The Countdown

The countdown has begun! About 38 more hours till I get to see my Dad, a week and a half till I get to see my family, and 9 more months till my contract ends. I'm mostly excited about the first two, although with all the drama going on at work it's hard not to be excited about the prospect of this job being over.

I had a co-worker trying to leave our job because she found one with better hours with about the same amount of pay. After she gave them her 30 day notice, for about three weeks our school was very elusive about letting her leave. They finally told her they wouldn't give her a letter of release to work for another school. They had no trouble letting another teacher go, but because my friend does her job very well they can't let her leave easily. After a long battle, they told her no matter what she does, they will not give her a release letter, so now her only option is to go back home to find a new job. She even decided to stay and travel for a bit, but because she needs to get a visa to go to Thailand from our Embassy she would need to take a day off work. My school wouldn't even let her do that. She's leaving two days early now. All of this could have been resolved peacefully if they just gave her a letter of release and treated her with some respect. Alas working at a hagwon is like working at a factory. We're machines designed to produce English speaking robots of children.  We're a business, not a school.

There are somethings about this country and the people here that I love. There are things I recognize here as being in my own blood. Things like, the tenaciousness of the people. You will rarely see beggars here because people will do anything to make ends meet. Old women will sit on the streets and sell vegetables and hand stitched purses for such a low price just so they can survive. This country is made of survivors, and so is my family. Even if you see a beggar, they will cover their faces because it's a shameful thing. People here can be extremely prideful, generous, and stubborn. Life here moves lightning quick, everything is done quickly and efficiently (not unlike a few family members I know). I love those things about myself, about my family, and about this country. However, when you work in a place like I do, it's easy to see the negatives about where I am.

My school treats us kind of like horses. They ride us really hard, they give us a place to sleep, they pay us so we can eat our hay, but in the end we're animals. We're not respected for the hard work we do, and when we're tired they give us more work. We're expected to be good workers. We can be the best worker, but when we ask for some freedom, or wonder why they operate a certain way we're punished. I work at a factory, not a school.

That's not to say I don't love my students. They're the best part of my job, if I wasn't working with them, I have no idea how I would get through my day. I love that I get to be in a new place, and experience this new culture. I just didn't realize it would be so hard. I know my mom warned me about the hagwon life, and I probably should have listened a little more carefully. Even still, I feel like I'm supposed to be here. A lot of these students are worked to the bone. I try to give them a break by playing games with them, showing them that I care about them, and letting them know that it's okay to rest. Yeah, I let my students nap in class (sometimes I nap, too). My employers don't know about that one, so hopefully I won't get in trouble for that. The Korean life is hard.

Christmas is almost here!

Sorry for the delay in an update! My computer sorta crashed and isn't working quite right. Plus not much has changed since I got my wallet back. I still work the same hours, I teach the same children, and I hang out with the same people. I've fallen into a steady routine, which isn't a bad thing, but I'm getting bored. I need to go somewhere haven't been, and do something I haven't done! It's hard when you don't have the time. I'm so excited to go home and see everyone. It was nice to see everyone via Skype on Thanksgiving, but it made me miss home more.

Our school went on a field trip to this children's learning center. It was pretty neat; they had a room dedicated to water and the Han River, a room dedicated to the body, and a room dedicated to Korean culture. I think I was having more fun than my students. I took a lot of pictures, and I would love to show you guys, but sadly I can't upload pictures to my computer right now :(

I'm planning to get a new computer soon, so hopefully I can load more picture up here for you all. I'll try to be more vigilant with my posts, but no promises. Maybe my new year's resolution will be to write more on here.

