Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Political musings

Part of being in another country in a vastly different part of the world is being disconnected from the political environment and discourse of my own culture. I customize my google desktop so that I have Reuters, BBC, CBC, SBS and a couple of left wing blogs (and their current stories) on my homepage. I am exposed to a tremendous amount of news through these links. However, one of my favorite places to get my news is still the Daily Show and Colbert Report. Obviously, I don't get the Comedy Network here in Korea, but I download both shows every day.
Last week, I watched Jon Stewart interview Bill Clinton, and today, I watched him interview Pervez Musharaff. Both interviews were great, especially the interview with Musharaff. Stewart asked him about his thought process post 9/11, when he was told by Colin Powell (the next day) that American troops would be going into Afganistan through Pakistan, whether they cooperated or not. He gave an honest answer about how he arrived at his decision, including how he considered if Pakistan could successfully resist American forces. I wondered at the time if any other interviewer in America could have let the interview reach that point without interjecting with an American ideological statement.
The interview concluded with a "Seat of Heat" question from Stewert; "If George W. Bush and Osama Bin Ladin were both running in an election in Pakistan, who would win?" Musharaff replied, "they would both loose miserably."
I know that many would not consider Pakistan a fully democratic country. I also know that it is guilty of human rights violations, and its treatment of women is poor. However, all of these facts simply increase the irony. The irony that Pakistan's president is more capable of an honest interview on American television than "the leader of the free world."

Saturday, September 23, 2006

GYMjibang

I finally joined a gym last weekend. I have been thinking for a few weeks now that I need to make a serious effort at fitness. If you have been reading my posts regularly then you will know that I have been doing more than my share of eating and drinking in Korea. Now that I am in my "late" twenties I don't think I am going to be able to get away with living the high life without packing on the pounds. The gym I joined is only a 5 minute walk away. The downside is the cost of membership. Although many things are cheap as hell in this country, gyms are not one of them. Membership costs approximately $70 a month. However, on the plus side the gym is a real Korean "health club" with a jinjibang (sauna) attached. My uncle Jon gave me a real appreciation for the benefits of hot tubs and saunas as a way to relieve stress. I have gone to the gym three times this week. I do cardio and some weight training and then I finish with a half hour in the jinjibang. Its a serious business here. There are the familiar standing showers, but there are also little showers where you squat or sit on little stools while you scrub all over. After you shower you can relax in the warm pool, which has jacuzzi jets. After that you can move over to the hot pool . Communication barriers make it hard to be sure, but I think it is natural bore water. At least I hope so, since water is usually clearer than that :) After the hot pool you can jump in the cold pool, which has a shower attachment that shoots with the power of a firehose. Very refreshing! Then it's time for the sauna. This part is not for the fainthearted. It's the hottest sauna I have ever been in. If I am feeling brave I will use the sauna for as long as I can stand it, jump in the cold pool and get back in the sauna for a second round.
I am really glad I joined this gym. Most do not have jinjibangs. Also, the gym supervisor is this really nice Korean guy (I think he is also a university student) who always tries to communicate with me. As soon as he sees me he grabs his phrase book and tries to have a conversation. I have started bringing my own phrasebook to the gym. Yesterday we managed to make plans to go for samgyopsal (pork bbq) next week, him in broken English and me in even more broken Korean.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Well this is a first!

Ok, so yesterday morning I went to my bank and learned how to do ATM money transfers in Korean. I was transfering a big chunk of money to my travel agent who had reserved me tickets to Koh Samui, Thailand, flying through Bangkok (where I will stay overnight before flying on to Koh Samui). Well wouldn't you know it, approximately 8 hours later, Thailand had a military coup!
Now I have looked into alot of news sites and apparently it was a bloodless seizure of power. Thailand has had bloodless Coups d'etat before. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. The current king is the longest serving monarch in the world. The reverence of the Thai people for their King, and the influence he wields means that although the democratic process has been subverted, it is unlikely that the country will collapse into violence. Still, its not exactly safe either. On the one hand, if I cancel I have a whole weeks holiday when everyone else is working and I may loose part or all of my money. On the other hand.... Well, the mind fills with possibilites. Actually, part of me can't help being a little excited at the prospect of visiting a country during such a dramatic time.

