Trash 1: Kang Shin-who strikes again with absolutely TERRIBLE JOURNALISM. The Korean Rum Diary already ripped him a lovely new one but in short: Kang completely glosses over the underlying issues of corruption in Korean bureaucracy--particularly in education, in order to bash on two foreign students who apparently don't speak Korean very well.
Trash 2: The crap in my lungs. Usually colds start in my head and end up in my lungs. This one started completely in my lungs and only led to mild congestion after the initial 36 hours of coughing. Nice, deep, wet, and painful coughs. Oh the joys of being a teacher.
Trash 3: The Cheonan. Okay, so this isn't trash per se but the boat is now. All of the civil servants in the country (including teachers) wore black ribbons today and there was a minute of silence at 10am. It was actually an amazing way to start class, my students were super focused after a minute of having their eyes closed and pondering tragedy. The expat community seems increasingly nervous given the mounting evidence that the explosion was the result of a direct attack. I'm ambivalent. It was a horrible tragedy but I doubt that it's going to escalate into a full blown war. North Korea simply doesn't have the funds--or even the food to sustain any sort of major military procedure.
Trash 4: Bumping into something sharp and ruining my new stockings. A bruise AND trash. Oh the joys of being a spaz.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Teachers to Teach!
I've only been working in the public school system since December but one of the only complaints I ever hear from Korean teachers is that they wish they didn't have so much paperwork. Teachers are required to do so many administrative tasks that they often have very little time to prepare for their classes--even with staying late, coming in early and taking work home.
The Korea Times reported today that the government is hiring approximately 3,000 "teacher interns" for the fall semester and 10,000 more by next year (remember, the Korean school year starts in February). There is also a move to reduce "required administrative documents by 50 percent." My original belief is true! Half of the paper work teachers are forced to do is bullshit! I'm so glad that no one in the upper echelons of the administration is willing to make paperwork in English...all I have to do is work on lesson plans and preparation (which is time consuming!).
At the end of the article there was a brief mention of the new evaluation system being put into use though specifics were lacking (what a surprise). It will be difficult to gauge how the evaluation system affects foreign teachers.
I think it's a fabulous idea though I'm willing to bet that the bulk of those will be sent to urban schools and that the schools in more rural and even suburban(esque) environments will miss out, at least in the beginning. I'm also weary about the lack of training. I mean, the government invested thousands of dollars to get me here...and gave me precisely one week of training. The same training wasn't given to anyone in my school or my co-teacher and a lot of it was difficult to reiterate. It also failed to cover the nitty gritty bureaucratic details--probably because they differ widely between schools and districts.
Anyone at a school with one of the new "teacher interns?"
The Korea Times reported today that the government is hiring approximately 3,000 "teacher interns" for the fall semester and 10,000 more by next year (remember, the Korean school year starts in February). There is also a move to reduce "required administrative documents by 50 percent." My original belief is true! Half of the paper work teachers are forced to do is bullshit! I'm so glad that no one in the upper echelons of the administration is willing to make paperwork in English...all I have to do is work on lesson plans and preparation (which is time consuming!).
At the end of the article there was a brief mention of the new evaluation system being put into use though specifics were lacking (what a surprise). It will be difficult to gauge how the evaluation system affects foreign teachers.
I think it's a fabulous idea though I'm willing to bet that the bulk of those will be sent to urban schools and that the schools in more rural and even suburban(esque) environments will miss out, at least in the beginning. I'm also weary about the lack of training. I mean, the government invested thousands of dollars to get me here...and gave me precisely one week of training. The same training wasn't given to anyone in my school or my co-teacher and a lot of it was difficult to reiterate. It also failed to cover the nitty gritty bureaucratic details--probably because they differ widely between schools and districts.
Anyone at a school with one of the new "teacher interns?"
Monday, April 26, 2010
Life and BusanHaps
Okay, I went from posting 6-7 days a week to 3 to practically none this week. Reform must happen! I just have a ton on my plate at school lately and my personal life is slowly sorting itself out which shall hopefully lead to more regular posting. I SHOULD be working on a different writing project this evening but instead I vacuumed my apartment, dusted, and did the dishes. At least I was productive!
