More than just a place to rest your head

Living in another country for an extended period of time teaches you a lot about yourself.  You get to see how tough you are, if you can adapt to difficult situations and, in general, what you’re made of.  During my time in Korea I learned those lessons and more, but the most important and permanent thing I brought back with me is this…there’s no place like home.

 

I returned home from Korea almost a month ago now, and though it’s been a rocky transition back to suburban America it’s also been filled with a lot of laughs, hugs and smiles.  Catching up with old friends and family members has been incredibly rewarding and, believe it or not, telling the same stories over and over has reinforced the great memories and made the bad ones fade a bit.

The end of my time abroad brings a few questions to myself and probably a few of you reading at home.  We’ll start with this (a question I’ve fielded a few times since returning):

How was it over there?

I answer it with caution, being careful to bring up the positive but making sure the hardships of life in another country are given their deserved time in the spotlight.  For the most part while I was there the difficulties turned into good stories to look back upon and laugh at.  Attempts to communicate with taxi drivers, ordering food at restaurants and interacting with Koreans on an everyday basis are things that would fall into the “aggravating” and “entertaining” category.

 

Are you glad you went?

This one is tougher to answer.  I hated putting that much distance between myself and my family.  It didn’t seem right missing out on holidays and visits with those relatives who have precious little time left.  That being said though, it was absolutely a good trip.  I value so many little things that I didn’t prior to this adventure.  The moments I spend with people now seem more precious and I’m glad I had a situation like this one to show me just how important the people of my life are.  Perspective is an amazing thing.

Did you accomplish what you wanted?

I had a lot of goals with this trip.  You don’t put yourself this far away from everything you know and love without a purpose right?  I came up short on a few things, but I’m really happy with what I WAS able to complete.  I didn’t learn Korean…not even close.  I learned enough to get around, ask my students to share their candy with me and order my favorite foods.  Oh well.  I’d rather concentrate on the things I DID achieve.  I laid on the beaches, skied the mountains, took in the views, ate the cuisine and did some traveling.  Not bad for six months.

What’s next?

This is a question I DON’T have an answer to.  This is a new feeling for me.  For the most part during my life I’ve had at least an idea of what was in the immediate future.  This time, I simply don’t.  There is really only one thing that is certain in my life; I’m very glad to be home.

 

Gems may be precious, but friends are priceless.

The year was 2005.  I got home from work and there was an envelope on the table from the college I had recently committed to attending.  The last piece of mail I had received from them was my acceptance letter (life altering news as you can imagine) so it stood to reason that I was anxious to open this one as well.  It was my housing paperwork, which included the name and contact information of my new roommate.  This letter too would have a long standing effect on my future.

When it comes to freshman roommates at college you hear far more tales of horror than success stories.  That’s to be expected; all the schools really have to go on is a short questionnaire that most people lie on.  “Are you clean?”  Well yeah, if I say no I’m gonna get put with a slob.  “Do you drink?”  Not yet.  “Do you smoke” We’ll find out.  How much does someone really know about themselves when they’re 18 years old?  Most pairs are able to make it through at least one year.  Just suck it up and find someone better for next year.  I imagine the retention rate is VERY low.  Unless you get lucky.  My freshman roommate became one of my closest friends and there are few people I’ve seen more adventures with.  Through the ups and downs, on road trips and ski trips, during all nighters and early mornings, with other friends and on his own Josh Doerschuk is the kind of guy you want in your corner.

When you trace back through life there are always going to be times when you deviate from “the plan.”  Most people have developed at some point or another in their life an idea of what comes next.  Some look as far ahead as 10 or 15 years while others decide up to lunch time.  There are plenty who use landmarks as a way to gage where they should be in life.  “I’ll be settled into my career by 24, married at 26 and have at least one rug rat by 28.”  While these are nice benchmarks to try and adhere to, few actually achieve them on time OR in that order.  I had a plan once…it didn’t go well.  In fact, I’ve had plans my whole life.  I had a set path that would allow me to achieve each step with ease.  Not a single thing has fallen into place the way I thought it would.  Come to find out when you have friends like Josh, that’s not so bad.

 

Josh has been there to help brush me off every single time I’ve veered from the path and made a crash landing.  Most of the time he greets with a smile and kind words, but when needed he serves me with the necessary kick in the pants.  There are two reasons I’ve dedicated this blog entry to him, today is his birthday and he’s pretty much the reason I’m in Korea.  It was his suggestion this summer that got me thinking about it and his persistence that got me on the plane.  There are times when I curse him for dragging me away from the States and others where I think it’s not so bad after all.

So if you’re reading this and you can think of someone who is a friend, inspiration, motivator or listener…let them know.  Don’t wait for their birthday.  Don’t hesitate in hopes for a good opportunity.  Don’t look for a special occasion.  Do it now.  Call, text, e-mail, deliver flowers, make a card, send a carrier pigeon or smoke signal…do whatever it takes to let the people of your life know they are appreciated.  If they make a difference to you…take the time to make a difference in their life today.