Unexpected Kindness Strikes Again

After a long and arduous week (seems most of my weeks have been like this lately) I received an unexpected and nice surprise in the mail. In a plain brown package with my name on it, written in careful English. On the package it said, "Lost Article".  Could it be?! YES! The stranger who found my wallet all those weeks ago sent it back to me. All my cards were there, but alas they kept the ipod and money. I'm grateful they sent it back to me and I knew I wouldn't find either of those items. Still, if they left my ipod in there, that would have been a really nice treat. They can keep the money for all I care, but come on, it's an ipod - send that back, too. Ironically all the cards in the wallet are completely useless to me now, the two things I could actually use they kept. Let's call it, kindness with a price. Sending someone a lost wallet would never happen in the states, so even with my stuff gone, I'm still really ecstatic about the wallet finding it's way home.

Oh Korea Korea, still sending me surprises.

Ajashi Men Scare Me

Finally, an afternoon of freedom. Being able to be out in the sun and  experience  the afternoon tends to be a rarity for me these days. It's always exciting when I can experience the afternoon and feel the warmest part of the day. I think the hardest thing about working 10 hours a day is that I'm never outside. I never get to enjoy the day.

So I'm sitting in my co-worker Kevin's car as I'm sitting here writing  this. Kevin was being so nice and offered to buy me a coffee for the ride home (which by the way, its hard to find just normal green tea here at the cafes, you have to get tea as a latte). Anyway, in the Korean style Kevin parked on the side walk. Parking on the sidewalk is a totally normal thing here, you see it all the time. This ajashi (old man) walked up to the car and started yelling at me through the window! I didn't understand what he was saying so I just raised my hands at him and said, this is not my car. Then he comes over and opened my door! Again, I said, "This is not my car!" This did not deter the old man, he walked to the drivers side and opened the door again, managed to get Kevin's number which was posted to the window. I tried taking it from him and he kept taking in back from me, and finally he got Kevin on the phone and started yelling at him in Korean. I signaled to the guy to close the door and he did. Finally, Kevin came back and said sorry to the guy. He stared us down the whole time we were backing out. Needless to say, he was a scary old man.

HAHAHAHA! Oh, of course on my afternoon off an old man comes to yell at me. Ah, that's funny. Korea, Korea, Korea, you will never cease in surprising me. 

Day 40 something

It's hard to believe I've been here for so long. It doesn't feel like that long. In a typical Kimmie fashion, guess what I did.

Those who know me probably have guessed, I lost something.

DING DING DING! You're right! I lost my Alien Registration Card, ipod, bank card, amex, debit card from home, my drivers license, and some cash. Yeahhhhhh...... go me.

Here the way the banks work, you need an alien registration card to get a bank card (or debit card). You can't get an alien registration card without going to the immigration office. I don't know how to get to the office, or if I can go on the weekend.

However, here people can be kind in unexpected ways. What I mean is that, back home where people wouldn't be so accommodating, here people are willing to go the extra step. On the other hand where people are polite and nice at home, people here don't give you the time of day.

I went to the bank to explain to them I lost my card, and to double check there was no way I could get another replacement card without my ARC (alien registration card). The man looked at my passport quickly, and said "We're not supposed to do this without a card, but for you we do favor." Then he came back with a new bank card for me. Unexpected kindness. I've also heard many stories about people losing wallets, phones, and other thinks and having them shipped to the person. Again, something that would never happen back home. I'm still hoping someone will send me my stuff. It's a possibility!

So keep your fingers crossed internet surfers!!!

What else can we do? Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute...

I thought the MGMT line was appropriate for how I'm feeling right now (the title of this post). It's getting harder and harder to wake up in the morning. I feel more drained at the end of the day. I think the high of being in Korea is starting to wear off. I know the area I'm living in fairly well now. There are still lots of things that are completely new to me, but that is normally explored on the weekends, which feel like they are getting shorter and shorter. The worst part about the hours I work is that I miss the best parts of the day. I go to work in the colder morning and I get home at the brink of night. I miss the beautiful fall sun shinning weather during the day. Fall is my favorite time of year and I feel like I'm missing it.

