One of our clients, Kylene Almeida, has been keeping a journal with some impressions of the things she has seen and done in Korea so far. She has been kind enough to offer to share her experiences and I am posting them here just as she wrote them. I found myself nodding my head along with a lot of what she said. Having been here for so long, I sometimes forget about what stands out and what things stuck out to me when I first arrived. Enjoy!
Classes:
Today, I didn’t want to teach. I prayed that God would give me a good day. The first two classes are with 4-7year olds and they behaved quite well and paid attention very well. I even got the 7 year olds to act in front of class! Then, the middle school students (4 classes worth) were all pretty fun and we got a lot accomplished. In my adult class, two out of three showed up. One of them is brand new and a beginner, so I offered to teach her separately if the director said it was ok. Yikes, I went from not wanting to teach to volunteering to teach another class! It would probably be good though, because I hate the breaks between classes.
Random Tidbits:
-My mattress is as hard as a rock and I was waking up with bruises if I slept on my side. Thus, I bought an extra comforter to lay UNDER me. That still didn’t help, so I bought an air-mattress. J Much better!
-It is freezing here. My nails are blue! I wear a million layers to bed. The school building is made of tile so that is super cold too. There are little space heaters and I think I am the only one who turns them on.
-The director’s wife, Ashley, (V.P.) is extremely nice to me. She brings me food every other day. She has taken me out to lunch too. J She also helped me get a cell phone immediately by putting it under her name and she is helping me get my other documents as well. Oh, she bought me a new blanket/sheet/rug set, pots and pans, a pitcher and glasses, and has been the nicest person I have met yet.
-The coffee/hot chocolate is instant here and made for a Dixie cup.
-The dishes are all mini sized. They serve a main plate of meat or a bowl of stew. Then, 6 or 7 side dishes in tiny little bowls surround it along with a bowl of rice. You are supposed to use your metal chopsticks to pick up the side and put it in your rice. They keep refilling your sides until the rice is gone or you ask for the bill. I love this style of eating.
-I bought a doughnut at Paris Baguette and I thought it was going to be chocolate filled, but “Red Bean” meant sugared kidney beans. I also had one with ½ red beans and ½ cream. Honestly, they were good. However, it is still hard to get my mind to believe it since red beans “should be” a salty food. J The last time that I bought something here, the owner gave me a free red bean candy. It was a gummy like substance (thicker than marshmallow and sort of like Turkish delight) surrounding red beans. -Too funny.
-I bought ice cream at E-Mart. I decided on some drumsticks because it came with a package of some foreign kind of ice cream. Well, the drumsticks were the size of my index finger…I was a bit shocked! The foreign ice cream was I think pistachio ice cream (although pink in color) within a gummy like shell. The outside sort of tasted like Turkish Delight, it even had the powdered sugar on the outside. Probably won’t buy that again.
–OOOOOH! They sell roasted bugs on the streets right next to corn dogs, cotton candy, dried squid (kids love it), and fishy tasting french fries. They also sell a lot of waffles and pancakes with different toppings to go.
-The clothes (unless in an upscale retail store) are all one size fits all, which is small. Thank the Lord that is what I wear! I am not even going to try to find shoes, however.
-The girls wear dresses that just cover their butts with leggings under them. Even their coats are the same way. They wear really unique shoes (I could become a shoe person here). They wear lots of hair accessories. I saw one girl with a HUGE bow on top of her head the size of mini mouse! Also, hardly any of their pieces of clothing match or even come close to going together. For example, they wear striped black and white leggings with brown shoes and a plaid multi-colored shirt and a bag that is leopard. Granted, this is an everyday outfit. At work, they match and look professional. Most wear navy, black, or gray to work.
-The men and even some younger guys wear suits a lot. Some are shiny. A lot of guys wear skinny jeans. Anything seems to go. They look like they came straight out of a magazine ad where a totally unique style is being sold. Some wear hoodies and others hats with suspenders and striped shirts.
-If you are a couple then you wear couples clothing…identical shirts, pants, rings, etc. There are stores that cater to this. They even have couple’s underwear/bra sets.
-Best friends hold hands…even men! I saw this in Turkey, but it is still strange to me.
-Kids play outside until around midnight. It is very safe here and they go to school from early in the morning until late in the evening. My last class for middle school is 8:30pm. Then, they have to do homework.
-The subways have TV as well as mini TV’s on the subway cars! There are also real stores in the stations along with the little kiosks. Some, look like they have malls in them, especially Seoul Station.
