End of my second year in Korea

If the first year in Korea was a terrible year for blogging, the second year blog was nonexistent.  There were so many things happening, so many things to blog about, yet I just didn't.  But my second year was filled with things outside of the Native English teacher's Korean experience.  It was personal.  Perhaps, that's why it has taken me so long.  But here is it anyway.

The most significant event came almost 2 weeks after Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving.  My co-teacher and I went to the police station to find my aunts, uncles, and cousins after my sister sent me some necessary documents.  Fortunately, it contained my uncles and aunt's Korean ID, which is similar to our social security number.  After an hour at the police station, I left excited, but somewhat doubtful that I would hear anything back quickly.  So it came as a surprise when I got a call from my co-teacher saying that they have not only relocated by family, but they were eager to meet me.  My co-teacher, who I adore, offered to come with me to meet my family.  My Korean was still pretty terrible and it wasn't good enough to explain everything that has happened in over two decades.  Even after not seeing them for years, it felt familiar and comfortable.  From that time in early October through my last day in Korea, I have spent as much time as possible with them.  I'm leaving out a lot of details about this, but I will save those details for another time.

The next most significant event: graduate school.  I will NEVER, EVER take the GRE again!!!  Since I've decided that I will not do a PHD and I got into grad school, I have no reason to ever take it.  I am the example that you can bomb your GRE and still get into a good program.  I started the application process with seven schools.  You know the saying, "shoot for the stars"?  I did.  When I got rejected from my "safety" school, I panicked and applied to three more schools.  I should have been patient and save some money.   Less than a week after I spent hundreds of unnecessary dollars, I was accepted into American University's SIS program.  It was in my top three choices, so naturally I was going to accept the offer.  Then the UCSD's offer came and now I had a decision to make.  As good as UCSD's program is, I hadn't thought too much about it and I focused on the DC schools.  But as always, I started to dig deeper and read everything about the two programs.  Then I made my famous PROS/CONS list.  And here I am in San Diego with two weeks left of my summer prep courses.

Here is my thought about my last year in Korea.  As my Korean improved dramatically and I spent a lot of time with my family, I didn't feel like I was a foreigner having some grand adventure.  A foreigner, yes!  Somehow my world was about my family and grad school.  It all felt so normal.  BUT none of it was normal.  Perhaps this perception of normalcy and my personal journey throughout the year is what I needed to start a new chapter as a graduate student.

End of the Year Review...well, my contract year

I am aware that we are not at the end of the year.  However, it has been a year since I uprooted my life in the States and landed in Korea.  When I first came here, I had all these grand ideas of updating my blog religiously and taking pictures of everything I saw.  But the reality is far from my original goal.  The first three months, or as they call it the "honeymoon" phase, are filled with pictures and trips.  Everything was new and exciting...as it should be.  But here ends my blog entry.  

As I rolled along my month 4, I was settling into my life pretty comfortably.  So here is a abridge version of my life in Korea thus far.

Christmas Eve, Eve in Seoul as we ice skated near City Hall, the snow fell.  Then off to Jinbu, Gangwondo: a beautiful snow covered village, about 3 hours east of Seoul.  Sledding, eating, and opening Secret Santa presents filled our short stay.  Those of you who know me may be asking, "Who is this girl?  Ice skating, sledding?"   Yup, apparently I do all those things in Korea.  Who knew!

New Years in Daeju- everybody needs a drink in a bag. By bag, I mean an IV bag with a straw! "Yes, make it stronger!"

Winter vacation with Kim and Mysti:
1) Ulsan- Ilsan beach
2) Busan- fortress and accidental 3 hour hike, temple, English pub
3) Gyeongju- Astrological tower, burial mounds, and museum that was closed
4) Samcheok- Penis Park, no that's not a typo!
5) Seoul- Palaces, Seoul Tower, and shopping

End of February-the dreaded orientation and lock down. So this is what being in prison feel like.  Since I missed my orientation, as I got here the day it ended, I was sent off for a 7 day training...to learn everything I knew (because I had been here for 6 months).  To be fair, it had a lot of informative stuff that would have been helpful...in the beginning.  And did I mention that it was a lock down?!?!?  Meaning, we were not allowed to leave the facility (similar to a very small college campus) even to buy laundry detergent or toothpaste.  Usually in these events, one would have some drinks to relieve the stress and boredom.  But there were no alcoholic drinks to speak of.  The only relief people found were cigarettes in between breaks.  Too bad I don't smoke.

