buses subways and student greetings

Today Danny came over with Melody and we rode the bus then since Melody was throwing a huge fit we ate some lunch (spicy tofu and oyster soup which I did not know had oysters in it until I began to eat it... this was something I would never eat in the US but I am glad I tried it here) at a small restaurant near the subway station then we rode the subway over to an elementry school and Danny showed me where the teacher I will be teaching works. From there we rode the bus to another families home where i met another possible student. She was very nervous about having a tutor and told her parents she didn't want to meet me but as soon as I got there I pulled out the game "guess who" and asked if she wanted to play and she said yes and showed me her room and played for about an hour. When Danny came in and told me it was time to go Mishca (the girl) asked what game I would bring next time so I assume that means she changed her mind. After that we went to Danny's home and I played with Melody and Emily and Emily's friend whose name I don't know, while Anika (Danny's wife) made dinner. For dinner we had a chicken, strange sea animal, ginsing and rice soup. It was very bland but I ate as much as I could so as not to be rude. The chicken in the soup was also on the bone so i had to eat it off the bone which is very different from what I am used to. After dinner I played more games with the girls then Danny took me to a coffee shop where we talked about my schedule for students and he talked about business and confucious teachings because that is how Koreans do business (it is important to do everything you can to help the other person in business and always got out of your way to help eachother so as to have a good partnership). Then we walked to the subway station and he rode one subway with me to show me the transfer spot then I rode the other one to Sinchon (young town) and met up with Eddie at a PC place where he and Kenny were using the computer and here I am. Although I really didn't do much I am exhausted and ready for bed!! Also I got a stomach ache from the food I think because I am not used to eating oysters or something but I feel kind'a sick now. Tomorrow Eddie will start school and when he gets out of I will meet him at the entrance of Yonsei and we will walk to the gym and get a membership (20,000 won a month!= really cheap)so we can work out every day! I am very excited because since my car accident I have been unable to work out because my back was in such bad shape but thanks to all my chiro/massage/accupuncture/Physical therapy appointments I am doing much better so I am excited to be active again! I am off to walk home and then fall asleep!

The weekend

Yesterday we went to a shop that rents out board games by the hour and sells smoothies, beer and coffee. We sat on comfy couches and drank smoothies playing clue and Blockus (a really cool game) for like 3 hours! Friday we went to a place called PC bong I used the internet for a while then we played Starcraft for like $1.50 an hour with a bunch of other people in a smoky room with snacks! Its very different here but I really like it at the same time. I also ate some really delicious Phat thai (they say Phat instead of Phad) at a neat little Thai restaurant down a brightly lit alley. Last night (saturday night) was very entertaining because the streets were packed with people walking around eating and shopping and playing games it reminded me of a fair only busier. But amidst all the people there were garbage trucks backing up right in the middle of the crowds picking up garbage all set on the street. Cars will bump you as you walk through cross walks trying to get through the mobs of people and mopeds almost run you down while walking on the sidewalks and people are always bumping into others and stepping on feet.

Danny called me yesterday to tell me we weren't going on the subway and that we would go Sunday so we're waiting to hear from him now.

Young Town

Most of my day was spent unpacking, rearranging our home, and swatting mosquitoes. This may seem grotesque but our walls are spotted with small bug sized stains of blood! I think it was a pretty fair fight though, seeing as I look as though I have some odd type of chicken pox! Eddie said I have the big dipper on my face.

Eddie had orientation for school at 3 so while he was off getting "oriented" I spent some time with the Rosetta Stone Korean language education program on my computer. I completed unit one and went over it a couple times which took about a half hour then Eddie called and I walked over to the school to meet up with him and Kenny. It was a very interesting walk (about 10 minutes). Up until now every time I have gone somewhere I was with Eddie and so this time was different. It was very strange being the only white person amoung hundreds of Koreans. To add to my list of differences I was wearing a moderately low cut shirt which turns out is very strange over here. Most women wear turtle-neck style shirts or t-shirts which seems odd because a lot of these women wear very short skirts which counter-acts the whole conservative style they seem to be going for. Still, I never saw a shirt that ventured past the clavical so my next shopping trip will be spent buying MORE conservative clothes. I also noticed that the brightly colored 80's style hoop earrings are not "IN" in Korea so I will need to change my jewelery accordingly. When I met up with Eddie and Kenny we headed off to get some food. The restuarant we choose didn't have any vegetarian options so I went with a small plate of fruit which ended up being very satisfying. After our meal (more of a snack for me) we did some shopping in what Danny calls "Young Town" because lots of young people are there. We bought some much needed bug spray and a NON-STICK cooking pan. (Earlier in the day I had a incident with some tofu that ended in tragedy and later in a yellow bag because the pan was more of a sticky pan than anything.) While walking down the street I saw a cell phone cover I liked and the women held out her hand saying 5,000 won (about $5.50 or so) so I gave her 10,000 won and she gave me back 5,000 right after she gave me my change I noticed the price tag on the package said 2,900 won so I asked her and pointed at the price and she just acted like she didn't understand and just shook her head yes and kind of pushed me along so I let it go. Kenny wanted to go back and argue but with the language barrier I thought it would be easier just to move along seeing as its only like $2. I am a little frustrated and I kind of feel like she took advantage of me but I'm over it.