(Stupid) Secret:
I am now a writer for BusanHaps, an English language magazine on what's happening in Busan. Why is this a pseudo/stupid secret? Shouldn't I have been shouting the news on my blog? That's what bloggers do right? They self pimp do an almost disgusting level. And while I told my close friends about it...I felt (and feel completely embarrassed) by it. First of all, I'm never satisfied with anything I write. At all. Ever. I officially have the Sarah Lawrence complex of doom where I'm convinced that unless it's been through 600 edits, 10 billion rewrites and is 30+ pages long (okay, not always the last one) it's terrible. And even when I've put myself through all of that I'm still convinced it could be better. To the point where I agonize over writing and it isn't fun anymore. Another reason I didn't talk about it on the blog: my article isn't on the website from the latest issue. All of the print ones don't seem to be up yet (or maybe they are cutting some?) and whatever the reason, I take every excuse to assume that I'm terrible!
Sunday I went back and forth about 20 times over whether or not to attend the writers meeting for the upcoming issue. I finally convinced myself to just do it and as a consolation/braveness prize (or cowardice prize?) I bought myself a lovely soy vanilla latte at Starbucks before I went. It was worth it. The writers meeting was fun and it was a blast to brain storm, get feed back from my editors AND get assigned article topics for the upcoming issue. I walked out of the meeting feeling like I was on cloud nine...until I realized that I had gotten the date of my first webcast mixed up and I COULD have stayed in town later instead of rushing home right after.
Goal of the month: to stop being so hard on myself.
(Stupid) Secret:
I am now a writer for BusanHaps, an English language magazine on what's happening in Busan. Why is this a pseudo/stupid secret? Shouldn't I have been shouting the news on my blog? That's what bloggers do right? They self pimp do an almost disgusting level. And while I told my close friends about it...I felt (and feel completely embarrassed) by it. First of all, I'm never satisfied with anything I write. At all. Ever. I officially have the Sarah Lawrence complex of doom where I'm convinced that unless it's been through 600 edits, 10 billion rewrites and is 30+ pages long (okay, not always the last one) it's terrible. And even when I've put myself through all of that I'm still convinced it could be better. To the point where I agonize over writing and it isn't fun anymore. Another reason I didn't talk about it on the blog: my article isn't on the website from the latest issue. All of the print ones don't seem to be up yet (or maybe they are cutting some?) and whatever the reason, I take every excuse to assume that I'm terrible!
Sunday I went back and forth about 20 times over whether or not to attend the writers meeting for the upcoming issue. I finally convinced myself to just do it and as a consolation/braveness prize (or cowardice prize?) I bought myself a lovely soy vanilla latte at Starbucks before I went. It was worth it. The writers meeting was fun and it was a blast to brain storm, get feed back from my editors AND get assigned article topics for the upcoming issue. I walked out of the meeting feeling like I was on cloud nine...until I realized that I had gotten the date of my first webcast mixed up and I COULD have stayed in town later instead of rushing home right after.
Goal of the month: to stop being so hard on myself.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Warning Signs: Sparkles Ahead!
Yesterday, at E-Mart something shiny caught my eye...and I put it gleefully into my cart. I mean, doesn't EVERYONE wish they had a pair of teal, zebra-striped shoelaces? For 1,000 won (under a dollar) I could brighten up my slightly woe begone chucks.
After taking off my work clothes today I figured it would be a perfect time to try them out...and realized that it is quite possible that I've been in Korea for too long. WHO ON EARTH PUTS SUCH STRANGE THINGS ON THEIR FEET?! Koreans do!** It's kind of fabulous and yet very frightening at the same time. Like seeing my adult coworkers wear rhinestone, Hello Kitty slippers in the hall.
(They aren't tied up all the way to the ankle for a reason...Korean shoes need to be easy to slip on and off since you generally don't wear them inside.)
My friend, Cowboy Batman, said that his moment came when he "realized [he] owned two ties that had sparkles in it."
I am very ready for summer vacation.
**I don't think it's bad that Koreans often wear bright, sparkly things-- I'm just finding it strange that I'm starting to want to wear them too...
After taking off my work clothes today I figured it would be a perfect time to try them out...and realized that it is quite possible that I've been in Korea for too long. WHO ON EARTH PUTS SUCH STRANGE THINGS ON THEIR FEET?! Koreans do!** It's kind of fabulous and yet very frightening at the same time. Like seeing my adult coworkers wear rhinestone, Hello Kitty slippers in the hall.
