Short on minutes and looking forward to bed. Learned to be sparing when cooking with ginger. Edited an art slide! Spent the longest I have so far communicating with a non-English speaking Korean (used pictures/drawing, hand signs, and my korean-english dictionary). Got directions to Gwangju. Went. Met with some expats for snacks and bullshitting. Very cool. Learned that I have a doppelganger in Korea...a woman named Tamara (pronounced the way mine isn't) who also wants to be a drawing instructor. Will meet her Sunday. Also, tour of Gwangju Saturday. End.
-Tamz
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
something, something, sooomething, ICED COFFEE!
I woke up at 6am for the second day in a row, so that seems to be when I want to get up...which means not being late for work! Hurrah! Did some yoga, hung up laundry, and listened to the Korean music playing outside. Although I like not feeling rushed into teaching, not starting until next Monday, not having a cell phone yet, and not having internet access in my room is a bit alienating (not quite the word I mean?). Only a spoonful, though. I did write out some hackjob Korean to ask if I could log on to the internet despite not being a student at the college (which I doubt anyway) and asked a few people. A boy I approached giggled at me (I used math symbols because I don't know the grammatical structure and drew a house, so I'd laugh at me too). I added my name, that I don't speak much Korean, and taped it to my door.
I had fun going to a restaurant down the street today. I managed to say bap (rice), kimchi, and johhneen (good), mul jom juseyo (please bring me some water), plus the polite phrases I've been using. The waitress did offer me a fork because I was h-havin' a little trouble with my chopsticks, but I declined her offer so I could practice. I think the metal ones are slipperier than the wooden ones I normally use. I absolutely LOVED the kimchi soup.
Sometime this week, I'm going to get a tour of Gwangju with one of Lindsay's friends. I'm looking forward to the adventure and interaction (riding the bus: round 2). And I'm working on coordinating a trip to the hospital for my medical exam with Euna, a nurse friend of Lindsay's (what a great kid!). I called Euna today from a payphone and hung up on her twice because I was only putting in 100 won at a time (roughly $0.10). Oooops. She was incredibly patient about it, though. After the exam, I go get my alien registration card.
I read some and then caught the second hour of The Golden Compass this afternoon while lazing about. Definitely want to read His Dark Materials, the trilogy that movie was based on. The world was really intriguing. I also decided that with only about 15 hours of teaching to do per week, I'd finally get around to editing the slides for my portfolio (and maybe do some writing I was asked to do). Once I have my laptop online, I can get some other art supplies from Dick Blick (I think?) to work on Haley and Rob's wedding gift. And soon I can journey to some temples for drawing.
For dinner, I made rice with those veggies, pepper, garlic, and a fried egg on top. Super good! So, pretty good day. Things will start swinging soon enough...I had to remind myself that today was only my third day in Korea. I'm a silly pups and want to know my way around like yesterday.
I just remembered this morning that I went to get some coffee at the PC bang and the woman in front of me gve me hers first. How kind was that?! Also, commercial jingles here are entirely too catchy. The end!
Yes, I'm aware that 9/10 of my photos are shoddy beyond reason--not the best digital camera have I.
I had fun going to a restaurant down the street today. I managed to say bap (rice), kimchi, and johhneen (good), mul jom juseyo (please bring me some water), plus the polite phrases I've been using. The waitress did offer me a fork because I was h-havin' a little trouble with my chopsticks, but I declined her offer so I could practice. I think the metal ones are slipperier than the wooden ones I normally use. I absolutely LOVED the kimchi soup.
After lunch, I bought some more groceries. It's nice only buying a few meals at a time because the store is right around the corner. I was going to get a giant dried fish, but the eggs were more expensive than I thought. I did get giant vegatables, though!
Sometime this week, I'm going to get a tour of Gwangju with one of Lindsay's friends. I'm looking forward to the adventure and interaction (riding the bus: round 2). And I'm working on coordinating a trip to the hospital for my medical exam with Euna, a nurse friend of Lindsay's (what a great kid!). I called Euna today from a payphone and hung up on her twice because I was only putting in 100 won at a time (roughly $0.10). Oooops. She was incredibly patient about it, though. After the exam, I go get my alien registration card.
I read some and then caught the second hour of The Golden Compass this afternoon while lazing about. Definitely want to read His Dark Materials, the trilogy that movie was based on. The world was really intriguing. I also decided that with only about 15 hours of teaching to do per week, I'd finally get around to editing the slides for my portfolio (and maybe do some writing I was asked to do). Once I have my laptop online, I can get some other art supplies from Dick Blick (I think?) to work on Haley and Rob's wedding gift. And soon I can journey to some temples for drawing.
For dinner, I made rice with those veggies, pepper, garlic, and a fried egg on top. Super good! So, pretty good day. Things will start swinging soon enough...I had to remind myself that today was only my third day in Korea. I'm a silly pups and want to know my way around like yesterday.
I just remembered this morning that I went to get some coffee at the PC bang and the woman in front of me gve me hers first. How kind was that?! Also, commercial jingles here are entirely too catchy. The end!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Travel Entries + Shorty
26 August 2009,
Wednesday, 3pm EST
Buffalo, NY Buffalo International Airport
Bah, wireless is not free here. Bullocks.
I've just said good-bye to my family, gone through security, and found my gate. Ally couldn't be with us today, so I said my good-byes to her at the house—after taking pictures of the Belden troupe in front of the house. She's been especially hilarious the past few days, which, like my dad, indicates that she's upset. I love her so much...and this is her senior year. She's on the varsity soccer team she's conducting the marching band, she'll take her SATs, choose and apply to colleges, and graduate from high school. Pretty big stuff and I know she'll meet those opportunities like a champ—with something sarcastic to say, I'm betting. The real challenge will be mom adjusting to an ALL-BOY household.
