Fun with Coteachers

So my first semester of teaching is officially over! There's a lot I am looking to improve on next semester, particularly with regards to my low-performing students, but overall I am pleased with my success in the classroom. I'm also officially halfway done with my time in Korea and it's amazing how the time passed both quickly and slowly at the same time. I now have a two month vacation and will be traveling for the entire first month of it. On Tuesday I am flying to Beijing for a wonderful reunion with my family, minus Wes. I will spend a week with them before flying to Thailand to meet my ETA friend, Rachel. The two of us will then traverse Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam for three weeks. I am unbelievably excited but it was still sad to leave my school and students today. Luckily, I was able to hang out with many of my co-teachers one last time before the break.

On Wednesday I did not have school because of the Presidential Election. Four of the younger teachers at my school were going skiing in Chuncheon and invited Amy, Rachel and I to join them. It was too good an offer to pass up so the three of us gladly agreed. We all decided to snowboard even though five out of the eight of us were absolute beginners. Therefore when we got to the mountain at 3 (did I mention the teachers taking us are all males who like to sleep reallll late?) we did not even buy lift tickets. Instead we headed to the pre-bunny slope. It's basically a hill that you walk up and then can ski/snowboard down. After a few runs on that we hit the real bunny slope. I was really impressed with how quickly my co-teachers were picking up snowboarding. We eventually completed several runs from the top of the mountain even! Overall, the day was a ton of fun and I was really happy to spend time with my coteachers outside of school. It's often hard to form more substantial and lasting friendships because of the language gap but the ski trip was a definite step in the right direction.

Today I went to Soyang Dam and Cheongpyeong-sa Temple with my co-teacher, Soo-Jin, and Amy, the other ETA at my school. It was really great to spend one of my last days in Korea with the two of them. Both Amy and Soo-Jin have made my time in Korea so much easier and more enjoyable. It was pretty frigid this morning and afternoon when we went sightseeing so I don't have any pictures. The thought of taking my hands out of my gloves was just too much to handle! The dam, lake and temple were beautiful and the boat ride from the dam to the temple was really enjoyable. It was a really great day.

Tomorrow is my last day in Hwacheon and I will be taking a hiatus from my blog while I am traveling. Once I return to South Korea I will update the page with stories from all of my travels. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

P.S. Here are lots of pictures from the Christmas Party at the Orphanage. 

Spreading Christmas Cheer

This Saturday I had the amazing opportunity to participate in KKOOM's 6th Annual Holiday Party at an Samsungwon, an orphanage in Gumi, South Korea. KKOOM is a non-profit that was started by past ETAs and strives to enrich the lives of children in orphanages and group homes in Korea. The non-profit does unbelievable work and I encourage you to click on the link for lots more information.

On Saturday, several ETAs and other volunteers met to spend the day with the children at Samsungwon. The orphanage is divided into several single-gender, mixed-age homes and every volunteer was assigned to a particular house. I was assigned to Sarang (which means love in Korean), which was a house with boys ranging in age from 5 to 18. I was fortunate enough to spend eight wonderful hours with these boys.

The boys and I sang Christmas songs, played Ships and Sailors, took pictures with Santa, ate tons of Christmas cookies and more. During the course of the day all of the houses were competing in different Christmas-themed contests. The first contest was a door-decorating contest and I was surprised by how excited all of the boys were about making Christmas decorations. Even the high school and middle school boys were coloring, cutting, drawing, etc. They were great role models for their younger 'brothers'.

The door to Sarang

The next big contest was a gingerbread house making contest. The older boys in Sarang got very into this contest and even locked shut themselves in a room in order to concentrate more. Unfortunately minutes before the gingerbread houses had to be brought to the kitchen for judging our gingerbread train collapsed. We hastily repaired it but it collapsed once more in transit. I'd like to think that our gingerbread house was so wonderful it made up for the defunct train.

The last contest tasked the boys with dressing up one of the volunteers as a Christmas character. The boys had to use 10 sheets of tin foil, a roll of toilet paper (including the tube) and a roll of Scotch tape (including the outer plastic part). They were also allowed to use other supplies of their own. The boys quickly decided I was the one they wanted to dress up but we then hit a wall. I think at this point the boys were exhausted from the day. Luckily, they pulled together and transformed me into Iron Woman at the last minute. It was not exactly Christmas themed but the costume was made complete with a cup of Starbucks coffee and a hand-crafter 'Chanel' bag. We then headed to the auditorium and met up with all the other houses and volunteers. I was then judged on stage with the other costumed volunteers. The judges then deliberated while the kids sang Christmas carols, put on a few small performances and then opened their presents. It was so heartwarming to see how excited every single child was about their present. They all appeared very grateful and I was so pleased that I was able to take part in brightening three kids day with my gifts.

