George Silver

Korean Cuisine - Ssambap

2007-02-23T18:46:00.002+09:00

On Tuesday I was lucky enough to try 'ssambap'(쌈밥) for lunch with my salsa teacher. 'Ssambap' is this...

You get a selection of vegetables that are used to wrap the meat etc into a parcel. You can use lettuce, bokchoi, cabbage and gyenip (a heart-shaped furry leaf, serrated edges) to make the parcel. Inside you can add any combination of ingredients as long as you put in some of the meat, which is quickly marinated before being cooked.

There are many types of sauces that come with the meal. My favourite is probably toenjang, a type of salty soybean sauce. Also, it's slang for someone that puts on airs. Example, someone that eats really cheap instant noodles for dinner but makes a show of spending money at expensive cafes, buying one expensive brand name item, etc.

After lunch, we grabbed a coffee from what I thought was Starbucks. I was wrong.

Apparently, this is a small chain in Korea. There is also a place called "Stardaks" which sells chicken. 'Dak' is Korean for chicken. SO, my mission is to find where this place is and try their chicken. Maybe it's Seattle-style...

DMZ Trip

2007-02-18T15:44:00.000+09:00

The DMZ is the area between North and South Korea, essentially a dead zone which has been untouched for more than 50 years. To get there it took me about 90 minutes by subway and then another 30 minutes to the DMZ train station.

From the other end of the line (Dorasan Station) we took a bus to Dora Observatory from where one can see into North Korea. Even though there was a light fog Kaesong is clearly visible as well as a propaganda village.

This is the entrance to the theatre. These happy characters are everywhere, especially when it comes to law enforcement.

In 1978 near Paju a tunnel was discovered to have been dug from north of the parallel to about 50km from Seoul. Apparently the tunnel is big enough to move 10,000 fully equipped soldiers per hour. I think it was dug a long time before it was discovered. Also, it is called the 3rd Tunnel since it was the third one discovered. Who knows how many more of them there are.

These are some photos of the monument built at that site. It symbolizes the eventual unification of north and south. I especially like that both sides of the sphere fit into each other.

At the bottom of the descent to the actual tunnel there is a fresh water spring, which accounts for the dripping water all the way through the tunnel.

At the end of the tunnel you can see the razor-wire (barbed wire back home) as well as a door. Though one wonders why the tunnel wasn't sealed. Still, there are cameras all over the tunnel.

We even had a chance to try food from this area. There was an alcoholic drink similar to makoli (kind of rice wine) as well as 'guan guang sik' which translates to 'tourist food'. I was told it was actually 'dubu chige', kimchi and tofu stew.

Also, there is a rich shamanistic tradition in Korea. Although one would not guess this from looking around in Seoul (I'm still searching). Though here is a pair of totems. They are usually much bigger than this. The one on the left is male and the one on the right is female.

For late lunch/early dinner we went to a place called Provence which I think is a tourist town, French themed. I had some great Carbonara which was totally unexpected since Italian restaurants back home still manage to mess it up.

A friend I was with wanted to go to Dalgi Land. Dalgi is a cartoon character in the shape of a strawberry. Her boyfriend, whose name escapes me, is Watermelon Boy.

...though in this photo she seems to be picking her nose.

There was also a strange walking path with many character to pass along the way. I do not know why some of them have their heads in the stones.

And if one so wishes they can purchase all sorts of things with Dalgi's face on them.

There is even a Dalgi van which reminded me of "The A Team" but I still don't know why they would need one out here. Imagine if Mr T was here.

Nearby there was a time capsule museum with items dating from the 1950s. Here we are in a classroom. I wonder if the writing on the board is as old as the tiny chairs.

This is the heating system they used at the time. Very similar to the system at the Jeju camp I was teaching at in early January.

Initially I only accepted the invitation because a close friend asked me to go but as usual I had a great time and saw something that I otherwise would not have made time to visit. And the totems...

Chacha

2007-01-27T21:55:00.000+09:00

So I am learning chacha now. Fun dance. One day (soon) I will buy a camera to take many more pictures.

Jeju - Paradise on Earth

2007-01-11T01:32:00.000+09:00

From a previous post, I returned from Jeju-do yesterday (that in itself is a story for another time) after spending one week at the English Village. Being a clueless foreigner, I had no idea that there are many of these villages on Jeju and that the competition between them is great. This I only found out at the airport when we were to welcome the students to camp and the occassional visitor to the camp arguing with management.

We arrived at the camp on New Year's Day, flying a propeller plane with attendants that do magic tricks and take photos.

After the orientation we did the usual preparation stuff like making the beds in the dorm and lesson plans. Unbelievably, only the teacher I was paired with made daily lesson plans (As far as I know. Now, if every person I know has red hair then I will assume every person has red hair.) and shared them with me. Really impressed!!

[Just saw a commercial for Hana Bank filmed in Sydney! King St!]

The dorm rooms had between 8-10 students each, though I might be wrong as math was never my strong suit. Hence I picked Science and Art as my subject. Before you jump on me, calculation always sank me in Science. It was the theory behind all the calculation that I loved.

Here is my room, though this isn't my bed.

Anyway, after all the menial tasks were finished all the native speakers went to the airport to welcome the students to the camp (some of us looked like death warmed up from the previous night), holding placards and banners etc. Strangely, every group of students that went passed would talk to us so we assumed they were for our camp. One teacher even tried to persuade them they were going to the wrong way. She also pointed out the distinctive design on the gates to the airport.

