Gyeongju

Education is extremely important to Koreans and exams are a huge part of the educational environment. Middle schoolers take exams to determine which high school they can attend and, of course, high schoolers take exams to enter university. Suicide among middle school students is increasing, yet the pressure to excel remains. A teacher recently informed me that at least one middle school is extending its day to 9:00 p.m. In my school, students begin studying as early as 7:30. Classes begin at 8:00 and go until after 6:00. Students then have dinner and proceed to either a Hagwon (a for profit school specializing in English and other subject areas) or they continue studying on campus or at home. A third grade high schooler, which is the equivalent of a senior, told me she studies from 7:30 to 11:30 Mon - Sat. Since the SATs are approximatley 40 days away, she studies on Sundays too. Her study habits are in the majority.

Within my school, days are set aside each month for exams. This week, students are taking exams from Tuesday through Friday so I do not have to teach. Since I like teaching, I'm disappointed. Also, I'm too ADHD to sit around. Today, however, a teacher and I went out to lunch and then visited the Bulguksa Temple.

Restaurants & Bulguksa Temple:
I should first start by saying, in traditional Korean restaurants shoes are left outside or placed in cubby holes in the entrance way. This is fine; however, if you need to use the toliet a problem arises. Since squat toliets dominate traditional Korean restaurants and no one, man or woman, has perfect aim, the floors around the toliet are usually wet. To assist with this unhygienic fact of squat toliet life, some restaurants provide slippers for public use. Being a germaphobe, and weighing my options of standing in urine or wearing questionable slippers, I have decided neither option is viable. So, I simply retrieve my shoes, carry them with me to the toliet, remove the shoes and carry them back to their cubby hole. I've seen one other person do this, another foreigner.

Koreans separate their foodstuff from other recyclable trash. Restaurant staff carry small red buckets and while clearing the table, they dump all food into the bucket. I see red tops & buckets outside many homes. I heard the contents are later fed to pigs. After a nice lunch we headed to the famous buddhist temple, Bulguksa.

On our way to Bulguksa Temple, I can finally understand and agree with the tagline, "Beautiful Gyeongju." Living in the downtown area, as I walk the streets amidst the trash and dried vomit from too much Soju, I simply do not see the city's beauty. To see beauty, I must cast my eyes out to the mountains. Yet, just a little drive away, natural beauty thrives. Trees are starting to change colours so bright oranges, reds and deep green, almost purple, leaves abound. This area of Gyeongju is picturesque and now I understand why it's a favoured tourist destination. Bulguksa Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Someone said early on something like "if you've see one temple, you've seen them all." Well, I have seen more than one temple and while there are similarities in architectural design, art, and colour scheme, Bulguksa is definitely worth the visit and the 4,000 krw price of admission. It's not just the temple, but also the setting that makes this place very worthwhile. You can feel the historic significance. It oozes character. Built during the Silla Dynasty, the temple has a long and trying history. It has been restored/renovated many times as it suffered much damage from burnings and theft. Yet, it remains as a strong testament to its past.

My day at the temple merged with my life as a teacher. During the hike of Mt. Namsan, I saw areas where rocks of varying sizes and shapes are stacked atop each other. Since I hiked Mt. Namsan with another foreigner, I couldn't ask any questions. At Bulguksa, I saw countless numbers of like configurations and learned the rocks represent wishes. Individuals make a wish and then place a rock atop another, if the rock falls the wish will not be fulfilled. As I took photos of the numerous rocks on the ground, in trees, on railings, and doors, I started thinking about the wishes of those who left the rocks. I, perhaps of my morbidity, assumed many of the rocks represented wishes that a sick or dying loved one's pain would cease. I expressed this sentiment to my teacher friend. She laughed and said, more than likely the rocks represent a mother's wish that her child does well on his/her school exam. Education is very important in Korea.

Koreans celebrated the harvest festival Chuseok (chew-sock) over the weekend. In addition to preparing or purchasing traditional foods, Koreans spend the day with family both living and dead. Many Koreans visit the gravesites of dead loved ones and travel from home to home to enjoy large feasts. If the large feast part with family sounds familiar, it is interesting to note Chuseok is also referred to as Thanksgiving. Some people had a four day weekend while others had three days. I am in the latter group. Although invited to spend Chuseok with one of the teachers in my school, I already had plans to visit Jeju-do aka Jeju Island.

