Christmas and Coex

Merry Christmas! (Better late than never, right?) I spent my first Christmas away from home relaxing and Skyping with my family. Shout out to my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and sister for the awesome gifts! They really made it feel like Christmas :)

Although we had to work Christmas Eve, it was a fun day -- the school hired a Santa to deliver presents to each class, so the kids were all abuzz about that. And in the afternoon, we had a mini-celebration: we made Christmas cards, I taught some carols, the kids drank hot chocolate, and we made Christmas lists for Santa. Some things my kids asked for were Legos (duh), Ninjago, a reindeer, and of course, a smart phone. It was a nice way to leave for vacation.

Christmas is a fairly big deal here, even though a lot of people still work. Korea is mostly a non-religious nation, but it's about 30% Christian (and about 20% Buddhist). Still, the stores had huge Christmas displays, carols were playing in the taxis, and traffic was hectic as people rushed to visit their families for the holiday. It's a watered-down version of what you might have seen in the States.

Elementary classes start back up on January 2, but there's no kindergarten in session until the 10th. So, I'll just be teaching a mini-kindergarten class for kids whose parents signed them up in the mornings, then double elementary in the afternoon. It sounds easy, but honestly I'm a little stressed out about it because I'm responsible for more planning.

Anyway, my break has been great so far -- equal parts relaxation and adventure. My friend and I went to the Coex Mall, which is a HUGE underground mall in Seoul. Within the mall, there's also a movie theatre, Kimchi Museum and an aquarium. We got lost no less than seven times, but eventually found a restaurant we were looking for, then the aquarium. (It was really huge.)

The cool thing about the Coex Aquarium is that exhibits are based on themes. The first theme is Our Land, Our Fish and went through the different ecosystems of Korea and all the fish that thrive here. One of my favorite features was a sign that declared a near-extinct fish as "the most delicious fish among all the fish species." That's a pretty bold statement, and a little inappropriate for an aquarium(?).

The second theme was Fish's Wonderland and seemed like something that should be in an eccentric billionaire's house and featured on MTV Cribs. Here's a refrigerator that has been turned into an aquarium and a phone booth aquarium, with a bonus Christmas theme for extra strange points!

And I couldn't help but wonder if these fish knew how close they were to certain death... 

Some of the coolest things to see were the sharks, stingrays, jelly fish, and the vibrant tropical fish. I also got to touch a starfish! It was an interesting aquarium, and I really enjoyed the trip.

A few other things I've done over break:

• I got my nails done! This was my first manicure in Korea; it was a quick, streamlined process, well done, and inexpensive. Something I'll definitely have to do again :)
• I came to the theater. I saw Les Miserables. I cried like a baby.
• I've been doing some research on job possibilities for next year -- maybe staying here, maybe heading elsewhere.
• I've also been doing some in-depth research on Korean alcohol and subsequent hangover remedies. I'll let you know if I make any headway on that front.

Tomorrow, I''m headed to Gwangju for my first Korean wedding! My old friend Mr. Kim (from the 2009 summer camp) is getting married! I can't wait! Hope you all had a good holiday!

A shortcut and a long way down the road

It's almost Christmas Eve here! Ah! Although it would be nice to have the day off, I think tomorrow will be a very exciting day at school. One of the English teachers took off for the good ole U.S. of A. last night, so we'll be down one foreigner, but we have lots of fun stuff planned! Oh, and election day was this week; South Korea elected its first female president! More on that later...

It did snow here Friday, so Bing Crosby has been singing in my head ever since. After school Friday, I took a bus to Gangnam in order to catch the subway to Sinbundang, where one of my friends just moved. HOWEVER, after a long week and a very stressful day, I was lulled into a magnificent sleep by the unusually calm bus driver and awoke unaware of my location. 

I was 90% sure I hadn't missed the Gangnam Station stop, but then I heard the announcement (this particular bus didn't have a TV screen or LED readout with the stops, eek!) and it said something something "yuk," which means "station." I didn't think it said Gangnam, but as long as it was a station, I could find my way there, I supposed. 

I jumped up and got off the bus. I found myself in Yangjae, which looked like every other part of Seoul: crowded streets with bright neon lights. I consulted my Jihachul (subway) map app, which might be the most useful app I've ever used, and discovered I hadn't missed Gangnam, but I had found an awesome shortcut! All's well that ends well -- I ended up being closer to my friend's stop and made it there in record time.

We met up with a few of her coworkers and had some amazing beef and roasted vegetables with our bottomless beer and soju. One of my friend's coworkers is in her late 30's and is a certified teacher from Canada. She is traveling and teaching with her husband (who also dined with us) since their daughters are now grown. 

Since maybe my sophomore year of college, I have been so worried about wasting my time. I get anxious thinking about staying in one place too long and not doing all there is to do in the world. When asked about how long I'll stay in Korea, I usually say I'm not sure, but I plan to move on because there's so much to do and so little time. 

As is customary, this question came up at dinner. I gave my typical answer about how I would like to stay, but time is a factor. My friend's coworkers laughed in my face. They have daughters my age and are just now starting to see the world. This was a bit of an epiphany-moment for me. Why not stay here another year? Why not do a year in Japan or Saudi Arabia? A year's a year. I guess we'll see...

Anyway, I luckily made the last subway home and spent Saturday decorating my apartment, reading, watching the BBC's Sherlock, and relaxing. Today (Sunday), I slept in and made a trip to Gangnam for Christmas cards and books. I also bought some cool socks and make up, then lingered in a cafe with a soft pretzel reading one of my new books for awhile. Overall, it was a really nice weekend, but nothing novel to report (hehe, literature pun!).

Merry Christmas Eve!

