2ne1

My favorite Kpop group, 2ne1, just came out with a new song, "Hate You." 2ne1 is awesome; they're like the Destiny's Child of Korea. What I mean by that is that they're all very tough and their songs reflect that. I looked up the translation of "Hate You" and it goes something like, You suck, you're always lying to me, I got sick of it so I left you, you're just a waste of time, now that I've gotten rid of you I feel so much better.

I attached the full lyrics in case anyone cares.

http://whimsicalbeing.blogspot.com/2011/07/2ne1-hate-you-lyrics-with-english.html

Anyway, the main reason I bring this up is because yesterday Kevin, the King of Kpop, told me he was singing this song in the teachers' lounge ("practising [sic, he's English] the lyrics, you know") when one of the teachers told him he was saying a bad word. Turns out the easiest part of the song, jae jae jae jaesu obseo, means b**ches... Therein lie the dangers of singing along with foreign lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB5jyYD2WEw

Cadel Evans wins le Tour de France

Some of you may know that I enjoy cycling from time to time, though my cycling in Korea has been extremely limited. Anyway, the only other person who cares about cycling is my British friend Dan who leaves in nearby Nonsan. Dan is a real cyclist... he actually packed up his bike and sent it to Korea, so he puts me to shame (I'm not nearly a good enough mechanic to do that. Flat tires and dropped chains are my limit.). Everyone else here only cares about rugby, soccer, and cricket.

Dan and I made a small wager on the Tour, 10,000won (about $10) - he chose Alberto Contador and I chose Andy Schleck. Turns out we were both wrong. I don't know what the protocol is for when both of us lose.

Side note: as you may or may not know, I have a mountain bike here. It's about two years old, I think, and the gears are pretty rotten. I should take it to a bike shop for a tune up but haven't done so yet. Usually I just don't change gears as I don't really need to since I just use it to get around town, but the humidity has rusted my chain and now it's really messed up.

Buyeo has a yearly lotus festival at Gungnamji Pond, which is about a five minute walk from my apartment. It opened last Thursday, and ever since then I feel like I'm back home during July as there are fireworks going off at random times.

Lotus leaves get pretty gigantic. By the way, that bracelet I'm wearing was a present from the kindergarten teacher. She made it herself.

Gungnamji pond
Last day at Seokseong, my second school. The teachers are so kind, they bought me a cake and some presents (hand mirror and little bag). Three of my sixth grade girls were hanging out with me after camp finished, so the head teacher gave us the rest of the cake.

After camp was over, my students were helping me with my Korean.

Ramyeon noodles to celebrate the end of camp.

Camp students. My co-teacher is in the back.

I gave my kids the Bubble Yum I got from my Kretz relatives :) They loved it.

"Teacher, big gum!"

Goofing off after camp.

I've trained my students well.

Theresa goes to the hospital on her own

For my new visa, I had to get a health check done. I'm sick of waiting around and dragging various Korean people with me for all my errands (friends, co-teachers, vice-principal, etc), so I decided I would just go on my own. I asked my foreign friends what to expect, and I brought a note in Korean saying what I needed (blood test, urine test, chest x-ray, etc).

To preface this story, on Saturday night I slept on the floor when I was out of town (I'll do an entry on that soon). Anyway, I managed to somehow screw up my back, so I've been in pain since Sunday morning. More to come on that story after the hospital visit.

On Tuesday camp was cancelled because the kids had a Korean drum competition (which they won!! I was so proud). I took a cab to the hospital rather than walking (re: bad back) and I was busy congratulating myself on knowing a) the word for "hospital" b) the word for "bridge" (to describe which hospital I wanted to go to) and c) being able to say "straight ahead." And who says you need to make full sentences? Not I!

I strolled into the nearest door and up to the counter and presented my note to the nurse. She told me to go to the second floor (in Korean!) I went up there and found the woman (doctor? nurse? don't know) in charge. Standard Korea - the hospital was NOT air-conditioned. We had some fun doing that color-blind test where you have to see numbers in dots as well as the eye exam because I had to pause and think of the numbers in Korean. I guess she probably knew them in English, but hey, I knew them in Korean so why not? I must have passed.