The food was not what I expected. Even some of the Korean students in their testimonials (which were hanging in the office) pointed out that the food was pretty bad. The main cook got sick on Thursday so breakfast was delayed but the meals improved considerably when her replacement arrived. Up until then, as one native speaker pointed out, the food had been side-dishes with huge amounts of rice.
On the plus side, there was a BBQ planned for the students (and us) but due to inclement weather we had to have the pig roasted offsite. It will always bring a snile to my face when I think about the New Zealanders seeing us have our pictures taken with what was going to be dinner. The meat I got was fantastic as it had a nice smoked flavour, no crackling though. I heard it's not really eaten here in the same way we would back home. Just to show I wasn't kidding about the weather take a look at the palm tree.

It's a very strange thing how everything worked out in the end. I want to open a school very similar to this camp except for the miscommunication between management and staff. I still find it amusing that I was woken up at 9am to be told that my (fictional) 9am flight to Seoul had been cancelled due to snow. On arrival at the airport there was no flight booked for us which honestly did not surprise me after the other things that had happened. And I wasn't really surprised by the suggestion that we take the ferry to Busan then take a train to Seoul (about 12 hours travelling). Still, my Chinese teacher always said that one doesn't travel for comfort, but for experience.

I was assigned to the 'A' Team (beginner elementary) which is the BEST team. This is what they came up with for their team flag and banner while the native speakers were on a field trip (My theory is that a rather negative article was found on the computers about the camp so we were taken on a trip. Photos of the trip later). They all had these really cool electronic talking dictionaries with the YBM logo too (wink).

Honestly, I am really happy they didn't choose "angel" or "apple" as their name and went with "CLOUD" because from that word they came up with this chant:

"White, grey, blue and black!
Lightning, rain and snow!
Rainbow, pot of gold!
With dreams, we fly high!"

All I did was start them thinking about what clouds are and what they do. Though I did set the beat (1--2----3,4,5). But it was a pity I didn't think to take those props away so they could perform the actions we had rehearsed. We also came up with a hand gesture that really annoyed all the other teams, especially when I made the 'A' symbol in all the photos with the roast pig.

Here is a photo of The A team in my science room. We had to separate oil from water and they guessed the method I was going to use much faster than the other groups. Most of the advanced groups suggested evaporation or distillation but forgot that I had mentioned I needed the water because I was thirsty.

It's a pity I didn't get to do the face painting with my team though. Here are some pics of the older students. I was surprised they really got into it though by the end of the class they were playing RPS with the winner getting to add a mark to the loser's face.

The dreaded "E Team". For face painting they were my favourite.

D Team, who didn't really get into the presentations but went nuts over my classes.

And C Team, AKA "Jade". This was the first group to do the Art class so I am glad they didn't lose an eye doing this. This was also the group that was very vocal about which team was the best. I had an argument the kid in the middle (black nose) about which team was the best.

Kid: Why you keep making "A"?
Me: Because the "A Team" is the best team!
Kid: No! C Team is the best!
Me: That's a matter of opinion.
Kid: No! It's the truth.
Me: (Thinking that this kid just burnt me)

Best thing about teaching children is never knowing when they will surprise you.

The rooms I was teaching in were termed domes though we referred to them as igloos. I was impressed that they had the Korean floor heating (ondo) in them as they were detached from the main buildings and didn't seem to any form of insulation.

Anyway, we did have some 'unexpected' free time to explore some of the island. First stop was an orange orchard close to the village. Some of the oranges here are fake since visitors use this for photos I guess. In the foreground you can see a 'Dol Hareubang' or stone grandfather. These guys are literally everywhere on Jeju. I picked up some souvenirs of them too.

Leaving the orchard I thought our trip was over but we went to Seong-san (Sunrise Peak) a volcanic cone rising 182m. It was very windy but definetely worth it for the view from the top and the giant pencil I bought.

View of the peak from the bottom.

This is the rock called "General Rock", as in Army rank. We thought it was the other meaning of rock though I knew better as I could read the Chinese name as well.

The town we started from and also a shot of the crater at the top. The crater covers 1299 spuare metres. I have seen some photographs with water in it though all we got on that day were some trees.

They also had a listing of sunrise times for the whole year as I have heard it looks amazing. I do plan to return to Jeju as a tourist during summer. But while men make plans, it is heaven that commands.

***If you find any spelling/grammar mistakes please leave a message***

Jeju 1

2006-12-26T17:58:00.000+09:00

Today I found out I'll be going to Jeju Island for a week-long camp next week. Once I have more details I'll post them here.

Star Wars

2006-12-21T22:52:00.000+09:00

Read a rather interesting article about missile defense systems. Anyone else reminded of the Star Wars programme?

Korean Star Wars

Maybe I am a cynic, but I don't think any type of defense system would prevent North Korean missiles from hitting Seoul due to the their proximity. Still, maybe I am a cynic and the system might prevent a second strike though I highly doubt an attack will happen anyway.

Soul Patch

2006-12-19T23:11:00.000+09:00

Alot of people have asked me what my beard is called. Here is the dictionary definition for those that wanted to know

Soul Patch

Here is a picture. The light was 'a little' bright...

Pho

2006-12-05T00:58:00.000+09:00

I was walking around Hongdae on Thursday, this time in the opposite direction to Macondo since I was a clear two hours early, when I smelt what could only have been rizogalo (rice pudding for the unfortunates) with it's distinct cinnamon scent. Though I couldn't find where the smell was coming from and if I wasn't so hungry I would have searched more.

