There hasn't been much noteworthy to report yet. I've slipped into a good routine that I need to shake up with a gym membership pretty soon. I feel at ease at work and things rarely surprise me there anymore (the kids excluded, of course). A couple of weeks ago I took a second trip to Busan for the International Film Festival. My friend Tim and I went and had a wonderful time. We caught the tail end of summer sunshine on the beach, saw some weird and one fantastic movies and hung out on the beach at night setting off fireworks and (once again) getting eaten to death by mosquitoes. Two of the films were not very good and rather creepy, so I won't write about those, but we saw a Korean movie called "Secret Reunion" and it was really great. It was about two spies, one from North Korea and one from South Korea that strike up an unlikely friendship. It was mildly cheesy, but mostly just entertaining: action-packed, heart-warming, and dramatic all at once. We both loved it! Especially after the two other weird ones.

Peter and Ryan will be here to visit me in less than two weeks! I'm so so so excited to see Peter! I know we'll have a lot of fun! And the week after they leave, the Flaming Lips will play a show in Seoul that Tim, Mallory, and I are planning on seeing. So I should have more stories to report soon.

For now, things are relatively peaceful and I am content. The kids are wonderful. We had a Halloween party this week so I got to actually play with them and have fun like I used to in Extended Day. It made me miss that kind of work so much, but it also seems to have changed the way the kids see me in the classroom, which I like. They look to me as more of a source of joy and someone to joke with. Some of the other teachers may worry about the students showing them a lack of respect, but I strive more for a balance of mutual respect. I want my students to like me and enjoy class with me so that they will want to do their work and have fun learning.

Anyway, book tally continues:
The Giver by Lois Lowry
One Day by David Nicholls

Still deciding what should come next. I was thinking something more difficult like Morrison or Faulkner or Woolf, but I might keep things easy and quick. And I want to begin research on a paper I'm going to write on the role of women in daily life in South Korea and how it is reflected in their public access pornography. It's provocative, but I really want to write something publishable so I can apply to grad school with something under my belt.

Hiking and ducking, plus Korean Costco trip

We went on a hike up one of the mountains near Daejeon on Saturday. It's a tradition at Avalon to bring all of the new teachers on a hike together. It was really lovely to be out in nature, but still odd to see no animals anywhere, and let me tell you, Koreans are very intense about their hiking trails. There are almost no switchbacks, large parts of the hike were straight up or straight down. By the time we got to the top, all of us foreigners were bright red and sweaty, while the Koreans were in their button-downs, barely glistening: ugh. The trip down was rather traecherous and terrifying. It was pretty much straight down a makeshift, stone staircase. I thought I was going to fall to my death.

After the hike, we all had lunch at a restaurant at the foot of the mountain. We had duck, which I'm not sure I've ever eaten before. It wasn't bad, but digging into a full carcass still feels more foreign to me than most things. The duck was filled with some really delicious rice that had some dried fruit and nuts and things in it. Then we also had a traditional Korean noodle soup. There was also makgeolli (pronounced mock-a-lee), which is a traditional Korean wine. It's a fermented rice wine and is kind of fizzy. I wasn't that big of a fan, it's palatable, but I didn't want to finish the bowl they poured me in the middle of the day. After the meal, the vice president of our company (because it's a company, not a school) asked us all to share a song we thought of during the hike. Apparently it's a Korean tradition to sing during or after a meal. No one sang their songs (especially me because I've lost my voice) but the experience was rather humorous none the less.

That night we all went out and celebrated Brenda's birthday which was so much fun! We had Chinese food (well, kind of) and went to Yellow Taxi (one of the Western bars in Time World with live music). It was also some sort of anniversary part at Yellow Taxi, so there were tons of people. After a while there we went dancing at Cocoon, our new favorite club. It was a fantastic night, and I love Brenda : )

On Sunday I went to Costco for the first time since being in Korea. It's probably the most American place here. I got oats, chocolate muffins, and sharp cheddar cheese (you know the bare essentials) then we got a pizza and a hot dog in the food court. Everything is identical to American Costco (except for the prices, it's actually kind of over-priced but understandable). Mmmm, that shopping trip satisfied so many of my US-based cravings!