Jeju Island is amazingly beautiful and surprisingly large. I spent the majority of my time in Seogwipo-shi (soggy-po she) with a new British friend. I started my day with a run around the city and wound up at a marina where I sat to enjoy the view, fresh air and sea breeze. After breakfast, the fun began. I have been dying to get to the beach all summer. First, a group of us visited Jeongbang Pokpo (Jeongbang Waterfall). As you will see in my photos, the waterfall is breathtaking. I spent, an unknown amount of time, perched against a stone as the cloudy sea mist caressed my skin.

Since the water is too cold to swim in (I only got in as far as my waist), we eventually left for Jungmun Beach. The taxi dropped us off at an observation area about a mile or two from the actual beach. Initially irritated, I soon became happy with our fortune. As we walked, and in some instances hiked, to the beach, we saw many beautiful sites which would not have been seen otherwise. Yet, as has been true to form with my experiences in Korea, negative always accompanies the positive. We came upon a marina home to seals, penguins, sea lions and I'm sure other mammals, etc. When I saw the California sea lions, my heart broke. Anyone who has ever visited these beautiful and playful creatures at Pier 39 witnessed their freedom of movement. At the Jungmun Marina, however, two sea lions are sharing a comparatively small space. The larger of the two swam frantically unable to complete a full circle because of the tight containment. Lengthwise, from one end to the other, the larger sea lion may have three/four feet to move. I could not watch. I will write a letter this week.

Eventually, we arrived at Jungmun Beach. At the beach, foreigners outnumbered Koreans. Unlike the foreigners who dressed in swimwear, all Koreans, with the exception of three surfers, were fully clothed. They rolled up pant legs, but did not remove a single item of clothing, not even jackets. Meanwhile foreign men walked around shirtless and women wore bikini tops and bottoms. Cultural differences.

After the beach, shower and a quick rest, we headed to Jeju-shi for dinner at Baghdad Cafe. The paneer with masala butter sauce is amazing. I have greatly missed Indian food and Baghdad Cafe filled a needed void. Now I need enchiladas. Unlike smoking bans in the States, Korea doesn't appear to have any smoking laws. People smoke everywhere - restaurants, school hallways, everywhere. Wherever they spit, they smoke and vice versa. Yet, surprisingly, the occasional waft of smoke from employees and other patrons did not ruin the exquisite meal. The combination of mellow music playing, non-stinky incense burning and a flickering candle along with delicious food made us feel as if we had taken a hit or two from the hookah on the nearby shelf. Leaving the Cafe feeling light-headed and satiated proved a great way to end the day.

Check out the photos of Jeongbang Waterfall & Jungmun Beach. The palm trees are imported.

I have lived in Korea for one month. I work at Gyeongju Girls' High School. The students are great and since I am the first native English teacher to work at this school, they are very excited. Although I've never taught high school, teaching at the university level and previously working with teenagers prepares me well for this position. Teaching isn't difficult, but being in a Korean school is quite taxing. Corporal punishment is practiced and I have witnessed, on more than one occasion, the beating of teenage girls. Seeing young girls "assume the position" against a wall, while a male teacher beats them on their bare legs proved unbearable. Although I removed myself from the room in which the beating occurred, I can't help but feel complicit because I am working in an environment where this takes place.

Gyeongju is a mid-size city with a small town feel. Unlike larger cities such as Seoul or Daegu, there isn't much diversity in Gyeongju. Living in a homogenous culture makes me really appreciate coming from a country where diversity is simply a part of life. My co-workers are amazed I can use chopsticks, that I had eaten Kimchi prior to arriving in Korea, and that I like spicy food. The other day I and another foreigner made traffic stop as the driver of a car stared so intently he actually braked nearly causing an accident.

I am becoming more and more agile as I dip and duck to evade women on the street who approach me with big smiles as they reach to touch my hair. I am not fond of strangers invading my personal space and actually touching me without invitation. Koreans in larger cities, such as Seoul, have locks, but in Gyeongju, I'm a foreign person of colour with intriguing hair.

Being a vegetarian is difficult in Gyeongju. While I am expected to eat in the school cafeteria, I cannot eat white rice and kimchi for lunch every day for the next 11 months. So, I am dividing my lunch between school and home. Meat plays a large part in the Korean diet. Tofu dishes also contain meat.