I had dinner at Pho Hoa, a Vietnamese restaurant chain. Back home, most of my time eating was spent at Flemo for the cheap and great (chicken & tomato rice and) pho for AUS$6.
You'll walk in and someone in your group would know the people or better yet would have family that worked there. You order and the fool that didn't order the pho wishes he had as you've already received your soup and now should wait for him.
As you eat you look around and the usual group of older men is sitting in a corner drinking tea and chatting. You go back to the same restaurant and no matter what time it is they are always there, drinking tea and chatting.
You expect the tables to be too close to each other and you expect someone to wipe your table with a very damp cloth. You expect your mates to dump huge amounts of sprouts into your soup if it's your first time. You expect them to warn you about the chilli (You must have fresh sliced chilli with your pho. Be a man! Do the right thing!) but you put it all in anyway and are temporarily blinded when the soup splashes into your eyes.

In Seoul, none of these things hold true. As with all restaurants I've encountered you are attended to as soon as you step over the threshold. There's the familiar greeting and you are seated, a pot of tea with a slight lemon scent already on it's way to your table. Just as quickly a plate of sprouts, lemon and green chilli is placed before you. They know what you will order regardless of all the other distractions on the menu. Before you've taken in all your surroundings your bowl of steaming cooking pho has arrived.
General rule about pho, if you are waiting longer than five minutes for it something is amiss as it is meant to cook on your table. Besides, they always have a vat of the soup in the kitchen.

You are surprised that the tables are all immaculate and even more surprised that there isn't even a hint of MSG in the soup. The pho has a slightly different taste to that in Sydney as the beef is a different cut and the local ingredients have their own unique flavor. You add the green chili and are relieved they have the same effect as their red cousins.

Between mouthfuls you take a glance at the tables in the courtyard, complete with bamboo plants, and wonder why they are empty. Then you remind yourself that it snowed today while you were grading your students on their speaking assessment.

The restaurant has a pleasant atmosphere, like somewhere you would go for a first date. Comfortable yet not too simple. In Sydney, never take your date to eat pho.

Same yet different.

Forgetful me

2006-12-03T02:27:00.000+09:00

I forgot my book at the school. I'd probably forget my head if it weren't bolted on.
Here are some pictures of the xmas displays at Yongsan. I went there to watch 'Step Up'. Not a bad movie considering it has a dance theme. Bad meaning typical dance movie compared to a mainstream movie. When I actually remember I will post about the cinemas.

The story so far... Part 1

2006-11-27T01:52:00.000+09:00

I will try to explain how I ended up in Korea since I always get asked this question (along with "Are you married?", "Do you have a girlfriend?", "Do you want to get married?" I'm sure these questions will make my blessed mother very happy).

On a side note, I can now eat squid and cuttlefish. I haven't tried octopus yet. Usually, when I eat those types of seafood my lips swell and I can't swallow.

In 2002 I went to Beijing Language and Culture University for a three month language course. I am amazed at how people's faces light up when they meet someone who attended that university. I guess it might be the same at other universities as it is our alma mater, more so at BLCU as we are foreigners there. There I met up with Shannon (we had studied Chinese at The University of Sydney and ran into each other at the supermarket next to BLCU) and Denise (where are you??) from The Australian National University. There I also met Marcus(Korean) and Winnie (Chinese, from Sydney). The three of us became quite close and when we returned home we met up as many times as possible.

Now, it so happened that Denise had a friend she had met in Pakistan who was going to be starting an internship in Melbourne. Before she started she stayed with Denise in Sydney for a few days and I was lucky enough to meet her (Angela).
Like I have said before, everything happens for a reason. While Angela was in Sydney she was looking for a book called Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho. Never heard of him but on her recommendation I decided to read 'The Alchemist'. She also invited me to stay with her in Melbourne if I ever decided to go there. I was surprised that someone I had only met the previous day would do that, and now I had a reason to go to Melbourne since I had never been and hadn't really planned on going there anyway. Luckily, we kept in contact when she returned to Korea. I still have the invitation to the wedding!

At this time I was still studying as I had one more year to complete my Bachelor of Arts(Asian Studies). As I had taken every Chinese subject I was allowed to take (I even got special permission to do a subject on Han Feizi) I was forced to take another subject and because of Juya (works at W Korea now. I'm so proud of you!!) I took Mass Media In Korea to make up the credit points and I was intrigued by Korea and it's people. I think they share a parallel history with Greece, caught between two cultural heavyweights and enduring repression of their own culture for years.

I eventually finished my Masters of Media Practice (all started by that MMiK subject I took to fill points) even though my real passion was teaching, inspired by my high school Italian teacher. I had plenty of opportunities to teach as I volunteered with the Salvation Army Chinese Corps teaching English to new and not-so-new migrants once a week. From this I learnt that no matter someone's age, the only thing stopping them from learning is themselves. I had students in those classes who were 70 trying to learn how to communicate as well as students who were 35 giving up telling me it was too hard (a few words in Chinese, to the effect of "I learnt Chinese and you're tell me English is too hard?" would usually sort them out). The old saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" isn't true of people. It isn't even true of dogs!!

Ever since I finished my Masters I had been looking for teaching jobs. Though there were quite a few in Sydney (Some dodgy ones too. Live and learn I guess) there is a much bigger world I wanted to explore so I looked for jobs in China (since I could speak the language and it would make my life easier), Japan (Japanese had been my minor, only because I had a grounding in Chinese) and Korea (I had no idea about Korean society except from what I had studied in MMiK which was concerned with the years leading up to the 1990s).

Before I found this job I went to see an old boy from Homebush Boys High give a presentation at my university on human rights (I had finished my studies so there was no reason I knew of for being at my university aside from being exactly where I am meant to be). Not having seen him in years, we decided to get together at Stephen Hunt's AIDS charity concert the following Friday. There I met some very interesting people (most working for various government branches) and Jazmina. She invited me to a small party to be held the following Friday.

