First Trip

So we went to Seoul yesterday for the first time.
Rule Number 1:
Take an updated English subway map with you.
Really, that's all the problems we had. All the subways have English speaking announcements, and most maps have English names, but sometimes trying to find the English maps were tricky. So next time, a pocket map will be ideal.
The subway was so easy. I can't wait to ride it and do more exploring. Also, if you take a bus shortly after you leave the subway (or vice versa) the bus or subway is free. You just need a transportation card which you can buy at any convenient store.
It's awesome!

So below are some pics of our mini trip - which I was amazed at the amount of English speakers we met. Many from Canada - but we also ran in to a group of students from Harvard.
Mostly Korean girls who had valley girl accents!

Pocari Sweat is the Energy Sports Drink here in Korea

This guy is holding his girlfriends purse

We saw a lot of odd footwear trekking around the palace. Ladies sure don't mind wearing heels to hour plus tourist attractions...

Peace Corps at the Embassy!

Men who aren't toting their girlfriend's purses, usually have a man satchel

Or a European Handbag

And finally, KFC. We got off the subway and this greeted us. Hello, Old Friend!

I made it out to the mountain behind our apartment today. It was a 5 minute walk to the park, then about an hour and a half to the top. The trail is 2 miles up to the top, with an elevation gain of around 2000 feet. I learned several things about Koreans. First, they love to hike. When I was huffing and puffing my way up the trail, groups of elderly were buzzing by me in both directions. Second, drinking heavily on the trail is acceptable.

Here are some pics from the hike:

About 200 meters up a muddy slope there was this traditional grave site and burial mound. The stone had dates noting that one person laying there was born in 1903 and passed in 2000.

On the trail following a frozen stream.


After hiking up for about 30 minutes, I came upon quite the party. These folks were part of a mountaineering group. They had a pretty impressive spread of food and drink. They were really tanked, and interested in talking to me for about 5 minutes. Then they gave me a Dixie cup full of soju and:


This cake. The man on the front right of the previous photo gave it to me. He said "Korean cake." I think it's a gelatinous paste covered in beans. The flavor is like gummy rice with a mild hint of sugar and salt.



A young English speaking girl took a photo of me and her friends about half way up the mountain.


The top, with a view of Namyangju-si in the background.


Here is a brief video with a view of what is going on at the top of the mountain.

Apartment Pics

"GIMME FOOOOOOD!!!!"

"Whew. I almost lost it, there"

View from our apartment

Fancy Toilet. Please note the butt and flying woman...

Spare Bedroom #1 (we have Spare Bedroom #2, but it is currently our closet. Same size)

Front Door and shoe rack (No wearing shoes in the house!)

Fancy Toilet

Kitchen with sliding doors open to the utility room and kimchee station

Kimchee Kitchen (the 2 drawers are fridge #2 and 3)

View to left of Kimchee kitchen, to the washer. Look at all the trash from our old roomies we cleaned up! We have to wait till Wednesday to take it out.

Breezeway area next to master bedroom. Clothes drying and storage are perks!

Master Bedroom. The fancy toilet in the 1/2 bath is to the right.

Me on the kitchen telly

Main Bathroom

Anthony chillin' in the Living room. There is a mountain out through that window, which we will climb once the weather permits!

Our school director/landlord is coming over today. It is a holiday, and we are taking the opportunity to have him do a walk through of the apartment. A few minor problems, but nothing we can't do without for a while!
Our new school session starts tomorrow. I'm very nervous. Everyone wish me luck. I have 1 class of 14 middle schoolers - who think they are too cool to be in English class. Ugh. I have to keep a straight face and lay down the law in the first class - other wise they will walk all over me!

The New Home Place

Well... We finally got our roommates out and the apartment to ourselves. It's a nice spot. We have mountain views out of all of our windows. The john has a fancy bidet and ass-warmer. There is a camera looking out our front door, and we can see who is out there while cooking in the kitchen. There is a separate kitchen area specifically for making kimchee, complete with a two drawer pull out refrigerator. We also have a side dish refrigerator in the kitchen, making 3 fridges in all. None of these niceties are really necessary, but I guess 3 fridges are better than one. And I'm not complaining about a toasty rear. Pictures to follow.

Rock Stars Arrive in S Korea

First Impressions

Kimchi

Check

House shoes

Check

Dunkin Donuts

CHECK

I have been in Korea for about 30 hours. I have found the 7-11, Dunkin Donuts, and Pizza Hut.
I'm feeling a big jet lagged, but not enough to shop at the giang E-Mart for Activia yogurt and Special K cereal.
And a slice of Supreme Pizza.