I want to keep a running log of the books I'm reading (because I'm reading even more than I expected), so I'm going to begin and continue it here. Feel free to skip this part if you just don't care:

The Imperfectionists: A Novel by Tom Rachman
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safron Foer
This Isn't What It Looks Like by Pseudonymous Bosch
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer
Currently reading: Amsterdam: A Novel by Ian Mcewan

Chuseok, haircut, hot yoga, and other things

I spent last Monday through Thursday in Busan (or Pusan) for Chuseok. It was absolutely beautiful and just what I needed to do for myself. We spent Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday on the beach: jumping in the waves, getting a tan in the lovely sunshine, and reading plentifully. Wednesday was rainy and cold so we went to a jimjibang (a Korean bath house). The one we went to is called "Spaland." It was only 14,000 won to get in (less than $14) and we could stay as long as we wanted. It was luxurious, new, and so relaxing. In a Korean jimjibang, you begin by soaking in different hot springs and mineral water hot tubs in the segregated portion of the fascility. There were plenty of Koreans there who hastily exited any pool we foreigners ventured into, which was actually perfect because we got large parts of the very crowded spa all to ourselves. There was plenty of gawking from the Korean women, but that's to be expected at this point. There were two saunas of different teperatures and they had televisions in them playin Korean soaps. Oh Korea..people even carried their cell phones around the space with them. I'm constantly surprised by how plugged in this country is, especially compared to america where everyone thinks we're to connected. There was an outdoor hotspring area as well which was my favorite part because it was cold and rainy out and it felt so lovley to sit in a hot, stone-bottom hot spring.

After an hour or so in the women's area we went to the co-ed section in our matching korean pajamas. There was a lovely foot bath area with excrutiatingly hot water and countless saunas of varrying temperatures and themes. There was even a dvd relaxtion room where you could sit in a lounge chair and watch a movie. The whole experience was pretty fantastic and also rather unusual to say the least. On the subject of technology in odd places, I went to my first yoga class today. It is a hot yoga studio, which was really great and taking yoga from an instructor who only speaks Korean was a lovely challenge in and of itself, but someone in the class had brought her phone in and it kept vibrating...so strange to me, so un-yoga like...

Anyway, back to Busan. It was so much fun at night there too because all of the bars and restaurants are right on the water. There are two beaches: Haeundae and Gwanganli. Haeundae is the largest beach in Korea and is tipically blanketed with beach unbrellas, sun bathers, and frisbee throwers in the summer. It's too cold now for Koreans to go to the beach (even though it was 80+ degrees) so the beach was roomy and fun, filled with foreigners. Gwanganli is smaller but is more fun at night. There is a huge bridge stretching across the outer part of the bay and at night it's lit up by rainbow-colored lights. On Tuesday, the night before actual Chuseok, there was live music, portrait artists, and fireworks there. We sat on the beach with a bottle of wine and just enjoyed the atmosphere: perfect.

A few thougths on train travel: we took the commutor train from Daejeon to Busan and back. It's a little under three hours to take the trip and much cheaper than the KTX. Many locals buy standing room only tickets, though, so every aisle and space between the cars is covered with people standing, sitting on the ground, tucked in to corners. Seems like a fire drill should be in order at some point, because the whole thing seemed like it would be very unsafe in an emergency. The snack car was also closed for our return trek, so at one of the stops I darted off the train and tossed 10,000 won to a woman at a mini mart for two candy bars and some chips. Mallory and I were grumpy and starving and I was terrified the train would leave without me.

Lastly, I broke down and cut my hair the other night. I was so sick of it being long and I'm so glad I cut it. I feel like I'm back to my old self!

