...by the kids.
If I had known that by accepting this job, I would be living out the fantasy of every pedophile on the planet, I would have reconsidered. The things I have seen unfold in my classroom (and Ive only been here a month in a half) are disgusting, troubling, and humorous. They are disgusting because unlike some of you, I dont enjoy seeing half naked kids. They are troubling because it makes me nervous that many of us, myself included, were the same way. With this mind, I dont know whether to worry for what these kids are doing or just accept it as a stage. Finally, most of it is humorous because of the situations that initiate or result from these instances of inappropriateness.
Heres whats happened, mostly in my Kindergarten class, since I got here: I have seen multiple boys engage in what I would classify as make out sessions. Thats right, one boy has kissed two different boys on the lips on two different occasions. According to the video I made of it (joking), it was not open mouth. The same boys have also kissed each others hands as well as my hands.
Twice I have turned around to see everyone in my class pulling their pants away from their stomachs and looking down everyone's. Why? I dont know. Im hoping out of sheer curiosity.
I have also seen the two girls in my class pull their tops up, sometimes at each other and sometimes towards the boys. While I dont think that any of them are entertained sexually by this, they all find it hilarious. Even though both girls have been talked to twice about their actions, I still catch them every once in a while contemplating a third performance.
They all love butts. They love the word, they love their own, they love mine, and they love touching everyone's. Before every picture I take in the class, I have to remind them that it is not appropriate to turn their butt towards the camera. Still, as the pictures show, they insist on flaunting their backside. As for my butt, it has been squeezed, patted, and has narrowly avoided penetration by a 5 year old finger. Again, I pray that this is a stage because I am not getting paid for this.
The most uncomfortable for me, however, occurs in the bathrooms. Every time I use the urinal and there is another boy in the bathroom, he stares at my crotch as I pee. Every time. Its gotten so that I wont go unless I can have the farthest urinal that allows me to angle myself towards the wall and away from the piercing eyes of the kids. The other guy teachers say they dont even use the urinals for this reason, they use the stalls.
The worst, however, has not occur ed in my classroom. Another teacher, Robin, has been here only a day longer than me and she might have the worst class in the school. She has a kid that exposed himself to her once, and when she brought in a Korean staff member to help discipline, the kid threw water on them both. That was not the first time that happened either, the same kid pulled his pants down on his last teacher and tried to pee on him. I have no idea why he hasnt been kicked out yet.
As for the humor side of it, their excuse, at least the kissing boys, is always "I like boys." Because of their limited vocabulary, Im pretty sure they cant express themselves fully, but they are adamant that they like boys, especially when I ask them why they dont kiss the girls. Kids are funny like that. As for what preceded these exhibitions, it seems that it is often a competition of sorts. For the instances involving the girls and everyone looking down everyone's pants, there is usually a slew of Korean spoken right before and then nakedness ensues. What is said, I dont know, but my guess is its something like "look what Ive got."
Have a good weekend everyone!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Meet my coworkers and picture update
Heres a group shot of most of my coworkers from the weekend, we are about to go out for the guy in the middle's going away party.
Also, pics from this weekend and my hike last weekend are up, enjoy.
Also, pics from this weekend and my hike last weekend are up, enjoy.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Gwanaksan: A Mountain's Mountain
When I thought about what I wanted to title this post, A Mountain's Mountain came to mind first, I dont know why or if it works as a title or not, so let me know.
Anyways, for those of you who read the Chuseok post, you will remember that I had a few extra holidays on my hand so I spent Tuesday hiking the tallest mountain in Seoul: Gwanaksan. Gwanaksan is moderately sized mountain in the southern part of the city with about a half dozen peaks that precede the summit. Heres the view from one of those peaks:
When my 3 friends and I started out, we didnt know anything other that what subway stop to get off at. We ended up getting directions fairly easy once we got out of the subway but were directed to the hardest possible route to the top without knowing it. We knew we were in for a hike when we were hiking a very steep concrete slope before the trail even started. While we anticipated the almost 3 hour hike to the top, we did not anticipate the handful of sections where hikers became climbers and we had to use ropes bolted into the rock to prevent us from falling down the face of the mountain. Im not kidding, at least 5 times we had to take hold of thick ropes or heavy chains to keep from falling down a steep slope or off of an almost impassable narrow ledge. The trick is not to look down but I cant say we always followed it. The hardest of these was the last push to the top where we had no more than 6 inches to put our feet on, only a chain to steady us, and then had to hoist ourselves over the last big rock to get to the top.
