Here is a list of the questions my elementary students asked me on my first day of class.
What's your favorite type of jewelry?
What's the name of your grandfather?
What's your job?
Which do you love more? USA or Korea?
Do you know Mickey Mouse?
How old are you?
Do you have a girlfriend?
Can you dance?
Do you eat Kimchi?
Do you like 'Gangnam Style'?
What's your favorite kind of hat?
What's your favorite jacket?
Do you like shark fin soup?
Why do Americans have blue eyes?
Are you attractive?
Do you think (points to co-teacher) she is beautiful?
Can you tumble in the water?
Can you drive a car?
Do you know Obama?
Are you famous in America?
Are you rich?
Is America bigger than Korea?
What's your favorite letter of the alphabet?
Who created English?
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Dating in Korea
Dating in Korea as a foreigner is not what you think. I've been in Korea for less than a month now, and many of my American friends have tried to convince me to date a Korean girl. They make is sound so easy, which is funny because they're not here, so they couldn't know. I'll tell you what I know. Here are the two main reasons why dating in Korea as an American is harder than dating in America.
1. The Language Barrier. I've known people to get over this barrier, but it's not a compromise everybody is capable of making. Some people might be fine with speaking broken English for the rest of their lives, but I'm not. Although, it does seem preferable to becoming bilingual as an adult. I suppose if I were truly in love, that would be a small price to pay.
2. Citizenship. Possibly the biggest question to consider here is: If you marry someone of a different nationality, do they become a citizen of your country, or do you become a citizen of yours?
If I were living in a poor country, perhaps a woman would want to marry me and become an American. But that's not the case here. I actually moved here from America to have a better life. Also, Koreans do not want to live anywhere else permanently. I have met Americans and Canadians who have married Koreans and plan to live the rest of their lives in Korea.
1. The Language Barrier. I've known people to get over this barrier, but it's not a compromise everybody is capable of making. Some people might be fine with speaking broken English for the rest of their lives, but I'm not. Although, it does seem preferable to becoming bilingual as an adult. I suppose if I were truly in love, that would be a small price to pay.
2. Citizenship. Possibly the biggest question to consider here is: If you marry someone of a different nationality, do they become a citizen of your country, or do you become a citizen of yours?
If I were living in a poor country, perhaps a woman would want to marry me and become an American. But that's not the case here. I actually moved here from America to have a better life. Also, Koreans do not want to live anywhere else permanently. I have met Americans and Canadians who have married Koreans and plan to live the rest of their lives in Korea.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Korean Questions
One aspect of Korean culture that can be shocking to foreigners is asking personal questions. As a Native English Teacher at an elementary school, I have been asked several personal questions by the students on my first day. These questions include...
How old are you?
How tall are you?
How much do you weigh?
Are you married?
Which do you love more, your home country or Korea?
What are the names of your grandparents?
And it's not just the children getting personal. Unlike American women, Korean women will proudly announce their real age even if they are not asked. Why? Because the social hierarchy determines how you address people who are older or younger than you.
How old are you?
How tall are you?
How much do you weigh?
Are you married?
Which do you love more, your home country or Korea?
What are the names of your grandparents?
And it's not just the children getting personal. Unlike American women, Korean women will proudly announce their real age even if they are not asked. Why? Because the social hierarchy determines how you address people who are older or younger than you.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Communal Living in Korea
Korean culture does not promote individualism. This is evident in the country's mission statement: "To live and work for the benefit of all mankind." Koreans do everything together. When out at a restaurant nobody orders their own meal from their own menu. Everybody shares the same food. Everybody pours drinks for each other.
This past Friday, March 4th was my co-teacher's birthday. Another teacher brought strawberry cake to celebrate with after lunch. There were five teachers and two slices of cake. Everybody ate the same piece at the same time with chopsticks.
At schools in Korea it is common practice for teachers and students to brush their teeth after lunch. During my first year in Korea, I never participated in this ritual. But this year I have decided to embrace the local culture more. In my teachers' office there is a sink. I brought my toothbrush and toothpaste to school on my second day, and I brushed my teeth with the other teachers at our sink after lunch. It was a little thing, but it did make me feel like one of them.
If you're a foreigner, how do you act like a local?
This past Friday, March 4th was my co-teacher's birthday. Another teacher brought strawberry cake to celebrate with after lunch. There were five teachers and two slices of cake. Everybody ate the same piece at the same time with chopsticks.