Poor Missy B. How she be so cute? She decided that we'd go to Waldameer Park in Erie yesterday. It was a very clever plan. Not only did it keep my mind off of my nervousness BUT the rides were even more fun because I was nervous! I went on the tower-drop ride with my dad and my stomach disappeared and never came back. I just kept screaming the whole way down—I don't remember feeling like that on a ride since my first time on the Dragster at Cedar Point. I've gone to plenty of bigger amusement parks, so I thought it was odd that I reacted so much to the drop. Then, me, Dad, and Tyler went on the Sea Dragon, a large viking boat-shaped ride that swings back and forth to near 90 degree angles once it's really going. Every single swing upward, my stomach disappeared and then I realized, “oh! My tummy is nervous about tomorrow! And it's making the rides more fun—neato!” I went on two rides with Noah—the Wipe Out and the Tilt O' Whirl. Noah likes spinning as long as it isn't spinning him backwards! It was a good day at the park.
We left my parents' house along abouts noon and the drive to Buffalo wasn't bad at all. We talked a little, Tyler played his PSP, Noah played with a slinky, and I read my memoir about Julie Andrews' childhood (which made me tear up a few times). After a bit, my mom put The Chronicles of Narnia on the little screen thinger (which still weirds me out) and a preview for The Little Mermaid came on...and I cried. That was my “I'll watch this movie 4 times a day, every day, for over a month, bwahaha!” movie when I came over from Germany. And I took pictures of the trees out the window.
I haven't flown since I was a small child (all before the age of 5), so this whole experience is pretty new and strange to me. Oh! At the start, my bags checked successfully and will be checked all the way to Seoul! I was so worried about my bags while I was packing and practiced weighing them a million times. What a relief!. Security wasn't that scary. I had to take off my shoes (which I anticipated) , put my electronics in a tub, then put my carry on bags through the scanner and step through the metal detector. That was it! As I walked to my gate section, I got one last look at my parents and the boys...and cried a bit. Well, I'm sitting at my gate now...I've got to pee and want to save my laptop battery. Annyong-hi gyeseo!
26 August 2009,
Wednesday, 11pm Chicago Time (1 hour less than EST)
Chicago, IL O'Hare International Airport
Ah, maybe airports always charge for wireless. Can't say I blame them. I bet they make a killing.
Flying in an airplane is neato! Take-off felt like being in a fast car. It was really cool seeing everything get sooooo tiny as the plan lifted off. The plots of land were perfectly rectangular—how do humans do that? What were they all lined up with? And the clouds! Oh man! I know it gets darker when it's cloudy, but it was so cool seeing an entire cloud below the plane and then the shadow it threw on the land...like it was just some run-of-the-mill shadow. And being over layers and between layers and seeing the clouds as a landscape. I didn't like it when the plane tipped to one side, though...I felt like we'd all go tumbling out.
They showed an episode of “2 ½ Men” and one of “Myth Busters” during the flight, but I gaped out the window seat and read my Julie Andrews memoir. When the plane landed in Chicago and I walked into the airport, I suddenly realized I was in a very large place. I told my friends' Haley and Rob that I had a 6 hour layover in their neighborhood and we made vague plans of meeting each other. I suddenly had no idea how the hell that would happen. Well, it happened quite simply. I got on a shuttle headed for the international terminal and at the first stop, Haley stepped on (Rob went to an ensemble audition). What are the odds of that in such a huge place?!
We went to the Asiana Airlines gate and it was quite empty. A check-in attendant a few rows down let us know that no one would be showing up until 9pm (it was 6:30pm), so we decided to leave the airport for some dinner (clever beast that she is, Haley got directions to food places near the airport). We got some Chicago-style pizza nearby that was delicious. I don't think I've ever even seen Chicago-style before...but oh. man. Crazy deep-dish, TONS of cheese, sauce on top. It was a great dinner and I was so glad to see Haley one last time before leaving. I chattered her ear off, as usual. After, we traveled back to the airport, said our good-byes and I got in line to check-in. Super fast. Went through security. Even faster. I've been chilling at this terminal for about an hour and a half, playing some Mario 3 on my Gameboy and reading about Julie. Back to Mario, methinks. Annyong-hi gyeseo!
27 August 2009,
Thursday, 8pm Korean Time (Take-off was Thursday, 2:30pm Korean Time)
Around the bottom of Alaska, Asiana Airlines Flight
So getting on this flight was a little crazy. There are a lot of people on this plane and not everyone waited to approach the gate at the appropriate time. I need to learn to be more assertive, incidentally. I still haven't said “annyong haseyeo” (hello) more than the few times in the lobby of the Consulate's office. O'Hare is such a GIANT airport...getting the plane to its own runway took 25 minutes!
I'm sitting with an older Korean couple who are very kind. The wife tried to tell me to put my tray down for dinner in Korean, so I didn't think they spoke English. I found myself wrong on that one as the wife, again, asked me where I learned “gamsa hamnida” (thank you) from, because she said it was too formal. Then, she asked where I was going, what I was doing, talked about her son and grandchildren, and we talked about Hangul (Korean letters) a little bit. I pronounced the word for exit, bee-song-goo, we read the back of the seats, and we talked about the inclusion of Chinese characters in the language (I hadn't realized that a single word could have both Hangul and Chinese characters). They served us dinner about an hour into the flight. It was okay. There was this weird, squishy black and green thing that I ate. I don't know if it was Korean or otherwise...probably otherwise as the vegetarian meal was pretty Western. Ah, I'm getting tired again. A little under half-way done with this flight...just 8 more hours (out of 14) left, ha.