Although my legs were exhausted the rest of the week, I dont regret a bit of it. Along with some amazing views, it was nice to get above the pollution cloud and experience what so many other Koreans enjoy. The city of Seoul is located in valley so there are mountains, some big and some small, surrounding it and Koreans love hiking, absolutely love it. When we were trying to decide whether or not to attempt some of the roped sections, there were old men and women passing us at a pretty fast pace, one friend said he thought they are part mountain goat (DNA tests are pending). On top of that, they dress the part to the nines. I plan on covering Korean fashion in another post but I will say a few words quickly: whether they are out for a 30 min walk or hiking the biggest mountain Seoul has to offer, they look like they are about to tackle Everest. 95% of the hikers we saw had packs, shirts, pants, and shoes designed for hiking. We felt like the outcasts dressed in the typical North American workout gear of mesh shorts and a t-shirt.
A few cool things we saw on our hike: it was once feared that North Korea would try to surround Seoul and hide in these mountains so the South built bunkers everywhere. They were almost always surrounded with barb wire but occasionally we would see one that had been broken into or collapsed. Heres an pic of an open one:
We also saw about 4 helipads throughout the hike, mostly located on the ridge line. We couldnt read the signs so Im not sure whether or not they are for injuries or the army.
Finally, and perhaps the most impressive, there were people selling things on the mountain! We saw two people with cooler shaped packs that had ascended the same way we had, both of them selling ice cream. We had expected and hoped for water, but I guess the Koreans have their priorities.
Im not embarrassed to say that we took an easier way down, we were all doubtful of returning the same way we had come. The way we took was still an hour and a half and was particularly hard on the knees.
Exhaustion aside, the hike was great and we are going to try another mountain sometime soon, maybe the next weekend. Heres a picture of the survivors:
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend, Ive had a pretty productive Saturday so far, stay tuned for details.
Anyways, for those of you who read the Chuseok post, you will remember that I had a few extra holidays on my hand so I spent Tuesday hiking the tallest mountain in Seoul: Gwanaksan. Gwanaksan is moderately sized mountain in the southern part of the city with about a half dozen peaks that precede the summit. Heres the view from one of those peaks:
When my 3 friends and I started out, we didnt know anything other that what subway stop to get off at. We ended up getting directions fairly easy once we got out of the subway but were directed to the hardest possible route to the top without knowing it. We knew we were in for a hike when we were hiking a very steep concrete slope before the trail even started. While we anticipated the almost 3 hour hike to the top, we did not anticipate the handful of sections where hikers became climbers and we had to use ropes bolted into the rock to prevent us from falling down the face of the mountain. Im not kidding, at least 5 times we had to take hold of thick ropes or heavy chains to keep from falling down a steep slope or off of an almost impassable narrow ledge. The trick is not to look down but I cant say we always followed it. The hardest of these was the last push to the top where we had no more than 6 inches to put our feet on, only a chain to steady us, and then had to hoist ourselves over the last big rock to get to the top.
Although my legs were exhausted the rest of the week, I dont regret a bit of it. Along with some amazing views, it was nice to get above the pollution cloud and experience what so many other Koreans enjoy. The city of Seoul is located in valley so there are mountains, some big and some small, surrounding it and Koreans love hiking, absolutely love it. When we were trying to decide whether or not to attempt some of the roped sections, there were old men and women passing us at a pretty fast pace, one friend said he thought they are part mountain goat (DNA tests are pending). On top of that, they dress the part to the nines. I plan on covering Korean fashion in another post but I will say a few words quickly: whether they are out for a 30 min walk or hiking the biggest mountain Seoul has to offer, they look like they are about to tackle Everest. 95% of the hikers we saw had packs, shirts, pants, and shoes designed for hiking. We felt like the outcasts dressed in the typical North American workout gear of mesh shorts and a t-shirt.