I got my first set of bills today. The thing that really stinks about it, is that I've never paid for a living expense besides food until now (THANK YOU MOM AND DAD!), which is a great and lucky thing. Not only am I unsure how to pay it, since we don't have checks here, but I have no idea how to read it! It's all in Korean, so I know the amount, but not what it's for. One of them, I don't think is for me, but there's no way to be sure. Thankfully I have friends who read Korean and can help me. There are also teachers here who have paid bills who can tell me how.

I love adult life and being on my own, but figuring all out and the daily grind are so taxing. I just find myself more tired than normal. I feel like I did back when I had 3 20 page papers due in a week. Even that didn't last as long as this will. Hopefully, I'll get used to it again. Most of my teachers think I'm a little crazy for going home for Christmas, most think I should take the opportunity to travel. I've done a decent amount of travelling in Asia as it is (though there is still MUCH to see), I think a trip home is needed. I miss my family, normal Cheetos, American t.v. and internet. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Korea. This is truly an amazing country, but I miss my people and my culture.

That's my little existential rant for the night, I'm sure I'll feel more upbeat towards the weekend. At least it's Wednesday - hump day! Only two more days till sweet sleeping freedom.

Lost in translation.

Hello everyone!

Sorry it's been a while. Life here is so busy it's hard to find time to sit and write. More than that, it's sometimes hard to find the energy to write. My first few days here were an experience to say the least. I was wide-eyed and culture shocked. My first morning I was asked to go to the hospital for a medical check. I knew that was coming since they told me this before my arrival here. What I didn't expect was the incredible efficiency and lack of human connection in the process of completing my check. They ushered me from one room to another checking things like my blood pressure, height, weight, teeth, pee, bones, blood, and even chest size (why I have NO idea). I felt like I was being herded like cattle. When I got my blood drawn I sat at a long table with about 4 other people, we were all getting our blood drawn at once. When I mentioned needles make me nervous the nurse looked at me with a blank expression, looked at my arm and just stuck the needle in. I couldn't help but thinking is this what I'm going to feel like in Korea for the next 12 months, disconnected, lost in translation, and a prick in my arm?

Thankfully, I don't feel like that anymore. After the medical check I was asked to go to the school and observe what my day would be like. The school runs not that differently from the hospital. I teach 10 40 minute classes. The morning classes are always the same and they're the ones I really enjoy, but the afternoon classes are different. I teach first graders to fifth graders and I teach subjects ranging from science to reading, vocabulary, and Time Magazine (yes, I have to teach things out of a Time Magazine for kids....for 40 minutes).  I teach in a different room, I bounce from class to class, it's never steady and even after 3 weeks I still don't know all of my students names.

My morning classes really are wonderful though. I teach two different kindergarten classes Reading and Writing. The kids are so sweet and affectionate. Here, if you're not affectionate enough with the students the parents will complain, which is a little backward from America. There's never a shortage of hugs and I love you's so the mornings are great. Plus the kids respect us more than the older kids, I never have to lecture the younger kids about how to respect your teacher. The older kids It's a bit more challenging. Which is surprising because I expected to be treated better, since the culture here seems to have higher respect for teachers. The difference is, I teach more in an after school program. Maybe if I was in a public school it would be different.

I got to out to Seoul a few times, I've gotten to go clubbing a little, but I also got to do my first bit of travelling this past weekend. Seoul is cool, I went to the World Cup stadium to watch a soccer game. It was very cool. Not too much different than going to see the Revolution play at Gillette Stadium. Clubbing was fun, nothing closes down here. I went dancing till four in the morning two nights in a row! In fact places don't really get crowded until 1:30 - 2:00am anyways. That's something still new to me, but you get used to it I guess.

My first travel experience was a fun one. We went to this place called Chiaksan National Park it's in Won-ju  which is where my Mimi was born. Sadly, I didn't really get to experience where she grew up. I thought I might have a more connection to this place, to actually feel the history of my family and know this is a part of me. I didn't really experience that though, which was kind of sad. I think maybe if I wasn't with friends and if I had more time to explore the places my grandma was I would feel that, but then just wasn't the right time.