The reasons she was organizing these parties were two-fold. One, her boss was away for a few weeks which meant she was the senior official. Second, from her own experience she realized that people in her field have little opportunity to meet people from other fields (I was one of those people from 'other fields').
At the party the very first person I met was Isabella (she was checking names on the door list) as well as the three I had drank with the previous week.
As the night wore on we had the usual conversations one has when trying to meet new people but there was something very different that night. Talking to Isabella, she asked me what I really wanted (that is another story) and what was stopping me from doing it. Not only did I know what I wanted, I knew what she would say when I told her why I couldn't do it. Here is the conversation as I remember it;

Isabella: What is it that you want to do?
George: I want to open my own school. A language school that is accessible to all but more than just a language school.
Isabella: So what is stopping you?
George: Lack of money and no experience.
Isabella: Bullshit.
George: I never expected someone I had just met to be so frank.
Isabella: I am always like that, not just with you.
George: You want to explain what you mean?
Isabella: Look around you. There's a reason the lending manager of a bank is here. There is a reason a lawyer is here. There is a reason I am here telling you this and you tell me that money is a problem!? As for experience, you just have to do it and learn. You are just afraid. What are you afraid of?
George: Failure.
Isabella: I believe the universe conspires to help those that pursue their dreams.

And from there we got to talking about literature and I reminded myself of the books Angela has introduced to me. She was right about my excuses. That's what they were essentially. Reasons for not doing what I really wanted to do, doing what I know will improve people's lives.

I started looking even more for jobs, especially after Isabella called me and we had a chat (which she would normally charge upwards of $500 p/h). Of all the jobs I applied for, the most appealing one came from Korea. The strangest thing is my personal motto is 'sapere aude', Latin for 'dare to know', as I believe people do not ask enough questions about their world and how the world is presented to them. It so happened that the agent working for the company in Seoul was attached to The University of Otago which has the motto 'sapere aude'.

Once all the paperwork was completed it was only a matter of days and I was in Seoul.

To be continued.....

Gyenam Elementary

2006-11-27T01:36:00.000+09:00

Here are some photos I took last week. It is Autumn in Seoul (Fall for those that need to be reminded of what happens in Autumn) which also happens to be my favourite (no, not favorite) season.

Before you run to the Human Rights Commission, these students were misbehaving and were dealt with accordingly. Seriously, how could I resist taking this photograph.

These are some photos of the school yard.

...and the road outside the gate. This is one of the reasons I'm always happy on my way to work in the morning.

Finally, for the people in the Bridal Registry at Sydney City Bridal Registry this is a picture of one of 'my' classes during their exam last week.

I was told on Saturday by the company I work for to make an exam for the classes to be taken on Wednesday. They wanted the exam sent to the office by Monday. Now, I do not take the books home with me as the weekend is my time. Either way, the exams were ready to be taken by the students on Wednesday with no assistance from the office even though I specifically requested some materials (I needed to confirm that the office would not help me to know better next time).

Takanori

2006-11-27T00:44:00.000+09:00

It has been little over 3 months since I arrived in Seoul. In case I have not said this to you directly, let me publicly express my gratitude to all those people that have helped me settle here, friends and strangers alike. I believe everything happens for a reason (Thanks to Angela for that) from why teaching is my passion to missing the bus. You are where you are meant to be.

I will have to explain this in more detail, but I just want to post some pictures from the last week.

Here is Takanori, Angela's gorgeous little boy (I've forgotten his Korean name. Jun Shun perhaps?). He looks just like me when I was a baby.

He is such a happy child. They were talking to him in Korean, Chinese and I in Greek. Whenever I talked to him in Greek about the stories I would tell him and how I would teach him how to speak he would smile and laugh. He showed little interest in Chinese though that could be because he likes male voices. Still, part of me believes it was the beauty of Greek that appealed to him.

And here is the yummy mummy....

And finally, here is a poem for you both. I would type it out but the Chinese typing program is so out of date I might as well use a brush. Even though the Korea Strait separates us you are both in my heart.

One of my great treasures is learning Chinese. As learning any language, it has opened a great many doors for me. Just last week the auxiliary teachers at Gyenam Elementary were trying to teach me Korean. But our lingua franca at the moment is Mandarin.
The same thing happened at Macondo Salsa Bar. This is the salsa bar I go to on Thursdays. It was, I've been told, the first salsa bar in Korea. At first it was very strange for me because the instructor teaches the class in English though most people learning to dance are Korean. Maybe it serves as an English practice class too. Either way, I had a great conversation in Chinese with one of the other students. She had completed her university degree in Beijing and now works for an import/export company dealing with Chinese companies (as all import companies do these days, hehe).

2006-11-25T01:02:00.000+09:00

I just got my first mention on Arirang radio. Better watch out, I'll be the next big thing in Korea!!

2006-11-11T17:02:00.000+09:00

Just watching Arirang, the only channel I have access to that is in English. There is a programme about international traditional food. It's just funny listening to them speak (the show is about hangi food in New Zealand) and then reading the English subtitles which say something completely different.

Dancing Peppero

2006-11-11T15:27:00.000+09:00

Last Wednesday was the opening night of a new traditional dance show at the Korean National Theatre (near Donggik Station). Although the performance was only for one hour it seemed to last much longer since the MC tried to explain what each segment of the performance symbolized. Understandable, since the lead dancer was one of her best students. I wasn't the only one that felt like this. Irene and her friend had similar sentiments.

After the performance we went to have salongtang, beef soup. This dish is the only one thus far that is not spicy. A pleasant change as you could add as much or as little salt/pepper that you like. There was also a strange new type of kimchi that I had never tried before. Similar to radish kimchi but a little more tender and not as spicy.

