Ummm...It is after 10:30pm. I am listening to Carla Bruni (how I miss the sound of French) and I am relaxing, sipping a glass of $1 CASS beer I just bought at the corner store (yes, beer here is extremely cheap and readily accessible!) As I sit here, I find myself reflecting on how good of a day I’ve just had. Today, I went in on the early shift at school to accompany the morning classes on their monthly outing. We went to the Seoul Security Centre and, ladies and gentlemen, that place IS JUST AWESOME (if you’ll excuse the teenage expression ;P )
I wish WE had had outings like that when I was young. Children walked around in groups to different stations where they experienced an earthquake simulation (the whole floor of a kitchen would start shaking and they had to safely get under a table), a typhoon simulator (they held on to railings as strong, screaming winds were blasted at them), the fire hose station (where they could practice fire extinguishing) etc… I actually found one station fairly scary and am amazed the kids took it in stride… At one point during the visit, we were brought to the house-fire station. The lights were flashing on and off (mostly they were off) and the kids and I had to crawl through tunnels and around walls while simulated fire smoke was all around us. I found it nightmarish: the fake smoke even smelt like real smoke! Anyways, it was pretty interesting and was my first chance to get to know some of the kids as I am still in training and won’t really be teaching my first class before the end of the week.
Anyways…(I always love starting a paragraph that way!) I’m actually starting to feel like I belong here. On Sunday, I was wandering around aimlessly, exploring the town on my own, acting all Christopher Columbus-like. I wandered around Olympic Park for two hours when I had a startling moment of anxiety I’m sure my alter-ego NEVER felt… It kind of hit me that I was on my own in a city of 20 million people and that, really, I in fact didn’t know a soul. As I was ambling about, I made my way out of the Park and was going down various side streets when I bumped into Maria (another teacher and, actually, my boss ;) ) Maria invited me out for supper (she was meeting Adam, who works with us). We went out for Dalk Galbi (or something that sounds like that anyways) and it was delicious. Again, the meal consisted of meat barbecued on charcoals set in the middle of our table and many accompanying side-dishes. I am a FAN of the Korean spirit of food sharing. It really makes for a nice evening, this crowding around a table, talking and eating from the same plates. Afterwards, we walked down to a cinema not too far away to watch Batman (in English, with Korean subtitles…I KNOOOOW… but to me, that night, it was like being home far away from home!)
I made my way back after 11pm, walking alone through various dark alleyways but you should know that walking here so late isn’t scary. Ok, maybe that was bravado talking but let's just say the fear element is minimal: there are always people scurrying about or just sitting and chatting here and there along the way. Seoul is so crowded you’re never actually left to yourself.
And, tonight, the best thing happened. I ended work at about 6 p.m. and left the school for some more exploring. I bought a folding chair (for reading and having coffee on the rooftop while enjoying the view of the Park) and went through the stalls of the outdoor fish market. While window shopping on my way back, this little girl walking with her parents in front of me kept turning and staring at me. At one point, I was treated to a huge smile as she frantically waved at me while tugging at her father’s shirtsleeve and stating, quite enthusiastically: Melanie teaCHER! Melanie teaCHER! SOOOOOO CUTE! And, to me, that moment was priceless. Homesickness just melted away. Hey, I was just recognized and acknowledged by someone in Seoul! Given time, I know I’ll feel like I belong here… The dad shook my hand and off I went into a little marketplace to buy carrots. Of course, the transaction was sealed with a pantomime (the man addressing me profusely in Korean while I did my best in a weird mixture of English and Spanish…it’s really odd how, when faced with Korean, my first instinct is to reply in Spanish… I know..what the ?!? I LIVE IN A BUBBLE…AND LIFE IS GOOD! ;)
(And yes, I have started learning Korean but obviously I haven’t really mastered anything yet...bugger off!)
Hummmm.
Cicadas
A really astonishing thing that keeps fascinating me every time I go outside is the sound of the Cicada bug. Seoul is basically a huge chunk of concrete but every once in a while, you’ll walk through a neighbourhood park square and then, WATCH OUT! You won’t see them but your ears will be assaulted by this extremely loud, there-must-be-a-UFO-landing-just-around-the-corner type of noise. I was told that these insects live for a summer only to dig their way underground in order to hatch their eggs which (get this)…will only hatch seven YEARS later. Wow.
Korean fast-food
…is the BEST! The area where I live is kind of like an old part of town. The buildings are old and dirty and the streets are literally littered with vendors and restaurants of all kinds. For less than 2$, I am able to buy Tuna Bimbap (actually, I can’t really do it on my own yet, somebody has to do it FOR me but…you get the point). Tuna Bimbap is basically a long sushi roll wrapped in foil that fills in as a full meal. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!
The smell
Well…
I’m giving myself time…
…and I keep telling myself that things are just, well, different and that it’s all part of the experience…
But I always have to chuckle as I walk outside because Seoul REEKS. AND I MEAN R-E-E-K-S. Capital letters and all. Thank God I live near Olympic Park as it offers a little bit of fresh air in the midst of all this. I guess it doesn’t help that the temperature maintains itself in the high 30s and it is humid as hell but I truly hope my olfactory senses will get respite come fall.
Little Tom
This tidbit of info is rather disappointing. I found out that Little Tom owes his name to the fact that his older brother is, you guessed it, Tom. I got all excited over nothing. It doesn’t seem so cool anymore.