My friend, Cowboy Batman, said that his moment came when he "realized [he] owned two ties that had sparkles in it."
I am very ready for summer vacation.
**I don't think it's bad that Koreans often wear bright, sparkly things-- I'm just finding it strange that I'm starting to want to wear them too...
Monday, April 19, 2010
Beomosa Temple Stay: In Which I Act Like a Monk
When I told my friends that I signed up to do a temple stay they thought I was a bit nuts. Not because you pay to wake up at 3am or sleep on the floor but because I am absolutely terrible at sitting still. Terrible. I am a champion fidgeter. I surprised myself at my ability to hold still...except for the need to shift my legs every few minutes. Sitting cross legged for any length of time is extremely painful. However, I don't think I shifted my legs more than the other foreigners.
I'm not sure if large groups of foreigners have ever booked a temple stay all at once. Busan Meet-up group organized 20 people for the weekend which was apparently enough of an event for a reporter to trail us all weekend, taking photos and notes in addition to the volunteer who takes pictures for the Beomosa website. I'm fairly immune to having my picture taken by strangers at this point but it was a bit strange to have it done while meditating.
The entire experience was surreal. As soon as we arrived, everyone changed into a pajama like outfit that we stayed in for the next 24 hours. We were really lucky to have a translator. Salsa Boy did a temple stay last year without one and it was a bit tricky to follow along with all of the rules and customs. And yet the spoken parts were only a fraction of what went on. So much of it was just about observing yourself, the world around you and thinking about...whatever needed to be thought about.
Everything was just overwhelmingly peaceful. Exhausting but serene. It's difficult to describe.
This is me, in my pajama like outfit, sans makeup or hair styling. We were waiting for everyone to get changed and settled. The boy behind me is in fact passed out, using a rather large novel for a pillow.
Even though most of the trees are still bereft of leaves the flowers blossoming on the cherry blossom trees (and whatever this pink variety) were stunning.
Lovely door painting.
I have yet to go to a temple and not taken at least 30 photos of the ceiling and rafters. At least I don't post them all!
I've seen the big drums at all of the temples but I didn't realize that they were still in use. They are played before the night time service and at the 3am service (at least those are the times I got to witness it). It was AMAZING. Several people played before it was over. When it was a new monk's turn he started off on the side while the other monk kept going so that there was no interruption of sound.
Around the temple complex.
The best thing about waking up at 3am is that you are sure to catch the sunrise.
So, how do monks eat? Very carefully, very precisely, and with absolutely no waste.
Totally vegetarian and actually far yummier than it might look. The bowl on the top right with the water is used for cleaning the other bowls when you are finished. Whatever water is leftover at the end of the meal is collected, and if there are any food particles in it the entire row of people/monks has to drink it. Their philosophy is (basically) that so many people in the world go hungry, the least we can do is try not to waste what we have.
Passing around the side dishes, silently. No talking during Buddhist monk meals!
The view from the top! We climbed up a mountain to the visit the hermitage for a meditation session.
It never ceases to amaze me how pockets of city sprout up in between the mountains everywhere here.
Good-bye pseudo monks! Even us monks have to make a call occasionally.
I'm not sure if large groups of foreigners have ever booked a temple stay all at once. Busan Meet-up group organized 20 people for the weekend which was apparently enough of an event for a reporter to trail us all weekend, taking photos and notes in addition to the volunteer who takes pictures for the Beomosa website. I'm fairly immune to having my picture taken by strangers at this point but it was a bit strange to have it done while meditating.
The entire experience was surreal. As soon as we arrived, everyone changed into a pajama like outfit that we stayed in for the next 24 hours. We were really lucky to have a translator. Salsa Boy did a temple stay last year without one and it was a bit tricky to follow along with all of the rules and customs. And yet the spoken parts were only a fraction of what went on. So much of it was just about observing yourself, the world around you and thinking about...whatever needed to be thought about.
Everything was just overwhelmingly peaceful. Exhausting but serene. It's difficult to describe.