My internet has been really slow lately so we all decided to stop in a internet cafe thing so Kenny and Eddie are playing starcraft next to me while I type this out tonight we will probably go to bed early cause we have been waking up around 6am each day because it is so bright out(and the church across from the house chimes at 6am every day). Tomorrow Danny is going to ride the subway with me to show me which stops to get off at and buses to ride to get to his house so that should take up a fair portion of my day then maybe we'll see a movie or something who knows!

Bites and smells

So today I woke up with more bites my left eye is swollen and I have red bites all over my face and body. It is very uncomfortable so todays agenda includes buying some sort of bug off as the first priority. I also took some pictures of the early morning view I wanted to add so here's the view. If anyone is curious about the sounds and smells just look at the pictures and you'll know! People put their food waste in yellow bags and their other garbage in special white bags that are bought at little stores everywhere and then the garbage is just set out on the sidewalk in piles each day. Every block has about 2 or 3 garbage piles mounded on the side of a building or up against a tree. We live right by a train that goes by about twice every hour and a church that sounds bells at 6am, noon, and 6pm each day. Besides that there is a fair amount of hammering and construction noises and the sound of cars and mopeds speeding around. Seoul is often called the "city that never sleeps" and that seems to be pretty true. Emily is 10 and she goes to bed at 11pm each night!

UMBRELLAS

So today I woke up and found that I had been attacked with mosquitoes over night I literally have 30 bites and my room is filled with them and I've killed like 12 I don't know where they've all come from!! Today we walked around trying to find a bank to withdrawal Korean won and after lots of walking and asking people on the street we found it. After we found the subway we rode it over towards city hall and back. The subway seems to be a very good system here its just a little confusing right now. Danny said he is going to ride the subway with me on Saturday to show me how to get to his house which will be very helpful!

We spent a lot of the day in the rain and EVERYONE here has an umbrella so it is not uncommon to be wacked in the face with the points. At first it was just sprinkling so we all thought it odd that everyone already had there umbrella out but we soon found out how necessary it was and we all decided to buy umbrellas for like 5 bucks in a shopping mall underground.

Today I did get really dizzy at one point probably because it was so hot and muggy even in the rain... We stopped at a pastry place and sat down to rest. Kenny bought a role with a hot dog and cheese cooked inside of it. Before that we ate a potato dish and Kenny ordered what looked like a sampler off onion rings and stuff but the onion rings turned out to be squid leg rings and some very odd bland tortilla chip. My meal was very bland as well and needed some type of salt badly. Eddie ordered this noodle dish and it had veggies and randomly this meat with a tail thingy. It was really different from what we are used to seeing. At first he though it was like beef or something then he saw that it all had a cord/tail thing on them and got really grossed out... also they don't really have chicken soup just squid soups or clam or beef or fish.... I got a smoothie today from SMOOTHIE KING... it wasn't as good as Emerald City smoothie at home but I think it will be what keeps be alive here... We also bought a rice cooker so we had that for dinner with some hot oil and salt!

I finished my book Korea Calling tonight and after my long day of my "cultural Education" I feel a little more comfortable with some of the behaviors I experienced today. For instance, people pushing and shoving and stepping on your feet and never apologizing is a totally normal thing. They are not rude just in a hurry. It is not uncommon to see people spitting right in front of themselves then walking right through it or cars not stopping at red lights and almost hitting pedestrians. Also even though the arrows direct pedestrians to walk on the right they all walk on the left and pass people on the left. When we walked on the right we were in the way so we quickly moved over. Although most people don't show much emotion they are very friendly and helpful when asked directions on the streets or with purchasing items in the store even if they giggle a little when they hear us talking English they are very polite and kind.

