Suwon

Stupid Tourist Saturday!

Today's adventures took us to Suwon which has as its main attraction a fortress. The 3 kilometers of wall surrounds a palace and along the wall there are some pretty serious battlements.

The fortress is the result of Korea's second crazy king who in the late 1700s decided he was tired of Seoul and wanted the capital moved to Suwon. Sound reasoning if you ask me.

The fortress is the Hwaseong Fortress, the Flower of Castles. It is fully restored and well worth the 1,000W entrance fee. You can find the fortress by taking the dark blue subway (line #1) to the Suwon station. It is a good 1.5 to 2 hour ride but the majority of it is above ground. The other option is to take a train from Seoul Station. The trains cost 3,000W and leave every half hour. It is about a 20 minute train ride. From Suwon Station, get in the extraordinarily long taxi cue and once in a taxi, direct him to the Paldalmoon front entrance gate of the fortress.

The day was overcast and cool which allowed for much reduced crowds but still enjoyable weather. Trees and bushes were blooming profusely. We began our trek along the wall.

All along the wall were notches for archers, firearms bastions, lookouts, hidden entrances, and catapult towers.

At the top of the mountain was a bell that starting in April (one day too early) could be rung for 1,000W. One ring is for your gratitude for your parents, two rings is for health and prosperity, and three rings is for the realization of your dreams.

There are four main gates and in between each gate, the walls are lined with different colored flags. White on the west wall, black on the east. Red on the north wall, blue on the south.

On either end of the fortress is a flood gate that leads into a nice stream. It is supposed to be one of the first restored streams marking an effort of environmental conservation.

Our stupid touristy day would not have been complete without a ride on the dragon trolley.

The True Definition of a Hagwon

With the beginning of the new school year (March 1), we started specialized classes. For the most part this works really well and we can focus on a particular area of English study instead of trying to teach everything at once.

The classes are broken down into reading comprehension, writing, grammar, conversation and vocabulary. The down side is that with our schedule, the students might have a different teacher for each one of those subjects. They then get homework in each subject but it isn't due until the following week's class.

The students are slowly figuring out the system though this past month we've had a lot of problems. Students bring their grammar books on reading days and their vocabulary books on writing days. They forget to turn in their homework or leave it at home. Each student has a book for each class and then either a practice book or a homework book to accompany it. Most students have nine-plus books for English class!

More than ever before I feel that we are fulfilling the mission of a hagwon - cram school. For 50 minutes each Friday I drill the kids on 12 new vocabulary words. We go over definitions, parts of speech and usage in sentences. For their homework, they are then supposed to be able to complete complex analogies, use the vocab words to complete sentences and write their own sentences using each of the words. Yikes!

There are 18 pages of homework for vocabulary. Then the students have homework each week in reading, writing, grammar and conversation. This isn't even taking into account that they are all going to public school and probably have homework in each of those classes. Most of the students then go to one or two other hagwons (music, math, science, taekwondo, etc.) and have homework in each of those.

Are we asking too much of these students? It is debatable. It is what their parents and society expects. They'd just better get it all done or else it is down to the principals office where they face the corporal punishment lovingly doled out at the end of a stick by a short but stern and scary Korean lady.

Spring Showers....Bring May Flowers

Days are often gloomy here with a constantly slight overcast sky. But the last couple days, dark clouds have been rolling in. Some of them let loose their rain and others pass us by without a fleeting glance. Either way, they upset the delicate balance of my classroom management. Kids jump out of their seats to see the black clouds and crane to look out the window and see if it is raining.

They need to go outdoors more often! We don't have a playground for the kids to run around in and have recess. They have gym class once or twice a week but it usually ends up being an extended English lesson. Which leaves us teachers inventing new ways to expel energy productively in the classroom.

I employ the jumping jack game. My students practice their numbers in English up to 100 (if they have that much energy) by doing jumping jacks and counting them allowed. If a kid can't sit still in their chair, I take their chair away and make them stand. Cruel?, yes but effective.

Anybody have any other great ideas to keep these kindergarten bodies productively in motion? I'm always open to new ideas. Leave me a comment.

Glittered

Today, I received a care package from one of my former students (who will remain nameless and blameless). How exciting! Packages from home are always exciting.

I waited until my ten minute break in between classes and then tore into it with gusto to see what had been sent. I struggled for a moment and then was engulfed in a cloud of sparkly blue glitter as the package exploded.

This peach of a student had thoughtfully sent me some candies, pens and stickers (to replace the ones she might have stolen over the years). She even more thoughtfully filled the mailing envelope with the finest blue glitter sold. I was covered from head to toe. My clothes, my jacket, my bag, my chair.

The only thing that could have made it better is if the package had arrived on April 1st. It will take me weeks if not months to get rid of all the glitter. I stood outside for a good ten minutes trying to brush myself off.

I really did appreciate the care package. Thanks TS. And I'm good natured enough to highly recommend the glittered envelope if you're still searching for that perfect April 1st prank. It worked like a charm on me. I'm sure it'll work for you.

Korean Golf

Even in Korea golf is a rich man's sport. Though the lack of open space seems to present a problem for courses in or around the metropolitan area.

Koreans who do play golf have resorted to large netted driving ranges. This is really ingenious in a way because you don't have the labor of collecting the balls from the field. The netted areas include a ramp that allows the balls to roll back to the tee. (It would defeat the purpose if you only paid for a bucket of balls like in the states.)
These driving ranges can be located everywhere around the city and if you get done working on your driving, you can practice your putting at the mini-golf course just next door.
This particular range was located behind the National Museum but was completely walled off from the museum and thus preventing us from taking in nine holes on the put-put course after touring the museum.