May to June-Terri, Kelly, and Katie's visit
1) Seoul Hanok Village, Yeuoido Park as we walked along several famous kdrama filming spots!
2) Seoul Lantern festival in honor of Buddha's birthday
3) Cheongju- an attempt to rediscover out maternal lineage
4) Yongjin Folk village where they film many historical kdramas
5) Gongju- the site of an old Baekje capital

Girls' Wicked Weekend: There is nothing better than a girls' weekend in which we get dressed up with our pretty, pretty hats and head for the races.  Then we get to the race track to find out that rather than Kentucky Derby, it was more like middle-age men's convention with bare-footed men sitting on the floor with the newspapers spread out all over.  After which, we headed for dinner and to watch the Australian cast of "Wicked".  I will say that this was one of my favorite musical!  There are not enough words to describe the emotions that poured out of me.

August-finally my vacation
1) Lasek eye surgery- I did a ton of research.  Who are we kidding.  This is me.  I make a PROS/CONS list before embarking on any new venture.  And they were going to shoot lasers into my eyes.  I thought this may be one of the most important research of my life.  So after carefully research and weighing the costs to the benefits,  I made an appointment for the surgery.  It is the best money I have ever spent and I am so happy not only with my vision, but that I had the opportunity to get such a state-of-the-art surgery for the fraction of the cost back in the States.
2) Off to Ulsan to hang with Mysti and friends: Mostly consist of eating, drinking, multi-bang, and the Love Push!
3) to Seoul to spend the last few days with my soul sister, Mysti, before she left for the States.  Again, mostly eating and drinking with a little museum to throw in for some culture.  Finally, 90 minutes of ass-kicking disguised as a Sports message.  I'm pretty sure my back was covered in bruises.  Lesson learned-NO MORE SPORTS MESSAGES!

To top it all off, I have been studying to retake my GREs and looking into graduate schools.  I even bought a guitar because I apparently cannot be left alone to do nothing.  During this time, I have managed to pick up enough Korean to get by on a day to day basis without embarrassing myself or getting into trouble.  I still haven't learned enough Korean to converse with people beyond the very basic.  But I have felt comfortable enough to want to stay another year.   And I have also realized that Korea is not for me long-term.  I love the people, the food, and the culture.  But I do feel like an outsider, who is here temporarily.  That isn't to say that I will definitely leave here next year.  Although that is the plan, life has a funny way of changing any plans I make.  So stay tuned to see what happens...

I Want New Eyes-Part II

Here is my one month review:

I nervously walked into the Dream Eye Center in Gangnam on a hot Saturday afternoon.  After a grueling 2.5 hours of exams, I scheduled my surgery for Lasek, the previously mentioned safer but more painful procedure.  The exam contained every eye test imaginable.  I will not go into the details, but they checked for everything, the size and thickness of my corneas, detailed mapping, and they even stuck a giant blobby looking "contact" into my eyes (which is the most uncomfortable part of the exam.  At the end of the consultation, they recommended the Lasek due to my severe nearsightedness.

I should mention here that the most painful part of the process for me was wearing my glasses for 4 weeks.  I had to wear them for 2 weeks before the consultation and 2 more weeks before my surgery.  As I said before, I get really bad headaches when I wear glasses.

We scheduled my surgery for late as possible in the afternoon, since my tech said that I would not be able to do much or see much.  It is a good idea to bring a friend to surgery as your vision is pretty bad and getting home might be tricky.  As always, my best friend was there for me!  The surgery was delayed because it was an exceptionally busy Saturday, which only increased my anxiety.  When the time finally came, it was over very quickly.  They prep me and laid me on the table.  The instructions were very clear; keep looking at the green light even if it disappears.  My surgeon, who spoke excellent English, explained everything he was doing in great detail so that I would be prepared.  Nothing came as a surprise and the surgery flew by.  After less than 10 minutes on the table, I was out in the waiting room.  The first thing I noticed was how much my sight had improved, which just goes to show you how bad my eyes really were.

As Mysti and I made our way through the busy subways of Seoul, it was a great relief that she was there to help me.  After this, I had another check up the next day to take the badges off and made sure that there were no infections.  Then I made my way back to Dangjin alone and hoped that the pain would not kick in until I was safely home.  The next few days were very boring.  I could barely keep my eyes open and tears seemed to flow nonstop.  On Monday, 2 days after surgery, the pain kicked in.  Although pain medicine doesn't help in this situation, I took some Tylenol ER and I slept through most of the pain.  When people asked about the level of pain, I said 7 out of 10.  Annoying, but definitely manageable. And trust the doctors when they tell you, it only last for a day.  Day 5 post surgery, I had another check up.  My left eye was already at 20/16!  The right eye had some catching up.  So for the next few weeks, my right eye continued to improve and now my eyes are both at 20/16 without any complications.  In case you're wondering about mobility, I was fine after 5 days and I left for my vacation.

