Big Love and a Korean Tea Party

26 August 2012

Went for a walk outside this morning before breakfast.  It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL here!  So lush and green – everything looks like a golf course putting green.  We went off the beaten path a bit and found a green house, several gardens, and even a chicken coop with a few roosters hanging out with their fat and happy hens.  Why they have roosters at an educational leadership facility in the mountains I don’t know, but let’s just say it made me think twice about the chicken I was served at dinner.  I take comfort in the fact that they looked healthy and joyful when I saw them earlier today.

Went to more seminars today.  And then some more seminars. And then some more seminars.  And then some more…. Well, you get the picture.  For the most part the lectures are helpful, at least for those of us just starting here.  Some teachers, however, have already been here for months or even years and already know everything we are learning now.  Glad I am having orientation first, though, so at least I can be somewhat prepared for what I am getting myself into.

Lunch – It seems strange to say it, and I never thought it would happen, but the sight of the forks they provided at lunch today may or may not have brought a tear to my eye.  We eat every meal with metal chopsticks and a spoon, so the thought of being able to actually get my food to my mouth without losing 80% of it on the way there was so moving I had to take a moment to compose myself.  Ok. Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but hyperbole is useful in making a point, right?  One Korean man who is part of another group attending a retreat here as well was moved also, but not in the same way.  He picked up a fork, grimaced, and resignedly placed the unwanted utensil on his tray.  What can I say?  Another man’s trash is my beautiful, western, I’m-not-going-to-drop-food-all-over-myself treasure.

After our seminars today, we “participated” in a traditional Korean tea ceremony, meaning we dressed up in the costumes and quite possibly butchered the ceremony in our attempt to recreate it.  It was a lot of fun, though.  A man and woman sit across from each other in their elegant garb, and the woman pours tea in a special way.  There is a lot of moving your hands and arms in a circular motion in one direction to pick up the pot or pour it, and then moving them back again.  I think more of the tea ended up on the placemat than actually in the cups.  This probably had to do with the fact that my partner and I were laughing so hard under our breath at ourselves and how bad I was at this that my hands were shaking, which only made it worse.  I’m just hoping that I am not now, due to some old custom, married to my tea ceremony partner. 

Looks like he's up to something, doesn't it?

Now I Know How Mr. Ed Felt

24 August 2012

Today we awoke at 5 am to meet everyone in the lobby by 6:30 to get on a bus (or “coach” as our recruiter calls it; he's British), and head over to the Education Center in Cheonan for orientation.  We slept through the entire night, which was great, but 5 am is still early in any time zone, in my opinion.  Our group had grown in number from the last time we were all together after a few later arrivals, but we finally accounted for everyone and set out.  There is a lot of building going on in Korea, as we saw on the bus ride.  The high rises here are huge, as big as any in Manhattan.  It’s so funny to see them situated in the middle of trees on the side of mountains.  We finally got to Cheonan, dropped our things at the Education Center and left for the hospital for our medical checks.  We waited for at least an hour to begin and then they checked our eye sight, height and weight, blood pressure, and then measured our bust lines.  Just the bust line, though, nothing else.  I stood there, waiting for them to measure my waist and hips, like they do when taking measurements for costumes, but apparently only the bust line is important.  Sounds like a lot of guys I know.  Then we had to get x-rays to screen for TB.  Also they gave us a dental check, withdrew blood, and checked our urine for drugs.  I felt somewhat like a horse up for auction, especially when they were checking my teeth.  We were finished after that although some people had to go back to have their blood pressure checked again as it was too high, and no wonder with all the poking and prodding.  Fairly stressful, eh?  (I think I've been hanging around the Canadians too much.)  After that, we all loaded back up on the bus and took off for the education center.

We hadn’t eaten since the night before and now it was around 1 in the afternoon, so when they said lunch was being served in the cafeteria, we all pounced on the opportunity.  Sure enough, they had rice, kim chi, and other Korean culinary items.  I tried a little bit of everything.  Still not used to the local cuisine, though.  Hopefully, I will start developing  a taste for it.  After lunch, we began a plethora of meetings and training sessions that lasted until around 8 pm, with breaks for dinner and restroom.  At about 9:30, we both fell into bed, once again exhausted after a VERY long day.

P.S.  Korea is Gorgeous!

