Spinning in Korea

My coteacher and I decided to sign up for some classes at a gym just a couple blocks down, and our first class we attended was a Spinning class. This is not your normal spin class.

Instead of adjusting the tension level on your bike, your butt is off the seat basically the entire time. We would do some sort of choreographed biking that includes butt slapping, chin grabbing (like Psy), and snapping, with our butts off the seat, then we would rest for less than a minute, sip some water, then get back to it. To make it even better, there are flashing lights and a disco ball to keep you feeling motivated. I almost felt like a K-pop star. Remixed K-pop music is blasting in your ears and we borrow some moves the from the music videos in our choreographed spinning.

It wasn't the workout I was expecting, but I definitely sweat a lot, and am totally going back.

"ARAZUE TEACHER PRINCESS"

Welp, I'm teaching a kindergarten now and never in my life have I seen so many children pick their nose and try to eat their boogers. When I call them out on it, they hide under the desk and tell me they're looking for their eraser, or they put their other hand in front of their nose as if their hand not in the nose makes them invisible. 

I'm working at a private kindergarten school in the Mokdong area, which is a pretty well off neighborhood and the area that it's in is super residential and super cute with children and families walking around everywhere. 

The kindergarten kids I have are so much smarter than some of my oldest elementary school and middle school kids I had back in Inje. I found it a little difficult at first to teach them. I was used to teaching older kids, so when they did something wrong, I would talk with them and sometimes scold. However when a five year old with higher English skills did something stupid, I forgot that these kids are still essentially toddlers. But these kids are seriously the bee's knees. One of my favorites, Maisy is the only girl in my Pink class who likes to yell "You're a princess!" during class, which is amazing, and sometimes she'll refer to me as "Arazue Teacher Princess" which I love. In my other kindy class, Purple class, I have Kevin. Who is amazing and he looks like a chubbier Russell from the movie, 'Up'. Pictures to be posted soon... as soon as BLOGSPOT decides to let me post more. 

Despite the cuteness of all the kindergarten kids, these kids are nasty and germy (as are all kids) but man I was not used to this, or ready for this. They forget to wash their hands, may or may not poop or pee their pants, and my GAWD they love to pick their nose. Several times I have had to blow kids noses for them (AKA hold the tissue to their snotty nose as they blow) which I never EVER saw myself doing. Today I had a kid with a runny/bloody nose. Oh the HORROR.

So all's good in the land of kimchi, kpop and amazing socks. 

and P.S. do NOT listen to anything happening about North Korea. They are cray cray and anyone who believe they are actually going to do anything is equally cray cray and gullible. The media in North America is hyping everything up, per usual.

Plastic Surgery in Korea

My first weekend in Korea was interesting... I went under the knife. Well, not really. I got laser hair removal surgery, which was weird. My coteacher and I were talking about it and she called a place so we decided to check it out. Our curiosity got the best of us when we realized we had actually set up an appointment for a consultation and the procedure. No one really spoke English, but the place looked really fancy and the price was great! For 5 sessions of underarm hair removal it cost us a whopping 30,000 won (a little less than $30). What a steal! I heard people paying $80 per session, and you need minimum 5 to 6 sessions for it to actually make any lasting effect.

So yeah... that's what I did my first weekend in Seoul. I'm sorry for this awkward, rushed post. It's a Friday night and I'm in a hurry. But I highly recommend this article about Korea and it's idea of beauty. It's super interesting and sad. Read it HERE. After reading this article I walk around noticing the high amount of women and men who have had plastic surgery. The eye widening is definitely the most popular.

A Love Letter

I have never been good as expressing myself with words (as you all very well know), and since I am terrible with emotions in person, this is the best way I can say what I want to say.

Dear Korea, Inje, people of Inje, and everyone I have met during my year in Korea,

I love you. I love Korea, I love Inje, I love the people. I love all of you.

To Korea, you're the best. I love your people, food, culture, lifestyle, everything.

To my students who will never read this, thank you for pissing me off, making me laugh, making me angry, letting me teach you, and making me miss you and care for you way too much.

To my boss who has been like a mother to me, thank you. I couldn't have asked for a more caring and generous person to have as my boss. Having you as my boss has changed my life for the better in Korea.

To everyone I have met in the past month, you fucking rock. You are all amazing and as unfortunate as it was to meet you with such little time left, I am so glad. (Canoe trip people and everyone I met at Min's cabin over Chuseok, this is for you).

And finally, to my Inje family, thank you. Thank you for being my friend, my brother, and my sister. Thank you for going to Jjokki Jjokki with me, drinking cojiganmeks, eating at Kimbap Cheunguk, dealing with me, reminding me that my jokes aren't funny, laughing at my "punny" jokes, consoling me, letting me confide in you, noraebang nights, and thank you for being you and letting me be me. (Well that was cheesy). But seriously, Inje peeps, thank you, I love you.

Saying goodbye to my Inje family was one of the worst goodbyes I've ever had to make. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world having met all of you. Handing over my ARC card was another emotional journey where the immigration lady probably had her doubts about letting me through.

I am now sitting at the Incheon International Airport, Gate 26, crying, surrounded by a bunch of permed elderly women, waiting for my flight to Myanmar. I'm so excited for my travel adventures I'm about to embark on, but my adventure Korea will forever be etched in my mind.