The last part of my night was arguably my favorite part of the day- karaoke! All of the kids and volunteers went to karaoke from 8:30 until 10, including the 5 year old! Only in Korea! I had so much fun singing with the boys and was very impressed with how into it many of them got. The middle school boys sang so passionately. The younger boys also graced us with Gangnam Style, which is the Korean National Anthem for the time being. All Koreans are so proud of PSY for penetrating the American and European Music Market.

Overall the day was extremely humbling. I was shown an unbelievable amount of love and kindness. Additionally I witnessed the boys truly acting like a family, which was really endearing. The older boys took care of their younger brothers and it was heartwarming to see them interact. I sincerely hope I can volunteer at Samsungwon later in my grant year. It was an unbelievably moving day.

Winter Has Arrived

Although there were hints of the approaching winter for a while it still seemed to strike all at once. Additionally, although I knew Hwacheon, and all of South Korea, would be substantially colder than my winters in Durham I did not imagine it would be so cold. This morning I walked a mile to school in -12C weather- that's 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Needless to say, it's frigid. Also surprisingly my school still hasn't turned on the heat. I keep being told it will turn on once the weather gets colder which scares me a little for the forthcoming weather. Luckily I only have two weeks of school left before winter vacation so I'll just continue to hide in my heated classroom only emerging when necessary. I do have a lot of respect for my students who have most of their classes in unheated classrooms. I cannot imagine being able to concentrate when it is so cold. 

One of the upsides to winter's arrival is how beautiful Hwacheon has become. Hwacheon has always be exceptionally beautiful, nestled in between numerous mountains, but the snow really enhances the beauty. It has snowed five or six times so far and there's a solid six inches that I'm pretty sure will remain all winter. The temperature doesn't really get above freezing even during the day. Here are some pictures to show you what winter in Korea is really like. 

A bridge to nowhere in the river. I think the wind disconnected it.

A ship that somehow sunk during the transition to winter.

How I dress to brave the cold. 

The lights along Hwacheon's main street. 

Understanding Korean Culture Through Art

This Sunday I finally had a chance to visit the Seoul Museum of Art. Although it is not the largest art museum in Seoul, I have been eager to visit ever since I walked by the museum on the way to the Ambassador's house in August. The Art Museum is in the heart of the tourist part of downtown and is located immediately behind Deoksugung Palace. The Museum is located in the former Supreme Court Building of Korea and is very appealing from the outside. Unfortunately, because of this the museum is also rather small and was only hosting two exhibits this weekend.

The first exhibit was really interesting and is part of the larger Seoul Photo Festival. I could not figure out what other museums or organizations are hosting the Seoul Photo Festival because it was in Korean. Additionally, all of the labels and information on the exhibit was in Korean so I had to infer a lot. From what I could tell the exhibit aimed to document Seoul's rise to modernity through photographs. There were many, many photographs of everyday life from the 1950s through the present. Interestingly though, the later photographs focused a lot more on architecture and Seoul's changing landscape rather than people. I really enjoyed the photographs and was reminded once again how quickly South Korea went from being a third world country to an emerging world power. I am continually blown away by how rapidly South Korea progressed and it's sometimes is hard to remember that only fifty years ago much of the population was struggling to just get by.

There are some daily reminders of Korea's transformation. For example, extremely few places in South Korea are heated. And yes, this means my house is often not heated or the heat is turned extremely low. Rather my family uses space heaters and heated blankets to keep warm. They also constantly complain about being cold because quite frankly it is freezing. The lack of central heating is a remnant of the past when heating homes was far too expensive for most families. Currently, most families can afford to heat their homes but are still trapped in the old mindset and believe they cannot. I used to think not having heating in my house in South Africa was miserable when it was 45 outside. Now I've learned that it's much worse not having heating in a house, school or restaurant when the high is 25.

Another funny reminder of South Korea's past is when my younger brother asks me questions such as, "When did America get sneakers?". The questions immediately seems a little bizarre and hard to answer and I kind of muddle my way through an answer trying to remember how American fashion evolved. He then responds with, "Wow! Korea did not get sneakers until 2000." Hearing him talk about the arrival of sneakers, in the form of Nike, New Balance, etc. is so weird to me but is completely accurate. Prior to that time foreign sneaker companies had no reason to do business in South Korea and South Korea wasn't producing sneakers of it's own, or at least not for the average person.

The second exhibit was equally fascinating and focused on the art of Chun Kyung-Ja. Chun Kyung-Ja is one of Korea's most prominent 20th Century artists and is still alive. Her works were really interesting because there were fifteen or so that were created in response to her travels around the world. One of these pieces was entitled 'Cats' and depicted the US Musical Cats. I have never seen Cats so maybe it was a very moving musical but I also found the thought of it a little ridiculous. Needless to say I was a little surprised to find that the musical made such a strong, and such a positive impact on the artist. I never really gave much thought to what would be memorable from a trip to America but I don't think Cats would have come to mind if I did ponder the question.

