First Impressions

It's impossible to be at a different school and city in Korea without comparing the two. So far, I am really loving my new apartment, school and lifestyle, with no regrets about moving from Suncheon (yet... I mean, we're talking about first impressions here). Suncheon was a great place to be for the first year in Korea. There were enough foreigners around that you never felt super homesick - want to chat with someone in English, make plans for the weekend or just hang out? Walk down a few floors in Shidae Apartments, and you are there. That is certainly not the case here - although I've been able to hang out with JP, Jen and Alex, it means calling back and forth and making firm plans, then either scootering or cabbing it to their place. The "do drop in" aspect is non-existant here.

I do miss Suncheon (and I am so glad that I am going there on Friday to see a few people and pick up the last of my things).

But, for me, the biggest difference - and the most positive one - is my school. All last year, any conversation with me inevitably led to me complaining about my school, my co-teacher, my head teacher. I sometimes wondered if I was being difficult, if I was being a "whiny waygook" or if it was some problem between me and Korean culture. My friends would listen to me, but there wasn't much that anyone could do, and I know that they grew tired of my griping and moaning after a while (who wouldn't??). When they met Melissa, my colleague, they would ask her, "Is it really that bad?" as if I were exaggerating.

It was simply a case of attitude and atmosphere. The high school in Suncheon was probably a difficult place to work, for Korean teachers too. They put in overly long hours, and dealt with an administration (speaking from someone on the outside, looking in) that seemed less than supportive. This new school has more of a "family" feet to it. With only 120 little kids and maybe a dozen or so teachers, there is just a better vibe. But there are concrete things too: Last year, I finally had to demand to be taken to the Immigration Office to get my "Alien Registration card" - a necessity for any foreigner here - after having been in the country for over 2 weeks. This year, on my first day of school, my head teacher told me to go home and get my documents, we were going to the Immigration Office *now*. At my old school, I was a "burden" and "difficult". Here, I am a "good teacher" and "nice" and the principal (a woman) likes me.

On one hand, it is a matter of perception.... And probably a result of my own acclimatization to Korean culture... but this is what I think it boils down to. At my other school, foreigners (me or any other teacher) WERE difficult burdens - the Head Teacher even told Melissa that she didn't really like us being there, meaning that anything we asked about or needed was seen as an imposition. At this new school, that is certainly not the case.

As Nicola pointed out to me, though, "It takes two to tango, honey!". I know that if I'd started out here, I probably would not have had the same first impressions (small apartment, smelly streets, strange food....), but it feels good to know that, last year, it wasn't just me, it was them too.

Ha!

Wow - it's certainly interesting to be back in Korea. It's the second time around, so I was able to hit the ground running. But before I get to that, I need to fill in my last few days in Canada:

The biggest news from the last few days in Canada is definitely the birth of Cohen Morlais Gillard Watson, Kelly and Steve's baby (scroll down to see pics from their baby shower). Kelly and I met on the first day of Grade 9 at Denis Morris High School in St. Catharines, and have remained best friends since that day. This is no mean feat considering all the moves, changes etc that can happen from the age of 13! It was so special for me to a) be called at 2 am for the birth announcement and b) to get to visit them in hospital (I took a ton of pictures, but can't upload until I get my own computer hooked up). You know how sometimes you see newborn babies and you kind of have to pretend that they are cute? Ha! Not with Cohen - he's absolutely stunning!!

The day before I left, my mom hosted a going away party with friends and family and lots of food. The highlight (for me) was the "Vodka Cake" - yes, my mother flavoured the icing on the cake with vodka. Vodka has no flavour, says you??? Ha! It was flavoured vodka (peach) and it worked perfectly well, thank you very much! I've decided now to use vodka to flavour everything - from breakfast cereal to tomato soup. So far, it's working out well.

On the day of my departure, I decided to start the day by packing. Yes, little miss organization that I am, I hadn't really bothered starting to pack until the last minute (much to the chagrin of my mother), and it meant having to leave behind a few things. With everything crammed to the gills (literally - my weight limit per bag was 23 kg and when one of my bags was weighed at the airport check-in, it was at 22.8 kg - Ha!). My brother Al drove us to Toronto, and we got to wander around Chinatown and then the downtown a bit, eating at a Moroccan restaurant before hitting the airport. Once there, I met up with some new folks (Sarah and Andrew) and JP, who I'd met last year in Wando. Like quite a few of my friends and acquaintances here, JP is back for a second "tour of duty" in Korea after a few months of reality in Canada. The flight went well and we arrived in Incheon (Seoul) at about 2:30 am on May 24, having skipped May 23 altogether. While waiting for the bus to take us to the Gimpo airport for our flight to Gwangju, JP and I initiated Sarah and Andrew into Korean foreigner lifestyle by drinking a bottle of soju in front of the airport. Good times!