-Restaurants still have their Christmas decorations up!
Touring:
-I got to see the Japanese flower that only blooms for 15 days out of a year this past Saturday. They were gorgeous and I was so excited I hadn’t missed them! I was at Yeoido Park. I also saw the National Assembly Building here as well as the 63rd building with the world’s highest art museum on the 60th floor. The view was great! After this, I went to the War Memorial Museum and the National Museum. To end the day I went shopping at Myendong where I bought a little dress and 2 ice cream cones.
-Sunday, I went to Olympic Park, which is very large and has a lot of hills to walk up and then down. I got lost looking for the subway back home. Also, Insadong and the Dungdemun shopping centers were both closed.
-Last weekend, I went to Geyongbuk Palace and Insadong. I loved both. The palace felt like a movie scene and Insadong was filled with fun market shops and street vendors. The next day I went to Sajuk Park and saw a Buddhist praying at a Buddhist shrine. Then I saw a Buddhist temple and Bogota. I ended the day at Insadong again and bought a runner, placemats, and wooden chopsticks.
April 17, 2010:
Today, I set off to explore. I decided to go to DungdeMun Shopping center, then Tagpol Park and Cheyonggi Cheon Stream. However, I got off on the wrong subway exit. I saw a sign for the park, so I went there first. It was really small, but had the declaration of Korea’s independence there, which I read in full. I thought I would go to the stream next, but instead of going south, I went north. When, I finally realized this, I saw an ancient wall and decided it had to lead to something interesting. I followed it wondering what was on the other side. I wondered who it was protecting or keeping out. About 10-15 minutes later, I was rewarded with a palace and a secret garden! The garden is not always open and is one of three greatest in all of Asia. The palace is called Chandeokgung and has a small bridge to mark its entrance. It looked a lot like the Gyeongbokgung Palace I had already been to, but this one had a building with a blue tile roof (very expensive dye) for the King’s office. I was on a tour (only way to see it) with a bunch of other English speaking people. Amazingly, I still felt completely out of place and alone. Now, it wasn’t a language barrier, but the fact that I was the only person that came by themselves. It was weird to hear people’s conversations and still feel like I am in a glass box or in my own little world taking pictures of things I like and having no one to experience it with. Honestly, I would have paid double to just wonder on my own. At one point, I finally got the courage to ask a man standing by a pond with an old building behind it, to take my picture. He was nice and said he would. Then I took his and his friends pictures. He wanted one with me and I just laughed. I guess I have a random picture out there somewhere. The tour stopped for a rest and I just went on my own after that. I found my own way back. It felt so much better.
From, here I went to Insadong, because, I wanted to get my husband, Wes, a gift I had seen previously, but when I found it wasn’t as amazing as I had in my head. So I left to find the stream…which I did with ease! On the way, I went by a Buddhist temple. It was having some sort of ceremony b/c there were tons of people even across the street from it praying and chanting. It was decorated with lanterns too-beautiful. Then, my favorite moment occurred. I stopped at a kiosk selling different foods. I pointed to the rice dumplings in a red, hot sauce and it was delicious! In Korea, you stay at the kiosk until you are finished and the lady also gives you a drink of hot, beef broth. At least, I hope that’s what it was because the big lumps in it didn’t look like beef. It looked like a lump of fish or lard-not sure I want to know. She also sold pastries filled with red bean; sausage links that were purple, some sort of fresh fish (squid or octopus) cut up and ready to eat! It turned my stomach to look at it. I felt like a local though. I stood there with a few other Korean women and it was fun. I did find the stream, and it was beautiful as well. It runs through the city and under the roads so you can go down and walk next to it or watch from the bridge.
I decided to go to the GS market in Guri on my way home to get Wes a gift there. I was soooo worried that I wouldn’t be able to find it from the train station. Oh ya, it was connected. All I had to do was ride the escalator. Bonus! I bought 4 DVD’s to watch, which were cheaper than renting! They had classics and foreign films—yay!!!!
I am home now and I painted my 2nd picture of the week—yes, I bought paints! I also watched a Japanese film called: April’s Story—so slow and boring! Bummer.
