2-4-6-8 Err'body Immigrate

In December of 2009, I landed at Incheon International Airport for the very first time. Eyes wide and full of innocence, I made my way to customs, pretty unsure of what to expect. I looked over the different signs indicating which group of people should go where, and had a difficult time figuring out in which line I belonged. I was certain that I did not belong in the returning Korean citizens line, was pretty sure that the big fancy Visa in my passport disqualified me from the tourist line... this left the immigrant group, but that couldn't possibly be it, I am not an immigrant, I am an American... where was the American line? Hamburger? Anyone?

Then the realization began to dawn, I am an immigrant, and all of the stigmas and stereotypes, benefits, drawbacks and blatant racism that comes with being assigned this line at customs, suddenly belonged to me. Now that a year and a half has passed since the dawning of my identity at the customs counter, I have found myself frequently examining my role as an immigrant. Is everything I am doing now reflecting not only on myself, but foreigners as a whole, or more specifically, foreign teachers in Korea? Should I be taking offense to the mass numbers of people who come here thinking of it as nothing but a year long vacation, and never acknowledging the fact that Korean families are paying a lot of money for their kids to be educated by foreign teachers?

I will rewind a moment and make the honest statement that in my year and 2 months in South Korea I have felt incredibly welcomed. Almost all of the people I have met here are very hospitable, and any different treatment I have received because I am a foreigner has mostly been embarrassingly in my favor. That being said, the demographic of Korean people who are less than thrilled about the invasion of the foreign English teacher on their homogeneous nation is small, but not insignificant.

When Korean school owners hire foreign teachers, the only contact they have with said teacher before their arrival in Korea is often a simple phone call and a photo. And while many of the foreign teachers here are very qualified for their jobs and their bosses are happy they made the hiring choice they did, it isn't uncommon to come across someone who is, how do I put this nicely... a massive weirdo. The incidence of the weirdo population amongst us immigrants has led to the invention of our technological replacement. I have to imagine that grocery store clerks feel about self checkout lanes the way I feel about this little gadget, designed specifically to replace the foreign weirdo in the Korean classroom. Blog readers (mom)... allow me to introduce you to the aptly named, English Teaching Robot.



According to an article on i09.com, $45 million will be spent by the South Korean government to bring the English Teaching Robot to 500 preschools and Kindergartens by 2011, and 8,000 schools by 2013. The plan is in motion, if the robot is as successful as tests have indicated it will be, to bring the robot to Elementary schools by 2015. And in all fairness, with how technologically advanced this country is, this robot is maybe not a terrible idea. Honestly, it probably does a much better job than some of my previous coworkers...

The robot is a peaceful solution to the discrimination against the foreign teacher, but some people have taken it a step further. Check out this article from the LA Times entitled "Korean Activists Target Foreign Teachers." (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/31/world/la-fg-korea-english31-2010jan31) The article shines a light on a middle-aged Korean man named Yie Eun-woong, who spends his free time heading an anti foreign teacher organization which specializes in researching (pronounced stalking) foreign teachers with hopes of catching them in an 'immoral act' which they can then report to schools, parents of students, and, when appropriate, Korean authorities. The article says, "Then he follows them, often for weeks at a time, staking out their apartments, taking notes on their contacts and habits." Fun!

A simple Naver (Korea's Google) search of 'Anti English Teacher' brought me to this image, depicting the different sections of an English Teacher's Brain.



Again, in all fairness, this is a not entirely an unfair stereotype when looking at a small percentage of English teachers in Korea. But, on a larger scale, is this stereotype not applicable to a decent sized demographic in any population? And, to go back to my original question, are all immigrants expected to conduct a personal lifestyle under the assumption that every action will reflect the morals of their parent nation and or immigrant status as a whole?

An article in The Global Post attributes a big uprising of anti-English teacher sentiments to a Halloween party at a club in Seoul in 2008, where several foreign teachers were photographed with scantily clad Korean women. Though these women were dressed in Halloween costumes (which, if you have seen Mean Girls, you understand is synonymous with scantily clad) and were at the party based on their own choosing, the publication of these photos, in the eyes of many Korean traditionalists, reflected negatively on the English teaching population. These photos, mixed with a few highly publicized drug arrests of English teachers, inspired the formation of the activist group "Citizens of Right Education." The group, which currently has over 17,000 members, has a mission of eliminating foreign teachers from South Korea.