At the Education Center in Cheonan. Looks like a putting green, but it's just regular grass.

Safe and Sound

August 23, 2012

May I just say that Singapore Airlines is awesome?  The service was impeccable, and the food wasn’t bad - although they did wake me up from dozing to eat the first meal.  My only problem with the flight over to Korea was that I was so HOT!  I was sitting in between the Hubby and this other girl, on her way to Korea to teach from Ohio.  Normally, there are air vents over each seat, but not on this plane.  I think it was because I was wearing tennis shoes and socks instead of the normal flip flops or sandals.  I was afraid of sending my luggage over the limit, so I wore them instead of packing them.  I was afraid to take the shoes off, though, for fear of making the entire cabin smell bad.  Ah, the curse of my family's feet!  (Daddy, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout.)  Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore, shed the shoes, and hoped for the best.  

I couldn’t sleep well, and I kept making the Hubby get up so I could go to the bathroom or walk around and stretch.  I just got a bit restless, I guess.  I watched a couple movies and slept when I could.  At the airport, we met our recruiter and exchanged some money.  Then we went to the “guest house,” which is really a hotel with a stove, washer, and full sized refrigerator, much like an extended stay hotel in the States.  After we ate dinner at a Korean restaurant (the food was OK; I’ll have to spend some time getting used to it), we went to E-mart, which is kind of like a Korean Walmart, and looked around for a while.  We were just so tired, though, and by 9 pm, we were both passed out in the bed, completely exhausted after 24 HOURS of travelling!!

P.S.  For those of you who said you had problems adding comments, I think I have solved the issue if you care to put in your two cents.

Finding Your Inner Gandalf

OK.  For those of you who asked for a travel blog, here goes.  For those of you who did not, no need to read any further.  SPOILER ALERT!  The posts contained herein may seem mundane and uninteresting at times, but be assured, dear reader (if you do in fact exist), I tend to draw misadventures, strange characters, and the like to me like a moth to a flame.  Eventually, something will happen; I will embarrass myself or others, strange cultural phenomenons will reveal themselves, and general awkward situations may be enjoyed by all.  Until then, please endure (or skip ahead).  With that in mind, we begin.

P.S.  I will try to include pictures when possible.

P.P.S.  I wrote this first entry a few days ago.  But it is always better to begin at the beginning.  Most of the time.

I know.

22 August 2012

And so the journey begins.  This morning, I awoke at 3:00 a.m. after getting only one hour of sleep.  For some reason, I was hoping that staying awake as long as possible would help with the jet lag, considering we will arrive in Seoul at 6:35 pm, but it will feel like 4:35 am on the previous day to us.  (I know. It's confusing.) My aunt, mom, and dad drove us to the airport.  Well, really my aunt drove, which was an adventure in and of itself.  Not because my aunt is a bad driver, but rather because early morning Dallas traffic can sometimes resemble a monster truck rally.  The roads were much more crowded than expected, and it is rather nerve-wracking  to look in your rearview mirror only to find the grill of an eighteen-wheeler barreling down on your backside.  Anyway, we made it to the airport intact, and said goodbye to my family in the passenger drop-off area.   I was trying my best to fight back the tears, which inevitably prickle behind my eyes at the thought of not seeing my parents for such a long time.  I am very close to my family, and goodbyes are not my strength where they are concerned.  I had a good cry yesterday and again today in the elevator on the way to the ticketing counter, so maybe that'll be sufficient.

We checked our bags, got on the plane, and suddenly, we were off - to the other side of the world.  I did get a little sleep, off and on, like you do on airplanes, especially airplanes with vociferous children whose ears are popping like mad, but whose parents are unable to find a solution to the problem, so they just pretend like it's not happening.  (not judging, just observing) (kind of) When we reached San Francisco, it became more real to me the magnitude of what we are about to do.  Every day brings a little more realization, a little more clarity, a little more of a sense of sheer terror.  We are about to live on the other side of the globe for a minimum of one full year!  I know it, but I don't think I have fully grasped it yet.  Right now, I am sitting in a chair in the International Terminal of the San Francisco Airport, watching planes taxi in and out of sight, waiting for the time when I leave behind what is familiar for what is unknown.  I am trying to embrace more of the excitement of our forthcoming adventure; and I'd really prefer to leave my bundle of nerves and huge ball of worry instead of my heart in San Francisco.