On a side note:  The people at the Dream Eye Center are fabulous.  They were incredible knowledgeable, helpful, and understanding.  I was blown away by their customer service.

I Want New Eyes-Part I

After a long absence from the blogging world, my first entry is about laser eye surgery.  Not particularly interesting, but I found other people's blog on the subject very helpful when I was looking into getting the surgery.  I hope my journey can also be helpful to someone else out there.

I have worn glasses since about the 2nd grade and contact lenses since I was sixteen.  Most people don't even know that I wear glasses because I never actually wear them out in public.  This is because I hate wearing glasses and I often get headaches.  My main concern for wearing contact lenses for a long time: possible diseases.  While things may be fine right now, it doesn't mean that it will stay fine forever.  

One definite advantage of living in Korea is that medical tourism is a huge business.  Many foreigners come and spend their hard earned money on various procedures.  Which means that the same procedure costs fraction of what it would cost back in the States.  

I don't like plastic surgery unless there is a medical need for it.  I think too many people risk their lives unnecessarily.  So, there may be those out there pointing out my hypocrisy about getting laser eye surgery.  They would have a valid argument: why would you take a risk with your eyes when there is no medical reason for it?  I am altering the natural state of my body and it is completely unnecessary.  So it calls to question, how different is laser eye surgery in comparison to other plastic surgeries.  One argument is that the laser eye surgery can greatly improve one's quality of life.  Then again, same thing may be said by others who indulge in a nose job or cheek implant.  How does one measure quality of life?  In order to justify the cost of the surgery and the procedure itself, I've come with my own list of reasons.

1)  Health:  Since I can't (or rather I find it painful to) wear glasses, wearing contact lenses for a long time is harmful to my eyes.  According to the Oregon Health and Science, people who wear contact lenses for more than 15 years have a greater chance of vision lost.  Yikes, I've been wearing lenses for 20 years!  If you leave your contact lenses on overnight (as I have often done), your chances for infection and potential vision lost (from diseases and infections) increases dramatically.

2)  Cost:  Korean laser eye surgery is extremely affordable compared to the States.  While people pay around $2,000 per eye in the States, it costs anywhere from 1.200.000 to 2.000.000 wons for both eyes.  In the long run, the surgery is a cheaper options than wearing contact lenses long term.  In fact, regular check ups, contact lenses, glasses, and contact solution can cost anywhere between $500-700 per year back in the States.  The surgery cost at MOST $1,800 for both eyes with the average price at $1,300.

3)  State of the Art Equipment and Experienced Surgeons:  Koreans have all the top of the line equipment and experienced surgeons, who perform multiple surgeries a day.  Most clinics boasts that their surgeons have performed over 10,000 surgeries each.  For some reason, I feel safer getting it done here rather than going to some clinic in the States, where their surgeons have only performed 500 surgeries.

Then, there are the different types of surgeries. Here is a VERY brief summary.  The popular Lasik has a short recovery time, about a day or two.  This is a popular choice because the patients have immediate vision improvement and they can generally return to work after a short period.  However, there are cases of post-operation complications such as long term blurry night vision and infections related to the flap, which is created during surgery.  Also, the surgeons recommend against this surgery for active athletes.  Yes, I know.  I do not participate in sports.  But the flap is also a problem for people in a car accident.  Again, I don't plan on being in an accident.  That's why they call it an accident.  I don't like the idea that there will be a permanent flap on my cornea.  Call me crazy.  Whatever, these are my eyes and I worry a LOT.  I know plenty of people in Korea, who had this procedure done and they have nothing but wonderful things to say.  I admit that I am probably being a little too cautious. 

The other procedure is Lasek.  This has a slightly longer recovery, anywhere between 4-5 days.  It takes longer to gain full vision, about 6 months.  There is more pain after the surgery than Lasik.  This is because the extremely thin epithelial layer is removed in order to laser the cornea.  However, it ( the epithelial layer) regenerates after surgery, which causes discomfort.  This procedure is similar to PRK, which lasers on top of the epithelial layer and it is removed during the lasering process.   Lasek was created to decrease the recover time of PRK and decease the post operation complication of Lasik.  

