Extolling EPIK

It's another night before another departure for me. Only this time, it's just a 2-hour bus ride down to Daejeon where I will be living and working for the next year. This past week of preparations has been absolutely phenomenal in every respect. The EPIK program has extended the tradition of Korean courtesy beyond any and all expectations! Every lecture, every meal, every activity and every detail has been carefully considered, graciously bestowed and expertly executed. I am honored and so very fortunate to have been selected to participate in this program. I commend them, and will recommend them to anyone interested in teaching English in Korea!


As for me, I received my official assignment this past Tuesday, and am thrilled with the news that I will be teaching at Daejeon Foreign Language High School with additional responsibilities in the Metropolitan Teacher Training Program. The high school is touted as the most prestigious of all schools in Daejeon and has stringent requirements for admission since it specializes in the study of foreign languages (note: in Korea, high school is neither compulsory nor free). The teacher-training opportunity was presented to me by the director of the Metropolitan Office of Education when he met with me individually to tell me that "they have bigger plans for me", and that "they hoped I would be interested in a career in Korea"!


So, tomorrow afternoon, I shall load my luggage, board a bus and ride into my future. I will write again when I come down :>).

Koreantation - Day 1

On the hour-long subway ride from Seoul to Seongnam City -- the EPIK Orientation location -- I review the directions of how to get from Namhamsansung station to Eulji University, where I am to register and get a dorm room for the upcoming 9-day training session. 5 minute bus ride from exit 2, Namhamsansung ipgu station. Arrival at Eulji Daehakyo ap bus stop, Bus 6, 30, 33-1, 70, 442, 340, 720-1, 720, 55, 30-1, 240. Yeah, sure, easy for them to say. I thought this was orientation, not disorientation. Opting for legs over wheels, I decide to walk. It is a clear, crisp day and this way I will be able to better "orient" myself with the new city and get a true flavor of the environment. For 20 minutes, I clip along the wide, broken brick sidewalk past shops selling everything from skimpy underwear to apples as big as my head. There are street vendors and restaurants, night clubs and gas stations, convenience stores and of course, the ubiquitous American fast food joint. Across the street from the omnipresent Pizza Hut is Eulji University's main entrance with at least a dozen outdoor banners touting various events....all in Korean. Hmmmm, time for more orientation. I climb to the top of the 120 stairs and look to the left, then to the right, and yes, the word EPIK is in sight, sight, sight!

Approaching the dormitory door, the sign reads: Find your name and class number, find your name tag,and then pick up your registration materials inside. Dutifully I comply and am given not only a warm welcome, but also a room key, internet cable, course materials, an EPIK hoodie sweatshirt, and a large tote bag full of gifts including room slippers, a full-size bath towel, an alarm clock, an electric outlet converter, sandwich, fruit, snacks and bottled water. Now, with this mother lode of Korean hospitality in my arms, I must make my way to my room. Up 4 floors, down to the end of the hallway, press the key card against the plate, pull the handle, and "Welcome to room 401" says a voice from within. Meet my roommate, Evalyn Keen from Australia. I like her immediately. She has a responsive air about her and sharp wit that I find attractive. Emboldened, I find myself engaged in a mutual exchange of hopes, desires and plans for this soon-to-start school year. After an hour or so of getting acquainted, we head downstairs to the cafeteria for dinner.

The room is abuzz with excited Westerners -- a kind of "eat and meet" event. I fill my plate from the buffet with at least one bite of everything that is offered and take an empty seat at a table already alive with conversation among my fellow foreigners. They are discussing where they might go after dinner to get a beer or sample some soju (Korean liquor) when someone mentions the noraebang (karaoke bar) next door. No orientation necessary for that -- I know my way around karaoke quite well...or so I think.

Our group of 8 meets in the dorm lobby and proceeds to walk the 1/2 block to the noraebang, but with a stop at the convenience store to buy our libations. Korean karaoke is not a public event like in other places. It is a collective activity conducted in private rooms that are rented by the hour where you are allowed to bring in as many people and provisions as you want. So, we load up on Hite beer, raspberry wine, soju and some soda, and the store owner throws in a few big bags of free chips and popped rice to go with -- just another example of Korean hospitality. Upstairs, the singing room is lined with a padded bench, and has a couple of bare tables and one wall dedicated to various screens on which the lyrics are displayed. The sound system is set on full volume with excessive echo and all songs are stored electronically and accessed by remote control. Evalyn, who has been teaching in Korea for 2 years now grabs a mic, while Amy, a Korean-American who is on her second assignment here programs the song selector, and the rest of us break out the booze and crack open the songbooks. And so the night went...with Australians, Brits, South Africans and Americans all singing the songs of our lives, at the top of our lungs, in the Korean tradition of togetherness and social harmony.