I've seen the big drums at all of the temples but I didn't realize that they were still in use. They are played before the night time service and at the 3am service (at least those are the times I got to witness it). It was AMAZING. Several people played before it was over. When it was a new monk's turn he started off on the side while the other monk kept going so that there was no interruption of sound.
The best thing about waking up at 3am is that you are sure to catch the sunrise.
So, how do monks eat? Very carefully, very precisely, and with absolutely no waste.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Serve!
I few weeks ago I mentioned that I finally joined the teacher volleyball game on Wednesdays and the volleyball workshop on Mondays for the athletically challenged. On Monday I walked away with matching lumpy bruises on my wrists from learning how to 'dig' properly but had yet to complete a successful serve...even from the handicap line. I did manage to hit a few windows though. At least I didn't break anything. Today I actually served and got them over the net from the REGULAR LINE. Not just once but about half of my serves were successful. My coworkers shared my glee and high-fived me over the serving success.
We might not be able to communicate very well but joining the weekly volleyball events has helped me feel like part of the staff instead of the strange English monkey. I get more enthusiastic greetings in the hallway and the people who speak a little bit of English make more of an effort to try out their phrases on me. It makes life less lonely. Not to mention it means that I get to stop working at 3 instead of 4:40 on Wednesdays.
Spaz update: I definitely jinxed myself yesterday. I managed to hit both myself and my co-teacher in the face during volleyball. Not at the same time (though wouldn't that be an impressively spastic feat) and thankfully I didn't break her glasses or cause any bleeding. I would feel more terrible about this if she hadn't managed to hit herself in the face twice later in the game. Spastic English teachers unite!
I love my life.
We might not be able to communicate very well but joining the weekly volleyball events has helped me feel like part of the staff instead of the strange English monkey. I get more enthusiastic greetings in the hallway and the people who speak a little bit of English make more of an effort to try out their phrases on me. It makes life less lonely. Not to mention it means that I get to stop working at 3 instead of 4:40 on Wednesdays.
Spaz update: I definitely jinxed myself yesterday. I managed to hit both myself and my co-teacher in the face during volleyball. Not at the same time (though wouldn't that be an impressively spastic feat) and thankfully I didn't break her glasses or cause any bleeding. I would feel more terrible about this if she hadn't managed to hit herself in the face twice later in the game. Spastic English teachers unite!
I love my life.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
In Which I DON'T Look Like a Deer Caught in Headlights
In Korean class, I like (to try) and show off. It has nothing to do with my classmates and everything to do with the fact that I'm ridiculously competitive in all things academic. I will risk making mistakes in order to participate fully and try to express myself. I will experiment. I will be bold.
This is me in a store or wherever when asked a question in Korean in a real life situation:
1. Open eyes wide.
2. Stammer
3. Picture the flashcard, worksheet, lesson in which I learned how to answer this....and blank. Completely.
4. Stammer apologies some more.
5. Give up and/or gesticulate wildly to try to make them understand.
6. Feel desperately embarrassed that I've been living here for over a year and often fail to answer simple questions.
7. Walk away and berate self to study harder.
I've been getting better though. I try to rehearse in my head the questions they might ask me before I go into stores and how I can respond. I repeat the answers to myself a few times before I go in and take deep breaths. Today I had not one but TWO successful conversations in Korea. And by conversations I mean mini dialogue type things but STILL. Listen to what happened at the dry cleaners (translated):
Me: What day do I come back?
Man: What day is it today?
Me: It's Tuesday.
Man: ~counts on fingers~ Friday.
Me: Friday? (just to make sure I heard right)
Man: Yes, Friday.
Me: Thank you! Goodbye!
Man: Goodbye!
I've been going to the dry cleaners for months and EVERY TIME before today I butchered this conversation. BUTCHERED. I've known the days of the week since last October. LAST OCTOBER and I still would go all wide-eyed deer when faced with having to communicate what I needed. I felt giddy when I left the dry cleaners just because I managed to ask what I needed without giving or receiving blank stares when I bungle simple phrases into unintelligible Korean.
Spaz update: NOTHING! I haven't tripped over anything in DAYS!! In volleyball practice yesterday I didn't even get in the face OR hit anyone else in the face/head.Of course, I've probably just jinxed myself miserably but I don't care! La la la! ~Happy Dance~
....Did I mention how much I love spring weather? Expect similar giddy posting as the sunny days continue.