We went on this hike that was not that long, but it was so steep! There were some places on the mountain that were so steep you needed a rope or a handrail to help you up it. It was definitely one of the hardest hikes I've ever done. The view was worth it though. There were six of us in a group and we found this little motel near the mountain, it took us about 10 minutes to explain that all of us wanted to stay in one big room. Lisa had her little phrase book out, something we used often and there were A LOT of charades going on. Eventually we all got in for 50, 000 won a night (or 50$). Then I asked her (through charades of course) where we could eat. She walked us over to this little Korean restaurant and naturally none of us knew how to read the menu or how to say what we wanted to order, but eventually we communicated that we wanted pork. It was real rustic Korean food and good lord it was freakin delicious! It was Korean bbq style, but i just can't describe to you how delicious it was. If you come to Korea you'll just have to try it for yourself.

I have a lot of other little funny stories and blunders, but it's late and I have work in the morning, but there are many more to come. I'm sure of it. Here are some pictures of the hike, courtesy of Lisa. Getting pictures is hard without a camera! Enjoy!



We're confused as to where the bus was - this was after waiting for an hour. Where was bus 1500-31?!?!



Our sleeping arrangements - mats on the floor. They were much more comfortable in Japan.



Dinner!



The Pork!



A Beautiful waterfall we walked passed before the hike of death. The water was so clear you could see how deep it was and the coins at the bottom.



Another waterfall - not as pretty



The ropes.....



The View part 1



Still 0.3 kil to go.... I wanted to die! But it was fun



The top!



Buddhist Temple at the base of the mountain







Last group shot! Hope you enjoyed the update!

It's spicy!

A few days ago I left for Korea. It was a weird experience leaving. The fact that I was leaving started to hit me when my parents went to bed the night before my flight. I felt a wall of nerves and anxiety as I realized I was leaving in a few short hours. So I did what I think a majority of people do when they start to feel like that, I went to the bar, with my brother, his girlfriend and some other people of course. It was just good to get my mind off of things, even if it was only for a little while. After a 45 minute nap, it was off to the airport. Ole, our families dog sat in the back with me. As we got closer to the airport, he started to cry. I'm not sure why he was doing it, maybe it was the tunnel we went through or the turns we took. I like to think he was crying because he was going to miss me. The fact that I was moving didn't hit me until I was getting in line to go on the first airplane. There was homeland security there and I could see they were looking at me, I knew they were going to call me over and I was right. The lady was very nice, but all the emotions from the day finally got to me and I started tearing up. I held it together pretty well until I got to my seat. Thankfully, I was wearing a sweatshirt so I put my hood up as I let a few tears out.

When I finally arrived in Korea, the school sent a driver to come pick me up. He didn't speak English and I felt like a jack-ass because I couldn't speak back to him in Korean. Finally I made it to my hotel room, which was...let's call it eclectic, with it's giant daisy wallpaper from the 60's, purple velvet covered chairs, shower with no shower curtain, and outlets where I couldn't plug in anything. It was okay though, because there was a bed and after traveling for over 20 hours, that's all I wanted. So I jumped on that bed, and I nearly had the wind knocked out of me because it was so hard. It didn't matter though, it was a place to sleep (even though, I didn't really sleep - thank you jet-lag). Despite my restless night, I got some rest and I was able to stretch out my very tired legs.

Side story: As soon as I got to the hotel, the first thing I did was use the restroom. Of course there were lots of buttons, so before I went I wanted to figure out the flush button. Naturally, I pressed the bidet button. This little tube descended into the bowl in a rather menacing manner (keep in mind the bathroom door was open and the toilet was in front of the door). This little tube sprayed water all over the bathroom and all into the hotel room. Thankfully, it was only water.

More stories to come this weekend about my first few days of work and embarrassments. It's hard for me to write during the week due to my long days, but you'll read about that soon.

Miss you from Korea!

UPDATE**

Okay, change of plans. They booked my flight and I'm leaving on Friday (well really Saturday morning at 6:30am).  So instead of having all weekend to get my stuff together, I actually have two days. There is still much to do. Wish me luck!