Seoul by Day, Daejeon by Night

Brenda and I took a day trip to Seoul today! It is such an incredible city, and I'm looking forward to spending more time there. We mostly shopped today; it was nice to see some English books and some brand names that I recognized, but the best was all of the tiny, local artists selling handmade jewelry and one-of-a-kind glasses frames! It's a whirlwind in Seoul, so many people, music blasting from every store, various languages shooting left and right. There are countless street vendors and little restaurants: some with lines around the block. I had an ice cream wapple ("wapple" is literally Korean for "waffle" in my phrase book) from a street vendor and it was delicious! We rode the subway, got stepped on by angry Koreans, took the KTX for the first time, and generally had a fantastic and busy day! I really want to get to know Seoul while I'm here and spend more time there soon, but for now, the day trip filled me with wanderlust as well as a great appreciation for my own Daejeon. While Daejeon is much smaller than Seoul, it's so very comfortable. It's certainly a bit enough city for me and the food is cheaper ; ) Daejeon is a city of 1.5 million but it's only about the size of Seattle, so it's very walkable, has a trio of creaks running through it, an electric downtown for night life, a University, and two amusement parks! I can't believe the loyalty I already feel to this city. Of course, it's no Seattle, that city will always hold a very special place in my heart, but when our train pulled into the station at midnight, I had the (unfamiliar for the last month) feeling that I was glad to be almost home.

We're currently in the middle of our Chuseok break! I think I've mentioned this, but Chuseok is Korean Thanksgiving, the harvest festival. It's one of the only times every year that Koreans stop work and go home to spend time with their families. Koreans and foreigners are travelling all over the country this week. Most of my students are going to visit their grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. And Brenda will be headed to Seoul (again) to visit her grandmother. Mallory and I, however, will be venturing South to Busan! Monday-Thursday for us will be the lovely sea-side city of Busan, an elleged must destination for tourists and locals alike. Weather permitting, we'll be basking in the sun, on the beach, reading books and dipping in the cold water by day, then exploring the vast nighttime experience the city has to offer. There's the possibility of Mexican food and even a spa trip ahead! I'm really excited that this break came after only a month here because I didn't get the chance to take a break between leaving Spruce Street School, Seattle, family, friends, and home to come here. I really haven't had a vacation to just relax since Christmas (not that I'm complaining, I love being busy), but a truly relaxing, lazy, enjoyable time in the sun for a few days is just what I need right now.

In other news: PETER IS COMING TO VISIT ME IN NOVEMBER! I'm really excited to see my brother, I absolutely can't wait! And there's a terrible, awful, flashing blue light outside my window that keeps me up until at least two (usually later) most nights. My friend Courtney said she'd sew me some black out curtains (she's a seamstress!), but if that doesn't work, I might just throw a rock at the neon sign's outlet because I can't handle the sleep schedule I've become accustomed to.

Not much time to post, but I will be headed to Busan next week for Chuseok and I'm SO EXCITED! Busan is in the south of Korea and it has some beautiful beaches and really fun bars, restaurants, etc. It just supposed to be a really fun place to go with lots of Westerners hanging out. Chuseok is one of the few actual vacations Koreans get. It's a three day harvest festival in September, so kind of like Korean Thanksgiving. We get a whole six days off for it, though, because it fell in the middle of the week and a bunch of the teachers convinced management to give us Monday off aswell so that we could have a long chunk of time.

We get to choose some vacation days as well, and I've been thinking about where I might like to go. I'm thinking of Australia in the early spring, Beijing for a quick three day weekend or something, probably going to take a boat to Japan at some point, and it would also be amazing to check out Indonesia and/or Thailand while here. I'm also keeping my eye on flights to Europe because you can get them really cheaply if you grab them at the right time. Any suggestions/in put on where I should travel while over here?

In other news, I can't believe it's been almost a month. Time is really flying. I need to buckle down on learnign some Korean because I'm sure the time could just slip away from me if I let it.