The museum also had wonderful sculptures on display outside, which I did a mediocre job of capturing.

I Have A Dream

This Saturday I attended a festival entitled, "I Have A Dream". The festival was to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Heavenly Dream School. The Heavenly Dream School was the first alternative school for North Korean Defectors and all of the students I tutor in Seoul on Saturday attend the school. The festival was an incredible experience.

When I first arrived I was treated to a North Korean meal that all of the students at the school prepared. They made bibimbap, which is also a South Korean food. I didn't really notice a difference between this bibimbap and other bibimbap I have eaten but apparently bibimbap in North Korea is much spicier. During the meal I was able to see some of my students who were so excited to have me there. I was really glad I got to see them because over 300 people were in attendance. After the meal we moved into an auditorium and saw a series of performances.

The students made several videos to demonstrate their daily life at the school and the videos were very well done. All of the students live at the school as do the teachers. The school therefore, serves as a family of sorts for the students, many of who escaped to South Korea without their family. Current students and alumni also performed several songs and dances. The students are blessed with a strong volunteer presence at the school so famous conductors and orchestras teach the students music. The Eurasian Orchestra is one of the groups and they also performed after the children.

I also never knew the school was founded by a church but that was made very clear during the festival. A very famous pastor in Korea gave the opening remarks and during the festival we all were asked to join hands and pray for unification. It was extremely moving.

My favorite aspect of the night was when one student talked about her experience at the Heavenly Dream School. The student had just been accepted to university and wanted to discuss how she got to this point in her life. She began her story with her arrival at the Heavenly Dream School. She was the only member of her family in South Korea and eagerly engaged in all of the schools offerings. Then she discovered that her father, who lived in North Korea, had died and she discussed how she slipped into a deep depression. At several times she even considered suicide. The student then discussed how the Heavenly Dream School helped her discover God and she gradually overcame her depression and began to use religion to cope with the difficulties in her life. Now she is graduating from the school and going on to University. She discussed how she aspires to become a Human Rights lawyer so that she can fight for the rights of North Koreans. I was touched by how many of the students dream of returning to North Korea in various capacities. Some wish to return as teachers, doctors or lawyers after unification, whereas others simply want to return as chefs and be able to cook a meal for their friends and family.

I wish I could share some of my pictures from the event but I am unable to. I doubt that anyone of significance would see the pictures but nevertheless it is extremely dangerous to put pictures of North Korean defectors online and could put the students or their families in North Korea at risk.

The festival really forced me to consider the difficulties my students have overcome. I always am aware that they have very dark pasts but it is easy to forget this when they seem so happy and well-adjusted in class. I was also reminded how often I think of North Korea as a crazy, outlandish country and laugh at the oddities of it without considering the 24,000,000 people who are suffering and dying at the hands of the North Korean government. I fear I often consider only the government when I think of North Korea and don't consider the effects the government has on individuals. Saturday night gave me a meaningful way to understand the experiences of many North Koreans and furthered my understanding of the division of the Korean Peninsula. The night focused so much on unification, which is a beautiful and wonderful goal but I fear unification is a more complex than the festival portrayed. The ramifications of unification socially and economically for South Korea would be crippling. Additionally, I don't believe unification is feasible until China believes it is in their best interest for Korea to be unified and I'm not sure when or if that will occur. I guess I can only hope that conditions in North Korea and services for North Korean defectors improve until unification is possible. And I hope that all of the students who shared their dreams with me on Saturday night live to see their dreams fulfilled.

A Ski Trip with the Kids

This weekend I went on the last Hwacheon County Office trip. This weekend we accompanied students to Yong Pyong Ski Resort in eastern Gangwondo. The ski mountain is going to be used for alpine skiing in the 2018 Winter Olympics, which are being held in nearby Pyeongchang. I am pretty sure we didn't have access to that part of the mountain though because the part we skied on was rather small since it is so early in the season and most trails are still closed.

Skiing with my students was really, really enjoyable although I must admit that I was more than a little rusty. Luckily, my students and my friend, Rachel, were slow-skiers as well. The first day my students didn't even want to leave the bunny slope! They were all really scared of the bigger slopes.

My students!

One of my favorite parts of the Hwacheon Trip Program has been the opportunity to interact with my students outside of school. I believe these trips has significantly improved my rapport with my students in the classroom. They feel much more comfortable talking to me outside of class time and participate in class a lot more. It is often a struggle to get Korean students to participate in class. They are extremely shy compared to American students and are much more nervous about getting wrong. Therefore, having a few students who are always willing to participate helps a great deal.

