Holy Moly

I woke up this morning and walked downtown with Liz. We sat at Starbucks for a good two hours filling out report cards and reading. Then we left, walked downstairs, and I got the shock of my life. Lo and behold, there were Koreans EVERYWHERE!

I know this sounds stupid, and it is, but sometimes I honestly forget where I'm at. I'll be reading a book or watching a movie, and when I step back into reality, I look up and think "holy shit, I feel really foreign right now". Not that I don't feel really foreign every day, but sometimes it just hits me. I'll be standing in a grocery store or in the middle of a street, and I just stand still for a moment and look around and take it all in. The jabbering of a language I can't understand, talking, laughing, and dark haired heads bobbing all around with shopping bags, small children, and people yelling out of microphones. Crowds moving and pushing, the smells, colors, and horrible neon clothing, and then suddenly I think so myself, "Holy shit, I'm in KOREA"

Yea, this happens.

Communication

I feel like a 5 year old in this country at least once a day. Not being able to communicate with people can sometimes be so insanely frustrating, and it's something I've never thought about, because I've always taken it for granted. It's the little things, like going into a store and asking how much something is. The person is going to answer you in Korean? Why? Cause HOLY MOLY, I'm in Korea!!! Haha. But seriously, I'm starting to just brush aside the fact that I can never understand anyone. Anywhere. There are about 15 people in this entire country whom I communicate with on a daily basis, that's it.

The old lady at the corner store talks to me in Korean, and when she wants to tell me how much it is, she repeats it until I know it, so I think that's pretty cool. But Korean sounds so foreign to me, and it's all run together and spoken so fast, for me to begin even comprehending it would take a miracle. I know "thank you" and "goodbye".

It's weird, not seeing foreigners around ever. I am a tall redhead in a sea of dark haired Koreans. Sometimes when I go downtown and see another foreigner, I stare at them. Why? Because WOW! Look! A foreigner!

Korea, land of the weird and crazy

Fan Death

There is a fact of life if you live in South Korea: Fan Death. I shit you not. If you sleep with a fan on you and your windows closed, you will die.

This is attributed to the death of a 90 year old woman some years ago. She was sleeping in her bed and died of natural causes, but for some reason, the fan was blamed. Hence the legend of fan death was born.

I laughed when I heard it, and I'm sure you're laughing reading this, but seriously, these people literally believe that this can kill you. If you're going to sleep with a fan on you, you should at least open the window. Me? I keep the doors and windows closed with the fan blasting on me every night. I'm not dead yet.

Maybe fan death doesn't afflict foreigners, only Koreans....

And the funnies just keep on coming.

Readers

So I've been getting a lot of emails from people telling me they're reading my blog. People who I didn't even give the blog address to. I think it's great, and hopefully I'm entertaining people back home. The whole point of the blog was to keep everyone updated on what's going on, and hopefully show the life I'm living here, and how different it is from Ohio. Mainly that we don't chop the heads off of squid on the sidewalk, and then proceed to eat them. You know, stuff like that.

Anywho, I'm curious as to who is actually reading it. If you are, leave a comment or a hello or something, so I can think fondly back on a memory of our friendship. Maybe like the time you carried me home from the bar, or I smacked your butt, or threw a pen at me at work, things of the sort.

You don't have to register to leave a comment, you can just leave one, and say hi, and then I'll smile and think "Yay, nobody has forgotten me!"

:)

The Singing Cabbie

So what better to do at 11 on a Sunday night then go to Home Plus? In my opinion, eh, nothing. For those of you back home, Home Plus is like WalMart, only everyone is Korean and I can't understand any of the labels. Sometimes they have pictures on the stuff though. I like pictures.

Home Plus aside, I hail a cab and get in. Normal as always. He's got the radio on what sounds like soft rock and easy listening. Fine by me. So we're sitting at a red light and the guy starts softly humming along to what sounds like the Korean Celine Dion, and I think "right on". We start driving again, and I shit you not, this Korean cab driver fully erupts into song, loud, and horribly off key. Loud as in at the top of his lungs, yelling along and moving his hands. Keep in mind that while he is doing this, he's also honking his horn and running red lights, as is the norm here... So I'm sitting in the back, really trying SO hard not to laugh, because I haven't seen anything this entertaining since I got here. When I got out of the cab I thanked him, not only for the ride, but the entertainment.

And another Sunday night is gone....