A few cool things we saw on our hike: it was once feared that North Korea would try to surround Seoul and hide in these mountains so the South built bunkers everywhere. They were almost always surrounded with barb wire but occasionally we would see one that had been broken into or collapsed. Heres an pic of an open one:
We also saw about 4 helipads throughout the hike, mostly located on the ridge line. We couldnt read the signs so Im not sure whether or not they are for injuries or the army.
Finally, and perhaps the most impressive, there were people selling things on the mountain! We saw two people with cooler shaped packs that had ascended the same way we had, both of them selling ice cream. We had expected and hoped for water, but I guess the Koreans have their priorities.
Im not embarrassed to say that we took an easier way down, we were all doubtful of returning the same way we had come. The way we took was still an hour and a half and was particularly hard on the knees.
Exhaustion aside, the hike was great and we are going to try another mountain sometime soon, maybe the next weekend. Heres a picture of the survivors:
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend, Ive had a pretty productive Saturday so far, stay tuned for details.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Happy Chuseok!
Chuseok is a traditional 3 day holiday in Korea to celebrate the harvest. Very similar to our Thanksgiving, people are expected to spend the time with their families and usually travel throughout Korea to be with them. That said, Seoul was pretty dead this weekend. While Chuseok was officially Sunday, a lot of stores and restaurants were closed all weekend and there was a permanent line of traffic leading out of town. Despite the frustration of not being able to find much to eat, I do get Monday and Tuesday off work. Also, I got a very nice Chuseok gift from the moms in my K class: 2 nice bottles of wine from the nicest department store in Seoul (so I hear.)
I have also fixed my blog so anyone can comment on the posts, simply click on the comment button underneath each post and you should be able to write something. I really enjoy hearing from everyone and I do spend a fair amount of time posting updates, pictures, etc so even the littlest feedback, whether email or other, is appreciated. I would like to give a shoutout to Mamma Jean, Charles' mom, she has been my most consistent correspondant, so thank you.
I hope everyone had a good weekend, take it easy.
I have also fixed my blog so anyone can comment on the posts, simply click on the comment button underneath each post and you should be able to write something. I really enjoy hearing from everyone and I do spend a fair amount of time posting updates, pictures, etc so even the littlest feedback, whether email or other, is appreciated. I would like to give a shoutout to Mamma Jean, Charles' mom, she has been my most consistent correspondant, so thank you.
I hope everyone had a good weekend, take it easy.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Picture and Video update, PLUS the myth of "fan death"
First, I have uploaded more pictures and videos. The videos include some popular and humorous Korean exercises, plus tours of my new school and apartment. Also, every picture now has a title so you know what you are looking at. Click on Quincy's Pictures or Quincy's Videos to the right.
Ok, to end this post, I want to talk something that terrifies all Koreans: fan death. I found out the other day, while talking about differences between N. America and Korea, that practically all Koreans believe in the myth that sleeping with a fan on while all your doors and windows are closed is SUICIDE! Thats right, even educated Koreans, and I talked to two of them, believe that sleeping in a closed room or apartment with a fan on will cause death by suffocation. Fans are even manufactured in Korea with a timer so you can avoid falling asleep with the fan on and consequently certain death. When we joked to our Korean friends (both of whom studied here and in Canada,) that we were going to go home and sleep with out fans on, the honestly pleaded with us not to for fear of our lives.
Now I know what you are thinking, how can anyone (regardless of education) believe this? But according to Wikipedia (Fan Death), even medical professionals have accpeted this myth and their government claims that "asphyxiation from electric fans and air conditioners" was among South Korea's five most common seasonal summer accidents or injuries, according to data they collected.
Be careful out there.
Ok, to end this post, I want to talk something that terrifies all Koreans: fan death. I found out the other day, while talking about differences between N. America and Korea, that practically all Koreans believe in the myth that sleeping with a fan on while all your doors and windows are closed is SUICIDE! Thats right, even educated Koreans, and I talked to two of them, believe that sleeping in a closed room or apartment with a fan on will cause death by suffocation. Fans are even manufactured in Korea with a timer so you can avoid falling asleep with the fan on and consequently certain death. When we joked to our Korean friends (both of whom studied here and in Canada,) that we were going to go home and sleep with out fans on, the honestly pleaded with us not to for fear of our lives.