28 August 2009,
Friday, 7:00am Korea Time (as it will be from here on out)
En Route to Gwangju by bus
Sweet GENIOUS, I thought I was never going to get off that plane. The last 4 hours were nigh on maddening. It was dark and over the ocean until the last hour, so I couldn't occupy myself by gazing outside. I did watch An Inconvenient Truth. I enjoyed it pretty well. It wasn't all schmaltzy and I learned some things. I watched about 3 minutes of X-men Origins: Wolverine and then got annoyed that lil babe wolverine had claws when other movies had put their installation at a later date. I know Marvel comics wouldn't know continuity if it jumped it its lap and called it “mama” but it just put me off. So did the terrible acting straight out the gate. Ha, clearly this is the best forum for critiquing American films....
Anywho, after I ran out of sleep, I went back and forth between my Julie book (which is almost finished) and losing 20 lives on board 3-8 of Mario 3. Damn that big fish. The woman next to me told me more about visiting her son, a university professor, highly recommended acupuncture, and taught me how to say “I really like that” and “It was really nice to meet you” in Korean, which of course I've already forgotten. When we finally got off the plane around 5:30am, all the passengers turned in a health statement form and then shined a light on our necks*. I thought that a bit funny. Then I retrieved my luggage, went through customs, got some Won out of my account, and bought a bust ticket, praying I pronounced “Jeollanam-do” well enough to get to the right Gwangju (I had asked the woman who sat next to me on the plane to say it for me about an hour before landing).
I hauled my luggage to the bus terminal (and was asked 50 times if I needed a taxi) and a nice man told me that I should get a cart for my heavy bags ASAP because my bags were so obviously heavy (too cute!). I wasn't sure I could take them out of the airport, so I hadn't bothered. The 6:50am bus pulled up and I started to load my luggage...and this woman in probably her early 60s helped me push my bags in! How kind! Lindsay encouraged me to ask for help whenever I need it as Koreans are very kind and helpful, and how right she was! I asked the girl I'm seated with on the EXTREMELY comfortable bus if I could let the woman I'm meeting from Say Kimchi, Eun-ju, know that I'd be two hours later than I had said at first. The girl, probably my age**, very kindly agreed and I called Eun-ju (also the girl's name, oddly enough). She didn't answer, so between the two of us, we sent and awkward, disjointed text that took entirely too long to write. It was too cute and just so nice of that girl to help me like that!
Most of the curtains on the bus are drawn as it's early and sunny, but from what I can see of the landscape right now (keeping in mind that this bus will basically go the entire length of the country) there are lots of trees, hills/low mountains, and rivers everywhere.
Oh! On the plane, when we were flying over Korea and I could see the lights of the cities....it was beautiful! It was much more organic than the highly segmented American landscape I had flown over. There's news on the tv on the bus...so far they've talked about milk, a water shortage?, and Michael Jackson.. Well, the first of four hours on this bus is almost over and my battery is low. Bye for now.
*Eun-ju explained that they were taking my temperature.
**actually, that woman was 29...and SUPER cool! Toward the end of the trip, she shared chocolate with me and we talked a bunch. Her motto is “carpe diem” and I thought that was too cool! She gave me her name card and told me to look her up if I ever wanted a tour of Namwon.
-----
Saturday, 29 August, 9pm
Today was quite an adventure. Having a cell phone soon will be handy. Successful communication is so rewarding! I navigated the buses today and walked through the local university.
I bought some groceries this morning and made a pork soup (because making soup makes meat last longer!). Finished my Julie memoir. Still using the PC Bang because although my laptop is charged, there's a login page to use the campus internet that I can't navigate. Maybe I'll try and get some help with that tomorrow. Maybe I'm not eligible as I'm not a student here. Again, Koreans are astonishingly helpful. The end.
Wednesday, 3pm EST
Buffalo, NY Buffalo International Airport
Bah, wireless is not free here. Bullocks.
I've just said good-bye to my family, gone through security, and found my gate. Ally couldn't be with us today, so I said my good-byes to her at the house—after taking pictures of the Belden troupe in front of the house. She's been especially hilarious the past few days, which, like my dad, indicates that she's upset. I love her so much...and this is her senior year. She's on the varsity soccer team she's conducting the marching band, she'll take her SATs, choose and apply to colleges, and graduate from high school. Pretty big stuff and I know she'll meet those opportunities like a champ—with something sarcastic to say, I'm betting. The real challenge will be mom adjusting to an ALL-BOY household.
Poor Missy B. How she be so cute? She decided that we'd go to Waldameer Park in Erie yesterday. It was a very clever plan. Not only did it keep my mind off of my nervousness BUT the rides were even more fun because I was nervous! I went on the tower-drop ride with my dad and my stomach disappeared and never came back. I just kept screaming the whole way down—I don't remember feeling like that on a ride since my first time on the Dragster at Cedar Point. I've gone to plenty of bigger amusement parks, so I thought it was odd that I reacted so much to the drop. Then, me, Dad, and Tyler went on the Sea Dragon, a large viking boat-shaped ride that swings back and forth to near 90 degree angles once it's really going. Every single swing upward, my stomach disappeared and then I realized, “oh! My tummy is nervous about tomorrow! And it's making the rides more fun—neato!” I went on two rides with Noah—the Wipe Out and the Tilt O' Whirl. Noah likes spinning as long as it isn't spinning him backwards! It was a good day at the park.
