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

 

Music Monday

I'm obsessed with this song. I love the song and the video and everything. Shout out to Gina Parks who introduced me to this song.

Does anyone else think that the lead singer looks like Ewan McGregor?

'Wat' a Day

My train for Chang Mai didn't leave til the evening so I had the full day to explore the city. I started wandering around, trying to discretely follow other foreigners in the hope that they would lead me to something exciting. However, I stopped stalking a group of foreigners because they looked even more lost than me, but somehow found myself at the gates of the Grand Palace. It was incredibly crowded with Thai people and foreigners. Apparently I was at the Thai only entrance, and I couldn't find the entrance for foreigners. So I roamed around the palace walls until I spotted one! Another foreigner who looked just as lost. Thus I met Nick, guy from New York, in Thailand for about 2 weeks, heading south for the beaches the next day, and my first friend on my trip. It was perfect, now I had someone to take awkward solo pictures of me.

Awkward picture #1. Hello ugly outfit

I would like to mention that apparently my skin was too exposed for the palace, so I had to rent a skirt and shirt to cover my ankles and shoulders, so my outfit inside the palace was awful! Please don't judge me, rather enjoy the photos and the vibrant colors that my mismatched patterns emit.

The Grand Palace was grand indeed, it was HUGE. I don't even think we saw everything, and it was incredibly beautiful. So beautiful it hurt. Okay, I just exaggerated a bit, but seriously, every square inch of the 2,351,000 square feet was stunning. The palace ground were vast and it was filled with temples, courts, palaces, random beautiful buildings I didn't recognize, and gardens. The majority of the time I didn't even know where exactly in the Grand Palace we were, but it didn't matter. We also saw the infamous Emerald Buddha, where you weren't supposed to take pictures but of course I did. I felt a little weird going into all these temples because it is a sacred place for Buddhists, and some Thai people were praying and trying to have a peaceful moment while the rest of us were scrambling around trying to get the best pictures.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

After the Grand Palace, Nick and I decided to head across the river to Wat Arun, also known as Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahawihan. I also enjoyed my first tuk tuk ride from the palace to the ferry. It was frightening and yet exhilarating. It's amazing how tuk tuks weave in and out of cars and lanes and end up going the wrong way on a side of the street and somehow you still manage to live. 

Tourist alert!

Wat Arun was spectacular in a completely different way that the Grand Palace was. I think I even liked Wat Arun better (shhh). It was old, made from stone, and had vibrant colors. The wat's construction began in the 1800s! Whoa. It was amazing how old it was, how weather has damaged it, and how many people have climbed or touched the wat and yet how beautiful it still was.

Awkward picture #2

The climb to the top was awful. My fear of heights did not help. The steps were incredibly steep and tall, so tall that at one point I was crawling with my hands and knees. After climbing about 250 feet up, the view was totally worth the sweat and tears (Jokes! I didn't cry.) There was a great view of the river, and of Bangkok. Truly stunning.

The main temple

At the top

After Wat Arun, me and my new friend Nick had to part ways. I booked it back to the travel agency, picked up my pack, cabbed it to the train station, and prepared myself for my very first train ride. Look out Chang Mai, here I come!

Beginning in Bangkok

I arrived in Bangkok at about 6:30 PM Sunday night on New Year's Day. I had no idea what I was doing. No research. No travel/guide books. Just me, my instincts and advice from others. This was probably the most unplanned, spontaneous, irresponsible trip I have ever taken, but I think it worked out for the best because it was truly some of the most amazing weeks of my life.

Massages on Khao San

At the airport, I decided to head to Khao San Road for the night via taxi, since I couldn't find a train straight to Chang Mai from the airport which is what I intended to do. As I was standing in line for a cab trying to look as lost as possible hoping some nice people would invite me to hang out with them and follow them on their well planned vacation, a Canadian man approached me asking me questions. Clearly my "lost girl" look needs more work. Luckily this man was also heading to Khao San Road so we split a cab and both saved some baht. I wish I remembered his name, but this Canadian man from Montreal with a funny accent was one of the jolliest, nicest, most helpful people ever with an amazing philosophy on life. He was on holiday from teaching in China, where he has been teaching for almost 7 years. He was starting in Bangkok then eventually heading down to Singapore to get surgery to fix the cataracts in his eyes because he was going blind. Best of luck to you good sir.