Thanks Irene

The past two days we've been without power due to "hurricane" Irene. The storm itself was not bad at all, in fact my dad and I sat on the porch to watch it's mad destruction. Which included plowing some trees over and knocking out the power of nearly everyone in the State of Rhode Island. My family is good at roughing it, we have a camp stove and we played games by candlelight. It wasn't that bad. The worst was when I actually tried to get my Visa stuff done yesterday. We get to the Korean consulate and they say, "We need your transcript in order to process your Visa." At that point I thought well that sucks, I probably should have researched more what I needed, but too late now. So I dove all the way to Mount Holyoke to get my transcript (it's about an hour and a half drive). We get back to the consulate and she says, there's no date of completion on this. I tried to explain my situation in that I have finished and graduated, but Mt. Holyoke won't give me my diploma until 2012. I told her they gave me a letter of completion and the school I'm going to work for has it. Guess what, they need the letter. The only copy of it is currently sitting in the Korean Immigration office in Seoul. After almost 200 miles of driving I still haven't finished my Visa application. My poor parents went with me for this endeavor (my dad drove most of the way) we were all very cranky. We also came home to a house with no power.

The good news is that our power is back on! My application will be completed today and I have my departure date which is Sept. 5th. I just wish Mt. Holyoke made this easier for me and just gave me a damn diploma, but I got to take it with a grain of salt.

One more week and I'm flying out!

They got my numba!

I got my Visa approval number today! Finally! So it's off to the Korean Consulate Monday to pick my Visa up! YAY!!!!!!

They want me there for September 5th. Hopefully I can get there a few days early to set myself up and adjust to the time zone. IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING!

I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders with this number and a legit ETA. Good day.

Still waiting....

I was supposed to get the approval number for my Visa today, but no such luck. This waiting is the worst part because I have no idea when I'm actually leaving. It's hard to plan when you don't know the exact date. Enjoy reading these quotes on waiting, as I painstakingly wait for my visa. 

How much of the human life is lost in waiting

Ralph Waldo Emerson

People count up the faults of those who keep them waiting

French Proverb

Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful, but not know which to do is the worse kind of suffering.

Paulo Coelho

and my personal favorite....

Ten men waiting for me at the door? Send one of them home, I'm tired.

Mae West

Don't forget socks!

Besides packing, which I have decided to procrastinate on, (even though I came home from the cape early to do it) I have been flipping through my Korea travel book that I got yesterday. The province I'm moving to is Gyeonggi-do (don't ask me to pronounce that for you). This travel book is neat, on top of the very cool sites it suggests for me to see, it gives me helpful tips on the culture and how to not make an ass out of myself. Tips I'm sure I'll need.

Tip #1: Shoes off, in any residence, temple, guesthouse or Korean-style restaurant, leave your shoes at the door. And socks are better than bare feet. 


I knew this already, but I do love walking barefoot. I also hate wearing socks and generally anything that suffocates my feet (unless I'm playing soccer). So, note to self, always carry extra socks in your bag or just wear them...

Tip #2: Though you may see members of the royal court drop to the ground to greet the king on Korean TV dramas, don't get inspired...


I know how to do the quick short bow, but can't you just imagine me dropping to the ground to meet somebody? I can! I won't, but I can picture it.

Tip #3: Use your hands, give and receive any object using both hands - especially money and gifts. 


I had no idea about this one. Thanks, travel guide.

Tip #4: Don't beckon someone using your forefinger. Place your hand out, palm down, and flutter all your fingers. 


This one I thought was interesting. After I thought about it, I realized that's how Mimi (my Korean grandma) calls us over often. I just never made the connection that maybe it was a Korean thing. She's kind of weird, so I assumed it was a Mimi thing.

In the travel book, they also give you a little incite into the Korean psyche. This was cool for me to read, because I noticed a lot of the same traits seen in my family.