Now I know what you are thinking, how can anyone (regardless of education) believe this? But according to Wikipedia (Fan Death), even medical professionals have accpeted this myth and their government claims that "asphyxiation from electric fans and air conditioners" was among South Korea's five most common seasonal summer accidents or injuries, according to data they collected.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Notice anything different?
So about 30 minutes ago, I was about to jump in the shower and thought to myself, "My beard could use a little trim." So, I got out my trimmer, that I have only had since July, and get to work. After a minute, I noticed that it wasnt trimming as well as it usually did and that I was having to go over places again and again to get them fully trimmed. I wasnt worried though, I just thought that maybe my hair was thicker than usual and that it may take a little longer this time, no problem. Then, 1/3 of the way done, the blades seize up as if on strike, refusing to trim anymore. So I tinker with it, change the batteries, take apart the blades, but to no avail. It was then I realized I had two choices, get a new trimmer after school tomorrow and go the entire day looking like an idiot, or shave it all off with my electric razor.
The picture shows how the story ends, but I thought it was pretty funny and that some of you who have seen me the last 6 months with my beard would enjoy it. But dont worry, the beard will be back and I plan on buying some industrial, Korean clippers to tame it.
New teachers, new school, and new apartment
Ok, so Ive been at my new apartment and school for a little over a week so I thought Id fill everyone in on how it was going. First, the school: The new school is great for a lot of reasons, the best being the staff and proximity to my apartment. When we merged schools, we also merged the staff and students (most of them anyway) meaning I now work with twice as many native English speakers. If you can remember back to my first birthday weekend post, that was the first time I had met any of the new staff, and after a week, I am still amazed that everyone I work with is so easy going and easy to get along with. With the addition of the 3 new teachers this week (more on this later), I think our teaching staff is now up to 12, maybe 13. The new school is about 1/3 bigger than the last, with more office/desk space and more classrooms. The school is divided between two floors with the majority of classrooms on the 2nd floor and most of the offices on the first. My desk and classroom are on the first, along with 3 other teachers'. Heres a brief tour of my floor and classroom:
In terms of proximity, I only have to walk 10-15 minutes from my apartment to reach the school compared to a 20min drive to the first one. Also, there a lot more restaurant options around the new school so its a lot easier to not eat Korean for lunch if you dont want to.
Like I said, we have 3 new teachers this week, a couple and another girl, all from Canada. Nationality aside, they all seem really nice and a few of us actually had dinner with the couple last night (they were 5 hrs off the a 13hr flight but were still pretty coherent). Their arrival has promoted me from the new guy to someone with a little more experience and it was nice to be able answer their questions and give a little advice, even though Ive only been here a little over 3 weeks.
Ok, so about my apartment: it is a huge step up from my original one and even closer to the action in my neighborhood. It has a lot of perks including a semi-patio, bigger washer, bigger bed, and a lot bigger living room. I did sacrifice a bigger TV, but its not really a problem since I only get 4 channels in English. Its hard to describe how its set up so just check out the video of it:
Thats it for now, more pictures and videos coming soon!
In terms of proximity, I only have to walk 10-15 minutes from my apartment to reach the school compared to a 20min drive to the first one. Also, there a lot more restaurant options around the new school so its a lot easier to not eat Korean for lunch if you dont want to.
Like I said, we have 3 new teachers this week, a couple and another girl, all from Canada. Nationality aside, they all seem really nice and a few of us actually had dinner with the couple last night (they were 5 hrs off the a 13hr flight but were still pretty coherent). Their arrival has promoted me from the new guy to someone with a little more experience and it was nice to be able answer their questions and give a little advice, even though Ive only been here a little over 3 weeks.
Ok, so about my apartment: it is a huge step up from my original one and even closer to the action in my neighborhood. It has a lot of perks including a semi-patio, bigger washer, bigger bed, and a lot bigger living room. I did sacrifice a bigger TV, but its not really a problem since I only get 4 channels in English. Its hard to describe how its set up so just check out the video of it:
Thats it for now, more pictures and videos coming soon!
Monday, September 8, 2008
The wonder of Skype
For those of you who dont know, Skype is a Voice Over IP (VOIP), which means it is a way for me to call people over the internet. It is a program that allows me to type a number into my computer and use it as a phone to call everyone for less than 3 cents a minute. This is good for you for two reasons. First, I can call the USA for very cheap, and two, if you choose to download Skype (for free) we can talk for free between our two computers. Thats right, as long as you have Skype loaded onto your computer, you can talk to anyone else with Skype on their computer for FREE. Here is the link for Skype, the instructions are pretty simple, but if you have any questions, just email me.