Today is Pepero Day. Pepero (pocky to the nipponophiles) are these 'sticks' that can be covered in chocolate or strawberry candy. Sometimes they can be filled with chocolate or strawberry (see photo). When asked why today is Peppero Day I was told it is because the sticks look like the date, 11/11. I did try to explain to them what Remembrance Day and also about Guy Fawkes, the Gunpowder Plot and Bonfire Night. My afternoon class students, having a better understanding of English than most of the other classes, appreciated the Guy Fawkes story and Korea's religious freedom. They also got the full story, not the sugarcoated version. I even taught them the first verse of the rhyme:

Remember remember the fifth of november
gunpowder, treason and plot
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot...

Personally, I think it's a marketing phenomenon but the students are encouraged to give pepero their teachers and there does seem to be a "Valentine's Day in November" theme to a lot of the packaging.

Quite a few of my students gave me pepero and a few thought that I wasn't going to accept them (and thus offend the giver) when it looked like I was leaving the classroom. This probably means I need to do something for Children's Day 어린이날 on May 5 (still a long time until then so I had better think of something good).

Merry-go-round

2006-11-07T22:55:00.000+09:00

Four weeks really do fly. Apologies but this might be a little disjointed. And there won't be any pictures this time. The software that came with my new Korean phone doesn't like Windows XP (surprise...).

The office set up a bank account for me, so I could get paid. Obviously they decided to make the account at a bank they do not normally use for their employee's accounts. I would think they would make all the accounts at one bank. So I am given my atm card and passbook assuming the PIN number I just entered would allow me access to my pay, as one does. Nope, I had to go to the nearest bank to my school during my long lunch (two short train trips) to change the PIN number AND security number only to find out that the account is registered under my name but not under my foreign alien number. Then I find out that the branch the account was opened at is roughly between Yangcheong-gu Station and Omokgyo Station, ie walking distance. I decide to walk and I end up walking all the way to the Omokgyo branch where I am given clearer directions to the original branch.
Out of all that, I met two people working at the Mokdong and Shinsegneori(?) branches that had stayed in Brisbane and Sydney respectively. I've met quite a few Koreans that have chosen Brisbane over Sydney when they go to Australia for a holiday.

There is no way I could have sorted that mess out without the help I recieved from June Sig and Irene. Much love!!! I mean, June Sig's family had a birthday cake for me when I had only been staying with them for a week.

Hopefully I can post some nice pics soon.

2006-10-10T23:05:00.000+09:00

On Thursday evening after my adventures in the city June Sig came down to my room and invited me to travel with his family to their hometown for the Chusok celebrations. Then a thought occured to me: Would I make it back in time for the BWL raid. Either way, I was assured we'd be home between 7pm and 10pm depending on traffic AND it was a great opportunity to immerse myself in the culture so I decided to go. A small problem was waking up at 4am to beat the traffic especially since I didn't get to bed until 1am (a nasty combination of mosquitos and excitement).

Either way, I managed to wake up on time and we set off with his parents. The city we went to is about an hour northwest of Pusan, Korea's biggest port. Possibly Changwon but I could be wrong. We reached June Sig's uncle's house at around 0930 after a short stop at a rest area. His two cousins were there already. It took them about two hours before they felt comfortable enough to come near us (and that was to poke at us). This is Ju Na, showing us the bug he just killed.

Anyway, we just watched as his parents and relatives made preparations for the ceremony. Food and drink (I was to find out that the drink offered was makoli, an alcohol made with rice and some other things) was offered to the deceased grandparents and the door was left slightly ajar for them to enter. There was also a small side table with some dishes on it in case his grandparents had brought some of their friends (if their own relatives had neglected to offer them food).

Hmmm, tea is good. Earthy flavor. Just having some now....

When the ceremony was complete we had brunch. It included fried fish, bibpimbap, sliced pork and of course kimchi. And plenty of makoli. I will never understand how Ju Na and his sister could drink it and actually looked forward to drinking it. I must say it's an acquired taste. Same goes with kimchi I guess. I know people back home that can't even handle slightly spicy food. Yet here young children eat chilli like it's candy.

After brunch we went to the family burial site. Unfortunately I can't remember which town it was except that it was between Changwon and Cheonan (It did start with a 'g' though). These are some shots I took from the car on the way to the village. Rice country methinks. Plenty of apples too (Bucolic scenes incoming!).

After a somewhat steep climb we made it to the burial site, with it's mounds of raised dirt. June Sig told me his parents had come here earlier in the month to clear the place up before Chusok. And just to be safe I asked permission before i took any photographs of religious/spiritual areas.

This is the view from the burial site. Their family plot occupies the highest place in that area for that clan. Apparently the other clan in the village has traditionally been wealthier though one could not detect that now. You can see apple trees lined with Juju trees and rice plantations on the left. Juju look very similar to olives (How I miss them! I must try and find some!!) with a similar shaped seed. The main difference is the flesh of the fruit. Quite sweet and firm. I also know why a good friend of mine would resent being called 'Juju' by her cousin :O

After our picnic lunch we visited a relative of June Sig's that lived nearby. I was introduced as a 'chingu' which means friend. When we arrived I think we interrupted their dinner preparations as they had just killed a chicken. In Korean this type of chicken is called 'ogulge' meaning black boned chicken, since the skin and the bones are black. Amazing how much sense the language makes. He told me that this aunty makes really good shike and man alive was he right!

It was about 3pm when we left that village and set off for Seoul again. We had a short stop outside the village to say our farewells and June Sig's aunty wished me the best for my time in Korea (in Korean). She then said to June Sig that she could have said farewell in English but chose Korean since I was in Korea. A none too subtle hint for me to learn the language.

Because of the massive volume of traffic heading to Seoul our estimated travel time was six hours for a trip that would normally take three. As time went on though, the traffic got much worse so we stopped at Ginsam World! This place is one of the rest areas on the major highway to Seoul. Because the area is known for it's ginsam there is a huge 'themepark' set up here.

