Here and Now
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A Student Once Again
However all the time that I’ve been devoting to my studies leaves little time for other things such as writing a blog. Jason suggested that I post the papers I write for my classes on my blog. While that would be a very good use of my time, I didn’t think that would really be interesting to anyone else. Instead I thought I would post a list of my favorite books that I’ve read so far in the program. Hopefully you can check out one or two of them!
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh
Let the Dead Bury Their Dead by Randall Kenan
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
When Living was a Labor Camp by Diana Garcia
Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea
The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing by DArina Al-Joundi
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Meklit Hadero
Monday, May 9, 2011
Naked in a New Land
Either way, Koreans are much more comfortable in their birthday suits than I am. This has been evident to me for a long time as I've actively avoided jimjilbangs since I arrived here. Jimjilbangs are saunas - they're just not saunas like I'm used to. I've been to many different gyms/health clubs in the states that have saunas in them. People wear towels wrapped around their precious parts and let the steam do its thing to purify the skin. That's what I always thought they were, but no. Not here in South Korea. Here they are something different.
They're places of camaraderie. Places you go with friends to hang out...naked. I'm not talking about towel around the privates naked...I'm talking about the whole enchilada naked. Jimjilbangs are huge complexes where you go to cleanse yourself. The hot water flows in tubs and showers. People sit around and talk, scrub themselves, shave their legs, loofa their bodies and just hang out. That's cool. No judgment here, but I'm once again a spectacle at these places. People out and out stare at me. I'm not Pamela Anderson, but you wouldn't know it if you saw the way people stop and open mouth stare when they see me. That has kept me away from most saunas on the peninsula.
However, a group of friends and I went to a hot springs resort recently. The place was swimsuit-required. There were co-ed waiting pools, a lazy river type-thing, and herbal spas touting the benefits of ginseng and rose petals. It was a fun, relaxing sort of vacation destination. Once we went to the changing room though, it was the same all over again. An American friend and I hid behind the rows of lockers to change, since old ladies were sitting on the floor, staring unabashedly at us. We skipped the shower there and hurried back to the hotel room instead. Our friend Eun-ha asked why we weren't going to shower at the resort. When we told her that everyone stares at us, she replied "oh yeah...I would probably stare at a foreigner I didn't know too." That settled it for us.
This situation has been keeping me away from the swimming pools as well. I just don't like to be scrutinized in such a vulnerable state. But! I finally decided to hell with it. I need some exercise and I want to swim. So, I have a membership at a health club that has a pool. It took a little getting used to, but now I can semi-comfortably shower and dress at the club. It's still a bit weird as it's such a naked place. The women seem to want to spend as much time possible airing their wares as they can. They blow-dry their hair, put on make-up, and chat with other folks all while as they're as naked as the day they were born.
I'm still the prude of the place and wear a towel after showering until I get my clothes on. It's taken some time, but now I try not to notice the women staring objectively at my body while I try to hurriedly drop my towel and slip into something more comfortable.
My new health club. The green net thingy off to the right side is a putting green. They're very popular in Korea.
The rest of the photos are from the trip to the hot springs resort. We stayed overnight and barbequed samgyepsol on the back porch of the hotel.
Scissors - I have a different appreciation for their kitchen functions since moving to Korea. They used to cut everything here...meat, vegetables, snacks, you name it.
The people who owned the hotel, brought out the webber for us. They were very happy that their American grill finally got used.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Eulogy
Since I've been in Korea, I've lost both of my Grandma's - two wonderful women whom I adored. I don't like funerals...that's not why it hurts. In fact, the first funeral I ever went to was my Great Grandma Ruthie's. And though I was only 4 years old, I remember it vividly. Looking into a casket isn't something that is easy for me, as I still remember her more often from that moment than I do from all the other times we had together. What I miss when I'm away, is the stories we share of the person who passed - when family and friends get together and remember the good times. I always find out something special or surprising about the person I loved from other people.
At my Grandpa Charles's funeral, his sister Joyce told stories of how they were as children. They used to sit on the cows they had at their farm and "wind" them up. That is, one person would sit on the cow, while the other grabbed the tail and swung it in a circle. Sadly, once during a very cold winter...the tail snapped off. :(
At my Grandpa Vernie's funeral, we looked through all of his old photo albums. There were a ton of pictures from his time as an MP on a military base during WWII. He was such a handsome man in a uniform...and there were quite a few pictures of him with lovely ladies who were not my Grandma Helen. (gasp!)
It's a very cathartic way to observe the passing of a life by sharing memories. We should do this more while the people we love are still here.