Danny also called to inform me that I now have 4 students two 10 year olds, a 7 year old and an adult so I should be making enough money to survive over here. I contacted my mom about my financial aid situation and hopefully things will be coming together with that. She also informed me that the loan I had applied for was going through so I will be able to use that if there are any emergencies. If I don't end up needing the loan I will pay it back and boost my credit.

Overall I am in good spirits and not too homesick yet I do feel out of place being a larger woman over here compared to the size zero 5 foot tall Korean women but that is just something I have to accept. It is interesting walking down the streets getting all the stares and having people whisper things but as I read in the book, it is just curiosity and not intended to be rude at all.

Its 9:30 and I am really tired (very odd for me to go to bed this early) so I am off to bed!

So we are settled in at our very small apartment in Korea. Things are very different here! We got here last night and Danny picked us up at the airport. The airport is about an hour and a half from our house and the trip home was very interesting. We would ask Danny questions about little things and he would have funny replies like "You don't already know? I should kick you in the knee!" He was very friendly but it was strange at first. I read most of the Korea Calling Book yesterday and today we spent the day shopping and getting thing ready with Danny and his two daughters. We went to the mall and had lunch and bought food and laundry soap and other necessities. For lunch Danny picked out what we would each eat. I told him no meat which was very strange to him and he asked if I had allergies or just a mental problem. He seemed very innocent in asking this so I don't think he meant it in a bad way. He got me a mix of rice and vegetables. The vegetables here are very different and have a very odd flavor but I think I will be able to get used to it they put everything in a big bowl then squeeze hot sauce in the middle. Along with the main dish there are 4 or 5 small side dishes with cold fish, beans, garlic veggies and a soup. They have water coolers on the side and paper envelopes that are used as cups. They had lots of different kinds of fish out and a lot of places smelled really foul which Danny says is normal. Danny left us at the house to get us cell phones and adapters so we took the girls out to eat pizza and they helped us order. Our pizza had pizza crust then cheese then sweet potato then cheese and regular toppings. It was very interesting. I don't think I really like it mixed so I ate the sweet potato part first then the rest of the pizza. Also when we got our pop they give you one cup with 2 straws for 2 people with refills so I shared with the youngest girl named Melody. Melody is very loud and crazy she is 7 and runs all over and gets hurt a lot. Kenny, Eddie's brother, bought some ice cream dip and dots and when he didn't let Melody eat it she through a big fit and started crying to Danny took it from Kenny and gave it to Melody so she would be quiet. It is a very different parenting style. Also kids can run around all by themselves Melody just left to go to the bathroom which was far away and came back 10 minutes later and it was no big deal. Also around town lots of very young kids were walking around by them self. Danny says there is no problem with kidnapping and if there was they would be executed. Emily is the older girl who I am going to tutor she is 10 and she is the "perfect child" says Danny. She helped out with everything from taking care of Melody to carrying groceries and putting them away at our house. So far things are pretty great it is a little stressful not being able to communicate at times but for now I am just happy to have internet now and I will keep you posted on the rest of my adventures!

Our home!

Pictures of the apartment : ) It is a very small room! you walk in and there is a small one burner kitchen with a sink and washing machine and small frig to the left and a very small bathroom to the left. Directly in from is a open space then a desk and then there are stairs to the right that go up into a small loft with just enough room for a bed. It is a good size for us because it will be easy to manage I think we will have to go out often though because it is so cramped.

Starting our adventure

So the last few days in Olympia were very stressful and hectic. Saying bye to friends and family who have kept me stable was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. The hardest goodbye was to my brother. He is at a hard stage in life and heading off to Korea is the last thing I want to do for him. I have come to understand that this is really a journey for me, even if it means being a little selfish, to gain more independence. As Helena says I am not my father/ brother’s keeper.

So I spent my last few days trying to connect with all my friends and packing up my room and moving all my stuff. I was really hoping I would be able to sell my car before this trip so as to have a little more funds for this year but I didn’t so I left it in the care of my dad in hopes he will be able to sell it. Unfortunately I packed the title so the night before take off I was digging through all of our storage boxes but luckily I found it!

Sunday my dad, brother, Eddie, and I headed for Oregon to visit my grandma before I took off for a year. She spent most of the time trying to talk me out of this adventure but here I am! My uncle Dwain showed up and we all ate together then we set off back home to finish packing and get ready for the moving truck Tuesday.

When I came back, Monday, I found out my financial aid hadn’t gone through and so I had to pay for school. Unfortunately I couldn’t pay it Wednesday so Eddie paid for my first quarter of school. On the plus side I got my contract all signed and ready to go so I am registered and paid for and so I will be getting credit for this trip!