Pro basketball in Anyang

It's was a busy week with the weather changing, kindergarten conferences, an open house, and winter break preparations. Luckily, this week we have Wednesday off for national elections, then it's Christmas!

Although I do work Christmas Eve, I have off a week starting Christmas Day! I can't wait to open my presents and watch my family open theirs. Stores here are all playing Christmas music, too. This will be my first Christmas away from home, but I plan on staying busy over the break and having plenty of Skype dates. Should be a nice vacation!

Anyway, this weekend, I went to a Korean professional basketball game with some friends. It was extra fun because my friend had to buy my ticket since he lost a bet we made one weekend. (He was convinced Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz was from Kentucky. Like candy from a baby; a fool and his money, etc.)

The arena was A LOT smaller than I expected, and we actually walked on the court to get to our seats (only four rows from the floor). Apparently, the Anyang KGC Pro Basketball Club is no Lakers. 

As you can see at the top of the photo, the coaches got big ass banners like the players. Credit where credit is due. I can dig it.

And I don't know if you can tell from this photo, but one of the coaches is actually an American. My friend said each team has a translator for the non-Korean players and coaches. What a tough/interesting job!

We all found our seats just after tip off and immediately made our allegiances clear, well except for one of my friends who just clapped whenever anyone made a basket (guess my friend's gender, quick!). Personally, after much research, I chose to root for Anyang because 1) that's where I live, and 2) I couldn't read/pronounce the other team's name. Their superior jerseys and home field advantage sealed the deal. I'm officially an Anyang KGC Pro Basketball Club fan. Deal with it, opposing team!

Anyway, the game play was a little scrappy, and the black players on each team were by far the best in the paint, but the Korean point guards and forwards held their own. (It was NOT like Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes in Space Jam, but I can't say the thought didn't come to mind.) The game was definitely less physical than its American counterpart, but the speed and shooting were comparable. 

Although the level of play was more like a mid-high college team, the atmosphere was similar to that of an NBA game. Except for the cheerleaders wearing sweatshirts with rubber ducks, that is. 

For some reason, I don't see this making it's way back to the states... There were a lot of fun mini-games during breaks, though. Never a dull moment! Overall, the game was a blast; and the home team won to boot! It's absolutely something I'll have to do again.

Let it 눈! Let it 눈! Let it 눈!

Hey! I'm excited! Sorry about the overabundance of exclamation points! We had our FIRST SNOW Tuesday night and arrived at school Wednesday morning to see a dusty blanket of snow on the playground!

Then, we had our SECOND SNOW on Wednesday! Hard to believe it went from sunny to this in about an hour... Starting around 10, it began snowing steadily and continued for the rest of the day. I'd say we got more than four inches by the time we left around 6.

Things were pretty hectic at school; a lot of the teachers are sick right now and all the buses were running late because of traffic and accidents. This is one of those times I wish everyone didn't have to take off their shoes every time they enter the school. Taking wet snow boots off 300 kindergartners, then putting them back on at the end of the day is no small task.

I quickly (maybe within five minutes of walking through the door?) learned the word for snow -- 눈 (noon). "Laura Teacher! Noon! Noon! Snowy day!"

The kids could hardly control their excitement! 

Okay okay, us teachers were pretty excited, too...

We thought we'd make it through today (Thursday) with no snow, but NOPE. We got our THIRD SNOW today starting mid-afternoon until we left at 6. What a crazy week! Three legitimate snow storms in three days!

What is this, Michigan?!

Underfloor heating: A scientific examination

Happy December everyone! It's officially cold as shit! This means two things in Korea: ondol and kimchi-making. Let's talk about ondol (pronounced on-dole).

Ondol can refer to a few different things, but the one I'm talking about is the modern day heating methods employed in Korean buildings. As I've mentioned before, Korean traditions such as taking off your shoes when entering a building hearken back to the days when people ate, slept, and sat on the floor. The Koreans were also among the first people to heat their floors, back about 1000 years BCE.

The logistics have changed since then, but the general idea is the same: heat the floor from underneath, which heats the air. This concept can be seen, or felt I guess, in all schools and apartments, and even in the heated seats on the subway. 

In my apartment, there's a knob that I can turn to control the temperature of the pipes beneath the floor. Right now, I have it set to just below 20 degrees Celsius, which is about 66 degrees Fahrenheit. A red indicator lets me know when the temperature of the pipes dips below that temperature, turning on the ondol. 

Usually, I leave the knob at 10 degrees (about 50 F) when I go to work, just to get in the habit so the pipes don't freeze. Then, when I get home, I crank it just above 20 so the light comes on and the ondol heats up. After about 20 minutes, the floor is noticeably warm and 20 minutes after that, the air in the room is warmer. Typically, I run the ondol for about an hour, then switch it off before I go to bed. Another teacher at my school runs hers all night, but it gets pretty hot (and expensive) if you run it too long. 

Pros: 

Cold toesies? Just put your feet on the floor!

It heats the room evenly and gradually.

No bulky furnace or other contraption.

Coming out of the shower to a warm floor is one of the best things a foot can experience.

You can do this when you get cold ---

Cons: 

There's no specific heat source that you can stand near for a quick blast of heat.

The heating system doesn't naturally ventilate the room, like central heating does. This can make odors linger and can foster mold growth.

You have to be careful what you leave on the floor. Bad ideas: chocolate, chap stick, butter (I'm assuming...). Good ideas: socks, sweaters, yoga mats.

Pirates:
On an unrelated note: this week I read that pirates wore eye patches to keep one eye adjusted to darkness when going above deck. They would just switch the eye patch back and forth as the lighting changed so they could see easily right away. I tested this concept last night when I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night -- it worked. Try it! Cover one eye while the light is on and your shins will love you forever!