foreign korean

today i ventured on the subway, alone. it was a good exercise in learning how to navigate the system and i've decided i'd like to make day trips for myself and explore more of seoul while i am currently, yet, hopefully soon not to be, unemployed. seoul, first of all, if i haven't mentioned this before, is humungous. like humungous, ginormous. and luckily, the subway system while expansive, is well marked and fairly easy to understand with stops marked in both korean and english and on some trains, they even announce each stop. also, there's a whole 'nother dimension to the subway system in korea, they are like underground mini-worlds, complete with convenient stores, rest rooms, clothing shops, restaurants, and vending machines.

my outing today was for an interview at korea poly school's headquarters close to the gwang heung chang train stop. it took about an hour and 15 minutes to get there from theresa's area known as gang-nam. korea poly school was started by korean-americans and korean-canadians otherwise known as gyopos. the best translation for gyopo is "foreign korean." yep, and i am definitely one of those. sometimes, the natives like to throw this in my face. on my way home from the train station, i bought some clementines from a street vendor who told me that i spoke korean poorly. greaaaat. thanks for the support, mate! tell me something i don't know! when i'm in a smartass mood, i want to say, "ahhh, but you still understood what i said, didn't you, sucka?!?!" in korean of course, but i don't have that down yet. so i must practice. yesssssssssssssssssssssss. practice, practice, practice.

i think the interview went well. the position was for an entry level management role that essentially acted like a coordinator between staff, students and their parents. i'm not sure if it's the best position for me presently and i'm not certain i'm the most qualified, but, i figure, i might as well remain open-minded and curious to whatever positions seem feasible and interview my ass away. i say i think the interview went well as opposed to fully knowing because my cold seems to have made me a bit stupid. i'm breathing through my mouth, since i have a congested and stuffy nose, and i wonder if that has hindered the amount of oxygen my brain is receiving. i feel like my actions are delayed, my wit, not so sharp.

my interview yesterday was at cdi, theresa's place of employment. it was a 2 hour process of interviewing, test essay writing, and a powerpoint presentation about the history of cdi. my interviewer seemed positive about offering me a position, and told me that i would know within a few days. i would like to work at cdi. i'm looking forward to teaching, to interacting with students and personally, to have funds to sign up for korean language classes. at this point, i am starting to feel a bit antsy about finding a job...so i'm trying to calm my anxieties by keeping things simple. by breathing in my fears (albeit through my mouth or wheezing nose) and breathing out peace. i'm practicing tonglen.

koreans interview in a style this is much more informal than in the us. first of all, there's no receptionist to greet you once you enter the office. it's just cubicle- land and therefore very confusing to me, the interviewee and newbie, to the office. yet once the interview is over, it is common and in my mind, a very formal practice where you are walked to the elevator by the interviewer, and you sort of awkwardly stand together and make silly small talk until the elevator arrives. that reminds me of times i've rushed saying goodbye to friends on the metro in dc and then you stand in front of the door, waiting to exit, feeling like an idiot for having rushed the goodbye when you're still standing on the train with your friend still sitting, also waiting until you exit the train.

it's time for me to nap and sleep away these cold symptoms. enjoy these subway shots.

clean and shiny subway floor:

subway restroom. grab your tp before you enter the stall:

i know you've heard of soap on a rope, but how 'bout on a stainless stick?

it's so orderly, the line up for boarding the train:

entertaining self portrait, while waiting for the train:

i love that this vending machine says, "it's cool!"

you see this guy everywhere. this way to exit:

daily assignments

kurt vonnegut once said do one thing that scares you everyday. thanks kurt, for that wise bit of advice. i'm taking it to heart and am giving myself daily assignments that accelerate my heartbeat as i push my boundaries of linguistic comfort.

