Your Daily Gem.

Today we were learning about our 5 senses.  I decided to ask my students which sense they would give up if they had to. 

Andy: Teacher, I would lose this (points to his crotch).

Me: Well for starters, that's not a sense.  And... um, why?!

Later on... after I forced him to choose a sense...

Andy:  I choose smell.

Me:  And why is that?

Andy : Because when my dad goes to the bathroom and poops it is a really bad smell.  If I cannot smell, it would be better.

BAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

A Typical Friday Night Meal.

Our Sunday. In Pictures.

So this weekend was pretty laid back.  Saturday we spent hanging out downtown and gorging ourselves on delicious food.  We also saw the movie "Social Network" which was surprisingly much better than I thought it would be.  I went into the theater with the preconceived notions that a movie about facebook couldn't possibly be very entertaining, but alas, it was.  I'd actually watch it again.

Today we woke up relatively early and set off for the traditional Korean folk village that we happened to stumble upon a few weeks ago.  We wanted to film a little piece about the place since it's so close to Yugang (our little borough)  and the oldest traditional village in Korea. 

I love watching Korean fathers play with their children.

A Jindo dog.  The traditional dog of Korea. 

Chris found a friend.

After our big outing, we headed back to good ol' Yugang for a little meet and greet party.  When we first moved to Korea there were only two other foreigners that lived in our area of Pohang.  In fact, it was so rare to see someone who wasn't Korean that when you did, you felt compelled to run up to them and talk to them.  It wasn't until February that we began to regularly see foreigners about the town.  That was when EPIK brought in 50+ new public school teachers to the region.  It's hard to believe how much has changed over the past year or so.

Yugang is now up and coming with at least 12 foreign teachers in the area.  We decided that it would be a good time for all of us to meet up and get to know our neighbors.  We met at a local chicken hof (kind of like a bar.  One that also specializes in food) and got to know each other over plates of chicken and bottles of soju.

Chris and William

Landis.  Showing the proper way to pour a drink for your superior/elder.

Owen Wilson (yes. that's his real name), Landis, Chris

Sarah, yours truly, Claire

Went through a lot of soju.  It was almost the same as a night out with Master Sim.

Not too shabby of a weekend.  We're still laying low as December's going to end up being a big spender kind of month, what with Christmas, vacation, a big birthday getaway and what not.  Stay tuned though, the boy has been making his K-POP TEN that'll debut on the blog sometime this week.  Wouldn't wanna miss out on all the saucy goodness.

The Words I Couldn't Find.

Our good friend Sarah King recently (about 10 minutes ago) posted a link on my wall.  The link led me to the Huffington Post website where they had an article written by Matt Kepnes, travel blogger for www.nomadicmatt.com.  This really hit home for me as I've had many people ask me what exactly it was that I was running from by traveling and when I was actually going to settle down and get a "big girl" job.  It was nice that Matt was able to accurately articulate what I haven't been able to. 

Are We Just Running Away?

When you're on your travels, does anyone ever ask you if you're running away from something back home? People ask me this all the time. My dad, even after all these years, constantly asks what I'm running from, and just a few months ago, a commenter on my website told me to stop running away and start living life. I've been told I live in a fairy tale, a friend told me I don't live in the "real world", and once I even came across a blog called "Mom Says I'm Running Away".

I'm not sure why, but there seems to be a persistent perception out there that involves those who travel for a long time. The idea that anyone who travels for a living or anyone who isn't interested in getting a conventional job must be running away from something, right?

Ask a random stranger what their three favorite pastimes are and chances are one of those answers will be traveling. Most people love to travel, but those who live a nomadic lifestyle or those who linger a little bit too long before they make that final journey home, are often accused of running away from life. Too many seem to assume that the reason someone leaves everything behind is because something bad happened in our past or there was some problem at home that simply couldn't be dealt with. So instead of facing it, we travelers ran away.
And to all those people who say that, I say to you -- You are right! You're completely right! I am running away. I am trying to avoid life. I'm avoiding your definition of life. I'm running away from this common idea of the real world, from cubicles, a wedding and 2.5 children to mortgages, homes, and daily commutes. I'm running away from the stereotypical American corporate dream. I'm running towards the world: exotic places, new people, different cultures, and my own idea of freedom.