Celebrating Seollal (Lunar New Year)

Seollal (the Lunar New Year) celebration in Korea is a 3-day holiday that is typically very family-oriented. Most Koreans return to their home towns to visit parents and other relatives, share in special meals such as deokguk (rice cake soup), dress in the traditional hanbok (see my "About Me" photo for an example of the garment), play a variety of traditional games including flying kites and neoltwigi (a kind of see saw), and observe the traditional activity known as charye (Children wish their parents a happy new year by performing one deep traditional bow and wishing them many blessings in the new year. Parents reward this gesture by giving them crisp paper money and words of wisdom). However, this new year, my dear friends, Heejin and Jo sacrificed their family time to celebrate the new year by spending their crisp paper money and bestowing their own words of wisdom on ME! Following are a few of the highlights of my 2nd New Year's holiday this year.

Saturday, February 13 (New Year's Eve) - We are up and out of the apartment by 9am, driving through a light snow into the nearby mountains to Ildong Sulphur Springs where we will begin our day with a long, hot bath in the mountain mineral waters. There is a minimal admission fee (approximately $4.35) that covers a towel (about the size of an American tea towel) and a locker key. We enter the ladies side of this public bath house, strip down, hose off and slip into a pool of hot, bubbling water that is so soft it feels like warm molten silk. Without my glasses, I peer through the steam-filled room and see what appears to me as an Asian impressionist painting in motion. Korean mothers with daughters, sisters and friends all soaking and scrubbing and steaming and showering themselves until their skin has that perfect porcelain-like patina. My friends decide this tub is not hot enough, so we wade past the gurgling spring in the middle and climb into a much smaller vat of water with a thermometer that reads 47degrees Celsius (that's just over 116 degrees Fahrenheit)! I took longer to ease myself in than I stayed. Just as my skin reaches a perfect shrimp-pink, I scoop myself out and immerse myself in the cool pool, which has an invigorating and endless waterfall at one end. I am told that alternating hot and cold is good for one's circulation, and I feel certain at this point, my blood is flowing through my body like the lead car of a Nascar race! When I finally catch my breath and the sizzling sounds subside, I try to convince myself that this is good for me and I stay in this frigid liquid as long as I can. Thankfully, my friends find me before I have completely preserved myself in ice and take me to thaw out in an officially designated steam room. Ahhhh, in this balmy box there are warm wooden benches and aromatic vapors wafting through the air, a bowl of cool water with fabric face masks floating in it, and dozens and dozens of eggs steaming in their shells atop the hot rock wall that emits all the steam for the room. I am befuddled and ask for explanation. The girls tell me that tomorrow's traditional morning meal, deokguk (rice cake soup) will require this ingredient of steamed eggs. So I surmise that some things are universal, in that like women everywhere, these Korean women are simply multi-tasking...while they are basking at the bath house. Now fully relaxed and free of several layers of skin, we slither to the shower area where Jo has brought all the necessary products for performing our final pampering. She instructs me as to the order I should apply each cleanser, rinse, mask, toner and lotion; hands me a small, rough, square mitten and heads over to scrub Heejin's back for her. This gesture is customary here and I am touched (literally and emotionally) when the Korean mother who is bathing her child next to me reaches out and offers her helping hand to me. It gave a whole new meaning to, "I got your back".

Sunday, February 14 (New Year's Day) - I awake to the smell of something cooking in the kitchen, but it's not bacon and eggs or even Valentine's cookies. It is deokguk and kimchi and 3 kinds of cold fermented vegetables...for breakfast! Heejin's mother has sent her all the ingredients to make this traditional meal and while she seldom cooks, today she has created a condensed version of the typical spread she would have shared with her own family. Apologetically, she and Jo describe what is missing from the dish and the overall meal, but I am anxious and delighted to participate in such a tradition, so we cheer Happy New Year to each other in both English and Korean and dig in.

Since this day is rich with ancient rituals and cultural traditions, we spend the day exploring the royal palace, Gyeongbokgung. This massive complex was built in 1395, just after the Joseon (Chosun) dynasty was founded and while it has suffered many attacks resulting in great destruction, restoration to its former glory has been ongoing since 1990 and is evidenced in an incredibly ornate beauty that I found truly overwhelming. Our arrival on the scene just happened to coincide with the Changing of the Guard ceremony, in which authentically and colorfully clad guards carrying traditional weapons and regal military flags are cued by drum beats and horns to shift positions and exchange responsibilities of guarding the gates of the city and the palace where the king and royal families once resided.

