Live Octopus Breath

I entered the restaurant not knowing what to expect, and when the main course came to the table, my heart skipped a beat...I was about to try LIVE OCTOPUS. The plate was full of small tentacles. There were about 75 in total, all squirming around violently. I asked one of my co-workers how I was supposed to eat them, and he demonstrated by casually scooping up a generous portion with his chopsticks. He then dipped them in sesame oil, and sent them down the hatch. "Make sure you chew them up really good," he warned, his mouth full of tentacle. "Sometimes they can stick to your throat on the way down, and that is very dangerous." I took a sip of Macali (Korean Rice Wine) and wondered how much more I would need before attempting to eat something that was still moving...

Three glasses later, I had the octopus in my chopsticks, and was dipping it into the sesame oil. The tentacle was writhing under my grip, trying to shake itself free. I moved it towards my mouth, and with as little hesitation as possible, I popped it in and started chewing. It stopped moving after a few chews, and all I could really taste was the sesame oil, which was quite nice. The texture was hard and slimy, like wet rubber, but it really wasn't all that bad. The weirdest part was the way it moved down my throat after swallowing. It went in slow motion, because of the suction cups on the tentacles...

As repulsive as it seems, the live Octopus wasn't too bad at all. Although it's not something I'd go out of my way to order, I found it rather pleasant. I helped myself to more after my first try, and after we finished the first plate, my co-worker motioned the waitress for a second portion.

The really disgusting part of the meal came after the second portion of octopus tentacles, when the waitress brought BOILED OCTOPUS HEAD to the table. This made me gag on sight. The bowl had about 5 baby Octopus heads in it. They were purple, with beady eyes and oversized craniums. I poked one with my chopstick and it felt like a water balloon. Even my co-workers looked hesitant, except one, who looked at me knowingly and muttered in broken English, "Good for stamina!" I asked them if they ate this often, and most shook their heads. My friend Yong Won, however, told me that I must try one. I told him to try it first, and he did. As I watched him chew the Octopus head, I noticed a black film develop on his lips. I asked what it was, and he replied, "Black water from inside octopus!" THESE HEADS WERE FILLED WITH OCTOPUS INK!!! After Yong Won swallowed, it looked like a pen had exploded inside of his mouth. "Your turn," he said.

I picked up the octopus with my chopsticks and stared briefly into its eyes. The guy next to me handed me a towel and told me it was ok to spit it out. Needless to say, I took him up on the offer. The Octopus head was squishy and hard at the same time, and the ink filled my mouth like a gusher from hell. It was too much for me to handle. I gagged and spit it out all over the towel. Everyone laughed, gave me a pat on the back, and told me I was very brave for trying.

Later that night, we went to another spot down the street, and I was relieved when they ordered fish jerky....as if that isn't weird enough!

Teacher Sports Day

As many of you know, I've never been much of an athlete. In little league, I was always deep in the outfield with a spaced out look on my face, thinking about my latest screenplay. When it was my turn to bat, the opposing team's coach would say, "Megan's up, everybody move in." I never participated much in gym class, and if I was ever questioned by the gym teacher, all I had to do was pull out my inhaler and they would back off.

However, now I'm in Korea, and as a songsengneem (teacher) it is my duty to participate in TEACHER SPORTS DAY!!!

Every Wednesday, the teachers from five different schools get together in one of the schools' gymnasiums. Here is where TEACHER SPORTS DAY commences. After a brief ceremony by the host school's principal and a quick listen to the South Korean National Anthem, we engage in a 3 round volleyball tournament!!!

Koreans take volleyball very seriously, especially elementary school teachers. Most schools hold practices every week after class, and I've even heard stories of teachers getting kicked off teams because of questionable volleyball skills.

Luckily, my school (Mudeung Elementary) is not this serious. Unfortunately, however, we are also the laughing stock of the entire Teacher Sports Day establishment. I asked my teammate Yong-Won if our school ever held practices. He replied, "Yes...two years ago." Mudeung Elementary hasn't even won a game in two years, since the glory days when many "strong, young men taught here." Upon my arrival in August, many believed that I would help lead the team to a victory, Michael J. Fox style (I'm talking about Teen Wolf). This definitely hasn't happened. On a bright note, however, I'm not the worst player on the team. That honor goes to 1st grade teacher Mr. Kim. During last month's game, he tried to bounce the volleyball off of his belly, as if his stomach could make the ball fly 30 feet over and across the net. He tried this not once, but TWICE in the same game!

Examination Hell and the Swine Flu!!