I also liked that these trips gave me the opportunity to interact with students from all different schools in Hwacheon. Talking to students from the other elementary schools has given me a lot of perspective on my students' English abilities. My school is by far the largest elementary school with approximately five class of 25 students in each grade. Most of the other elementary schools have only one class per grade that has a maximum of 15 students. Despite the difference in school sizes I have found that my students English abilities seem to be much better than most of the other elementary students. This makes me feel really great about the work that my co-teacher and I are doing, especially since sometimes we feel strained to think of new ways to reach students.

I have really enjoyed all of the traveling I have been able to do with my students and am so glad I was able to participate in such a great program.

What I'm Thankful For...

In the spirit of the season I thought I'd write a brief post about what I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving. It is inevitably a little weird not being home for big holidays but I've had a lot of time to reflect on the many things I am thankful for here in Korea. I don't know if being far from home makes me a little sappier or just spending less time feasting gives me more time to reflect but I felt inclined to enumerate some of the reasons I'm happy here in Korea.

1. My wonderful co-teacher SooJin. SooJin is the most caring, welcoming, warm and compassionate people I have met here in Korea. Every single day she works so hard to make sure I am happy in Korea. She is a beacon of sunshine and I love teaching with her everyday. I also appreciate how much she has welcomed me into her family. I love spending time with them and feel much more at home in Korea having her family around. Furthermore SooJin is really passionate about her job and cares about our students a great deal. The two of us are able to discuss strategies for reaching our lowest learners and ultimately, we motivate each other to continually strive to be better teachers.

SooJin cooking dinner for me at a restaurant

2. My placement has proven to be a perfect match. I absolutely adore all of my co-teachers and are continually stunned by their generosity and sincere efforts to get to know me and welcome me to Korea. All of the students and faculty at Hwacheon Elementary School have made my year so much brighter. Additionally, Hwacheon is unbelievably beautiful and I love walking along the river to school every morning with the mountains surrounding me. The opportunities to explore nature are boundless in Hwacheon and I've loved running, walking, kayaking and biking in the area.

The first snowfall in Hwacheon

My wonderful students making hand turkeys

3. I am unbelievably grateful for the unfathomable generosity of Koreans. I feel so cared for by complete strangers which is wonderful given that I'm half a world away from my family and friends and do not speak the language. I am consistently stunned by people's willingness to help me and their strong desire to make my time in South Korea an unforgettable life experience. Just today, I went to pick up cookies for a coworker at a local coffee shop and exited the shop with some free cookies for myself just because the owner wanted to thank me for coming and express how happy he was that I was living in Hwacheon. Then, this afternoon, my Korean friend JiHye's aunt welcomed me and two friends into her home for dinner. JiHye and the three of us were going to grab dinner in town but her aunt insisted that she prepare a meal for us instead. I had only met her aunt once previously when she graciously allowed me to participate in her family's kimjang this past weekend. The kind gestures and gifts are even more special because most of the people who reach out to me speak little to no English.

JiHye, Amy and JiHye's Aunt

The foreigners and JiHye's Aunt

4. My friends both here in Korea and back home in America have been so instrumental in my adjustment to my Korean life. I am so grateful to have had people on both sides of the world supporting me through my various cultural guffaws and struggles. I've also loved being able to make so many new memories in Korea with so many incredible individuals. I am so fortunate to be able to complete my Korean journey alongside great friends.

The other ETAs in my town

5. Lastly, I am so thankful for my family. I am so sad I cannot spend the day with you all and want to thank you for supporting me while I'm in South Korea. I feel comfortable being in Korea because I know I have a loving family to return to when I've gotten my fill of adventure for the time being. You mean so much to me and I am relieved that you are all safe and can be together this holiday season.

My cousins and I at my going away party

A Weekend of Traditions

This weekend I was fully immersed in Korean and American cultural traditions. On Saturday after teaching my North Korean Defectors about Thanksgiving I headed to the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with my fellow ETAs, the Fulbright Office staff and the US Embassy. When we arrived to the museum we were able to walk through all the exhibits, which was really interesting. We then were treated to a traditional music performance- they even passed out lyrics to one of the songs and had us sing along. After the performance and several welcoming addresses given by Mrs. Shim, the Fulbright director, US Ambassador Kim and the director of the museum we were able to eat. The food was absolutely delicious. We had turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls, pumpkin pie and many other Thanksgiving foods. We also had some non-Thanksgiving American foods such as ziti and garlic chicken, that was much appreciated. It was so nice to be able to enjoy some American food while enjoying the company of my fellow ETAs. It is always so nice to gather altogether and share experiences. Living and teaching in Korea can sometimes be very trying because you always have to have your game face on. Since I live with a home stay family it is sometimes really hard to find time when I can completely have my guard down and be myself. Therefore, being able to spend time with other people who are facing the same challenges is extremely rejuvenating. It is so refreshing to be able to share stories and advice. Additionally, we all became very close during our seven-week orientation and don't get to see each other frequently because we are scattered throughout the country.