yesterday, i even tackled two!
1) when one arrives to korea with the intention to live and work, like me, you have to go to the immigration office and file for an alien registration card. i know you need the arc to buy a cell phone and i'm sure i'll find out what the other perks of being a card carrying member are, once i actually receive it. i had all the documents i needed except for one. blast! thankfully, jin, my sister, is the bombdiggity and has helped me out by providing the v.i.d. (very important document) via email. (oh technology, you soooooooooo crazy, cuh-razy cool!) i needed to print out the v.i.d. and fax it to the korean immigration officials so i would ensure the delivery of my arc to me within 7-10 business days. i went to fedex/kinko's--yes, they're here too--and approached the counter. in korean, i asked, "does anyone spoke english?" all three staff persons looked at me with blank faces. hmmm, i think i know the answer to that question! that would be a no. nope. nada. negatory. i probably smiled a sheepish grin and timidly began to explain in korean what i wanted to do. and hellsyeah! the kinko's attendant understood me! copy? done. fax? done. scary thing that day? done. booyah!
2) in the afternoon, i joined friends greg and megan--theresa's friends and coworkers--for an afternoon of frisbee tossing in the park. it felt so nice to throw the frisbee and run around on soft grass, doing something so simple and so familiar in such a new environment. i had a moment then. i was looking around me, the river, the tall buildings, the train, the train stop, the groups of older men playing games--i think it is like a korean version of chess--cyclists, solo walkers with or without dogs, rollerskaters, children, parents, trees, fallen leaves...among all of this i thought to myself, "i am in korea." then i exclaimed to myself, "i am in KOREA!!!!" and i smiled. sometime before or after i had this moment of awareness, greg asked me for my help in translating a phone call from the gas company. he had been receiving notices, post its affixed to his front door, but he didn't know what they meant. he knew it wasn't about payment as he'd just submitted that. when i spoke with the operator, she informed me that they needed to stop by his apt to check up on the boiler and that they'd be doing it, this saturday. 10am. high five! i can do it! and i just did it again!

i woke up this morning with a nasty something something in my throat. it's the scratchies. just like that. i'm sick. i'm nursing it with water and my hot tea concoction of honey and lemon juice. i hope it leaves me as quickly as it arrived.

11.11.07

11.11 marked a holiday in korea called pepero day. what exactly is pepero day? it celebrates the creation of the ever sweet tasty snack which dominates the korean snack world, the pepero. i know it formerly as "pocky" and thought it was orginally japanese in creation. and a-ha! my suspicions are correct, as wikipedia states: "Pepero (빼빼로) is a cookie stick, dipped in chocolate syrup, manufactured by Lotte in South Korea since 1983. Pepero is a Korean snack which is a copy of the Japanese chocolate-covered cookie stick, Pocky."

sorry, pocky, it's pepero land here. happy (belated) pepero day!

long chocolate stick? oh jeez...

walk on the left, drive on the right

in october, my friend katie gave me a book about korean customs and etiquette, what to expect and what not to do. one of the most interesting things that she pointed out to me was that in korea, the number 4 is to be avoided at all costs. why? it's because the word for 4, sah, also happens to be the word for death. (deeeaaath!) the book mentions that often times buildings don't have a fourth floor because of this and as i was glancing around in theresa's elevator, i noticed that indeed the 4th floor is missing! have a looksey!

other cultural observations:
*while koreans drive on the right, everyone walks on the left.
*give and receive things with both hands--that's super courteous--but if you can only use one hand, make sure it is the right.
*take off your shoes when you enter homes.
*being barefoot is disrespectful so wear socks or stockings.
*don't expect people to say "i'm sorry" or "excuse me" if they bump into you. that's just how it is on the streets, in the grocery store, in the clubs. you're just gonna get bumped and it's not because people are being rude persay, but it's life.
*oh yeah, watch out for scooters and cyclists, they ride on the sidewalk, and are not afraid of people, cars, or buses!

this afternoon, i went to coex mall, an underground shopping center that is as overwhelming as the mall of america in bloomington, minnesota. there are stores galore, lots of cute shoes and shirts, sweaters and skirts, face products, make up, yadda yadda yadda, all things that i don't need or want and also don't want to be made to feel like i need or want. wellllll, if anything, i'd buy the food. oh man, the food displays were mouth-watering! but, i did not stray from my assignment. i went to coex on a mission! to find the store called artbox, where theresa told me i would see a variety of blank planners. mission accomplished. this one is great because it has pages for the months and then, pages for the weeks, so there's space to write--yay!

the first page of my new planner, hell's yeah i'm going to knit:
scooter, complete with hand warmers:

monkey is gearing up for the holiday season:

get crunk! with crunky chocolate:

regal lucy:

foodie

kimchee soup:

banchan (sides):

gimbop monkey:

late night street cuisine:

monkey gets "fresh" with soju:



food in korea is relatively cheap. no, actually, it's really cheap. one can probably get by on less than $10 a day and that's eating out for every meal. near to theresa's apt there's a variety of tasty options: soups, gim-bop--veggie and rice rolls that look like sushi, but without fish--noodles, cakes, and candy. fruit street vendors sell : clementines, persimmons, and bananas while there are other corner stands that offer spicy seasoned soft rice cakes, fish cakes and tempura-like fried goodies. in korea, it's rare that one eats out a lone--it's actually frowned upon as eating is a very social activity--unless it's at these types of stands, korea's version of fast food.