Anyway, I am not going to cancel right away. I figure it will be smarter to wait and see how the situation unfolds over the next couple of days.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Nothing much really

I realised the other day that I have not posted any pics of where I live. So I am attaching three pictures to this post. The first one is of the street where I live. Namcheon is a great area to be. It isn't as modern as Haeundae, but it has heaps of places to eat and lots of cool little Korean shops on a hundred little side streets. The second pic is of my actual apartment building. Its a funny eight story place that sticks out like a sore thumb. Its painted half a dozen different colours and stands head and shoulders above the buildings around it. The last pic is of my actual apartment. It doesn't look like much in the picture, but its really quite nice. It's also bigger than alot of the studio apartments here. If any of you are interested I made a short little walk around video of the apartment for mum a month ago. It's posted on Youtube. The link is below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilBWSoMKQok





Tuesday, September 12, 2006

To party or not to party? That is the question

As I have mentioned before, the standard working hours for English teachers in Korea are quite late. My hours are later than most, starting at 3:30 and ending at 10:05. However, I have always been a nightowl so this works quite well for me. Because of these hours, I eat dinner late and when I party during the work week, I stay out late. Last Wednesday, a friend invited me to check out the open-mic night at Ol'55 the local Waygouk (foreigner) bar. It ended up being quite a night. I got to the bar at about 11:20, just before the band was starting its first set. They were actually quite good. Apparently there are a number of Waygouks around Pusan who have formed decent bands. Anyway, after an hour listening to music, Yumi and Jinmi (a couple of Korean girls who I have become friends with) invited me to go get dinner with them. I had already eaten a small dinner before going out, but they were going for some sort of raw squid meal. I am always excited to try new dishes, so I went with them. The dinner consisted of 8-9 different plates. First there were starters of fried potato cakes, soup, poached egg in a hotpot, and kimchi. Then we were given a platter of raw squid which you wrap up in lettuce with slivers of chilli, garlic and various sauces. And all of this was accompanied by shots of Soju. It was really good. And the whole thing, which was shared between four people, cost less than $15! Anyway, we went back and played some pool. Around 3am I was playing a game of pool with Lindsey (a Korean American) and her friend Soyoung, who I had just met. By that time we were all a bit bored of the bar. So we headed outside and ended up chatting on the street for an hour while I ate my third meal of the night, which consisted of the Korean version of "street meat." Think of a hot dog stand with tempura instead of sausages. Anyway, it was a great evening.
The next night I went out to the same bar to watch the pool tournament that they have there every Thursday. It wasn't quite the same crazy night as Wednesday, but still fun.
Friday was another big night. This time I went out for dinner with Mat, an American guy who came to Korea around the same time as I did. After dinner we were walking home and we ran into Jinmi and Yumi. They invited us to go have Makgeolli with them. I have mentioned Soju (rice liquor) which accompanies most meals with friends, but Makgeolli (or Dong Dong Ju) was something I hadn't tried. I need to learn more about the production techniques of different Korean liquors. Soju has the consistancy and look of Vodka (although its flavour is a little fruitier). Makgeolli is a milky liquid with a thicker consistancy. It has a yeasty flavour a little like homebrewed Ginger beer. Anyway, it's as strong as Soju (probably around 20%) but you don't taste the alcohol at all, which makes it very dangerous! The Makgeolli came in metal tea pots and the girls ordered 4-5 different side dishes to accompany the drinks. Of course the ubiquitous kimchi was present, but I also got to experience some new foods. One dish was a bizarre cold noodle dish which was filled with chestnut tofu, chilli and ice! We also got a couple of pancake dishes. In one the flour was mixed with kimchi, in the other one (and this was one of the best dishes I have eaten so far) the flour was mixed with spring onions and squid. Anyway, we get quite tipsy on a couple pots of Makgeolli and then ended the night playing Foosball at Ol'55.
I went out again on Saturday for a quiet night, just conversation and a couple of beers at Hollywood Star (the same bar I went to on my very first night in Pusan) which is one of the only bars here with a patio.
Keeping my mum's advice about healthy livers in mind, I abstained from alcohol on Sunday. But to celebrate getting my first paycheck I went to Outback Steakhouse with Ian S. and Ange. Western dining is expensive here (especially beef) but four weeks ago we had promised ourselves a steak dinner when we got our next paycheck. I wasn't sure how good the Korean interpretation of a steak dinner would be, but I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the meat. The best part, I asked for rare and I got a steak that was perfectly bloody and red in the middle. Heaven!