It's also hard to be so far away when something sad happens here. Though not as difficult as losing a close family member, I lost one of my best friends recently. My Kitty. Well, I didn't lose her...I know exactly where she is...on a hill behind our apartment.
At sixteen years old, her health that had belied her age for so long, finally turned. I guess it was a blessing that she didn't suffer a long drawn out death...but the last month of her life was anything but good. Now that she's gone, I have a kitty-sized hole in my heart. She was such a little lover, cuddler, comfort, and trial. She had more personality and sass than almost anyone I knew. Jason nicknamed her Phyllis. That was my Grandma's name. My Grandma was one of the sassiest people I knew...she was like that. If you didn't know her very well...she was off-putting. But, if you were fortunate enough to really get close to her, you knew what a wonderful soul she was. I miss them both.
I want to thank everyone who helped me over the years in caring for Kitty. I had a lot of help from friends, family, roommates, ect. Especially Carley and Stefan, who were her foster family for a year, even if she didn't say it...I'm sure she was appreciative.
To all my loved ones who have passed, I miss you all and hope you are in a better and happier place. And if you're looking down on me...please close your eyes when I'm in the shower.
Wasn't she a doll?
Finding a place to hide was high on her list of priorities - suitcases were a particular favorite.
She was very good at comforting me whenever I felt ill.
Monday, February 28, 2011
32 flavors and then some...
I've once again moved to a new place that wasn't my idea. Jason and I were informed that we needed to move to a new apartment before the semester started this year. Why? Because students are loud and obnoxious in every country. Actually, our school has "dorms" in a few of the different apartment complexes near campus. Apparently, the students in one of these apartments were too loud for the occupants below them. The old crotchety man on the third floor had complained so many times to the school, that they finally decided to move the students to a new location...our location. Since our apartment is furnished by the university, we really didn't have a say in the matter. The only bright spot at the time, was that I finally didn't have to schlep any household goods from one spot to another. They hired a moving company. Score!
Now that we've settled into our new digs, we actually like them better. The apartment complex is better situated near restaurants and stores, the grounds are nicer and full of trees and flowers, and we're closer to the earth. Our last two places in Korea were on the 15th and 16th floor. Now we're on the 4th floor and it's so much nicer. Not only because I think I'd probably survive a jump if the building caught on fire, but because the view is so much more human. I feel more connected with life down here - I can hear the birds, see the trees, and hear the kids screaming on the playground.
So, move number 32 is a success. I'll have to thank the students for giving the old guy downstairs heartburn when I see them around campus.
We live in the LG XI apartments - supposedly the same ones that Yu-na Kim lived in.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Sta-range-ee
The rules to determine whether to use "er", "est", "more" or "most" are dependent on syllables. We all know syllables, right. (hands clapping - red (1), yellow (2), magenta (3)). Unfortunately, when you're learning a new language this isn't so simple. You may have never heard the word spoken before or your language has Konglisized or Spanglisized certain words incorrectly. For example, strange. It's a one syllable word, right? Not in Korea. Here it's pronounced, sta-range-ee.
It may not be politically correct to talk about how strange Korea is...or how strange certain things here are. Things are normal (2 syllables) to the people here, but they are strange to me. They might not even be strange to other Asians or Europeans or Africans or what-have-you. They are strange to me though, so I thought it was time for another posting of "things in Korea that are weird". Yup! Even after 3+ years, I'm still encountering things that throw me for a loop.
Eel catching contests are very popular at festivals in Korea. I haven't entered one yet as I've seen the eels bite a few too many people.


Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Winter English Camp
We taught a three week English camp that was held at a resort about an hour south of where we live. Jason got the job first and encouraged (or more accurately bullied) me into applying for it too. It paid well, so I decided it was something I could do. It didn't sound so bad in the interview...in fact it sounded kind of fun and different. In addition to the regular English classes, we also taught science, math, cooking, music, and would go sledding with the kids.
I was under the impression that I would be with the kids for 5 or 6 hours a day - ha! I was required to be with them from 8:50 in the morning until 10:00 at night. Well, actually I had the littlest kids (8 - 10 years old) and it was decided after the first week that 10:00 was a bit too late for them to stay up. The second and third week we ended class at 9:50 instead.
The kids were super cute though. It wasn't their fault that they were shipped off to bootcamp, so I somehow mustered up the energy everyday to teach, sing, play, dance, and mother them. I only had a few criers, a few ADHD kids, and one pooper the whole time - the rest of the kids were fantastic.

The woman in the middle was my TA during the camp. Kate is a university student and was gaining experience for her resume.