Goodbye fuckers, goodbye Korea, I love you, it's been a trip. (Apologies to my parents for swearing.)

"Enjoy life."

Korean Students Speak

Oh wow. This blog is truly inspiring.

http://koreanstudentsspeak.tumblr.com/

"The Korean education system is notorious for "teaching to the test" and not encouraging creative thinking." The group of Fulbright English Teaching Assistants  who created this blog and this project are promoting the freedom of expression. Students writing about anything from their favorite K-pop star to Kimchi to Dokdo, and some express their frustrations with school and the pressure involved.

 
Amazing blog. Check it out.

My Life as a Waygook, Episode 2

I loves gifs, that's no secret, and this blog perfectly describes life in Korea as gifs.
Check it out here: Kikinitinkorea
It might not be as funny to you, as it is to expats in Korea, but I hope you enjoy it.

And to make you all jealous, here is a picture I took while walking home earlier this week, jealous? Yes, this is my life, yes those are my mountains, and yes it's much more beautiful in person.

Taken with instragram

Getting a Haircut in Inje

I did it. After almost two months of debate I finally got my first haircut in Korea. I hate it.
To start off, I don't know why, but I do not like getting my hair cut. I'm afraid of how it will look, I'm afraid I won't get what I want, and I think my hair is my security blanket that I don't like strangers touching and cutting. I was nervous going in (as always) but since I see Korean girls with super pretty haircuts, and Korea is generally a pretty stylish country, I was fairly confident they would do a good job wherever I went. I wanted a trim (about three inches off) and new bangs since mine had completely grown out.

This is what I was afraid of (stolen from roketship)

I initially wanted to the to a salon in Inje where a man worked, because I though he looked really cool and would give me an equally cool looking hair cut, but I went in and he gave me the big arm X meaning "NO".

I continued wandering around town and ran into my friend Connor who recommended a place to go where all the boys get their haircuts. Their hair always looks nice, and he said the lady was "smart" so I went in. There was a K-pop concert on the TV, so I though "Man, this is going to be good. This woman must know stylish hair if she is has k-pop on TV." 

It was my turn. This woman knew no English, and I knew very little Korean. This was expected, but I was super excited for the adventure of the language barrier, yet being to able to get an awesome haircut. I motioned I wanted about three inches off, and showed her pictures of various bang styles that I liked. She nodded and started. Next thing I know, seven of inches of hair are gone! Tears almost emerged. She even knew that she did it when she went "oh" and put her hand where I told her I wanted my hair, and where my hair was. Oh really?

This is Grimes. I love her.

I said "okay" because I was in shock and I knew tears of sorrow wouldn't make my hair magically grow back. Then she cut my bangs. They don't look anything like any of the pictures I showed her. My bangs look like Grimes's bangs. That's her above. She encompasses everything I wish I could be, but I unfortunately am not cool enough to have bangs like her. I smiled, mumbled a goodbye and thank you in Korean, left, put my hair in a ponytail, bought ice cream and a bottle of 복분자주 (Korean black raspberry wine), which I am currently enjoying to drown my hair woes.

I'll probably be used to my haircut in about three days and get over this. And to be honest, I hate 80% of the haircuts I get anyway. And I'm probably just being a typically whiny girl, hating on their own haircut. Well, I hope your haircut is better than mine. I recommend bringing pictures of what you want when get a haircut with a non-English speaker. I'm off, I hope you enjoyed my 복분자주-filled rant.

Racism in Korea?

I am by  NO MEANS saying that Koreans are racist, but from what I have observed and heard, most Koreans seem to have a thing against people with darker skin, or at least they simply judge anybody with darker skin.

During a class yesterday, there was a new student so I asked where he was from, the other kids were joking and said he's from Thailand. From there, we somehow got into a conversation about people with darker skin. When talking about dark skin, my students used the word 'dirty'. They also had a Korean word they used for people with darker/tan skin, but I can't remember it. From what I understood, Koreans consider people with dark skin to be dirty and poor. Apparently in most Asian countries people with darker skin are considered poor and dirty because their dark skin indicates that they spend a lot of time outside working under the sun. In the Philippines, I remember seeing soap that was supposed to whiten your skin, which I think is weird since the Philippines is in the tropics and it would be almost impossible to avoid the sun and avoid getting dark.

I find this an interesting topic because in recent news, a K Pop singwriter tweeted incredibly racist comments about the African-American community. It's incredibly offensive, but I think it's a must read article. Click here to check it out.

In America, people pay to get tan. In Asia, people pay to get white. I think both are weird.

Other recommended interesting reads:

• Can't We All Just Get Along?
• White Skin: Why Racism In Asia Isn't Quite What You Think

 

My Life As A Waygook, Episode 1

This is an accurate portrayal of a situation I am sure every English teacher in Korea has found themselves in. Those who have not taught in Korea, you may not find it as funny as the rest of us do. This is also pretty offensive, so to any Koreans who watch this, I apologize.

Those who enjoyed this video, should watch related videos in the same cartoon format to get a better understanding of life as an English teach in Korea.

Also, my boss just told me I have old man shoes. But she said that "it's okay". I'm glad I have her permission to wear my old man shoes.