.

As I was walking towards a friend's house, I ran into four of my girl friends. I showed them the precious little things and we all ooohed and ahhed for awhile. I explained my situation to them and my friend Sophie agreed to care for them for a few days, while I raced around to find someone more permanent.

Orphaned kittens, espcially brand new orphaned kittens, need very specific things when they are that young. They need specific replacement cat's milk, they need to be fed every two hours, they need to be weighed every day, they need to be kept warm... and the list goes on. Between the two of us, Sophie and I began nursing and nurturing the two little guys.

Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. I had taken them to the vet previously to find out their age and sex (boys, and 7-10 days old). I found a nice guy to take the kittens and keep them at a vet until they were strong enough to be adopted. The vet said they looked ok and to keep feeding them every two hours, letting them eat as much as they could. We dubbed them Oliver Twist and Harry Potter- our favourite male literary orphans.

Oliver loved feeding. He was an expert. Harry was not. When I found them, Harry was the stronger of the two. After a few days, we noticed he was very quiet. A little strange, since he could meow at the top of his lungs, and did it regularly. We thought it odd, but couldn't make sense of it. The next day, he passed away. We were so sad. Oliver was stressed out.

The next day with absolutely no warning sign, Oliver died, too. It was after he passed away that we found out about Fading Kitten Syndrome. If a kitten is lacking something (either from being orphaned or having a different blood type from his/her mother) they simply pass away. So sad.

RIP Harry and Ollie. We were getting so attached to you! You will enjoy cat heaven with your mom.

Oliver Twist June 30 (?)- July 8

Harry Potter June 30 (?)- July 8

Happy Canada Day! Like, a week ago...

2009-07-07T15:13:00.002+09:00

Canada Day is one of those days in a Canadian expat's life that sting a little. It's like Christmas, only slightly downgraded. You want to celebrate, you want to be with your friends and family, drinking Kieth's and eating cake and barbeque- you want to be in your country, at the very least.

There are quite a few Canadian expats in Korea. If you listen to the statistics, you will believe that there are more Canadian ESL teachers than any other English speaking nationality in Korea (they apparently like the neutral accent). However, I recently heard that more Americans than ever are coming to Korea and Koreans are starting to hire them more than Canadians- they apparently work for less. I have no idea if this is true, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

But back to my nation's day of birth.

No Canada Day is complete without the following, in my mind: Canadian music, Canadian beer (or wine, whichever), a really big cake, BBQ and friends. Of all nationalities. Because Canada is so goshdarn multicultural.

At least, this year in Korea I managed 4 out of the 5 on the list. I was among good friends, we (sorta) had a BBQ, and I made the mother of all cakes (meaning: I made my biggest cake yet in Korea- not bad for a toaster oven) and we listened to some great Canadian musicians.

Friends from all over Yeongtong came to the park the Sunday before Canada's actual birthday. An Adjuma started screaming at us, saying we couldn't BBQ in the park. We took the meat to Sophie's house and cooked it, then brought it back to the park and ate. There was a lot of yummy food. There was Canadian trivia, and finally, there was a game of beer ball. Fun times.

Reasons Why I Like Koreans:

2009-07-06T11:06:00.002+09:00

Maybe this mostly applies to my new coworkers. Anyone wondering about the different between working for a public school or a private school? A public school is less work, more vacation and... this is a big one... you are the ONLY FOREIGNER working there! This may sound like a bad thing to some, but believe me, it has been nothing short of paradise- no clashing personalities, no stupid complaining about "how much work I have to do allllll the time" (you came here to work, dummy) and the Korean teachers at my new school have been nothing short of wonderful since I first arrived! I just love them.

So maybe that's what inspired me to write this post. I've been feeling the love of the Korean community for the past few weeks and it's got me thinking about exactly what I'm going to miss when I'm back in Canada- because when you're here, you take everything for granted. The grass is always greener, yadda yadda yadda.

Here are the top ten things I like most about the Korean people:

1. They tell you when you're looking good, and they're honest about how you can make yourself look better. This may sound shallow, but to Koreans, you have to talk the talk before you walk the walk. That means my Korean friends will truthfully answer questions like "Is this zit noticable?" or "Should I get contact lenses?" or "Are my legs too fat to get away with this skirt?"

I know, I know, that sounds really shallow. But these are things you're always wondering anyway, and Canadians are too damn polite, even with their closest friends, to tell the complete truth. With Koreans, no guesswork is necessary. You know when you're looking good, and you know when it's time to get magic straight one more time.

2. If older Korean women like you, they are not content until they're sure you are absolutely and completely full of food. They will tsk tsk at your breakfast of yoghurt and granola, they will fill your desk drawers with candy that you will never eat, they will fuss over you like you're their white daughter (and often will call you by that name... maybe not white, but definitely daughter...). And you know what? It's nice to be fussed over when you live in a country extremely far from the ones who would normally fuss over you. With no mommies or aunties around, a caring adjuma is a most welcome part of your life.

3. If older Korean men like you, they will also call you their daughter, but instead of food they will try to make you drink soju until you pass out. Like my vice principal. "Janine teacher, you are so very beautiful. Drink some soju.", and so on. Which leads me to my next point:

4. They tell you you're beautiful at every possible chance they get. They announce your beauty at teacher's meetings, your students want their picture taken with you (as do their mom's), they say "Oh, teacher. Your face is so small and your hair is golden." Seriously, my self esteem has never looked so good.

5. Your high school students have, more often than not, never met a foreigner before. When you walk into the classroom, they applaud you. They cheer. They give you dance recitals in class and say, "Teacher, I have a very important question. Who is the most beautiful girl in the class?" As if I would ever answer that! But these are just some of the common questions that Koreans ask every day. Do you have a boyfriend? Is he Korean? Do you think our uniforms are ugly? Who has the smallest face?

6. Koreans know how to eat. Like kings. And they do it at every possible chance, with as many people as possible. My visa was taking forever, but no worries: first we eat a magnificent lunch and THEN we get the visa. Clearly, I need to get my priorities straight. At staff parties, the soju flows freely, as does the meakju (beer), plum wine and makoli (carbonated rice wine). The food is unending. A feast to end all feasts. I love the way Koreans eat, whether as a family or just with their friends.

7. Koreans love all things luxurious. They shop at big department stores, drive nice cars and enjoy eating steak. They laugh at my frugality. And, more often than not, they are amazingly generous and make sure I want for nothing. Can't afford to go out this weekend? I'll buy the pitchers. And don't worry about taxi fare because I have a fancy car.

8. Koreans turn every sporting event into a high school musical. I hate sports, but I love the dance moves, different songs and cheers and, most of all, the colour coordination. This means I can enjoy baseball and soccer on a new level. Thanks, Korea.

9. I really love that my students are respectful and are hard workers. They don't even know about drugs, they don't drink til they're twenty and they know that if they don't get good grades they will fail at life (at least, that's what Korean adults tell them). My school is an all girls school and I love to see them taking on leadership roles and engaging in school politics. At the end of the day they clean my coffee cup for God sakes! They are go getters and they're going to be super successful. And they think I'm interesting. Aw.

10. When I was travelling through SE Asia, I kept thinking about the manners and ethics the Korean people hold dear. Theft is a nonissue, violent crime is rare, and people don't ever rip you off because you're a foreigner. I've lost my phone several times, my camera twice and my wallet once. On every occasion, someone has gone to great lengths to return my things to me.

These are just a FEW of the things I love about Koreans. Don't ever listen to disgruntled foreigners who say Koreans are bad people. Every country has bad people, but not every country has the amount of honest, hardworking people that Korea has.