Though those who support the presence of foreign teachers in Korea far outnumber those who oppose it, the activists' statements have not been entirely ignored by the government. The activist inspired fear that the spread of HIV was due to the new influx of foreigners has resulted in the mandatory HIV testing of all Visa holders upon entering the country.

This blog post has gone in a different direction than originally intended, and I will leave the examples of anti-immigrant feelings in Korea here. I again feel that I strongly need to emphasize that I do not feel unwelcome in Korea. For every 1 person who dislikes the presence of foreign teachers, there are 100 smiling students and parents thanking us for moving across the world to help educate Korean children.

I guess the biggest thing I have learned from my immigrant status, beside the understanding that my actions do not only reflect myself, but my demographic as a whole, is that we all have to have a bit of understanding for immigrants in own countries. When I returned home last December, I felt aggressively defensive when I heard comments along the lines of, "and my gardener doesn't speak a damn word of English, you are in our country, learn our language." Moving to a new country is a huge life step, one that comes with many challenges you wouldn't expect. Your gardener, waiter, taxi driver, English teacher... they are all working a full time job, and are trying to support themselves and maybe an entire family with probably not a very high paying job. (And not everyone is as lucky as I am to be an immigrant in a country with such great health care...)Learning a language is hard, and you have no right to assume that they are not doing, to the best of their abilities, what they can to learn the native language. The most important thing to remember is that we are all people, and with that human title, you will find a lot of really great individuals, and some massive weirdos in the mix, but you should not judge someone based on their immigrant stamp in a passport.

Much love to you all, unless of course you are Yie Eun-woong...

Peter Teacher

Eating My Way to South Korea

Today, I would like to invite you to try some of the food I have been missing/craving since I left Korea in early December.

I have made this recipe a few times, and it is nothing short of really, really great. I replaced white sugar with brown sugar, and added slices of Kiwi to tenderize the meat. For vegetarians, or those who don't eat red meat, this recipe works well with portabella mushrooms, tofu, salmon and chicken.


Beef Bulgogi Ingredients
1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
1.Place the beef in a shallow dish. Combine soy sauce, sugar, green onion, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and ground black pepper in a small bowl. (If you prefer your food spicy, add Chili Powder to taste. Pour over beef. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

2.Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
3.Quickly grill beef on hot grill until slightly charred and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Beef Bulgogi is really good over rice, or with lettuce to make Korean lettuce wraps, but I am a big fan of serving it over the Korean noodle dish called Japchae.

Japchae

12 Ounces Korean Vermicelli (Sweet Potato Noodles)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn off the flame, and add noodles. Allow the noodles to soak for 5 to 10 minutes until they are pliable. Strain the noodles and set them aside.

1/2 Cup Shitake Mushrooms
1/2 Cup Regular Mushrooms
1 Cup Onion
1 Cup Carrots
3 Cups Red Bell Pepper

Slice all vegetables into thin strips and mix together in a bowl. Add to the bowl 3 cloves of minced garlic, 4 Teaspoons Soy Sauce, 4 Teaspoons Sugar and 4 Teaspoons Sesame Oil. Allow the vegetables to marinate for a few minutes, before sauteing them in vegetable oil for 3 to 5 minutes. Set the vegetables aside.

To make the sauce for the noodles, called Yangnyumjang Sauce, you will need...
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon White Sugar
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Tablespoon Rice Wine
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Green Onion
1 Teaspoon Grated Fresh Ginger
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro (Cilantro is not used in Korean food, but, let's face it, this is not Korea, and cilantro is damn good)

Mix all of the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Directions
Heat 1 Tablespoon of Vegetable Oil in a pan over medium-high flame. When it begins to sizzle, add half of the Yangnyumjang Sauce and 1/4 Cup Water. Add the noodles, stir-frying for 5 ish minutes.