I went into the grand opening of a new makeup store in Yangsan before my French lesson (Innis Free!) and managed to say, no I'm don't need foundation I already have Innis Free foundation! Not just that, for the first time I filled out my own point card application instead of them taking my ID to get information and doing it for me. It wasn't even a bilingual sheet!
None of this is exactly challenging vocabulary but when you think about how frustrating it must be to not accomplish basic tasks without looking like an absolute fool or getting outside help you realize how good it feels to be able to do it successfully on your own.
This is me in a store or wherever when asked a question in Korean in a real life situation:
1. Open eyes wide.
2. Stammer
3. Picture the flashcard, worksheet, lesson in which I learned how to answer this....and blank. Completely.
4. Stammer apologies some more.
5. Give up and/or gesticulate wildly to try to make them understand.
6. Feel desperately embarrassed that I've been living here for over a year and often fail to answer simple questions.
7. Walk away and berate self to study harder.
I've been getting better though. I try to rehearse in my head the questions they might ask me before I go into stores and how I can respond. I repeat the answers to myself a few times before I go in and take deep breaths. Today I had not one but TWO successful conversations in Korea. And by conversations I mean mini dialogue type things but STILL. Listen to what happened at the dry cleaners (translated):
Me: What day do I come back?
Man: What day is it today?
Me: It's Tuesday.
Man: ~counts on fingers~ Friday.
Me: Friday? (just to make sure I heard right)
Man: Yes, Friday.
Me: Thank you! Goodbye!
Man: Goodbye!
I've been going to the dry cleaners for months and EVERY TIME before today I butchered this conversation. BUTCHERED. I've known the days of the week since last October. LAST OCTOBER and I still would go all wide-eyed deer when faced with having to communicate what I needed. I felt giddy when I left the dry cleaners just because I managed to ask what I needed without giving or receiving blank stares when I bungle simple phrases into unintelligible Korean.
Spaz update: NOTHING! I haven't tripped over anything in DAYS!! In volleyball practice yesterday I didn't even get in the face OR hit anyone else in the face/head.Of course, I've probably just jinxed myself miserably but I don't care! La la la! ~Happy Dance~
....Did I mention how much I love spring weather? Expect similar giddy posting as the sunny days continue.
I went into the grand opening of a new makeup store in Yangsan before my French lesson (Innis Free!) and managed to say, no I'm don't need foundation I already have Innis Free foundation! Not just that, for the first time I filled out my own point card application instead of them taking my ID to get information and doing it for me. It wasn't even a bilingual sheet!
None of this is exactly challenging vocabulary but when you think about how frustrating it must be to not accomplish basic tasks without looking like an absolute fool or getting outside help you realize how good it feels to be able to do it successfully on your own.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Banning: Games!
Okay, as much as I mock the need for this I think it is a pretty good idea to ban kids from the huge internet games after midnight. For details, go read the Korea Herald article here.
I think it's missing the bigger problem: where the hell are the parents when the kids are getting online at 12pm? Don't they notice the zombie like attitude their children take on from sleep deprivation? It's fairly simple: don't let them have a computer in their room. If their phone has advanced internet capability (a fair chance) have them hand it over before bed time/homework time. If they are sneaking out onto the family computer at night and you are a heavy sleeper---password protect it or put a locking program on it that only enables use during certain hours.
Good initiative government but maybe you should offer some parenting classes too.
I think it's missing the bigger problem: where the hell are the parents when the kids are getting online at 12pm? Don't they notice the zombie like attitude their children take on from sleep deprivation? It's fairly simple: don't let them have a computer in their room. If their phone has advanced internet capability (a fair chance) have them hand it over before bed time/homework time. If they are sneaking out onto the family computer at night and you are a heavy sleeper---password protect it or put a locking program on it that only enables use during certain hours.
Good initiative government but maybe you should offer some parenting classes too.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Crashing your car to be polite
I've been feeling blue lately. Some people are amazingly creative and productive artistically when they are down. I am not one of those people. I need to be happy or at least vaguely content to be productive. Otherwise, I tend to sit around my apartment and reread books for the 125th time. Mainly, I'm missing my family which is unusual for me. I mean, sure I'd like to see them more often but usually I'm content with being able to calling them. It's just that I have a brand new nephew who I'd love to meet and play with...and won't get to until he's nearly a year old.
