Every New Beginning Starts With Some Other Beginning's End

And here I sit.

Waiting for everyone to arrive to start eating supper. The last supper of 2006.

And everyone who will eat here is someone that I didn't know last New Year's. Everyone who I will hug, or kiss, or laugh with tonight is someone who has only known me a short time... not even 5% of my total life so far. The longest friendships I have here (tonight) are Steve, Stu, Nicola, Max, Lana and Bryce. And they are only longer by a few days on Karen, Matt, Helen and Dave. Others, like Amy, Jessica and Jeannie can be counted in weeks. But it's quality, not quantity, right?

These people have defined my life here in Korea. They have made my memories here as special as any that I could imagine having.

And this does not mean that I have forgotten anyone back in Canada. On the contrary, it's at times like these that I miss you all the most. I don't know who reads (or doesn't) my blog (except for those who leave comments), but even the blog has now evolved into something that I didn't expect it to be - my journal of my time here. I sometimes forget the things I have done, and go back reading over again and reliving again the times that I've had here.

This year, I have:

• moved from Montreal, leaving behind almost all I owned;
• moved from Canada, leaving behind my family, friends and cats;
• gained (and lost) new friends;
  
• gained new perspectives and new insights about myself;
• walked in the shoes of the illiterate, the foreign and the lost;
• not been present when my best Canadian friends may have needed me;
  
• stood on a mountaintop in Korea;
  
• sat on the Great Wall of China;
• sunk my feet into the sands of Malaysia;
• walked the streets of Singapore at midnight;
• stood in the oldest temple imaginable in Japan;
• eaten some weird, sometimes delicious, things that I never even knew existed;
• swum with sharks, while dodging clown fish;
• ridden my scooter (!) through rice paddies, on a highway and on winding single-lane roads to temples and beyond;
  
• used a wide variety of toilets - from primitive Malaysian squats to heated Japanese bidets;
  
• become "the Hostess", "the Sister", "the Organizer";
• bathed with a hundred other naked women in a Korean bath house;
  
• been treated like a queen, or a lackey...
  

There are times when I stop. When I look around. When I ask myself the seemingly simple question of "How did I get here?". When I don't know how to answer but to shake it off, and keep on going to the next adventure.

Because I know that this is only just the beginning.

Happy New Year

Only in Korea: Miming and Charades

When in a foreign country, we are often called upon to cross the language barrier by using body language, facial expressions and the like. It can be something simple - a quizzical smile and a shrug to say "Well, even though I said annyong haseyo to you, I still am not fluent in Korean".

There are times when, perhaps, you have forgotten your Korean-English dictionary and Korean phrasebook at home, or when you have incorrectly assumed that the person to whom you are speaking actually understands anything that you are saying. After eight and a half months, I can mime just about anything - not just words, but entire paragraphs and ideas. Most of these charades are also accompanied by random grunts, mispronounced pidgin Korean words and well enunciated English words (because if you speak slowly and loudly, everyone will understand you, right Mom?).

Cases in point:

"My cat needs one more shot before he is fixed. Can we set up an appointment now?"
"If I park my scooter in the downstairs parking garage, the gas will be siphoned. Therefore, I should park it here, where there is at least some surveillance system."
"Does this really appetizing looking, um, food, that you are putting in my cafeteria tray contain pork? shrimp? tentacles?"
"When will this envelope full of important documents arrive in Japan?"
"Is this bin for bottles or cardboard?"
"I need 200 double-sided photocopies of this worksheet."
"My scooter needs repairs, can I pick it up on Saturday?"

and my most proud moment, in celebration of my new coffee maker (thanks Helen!):

"I see that you have a coffee bean grinder here in the store. I have coffee beans at home from Canada (thanks Kelly!). If I bring in my coffee beans, can I grind them here?"

But seriously, it is sometimes a bit daunting. Like, give yourself 25 minutes to get anything done, take a deep breath, crack your knuckles, tell yourself that you can do this and.... go mail a letter at the post office! There's also the fact that "No means yes" in Korean. When you are asked a yes/no question, you agree or disagree with the statement, not the fact, in a "Yes, we have no bananas" sort of way.

It gives you a whole new respect for people who come to Canada, not speaking English or French, and try to get by. I mean, how many Korean speakers are there at your local hospital?

Looking forward to the weekend, which promises an apartment full of visitors and many fun activities in celebration of the New Year.

How to Celebrate Christmas in Korea

Spending Christmas away from those who know you best can sometimes be difficult. While it is true that I have not celebrated the past five Christmases in the same place (think Mexico, Cuba, Canada....), I think it is important that your inaugural holiday in such a place as Korea should introduce certain special traditions that are sure to last a lifetime.