Combine the noodles, the vegetables and the remaining sauce in a large bowl. Serve chilled or room temperature.





On a side, somewhat related note, check out my friend's blog, My Vagabond Kitchen, featuring delicious recipes and stories of her travels. Check it out at http://myvagabondkitchen.blogspot.com/

West meets East Coast, a final bow, a somewhat large decision, and the puppy named Pube

I looked at the calender today and had a moment. (For legal purposes I must now say that this is a lie. I did not look at a calendar today. I do not, in fact, own a calendar. But, the need for an introduction for my first attempt at revisiting the writing self of my recent past outweighs my moral stance on total honesty in blogging.) As I looked at the calendar and let the date, March 3, 2011, really sink in, I realized that it has nearly been 3 months since I said goodbye to Peter Teacher and embraced a return life as an ex-expat back in the US of A.

Readjusting to life back home has not been an entirely easy process, though I do feel like more of a natural with each passing day. No longer do large groups of white people speaking in English entirely intimidate/irritate me. I have all but kicked my subconscious habit of bowing at the end of every transaction, I have even stopped mentally converting prices to Won. I have drastically reduced the number of Korean pop songs on my average playlist. I have also made a conscious effort to not talk about Korea too often after realizing that the average person really isn't biting at the bit to listen to me as I lengthily describe, in detail, my year as a teacher in South Korea.

While the memories of Korea are still very present in my mind, as time continues to hurtle forward, the whole experience begins to feel like more and more of a very pleasant, kimchi scented dream. And now that the dream of being a foreigner with hair of gold*, frolicking around the Korean peninsula without a financial worry has abruptly come to an end, I have found myself rudely awakened to the real world of post college life, no health insurance, and really expensive phone bills.

I left Colorado in early January, and have spent the past few months traveling the East Coast, in pursuit of a happy, or at least somewhat enjoyable life. I figure, what better way to build somewhat enjoyable life than applying for every job on Craigslist and trying to sink into a natural feeling lifestyle with a schedule, a paycheck, and a social circle that mirrored my experiences in Boston and in Suwon, South Korea. It took a trip back to Boston to realize that, while it holds countless memories and is still home to many people I wish I could see on a daily basis, my time in Boston has come to a close. I kept moving down the East Coast and am currently in Philadelphia, where I have been living with some really great friends for a month now. After spending days on end trying in vain to get any sort of employment, I have found myself in the exact same place I was before I left for Korea. Whenever my phone vibrates there is that moment of excited anticipation before I realize that it is just another email from facebook, could it possibly be a job, finally calling me in for an interview?

So, as I gazed at said fictionalized calendar and let the month of March really sink in, some new realizations began to emerge. If that call did finally come through and I found myself in a mind-numbing 40 hour a week data entry job, even under the guise of a 'just to pay the bills as I search for a job I really want' kind of job, I wouldn't be living a somewhat enjoyable life. I am only 23 years old, why should I settle for a job that makes this great life anything less than enjoyable? This is why I, Peter Unemployed, have made a decision. I will be returning to Korea, this time as a kindergarten teacher in Seoul, for another go as Peter Teacher this upcoming May. I have a lot of changes in how I want to approach a second year in Korea, and am really happy that I will once again be in a country where wearing Spiderman socks with sandals is not only accepted, but damn fashionable, in just a few months.

I have had an amazing time catching up with everyone out East these past several weeks and would like to thank you all for your friendship and hospitality. I have much more to say to you all, especially those I didn't get this time around, at a later time. For now, I will leave you with an email I got earlier this week from a former student.