Basically, this means I have zero desire for original content. Thus, I have yet another story that the Cragon told me.
I called Cragon to see if he was in for going out with the Yangsan crew for a night on the town in Busan. As I was hashing out the details he suddenly exclaimed:
Cragon: "OH MY GOD! I just watched a car crash!"
Me: WHAT?? Are you serious? Is anyone hurt?!
Cragon: No....~starts laughing~
Me: Wait, why is this funny?
The driver was a new teacher at his school, who upon seeing the principal walking toward her down the street, gave a deep bow of respect. In those few seconds, she somehow lost control of the car and veered onto the sidewalk. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, after all, Korean drivers often use the sidewalk as parking area. However, in school zones they are fenced off (to help keep the children safe I imagine) with pretty sturdy metal poles. The poor teacher managed to completely crunch the front end of the car AND pop a tire.
Sometimes, a quick head nod really will suffice. For instance, when in charge of a moving vehicle.
Update/Edit/Reminders from Cragon on things I forgot about: The principal kept on walking after she crashed the car...and didn't stop to ask if she was okay. Apparently he mainly had a 'what on earth?!' look on his face. Cragon claimed that because she was a very new teacher he might not have realized that it was her/recognized the car so he might have just thought it was an incredibly spastic woman.
Also, in an attempt to get her car off of the main road (roads are very narrow here...so she was blocking traffic) she had to drive it about 500 feet in Cragon's direction...with the popped tire making lovely thumping noises the whole way. And probably ruining her axle. Though, to be fair, with the crunched front end of the car a ruined axle was probably the least of her worries.
Basically, this means I have zero desire for original content. Thus, I have yet another story that the Cragon told me.
I called Cragon to see if he was in for going out with the Yangsan crew for a night on the town in Busan. As I was hashing out the details he suddenly exclaimed:
Cragon: "OH MY GOD! I just watched a car crash!"
Me: WHAT?? Are you serious? Is anyone hurt?!
Cragon: No....~starts laughing~
Me: Wait, why is this funny?
The driver was a new teacher at his school, who upon seeing the principal walking toward her down the street, gave a deep bow of respect. In those few seconds, she somehow lost control of the car and veered onto the sidewalk. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, after all, Korean drivers often use the sidewalk as parking area. However, in school zones they are fenced off (to help keep the children safe I imagine) with pretty sturdy metal poles. The poor teacher managed to completely crunch the front end of the car AND pop a tire.
Sometimes, a quick head nod really will suffice. For instance, when in charge of a moving vehicle.
Update/Edit/Reminders from Cragon on things I forgot about: The principal kept on walking after she crashed the car...and didn't stop to ask if she was okay. Apparently he mainly had a 'what on earth?!' look on his face. Cragon claimed that because she was a very new teacher he might not have realized that it was her/recognized the car so he might have just thought it was an incredibly spastic woman.
Also, in an attempt to get her car off of the main road (roads are very narrow here...so she was blocking traffic) she had to drive it about 500 feet in Cragon's direction...with the popped tire making lovely thumping noises the whole way. And probably ruining her axle. Though, to be fair, with the crunched front end of the car a ruined axle was probably the least of her worries.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Falling Over and Hallucinations
Yesterday, I mentioned that I fell over laughing. Today I shall disclose the story that caused this incident. Originally I had planned to do a more intellectual piece on an article I read last week about education in Korea and a recent United Nations commentary on it. Unfortunately, last week I was super swamped at work (and sick) and now I can't find the article and after 30 minutes of searching the internet I still can't find it. I'm starting to think I hallucinated reading that the UN said that keeping children in school late at night in South Korea is a human rights infringement. If anyone read the article I think I read and wants to link me, I'd LOVE YOU. A lot. I want to research it more....
Anyways, here is the story:
As most of the K-blog community knows, upon arrival in Korea there is a mandatory health check. Now, Cragon is out in Tongdosa where there aren't a whole lot of English speakers. Not to mention, the ability to interpret thick accents and obscure sentence syntax is an acquired skill. Here is how the initial conversation went.