1. Get a manicure with Melissa. While she chooses pink and you go for red, both of you should have a dusting of brilliant silver sparkles on the tips. When pressed for comment, a true gentleman (Tony) will tell you that you look "Festive";

2. Win a Hello Kitty doll on the street in the middle of the night. Well, step one is actually to buy some goguma (sweet potato cooked in an oil drum sort of contraption with fire and stuff- true Korean delicacy), then convince Stu to break tiles with his fist (Note: picture a stack of overlapping terracotta tiles). Make it a team effort with him breaking the first 30 and you breaking the last 3. Sing the same Christmas carol over and over to thank Stu for sacrificing his fist for your greed;

3. Attend your friends' rock show in a small, sweaty, cramped, smokey bar. Wear a Santa hat, or dress yourself in one of the many Santa costumes that were circulating and being worn by everyone (yuck). When the bar owners finally demand, at 5:00 am, that you and your friends leave, respond by screaming "You ruined Christmas!" (thanks Jeannie!);

4. Bring a few close friends together for an evening of mulled wine at Jeannie's and more bread products than you can shake a stick at - including Pannetone (Woohoo! I found Pannetone in Korea!). Enlist the hilarity of certain friends as the evening's entertainment, but don't get lost in Shidae (eh, Max?);

5. Wake up at 6:00 am to call Canada. Disrupt the 17 people who have just sat down to Christmas dinner and make them speak to you on the phone. What was honestly kind of funny, though, was that all through the day, people kept going home to call their home country - New Zealand, Canada, USA or England, all at different times, depending on the time zone;

6. Exchange Secret Santa gifts at Karen's, fueled by coffee, Bailey's and Kahlua. Delight in the joy of watching grown adults tear into their presents with more gusto than children. Well, isn't everyone a child at Christmas?;

7. Ascend to the rooftop of Shidae apartments, overlooking the entire city of Suncheon for the entire afternoon. Bring along the following: a sparkly pink cowboy hat, a few BB guns, BBs, red wine. Vow to wear your pyjamas all day, especially since the weather is absolutely gorgeous. Realize that the true meaning of Christmas can only be found in watching two friends battling it out in a BB gun duel;

8. Retire to Matt and Helen's for Christmas dinner: turkey (!!), chicken, bacon-wrapped sausages, mashed potatoes (thanks Dave), veggies and 47 gallons of gravy each. Eat. Eat lots. Eat more. Be thankful that there is no kimchi on your plate;

9. Watch Elf, debate economics and philosophy, watch a certain SNL skit (Step 1, Cut a hole in the box...) no less than 6 times, thankful that having worn your pyjamas all day means that you don't even need to get changed when you simply can't keep your eyes open anymore;

10. WORK THE NEXT DAY. No rest for the wicked. Boxing Day is not a holiday, but many English teachers took it as a sick day (not me, though!).

This may not have been a typical, traditional Christmas, unless your family is prone to rooftop gunfights, but it was definitely one of the most memorable for me. Full of food, drink, music, friends, good times, laughter, more food, more drink, more friends, more laughter, surprises, gifts, and, dare I say, never a dull moment.

Thanks to Steve, Karen, Stu, Max, Jessica, Nicola, Big Dave, Kirsten, Wrestling Dave, Matt, Helen, Jeannie, Doug, Tony, and everyone else for showing that Christmas is really what you make it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

May your Christmas be better than you ever thought it could be

Hello Kitty is probably singing the following Christmas songs: Santa Baby, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, All I Want for Christmas is You. She is probably singing them very loudly, much to the chagrin of those around her (especially Stu).

Major Flickr Update

Yay! Success! I've been fighting with my computer for a few days now, trying to upload photos into my new PRO Flickr account.

Finally, today, everything just seemed to appear like magic.

I've still got work to do on it, but take a look at the new sets: Jakob, Suncheon Jeil (my school) and pictures of my friends, starting with Orientation week in April (whew, we are going back far!) and coming all the way to now.

Click here to see...

What Can Brown Do For You?

Jakob is very proud of his Mommy's new BROWN BELT.

Next step: RED

Wee update

1. IT'S SNOWING!
2. Jakob has just spent the past hour meowing at EVERY SINGLE SNOWFLAKE as it drifted down. Cute!
   
3. India plans are full steam ahead.... Thanks to Myrianne for the heads up re: Terrorist threat in Goa. It's a big country and we'll keep ourselves out of harm's way as much as we can.
   