At schools in Korea it is common practice for teachers and students to brush their teeth after lunch. During my first year in Korea, I never participated in this ritual. But this year I have decided to embrace the local culture more. In my teachers' office there is a sink. I brought my toothbrush and toothpaste to school on my second day, and I brushed my teeth with the other teachers at our sink after lunch. It was a little thing, but it did make me feel like one of them.
If you're a foreigner, how do you act like a local?
Friday, March 4, 2016
Immigration
After being accepted by EPIK to teach English in South Korea, an agency in Canada called Orange Travel booked my flights and accommodation. The original itinerary was to have me and another teacher spend the night at the Grand Hyatt across the street from the Incheon Airport.
I received a call from my agent later that week. She informed me that due to Korea's immigration laws, I was not permitted to leave the airport since Seoul was not my final destination. So the new plan was for us to stay at the hotel inside the airport.
When I arrived, for some reason I followed my fellow foreigners through immigration. After entering the terminal, I showed my itinerary to the woman at the information booth. She said I can't stay at this hotel because it's located before immigration and it's illegal to go back through. But I was also told that it was illegal for me to leave, which left me with one option: to sleep on a chair in the terminal.
It took me 5 hours to resolve my issue. I had to get my luggage, take a taxi to a cheap nearby guesthouse, and transfer my connecting flight from Incheon to Gimpo.
At EPIK Orientation I met the guy who was supposed to be my roommate. I told him it took me 5 hours to get a new hotel. He said it took him 3 hours to find the correct one.
What's the biggest mistake you've made at an airport?
Flight Features
On February 18, 2016 I flew from San Francisco to Seoul on Singapore Air. My one-way ticket was under $500. Despite the extreme turbulence, it was a wonderful experience that I highly recommend.
This was the first plane I've been on that allowed passengers to charge their phones at their seats. The entertainment selection was also the biggest I've seen. There were dozens of current movies, TV shows, and music albums of every genre. I watched The Visit and The Walk. Shortly before we landed I listened to a few tracks from the Foo Fighter's newest album.
The final feature I'd like to mention from this airline is that they served free wine and beer. I had a glass of red with my chicken dinner.
The following morning I flew Korean Air from Seoul to Busan. The one feature that stood out on this flight was one I'd never seen before. When one of the flight attendants came down the aisle taking drink orders, a few passengers were asleep. The flight attendant posted a notice on the seats in front of them. They would eventually wake up to a sign informing them (in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and English) that they were asleep when orders were taken.
What are other flight features that have impressed you?
This was the first plane I've been on that allowed passengers to charge their phones at their seats. The entertainment selection was also the biggest I've seen. There were dozens of current movies, TV shows, and music albums of every genre. I watched The Visit and The Walk. Shortly before we landed I listened to a few tracks from the Foo Fighter's newest album.
The final feature I'd like to mention from this airline is that they served free wine and beer. I had a glass of red with my chicken dinner.
What are other flight features that have impressed you?
Thursday, October 1, 2015
How to Train Your Elephant
January 23, 2014
I went to the owner of my hostel in Chiang Mai for advice on what to do during my week-long stay, and she highly recommended Woody Elephant Training Camp, which cost 2,400 Baht ($65 USD). After reading the brochure, I asked her to book my reservation.
A van picked every participant up from their hostels and brought us to the training camp, which was about an hour or two away.
The first thing we did upon our arrival was change into the provided shirt and pants since we would be getting wet and dirty. Then we were divided into two teams: The Candy Team and The Poopoo Team.
The Candy Team would be in charge of chopping down sugar cane to feed the elephants, and the other team would--you guessed it--scoop poop.
Our instructor, knowing nobody would volunteer to scoop poop, said that the sugar can fields were full of snakes. Luckily that didn't scare me off, because he was lying.
The elephants, intelligent creatures that they are, were already well-trained. My fellow humans and I needed a lesson in giving commands in order to navigate our elephant ride through the jungle later.
The instructor would say a command word in Thai, and we would write the word phonetically on a piece of paper and attempt to memorize it. He also wrote everybody's first name in Thai with a blue marker on the top of our hands so that he and the other staff members could identify us.