We left my parents' house along abouts noon and the drive to Buffalo wasn't bad at all. We talked a little, Tyler played his PSP, Noah played with a slinky, and I read my memoir about Julie Andrews' childhood (which made me tear up a few times). After a bit, my mom put The Chronicles of Narnia on the little screen thinger (which still weirds me out) and a preview for The Little Mermaid came on...and I cried. That was my “I'll watch this movie 4 times a day, every day, for over a month, bwahaha!” movie when I came over from Germany. And I took pictures of the trees out the window.
I haven't flown since I was a small child (all before the age of 5), so this whole experience is pretty new and strange to me. Oh! At the start, my bags checked successfully and will be checked all the way to Seoul! I was so worried about my bags while I was packing and practiced weighing them a million times. What a relief!. Security wasn't that scary. I had to take off my shoes (which I anticipated) , put my electronics in a tub, then put my carry on bags through the scanner and step through the metal detector. That was it! As I walked to my gate section, I got one last look at my parents and the boys...and cried a bit. Well, I'm sitting at my gate now...I've got to pee and want to save my laptop battery. Annyong-hi gyeseo!
26 August 2009,
Wednesday, 11pm Chicago Time (1 hour less than EST)
Chicago, IL O'Hare International Airport
Ah, maybe airports always charge for wireless. Can't say I blame them. I bet they make a killing.
Flying in an airplane is neato! Take-off felt like being in a fast car. It was really cool seeing everything get sooooo tiny as the plan lifted off. The plots of land were perfectly rectangular—how do humans do that? What were they all lined up with? And the clouds! Oh man! I know it gets darker when it's cloudy, but it was so cool seeing an entire cloud below the plane and then the shadow it threw on the land...like it was just some run-of-the-mill shadow. And being over layers and between layers and seeing the clouds as a landscape. I didn't like it when the plane tipped to one side, though...I felt like we'd all go tumbling out.
They showed an episode of “2 ½ Men” and one of “Myth Busters” during the flight, but I gaped out the window seat and read my Julie Andrews memoir. When the plane landed in Chicago and I walked into the airport, I suddenly realized I was in a very large place. I told my friends' Haley and Rob that I had a 6 hour layover in their neighborhood and we made vague plans of meeting each other. I suddenly had no idea how the hell that would happen. Well, it happened quite simply. I got on a shuttle headed for the international terminal and at the first stop, Haley stepped on (Rob went to an ensemble audition). What are the odds of that in such a huge place?!
We went to the Asiana Airlines gate and it was quite empty. A check-in attendant a few rows down let us know that no one would be showing up until 9pm (it was 6:30pm), so we decided to leave the airport for some dinner (clever beast that she is, Haley got directions to food places near the airport). We got some Chicago-style pizza nearby that was delicious. I don't think I've ever even seen Chicago-style before...but oh. man. Crazy deep-dish, TONS of cheese, sauce on top. It was a great dinner and I was so glad to see Haley one last time before leaving. I chattered her ear off, as usual. After, we traveled back to the airport, said our good-byes and I got in line to check-in. Super fast. Went through security. Even faster. I've been chilling at this terminal for about an hour and a half, playing some Mario 3 on my Gameboy and reading about Julie. Back to Mario, methinks. Annyong-hi gyeseo!
27 August 2009,
Thursday, 8pm Korean Time (Take-off was Thursday, 2:30pm Korean Time)
Around the bottom of Alaska, Asiana Airlines Flight
So getting on this flight was a little crazy. There are a lot of people on this plane and not everyone waited to approach the gate at the appropriate time. I need to learn to be more assertive, incidentally. I still haven't said “annyong haseyeo” (hello) more than the few times in the lobby of the Consulate's office. O'Hare is such a GIANT airport...getting the plane to its own runway took 25 minutes!
I'm sitting with an older Korean couple who are very kind. The wife tried to tell me to put my tray down for dinner in Korean, so I didn't think they spoke English. I found myself wrong on that one as the wife, again, asked me where I learned “gamsa hamnida” (thank you) from, because she said it was too formal. Then, she asked where I was going, what I was doing, talked about her son and grandchildren, and we talked about Hangul (Korean letters) a little bit. I pronounced the word for exit, bee-song-goo, we read the back of the seats, and we talked about the inclusion of Chinese characters in the language (I hadn't realized that a single word could have both Hangul and Chinese characters). They served us dinner about an hour into the flight. It was okay. There was this weird, squishy black and green thing that I ate. I don't know if it was Korean or otherwise...probably otherwise as the vegetarian meal was pretty Western. Ah, I'm getting tired again. A little under half-way done with this flight...just 8 more hours (out of 14) left, ha.
28 August 2009,
Friday, 7:00am Korea Time (as it will be from here on out)
En Route to Gwangju by bus
Sweet GENIOUS, I thought I was never going to get off that plane. The last 4 hours were nigh on maddening. It was dark and over the ocean until the last hour, so I couldn't occupy myself by gazing outside. I did watch An Inconvenient Truth. I enjoyed it pretty well. It wasn't all schmaltzy and I learned some things. I watched about 3 minutes of X-men Origins: Wolverine and then got annoyed that lil babe wolverine had claws when other movies had put their installation at a later date. I know Marvel comics wouldn't know continuity if it jumped it its lap and called it “mama” but it just put me off. So did the terrible acting straight out the gate. Ha, clearly this is the best forum for critiquing American films....