Marching onward we escape the cold of the open-air exhibits by taking tea and a tour of the National Folk Museum of Korea. Inside I am impressed with the contemporary circle of exhibition halls that allow us to wander through the History, Way of Life and Life Cycle of the Korean people. The museum, as well as everything on the Palace grounds is free today, so we are joined by hoards of visitors for a special performance of a traditional folk dance group called, "Namsadang-Pae". The term refers to a group of migrant musician/actors from the Joseon Dynasty that typically performed in front of common people at places like open markets and rural areas. Today, this talented troupe has been designated as "an intangible cultural asset", and it's easy to see why. These fine folk dancers instantly caught my attention and beckoned me back outside where they captivated me for a solid hour. When the show finished, I had no feeling left in my fingers or toes, but a definite feeling that I, as a common sight-seer had just witnessed a not-so-common sight. Enjoy for yourself the brief video clip I put together from the footage I took at the show.

Monday, February 15 (New Year's Day After) - At breakfast, which consists of sticky rice cakes sprinkled with bean powder, I ask Heejin if any of the mountains here in the city are accessible for hiking. Surprisingly, I learn that there is a trail head only 500 meters from her apartment building parking lot. So, donned in more appropriate attire for another outdoor day, we trek across the street and up to the top of Bonghwasan Mountain. At the summit the "urban-nature" paradox is illuminated in the panoramic vista of this capital city. I push back the hood of my jacket to take in the full view and am taken aback by the fact that I am really here...finally...in mind, body and now Seoul. It turns out I am not the only one taken aback by that fact. As soon as my blond head is exposed, the Koreans "on high" turn their cameras from the familiar to the foreigner and start shooting. Who knew I didn't have to go to Hollywood or Broadway? All I had to do was come to Korea with a fresh bleach job and boom -- I'm a star AND on top of the world!

Once the flash spots have cleared from my eyes and Heejin stops laughing, we descend the mountain and dive into the sea of street life in the Myeong Market, Seoul's most prominent shopping district. As we bump along the boulevard, Heejin estimates that 80% of the people around us are tourists, and of the 80%, 60% of them are from Japan. Evidently the Japanese currency is going strong, and so it appears as though Japan has once again invaded Korea, this time armed with Yen. Conversely, the U.S. dollar has no muscle to flex and I have no income yet, disposable or otherwise, so I keep my cold hands and cold hard cash in my pockets while we simply wander and window shop. It's been so long since I have been in the market for clothes, I am uncertain as to what's in style and age-appropriate for me anyway. The most recent additions to my wardrobe, I didn't have to hunt for at all. I just flew to a particular city and there was my sister, Vanessa, waiting to outfit me. Much like today when I rounded a corner of the underground mall that is a part of the subway station wishing I could add some finery to this festive holiday weekend, and voila, there was Vanessa waiting to outfit me! Good to see you, girl.

Seoul Food

As a consumer of experience, I was excited to dig into authentic Korean dining, and these first 3 days in Seoul have been a delicious cultural lesson. Here are some of the things I've learned.

Lesson 1 - You must remove your shoes if dining at floor-level. This is not the case if the restaurant has table & chair service available, which is rare but can be found. So, speaking from experience, my advice is to wear clog-like shoes instead of hiking boots when dining at floor level.

Lesson 2 - Korean food service is fast, and complete. That is to say that within 5 minutes of ordering, ALL of your food is delivered to the table -- soup to nuts. And speaking of soup, it is a part of every meal, but I haven't seen any nuts yet, except maybe the people who go crazy over being in the same proximity with a small blond American woman and insist on photos to prove they "know" her.

Lesson 3 - Not only is the service fast, but the Korean people eat extremely fast. They concentrate on eating, not talking, thereby leaving the small blond American woman struggling to finish a dish or start a conversation.

Lesson 4 - Napkins are scarce. One small wet paper towel is brought at the start of the meal for santizing your hands. Besides that, there is a box of very small, thin tissues at the end of the table, which Koreans use as napkins if they pause long enough to wipe their mouths. I, on the other hand, managed to empty a box just for wiping my nose after every bite of the ever-spicy Kimchi!

Lesson 5 - Korean dining is always family style with everyone eating from the same pot and side dishes. In the center of the table is a cooking surface from which the main dish is eaten and many small side dishes and sauce cups are spread around the table and meant to be shared by all. There is no such thing as a "place setting".

