교회 Kyo Hwae: My Church Family

My church
The Hwang Family
Christmas Eve

즐거운 크리쓰마쓰, Feliz Navidad, Merry Christmas

Walking in a winter wonder land...."

Downtown Gwangju with my good friends, Jenni and Laura. They love Christmas songs as much as I do, so we combined all our music and sang Christmas songs wherever we went (Kathy, I hooked Jenni on the Band aid Christmas song! ha!) Oh, it was a blast! Down the streets, Korean people would wish us a "Melly Chlistmasu" (Merry Christmas, but "l" and "r" are very difficult to pronounce). Our first snow lasted five days! It was awesome and kids here LOVE it! They loved it so much, they would bring snow balls to class to show me! It was hard to teach because of all the energy, but I adored their excitement and we had a lot of fun playing in the snow after class. The classes loved learning Christmas songs such as, "Feliz Navidad", "We wish you a Merry Christmas", "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer", "Jingle bells", "Silent Night", and many others. Many of these songs have been translated into Korean so they already knew the tune. It was so much fun!
At our school's Christmas party, some of the kids dressed up and wore santa hats, red, and other Christmas stuff. I about lost it when Seong Hoon came in dressed as Santa! Mesmerized by "Home Alone 2".
After church on Sundays, we would have a snow fight! The twins in blue are so cute. These adorable little boys would come up to me when I had a snowball and say "chusayo" (please give me!). How could I refuse?!
The Christmas tree, Sophia and I decorated at school.

Christmas time without family was very difficult, but I am so fortunate to have many loved ones here. It was such an eye-opener spending christmas outside of the US. Koreans only started celebrating Christmas about thirty years ago and it still isn't a huge holiday here. It was hard to explain how big it is back home with family and traditions. To North Americans, it isn't one day, but a season.
On December 24th, our school had a huge Christmas party. We sang Christmas songs, ate sweet tteokbokgi, played games, gave away awards and certificates, and watched the fun "Home Alone 2" movie. Sophia made the tteokbokgi. Basically, it is rice cake pieces mixed into a red pepper sauce that has been sweetened by brown sugar and corn syrup. It was pretty good, but such a unique taste to me.
In the evening, Jenni and I went to mass at my church down the street. It was so fun! Everyone got up and sang their favorite Christmas songs. Jenni and I sang "Joy to the World" in English. After mass we ate food (rice cake, sweet potato dishes, tangerines,...) and then we had an intense snowball fight. I'll never forget the surprise on the kid's faces when Jenni chased them down with snowballs. They never expected that and after awhile, all ended up wanting to be her allies, ha ha!!!
Christmas day was spent with a few other foreigners in Sangmu. It was so international with friends from Canada, Israel, Germany, Scotland, Poland, and the US. It was awesome hearing how everyone traditionally celebrated the holidays. Christmas is so amazing!!!

"Some people weave burlap into the fabric of our lives, and some weave gold thread. Both contribute to make the whole picture beautiful and unique." -Anonymous

Jjimjilbangs: One of my favorite things about Korea

"Give your stress wings and let it fly away." ~Carin Hartness


Jjimjilbangs (찜질방), translation is "steam rooms," are large, gender-segregated public bathhouses. They are fantastic, affordable, and honestly, one of my favorite places to visit here in Korea! Who doesn't like to pamper yourself all day in a comfortable, social, stress-free environment (especially, since it has been snowing for the past five days!!!). Included in the jjimjilbang's gender-segregated areas are pools of various temperatures (cold, medium, hot, extremely hot), bathing areas, and saunas. There are also unisex areas with ondol heated flooring for sleeping and lounging, and several types of saunas of various temperatures.