Tuesday was spent moving all of our boxes out to Eddie’s parent’s barn in Dayton and packing up. Wednesday we finished everything up and then said bye to everyone. Tara and Jennie drove us out to Dayton where we slept for like 3 hours till 3:30am then we took off for the airport.

Our plane left at 7:20AM and we reached San Francisco just after 9AM but the hotel didn’t let us check in until 3pm so Eddie and I spent the day curled up in a ball in the hotel’s living room on a small loveseat. The rest of the day was spent sleeping in our room and then we went to Houlihans for some really delicious food. The next day we went exploring around town which wasn’t too exciting because we couldn’t get too far without at car but we spent some time in their very fancy mall and then walking around the streets which are very diverse. On one street it is very fancy expensive shops then the next one over is like a ghetto with lots of beggars and people sleeping on the sidewalks. It was a fun day but Eddie and I didn’t wear the right kind of shoes for the adventure. We spent the next day at the hotel. We went for some IHOP for our traditional breakfast then to Houlihans again for dinner but mostly stayed in since it was raining and cold out. Sunday was our last full day so we went to the Golden Gate Bridge for some tourist activities. The bridge was very amazing and to my surprise it is red not golden!

Monday we got on a 12 and a half-hour flight and headed for Korea. The plane was very nice and there were lots of things to do. Each seat had a TV screen in front of it that we used to play board games, arcade games, watch TV shows and movies of our choosing. The staff was very helpful and friendly. I slept for about 2 hours and then read a little of my book. The only complaint I had was that my ears wouldn’t pop for a long time which was very uncomfortable!!

5 days till take off! plus reading list

So my reading list is now Analects of Confucius, Confucious Lives Next Door, River Town, Korea Calling, Chopstock Fork Principle, Learning to Bow, Religion and Eastern Philosophy, and The Koreans. I've been packing up all my stuff and got all my medical information typed up so my mom can order my prescriptions for me every three months. I spent some time comparison shopping for books and ordered everything today so it will get here in the next couple days! Tonight my friends are having a going away party for me so I can say bye to everyone then tomorrow morning I am off to Oregon to visit my grandma since I wont be back for a year I wanted to say hi. Then Monday is final packing day/ go to Evergreen to finalize the contract and pay tuition, Tuesday is moving day, Wednesday is cleaning day, Thursday is flying out!

contract revision

So I e-mailed my contract to Michael and he had several revision ideas so Helena and I are meeting up today around 2 to go over his suggestions. Today I hope to get some packing done and then I have several doctors appointments for my back. I am trying to get myself in the best possible shape before I go so I don't have any huge emergencies in Korea. I was in a car accident on Christmas eve this year and so I've had lots of problems with my back ever since so part of this trip will be spent doing physical therapy stuff that I have learned this past year to help me stay mobile! I had a little anxiety yesterday when I couldn't get my new lap top to turn on but I found out this morning the strip I had it plugged into wasn't all the way plugged in....I was very relieved to discover that my newly purchased computer was not in fact broken! WHEEW!!! I got my waiver from Michael Clifthorne I just need to print it out so hopefully I can find a spot to do that at today. Other than that I feel like I am on track with this whole trip... I suppose I could always be more prepared but I am at peace with the level of preparation I have to do.

Blogging

So I spent some time figuring out how to use this blog thingy... I added a couple pictures to my last posts so hopefully it will be a little more interesting from now on.... Today I e-mailed a copy of my ILC to Michael Clifthorne and will try to make an appoinment to meet up with him for further advice. I also checked out the travel warnings page again and South Korea is still not on it which is reassuring!!http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

Here is the Consular Report on South Korea, http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1018.html this site has lots of helpful information about safety and visas and passports etc.

Here is my activities objectives for this years academic work.

"On a weekly bases I plan to write in a blog, take photos, read an English language Korean newspaper, learn Korean language from a set of CDs, study Korean with the contact family I will be working with, visit various historical sites and learn about their associations, eat Korean food, and explore the Korean culture around me.