From then on, the flow of traffic was painful. We reached Cheonan at 2300 I think. This place is a massive food centre which seems to be open 24 hours. Even for such a late hour there were huge crowds of people here and the food was better than I expected for a rest area at this time. One thing about this place that struck me was they played Boyz 2 Men songs in the Men's toilet. Rather fitting methinks.

Leaving Cheonan, traffic was still as bad as ever. At least we caught up on alot of sleep while in the car.

It wasn't until 0200 that we reached Nakseongdae in Seoul which means I spent 11 hours in a car for a trip that would normally take four. Still, the cultural experience I had was well worth it.

City pics

2006-10-10T22:39:00.000+09:00

Ah, the week that was. We just finished the Chusok holiday period here in Seoul. It was a nice break from class for a few days.

I went into the city last week in search of one of the palaces. Apparently there were performances in all of them but I got lost/distracted so I never found any of them. I did wander around what seemed like the main shopping district in Seoul. Maybe it's just me, but there are some really beautiful fountains in the city.

These shots are from the fountains just outside the subway, the name of which I have forgotten. Though I do recall the British Embassy was close.

Then there was this....

I felt the need to try and use it. But both numbers I called just rang out. From here I somehow made my way to Shinsegae Department Store. I couldn't help going in since I used to work at Myer Sydney City for a long time. If you've ever been to that department store, imagine something with three times the floor space, more than 14 floors and mix in a few 5 star hotel features. Then you might get close to seeing what this place is like. They had Parking Attendants that were better dressed than most clients directing people into the carparks (They were kept up-to-date on car spaces via a communication system of some sort. Not bluetooth I don't think due to the limited range). Snazzy hats too. Apologies on the quality/lack of on this photo. I didn't want to seem like too much of a tourist.

I'm really going to have to go back there to get a proper description of the store. My jaw was dragging along the ground for most of my time in there. This is a photo taken just outside that area. Maybe someone will know where it was that I went.

2006-10-03T23:59:00.000+09:00

Oh, and I finally understand Seung Mina's ending in Soul Calibur. She defeats Hwang in a duel and he gets to use a wooden sword (it's been a very long since I played it so I might be wrong). At the school sports day there some carnival rides and one vendor selling wooden swords, Chinese and Korean ones.

2006-10-03T22:36:00.000+09:00

Then there was the umbrella performance. For weeks I'd hear this music during my afternoon classes but I couldn't see where it was coming from. Today I found that it was for the umbrellas.

There was also a taekwondo performance. This is the principal demonstrating what he does to naughty children (really, he's a pretty cool headmaster).

The girl in the front by herself is on one of the posters in the foyer leading to the office where I take lunch.

Some of my students are in this team. They would have to leave a few minutes early on certain days to rehearse. It worked out well, since they had nunchaku and they didn't hurt anyone or themselves.

And drums. I would see some of the students running around with drums. They were pretty big and i guess a nuisance to them but there perforance was very good. I don't know, but to me there is something primeval about drums. Maybe it has something to do with our heartbeat. Either way, it always gets to my very core.

Most fun I'd had in a long time today. I'm really happy I went since I didn't have to go to school anyway. Also, I had lunch with the other teachers (I usually eat lunch with the office staff and the principal). There was so much food! I had calbi for the first time. Calbi are beef ribs, I think they are stewed. I really can't understand why my students snigger when I ask one of them what their favourite food is, and the others reply "She likes calbi". I also had this drink called shiken. It's made from rice and served ice-cold. It has a slightly sweet taste. Very nice.

2006-10-03T21:56:00.000+09:00

So that was the weekend.

These are some shots I took on the way to the school. Seoul is not what I expected, though I really had no idea about the city anyway. I almost can't wait to see how it looks under snow, and the children all rugged up like little balls of wool, with mittens!

This is the groundkeeper. I arrive at the school at around 0815 so the deputy principal greets us and I guess puts in a good word with the principal since whenever he sees me he comments on how early I am. Anyway, this groundkeeper waters the football pitch every morning. No big deal, except that there is no grass on the pitch at all. just gravel. Weirds me out every morning.

This week is Chusok in Korea, Harvest Festival/Thanksgiving Holidays. Basically, that means I have no classes to teach for one week. Though I did go to the Sports Day today since alot of my students asked me last week if I'd be there to see them. And I did watch them when they were rehearsing the activities.

It's strange how some things happen (me being here for one thing, which I'll write about later). Last week in my 4th grade classes I had the students do a role play. One of the characters in the play has a wig which falls off when he bows so to make it as realistic as possible I had them wear these halo-shaped cardboard rings that they had in stacks by my desk. Today, one of the events between the races was to throw these rings onto poles. The sports day was as much for the parents as it was for the students.

I also saw them working on their portraits since the school term began. These portraits were strung from the main stage (where I was sitting) all the way to the other side of the football pitch where the students were sitting. People always said I had an eye for detail.

One of the events they were practising last week was this weird race. Basically, they have two chairs about one metre apart and the students line up on eitherb side of the chair, going towards the goal posts. Then one student from each team walks on the backs of the other students supported on either side. At the opposite end the walkers switch and the winning team is the one that gets their walker back to the beginning first. Of all the times I watched them last week, it was the blue team that finished the race first (the team on the left). But today the red team (my team since most of my students are on that side) won!

Then there was the fan dance. Looked really good from where I was (first photo is from the rehearsal last week).

Though my favourite event was the relay. This is a photo of one of the girls in my 2nd grade class. She is the one in yellow.

The yellow team won quite comfortably. In the seniors it was a photo finish with orange coming in first (I had no more room on my phone though)

2006-10-03T21:13:00.000+09:00

Wow, it's been quite a while since I last updated this thing.