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Payday!

My first day of work here in Korea was on the 24th of July, 7 weeks ago. Today, my first real payday arrived. In Korea, most contracts specify that wages are paid once a month and include the days from the 1st to the 31st. So I have been surviving for the last 5-6 weeks on what I got paid for my first week of work. It meant missing out on a couple of things, but its amazing how easy it is to live here on a weeks wage.
But now I have a full months wage (which includes 30 hours of overtime) and I have two holidays coming up! Chusok happens during the first week of October. Its the Korean Harvest festival (their equivalent of Thanksgiving) and one of the most important holidays of the year. Celebrations focus very much on family. So this is also one of the busiest travel seasons in Korea. You have to book plane tickets months in advance if you want to get good deals. So it looks like I will be spending Chusok in Busan. However, I am lucky enough to get an extra week of vacation the week before Chusok. Unium College closes during the regular school exam times, so every two months we get a week holiday. I have from the 24th till the 29th of September to take my first trip in Asia. I was initially hoping to visit my friend Tom Young who is teaching in Ishigaki, Japan. But the connections are difficult and the trip is expensive, so a visit to Okinawa will have to wait till I have more money and a longer break.
But when I was at the travel agent investigating options for Japan, they told me that because this is low season, there are some really great deals to Thailand. I could get a package including travel and hotels for as little as 550000 Won, which is less than a weeks pay! So I am going into the travel agent on Monday and I am going to book a trip to Phuket or Ko Samui. YAY
The only downside is that most Hogwans don't have holidays during exam weeks, so it looks like I will be taking a few trips alone. But I guess that just adds to the adventure.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Positive frame of mind (P.S. finally caught up and posting about current events)

Well here we are everyone! I have finally caught myself up to the now. I am halfway through the second week of the fall term, and life is good. I feel like I have passed the initial phase of my time here. When I first arrived in Korea the only people I knew were Stotesbury and Ange. But my cell phone just passed the 20 mark in the phonebook and my social life is going at full steam. I played Beach Volleyball at Haeundae on Saturday. I played it again with a different group of people at Gwangali Beach on Sunday, and then I went bowling Monday night with a different group again. It feels really good to be able to meet so many great new people so quickly.

When I wrote my last post I was feeling a bit depressed. I guess one of the great skills in life is the ability to find the humour in every situation. Most of you have probably heard of Janglish, the humorous English translations you find on shops and signs all over Japan. Here in Korea we have our own version of that. It's called Konglish and some of it is hilarious. I have attached a picture of a local bakery near my apartment (they have great bread and pastries). Check out the lovely gold lettering above the store!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Reality hits home

There is a saying; "If you want something done give it to a busy man to do." During my life I have tried not to be in the position where I can attest to the truth of this statement. I have certainly had some hardworking jobs in my time and my last few years of university were pretty full on. But my sister, for better or worse, was the one who got the "hardworking" gene. However, this last week has given me an appreciation for the value of hard work. Its a great distraction!