I tried some more new foods this weekend. Kim Chi Chugee is Kim Chi soup and it's amazing, not too spicy. We tried a new Dac Galbi place as well. Dac Galbi is like the Korean equivalent to lazagne or burritos because you take whatever's left over to make it. It's another dish like galbi that's made on the table in front of you WHICH I LOVE! It's basically chicken, cabbage, rice cates (like fat noodles made of rice) and whatever else they have around thrown into a skillet and grilled up with spicy sauce. YUM! Everyone at the table just shares the big pan in the middle of the table and you can wrap the food up in lettuce if you want.

I love moments of global community here. A lot of times when you see someone who looks American they're kind of rude and won't make eye contact but sometimes, like Saturday night, you can be walking around Time World with a friend, get asked directions by a bride, groom, and their wedding party, and end up blowing bubbles at their reception of live music, dancing, and great Canadian/American bonding! It was fantastic. We also did Norebong that night again (Korean Karaoke in a private room), went to the batting cages/arcade, hit some balls and took some silly pictures, then ended up at a really fun dance club. One night here is like two days anywhere, there is so much to do!

Last but not least, I found my coffee shop! Those of you who know me even mildly well know that I love coffee, and perhaps more than coffee I love coffee shops, especially lovely, local ones. There's a beautiful place right down the block from my apartment. The owners are two women who already know me and my drink order. They're really lovely people and modeled the cafe after something you might see in modern Paris: cushions, white and navy blue walls, black and white photographs, french music playing, and fresh flowers on the table. It feels like home :)

Pets in Korea: A Post for Lara

Pets are a strange thing in Korea. As many of you know, there is a history of people eating dog here, which is (in theory) now illegal, but it's still very uncommon to see someone walking around with a pet dog. One of the Korean teachers at my school has a tiny, fluffy dog, and I've seen a couple pet stores with little dogs, but I haven't seen anything much bigger than a chihuahua. We saw one cat last night, the first in two weeks. Unfortunately, a lot of the animals don't survive because people give up on taking care of them. Rabies is also an issue, but thankfully the pet situation is nothing like Istanbul where possibly rabid dogs and cats roam the streets in hordes, by the dozens! They sell rabbits, fish, and other small animals at the grocery story here as well, but for the most part, people just don't seem to have pets!

Oh, I've heard rumor that some people set up a puppy pet shop on the street in Time World so that girls can convince their boyfriends to buy them a puppy after a night of soju-binging, but I've yet to see this in action.

Still, despite my typical dislike of pets, I'm somewhat missing them in this city...

First of all, an address

Katherine Warden
C/o Dae Duk Plaza 3rd Floor

Avalon Education

Dunsan-Dong 1453

Seo-Gu, Dae-Jeon

Korea 302120

This is my work address because I'm still not sure what my apartment address is. My work address can always be used for packages, but once I figure out my home address, that can be used for letters. Why don't I know my own address, you ask? Well, In Korea there aren't real addresses; there aren't even real street names. Addresses consist of your building name, floor, city, neighborhood, etc. I suppose it makes sense if you REALLY know a city well, but as a foreigner, it gets confusing. We typically get around by major land marks: Time World, Starbucks, McDonalds by the Galleria, things like that, but trying to tell a cab driver where to drive can get tricky. The go to in that situation is to call a friend who's fluent in Korean and put the driver on the phone with her, but that feels a bit ridiculous sometimes.

Other news:
I have moved into my apartment and the internet was installed today! The place is pretty nice, although the left-behind decorations leave much to be desired. There are teddy bear decals permanently stuck around the bathroom, the main room is wallpapered an only mildly pleasant, shiny, purple color, and the shade on the window is a typically-Korean park scene with a lady riding a bicycle, trailing balloons behind her, and a puppy sleeping under a tree. I feel like the place was designed for a six-year-old. Behind the shade, however I have a lovely window with cut and stained glass. It's simple but pretty. All Korean apartments are laid out very much the same. There is a small kitchen with a sink, stove top (no oven), and fridge, awkwardly wedged in somewhere with an extension cord trailing the main room to the nearest outlet. The bathroom is off the kitchen and very small. Koreans don't have showers or baths for the most part. Above the sink, there is a hand-held shower head and to shower you just stand over the drain in the floor. It's very water efficient, but not the relaxing experience of a Western shower. There is a sliding door separating the kitchen from the main room where the bed, desk, and wardrobe are. Then off of the main room is the laundry room/porch area.