Everyone I know who became a vagabond, nomad, and wanderer has done so because they wanted to experience the world, not escape their problems. We are running away from office life, commuting, weekend errands and we're heading directly for everything the world has to offer. We want to do what we want, and we want to do them how and when we want to do it. This isn't about running away, it's about living. Life is short and we only get to live it once. Elizabeth Gilbert decided to Eat, Pray, Love because she got dumped. I met someone who was traveling because they lost their job. Yes, it's true that some people do run away, but most of us are simply running away from the normal idea of the real world.
As an American, my perspective might be different from the rest of you. Here in America, you are expected go to school, get a job, get married, buy a house, and have your 2.5 children. You work hard, follow the rules, and retire. It's like The Matrix, and any serious deviation is considered abnormal and weird. People may want to travel, tell you they envy what you do, and wish they could do the same but really, they don't. If they did, they would do it. It's not that hard. I worked for two years, quit my job, and started traveling. There's no trust fund behind me, but I do have to work hard to live this lifestyle. But everyone always ends a conversation with, "So when are you going to settle down? Are you going to married?" And what they're really asking is, "When are you going to grow up and get real!"
Years ago, at the height of the economy, a book called The Secret came out. According to The Secret, if you just wish and want hard enough, you'll get what you want. Wishing can make it true. But that's wrong -- the real secret is that you get what you want when you do what you want. Life is what you make it. Life is yours to create. We are all chained down by the burdens we create for ourselves, whether they are bills, errands, or, like me, self-imposed blogging deadlines. We all have responsibilities. When we let those responsibilities own us, however, they become our reality. After years of working in a cubicle, I decided working 9 to 5 wasn't going to be my life. So I ran away from my bills, my daily commute, my nice apartment, and my nice car. It was the best thing I ever did.
People who travel the world aren't running away from life. We get to be the captains of our ships. In fact, it was that freedom I saw in travelers I met years ago that inspired me to do what I am doing now. I'm not running away from my life, and neither is anyone else. I am running towards the world. And I never plan or want to look back.

Follow Matt Kepnes on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nomadicmatt 

I have to reiterate that this is simply (mostly) how I feel on the matter.  Traveling and exploration makes me one happy girl. It makes my heart burst with joy.  I can't even describe the knowledge that I've gained in my travels and experiences and I love that every time I travel I end up discovering more about myself.  I acknowledge that not everyone has the means to travel and that I am blessed beyond belief to have had the opportunities that I've been given. 

In the end I think that you should do whatever it is that makes you happy.  For some people that is travel.  For others it could be being a loving parent, or having a stable job with a steady income, it could be providing for your family or excelling in a sport or hobby.  If it brings you joy and happiness, than that's all that really matters.  As for me, the wanderlust for travel is as strong as it's ever been and as long as it continues to make my heart smile, I'll continue to do it- whether I end up a poor old maid or not. :)

Your Daily Gem.

So recently we've had a slew of incidents with students hitting and punching each other.  We've taken to having highly over-dramatized presentations where we go over a list of rules and regulations with the students and teach them what the consequences of their actions are.  The presentation usually starts with Aria writing the word "no" on the board and the students have to come up with things they're not allowed to do.  For example, "no running", "no fighting", and "no speaking Korean".  One thing that's unanimous among the teachers is that we cannot, I repeat, cannot stand whining.  Korean children have it down to a science.  It goes a little something like this...

Me:  Alright guys, it's time for your vocabulary quiz.

Student: Teach-er-er-er-er-er-er! WHYYYYYYYYYY? 

These whining fits can continue for a while if you let them.  My students have gotten a lot better, but they still slip every now and then.  ANYWAY, today in our presentation we wrote down "no whining" and almost immediately after, 10 year old Andrew raised his hand and asked, "NO WINE?!" and then proceeded to mimick drinking a bottle of wine and getting drunk. 

I don't have him as a student, but I can already tell that boy likes to get down. 

It's Funny 'Cause It's True

So this little video has been circling around fellow native English teachers for a while.  I doubt it'll be as equally funny for people that haven't taught in Korea, but it'll give you a little glimpse of what a lot of us foreigners end up going through at the hands of our school's directors.  There is not anything on here that hasn't happened to myself or one of my friends.  Take a peek...

A Weekend Adventure [part 2]

Holy Moley!  It's taken me forever to actually finish part 2 of this post.  The reality of it all is that everything that happened is just too incredible for words.  If you need to be caught up, you should probably read this little diddy here. 

So, where was I?  Oh yes.  We hiked our tired behinds up an entire mountain until we eventually came upon a hidden Buddhist temple teeming with Korean housewives.  How they all got up there?  We'll never know.  I'm thinking they have a camouflaged helicopter that shuffles them up and down the damn mountain because seriously, the hike was intense. 

We reached the temple while there was some sort of ceremony or service going on.  We could see and hear women and Monk Mook Sul chanting.  There were also women running around preparing some sort of meal.  After asking if we could help and being refused, we decided to stroll around and take some pictures.