Anywho, after I ran out of sleep, I went back and forth between my Julie book (which is almost finished) and losing 20 lives on board 3-8 of Mario 3. Damn that big fish. The woman next to me told me more about visiting her son, a university professor, highly recommended acupuncture, and taught me how to say “I really like that” and “It was really nice to meet you” in Korean, which of course I've already forgotten. When we finally got off the plane around 5:30am, all the passengers turned in a health statement form and then shined a light on our necks*. I thought that a bit funny. Then I retrieved my luggage, went through customs, got some Won out of my account, and bought a bust ticket, praying I pronounced “Jeollanam-do” well enough to get to the right Gwangju (I had asked the woman who sat next to me on the plane to say it for me about an hour before landing).
I hauled my luggage to the bus terminal (and was asked 50 times if I needed a taxi) and a nice man told me that I should get a cart for my heavy bags ASAP because my bags were so obviously heavy (too cute!). I wasn't sure I could take them out of the airport, so I hadn't bothered. The 6:50am bus pulled up and I started to load my luggage...and this woman in probably her early 60s helped me push my bags in! How kind! Lindsay encouraged me to ask for help whenever I need it as Koreans are very kind and helpful, and how right she was! I asked the girl I'm seated with on the EXTREMELY comfortable bus if I could let the woman I'm meeting from Say Kimchi, Eun-ju, know that I'd be two hours later than I had said at first. The girl, probably my age**, very kindly agreed and I called Eun-ju (also the girl's name, oddly enough). She didn't answer, so between the two of us, we sent and awkward, disjointed text that took entirely too long to write. It was too cute and just so nice of that girl to help me like that!
Most of the curtains on the bus are drawn as it's early and sunny, but from what I can see of the landscape right now (keeping in mind that this bus will basically go the entire length of the country) there are lots of trees, hills/low mountains, and rivers everywhere.
Oh! On the plane, when we were flying over Korea and I could see the lights of the cities....it was beautiful! It was much more organic than the highly segmented American landscape I had flown over. There's news on the tv on the bus...so far they've talked about milk, a water shortage?, and Michael Jackson.. Well, the first of four hours on this bus is almost over and my battery is low. Bye for now.
*Eun-ju explained that they were taking my temperature.
**actually, that woman was 29...and SUPER cool! Toward the end of the trip, she shared chocolate with me and we talked a bunch. Her motto is “carpe diem” and I thought that was too cool! She gave me her name card and told me to look her up if I ever wanted a tour of Namwon.
-----
Saturday, 29 August, 9pm
Today was quite an adventure. Having a cell phone soon will be handy. Successful communication is so rewarding! I navigated the buses today and walked through the local university.
There were lots of statues on campus. This one was my favourite...the realism at that size and in that material (cement, maybe?) was stunning
I bought some groceries this morning and made a pork soup (because making soup makes meat last longer!). Finished my Julie memoir. Still using the PC Bang because although my laptop is charged, there's a login page to use the campus internet that I can't navigate. Maybe I'll try and get some help with that tomorrow. Maybe I'm not eligible as I'm not a student here. Again, Koreans are astonishingly helpful. The end.
Annyong Haseyo from Korea!
I'm here in Korea... I'm writing this entry from the local PC Bang (room) around the corner from my temporary room here in Naju.
I'm on a week-long "quarrantine" here in South Korea, which means a week's paid vacation and camping in a dorm room for a local university. Once I get my allowance and go shopping in Gwangju (the large city nearby), I'll pick up a voltage/plug converter so that I can use my laptop and access the internet from my room. I wrote some travel entries on my laptop and have taken about a bajillion pictures, so I'll upload those when I can.
The keys to my dorm has a flat device on it that says "laser" and "torch" on it. I can't tell if it's a flash light or a taser...
I'm really hungry! I haven't eaten since lunch with Eun-ju yesterday (which was delicious!), so I'm looking forward to hitting the grocery store that wasn't open when I got out and about (about 8am). The food for lunch yesterday was really good. The soup was so spicy that I choked a couple of times and what I thought were water chestnuts were chopped pieces of raw garlic! I really liked the cucumber in some kind of red sauce and the dried anchovies. The pork was good, too. Very smoky.
Well, time here at the PC Bang is almost up. Wish me luck navigating the food! Annyong-hi gyeseo!
I'm on a week-long "quarrantine" here in South Korea, which means a week's paid vacation and camping in a dorm room for a local university. Once I get my allowance and go shopping in Gwangju (the large city nearby), I'll pick up a voltage/plug converter so that I can use my laptop and access the internet from my room. I wrote some travel entries on my laptop and have taken about a bajillion pictures, so I'll upload those when I can.
The keys to my dorm has a flat device on it that says "laser" and "torch" on it. I can't tell if it's a flash light or a taser...
I'm really hungry! I haven't eaten since lunch with Eun-ju yesterday (which was delicious!), so I'm looking forward to hitting the grocery store that wasn't open when I got out and about (about 8am). The food for lunch yesterday was really good. The soup was so spicy that I choked a couple of times and what I thought were water chestnuts were chopped pieces of raw garlic! I really liked the cucumber in some kind of red sauce and the dried anchovies. The pork was good, too. Very smoky.