Weekend in Mokpo

I cruised down to Mokpo this weekend, a city near the coast. After some random tandem bike rentals and stair walking, we came home... nice and relaxing.... what did YOU do this weekend?!

Typhoon

There is a typhoon coming. Yes, a typhoon. I'm from Ohio, so this sounds a little weird to me, but there it is, right in the weather forecast... Tropical storm Kalmeigi. And it's going to go right over South Korea. They're forecasting winds up to 60 miles an hour, and a 99% chance of rain.

Seeing as typhoons don't really occur that much in Ohio, being that.... well it's nowhere NEAR an ocean, I'm sure this could prove to be quite interesting, and if it gets fun and rainy I'll be posting plenty of pictures....

As for me, tommorrow morning I'm off to the city of Wando, which lies directly on the South coat, it's a little fishing town with a nice harbour and such.... Yes, that's right, Jasmin lives an hour from the beach :)

Happy Friday!

Squatter

Welcome to the Korean public restroom. The squatter. I encountered my first one on Saturday. I quite liked it, I won't deny it. You don't have to touch anything, you flush with your foot, and done you are.

Simple. Easy. Efficient. Enjoy....

Letters from home

I got mail from home today, one letter from my husband and the other from my mom. I cannot express how happy this made me. The sight of those two cards on my work desk after class cheered and brightened my entire day. I love mail. I recommend everyone send me some.

Speaking of mail, the Korean Post office cause some fun for me today. First, I wanted to buy the box there yesterday, to bring it home and fill it up. The guy asks me where I want to ship the box. As in: he is looking at the flat, empty, and folded up box in my hand, getting ready to weigh it, and then ship it..... do you see the humor here? Then today the woman tried to tell me it was over $50 to send a 2 lbs box of candy and soju home. I think not.

Just another day in the ROK! Cheers!

Ode to Korea

I've been here three weeks. I sweat enough every day to fill up a liter water bottle. I've lost enough weight that my shorts and tank tops are starting to get a little baggier. I've taken to eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches like they're going out of style. Oh, and cereal. I drink at least a liter of water a day.

How can I be losing weight like this you're wondering? Because people, I walk at LEAST 6 miles a day in 90+ degree weather. And for what you're wondering? Because the ATM that takes foreign debit cards is a 5 mile walk. That, and the closest place to get apple juice, bread, and some comforts of home is a 4 mile round trip walk. Not to mention school and back. Did I say it was hot? It's hot. Do the cab drivers understand English? No. Can I read a Korean bus map? No. So I just walk, what's the worst that could happen? Oh yea, I could get mowed down by some insane Korean driver.... have I mentioned that red lights are only optional here? They are, as long as you blast your horn to warn pedestrians, you're golden to barge through any red light. I place my life in God's hands every time I cross a street here.

A bonus: I'm starting to get quite the round bum and some muscle definition. I know most of you reading this are thinking "Jasmin, we didn't quite need to know about your bum" but there it is, I'm throwing it out there for you. And if anyone at DRS is reading this, I really miss answering the front phone when Kathie goes to lunch. No seriously, I am. I still wake up here thinking what Citifinancial has due today.

It's hotter here than I've ever experienced, and I'm living healthier here than I ever have anywhere else. And walking down 3 flights of stairs 6 times a day sure helps too.

And when it rains in the heat and the smell from the open sewer grates rises up? Yea, I'm getting used to that too.

Solo adventure and taxis

This morning I ventured out alone for the first time since coming to Korea. I've always had another teacher with me, but today it was just ME :) I started off by going to the bank to wire money home. I have no idea what they said, what they wrote, but somehow I wired my paycheck to Ohio. Then I hopped a cab to head downtown.

People take cabs and the English language for granted. I sure did until I got here. I did the ole hand lift, universal for "I need a taxi" and 10 taxis RACED to the corner I was standing on, honking and yelling at each other. So I get in the cab and say "YMCA downtown". This is supposed to get me to the shopping district I want to go to. The taxi driver had NO clue where he was taking me, but instead of admitting it, he just kept driving anyways. I saw a store I recognized called Shinsagae, the most expensive department store I've seen here, hopped out, and took ANOTHER cab to where I was originally supposed to go. Taxi drivers here drive with one hand on the horn, one hand on their cell phones, and the most insane driving ability I've ever seen. The only thing I know how to say to them is "MaeGok Dong" which is my neighborhood and gets me home, and "YMCA downtown". That's it.