Next, the urine test. This part was definitely the most hilarious. So I went up to the guy. He grabbed a paper coffee cup, slapped a sticker on it, and pointed to the bathroom. Quick, someone tell American hospitals we've been wasting loads of money on specimen jars when a simple lidless coffee cup will do the trick. You know how they tape the handles of the faucets and toilets, etc. to keep you from faking the pee test in America? Yeah, I guess no one cares in Korea. I had to walk out carrying a cup of my own pee and just set it down on a tray. Lovely.

Blood test, no problem. No tears! At age 24 I finally don't cry when I see needles.

And that was basically the end. Awesome sauce.

So the next day (today) I was back at school for camp. My back was really starting to hurt now. I It used to just be bad if I was sitting (like, twisting pains in my lower left back and shooting pains into my calf), but then after two lessons it started hurting all the time whether I was sitting or standing. The only relief I could get was laying down, which of course isn't exactly an option when you're teaching. It got so bad that I started tearing up in class and had to smile furiously to pretend that I was okay. During lunch I had to leave the lunch table to cry in the bathroom because I was in so much pain. It was kind of embarrassing because I didn't want to throw myself a pity party, so I washed my face and went back to finish lunch and told myself I would be fine. I asked my co-teacher if I could leave early after camp ended to go to the hospital, and he said that should be fine.

I was going to lay down in the nurse's office during lunch, but the kids found me in the hallway and wanted to show me their Korean drum performance, and so I went to the gym and just laid down there and listened to their drumming (which was pretty cool). It was funny and painful because they thought since I was laying down it was okay to come tickle me, so soon I was laughing and crying at the same time because it was hard to make them understand I was actually in real pain, not just tickling pain.

Anyway, during the fifth lesson my co-teacher could tell I was barely holding it together, so he told me to go lie down, so I sat out the fifth lesson then came back for the sixth. Then at 3:30 another teacher was going back to Buyeo, so she dropped me off at the hospital (a little clinic downtown that had been recommended to me by another foreigner).

I may have mentioned that Koreans are obsessed with going to the hospital. Broken arm? Hospital. Cold? Hospital. Bloody nose? Hospital. Stubbed toe? Hospital. Nothing can be cured without medicine. After my trip there today, I can understand their love for all things hospital-related.

I walked in, handed the nurse my alien registration card and she put my information in the computer. After five minutes, I was ushered in to see the doctor. He spoke some English and asked me what was wrong, so I showed him where my back hurt and told him it was in my leg as well. He had me lay down on the exam table (which I was too tall for, har har har) and sort of dug his fingers into my lower back and asked if I felt any discomfort. This seemed to me to be a trick question... um, you're digging your fingers pretty hard into my back, so yes? Either way my back was hurting, due to the regular pain or his super strong fingers, so I said yes it hurt. I sat down and he drew me a little diagram.

Lines like this

____

____

____

____

"Lumbar, spine."

Drew a squiggly line down from the lower left and right corners of the bottom lines.

"Sciatic nerve."

Dashes on the "sciatic nerve" squiggle.

"Compressed."

"Your sciatic nerve, compressed. I will give you medicine. Take it three days. Also muscle injection."

Thanks, doc! Cue me shown to a nurse's room for a shot in the butt. I got my prescription and presto! the end. I walked downstairs to the pharmacy and got my meds.

Total time in clinic: 10 minutes

Total cost: 4,200won

Total time in pharmacy: 4 minutes

Total cost: 2,200won

The conversion rate is 1,000won = less than a dollar. That's right, to solve this entire excruciating back pain problem, it cost me 14 minutes and about $6. Now I know why Koreans are so insistent on going to the hospital for everything. I don't know how you do it, Korea, but America, please take note.