Signing off ,
(ok, I never really know what to say at the end of these little resumes of my days…)
Oh, I’ve GOT IT: Enjoy all the clean air you breathe…DO NOT take it for granted!
I wish WE had had outings like that when I was young. Children walked around in groups to different stations where they experienced an earthquake simulation (the whole floor of a kitchen would start shaking and they had to safely get under a table), a typhoon simulator (they held on to railings as strong, screaming winds were blasted at them), the fire hose station (where they could practice fire extinguishing) etc… I actually found one station fairly scary and am amazed the kids took it in stride… At one point during the visit, we were brought to the house-fire station. The lights were flashing on and off (mostly they were off) and the kids and I had to crawl through tunnels and around walls while simulated fire smoke was all around us. I found it nightmarish: the fake smoke even smelt like real smoke! Anyways, it was pretty interesting and was my first chance to get to know some of the kids as I am still in training and won’t really be teaching my first class before the end of the week.
Anyways…(I always love starting a paragraph that way!) I’m actually starting to feel like I belong here. On Sunday, I was wandering around aimlessly, exploring the town on my own, acting all Christopher Columbus-like. I wandered around Olympic Park for two hours when I had a startling moment of anxiety I’m sure my alter-ego NEVER felt… It kind of hit me that I was on my own in a city of 20 million people and that, really, I in fact didn’t know a soul. As I was ambling about, I made my way out of the Park and was going down various side streets when I bumped into Maria (another teacher and, actually, my boss ;) ) Maria invited me out for supper (she was meeting Adam, who works with us). We went out for Dalk Galbi (or something that sounds like that anyways) and it was delicious. Again, the meal consisted of meat barbecued on charcoals set in the middle of our table and many accompanying side-dishes. I am a FAN of the Korean spirit of food sharing. It really makes for a nice evening, this crowding around a table, talking and eating from the same plates. Afterwards, we walked down to a cinema not too far away to watch Batman (in English, with Korean subtitles…I KNOOOOW… but to me, that night, it was like being home far away from home!)
I made my way back after 11pm, walking alone through various dark alleyways but you should know that walking here so late isn’t scary. Ok, maybe that was bravado talking but let's just say the fear element is minimal: there are always people scurrying about or just sitting and chatting here and there along the way. Seoul is so crowded you’re never actually left to yourself.
And, tonight, the best thing happened. I ended work at about 6 p.m. and left the school for some more exploring. I bought a folding chair (for reading and having coffee on the rooftop while enjoying the view of the Park) and went through the stalls of the outdoor fish market. While window shopping on my way back, this little girl walking with her parents in front of me kept turning and staring at me. At one point, I was treated to a huge smile as she frantically waved at me while tugging at her father’s shirtsleeve and stating, quite enthusiastically: Melanie teaCHER! Melanie teaCHER! SOOOOOO CUTE! And, to me, that moment was priceless. Homesickness just melted away. Hey, I was just recognized and acknowledged by someone in Seoul! Given time, I know I’ll feel like I belong here… The dad shook my hand and off I went into a little marketplace to buy carrots. Of course, the transaction was sealed with a pantomime (the man addressing me profusely in Korean while I did my best in a weird mixture of English and Spanish…it’s really odd how, when faced with Korean, my first instinct is to reply in Spanish… I know..what the ?!? I LIVE IN A BUBBLE…AND LIFE IS GOOD! ;)
(And yes, I have started learning Korean but obviously I haven’t really mastered anything yet...bugger off!)
Hummmm.
Cicadas
A really astonishing thing that keeps fascinating me every time I go outside is the sound of the Cicada bug. Seoul is basically a huge chunk of concrete but every once in a while, you’ll walk through a neighbourhood park square and then, WATCH OUT! You won’t see them but your ears will be assaulted by this extremely loud, there-must-be-a-UFO-landing-just-around-the-corner type of noise. I was told that these insects live for a summer only to dig their way underground in order to hatch their eggs which (get this)…will only hatch seven YEARS later. Wow.
Korean fast-food
…is the BEST! The area where I live is kind of like an old part of town. The buildings are old and dirty and the streets are literally littered with vendors and restaurants of all kinds. For less than 2$, I am able to buy Tuna Bimbap (actually, I can’t really do it on my own yet, somebody has to do it FOR me but…you get the point). Tuna Bimbap is basically a long sushi roll wrapped in foil that fills in as a full meal. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!
The smell
Well…
I’m giving myself time…
…and I keep telling myself that things are just, well, different and that it’s all part of the experience…
But I always have to chuckle as I walk outside because Seoul REEKS. AND I MEAN R-E-E-K-S. Capital letters and all. Thank God I live near Olympic Park as it offers a little bit of fresh air in the midst of all this. I guess it doesn’t help that the temperature maintains itself in the high 30s and it is humid as hell but I truly hope my olfactory senses will get respite come fall.
Little Tom
This tidbit of info is rather disappointing. I found out that Little Tom owes his name to the fact that his older brother is, you guessed it, Tom. I got all excited over nothing. It doesn’t seem so cool anymore.
Signing off ,
(ok, I never really know what to say at the end of these little resumes of my days…)
Oh, I’ve GOT IT: Enjoy all the clean air you breathe…DO NOT take it for granted!
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