I got downtown in one piece, but nothing opens in Korea until 11 and it was only 10:30 so I wandered around a bit. I must have wandered into the section of town that makes all the Korean traditional dresses, because I saw store after store of the beautiful dresses, so that was cool. Around 11 I head back to the area I know, and mosey around a bit. I get my first entertaining glimpse of Korean clothes, and I think it's safe to say I won't be buying any. Ever. I think no Korean woman will put something on unless it's covered in bows, sparkles, sequins, really short, or really tight. Seriously.

I ended up going to Home Plus and buying Asher a sweet ass Korean puppy toilet, like a littler box but only for dogs, for the whopping price of $6. Home was safely reached, and the kick ass cab driver even dropped me off RIGHT at my door.

And thank God it's Friday!

Vanity and the Korean female

When it comes to appearances, I think I'm a pretty vain person. I always like to make sure my hair looks nice, my makeup is on, and all my clothes are nice and put on right side out. That is, I thought I was pretty vain until I moved to Korea and came into contact with the species known as the Korean female in her 20's. I read that Korean women were incredibly concerned with appearances before I came, so I was ready for it. But reading about it didn't really prepare me for it.

Case 1: while sitting in Starbucks on my first Saturday here, a young Korean woman came walking in. It was pouring rain outside, so yes, a mandatory hair check was in order. Hair? Check. I thought that was it. Then, to my absolutely amazement, the girl proceeds to pull out of her bag a mirror, eyelash curler, mascara, blush, eyeshadow, and everything else you need to pain your face. She sat there for twenty (yes, TWENTY) minutes, and put her makeup on. Isn't this the kind of stuff you do BEFORE you leave your house? It sure is! Maybe it's a cultural thing, in Korea no makeup until you get to Starbucks, and then it's a free for all.

Case 2: There are a lot of stores here like Sephora. Makeup stores where everything is out for you to test and buy. Normally you'd have maybe two people working in such a store, but Koreans have a worker for about every two square feet of store space, so they are flooded with girls working the makeup counters. And what do they do with all those mirrors and makeup testers? They constantly check their hair, reapply their lipstick, primp their hair, and check the outfits. It baffles me.

The oddest thing I've encountered since I've been here is skin whitening cream. It's women who use it, and the idea is that the whiter the skin, the prettier the woman. In this I'm assuming that my browning body and tan lines make me look like a worker in a rice paddy, but whatever. Anywho, it's this cream, and they put it on their face as we would put concealer or powder on our face. Only where we use powder to blend our skin into one pretty color instead of blotches and freckles, the whitening cream looks like just that. It looks like clown makeup to me. They don't attempt to blend it in, it's just white on the face. The first time I saw it I just stared like a dumbass, it kind of freaks me out a little bit. Oh well, I let it go as a cultural thing.

While we're on the topic of cultural things, people here TOUCH MY HAIR! I understand that my hair is red, curly, and that most people here haven't seen it. My boss said "that hair here is very rare". Does it mean every Korean has to TOUCH it?! NO! It would be one thing if the weather was cool, then I could straighten it. But I've been walking around for 2 weeks with Curly Sue like hair due to the humidity, and people literally STOP, TURN AROUND, and STARE. Sometimes they like to switch it up a bit. They'll point. Or say "Waeguk" really loud. I don't like it. I think I might start touching their eyes if it keeps up.

Ranting done on my end..... time to go ouside and brave the heat once again!

Hellish heat and puppy fun

Day two of summer hell has been survived, and so has the puppy. I woke up this morning to a doodee free apartment, as Asher used his puppy pads and had NO accidents last night. I've had him for 4 days, and he's getting into a little routine. He sleeps in his own bed until about 4 in the morning, when I'm woken up by a little puppy whine, with Asher clawing at my covers until I pick him up and put him into the bed. From there we cuddle, with him laying on my chest, sticking his wet little nose into my hair, and snoring. At around 9 I wake up again, turn on the AC, put the puppy on the floor, and go back to sleep for another hour. He's usually playing when I get up, eat his breakfast, and then we snugge while I talk to John and mom online. He's a sweet little thing. He's in a boxed off area while I'm at work, and when I get home I never saw a little animal so excited to see me. He's pretty small too, he fits into the palm of my hand.