yesterday, theresa and i went to E mart, a rather huge everything type of store, think greatlands target. whatever you want, this place probably has it: clothes, tioletries, perfume, silverware, telephones, electronic goods, toys, oven mitts, a toolset and groceries. what i've noticed is that fresh produce is quite expensive in korea. booooo! i was completely spoiled this summer with the plentitude of having the tastiest and freshest anacostia farmers market produce at my fingertips. i miss greens, ya'll! i want salad every day, i want to bite into a crisp celery, and dunk strips of red peppers into my favorite garlic hummos from the meditteranean place in takoma park. my body is craving phytonutrients, beta-carotene in its raw form.

gratefully, my body got its dose of greens by means of a home-made salad. mmmm salad! isn't it funny and interesting the things you miss most immediately after leaving home? while at the grocery store, i missed my mom. grocery stores always remind me of my mother. i had spoken with her earlier that day and explained to her the dramatic outwardly differences between american and korean women. (now, of course not allll korean ladies are dressed to the nine's every day, every minute, but, the majority are very very well groomed!) she had very maternally affirmed, "yes, i know, it is very different, hmm? and that's how korean ladies are..." when i asked her if i needed to be like them, to dress so properly all the time, wear makeup everytime i left the house, fix my hair, do my nails, guess what she said? she said no. she said, you are fine as you are. wear what you want to wear, do what you want to do. and then she asked, "well what does theresa wear and do?" when i replied that she's very much in the same vein as me in wearing what's comfortable and natural, she said, "see, do that." ahhh, yes! that's my american influenced korean mother! i don't actually feel very awkward about my dress or outward appearance, but, i do feel self conscious about the language barrier. alright, let's be honest here, mostly, i don't like feeling stupid. i know i'm not stupid stupid, but i do feel sheepish stupid. i've gotta get over that, i want to learn and to do so is to make mistakes and lots of em. so here's to making mistakes and laughing and learning from them!

party like paris

theresa and me, all gussied up!

when they say koreans can party til the break of dawn, they meant that koreans really can party til the literal break of dawn. last night, i went out with theresa and friends to a club called the "circle" where the ever globe trotting heiress paris hilton was on stage, dancing and parading around, absorbing all the attention her korean audience gave. i did catch a glimpse of her and thought, "oh paris. you craaaaaazy. you requested madonna's "like a virgin," sang along to it-karaoke-style, with a mic in your hand, yet you didn't know all the lyrics. wtf, paris? come on, seriously. madonna would not be impressed. shiiiiiiiit."

at around 3am, we progressed to our own karaoke-a-thon and belted out some impressive tunes. when we closed that nohrehbang (literal translation: song room) we took our vocal chords to another and continued the sing song party. good times, effin good times. when we left the second nohrehbang, the sun was rising. we didn't get home until 7. am. yes, that's right, girlfriend partied from midnight to 7am. party till the break of dawn! i woke up today at 5:30pm. it was strange to realize that while i was waking, the sky was darkening...i officially missed sunlight. how did that happen? oh, yeah, i partied til the break of dawn.

monkey does nohrehbang:

jet laggin'

last night i met with theresa and her coworkers for what felt like the korean version of the american happy hour, only this hour lasted until the early hours of the morning and was much more elaborate and on the company's tab. hellllllsyeah! i ate pork for the first time in a while and it was quite tasty...if i was more diligent, i could certainly fore go meat eating while i'm here, but, i think fully experiencing the depth of korean culture is to do so by the belly. mmmmhmmmm!

theresa's coworkers and friends are a great and rowdy bunch, very friendly, easily laughable! today, her friend, greg, was very kind to accompany me on my errands. i successfully opened up a bank account and discovered that i have to get my korean identification card in order to purchase a cell phone. i spoke in korean during these transactions and embarrassed myself for forgetting my manners on occasion by not using the proper and polite form. whoopsa!!!! tonight, if my jet lag doesn't get the better of me, i want to brush up on my korean skiiiiillls. i need to refresh my grammar!

i am seriously jet laggin' right now. LAGGIN!' i want very much to go to bed, to take a nap. but i'm going to try to powerhouse through my exhaustion and stay awake until i call it a night. my eyelids feel droopy...and i see lucy, theresa's cat, curled up and napping peacefully...well, she's also been napping pretty much all day. oh to be a cat!