Gyeong-Ju: Ancient Temples and “Foreigner Celebrity Status”

I was fortunate enough to travel (5 hours) southeast of the Korean Peninsula to the wonderful cities of Gyeong-ju and Pohang (the latter to be described in a later post. . . trust me, the stories are worth the wait). Around twenty other English Village teachers as well as our wonderful coordinator were also in for the once-in-a-lifetime journey (though I suppose I could and should go back to see the sites I missed). A bit of back history of Gyeong-ju: the area is known as a historical site that was once the “cradle” of the famous Silla Kingdom (dating 1st century BCE to the 10th century, CE I believe) and it is also home to absolutely beautiful Buddhist temples, royal gardens, excavation sites, and equally stunning works of Korean architecture. The night in Gyeong-ju was spent in a “pension,” a traditional Korean lodging guest house (luckily, ours was furnished with a modern kitchen and bathroom, while sleeping was done as tradition–on the floor, which was surprisingly comfortable).

Something that I found endlessly amusing while in Gyeong-ju (as well as Pohang, but more on that later as previously mentioned) was the shock and awe a large portion of people had when they saw foreigners who were not of Asian descent (while Gyeong-ju and Pohang are popular tourist sites, they are primarily popular with Chinese and Japanese tourists, there are very few Western tourists). I cannot count the amount of times a Korean (most of the time a middle-aged woman) would approach me or another person in the group, stare intensely, raise their camera, snap a picture, and then zoom, they run away faster than you would figure to be physically possible. Some simply gawk, but it’s always the Koreans who try to “discreetly” capture the strange looking foreigners on film that always elicit a chuckle from yours truly. Being in the eye of the [Korean people] paparazzi isn’t as bad as Hollywood chalks it up to be. . . *Note that this phenomenon rarely occurs in the Seoul metropolitan area, Koreans there are much more accustomed to seeing/interacting with foreigners than their southern brethren are*

A noteworthy change in pace here in Korea is the fact that the English Village teaching program is over and I have already begun taking classes (a rather late update I admit). I miss seeing my students on a daily basis immensely, however we keep in constant contact (thank you Facebook and Kakao Talk [a very popular Korean messaging system/ social site]) and make lunch/dinner plans at least once a week. It is incredibly strange to shift gears from teaching to being the student (an adjustment that I have yet to fully grasp, I sometimes wake up in a panic because I forgot to plan my lesson for the day, only to remember that I am no longer responsible for that sort of planning).

Below (left to right): The Pension; Water Basin Outside Buddhist Temple, supposedly the water’s taste tells each person about their soul. . . . it tasted quite sour. . .; Buddhist Temple (pictures prohibited. . .  shhhhhhh. . . DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT ENDORSE TAKING “ILLEGAL” PHOTOS, BUT EVERYONE ELSE IN THE TEMPLE HAD CAMERAS FLASHING, AND TO MY CREDIT I TOOK THE PHOTO COVERTLY. . .  ERM. . . I MEAN I TOOK THE PHOTO OUT OF RESPECT, YA KNOW, FOR FURTHER APPRECIATION?. . . please don’t report me to the South Korean government. . . )

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Above (left to right): Excavation Area, complete with interior display of recently discovered [and polished] jewelry; Temple on a Lake; Closeup of Ceiling Tiling

Arrived.

June 12, 2013

The idea of arriving Ecuador seemed unexplainable, but once I saw the Andes Mountains out of the window of the airplane, it felt like I had already been to this country (due to my past experiences studying in Peru and Bolivia). I was happy that the surroundings were not so unfamiliar, I also felt like I belonged here at this time and now. Getting off the plane was an experience in itself because I was unsure of where to go, as well as the fact that I was told that half of my luggage was still in New York.. that wasn’t a good part of the warm welcoming.

 

Key: Always bring an extra set of clothes with you on your carry on luggage or else you will be wearing the same clothes for the time being you do not have your luggage.

 

When I finally found my way out of customs, through security and the abundance of other little tasks that needed to be completed, I saw two girls about my age holding up a sign with the letters UEES. Their friendly faces made me feel at home already and I knew that it was going to be wonderful. That was such a helpful idea to have in my mind that took away the stress of leaving home. The first question I asked, how good is your Spanish? One of my prior fears to coming to this trip was being unsure that I was going to know enough Spanish to communicate and the other students would be extremely advanced. However, this was not the case, these eager to travel students were also learning and interested to improve their Spanish as well! What a relief!

 

After all of the confusion at the airport, we finally got to the hotel that we were spending the night at. There were a few other people that had already arrived from the States and we all introduced ourselves. It was comforting to know that I was not the only one that was a little bit shaken up about being in a new country. But at the same time, I also felt this sense of accomplishment, I was here, in Ecuador. I made the decision and before the night was over, I already knew that I had made one of the best decisions of my life.

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Plastic Surgery & Absent Childhoods

Disclaimer: My last post left everyone with the promise of more frequent updates. . . ooops. Hear me out readers, I fully intended to divulge all of the experiences I have had and expose the juicy “secrets” about Korean society that my students told me. However, I found myself caught in an (internet-less) weekend trip which left me with little time to post when I got back (had to plan out that week’s class schedule/plans) followed by weekdays spent with said students even after classes were done for the day (I’m too popular I suppose). Nevertheless I’m free now so prepare yourselves to hear some amazing tales of . . . well read the title of the post. . . HERE WE GO. . . .