Let's see....

I moved into my own room last week. Single person accommodation so I wasn't expecting anything huge. It's pretty cute though. I can see the football field much better from this room than from the one upstairs, though I already miss the view of the churches going up to the mountains.

This is the football field. To get to it I have to go around the block and up a hill to the middle school.

On the weekend I went to the Museum of Photography (http://www.photomuseum.or.kr). No english site available yet so I had an interesting time working out how to get there. Anyway, once I worked that out I got off at the right station and saw this...

...and I thought how cute. Then I saw this at the Olympic Park

This gateway was probably built for the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Bloody huge. I kept walking and I pass a cafe called "Cafe Mix and Bake". They were playing some pretty cool (and unexpected) jazz music so I made a note to go back there after I was done at the museum. Because I was curious and it looked like there was some sort of festival I decided to walk to the end of the block. There I saw what must be the biggest Methodist church in existence.

Seriously blew my mind. Though, there are very few 'traditional' churches that I have seen. Some very innovative designs here.

Going back to the museum, I watched a very moving documentary about Korea during the Japanese Occupation. On the whole it was more concerned with the traditional Korea becoming lost during the process of modernisation Japan-style. Though the narrator did mention a certain chinese set phrase about heaven which I will not repeat here.

I must have spent a good two hours in the museum because I didn't realise that it was already 1600. Remembering the cafe, I went there to see why it was so popular.

Firstly, it was big. Much bigger than you would expect a cafe to be. And it was a western styled cafe with a big emphasis on sandwhiches and other breads. Lots of imported beers too. When I ordered my latte (I ordered in Korean!!! Though I didn't know what 'dine-in or takeaway?' was so she started speaking english) the music had changed to lounge.

As you can see, a very big orange theme here. The latte was decent in size and flavour, but not worth the 4000won that they sell it for. Zen coffee is still the best. And there were people with those toy dogs everywhere!! Like those dogs that you see Paris Hilton carrying around! Guys had them too!

Hmmm, this one is too long...

2006-09-25T22:30:00.000+09:00

Here are the pics of me lighting fireworks on my birthday.

And this, dear friends, is a picture of bananas. For our Australian readers. I get them at the school in the canteen lunches.

2006-09-24T10:38:00.000+09:00

It was my birthday last Tuesday so I went to the bar that Sandra frequents after work.

(damn rooster outside my window)

It's a pretty decent place that we have all to ourselves until about 7. The owner is a big fan of WWE so all his TVs have that on when ever he can. For 2000won each we get a stein of local beer, usually Cass, a bowl of popcorn and some seaweed and soysauce dipping stuff. It is very good after-work medicine. Later on I'll have to find a trendy bar to take my champagne medicine but for now this bar is sweet.

After dinner we bought some beer and went to a park nearby to use my present. She got me a glass mug for school and three firecrackers.

hmmm, gotta post the pics later. Not letting me do it atm.

2006-09-18T23:29:00.000+09:00

I had my first afternoon class today. Usual children being hyperactive after lunchtime. Because I was a new teacher, I asked all my classes to ask me any question they wanted to know the answer to of me. Here are some samples.

"Where are you from?"
"How old are you?"

These two would always be the first questions asked. They seemed surprised that I was 25 (26 tomorrow).

"Are you married?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Do you want a girlfriend?"

80% of the time I was asked these questions is was by a boy. The last one was asked by an 8 year old in my last regular class today.

"Who was your first lover?"

I thought WTF!? What the hell do these kids watch on TV to ask questions like that? I replied "She was in my chinese class at university". When I told Sandra about this on the way home she asked if I'd said that she wasn't a student.

And my favourite of the day was in the afternoon class. These classes are made up of students based on their proficiency in english, not their age. And then there are some students there that seem to stay in these classes as quasi childcare while the parents work/want a break. On the way out from the level 6 class, last of the day at 1715, this little girl of 9 asks me about Sandra...

**9: Do you like Sandra?**
**G: Uh, we're just friends.**
**9: But you go home together.**
**G: Yeah, we live together, ummmm, in the same building. I live on the 5th floor and she lives on the 1st floor.**
**9: Are you dating?**

Well, I guess this kind of thing has always happened. I had a classmate at uni who I would always be around and unbelievably we were never an item. Isn't it amazing that a man and a woman can have a non-sexual relationship?

2006-09-18T23:15:00.000+09:00

uh, such a nub at this blogger thing. Thanks for all your help Van (be sure to step into her wacky world from my links column). I was tempted to turn comment moderation on but that smacks of censorship.

So on my way back from my little adventure on the subway I stop by the convenience store to pick up some cereal for the week. Remembering what June told me last week when I made my cereal purchase....

**J: Here is the cereal. Which one do you want?**

He picks a Kellogs one with almond flakes. Looks pretty tasty. Because I don't want to pick the same one, I go for the chocolate cereal. Imagine Weetibits but hollowed out and a lattice structure like waffles (will post a pic next time I get them).

**G: How much are these?**
**J: X000 won. But these are normally what kids eat.**

So I paid for them and I was thinking about what was going on here. On the way back to our place I asked him about antiperspirant deoderant because I wasn't in the mood to be frisked if taking pressurised items into a plane was illegal....

**G: Do you know where I can get deoderant from? Do they sell it there?**
**J: What do you mean?**
**G: You know, so when you sweat it doesn't smell.**
**J: Korean people normally have a shower.**

Pretty funny guy. The strange thing is, I would say things like that to people too.

2006-09-18T22:28:00.000+09:00

Weekend recap.
Did nothing on Saturday except sleep and bludge around. I needed and deserved a break from small children for one day.