School wise it's going alright. For 2 hours at night all the teachers have privates, meaning we teach one student, one on one. I have some classes like this that are supposed to be purely "conversational". However, pulling conversation out of some of these kids is like milking a cat. "I have nipples Greg, could you milk me?" They're seemingly so shy and worried about their English skills that they don't want to speak it. So I'm thinking "SPEAK! YOURE IN AN ENGLISH SCHOOL!" And yet they don't.

Summer has arrived with a vengeance. I don't want to go outside. I want to sit in my apartment with the AC on all day. Every time I step outside I feel like I'm walking into the fiery inferno of Hell.... only I'm not in Hell, I'm in Korea. Think of the hottest, most humid day possible in Ohio. Now multiply it by 5 and you have what I have here.... a burning hot inferno of humid hell. And the concrete, it bakes and bakes, until everything is hot, sticky, and sweaty. And the locals? They walk around in long pants, fleece, gloves, hats, and gloves.... why? Because they don't want the sun to touch them. That's right, I don't get it either. I'm walking around half naked sweating off 10 lbs of body weight daily, and these people look like the Little Ice Age is right around the next corner. I admit defeat on this point.

The dusk is my favorite time here. The lights of the city turn on, the street vendors come out with their fruits and good, and the city is quietly blanketed in darkness. Still hot, but humanely so. My favorite thing is to walk around at night, observing the city and the Koreans. It's peaceful for me, and calms me down and helps me sleep.

Tommorrow? More hellish heat. Lasting? Until mid September I'm told.....

Stay tuned!

Summer has arrived

I woke up yesterday to the first blue skies since I've been in Korea. What else did I wake up to? A steaming blast of heat when I walked outside. Yes, that's right, summer has arrived in Korea. Those days in Cincinnati when "heat advisory" is all over the news? When you're told to stay inside unless.... well unless you're being driven to the ER from heat exhaustion? Well, it's like that every day here until mid-September apparently. I can't really describe the intensity of the heat here. The sun beats down on you, the humidity just sits there, and everything and everyone is baked by the sun and heat. Maybe if hell exists, it's summer in Southeast Asia.

As for me? I survived my first summer day in Korea. Did I like it? Eh, it actually was ok. The sunshine was so pretty, and once you're inside it's not so bad. It's the humidity that's the worst. If you think it goes away once the sun goes down... WRONG. It was so hot out last night that walking was a task, even a 45 min walk. You're sticky, sweaty, and just plain gross...all day long. And sleeping at night, even with 2 fans on you and an AC on, is fun too.

At this point I opt for buying a kiddie pool, dragging it up to the roof, and filling it up with ice water once an hour...

Cheers!

Homesick

And with the good, comes the bad. I am VERY VERY homesick right now. I took a nap this afternoon, and when I woke up I completely thought I was in my bed at home. DENIED! It took about 5 seconds to realize I was in fact, in South Korea, where people hork loogies at will, drive like complete assholes, and wear things I couldn't dream up in my wildest fantasy. Yes, South Korea. And oh yea, I had a wet nose in my face. Thank you Asher.

I miss the news in the morning, and saying hello to the same people on my way into the office every morning. I miss t he assholeness of Cincinnati drivers, and Skyline. I even miss the stupid yapping of the neighbors dog. I miss my mom yelling at me to close the basement door. And mostly, I'm missing waking up to John every morning, when he gives me a goodbye kiss before he leaves for work. Every time I'm doing something new here I think "I wish John was here to see this"..... This is truly a test, and it's so hard to get out of a funk once you're in it here. It doesn't help that I don't speak anything in Korean except Thank You and Hello.

Homesickness SUCKS MY HEINY

Weekend Report

It's a nice Sunday evening here, the second weekend in Korea went quite well for me. Lots of cleaning, fun times, and a new addition to the Cartwright family!

Friday night started off with Sophie and Mel at a place called the WaBar, which is a restaurant attached to a club in downtown Gwangju. We went to the restaurant part. We ate hot dogs and french fries, and around 1 am found our way to the Speakeasy, the only foreign bar in the city. It was almost like walking into a bar in college. Everything in English, rock music, and drunk foreigners. Not exactly my cup of tea, so I had a coke and just people watched. Around 3 we found ourselves wandering down the streets of the city. Now, nothing ever closes here, and this is prime time for watching drunk people, which has always been a fun pasttime for me. My favorite was while I was standing outside a convenience store waiting for the girls. A girl comes walking by carrying a drunk kid over her shoulders. They couldn't have been more than 20. The boy is sobbing hysterically, and she leaves him standing outside to get him some water. I watch him weave and bob for a minute, but have no sympathy. People should really learn to hold their liquor. We continue to a food stand where we meet some other foreigners who also teach in the city, and after a 20 minute conversation we finally head home.... at 5 a.m. Yes, I saw the sun come up for the first time in Gwangju.