Koreans are extremely paranoid of the Swine Flu. They take it VERY seriously. At my school, a vast majority of the students and teachers wear masks, and every student has their temperature taken at least once a day. I was given my own mask, which I don't really enjoy wearing. However, I am required to wear it in "high risk" classrooms, where there are many students suspected of having the virus. Many schools have closed down for a week (though mine unfortunately hasn't) and I am often warned by fellow teachers of venturing out into public places...


Another thing Koreans take seriously is the annual state-run College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). Dubbed "Examination Hell," it is a college entrance exam, the Korean equivalent of the SAT. However, this test is FAR more heavily emphasized than its United States counterpart. In the US, colleges look at a wide array of qualifications, such as grades, extracurricular activities, and community service. While the SATs are important, a bad score will not ruin the college hopes of a student with otherwise great credentials. In Korea, however, a bad score WILL ruin you; it is the deciding factor in most college admissions processes, and it causes an extreme level of stress among Korean adolescents. The Journal of Youth and Adolescents even conducted research and published an article linking the high levels of depression found among Korean teens to anxiety and fear over the CSAT.


The CSAT is such a big deal that businesses do not open until 10 am. This is done to ease morning traffic, ensuring that all students get to their testing site on time. The stock market even opens an hour late! Also, According to the Korea Herald, "In Seoul this year, more than 90 domestic airline flights at nearby Gimpo Airport will be either delayed or cancelled so as not to conflict with the exam at surrounding schools." Even airports are shut down for a half hour during the listening portion of the test! Everyone in Korea sees it as their civic duty to remain quiet on national examination day. Extra police are dispatched to patrol neighborhoods near testing sites, ensuring that cars don't rev their engines or honk their horns. According to English Teacher and CSAT Coordinator Kim Eunhee, "If you don't cooperate you'll be seen as an enemy to all."


So, as of yesterday, many people wondered if the test would be postponed due to the recent swine flu outbreaks. The answer was no! However, extra precautions were taken. Students were required to stand in line and get their temperature taken. Anyone suspected of having the swine flu was quarantined, and took the test in a private room (pictured above). Even students that were home sick from school and actually had the swine flu were not given a free pass. They were forced to take the exam in the quarantined room as well. I feel bad for those kids, because there's nothing worse than taking a test when you have the flu, especially such a serious test with such a serious flu!

Note:

Just to let everyone know, I went back through my old posts and added some pictures. Check them out

A Short Walk From My School...

I was strolling home from school one afternoon, and I took a wrong turn by mistake. When I realized I was going the wrong way, I figured I'd just keep on walking and explore the neighborhood a bit. If worse came to worse, I could always just hail a cab and be back to my apartment in minutes. Anyway, before long I found myself walking through an open-air, "Traditional Korean Market" (that's what my co-teacher referred to it as). And traditional it was...so traditional that I didn't want to eat a thing they had for sale. Let me give a few examples of the merchandise:

1) Giant Pig's Heads (which seemed to be staring at me, probably because I was the only white person there.)

2) Dead, raw Manta Rays just hanging out on blankets.

3) Fish that looked like they had been lynched.

4) Live Ducks in small cages (apparently you pick out the duck you want and they slaughter it for you on the spot.

I had an urge to liberate the ducks from their cages but I decided against it...

Evidence that South Korea needs foreign English teachers..

What I've Eaten Lately

Korean children vs. American children

Over the past few weeks, I've really started to notice stark differences between the social patterns of Korean and American children. Even after three months in Korea, I am still sometimes taken aback by these extreme discrepencies in classroom behavoir.

1) Korean kids love to get physical.

It's not uncommon to see students smacking eachother in the classrom, hitting eachother with brooms or books, and wrestling on the floor in the hallway between classes. These offenses, which would send American kids to the principal's office, aren't taken seriously here. The teachers laugh it off, and so do the students. A wrestling match in the hallways of US schools would result in escalation, tears, accusations, and, maybe the threat of a lawsuit. In Korea, you just pull the kids off of the floor and they're both laughing about it already. The craziest example I witnessed happened a few weeks ago after class ended. I noticed a group of boys huddled in the back of the room. Suddenly, I saw limbs and a head flailing from side to side. The kids had lifted a smaller boy off the ground and were swinging him from side to side by his arms and legs. I went over there to break it up, thinking they were picking on the smaller kid, but then I saw that he was laughing with the rest of them. Then I looked over at my co-teacher and she was laughing too!


2) Korean Kids Love to Show Love (as long as it's with the same gender).