Skype
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Birthday Weekend Continued
Ok, so I woke up Saturday feeling a little hungover but I decided to get out of my apt and go to Itaewon, the main foreigners district in Seoul. According to my friends, this is where you go when you want a little taste of America and while I wasnt looking to escape Korea just yet, it definitely lived up to its name. As soon as I stepped out of the subway, I saw a lot of non-Koreans, including black people! Now you all know Im not a racist, but after spending the majority of my life in Atlanta and Charleston, African Americans are just something I got used to seeing and had been without since I got here (save the occasional random one). Anyway, along with black people, there were tons of white people and tons of english being spoken. I was greated in every store I walked into with english which was really nice after 3 weeks of cultural immersion. Stores I saw included Nike and Reebok, Columbia Sports, The North Face, Quiznos, Starbucks, McDonalds, KFC, Subway and the most patriotic of all: American Diner. The other stores, however, were mostly Korean and Im pretty certain are the souce of all knock off goods that reach the states. Im serious, along ever street, down every alley, and on every corner were stores or booths selling all types of designer goods. I didnt end up buying anything but had lunch at Subway, which combined with hearing english for a couple of hours made a pretty good afternoon.
When I got back to my neighborhood, I decided to meet up with some fellow teachers at a bar nearby called Party Bar. This bar is hillarious, not only is it a dive by American standards, their decorations do not translate into Party at all. We walked in and I had to stop for a second to look around at the walls: the primary theme seemed to be western with pictures of cowboys and indians all over, but they also had old license plates, outdated penants from old teams and an electronic dart board, which was the most modern thing about it. Decorations aside, we ended up having a great time playing darts and listening to American music. I met one of my friend's Korean friends names Bamf (I dont know why) who had studied in Canada so his english was pretty good. He was also a pretty competitive dart player and won us a few rounds from his victories.
This is a friend of Bamf's and his shirt may have been the highlight of the night, it says "Peace up, A-Town down" (for Atlanta) and was given to him by this Korean artist, Crown J, who sings a song called "Too Much A". Check it out:
When 1 oclock rolled around, the two teachers I was with said they were tired and were going home to bed, I told them that was cool and I was just going to finish my drink and then do the same. However, when they left, I ended up going to a Karaeoke bar with Bamf and his friends and butchering some songs by the Beatles, which was alright because Bamf was the only one that could understand the words and I dont think he knew the Beatles. All in all a fun night, a little more low key than Friday but fun nonetheless.
I moved apartments Sunday and school Monday so my next post may be about those transitions, hopefully complete with pictures.
When I got back to my neighborhood, I decided to meet up with some fellow teachers at a bar nearby called Party Bar. This bar is hillarious, not only is it a dive by American standards, their decorations do not translate into Party at all. We walked in and I had to stop for a second to look around at the walls: the primary theme seemed to be western with pictures of cowboys and indians all over, but they also had old license plates, outdated penants from old teams and an electronic dart board, which was the most modern thing about it. Decorations aside, we ended up having a great time playing darts and listening to American music. I met one of my friend's Korean friends names Bamf (I dont know why) who had studied in Canada so his english was pretty good. He was also a pretty competitive dart player and won us a few rounds from his victories.
This is a friend of Bamf's and his shirt may have been the highlight of the night, it says "Peace up, A-Town down" (for Atlanta) and was given to him by this Korean artist, Crown J, who sings a song called "Too Much A". Check it out:When 1 oclock rolled around, the two teachers I was with said they were tired and were going home to bed, I told them that was cool and I was just going to finish my drink and then do the same. However, when they left, I ended up going to a Karaeoke bar with Bamf and his friends and butchering some songs by the Beatles, which was alright because Bamf was the only one that could understand the words and I dont think he knew the Beatles. All in all a fun night, a little more low key than Friday but fun nonetheless.
I moved apartments Sunday and school Monday so my next post may be about those transitions, hopefully complete with pictures.
Monday, September 1, 2008
New pictures and VIDEOS!