The feast

During the dinner several ETAs performed for everyone. The performances ranged from poetry readings to Irish Step Dancing to violin solos. I loved seeing everyone's talents. It will definitely be difficult to be away from home on Thanksgiving since my family has well-developed traditions. I don't think Thanksgiving will ever feel complete without watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and going to the movies. And Thanksgiving certainly feels incomplete when I'm not surrounded by my family. I really cherish the time we spend together and relish the joy we all feel from being silly together or engaging in some good-natured teasing. This dinner made the loneliness I will surely feel on Thursday much more bearable because I know it will be a shared loneliness and I know that there are so many people here in Korea who care for me. This year, particularly after Hurricane Sandy, I am thankful for so much and it was wonderful to be able to count my blessings with friends. I am so pleased that the US Embassy and KAEC put together this dinner for us. It was so refreshing to just embrace being American for a night.

Sunday morning I woke up early and departed Seoul for Woncheon, a small town outside of Hwacheon. One of the teachers at my school lives there and invited me to her family's kimjang, or kimchi-making party. Kimchi is fermented cabbage and Koreans eat it with breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day. It's pretty much the national food of Korea and every November Korean families will make enough kimchi to last them the entire year. As you might imagine this is an incredible undertaking. Most families devote countless hours every Saturday and Sunday in November to making kimchi. Needless to say I was thrilled to be invited to participate in such a meaningful part of Korean culture. My friend Kelvin, who teaches English at a nearby middle school, also joined in the fun.

When I first arrived at my teacher's house I was introduced to her entire extended family. It was really fun meeting all her nieces and nephews, in addition to her siblings and their husbands and wives. I was also welcomed with a huge hug by her mother, who owned the house. The family was so eager to have us participate in the kimjang and I felt extremely welcome at their family gathering. This was a great feeling, considering that no one in the family really speaks any English. We mainly relied on my limited Korean and her son's English. It's unbelievable how much can be communicated without language. After having a cup of tea we headed outside to begin making the kimchi. Kelvin and I were put right to work and began washing an extremely large number of heads of cabbage. We then helped make the sauce that the cabbage ferments in. The sauce is extremely spicy because it is composed primarily of crushed red peppers and the family made us try a piece of cabbage coated in the sauce. The grandmother actually had me open my mouth and put the piece of cabbage in my mouth. Needless to say, despite my increased spice tolerance, my eyes watered immediately. The family still applauded. I have learned that the easiest way to impress any Koreans is to eat really spicy food. After we finished some more work we were rewarded with samgyeopsal, which the men cooked outside right next to where we were making kimchi. Samgyeopsal is thick slices of fatty pork that you then put on a lettuce or cabbage leaf with some spicy sauce and eat. It's normally not my favorite Korean food but I was eager to eat after working hard. While eating, the family then brought out a bucket of raw oysters and urger Kelvin and I to eat them. I was extremely hesitant since I don't even really like cooked oysters but decided to try it since the family had been so kind to me all day. I don't think I need to tell you it was a little hard to keep down.

My co-worker is on the left and her younger sister is on the right.

Making the sauce

The raw oyster!

Struggling to eat a raw oyster

After our snack we continued working and actually placed the kimchi in pots that are buried in the ground. In the old days this is how all Korean families stored their kimchi because it refrigerated the kimchi without a refrigerator. Since refrigerators are super common now, this is rarely down anymore. Most families have special fridges just for their kimchi. Therefore, I was thrilled to participate in this activity. Even my homestay family could not believe that the family still keeps their kimchi in pots in the ground. While we were stuffing the kimchi in the ground several of the younger kids tried to impress Kelvin and I by eating some insects they caught. They just kept popping them in their mouth. Back when Korea was extremely poor people frequently ate insects and a lot of that culture was passed down. As they say, in America the motto is 'all you can eat'. In Asia the motto is 'you can eat all'. After the work was completely down Kelvin and I were graced to another huge meal which we enjoyed with her entire family. We then just talked and watched tv until it was time to go home. The day was so much fun and I am still completely floored by the hospitality of her family. Koreans have consistently stunned me by their generosity. As we left the family invited us back for Lunar New Year, one of the two most important Korean holidays, and gave us each big containers of the kimchi we made. They also told us to come back if we ever wanted more. I absolutely loved my experience and hope I get to visit with the Lee family again!

The kimchi pots in the ground!