One thing I've learned during this research process is that knowing made me feel better.  I've read numerous articles that detailed the procedure, which included pictures.  I haven't gotten myself to watch the videos, but it may actually make me back out.  Whether you get the Lasek or Lasik, there are benefits and risks.  After all, it is surgery.  It isn't a decision that should be made lightly or on impulse.  After much consideration and research on Lasek and Lasik, I have made an appointment for a consult.  I would prefer to have Lasek, but the surgeon will make the final recommendation.  To be continued after the consult.

It's been 3 1/2 months already?!

I’m a quarter of the way through my first year in Korea.  It seems surreal that the first three months have gone by so fast and smoothly.  During this time, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Although I have lived in Korea as a small child, it is still surprising to me that I haven’t experience any culture shock.   In the past, twenty-some years, I have fully acclimated to a very western lifestyle.  This isn’t to say that things are vastly different from the way things are at home (the U.S) or from what I had experienced in Korea many years ago.  However no matter how western Korea tries to be, it is in the heart of heart, an Asian country.  While I can’t really call it culture shock, there are things that I find puzzling.

There are some things that are so ingrained into their culture and habit, it doesn’t actually matter whether that practice seems useless.  For example: Koreans always take their shoes off when entering a home.  In schools, each student has a place to put their street shoes and change into their school slippers.  In theory, this is a good practice.  That is until you realized that those “inside” slippers spend a lot of time outside, thus negating the practical side of indoor slippers.  The hallways aren’t any less dirty.  Another example is about the heating situation.  As we fast approach the cold winter months, it is surprising that all the windows are opened “to let in fresh air”.  I agree that fresh air is important, but so is keeping the people healthy.  When people get sick, the illness tends to linger much longer.  No wonder, it’s probably warmer outside in the sun than inside (in the shade).

On the flip side, Korea is a very safe place to live and many Koreans still maintain their child-like innocents.  In some ways, I envy the way they see the world with innocent eyes.  It seems the bad things only ever happen in dramas.  Middle-aged women offer to hold strangers bags on a crowded subway or bus.  They never once think that we might find this strange.  We tend to look at everyone with our suspicious eyes, including the sweet old ladies.  Because who hasn’t seen “Dirty Dancing”...it’s always the sweet looking old people stealing other people’s wallet!  Their willingness to help a stranger always melts my heart.  There are the older men, who walk you to the subway station and help you buy the subway ticket even though you’re more than capable to doing it yourself.  Or the old ladies, who pass out sweet potatoes on the bus because they had extras.

In the land of giving, there is always an expectation to receive.  There is no shame in asking for things, especially by the children. They often forget to say “thank you”.  After saying thanks to some of the people who had helped, it seems that saying “thank you” is overrated.  They know that you’re grateful and they even seem surprise when you say thank you each time they do something nice.  In any case, I will continue to say “thank you” for any good deeds given.

Take It Easy

It's been three weeks (almost), since I landed in Korea.  My first weekend, I explored my town, Dangjin.  I walked around and found the necessary items for at least a couple of weeks.  I stumbled upon the open market on the off-day.  While there are still cute, little old ladies selling their goods, the real action happens on the 5th and 10th day of the month.

The weekend after was Chuseok, Koreans version of Thanksgiving.  During this time, people visit their family members and pay tribute to their ancestors by cleaning their graves.  Since my one family member lives in Ulsan, I ventured there with my trusted phrasebook and hoped I wouldn't get too lost.  Daejeon is about 1.5 hours from Dangjin and a major city where I needed to transfer to catch the bus to Ulsan.  When I arrived in Daejeon and I was dropped off...somewhere.  I got a little lost and when I found my way back 20 minutes later, I realized that I had been dropped off just across the street from the main bus terminal.  Next time, I will take the time to read the signs rather than just following the flow of people.  Since it was a major holiday, I waited another 3.5 hours for the next open seat on the bus.  The trip that would normally take 4 hours turned into an 8 hour journey.  It's still better than Gilligan's 3 hour tour!  But I finally arrived in Ulsan to see Mysti!  We went and had dinner with Janna, where we ordered way too much food.  We really need to pay better attention to the menus and stop thinking we can eat like "Gilmore Girls".  Then off to my first Norebong experience with out new Korean friends.  Yeah, I can't believe I actually went to a karaoke room and sang.  I blame the soju.  Then we went and played one of the beach side games where you pop the ballon with the darts and we all won stuffed "Hello, Kitty" heads.  Again, I had a lot of soju.  The next day, Mysti and I explored Ulsan as we walked through the open market and Old Downtown.  Later that evening, we stopped to eat some street food and had a drink at a bar.  On Chuseok, we went "hiking" at Ilsan Beach.  One thing I had heard prior to coming to Korea was that some girls actually go on these hiking trails in heels.  While I knew I would see such sights, it did still raise my eyebrows.  Then again, I went in my flip flops.  We enjoyed the beautiful scenery and got a little exercise.