"Hello teacher I am Emily. Are you remember me? My brother is Allen. How are you? I am fine. And my dog lay the puppy. Puppy name is Pube. Goodbye ~~"

Until Soon,

Peter

*
"Teecha! You must be very rich. You have gold hair!" from The Dodgy End of Haiti, a Knocked Up Snow White and Chicken from Kentucky, Monday, March 15, 2010

Caaaaab Driver, You Don't Have to Stop for Red Light*

I have been here for three months now and feel that I have pretty much become immune to culture shock. The things that stood out as culturally insane when I first arrived are now just a part of my day to day life. I am used to strange looks and people constantly telling you their not so flattering thoughts on your appearance, I have fully adjusted to the fact that public restrooms never have soap and often don't have a sink, I have even started referring to myself in the third person as Peta Teecha. Even though this new found culture shock immunity is something I am pretty pleased with, I do genuinely enjoy when something happens that stands out as being very, very different.

Something that continually shocks me are the subtle differences in day to day activities, activities that are so routine and insignificant one wouldn't really think to look for strong examples of culture shock. To demonstrate my point, I will walk you through a few of these things including a haircut, a physical, and a cab ride.

Haircut

I had my first haircut in Korea this past weekend, a process that I have been dreading since I arrived. It is in these random life need errands that you truly realize you are actually living in a place. I am not just a tourist. I live here. I have needs. I needed a haircut. Now that it is all said and done, I have to say that I am honestly looking forward to the next time I need a trim. I found a shop simply called "Scissors For Man" and figured that it was probably a safe bet. This shop just seemed to be, well, for me. I entered the store and was amazed to find that the hairdresser spoke better English than many of the Koreans who are teaching English at my school. As I sat in the chair the man asked if I would like to be massaged during my haircut, he then flicked a switch on the chair to show me just what this massage would entail should I choose to accept. The chair began to vibrate and rub my back and legs. Honestly, I hated it, but for more massage inclined patrons, this seems like a pretty impressive offering for a salon that charges under $6 for a haircut. I politely declined the massage. My eyes were then directed to the counter space below the mirror in front of me. The man pressed a button and a flat screen television rose out of the counter. He quickly flicked through the channels to find something playing in English and landed on a Nazi war movie with Jude Law. Nothing says haircut like a gory Nazi flick, and it truly made the 20 minute haircut fly by. I couldn't decide which was more entertaining, the video entertainment or the two Korean men in chairs to either side of me with their hair done up in curlers to obtain the so popular Korean man perm. As my first haircut in Korea experience came to an end, the kind barber quickly shoved a little trimmer in both of my nostrils to add new definition to the expectations one usually have of their barber. As I left, everyone in the shop, including the men in curlers, turned and waved to say goodbye.

Physical

I think the words hair pulling three year old tantrum throwing phobia are accurate descriptors of my feelings before a physical. I am a pretty big believer in personal space, and feel that the act of getting a physical pops your metaphorical bubble in a truly unpleasant way. When I first came here I was informed that later in the week I would be taken for my physical that is required of all foreigners upon their arrival in Korea. When the dreaded day came, I made my way to the hospital with my supervisor Jenny, her husband Charlie and my coworker Anthony, all of whom followed me throughout the entire physical. The entire process took under a half hour and is one of the funniest things I have encountered here thus far, though I am still not entirely sure I understand what happened. The best way that I can describe it is that you are shoved from room to room by doctors and nurses who speak little to no English, which means that you are never once told what is going on or what to expect. The process began in one room where a nurse wrenched open my mouth and pulled out my tongue and squeezed it for a bit, next room you are shoving your arms in some machine to do something I am still unclear on, next room is a blood test. I found it pretty shocking that gloves were not worn by any of the nurses at the hospital, even during the blood test. Next, they hand you a cup and give you directions to the toilet. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the bathroom was just under a five minute walk away. I finished the cup filling process and made my way back towards the room where I was told the cup should be deposited. The long walk with the cup o' pee was pretty intimidating, what can I say, I guess I just prefer being seen in public without a cup filled with urine. I tried to avoid thinking about what would happen should I fall, which is especially likely when you are surrounded by Koreans who are very inclined to push and shove. There were a few more exams that were very fast and totally confusing, and in a flash my physical was done. I would take a physical in Korea over one in the states any day, though I still would prefer to avoid the whole experience all together.