My only concern is the compressed sciatic nerve thing though. Is this going to heal itself? I assume they gave me painkillers (as the pain is seriously diminished as I type this), but will my nerve un-compress itself? I guess I'll wait and see, though to be honest, I'm curious how a 10 second massage examination of my back led to this immediate diagnosis. For now though, I'm deliriously happy to not be in constant pain, so I'm going to chalk this up as a win.

Side note: summer hit this week. Goodbye monsoons, hello 90 degrees and sunny.

End of semester (and my contract!)

This past week was the last week of regular school. I made awards for all the kids and told them I was leaving. I felt like such a traitor because I could hear my co-teacher tell them I was moving to Seoul (which isn't true, I'm moving southeast of Seoul). That reminds me, I haven't officially informed the blogosphere - I signed a contract for another year in Korea. This time I'll be working at a public middle school in a place called Seongnam, which is southeast of Seoul. I wanted to move to Ilsan where my friends Chris and Kevin live, but I couldn't find a job there. I'm very happy with my new school though (I mean, I was impressed when I went to visit it), and I'm very excited for a new place! I feel pretty bad leaving my students though... they looked upset. The third graders at my main school followed me around all day to say, "Teacher, I'm sad! Sad!!" and hug me. One of my fourth grade girls broke into sobs and didn't cheer up the entire class. "Teacher, Jiseon is sad..."

Two of my sixth grade boys requested a personal photo.

One of my fourth grade girls made me this sign. It says "Theresa Teacher" in Korean. A lovely gesture, but have I done my job if Chae-lin still can't write the word "teacher" in English?

"Fashion, Teacher!"

Fifth grade, second school. I had an end of semester party, water balloon toss included. I asked permission, but I was worried the homeroom teachers wouldn't like it (I asked my co-teacher's permission and he said it was okay). But the fourth grade teacher stopped me in the hallway to say, "Theresa! Outside, good!" and give me the thumbs up.

It's bad when the kid with the broken arm wins.

Second school first grade. They look so solemn in this picture, but don't let it fool you. I loooooove them.

Second school second grade. I love them too, they are too cute.

Main school sixth grade.

Main school fifth grade. That's my co-teacher on the right.

Main school fourth grade.

Main school third grade.

Second school third graders. Please observe their ingenious "cleaning" device. Inseo can fan himself while pushing a swiffer and pulling a small broom. Not a lot of actual cleaning happens during lunch time, but lots of bothering Theresa Teacher does.

Monsoon season

I had a real adventure recently trying to get to school. It was monsoon season, which means the weather looks like this:

I had a hard time photographing the actual rain, so look at the ground. Those aren't white flecks of gravel, that's incessant rain.

So I was dropped off by the bus and walked to the bridge to cross over to walk to school. I found this:

Please observe that next to the green fence there are some pipes in the river, not an actual bridge. Hmm, guess they decided pedestrians didn't need it? This, mind you, is the backup bridge to the real bridge which has been under construction for a few months now. I assumed the regular bridge must be open now. Cue me heading to the original bridge, pictured below:

Well... that looks pretty closed as well. Not a good sign. Option three: Walk to the road and cross the river itself. Usually there are large cement blocks that you can use to cross. This is the river, and in the distance near the mountains is my school.

See those steps? And the dent in the river? Yeah, about two steps are obscured by the raging rapids, and the cement blocks are underwater as well. Three bridges down! What to do??

I ventured to the orphanage because it's on my side of the river, and I know the kids walk from the orphanage to school, so there must be a bridge. Nope! They told me it was out. I learned the word for bridge is "da-li" which coincidentally is also the word for "leg." Luckily, the orphanage bus gave me a lift to school. I arrived late, wet, and not too happy. Not a good start to a Monday!

Hello everyone

Hello everyone. Please accept my sincere apologies over the lack of updates on this blog. I have now been in Korea for 10 months, and I'll be honest - while I love my life here, it's no longer as exciting as it was. Catching the bus? No problem. Fending off drunk old men who want to shake my hand? No problem. Disciplining the rowdy kids? Okay, that's still a problem. Here is a quick update on what's new in my life.