Saturday was relaxed. I cleaned the apartment, watched movies, and read. I discovered there is a rooftop on my building, we're able to go and sit on it, so this weekend Jasmin's getting a chair and some towels and laying out on the roof. Saturday also marked a big milestone in Korea so far.... I brought home Asher! Asher is a cocker spaniel, he's about 8 weeks old, and his name means "happiness" in Hebrew. He is currently snuggled on my lap snoring. I think he will be great in keeping me company is I'm finding living alone to be.... well, lonely.

This morning took Asher and I on a walk. Actually I walked, and Asher rode papoose style across my chest, because his legs are about 2 inches long. So not only am I now stared at for being a foreigner, but I have this floppy eared puppy slung across my chest. Fun times. I walked and found a park with woods and an art museum 10 minutes from my apartment, which I plan on visiting soon. Our morning walk was at 6 a.m. Why you ask? Because Asher is being paper trained, and 5 am was potty time so awoke I did and let the puppy have at it. Around 10 Liz and I took Asher on a walk, again slung in a scarf tied across my chest. We had a menagerie of kids following us pointing at the puppy, petting him, and cooing at him. I felt like the pied piper. Also got to talk to my mom and John on the phone this morning, which always makes me happy. It's a nice thing to hear the voices of the people you love when you're missing them.

Nothing exciting planned for the evening, unless Asher decides to be entertaining. As of now lots of sleeping, eating, and peeing.

Stay tuned!

Umbrellas and Husbands

I went walking last night with Liz, one of the teachers from Canadia. We walk to this store and back sometimes and night, and, because it is the rainy season in Korea, we are always sure to bring umbrellas. I've never seen anything quite like the rain here. What we in Ohio would consider a heavy downpour is like drizzle to these people, but, whatever. Anyways, so we're walking, and we get to the store, no problem. Then we leave. We've walked a few minutes when a light sprinkle starts up, and Liz says "Hey Jasmin, walk faster". In my short time in this country (during rainy season) I have walked nowhere without an umbrella. I have also learned that if it's sprinkling, it's going to get a hell of a lot worse before it's over. Do Liz and I have umbrellas on us? Nope. So we walk faster. It gets steadier and steadier and all of a sudden all hell breaks lose, and Liz and I make for an awning under a building. It was POURING. At this point we're both soaked, shrug at each other and figured, "eh, we're already wet, why not keep going?" Now picture this: two tall foreign girls in Korea, swinging off light poles jumping around and yelling "IM SINGING IN THE RAIN!" Such was my Wednesday night.

On another note, I'm missing my husband like CRAZY. I never thought it would suck so bad to fall asleep alone and not have him there when I wake up in the morning. I miss his goodbye kisses, his hello hugs, and everything in between. I'm trying my best to keep positive and happy, because I think that is the best way to get through this. I never thought I'd love anyone so much either, and he's turned into my best friend, someone I wish I could share this experience with. So I'm coping with that too. Some days have been better than others, and I miss him tons...

More tommorrow!

Students

Thought I'd post some pictures of my kids at school, they're absolutely the cutest things ever. They're all pretty smart, hardworking, and genuinley sweet when you give them the chance to talk :)

The photo with the three students in it is my favorite class, there's Gloria, Alex, and Evan, and they're so fun to teach. The photo with a bunch of students in it is my hellion class, there's only two girls and those boys... well, they're boys. :)

Enjoy!

I'm losing cool points here

I happen to think I've got pretty good taste in movies. That was shot to hell today. I'm sitting here getting ready for work and I want some sound, so on the TV it's either CNN or a movie on TV. The movies here are in English with Korean subtitles. So I find a movie and leave it on. Why? Cause it's in English, and I can understand it. Here's where I loose all cool movie cred I've ever had...... what movie am I watching? Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. I would kick my own ass right now, I should.

Here's some pictures of the area, the skylines, and the "I'll suck your dick" barber poles that are everywhere....