Interested in golfing in Korea? Just look for the large green netted areas.

Fan Death

I have heard about this before but then it came up at dinner last night and again in my adult conversation class today. Take it as a sign, an omen...I'm supposed to blog about it.

Now I'm not normally a superstitious person. And most anything dealing with good luck or bad luck can be scientifically reasoned out. Black cats don't scare me. I broke a mirror once and I should be in that seven years of bad luck phase but some really good things have happened to me. I always forget to throw salt over my shoulder. And it is almost impossible to avoid walking under ladders.

But this one kills me (figuratively, not literally).

Fan death is an urban legend that originated in South Korea, but has since spread. The belief is that an electric fan, if left running overnight in a closed room, can result in the death (by suffocation, poisoning, or hypothermia) of those inside. This belief also extends to air conditioners and the fans in cars. When the air conditioner or fan is on in a car, some people are apt to leave their car windows open a crack to avoid "fan death." Fans manufactured and sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on.

They argue the fan creates a vortex and partial vacuum that sucks the oxygen away. They also think that the fan turns the oxygen in to carbon dioxide OR better yet, chops up the air particles so they are no longer breathable (laughable factor...high).

My adult class actually tried to argue the science behind the fan death theories. Bad move on their part. Never argue science with a former science teacher masquerading as an English teacher. What got to me was how set on the idea they were. They were utterly convinced.

Oh, by the way, I slept with my fan on last night and I'm alive and well writing this post.

Breakfast for Dinner

One thing we've all been missing is a nice big American breakfast. Breakfast here isn't that important and the menu is often a clone of dinner or lunch menu...kimbop, bibimbop, etc.

We haven't had a house party in a long time either...since Christmas. So, we invited a bunch of people and planned a menu:

Sourdough pancakes

Scrambled eggs with mushrooms and cheese

Hash browns

Bacon

Juice and Coffee

It was an amazing meal. Made that much better because at our local black market American goods store (Living Talk Talk) we found American bacon and Aunt Jemima pancake syrup.

After, we watched movies and then played a lively game of Outburst.

Recycling

With a population of 48 million in a country the size of Montana, they'd better have a good plan for dealing with waste.

Once a week the city sets up their recycling bins in from of our apartment building. We separate metal, plastic, glass, cardboad and milk cartons. It is a pretty good system.
We are wasteful Americans and we usually throw away a lot of stuff that should be recycled. We always have to coordinate the days we take our garbage out. We can't take our garbage out on recycling day because we get yelled at for throwing certain items away.

Exercise

Korea is a seemingly very health conscious society. Many products are sold as all natural. Most of the food is produced with less salt than Americans are used to. Some of the their ideas of health seem a little screwy to me.

In addition to watching their diets, many Koreans regularly exercise by walking trails, hiking, or riding bikes. Strategically located along many walking trails are outdoor exercise equipment. I have only seen a couple of indoor gyms. Most of the equipment seems pretty ridiculous to me. You can twist or turn on the machines but they don't appear to actually work any muscle group. There are some bench press type machines but they don't have any weight on them.

Koreans don't like muscular body types. They like long lean muscled frames on men and very very slight frames on women. Either way they don't workout the way Americans do. Here is one of their exercise parks along the trail in the Yongsan Family Park.

Rex's Birthday

Parents spend a lot of money to send kids to our school. Most of the parents are very wealthy and most of the kids are spoiled rotten. This yields several different results.

Negatives:

1. Many of the kids are behavior problems. They never get punished at home. When they get punished at school they cry, throw a fit, tell their parents and the teacher gets in trouble.

2. Kids don't have to worry about their baby teeth falling out. Most kids eat so much sugar that at the tender age of 5 and 6, their teeth are rotting out of their heads.

Positives:

1. Birthday parties include a ridiculous amount of really good food.

2. When the students like us, we get pretty posh presents. I've yet to pull in anything that'll make you green with envy, but some co-workers have gotten gifts valued at over $300.

Anyways, here are some pictures of the latest birthday party.

FREE HUGS IN 'INSADONG

Feel good video part two. The world is just a better place because of things like this. Give somebody a hug today!

Free Hugs in KOREA

Free Hugs

Feel good video of the day. The song is 'All the Same' by Sick Puppies. Koreans don't have a word for 'hug' so I'm not sure what the sign says. The translation seems to come through. The song and story is explained here.

Can't Escape the IRS

Even in Korea I can't escape the IRS. I am trying to figure out exactly what I need to file for this tax season. Even though April 15 deadline is fast approaching, because I am living overseas, I have an automatic extension.

I want to get everything done so that I don't have to worry about it. I have downloaded all of the forms and registered for e-filing. Taxes are never easy.

There are plenty of exemptions and circumstances that apply to Americans living abroad. The State Department offers some tips for filing. Other websites offer information here and here.

If any reader has gone through the rigmarole of filing while living abroad and would care to offer suggestions or helpful hints, please leave me a comment.

Walking, Talking Dictionary

The 10am choir and the 3pm choir at IWE has joined forces to put on an Easter Cantata performance. I am the token pale face in the choir as most are Koreans or other internationals who have naturally darker complexion.

It is hard to blend in. I am automatically looked to for pronunciation on words in the cantata. I think it is funny because even Americans don't always pronounce biblical words the same way. Jerusalem, Hosanna, Alleluia. They aren't exactly English words with set pronunciation. I just give them my pronunciation and we get on with the song.

The director conducts in Korean and so he'll give instructions and I have to figure out what and where I need to sing. It is a fun challenge.