We arrived in Gwangju at about 8 am, and were put up in a hotel, then given the day to wander around. May 24 was Buddha's birthday, so there was no school anyway. As I walked around the streets of downtown Gwangju, it hit me that I wasn't experiencing the culture shock (Oh my God! Everyone is Korean! Oh my God! I can't read any signs! Oh my God! What is this on my plate? Oh my God! Hello Kitty is on everything!) that I had the first time through. It was as if I'd only been away for a few days, and I was able to walk right back into my role as Random Foreigner. It was also great to know that I already had friends here - like JP, Jen and Stu - who I got to see on my first day back.

The next day (April 25), I dragged Stu and JP to Emart to buy the Essential Survival Device for a Foreigner in Korea (a coffeemaker), and we were off to meet our new co-teachers. I'd already met my co-teacher, Mr Shin, a few months back, so it was not a stressful meeting at all. He drove me to my apartment in Mokpo, introduced me to a few staff members, walked me around the neighbourhood and introduced me to a few shopkeepers, and bought me some bread. Very cool! There's a real feeling of being welcomed with open arms here - which is great.

The apartment, which I'd seen four times before, suddenly seemed to have become quite a bit smaller than what I remembered. It's a one-room apartment, with a small entrance vestibule and a wee kitchen/balcony. The bathroom is a tiled cube, meaning that you get to pretend that you are showering on a yacht every day! For comparison's sake: It's smaller than Meron's upstairs room, it's probably got the same general square footage of my brother's living room, it's roughly the size of Barb's living room, and way smaller than any of the rooms in Toronto Kat's house, but could be compared to the kitchen space of Montreal Kat's place, or the dining room of La Commune in La Pocatiere. But.... it's got lots of charm! Chad, who lived here before, constructed this really cool "door desk", which is made up of a chest of drawers, a door, a TV, some shelves, 2 milk crates, an old school desk and some random blocks of wood. It's amazing, holds a lot of stuff and is a great use of the vertical space in my apartment.

The neighbourhood is decidedly "Old School Korea", with lots of steep alleyways that twist between traditional homes, random fishing products for sale (Need some anchor chain? Let me know and I'll set you up), lots of vegetable gardens and a decidedly distinctive smell (which I like to refer to as "Wall of Ass" - you are just walking along when suddenly "WHOA!" It's literally like hitting a wall.). I'm miles away, in distance as well as design, from Shidae apartments in Suncheon.

The first order of business on Friday afternoon was to get in touch with Alex and Jen and move all my stuff from Alex's place to mine, assisted by Jongwon and a random student of Alex's who needed to prepare for a university interview in English. As the boxes and bags were moved in, I found myself wondering how I was going to fit everything into the space that I had... Anyway, we checked out the local "random kim bap restaurant with an orange sign", ate cheegeu ramyan, and took turns asking Alex's student possible interview questions.

So, all day yesterday was "Unpacking and Apartment Decoration Day". Waking at the ungodly hour of 3:30 am (Ha! Jetlag!!!), I managed to make the space VERY livable and cool. I've got wall-hangings, pillowcases, sarongs, saris, scarves, statues, colourful books, knickknacks and pictures from my travels covering every decorate-able surface. I can't wait to video it and upload it (once again, have to wait for computer to be hooked up) to show you all. JP and Jen (and Paddy!) came over in the early afternoon and helped a bit, then we decided to go out wandering (Jen was in Suncheon last year, then moved back to Canada and came back to Korea, Mokpo this time, in April), eventually finding our way to Emart to pick up more essentials for the apartment (like a squeegee for the glorious tiled-cube shower). Then, while Jen and I watched random movies on TV (Ha! I finally have a functioning TV and cable - expect lots of posts about the random-ness of Korean TV) and drank coffee (Jen) and wine (me), JP put my new bookshelves together, then made us a wicked awesome spicey tofu stir-fry thing. Jen and I decided that JP is definitely deserving of our friendship, since he can turn the random objects in your fridge into delicousness.

My apartment looks out onto the water, and one of the islands is decorated with lights that change colour every few seconds. There are also ferries and fishing boats going by constantly. Some of them honk their horns (or whatever the nautical term is) as they approach the ferry terminal down the street, and there is the constant din of boat engines as they motor past, punctuated by the odd seagull!!

And so, this morning, I woke up to the sound of fishing boats heading out to sea, in a nicely decorated apartment (still have to get pictures up and clear some of the random debris and clutter), having spent a day with friends, and looking forward to a new beginning....

Yes yes yes, I am in Korea

Just a quickie update.... currently unpacking and wondering where to put everything.

The First Annual Canadian Visit Mooching Guest Awards

And so... in only a few days, I will be coming back to Korea, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to start a new year of teaching. Or well, a few weeks of teaching until the first vacation time. (Most common question while I was here: So, uh, do you actually WORK in Korea?). As I've been doing a lot of visiting of friends while I've been here (ALL PHOTOS ARE NOW UPLOADED TO FLICKR, GO FIND THEM THERE), and given my penchant for awards shows, I've decided to offer my Canadian friends some real recognition on my blog.