Our feast

'Living' Korean Traditions

This weekend I participated on another travel trip with my students. We ventured four hours south to Andong. I was really excited since I previously tried to visit Andong during the Mask Festival but was unable to because the bus to Andong was sold out. Andong is famous because it is home to Hahoe Village, which is a still-used traditional village. Many of the other 'traditional villages' you can visit are no longer have permanent residents or were created just for tourism. Hahoe Village has been home to Koreans for 600 years. The village is also extremely famous because of the Mask Dance. The Mask Dance was passed down for a very long time and Hahoe known for preserving the authenticity of the dance.

During my time in Hahoe Village I was able to submerse myself in Korean culture. South Korea has such a rich history that is so different from America. In the United States we consider things old when they are from the Revolutionary Period but in Korea there are traditions, customs, buildings and artifacts dating back over half a century, sometimes even more. It was also really neat to visit Hahoe Village because people still lived there. When we were touring the area we were often reminded to be quiet or walked past signs, specifying which areas were off limits because they were used for residence.   We were even given several brief presentations by residents of the village. One of the presentations was on preparing and serving tea. It was a really complicated process, and although it's often not practiced anymore, bits of the practice are visible in modern Korean culture. For example, whenever you are dining with Koreans the youngest person is supposed to pour drinks for everyone beginning with the eldest person.

My tea

 We were also able to slept in 한옥 (hanok), which is a traditional Korean house. This means we all slept on the floor and didn't have traditional heating. Instead our floor was heated by the placement of hot rocks underneath the rooms. This underfloor heating system is called ondol and Koreans are very, very proud of inventing it. The bathrooms were also located outside of the bedrooms. Additionally, the bedrooms were along the perimeter of a rectangular courtyard and the room the students slept in had a straw roof instead of the tiled roof, called kiwa. The different roofs designated whether the room was for the family or the servants. 

During the trip we also enjoyed some wonderful fall scenery. The leaves were absolutely stunning. I also was able to learn some of the traditional mask dance although it was pretty hard to master. My students and I all had a great time. I'm a little disappointed I only have one more trip left with the Hwacheon County Office. It has been such a pleasure to travel with my students and has really helped me in the classroom. I feel a lot closer to the students I travel with and many times they feel more obligated to behave well and participate in class. Hopefully, after the trips end I will create a new way to reach out to my students outside of class.

Hyeongju, Seunghyoon and me in front of the 600 year old tree . You can tie wishes to the tree.

Two of my fifth grade boys, Dongsu and He-in

On a cliff overlooking Hahoe Village

Family Bonding

Since I often travel on weekends it is harder to spend time with my host family and really strengthen our relationship. Therefore, when my host dad suggested that we go to Seoul on a weeknight I agreed. Initially I thought the plan to leave for Seoul on Thursday evening at 5PM and return that same night was  a little crazy since the drive is at best two hours but my host father insisted it wasn't a bad drive at all. Since my dad was kind of vague when describing what we were going to Seoul for it was not until Thursday morning that I discovered I would be going to see a lantern festival. I quickly became very excited since I missed the famous Jinju Lantern Festival.

At 5 o'clock my host brother met me at school and we walked across the street to his father's office. There our mother met us and the four of us set off. My host mom brought kimbap and some snacks for the ride. It was then talking to my host brother that I was informed that the kimbap we were eating was not delicious because the rice was from China not Korea. I'm not really sure how accurate that statement is but I nodded as if I agreed. Koreans tend to be very proud of their country and are very comfortable talking ill of other Asian countries. It makes me slightly uncomfortable at times, but I have learned that it's best to not say anything in return.

After a 3 hour drive we arrived at Cheonggyecheon, the man-made stream in the center of Seoul. I had visited the stream once before and found it to be absolutely beautiful. I was surprised to find it was even more beautiful at night. The bottom of the stream was lit up in parts and then there were lanterns everywhere. The Seoul Lantern Festival is small compared to many other festivals but I was impressed at how beautiful everything was. I wasn't really expecting to see entire people made out of lanterns, let alone a recreation of a wedding celebration. Many of the lanterns depicted what life was like in Korea in the old days, which was neat because it allowed me to learn more about Korean culture. My father is also always excited to show off Korean culture. Nearly twice a week on our walk to school I receive a talk on some aspect of Korean culture ranging from respecting your elders to stories that are told to children. The night was extremely fun and was a great chance for me to unwind with my host family. It's also nice to have a shared experience with my parents because the language barrier makes it more difficult to bond through conversations.

My favorite was a display of lantern children from all over the world

This lantern represent my town which is famous for our ice fishing festival.