Cab Ride

Cabs are amazingly cheap here and things are pretty spread out, so I feel that I have become quite accustomed to the Korean cab experience. The biggest obstacle you must tackle when getting in a Korean cab is gaining a calm understanding that your driver will not stop for red lights. They are just against it. Though it makes for a much quicker form of transportation than the cabs I was used to in Boston, I still find myself gasping and grabbing at the door handle in almost every cab ride I take. The drivers don't seem to notice, as every cab I have been in comes with a personal television in just to the right of the steering wheel that they seem to watch more intently than they do the road. It isn't uncommon that a driver will just refuse to take you because they aren't in the mood to go where you request or because you are a foreigner. They will sometimes decide mid ride that they don't want to finish taking you where you are going, at which point they will simply pull over and ask you to get out. Another thing to keep in mind when visiting Korea is that you should never take a cab that is black. This ride will be nearly twice as expensive, and the only difference is that the driver is wearing a suit.

*http://mp3bear.com/the-police-roxanne

Alive and Kickin' in my XXXXL Jacket

This past weekend was perhaps the biggest weekend I have experienced thus far in my 2+ months in Korea. Lunar New Years, according to Wikipedia and the mixed stories I have gotten from my Korean friends, is also known as Seollal, and is the most important of the Korean traditional holidays. This, combined with the fact that we had an extra day off of work, combined with the fact that our dear Korean friend Donna is incredibly motivated, inspired myself and two other teacher friends to head to Busan, "The San Francisco of Korea" to ring in the Korean New Year.

This whirlwind weekend was only topped by the amazing scenery of Busan. The jagged cliffs rising out of the bright blue ocean were a perfect scenic compliment to the Buddhist Temples set high in the mountains above Busan. But before I go any further into a description of this amazing weekend, let me give you some background information on exactly how it all came to be.

I have found that I am very good at planning vacations with friends that never seem to transpire. The Western mindset seems all too accepting of letting plans slip by the wayside until it is too late to logically book the necessary tickets and accommodations to make these fantasy plans a reality. This is where our friend Donna comes in. A simple facebook message was sent a few weeks back asking if we would be interested in spending the Lunar New Years with her and her family in Busan. We sent messages back that said something along the lines of "sure!". The next message we received, sent minutes later, was that our bus tickets had already been purchased and a hotel reservation had been made.

Three weeks later, we find ourselves exhausted and stumbling off of a 5+ hour bus ride that started at 4 AM. The jam packed Busan schedule did not allow us any time to rest up before the adventures began, and we made our way to the hotel to shower up and hit the road. Our hotel room was amazing, but seemed to be missing one key thing a person would hope to find in a hotel. Beds. Instead we quickly came to terms with the fact that at the day's end, we would be curling up in blankets on the floor, enjoying the amazing ocean view from the giant picture window.

We made our way through beaches, museums and hills. We saw crying mermaid statues and extension bridges. We collected sea glass, took hundreds of pictures, and eventually made our way to Donna's home.

We met her grandmother, mother and sister, and were warmly welcomed into their home. They did not speak much English so the communication was relatively limited, but this did not stop them from teaching us how to make Mondu (dumplings) from scratch and preparing a really amazing meal. We finished the food, watched as Donna's talented artist sister gave Stephanie a two hour manicure, and eventually made our way back to the floor of our hotel room.

The next day we went to a Buddhist Temple in the cliffs, which is probably the most amazing thing I have ever seen. (Pictures will be posted ASAP). I finally found the courage to be a creepy tourist, and was comfortable taking pictures of the really adorable kids dressed in their traditional clothing, bowing before giant Buddha statues.

From here we went to a giant market to do some shopping. We made our way through shops and carts selling a mixture of designer knock off goods and really trendy Asian clothing. Let me preface the rest of the market story by saying that it is nearly impossible to find clothes that fit in Korea, but that I generally wear a size L or XL in the States. After trying on clothes at countless stores, I finally found a jacket that fit, which was pretty exciting for me seeing as I have been braving the winter weather in nothing but a sweatshirt for the past few months. I went into the store to ask about jackets, and the woman looked at me and said, "Fat Size?" "Yes," I told her, "fat size." She gave me a really great fat sized jacket, and I was honestly thrilled with my consumer participation in the Busan marketplace.