The night before the test was spent drinking water so he could get the 40,000 ml of pee. The next day, he put the container of pee in his bag (in a plastic bag) and went to work. He ended up going the whole day, carting around his piss in a cup.
At the medical center, he finally realized they meant forTY thousand....as in 40,000 won to cover the cost of the test.
I fell over laughing by the time he told me about buying the cup. I came close to peeing my pants, which would have been a fitting ending to the story.
Sometimes it's nice to know that I'm not the only spaz on the planet. Though to be fair, if this was my story I probably would have tripped over my bag and had the jar break and spill in the middle of class with all of my students there to wonder what on earth I was doing carting around my urine.
Anyways, here is the story:
As most of the K-blog community knows, upon arrival in Korea there is a mandatory health check. Now, Cragon is out in Tongdosa where there aren't a whole lot of English speakers. Not to mention, the ability to interpret thick accents and obscure sentence syntax is an acquired skill. Here is how the initial conversation went.
Co-worker: You need four pee thousand.Cragon took this to mean he needed to bring in 40,000ml of pee...as in urine. He knew there was a urine analysis for the drug test and being a fresh arrival in Korea had no idea what the medical service was like. So after work, Cragon went to the store to buy a special plastic container/cup to carry his pee around with. At the store, he was overcome with insecurity. Was there a special shape or piss bottle he need to buy?
Cragon: ....?
Co-worker: Four. PEE. Thousand. For medical test.
Cragon: Oh, okay.
The night before the test was spent drinking water so he could get the 40,000 ml of pee. The next day, he put the container of pee in his bag (in a plastic bag) and went to work. He ended up going the whole day, carting around his piss in a cup.
At the medical center, he finally realized they meant forTY thousand....as in 40,000 won to cover the cost of the test.
I fell over laughing by the time he told me about buying the cup. I came close to peeing my pants, which would have been a fitting ending to the story.
Sometimes it's nice to know that I'm not the only spaz on the planet. Though to be fair, if this was my story I probably would have tripped over my bag and had the jar break and spill in the middle of class with all of my students there to wonder what on earth I was doing carting around my urine.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Vacations are dangerous. They mean time away from the internet. That in itself would be fine. It's just that things pile up so dangerously in just 12 hours that attempting to sift through more than 12 hours worth of email, blog updates, newspapers, and such makes me feel slightly nauseous. Apparently, the key to feeling better is sleeping 13+ hours until your body stops hating you quite so much. Which is why there were no blog updates this weekend. Sunday afternoon I managed to drag my butt out of bed and make it out to Tongdosa to visit the Cragon and see the temple ('sa' actually means temple). Tongdosa is about an hour from Yangsan on the red 12 bus. The bus also goes into Busan so I imagine you could grab it from there too.
Tongdosa is more what I imagined life in Korea to be before I got here. I knew that Korea was populous but I didn't quite grasp it. I mean New York is populous...but not with the same level of density. The architecture is more of a blend between traditional and modern because it's been added onto here and there rather than bulldozed (or bombed) and started from scratch.
The walk from the bus stop toward the temple. Just look at the battered traditional roof with the modern apartment building behind it. SO COOL. Not to mention the mini truck. I'm kind of amazed these things can get up hills with full loads.
And the wilderness, my god. The forest surrounding the temple is pristine, dotted with purple wild flowers and absolutely stunning. It was utterly refreshing to breath sweet air, look at a temple hundreds of years older than my country and enjoy the company. Everyone seemed elated to be outside and enjoying the scenery.
I even did the unthinkable: I managed to bring my camera with me AND remember to charge the batteries beforehand. I didn't even trip over anything major for the afternoon. Until of course, I fell over laughing but that's entirely permissible. I'll save those stories for a slow news/life week.
Even the instant coffee has to fit in! Obviously, this was one of the original temple outhouses. :-)
Before entering the museum you have to put on slippers....this is a great idea in theory but it was definitely a one size fits all sort of deal. The Cragon has decidedly Western sized feet.
Okay, I will admit that I was dying to take more pictures of the monks walking around. It just seemed so disrespectful. I finally snapped this one when, as you can see, the woman in front of me went mad for photos. The monk was super polite and even posed with the woman's friends/family. I wasn't quite so bold but I took advantage of the moment.
Me: I wonder who those people are supposed to be.