I will be reading as well, starting with Confucius Analects to show me about the traditions and with Michael Breen’s The Koreans, which explains the culture today. I have already read the Lonely Planet Guide which has given me a sense of the details of cultural imperatives.
I have already started a blog which explains the preparations I have been making for the year’s work. It covers visas, passports, living situation, medical and other issues. I will continue the blog and expect to discuss the issues in developing personal independence. "

Driving

I read on the embassy page that Korea chose a 30-year-old computer vision engineer named Ko San as their first astronaut to make a trip to the International Space Station on a Russian spacecraft next year. Choi Hyun, the first Korean rookie ever to make the first round of the draft in MLB was choosen. So that is exiting news for Korea! http://www.koreaembassy.org/

I've also been reading the Korean times online and found an article about one of their pop singers that I have seen referenced several times so I copied a picture of him on the top left with some of his artwork just to show differences in pop culture between America and South Korea.

I visited Helena yesterday and got some much needed info. I also got my shots! ouch! That was not fun and my arm has been sore ever since. Today Eddie and I drove up to Seattle to the consulate to get our visa submitted but they wouldn't let Eddie get a year visa because he only paid for one quarters tuition and they won't let me get a business visa because I didn't have a letter from immigration so we both got the c-3 travel visas. I drove Eddie back home 'cause he had to work at one then I had to go back up and pick up the visas at three thirty. Parking by the consulate was hell! I spent twenty minutes driving in cirlces until I finally landed a fifteen minute spot. I got the visas and then got a call from someone I had e-mailed on craigslist.com about a lap top computer. The guy had a HP compaq nx9600 laptop for sale for $675 and I knew I needed something quickly so I decided to go check it out. I drove up to Mill Creek where he lived and found out he and his wife were Korean. We talked for a while about their adventures and about what I was planning on doing and then I bought the computer and drove home. It took me about two and a half hours to get home from Mill Creek on a Wednesday afternoon. I was supposed to show my car to someone who wanted to buy it today but I didn't get home until after eight thirty so my day was spent in the car. I also bought the Rosetta Stone books on tape and a Eastern Philosophy book through Barnes and Nobel with Eddie's discount card and saved a good seventy dollars or so. Today was a long and tiring day and tomorrow I have much more to do! I hope to meet with Michael at Evergreen about my independent learning contract and I need to show my car and meet with a couple friends for some good byes and go talk to financial aid.

good bye to izzys

Saturday was my last night at Izzy's it was a hard shift. Lots of hugs from customers and employees. My friend made me a customized Simpsons cake and got me some earings and one of the cooks got me a cardf and a dozen roses! I also had some cards from some of my regular customers as well. Yesterday I spent the day at the consulate and when all the paperwork was filled out and I was ready to go the guy asked me " What are you still doing here we're closed" So I left and nothing was done! The website said they closed at 5 but apparently they close at 430. I will remember this for the future. I will be going back up there this Thursday morning so hopefully everything will work out! I also got all my meds for 3 months yesterday which was a big ordeal at Group Health I had to wait about an hour for them to okay it all. Today I will be meeting with Helena again and then I have an appointment in the "INJECTION ROOM" it sounds daunting but I will only be getting 3 shots so hopefully it wont be too bad!

2033 Sixth Ave., #1125 Seattle, WA 9812

Spent some time looking for a laptop computer today since I wont be able to ship a desktop computer. I also emailed back and forth with Michael Clifthorne from Evergreen about getting a visa and my ILC. Also posted some ads for my car so I can sell it soon. (Also I will need to visit the consolate soon so here is their adress 2033 Sixth Ave., #1125 Seattle, WA 98121). I packed up all my pictures and movies and books today just getting ready. I also talked to a travel nurse who said she would have the lab call me for an appointment to get my shots but I haven't heard anything so I signed on my group health website and sent a couple emails in hopes of figuring that all out. No news yet but I am still waiting.

Cell phone

So verizon is not a good international calling plan so I cancelled my services with them and will need to get a phone in Korea. They charged me $125 for cancelling early but they will refund it back to me if I prove that I moved to an other country by sending a bill with my name and adress in Korea. I also talked to my contact in Korea it sounds like if I can't get a student visa he is willing to set me up with a fake internship with his company so as to get a work visa. I've spent the last couple days packing, making phone calls, reading and listening to my language CD.

So I contacted a woman named Sarah who Helena Recomended I talk to and she told me about her visit to Korea and what she did for her independent contract with Evergreen. She said for a visa I should just get a travel visa and go to Japan every 3 months to get a stamp then start the 90 days over again......I also started working on my independent contract for school.

my address

So still just setting up for my trip. My boss has September the 8th as my last day so I should have plenty of time to get ready. My address in Korea is going to be "Room No 910, Yonhee Soft Vill. 212-2, Yonhee-Dong, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul , Korea (ZIP : 120-110)" so if anyone needs to send me something or get a hold of me (or VISIT!!!) that is where I will be!