Seoul Survivor

Like travel in any foreign country, Korea has its positives and negative.  One of the drawbacks; the glaring lack of Steak n’ Shakes.  One of the big positives; the minimal risk of EVER running into a dangerous situation after dark.  In the US we evade back alleys and poorly lit streets without even thinking; here it’s just as automatic to USE those same options.  Not once have I felt unsafe while walking the streets, which is kind of nice.  Well I consider myself a smart traveler, not just a tourist, so I was ready to abandon that approach to Korea this week when I traveled North.  With over 10 millions people strong living in Seoul, Korea’s bustling capital is the world’s 8^th most populated city.  Not the kind of place I want to be wondering down dark alleys right?  Not necessarily.

The reason Korea is absurdly safe is…the people.  Outside of their incessant stares and disregard for personal space, Koreans as a whole are completely harmless people.  For the most part they respond to foreigners like I would react to…let’s say…a bear.  Imagine I’m walking the streets of Columbus, Ohio and I come upon a bear.  First thoughts would be, “What is that doing here?  What should I do?  Should I keep staring?  Oh crap it saw me!  Just ignore it, maybe it’ll go away.  Nope, still there.  If I make it out of this alive I can’t WAIT to tell my friends.”  I imagine, based on the shocked expressions plastered on most of the Korean faces I see, that their inner monologue is quite similar.  Given the sheer SIZE of Seoul I wondered if people there would react similarly.  Turns out, we’re not a big deal there.  Being in Seoul was like temporarily stepping OUT of Korea.  There are so many foreigners that for once I didn’t stick out.

While in the ‘big city’ there were two important things on my agenda; get some American food and take in as much culture as I could.  The culture was more difficult than I anticipated.  We only really had time to hit two museums, and take a quick cable car ride up to Seoul tower.  Seoul tower was, how do I put this lightly, weak sauce.  Much shorter than I would have thought (given the hype) and the view was a laugh because of the pollution in the city.  I could barely see anything.  Sigh.  The National Museum of Korea didn’t really catch my interest a whole lot.  There were more replicas of old things than there were originals it seemed.  So my saving grace was the war memorial museum.  Has to be the most interesting collection of boats, planes, tanks, guns and helicopters I’ve ever seen.  And you could sit in them, and touch them and it was just great.  I was like a kid in a candy store.  And that was just the outside.  Inside was display after display of swords and daggers and arrows and old uniforms; it was the most fun I’ve had since being in Korea.  Without a doubt. Call me a nerd.  We were there so long we had to leave because it was closing.  I could have stayed for three more hours.

 

As for the other item on my list…most disappointing.  I had Taco Bell, McDonalds, Quiznos, Subway and Krispy Kreme.  All of them overpriced and tasted nothing like back home.  Guess I learned my lesson.  Eat Korean food while I’m here and save the American food for America.  The nightlife is the other real draw about Seoul for most people.  I hate alcohol, smoking, loud music and crowded small spaces so unfortunately that appealing part of the city didn’t do much for me.  All in all I’d say it was decent trip, but for the money I spent it should have been unbelievable.  I’m a fair person and I’ve always been about second chances so I’m going to give Seoul another shot to impress me before I pass judgment.

Auld Lang SyIsland

 

After completing an interesting and adventurous few days in China, I boarded a plane with my co-teacher Heather bound for the Philippines to enjoy the New Year in sun and sand.  The final destination was Boracay Island, a blip on the map only 10.32 square kilometers in size but overflowing with energy.

 

Home to White Beach, which on more than one occasion has been voted the best tropical beach in the world, Boracay Island is tougher to get to than I initially imagined.  An easy flight into the capital city of Manila was the first leg, a quick connection to Kalibo, then an hour and a half van ride through the winding streets and thick jungles of the Aklan province, spilling you into the small port town of Caticlan where you boarded a rickety old ferry bound for paradise.

During this journey I began to second guess my decision to travel to the Philippines.  While crammed in the small rundown van that harbored us like fugitives, I looked out into a world I didn’t know really existed; narrow dirt roads filled with small half naked children playing in puddles, men with no shoes walking through thick foliage carrying wooden buckets of water for their families, old run down shacks with thatched roofs and no doors.  The kind of poverty I’d only ever seen on the cover of the three year old National Geographic in the waiting room at the dentist’s office.  A real life example of people who had nothing.  I certainly didn’t imagine my tropical vacation would provide a humbling experience of this nature.

After a nice long rickshaw ride from the port on Boracay we were greeted with open arms at Alta Vista De Boracay, our vacation retreat for the remainder of our week.  The beds were comfortable, the room’s balcony had a great view, the infinity pool overlooked luscious green jungle mountains and the on site restaurant was incredible.  Being nestled on the crest of one of the Island’s northern mountains made for a nice buffer zone between us and the hustle and bustle of white beach.  A short shuttle ride provided by the resort landed us in the middle of the most energetic stretch of land I’ve ever been to.  There were people everywhere, restaurants grilling up the best smelling food, music coming from every direction and no shortage of vendors trying to sell me fake Oakleys.  I spent most of my time reading in the sand or eating at beachside grills and I think the relaxed nature of the people was good for me.  It lifted a lot of stress off my shoulders and prepared me for my return to Korea where my students were waiting…ready to undue my newfound tranquility.