...they're all tenacious, [and have a] pit-bull spirit. Once Koreans lock onto something, it's difficult to break away. Life is competitive and everything is taken seriously, be it ten-pin bowling, hiking or overseas corporate expansion.  

I have never met a more tenacious group of women than the one's on my mother's side (Mimi and my grandpa had all girls, four to be exact). Once my mom gets into a project, she won't stop until it's perfect. Even if it's creating a bouquet of flowers to sit in our living room. Everything she does, she does wholeheartedly. It's inspiring to watch her work sometimes. As for the competitive aspect, watch out. Playing a game with my mom and her sisters sometimes feels like participating in a mental WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) match and sometimes a physical one. Never find yourself winning against my mom in Scrabble unless you want to be pinched and bruised (yes, even Scrabble turns into a contact sport). The other day I was teaching my mom to play speed. I had just learned the game, so I was foggy on some of the rules and may not have been as clear as I should when we started playing. My lord, I haven't seen my mom that angry since the Celebrity game of '07. She ended up not finishing the game, called me a cheater, said the game was stupid and threw the deck of cards at me. I'm sure it's different in other Korean/Korean-American households, but competitive is brought to a whole new level in mine.

There were a few others I noticed connect to my household (Koreans are health fanatics....they're obsessed with education...) but I won't bore you with those stories. However, I did find an excerpt that talks about the environment I'll be teaching in. Of course I have to share that with you, since without this job I wouldn't be going:

Going to school is never enough, so middle-income families send their children to after-school private institutes - called Hagwon - to study science, maths, Korean and English.

That will be me. It's insane the education these children receive. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but to go to school all day, then go to more school, and on top of that have no summer vacation - it's intense. I'm teaching from about 9:30am -7pm (I get a 3hr prep-time/break in between classes), which is a lot of work for me, but I'm teaching things I already know. Mentally, it'll be easier for me, but these kids need to learn and retain all this information they're given for 91/2 hours. And I'm teaching Pre-K and elementary.

So, those are some of the things I've learned. I'm starting to get really excited about moving, so excited I'm finally inspired to pack!

Oh it burns!

My name is Kim. I was named partially for the connection it has to Korea (it's a common last name there) as I am 1/4 Korean (my mom also didn't like terribly girly names). I am moving to Korea very soon to teach at a private (Hagwon) school in Bundang, South Korea. Ironically, Kim-chi, one of the most consumed foods in Korea (and in my household) is one of my least favorite to eat.  Hence, the Kim-chi Journal was born.

You may be thinking: Why gee Kim, that's a big move, how did you get that job?

Yes, reader, that is a big move! Especially being from such a little state like Rhode Island. Basically,  my plans for teaching in a public school got put on hold when I found out I can't get my teaching license until May 2012 (long boring story).  My brother directed me to a website, to help me with my job process. I found the Park Recruitment Agency and without much thought applied for the job. At this point, I had applied for job after job after job and they were the only ones to respond. It seemed like fate.

Now, I'm just waiting for them to send me an approval number for my Visa, then it's off to the Korean Consulate for my E2 work Visa! I should be arriving in Korea for...well I'm not sure exactly, because they haven't given me a specific date, but soon.

Concerns that have been voiced about this plan:

From my mom: No Retirement! 
                                A ten hour work day is too long. (it's not really that long, at least I hope not)
                                What are you going to eat?
                                When will you lose your passport and under what conditions?

From my dad: How much time do I get to see you when I visit? 
                             What types of birds are in that area, and can you take pictures of them? 
                             What will you use for a cell phone? 
                             Can we skype everyday? (that's mom and dad)

From my brother:  Don't be stupid. 


and my own concerns: When can I visit my friends? 
                                               When can they visit me? 
                                               How much vacation time do I get and when is it?
                                               How much work do I really have to do? 
                                              Can I go to the Mud festival?

Any travel advice or suggestions on what I should see are MORE than welcome (comment or email me). Keep reading for updates, pictures, and I'm sure many stories about my daily grind, adventures, misadventures, and explorations culinary or otherwise.