4. Had a fabulous weekend, including a visit from our most dapper Max of Naju, a wicked awesome church-organized Christmas party (even if I didn't win the orchid!), a couple late nights, and a pyjama morning of Kahlua coffee with Steve, Max and Karen. Steve and Max will be in India at the same time as Karen and I.
   
5. Have lost my voice. A normal person would simply shut up and wait for their voice to heal. I am not "normal". This should not interfere with my "teaching" this week, as we are watching Love Actually or Superman all week. Coolest teacher ever!
   

Long Random Rambly Blog

It's been a long, yet somehow uneventful week. Then it hits me that, well, maybe I am just getting used to things here...

But then things happen that remind me of just how different I am. I've been noticing a lot this week that everyone around me is Korean, except for a handful of foreigners. Yeah, okay, I'm not THAT dumb. But, you know. Sometimes you forget that you are different until...

I tend to spend a lot of time at Homeplus/Tesco's, which is also a division of Samsung. Anyway, it's a department store/grocery store with a couple food places and the like. Next to the bank machines, there is a Christmas tree with a bench in front of it. On the bench is a very large green plush bunny with striped ears wearing a Santa Claus suit. Picture, if you will, me. Sitting on a bench. Next to a green plush bunny. Wearing a Santa suit. If you were you, which one would you stare at in disbelief?

So, this little boy walks by and points and says, "Meeguk-saram!" (which means "American"). I guess he thought the 4-foot tall green plush Tesco's Santa-Bunny came from the USA.

On a side note, never never never go to a Korean bank at 4:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, looking for the one guy who speaks English.

Right, so I am only an interview away from spending next summer teaching in Japan. I can almost taste the wasabi.*

There was an envelope on my desk this morning from my Korean travel agent. I opened it with excitement and found... my friend's passport, with a brand spanking new visa for India. In what other country would people be so trusting as to send you someone else's passport, just because they know that you are friends and you will deliver said passport to said friend asap?

And, it doesn't feel like Christmas here at all. I've been doing Christmas activities at school, wore a Santa hat to all my classes today, showed my students Merry Christmas Mr Bean, and still, I don't feel all that Christmassy. There are lights, and decorations, and green bunnies in Santa suits and all that....Maybe it's because there is no snow.

Melissa and I are always joking about recording our walks/bus-rides to school. She is haunted by cars that drive on sidewalks, and the guy who bows to her because he thinks she's Mary (as in Jesus' mom), whereas I get the cute father-less children who live in my building saying "HellohowareyouI'mfineandyou?", a collection of ajummas selling ditch veggies in plastic bowls next to the bus stop and a veritable minefield of saliva and snot on the sidewalk. There's one kid who waits at the same bus stop as I do for the same bus. He spits, and I am not kidding, every 15 seconds.

And, I totally rock at telling my 600 students apart. So good, in fact, that I can differentiate a set of twin boys from each other (okay, it's only because they wear different glasses, but you know... it's still something!). I've either tried to learn their names (examples: Jo Eun-A, Lee Ok-to, Kim Ki-kwang, Kim Jae-ik, Ga-young, Eun-jeng...) or assigned them random nicknames (examples: Chingu, Bad Boy, Handsome Twin, Red Glasses, Bunny Slippers, Gorgeous, Blue Moon, Genius, Superman, White Glasses). Now, we just need to work on getting everyone to call me Virginia, not Melissa. Apparently, foreigners all look the same. Who knew?

The countdown can officially begin for India now. In one month, I will be standing in front of the Taj Mahal. Here's what I still need to do to prepare for my trip: exchange money, buy malaria pills, get my visa (which will be in my passport, which is probably going to be sent to my friend... I mean, who knows?), get hidden pockets sewn into my tank tops, pack, re-pack, un-pack again, buy a smaller backpack, buy a memory card, re-pack again, decide which toiletries really aren't necessary and pack again, find someone to take care of Mr Shane (hamster), figure out if a 41-hour train ride from Delhi to Goa is worth it, learn a few Hindi phrases, learn a few Tamil phrases, learn a few phrases of the rest of the 14,000 dialects of India, get a manicure and pedicure (okay, maybe that's not all that necessary), and read up on things to do on a 7-hour layover in Tokyo.

* To anyone who ever has paid attention to anything that I've ever said in the past 15 years, including "I am never going to teach in Korea", "I have no interest in ever visiting China." and "Japan? Why would I want to teach there?", well, you know, I reserve the right to change my mind. A lot. If you go back far enough, you can also find the infamous phrase "I am not going to become a teacher". Right. Whatever.

Awesome Weekend...