We got into Incheon Airport and were picked up by a driver. We were immediately taken to our school, where they were just finishing up for the day. At 8:30 pm. We were dirty, smelly, and after the 14 hour flight - pretty out of it.
But all I can say is WOW.

This ain't no Paraguay.
Which is all I have to compare it to.
The school is small and private. Kids go there AFTER public school and stay till 9pm! Korean kids usually have more school after their full day a public school in the forms of English school, Tae Kwon Do, music, or math school. Being a kid here doesn't sound very fun - but they are so dedicated! I am blown away at the English skills of some of these little little kids! I can tell them jokes! It took me 1.5 years to fully understand most jokes in Guarani!

We spent all day Tuesday shadowing a fellow Native teacher, and it was pretty long - or maybe it was just the jet lag. We get paid per class - so our days are pretty full up with at least 7 - 40 min classes. They diverse in skill level and age. I was pretty spent after 9 hours.
We do, however get lunch provided by a cook, so I will be able to taste all of her delicious Korean meals. We had bulgogi, which is rice with beef, kimchi, and creamed corn. There were also bean sprouts in a vinegar sauce. Our classes are typically 1-9pm, so we can eat right when we get into school.

After work, we went to E-Mart, which is like a smaller version of Wal-Mart. We bought a few food items and tried to look for a coffee pot. We will most likely travel into Seoul this weekend to look for one at Costco. Most people here drink instant coffee - but I didn't see any Nescafe! Haha! We also bought house slippers, as we are required to take our shoes off at the school. Mine are none too pretty - but at least comfy. I also bought some eyelid tape. It's to make the 'double eyelid' that westerners have. I'm tryin 'em out this weekend. Gonna get CRAY-ZAY!

We are currently in flux, as the teachers here before us are still in our apartment. They will be leaving this weekend, so until then, Anthony and I are sleeping in a twin size bed in a smaller bedroom. The apartment is so much bigger than we thought. I'm very excited and we have wi-fi. We will take photos after this weekend when our roomies leave. One teacher is going back to Canada, and the other got a position at a school in Seoul proper.
We are in a province Called Namyangju in a town called Pyongnedong (i think...i think i'm spelling it wrong). It's pretty lax here, and there seem to be buses that take you into neighboring areas that have more shops. But really, everything is in walking distance. It's about 10 min to school, and 20 to E-Mart and Pizza Hut. There is a movie theater, gym, subway and tons of eateries. It's like a little San Lorenzo (for those PC volunteers).

I will write a little more later, as I will now attempt to make some instant coffee. I certainly need it to keep up with little kids all day. I'm really excited to start teaching on my own on Monday. But first, I gotta get through day 2!

DC>NYC>Incheon>Namyangju

Howdy, folks. We're headed to S. Korea tomorrow morning. It'll be around 15 hours from NY>S Korea. As a brief introduction, here are some interesting facts I gleaned from Learning to Think Korean by L. Robert Kohls.
--The Korean language is part of the Ural-Altaic language family, meaning it originated between the Central Asian mountain ranges of the same names. Korean, then, is unrelated to Chinese, although it is related to Japanese, Manchu and, interestingly, Turkish and Finnish.
--Generally, spoken language is intentionally indirect and more ambiguous than is the norm in the states. I'll update this idea with examples once I've had some personal experience.
--Koreans invented movable metal type a couple hundred years before old Gutenberg got around to it.
--Korean territory has been encroached upon repeatedly: by the Mongols (1234,1274,1281), the Japanese warlord Hideyoshi (1592-1598) and the Manchu invasions (1627,1636).
--Korea is about to have powerful foreign visitors once again... Ant and Cassie Doo.

I have to finish packing... It's tough to decide which books and song sheets to bring along.
More to come.....

We Are OUTTIE

We are leaving for South Korea tomorrow.
I am trying to pack everything I own into 2 50lb bags. Anthony has 1 rollie bag, and a backpack...
Wha???

I don't think I'm packing that much, but apparently, 100lbs of clothes, shoes and yoga equipment.

Seriously, I don't know why he packs so little, and I pack so much. It is a delicate subject, but all I can say, is that I'm not getting left in the fashion void for 2 years AGAIN. No PY or Korean spandex for me!!!! I have been reading online that if you are a bigger sized lady, bring all the clothes you might need. I won't get caught drooling over linen button up shirts again. I'm bringing my own. In Paraguay, jersey t-shirt was the national fabric. For me and my ladies, it is not a very forgiving media.

As for tons of clothes, I am also bringing lots of shoes. Although I'm sure to find cute shoes over there, I am very picky. I don't like strappy heels for petite asian bodies. I like Docs and Mary Janes - which aren't quite in style like they once were. As for Ode to PY, I still have my Ipanema zapatias.