From here we made our way to the biggest fish market I have ever seen, not that I have seen that many, but seriously this place was huge. We passed hundreds of carts selling a bizarre array of seafood, things I could not have dreamed existed. We passed carts selling fresh whale meat and giant octopus, and then made our way to Donna's favorite place to get some nice, fresh eel. The three of us Americans and Donna ate the eel with varying levels of excitement. The meal is one of Donna's favorites, and Blake honestly seemed to agree with her, I attempted to be polite and took a few gracious bites, and Stephanie screamed and made vomit faces as she choked down a single, chewey bite. After we ate the meal, they brought over some of the eel they had not yet killed so we could see what it was we had just eaten. The living writhing eels had been skinned alive and were covered in spicy sauce and their own blood. Let me tell you, that this is not exactly the prettiest picture, especially when being viewed in the context of of a meal you have just eaten.

We made our way to the university area where we participated in some good old fashioned Norebang (singing room), and prepared to make our way back to Suwon at 6 AM the next morning. We arrived in Suwon at noon on Monday, happy to have had such a satisfying weekend with great friends. I seriously have 200 pictures to document these two days, which I will upload asap. To close out my first blog post in a really long time, I will tell you a little bit more about my fat jacket. Yesterday, upon closer inspection, I found a tag on the new jacket that listed the size as XXXL. The people at the store seem to have thought that this was not nearly a big enough representation, as they drew on an extra X with a pen. I am now nice and warm, and slightly insecure, in my quadruple XL Jacket. Thank you Korea.

Welcome Home

Up until this weekend, my stay in Korea has had a massive shadow cast over it by one store and two syllables. Home Plus. I have heard so much about this magical place, but never quite grasped the magnitude of what exactly Korean shopping had to offer until yesterday when I made my first trip to this Wonka Factory of consumerism.

Suwon has three Home Plus locations, and the closest to me is only a 5 ish minute cab ride away. The store is 4 or 5 stories tall, and each level is the size of a Wal Mart. The first level is full of clothing and jewelry, and prices range from insanely cheap to very high end. The clothes here looked great and were definitely affordable, but I unfortunately don't seem to fit into anything. I guess I will need another couple of months of the Korean diet before this level of Home Plus will be of much use to me.

I made my way to the top with the idea that I would check out the entire store and work my way down. This level had literally everything from televisions to cell phones to art supplies to home products, and I spent a good hour looking at everything I didn't really need and really didn't have the money to buy. I left only spending 30,000 (like $25) and felt that I had done a pretty good job. I bought a bath towel (finally I can stop drying myself with the shirt I wore the day before) three floor cushions, and a dining room table. The dining room table was only 16,000, but one must keep in mind that a Korean dining room table is maybe 3 feet across and comes up maybe 9 inches off the ground. These products have brought my apartment a long way towards feeling more like a home, and I am very happy with the purchases of the 5th floor.

While perusing the grocery store level, I came to a sudden epiphany. I have spent a lot of time here searching for a strong statement of Korean culture. Besides the fact that I am paying for things in Won and listening to people speak in a different language, I keep having to remind myself that I am in another country. Everything is so consumer driven here that there doesn't seem to be a strong statement of culture that is uniquely Korean. In that moment, I realized that this the cultural statement I have been looking for. This store was really incredible, and was like nothing I have ever seen before. It truly was uniquely Korean.

The store was completely packed with families bonding together through large scale consumerism. An employee was stationed at every aisle with fresh cooked samples of really great food, and the employee was not only expected to cook and distribute the food, but to loudly yell about the wonders of said product. Talk about multitasking. At each sample table there was a minor mosh pit of Koreans of all ages going back for seconds and thirds of these generous sized samples. It was truly anything goes, and I was frequently shoved out of the way by 4 year olds dive bombing, toothpick in hand, for the last remaining chunk of unidentifiable meat. The sampling crowds were especially present around the liquor aisle, where they were giving out large "samples" of beer. There were at least 15 male shoppers fully taking advantage of the fact that there really was no limit to exactly how many samples one could take. I could tell by a combination of their bright red faces and not so steady stances that they had been there for quite some time.