Nighttime on Khao San Road

Moving on, Khao San Road was insane. There are foreigners everywhere! I actually went through some culture shock coming from Korea where there are only Koreans. I walked around Khao San and Rabuttri Road, checked out all the little shops on the road and tasted some street food. I wish I could have gone out to party, but I was exhausted from the night before and I really didn't feel that safe going out on Khao San drinking alone, so I went to my room and passed out. Next time.

Pretty lights

Khao San Road was definitely a trip. It was too crowded for my taste, but I recommend everyone to go, it's an experience all in it's own that everybody needs to check out.

NYE in Seoul

Celebrating New Year's Eve in one of the biggest cities in the world was a ton of fun, AND I believe Seoul is one of the first Metropolitan cities to ring in the new year in the world. Pretty cool. Apparently there were some fireworks and bell ringing somewhere in Seoul which I planned on going to, but I'm glad I never made it there because I heard it was actually pretty lame.

The whole group at dinner

My NYE started by taking the bus to Seoul with my pal Connor. It was enjoyable ride to Seoul, the bus was empty and we had nice weather and nice scenery to keep us company, along with some cocktails. As we arrived in Seoul, Connor and I parted ways. My flight for Thailand was the next morning at 9:00 am so I was carrying around my huge pack with me and I looked like a loser tourist wandering around Seoul. I eventually figured out how to work the lockers in Korean to put my stuff in, then I met up with some peeps in Gangnam. We ate lots of raw fish and drank lots of sake. After, we went to a bar called Woodstock where we got to pick our own music and where we rang in 2012. It was a jolly good time.

At Woodstock, in Gangnam

Later, me, and my friends Jazmine and Zaaid took a cab to Hongdae to find Connor. Connor took us to some sweet bar that felt like an underground basement club. It was sick, there was an awesome DJ and an interesting crowd of people. We partied til 6:00 am when the subways opened again so we could all partake in the "subway of shame". I parted ways with my companions, got lost in the subway station looking for my locker, miraculously made it to the airport in time, somehow managed to successfully exchange Korean Won to Thai Baht with my New Years buzz still going strong, and had time to spare to shove some kimbap in my belly before my flight. I even had time to nap! (Side note: my nap was actually me passing out in a ball in the corner of the terminal floor). I woke up just in time to hop on the plane to Thailand (with a short stopover in Beijing).

Spending my first NYE abroad was awesome. I had a super time with great people, and I started off the new year with a trip to somewhere new, I hope that's a sign for what  is to come... I think it's safe to say 2012 is off to a promising start.

Christmas in Korea in a Convenience Store

This was my first year away from Minnesota and away from my family over Christmas. It was really hard and I hope to never have to do it again, however, I had a truly amazing Christmas in Korea. Met some really cool people, made amazing memories, and well, it was Christmas, so of course it was great. Here is my tale of my awesome Christmas in Korea:

A big group of us foreign teachers rented out a pension at the Sungwoo Ski Resort, so my friend Connor and I took the bus together to Wonju, and from there, we planned on taking the shuttle to the resort. Well when we got to the stop where the shuttle would pick us up (a random convenience store) we found out we just missed it and had to wait 2 another hours until the next one. Lucky for us, the convenience store had a table and chairs inside so we can sit, and they sold whiskey, and I brought cards. The merriment began.

When we finally made it to the resort, most of the crew from Inje hung around the pension and drank while the rest skied and snowboarded in Santa Claus and gingerbread man costumes. The night continued into the wee hours of the morning (about 6am) with many drinking games and a lot of karaoke. A lot. Here is a photo montage to summarize the Christmas festivities...

Yay! Whiskey and war in a Korean convenience store on Christmas!

Oh no! I lost to Arazue in a triple war!

Christmas card games

Christmas karaoke time

This looks like a good song

This is when things got serious... Mr. Onesie is getting his hands up

The next morning we had a Christmas FEAST! There was so much food I wish I took pictures of it all... but here's what I have...

Jude making delicious homemade apple pies

The leftovers

Someone slipped into a food coma...

Merry Christmas from Mr. Ashley Jacobs himself!

The BIG Question

Welp. The big question was asked today. I have been in Korea for about three and a half months and today my director offered me a contract to stay for another year when my current contract ends in the fall.

It is way too soon for me to make a decision, I was really caught off guard when she asked, so I told her I would think about it. Thoughts?

To stay or not to stay? THAT is the question