Well, time here at the PC Bang is almost up. Wish me luck navigating the food! Annyong-hi gyeseo!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
92 Hours til Takeoff!
I leave for Korea in FOUR DAYS. Sometimes when I think about it, my heart stops for a second. It's really, really happening. Weird little jolts of emotion have kind of been jumping out at me. I took a picture of my parents' coffee pot this morning because, "my parents make coffee every morning... Koreans don't do that and I'll miss it." This past Wednesday, I was sorting socks at my friend Joy's house, in a moment of calm after finishing my mural and before the trip to NYC. Suddenly, I thought "G-d, this is so nice," and my eyes welled up.
Around midnight this past Wednesday, Sara, Tristan, their son, Ambrose, and I left for NYC for my visa interview at the Korean Consulate. Ambrose, by the way, is 17 weeks old (born 10 weeks early) and he braved the whole trip like a CHAMP. I was only on fours hours of sleep from muraling the day before, so Sara and Tristan slept and drove in shifts, while I slept in the back, waking to feed little 'Bro when he got hungry. Close to 9am, we rolled into Hobokin, NJ and met with Tristan's sister, Melissa. She and her husband Rohit invited us to stay at their apartment for the trip and crash we did until about 11:30am. Rohit gave us directions to navigate the subway into Manhattan and over to Park Ave. Thank G-d I didn't try to Greyhound it and navigate this part myself--I don't know how I would have done it without Rohit's directions or the reassuring (and spatially inclined) company. My appointment was at 2pm and I arrived at the Consulate at 1:45. SCHWHEW!
Inside the Consulate, there was a waiting area made up of two rows of seats. The front half of the room had a queue for visa services on the left and passport services on the right. I got in the visa queue, and stood alone in front of the only window with someone in it. The woman working didn't look up or acknowledge me in any way for about 10 minutes and I started to think "eh, am I supposed to approach the window (despite the "please wait here" sign)? Am I even supposed to be here for an interview? If I don't let someone know that I'm here, they'll think I'm late--and it's already 1:55!" A Korean man walked in front of the queue and while half the people at the Consulate were Korean, I figured only an employee would walk in front of the queue. I stopped the man and asked him if I was where I was supposed to be and he let me know that I was. I used Korean for the first time, thanking him, saying "gamsa hamnida." He giggled at me (Lacey said I pronounced it funny) and said, in English, "you're welcome."
After a few more minutes, I was called by the woman at the window, told her my name, and was asked to have a seat. I sat and noticed that the speaker system was not very loud, nor did the attendants call someone more than once, so naturally I worried about missing my name. I read on and off, going back and forth between trying not to be nervous waiting and not wanting to have my attention divided. After 30 minutes, I started worrying that I had missed my name, but I had heard one woman say her visa appointment was at 2:30 and she hadn't gone back yet, so I thought, "calm it down, they're just running behind." Well, at 2:45, she went back and at 2:50, I decided to get back in the queue and find out what the score was. As soon as I got to the front of the queue, the woman behind another window said "Miss Belden?" and a little confused, I said "yes?" and approached the window. She rifled through my paperwork, had me refill out a form, traded my check for cash (thank G-d I had gotten out cash for tolls and hadn't used it!), and asked me to come back for my interview. As I walked back in my sister's heels, about 3/4 of a size too small, I briefly feared that the front end of my feet would explode in a giant blood blister. "I don't think that's possible...but that would suuuure suck."
I had spent four days memorizing the formal hello, "annyeong hasihmneeka," for meeting my interviewer and when I finally met her, was worried about which chair to sit in and waited for her signal. I was pretty bummed about that after. Well, all in all, the interview was about 10, maybe 15 minutes. She asked why I wanted to teach, why in Korea, what I knew about Korean history (I forgot about the influence of Confucianism! Damn it!), why I was born in Germany, what my long-term plan was, and what I would do with my free-time. Then she let me know I was finished, I thanked her, and left. Out in the lobby again, I got back in the queue one last time and asked if there was anything else to do. The woman at the window said that was it and that my visa would be in the mail in the morning. I hoped that meant that I had "passed"and left the building, glad that step was at least finished. I had a cigarette, and met back up with the Myer-Green Troupe at the Borders across the street and got THE HELL OUT OF THOSE SHOES. They had walked to central park for a bit, but the sun got to be too much for Ambrose, so they hung out in the book store. We all got some grub and then Melissa gave us a bit of a tour before meeting up with Rohit for dinner at an AWESOME Greek restaurant in Chelsea.
When we got back to back to Melissa and Rohit's around 11pm, for the first time, I didn't want to go to Korea. I thought, "Oh shit! What did i get myself into?! I couldn't understand anyone's body language or accents at the Consulate--and communication in Korea will be really difficult all the time at first! I don't wanna go!" But that only lasted about half an hour... And it's pretty natural for me to get scared. It will be difficult--but well worth the adventure!
We left the next morning around 9am. Sara and Tristan (and lil 'Bro!) got me back to my parents' around 5:30pm on Friday, just in time to go with my family to the high school to see Ally conduct the marching band for Parents' Night. It was wonderful to see her conduct and the potential of the show is pretty exciting. My parents are going to send me videos!
And this morning, my visa arrived! I really did "pass" and I'll soon be on my way. Tomorrow, Mom and I getting the last few things for my trip and Tuesday, we're all going to Waldameer Park!