When all is said and done, the only thing I didn't bring is toiletries. I have a few items that will last me about a month, but I'm sure I'll be able to brush my teeth and wash my hair just like the locals.

Our phone will be turned off after today. We will arrive in Korea on Monday at 5:40pm local time. Wish us luck.

Resistance is Futile

I've been reading more and more blogs on teaching english in South Korea.
It's amazing how many people are currently teaching ESL there, and even more amazing how many people are blogging about it.

As I have mentioned before, after reading many of these blogs, I feel confident and almost proud that I served in Peace Corps before moving onto this next adventure. It sounds like a cake walk. I've read a lot of pros and cons about South Korea - and lemme tell ya - people can be whinny about a lot of petty crap.
Now now, I'm not just tooting my own horn here....okay....maybe I am. But it begs the question, why go live and work abroad if the only thing you are going to do is to compare it to the country you are coming from?

The good part about most of the blogs that I read, is that at the end of them, everyone really enjoys/enjoyed teaching in South Korea. I assume that after the initial culture shock, people usually get over being annoyed at living in a new environment, and decide to just have a good time and 'live'. And as in the past I have used this blog as my personal ranting journal, I also assume that most people do the same with their blogs...so I'm constantly looking for the good posts, and breeze past the bad ones.

With this in mind, Amber turned me onto a great website that I would like to mimic here on Loco Mocos. I have invited Anthony to become a team member of Loco Mocos, so that he can share in 'ranting and raving', as well as his POV in living in South Korea. It's a Loco Mocos first, and I hope that we will be able to document our time here, and give our family and friends a little bit of insight into our shared adventure.

The Final Countdown

We are leaving on February 20.
I have over 100lbs of junk I want to take.
Must I repack?

NO!

I'm having problems downsizing. I keep thinking of how badly I packed for Paraguay, and don't want to leave anything out. But the difference is that instead of taking 6 weeks to get mail, it only takes 6 days to South Korea. I had no idea checking 2 bags would be so difficult.

So maybe I shouldn't be too concerned with not packing everything I want. And really, all the items I want to take with me, should MAYBE be available in Korea. I mean, they ARE the leading country in recycling and hybrid automobiles.
I've been looking online, and it looks like everyone says to bring deodorant and tampons.
Check.
Bring 'American Size' clothing, if applicable.
Check.
Bring 4 seasons worth of clothing.
Check.
Some other blogs suggested a few things, but I think I am pretty lucky going from a 2 year job in an underdeveloped countryside - to a possible 2 year job in a completely developed city. I mean, they have subways! In English! I wonder if when traveling by bus, everyone will get a seat....

Big things I will bring, that I wish I had had in Paraguay:
Family Photos -
Nobody loves it more than to see photos of you and your family. It makes things more personal and allows people to identify with you. Plus it's a great conversation starter
American Games -
I will be teaching kids, so I want to bring a few games in English that I think they'll enjoy in the classroom. I know I can get a lot of this online, but I'm thinking some small stuff, like Bananagrams and possibly flashcards (cheapies from$1 spot). Kids love visuals.
Spices by mail-
Lots of people are saying to bring spices - and at first I blew this off. Until I remembered when my mom sent me Laury's Seasoned Salt in PY. I may have her do this again, cause I used it in everything. Taco seasoning was a treat in PY, as well as Chili powder. I will ask my mom to mail me seeds of the more basics like basil, thyme and oregano.
Movies -
I almost died in Paraguay from lack of mind numbing activities. I never read so many books in my life, but after Moby Dick - GEEZ! I just wanted some good ole Frat Pack. But I tell ya, night after night of Derek Zoolander makes Cassie not so Haaaaaapppppppy! My mom even sent down some much needed Star Trek, and even Data stared to get on my nerves. So we purchased an external hard drive, and got Kristin's dad and Anthony's cousin to upload us tons of movies and old TV shows. I think I'm in good shape. I can't wait to watch Bonanza....
Music -
We have been visiting a little place most people don't know about. It's called The Library. We have been downloading music like crazy. CRAZY. I had no idea they had so much music for FREE. I'm pretty excited just to add all this onto my ipod. This will entertain me for hours as I embroider all the friggin towels I bought for the trip.

This was a good site I found that I used for their packing list. Amazingly, there seem to be more lists for South Korea than for Paraguay. Go figure!

http://www.esl4kids.net/packing.html

Random Photos

Anthony and I Halloween 2010

Chiefs game October 31, 2010
everyone complimented Anthony on his lovely metal head locks-
he didn't have the heart to tell them it was a wig!

Mom and I - please note the bag of popcorn I smuggled in.
I bought that coat for $5, hat for $.25. Looks like I've been a fan for years!!!
Also, #98 back there. Ah...salt of the earth.