Most jjimjilbangs are open 24 hours and are a popular weekend getaway for Korean families and friends. If you are traveling to another city, it is best to look for a jjimjilbang to stay at. For an overnight stay, you are given clean clothes and either a bunk bed or a sleeping mat. In the sauna unisex section, there is the main area where people can sleep, relax, eat, and socialize and there are the various sauna rooms. My favorite room is the hot pebble room where you lay on the floor covered with smooth, warm pebbles. It feels so incredible! There are also the cold room, the medium temperature room, and the "sweat lodge" type room. The other day this room was 96 degrees Fahrenheit. I loved it! The sauna rooms remind me of the inside of a Navajo Hogan due to their shape (rounded ceilings), smell (earthy smell), heated stoves, and materials in which they are made out of. "Hwangto" or yellow earth (similar to adobe) used to be one of the main materials for Korean houses back in the day. It's expensive now, but jjimjillbangs use the material because supposedly it is good for the skin. The yellow dirt has infrared rays and when you come into contact with it, your skin relaxes and the toxins are discharged from the body. Ok, the bathing areas are so great and truly an amazing Korean cultural experience! There you can find mothers spending time with their young kids, children playing in the water (the other day two little girls offered me "tea" from their pretend tea party), friends giggling away, grandmothers admiring the generations below, and so many other beautiful and loving interactions. I can only imagine what it must have been like long ago in many different countries (Rome, Japan, Finnland ...) where people publicly bathed all the time.

In Korean culture, there isn't a concept of personal space because of how many people there are and how close everyone lives. Therefore in the jjimjilbangs, everyone washes each other's backs, children play with bubbles as mother's scrub them squeaky clean, friends giggle and catch up on life, and everyone shares soaps, face masks (green tea, mud ... , mint...there are so many kinds), and several other products. If you want, you can pay extra to have the sauna's staff give you messages, pedicures, manicures, and if you are really brave, a full body,"Helga's house of pain" type, intense scrub! Yikes!!!! I still haven't been able to tempt that!

Did I mention that in the women's and men's separated sections of the jjimjilbangs that everyone is naked! This is surprising to me, because as a whole, the Korean culture is very conservative. You won't even see women wearing tangtops in the summer time! Being naked can take a minute to get used to, especially, because being a foreigner you attract attention anyways. But personally, I think it is so healthy to accept and love your body. I just think it is so cool how open these women are (I don't know if it is the same on the men's side). Their relationships grow closer as they spend hours in these timeless, non-conflicted environments. I love it and it's something I wish was back in the states.

"We are just women who admire and really know each other. We allow each other to have weaknesses the public doesn't allow us to have." ~Lisa Minelli Mum and Woman's Body painted by Pan Yuliang

Recycling in Sinchang-dong

"If you feel you are too small to make a difference, go to sleep with a mosquito in the room." ~ Author Unknown

This is my grocery bag! Recycling... hmmm.... some may say it's not a big deal or that it takes too much effort. I have been called hippie for suggesting to recycle, which hurts. Do people really know what a hippie is and why is it a negative connotation? I can't say that I am a hippie; I am me and, in any case, I don't think anyone should be classified so distinctly. We are all individuals and whether we belong to a certain social group, career, religion, or any other group, we are still separated by our own experience, personality, and beliefs.
Back to recycling... is it truly that much more work to recycle? Why recycle? Well, ...why not? It is such an inspiration to walk outside my apartment and find bins for everything: plastics, plastic bags, cardboard, glass, aluminum, and paper. I can literally recycle almost everything and it's free! My trash only goes out every two or three weeks in a small pink bag, in Sinchangdong (the part of Gwangju where I live; I can't say it is the same everywhere else in Gwangju) we buy specific garbage bags. It is so awesome! Yes, there is still a littering problem here, but I love the fact that recycling is so doable and it's catching on! In a culture where social status and respect is a priority, no one wants to be seen doing anything that will "de-face" or embarrass themselves. Therefore, if the idea that littering shows a lack of social grace strongly takes hold, I think recycling in Korea will truly be effective!
The people that sort recycling are the adjimas (grandmothers) that live in the neighborhood. They also tend to the gardens throughout the area. My dear friend, Jenni will admit they are a bit intimidating and fussy! Let me tell ya, they will yell at you if you don't do it right! But, they are still great! Overall, I just wish people would change their perspective on recycling. When you make it a habbit, its really not that big of a deal. Like Jack Johnson says..."Three is the magic number... reduce, reuse, recycle!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGc0PqKBnno