Around midnight this past Wednesday, Sara, Tristan, their son, Ambrose, and I left for NYC for my visa interview at the Korean Consulate. Ambrose, by the way, is 17 weeks old (born 10 weeks early) and he braved the whole trip like a CHAMP. I was only on fours hours of sleep from muraling the day before, so Sara and Tristan slept and drove in shifts, while I slept in the back, waking to feed little 'Bro when he got hungry. Close to 9am, we rolled into Hobokin, NJ and met with Tristan's sister, Melissa. She and her husband Rohit invited us to stay at their apartment for the trip and crash we did until about 11:30am. Rohit gave us directions to navigate the subway into Manhattan and over to Park Ave. Thank G-d I didn't try to Greyhound it and navigate this part myself--I don't know how I would have done it without Rohit's directions or the reassuring (and spatially inclined) company. My appointment was at 2pm and I arrived at the Consulate at 1:45. SCHWHEW!Inside the Consulate, there was a waiting area made up of two rows of seats. The front half of the room had a queue for visa services on the left and passport services on the right. I got in the visa queue, and stood alone in front of the only window with someone in it. The woman working didn't look up or acknowledge me in any way for about 10 minutes and I started to think "eh, am I supposed to approach the window (despite the "please wait here" sign)? Am I even supposed to be here for an interview? If I don't let someone know that I'm here, they'll think I'm late--and it's already 1:55!" A Korean man walked in front of the queue and while half the people at the Consulate were Korean, I figured only an employee would walk in front of the queue. I stopped the man and asked him if I was where I was supposed to be and he let me know that I was. I used Korean for the first time, thanking him, saying "gamsa hamnida." He giggled at me (Lacey said I pronounced it funny) and said, in English, "you're welcome."
After a few more minutes, I was called by the woman at the window, told her my name, and was asked to have a seat. I sat and noticed that the speaker system was not very loud, nor did the attendants call someone more than once, so naturally I worried about missing my name. I read on and off, going back and forth between trying not to be nervous waiting and not wanting to have my attention divided. After 30 minutes, I started worrying that I had missed my name, but I had heard one woman say her visa appointment was at 2:30 and she hadn't gone back yet, so I thought, "calm it down, they're just running behind." Well, at 2:45, she went back and at 2:50, I decided to get back in the queue and find out what the score was. As soon as I got to the front of the queue, the woman behind another window said "Miss Belden?" and a little confused, I said "yes?" and approached the window. She rifled through my paperwork, had me refill out a form, traded my check for cash (thank G-d I had gotten out cash for tolls and hadn't used it!), and asked me to come back for my interview. As I walked back in my sister's heels, about 3/4 of a size too small, I briefly feared that the front end of my feet would explode in a giant blood blister. "I don't think that's possible...but that would suuuure suck."
I had spent four days memorizing the formal hello, "annyeong hasihmneeka," for meeting my interviewer and when I finally met her, was worried about which chair to sit in and waited for her signal. I was pretty bummed about that after. Well, all in all, the interview was about 10, maybe 15 minutes. She asked why I wanted to teach, why in Korea, what I knew about Korean history (I forgot about the influence of Confucianism! Damn it!), why I was born in Germany, what my long-term plan was, and what I would do with my free-time. Then she let me know I was finished, I thanked her, and left. Out in the lobby again, I got back in the queue one last time and asked if there was anything else to do. The woman at the window said that was it and that my visa would be in the mail in the morning. I hoped that meant that I had "passed"and left the building, glad that step was at least finished. I had a cigarette, and met back up with the Myer-Green Troupe at the Borders across the street and got THE HELL OUT OF THOSE SHOES. They had walked to central park for a bit, but the sun got to be too much for Ambrose, so they hung out in the book store. We all got some grub and then Melissa gave us a bit of a tour before meeting up with Rohit for dinner at an AWESOME Greek restaurant in Chelsea.
When we got back to back to Melissa and Rohit's around 11pm, for the first time, I didn't want to go to Korea. I thought, "Oh shit! What did i get myself into?! I couldn't understand anyone's body language or accents at the Consulate--and communication in Korea will be really difficult all the time at first! I don't wanna go!" But that only lasted about half an hour... And it's pretty natural for me to get scared. It will be difficult--but well worth the adventure!
We left the next morning around 9am. Sara and Tristan (and lil 'Bro!) got me back to my parents' around 5:30pm on Friday, just in time to go with my family to the high school to see Ally conduct the marching band for Parents' Night. It was wonderful to see her conduct and the potential of the show is pretty exciting. My parents are going to send me videos!
And this morning, my visa arrived! I really did "pass" and I'll soon be on my way. Tomorrow, Mom and I getting the last few things for my trip and Tuesday, we're all going to Waldameer Park!
Friday, August 14, 2009
To Send Me Letters, Coffee, or Otherwise, Ship To:
102 Dong 1507 Ho, Samyeong Booyoung Apt. Samyeong-dong, Naju Si, Jeollanam-Do, Rep of KOREA Zipcode : 520-751
or
전라남도 나주시 삼영동 부영아파트 102동 1507호
or
전라남도 나주시 삼영동 부영아파트 102동 1507호
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Sara Myers-Green is a SAINT.
My interview at the Korean Consulate is Thursday, August 20th at 2pm!
WHAT?! Yay! Squee! ?!
holy. shit.
And Sara is driving me alllll the way to NYC and back for my interview in the name of adventure. I am blessed.
WHAT?! Yay! Squee! ?!
holy. shit.
And Sara is driving me alllll the way to NYC and back for my interview in the name of adventure. I am blessed.
I fly to Korea in two weeks?!
!!! ? .... !