This past weekend was great - the best weekend I've had since arriving. A friend I met at orientation visited and we went to some of the historic sites of Gyeongju. The city's claim to fame is that it previously served as the capital of the Silla Dynasty. As such, there are many archaeological sites and historic areas. Parts of the city are designated World Heritage sites by UNESCO.

On Saturday, we visited the beautiful Anapji Pond, the Cheomseongdae observatory, and saw the amazing Lotus flowers. Saturday, while great, proved very disturbing. After having lunch at Pranzo, one of two Italian restaurants in the city, we passed a shockingly disturbing street mural of Hitler complete with the Nazi swastika. Happy Rosh Hashanah indeed.

We hiked Mt. Namsan on Sunday. It took approximately 2 hours & 40 minutes. Mt. Namsan is beautiful. I'm told Korea is 70% mountains. One of the things that disappoints me with Gyeongju is that, although it is praised for its beauty (the city's tagline is "Beautiful Gyeongju") it's very manicured and at times looks artificial. While in Mt. Namsan, the natural beauty of the mountain is breathtaking. Looking down from the mountain onto the city provides a stark contrast between natural beauty and manmade "beauty."

Speaking of contrasts, I am constantly experiencing an outsider/insider dichotomy. I am definitely an outsider in this country and in this city yet there is a foreign community made up of people from the U.S., Canada, England and France. I belong to this community. We bond over our foreignness and our ability to communicate in English. We are a mixture, mostly of teachers, but also some engineers. While sitting in a bar, restaurant or someone's flat, we are able to speak at our normal speed, make cultural references, talk about food, and enjoy each others' company. Among the foreigners, we are insiders, but a quick look around, the hard stares, or thumbs up of passersby reminds us that we are always outsiders.

Photos in the gallery, but not yet titled.

On 18 August 2009 at 12:30 p.m. I departed from LAX on my way to Incheon International Airport. I love airports and flying & have been flying for as long as I can remember. This is the first time, however, where I flew for a long distance and never saw nite. The sun shone brightly during the entire flight. This is also the first flight where the flight attendants made me think of the Stepford Wives. All of them had their hair styled the same including a bowlike thingy all in the exact same position, they all had the same makeup too. It was kinda freaky, kinda cool, kinda unnerving.

After a 12 hour flight, I arrived in Incheon which is outside of Seoul. I eventually boarded a bus along with other teachers to travel 3 hours to Jeonju University in Jeonju. I spent the next several days in orientation. We had cafeteria style food (breakfast, lunch & dinner). Kimchi is served at every meal. Being a vegetarian, each meal proved to be hit or miss for me. The vegans of the group had it worse than everyone.

The dorm room served as my introduction to Korean style bathrooms. In saying this, I may be essentializing Korean bathrooms because I, of course, have only seen a few. Today as I explored my new city, I saw a spa tub so clearly bathtubs exist. Anyway, the bathrooms with which I've become accustomed are all-in-one. The toliet, sink & shower are all in the same space. Pretty efficient if a little bit wet & messy.

After sitting through hours upon hours of orientation lectures, I found solace in the university's dirt track where I ran in the mornings. I also enjoyed our Survival Korean Language classes & Korean movie night. We took a field trip to some temples & a local village, but all my photos are gone. I neglected to put the disc in the camera.

At the welcoming and closing ceremonies we saw traditional performances (music & dance). I recorded some of these & took photos of others. These are also gone as the format proved incompatible with my computer.

On 28 August 2009, I left Jeonju on my way to Gyeongju. The drive lasted about 5 hours. It could be quicker, I guess, but we stopped a lot.

I am now in my new flat surrounded by mountains and looking out over the river. I get great sunlight & breezes. Tomorrow is my first day at school. I purchased slippers because everyone must remove one's street shoes & put on slippers before walking around the school.

Two things I find disturbing - well, one gross, one disturbing:
Excessive spitting. Men make the crudest, most disgusting throat sounds & then spit. This occurs everywhere. I heard even in the classroom unless you put a stop to it.

Now on to the disturbing: There are countless ads with Western faces even on products made in Korea. This isn't to say Koreans don't use their image in adverts, they do. Yet, the amount of Western faces, not famous people, just average models, speaks volumes.

Cultural differences: Giving & receiving with two hands not one. Using one hand is rude. PDA (public displays of affection) are greatly frowned upon even a peck or hug.