School Update

"In the end, test grades won't matter, and our minuscule problems will be forgotten. All that will matter is how we loved, how much we laughed, and the memories we made along the way." ~Anonymous Pak Chi Sung, my classroom entertainer. Chi Sung is always dancing and I can't look at him without cracking up. He can look at you without smiling and do the silliest dances that makes everyone die laughing. The other day he asked if I knew the famous Korean folk song, Arirang, and I said I did. He then preceded to sing and dance to the whole song! It was quite entertaining and he is a great singer! Someday, I hope he becomes a comedian or has some job where he can be as silly as he wants. The Korean culture, in general, is so diligent working, but I hope he can spend most of his time being himself in a job that he loves. His imagination should run wild and bless this world with joy and laughter! Even with all the attention he receives, he is still so kind to all his classmates. For example, will stick up for someone if they are being picked on and sit next to them! What a talented little guy!
I think I have great students and I hope they have the opportunity and freedom to do what makes them happy.
Im Hyeng Jung and Che Han Jay, great students that work so hard. Hyung Jung is friends with the kids that live near my house so I see her often. They both are great students.
My two middle school (equivalent to our junior high level) students. In January, I should be getting several more mid school students, but these two guys and I have gone through a lot on our own. It literally has taken me two months to get them to talk with me!! They are so shy, which it typical to many Korean people, and they definitely aren't enthused about learning English. Middle school is such a hard period for students, because of all the pressure and tests they have in school. They often have to study seven days a week and go to full days of school Monday through Saturday. Grades in Middle school and High school are highly valued in this culture, but once you get into an university, you can relax a lot. My heart goes out to these guys. Sometimes, I have to make them take a walk or get a drink of water because they are falling asleep in mid sentence.

Some of my Chiquitas! They are so cute and they are always together. They help me keep the boys in line in class. Pak Ha Nil, the one in orange, will sometimes turn to a boy if they are speaking Korean in class and say "NO, KOREAN!" Ha ha, it is so funny! Women are generally quiet and conservative in the Korean culture, allowing the men to run the show, but I hope these girls never loose their feistiness and spunk!

An Shi Un and Chey Chi Won. They are never seen apart either. They come to class early almost every day and visit with me before the other students arrive. On Fridays, they arrive fifteen minutes early because they want to go first in the speaking test so that they can leave after. They are finally starting to use "I want to be first," "... second", instead of "my one!!" They have fun personalities, but they are always hitting the boys!

One of my classes! They are great kids and we usually have a lot of fun. These kids are soooo darn cute!

Most of my classes love "Simon says" and charades, which are great games for practicing English. I try to switch up games, but they love those two. Normally, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING (especially games), is decided with paper, rock, scissors (I even catch adults doing it)! We usually play when they finish their workbook. My Co-workers! Our hogwan is really small. Starting on the Left is our "Librarian teacher" (Kyun Hee), our director (Han Jee Han or Flora), our secretary (Julia), and my co-teacher (Sophia). We were celebrating Julia's birthday in this picture. Often times my co-workers are really busy, but I love it when we do things like this. Sophia and I still have lunch together every day. They all loved the hot chocolate I gave them and sometimes will send me home with Kimchi or a bag of tangerines.

Overall, everything is going great. I have to be flexible and patient. Normally, I am told things the minute they happen, but I am getting used to adjusting quickly. Next month, my schedule will change a bit, but I am excited for that. Whatever happens, happens.....

Animal Hats

"You are never too old to become younger" -Mae WestMin Kim
They have full aisles of them!