Best Shopping Experience: Winners and the Pen Centre in St. Catharines with Kat; Avenue St-Denis with Katrina, Ellie and Ina. There's nothing quite like blowing so much money in so little time....

Stupidest Leave Behind: All of my Indian jewellery in Joanna's bathroom in Toronto. Got it back though...

Best Wake-up: A tie between a fluffy little tabby cat (Puddin' at Heather's) or a huge black-faced German shepherd (Maximus at Ellie's)

Worst Wake-up: My mother, at stupid o'clock in the morning, trying to tell me about her cruise across the Atlantic ocean when I had just gotten over jetlag and she was just getting onto it.

Best Disaster: My sister burning holes in my mom's kitchen floor (while my Mom was still on vacation).

Best Surprise: Going to La Pocatiere with Madeleine.... home pedicure with Meron.

Best Coffee: A one dollar espresso from a brulerie in Quebec City.

Best Bathroom Products Selection: Joanna wins for sheer amount and variety (ahhhh, if we ever live together again, we'll need three bathrooms and a closet to contain all our necessities), but Katrina offers all Aveda products with a consultation (Is your skin feeling dry today? Here, use this)... bah - a tie again.

Best Supper: Indian food in Toronto; Finger foods in Barb's backyard in Kitchener; Melted Brie in a pastry in Niagara Falls; Table d'hote at the Azimut in La Pocatiere; All the contents of my mother's fridge, Eggs Benedict at that place in Hudson, at least 10 meals at Strega in St. Catharines... basically anything that was not Korean food or eaten with chopsticks, but that included a healthy dose of cheese, and being surrounded by friends and/or family.

Hugest Fattest Fluffiest Cat that is not a Registered Purebred Maine Coon: Finalists include Sweet Jane (Quebec), Miche (Quebec) , Moby (Montreal) and Sebastien (St. Catharines).

Best Baby Bump: Kelly, closely followed by Isabelle.

The This-Visit-was-Too-Short Award: Meeting up with Tiffany, Charlene and Barb in Kitchener for only an afternoon.

The I'm-a-Tourist Award: Meron on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls.

The Classic Spring Day Wandering Award: Visiting the garden centre, then getting ice cream at the Avondale's on Stewart Road with Kelly.

Best Korean Gift Reaction: My nephews when faced with the prospect of eating ginseng candy (they brought it to school and threatened their friends with it); Anyone who got fun Korean socks; The ddok at Kelly's baby shower....

In just a few weeks, I have managed to squeeze in visits with my family and my friends, from Kitchener, Ontario to La Pocatiere, Quebec. Quite a distance - much further than going anywhere in Korea!! It's been a good trip home - thanks to all who went out of their way to pick me up or drop me off somewhere, or who sacrificed their credit card balance in order to join me in my shopping - it was really great to have this chance to see everyone.

Oh, and thanks to Jacques, Molly, Casino, Max, Luna, Sally, Gracie, Sudney, Amanda, Dolly, Junior, Roxie, Maximus, Spartacus, Misty, Ollie, Leo, Blinky (it's not Blinky, it's Binky!), Moby, Mr. Mittens, Puddin', Amber, Canasta, Cody (aka The Devil), Angel & the kittens, Emile, Miche, Maya, Austin, Corail and Sweet Jane for allowing me to visit their human slaves and/or sleep in their homes.

On my way...

... from two days of pounding the pavement in Toronto, and loving every minute of it;
... from a nice weekend of shopping and eating in and around Montreal with old friends;
... to Quebec City from Montreal this afternoon;
... to La Pocatiere (maybe) on Monday;
... back to Toronto on Tuesday;
... back to St Catharines on Wednesday;
... to Korea on May 22 (arriving May 24).

Full post and pictures later... just wanted to appease the masses.

Kelly's Shower, My Family and The People in my Neighbourhood

Yesterday was Kelly's and Steve's baby shower. Here are some random pictures:

So, if you read my blog, you will notice certain people who comment frequently (besides my mother), and you may be like, "Gee, I wish I knew what these people looked like". Well, here you go.... Might I present Elbows and Kat (in a very "candid and natural" shot) and Meron (wearing MY clothes and earrings from India).

Here are some vain attempts

by my brother and sister and I to take a nice Mother's Day picture of the three of us. We've decided to hire people to pose for us instead.

Final School Pictures... Finally!

Just finishing off the series of pics from school.... from my last day.

Okay, the kid on the left side is Lee Ok to. Cool name. Was in a supplementary class and at summer camp, which allowed me to learn his name. The guy in front of Ok to is Good Student Twin, as opposed to Handsome Twin who was sleeping on his desk and refusing to wake up to have his picture taken.

I love this kid.

My favourite group: 2-3. They all came late on the last day because Melissa had them sign a card for me. Tall Boy is pretty hard to miss.

The other half of 2-3. Notice "Genius" (Son Ju-hye) front and centre.

The Grade 3 soccer team, featuring Chingu in front.