I had a magnificent birthday thanks to friends (here and America) and family, so thank you all for that. It's a great start to 24!

I'm looking for another job in Korea. Actually, I have an interview at a public middle school near Seoul tomorrow, so I can't write too much as it's already quite late and I should get some sleep. Wish me luck!

It's now monsoon season in Korea, and when I say "monsoon" I mean "mon-freaking-soon." Sometimes I feel like I'm Forrest Gump during that part when he's in Vietnam and he's talking about how there's all kinds of rain. Amen, Forrest. I'm pretty sure I need to get an umbrella that has a shower curtain hanging from it because there is no other way to avoid the rain. I've taken to wearing sandals to school because at this point it's a given my feet will become 100% soaked, so I may as well just bring socks to school and not bother to wear them as my feet get wet anyway.

Humidity here is off the charts. I think it's been 90-100% humidity for like the last week. Sadly, it's not even that hot, but walking more than 20 feet will cause me to break into a sweat. Also, Koreans don't believe in air conditioning. They claim it's "too expensive." Therefore, there is no relief from the elements - in the winter, the heater is too expensive; in the summer, AC is too expensive. Similar to winter as well, they also tend to leave all the doors and windows wide open when the AC is on. No, I can't explain it. No foreigner can. I've asked Koreans and they can't explain it. Fresh air, maybe? My co-teacher is the exception as she is obsessed with AC and is always nagging me to shut the windows and doors when the kids leave them open. I'm pretty sure all the kids know the phrase, "Close the door" because I use it about a hundred times a day.

In this climate I feel especially sorry for the Brits and South Africans because apparently in their countries, the weather is perfect. They don't need AC in Great Britain, and while it gets hot in SA, I guess they don't have humidity. My Midwest upbringing has made me strong.

Speaking of Brits and Saffers, I have been surrounded by too many foreigners. I now think these things are okay:

1. "Nice-uh!" instead of "Nice!" Koreans think this is English, I guess.

2. If I want to cheer someone on or wish them luck, I will say "Fighting!" It's like, "Go team!" However, because there is no "f" sound in Korean, it sounds like "Pighting!" So I say "Pighting!"

3. "Air con" is an acceptable term for "air conditioning," not "AC." This is Brit-speak that has leaked into Korean English.

4. People think it's okay to call me "Tree." Spellings vary from Tree to Trea to Tre, but they all sound the same. Brits are obsessed with nicknames/names that are only one syllable. I let it slide because if they don't say Tree, they say Thereza as for some reason they are incapable of the "sa" at the end. But now it has caught on and North Americans call me this too. I blame Kevin 100%.

5. Although I strenuously avoid using any of the following terms, I now know all of them. I try and not use them as they are not my lingo, but sometimes I slip up. It drives me mildly crazy when North Americans use British/Saffer/New Zealand etc slang. One of my American friends texted me to ask "Do you fancy playing soccer?" I told him, "No, Jason, I am American. I don't 'fancy' anything.'"

minging - disgusting

to sack off - blow off, not bother to do

tune - song

to pull - to chat someone up

safe - good, cool

uni - university, college

college - the English version of high school

mate - friend

There are assorted other words that are not appropriate for this family-friendly blog.

While my colonial English vocabulary is increasing, my Korean remains pathetic. Sad, but true.

The other day I wore a dress to school. My co-teacher's response: You're wearing a dress! You look so beautiful. Everyone is surprised... Thanks?

I have a t-shirt with a humongous cartoon cat head on it that I bought here in Buyeo. It is fairly hideous by American standards, but the Koreans go crazy for it. I wore a super-Korean outfit to school the other day: cat head t-shirt, flouncy white skirt, and tennis shoes (the walking kind, not the running kind) with footie socks. Five teachers told me I looked beautiful, three students told me I looked wonderful, and one of my sixth grade boys, bless him, told me I looked very pretty. Upon returning to America I will no longer know how to dress myself appropriately. You've been warned.