Unfortunately, there are no other teachers living in my building, but there is a building with four or five teachers about a block away. In Daejeon, all of the foreigners seem to know each other. It's nice to feel like I have a kind of community here in that way. It really only took one weekend to meet everyone!

Last friday a group of the teachers from my school went out to dinner. I don't know the name of the restaurant, everyone just refers to it as Dominica and Dominico's. Dominica and Dominco are a Korean couple who converted to Catholocisim and, coincidentally, took the same name. They have always been lovely hosts to Avalon teachers, so many of the teachers try to go once or twice per month. We had galbi for dinner there which is delicious! The tables at the restaurant have grills in the middle and they bring you thinly-sliced, marinated piece of beef to roast on the table. You take the various appetizers and kim chi and wrap them up with the beef in pieces of lettuce. It is delicous! We also had egg drop soup which is a kind of soup, egg souffle. That might be my favorite thing I've eaten since I've been here! Over all, the food is good, but I don't really crave any of it. I really just want some cheese that doesn't look like something from a Nickelodeon game show.

Also, they put mayonaise on EVERYTHING. (gross)

I suppose I should write something about soju, the revolting rice-based booze that Koreans drink like water. I really don't have much to say about it, though, except that I plan to avoid it for the remainder of my trip. I didn't drink much of it, but it has so much sugar in in that it's a garunteed headache the next day: best to be avoided completely, I think.

Mallory, Tim and I went to a baseball game last Sunday! Mallory is my friend from Seattle, and Tim is another teacher from the hagwon. The baseball game was fantastic! The Daejeon Eagles lost to the Bears, which was expected, but The Eagles have the BEST cheers in the world so it made up for the loss. The team has a group of girls that are kind of cheerleaders, kind of dancers. They lead the croud in dances to popular K-POP (korean pop) songs. It's really funny, and we, of course, danced along. The field is smaller than American regulation, so it kind of felt like going to a neighborhood baseball game at a public park or something.

Last night, Mallory, Tim and I went to a really amazing bar. After quenching our craving for American food at KFC (biscuits, biscuits, biscuits) Mallory and I ventured to Time World. Walking through Time World feels like Disneyland or Vegas. It's bright enough to be daylight at any given moment, the streets are packed with people, littered with ads, and lined with themed bars of varying architectural styles. We passed by a placed called Ethnic. It looked more like a cave than anything, just an arched entry way leading down underground: a staircase lined with wine bottles and melted candles. At the foot of the staircase, we found a beautiful oasis. Ethnic is a hookah bar and the whole space is very cave like: cement and stone, decorated with an indoor fountain/pond, a tree with twinkle lights and lanterns hanging from it, and lovely pillows strewn everywhere around low tables. You remove your shoes at the entrance and walk barefooted around the serene space. It's dark and exotic with elephants and wine glasses painted on the walls. Tim met us there and the three of us enjoyed the quiet jazz music and serene environment, without even noticing the passing time. Ethnic is easily one of my favorite places I've ever been.

I want to write about work, especially about the kids, but I don't think I'm ready to yet. The main thought that's been rolling around in my head is the overwhelming use of external motivation in the Korean school system. Coming from an environment like Spruce Street, I'm sometimes overwhelmed by the different treatment of children and education. It's a bit heartbreaking at times, but I'm also finding plenty of chances to laugh with the kids I'm working with.

Speaking of Spruce Street, I've been keeping in contact with a few of the Spruce Street kids that asked me to email them. Getting their emails has brightened so many moments for me here. I miss them and everyone at home so much, but the little messages, kind words, and chat dates I've had with many of you so far have truly kept me going.