New pictures are up and I have also opened up a YouTube account so you can now view videos. I will link YouTube on the right under the pictures or you can click here to see them: YouTube.
Birthday Weekend
Ok, as many of of you knew, (and many didnt), Friday was my birthday so this post is about my celebratory weekend. A quick note before I start, while I turned 23 "American," I was 24 in Korean years because everyone in the country automatically gets a year older January 1st. Weird, I know. Also, my camera has been out of batteries so my personal pictures of this weekend are non-existant but I will get the ones from my friends and post them soon.
So I want to start by saying (again) how awesome the teachers are that I work with. I have not known them more than 2 weeks but they put together some funny decorations and a big dinner for me which was totally unexpected. When I got into the bus on Friday, there were the always appreciated "Happy Birthdays" which are always appreciated but as soon as I sat down, the driver, Mr Na, who knows practically no English, handed me a box and said "Happy Birthday." Inside was a charm for my cellphone (whether for a male or female, they are big here and accepted, trust me) that was a little cloth square, almost like a mini pillow, with a mirror on the back attached to a string to go on the cellphone. Im not sure how much use it will get but it was a big deal for him to even get me anything.
When we get to school, on the door to the teachers loungs/offices, there is a big piece of poster board with the words Happy Birthday Quincy written on it and a blown up picture underneath. I recognized the picture immediately, it was from College of Charleston's Alumni Ball that I went to this past May. The picture is me with my arms around my girl friend, Holly, and good friend, Alexis, only in this picture their faces had been replaced with faces of two teachers I work with. Again, I will need to post a picture, but it was really funny. The rest of the day was uneventful, but we had dinner reservations at On the Border that night.
I know what you are thinking, why eat at an American Mexican chain when we are in Seoul? I wondered the same thing but the teachers said it was a good place because they had lots of room and there was something everyone could enjoy. Turns out they were right because my meal was great and we needed the extra room becuase 25 people showed up, about 10 of which I didnt even know. The unknowns were friends of friends and teachers from the other campus (whom I work with as of today) and were all really nice and I appreciated meeting new people. So, after everyone had some tequila and a good, American-style, Mexican dinner, we went back to Gangseo-Gu, the district we all live and work in.
The first place we went to was this bar called Miller Time that served American beers and overlooked the nightlife of the streets below (it was on the 2nd floor). We didnt stay long there and instead opted to go to a nightclub nearby that everyone had heard about but no one had gone to. When we get there, we immediately walk down some stairs, like we are going into the basement. When we get about 1fl down, we are met by music and two large Koreans in suits and sunglasses. They quickly usher the girls we are with past a velvet rope and down more stairs and then, (Im not kidding), they give all the guys in line orange juice boxes. So, we are all drinking these juice boxes and end up waiting about 10 min and then we are led down the stairs and into this huge, dark room with a stage at one end and tables filling up the rest. The tables are designed to seat 8, but they only put 4 of us at each table. We see the girls as we are being sat so we dont really worry about why half of the table is open. As soon as we sit down, a waiter comes over and takes drink orders and when those come, another waiter comes but instead of drinks, he is leading two Korean girls and sits them at their table. It was then that we realized what type of club this was and a Korean friend described it as a "forced social situation." What that means is that men and women come here to meet eachother, nothing sexual, but it is the staffs duty to make sure as many people mingle with as many other people as possible. So, we tried to make the best small talk with could, which is difficult with none of the guys at my table knowing Korean and none of the girls knowing english. This went on for about 3 different sets of girls and it was just getting tedious to know that you cannot speak to these people and the point of these clubs is to meet new people, meaning we were not supposed to sit with the girls we came with. They, on the other hand, had better luck and said they were introduced to a few guys who spoke very good english which sounded like a lot more fun that what happened to the guys. Anyway, we left soon after that and it was late and I was exhausted from teaching 11 classes that day so most of us went home. Some people went to a Karaeoke bar but I was not part of that adventure so I cannot write about it.
A funny note about the club before I wrap this up, the MC on the stage was supposedly famous and would play a song and everyone would dance and then he would do about 5min of standup comedy which seemed to be funny based on the laughter. An interesting combination.
So thats Friday, I promise I will write about Saturday soon.