It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got Beijing

Just when the monotony of my job abroad started to wear on me we had a nice long week off.  I was faced with a bit of a decision, there are so many places in Asia that I would love to go to but I had to narrow it down to just two.  I decided to take the first half of the week exploring and discovering Beijing with my friends Dan and Josh.  Spending a few days in China really put Korea into perspective.

 

Portions of the trip were what I expected.  The food was incredible.  Loved every single meal.  We had famous dishes like Beijing Duck, and sometimes just randomly picked side street restaurants.  The tourist attractions were breathtaking.  The temples were overpowering and the artistry was overwhelming.  Everything you would have imagined.  Unfortunately it wasn’t all peas and gravy.

 

Some of the words that comes to mind when you talk about the Forbidden City or Tiananmen Square or the Great Wall are majesty…sacred…hallowed…revered.   So imagine my surprise when we were MOBBED by dozens of vendors ever 6 yards trying to sell us the same crap.  I mean we’re literally 10 feet away from the spot where Tank Man had his famous showdown on Chang'an Avenue and I’ve got some guy pushing t-shirts in my face.  Really takes away from the feel.

We certainly made the best of the trip though, looking through the “slightly off limits city” (there was nothing forbidden about it) walking the Great Wall and seeing the Olympic village.  We made it a habit of jumping into as many group pictures as we could and hopefully we’ll end up on the desks and walls of all those people’s homes and a part of their memories.  It certainly wasn’t a traditional Christmas, but for one year I think it was an interesting change of pace.

The Honeymoon is Over

 

A quarter of the way into my year abroad, things have started to really slow down.  I’m no longer surprised by the dozens of cars running red lights, the mosh pit style grocery shopping or even motorbikes mounting the sidewalks at every opportunity.  If you couple all of that with North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeong Island last week and it’s enough to make any American homesick around the holidays.

One of the most uplifting parts of my journey initially was the time at school I spent with my students.  Seeing their smiles and hearing all the funny and interesting things they had to say was refreshing.  Well that too has faded into the sunset.  Last week alone I found no fewer then three spots on the walls of my classroom where students had used Korean profanity in direct association with my name.  In one class I asked the kids to list things they like and dislike.  I made it onto two students’ “dislike” list.  Another group of kids had to draw all the people in class including their teacher; my instructions were followed closely by one boy holding up his paper to point at the picture he had drawn of me.  This action was accompanied by him yelling “teacher very very ugly!”

 Coming into this experience I was told by my recruiter that Korean children are “traditionally better behaved than their western counterparts.”  I must have gotten a bad batch.  I may sound filled with discontent but honestly I’m taking it all in stride.  I knew coming into this I would have rough patches, and for all I know this might not even be one of them.  But if there’s one thing my parents taught me it’s that “if you start something, you have to finish it.”  That lesson has served me well up to this point and I imagine it will again.

Anytime life gets stale the best medicine is often a change of scenery.  Luckily my school is taking a nice weeklong break at the end of December and I’m hopping a plane to Beijing.  A 2:00 a.m. bus to Incheaon, and an hour flight to China will certainly make it the most nontraditional Christmas of my life.  I’m there for half the week then I’m heading to beautiful Boracay Island in the Philippines for New Years.  Do me a favor and google image search “Boracay Island.”  Not a bad place to sing auld lang syne.

Change of Scenery

Fall brings some of my favorite things; cooler weather, football season, bonfires and the leaves changing color.  Well it was fall when I arrived and it was still hot, there were no fires, certainly no football and ever single leaf was lush and green.  I began to think Korea was going to deny me the simple but best things of my favorite season.  Well there’s still no sign of football and the last fire I saw was one I started in my kitchen…but November has finally delivered the colder weather and brighter colors.  In a very big way.

The temperature is dropping dramatically and without me even noticing the leaves have transformed to the most vibrant colors imaginable.  The change in my surroundings was compounded last weekend when my school decided to move me to a new apartment.  Doesn’t really seem like a big thing but when you get a new apartment in Korea…you get nothing.  So everything has to move.  The apartment I was living in had accumulated a ton of stuff from previous teachers and it was a bit of task to move it but, with some help from my co-teacher Heather and a HUGE hand from the one and only Josh Doerschuk, I managed to cram everything into a smaller but MUCH cleaner apartment.

To celebrate the successful move Josh and I loaded up and headed to the down town area of Jeonju (Gaeksa) to check out a few sightseeing spots.  We noticed on a map we had of the city that there were a few temples to the south grouped together.  So we went through downtown to get there but stopped at this beautiful church (interestingly enough Christianity is the fastest growing religion in South Korea) to snap a few photos.  We hit the hiking trail pretty hard, thinking that we’d find these temples easily.  They were NOT grouped together nicely (as the map suggested) and it was a miniature adventure finding each one.  The area where the temples were was called Namgosanseong Fortress and it was literally surrounded by a large stone wall on all sides.  The hike was interesting and the view from the peak alone was worth the trip here.