English

There were 3 different grades in the high school I taught at, and I had 1st and 2nd graders. The latter were much more fun to teach, especially given that the students at this particular high school just started learning English in middle school. Most Koreans start learning English in elementary school, but our school was quite poor (as were its students), which made it challenging at times. Overall, though, the students were very friendly. They often came to the office (above) and visited my cubicle. You can't see it, but the two vice principles sit at the front of the cubicles in two facing desks. The male vice principal was calling students and teachers to his desk about 75% of the time to yell at them; and about 15% of his time screaming into the phone in front of my desk. Fortunately he did not speak English (only the English teachers did); it was one time I was thankful for the communication barrier.
As you can see, the students were dressed in jackets and scarves as the classrooms got pretty cold. The girls in the top photo came to my desk every day and left little notes when I was gone. They were obsessed with Twilight, along with the entire school.

Kumgok High School

Here's pictures from the high school I taught at and the surrounding area. I fortunately got shots during the short-lived autumn when the leaves were in full color and the mountains were quite beautiful. Our school principal put out lots of flowers around the school grounds, which was nice before they started rotting. The school is right next to a mountain trail, which I took a few hikes on with some of the other teachers during our breaks.

More pictures...

I figured it's about time I start putting some more pictures on here...I'm afraid my blog has been woefully bare for some time now. I had tried to upload a bunch of photos while in Korea, only to have them be deleted when I published the post. So hopefully this works!

Here's a typical Korean meal called bibimbap, with rice, mountain vegetables, and a fried egg. It was traditionally served by peasants with the leftovers from the aristocrats, but is very popular everywhere today.
Koreans like having small side dishes and a soup with most meals--and always kimchi, a spicy pickled cabbage that I never acquired a taste for!

Pictures!

At long last, I am posting pictures again! I apologize for neglecting my blog for the past, oh, two months? With GREs, applying to grad school (in progress), making lesson plans, trying to learn some Korean...I haven't had much time for blogging. I promise to make up for it over our long winter break. But here's a taste of my school day at Kumgok High School.
All the leaves have fallen from the trees now, so I'm glad I got these pictures last week around our school as well.

My 'hood

Though my district is mostly newer highrises, apartment buildings and young families, it's interesting to see people's gardens tucked into the most unexpected places. I especially see older folks alongside highways or under overpasses tending their gardens or drying peppers on mats to make "kimchi." Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish of pickled vegetables, often cabbage, that is served with every meal, without exception. I'm still getting used to the taste, but it's not bad as long as it's not too spicy.


The "JesusOK" church...I'm curious what denomination this is?
























Namyangju's main drag at night. You can see the PC-bang where I use the internet.



Mmm...Corn Flight, breakfast of champions!

Seoul

This weekend I took a trip to Seoul, sprawling metropolis of Korea. One of my favorite parts of the city was the Cheonggyecheon Stream, which was recently uncovered and lined with walking paths, waterfalls, etc. for the public. It runs through a large portion of the downtown but is set off from traffic, so it's a great way to get from place to place.

My first stop was Gyeongbokgung Palace, where I took an English guided tour. The palace was originally built during the Joseon Dynasty (1395), but completely demolished by the Japanese. Since 1990, they have restored many of the buildings, and it's very beautiful.


















I met my friend Hyo Jung, whom I met at St. Olaf, for lunch. She lives in Seoul with her parents and is getting her masters in international business at Yonsei University. It was good to catch up with her (who would ever have thought we'd cross paths again?) and get some of her insider tips.








I stumbled across this "senior citizens" park, which was a peaceful place to catch my breath and watch some of the old men play a game that looked like checkers.



This was when I got lost in Seoul....but got to see some of the older, more authentic part of town that has been giving way to the modern apartment buildings. I also saw Insadong, a famous street with older shops and lots of antiques.

There were many more Westerners here than I am used to in Namyangju, especially in Itaewon, which is kind of an expat (and U.S. military) district, with lots of Canadians and Australians.


I found the subway system to be fast, efficient and clean. Riding public transportation here always makes me wish we had more mass transit in the U.S. Many people do drive cars (pretty much exclusively Hyundai, Kia, or Samsung, which bought the French auto maker Renault), but the subway, high-speed train and buses connect nearly everything. Another side note: I have been amazed at how nearly everyone driving has a GPS that they watch TV on. The IT teacher who drives me into school everyday watches Korean soaps in rush-hour traffic!





My last stop was the National Museum of Korea, which had lots of cultural artifacts and artwork. The influences of China and Japan was very evident; my favorite was the celadon pottery.

Climbing Baekbong

I happened upon a mountain trail that was a popular spot on a Sunday afternoon. I was surprised how many older couples there were, especially given the rugged trail, but I know hiking is very popular in Korea. The way up was quite steep in spots, sometimes a dried-out riverbed. It brought to mind hiking Mt. Marathon in Seward, Alaska, another memorable climb.

Halfway up there was a natural spring that people were using to fill up water bottles and buckets. I took this as a sign that I should not start drinking the tap water anytime soon.

Thank you, random clock.

(Just when I thought I could escape you.)

The view at the top was spectacular!