Sunday was an interesting day. The people I live with found out where the Greek Orthodox Church is in Seoul. There is one church in every major city in Korea, which I think is pretty cool since there are only 3000 or so Greeks here. From where I live it was only one transfer to that place. I only realised this week how central Subway Line 2 is and how close I am to everything.

This is a view of the cathedral fromn the street just outside Aogae Station. It's one of those places that you would miss if you weren't standing right in front of it.

The front entrance of the cathedral. Typical of Orthodox churches.

Getting to the cathedral was pretty easy. What surprised me though was the number of people there that weren't Greek (at least the non-Koreans didn't look Greek to me). And what was really surprising was that while I was inside the cathedral there was a bible study (I got there about 1pm, so after the liturgy) in Korean. Next time I will be dressed as is fitting a place of worship.

Here you can see the bells that were a gift from the Hellenic Republic to Korea. They are normally only rung at major festivals. But it is to the deacon's discretion as each diocese takes guidance from the patriarchy only (self-automonous in most respects)

The translation in Greek says "Established 1978. A gift from the Hellenic Republic. These three bells were cast in the forges of the Hellenic Army".

This is the event hall that was built with a donation from the naval corporation "Eletson Corporation in Piraeus". Well, this is the plague on the building anyway.

The cathedral also has a guest book for intrepid travellers like me. I was glad to see that people from all sorts of countries have visited this cathedral.

2006-09-16T10:43:00.000+09:00

What a hectic week it has been. I'm like a celebrity at the school (I'm sure the kids will get over it soon) with anklebiters following me around all day. The classrooms are pretty sweet with massive LG flatscreen TVs and an interesting series of computer languge programs.

They also get lunch every day. Man, it is so difficult to get them to concentrate in the 15 minutes before lunch.

I went to Dongdaemun yesterday with Sandra to purchase a vacuum cleaner (long story). Apparently that area is the biggest shopping mall in Asia. I just couldn't believe the amount of traffic in that area at 3pm, which isn't even rush hour.
W were also accosted by an English (?) woman wanting directions to the mall while she was standing right in front of it (the name of the mall was in english).

As part of our grand adventure to find a vacuum cleaner we went down this dodgy alley in search of a coffee. So we come across this door and go upstairs to find the coolest looking bar I've ever seen. Looking outside the window you see the market stalls and street food vendors while you're sitting on comfy leather armchairs. Prices weren't too bad either. Especially since they have better coffee than Campos in Newtown, double the size too! And a glass of water without needing to ask. Shame on you Sydney baristas.

At the electronics area of the mall, they had heated marble bed frames! Gonna go back there and take some photos (I was too busy carrying the vacuum cleaner to take any that time).

2006-09-13T23:00:00.000+09:00

I have been asked to post a picture of the place i'm living at. So here it is...

I have also been doing some reading about Korea while I'm here. President Rho Moo Hyun was in Greece last week meeting with Korean residents in Greece. I think there are about 250 Koreans living in Greece. He also met with leaders of the shipping industry seeing that Greece controls international shipping (ala "Brittania rules the seas" just better) and Korea is the largest shipping manufacturer in the world. Quite interesting.

And there are quite a few societies to foster Hellenic - Korean relations even though there so few Koreans in the Hellenic Republic.

2006-09-12T21:40:00.000+09:00

Not normal for me to post twice in one day, but this is for real.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgrvQWmZTWA&NR

2006-09-12T17:48:00.000+09:00

Another fine day in Seoul. The temperature hit 25C today and it was rather hot.

I caught the subway to the school today with the other teacher who lives in my building. She's from Adelaide and has been here for about 6 weeks already. Although she did warn me that we would be facing a crowd when we changed trains I had no idea it would be a sea of people that I had to swim against. She suggested that the best way to deal with it is to hide in some nook or cranny until the surge passes.
Even though this week is the first 'real' teaching week (they just finished summer vacation) and we finish early to beat the rush hour the trains are still pretty full. I guess that is to be expected in a city of 11 million people ( about half of the nations population I believe).

Speaking of transit systems, I bought my transit card yesterday. It cost 5000 won but it does you a discount on train fares and can be loaded with any amount of money as many times as you like. It's great, especially when all you need to do is pass it over the sensor at the gate. It also displays the cost of the fare (800 won lets you go pretty much anywhere) and the amount remaining on your card.

I have it on my phone as a fashion accessory :P (sorry Sony, but your default strap just doesn't cut it these days).

2006-09-11T10:05:00.000+09:00

The weather report reccomends wearing clothes today as it might get a little chilly :P

In other news, I climbed Gwanak mountain near Seoul yesterday. It stands about 600m tall and they have a wireless communications centre at the summit. I also went past the Buddhist temple there too. I think there might have been a festival there that day because there were so many people.

Here's some pics of the view from the mountain.

This is the tower I was climbing towards. It is visible from my room in the city.

The summit of the mountain. Don't mind the random people there. It was a Sunday and mountainclimbing seems to be very popular in Seoul. My guide (and roommate) said that the professional climbers, the ones with two skiing sticks, can reach the top in about 30 minutes. It took us about an hour I think.

This is the Buddhist monastery located near the top of the mountain. There are several smaller temples around as well.

And apparently this is a really really small bell. The bells at the larger monasteries, I was told, are at least 4 times as big as this one.

On the other side of the mountain, where we got off the bus, is a park which is right next to Seoul National University with a really cool lake/fountain thing.

And finally, the view from my window.

2006-09-09T15:30:00.000+09:00

So my profile is done. And i worked out how to link to other people's pages. Please check Juya's page out. She interviewed Boa last week.

2006-09-06T16:03:00.000+09:00

Hey all y'all.

I really should post a profile