Our first task, before we split into our teams, was to feed the elephants bananas. We would hold out a bunch in our hands, and an elephant would suck it up with its trunk, and bring it to its mouth. Having never been that close to an elephant before, I was surprised by how hairy they are. We tried placing bananas directly into their mouths, but everybody was afraid of being licked by a giant slimy tongue.
While I was distracted, one of the staff grabbed an elephant's trunk and pressed the opening against the side of my neck. It felt like a wet leathery vacuum tube. It's a wild feeling.
Next, I traveled with my team in a van to the sugar cane fields where we chopped down the canes with a machete. After gathering enough food for our elephants, we tasted the sugar cane by placing a small piece in our mouth and sucking on it. I didn't expect to like it so much.
When it came time to ride, everybody was paired up. My partner was a girl from New York. For the first shift, she rode up front. To get on the elephant, you grab his ear, step on its knee, and say the Thai word for up.
The guides walked along side us, taking pictures of us with our phones. They also reminded us of the commands when we forgot.
At the end of the trek, when I was riding up front, the elephants walked into a pond, and the water reached my neck. Despite the intense heat of Thailand, the water was freezing.
After returning to base, we gave the elephants a bath. We stood in shallow water and scrubbed them while they washed themselves by sucking water up their trunk and spraying their backs. Our guides had their fun by aiming the trunks at us like water guns.
We ended the day with a very unique photo-shoot. Two elephants would link their trunks, and everybody took turns sitting in the middle like a swing.
Within a month, all those pictures were on the Woody Elephant Training Camp website for us to download.
If you ever get the chance to visit the beautiful city of Chiang Mai, I highly recommend this experience.
I went to the owner of my hostel in Chiang Mai for advice on what to do during my week-long stay, and she highly recommended Woody Elephant Training Camp, which cost 2,400 Baht ($65 USD). After reading the brochure, I asked her to book my reservation.
A van picked every participant up from their hostels and brought us to the training camp, which was about an hour or two away.
The first thing we did upon our arrival was change into the provided shirt and pants since we would be getting wet and dirty. Then we were divided into two teams: The Candy Team and The Poopoo Team.
The Candy Team would be in charge of chopping down sugar cane to feed the elephants, and the other team would--you guessed it--scoop poop.
Our instructor, knowing nobody would volunteer to scoop poop, said that the sugar can fields were full of snakes. Luckily that didn't scare me off, because he was lying.
The elephants, intelligent creatures that they are, were already well-trained. My fellow humans and I needed a lesson in giving commands in order to navigate our elephant ride through the jungle later.
The instructor would say a command word in Thai, and we would write the word phonetically on a piece of paper and attempt to memorize it. He also wrote everybody's first name in Thai with a blue marker on the top of our hands so that he and the other staff members could identify us.
Our first task, before we split into our teams, was to feed the elephants bananas. We would hold out a bunch in our hands, and an elephant would suck it up with its trunk, and bring it to its mouth. Having never been that close to an elephant before, I was surprised by how hairy they are. We tried placing bananas directly into their mouths, but everybody was afraid of being licked by a giant slimy tongue.
While I was distracted, one of the staff grabbed an elephant's trunk and pressed the opening against the side of my neck. It felt like a wet leathery vacuum tube. It's a wild feeling.
Next, I traveled with my team in a van to the sugar cane fields where we chopped down the canes with a machete. After gathering enough food for our elephants, we tasted the sugar cane by placing a small piece in our mouth and sucking on it. I didn't expect to like it so much.
When it came time to ride, everybody was paired up. My partner was a girl from New York. For the first shift, she rode up front. To get on the elephant, you grab his ear, step on its knee, and say the Thai word for up.
The guides walked along side us, taking pictures of us with our phones. They also reminded us of the commands when we forgot.
At the end of the trek, when I was riding up front, the elephants walked into a pond, and the water reached my neck. Despite the intense heat of Thailand, the water was freezing.
After returning to base, we gave the elephants a bath. We stood in shallow water and scrubbed them while they washed themselves by sucking water up their trunk and spraying their backs. Our guides had their fun by aiming the trunks at us like water guns.
We ended the day with a very unique photo-shoot. Two elephants would link their trunks, and everybody took turns sitting in the middle like a swing.
Within a month, all those pictures were on the Woody Elephant Training Camp website for us to download.
If you ever get the chance to visit the beautiful city of Chiang Mai, I highly recommend this experience.
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