It's not uncommon to see boys walking down the hall holding hands, or with their arms around eachother..it's just what best friends do here! This doesn't apply exclusively to children, either. When I was at the baseball game with a few of my male co-workers, I announced that I had to go to the bathroom. One of my co-workers told me he had to go as well....so we held hands on the walk to the bathroom. (This same guy was showing me pictures of his girlfriend earlier that evening)


3) Memorization vs. Critical Thinking


The Korean education system places a huge emphasis on memorization and testing. Students can memorize long English phrases in seconds and recite them with ease. They are forced to memorize long paragraphs for homework and speak them in front of the class in the morning. This is in sharp contrast to the US, where memorization is not nearly as strongly emphasized. I don't think I even ever fully memorized my times tables as a kid. Conversely, independent ideas and critical thinking skills are not given primacy in the South Korean school system, and I have seen evidence of this in my English lessons. For example, today my 6th graders were reciting a dialogue about being home sick from school. One of the lines was, "I can't come into school today. I have a cold." So, after the students recited the line, I asked them to change the word "cold" to another ailment that could keep them out of school. The kids had a very hard time, and I believe that this is because they're so used to just repeating what I tell them to repeat. Finally, after a minute of silence and confused looks, a girl raised her hand and said, "I have a fever."

Recap: The Korea Series

It was game 7, bottom of the 9th. The Kia Tigers had been trailing the whole game, but we didn't lose faith. In our hearts we knew that the mighty Nah Chi Won would come through in the clutch, hitting the game-winning, walk-off home run to give the Kia Tigers their 10th national championship! You can see the highlights here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOGFJ7ONJh4&feature=player_embedded

I'm beginning to think I'm good luck. The year I moved to center city Philadelphia, the Phillies won the world series. Then, a year later I move to Gwangju, and the Kia Tigers win. Coincidence? I don't think so..

Spittin Fire

The restaurant manager decided to show us how he could breathe fire behind the bar. He literally took a shot of gasoline, struck a match to it and torched that wooden sign.

A Word on Awkward Dinners

Going to social functions with my school really stresses me out. I normally don't get stressed out, and I ususally thrive in a social setting. However, things are different when you're a white person in Korea who doesn't speak Korean. Things get awkward. Last night I went out to dinner with my school's staff. The following is a list of the most memorable awkward moments of the night:

1) While timidly pouring a drink for my vice-principal (it's a custom), i accidently spilled red wine all over her shirt.

2) At the same moment, the Vice Principal was motioning her hand. It looked like she wanted me to pour more, so I continued to pour until the man next to me tapped me on the shoulder sternly and said, "Maybe that's enough."

3) All night, I constantly kept hearing my name surrounded by hushed of sentences of Korean. It's bad enough when someone's talking about you while you're right in front of them. It's not even fair if you can't understand what they're saying!!

4) Slices of processed meat arrived in front of me. I asked my co-teacher what it was, and she simply said, "Pork." I figured it was safe enough, so I took a bite. It had the strangest texture and taste of anything I'd ever eaten. It was crunchy and smooth at the same time, extremely chewy, and the flavor was something nightmares are made out of. Grimacing, I asked her how it was prepared. She replied, "It's pressed pig's head."

Jeju Island

So I've had a few recent adventures that I have yet to write about. Two months in Korea and still no internet really hinders one's blogging capabilities.

First off, last weekend we had a day off for the Korean national Holiday known as Chuseok (pronounced Chew-sock). Chuseok is Korea's Thanksgiving, and it involves feasting, family bonding, drinking and traffic jams. My friends and I decided to travel to Jeju Island, a rugged oasis south of mainland Korea.

We booked our accomodations through a travel agent, and recieved a round trip boat ticket, a condo for two nights, and a private tour bus complete with a driver for a mere $200 a person. The boat took almost five hours, but it was very luxurious. There was a restaurant/bar, massage chairs, a sauna, an arcade, and even a karaoke room! When we got to the island, our driver was waiting for us holding a sign that said, "Kenny"!

Over the weekend we saw a waterfall, went to a field of green tea, explored rustic beaches, ate exotic foods, and even went to a Chuseok mass at the Buddhist Temple (although I doubt Buddhists refer to it as mass). Either way, it made me glad I'm not a Buddhist. I thought church on Palm Sunday was bad, with all the standing and whatnot. At the Buddhist Mass, it was non-stop bowing, kneeling, and standing, over and over again!