During my first month here I was working my butt off. Like I mentioned in my last post I didn't have alot of time to think about my life. Now that I am on the normal Korean work schedual, where I goto work at 3:30 and leave at 10, I have most of the day to kill and alot of time to think. All in all, this move to Korea has been a very positive experience. However, with all this time on my hands I came to a strange and powerful realization. Since I was 20 and decided to go to university my life has been defined by a stong progression forward. Every month and every year has been defined by near and future goals. Get into university. Move to Canada. Get through first year. Finish the term paper. Prepare for exams. Create a thesis. Graduate. Go back to university. Prepare for an internship. Graduate. Look for jobs. Move to Korea. Start the next stage of life.

Well here I am. I have a job. I have an apartment. I goto work each week. I socialize with new friends. I think about where I want to travel on holidays. All of these things are great, but for the first time in more than 6 years (actually its even longer, when you consider that childhood is a series of constantly shifting goals, even if they are often other people's) I do not have some next big thing to prepare for. I don't have a long term objective which I work towards each week. I am here, maybe not forever, but for now this is it. I am not quite sure what to make of that fact. I have always been a world class procrastinator. I enjoy not working when I am supposed to. But now I go home and there is no work hanging over my head. Somehow, goofing around isn't as much fun when I can do as much of it as I want!

I guess that this is a point most people reach at a certain point in their lives. The goals which have defined their lives for many years are either achieved , or become irrelevant. So I guess the question I have to ask myself is; What Next?

The last week of Summer.

By the time I reached the last week of the summer term I was on cruise control. I knew that I had a proper two-day weekend to look forward too. I was used to the 13 hour days, and my work kept me busy enough that I didn't have time to over think my life (like I have a tendency to do). On those long Monday/Wednesday/Fridays, each evening was so short that all I worried about when I got home was watching the movie I had downloaded that day and chilling out for a few hours.
The other reason the last summer week felt like it went by so quickly is that it was also the week I celebrated my 26th birthday! For those of you who don't know or don't remember, my birthday was on the 22nd of August. It fell in the middle of the work week, so I didn't do anything big, but it still ended up being a very nice night. Ian S. and Ange had told me the previous week about a place they had found near their apartment where you could get oven roasted duck! I thought it sounded really good, so I hooked up with them after work and we went for dinner. It was a really great choice. The oven the restaurant uses is actually outside right near the front door, so you can see all the birds roasting on spits. Most of the oven is plexiglass so you can see that the oven is wood fired. We decided on a huge party platter selection which provided us with duck ribs, sliced duck, and smoked duck sausage. You dip the meats in various sauces and wrap each piece up in lettuce with different side vegetables, chili, kimchi, garlic etc... It was really great. Afterwards, we went back to their apartment and Ian brought his computer downstairs and we sat outside, watched world championship basketball and ate the great chocolate cake that Ange and Ian had bought me. It was the first time I have ever eaten chocolate cake accompanied by cans of beer :)
All in all it was a very satisfying way to celebrate my birthday.

Friday, September 01, 2006

A looooong week.

Part of most contracts in Korea is that you get 10 paid days of holiday per year. which is not much. One of the nice things the other teachers told me about Unium is that we get 5 days to a week of holiday every two months. This happens at the end of each normal school term when the children have exams. However, because this means we get alot more holiday time than specified by our contract we end up making up the hours elsewhere. In this case we had to make up for our 5 day holiday by working the following two saturdays. In case I have forgotten to mention it my working days on M/W/F is from 9am till 9:40pm. Its not as bad as it sounds, I only have 9-10 hours of classes and about 3 hours of breaks. But it can still be an exhausting experience. Anyway, the two saturdays we had to work were just like my M/W/F working days. So I ended up working five 13 hour days in a week. Not exactly fun! However, as bad as I felt about the situation you have to feel worse for the poor kids. I have been told that Korean children have more school hours than in any other country. Many of these children go to school from 9-4 and then go for 3-6 hours of extra schooling at two or more different Hogwan. Where they learn everything from English to math.