After Chuseok, I had 2 days of teaching before the weekend.  Although, I have been here for three weeks, I still don't feel as if I have settled into my job.  I split my time between 2 schools.  My main school, I teach the 5th and 6th graders with an average of 22 students in each class.  My second school, there are only about 40 students in the entire school.  I teach all but the two 4th graders.  It is amazing how class sizes matter.  At my main school, my 5th and 6th graders think that English class is their fun time and are completely out of control.  Some days, they are pretty well-behaved; other times, the 40 minutes can't end fast enough.  I have started to use my stern, loud voice, which have silenced the room when needed.  My students at the second school are my angels.  Not only are they well-behaved, but so eager to learn.  I can already see myself getting attached to these adorable kids.

This past weekend, I met some of the other Native English teachers, both in public and private schools.  It is comforting to know that there are so many of us in this "tiny" city.  It is nice to exchange stories and talk without thinking about each and every word.  I think especially in the public schools where there is only one Native teacher, it can feel a bit isolating.  Koreans are shy people and are fearful to speak English.  On top of that, I can sense that other teachers are disappointed that I can't speak Korean.  It's been too hard to explain my adoption story and why I lost my Korean language skills to them.  So they think I'm an idiot or just a bad Korean.  Either way, there hasn't been much opportunity to learn Korean.  My one saving grace is the After School English teacher at my main school, whom I met yesterday.  Her English is excellent and so outgoing, she reminds me of all my friends back home.

Although I haven't been here long, I have already learned to "take it easy" and just let things happen.  There is no use in trying to plan too far in advance because everything happens in Korean time (though not quite like the Aloha time).  My many years of moving to different places and traveling has helped me to be more outgoing, which has been helpful in meeting new people.  Most of all, I am discovering my love of teaching (thanks to my second school).  At the end of the day, I know I'm here for my students and that puts a smile on my face.

First 48 hours in Korea

After more than 17 hours of travel, I finally made it to Korea about 5am yesterday.  I waited until 7am for the driver to show up.  After that, I waited another hour for a different driver because he was the only one who knew where I was supposed to go.  Then, I went straight to the Dangjin head office to wait for my co-teacher(s).  I met 2 teachers, one who was leaving, another who was replacing him.  They took me to my apartment, lunch, and school.  I wasn't prepared to meet the principle as I had just gotten off the plane and wasn't in my best form.  Nonetheless, there we went.  My teachers introduced me to various other teachers and office employees.  Each time, my co-teacher had to explain why I couldn't speak Korean.  They did not seem pleased.  So it goes.  Finally at the end of the day, my co-teacher, the replacement, took me to Lotte Market to buy some essentials: coffee marker, grinder (of sorts), and school slippers.  He seemed please at my fast shopping ability.  I explained that I actually hate shopping.  It had been a long day, so I unpacked, shower, looked at the lesson for the next day, and went to sleep.

In the morning, my principal picked me up and took me to my school.  My first school is about a 20 minute drive or 1 hour bus ride.  The first 4 periods are my 5th and 6th grade classes and the rest of the day is for lesson planning.  All I did today was observe the class.  The children were trying to speak to me in Korean and was disappointed that I couldn't reply.  Few are trying to teach me...and I thought I was the teacher!  After school, I met my co-teacher from my second school.  My first day there will be Wednesday.  This juggling two schools should be interesting.  On another note, I was asked whether I was married or single by teachers and students.  I know it's a common question and people are curious.  One thing I had trouble explaining was WHY (which my principal asked).  "Uh, I don't know.  I haven't met the right person yet."  Then he told me that maybe I will find someone in Korea.  I guess anything is possible.

My city, Dangjin: First, it is a lot bigger than what I imagined.  Because of Hyundai, the city has grown exponentially in the last ten years.  There are high rise apartments everywhere and the city limit is huge (hence the hour bus ride to my schools).  My apartment is near downtown Dangjin and close to the bus terminal.  Apparently, the downtown is not safe at night...they said something about the Chinese.  It is about an hour bus ride from Seoul and about 4 hours from Ulsan (Mysti).  Apparently, my apartment building has a lot of foreigners and I met three tonight.  I'm always up for meeting new people!

Until next time :-)