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!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
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!
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!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
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!
Monday, November 9, 2009
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.)
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...
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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."
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."
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