In one of the many meetings outside of the classroom with my wonderful students, we were in a coffee house when I noticed that a woman was wearing a surgical mask and sunglasses. Thinking little of it, I casually point her out to my students saying “oh, she must feel sick.” “No,” my students replied, “she just had plastic surgery.” Surprised, I asked my students how they knew, to which they replied that the attire of a surgical mask and large sunglasses usually indicated that someone was recovering from surgery. This seemed strange because to me this woman looked no older than 25, an opinion which I quickly voiced. “Ah,” my students said almost in unison “most people here get ‘the’ surgery done here around university age or younger” and by “the surgery” my students informed me that they were referring to “double eye-lid surgery.” My students briefly explained that Western/large eyes are coveted by many Koreans (yes, I’ve been told that gentlemen sometimes get the same procedure done) and it has become an almost customary “graduation gift” from parents to children to have the procedure done (my students have informed me that it is quite cheap and from what I’ve seen there is no shortage of plastic surgeons here). The exact steps in the procedure are unknown to me (perhaps some research shall be done), but the gist is incisions are made on both eyelids and “brow fat” is removed to create an extra layer of skin that resembles Western eyelid creases (resulting in the much-coveted “larger eyes”). I can’t help but think how strange it is that a significant percentage of people my age (my students estimated that 1 out of 5 Koreans have had this procedure, and they thought they were underestimating, especially with larger cities such as Seoul) have gone under the knife to alter their appearance; usually you hear about 40-somethings trying to keep up their youthful appearances, but from what I have heard/experienced, the “surgery craze” is about the population conforming to a idealized beauty that seeks a “Western standard.”

To summarize the “surgery craze” my students told me a (supposedly popular) joke:
“Every woman in Gangnam (Soho-like area of Seoul, also the inspiration of PSY’s catchy tune) looks identical because they’ve all gone to the same doctor.”

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Above: A sign for one of the many plastic surgery offices that clutter the streets of Gagnam (L); underground/subway shopping venues where you can easily haggle a ₩10,000/$10 shirt down to ₩5,000/$5 (R)

The final topic of this post is one that still astounds me: the work ethic that the students of South Korea must exhibit while in high school. When I asked my students the hours of their typical school day in high school they told me “7am to 10”. As in 10 pm.  Might I also add that many students here apparently can sign up for additional “study school” after they are dismissed at 10 pm. They eat all meals at school, to which I asked if their parents missed them while they (my students) were at school. Their response? “A little, but they knew it was necessary to get into University.” With hours like these, I asked my students if they had any comments about Western schooling systems to which one of my (quite insightful) students responded in a heartbreaking manner “when I watched Western shows as a kid and saw slumber parties and playing in the front yard, I felt envious because I knew that the childhood those children had would be one I would never experience.” Cue the foreigner tearing up in the middle of a crowded coffee shop. It is a strange thing to acknowledge as something that is a cultural “privilege,” but I have discovered a tremendous amount of gratitude for the free time (however sparse I thought it was back then) that I enjoyed after school between dinner and bedtime. How strange are the things we come to appreciate when we are away from home? Nonetheless, Korea has not ceased to amaze me, and I cannot wait to discuss topics I used to consider “normal/average/not worth discussing” all the while continuing my enjoyment in experiencing the uniqueness that is Korean culture.

Wonderful (and Odorless) Students

My first week teaching English to college students at Dankook University (as part of my 3 week internship that precedes my 4 week academic program) has been nothing short of an amazing and enlightening experience. I teach from 9 to 4 in two-hour blocks. Each two hour block ends with a new rotation of students who I have already grown to respect immensely. Not only are they dedicated and respectful to me (even if some are a few years my senior thanks to the Korean age system), but they are so enthusiastic in ensuring that I enjoy my stay in Korea. While we are encouraged to meet with our students outside of class (for dinner, shopping, bowling, etc; it is up to the students and teacher what activity they will do) at least once during the 3-week English Village program, already I have seen most of my students 3 times to search for local hot spots. Essentially, as eager as I am to teach them about American culture (amongst other things in class such as complex grammar rules, colloquialisms, how to order in an English-speaking restaurant, etc), they are eager to indulge my silly-Western requests to eat kimbap or samgyeopsal nearly every day.
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  • Photo of some of my fantastic students and I along with my equally-wonderful co-teacher (to the far left; each teacher is assigned a partner teacher that has their class combine with yours for group activities)

While my students are in every way shape and form superb learners (in fact, they’re superb people), their is one major difference that I still cannot fathom. Despite the constant 85+ degree weather, my students do not sweat nor do they wear deodorant NOR do they smell in 90 degree heat with 100% humidity. Pure insanity is what I would say that situation is. In fact, while I brought 3 travel-size sticks of deodorant, I asked my students where I could find more (at the time I had yet to stumble across any in any of the convenient stores that are a staple in Jukjeon). The look of puzzlement that most of my male students gave me told me everything: I need to ransack all of Korea to find deodorant for less than $8 (which I saw in one of the mega-stores,shoved in a dark corner like a black-market item).

But there is an upside to the extreme heat: delicious, cold, summer treats with the favorite being “patbingsu.” Patbingsu is shaved ice with ice cream, typically fruit (or sweet red beans). I better watch out for the “freshmen 15 version 2.0/ version Korea,” because I have yet to encounter a food here that I would not eat incessantly.

I will post more often from now on, with my next topic being the fascinating exchanges I have had with my students (whom, despite still being English learners, as absolutely eloquent in expressing their opinions on hot-button topics).

051003 Left: My high-tech podium in my classroom, complete with a hidden computer.
Right: Patbingsu (a “brunch” variation, with corn flakes, mochi, bananas, cashews, shaved ice, and ice cream).