So I want to start by saying (again) how awesome the teachers are that I work with. I have not known them more than 2 weeks but they put together some funny decorations and a big dinner for me which was totally unexpected. When I got into the bus on Friday, there were the always appreciated "Happy Birthdays" which are always appreciated but as soon as I sat down, the driver, Mr Na, who knows practically no English, handed me a box and said "Happy Birthday." Inside was a charm for my cellphone (whether for a male or female, they are big here and accepted, trust me) that was a little cloth square, almost like a mini pillow, with a mirror on the back attached to a string to go on the cellphone. Im not sure how much use it will get but it was a big deal for him to even get me anything.
When we get to school, on the door to the teachers loungs/offices, there is a big piece of poster board with the words Happy Birthday Quincy written on it and a blown up picture underneath. I recognized the picture immediately, it was from College of Charleston's Alumni Ball that I went to this past May. The picture is me with my arms around my girl friend, Holly, and good friend, Alexis, only in this picture their faces had been replaced with faces of two teachers I work with. Again, I will need to post a picture, but it was really funny. The rest of the day was uneventful, but we had dinner reservations at On the Border that night.
I know what you are thinking, why eat at an American Mexican chain when we are in Seoul? I wondered the same thing but the teachers said it was a good place because they had lots of room and there was something everyone could enjoy. Turns out they were right because my meal was great and we needed the extra room becuase 25 people showed up, about 10 of which I didnt even know. The unknowns were friends of friends and teachers from the other campus (whom I work with as of today) and were all really nice and I appreciated meeting new people. So, after everyone had some tequila and a good, American-style, Mexican dinner, we went back to Gangseo-Gu, the district we all live and work in.
The first place we went to was this bar called Miller Time that served American beers and overlooked the nightlife of the streets below (it was on the 2nd floor). We didnt stay long there and instead opted to go to a nightclub nearby that everyone had heard about but no one had gone to. When we get there, we immediately walk down some stairs, like we are going into the basement. When we get about 1fl down, we are met by music and two large Koreans in suits and sunglasses. They quickly usher the girls we are with past a velvet rope and down more stairs and then, (Im not kidding), they give all the guys in line orange juice boxes. So, we are all drinking these juice boxes and end up waiting about 10 min and then we are led down the stairs and into this huge, dark room with a stage at one end and tables filling up the rest. The tables are designed to seat 8, but they only put 4 of us at each table. We see the girls as we are being sat so we dont really worry about why half of the table is open. As soon as we sit down, a waiter comes over and takes drink orders and when those come, another waiter comes but instead of drinks, he is leading two Korean girls and sits them at their table. It was then that we realized what type of club this was and a Korean friend described it as a "forced social situation." What that means is that men and women come here to meet eachother, nothing sexual, but it is the staffs duty to make sure as many people mingle with as many other people as possible. So, we tried to make the best small talk with could, which is difficult with none of the guys at my table knowing Korean and none of the girls knowing english. This went on for about 3 different sets of girls and it was just getting tedious to know that you cannot speak to these people and the point of these clubs is to meet new people, meaning we were not supposed to sit with the girls we came with. They, on the other hand, had better luck and said they were introduced to a few guys who spoke very good english which sounded like a lot more fun that what happened to the guys. Anyway, we left soon after that and it was late and I was exhausted from teaching 11 classes that day so most of us went home. Some people went to a Karaeoke bar but I was not part of that adventure so I cannot write about it.
A funny note about the club before I wrap this up, the MC on the stage was supposedly famous and would play a song and everyone would dance and then he would do about 5min of standup comedy which seemed to be funny based on the laughter. An interesting combination.
So thats Friday, I promise I will write about Saturday soon.
Meet Kate
Alright everyone, I want you to meet my friend, Kate.
We know eachother from Atlanta and she is currently in Scotland and nearing the end of a trip that we can all be jealous of: 15 countries in 120 days.
I am linking her blog to the right side of the page, click on it there or here and enjoy her adventures with her, there are a lot: WorldWideKate
We know eachother from Atlanta and she is currently in Scotland and nearing the end of a trip that we can all be jealous of: 15 countries in 120 days.
I am linking her blog to the right side of the page, click on it there or here and enjoy her adventures with her, there are a lot: WorldWideKate
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