Jung Ho

Jenni and I had to get in on the action too!

As if they aren't cute enough! Now that it has been getting colder outside, the students have been arriving to class with the most adorable animal hats! The kids here love them! I can completely understand why; they are so fun and when kids wear them, they can get away with anything, well, at least with me! I'm such a sucker for the kids anyways, but when they wear those hats, they make me completely melt! The hats come in a huge variety of animals and some of the hats have scarves or mittens attached to them. Its such a great creation! Everyday, I have been discovering new animals; it is so exciting!

Sangam Volley ball

"FIGHTING!!!!" "SANGAM UUUHH!"

One evening my great friend, Jenni invited me to play volley ball with a Korean club team called Sangam in the neighboring community, Chamdan. Since then, I have been playing with the team every week on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Honestly, it is some of the best volley ball I have ever played! We practice (passing, hitting, serving) for about an hour and then we play coed, first, on a men's net and then we switch to a woman's net. There are nine players on the courts and the courts are a lot larger than what I am used to. Our coach (the tallest Korean I have ever seen!) is really passionate about volley ball and gives great advice. He has given me some of the most helpful and clear setting and passing tips and it is all in Korean! That is a huge part of the fun; trying to figure out what all the team members are saying. Although, they are so full of character you usually can tell whats going on by watching their facial expressions and body movements!

On the Sangam team, there is such a great balance between playing hard-core, intense volleys to cracking jokes and doubling over from fits of laughter at someone who is being a complete goofball. The team commodore is so cool. I just love the constant smiles, enthusiastic energy, and endless high-fives. So far with my experience, Korean people are fun to be around during sporting events. They are jolly and enthusiastic people. Sometimes, after we play, the team will all go out for dinner and drinks or sometimes they bring food and beer or rice wine to the gym. This culture is so welcoming and they always make sure Jenni and I get enough to eat. Now that it is tangerine season, I have been leaving the gym with handfuls of tangerines; gifts from my teammates. Korean people get so much pleasure from giving away what they have, its a beautiful thing to witness and experience.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a Glorious Holiday!

The Chuseok holiday, at the beginning of October, is kind of a Korean day of respect and thanks so Koreans don't celebrate what North Americans call Thanksgiving day. Therefore, a group of foreigners and I managed to put together a wonderful Thanksgiving feast! We had chicken, cranberry sauce, salad, mashed potatoes, apple pie, bread, gravy and other scrumptious foods!! It was excellent! My friend, Laura (blond gal in the red shirt), organized it all and had everyone over at her place. For a few individuals from places outside North America, it was their first thanksgiving! We all enjoyed sharing our own thanksgiving day traditions and holiday memories. Later, Cards came out and Laura, Jenni, and I taught everyone how to play hearts- (mom would have loved it!). Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and I was nervous to spend it away from home, but this group was a great bunch of people to be with.

DMZ Tour: Camp Bonifas

"Hope is a walking dream." Aristotle
We need to be thankful for the freedom we have to contact our loved ones. Many individuals were never allowed to see their relations again after the Korean split at the 38th parallel. There are stories of husbands leaving their wives and family in search of resources down south that were never able to see them again. Families became enemies with the split and many North Koreans starved and suffered while their relations down south couldn't do anything about it. Some have mangaed to escape out of North Korea, but the government punishes and starves families of individuals who leave. There has been attempts to reunite families. Our tour guide told us a story of a ninety year old mother from South Korea reuniting with her seventy-five year old daughter from North Korea. These reunions don't last long before the individuals have to go back. It's hard to imagine how emotional this experience must be for that families that find each other.
They say that the reunification process has already begun here in Korea, but it's going to be a slow movement with many hurtles. I heard that today, one of seven people in South Korea still have relations in the North. Yet, with the seperation, the cultures have become so different.
Although people in the North, live in such poverty, their military is actually larger than in South Korea. North Koreans are forced to be in the military service for eight years, but they don't have the resources or money to finance an invasion of South Korea.
Camp Bonifas. Supposedly, we were being watched on North Korean cameras here hence the reasons for our strict dress code. To the right is our tour guide, a friendly US soldier from Missouri.
Having some fun with Andrew, Chris, and Christina.
Loved this monument.
Foreigners from all over the world trying to take pictures. We were told to stay behind a line to take pictures of a NK city to prevent confrontation from the North Korean military.