We snooped around and played with the puppies for a while before the service came to an end.  We were then greeted by everyone and told that we were to have a meal.   We sat down to a HUGE spread of food.  We had everything from rice, to sesame and vegetable noodles, a fruit platter with sweet acorn dipping sauce, rice cakes, kimchi, Korean vegetable pancakes, and seaweed soup.  There was so much food it was ridiculous.  We were all a little unsure of what to eat since we learned at our temple stay that you're supposed to eat everything that you take.  I was full just on eating all of my rice alone.

As you've probably noticed, there was no meat on the table.  Buddhist monks traditionally refrain from eating anything that comes from an animal.  They also refrain from alcohol or anything else that will alter their state of being.  Regardless of the lack of meat, the meal was fantastic and just what we needed after our grueling hike.

Chris, Mama Staudinger, and I were seated at a table with Monk Mook Sul, the senior monk of the Bogyeonsa region.  No one we had previously met that day had spoken any English and I expected Monk Mool Sul's English to be limited as well.  I greeted him with the traditional, "Annyeong Hashimnika" and he just looked and me and chuckled and said, "Oh hello.  How are you? I speak good English".  Ha.

Now it was Sue, the mysterious woman who sent us on the quest, who told us that Monk Mook Sul was a special monk.  We had no idea what made his so "special" beside the fact that he lives in a temple in the sky.  We showed him the e-mail that was sent to us and we asked him why he was so special.

 

He told as that he had no idea why Sue thought him to be so "special".  Monk Mook Sul had a very reverent ambiance about him.  He's historically brilliant and very educated.  We learned that he's done a fair amount of traveling in his life and he really enjoyed talking about his time in India.  He asked us a lot of questions as well.  We got, "Do you drink alcohol?", "What's your favorite kind of alcohol?", "Do you think Korean women are pretty?", and "Who do you think is the prettiest woman here?".  I should have taken these questions as some sort of hint as to what I'd experience later in the day.  Not something your monk would typically ask, non?

After chatting and relaxing we were treated to cake (more food) and copious amounts of tea.

After eating and drinking to our hearts content we were invited by Monk Mook Sul to meet him down the mountain for some more conversation and more food.  I could've sworn that he mentioned something about crab but I wasn't sure in what context and what he really meant.   Now as some of you may know, I dont particularly enjoy any kind of seafood.  I like canned tuna.  Yep, that's about it.  Lucky for me, monks don't eat meat.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  Lies.  All lies.  Apparently that's what sets Monk Muk Sool apart from other monks.  This guys loves crab.  Seriously.  He took us to a restaurant where we were served a steaming plate of THIS!

HOLY CRAB BATMAN!  Just a plate of death really.  That's exactly how it was served too.  Steamed crab with a side of radish kimchi.  Normally it would be served with a few bottles of soju, but monks don't drink.  Ohhhh waaiiittttt.  Monk Mook Sul is "special".  He does drink.  Man, that monk can drink.  That is one monk that likes to get drunk.  A drunk munk thats kind of a hunk.  I normally would have taken more pictures from that night but in all honesty, I was kind of ridiculously intoxicated.  Everyone knows that it's impolite to refuse a drink when an elder or someone of higher social status offers you one.  Monk Mook Sul is a very generous monk and loved to offer us shot after shot... after shot.  The boy was conscious enough to take some video of the monk practically proposing to his mother and of Paul, the monk, and himself exchanging "I love yous" all while stuffing raw fish wrapped in lettuce in each others mouths.  Our party of 6 somehow ended up into a party of 12 and I love the fact that our Korean is limited and hardly anyone could speak a word of English but we still managed to have an amazing time.  The soju might have helped. 

The boy said that he'll make a little teaser of our day (and night) out with monk Mook Sul.  Seriously.  How many people do you know have gotten drunk with a monk?  I know, it's fun to say.   To sum everything up, none of us really remember how we got home.  We were taken in separate cars and we all arrived safe and sound back at our respective homes.  We met a ton of awesome people and everyone was so generous.  None of us spent a dime, even with the crab feast of death and Monk Mook Sul somehow acquired Paul's cell phone number and has been calling him repeatedly asking him when we'll meet again.

Just another example of how the unexpected can be such a pleasant surprise.  Thank you Sue (wherever you are) - for the great scavenger hunt.  We all hope to meet you someday.  If you have any other treasure hunts for us, please send them our way. :)

Your Daily Gem.

Annie: Teacher, give me stickers.

Me: Tell me why I should give you stickers.

Annie:  You are very smart.  You are as smart as Einstein... but not as smart as me.