Hooooooboy. I'm currently at my mural-site in Meadville (rocking out with my infamous erratic sleeping schedule) and just got an e-mail from Lindsay with my E2 Visa number. That means the next step is to call the Korean Consulate in NYC at a respectable hour and try to schedule my interview to be granted my visa. Then I let my parents, who are amazingly kind and helping me buy my ticket, know when I need to fly out (either the 26th or the 27th). Then I figure out how the hell I'm getting to NYC and back, haha.
This past week was my last week of work at Allegheny's Alumni Affairs & Development offices. I've been there for 5 years and I've loved that job. While the college reunion is a really fun event to work in the summer, 95% of my love lies with the people I worked with. In about 7 different ways, I wouldn't have gotten through college without them.
Over the weekend,
I was treated to video game time with Kris in Erie (mmm....BioShock in HD) and suddenly, it was a surprise going away party when Scott came home with pizza and Sara, Tristan, and lil baby Ambrose came in! We played Guitar Hero, Apples to Apples, and In a Pickle AND Scott and Kris presented me with 2 books on Korean culture and a cake that said "congratulations" in Hangul (Korean characters)--too good!
I've got to be out of my Meadville apartment by Saturday, so this week is sorting through my possessions--or at the very least getting them to my parents' house--and finishing up my mural (my primary goal at this point). I'm having dinner with some of my professors and trying to say goodbye to all of my loves in Meadville. It's going to be hardest to say goodbye to Jeremy. He's been my best friend here for three years. /sigh/
Then this weekend starts my camping up at the Belden House. It's always such chaotic-spaz-love, haha. I'll be reading my Korea books, making Hungul and Korean phrase flashcards, running off to NYC for a minute, saying goodbye to everyone, watching my sister conduct the marching band, packing, and flying off to my new adventure.
When I get there (20 hours later + 14hr time difference), it'll be evening on the 27th or the 28th and I'll arrive in Seoul. Then I'll take a 4hr bus ride south to Gwangju and meet up with one of Lindsay's Korean partners, Eun-ju, who will meet me and help me navigate to my apartment in Hampyeong. Then, if I arrive Thursday, my Korean co-teacher (who stays in class with me to help if the kids are misbehaving or if there's a massive communication breakdown) will take me to Nampyeong Middle School to show me around. Then I have to the weekend to, as Lindsay said, "relax." I imagine that I'll be buying the things I realize that I need (including the SLIPPERS I wear at work--no shoes for me, bwahaha!), meeting a ton of people, and learning how to navigate food and geography. Teaching starts that Monday and allegedly, I won't teach the first day, but we'll see (they said the same thing to Lindsay and Whit and they taught multiple classes their first day).
And a few weeks after me, Lacey arrives in Daegu!
We're gonna have us a craaaazy year.
That's it for meow. Quick cigarette break and it's back to painting that damn grassy hill.
-Tamz
Hooooooboy. I'm currently at my mural-site in Meadville (rocking out with my infamous erratic sleeping schedule) and just got an e-mail from Lindsay with my E2 Visa number. That means the next step is to call the Korean Consulate in NYC at a respectable hour and try to schedule my interview to be granted my visa. Then I let my parents, who are amazingly kind and helping me buy my ticket, know when I need to fly out (either the 26th or the 27th). Then I figure out how the hell I'm getting to NYC and back, haha.
This past week was my last week of work at Allegheny's Alumni Affairs & Development offices. I've been there for 5 years and I've loved that job. While the college reunion is a really fun event to work in the summer, 95% of my love lies with the people I worked with. In about 7 different ways, I wouldn't have gotten through college without them.Over the weekend,
I was treated to video game time with Kris in Erie (mmm....BioShock in HD) and suddenly, it was a surprise going away party when Scott came home with pizza and Sara, Tristan, and lil baby Ambrose came in! We played Guitar Hero, Apples to Apples, and In a Pickle AND Scott and Kris presented me with 2 books on Korean culture and a cake that said "congratulations" in Hangul (Korean characters)--too good!I've got to be out of my Meadville apartment by Saturday, so this week is sorting through my possessions--or at the very least getting them to my parents' house--and finishing up my mural (my primary goal at this point). I'm having dinner with some of my professors and trying to say goodbye to all of my loves in Meadville. It's going to be hardest to say goodbye to Jeremy. He's been my best friend here for three years. /sigh/
Then this weekend starts my camping up at the Belden House. It's always such chaotic-spaz-love, haha. I'll be reading my Korea books, making Hungul and Korean phrase flashcards, running off to NYC for a minute, saying goodbye to everyone, watching my sister conduct the marching band, packing, and flying off to my new adventure.
When I get there (20 hours later + 14hr time difference), it'll be evening on the 27th or the 28th and I'll arrive in Seoul. Then I'll take a 4hr bus ride south to Gwangju and meet up with one of Lindsay's Korean partners, Eun-ju, who will meet me and help me navigate to my apartment in Hampyeong. Then, if I arrive Thursday, my Korean co-teacher (who stays in class with me to help if the kids are misbehaving or if there's a massive communication breakdown) will take me to Nampyeong Middle School to show me around. Then I have to the weekend to, as Lindsay said, "relax." I imagine that I'll be buying the things I realize that I need (including the SLIPPERS I wear at work--no shoes for me, bwahaha!), meeting a ton of people, and learning how to navigate food and geography. Teaching starts that Monday and allegedly, I won't teach the first day, but we'll see (they said the same thing to Lindsay and Whit and they taught multiple classes their first day).
And a few weeks after me, Lacey arrives in Daegu!
We're gonna have us a craaaazy year.That's it for meow. Quick cigarette break and it's back to painting that damn grassy hill.
-Tamz
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