Friday: Lana and Bryce stayed over on Friday, on their way to shopping and Boseong. Even though they live near Suncheon, we don't get to see each other enough. They arrived just before I nipped off to TaeKwonDo, where I got to spar (fight) for the first time! We had a great time out at Julianna's, then lazed around Saturday morning, until we finally got ourselves out the door to be more productive than reading and chatting.

Saturday: Got together with the new book club on Saturday afternoon. We got together to discuss The Girls by Lori Lansens, which we did discuss, for at least 20 minutes. The rest of the time we stuffed our faces, drank wine and talked about everything but! It was a really excellent afternoon and I can't wait for the next book club afternoon.

Sunday: Seonam Temple is one of my favourite places to be around Suncheon. I went there for the 4th time today with my friend James, but get this: WE RODE THERE! He was on his motorbike and I was on my scooter. We're talking about at least a 50km return trip. It was really awesome - big blue sky, crisp without being freezing - but still cold even with multiple Michelin-man inducing layers. There's something to be said about the freedom of the road. I can see how people can get addicted to motorbike riding and I can just imagine how one can dream of riding across a country or continent (eh Stu?). Maybe one day I'll have a chance to do something like that.... would have to learn how to ride a real motorbike though, instead of my little 50CC scooter.

Anyway, here's the best pic ever of us and our bikes:

TaeKwonDo Photos

Don't mess with us.
We know Tae Kwon Do!!!

... Am still not sure what to do about next year....still a big preoccupation... thanks to Stu and Ashley for various solutions... Meron, I will never ever admit that you are "right", and you know that (teehee - just seeing if you read the fine print).

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

I'm a bit preoccupied these days...

Yes, I will stay in Korea.

The question is this: Do I stay at the same school or go somewhere else?

Reasons to stay at the same school:

• I like my students;
• In my mind, leaving my school means leaving Suncheon (and I like Suncheon);
• I know how to get around the city by bus, scooter, giving directions in a taxi...;
• Universities seem to hire primarily in March and August, and my contract ends in April;
• Jakob and Mr Shane;
• Red Devil, my scooter;
• TaeKwonDo and Tuesday French Nights;
• I'm lazy.

Reasons to move on:

• Have you seen my apartment?
• My relationship with the staff at my school is touch and go;
• Suncheon is a nice place, but there are other great places to see;
• It will be even more difficult to leave after two years;
• Many friends seem to be leaving;
• It's the end of the school year here, which means different students starting on March 1 (1/2 same and 1/2 different students next year);
  
• The dangers of stagnation.

Could somebody please make this decision for me, so that I don't have to?

Thanks.

Wee Update

1. Bird Flu is in Korea. Bird Flu is in the province just north of me. Yesterday, I had an egg on my cafeteria tray and Melissa was all like "Don't eat that." So...List of things I don't eat here: beef, seafood, pork, and now, no chicken or eggs. Of course, kimchi supposedly cures the Bird Flu, but I don't eat kimchi. I'll call it the "Korean Bird Flu Weight Loss Plan".

2. It's cold here. While southern Ontario seems to be rocking 17 degrees, it's chilly chilly chilly here. It could be worse, I could have to beg to get the heat turned on in my classroom... oh, wait. Yeah. I do have to beg this grumpy administration guy to get the heat turned on in my classroom. The kids wander around in their winter jackets, with full on scarves and mitts and blankets and stuff. Of course, the windows are kept open in the school... apparently, shivering is "good for health". Sometimes, it is colder in the school than outside. I have a space heater next to my desk that pre-dates the Korean War, I am sure, so am a bit leery about leaving it on. I'm still stupid enough to ignore the weather and ride my scooter to school because, well, it's fun. Have discovered that laying my clothes on my apartment floor will heat them up (gotta love ondol - underfloor heating), and Jakob makes a neat furry bed-warmer.

3. Heading to Mokpo to kick it old skool with Maura for her birthday. May possibly take part in another "Free Hugs" thing too. Depends on how cold it is.

4. Jessica gave me a webcam and I recorded something on it and tried to e-mail it as an attachment and post it, but neither thing seems to have worked. Will have to figure it out and get back to you.

5. I'm still exploring options for next year. Do I stay in Suncheon, in the same craptastic apartment, but where I finally know how to get from Point A to Point B and where all my friends are? Do I stay at the same school where the kids know me and I have (finally) learned a few teachers' names? Or do I move to points unknown and see what's out there?


Finally, here's a little pic of one of my students who has a wicked crush on me - he literally runs down the hall calling "Baginia! Hi!", then holds my hand and tells me something in Konglish (Korean/English). Melissa calls him my boyfriend...