I timidly made my way through the store holding my products in hand. The process of getting a shopping cart was bizarrely intimidating so I just decided to skip it all together. I had found everything I came for except one key thing; peanut butter. I had made my way through every aisle and knew I didn't have the energy for a return trip through the store in search of my last remaining need. I quickly found an employee who, as it turned out, is the nicest person who has ever existed. Over the din of the store I slowly enunciated the words "PEA-NUT BUT-TER." He smiled, nodded, took me by the hand, and walked with me for nearly three minutes to the large display of peanut butter. We wound through massive crowds of shoppers, and even though he never let go of my hand, he frequently looked back, smiling, to make sure that I was keeping up with him. I was kind of embarrassed when I realized that it was right underneath the jelly and the bread, products which were currently in my hands, but he thankfully paid no attention to my ineptitude as a first time Home Plus shopper.

When I finally left the store I was exhausted. My Home Plus experience lasted a good 2 and a half hours, and was without a doubt the most significant event of my weekend. I have been here now for over 5 weeks and have yet to get a paycheck from my school, so my consumerism was pretty limited. Once I do get paid, however, Home Plus will be a priority destination for some good, ol' fashioned Korean shopping.




I did not bring a camera with me to Home Plus, so I am posting this completely unrelated photo because I have realized that this blog is seriously lacking in pictures. This is Stephanie of Seattle, Tara of Dublin and Confused Korean Man, preparing for New Years Eve in Seoul.

Culture Shock

One of the biggest cultural differences I have noticed so far here has to do with planning and advanced notice, or more specifically, the complete lack thereof. In Korea, people are very comfortable with just going with the flow, and expect you to be able to do the same. Though this will take some adjusting, I am actually happy about developing a better ability to be spontaneous.

I work from 3 PM to 10 PM Monday through Friday, and Monday I was really pretty exhausted by the time 9 rolled around. With only one hour left in my first day of training, I was very much looking forward to heading back to my apartment and passing out. It was right around this time that my supervisor Jenny informed me that when the work day ended at 10 PM, we would be driving to the school's headquarters in another town so I could meet the principal and vice principal.

Teachers here work very, very late at night. The native english teachers at my academy get off work at 10 PM but often times the Korean English teachers are working until midnight or later. A position as principal is no exception from the long hours. I later met Jenny's husband who seemed not entirely thrilled that his wife worked until midnight 6 days a week, and I got a sad glimpse into the very work driven life many Korean's lead.

We arrived at headquarters and I was told that I needed to be very energetic with a huge smile on my face when meeting with the heads of the academy. I first met with the Vice Principal, and was a little surprised when Jenny said, in front of the VP, "Our Vice Principal is very handsome, isn't he?" I smiled and agreed, and the introduction lasted for less than two minutes. I was then brought upstairs to meet with the principal. In the staircase on the way up we came across a lady who was introduced to me as the supervisor, Jenny's counterpart at that location. Once again Jenny asked me, "Our supervisor is very beautiful, isn't she?" Again, I agreed with her, not used to commenting on the physical appearance of my superiors in the workplace. When we met with the principal, once again, I was asked to comment on the beauty of my new boss. During the two minutes I spent speaking with the Principal, she called me fat, "you look very full", was shocked that I was only 22 "you look so old!", and laughed hysterically at my last name. I considered explaining to her that, no, the name actually works out well because of the pun in my blog title, but figured I should probably just laugh along with her. I guess being from the West with a last name of West is quite funny in the East.

As it was explained to me from my new English Teacher friends, Koreans are very, very obsessed with appearance. They do not hesitate to bring up any aspect of your image, no matter how offensive it may be to a Westerner. Fashion is everything here, and people are always expected to look their absolute best in any situation. I have come to the conclusion that during my stay in Korea I will either gain a very thick skin or a nasty bout of anorexia, but I am leaning towards letting these comments roll off my American back.

I am still so happy to be here, this has been a great experience so far and I am really excited to see what comes next!