Anthony and Travis Long, our Peace Corps PY buddy! live in America!

Anthony and I while hiking

Visa Me Visa You

It is official. I just picked up my visa from the Korean consulate here in DC. I don't know if it's sunk in yet.

Five weeks and counting.
I will be visiting Denver at the end of this month to spend time with Ed and Kurt. I hope we will have lots of fun and I will take lots of good photos.

Other than that, not much to report. I'm a little unsure of what to pack for South Korea. I know my apartment is going to be way chuchi (guarani for hoity toity). I'm really excited not to have to take a shower out of a bucket this time. Also, I believe there is running water, although I'm told I shouldn't drink it.

My mom and I put together some items for my trip. Since I have tattoos and not sure what the cultural opinion is of them, I brought a lot of long sleeves - but no tents like when I was in Paraguay.
Work Clothes
3 pants
1 skirt
6 work shirts
3 cardigans
2 camies
1 dress
2 heels
1 flats

Home Clothes
2 Sweaters
4 long sleeved cotton shirts
4 camies
3 skirts
2 dresses
2 jeans
2 cargo
2 capri jeans
4 short sleeved shirts
tennys
flops
fluffy wooden shoe slippers from Kristin

Too much? It will be for a year, and most likely 2. I'm an 'American Sized' girl, so I've been advised to bring clothing that will fit me. The temp is supposed to be from a high of 85 F to 25 F - so I need to keep my bases covered. I hope when I get there, I can find a good seamstress who will make me any additional clothing.

I need to move onto toiletries and entertainment. This is going to be the tough part. Any advice?

Long Time, No Blog

Well, it's been quite a while since I've been on the blogroll, but as New Year resolutions go, I decided to start blogging again. So - what's new you ask?

I am currently living in Washington D.C. with my boyfriend, Anthony.
We have just gotten a job offer and our visas to teach English in South Korea.
We leave on February 20.
The place we are teaching is just outside Seoul in a suburb called Gyeonggi Namyangju. I'm told it's about an hour ride to the city on the train. They are providing living accommodations as well as a decent salary.
I'll be honest. I'm nervous. I'm teaching kids - ages ranging from kindergarten to junior high. We just got some cds at the library on speaking Korean, but I'm still wondering how I am going to communicate with kids that young - in English ONLY.

If anyone has any suggestions or has taught in Korea, I would love to hear some helpful suggestions on ANYTHING. From teaching English to where to purchase good toilet paper. Any 'Must Bring' items? This is going to be a lot different from Paraguay, so I'm not sure what to expect. I guess that's why it's so exciting!

I DID IT!!! Healthy Kitchens: A Reality!

my old house2
Originally uploaded by locomocos

My grant proposal finally went through! The women's comitte of San Antonio, La Pastora got the money to build healthy kitchens! After over a years worth of work, i just got an email that they are building!

I know I accomplished ALOT in Peace Corps, even if this much sought after grant company never made my project possible, but it sure feels great to actually SEE a change in people's lives!

I just hope that everyone puts a plaque above their new kitchens with my name and face on it! Gracias Lilu!!!

click on the picture to view my flickr account of ALL the ladies building their new kitchens!

Back in the USSA

So as I am now back in the US, I have been getting used to consumerism again. I bought this cookie jar at a flea market in DC.

I've also got an appointment to get my tattoo colored tomorrow. I'm really excited. Other than that, I'm just hanging at my mom's house in Kansas City. Anthony flies in this morning, and we will begin our visit to the midwest. I think in a few weeks we will be driving to Denver for a visit, and who knows after that. But so far...I've eaten all you can eat pancakes, a superdog, went to the Smithsonians, and visited Carnegie Hall. I'll post some photos a bit later.

Columbia or Busted

Mobile Carousel
Originally uploaded by locomocos

Hello all. I am now in the United States of America. I spent Christmas in DC with Anthony and his family, and went to NYC for New Years to spend some time with my ladies from Peace Corps. We had lots of fun and now I finally have some time to upload some photos from my vacation in Columbia.

We ended up visiting Bogota, Santa Marta, Tayrona National Park and Cartagena.

I seriously suggest Columbia for a vacation spot. We only had 2 weeks and I could've spent a whole month there! It rawked! We didn't have time to get to Ciudad Perdida or San Augustin. But we sure spent a lot of time going to various beaches, which was just fine with me. I worked on my tan and expanding my bathing suit.

Now I'm working on expanding my jeans. We plan on coming to KC around the 15th of January, and visiting Denver in Feb. We're gonna take Jeepster on a wild road trip throughout march, so lemme know if it's okay to crash at any and all couches!

p.s. click on the photo of me to see my pics on flickr!