Cragon: my co-workers said they represented the Japanese.
Me: Are you JOKING?
Cragon: Nope!
This is...very Korean. But to be fair, the Japanese did burn down an earlier version of the temple. They have a right to be a wee bit irritated.
Just so everyone knows: sometimes I hate blogger with a fiery, fiery passion. I keep thinking about changing to wordpress but Blogger DOES do things that I like and changing URLs would be a pain. Why do I hate blogger today? Because I've spent 30 minutes uploading photos and fidgeting with formats and then it SOMEHOW ATE HALF OF THEM! This is why there are pictures without captions. Blogger broke my creative soul and by that I mean broke my will to rewrite things. ....I'm not melodramatic at all. Nope, not a bit.
There were lots more little buildings and amazing nooks to discover but picture overload for the blog! One day, you'll just have to visit on your own.
All in all: Tongdosa is fabulous and everyone should go. Well, if you live in the Busan area that is.
Tongdosa is more what I imagined life in Korea to be before I got here. I knew that Korea was populous but I didn't quite grasp it. I mean New York is populous...but not with the same level of density. The architecture is more of a blend between traditional and modern because it's been added onto here and there rather than bulldozed (or bombed) and started from scratch.
The walk from the bus stop toward the temple. Just look at the battered traditional roof with the modern apartment building behind it. SO COOL. Not to mention the mini truck. I'm kind of amazed these things can get up hills with full loads.
And the wilderness, my god. The forest surrounding the temple is pristine, dotted with purple wild flowers and absolutely stunning. It was utterly refreshing to breath sweet air, look at a temple hundreds of years older than my country and enjoy the company. Everyone seemed elated to be outside and enjoying the scenery.
I even did the unthinkable: I managed to bring my camera with me AND remember to charge the batteries beforehand. I didn't even trip over anything major for the afternoon. Until of course, I fell over laughing but that's entirely permissible. I'll save those stories for a slow news/life week.
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| Yay for signs! I am terrible at remembering these sorts of details about where I go. |
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| The temple is about a kilometer away from the main gate. You can take the leisurely walk in (lots of benches to ponder the prettiness from) or drive your car up a different path and park near the actual temple. |
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| This is the giant (modern) Buddha outside of the museum. I actually spent an hour in there, they had a pretty great collection of art. The signage was uneven. Sometimes there were great signs in Korean, English and Chinese and other times it was just Korean. The only thing I wish is that the signs talked a little more about the artistic context for the period rather than just who is who in the paintings and so forth. I should really take a class on Korean art one of these days... |
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| Easily my favorite part of any temple is when you walk through the entrance and see the protecting guys who keep away evil spirits. I mean come on, this guy is crushing a DRAGON with his bare hand. That's bad ass. |
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Cragon: my co-workers said they represented the Japanese.
Me: Are you JOKING?
Cragon: Nope!
This is...very Korean. But to be fair, the Japanese did burn down an earlier version of the temple. They have a right to be a wee bit irritated.
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| I kept snapped pictures of the paving tiles all day. One without my foot and one with to get a good perspective on size. As usual, I got many stares for being slightly insane. Oh well, I think they are pretty. |
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| I absolutely adore Korean temples...but signs advertising upcoming events or whatever in ways that don't blend in, really rub me the wrong way. That being said, I loved seeing the buildings that weren't restored completely on the outside. |
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| No idea what this is, I've never seen anything like it at a temple. Very interesting though. |
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| Again, what on earth is this for??? Candles? Somehow, I doubt it's an instrument of torture though it kind of looks like it.... |
Just so everyone knows: sometimes I hate blogger with a fiery, fiery passion. I keep thinking about changing to wordpress but Blogger DOES do things that I like and changing URLs would be a pain. Why do I hate blogger today? Because I've spent 30 minutes uploading photos and fidgeting with formats and then it SOMEHOW ATE HALF OF THEM! This is why there are pictures without captions. Blogger broke my creative soul and by that I mean broke my will to rewrite things. ....I'm not melodramatic at all. Nope, not a bit.
There were lots more little buildings and amazing nooks to discover but picture overload for the blog! One day, you'll just have to visit on your own.
All in all: Tongdosa is fabulous and everyone should go. Well, if you live in the Busan area that is.
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