Lesson 6 - Despite the fact that Korea is a small mountainous penisula, Koreans are huge beef and pork eaters! I asked where all this meat comes from and was told that most of it is imported from Australia and Europe because they are leary of the meat imported from the U.S. Some seafood is available such as eel, octopus, squid, and sea urchin. The only filet of any kind I have come across is cod -- something fishy about that, don't ya think?

Lesson 7- As for dessert, think again. After our first dinner here in Seoul, we went to none other than Baskin Robbins for a pint of ice cream to share. Each of the 3 of us picked our favorite flavor, all of which went into the same pint and was eaten out of the same pint container. It was a grand finale of the flavors New York Cheesecake, Green Tea and Strawberry. Can you guess which of us chose which flavor?

I will stop on this lucky number 7. I just wanted to let you know I'm having a yummy time.

My own world?

They say it's not about the destination, it's the journey that counts, and I couldn't agree more. My journey to the other side of the world truly set the scene for an incredible entrance and (hopefully) integration into Asian culture. While it was long, it was luxurious, and allowed time and space for me to mentally make the transition from place to place. I'd been feeling for awhile like I was "between worlds". You know, when you anticipate and envision being somewhere, but you're not actually there yet. What do you call a place like that? Well, much to my amused amazement, Singapore Airlines ironically calls it "KrisWorld"! That's where I spent 14 hours yesterday making my mental and physical trek from one world to another. All of their onboard and air-associated ammenities revolve around KRIS -- the airline travel magazine is called SILVERKRIS, the onboard shopping catalog is called KRISSHOP, the onboard entertainment system is called KRISWORLD, and the frequent flyer club is called KRISFLYER. It turns out that the kris is a Malay weapon used in the 14th century that had many qualities, the greatest of which was its ability to anticipate danger and protect its owner. As a "Kris" in the 21st century, I'd like to think I'm an instrument serving to dissolve fears and encourage strength and growth (at least in English language students). In any event, I never felt more at home than yesterday in my own little (Kris) world :>).

So, since the airline and I are on a first name basis, I think Singapore Airlines would be more appropriately called, "SingaRICH Air Services". Everything about the carrier is first rate -- large, roomy aircraft, comfortable seats with all the bells & whistles (personal TV, laptop power source, in flight telephone, slider-recliner, foot rest, blanket & pillow, etc.), exceptional food service with options from a printed menu, unlimited complimentary cocktails and wine, and all-day dining available. Other refreshing details included hot towels at take-off & landing, a miniature dop kit and free canvas tote bag, but most importantly, a postcard...because it is definitely something to write home about.


So when you come to visit me, go through KrisWorld and I'll meet you on the other side.

"So Long" Song

It's just before dawn on the eve of my departure. Twenty-four hours from now I will be on a plane bound for South Korea. As I lay here watching the clock, the cacophony of ideas and feelings in me begins to crescendo before I decide to rise, breathe and put the din of the dawn into some kind of lyrics. Most readily, I am struck by how many people have gone out of their way to see me on my way. All of them well-wishers, but each voice comes from a different genre of music in their hearts. Some want to Rock and Roll right along with me, others are so Hip-Hop happy for me they could Pop. For many it has been Easy Listening to my aspirations and a few have cried the Blues about my upcoming absence. There have been choruses of good luck and concerts of goodbyes. I am so grateful to have such a sweet symphony of support. So, before I actually begin this solo performance and leave this Country, I want to sing a song of thanks to each and every one of you as I March forward. I sincerely appreciate your generous tempos, the vibrato in your energies and the chord of love you have struck in my heart. As a coda, I will Rap up this note with a major THANK YOU, I LOVE YOU, and all that Jazz!

Countdown to Korea

Hello or should I say, On-young-hah-say-yo! While, technically, I haven't left for Korea yet. I am counting the days and the excitement is building by the minute. I have 4 bags packed, 2-1/2 days until take-off, 20 total hours of flight time and then 1 year to tell you of my adventures as a Guest English Teacher (GET) and an avid consumer of Global Intercultural Ventures and Experiences (GIVE). From this blog, you'll GET the latest stories and photos of what's happening in my new world and I hope you will GIVE me your reactions, questions and any news or updates of what's happening back 'home'. I'm new to this whole blogging thing, but will try to post regularly because time goes by so quickly and so much happens in life. This is a great big world and we have such a short amount of time to see it and experience it. So, keep your eyes, heart and mind open, enjoy the journey and come along with me to Korea!