April 18, 2010:
I grabbed a coffee and hopped on the bus/subway all to way to the World Cup Stadium. There was a game being played and it was pretty awesome to hear the announcer and crowd going crazy. Within the stadium, there is a mall, so of course I scoped it out 
When the game was over, lots of kids had soccer balls and were playing with them or getting their picture taken with posters of the team members. The subways are plastered with posters as well. On the subway, kids were bopping each other on the head with these heavy-papered fans with the team logo. They make a really loud noise. At least none of them were blowing their red horns from the game! Afterwards, I went to the parks nearby and climbed all the way up a hill while everyone else was going down it…Rain. The rain did not last long though and I enjoyed all of the flowers. On my way there, I had noticed that there was a stop for Itaewon, which is where the army base, Youngsan, is. I had heard it was also a party town and shopping area so I decided to brave it and see if I could find any gifts for my family. I came up from the subway to a sea of white faces…it scared me. Honestly, I felt like hiding. I practically ran through stores, but then I calmed down and really went into a few. In one, I was looking at some traditional green pottery and jumped back because in the corner was a woman sleeping! I thought she was dead for a minute. A man came up and asked if I needed help a few minutes later and called her name. She woke up and looked a bit embarrassed. Anyways, she got to showing me around and we talked for a long time. She said I was pretty and that my husband was lucky J Love her already!
April 25, 2010:
Yesterday I went to the National Theater. I thought I was going to see a traditional song and dance, but it was only singing. It felt like being at a bad opera. She was very passionate, like a preacher at times. I probably would have liked it if I had understood the words. Some people were cheering and others were sleeping, so who knows. I left at the intermission.
I went to Namsan Park next and it was beautiful…took me forever to find, so I was glad. I walked until I saw the Seoul Tower and the Hanok Village. At the village a lady who spoke English offered to take my picture and we hit it off, so we grabbed dinner with her friend. Both ladies were really nice.
Today, I went to Deoksu-Gong Palace. It was very peaceful. Afterwards, I walked to Insadong, and realized just how close together all of the sights really are. I personally think it would be better to go on foot than to use the subways, but my tour guide map sucks! The DK company needs to hire me to make one for S. Korea b/c I LOVE their books.
May 2, 2010: I went to the National Theater again. However, this time it was AMAZING. It was a play and opera and the whole things were very pretty. I also met the other teachers from Guri, Melanie, Sam, Natasha, and Mike. They seem nice.
May 16: Today I went to the lantern festival with Melanie and her friends Sara and Tim. There was so much to see! I had gotten there early so I went shopping and checked out the temple where a kids’ choir was singing. There were also street performances. When I met up with the others, we walked the streets taking in all of the monks, girls dressed up in traditional clothing, and kids playing games and making their own lotus or lantern. Then we sat around a fountain watching little kids run through the water. One foreigner was taking pictures of them with a balloon wrapped around his head so the Koreans were taking pictures of him in turn. It was very funny. Sara was from out of town so she had to leave in order to catch her train, but the rest of us headed for the parade. It was all lit up with more people than I have ever seen. They were all walking and holding various lanterns. There was a dragon spewing fire and another one made of cloth with people in it snaking along. Many of the people did dance routines and some monks even did a dance with symbols. It lasted about 3 hours!
May 23, 2010:
Friday I had the day off! After a late wake up, I met up with Melanie (from S. Africa) and her friend Tim. They were late, so I looked around Seoul Station. I saw all of these posters remembering the S. vs. N. Korean war. It filled me with pride to be an American. This doesn’t usually happen in foreign countries as of late, so it felt really good. Once they got there, we went to one of the smaller palaces. It was set up for a play so there was seating in the courtyard and camera/lighting equipment everywhere. This sort of made me smile b/c the first time I went to a palace I felt like I walked onto a movie set and now I WAS on a stage! From here we were going to meet up with more of Melanie’s friends and go on a Han River boat cruise. However, her friends were late and there were no more tickets available, so we all just chilled for a bit and then went our separate ways.
Saturday I met up with Melanie because she wanted to take bus 88 and see if the one in her town was on the same route as the one we saw in Seoul. Of course this is right up my alley, so we were off! We grabbed snacks and did some random shopping then jumped on the bus for about 3 or 4 hours. It took us to the edge of Seoul, but not nearly as far as Yoeido like we had hoped. Rather, it turned and took us about an hour outside of Guri –her home town. Snapping pictures like crazy, we took everyday shots of the area and people. When we got back, we went to the market in Guri and did a lot of shopping. I bought 2 dresses for $10 each, 4 long shirts for $5 each, and a cute belt.
Until next time!
Kylene