A North Korean propaganda city. Most buildings don't have ceilings, floors, or backs. They are all for show. In the past, a loud speaker was used to lure people over to that side with messages of a North Korean paradise. If someone crossed onto that side, they would find themselves alone in a bunch a empty buildings, unable to return.

The DMZ tour was a real awakening for me. It is one thing to hear about the North and South Korean split at the 38th parallel on the news, Internet, and other sources, but it was quite a powerful experience to be up there and see the barbed wire fencing, watch towers, and to feel the seriousness of the situation.

The tour guide on the bus gave us information about the DMZ area outside the base. There is actually a village of around 250 people that live in the DMZ zone where we toured. They have permission to be there because they are decedents of the people that lived there pre-Korean war. Woman can join the village by marring a man that lives there, but a woman living in the DMZ zone would have to leave if she married a man outside the village. People can visit family out of the DMZ zone, but I think it is quite strict and if they move off they can’t move back. The villagers grow crops of rice, ginseng, cabbage, and other products, which are sold for twice as much as regular price. The “DMZ rice” is supposedly healthier and better tasting…hmmm. ;-)

Various forms of wild life, only found in this area, thrive because of the lack of development. Vampire deer, small deer with fangs, are abundant along with many rare birds and plant species. The area is several degrees colder than Jeolanam-do, the southwestern region where I live, but it’s quite pretty.

Our dress code was pretty strict. We had to wear nice pants, no t-shirts or logos, no facial piercing and all tattoos had to be covered. Basically, we just had to look nice, because part of the tour we would be on the North Korean cameras and the military did not want us to be used for propaganda.

During the tour of the base, we were not able to take many pictures and most of the tour we had to stay in line. Our tour guide was a kind US solider from Missouri. He explained how difficult it is for North and South Korea to communicate. Both sides mock each other to make the other side pissed off with announcements or music on their speakers, signs, and other ridiculous things. There is just so much propaganda and hatred. A few horrific incidents have occurred in the past including the ax killing incident in 1976. Two US soldiers were hacked to death by North Korean soldiers near the border when trying to remove a tree blocking the view. Mom works with an individual who served in the military in Korea and helplessly witnessed this event. North Korea did apologize for the murders and now their is a monument on base at Camp Bonifas. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axe_Murder_Incident). There are also incidents of people making it over to the other side, sometimes starting gunfire.

A really neat part of the tour was when we were able to walk 240 feet down the "Tunnel of Aggression." This tunnel is over a mile long and was built by North Korea. It is one of four tunnels discovered leading toward Seoul for a surprise attack. Only four tunnels were found, but they believe there are at least ten more undiscovered tunnels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Tunnel_of_Aggression

Overall, the tour was incredible and eye-opening. We, americans, are truly fortunate to not have had to live through such separation.

Teaching...

This is my classroom. It's pretty small, but it can fit twelve students comfortably. I have pictures of family and friends on the lower, right hand corner of the marker board, which helps me connect more with my students when they ask questions about back home. The simple frases (May I have a pencil? I am finished. I don't understand. ...) on the left side of the board help my students more effectively communicate with me instead of using crazy hand gestures and yelling "TEACHER, TEACHER, TEACHER" constantly. Raising your hand is not used very much I've noticed, which can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, but it feels so good to hear them practice the English frases on the board.

Giddy Girls

We made snowflakes with our weather lesson. I was so impressed by them! I'm thankful that critters don't bug me, because students tend to bring them to class. Two weeks ago a student had a bat in a plastic container in his backpack. His friends tattle tailed on him and I almost lost it when I saw them playing with the lid. Last week, another student pulled out his new pet hamster! I thought it was pretty cute. Who knows what next week will bring!