Strengthening Ties

This past week I have been working on strengthening my relationships with the Koreans in my community. Tonight I had dinner with Ji Hye,  a co-worker's daughter and two other Hwacheon ETAs. The four of us grabbed Korean style Chinese food for dinner and then went to Dunkin' Donuts for coffee. Dinner in Korea is almost always followed by a second-round, called 이차(icha). Most of the time drinking is involved and there are four or five total rounds, the last of which is noraebang, or karaoke. This is the second time I have met Ji Hye for dinner and I am really enjoying getting to know her.

Amy, Ji Hye and I

Since Hwacheon is so rural it is extremely hard to meet people my age. Most of the people in Hwacheon are soldiers or older couples with kids. Ji Hye is a university student but is taking the semester off. Therefore, she is living at home before starting a job outside of Seoul. I am hoping I can continue to keep in touch with her when she leaves for Seoul in December. It's really fun being able to talk about the differences between American and Korean culture with Koreans. I am also becoming closer with Ji Hye's mom. I meet with Ji Hye's mom and a few other teachers every Tuesday afternoon to eat, drink coffee and practice English. This week her mother invited me over her house to learn how to make kimchi, the fermented cabbage dish that Koreans eat with literally every meal. Next Tuesday she will also teach me to cook 떡볶이 (deokboki), a Korean snack food that I have come to love. It's basically rice cakes, fish cakes and cabbage in a really spicy sauce. Ji Hye actually introduced me to  라볶이 (laboki), which is the same dish but Ramen noodles are served in addition to the rice cakes.

떡볶이

On Sunday I met another teacher from this group, Seon Oak, for lunch in Chuncheon, a nearby city. I went to Chuncheon early in the morning and did some shopping. I really needed to pick up warmer clothes because it is often 35 degrees when I walk a mile to and from school. Our school also is not heated so it is often very cold inside the building. Hwacheon is one of the coldest cities in Korea and in the winter I am told the temperature reaches -18 degrees Celsius (yes Celsius!). After I did some shopping I met Seon Oak and her boyfriend for lunch. We ate 닭갈비 (talkalbi) on 닭갈비 street in the shopping district. Chuncheon is very famous for 닭갈비 and there are many streets that only have 닭갈비 restaurants. Unlike in America most Korean restaurants specialize in one dish. There is a menu but it is limited to the one type of food they specialize in. The lunch was really fun even though it was sometimes hard to communicate. Seon Oak does not speak a lot of English and her boyfriend speaks even less. It is amazing what can be achieved and conveyed with limited language though.

The remaining part of my week is shaping up to be pretty busy. On Friday my family is leaving Hwacheon at 5 to drive to Seoul. We will then attend a lantern festival for an hour before driving the two hours back home. It seems a little crazy to me but I am sure it will be a great experience! On Saturday I am leaving for another overnight trip with my students. This weekend we will visit 안동 (Andong) the old capital of the Shilla Dynasty. There is a traditional village there so it should be a great trip!

Feeling the Love

As I'm sure everyone by now knows, earlier this week the Northeast was rocked by Hurricane Sandy. Breezy Point was hit particularly hard by both flooding and fires. (Quick video here and news article here) While at work on Monday I was overwhelmed by everything I was reading online about the storm and the updates I was receiving by Kakao from my brother in New York. I was really trying to focus on teaching my five classes that day but my heart and mind were elsewhere. As I slowly received more information about the breadth of destruction in New York my heart sank. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were the most homesick I have ever been. I just wanted to be with family during these difficult times instead of having to engage with my Korean family, friends and students who had little understanding, if any, of how devastating Hurricane Sandy was to my community.

As time passed though I realized how vast a support network I had developed here in South Korea. The outpouring of love first came from my fellow ETAs in Hwacheon and Yucheon. The three of them smothered me with love and continually checked in for new developments and just to make sure I was holding up okay. Then ETAs from all over the country began to check in with me and their support was a great source of strength. My Korean co-workers were also there for me, particularly my co-teacher Soo Jin. I'm convinced Soo Jin is actually superwoman because she effortlessly balances teaching, taking care of Amy and I, and taking care of her own family, which includes two young daughters. Soo Jin knew that I was from New York City so after she heard about the hurricane she asked me where I lived in the city and asked about my family. I told her that I was from Breezy Point and assured her that my family was safe but my neighborhood was pretty devastated. I did not say much more though because I did not want to upset myself at work. Soo Jin then came in the next morning and said that she spent the last night googling Breezy Point to learn more about what happened there and in all of New York as a result of Hurricane Sandy. She then apologized and told me she was grateful that my family and friends were okay. She also told a few other teachers what had happened and they all came in and asked how I was doing. One of my favorite teachers, 오원, came by this afternoon to check in on me. He is a bus driver at the school and is one of the most kind-hearted people I have met in Korea. Everyday he stops by to say hello and chat, even though hi is the extent of his English. Earlier this week he took me for a bus ride with the students and a few other teachers because he wanted me to see how beautiful Hwacheon is during the fall. His kindness, along with Soo Jin's and my fellow ETAs has made being in Korea so much easier during these difficulties. I feel like I really do have a community here in South Korea and I know that I am well taken care of. Although I still wish I could be home to help my family, friends and community rebuild I feel blessed to be in such a supportive and loving environment.

