I apologize that it has been an
entire month since my previous post. I’ve been struggling a bit. I’ve been here
for 3 months now and have reached the point that every expat must experience at
one time or another. The newness has started to wear off and the realization
has hit that it’s getting colder, the holidays are coming and I am a long way
from home. Being here feels a bit like a new relationship: the quirks that
initially attracted you to someone may eventually end up being your biggest
annoyance. Also, I’ve been having a tough time with some of my classes. A lot
of the kids here have no respect for foreign teachers. Most of the time it
doesn’t bother me but sometimes it gets under my skin. I thought for a while
that I had reached an understanding with James (my little troublemaker), but he
still goes into blind fits of rage pretty much every day where he punches,
bites me and pulls my hair. The frustrating part is that my Korean coworkers
think it’s hilarious, or they brush it off saying “oh, he’s only 5.” It’s like
there’s some weird divide with discipline here because I’ve taught middle
school classes and the older kids are extremely respectful.
The way that I feel right now can
be summed up by some wise words from a fellow expat that I heard this past
weekend: “Sometimes Korea sucks, and sometimes it doesn’t.” It seems to be one
extreme or the other. I thought it was very poetic because we were standing on
a mountain in Seoul watching the sunset. And so it goes…Just when I have the
crappiest of crappy weeks, I end up having a great weekend and the rest falls
away.
Teaching here is tough. It can be
easier or more enjoyable depending on what type of school you work at (public
or private) and who your coworkers are. But in general, the office politics
that are often experienced back home are multiplied here because there is a bit
of a divide between Korean and foreign teachers. Many of my Korean coworkers
are very non-confrontational. So if there is an issue, you won’t hear about it
directly from the source. It gets passed around like a secret in a highschool
classroom and eventually makes its way back to you.
Anyway, this past weekend was
interesting and enjoyable. On Saturday I had plans to go to Songtan for the day,
but as I was walking near my apartment, I found a dog wandering in the rain.
This is not an unusual sight here as many people discard their pets like
yesterday’s garbage when the novelty wears off. But this one was really tame
and he came right to me. He looked relatively clean and healthy so I scooped
him up and brought him home. I didn’t know what I was going to do with him at
that point because realistically I don’t have time or money for a pet right now
but he looked so scared that I couldn’t leave him.
My boyfriend and I brought him to
my apartment, bought him a leash and some food and named him Soup. We posted a
picture of him on the expat website hoping to find him a good home. For a brief
moment, I considered keeping him but I knew that it wouldn’t be fair since I am
at work for 10 hours per day sometimes. After an unsuccessful attempt at
finding him a home ourselves, we walked back to the convenience store that we
found him in front of and the lady behind the counter helped us call a shelter
to pick him up. It was really sad saying goodbye. He was such a sweet dog and I
hope that he finds a good home.
Yesterday we took a bus, a subway
and another bus to Bukhansan National Park which is in the northern part of
Seoul for a little bit of fresh air and hiking. This past weekend was supposed
to be the peak weekend for fall colors and it did not disappoint. The bottom of
the mountain was littered with cafes, restaurants and hiking gear shops.
Koreans like to dress the part for whatever activity that they partake in, but
especially for hiking. It is hilarious to see busloads of older Korean ladies
and men decked out in neon gear and with hiking poles. I was really impressed
with the age range of people that were doing the hike. It really is a family
affair here. North America needs to adopt the smaller portion sizes and regular
outdoor activity that are prevalent here.
The highlight of the hike for me
was stumbling upon a pretty little temple midway up the mountain where a monk
gave us water. I almost made the grave mistake of accepting the cup with one
hand which is considered rude here. It is polite to receive something from an
elder with both hands outstretched, while bowing your head. Other highlights
included sitting on a rock and watching the sun disappear behind the mountains,
and exploring the bunkers that were left over from the war. Reaching the summit
was very satisfying, the view was spectacular. It felt like a tease, to be able
to escape this city just for a day. Weekends go by way too fast.
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