Teaching has been a great learning experience. I teach hour long classes Monday through Friday from 2:30pm to 7:30pm. Normally, I go to school around twelve to have lunch with my co-teacher, Sophia and then use the rest of the time to prepare, read, or do whatever else I want to do. I have one middle school class (which is equivalent to our junior high school) with only two students. This class is more of a study hall. My other classes range from ages seven to fourteen with around ten kids in each. Ten kids doesn't seem like much, but the language barrier can make it very difficult and I find myself having to explain things differently to every student. The students are on various levels in speaking English, but I imagine that being typical everywhere in all subjects.

One thing that often bothers me is my lack of opportunity to add my own touch to the lessons. I have been given many books and outlines of what to teach, but they aren't always fun lessons. I think making lessons enjoyable are the best way for kids to learn English, especially at their age. Plus, the kids are in school literally all day long so a fun English lesson might be the only thing to keep their attention. Students usually can write and read English well, but they have a difficult time speaking or answering questions as easy as "how are you?" or "what are you doing?" That is why they hire native English speakers, but the lessons aren't speaking oriented. Sometimes I find time near the end of class to play shiraids, Simon says, pictionary, and other games, which they seem to love and speak more English. Songs are also a huge hit.

My largest moral conflict thus far in Korea has had to do with the Corporal Punishment in schools. It is a huge topic here and some say that laws will slowly get rid of it. Personally, I will never believe hitting kids is an effective disciplinary action, but that is where my culture clashes with the Korean culture. Dad used to tell me stories about being hit in grade school, but that always seemed so out of date to me. Now, it is something that happens everyday here. It is truly upsetting and I am trying to find a middle ground between our cultures, but it is something I am still really struggling with.

Teaching here has been challenging, but overall, it has been an insightful and rewarding experience. The kids are so cute and I am falling in love with them more every day.

Moonlight Odyssey

"If you stop and listen, there is an ocean of silence. That is the stuff of my work. Where I go for ideas or solice or real texture." Anon

The Gwangju International Center invited foreigners to a beautiful outdoor concert near a temple outside of Gwangju. This concert was unique, because outdoor concerts aren't very common. It was held outdoors to celebrate the autumn season and to praise the full moon. We heard a Daegeum (bamboo) flute, a buk (Korean drum), gayageum (simular to a table harp), geomungo (stringed instrument plucked by a bamboo stick), and a few vocalists. The music was very soft and soothing, almost like rain or soft winds, similar to elements in nature. The men and woman vocalists had deep voices and they sang so passionately. I wish I would have known what they were singing about, and yet, it was fun to let your imagination wonder and make up your own meaning. The concert was wonderful. I appreciated the authentic Korean cultural experience.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayageum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomungo

Happy Halloween!

"Where there is no imagination, there is no horror!" Arthur Conan Doyle

Halloween is such a great time to dress up and have fun! It is one of my favorite holidays because of the creativity involved. Plus, who doesn't like candy and games!! Halloween isn't celebrated in Korea, but our English school decided to have a party. So on Saturday October 31st, we decorated the library and invited all the students and their friends and siblings. It was so cute, because many of my students introduced me to their siblings and friends. For some of the kids, it was their first Halloween!

I gave them a quick speech about the origin of Halloween and how it is celebrated in America. After that we had several activities including: the best costume (most kids were so shy but they seemed to be proud of their costumes), the mummy contest (teams picked two kids to stand back to back and be wrapped up with toilet paper), pumpkin decorating (everything from apples, oranges, and persimmon were used for this activity :-), and a few other activities. It was such a great time! Plus, it was wonderful to spend time with the kids outside of the classroom and away from bookwork. We laughed, took pictures together, ate candy, and were just plain silly the whole time.