The Kim-chi Journal: 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!