Our condo was next door to a mandarin farm, and across the street from a beach. The beach, however, was not your average beach. For one, it had no sand. It had no rocks either. Rather, it's surface was black lava rock, complete with little craters. Furthermore, there were wild crabs EVERYWHERE. They were small, black, and extremely fast. They all looked like they were up to no good.

Our view from the Condo

On the boat back, I met a few other Westerners who have been living in Korea for awhile. They told me that they had spent the weekend without any formal plans. They just roughed it for a few nights and had adventures. I think that's what I'll do next time I visit Jeju Island, probably in the spring.

Fun With Co-Workers

The other day I went with 4 teachers at my school to the Kia Tigers game. This time I got to experience it the right way. I sat on the first base line, ate alot of squid jerkey, waved the strange yellow balloons in the air in sync with all of the other fans, and tried to sing along with the many rally songs. The guys I was with spoke broken English at best, but we were able to communicate somewhat effectively. My co-worker Yang Won spoke English with the greatest proficiency, and explained to me that every player in the lineup has his own personal theme song, and all the fans sing whenever they come up to bat! Another guy I was with kept his English to a minimum, but every now and then he came up with a hilarious one-liner, such as, "They hitty time, we drinky time."

A Nice Little Saturday

This weekend was a lot of fun, especially Saturday. Allow me to give a little recap:

Saturday morning, I woke up at 8:00 am (I know, shocker) and took a half hour bus ride out to the countryside with 12 of my western friends. Our destination was Moo Deong Mountain, and we were to spend the morning hiking. On the ride there, we were all being talkative and loud. Usually, no one speaks on the public buses, and about halfway to the mountain the bus driver was fed up. He cleared his throat noticibly and suddenly shouted, "Speak SMALLER! Small speak!" Though his English was minimal, he got his point across.

It was a gorgeous day in the country, and we hiked for about an hour and a half before reaching a modest summit. A few of my counterparts couldn't make it to the top and had to go back early. I don't know if I am in better shape than them or if they were just hungover, but I felt great the whole way and plan on hiking again, hopefully every weekend!

After the hike, we all ate lunch at a small restaurant at the foot of the mountain. The lunch was delicious. I'm not sure what it's called, but it was meatless, consisting of a spicy sauce, white rice and strange vegetables. Seems to be a trend in this country..

After the hike, I was walking back to my apartment through the campus of Chonnum University, when I noticed a crowd of students huddled around a van outside the fitness center. I made my way over there and realized it was a beer truck full of kegs, and they were giving out free beer to all the passersby! Naturally, I endulged myself between returning home.

That night, I went to yet another Kia Tigers game (I can't get enough) and got myself a hat. After that, I went to a pizza place with my friends. The pizza there was DELICIOUS, and might trump most pizza I've eaten in the US.

All in all, it was a nice little Saturday

I Found a Dunkin Donuts!

Earlier this week I discovered a Dunkin Donuts not too far from my neighborhood. Now I know of two places where I can actually find freshly roasted coffee in my area (the other being Starbucks). As I was waiting for my coffee, I glanced at the various Donuts that were on display. Along with the standard Honey-Dipped, Bostom Creme, and Chocolate glazed, I noticed a few standouts:

1) Old Fashioned Black Bean
2) Old Fashioned Red Bean
4) Olive Donut
5) Garlic Donut
6) Olive Garlic Cruller

and, of course:

7) The Kimchi sticky bun (for those who don't know, Kimchi is spicy fermented cabbage)


Needless to say, I just stuck with coffee

Kia Tigers Game!

Sorry to my many fans for not posting in awhile. I still don't have internet at my apartment so it has been difficult to go online.

Last week I experienced my first Korean professional baseball game; what an experience it was! My friends and I met at the main gate, and we proceeded to purchase our tickets from a woman standing behind a cart in front of the stadium. Along with face value, general admission tickets (which cost a whopping $6 dollars) she was also selling beer, soju and delicious (sarcastic) dried squid!

The stadium was pretty dumpy. It was nothing like a professional park in the US, or even a Division I college park for that matter. The place was sold out, though, and legions of loyal fans were on their feet for the whole game cheering on the mighty Kia Tigers!

(I will post pictures from the game soon)

First Day of School!

Yesterday was my first day of school. I was quite nervous as I approached the building, hoping they would understand my attempts at being polite. It turns out everyone was great! It was a teacher meeting day so there were no classes. However, there were many students present who were participating in various after-school activities.