Also, all the love and support I received from my American friends was extremely appreciated. Thank you to everyone who kept my family, friends and community in their thoughts during this trying time.

Traveling with the Kiddos

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to travel overnight with a few of my students. The school district I teach in organized a program where foreign teachers travel with students from all of the elementary and middle schools to all different parts of South Korea. This weekend 10 foreign teachers, 4 from Fulbright and 6 from the EPIK Program, and 25 students went to Paju, which is North of Seoul and very close to the DMZ. The students come from schools all over Hwacheon and the surrounding villages. Fortunately, two of my fifth grade students and two of my sixth grade students attended the trip. I would have been pretty bummed if I didn't have the chance to bond with students I actually taught.

We left Hwacheon early Saturday morning and drove to Paju. Paju is a really interesting city because it is probably the biggest city that is located so close to the DMZ. Therefore, it has many military bases nearby and many military families live there. Yet, the city is also a haven for artists. The city has two sub-sections called Paju Book City and Hey-Ri. Paju Book City is where I visited during the DMZ Documentary Film Festival and is home to numerous book shops and publishing companies. Hey Ri is also called the Art Valley and is home to numerous museums, galleries, studios, work rooms, coffee shops and several residences. There are already over 40 museums in a very small space. Hey-Ri has many building regulations too. The buildings are constructed to blend in with their natural surroundings so none of them are over 3 stories tall and they all have unpainted exteriors. While in Paju we went a World Instruments Museum, a recent Korean history museum, a currency museum, a trick- eye museum and a puzzle museum. The puzzle museum had to take the cake for the most Korean museum because it was actually just a museum of framed, completed puzzles. Luckily, there was a puzzle room where you could work on puzzles and I really, really enjoyed puzzling with my students. The Korean History Museum was the most engaging of all of the museums. The entire museum was constructed to look like South Korea in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. You were able to walk through the various villages to learn what life was like in Korea during that time. It was really neat and forced me to really comprehend how unbelievably fast Korea modernized. My students favorite museum was obviously the trick-eye museum, which was also particularly Korean. The kids loved taking funny photos and just liked being able to touch everything.

Korea in the 1960s

Na Yeon at a Korean School from the 1970s

The Trick Eye Museum

Besides checking out the museums in Paju, we also went to one of the many craft studios that are intended for visitors to create art. We went to a chalk are studio and had the opportunity to make door signs for our rooms. It was a really fun project, although I learned that Chalk Art is suprisingly tricky. We also rented out a room in a coffee house and watched the movie Flipped.

Na Yeon and I show off our signs

Today, we woke up bright and early and drove from our love motel in Paju to the DMZ, directly north of Paju. It was really interesting to see a different part of the De-Militarized Zone between North and South Korea. We walked around a little and were able to see Peace Bridge, a fully functional (albeit not used) bridge between North and South Korea. We also saw an old train car that had bullet holes all over it from the Korean war. There still is a train line that runs from South Korea all the way to Europe but because of North Korea, it is no longer in use. Another neat display was rocks from countries all over the world. The rocks all came from countries who had unification troubles or civil wars, similar to Korea. 

The DMZ in Paju

Peace Ribbons

A train from the Korean War

The Peace Bridge

That's North Korea on the other side of the river!

After walking around the South Korean side of the DMZ we boarded our bus and actually entered the 2 kilometer wide De-Militarized Zone. To enter this area you need to show your passport and a Korean soldier must inspect the bus. While in the actual DMZ we visited Dorean Station and the Third Tunnel, both of which I visited in August. It was neat to see the places again though. No one else (Koreans and foreigners included) had been to any of these areas and I really enjoyed listening to the varied reactions.   I'm still grappling with the complexity of the North Korean issue myself. Ultimately, reunification would be wonderful but the extreme differences between the countries make reunification extremely hard, particularly economically. South Korea's economy would suffer tremendously, even if other countries helped shoulder the cost of reunification. This seems extremely unfair to South Korea, who was not responsible for it's divisions and yet, how responsible is any country for the actions of its past leaders. There is also the issue of North Koreans adjusting to South Korean culture and society. This is one of the biggest challenges for defectors and is one of the primary reasons North Korean Defectors leave South Korea. Many of the Fulbright Junior Researchers are studying North Korea- South Korea relations and North Korean Defectors so hopefully I can gain more insight into these issues during the rest of my year.