The students in the hallways all looked at me in shock and disbelief. Some were friendly and said hello, others gazed at me in bewilderment, and a few took one look at me and ran the other way! I walked into the kingergarten class to introduce myself and all of the students literally screamed. One girl even started crying at the sight of me! Apparently I am working in a lower-income school, and many of these young kids have never seen a foreigner before.

The staff was all very friendly and enthusiastic about my arrival. Many want me to help them work on their English skills, which I will be glad to do. For lunch, the entire staff went to a sushi restaurant where we proceeded to feast on various dishes of fish and octopus. The principal even poured me a shot of soju as a gesture of his kindness. I poured him a shot in return, and all of the teachers chanted, "Ohh, good manners!"

During lunch, a teacher and I had a nice cultural exchange! I explained to him the difference between "hot" and "spicy," then he attempted to teach me how to use chopsticks the correct way (something I am still struggling with).

Some Numbers to Crunch

In class the other day, I learned some interesting statistics about South Korea.

1) Over the last two years, South Korea has sunk $500 million into English education!

2) South Korea spends 19.6% of its GDP on education. The US spends around 3% on education.

NOTE: The US spends the most money in the world on education when judged in absolute dollars. However, South Korea trumps the US in % of GDP

Korean Culture in Regards to Baseball

South Koreans love baseball. They have a professional baseball league with 9 teams spanning the country. However, a Korean game of baseball is slightly different than an American game. Though the rules are the same, the players' cultural etiquette causes them to approach the game from a different angle. The Busan Haps, a Korean newspaper geared towards expatriates, states that, "In the Korean league, umpires are apt to apologize for an unfavorable call and some change their minds as a gesture of politeness." Korean culture emphasizes social harmony to such an extent that it even has an effect on the nation's approach to professional baseball. Fascinating!

Today I learned that the city of Gwangju has its own professional baseball team: the Kia Tigers! These guys are apparently pretty awesome, like the Korean equivalent of the New York Yankees in the 1990s. They hold 9 National Championship titles, and have only been around for a quarter century! I'm definitely trying to hit up some games.

Koreans Love Neon Signs

Here's a pic of downtown Jeonju

Oops I Did It Again (Korean Style)

Last night me and some friends from the program went out in downtown Seonju! First we went to a restaurant called Boobi Boobi (haha) for drinks and and some appetizers. This place was pretty nice. Each table had its own little space behind beaded curtains and everyone had to take their shoes off and sit on mats on the floor (pretty standard for Asia I believe). I was expecting to have to pay $20-30 dollars for my beer and food and was prepared to do so. However, when we got the bill, I found that it came to a whopping $4 dollars a person! KOREA IS SO CHEAP, I LOVE IT! After that we ventured into a NOREBONG. This was my favorite part of the night. Norebangs are private karaoke rooms- theyre very popular in Asia. You pick your song and sing along with a microphone. The coolest part of this was the ridiculous music videos that play along on the tv while you're singing....

Highway Rest Stop in South Korea

Finally Arrived

After 48 hours of exhaustive travel, I have finally arrived to the lovely city of Jeonju, South Korea. I am staying at the local university here for a week of training before shipping off to Gwangju to begin my year-long career as an English teacher. The humidity here is SWELTERING. It is far worse than both CT and Philly. To make matters worse, all of my checked luggage got lost on the trip, so all I have to my name right now is my laptop and the clothes on my back (which I have worn for the last two days straight). Yes, I am the stinky kid at orientation, and it seems there is little I can do about it. I'm scared to take my shoes off because my socks are undoubtedly rancid. On the plus side, the food is here is delicious. I just had a glorious lunch at Jeonju University's cafeteria. Kimchi is the jawn! It's spicy fermented cabbage. I know that sounds gross but it is actually quite delectable. Also, I've met some cool people and saw an even cooler giant mural of Donkey Kong spinning vinyl (above).

Brawl Breaks out in South Korean Parliament!

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a brawl broke out in South Korea's parliament today over legislation involving media reforms. The newspaper stated that today's "scenes were not unusual to South Korea's confrontational and melodramatic politics, where rival parties sometimes resort to violence to get their way." Judging by the picture, these guys look like they are almost as bad at fighting as I am.

First Post

As many of you know, I am about to embark on a year-long excursion to the city of Gwangju, South Korea. Having never left the United States before (except for a brief weekend in Montreal) I am quite a bit anxious, and at least a wee bit terrified. I am creating this blog to post pictures of my travels, as well as display my thoughts on Korean life, culture, and politics. I am leaving on August 18, 2009, and if all goes to plan I shall return on August 25th of the following year.